Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
Naturally, they sympathized with her because she had to take care of a disabled man, despite her fragile figure.
However, she managed to win them over with her sincere and adorable nature, along with her diligence. She had always helped many elderly who lived alone with technology, so everyone thought of her as a lovely companion.
As the storekeeper started wrapping the dumplings, she made some small talk with Flossie. “Who’s this person dying over dumplings? It’s not Van, is it? I remember he doesn’t like carbs, though?”
“It’s not him.” Flossie helped out with wrapping the dumplings as well, swiftly placing the filling into a dumpling skin and pressing the edges together.
“Not him?!” The storekeeper froze, and her tendency to gossip was piqued. “My my, did I find out some kind of big secret? These dumplings aren’t for Van, but someone else?”
“It’s… for an old friend I knew back in my hometown,” Flossie said mysteriously.
“Then this old friend must be quite important to you. You bought so many dumplings every day without fail. And now you’re begging me to make another despite it being so late! Why do I feel like… they’re more important to you than Van?”
“Haha, why would you ever think that, Miss? You know me and Van are the model couple in the town. Are you doubting our relationship?” Flossie jokingly quipped.
To the public, they would always present themselves as lovers, which was why many thought they were deeply in love and were quite envious of their relationship.
However, behind closed doors, they seemed more like lonely companions, merely living on for their purest desires.
“That’s because Van only seems like a responsibility to you. I can tell you’re tired. However, your feelings towards this person… feels more like genuine love, as you’re very passionate about their well- being.” The storekeeper replied straightforwardly.
Flossie was stunned to hear this. After a moment of silence, she tried to justify herself by speaking philosophically. “Well, isn’t the purest form of love… responsibility?”
Soon, the dumplings were done cooking, with their amazing fragrance permeating through the air. This time, most of them were wrapped by Flossie herself as well. Although they didn’t look as good, she found it rather meaningful.
The storekeeper put the dumplings in a small container and handed it to Flossie. Just as she was about to pay, the storekeeper refused.
“Joan, you made these dumplings yourself, so I’m not taking any of your money. I just hope these dumplings will bring you a smile, a genuine smile.” The storekeeper patted Flossie on the shoulder, her words strangely cryptic.
‘That child is so young, and yet she has been carrying so much responsibility on her shoulders…’
‘I’ve only started seeing a blissful expression on her face lately; perhaps that’s what these dumplings truly mean to her.’
Flossie walked out of the restaurant with the dumplings. On the way back to the hospital, she took a small whiff, which brought a faint smile to her face.
Just as she lifted her gaze, she noticed the man before her, who seemed to have been waiting for quite some time.
“You…” The woman felt as if she was completely stunned, freezing on the spot.
“So you’ve been the one sending those dumplings all along?” Halston stood a few feet away, staring at her with surprise and confusion.
“I… I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Flossie stuttered, trying her best to deny everything.
“Stop denying. The nurse told me everything…” Halston walked towards the woman, looming over her as he questioned. “So, what’s your purpose for doing all this?”
Seeing how she couldn’t talk out of this, Flossie spoke truthfully. “What else could it be? I was just worried that you’d starve!
“Why would that matter to you? Do we know each other?” Huffing coldly, Halston seemed alerted. “Or is it because you know I have power and status, and you’re doing all this to get closer to me?”
Flossie rolled her eyes. ‘When did this guy become so narcissistic and thick-skinned? Is it really because he received transplants from Jovan?’
“Let’s say I did it to seduce you. Have I succeeded then?” Flossie raised an eyebrow, and asked with a charming smirk.
‘If he wants to treat me as the kind of woman with impure intentions, then so be it. This is the only way he will lose interest in me completely. Then, he won’t question me anymore.’
“Really now? Then try again, seduce me,” Halston said expressionlessly.
Flossie continued smirking, placing her slender fingers on his chin. She then spoke in a slow and seductive manner, “Well, I know you’re a CEO, and you’re rich. I never found a way to get close to you, but I heard from the nurse that your girlfriend ended up in the hospital after an accident. So I figured it was my chance…
“People say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so I sent you dumplings every day. Once you got used to eating them, you won’t leave me, right?” She replied as if she were telling the truth. This was so that Halston would hate her, and she was rather successful in achieving this outcome.
“Get lost!” Halston pushed her away, seemingly disgusted. “I hate manipulative women. You’re nothing compared to my fiancée, and yet you are still trying to replace her? Why don’t you take a good look at yourself?!”
Flossie bit her lips as this was too much pain to bear, but still managed to flash a smile. “You say you hate it, but you look almost intoxicated when eating my dumplings. If I’m a despicable woman, then you’re just a man lying to himself.”
“Shut up!” Halston became irritated and snatched the dumplings out of her hands, smashing them to the ground. “I’d rather starve to death than eat a single bite of your stuff!”
He then left without any hesitation. And with that, their brief encounter after such a long time ended with nothing but heartache and annoyance.
Flossie was frozen in place, looking at the scattered dumplings. With a bitter smile, she thought to herself, ‘Hate me all you want, Halston, it’s better this way.’
Since that day, Flossie and Halston never bumped into each other again.
It was as if they were two parallel lines that headed in the wrong direction, yet realigned back to their own tracks after briefly intersecting.
Halston stayed by Seraphina’s side, all while dealing with the group’s affairs at the same time.
Under Halston’s efforts, H Group finally survived its crisis over the past six months. They found a new chip partner, with the sales of listed electronic products increasing as well. The company’s achievements were unbelievably astounding, to say the least.
At the same time, the strongest rival of H Group, Azure Group, which was founded by Flossie, had also expanded greatly with the help of KCL Group. Its efficiency was soon ranked among the top three in the industry, nearly surpassing that of H Group.
Although the two families were rivals, the two companies remained out of each other’s hair, directly avoiding any conflict with each other, as if they had been separated by a river for the past six months.
In fact, it was also precisely during that time that the families reached an agreement. After all, Flossie did not want to bring too much trouble to Halston or the Guajardo family.
That day, Halston was working on some documents on his computer when suddenly, his assistant, Elijah, requested a video call.
“What is it?” The man said as he tapped on the computer keyboard, speaking indifferently.
“Boss, something happened!” Elijah seemed anxious, frowning deeply.
“It’s not like the world is ending. Relax.” Halston joked unhurriedly. Having experienced so many challenges, his unchanging personality became more casual and relaxed.
“Oh, Boss, you’ve become so much funnier after getting better!” Elijah pouted. He really couldn’t bring himself to laugh at the moment.
He had to admit, after the man’s ‘rebirth,’ he did indeed undergo quite a drastic change. He used to be rather cold and dismissive, but now he seemed more playful, greatly reminding many of Jovan’s initial personality.
“Tell me, what’s wrong?” Halston stared at the screen with a cold expression, stopping his work to focus on the worried assistant.
“There was a fire in our factory in Namvi. All our upcoming products were burned to the ground. If we can’t distribute our products by the agreed date, who knows what those suppliers would do?!” Elijah couldn’t help but sigh.
Initially, he didn’t even want to report this matter to Halston. After all, the boss had recovered only recently, not to mention he was on his honeymoon. He should naturally be able to relax during these times.
Unfortunately, he could no longer handle it all by himself, given how severe the situation had become. He could only come clean at this point.
“The factory burned down?” Halston pulled his eyebrows together, his expression serious. “Looks like this is indeed a tricky matter.”
“I’m sorry, Boss, it was my negligence that caused this. We’ve been focusing on research and development so much that I didn’t pay much attention to the production line. I thought our production was going fine. Surely nothing would happen, but…”
“Have you sent someone to see the scene? Was it an accident or otherwise?”
“The board of directors has sent a professional team to investigate for the first time. Their initial findings have apparently found that it wasn’t an accident but rather a deliberate act!”
Elijah clenched his fist in anger.