Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Well, that’s settled. Uncle and Mommy will join the carnival, and our family will be the most charming family in the kindergarten,” Abby declared eagerly, her eyes sparkling.
She pulled her brother’s hand, and the two of them ran around the garden excitedly.
A sigh escaped Flossie as she turned to Quinton. “Quinton, I’m sorry. Joanne…”
“Silly girl, you don’t have to say sorry to me. This is between Joanne and me, and I shouldn’t have gotten you involved in this mess…” Quinton watched the kids as they played, his gaze filled with grief. “It’s already good enough that she’s alive; I won’t ask for anything more.”
“Quinton, don’t say that. I don’t think it’s impossible to fix this. You just have to give her time to move past everything that happened.” Before she could say anything else, Flossie received a text from Halston. Surprised, she opened it to find a video of Joanne playing the piano with the sun shining on her. She looked serene and gentle, and very much different from when Flossie first saw her. Flossie had no idea where
Joanne was, but she seemed well. Halston must have sent her that video to ease her worry.
“Quinton, look at this…”
Flossie handed her phone to Quinton.
“That’s…” Quinton saw the familiar woman playing the piano enchantingly, and his eyes became watery.
“Give it time, Quinton. I believe that the both of you will surely meet one day.” Flossie patted Quinton’s shoulder and consoled him gently.
“I’m just glad she’s alive… That’s all I want,” Quinton choked out hoarsely, his voice thick with emotion. After a while of staring at the woman on the screen, he finally calmed down and returned the phone to Flossie. “Flossie, I know you mean well. Don’t worry, I’ve thought a lot about it, and I’ll be okay.”
“Great! There’s no time to grieve-the fort master still has Liam, and Chase is still missing. We didn’t even find our parents’ murderer, and we have yet to see our family prosper … We must stay strong and hold on.” Flossie was forced to pressure him like this so he would be hopeful and motivated again. He did well under pressure, and needed the drive to move on.
After that day, Flossie could feel that Quinton had gotten better and more energetic. Eventually, he was himself again.
The kindergarten’s carnival was held as scheduled, and both Flossie and Quinton participated in it enthusiastically. The theme for the carnival was Halloween, and all the children and their parents had to put on their costumes and work together to complete tasks given by the teachers.
Flossie ordered a customized set of family costumes in advance, and she’d picked a fairy theme. Flossie and Abby wore beautiful, long dresses while Quinton and Adie wore matching suits. The four of them looked charming and refined, and when they got out of the car, everyone’s attention was immediately glued to them. They were impeccable in terms of their behaviour and looks, and they painted a lovely picture. A lot of parents took photos of them, and everyone wondered which influential and elegant family they were from.
“Hey, are they stars? They’re so pretty… I would love to have a group photo with them!”
“I don’t think celebrities are as good as them. I’m sure they’re royalty!”
“Wow, this kindergarten is full of powerful people. I did the right thing by enrolling my kid here.”
The parents watched Flossie and her family in awe, excitedly whispering about them.
Miss Apple, Adie and Abby’s class teacher, welcomed Flossie and her family proudly. “Miss Ellsworth, thank you very much for coming. I’m sure our class will be the champion with you here!” She remarked enthusiastically.
All the classes would join the competition, and they would be evaluated based on their costumes and completion of the tasks. The class with the highest marks would be named Best Class and would gain a mysterious gift, so all the class teachers would try their best to win first place every year.
It was practically a given that Flossie’s family would win the game today because their charming costumes would definitely earn them high marks.
“I think so too. We’ll be the champions for sure! Adie, Abby… Let’s do our best!” Flossie said to her children eagerly. Miss Apple then turned to look at Quinton, and was mesmerized by his good looks. Blushing, she asked shyly, ”Sir, are you Adie and Abby’s father? You’re so handsome.” She had taken over Adie and Abby’s class during the previous semester, so she usually only met Margaret. She had no idea what Adie and Abby’s father looked like.
“Umm… he is—” Flossie started awkwardly, but Quinton interrupted her.
“Yeah, I’m Adie and Abby’s father,” he said firmly.
“Great, because we need the kids’ parents to help them complete their tasks today. The rules are that only the kids’ parents can join the competition, and relatives and friends can only watch and cheer them on,” Miss Apple explained.
“Understood, Miss Apple. We’ll try our best,” Quinton replied with a smile. He had learned of this specific rule beforehand which was why he was pretending to be Adie and Abby’s father for now. He knew that the children would be disappointed if they couldn’t join the competition, and he didn’t want that.
However, Flossie was a little upset by that rule. “Miss Apple, I I _ think that rule isn’t very nice.”
“Why’s that, Miss Ellsworth?” Miss Apple asked.
“The divorce rate is so high nowadays. Some kids live with their mother, father, or even their grandparents. Can’t they join this competition? Isn’t that rule a little discriminatory?”
Flossie knew for a fact that the current divorce rate had risen tremendously. If the kindergarten discriminated against children from divorced families, many of the children would suffer. To Flossie, it was an extremely outdated concept.
“Miss Ellsworth, I understand your concerns, but that won’t I happen at Monte Perry Kindergarten because we’re very strict about the students’ backgrounds here. Generally, children from the kind of families you talked about won’t be allowed to attend this kindergarten. Besides, the rule is just there to prevent any cheating during the game. It’s unfair for the other parents, don’t you think?” Miss Apple didn’t know about the complicated situation in Adie and Abby’s family, and she had no idea that her words had hurt Flossie.
“But…” Flossie wanted to argue but Quinton stopped her. Quinton leaned in close to her ear and warned her, “Forget it, Flossie, ordinary people won’t understand. Besides, the kids are still studying here, so let’s not make a fuss.”
“Well, I just wonder why they’re so prejudiced towards single families. Are we living in ancient times?” Flossie huffed sulkily, far from appeased.
“It’s very normal. The parents here are elites, so naturally, they’ll want their kids to live in a harmonious and loving environment. They’ll always want the best for their kids,” Quinton replied rationally. His calm pacifism was a stark contrast to his past self, who would have definitely argued and made a scene.
For a moment, Flossie felt helpless.
The competition started with ten teams and different tasks.
Each task was rather difficult, and quite a lot of teams were disqualified after the first few rounds, but Flossie and her family were strong.
Naturally, they conquered each task successfully and soon ended up at the final task.
There were only three teams remaining for the final task, which was to raise an artificial moon to the highest spot on the platform the fastest.
The team that managed to raise it to the highest spot would be the champion, and there was also a climbing wall for the task that tested the parents’ strength and endurance.
“Okay, each team has to send a representative for the final task.Ladies and gentlemen, you can start preparing now,” the judge announced excitedly.
Flossie looked up at the tall wall and clenched her fists eagerly.
“Quinton, leave this to me.I’m good at climbing!”
“No, it looks dangerous.Let me do it instead.You can cheer me on with Adie and Abby,”
Quinton insisted though he was terrible at climbing and afraid of heights.He was trying to overcome his fears and take the lead as the head of the family.
“Stop acting tough.Chase told me that you’re scared of heights, so just let me do it.Don’t worry, I won the Aeos Climbing Championship four years ago.”
Snapping her fingers, Flossie put on the equipment and strapped the moon to her back.
“You’re the best, Mommy.We’ll definitely win the final round! “
Abby cheered Flossie on.
However, Adie frowned in worry.
“Are you sure you can do it, Mommy? Let me do it instead.I don’t want you to take risks since you’re a woman…”
“Hah! Don’t worry, I’ll win this game for you.”
Flossie rubbed her children’s heads affectionately and set off.
“Okay, we’ll start the game now!”
The judge blew his whistle, and the three team representatives climbed up the wall energetically.
Being a climbing expert with good stamina and coordination, Flossie was in the lead.
However, her neighboring competitor was a strong and sturdy man.He persisted in climbing up the wall and soon caught up to Flossie.