Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“No, we can’t let him know that I was the one who donated the eyes to him.” Flossie sounded firm. “I know him-he gave up his eyes to Halston for me, and if he learns that I’ve given up my eyes for him, I don’t think he’ll accept it that easily. All of you have to keep it from him.”
“But your sacrifice will go to waste then!” Lisa protested. Eloise had warned Lisa not to say things like this, but Lisa felt that the situation was unfair for Flossie. Flossie had sacrificed so much, but she wouldn’t even get a thank you!
“This isn’t a sacrifice, it’s a repayment.” Flossie forced a calm smile onto her face. “Thank you for thinking about me, but this had to be done.”
Lisa pursed her lips and said reluctantly, “Okay, I’ll keep it a secret since you asked me to. Are you sure you want to leave now though? If you do, I’ll talk to Ms. Pierce for you. I think she’ll be okay with it.”
“There’s no rush.” A sigh escaped Flossie. “You said that Jovan is still in a coma, and we don’t know how he’ll feel when he wakes up. I think it’s better for me to sneak out after it’s proven that he can see again. That way, if anything happens in between, I can still help.”
“Oh, Ms. Ellsworth, you’re so kind! Even now, you’re worried about Mr. Jovan. You must love him a lot, don’t you?” Lisa smiled warmly and said, “Don’t worry-you’re the only one Mr. Jovan likes. Once he’s recovered, he can snatch Guajardo Enterprise from Halston, then he can take care of you and make it up to you.”
“Ugh, I didn’t think of that…” Flossie groaned, just realizing that her actions would undoubtedly start internal conflict in Guajardo Enterprise. Jovan was cunning and persistent, and he surely had been using this time to come up with ways to defeat Halston. Halston would be busy then, and maybe Flossie would finally get the chance to retire since she had lost her sight.
She smiled bitterly. Even though she was in hell, she could still see the bright side of it.
Meanwhile, Halston’s brain surgery was scheduled to start soon, and he had already changed into a surgical gown and entered the operating room.
Francine, Seraphina, and Elijah were waiting outside.
“Madam Francine, it’s not too late for us to stop the surgery. Halston has just recovered, so it’ll be dangerous if something goes wrong during the surgery.” Seraphina glanced at the door of the operating room nervously as she tried to persuade Francine to stop the surgery. Halston would obey Francine, and she had the power to stop the surgery if she wanted to.
“I don’t want him to do this either, but he’s a stubborn man. He said he didn’t want to live in ignorance, and wanted to gain his lost memories…” Francine sighed and said, “I understand though. It’s better that he takes a risk for the sake of regaining his memories instead of living like a zombie. After all, he doesn’t even remember his two kids. What will happen as time goes on?” Francine had given it much deliberation, and eventually decided to support him. Even though she was worried about the risks, she felt sorry for Abby and Adie. Their father hadn’t spent much time with them when they were young, and now, he had even forgotten about them. She really couldn’t see them suffer!
“So, you’ve made up your mind?” Seraphina turned to
Francine, clenching her fists.
“No, it was Halston who made the decision, I just saw it through. It’s his life, so I can only respect his choices,” Francine said with a melancholic sigh. Back then, she was overbearing and used to control every aspect of Halston’s life. She even used to meddle in his marriage, until Halston’s relationship with Flossie took a turn for the worse. Maybe she should have just let them be since Halston cared so much about Flossie… Maybe she shouldn’t have given Jessanna a chance.
Naturally, she didn’t want to make the same mistake again.
“But do all of you respect me? Have you ever thought about the consequences if something does wrong? Have you thought about what would happen to me if he really does regain his memories?” Seraphina’s eyes watered as she asked them desperately. She turned to Francine, looking aggrieved. “You know about my feelings for Halston, Madam Francine, and you know what I’ve suffered for him. I’ve been with him when he was blind, on the verge of death, and even when the executives of Guajardo Enterprise suppressed him. I tried my best and used all my resources to help him soldier through those hardships, but all of you are willing to toss me aside so easily!”
“Calm down, Seraphina,” Francine told Seraphina reassuringly. “It’s a minor brain surgery, not a death sentence or a potion to make him forget about his love for you. I’m sure he’s aware of your sacrifices for him-we all are. He’s not an ungrateful person, you know that.”
“Yes, it’s not a potion to make him forget me but it will make him remember Flossie. Doing this will give him the chance to get back with Flossie and get rid of me… isn’t that right?”
Francine frowned. “How could you say that? Flossie is already in the past…”
Seraphina shook her head and smiled bitterly. “No, Flossie will never be in the past. He just forgot about Flossie temporarily and mistook me for her. He’ll go back to being cold towards me after he’s regained his memories, and his love for Flossie will return!”
“I can’t rule that out…” Francine admitted, feeling sympathetic as she watched tears roll down Seraphina’s cheeks. “But don’t worry-even if he wants to get back with her, she’s already cut him off. Halston can’t do anything if Flossie ignores him, so it’ll be okay.”
“Are you kidding? Everyone knows what will happen once he gets his memories back! I guess I’m the only fool who sacrificed so much for nothing!” Seraphina sobbed, then wiped away her tears and ran away.
Francine raised a hand to stop her, but couldn’t find the words to say.
Frowning, Elijah asked, “Should I go get her, Madam?”
Francine shook her head and murmured, “Let her be. It might be unfair to her, but I can’t do anything about it since Halston insists on having the surgery.”
“Yeah, we can’t stop him. Even if the surgery was postponed, Mr. Guajardo and Ms. Ellsworth will somehow find each other again… it’s practically written in the stars. It’s better to get it over with instead of seeing him in pain all the time.” Elijah had thought about it, and finally decided that the surgery had more benefits than disadvantages. Someone was bound to get hurt in the process, and unluckily, it was Seraphina. However, Elijah did believe that Halston wouldn’t forget about Seraphina’s sacrifices once he regained his memories, and Halston wouldn’t let Seraphina down either.
“But where’s Dr. Wagner? There’s only half an hour left until the surgery, but he’s not here yet. How unprofessional!”
Francine tutted disapprovingly as she glanced at her watch. Brain surgeon or not, how dare he neglect the heir of Guajardo Enterprise?
“Let’s wait a little while longer. Dr. Wagner usually arrives right on time, and besides, he only agreed to do this surgery because of his friendship with Mr. Guajardo.”
“Hmph! Let’s see how great he is then! He’d better cure my son, or it’s over for him.” Francine huffed as she sat in the corridor, forcing herself to be patient. 1
Meanwhile, Seraphina stood in an isolated area, wiping away her tears as her gaze turned cold. She fished out her phone and called an unregistered number. “Turns out they don’t care about me at all, so I don’t have to hesitate. Do it—
I’ll bear the consequences!”
After a while, it was time for the surgery.
Anxious from the wait, Francine demanded, “What’s the matter? Isn’t he going to start the surgery now? He’s supposedly the best brain surgeon around, but he’s nowhere to be found.”
“Hmm… Did something go wrong?” Elijah immediately called Owen’s assistant. A panicked voice was heard on the other end of the line, and Elijah’s eyes grew wide in shock.
“What’s going on, Elijah? Where is he?” Francine asked quickly.
Taking a deep breath, Elijah turned to Francine and said hesitantly, “Dr. Wagner’s assistant said… they’ve gotten into a car accident, and Dr. Wagner is in critical condition.”
“What?” Francine gasped in horror. “What bad luck that it happened right before the surgery! Is this just an excuse because he doesn’t want to do the surgery?”
“I don’t think so.” Elijah shook his head and added seriously, “Dr. Wagner always follows the contract; he wouldn’t say yes if he didn’t want to do it.”
“What should we do now? Should we get Halston out?” Francine was secretly relieved that the surgery couldn’t be carried out. “I’m glad because it’s less risky, but Halston may get mad.” 1
“Has the surgery started?” Seraphina walked over from the other end of the corridor, her eyes watery. “I’m sorry, Madam Francine. I couldn’t control my emotions earlier, but now I realize that this surgery is necessary because he can’t be living a life of lies, and I wouldn’t be comfortable accepting love that’s meant for someone else. I know I should be more open-minded…”
“Something happened to the surgeon.” Francine sighed, looking agitated. “I’m afraid the surgery can’t be carried out.”
Seraphina stepped forward and hugged Francine, patting her back reassuringly. ’Don’t be upset, Madam Francine-this might be a good thing. Now, Halston doesn’t have to take so many risks. It’s meant to be, don’t you think?”
“I’m not sad, but I find it strange that the doctor got into an accident right before the surgery…” Francine glanced at the operating room worriedly. “Halston will be furious when he finds out, and he’ll definitely look into it.”
“Umm…” Seraphina swallowed, her anxiety obvious.
Putting both of his hands in his pockets, Elijah turned to Seraphina with a fake smile. “Didn’t you want to stop the surgery earlier, Ms. Murphy? Why do you look so worried then? To be honest, I’m not sure whether you want him to have the surgery or not.”
“What are you trying to say, Elijah?” Seraphina glared at Elijah and snapped, “I don’t care about the surgery-l just want Halston to be safe and healthy. I’ll support whatever he does as long as it helps him get better.”
“Really? Don’t forget what you said then,” Elijah said lightly, smiling knowingly at Seraphina.
“What are you saying?” Seraphina scoffed, not worried at all. It was best if she pretended to be considerate and loyal.
Elijah nodded solemnly. “I’m sure Mr. Guajardo can be at ease now. Besides, I know you’re sensible since you’re a noble lady…” Elijah suddenly picked up his phone and said brightly, “We’re ready, Dr. Wagner. You can start at anytime.”
Seraphina’s eyes widened and she demanded, “What did you say, Elijah? Who did you just speak to?”
Elijah flashed her a wide smile and said casually, “Oh, that was Dr. Wagner. I have to be in contact with him since he’s the head surgeon for this operation.”
The blood drained from Seraphina’s face.”How is that possible? Didn’t he get into a car accident? How did he come here for the surgery? Is this a joke?”
“Oh, turns out it was just a misunderstanding. The person who got into an accident was Oscar Wagner, Doctor Wagner’s younger brother, who’s a doctor too…”
“What? H-He has a brother?” Seraphina stammered, her face deathly pale. She looked dumbstruck, as if her world had just collapsed.
“Oh yes, he has a brother who looks very much like him. I didn’t expect that his brother would suffer that calamity instead…” Elijah suddenly raised his brows and asked curiously, “Ms. Murphy, didn’t you just get here? We didn’t tell you that Dr. Wagner had gotten into a car accident, so how did you know?”
“I… I guessed it.” Seraphina turned beet red as she quickly made up an excuse.