Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Alas, Ms. Flossie, that’s the sad truth…” Margaret said sorrowfully. She wanted to help Flossie but didn’t know how. * I’ll go help Mr. Guajardo clean up a room. After all, we can’t let him stay in the doghouse…” After hearing what Flossie said,
Margaret felt sorry for Halston. He had just undergone a major surgery, but he immediately rushed over to see Flossie and the children. It showed his concern for them.
Besides, Margaret found it a little pitiful if Halston was forced to stay in the doghouse right before his big battle.
“Haha! I certainly won’t ask him to stay in the doghouse. Go and clean up the storeroom in the backyard, the room that used to be my father’s workroom. My father loved to make things there for my mother and I there whenever he was free. When the fire burned down this manor, that storeroom was the only room left. Halston might get lucky if he stays there.” In the past, Flossie loved to play in that storeroom because it was a comfortable room with nice weather all year round. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see it anymore.
“Okay, I’ll go and clean it up for him now,” Margaret agreed. She could tell that Flossie still cared about Halston very much. Both Flossie and Halston still valued each other whether they were a couple or not, and their concern for each other was already more than enough.
Margaret went to the backyard and found Halston standing in front of the doghouse, which came up to his waist. He seemed to be in a dilemma. “Ms. Flossie was just kidding, Mr. Guajardo. Please come with me,” Margaret said to Halston in amusement as he sized up the doghouse.
“It’s okay-this doghouse is pretty large. I can fit in a two- meter bed.” Halston didn’t want to be troublesome in case Margaret drove him away.
“She was just joking. She asked me to take you to the small wooden house in front of us. You’ll find it very comfortable there. Plus, her father used to love making things there. If you stay there, you might see some of the antiques he’s left behind…” Margaret enthusiastically explained the room to him.
“Flossie’s… father?” For some unknown reason, Halston became interested, and he quickened his steps.
Margaret and Halston arrived at the wooden house, which was around sixty to seventy square meters in size. It was equipped with a study, a bedroom, and a washroom.
Although it was still considered rather shabby for Halston, it was much more luxurious than the doghouse. Besides, Halston felt strangely relaxed the moment he entered the room. Sunlight crept in from the window and shone on the old books and ornaments on the wooden desk, painting a serene and warm picture.
“Ms. Flossie used to stay here with her father to watch him read, write, or create things. Even after so many years, this place hasn’t changed a bit. I’ll just clean it up and put on some new bedsheets and blankets. You can stay here.” Margaret looked at the room and sighed, feeling nostalgic. The place was clean and tidy because she cleaned it up every day. However, she was sad because its owner wasn’t there anymore.
“Thank you.” Halston nodded, looking around in wonder.
“Please rest for a while. I’ll clean it up,” Margaret took Halston’s luggage and said politely.
“Thank you very much.” Halston walked over to the desk and picked up one of the books on it. To his surprise, a sketch fell from the book. He bent over and picked it up but immediately frowned when he saw the drawing. “How…”
Halston stared at the drawing in shock, instantly recognizing the woman in the sketch.
It was none other than Francine, his mother.
It was a younger version of Francine, just like how he remembered her when he was three or four years old. But why was his mother’s sketch in Flossie’s father’s workroom?
“I’m done making the bed for you, Mr. Guajardo.” After cleaning up the room, Margaret went to Halston. She saw the sketch just as Halston wanted to put it away, and asked curiously,” Do you know the woman in the drawing, Mr. Guajardo?”
“I…” Halston swallowed, then asked carefully, “Was there any kind of relationship between this woman and Flossie’s father? rv
“I’m not sure about that, but I know that the late Mr.
Ellsworth cherished this sketch very much. It might be a person he had imagined. Whenever I came to clean this room, I often saw him staring at the sketch in a trance…” Margaret said softly, “The late Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth had a very deep relationship and were a match made in heaven. They never argued or fought, except for the time when Mrs. Ellsworth found this sketch. I thought Mr. Ellsworth had thrown it away!”
“That’s weird. Does Flossie know about this?” Halston asked, feeling like things weren’t as simple as he thought.
“No, she doesn’t know. When Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth got into a serious fight, Ms. Flossie was studying abroad. By the time she came back, her parents had reconciled with each other. That’s why she knows nothing about this, and she’s never seen this sketch. If it’s possible, please keep this a secret, Mr. Guajardo. It’s better not to tell Ms. Flossie about it,” Margaret told Halston worriedly. After all, Flossie’s parents were no longer alive, and Flossie remembered that they had a good relationship. It would be quite hurtful for her if that image was shattered now.
“I won’t tell her…” Halston took a deep breath and put the book back in its place.
“What won’t you tell me?” Flossie’s curious voice came from the door.
Both Halston and Margaret looked over, and Margaret immediately went over to support Flossie. “What are you doing here, Ms. Flossie? What if you fall and hurt yourself?”
“I’m blind, not paralyzed,” Flossie complained, then asked again, “What were you guystalking about? Are you keeping something from me?”
“No, we’re not!” Margaret casually said, “It’s Mr. Guajardo. He said he can’t sleep in an unfamiliar bed and is worried that he cant get used to sleeping here. I asked him to tolerate it and not to tell you.”
“Is that so?” It wasn’t that easy to fool Flossie. She reached out, carefully feeling her way to Halston. “Is that what you refused to tell me?”
“I…” Halston knew that he couldn’t lie to her, and sighed deeply. “There’s something I can’t tell you now, but I’ll tell you about it once I’ve figured it out.”
After a brief silence, Flossie said coldly, “Okay.” She wasn’t an unreasonable person, and she knew Halston. He might keep quiet, but he would never lie.
Seeing how good the weather was, Halston suggested to Flossie, “What would you like to eat today? We can go to the nearby market to get some fresh ingredients, and I’ll cook for you.”
“You want to cook for me?” Flossie asked doubtfully, “Are you sure you won’t burn down my kitchen?”
“Trust me, I’ve been studying recipes lately, so I’m good at cooking now,” Halston said confidently. While recuperating at the hospital, he had put his work aside to figure out what he could do for Flossie after meeting her. He wanted to sit with her in the sun and enjoy the breeze. He also wanted to cook a lot of nice food for her, which was why he had ordered Elijah to buy him a lot of cookbooks. He had studied many delicious dishes to cook for Flossie after getting back together with her because he didn’t want to see her so slim. ”
You’re too thin; it might be related to your diet. Well, I’ll be in charge of your three meals from now on, and I guarantee that there won’t be any repeat dishes since I’ve learned a few hundred recipes,” Halston stated proudly.
“Well… looks like you really don’t have anything better to do,”
Flossie grumbled, even though she was moved by Halston’s sincerity.
“Yes, this is what I want to do now.” Halston looked content as he said gently, “We’ve always been leading hectic and busy lives, and we often forget to stop and smell the roses. So, what I want to do now is enjoy my life.”
“Do you think you can stop? You know what’s happening now in Beach City and what Guajardo Enterprise is going to face, so do you really think you can stop? Are you willing to?” Flossie asked meaningfully, her heart beating nervously in her chest.
“I can’t guarantee that I can stop forever, but I’m willing to stop for now,” Halston said softly.
Flossie had expected this answer—he would leave sooner or later, but he wanted to stay with them while he could.
“Ah, stop overthinking. We should enjoy every day.”
Suddenly, Margaret felt like a third wheel, and said to them, ” Mr. Guajardo, please take Ms. Flossie out since the weather is good today. You’ll see a large mall if you go left for less than two miles, and it’s filled with lots of good ingredients. If you would like to cook, you can go there and see what they have.
“Okay, let’s go!” Halston said enthusiastically, and Flossie silently gave her approval.
There was a compact car parked in the garage which
Margaret generally drove to the supermarket to get ingredients. Halston was used to driving luxury supercars, but he happily drove Flossie to the nearby mall in that small car.
Margaret watched the car drive away, touched by Halston’s sincerity. She put her hands together and whispered, “Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth, please bless Ms. Flossie and Mr. Guajardo.
Please make sure that they’re always safe and sound…”
Both Flossie and Halston arrived at the nearby mall. After
Halston had parked the car, he opened the door for Flossie and helped her out of the car. They had changed into casual clothes with caps, making them look like a normal couple who went there to buy ingredients after work. They gave off the same elegant aura, making them look like a perfect match. Flossie unconsciously depended on Halston to getaround because the place was unfamiliar to her, and held his arm tightly, not daring to let go.
“What would you like to eat?” Halston kept his head low and whispered in Flossie’s ear tenderly.
“Adie loves eating fish, and Abby loves eating beef. And I’m not a picky eater,” Flossie said after a while. She was willing to go out with him because she wanted to tell him about the children’s preferences. If anything happened to her one day, at least she knew he would take good care of the children.
“But we’re going to buy the kids’ favorites as well as yours,” Halston insisted, again asking Flossie what she would like to eat. “Don’t worry—it’s not troublesome at all because I can cook all kinds of dishes.”
“Umm… can you make pork chop then?” After dwelling on it, Flossie finally figured out the dish she wanted to eat the most. In the past, her father used to make the best pork chop, and the meat was always tender, sweet, and delicious. Unfortunately, she rarely ate pork chop after her father had passed away.
“Of course. Wait and see… I’ll make you an authentic pork chop today,” Halston declared eagerly, his eyes gleaming. He was happy that she was finally opening up to him and letting him do things for her, and he found it very satisfying to be needed by her.
The two of them didn’t imagine that they could go shopping together like a normal couple after soldiering through so many hardships. They could even enjoy peaceful lives like normal people.
Soon, they arrived at the raw food section.