Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Stop. You’re not a worthless burden, you’re a unique and irreplaceable treasure. This world is better with you in it.” Halston didn’t have much experience in consoling people, but his cheesy words were sincere. In his mind, he didn’t need her to be outstanding-her existence itself brought him endless happiness, and he didn’t want her to look down on herself.
“So, you’re saying that I’m a vase?” Flossie was amused by Halston’s flowery speech and said teasingly, “I’ve been called a lot of things, but this is a first.”
“You don’t know, do you? Vases are the rarest things in the world. They make a place more beautiful just by being there, and it’s very easy for people to like them. People will even sacrifice for them and cherish them like any treasure in the museum, so be a good vase and stop overthinking. Just enjoy how we care for you.” Halston said everything he could to console Flossie, and all his words were sincere. He had always wanted to take care of Flossie, but she was fiercely independent and a perfectionist. She never let him have the chance to take care of her, and would protect him instead. However, now that this had happened, Halston had finally found his long-lost sense of existence and self-worth.
“But I don’t want to…” Flossie exhaled sadly. ’No one wants to be a vase and let others decide their fate. Plus, no one will take care of someone for the rest of their lives.
Everyone in this world has something they need to do, and they won’t stop for someone else.”
“Are you doubting my sincerity?” Halstonen realized the reason for Flossie’s sadness, and he felt sorry for her.
“No, I just know that sincerity isn’t enough if you want to keep this going. You have your mission, and you’ll be exhausted soon enough…” Solemnly, Flossie continued,” You’ll fall out with the Murphy family now that you’re here, and you’ll have to deal with the external and internal conflicts of Guajardo Enterprise. How will you have the energy to care about me?” Flossie was trying to knock some sense into
Halston while also reminding herself not to get used to his protection. Wonderful things it was better to not have it than to have her heart broken when she lost it.
“It’s my business whether I can handle all that or not. I can’t make any promises for now, but I guarantee that I’ll try my best.” Halston held Flossie’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
Flossie didn’t withdraw her hand, silently accepting her fate. She felt worrying about the future. She would let nature take its course…
It was almost afternoon by the time they returned to the Ellsworth Manor. Margaret had picked the children up from kindergarten, so they were waiting for Flossie at home.
When Abby saw Halston, she screamed excitedly and rushed over to hug him. “Handsome Daddy, is it really you? Are you here to see us?”
“Yes, Abby. I hope I’m not too late!” Halston carried Abby easily, sighing at how much she had grown. Her chubby, doll- like face had changed to look more like Flossie’s, and she had become taller.
“Daddy, do… you remember who we are?” Abby had heard from Adie that Halston had forgotten about them, and she was unsure if he still remembered her.
“Well… Let’s just say I had a long dream and became another person, and that person had forgotten about you, so I only remembered you after I woke up from that dream… I know it’s unfair, but can you forgive me?” Halston asked Abby gently.
“A dream?” Abby blinked and asked Halston innocently, “Was it a nightmare? Were you scared? Did people try to bully you? n
“Umm…” Halston didn’t expect Abby to believe him, and smiled helplessly as he said, “I don’t know if it’s considered a nightmare, but I felt muddle-headed like a zombie. I always felt like I had lost something important, and only after I woke up did I realize that it was all of you.”
“Mm, I won’t blame you for it then… but I feel sad that I wasn’t with you when you had that nightmare. Are you angry at me?” Abby asked Halston seriously as she held his face. Her mother and brother would always stay with her patiently whenever she had a nightmare, and they would hug and comfort her so she wouldn’t be scared. However, Halston had to face that horrible nightmare alone, and Abby, Adie, and Flossie even scolded him when he didn’t remember them. It made Abby feel like she had wronged Halston.
“Haha! There’s no way I’d be mad at all of you, silly… I dote on you all too much for that.” Halston’s heart softened, and he kissed Abby. He was so lucky that he could still be with his family after everything. His children brought him a lot of warmth and strength-Adie’s intelligence and Abby’s tenderness were his armor and his weakness, but they gave Halston’s lost soul direction.
“Come down, Abby. Halston’s still recovering from his surgery, so don’t tire him…” Adie worriedly reminded Abby when he saw her wriggling excitedly in Halston’s arms.
Obediently, Abby leaped out of Halston’s arms. Holding Halston’s hand, Abby walked over to Flossie and Adie and said solemnly, “Adie, you can’t call Daddy by his name. It’s rude, and he said that he’d forgotten us because of a nightmare. He didn’t do it on purpose. Let’s not be mad at him anymore…”
“No, he’s not that innocent. You’re dumb, and you’re fooled by him. He made a mistake and forgot about us, so I won’t forgive him that easily,” Adie huffed, pouting. He wasn’t as naive as Abby, and if Halston wasn’t sincere enough, Adie wouldn’t forgive him.
“You said that he’s injured, so we need to take care of him. You should be nicer to him too. What if you upset him and he forgets about us again?” When Halston hadn’t been around, Abby had obeyed Adie and refused to forgive Halston. However, she was a gentle and soft-hearted little girl, and she had secretly missed Halston and hoped that he would reunite with them. She wanted them to live as a happy family again like they had on Sun Island, and now, her wish was finally granted. She was afraid that Adie’s bad attitude would make Halston mad and drive him away again.
“Trust me, Abby… I’ll never leave you all again, no matter what happens.” Halston promised firmly as he touched Abby’s head.
Adie raised his brows arrogantly and scoffed, “Well, that’s what you should be doing anyway. I hope you won’t break your promise because this is the last time I’ll forgive you.”
“I know I didn’t keep my word in the past and I hurt you all, Adie… but I guarantee that I’ll always be with you and protect you as you grow up,” Halston said to Adie sincerely. Halston noticed Flossie’s expression grow colder, and quickly said to the children, “Why don’t you both go and play? Your mommy is very tired from shopping at the mall today, so I’ll take her upstairs to rest. I’ll cook your favorite fish and beef later, okay?”
“Yeah!” Abby jumped around excitedly when she heard that.
Adie looked at his parents and said knowingly, “You both want some time alone with each other, don’t you? Don’t worry, Abby and I won’t disturb you. Abby, let’s go!”
After that, the children ran to the garden to play.
Halston helped Flossie up the second floor and into the bedroom, then led her to sit down on the bed. “You’ve been through a lot today, so why not get some rest? I’ll come and wake you up when the food’s ready.”
Halston was acting like Flossie’s personal caretaker. Flossie couldn’t find any fault with him, but her uneasiness grew. She knew that good things would never last, and though she had decided to live in the moment and not worry about the future, her children were not the same. They were innocent and naive, and they would surely hope that their family would stay together forever… but how long would this perfect picture last? A month, a year, or maybe just a few days? The children had just gotten used to living without their father, but now he had barged into their lives again, and was taking such good care of them. If he left, it would surely break their hearts.
“Don’t give the children false hope. They’re still young, and I don’t want them to get attached to people who will eventually leave,” Flossie said sharply. She knew Halston sincerely wanted to stay with them, but the reality was that he still had to manage Guajardo Enterprise.
‘No, I’m serious about this.” Halston sounded firm. “I know what I’m doing, so have some confidence in me. If there are any obstacles ahead… we’ll overcome them together.”
Halston’s words were reassuring, and Flossie felt that maybe she was worrying too much about the future. She didn’t want to regret wasting this precious time together, so it was probably best for her to take things one step at a time and live in the moment.
After speaking to Flossie, Halston went to the kitchen to cook. He was a bit worried because this was the first time he would be cooking for them, and he had to satisfy Flossie, Adie, and Abby’s tastes. He worked hard in the kitchen, determined to impress them. The children were enjoying themselves in the garden, and they could smell the aroma of Halston’s cooking from time to time.
Meanwhile, Flossie was lying in bed. She wasn’t sleepy, but the incident at the shopping mall had left her mentally exhausted. After a while, she dozed off.
“Dear? Dear, the food’s ready.”
As she drifted in and out of sleep, Flossie heard a low and magnetic male voice. She pulled the blanket around her tightly and muttered something before going back to sleep.
“Do you want to sleep for a bit longer? I can bring the food here for you,” Halston murmured softly near Flossie’s ear as he stood under the dim light. With a lot of time and effort, he had finally prepared a number of dishes for Flossie and the kids, so he was eager to hear Flossie’s comments about his cooking. However, when he entered the room and found her sleeping soundly, he couldn’t bear to wake her up.
“Darling, is that you?” Flossie was drifting in and out of her sleep, and thought she was dreaming. She reached out and hugged Halston’s neck, whispering sweetly, “I want a kiss.”
Halston’s eyes widened, and his voice was hoarse as he whispered, “Are you sure… you want a kiss?” From what he remembered, Flossie was rarely this enthusiastic and coquettish, and he suddenly didn’t know how to respond.
“Your… lips. I can’t reach them. Come closer. I want a kiss’” Flossie pouted, biting her lip. This was just a dream anyway, so she could do anything she wanted. She could kiss him and touch him as she liked because Halston was just a plaything for her to enjoy.
“Umm… okay.”
“Come on!” Flossie had to be bold, because she had to take this chance to do whatever she had always been too scared to do.
“Mm!” Warm lips met hers enthusiastically, and Flossie focused on her mission. To her surprise, her plaything was rather out of control, and seemed to be trying to take the lead instead. Flossie wouldn’t accept that-she didn’t want to be bullied by her plaything in her dream.
“Stop moving!” Frowning, Flossie warned seriously, “You’re just a toy, so don’t forget your manners.”
“A… toy?” Halston asked slowly, feeling upset. “Do you know what you’re doing? Are you asleep, or are you drunk?”
‘That’s none of your business. In short… You’re my toy and you’re at my disposal. Do you understand?” Flossie declared overbearingly.
“Fine then, you’re my master. You can do what you want with me, okay?” Halston said dotingly, letting Flossie have her way. He closed his eyes, letting out a blissful sigh as she kissed him. Suddenly, being a toy didn’t seem so bad.
“That’s more like it. I can have whatever I want since it’s my dream!” Flossie sounded clear, but her mind was still fuzzy. Now that she couldn’t see, it was hard to tell fantasy from reality. Besides, the man underneath her was unusually obedient and not his typical dominant self, so it was definitely a dream. Emboldened by Halston’s obedience, she became more playful, trying out different things.
“Mm… What are you going to do to me, master?” Halston had readily accepted the fact that he was just her plaything, and was even looking forward to it. He stared at her under the dim light, passion and love shining in his eyes. Any man would have been frightened by Flossie’s injuries, but to Halston, Flossie was an irreplaceable treasure. He would always be attracted to her since their souls were intertwined; he didn’t care what she looked like.
“What am I going to do?” Flossie rubbed her chin and smiled cunningly. “You have the body of a supermodel, and it’s been a while since I’ve touched it… Can I touch your abs?”
“That’s what you want?” Raising his brows, Halston placed Flossie’s hands on his abdomen. He smirked and said huskily, “I’m yours… Go ahead and touch me.”
Sparks flew in the room while Adie and Abby waited in the dining room downstairs, but after a while of their parents not appearing, they soon became anxious.
Abby frowned and asked, “What’s going on, Adie? Why aren’t they coming downstairs? The food’s getting cold.”
Baffled, Adie held his chin and racked his brain. “They’re not that far from the dining room, so Mommy should be out by now. Is Daddy bullying Mommy?” “No way! We’ve just forgiven him, but he’s bullying Mommy. We have to go and stop him now!”
The children were just about to rush upstairs when Margaret exited the kitchen, carrying a soup that smelled delicious. She hurriedly stopped the children when she saw them. “Adie, Abby, you should eat first. I’m sure your parents are just sleeping, so why don’t you let them rest?” “Sleeping?” Adie found it illogical. ‘Didn’t Mommy nap in the afternoon? Why would she want to sleep again? She hasn’t had dinner yet, and I’m afraid she’ll be hungry.” “Umm, well… She was sleeping alone earlier, but now she’s sleeping with your daddy, so maybe it feels different. Just don’t meddle in your parents’ affairs-let them handle it. Eat first. Maybe they’ll wake up while you’re eating.” Margaret quickly thought of something because she didn’t know how to explain it to them. She looked up in the direction of Flossie’s bedroom hesitantly, wondering how long they would take given Halston’s stamina.
Meanwhile, Flossie and Halston were just lying down with a blanket over them. The moment Flossie touched Halston’s abs, she’d realized she wasn’t dreaming. No dream would feel that real. She was now fully awake but didn’t know what to do, so she just closed her eyes and pretended she was sleeping.