Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“I’m sorry, Ms. Ellsworth… Go ahead and call the cops to arrest me. What I did was wrong, and I should be locked up in jail!” Tess was desperate. She felt guilty for what she had done to Flossie, but at the same time, she was terrified of that woman. If she was locked up in jail, she might be freed from that dilemma.
“You don’t have to worry, Tess. I understand your situation, and I don’t blame you for what you did… but you have betrayed me. However, I’m going to offer you a chance to remedy your mistake. Do you want it?” Flossie asked Tess seriously.
“Yes, I do!” Tess hurriedly agreed. She didn’t expect Flossie’s forgiveness, and she hoped to make things right.
“Just obey her and do everything as usual, but during this time, you have to figure out her identity. In the meantime, keep this a secret from everyone. Only you and I will know about this,” Flossie ordered Tess. If Halston or Leia learned about that incident, they would go crazy, and that might just alert the enemy. Flossie had no choice but to carry out her plan in secret.
“Is… that okay?” Tess thought Flossie would ask her to do something difficult, but she just wanted her to find out the perpetrator’s identity.
“Yes, that’s it. Everything else remains the same,” Flossie said decisively.
Timothy’s health was bad, and he was confined to his bed in Guajardo Manor with an IV drip to survive. He called Halston and Jovan to his bed that night.
“Halston.” Timothy sounded weak, but he was happy to see his grandson. He waved at Halston. “Come here.”
“Grandpa!” Halston’s heart twisted when he saw how feeble Timothy was, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears as he approached him.
“I heard from your mother that you were at Flossie’s place recently. Finally, you didn’t let me down, and you did what was right…” Timothy held Halston’s hand, his dull eyes shining with joy again. The person he had worried about the most was Flossie, since he felt like he had treated her unfairly.
“I swore to my old comrade that I would make Flossie happy when he entrusted her to me, but you failed me and made Flossie suffer. I was embarrassed and didn’t know how to answer him.” At that point, Timothy’s eyes started to water. He had always been strong and righteous his whole life, and he felt like the only person he had ever wronged was Flossie. However, when he heard that Halston had finally gotten back together with Flossie, he was happy and relieved.
“Don’t worry, Grandpa. I was a fool back then for letting Flossie down, but I’ve come to my senses now. My mission for the rest of my life is to protect her and our kids.” Halston’s determined tone spoke volumes about how much he loved
Flossie and their children.
“Pfft!” His words earned him a disdainful snort from Jovan, who was dressed in black and leaning against the doorway impatiently. He didn’t know why Timothy had called him over, but he found Halston’s hypocritical statements hilarious.
“What are you laughing at?” Halston turned and glared at Jovan. He didn’t want to confront Jovan because he had something he valued right now, but Jovan’s mocking sneer was annoying him. He was ridiculing Halston and Flossie’s relationship, and Halston found that unacceptable.
“I’m laughing because you’re boring, Halston. Why don’t you spend more time with your wife if you have the time to make boring vows here? Or maybe… you should try to help your wife see again.” At that point, Jovan straightened his body and met Halston’s gaze fiercely. “If I were you, I would try my best to look for suitable eyes for her instead of boasting about unnecessary things here.”
Timothy frowned and asked weakly, “What do you mean, Jovan?” Since Timothy was ill and bedridden, he had no idea what had happened recently.
All Timothy knew was that Halston and Flossie had reconciled with each other, but he didn’t know about Flossie’s blindness.
“It’s nothing, Grandpa. You know Jovan can never say anything nice; just ignore him.” Halston hid the truth from Timothy because he didn’t want him to worry.
Jovan walked upto Timothy and faked a smile. “Grandpa, I think the worst decision you’ve made was entrusting Flossie to Halston. All he ever did was hurt her. And now… even her body was hurt. If Flossie’s grandfather learns about it, I don’t think he’ll be able to rest in peace.”
“Shut up!” Clenching his fists, Halston said to Jovan firmly,” Please leave if you have nothing better to do. Don’t say such cruel words in front of an old man.”
“Cruel?” Jovan snorted. “When you did it, you didn’t find it cruel. I’m just stating facts, so why is it cruel? Even if it is, who caused this?”
Jovan hated Halston’s hypocritical side, and Halston hated Jovan’s wickedness. Both had wronged Flossie in different ways, and it was the guilt they felt for it that made them so overbearing.
“Stop arguing! I’m not dead yet!” Taking a deep breath, Timothy leaned against the head of the bed and felt around for his glasses. After that, he pointed at Jovan and said,” Tell me-what’s the matter with Flossie? Why did you say that her body was hurt?”
“Flossie…” Jovan was about to tell Timothy when he felt Halston’s threatening gaze on him. After some contemplation, he said ambiguously, “She loves Halston so much and missed him so badly that her body weakened. I really can’t take it. Grandpa, I hope you can talk some sense into Halston. After all, she’s his wife, so he has to take care of her, right? If not, there are plenty of people who can do that for him.”
“You’re right, Van. Did you hearthat, Halston?” Timothy stared at Halston fiercely, feeling like beating up his disappointing grandson.
“Okay, Grandpa. I know I was a jerk to her, and I’ll never do it again.” Halston nodded obediently. Since Jovan was keeping the peace for now, so would he.
“Fine then. Bring Flossie and my two great-grandkids to see me in a couple of days…” Timothy patted the back of Halston’s hand and said sadly, “I’m afraid I already have one foot in the grave, so I want to enjoy some time with my family before I go. Then I can rest in peace and have a good conversation with Flossie’s grandfather.”
“Don’t say that, Grandpa. The doctor said you’ll be okay as long as you rest well. You need to be positive,” Halston urged.
“I know my body, and Guajardo Enterprise has been developing well under your leadership these past years. I know that you’ve contributed a lot, but there are also many people coveting it. It’ll all come down to you and Jovan when I’m gone…” Timothy glanced at Halston before looking at Jovan.”
Although you both don’t share the same parents, you both belong to the same Guajardo family. The most important thing is a harmonious family, so don’t do anything bad and ruin our company!” Timothy sighed, then tried to send Halston off first by saying to Jovan, “Van, you stay. I’ve got something to say to you alone.”
Hearing that, Halston frowned in displeasure. “What’s there to say to him, Grandpa? He didn’t have to leave the room when we talked, so why do I have to leave when you want to talk to him?” Recently, Timothy loved chatting with Jovan secretly. Halston didn’t know what they talked about, and the feeling of being left out made him uneasy. He couldn’t understand why Timothy wanted to be on guard against him since he was Timothy’s biological grandson, and wondered if Timothy was mistaken. “Grandpa, I’m Halston, your grandson. Jovan is your brother’s grandson. Are you sure you want to talk to him alone?” At that moment, Halston felt like a child fighting for his parents’ love.
“I’m asking Van to stay, not you. Just shut up and get out,” Timothy snapped at Halston.
Helpless, Halston sighed and left Timothy’s room.
Once Halston had left, Jovan casually walked to Timothy’s bed and pulled a chair out to take a seat. Faking a smile, he looked at the old man. “Don’t tell me you want to talk about the company again?” Timothy talked about nothing but Guajardo Enterprise when he asked Jovan to stay back these days. He knew it was a critical time for Guajardo Enterprise given its external and internal conflicts, and if something went wrong, the company would be doomed. Besides, the internal conflict only existed because of Jovan. Timothy had absolute power over the company, but he had passed it on to Halston. Jovan was merely Halston’s subordinate. Jovan’s influence and power were getting stronger, but he needed Timothy’s approval if he wanted to fully control the company.
“You’re a smart boy, Van. You have the means and are decisive, and your character is similar to mine. My two other grandsons aren’t as capable as you because of their soft hearts. It’s a shortcoming in the dog-eat-dog world of business.” Timothy spoke slowly, his gaze sharp. He was well aware of the current situation in the company, and he knew that Jovan would defeat Halston. Halston cared too much about his family, so he would undoubtedly be affected by his feelings, and the ending… would be miserable.
“So, you’re saying that I’m not more capable than Halston even if I defeat him, but it’s because he can’t be as cruel as me, right?” Jovan knew that Timothy only saw him as a junior who was full of cunning schemes. Even if he won, it would be unrighteous. However, Jovan felt that Timothy’s opinion of him was high praise. It was easy to pretend to be nice in this era, but it was difficult to be a truly despicable man. He felt honored that he could do so without any pretense.
“You saved Halston so he won’t be cruel to you in this fight, but you’ll do exactly the opposite to him. Isn’t the ending obvious?” Sadness overwhelmed Timothy, but he got straight to the point.
“So, you think that I’ll win this battle, Grandpa?” The corners of Jovan’s lips curved into a devious smile.
“Yeah, you’ll win, but you’ll never win for real without me saying yes.” Timothy’s gaze grew colder. Despite his old age, he could still be intimidating if he wanted to.
Jovan sat up straight and said icily, “You know that I’ve always lost to Halston, so I’ll give it my all this time. I’ll let everyone in Beach City know that I’m stronger than him so I don’t have to keep living in his shadow. As for you…” He sized Timothy up and sighed. “You’ll leave this world one day, and when that happens, Halston can no longer use your power to intimidate me.”
“Well, you don’t have to wait until I’m dead to defeat him. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I realize that Halston may not care about money and fame now. So, I’ve decided on something, and I hope you can accept it…” Timothy said mysteriously.
“What did you come up with?” Jovan frowned and asked curiously.
“First, promise me not to harm Halston and have any ulterior motives toward Flossie no matter what. Even if you have full control of Guajardo Enterprise, Halston and his descendants will have one-third of the dividend of the company…”
“One-third of the dividend?” Hearing that, Jovan burst into laughter. “What a nice long-term plan you have for your grandson! So, I’ve got to work hard every day while he relaxes and enjoys the dividend?”
“Well, you can see it that way but isn’t that what you want?” Timothy continued, “You want to win and prove that you’re stronger than Halston. When you have full control of the company in the future, you’ll have a lot of chances to do that. Plus, he’ll just get a mere one-third of the dividend; it’s a great compromise. After all, the dividend he has now is more than four-thirds.” Even if Timothy was old, he had a clear mind. He struggled to sit up, then opened a drawer and fished out a contract to hand to Jovan. “Take a look at this contract-l’ve listed all my requests here. If you agree to them, I can announce you as the new head of the company early next month. Your power over Guajardo Enterprise will surpass Halstons.”
Timothy had come up with that decision after a fierce internal struggle. He knew that his son and grandsons would be forever inferior to Jovan’s family for many years to come if he handed over the power to Jovan, but people couldn’t be greedy. Since Halston had a family, he had to give his business up. If he chose the comfort of his family, he would lose control over the company. It would be best if Halston could lead a peaceful and ordinary life with his family without any worries. Hence, Timothy felt that he had to get rid of Halston for the sake of the company and to avoid any future worries.
Jovan read the contract carefully without missing anything, and the room was silent except for the clicking of Timothy’s medical equipment. After a while, he snorted and crushed the contract slowly in his hand. “Haha! It’s ridiculous!” Jovan hurled the contract at the floor and burst into laughter, shocking Timothy.
Timothy thought Jovan would accept such a good offer immediately, but the way Jovan was laughing made Timothy feel like he had made the wrong decision. “What are you laughing at?” Timothy asked Jovan seriously.
“I’m laughing at you both and myself.” Finally, Jovan finished laughing and calmed himself down. His eyes gleamed dangerously. “Yes, I admit your offer is tempting. All of you see me as a cunning person who’ll pay any price to get Guajardo Enterprise, right?”
“Aren’t you?” Timothy sneered, not knowing what Jovan was getting at. “I won’t force you if you don’t want it, but you’ll never get the company as long as I write in my will that eighty percent of the company shares belong to Halston.” He had compromised and tried to appoint Jovan as the heir of the company because he felt that Jovan was bolder and more decisive than Halston. Jovan would focus more on the company than his relationships, and it would be a happy ending if both Jovan and Halston got what they wanted.
However, Jovan had thrown his offer back in his face, them fight it out themselves. After all, he would not live to suffer through their fight.
“Yes, any ordinary man would accept your terms and be thankful for your admiration. I would have accepted it too, but there’s one thing… that I find unacceptable.” Naturally, Jovan didn’t want to let such a good offer slip past him, and wanted to compromise with Timothy.
“What is it? Is it Halstons shares? Or the ratio of the dividend?” Timothy raised his chin proudly and said, “We can discuss that. Halston isn’t after wealth and fame, and what he owns now is more than he can spend. I believe it’s fine for him to get less than that.”
“No, I’m not that kind of man either.” A chuckle escaped Jovan. “I want wealth and power because I want to be with the person I care about, but you made that impossible for me in this contract. What’s the use of the position then?” Timothy frowned in confusion. “The person you care about?”
Timothy’s eyes widened in realization, and he sighed exasperatedly. “Don’t tell me you’re serious about Flossie!” Back then, there had been an uproar because Jovan was coveting Flossie, and the whole Guajardo family became aware of it. Even if Timothy didn’t read the news much, he would occasionally hear rumors. However, he was a slick man who had been making a living in the business field for many years, and he felt that Jovan only wanted what Halston had to prove that he was stronger than him.
“You’ve always been competing against Halston, and your parents always pressured you to win against him, which is why you feel like it’s your mission to defeat him. He got a master’s degree from Hart University, so you went and got a master’s degree from Marvel Institute of Technology. He’s the president of Guajardo Enterprise, and as the vice president, you want to take over his position. When he wanted to focus on Al, you beat him to it and established an Al research center at Newrest. Finally, he fell in love and found the most important woman in his life, and as his cousin, you want to meddle in that… You should think about whether you really love Flossie, or whether you just see her as a tool to defeat Halston,” Timothy said finally.
“If you asked me four years ago, I would tell you that I saw Flossie as a tool to defeat Halston… but it’s different now. I’ve come to realize that my feelings toward her aren’t that simple.” Jovan was unusually solemn as he looked at Timothy and confessed, “What I’m doing right now is all so I can get her. If it means giving up power over Guajardo Enterprise, I don’t mind it at all… After all, if I can’t have it, I can always destroy it!” Jovan said with a smirk. He had long prepared himself to take Guajardo Enterprise or Halston down with him, so he easily rejected Timothy’s tempting offer.