Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“You don’t have to do that!” Timothy couldn’t stop sighing. ” You shouldn’t let love control you like Halston. It’ll only bring you pain.”
“Pain?” Jovan scoffed, his gaze distant. “I know what it feels like to lose something. I’ve lived in that dark abyss for ages, and I think nothing will be more painful than that.” In the past, he had owned Flossie briefly, and that time had been the most relaxing and happiest in his life even though he had been blind and disabled. Flossie was the source of his happiness, but he had lost her during the happiest time of his life. That had been the moment he realized how strong his feelings for her truly were; had he not experienced her light, he wouldn’t have come to crave it. Now, he was prepared to get her back, no matter the cost.
“Don’t turn me down just yet. This contract is effective on a long-term basis, or at least until I die. Come and sign it once you’ve thought it through,” Timothy said persuasively.
“No, that day won’t come. There’ll only be one outcome in this-either he dies, or I die!” Jovan snarled, then stood up and left Timothy’s room.
Jovan left the room, and found Halston sitting in the living room with a worried expression. “You’re still here?” Jovan asked teasingly, sliding his hands into his pockets. “It’s late. Why aren’t you home with your wife and kids since you claim that you’re such a good husband?”
Halston got to his feet and glared at Jovan. “I was waiting for you!” “You were waiting for me?” Jovan chuckled and sneered sarcastically,” What an honor to have the great Halston Guajardo wait for a nobody like me.” “Cut the crap!” Halston growled and demanded, “What did you talk about with Grandpa? Tell me. He doesn’t have a say in a lot of things.” He figured that Timothy might have tried to offer something to Jovan to protect Halston. He just hoped that Jovan wouldn’t be too cruel. Halston knew Timothy held him in high regard, but he always felt that it was unnecessary.
“You’re a smart man; I’m sure you don’t need me to spell it out for you, right?” Jovan walked over to Halston, then turned to the large French window contemplatively. “The moon is bright tonight. Why don’t we take a walk in the garden and talk things over?”
Halston slowly clenched his fists. He felt that there was nothing to talk about between them, and he was already being generous by not strangling Jovan to death.
“You’ll be reaching home late anyway, so you’ve got time. Let’s go!” Jovan scoffed and walked towards the garden.
Frowning, Halston took a deep breath and followed him reluctantly.
The garden of Guajardo Manor was spacious with pavilions, bridges, and streams. It looked like a dreamlike fantasy world with crickets and birds chirping in the bushes as moonlight illuminated the area.
Jovan stopped in front of a pond and gazed at the moonlight reflected on its surface. “I never really appreciated the beauty of nature, but now I see how amazing this world is. A flower, a leaf, the bright moon, the floating clouds… All of them are mesmerizing.”
Halston’s patience had reached its limit, and he snapped, “I’m sure you didn’t ask me to walk with you so you can act all pretentious, right?” “Why so agitated, Halston? I remember you always being the calm and steady one, emotionless to the point that you didn’t feel like a living person. You were like a robot without consciousness.” Jovan turned around and stared at Halston with a complicated look, then added, “Oh, I know-it must have been because of my blood and eyes. You seem more humane now; it’s like looking at my past self. I feel sorry for you.” “That’s what you wanted to say?” Halston scoffed and continued, “I know that you saved me, and that’s why I don’t argue with you about everything. But I won’t go easy on you because of that if it comes down to it.”
“You won’t?” A chuckle escaped Jovan. “But Grandpa said that you would. He painted you as a soft-hearted god who would show me mercy, and that weakness of yours would be your demise. He begged me, hoping I would let you go!” Jovan laughed, mocking Timothy. He’d never assumed that Halston would go easy on him-he just hadn’t pushed Halston’s limits yet.
“I knew it!” Halston asked urgently, “What did he offer you?” Timothy had been mysterious lately, and always chatted with Jovan behind Halston’s back. Halston figured that Timothy might have heard rumors about the board of directors being unhappy with him, and figured that Jovan would defeat Halston in a battle for the company, so he had tried to make peace with Jovan humbly for Halston’s sake… but that wasn’t the truth. Halston could have fought back, but he was exhausted, and he had something else he valued more now. He didn’t care about fighting Jovan anymore.
“He said he would let me have full power over Guajardo Enterprise, and you’ll only be there for major decisions, and you’d still get the year-end dividend,” Jovan said in amusement, as if Timothy’s generosity was something of a joke to him.
“Isn’t that what you want?” Halston bit out, his gaze steely. “Didn’t you want to gain more power than me and control Guajardo Enterprise for years? Did you say yes?” “No, I turned him down,” Jovan said lightly
.
“You turned him down?” Halston’s eyes widened, and he felt strangely disappointed. Maybe he had secretly wanted Jovan to take over the company so he could have a more laid-back life with his family.
Jovan noticed Halston’s disappointment and smiled. “That’s the same look Grandpa had when I turned him down. Clearly, you both want me to take over Guajardo Enterprise. Is it really such a burden? You both seem so eager to get rid of it, and I have to say, I’m not as excited to take it over now.” “No, that’s not it.” Halston sighed. “I believe you know more than me whether it’s a burden or not. It’s just that my perception is different now-the things I tried hard to get in the past are no longer important to me because I have something more important to protect. I don’t want to fight you anymore.” Maybe it was the serene environment that caused Halston to reveal his inner thoughts to Jovan. Besides, Timothy knew him well-after Halston had received Jovan’s blood and eyes, he could no longer regard him as his enemy. Even though they had been fighting all this time, Halston ultimately hoped to reconcile with Jovan and see them both get the ending they wanted.
“You don’t want to fight me, and I want that too… but I can’t help it that we both fancy the same thing.” Jovan’s eyes gleamed, and he smiled deviously. “Can you give me what I want?”
Halston frowned and asked Jovan, “What do you want?” In his mind, all Jovan wanted was the right to rule Guajardo Enterprise and be superior to Halston. Timothy’s offer had met those requirements, so Halston couldn’t figure out why Jovan would say reject it.
“I want your woman… Will you let me have her?” Jovan smiled teasingly as he asked.
Halston stopped in his tracks, and an uncontrollable rage overwhelmed him. He punched Jovan in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Jovan didn’t retaliate, and just wiped away the blood on his lips. He stared at Halston contemplatively, then sneered, “I won’t fight you. I’ll let you have Guajardo Enterprise, but you have to give your woman to me. Can you do that?”
“How dare you say those words again!” Halston’s expression was livid. He wanted to punch Jovan again, but stopped himself, resorting to clenching his fists instead.
“If what I said makes you angry, then don’t you understand how I could be angry when you and Grandpa offered me such a choice?” Jovan’s gaze was icy as he asked.
“Flossie and I are a couple, and we love each other. You shouldn’t covet her since she’s your cousin-in- law. Your brief entanglement with her has already crossed the line, so I’m warning you now-don’t covet her, or I’ll make you suffer,” Halston warned Jovan who was still seated on the ground. He knew Jovan had feelings for Flossie, and they had even lived together briefly. Although Halston knew that Flossie did it to repay Jovan’s sacrifices for him, he was still very upset by it, and would feel hurt when anyone brought it up. For nearly half a year, Flossie and Jovan had left Beach City and went to live in an isolated land. No one knew what had happened or if they had grown to love each other after spending time together.
“You want to make me suffer?” Jovan got to his feet and said menacingly, “Yes, is my cousin-in-law, but she’s also the woman I love. What’s wrong with it since I love her and want her?”
“Shut up!” Halston’s body was tense as he stared at Jovan resentfully. “Take Guajardo Enterprise if you want, but if you dare covet my wife, I’ll fight you!”
“Go ahead! I’m not afraid. Our battle will come to an end one day, and I’ll be happy as long as I have the chance to get her, ” Jovan sneered, his smile wicked. Even the chance to be with Flossie was considered a luxury to him because he’d never had that opportunity. He was glad that he’d made it clear to Halston-they were officially competing for Flossie’s love now. Jovan smirked at Halston and said provokingly, “If I were you, I would spend more time with her. After all, she needs you now, but who knows if she’ll still need you in the future…”
“What are you planning?” Halston narrowed his eyes and approached Jovan. “What are you going to do to her?”
Jovan grinned at Halston wolfishly. “Calm down, I would never harm my beloved… At most, I’ll just make her mine.”
“You’re crazy, Jovan! You know full well how you got your eyes. She sacrificed her future so you could see again, and you’d be a horrible excuse for a human being if you tortured her like this!” Halston snarled. He had tried his best to accept it, but no man would be okay with their lover giving up her eyes to another man who now refused to let her go. If Halston thought about it any more, he was worried he would fight with Flossie again.
“I know my eyes are hers. You should know why she gave up her eyes to me…” Jovan stared at Halston’s eyes and sneered. “What right do you have to order me around and demand things from me since you’re the one benefiting from all this? Return my eyes to me if you can then!”
“How dare you!” Jovan’s words struck Halston like lightning. Halston wanted to say he would… but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to live in that endless darkness again, and he needed to take care of Flossie. If he behaved impulsively and returned his eyes to Jovan, no one could take care of Flossie and their children. Jovan would have what he wanted then, and could easily defeat Halston and snatch Flossie away.
Halston would not let that happen.
“Listen, Jovan-Flossie is your cousin-in-law. Stop these inappropriate thoughts, or we’ll be fighting forever. I’m not afraid to take you down with me!” Halston threatened, then left Guajardo Manor. Previously, he had just wanted to let go of his responsibilities and give everything to Jovan, but now he knew that it was impossible. Since Jovan was aiming for Flossie instead of Guajardo Enterprise, Halston would lose Flossie if he lost that battle. Halston knew he had no choice but to fight Jovan.
It was midnight when he returned to Ellsworth Manor with a heavy mind.
Meanwhile, Leia was pacing back and forth in the living room. When Halston walked in, she scowled at him and said furiously, “What a busy life you have, Mr. Guajardo. Don’t you know what time it is? Do you remember that you have a wife and two kids? Why don’t you spend the night out there instead of coming back at this hour?” After her throat got better, she returned to criticizing others as usual. Yes, she had admired Halston in the past, but he had repeatedly let her bestie down. Flossie was always spoiling him even though he hurt her, and as Flossie’s best friend, Leia felt that she had to do something about it.
“Is Flossie asleep?” Halston glanced at the second floor and asked gloomily.
“It’s so late. What do you think?” Leia asked grumpily, crossing her arms over her chest
“Okay, I won’t disturb her since she’s asleep.” Halston absently walked towards the wooden house.
Leia’s eyes widened in bewilderment. “Hey, stop!”
“Is there anything else?” Halston stopped and turned to look at Leia wearily. His talk with Jovan had tired him out, and he had to worry about Flossie and the children. Even if he was energetic, there were times he wanted to rest too. For now, he just wanted one night where he could rest quietly.
“You left early and came home late. You didn’t spend much time with Flossie, and now you want to go straight to bed. Have you ever thought that Flossie might be waiting for you? Wouldn’t she be disappointed if you just went to sleep?” Leia asked meaningfully. She wasn’t usually a busybody, but today was a special day. She knew Flossie well, and figured she was probably still awake and waiting for Halston to comfort her. If Halston went to bed now, Flossie might be mulling over the news the whole night.
“You’re right. I wasn’t being considerate enough.” Halston nodded and took a deep breath before he headed upstairs quietly.
“Hey, you…” Leia’s heart ached as the sight of his lonely figure heading up the stairs. Leia was used to his mighty, aloof, and proud front, so she found him rather pitiful when he so easily accepted her criticism.
Halston arrived at the door of Flossie’s room and knocked on it softly, but there was no response. He could only hear his faint breathing in the silence that followed. After knocking a few more times, he said calmly, “I’ll go if you’re not waiting for me.”
“Don’t…” At first, Flossie had been pretending to be asleep out of pride, but immediately sat up in bed when she heard that he was leaving. “Come in. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Her childish behavior amused Halston, and he opened the door to enter the room.
Flossie felt around and turned on the night lamp on the bedside cabinet. She crossed her arms and said, “Mr. Guajardo, you’re getting busier. You went out before dawn and it’s midnight now. Plus, you snuck in so quietly. Tell me-are you sick of me? Have you started avoiding me?”
At that moment, Flossie looked like a spoiled wife acting coquettishly because she missed her husband, and Halston’s exhaustion immediately disappeared when he saw how much she cared about him. He went forward and hugged her tenderly, kissing her forehead softly. “I’m sorry, I’ve been quite busy lately and haven’t spent enough time with you. Can you forgive me?”
“Yes, I know you’re busy, and I was just joking. How could I be mad at you?” Flossie’s heart melted at Halston’s gentleness, and she held Halston’s hands and said solemnly,” But I won’t let you off the hook if you’re meeting another woman under the pretense of being busy.”
Halston’s eyes widened and he protested, “No way. I don’t even have the time to meet another woman, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have waited until now to do it.”
“So, you’re saying that you would meet another woman if you had the time?” Flossie demanded, gripping his hands tightly.
“Ah, it hurts!” Halston winced and said helplessly, “I’m sorry, I won’t make such jokes again. The only woman I’ll meet is you, Flossie, forever and always.”
“That’s more like it.” Flossie released her grip and smiled in satisfaction, then sighed. “I have to apologize to you too. I might be possessive over you, but I can’t help it. My days revolve around you now. I’m afraid that you’ll get tired of a burden like me one day, and you won’t want to care for me anymore.” Her world was nothing but darkness, and her family was her only ray of light. If that ray of light disappeared one day, she couldn’t imagine how painful it would be.