Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Jessanna laughed bitterly. “I told you I’m in a living hell, and death means nothing to me. I can’t live with this face; I only feel like living until we’re together again…”
“Can’t you let me go? Why do you have to torture me like this?”
“I can’t, and I wish I knew why. I love you…” Jessanna got closer to Halston. “It’s all because of Flossie that my face ended up like this. Can’t you atone for her sins?”
After that, Jessanna boldly stood on tiptoe and hooked her arms around Halston’s neck.
Halston remained silent and didn’t push Jessanna away. His thoughts were unknown.
Flossie woke up from heart-wrenching pain the next day.
“Halston, Halston…” She subconsciously shouted Halston’s name. Her pain had subsided a little ever since Halston had found out about it, and she even considered him her painkiller, but something felt off today. Halston always appeared whenever she called for him, but she had heard nothing from him since yesterday. She had no idea where he was.
“What do you need help with, Ms. Flossie?” Margaret rushed into the room when she heard Flossie crying out pitifully. She felt very sorry for Flossie.
“Margaret, it hurts. It hurts so much…” Flossie stopped acting strong when she heard Margaret’s voice, and burst into tears. Margaret was the nanny who had raised Flossie, and often acted like Flossie’s mother. People needed their mothers the most when they were in pain.
“I’m here, Ms. Flossie. I’m here…” Sobbing, Margaret held Flossie’s hand and felt her pulse. She became very worried. “Oh, my! Your pulse is a mess, you must be in terrible pain. The poison has to be removed soon!” Margaret was aware that someone had poisoned Flossie, and had been trying her best to come up with an antidote, but she needed to know the components of the poison. The medicine she made could only relieve pain temporarily and help with Flossie’s concentration, but it could not eliminate the poison in her body. Margaret saw Flossie’s health getting worse, and her faint pulse filled Margaret with helplessness. Flossie had such a difficult life, and when something good finally came around, this happened… If her late parents knew, they would not be able to rest in peace.
“Margaret, where is Halston? Ask him to come here. I want him!” Flossie became muddle-headed because of the pain, and kept asking for Halston like a child wanting their favorite toy.
“Umm… Mr. Guajardo is out. Just wait for a little longer, okay? He might be busy with work.” Margaret knew that Halston hadn’t returned since yesterday. She’d tried calling him but he had switched off his phone. It disappointed her since Flossie was going through so much pain.
“No, he said he would be with me. He said he wanted to share my pain. He wouldn’t leave me alone…
He… Did something happen to him?” Flossie knew Halston well. She could tell that he was no longer in the mood to work, so it was not because of his work that his phone was unreachable.
“He is my medicine, Margaret… Please help me get him. I’m in so much pain. I want him here with me.”
Flossie writhed in pain on the bed. All she knew was that she wanted Halston by her side…
“What should we do?” Margaret anxiously watched Flossie writhe and moan in pain. At her wits’ end, she put her palms together and looked up, sobbing. “Sir, Madam, please bless Ms. Flossie if you feel sorry for her. Please let Mr. Guajardo come back right away!”
And suddenly, just like a miracle, the door to Flossie’s bedroom swung open, and in walked Halston.
“Thank God you’re home, Mr. Guajardo! Ms. Flossie really needs you right now!” Margaret said in relief, wiping her tears away. Flossie’s parents probably couldn’t stand to see their daughter suffer such pain, so they sent Halston home.
Tm sorry I’m late. I’m sorry!” Halston looked exhausted. His perfect appearance was gone-his chin was full of stubble and his puffy eyes had dark circles underneath them. He looked like he had lost his soul.
“I’m here. It’ll stop hurting soon…” Halston rushed to Flossie’s bed and held her hand tightly like he never wanted to let it go.
“You’re annoying. Where did you go?” When Halston’s hand touched hers, her anger surpassed her pain. She frowned like a newly married young woman and tried her best to pull her hand away.
“I got held up. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.” Halston sounded desperate and remorseful as he held Flossie’s hand and kept apologizing. If it hadn’t been urgent, he never would have left Flossie’s side. However, he had been gone the whole day, which he himself found unforgivable. Of course Flossie would be angry. Luckily, he had gained the prescription for the poison which he had texted to Owen immediately.
Finally, they could detox Flossie’s body, and she would be safe. The price for that information, however, was quite costly-it was like a ticking time bomb in their relationship, and had the potential to separate them, but Halston just wanted Flossie to be safe and healthy… Nothing else mattered.
“You said that you would share my pain, but you left without saying anything. You’re so annoying. I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” Flossie snapped and wiped away her tears furiously. She realized that she had become fully dependent on Halston, mentally and physically, and had felt like the world was coming to an end when he had gone missing. Truthfully, she was angry at herself, not Halston. She couldn’t accept that she had become this timid lovestruck fool with nothing but romance on her mind again.
Tm sorry, dear, it was a special situation. Can you forgive me? I won’t do it again.”
Halston tried to pacify Flossie patiently, sounding more gentle than when he tried to comfort Abby.
“I don’t want to forgive you, you’ll just do it again! I want to give you up; I wouldn’t be this helpless when
I’m in pain then…” Flossie muttered crossly.” You’re my painkiller, but I’m slowly building resistance towards you. I didn’t feel so bad when I didn’t see you for ten days or half a month before this, but I feel so sad when I don’t see you for just a day. I don’t want this!” If there was drug resistance, she had to increase the dosage to numb the pain, but… Halston wasn’t a drug. What would she do if he refused to help her stop the pain one day?
“That’ll never happen, I promise. I’ll give you all my time as long as you need me…” After a pause, Halston added seriously, “Plus, I’m not a painkiller -I’m the drug that can bring you back to life. I’ll cure you. Owen told me that he could make the antidote in three days at most. You won’t be in pain again.”
“Really?” Flossie asked in disbelief “How did he do it? He said that he had to know the components of the poison if he wanted to find the antidote. I’ve been waiting for Tess to give me that information, but I guess she must have encountered some trouble because I haven’t heard from her in a while. How did he find out its components?”
“Umm…” Halston frowned guiltily and looked away. Even if Flossie was blind, he couldn’t bear to look at her. “Dr. Wagner is an excellent doctor. You know that, don’t you? Plus, it’s just heavy metal poisoning, he can figure it out from just a day in the laboratory.”
“Is that so? That’s great then.” Flossie nodded slowly and stopped asking about it. Halston couldn’t tell whether she really believed him or if she felt she wouldn’t get anything more out of him even if she asked.
Halston pestered Flossie shamelessly until she stopped being mad at him, then hugged her and hummed a slow song to comfort her. Flossie’s pain gradually began to fade, and she fell asleep in his arms. After that, he gently laid her on the bed and snuck out of the room.
Margaret was waiting outside. She shot Halston a sharp look and asked meaningfully, “Mr. Guajardo, you look tired. You must have been very busy last night. You didn’t sleep well, did you?”
“Umm… I had something on yesterday.” Halston massaged his temples wearily. It wasn’t physical stress, it was purely mental exhaustion. No one would be energetic after continuous stress regardless of how strong they were. Halston was only human-he’d found it hard to hold on after everything that happened yesterday, and just wanted to have a good rest to reboot himself.
“You and Ms. Flossie have it hard. You’ve hurt her countless times, and I always thought that things wouldn’t end well for both of you, but… Ms. Flossie only cares about you, so I have to go against my wishes and support your relationship.” Margaret took a deep breath, her expression cold. “If you have wronged Ms. Flossie, I hope you can hide it well. In fact, it’s best if you can hide it forever. If not… we won’t let you off the hook!”
Once Owen had gotten the poison components from Halston, he immediately rushed to the laboratory to make the antidote. The more he researched the poison, the more scary he found it. He quickly called
Halston over. “It’s terrifying! I can’t believe someone so malicious exists in this world. It’s madness!”
Halston worriedly approached him, and Owen showed him the list of heavy metals in the poison. “Look!
There’s thallium, lead, and uranium… One is already toxic on its own, but this poison practically has all the elements in the periodic table! The person who made this is a demon!”
“She’s crazy.” Halston clenched his fists anxiously. He couldn’t imagine how someone as slim and weak as Flossie could bear such pain. If Owen hadn’t broken his promise and shown Halston Flossie’s medical report, she might still have hidden it from Halston, pretending to be happy while enduring excruciating pain.
“I guess you know who the culprit is since you got the prescription. I won’t say much, but… you have to send her to the police station once this is over. It’s dangerous to let someone this wicked run free,”
Owen said seriously. Doctors were generally compassionate people, and Owen had seen many people do crazy things to harm others, but this had to be the most cruel method he’d ever encountered. A
person that vicious might attack more innocent people if left unchecked.
“I won’t let her off the hook that easily.” Halston sounded solemn, and it sounded like he was making a promise to himself too. In the past, his kindness had given Jessanna the chance to harm Flossie, so he silently swore that he would get rid of Jessanna this time.
“But can you cure her now?” Halston asked Owen nervously, looking like he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Yes, I can, but…” Owen covered his face and sighed deeply, looking troubled.
“But what?” Halston’s expression turned cold, and his gaze was fierce. “You have to cure her. I don’t want to hear anything else!”
“Calm down. Didn’t I tell you I can make the antidote as long as I’ve got the prescription? But the problem is that the herbs I want are too rare. It’ll be very hard to get them.” Owen told Halston helplessly, hoping Halston wouldn’t strangle him to death.
“Oh, I see…” Halston breathed a sigh of relief. “The resources aren’t a problem. Just keep on researching; I’ll definitely get you whatever you need, n
“Don’t forget your promise. There are not many herbs this rare, and it’ll be difficult to find them all. You might have to suffer a lot to get them.”
Owen warned Halston because he knew how hard it was to get those herbs.
“I don’t care-ril get them!” Halston said firmly.
“Okay, I can rest easy then.” Owen nodded and stopped worrying about the herbs. It seemed like
Halston, the all-powerful president of Guajardo Enterprise, might be the only one who could save Flossie.
Owen handed a list to Halston. “These are the herbs I need and their quantities. Get them for me within a week.”
Halston studied the list intently and frowned. There were four herbs on it, and their names were so strange Halston doubted their existence. “Are you sure… these are real?” Halston stared at the names, perplexed.