Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
At that moment, a lively melody came from the stage downstairs.
Jovan chuckled softly. “Let’s listen to the song. The music is nice, so let’s not ruin the moment.” “So it is you.” Once Flossie confirmed that it was Jovan, some of her anxiety faded. She had expected him to come find her sooner or later, and knew what to do if he did. Truthfully, she’d thought they would meet sooner, but fortunately, they had met in a nice place. She hoped they could remain on good terms.
Jovan was absorbed in the music, his finger tapping the armrest in time with it. “I think I’ve told you before that you’re the reason I like rock…” The blinking lights on the stage shone on Jovan’s face from time to time, highlighting his handsome features that were so similar to Halston’s. He narrowed his eyes as if he was watching the show or recalling the past. “At that time, you were very charming-it was as if you were a bright burst of energy.”
Flossie smiled bitterly. “So I’m no longer charming now?” “No, you are.” Jovan turned and stared at her intensely. “You can make people feel sorry for you. They can’t wait to give up their hearts to you.” “Don’t say such things; I’m not that kind of person.” Flossie chuckled and purposely changed the topic. “I heard that you ostracized your cousin lately. Can you please not be too harsh given our past relationship?” Although she’d been poisoned and miserable recently, she had been paying attention to news about Guajardo Enterprise. She learned that Jovan had replaced Halston and now had full control of the company. Halston was merely a figurehead in the company.
Jovan kept his head hung, gritting his teeth. “Do you think I could do that given his power? He was happy to give the company up to me… because he chose you wholeheartedly.” He had fought Halston for so many years, and knew this victory was not because of his own power, but because Halston refused to fight him.
It made Jovan feel defeated.
“Isn’t that nice then?” Flossie remarked, “You both got what you wanted-it’s a happy ending for everyone.” “Flossie, you do know how to hurt me.” Jovan watched Flossie closely, his lips curving into a mysterious smile. “Don’t you know what I want?”
Flossie was speechless. Of course she was aware of Jovan’s feelings for her, but after everything that had happened, she didn’t want to talk about it.
“If I could, I’d rather have you instead. Someone else can have that lousy Guajardo Enterprise!” Jovan complained as he sulkily sipped his wine, acting like a child in front of Flossie.
Flossie’s fingers tapped the table along to Miss Band’s music, and she looked relaxed. Calmly, she said, “Jovan, I did owe you in the past, but I don’t owe you anything now. What you want is none of my business. If you consider me a friend, please let me go back to my friend.” She was no fool -she knew that her fate was in Jovan’s hands today, but she still hoped that Jovan could be rational and let her go…
“Yes, you don’t owe it to me, but I owe it to you. Your eyes are as perfect as gemstones, and I feel guilty every day that I use them. Do you think I can pretend to be ignorant and keep on shamelessly using them?” Jovan clenched his fists and blinked back tears. His eyes were originally slender, wicked, and scheming, but after he had gotten Flossie’s eyes, his gaze became gentler. It didn’t look as cunning as it used to.
“No, you don’t owe me anything.” Flossie sounded rational and aloof, almost cruel. “I repaid you for Halston’s sake, so it’s supposed to be Halston who owes me. Since my eyes work well for you, just use them with peace of mind.” “That’s it? What about you?” Jovan demanded as tears rolled down his cheeks. He choked out, “How are you going to spend the rest of your life without your eyes? Don’t you regret it?” “No, I don’t. It’s because I have eyes…” Flossie smiled, looking wistful.” Halston is my eyes; I have nothing to fear for the rest of my life as long as he’s around.” “Halston, Halston… It’s always about Halston!” Jovan snarled as he abruptly stood up. His gaze was wild as he demanded, “Where are your “eyes” now then? Where was he when people bumped into you, and nearly stepped on you?”
Flossie felt a pang of sadness, and bit her lip. “That’s none of your business -you don’t have to worry.”
Jovan walked over to Flossie and put his fingers under her chin, lifting her face to his. His gaze was cold and determined. “Since you’ve given your eyes to me, I’ll be your eyes for the rest of your life.” “What do you want, Jovan?” Flossie’s body tensed, and she could no longer stay calm. There were many people in this pub, but she was in the VIP area away from the crowd. She felt like a trapped bird, completely at Jovan’s mercy.
“Don’t be scared-l won’t harm you. I told you… I want to be your eyes.”
Jovan pulled Flossie into his arms.
“You…” Flossie started to struggle, but suddenly, a strong smell hit her nose. She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, she blacked out.
When Flossie woke up, she found herself lying in a large bed. She instantly realized that she was at Jovan’s manor in the suburbs away from the city. When she had surgery to donate her eyes to Jovan, she had laid in the same bed.
“You’re awake?” Jovan’s voice came from above her, gentle and passionate.
A chill crept up Flossie’s spine, and she sat up, leaning back against the head of the bed. “Why did you bring me here? Don’t tell me you want to force me to fall in love with you; it doesn’t suit you, Jovan.” “You still can make jokes. It seems like you’re in good spirits.” Jovan smiled and walked to the wine cabinet. He poured himself a glass of wine and went to sit on the sofa near the bed, leisurely crossing his legs. Slowly, he said, “Forcing you to love me, hmm? Well, I can certainly give it a try. I was too polite to you, so our relationship never progressed. Maybe we’ll become closer if we have some physical contact.”
Disgusted, Flossie snorted.”So, you’re saying that women of the street have to love every customer passionately, and victims have to fall in love with the people who take advantage of them?”
Jovan was happy that she was arguing with him, and chuckled. “It’s possible, you know. Have you ever heard of Stockholm syndrome? It’s when kidnapped victims fall in love with their kidnappers.” “Jovan, I thought you were just extreme, but now I realize that you’re a pervert.” Flossie gradually became less anxious. She tried to get out of bed and walked toward him. “I’m just a blind and useless person. Both my body and heart are with Halston, so you’re just deceiving yourself by locking me up here. What’s the point? If I were you, I would let myself go. At least, we could still be friends… Honestly, it was hard during the half year I was with you, but it made me happy knowing that you weren’t a bad person-you were just an arrogant person who needs love.” Flossie tried to use their previous relationship to persuade Jovan to let her go.
However, Jovan was not moved. He swirled the wine in his glass and looked up at her. “I’m not as kind as you think. I’ve always been a competitive person, and if I want something, I’ll do everything in my power to get it. When I gave my eyes and blood to Halston, I didn’t do it out of love for my cousin… I just wanted you. However, even though I gave those up, you still didn’t fall in love with me. Since I couldn’t move you, I figured I might as well disgust you. Maybe you’ll fall in love with me as time goes by. Even if it’s through trauma, you’ll still remember me for the rest of your life. ” Jovan had never thought of himself as an honorable person. In the past, he had tried to win Flossie over by being honorable, but it had just marked him as a fool. He had sacrificed himself to grant others’ wishes.
Hence, he wanted to try another method to get what he wanted.
He stood up and held her waist. “Soon, you’ll discover that my love for you isn’t any less than Halston’s love for you!”
Flossie figured that Jovan had lost his mind, so she decided not to waste her time talking to him. She accepted her situation since she couldn’t do anything about it.
Jovan was surprised at the sudden change in her attitude. Flattered, he fawned over Flossie every day diligently.
On a bright afternoon, Jovan insisted on listening to some CDs with Flossie.
Helpless, Flossie chose to listen to the songs with him. Yes, Jovan was crazy, but his taste in music was as good as hers. He liked bands that she liked, like Oasis, Keane, and Coldplay. If Flossie and Jovan only chatted about music, the atmosphere would be good, and they could talk for the whole afternoon.
“Listen to this song. It’s called Hey Jude, and it’s a classic by The Beatles… ” Jovan said eagerly as he placed a CD in an old-fashioned record player.
The Beatles had been formed in 1960 and was considered the pioneer of rock music. Most of their songs had become hits, including Hey Jude, which was their most popular song. The nice music and afternoon sunlight created a cosy and peaceful atmosphere.
“Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better.” The lively melody and wonderful lyrics made Flossie start humming while listening to it.
Meanwhile, Jovan’s fingers tapped the rhythm, and he echoed her voice softly. He looked at her lovingly and murmured, “I feel like the happiest man in the world having the honor to listen to you sing again…”
Flossie paused and said helplessly, “Many singers can sing better than me, trust me. You’ll have a better experience if you invite them to your house instead.” “No, I only want to listen to you sing. No one else will do,” Jovan said bluntly.
“I’ll stop singing if you say that.” Leaning against the lawn chair, Flossie kept quiet.
However, Jovan was not angry. He grinned and started peeling grapes for her, then gently handed them to her. “You’ve sung for such a long time; I’m sure you’re thirsty. Have some grapes-l remember it’s your favorite fruit.”
Although Flossie ignored him, she accepted the peeled grapes and ate them leisurely. She did love eating grapes, but she hated peeling them because of their thin skin. It would be sticky and uncomfortable if she peeled them herself, so she didn’t want to waste such a good opportunity.
Jovan immediately smiled brightly while watching Reene eat the grapes he had peeled. He was happier than when he secured a multi-billion dollar deal. Then, he started peeling pine nuts for her. He peeled the shell as well as the thin skin of the pine nut, considerate and attentive. He peeled the pine nuts and grapes for ten minutes and handed them to Flossie, but Flossie finished eating them instantly. After that, he kept on peeling the food tirelessly, and an afternoon passed like this. “I’m very curious. You hate me so much, but you don’t repulse being with me. You even did me the favor of singing in front of me and are eating the food I peeled.” While peeling the grapes, Jovan asked Flossie curiously.
The sun was setting, and sunlight shone on Flossie’s face as she tilted her head towards it. “You want to know?” “Of course.” Jovan looked serious. “I want to know everything about you, including your sincere thoughts.” He knew that Flossie didn’t like him, at least not yet, but they did get on well sometimes. The thought of it gave him hope.
“It’s because I want to buy time for Halston,” Flossie answered honestly without any hesitation.
Jovan abruptly stopped peeling the grape in his hand, his heart aching.
“If you’re spending time with me, you won’t have the time to go after him. Then, he’ll have the chance to make a counterattack.” Flossie tried to be as cruel and hurtful as possible.
“Okay, I know.” Jovan gave himself a second to be sad before he reverted to his shameless self. “I admit that I didn’t have the time to manage the company or try to look into Halston’s affairs. It’s like what they said in the ancient poems: “the king ignores his work because of his romance.” Nothing else is important with you by my side. I won’t care about anything else.” He finally understood why Halston decisively chose to retreat when Jovan suggested having a battle. If the result of a retreat was to be with his beloved and spend quality time together every day, he would want nothing else.
A sigh escaped Flossie, and she felt sorry for Jovan. Hence, she tried to persuade him, “Halston and I love each other, but your love is unrequited. Listen to me-it’s not worth it.” “I know whether it’s worth it or not.” Jovan sneered, knowing that the feelings might have come from vengeance and jealousy. He faked a smile and asked, “And are you sure that you and Halston love each other?” “Why wouldn’t we?” “If he really cares so much about you, why isn’t there any news about him? Why didn’t he come and take you away?” Jovan stared at Flossie and added, “To be honest, I texted him your location.” “Then maybe he hasn’t seen the text yet.” Flossie didn’t doubt Halston’s love for her. “He went to a very dangerous place to find herbs for me, and that place has no signal. It’s very possible that he didn’t get the text.” “A very dangerous place…” Jovan had heard about that. “I know he encountered some trouble just to save you, but it’s been a while since he contacted you. Have you ever thought that he might be dead-” “Shut up!” Flossie snapped suddenly. “He’ll come and pick me up soon, then you’ll see! He’ll make you suffer!” “Women always like to lie to themselves.” Jovan’s expression turned icy.”
We’ll see about that. It’s either he dies… or I do!”
Almost a week passed. Flossie longed for Halston day and night, but he still didn’t come.
Meanwhile, Jovan enjoyed her misfortune and teased her, “What should you do? Your hero hasn’t come to your rescue… You’d better spend the rest of your life with me. I won’t mistreat you!”
He shamelessly tried to get close to Flossie, but Flossie kicked him away.” Do you have to be like this every day?” “Wasn’t I right though?” Jovan sneered. “It’s fine if it’s a day or two, but it’s already been two weeks, and he’s nowhere to be seen. He’s either dead, or he doesn’t care about you.” “Shut up!”
Flossie tried to punch Jovan, but Jovan grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms instead. “I know you’re sad. To be honest, I’m sad too-l didn’t expect that Halston would be such a worthless piece of trash. He’s too timid, and I defeated him easily!” “Let go of me!” Flossie struggled in his grip, a look of disgust on her face. Jovan’s embrace was more fervent and suffocating than Halston’s. It was like him- extreme and hot, almost scorching her. “No, he just didn’t feel like fighting you because it’s unnecessary. He’ll defeat you no matter what … You’ll never surpass him!” “Is that so? But the truth is… you’re in my arms right now.” Jovan hugged Flossie and rested his head against her neck coquettishly. “I’ve thought things through, and I’ve decided it doesn’t matter how you feel-all I know is that I have you now, and that itself makes me the winner.” “Jovan, you’re out of your mind! I’ve just had my breakfast, so stop disgusting me!” Flossie tried to shove him away, but it was futile. It angered her greatly. Unfortunately, her strength and stamina had decreased after her poisoning, so she wasn’t as agile as before. If not, she would have thrown Jovan over her shoulder ages ago.
When Jovan noticed her frustration and despair, he immediately let go of her. “Hey, are you angry?” Jovan asked teasingly.
Speechless, Flossie turned away and ignored him.
“Are you really angry?” When Jovan looked at her and saw tears rolling down her cheeks behind her sunglasses, he realized how serious it was. He hurriedly said, “Don’t be, I was just messing with you. I won’t touch you without your permission; I’m not that mean.” “Yes, I’m angry! I’m angry at you, but I’m angrier at myself!” Flossie wiped away her tears furiously. “I’m angry at myself for ending up this way. I can’t see and fight people anymore, and even a jerk like you can bully me. I feel so useless.”
Jovan became gloomy. “Do you hate me that much?” “I thought you were nice once. We could have been soulmates if we were friends, but you went mad. That was when I knew that people can’t really change.”
Flossie spoke calmly, perfectly aware that her words would hurt Jovan.
Jovan’s lips twitched slightly, and his fingernails dug into his skin in anger. It had only been two weeks, and Flossie had spent every day of them hurting him. However, he wasn’t tired of it… Maybe he was going crazy.
“I don’t get it. I’m a useless person, and I treat you badly. Why do you keep pestering me?” Flossie looked helpless as she tried to persuade him, “You’re now the boss of Guajardo Enterprise, which makes you very rich. You can have any woman you want, so why are you wasting your time with me and making everyone unhappy?” “Yeah, I don’t know why either.” Jovan smiled bitterly and stared at Flossie.” So, let me pester you for a little longer. Maybe I’ll get bored one day and let you go, right?”
Flossie paused and sighed. “Good point. I can’t argue with that.” She knew that Jovan was a stubborn man, and she wouldn’t be able to change his mind. Besides, he might only give up if he got bored or disgusted. Inspired by that realization, she took off her sunglasses, revealing the scars on her eyes that had already scabbed over. Her eyelids drooped over her empty eye sockets, looking frightening and disgusting. “Come here. Help me check if the scars around my eye sockets have faded. They’ve been quite itchy lately, and I don’t know why.” Flossie raised her head and asked Jovan.
It was the first time Jovan saw her eyes without her sunglasses, and his eyes widened in shock.