Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
Once they finished bickering, they turned around and realized that Flossie was gone.
“Huh? Where’s Phoenix? She was here just now.” Justin walked around, looking for Flossie.
Jovan frowned thoughtfully for a moment before he ran out into the rain. A sinking feeling hit him when he saw a car missing in the outdoor garage.
“Hey, is your car gone?” Jovan asked Justin slowly, who had followed him out.
“Yeah, where’s my car?!” Justin’s eyes widened and he looked around in panic. “I parked it right here!” “She took your car, you moron!” Jovan rolled his eyes at Justin and groaned. “I can’t believe she left on her own. I’ll hold you responsible if anything happens to her!” “That’s not fair! You were here too when she went missing, so shouldn’t you be held responsible as well?” Justin grumbled, amazed at how cunning Jovan was. However, this was no time to argue-Flossie had just undergone an eye transplant surgery, so her eyes would get tired easily. Moreover, it was a rainy night, so letting her drive was very risky and dangerous. “Ugh, forget it! Where’s your car? We might be able to catch up to her if we go now,” Justin urged Jovan.
Jovan’s car was parked in the garage in the back garden, and he rushed to get it and quickly drove it over to Justin. Justin braced himself and got into the car without any hesitation.
“Do you drive fast?” Justin asked Jovan as he shut the car door.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure that I drive faster than you!” While talking, Jovan started the car and sped into the heavy rain.
“Do you have to argue about this too?” Justin smacked his forehead, speechless. “Fine, you’re faster. You’re always faster than me.”
Meanwhile, Flossie had taken Justin’s car and left on her own. At first, she felt that it was dangerous, but she gave in when she saw Jovan and Justin bickering endlessly. Besides, she had purposely driven in the opposite direction so they wouldn’t be able to catch up to her. Now, she could get rid of them and have some peace.
The situation on the road was bad since it was raining. Raindrops splattered on the windshield loudly, and though the wipers were on the highest speed, it was still insufficient. Besides, Flossie had yet to get used to her new pair of eyes. She had used them too much in the morning, and they were aching. Her vision was blurry, and it felt like she was driving with her eyes closed. Luckily, since the weather was so bad, there weren’t many cars on the road. She would probably be okay if she didn’t make any sudden turns or drive recklessly.
Finally, she arrived at the city after much effort. The rain was less heavy here, and after a while, she noticed that there was a car following her.
When they stopped at the traffic light, she glanced at the car. It was a silver supercar, and she could tell from its colour and license plate that its owner was probably rich. It was odd though… Why was there a car following her in such heavy rainfall in this remote area? She wondered who the owner of the car was.
After driving for a little while longer, she realized that the supercar was still right behind her. She drove into a deserted dark alley, hoping to lure the car in so she could outflank it and find out who it was. However, after she drove into the alley, she found that the supercar was gone. Its driver had to have exceptional driving skills, because she hadn’t noticed when it had left. 1 “That’s weird!” Curious, Flossie parked her car by the road, then took out an umbrella from the glove compartment and got out of the car. She walked in the dark alley, looking around. The road was bumpy and muddy because of the rain, but Flossie found no trace of the car.
“Forget it, I must be overthinking. They probably just happened to be using the same road as me…” Flossie shook her head and laughed at herself for being so paranoid.
However, just as she was about to get into the car to leave, she saw a shadow behind her. The shadow approached her steadily and silently, and when she stopped, the shadow did too. She then realized that something was really wrong, and she hadn’t been imagining things.
“I know you’ve been following me for a while, so out with it-what do you want? There’s no point in wasting time, you’re just tiring US both,” Flossie called out indifferently, not turning around.
“You’re Flossie, aren’t you?”
It was a rough male voice she had never heard before. Disappointment gripped her… She thought it was Halston!
“If you’re Flossie, you’re the one I’m looking for. Come with me!” The man said coldly.
Flossie turned around and saw a large man with a ferocious scar on his face. He looked like a powerful gangster with influence, and she didn’t know what he wanted with her. “Why should I listen to you? Do I look that obedient?” Flossie held an umbrella and stood there stubbornly, looking like a young woman who was difficult to handle.
The man got closer, fished out a flick knife, and held it out. “Will you be obedient if I use this?” “A weapon? What a fierce person… Unfortunately, you bumped into someone like me, who’s good at punishing fierce people!” After that, Flossie tossed her umbrella aside and faced the man confidently. “I can go with you, but first, you need to tell me who you are, where you’re taking me, and why you’re doing this.” “You’ll know once we get there…” The man became impatient, and waved the sharp knife at Flossie. “If you don’t cooperate, I’m going to hurt you.” “You’re going to hurt me?” Flossie sneered. “Show me what you’re capable of then.” She was once a part of the underworld, and though she had left that life behind long ago, she had never been a weak woman who was at others’ mercy. If he didn’t understand that, she would have to make him.
“How could you…” The man gaped at Flossie. He had been a gangster for many years, but he had never met someone like Flossie. Helpless, he stomped his feet furiously. “I’m not messing around! Don’t force me to make a move-rn do it!” He twirled the knife exaggeratedly, but seemed to be too timid to actually hurt Flossie.
“I know that you’re under orders to do this. You don’t really hold a grudge against me, right?” Flossie crossed her arms and watched the man calmly.
The man was stunned. “How… How did you know?” “It’s obvious that you’re just waving that knife around for show to scare me. No person would do such a thing out of boredom… Am I right?” Flossie slowly approached the man and asked. “Why don’t we make a deal? You tell me who asked you to do this, and I’ll keep up the act and cooperate with you. How’s that?” “Are… you telling the truth?” The man hesitated, but then shook his head quickly. “No, I’m not under anyone’s orders. I just want to… rob you.” “Mm, it looks like your boss is very powerful. You’re too frightened to expose him…” Flossie’s curiosity grew. She sighed, then held her hands out.” You might as well tie me up then.” It seemed like cooperating was the only way to make the man’s boss appear. 1 “It’s your wish, lady, I’m going to tie you up now.” The man put away his knife and fished out a rope from his bag, then asked politely, “Will this rope do? Is it toothick?” “It’s okay. Kidnappers usually use ropes of this quality,” Flossie glanced at it and answered calmly.
“You know what? Do it on your own then. Or, do you need me to do it?” “You do it. After all, I’ll be able to free myself no matter how you tie me up.”
When Flossie was still a part of the underworld, she would sometimes get jobs kidnapping big shots or rescuing hostages, so she had studied ways to tie people up… which meant she also knew how to untie them.
“Okay, please excuse me for this then.” The man carefully went over and tied Flossie’s hands up behind her. “Please come with us!” “Do I have to go with you? Can’t you do it here?” Flossie became impatient.
She had cooperated so she could lure his boss out, but he still hadn’t appeared.
“I can’t help it. We have to finish the act to make it look real!” He scratched his head helplessly. If his boss hadn’t offered him a high reward, and if his buddies didn’t owe their boss, he wouldn’t be doing such childish things.
“There are many ways to do it without troubling ourselves. For example…” While talking, Flossie went forward and snatched away the man’s knife though her hands were tied, then ordered him to put the knife to her neck.
The gangster was dumbstruck. “What… What are you doing?!” “It doesn’t matter. Just put the knife against my neck!” “No, I can’t. My knife is sharp-what if I accidentally cut your neck?” The man took the knife back and retreated, his hand trembling. This was the first time he had been entrusted with such a difficult task.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it…” Flossie snapped and approached him. “Hurry up, or I won’t go easy on you!”
The gangster was scared out of his wits, so he obediently put the knife against Flossie’s neck.
Instantly, Flossie screamed, “Help! Help! Somebody’s trying to kill me!” “Stop! What are you doing?!” The man panicked, not daring to move at all.
“Help! Somebody, please help me!” Flossie yelled in fear. Her acting was so good that people nearby were about to call the cops.
Finally, a person walked into the alley helplessly.
“Okay, that’s enough, stop yelling. You’re all terrible at acting.” Xavier sighed in frustration, massaging his temples. He had witnessed the whole scene and could not help but mourn the downfall of his plan.
“Xavier?” Flossie asked in disbelief. “This was your idea?”
The kidnapper bowed to Xavier respectfully. “Mr. Stuart, l-l didn’t want to do this, but… this lady made things so difficult!”
Flossie’s unusual behavior had ruined Xavier’s plan. Helpless, Xavier chose to be frank with her. “At first, I wanted to use a trick to make him appear, but it seems like it’s hard to fool you. It might not be that easy to fool him either, so… let’s just forget it!” He shook his head and watched the rain slow down, then stop. Sighing, he turned to Flossie. “It’s late, let’s go home. Lei is worried sick about you, and is hoping you’ll come back soon.”
Flossie frowned hesitantly. “I don’t want to go back just yet… My messed up mental state will only trouble you all.” “Where will you go then? Do you plan on running from reality for the rest of your life?” Xavier had heard from Leia that Flossie was depressed and wanted to be alone, and as her friend, it worried him.
“There are some things you don’t understand…” Flossie didn’t know how to explain her thoughts to Xavier. Carefully, she said, “Wounded animals will run away to heal on their own when they’re hurt… It’s the same with me. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay. Once I recover, I’ll come back.” “I understand. I won’t force you.” Both Xavier and Leia had put themselves in Flossie’s shoes. Although they were worried about her and wanted her near, they didn’t want to stress her out. “You can go anywhere you want, but just promise US that you’ll take care of your safety. Don’t go to dangerous places or contact bad people…” Xavier paused, then got straight to the point. “I’ll be frank with you-l don’t think Jovan is a good person, and I don’t think you should spend time with him. If you do, I’m afraid you’ll be led astray.”
Flossie chuckled. “Do you think I’m that kind of person who’s easily influenced? Even if it does happen, I’ll be the one who leads him astray. Although he’s not a good person, he’s not a bad one either. I regained my eyesight because of him, and his feelings for me aren’t lesser than that man’s in some aspects.”
As Halston’s top fan, Xavier didn’t appreciate Flossie’s words. “I disagree. Jovan is just a despicable man who makes matters worse, so how can he be compared to Halston? You and Halston have gone through so much, and Halston sacrificed so much to save you. How could you compare a mean guy like Jovan to Halston? Halston hasn’t been gone for long, but you’ve already let that man in. If Halston knew, he’d be very disappointed.”
Flossie was calm as Xavier rebuked her, then scoffed, “I’ve never denied Halston’s sacrifices for me, but this case is different. We can’t write off others’ sacrifices just because of his sacrifices, can we? Plus, whatever you think of Halston is just your assumption. I’m sure you’ll realize that Halston isn’t any nobler than Jovan once you see his dark side,” Flossie said frostily, recalling the photos Jessanna had shown her. She wasn’t a saint-it was impossible to not bear resentment against Halston for sleeping with another woman while she had been suffering.
Flossie was worried that there might be a misunderstanding or that Jessanna had used some tricks to get her way, so she was desperate to find Halston for clarification. She spoke to a lot of people and searched many places, but it always ended with disappointment. She was exhausted physically and mentally. “I’m so tired, and my whole body is aching from going around looking for him. I don’t care if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore, I just want to see him and know that he’s okay… but he never appears. I don’t know if he’s hiding somewhere and watching me make a fool of myself and get hurt over and over again, but even your lousy ploy couldn’t force him to come out. So yes, of course I’m upset. Is this what you call sacrifice and love?” Flossie demanded hysterically, helpless and agitated. She looked like she was losing her mind.
“Umm…” Xavier looked hesitant as he tried to comfort Flossie. “Flossie, calm down. I really don’t think it’s that simple. If Halston is alive, he’s probably going through something since he’s avoiding US. Let’s not declare him guilty so fast-once we find him, we’ll interrogate him and get the truth. Don’t you think that’s a better idea?” “Find him?” Flossie smiled bitterly. “I’m tired. I don’t want to look for him anymore. I just want an answer from you, and then I’ll let this go.” “What… answer?” “Is Halston still alive?” Flossie asked Xavier directly. She assumed that she was the most important person to Halston, but it was ironic that she had to ask someone else this.
“I… I’m not sure.” Xavier honestly explained, “I got news from my subordinates that they saw Halston in a casino, but when I sent someone over, they couldn’t find him. I couldn’t be sure if the person they saw was Halston, which was why I came up with this plan to force him to appear.
After all, you’re important to him, so he’d definitely get anxious if you were in danger.” “That’s stupid,” Flossie sneered. “If I really was that important to him, he would have appeared ages ago instead of hanging around a casino.” “I’m thinking that he may be in trouble, which is why he can’t show himself yet. If he does, you might be in danger.” “Well, maybe he’s changed his mind. Maybe he doesn’t want to be with me anymore but is too timid to say so in case everyone comes after him, so he’d rather hide to make me give up on him.” Flossie sounded pessimistic. She couldn’t come up with any other reason for his absence.
“How is that even possible?” Xavier tried his best to defend Halston. “Halston would never change his mind about you… unless he becomes a eunuch!”
Xavier paused, frowning thoughtfully. “You know, it does seem possible. Is Halston hiding because he’s no longer a true man? After all, he jumped off such a high mountain. What if a branch or something hurt his private parts? That might be the only reason a man would give up his beloved woman.”
Flossie rolled her eyes in exasperation. “If I were Halston, I would poison you so you wouldn’t be able to speak anymore.”
I’m being serious! Sometimes the truth can be crazy!” Xavier rubbed his chin and said seriously, “I have to look into this.” “And just how do you plan to do that?” “I’ll get my men to look into all the fertility clinics in Beach City, especially the ones near that village. I might find some clues then.” Xavier took out his phone to contact his men.
Flossie sighed deeply. “What a crazy man!” Based on Flossie’s understanding of Halston, the most he would do is break up with her if he couldn’t have kids, he wouldn’t pretend to be dead and keep hiding like this. Xavier firmly believed that Halston was alive, so Flossie decided to stop looking for
Halston. Flossie would let him be and would not bother if he wanted to come back or not. She was exhausted.
That night, Flossie drove to a fishing village near Beach City for some rest and time alone. The village looked shabby, but it had a beautiful view of the sea, especially at sunset. It had become a secret spot for her to heal when she was young, and no one knew about it, even Leia and the others. She would go to that village alone when she was unhappy in school or when her parents criticized her during her childhood. She even went there when she felt wronged after getting married to Halston. She would sit on the empty cliff and watch the waves. At sunset, the clouds would be dyed a deep red, and the beautiful view always made her feel much better.
Flossie arrived early in the morning, which was the busiest time in the fishing village. The fishermen always woke up early to fish.