Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Of course I can! I’ve been loyal to you all these years and have never tried anything with other men. I want to experience something nice and improve my life.” Flossie was a feminist at heart-she couldn’t understand why men could flirt with other women after they got married but women had to stay loyal to their men. If men could have affairs, then so could women; that was what fairness was.
“If you genuinely want to find someone you like, I’ll give you my blessings. However, if you’re just acting out of spite and want to find a man to take revenge on me, that’s unnecessary.” Halston gently laid her on the bed and smoothed her hair tenderly. “You’ve got to love yourself more than me from now on, alright?” If this really was the end of their relationship, he wanted the rest of her life to be happy, and only she could bring herself that happiness.
“Stop pretending to be a nice guy. What business is it of yours if I love myself or not? Does it affect you? stop being a hypocrite.” Flossie’s eyes flashed, and she looked agitated. “The people I hate the most are not villains, but people like you. You don’t look like a bad guy but you don’t practice what you preach. You asked me to love myself well, but you’re the one who hurt me the most!”
Halston was silent for a long while, then he finally whispered, “Yeah, I’m the one who hurt you the most… and that’s why, after a lot of deliberation, I chose to leave you. I want to put an end to all the hurt I caused you. I don’t want to keep on hurting you.”
“Don’t you think you’re being cruel, Halston? You can’t be loyal, and you know that all you do is hurt me, so why did you keep pestering me? Do you enjoy hurting me? Does seeing me in pain validate your charm and skill?”
“I’ve never had such a thought.” Halston knew that Flossie must be sober because of her tone, or maybe she had never been drunk. She had just been waiting to confront him. Slowly, he stood up, forcing himself not to indulge in that fleeting intimacy. “Just consider me a villain and forget about me. If you can’t, then keep me buried deep inside your heart and pretend that I never existed,” he said icily, then turned around to leave.
“Don’t go!” Flossie grabbed his waist from behind in the dark, holding him tightly. “Give me an answer.”
“I made myself very clear-l want to stop hurting you.” Halston’s tone was emotionless, and he didn’t move an inch.
“I don’t believe you!” Flossie pursed her lips tightly and said stubbornly, “We would have broken up ages ago if that was really the reason. There must be something else. Tell me what it is, and we’ll face it together.”
Halston was at a loss for words. He kept quiet, knowing all hell would break loose if he told her the truth.
The silence was deafening, and Flossie inwardly counted the seconds as despair gripped her. She had lowered her pride just to get an answer, but he refused to even give her that… How cruel! Humiliated, Flossie let go of Halston’s waist and smoothed her messy hair. She cleared her throat and asked coldly, “So, it’s because of Jessanna, right?” She hadn’t wanted to think of it, but that seemed like the only possible reason. He wouldn’t be acting like this otherwise.
“Jessanna?” Halston flinched in surprise, then fell silent. Finally, he asked, “She went to you?”
“Yes, she did!” Flossie took a deep breath and wiped her face, deciding to be frank with him. “She came to me with intimate photos of you both, acting like she had won a prize as she showed them off. I don’t hate her because I know everything happens for a reason, but I’m just curious.
Why… would you do that?” Flossie stared at Halston’s back, tears running down her cheeks.
“There’s no reason.” Halston did not want to explain too much. If Flossie gave up on their romance because of that affair, it might turn out to be a good result. “I’m just a scumbag who was so good at pretending that you fell for it. Now I don’t want to pretend anymore, but I don’t know how to tell you. That was why I was hiding for so long. I thought you would get the hint and give up looking for me, but I didn’t expect you to be this stubborn. You created such a ruckus just to find me, and I’m very confused by it.” Halston kept his expression icy, trying to sound cruel.
“Hmph, is that really what you think?” Flossie looked at him suspiciously, not believing a word he said. “You know what, Halston? You’re obviously trying to act like a jerk, but it’s not working. A true scumbag wouldn’t say how disloyal he was-they would just lead women on and enjoy watching them suffer. You, on the other hand, seem to be rather eager to break up with me, so I don’t think you’re being honest with me.”
Halston clenched his fists. Flossie was always smart and quick to pick up on things, so his time as a villain might be short-lived. “Whatever. Think what you like, but I did betray you to be with Jessanna. If you hate me, you can beat me up or scold me, but don’t keep lying to yourself and living a fantasy.” Halston tried to be more cruel for Flossie’s sake. He knew she would suffer even more if she knew the truth.
“You’d know if I was lying to myself.” Flossie sounded aloof and indifferent.” But I won’t force you since you want to keep avoiding this. I gave you a chance, but you refused to take it, so don’t blame me for being cruel if you want to come back to me again in the future. That’s all I want to say. Just go!”
Flossie thought that Halston would stay, but he just paused briefly before leaving. It was almost like he had never been there at all. Feeling drunk and dizzy, Flossie just laid back on the bed, eventually falling asleep. She hoped that it had all just been a dream, but after avoiding this for so long, she knew it was time for her to face the cruel reality.
The next morning brought good weather. Having slept well, Flossie stretched, enjoying the morning sun on her face.
“Little girl, do you want breakfast? I made my best sandwiches.” Jamie knocked on the door and called from outside the room. He had been rudely awakened by Halston at five in the morning, who ordered him to take good care of Flossie and make a delicious breakfast for her. Jamie had led a pampered life, but there he was in the kitchen at the break of dawn, doing his best so Flossie could have a good meal. After some research, he finally decided to make vegetable sandwiches as they were convenient, fast, and nutritious.
Flossie got out of bed and put on her clothes, then exited the room calmly.” Thank you!”
The breakfast was in the dining room on the ground floor. It looked good, and as soon as Flossie took a seat at the table, she immediately started stuffing her face with food. In a matter of seconds, one sandwich and half a box of milk was gone.
Jamie swallowed nervously. “You might be petite, little girl, but you certainly have a good appetite. Were you really that hungry? I spent the whole morning making this, but you finished it all in less than a minute.”
“Don’t you know that people with a hangover get hungry easily?” Flossie took a deep breath, looking unsatisfied. “Is there more? I’m not full yet.”
“Yeah, you can have mine if you want.” Although Jamie was surprised at Flossie’s appetite, he was happy to see her enjoy his cooking. He handed her another sandwich, which she ate slowly this time. After observing her for a while, he carefully asked her, “Were you drunk last night?”
“Mm.” Flossie looked ahead and quietly munched the sandwich.
“Then… Do you remember what happened?”
“Yes, I do.” Flossie sipped some milk. “Halston carried me upstairs. He asked you to pretend that he had never been here, right?”
Jamie nearly choked on his drink, and coughed a few times. “Yeah… Technically, that was what happened. You aren’t mad, right?” He hadn’t expected her to be so direct, and it made him feel awkward. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to lie to you. It was Mr. Guajardo-“
“I understand.” Flossie stopped munching, her gaze cold. “He’s behaving like a lunatic, and he dragged you into his mess. You don’t have to apologize.”
“You can’t say that.’ Jamie felt he had to take some of the blame-he had agreed to Halston’s plan because of his power… and also the money Halston had paid him.
“Thank you for taking care of me last night. I’m happy I finally got an answer. I guess drinking all that wine didn’t go to waste.” Flossie remembered everything that had happened the day before and everything that Halston had said. At first, she was sad and couldn’t understand it, but now she knew she had to let it go. It felt like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
After breakfast, Flossie bade Jamie goodbye and returned to Ellsworth Manor. All the people in the manor were anxiously waiting for her, and when she walked in, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank goodness! Flossie, where did you go last night?” Leia asked worriedly, looking Flossie up and down. “I got drunk last night and went home, and when I came back today, they told me that you were missing. I nearly called the cops!”
Flossie slowly entered the manor and laid on the sofa, then said calmly, “I was fine. I just slept in my neighbor’s house.”
“You slept in your neighbor’s house?” The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
Xavier walked over and asked tentatively, “Which neighbor? Is it the house… across from this?”
“Mm.” Flossie nodded and rubbed her aching head. “Ugh, hangovers are torture. I won’t get drunk at night again.” Her calmness was confusing everyone there.
“In that case, did you see… any special person?” Leia asked carefully. She figured that the scumbag, Halston, was probably staying at the manor opposite Ellsworth Manor. But if Flossie had stayed there and they had met, why was she acting so indifferent? What had really happened over there?
“Yeah, I did.” Flossie stifled a yawn. “But I could have been imagining it. The house was dark, and the lights weren’t on, but it did sound and look like him.” Although she was drunk last night, she knew it was him. The man was practically carved into her bones.
“Are you… talking about him?” Justin asked finally, folding his arms over his chest.
“Who else would I be talking about?” Flossie looked up and scanned the worried faces before her, then sighed. “If you all must know, I did meet my nominal husband Halston, the one I’d been searching for.”
Everyone was shocked. Halston’s presence was already surprising, but Flossie’s reaction was even more so.
“What happened then? Did he explain anything? Why was he missing for such a long time?” Justin eagerly asked. Flossie’s answer would decide if Justin had any chance to be with her, so he wanted to know all the details.
“It’s no longer important.” Naturally, Flossie refused to tell them about the conversation between Halston and her. She needed to protect her pride- nobody could know she had been cheated on. “All you need to know is that it’s over between US.”
“It’s over?” Justin’s eyes brightened and he took a Step forward. “Is it really over?” “Yeah.” Flossie got up and tied her hair up. “Don’t you all have anything better to do? Just go to work and leave.” Then, she went upstairs, leaving everyone stunned.
“It’s finally over.” Justin kept muttering, his eyes gleaming in delight.
Xavier glared at him. “What are you so happy about?”
Justin grinned at him. “Why shouldn’t I be happy? This is the start of the love story between Flossie and I!”
Flossie woke up early the next day. She put on light makeup, then drove Adie and Abby to kindergarten. The children would be taking graduation photos soon since it was almost their graduation.
Adie and Abby’s teacher was waiting there, and enthusiastically went to greet Flossie. “Ms. Ellsworth, as you know, the kids will be graduating soon, so the kindergarten wants to give them a nice parting gift. We decided on taking family photos as graduation photos to strengthen the bond between the kids and their parents.”
“Sure, I support the idea.” Flossie nodded in agreement.
The teacher nudged her glasses awkwardly. “Well, it’s a family photo, so both parents have to be present for it. Adie and Abby are the only students who don’t have both parents around, and I know it caused some issues during their registration here. We know Adie and Abby’s situation is a bit special, but…” 1
Flossie frowned, feeling uneasy when she heard that. “Miss, my kids are just like every other kid out there. The only thing special about them is that they’re smart, good-looking, and outstanding.” 1
“Haha…” The teacher laughed nervously. She had only been working in the kindergarten for a year, but she had heard rumours that Adie and Abby’s parents were hard to deal with, and now she knew why. “Okay, I’ll be frank with you…” The teacher took a deep breath and said honestly, “We need both parents around for the family photos, and I would hate to see Abby and Adie sad when all the other children come with both their parents. So… why don’t you discuss this with their father and ask him to attend? We’re going to take the family photos at a castle in the southern suburbs, and it might be a three-day trip.” The teacher knew that Adie and Abby’s parents were rather extraordinary people, even more so than the other families of the children at Monte Perry Kindergarten. Their father, especially, was an extremely influential person. 5
“That’s unnecessary.” Flossie smoothed her hair and said coldly, “Their father went abroad on a business trip and won’t be back for years, so I’ll attend this alone.” It would be very strange for her to take a family photo with Halston given their current relationship.
“But…” The teacher was determined to persuade Flossie, and urged, “This is the transition for the kids from kindergarten to elementary school, and it’s a very important moment in their lives. Can’t their father adjust a bit? It’s just for three days. I don’t want the children to have any regrets.” Generally, the parents of the children studying at Monte Perry Kindergarten cared about their children’s feelings very much, and would willingly make time to be there for them. The teacher did not want to see Adie and Abby disappointed when they saw the other students with their parents; they were still children, after all.