Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“There’s nothing to regret.” Flossie sounded indifferent. “It’s better to face reality instead of being fake and hypocritical. My kids aren’t as sensitive and weak as you think they are.”
When Flossie got back from the kindergarten, she started making preparations for Jeffrey’s debut. She took Jeffrey to Xavier’s company, and after the receptionist took down their information, they went to the reception room to wait for Xavier.
It was the first time Jeffrey had been to the city, and he was curious about everything he saw. Though he was awed by a lot of it, it also made him feel insecure. “Flossie, can I really do this?” Jeffrey stood in front of the large French window in the reception room, staring at his tanned skin, messy hair, and unsophisticated look dejectedly.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine.” Flossie stood up and patted Jeffrey’s shoulders, looking at him dotingly as if he were her son. “Your look is very rare in the current entertainment circle, and I’m sure it’ll win you lots of fans.” There were many handsome celebrities on the market, but they were all too delicate. They were nice to look at, but there was nothing unique or magnetic about them. Jeffrey, however, looked like a handsome prince from the countryside. He looked like a man with a story, and Flossie was sure he would have a bright future in the entertainment industry with the right backing.
“But I don’t know anything about all this. I’m not handsome enough and have no fashion sense at all…” Jeffrey stood there, wringing his hands anxiously.
“That’s not a big deal. In fact, that is what’s attractive about you!” Flossie patiently tried to comfort Jeffrey. “You have to believe that you’re unique. You have something ordinary stars don’t have, and you’ll go far as long as you stay this way.”
Jeffrey seemed to relax after hearing that, and he nodded slowly. “Don’t worry, Flossie. I’ll work hard and won’t let you down.”
They waited for a little longer. Xavier was having a meeting and would not come in a while.
At that moment, the door of the reception room opened, and Shirley walked in. She sized Jeffrey up and laughed. “Ms. Ellsworth, I heard that you wanted to introduce a novice to Xavier, so I came to check him out. Is this boy… the novice you talked about?”
Flossie frowned at her and sneered, “What does it have to do with you?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I came here with good intentions.” Shirley looked at Jeffrey and asked, “What’s your name? What do you know? Have you ever performed before? What’s your relationship with Ms. Ellsworth?”
“I… I…” Jeffrey’s new-found confidence instantly crumbled under Shirley’s interrogation.
“All of that is none of your business. Xavier is the one in charge of Universal Entertainment, and I’ll only talk to him.” Flossie stood in front of Jeffrey as if she was protecting her child, and glared at Shirley rudely. “You should be thinking of how to improve your career before you start thinking about others.”
“How dare you!” Shirley’s cheeks grew red in humiliation, but she forced herself to smile at Flossie. “Well, that’s actually why I’m here. I want to see if we can form a win-win situation.”
Flossie narrowed her eyes at Shirley suspiciously. “What do you mean?”
“Although I’ve been partially suspended by Universal Entertainment, I’m still their best actress. If there’s a chance, I would like to work with this boy. At the very least, I can help build his career.”
“You… want to work with Jeffrey?” Flossie was taken aback. In her mind, Shirley had once been the top actress in the country, and she would never lower herself to work with an ordinary person unless there was something in it for her. Nonetheless, it would greatly benefit Jeffrey if he could work with Shirley- her fame would definitely get him attention. However, Flossie was worried that Shirley wouldn’t do her part to help him.
“Are you surprised?” Shirley sat opposite Flossie and chuckled. “Aren’t you confident in this novice you want to promote? Do you think he’s not on my level?”
When Jeffrey heard that, he ducked his head in shame, clenching his fists. Jeffrey had been a spirited and confident youth who had fearlessly roamed the seas, but here in this big city, he felt like a fish out of water. It was hard to adapt, and he often felt overwhelmed.
“Of course not.” Flossie leaned against the chair and stared at Shirley intently.
Shirley shifted uneasily. “Is there something on my face? Why do you keep staring at me?” “Yeah, there’s something on your face.” Flossie faked a smile and replied.
“What… is it?” Shirley patted her face in confusion. She had washed her face and put on makeup before she arrived.
“A little meanness.” Flossie’s gaze turned cold. “I don’t know why you suddenly want to work with Jeffrey, but you insulted him, which is honestly quite shameful. I’m surprised not because I think Jeffrey doesn’t have talent, but because I know you well-you’re not the kind of person who would help others expecting nothing in return.”
Shirley was stunned for a moment, then she smiled bitterly. “So, that’s the kind of person you think I am. To you, I’m just a mean and shameless woman who rose to fame by abandoning my dignity and relying on men. I honestly felt sorry for him and wanted to help him, but you doubted me and humiliated me. It’s okay though, I’m used to people looking down on me. I don’t think anyone can truly understand me.’
Flossie narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out if Shirley was being sincere. If she really was lying, her acting skills had to be quite good. Flossie felt guilty criticizing her like that; it made her sound like a self- righteous person who didn’t respect others. She used to hate people like that. “I’m sorry.” When Flossie realized her mistake, she immediately apologized. “My opinion of you is mostly based on what others tell me, and from what I heard, you tend to use dishonorable means to get what you want… For example, in the case of you and Xavier’s father.”
Shirley flinched, her face going pale. She was in her twenties and had done all kinds of things, but she had a clear conscience and no regrets… except sleeping with Xavier’s father. Technically, it hadn’t been her intention.
Xavier’s father had been scheming to get her for ages, and had drugged her drink. However, she didn’t call the police or complain about it to Xavier after she had slept with Xavier’s father, and instead tried to use that incident to make Xavier’s father promote her. In the end, things had gotten out of hand.
When the affair was exposed, Xavier cut off all ties from Shirley though he had once doted on her. He no longer gave her any resources, and that was when Shirley learned the truth-it was the seemingly frivolous Xavier that was running Universal Entertainment and the Stuart family, even though it looked like his father was the one in charge. Shirley hadn’t gotten any benefits from her affair, and she had lost a man who loved her because of her choice.
“Yeah, I know that I did some despicable things to get what I wanted. I regretted it very much.” Shirley looked up, her eyes teary. “Now I want to do whatever I can so he’ll forgive me. I really do regret it, you know. If you had been reading the tabloids back then, you’d know how madly in love Xavier and I were. He protected me very well… and I made a foolish mistake. I know that you’re his friend, and his feelings toward you sometimes surpass friendship, so I think… If I can befriend you or help you a bit, you can throw in some nice words for me. He might think better of me then, right?”
Flossie watched Shirley cry, looking puzzled. “You want to befriend me? Don’t you know that Leia and I are best friends? Why would you think that I’ll help matchmake you and Xavier instead of helping my bestie?”
“No, I’m not asking you to matchmake you.” Shirley shook her head, then said confidently, “Back then, I had Xavier at hello because I look like you. Then, he felt sorry for me because of my background. His feelings for me were deep, but he only sees your friend as someone more than a friend. They’re just playmates. If you force them to be a couple, you’ll harm them and me. Ms. Osborne and Xavier won’t be happy if they’re a couple.”
Flossie sneered. “How do you know they’ll be unhappy? Xavier is quite infatuated with my bestie. And you… You’ve been living in the past and refusing to see the truth. You can’t turn back time, so there’s no point in regretting it. Why are you being so stubborn about this?”
“People are bound to make mistakes, and that’s fine as long as they make up for it.” Shirley swallowed and wiped away her tears. “You don’t understand Xavier. You all have never seen his dark side, but I have. His hatred for me stems from his concern for me. Ms. Ellsworth, can you guarantee that you’ve never made a mistake? Can you guarantee that your beloved man won’t make a mistake?” Shirley asked Flossie softly, “If Mr. Guajardo made a mistake, would you forgive him?”
Flossie flinched as if struck, and her heart twisted painfully. “Why… are you asking me that?” Flossie glared at Shirley, immediately cautious. She had only told Leia about Halston cheating on her with Jessanna. She didn’t want others to learn about such a humiliating affair that could ruin her dignity.
“Ms. Ellsworth, why are you so nervous? I know that Mr. Guajardo is one of those rare good men. He’s rich and handsome, and also very loyal to you,” Shirley said meaningfully, and it made Flossie wonder if Shirley knew anything. When Flossie didn’t reply, Shirley continued, “But even the perfect partner can make mistakes. I’m just curious to know if you’d forgive him if you were in this situation. If you would, then you can’t say that Xavier wouldn’t forgive me. There’s nothing wrong in seeking forgiveness. Am I so despicable that all of you will always think the worst of me?”
Flossie averted her gaze guiltily. “I… I’m not sure.”
“What are you not sure about?” Shirley urged.
“I’m not sure if I can forgive him, but for now… I don’t think I could.” Flossie blinked, clenching her fists tightly.
Shirley noticed Flossie’s expression and raised an eyebrow. “It looks like Mr. Guajardo has done something unforgivable.”
“That’s none of your business!” Flossie looked up sharply. ‘I’m waiting for Xavier, not you. Don’t disturb US if you have nothing important to say.”
“I get it-you hate me.” Shirley got to her feet. “I won’t bother you any longer, but just know that my offer remains on the table.”
“What offer?” Xavier had just finished his meeting and was striding into the room, and he overheard what Shirley had said.
“Xavier!” Shirley excitedly approached Xavier when she saw him. “I told Ms. Ellsworth that I could help mentor this boy if she wants to help him make a debut.” She looked eager to please Xavier, which was very different from the past. Clearly, she had only learned to cherish him once she had lost him.
Xavier ignored her and walked up to Flossie. “Are you sure you want this guy to join the entertainment circle?”
“Why else would I be here?” Flossie growled at Xavier, then looked at Jeffrey with a reassuring smile. “You’ve met this guy before, and we even played a game with him. Don’t be afraid-he’s not a bad guy. You’ll work for him from now on.”
“Oh, please don’t.” Xavier raised his hands and groaned. “I am a bad guy, and I don’t want to tarnish this pure soul.”
“Oh, stop being so dramatic!” Flossie glanced at Shirley. “Clearly, you’ve tarnished quite a lot of people.”
Xavier smiled bitterly. “That’s why I don’t want to repeat my mistakes. You know that this circle is very messy, and people can get corrupted easily. Are you sure you want to subject him to that?”
“It doesn’t matter!” Flossie said firmly, “I don’t know about others, but Jeffrey is pure and humble. He isn’t greedy either, so he won’t go down the wrong path.” Flossie just wanted to explain that Jeffrey was different, but somehow, all her words sounded like criticisms of Shirley.
Shirley quietly clenched her fists and said slowly, “Ms. Ellsworth, you shouldn’t judge others so quickly when you’ve never been in their shoes. You’re a rich young lady-you’ve never been in a position where you’ve had nothing, so you might never understand why some people are forced to take extreme measures. Though they know what they’re doing is illegal, they’re scared of losing their stability and falling back into that place of being helpless. It’s harder to lose something once you’ve already experienced it.” Shirley knew that she was not an honorable person, and was cunning enough to do anything to achieve her goal. However, it didn’t mean that she was a villain. She was merely born with a bad fate and was unable to escape from its shackles.
“What pompous words! So, you think laws and morality don’t apply to those with difficulties? You think that people can harm others just because they have issues, is that it?” Flossie argued immediately. She couldn’t tolerate the idea that people could do whatever they want if they came from a miserable background.
“I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, but I know you might have done the same thing if you were in my position…” Shirley’s face was flushed as she said seriously, “For example, let’s say someone did something to your kids, but you can’t do anything to that person because of the law. Wouldn’t you want to take revenge on them through your own means anyway?”
“How could you?” Flossie was struck speechless, unable to answer Shirley’s question. She knew very well that she would avenge Adie and Abby if anyone ever harmed them, disregarding all laws and morals.
“Ms. Ellsworth, I’m sure you know the answer, so… stop criticizing me as if you’re morally superior to me. You can only say such things because you haven’t been in my position,” Shirley raised her chin and said stubbornly.
Xavier broke out in a cold sweat as he listened to them argue, and he tried to mediate the situation. “Okay, that’s enough. I think you both just have different perspectives, and wer can just agree to disagree. Nobody has to win or lose here.”
Flossie shot Xavier a vicious glance. “It sounds like you agree with Ms.
White’s opinion… Does that mean you’ve forgiven everything she had done before this?” She was asking for Leia’s sake. Leia and Xavier were entangled with each other, and their relationship was messier than hers and Halston’s. Flossie felt anxious just watching them interact.
“Why are you dragging me into this?” Xavier complained weakly.