Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

As she leaned in to whisper something to Jasmine, she turned around to head back to the hospital room. Jackson was awake now, propped up against the headboard, his face still pale. The scars marking his body weren't something that would heal overnight.

"You know what they say, 'It takes a hundred days to heal bones and tendons.' This is no small thing," Fiona remarked, ladling out a bowl of chicken soup that Kimberly had lovingly brought over. "My sister made this; it's really tasty."

Tears brimmed in Fiona's eyes. Every glance at Jackson's scars tugged at her heartstrings. The thought of the pain he'd endured, with deep wounds treated with saltwater and sugar water, attracting pests to gnaw at him, was unbearable.

Such agony was more than any ordinary person could bear.

When Fiona had first rescued Jackson, she found his body teeming with insects. It took ages to clean him up properly.

"Fiona, I promise this will be the last time I make you worry," Jackson said softly, cupping her face in his hands. Her cheeks seemed even more sunken than before, and the sight filled him with guilt and tenderness. If only he'd been upfront with her from the start, she wouldn't be in this state.

He had gathered a lot of intel, but he intended to keep Fiona in the dark about it. Some things were just better left unsaid.

...

Meanwhile, the designer competition was heating up. H was still leading the pack, with Yvenne trailing closely behind. Fiona found herself approached by many who saw these designers as golden opportunities to make a buck.

Yvenne, however, was lost in her own world, convinced that people genuinely cared about her.

"Are you serious?" Yvenne asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked at the woman sitting across from her in the café.

The woman, dressed smartly in business attire, took a sip of her coffee and smiled. "Absolutely, Jennie, had to twist a few arms, but I finally got our boss to sign you on. As long as you sign this contract, even if you end up losing to H, we'll still hand you a million dollars and a fantastic job."

A million bucks might not have been a game-changer for Yvenne, but a plum job opportunity was hard to come by.

"You have to promise you won't fire me."

"Of course. As long as you play by the rules, not only will we keep you on, but we'll also provide you a cushy apartment and an extra hundred grand a month."

For most, such an offer would be thrilling, but Yvenne wasn't just any

She wasn't impressed by the

hundred grand; she thought she

could command even more.

She'd totally forgotten that all she had now was thanks to copying Fiona's

designs. Without those sketches, she'd be a nobody.

"Lola, your offer needs to be more enticing than this. You're not the only ones knocking on my door. seen what I can do. If this is

You've senoveldrama

all you've got, then sorry, bu've got schoolwork to finish. I've got to go."

At that moment, she was like a proud peacock, itching to trample those who underestimated her.

And Fiona? She should be under her heel too!