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

Flora's hands trembled at her waist-a strange sensation, really. She had never met her parents, so there was no emotional connection, yet the sorrow was undeniable.

Karter took a moment before saying, "The car's brakes failed, and it went off a cliff. By the time I got there, your parents were unrecognizable, lifeless, but they had shielded you with their bodies."

"I rushed you to the hospital right away. At that time, my mind was consumed with your parents' funeral, and in a careless moment, I lost track of you..."

"It was me who took you from the hospital," Raul said, taking a deep breath. "Your parents' death seemed too suspicious, and I couldn't trust anyone with you, so I brought you back to Cedarvale, keeping your identity a secret."

He had suspected everyone around him, eventually deciding Bryce was the most likely suspect. As Flora mentioned, in big families, sibling rivalry was all too common.

Karter and Raul laid everything out, clearing up over a decade of misunderstandings.

"How old was I when they died?" Flora asked.

"Six."

Six years old...

Flora frowned. Kids start remembering things around age three, and she was six then; she should have some memories, but she couldn't recall anything.

"You were just a child and traumatized. It's normal to forget," Raul reassured, noticing her confusion.

Flora pursed her lips, lost in thought.

"Cough cough..."

Just then, Karter started coughing violently, blood seeping through his fingers as he covered his mouth.

"Take this, it'll help," Flora said after a pause, handing him a pill. She wasn't sure how to address him. Calling him uncle' felt off, and 'Karter seemed too formal.

Karter was pleasantly surprised she offered him medicine, thinking how nice it was to have a caring

niece-unlike a son, wo

only bring trouble. He had

completely forgotten how close he had come to losing his life because OfFlora.

...

Downstairs, Crimson and the others were tidying up the mess. They had nearly wrecked the Reyes family's place and felt a bit guilty.

"Hey, hey, buddy, take a break, let me handle this," laughed a guy from Club 257, picking up a chair missing a leg.

A Reyes family member gave him a

blank look. "No trouble, we

dn't

want to impose, in case we accidentally wreck more of the

Reyes house."

"Aw, come on, it was just a misunderstanding, buddy, all cleared up now!"

"Who's your buddy? I can't afford that title!"

Elsewhere, a man with slicked-back hair chuckled at Adrian, "Hey, Mr. Jiang, feeling any pain? Want me to give your shoulders a rub?" "No need," Adrian scoffed, "What if you get mad again and decide to cut my tongue out?"

The man with the slicked-back hair: "..."

When Flora came downstairs, she saw this scene, exchanged a glance with Crimson, whose expression was incredibly complex.

Rubbing her temples, Flora felt a rare frustration. After a moment, she walked over to Crimson and whispered a few words in his ear.