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

Flora and Connor stepped out of the operating room together. Moss and Beck were waiting just outside. As soon as they saw them, they rushed over. "Boss," they greeted. Connor's gaze briefly flicked over them before settling on Flora. "You go check on Raul first. I've got some things to handle and will catch up with you soon."

"Okay," Flora nodded, striding off. As she left, Connor's face slowly grew colder.

"What's the news?" he asked.

"Boss, we found out that the person who tried to kill Ms. Flora's father and the head of the Reyes family..." Moss paused, then continued, "was following Abbey's orders." Abbey, again. Connor's jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with a fierce intensity. Still causing chaos from a hospital bed. Would it take her last breath to finally stop meddling? "Where is she?" he demanded.

Moss and Beck exchanged uneasy glances. "As soon as we discovered this, we sent people to the White family, but the house was deserted. Abbey was nowhere to be found." Now that was odd. With the incident involving Raul and Karter, they had locked down every escape route. The White family, with their limited resources, shouldn't have been able to vanish without a trace. Unless they had some serious help. But on Lone Island, there were hardly any who could pull that off.

Connor listened, his expression growing more concerned. Having worked with Moss and Beck for years, he trusted their skills. Could they really not uncover more?

...

"How's Dad doing?" Flora asked as she entered the hospital room, slowing her pace when she saw Raul still out cold.

"The doctor was here earlier. He said Dad's stable and should wake up soon," Henrik reassured her, adjusting the blanket around Raul. "What about Karter?" Flora picked up the medical chart, scanning it. "He's doing fine too."

Just then, a weak cough interrupted

them. Flora and Henrik turned to see Raul's eyelashes flutter as he slowly opened his eyes. Having been out for so long, he seemed a bit lost at first. It took a few seconds for Kis gaze to focus, and then the

memories of what happened rushed back like a tidal wave-blood everywhere, and Karter lying

motionless!

He bolted upright. "Where's Bryce? Is Bryce okay?!"

His sudden movement caused his IV to backflow, his hand turning a concerning shade of blue. Henrik and Flora quickly moved to steady him. "Easy, Karter's fine now," Flora assured him, noticing his swollen hand. She pressed the call button for a nurse, her brow furrowed in concern. "Good, good... But I need to see him," Raul insisted, trying to get up despite Henrik's attempts to hold him down.

"Stay put," Flora's voice was calm

yet firm, leaving no room for argument. She gently removed the IV needle, her dark eyes fixed on him. It was enough to make Raul

think twice. Flora, when serious, was

quite formidable.

He lay back down, compliant. Henrik watched the exchange with amusement. Sometimes, it really does take one person to keep another in check. The nurse arrived swiftly to re-administer his treatment.

"Dad, don't worry. Flora was right there during Karter's surgery. You know how skilled she is. If she says he's okay, you can trust it. Focus on getting better yourself, so you can see him with your own strength," Henrik encouraged.

Under Flora's watchful eye, Raul didn't dare make another move. The memories from before he blacked out played in his mind, and he let out a deep breath. "He saved me."