A Man's Second Chance (Part 1)
Jack's face remained stern.
His gaze swept across the flower shop and finally settled on a bouquet of purple tulips. "I'll take ninety-nine of them. Wrap them up."
"Sure, sir. Please wait a moment. I'll have them wrapped right away." The flower girl began wrapping the bouquet.
Jack walked to the shop entrance, pinched a cigarette between his fingers, lit it, and took two deep drags.
"Sir, it's ready."
Jack casually stubbed out his cigarette, took the flowers from her, and stepped out of the shop.
"Sir, you haven't paid yet!"
Jack's footsteps faltered instantly.
"Can I pay by card?"
"Sir, we don't have a card machine. You'll have to pay in cash," the florist said, looking flustered.
Jack glanced at his watch. "Alright. Once my driver arrives, I'll have him pay you. Is that okay?"
"Sure, but how long will it take?" the flower girl asked, blushing.
Asking a man dressed so smartly for money made her feel awkward.
Jack was handsome, and just standing there drew a lot of attention.
Now and then, young women would come over to buy flowers and catch another glimpse of him.
Jack waited quietly, but his mind was in chaos.
He knew exactly why Alison was upset.
First, he'd suddenly left her at the curb without enough change to hail a cab home.
Second, she'd heard the news report about the Lamborghini while she was in the car.
Although his name hadn't been mentioned, there weren't many sapphire-blue Lamborghinis in City S.
The staff had really dropped the ball.
Letting that news story get out had put him in a tight spot.
"Mr. Winston." Just as he was thinking this, his assistant arrived, got out of the car, and walked toward him with the car keys. "Will you drive yourself, or should I?"
Jack took the keys and walked toward the car with the flowers in his arms.
As he went, he said, "I owe the florist some money. Go pay them."
His assistant readily agreed, but quickly noticed the large bouquet in Jack's arms. "Oh my, Mr. Winston. I don't have that much cash on me."
"Figure it out yourself," Jack said without turning back.
The car sped down the road as the rain continued to fall.
Jack was soaked to the bone.
He could empathize with how Alison had felt earlier.
Perhaps this was heaven's way of punishing him.
The car sped down the road, weaving in an S-shape.
His passing skills were top-notch, yet the drivers he overtook kept honking their horns.
He was just in a terrible mood.
He'd let his wife down.
Finally home, he saw the Lamborghini in the garage.
Alison had already returned.
Jack got out of the car with the flowers in his arms and walked straight toward the villa.
"Sir, are you coming back for lunch?" Audrey asked, who was just about to head out.
Alison had just finished washing Caden's jacket when she saw Audrey smiling at Jack.
That girl was pretty.
One Gwendolyn wasn't enough; he'd fallen back into his old ways of flirting with everyone.
After hanging the laundry, Alison went downstairs and locked the living room door from the inside.
"Mrs. Winston doesn't seem happy. She didn't pay any attention to Lyla when she was crying earlier. You'd better watch your step."
"Got it," Jack replied indifferently, walked past her toward the door, and reached out to push it open.
But no matter how hard he tried, the door wouldn't budge.
"Skyla, hand Tyler over to me." Alison hadn't held the little guy all morning and was really missing him.
The moment she spoke, the little one turned his head toward her voice.
Alison reached out to take Tyler and kissed his little face. "My good boy, did you cry or fuss at all?"
"No, he's too young to get shy around strangers. He just doesn't like the bottle," Skyla replied.
"He'll get used to it in time. I'm starting work this afternoon and will probably be busy for a few months. Once he starts rolling over and getting mischievous, I'll quit my job and come back to help you," Alison said.
"Sure, whatever you decide, ma'am. I'll do it. These two kids are so adorable. It's a blessing to be able to take care of them," Skyla said.
Alison smiled. "Call me if you need anything. I'm always here for you."
"Are you going to help Mr. Winston?" Skyla asked, turning her gaze toward the glass door where Jack was tapping on the glass.
"No, I'm going to Tyler's dad's company. Devin, the head of YD's International Trade Department, is going on maternity leave, so I'm filling in for a bit," Alison explained.
"You know German, ma'am? That's impressive," Skyla said enviously. "Huh, why isn't Mr. Winston coming in? He's been tapping on the glass the whole time."
Alison didn't even glance in his direction. "Let him tap away. He's got too much energy. Give him a chance to let off some steam."
RING RING!
The landline on the coffee table rang.
Skyla reached out to answer it, but Alison said casually, "Don't answer it—it's a nuisance call. Just unplug the phone so it doesn't disturb Lyla and Tyler."
Skyla was even more confused.
Did they fight?
A moment later, Alison's cell phone rang as well.
Without glancing at it, she turned it off and told the nanny, who was busy in the kitchen, to turn off their phones.
The nanny nodded and simply turned off her phone.
"Huh, why is the horn so loud? Ma'am, it sounds like it's right outside our front gate," Skyla said.
"Ignore it," Alison replied, thinking that Jack was playing a trick on her.
But the honking grew louder and louder.
Even Tyler started fussing because of the noise.