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

Fiona strolled out of school, following the location Mikey had sent her. She found his car tucked away in a quiet alley. She hopped into the car, immediately meeting his eyes, which were dripping with sorrow. "Boss..." he murmured, sounding like he was channeling some ghostly spirit.

Fiona glanced at him with a poker face. "Speak clearly."

"Boss, you told me to park far from the school gate so I wouldn't embarrass you. I think I parked far enough, didn't I?"

Mikey wore an expression that seemed to say, "Is nothing sacred anymore?"

He'd gone out of his way to pick up his boss, and she still wasn't satisfied. Where was the justice in that?

"It's alright," Fiona chuckled, a grin spreading wider than usual, showing off a cute little canine tooth. "Next time, find somewhere even more out of sight."

Mikey: "..."

That stung a bit.

Was he really that embarrassing?noveldrama

Mikey decided to drop the subject, afraid Fiona might actually drive him nuts. He handed her a hefty bag of snacks, set it on her lap, and started the car, heading towards the nursing home.

Fiona, just like her friend Flora, loved her sweets, so their friends always made sure to stock up on treats for her during drives. The twist? While Flora craved candies, Fiona was all about those spicy snacks. "Boss, ever since Big Brother Zhang got locked up, his kid brother's been stuck in a nursing home, and it sounds like he's had a tough go of it there," Mikey chatted casually.

Sawyer, one of Fiona's crew, had ended up in jail after taking down a rapist and injuring a few others, labeled as a dangerous criminal. Back then, Fiona was off on Lone Island, oblivious to what was happening back home. By the time she returned, Sawyer had been executed.

Feeling a heavy weight of guilt, Fiona had people dig into the whereabouts of Sawyer's only younger brother. Coming back to Cedarvale was partly because of him.

"Yeah," Fiona nodded, listening quietly.

The car gently cruised towards the nursing home.

The place was a bit of a trek, taking over an hour to reach. Feeling drowsy, Fiona reclined in her seat and dozed off.

...

Noticing she was asleep, Mikey thoughtfully turned up the heat a notch and draped a blanket over her.

While Fiona enjoyed her nap, Louise

wasn't having such a smooth ride.

Hauled roughly into the police

station, she found herself locked up.

In that dark room, utterly alone, a tiny barred window let in just a trickle of light.

"Let me out! Let me out!" she yelled, banging on the door. "My uncle's the police chief! Let me out! Get my uncle here!"

"Uncle!"

She screamed until her voice cracked, but no one paid her any mind. Two officers watched her with icy stares.

Louise lost track of time spent crying and shouting before the heavy door finally swung open.

"Uncle!" she cried out, her heart leaping at the sight.

The man strutted in, clad in his police uniform, his face set in a stern frown beneath thick brows. "Uncle, you've got to get me out of here, please!" Louise pleaded, desperate to leave.

"Louise, this time you've tangled with the wrong folks," he sighed deeply. "Both the Woods and McCoy families have ordered a full investigation. This time, even your unele can't bail you out."