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

For a moment, Amy was at a loss for words. Frustrated, she gave herself a gentle tap on the forehead. Why couldn't she just keep her cool? What was the big deal? Staying calm wouldn't have killed her!

And then there was Shelly, always knowing how to get under her skin. Oh, she'd remember this. The next chance she got, she'd make sure to put Shelly in her place. That woman was just too much.

"Uh... I'm not usually like this..." Amy said, casting a careful glance at Fiona, hoping her eyes wouldn't give away her true feelings.

"What's going on?" Fiona asked, finally looking up after finishing her shrimp, her face a picture of innocence. "Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened," Amy quickly replied, brushing it off.

As long as Fiona didn't dislike her, she was fine with that. She enjoyed her own company anyway. This meal had been more fun than she'd had in ages.

Jackson showed up just as they were about to finish, looking a bit worn out. You could tell he was beat, and Fiona felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

As they were leaving, Jane and her crew were also on their way out. To dodge any more drama, she made sure to wait until Fiona and her friends were clear before she headed off.

"Jane, are you really scared of someone from New York? Seriously, where's your backbone?" one of her friends teased.

"Yeah, Jane, this isn't like you. You're tight with Lizzy and yet scared of someone from New York? Doesn't add up. Even if she's some kind of prodigy, here in the States, it's about power. How can one girl have you all rattled?"

"Looks like I should stop hanging out with you, Jane. Don't want to be the butt of jokes. But hey, if you want, we can teach that Fiona a lesson She's pretty cute; maybe we could have some fun. You put in a good word for me with Lizzy, and who knows, maybe my family could get in with the Larkin family."

"Yeah, the Larkin family is really on the up and up. Who wouldn't want to be connected to them?"

Jane soaked up their praise, but the idea that she was scared of Fiona made her both angry and amused.

Still, if they wanted to play into her hands, she wasn't going to say no.noveldrama

"Sure, no problem. If you can handle Fiona, I'll make sure you catch Lizzy's eye."

With Jane's go-ahead, excitement buzzed through the group, and they were all ready to jump in.

Too bad they had no clue what kind of powerhouse Fiona was and just how sharp her skills were. These guys could probably handle an ordinary girl, but Fiona? Even the Stonnell family wouldn't dare Talk about biting off more than they could chew!

"Jane, do you think her last name, Howard, means she's tied to the Stonnell family?" a timid girl in the group asked.

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Jane shot her a sharp look and retorted, "Get real! She's got nothing to do with the Stonnell family! If she did, why didn't they send someone to be with her? It's probably just a common name. There are tons of people with the same name. What's there to worry about?"

"But Shelly, Jasmine, and Amy are all with her, and the guy who came late seemed like he was from the Woods family. I've seen him on the news before, but

I can't quite remember his name," the girl said, clearly nervous.

Her eyes were filled with worry; she didn't want to keep hanging around with Jane's crew, fearing she might end up losing everything one day.