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

The next batch of photos left Kimberly completely stunned. They even included snapshots from when their parents were on the run with her and her siblings.

Her fingers brushed the screen, eyes red-rimmed, tears just a heartbeat away.

"How does Zoe know about this?" she murmured, her voice low and shaky, her shoulders trembling from the weight of it all. "The Larkin family has no right to this."

Jackson's face was a mask of calm. He'd seen these photos countless times, had obsessed over them too.

If not for these photos, he wouldn't have believed Zoe's story either.

Back in that hotel room during the gala, his reaction to seeing them hadn't been much better than Kimberly's current state.

"That's why this marriage has to happen," he sighed deeply.

For some reason, Fiona's face kept popping into his head. Her sweet smile, the way she'd cling to his arm, calling him 'brother' with such joy.

He'd always known his feelings but he carried too many burdens to drag Fiona into this mess.

He just wanted Fiona to be happy, to enjoy her teenage years without a care— unlike his own burdened life.

"What about Fiona? She's such a good kid. I really wish you two could be together. Besides, age doesn't matter. I can tell she feels differently about you."

"Kim," Jackson cut her off, a shadow of sadness passing through his eyes before he chuckled softly. "No matter what, Fiona shouldn't get dragged into this. Her life deserves to be peaceful."

His meaning was clear-he intended to shield her for life.

Kimberly turned away, feeling helpless.

Soon, there was a knock at the door. They exchanged glances, quickly stashing the SD card and shutting down the computer.

"Ma'am, Mr. Larkin is here to see you," a servant announced.

"Alright, have him wait in the living room," Kimberly tidied her clothes, then turned

to Jackson, "Let's go meet him."

"They're still not letting this go."

"Let it go? Once they started suspecting, there was no turning back."

After a quick tidy-up, they left the study.

Downstairs in the living room, Mr. Larkin was lounging on the sofa, sipping tea, his sharp eyes roaming around the old house. When he saw Jackson and Kimberly coming downstairs, he plastered on a fake smile.

"Quite the mission to get a glimpse of you two," Mr. Larkin put down his teacup, smiling as they settled across from him. “What are you two up to, keeping secrets? We're all family, why so mysterious? You've even locked off the whole second floor, not letting anyone up, not even me."

Jackson glanced at him briefly before looking away. Mr. Larkin had been stirring up trouble, trying to turn people against him and Kimberly. But Jackson's influence was growing, and folks were just as cautious of Kimberly's fierce business tactics.

Kimberly might be a woman, but in business, she was no pushover. Her way of dealing with competitors was anything but gentle, often outdoing Jackson in ferocity.noveldrama

"We're just siblings catching up," Kimberly deflected smoothly, no need to spill all the beans since Mr. Larkin hadn't.

"I know you're close, but not that close," Mr. Larkin chuckled. "I hear Jackson's tying the knot with the Larkin family's daughter. That's fantastic news. It's been ages since the Woods family had something to celebrate."