Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life novel Chapter 1629

Fiona really didn't feel like attending the live broadcast event, so she decided to pull out of the selection process altogether. The producers, who were banking on her newfound fame, must have been pretty frustrated to see their plans take a nosedive.

This opened a door for Yvenne, though. She skillfully painted a piece during the live stream, one that was a dead ringer for an early work she had swiped from Fiona. With H out of the picture, it was no shocker that Yvenne snagged first place.

The next day, Fiona returned to her villa only to see someone lingering by the security booth. It was Yvenne.

“Fiona, we need to talk,” Yvenne said.

Fiona found it all a bit funny. She stopped short in front of Yvenne, a sly grin curling her lips. “And what exactly do we have to chat about?” she asked.

“You know I stole those designs from you for the competition. I know you’re H.”

“So?” Fiona chuckled lightly, not even a hint of worry crossing her face.

“Here’s six hundred thousand dollars. No strings attached—it's all my savings. I want you to drop out of the designer competition.”

Six hundred grand was nothing to sneeze at. For Yvenne, raking in that kind of cash so quickly was quite the feat.

“Six hundred thousand wouldn’t even cover a fraction of the dress costs,” Fiona shot back.

She grabbed the bank card and started to walk away, figuring she might as well take the cash.

Yvenne stood there, dumbfounded, her hands empty. She couldn't believe Fiona had just upped and left with the money. What was Fiona thinking?

“Fiona, stop! Give me back my money!” Yvenne yelled, but she wasn’t a resident and couldn’t follow Fiona into the villa community.

...

Fast forward two months, and Fiona bumped into Jackson at a bar. She was there searching for someone—Evelyn, the rising star Jasmine had mentioned, who could stand toe-to-toe with the Larkin family.

“Big brother, I’m off.”

Fiona showed no signs of hesitation, stepping into the car. As it vanished into the night, Jackson finally snapped out of his daze, her words about being an adult echoing in his mind.

He clenched his fists. If Zoe hadn’t been dangling threats, insisting he get engaged before handing over the evidence, he wouldn’t be in such a bind.

In the car, Jasmine handed Fiona a file.

Fiona flipped through it, her expression growing more serious with each page, her grip crumpling the document's edges.

“The Woods family... has it really come to this?” she murmured.

In the two months she’d been away, the Woods family had turned upside down. Beyond Jackson and their mother still wielding power, Gerald had also stepped into the fray.