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

"Alright, so here's the deal: next Monday, we've got an outdoor event that needs a guardian's signature. Any idea who should come by?" Keaton sighed, fully aware that Fiona's folks were probably swamped with work. Still, school rules were school rules.

"I can sign it myself," Fiona said, her voice steady, as if the whole guardian thing didn't faze her in the slightest. "Where do I sign, teacher?"

"We also need a parent to accompany you for the activity."

"I get that, but I don't need them to tag along," Fiona replied flatly. Her parents were notoriously hard to pin down, let alone get a signature from.

Keaton printed out the form and placed it in front of her. Just as Fiona was about to sign, the office door swung open. She looked up and couldn't help but smile.

Jackson!

"I'll handle the signing," Jackson said, his voice smooth and reassuring. He took the pen from Fiona and signed his name with a flourish, right above Nash and Fiona's.

"Any issues now?" Jackson asked Keaton, his eyes drifting to Fiona. "How about we grab some lunch?"noveldrama

"Sure!" Fiona grinned.

Around Jackson, she never seemed to carry any of that earlier chill.

"All set, Mr. Jackson," Keaton nodded.

Fiona looped her arm through Jackson's, and together they walked out of the office.

"Hey, big brother, what brings you here?" Fiona asked.

She figured that Nash must've

tipped off Jackson since Nash had

stepped in when Janet tried to start trouble. Honestly, it wasn't

something that needed to reach

Jackson's ears.

As they reached the school gate, there was Nash, hands stuffed in his pockets. Fiona shot him a look.

"Some gratitude, huh?" Nash muttered.

Ignoring him, Fiona followed Jackson to the car.

They soon pulled up at a private bistro. It might look plain from the outside, but Fiona knew the food here was just her style. Plus, it was membership-only, meaning you had to spend a certain amount toeven get in. It kept things nice and exclusive.

They were just settling in when two familiar faces walked through the door, and a well-known voice caught Fiona's attention. Instinctively, she looked up.

Allen and Christina.

The pair seemed to be mid-argument. Christina was whispering something to Allen, but he impatiently shook her off.

Just as they separated, Allen's gaze met Fiona's, and he spotted Jackson. Without missing a beat, he made a beeline for their table.

"Mr. Allen, your table is on the other side. Please follow me," an attendant quickly stepped in.

Switching tables wasn't allowed here—unless you were Jackson, of course. This place was a part of Woods Corporation, so Jackson called the shots.

"Mr. Jackson and I are friends," Allen insisted, gesturing to Fiona. "We really do know each other."

The bistro didn't care about anyone's status; even top-tier celebs couldn't bend the rules.

Fiona glanced at Jackson. It was clear Allen needed something from him, but Jackson didn't seem eager to help, perhaps because of Allen's recent bad press, which had

ve

thankfully quieted down lately. Fiona

couldn't quite figure out what

Jackson was thinking.