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

"Who says we're definitely going to lose?" Brianna huffed, clearly annoyed. "And having her here doesn't mean we're going to win either!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Ivan tried to calm her down. "But it took a lot of effort to get her on board. We even helped a small company just to bring her in. If she leaves now, wouldn't all that be for nothing?" "Yeah, Princess, we'd be totally at a loss!" The others chimed in quickly.

"All this talk, you just want to keep her around, don't you?" Brianna accused.

Ivan cleared his throat. "It's also for your own good."Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Brianna still looked skeptical.

"What's done is done at your cousin's place. Getting mad now won't change anything. Think about it. If you keep Flora here, under your watchful eye, she's like a lamb ready for slaughter. Letting her go would be doing her a favor, wouldn't it?"

Brianna started to feel swayed but was still grumpy. "Do you think Flora's computer skills are better than mine?"

"She... she's just better at the hands-on stuff. She's not even a computer science major, so her theory can't be as strong as yours," Ivan said, feeling a bit guilty for bending the truth. "She can't possibly be better than you. Keeping her on the team and outshining her with your skills would be much sweeter, wouldn't it?"

That hit the mark. Brianna's eyes widened, she clenched her fist, and gritted her teeth. "You're right! Letting her go now would be too kind. I'll keep her here and make her life miserable! She thinks she's hot stuff for being the national top scorer? I'll show her what real talent looks like!"

Well, that did the trick. Ivan exhaled in relief.

The group of guys around him felt a collective weight lift off their shoulders.

That's the thing about the Princess. She might be high-strung and fiery, but she was easy to calm down.

"But you guys better not side with her! You're not allowed to talk to Flora! You all have to back me up!" "Of course, of course."

Ivan nodded, feeling a bit exasperated. "Princess, we're really hungry. Can we go eat now?"

"Yeah, I'm starving too."

Maddox and Flora were in the next classroom.

Maddox had been on edge the whole time, almost tearing up when he saw Ivan's text.

"Flora, let's head out. It's all sorted now."

Flora nodded slightly and followed him out.

As they walked out of the classroom, they bumped into Ivan and the others.

"Flora, you must be hungry. Let's go grab some food," Ivan said warmly, only to get a hard stomp on his foot from Brianna. Ivan winced in pain but kept his cool.

When they reached the school gate, Brianna announced, "Let's eat at my brother's restaurant, Golden Grove!"

They had originally planned to eat at a simple diner they frequented, but Brianna had a sudden change of heart.

"Golden Grove? Isn't that a bit too fancy?"

Golden Grove was the top restaurant in Maple Grove, known for its sky-high prices and the need to book days in advance - a true elite hotspot.

"It's fine, it's my brother's place, we won't have to pay!" Brianna said, throwing a glance at Flora. "We're welcoming the newcomer, right? Let's treat her to something nice. Flora's from the countryside; she probably hasn't even heard of Golden Grove."

"Alright, alright, Golden Grove it is!" Ivan quickly agreed, hoping to avoid any further drama.