Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Mirabella, nearby, couldn’t help but smile. “Why can’t they just take a hint? They’ve probably never managed to get the better of you, and now they’re just asking for trouble.”
“Some people are just full of themselves, thinking they’re invincible,’ Eunice said elegantly, finishing her champagne. “I’m going to take a walk outside.”
“Sure,” Mirabella said, watching her leave. She grabbed a quick bite from the table and was about to leave when a girl suddenly came up close, pretending to be bumped by Mirabella’s shoulder, dropping her cupcake on the floor.
“Mirabella!” Rose exclaimed, her voice filled with anger. “It was bad enough you bullied me yesterday, but today, on Arlen’s birthday, he just wanted a taste of that mint chocolate chip cupcake, and you can’t even grant him that small pleasure! What is your problem?”The other guests couldn’t help but look over. Speaking was Rose Griffith, the cherished granddaughter of Calvin and Bess. Their eyes then drifted to the girl opposite her. She was beautiful but somewhat unfamiliar.
“Think you can do whatever you want just because you’re Kenneth and Louisa’s daughter?” Rose deliberately made her identity known.
The crowd had a moment of realization. She’s Kenneth and Louisa’s daughter? They hadn’t seen her for years, and she’d grown up so lovely, resembling Louisa.
Though her temperament seemed troublesome.
“Are you brain-damaged?” Mirabella was too tired to argue. “Look up. What do you see in the corner?”
At events like this, there were always cameras.
Rose had anticipated the surveillance argument. “Fine, since you won’t admit it, let’s check the tapes. If it turns out you bumped into me first, I expect an apology in front of everyone here!”
Mirabella saw Rose’s confidence and smiled faintly. “Seems you’ve erased the footage.”
Rose was caught off quard by her quick assumption, a flicker of guilt crossing her face before she composed herself and retorted, “I’m right in front of you. How could I erase it?”
At that moment, Bess walked over on cue. “Rose, what’s all this about?”
“Grandma, don’t worry about it. This is a personal matter between us. Since she won’t respect Arlen or any of the elders here, I have to stand up for myself. Someone, check the surveillance footage!”
The crowd of onlookers grew, and Mirabella watched Rose’s charade with a bored expression. True to form, a servant pretended to panic, “Rose, the footage from 11 minutes ago has mysteriouslydisappeared”
“How could it be missing?” Rose turned to Mirabella, accusingly saying, “Did you bump into me and, out of fear of being exposed, have someone delete it? Oh, I remember now, you came with your aunt today. Did you ask her to delete it?”
Mirabella looked on, almost nostalgic for the days of Yolanda, who, at the very least, slandered with a bit more skill than Rose’s lackluster performance.
Before the crowd could react, Mirabella lazily restored the surveillance footage and projected it onto the large screen for all to see.
Rose couldn’t believe her eyes. Just moments ago, she had deliberately bumped into Mirabella, causing the cupcake she was holding to fall to the ground, and now the whole debacle was playing out on the big screen.
She stood frozen for a good while before turning to the servant beside her in disbelief.
The servant was terrified; she had deleted the surveillance footage as per Rose’s instructions. How on earth had this girl managed to recover it and even project it for all to see?
The guests around them began to murmur and gossip.
“So, it was that young lady who bumped into her on purpose, and then she had the nerve to accuse the other girl of doing it deliberately. Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”
“And she demanded a public apology. That’s just too much.”
“If it weren’t for this girl knowing how to recover the surveillance footage, she would never have been able to clear her name, even with a hundred explanations.”
“I’ve heard that Rose has been spoiled rotten since she was little, always acting so high and mighty.
This seems like something she would do”
Bess stood nearby, stunned and burning with embarrassment. She couldn’t believe that someone Eunice had brought along actually had some skills, even being able to recover surveillance footage.
Calvin, Arlen, and Teresa watched the scene unfold from a distance, each feeling a profound sense of embarrassment.Trying to frame someone without covering all her bases and now being publicly humiliated?
“It seems to have been a misunderstanding.” Bess had to step in, offering a diplomatic smile. “Rose, did you have a bad night’s sleep? Maybe you were just a bit distracted and didn’t see Mirabella there.”
Rose had no choice but to take the out given to her, nodding her head pitifully. “Maybe I just remembered it wrong. I’ve been so forgetful lately.”
“You mentioned Arlen wanted a lemon bar, right? Why don’t you go get a couple more and bring them to him so he doesn’t have to wait?”
Mirabella, not willing to let them off the hook so easily, said coldly, “Framing someone and not even apologizing?”
Before Bess could speak, Mirabella continued with an icy expression, “Is this how Teresa teaches her granddaughter? To do wrong and then just run away with an excuse?”
Bess hadn’t expected her niece to be so petty and unforgiving.
“I’m sorry for misunderstanding you earlier.” Rose, seeking to keep the peace, admitted her fault reluctantly. “I didn’t mean to bump into you.”
“All these people saw that you were the one who initiated the contact. You say it wasn’t on purpose?
Then what would you call intentional?”
Faced with Mirabella’s retort, Rose was at a loss for words.
“Exactly, it was clearly intentional.”
“It’s so obvious, even a fool could see it.”
“That’s just bullying!”“If the young one doesn’t know any better, shouldn’t the older one?”
As the criticisms around them grew louder, Bess found herself in a difficult position and finally said, “Rose was in the wrong, and as her grandmother, I apologize on her behalf.”
Rose clenched her teeth and lowered her head, “I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Only then did Mirabella give them a nonchalant glance and walk away.
Outside the villa was a beautiful garden.
Mirabella wanted to look around for any clues, but she had only taken a few steps when she was stopped.
“Hi, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Who are you here with?”
The young man speaking held a sincere and shy gaze as he introduced himself, “My name’s Burnell Sullivan. I’m here with my mom for Mr. Arlen’s birthday party. Are you Mr. Arlen’s granddaughter?”
“Noy Mirabella replied tersely. “Darren Griffith’s my grandpa.”
“Are you Mr. Collins’s daughter?” Burnell was taken aback by her identity.
Ever since the Sullivan family moved to Dawnstar, it had been seven or eight years since they last visited their homeland. At a charity gala almost a decade ago, Burnell had the good fortune of briefly meeting Mr. Collins, and he was astonished to find that his daughter had grown into such a stunning woman.
“What’s your name?” Burnell was eager to get to know her.
“Is there something else you want?”
“I’d like to get to know you. Can I have your contact information?” Burnell pulled out his smartphone, his gaze filled with genuine interest and nervous anticipation.
At that moment, Mirabella noticed a maid nearby clenching her fists with her thumbs tapping against her forehead as if signaling to a butler across the room.
The butler caught on immediately.
After a few seconds, several other maids replicated the gesture.
The butler nodded and discreetly walked away.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me where you live? Who did you come with? How can I get in touch with you usually?” Burnell didn’t want to miss this opportunity to connect with her.
But Mirabella replied coolly, “I’m already engaged.”
Burnell watched her walk away, stunned for several seconds before he processed what she had said.She was engaged? She had a fiancé?
But then, he thought it made sense. A woman as beautiful and spirited as her, and the daughter of a wealthy tycoon, was bound to be spoken for early on.
Still, why did he feel a pang of disappointment, as if he’d just gone through a breakup?
Mirabella followed the butler, noticing him glancing back to ensure no one was following. Along the way, he exchanged knowing looks and nods with other butlers.
Mirabella watched him ascend a secluded spiral staircase in the garden, leading to a large circular balcony on the second floor, guarded by several bodyguards.
The butler whispered something to the guards, who immediately let him through.
As Mirabella caught a glimpse of what looked like a study through the door the butler opened, it closed before she could see more.
Scanning the surroundings, just as she was about to find a spot to leap up from, she realized someone was behind her.
Turning around, she saw Burnell standing not far behind.
Perhaps not expecting her sudden turnaround, Burnell grew even more nervous but mustered the courage to say, “Sorry, I don’t know if I’m acquainted with your fiancé. May I be so bold as to ask who he is?”
Mirabella, realizing that the people in the study must have been reporting for quite some time, simply said to Burnell, “Romeo McMillian.”Hearing the name “Romeo McMillian’ Burnell knew he had no chance left. He apologized for the intrusion and hastily retreated.
Mirabella noticed a narrow path to the right of the mansion, a strip of land about three feet wide bordered by the villa’s fence and wall, unguarded.
She easily scaled the side using the railings and the wall for support and slipped through a window into a second-floor restroom. When she cracked the door to peek outside, she saw no guests, just bodyguards filling the second-floor hallway.
Venturing out now would surely raise an alarm.
Mirabella gently closed the restroom door, but this action caught the attention of a keen-eyed quard.
Perhaps because he noticed the restroom door moving, the guard approached, swung the door open, and finding it empty, his eyes darted to the open window. He strode over to investigate.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.