Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“That sounds amazing!” Serena felt envious but also miffed that her aunt hadn’t taken her along.
“But the performances were lackluster, at least in your sister’s and my opinion, Eunice continued with a smile.
“You were lucky to miss it. There was this thrilling event tonight that got everyone’s adrenaline pumping. If you had been there and seen all that, you probably would’ve been in tears.”
Serena couldn’t help feeling slighted internally. How did her aunt know she would cry? Missing out on such a fantastic party seemed so unfair!
“Alright, time to wash up and hit the hay; Eunice said, obviously tired and ready to head upstairs with Bard.
But Serena whined, “Grandpa’s just getting better, and I haven’t had a chance to talk to him. Just let me peek in and I’ll be off.”
“You can see him tomorrow. It’s not too late.”
Serena pouted pretentiously, “What if he’s whisked away in a rush tomorrow and miss him again?”
Hearing this, Eunice glanced at Bard with a smile, ‘She’s beating around the bush, blaming you for taking her grandpa away.”
“Not at all! I just miss Grandpa, that’s all”
“Then make it quick and get some rest. Grandpa’s tired, too. He’s been through a lot tonight.”Eunice didn’t spell it out, but to Serena, it sounded like her grandpa and Mirabella had shared significant moments she wasnt privy to, and she didn’t want to disrupt their lingering warmth.
“I get it, Aunt Eunice. You and Uncle Bard should rest up, too, Serena replied with a gracious smile, though only she knew how upset and jealous she felt inside.
After a while, she approached her grandfather’s room and knocked.
To her surprise, Mirabella answered.
Serena’s face showed her shock, “What are you doing in Grandpa’s room? I need to speak with him.”
The unspoken message was clear: Get out, now!
“He’s about to sleep. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow.”
As Mirabella started to close the door, Serena quickly reached out to stop it, “I just want to see him and say a few words. Are you going to stop me?”
“I told you, he needs his rest.”
“No need to rush the clock!”
Serena pushed against the door, matching her strength against Mirabella’s, but it was clear she was no match.
Mirabella easily held her ground, her effortless stance a stark contrast to Serena’s strained efforts to open the door.
“Do you really have to be like this?” Serena glared at Mirabella, frustration evident in her voice. “I just want to talk to Grandpa. What are you so afraid of?”
“Afraid?” Mirabella arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you be the one whos afraid?”
“What do I have to be afraid of?” Serena retorted, her voice tinged with defensiveness even as she tried to turn the tables. “You’re just scared that Grandpa and I will bond, and he’ll end up liking me more than you, right?”
Mirabella couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you think I’m afraid of that?”
Just then, a weary voice called from the room.
“Bella, what are you doing out there?”
Mirabella raised her voice slightly, “Grandpa, Serena wants to see you. She says she has something to tell you.”
“Just send her back. We’ll talk tomorrow.’ Darren’s voice sounded tired. “Come here to me, Bella”
Mirabella shot Serena a look and closed the door.Left standing outside the door, Serena was stunned. She hadn’t expected that overnight, Grandpa would come to rely on Mirabella even more.
He preferred Mirabella’s company over hers. She was his granddaughter of eighteen years!
Was it simply because Mirabella shared his blood that he could erase all the affection he had shown Serena over those years?
Serena clenched her fists, convinced that Mirabella must be playing foul!
She knew a thing or two about medicine, surely she must’ve used some sort of hypnotic trick, making everyone in the family biased, making them all like her!
How despicable!
A draft blew in through the slightly opened window, sending a shiver down Serena’s spine. She suddenly remembered she had left her thick robe in her room, and angrily she stormed off to retrieve it.
Mirabella went to Darren’s side and continued with the acupuncture, “Just two more needles, and then you’ll be able to get a good night’s rest.”
“I just couldn’t catch my breath earlier, my head was pounding, and I was so irritable. A few pricks from you, and I feel much better.” Lying in bed, Darren was think of the events of the evening.
“Don’t think about tonight anymore, Grandpa. Right now, you just need to relax and get some sleep, Mirabella said as she inserted the needles. “In a couple of days, Grandma is going to come visit. She’ll worry if she finds you looking weak and listless.”
“Really?” A spark of surprise and joy lit up Darren’s eyes. “She said that to you? She’s coming to see me?”Since waking up that evening and being whisked away to Arlen’s birthday bash by Bard, he hadn’t had a chance to speak with his wife.
“Don’t believe me, Grandpa? You can call Grandma tomorrow and ask her yourself; Mirabella smiled.
“She’ll be thrilled to hear your voice.”
“I’ll call her first thing in the morning. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her”
To be honest, he missed her terribly.
Since falling ill, he and his wife had been forced to live apart, seeking treatment in different places.
“Just remember, Grandpa, your recovery is still fragile. No extreme emotions when you talk to her tomorrow,”
Mirabella cautioned.
“Alright, alright. Darren chuckled, already feeling better.
After Mirabella finished with the acupuncture, she tidied away the needles and placed a sachet on his bedside table. “This will help soothe and induce sleep. You rest up, and I’ll come to check on you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, dear. You’ve been such a help.’ Darren’s eyes were heavy with sleep, and it wasn’t long before he drifted off into slumber.
Mirabella stepped out of the shower well past midnight, her skin still tingling from the hot water, and realized it was already 2 AM.
Checking her phone, she noticed a few missed calls and unread messages, all from Romeo.
She quickly shot him a text asking if he was still up.
No sooner had she hit send than Romeo’s call came through.
“Have you been waiting by your phone this whole time?” Mirabella teased, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.
Hearing her voice seemed to ease something deep inside Romeo. “Must’ve been quite the night for you to miss my messages. Just hearing you now, I can tell things went smoothly.”
He was genuinely happy for her, knowing she had a lot on her plate that evening and could guess what sort of things might have happened.
“It did go well, but it was a lot for Grandpa, you know. He’s not young anymore, and tonight took a toll on him”
Mirabella shared, her voice softening. Just then, she heard Romeo chuckle and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s so funny?”
“Have you noticed you’re talking to me more and sharing more? You used to barely reply to my messages, let alone open up about your experiences.”
“Is that enough for you?” Mirabella’s smile warmed her voice, “Aren’t you setting the bar a bit low?””Just hearing a few extra words from you and knowing you’re thinking of me are all the satisfaction I need.”
Mirabella laughed, “So, can you sleep peacefully now?”
“Are you free tomorrow?” Romeo’s voice was gentle, “I’d like to take you to a few places”
He’d been in Dawnstar for a few days now and hadn’t yet taken her out to explore.
Mirabella thought for a moment—no pressing matters the next day—so she agreed.
“Sleep in then. Text me when you’re up, and I’ll come get you.”
“Alright, it’s late, you should get some sleep.”
“What about you?”
“Drying my hair”
She had answered his call with her hair still damp, and it hadn’t dried yet.
Romeo felt a twinge of regret. If he had known, he wouldn’t have let her answer the phone with wet hair in the cold.
If he were there, he’d have dried it for her.
The thought brought back memories from a night long past.
“I’ll bring you a hair dryer cap tomorrow,’ Romeo said softly. “Use the warm setting for now, and go to sleep quickly. Don’t catch a cold.”
“Okay.” After exchanging goodnights, Mirabella hung up.The next morning, before dawn even hinted at breaking the night, Serena was already up.
She wanted to bond with each family member before Mirabella woke up.
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.