Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Serena fell silent, unable to respond.
“You should be grateful Grandpa didn’t get as hurt as Grandma did. Last time, she fell face-first from her wheelchair, rolled over twice, and hit a decorative rock. She was covered in bruises. Though not life-threatening, those injuries meant days of suffering for someone her age. Thank goodness that slope wasnt longer, or the consequences could have been dire!”
“I’ve said it wasn’t intentional! Why do you speak to me with such accusation? As if I deliberately harmed Grandma and Grandpa!”
“Because you act without thinking. You’re just trying to close the gap between yourself and our grandparents, aren’t you? Afraid that with me back, all their love will shift to me, leaving you out in the cold, right? You could have spent time with them indoors, had a cup of coffee, chatted, and they would have been happy. Instead, you dragged them outside into the cold to get hurt.”Serena retorted angrily, “I told you it wasn’t on purpose! When it suddenly began to snow, I just wanted to hurry Grandpa back inside.”
“On a snowy day, you rush an elderly man? Really smart.”
“Mirabella!” Serena clenched her teeth in fury, ‘Don’t think just because you are my sister, you can lord over me.
You’re not in charge here!”
“Don’t forget who allowed you to stay in this house! I finally help heal someone, and you manage to get them hurt twice.”
“I said it wasn’t on purpose!” Serena was seething, wondering if Mirabella was incapable of understanding her.
“Even if you hadn’t bent over backwards to get close to them, just based on the love of the past eighteen years, you’re still the apple of their eyes. Take a good look at yourself. Since I’ve returned to this family, have your living expenses been cut back at all?”
“No, but I’ve had less than you, Mirabella” Serena shot back angrily, “Mom, Dad, my brother and sister-
in-law, grandparents, do they treat you the same as they treat me?”
“Isn’t what they’ve given you over these eighteen years enough?” Mirabella’s gaze turned icy as she suddenly realized this person was too greedy.
“Let’s put it this way, if they bought you a purse, and they got me the same one, I wouldn’t have any complaints.
But they order you hundreds of limited edition pieces! They give you a credit card with no spending limit! They hand over the company for you to manage, let you call the shots on everything, and even when there’s a gala, I’m not invited! How can you say they treat me like family with such blatant favoritism?”
Mirabella knew exactly which event Serena was referring to. “Not taking you is for your own good.”
Serena scoffed, “Then why are you always included? Are they not good to you?”
“lL serve my purpose.”
“So what you’re saying is, I’m useless and just drag them down?”
“If that’s how you want to interpret it.”Serena nearly laughed out of sheer frustration. “Mirabella, do you know what I hate about you? I hate that holier-than-thou attitude of yours! As if you’re the only one capable of handling things, while I’m just trash in comparison!”
Mirabella didn’t say anything.
“All I want is to stay in this family, not to be cast aside.” Serena’s voice broke, her distress palpable, “Why is that so hard? Why does it have to be so difficult?”
Mirabella watched her unravel, unable to help but ask, “What’s so hard about it? Is someone driving you away?
Has anyone treated you like trash?”
Serena lifted her eyes to meet Mirabella’s steady gaze.
“Does anyone look down on you because I understand medicine and you don’t? Has anyone stopped you from going to school because you’re not a straight-A student? When the family visited me at school, did they not visit you too? Isn’t what they’ve done so far enough? What more do you want?
Should I have a Romeo, and you should have one too?”
Serena’s tears halted, stunned.
“Even if I hadn’t come back, Romeo wouldn’t have fallen for you. That night, he came to the Collins family to call off your engagement.”
Serena’s expression froze. Call off the engagement?
“He told me himself.” Mirabella locked eyes with Serena, enunciating each word, “It wasn’t me who stole your man or your things. What’s yours can never be taken by anyone else, and what’s not meant for you will leave you eventually.Serena couldn’t believe it. That night, Romeo brought so many gifts to the Collins family to break off the engagement with her.
Then why did he later change his story, claiming it was to visit his fiancée?
Could it be that by then, he had already fallen for Mirabella at first sight?
With that thought, Serena’s heart twisted in unwillingness as she scrutinized Mirabella. What was so great about her that everyone, including Romeo, her parents, and grandparents, even her brother and sister-in-law, favored her?
Was it just because of blood ties and those few skills she possessed?
Just then, Mirabella’s phone buzzed. It was Romeo calling.
She tapped to answer, hearing Romeo’s charming voice on the other end, “How’s your grandpa feeling?”
“There’s been a bit of a mishap.”
Hearing this, Serena’s face shifted hues, anxious that Mirabella might sully her image in Romeo’s eyes.
“Something wrong? I’m just outside. I could take him to the hospital to get checked out,” Romeo offered with concern.
“No need, I’ll have Uncle Bard drive him later. Have you arrived?” Mirabella whispered back, ‘Wait for me a moment.”
“Alright.
Mirabella hung up the phone and glanced at Serena, preparing to leave.
“Mirabella!” Serena suddenly called out, unable to hold back her question, “If Romeo wasn’t in the picture, would you be friends with me?”
Mirabella stopped in her tracks and gave her a cold look, “You should ask yourself, from the first day I returned to this house, did you ever consider being friends with me?”
Initially, Serena was full of hostility towards her.
And as time went on, her animosity only intensified.
“How many times have you schemed behind my back? I can’t be bothered with you. First, I think it’s a waste of time and unnecessary. Second, I look down on your petty tactics. Third, my life is more than just these trivial matters. Why waste your years on me? Find something you’re passionate about, love someone who truly loves you, and strive to better yourself. Isn’t that much more worthwhile than sitting here, wracking your brain with jealousy and envy?”
Serena stood rooted to the spot, watching Mirabella’s retreating figure, perhaps understanding why everyone liked her.It was like a moment ago, she despised Mirabella so fiercely, but now, the hatred seemed to have lessened.
After Mirabella left the parlor, Eunice stepped out from the corner where she had overheard the entire conversation crystal clear. She hadn’t expected Serena, who always appeared so sunny and upbeat, to have so many cunning thoughts behind her back.
It seemed she was just afraid of not being able to stay in this family, causing her to make mistakes.
As for Mirabella’s magnanimity and vision, it made Eunice see her in a new light, improving her impression significantly.
Eunice walked to the doorway of the parlor, leaning casually against the frame, and called out, “Serena.”
Serena, still in a daze from the earlier conversation, was startled to see her aunt and quickly said, ‘Aunt Eunice, what are you doing here?”
“Just passing by, and I overheard you and your sister.” Eunice began.
Serena’s face instantly paled, “Aunt Eunice, let me explain.”
“l’ll understand the situation well enough. Bella is right. Nobody in this family sees you as an outsider, but you’re not allowed to pull any more tricks behind people’s backs.”
Even though Eunice didn’t know the specifics of what Serena had done, Mirabella’s words were proof enough that Serena had been up to no good in the past.
“Aunt Eunice, I was foolish before. It won’t happen again.” Serena was worried about leaving a bad impression on her aunt.”Can you promise me you’ll change?” Eunice looked into her eyes seriously, “Look me in the eyes and tell me.”
Serena bit her lip and nodded, “I can.”
“Then I’ll trust you this time,’ Eunice declared confidently, “You should count yourself lucky to have a generous sister like Bella. If you had to deal with someone more conniving, you’d really suffer.”
Serena’s gaze fell slightly.
“You’re not uncomfortable with me praising her, right?”
Serena shook her head quickly.
“People like her because she’s honest, brave, kind, unpretentious, intelligent, composed, capable, and she doesn’t show off.” Eunice continued, then turned to Serena, “But you, when did you become so sensitive?”
Serena hung her head low, “It’s all my fault. I promise I’ll change.”
“Serena, I’ve watched you grow up, and I know you’re a good kid at heart,” Eunice said, looking at the girl before her and offering quidance. “I won’t bore you with a sermon, but now that Bella has come back to this family, I hope you two can live in harmony. Be polite when you speak to her. She is your elder sister after all.”
Serena nodded, “I understand. I’ll try.”
“There’s another thing I need to criticize you for” Eunice continued.
Serena, who had just started to relax, tensed up once more.
“I saw you, dragging your grandpa out for a walk and having the staff take pictures. If I’m not mistaken, you started running with him to make the pictures look better, didn’t you?”
Fear flashed across Serena’s face. “Aunt Eunice, please, let me explain. I know it was wrong. I just wanted to take more photos with grandpa as keepsakes.”
“Your grandpa just had surgery. Bella just saved his life, and here you are, playing around. What if something dangerous had happened? It wouldn’t just be on you. How would your uncle and I explain this to the rest of the farnily? After all, he fell while he was in our care.”
Eunice was known for her straightforwardness. ‘I know kids your age love to post on Facebook, but you can’t disregard your grandpa’s health for some online likes. It was so cold, even from a distance, I could see him hunched over from the chill.”In truth, Serena had also noticed her grandpa shivering from the cold, but she had hoped he could endure a little longer for the sake of the pictures, even though she herself was shivering.
“Also, about the birthday party last night, I didn’t take you because it was a setup, a trap. You have no idea what Bella and I went through. It’s not something you could have handled”
Upon hearing this, Serena suddenly felt there was more to last night’s party than she had known. Why did her aunt think she couldn’t handle it, yet Mirabella could?
“Bella has been through a lot and has made many sacrifices for our family. You don’t have to be best friends, but at the very least, you should treat each other with respect. If you can’t even manage basic courtesy, then why bother living under the same roof?”
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.