Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
He and his wife were about to turn in for the night when they heard a faint weeping from the study, which grew louder and unmistakably sounded like Serena.
But they hadn’t caught the details of the matter.
Serena clung to Belinda, weeping unabated. She was just wailing helplessly without telling them the reason.
“Eunice, what in the world is going on?” Belinda turned to Eunice, her voice filled with concern. It was late, and Serena was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
“Just let her go back to bed,” Eunice suggested, not wanting to alarm the elders with the night’s grim revelations – a hired hit on Bella, and the perpetrator somehow linked to Doom.
She felt frustrated that the lead had gone cold. Serena, having been the last to see him, was naturally a person of interest, but there was no evidence.
Seeing her daughter-in-law’s reluctance to divulge more, Belinda didn’t press further, instead helping Serena to her feet with a gentle voice, “Let’s get you to bed, dear. We can talk about all this tomorrow.”
Serena was truly frightened, her legs weak. She nearly stumbled with her first step.
Belinda held her tight.
“What scared you so much?” Darren also stepped forward to help.Every time Serena thought of that dark and dreadful basement, the chills were uncontrollable. The cells holding people, their mournful cries, the bloody wounds, she never knew her uncle’s house concealed such a nightmarish level. It was like a layer of hell on earth, utterly chilling to the bone.
After they supported Serena away, one on each side, Eunice turned her gaze back to Mirabella, “She’s definitely a suspect, but there’s no proof she had a hand in this.”
Mirabella preempted her aunt, knowing what she was about to ask, “Keep digging, we’ll probably find something. There’s no need to rush this.”
Eunice wanted to say more, but ultimately nodded in agreement, “You’ve had a long day too, go get some rest.”
“Don’t worry, Aunt Eunice. The truth will come to light sooner or later.”
Over the years, Mirabella had investigated many cases and had learned the value of patience;
sometimes taking it slow could lead to more clues.
Nodding thoughtfully, Eunice was left alone in the study after Mirabella left. Until Bard, fresh from his shower, came knocking, “Why aren’t you in bed yet?”
Eunice recounted the events and shared her doubts, “Let’s say Serena hired someone to take out Bella but that guy was locked in the basement by me before he could do anything; suppose Serena had no idea where he was hiding after his initial failure until she stumbled upon him by accident. Fearing he’d rat her out, she then kill him. But why wouldn’t he struggle if he wanted to live? And if he didn’t want to live, why did he ask to see Bella again? Two days ago, when Bella talked to him, I thought he wanted to live.”
Too many questions swirled in Eunice’s mind, leaving her puzzled.
“Could it be that someone else killed him? Serena did say the man suddenly went silent. Maybe she thought he was dead and got scared off. After she ran, someone else could’ve sneaked in and finished the job,” Bard speculated.”If he was murdered, how could there be no struggle?”
“Didn’t he tell Serena he wanted to end it himself, saying it’s better than suffering at our hands? Maybe the killer was one of his own?”
“But Bella said there were no additional traces at the scene, no extra footprints.”
“Maybe we overlooked some clue?” Bard patted her shoulder reassuringly, “Don’t overthink it. I’ll have the scene checked again. You should get some rest.”
Knowing that worrying wouldn’t help, Eunice nodded, “Wake me up as soon as there’s any news, even if I’m asleep.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you immediately.” Bard wrapped an arm around her shoulder to lead her back to bed, tenderly covering her with the quilt. He uttered, feeling disquieted, “Ever since you came back to this family, you’ve barely had a moment’s peace. There’s been too much for you to worry about. Just look at the time, and you’re still not asleep.”
“I just feel pity that the lead we finally had has hit a dead end. If they’re still out there trying to kill Bella, who knows how many dangers she’ll face.” Eunice’s concern was genuine.
But she couldn’t share these worries with the elders at home, not wanting them to lose sleep fretting alongside her.
“Indeed, we should step it up and root out those people once and for all.”
Eunice had promised Mirabella that even if it meant turning Dawnstar upside down, she would weed out the remnants of their enemies, leaving none behind.
In the last few days, she had indeed ordered her subordinates to do just that, but the job wasn’t finished when this incident occurred.”Alright, stop thinking about it. Get some sleep.” Bard cooed gently until she began to feel drowsy. Only then did he turn off the main light, close the door, and leave.
In the still of the night, Eunice’s mind replayed the image of Serena, crying as if her heart would break, her face wet with tears. Could it be that she had wronged the girl?
Serena had grown up with the finest education. It seemed impossible that a girl raised with such values could commit murder.
The remarks her husband had made lingered in her mind; it wasn’t impossible.
Perhaps the real killer was someone else. Maybe she had indeed wronged Serena.
The next morning, Eunice awoke to find her husband had not yet come to bed. After freshening up, she discovered he had been up all night conducting his investigation. Sleep had not claimed him.
In the garden.
Bard was questioning every servant personally.
Eunice descended the spiral staircase and approached him, “Why didn’t you wake me?”
Then she turned to the servants gathered, “Did anyone confess anything?”
“Mrs. Griffith, I swear I’m innocent.”
The servant, who had called Serena to the basement the previous night, fell to her knees at Eunice’s feet, crying, “I’ve been with you since day one in this house. Whether you were out on business or at home, I was always by your side. All these years have gone by in the blink of an eye. You were injured once while saving my life. With such a heavy bond between us, how could I ever betray you?”
Adam sobbed and continued, “Last night, that man asked to see Miss Collins. Since Miss. Mirabella Collins’ identity hasn’t been made public, I thought maybe they wanted to see Miss Serena Collins.”Because to everyone, Serena was known as Bard and Eunice’s cherished niece, the beloved daughter of the Collins family.
While Miss. Mirabella Collins had only recently returned to the family, her identity still needed to be kept in secret.
“So I took it upon myself to ask Miss Serena Collins. I had no idea I was messing up your plans. I deserve to die, I do.” Adam kept bowing his head, “But to accuse me of betrayal, that I cannot accept.”
Eunice, looking at her tearful servant, bent down to help her to her feet, softly saying, “We’ve been through life and death together so many times. I trust you.”
The servant cried tears of joy, “Thank you for trusting me. Even in death, I could never betray you. I owe you my life. In this life, I only take orders from you.”
“You all may leave.”
“Yes.”
Once they had left, Eunice turned to Bard, “This line of questioning will get us nowhere. Have you checked the surveillance in the house?”
Bard reported truthfully, “Yes, we’ve checked. There’s no evidence of tampering or deletion. The nearby street cameras were functioning normally as well. No suspicious individuals were seen entering or exiting our estate last night.”
“And the basement, any new evidence there?” Eunice inquired.
The basement was reserved for covert operations, hence it was devoid of cameras, too risky to have recordings that could fall into the wrong hands and cause trouble.”Nothing as of yet.”
Last night, Bard had taken a few of his trusted subordinates to check out the scene, including a forensic expert. But the clues they found pretty much lined up with what Bella had said – death by mechanical asphyxiation, ruling out any pathological factors.
“Once Serena calms down a bit, I’ll have a chat with her.” Bard mentioned casually, “Maybe she’s forgotten some crucial detail, or perhaps a conversation might reveal something we hadn’t caught before.”
Just then, Darren, yawning, sauntered over and grumbled, “What’s with all the secrecy around here?
What are you all plotting? Poor Serena got so spooked last night, and she insisted on resting with her granny. I ended up moving to the spare room.”
Darren hadn’t expected this. Finally he reunited with his partner, and yet now he had to vacate his own bed.
“I heard the kid woke up screaming a couple of times, saying she was having nightmares.”
Eunice immediately pounced on this, “Did she say anything in her sleep? Any sleep-talk?”
“I wouldn’t know; I wasn’t the one sleeping next to her.” Darren replied with a deep sigh, hands clasped behind his back, “Eunice, Bard, don’t mind an old man’s meddling. I’ve never interfered with your decisions or actions, even though I’m often in the dark about them. But I wholeheartedly trust your judgment because I know you both have your heads on straight.”
Bard and Eunice knew what he was hinting at, but they remained silent, choosing not to interrupt.
“Bella’s finally come back to this family, and we ought to make it up to her. But Serena’s grown up under our watch too. Even if she’s made a few small mistakes, there’s no need to lash out and terrify the kid. You’ve never been that harsh with her before.”Darren thought Serena had just slipped up on some trivial matter, earning a scolding from them.
He continued, “We’ve always said that we should treat all the kids equally.”
“What if someone hired a hitman to kill Bella?” Eunice interjected sharply, her gaze piercing.
“What? What are you saying?” Darren clutched his chest, gasping for breath, the shock too much for him to handle.
“Easy, Dad. I’m just asking.” Eunice quickly moved to pat him on the back.
“You’re suggesting someone wanted to hire a hitman for Bella? And the scolding last night, do you suspect it’s connected to her? Is, is the kid involved in something behind our backs?”
Maybe because the information was overwhelming, and Darren’s heart couldn’t bear it. No amount of clutching at his chest could ease the pain.
Ever since his heart surgery, his own kin had upset him time and again. The last time someone falsely accused the Ar-Bl-Clear Group of selling defective products, which had left him similarly distressed.
Yesterday, Mirabella had reminded him during his check-up that he needed to keep his emotions stable and avoid any extreme upset.
But Eunice’s words had caused his heart to clench tight, like a fist squeezing hard.
On one hand, there was the child he’d dearly loved for eighteen years, and on the other, there was the darling girl who had returned to them after a long absence, having saved his and his wife’s lives, and who had won his affection with her contributions to the family.
Both were dear to his heart, but Eunice’s words were like a knife twisting in it.Seeing Darren’s pallor, Eunice quickly reassured him, “It’s nothing. I was just asking. I mean, do you think if Serena was involved in something as serious as hiring a hitman, that would justify the severity of last night’s scolding? If it was a minor mistake, there’s no need to dwell on it, right?”
Darren, breathing heavily, took a while before nodding, “Eunice, tell me straight, what exactly happened last night?”
Considering his fragile health, Eunice applied directly, “Nothing serious, really. Serena just stumbled upon some people I was keeping in the basement and got scared. I gave her a good talking-to, and told her to stop wandering around like that again.”
Darren had long been aware of the people cooped up in the basement. His two sons, Bard and Sampson, needed to be tough and resourceful to survive the cutthroat world they lived in.
“What on earth was Serena doing in the basement?” Darren couldn’t help but ask.