Filed to story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
What on earth was going on? They had thought Mr. and Mrs. Collins had come out to bring Ms. Serena back in.
That slap was too much for Serena to handle. She collapsed onto the snow-covered ground, bewildered as to why her mother would hit her.
Louisa, trembling with anger, threw a thick envelope at Serena’s face. It took Serena a moment to gather herself and pick it up, only to find it was a lawyer’s letter from Ms. Kiki.
The letter itself was only two pages long, but attached were more than a dozen pages of printouts.
They were screenshots of Serena’s online rants against a singer named Summer, including her spiteful exchanges with Summer’s fans.
[That concert was so noisy; how could anyone sing so flawlessly? It had to be pre-recorded.]
[The voice you all heard was processed. I know Summer personally, and her real voice is nothing special. She wouldn’t dare sing live in public; she just lip-syncs.]
[I know Summer; she’s a distant relative of mine. Not only is her singing mediocre, but under that mask, her face is quite unpleasant. Only her eyes are passable. Overall, she’s nothing compared to me.][And her lyrics and compositions aren’t even her own. She’s got a whole team behind her; don’t ask me how I know.]
And it wasn’t just these. Her online spats with Summer’s fans were also meticulously captured.
[Summer really can’t sing and isn’t that pretty, and she’s got no talent. Can’t we even speak the truth anymore?]
[I really do know her. She’s a freshman in college right now. If you don’t believe me, go dig it up yourselves.]
[Jealous of her? A joke! She’s hideous.]
[You’re all brain-dead!]
[Shake your heads, do you hear the ocean? Brain-dead, every one of you, supporting trash like Summer?]
[Yeah, right, she’s trash, and I said it. What are you going to do about it?]
[You’re nothing but barking dogs. Come on, keep barking. I’ve had my rabies shots; I’m not afraid of you!]
[If you’ve got nothing better to do, come be my doorman. I’m afraid my status might just scare you to death.]
Serena hadn’t finished reading, but she knew the gist of what she’d posted.
She clutched at Louisa’s trousers, trying to explain, but Louisa stepped back, uttered in an incredulous tone, “You dare to speak of your sister like that. On the surface, you pretend to be remorseful, but behind our backs, you’re still up to no good!””Mom??” Serena looked up, her face a picture of shock, “Summer is my sister? I truly had no idea, nobody told me. I’ve been locked up next door, feeling terrible, and then I saw Summer’s singing video.
She sounded so beautiful that at first I only questioned it. When Summer’s fans wouldn’t let it go, I just snapped back at them. I didn’t know she is my sister, really, you have to believe me.”
Tears rolled down Serena’s cheeks as she sobbed, her face the very image of innocence and distress.
“You didn’t know Summer is your sister? You explicitly told others online you knew her, that she was a college freshman!” Louisa’s voice was filled with frustration, “You called her trash, a monster, and you slandered the lyrics and songs she made, saying they weren’t hers. You’ve truly disappointed me! It’s horrifying!!”
Hearing her mother addressed it was horrifying, Serena’s tears cascaded down her cheeks, “I was just blabbering. I had no idea Bella is Summer. People say whatever they want online. I was just spouting nonsense. Mom, you have to believe me; you might not trust me on anything else, but on this, I really am innocent!”
Louisa watched her sobbing and was utterly unmoved, her voice icy as she said, “Wait until Bella gets back, you apologize to her in front of the whole family then you can pack your bags and leave.”
Serena gazed blankly at Louisa, her mother who used to cherish her and now was ready to cast her out. Not just cast her out, but demand an apology to Mirabella before leaving, and in front of the whole family?
The whole family? Including Grandma and Grandpa, her aunt and uncle? Was she trying to strip her of her dignity completely?
“Mom, you’re throwing me out? You don’t want me anymore?” Serena’s voice quivered as if bleeding, “You once said, no matter what happens, I’ll always be your princess; you said even if my sister came back to this home, you’d treat us equally; you promised to watch me walk down the aisle in a wedding dress.”
“And now you have the nerve to say these things to me?” Louisa snapped, “You’ve brought this all on yourself!”
They cherished her as their own, but she never appreciated it and always hurt their daughter behind their backs. Caught a couple of times, she’d only pretend to be weak, innocent, falsely apologizing.
“Weren’t you just too frail to pick up that branch over there, collapsing on the ground? How come now you’ve got the energy to argue??” Louisa’s tone was laced with scorn.Startled, Serena saw her mother turn to leave and desperately lunged to cling to her feet, nearly causing her to stumble. Had Kenneth not been there to catch her in time, Louisa would have taken a nasty fall.
“Mom, please don’t send me away. I really didn’t know Bella is Summer.” Serena’s tears flowed like river, “Nobody at home told me, and I swear to God, I really didn’t know. You can’t force the blame on me for something I didn’t do.”
“Let go,” Louisa refused to listen to her explanations.
“Mom.” Serena sobbed uncontrollably, “Don’t throw me out. Where am I supposed to go? This is my home; you and dad, you’ll always be the closest people to me in this world.”
“You still won’t tell the truth??” Louisa was utterly disappointed, her heart chilled to the core. If Serena had just come clean, as a mother, she wouldn’t feel as disappointed as she did now.
“I said let go.”
“I won’t let, ahem.”
Perhaps the cold had gotten to her, Serena shivered violently, but still clung tightly to Louisa’s feet. She cried out pitifully, “Mom, you’ll always be my mom. You can hit me, scold me, punish me however you like; just don’t send me away.”
“What are you waiting for? Pull her off!” Louisa’s cold gaze fell on Betty.
Betty hurriedly pulled Serena away, “Ms. Serena, holding onto Mrs. Collins like that is making her uncomfortable; if you have something to say, say it properly later.”
“Let me go, let go,” Serena couldn’t believe this fool was holding her back at a time like this, not even trying to plead on her behalf, just pulling at her.Louisa turned and walked away, her figure resolute and detached.
“Serena, you’ve truly broken both of our hearts; you’re such a disappointment,” Kenneth dropped these words and followed Louisa into the main house.
With the door closing mercilessly behind them, Serena crawled forward a few steps, “Dad, Mom.”
In the living room, Erik watched Serena’s crying her heart out was utterly useless. Scrambling up, he began, “Mr. and Mrs Collins.”
“You’d better not plead her case, or you’re out the door with her.” Louisa snapped, her temper flaring, “I actually thought she was sorry this time. She’s been playing us for fools, putting on an act, pretending to apologize. Then behind our backs, she’s spewing vile insults like ‘trash,’ ‘freak,’ and ‘slut’. What happened to the manners we’ve spent eighteen years instilling in her?”
Kenneth, too, felt a chill of disappointment, “I never thought she’d become such a stranger to us.” He followed Louisa upstairs, “I don’t think she’s going to change. Once she apologizes to Bella, we’ll have her move out.”
“There’s no keeping her here,” Louisa agreed, having seen through Serena’s facade after these recent events. The girl wasn’t going to change.
Serena felt as if the entire world had abandoned her. She knelt in the snow, her body numbed by the cold until she lost all feeling; she simply couldn’t believe her parents actually meant to kick her out.
Eighteen years of pampering flashed before her eyes, as vivid as yesterday’s memories. Although Erik had warned her that after the New Year’s festivities, her parents might ask her to leave the Collins family, but when she heard it from them and felt the sting of their slaps, it was all too different.
She was discarded. Cast aside by the very parents who once doted on her the most! All those promises to cherish her as their own, to treat her fairly, they were all lies!
Her tears flowed unchecked, her body shivering uncontrollably in the freezing cold. Erik, witnessing this from inside, felt a pang of distress.
Serena had no idea how long she knelt in the snow until she collapsed, consciousness slipping away.Erik, frantic, approached Louisa, “Mrs. Collins, Ms. Serena’s been in the snow for three hours. She’s passed out from exhaustion.”
Louisa had been about to sit down for dinner, but Erik’s words did nothing to soften her heart. She continued towards the dining area unfazed.
“Mr. Collins, can’t you give Ms. Serena another chance?” Erik turned to Kenneth who usually had a softer touch.
But this time, Kenneth offered no response. He simply followed Louisa to the dining table and pulled out a chair for her.
At that moment, Betty emerged from the kitchen with a tray of food intended for Serena. Upon seeing this, Louisa said icily, “From this moment on, there’s no need to send her meals.”
Betty hesitated, asking instinctively, “But what will Serena eat?”
“Doesn’t she have hands? Can’t she cook for herself?” Louisa took her seat and then continued callously, “Until Bella returns, nobody is to concern themselves with her.”
Betty and Erik exchanged a look of resignation. They set down the tray and retreated, heads bowed.
As Louisa gazed at the spread before her, memories of doting on Serena came flooding back – the girl’s innocent, beaming smile and the venomous words she’d uttered in secret.
“Forget about her.” Kenneth picked up his utensils and served her some food, “We’ve been more than generous with her. We have a clear conscience.”
“I wonder if Bella’s arrived yet,” Louisa thought of Bella traveling abroad alone. She took out her phone and sent her a message.
Mirabella stepped off the plane, immediately feeling her mother’s warm concern through a text message. After sending a quick reply, she looked up and saw her right-hand man, Horace, waiting to pick her up.
“Boss,” Horace couldn’t help but notice something different about Mirabella the moment he laid eyes on her. It wasn’t just her change in fashion; her usual icy aura had thawed, replaced by a lively sparkle in her eyes and an air of refined grace. She was breathtaking.
Horace, who rarely got the chance to be in her presence, couldn’t suppress his goofy innocent smile.
He had always envied Jack and Jones for sticking close to the boss, facing danger by her side, while he was often dispatched elsewhere. He learned things related to the boss from other buddies of his, and had only recently heard the gossip about her love life.
Once in the car, Horace reported the situation, “Boss, we still haven’t secured Els Island. There’s this guy, Sean. Without his say-so, we can’t make a move.”
Els Island boasted a unique climate and pristine environment, perfect for cultivating delicate herbs, including some rare varieties that were crucial for Mirabella’s research.
Take hairyvein agrimony, for instance. Previously, Mirabella needed a concoction of over a dozen herbs to replicate 80% of its effects. But on Els Island, hairyvein agrimony was abundant, mistaken for a common weed due to its unassuming appearance.
Mirabella had hoped to acquire the island at a modest price, letting its natural herbs flourish while introducing other sensitive plants for her research.
“What’s Sean’s deal?” Mirabella inquired with detached curiosity.Horace had no clue, “Only know he’s a big shot here. Everyone speaks of him with reverence. He’s a mystery, rarely seen, and Els Island is in his grip. His men have jerked us around; we’ve been outplayed at every turn and haven’t secured the deal.”
The island was a treasure trove of botanical potential for Mirabella, both for the inherent value of the herbs and the research opportunities they presented.
“Negotiate again, and be prepared to raise the offer.”
“Understood.”
As Horace drove, he glanced at the rearview mirror before adding, “Oh, and boss, the seller agreed to part with the medicine you want, but insists you pick it up personally.”
“Time and place?”
“Tonight, eleven o’clock, at the Demon Ring, room 11.”
Mirabella nodded, “I’ll go alone tonight. You don’t need to be involved.”
