Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Mr. Collins.””Good evening, Mr. Collins.”
“Mr. Collins, welcome back.”
Hans nodded to each greeting, “Has Bella gone to bed?”
“It’s that time, she should be in her room.”
Whether she was asleep or not, they weren’t sure.
“And what about the other person?” Hans inquired further.
The servants caught on quickly, bowing their heads, “Mr. Cooper has already taken her back.”
Hans was surprised. His parents had actually handed Serena over to that kid?
“It was Mr. Cooper who brought Erik over, in exchange for Serena,” one servant hastily added. “And Serena had less than half an hour left.”
Hans finally understood, nodding, “You all should get some rest.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once inside, Hans saw the living room was deserted and chilly.
He took out his phone and instructed the household security to stay alert, in case Erik’s men attempted a rescue that night.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Collins,” they assured him. “Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have already instructed us. We’re on rotating watch tonight. Any sign of trouble, and we’ll inform them and you immediately.””Thanks,” Hans replied, heading upstairs. He saw Mirabella’s room was dark now. Then he glanced at what used to be Serena’s room, now empty as if she had never been there.
Back in his own room, he decided to wait till morning to talk with Mirabella.
There, in his room, were still a few items Serena had given him.
Like a drawing she had given him when they were kids.
In the painting, a strapping young lad was pushing a swing for a little girl, her two pigtails dancing in the air.
The girl on the swing was beaming with joy.
With the innocent strokes of a child, Serena scribbled the name “Serena” on the little girl’s dress and jotted down “Hans” in wobbly letters across the boy’s shirt. Off to the side, Chase, Clark, Sean, and David were having a ball, kicking a soccer around the green field.
The weather in the painting was gloriously sunny, the sun itself had a cheerful grin, the flowers seemed to be smiling, and the faces of the people were alight with happiness.
A caption at the bottom declared: “A Happy Day.”
This was a piece Serena had created back in kindergarten, a treasured keepsake not just for him, but for each “brother” who had received their own unique scene. Those days were so simply beautiful.
Tucked away with this painting in the cabinet were many other mementos.
There was the red envelope she had fashioned from an A4 sheet of paper during the holidays, opened to reveal her drawings of dollars and sketches of New Year’s outfits, along with wishes for the new year.
Besides these, there were letters Serena had written to him, handmade birthday cards, including crafts.
The first suit and shirt she bought him when he started at the corporation.
He had kept everything pristine.
But now, as he looked at each item, flooded with memories, he ultimately tossed them all into the trash.Meanwhile.
Sean had asked his help to wash and dry the clothes Bella had sent him with utmost speed. Fresh out of the shower, he slipped into them immediately.
Eyeing himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help but admire how much better his sister’s designs looked on him compared to his old haute couture – they were leagues ahead.
Pulling out his phone, he struck a pose and snapped a photo, about to send it to his sister when a knock came at the door.
“Who’s there?”
Who would be knocking at his door this late?
The person outside didn’t respond but knocked again, steadily and patiently.
Sean sent the photo to his sister, praising her design talent in the text, and opened the door, only to be greeted the next second by a flying fist.
Reacting quickly, Sean caught the fist and exclaimed in surprise, “Hans?? When did you get back?”
Hans’s face was stern, his tone icy, “Time to settle the score for messing with our sister.”
No matter how brash Sean could be, he always toned it down a notch in front of Hans.
“Hans, it’s all a big misunderstanding. Sister spoils me rotten! Look, I’m even wearing the pajamas she sent me!”
Hans glanced and recognized the “trophy” Sean had flaunted to him earlier that day.”Don’t think that just because you’ve sweet-talked our sister, all the past grievances are wiped clean,”
Hans was still itching to throw a punch.
Sean quickly grabbed his fist, pleading, “Hans, your timing couldn’t be better. Tell me what you think of these pajamas, huh?”
Hans gave him a disdainful once-over and didn’t mince his words, “They’re wasted on you.”
“What do you mean! Don’t you think these pajamas designed by our sister look as though they were tailor-made for me? They look great, right?” Sean said, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips as he eyed Hans, “Don’t tell me you’ve never received such a gift, so…”
Hans’s gaze turned frostier.
“No worries. I’ll put in a good word for you with our sister, maybe she’ll send you a couple of sets too.
I’m the one with her on WhatsApp now!”
“So you’re a grown man and still mooching off your own family?”
Hans thought, “Always having your sister send you stuff, aren’t you ashamed?”
“It’s my sister’s way of showing she cares. Besides, I’ll be giving her a credit card soon so she can shop to her heart’s content.”
“You haven’t been taking advantage of her, have you?” Hans eyed him with a mix of skepticism and distrust.
He thought, “If you weren’t, why did David say you upset her?”
“It was just a bit of a misunderstanding. It’s a long story, but now we’re getting along great. The surgery I had was done by her. If you lay a hand on me, you’re going to have to answer to her!” Sean played the sister card to defend himself.
At that, Hans’s concern flickered, “You got hurt? When did that happen?”
“Not too long ago.” Sean dodged the details, smirking instead, “These stitches were sewn by our sis.
She told me to take it easy for a while, so even if you want to hit me, Hans, you’ll have to wait until I’m all healed up.”
Hans unclenched his fist, “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. If you really did bully her, I wouldn’t mind adding a few more scars to your collection.”
“Hey, Hans? You’re leaving just like that? You haven’t even told me if you like my pajamas. Got a minute? I have a few other pairs I could model for you.”
Hans turned back, his aura chilling.”Goodnight, Hans.” Sean quickly shut the door.
Hans made his way to his room, pulling out his phone as he walked, dialing a number, “Come over tomorrow.”
The next morning.
Mirabella woke to find Serena’s old room getting a fresh coat of paint, and even the flowers in the garden were being replaced with new varieties.
Descending the staircase, she saw two servants carrying a large box with a lamp printed on the side into the house.
When they headed towards her parent’s bedroom, Mirabella asked in a soft voice, “Did Mom and Dad’s lamp break?”
When did that happen?
“It’s not broken. Serena and Mrs. Collins had picked out a pretty lamp at the store a while back, and the lady had it installed in their room. Last night she couldn’t stand looking at it anymore, so she had us take it down. Now the new one’s here, and we’re about to set it up for her.”
Mirabella nodded in understanding, “Carry on, then.”
“Yes, Ms. Bella.”
“Bella.”
That was when a gentle voice called out to her.
Mirabella turned to see Hans had returned, “When did you get here?””Last night.” Hans approached her, his gaze tender, “I didn’t want to wake you, so I didn’t come to see you right away. I’ve reviewed the security footage of the abandoned construction site. You’ve been through a lot these past months.”
He patted her head, a look of remorse in his eyes, “I should have been there for you. Let’s have breakfast, and then we can talk.”
Mirabella nodded, joining him in the kitchen.
“Did Sean bully you?” Hans served her some oatmeal, placing it in front of her, “You don’t have to cover for him. I’ll take care of it.”
“Our situation is complicated.” Mirabella gave a wry smile, summarizing the events as succinctly as possible.
But she left out the parts about Sean threatening to skin her and leave her at that Mountain, or his exorbitant demands for the price of his island, which only worsened her opinion of him.