Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Maybe there’s one person who can save her,” The leading doctor uttered the name with a trembling voice, “Dr. Bell.”
“Yes, Dr. Bell’s almost a miracle, accurate and effective with treatments. If only Dr. Bell gets involved, there isn’t a problem that can’t be solved.”
The other doctors nodded in agreement, “I heard that Phillip was practically on the verge of death until Dr. Bell brought him back.”
“They say Dr. Bell can even cure people in a vegetative state.!”
All the renowned doctors had heard of Dr. Bell’s incredible skills. But none of them knew who he really was, his age, or what kind of history he had with Serena.
Martin’s gaze dimmed at the mention of Dr. Bell. Wasn’t that the Collins family’s real daughter, Mirabella?
How could she possibly want to save Serena.
“But Dr. Bell’s whereabouts are a mystery, nobody knows where he is, even if he’s alive or not.”
“True, any information on his location is scarce.”
“Serena’s running out of time, Mr. Cooper. You should spend as much time with her as you can.”
“They say Phillip was saved mostly because Dr. Bell just happened to be passing by his room.”
It was pure luck for Phillip; otherwise, finding Dr. Bell would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
After speaking their piece, the doctors bowed their heads regretfully and left.Martin watched with wide eyes as the nurses wheeled out the gurney with the frail girl whose breath was fading.
Seeing his beloved being taken to the ICU, Martin’s hand shook while he unlocked the phone that Erik had entrusted to him before being captured.
This was the phone Erik used daily. When Martin had caught him, Erik discovered himself fallen in a trap but didn’t blame him; he only asked Martin to do two things: to take care of Serena, ensuring her safety and happiness, and to give the phone to Serena when she woke up.
Now, without Serena’s consent, he opened Erik’s contacts to find Mirabella’s number.
He punched Mirabella’s number into his own phone and dialed it immediately.
Mirabella didn’t pick up; she was in the middle of an autopsy, and unexpectedly uncovered some clues.
Sean couldn’t find his sister anywhere. It seemed odd to him that Hans hadn’t stayed with her but spent a long time talking with their parents in the master bedroom instead. So, Sean knocked on the bedroom door.
Hans, just about to leave, opened the door to find Sean looking for their sister.
“Where’s sis?” Sean’s first question was about his sister’s whereabouts as he glanced inside, “What have you been talking about for so long?”
“Come with me.” Hans led him to a secluded spot before revealing the news of Erik’s death.
Sean’s eyes widened in shock, “You mean sis is performing an autopsy on him?”
The thought of his sister doing something as gruesome and terrifying as an autopsy stuck him—and without an assistant?”Her skills even surpass those of someone as skilled as Clark.”
Hearing Hans’ words, Sean was stunned. What kind of prodigy was his sister, capable of everything!
“I’m going to check on her, keep this under wraps, don’t let word get out.”
No sooner had Hans left; Sean hurriedly followed, “Wait for me.”
He, too, wanted to see how his sister managed an autopsy.
Down in the basement of Reflections Villa, Hans and Sean stood before a bank of monitors, their gazes fixed on the grace of their little sister as she wielded a scalpel with an expertise that belied her years.
Once again, they marveled at her medical prowess and steely nerves.
Most girls would’ve been petrified at the sight of such a scene.
But there she was, calm and methodical, looking for all the world like a seasoned veteran who’d spent decades in an operating room.
The most surprising part? She was every bit as confident as she was beautiful, as intelligent as she was capable.
Their very own sister—such a girl was a real gem in the Collins family. It seemed the heavens had been overly generous to them.
They waited in silence at the monitors, not wanting to interrupt her dissection, only appearing once she had finished.
“Our own sister, a genuine prodigy. Is there anything you can’t do?” Sean said, ruffling Mirabella’s hair affectionately as she emerged from the room. “You tired? I’ll brew you some coffee.”
“Well done,” Hans said, surprised at how quickly she had completed the task. Her slight smile hinted at promising leads.
“Hans, Sean, let’s discuss this upstairs,” Mirabella suggested, wary of prying ears.
She instructed two servants to stand guard outside the room where Erik’s body lay.
The servants were uneasy, not only because guarding a dead body wasn’t exactly comforting, but also because they worried about the body decomposing.”I’ve applied preservatives. There’s no need to worry about decay for a week,” Mirabella assured them.
“Don’t let anyone in except for us.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Though they were frightened, they would fulfill Mirabella’s orders without fail.
No sooner had Mirabella left the basement than her phone vibrated with another incoming call—from an unfamiliar number.
She didn’t plan to answer until the screen showed 11 missed calls from the same number, and almost immediately, the 12th call came through.
Only then did she pick up, her voice cool and detached. “Who’s this?”
“Mirabella, it’s Martin.”
Perhaps fearing she would hang up immediately, Martin hastily added, “Please, don’t hang up.”
“I won’t save her,” Mirabella cut in, likely anticipating the reason for the call.
Martin’s voice became more urgent,”Mirabella, I know Serena has done unforgivable things, hurt you. I have no right to ask this of you, no right to even call you, but the doctors are helpless.”
He choked up then.
“They say Serena’s wound is badly infected; the bacteria have entered her bloodstream, causing sepsis. Her organs are failing. Can’t you help? Please, save her. I’m begging you. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”
He’d give everything he owned—his savings, shares, resources—whatever it took, as long as he had it, he’d hand it over.”What I want, I can get myself. Besides, with the support of my family and Romeo, there’s nothing I can’t access in this world,” replied Mirabella, her tone dripping with conviction. “To me, you have no value. You’ve clearly asked the wrong person. I have no interest in helping you—Serena’s fate is irrelevant to me.”
Martin’s voice became desperately urgent as he spoke, “Mirabella, they say saving a life is the greatest deed, greater than building the grandest cathedral. You’re a healer at heart, and if you could save her, I’ll agree to any terms you set!”
“I know when you returned to your birth family, Serena didn’t welcome you with open arms. Instead, she provoked and hurt you over and over. She was wrong, truly wrong. I realize that saying ‘I’m sorry’ a thousand times over won’t undo the pain she’s caused you, but I can’t just stand by and watch her die.
Please, Mirabella, you can direct all your anger at me. I’ll beg on my knees, crawl if I have to, just to save her life.”
His voice was choked with emotion, barely recognizable.
“The doctors say her body’s vital functions and organs, all have been seriously affected, though to varying degrees. I’m out of options.”
Hearing this, Mirabella simply said, “I gave her plenty of chances, and she squandered each one. She tried to take my life, time and again. Who was there to save me then?”
Had it not been for her quick thinking and timely avoidance, Mirabella couldn’t know how many times she might have died by Serena’s hand.
“Her condition isn’t a big problem for me to fix, but I won’t save her.” Mirabella’s voice was cold and detached throughout. “All your kneeling and pleading won’t make a difference. The problem isn’t with you; it’s with her.”
If Serena hadn’t harbored such malice from the start, if she hadn’t schemed behind Mirabella’s back repeatedly, Mirabella might have considered her salvation.But Serena was cruel enough to try and carve her hatred into Mirabella’s skin, to wish a gruesome death upon her.
Why save someone like that?
Was she supposed to set a trap for herself?
Mirabella ended the call without another word, not willing to waste her breath.
Hans and Sean showed concern. “Was that Martin?” they asked.
“He has the audacity to ask for your help?” Sean was itching to teach Martin a lesson.
“He must be really desperate to come to me,” Mirabella admitted, feeling a twinge of sympathy for him.
“His love is wasted on the wrong person,” Hans noted, believing Serena to be unworthy of Martin’s efforts.
“No, seriously, she’s been sick this long and hasn’t died? Has he lost his mind? If you save someone like that, won’t they just cause more trouble?” Sean couldn’t understand such blind devotion, to someone so blatantly undeserving.
“Who he loves or wants to save is his business,” Mirabella said, not wanting to dwell on it.
When the three of them approached Mirabella’s parents, they waited until they were alone before sharing their insights.
“Let’s try to piece together the timeline Martin gave us,” Mirabella said calmly.
“He left our house the night before last and summoned seven or eight renowned doctors to his place overnight. By early morning, as the dawn broke, he had the doctors leave one by one, to let Erik knowthat Serena’s injuries were too severe for treatment. According to him, not long after, he got a call from an unknown number.”
Louisa and Kenneth nodded in confirmation, “Yes, that’s exactly what Martin told us.”
“Erik couldn’t have gone far, and trusting Martin, he would have arrived at Martin’s place quickly. That would have been around noon, maybe one or two in the afternoon.”
“Martin claimed his men knocked Erik out cold, and indeed, there was evidence of a blow to the back of his head. To capture Erik, he also used a sedative incense. My autopsy confirmed Erik had inhaled an excessive amount of it, but,”