Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Her gaze met everyone’s, “The scent of the incense would only render someone unconscious for a couple of hours. If I’m not mistaken about the timing, Erik would have awoken before sunset. Logically, with Martin’s urgency to save someone, he could have brought Erik straight to us after he was knocked out. So why wait until after 8 p.m. to bring him to our place? What was the delay for? Did Erik wake up and they struck some sort of deal? We have no way of knowing.”
The words from Mirabella left the room in a state of mild shock. Could it be that Erik and Martin had been in cahoots behind the scenes?
“That sedative incense—it’s a common item on the black market, with a strong aroma. Erik is somewhat a leader of an organization; he should’ve known what that incense could do. But he got nabbed by Martin’s bodyguard? A leader taken down by a run-of-the-mill guard? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
“You’re suggesting that Erik got captured on purpose? That from the moment he stepped into Martin’s place and sniffed that sedative incense, he knew his daughter wasn’t there. He realized it was a trap set by Martin, but he still played along. Could this mean he also wanted to save his daughter? That he was willing to trade his life for hers?” Kenneth speculated.
“It’s a possibility we can’t ignore,” Mirabella continued, “Another thing is, the poison that ultimately killed Erik was a slow-acting one. We guessed that Erik arrived at Martin’s place around noon or early afternoon. But the timing of his ingestion of the poison was in the morning.”
That meant he had ingested it before heading over to Martin’s.
Everyone was taken aback at the revelation.
“So, it could really be as Dad said. He knew his daughter wasn’t at Martin’s and took the poison in advance to avoid suffering at our hands. He went to Martin to make a show of loyalty. Because it was a slow-acting poison, there was enough time for Martin to save his daughter and clear his own name. If Martin’s off the hook, our family wouldn’t pursue him, and he could then take care of his daughter, ensure her safety.”
“But Erik doesn’t strike me as someone who would give up so easily,” Hans chimed in, “His wife’s dead, and he’s letting go of that vengeance? He only has his daughter left. Doesn’t he want to be there forher? To see her get married, have kids?”
“Didn’t you remember the fire at the clinic? If Erik knew who the real mastermind was, could it be that the mastermind, fearing Erik would betray him if captured by us, forced Erik to take the slow-acting poison?”
In other words, Erik didn’t take it willingly; he was blackmailed by the mastermind?
Louisa, perplexed by her daughter’s analysis, asked, “But isn’t Erik’s biggest vulnerability his own flesh and blood? With his daughter under Martin’s protection, what’s there to fear?”
“Remember what Martha said at the unfinished building? That the mastermind has considerable power.
Could it be that not even Martin can stand against him? So, Erik sacrificed himself for his daughter’s and Martin’s future happiness?”
Dead men tell no tales.
With his death, the mastermind might be willing to spare Serena’s life.
“Who the hell is this mastermind?” Louisa was at a loss. Over the years, who had they angered that wielded such influence? They hadn’t made any mortal enemies, nor did anyone seem to have the means!
Except for the McMillian family—but no, they would never do such a thing!
Who could it be?
Who went to such lengths to hurt them?
Eighteen years and they still couldn’t live in peace?”What exactly did Erik discuss with Martin? Could it be he left instructions for after his passing? Could Erik have told Martin who the mastermind is. If we ask Martin, wouldn’t we know?”
But Kenneth’s glimmer of hope was quickly extinguished by his daughter’s calm response, “He doesn’t know.”
Their surprise was apparent, even Louisa couldn’t fathom it, “Bella, how can you be sure Martin doesn’t know the mastermind?”
“He just called me, begging to save Serena. If he knew, he’d have used that information as a bargaining chip by now.”
“And he’s still pleading for that spoiled brat.” Louisa was getting angry, “But Erik isn’t stupid. He must have left something for Serena, something to protect her. There’s definitely something we don’t know about.”
As Louisa spoke, Mirabella’s phone began to vibrate.
Mirabella’s phone buzzed with messages that set the room on edge.
[Mirabella, before Erik went to see the Collins family, he entrusted his personal phone to me, hoping that after I save Serena, I’d hand it over to her.]
[I obtained your contact information from his phone without Serena’s consent. Although I’m not sure who planned the fire at the clinic, I bet this phone holds the secrets you’re looking for.]
[It might even have details about his organization.]
[I’ll trade this phone for Serena’s life. Deal?]
Worried that Mirabella might not bite, Martin sent another message.
[I swear, I didn’t kill Erik. His death has nothing to do with me.]
Seeing Mirabella glued to the screen of her phone, everyone crowded around and asked questions.
“What’s going on? Who sent that?” Louisa asked with concern, “Bella? What’s wrong?”
“It’s messages from Martin. Just as we suspected, Erik did have an ace up his sleeve before he died—
a phone meant for Serena.”
“So, that means the phone contains the secrets we’re after? I’ll talk to him,” Kenneth declared. “If he refuses to hand it over, I’ll take it by force if necessary!”
It was the first time he’d considered such drastic measures.
If it weren’t for that fire, his real daughter wouldn’t have been swapped at birth, wouldn’t have endured years of hardship, and they wouldn’t spent all these years raising Serena, which led to the ensuing chaos.He had to expose the puppeteer behind the curtain!
“If he’s daring to tell us about it, it means he’s not afraid of us stealing it,” Mirabella mused, “If he wanted to hide it, it’d be hard for us to find it quickly.”
“But Bella, why would he tell you this? What’s his angle?” Louisa pressed.
“He wants me to save Serena.”
The moment Mirabella spoke those words, everyone unanimously objected, “No way.”
Mirabella was surprised to hear the exact same words from her parents and both brothers.
None of them wanted to save Serena?
Kenneth: “After all she’s done to you, how could you even think of saving her? It’s generous enough that she’s still breathing!”
Louisa: “Even if you save her, she won’t be grateful. Who knows if she still blames you for her birth mother’s death…”
Hans: “No need to save her. He shouldn’t even ask.”
Sean: “She’s already lucky to have lived this long. Is Martin asking for trouble or what?”
The tension in the room was palpable, each family member wrestling with their conscience and the haunting shadows of their past. But amidst the turmoil, one thing was clear—their once-entwined lives with Serena had frayed, and they were all yearning for closure.
Mirabella heard their words and her lips curled into a smile. “I really have no intention to play the hero.”
“We don’t need his pathetic clues. What if all the important information on that phone has been wiped clean? We could be saving Serena for nothing.” Sean was nobody’s fool, and he certainly wasn’t about to let his sister exhaust herself helping someone who didn’t deserve it.
Given Martin’s character, he wouldn’t do anything to betray Serena, but he was acutely aware that only that cellphone could potentially save her life.
Chances were, he’d have taken a good look through Erik’s phone, memorized the important stuff, deleted it, and then handed over a practically useless phone to them.
It would be nothing more than acting out a formality.
It was therefore better not to bother at all.
“But what if Erik didn’t die by his own hand, but forced by someone pulling the strings? What does that tell us?”
As soon as Hans finished his question, Kenneth and Louisa said in unison, “It means the puppet master is getting antsy!”
He was rushing to get rid of Erik.
And when people rush, they tend to slip up.
Hans nodded, “That’s why Bella had the servants continue to guard Erik, to keep his death under wraps, away from prying eyes. If the puppet master wanted Erik dead, and Erik wasn’t dead, they’d surely send someone to see what’s up, likely to tie up loose ends.”Louisa hadn’t expected her darling daughter to have already devised a plan to trap the mastermind, to instruct the servants to keep quiet, nor to have analyzed the situation so logically, instantly enlightening them to the bigger picture.
This clearly demonstrated how intelligent her beloved daughter was.
“This master has been hiding for years, definitely no simple feat. Convincing him that Erik is still alive might be tough.”
No sooner had Kenneth spoken than Sean added, “What’s so hard about that? Sis is a miracle, dealing with a little poison is nothing to her. She could revive a dying plant, let alone Erik. And why save him after all the bad he’s done? Just to make him spill about the mastermind. So, the boss will buy it and will show up for sure.”
“Sean’s got it right,” Mirabella agreed, “All we need to do is convince them that I’ve revived Erik, but he’s still unconscious and hasn’t revealed who’s behind it all. They are bound to send someone to check in, and that’s our chance to snag a tail!”
“Bella, you’re a genius,” Louisa couldn’t help but praise, “Your little noggin thinks so far ahead, so comprehensively! Let’s do it your way. We’ll have people conspicuously guard Reflections Villa around the clock. The other side will think we’re protecting Erik, waiting for him to wake up. It’s natural and convincing.”
“Our precious little girl is incredibly smart and outstanding.” Kenneth also expressed his heartfelt joy.
With this plan, it was only a matter of time before they ensnared their adversary.
“Let’s go with my sis’s plan,” Hans looked at Mirabella with approval and admiration. No matter what happened, his sister never panicked.”Just one thing.” Louisa suddenly expressed concern, “I called Martin earlier and he knows Erik is dead. What if, in his desperation to save Serena, he spills to the mastermind?”
“He doesn’t know who the puppet master is, what we’re up to, or that Erik’s death is actually useful to us. So, it’s highly unlikely he’d play that card.” Mirabella assured her.
“But what if he does?” Louisa was still worried, ruing her impulsiveness to confront Martin on the spur of the moment, risking their well-laid plans.
“What’s the big deal? You called him; I’ll just give him a warning,” Sean said, his penchant for boldness no secret.
Relatively speaking, Martin was the kind who played by the rules, a real straight arrow.
Louisa had barely dialed Martin’s number when Sean grabbed the phone and barked, “Martin, you listen and listen good. Serena has crossed my sister time and again, and we’ve been merciful enough not to finish her off. We left her breathing and handed her over to you, which is generosity in spades.
As for Erik’s demise, if you so much as whisper a word, I’ll come for Serena’s life myself!”
Martin, who had been awaiting a text from Mirabella, was momentarily stunned by Sean’s warning, but quickly responded with courteous assurance, “Rest assured, Mr. Collins, whether Erik is dead or alive is beyond my knowledge. I’ll keep this secret safe.”