Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Take it slow, there’s more,” Martin said, seeing her appetite return, his heart swelling with happiness.
“If you like it, I can feed you like this every couple of hours.”
Soon, Serena had polished off the entire bowl.
Martin gently wiped her mouth with a napkin, “The doctor said you shouldn’t eat too much at once. How about I feed you another bowl in a little while?”Serena wasn’t full, but for the sake of her health, she nodded in agreement.
“How are you feeling now?” Martin asked softly, full of concern. “Did the broth warm you up a bit, give you some energy?”
“Where’s my dad?” Serena suddenly asked, lifting her eyes. “Has he been in touch with you? I mean, my biological father, the former butler of the Collins family—Erik.”
Martin didn’t expect this sudden question and his expression faltered.
“Has something happened to my dad?” Serena’s mind raced. The Collins family had used her as a bargaining chip, demanding her father reveal himself to save her. Had something bad happened to him?
Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have shown up?
After all, what a father would abandon his own daughter.
“Serena, don’t worry.” Martin feared that the truth might be too much for her to handle.
“Just tell me.” Serena grasped Martin’s hand with her bandaged hand, refusing to let go despite the pain, “Has he fallen into the hands of the Collins family?”
Finally, Martin stood, as if making a decision. “Wait here for me.”
Serena, relentless, held on tight, unwilling to release his hand. “Tell me, has something dangerous happened to him?”
“He left something behind. I’ll get it for you.”
“Left behind?” The words struck Serena like a bolt from the blue. She could hardly believe it. Her mother, Martha, had recently fallen to her death from an unfinished building, and now her father too?”What do you mean ‘left behind’? What did the Collins family do to him?” Serena cried out, her emotions in tatters, clutching Martin desperately, “Did they kill him?”
“No.” Martin struggled to find the words. He had envisioned this scene countless times, but now that it was happening, he was still reluctant to hurt her, “Just wait for me a moment.”
He brought Erik’s old phone to Serena, “Your dad said that when you woke up and asked about him, I should just give you this phone. Once you see what’s inside, you’ll understand. The password is your birthday.”
Tears streamed down Serena’s face.
She recognized her father’s phone; back when he was still the butler, on one of his birthdays, the Collins parents had planned to give him a hefty bonus and order a birthday cake, surprising him discreetly.
Her father had always looked after her, and she thought of him as a good butler.
So, using her own pocket money, she had casually bought him that phone.
Back then, Serena worried he wouldn’t grasp the features of his new smartphone because of his age, so she took the time to explain it to him.
Serena never imagined that in the blink of an eye, he’d have been using that phone for three whole years!
And even less did she expect that all that left for her would be this phone.
He was gone!
Serena didn’t turn the phone on right away. Instead, she held it with both hands, staring at the screen saver—a birthday photo of her and her dad. Tears involuntarily streamed down her cheeks.
“When I went to the Collins family to get you, they refused to hand you over.” Martin could only explain the situation back then and then said, “Anyway, you’ll understand after you see it.”
Serena cried for quite a while, her heart aching until she could hold her emotions no longer. She then shakily entered the password and unlocked the phone.
While she scrolled through the phone, Martin sat beside her, not looking at the contents, just silently there for her, occasionally wiping away her tears.
In truth, when he’d first opened the phone, he had only looked for Mirabella’s number, not bothering with anything else.
So he had no idea what else was in there.
Serena alternated between crying, laughing, and being utterly devastated.
Her emotions were like a roller coaster, peaking high and then plummeting down.Finally, after reading the first pinned memo her father had left for her, Serena understood what had happened.
Her voice hoarse, she said, “He was coerced, had no choice but to take poison. Before you brought him to the Collins family, he had already ingested it. Even in his final moments, he wanted to use the little life he had left to trade for mine.”
Serena broke down again at this point.
She always knew deep down that no father doesn’t love his daughter.
For their own child, they would face death without hesitation.
Seeing her tears, Martin tenderly wiped them away. This was the second time she had cried since waking up!
Every time he saw her cry, it was like his heart was being sliced open.
“Who forced him to take the poison? Did your dad mention it? Do you need my help?”
It was obvious to Serena that Martin wanted to stand up for her, to avenge her father.
She reached out and embraced this man who had given her his whole heart, saying nothing, just silently shedding tears.
Without her saying a word, Martin understood that this was a matter they couldn’t talk about; speaking of it might bring trouble to them both.
It seemed her father had been entangled in something very complex and frightening.
It was quite possible that even he was outmatched.”Did your dad leave any tasks for us to carry out?” Martin asked gently.
Like funeral arrangements or some unresolved matter?
“He asked me to stay by your side.” Serena looked up at Martin as she said this.
Martin gazed at the girl in his arms and hugged her tighter, affirming, “I promised your dad I would take good care of you, to ensure you live a healthy, happy, and safe life.”
Serena knew that at this moment, this man was all she had to rely on.
Erik had told her that Martin was a trustworthy man, and that he truly loved her with all his heart. He urged her to stick with him, implying that one day this man might serve as her sharpest sword.
Had it not been for the secrets she unearthed in the encrypted memos, she would never have known the extent of the dangerous web her father had been entangled in. Alone, she was nothing but a sitting duck.
It was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Her father had made her promise to play the fool, to keep mum no matter what, never to reveal the truth behind the fire that happened years ago. If she did, she would meet a grim fate before she could spread her wings, let alone avenge him.
Serena etched her father’s words deep into her heart.
She would grow those wings and wait for the right moment to strike back with vengeance, to thrust the blade into the heart of the despicable mastermind behind it all!
Serena was determined to have her revenge!
And she intended to leave them with nowhere to hide!
For now, she had to bide her time, to wait and endure.
“Alright, Serena, no more tears,” Martin’s voice was gentle and soothing. “You’ve cried enough.”
“But you haven’t finished the story,” Serena nudged him away lightly, gazing into his eyes, “You rescued me from the Collins family, but what happened next? How did I wake up? Who saved me?”
In that basement, she had felt so close to death she even hallucinated seeing her mother, Martha.Who had brought her back from the brink?
Or had the Collins family eventually called a doctor for her?
Was it Mirabella who saved her?
Deep down, she still held a sliver of hope for the Collins family.
But after listening to Martin, that faint hope extinguished.
“It went like this.” Martin reluctantly revealed the dire circumstances, including how critical her condition had been. He had to unlock Erik’s phone without permission to contact Mirabella, begging her to save Serena. But Mirabella had ultimately refused.
Serena’s eyes dimmed with despair; she knew it. Why would Mirabella care about whether she lived or died?
And Mirabella was always so detached, but what about her parents from the Collins family? They didn’t care for her either.
Her heart ached as if it were being sliced open.
“But I swear I didn’t peek at any other content on your father’s phone,” Martin, fearing she would misunderstand, raised his hand to swear, “If I did, may I be cursed to never be with you, Serena, in this life or the next!”
Serena knew that for him, that was a truly potent oath.
“I believe you,” She gave him a tender smile.
Martin was touched by her sincere warmth, a rarity from her. She believed him! She still trusted him!”What happened after? How did you manage to save me? If Mirabella refused to help, how did you find someone else in such a critical situation?”
“Somebody called me out of the blue, claiming they had medicine that could help. They wanted a favor in exchange. Don’t worry, it wasn’t anything shady. After you took the medicine, the hospital declared you out of danger, and I brought you home. And today, you woke up.”
Martin kept the details about the mysterious caller vague, instead, he cradled her face and said, “This estate, it’s called For·ena Villa, and from now on, it’s our home.”
For·ena Villa.