Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
When did Serena ever study medicine?
Since when did she become so darn capable?
Skeptical as they were, people still snapped photos of Phillip and Shirley’s beaming faces, some even went live on the spot.
Then out of the second car stepped the ever-so-graceful Jennifer and the spirited George.
They too were swarmed by reporters, like bees to honey.A reporter chased up the rumor about the Collins’ heiress spending New Year’s Eve with the McMillians and sharing a feast with them. Jennifer cheerfully admitted, “Yes, that’s right.”
“And will you give her that heirloom aquamarine necklace you were saving for her?” another reporter inquired curiously.
“It’s already hers.”
The crowd was stunned once more.
Jennifer had this unique, priceless aquamarine necklace, with 98 tiny diamonds and one huge one, handed down from her mother on her eighteenth birthday.
It was a treasure passed from mother to daughter for five generations in her family.
She didn’t have a daughter, just a son, Romeo. She had mentioned before that this necklace would one day go to her daughter-in-law, and now she had given it away so soon!
This meant they too were absolutely smitten with the Collins’ girl!
Goodness gracious, what kind of magic did Serena have to win over the hearts of all four of them?
Mind-blowing.
“Her virtues could fill a book that never ends, and she’s got a big heart. Her first gift to me was a set of limited edition jewelry from QY and an all-you-can-shop card from them,” Jennifer continued.
Before anyone could process that, George chimed in, “She knew I was a fan of Labella’s work, and her first gift to me were six pieces of Labella’s calligraphy.”
There was a ripple of admiration through the crowd.The Collins’ girl was truly one of their own, generous to a fault!
Labella’s works were like finding a needle in a haystack. It was rumored some pieces had vanished from the market, and even with offers of thirty million dollars, no one would sell.
Yet, Serena gifted not one, but six pieces!
No wonder she had captured their hearts!
“Oh, and one more thing, every gift she gave us was bought with her own hard-earned money, not a dime from her family’s fortune,” Jennifer added, sending the crowd into a mix of doubt and awe.
Although Serena had won numerous awards and prize money, the idea of her casually dropping that kind of cash on gifts seemed a stretch.
“Mrs. McMillian has already gifted her most treasured aquamarine necklace to her future daughter-in-
law. Mr. McMillian, May I ask if you will, after their wedding, part with the emblematic gemstone key?” a reporter asked, digging for more.
Everyone knew George held a jewel-encrusted key, engraved with the McMillian family crest, stunning in design and priceless in value. It could unlock the McMillian family’s vault of secrets, and even the safety deposit boxes they held in international banks could be opened with this very key.
This key was a symbol of the McMillian family’s wealth and power.
But to everyone’s surprise, George said with a grin, “It’s already been given away.”
The room went electric with shock!
Everyone knew the value of that key.
And no one expected him to part with it so quickly!
“We adore our daughter-in-law,” George continued. “She’s been part of the family for ages. Jennifer and I travel the globe constantly, and in the event of an unforeseen mishap, she can use this key to inherit everything we’ve built.”
They chose to bypass their only son, entrusting their fortune to their daughter-in-law.
That spoke volumes about their trust in her!
The crowd was dumbstruck, and as the scene was broadcasted live, viewers at home were equally astonished and envious.
“Serena’s got one heck of a life, to be held in such high regard by the McMillians!”
“What’s her secret?”
“Love is real again for me.”
“Didn’t think love in the high society could be this sweet. I’ve gone full lemon-bitter today.”
“Super jealous! She’s living my dream!”
Meanwhile, Tomas and Donna stepped out of the third car, swarmed by reporters.When asked if they were pleased with their future niece by marriage, they said with affection, “Absolutely delighted.”
The media onsite and the live-stream viewers got even more sour.
Watching the family enter the hotel, eagle-eyed viewers noticed something else.
“Did you see? The whole McMillian clan’s wearing QY designer clothes. Money sure can buy style.
They’re all matching.”
“Looks like they’re fans of QY. But let’s be real, the brand does look amazing.”
At the For·ena Villa.
Serena woke up to a flood of messages.
“Serena, you’re topping the trending charts!”
“You’re so lucky, getting Shirley’s royal necklace, Mrs. McMillian’s sapphire necklace, and Mr.
McMillian’s jeweled key. They love you so much!”
“Since when are you a healer, Serena? You cured Phillip and Shirley’s illnesses? My grandma’s sick, can you help her too?”
“Is your wedding with Romeo happening sooner? I’m at the hotel entrance, there’s a swarm of reporters, and your relatives and neighbors are here too. Can you invite me in for a meal, to get a glimpse? I’m kind of an influencer now, told my followers we’re buddies. Some want me to live stream from inside, can you hook me up?”
Serena didn’t even finish reading all the messages but she had an inkling of what was going on.Back when she was with the Collins family, Kenneth and Louisa had mentioned throwing Mirabella a homecoming banquet more than once.
And now, the time had come.
She checked online and sure enough, the top trending topic was:
#CollinsFamilyHeiress#
Followed by: #CollinsFamilyPressConference#
And in third place: #McMillianFamilyAttendsCollinsPressConference#
The inevitable had finally arrived.
Serena shut her eyes, fighting the tumultuous waves churning in her chest.
Today was going to be Mirabella’s most dazzling day ever since she was a toddler!
And it was going to be Serena’s day of utter disgrace.
In that moment, all she hoped for was that the Collins family would remember old times and not tell the world that she was kicked out of the family.
Her phone buzzed again.
A college roommate was bombarding her with voice calls. Serena didn’t want to answer, but after a relentless barrage, she finally noticed that her friend had sent dozens of messages already.
Her friend was curious whether Serena was having the dinner with the McMillians, if it was sumptuous, and if she could spill the beans on what they were having. She was dying to know the dining habits of the wealthy.
Serena didn’t want to engage, but her friend was relentless. In the end, Serena shot back two words:
steak.
Steak. A common enough dish that wouldn’t give anything away.
Unbeknownst to Serena, this offhand reply would cause a stir online once her vain roommate screenshot it and posted it on social media.
The number two trending topic soon became: #CollinsFamilyHeiressReplies#Her roommate boasted on her own account about how generous Serena had been with her classmates, gifting them pricey skincare products, and how well the McMillians treated her. She claimed that Serena, because of their close relationship, confided in her that they had steak for the dinner!
Clark, sitting in his car, stumbled upon the trend and was at a loss for words when he recognized Serena’s profile in the screenshot.
“Why is she seeking attention now? Isn’t she afraid of her actions being exposed?”
“What’s going on?” David, intrigued by Clark’s reaction, checked the trend and was amazed at Serena’s vanity. She was no longer the Collins family heiress, yet she was pretending.
“Did we forget to block her? Maybe she saw what we posted on Facebook.” Clark then remembered that Serena was still on his friend list.
“Forget blocking. Let her be green with envy,” David didn’t care about such trivialities.
Anything that could bring a smile to Bella’s face was worth doing in their eyes!