Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Hans chimed in, “Bella’s already taken the helm of our fashion business. Those who’ve followed it know she’s revived the whole company. She’s a rare business prodigy in my eyes. If she’s up for it, she’s welcome to get involved in any part of our enterprise. If she wanted the whole group, I’d hand it over with a bow.”
Chasel said, “My line of work is hectic. I’d rather she does what she loves. Of course, I’d share my resources with her.”Sean declared, “What’s mine is hers. Whatever she wants, I’ll give.”
The room burst into applause once more.
Then, a bold journalist asked the audience, “Would you like to see a photo of Mirabella with Romeo?”
The suggestion was met with an eager uproar: “Yes!”
“Romeo! Romeo! Romeo.”
Today marked the grand homecoming soirée for his fiancée, and Romeo made it a point to give her all the limelight. Romeo lingered in the background, not wanting to steal her thunder. Romeo wanted the spotlight to shine solely on her, the true heiress of the Collins family returning to her rightful place.
Mirabella stood alone on stage, her beauty so captivating it seemed as if she were a masterpiece come to life.
Romeo took his time ascending the stage, aware that not only the guests but also the viewers on the live stream were buzzing with excitement.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m Mirabella’s fiancé, Romeo,” Romeo announced.
The room erupted with applause, and the online crowd couldn’t help but gush over the sweet moment.
Romeo’s gaze settled on Mirabella with tenderness and adoration that could not be mistaken.
The journalists were spellbound, their questions momentarily forgotten in the wake of such a display of affection.
But it didn’t take long for one eager reporter to stand on tiptoes and seize the opportunity to ask, “Mr.
McMillian, I bet a lot of people are curious—when are you two planning to tie the knot?”
The question sent another wave of applause through the room, everyone eager for Romeo’s reply.
“Bella’s still in school, but as soon as she gives the word, we’re ready,” Romeo paused, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Mirabella, “Personally, I’d like it to be sooner rather than later. I’m quite smitten with her and I long to wake up every morning with her by my side.”
The cheers were deafening, and the live stream comments went wild.A CEO’s public declaration of love—could it be any more perfect?
Mirabella was the envy of everyone, bathed in such sweet words.
“So, does this mean the wedding plans are underway?” the reporter pressed on.
“The venue is set, and we’ve custom ordered everything we need,” Romeo replied, “but the location is our little secret for now.”
The microphone was then extended towards Mirabella, “And what do you think would be the perfect time for the wedding?”
All eyes in the room landed on her.
“It depends,” Mirabella answered, maintaining her usual composure, but Romeo could see a hint of a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Was she showing a touch of shyness?
“You won’t have to wait too long,” she said, her words seeming to be directed personally at Romeo.
Not just Romeo, but the guests and online viewers alike were smitten with this sweet exchange.
The photographers went into a frenzy. Any questions about Mirabella were answered with enthusiasm.
The reporter was visibly shocked, “We all knew Mirabella as Summer, with that angelic voice, but who would’ve guessed she could compose.”
“She’s got another identity as Melody.”
Those words hit like a bombshell.
Mirabella was none other than the world-renowned pianist and composer, Melody.
It didn’t take long for the internet sleuths to uncover that a while back, David had released two hit singles, both crafted by Melody, her notes and lyrics keeping him on top of the charts.
Turned out, Mirabella had been writing for her brother all along.
“I knew it was her! I saw her at a piano awards ceremony once. Someone tried to rip off her piece and she set the record straight on stage!” a netizen spilled the beans.
“And this emerald bracelet,” Shirley said, flaunting the piece of jewelry on her wrist to the reporters, “Bella gave it to me.”
Connoisseurs in the crowd could tell that bracelet wasn’t dime-a-dozen; it was worth a fortune, probably around ten million.
The online buzz kept growing.
[I work at Collins Fashion, and Mirabella took over the family business the first month she was back, breathing new life into it. We all adore her. Even when she went back to school, she kept things running smooth as silk.][It’s no coincidence that Mirabella and Hans had meetings together. She’s got the same air about her.
Totally from the same family.]
[I remember when Serena and Mirabella visited the Collins Group. Some thought they were sisters separated at birth—one raised in the spotlight and the other groomed in secret to take over. Turns out, they got it all mixed up!]
[No wonder Mirabella was never a name dropped in high society. She was only recognized as part of the family six months ago.]
[Even though Mirabella was switched at birth, a couple of guardian angels took her under their wing, teaching her the ropes. She probably got houses and rare antiques. That’s why she was so nonchalant about all those lavish gifts when she came home—she was used to it.]
[Hasn’t anyone realized she’s the founder of Ar-Bl-Clear Skincare? When the brand took a hit from some scandal, she stepped up as the founder to clear the air!]
[And when Romeo took Mirabella out to McMllian Corporation for dinner, we thought he was cheating on Serena. Then Romeo’s mother showed up, and we thought she was there to catch a home-wrecker, but she sat with Mirabella. Looking back, it all makes sense.]
Meanwhile.
A swarm of reporters and photographers watched as the McMillian family and the Collins family got into their cars, cameras flashing non-stop.
Serena’s phone was blowing up with messages.
“So you were the one switched at birth? You’re not the Collins heiress.””So your last name is Lott, not Collins? Should I change your contact to Serena Lott?”
“Kicked out of a billionaire’s home. Does that make you poor now? No wonder you haven’t been flaunting on Facebook lately.”
“You’re heartless, stealing another girl’s place in a wealthy family!”
“Disgusting!”
Serena’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull when she saw those messages. She was absolutely livid!
Her college roommate couldn’t help but roast her, “You didn’t dine with the McMillians on steak. Why’d you lie to me! Now I’m getting dragged online because of you!”
She had been bragging about her close ties with the Collins heir and had boasted that Serena was sharing a New Year’s steak dinner with the McMillians. It had given her a nice little bump in popularity.
But her moment of glory was short-lived, as the trolls came out in full force to berate her!
Now, her comment section was flooded with over 500 insults!
[Could you be any more vain?]
Her roommate’s words had Serena fuming. She slammed her palm down on her phone and held down the voice message button, unleashing a tirade.
“You have the nerve to call me out? You asked what I had for dinner, and yeah, I had steak. But I never said it was with the McMillians. And what gives you the right to post our private conversation online without my permission? Are you nuts?”
Serena sent the message with a huff, only to find out she’d already been blocked!
She was ready to explode with rage. This damn roommate better hope they don’t cross paths after the holidays!
Just then, another trending topic hit the web.
#SerenaGetsDragged#Clicking through, Serena discovered her personal account had been invaded and she was getting ripped apart by online commenters.
Someone had even posted in her comments section: [Guys, I got Serena’s — sorry, ‘the drama queen’s’ — WhatsApp and phone number. Add her, blast her, I can’t stand her anymore.]
Because Serena had previously set her account to automatically accept friend requests, a legion of strangers had added her on WhatsApp and were spamming her relentlessly.
She scrambled to change her settings to require verification for new contacts, a simple task made nearly impossible as her phone rang off the hook. It took an agonizingly long time to regain control.
A barrage of hateful messages flooded in, with unread notifications topping 1000.
She’d never seen anything like this before, and in a panic, she shut off her phone, turning to Dora, “When is Martin getting back? Tell him I need a new number, stat!”
“I’ll message him right away,” Dora said, pulling out her own phone to contact Martin.
She felt like her heart was about to burst.
“Right away.”She instructed the staff to open the door, gazing at the remnants of her past life with the Collins: a bed she’d slept in, the mattress. Everything was still there, yet everything had changed. Serena closed her eyes, tears spilling over as she held back sobs before finally saying, “Take it all out and burn it.”
“Burn it?” Dora was taken aback. These were items Martin had taken special care to have shipped back. And now they were to be burned?
“Serena, honey, you’re still fuming. Maybe sleep on it before you make any decisions.” Dora couldn’t help but plead, worried about the regret that might come with hasty actions.
“Did I stutter when I said burn it? Or are you too now looking down on me, not even listening to what I say?”
Dora immediately bent forward in a bow, “No, of course not.”
Seeing Serena so livid, Dora had no choice but to beckon the security guys to help move the items to an open space on the estate and douse them with gasoline.
As Serena watched the flames consume her past, even the trophies she once took pride in turned to ash, disappearing before her very eyes.