Chapter 362 – Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family

Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family

Serena was dining with a few friends when she looked up to see Phillip leading Shirley out of the elevator. Her eyes lit up, and she was about to go greet them when she saw Romeo and Mirabella following them.

Romeo was whispering something to Mirabella, who responded quietly. They seemed to get along like a house on fire.

Even George and Jennifer, who were laughing and chatting with Mirabella as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, seemed to adore their future daughter-in-law.

Serena’s cutlery fell from her hand, her feelings a mix of shock, surprise, and disappointment.

Her friend Eileen, sitting next to her, nearly spat out her drink.

“Serena, look! Isn’t that Romeo? Why is he holding hands with another girl?”

At her words, the other girls hurriedly looked over; all of them were stunned.

“Who is that girl? She looks about our age.”

“Are the two behind them Romeo’s parents? Has her already met his parents??”

“Oh my god, Romeo is so out of line. He’s engaged to you, yet he’s entangled with another girl?’

“Arent the two in front Romeo’s grandparents? No, I must be seeing things. I thought Romeo’s grandmother was in a vegetative state.’

“Serena, isn’t Romeo your fiancé? What on earth is going on?”

Serena didn’t know how to answer all those questions and could only say somewhat gloomily, “Don’t ask.’

The other girls looked at her, their eyes filled with sympathy for her.

Catching her fiancé cheating would be a tough pill to swallow for anyone.

“Serena, men are like that. They party hard and play around before marriage, but they settle down afterward,’ One of them offered her point of view.

“You guys aren’t even officially married yet, let him go out and have his fun for a couple more years. By the time you graduate and become the lady of the McMillian family, let’s see if those girls still dare to approach him; Another one suggested.

“Well, he is Romeo after all. These girls are all over him, but doesn’t that just prove how outstanding he is?” Another one chimed in.

“Once he’s had his fun, he’ll realize that you’re the best, and he’ll focus all his attention on you,’ the last one assured her.

But those words of comfort didn’t help Serena at all. She looked up, her eyes filled with sadness, and asked, “If I wasn’t the heiress of the Collins family, would you all still be my friend?”

“Serena, what kind of question is that? We’re friends with you because of your kindness, not because of your family background!” One of them retorted.

“Yeah, look at the heiress of the Bradshaw family in our school, I don’t even bother to talk with her.’

“Serena, are you hiding something? If there’s anything troubling you, just tell us, and we’ll help you solve it.”

Serena wanted to speak up several times, but, in the end, she kept silent. She lost her appetite and just picked at her food.

On her way back to school, Serena received another call from Martha. Apparently, Romeo’s parents were coming to visit in a day or two.

Martha advised her to take a leave of absence to go home and make a good impression on Romeo’s parents, hoping to outshine Mirabella.

To turn the tide.

But recalling the laughing and chatting between Romeo’s parents and Mirabella, Serena knew that no matter how hard she tried, it seemed impossible to surpass Mirabella in their hearts as it seemed like they were happy with Mirabella.

Everyone in the McMillian family, from the grandparents to the aunts and uncles, seemed to have a soft spot for Mirabella.

Martha went on and on over the phone, urging her not to give up and to keep on trying her best. She even said that during Mirabella’s absence, their parents missed her and mentioned her more often than they did Serena.

That suggested that Mirabella’s status in their parents’ hearts had increased while her status had decreased.

Martha went on to say that if things continued like that, her place in the family would slowly be taken over by Mirabella.

“Serena, it’s not that I want to criticize, but you’re too kind. You’re trying to make amends with her, bringing her food and drinks, checking on her, but has she ever responded to your efforts? To be honest, she doesn’t need a sister right now. Your existence only threatens her place in the family. Serena, it’s time for you to wake up.

You’ve humiliated yourself, and all you’ve got in return is more and more disdain and contempt from your family.”

Martha’s words echoed in Serena’s mind. She didn’t know what she had done wrong and why it was so hard to change.

Did she still need to persevere?

The next afternoon, Mirabella arrived at the location Jennifer had booked as agreed.

It was a trendy restaurant where the large floor-to-ceiling windows allowed a close-up view of Astronisia’s biggest Ferris wheel. The beautiful seascapes were truly a sight to behold.

As soon as Mirabella stepped into the restaurant, she was noticed by a sharp-eyed girl.

“Hey, isn’t that Mirabella?”

The girl who was speaking was a friend of Cherry, who was sitting by the window with all her friends, enjoying their afternoon coffee. No one expected to bump into Mirabella there.

Cherry took a glance and sure enough, it was that little troublemaker!

Ever since she returned to the Collins family, that girl seemed to have plenty of spare cash to squander.

As Mirabella walked past Cherry’s table, someone knocked over two beautifully decorated cupcakes with their elbow.

If Mirabella hadn’t dodged in time, her shoes would have been stained by them.

“Mirabella? Are you blind? You destroyed our cupcakes. Pay for them:

Ignoring them, Mirabella stepped over the cupcakes on the floor, intending to leave.

“Are you deaf? I’m talking to you,’ Cherry’s voice attracted quite a bit of attention.

A friend blocked Mirabella’s way and sarcastically said, “So, you think you can damage other people’s stuff without paying. Can’t even say sorry? Seems like you are both deaf and dumb.”

Mirabella’s eyes suddenly turned cold as she retorted, “You don’t want your hand anymore?”

Remembering the night when Mirabella beat up Harley, the friend awkwardly retracted her hand, not daring to argue with her anymore.

“Is this how the Collins family raises their kids?” Cherry deliberately raised her voice, her tone aggressive, “Oh, I forgot, you just came back from a small town, you haven’t completely gotten rid of your uncivilized habits. I’m telling you, there’s no end to this matter without an apology and compensation!”

A quick-witted server rushed over and politely asked them, “Excuse me, what seems to be the problem here?”

“This girl ruined my cupcakes, I want her to apologize and pay, but she refuses to do so,” Cherry played the victim, “The standards of your restaurant have really dropped, letting in all sorts of riffraff.

It’s really ruining my mood.”

The server was confused and unsure of the situation.

“The cupcakes fell because of her, there’s video proof; Mirabella watched the whole thing with cold eyes as if she was watching a bunch of fools.

“Then go ahead and check the video!” Cherry had noticed that the only camera facing their table had been blocked by Mirabella’s figure, so her little elbow trick wouldn’t have been recorded.

The girls demanded the server to check the surveillance footage.

Although they couldn’t see who knocked over the cupcakes, they could see that they were indeed placed on the edge of the table.

As Mirabella passed by, the cupcakes fell.

“See? The cupcakes were perfectly fine on the table, but they fell as soon as she came, what does that tell you?”

Mirabella smirked, “The surveillance footage is very clear. As soon as I arrived, you deliberately extended your right elbow. Such a low-level trick, do you think the police wouldn’t be able to see through it if we brought this to them?”

A server nearby noticed the situation escalating and hurriedly brought over the restaurant manager.

The manager, after hearing the story, politely bowed, “Ladies, how about this? We’ll serve you new cupcakes, and let’s just put this behind us.”

“What is it to you? Get lost! I’m not letting this go today!” Cherry was adamant, looking down at Mirabella, “If you don’t want to apologize and pay, that’s fine, let me slap you once, and we’ll call it even.’

Mirabella found this amusing as she teased, “Are you crazy drinking coffee? You should go to the hospital and get your brain checked.’

Cherry stood up, blocking Mirabella’s path, “Today, I’m determined to slap you!!”

Just as she was about to strike.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you think you can just slap my daughter-in-law’s face whenever you feel like it?”

At that moment, a graceful lady approached, her exquisite features radiating an unworldly elegance.

She took Mirabella’s hand, offering support against the prying eyes of the surrounding crowd, her icy gaze fixed on the few trouble-makers.

“Mrs. McMillian? What brings you down here.’ The restaurant manager looked at her, his voice a mixture of surprise and respect. He just heard that this young woman was the daughter-in-law whom Mrs. McMillian had been expecting.

“I was bored in the suite, so I came down to fetch my daughter-in-law. Mr. Earl, I must say, I’m very disappointed to see you standing by while these people harass her.”

“Mrs. McMillian, you misunderstand. I was trying to keep the peace; these young ladies were the ones stirring the pot.’ Mr. Earl protested, his eyes holding a hint of frustration as he looked at the young women.

He had seen his fair share of troublemakers, but that was a whole new level! Cherry and her friends were in shock.

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