Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“I’m not.” Serena wiped her tears away, still in a huff.
“Look outside.”Serena didn’t understand what was so interesting outside. When she looked, she saw Clark with a backpack, opening the car door for Mirabella. It looked like they were going to go out and have fun with Romeo.
“You’re up here crying, and they’re all happy, about to walk the glass skywalk. What does that tell you?
Clark doesn’t care about your feelings.”
Serena’s jealousy flared uncontrollably.
“Do you know what the maid found when she cleaned Ms. Bella’s room this morning?”
“What?” Serena asked, huffily.
“Clark’s personal black card, right on Ms. Bella’s desk. What does that tell you? Clark has given his personal black card to Ms. Bella!”
Martha added fuel to the fire. “Has Clark ever done that for you?”
Hearing this, Serena felt even worse.
“Never mind how much Clark earns each year, just his monthly dividends from the Collins Group are more than he can spend. And it’s all for Ms. Bella! Serena, they are real siblings. There’s a difference between you and a stranger with no blood relation.”
Tears welled up in Serena’s eyes and began to roll down her cheeks.
“You heard it yourself; Martha started, “They’ve been giving spending money to Ms. Bella. They were bedridden for months, and the first thing they did when they woke up wasn’t to check on you, but to transfer money to Ms. Bella. What does that tell you?
They care more about their real granddaughter. To them, you’re nothing more than a stranger.”
Serena’s heart ached even more.
“They’re family, after all. Ms. Bella only visited them a few times, yet their bond is so strong. They text and call each other every day.
Look at your phone, how many messages, calls, or monetary transfers have they sent you since they woke up?”
The light in Serena’s eyes dimmed. The answer was none. Not a single one.
They hadn’t transferred any money to her, nor had they sent her a single message of care.
Martha sighed, “Serena, you’ve been protected too well all these years. You don’t understand the complexities of society and the wickedness of people. I’ve tried to warn you many times, but you wouldn’t listen. If you had been more realistic back then and fought for your share, you wouldn’t be left with nothing now.”
Serena looked at her blankly, “What share are you talking about?””Of course, I’m talking about the company dividends. Don’t you want to receive a monthly dividend from the company just like your brothers? It’s a substantial amount of money. And while your parents still hold a bit of affection for you, you could ask for more properties, more storefronts. Whatever you can get now is a bonus.
Your wedding gift will depend on their goodwill. Or at the very least, get them to buy you a few limited-edition supercars, branded bags, and luxury watches. If you ever need money, you can sell those for a good price.”
Serena’s eyes dimmed again, “But what I want is their love.”
“Oh, Serena! Can’t you see it yet? With Ms. Bella back, they won’t treat you the same way as before!
It’s better to secure some assets for yourself, at least you’ll have money!”
What’s the use of love!
Summerfield was one of the wealthiest cities in the country, where even a modest villa went for millions.
After eighteen years of relationship, wouldn’t Kenneth and Louisa be willing to give her a few villas?
And each of the storefronts in Summerfield cost tens of millions, an amount most people would have to work their entire lives to accumulate!
Now, all she needed to do was ask, but Serena refused!
She only cared about love!
Such a fool!
“Martha, I need some time alone.”The image of Clark opening the car door for Mirabella, lowering himself to do so, pained her.
“Alright, take your time to think.” Martha gently patted her shoulder, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side. Over the years, I’ve come to see you as my own daughter. I’ll be genuinely happy for your happiness.”
“Thank you, Martha.” Serena lifted her eyes and gratefully said, “Thank you for always considering things from my perspective for all these years. Sometimes, I even feel like you’re better than my real mom.”
“Serena, your words are too kind. And thank you for treating me like family all these years, giving me a sense of home.”
Martha choked up a bit, “Whatever decision you make in the end, I’ll support you. If you want to fight for your share, I’ll help you. If you just want a place in this family, I’ll stay with you.”
Moved, Serena couldn’t help but hug her and cry, “Martha.”
“Silly girl, don’t cry. Things aren’t at their worst yet.’ Martha comforted, “There’s always a chance.”
Everything lied in her decisions.
Whatever she wanted, she could definitely get.
Elsewhere.
Clark was holding an umbrella for his sister. It was autumn, but the day was still a bit hot, and there were many tourists.
He made his way through the crowded streets, took out a portable fan from his bag, and started fanning his sister.
“Bella, feeling hot? Fancy a drink?”
Clark wrapped a small fan around the umbrella handle, blowing it toward his sister. Then, he reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of lemonade, twisted off the cap and handed it over.
“Have a sip first.”
Romeo was surprised that Clark had so quickly found this brand of lemonade. While navigating through the thick crowd, he wiped a large rock clean, “Bella, let’s sit here for a bit.”
The place was packed. They hadn’t even made it to the entrance of the glass walkway.
Mirabella took a sip, lifting her pretty face to behold the dense crowd in front of her.
Although they hadn’t yet ascended the mountain, the scenery at the foot of it was quite pleasant, with lush trees and clear, azure waters.
Suddenly, a scream pierced through the air, scattering the crowd.
“Is that a body?”
“Seems like it. Oh my God, has someone been murdered?”
“Did it wash up from the sea?”
“Should we call the cops?”
Mirabella looked up to see a large bag on the shore, washed up by the waves. The bag had a hole in it, revealing something inside.Many were terrified, some retched, others quickly pulled out their phones to call the police.
“Bella, you stay here, I’ll check it out.”
Being a forensic scientist, Clark instinctively wanted to investigate.
Before he left, he handed the umbrella and fan to Romeo, reminding him to look after Mirabella.
Mirabella stood up to follow.
The onlookers formed a semi-circle around the bag on the beach, speculating wildly.
The bag was about the size of a person, tied up with a rope that was attached to a large rock. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was a murder.
Police rushed to the scene after receiving a call. Captain Allen’s eyes lit up when he saw Clark.
Clark was, after all, the Sherlock Holmes of forensics. His investigative skills far surpassing their own.
Bumping into him today meant this case was likely to be solved!
“Professor Clark, you’re here too?” Captain Allen hurried over to greet him.
Clark simply nodded, “You guys go ahead.”
Captain Allen had his men disperse the crowd, then shot photographs of the opened bag for evidence.
The body inside was highly decomposed, the face unrecognizable.
Some tourists couldn’t help but retch, others left with their children, leaving only the curious ones who watched from a distance.
“Captain Allen, we found a cell phone. Soaked in water for so long, the victim is probably dead.””Take it back and check,’ Captain Allen said, then turned to Clark, “Professor Clark, what do you think?”
“The victim is male.”
This was the clue Clark could discern at a glance. Beyond this, he wasn’t certain about anything else.
“Time of death is about six months.”
All heads turned toward the source of the voice. When Captain Allen saw the girl in the crowd, he was overjoyed.
“Bell, fancy meeting you here!”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.