Filed to story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Mirabella motioned for them to leave.
Celeste clung to the body of her daughter, her voice choked with emotion as she began to sing, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.”
This was Crystal’s favorite song when she was little, the first song she learned on the piano.
As Celeste sang, she was reminded of her daughter’s lively and adorable figure. Tears streamed down her face as she continued, “Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.”
The girl on the bed was now motionless, her hands starting to turn cold.
Celeste touched her hand, feeling her fading warmth, and suddenly let out a gut-wrenching cry.
Her daughter was gone.
Her precious girl, whom she had raised, was suddenly gone.
Gone for real.
Really gone.
Celeste was devastated, unable to bear this enormous loss.
At that moment, Louisa’s phone vibrated incessantly.
She didn’t want to answer it, but the caller was relentless, calling repeatedly.She was forced to swipe the screen, holding back her tears, only to hear the voice on the other end.
“Hello, is this Mrs. Collins? The CVO Fashion Medicinal Elixir that Crystal ordered for you has arrived in Summerfield. Are you home right now? Can we deliver it?”
The CVO Fashion Medicinal Elixir was exclusive to the royal family.
Kenneth had worked himself too hard when he was young, and now suffered from aching shoulders and neck.
Sometimes, the pain kept him up at night.
A month ago, Crystal had pulled some strings and pre-ordered a decade’s worth of medication, which would be delivered annually to Reflections Villa.
When Louisa picked up the phone, she broke down into uncontrollable tears. The maturity and empathy of Crystal cut into her heart like a sharp knife.
“Mrs. Collins? What’s wrong?” The person on the other end of the line was utterly confused by Mrs.
Collins”
sudden outburst, their voice filled with concern. “Hello, Mrs. Collins, are you okay?”
Seeing that Louisa’s wave of sorrow was far from over, Mirabella excused herself to change out of her sterile suit and sanitize her hands.
Romeo prepared a bowl of warm soup, ready to serve it to her as soon as she came back. “Here, drink some.”
From last night at 10 o’clock to tonight, Mirabella had been working for a straight 21 hours without a break, either trying to save Crystal or Carol.
In between, she had barely had a bottle of milk, let alone a chance to sit down or catch her breath.
Seeing the tired redness in her eyes, Romeo murmured sympathetically, “The chef has prepared dinner fresh.
Let me feed you.”Mirabella drank a bow! of soup, already feeling somewhat exhausted. “I’ll speak to Clark for a bit. Then I’ll leave”
“Alright.”
Romeo thought to himself that the girl must be completely worn out, too tired to eat, which made him feel even more sympathetic.
“Bella, Louisa noticed that her daughter looked quite haggard, hastily wiped away her tears and lovingly said, “You must be exhausted. I’ll have the driver take you home, and I’ll ask the chef to prepare whatever you’d like for dinner. What do you fancy?”
“No need to go to any trouble. Romeo has already taken care of it. But Clark…
Mirabella glanced at the man sitting in the corner of the room, his shoulders hunched, as if he had fallen into a deep pit of despair and couldn’t pull himself out.
“Leave Clark.” Louisa said, seeing his distraught state, “You shouldn’t worry about him. Mr. and Mrs.
Alger must be very upset. Your father and I will stay here with them. You go on home.”
“I’m sorry to have put you through this” Kenneth said, filled with guilt.
“It’s no trouble.”
Mirabella went over to Clark, crouched down beside him and gently consoled, ‘Let it all out. Crying will help.”
Clark looked up, his eyes bloodshot and filled with confusion. “Why?”
Why did those men have to be so cruel to Logan, Taylor, and Crystal?They had three hostages. Why weren’t they simply using them to force him, or Carol, or Bella to show up?
Why did they have to torment those three hostages so mercilessly?
What did they gain from all this?
“Before, they wanted to capture the people close to us to force us to reveal ourselves,’ Mirabella explained in a soft voice. “But that’s not the case anymore.”
Clark looked at her, his eyes red and swollen, not quite understanding.
“It seems like they want to see the people close to us die one by one, to make us suffer the pain of losing our loved ones.”
Carol was seen as a “traitor” by them. If they couldn’t capture her, they’d harm the people around her, which would also cause Carol to suffer.
And Mirabella was targeted by them because she had “meddle” in their affairs multiple times and helped Carol escape.
Of course, they wouldn’t let Clark off the hook either. It was because Carol was with Clark that she had the idea of “betrayal”, wanting to leave them and stay with Clark till the end.
“The next target is those close to me,’ Mirabella stated calmly, her demeanor detached as if the subject at hand was unrelated to her.
It was at this point Clark realized why his sister had been so reluctant to reveal her identity as the heiress to the Collins family fortune.
Not to mention, her aid to Carol had brought her immense trouble and danger. Just her status as the head of the family meant she had to keep a low profile.
If everyone knew her true identity from the start, those who couldn’t capture her would naturally target her friends and family.
Her family was always surrounded by bodyguards and her own men discreetly protected their parents.
However, not all friends and family were constantly protected. There were always oversights and moments of vulnerability.
With Mirabella’s power, she could protect a portion of the people around her, but how could she possibly protect them all?
“We all need to be careful next’ Clark warned hoarsely, “I will find their IP addresses, bring them to justice, and avenge them.”
“Right, Mirabella replied gently, “I’ve given Caral the antidote. We didn’t have time for a final test, but it’s better than nothing. Carol should wake up in 24 hours. I overheard the nurses say she heard your conversation with Mom and Dad. You should think about how to comfort her.”
“Thanks,’ Clark responded gratefully, his eyes reddening, “Without you, I wouldn’t know what to do.”“Just call me if you need anything.”
Although under normal circumstances, Carol wouldn’t wake up tonight.
Just in case.
Mirabella wanted to clarify it beforehand.
“I should go now, Mirabella announced, standing up, “I’ll leave this to you.”
“Don’t worry.”
Mirabella left with Romeo.
After a busy 21 hours, she finally checked her phone in the car.
There were many missed calls and unread messages, mostly from her uncle, grandmother, and May.
Sampson: [Bella, have you arrived at Reflections Villa? Are you tired from the twelve-hour flight?)
Belinda: [You just left, and I misses you already. Do you still like the gift? I didn’t have much time, so I wasn’t sure what to get for you. I heard your parents and uncle bought you a lot of clothes and bags, so gifting those seemed redundant. The box contains a small token of my affection, I hope you like it.]
May: [Ms. Bella, have you arrived at Reflections Villa? The old lady has been missing you a lot during your absence. I miss you too, and look forward to your next visit.]
After she replied to their messages, her phone vibrated again before she could open the box from her grandma.
It was Sampson.”Bella, your mother told me there was an incident at the Temple family’s place. You performed surgery on their daughter right after getting off the plane last night. You also saved another person, and have been busy for 21 hours straight.”
Mirabella, sensing her uncle’s concern, reassures him, “I’m not tired.”
“You silly girl, always throwing yourself into others’ problems without taking care of yourself. When you get home, eat something, take a shower, and rest well. don’t wear yourself out.”
Before Sampson could finish, Belinda took the phone, “Bella, I am going to nag one more time. You must eat something first, get a massage if your hands are sore, take a good shower, and relax in bed.
Don’t wear yourself out, or I will be heartbroken.”
“Alright, got it.”
“Get some rest, Granny. I’ll hang up now.’ After ending the call, Belinda sighed deeply. “She could really use a massage right about now.”
