Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
So close to her, Gordon could see the porcelain smoothness of her skin and her long lashes. His heartbeat was thunderous, and realizing his own awkwardness, he quickly said, “It’s alright, I’ll wait outside”
After handing her the blanket, he hurried onto the balcony.
The next morning dawned.
Mirabella was awakened by the sound of a phone call. As she lifted her gaze, she realized she had fallen asleep at some point, now wrapped in a soft, fuzzy blanket.
Looking towards the balcony, she saw the person there had finished their call and instinctively glanced her way.
Their eyes met briefly before Gordon quickly looked away.
He opened the balcony door, and the brisk, snowy air rushed in.
“Ms. Bella, you’re up. Mr. Griffith said Mrs. Griffith made it home safely. There’s no need to stay at the hospital.
Shall I take you back?”
“My aunt’s back?” Mirabella rose from her seat, “Alright, I’ll go see her.”
Her aunt had been staying with the enemy for so long. Mirabella worried about her aunt’s wellbeing and the severity of any possible injuries.After checking on the elderly patient in the bed and finding nothing amiss, Mirabella prepared to leave.
Passing by Gordon, she could feel the chill emanating from him. She glanced up, “Did you stay out on the balcony all night?”
“Ah-choo!” Gordon, caught off quard that Mirabella noticed such a small detail, explained, “It’s not proper for a man and a woman to stay in the same room. I didn’t want Mr. McMillian to get the wrong idea.”
Mirabella nodded, “Well, make sure to take some cold medicine when you get back.”
“Will do.”
Gordon snuck another glance at her retreating figure, though in truth, it was because being alone with her made his heart race too fiercely. He needed to step outside to calm his nerves.
Half an hour later.
As Mirabella returned to the manor, Bard was just coming downstairs.
“Bella, you had a rough night. Your aunt is back safe and sound, and she’s already resting. You should get some sleep too,” he said with concern.
“How was last night?” Mirabella’s voice had barely faded when she noticed Bard’s left hand wrapped in a bandage.
“Just a scratch, nothing serious. Your aunt’s safe return is worth far more than this. I’d take a hundred more wounds for that.”
Bard summarized the previous night’s skirmish with a single sentence, “Mafia Rock is history now.”
Mirabella understood, “Is my aunt okay? Should I go check on her?”
“She’s fine,’ Bard’s eyes softened as he spoke of his wife. “Frank caught some shady characters lurking nearby.
They’re locked up now. I’m going to check it out. If they’re part of Alexander’s remnants, I won’t let them off easy.
“I’m coming with you.”
Mirabella followed Bard, and from a distance, she saw Frank standing guard at the basement door.
Upon seeing Bard and Mirabella, Frank greeted them with respect.
“Sir, Ms. Bella, these are the same guys who clashed with us over the diner last time. They were the ones who threatened us, saying that even the almighty wouldn’t stand in their boss’s way. They said if their boss was pleased, she might spare us ‘mutts’ our lives, but if not, we’d be the ones without a place to rest in peace.”
Bard recalled the incident.Last time Frank had asked who their boss was, and the reply was cheeky.
At that moment, one of the captives woke up. Hearing Bard’s order for interrogation, the man blurted out, “Where is this? Do you think this shabby room can hold me? Wait until I get out of here and show you.”
That familiar voice and tone made Mirabella push through the crowd for a better look. It was Jack!
Jack was stunned to see her, “Boss, you came to rescue me so soon! I knew you wouldn’t abandon me.”
Bard, Frank, and Gordon exchanged bewildered glances. If they weren’t mistaken, this quy just called Mirabella “boss”?
What was going on?
Feeling her husband’s gaze, Mirabella smiled and interjected, “Friendly fire.”
“You, you, you’re saying I’m on the same side as this guy?” Jack was in disbelief.
Frank was equally surprised. The person who had beaten him and his subordinates black and blue last time was one of Ms. Bella’s subordinates.
“Bella, what other secrets are you keeping? What else don’t I know?” Bard asked with a teasing smile.
Jack was shocked. It was like a family feud, but could it be that the silver-masked man was Bard’s subordinate?
Talk about a misunderstanding.
Eventually, Jack and his crew were released, and Mirabella revealed her “Mr. Bryant” identity to Bard.”You’re Mr. Bryant?” Bard was astounded.
No wonder he found the fighting style of the girl he saw previously so familiar. It was the same person!
He never thought Mr. Bryant to be a girl. After all, the last time he saw Mr. Bryant was Mr. Bryant dressed in a black suit like a man.
“Uncle Bard, my boss has had a tough life. She became our leader to protect us, to keep us from being pushed around. Don’t think badly of her because of her identity. She’s done a lot of good in her life.”
Jack affectionately called Bard ‘uncle’ and didn’t forget to add, “Uncle Bard, we’re hungry.”
“You sure make yourself at home,’ Mirabella teased.
“Ain’t your home ours too?” Jack chuckled.
Bard laughed heartily, “I’ll have the kitchen whip up something. Frank didn’t go easy on you, did he? No serious injuries, I hope.”
“Like he’s any match for us.” Jack glanced over at Frank with a smirk.
If Frank hadn’t pulled that sneaky move and knocked them out cold, who knew who would have come out on top?
Frank bit back the urge to give Jack a thorough pounding after hearing that.
On their way to the restaurant, Jack was utterly gobsmacked by Bard’s lavish estate, his compliments spilling out one after another, much to Bard’s amusement, who laughed heartily, clearly in high spirits.
Bard, still chuckling, told them to make themselves at home and take a look around before turning to Mirabella, “Bella, come with me for a moment, would you?”
Mirabella shot Jack a look that said ‘behave yourself before following Bard’s steps.
“Bella, do you remember that a long time ago, you saved me?” he asked.
Mirabella was taken aback, seemingly unable to recall the event.
“Back then, I’d heard about a place by you guys. It is full of miraculous herbs. Since a bunch of top-
notch doctors couldn’t do a thing for your grandparents, I decided to take a risk and have a look, hoping to find something worthwhile, so I led a group there. Even though I’d heard the place was a bit rough, I thought we’d be safe with enough hands. I didn’t expect to walk into an ambush. You were the one who showed up and saved every last one of us. I didn’t lose a single man.”
Now it clicked for Mirabella. In those times, several powerful factions dominated the area, and countless unknown groups sprouted up like mushrooms after the rain, all vying for territory and resources.Anyone unfamiliar who stepped foot in there became a target.
Mirabella had intervened when she saw her uncle’s men cornered — not just out of solidarity for a fellow Solterran, but also to set an example to the other factions. Those under her protection were untouchable.
“Turns out, our paths had crossed long before, Bard said with a warm gaze, “Considering even my men couldn’t stay there long, how did you manage all these years? I heard from Jack that you’ve been through a lot.”
“It’s nothing. Which young person hasn’t faced hardships?”
“The Collins and the Griffith families owe you so much, allowing you to go through all those trials for no good reason,’ Bard said, his voice tinged with quilt.
“But it’s those very trials that have shaped a better me. You shouldn’t blame yourself, Uncle Bard.”
Thanks to those experiences, she had met influential people, learned invaluable skills, and was able to help many more.
Bard realized she was truly understanding and possessed a broad perspective. He looked at her with admiration and fondness.
“Louisa would be proud to have a daughter like you.”
In the afternoon.
After Jack and his crew headed back, it wasn’t long before he called Mirabella.
“Boss, those guys in black at the restaurant have finally spilled the beans. They’re not Alexander’s men. They came for you.”Mirabella was somewhat surprised.
“They had no idea that the man dining with you that night was Dawnstar’s big shot Bard Griffith. They said if they had known, they wouldn’t have dared make a move in his presence. Now, they’re being hunted down.
They’re at a dead end!”
Mirabella listened quietly as he continued.
“They’re saying they’ll spill everything they know, just asking for safe passage back home in exchange for their lives””
After all, crossing Bard on his own turf either meant safe passage home, or they’d rather Jack lock them up for life than face certain death outside.
“Boss, are they out of their minds? Just think about it. Why on earth would we cross Bard for a few lowlifes like them? Lucky for us, Bard’s your uncle. I pretended to agree to their terms and got some intel out of them.
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.