Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Carol’s heart warmed. She and Clark were so lucky to have such a caring and capable sister.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at Crystal’s grave site, where a large bouquet of ice-blue roses had already been placed.
Alger and Celeste had been there earlier, leaving behind an assortment of Crystal’s favorite treats.Carol bowed down and began to share updates about her and Clark’s life, as well as how her aunt and uncle were doing.
The girl in the photo on the tombstone wore a blooming smile, seemingly listening to Carol’s stories. As Carol spoke, a wave of emotion hit her, and tears welled up in her eyes. She promised the smiling girl that she would take good care of her aunt and uncle, and slowly help heal the wounds in their hearts.
Mirabella bowed, murmured some words and it wasn’t until an hour had passed that they set off to pay respects at the resting place of Carol’s adoptive parents.
The plan was originally to visit them the next day, but as Carol pondered, she realized that New Year was fast approaching. She wanted to knit some cozy towels and scarves for her aunt and uncle, and time was running out.
As evening fell, Betty found Serena had fever; hastily, she went to Louisa, “Mrs. Collins, I went to deliver Ms. Serena’s dinner and found her burning up with fever. May I call Dr. Osmond to check on her?”
Louisa, in the midst of a manicure, heard her words and responded in a nonchalant air without even looking up, “I sent her to the guesthouse to reflect, not to take her life. Call the doctor if you must.”
Betty was taken aback by Louisa’s cool and even a bit careless demeanor, a stark contrast to the flurry of worry she’d typically display if Serena so much as sneezed.
Without a moment to waste, Betty hurriedly called Dr. Osmond. After ending the call, she reported back, “Dr. Osmond will be here in half an hour. I’ll go ahead and apply some fever patches to Ms.
Serena.”
“Okay,” Louisa’s attention was still firmly on her nails, as if this trivia was a ripple too small to disturb the calm surface of her day.
Betty was shocked by her lack of concern but knew better than to comment.
Meanwhile, Serena lay in bed as her phone pinged with a news alert. It was about a sensational collaboration between the enigmatic star Summer and chart-topping singer David at a recent concert.
Last night it was the first time Summer arrived there as an airborne guest, and also for David, it was thefirst time he released his song for his sister. Hence, it had taken the internet by storm. Praise poured in for their voices, their style, their talent, declaring their performance flawless; every detail and every line of the lyrics were considered impeccable.
In a huff, Serena tossed her phone aside, her headache worsening.
“Ms. Serena, I’ve got the fever patches!” Betty rushed in, pressing the cool adhesive to Serena’s forehead, “Dr. Osmond will be here shortly; just hang on.”
“Did you bring these without telling my parents? You shouldn’t bother. I don’t want you to get in trouble on my account,” Serena feigned concern.
“Mrs. Collins knows. I’ve informed her and she gave the green light to call the doctor.”
Serena hadn’t expected to catch Betty out so easily. There was still leverage with her parents; they still cared enough to send a doctor!
Gleefully, Serena played it down, “I didn’t want to worry Mom. Next time, don’t mention it to her. I’d hate for her to lose sleep over me.”
“Mrs. Collins wasn’t really that worried. She continued her manicure and barely glanced at me when I told her,” Betty tucked Serena in.
Hearing this, Serena felt a pang of disappointment and surprise. Her own mother seemed indifferent to her sickness.
Just then, Betty, who’d been delivering meals to Serena for the past couple of days, realized she hadn’t seen any laundry out to dry.
“Ms. Serena, where are your dirty clothes?” she couldn’t help but inquire.Distractedly, Serena replied, “I haven’t washed them yet,” her thoughts were still fixated on her mother’s reaction.
Although the apartment was rarely bustling with guests, it boasted a few washer-dryer combos and a sophisticated vacuum-mop hybrid machine. Yet, Serena hadn’t the slightest clue how to operate any of them.
Her worn clothes were simply tossed into the hamper, unwashed; the floors remained unswept and unmopped. Betty, upon entering the room, noticed strands of hair littering the floor, and the trash bin brimming to the top. It was once a time when Serena’s quarters were cleaned twice daily, kept spotless and orderly.
It was beyond belief that Mr. And Mrs. Collins hadn’t arranged even a single maid to tidy up for Serena.
Now, with Serena under the weather, her laundry was piling up – she’d have nothing to wear by tomorrow!
“Ms. Serena, let me wash these clothes for you.”
Some of Serena’s garments were quite expensive, and hand-washing them could be gentler than the rough tumble of the machine.
A shadow passed over Serena’s eyes, but she feigned resilience, “It’s okay. I’ll wash them once I’m better.”
“You’re sick; you need to rest up. It’s almost New Year after all. Your health’s the priority.”
With efficient grace, Betty laundered the clothes and hung them to dry on the balcony. To avoid disturbing Serena, she opted out of using the vacuum-mop and instead, swept the floors clean with a broom before mopping them with a steam mop – Serena had a fear of the germs in a conventional mop.
Watching Betty bustling about, Serena realized the value in winning over such a diligent maid, if only to ease her own burdens.Betty also meticulously wiped down every surface in the room with a cloth. It wasn’t until Dr. Osmond called that she descended the stairs to receive him.
Though Dr. Osmond found it odd that Serena was staying in the guesthouse and even more peculiar that her parents weren’t there with the ailing girl, he never pried into the affairs of the wealthy.
After examining Serena, he respectfully offered, “You’ve come down with a cold, Ms. Serena. I’ll prescribe some medicine; you should be better in a couple of days.”
“Thank you, Dr. Osmond.”
“Dr. Osmond, let me see you out,” after escorting the doctor away, Betty prepared some warm water for Serena to take her pills. Seeing Serena in tears, she was startled, “What’s wrong, Ms. Serena? Is the water too hot? My fault, I didn’t check the temperature.”
Serena shook her head weakly, her eyes brimming with tears, “I just miss my parents, wondering when they’ll forgive me. Whenever I was sick before, my mom would be so worried, her eyes red, wishing she could take my place. My dad would pace back and forth, wishing I could bounce back to health in an instant.”
Betty, touched by the stark loneliness surrounding them, eventually left the apartment to seek out Louisa. At that moment, Louisa had just finished her evening bath and was sitting before her vanity, indulging in her skincare routine.
Impatient with Louisa’s leisurely demeanor, Betty couldn’t help but say, “Mrs. Collins, Dr. Osmond has seen Ms. Serena, saying she’s got a cold and needs to take cold medicine for a couple of days to get better. She’s in a lot of distress, crying pitifully, missing you. Could you spare a moment to visit her?”
“I’m off to bed.” Louisa replied indifferently, “Everyone has their aches and pains. Bella runs the company even when she’s ill, starving through surgeries that last over a dozen hours.””But this is different, Ms. Serena’s all alone. Can’t you at least send her a message, show some concern?”
“How I handle things is my business.”
Seeing that Louisa was unmoved, Betty bowed her head, “I’ve spoken out of turn. Rest well, Mrs.
Collins. I’ll check on Ms. Serena early tomorrow to see if she gets better. I’ll take my leave now.”
Once Betty had left, Louisa resumed applying her night cream.
Kenneth was watching the news. He didn’t expect his daughter and son’s concert had taken the local community by storm, and he couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between Betty and his wife moments earlier. He turned to his wife, “Did Serena get up early to make us breakfast and catch a cold in the process?”
“You didn’t notice? We sent her next door to reflect on her behavior, and she’s been busy flipping between cooking and writing letters. After finding they don’t work, now she claims she’s caught a cold.”
Kenneth was a bit taken aback, “Are you suggesting she’s faking it? But hasn’t Dr. Osmond checked?
Perhaps we should ask him?”
“No need for that. If Serena’s set on being sick, she’ll cover her tracks well.”
“So you’re saying she’s playing the martyr? Pretending to be sick just to get our attention?”
Louisa paused from her nightly skincare routine and stood up, moving toward the bed, “It certainly appears that way. Let’s see what her next move is.”
Louisa had hoped for genuine reflection from Serena, but it seemed all she was plotting was how to return to the main house.
Influenced by Martha, no doubt. Even in this bitter cold, the girl had the audacity to risk her own health.
If she didn’t spare herself, who else would she spare in the future?
Serena had shed plenty of tears in front of Betty. Now, as she waited for quite a prolonged time, no one came to check on her. It was only after a while that Betty sent her a message – Louisa had been informed of Serena’s condition but had no intention of visiting. She even thought Betty was officiousness as a mere servant.Serena’s heart grew colder with each passing moment. She couldn’t believe it. Not breakfast, nor letters, nor even a fever could sway her parents. They had changed; their hearts turned stone-cold.
She screenshot Betty’s message and sent it to Martha, saying. [I wore just a thin blouse and froze for five hours in the courtyard, hoping to move them. But it seems they have no place for me in their hearts anymore.]
Martha was stunned by the message. Under normal circumstances, Serena’s parents would’ve been at her bedside at the first hint of illness, showering her with love and comfort. It was impossible they just standing by.
[New Year is few days away. Before Mom and Dad would call the designer over to tailor new outfits for the whole family. But till now, there hasn’t been any news.]
Normally around this time, the designer had already come to their house, because during the New Year, a lot of relatives would pay them a visit. Serena would change up to nine times a day, but now, she wasn’t even sure if she could wear one for New Year.
In the previous time, her outfits were always able to impress all the people present, the envy of friends and family. Just thinking about the scene would make her gloat in satisfaction. But this year, it was probably Mirabella who might just steal the spotlight.
How was she going to do? She certainly couldn’t bear letting it happen!! She would never allow Mirabella to upstage her!
[Martha, please help me. What can I do to make my parents forgive me?] Serena sent another message to Martha.
After a tense wait, Martha’s reply came through. It was a plan – a good one. It was exactly what Serena needed to do.
The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Mirabella sat down for breakfast, ready to take on the day. As she reached to the door, Louisa called out in a rush.
“Bella, do you have a busy day at work today? When will you be back?”
Perhaps sensing her daughter’s hesitation, Louisa quickly added, “You know, with the holidays around the corner, we used to get new outfits made for the occasion. This year, your dad and I thought it would be fun to go for matching family outfits. What do you think?”
Mirabella looked at her mother, then at her father Kenneth, who was practically wearing his hope on his sleeve.
“You mean the whole family wearing matching outfits?”
“Yes! Just imagine how cozy and loving that would look!” Louisa’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, while Kenneth looked eagerly at Mirabella.
“Your brothers always thought it was too childish and never wanted to join in, but this year could be different. If you’re in, they’ll surely be fighting to wear them too.”
“I know you have a real knack for design, but let’s have others handle the new clothes. You should take it easy.”
“That’s right. We don’t want you to worry about these things. Just want your opinion. What do you think about us wearing matching outfits for the New Year?”
Mirabella finally said, “I’m fine with it.”
“Wonderful!” Louisa’s face lit up with joy, “So when will you be back? I’ve arranged for a group of designers to come over. They’ll take our measurements, pick out the fabrics, and offer some creativeideas on the spot. We were hoping you could be there since we’d like to prioritize your input for the family outfits.”