Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Just visiting a friend. She hurt her ankle.”
“Which friend? Do I know her?”
“A good friend. You haven’t met her.”
Mirabella looked up and saw Ophelia hobbling towards her with the aid of a crutch. Probably having spotted her arrival on the security camera, she couldn’t wait to greet her.
“I’ll introduce you two next time.”
Romeo’s heart warmed at his fiancée’s words. “Alright, just don’t stay out too late. Hit me up when you get back to the hotel.”
“Sure thing, bye.” Hanging up, Mirabella saw Ophelia approaching her, who looked as if she wished to fly. As soon as they were just a few paces apart, Ophelia discarded her crutch to embrace her.
“It’s been too long,” Ophelia beamed with a radiant smile.
Usually, her eyes held a frosty reserve, making her seem untouchable, but when she smiled, the frost in her eyes melted right away, and her breathtaking beauty was revealed.
“Abandoning the crutch?” Mirabella chuckled. “Is it that serious? And here you said it was nothing.”
“I’ll be fine in a few days,” Ophelia said cheerfully, with her eyes fixed on Mirabella. “You must be starving. I had some delicious dishes prepared. Come on, you’re going to love them.”
Mirabella picked up the crutch from the ground. With an air of serene grace, she smiled and assisted Ophelia towards the house. “Now that you mention it, I could eat.”
“Why don’t you spend the night with me? It’s been ages since anyone kept me company.”
The villa was quiet, inhabited only by Ophelia and the household staff. Their mutual friends, like Kelly and the others, were often too busy to visit.
“I didn’t bring a change of clothes.”
“That’s hardly a problem. I’ve got plenty of brand-new clothes here. Take your pick. We’re about the same size.” Ophelia didn’t want Mirabella to leave so soon.
Seeing the earnestness in her offer, Mirabella agreed.
The dining table was laden with an array of mouthwatering dishes. After the staff had greeted Mirabella and bowed out, the two friends were left alone at the large table.
“This is your celebratory feast,” Ophelia said as she poured some tea and video-called their other friends. “Guess who’s here?”
“You and Mirabella together?” Kelly exclaimed, both surprised and incredulous. “What are you eating? It looks delicious.”
“I’m still wrapped up over here, and you guys are having a midnight snack? Last time I visited, you didn’t prepare anything near as nice,” another friend with long hair teased.
“Yeah, I didn’t get this treatment either,” added another, her short hair bobbing as she feigned offense.
“Today, Bella did me a solid, so this is her victory banquet! Even though you’re not here, there’s nothing to stop us from raising our glasses and toasting to the good times. Cheers, everyone!”
Kelly, who was in her bedroom, picked up a glass of water from her bedside table. “To Bella, the best of us,” she lifted her glass and declared.
The rest of the girls joined in with whatever they had on hand—juice, soda, bottled water—and they all shared a lively toast, their laughter spilling through the screens.
“Come on, you’ve got to give Bella more than just a bite to eat after the massive favor she did for you,”
teased the long-haired girlfriend with a playful smirk.
“Seriously, Bella, don’t be shy. Just take what she gives you and enjoy it,” another friend chimed in.
“A gift less than 10 million just doesn’t cut it for Bella’s special trip, right?” Kelly added with a mischievous laugh.
“Bella isn’t like you money-grubbers,” Ophelia said with a smile as she turned to Mirabella, “She helped me out big time, for free! That’s what a true friend is. You all could learn a thing or two.”
The group teased her about being stingy and tightfisted.
“A friend is meant to be fleeced, is that it?”
“The esteemed Ms. Almond being so penny-pinching with her true, heart-and-soul friend?”
“Bella, once she comes home, we’ll take her out and treat her to a feast on your behalf.”
The girls continued to laugh and joke until Ophelia said, “Alright, enough chatting. The food’s getting cold, and I’ve got some juicy secrets to share with Bella.”
She ended the video call and eagerly loaded Mirabella’s plate with food.
Mirabella looked at the mountain of food in her bowl, with her eyes sparkling, “That’s enough.”
“There’s more folks outside grilling up. Once we’re done here, let’s head to the backyard for a bit more to eat. We can huddle up by the fire pit and warm up,” Ophelia said excitedly. “I heard tonight’s race was absolutely electrifying – the top level in the field of the car racing.””That’s an exaggeration,” Mirabella said, with her lips curving into a smile and her eyes alight with amusement.
“I heard Harlan was so frustrated by your driving that he lost all composure and made a spectacle of himself. With you behind the wheel, the trophy was as good as ours.”
Ophelia had seen Mirabella’s driving skills firsthand. Once, when an assassin had targeted Mirabella, Ophelia had been with her. To protect Ophelia from getting involved, Mirabella had displayed her driving skills, which was nothing short of breathtaking.
They’d also raced cars privately a few times. Even though Mirabella always went easy on her, Ophelia could tell that Mirabella was leagues above her.
For others, racing was thrilling and fun; but for Mirabella, she drove like a pro only to escape danger and stay alive.
That’s why she kept such a low profile, not wanting people to know about her many talents.
“Daydreaming?” Mirabella’s long lashes fluttered, wearing a soft smile which denoted the intimacy of friendship.
“No. Just thinking about what Candice said. She said Harlan was so outclassed that he forced their team captain to step in, only to be beaten by you. For him, it’s got to be the ultimate humiliation.”
Mirabella seemed surprised, “That captain is that good?”
“An internationally renowned racer, who kept undefeated in so many races. People only know him as Sean because all the drivers wear helmets, and no one has seen his real face. He usually doesn’t bother with these underground races.”
Ophelia’s curiosity got the better of her. “Did you see his face tonight? What does he look like?”Without hesitation, Mirabella replied dismissively, “Pretty punchable.”
“He must be really annoying then.”
“He even asked about you.”
Ophelia was taken aback.
“You know him?” Mirabella’s gaze settled on her.
Completely confused, Ophelia replied, “Not at all. Could it be he’s noticed me because I wanted to win his track and open it to the public? Oh no, what if he holds a grudge against me? Do you know why so many people fear the Drift Kings? Even with Harlan messing up all the time, no one dares cross him because he’s got Sean backing him up.”
Before Mirabella had set foot in Belloria, she hadn’t even heard of someone named Sean.
But Ophelia seemed serious when she said, “I’ve heard this Sean guy is bad news. No one dares to cross him, and nobody really knows what his deal is.”
Mirabella didn’t know either, and she wasn’t exactly fond of the kind of guy who played women and acted like he owned the place.
“You know what? You totally knocked the socks off my crew tonight,” Ophelia continued. “When you first told them that the only things you knew about driving were going forward, reversing, and braking, they were scared out of their minds.”
Mirabella just smiled softly.
“And then you said you’d never raced before, but the moment you hit the track, you left everyone’s jaw on the floor. Now they’re all bugging me, asking if you’ll join the team. They don’t care if you’re a coach or not; they’ve got a ton of questions to ask you.”
Mirabella chuckled, “So, are you planning to hire me, Ms. Almond?”
“I wish I could afford that!” Ophelia quickly said, knowing Mirabella had many talents. “I told them that even a minute of your time costs a fortune. You should’ve seen their faces—hilarious!”
They both laughed and clinked glasses, chatting away while they enjoyed their meal.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town.
Steward approached Sean, nervous as a cat and barely daring to breathe.Sean sat in a plush armchair in his private club, sipping a drink and gazing out at the shimmering swimming pool.
No one could tell what he was thinking.
“Sean.” Steward began cautiously, “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t catch up. Her driving was just too fast.”
Sean glanced up, his haughty and icy demeanor sending chills down Steward’s spine.
“Was it her driving that was too fast, or did you not even catch a glimpse of her car? You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?” Sean tossed a pillow at him in irritation.
Steward stood still, letting the pillow hit him, “By the time I got out there, I didn’t even see a shadow of her car. I had some guys check the traffic cams and it turned out that a bunch of them were damaged.
I’m sorry, Sean. I failed.”
Sean scoffed, swirling his glass of red wine.
“Sean, I reviewed the race footage. If that pebble wasn’t on the track, or if the race had been just two hundred meters longer. you would’ve had it in the bag.”
Sean’s cold gaze swept over him, freezing him in place.
Clearly, such consolation was not only useless to Sean but also somewhat insulting.
“Are you asking for a whooping?” Sean asked icily.
Steward bowed his head, “No, sir. I wouldn’t dare.”
Seeing Sean pour himself another glass of wine, Steward quickly added, “Sean, didn’t that girl tonight seem a bit familiar to you?”Sean finished his drink and gave his verdict, “She definitely looked punchable.”