Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
After hanging up the video call, Ophelia finally let out a giggle, “You two are just too sweet. Who knew that when two big shots fall in love, it’s like this? You turn into a docile little lamb, and he’s like a warm-
hearted Prince Charming.”
Gone was their usual icy facade! Both of their auras softened; it was just too cute!
Who knew how long they talked, but the next morning Mirabella’s phone was buzzing non-stop on the nightstand. It was Horace.
“Boss, you up? There’s a guy named Sam, linked to that old fire, he’s gonna show up at the underground auction tonight at eight. Should I get the guys to bag him?”Mirabella hadn’t expected new leads on the fire, “Don’t spook him; just the two of us will go.”
Horace was about to suggest that two might be too few, but then remembered the boss could take on a hundred single-handedly. Not just one Sam, but ten, twenty, none were a match for her.
“I’ll snag two invites. I’ll pick you up from the hotel at seven tonight, and we’ll hit the auction together.”
“Sounds good.”
After the call, Mirabella was surprised that there was finally a break in the fire investigation. Previous attempts by Jack and the others always hit a dead end or went off track.
It was as if a pair of eyes in the shadows was monitoring their every move, ready to create chaos when things got too close to the truth. Every time the truth was about to surface, something would happen.
Tonight, she was determined to catch that Sam and find out what really went down back then.
Meanwhile, Steward knocked on Sean’s door; perhaps worried about a rebuke, he got straight to the point, “Sean, we’ve located Sam.”
“Come in and talk,” Sean’s voice was groggy with sleep.
Steward entered, the room dark, the curtains drawn against the morning light. With utmost respect, he reported, “There’s an underground auction at eight tonight. Word is Sam will show; there’s something he wants to buy. This could be our chance. I’ll have men in position, ready to strike and nab him.”
“No screw-ups.”
“Understood,” Steward knew how crucial catching this man was to Sean. Previous leads had been disrupted by that girl, and now that they had a fresh trail, he hoped it would go smoothly.
Mirabella’s phone rang again; this time it was Jack.”Boss, while I was digging into the truth behind the old fire, I stumbled onto something else. I’ll send it over – it’s about Carol.”
Mirabella replied calmly, “Alright, send it over.”
Jack promptly sent over several vintage videos. They were grainy and aged, but you could still make out the genders of the people on screen. Then Jack shot through some documents, including screenshots of bank transfers and more.
“Boss, this is as clear as day – we’ve got a case of a mistress ordering a hit. Carol’s mom was taken out by this homewrecker. We gonna do something about it?”
Mirabella sifted through all the documents before grasping the full picture.
It had been Crystal Temple’s birthday, and both families had planned a fun-filled day at the amusement park. But Carol’s family of four got there first. Later, tragedy struck when Crystal’s family got into a car accident, and Carol’s mom rushed to help.
Lurking in the distance was a truck, eyeing the scene, but the busy street and the crowd deterred any direct action. If things escalated, there would surely be an investigation.
The woman who had accidentally hit Crystal’s family was fraught with guilt and fear, insisting on taking them to the hospital.
Then, the moment presented itself. The truck suddenly switched lanes, accelerated, and plowed straight toward them. The woman driver didn’t stand a chance – she was killed instantly.
Only after going through the files did Mirabella learn that the truck driver, diagnosed with a terminal illness, had been offered a million to ram into someone. Desperate due to poverty and medical debts plaguing his family, he chose to trade his life for money to provide them with a better future. The one who funded the hit was Carol’s current stepmother – Maureen.
She thought she had covered her tracks perfectly, not realizing that even the most meticulous plans have flaws.Initially, Maureen paid the truck driver 100 grand as a down payment, promising the remaining 900
grand upon completion. But since the driver died at the scene, leaving no witnesses, his family waited over a decade without seeing the rest of the money.
That was the money the driver had traded his life for, but Maureen refused to pay up. She knew that for something like this, they couldn’t just go to the police. They had to swallow the bitter pill in silence.
Fearing Maureen might renege on the deal, the truck driver had secretly saved all the records of his communications with Maureen, leaving them to his family.
Now, with a family member critically ill and in dire need of cash, the matter slowly surfaced. The documents revealed that to rid herself of this family, Maureen was already seeking a hitman.
Mirabella couldn’t believe that to become the lady of the Brooks family, that woman could harbor such malicious intentions.
Although Carol’s birth mother didn’t die on the spot, she was left permanently disabled. With Carol sent to an orphanage and her brother Dennis sold to a rural village, their mother died of illness, unable to find her children.
And all the hardships Carol later endured could be traced back to this woman!! If it weren’t for her hiring a hitman, none of this would have happened!!
At that moment, the Brooks family was in the midst of a heated argument.
“You clearly know that girl from QY, why won’t you help out your sister? It’s just a matter of speaking up! Is it really that hard?” Maureen was fuming.
The stepsister Katherine sat on the couch, her eyes brimming with tears, looking every bit the picture of pitiable distress.
Carol remained unmoved, her voice chilly as she spoke, “It’s her own fault for plagiarizing QY’s designs. She made her bed; now she has to lie in it.”
“It was just a coincidence!” Maureen insisted, trying to downplay the situation, “There’s no need to call it plagiarism. That sounds so ugly.”
“If you don’t like it, then don’t copy in the first place.”
Katherine, standing off to the side, seemed to shrink under the weight of the accusation, as if the similarity to QY’s designs was a mere accident, not a deliberate act.
“Seventeen designs with a similarity of up to 90 percent, and you call that a coincidence? If it was merely a coincidence, would they sue you?”
Carol didn’t want to waste her time arguing. She had plans to deliver the hand-knitted scarves she was going to make to her aunt before the holidays. But as she tried to make her way upstairs, her stepmother Maureen blocked her path.
“Honey, aren’t you going to say anything? Even if Katherine lost her inspiration for a moment and went a little too far in ‘referencing’ QY’s designs, resulting in them calling it plagiarism, their demand for a 3
million-dollar settlement is outrageous, and they won’t budge on the amount. They also want us to publicly apologize on social media. Isn’t that just stomping on the Brooks family’s pride?”
With that, Maureen turned her angry gaze to Carol, her voice tinged with frustration, “If only she would say the word, her influential friends would let this slide. No money spent, no public embarrassment, but she just won’t help! What kind of daughter wants to see her parents humiliated?”Carol looked back at her coldly, “Your true colors are showing, and it’s not a pretty sight. You may have no shame, but I do.”
“Listen to her, honey! Listen to how she talks to me! I’m the elder, and she has no respect! I bet she’s in cahoots with them, trying to swindle your money and then funnel it into her own pocket. Why else would she refuse to help us with this simple favor?”
As Maureen glared at Carol, her loathing was palpable. She desired to lash out, shred and toss the insolent girl to the trash.
Rudolf was caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to appease his wife, “You went too far with Katherine at the mall last time, talking about how Carol’s mom has been dead for ages and criticizing her for ‘wasting money on flowers for the dead,’ and then you destroyed her bouquet. Of course, she’s upset. I saw the surveillance video; you and Katherine were out of line!”
“But she insulted me too! She said she only has two moms, her birth mom and her foster one. She asked what did I think I was, and she said I had no right to lecture her in this house,” Maureen’s voice trailed off, her grievance apparent.
“Given your position, it’s indeed inappropriate.”
“What are you saying? I married you; you’re her dad, so naturally I am her mom!”
What could be inappropriate about that?
“Do you want to join my mom in her grave? Is that it?”
Carol’s retort left Maureen fuming, “Listen to what she said, honey!” If her husband wasn’t there, she would have torn this ungrateful brat’s mouth right off!”Dad, I’ve worked hard to build my business and never made 3 million. Now, not only do I have to compensate them, effectively nullifying years of hard work, but I’m expected to apologize publicly. It’s not just my reputation on the line; people know I’m your daughter. There are many eyes on us. Who will dare to partner with our family after this. Dad, I’m thinking of you, of our family.”
“Look at your daughters, one thinking of you and the other pushing you into the fire.”
“The one pushing Dad into the fire is you. If you hadn’t plagiarized, there’d be no need for compensation or apologies, no need for this melodramatic display. I’m done here. You all can carry on with your performance.”
With that, Carol turned and headed upstairs, unwilling to engage with them any further.
“Honey, look at her! She has no regard for this family. She’s grown wild and heartless out there in the world!” Maureen was livid, vowing to herself that the next time her husband wasn’t home, she would deal with that wretched girl behind closed doors.
After Carol climbed the stairs, she received a call from Mirabella, who dropped a bombshell about a hidden truth behind a car accident from years ago. Carol’s long lashes fluttered slightly, betraying her surprise and shock.
Once the call ended, Carol checked the evidence Mirabella had sent her. Each message, each document, stoked the flames of her indignation.
After a while, she called her brother Dennis, asking him to come home. She returned to her laptop, her fingers dancing across the keyboard before finally emerging into the living room.
At that moment, Maureen was still adding fuel to the fire, badmouthing her, while Katherine was beside her, crying a river, leaving Rudolf frustrated and distraught.
“I’ve made up my mind.” Carol walked up to them and announced, her expression unflinching, “Didn’t Dad say he wanted to announce our identities to all our friends and relatives soon, to let everyone know that we are back? I think we shouldn’t wait for another day. Why not just do it tonight?”
“Are you trying to negotiate terms with your dad?” Maureen snapped back, realizing what was happening, “You’re really something, aren’t you? Always playing your own game. It doesn’t matter when we announce your return. But Katherine needs to make amends and apologize before midnight tonight. Her situation is far more urgent than yours. Instead of resolving that, you’re here stirring up trouble with irrelevant things.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
Carol’s retort infuriated Maureen.
She couldn’t believe Carol would dare to dismiss her so blatantly.”Carol, are you really willing to help Katherine?” Rudolf looked surprised. Just moments ago, Carol had been adamant about staying out of her sister’s issues. What had changed?
“If she’s ready to swallow her pride, apologize, and offer some compensation, I’m okay with it. Anyway, New Year is coming up, and all our relatives will naturally learn about me and my brother’s return.
There’s no rush.”
As Carol turned to head upstairs, Maureen quickly said, “Wait!”
Though she didn’t want their friends and relatives to know about their existence, they didn’t have a better solution for Katherine’s predicament at the moment.
If that wretched girl was willing to help, not only would they save themselves from shelling out 3 million, but they’d also save face.
Just this once, they’d let Carol have her way. They could always tarnish her reputation later, skewing their friends’ and relatives’ perception of her.
“Are you really willing to help?”
Before Maureen could finish, Carol was already ascending the stairs. Maureen called out, “Wait!” She had no choice but to look at her husband, “Honey, book a private dining room. We’ll have dinner with all our friends and relatives tonight. I’ve been so busy lately; I neglected to announce Carol and Dennis’s return right away. It’s understandable that Carol is upset. Let’s do it tonight. She’s right; there’s no time like the present.”
“And Dennis.” Rudolf wasn’t sure where his son had gone and whether he’d be able to return that evening. If they were to announce their return, Dennis was one of the main characters.