Filed to story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“The best part is QY’s after-sales service, it’s impeccable. Last time, my maid ruined one of my dresses in the washing machine, and two pearls fell off. You guys didn’t hesitate to take it back to HQ, fixed it the same day, and even delivered it to my house. You insisted that it was QY’s quality assurance, and even gave me a 30% off coupon.”
Getting a 30% discount on QY clothing, that was a stroke of luck.Mirabella listened to the customers’ praises, her gaze softening. It seemed that whether pre-sale or post-sale, they were doing a fine job.
Just then, a petulant voice snatched a cocktail dress from Mirabella’s hands.
“This one’s perfect. It’s so me!”
It was a young girl with a trendy inverted bob, looking to be around Mirabella’s age, spoiled and fearless, with a tone dripping with entitlement.
She was clinging to the arm of a trendy guy with a rebellious charm, who looked every bit the playboy.
His eyes fell on Mirabella, and he was momentarily transfixed, seemingly unable to look away.
Mirabella, having her clothes swiped from her, didn’t mind. She was only there to check the final product for flaws, nothing more.
“Do you think I look good in this dress?” the young girl asked the boy beside her. Getting no response, she playfully shook his arm and pouted, “Otto, I’m talking to you!”
Otto’s gaze remained steadfast on Mirabella. She was strikingly beautiful, her aloofness, an air of detachment from the world, making it impossible for him to avert his eyes.
“Otto, you’re not falling for her, are you?” The girl, Daphne, sounded jealous, but she knew exactly who Otto was—a player through and through.
“This dress looks better on her.” Without hesitation, Otto snatched the dress from Daphne’s hands, held it in front of Mirabella, and blocked her path. “This dress is a gift for you. Try it on, I want to see it on you.”
Mirabella looked up to see the boy smiling at her with a roguish charm.
But she wasn’t interested and retorted irritably, “Are you insane?”
He was taken aback by her response.
“Move.”
Seeing her defiance only piqued Otto’s interest more, and his grin turned even more rakish as he again blocked her way.”I really like your personality. How about being my girlfriend?” Otto leaned against the column behind Mirabella, attempting a casual pose that he thought was particularly cool, and coaxed in a low voice, “If you’re bothered that I have a girlfriend, I can break up with her right now.”
“Otto!” Daphne’s voice grew even sharper, her pitch rising, clearly not expecting Otto to be so brazen in public.
“What do you say?” Otto continued to flirt with the girl in front of him, arching his eyebrow in a self-
assured manner, “Stick with me, and you’ll be set. Everyone knows I’m from the Collins family.”
To make sure Mirabella grasped the significance, he elaborated, “The Collins of Solterra.”
That name carried a lot of weight.
No girl could resist the allure that surname brought with it.
Truth be told, his success with women could be largely attributed to the prestige of his family name.
“So what?” Mirabella replied with disdain and cold indifference, “Move.”
Otto’s smirk grew wider. He found this girl intriguing. She wasn’t swayed by the mention of his surname. Was she playing hard to get?
“I know you girls like to play coy.” Otto made a show of pulling out his wallet, flaunting a black card in front of Mirabella, “Like it? Stick with me, and it’s yours.”
“Otto!” Daphne was more jealous now than ever. Despite all her efforts over their three-month relationship, she had never gotten her hands on that card. What made this girl so special?
“Well?” Otto leaned in closer to Mirabella, using what he thought was a deep, seductive voice, “Last week, my dad gifted me a hotel with a sky-high glass-bottomed pool. You can see the cityscape andpedestrians below while remaining unseen from outside. Very cool. Wanna check it out with me?”
Mirabella saw Sean storming their way, and to her surprise, he looked stunning in the outfit she designed. So did Romeo, who was also dressed in new attire, looking flawlessly impeccable.
Perhaps hearing Otto’s proposition, Romeo too approached, his expression as dark and foreboding as storm clouds before a downpour.
Mirabella’s eyes danced with a smile, which, to Otto, appeared to be directed at him.
“Who are you talking to?” Sean was the first to reach Otto, his anger giving way to a mocking laugh.
Otto’s head snapped around at the sound of a familiar voice. A broad grin spread across his face as he exclaimed, “Sean? You’re back from abroad? When did this happen? Why didn’t you hit me up for a meal? Perfect timing, let me introduce you to my girlfriend.”
As he spoke, Otto slung an arm around Mirabella’s shoulder with a mischievous smirk, ready to introduce Sean. “This here is.”
Mirabella recoiled from his touch in disgust.
Otto chuckled awkwardly and continued, “You know, the Collins I mentioned earlier? This is Sean, our cousin. Go on, tell cousin Sean your name.”
His gesture only fanned the flames of anger in Sean and Romeo’s eyes.
“Your girlfriend?” Sean couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh before yanking Mirabella behind him and swinging a fierce punch at Otto’s face. “Since when did my sister become your girlfriend?”
Daphne let out a terrified scream from the sidelines, unable to believe the unfolding chaos and even more shocked that Sean had just openly admitted that the girl was his sister.
What was going on? This was bad.
Seeing the commotion, the store staff quickly ushered customers to a cozy waiting area inside, serving them tea and water while asking for their patience. Sean had some business to take care of, and the manager would be offering them discount vouchers shortly.
The blinds came down, cutting off the outside world. The customers were left in the dark about the drama unfolding beyond their view.
The door to the women’s section closed, leaving only Sean and his party.Otto was floored by the sudden punch, dazed and confused. Before he could gather his senses, Sean had him by the collar, throwing several more vicious punches.
“You dare lay a hand on my sister? You looking to lose those hands?” Sean roared, giving Otto a thrashing.
“Sean, is there some kind of misunderstanding!” Otto, with a face now swollen and bruised, sat on the floor, scooting back in disarray. “She’s your sister? I’ve never seen her before.”
“There’s a ton of stuff you’ve never seen, dammit. My sister, and you think you need an introduction?
Who do you think you are?” Sean’s fists flew again. “What a joke, thinking you’re good enough to be my brother-in-law? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror!”
With that, Sean shoved Otto’s head towards a nearby mirror, which shattered into a spider web of cracks. Otto’s forehead started bleeding, and Daphne, terrified, fell to the ground, scrambling back, “Ah.”
It was terrifying.
The rumors of Sean being unpredictable and ruthless seemed to be true. He didn’t even spare relatives.
“Getting cocky because of a distant relation?” Sean kicked him in the face before turning to the person behind him. “Brother-in-law, you’re up.”
Blinded by blood, Otto barely managed to squint through his swollen eyes at the sound of “brother-in-
law.” It was Romeo taking careful steps toward him.
Otto hadn’t expected that Sean’s “brother-in-law” would be Romeo. Romeo was here? This girl was that significant?”Stealing my girl?” Romeo’s foot met Otto’s face with a thud. “You’ve got some nerve.”
“No, no, no.” Otto collapsed backward onto the scattered glass shards, too pained to rise. “You’ve got it all wrong, I was just talking big.”
“Bella, don’t watch this. You might get nightmares,” Sean said as he grabbed a few wet wipes from the front desk to clean his hands. He pulled his sister by the sleeve to the other side, away from the sight.
Though the beating was out of view, the sounds of Otto’s miserable cries and Daphne’s frightened sobs echoed through the space.
“Is he really related to our family?” Mirabella asked with a hint of curiosity.
“Related? Sure, but we’re talking distant. The guy’s been causing trouble under our name for ages. I’ve been meaning to teach him a lesson; just been too busy to remember, that’s all.”
Now Mirabella understood why Sean had come down so hard on the guy.
The dude was practically asking for it. Deserved a good thumping.
“Mr. McMillian, I’m sorry, please, no more. I swear I won’t ever do it again.” Otto was no longer full of his earlier arrogance but was on his knees, begging like he was apologizing to a saint.
“Romeo.” Mirabella’s voice cut through the tension.
It was then that Romeo stopped his advance, “You’ve got ten seconds to get out.”
The store manager hit the door switch, and as soon as it was halfway open, Otto scrambled out like a bat out of hell. Daphne, paralyzed with fear and not wanting to catch any collateral damage, followed suit, stumbling out in a less-than-graceful retreat.
The store manager had seen his fair share of drama and coolly called over a couple of employees to come clean up the mess.
“Sean.”
As Romeo walked over, Sean tossed him a pack of wet wipes from the counter. Knowing what Romeo was about to say, he pre-empted, “He’s no kin of the Collins family. Do what you will with them.”
Romeo nodded, his mind already set.He’d heard about Otto’s shenanigans and this was the perfect opportunity to uproot the whole lot of them, clearing the way for the Collins family.
“You alright?” Romeo’s gaze settled on Mirabella.
Mirabella laughed, “Do I look like someone who scares easy?”
Satisfied, Romeo got in touch with his guys, instructing them to deal with Otto and his family swiftly and efficiently.
“Having a brother-in-law might not be too bad after all,” Sean commented, clearly pleased at the thought of someone else taking out the trash for him. He’d long wanted to deal with Otto in one fell swoop.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sean.”
Seeing Romeo and Sean hit it off so quickly, Mirabella turned her attention to their attire, “Both of you look sharp. I’m picking up the tab for those outfits, and no one is going to fight me on this.”
Romeo and Sean exchanged a look, surprised by Mirabella’s generosity.
