Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“That Yolanda, such a manipulative thing, always played the sweet girl in front of their parents but turned into a bully behind their backs… Poor Bella suffered a lot!”
“Bella always tried to keep the peace for the sake of family harmony and to avoid worrying her sick Grannie Grace. She even cleaned up messes for the Meltons. but they just took more and more advantage of her kindness.”
Sean hadn’t expected the girl to share so much. What had seemed like a long walk ended in almost an instant, as they reached the front gate.
Ophelia pressed the car’s unlock button, and Sean opened the trunk to place the gifts inside.
“Drive safe, and may the wind be at your back.” Sean said.
“Thanks.”
Ophelia got into the car and buckled up, ready to leave, when suddenly Sean tapped on her window.
“Hold on.” He quickly pulled out his phone. “I’m escorting Bella to Belloria tomorrow, and I’m not sure what might happen. It would be best if I had a way to contact you, just in case. You know her well.”
Ophelia considered his words and found them reasonable. Pulling out her phone, she opened her contacts and let him scan the QR code.Sean tried to hide his smile as he added her on WhatsApp, maintaining a calm voice as he said, “Goodbye.”
“Bye,” Ophelia replied, starting the car and pressing the accelerator.
Her car sped away into the distance.
Sean watched her leave, his heart soaring with joy—he finally had the girl’s contact info!
He owed his sister a great deal!
Indeed, his sister was the family’s lucky star, the beacon of fortune. Ever since she came into their lives, things seemed to go smoothly…
In his phone, he labeled the contact: Ophelia.
After a pause, he changed it to: Lucky Girl as his sister referred to her. Perfect!
Back inside the living room.
Louisa couldn’t help herself, “Ophelia is such a looker, just like our little Bella—both of them have top-
notch features and charm.”
Sean’s eyebrows lifted at the compliment. After all, they were talking about his crush—of course she was exceptional!
“It’s not just her looks or aura; but she’s also been raised well. After all, she was the daughter of the Almonds. She’s got all the best qualities.”
“I think she’d be quite the match for David!” Louisa chuckled conspiratorially.
Sean’s face darkened at the remark. What were their parents even thinking!
“You agree? From the moment I laid eyes on her, I just knew she and David would hit it off! David’s as lively and cheerful as they come, and Ophelia’s got a great personality too. They’d be just.”
Before Kenneth could finish, Sean walked out to interrupt, “How can they be a match?”
“You went back so soon?” Louisa hadn’t expected him to return so quickly from dropping off their guest, “What’s wrong with them as a pair? Ophelia is stellar, and David’s the heartthrob everyone knows.”
“David’s still a kid, he’s not the caretaker type.”
“Who says that? He’s super attentive and caring with his sister, way more than you ever were!” Louisa retorted, turning to Mirabella, “Bella, don’t you agree?”
“Bella, do you think your friend would be a perfect match for your brother David? Be your sister-in-
law?” Kenneth looked at Mirabella expectantly.
What?Sister-in-law?!
Sean couldn’t stomach the title and was ready to interject, when Mirabella spoke up.
“I actually think Sean would be a good match for her.”
Kenneth and Louisa were taken aback, then both turned to look at Sean.
Now, Sean’s face lit up with a victorious smile!
See that? His sister had a good eye!
Hear that? He and Ophelia were the real dream team!
“That’s nonsense,” Louisa denied quickly, “Sean could scare away a young girl with just one look and you expect him to take care of someone?”
“David’s the better fit, he’s gentle and considerate.”
Sean cut Kenneth off before he could finish, “Am I your real son?”
Always praising others, they never had a good word for him!
Kenneth and Louisa glanced at him, words failing them. They wanted to praise him, but the truth was hard to ignore: David’s personality was indeed more approachable and thoughtful than Sean’s.
“I’m going to take a shower!”
Sean headed upstairs, passing by grandma’s room when he suddenly overheard her on the phone.
“My dear, when are you coming home? I met a girl tonight, so beautiful, just perfect, and I think of you.
You are the only one in the house that is still single. I think you two would be well-suited.”Sean froze, his grandma wasn’t talking to David, was she??
What did she mean, saying David was the only one without a girlfriend?
Wasn’t he, Sean, single too?
Or did she think he was not worthy of a girl?!
With that thought, he knocked and entered the room.
Cornelia was on the phone with David. Assuming Sean needed something, she said, “We’ll talk when you get back, come home soon, everyone’s here but you, yes, even Sean’s arrived! Alright, goodnight, sleep tight.”
After hanging up, Cornelia looked up at Sean with a warm smile, “Did you drop the young lady off? Tell me, she’s quite beautiful, isn’t she?”
Before Sean could answer, the old lady queried again, “Is it true that Ophelia and David are a perfect match?”
“Grandma,” Sean asked with a hint of annoyance, “why are you up worrying about this stuff at this hour?”
David and Ophelia? A match?
Not even close!
“That young lady is just too charming and she seems so well-mannered. Most importantly, she’s completely devoted to Bella. I won’t lie, the first time I laid eyes on her, I hoped she’d be my granddaughter-in-law.”
Cornelia’s smile was so wide it almost split her face, “I wonder when that girl will visit again. I didn’t get nearly enough time to chat with her tonight.”
The one who didn’t get enough time to chat was him, Sean, right??
This evening, everyone had been fussing over Ophelia with warm greetings, even Hans, Chasel and Clark had quite the conversation with her. Yet, every time he tried to speak to Ophelia, it ended in a misunderstanding! He barely exchanged a few words with her.
He had lesser interaction with Ophelia than all of the others!
“There’s more than one bachelor in this house!” Sean muttered discontentedly.
Cornelia paused, realizing she had overlooked her dear grandson Sean!“Oh, that’s right, you too. I’m getting forgetful.” She quickly pulled out her smartphone and tapped on a photo sent by a contact, “What do you think of this girl? She looks pretty innocent and elegant.”
“She’s like a budget version of Serena Lott,” Sean clearly wasn’t interested.
“How about this one? She’s both sultry and classy. She seems like a determined person too.”
Sean’s frown deepened; he was clearly displeased.
“Then take a look at these ones; we’ve got the cute type, the elegant type, the artsy type, and the queen bee type.”
“Just introduce them to David.” Sean couldn’t muster any interest but got increasingly irritated.
“You, my boy, are too picky. All these women are highly educated and superior in their looks, careers, and wealth, and yet you fancy none of them.”
At that moment, Bernard came out after a shower, and Sean couldn’t help blurting out, “Grandpa, you should get Grandma to rest. She’s been fussing over nothing all day.”
He couldn’t go on with this conversation, or he’d explode from frustration.
Bernard, noticing his displeasure, asked with a chuckle, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m trying to set him up with someone, but he doesn’t like any of them!” Cornelia was baffled by her grandson’s difficulty in finding a partner, wondering why he couldn’t just find a girlfriend and settle down like his brothers.
“What kind of girl does Sean like then?” Bernard asked with a twinkle in his eye, “Your grandma’s asked around quite a bit and rounded up all sorts of girls for you, oh wait, we haven’t found an Ophelia type yet.”Upon hearing Ophelia’s name being mentioned, Sean perked up, but his hope was dashed in the next second when Cornelia said, “Ophelia’s busy managing the company; she hardly has time for herself. If she’s looking for someone, she needs someone like David who’s attentive and considerate, who can be her safe harbor when she’s exhausted.”
Not someone with a hot temper like Sean.
“Yes, David is the life of the party, easy-going, bright, and sunny. The moment I saw Ophelia tonight, I thought she and David were a perfect match.”
Sean’s heart shattered once again.