Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Come on in, take a seat. David, what are you doing clinging to Romeo? Let go!”She approached her son and whispered, “Can’t you give the lovebirds some space? You’ve been hanging all over Romeo the whole way here, leaving your sister in the dust. To the uninitiated, they’d think you two were the couple.”
Dave was riddled with question marks in his head, but before he could clarify, Louisa had already ushered Romeo inside, and in a low voice asked Mirabella, “You going to the Fairfield Manor tonight?”
“Yeah.”
Louisa’s smile couldn’t be wider, “Then I’ll have the kitchen prepare the dinner early.”
“Alright.”
“Romeo’s arrived!” Louisa announced as she entered, and the living room filled with grandparents, aunts, and uncles, all coming to greet him.
“It’s been a while, the boy’s grown even more handsome!” Bernard always had a soft spot for Romeo, seeing him as a young man of many merits, with no flaws to speak of. He affectionately patted his shoulder, “Come on in, I’ve been waiting for you.”
“He’s been looking forward to seeing you, asked about you so many times. A few times he wanted Bella to reach out to you, but I stopped her.” Cornelia said with a smile, “Now we’ve finally got you here.”
“I heard from the staff that you brought plenty of gifts. You shouldn’t have, really!” Louisa called out, “Someone bring in some tea and snacks. I’ll go check on the kitchen and make sure they speed up the dinner preparations. You’ve got to head to Fairfield Manor after dinner.”
David hadn’t expected they’d be off to Fairfield Manor after dinner – a place belonging to Grandpa Phillip and Grandma Shirley.Suddenly, he had a feeling, as if his sister wasn’t really a Collins anymore. She was practically a McMillian now.
He felt a sense of loss, as if he were about to lose his sister.
All the elders fussed over Romeo, who, normally quiet and reserved, was especially charming that day.
Bernard and Cornelia, Darren, Belinda, and even Bard, were all exceedingly pleased with him.
“Romeo’s here?”
Just then, a playful voice rang out, as Alma walked in from the garden, her face bright with a smile, “Now our whole family’s truly together.”
Laughter filled the room, and Romeo also stood to greet Lucas and Beverly.
“Please, have a seat. We’re all family here; no need for formalities.” Lucas beamed with admiration at the handsome young man, “Romeo’s got to be the son-in-law every elder dreams of having –
respectful, good-looking, well-educated, capable, and loyal.”
“Lucas, what are you saying? Are you suggesting we’re not up to par with him?” David couldn’t resist the jab.
“You’re a household name, a superstar through and through. My mistake, a Collins never falls far from the tree – Romeo here’s proof of that, all charm and charisma, hahaha.”
At that moment, Kenneth glanced at his watch, “Make yourselves comfortable. Today marks Bella’s first year with us. I’ve got to whip up something special.”
“Dad, please, let Bella spend a nice New Year here. Your skills…” David interjected with a grimace, “And Mom, let’s not turn this evening into an episode of ‘Kitchen Nightmares,’ okay?”
It was a big holiday, and a trip to the ER was the last thing they needed.
“Right, right, let me handle it. I want to create a memorable and wonderful evening for Bella,” Cornelia said while standing up.
“If Cornelia’s cooking, then I’ve got to show my skills too,” Belinda announced, rising from her seat.
“No, no, you sit down and relax. I’ll do a couple of dishes – one representing your good intentions, and one with my personal touch,” Darren said to his wife.
Mirabella wanted to tell everyone not to fuss, but before she could get a word out, they all marched into the kitchen, determined to impress her. Her brothers, not to be outdone, followed suit.
Both kitchen were bustling with activity. In the end, the only ones left idle were Mirabella, Romeo, and Alma.
Sensing the tension, Alma volunteered, “I’ll go check if they need any help.”
“I’d like to make something for you too,” Romeo said gently.
“It’s not necessary. We’ll have too much food as it is.”“I’ll make two dishes.” Romeo caressed her cheek, “They’ll be your favorites.”
He kept the details a mystery.
The six massive fridges at Reflections Villa were stocked with every ingredient imaginable. If anything was missing, David would take his sister to the property’s kitchen garden for some fresh picking.
“Sis, do you like cabbage?” David asked as he noticed the robust heads of cabbage in the garden.
“Sure, anything’s fine.”
“I’ll pick some extra. Let’s see what the others whip up for you,” David gathered a hefty assortment of veggies, even taking the ones Mirabella had picked, adding them to his basket. He didn’t forget to snap a selfie and post it on Facebook.
[Picking veggies with my sister. Everyone’s trying to impress her with their cooking. What should I make to outshine them all? Suggestions welcome!]
The photo captured him holding a large wicker basket, selfie stick in hand, with the lush garden and the silhouette of his sister, busy picking vegetables, in the background.
Within a minute of posting, the selfie amassed thousands of likes and countless comments offering suggestions.
One comment sparked an idea in David. Yes, he’d create an artistic dish – broccoli fashioned into a tree of prosperity, garnished with colorful minced bell pepper, both appealing and simple, with a meaningful message.
It symbolized growth, wealth, and abundance.
An hour later, the dining table was laden with delectable dishes.Mirabella wasn’t idle either, preparing a visually stunning centerpiece.
“Bella, come on over. Stop fussing in the kitchen.”
Everyone was eager to explain their culinary creations to Mirabella, each dish with its own special significance.
“Bella, I made this dish called ‘Thrivingness’. It’s to wish you an ever-rising fortune and better days ahead,” Bernard explained.
“Nice!!” A round of applause filled the room.
“Mine for you is this one, a delightful dish where creamy shrimp mousse was stuffed into clams, symbolizing wealth and prosperity for the coming year.”
Applause filled the room once again.
David was busy capturing every dish and well-wish on video, quickly uploading the montage to Facebook.
Friends flicked through their feeds and stumbled upon David’s post, mistaking his terms of endearment for Serena. Their messages pinged with praise, envying her for being the apple of everyone’s eye.
Whether it was Hans, a titan in the business world, or David, a pop icon with hundreds of millions of followers, everyone, elder or peer, happily hustled into the kitchen to cook for this young lady.
The level of adoration she received was beyond belief.
Serena watched from the garden as the sun dipped below the horizon, until the sky was draped in darkness.
“Serena, it’s getting chilly out here. Shall I wheel you inside?” Dora asked, bending down.
Serena nodded, pulling out her phone to check if Martin had messaged about dinner. She noticed her phone was on silent, flooded with unread messages topping 99+.
“Serena, you’re so lucky to have such a caring family.”
“I can tell they all adore you. Your New Year’s celebration is pretty enviable.”
“A celebrity brother cooking for you. If it were me, I’d be moved to tears.””Serena, how do you do it? A wealthy family like yours, so warm and loving behind closed doors. I’m so jealous.”
“Serena, I adore your family. The elders have no airs; they respect the kids and prepare surprises, something my family lacks!”
Confused by the barrage of messages, Serena had a hunch one of her brothers had posted on Facebook again.
Before she could check, more messages flooded in.
“In my house, the cooking’s left to the housekeeper. Never seen such a wealthy family cook themselves, each preparing a dish just to make you happy.”
“The food your family makes is creative, beautiful, and so meaningful.”
“Hearing their New Year’s wishes for you, honestly, it’s brought me to tears.”
“Why haven’t you posted on Facebook today? You must be basking in happiness, too busy to go online. I’m so envious.”
Serena couldn’t read all the messages. She opened Facebook and saw David’s recent video five minutes ago, and a selfie from an hour ago.
After watching everything, she was too shock to utter a word, tears welling up instinctively.
She hadn’t expected everyone at home to set aside their status and cook wholeheartedly for Mirabella, each blessing delivered with a sincere smile.
Such treatment was something she never got with the Collins family.Not just grandparents in the kitchen, but even Alma had prepared a dish for Mirabella! That damned Alma.
Just the thought of that little wretch would make Serena bristle with rage. Before, this wretch was always at odds with her, and now, no sooner had Serena left the Collins family, Alma began cozying up to Mirabella, even cooking for her.
The biggest shock was the Collins family inviting Romeo to dinner, where he cooked not one, but two dishes!
“Serena, your fiancé is so good to you. He’s wealthy, handsome, and he even cooks for you.”
“How did you capture his heart? Share your secrets with us! I declare that you’re officially our role model now; we should all learn from you!”
“Never expected your fiancé to be skilled in the kitchen too, making such beautiful dishes.”
“Serena, you truly are the happiest woman in the world!!”
Serena closed her eyes, a cocktail of anger and pain surging through her. Her body trembled involuntarily from the stress.
Since she got kicked out of her family home, it took weeks before she could handle a fork and knife with any semblance of normalcy, or sip soup from a spoon without awkwardness.