Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
hair. “I will treat you.””Get your hand off her!” The brothers chorused in objection to his gesture.
The room erupted in laughter at their antics, and Dr. Pierce joined in heartily, “You guys are so protective, I’m scared to even step forward.”
“Pierce.” Mirabella greeted him with a light smile, then turned to the other elders in the room.
Dr. Pierce beamed, “Seeing you so loved and cherished by everyone here eases my mind. Today, we owe you big time. Thanks to you, the hospital has received a load of cutting-edge equipment. Your grandparents sure know how to give, donating hundreds of units.”
Cornelia smiled, “We should be thanking you. Before we found Bella, you took such good care of her for so long.”
“Oh, it was nothing.” Dr. Pierce waved his hands dismissively, “If we’re talking about care, it’s her eight ‘grandfathers’ who deserve the credit, not me. I’m nothing compared to them.”
Laughter filled the air once more.
Clark caught Mirabella’s gaze and followed it, just as surprised to find Serena here.
Serena’s caretaker, Dora, was also taken aback, her hand frozen mid-air with the medication for Serena. She hadn’t expected the Collins family to show up en masse. He had no idea Serena was a patient in his own hospital, and he paused, taken aback.
The rest of the family followed his gaze, and there they saw Serena.
Tears brimmed in Serena’s eyes as she instinctively cried out, “Grandma, Grandpa.”
Her voice was choked with emotion.
Bernard and Cornelia caught sight of her propped up in the hospital bed, her complexion ashen, limbs swathed in bandages. A complex expression flickered in their eyes.
In that complexity, there was not a trace of pity.
Serena’s tears fell as she turned to look at the couple she once called her parents, her voice hoarse as she tried once more, “Dad, Mom.”
Kenneth and Louisa turned away as if they hadn’t seen her, without a single word of response. It seemed as though they had long become strangers to her.
As Serena’s tears continued to fall, she looked to her older brothers, her voice small and tentative, “Hans?”
Hans’ expression remained indifferent, his voice as calm as ever, “You’re no longer a part of the Collins family, and I’m not your brother.”
The pain that pierced Serena’s heart was unbearable, tears falling as she looked at Chasel and called out, “Chasel.”
“Miss Lott, it’s more appropriate for you to call me Mr. Collins.”
“Clark.” Serena’s tears overflowed once more.
Clark’s response was cold, “I only have one sister, and that’s Bella.”Before Serena could call out to Sean, she felt his displeased gaze and dared not speak further.
Instead, she turned to David.
“No need to call me. We have nothing to do with each other now,” David said, his tone equally cold.
The words from her brothers devastated her, the pain in her heart so intense it nearly suffocated her.
Dora, who had witnessed Serena’s suffering, couldn’t bear it any longer and hurriedly said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with Serena. She started vomiting blood out of nowhere last night, and she’s in pain all over – her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys. We’ve had so many doctors look at her, and none could help.”
“Let’s check out the front,” Kenneth suggested, taking his father Bernard’s arm, seemingly ignoring Dora’s plea.
Louisa also supported Cornelia, eager to leave the gloomy scene.
“We have some more equipment to look at up front.” Dr. Pierce hinted, ready to move on.
“Please, Miss Bella, save Serena!” Dora suddenly knelt in front of Mirabella, stunning everyone.
After spending time together, Dora had grown fond of Serena. She knew Martin couldn’t cope without Serena, and besides, Serena had never really mistreated her or June.
She didn’t want Serena to die.
“What does her life or death have to do with my sister?” Sean emitted a vibe of displeasure. “It’s already generous that we didn’t pull the plug on her.””Bella won’t save her,” Hans stated flatly.
“Serena is going to die—” Dora suddenly burst into tears. “The doctor said she won’t last another three days. Miss Bella, please, save Serena!” Serena herself was stunned; she hadn’t been told this by Martin.
What illness could be so severe?
Why was she left with less than three days to live?
Could it be…
Was Mirabella really poisoning her?
The thought crossed Serena’s mind, and it suddenly seemed all too plausible.
Mirabella knew her way around a pharmacy and had every reason to want Serena out of the picture. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine her slipping something lethal into Serena’s food, especially when Serena was too preoccupied to notice, maybe even bribing someone to do her dirty work.
Within the walls of the manor, Serena had no enemies.
But it was entirely possible that Mirabella had set her sinister plan in motion even before Serena had stepped foot in the estate.
And even if Mirabella hadn’t directly handed over the poison, she had plenty of lackeys at her disposal.
Realizing this disturbing possibility had Serena seething with anger.
How could Mirabella harbor such malice, to the point of wanting her dead?
“Ms. Bella, please, have mercy and save Serena. we’re out of options!” Dora pleaded, tears streaming down her face as she implored, “Please, just this once, save her.”
But watching Dora on her knees begging, Serena had a sudden revelation. Mirabella’s possible act of poisoning was perhaps designed to bring Serena to her knees, to grovel before the Collins family like a dog begging for scraps of mercy.
The thought enraged her even more!
That damn Mirabella, so cruel and vile to the core!Mirabella caught a glimpse of the animosity flashing in Serena’s eyes. Clearly, there had been some misunderstanding, but Mirabella couldn’t be bothered to clarify.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” Mirabella said coolly before walking away.
Her brothers hurried after her.
Bernard and Cornelia didn’t even spare Serena a second glance, and neither did Kenneth and Louisa, as they quickly made their exit.
Even Dr. Pierce seemed eager to leave.
Heartbroken and furious, Serena felt utterly betrayed. With the weight of despair and anger upon her, blood suddenly spurted from her lips.
She could never have imagined that her so-called family would react to her illness with such dispassion; not a single word of concern, not even a trace of sympathy on their faces.
As her tears fell, she felt utterly devastated.
“Serena.” Dora gasped in horror, frantically pressing the call button on the wall.
He knew that Serena’s past transgressions were unforgivable in the eyes of the Collins family, and they would never lift a finger to save her.Hearing Dora’s panicked voice from the room, Martin rushed in.
The white sheets were stained with blood.
His heart broke for her. “Thank you, Mrs. Collins, for your consideration.” Dr. Pierce said gratefully, then continued to lead them on the hospital tour.
In the hallway of the hospital, the sound of an urgent bell sent several doctors and nurses into a sprint, racing toward Serena’s ICU room as if it were the final stretch of a hundred-meter dash.
The Collins family seemed indifferent to her plight; not a single one spared her a second glance.
Martin and Dora waited anxiously outside the room.
After a while, Martin’s phone rang.
He stepped out to the large balcony on that floor, his voice tense as he confronted the caller, “Did you orchestrate all of this?”
“Let’s not be too dramatic,” the voice on the line replied through a voice changer, always sounding mechanical and cold, “You knew about her condition. Bacterial infection led to sepsis, organ failure across the board. Not even Hippocrates could help her, but I happened to have an experimental drug that could work, though it hadn’t passed the final stage of testing.”
“I thought it was some miracle cure, and it turns out to be an experimental drug.” Martin gripped his phone tighter, his frustration palpable.
“If you could turn back time, you’d still take it, experimental or not, because what other choice did you have?”
The mystery person’s words only fueled Martin’s anger further.
“Experimental drugs come with risks, but don’t worry, I have the antidote.”
“How do I know your antidote isn’t flawed?” Martin asked through clenched teeth.
“Just take the antidote, and all the symptoms will vanish. She can be discharged safely.”The voice remained detached, devoid of any emotion.
“However, the antidote is only a temporary fix. We’re working on a permanent solution, which should be ready in a month. Don’t flatter yourself; it’s not just for you. We have other plans for it. As long as you do as you’re told, I’ll set aside a dose for you once it’s ready.”
“So, you’re saying that without the permanent solution, Serena won’t fully recover?”
“That’s right.”
Martin, seething with rage but keeping his emotions in check, asked, “What do you want from me?”
“That Collins girl.” the mystery person paused, then continued, “Her existence is problematic.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.