After hanging up the phone, Kenneth quickly asked, "What did she say?"
"She said when Romeo showed up last night, a bunch of girls swarmed him; seven confessed their feelings in public. Before
that, Lindsay did make an appearance, cozying up to Phillip with rather obvious intentions."
Hearing this, Kenneth thought of Serena's tear-stained face and couldn't help saying, "Looks like we might have wronged Serena
after all."
"That's not necessarily the case. Let's talk to Bella tomorrow," Louisa felt torn inside. On one hand was the child she had doted on
for eighteen years, and on the other was the biological daughter she had neglected for just as long. She sat at her vanity,
removing her jewelry, her mind wandering through memories of the past.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
The next morning.
Arabella cdown to the breakfast table to find Serena already seated, having woken up at sunknown hour.
"Morning, sis. Letget you soatmeal," Serena offered, standing up, but a sharp pain in her ankle nearly made her lose her
balance, and she quickly grabbed the table for support.
Arabella was unsure what Serena was up to; her bowl wasn't even filled yet and Arabella had already picked up a glass of milk,
sipping it casually, paying no mind to her sister.
As Serena finished filling the bowl, she carefully set it in front of Arabella, then saying, "We're alone here, and | know you don't like
With that, Serena twisted open a bottle of hot sauce and poured half of it into her glass.
Arabella's mind popped up several question marks. Was she crazy?
"This is my way of showing I'm sorry. Cheers," Serena said, picking up the glass full of hot sauce. She grimaced, and before she
was halfway through, she nearly gagged.
"What's this act now?" Arabella's cool gaze fell on her, taking her in with detached interest.
Serena opened her mouth to speak but was overwhelmed by the spice. She fanned her face, and Arabella could see the bruises on
her wrist and the red marks from a snake bite.
Serena forced herself to finish the spicy concoction. With just a couple of gulps left, her lips were swollen, her face beet red, and
she seemed to be emitting heat. In visible distress and after a painful struggle, she finally downed the rest of the glass and ran to
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmthe kitchen sink.
Arabella knew she had gone to rinse her mouth. She leisurely continued with her breakfast. After a while, Serena returned with
swollen lips, the corners of her eyes still glistening from the tears the spice had drawn.
"From now on, | won't do anything to upset you again. Martin and | are planning to get engaged, and if it's okay, I'll move out. I'll
stay away from you, away from this house. | hope you can put the past behind us."
Hearing the words "put the past behind us," Arabella raised her lovely eyes, understanding the implication, "So someone's after
you? You're afraid I'll say something, hence the hot sauce stunt and the engagement talk, hoping I'll let bygones be bygones?"
Serena didn't expect Arabella to be so astute and to guess her motives right away. Resolute, Serena locked eyes with Arabella and
asked directly, "Deal?"
"Then tell me, the person in Aunt Eunice's basement, did you kill him?"