Serena froze for a moment, caught off guard by Arabella's seemingly out-of-the-blue question. The haunting memories of that cold,
sinister basement still sent shivers down her spine whenever they crept into her mind.
"Is all the danger | faced in Dawnstar somehow connected to you?" Arabella's gaze was piercing as she asked directly.
Serena was taken aback, "What danger?"
"What danger? What are you two talking about??" Louisa walked into the dining room just in tto overhear their conversation
about sdanger and looked puzzled, "What happened?"
"It's nothing," Serena and Arabella spoke in unison, neither wanting to worry their mother.
"Serena, what happened to your lips? Why are they so swollen? And your face, it's so flushed?" Kenneth asked, bewildered.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSerena started to explain, but a burning sensation in her stomach surged, making her feel nauseous, "l need to go to the
bathroom."
Before leaving the table, she glanced at Arabella, unsure whether it was a plea for Arabella to let bygones be bygones or fear that
Arabella might reveal something.
Louisa sat down, and once Serena was out of sight, she turned to Arabella, "Bella, | heard you're Queena and Jamie Noelle. Do you
know how stunned | was last night when | heard from friends? You've becso accomplished; | can't even find the words to
praise you."
"Yeah, you're practically a master in your field. Bella, you must have had a tough tover the years." Kenneth said as he served
her a fried egg and topped off her milk, "We always hear about your achievements from others. You're way too modest."
"All those titles are just what others have pinned on me," Arabella didn't take any of those accolades seriously. Chess master, violin
virtuoso - to her, they were all bubble reputation.
But it was precisely her humility that endeared her to others.
"My dear kid, do you have any idea how many people spend their whole lives chasing such a title? It's clear that those old masters
really invested a lot in you over these past eighteen years. We really need to thank them properly, and you are truly gifted and
hardworking."
Kenneth knew that such achievements required continuous effort and sacrifice.
"You're amazing, and I'm so proud of you!" As Kenneth praised her, he couldn't help but get teary-eyed, thinking of all the
hardships his child had endured over the years.
"Bella, Mom's proud of you too. At the birthday bash last night, | heard Serena was bad-mouthing you to her friends, saying you
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmbroke up her engagement with Romeo?" Louisa said, then quickly added, "Of course, you shouldn't feel any pressure. Just tell us
what you know, and don't worry about how it might affect us or anyone else."
"Yeah, don't hold back just because we've doted on her for eighteen years, or because you're afraid we'll be upset, or for any other
reason. Just be honest with us, Bella. Did Serena really do that?"
As Kenneth spoke, Louisa interrupted, "Bella's ears aren't that long to hear every conversation between Serena and Lindsay. But
Bella, you can share what you know, what you've seen, and what you've heard."
"Exactly, let us understand the situation," Kenneth said, looking at Arabella expectantly.
Seeing that they genuinely wanted to know, Arabella spoke in a calm voice, "Lindsay did say that Serena told her | stole Romeo
from her."
Kenneth and Louisa were stunned!