Kenneth's heart sank as he pondered their situation, "At first, we were thinking about the old folks' health and, to be honest, we
wanted a bit more twith Bella. We didn't want a swarm of nosy relatives barging in and disrupting her life."
“But Clark did say that announcing it at the end of the year would be best. He mentioned Bella still had sloose ends to tie up
out there; the specifics of which are beyond me.”
But deep down, Louisa didn't want the revelation of their daughter's identity to beca burden on Bella, which was why she took
Clark's advice to heart and decided to schedule the announcement for the end of this year.
“Only about ten more days left now. Then we'll invite the entire McMillian family to witness the moment," Kenneth planned with
her.
Serena was in the bathroom, wrestling with diarrhea. To gain Arabella's understanding, she had downed half a bottle of hot sauce,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtleaving her gut and rear end ablaze with fiery pain.
When she finally got out of the bathroom, she saw the servants packing up her clothes and bedding. She couldn't help but ask,
"What's all this about?"
“Mrs. Collins has ordered that, as punishment for your misdeeds, you are to reflect on your actions in the guesthouse next door.”
“What did you say?” Serena suspected she had misheard. Yet, there they were, one servant folding her bedding, another packing
her clothes, and a third collecting her toothbrush and other personal items.
“What did | do wrong? Are you sure this cfrom mom? She told you this herself?” Serena grilled the servant.
“Yes, Mrs. Collins said it herself.”
Serena was stunned. It had to be Arabella! Arabella must have slandered her while she was away!
With that thought, she dashed downstairs and accosted the butler, "Where are mom and dad?"
“Mr. and Mrs. Collins had to step out for a bit. If you hurry, you might catch them at the front gate,” Erik heard of her exile to the
guesthouse. He had tried to intercede on her behalf, but they was unyielding.
It was clear that this ttheir decision was final.
Serena bolted out the door, and when she saw her parents’ car gliding past the fountain, she lunged towards it.
“Dad, mom.” Serena banged on the window, tears welling up in her eyes, “I need to talk to you, wait.”
Injured yet persistently chasing after the car, she kept knocking, “Dad, mom, just givea few minutes.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
“Stop the car,” Louisa ordered coldly.
The driver immediately hit the brakes. Moments before, he had been caught in a dilemma, not daring to stop but also not wanting
to speed up, inching forward at a mere 10 miles per hour. He feared if Serena accidentally hit the car and got hurt, he would be in
deep trouble.
Thankfully, Mrs. Collins called for a halt.
The window rolled down, revealing Louisa’s indifferent profile.
“Mom, are you really sendingto live in the guesthouse? Did my sis say something to you? You won't even givea chance to
explain before sendingaway?” Serena's tears fell, her voice laden with hurt and sorrow.
After all, they were living in the main house; the guesthouse next door was meant for visitors.