Eunice’s smile was gentle and beautiful as she spoke,
"I’ve cherished you for eighteen years, honey. You wouldn’t leave without even saying a word to , would you?"
"What exactly are you trying to say, Aunt Eunice?"
"I know you’re still a kid at heart, love. There are so things you might not know how to handle, so I thought maybe I could help you."
"You still suspect that I had sothing to do with what happened last night, don’t you?"
Serena lifted her gaze, a touch of hurt in her eyes as she bit her lower lip, asking sadly,
"Am I right?"
"Is this incident related to you in any way?"
Tears began to stream down Serena’s face, her eyes filled with an unbearable sense of injustice. She seed to be holding back her emotions, but the sense of being wronged made her reveal a hint of resentnt.
"Why do you have to think so poorly of , Aunt Eunice? If my sister had never co back to this family, if there had never been any mix-up, would you still think of this way?"
Looking into Eunice’s eyes with profound sadness, Serena asked,
"If I were still your biological niece, if I still shared blood with this family, if I were still the sa old Serena I’ve always been, would you still believe that I was capable of such a thing?"
Eunice remained silent; her beautiful eyes gave nothing away.
"Just because I’m not the flesh and blood of this family, you think you can throw any accusation at . If one day it turns out that I have nothing to do with this, will you feel even the slightest bit of guilt for how you’ve treated today?"
Eunice’s gaze fell upon her, but she still said nothing.
Serena laughed, though her smile was laced with bitterness and sorrow.
"I know you won’t. Because in your eyes, I’m no longer your dear niece. Now you have my sister, who is more capable and impressive than I am. The less she speaks, the more you all think she’s better than . Isn’t that right?"
"Serena."
Eunice seed like soone who had weathered great storms; the slight turbulence before her did nothing to disturb the calm composure of her smile and gaze.
"You might have forgotten, but I’ve only just returned to this family. After what I’ve been through, I look at everyone with fresh eyes—not like your grandparents, whose image of you is frozen in the past.
A person who lived under the identity of her sister for eighteen years, fighting over simple things like a breakfast burrito or a cheesy olette, completely disregarding the hardships she endured all these years. A person who deliberately hid her sister’s true identity, allowing her boyfriend to believe her ’fiancé’ was seduced by her sister.
A person who doesn’t even care when her own boyfriend is hurt, not sparing him a single look of concern. Soone who, even when drunk, can’t stop thinking about her brother-in-law. Do you think I can look at her with the sa eyes as before?"
Serena looked up, her emotions complex as she faced the woman before her.
"I watched you grow up, thinking I knew you. But it turns out I didn’t know you at all; you’ve beco a stranger to . Since we’ve co this far, I will ask you straight: Did you do it? Did you kill him?"
Serena closed her eyes in despair, letting the tears fall freely before finally replying,
"No, I didn’t."
Before Eunice could respond, Serena continued,
"No matter if you’re straightforward or beating around the bush with your questions, the answer is no. I won’t admit to sothing I didn’t do. How he died has nothing to do with , and if you’re only here to talk about that, then there’s nothing left for us to discuss."
Eunice looked into her eyes and simply said,
"Alright, then we won’t discuss it."
Serena was taken aback, looking at her aunt with a mix of surprise and confusion. She didn’t co off as a pushover.
"Anyway, I’ve said my piece."
Eunice chuckled, shifting into a more graceful posture, and declared with effortless poise,
"Whoever thinks about hiring a hitman to take out Rose, or playing dirty tricks behind the scenes—they won’t get off lightly with . Of course, I hope it’s not you, but if it is, I’ve just given you a fair warning, and you chose to ignore it."
Having finished her piece, she stood up, smoothed out her dress, and was about to leave when sothing seed to strike her. She turned back with a smile,
"Oh yes, when I ntioned soone wanting to hire a hitman to kill Rose, you didn’t seem surprised at all. It’s as if you already knew, as if hiring a hitman and the incident last night are connected."
Serena’s face showed a flicker of change as she looked at Eunice.
"Goodbye, and godspeed," Eunice said without further ado and left the room.
Watching her leave, Serena felt the familial bond with Eunice thinning with each step she took away.
An hour later.
The estate’s helipad bustled with servants shuttling luggage and gifts back and forth.
"These gifts are from and your uncle, for your parents—and so are for you."
Eunice said, straightening Rosemary’s clothes gently and whispering in her ear,
"Stay safe on your way back, dear. I will speed up the investigation, and I’ll make good on my promise within a week."
Rosemary knew her aunt referred to rooting out the remaining threats.
"I hope it won’t bring you too much trouble, Aunt Eunice."
When Serena ca down, she caught Eunice whispering intimately with Rosemary, both laughing rrily. Bard, Belinda, Darren, and the rest of the family were bidding a reluctant farewell to Rosemary, who seed to be the heart of the ho.
Whether it was sorrow or envy, Serena found herself rooted to the spot.
May hugged Rosemary tightly.
"Miss Collins, I’ll co to find you at Reflections Villa during the holidays with Mrs. Belinda Griffith."
"Co on, it’s not like a final goodbye," Belinda chuckled.
"Rose, make sure to spend so quality ti with Roo. Don’t leave the poor guy loneso."
Rosemary laughed,
"I will."
"Serena, you’re here too?"
Bard noticed Serena standing a little way off. He called out,
"Co here, Serena. Once you and Rose are safely ho, give a call or send a ssage."
"I’m not taking this flight," Rosemary clarified.
"I’m going back with Roo."
The group, taken aback, then rembered that she and Roo were the couple. Roo had co to Dawnstar for her, and naturally, he would return with her.
"Has Roo wrapped up his business here? When did this happen?" Darren inquired with concern.
"Just now."
Rosemary had just packed her bags and received a call from Roo. She had intended to inform her aunt and uncle, but seeing them heading towards the helipad, she decided to go downstairs and tell them in person.
But to Serena, this ca off as a blatant show-off. Rosemary had plenty of chances to ntion it earlier, yet she waited until Serena arrived to drop the news.
If this wasn’t intentional, what was it?
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