Sean suddenly felt he didn’t deserve even passing the mashed potatoes to his sister at the dinner table.
It finally dawned on Steward why Ms. Collins carried herself with such aloof pride when she first walked in - she had the chops to back it up.
"Sean’s no slouch either. He’s got a Midas touch with international economies, a sharp eye for investnts, and he’s got connections in the legal field and the underground world. Plus, he’s into racing, skydiving, rock climbing, you na it, he does it. Extre sports are like kids’ play to him. Birds of a feather flock together, right? Hahaha."
Steward ant to sing Sean’s praises, but a look from Sean shut him up. That look said it all, "Zip it!"
Compared to his sister, who was a top dog in every field, his hobbies sounded frivolously unserious.
"Always fooling around with this and that. You’re her brother, ti to show so gravitas," Louisa
chided gently yet fondly told Rosemary, "Rose, have so more."
"Sean’s already making waves back in Belloria, his reputation’s thunderous - puts my younger self to sha," Bard lifted his glass to drink with his nephew, eyes shimring with pride and recognition.
"The achievents I and Bard had at our age, Sean’s managed at his - and all by himself," Eunice arched her crimson lips into a stunning smile, drinking with Sean. How many could make the legal and
underground worlds stand at attention at such a young age?
"I think Sean’s quite remarkable too," Rosemary picked up her glass of lemonade for a toast, "Here’s to Sean."
Sean hadn’t expected such praise and acknowledgnt from his sister, and he drained his glass in one happy gulp.
"Every Collins is a diamond in the rough," Darren said with a beaming grin.
"Absolutely, whether n or won, each one is a young achiever," Belinda’s smile was full of contentnt.
"Including Ms. Serena Collins, who, under Mr. Kenneth Collins and Mrs. Louisa Collins’s ticulous guidance, has been exceptional since she was little."
Steward’s comnt, out of the blue, caused Kenneth and Louisa’s smiles to freeze on their faces. Not just them. Even Darren, Belinda, Bard, and Eunice lost their smiles. The harmonious and joyful
atmosphere vanished, replaced by a strange silence.
Steward had intended to complint them on their excellent upbringing; even the adopted daughter was raised so well, but seeing this scene, he was completely taken aback.
What’s going on? Did he say sothing wrong? Was Serena off-limits?
He looked at Sean, as if asking, "What’s happening here?"
Sean’s face said, "How would I know?"
"She’s no longer part of this family," Louisa suddenly declared.
Steward’s eyes bulged, baffled. What did that an? Kicked out of the family? Sean looked equally surprised.
"Let’s talk about this after dinner," Louisa said, not wishing to dampen the mood over her.
"Co on, let’s eat," Darren tried to lift the spirits, reaching for the roast chicken first.
Others followed suit, picking at their food, sipping their soup. Although there was still conversation and laughter, the vibe had shifted palpably from before.
Steward shivered slightly, suddenly finding his food tasteless. Ever since Serena’s na was ntioned, a shadow seed to fall over the gathering.
It was all because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut!
Why did he have to ntion Serena? It was clear he hadn’t thought before he spoke.
After an anxiety-filled dinner, where Steward barely managed to keep his composure, he risked a glance at Sean, who seed to have a lightbulb mont and surmised, "Is it about the whole ss
with Martha and Rose’s kidnapping?"
The others were caught off guard by his quick connection of the dots.
"Indeed, it is related." Kenneth nodded, "Co to the study with ."
He didn’t want to rehash the footage from that unfinished construction site again. No need to upset the rest.
Sean, sensing the gravity of the situation, stood up to follow his father.
He rembered when he’d gone to that derelict building looking for Rose, they had told him she was dead, had fallen from the building. He was so enraged; he wanted to blow the place sky-high. But before he could act on that impulse, he had hoped to find his sister’s body.
At that mont, Martha had fallen from the building. He wondered, why was a servant of the Collins family like Martha even there?
Later, when he learned that Rose was alive and that, aside from his own plans, another group had also rigged the building with explosives set to detonate soon. He didn’t think twice; he just acted to save his
sister.
Now, with a mont to reflect, he wondered when had Martha left the Collins family? How did she end up in Belloria, entangled in Rose’s kidnapping?
Steward didn’t follow Sean; after all, this was a family matter.
After watching the footage in the study, Sean was seething with rage. He couldn’t believe the extent of suffering Rose had endured before he arrived at the construction site. Slaps, whippings, threats.
What truly sent him over the edge was the conversation between Rose and Martha. He was livid to realize that since the day his sister had returned ho, Martha and Serena had harbored ill intentions, targeting her at every turn. Worse, when Martha decided to scar Rose’s face, Serena didn’t intervene.
Instead, she ordered Martha to carve deeper and demanded Rose to kneel and bow to her.
Having seen everything, Sean kicked the desk with explosive fury, like a pressure cooker on the verge of bursting.
"That’s what happened," Kenneth concluded, making it clear that not just he but the entire family was deeply disappointed in Serena. They no longer wanted this adopted daughter and were ready to cast her out.
"Is she in the basent?" Sean asked, anger lacing his voice.
Before Kenneth could answer, Sean stord out.
Kenneth had a bad feeling and called out, "Sean, where are you going?"
Betty, who was guarding the basent, trembled at the sight of Sean’s uncontainable fury,
"Mr. Collins."
"Open the door," Sean demanded, his face grim.
Betty, frightened, fumbled with the keys as if they had a mind of their own. When the door swung open, Betty saw the girl lying on the floor, barely clinging to life, fear and surprise flickering in her eyes at the sight of Sean.
"Sean." Serena’s voice was weak. She hadn’t eaten for a long ti; no water, no treatnt for her wounds, which had led to a fever.
Looking at the girl before him, Sean found it impossible to reconcile her with the person from the surveillance footage.
The Serena he rembered was innocent and kind, with a clear and sunny smile, always clinging to Clark and David, rarely coming to him. Perhaps because he was barely at ho, had a temper, and didn’t spend much ti on personal bond with the family mbers. He was more inclined to deal with the family’s practical problems.
Of course, he did care for his sister, and he’d always been responsive to her requests.
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