âIs her mood stable?â Arabella asked softly.
âSheâs steady alright, just missing you a ton. Sheâs been begging the nurses to lend her their phones so she can call you. But they keep telling her you come by often, and as soon as she stays awake a bit longer, you two will be able to meet.â
Graceâs phone was confiscated by Olga, fearing that the old lady might wake up suddenly and contact Arabella, possibly leaving her entire fortune to her due to her confusion. Thatâs why she didnât allow any phones around Grace.
âIâll visit her tomorrow.â Arabellaâs voice was calm.
âGreat, I have a complex case here; can you help me check it out tomorrow?â
âSure.â
After ending the call, Arabella saw a flood of WhatsApp messages from Olga.
[You are such a disgrace. The Murphy family has bent over backward to raise you all these years, yet you show no gratitude.]
[Yoli did her best to get you back on track, and you instigate your friends to attack her? Look at what she has become now.]
Il demand you come here immediately and apologize to Yoli sincerely!]
Perhaps because she didnât get an immediate response from Arabella, Olga sent several more messages, all insulting her.
The Murphy family has wasted their efforts raising you all these years. If they raised a dog, at least it could guard the house. Youâre not even as good as a dog!] [If I were you, I would apologize to Yoli immediately and do everything possible to get her forgiveness.]
[Iâm telling you to come here right now; did you hear me?]
Arabella replied to her, [Are you nuts?] Then she blocked her account and prepared to take a shower and go to bed.
At this moment, Edithâs voice came from outside the door.
âMs. Bella, are you asleep? The lady wants you to come downstairs for some mushroom soup.â
Arabella wasnât hungry, but she didnât turn down her motherâs kindness. She packed up her medication for the night and went downstairs.
Serena Collins served a bowl of mushroom soup in front of Louisa, sweetly calling, âMom, hereâs your mushroom soup.â
Then she served another bowl and handed it to Kenneth Collins, saying, âDad, this is yours.â
âYou donât need to do this.â Kenneth said with a smile that he felt his child was growing more and more considerate.
Louisa also smiled and said, âSerena, you donât need to bother with these trivialities.â
Back when they didnât know she wasnât their biological child, the Collins family had always taken good care of her.
Even a play that lasted eighteen years would create bonds, let alone their genuine affection for her over such a long period.
Although she wasnât their biological daughter, seeing her being as filial and obedient as before, even serving soup like a small thing in front of them, Louisa felt very comforted.
Seeing Arabella come downstairs, Louisa smiled and asked, âBella, youâre here? Come sit next to mom.â
âSis, this is your mushroom soup.â Serena served Arabella a bowl personally, and only then did she serve herself.
âSerena is so thoughtful, treating her sister so well!â Louisa looked at Arabella with a loving gaze and said, âHurry and drink it while itâs hot.
Arabella took a spoonful of soup and brought it to her mouth. She smelled a familiar scentâhemp seeds?
This kind of Chinese herb was often used with other medications to treat constipation.
But Arabella also smelled another medication, croton tiglium. She smiled slightly. Were they trying to give her diarrhea?
Arabella fooked up and saw Serena and Martha secretly watching her. As she looked at them, they quickly diverted their gaze.
Arabella put the spoon down, and the smile on her face grew.
âThanks to Marthaâs teachings, Serena has become so considerate. Since Serena personally served this soup, Martha should have a taste first.â
Martha immediately felt something was wrong: âMs. Bella, youâre too kind; I am just a servant; how can I eat such precious food?â
âOf course you can.â Arabella put the mushroom soup in front of her and smiled slightly. âWeâve never treated you as a servant in our house, and besides, itâs just a bowl of soup, right, mom, dad?â
âYes, Bella is so kind; just eat it.â Kenneth added with a smile.
But Martha didnât dare eat the mushroom soup in front of her. She swallowed and smiled awkwardly.
âSir, maâam, you might not know, but my stomach hasnât been good lately; let Ms. Bella have this bowl of mushroom soup first. Thank you for your kind intentions, Ms. Bella.â.
âMushroom soup is rich in protein, essential amino acids, and trace elements, which are beneficial for enhancing intestinal mucosal repair. Martha, your stomach isnât well; you should drink more mushroom soup.â
Without waiting for Martha to refuse, Arabella smiled and added, âThere are also some good ingredients added. Martha, you should give it a try.â
Martha felt the girl in front of her was like a devil; how could she know what was added just by smelling it?
dirty.
âMartha, do you think the spoon I used earlier is dirty, so you donât want to eat?â Arabella changed a new spoon for her. Seeing her still not moving, her eyes showed a bit of disappointment. âIs it because I just got home and no one listens to me anymore?â
âMartha,â Kenneth couldnât bear to see his precious daughter doubting herself, so he quickly said, âIf Bella wants you to eat, just eat it; itâs just a bowl of soup.â
âBella, donât think too much; how could everyone not listen to you?â Louisa said it with pity.
âMaybe itâs because I came home too late; everyone listens to my sister more. Even if I want to give someone something good to eat, they wonât accept it.â
Hearing these words, Kenneth and Louisa immediately realized something. Yes, these servants had been with Serena for a long time; naturally, they would lean more towards her!
Bella must feel bad in her heart.
Thinking about this, Louisa made up her mind. Nope, she had to hire some new help. She couldnât let her precious Bella feel wronged.
âSerena, why donât you try and get Martha to eat? If Martha really doesnât have an appetite, you can eat for her. She might not listen to me, but she might listen to you, right?â
At this, Serenaâs face turned pale as aâ ghost, scared that her scheme had been blown.
âSince Ms. Bella is so kind, I might as well eat.â Martha knew she couldnât avoid eating any longer and picked up her spoon with trembling hands.
Arabella smiled and said, âThatâs the spirit. Martha, is it good?â
Martha felt sick but still took a couple of bites and forced a smile, saying, âItâs good.â
âWell then, you should eat more later.â
âThank you very much for your kindness, Ms. Bella, but one bowl is enough. I really canât eat anymore.â
âThere are a lot of ingredients in this mushroom soup. You work so hard; you should replenish your energy.â
âThank you for your concern, Ms. Bella.â Martha felt conflicted. After finally finishing the mushroom soup, she quickly made up an excuse and left.