Chapter 181-190
Chapter 181
“How could you be so,” Olga’s words were cut off as Mrs. Panter angrily hung up the phone.
Zachary’s dad, who was standing nearby, was getting anxious. “Who Zachary likes is his business, and besides, our families have an engagement agreement. What are you doing? How am I supposed to explain this to Grace?”
“Yolanda spent over 400k from our family in one night; anyone would be against this marriage! Grace has her own issues to deal with; she won’t bother with this! Not to mention, she never liked Yolanda in the first place!”
“But you can’t just call off the engagement like that.”
“How old is Yolanda? She spent over 400k in one night; if this continues, she’ll drain our family’s wealth!”
On the other side.
“I’m so pissed off!” Olga sat on the sofa, fuming. She called Yolanda over, intending to ask what happened, but when she found out that the night’s expenses exceeded 400k and the 500k that Zachary had prepaid.
She was left dumbfounded.
So this meant tonight’s class reunion cost Zachary so much!
No wonder Mrs. Panter was so mad!
The next morning.
As Arabella was getting ready for work, she saw Martha coming back from outside, looking weak and carrying a bag with a pharmacy’s name on it. She must have ordered some anti–diarrhea medicine online.
Her face looked pale; she must have had a rough night.
Seeing Arabella, Martha instinctively hid the bag behind her and purposely kept a distance, forcing a smile and saying, “Good morning, Ms. Bella.”
Just as she was about to leave, she heard Arabella’s voice.
“Hold on.”
Martha stood still, feeling guilty. Although she bravely lifted her head to meet Arabella’s eyes, she couldn’t hide her fear.
“Do you know why I didn’t expose you last night?” Arabella’s eyes were deep.
Feigning ignorance, Martha said, “Ms. Bella, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
“Didn’t anyone tell you that what you expel can also be tested?” Arabella said, looking at her. “Hemp seeds and croton cream, you are quite creative.”
“Ms. Bella, I was confused.” Martha never expected she would know about the ingredients and bowed apologetically, “Please give me another chance.”
Arabella said nonchalantly, “If you hadn’t been working hard in this house for 18 years, I would have exposed you a long time ago.”
Before Martha could respond, Arabella added, “Regardless of whether it was a moment of confusion or a premeditated act, regardless of what you’re going to do, next, let me tell you, there should be no next time.”
Watching Arabella’s retreating figure, Martha felt a chill.
For some reason, Martha felt scared.
Not far away, Serena noticed Arabella leaving and hurried over to ask Martha, “What did she say?”
“Nothing.” Martha recalled Arabella’s warning and spoke guiltily. Suddenly, she felt discomfort in her stomach, quickly held her belly, and said, “Serena, I’m sorry, I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Hold on, Martha.” Serena saw her hurrying off and felt even more resentful towards Arabella!
Chapter 182
Arabella had barely been in the office for a while when someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Ms. Bennett.” It was Molly who walked in, a bag in her hand and a cheery smile on her face. “This is the cheesecake my mom made this morning. She insisted I deliver it to you. You’ve been a huge help to us; we can’t thank you enough.” Molly handed the bag to her, still smiling.
“Tell your mom I said thanks.” Arabella opened the bag to find a box with a cake and a cup.
Arabella was a little puzzled. What’s in the cup?
“It’s fresh juice!” Molly beamed, “My mom got up early to make it.”
Arabella took a bite of the cake and asked, “Tastes great.”
Then Molly opened the cup for her, saying, “Enjoy! I won’t disturb your work.”
Not long after she left, the aroma enticed Dean into the office.
“Ms. Bennett.”
He patted his stomach; the smell of the cake was too tempting. He overslept this morning and hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. His stomach was growling.
“Do you want some?” Arabella raised an eyebrow.
“Yes!” Dean looked at her hopefully, wishing she would share some with him.
“Come and get it.” Arabella generously offered.
Dean happily took a piece of the cake, and oh man, it was delicious!
Just then, Arabella’s phone started vibrating. She glanced at the screen and saw it was a call from the Piano Association.
“Ms. Bennett, I won’t disturb you.” Dean knew she was busy and tactfully excused himself.
Arabella answered the call, “What’s up?”
“Ms: Bennett, there’s a piano award ceremony at the Paramount theater in a couple of days. We were wondering if you could present an award for us.”
The voice on the other end was cautious: “We mainly want to provide some encouragement to the contestants, especially since we haven’t had any big shots attend for the past three years.”
Leonard would never attend this kind of minor competition’s award ceremony.
Even when the hosts of international competitions invited him numerous times, Leonard never showed up!
Although the chance of a high–profile figure like Arabella attending was slim,
They still held out hope: “Ms. Bennett, please don’t refuse. Could you consider it? If the contestants hear that you’re coming, they would definitely work harder! Your presence would mean a lot to them!”
The National Piano Competition?
Arabella pondered: the first place was Serena, and the second was Yolanda.
She wasn’t really into appearing in public.
“We’ll see.”
Her non–refusal implied hope, and the caller was thrilled: “Great, I’ll be waiting for your response.”
Lunchtime
Arabella didn’t go out to eat with Romeo; instead, she headed straight for the hospital after work.
“Bella, you’re finally here!” Caden was having lunch in his office. Seeing her, he immediately asked if she had eaten.
Chapter 183
When he found out she hadn’t eaten yet, Caden dropped his chopsticks in a flash and headed to the cafeteria to grab her some grub.
Arabella wanted to tell him not to bother, planning to grab a bite herself at the company cafeteria after visiting Granny Grace and checking out what’s been cooking there lately.
But Caden, worried she might be starving, dashed off to grab her food.
Walking into the hospital room, Arabella spotted a thin bracelet in Granny Grace’s hand right away.
It was something she’d gotten for Granny Grace with her first paycheck.
Every time she woke up, she’d hunt for it, clutching it tightly once she found it.
Arabella sat down by the bed, gently taking the bracelet from her hand. To her surprise, the old lady on the bed seemed to sense it and slowly opened her eyes. “Bella, is that you?” Grace Murphy, with her snow–white hair and kind eyes, looked at Arabella, her voice weak but excited. “You’re finally here.” “Granny.”
The moment Arabella spoke, the old woman started tearing up. “After sleeping for so many days, I finally get to hear my granddaughter’s voice.”
“Your body hasn’t recovered yet; don’t get too worked up. Arabella wiped away her tears, adjusted the bed a bit higher, and then poured her a cup of water. “Drink
some water first.”
“Okay.” Grace took the water offered by Arabella, obediently drank it all, and then held the girl’s soft hand and asked, “Did Olga and her gang give you a hard time?” Arabella gave a small smile and asked, “No.”
“A few days ago, when I woke up, I heard her say she was sending you back to your biological family.” Just thinking about it, Grace was fuming, almost out of breath.
Arabella quickly rubbed her back to soothe her, saying, “Granny, don’t be upset. My biological parents are quite nice to me.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Arabella smiled gently. “Do I look in any way like I’ve been mistreated?”
Grace’s life experience told her the clothes on Arabella were all high–end, although she couldn’t make out any brand. But the quality and the design are all top–notch. Even the pretty crown necklace she was wearing around her neck.
She was a bit surprised; the necklace looked strangely familiar, as if she’d seen it somewhere.
But after racking her brain and coming up empty, she let it slide.
Not to mention the beautiful butterfly bracelet on Arabella’s wrist, made from high–quality diamonds.
Her biological family must be well–off!
The thought of this smart and adorable girl not being her real granddaughter made Grace’s heart ache. And that heartless Olga, driving such a wonderful child away without a second thought to family ties!
“Granny, if you get this worked up every time you see me, I might be too scared to come again.”
Hearing Arabella’s teasing, Grace laughed, quickly wiping away her tears. “Don’t be like that. Come visit me whenever you have time. Otherwise, I’ll miss you and! won’t know where to find you.”
Arabella chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll come visit whenever I can.”
“Even though you’re not my biological granddaughter, I’ve always treated you like one over the years, and I’m even looking forward to your wedding!” Arabella smiled and said, “You might have to wait a bit for that.”
“I don’t mind waiting, as long as you find someone who truly loves you, then I can live out my days worry–free!” Grace patted her hand gently and said, “If your biological family ever mistreats you, don’t hide it. Once I recover, you can come back to this home! I’ll buy a new house, just the two of us; no need to live with
them.”
Arabella knew that she would never return to the Murphy family again in her lifetime, but she still gently said, “I’ll spend more time with you.”
Chapter 184
“Alright, alright.” Grace felt very content. “I’ve got to tell you a little secret. Come closer.
Maybe she was worried about eavesdroppers.
Grace waited until she leaned in closer, then whispered, “I’ve already left my will in the vault. If something happens to me, all my shares, savings, house, and car are all yours.”
“Granny, I can’t accept this.” Arabella started to refuse.
Grace waved her hand, signaling her to stop talking, and whispered, “Hear me out. Attlee is too easily influenced; he always listens to Olga, and Olga doesn’t like you. They can’t do business for nuts; if they get their hands on my assets, they’ll blow it all.”
That was indeed true. Attlee and Olga were awful at business.
“But you have the knack, so I’m willing to leave everything to you. Plus, all these years, I’ve considered you my own granddaughter. No matter whose kid you are, you’ll always be my favorite and most promising granddaughter!”
Hearing this, Arabella felt a lump in her throat.
“Let me add, Olga and the others always pick on you, so when you get the shares, either cash it in or straight up kick them out of the company. Don’t let them squander the Murphy family’s wealth. In short, don’t let them walk all over you!”
Arabella couldn’t believe Grace had even thought of strategies for her, she felt more affected. “But that’s yours; that belongs to the Murphy family; I can’t take it.” “You won’t take it? Then I’d rather donate it than give it to them.”
Arabella fell silent again, knowing how much Attlee and Olga’s actions had hurt Grace over the years!
Grace would never leave her estate to them.
She said all this with a loving smile on her face: “I wonder which lucky lad will end up marrying my wonderful granddaughter.”
Arabella suddenly remembered something and took a gift box, out of her bag, saying, “Oh yeah, your birthday is coming up in a couple of days. Happy early birthday.”
Grace was thrilled. She didn’t think Arabella would remember her birthday.
She opened the box to find a beautiful flower ornament. Theiflower, made of premium gemstones, looked so lifelike that it was a feast for the eyes. At the end of the stem, a gentle touch would play music.
She took one look and quickly said, “This must’ve cost a fortune; it’s too extravagant.”
“Not too expensive.”
In truth, it was a birthday gift from Grandpa Alberto, but Arabella, didn’t say it, she only said, “Touch here, and it’ll play music.”
Grace was overjoyed: “Now when I’m bored, I can listen to some melodies.”
I was a custom ornament with hundreds of uplifting piano songs.
“There are two more gifts.” These two were actually from Arabella.
Grace was surprised and delighted. “More?”
“This is a senior–friendly phone.” Arabella had set it up for her; the apps were straightforward and easy to use: “Tap here to contact me.”
“This is great! This is great!” Grace was missing something to keep in touch with Arabella. “I’ve got to hide this so Olga and the others don’t find it.”
“There’s also a bracelet; it suits you well.”
It was a piece of premium gemstone. Arabella thought it matched Grace’s temperament perfectly. She picked it out herself, designed it, and had it made into this bracelet. Its value exceeded that of the bracelet she gave before.
“Arabella, you’re such a good kid.” Grace was moved to tears: “I love it; help me put it on!”
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Arabella gently slipped the bracelet onto Grace’s wrist and said, “This bracelet suits you perfectly.” With the bracelet on, Grace looked even more elegant.
Grace, beaming with joy, chatted away with Arabella until she was too tired to stay awake.
Arabella held her hand until she fell asleep and then carefully covered her with the blanket.
Meanwhile, Caden had been waiting outside the room all this time. Only when Arabella came out did he take her to the canteen.
They were both easy on the eyes, and together they were a.sight to behold.
Some nurses passing by couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.
1
“Isn’t she the one who saved Phillip McMillan? She and Dr. Caden make a great pair
“Both she and Dr. Caden are not only good–looking, but also excellent doctors.”
“I hope they end up together.”
“Pay no mind to them,” said Caden, leading Arabella into his office. His food had gone cold, but he wasn’t bothered. Arabella’s presence softened his expression. “Thank you for your hard work,” said Arabella.
“It’s fine. You should eat more; you’ve lost weight, Caden said, finding joy in watching Arabella eat.
That evening, when they got home, Serena ran up to Arabella in front of their parents and said, “Sis, the award ceremony is in a couple of days. Can you come to the Paramount theater with me?”
Paramount theater again?
Arabella remembered the phone call she received earlier that day. She hadn’t responded yet.
I’ll be performing the award–winning piece on stage. I’ll be a bit scared if it’s just me, but it’ll be different if you and mom and dad come with me! Sis, can you and mom and dad come cheer me on?” Serena pleaded.
Kenneth, smiling, asked, “Bella, are you busy with work lately? If not, let’s all go together. After the ceremony, let’s go out for dinner. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”
Yeah, you’ve been back for over ten days, and we’ve only gone out once. I feel like we’re shortchanging you,” Louisa chimed in, hoping she’d take a break. “Sure,” Arabella, not one to put her parents in a difficult position, agreed to. anything they proposed.
This made Serena very happy. She was looking forward to the day and hoped to impress Arabella with her piano skills..
Arabella suddenly asked, “Where’s Martha today?”
Caught off guard, Serena answered, “Martha wasn’t feeling well today.”
“Did she have a stomachache? If so, she should drink more mushroom soup.”
“Um, no need for that,” Serena replied, her previous joy replaced with guilt and unease. “She’s already taken some medicine. She’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go take a shower now.”
“Okay.”
In two days.
Chapter 186
The National Piano Competition award ceremony was going down at the Paramount theater.
Serena, the tycoon’s daughter, had been a whiz in all sorts of arts since she was a kid. And Yolanda, knowing full well she can’t compete with her in terms of family wealth, got up early to dress to the nines, hoping to outshine Serena with her looks.
To back his daughter, Attlee even sold the family car and snagged a Maybach limited edition that set hím back a cool 600 grand.
On the day of the award ceremony, Attlee had his chauffeur dressed up in a posh sult and gloves, opening the door for Yolanda.
Yolanda stepped out of the car gracefully, donned in a gauze dress and a pleasant smile, waving at the press.
“Who’s that? Looks pretty swagger.”
“She’s decked out in QY from head to toe. That getup must’ve cost at least 300 grand, right?”
“She’s even riding in that limited edition Maybach; she must come from a loaded family.”
“That’s Yolanda, the daughter of Attlee, the richest guy in Tranquil City and this year’s runner–up.”
“Oh, that’s her? She’s not bad–looking, except her face is a bit puffy.”
Yolanda stiffened a bit hearing this. Her face was still swollen–from getting punched by Kelly a few days ago, but she tried her best to put on a brave face. Attlee also got out of the car, bending slightly to help Olga out.
Olga had on a priceless diamond necklace, looking absolutely stunning.
The press scrambled to get their shots. Their getups alone were enough to get tongues wagging!
Netizens also started buzzing about this.
Meanwhile, Arabella was in her swanky car, dealing with some private stuff on her phone. Her identity was still under wraps, as being seen with Kenneth and Louisa would draw the press’s attention. Once her real identity was blown, her life was going be a whole lot different.
Living life under a microscope wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for someone like her.
Take her enemies in the triangular zone, for instance. Once they found out she’s the tycoon’s daughter and lived in Summerfield, they’ll be a constant pain in the neck.
She didn’t really give a toss, but she didn’t want her family caught in the crossfire.
Chapter 187
“Bella.” Louisa was a bit heartbroken because Arabella’s identity had still not been publicly acknowledged, which made Louisa feel terribly sorry for her.
“It’s okay.” Arabella consoled her. She knew it was always best to keep a low profile and remain cautious. She understood the saying, “The taller the tree, the stronger the wind.”
Yolanda was still waving and posing, while Attlee and Olga were hand in hand, basking in their daughter’s limelight.
But before they had their fill of photos, the reporters suddenly scattered to chase after someone else!
They looked towards the source of the commotion and saw a luxurious motorhome parked in front of the theater. The driver, dressed in a high–end uniform, got out of the vehicle and respectfully opened the door for Serena
Serena stepped out of the motorhome, her every move radiating elegance.
She was the darling of a wealthy family. Compared to her, Yolanda was clearly out of her league!
Yolanda thought that by wearing a dress worth hundreds of thousands of dollars today, she could win everyone’s admiration, but she was too naive.
Serena’s gown, hairstyle, and jewelry complemented each other perfectly, and her demeanor was even more superior. Even her driver looked more sophisticated than the Murphy family’s driver!
The Murphy family’s driver looked like a thief who stole the emperor’s clothes and tried to pass off as the emperor, totally unsuitable for the occasion. Reporters flocked around Serena, then Kenneth and Louisa got out of the car. Their affectionate interactions drew a lot of attention.
Yolanda knew that her family had been outshone. She forced a smile and awkwardly said, “Mom, Dad, shall we go in first?”
Attlee was aware of the gap between him and Kenneth. If he tried to reach out now, he might be snubbed.
He didn’t want to lose face, so he, Olga, and Yolanda went inside first, planning to approach Kenneth later when the opportunity presented itself.
After all, Kenneth was the richest man in the country. There were so many people trying to get close to him. If he didn’t seize this opportunity, when would he? Serena was relishing the attention from the cameras. She could imagine how Arabella, trailing behind the crowd, must be feeling!
With an even brighter smile, she lifted her head and presented her most beautiful side to the cameras.
Meanwhile, Arabella was leisurely trailing behind the crowd, phone in hand, reading a new message.
[Helio, you didn’t come to the awards ceremony this year, and neither did Leonard. We’re all waiting for you, but without you guys, the ceremony feels so boring.
don’t even want to go out.]
Arabella replied while holding her phone, “Oh, I just arrived at the venue.”
The other person responded in surprise: [You’re at the venue? That’s great! I’ll be there soon. Where are you? I’ll have someone pick you up.]
“No need; I’m already inside.”
[That’s fantastic; the young ones will be thrilled to have you there today!]
Arabella realized they had misunderstood her intention and calmly replied, “I’m just here as an audience member.”
They thought Arabella was there as an audience member to observe the performance of this year’s winners and the arrangement of the awards ceremony.
“I’ve heard that this year’s winners are all very talented, but I haven’t heard their music yet, so I can’t judge their skills.”
“Arabella, if Leonard knew you were here, he would regret it so much.”
“He’s always wanted to meet you. He mentioned you a few days ago. If he knew you were coming, he would definitely have been the guest of honor at this awards ceremony.”
At this moment, a pretty sharp reporter noticed Arabella.
Chapter 188
She was at the back of the crowd, a face of innocent beauty with features so lovely they stood out, a mix of gentle grace and cool allure that made her inexplicably stunning.
He couldn’t help but aim his camera at her, sneakily snapping a few photos.
Yolanda was sitting in the sixth row of the audience, sneakily checking her phone. It was half past nine in the morning, and Zachary still hadn’t shown up, nor had he messaged her.
Instead, it was Attlee who spotted a familiar old friend and went up to shake hands, all aglow, saying, “Leo Bright, what brings you here?”
“Attlee, your daughter came in second; congrats.” Leo Bright said with a grin, holding Attlee’s hand, “My daughter only came fifth.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not about the ranking; it’s about participating, and Yoli just got lucky, that’s all.” Attlee responded with polite chit–chat.
“Forget about my good–for–nothing kid; she’s had twelve years of piano, and she only gets fifth place. Not like your Yoli, such a prodigy, easily bagging second place.”
Olga whispered to Yolanda beside her, “Where’s Zachary? Why hasn’t he shown up yet?”
Yolanda had called Zachary last night, but he said he would see if he had time today.
In the morning, Yolanda messaged him again; he said he was a bit busy and would see her later, and it was unclear whether he would come at all.
“It’s all his mother’s fault! She must be meddling in the background; Zachary was a good boy, so dedicated to you.” Olga got irritated just thinking about it: “Wait until you’re famous; that’ll make her regret!”
“Mom, don’t worry, I believe Zachary will come.”
“Send him another message; the award ceremony is about to start soon! He needs to see your shining moment!”
“Okay.” Yolanda, a little embarrassed, sent Zachary a picture of the scene.
[Zachary, I saved you a seat; if you’re busy and can’t make it, it’s okay.]
She even sent a kissing emoji.
On the other side, Zachary had already reached the theater entrance but hadn’t gotten out of the car. He received Yolanda’s message but didn’t reply right away; his gaze was fixed forward, lost in thought.
“Has Zachary not replied yet?”
“Send him a few more messages; don’t be so brief. Be more enthusiastic; ask him if he’s busy first, then talk about the ceremony! Or send a few more affectionate emojis and say some sweet nothings to coax him over. Boys love it when girls act cute.”
“Ten minutes have passed and he hasn’t replied yet? Is your phone on silent? Is the signal here bad? Check your phone again. Why don’t you go outside and call him?”
Yolanda, already frustrated, couldn’t stand her mother’s nagging anymore and got up, saying, “I’m going to the restroom.”
“Yoli.” Olga knew she was already stressed, but Zachary was such an outstanding figure–how many people would kill to be with him? Yoli had the upper hand; of course she should seize this opportunity! She absolutely couldn’t let this opportunity slip!
“You shouldn’t be pushing Yoli anymore! We can’t always be groveling to others! Attlee was starting to get fed up.
“But if Zachary could come to the event, so many familiar faces here would be envious of us!”
Zachary’s status alone was enough to make people sit up and take notice of the Murphy family!
“Moreover, if Zachary comes, that means he still has feelings for Yoli! Otherwise, at such an important moment, if the fiancé doesn’t show up, how much affection do you think he still has for Yoli?”
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After hearing what she said, Attlee also thought it made sense.
Yolanda came out of the restroom and had just finished washing her hands when she saw a familiar face passing by. She asked in surprise, “Arabella? What are you doing here?”
Only those related to the competition or staff could enter this grand theater today!
Ordinary people like Arabella couldn’t get in here at all!
Could she be working at the theater?
No way.
She could make a fortune in one night accompanying rich people; how could she bother with the peanuts she would earn working here? Yolanda suddenly got it: “I see, you’re here with some rich guy, huh?”
Arabella was going to ignore her, but stopped when she heard what she said, giving her a cold look. “Your face doesn’t hurt anymore? Want another punch?” “Are you dare to hit me?.” Yolanda subconsciously covered her face and said, “I haven’t settled the score with you for last time!”
“Oh, well, now’s your chance.”
Yolanda gritted her teeth and was speechless. She could only resort to threatening her with her parents. “I warn you, my parents are here with me today!” “So what?”
“If you dare to bully me, I’ll let them punish you! You’ll be the one losing face!”
“Huh.” Arabella found it funny; how old was she anyway, still using her parents to threaten people? Just how pathetic was she?
“What are you laughing at?” Yolanda seemed a bit nervous.
“Next time I hear you say ‘rich guy‘ or anything like that, I’ll cut off your tongue and feed it to the fish!”
Yolanda suddenly felt a pain on her tongue, and she said with bravado, “You wouldn’t dare!”
“Wanna bet?”
Arabella was about to enter the restroom when, unexpectedly, Yolanda splashed her with some water, smugly saying, “Oops, my bad.” Although Arabella reacted quickly and blocked some of it, her clothes still got wet.
Just as Yolanda was feeling smug, she didn’t notice Arabella moving quickly like a bolt of lightning, delivering a hard slap on her face.
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed in the air..
Yolanda was taken aback, then touched her right cheek in disbelief and said, “You dared to hit me?“.
“I sure did.” Arabella raised her hand again, aiming another slap at her other cheek. “I’m not Olga; I won’t indulge your bad habits.”
Yolanda was about to get angry when she heard a familiar voice.
“Yoli, are you alright?” Olga saw that her daughter had been gone for a while and was about to go check on her when she saw from a distance that Arabella had slapped her daughter twice!
She was so angry that she lost control and saw that Yoli’s face was swollen! Both sides were red!
Yoli was supposed to present an award soon; this evil woman, Arabella, must have done it on purpose!
Thinking so, Olga raised her hand to teach Arabella a lesson.
But Arabella easily blocked her wrist.
“You, let go of me.” Olga didn’t expect this girl to be so strong; she tried a few times but couldn’t break free. She gritted her teeth in anger and said, “I said let go of me; do you hear me?”
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“Oh.” Arabella finally let go of her grip.
Due to the sudden release, Olga stumbled and fell. Yolanda tried to help her up but got her skirt stepped on, and they both ended up sprawled on the floor, heads colliding in a comical fashion.
“You little rascal.” Olga pointed at Arabella, too angry to even stand up.
“Do you think you can just hit Yoli’s face without any repercussions? Last time, you had your friends gang up on her, and now you dare to bully her in front of me. If you don’t apologize to Yoli today, we’ll let everyone judge you!”
“Fine.” Arabella agreed surprisingly easily; she carelessly said, “Let’s have everyone judge then. And while we’re at it, let’s see if copying other people’s piano pieces can win you a runner–up trophy.”
“What are you on about? Don’t frame Yoli!”
“Whether I’m framing or not, ask her.” Arabella’s gaze fell on Yolanda, who looked utterly unconcerned.
Yolanda felt uneasy. She hadn’t expected Arabella to discover this so quickly. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Do you have any evidence?”
“Yeah, do you have any proof that Yoli copied someone else’s piano piece? Even if she did, how would you know? Do you even know how to listen to piano music?” Arabella had a piano bought for her by Grace in the past, but she hardly ever played it.
Don’t go around accusing people of plagiarism just because you know a bit about music!
“I get it! You’re just jealous because Yoli won second place, so you deliberately came to the theater to embarrass her? You’re so cunning! How could the Murphy family raise someone like you?”
“Who raised who?” Arabella raised her indifferent eyes and sheered, “Did I ever spend your money?”
“Isn’t the Murphy family’s money my money?”
“That’s Granny Grace’s!”
“Fine, you mischievous child! I won’t argue with you about this; are you going to apologize or not?” Olga’s voice had attracted a few onlookers.
Feeling embarrassed, Yolanda tried to pull Olga away, saying, “Forget it, mom.”
“No way, I’m going to make her apologize to you today!” Olga was set on getting an apology from Arabella.
“Mom, there are other people watching.” Yolanda was afraid the reporters would come over and say, “Let’s not argue with her; let’s go. We’ll have other opportunities.”
It didn’t have to be here!
“Let go of me. Let me teach her a lesson. Don’t worry, I’m here!”
“Are you guys done?” Arabella was losing her patience. Were they really going to argue about this? Didn’t they care about their dignity at all?
“We’ve already let you go. What more do you want?” Yolanda had never seen someone so ungrateful. Was she not satisfied until she had antagonized everyone?, “Oh, of course, I want you to apologize.”
“Apologize? Me?” Yolanda was taken aback.
Olga was even more stunned. “You want Yoli to apologize to you?”
Had Arabella lost her mind?
“How can you guys not understand what I’m saying? Let me repeat, apologize.” Arabella said slowly and clearly, “If you don’t apologize, I’ll have the staff pull up the video surveillance from the hallway.”
While the camera didn’t cover the washbasin area, they could clearly see the spot where Yolanda had splashed water on Arabella!
Yolanda fooked up; the camera was focused on the hallway in front of the bathroom, exactly where Arabella had been standing.