Edith's voice politely echoed from outside the door, "Miss, your parents invite you to the garden."
Rosemary understood. This must be the surprise they prepared. She closed the door and followed Edith to the garden. As soon as she stood at the garden entrance, everything around her suddenly darkened.
Every light in the mansion was turned off.
Three seconds later, dreamy lights lit the place again.
"Miss, this way please." Edith gestured, bending slightly.
Rosemary stepped into the garden and saw beautiful star lights hanging from the trees. Countless colored balloons floated in the air and colorful ribbons fell from the sky.
This was the surprise they prepared for her?
Having never received such a surprise from Attlee and Olga, she now felt their love and attention towards her.
Inside the house, Serena was stunned. Why did they release the ribbons without telling her? But this scene would definitely get lots of likes on social media. She was about to go to the garden to take some photos when she realized her parents had already run out excitedly, shouting, "Our baby daughter!"
Serena blushed slightly. She had never been called such an affectionate name by her parents. Was it because they hadn't seen her for a long time? Did they think she was in the garden and that was why
they ran out so excitedly? They didn't know their baby daughter was still inside!
Serena had a happy smile on her face and was about to enter the garden when she saw her parents holding hands with a girl, saying something affectionately.
The girl was slender, with delicate skin, unlike Serena's, which had been pampered with countless skincare products. The girl's skin was more natural and glowing. As they approached, Serena noticed the girl's simple attire, but her features were striking. The girl had a face that somewhat resembled her mother's. A gust of wind blew, causing the girl's hair to sway. She looked mesmerizing.
Why was there such a guest at home? Serena was puzzled. It seemed that her parents valued this girl very much.
"Rose, how do you like the surprise in the garden? Isn't it surprising? Do you like it?" Before Kenneth could finish, he noticed Serena standing there, slightly surprised, "Serena? Weren't you supposed to arrive tomorrow afternoon? How come you're here today?"
Hearing her father say that the surprise in the garden was prepared for the girl, Serena was surprised and confused. She didn't understand why her parents valued a stranger so much. But there were guests present, so she behaved appropriately and said with a gentle smile, "Dad, Mom, I came back early on a friend's plane. Who is she?"
Perhaps Kenneth hadn't expected Serena to suddenly appear here. He quickly smiled, "You came at the right time. Let me introduce you. This is Rosemary, your sister!"
Sister? What sister? A distant relative?
The girl was dressed plainly, not like a close relative. All their close relatives were very rich and had a high social status. This plainly dressed girl might be a distant relative. She could be here to establish
connections or to borrow money?
Kenneth didn't notice her thoughts and turned to Rosemary, "Rosemary, this is Serena, who I told you about. She just finished her exams and is now on summer vacation, so she'll be staying with us."
Serena, with her lively eyes, seemed to understand and greeted her politely, "Hello."
Although she addressed Rosemary as her sister on the surface, she didn't take her seriously and treated her as a poor relative.
"The clothes and shoes you ordered have arrived. They were personally delivered by the brand's manager. They're inside." Kenneth said.
"They arrived so soon?" Louisa was overjoyed, holding Rosemary's hand and saying, "Let's go and see if you like them. Serena, I have something to tell you later."
Serena was stunned. The beautiful clothes and shoes inside were prepared for the girl in front of her?
Who exactly was this girl? Why was she so valued by her parents?
Rosemary had thought that she had enough stock to last her for at least half a year. During this time, she wouldn't have to worry about designing new pieces, allowing her to focus on her pharmaceutical research and other side hustles. However, to her surprise, her parents went ahead and bought out all
her stock, some of which were even her early designs that seemed a bit outdated now.
"Miss Rosemary, your name is somewhat similar to our brand's founder. I'm wondering if you are familiar with our boss?" Jaime asked.
"Nope." Rosemary's answer was clear-cut. Upon hearing this, Jaime understood that the rest of the people in the room were still unaware of the boss' true identity.
"You're one lucky gal, having parents who adore you so much. Look at these clothes, they're classic pieces from our brand's founder, Queen Abby. They're perfect for someone of your stature!" Jaime said.
"Rosemary, check out this casual outfit. I bet it would look great on you." Kenneth pointed out a piece displayed on the rack.
'Queen Abby's designs really do stand out. Look at this skirt." Louisa held up the skirt against Rosemary,
"I can already imagine how beautiful you'd look in it."
"Rosemary, what do you think about these?" Kenneth showed Rosemary a pair of shoes like it was his prized possession.
"Rosemary, how about this one-shoulder bag?" Louisa picked up a bag, "It looks like it was custom-made for you, I'm sure it would look great on you."
Rosemary's eyes were bright as stars, her demeanor elegant, as she listened to their comments. She was naturally beautiful. Her eyes were sparkling clear, a mixture of cold and sweet temperament, creating an indescribable charm.
Serena, on the other hand, was turning pale, her shock was beyond words. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! What on earth was going on? Why were her parents treating this girl like their own
daughter, even gifting her all these limited edition LY clothes?
Seeing them dote on Rosemary, she began to feel a sense of panic that made her uneasy. What had happened during the month she was at school?
"These are all in your size. If you don't like them, Dad can have them make another batch!" Kenneth looked at Rosemary affectionately.
"No need." Rosemary's eyes sparkled, her voice soft and gentle, "I think they're all pretty good."
Jaime could tell from the boss' tone that she wasn't exactly thrilled about the clothes. Couldn't blame her, these were all her early works, meant to tide her over for a year or so. Who would have guessed
they would come full circle back to her?
"How much for all these clothes?" Suddenly, Rosemary's gaze fell on Jaime.
Caught off guard, Jaime quickly responded, "These are all classic pieces by our brand's founder,Queen Abby. The cheapest item is around three hundred thousand. As everyone knows, our founder, who's both smart and beautiful, most of her works are usually priced between five hundred thousand and eight hundred thousand, with the real gems starting from a million."
Clearly, Kenneth had ordered all items priced over a million for his daughter. At first glance, they were all top-tier designs. The difference between the gems and regular pieces was the amount of time the
boss spent on the design.
Jaime had once witnessed the boss whipping up hundreds of designs in one night. The gem pieces might take a few minutes more than the regular ones.
"So, how much in total?" Rosemary raised an eyebrow, giving Jaime a meaningful look.
Jaime, not catching on, felt a bit uneasy, "Mr. Collins paid a total of thirty-eight million eight hundred and eighty thousand to LY."
Rosemary didn't expect to make so much money from her parents on the first day of acknowledging them, so she was a bit uneasy, "That's quite expensive."
"Not at all!" Jaime quickly explained, "LY doesn't care about quantity, but quality. Each piece is a hot seller! You'll be the belle of the ball wearing these!"
"Indeed, not cheap. Rosemary emphasized, applying a bit of pressure with her gaze.
Seeing the founder's gaze and hearing her words, Jaime got the hint, "It is a bit pricey. How about a considering 10%. Mr. Collins made such a large order at once?"
"10%?" Rosemary repeated his words.
"20%?" Hesitant, Jaime changed his offer upon seeing the founder's seemingly dissatisfied expression,
"Or, 30% off? Can't go any lower!"
Any lower would seriously devalue the brand!
Everyone was dumbfounded. Who knew she could haggle with a top-notch brand? And that much?
Kenneth and Louisa never thought their daughter would be such a haggling pro, talk about being considerate!
'Just make it twenty-seven million, and forget the change!" Jaime decided, "I'll refund the difference back to Mr. Collins' account right away."
Kenneth thought his daughter was worried about him spending so much, and quickly said, "No need for a refund. Rose, Dad can afford it! Don't feel pressured."
"That won't do." Rosemary firmly said, "Even with money, we can't just throw it around. How about we return half of the clothes?"
That way, she could sell them to other people and earn their money.
"No way." Kenneth quickly objected, "How about this, Jaime, refund the money to my daughter's account. She's the one who haggled, so it should go to her! Rose, give him your account, consider it
pocket money from mom and dad."
So much pocket money. Jaime felt out of his depth. Everyone else was envious.
Serena couldn't believe her parents' generosity, casually giving away so much money without batting an eye. They'd never done this for her!
As she took a step back, Martha quickly came to her aid, whispering, "Miss, maintain your composure."
Even though the truth was harsh, things hadn't gotten to the worst point yet.
Serena watched as her parents, with an intimacy and warmth she'd never seen before, treated the girl in front of them with such care. They'd even forgotten about her!
That girl always had an aloof vibe about her. Even though she toned it down a bit in front of her parents, her inherent coldness and wilfulness were like a wild wolf that couldn't be tamed. She could
tell at a glance that she wasn't a good kid.
How could there be a wolf in a flock of sheep? This place was clearly not her cup of tea! She was totally out of sync with everything here!
"Dad, Mom, who is she?" Serena tried to keep her cool, smiling as she asked.
It was then that Kenneth and Louisa noticed their adopted daughter.
Louisa was the first to give an order, "Take these things to Ms. Collins's dressing room."
The title "Ms. Collins" made Serena feel uneasy again.
She was clearly the sixth child in their family. How came there was suddenly an extra person?
"Jaime, you're a lifesaver for running this errand today." Louisa thanked him and then turned to Erik,
"Please make sure he's well taken care of."
"Sure thing, Mr. Jaime, follow me please." Erik said.
Jaime knew that the family had some serious talking to do. After exchanging pleasantries with Rosemary,he left with Erik.
"Let's sit down and talk." Louisa held Rosemary's hand and gestured for Serena to sit. Serena felt as if a dagger was plunged into her heart watching this scene.
"Serena, let me introduce you again. This is Rosemary Collins, our biological daughter who was left behind." Louisa said
Serena was speechless. She had always thought this girl was a distant relative, here to borrow money.
She couldn't believe that she was her parents' biological child. No wonder they were so nice to her!
"Here's the story. Years ago, Kenneth and I were passing through a small town when I went into labor.
The nearest hospital was our only option." Louisa recalled the incident, "The hospital we found was out of private rooms. They temporarily put me in a ward with two other pregnant women. In the middle of
the night, a fire broke out in the hospital. Due to heavy smoke, we couldn't see where we were going.
In the chaos, I picked up a baby, thinking it was Rose. But in reality, you were another woman's child,not mine and Kenneth's. I picked up the wrong baby."
The words shattered Serena's last defense. She couldn't believe that she had no blood ties with the Collins family!!
"Rose was taken by the Harris family, and the Harris's baby was taken home by a janitor. And you, ended up with us, the Collins. If I hadn't come across a post online about a family searching for their
lost child, we would still be in the dark about the mix-up!" Louisa said.
Serena was left speechless.
"As for your birth mother." Louisa paused, then decided to tell the truth, "We had someone look into it.
She bled out after giving birth and was too weak to escape the fire that night."
What??? Her biological mother had died the night she was born?
Serena's face turned pale. She couldn't believe what was happening.
"Your birth father is nowhere to be found." Louisa said, then looked at Rosemary and said softly, "We've talked to Rose. We plan to let you stay in this family. From now on, she's your sister. We owe Rose a lot and we'll do our best to make it up to her. Although you're not our biological child, we've always treated
you as one. You and your sister need to get along well, take care of her, and be there for her, okay?"
Hearing her parents' favoritism, Serena couldn't accept it! Since when did the younger sister look after the older sister?
For years, she had been proud of her background because her father was one of the richest men in the country, her mother was a famous beauty, and her five brothers were all successful in their fields.
From childhood, everyone had always given way to her, appeased her and tried to please her. How could she give way to others, appease and try to please others?
Although she was very reluctant, at this moment, Serena, weighing the pros and cons, said without hesitation, "This is all very sudden for me, I won't lie and say I'm not heartbroken. I've lived in this family for eighteen years. Then one day, my beloved parents tell me that I'm not their biological child."
Serena lowered her head, her lost and heartbroken look was pitiful, "I didn't expect my birth mother to have died in a fire the day I was born, and my birth father is missing. I never even had a chance to
repay their kindness."
As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away, expertly managing her heartache, regret, and sorrow, "Dad, Mom, I'm grateful that you're willing to keep me in this family. I'm content. I promise I'll get along well with my sister from now on!"
Her face was sincere, and her tear-streaked eyes were heartfelt. But Rosemary, having grown up in the Harris family and seen all sorts of people, knew at a glance that Serena was being insincere.
"Welcome back to the family." Serena opened her arms, attempting to express her affection for her sister.
Under the expectant gaze of their parents, Rosemary responded, "Yeah, I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need a hug."
Serena was left standing.
"I'm not a fan of physical contact, sorry." Rosemary had always been cold, but her reaction and attitude made Serena feel like she was deliberately making things difficult for her, making her feel embarrassed and awkward!
"Rose's a bit introverted, but she'll warm up. We're all family now, Serena, you don't have to be overly formal." Louisa said. Upon hearing this, Serena's face flushed with embarrassment, before finally replying, "Alright."
"Alright, enough of that, let's eat!" Louisa checked the time, "Rose, you must be hungry. We've been talking and totally forgot about the meal!"
"Tonight's dinner was made by your mom and me. Let us know how it tastes?" Kenneth said with a smile, "If there's anything you don't like, just let us know and we'll adjust it."
The table was laden with delicious food, all made by Kenneth and Louisa. Serena felt a pang of jealousy. They had four chefs at home, and there was no need for Kenneth and Louisa to cook. But today, they made a special effort for Rosemary! Kenneth and Louisa kept serving Rosemary food, and her plate was soon full. Even though they were considerate of Serena's feelings and served her lots of dishes as well, Serena noticed that they served Rosemary noticeably more.
This made her even sadder, and she couldn't even appreciate the delicious food.
"Rose, you've had it rough all these years! Have more food and nourish yourself. You should eat more meat too, you're so skinny." Louisa said.
Martha stood by, saddened as she saw Miss Serena being overlooked.
Luckily, Rosemary went upstairs after finishing her meal, not lingering downstairs for too long. Serena found an opportunity to chat with her parents. After beating around the bush for a while, she tentatively
asked, "Dad, mom, how did you confirm that Rose was your biological daughter from that online missing person ad? Were there any keepsakes?"
What she really wanted to ask was, could someone be impersonating? After all, who wouldn't want to be the daughter of the richest man in the country. They couldn't just determine blood relations based on
a few similarities in appearance, right?
Hearing this question, Kenneth was taken aback for a moment, then explained with a laugh, "There wasn't any keepsake. It's just that the events of the night Rose was born were very similar to what we
remember."
They were in the same hospital, and even the room number was the same. There was a fire nearby,and in the chaos, they grabbed the wrong baby.
"Is that so?" Serena wondered.
Kenneth continued, "They sent us Rose's hair, we had it tested, and the similarity was 99.9% ! When we met, your sister and your mom, they looked like the same person. They were just too similar!"
Hearing Kenneth's words, Serena felt a chill in her heart, her last bit of hope completely shattered. But she still couldn't accept it, "How do you know I'm not your biological daughter?"
"We did a paternity test with Rose first, then took some hair from your room for testing." Kenneth said.
In other words, Serena was indeed not related to the Collins family by blood. The last shred of hope in Serena's heart had been completely extinguished!
"Serena, even though you're not our biological child, we've been together for so many years, and we've always treated you as our own daughter." Louisa said.
Even though Louisa looked at her as always, but Serena knew better than anyone. Some things were not the same anymore!
If only she could have been the legitimate daughter of the country's richest family.
Now that Rosemary was back, at best she could be considered an adopted daughter of the Collins family with no blood ties. In other words, she was the outsider in this family!
Her eyes dimmed for a few seconds, and she instinctively hugged Louisa, "Mom, I love you and Dad. I will take good care of you in this life."
After spending some sweet time with her parents, Serena went up to the second floor, and suddenly found that the layout of the entire floor had changed! The entire second floor was completely new, obviously renovated, with each room a different style.
Serena grabbed a maid and asked directly, "What's up with these rooms?"
"The master and madam wanted to welcome Ms. Collins home, so they hired a famous international designer to design the rooms, and invited the best renovation team to come over. Apart from your
room, the entire second floor has been renovated! Because they didn't know what style Ms. Collins would like, so each room has a different theme." The maid said.
Serena's face turned a bit pale and twisted.
"However." The maid looked around and whispered, "Ms. Collins grew up in a small family, and in the end, she only picked the most ordinary one."
Hearing the maid say this, Serena felt a bit better.
The maid looked around again, whispering, "Ms. Collins is naive. She didn't know anything. I guess she hasn't seen famous paintings. That expensive 'Return of the Kings', was supposed to be hung in the living room for people to admire, but she had it moved to the lounge!"
Serena was a bit surprised, "She cares about this kind of thing?"
The master and madam seem to care a lot about her opinion, and they actually ordered it to be moved!" The maid said, "Today they even cooked themselves, and ordered so many beautiful clothes,shoes and bags for her. They even gave her ten million dollars, saying it was pocket money"
Under Serena's long eyelashes, a pair of bright eyes hid jealousy and resentment.
"Miss, forgive me for speaking out of turn. If you go abroad to college in the future, your family status may be precarious." The maid warned nervously.
Serena was very clear about her current situation, "Yeah, I know, you go ahead."
"Yes." The maid answered.
"Hold on, your name is Holly, right?" Serena suddenly called her back, took off the diamond bracelet from her wrist and gave it to her, "I heard your family is in the hospital, this bracelet might be able to
help."
"Thank you, Miss Serena!" Holly immediately showed her loyalty, "I will serve you faithfully in the future."
This maid was pretty savvy.
Serena waved her hand to dismiss her, and a plan slowly formed in her heart. Even though Rosemary was their biological daughter, she had spent all these years with Kenneth and Louisa, and her feelings for them were much deeper than Rosemary's!
Outside room 306 of Hope Hospital, a man pushed the door and walked in. He had clear eyes, delicate features, and an incomparable noble elegance emanated from his body.
The old man on the bed moved his fingers slightly, as if feeling someone coming over, and slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing that it was his grandson Romeo, the old man's gaze softened, and his voice was a bit weak,
"You little brat."
Romeo spoke softly, "Awake?"
"Where am I?" The old man strained to open his eyes and looked around, "What happened to me?"
Why did his whole body hurt so much, and he didn't even have the strength to speak?
Romeo asked with a light laugh, "Wasn't it you who wanted to go on a hunger strike?"
He refused to eat or take medicine, forcing him to show up. And in the end, he almost lost his life.
Reminded by him, the old man seemed to remember something. It seemed that there was such a thing.
Originally, he wanted to change his position, but his whole body was in so much pain, "Ouch, it hurts!"
Instead of helping him, Romeo complained, "You're lucky to be out of danger."
He should endure this little pain, who made him make such a fuss?
"You, you little brat. I just woke up, can you be a little nicer? The old man felt a bit wronged, "It's all your fault. You tell me, how many days have you not come to see me"
If he hadn't refused to eat or take his medicine, and had such a big operation, this brat wouldn't have time to come and see him.
"Who asked you to keep saying things I don't want to hear?" Romeo said.
Every time he came, the old man would mention Serena from the Collins family and talk about the marriage contract from the past.
"You! Humph, I don't care!" The old man turned his head in anger, "I'm in this state. Maybe one day I'll kick the bucket. Tomorrow you must bring your fiancee to see me! "
Romeo stated firmly, "I don't have a fiancee."
"You're trying to give me a heart attack!" The old man couldn't help but blurt out angrily, "We have a marriage agreement with the Collins, so you must marry Serena,How else am I gonna explain this to them?"
"The marriage agreement was all your idea." Romeo replied coolly, "Figuring out how to fix this mess is your problem, not mine."
"You, you cheeky little. Oh my heart." The old man suddenly clutched his chest, grimacing in pain.
"Carl, get the doctor". Romeo said.
No sooner had Romeo spoken than the old man waved him off, "No need! I've said my piece. If you and Serena don't show up together tomorrow, you can forget about having a grandpa From then on,whether I live or die, it's none of your business!"
Seeing the two at each other's throats again, Carl quickly stepped in to defuse the situation, "Calm down, sir. Mr. Romeo has just been really busy recently."
"Hmph, you might as well be single for the rest of your life! You lot, always so busy with work. Can't you spare a little time to think about the big picture of your lives?" The old man said.
"…" How did he get dragged into this? Why was he destined to be single forever? All he did was love his work!
Bạn cũng có thể thích
bình luận đoạn văn
Tính năng bình luận đoạn văn hiện đã có trên Web! Di chuyển chuột qua bất kỳ đoạn nào và nhấp vào biểu tượng để thêm nhận xét của bạn.
Ngoài ra, bạn luôn có thể tắt / bật nó trong Cài đặt.
ĐÃ NHẬN ĐƯỢC