The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1894

Erik had told her that Martin was a trustworthy man, and that he truly loved her with all his heart. He urged her to stick with him, implying that one day this man might serve as her sharpest sword.

Had it not been for the secrets she unearthed in the encrypted memos, she would never have known the extent of the dangerous web her father had been entangled in. Alone, she was nothing but a sitting duck.

It was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Her father had made her promise to play the fool, to keep mum no matter what, never to reveal the truth behind the fire that happened years ago. If she did, she would meet a grim fate before she could spread her wings, let alone avenge him.

Serena etched her father's words deep into her heart.

She would grow those wings and wait for the right moment to strike back with vengeance, to thrust the blade into the heart of the despicable mastermind behind it all!

Serena was determined to have her revenge!

And she intended to leave them with nowhere to hide!

For now, she had to bide her time, to wait and endure.

"Alright, Serena, no more tears," Martin's voice was gentle and soothing. "You've cried enough."

"But you haven't finished the story," Serena nudged him away lightly, gazing into his eyes, "You rescued me from the Collins family, but what happened next? How did I wake up? Who saved me?"

In that basement, she had felt so close to death she even hallucinated seeing her mother, Martha.

Who had brought her back from the brink?

Or had the Collins family eventually called a doctor for her?

Was it Arabella who saved her?

Martin was touched by her sincere warmth, a rarity from her. She believed him! She still trusted him!

"What happened after? How did you manage to save me? If Arabella refused to help, how did you find someone else in such a critical situation?"

"Somebody called me out of the blue, claiming they had medicine that could help. They wanted a favor in exchange. Don't worry, it wasn't anything shady. After you took the medicine, the hospital declared you out of danger, and I brought you home. And today, you woke up."

Martin kept the details about the mysterious caller vague, instead, he cradled her face and said, "This estate, it's called For·ena Villa, and from now on, it's our home."

For·ena Villa.

Serena hadn't expected him to name it something connected to her.

"From now on, you rest here and recover. I'll be with you for the holiday. You're used to lively celebrations, but a quiet one this year might not be so bad," Martin said with a gentle gaze.