The Princess and the Pauper

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?

Deep down, she still held a sliver of hope for the Collins family.

But after listening to Martin, that faint hope extinguished.

"It went like this." Martin reluctantly revealed the dire circumstances, including how critical her condition

had been. He had to unlock Erik's phone without permission to contact Arabella, begging her to save

Serena. But Arabella had ultimately refused.

Serena's eyes dimmed with despair; she knew it. Why would Arabella care about whether she lived or

died?

And Arabella was always so detached, but what about her parents from the Collins family? They didn't

care for her either.

Her heart ached as if it were being sliced open.

"But I swear I didn't peek at any other content on your father’s phone," Martin, fearing she would

misunderstand, raised his hand to swear, "If I did, may I be cursed to never be with you, Serena, in this

life or the next!"

Serena knew that for him, that was a truly potent oath.

"I believe you," She gave him a tender smile.

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 ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

celebrations, but a quiet one this year might not be so bad," Martin said with a gentle gaze.