True Heiress Returns to Her Unemployed Rich Family (Arabella) novel Chapter 551

"That's possible, but..." Arabella hesitated. "It would be pretty tough to pull off now."

After everything that had happened, no one was getting anywhere near Dylan without serious difficulty.

"That's what I was thinking," Colton replied. "That's exactly why Zack's behavior seems off to me."

"What do you think they're trying to do?" he asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

Arabella thought it over for a moment before saying, "Have someone keep an eye on him. I don't believe he won't slip up sooner or later."

"Alright, I'm on it," Colton agreed.

After hanging up, Arabella's expression turned thoughtful.

"The Johnstons really don't know when to quit." She was curious to see what else they had up their sleeves.

Taking a slow breath, she picked up her pen again and returned to sketching out her designs...

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows.

After getting ready for the day, Arabella headed downstairs.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Florence greeted her warmly from the kitchen. "Come on over—breakfast is ready."

"Mom, whatever you made smells amazing," Arabella said, breathing in the comforting aroma as she walked toward the dining area.

Florence smiled affectionately at her. "Look at you, always thinking with your stomach. I made oatmeal with berries, scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and some mini quiches..."

"Wow, all my favorites!" Arabella patted her stomach playfully. "Okay, now I'm officially starving."

"Then dig in, honey," Florence urged warmly.

"Thanks, Mom," Arabella said with a grin.

Just as she settled into her seat, Frank and Ethan made their way downstairs.

"Morning, Dad, Mom... hey, Arabella," they said, pulling out chairs to join her.

"Frank, Ethan—you two are actually up later than me for once," Arabella teased lightly.

Frank ran a hand through his hair. "Had to finish up an urgent report last night, so I turned in pretty late."

"No wonder you look kind of tired," Arabella remarked, pulling a small tin from her bag. "Here, I made this for you—it's an herbal blend. Helps with focus and clears your head. Just steep it in hot water."

"Hey, not fair—where's mine?" Ethan cut in, pretending to be offended.

Arabella produced another identical tin. "Relax, I've got one for you too."

Ethan took it with a satisfied grin. "That's more like it."

"Show-off," Frank muttered, though he was clearly pleased.

"You're just jealous," Ethan shot back, looking smug.

"I literally just got one too," Frank replied flatly. "Why would I be jealous?"

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Totally not jealous."

Choosing to ignore him, Frank turned back to Arabella. "Why do you have these with you, anyway? You're not staying up late these days, are you?"

"Of course not," Arabella answered quickly.

She really didn't want everyone ganging up on her with questions—or worse, worrying over nothing.

"Brielle!" Arabella smiled in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Brielle lifted her chin proudly. "Well, I'm a student here now too."

"You're learning to fly?" Arabella's eyes lit up with amusement. That was unexpected.

"Yep! I want to be as awesome as you someday," Brielle said, her admiration clear in her expression.

Arabella laughed softly. "Well then, I wish you the best of luck getting your pilot's license."

"I'll work hard for it," Brielle promised firmly.

"Let's head inside," Lucas said as he walked over to join them.

"Alright," Arabella agreed, falling into step beside them.

As they walked toward the main building, Arabella glanced at Brielle. "How did you know I'd be here today?"

She'd clearly been waiting out front on purpose.

"I didn't at first," Brielle admitted with a shrug, then shot a meaningful look toward Lucas. "But someone was totally spaced out all morning. I asked what was up, and he eventually caved and told me."

"You make it sound so dramatic," Lucas sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Just calling it like I see it," Brielle replied, grinning triumphantly.

Seeing them about to slip into another one of their friendly arguments, Arabella quickly changed the subject. "Brielle, you're probably still in the theory phase, right?"

"Her?" Lucas chuckled lightly. "She hasn't even gotten to theory yet. Right now, she's still learning what all the buttons and switches in the cockpit do."

Brielle glared at him half-heartedly. "I've never done this before—it's totally normal not to know everything right away!"