The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1469

Last night, Bard had taken a few of his trusted subordinates to check out the scene, including a forensic expert. But the clues they found pretty much lined up with what Bella had said - death by mechanical asphyxiation, ruling out any pathological factors.

"Once Serena calms down a bit, I'll have a chat with her." Bard mentioned casually, "Maybe she's forgotten some crucial detail, or perhaps a conversation might reveal something we hadn't caught before."

Just then, Darren, yawning, sauntered over and grumbled, "What's with all the secrecy around here? What are you all plotting? Poor Serena got so spooked last night, and she insisted on resting with her granny. I ended up moving to the spare room."

Darren hadn't expected this. Finally he reunited with his partner, and yet now he had to vacate his own bed.

"I heard the kid woke up screaming a couple of times, saying she was having nightmares."

Eunice immediately pounced on this, "Did she say anything in her sleep? Any sleep-talk?"

"I wouldn't know; I wasn't the one sleeping next to her." Darren replied with a deep sigh, hands clasped behind his back, "Eunice, Bard, don't mind an old man's meddling. I've never interfered with your decisions or actions, even though I'm often in the dark about them. But I wholeheartedly trust your judgment because I know you both have your heads on straight."

Bard and Eunice knew what he was hinting at, but they remained silent, choosing not to interrupt.

"Bella's finally come back to this family, and we ought to make it up to her. But Serena's grown up under our watch too. Even if she's made a few small mistakes, there's no need to lash out and terrify the kid. You've never been that harsh with her before."

Darren thought Serena had just slipped up on some trivial matter, earning a scolding from them.

He continued, "We've always said that we should treat all the kids equally."

"What if someone hired a hitman to kill Bella?" Eunice interjected sharply, her gaze piercing.

On one hand, there was the child he'd dearly loved for eighteen years, and on the other, there was the darling girl who had returned to them after a long absence, having saved his and his wife's lives, and who had won his affection with her contributions to the family.

Both were dear to his heart, but Eunice's words were like a knife twisting in it.

Seeing Darren's pallor, Eunice quickly reassured him, "It's nothing. I was just asking. I mean, do you think if Serena was involved in something as serious as hiring a hitman, that would justify the severity of last night's scolding? If it was a minor mistake, there's no need to dwell on it, right?"

Darren, breathing heavily, took a while before nodding, "Eunice, tell me straight, what exactly happened last night?"

Considering his fragile health, Eunice applied directly, "Nothing serious, really. Serena just stumbled upon some people I was keeping in the basement and got scared. I gave her a good talking-to, and told her to stop wandering around like that again."

Darren had long been aware of the people cooped up in the basement. His two sons, Bard and Sampson, needed to be tough and resourceful to survive the cutthroat world they lived in.