The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1782

After hearing that Sean had also prepared a New Year's gift for Bella, Louisa's discontent finally subsided a bit. Good for him, showing some sincerity.

"Hey, how about we add each other on WhatsApp?" Sean took out his phone.

No matter what, he needed to secure his sister's contact info first, rather than going around cap in hand, with no one willing to cough it up!

Arabella opened her QR code for him to scan. Once they were friended, Sean happily labeled her contact as "Bella" and then asked, "What's your cell number?"

Arabella spoke a string of digits. After Sean called her to confirm, he said with indulgent affection, "This is my number. Hit me up anytime you need something."

"I never thought Sean would be the earliest bird back home this year." Kenneth chuckled, "I was betting on him to be the last one again."

"Mr. Collins, you got it all wrong about Sean. He rushed back just to see Bella, even before he was fully recovered," Steward chimed in with a timely compliment.

Kenneth's mood brightened even further at his words. Turning to Sean, he said, "Since it's New Year, you should take the chance to rest up and spend some quality time with Bella."

"That's the plan," Sean was eager to make his sister happy and salvage his tarnished image.

"Alright, you two catch up. I'm going to check on the kitchen crew, see if they can whip up a few extra dishes," Louisa said as she stood up.

"It's not every day Sean's home. Maybe I should show off my cooking skills," Kenneth followed Louisa's lead.

"Let's not risk it. The kid's already hurt; we don't want a case of food poisoning on our hands."

As their figures receded into the distance, Eunice suggested, "Bard, why don't we take Mom and Dad for a little tour around the place?"

It had been quite a while since their last visit, and some parts of the house had changed dramatically.

"When did it happen? How'd you get hurt?" Sean tried to recall, but when he had been pulling his sister out of the building, he hadn't noticed any injuries on her. When did it happen?

Arabella remembered being dragged down the stairs by him, the bullets whizzing past, grazing her arm. But not wanting to worry Sean, she simply said, "Wasn't paying attention, not sure how it happened. The doctor said it's nothing; it'll heal soon."

Seeing his sister's face remain as stoic and strong as ever, Sean couldn't help but wonder what she had been through over the years, to be so composed even after a bullet wound.

"Sean, you're still recovering. You should smoke less," Arabella showed her concern.

Back at the building, when Sean arrived on the eighteenth floor, there was a faint smell of tobacco on him. Back then, he had just undergone surgery.

Sean didn't expect his sister to have noticed such a detail and happily declared, "I’ll quit. I'm done with it."

Steward's eyes bulged, unsure if he had heard right. Quit, just like that? With Sean's heavy addiction, could he really do it?