The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1787

Why did he have to mention Serena? It was clear he hadn't thought before he spoke.

After an anxiety-filled dinner, where Steward barely managed to keep his composure, he risked a glance at Sean, who seemed to have a lightbulb moment and surmised, "Is it about the whole mess with Martha and Bella's kidnapping?"

The others were caught off guard by his quick connection of the dots.

"Indeed, it is related." Kenneth nodded, “Come to the study with me.”

He didn’t want to rehash the footage from that unfinished construction site again. No need to upset the rest.

Sean, sensing the gravity of the situation, stood up to follow his father.

He remembered when he'd gone to that derelict building looking for Bella, they had told him she was dead, had fallen from the building. He was so enraged; he wanted to blow the place sky-high. But before he could act on that impulse, he had hoped to find his sister's body.

At that moment, Martha had fallen from the building. He wondered, why was a servant of the Collins family like Martha even there?

Later, when he learned that Bella was alive and that, aside from his own plans, another group had also rigged the building with explosives set to detonate soon. He didn't think twice; he just acted to save his sister.

Now, with a moment to reflect, he wondered when had Martha left the Collins family? How did she end up in Belloria, entangled in Bella's kidnapping?

Steward didn't follow Sean; after all, this was a family matter.

After watching the footage in the study, Sean was seething with rage. He couldn't believe the extent of suffering Bella had endured before he arrived at the construction site. Slaps, whippings, threats.

What truly sent him over the edge was the conversation between Bella and Martha. He was livid to realize that since the day his sister had returned home, Martha and Serena had harbored ill intentions, targeting her at every turn. Worse, when Martha decided to scar Bella's face, Serena didn't intervene. Instead, she ordered Martha to carve deeper and demanded Bella to kneel and bow to her.