The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 2018

Martin endured his mother's tirade with a stoic silence, waiting for her to finish before speaking calmly, "Mom, don't get yourself worked up over this. I really love her, and I only want to spend my life with her."

"And you couldn't fall for someone decent? With your status, you could have any woman you want! If you fancied a beggar on the street, as long as she was kind-hearted and grateful, I wouldn't stand in your way! But look at that Serena, is she behaving like a decent person? I knew she was trouble the moment I met her at the Dawnstar boutique!"

"Mom, please don't insult her," Martin couldn't stand anyone bad-mouthing her, even if it was his own mother. It still grated on his ears.

"I'm at the office right now, there are some things I need to handle. Cool off, and I'll find time to have a proper talk with you tonight."

Florence, seething with rage, her voice tinged with anger retorted, "If you're thinking of brainwashing us, save your breath. I'll publicly denounce her in front of the media. I'll never let her step foot into the Cooper family!"

After hanging up abruptly, she collapsed onto the couch.

"Mom, are you okay?" Diana was terrified, quickly fetching a bottle of pills from the drawer. She handed one to her mother along with a glass of water, "Take this pill. Don't get so agitated. She's not worth it."

Florence was livid, her hands shaking too much to even hold the glass, finally taking the pill with her daughter's help.

"Diana," Florence steadied herself after a while, standing up unsteadily, "Come with me to the estate, I want to have a word with this woman myself!"

"Alright," Diana rushed to support her, "But please, don't lose your temper, otherwise, we'll be heading to the hospital before we even reach the estate. Don't worry, I won't let her into our family. Just take a deep breath."

Diana still remembered how Serena had commanded the salesclerk to snatch dresses from Arabella's hands at the Style Plaza. When it turned out Arabella had connections, Serena was thrown out of the store.