Filed to story: Second Chance Mafia Bride Drama Novel
But it hadn’t taken long for her to dig up Serena’s history, which was night and day compared to her mother’s.
Poor grades could be overlooked-maybe she just wasn’t gifted academically- but skipping school constantly was a matter of attitude. She was hardly ever seen at school, except during exams. And if she wasn’t smart or hardworking, how did she manage to come out on top every time? Was she trying to broadcast to the world that she was cheating?
Thankfully, her stepsister was a model student and always pleaded her case, or the school would have disciplined her long ago.
Then, when Lady saw photos of Serena dressed up at various parties, she was so shocked she nearly fainted.
She regretted it almost immediately. Initially, she’d planned to contact the Greco family and call off the engagement altogether. Who could have guessed Gabriel would move so quickly and send his daughter over before she could even make the call?
Yesterday, she’d tried to sound out her grandson on the phone, and his tone when he mentioned the girl had surprised her-he actually seemed to like her. That astonished her more than she cared to admit. She couldn’t help but wonder if her Nicholas’s taste was simply different from everyone else’s; maybe that’s why he’d been so unimpressed with all the girls before.
She’d already made up her mind to come and see for herself, so when Alice brought it up that morning, she went along and showed up at Rosewood Manor.
But the girl she met was nothing like she’d imagined.
Serena was clever, lively, strikingly pretty-and to her amazement, she even dared to act coy with Nicholas!
Serena had no idea how conflicted Lady Salerno was feeling. She simply put on her best manners, polite and composed as any well-bred young woman should be. “Yes, Grandmother, my name is Serena. You can just call me Serena.”
Lady Salerno nodded, considering her words carefully. “Let’s forget about the past-no need to bring it up again. From now on, you’re Nicholas’s fianc?e. You should try to conduct yourself with the grace expected of the lady of this house. That means being more generous in your dealings with others.”
Serena blinked in surprise.
Alice, hearing the gentle reprimand, couldn’t help but smirk quietly to herself.
“Take what just happened with May, for example. I’m not saying you were wrong to discipline her. But yesterday, she only took a few flowers from your room. If they were fresh, it’d be one thing, but she said they were half-wilted and about to be tossed anyway. Punishing her by docking her bonus for months seems a bit much for that, don’t you think?”
Serena opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, a large, warm hand closed gently over hers where it rested on the arm of the chair-a silent reassurance, telling her not to argue.
The brief touch, firm and protective, sent a jolt through her, dissolving all her frustration in an instant.
She even felt a little disappointed. She stared at Nicholas’s chiseled profile, a hint of grievance flickering in her eyes. Why did he let go so quickly? He barely held her hand for a second…
“That wasn’t just any flower,” Nicholas spoke up, his voice calm but resolute. “I gave those to her myself. Serena kept them in her room for days and even pressed them into a bookmark. Having them stolen wasn’t a trivial matter.”
Lady Salerno: “…”
She’d wanted an explanation, but why did this feel so much like being force-fed someone else’s romance?
Was this really coming from her Nicholas?
Lady Salerno looked at her grandson, suspicion and amazement flickering in her eyes. Could it be that all the other girls before simply weren’t as beautiful as this one?
She found herself studying Serena again.
Serena, feeling the scrutiny, fidgeted awkwardly. “Grandmother, is something wrong?”
“…No, nothing at all. If that’s how it was, then you did the right thing. You’re my granddaughter-in-law.”
She still couldn’t get used to being called “granddaughter-in-law” in that formal, old-fashioned way. It made her ears burn; she couldn’t resist peeking at Nicholas for reassurance.
He caught her glance immediately, his deep gaze locking with hers. “What is it?” “…Nothing!”
Lady Salerno didn’t live at Rosewood Manor. Nicholas, uncomfortable with his illness and unwilling to let his family see him at his weakest, preferred to keep his distance. Lady Salerno, ever the doting grandmother, understood and respected his wishes, only visiting occasionally to check on him.
In the past, she’d always come and gone with a heavy heart-but this time, she left the manor positively elated.
When she said goodbye, the look she gave Serena was far more affectionate than before.
Alice, on the other hand, was seething with jealousy. As she walked Lady Salerno to her car, she couldn’t resist hissing under her breath, “It must be her -she’s the one who encouraged Mr. Salerno. He actually dared to talk back to you!”
Lady just chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. “How is that talking back? I’m delighted Nicholas finally has someone who brings a little life into this house!”
Alice faltered. “But she’s so arrogant…”
Lady smiled, her tone gentle but tinged with unmistakable pride. “And what of it? She’s Nicholas’s wife, the new Mrs. Salerno. Not just in Fairhaven-when they return to Riverton, even there, if she wants to be bold, others will just have to accept it.”
Alice fell silent, jealousy and bitterness twisting inside her. She knew Lady was right.
Serena had come out to see Lady off, hoping to exchange a few words, and happened to overhear the conversation. Catching a glimpse of Alice’s sour expression, she nearly laughed out loud, suppressing it with a subtle curl of her lips.
All those little schemes-what good were they? In the end, what isn’t yours will never be yours.
Ambition was one thing, but if you didn’t have the ability to match it, all that desperate scrambling only made you look like a fool.
Alice, glancing back by chance, spotted Serena and her face fell instantly.
Serena smiled at her, the expression not reaching her eyes, and called out, bright and clear, “Grandma!”
Lady turned, her voice noticeably warmer than it had been moments ago. “What are you doing out here?”
Serena held up a small paper bag. “Mr. Salerno isn’t feeling well, so he asked me to come out and see you off.”
She handed the bag over. “I heard your knees have been troubling you. This is a remedy from an elder in my family. If you soak your feet with it each night, it should help a little.”
The truth was, Serena had mixed the herbs herself, thinking of Lady’s knee pain a few days earlier. But if she admitted as much, Lady probably wouldn’t trust it-she’d just let it sit unused. So she vaguely attributed it to a family elder. After all, everyone knew her mother was a renowned doctor; it wasn’t a stretch to claim she had a relative skilled in medicine.
Lady looked pleasantly surprised, but still accepted the package, her voice gentle. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”
Serena watched Lady leave, then turned to find Alice gone. She didn’t care, and started back inside-until a faint quarrel caught her ear.
She paused, tilting her head, then quietly approached the source of the voices.
Under a lush wall of bougainvillea, she spotted May and Alice arguing in hushed tones.
May’s voice was low and trembling. “… They told me if I don’t pay up, I’ll go to jail! Alice, don’t think I’m stupid. You knew exactly what you were doing when you talked to me yesterday! If you hadn’t provoked me, do you really think I would’ve done something so reckless?”
“And those flowers-you’re the one who asked me to steal them for you!”
“Alice, be reasonable. You smashed the jade figurine on purpose and tried to pin it on Serena. That was all you. What does any of this have to do with me?”
“So you’re really not giving me the money? Then don’t blame me for going to Mr. Salerno! What do you think he’ll say-will he believe you had nothing to do with it?”
“You-!”
Before Alice could reply, she caught sight of Serena.
Serena stood behind a curtain of vines, arms crossed, posture relaxed, and who knew how long she’d been listening?
Alice’s face drained of color.
Serena smiled coldly. She’d suspected all along that Alice was behind this.
Her gaze swept over them both, but she didn’t bother with further explanation. She simply said to Alice, “I’ve recorded everything you two just said. I hope you’ll behave yourself from now on, or I won’t hesitate to hand the recording to Mr. Salerno.”
With that, she turned and walked away, light as a feather.
May called after Alice, “Alice, you owe at least forty thousand of that fifty. If you don’t pay up, I’ll go straight to Mr. Salerno too!”
Alice looked absolutely stricken.