Filed to story: Second Chance Mafia Bride Drama Novel
If Nora had phrased it differently, the Serena of her previous life-so desperate for her father’s love-might have actually gone over and bowed her head. But of course, Nora had chosen to say “apologize,” as if hoping to provoke her rebellious streak.
Thinking back, Serena realized how much Nora had contributed to the rift between her and Gabriel over the years.
But it didn’t matter anymore. She had no intention of reclaiming this father in her new life.
She didn’t move an inch toward Gabriel. “I just came to grab something from my room.”
With that, she turned and headed upstairs without waiting for a reply.
Nora let out a sigh, the picture of exasperated concern. “She’s just upset, Gabriel. Don’t take it to heart.”
Her words only stoked Gabriel’s anger further. Nora’s lips curled ever so slightly, but neither of them suspected anything out of the ordinary. Serena’s defiance was nothing new-father and daughter had always been at odds.
Standing at her bedroom door, Serena took in the familiar yet strangely distant surroundings, her emotions a tangled mess.
She went to the cabinet where she’d always hidden her most important things and started searching.
There, she’d kept something precious-her mother’s medical notes. That was the real reason she’d come home today.
Her mother had once been a celebrated healer, and the notes she’d left behind were a coveted treasure. Damien had deliberately gotten close to Serena for them; the notebook was one of his main targets.
A moment later, Serena’s face went white.
The notes were gone.
She could remember it clearly-her previous life had dragged on for so long, yet when Damien came back to collect her mother’s notebook, it had still been there, untouched.
Wait a minute.
Serena’s cool eyes narrowed sharply.
Damien had been seeing Rubina behind her back, God knows since when. Who could say where he really got that notebook from?
Suddenly, the mystery of the missing notebook became much less mysterious.
She stood up and left her room.
Right on cue, Rubina came in through the front door.
“Serena, you’re back?” Rubina’s voice was warm, her face set in that model- big-sister smile. “What happened? You don’t look so well.”
Serena gave her a brief glance. “Something valuable is missing. Has anyone been in my room?”
Gabriel’s voice rose, indignant. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you accusing your own family?”
Serena’s tone was cool. “The notebook was in the house. If a family member didn’t take it, then I suppose it must have been some burglar with remarkable skills-someone who got in and out of here without anyone noticing.”
“Maybe a housekeeper misplaced it while cleaning,” Nora offered quickly, rushing to smooth things over. “Serena, what exactly went missing?”
“My mother’s notebook.”
The room fell into immediate silence.
Everyone knew about that notebook. There’d even been offers of millions for it- and Serena had refused them all. It was, without question, a priceless thing.
The housekeepers were soon rounded up and lined against the wall.
When they heard the missing item was worth millions, their faces drained of color. Who would dare admit to such a thing?
Rubina kept her composure, letting out a weary sigh. “Serena, the staff wouldn’t have known it was valuable. Maybe someone just misplaced it while cleaning. They didn’t mean any harm. Don’t make a big deal of it-no one could possibly afford to pay you back for something like that. Do you really want to ruin someone’s life over this? Let it go.”
The housekeepers shot Rubina grateful looks.
But in their hearts, they started to resent Serena. Ms. Serena Greco was nothing like Ms. Rubina Greco-she wasn’t half as kind. Was Rubina right? Did Serena really want to drive them to despair?
Serena let out a cold, quiet laugh.
“My cabinet was locked. No one could have taken anything unless they meant to steal it. So don’t tell me it was lost while cleaning. I called everyone here because you’ve all worked for the Greco family for years, and I wanted to give you a chance to come forward and make things right-did you really think I had no evidence?”
She paused, her tone chilling. “Since no one wants to take that chance, I’ll just call the police. Whatever happens next is out of my hands.”
She pulled out her phone, dialing as she spoke.
Rubina’s heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she blurted out, “What evidence?”
Serena’s gaze darkened as she looked at her. “I installed a camera in my room -right above my desk. Didn’t you notice?”
Rubina’s face went white.
Thinking back, she realized there *had* been something that looked like a camera on Serena’s desk.
Seeing Serena about to call the police, Rubina panicked. Without thinking, she lunged forward and snatched the phone from Serena’s hand.
For a moment, everyone stared at her in shock.
Serena’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Rubina, what are you doing?”
“I…” Rubina managed a shaky smile. “I just remembered the notebook is with me.”
“Oh?” Serena’s voice was impossible to read. “I’ve been asking for ages, and you didn’t remember. But the moment I mention the police, suddenly it comes back to you?”
The looks the staff gave Rubina turned complicated.
A moment ago, they’d been ready to thank her for standing up for them, thinking she was saving them from blame. But now that the truth was out-they realized she’d been letting them take the fall for her all along. And that felt very different.
Ms. Rubina Greco’s timing really was a little too convenient, wasn’t it?
The weight of everyone’s stare made Rubina itch with discomfort.
She silently cursed Serena for putting her in this position, but forced a brittle smile and did her best to explain, “It was when Juliet visited-my cousin, you know she wanted to see it, so I went into your room and took it out for her. Then I forgot to put it back… and, well, time just slipped away, I guess.”
Juliet was Serena’s uncle’s daughter, a distant enough relation to make the excuse plausible.
“Oh, is that so?” Serena’s smile was frosty. “Well, Rubina, I’d appreciate it if you returned my things now. And by the way, that’s my mother’s keepsake. It’s valuable, and next time, please don’t touch it without asking. Otherwise, someone might get the wrong idea and think you were trying to steal it.”
Rubina’s smile froze on her lips. She clenched her jaw. “…Fine. I’ll go look for it.”
It didn’t take long to find. She handed Serena a small locked box-the journal was inside.
Serena could tell at a glance: Rubina had stolen it, but all this time, she hadn’t managed to crack the code.
She took the box, turned on her heel, and went back to her room to pack.
Anything that had belonged to her mother, anything she considered important, she carefully gathered together, filling an entire suitcase by the time she was done.
Nora appeared in the doorway, her face tightening when she saw. “Serena, what’s all this? Are you planning on never coming home again?”
“I’m married now, Nora. I have my own place. It wouldn’t be right to keep coming back.”
Thinking of Nicholas made her heart flutter; even that offhand remark left a sweetness in her chest.