The Princess and the Pauper

Chapter 1916

"Grandpa and Grandma, please don't be mad. It's all water under the bridge now. What we need to

focus on is making it up to Bella for the hurt she's endured. I'm fine, really. What matters most right now

is how Bella feels."

Arabella never expected that with Serena out of the picture, Alma would step into the spotlight. She

had heard Alma had a sister who was sick and couldn't make it today.

She just hoped they weren't cut from the same cloth.

"Why would Serena have someone hit you?" David suddenly asked. "Did you two have a falling out?"

Bernard and Cornelia's gaze shifted back to Alma.

"Serena's been bullying me, and it wasn't just a one-off. At Mr. Eugene's birthday bash, she dumped

champagne on my face when no one was looking—and she spat in it first."

Everyone cringed at the thought, appalled by Serena's behind-the-scenes behavior. It was just

tasteless.

"There must be some bad blood between you two," David said, cutting to the heart of the matter.

"Knowing her, if she didn't like you, she'd just dish out some snide remarks. It wouldn't come to blows

unless you really pushed her over the edge."

Alma couldn't believe David was actually taking that little troublemaker's side. And from the looks of it,

her mother didn't seem inclined to back her up either!

Her mother must be upset with her for being too brash.

But if she didn't speak up about Serena's bullying now, when would she?

"Alma, what's the real story? Tell us everything you know, so we can all make sense of this," Bernard

said, sensing that the situation wasn't as straightforward as his granddaughter made it out to be.

Speaking of that night." Beverly interjected with a graceful smile, smoothly steering the conversation

elsewhere, "Alma and I attended Mr. Eugene's birthday party, and who knew that Bella was not only the

chess prodigy Queena but also the violin virtuoso Jamie Noelle."

Everyone but Kenneth and Louisa was gobsmacked.

"Bella is Queena? And Jamie ?" The brothers looked astonished.

Their little sister was just too impressive.

And she had these two amazing alter egos?

"Dad, Mom, why don't you look surprised at all? Did you know about this?"

"You knew and didn't tell us?"

Louisa indeed knew about it, explaining, "I only found out after Mr. Eugene's party. That ingrate Serena

even pretended to be Queena's disciple at the party and more than once told friends that it was Bella

who ruined her engagement with Romeo. That's why your father and I decided she needed to spend Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

some time next door to reflect, but we had no idea."

The brothers all knew that Serena had been sent next door to reflect because she had bullied Bella, but

they hadn't known she was also masquerading as Queena's disciple.

"I never realized my granddaughter was so remarkable." Bernard and Cornelia were full of praise for

Arabella.

Beverly saw how the topic had smoothly changed and softened her gaze. She had just taken a sip of

tea when Sean spoke up.

"What does any of this have to do with Alma getting hit?"

Everyone snapped back to the present and turned their attention to Alma.