The Princess and the Paupers Novel Full Episode
Chapter 1469

Chapter 1469

Last night, Bard had taken a few of his trusted subordinates to check out the scene, including a

forensic expert. But the clues they found pretty much lined up with what Bella had said - death by

mechanical asphyxiation, ruling out any pathological factors.

"Once Serena calms down a bit, I'll have a chat with her." Bard mentioned casually, "Maybe she's

forgotten some crucial detail, or perhaps a conversation might reveal something we hadn't caught

before."

Just then, Darren, yawning, sauntered over and grumbled, "What's with all the secrecy around here?

What are you all plotting? Poor Serena got so spooked last night, and she insisted on resting with her

granny. I ended up moving to the spare room."

Darren hadn't expected this. Finally he reunited with his partner, and yet now he had to vacate his own

bed.

"I heard the kid woke up screaming a couple of times, saying she was having nightmares."

Eunice immediately pounced on this, "Did she say anything in her sleep? Any sleep-talk?"

"I wouldn't know; I wasn't the one sleeping next to her." Darren replied with a deep sigh, hands clasped

behind his back, "Eunice, Bard, don't mind an old man's meddling. I've never interfered with your

decisions or actions, even though I'm often in the dark about them. But I wholeheartedly trust your

judgment because I know you both have your heads on straight."

Bard and Eunice knew what he was hinting at, but they remained silent, choosing not to interrupt.

"Bella's finally come back to this family, and we ought to make it up to her. But Serena's grown up

under our watch too. Even if she's made a few small mistakes, there's no need to lash out and terrify

the kid. You've never been that harsh with her before."

Darren thought Serena had just slipped up on some trivial matter, earning a scolding from them.

He continued, "We've always said that we should treat all the kids equally."

"What if someone hired a hitman to kill Bella?" Eunice interjected sharply, her gaze piercing.

"What? What are you saying?" Darren clutched his chest, gasping for breath, the shock too much for

him to handle.

"Easy, Dad. I'm just asking." Eunice quickly moved to pat him on the back.

"You're suggesting someone wanted to hire a hitman for Bella? And the scolding last night, do you

suspect it's connected to her? Is, is the kid involved in something behind our backs?"

Maybe because the information was overwhelming, and Darren's heart couldn't bear it. No amount of

clutching at his chest could ease the pain.

Ever since his heart surgery, his own kin had upset him time and again. The last time someone falsely

accused the Ar-Bl-Clear Group of selling defective products, which had left him similarly distressed.

Yesterday, Arabella had reminded him during his check-up that he needed to keep his emotions stable

and avoid any extreme upset.

But Eunice's words had caused his heart to clench tight, like a fist squeezing hard.

On one hand, there was the child he'd dearly loved for eighteen years, and on the other, there was the

darling girl who had returned to them after a long absence, having saved his and his wife's lives, and

who had won his affection with her contributions to the family.

Both were dear to his heart, but Eunice's words were like a knife twisting in it.

Seeing Darren's pallor, Eunice quickly reassured him, "It's nothing. I was just asking. I mean, do you

think if Serena was involved in something as serious as hiring a hitman, that would justify the severity

of last night's scolding? If it was a minor mistake, there's no need to dwell on it, right?"

Darren, breathing heavily, took a while before nodding, "Eunice, tell me straight, what exactly happened

last night?"

Considering his fragile health, Eunice applied directly, "Nothing serious, really. Serena just stumbled

upon some people I was keeping in the basement and got scared. I gave her a good talking-to, and told

her to stop wandering around like that again."

Darren had long been aware of the people cooped up in the basement. His two sons, Bard and

Sampson, needed to be tough and resourceful to survive the cutthroat world they lived in.