Chapter 416
Zach was oblivious to the look on his sister’s face, his thoughts interrupted only by Donald’s remarks, His brain scurried to make sense of the situation,
Didn’t Catherine raise Mirabella since she was a tot? And wasn’t Catherine a lifelong. bachelorette? Where the heck did this Donald character pop out from?
Donald, catching the puzzled look on Zach’s face, decided to add with a chuckle, “Back in our old neighborhood, I lived right next door to this kiddo. She used to pop by my place all the time as a child.”
With that piece of the puzzle, Zach’s confusion began to dissipate. The old man wast Catherine’s next–door neighbor and must’ve looked out for sis when she was little. Calling him grandpa, though… was kind of odd, but then again, it was not entirely out of line either. So, Zach nodded politely at the elderly gent. “I appreciate you looking out for my sister when she was younger.”
Mirabella sighed. Great, another sucker bamboozled. This was just too much.
Donald glanced slyly at Mirabella, noting her silent protest, his lips curling with a victorious smirk. He waved a hand at Zach, “Oh, think nothing of it, my boy. It was my pleasure.”
Zach took a seat on the sofa opposite Donald, and the two of them struck up a conversation.
Mirabella shook her head in silent resignation at the sight of the old con artist and her naive brother hitting it off, then stood up. She barely moved a step before Donald, ever watchful, caught her by the arm.
Mirabella shot him a sidelong glance.
Donald cleared his throat. “And where might my dear granddaughter be off to?”
“…The restroom,” she replied, her tone icy.
Shaking off his grip, Mirabella made her way out of the living room.
Donald watched Mirabella’s retreating figure, thinking, “Feisty one, ain’t she?”
After a visit to the bathroom, Mirabella wandered into the kitchen, leaning casually against the doorframe. She
atched as Shawn, her dad, was bustling around with dinner preparations. “Hey, Dad, how did Donald end up at our place?”
Shawn, busy rinsing veggies, didn’t question her choice of words and simply responded, “Didn’t you leave your phone behind when you went off to school? I heard it ringing, and that’s how I found out the old man was at the hospital, alone and out of sorts. So, your mom and I went to pick him up.”
na’she suspected.
Mirabella pinched the bridge of her nose. “You guys aren’t worried he’s a scam artist?”
Shawn glanced at Mirabella, “He told us a lot of stuff about you.”
Mirabella frowned, “You got tricked. I don’t even know him.”
At that, Shawn stopped what he was doing and looked at her seriously, “Now, darling, we shouldn’t be ungrateful. The man did look after you when you were little, even if it was int a small country town. You can’t just pretend not to know him.”
“You heard your father. He’s in his eighties. What could he possibly scam us out of?” chimed Delilah from beside him.
Mirabella was shocked.
Great, conman Donald had not only brainwashed her parents but also roped them into his little scheme.
Delilah dished out some steamed veggies, saying, “Alright, no use standing around here. Go call Donald, dinner’s ready.”
Mirabella touched her nose thoughtfully, then turned to leave the kitchen.
During dinner, Donald clung to Mirabella like glue, seating himself right beside her with a demeanor so cautious, as if afraid of being rejected. To everyone but Mirabella, it was at heart–rending sight. Thus, the three family members went out of their way to cater to
Donald.
As for Mirabella, she was silently slapped with the label of ‘disappointing child‘ in the eyes of her family.
