Chapter 68
In the midst of all this melancholy, there was a faint sense of gratitude.
Miranda knew that even though the original person was gone, if someone died with unresolved feelings, a part of their consciousness might linger in the body.
She couldn’t really explain why. After all, the whole time–traveling and soul–swapping thing she experienced was pretty inexplicable too.
Back when Miranda returned to the Hawke family, her biological parents didn’t even bother buying her a few new clothes.
When she first came back, Alden and Grace offered to buy her some outfits. But Arabella was quick to jump in, claiming that she had numerous clothes that she never wore, which Miranda could have.
“Oh, Mom, I’ve got tons of clothes I haven’t even worn yet. Miranda can just have those. No need to spend extra.”
Grace chuckled. “My girl is so thoughtful. Miranda, Bella’s clothes are all designer. Since she doesn’t wear them, you might as well.”
“See how many clothes you have now? Buying all those just to leave them in the closet. Now you’re finally sharing them,” Alden said, clearly doting on Arabella.
So Miranda ended up with Arabella’s hand–me–downs, supposedly high–end clothes.
Arabella tossed them to her like they were old rags and then turned around to ask for new ones, claiming she had given all hers to Miranda.
But Miranda, with her simple, country–grown demeanor from living with the Zade family, didn’t suit Arabella’s clothes at all.
Whenever she wore them, it was just fuel for the Hawke family’s mockery.
Arabella laughed. “Hahaha, Miranda, why do these clothes look so weird on you? Maybe Mom should just buy you something else next time.”
Dorian added, “Looks so out of place.”
Alistair chimed in, “Not everyone can turn into a swan just by wearing fancy clothes.”
Orion sneered, “Are you kidding? Do you even see yourself? Bella’s clothes don’t suit you at all.”
Lysander laughed. “Not everyone can pull off Bella’s style, that’s for sure.”
Miranda’s own parents looked at her with disdain too, as if her wearing those clothes somehow tainted them.
After that, Miranda never dared to wear those clothes again.
In the Hawke family.
“Mom, what do you think of my new outfit?” Arabella twirled around in her latest purchase.
Grace frowned slightly. “How many clothes do you have already? You buy dozens every month, and it’s never enough.”
Arabella quickly snuggled up to her. “Oh, come on, girls are supposed to look pretty, aren’t they?”
She noticed her mom had been a bit cold lately, so she turned on the charm.
Grace, seeing her daughter’s endearing behavior, felt her annoyance fade a little.
Recently, when she went out for bridge games, other high–society ladies were treating her differently than before. Even the more prestigious ones barely acknowledged her now.
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09.21
Chapter 68
Where there used to be constant inquiries about Arabella, now there was silence–or talk about Dorian or Alistair instead.
Grace had heard from a close friend that the gossip in the elite circles was all about Arabella’s behavior at the Lancaster Group banquet, saying it was unbecoming of a young lady from a good family. Some even speculated whether Arabella was truly their daughter.
“You know, Arabella doesn’t really look like you or Mr. Hawke. Not like her four brothers. Maybe it’s a genetic quirk?”
Grace’s face turned a shade of green at that.
“I tell you, kids by blood and foster ones are different, adopted kids never treat you like a real family. Genes are inherited, after all. You can’t nurture what’s not there. Remember that family? Adopted a daughter who ran off with a lowlife and squandered the family fortune on her birth parents. But Arabella seems well–behaved, whether she’s yours or not.”
The lady said it with a mix of gossip and curiosity, almost as if she really wanted to know if Arabella was truly a Hawke.
Grace snapped back immediately, “Even if Bella isn’t my biological child, I raised her myself. She’s nothing like those other adopted kids. And besides, when you raise them, that’s where the bonds come from. She’d never do anything unforgivable behind us.”
Seeing Grace’s strong reaction, the lady awkwardly laughed it off and changed the subject to Miss Lancaster. “Oh yes, I heard President Lancaster’s daughter is quite the beauty. Everyone’s been raving about her. And wouldn’t you know it, she shares the Hawke name too.”
Sensing Grace’s changing mood, the lady quickly zipped it.
She hadn’t attended the Lancaster family banquet and only knew bits and pieces from other socialites, unaware that Miss Lancaster had publicly doused Arabella with wine and wasn’t exactly polite to the Hawke family.
Moreover, the praise and admiration others had for Miranda, apart from that unfortunate incident, made Grade quite uncomfortable, especially when people compared Arabella to Miranda and Arabella came up short.
She had one daughter she wasn’t particularly fond of, and then there was her adopted daughter whom she absolutely adored. Neither situation really sat well with her.
