“The child is just too adorable; we've also prepared little gifts for her.” Gabriel Stapleton set down the shopping bags on the coffee
table. Gustave and his companion were somewhat anxious, because they had given Arabella a small token of affection, but
Stapleton had brought two considerable presents.
“Oh, you are all too kind.”
Soon after, seven or eight more guests arrived, and Arabella was kept busy with the ceremony of accepting gifts over and over
again, not to mention the mountain of presents piling up.
“Bella, your phone’s been buzzing nonstop; it looks like someone's trying to reach you. Why don’t you go on up and check?” David
cdownstairs, greeted the guests, and skillfully diverted their attention from his sister.
All the guests’ attention then turned to David, praising him for his soaring popularity, his pleasant singing voice, and his impressive
dance moves—in short, they had nothing but high praise for him.
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Arabella knew that David was giving her an out, a chance to catch her breath. In truth, her phone was in her pocket the whole
time, not upstairs.
Once back in her room, Arabella casually placed the stack of gift cards onto her desk, which was already overflowing with them, all
forcefully bestowed upon her by guests over the past few days.
The maid, busy tidying the bed, chuckled, “Ms. Bella, you are the record holder for receiving the most New Year's cards and gifts
I've ever seen.”
“It's also the first tI've ever had this much.”
“Ms. Bella, you've really been through it. That Serena took advantage of your identity for years, raking in all these New Year's gifts
without a hint of gratitude, and even schemed against you, it's simply outrageous!”
“Let's not bring her up during the holidays.”
After making the bed, the maid offered with a smile, “Ms. Bella, shall | organize these for you?”
“Sure.” Arabella couldn't be bothered to organize those gifts. Leaving them in a pile was not a solution.
“Wow, this one feels quite hefty.” The maid picked up one of the gift boxes, opened it, and found two stacks of cash. “It amounts to
twenty thousand dollars. Letjust count this.”
Reclining on the sofa, Arabella replied to Romeo’s messages with one hand. Hearing what the maid had said, she responded
languidly, “Don’t trouble yourself with counting, just open them up. I'll have someone take them to the bank's counting machine.”
Otherwise, it would be counting forever.
“Alright.” The maid's smile widened as she progressed opening envelopes. “Ms. Bella, you know what? The smallest amount in
these is ten thousand dollars.”
She couldn’t believe how generous these people were!
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“Have you been using the skincare products | gave you?”
“Yes, they're part of my daily routine now - in the morning and at night. My skin's so soft now you could probably squeeze water
out of it, and not a single pimple in sight. Thank you, Ms. Bella. You're amazing at coming up with something so effective.”
At that moment, Edith knocked and cin with a tray of fruit.
“Ms. Bella, you must be exhausted. Have sfruit and take a little break. There are more guests who have arrived downstairs—
they are relatives from the Collins and the Griffith families.”
Arabella understood; it was the first tthese relatives had cto visit her, and she had to go downstairs to greet them.
“Once Ms. Bella has finished greeting everyone, I'll mention there's a call for you and whisk you away.”
“Thanks, Edith.”
“Well, I'll head down and attend to the guests then.”
“Okay.”