The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella)

Chapter 2008

"Listen, a guy working for Martin made a call to the vice president of a film stufour days ago. The call lasted seven minutes,"

She said, unfolding the mystery like a seasoned detective. "That very night, the VP phoned Esther. Now, | can't say for sure what

they discussed, but right after that call, Esther had someone tamper with a car."

Louisa's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean to say, Martin had this done? All because of that ingrate Serena? He wanted to get

back at her, so he quietly had his goons do the dirty work to smear the Collins family's name?"

"But Martin's not the type to stoop so low," Arabella chimed in, her voice steady, exuding confidence in Martin's character. "Sure,

he's got a soft spot for Serena, but he knows what shouldn't be done. My guess is that one of his lackeys got bought off."

"So, what you're saying is someone paid off Martin's guy, hoping to pin the blon Martin?" Kenneth asked, visibly shaken. "That

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must be someone big, to be able to sling mud at Martin. How could he just take this lying down?"

"Who could it be? Could it be an enemy of both Martin and us?" Louisa speculated.

"Maybe it's Serena's enemy." Arabella pondered. "Right now, Serena's biggest support is Martin. If he goes down, it's like clipping

her wings, right?"

"What do you mean?" Kenneth was puzzled. "Who would have a grudge against Serena big enough to take down Martin, and why

would they want to clip her wings?"

"Maybe this person doesn't have a beef with Serena directly, but with her biological parents," Arabella suggested. "Remember, her

parents were leaders within the organization. Who's the big boss? Could it be the mastermind behind the fire?"

Kenneth and Louisa exchanged a look of shock. It was all starting to ctogether.

"Before his death, Erik gave Serena a phone," Arabella said, "That phone could very well hold the secrets of the person behind the

curtain. Whether or not they know about the phone, with Erik gone and Martha deceased, they'd never let Serena gain enough

power to seek revenge. They might let her live, but never with the chance to strike back."

"Right now, she's got Martin watching her back. and Martin's a powerhouse. He's practically Serena's right-hand man. It makes

sense that someone would want to disarm her by targeting him. The question is, how will Martin react if they try to frhim? If

he takes the fall, it means he's got something to hide, something that ties him to the mastermind."

Kenneth and Louisa nodded in agreement, impressed by their daughter's keen analysis.

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"From the outside, it might look like Martin would do anything for Serena, even dirty the Collins family's reputation. but | don't think

he would," Arabella mused, having had a few dealings with Martin herself. She knew he was essentially a good guy, a man of

principles, just a bit blind when it cto his feelings for Serena.

"So, who in the world is behind all this?" Louisa sighed, overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation. "It's not Esther, not the

film stufolks, not Martin. Who else could want to hurt us."

"If Martin's guy was bribed, we just need to track who he was in touch with before calling the film stuVP, and if he's had any

hefty cash infusions. That might lead us to sfresh leads."

Arabella paused for effect, then continued, "Plus, if Erik and Martha were involved in the organization, there might be sshady

money that needed laundering through the studio. We just need to dig into the people connected to the stuto find our clues."

"Bella, you're brilliant!" Louisa couldn't help but exclaim. "Thank goodness for you. With this, it looks like we'll get to the bottom of

this mess sooner rather than later."