Arabella flashed a nonchalant smile. “Just put it there, thank you.”
“Sure.” Steward set the afternoon tea on the nearby table, his eyes widening at the sight of the various gadgets and machines
scattered throughout the lab. Each was a mystery to him, and he silently marveled at Miss Bella's ability to operate such complex
equipment.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Arabella asked, noticing he hadn't left yet.
“Miss Bella, allowto.” Steward proceeded to unwrap all the items of the afternoon tea, smiling and saying, “Why don’t you
cover and have a sip? Just for show, so | can snap a picture and report back.”
Arabella strolled over and picked up a cup of coffee, taking a sip.
Steward quickly took out his phone and took a selfie, grinning like a Cheshire cat and throwing up a ‘peace’ sign; he captured both
himself and Arabella in the background and sent the picture to Sean.
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“Why are you blocking my sister?” cSean's disgruntled text, followed shortly by another jab, “Tto diet, big guy. Who wants
to see you??”
Steward was about to explain when another message from Sean arrived, slightly accusatory, “Does my sister look unhappy? Did
you force her to eat?”
“May the heavens bear witness. Even Master Sean, with such an honorable status, wouldn't dare to bully Miss Bella, do you think |
have the guts?”
“You do know yourself well.” Sean’s next message popped up, “Does she like it? Is there any flavor she doesn’t want??”
“She loves it,” Steward lied smoothly. “She said your care for her is like these afternoon teas, which warms her heart. She also said
having you as a brother is the best, way better than any other.”
“Nonsense.” Sean's response was swift, piercing through the lie, “Are you itching for a beating? You think you can foolwith
those tall tales??”
He knew his darling sister would never say such things.
“Cjoin me.” Arabella’s invitation made Steward swallow hard; truth be told, he was a bit hungry indeed.
“Miss Bella askedto join her for afternoon tea:) “ Steward reported back to Sean before grabbing a piece of cake and savoring
the heavenly taste.
“Eat more,” Arabella urged, pushing the food closer to him. “They're too much for just me.”
“Miss Bella, you're too kind. Not only are you a beauty with a heart of gold and intelligence to match, but you also have the
wisdom of a sage,” Steward praised as he ate. “Take that fire at the health department, for example. Sean was on it for ages with
no leads, and then you step in and single-handedly reveal the mastermind behind it all. You're incredible, Miss Bella, truly an
inspiration!”
He continued without any reservations, “Back then, Sean and | went through a lot of twists and turns in order to investigate the
truth about the fire! Remember when you and Sean were fighting over a man named Sam? You two even cto blows, but then
someone shot Sam out of nowhere. You examined his wound and said the bullet was poisoned!”
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Arabella recalled this, nodding her head, indeed such a thing happened.
Steward savored another piece of cake, then went on, “Because of the poison, you said he was beyond hope, and you left him
behind with your men and ran away after throwing a smoke bomb. | thought | had picked up a treasure and believed that he could
be saved, so | hurriedly drove him to the hospital, and guess what, he kept shaking as if he was about to pass.”
Steward seemed to get carried away, vividly recounting the past events, “I told him if he revealed the truth behind that fire, Sean
would spare no expense to get the world’s best doctors to save him. He suddenly grabbed my hand, wanting to say something
desperately.”
At the time, Steward thought the truth was within reach, and his voice mirrored his excitement, “He was clutchingwith one
hand, pointing outside with the other, lips moving but no words coming out. It drovecrazy.”
Arabella knew that someone poisoned with venomvine couldn't speak or write, their bodies would uncontrollably tremble, which
was why she hadn't bothered to take him away with her.
Because it would have been futile.