âMom, donât worry, thereâs no poison.â At this moment, Attlee was sitting by the bed, looking at Graceâs face helplessly. âWe know youâre mad, and yeah, we messed up. We shouldnât have put Bellaâs info on that missing persons site, leading to your separation.â
Grace, hearing these words, was a bit taken aback. Had something unusual happened today? Her son was actually reflecting on his actions. That was a rarity.
I âLast time we visited, we really took to heart what you said.â Attlee looked genuinely remorseful; his head hung low in regret.
Grace had previously mentioned that ever since they put Bellaâs info on the missing persons site, the Murphy family had hit hard times, driving away their fortune without even realizing.
âBellaâs been doing so well in school all these years, and you never even told me.â
Hearing this, Grace found it a bit funny and immediately retorted, âWhen did I not tell you? Every time I call you, the minute I start talking about Bella, you lose interest. Youâre always âbusyâ, âin a meetingâ, âdoing something elseâ. Basically, you never want to make time to hear me out.â
That was a fact, and Attlee had no retort.
âThe rare times you guys do call me, itâs always to borrow money or for some bossâs contact. After giving you the money and the contact info and just starting to fill you in on Bellaâs recent situation, you guys are already rushing to hang up!â
âWell, you couldâve texted me!â
âDonât you guys know that from middle school onwards, the school system would automatically send Bellaâs homework and monthly exam results to you? Bella got full marks on every test just to gain a bit of your favor!â
This was news to Attlee; he hadnât realized that Bella had been doing so well in school all these years or that she had been longing for their attention this whole time.
They really screwed up on this front.
But he had absolutely no clue that the school system sent homework and gradesâ¦
Olga, standing off to the side, was looking even more upset. She suddenly remembered that she used to receive texts from the school about Bellaâs homework, vocabulary/words to memorize, and tests to take!
She was so annoyed by the constant texts that she called the school and gave them a piece of her mind, and the texts stopped.
But Bella didnât know about this; she thought her parents could see her grades, so she studied hard every day.
âSo you also didnât tell us that Bella is the founder of QY Corp!â Attleeâs words held a hint of blame.
âYou guys donât even care about your own child, and now youâre blaming me? Bella is still underage;
she didnât want to make you feel inferior to a minor, so sheâs always been mindful of your feelings.
These past few years, sheâs been helping you guys out behind the scenes. Do you really think the Murphy family could be as prosperous as it is today with your level of intelligence?â
Olga was immediately defensive: âMom, even though Arabella is the founder of QY, the Murphy familyâs success today is clearly due to me and Attleeâs hard work over the years.â
âHard work?â Grace scoffed, âTake the recent events as an example; you guys wanted to invest in a few projects. Bella practically spoonâfed you the right paths to take; she practically handed you the money on a silver platter! Yet you guys lost all your capital. Bella had to cover for you with a hundred million dollars!â
Olga and Attlee were both shocked and unable to believe it.
âThereâs a lot more where that came from. That kid truly cares about you guys, but how have you treated her over the years?â