Chapter 3 Nathan Flared Up

When Martha heard the "nice" words Serena said, she flared up.

"Who do you think you're talking to like that?" Martha shouted, red in the face.

This hateful girl usually didn't talk back. What had gotten into her?

But Serena smiled even more beautifully, creeping Martha out.

"Martha, why don't you tone down the volume of your voice? You sound just like a shrew. At this rate, you're going to burst my eardrums. By the way, what are you here for? I don't recall us having any sort of rapport that would bring you to my door this early in the morning."

When Martha heard all of that, she was about to flare up again but thought better of it.

Since Nathan Vale had sounded furious when he summoned Serena, he'd take revenge in her place without even knowing it.

Martha placed her hands on her waist and said, "Your father is calling you downstairs. You can decide to go or not. Hmph."

Then she turned and left with a huff.

Serena laughed and closed her door.

When Martha informed her of Nathan Vale calling, she remembered the plot of the novel.

A major scandal involving the novel's Serena had surfaced overnight on online, and Nathan Vale had found out.

He punished the novel Serena by flogging her while her stepbrother laughed and her stepmother watched with glee.

Serena smirked as she walked to the mirror.

Unfortunately for them, she wasn't the former Serena.

She stared into the mirror and recalled all the memories she'd received that morning.

The Serena from the novel was timid at home, maltreated by her father-abuse that extended to her stepmother, stepbrother, and even the servants, explaining Martha's behavior.

But outside, she was brash and arrogant, constantly making enemies.

In truth, she was just a girl desperate for attention, but she went about it all wrong.

She had even entered the entertainment industry, but because of her arrogance and poor acting skills, she angered directors and her own manager. Her agency ended their contract.

She got into the industry behind her father's back, without ever attending acting school.

She was supposed to be in her final year of high school but had dropped out the previous year without anyone at home knowing.

Nathan Vale had only just discovered that morning-via a news article-that she was in the industry. It mentioned her manager and agency abandoning her and snippets of her allegedly bullying others in the field.

He had punished her severely, leaving her bedridden for a week with no care.

She got entangled with the female lead when her supposed fiancé ended up with the heroine.

Fueled by jealousy, she re-entered the entertainment world-despite repeated punishments from Nathan Vale-just to torment the heroine. It ultimately led to her being canceled by the industry.

Most shocking of all, the novel's Serena had even stalked the heroine's schedule, following her around to vent about the man she claimed had been stolen.

She eventually took her own life by drowning-at only twenty years old.

All that destruction over a little love from some shallow man.

Best Actress Serena shook her head again in the mirror with a tut.

She wouldn't grovel to these scumbags for love-or to any man-especially not someone like her so-called fiancé, Grayson Reid.

But she would definitely give them a scare.

Serena was currently just eighteen-still very young, with smooth skin and youthful energy.

She laughed to herself and went to her wardrobe to find something suitable to wear for her summons.

Downstairs, Martha told the angry Nathan Vale that she had called Serena.

The four people in the living room-Nathan Vale, Rose Vale, Noah Vale, and Martha-waited fifteen minutes, but Serena was nowhere to be seen.

The already-furious Nathan Vale flared up again as he glared at Martha.

"You said you called that useless girl. Where is she then?" he huffed, chest heaving with anger.

The haughty Martha didn't dare raise her voice at Nathan Vale.

He was her master. She had to bow to him.

She said meekly, "Sir, I clearly called her. Maybe she doesn't want to come."

Hearing this, Nathan Vale's rage peaked.

He stood up abruptly, startling everyone in the room.

"How dare she not come when I call her?" he roared.

Nathan Vale didn't know why just thinking about his daughter filled him with such anger and disgust.

She was no good at anything except stirring up trouble.

She should've left with her mother.

At this rate, the engagement with the Reid family might fall through.

At that point, Rose, his wife and Serena's stepmother, stood and gently urged him to sit back down.

"Honey, you shouldn't get worked up. It's not good for your health. That silly girl Serena doesn't know any better."

On the surface, her words were meant to calm him-but in truth, they were only meant to fuel his anger further.

She held a deep grudge against her stepdaughter, who seemed so weak and easy to bully.

She hated that Serena was a threat to her precious son's share of the Vale family's wealth.

She patted Nathan's back, pretending to soothe him. Then she glanced at her son.

Noah Vale, Rose's son, was off to the side playing a game on his phone.

He didn't understand why he'd been summoned. He just wanted to get back to texting his girlfriend.

He noticed his mother's look and reluctantly glanced up, scowling.

She was signaling for him to speak, but what was he supposed to say?

He rolled his eyes and returned to his phone.

At that moment, they all heard footsteps on the stairs.

They looked up-and a slender figure was coming down, leaving them momentarily awestruck.

© 2025 Rosemary Chibunna Chinaza. All rights reserved. Do not copy or reproduce without permission.