Old Mr. Lancaster nodded in satisfaction, but his tone was still gruff. "Now that you're back, you should settle in and make yourself at home. If you need anything, just tell Alfred. The Lancaster family... will not treat you unfairly."
As he spoke, he stiffly picked up a gold-stamped envelope from beside him and handed it to Serena. "Take this. It's a welcome gift from your grandfather."
Catherine and Edward, not to be outdone, quickly produced similar envelopes. "Serena, this is some spending money from your mom and dad. If it's not enough, just ask your mother for more."
"That's right, sweetheart, take it! The PIN is your birthday. Buy whatever you want; don't worry about saving money for the family!"
Nearby, Isabella watched them hand over the three thin envelopes. She knew that each contained a bank card with a balance of ten million dollars.
That was thirty million dollars in one go.
And in the past few days... to welcome Serena back, the family had spent a fortune creating a bedroom that looked like a princess's castle, filled with all sorts of high- end luxury goods...
Her stomach churned with envy.
Although she had lived a life of luxury in the Lancaster family for so many years and had a generous allowance, a "welcome gift" of thirty million dollars, plus so many top-tier luxury items, was something else entirely.
It was a level of treatment she had never received!
The stark contrast made it hard to keep the fake smile on her face.
She was practically going mad with jealousy.
Looking at the three envelopes presented to her, Serena felt a wave of warmth, and the tension in her brow softened. "Thank you, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, but I don't need money."
"Silly girl!" Catherine insisted, stuffing all the envelopes into Serena's hands. "Your money is your money, and this is what we want to give you. It's a token of our love. Just take it!"
"Take it!" Old Mr. Lancaster said with a stern face. "My granddaughter, Reginald Lancaster's own flesh and blood, must have plenty of spending money!"
Seeing their earnest and expectant gazes, Serena felt the weight of their desire to make up for lost time. She said no more and accepted the envelopes. "Thank you, Grandpa, Dad, Mom."
"Alright, alright, let's eat first!"
Catherine took Serena's hand and led her toward the family dining
room. "Alfred told me everything et
You saved that girl from the Blackwood family at the hospital. You must be exhausted."
In the family dining room, the huge, long table was laden with a dazzling array of steaming, fragrant dishes.
Serena was already hungry. She sat down, picked up her utensils, and began to eat quietly.
Her movements were unhurried, but the frequency with which she served herself food was clearly high.
Even as she ate with gusto, almost clearing the platters, her movements retained an innate elegance.
Edward and Catherine sat on either side of Serena, constantly using the serving utensils to place more food on her plate.
The food on Serena's plate piled up into a small mountain.
Serena's expression remained neutral. She ate whatever they gave her,
methodically demolishing the mountain of food.
Watching her eat so heartily, they
couldn't help but feel their eyes welling up again. "Eat slowly, eat slowly There's plenty more. If it's not enough Mom wu make you more. Here, have some of this fish, and this soup...."
"Oh, watching you eat makes me so happy but also breaks my heart... You must not
have eaten well all these years..."
As she spoke, Catherine's voice began to choke with tears.
Isabella looked at the mountain of food piled on Serena's plate, then at the few
meager servings on her own, and felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
She tightened her grip on her utensils, her gaze sweeping over Serena's simple, unbranded clothing. She couldn't resist saying, in a tone that seemed concerned but held barely concealed sneer, youthave great appetite, sister. It seems you probably haven't had many proper meals."