The Princess and the Pauper

When she was a child, her parents ran a modest garment factory in their hometown. They weren't as wealthy as the Collinses, nor were they born into a well-known family like Louisa, but they lived comfortably, enjoying the simple pleasures of life. But everything changed after her younger brother came of age. From some point, her brother started making friends with the rough crowd and running wild—partying, starting brawls, and racking up debts. More and more debtors came to their door, she then found out that her younger brother had racked up a lot of gambling debts outside, the amount was enormous. He had impregnated a girl and beaten someone he did not even know into the hospital. Despite her resentment towards his recklessness, her parents settled his debts to save his life. She had hoped that he would change, but in no time, he was back to his old ways, running up another pile of gambling debts. At that time, she and Lucas were seriously discussing marriage. One night, she was abducted by a group of thugs, who stripped her and took compromising photos. They demanded she pay off her brother's debts within a week—or they would publicize the photos. Terrified that the Collins family would reject her, she kept the incident to herself. After receiving the Collins family’s betrothal gift, she used it to clear all her brother's debts. But even after her marriage, her brother was still frequently calling for her to lend him money. Perhaps thinking that being part of the Collins family meant she had deep pockets, his debts spiraled out of control, soon reaching tens of millions. Twenty years ago, a million could buy a spacious home outright. When she learned her brother had accrued debts of twenty million, such a massive astronomical figure, she was furious. After scolding him, the stress caused her to go into premature labor, giving birth to Frederica three weeks early. While she was giving birth, her brother bombarded her with calls and messages, claiming he and their parents had been kidnapped, and she needed to pay up immediately to save their lives. Seeing these messages after giving birth, she was so upset that she couldn't even produce milk. She had seen similar messages countless times. Yet, save for her hatred toward his brother, she never mentioned this matter to anyone. Cornelia recounted the past with a heavy heart, “The night you had your C-section, someone called me with your mother’s phone, claiming they had your parents and brother. They demanded twenty million delivered to ransom them from you family’s garment factory—not to make any noise, or they'd chop off your brother's fingers.” Beverly was stunned. She had no idea about any of this.

“At the time, we urgently called people to take out all the cash from the safe and the banks, but twenty million was a omy @lthe {Ere Wh wee only eBleltb get ten million through various connections, and they instructed me to deliver the money alone. But Carson was worried about my safety and the sheer weight of the cash, so he insisted on accompanying me.” Please read the original content at .Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Once we arrived at the factory with only half the money, those thugs grew Ee us, add Us ang doused t e place with gasoline. They locked the doors, intent on burning us, your parents, and your brother alive inside.” Please read the original content at . Beverly was completely shocked; she had been completely unaware of these events.

Due to the large amount of fabric stored in the garment factory, once it came into contact Vis fee aM psoline Buried rapidly Fortunately, Bernard and Cornelia were only tied up, they were not fixed to any fixed posts or chairs. Please read the original content at .