Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 499

Arnold knew it had taken tremendous effort to finally return to the Stone family this time.

So he'd learned his lesson.

He didn't dare make another reckless move.

At least, not until he was absolutely certain of success. He truly wasn't bold enough to confront his cousin Lambert head-on again. Lambert's methods were undeniably ruthless—he had to admit defeat.

Having already suffered once, Arnold cherished this hard-won opportunity more than ever.

For several days in a row, he barely left the house.

Even when he did go out, it was only to visit his father in the hospital, putting on a convincing show of remorse and sorrow. This, at least, made the old man regard him with slightly less disdain.

Finley mocked Arnold behind his back, though he didn’t dare say it aloud.

He wasn’t that foolish.

Still, seeing his once-arrogant elder brother reduced to this state gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.

That day, Arnold went to the hospital as usual.

He didn’t particularly want to go—after all, spending the entire day there was mind-numbingly dull. But he had no choice. If he skipped it, who knew how the old man would view him? With their branch of the family stripped of all shares, Arnold couldn’t afford to anger Old Mr. Stone.

Inside the Stone family’s private hospital, Khloe brightened the moment she saw her son arrive, her face softening with maternal affection.

"Son," she asked eagerly, "Did you bring Alvin?"

She had been missing her grandson terribly lately, but she didn’t dare bring it up to the old madam. Instead, she had urged Arnold to visit under the pretense of letting the child see his grandfather—surely the old lady wouldn’t object to that?

Yet she had underestimated the matriarch. Seeing Arnold empty-handed now, a flicker of frustration and resignation crossed Khloe’s face.

"The old lady still won’t budge?"

Arnold was growing increasingly irritated by his mother's constant inquiries about Alvin.

With a hint of impatience, he replied, "Mom, just leave Alvin alone. If the old lady wants to keep him, it means she likes him. That’s his good fortune." Who knows? If the boy stayed with their grandmother and won her favor, perhaps the eldest branch of the family could rise in status as well. At the very least, it wasn’t as if he cared much for the boy anyway.

Alvin remaining with his grandmother suited him just fine—he had no objections whatsoever.

Khloe, aware of her son’s disdain for Alvin’s birth mother, dropped the subject. Instead, she asked, "By the way, has the old man asked you to assist in the Stone Corporation yet?"

At the mention of this, Arnold’s expression darkened. He shook his head. "No." Not even an ordinary position had been offered, making it clear Old Mr. Stone had no intention of giving the eldest branch another chance.

But even that would have been bearable.

What truly worried him was the possibility of never setting foot in the Stone Corporation at all.

If he couldn’t get in, Arnold might as well kiss his future goodbye.

Relying solely on handouts? What kind of life was that?

Meanwhile, lying in the hospital bed, Arnold’s father slowly regained consciousness and overheard his wife and son’s conversation. Frowning, he interjected weakly, "Enough. If he won’t let you in, then so be it. For now, stay home and keep a low profile. Don’t give your grandfather any more reasons to be displeased. The eldest branch is already under scrutiny—we don’t need advantages, just no mistakes."

Right now, he feared nothing more than giving the third branch even the slightest opening to exploit.

If that happened, the consequences would be disastrous.

His indecisive third brother might not act, but that son of his… Hah. The eldest uncle didn’t even want to think about it.

Lambert was practically a carbon copy of the old man in his youth—only sharper and more ruthless.

To avoid any mishaps, it's best to keep a low profile for now.

The driver was puzzled but complied, pulling over at the nearest spot.

"Sir?" the driver ventured cautiously.

Arnold ignored him, his narrowed eyes fixed on the woman standing outside the Stone Corporation building. A strange sense of familiarity prickled at him—had he seen her before?

Yet, no matter how hard he racked his brain, her identity eluded him.

The driver waited in tense silence, unsure of his master's intentions.

After nearly five minutes, he dared to speak again, his voice hushed. "Sir... should I drive you to the Stone Corp. building?" He treaded carefully, afraid any misstep might provoke the notoriously temperamental heir.

Fortunately, Arnold was preoccupied.

At the driver's question, he merely withdrew his gaze, all emotion vanishing from his eyes. "No. Take me back to the Stone residence."

The driver nodded obediently. "Understood. Shall we leave now?"

Arnold leaned back into the seat, his lips curling into a cold smirk. "Mm."

Because he had finally remembered who she was.

Irene Harper.

It was Irene—

A name Arnold knew all too well.

She was none other than his dear third brother's first love.