Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 502

On the way, Lucian seemed to sense his father's foul mood and didn’t dare to speak. It wasn’t until they got into the car that he cautiously ventured, "Dad."

Lambert responded with a curt, "Hmm."

Lucian lowered his voice. "Was that Auntie your friend?"

"No," Lambert replied flatly before starting the engine.

As the car began to move, little Lucian fell silent, blinking his wide eyes as he glanced between the passing scenery outside the window and his father’s stern profile ahead. Finally, unable to hold back, he murmured in a tiny voice, "I didn’t like her either."

Though barely audible, Lambert caught every word.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Why not?"

Lucian shook his head, his expression adorably earnest. "Because you didn’t like her, so I didn’t either."

Truth be told, when Irene had spoken earlier, Lucian hadn’t fully understood her words—but he had sensed something unsettling, an instinctive discomfort that made him recoil from her.

Before, he might have been drawn to her because she resembled his mother. Now, that fondness had evaporated entirely.

Children may not grasp the complexities of the world, but one thing is certain: they follow their hearts. Lucian’s gut told him something was off, and his dislike for Irene was as natural as breathing.

Lambert arched a brow, amused. "Good call. Now, when we get home, make sure you take care of your little brothers today."

Lucian pouted. "But I wanna sleep with Mom..."

Lucian was now two and a half years old.

Though still quite young, he was no longer a baby. So, Lambert had long since insisted he sleep alone. Later, after some thought, he even moved the twins into Lucian’s room under the noble pretense of "fostering brotherly bonds." In reality, it was just an excuse to have Ariana all to himself.

At first, Ariana had objected—after all, little Lucian was barely two and a half, while Kevin and Carson were just over six months old.

No matter how you looked at it, leaving the three of them together seemed like a recipe for disaster.

Fortunately, they weren’t truly left alone.

Nannies and maids were always on hand to watch over them. The idea of the three sleeping together was merely for show—the staff wouldn’t dare slack off. These were, after all, the three most cherished grandsons of the Stone family.

Who would dare neglect them?

If anything went even slightly wrong, their jobs—and possibly more—would be on the line.

Hearing Lucian’s words, Lambert’s expression darkened instantly. His face was unreadable as he frowned, his voice colder than shards of ice. "What did you say?"

Lucian froze under his father’s glare.

Trembling, he hesitated for a long moment before finally whimpering, "I... I’ll sleep by myself."

If not for the overwhelming pressure radiating from Lambert, the little boy might have burst into tears.

Satisfied with the answer he wanted, Lambert gave a curt nod. "Good. Boys should act like boys. And remember—take care of your little brothers. Don’t let anything happen that might disturb your mother or me." Clearly, that last part was what he really cared about.

Too young to fully grasp his father’s meaning, Lucian could only nod obediently, his wide eyes brimming with confusion.

Had any other adult heard those words, they would have undoubtedly remarked, "That's definitely his own flesh and blood..."

...

Lambert cursed his unlucky son inwardly before replying, "Yeah."

Ariana absently touched the ring on her right hand and then said softly, "Did you make things clear?"

Lambert pressed his lips together, cleared his throat lightly, and answered, "Crystal clear."

Ariana let out a quiet "Oh" and said nothing more.

Lambert stole a glance at her, hesitating before finally blurting out, "You're not angry?" He had expected Ariana to be upset—after all, he hadn’t forgotten the fury she had unleashed not long ago over Irene’s existence. Though today’s incident had nothing to do with him, and he was entirely innocent, he still felt dragged into the mess by Irene. On the bright side, he had taken the opportunity to set the record straight with her once and for all.

So Ariana shouldn’t be angry.

But Lambert wasn’t one to take chances.

That’s why he hadn’t planned on telling Ariana about running into Irene—just to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. At the same time, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, pitying himself.

The truth was, he genuinely loved Ariana. Irene? She wasn’t even in the same universe.

The resemblance between Ariana and Irene was purely coincidental.

But damn it all, he just had to have an ex-girlfriend who looked exactly like Ariana. Talk about bad luck.

Ariana smiled faintly. "Why should I be angry? I know you love me—that’s all that matters."

Lambert let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The truth was, Ariana wasn’t upset because of Madelyn. She already knew that Lambert had taken some subtle yet effective measures against the Olson family’s business a couple of days ago—just enough to rattle them without going overboard. And she understood perfectly well that he had done it all for her.