Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 565

565 /671

Under her mother's icy gaze, Irene felt a wave of cowardice wash over her.

She opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but in the end, no words came out. She simply stood there, her face pale, staring at her mother.

Flora, witnessing the scene, was already terrified.

She glanced at Mrs. Harper, the chairman's wife, then back at Irene. Gritting her teeth, she quickly spoke up, "Auntie... this isn’t Irene’s fault. It was all me—" Before she could finish, Mrs. Harper’s frigid gaze snapped toward her face.

Instantly, Flora’s words died in her throat.

Mrs. Harper frowned at her, then said coldly, "I’m speaking to my daughter. Who gave you the right to interrupt? Did your family fail to teach you basic manners?"

The words were nothing short of humiliating.

Flora’s eyes reddened immediately.

Irene didn’t dare breathe too loudly, let alone defend herself. She desperately wanted to say it wasn’t her fault—that Flora was the one who provoked Ariana and Fanny. She had planned this from the start, letting the hopelessly dim-witted Flora take the fall.

But now, under her mother’s piercing stare, she couldn’t utter a single word.

She knew all too well how sharp her mother was. There was no way she hadn’t already figured everything out.

If Irene tried to pin the blame on Flora now, it would only disappoint her mother further. So she kept her head down, watching her mother cautiously, a mix of resentment and regret churning inside her. She shouldn’t have acted so recklessly—she shouldn’t have let her emotions get the better of her the moment she learned Ariana would be attending her mother’s birthday banquet.

She should have known better.

Her mother always found out about these petty schemes.

And if things had escalated, the first person to lose face would have been her mother.

Mrs. Harper cast a faint glance at her daughter and said coolly, "I hope this tasteless and inappropriate behavior will be the last of its kind."

Irene's face turned pale.

Lowering her head, she murmured, "Understood..."

With that, Mrs. Harper paid her daughter no further attention and walked out of the lounge with an air of indifference, returning to her duties as hostess.

Irene, however, bit her lip as she watched her mother's retreating figure, her face a storm of suppressed humiliation and resentment.

Flora stood awkwardly for a moment before hesitantly stepping forward. She forced an ingratiating smile and said, "Uh... Irene, what do we do now? I'm so sorry—I had no idea this would cause you so much trouble or that your mother would misunderstand you. When I get the chance, I'll personally explain to her that this wasn't your fault at all."

By then, Irene had regained her usual composure.

She closed her eyes briefly, exhaled, and offered Flora a faint smile. "It's fine. You were just standing up for me. But let's not do this again, okay? You know Ariana's status—she's married to Lambert now, the future lady of the Stone family. If we keep provoking her, I'm afraid she might come after you someday."

Flora's eyes narrowed sharply.

"That thief!" she spat. "She stole someone else's boyfriend and now flaunts her stolen status to threaten people? I never liked Ariana back in school, but now she's worse than ever."

Irene said nothing, only letting out a bitter chuckle.

Flora immediately declared that no matter what, she would always stand by Irene's side.

Irene remained silent but gave her a touched look.

Only after Flora was out of sight did Irene's expression darken. Her gaze drifted toward Lambert, who stood chatting with friends in the distance. A flicker of pain crossed her eyes, followed by something darker, something stubborn and obsessive.

No...

She would never give up.

The bitterness gnawed at her—truly, unbearably. For Lambert, she had abandoned her marriage, enduring a two-hour scolding from her mother. After that, her mother had completely given up on her, decisively appointing Nathan as the company's next successor.