Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 597

Perhaps it was the unbearable longing for her daughter that made Georgia unable to resist reaching out after just a few days of restraint. Remembering that the woman had visited Ariana at the hospital, she must be one of Ariana's friends.

Without hesitation, Georgia called Ariana the next day, claiming she wanted to see her and her grandchildren.

To be honest, Ariana was stunned.

Her mother had never acted this way before.

But right now, Ariana was too preoccupied to dwell on it, so she agreed—though she mentioned she had some matters to attend to in the coming days and might have to postpone the visit. Georgia, not daring to push too hard, quickly assured her it was fine. This made Ariana, for a fleeting moment, believe her mother had truly changed. A faint warmth seeped into her icy heart.

Yet the moment she hung up, her briefly softened expression hardened again.

Her face was so cold that the nurses around her didn’t dare utter a word. Even Stefan sat silently to the side, saying nothing.

A faint trace of cigarette smoke lingered on his breath.

It was clear he had been smoking heavily these past few days.

But inside the hospital room, he never lit up—afraid the smoke would bother Allison. Afraid, too, that she would worry about him.

There was no denying that Stefan had been nothing short of devoted.

No matter how late it got, he stayed by Allison’s side. To the young nurses, this was the very definition of true love. Even with his wife in a vegetative state, he remained steadfast. It earned him admiration and envy from many.

But Ariana didn’t see it that way.

Her cold gaze lingered on Stefan for a long moment before she finally spoke, her voice flat. "What did the doctor say?"

Allison lay motionless on the bed, a feeding tube in her nose, her expression serene. To an outsider, she might have simply appeared to be asleep.

Stefan remained silent in response to Ariana's icy interrogation.

Only when her gaze grew increasingly frigid did he finally reply in a detached tone, "She's in a vegetative state."

Ariana let out a cold chuckle, though not a trace of warmth reached her eyes.

"A vegetative state?" she repeated softly.

Stefan gave a slight nod. His unshaven face bore the marks of neglect—stubble shadowed his jaw, and his sunken eyes were pools of exhaustion and desolation. In just a short span of time, hardship had reshaped him into a different man.

Yet Ariana felt no sympathy. Beneath her composed exterior, a storm of disgust and fury simmered, barely restrained.

No one truly understood the devastation she had endured upon learning that Allison was comatose and Beibei had died. The news had struck her like a physical blow, leaving her momentarily paralyzed.

Her mind had gone blank.

She simply couldn’t reconcile the image of Allison—laughing and chatting with her just "yesterday"—with the sight of her now lying motionless in a hospital bed. Ariana had stood frozen for what felt like an eternity, only snapping back to reality when Lambert gently pulled her into an embrace. By then, tears had already streaked down her face.

She had braced herself for countless outcomes, but never this.

Allison—reduced to a vegetative state.

Stefan made no attempt to counter Ariana’s anger.

In the past, Lucian would often visit Shawn's classroom to play. Those days were long gone now.

Their classmates, aware of the rift between them, watched with barely concealed glee.

Jake in particular seemed to relish their fallout.

Jake looked down on Shawn because Shawn's family wasn't among the most powerful in the city. Not being part of the Big Three conglomerates, Jake felt a sense of superiority. In his mind, only Lucian was worthy of being his companion—after all, the Stone family stood at the pinnacle of the Big Three.

Coincidentally, just as Jake was about to seek out Lucian, he spotted him sneaking behind Shawn.

His eyes lit up immediately, and he hurried over, grabbing Lucian's arm. "Lucian, what are you up to?" he asked.

Startled by Jake's sudden appearance, Lucian flinched before motioning for him to lower his voice. "I've got something to handle. Let's walk together next time," he said. Ever since Irene had escorted Lucian home those few days ago, Jake had made it a habit to stick by Lucian's side after school.

Though Lucian wasn't particularly fond of Jake, outsiders assumed they were close friends. Envy and jealousy naturally followed. And as for Shawn, whom Lucian seemed to avoid—well, mockery was inevitable.

Take now, for instance. A young scion from a branch of the Lawrence family, spotting Shawn walking alone, swaggered over with a smug grin. "Hey, Shawn! Got dumped by Lucian, huh? Told you—being a hanger-on never ends well."

"Get lost," Shawn said coldly.

The boy flinched at Shawn's glare, instinctively stepping back—but then, remembering something, he puffed up with self-righteousness. "What's with the attitude? The Morris family isn't even a major player in the city anymore. You think you're still hot stuff? Lucian's long since ditched you. You're yesterday's news. I warned you before—people like Jake and Lucian only keep company with their own kind. You? You were always meant to be a lackey. What, not happy about being tossed aside?"

Though these children were still young, years of family indoctrination had taught them early on whom to avoid offending.

So even at their tender age, they already knew exactly which families held power—and which ones could be safely belittled.