Reborn To Ruin Her Rivals - Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Arielle lifted an eyebrow and said coolly, "What do you want?"
Seeing Arielle's calm and indifferent expression, Perla was instantly furious.
Perla thought, 'No wonder Meredith doesn't dare speak up—who knows how badly she is being bullied at home?'
Perla sneered, "Wow, village girl. Look at you scarfing that steak down like it's your first meal in eight lifetimes. You're disgusting to watch. You—get up!"
The manager hurried over when he heard the commotion, plastering on a smile. "Miss Sidel, welcome."
Perla tilted her chin arrogantly and pointed at the manager. "You guys are seriously irresponsible. This is Ogilvy Steakhousehouse—do you just let anyone in?
"Our restaurant doesn't serve backwoods nobody. Just having her here drags down the place. We're a high-end establishment. Does she even belong here?"
Perla shot a sharp glare at Arielle. "Oh right, I forgot—you've dug through dumpsters for food, slept under bridges with rats.
"Someone like you, filthy from the inside out, has the nerve to show your face in here? Get out before you dirty the whole place."
Some of the diners nearby started whispering. A few looked at Arielle with clear contempt, others frowned in disgust.
The manager looked troubled. Their restaurant had never kicked anyone out before.
The manager said, "Miss Sidel, this customer is already dining. She hasn't done anything inappropriate. Maybe we could…"
The manager muttered, 'She's dressed decently, wearing designer brands, and honestly, she's stunning. What part of her looked like a village girl?
'Even if she is really from the countryside, she still has every right to eat steak. What kind of restaurant chases away paying customers?'
The manager was fuming inside but didn't dare say anything aloud.
"She probably can't afford it," Perla snapped, arms crossed, her voice sharp. "If she doesn't pay, are you going to cover the bill?"
"Well… we usually settle up after the meal," the manager replied, trying to stay neutral. He couldn't afford to offend either side.
"Perfect," Perla said louder. "She's basically done anyway. Time to go."
Perla was already upset that Arielle had taken the seat she wanted. Now that she knew Arielle was the toxic foster daughter, the resentment only deepened.
Perla kept going, "From now on, I don't care which of the Sidel businesses it is—she's not allowed in any of them. Memorize her face. If I find out she steps foot in one of our stores again, you're all fired."
"Miss Sidel…" the manager said, completely stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The manager thought, 'One is the daughter of the owner, the other a paying customer. And everyone is watching.
'I'm just an employee—I've no say in this.'
"What, this is my place and I don't get to make the rules?" Perla shot him a sideways glance full of arrogance.
The manager clamped his mouth shut, but inside, he was seething.
More and more customers were showing up, and now Perla was making a loud scene and kicking someone out. Even if she had a point, there was no way to justify this publicly.
Arielle took a sip of her drink, finally speaking up once Perla's machine-gun mouth finally stopped. Her voice was cold. "Wow. Hilarious."
That smug, mocking laugh made Perla's blood boil. "What the hell are you laughing at?" she snapped.
"I'm laughing at you, lunatic. You seriously need to get checked into a psych ward," Arielle coldly.
Just as Perla was about to blow up again, Meredith stepped forward at the perfect moment, her voice soft and gentle, laced with just the right amount of nervous urgency. "Arielle, Perla didn't mean anything to it.
"She just has a sharp tongue. She's in a bad mood today. She only said that because she was worried you're not used to steak, coming from the countryside. Please don't be mad, okay?"
Meredith's trembling, fearful little act made Perla and Mya furious. Arielle wore Meredith's clothes, used her stuff, even took over her room. She was truly shameless.
They'd never seen anyone so thick-skinned.
Mya stepped in front of Meredith, shielding her like Arielle was some kind of thug bullying three helpless girls.
In the past, whenever Meredith and Arielle had clashed, Meredith's little circle of friends always leapt to her defense, making a show of standing up for her.
All Meredith ever had to do was stay behind them and keep up her innocent, kind, sweet, and thoughtful act.
Those lovestruck rich boys—no matter how badly they got hurt—would fight tooth and nail just to clear Meredith's path.
And Meredith's so-called girl gang? They were self-appointed crusaders for justice, always out for revenge on her behalf.
Arielle thought, 'Yep. Same playbook, same performance, starting all over again.'
Perla leaned over the table, hands flat on the surface, towering over Arielle. She said, '"People like you, crawling out of the gutter, have the nerve to eat steak?
"Do you even have shame? Just because you're wearing a knockoff designer dress, you really think you're somebody now?"
Arielle calmly picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth. "You've got 'Customer is King' written all over your walls. Who exactly is that for?
"I came here to eat, so that makes me a customer. But I'm not getting treated like one. Instead, I'm getting yelled at. So tell me—what do you think should be done about that?
"Didn't your parents teach you that if you want respect, you need to show it first? Even three-year-olds get that. How old are you guys?"
Arielle leaned back in her chair, her tone calm and unhurried. She stared straight at Perla, not the slightest bit embarrassed or afraid.
Perla laughed out of sheer rage, like Arielle's ignorance was beyond words. She shouted, "You? A hick like you? Talking to me about manners?
"Do you even know what the word means? I went to college. What about you? You barely recognize half the alphabet. Now you're trying to lecture me? That's f*cking hilarious."
"Get out. You've got one minute. If you're still here, I'll have security throw you out," Perla said coldly.
Arielle gave a short, cold laugh. "Wow, someone thinks you own the whole building."
At that moment, Mya stepped out, casting a cold glance at Arielle, her sarcasm practically dripping. "Funny you say that. My family owns this building.
"People like you really shouldn't be showing your face around here. Go back to your sidewalk food stalls."
Then Mya turned to the manager. "Throw out everything she touched. All the plates, the utensils, everything. Disinfect the whole table. Who knows what kind of diseases she's carrying. She's a damn jinx."
Meredith stood off to the side, watching Arielle get torn apart by all three of them, feeling absolutely thrilled inside.
And Meredith was hoping Perla and Mya would keep going, say something even crueler. Best-case scenario? They pissed Arielle off so badly she dropped dead on the spot.
But on the outside, Meredith looked like she was in total panic, wanting to speak but unable to form the words. Her hands fluttered helplessly.
"Please don't do this," Meredith said, voice trembling, eyes welling up, looking like she was seconds from crying.
Meredith's body even shook ever so slightly. It was a flawless performance.
Meanwhile, Perla and Mya were still ranting like sailors.
Arielle glanced down at the steak she hadn't finished. She muttered, 'This woman basically spit all over it with how much she was shouting. No way I'm eating that now.'
Just as Perla opened her mouth again, the remains of the steak were suddenly flipped upside down—right onto her face.
Arielle thought, 'What a shame there's only one plate. I'd dump one on each of their heads if I could.'
"What the hell!" Perla screamed, her shriek echoing through the entire restaurant.