Reborn To Ruin Her Rivals - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Arielle's lips curved slightly. 'She's here.'
Arielle opened the door and saw Meredith standing outside, her face twisted in fury.
"What's wrong?" Arielle asked, acting like she didn't notice her rage at all.
Meredith was shaking with anger but forced herself to hold it in. "Let's talk inside," she said.
Then Meredith shoved her way in, and the door slammed shut behind her with a loud bang.
Now that the noise and people outside were blocked out, Meredith couldn't hold back anymore. She snapped, shouting, "Were you the one who spread those rumors online?
"How could you do this? I treated you like my sister—I gave you everything—and you say that about me? Do you even have a conscience?"
The more Meredith spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. Online, everyone was calling her a fake heiress.
Sure, Meredith was adopted by the Bradfords, but her status had always been higher than a so-called "real daughter."
Meredith thought, 'Does blood ties really matter that much? As long as Mom and Dad love me, isn't that enough?
'Whether I'm the real daughter or not—what business is it of those people online? Why do they all have it out for me?
'It's all Arielle's fault. That bitch must've been the one who spread those lies. Despicable. Disgusting!'
"Then go ahead—rip your heart out and show me. We'll see if it's real or fake," Arielle said softly.
'What a load of crap.' Arielle didn't even flinch at her outburst.
Instead, Arielle plopped into the chair by the window, leaned back, hands behind her head, and gave her a half-smile.
Meredith couldn't handle Arielle's nonchalant attitude. The fury surged straight to her head.
Then Meredith caught something in the corner of her eye—a small pair of scissors on the vanity.
In two steps, Meredith grabbed them and lunged toward Arielle's chest.
Meredith was furious, just wanting to teach Arielle a lesson, make her see she wasn't someone to mess with.
But Arielle had already predicted it. She shifted sideways.
Meredith's swing missed completely, and she lost her balance, pitching forward.
As she fell, Meredith instinctively reached out to catch herself on the floor.
But the scissors in her hand—blade facing out—stabbed straight toward her forehead.
In an instant, a scream rang through the entire villa.
Downstairs, Sharon, Henry, and Lexi all came running in a panic.
"What happened? My baby girl!" Sharon rushed upstairs, face full of worry.
Henry let out an irritated shout. "What's with all the yelling?"
Henry hated when people made a scene in front of him.
Meredith hadn't fallen from a great height—she'd stumbled forward. Her body was fine.
But the scissors had slashed Meredith's forehead, and her knee had slammed onto the floor. The pain was unbearable.
When Sharon saw the blood on Meredith's forehead, her face turned white with shock. She immediately shouted, "Call Laurence now—Meredith's hurt!"
Even Henry was stunned. When he saw Meredith's bloody face, his eyes that had been filled with blame now turned to concern.
Lexi, hearing Sharon's voice, quickly grabbed the phone and called Laurence.
Meredith bit her lip, holding back tears as she slowly pushed herself off the ground. "I—I'm okay. I just fell. It was my own fault."
Sharon hugged her injured daughter tightly, trembling with rage.
Once she helped Meredith steady herself, Sharon charged toward Arielle and raised her hand to slap her across the face.
Arielle dodged swiftly.
Sharon missed. This time, she didn't hesitate—she lifted her leg and aimed a kick straight at her.
Arielle took a small step back and hooked her foot around Sharon's front foot.
Sharon, off balance, nearly did an accidental middle-aged split. Her bloodshot eyes were filled with murderous rage.
Sharon snapped, "You little bitch! You tried to kill your sister and now you dare raise a hand to me? Do you even see me as your mother? Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?"
Sharon's voice cracked, like she wanted to tear Arielle apart.
Arielle stared back calmly. "If I'm a little bitch, then what does that make you?"
Then Arielle pointed upward and continued, "If heaven really punishes people, it'll strike down the ones who are cruel and heartless.
"If I'm doomed, it'll strike the people who bullied me first."
"You—you—how dare you call me a bitch?!" Sharon was so angry she completely lost her composure.
With that, Sharon turned to Henry. "Honey, did you hear what she just said? What kind of garbage is coming out of her mouth?"
Henry was already pissed when he saw what Meredith had done.
But when Sharon started throwing out words like "bitch" and "garbage" left and right, his expression darkened even more. Henry was on the verge of a heart attack.
Henry thought, 'When does my wife turn into a shrieking mess like this? Since when does a so-called high-society lady talk like a fishwife?'
Across the room, Arielle let out a cold laugh. "You didn't ask a single thing and came in swinging.
"Do you even see me as your daughter? Actually, forget daughter—do you even see me as a human being? Acting all high and mighty—who gave you the right to judge me?
""Is that how a mother talks to her kid? You didn't even try to understand what happened. You just came in ready to hit and curse. So I deserve it? I deserve to be treated like that? And just who do you think you are to treat me this way?"
Sharon was so furious her whole body was trembling.
Meredith tried to step in, but the moment she moved, pain shot up from her knee, forcing her to bend over in agony.
Still hunched, Meredith cried out, "Mom, please don't blame Arielle. It really was my fault—I fell by accident.
"This is all on me, I swear. Don't yell at her anymore. If you're mad, yell at me."
The more Meredith tried to take the blame, the more Sharon didn't believe her.
Sharon thought, 'Look how terrified my baby girl was—so afraid of Arielle. What is there to be afraid of?
'No matter what, I can't let Arielle bully her daughter.'
Sharon tried to calm herself down, afraid if she opened her mouth again, Arielle would come back with something even more outrageous.
Then Sharon turned to Henry with pleading eyes. "Honey, look at Meredith—then look at her.
"You can tell who's lying. She was off God knows where for over ten years, we never raised her a single day. Look what kind of temper she's developed.
"She tried to hurt her sister. She raised her hand at me. You saw it with your own eyes. I'm not accusing her of anything she didn't do.
"Is this how a young lady is supposed to act?"
Sharon was on a roll now. She'd rather disown this daughter than let her get away with it.
If Henry hadn't been here today, Sharon would've ripped Arielle's mouth to shreds.
Sharon kept going. "The Bradford family are a well-known family. How did we end up with such a disgrace for a daughter? Lying, hitting people, no respect for anyone—Henry, if we don't rein her in, she's going to ruin this whole family."
Henry's face darkened, and his eyebrows pinched so tightly. He stared at Arielle. "What happened? Speak!"
"Dad, it's all my fault. Arielle didn't do anything. Please, just stop asking. Please," Meredith rushed to say, trying to defend her.
Meredith could barely hold herself up, half leaning against her mom, her forehead soaked in cold sweat and stained red with blood.
Henry looked at his daughter's pale face, then at the gaping wound on her forehead. His eyes flickered with a flash of pain.
Then Henry's gaze turned even colder as he looked at Arielle again. His voice thundered through the room. "Speak, you brat!"
Arielle stared at the two twisted faces in front of her. They'd do anything to protect their adopted daughter—even tear their own flesh and blood to pieces.