Reborn To Ruin Her Rivals - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

The news stunned everyone, and words began to swirl:
"Seriously? Where's justice? Their parents just accepted this? Even the cops took her side? WTF, this world is upside down!"
"Must be fake news. The Four apologized after getting beaten? Olivia would never back down. And since when do cops play favorites?"
"It's true! My friend saw it—they all went to the police station, and their parents made them apologize to Arielle before letting them leave."
"This is so unfair! Just because she's a Bradford? Our school shouldn't bow to the Bradfords."
"You guys won't believe this. Here's the real tea: Meredith's uncle showed up, and everyone was weirdly respectful to him."
"Wait, her uncle? Isn't the Bradfords' influence bigger? Why would they respect him?"
"Not sure—just repeating what those beat-up kids said. A man showed up claiming to be Arielle's uncle, trailing with bodyguards. Lots of people saw."
"Yep—that car was insane. They were practically licking his boots, making their kids apologize on the spot."
"Wait. So maybe Arielle wasn't the problem here? Why else would those parents force public apologies? It can't just be her uncle's status."
"Who knows? The whole thing stinks. But they had the guts to gang up on her with street thugs. That's crazy."
"Thank god Arielle could handle herself. Otherwise, she'd have been carried out in a bag."
Meredith frowned as she overheard the whispers. 'Uncle Luke came here? Did Mom and Dad refuse, so they sent him? Makes sense—Mom always has him handle messy stuff.'
Meredith'd been waiting for Arielle to crash and burn—but this outcome? She couldn't take it.
She thought, 'Even the Peterborough Four couldn't take her down? That damn leech! Uncle Luke's swamped with work, yet here he is fixing her mess.
'She brings chaos everywhere. Ever since she came back!' Meredith's jaw clenched, knuckles white under her sleeves.
Perla and Mya, misreading her pale face and tension as worry for Arielle, tried to comfort her. "It's okay, honey, we're here."
"I'm fine, really," Meredith murmured, projecting fragile sadness. Inside, she seethed: 'Arielle got away scot-free! I'll make her pay one day.'
Seeing Meredith's distress, Perla's heart ached. 'This is my fault,' she thought guiltily. 'That online mess started because I fought Arielle at Ogilvy's, dragging Meredith down.
'Sure, Meredith had lied about Arielle being adopted—but now? Bullied at home by Arielle, stabbed, constantly tormented... and now even her uncle defends Arielle?'
'Poor thing. She's so alone now. As her best friend, I couldn't just stand by. Not this time.' Perla made up her mind.
"Don't cry, sweetie," Perla soothed. "We'll help you get back what's yours." Meredith sniffled, nodding silently.
In Samson's car, Arielle turned to him. "Thanks for today. Let me treat you to dinner?"
She knew money didn't impress Samson, so offering payment felt pointless. 'Though everyone likes money, he probably scoffs at my pocket change.'
"Actually, I'm a bit hungry," Samson admitted. "But are you even allowed to leave yet?" He didn't want her skipping classes
"It's fine. Since you know Theoria well, you pick the place. Alright?" Samson was more approachable today. Arielle didn't hold back either.
Arielle saw the value of cultivating this connection with Samson. 'See? Proof it pays off when you need backup.'
"Deal. But one thing—you didn't seem angry about today's drama," Samson noted. "If someone talked that trash about me, I'd have broken more bones."
Then he added, eyes narrowing. "Filthy mouths like that? Someone's gotta shut them up. Permanently."
Arielle shrugged. "Anger's useless. My fists already did the talking. If they try again, I'll talk louder. Eventually, the lesson sticks."
Samson laughed, a genuine, booming sound. "Attagirl, that's the way. Reminds me of my younger self. Weakness only invites wolves."
He almost asked her to be his goddaughter, but held back. 'Too soon. Might scare her off. Play it cool.'
After dinner, Samson dropped Arielle back at her home. Arielle headed straight for her room as usual, ignoring the living room.
The activity space for her in this house was her bedroom, the dining area, and the backyard. Nowhere else.
She was halfway across the foyer when Henry's furious roar stopped her. "Stop right there!"
Arielle turned, her expression blank. "Yes?"
Henry looked ready to explode. "Yes? Is that all? You beat up half your class on your first day and have the gall to ask 'Yes'?"
His icy reprimand filled the living room. Lexi caught mid-step towards them, quickly pretending to polish a vase.
'News travels fast,' Arielle thought. 'It was bound to get out anyway—better now than later.'
She met his glare calmly. "Your daughter was called a whore, a slut. The boys debated how to 'score' with me. Want me to list all the filth they said?
"Tell me—how should I have reacted to classmates like that? Should I have laughed it off? If I'd let that go, what do you think would've happened to me next?
Arielle emphasized the last sentence sharply. 'He would never know—could never know,' she thought bitterly.
In her previous life, what had her silence and submission earned her? Thirteen years in prison, followed by nearly two years of unspeakable hell in North Lugra.
'No one understood. No one cared. So why should I care about them? Besides, this was the rebellion I'd always deserved,' she thought.
Arielle masked the flicker in her eyes and pressed on. "If I'd taken it today, they'd have felt free to intensify. To humiliate me even more tomorrow.
"I'm your daughter, Henry. They showed no respect for me, which means they showed none for you or the Bradfords."