Reborn To Ruin Her Rivals - Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Seated by the window on the fifth floor, a handsome young man's gaze fell upon Arielle's striking yet aloof beauty, and a subtle glimmer of interest, so faint it was nearly imperceptible, flickered in his eyes.
"Who is she?" Gavin inquired in his genteel voice, his gaze lingering on the distant, cool figure outside the window.
From their vantage point on the fifth floor, they had a clear view of everything happening downstairs, though not a sound reached them.
The assistant answered timidly, "Mr. Boone, that's Miss Meredith's elder sister, Arielle Bradford."
At the mention of Arielle's name, a flicker of disappointment crossed Gavin's eyes.
Gavin thought in shock, 'She's actually Meredith's sister!'
Rumors about Arielle were common knowledge throughout Theoria City.
He thought, 'With her shameful past and constant bullying of Meredith, no matter how beautiful she is, she is nothing but a pretty face.
'I have long been engaged to Meredith through a family arrangement.
'But ever since the scandal about the heiresses in the Bradford family came to light, this engagement...
'I would never marry a woman like her, even if she were the real heiress of the Bradford family.
'Only an outstanding woman like Meredith deserves to marry into the Boone family... but she's just an adopted daughter.'
Gavin shook his head, his appetite gone. He set down his fork, wiped his mouth, and left the fifth floor.
Gavin was the heir apparent to the Boone family.
He splited his time between managing the family business and attending school.
He was the very definition of excellence, his grandfather had already begun grooming him to take over the Boone family business.
He juggled both his studies and the company's affairs with ease, never missing a beat.
He rarely dined in the cafeteria. His meals were usually delivered by his private chauffeur.
On the rare occasions he did come, he always ate in the exclusive private dining room on the fifth floor.
The first time he visited the cafeteria this semester, he witnessed a shocking scene.
He couldn't fathom how someone as refined as Meredith could have such a disgraceful sister.
As Arielle slowed her pace while passing the playground, she savored this rare moment of peace and leisure.
In her old life, before she started school, the Bradford family held a grand welcome party for her, inviting all the elite of Theoria City.
That day, she wore the dress Meredith had picked out for her, only to become the laughingstock of the night.
They mocked and humiliated her relentlessly.
Back then, she was just like Andrew, utterly defenseless, letting everyone walk all over her.
The so-called righteous crowd, boys and girls alike, dumped slop all over her from head to toe.
Utterly humiliated, she fled the cafeteria in disgrace and hid in a corner, sobbing uncontrollably.
Just then, a boy named walked over and handed her a pack of tissues. "Here, wipe your face," he said gently.
She looked up to see a lanky boy, holding out a pack of tissues.
In his eyes were sympathy, helplessness, and a trace of pity he couldn't quite hide.
It was Andrew. He was the first at Peterborough High School to show her kindness.
"The world works in mysterious ways," Arielle mused.
Arielle looked up at the sky.
Fluffy clouds drifted across the blue sky.
'So beautiful!' she thought.
She reached out, as if she could touch that soft, fluffy cloud right in her palm.
Arielle mused, "The Bradford family hasn't thrown me a welcome party yet. Maybe my return has already altered how things were supposed to go.
"But it doesn't matter.
"I couldn't care less about some welcome party."
As Gavin made his way toward the academic building, he happened to spot Arielle standing alone on the playground, bathed in sunlight.
She gazed up at the sky, the coldness in her eyes faded, replaced by a hint of softness.
With a slight upturn of her lips, she looked incredibly charming.
He shook his head, thinking, 'When I get back, I'll inform Grandfather that I refuse to marry the real heiress of the Bradford family. The only one I'll marry is Meredith.'
Just as he was about to leave, Gavin spotted Meredith and Perla approaching.
He paused, waiting as the princess-like girl walked toward him, step by graceful step.
Arielle's eyes stung slightly from the sunlight.
She looked away, checked the time, and headed back to the classroom to study.
Outside the academic building, Arielle came face to face with Meredith and her entourage.
Arielle paid no heed and continued toward the academic building.
As she passed by Meredith, her steps halted abruptly.
Her cool, inscrutable gaze skimmed over the group, like mockery, like ridicule, like amusement.
"Nice try, but a fake will always be a fake," Arielle tossed over her shoulder without breaking stride.
Meredith froze momentarily, her expression darkening as a flash of venom flickered in her eyes.
The faces of Perla, Mya, and Samantha twisted in unison.
"What's she trying to say?" Samantha asked in confusion.
"Is she sneering at us for befriending that fake heiress?" Mya blurted out.
After Mya finished speaking, she realized she had misspoken and quickly turned to Meredith to apologize.
"Sorry, Meredith, I didn't mean you," Mya said hastily.
"It's okay," Meredith replied with a gentle, understanding smile.
Perla mulled over Arielle's words, sensing there was a hidden meaning behind them.
'Everyone already knew Meredith was the fake heiress. There was no need to spell it out,' she thought.
While lost in thought, Samantha suddenly gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. "Wait, does she know about the schemes we've been plotting behind her back?"
Perla's eyes widened in alarm. "I mean, judging by her tone and the way she looked at us, I'm pretty sure she knows what we've been up to."
"I mean, judging by her tone and the way she looked at us, I'm pretty sure she knows what we've been up to."
Mya rolled her eyes. "Damn, is she some kind of mind reader? How does she even know something so well hidden?"
Meredith panicked.
She thought, 'Arielle must know I was the one spreading those rumors, about her being adopted, and about her sleeping around.
'There's no way I can let them find out I'm the one behind spreading those rumors.'
Meredith hurriedly interjected, "Please don't blame my sister, she's just like that. Just leave her alone and everything will be fine."
Her words worked, their attention immediately shifted away from her.
Perla scoffed in disdain.
"Please, we know exactly what she's like. Meredith, stop defending her or I'll really get mad," she said.
Another girl chimed in, "Yeah, if you keep letting her walk all over you, she'll only get worse."
Mike stood silently behind the group, saying nothing.
His gaze followed Arielle as she moved away.
Then, he saw Gavin step forward, blocking Arielle's path.
He was just about to warn Meredith when he felt a kick at his foot from Samantha.
"Mike, didn't you say you'd stand up for Meredith? Come on, tell us your brilliant plan," Samantha prodded.
Mike rubbed his nose.
Before meeting Arielle, he'd been determined to teach that presumptuous woman a lesson.
But faced with such stunning beauty, he hesitated.
'It'd be a real shame to mess up a face like that,' he thought.
Samantha immediately caught on to what he was thinking.
She said, "Mike, you can't possibly like her! She's Meredith's sworn enemy. Are you really going to side with an outsider?"
Mya crossed her arms, fuming. "Listen up, Mike, if you dare help that bitch, we'll come after you too."
The girls crowded around Mike, all talking at once and bombarding him with their opinions and warnings.
Meanwhile, ust as Arielle was about to ascend the stairs, Gavin suddenly stepped out, blocking her path.
Arielle stared at that all-too-familiar face.
Venomous hatred, burning rage, bloodthirsty intent, and murderous desire churned within her.
Blood rushed to her head as if the very air around her had been sucked away, making it hard to breathe.
Her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at her sides, overwhelming hatred surging through her.