Reborn To Ruin Her Rivals - Chapter 75: Chapter 75

Those words from Phyllis were forever etched in Arielle's memory. "Arielle, I've loathed and hated you from the very start. Why should you be the Bradford heiress while I'm always forced to live in your shadow?
"The more humiliated you are, the happier I get. Pretending to be close sisters with you all these years has sickened me to the core. Gavin and Meredith are the real couple. How dare you try to steal him?
"I'll destroy everyone you love and crush you beneath my heel forever. Yes, I admit it, I'm jealous. You're prettier, from a better family... but look who won in the end!
"Guess what! I'm getting married soon, and I have you to thank for introducing me to that wonderful man!"
That day, when the police were about to take Phyllis away, she leaned in and whispered something in Arielle's ear, words Arielle would never forget.
Phyllis stabbed her in the back repeatedly, each betrayal striking deep into her heart.
'Phyllis!' Arielle fumed inwardly.
Arielle laughed bitterly at her own stupidity.
Arielle thought sarcastically, 'Watching her put on that fake sisterly act, the Oscars really owe her an award.
'Just like Meredith, two of a kind.'
Phyllis's eyes sparkled with surprise and delight.
Phyllis had come three times before without finding Arielle, and this time she was just trying her luck.
To her surprise, she'd actually run into her.
She said, "Arielle, are you so thrilled to see me that you're speechless?"
After the initial surprise, Phyllis's gaze dropped to Arielle's outfit, her eyes widening with a mix of shock and eager delight.
She said, "I heard your real parents brought you to the city. Honestly, I thought I'd never see you again! Then I came across your video online and found out you're going to school in Peterborough.
"Arielle, your outfit looks so fancy. Are your parents, like, loaded or something? They must be billionaires, right?
"Wow! Look at that designer outfit you're wearing, must've cost a fortune! Got any other luxury brand clothes lying around? Hand me a couple pieces to wear, will you?"
Phyllis reached out, trying to link arms with Arielle, but Arielle recoiled in disgust, pulling away before she could even touch her.
Phyllis was puzzled. She thought, 'Why is Arielle being so cold toward me?'
Shocked at first, Phyllis then gave her a wounded, puppy-eyed look.
Phyllis said sweetly, "Arielle, I couldn't come to see you that day because something urgent came up. I really didn't mean to stand you up, it wasn't on purpose!"
Phyllis thought Arielle was still upset about that incident, so she solemnly raised her right hand and swore she was telling the truth.
Arielle suddenly remembered, Phyllis had lured her up the mountain to see that haunted house.
Instead, she was met by the most notorious thug in Cloud Town.
That man had long lusted after Arielle's beauty, but with Cassandra and Phil constantly by her side, he could never lay a hand on her.
Arielle thought, 'Now that I think about it, the whole setup was suspicious at every turn.
'Phyllis, so it was you!'
Just as Phyllis expected Arielle to forgive her and link arms with her affectionately, the unthinkable happened.
Arielle suddenly raised her hand and slapped Phyllis hard across both cheeks, then, in a fit of rage, lunged forward and kicked her repeatedly.
Arielle struck with brutal force, the impact sent Phyllis doubling over instantly.
She was in such excruciating pain she couldn't even form words.
Arielle shook out her hand, a wave of satisfaction washing over her. She thought with a cold smirk, 'I can't exactly finish her off for good, but beating the hell out of her sure felt damn good.'
Staggering from the blow, Phyllis instinctively clutched her face with both hands, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at Arielle in utter disbelief.
Tears of grievance welled up in Phyllis's eyes and spilled over before she could stop them.
Phyllis was completely baffled. 'Why on earth would Arielle slap me like that?'
Arielle had hit her so viciously that Phyllis's entire face went completely numb.
Just a few months ago, they were still inseparable best friends, telling each other everything and promising to move to the big city and work together someday.
'What's gotten into Arielle? Doesn't she even recognize me anymore?' Phyllis thought in disbelief.
"Arielle, you..." Phyllis choked out, her voice hoarse and trembling, desperate for an explanation.
"Shut up! We're not close. If I see you again, I'll beat you up every time." Arielle snarled, striding away with fierce satisfaction.
Arielle was already the center of attention at school, so it didn't take long for someone to capture the incident on video and post it online.
After extensive digging by countless netizens, Phyllis's identity was uncovered.
She was a sophomore at the neighboring school who used to be Arielle's best friend.
Of course, that was history now.
People woindered why Arielle slapped her so-called best friend.
The comment section went wild with hilarious theories, netizens' imaginations truly ran riot.
After morning classes ended, Olivia and her friends huddled together, whispering about what had happened.
They kept their voices down, too scared to speak up, terrified Arielle might overhear them.
One of them said, "Guess what? I heard Phyllis was Arielle's best friend and even came all the way here just to see her, but Arielle totally cold-shouldered her and even slapped her! Can you believe that?"
Another girl said, "As if someone like her could keep friends. Now that she's got that fancy social status, she probably thinks Phyllis is beneath her."
"Yeah, that totally makes sense. I've got a friend at her school who told me Phyllis went home bawling her eyes out, her face was covered in finger marks, both cheeks swollen like crazy."
"Is hitting all she knows? This is totally outrageous! If I were Phyllis, I'd totally fight back."
"Keep it down! If she hears us, she'll go berserk again," one of them whispered nervously.
That afternoon after school, Phyllis showed up again.
But Arielle was nowhere to be found.
By the time Phyllis arrived, Arielle had already left school.
Phyllis came twice in a row, even staking out the school gate at noon to catch her.
Still no sign of Arielle, Phyllis was convinced Arielle was deliberately avoiding her.
Just thinking about those slaps made Phyllis grind her teeth in fury. She fumed inwardly, 'How dare she hit me?
'Back when she was just a nobody, I never looked down on her for being friends with me. But now that she's the Bradford heiress, she's gotten too big for her boots, acting like she doesn't even know me anymore?
'No way in hell!'
Phyllis couldn't figure out why Arielle had suddenly slapped her, but she still knew exactly what kind of person Arielle was.
'If I don't squeeze some compensation out of this, those slaps will have been for nothing. How dare she hide from me? What a coward!' Phyllis thought bitterly.
Phyllis left in bitter disappointment once again.
Determined to get her way, Phyllis was ready to make a scene at the Bradford family.
She thought, 'The Bradford family is so prominent in Theoria City. If they don't want me to cause a scandal, her parents will have to step in and hush it up.
'Rich people always just throw money at their problems.
'A few hundred grand in compensation isn't too much to ask, is it?'
With this in mind, Phyllis quickly whipped out her phone to book a ride. The Bradford mansion was easy enough to find.
'If they don't open the door, I'll just go live and sic the internet mob on them,' Phyllis thought with a wicked grin.
Meanwhile, as soon as Perla and her group stepped out, they spotted Phyllis anxiously scanning the surroundings.
The slap marks were still starkly visible on her face.
"Hey guys, isn't that Phyllis over there?" Perla pointed across the street.
The others followed her gaze and spotted a girl in casual clothes, both cheeks still visibly swollen from the beating.
"Yes, that's her," Mya confirmed. "Same outfit, same hairstyle as in the video, just her face looks even more swollen now."
Meredith's calculating gaze settled on her.
She thought with a calculating look, 'Arielle's little friend... she could be useful.
'She must know even more dirt on Arielle…'
"If we want more dirt on Arielle, why don't we just ask her?" Samantha suggested, perfectly echoing Meredith's thoughts. But Meredith kept her expression neutral, letting the others take the initiative.
The group exchanged knowing glances, then sauntered across the street.
Perla and her three friends sauntered over with deliberate slowness, their disdainful gazes fixed upon Phyllis.