Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 666

Irene: "Auntie, I've been quite busy these past few days. I'll come visit you in a few days. As for Lambert's matter, please don't trouble yourself over it anymore. I don't blame him, and I hope you won't either. As long as he and Ariana can be happy together, that's all that matters."

Hearing the faint tremor of pain in her daughter's voice, her heart ached unbearably.

She wanted to say something, but suddenly remembered Kendra's warning to her. The words died in her throat, leaving her momentarily speechless.

After a long silence, she finally murmured softly, "You've suffered so much, Irene."

On the other end of the line, Irene froze.

This wasn't the response she had anticipated from Georgia. Frowning slightly, she replied, "It's nothing. As long as they're happy, my own pain doesn't matter."

This only made Georgia's heart ache even more.

But Irene hadn't called today to wallow in self-pity. After a pause, her voice took on a desolate tone as she continued, "Auntie, I hope you can explain to Ariana that I had nothing to do with this... incident. I truly just wanted to say a proper goodbye to him. I never imagined things would turn out this way."

Georgia's face filled with compassion. "I will."

After exchanging a few more words of gratitude, Irene ended the call.

The moment the line disconnected, her expression darkened.

A cold smirk twisted her lips.

Of course. How foolish of her to expect anything from Ariana's mother. No matter how simple-minded, a mother's heart would always side with her own daughter. She had thought that after witnessing that scene, Georgia would take her side and pressure Ariana. While it wouldn't have actually made Ariana divorce Lambert...

It would have driven her absolutely mad.

And then, when she herself would have gone to the Stone family claiming to be carrying Lambert's child... By then, even if Ariana refused, the divorce would have been inevitable!

Absolutely!

This was exactly what Irene had in mind.

That day, she had slipped him the drug with this very intention. But fate had other plans—Lambert hadn’t laid a finger on her.

Did he really think that was the end of it?

No one else knew whether anything had happened between them. She had already made up her mind: even if she couldn’t marry Lambert, she would never let that woman, Ariana, live happily ever after with him. If she couldn’t have him, then Ariana wouldn’t either!

Just as Irene was lost in these bitter thoughts, a sharp knock echoed at her bedroom door.

In the Harper household, the only people who knocked on her door were her brother, Nathan, or the servants.

With a dismissive wave, she called out, “Come in.”

Sure enough, it was Nathan who stepped inside.

His expression was grim, his lips pressed into a tight line as he hesitated, studying her face before finally speaking. “Irene… the Stone Corporation has unilaterally terminated the project.” His voice was strained, his face darker than she had ever seen it. This project was crucial for both the Harper and Stone families.

And the worst part? Construction was already halfway done.

Pulling out now wouldn’t just hurt the Harper Corporation—it would deal a massive blow to the Stone Corporation as well. Both sides stood to lose enormously.

No wonder Nathan looked like he’d swallowed something bitter.

He couldn’t fathom what had gotten into Lambert! How could he suddenly scrap the contract with the Harper family? Did he think this was some childish game where he could walk away whenever he pleased? The more Nathan stewed over it, the more his suspicion settled on his sister. His gaze sharpened as he turned to her. “Didn’t you two… get together? What happened? Did something go wrong that night?”

After racking his brain, this was the only explanation he could come up with.

Irene was stunned too.

She remained silent for a few seconds before finally saying, "I'll go talk to him."

Nathan let out a relieved sigh and murmured, "You'd better convince him to take it back. This is our first collaboration, and it's such a major project. Besides, this reckless decision won’t just hurt the Harper Group—the Stone Group will suffer too."

But Irene’s mind was in turmoil, and she barely registered Nathan’s words.

Grabbing her coat distractedly, she strode out without another word.

...

Bran was enjoying his newfound freedom.

Originally, Nathan was supposed to be his guide for a few days, showing him around the city. But something urgent must have come up, because Nathan had left abruptly, his expression grim. Not that Bran minded—he’d been itching to ditch his chaperone anyway.

Every time Nathan opened his mouth, it was either about Irene or company business.

Bran, who just wanted to relax, found it all unbearably tedious. Now that he was alone, he could finally wander at his own pace.

As he strolled, he found himself outside a quaint little bakery.

Remembering his father’s mention of Aunt Kendra’s sweet tooth, he hesitated before finally stepping inside to buy her a slice of cake. He could only hope his dad hadn’t been lying—that the poised, aloof Aunt Kendra actually had a weakness for desserts. It was hard to picture someone so refined indulging in something as simple as cake.

His bodyguards, as always, shadowed him closely.

Inside, a little boy, no older than four or five, was placing an order with surprising seriousness. Intrigued, Bran lingered behind him, watching.

The child pointed at the display and said earnestly, "Miss, could you make this one a little sweeter? My mom loves extra sugar. And for this one, add more vanilla—my dad really likes vanilla flavor."