The Returned Heiress Who Never Fit In novel Chapter 923

923 /1037

**TITLE: She Took 923**
**CONTENT: Chapter 923 You Owe Us**

Tempest’s gaze locked onto Rianne, and in that instant, a profound disconnection struck him, as if he were staring at a stranger rather than someone he had once thought he knew intimately.

“You’re actually defending him? You’re genuinely worried that I might harm him? You…” His words trailed off, a mix of disbelief and frustration swirling within him.

But Rianne was quick to interrupt, her voice firm and unwavering. “Isn’t that precisely what you used to tell me about Ariana?”

In that moment, she skillfully turned the very accusations he had leveled at her regarding Ariana back onto him, a mirror reflecting his own hypocrisy.

Tempest’s expression shifted, revealing a flicker of realization.

A wave of vindicated relief surged through Rianne, washing away the remnants of her past turmoil. Tempest had once shattered her serenity, and now, she had shattered his deeply entrenched self-righteousness.

“Tempest, you should understand this: the Hale family may have raised me for many years, but I, Rianne, owe your family nothing! My father sacrificed his life for your family!”

“Then you should tell your mother to be careful as well. If we’re digging up the past, it’s your family that owes mine!”

She felt a surge of defiance, refusing to be painted as the ungrateful wolf he claimed she was. My father…

With that, Rianne turned sharply, leaving Tempest behind, her figure retreating with a chilling resolve he had never witnessed before.

Meanwhile, Stella was preparing to settle down for a nap when her phone rang, jolting her from her moment of peace.

“Stella,” Rianne’s voice came through, steady yet cold, “Ariana. I don’t want her to be released.”

The Rianne Stella had always known was gentle and warm, but now, every syllable she uttered felt like shards of ice.

“Okay, I understand,” Stella replied, her heart racing slightly.

Hearing Rianne’s desire to keep Ariana confined brought an unexpected relief to Stella. It was a reluctant acknowledgment that the fragile peace between Tempest and Rianne had finally reached a breaking point.

Rianne’s voice trembled as she questioned, “Does this… make me a bad person?”

Stella frowned, confusion knitting her brows. “Why would you think that?”

Bad? Why would Rianne even entertain such a thought? Or was it that all those years spent with the Hale family had clouded her judgment, leading her to doubt her own worth?

The possibility loomed large.

Ever since her father’s passing, Tempest had taken it upon himself to be her guardian. And knowing Madam Linden’s character, she likely brought it up at every opportunity, using it as a weapon against Rianne.

That’s how people often are; they can’t resist the urge to wield moral blackmail.

But what right did the Hale family have to impose such guilt upon Rianne?

Stella’s eyes narrowed, a fierce determination igniting within her. “Rianne, you need to hear me clearly. Anything you do to the Hale family now is a counter-attack. It is not ingratitude.”