Chapter 199
Chapter 199 An Unwelcome Visit
Arabella glanced at Naomi, whose overly sweet tone rang false, and chose to ignore her. Instead, she turned to Ethan. “Ethan, I’d love some fruit.”
Hearing this, Ethan immediately passed her the plate of sliced fruit from the side table.
“Naomi, Ruby you’re back,” Florence chimed in, breaking the awkward silence as she looked at them. “We were wondering why we hadn’t heard from you all this time. Were you having such a wonderful time at Ruby’s that you forgot to call home?”
Naomi felt a pang listening to Florence. She had been away for days, yet no one had reached out to check on her. It was becoming painfully clear that her parents and Ethan weren’t as preoccupied with her whereabouts as they once might have been.
Ethan, meanwhile, met Arabella’s eyes with a look that said, “Told you so. She is bound to show up once she gets the news, right?”
Arabella shot him a look back. “Yeah, yeah. You win the prediction award. I really could have done without seeing either of them.”
Putting on a bright facade, Naomi said, “I was actually really comfortable staying at Ruby’s, so it just slipped my mind to call.
“It was only today that I happened to hear about Arabella’s accident,” Naomi explained to Florence, not wanting it to seem like she had nowhere else to go. “So Ruby and I made a special trip to see how she was doing.”
“Arabella, where exactly were you hurt? How come you need a wheelchair?” Ruby asked with a hint of performative curiosity.
“It’s just a minor foot injury. You’re all making a mountain out of a molehill, coming all the way back for this,” Arabella said, rolling her eyes slightly. Her tone made it perfectly clear she wishe they hadn’t bothered.
Hearing Arabella’s blunt reply, Ruby faltered for a second before forcing a smile. “How could we not come visit when you are hurt? Family is family, after all.
“We genuinely hope you have a speedy recovery, Arabella, and that you won’t be stuck in that chair for too long.” Though Ruby’s words sounded like a well–wish, there was an underlying edge that felt almost like a jinx.
Arabella gave her an annoyed look. “Why does that sound so off? Doesn’t sound like you’re hoping for a quick recovery at all.”
Ruby let out a light, artificial chuckle. “Please don’t misunderstand, Arabella. I sincerely, from
Chapter 199 An Unwelcome Visit
the bottom of my heart, hope you get better soon.”
In a way, she did hope for a quick recovery–so Arabella could go back to her lessons with Lucas and she, Ruby, could stay out of the line of fire. She had zero desire to become collateral damage in whatever rivalry was simmering between Arabella and Naomi.
Jonathan and Ethan hadn’t uttered a word to Naomi or Ruby since they’d walked in, quietly observing their little performance from the sidelines.
“Arabella, I came back in such a rush today that I didn’t have time to pick up a get–well gift or flowers for you. Please don’t mind,” Naomi said, turning to Arabella in the wheelchair with feigned courtesy.
“Don’t worry about it. Even if you had, I probably wouldn’t have accepted it,” Arabella replied bluntly, her expression cool.
Arabella saw right through them. They had only come back to rubberneck at her misfortune. All their polite chatter was just a performance–utterly transparent and fake.
Seeing that Arabella wasn’t giving her an inch, Naomi’s smile grew strained. But then it hit her -Arabella was the one injured and confined to a wheelchair. Why waste energy bickering over words right now?
So, keeping her smile plastered on, Naomi said, “It seems my little sister is still upset with me. What happened that day is water under the bridge now. I’ve already let it go, so you shouldn’t hold onto it either. After all, I was the one who ended up getting hurt.” Naomi was now fully playing the victim card.
“Even if you were the one who got hurt, it wasn’t because of me,” Arabella retorted, glaring at Naomi, her voice icy. “I’ve already looked into it–those photos you saw online were posted by Dylan and Harper. So, blowing up at me out of nowhere that morning was completely uncalled for!”
Hearing Arabella’s explanation, Naomi immediately frowned. So, it wasn’t Arabella who had those photos posted?
Still skeptical, Naomi pressed, “Who are Dylan and Harper? Why would they post photos like that?”
“How should I know? If you want the scoop, go ask them yourself,” Arabella said dismissively. She had said her piece.
As for Dylan and Harper, she had no intention of spelling things out for Naomi–let he do her own detective work.
“I don’t even know who these people are. Where am I supposed to find them?” Naomi asked, her brow furrowed in frustration.
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Hapter 199 An Unwelcome Visit
“You won’t figure it out sitting here. Go ask around outside, Arabella shot back, making no attempt to hide her desire for them to leave.
Naomi naturally picked up on Arabella’s not–so–subtle hint, but irritation flared within her. This was her home, too–Arabella had no right to dismiss her.
Naomi stopped looking at Arabella. Arguing further was pointless.
Instead, she turned to Florence. “Mom, how have you and Dad been lately?”
“We’ve been just fine, dear,” Florence replied with a polite, somewhat distant smile, offering no opening for further conversation.
“That’s good to hear. I’ll just run upstairs and grab a few things from my closet, then,” Naomi said, seeing that Florence wasn’t inclined to chat. She needed an excuse to exit the uncomfortable scene.
“Alright, go ahead,” Florence said simply.
Even after Naomi mentioned going upstairs, Florence didn’t ask her to stay or linger. The light in Naomi’s eyes dimmed slightly before she turned and headed for the staircase.
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