Chapter 6 The Necklace Was Auctioned

Ariana read the news with a heavy heart and her eyes were brimming with tears as she saw the picture of her mother's necklace.

She was sure that her stepmother Glenda was responsible for the auction of the necklace.

The necklace was part of a complete set of jewelry, each piece of which was exquisite and priceless. The necklace, in particular, was adorned with a rare ruby, making it even more valuable.

Ariana couldn't help but remember the last time she saw her mother.

Her mother had held her hand and whispered that she wanted her to marry with this jewelry set in the future. The memory made Ariana even more devastated.

The thought of Glenda selling off her mother's precious belongings enraged her.

Ariana knew there was no way she could buy that necklace, but she made a firm decision to take back the rest of her mother's belongings.

She knew she couldn't delay any longer, for fear that Glenda would sell the remaining items.

Unable to sit still, she decided to head for the Edwards family household immediately.

In a rush to leave, Ariana made a commotion in the corridor, unaware that the door of another room was slowly opening.

*

The end of November brought a dark and misty day, the sky casting a gloomy hue over the world. The rain poured down in heavy sheets, turning the pavement into a river. Despite the weather, Ariana marched determinedly to the Edwards family's house.

She pounded on the door angrily. The door creaked open to reveal Glenda, standing with a disdainful expression, her chin held high with arrogance. Ariana was drenched from the rain, her hair matted to her head and her clothes clinging to her skin.

Glenda sneered, "What do you want, Ariana? I'm in the middle of planning Brielle's wedding."

Brielle emerged from the room, a saccharine smile on her face.

"Oh, it's Ariana," she said with false sweetness. "Jasper and I are getting married soon. You don't mind, do you, now that you're married to Theodore?"

Brielle flaunted her words with utmost pride, a trait that she had carried since childhood.

It was Brielle's nature to snatch Ariana's belongings and then parade them around to make Ariana feel inferior. Today was no different.

In the past, Ariana would have been furious, but now she just thought Brielle was stupid and selfish.

Jasper was just some trash in Ariana's eyes, but Brielle continued flaunting her boyfriend. How stupid!

When Ariana didn't respond, Brielle intentionally probed, "By the way, where is my brother-in-law? Isn't he awake? Why is he not here with you?"

Brielle's taunting words pierced the air, and her face was full of arrogance.

Glenda sneered, "That's Mr. Theodore Anderson you're referring to. How could he fall in love with her? They got married when he was unconscious. Now that he is awake, they are surely going to divorce."

Ariana's face twisted in disgust, fed up with Glenda's cruel remarks. "I haven't divorced yet. I don't need you to worry about me. Give back my mother's belongings to me. I will leave as soon as I get them."

Glenda's eyes darted around, as she tried to play dumb. "What are you talking about? Didn't you take them with you?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Ariana snarled, growing more and more impatient with Glenda's facade. "I saw my mother's necklace in the news of the auction. You sold it, right? I can let go of that necklace, but you have to hand over the rest."

She was tired of playing games with Glenda. She marched over to Glenda's room, determined to find the belongings herself.

However, Glenda wasn't going to give up that easily. She rushed over to Ariana and glared at her, her voice dripping with malice. "Your father owed debts before he passed away. I sold that to pay them off. Since you married into the Anderson family, shouldn't you help the Edwards family with the debts?"

Ariana's sharp eyes instantly caught Glenda's extravagant attire, causing her to scoff at her ridiculous claims about her father's supposed debts. It was obvious to Ariana that Glenda was simply using her father's debts as an excuse to justify her deceitful actions. How could they still be living in the Edwards' home if they were really struggling with such significant debts?

Ariana refused to give Glenda the satisfaction of engaging in any more petty arguments. All she wanted was to retrieve her mother's belongings and leave the toxic environment behind. Without further ado, she pushed Glenda aside and marched toward the staircase.

Glenda's grip tightened on Ariana, as she boldly confessed, "I sold all of your mother's belongings. You can search for all you want. But you will find nothing."

Ariana couldn't believe her ears, and was disgusted by Glenda's shameless attitude.

"You sold everything?" Ariana sneered as her eyes focused on the earrings adorning Glenda's ears. "Even those earrings were stolen from my mother's collection!"

Glenda's hands instinctively covered her ears before she let out an irate cry. "So what? After raising you for so many years, I am entitled to them. I deserve these! The only way you can have them is if your mother comes back to life and asks for them!"

"Don't you dare bring up my mother again!" Ariana hissed, feeling the anger bubbling inside her. Without thinking, she yanked the earring from Glenda's right ear.

A deafening scream of agony pierced the air as blood gushed from the wound. Glenda clutched her ear, staring at Ariana in disbelief. "How dare you!" she yelled, her eyes filled with rage.

As Brielle launched toward Ariana with the intent to slap her, Ariana deftly evaded the attack but was immediately caught by Glenda from the other side.

Brielle seized the moment to push Ariana to the floor, grasping her hair.

With a furious voice, Brielle shouted, "Ariana, you bitch!" She raised her hand to strike Ariana but was interrupted by a low, cold voice that resounded throughout the room.

"Hey! What is going on here? What are you doing to my wife?"