Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 487

487 /658

Gwen had been having a tough time in the Stone household lately.

Thanks to the incident she and Beverly had stirred up, neither Aster nor her husband nor Finley wanted anything to do with her. Though the second branch of the family hadn’t been implicated, the whole affair had made it painfully clear that Gwen truly despised Finely's son. For Finley, that was simply unacceptable.

And Aster was even more displeased.

As a result, everyone in the second branch had been treating Gwen coldly for days. Even her father-in-law acted as though she were invisible.

No one openly reprimanded her, but the icy indifference cut deeper than words ever could.

From then on, Gwen grew even more disheartened.

After all, ever since she married into the family, she might not have contributed anything extraordinary, but she had certainly put in her share of effort. Besides, the only reason Finley had married her in the first place was because she was a daughter of the Castro family, and it had been Aster who had eagerly sought the match. The more she thought about it, the colder her heart grew, until finally, not a shred of hope remained.

Because Gwen had played a part in the plot against Alvin—even if it had been under duress—the Stone family no longer trusted her to raise the child.

In the end, it was the family matriarch who decided to take Alvin under her wing.

Not that she raised the child herself, of course. She left that to the nannies and servants.

Now, Gwen had nothing left. Though she was terrified that Ariana might betray their agreement like that despicable Beverly, she had no other options. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and press on. Fortunately, Ariana at least kept her word.

Otherwise, Gwen truly wouldn’t have known what to do.

Ariana and Gwen accompanied Fanny as she tried on three full sets of wedding dresses, offering minor suggestions here and there. Fanny showed little enthusiasm from start to finish. Only when the final gown was finally removed did she let out a long sigh of relief.

Slumping onto the sofa like a ragdoll, she sat in silence, utterly spent.

Like a fish that had lost all its dreams. Ariana couldn't help but suppress a chuckle at the sight. Clearing her throat lightly, she asked, "What's wrong?"

Fanny murmured as if her soul had left her body, "Finally changed! That nearly killed me!"

This was Gwen's first time seeing her future sister-in-law up close. Her eyes brimmed with both restraint and curiosity.

Observing her temperament, Gwen couldn't help but feel relieved. She had already braced herself for the worst-case scenario. Back when she decided to marry into the Stone family, she feared that if she lingered too long, whoever became the next family head—whether Damon or Maxwell—might marry someone who'd find fault with her. Better to marry into an equally prestigious family first. That way, her sister-in-law would at least consider her status and not pick on her.

Now, it seemed she had worried too much.

Had she known her future sister-in-law was this kind of girl, she wouldn't have been so anxious.

Of course, it might also be because Fanny was Ariana's friend and thus didn't bother putting on airs. Gwen pondered for a moment and decided it wouldn't hurt to remain cautious just in case.

As it turned out, Gwen's guess was spot-on. While Fanny was indeed loud and carefree, that side of her only came out around close friends and family. Otherwise, she was usually quite proper—neither overly warm nor cold toward others.

Fanny glanced around, then winked at Ariana with a mischievous grin. "Ariana, let's go grab something delicious, yeah?"

Ariana arched an eyebrow. "What are you craving?"

Fanny smacked her lips eagerly. "Yellow croaker!"