"There she is!" Lily screeched above the natural noise as soon as she spotted Ariana entering the house.
"Hello everyone," Ariana greeted with confusion written all over her face. What could Lily be up to now? She wasn't even in the house for the last two hours and she returns to meet even more drama and she seems to be in the middle of it all, how was that even possible?
"Ariana, how are you?" Aunt Bianca said stretching her hands towards Ariana.
Ariana started moving towards her and Lily screamed again. "Where do you think you are going?"
Ariana stopped. This was definitely another problem Lily had invented.
"Grandfather, I have told you several times before that this woman doesn't deserve to stay with us! She is a thief and a street animal! She should be thrown out!"
Ariana had taken enough insults from Lily. This was the last of them. Before grandfather could talk Ariana's sweet voice pierced the tension.
"Lily, if you ever got formal education, you would have thought that it is rude to speak to people in the manner in which you just described me," Ariana said in a calm tone.
Lily was shocked. She blinked her eyes fast as she searched for a comeback but nothing came to mind.
"What is it you think I did that gave you the right to call me such names in the first place?" Ariana asked again.
"You stole her —phone," Benson stuttered with a shrug.
Ariana narrowed her eyes at him and the intensity was enough to make Benson gasp in fear. "What phone?"
Grandfather didn't even have to say anything anymore. It looked like Ariana Brown was handling the situation perfectly well. He sat down and observed the situation unfold itself.
"Don't you dare stand there and pretend you know about manners when you are nothing but a petty thief!" Lily spat harshly. "We met in the corridor and you stopped me to apologise only to take my phone from me!" Lily rushed out.
The whole house went silent as Lily finally let out what was the problem. All the while she had gathered the entire family, she didn't tell them what the problem was. Except the problem had something to do with poor Ariana. Now that Ariana was here, she was desperate to take back control of the situation.
Suddenly a burst of laughter filled the room and everyone turned their attention to where the sound was coming from, it was Ariana. And Elsie picked it up too. She also started laughing. Mr Lawson senior frowned as he couldn't understand what was amusing in what Lily had said.
"I am sorry grandfather but lily can be so funny sometimes," Ariana said amidst laughter. She had made up her mind that she would no longer be a victim to Lily. She and her entire family took it upon themselves to make her life miserable, she was going to do the very same to them. She would make grandfather see Lily for who she was exactly.
"You stole my phone and you think it's funny?" Lily snapped. She was about to open her mouth to say something else when Ariana raised her hand to stop her.
Ariana eluded so much power, Lily found herself weakening. "Don't you dare say another word, Lily? Aren't you tired? All this back and forth aren't you getting old for it?" Ariana's firm voice filled the living room and even the maids stopped to listen.
"Even if you feel you have enough strength to do silly and shameful things like this, you should at least consider Mr Lawson here who has a lot of work to do and should be resting... or you could even consider your own husband who doesn't do anything. You both could use the free time to learn a skill!"
Lily's face became as red as a tomato and she felt like pouncing on Ariana yet again, Ariana wasn't done with her yet.
"You claim I stole your phone, yet you were the one who broke mine! But you are the one sobbing for it! If you want it so much I can give it to you because unlike you, I grew up within a proper shelter and my parents no matter how despicable they are thought me how to cohabit with people!"
Ariana's words were like thunderbolts in Lily's heart. She could not believe Ariana had changed in just a few hours. She couldn't believe this was the same girl she had confidently spoken to. Now, words failed her. She was without comeback.
"That's enough Ariana! You have no right to speak to my mother like that!" Noah growled.
Ariana raised her brow as she turned her attention to him. "Oh, but you think your mother has the right to speak to me however she sees fit? Where was your sense of humanity when your mother called me names and accused me of things I knew nothing of? Where was your sense of humanity when your mother had those poor flowers disfigured in the garden?"
Noah's face grew, even more, tighter as he flared in anger but before he could react, Lily held him back. There was no turning back from this shame and she knew it.
"Mother, I thought this was a joke you know?" Matt exclaimed with a hint of forced amusement in his voice.
"A joke?" Grandmother exclaimed. "Your mother screamed for everyone to step out here and you say it was supposed to be a joke? Benson! What is happening to your family?" She questioned her son.
Benson had his eyes lowered as he didn't know what to say. At the same time, he still felt guilty about what matt had got him doing. He feared saying something that might anger Matt.
"Benson, control your wife. If she can't cohabit with people like Ariana here has rightfully pointed out, then I advise you to return to your house, I have had enough now!" Grandfather warned as he got up from his seat and walked out of the living room. Grandmother followed him almost immediately while Elsie and Bianca stayed by Ariana's side.