章 13: Sisters (1)
When Adrienne left the hospital, it dawned to her how arrogant and foolish she was when she confronted that patient across her mother's room. She scolded herself for even giving her name to those two men, but she couldn't think straight earlier.
However, remembering how she overheard the nurses talking in her previous life, mentioning how problematic that man had been since his arrival, Adrienne couldn't help but deal with it herself. That man would have continued disturbing everyone for months before he was transferred abroad for treatment.
Alas, once she calmed down, Adrienne feared the man would turn his attention toward her instead. After experiencing Alistair's obsessive tendencies in the past, the last thing Adrienne wanted was to get another man's attention.
She returned home, noticing that her father and his second family were nowhere in sight, but she didn't bother to find out what they were up to. Dinner was served and she ate alone before returning to her room.
Adrienne was in the last year of high school and the term had just started. In her previous life, she barely managed to graduate as she had run away from home as soon as she turned eighteen. With Myrtle's help, she managed to find a part-time job, and though it pays well, it demanded a lot of time on her part. Because of this, Adrienne didn't manage to pursue a college degree and was working to support herself until she entered a contractual marriage with Alistair Han.
Her long hair was dripping wet when Adrienne stepped out of the shower, a towel draped over her head. When she sat in front of the vanity table, her eyes caught sight of her hair. Her eyes darkened when memories of her past life flashed in her mind.
Alistair frequently told her that he liked her long hair. He would touch it no matter where or with whom they were. However, in contrast to his gentleness in the daytime, he was a rabid beast at night. Alistair would pull or tug her hair too hard, enough for Adrienne to cry out in pain. Seeing her long hair reminded Adrienne of it. She then decided to get a haircut the next day after school.
Morning came and Adrienne didn't join her father for breakfast, calling Uncle Mo to send her to school immediately. On their way, Uncle Mo quickly stopped at a local bakery to pick something for his young miss to eat.
Adrienne was startled when he handed her a small paper bag. She glanced at him confusedly, as she thought that he had purchased it for himself. It wasn't the first time they had made a stop at this place for Uncle Mo to buy something.
"No, Miss Addie. This is for you. No matter how busy you are, you shouldn't forget to take care of yourself. This is something I learned from your mother."
"T-thank you, Uncle." She accepted the kind gesture. How could she deny Uncle Mo after hearing what he just said about her mother?
Springfield Academy was the largest school in Changshi City, where they were living. Changshi City, though not the country's capital, was one of the wealthiest and largest cities. It was situated in the northwest portion of the metropolitan region.
When it comes to prestigious high school education, no one can doubt the stature of Springfield Academy. After all, this hundred-year-old non-profit school has produced some notable alumni over the years, including superstars, celebrities and politicians.
Springfield's regular high school courses were diverse and easily matched the different interests of its students. For one, its design and technology department has courses like robotics. If the student is interested in fine arts and performing arts, the school offers courses such as concert band, show choir, symphonic band, and jazz band, among others.
It wasn't surprising that Adrienne and Cayden were enrolled in this school. Myrtle also attended the same academy, but she and Adrienne were in different classes. Since Adrienne's father remarried, Camilla didn't waste her time. She enrolled Elise too, wanting her daughter to catch up with Adrienne and gain similar networks and privileges that would surely help Elise in the future.
But how could Adrienne allow such a thing to happen again?
Of course, it hadn't been easy for Elise to get along with the other students. The news of Lewis Jiang's sudden remarriage had stirred controversies. When Elise Jiang came to Springfield Academy, she was expected to cause quite a scene and become the laughing stock of high society.
She was the illegitimate daughter of Lewis Jiang that was suddenly thrown into a group of spoiled rich young masters and misses. It had taken Elise some time to improve her reputation at Adrienne's expense, and Cayden played a big part in it.
Because Adrienne arrived too early in school, she had enough time to review her notes while waiting for the first class to start. She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't notice her classmates looking at her oddly.
They thought that something was different about Adrienne that day. She seemed to have become a different person overnight. They watched as Adrienne busied herself reading a math textbook and solving several problems as her pen scribbled nonstop.
Adrienne used to be late to their classes over the past two years, always receiving scolding from their teachers. She was also lazy and liked to take a nap during classes. Her reputation worsened when the news of Elise Jiang spread around the campus. The two were frequently compared to each other, whether it was their appearance or their talents.
Of course, after being reborn, Adrienne already knew this was just a ploy set by Cayden and Elise.
Adrienne was so occupied when suddenly a shadow came looming over her. She lifted her gaze and low-and-behold, Elise was standing right next to her desk, looking concerned and kind. It was the kind of expression many young men liked.
章 14: Sisters (2)
"Addie, why didn't you wait for me? Are you still upset that I told Dad you went out with Myrtle instead of celebrating your birthday with us?"
Adrienne stared at her with clear, bright eyes, contrasting her once dim, and self-conscious gaze. Seeing this pair of eyes, Elise suddenly didn't know how to react.
Adrienne retracted her gaze and lowered her head, not wanting Elise to see the vicious and murderous intent on her eyes. How could she forget that this young woman in front of her was the reason why Myrtle ended up as a drug addict, leading to her having a child out of wedlock before eventually dying at childbirth?
The sight of Myrtle's lifeless body on the hospital bed and a premature baby crying nonstop to get his mother's attention had been imprinted on Adrienne's memory. Burying the remains of her best friend had been traumatizing for her. All of it happened because of this scheming woman in front of her.
"S-sister?" Elise called after her and Adrienne snapped her head to look at her.
"Sister? Since when did my mother give birth to you? I don't remember it. Please enlighten me."
Elise used the Jiang family name and resources to improve her reputation, but how did everyone easily forget that everything the Jiang family had was because of Adrienne's mother? Of course, what was given could still be taken back and Adrienne plans to do just that.
Elise's face blanched as she heard Adrienne's classmates snickered behind them, no doubt hearing Adrienne's blatant denial of them being siblings. Adrienne had never spoken to her like this before. She usually avoids confrontation with her and lowers her head whenever she sees her. So what changed?
"But Addie…" She tried to object, but Adrienne cut her at once, not giving her a chance to continue.
"Elise, we're not really that close for you to call me affectionately. Though we are now siblings by marriage, I don't want to have anything to do with you. You don't have to bother yourself checking up on me. I am capable of taking care of myself." Adrienne gave her a pointed look, leaving Elise flustered.
"Now, why don't you return to your classroom and stop bothering me? Cayden did your homework, but it would be pointless if you didn't understand any of it."
This was a subtle insult, showing that Elise wasn't as bright as she portrayed herself to be. Elise had always been arrogant, using her innocent beauty to seek favors from her admirers, including their older brother, Cayden. At first, Adrienne was upset at how protective and doting Cayden was towards Elise, but now that it was clear to her what the real relationship between the two was, she couldn't care less about them.
Elise was stunned in her place, her lips quivered as she asked Adrienne, "Does sister not like me?"
Adrienne merely arched her brow, looking at Elise as if the latter had just asked her a stupid question. "What do you think?"
Feeling humiliated, Elise fled in a hurry, tears gleaming in her eyes. She could feel a bunch of sharp gazes mocking her and she hated Adrienne for it. She was already a Young Miss Jiang, so why was everyone still looking down on her?
Some of Adrienne's male classmates thought that she was being too much towards her sister, but most of her classmates were pleased that Adrienne was putting Elise in her right place. They hated how Elise would always find a roundabout way to show off to other students that she was 'Young Miss Jiang' and not an illegitimate daughter anymore.
Adrienne scoffed and continued what she was doing before Elise's arrival. Around lunchtime, Myrtle came to see her and they went to the cafeteria together. Myrtle immediately noticed that some students were throwing curious glances towards her best friend.
"Did something happen? Why's everyone looking at you?" She murmured next to Adrienne, as they waited in line to pay for their meal. Myrtle could see that her best friend didn't seem bothered by the attention she was receiving at all.
"Elise dropped by our classroom earlier and got a reality check. She must be crying somewhere right now." Adrienne replied, expecting another round of scolding she would receive later once she returned home. Obviously, their father would take Elise's side and wouldn't hear her reasons.
She heard Myrtle huff next to her. "Serves her right. She keeps asking for trouble."
Adrienne shrugged, took her tray and led Myrtle to the farthest corner of the cafeteria. She immediately dug into her meal and ignored the people around them. Myrtle stared at her for a moment and couldn't help but sigh.
"What's got into you, Addie?" She asked in a low voice. "Did something happen?"
"How many times would you ask such a question, Myrtle? It's the same thing. I'm worried about Mom. She's getting sicker these days."
Her father must have felt humiliated during their last argument and a servant came to her room that morning to deliver her monthly allowance, including the ones that Camilla didn't provide. It was a huge lump sum and she planned to use that money to pay for her mother's latest bill. However, she needed to find a way to sustain it.
The afternoon classes passed in a blur for Adrienne. She was the last one to leave the classroom when the bell rang. She didn't forget to drop by a salon to get a haircut, before asking Uncle Mo to bring her to the hospital.
Imagine her surprise when she opened the door of her mother's room, and saw the patient from yesterday seated in a wheelchair next to her mother's bed.
"What are you doing here?" She sneered. Adrienne sounded annoyed, but she was also frightened by this man's presence. "I thought I said we should never meet again."
"Hello to you, too, Sister Jiang. What a nice haircut."
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