Reborn to Love Mr. Right – Episode 12
By lunch, the confrontation at Arianna’s locker had become the school’s favorite story. Ivy told anyone willing to listen that Arianna planned to ruin Derek’s celebration out of spite. Derek maintained a wounded silence that made him appear noble. Together, they transformed Arianna’s refusal to be exploited into another act of jealousy.
Emmy dropped her tray across from Arianna in the cafeteria. “Why not cancel the party and let him explain the bill?” she asked. It was the practical response, but Arianna wanted more than reimbursement. Derek’s power depended on lies surviving because exposure happened privately.
“If I cancel it, he’ll claim I destroyed something he created,” Arianna said. “If the event continues under its real owner, everyone sees the truth.” Emmy studied her with growing respect. The girl who once threw games for Derek had become frighteningly difficult to corner.
A shadow fell across the table. Derek stood beside them holding Arianna’s favorite drink, another gesture copied from happier days. He asked Emmy to leave so he and Arianna could repair their relationship. Emmy looked to Arianna rather than obeying him.
“Stay,” Arianna said. Derek placed the drink down more forcefully than necessary. He apologized for the car incident without admitting wrongdoing and said stress had caused both of them to behave badly. Arianna recognized the false balance: his violence and her resistance were being treated as equal mistakes.
He offered to forgive her if she restored his cards and returned control of the hotel event. Several nearby students listened, expecting the grateful reconciliation they had seen many times before. Derek even held out his hand, confident that public pressure would do what private threats could not.
Arianna pushed the untouched drink back toward him. “There is nothing to repair,” she said. “We’re finished.” The cafeteria noise faded as the declaration traveled from table to table.
Derek’s extended hand remained suspended between them. He laughed as though she had made a childish joke, then reminded her that they had been together for years. Arianna replied that longevity did not transform exploitation into love. Her calm refusal humiliated him more than shouting could have.
Ivy rushed over and accused Arianna of breaking Derek’s heart after everything he had done for her. Emmy asked what, precisely, Derek had ever paid for. The question drew nervous laughter and forced Ivy to retreat into vague claims about emotional support.
Derek leaned close to Arianna. “You’ll regret this by Friday,” he whispered. His composure had fractured beneath the watching crowd. “When everyone chooses me, don’t come begging to get back into my life.”
“I already died regretting that I chose you,” Arianna thought. Aloud, she simply wished him luck. Derek walked away with Ivy at his side, but his clenched fists revealed how little confidence remained beneath his swagger.
After school, Arianna met Donald’s event manager at the Maple Grand. They replaced the self-congratulatory decorations with displays for the Taylor Future Leaders Scholarship. Rather than cancel Derek’s guests, Arianna kept every invitation active. She wanted the same audience he had assembled to witness the truth.
The event manager revealed one complication: Derek had promised that the heir to Scott Global Energy would attend as his personal guest. Donald assumed it was another lie. Arianna’s pulse quickened at the mention of Hayden, whom she had not seen since awakening in the past.
In this timeline, Hayden was already a young executive preparing to enter his family’s corporation. Arianna had rejected the marriage discussion weeks earlier, humiliating him because Derek claimed Hayden wanted Taylor Industries. The memory filled her with fresh shame. She remembered the careful dignity with which he had accepted her cruelty, never using his family’s power to retaliate. Hayden had no reason to answer any invitation connected to her, and even less reason to trust the change in her now.
“Send a corrected invitation,” she said. “Make it clear the Taylor Foundation is hosting.” The manager asked whether she wanted Hayden’s name removed if he declined. Arianna shook her head, unwilling to use his reputation as Derek had used hers.
Friday arrived beneath a stormy sky. Arianna dressed in a simple midnight-blue gown chosen from her own closet, refusing the extravagant costume Derek once ordered for her. Donald planned to arrive after a board meeting, leaving her to greet the first guests alone.
At the hotel entrance, reporters gathered beside students and their parents. Derek had apparently leaked news of a major charitable announcement, hoping publicity would force the Taylors to preserve his image. He arrived in a tuxedo purchased on Arianna’s frozen card and offered the cameras a confident smile.
Ivy stepped out beside him wearing the couture dress listed on the invoice. They entered as though the event belonged to them, while guests whispered about Arianna standing alone near the Taylor Foundation display. Derek’s gamble was clear: if he acted like the host, public perception might become stronger than paperwork.
The ballroom doors opened, and Derek moved toward the stage before Arianna could begin the program. He took the microphone and welcomed everyone to “his” celebration. Applause rose from students who still believed his story.
Then a second wave of attention swept toward the entrance. Hayden Scott stood beneath the chandelier in a black suit, composed and unmistakably powerful. He ignored Derek’s welcoming gesture, crossed the ballroom directly toward Arianna, and said the words she had never expected to hear again: “I came because you asked me to.”
