Reborn to Love Mr. Right – Episode 11
Derek recovered quickly, presenting the flowers as a peace offering. He told Donald that the scene outside school had been an unfortunate misunderstanding caused by Arianna’s jealousy. Ivy had been injured, the students were watching, and he had only wanted to prevent further embarrassment. Every sentence made him sound reasonable while placing the blame on Arianna.
In her first life, that performance had worked because she rushed to defend him before her father could ask questions. This time, Arianna said nothing. The silence forced Derek to continue, and the longer he spoke, the clearer his calculation became. Donald’s expression cooled with every excuse.
“My driver addressed my daughter as Miss Taylor and then left her behind,” Donald said. “Which part did you misunderstand?” Derek’s smile tightened. He blamed Jeff’s poor judgment while carefully distancing himself from the father who had helped build his false identity.
Arianna almost admired the speed of the betrayal. Jeff had risked his job for Derek that afternoon, yet his son discarded him the moment loyalty became inconvenient. The pattern matched the man Derek would become. Anyone useful was cherished; anyone costly was abandoned.
Derek noticed the invoice under Arianna’s hand and changed tactics. He explained that the Maple Grand event would introduce promising students to influential families. He had planned to surprise Arianna by honoring her generosity in front of the entire school. The custom initials, he claimed, were a printer’s mistake.
“Then you won’t mind if the Taylor Foundation reviews the guest list and takes over the event,” Arianna said. Derek’s confidence faltered. The ballroom was filled with people he had invited to admire him, not scholarship candidates expecting to meet Donald Taylor.
He reached for Arianna’s hand, but she moved it away. “Can we talk alone?” he asked, softening his voice into the intimate tone that once erased her doubts. Donald began to object, yet Arianna agreed. She wanted her father to see that she was no longer afraid of being manipulated.
In the library, Derek dropped the concerned-boyfriend act. He demanded to know why she had embarrassed him at school and complained that his cards had stopped working. The flowers lay forgotten on a side table. His first private question was not whether she was hurt, but whether he still had access to her money.
“Those are my cards,” Arianna reminded him. “You used them for clothing, dinners, Ivy’s gifts, and a hotel event I never approved.” Derek dismissed the charges as expenses required to maintain their social circle. He spoke of her wealth as a shared resource while treating every decision as his alone.
“You’re being dramatic because Ivy got hurt,” he said. “Apologize tomorrow, restore the cards, and I’ll forget this happened.” The offer was absurd, but Derek delivered it like mercy. He still believed the fear of losing him would overpower any evidence she saw.
Arianna studied the face she had loved enough to ruin herself for. “What if I don’t want you to forget?” she asked. “What if I want everyone to remember exactly who paid for that car, your clothes, and Friday’s party?”
Derek’s expression hardened. He warned that the school would turn against her and that no one liked a spoiled heiress who humiliated poorer students. The threat revealed how he had weaponized her own generosity. He had taken her money, then trained people to hate her for possessing it.
“You need me,” he insisted. “Without me, people will see what you’re really like.” Arianna heard an echo of the future, when he called her disgusting after taking everything. The difference was that she still had her health, her father, and legal ownership of every resource Derek coveted.
“We’ll find out,” she said, opening the library door. Derek caught her wrist before she could leave. The grip was not hard enough to bruise, but it carried the promise of the violence he would one day use without hesitation.
Donald appeared in the hallway before Arianna had to pull away. Derek released her at once and returned to his charming mask. Arianna noticed her father’s gaze settle on the reddened skin around her wrist. He ordered Derek out of the house.
Derek collected the flowers and left with a final look meant only for Arianna. It promised punishment, not reconciliation. She understood that freezing his money had changed the conflict. He could no longer wait patiently for marriage and inheritance; he would need a faster way to regain control.
The next morning, rumors had already spread through Maple Valley High. Students claimed Arianna had seduced Derek with money, then withdrawn it because he defended Ivy. Others said Donald Taylor intended to destroy Jeff’s family over a harmless disagreement. Derek had turned his theft into another story of victimhood overnight.
Arianna’s volleyball teammate found her by the lockers. She introduced herself properly as Emmy and admitted she did not believe the rumors after witnessing the car return. “Derek’s story changes every time someone asks a real question,” she said. Arianna appreciated the blunt observation.
Before they could enter class, Ivy approached with a cluster of supporters. She accused Arianna of punishing Jeff because Derek had chosen to help an injured friend. Then she announced that Friday’s Maple Grand celebration would prove who truly belonged beside Derek.
Arianna smiled because Ivy still believed the event belonged to them. She had spent the morning transferring every contract to the Taylor Foundation and replacing Derek’s display with a scholarship presentation. “You’re right,” Arianna said. “Friday night will show everyone exactly who Derek is.”
