CHAPTER 52: AMY 2

The next day, Arianna awoke with vigor and sent a morning text to Maxim, who did not respond, but she was not depressed because she assumed he was busy. As a newcomer to the dating scene, she didn't want to overthink things and begin doubting her man, after all, she was the first to pursue the other.

She didn't want to chase him away because she was too clingy. Her bath had already been prepared by the maids, so all she had to do was jump in and scrub her body for a few minutes before drying herself.

She applied the body cream she bought from the store after drying up and felt great while doing so. When everything was finished, Arianna was left to put on her clothes, which had been chosen by her nanny.

It wasn't that she didn't have hands or that she couldn't dress herself; it was just that her nanny was so enthusiastic about everything that she left everything to her.

Since she got rid of the former's old wardrobe and filled the closet with her own personal collection, it didn't matter to her which clothes she wore as long as she knew it was something she agreed with.

Her nanny had chosen red jeans and a white t-shirt with a cute doll embroidered on it for her. It appeared to be childish, but she adored it. She sprayed some cologne after dressing and wore a jacket on top because winter was approaching.

Her family didn't want her to catch a cold, so they took precautions. Arianna didn't want to go to the hospital anytime soon, even though she knew she wouldn't get sick with the system with her.

She grabbed her phone and exited her room for the elevator. She didn't need to prepare her satchel because nanny had already delivered it to the lounge. The maids greeted her and she politely nodded as she walked to the dining room.

When she arrived, she had a bright smile on her face as she looked at her mother and father, who were already seated at the table and halfway through their breakfast.

"Good morning, Mom and Dad!" Arianna said hello as she sat in her usual seat at the table.

"Good morning, darling," her mother said, smiling, before continuing, "did you sleep well?"

"Umm, I did," she replied, her face beaming with delight.

Paulo smiled at his daughter, who stuck out her pink tongue at him, causing the old man to roll his eyes and Marylyn to laugh at how childish these two were acting.

Arianna felt a wave of warmth wash over her as she looked at the breakfast on the table. It was nice to have a family and to be at home. This food was so large that the previous her, Irene, would have to save for years to afford such a luxury.

She didn't waste any time and began devouring her food as if she hadn't eaten in years because school required a lot of energy. Both Paulo and Marylyn took a few seconds to look at their baby before returning to their respective meals.

They would have assumed Arianna had been replaced or possessed by a spirit if they hadn't been the ones who took her out of the hospital.

It's not that they didn't suspect it, but after testing her for a while, they simply concluded that she had grown up and decided to abandon her old ways.

It was also a joy for them to see her eat her food with relish; back then, she was so concerned with her figure that she didn't eat as many foods that they suspected she would develop anorexia.

But, as a result of that incident, their baby changed dramatically, which was a positive outcome. They couldn't sit still after she dropped the bombshell about her boyfriend, so they dispatched their men to investigate him. They only hoped that their daughter had not been duped by a con artist.

Arianna washed her hands and rinsed her mouth after the hearty breakfast before bidding her parents farewell. She exited the mansion and climbed into her silver Maserati for the drive to school.

She didn't need to be driven to school anymore because she realized driving herself was much more fun than having a chauffeur accompany her. She didn't mind the bodyguards surrounding her because she was used to them.

She wasn't surprised to see a familiar face waiting for her when she arrived at campus and parked her car. Arianna smiled joyfully as she stepped out of the car, carrying her satchel.

"You certainly know how to stir up trouble wherever you go, friend!" Freya teased her as she extended her arms for a hug.

Arianna saw no reason to be stingy, so she gave the other person a warm hug before the two walked to their hall happily chatting as they hadn't seen each other in a long time.

She felt bad because she didn't have enough time to talk to Freya because she was so preoccupied with her stuff. To appease this ancestor, Arianna presented Freya with the gift she had prepared from Stalwart.

Freya, who had received a gift, was so ecstatic that she didn't care about her aloof demeanor and opened up immediately when she sat next to Arianna in class. The classmates had grown accustomed to the fact that the two had become bosom buddies.

Their interaction was no longer shocking; they were simply jealous of Freya, who had received a gift from Arianna. Most of them even assumed Freya befriended Arianna for her own benefit, so seeing her happily looking at the sapphire bracelet Arianna had given them boosted their confidence.

Arianna didn't care what her classmates thought of her because she didn't like them. Rome wasn't built in a day, and she didn't think it would be long before these people changed their minds about her.

"I absolutely love it...mwaaa!" Arianna was kissed on the cheek and, like the freak that she had become, rubbed her cheek while looking at Freya with resentment in her eyes.

Maxim kissed her, and she felt as if she would betray him every time someone kissed her. Arianna  had to be scolded by her mother for avoiding her smooches, and now Freya was doing just that.

"If you like it, fine, but why are you kissing me?" Arianna puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish and glared at Freya, who was now laughing at her.

Freya couldn't be happier looking at the enraged Arianna. Arianna just looked so adorable in that pose that she couldn't help but snap a quick photo with her phone for posterity.

"You…..!" Arianna wanted to smack the other girl, and the two chased each other down the hall like kids until the professor arrived, which ended the fiasco which has trended on the school's forum not only that day, but for a long time.

The day flew by, and Arianna was well-behaved; she not only listened to what the lecturers were saying, but she also participated, which she had not done before.

The lecturers were overjoyed to see these changes, as any teacher will be overjoyed to see his or her students improve. Despite being a duke's daughter, she was a child and a student like the rest of them.

Freya dragged Arianna to the cafeteria for lunch, and on their way, the two met Amy, who shamelessly joined them. Freya didn't like it at all, but after seeing Arianna's calm demeanor, she simply let Amy join them.

The three girls used their meal cards to pay for the food and chose an empty table.

"It's been a long journey from your faculty to here. Is there anything wrong?" Arianna asked, feigning concern as she shoved a piece of juicy meat into her mouth.

Amy didn't want to be here at all, but after recalling what that person had said, she felt compelled to approach Arianna and continue her phony concern.

"No, there's nothing wrong. I just wanted to see how you were doing after all the drama on the internet," Amy said, her face filled with concern for Arianna's well-being.

Arianna scoffed inwardly at Amy's shamelessness, but pretended to be unaware of what the other was implying. "I'm fine; something as insignificant as this will never bother me. Even if they get angry, they can't hurt me."

Amy was nearly enraged when she saw Arianna respond in this manner. . If it had been her, the aftermath would be severe, and everyone would point fingers; however, Amy's mother said nothing, and even praised her for standing up for herself and not embarrassing the family.

What was she supposed to make of it?

Arianna continued to eat her food and talk as if nothing was wrong. Freya, who was with them, couldn't help but laugh at everything. Amy realized at the end that if she keeps bringing up the subject, she will lose miserably and that was something that she wasn't willing to do.