1. Ariana Leonidas

Ariana looked at the luxurious house. The house that caused the woman who gave birth to her left her and her father. The house is like a palace but contains monsters inside.

Ariana smiled wryly. Ariana would have been reluctant to set foot there all her life if only her father hadn't forced her to come to that place to hand over her wedding gift.

Ariana exhaled and then got out of the car with heavy steps.

How long has it been since he saw the woman who was his biological mother? A year? Two years?

Oh, yeah. It had been fifteen years since Ariana last saw her. And that made her smile wryly.

Ariana doesn't hate her 'mother'. Or rather, his father forbade him from hating that woman. The woman who abandoned her and her father just because Mr Bradley Leonidas fell ill was down and poor.

Mr. Bradley Leonidas is a good man in Ariana's eyes. He is a man who always forgives even though, in the end, he becomes an abandoned figure. Meanwhile, Ariana grew up to be a girl with a cold and cunning personality, much like her mother. That's what she admitted to herself.

The servants of the luxurious house stared at Ariana with their mouths agape. Why? Maybe because they were surprised that the bride-to-be they knew was gentle, loving, and ethical, who should now be enjoying a bachelorette night or perhaps getting treatment before the wedding, was walking around freely.

One other fact you should know. Ariana has a twin sister—identical twins born five minutes later than Ariana.

Just like she doesn't like her mother, Ariana doesn't like her twin sister, Karenina Leonidas, who has now changed her name to Karenina Brooks. Like mother like daughter, that's what Ariana often calls the two of them. Just as she was cunning, Karenina was no less cunning. Even the twin sisters' cunning had been visible since they were little. It was proven that when she was only ten, the girl could choose who would give her a more profitable life.

It was clear that living with her poor and sick father was not an option, so she chose to go with her mother to live a new, more comfortable life.

Hate? No, just like she was forbidden to hate her mother, Ariana was forbidden to hate her twin sister. "Hatred will only make your heart rotten." That's what her father told him.

And Ariana doesn't hate her twin sister. She just felt disgusted. That's okay.

The tapping sound of the stiletto hitting the expensive marble floor echoed throughout the room. Or just in her ears because it was clear that currently, Brooks' palace seemed to be busy with people going back and forth preparing for the 'eldest daughter's' luxurious party.

The large double mahogany doors with beautiful carvings opened wide. Uniformed servants were seen going in and out with objects in their hands. Some craftsmen put up decorations there.

With steady and confident steps, Ariana stepped deeper. Looking for a figure, she hopes she can still recognize even after fifteen years has changed many things, whether in the shape of his body or face.

"Mommy, it's Karen!" A boy suddenly pointed at Ariana. Ariana glanced at him. She frowned and tried to pay closer attention. Ariana guessed that the little boy was only ten or eleven years old. And yes, the boy's scream when he called his mother attracted several people's attention to Ariana.

Smile? No, Ariana is not that friendly, so she shows a straight face and tends to be arrogant.

"Sorry, but I'm not Karenina." The answer was cold. "I came here to see Mrs. Caitlyn Brooks." She said in a flat tone.

A beautiful woman shorter than Ariana with a slim body shape like a teenager wrapped in a beautiful dress, which was expensive, came closer to Ariana.

"Ariana..?" Call the woman doubtfully. Fifteen years ago, Ariana thought her mother was tall, like a model. Now that she is an adult, it turns out that his mother is not as big as the woman in her memories.

"Yes, I'm Ariana." Ariana confirmed. Should she feel grateful that the woman still knew his name? It doesn't feel like it. Isn't it normal for parents to remember their biological child's name?

The smile on the woman's face grew wider. Ariana saw the twinkle in her eyes. Her small arms stretched out to hug Ariana, but Ariana moved back instantly.

Sorry, in Ariana's eyes, the woman looks more like a germ she must avoid than a 'mother' figure who must be loved.

"Don't. Dare. You. Come closer. And touched me." She ordered with a low hiss, which she pronounced with full emphasis and decapitation in every syllable.

The woman froze, stopping in her tracks right then and there. So did the people there.

"I didn't come here to get a warm connection that was clearly just an act. I just came here to hand this over." Ariana placed the envelope on the table closest to her. "This is the check that father left for my beloved twin sisters. The prospective bride." She said with a mocking smile on her face. Her eyes looked around, looking for the figure in question, but she knew that the figure was not there if she recalled the words the boy had given her when she entered earlier.

Mrs Caitlyn grabbed the envelope and was then seen sobbing. Ariana raised an eyebrow at the woman. 'Sad?' She asked herself. She didn't care because she was already numb to her; hence, she didn't feel touched.

"I've finished my business. If that's the case, I'll excuse myself." Ariana said goodbye as she turned to leave. But suddenly, the woman grabbed her arm.

"Wait," she asked in a pitiful tone. Ariana was silent for a moment in her place. Stunned by the scene that had just happened to her. "Please, Ariana. Help me." The woman asked in a low, pitiful tone. Ariana looked at her with sharp eyes while the woman looked back at her hopefully. "Ka-Karen disappeared. She goes." The woman said, explaining.

"Disappear?" Ariana asked sarcastically. The woman nodded her head many times in response. Then Ariana raised the corners of her mouth, deliberately smiling mockingly. "What does it have to do with me?" She asked back while slapping the woman's hand roughly until she fell and screamed in surprise.

Ariana snorted in disgust. Even the impact of his hand on the woman's hand was not so strong that it could make the woman fall like that. But something suddenly hit Ariana's body, causing her to stagger two steps backwards. She saw the stocky little boy as the culprit.

Who else, if not her half-brother?

"Why are you being rude to Mommy!" snapped the boy standing before his mother. He seemed to be standing up to defend the woman who had given birth to him. And Ariana’s saw a middle-aged man who seemed to be helping the woman and lifting her to her feet.

"Can't you see that your mother is fine?" Ariana asked in a cold tone and sharp gaze that made the boy shrink, losing his courage. "Don't act like a lost bear cub, little one." It was his sarcasm that made the boy step back.

"Ariana, please. Just help me this once." The woman who had stood up straight again complained again.

Ariana looked at him with a flat gaze. "Why should I help you?" she asked coldly. "When I asked you to help me fifteen years ago, even by kowtowing and begging, did you ever pay attention?" She asked, which made the woman freeze with her face turning pale. "No," Ariana answered coldly. "You turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to me. And you even said, 'I have no more relationship with you or your father. I only have one daughter, that is Karenina. So whatever happens to your father, I no longer care.'

That's what you said the other day, ma'am. So sorry. As you said, we have no relationship, nor am I obligated to care about you and my twin sister." Ariana turned around again and was about to leave, but the woman's hand stopped her again.

But this time, she gripped her leg instead of gripping her hand.

'So, this woman is back in a drama as a beggar?' Ariana asked disgustedly.

"Ariana, please help me just this once. Karenina leaves. He ran away while the wedding was going to take place tomorrow. Help me, Ariana. Please." The woman said in a sobbing tone that Ariana knew were not real tears.

"I don't know what I can do to help and I certainly don't want to ask or make it happen. I will not provide any help, no matter how small." Ariana answered again, trying to remove the woman's hand from her leg.

"I will pay you. Whatever you want." The voice came from the mouth of the man who had previously helped the woman who was now begging Ariana.

"How much can you afford?" Challenge Ariana

"Whatever you want. Or whatever you ask," Mr. Brooks answered confidently. A smile was etched on his face, and Ariana said he still looked handsome even though he was over five years old.

"Whatever?" Challenge Ariana again. The man's face lit up even more, and he nodded happily.

"Whatever." The answer is sure.

"What if I asked for your child's heart in exchange for the request your wife would make?" Ariana asked defiantly.

The older adult's forehead furrowed while the woman's grip on her leg loosened.

"Why? You said you were willing to give 'anything' right? Doesn't that mean you're going to ask for something that's important to you? So instead I asked for something that you consider important too." Ariana answered with a sweet smile on her face.

"Ariana..." Mrs Caitlyn sighed softly.

Ariana crouched in front of her. She was aligning her face with the beautiful face of a woman who, even though she has aged, still looks youthful because of the diligent care she undergoes. The woman was still trying to show a pitiful face.

'Her eyes are exactly like mine.' Ariana muttered to herself. She flashed the friendliest smile she could muster before answering. "Sorry, Ma’am. But I'm not the poor girl you abandoned before. So, if you offer me money, it doesn't mean anything to me. And even if I'm still poor right now, I won't accept a penny of money that you gave."

Ariana rose to her feet. She was looking down at the woman who was still acting with a cold gaze.

"Pride?" she asked quietly. "To hell with self-respect. We haven't had that since you left us, who begged and begged for your return. And your self-respect. That's your business. Not mine." And without further ado, Ariana chose to leave.