Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Like Facing a Formidable Enemy
Ashley Shaw’s heart tightened involuntarily as she quietly walked to the door and looked outside through the peephole.
Upon seeing the person outside, her tense nerves instantly relaxed, and she reached for the door handle.
As soon as the door opened, Ariana Grant’s round figure squeezed in immediately.
"Quick, quick, let me put these things down,"
She was carrying a suitcase in one hand and hugging a huge cardboard box with the other.
Because both hands were occupied, she had to kick the door to get Ashley’s attention earlier.
Ashley quickly stepped aside to let her in.
With a dull thud, the cardboard box was heavily placed on the floor.
"Whew—"
Ariana let out a long breath.
"Finally home! Let me see, did you miss me?"
"What do you think? You didn’t answer my calls. I almost bought a ticket to find you at your hometown."
Ashley said as she looked curiously at the large box on the floor and asked, "What did you bring? It looks really heavy. Did your mom ask you to bring back some vegetables? Why did you bring so much?"
"No! They’re all fitness equipment."
"Huh?"
"See for yourself!"
After saying that, Ariana rushed to the coffee table to gulp down some water, clearly very thirsty.
Ashley squatted down, tore open the tape of the cardboard box, and indeed saw a heap of fitness equipment inside.
Including but not limited to dumbbells, resistance bands, and others.
These items were indeed heavy, no wonder Ariana found it difficult to carry.
"Did you buy these? Why didn’t you just have them shipped here?"
Though their neighborhood was old, the security guard was diligent and all packages were directly delivered to the residents’ doorsteps.
"I didn’t buy them, hic... they were gifts from someone else... hic."
Ariana gulped down an entire jug of water, and now, while hiccupping, explained the situation to Ashley.
The items were given to her by her mom’s boyfriend’s family.
She had arrived in Westcroft yesterday, but her mom took her to stay at her boyfriend’s place overnight.
The guy was divorced with a daughter, and he subtly mocked Ariana for being chubby, but his words were phrased in such a way that Ariana couldn’t find an excuse to lose her temper.
As she was about to leave, the man’s daughter gave her these things.
Ashley frowned, "She obviously gave you these things to mock you, why did you bring them back?"
Ariana sneered, "Why not take what’s free! It’s free stuff, why wouldn’t I take it? You should’ve seen her face when I accepted those things, it was priceless!"
"So she was being fake nice?"
"Exactly."
"Then you should absolutely take them! Besides, all these items are pretty new, we can use them."
"I don’t plan to use them, I’m going to sell them on a second-hand app! Her stuff makes me uncomfortable!"
Ashley looked at Ariana’s puffed-up face and poked it with her finger.
"Hey, are you upset that your mom found a boyfriend so soon?"
She didn’t believe Ariana was just mad about the other daughter’s hurtful words.
Sure enough, she saw Ariana’s expression instantly gloom.
Ashley pulled her into a hug.
"Don’t be scared! You still have me and this house."
"Once I get the house, I’m selling it too."
"Hmm? Didn’t you say before that you weren’t planning to sell the house?"
Ariana shared her thoughts.
"I think that guy’s up to no good, even suspect he’s after my mom’s house, which is why he’s rushing to marry her. So if the house really becomes mine, I’ll sell it immediately to keep it from being coveted by their family."
Ashley naturally knew the kind of person that man was.
Ariana was right; in her past life, that man had indeed targeted the house and got together with her mom.
Later, her mom had a son with him, and the house was sold, leaving nothing for Ariana.
She felt a pang of heartache for Ariana, but soon smiled again.
"Then sell it! We’ll earn money together later on and buy a new one in a city we love."
Talking about the future, Ariana’s eyes lit up.
"Great! It’s a deal!"
But then Ariana remembered another issue.
"Ashley, can you come with me to their family’s birthday party next Friday?"
"Your mom’s boyfriend’s birthday party?"
"Yes, my mom insists I go, and I can’t refuse since I’ve promised. But I really can’t stand their family... If you’re there, maybe I can get through it."
Just attending a birthday party, Ashley nodded in agreement.
"Sure, remind me in advance. I’ll ask Ms. Grant for a day off."
"Yay! I knew you were the best!"
Ariana spread her arms and gave her a bear hug.
The hug reminded Ashley of something important.
She pulled away and asked Ariana, "Have you checked your exam results yet?"
Ariana was momentarily confused.
"What results?"
But she quickly realized what Ashley was referring to.
"Ahhh!"
She screamed and started spinning in circles.
"Oh no, I forgot, what should I do? I’m so nervous..."
Just as Ashley was about to console her, Ariana’s phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID and calmed down.
"Who is it?"
"My dad."
"Go ahead, I’ll fry some rice for you. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?"
"Only a little, didn’t really have an appetite for their food."
If Ariana had no appetite, that family must be pretty difficult to deal with.
Ashley nodded and went to the kitchen to fry some rice.
When she brought out the fried rice, Ariana had just finished her call.
"What did your dad say?"
"Nothing much, just asking if I’m doing well lately, if I’ve checked my exam results, and if I have enough money."
Ariana said, sighing with mixed feelings, "I never would’ve thought that he hardly cared for me before the divorce, but became more attentive afterwards. Though, I’m not sure if he’s also planning to get the house... at least he remembered today is the exam results day."
As for her mom, she’s busy taking care of her boyfriend’s daughter and doesn’t even care about Ariana’s exam scores.
Seeing her feeling down, Ashley shoved the plate of fried rice under Ariana’s nose.
The aroma was overwhelming, and Ariana’s eyes lit up instantly.
"Suddenly I’m starving! It looks so good!"
With something delicious in front of her, Ariana immediately forgot her sadness, grabbed a spoon, and dug in.
After just one bite, Ariana felt so satisfied she could barely keep her eyebrows in place.
"Mmm! This is amazing! Ashley, seriously, you shouldn’t become a doctor, you should open a restaurant, you’d surely have a hundred franchise branches in no time."
Ashley’s lips twitched awkwardly.
She wasn’t thrilled about being praised for her cooking skills.
When Ariana finished eating, Ashley immediately brought out her laptop.
"Alright, registration number."
Ariana, looking as if she was facing a fierce battle, dug out her registration card and handed it over.
"You check it! If it reaches last year’s medical university cut-off mark, let me know. If it doesn’t, don’t even speak to me, just go to your room."