Chapter 172

"You lied Ariana... what I want to know is why?" Elsie queried.

Ariana tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. She was tired of taking in all of Lily's problems to Calhoun. She wanted to be her own woman. It was actually time for her to stand up for herself.

"Is there a fight between you two?" Elsie asked again seeing how Ariana hadn't said a word to answer her first question.

"No, it isn't that." Ariana rushed out. "The thing is, I bumped into Lily and my phone fell off my hand and somehow it got broken..."

Elsie frowned again. She looked at the floor and then at Ariana like three times over before she opened her mouth again. "May I see the phone?" She asked stretching her hand to Ariana.

Ariana hesitated at first but then thought against it. What was there to lie? She had to just present it to Elsie.

Elsie took the phone and turned it over in her hand. She observed it for a few seconds before raising her eyes to Ariana. "When it fell did you pick it up immediately?"

Ariana wasn't stupid. She knew that the carpeted floor couldn't have broken the phone to that extent. It was definitely something done by Lily.

"No, I didn't. I think Lily broke it," She said.

Elsie smiled. "Ah, I knew it! Why don't you confront her? She is a daughter-in-law in this house and if you ask me, she had no right to boss anybody around! And that means she can't break your phone and get away with it!" Elsie let out.

"I understand Elsie. But there are already so many problems, it would be best we just let it be."

"Hell no! We are not letting this be! She broke your phone! Well, now she would have to do something about it. She would have to pay her broke ass through!" Elsie hissed as she turned towards the exit of the corridor.

"Elsie!" Ariana called her back in alarm. She didn't want any trouble. If she was going to face off with Lily it was going to be on her own terms.

Elsie stopped walking and turned to her. "What now?"

"Let me have my phone. I will handle Lily please, just let this one go," Ariana pleaded with Elsie.

Elsie narrowed her eyes at Ariana before shaking her head. "Do you enjoy the way she bullies you? I am only trying to stop this madness once and for all! If you don't stop Lily, she would keep riding you till you are barely ever noticed! She did the same thing to my brother Thomas and his wife!"

"Elsie, I understand you perfectly well. But I want to fight this on my own. It is for the same reason I lied to Calhoun." Ariana pleaded with her.

But Elsie wasn't convinced. She was about to turn to head to her father's study probably but Ariana stopped her again. "Elsie please, if you fight this battle for me today, what happens when you are not there? She would continue with her wickedness and not the other way around. Please, let me handle this my way," Ariana begged again.

Elsie was touched by her little speech but she wasn't happy. She took Ariana'sright hand and dumped the cracked phone into her palm. "I know that you want to fight this on your own. But know this, if lily ever rides above you again, I would personally join forces with her and send you out of this house." She threatened with seriousness in her eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, I like you very much but I will not hesitate to push you to the wall if you keep letting Lily treat you like trash!" She hissed out before walking away from Ariana.

Ariana knew that this was an open challenge she had to live up to. She wouldn't want to make a mistake and have someone as carefree as Elsie as an enemy. It would be terrible.

She tucked her phone into her pocket and returned to her room. She would not fail Elsie. She would not fail Calhoun and most importantly, she would not fail herself. She took her bag from the bed and made sure to verify that her credit card was there.

Next, she slung the bag across her shoulders and left the room. She was going to get a new phone. She would show Lily that she wasn't from the street as she thought. She was worth more than a hundred lilies.

"Aunt Ariana, where are you going?" Little Rosa asked as she was about to burst out of the main entrance.

Ariana smiled and turned to face the sweet little girl. "I am going to the phone shop to get a new phone for myself."

"Should I come along?" Little Rosa sang.

Ariana held the little girl's chin and blew a kiss on her face. "I would love to do that but I might stay longer and we both don't want to get mama worried, right?"

"But I really want to go!" Rosa insisted.

Ariana went down on one knee so they would be on eye level. "Let's do this, you let me go and then tomorrow, I will take you out on an ice cream date."

"But you will also get my mommy worried still. So, why not just go today?" Rosa asked wisely.

"Tomorrow will be different because we would have asked for permission to go there tomorrow this night, do you understand?" Ariana explained patiently.

"Okay, I understand now. I will go prepare my dress so long!" She said excitedly.

"Okay sweetie," Ariana told her.

She watched little Rosa skip away with excitement at her feet. When the little girl left, Ariana arranged her bag and continued with her journey. She took one of Calhoun's cars and went to the shop. She picked up the same phone she was using and the technicians helped her to transfer all her files. When she was done, she headed home immediately.

From the entrance, she could tell something was wrong. Lily was screaming and she could see everyone gathered up in the living room as she passed through the entrance.