A Ruling Passion – Chapter 1093

Aery’s appearance had changed a lot. Her erstwhile garishly technicolor hair had been dyed to black. She wore no makeup, which made her look like a sweet, youthful ingenue. For a moment, she looked a little identical to Arianne with her modest outfit.

“Hey now, Ari, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not here looking for trouble,” she stated. “I’m only here because... Well, Mom’s sick. She didn’t want me to let you know about it, but I thought you’d probably liked to know and Visit her sometime, so I came here. I can’t take too many breaks to care for her all the time, especially since I’m gonna go back to studying overseas after a few days. Sorry to trouble you, Ari, but you might have to take care of Mom for a bit.”

Arianne frowned. Since when had Aery become so... prim and proper? She called her “Ari” and Helen, “Mom”. The difference between her present and past was so jarring, Arianne wondered if the woman standing before her was someone else wearing her skin.

“Don’t call me Ari. I can’t stand hearing it from you. Leave her address with me, and I’ll visit her after work.”

Aery hung her head. “Um, I know I’ve done a lot of terrible things in the past, but I was young and stupid. I didn’t know better, you know? People learn from their mistakes. I certainly did. I’m different now.”