Chapter 6: Playing around

Maddie pulled Diana into the room and immediately asked, "Diana, what's going on with you today? You seem a little different from before..."

Before, Diana would never have acted like she did with Olivia or contradicted Serena in public. Diana knew that Maddie would be suspicious, but she would never have guessed that she had passed through death's door and been reborn!

"I'm still the same as before, I just lay in bed for a while and suddenly figured some things out," Diana replied.

"Why were you so mean to Olivia today and talked to Mom like that?" Maddie didn't know where to start, and then stared at Diana's glowing face and suddenly said, "And your appearance, why aren't you wearing makeup and those clothes? Luke won't like you like this!" Maddie felt a wave of discomfort in her heart, and she didn't realize that her tone was tinged with jealousy. Diana was stunning even without makeup.

It took six years for her and Serena to turn Diana into a gullible fool who would follow their every command. They couldn't let her wake up now.

"Maddie, I told you today that I don't like Luke anymore, so why should I dress up for him?" Diana said.

Maddie became agitated and responded, "Diana, don't lie to yourself. You fell in love with Luke at first sight on the first day of college, didn't you?"

Diana's expression changed. It was true that she had a crush on Luke when she first met him. That was her most foolish moment!

Diana put on a nonchalant expression and said, "Let's not talk about Luke. I'm engaged to John now, so it's inappropriate to bring him up."

Upon hearing this, Maddie's face immediately stiffened.

Upon seeing Maddie's obvious infatuation, Diana felt a sense of satisfaction. She couldn't believe how foolish she had been before. Maddie's feelings for John were written all over her face, and yet Diana had been oblivious to them. Perhaps at the time, her mind was solely focused on Luke, and she had paid no attention to John at all.

"I've been thinking about it, and there's really nothing wrong with John. He's the most eligible bachelor in town, with his good looks, wealth and maturity," Diana praised him, listing all the positive qualities she could think of.

However, the more Diana praised John, the more Maddie's expression soured. Of course, Maddie knew John was exceptional, and everyone in town wanted to be with him. It was only Diana, the fool, who had previously looked down on him.

"But he's really scary, you know. People say he's ruthless, and now he's seriously injured. What if he never recovers?" 

"The more you say that, the more I want to marry him. After all, I'm the one who injured his leg, so I have to take responsibility for it, right? Maddie, don't you agree?" Diana's words left Maddie speechless. 

"But he's limping now, how can you marry him?" 

"Wow, are you trying to convince me to leave him because he might not be able to walk again? Maddie, you've always been kind in my eyes, I can't believe you would think like that!" Diana exclaimed with an exaggerated expression of shock. 

Maddie was taken aback. She couldn't let her image in Diana's mind be tarnished. "That's not what I meant, you misunderstood me..."

"I knew it was a misunderstanding. You must support me being in charge too, right? So, when John and I get engaged, you have to come!" Diana exclaimed as she jumped off the bed and let out a yawn. "I'm a bit tired now. I just got out of the hospital, and I don't feel too good."

Maddie had had enough of Diana's lazy talk and didn't feel like wasting any more time. She was both anxious and angry, keeping all her dissatisfaction bottled up inside, which was about to suffocate her!

As Diana was about to leave, Maddie suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Diana, didn't you say last time that you were going to talk to Mr. Thompson about letting me change my surname to Thompson? Did you do it?" Diana stopped in her tracks, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.

Serena and Maddie had come to the Thompson household when Diana was ten years old.

Serena and Maddie were left with nowhere to go after Serena's divorce. Diana's mother, who was a former high school classmate of Serena, offered to let them stay with her and work as a nanny for the Thompson family. Two years later, Diana's mother passed away, leaving Diana devastated and with mild autism.

Serena and Maddie stepped up to care for her during her time of need, as James was preoccupied with grieving and handling the aftermath of his wife's death. Over time, Diana grew closer to Serena and Maddie and began to trust them more.

As Maddie grew older, she began to encourage Diana to make Serena a permanent part of their family, causing Diana to push for it with James for several years.

James was cornered by Serena and ended up marrying her two years ago. However, he still hasn't recognized Maddie as a member of the Thompson family. Her last name and title remain unchanged. Although Serena provides well for Maddie, she still feels like an outsider in the Thompson family.

In a previous life, Diana listened to Serena's cries and allowed Maddie to take the Thompson name. Maddie then became the member of the Thompson family. Meanwhile, Diana became the family's laughingstock, trapped in Serena and Luke's lies.

"Diana?" Maddie called out to her, noticing her silence.

"Oh, that? Maddie, you saw what just happened. I just calmed down my dad. He won't agree with your proposal right now. We can discuss it later," Diana responded, ignoring Maddie's expression, and walked out the door.

Once outside, Diana's expression changed. Want to be a Thompson? In your next life, perhaps!

The next day.

Diana woke up early, got ready, and headed out. She was going to see John. She didn't want to bother him yesterday when he was angry. Hopefully, he would be calmer today.

As soon as she stepped out of the house, Maddie came running after her. "Diana, are you going to see John today?" Maddie asked eagerly.

Diana was annoyed by Maddie's nosiness but answered casually, "Yeah, I promised my dad I would apologize in person." She wondered what Maddie was up to this time.

Maddie looked worried when she heard this. "Diana, John is such a fierce person. What if he hurts you? It's not safe for you to go alone. Let me go with you."

Maddie held Diana's hand with a sincere expression, but Diana almost believed her only because of the hopeful gleam in her eyes. Suddenly Diana realized that Maddie had been tarnishing John's image all along. Even though he had never done anything terrible to her, Maddie always portrayed him as a violent person.

"But Maddie, aren't you currently under house arrest by my dad?" Diana said.

At the mention of this, Maddie's eyes went blank. She had forgotten about it.

Seeing her speechless expression, Diana stood there and pretended to sigh with regret. "Looks like you won't be able to go then. I'll leave."

"Wait a minute..." Maddie grabbed Diana and reached for the insulated container behind her. "Diana, this is the soup I made. Can you give it to John for me? Just say it's me apologizing on your behalf so he won't blame you."

Well, well, it seems like Maddie is trying to impress someone.

"You want me to give soup to John?" Diana rubbed her chin, showing a puzzled expression. Maddie's face showed a hint of nervousness. Did Diana notice something was off about the situation?

But in the next moment, Diana smiled faintly. "Maddie, you always think ahead!"

"It's nothing. I'm just thinking about you. As long as he forgives you, it's all good." Maddie smiled affectionately. Oh, Diana, you're still so naive. 

Diana took the insulated container from Maddie's hand and walked out with light steps.

As soon as Diana stepped out of the door, the driver Lynn was already waiting outside, ready to serve. Upon seeing her, he respectfully greeted her.

Diana hopped into the back seat of the car and casually tossed her thermos aside. Checking the time, she realized it was still early, so she decided to stop by the mall and buy some normal clothes for once. 

"Let's go to the mall first," she said to Lynn, adding, "Thank you, Lynn, for your help."

Lynn replied with a smile, "It's my pleasure. It's what I'm here for."

People had been talking these past few days, saying that Diana had completely changed her bad temper and was like a different person. At first, Lynn didn't believe it. But now, seeing her behavior, he knew it was true.

Lynn drove all the way to a nearby upscale shopping mall with Diana. As soon as they entered, Diana took out the card Andrew gave her and rushed into a luxury store. She was dazzled by the beautiful clothes in front of her eyes, and she couldn't resist the temptation to try them on. She wondered what had prevented her from seeing these gorgeous clothes in her past life. She felt she wasted her perfect figure by not wearing them.

"That one, that one... and that one too!" Diana pointed at the new spring and summer collection, "Wrap them all up for me!"

After a while, Diana came out of the store with big and small bags full of clothes. She had changed out of her old dress and put on a beige mermaid skirt. She had tied her hair up in a simple bun and put on light makeup. Her long eyelashes were curled, making her look like a little mermaid. Lynn was stunned by her beauty. He quickly got out of the car and carried Diana's clothes and shoes into the car.

"Miss Thompson, you look absolutely stunning!" Lynn blushed as she complimented Diana.

"Thank you," Diana replied with a smile, but deep down she knew that this time it had cost her oldest brother Andrew quite a bit of money.

As she sat in the car, she was about to tell Andrew that she had accidentally spent more than she intended, but before she could, she received a message from him.

[Andrew: I've transferred another million to your account. Let me know if you need more.]

She was surprised to see that she still had over 600 thousand in her account, and Andrew's generosity never failed to amaze her.

[Diana: That's enough! Love you, Andrew~]

Diana quickly replied.

Andrew, who was in the middle of a meeting with a client, suddenly saw a message pop up on his phone and picked it up to take a look. As he read the words, he felt momentarily stunned. Then a faint smile appeared on his lips. He couldn't even remember how long it had been since Diana had last acted cute with him. The feeling was really nice.