I Read Their Tragic Fates, and My Family Reads My Mind?

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: The Silence is Deafening

Aurora Donovan rationalized what he was about to do with a clear conscience. His eyes lit up as he turned to look at his little sister.

"After all, our little sister’s situation is special. We can’t just let any old riffraff lure her away."

The two Donovan brothers couldn’t agree more. They even felt their younger brother had finally grown up and was starting to act like a proper older brother.

But in the next moment, they heard him mutter under his breath, "I really want to pry open her head and see what on earth is rattling around in there."

Justin and Hector: "!!!"

"AURORA! DONOVAN!"

But Aurora Donovan seemed completely used to his brothers losing their cool. "Just kidding, just kidding," he said nonchalantly.

"If anyone else said that, I might think it was a joke. But coming from you..." It didn’t sound like a joke at all!

Hector Donovan sized up his younger brother, suspicion written all over his face.

Justin Donovan didn’t trust his unreliable brother either. He shot Aurora a warning glance. "Are we just going to stand here and watch?"

Hector Donovan finally remembered the matter at hand. Watching the pair in the distance, still chatting about who-knows-what, he said through gritted teeth, "He’s about to leave and he’s still dawdling. It’s obvious what he’s up to. No, I have to go over there and check on them."

"Wait." Aurora Donovan had been looking for a chance to show off the birthday present he’d gone to great lengths to prepare for his little sister. He blocked Hector. "You stay put. I’ll go."

Arabella Donovan was speaking with Caspian Rhodes when she suddenly heard the loud ROAR of an engine. In the next second, a flashy, eye-catching red sports car brazenly pulled up to the main gate of the Donovan estate.

The remaining guests who hadn’t yet left all stopped in their tracks, pointing at the car and whispering among themselves.

A few of the younger guests who knew a thing or two about sports cars couldn’t help but gasp. "Is that the new Phantom 280 from XX Group? I heard they only released fifty of them worldwide for the initial launch. You can’t get one even if you have the money! Who is that, showing up to a party in a car like this?"

Arabella Donovan stared at the bright red car for a good while before the driver’s side window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.

"Third Brother?"

Aurora Donovan gave a faint smile, stepping out of the driver’s seat. "Serena, want to try out the birthday present your third brother got you?"

"A gift?" Arabella Donovan’s eyes widened in surprise. "This car... is the birthday gift you got me, Third Brother?"

"Mhm, do you like it? Want to get in and give it a try?" As he spoke, Aurora Donovan held out the car keys, gesturing for Arabella to get in.

But Arabella Donovan didn’t reach out to take them. Justin and his brother, who had followed the commotion over: "..."

The expressions on the faces of the onlookers grew awkward, yet Aurora Donovan remained completely oblivious. Seeing that Arabella didn’t reach for the keys, he frowned. "You don’t like it?"

"...Brother, I just turned eighteen today."

"So what?"

"Are you trying to get me to drive without a license?"

Aurora Donovan froze. Arabella looked back at him innocently. The siblings stared at each other, and the silence was deafening.

At the critical moment, her reliable fourth sister, Eloise, stepped forward to smooth things over. "What Third Brother means is, would you like to go for a ride? You’ve been cooped up inside all evening. He can take you for a drive to get some fresh air."

"Right, right, right. You can’t drive, so I’ll take you for a spin first. Once you get your license, you can drive it yourself."

Only then did Arabella nod. She went and took Eloise Donovan’s arm. "Fourth Sister, you come with us."

Eloise had had a few drinks earlier because the Lynch Family had shown up. She did want to get some air and clear her head, so she agreed.

Just as she was about to get into the car, Arabella remembered Caspian Rhodes was still watching from the sidelines. She called out sheepishly, "Mr. Rhodes..."

The moment Hector Donovan and the others appeared, Caspian Rhodes knew they were there for him. He smiled good-naturedly. "Go have fun. I should be heading back now, too."

"Alright, then. It’s getting late. You should head back and get some rest, Mr. Rhodes."

"Okay."

And so, the birthday banquet—a spectacle of juicy gossip, high drama, thrilling moments, and inexplicable phenomena—drew to a perfect close with the roar of a sports car’s engine. But for many, unlike for Arabella, it was bound to be a sleepless night.

「The next morning」

Eloise had to get up early for school to arrange for some time off. Arabella, however, lazed in bed for a while. Figuring everyone else had already left for the day, she finally went downstairs, only to be surprised by a familiar face.

’I knew I was forgetting something from last night! It was my aunt. Aunt Lillian and her family didn’t come at all!’

Lillian Donovan, who had been sitting across from Mrs. Donovan, her eyes red from crying, looking utterly pitiful, suddenly froze. A moment later, she began to wail even more miserably.

"Sister-in-law, I truly never imagined... I never imagined he would do this to me, to our child... I... SOB... All these years, I must have been blind! What did I ever see in that piece of trash? WAHHH..."

As soon as Arabella got closer, she heard Lillian Donovan’s tearful complaints, and she was suddenly wide awake.

"What’s wrong with Auntie?"

’Could it be? Did she find out about Julian Croft, his sister, and the secret love child?’

Mrs. Donovan glanced at Lillian Donovan and sighed. "This is grown-up business. Children shouldn’t get too involved."

"...Oh."

"It’s fine, it’s fine. Sister-in-law, you don’t have to cover for me. I’m not the one in the wrong here. If he’s not afraid of the shame, why should I hide it for him?"

’Go, Auntie! That’s right! Why condemn the victim instead of the villain who did the evil deed? To put it bluntly, that’s just bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Don’t be afraid, Auntie! Tell us everything, we’ll help you get justice!’

"I’m sorry, Serena. Your aunt originally planned to come celebrate your birthday in person. But yesterday morning, your uncle—ptui, no, that scumbag—suddenly came rushing to my hospital room to beg me for a favor. He said his older sister’s son had accidentally offended Liam. He wanted me to plead with Miss Lucy for them, asking me to consider how his sister lost her husband early and had a hard time raising her son all by herself, and to get them to let the boy off the hook."

Arabella’s eyes brightened, and she subconsciously sat up a little straighter.

’Looks like Miss Ingram and Mr. Lowe have already found out that Caleb Croft deliberately got close to Joyce Lowe. I just wonder if they’ve figured out his real motive for doing it.’

Lillian Donovan recalled how anxious Julian Croft looked when he’d come rushing to her for help yesterday. The memory was both satisfying and amusing, but she kept the miserable expression on her face.

"At first, I also thought it was just a simple case of puppy love between two young kids. But they’re still in school, so it’s dating a bit young, and it’s understandable that the girl’s parents would react strongly. But who would have thought..."

Arabella’s ears perked up, but just then, Lillian Donovan started crying again.

Arabella Donovan: "..."

’My aunt must have been a teahouse storyteller in her past life! "To know what happens next, tune in for the next installment." She’s a master of cliffhangers! This suspense is killing me!’

Mrs. Donovan: Pfft...

Lillian Donovan: "..."