Chapter 341: Eat Something Better

Chapter 341: Chapter 341: Eat Something Better

The moment Arabella Donovan said this, Zane Lynch immediately shot a gossipy look in their direction.

Melody Lynch’s mouth twitched as she fought the urge to smack her brother. "What’s there to see? They all have a nose and two eyes."

Arabella Donovan frowned. "Out of all those handsome guys, you seriously didn’t find a single one appealing? Forget the others, but what about that Joel Thorne? You don’t think he’s good-looking?"

’I have to say, even if Joel Thorne’s personality and character are questionable, his looks are definitely the best and most classically handsome of the five people Cousin just signed.’

A moment ago, Arabella had been a little worried that Melody might set her sights on that commercial spy who came with an agenda. But she didn’t even notice him?

"..." ’Honestly, some people need to develop better taste!’

Exasperated and annoyed, Melody Lynch crossed her arms and scoffed, her expression a mask of proud disdain and icy indifference.

"Them? You call them handsome? I’ve seen the world, you know. To me, they all look more or less the same. At best, they’re average—not ugly, but not memorable either. The kind of face you forget the second you look away. So what kind of ideas am I supposed to have about them?"

Arabella was dumbfounded, but still, she pressed on, unwilling to give up. "Then what about that Mr. Foster from earlier? Before we came, you told me you thought he was good-looking."

"Hmm?" As soon as Arabella spoke, Zane Lynch’s sharp, curious gaze immediately darted back to them.

Melody Lynch shot her brother a deadpan look and said in a drawl, "After seeing him in person, he’s just... average. I prefer how he looks on TV, with the magic of a good character role. So, I only like the characters he plays, not him as a person."

Arabella was deeply disappointed. "But you said you were coming to your brother’s company to check out and flirt with the handsome guys." ’And here I thought if I came along, I might find the culprit who made your Red Simurgh Star stir.’

"Sweetie, my exact words were that I was coming to my brother’s company to see if there were any handsome guys *or* beautiful women. I said ’beautiful women’ too, don’t you go quoting me out of context."

A stray lock of Arabella’s hair seemed to perk up, and her eyes lit up. "Melody, don’t tell me you’re..."

’She likes girls?’

Zane Lynch: "!!!"

Melody Lynch: "..."

’That explains everything. My dear cousin doesn’t like the clingy, "momma’s boy" types like Howard Gallagher, nor traditional handsome men like Samuel Foster, and she’s completely scornful of the "refined scoundrel" bad-boy types like Joel Thorne. There can only be one explanation: my cousin isn’t into men at all. She’s only interested in beautiful women.’

Melody Lynch’s scalp tingled, horrified by the self-contained logic of Arabella’s imagination. She finally snapped, crying out, "Get out of your head! Stop with all your baseless speculation!"

"Huh? I wasn’t thinking about anything."

’How does my cousin know what I’m thinking?’

"You wear your every thought on your face. I’m not blind. You think I can’t tell what you’re thinking?"

"I... I do?"

"You don’t?" Melody Lynch stared at her, her expression serious. "You were just thinking that since I’m not impressed by any of those handsome guys, maybe it’s because I like women, or that I prefer women to men. Weren’t you?"

"Er..."

"I knew it. Does appreciating someone mean you have to fall for them?"

Arabella Donovan froze, not quite understanding what Melody Lynch meant.

"Let me put it this way. When I look at them, it’s like looking at beautiful vases or quaint works of calligraphy. No matter how beautiful the vase or how elegant the artwork, they’re ultimately inanimate objects. Would you develop feelings for a pile of inanimate objects?"

Arabella shook her head, completely bewildered.

"Exactly. So there you have it. To me, they’re just a little spice in life. Looking at pretty things puts me in a good mood, and playing with an amusing toy can be relaxing. But the value they bring me is limited to just that. Understand?"

"...I understand."

"Good."

’So, in other words, for my cousin, feelings—or love—are just an insignificant, optional seasoning in her life. If it makes her happy and helps her relax, she doesn’t mind dating you for a bit. But the moment it makes her uncomfortable, she can walk away without a second thought, no strings attached.

No wonder Howard Gallagher’s ego was so bruised. That’s not how you treat a lover, that’s how you treat a pet! Oh, wait, it’s worse than a pet. At least you can’t just throw a pet away once you have one. Faced with a rational mind like my cousin’s, a hopelessly romantic momma’s boy like Howard Gallagher never stood a chance of not getting his heart broken.’

This was the first time Zane Lynch had heard such a theory, and he couldn’t help but secretly give his little sister a thumbs-up.

Melody Lynch lifted her chin slightly, like a rooster that had just won a fight.

Though the trip didn’t yield the answers she was looking for, Melody’s rational mindset greatly soothed Arabella’s frayed nerves. At least she no longer had to worry that the moment Melody’s Red Simurgh Star stirred, she’d go up in flames like an old house on fire and burn her own family to the ground.

Melody Lynch: "..."

Zane Lynch: Pfft...

Arabella’s "old house on fire" analogy made Zane Lynch chuckle, but he quickly found he couldn’t laugh anymore.

"Speaking of which, Cousin, where’s that assistant of yours?"

"Which assistant?"

"The one who greeted us the first time I came here with Melody."

"Oh, you mean Assistant Collins." Zane was momentarily taken aback when Arabella mentioned him, only recalling after a moment. "Something came up with his family back home, so he resigned to go deal with it."

Of course, that was just the official story.

The real reason was that Caspian Rhodes had told him the man was a problem. He’d had someone investigate afterward and discovered that the assistant had indeed been in contact with Cassandra Lynch.

While he couldn’t confirm if they had struck a deal, Zane, who was already on high alert when it came to Cassandra Lynch, didn’t dare keep a ticking time bomb like that around. So he found a random excuse and got rid of him.

"He resigned? When was that?"

"Not long after you last visited the company." Seeing that the shock on her face wasn’t feigned, Zane asked tentatively, "Did you need him for something?"

"N-nothing important. I just remembered he was the one who personally greeted us last time, and since I didn’t see him today, I asked on a whim. I just didn’t expect that he had already resigned."

’This is completely different from how it went in the original story. Did something happen that I don’t know about?’

Original story? Zane and Melody’s eyes sharpened. Could it be that man played a significant role when Cassandra Lynch and her associate went after their family?

Before the two of them could speculate further, they heard Arabella drop a bombshell in her thoughts.

’Still, it’s probably for the best that he’s gone. Otherwise, the last time I was here with Melody, he looked ready to murder someone just because Zane was acting a little too close to her. If that guy found out about Zane’s Lover and his son, wouldn’t he get so jealous he’d instantly turn into a villain and go berserk on the spot?’

Melody Lynch: Oh ho!

Zane Lynch: "???"

Zane Lynch: "!!!"