Chapter 343: Such a Huge Info Dump?

Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Such a Huge Info Dump?

It all happened so suddenly, and it ended just as abruptly.

The two of them got out of the car, called the police and the ambulance in one seamless motion, then stood there motionless like a pair of telephone poles. Neither of them went to help the man still wailing on the ground.

The moment Howard Gallagher appeared, Arabella Donovan’s nerves tightened, stretched to their absolute limit.

She never imagined that before she could even do anything, someone’s carefully orchestrated "chance encounter" would nearly turn into the scene of a fatal car crash.

’I get it. The plot has developed to a point where it can’t possibly follow the original script anymore.’

In the original story, Howard Gallagher and Melody Lynch first met abroad.

At that time, Melody Lynch was unaware that her family had been backstabbed by their adopted daughter, Cassandra Lynch. She was peacefully pursuing her studies overseas when she met Howard Gallagher, who had flown there specifically to get close to her. In their subsequent conversations, she was misled into believing he was the young man who had saved her life years ago.

Because of this, the two quickly grew close, often going out shopping or for meals. They were just one confession away from making their relationship official.

Everything progressed smoothly and fell into place naturally, without any major hitches.

But now, Cassandra Lynch had been exposed and kicked out of the Lynch Family ahead of schedule, and Melody Lynch had returned home early due to the family turmoil. Howard Gallagher had lost his chance to build a stable relationship with her abroad. He had no choice but to find another way, opting for the most direct method: staging an accident right in front of Melody to get her attention.

Arabella Donovan could understand all of this, but...

’What the hell is this situation now? Their very first meeting, and my dear cousin nearly runs the guy over. How is the plot supposed to progress from here? Is it taking a one-way trip to the afterlife?’

Melody Lynch’s eyes narrowed, lost in thought. ’A one-way trip to the afterlife? That doesn’t sound so bad.’

’Then again, throwing my life away for scum like him would be far too great a loss. Besides, letting him die so easily would be letting him off too lightly.’

So, while Melody Lynch had acted on impulse, she had held back. She never truly intended to take Howard Gallagher’s life. At most, she was just...

Melody Lynch glanced discreetly at the leg Howard Gallagher was clutching as he lay curled up on the ground.

Going to cripple one of his legs, that’s all.

"Melody, are we just going to... watch?"

Melody Lynch stood with her arms crossed, completely composed from start to finish. She showed no sign of someone who had just accidentally hit a person with her car.

"What else can we do? We’re not doctors. What if we rush over, move him incorrectly, and make his injuries worse? Professional matters should be left to professionals. We two medical amateurs will just wait here obediently. Not causing more trouble is the biggest help we can offer right now."

Arabella Donovan thought about it and realized she was right. The man was already so injured, and they couldn’t help. It seemed their only option was to "look on with cold indifference."

Fortunately, Zane Lynch’s company was in a good location. There was a hospital not far away, and the traffic police brigade wasn’t far either. The two groups arrived almost simultaneously. By this time, Zane Lynch had also received the news and was racing down from his office.

A group of figures in white coats efficiently lifted the barely breathing Howard Gallagher from the ground onto a stretcher. For the sake of the patient’s follow-up treatment and payment, a doctor asked as a matter of routine, "Which of you will come with us?"

"I’ll go," Melody Lynch and Arabella Donovan said, raising their hands at the same time. After they shouted, they both froze, staring at each other. The atmosphere grew awkward.

’No, I can’t let Melody go. Howard Gallagher deliberately staged this accident in this specific place. He must have already found out who was in the car and is determined to use this opportunity to get close to her. I have to find a way to keep them separated for now.’

Melody Lynch couldn’t help but smile. ’So that’s what the little one is planning.’

Zane Lynch’s expression, which had darkened at the sight of Howard Gallagher, lightened considerably. "Melody, you’re more familiar with the situation here. You stay and have them pull the parking lot surveillance footage for you. I’ll go with Arabella to take the injured man to the hospital."

Zane Lynch’s arrangement was the most logical, but just as he finished speaking, Howard Gallagher, who had already been loaded into the ambulance, suddenly sat bolt upright as if raised from the dead. He pointed at Melody Lynch and said, "No, I want her to come with me. I saw it all. She’s the one who hit me with her car."

A traffic officer taking notes on the scene immediately interjected, "Since she was the one driving, it’s even more important for her to stay and give a statement. You, go with him. You, stay here and tell us what happened. Also, we need to pull the surveillance footage from here for our records."

With that, there was no more room for debate. The traffic officer had made the final call. Arabella Donovan and Zane Lynch went with the ambulance to the hospital, while Melody Lynch stayed behind to explain the situation to the police and the insurance company.

Howard Gallagher’s injuries looked serious, and indeed, they were.

After arriving at the hospital, he was taken directly to an examination room for various tests. The results came out quickly. No internal injuries, but his left leg was fractured. The conservative estimate was three months in a wheelchair.

When this result came out, Arabella Donovan, Zane Lynch, and even Howard Gallagher all breathed a sigh of relief.

The former two were relieved that no one had died. The latter was relieved that he would recover. Otherwise, it would be a terrible bargain to lose his own life while trying to get revenge on someone else. Most importantly, his revenge hadn’t even been successful. He had barely caught a glimpse of his target before landing in the hospital—truly a case of his mission failing before it could even begin.

Now that Howard Gallagher was hospitalized with a fractured leg, his family certainly had to be notified.

Arabella Donovan and Zane Lynch had just finished telling their own family members—who had rushed over after hearing the news—where they were, when a heaven-shaking cry suddenly erupted from nearby.

"My poor son! How did you end up in the hospital after just going out for a bit? Where are you hurt? Does it hurt?"

Arabella and Zane jumped in surprise. They turned to see a woman dripping with jewels sweep in from the doorway like a gust of wind. She began wailing over Howard Gallagher, whose leg was wrapped up like a mummy on the hospital bed. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought her son had died.

Following behind her was a man in a sharp suit. He was gentle and refined, appearing quite scholarly and respectable overall. Seemingly embarrassed by his wife’s behavior, the man looked awkward. He gave Arabella and Zane a polite nod before walking to the bedside to look at his injured son with concern.

Arabella Donovan stood by the door, quietly watching the family’s performance, her eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

’So this is Howard Gallagher’s hypocritical mom—the one who can’t tell right from wrong, is full of resentment she’s too scared to aim at her husband or the elders, and only knows how to emotionally abuse her daughter? The one who forces her daughter to be a doormat for her son, only to kick her to the curb in the end? And that must be his cowardly dad—the one who was cuckolded by his own father but didn’t dare say a word, and is now willingly raising his own father’s child?’

The members of the Donovan and Lynch families, along with Melody Lynch, who had just rushed over after finishing her police statement, had just reached the hospital room door when they heard this explosive summary.

The Donovan Family was fine; they had heard about this at the Lynch Family’s banquet and were relatively calm.

The members of the Lynch Family, however, were completely stunned by this bombshell. Was there really that much drama packed into it?