Chapter 353: His Kidneys Are Really Good

Chapter 353: Chapter 353: His Kidneys Are Really Good

Genevieve Gallagher looked up in surprise, her gaze following the hand holding the handkerchief. It led to a face completely obscured by a mask and a black baseball cap.

The getup was incredibly strange. The fact that he was offering her a handkerchief, of all things, made him look exactly like the kind of shady criminal from a TV show—the type who would try to drug someone by covering their face and prey on women and children.

Most people in this situation would probably be ready to scream for help, but Genevieve Gallagher simply raised an eyebrow. She found his attire strangely familiar.

"Are you... the waiter who helped me at the Lynch Family’s home?"

The "suspicious character"—who was, in fact, Hector Donovan—was shocked. He had rushed over after getting the news, cutting his work short, only to arrive a step behind everyone else. He had even put on a full disguise before entering the hospital, terrified of being recognized and sparking a new rumor.

’No way,’ he thought. ’Forget last time—even today, I’m wrapped up like this, and she still recognized me? Are her eyes laser-guided or something?’

Perhaps the astonishment in Hector Donovan’s eyes was too obvious. Genevieve Gallagher pointed to the eyes beneath his cap’s brim and said with a faint smile, "You have beautiful eyes. The kind that are hard to forget once you’ve seen them."

Hector Donovan froze again. As a huge star known by people of all ages, he was no stranger to compliments on his good looks. But he was quite sure no one had ever identified him based on his eyes alone.

Seeing that he was silent, Genevieve Gallagher glanced at the handkerchief he was offering and said tentatively, "You saw what just happened outside."

Hector Donovan nodded.

"Are you... pitying me right now?"

’Pity?’ Hector Donovan didn’t consider himself some great Samaritan overflowing with sympathy.

"I just think..."

"What?"

"A person should learn to love themselves before they love anyone else. Family doesn’t have to be defined by blood. Conversely, some people who share blood ties don’t deserve to be called family."

Genevieve Gallagher seemed taken aback that someone she had only met twice would say something like this to her. She pressed her lips together and remained silent for a long moment.

But Hector Donovan couldn’t wait any longer. He pushed the handkerchief directly into Genevieve Gallagher’s hand, tossed out, "You should think it over," and prepared to leave.

As if waking from a dream, Genevieve Gallagher quickly turned and called out to him, "Sir, what’s your name?"

But Hector Donovan didn’t dare reveal his identity at this time and place. Hearing her question, he ran off even faster.

Genevieve Gallagher muttered, "...Is he born in the year of the rabbit or something? Hopping away so fast."

After her grumble, she looked down at the handkerchief in her palm. The thought of the other one she had carefully stored at home brought a determined, competitive glint to her eyes.

As she was lost in thought, the phone in her pocket rang. She pulled it out and saw, just as she’d expected, that it was a call from a certain someone.

The moment the call connected, a familiar, sharp voice pierced her ear.

"Where the hell are you? Get back here and take care of your brother."

"I’ll be right back." After saying that, Genevieve Gallagher hung up. She looked down at the handkerchief in her hand and carefully wiped the tearstains from her face, revealing the features hidden beneath her overly long hair.

A few minutes later, after confirming her face was completely dry and her eyes were no longer red, Genevieve Gallagher carefully folded the handkerchief, put it away, and left to go upstairs.

Arabella Donovan was unaware of this little episode in the hospital. After she and Melody Lynch left the hospital and met up with their families, they ignored their disapproving gazes and got into Caspian Rhodes’s car together.

They had just gotten into the car when Caspian Rhodes impatiently asked, "What exactly happened? How did you two end up hitting someone in the parking garage out of nowhere? How is the person who got hit? Did they give you a hard time?"

Not suspecting a thing, Arabella Donovan explained honestly, "Melody and I were bored at home this afternoon, so we decided to visit my cousin’s talent agency to kill some time. We didn’t expect that after we left, as we were driving home, someone suddenly ran out in the parking lot. Melody got startled, hit the gas instead of the brake by mistake, and ran into him."

"???"

Caspian Rhodes was baffled. "Melody Lynch, you hit the gas instead of the brake?"

Melody Lynch wasn’t nearly as intimidated by this cousin as she was by her own brother. Hearing his question, she just nodded, her tone nonchalant and defiant. "Yeah. He darted out of nowhere. I panicked, went for the brake, and hit the gas by mistake."

"..." ’Somehow, I’m having a really hard time believing that story.’

"Is the person okay? Did they give you any trouble at the hospital?"

"Luckily, his life isn’t in danger. He just has a broken leg. He should be fine after resting for two or three months."

"...From your tone, you almost sound disappointed."

"How could I be? Cousin, I’m a patriotic, law-abiding, polite, and trustworthy model citizen. Why would I joke about someone else’s suffering?"

Caspian Rhodes: "..."

Arabella Donovan looked from one to the other, sensing the strange atmosphere between them. She cleared her throat and tried to smooth things over. "He’s fine, he’ll recover with some rest. Melody also settled the issue of compensation with their family, all above board and legal. It’s just... his family probably thinks they have some influence, and they were upset their kid was in the hospital, so they were a bit aggressive when we first arrived. But it all worked out in the end. It’s resolved."

Arabella Donovan was clearly glossing over the details, but Caspian Rhodes recalled seeing the Gallagher Family at the hospital. His eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, feigning ignorance, "They have some influence? Do you know which family?"

"Their surname is Gallagher."

"Gallagher? The Gallagher Corporation that started with supermarkets?"

"Yes. Mr. Rhodes, you know them?"

"I’m somewhat familiar. Some of my smaller subsidiary companies have worked with them."

[Here it comes, here it comes. Mr. Rhodes’s omnipresent investments and omnipresent business partners.]

Caspian Rhodes: "..."

Melody Lynch: Pfft...

"Ahem. That family’s situation is a bit complicated. Who was it that you hit?"

"The guy’s name is Howard Gallagher."

"Howard Gallagher..." Caspian Rhodes frowned. "That would be Master Gallagher’s grandson from his first wife."

"First wife?" Melody Lynch raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued by the term.

"Yes. In his younger days, Master Gallagher was quite an influential figure, and even more of a ladies’ man. Besides his first wife, he went on to marry eight more times. That means he’s been married nine times in total, to nine different women. And that’s not even counting all the mistresses he kept on the side."

Melody Lynch: "...His kidneys must be in great shape."

"They certainly were. According to some who’ve kept track, his nine wives and his other women bore him a total of forty-nine children. If it weren’t for a little accident, there might have been even more."

"What kind of little accident?"

"The rumor is that his last mistress wanted to use her child to secure her position. So after giving birth to his youngest son, she drugged him to have him sterilized, cutting off his ability to have more children and eliminating any future competition."

"What?!"