Chapter 354: The True Heir

Chapter 354: Chapter 354: The True Heir

Arabella Donovan and Melody Lynch gasped in unison. They exchanged a look, their expressions turning complicated.

"Mr. Rhodes, is this... for real?"

"I can’t say for sure if it’s true or not. I just happened to hear someone mention it before. You know my family cooperates with many major hospitals in the country."

Of course, the information didn’t come entirely from the hospitals. After all, protecting patient privacy is a fundamental part of a doctor’s professional ethics.

But Caspian Rhodes felt the source of this information was highly credible, because...

"Most importantly, after that child was born, Master Gallagher never had any other offspring."

And by "no other offspring," it meant that Master Gallagher’s fundamental nature hadn’t changed much—he was still a womanizer—but no mistress ever bore him a child again. In fact...

"About ten years ago, one of Master Gallagher’s mistresses was unexpectedly found to be pregnant."

Melody Lynch’s brows furrowed slightly. "But doesn’t that mean he could still get someone pregnant?"

"That’s the strange part. When Master Gallagher found out, he immediately had people arrange an abortion for her, got rid of the child, and then threw her out, driving her out of Jarden."

Arabella Donovan’s eyes widened in surprise. "Are you suggesting that mistress cheated on Master Gallagher?"

"Pfft..." Melody Lynch choked, clutching her throat and coughing violently.

"It’s not a suggestion; it’s the only plausible explanation. It’s not like his family is short on children, and feeding one more mouth is hardly a burden."

"That’s true." Arabella Donovan pursed her lips in agreement.

’The man has forty-nine children and over a hundred grandchildren. Even emperors in ancient times might not have had such a sprawling family tree. For him, one more child or one less makes no difference—it’s just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks to the table. But that’s only on the condition that the child is actually his. Otherwise, he’s not a despotic emperor, he’s just a giant sucker.’

After hearing that, Melody Lynch also thought it made sense. It seemed to be the only explanation that fit.

"Master Gallagher handled that matter quite cleanly, but as the saying goes, the only way to keep a secret is to not do it in the first place. Some well-informed families still caught wind of it."

"Like you, for instance, Mr. Rhodes?"

"Correct."

Melody Lynch still found it all too outrageous. "If this is true, then the mistress who allegedly sterilized Master Gallagher back then... she probably didn’t meet a good end, did she?"

"According to the Gallagher Family’s official story, the mistress suffered childbirth-related injuries shortly after giving birth, became bedridden, and passed away not long after."

Melody Lynch’s expression darkened. "If she had unfortunately died on the operating table from complications during a difficult birth, that would be one thing. After all, childbirth is like a walk through the gates of hell for a woman, even with today’s much-improved medical care. But to have a successful delivery only to waste away and die from postpartum complications... it’s hard to believe it wasn’t intentional."

If that was the case, could that outrageous rumor actually be true?

"Then what about the child? With his mother doing something like that, he would probably be dragged down with her and despised by Master Gallagher."

After all, the man wasn’t short on children. Never mind ancient times when men with multiple wives and concubines had their favorites and least favorites—it’s the same even now.

One would always dote more on a child born from a beloved partner, the fruit of their love. As for a child born from someone you despise, it’s hard not to let your hatred for the parent extend to the child.

"No, quite the opposite. Although the youngest Master of the Gallagher Family rarely appears in public, and the outside world knows very little about him, the truth is, Master Gallagher dotes on this youngest son. His affection for him even surpasses that for all his other children to date."

Melody Lynch sharply picked up on the loophole in Caspian Rhodes’s words. "If the youngest Master Gallagher rarely appears in public and the outside world knows so little about him, how do you know all this so clearly, Cousin?"

A faint smile played on Caspian Rhodes’s lips, his tone laced with a hint of smug pride. "I have my sources. Just because I know something doesn’t mean it’s common knowledge."

Melody Lynch: "..." ’What is this jerk so smug about? He’s like a peacock spreading its feathers. I can’t even look.’

As Arabella Donovan listened to Caspian Rhodes, a spark of inspiration flashed in her mind. She once again pulled up that novel about the fake and real heiresses who were adored by all.

The novel ended with the two protagonists, Cassandra Lynch and Ian Jennings. One of them used his newly established entertainment company to swallow up all the major players in the industry, including Zane Lynch’s Radiant Entertainment, becoming the ultimate boss pulling the strings behind the entire entertainment world.

With that capital, he defeated his peers in the Jennings Family and successfully claimed the title of the family’s heir.

Meanwhile, with his help, Cassandra Lynch secured most of the Lynch Family’s assets and married Ian Jennings, bringing those assets with her.

To outsiders, they were a power couple, a perfect match made in heaven. But only the two of them knew their marriage was purely a transaction to seize even greater benefits.

Behind closed doors, they both had their own ulterior motives. Their relationship, which seemed as solid as a mountain and was the envy of others, was actually teetering on the brink of collapse, needing only the slightest external push to crumble into ruins.

And in the few extra Chapters that followed the novel’s ending, the cracks in their relationship grew visibly wider.

Arabella Donovan remembered flipping through the book and reading about the third year of their marriage. They had a disagreement over a development project and got into a huge fight.

The point of contention at the time was that Cassandra Lynch wanted to partner on the project with her newest backup suitor, Option #N, while the partner Ian Jennings chose was...

"Mr. Rhodes, do you know the name of that youngest Master Gallagher?"

"I do. His name is..."

’Jason Gallagher.’

"Jason Gallagher."

Their voices rose and fell in perfect sync.

The atmosphere in the car froze for an instant. Even Melody Lynch, who was just enjoying the show, couldn’t help but swallow nervously, sensing something terrifyingly fishy was afoot.

’So it really is him! The Gallagher Family is truly full of hidden dangers. It’s fraught with risk. Until the very last moment, no one can be certain they’ll emerge as the final winner.’

"Mr. Rhodes, do you know much about this youngest Master Gallagher? What kind of person do you think he is?"

"I’ve never met or had any contact with him, but based on the information from my investigations, he has been secretly shadowing Master Gallagher all these years, learning his ways of dealing with people and the series of business tactics Master Gallagher used to build his fortune. You could say this youngest son has easily received the kind of grooming his older siblings could only dream of."

Hearing this, Arabella Donovan already had her answer.

’In other words, the youngest Master Gallagher is actually Master Gallagher’s true, chosen heir. On the surface, it’s a battle royale, a dog-eat-dog contest where a group of people fight to the death and the winner takes all. But in reality, the person destined for the throne was decided long ago. Even Miss Gallagher is just a target he set up to protect the real heir. Isn’t that just tragic?’