Chapter 380: Not Necessarily

Chapter 380: Chapter 380: Not Necessarily

A certain someone, innocently implicated just because of a last name, felt that if a historical figure truly deserved to be known for dying of injustice, their surname would absolutely be Rhodes, not Dou.

’The plot mentions that this Miss Rhodes comes from a fabulously wealthy family, a true old-money clan with countless members that has been rich for several generations, for over a hundred years. Huh, why does this description sound a bit like Mr. Rhodes? And this Miss Rhodes also happens to have the last name Rhodes. Could she be... a relative of Mr. Rhodes?’

As soon as Arabella Donovan’s thought was voiced, the looks everyone shot at Caspian Rhodes grew even more hostile.

Caspian Rhodes: "..." ’Well, that came out of nowhere!’

’Unfortunately, maybe the author wanted to maintain this Miss Rhodes’s mystique, or maybe they didn’t want her appearing too often and stealing Cassandra Lynch’s thunder. From beginning to end, her full name was never given. She was only mentioned a few times by the male and female leads, as well as the Reese siblings.’

But because her family background was so prominent and her connections so formidable, her presence in this part of the plot was particularly strong, making it difficult for Arabella Donovan to ignore her.

’Now that the misunderstanding between the Reese Family and their benefactor is cleared up, and their connection to Cassandra Lynch is completely severed, logically, the Reese Family shouldn’t clash with the Lynch Family over Cassandra anymore. That means this Miss Rhodes won’t move against the Lynch Family either, right?’

Hearing Arabella Donovan say this, everyone present let out a collective sigh of relief.

Only Caspian Rhodes, who moments before had been the center of everyone’s attention, felt his eyes turn cold. He muttered inwardly, ’I wouldn’t be so sure about that!’

After seeing the Reese Family off, Arabella Donovan and the others went upstairs to continue packing. Caspian Rhodes and the Lynch Family, however, found a separate room to discuss the Miss Rhodes that Arabella Donovan had just mentioned.

"Did you hear what Serena just said about that Miss Rhodes?"

Caspian Rhodes wasn’t surprised by Mr. Lynch’s question. Since Zane Lynch knew he could also hear Arabella Donovan’s thoughts, he would have certainly told the family elders out of caution and concern for the future. It wasn’t strange for the Lynch Family to know. He just wondered if the Donovan Family knew as well.

However, judging from their reactions to him just now, they probably didn’t know yet.

"I heard."

Mr. Lynch’s expression darkened, and he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "So, what are your thoughts on this Miss Rhodes?"

"Serena’s intuition has always been very accurate. Many things that might seem like wild speculation or offhand comments to others often end up becoming reality."

"You mean..."

"This Miss Rhodes might very well be a relative from my Rhodes Family."

The Lynch Family: "..."

Caspian Rhodes wasn’t joking. His direct line of the family had only produced a single heir for three generations. From his grandfather down to him, each generation had only one child, and all of them were sons.

His granduncles, on the other hand, were a different story. They changed wives frequently, each one younger than the last, and consequently were popping out kids left and right.

His second granduncle alone had three sons and six daughters. If it weren’t for the fact that his youthful indulgence had caught up to him in old age, leaving his physical body unable to keep up with his desires, he probably would have kept on having more.

And these uncles of his had truly inherited their father’s hobby. While they didn’t swap wives like changing clothes the way his granduncle did, the number of their illegitimate sons and daughters far surpassed that of the old man in his prime.

Caspian Rhodes was an only child. In his direct family line, there was no such thing as a "Second Miss."

However, if you consider the extended family branches, it’s a different story. In my generation, after my eldest male cousin, the very next person born was my cousin, Guinevere Rhodes. She was also one of the main instigators on New Year’s Eve—using the family and the company as a pretext to question and pressure me about those two pendants I bought from Arabella Donovan.

"My second uncle seems aloof, as if he’s above it all, but he’s actually a deep schemer. Superficially, among all my uncles, he appears the most detached and rarely gets involved in company affairs. In truth, you can find traces of his secret plotting, fanning the flames behind the actions of those more radical family members who wear their greed and calculations on their faces. As his daughter, Guinevere’s hostility toward me has become increasingly unconcealed over the past two years."

"Are you suspecting she made a move on our family because of you?" As Caspian Rhodes’s maternal aunt and a lady from a great family herself, Mrs. Lynch was well-versed in these kinds of familial plots and schemes. Hearing just a few of Caspian’s explanations, she had already arrived at a solid guess.

"It’s very likely."

Mrs. Lynch and his own mother were full-blooded sisters, making the two families extremely close. Caspian Rhodes didn’t believe for a second that Guinevere Rhodes was unaware of this. Since she knew and still chose to move against the Lynch Family, she must have an ulterior motive.

He refused to believe that his second uncle—a man who never made a move without a guaranteed profit—could possibly raise a daughter who would go to the ends of the earth for a friend out of pure loyalty.

The Lynch Family clearly thought the same. It wasn’t that sentiment had no place in the business world, but if it was *only* about sentiment, that would be far too disingenuous.

Melody Lynch frowned. "If that’s really the case, then with or without Cassandra Lynch, I’m afraid this Miss Rhodes wouldn’t have spared our family anyway."

"What’s there to be afraid of?" Zane Lynch said dismissively.

"The Rhodes Family is indeed a great clan, and our family can’t compare, that’s true. But she’s ultimately just from a side branch. This ’Miss Rhodes’ can only bluff people who don’t know the inside story. The resources and connections at her disposal can’t compare to Caspian’s. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have waited until our family was on the verge of collapse to kick us while we’re down, and she wouldn’t be doing it so furtively that she doesn’t even dare to show her face."

"Zane has a point. According to Serena, our Lynch Family’s tragic end was the result of a complex power play. But now, you and your brother are both fine, your sister-in-law and her child have been brought home, and that deadly, ungrateful viper has been kicked out, losing any chance to harm our family again. If she really dares to make a move against us, we won’t necessarily be the ones to lose." ℯℯ𝘭.

In the end, what their family valued most was family and kinship. Cassandra Lynch had lived with them for over a decade; she knew their temperaments and understood how to exploit their weaknesses. That was how she managed to take them down one by one when their guards were down, leading them to a total, miserable defeat.

But now, their family was whole and well. If Guinevere Rhodes truly dared to reach her hand toward their family, she had better be prepared to be severely wounded herself.

The father and son’s words put Melody and her mother somewhat at ease, but Caspian Rhodes’s expression didn’t soften. It remained just as grave.

Mrs. Lynch noticed his strange expression and asked with a hint of worry, "Caspian, what is it? Why do you look so grim?"

"I was just thinking... when all this happened to you, where was I?"

The Lynch Family froze. Before they could process his words, they heard Caspian Rhodes say in a hoarse voice, "There’s no reason I would have stood by and watched idly while you were in trouble. Unless... something had happened to me, and I couldn’t even save myself. Or... I was already gone."