Chapter 381: Just Because You Are You

Chapter 381: Chapter 381: Just Because You Are You

The Lynches were stunned by his words. Mrs. Lynch’s expression was the first to change. "Hush, hush, hush!" she said, agitated. "What are you saying? Bite your tongue! Bite your tongue!"

Zane Lynch and his sister: "..." ’Although... Mom, are you so scared you’re not thinking straight? No matter how you look at him, our cousin is hardly a... child!’

Caspian Rhodes froze for a second, a wry smile on his face. "It was just a guess," he said. "Otherwise, there’s no way to explain why I was completely absent when your family ran into trouble."

Mrs. Lynch shot him a reproachful glare. "That’s still not okay. Who in their right mind would just guess that they’re dead? You have no regard for superstitions."

Mrs. Lynch and Caspian Rhodes’s mother were sisters. To her, Caspian was no different from her own children, and she couldn’t bear to hear him say such heart-wrenching things.

Compared to his wife, Mr. Lynch was clearly far calmer. "Caspian’s theory isn’t unreasonable."

Mrs. Lynch glared at her husband, her cheeks puffed out. "How can you say that too..."

"Think about the future that was laid out for our family. It wouldn’t be surprising if something had happened during that period."

At Mr. Lynch’s words, Mrs. Lynch was momentarily speechless and, in the end, couldn’t find anything to say in rebuttal.

Before they met Arabella Donovan—or even earlier, before they knew Cassandra Lynch wasn’t their biological flesh and blood—who in their family could have possibly imagined what was to come? Who could have guessed that in the near future, their trust and affection for a certain person would lead them step by step to ruin, to a miserable end where their reputation was destroyed and they were left homeless on the streets?

Thinking about it that way, it was entirely possible that Caspian had run into some major trouble back then that kept him occupied. It’s just...

"If that’s really what happened, would Caspian be in danger? Would that older cousin of yours try to harm you? No, I have to talk to your parents about this right away."

His aunt’s frantic expression amused Caspian. "And how are you going to tell my parents?" he asked. "Are you going to tell them about Serena’s unique ability and how you can all hear her thoughts? Let’s not even get into whether they would believe you. Until we get permission from the Donovan family, it’s best not to tell a soul. The fewer people who know, the better."

"...You have a point."

"You don’t need to worry about my cousin’s family either. My immediate family, including my grandparents, has always had a cool relationship with my uncles’ branches of the family. Over the past few years, we’ve clashed more and more over the company and the inheritance. It’s only because my grandfather is still alive that no one dares to make the conflict too obvious. But..."

"But?"

"Because Serena gave me full authority over the two plots of land from the Brynn auction, I was able to quickly break into the market there for the Rhodes Family. The company established a foothold in Brynn in record time, so my grandfather has already decided to grant me full operational control of the business."

The Lynches were startled. "Doesn’t that mean from now on, you’ll be in charge of the entire Rhodes Family, including all its companies and properties?"

Of course, any discerning person could see that the patriarch had been grooming Caspian as his sole heir all along. However, in the eyes of some, there is a world of difference between an heir-in-training and one who has already received the scepter of power, ready to take full command.

"You could say that." A glint flashed in Caspian Rhodes’s eyes, and his voice turned colder. "From the moment I officially accepted the responsibility my grandfather passed to me, I was prepared to face a storm of overt and covert attacks. My parents were, too."

"My second uncle’s family has been making subtle moves behind the scenes for years, but they never confront us head-on. They’ve always been on our radar. Now, we’re just elevating their threat level. I’ll talk to my parents later and tell them to watch that family’s every move."

But Mrs. Lynch was still uneasy. After everything that had happened with Cassandra Lynch, she was truly a case of "once bitten, twice shy." She was now exceedingly cautious about anything that involved her family.

"As the old saying goes, a thief can try for a thousand days, but you can’t stand guard for a thousand days. As long as they want to harm you, they’ll always find a way past your defenses. Simply waiting for them to strike is not a viable strategy."

Mr. Lynch agreed wholeheartedly. "Your aunt is right. It’s too passive to just wait for someone to make a move against you. It’s better to find a way to eliminate the threat once and for all."

"I understand." The corners of Caspian Rhodes’s lips curved up as he said something that stunned everyone present. "Actually, the reason I came today was to invite Serena to visit my family."

"Invite me to your home?" Arabella Donovan’s eyes widened in surprise. She couldn’t understand why Caspian Rhodes would suddenly invite her to be a guest.

Before she could give it much thought, the members of the Donovan family, who had been stealthily trailing her, worried about leaving her alone with the big bad wolf, cried out in unison, "Absolutely not!"

"Huh?" Arabella Donovan turned in confusion to look at the people who had shouted.

They felt a pang of guilt at her stare but quickly recovered, declaring with righteous indignation, "Serena is too young to be casually visiting other people’s homes, especially a man’s home."

Mr. Donovan practically spat out those last three words through gritted teeth, stopping just short of pointing at Caspian Rhodes’s nose and accusing him of having ulterior motives.

Caspian Rhodes’s expression remained unchanged as he smiled faintly. "Sir, Ma’am, if you’re worried, Eloise can go with Serena. Coincidentally, my grandparents have heard about the Lynch family’s situation. My grandfather was good friends with the patriarch of the Sullivan family, so he’s very curious about Eloise, the grandchild who was raised elsewhere. He was just mentioning recently that he wanted to find an opportunity to meet her. That way, when he pays his respects to his old friend, he can share some comforting news."

The two elders of the Sullivan family had fallen ill with grief after their daughter’s death and passed away shortly thereafter. They never had the chance to meet their biological granddaughter, Eloise Donovan, which was a great tragedy.

Hearing this, the Donovan family only grew more furious. ’What now? Isn’t luring one of our daughters away enough for him? Now he wants to snatch the other one too? He’s got a big appetite, let’s hope he doesn’t choke on it!’

It just goes to show that when people are prejudiced against someone, nothing that person says or does can easily overcome their defensiveness and hostility.

Fortunately, Caspian Rhodes had anticipated the Donovan family’s reaction. He wisely bypassed them and focused solely on Arabella Donovan’s own thoughts.

After her initial surprise, Arabella calmed down slightly but remained puzzled. "I can understand your grandparents wanting to meet Fourth Sister, but why me? Don’t tell me it’s also because of her, and they’re just... curious about the unlucky girl who was switched at birth?"

Caspian Rhodes chuckled. "That’s only part of the reason."

"There are other reasons?"

"Mhm. The main reason is the two plots of land you acquired at the auction in Brynn. They might not be of much use to you, but they are incredibly important for my family’s commercial expansion. So, they don’t want to meet you because of who you’re connected to. They want to meet you just because of who you are."