Chapter 384: She Really Didn’t Know

Chapter 384: Chapter 384: She Really Didn’t Know

Even Aurora Donovan, an outsider, broke out in a cold sweat for the people on that bus, let alone the parents of the children involved.

"When my senior sister got home and told Elder Lyons about it, she couldn’t stop crying from the lingering fear."

"So how were they saved in the end?"

"It was all thanks to you."

"Me?" Arabella Donovan was stunned. She didn’t understand how the gossip she was listening to could suddenly be about her. ’Could it be that my call to Ron Cole that day, telling him to prepare a rescue team in advance, actually worked?’

However, to Arabella Donovan’s surprise, what actually happened at the scene was far more incredible than she could have imagined.

"After the bus went into the water, the teachers got over their initial panic and quickly calmed down. They found the emergency hammer on the bus and smashed the windows, trying to get the children out. Unfortunately, by that point, the entire vehicle was submerged. There was no difference between being inside or out. The adults were already running out of air, let alone the children who couldn’t swim..."

One had to admit, whatever other qualities they might possess, teachers certainly had an impeccable command of language.

When Aurora Donovan had heard Pearl Lyons recount the incident at Elder Lyons’s home, her own heart had twisted into a knot just from imagining the scene of the adults and children underwater.

"Just when they had lost all hope, something unexpected happened."

"Someone called the police, and rescuers descended from the heavens to save them all?"

"No. The peace charm you gave Pomelo activated."

"???"

Arabella Donovan was so shocked she dropped her phone. It took her a moment to react before she quickly scooped it back up.

"What happened? Give me the details."

"According to the teachers’ descriptions, they saw a brilliant golden light. They said it was as bright as the nine suns shot down by the archer Hou Yi, as dazzling as the lasers from a battle between robots and aliens, as radiant as the flash before a mushroom cloud..."

"...In English, please."

"Ahem. Simply put, your charm started to glow. It automatically floated to the roof of the bus and, with immense force, pushed the entire vehicle from under the water back to the surface, where they happened to run into the rescue team rushing to the scene. Because the rescue was so timely, even though the children had swallowed some water and were terrified, they were all saved after receiving emergency treatment on the shore. There were no casualties."

Aurora Donovan paused here and sighed. "The only unfortunate victim was the bus driver who had suffered the sudden medical episode. He was already unconscious when the bus hit the water and had been submerged for a long time. By the time he was pulled out, he wasn’t breathing. Even after more than half an hour of emergency resuscitation, the rescuers couldn’t bring him back from the brink."

’Although Arabella Donovan didn’t know the driver, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. Birth, aging, sickness, and death were all a natural part of life, but to depart so suddenly without any warning must have been a devastating blow to his family and loved ones.’

"Life is so unpredictable. You never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first."

Aurora Donovan heard the wistfulness in her sister’s voice and worried she was being too kind-hearted and taking on a psychological burden for the driver’s death. She quickly changed the subject. "Wait a second. Didn’t you draw that charm and give it to her? From your tone just now, you sound surprised that it unleashed its power and saved Pomelo and everyone else on the bus. Don’t tell me you didn’t know your peace charm had that kind of effect beforehand?"

Arabella Donovan: "..." ’She really hadn’t known.’

That day, she had run into Pearl Lyons’s family at Elder Lyons’s house and unexpectedly discovered that the child was facing a fatal calamity. If Pomelo survived it, she would live a long, smooth, and happy life. If not, she would die an early death.

Arabella Donovan couldn’t bear the thought of such a cute, lovely child—one who had called her "pretty sister" in a sweet voice and warmed up to her so quickly—dying so senselessly. So, she tried to divine the cause of this fatal calamity.

Much like when she had foreseen the Jennings Plaza explosion from Beatrice Donovan at the birthday party, Arabella only saw fragmented visions. She saw an image of Pomelo clutching at her own throat, flailing in the water. She also saw the view from underwater, looking up through the shimmering surface at the structure of a nearby bridge, and heard the distant clamor and the sirens of ambulances and police cars from above.

From these images, Arabella Donovan deduced that Pomelo would be in a car accident that ended with her in the water. Judging by the level of noise, the accident was likely a major one. That’s why she had warned Pearl Lyons and her husband to avoid places with water and bridges, and also why she had called Ron Cole to inform him of the accident’s location so he could prepare in advance.

She had left the peace charm with Pomelo as a precaution. Just in case Pearl Lyons and her husband didn’t believe her, or if something else happened and Pomelo still ended up at that bridge and couldn’t avoid the crash, the peace charm would at least keep her safe.

Who would have thought the charm would be so powerful? It not only saved Pomelo but, by a strange twist of fate, also rescued all the other children and teachers on the bus with her.

’No wonder she had felt a sudden unease a few days ago, followed shortly by the feeling of her Merit having grown much denser. Arabella had assumed it was because Ron Cole’s operation was making progress and she was benefiting from it. She never imagined it was because of this.’

’Thinking back, her master—who was usually so unresponsive he might as well have been playing dead—had indeed said that the more Merit she accumulated, the more effective the things she gave away would be. But this effect was... a little too unexpected.’

"I didn’t know before, but I do now."

Aurora Donovan: "???"

Aurora Donovan: "..." She was speechless.

In any case, after this incident, Arabella Donovan’s standing with the relevant departments rose another notch. Consequently, the number of people assigned to keep an eye on her also increased.

Arabella Donovan quickly noticed their presence but didn’t pay them much mind. For one, she knew they meant her no harm—and why turn down free bodyguards? Besides, these people were far more useful than regular bodyguards; they could even be used to intimidate others if necessary.

Secondly, Ron Cole and the others had already given her the maximum possible freedom. Otherwise, with her situation, even if she wasn’t captured and dissected for research like in the TV shows, she would surely face more restrictions than an ordinary person. The current arrangement, where they simply sent people to monitor her and protect her from harm, was already quite good.

As for Elder Lyons, he was endlessly grateful to Arabella Donovan over this matter. He instructed Aurora Donovan to pass on his profound thanks and said that once things settled down, they would personally fly to Stroven City to visit and express their gratitude in person.

To this, Arabella Donovan replied that it was fine but unnecessary. If they truly wanted to thank her, they could just take good care of her third brother, who was living far from home.

And so, following in the footsteps of her second brother, her third brother also began successfully living off his younger sister. Truly a cause for celebration.

Aurora Donovan: =·=

Knowing that the matter with Pomelo had come to a close, Arabella Donovan felt much more relaxed. She even ate an extra bowl of rice that evening.

Little did she know, the very next morning, she’d be served a fresh helping of gossip from her aunt’s side of the family.