Chapter 421: At Least Take Me With You

Chapter 421: Chapter 421: At Least Take Me With You

The Donovan Family’s wish to disown Aurora Donovan ultimately went unfulfilled. After being incessantly pestered by a certain someone, Eloise Donovan had no choice but to tell him the truth.

Upon learning the full story, Aurora Donovan immediately declared that for an event as momentous as digging up a grave, how could they possibly do it without his help?

He told them to just wait a bit—he was going to find his advisor right away to cook up an excuse for a leave of absence, book a flight back to meet them today, and head to Wagner’s Village with them tomorrow to cause some trouble.

It was a wonderful fantasy, but reality was harsh.

Aurora Donovan’s research was just starting to take off, a time when all eyes were on him. The dean refused to approve his leave request, and the higher-ups wouldn’t condone him running around freely at such a moment.

With that plan thwarted, Aurora Donovan’s long-suppressed rebellious streak immediately flared up. That very night, he scaled a wall, hoping to enact his own grand "escape from the institute" scene.

Unsurprisingly, he was caught.

Hauled into the dean’s office, Aurora Donovan wore an apologetic expression but refused to admit any wrongdoing. In fact, he didn’t even try to hide his eagerness to try again.

The dean was infuriated by his completely shameless demeanor. He couldn’t handle the kid, so he called in someone who could.

And so, Dennis Donovan, who was supposed to be on leave for two days spending time with his wife at home, was urgently summoned to the dean’s office at the Brynn Research Institute.

"Well? What happened?" Dennis Donovan’s face was grim as he sat down across from Aurora Donovan, leaning on his cane. He was clearly displeased about being called in to work during his vacation.

Others might fear him, but the pragmatic dean of the research institute certainly didn’t. With an equally stern expression, he recounted Aurora Donovan’s actions from that night in painstaking detail, harshly condemning his audacity and extending that condemnation to him, the family patriarch.

Dennis Donovan: "..." ’What the hell does this have to do with me? I’m not his actual guardian!’

But for the sake of his precious granddaughter and the valuable research in question, Dennis Donovan patiently asked, "What on earth is all this fuss about? You usually love holing up in your lab. We can’t even drag you out. Why are you so desperate to get out now?"

Aurora Donovan gave a thin, mirthless smile. He leaned close to Dennis Donovan and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, explained why he was so desperate to leave.

As expected, after hearing the explanation, Dennis Donovan slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet.

"How outrageous! Where are your parents right now? I’m going to find them this instant."

"...They should still be at home."

Upon hearing this, Dennis Donovan immediately stormed off. He moved so quickly with his cane that his bodyguards could barely keep up.

"What’s going on?" The dean was also baffled by Dennis Donovan’s sudden move. "Why did he just leave like that?"

Aurora Donovan finally realized something was amiss and tried to hurry out after him, but he was blocked by the tall, burly bodyguards assigned to his protection.

Helpless, Aurora Donovan could only scream himself hoarse in the direction Dennis Donovan had gone: "Grandpa, at least take me with you!"

The dean: "..."

In the end, Aurora Donovan failed his ’prison break’ and didn’t manage to hitch a ride to Wagner’s Village. And yet, the grave-digging party heading for Wagner’s Village still gained a new member.

Of course, that is a story for another time.

Meanwhile, Arabella Donovan had no idea what shocking and outrageous things her family was up to behind her back.

After a quick rest at the hotel, Arabella Donovan was woken up by her brother before dawn the next morning. He stuffed a pile of food into her hands for the road.

Watching from the side, Sheldon Webb was both exasperated and amused. He asked bluntly, "Are you the assistant, or is she?"

Hector Donovan wasn’t bothered. "She’s my assistant, but she’s also the one I have to answer to. If I don’t take good care of her, the family back home will kill me."

Sheldon Webb: "..." ’Damn, you’ve actually got a point!’

"Forget it, I can’t win against you." Sheldon Webb figured that trying to reason with a doting older brother was not a wise move, so he decisively changed the subject to reconfirm the day’s schedule with Hector Donovan.

"At ten o’clock sharp, the show officially starts filming. Since you’re a celebrity being paired up with a child, the production crew won’t start filming at your home like they do with the actual families. We just need to get to the meeting point by ten to participate in the child selection."

"Child selection?" Arabella Donovan, still drowsy as she nibbled on a meat bun, suddenly jolted wide awake.

"We can actually choose the kid?"

"Not everyone gets this special treatment, but your brother does."

Hector Donovan’s lip twitched. ’You’re quite the smooth talker,’ he thought. ’Isn’t it just because the production team knows I have a short fuse? They know that forcing a kid on me would probably make me lose my temper and walk off the set. That’s why they came up with this phony ’mutual selection’ gimmick, when in reality, they’ve already got the whole thing scripted for us.’

Unaware of the real situation, Arabella Donovan’s interest was immediately piqued by what Sheldon Webb said.

"How many kids can we choose from? Are there photos?"

"Just two, and they’re both the sponsor’s kids. We do have photos. What are you up to?"

"Fulfilling my duties as the top actor’s assistant, of course. I’ll help you vet them in advance."

Sheldon Webb raised an eyebrow. Recalling the particular talents of his client’s sister, his eyes brightened, and he quickly handed Arabella Donovan the two photos sent over by the director’s team.

"The two kids the production team has arranged for Hector to choose from are both children of our sponsor, Mr. Coleman. One girl and one boy. The girl is six, and the boy is five and a half."

Arabella Donovan had only to glance at the two photos before her brow furrowed.

Sheldon Webb’s heart immediately jumped into his throat. "Is something wrong with them?"

"You said they’re both the children of the same sponsor?"

"Yes."

"But they aren’t blood-related."

Sheldon Webb froze for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Oh, is that all? You gave me a scare. It’s true they aren’t blood-related. Mr. Coleman’s first wife passed away less than two years after their daughter was born. He remarried a year ago, and the boy is his new wife’s son from a previous marriage."

"Oh, I see," Arabella Donovan said, understanding now. She composed herself and carefully studied the children’s faces, trying to glean more information from their features.

The little girl in the photo was wearing a pretty pink princess dress and holding a snow-white bunny doll. Her frame was a little slight, her face fair, and her features delicate. She was an exceptionally pretty and adorable child.

Yet even through the photograph, Arabella Donovan could feel that the girl’s gaze at the camera was timid, filled with a fear of the unknown, and... defensiveness.

The boy’s photo, in contrast, was like the polar opposite. He was a little chubster with a round face so fleshy his features were barely distinct. He seemed unhappy to be having his picture taken, with an impatient expression on his face and even a somewhat fierce look in his eyes.

Seeing how engrossed she was, Sheldon Webb didn’t disturb her. He turned to Hector Donovan and said, "Remember, when it’s time to choose, pick the boy. That’s what the sponsor wants."

Arabella Donovan: "???"

"Didn’t you say... my brother... gets to choose for himself?