Chapter 426: We’ve Boarded a Pirate Ship

Chapter 426: Chapter 426: We’ve Boarded a Pirate Ship

Arabella Donovan looked at the hopeless disparity in capabilities between her side and the other, massaging her forehead in resignation. The sight was too painful to watch.

’As expected, you can’t rely on any of these oafs when it matters,’ she thought. ’Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself!’

However, even Arabella Donovan hadn’t anticipated that the one who would jump in at the last second to give the little girl a helping hand would be none other than the other main party in this incident.

When the host saw Jude Underwood step forward and even pull out some kid-favorite snacks, he also noticed the interested glimmer in the little girl’s eyes. He immediately felt that the situation was saved.

"It looks like Mr. Underwood is also quite fond of our little guest. Since both sides have chosen this young lady, we’ll let her make the final decision. Whoever she chooses will be her temporary dad for this episode."

After saying this, the host let out a long sigh of relief. He felt he had just pulled off a god-tier save. As soon as the show wrapped, he was going to ask the director for a raise.

He never imagined that this one sentence of his would successfully piss off a certain little hellion who had never in his life been ignored as he was today.

"You pieces of trash, you paupers, you morons! Why didn’t you pick me? You blind fools! In our house, she’s just an unwanted little bastard who only gets to eat leftovers, live in the basement, and wear hand-me-downs. How can you like her and not me?"

"My mom said I’m the star here! I’m supposed to be the little prince, the good boy that everyone likes and spoils. You’d better watch it, or I’ll tell my dad and have him fire all of you! Make you... make all of you go beg on the streets!"

Everyone present, including the production crew, was stunned by Riley Coleman’s sudden outburst. Once they processed what had just happened, the collective silence was deafening.

The director collapsed onto the ground, clutching his hair and wailing in despair. "It’s over! It’s over! It’s all over!"

Sheldon Webb was standing right next to him. He watched the director’s pathetic display for a moment, let out a cold snort, and walked away without a word.

Standing beside Hector Donovan, Arabella Donovan nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the boy’s screeching. Inwardly, she couldn’t help but be impressed.

’Tsk, tsk, tsk. Talk about outing yourself. A willing confession, no less. He’s so young, yet he’s already a pro at making threats. I bet he’s used to bullying people and throwing his weight around. Good thing my brother didn’t follow the script and pick him, or he would have been in for a world of pain.’

Hector Donovan nodded, a wave of fear washing over him in hindsight. Just the thought of that possibility made his scalp crawl.

’Good thing Serena came along this time,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, if I’d discovered the kid’s true nature halfway through filming, I’d probably have run for the hills.’

’Wait a minute, my brother still hasn’t gotten the little girl’s approval to be her temporary dad. What if he doesn’t get picked? Wouldn’t he have to stick to the original script and claim this little monster? In that case, can I just ask to quit the show right here and now? Dammit, we’re trapped on a pirate ship!’

Hector Donovan: "!!!" ’Don’t tell scary stories right now! I’ll thank you to stop!’

Finally, belatedly realizing the gravity of the situation, Hector Donovan was eager to salvage his image in the little girl’s eyes.

Unfortunately, having sailed through life without a single obstacle, the great Best Actor Donovan had absolutely no experience trying to win someone over. And just like that, he found himself in the middle of the biggest crisis of his acting career.

And just as he was racking his brain, completely stumped on what to do, Riley Coleman—post-outburst—seemed to drop his facade entirely. Showing his true colors, he charged straight at Chloe Coleman, ready to strike.

Chloe Coleman’s face went deathly pale. She squeezed her eyes shut and instinctively took a step back.

The familiar pain she braced for never came. Instead, she found herself in a soft, gentle embrace.

"Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you."

Chloe Coleman froze. She timidly turned her head and saw Arabella Donovan’s gentle smile. Bathed in the bright sun and spring breeze, she seemed to glow.

As if sensing her unease, Arabella Donovan reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

To Chloe Coleman, this hand wasn’t as large as her father’s, but it brought her a warmth and sense of security that surpassed even what she felt from him, making her unconsciously want to bask in it.

Until...

"Let go of me! Let me go! You useless piece of trash, how dare you grab me! You better believe I’ll have my dad kill you!"

"Go ahead. I’ll be right here waiting to see when your dad shows up to kill me. If he doesn’t come, he’s a total coward!"

Arabella cringed, feeling the urge to facepalm yet again. "Hector, why are you wasting your time bickering with a child? Get over here, now."

The smug look on Hector Donovan’s face froze. He unceremoniously shoved the boy aside and, like a leashed husky spotting its owner, whipped his head around and bounded over. "Yep, coming!"

Everyone: "..."

Riley Coleman, having been shoved aside by Hector Donovan, landed on his butt and immediately erupted into a wail that sounded like a pig being slaughtered.

He wasn’t crying from pain, but purely out of wounded pride and humiliated fury. Even as he sobbed, he didn’t stop spewing curses.

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, it would have been hard to imagine such crude and vulgar profanities coming from the mouth of a child only a few years old.

The other guests on set had all raised children. They knew all too well how difficult a child like this could be and wanted to keep their distance. They now understood why Hector Donovan had suddenly gone off-script on the spot, refusing to team up with the boy even at the risk of offending the production team and its investors.

Being saddled with a little monster like that, even for just a few days, would probably shave years off your life.

They’d heard that this Best Actor Donovan was still single, without a single romantic rumor to his name after years in the entertainment industry. To throw a hell-difficulty quest like this at him right from the start might just give the man a lifelong phobia of marriage and children.

Hector Donovan’s head and ears were aching from the little monster’s demonic screeching, so he immediately turned his fire on Jude Underwood, who was standing there dumbstruck.

"What are you standing there gawking for? Hurry up and deal with him."

Jude Underwood’s expression faltered. He instinctively shot a pleading look at the host.

In the span of just ten short minutes, the battle-hardened host seemed to have aged a decade.

He cast a tired, world-weary glance at the sweet little girl held in Arabella Donovan’s arms, clinging to her as if she were a safe harbor. Then he looked at the unfortunate brat who was already throwing a full-blown tantrum on the ground, screaming for his mommy and daddy while occasionally spewing curses and threats at the crowd. He simply couldn’t bring himself, in good conscience, to separate the little girl from the Donovan siblings and make them take the brat instead.

After a long moment, everyone heard the host let out a sigh of resignation and announce the results in a clear voice.

"Given little Chloe Coleman’s personal choice, Best Actor Hector Donovan will be her temporary dad for the next few days, caring for her alongside Miss Donovan. Consequently, little Riley Coleman and Mr. Jude Underwood will automatically be formed into a parent-child pair. For the next few days, we hope our intern parents will take good care of our little treasures and enjoy this wonderful time together."