Chapter 207: Robbing the Relatives
If nothing else, Arabella Donovan wasn’t the least bit worried about the proof of funds. Before she even raised her paddle to enter the bidding, she had already confirmed with Caspian Rhodes and the others.
The money they had promised to lend her had all been transferred to her card. Including what Dennis Donovan had prepared for her, the card now held at least 1.6 billion, enough for her to last several more rounds of bidding.
However, the card had been given to her by Dennis Donovan, so she couldn’t see the transaction history. Besides that 1.6 billion, she wasn’t entirely sure how much her parents and the rest of the family had sent her.
The main reason she’d agreed to the auction house’s request for verification was to also check if the balance had reached two billion, which would be enough for her to acquire the two plots of land.
The staff member handling Arabella Donovan’s verification was a pretty young woman in her early twenties. Seeing Arabella enter, she immediately put on a polite, practiced smile. "Hello, Miss Donovan. It’s a pleasure to assist you today. Which cards will you be using for the asset verification?"
"Just this one." Arabella handed over the black card Dennis Donovan had given her.
"Only this one, correct?" the young woman confirmed again before swiping the card. "Please enter your PIN."
Arabella took the card reader, tapped in a few numbers, and a long string of digits immediately appeared on the screen.
The two of them in the private room stared at the number, then at each other.
"Miss Donovan, your verification is complete. The current balance on this card is 2,327,539,541."
"Ahahaha, that’s pretty good. Such a long number, with all the odd change." As soon as Arabella said that, she seemed to realize something and froze.
’You said how much?!’
Arabella’s first thought was that Dennis Donovan had sent her more money. Without a second thought, she called him right there in front of the staff member.
"Grand-uncle, did you send me more money?"
"...No, I didn’t. Wasn’t a billion enough? Hold on, I’ll have someone arrange for more."
Busy enjoying a romantic evening with his wife, Dennis Donovan had completely missed the family’s "team-building" exercise in the group chat. He didn’t even ask what Arabella was trying to buy; upon hearing her question, he immediately offered to send her more money.
Arabella was startled and quickly refused. "No, no, it’s enough! It’s really enough!"
After much persuasion, she finally talked him out of sending more money. Arabella sighed in relief, realizing the funds hadn’t come from him. But besides him, the only others were...
"Mom, Dad, my dear siblings and cousins... did you guys rob a bank?"
"What are you talking about, dear? Robbing a bank isn’t nearly as fast as hitting up our relatives. Don’t worry, that’s just some pocket money from your aunts, uncles, and cousins. Just use it for now. At worst, your father and I will just give their kids bigger red envelopes during the New Year."
Arabella: ???
’Holy cow, what kind of family gives pocket money in units of hundred-millions? And Mom, Dad, just how many relatives did you have to shake down to get me this much "pocket money"? Am I going to be hauled in for questioning tomorrow for all these large, unexplained transfers to my account?’
Caspian Rhodes and Brandon Jennings walked in just in time to hear Arabella’s outburst, and the corners of their mouths twitched violently.
"Is everything settled?"
"Yes, yes." Caspian Rhodes’s question snapped Arabella out of her daze. She was about to take her card back when an idea struck her. She chuckled. "Could you help me check it one more time?"
Although the staffer was a bit confused, she swiped Arabella’s card again. This time, the amount was...
"The current balance on your card is now 2,352,629,541."
Arabella: ???
’Holy cow, holy cow! It’s only been a few minutes, and it’s gone up that fast! Mom and Dad weren’t wrong, this is faster than robbing a bank.’
"No, I can’t let them keep doing this." If this continued, she’d really never be able to pay it all back!
"Mom, Dad, can you post in the group chat for me that I have enough money? Tell them to stop sending it. And please thank all my aunts, uncles, and cousins for me. I’ll be sure to give them all huge red envelopes during the New Year!"
"That’s enough already? Okay, okay, I’ll go tell them now."
Only then did Arabella let out a sigh of relief. When she turned her head, she was met with the peculiar looks from the two men.
"Wh-what’s wrong?"
"Nothing. Let’s go back."
"Okay."
A huge weight lifted from her shoulders, Arabella happily followed Caspian Rhodes out.
Brandon Jennings was left trailing behind them, a melancholic expression on his face. ’The Donovans are just too powerful. It makes me, her older cousin, look like a total deadbeat. No, I have to work hard and make money quickly. I can’t be a second-generation heir, but I’ll become a self-made millionaire so my little cousin sees me as stable and reliable!’
Arabella was completely unaware that her family’s overwhelming support had inadvertently lit a fire under her older cousin, indirectly leading to the birth of a new "chosen one" of the workforce.
As Arabella came out of the private room, the trio of Donovan men—a father and his two sons—also happened to be leaving the room next door. It was an unfortunate encounter.
Timothy Donovan’s face was flushed, likely from the excitement of seeing an unprecedentedly huge balance in his bank account. His gaze toward Arabella was filled with condescending disdain.
"So? The country bumpkin’s act of being rich was exposed, wasn’t it? I knew she couldn’t possibly have that much money..."
For once, Arabella gave a weary roll of her eyes, not even bothering to engage with him. "Let’s go. I don’t have time to stand here listening to a dog bark. I need to get this over with and go home. My grandparents are waiting for me, and if I’m late, they’ll end up staying up with me."
Caspian and Brandon, of course, had no objections. They shielded Arabella as they walked right past the trio.
Timothy Donovan’s face turned livid with anger. "Who are you calling a..."
"That’s enough. Business is more important. You said it yourself, she’s just a country bumpkin. Once we’ve handled the matter the boss has entrusted to us, never mind her—even your second grand-uncle will have to show us some respect. You think we won’t be able to handle her then?"
"Dad’s right, little brother. You’re just too impatient. How are you going to work for the boss like that? It would be bad if you not only failed the task but also angered him."
"You!"
"Alright, can’t the two of you just shut up for a minute?" Victor Donovan shot his sons a furious glare and walked off first.
Timothy Donovan snorted coldly and hurried to follow, completely missing the dark and profound look that flashed in Mr. Donovan’s eyes.
Arabella neither knew nor cared about this little spat between the father and sons. Not long after she returned with Caspian Rhodes and the others, the rest of the guests who had undergone asset verification also began to file back in.
Vance was still on the stage. He leaned in to listen to a report from his staff below, then smiled faintly. "My apologies for the delay, everyone. The asset verification for all guests wishing to continue participating in the auction is now complete. Our staff have confirmed that there are no issues with any guest’s assets. Thank you all for your cooperation. Now, let us resume the bidding for our final item."
The moment Vance finished speaking, Timothy Donovan shot up again like a wind-up frog. "How is that possible!"