Chapter 276: A Lucky Hit
Arabella Donovan thought for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.
After her phone call with her third brother the other day, she had temporarily dismissed the terrifying suspicion that he was the infamous Dr. Donovan.
But the thought of her family’s jinx—a walking disaster so unlucky that even ghosts would curse their misfortune upon meeting him—still left Arabella feeling uneasy.
She couldn’t shake the fear that her third brother, who had yet to be ruined by the hand of fate, was secretly plotting something major against her. This was the perfect chance to visit his lab and have a look around. Maybe she’d find a pleasant surprise.
Just as Arabella Donovan had expected, no sooner had she finished with the two elders’ wedding than Mr. Lewis and Ms. Cain came looking for her in a frantic hurry.
Arabella hadn’t even had a chance to move into the new house her parents had bought, but the pair had followed the Kerr mother and son all the way to Vistagrove Avenue.
Dennis Donovan and his wife had heard about the Kerr mother and son before. At first, they assumed they were there for the two raw jade stones Arabella had previously acquired. But after learning the real reason they were looking for Arabella, the couple decisively tagged along, ready to watch the drama unfold.
"Master Donovan!"
Though it had only been a few days, Arabella Donovan almost didn’t recognize Ms. Cain at first glance.
The poor mother was far more haggard than before. Her dark circles were so severe that even her makeup could barely conceal them. She was shrouded in a damp, sinister aura that screamed of a desire to chop something to pieces, making one instinctively want to keep a wide berth.
However, the moment she saw Arabella Donovan, her lifeless eyes suddenly sprang to life, shining as if she had just seen her savior.
"Mr. Lewis, Ms. Cain, for you to come looking for me now... could it be...?"
"We found the child."
Mr. Lewis placed a somewhat old, heavy wooden box on the table. If you looked closely, you could see his hand was trembling slightly.
Arabella Donovan could tell with a single glance that the box was suffused with yin energy. What was inside went without saying.
"Young Miss." Seeing Arabella about to reach out and open the box, Butler Donovan called out instinctively. "This box doesn’t look right. Let me open it."
But Arabella shook her head, rejecting Butler Donovan’s kind offer. "No need, I can do it myself. Grandfather, Grandmother, you should both stand back, or go inside and wait. I’ll have this sorted out quickly."
’The yin energy from the little ghost in this box is practically leaking out. I’m afraid that in just the last few days, that scumbag family of Mr. Lewis’s brother has used this poor child for some other vile purpose, terrified they haven’t already managed to kill Mr. Lewis and his wife.’
’I’m protected by Merit, so a little yin energy won’t harm me. But it’s different for Butler Donovan. If he touches this stuff, he’ll definitely get sick. And while my granduncle and Preston both have Merit, they’re getting on in years. It’s better not to take the risk.’
The moment Dennis Donovan heard that contact with the object could be harmful, he forgot all about watching the drama. Without a second thought, he took Guinevere Preston’s hand and headed inside.
"Since Serena said so, let’s go inside. We’ll come back out after she’s handled it. Miles, you keep an eye on the Young Miss. Don’t let anyone disturb her."
With the two elders out of the way, Arabella no longer had anything to worry about. She stepped forward and opened the box.
In an instant, a small, doll-sized object—grimy and dark, but with a vaguely discernible shape—lay stark naked before everyone’s eyes.
The Kerr mother and son had never seen the contents of the box before. Even though they had somewhat prepared themselves, the sight of it still made their hearts lurch, and their faces turned deathly pale.
Mr. Lewis and his wife weren’t faring much better. They had already seen what was inside before coming here, but at the time, they were in a frantic rush to get it out. They were more agitated and panicked, terrified that the family would notice something was amiss and they wouldn’t be able to escape safely with their child.
Now that their taut nerves had finally relaxed, seeing the object again caused all their repressed emotions to surge to the surface, and they nearly broke down on the spot.
Arabella, however, just frowned, staring at the small thing in the box for a long moment. Her expression was so grave that everyone present couldn’t help but feel their own hearts rise into their throats.
"Master Donovan, my child... is there something wrong?"
Arabella was silent for a long time before letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
"Thank goodness?"
"Yes, thank goodness you came a day early. This child hasn’t had a chance to commit the sin of killing yet, and you two haven’t suffered a backlash because of it."
"What?" The couple exchanged a shocked glance. "The sin of killing?!"
Realization dawned on Mrs. Cain, and she began to tremble with intense agitation. "They really wanted my child to kill for them!"
"That’s right. And the person they wanted to kill has a connection to you. To be precise, both people they wanted to kill are connected to you."
"What? They wanted to kill more than one person?"
"Let’s talk about the first person they wanted to kill. He’s your partner, the vice president of your company, the one who started the business with Mr. Lewis."
Mr. Lewis was taken aback. "Him? But why? York doesn’t interact with them much. I’ve never heard of any bad blood between them. What could have happened to make them want him dead?"
Hearing her husband, Ms. Cain let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "What bad blood did we ever have with them? For so many years, we’ve called them ’brother,’ ’sister-in-law,’ ’uncle,’ ’aunt.’ Anyone who didn’t know better would think our families were incredibly close. But in reality? They wish our entire family would drop dead!"
"Maybe York met one of them at some point and hurt their precious, fragile egos by speaking the truth. It’s not impossible that they’ve held a grudge against him ever since."
Rendered speechless by Ms. Cain’s cold sarcasm, Mr. Lewis could only manage a bitter smile.
Arabella stroked her chin, pondering for a moment. "Strictly speaking, what Ms. Cain said isn’t far from the truth."
Mr. Lewis: "..."
The Kerr mother and son: "..."
Ms. Cain was stunned as well. She never imagined that her casual, malicious speculation would actually hit the mark.
After calming down, she couldn’t help but laugh out of sheer anger. That family was truly one of a kind. Just when she thought they couldn’t possibly be more malicious and vile, they would find a new way to lower the bar.
"To put it simply, this Mr. York has met Mr. Lewis’s brother a few times. He also knew that Mr. Lewis was secretly supporting his brother’s family. York is a sharp judge of character and always felt that Mr. Lewis’s brother’s face gave off a bad impression—that he didn’t look like an honest, decent person. He privately warned Mr. Lewis several times, hoping he would be more on his guard around his brother."
Ms. Cain suddenly turned to her husband. "Is that true?"
Mr. Lewis’s expression stiffened slightly. "I think," he said awkwardly, "that something like that might have happened."
Thinking back carefully, his good friend had indeed advised him several times not to be too open and trusting with those around him. Sometimes, the ones who can truly hurt you are your own flesh and blood, those closest to you.