Chapter 240: Good News: He’s the Biological Son
"Is what she said true? You’ve been lying to my cousin this whole time?"
"No, no, no, don’t believe her! What she said is all lies! Lies!"
Vance remained noncommittal, but his gaze toward Xiang Qiufu held a chilling coldness. Clearly, compared to this pathological liar who couldn’t speak a word of truth, he was more inclined to believe Arabella Donovan—an outsider he had only known for a few days.
Arabella paid her no mind, casually dropping another bombshell. "In the years after you married Vance’s cousin, you became pregnant five or six times but could never carry any of the babies to term. That’s because you had too many pregnancies and abortions in your youth, to the point where you began to suffer from habitual miscarriages."
"You... Shut your mouth! Don’t you say another word!" Xiang Qiufu was genuinely terrified now. She had hidden this secret so well—not even her husband or her late parents-in-law knew. How could this girl, barely a teenager, possibly know?
’Don’t tell me she can actually read fortunes?’
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Xiang Qiufu instinctively lunged at Arabella Donovan, only to be intercepted by the quick-reacting bodyguards.
"Thinking of shutting me up now? It’s too late. To hide your sordid past from your husband and his family, and to secure your position in their household, you bribed a doctor to tell your husband that you kept miscarrying because he had a low sperm count and poor sperm quality."
"What?" Vance’s expression shifted once again.
"No, it’s not like that! I didn’t lie, and I didn’t bribe any doctor! She’s just spouting nonsense, making up lies to frame me! I never did those things!"
But her denials were feeble, and Vance didn’t believe a single word.
"Your husband took it as gospel and became even more devoted and obedient to you. Your in-laws felt guilty and treated you with exceptional care, causing your status in the family to skyrocket. A few years later, under their meticulous care, you finally gave birth at the age of thirty-eight to your..."
Here, for the first time, Arabella Donovan faltered. Her eyes widened, her expression one of utter shock, as if she herself had just stumbled upon some earth-shattering gossip.
’Whoa, this woman... she actually...’
Caspian Rhodes strained his ears, listening intently, but failed to catch the rest of the juicy gossip. The suspense was killing him, leaving him feeling utterly tormented.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Vance grew anxious and prompted her, "Mr. Donovan, what did she give birth to?"
"...She gave birth to her second son."
The onlookers: ???
After a moment of confusion, their reaction turned to: !!!
"Her second... son?" It took Vance several seconds to process this bombshell. "The son she had with my cousin was her second? Does that mean she had another son before? Who is he? Who is her first son?"
"This is pretty explosive stuff. Are you sure you want me to say it now?"
Vance glanced around. Thanks to Xiang Qiufu’s earlier shrieking and commotion, many of the auction house’s employees had been unable to contain their curiosity and were now gathered to watch the drama unfold.
With people all around, it really wasn’t a good time to go into the details of such a private matter.
But Xiang Qiufu had already caused such a scene and made a complete fool of herself today.
If he tried to be discreet now and move the conversation elsewhere, he feared the resulting rumors would be even more sensational than the truth itself.
In that case...
Mr. Vance’s eyes glinted. He had his answer in an instant.
"I’m sure!"
"Her first son is the man she now passes off as her younger brother."
"How is that possible? Her brother is already... in his forties." If they were really mother and son, not siblings, then this woman must have...
"AAAAHHH! You still dare to speak! You still dare! I’ll rip your mouth off! Let me go! I’m going to tear her mouth off! Let me go, all of you!"
Seeing her greatest secret exposed, Xiang Qiufu was consumed by fury and panic. She longed to lunge at Arabella Donovan and tear her to shreds, but the guards—who just moments ago had been stunned and unsure how to handle her—now formed an impenetrable wall, preventing her from getting anywhere near Arabella.
Even so, Caspian Rhodes instantly pulled Arabella Donovan behind him for protection. Playing along, Arabella hid behind him and peeked out to reveal an even more shocking truth.
"Over the years, she has been funneling your cousin’s money to her ’brother,’ both openly and in secret. She paid for his tuition from middle school through university, and even for his current house and job. On the surface, she looked like a sister who would do anything for her brother, but in reality, she was taking your cousin’s money to raise a child she had with another man."
Vance: ’...’ ’Good thing my cousin isn’t here. He’d probably have a heart attack from the rage.’
"But, while she did deceive your cousin and had a child with someone else, that was all before she met him. After they got together, she never messed around again. So you can rest assured, her younger son is, in fact, your cousin’s biological child."
’Good news: he’s his biological son. Bad news: he’s already been completely ruined by his mother!’
Caspian Rhodes almost lost his composure. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably as he struggled to hold back his amusement.
Vance: ’...’ ’Thanks for the reassurance, but somehow... I don’t feel reassured at all.’
But whether he felt reassured or not was irrelevant. The key point now was...
"After having this son, your husband became even more devoted to you. You, in turn, began to show your true colors, spending money like water without any restraint. As a result, your cousin’s family finances, which had been steadily growing thanks to support from Man Vance and his son, were once again drained dry. Over the years, to satisfy your insatiable demands, your husband worked himself to the bone, eventually starting down the path of embezzling company funds."
A chill ran down Xiang Qiufu’s spine. She finally understood what Arabella Donovan had meant at the beginning when she’d said, "When it comes to your family’s affairs, I might know more than you do."
But it was too late.
"The reason your husband was caught cooking the books and embezzling from the auction house three years ago? It was all because of your son. He’s just like you—a spendthrift. Vain and arrogant from a young age, he was always trying to one-up others, which led him to take out numerous online loans. The interest snowballed, leaving him with a massive debt. Finally, in desperation, he resorted to borrowing from loan sharks."
"To protect your son from debt collectors, your husband had no choice but to falsify the accounts. He embezzled a huge sum from the auction house in one go. It was so blatant that he was discovered, reported, and thrown in jail."
As she reached the end of her story, even Arabella seemed to sigh with a hint of sorrow. ’Every pitiable person has their detestable side, yet sometimes, detestable people are simply forced into a corner.’
"Your husband certainly deserved to be punished for his wrongdoing, but at the root of it all, you and your son are the true culprits. It would be one thing if you simply failed to reflect on your actions with remorse, but you actually have the gall to come here, cause a scene with Vance, and push all the blame onto others. Having a wife like you... your husband is truly blessed!"