Chapter 238: What Breed of Saint?
The woman stared at Arabella Donovan’s youthful, beautiful face. The thought that this person, two years younger than her own son, had so effortlessly obtained what her family had dreamed of for years made her completely unravel.
"This is impossible, absolutely impossible! The auction house has been around for more than eighteen years. You’re only eighteen, how could you be the real owner! You’re lying to me! You’re all ganging up to lie to me!"
"Let me be blunt." Arabella Donovan gestured up and down at the hysterical woman. "What do you possibly have that’s worth my time to deceive? Besides, who said I was the real owner?"
"You... didn’t you just say..."
"I am indeed the current owner of the auction house. The previous owner was an elder in my family."
"You’re messing with me!"
Arabella Donovan: "..."
’It’s true. All these nutjobs share a common sickness: they love to shift the blame. It’s always someone else’s fault; they can never be wrong. The Donovans were like that, and now so is this woman. Oh, right. And a bit of a persecution complex, too.’
Caspian Rhodes: "..." ’On second thought, she’s actually right.’
"I don’t care if you’re the owner or if an elder in your family is. You have to give me a proper answer for this today."
"And what kind of ’answer’ do you want?" Arabella Donovan asked flippantly. Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Vance.
"What’s the deal with her husband? Does her family really have shares in the company?"
Hearing her question, Vance’s heart skipped a beat, but he ultimately answered truthfully. "There are no shares to speak of. Aside from you, the auction house only has some minor shareholders. My father holds a small portion, and out of consideration for relatives who worked hard here, he would give them a cut of his dividends every year."
"The money was divided into several portions, and they were promised that as long as they worked diligently at the auction house for a full twenty years, the corresponding shares would be transferred to them, giving them some security for their later years."
In other words, these so-called shares were never backed by a written agreement, let alone officially transferred. It was just a verbal promise, and a conditional one at that.
The auction house had only been established for twenty years. The woman’s husband was arrested three years ago, so he definitely didn’t meet the condition. Not to mention, he was arrested for cooking the books and embezzling company assets. The auction house was already being generous by not suing him for damages, yet the Vances—father and son—were still giving his family money.
When the woman saw Vance bring up the rules set by Man Vance, she grew flustered. "You’re lying! You’re just bullying a widow and her child now that we’ve lost our provider! It’s whatever you say, isn’t it? Oh, my dear husband and my parents-in-law in heaven, open your eyes and look! Look at how we’re being bullied now that you’re not here! How are a mother and child supposed to go on living like this?"
’...’ ’There she goes with the "widow and orphan" routine again. Didn’t she just claim that using that phrase was cursing her husband to death? Now she’s happily throwing it around herself to get money.’
Arabella Donovan despised this "cry, scream, and threaten suicide" tactic more than anything. She rubbed her temples in irritation, her gaze toward Vance a mixture of sympathy and exasperation.
"What kind of bleeding-heart saints are you and your dad? Don’t you know that a small kindness earns gratitude, but a large one breeds entitlement? Look how greedy you’ve made her. She probably wishes you’d just hand over all your family’s money."
Vance gave a bitter smile. "It’s not that my father and I are saints. It’s really because of my second uncle—my cousin’s father. Back then, my dad was set up in business and failed, leaving our family drowning in debt. All our other relatives avoided us like the plague. Only my second uncle and aunt lent us their entire life savings."
Arabella Donovan fell silent after hearing this.
’So it’s true, debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay. That kind of help in a time of desperate need is a huge favor. No wonder they’re still supporting his wife and child even after he was sent to prison.’
Caspian Rhodes: "..." ’The logic is sound, but why does it sound so... odd coming from her?’
"A few years ago, my second uncle passed away from an illness. Not long after, my second aunt had a fall at home and didn’t last much longer. This cousin of mine is my second uncle’s only son..."
No wonder. The debt of gratitude wasn’t fully repaid in the previous generation, so it was naturally passed down to the next.
But understanding was one thing; business had to be handled separately.
"Ma’am, what exactly are you trying to accomplish by making a scene like this? Feeling like your husband’s lonely in there and want to go keep him company?"
Vance’s face darkened as well. "That’s right. This is not a place for you to make trouble. If you keep this up, I’ll have security drag you out."
Seeing that neither Vance nor Arabella Donovan had any intention of paying her off after all her screaming, and were now trying to kick her out, the woman panicked. She planted her hands on her hips, taking on the shameless posture of someone with nothing to lose.
"I’m telling you, don’t you dare try anything! I, Xiang Qiufu, don’t scare easily! If you push me too far, I’ll bash my head open and die right in front of you! Since you’re trying to drive a mother and her child to their deaths anyway, if I can’t live well, then none of you will!"
"You!" Vance was genuinely furious now. "Security! Get in here and throw this woman out! If she dares to cause any more trouble, call the police and report her for disturbing the peace."
"Erin Vance, you’ve got some nerve! Trying to call the police on your own sister-in-law! Oh, Father-in-law, if your spirit can hear me, open your eyes and see what kind of ungrateful monster you saved by emptying your family’s coffers! He didn’t dare do anything while you were alive, but the moment you’re gone, he’s trying to drive our whole family to ruin!"
"Erin Vance, treating your own family, your benefactors, like this... you’ll get what’s coming to you one day! Oh, why is my life so miserable..."
This cousin-in-law of the Vance family was a real piece of work. The moment she saw Vance call for security, she plopped right down on the floor and started wailing. When the guards approached to grab her, she started flailing at them wildly, going completely berserk.
The guards were taken aback by her reckless, crazed display and, for a moment, didn’t dare to touch her.
As capable as Vance was, he felt helpless in the face of such a scoundrel, especially one brandishing the titles of "relative" and "benefactor." He was utterly incensed and resentful, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
The people creating pandemonium up front didn’t notice that when Arabella Donovan heard the woman’s cry of "I, Xiang Qiufu, don’t scare easily!", she froze for a second, her expression turning thoughtful and grave.
Caspian Rhodes noticed, however. His intuition told him something was off about this troublemaker. He frowned and asked, "What is it?"
Arabella Donovan didn’t answer him. Instead, she walked over to Vance and asked in a low, probing voice that only he could hear, "Xiang Qiufu? Is her name Xiang Qiufu? And does she have a younger brother named Oscar Sanford?"