Chapter 217: You Don’t Have to Be Such a Jinx
"But... I feel bad about this." Arabella Donovan was tempted, yet her gut told her something was off.
"There’s nothing to feel bad about. I’m just handling the development. The land is the real asset. It means you’re making the bigger investment, so of course you get a bigger cut. Otherwise, what would be the point of investing?"
Brandon Jennings: ’...’ ’Yeah, right. As if materials, marketing, and labor are all free. As if nothing costs money.’
Unable to think of a better solution for the moment, Arabella Donovan tentatively nodded in agreement. Still, she had a nagging feeling that she was taking advantage of Caspian Rhodes. "How about a forty-sixty split, then?" she said awkwardly. "You take forty... and I take sixty?"
"Deal. At this rate, I’m the one profiting from your generosity."
Brandon Jennings, who had witnessed the entire exchange: ’...’ ’I’ve never seen someone so happy to get the short end of the stick. Is he... is he feigning a retreat to make a bigger advance later?’
The more Brandon Jennings thought about it, the more certain he became. His gaze on Caspian Rhodes grew increasingly wary.
’This man is incredibly cunning. My little cousin is no match for him. I can’t let him lead her astray!’
Caspian Rhodes had no inkling that he had just been labeled a cunning schemer in someone’s mind. Seeing Arabella Donovan return to her usual carefree and bubbly self now that a great weight was off her shoulders, the corners of his lips curled up unconsciously.
The group bustled out of the auction house’s main doors. Before they even had a chance to hail a car, a luxurious yet understated black sedan pulled up in front of them.
The driver’s side window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.
"Beatrice, what are you doing here?" The driver was Beatrice Donovan, whom they had just seen at Jennings Plaza not long before.
"Get in, I’ll drive you home."
"Alrighty." Arabella Donovan trusted Beatrice Donovan completely, so she moved to get in the car at her word, only to stop abruptly when she remembered Brandon Jennings and Caspian.
"Beatrice, this is my cousin and Mr. Rhodes. They’re with me."
Beatrice was just as direct. "Then everyone get in. I’ll drop you all off."
Neither Caspian Rhodes nor Brandon had any objections. One of them had to help Arabella Donovan move the raw jade, and the other was planning to follow her home directly anyway; they were both sticking with her regardless.
Once they were all in the car, Arabella Donovan didn’t forget to continue their earlier conversation.
"You still haven’t told me why you’re here, Beatrice. Could it be..." ’Has there been another murder?’
Beatrice Donovan: ’...’ ’You don’t have to be such a jinx. It’s not like I’m cursed to have a disaster happen everywhere I go!’
"The Pavilion of Many Treasures’ annual auction is a huge event. Wealthy merchants from all over the country gather here every year. To ensure everyone’s safety and make sure the auction runs smoothly, our department dispatches a team to maintain order. This year, it just so happened to be our squad’s turn."
Arabella Donovan nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see."
’That makes sense. The people at this auction are all rich and powerful merchants from all over. You can’t guarantee someone won’t get a bright idea and take advantage of the situation to, say, randomly kidnap a few wealthy people and demand a ransom.’
Beatrice Donovan: ’...’ ’In a way, my little cousin’s line of thinking is pretty criminal... though she’s not wrong, I guess.’
It was true that Beatrice Donovan’s department worried that with so many wealthy merchants gathered in one place, someone with ill intentions might try a kidnapping and cause chaos. That’s why they dispatched a team every year to maintain order and respond to emergencies. However, Beatrice hadn’t originally been on that team.
The only reason she was here was that she knew Arabella Donovan was attending. First, it was a chance to stay close and protect her. Second, she was curious to see if Arabella might encounter something interesting at the auction that would reveal some... hidden information.
As it turned out, Beatrice’s decision had been remarkably prescient.
Beatrice had already compiled all the thoughts that had gone through Arabella’s mind during the auction and sent them in a report to Dennis Donovan.
By now, their grand-uncle would know why his young grand-niece had spared no expense for that plot of land. He would have also already figured out how to handle the subsequent issues with the two properties, as well as the people involved behind the scenes.
Beatrice was really just making an appearance. After dropping Arabella Donovan safely at home, she prepared to leave, but not before saying, "Thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"Ever since I started wearing the gift you gave me, my luck has gotten much better. Yesterday, we were on a mission to track a fugitive. He was driving recklessly in a panic and got into an accident. His car nearly flipped over and slammed into ours."
Arabella was shocked. "Were you guys okay?"
"It was just a close call. His car scraped past ours without a direct collision. Everyone inside was fine."
Because of this, Beatrice Donovan had become something of a protected species at the station. It wasn’t just her own department; when people from other departments heard the story, they couldn’t resist dropping by to "casually" run into her. As a result, for the past two days, she’d been mobbed the moment she showed up for her shift.
Even her direct supervisor had been giving her looks that were a strange mix of fervent and wistful.
If they weren’t convinced that the charm only worked because it was a special gift from Arabella, with a blessing intended just for her, her colleagues with dangerous missions would have been lining up to borrow it for a few days.
Arabella Donovan had no idea what a commotion her little gift had caused within her cousin’s department.
Hearing her say that, she breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good."
As soon as Beatrice Donovan left, Arabella Donovan led Brandon Jennings and Caspian Rhodes inside to meet Desmond Donovan and Guinevere Preston.
Brandon Jennings was rather intimidated by Brynn’s famous Master Donovan. After handing the box with the remaining raw jade to Arabella Donovan, he made his excuses, saying it was getting late and he shouldn’t impose, and decided to leave.
As he left, he didn’t forget to ask Caspian Rhodes to come with him, but Caspian politely refused. "I have something I’d like to discuss with Elder Donovan. You can head back first, Cousin."
Brandon Jennings: ’?!’ ’I let my guard down! That guy’s a schemer! And who are you calling Cousin?! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!’
Brandon Jennings departed reluctantly, seething with indignation. At Caspian’s words, however, Desmond Donovan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have something to discuss with me? What about?"
Caspian Rhodes didn’t reply, instead glancing over at Arabella Donovan and Guinevere Preston. The implication was clear.
Guinevere Preston understood his meaning at once. Recalling the information relayed by Herman and Beatrice about the events at the auction, she had a good guess what Caspian Rhodes wanted to discuss with Desmond Donovan and tactfully pulled Arabella Donovan to her feet.
"You two talk business. Arabella and I will go to the kitchenette and see if there’s anything to eat." Without giving the two men time to react, she cheerfully led Arabella away.
"Let’s go, let’s go. We don’t need to listen to their dreary, cliché business talk. Grandma will take you to get something delicious."
"Okay, Grandma!"
The two men who had been so ruthlessly abandoned: "..."