Chapter 231: What a Vicious Curse
Arabella Donovan clung to Caspian Rhodes’s arm, not daring to look back as she walked out of the Delicacy Pavilion. Only after confirming she was completely out of sight of the Foster Family members did she finally let out a sigh of relief, clutching her chest as if she’d just survived a catastrophe.
Caspian Rhodes found this both exasperating and amusing. "Are you really that scared? It’s not like she was going to eat you."
"She wouldn’t eat me, she’d swallow me whole," Arabella Donovan shot Caspian Rhodes a miserable glance. "Mr. Rhodes, have you ever heard of the three great curses of the New Year?"
"The three great curses?"
"’So, you’ve got a job now. How much do you make a month?’"
Caspian Rhodes: "???"
"’So, your kid’s in school now? How are their grades?’"
Caspian Rhodes: "..."
"’You’re already at that age, have you found someone yet?’"
"...Is it really that dramatic?"
"It’s not dramatic at all!" Arabella Donovan was very dissatisfied with Caspian Rhodes’s dismissive attitude and promptly pushed Beatrice Donovan forward. "My cousin here has experience. Ask my cousin!"
Beatrice Donovan: "???" ’Why are you dragging me into your conversation?’
But the moment she met Arabella’s hopeful expression, her resolve melted.
"Ahem, I can testify that it’s truly terrifying. And most of the time, it’s not just one person asking. It’s a whole group, or one person after another. A total barrage."
Caspian Rhodes: "..." ’Okay, stop. The more I hear, the more it sounds like a zombie siege!’
"Speaking of which, it’s only a matter of time before someone your age, Mr. Rhodes, runs into this situation. I hope you’ll be able to remain as..." In the spirit of ’what goes around, comes around,’ Beatrice Donovan looked Caspian Rhodes up and down, and said with no small amount of schadenfreude, "composed."
Caspian Rhodes: "..." ’What a vicious curse! So that’s what she meant by ’curse’!’
For the first time in his life, the poor CEO Rhodes felt the harshness of the world. He silently shut his mouth, not daring to make a sound.
Seeing this, Arabella Donovan wanted to laugh but had to hold it in, thoughtfully changing the subject. "I’m sorry. I originally wanted to treat you to a meal today to thank you for your generosity last night. It really saved me from a tight spot. I also wanted to ask about the auction house handover..."
Who would have thought so many things would go wrong? They’d eaten plenty, but hadn’t discussed any business at all!
Caspian Rhodes, however, didn’t mind. "It’s fine. These were all unexpected situations. You couldn’t have predicted this would happen, so it’s not your fault. And you did say you were treating me to a meal, and I genuinely enjoyed it. The food at this restaurant is excellent; the rumors weren’t exaggerated."
"As for the handover, have you decided to take over the auction house?"
Seeing that Caspian Rhodes’s mood hadn’t been affected by the day’s events, Arabella Donovan discreetly sighed in relief.
"Yes, I confirmed with my master last night. He really did have someone set up that auction house as a property for me. He also thinks I should take it back now."
’Actually, what my master really said was: You’re eighteen now, a grown adult, so you can’t keep mooching off your elders. Expenses are high when you’re out on your own, so I set up a business for you in advance so you can support yourself. That way you won’t see the dazzling world out there, spend money like water, and starve yourself to death. If that happened, wouldn’t it be my face, your master’s face, that you’d be losing?’
Caspian Rhodes and Beatrice Donovan: "..." ’No wonder she always says her master is unreliable. He’s just so...’
Still, even if the man had a sharp tongue, his desire to protect his disciple was commendable. After all, not just anyone could casually gift a junior a fixed asset worth over a hundred million that occupied more than half a mountainside.
In a way, her master was a truly incredible person!
Beatrice Donovan listened to the gossip for a while before it belatedly dawned on her. "Your master? And an auction house? You mean the Pavilion of Many Treasures from yesterday? You’re going to take over the auction house? Then what about the Vance Family...?"
The flow of information between Beatrice Donovan and Desmond Donovan had been one-way. Last night, after Arabella Donovan paid, she had followed the Vance father and son to the private room. Beatrice had left early to get the car, so she missed that part of the conversation, and Desmond Donovan never mentioned it to her afterward...
"Er... it’s a long story. To put it simply, my master knows the Vances. He helped their family out a long time ago, and they ended up owing him a favor. To repay that favor, the Vance Family opened the current auction house and has been managing it on his behalf all these years, just waiting for me to come of age so they could transfer it to my name."
After hearing Arabella’s explanation, Beatrice Donovan stood there, stunned and speechless for a long time.
Seeing her reaction, Arabella Donovan waved a hand in front of her face. "Beatrice..."
"Hold on, let me process this. You’re saying your master had the Vance Family owing him a favor, and to repay it, they opened the Pavilion of Many Treasures, operated it for all these years, and built it into a huge success, all so they could transfer it to you when you came of age."
"Right."
"...Just how big of a favor was it?"
"Something along the lines of... a life-saving favor?" Arabella Donovan thought for a moment, then added, "And it was a favor that saved their entire family."
Beatrice Donovan: "..." ’Alright, if it was a favor of that magnitude, I guess that makes sense.’
"So, you invited him to dinner to borrow his people to help you take over the auction house."
"Just to sort out the auction house’s books from all these years and go through the proper procedures. After all, I don’t have any experience with this kind of thing."
"An asset transfer should definitely be handled with caution, but..." Beatrice Donovan’s gaze shifted between the two of them. "You certainly trust him a lot."
Arabella Donovan froze for a second and subconsciously turned to look at Caspian Rhodes. ’She’s right. I had other options, but my first instinct when something happens seems to be to ask him for help. I just naturally assume he’ll help me. It was like that at the auction house, and it’s like that now. Why is that?’
Arabella Donovan thought for a long time and finally came to a relatively plausible conclusion: "Mr. Rhodes is a good person."
Caspian Rhodes: "..." ’Did I just get the ’good person’ card?’
Beatrice Donovan was also left speechless. Her lips twitched as if she wanted to say more but held back. In the end, she managed to squeeze out one sentence: "I hope you can live up to Serena’s trust. Otherwise..."
’Otherwise, your entire family will team up to tie me up and throw me into the sea to feed the fish.’
Having already witnessed Arabella’s influence within her family, Caspian Rhodes silently completed the sentence in his head, but his expression remained impassive. "Rest assured, Miss Donovan. Since Serena trusts me, I will certainly not betray that trust. I’ve already had my company’s finance and legal teams head over. It’s just that it’s a bit of a long way, so they’ll probably arrive tomorrow. I’ll introduce them to you when they get here."
Arabella Donovan was a little surprised. She thought the finance and legal team Caspian Rhodes mentioned was local; she hadn’t expected them to have to make a special trip from another city.
"You really don’t have to go to all this trouble. My grand-uncle has people who can help, too."
"It’s too late. They should already be on a plane by now."
Arabella Donovan: "???" ’Is everyone at your company this efficient?’