Chapter 397: A Familiar Face
Regardless of how much this incident had hurt Zane Lynch, Arabella Donovan was quite happy when she found out. At the very least, it meant the fate of the Lynch Family had been completely changed.
The predestined plot could be broken, and the so-called plot armor wasn’t so invincible after all.
"By the way, Zane, you and Caspian have known each other for so many years. Have you ever attended their family’s ancestral worship ceremony?"
Zane Lynch’s eyelid twitched, and he shook his head awkwardly. "You know how these prominent families have a ton of rules. The ancestral worship is a major family event, so there are even more regulations."
’I’m not a masochist with nothing better to do. Why would I go out of my way to learn all their family rules?’
Zane Lynch put it tactfully, but Arabella and the others understood immediately.
The two girls were a little worried about making fools of themselves by not knowing the rules, but Hector Donovan just snorted. "Don’t worry. You’re guests. They can worship their ancestors, and you can just watch the spectacle. If they’re disrespectful, we can just turn around and leave. They’re the ones who invited you; it’s not like you were begging to come. If a family this prominent doesn’t even understand basic hospitality, then all their rules are for nothing."
While they were talking, their host, Caspian Rhodes, had already been waiting quietly for them in the airport lounge for some time.
"It was a long flight; you must be tired. I’ll take you to my family’s home for dinner first. If you don’t mind, you can stay at my grandparents’ place tonight, and we can all head up the mountain together first thing in the morning."
Several months ago, the elder Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes had completely let go, handing over all decision-making power in the company to their grandson. They then returned to their hometown early, bought a new house, and prepared to live out their golden years in peace, no longer concerning themselves with worldly affairs.
The house Caspian was taking Arabella and her companions to was the new one his grandparents had purchased. It was only a half-hour trip to the ancestral home from there, making it much more convenient for them to stay the night before heading out the next day.
Trusting Caspian, Arabella and the others didn’t overthink it and accepted the arrangement. Hector, however, was on high alert, his internal alarms blaring. He grew increasingly convinced that Caspian had ulterior motives. ’What kind of host invites people over and has them stay the night on the very first day?’ He decided he wouldn’t sleep at all that night; he’d keep a close watch on his two sisters’ rooms for any sign of movement.
Caspian had no idea that his arrangement, which he thought was perfectly considerate, had been so wildly misinterpreted by someone.
By the time Caspian picked them up and they reached their destination, the sky was completely dark.
Having been informed in advance that guests would be arriving, Caspian’s parents had the meal prepared early, ready to be served as soon as they arrived.
"We meet again. Do you remember me?"
Caspian’s mother—the very same woman who had been with Mrs. Lynch when they "ran into" Arabella and her sister at the mall—saw them get out of the car and immediately hurried over, linking arms with the two girls.
Arabella froze for a second before it dawned on her.
’Oh, right,’ she thought. ’Caspian Rhodes and Zane Lynch are cousins, which means their mothers are sisters. Mrs. Rhodes is Zane’s aunt. No wonder she was with Mrs. Lynch when they ran into us at the mall. It’s perfectly normal for two sisters to go shopping together.’
In any case, meeting a familiar face in such a strange place, even one they had only met once, quickly closed the distance and helped to calm their nerves.
"Hello, Mrs. Rhodes."
"Wonderful, wonderful! Solara is my sister’s child, so his brother and sisters are naturally our children too. Now that you’re here, treat this place as your own home, and think of me as your aunt. Please, don’t be so formal."
As soon as Mrs. Rhodes finished speaking, smiles appeared on the faces of Arabella and the others. Only Hector Donovan’s expression stiffened, and he shot an indignant glare at Zane Lynch.
’He and I are clearly about the same age—it’s not even clear who’s older. How did I end up being the ’younger brother’?’
But considering he wasn’t in his own home and was speaking to an elder, he had to show some respect. He could only temporarily suppress his bizarrely intense competitive spirit.
The elder Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes matched Arabella’s mental image of them perfectly. Both looked like kind, good-natured grandparents.
As for Mrs. Rhodes, she was, without a doubt, the very picture of a high-society matriarch raised in a prominent family that lacked neither money nor love—mature, intelligent, confident, and poised.
What surprised Arabella, however, was Caspian’s father. Before arriving, she had imagined she would meet an older version of Caspian—a formidable, suit-clad, overbearing CEO type.
But upon actually meeting him, she found that this Mr. Rhodes not only looked gentle and unassuming but also possessed a refined, scholarly air. He didn’t seem like a businessman at all; instead, he resembled an artist or a long-time academic.
And as it turned out, that was exactly the case.
"Mr. Rhodes is actually a... painter?"
"I don’t look like one?" Mr. Rhodes smiled, seeming a little shy. "It’s just a childhood hobby, nothing more. I’m not well-known, so it’s perfectly normal for you young folks not to have heard of me."
"You’re being far too modest, Uncle," Zane Lynch said. "Plenty of people would pay a fortune for one of your landscape paintings—they’re so rare they’re practically priceless. If you say you’re not famous, what are those professionally trained senior artists, who can’t sell a piece after painting for ten years, supposed to feel?"
Zane Lynch’s compliment made Mr. Rhodes even more bashful. Seeing that her husband was a bit reserved around the younger guests, Mrs. Rhodes smiled faintly and smoothly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which," she began, "I’ve only heard bits and pieces about you two from Solara’s parents. I don’t really know the full story."
Mrs. Rhodes wasn’t lying. She was quite curious about the two sisters’ story, especially Arabella’s.
In all her years with the Donovan Family, Eloise Donovan hadn’t been hidden away. What had happened to her, the opportunities she’d had, the schools she’d attended—anyone who was determined enough could find out most of it.
Arabella, on the other hand, was a mystery. After being taken by Cassandra Lynch’s birth mother, Holly Wagner, and abandoned to be raised by her own parents, she was taken up a mountain by her master only a few years later. For the past decade or so, she had lived in seclusion, rarely venturing out. Even if someone wanted to investigate, they would find nothing of substance.
Those with ulterior motives couldn’t even discover the name or address of her master’s Sacred Temple. It was as if the place had materialized out of thin air, a mysterious location that existed only in word-of-mouth rumors. The more one thought about it, the more unnerving it became.
"Me?" Arabella was taken aback by Mrs. Rhodes’s sudden question about her life. Recovering, she gave a slight smile. "I’ve lived very well these past few years. The environment on the mountain is quiet and peaceful, and the air is wonderful. I rarely came down or saw any strangers, but I never lacked for anything. My master also tutored me, so it wasn’t boring at all."
"Is that so? Where is this Sacred Temple you lived in? When Mr. Rhodes and I go traveling, perhaps we could stop by to pay our respects and pray for our family’s peace and safety."
"On Mistveil Mountain, in Xenia City, Yarrow Province."
"Xenia City, Yarrow Province?!"