Chapter 401: Dare to Swear?
"PFFT..."
Zane Lynch heard this and just couldn’t hold it in, spraying out a mouthful of tea and bursting into a fit of earth-shattering coughs.
Eloise and Hector Donovan shot him a disgusted look, silently blaming him for his lack of self-control. How could he make a sound at a time like this and interrupt? If he accidentally broke their Serena’s train of thought, they wouldn’t get the whole scoop!
Fortunately, Arabella Donovan probably just assumed Zane Lynch was a little slow on the uptake and had only now recovered from the shock of Walter Rhodes getting a male homewrecker. She only gave him a faint glance before continuing with the juicy story.
Zane Lynch was speechless. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
’Come to think of it, you can’t really blame Caspian’s cousin for being blind about this.’
’After all, the situation with Rhodes was a bit different from Kieran Kerr’s. Kieran Kerr had never met his online partner in person, but Rhodes had—and more than once. To be able to fool a seasoned playboy like him, who had seen it all, proved that there was absolutely nothing to fault in the cross-dresser’s appearance.’
’Not only was there nothing to fault, but he had Walter Rhodes utterly captivated. Walter spent the better part of a month playing along with this "pure love" act, sending flowers, purses, cars, and jewelry, all for a chance to take things a step further.’
’But the streamer was clear-headed. He knew that while he could get away with pretending to be a young lady and duping people, once the truth was exposed, not only would his cash cow be gone, but he might also land himself in deep trouble.’
’Therefore, though they spent nearly half a month together and the streamer was leading him on, he never let Walter Rhodes take advantage of him in the slightest.’
’As time went on, Walter Rhodes grew impatient, and then he came up with a terrible plan.’
’That’s right. The guy channeled his inner domineering CEO and tried to take what he wanted from the streamer by force.’
Eloise Donovan and the others: "!!!"
’Who would have thought that the streamer, who looked so delicate, was actually someone you shouldn’t mess with? After the whole messy ordeal, it was the original culprit who suffered the loss. By now, the streamer has probably taken the money he scammed from a certain someone and boarded a plane out of the country, planning to lie low for the next eight or ten years before even thinking of returning. As for Rhodes, he truly suffered a double loss. Tragic, just tragic!’
The group, who a moment ago had been grinding their teeth in indignation at Walter Rhodes’s despicable tactics, were now speechless. "..." What could they even say? It takes two to tango. They both brought this on themselves!
No wonder Serena said he might get himself burned if he wasn’t careful. So this is what she meant by ’burned.’ Tsk, tsk, tsk...
’After playing the villain for so many years, Rhodes finally capsized his ship because of a pretty boy. It just goes to show, if you do enough bad things, you’ll eventually meet your match. One of you was after money, the other was after sex. In the end, you both went down in flames. It’s karma, pure karma.’
Arabella Donovan quietly ducked behind her brother, her eyes shining as she stared at the chaos nearby. It was plain to see she was thoroughly enjoying the show.
The others were speechless. ’You should probably tone down that gloating expression, or you’re seriously going to get yourself beaten up!’
Hector Donovan was also reeling, seeing stars from the bombshells his sister dropped one after another. When he snapped out of it, only one thought remained: who on earth had corrupted their pure, innocent, kind-hearted Little Princess?
In times of uncertainty, the best course of action is to master the art of shifting blame. Her heartbroken older brother immediately turned and glared at Caspian Rhodes, who stood nearby, clearly pinning all the blame squarely on him.
Caspian Rhodes was speechless. ’Sometimes, I really feel I’m being unfairly blamed,’ he thought.
While Eloise Donovan’s group was finishing up with the juicy details, the commotion on Walter Rhodes’s side began to die down.
First Aunt was cradling her miserable-looking daughter-in-law, whose eyes were brimming with tears, as they sat on a long bench. She comforted her in a soft whisper, her face a mask of heartache and helplessness, her words tinged with apology and sorrow.
The two men, Walter and his father, stood under the gossiping stares of their relatives. They wanted to offer comfort but couldn’t find the words, so in the end, they directed all their fury at Arabella Donovan.
"You bitch..." Walter Rhodes lunged forward, raising his hand to strike her, but Caspian Rhodes grabbed his arm to stop him.
"What do you think you’re doing, Cousin? Raising a hand in front of the ancestral tablets? Aren’t you afraid of incurring the ancestors’ wrath?"
Walter Rhodes’s face, twisted in rage, froze. Before he could say a word, First Uncle beat him to it, launching a verbal assault.
"She had the audacity to spew filth and slander your cousin in front of the ancestral tablets, and he can’t even retaliate? Or are you saying you’ll protect her just because she’s your guest, a relative from your mother’s side of the family? Are you going to let her publicly humiliate our family in front of the ancestors and with so many relatives here as witnesses?"
𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
That was a heavy accusation, essentially framing Arabella Donovan’s words as a deliberate attempt by Caspian Rhodes’s family to humiliate, antagonize, and slander Walter Rhodes.
Mrs. Rhodes wasn’t one to back down. She sneered, "Listen to yourself. If I’m not mistaken, your son was the one who started this whole affair today. Our guest came to visit relatives and join in the festivities, and she was sitting quietly to the side watching us chat over tea. Then Walter came over, bringing up some livestream video and ’internet master,’ his words dripping with mockery about her being too young, unskilled, inexperienced, and having no real ability."
Mrs. Rhodes already had a poor impression of First Uncle’s son. She had often seen the boy bragging, lording his status as the ’older cousin’ over her son in an attempt to put him down.
After hearing what Arabella Donovan had revealed, her impression of him plummeted even further, making her defense all the more aggressive.
"So what now? The girl shows her real abilities, and suddenly you can’t accept it? By your own logic from just now, First Brother, ’he who provokes first is trash.’ Walter came looking for trouble; this girl was merely retaliating. Is being a sore loser after being outmatched something to be proud of?"
"You..." First Uncle was momentarily speechless but quickly composed himself, suppressing his rage. "Are we supposed to take her word for it? Baseless accusations without a shred of proof are nothing but slander. Sister-in-law, if you insist on siding with this outsider today, then know that our family is not to be trifled with. Even a cornered rabbit will bite, to say nothing of a human being."
The moment First Uncle finished speaking, Mr. Rhodes’s face darkened. He retorted sarcastically, "Is that a threat, First Brother? See, I’ve had it easy my whole life. I fear nothing and no one, and I certainly don’t scare easily. You know better than anyone what kind of character your son has, yet you stand there accusing our guest of slander. Do you dare make him swear an oath, right here in front of all the ancestral tablets? Make him swear that everything Serena just said is a lie. If not, may his guts rot and spill out, may his mouth be filled with sores, may his scalp break out in scabies and his feet ooze pus, may he be struck by lightning, die in the streets, and be impotent for the rest of his life.
"With so many ancestors watching, such an oath would surely be potent. As long as Walter is willing to swear it, we, as the elders, will guarantee we never interfere in the youngsters’ affairs again. We certainly won’t, as you put it, First Brother, protect someone who slanders your family. So? What do you say, First Brother? Walter? Do you dare?"