I Read Their Tragic Fates, and My Family Reads My Mind?

Chapter 329: Chapter 329: Fickle Adults

"Ahem. Well, at this point, there’s no reason to hide it from you anymore. Serena isn’t just special herself—her master is also a reclusive expert whose whereabouts are a mystery. The jade beads on these bracelets were cut from the raw stones her master left for her. They aren’t ordinary beads."

"Not ordinary beads?" Hearing Mrs. Donovan’s words, the Lynch Family looked astonished, but Juliet Lyons’s eyes lit up, a look of sheer excitement on her face.

"According to Arabella Donovan, these stones contain a small amount of spiritual marrow, which is invisible to ordinary people. Wearing them for an extended period can nourish the body, warding off illness and preventing disaster."

"That’s incredible?!"

The group, who had previously thought of the bracelets as ordinary accessories and wore them casually, suddenly felt the anxiety of a child unwittingly parading through the market with a gold brick, vulnerable to being robbed at any moment.

Juliet Lyons, for her part, had her suspicions completely confirmed, and her gratitude toward Arabella Donovan deepened.

Melody Lynch, on the other hand, wore a look of utter exasperation that screamed, ’What the hell? Who am I? Where am I? What is even happening?’ She was clearly in despair over how fast her world was leveling up.

"That’s just how it is. When that child, Serena, comes across something good, the first people she thinks of are the family elders who have always been so good to her. So she had the items taken apart and polished into various pieces of jewelry to give everyone as New Year’s gifts. You all, however, are one of the few exceptions among the recipients."

The Donovan Family agreed with Juliet Lyons’s theory for two reasons. First, the items from Arabella Donovan’s master were no ordinary objects; it was entirely possible they came with some unknown attribute bonuses.

Second, Arabella Donovan had personally handled and packed all the New Year’s gifts for their relatives. Since the Lynch Family was an exception, did this mean that in the eyes of the Providence, they too had earned Arabella’s approval and were considered her family?

If that was really the case...

"Then that would truly be a blessing in disguise." Mrs. Donovan sighed, but she couldn’t help but consider other possibilities.

"Besides the ones sent out as New Year’s gifts, the young master of the Rhodes Family—your cousin, Solara—spent five hundred million to order two pendants from Serena."

"Five hundred million?" Zane Lynch couldn’t help but exclaim. "My cousin is as loaded as ever!"

Mrs. Lynch, however, disagreed. "He probably requested those two pendants for the two elders in his family. Five hundred million isn’t expensive for that."

Mr. Lynch deeply agreed. Five hundred million sounded like a scary number, but if the pendants really had the effects Mrs. Donovan just described, then the price was a bargain.

Everyone knows that what the elderly fear most is getting one illness after another.

To put it bluntly, it was like paying for a longer life. How could that be compared to an ordinary transaction?

If the elders of both their families hadn’t already passed away, he feared he too would have found it hard to resist the temptation.

"On top of that, Serena allowed Mr. Kerr, the owner of House of Aethel Jade who helped produce the finished pieces, and his son to set aside two items for themselves. It was their payment for the processing and for their silence."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Lynch couldn’t help but clutch his chest and sigh. "...That mother and son from the Kerr Family really hit the jackpot!"

"That’s their good fortune. They know that sticking with our Serena means they’ll be well taken care of."

Melody Lynch shot her parents a dead-eyed stare. ’’Our Serena’ already? Heh. Fickle adults!’

The rest of the Donovan Family obviously noticed Mrs. Lynch’s choice of words and wore helpless expressions. It was a particular kind of powerlessness, having a child so well-liked that you constantly had to worry about others trying to steal her away.

"Even though those people also received items, they weren’t gifts handled personally by Serena, so we can’t be sure if they’ll have the same effect for now."

"What’s so difficult about that?" Zane Lynch was quite casual about it, waving his hand dismissively. "Just find a chance to bring them to meet Serena, then watch their reactions. A normal person who suddenly discovers they can hear people’s thoughts can’t possibly hide it completely."

The Donovans thought that made sense, and Mrs. Donovan immediately made the final decision.

"Then it’s settled. There’s too much going on at the company for Justin to get away, Hector is flying all over the place for appearances and has no time, and Eloise is starting school soon. Looks like your father and I will just have to bite the bullet and stay at your Uncle and Auntie Lynch’s place for a while. We’ll head back after everything is resolved."

Mrs. Lynch had just been racking her brain for a way to make Arabella stay. Hearing this, she was overjoyed and delightedly grabbed Mrs. Donovan’s hand. "Wonderful, wonderful! Felix and I will take this chance to show you around Jarden and help you get settled in. If you need anything at all, just let me know. Don’t stand on ceremony, just make yourselves at home. Stay as long as you like, for as long as you need."

The only victims in all this were the three Donovan siblings.

’...’ ’Such noble-sounding excuses. Aren’t you just trying to dump all your work so you can stay here and watch the drama unfold?’

’Why do we still have to work and go to school? I mean, seriously, do we really have to keep slaving away at our stupid jobs?!’

Arabella Donovan, sleeping like the dead upstairs, was completely oblivious to the commotion below.

Perhaps because so much had happened recently, on top of her constant worrying about her third brother, she hadn’t been sleeping soundly.

Now that the lingering threat was gone and she had left that place of conflict, Arabella Donovan slept straight through to high noon.

When she got up, she found the house mostly empty. It was only then that she belatedly realized she was a guest in someone else’s home, and it was rather rude of her to sleep in so late.

When Arabella went downstairs, Melody Lynch was the only one in the living room.

Her eyes brightened when she saw her. "You’re awake! Are you hungry? Is there anything you’d like to eat?"

"Sorry, I was so exhausted I ended up sleeping in."

"Don’t worry about it. This is actually early. When I first went abroad, I’d sleep until the next day just to get over the jet lag. Eloise, your brothers, and my sister-in-law are all still asleep anyway. You missed breakfast, so you must be starving. Is there anything you feel like eating? I can ask the kitchen to whip something up for you."

"Anything’s fine. Is there something already made? Something quick would be..." Before Arabella could finish, her stomach let out a loud rumble.

She blushed, rubbing her stomach in embarrassment. "I guess I really am hungry."

Melody Lynch couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. "Okay, just a minute. I’ll have them get you something simple. It’ll be quick."

Fortunately, the family chef, seeing they had so many guests, had already prepared a large pot of congee and steamed some buns, just in case anyone woke up hungry and needed a quick bite.

Melody Lynch served Arabella a bowl of congee and got her a bun. Seeing how heartily Arabella was eating, Melody, despite having already eaten lunch, couldn’t resist grabbing a bun for herself and taking a bite.

"Do you have any plans for the afternoon? Your parents went shopping with mine, and my older brother went to work at his company. How about we go visit him there? We could see if there are any handsome guys or beautiful girls to check out... and maybe tease a little?"

Arabella: "???" ’This cousin of mine is intense! Teasing the talent at her own brother’s entertainment agency, just like that? Isn’t she worried people will think it’s some kind of casting couch situation?’