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

Chapter 333: Chapter 333: Flags Can’t Be Set Lightly

After her giddy laughter subsided, Chloe Thorne remembered what Arabella Donovan had just said. She quickly wiped the smile off her face and said seriously, "The bodyguard was sent by the boss to protect me, it’s true, but if you hadn’t foreseen what would happen, Master Donovan, even he couldn’t have saved me. So you and the boss are both my saviors."

Thrown off by the interruption, Arabella Donovan couldn’t bring herself to say anything more.

To keep the girl from saying something else outrageous, she quickly changed the subject.

"How did you know I was coming to your company today? I didn’t even tell your boss before I came."

"I didn’t know!"

"Then this gift..."

"I prepared this gift a while ago. I was planning to find a chance to ask the boss to pass it along to you, but I didn’t expect you to show up before I even got to him. It must be fate!" By the end of her sentence, Chloe Thorne’s eyes were twinkling like stars.

Arabella Donovan was speechless. ’Compared to fate, I’d rather believe it was a blind squirrel finding a nut.’

After chatting with Chloe Thorne, Arabella Donovan followed the Lynch siblings into the minister’s private office. The previous occupant, Minister Holt, had already been sent to prison by Zane Lynch. Mired in massive gambling debts, Holt had been bribed by Cassandra Lynch and her accomplice to sell confidential information about the company’s artists. Now he was keeping the former Deputy Shaw company behind bars.

The newly appointed minister was a sharp, capable-looking woman in her early thirties with short hair. You could tell she favored a minimalist style.

Minister Holt’s collection of lush, green plants was nowhere to be seen.

The vast office felt sparse and empty. Aside from a simple desk, chairs, and a sofa, the only decorations were a few small, inconspicuous succulents on the desk.

"These succulents..."

The new minister’s heart instantly leaped into her throat. "Is there something wrong with these succulents?"

"Nothing’s wrong with them. I just think they’re quite pretty and wanted to ask where you bought them."

The minister finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "If you like them, Master Donovan, I’ll have someone pack them up and send them to Mr. Lynch’s office. You can just take them with you when you’re ready to leave."

Arabella Donovan paused. The familiar offer instantly reminded her of the Peacock Blue Glaze Porcelain vase that once sat in this very room.

’Didn’t Mr. Rhodes tell me how that business with the vase was resolved?’

’When Minister Holt was returning the counterfeit, he happened to run into Lynch, who had a business partner knowledgeable about antiques. The partner spotted it was a fake at a glance. Otherwise, imagine how awkward it would have been if Lynch had returned the fake vase to the original owner, only for them to find their authentic piece had been replaced with a forgery!’

Melody Lynch raised an eyebrow and turned to her older brother. ’This really happened?’

Zane Lynch’s eyelid twitched. ’Never mind you,’ he thought, ’even I, the person it happened to, didn’t know about this. My cousin was the one who told me about the Peacock Blue Glaze Porcelain... but wait a minute...’

Zane Lynch’s brow furrowed in thought. Appreciating fine art and antiques was a required part of the upbringing for any scion of a prominent family. However, most only scratched the surface, and they certainly couldn’t compare to the professional masters of appraisal.

Zane Lynch hadn’t noticed anything wrong with the Peacock Blue Glaze Porcelain, for two reasons. First, he was no expert. Second, the forgery itself was exceptionally well-made; without close inspection, it could easily pass for the real thing. It was understandable that he hadn’t spotted the discrepancy.

’But he’d never heard of his cousin having any deep interest in antiques before. So how did he spot the problem with the vase at a glance? Unless...’

’Thinking back, his cousin had also tipped him off about his wife and child before.’

’At the time, his story was that a friend traveling in another province had run into a woman with a four- or five-year-old child who bore a striking resemblance to him.’

’At the time, Zane Lynch had been so shocked by the possibility of suddenly being a father that he never thought to verify the truth of Caspian Rhodes’ story.’

’Could there really be such a coincidence? But if it wasn’t a coincidence, then how did he know all of this?’

Although Zane Lynch could be a bit clueless when it came to matters of the heart, he was no useless idiot. In fact, in certain areas, he was frighteningly perceptive.

Otherwise, the male and female leads in the "original novel" wouldn’t have had to go to such great lengths and use a pile of underhanded tactics to bring him down completely.

For a man like him, once a seed of doubt was planted, it was only a matter of time before he sought confirmation.

Meanwhile, Arabella Donovan, who was still busy feeling fortunate, was completely unaware that her own uncontrolled, rambling thoughts had just inadvertently sold someone out.

By the time they left the Public Relations Department, Arabella Donovan’s collection of gifts and snacks had grown once more. Zane Lynch and Melody Lynch’s arms were also full to bursting with treats.

In addition to Chloe Thorne’s gift, when others in the PR department saw Arabella Donovan strolling around while munching on beef jerky, they were suddenly inspired. They proceeded to dump all the snacks and treats hidden in their desk drawers into her arms.

Compared to the Finance Department, the PR Department’s working hours were more flexible. When things were slow, they could leave early, but when things got busy, the pressure was immense. During a real PR crisis, pulling all-nighters was the norm.

As a result, the snacks in their desk drawers were also far more varied. If the trio hadn’t seen where things were heading and made a quick escape, they probably would have each ended up carrying out an entire box.

"This girl is really something else. She’s the center of attention wherever she goes. Everyone just falls all over themselves to spoil her." Melody Lynch nudged the person beside her with her elbow, her own arms full of snacks.

There was no ill will in her words, just a simple observation. Some people just seem to be naturally magnetic; they don’t even have to do anything, just being in their presence makes others feel at ease.

"Zane? Hey, Zane, what are you thinking about? You didn’t even hear what I said."

Zane Lynch snapped out of his trance. "It’s nothing. Let’s head to the Artist Management Department next."

He had originally planned to take his time and wander through the company with them, but now he was preoccupied and anxious for answers. He just wanted to get this over with and cut to the chase.

Arabella Donovan was thinking the same thing. Mainly because if they visited even two more departments, they literally wouldn’t be able to carry anything else.

"Okay, let’s go to the Artist Management Department then. Zane, have you signed any new talent recently?"

"A while ago, our company partnered with Orange TV on an idol competition show. After the finale, we signed five of the artists based on their final popularity rankings."

Five artists might not sound like a lot, but since it was a joint production, the other partners were bound to get a piece of the pie. Being able to sign five promising prospects was a testament to the company’s considerable influence.

If even one of them turned into a breakout star like Arabella’s second brother, the entire company’s performance would be secure for years to come.

Arabella Donovan didn’t know about these intricacies. She only cared about one thing...

"Five artists? Have they all had background checks?"

As soon as she said that, the look Melody Lynch gave her brother became rather pointed.

Zane Lynch thought back on all the artists at his company whose careers had imploded one after another due to scandals, and felt as if several more daggers were twisting in his heart.

"We did! We checked them thoroughly. There will absolutely be no problems!"

’Ooh, famous last words. I have a feeling he’s about to be proven wrong, and soon.’

Melody Lynch: Pfft...

Zane Lynch: "..."