Chapter 448: Sounds Strangely Upright

Chapter 448: Chapter 448: Sounds Strangely Upright

The moment Arabella Donovan spoke, Hector Donovan couldn’t help but shiver.

Deciding to confess to his sister was one thing; being found out by her and having his cover blown was another matter entirely!

Thoroughly spooked, Hector Donovan decided to take the initiative and change the subject, hoping his sister would temporarily forget about it.

"Ahem, you said you’re this child’s uncle—her biological uncle?"

"That’s right. I am indeed Zora’s maternal uncle. Her mother was my full sister, the eldest daughter of the Kensington family."

True to his reputation for doting on his sister, Vaughn Kensington’s expression visibly softened at the mention of her.

"If you’re her uncle, how come Zora didn’t seem... very familiar with you when you first met just now?"

Vaughn Kensington’s expression stiffened slightly. He glanced down at the niece in his arms, recalling how the two before him had protected her over the past two days and rescued her from those human traffickers today.

After a moment’s hesitation, he answered truthfully, "Because we haven’t seen each other for some time."

As it turned out, ever since Chloe Coleman’s mother had passed away from illness four years ago, Vaughn Kensington had held a low opinion of her father, his nominal brother-in-law. He believed his sister died young simply because her husband hadn’t taken proper care of her. At the time, Vaughn had even wanted to fight Mr. Coleman for Chloe’s custody, planning to take his sister’s orphaned child back to be raised by the Kensington family.

Naturally, Mr. Coleman couldn’t agree to a demand that would cause him to lose face completely, so the two families ended up parting on terrible terms.

But since the child was still in his custody, Vaughn Kensington, no matter how resentful he was, had to maintain a tense, lukewarm relationship. The business collaborations between their family companies continued on this basis... until a year ago.

"A year ago, I was out of town on business when I suddenly heard that bastard was planning to remarry. I rushed back overnight and again demanded that he transfer Zora’s custody to me so I could take her away from the Coleman family. Not only did he refuse, but he also revoked my visitation rights as her maternal uncle!"

Mr. Coleman’s reasoning was actually quite easy to understand. He had just married a new woman, who brought her own child into the family. If his late wife’s brother immediately came to take his late wife’s daughter away, what would people say about him? How could he save face? His company’s reputation would inevitably suffer.

Therefore, considering all factors, he could not possibly agree to Vaughn Kensington’s demand. He even went out of his way to obstruct their meetings, determined to prevent any possibility of Chloe Coleman being taken away.

"I was furious. I had a complete falling out with him and severed all business ties between our families. But he’s Zora’s biological father, her legal guardian after my sister passed away. No matter how much pressure I put on him, I couldn’t change that."

At the time, Vaughn Kensington wasn’t above considering some extreme measures. He even entertained the thought that if a certain someone were to just... disappear, perhaps the child would become his. But in the end, Master Kensington stopped him.

The Kensington family had a long history of abiding by the law; they knew there were lines that must never be crossed.

Arabella Donovan was speechless. ’He sounds surprisingly principled. So how did he end up taking such desperate risks for Guinevere Rhodes later on, doing so many things that pushed the boundaries?’

’Was he really put under a spell by the protagonist’s halo and forcibly turned into a love-struck fool?’

After failing to get custody of Zora, Vaughn Kensington flew abroad in a rage. However, he didn’t simply wash his hands of his niece. After all, considering what a scoundrel Mr. Coleman was—with a new wife and a new child—it was obvious he wouldn’t treat the daughter of his late wife well.

So, before leaving the country, Vaughn Kensington paid a hefty sum to bribe a maid at the Coleman residence who was responsible for childcare, having her report to him regularly on his niece’s situation.

If he ever discovered that Mr. Coleman or that stepmother were mistreating the child in the slightest, he could storm back with evidence and fight Mr. Coleman for custody.

"But I never imagined that the bitch would take my money with one hand and get bought out by that other bitch who married into the Coleman family with the other. Not only was she getting paid by both sides, but she also sent me nothing but photos of Zora playing happily, to ’prove’ she was doing just fine at the Coleman house."

At this, Vaughn Kensington gritted his teeth in fury. If the two children hadn’t been on that TV show, and if the stepmother’s child hadn’t accidentally blurted out how his niece was being abused at the Coleman house, he would probably still be completely in the dark, believing she was being treated well.

The next time he heard about her, it would likely have been the terrible news that she’d been taken by human traffickers and had vanished without a trace.

At this thought, Vaughn Kensington could no longer suppress the violent rage surging within him. He wished he could make that scum unworthy of the title ’father’ and that venomous stepmother disappear from the face of the earth.

"I was too careless, too naive. I’m the reason this child has suffered so much." Vaughn Kensington’s heart ached as he gently stroked his niece’s gaunt little face.

The last time he’d seen her, she had been so lively, her eyes sparkling with excitement whenever she looked at him. Nothing like the child she was now, who startled at the sight of strangers, her gaze filled with timid fear and caution.

"This is far from over. Daniel Coleman, his wife, and that little brat of theirs... heh. Not a single one of them is getting away."

Hector and Arabella were speechless. ’That feeling of him being ready to descend into villainy at any moment... it’s just like a supervillain from a TV show!’

"Are you planning to use this opportunity to get custody of Zora?"

"That bastard, Daniel Coleman, doesn’t deserve to be Zora’s father, and he doesn’t deserve to raise her. He may not cherish Zora, but plenty of others will. If he had even a shred of paternal kindness, he wouldn’t be clinging to her like this. But even if he insists, this time, I will absolutely not allow Zora to return to that cannibalistic home."

Arabella Donovan exchanged a look with Hector. She had confirmed it: the ’benefactor’ Zora was fated to meet after a great disaster, as foretold by her facial reading, was this very uncle. After a moment’s thought, she stepped forward, covered the child’s ears, and laid out the stepmother’s entire scheme for him.

"That Mrs. Coleman didn’t just orchestrate this to have Zora taken by traffickers. She also planned for them to be driven to desperate measures along the way, intending for them to do her dirty work and kill Zora for her. When you get down to it, it’s simply because she’s pregnant and wants Zora, the first wife’s child, out of the way to make room for her own."

"What did you say?" Vaughn Kensington’s expression shifted. Seeing Arabella still covering the child’s ears to shield her from such filth, he quickly suppressed his temper and asked in a low voice, "You... figured all this out?"

It was clear Vaughn Kensington hadn’t been lying when he said he’d watched all their previous show episodes before coming; he accepted the bulk of what Arabella was saying without much hesitation.

Arabella Donovan nodded. "If that was her plan, she must have sent someone to secretly keep an eye on the traffickers. If you can find that person and get them to reveal the truth, it will be a huge asset in your fight for Zora’s custody."