Chapter 449: Noobs Pecking at Each Other

Chapter 449: Chapter 449: Noobs Pecking at Each Other

When Vaughn Kensington heard what Arabella Donovan said, he was furious, but also excited that custody was nearly within his grasp.

But he quickly calmed down, met Arabella’s gaze, and frowned. "What do you want?"

Hector Donovan’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You’re telling me all this, so what is it you want? Or let me be more direct, what do you want to get from me?"

"Hey, my temper’s flaring up. Are you completely ungrateful...?" Hector was so mad he stepped forward, wanting to give this ungrateful idiot a couple of hard slaps.

Arabella, however, was perfectly calm. "I don’t need anything. And forgive me for being blunt, but if I truly wanted something, there are plenty of people who would fall over themselves to deliver it to me. It wouldn’t be your turn."

Vaughn Kensington was stunned, his expression a little stiff. But after calming down and thinking about Arabella’s abilities, he had to admit that she was probably telling the truth.

Still, a part of him wondered, ’Can people in this world really be kind to others with no ulterior motive?’

"Then..."

"Let’s just say it’s for Zora’s sake." Arabella released her hand from over Chloe Coleman’s ears and gave her cheek a gentle pinch.

"Being on this show and meeting Zora must mean we were fated to. If I didn’t know about her situation, that would be one thing. But now that I do, I can’t just stand by and watch a sweet, sensible child like her go back to that den of wolves. I can tell you genuinely dote on her and truly want to take her home to raise her properly. So, I’m willing to give you a hand."

Vaughn Kensington pressed his lips together and said nothing, his face flushing slightly with embarrassment for having judged her so poorly.

"However, since you’re planning on taking Zora home to raise her, there are a few things that need to be said upfront."

Vaughn had now completely reined in his temper, and his attitude toward Arabella had become much more deferential. "Please, go on."

Arabella glanced at the child. This time, she didn’t have to do anything; Vaughn reached out and gently drew the child’s head against his chest, covering her ears to make sure she couldn’t hear their conversation.

"Zora is your sister’s daughter. You’re willing to love and dote on her, but in some people’s eyes, your niece is just baggage. They’ll say she’ll affect your future relationships and marriage, and they’ll gossip behind your back..."

Before Arabella could finish, Vaughn couldn’t help but cut in. "If anyone dares to gossip about the Kensington Family, I’ll have their tongue torn out."

Arabella: "..." ’I see,’ she thought. ’This one’s got a fiery temper.’

"Let me finish speaking."

"...Fine."

"Besides that, some people who try to get close to you will notice how much you dote on Zora and will likely try to get to you through her. At the end of the day, people like that are after you, and they might not be sincere with Zora."

Vaughn’s expression darkened as he said coldly, "I won’t date or get married until Zora is grown up. I won’t let anyone use this to hurt her."

"...You don’t have to go that far."

"From reading your face, I can see your true love will appear in three years. But before that, you’ll have some ill-fated encounters—what are commonly known as... toxic relationships."

’What I said wasn’t a lie,’ Arabella thought. ’His true love is indeed due in three years. However, according to the original plot, his grave would be covered in weeds by then, so whether he had a true love or who it was didn’t really matter.’

"Toxic... relationships?" Vaughn was taken aback, his expression a little stiff.

Seeing this, Hector’s heart skipped a beat. "Don’t tell me... you already have a girlfriend?"

"No, no, no, I’ve been single for over twenty years."

’Single for over twenty years? He only looks like he’s in his twenties... which means... he’s been single since birth?’

"Oho..." Hector looked Vaughn Kensington up and down, a gossipy and gloating expression on his face.

"I never would have guessed. Mr. Kensington is so handsome, rich, and distinguished, yet he’s never been in a relationship. Still... single since birth."

Vaughn Kensington’s face fell. He stared at Hector Donovan with a sinister look for a long moment before saying sarcastically, "Judging by Best Actor Donovan’s tone, you must have had plenty of relationships in your time. When can we expect an invitation to your wedding?"

Best Actor Donovan, who had been under strict parental control as a teen, too busy with school to date, and then, after entering the industry, had to avoid any woman like the plague—he hadn’t so much as held a female mosquito’s hand for fear of baseless rumors about some kind of pixelated perversion—was left speechless. ’Right for the jugular! That’s a low blow!’

Arabella silently watched the two amateurs peck at each other from the sidelines. ’What a "wound the enemy by a thousand, lose eight hundred yourself" kind of mutually destructive counterattack. Go on, keep hurting each other!’

"What does ’single since birth’ mean?"

At that critical moment, a clear, crisp voice suddenly joined the conversation, making the adults jump instinctively.

They all looked down in unison and met the child’s big, curious eyes. It turned out that in his bickering with Hector, Vaughn hadn’t noticed that his hand covering her ears had slipped off at some point.

The Donovan siblings immediately shot him an accusatory glare. Knowing he was in the wrong, Vaughn’s confidence deflated. He really didn’t know how to explain the term to a child, so he could only look to Arabella for help.

"Ahem. ’Single since birth’ means that your uncle is still a baby, which makes him perfect for taking care of a baby like you, Zora."

The two "babies": "..." ’What kind of explanation is that?!’

Chloe Coleman nodded, seeming to half-understand. "Uncle is a baby, Mr. Donovan is a baby, everyone is a baby. So everyone can take care of Zora."

"That’s right, Zora is so smart."

The two men: "..."

"Since you don’t have a girlfriend right now, keep your eyes wide open and don’t let any toxic relationships get near you, or else..."

"Or else what?"

"Or else not only will Zora get dragged down, but you won’t fare much better. Best-case scenario, you get seriously hurt. Worst-case, you go bankrupt and lose your life. So, you have to weigh your options: a wife who might not even be yours to keep, or your life."

Vaughn Kensington: "..." ’Is that even a choice? Does she really see me as some love-struck fool?’

If Arabella knew what he was thinking, she would have nodded in agreement. ’I can’t say for sure about the real you, but the you in the story definitely is!’

Arabella had said all she needed to. How the Coleman and Kensington families fought for custody from here on out was their own business and had nothing to do with her and her brother.

After this incident, Vaughn Kensington’s attitude toward Arabella changed drastically, shifting from passably friendly to deeply respectful.

Whether what she said was true or not, she had saved the child’s life and given him excellent grounds to fight for custody. Both emotionally and logically, he owed her a huge debt of gratitude. He immediately asked for Arabella’s account information and transferred ten million to her as a thank-you gift.

As the three adults and one child were leaving the police station, they ran into an unexpected visitor rushing toward them. Upon seeing who it was, all three adults froze.