Chapter 454: Holy Moly

Chapter 454: Chapter 454: Holy Moly

An awkward silence permeated the empty room. The Donovan family wanted to say something to ease the tension, but they had no idea what to say.

After what felt like an eternity, Arabella Donovan finally exhaled. Her expression was stiff as she asked, "Dad, are you kidding me?"

"I’m not kidding. It’s true," Mrs. Donovan said, her expression a mixture of guilt and heartache as she looked at her dejected youngest daughter.

"Mom, not you too..."

"What Mom and Dad said is true. We really can hear... your thoughts." Eloise Donovan’s words were the straw that broke the camel’s back.

’How is that possible? It’s not the least bit scientific! Then again, the giant library in my head isn’t very scientific to begin with, is it? Could it... could it actually be true? In that case, does that mean they know about all the times I bad-mouthed them behind their backs? Calling Dad henpecked, Mom a smiling tiger, my eldest brother rigid, my second brother finicky, my third brother a cheapskate, and my fourth sister a total sucker... They know?!’

The family was silent. They might not have known before, but they certainly did now.

’Nope. I have to test them.’

Arabella Donovan cleared her throat. "You say you can all hear what I’m thinking. If that’s the case, tell me, what was I just thinking?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Hector Donovan stepped forward. "You said you bad-mouthed Dad for being henpecked, Mom a smiling tiger, our eldest brother rigid, mmmph—"

Before Hector could finish, Arabella clamped her hand tightly over his mouth. "Don’t say it! Don’t say any more!"

’Damn it, don’t I get to save any face? Wait... if my second brother knows all that, it means what Mom and Dad said is very likely true. And if that’s true, then what I was just thinking... they’ve already...’

Justin Donovan replied, his face expressionless, "Yes. We heard."

Arabella: "..."

’Good grief, just let the ground swallow me whole!’

Arabella looked just like a doomed side character in a manga who had suffered a critical hit, a wisp of a transparent soul escaping her lips as her face turned to stone.

Some people may look like they’re still around, but really, they checked out a long time ago.

"Serena..." Mrs. Donovan began, seeing her daughter’s reaction. She was genuinely worried that her youngest would be so devastated by this that she’d shut down on the spot. She was even more worried that Arabella would be angry at them for hiding it from her.

"We were wrong to handle it this way. We should have told you much sooner."

"When did it start?"

"What?"

"When did you start... hearing my thoughts?"

The Donovans froze again. This time, it was Mrs. Donovan who spoke. "It started right after you came home. To be precise, it was the first time Claire Bishop visited our home."

The reason they had spent the past two days at Wagner’s Village desecrating graves to vent their fury, rather than coming straight to Arabella after learning the truth, was twofold: first, to release their pent-up rage, and second, to buy time to figure out how to explain everything to her.

Mrs. Donovan had rehearsed what she would say countless times, but now, faced with her daughter’s questioning expression, all she could do was answer truthfully.

Hearing this, Arabella actually calmed down. "So, when I suggested taking her back to the hospital for another examination, that’s why you were all so cooperative."

"Yes."

"And Justin. He showed up out of nowhere and said he’d found a hidden camera in his hotel room..."

"I was lying to her," Justin confessed. "There was no camera. I was just outside and heard your thoughts. I came up with that on the spot."

It all clicked for Arabella. "So that’s what happened."

"Serena, I’m so sorry," Mrs. Donovan said, her voice thick with emotion. "We didn’t tell you at first because we were worried. You had just come home and were in such an unsettled state. I was afraid... I was afraid that if we told you the truth, you’d be so worried about us hearing your thoughts that you’d pull away from us."

As she spoke, Mrs. Donovan’s eyes reddened. "Later... later, I admit, I was being selfish. The things you thought about kept being proven true, one after another, and we all grew a little... afraid."

Arabella’s expression stiffened. "Afraid... of me?"

"Not of you. We were afraid of what other terrible things might be waiting for your brothers and sisters—for our family. That’s why we kept it from you. We were afraid you’d get all awkward about it..." *and stop leading them to all the juicy drama.*

It was obvious Arabella was feeling a little uncomfortable now. She pouted and grumbled, "Is that what you think of me? That I’m that petty?"

Her words struck the Donovans like a critical blow. They had been planning to explain (or rather, make excuses) further, but their morale instantly plummeted. A thousand things they wanted to say were reduced to a single sentence: "We’re sorry."

Arabella’s gaze swept over each of them. Finally, with a sigh, she asked, "Can my third brother hear them too?"

"Yes." Mrs. Donovan felt obligated to explain on her third son’s behalf, so she carefully added, "He wanted to come today, but his mentor was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was hospitalized a while back, and on top of that, his research is at a critical juncture. The institute wouldn’t let him take time off..."

Arabella’s eyes flickered. ’So, Elder Lyons really did have cancer,’ she thought. ’I didn’t pay attention at first. By the time they discovered it, it must have already been in the late stages, and then it was too late to do anything.’

"So, has my third brother said... how his mentor is doing?"

"He’s doing very well! Your third brother said his mentor took your advice and went to get checked early on. It is cancer, but luckily they caught it early before it could spread much. With prompt surgery and treatment, a full recovery might not be certain, but extending his life by another eight or ten years shouldn’t be a problem."

The main thing was, Elder Lyons was no spring chicken. At his age, every extra day of life is a gift. Eight or ten years might fly by for a young person, but for Elder Lyons and his family, that time was priceless—something no amount of money could ever buy.

"That’s good, then." Arabella breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile touching her lips. It seemed she wasn’t letting the earlier events get to her.

They couldn’t quite gauge Arabella’s mood, but they knew that if they didn’t press on now, their nerve might fail them. Since they’d already come this far, they might as well get everything out in the open, rather than risk her bringing it up again later.

They exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them in an instant.

"Ahem. Serena, there’s... something else we need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Besides us and your third brother, a lot of our relatives can... too."

The smile on Arabella’s face froze solid. "What do you mean by ’a lot of our relatives’?"

Mrs. Donovan: "For example, your cousin, Miss Lillian, and her two children."

Justin: "Fourth Aunt and her family, and Fifth Aunt and hers."

Hector: "Our great-uncle and great-aunt, our cousin Beatrice, and our eldest uncle’s family on Mom’s side."

Eloise: "My eldest uncle’s family couldn’t at first. But after you gave them their New Year’s gifts, they started hearing them recently, too."

Mr. Donovan delivered the coup de grace: "Basically, it’s pretty much everyone who transferred you money for that last auction."

Arabella: "..."ℯ