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

Chapter 285: Chapter 285: He’s Here with His Lovesick Brain

Outrageous as it was, Justin Donovan’s reputation for being reliable was deeply ingrained. After her initial surprise, Arabella Donovan didn’t doubt him. Instead, she turned her gaze to her second brother.

"Aurora, you said last night you had a gig to get to today and had to rush to the airport after breakfast, didn’t you? It’s... too late for that now, isn’t it?"

Hector Donovan calmly pushed the sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, flipped a page in the fashion magazine he was holding, and said coolly, "Webb called me this morning. The plane we were supposed to take hit a bird during its flight last night, cracking the cockpit windshield. It was taken in for repairs as soon as it returned to the airport. To compensate us, all passengers on the flight were automatically rebooked for this afternoon."

Arabella went, "Ohhh..." ’Could this excuse be any more absurd?’

The rest of them were speechless. ’That actually works?’

"Aurora, don’t tell me something happened at your lab, too? Did someone lose control of a chemistry experiment and blow the place up?"

Aurora Donovan said, "...It wasn’t quite that dramatic."

"So why are you still here?"

"The security guard who holds the lab keys drank way too much last night. He crashed his electric scooter into a ditch while driving home drunk. He’s okay, but the keys and his phone all fell into the water. They still haven’t been recovered."

This was getting more ridiculous by the second. "...Your lab doesn’t have a spare key?" Arabella asked.

"We do, but my advisor has it, and he went back to his hometown for the holiday. Even with express delivery, it won’t get here until this afternoon."

"...Fine." The corner of Arabella’s mouth twitched. Her gaze slid over to Mr. and Mrs. Donovan and Eloise.

The three of them instantly sat bolt upright. They didn’t even wait for her to ask before offering up their own excuses.

"We did have plans to go shopping with your uncle and aunt. But who would have guessed? They just called to say there’s a deity parade in the urban village near their place today. The whole area is packed like a can of sardines—you can get in, but you can’t get out. We rescheduled the shopping trip for tomorrow."

"I see..." Arabella said.

’I don’t even know what to say anymore!’

The Donovans exchanged glances and looked down, abashed. Their excuses were fake, but their desire to watch the drama unfold was as real as it gets.

They had to get a taste of this drama today, no matter what. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink tonight. So, to hell with the excuses!

"Serena, who was on the phone just now? Is everything alright?"

"It’s nothing, really. It was Ms. Kerr, the chairman of the House of Aethel Jade I met in Jarden. A friend of hers needs my help."

"House of Aethel Jade?" A spark of recognition lit up Mrs. Donovan’s eyes. "Is that the jewelry company where your cousin’s wife works?"

"Yes. I didn’t tell them I’d moved. They looked for me at my grand-uncle’s place before the holiday, so they went there again this morning and came up empty. That’s why they called to ask where I am."

"I figured since you were all going out, I could just have them come over. Justin’s room is at the back of the house and pretty soundproof..." Arabella paused, frowning. "Maybe I should arrange to meet them somewhere else instead?"

"Don’t!!!"

The moment Arabella pulled out her phone, everyone simultaneously thrust a hand out toward her in a desperate "stop" gesture.

Arabella: "???"

"Ahem... Don’t go to all that trouble. You already gave them the address, so just let them come over. It’s no big deal, right?"

"Exactly! If you go out, you’ll have to find another place to meet. What a hassle!"

"But I think a few people are coming this time. They might disturb you all."

Mrs. Donovan waved a dismissive hand. "Disturb us? Don’t be silly. We often have guests over during the holidays. The more the merrier! We couldn’t be happier."

"Mom’s right," Hector added, voicing his true intentions with a joking tone. "We don’t have any skeletons in the closet, so we’re not afraid of visitors. We’re just sitting around bored, anyway. As long as they don’t mind us watching the show from the sidelines, it’s all good."

It was no joke. If she took her guests elsewhere, they’d miss out on all the drama! And all those excuses they’d just wracked their brains to come up with would be for nothing. They absolutely could not let that happen.

Arabella shot them another suspicious glance. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her family was strangely... hyper today.

Their scheme found out, the family members all looked at the ceiling, the floor, at each other—anywhere but at Arabella.

Fortunately, Mr. Lewis and his party had an urgent matter and arrived very quickly. The doorbell rang just as the Donovans finished their conversation.

"That should be them. I’ll get the door."

A moment later, Arabella led in Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, another middle-aged couple, and a young man in his late teens. Ms. Kerr and her son had returned to Jarden a couple of days prior and hadn’t come along this time.

Mr. Lewis and his companions were taken aback to see Arabella’s entire family gathered there.

"These are my parents and my older siblings. They’re all still on holiday, so everyone’s at home."

Mr. Lewis quickly recovered and apologized profusely. "I am so sorry. We came unannounced. I hope we’re not disturbing you all."

"Not at all, not at all," Mr. Donovan said, stepping in as the head of the household. "Serena just told us everything. I’m sure you wouldn’t have rushed over to see her during the holiday unless it was extremely urgent. Please, business comes first. Don’t mind us."

"That’s right. Please, sit down and have some fruit," Mrs. Donovan added, emerging with a platter of freshly washed fruit and gesturing for them to take a seat with a gentle smile.

Mr. Lewis and his companions finally breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the Donovans’ reasonableness. They were completely unaware that in the eyes of the family, they and their friends were merely the evening’s entertainment—the main course in a feast of fresh drama.

"We know we shouldn’t be intruding during the holiday, but the situation is truly urgent. My friend’s son... he..."

The moment Mr. Lewis spoke, all eyes in the room fell upon the young man who had been reluctantly dragged in by his parents.

It turned out that not long after Arabella had sent off the little ghost, foiling the conspiracy Terence Lewis’s family had plotted for years, Paul Lewis and his wife had died from the resulting backlash, which proved incurable.

Terence Lewis and his sister, Valerie Lewis, became orphans overnight. They were isolated and helpless, and their paternal uncle—the only person who could have helped them—was now their mortal enemy.

Terence was a lost cause; he could barely fend for himself. He was already being driven mad by unseen entities and was in no condition to stir up more trouble.

Valerie Lewis was another story. Having been spoiled her entire life, she couldn’t accept this drastic fall from grace. So, she set her sights on the York Family.

The York family’s son, Evan York, opened his mouth and out came a familiar, angsty, melodramatic tirade: "Mom, Dad, how many times do I have to tell you? Valerie and I are truly in love! No matter how hard you try to tear us apart, I’ll never give up!"

Arabella: "..."

’Here he comes, here he comes! He’s brought his love-addled brain that even a zombie wouldn’t bother to eat!’

The Donovan family collectively stifled a snort.

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