Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Won’t Live to Thirty
That one? Which one?
Beatrice’s mother subconsciously turned to ask Mrs. Donovan, but Mrs. Donovan was just as confused and could only shake her head helplessly.
Arabella Donovan didn’t keep them in suspense, though, and quickly gave them the answer.
Back at the hospital, Arabella Donovan had personally witnessed the change in Henry Zeller’s facial features.
Different choices led to different fates, and in the process, she had even earned some Merit on the spot and genuinely seen a fragment of the future related to Henry Zeller.
But after that, Arabella Donovan had tried it a few more times on others, but she couldn’t replicate the same situation.
So she wasn’t sure if this "thing" was triggered randomly or if it was linked to her Merit Points—only activating when she had enough.
Whether it was the former or the latter, Arabella Donovan had no absolute certainty.
But a life was on the line, so she had to at least try.
Understanding the full story, her aunt’s heart began to pound violently again.
Although they hadn’t known what the color red represented beforehand, they had already guessed the gist of it.
Red could symbolize reunion and celebration, but it could also represent blood and misfortune.
If it were the former, Arabella Donovan’s expression wouldn’t be so serious, nor would her tone be so heavy. That only left the latter.
Beatrice Donovan’s profession meant that it was impossible for her to completely avoid risk, much less slack off on the job.
But if they could truly know in advance what would put her in danger, the chances of avoiding it would increase dramatically.
With their daughter’s life at stake, the couple wished they could perk up their ears, memorize every single word Arabella Donovan revealed, and analyze it frame by frame.
Although Eloise Donovan didn’t know what Arabella Donovan’s so-called trigger condition was, it didn’t stop her from subtly smoothing things over for her sister and everyone else present.
"So that’s our cousin’s job." Eloise Donovan gave Arabella Donovan a push, a half-smile on her face. "We’d better be careful, then. Who knows, if our cousin gets upset one day, she might just arrest us to boost her numbers."
’Oh, right!’
Arabella Donovan belatedly realized the gravity of the situation and awkwardly touched her nose.
’Crap, how could I forget? My whole mystic persona works one minute and fails the next. They’re not going to arrest me as a fraud, are they?!’
Everyone: Pfft...
Beatrice Donovan’s family: "..." *It’s not that serious.*
Thankfully, their uncle reacted quickly, clearing his throat. "Eloise, you love to joke. Your cousin only arrests vicious criminals and thugs. Since you two haven’t committed any crimes, why would she have any reason to arrest you?"
’I get it. A small fry like me isn’t even worth my cousin’s time. You don’t need a sledgehammer to crack a nut.’
Beatrice Donovan’s mouth twitched, but she could roughly guess why Eloise Donovan had brought this up now. Both annoyed and amused, she said, "You little rascal. I haven’t seen you in a few years, and now you even dare to tease your big cousin, huh?"
Arabella Donovan was surprised by Beatrice Donovan’s overly familiar tone. "You two know each other?"
"Mom took me to Brynn for a visit before, and we stayed at our cousin’s house for a few days. She took great care of me." Eloise Donovan’s tone suddenly shifted. "But she also bullied me plenty. Good thing my little sister here grew up in a Sacred Temple. I heard that when our second brother was getting harassed, she took down seven or eight bodyguards, all a whole size bigger than her, all by herself. Cousin, you might not actually be able to beat her, so you can’t bully me anymore."
"That impressive? Sacred Temples teach self-defense skills these days?"
"Of course. My sister has plenty of skills. Besides that, her greatest talent is telling fortunes and predicting people’s fates. Cousin, want to give it a try?"
Arabella Donovan’s expression stiffened, terrified that her distant cousin would suddenly leap up and arrest her on the spot.
"Sure."
"Huh?" Arabella Donovan blinked, almost thinking she had misheard.
Her surprise was so obvious that it made Beatrice Donovan laugh. "I said, ’Sure.’ Read my fortune. If you’re accurate, I’ll even get you a belated birthday present."
"And what if I’m not accurate?"
"If you’re not accurate, you’re not accurate. It’s all just for fun, why take it so seriously?"
It was as if Arabella Donovan had just woken from a dream. The tension in her nerves finally eased.
’Oh, right. I’m just doing a reading for family, and I’m not charging any money. It’s just for fun, what’s there to be afraid of? Alright, alright, let me think of how to trick... ahem, fabricate a story that will make my cousin believe my little joke.’
The onlookers: Pfft...
The-soon-to-be-tricked Beatrice Donovan: "..." *If you keep muttering to yourself like that, my hands are really going to start itching for a fight.*
"Since you’ve put it that way, Cousin, I’ll reluctantly do you the favor of a reading."
This decisive and slightly smug attitude was a world apart from how she had acted when facing Jeremy Donovan.
Beatrice Donovan couldn’t help but smile. "Alright, go ahead and say what you will. Even if you get something wrong, I absolutely won’t get mad."
Hearing that, Arabella Donovan’s competitive spirit was completely ignited.
"Cousin, you have a high-bridged nose and long, narrow corners of your eyes, but the ’Spouse Palace’ on your face is flat and slightly sunken. This indicates that you’re an incredibly ambitious person. You’re serious and self-assured in your work, as well as decisive and far-sighted, which is why you tend to succeed at whatever you do. But precisely because you’re so career-focused, you can’t properly balance your relationships and your work. Your marriage will likely come a bit late because of this. You probably won’t meet your destined partner until after you’re thirty."
"Even if you date someone before then, you’ll end up clashing with your partner for all sorts of reasons, and it will be difficult for the relationship to last."
As soon as she said this, the three members of Beatrice Donovan’s family all had different expressions.
Her uncle and aunt recalled how they had been pressuring their daughter to get married over the past few years, and they felt a mix of emotions.
Beatrice Donovan, however, subtly breathed a sigh of relief. She had indeed been busy with her career all these years and had absolutely no interest in romance. Besides, she really hadn’t met anyone who could capture her heart.
She could understand her parents’ worries, but their constant pressure to marry was a real headache. Now, with Arabella Donovan’s words, she could at least have some peace and quiet for the next two or three years.
"But..."
"But?" The sudden turn made everyone temporarily forget about Beatrice Donovan’s late marriage.
’But if we don’t solve the problem at hand, I’m afraid you won’t even live to see thirty, Cousin!’
Her uncle and aunt: "!!!"
Beatrice Donovan: "..."
Thoughts were one thing, but Arabella Donovan obviously couldn’t just drop that bombshell on her. "Cousin, give me your hand first."
Beatrice Donovan compliantly held out her right hand. Arabella Donovan looked down and pointed to a very obvious line on Beatrice Donovan’s palm. "This is your lifeline, Cousin."
The members of the Donovan family, along with Beatrice Donovan’s parents, subconsciously crowded around to stare at her palm.
Beatrice Donovan’s eyelid twitched, but she didn’t say anything in the end, silently enduring the orderly crowd that had formed around her.
"From this line, I can see that you’ve had two major tribulations in the first half of your life. One was between the ages of six and eight." Arabella Donovan pointed to a small, sharp bump not far from the beginning of Beatrice Donovan’s lifeline.
The words had barely left her mouth when the expressions of Beatrice Donovan’s family all changed.
