Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Blackened Little Wolf Dog
Eloise Donovan’s eyes went wide. ’Wait a minute, my cousin is a man, right? And this assistant is also a man, right? He has a secret crush on my cousin???’
Caspian Rhodes was also shocked. Nathan Collins had been by Zane Lynch’s side for three or four years, and while his work performance was decent, he had always faded into the background.
Because of this, Caspian Rhodes had always thought he was a bit too introverted. Who could have imagined he was bold enough to harbor those kinds of feelings for Zane Lynch!
Arabella Donovan, however, had no prejudice against him. Whether a person liked men or women was their own choice. As long as they didn’t hurt anyone, it deserved respect.
But she couldn’t stand how he repeatedly claimed Zane Lynch was his true love while teaming up with Cassandra Lynch to stab Zane in the back.
He even had the gall to claim that as long as Zane Lynch was no longer the high-and-mighty young master of the Lynch Family, he would have his chance.
This kind of love, which aimed to drag the other person down, was undoubtedly pathological. It served only to satisfy his own selfish desires.
Caspian Rhodes’s expression darkened slightly, and his gaze toward Nathan Collins grew a few shades colder.
He’d been wondering before—his cousin wasn’t a careless person, so how could he have been so easily plotted against?
Now that he thought about it, letting his guard down around Cassandra Lynch was one thing, but the other problem likely stemmed from this highly trusted man right by his cousin’s side.
Nathan Collins had no idea that his biggest secret had been exposed the moment they met.
After exchanging greetings with the group, he pushed up the glasses on his nose and led them upstairs.
Zane Lynch’s office was on the top floor. Nathan Collins led the group into the office and had someone bring in some fruit, snacks, and drinks.
While hosting Arabella Donovan and the others, he was perfectly polite without being so effusive as to make them feel awkward. He was neither obsequious nor arrogant, his every move appropriate and measured.
If they weren’t certain that Arabella Donovan never spouted nonsense, Caspian and Eloise would never have guessed that beneath this man’s cold and serious exterior lurked such a secret, twisted obsession.
Before the two could have second thoughts, Arabella Donovan was already holding her pleasantly warm milk tea with a sigh of contentment.
’As expected of a possessive wolf-pup who has gone to the dark side, all insecure and whiny on the surface but secretly sees Zane Lynch as his property. What’s with this ’empress of the palace’ act? Afraid people don’t know this is your territory?’
"Pfft..." Caspian Rhodes nearly choked on his tea. Eloise Donovan’s hand trembled as she held her coffee, and she wished she could just bury her face in the cup.
This was the scene that greeted Zane Lynch when he finished his meeting and returned to his office.
"Cousin."
Caspian Rhodes practically shot to his feet. "Meeting’s over?"
"It is. Sorry, it was a last-minute meeting, so I couldn’t come get you myself. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long."
"No, no, it’s fine. We just got here."
Just as Arabella Donovan finished speaking, Caspian Rhodes took the opportunity to make the introductions.
"This is the person I told you about, Arabella Donovan—Master Donovan. Beside her is her sister, Miss Eloise Donovan. And this is my cousin, the owner of this talent agency, Zane Lynch."
As Zane Lynch followed Caspian Rhodes’s gesture, Eloise Donovan happened to look up.
The two, already connected by blood, froze the moment their eyes met.
Even though Zane Lynch had seen a photo of Eloise Donovan beforehand and was somewhat mentally prepared, he was still deeply shaken when he saw the girl in person. She looked almost identical to his second aunt.
Recalling Caspian Rhodes’s tip-off and the secret communications between Cassandra Lynch and her biological father that he had recently uncovered, Zane Lynch’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his expression growing even more grave.
While Zane Lynch stared, stunned, at Eloise Donovan, she too was sizing up this blood relative of hers.
A crisp yet lively striped suit, a handsome face, and bright, sparkling eyes—everything about him radiated a refreshing, vibrant energy.
’Can he recognize me? Will he be willing to accept me?’
Eloise Donovan’s heart pounded like a drum. Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into fists as she struggled to remain calm.
Just as she was wondering how to break the stalemate, a reminder from Arabella Donovan came through.
’Ahhh, I know you’re shocked, but stop being shocked for a second! Pay attention to that little assistant behind you! He’s so mad he’s about to snap! If you keep staring at my sister like that, I’m going to suspect he’ll hire a hitman to take her out!’
Eloise Donovan shuddered and instinctively looked past Zane Lynch. Sure enough, her eyes met Nathan Collins’s, which were filled with malevolence.
Caspian Rhodes also noticed Nathan Collins’s strange behavior. Clearing his throat, he stepped forward to block the view between Zane and Eloise.
"Zane, do you know Miss Donovan?"
Zane Lynch snapped out of his daze. "My apologies. I just feel that Miss Donovan looks familiar, as if I’ve seen her somewhere before."
It sounded a lot like a pickup line. Fortunately, thanks to the little interruption just now, Eloise Donovan had completely calmed down. "Perhaps it’s because I have a common face," she replied coolly.
Fortunately, Zane Lynch was used to handling major situations. After his initial loss of composure, he quickly collected himself. To avoid arousing any more suspicion from Arabella Donovan and the others, he swiftly moved on to the main topic.
"I assume my cousin has already told Master Donovan about my situation here?"
Arabella Donovan immediately sat up straighter. "He mentioned a little, but I don’t have a clear picture."
Before she arrived, Arabella Donovan had been nervous, afraid she would misspeak and give the game away. But once she was actually inside the company, she found herself feeling calm.
’Even though I’m no expert in face reading or feng shui, Zane Lynch was a major supporting character (and villain) in the original novel. He had a pretty significant role.’
’Anyway, I’m already here, and those two have met. My goal is pretty much accomplished.’
’I’ll just listen to what’s happening at Radiant Entertainment. Who knows, maybe I can actually help him identify some of the issues.’
Zane Lynch didn’t read too much into it and simply began recounting the recent string of misfortunes at the company, highlighting a few key incidents.
"Three months ago, our CFO had a sudden stroke and was rushed to the hospital; he’s still recuperating. Half a month after that, the deputy head of the marketing department was out for drinks with clients, missed a step, and broke his leg. Then, a week later, the head of the PR department was mugged on his way home from working late. He nearly lost both his life and his valuables..."
The more Arabella Donovan listened, the more something felt wrong. After carefully comparing the timelines, she quickly uncovered the truth hidden beneath the so-called coincidences.
’Ah, your company’s CFO landed in the hospital because he got so worked up over his middle-school son’s math scores. As a top graduate from a prestigious university, he just couldn’t wrap his head around how he could possibly have a son who scores in the single digits on math tests.’
Caspian Rhodes and Eloise Donovan: Pfft...
’As for why the deputy head of the marketing department broke his leg, it’s because he was using his position to force himself on a newly debuted actress at the company. Somehow, his wife found out. The missus showed up to catch them in the act, and the scumbag and his mistress fled in a panic. He wasn’t paying attention on the stairs, missed a step, and... well. The truth is too humiliating, so of course his only excuse was that he was drunk and had an accident.’
The two, who had just been served a fresh helping of gossip out of thin air: "..."
