Chapter 58: Chapter 58: A "Heartwarming" Famous Scene
The person who delivered the gift had barely left when the Donovan Family swarmed over, using the jewelry as a pretext to praise Arabella Donovan.
"These two jewelry sets are gorgeous! Our Serena has grown up and is earning her own money now."
"That’s right! Not only did she earn a set for herself, but she also got one for her sister. How amazing."
"I think these two sets look even better than the one Hector gave Serena before."
"Goes without saying, doesn’t it? Even though it’s the same brand, the set the owner gives to the person who saved his life has to be one of his prized possessions. If it were shabbier than something you could buy yourself, he wouldn’t be making a friend, he’d be making an enemy."
Eloise Donovan held the jewelry box, suddenly remembering that in her rush to move out when Arabella Donovan returned, she had forgotten to prepare a welcome gift. Now her younger sister had given her a gift first. ’I’ve been such a neglectful older sister!’
Hector Donovan’s feelings were also complicated. Along with his pride, there was a tinge of sadness.
After the two sisters got back last night, Eloise Donovan had told them everything that happened at the mall.
When everyone learned that the person Arabella Donovan had helped was the owner of the famous jewelry brand he endorsed, they couldn’t help but tease him. With their Serena’s connection, he could probably keep that endorsement deal until retirement if he wanted to.
Who could understand this feeling? He had planned on being the rock for his little sister, but in the end, she was the one carrying him. ’I’m such an incompetent older brother... *sobs*...’
「The night of the banquet at the Lynch Family’s home.」
Arabella Donovan and her sister had just left when Mr. and Mrs. Donovan followed right behind them, clutching an invitation that Hector Donovan had procured from who-knows-where.
As for Hector Donovan, since he didn’t have an invitation, he could only sneak in disguised as a waiter.
Hector Donovan: "..." ’So I’m the only one who gets hurt in this scenario!’
Although it was supposedly just a gathering for close friends and family, when the two sisters arrived, they realized the scale of the Lynch Family’s banquet was rather large.
Surrounded by guests who all seemed to know each other, the two newcomers felt a little out of place.
Then, they ran into someone they knew.
"What are you doing here? Don’t you need to be at the hospital with your brother?"
This acquaintance was none other than Melanie Yates, whom they had met just recently.
She was wearing a bright red, knee-length skirt today, her makeup stunning. It complemented the lace trim that snaked down from her collar, making her look even more like a budding rose.
"It was just a flesh wound. He stayed in the hospital for two days to soothe his bruised ego and then went home. Now he just lounges around the house all day, and my mom’s taking care of him. Why would he need me?"
After speaking, Melanie Yates looked the two of them up and down with a disdainful expression. "Why are you two dressed so..."
It wasn’t that they looked bad—after all, with their looks, it was hard to look truly bad.
Melanie Yates frowned, thinking for a long moment before finally finding a suitable adjective. "Plain?"
"We just came to see what it’s like. It wouldn’t be right to dress too ostentatiously and steal the host’s thunder."
Melanie Yates snorted. "So what if you steal her thunder? If you can’t compete, you should know your place. She’s not even that pretty to begin with, yet she’s always flirting with this guy and that guy. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she’s some kind of femme fatale!"
The two Donovan sisters exchanged a helpless look.
’No wonder she still came to a banquet hosted by the Lynch Family, even after the ugly scene between Cassandra Lynch and her brother,’ Arabella thought. ’So this was her plan all along.’
Zane Lynch placed great importance on their arrival and had arranged for people to wait for them outside early on.
Thus, Arabella Donovan and her sister didn’t linger outside for long before being personally led upstairs by Zane Lynch.
Not many people had entered the main hall yet. Zane Lynch deliberately avoided the crowd as he led them upstairs, so only a few people noticed them.
Gregory Sherwood and his mother were among them.
"Was that Solara who just went up? Who are those two girls he’s with? Friends of Melody’s?"
Mrs. Sherwood had only seen two girls following behind Zane Lynch from a distance and hadn’t gotten a clear look at their faces.
Gregory Sherwood, however, recognized them at a glance as the pair of sisters he had met a few days ago. His heart stirred. "They could also be Solara’s friends."
Hearing this, Mrs. Sherwood misunderstood.
"At Solara’s age, it’s indeed time he found a partner. Oh, right. Where’s Cassandra? I don’t see her. I brought her a gift; you can personally give it to her in a bit."
Gregory Sherwood’s expression shifted slightly at the sudden mention of her name.
He thought of the file he had recently obtained, detailing Cassandra Lynch’s flirtations with various men, and a headache began to throb.
"She’s probably with Miss Felicity and the others right now. If you want to give her a gift, give it to her yourself. You make me do it every time. People will get the wrong idea."
Mrs. Sherwood was not pleased to hear this.
"What’s there to misunderstand? You two have a marriage agreement. It’s perfectly normal and proper for you to give her things. What’s there to be afraid of?"
Gregory Sherwood’s headache intensified. "That was years ago. And look how young she is now; it’s too early to talk about this. Besides, a forced marriage won’t lead to happiness. I know you mean well, but please don’t let your good intentions lead to a bad outcome."
"Hey, what kind of talk is that from a child like you? What do you mean, ’good intentions leading to a bad outcome’? I think Cassandra likes you a lot. She even asked me before if she could come to our house to see you. It’s obvious she’s interested. You used to have a good impression of her, too. Why the sudden cold shoulder? Don’t tell me..."
Mrs. Sherwood stared at her son with a scrutinizing gaze for a long moment. "You haven’t fallen for someone else, have you?"
Gregory Sherwood reached up and rubbed his temples. "No, Mom, don’t let your imagination run wild. There’s no one I like."
"Then why the sudden change in attitude toward Cassandra? She likes you so much..."
Gregory Sherwood’s lips twitched. ’Like me?’ he thought. ’She likes my money. And it’s not just my money she likes. She’s got several men on the line at the same time, and she likes their money even more.’
He recalled the day he was comforting Cassandra Lynch when a man suddenly appeared and accused him. At the time, he had found their exchange odd, but his trust in Cassandra had made him dismiss it. He had simply assumed the man was one of her more extreme admirers.
’Looking back now, that man was probably just another one of her victims.’
Mrs. Sherwood gave her son a suspicious look but didn’t press the matter. Just then, she glanced up at the second floor and saw a familiar figure.
"Is that Cassandra? Come on, let’s go up and find her." With that, Mrs. Sherwood grabbed her son and forged ahead.
"Hey, Mom, slow down..."
And so, when Zane Lynch brought Arabella upstairs, he was surprised to find his parents weren’t on the second floor. Just as he was leading the two sisters out of the study to find another place for them, they walked right into the "heartwarming" classic scene of Gregory Sherwood being forced by Mrs. Sherwood to hand a gift to Cassandra Lynch.
Arabella Donovan: "Ooh."
Eloise Donovan: "..."
Zane Lynch: "!!!"
