Chapter 78: Chapter 78: That’s It
According to the original plot, Arabella Donovan’s third grand-uncle died from a sudden asthma attack.
A disease like asthma is simple to control, but very difficult to cure completely.
Sudden asthma attacks are often linked to allergens. Since her third grand-uncle had suffered from asthma for many years, it was impossible for the family not to know about the potential allergens that could trigger a relapse.
And yet, the incident occurred in his own home, the safest place for him. At the time, no one else was home, and the medicine he carried with him was, for some unknown reason, finished and empty.
This delayed any chance for emergency treatment. With so many things happening at once, it couldn’t possibly have been a coincidence.
Most importantly, later in the story, Julian Croft let something slip while talking to Willow Croft about other matters. He mentioned that his favorite food was rice with acacia flowers, adding what a pity it was that the Donovan Family never grew acacia trees while Master Donovan was alive.
What was even more chilling to consider was that the old master’s unfortunate attack and death occurred precisely during the peak blooming season for acacia flowers.
Lillian Donovan was already despondent from being deceived for over a decade. Now, suddenly learning that her own father’s death might be connected to her husband, she could finally bear it no longer. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, fainting.
"Lillian!"
"Auntie!"
"Mom!"
In an instant, cries of alarm erupted as everyone at the dining table shot up and rushed to Lillian Donovan’s side.
Mr. Donovan acted decisively, ordering Justin Donovan and Julian Croft to take her to the hospital.
Mrs. Donovan glanced at the unfinished bowl of aged ginseng soup on the table and sighed deeply. The soup hadn’t worked after all. What a waste.
Arabella Donovan hadn’t expected that a perfectly good family dinner would end up sending a relative to the hospital.
She silently hid behind Eloise Donovan, listening as the doctor repeatedly confirmed that Lillian Donovan had only fainted from extreme emotional fluctuations and overexcitement. She should be fine after some sleep. Only then did Arabella breathe a sigh of relief.
’Thank goodness, it wasn’t a problem with the wild ginseng and chicken soup from home. It makes sense, too. If it were food poisoning, it wouldn’t make sense for only my aunt to collapse. But this fainting from extreme emotional fluctuations and overexcitement...’
The hearts of the Donovan family members leaped into their throats, terrified that Arabella Donovan would discover the truth.
But in the next second, they realized they had been overthinking it.
’Could it be that Julian Croft has already started secretly feeding my aunt drugs to make her mentally unstable?’
What?!
The Donovan Family’s expressions shifted, and the atmosphere in the hospital room instantly froze.
No one noticed that Lillian Donovan, lying on the hospital bed, had fingers that twitched twice before slowly relaxing again.
Julian Croft, oblivious to the inner turmoil, assumed they were just worried about Lillian Donovan’s health. He sighed and said, "A couple of days ago, Lillian found out about Eloise’s situation and was so worried she couldn’t eat or sleep properly. And now with today... That’s probably why she couldn’t control her emotions for a moment. I’m sorry she scared you all."
Mrs. Donovan was the first to react. "That girl... her children are already so grown, yet she’s still so reckless. No wonder she seemed so distracted during dinner and barely ate anything. Julian, why don’t you and Justin go downstairs and buy some more food? That way she won’t be hungry when she wakes up."
Julian Croft, suspecting nothing, nodded. "Alright, we’ll buy extra. The kids barely ate anything just now, either."
Hearing this, Mrs. Donovan couldn’t help but marvel at his thoughtfulness and attention to detail. But how could such a man, so impeccable in every respect, be so utterly inhuman?
’It’s true what they say: a scumbag isn’t scary, but a handsome scumbag who knows how to put on an act is terrifying!’
The moment Julian Croft and the other man left, Lillian Donovan began to stir, groaning softly as she woke up.
Her two children immediately looked as if they had found their pillar of support, calling out with teary eyes, "Mom..."
The Donovan family members were also delighted. "Lillian, you’re awake."
"Where am I? What happened to me?" Lillian Donovan asked, holding her head as she slowly sat up, feigning complete confusion.
"Don’t you remember? You fainted during dinner. The doctor said you passed out from extreme emotional fluctuations and getting overly excited. Julian also mentioned that you haven’t been eating or sleeping well lately because of Eloise’s situation, so your body is weak, and that’s why..."
Mrs. Donovan proceeded as if Lillian Donovan had just truly woken up and hadn’t heard their previous conversation, using the explanation as a chance to secretly bring her up to speed.
Lillian Donovan understood perfectly and nodded in agreement. "I really haven’t been sleeping well these past two days. I suppose I’m getting older. I used to be able to pull a few all-nighters to meet a deadline and still feel perfectly fine. Now, just two bad nights of sleep and I can’t take it anymore."
An idea struck Mrs. Donovan, and her eyes darted thoughtfully. "Of course you’re getting older. Your kids are over ten now, do you still think you’re a young girl of eighteen or nineteen? You gave all of us quite a scare this time. Since we’re already at the hospital, you might as well have the doctor give you a full check-up. If there’s something wrong, we’ll get it treated. If not, at least it will give us peace of mind."
If this had happened before, Lillian Donovan might have thought Mrs. Donovan was making a mountain out of a molehill.
But now, with Arabella Donovan’s recent ’reminder’, Lillian Donovan was more than cooperative. She wished she could have every single piece of equipment in the hospital scan her to see if she was really being secretly fed something she shouldn’t be.
The Donovan Family held shares in the Third Hospital, so Lillian Donovan was given VIP access for her tests. Plus, Justin Donovan intentionally stalled for time, so they managed to rush through a few basic blood tests just before Julian Croft returned.
The moment they got the report, the heavy anxiety that had been weighing on Lillian Donovan and her two children finally lifted.
"The test results are normal. Ms. Donovan’s health is excellent; there are no health problems whatsoever."
While Lillian Donovan breathed a sigh of relief, she also felt conflicted.
’If there are no illicit substances in my body, does that mean what Arabella said isn’t necessarily accurate? Then what about my father’s death...?’
Mrs. Donovan, however, had unwavering faith in her granddaughter’s judgment, especially with the corroborating evidence from several recent events.
Just because Lillian Donovan was fine now didn’t mean she would be fine in the future.
With a man who was covetously eyeing their family fortune by her side, it was only a matter of time before problems arose.
"Have you felt unwell in any way recently, needing to take medicine for relief?"
"No... I don’t think so." Lillian Donovan was certain she hadn’t taken any medicine recently, nor had anything happened that would require it.
Conversely, it was Iris Donovan, who had barely spoken a word the entire time, whose expression changed. She reminded them in a strained voice, "There... there was."
All eyes snapped to her in an instant. Iris Donovan clenched her fists, trying desperately to keep her voice from trembling too much.
"Mom, have you forgotten? Not long ago, you said your heart was feeling a bit uncomfortable, but when you went to the hospital for scans, they couldn’t find anything wrong. But Dad said an irregular heartbeat could be serious or minor, and that he wanted to take you to see another doctor and maybe try some medication to see if it helped."
As soon as she said this, the room fell silent once more.
Arabella Donovan, however, looked as if she had just received a crucial hint, her eyes lighting up.
’That’s it!’
