Chapter 125: I’ll Give You a Chance to Say It Again
Chapter 125: Chapter 125: I’ll Give You a Chance to Say It Again
"They hate you for what you have and laugh at you for what you don’t. They despise you for being poor and fear you for being rich. With people that malevolent, even if you drained your own blood and carved off your flesh to feed them, they’d still complain you weren’t generous enough and ask why you didn’t break off your bones for them too."
Having been in business for many years, Mr. Donovan had seen more than his fair share of these ungrateful snakes who repay kindness with malice. He never bothered himself with trying to understand their twisted logic.
Either way, there was no need to keep traitors around. Anyone who hurt him or his family had to pay the price, regardless of their status or what their past relationship had been.
Those words cut right to the heart of it. Warren Jennings’s eyes grew cold as he said, "You’re right. No matter the reason, since he wanted me dead and hurt my family in the process, I can’t just let this go."
"It’s good that you know what you’re doing. And please, help keep an eye on Arabella. Her situation is unique, and she’ll only be interacting with more and more people. While Josephine and I will do everything in our power to protect her, it’s impossible to guard against every single threat."
Warren Jennings was no fool. He nodded quickly to show his agreement. "I know what you mean. Don’t worry. You’ve seen how Josephine dotes on her—she practically wants to whisk her away and raise her as her own daughter. Even if you hadn’t said anything, my wife and I will definitely keep a close eye on her. We won’t let her be taken advantage of."
"That’s good."
To be safe, Eugene Jennings stayed at the Third Hospital for another week. Only after a full check-up confirmed he was in tip-top shape and completely fine did he return the Five Emperors Coins to Arabella Donovan and head back to Brynn with his mother and older brother.
On the other hand, Warren Jennings had rushed back to Brynn a step ahead of them, just a day after Eugene was out of danger.
Arabella Donovan guessed he was going to confront the old friend who had given him the Blood Jade. She found herself itching with anticipation, wondering if her aunt might provide a play-by-play of her uncle going to settle the score, just to satisfy her gossipy curiosity.
However, what Arabella Donovan hadn’t expected was that instead of getting the latest news from her uncle’s family, she received an uninvited guest—another relative from Brynn.
"What’s going on? Who is this old man? Why are Mom and Dad so tense?"
Hiding by the second-floor railing, Arabella Donovan peeked over, observing the guests who, despite their low-key appearance, exuded an air of danger. At the same time, she whispered to Eloise, trying to figure out the reason for their visit.
"I hear he’s a senior from Grandpa’s generation, from the clan head’s branch of the family. That makes him a rather distant relative. We don’t normally have any contact, so I have no idea why he’s suddenly shown up."
As Eloise said this, she subconsciously glanced at Arabella. She actually had a few suspicions of her own but didn’t dare to voice them.
"An elder from Grandpa’s generation, huh? No wonder Mom and Dad are taking this so seriously."
"It’s not just because of his seniority. This grand-uncle supposedly had a legendary youth. He built a massive fortune all by himself, holds a high position in Brynn, has connections in every industry... he’s a truly formidable figure. The only thing is, he never married or had children. So, many people in the family have been greedily eyeing his assets, racking their brains for a way to have him adopt one of their children so they can reap the rewards."
As she mentioned this, a hint of worry couldn’t help but appear in Eloise’s eyes.
For the relatives coveting his fortune, this grand-uncle’s sudden visit might be a good thing. But for a family like theirs, which had no ambitions for his assets, it was extremely dangerous.
If those people mistakenly thought the grand-uncle was showing their family special favor, they would probably set aside their own rivalries, unite against a common enemy, and eat their family alive first.
Arabella didn’t know about all these convoluted family politics. Hearing Eloise’s explanation, she furrowed her brow in confusion.
’This background, this status... why does it all sound a little familiar?’
Eloise froze and whipped her head around to look at Arabella. Just as she was about to say something more, she heard Mrs. Donovan call from downstairs, "Justin, go upstairs and see if Arabella is awake. If she is, bring her down. Say that her grand-uncle wants to meet her."
Arabella was taken aback for a moment. "Meet me? Why would he suddenly want to meet me?"
Seeing her reaction, Eloise became even more certain of her suspicions. She pressed her lips together and said reassuringly, "Don’t be nervous. He probably just heard about what happened with us and got curious. I’ll go down with you."
When Arabella and Eloise went downstairs, the atmosphere in the living room was a bit strange.
It was clear this grand-uncle had quite the entourage. Besides a young woman who looked like a caregiver and a frail-looking middle-aged man in a dark suit, he had also brought seven or eight plainclothes bodyguards. All of them were tall and imposing, and lined up in a row, they were a truly intimidating sight.
Arabella could tell at a glance that these men were different from the useless, decorative meatheads who had been with Jacqueline Jennings before. These were true martial artists, the kind who had seen real combat.
Realizing this, Arabella grew even more curious about her grand-uncle’s background.
"Mom, did you need us for something?"
Dennis Donovan stood up, leaning on his cane. He had already reviewed the files on everyone in the Donovan Family before coming, but now he feigned ignorance, asking, "This one is..."
"No, that’s Eloise." Mrs. Donovan stood and pulled the two girls to her side. "This is Arabella."
"Arabella, Eloise, this is your grand-uncle."
"Hello, Grand-uncle."
"Yes, yes, good." Dennis Donovan smiled benevolently. He took two red envelopes, which had been prepared in advance, from the young caregiver beside him and handed one to each of the girls.
"You are both good children, and your parents are sensible, kind, and honest people. Regardless of the past, if you all stay united and harmonious as a family, your future blessings will be endless. This is a little gift from your grand-uncle to mark our meeting. I meant to give it to you on your birthdays, but something urgent came up that day and I couldn’t make it. I can’t believe it’s been delayed this long."
This was just an excuse, of course. Given their family’s standing, they probably hadn’t even been on his radar back at the time of the birthday party.
Mr. Donovan was aware of this as well and quickly interjected, "It was just a child’s birthday, nothing important. We’re grateful you even thought of it. Since it’s a token of your grand-uncle’s kindness, you two should accept it."
"Thank you, Grand-uncle."
Arabella and her sister took the red envelopes and sat down on either side of Mrs. Donovan.
On the other side, Dennis Donovan also sat down and got straight to the point.
"Actually, besides giving the children their gifts, there’s another matter I need to trouble you with."
Mr. and Mrs. Donovan exchanged a glance. "Please, go on. If it’s something we can do, we’ll certainly help."
"I plan to stay in Stroven City for a few days. Staying in a hotel is a bit inconvenient, so I was wondering if I might be able to stay here for a short while."
"This..."
"If you’re worried that an old man like me will be difficult to care for, you can rest easy. This is my caregiver, Audrey Quillan. She’s very capable and can handle all my daily needs on her own. I would just need to trouble you to find a room for her as well."
He had put it so plainly that the couple found it difficult to refuse. Just as they were about to agree, one of them was poked. They turned to see their youngest daughter’s stunned expression.
’I’ll give you one chance to repeat yourself. What did you say your caregiver’s name was?’