Chapter 146: Beware of Fire, Thieves, and Besties
Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Beware of Fire, Thieves, and Besties
Arabella Donovan was oblivious to their thoughts. After glancing at the two adults, her gaze landed on the little boy being held by her older cousin.
’So this is my older cousin and his wife’s child, my little nephew? He’s so cute! Thank goodness his unreliable dad didn’t mess him up. Otherwise, Cousin Hugh, you’d be guilty of a truly unforgivable sin.’
Hugh Donovan acutely sensed that the moment Arabella finished her thought, sharp glares flew at him from all directions, nearly turning him into a human pincushion on the spot.
Hugh: "..." ’Here we go. There was no avoiding this!’
’Speaking of which, since Hugh’s mother and Hugh himself already know the truth, and their child is safe... what’s the deal with this couple? They’re obviously in love but keep awkwardly dancing around each other. So, right now they’re...’
Hugh’s mother cleared her throat. "The kids are clueless, and the adults are unreliable. They’re parents now, for heaven’s sake, yet they’re still so muddle-headed and don’t know a thing. It’s frustrating just to watch. That’s why I kicked them out of the house to sort themselves out. They only got back a couple of days ago, so of course, we brought the baby and came right over to thank you, didn’t we?"
"If you hadn’t revealed the truth, Serena, who knows how long these two unreliable, foolish kids would have kept me in the dark. It makes me angry just thinking about it."
Arabella glanced at the aggrieved yet guilty-looking couple and struggled to keep from laughing.
’Wow, it takes a special kind of talent to spin "kicking them out to go on a trip alone" into something so elegant. No one does it like her. Auntie, you were just creating a chance for them to be alone, giving their romance a little manual boost, weren’t you? Leave it to a mom to be so slick! So brilliant!’
The couple in question froze, then shyly glanced at each other, their faces flushing crimson.
Hugh’s mother, however, just raised an eyebrow, looking quite pleased with herself.
’What’s the big deal? The most important thing is for the young couple to be happy together and for the family to be harmonious. I was simply contributing to that harmony. A truly noble cause!’
’Unfortunately...’
Hugh’s mother: "?!?" ’Oh no, I can’t handle a "but" right now!’
Everyone else was startled, too, sensing that this family was about to stir up more trouble.
As expected, Arabella’s next thought came with a sigh.
’These two are the main characters; they’re a hot commodity wherever they go. Getting to their happily-ever-after without any drama probably won’t be so easy.’
The smile on Hugh’s mother’s face stiffened. She sighed. "I specifically brought your cousin and his wife here today not just to thank you in person. It’s also because you mentioned before that there are malicious people lurking around them. You said if it’s not handled properly, it could easily cause conflict and disrupt our family’s harmony."
"They had something come up and couldn’t make it to your birthday party. But since they’re both here today, could you please take another look for them? It would really put an old woman’s mind at ease."
At her words, Arabella instinctively looked over at her little cousin. The boy was startled by her sudden gaze but still gave her a bashful smile before shyly turning and burying his face in his father’s arms.
Arabella was instantly hit with a critical blow of cuteness that wiped out half her health bar. She threw her hands up in surrender.
’Alright, you’re cute, so you’re the boss. For the sake of your adorable kid, I’ll help you guys out again.’
Hugh and the other two: "..." ’So we have the baby to thank for this!’
"Pardon my asking, but what are my cousin and his wife’s zodiac animals?"
"Oh, them? One’s a Horse, and the other is a Rat."
"Horse and Rat..." Arabella ticked off on her fingers as she calculated. "This is the Jia Chen Year of the Dragon. Both the Horse and the Rat clash with the Dragon, which means they are in opposition to Tai Sui this year. This is especially true for the Horse, who is in a punishment relationship with Tai Sui. In your social interactions, you’ll be prone to conflicts and disputes, and you’ll face more challenges and obstacles in all your endeavors."
Hugh’s mother’s expression grew solemn. "Then what can be done to solve this problem?"
"It’s not too difficult. Be more mindful in your daily interactions, always prioritize harmony, and perform more good deeds. However, these are minor remedies. The real problem for you two lies with the malicious people around you."
"Malicious people?" Hugh’s mother and her family all thought of the same person: Rowena Churchill, whose identity had already been exposed.
"Yes. For those in opposition to Tai Sui, the year is inauspicious. You’re more likely to attract the envy and ill intentions of schemers, which can lead to more serious problems. Furthermore, from reading your faces, I can see the area representing your relationships with peers is full of chaotic, intersecting lines. I’m afraid you have more than one of these schemers to deal with."
"More than one schemer!" Hugh and the others were shocked. ’Besides Rowena Churchill, there are other malicious people around us?!’
’Isn’t that obvious? You two are the main characters, the center of this entire book’s universe. Even if you don’t go looking for trouble, trouble will come looking for you!’
Hugh and Sabrina: "..." ’This is ridiculous. Whoever wants to be a protagonist can have the job. There’s not a single good thing about it!’
’Rowena Churchill might be the villainess who gets the most screen time, but she’s not the only supporting character. At this point in the plot, Cousin Hugh, you need to be careful of your maternal aunt’s second son. He’s had his eyes on your wife for a long time.’
What?!
’He never got a chance before because Sabrina fled the country. Now she’s back, with a child, and he’s filled with regret and resentment, feeling like his ’goddess’ has been defiled. His attitude toward Sabrina has shifted from initial admiration and joy to contempt and anger. He regrets not making a move on her sooner and is disgusted that she didn’t ’guard her virtue’ and let someone else have her first.’
’Even when I first read this part of the story, I thought this guy was seriously sick in the head. He was like a sewer rat, selfishly coveting someone from the shadows and treating her like his personal property. In reality, the poor woman didn’t even know who he was, let alone have any obligation to care about his feelings.’
’But he had the audacity to blame it all on the woman he’d targeted, using it as an excuse to take revenge and satisfy his own dark, twisted fantasies.’
’At the end of the day, it was just him committing vile acts in the name of love. Whoever he set his sights on was cursed with the worst luck imaginable!’
Hugh Donovan ground his teeth so hard they audibly creaked. Anyone who suddenly learned that their wife was being lusted after by a relative—a relative who was constantly waiting for a chance to strike—would be in a foul mood.
Sabrina Donovan felt her blood run cold. The thought of a pair of eyes hidden in the darkness, staring intently at her, constantly judging, criticizing, and holding her to an impossible standard, made her skin crawl.
Hugh’s mother’s face darkened as well. This "maternal aunt" was, in fact, the daughter of a more distant relative, not one of her actual sisters, and their relationship wasn’t particularly close.
’Still, to raise a son like that, the parents couldn’t be much better themselves. I’ll cut off all contact with that family the moment I get back.’
’How dare he covet a member of my family! There’s no door for him here—I’ll weld the windows shut, too!’
After addressing Hugh’s problem, Arabella turned her attention to Sabrina.
’And my dear cousin-in-law needs to watch out for that best friend of hers, Evelyn. Hasn’t she ever heard the saying? "Guard against fire, guard against thieves, and guard against your bestie."’
Sabrina: "!!!" ’Evelyn is a problem, too? And hold on, what kind of bizarre nickname is "dear cousin-in-law"?!’