Chapter 396: An Explanation Is a Cover-up

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: An Explanation Is a Cover-up

As expected, the moment Arabella Donovan heard this, the stray lock of hair on her head practically stood on end.

’The entire family, young and old, will be there? Doesn’t that mean there’ll be tons of gossip to enjoy?’

The moment she thought this, every member of the Donovan family who was home paused what they were doing.

’Bah, it’s not like I’m interested in the Rhodes family’s drama. I just want to see for myself if that Miss Rhodes, the one who helped Cassandra Lynch harm Mr. Lynch’s family, is actually related to Mr. Rhodes.’

The Donovan Family: "..." No need to explain. An explanation is just a cover-up.

"Yes, of course it’s convenient! I’ve been so bored at home I feel like I’m about to grow mushrooms. Since you’re reimbursing my travel expenses, I’ll just treat it as an all-expenses-paid trip. I’ve never even been to Kael before, so this is the perfect chance to go look around."

"Then it’s settled. By the way, you can ask your fourth sister and Zane if they’re interested in coming along. That way, you’ll have company on the road. If they’re not free, I’ll come pick you up myself. I’d be worried if you came all this way alone."

"Okay, sounds good."

Arabella Donovan had just hung up the phone when Mrs. Donovan and the others all gathered around her.

"Was that a call from that man from the Rhodes family again?"

"Mom, how did you know?"

"Who else would have you calling them ’Mr. Rhodes, Mr. Rhodes’ like that?"

Arabella looked awkward for a moment. "It was him. He wants to invite me to his ancestral home to check their family tomb. He said people in his family have been running into some strange things lately, and he suspects there’s a problem with the tomb’s feng shui."

Mr. Donovan was taken aback. "You know how to read feng shui?"

Arabella rubbed her nose. "I’m decent at it, I guess. When I was training on the mountain, divination, face reading, and feng shui were all part of the basic curriculum."

’It’s just that on the mountain, I barely saw anyone all year long. No matter how much I learned, it was all just theory without practice. I couldn’t really figure anything out. But, based on my experiences these last few times, what Master taught me should still be pretty useful.’

Besides, was she really going for the work and money? She was clearly going for the gossip. So, whether her skills were up to snuff wasn’t the point. The point was whether their family’s drama was juicy enough.

The Donovans: "..."

"So, you’re planning on going, then?"

Arabella gave a mischievous laugh and hugged Mrs. Donovan’s arm coquettishly. "Well, I’m just sitting around at home anyway. Mr. Rhodes said their ancestor worship ceremony is a huge affair, and all their relatives—men, women, young, and old—will be there. I just want to join in on the excitement." *And watch the drama unfold,* she added silently.

How could Mrs. Donovan not guess her daughter’s little scheme? She reached out with a resigned sigh and tapped her on the nose.

"From the sound of it, are you saying our family’s ancestor worship isn’t a big enough spectacle for you?"

While it’s traditional to worship ancestors during the Qingming Festival, customs vary by region. Some places don’t specifically choose the day of the festival itself, deliberately avoiding it and opting to complete the rituals within the two weeks before or after.

The Donovan Family’s ancestral rites were held a week before Qingming, so they had already passed. The Rhodes Family’s, on the other hand, were scheduled for two weeks after.

If the dates had clashed, Arabella really might not have gone.

"...Mom, that’s not what I meant."

"Alright, alright. If you want to go, then go. It’s not good for you to be cooped up at home. But you can’t go alone. Your father and I would be worried."

"Mr. Rhodes’s ancestral home is in Kael, in the Province of Galia. It is a bit far. He told me to ask my fourth sister if she wants to go, or my cousins from the Lynch family..."

"Even if Eloise is free to go with you, it’s not safe for two young women to travel so far to an unfamiliar place. If there’s no other way, have your eldest brother go with you."

Although they knew their youngest daughter could probably take on ten people at once with her skills, in the hearts of a worried mother and father, it was always safer for a young woman to have more company when traveling.

As for the other option, they tacitly ignored it. Are you kidding? They would be even *more* worried if he was there!

"Have my eldest brother come with me? Wouldn’t that be too much trouble? He’s usually so busy."

"You’ll come right back after you’re done. It won’t take long. It’ll be fine."

"It doesn’t have to be that much trouble." Before Arabella could say more, Eloise Donovan cut in. "Second Brother mentioned a few days ago that he’s going to Kael next week to film a reality show about parenting. We can just have him take a day off and chaperone us, right?"

"A parenting... reality show?" Arabella repeated, her expression stiffening.

’No way. I haven’t seen him in a few days, and Second Brother is already a dad? Even kangaroos don’t pop a joey in their pouch that fast, do they?’

The Donovans: Pfft...

The corner of Eloise Donovan’s mouth twitched. It took a lengthy explanation for Arabella to understand that this "parenting" wasn’t *that* kind of parenting.

"So you’re saying the show is going to assign a child to Second Brother, and he has to act as a trial parent?"

"Exactly."

Arabella: "..."

’I’ve heard of assigning jobs and rationing food, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of assigning children. I guess I really am too out of touch.’

"Ahem... Since Hector is going to Kael anyway, just have him go with you. If you run into any trouble, give us a call."

"Yes, yes, have your second brother go with you. We’ll feel much more at ease."

Eloise Donovan was quick to act. The moment they finished their discussion, she relayed the news to Hector Donovan.

Hector Donovan flew into a rage when he heard. Nothing had even happened yet, and that son of a bitch was already trying to trick their precious Arabella into meeting his family? The nerve! His intentions were practically criminal!

A certain Mr. Rhodes—who, while certainly having ulterior motives, had absolutely no intention of tricking a girl into meeting his parents—felt deeply wronged.

And so, Hector Donovan immediately ran to his agent and threw a full-blown tantrum, demanding that the agent clear his schedule for the few days before he was due to film the parenting show. He was going to stick to his sister’s side twenty-four-seven and would absolutely not let that shameless son of a bitch get his way!

The long-suffering Agent Webb: "..." ’I suspect you’re trying to kill me. Don’t you have any idea how packed the schedule of a top-tier movie star is?’

But he knew this pampered star’s temperament. If he dared to refuse, Hector would just sneak off on his own, which would be an even bigger mess to clean up. So, he had no choice but to bear the burden and start rearranging everything.

A world in which only Sheldon Webb suffers is born!

Over on his end, when Caspian Rhodes received Arabella Donovan’s reply and learned that her second brother would be coming along in addition to her fourth sister, he wasn’t surprised.

Given how guarded the Donovan family was toward him, it would have been strange if they *hadn’t* sent someone along.

The Lynch family also sent Zane Lynch to accompany them. This was mainly because Melody Lynch’s vacation had ended; she had gone abroad half a month ago. Even if she had wanted to come, she wouldn’t have been able to make it back in time.

It was worth noting that not long after Melody Lynch left the country, Sean Ellison had also gone abroad, ostensibly on a "business trip to expand overseas operations." As it happened, he went to the exact same country where Melody was studying.

Arabella, who learned of this from Zane Lynch: Ooh-la-la!