"Ouch... Mom, what's wrong?" Lost in her book and the unfolding drama, Arabella Donovan suddenly felt a sharp pain in her hand. She looked up to find that her mother had grabbed it at some point.
"Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry. Here, let me rub it for you."
"I'm fine, I'm fine. It doesn't really hurt."
Arabella Donovan suspected nothing. She just assumed her mother had lost her composure out of anger because Eloise Donovan was being given a hard time, and so she missed the coldness hidden beneath Mrs. Donovan's pained expression.
No one knew better than her that those casually spoken words were all true. It was just that the real Arabella Donovan had been luckier, having met a kind old master who couldn't bear to see her suffer and took her to a mountain temple. Otherwise...
In that moment, along with heartache and lingering fear, an infinite hatred for the culprits swelled within Mrs. Donovan.
'At this point in the story, that Miss Lynch's biological father should have been released from prison a year ago. It's just like they say, birds of a feather flock together. That Holly Wagner and her husband must be true soulmates. When he got caught, he made sure to tell his wife to run. When she got caught, even on death's door, she was still trying to tell her husband where their biological daughter was.'
'So, Miss Lynch found out the truth a year ago and started secretly keeping tabs on my fourth sister.'
Hearing this, Eloise Donovan broke out in goosebumps. She didn't have to guess why that Miss Lynch was keeping an eye on her.
'Huh? This Melanie Yates actually has a crush on my third brother? She even secretly stuffed a love letter for him into my fourth sister's locker.'
"PFFT..." Mrs. Donovan choked on her juice, startling Arabella so badly that she nearly jumped up to grab a napkin for her.
Eloise Donovan, who was standing nearby, was just as startled. In a rare loss of composure, her eyes widened in disbelief. "You have a crush on my third brother?"
Melanie Yates, who had been on a relentless tirade ever since being called out, suddenly faltered. Her earlier arrogance and aggression vanished, replaced by a strange coyness. "So what if I do?"
Then, as if she remembered something, her expression darkened. "You already knew, didn't you? What's with the act?"
Eloise Donovan was in a daze. 'It's actually true!'
'Huh? My fourth sister knew? No, that's not right. Didn't Cassandra Lynch have someone steal the love letter Melanie Yates wrote to my third brother and throw it away? After that, she kept deliberately bringing it up in front of Melanie to drive a wedge between them. Otherwise, Melanie wouldn't be so hostile toward my fourth sister.'
Eloise Donovan's heart pounded like a drum, and her hand at her side clenched unconsciously.
'Cassandra Lynch... is that the girl's name? Is it because her existence represents both guilt and hope to the Lynch family? But that name... that name was supposed to be mine!'
Meanwhile, Caspian Rhodes, who had been forced to overhear an earful of the wealthy family's private drama, had a slight change in expression. 'Cassandra Lynch? Is it a coincidence, or...'
The man across from him noticed the change in his expression and his heart skipped a beat, worried he had said something wrong again.
"Did you write a love letter to my third brother?"
"I... You..."
"Someone tampered with my locker. I only found out a couple of days ago that you'd put something inside, but I never saw it in there."
Melanie Yates was stunned. "You mean to say... you weren't the one who threw away my love letter to your third brother?"
"Why would I throw away your love letter for no reason?"
"How would I know? Maybe you were just jealous."
Eloise Donovan frowned, baffled. "Why on earth would I be jealous that a girl is pursuing my brother? It's not like I'm some kind of freak."
Melanie Yates faltered but stubbornly retorted, "How am I supposed to know if you're telling the truth?"
"Actually, I'm curious about something..."
"What?"
"What is it exactly that you like about my brother?"
Melanie Yates: "..."
Eloise's question was so blunt that it left Melanie Yates completely dumbfounded. She stammered for a long while, unable to articulate a proper answer.
But on the other side, the impatient Arabella Donovan, who had been eavesdropping, was the first to provide an answer.
'It's his face, of course. She's into our third brother's looks.'
Mrs. Donovan and Eloise: "???" 'She's that shallow?'
'Melanie Yates is completely obsessed with looks. On the first day of school, she happened to see my third brother dropping my fourth sister off. She saw him from a distance, standing tall and elegant under the dappled shadows of the trees. With the autumn wind rustling and the shadows dancing... the whole vibe was just perfect. How could her heart not flutter?'
Eloise: 'Well, then!'
Melanie Yates had no idea her whole story was being laid bare. After dawdling for ages, she was still too embarrassed to tell the truth. "Why should I have to tell you what I like about him? Stop changing the subject! If you didn't throw my love letter away, then who did?"
"You should be asking yourself that."
"Ask me?"
Now that she knew the truth, Eloise's mind worked fast. "Who told you I threw away the love letter you put in my locker?"
Melanie Yates faltered, taking a moment to process. "You mean... No, impossible! It couldn't have been her!"
"Who?"
"Why should I tell you just because you asked? In any case, it definitely couldn't have been her. I bet it was one of your friends!"
Despite her words, Melanie Yates couldn't meet Eloise's eyes as she yelled, which showed she wasn't entirely free of doubt.
'How can this girl be so dense? She's been sold down the river and she's still helping them count the cash.'
Mrs. Donovan and Eloise: "..." 'You're not even older than her. How can you have the nerve to call her "little girl" in such a patronizing tone?'
Still, both of them could sense the frustrated disappointment in Arabella's tone. They figured Melanie Yates was likely just being used and wasn't a bad person at heart.
"Excuse me, may I cut in? It's hard to say who's right and who's wrong here, but I'd say this young lady's judgment of character certainly isn't as good as my sister's."
Arabella Donovan's sudden appearance startled everyone. Melanie Yates's expression changed dramatically, and she snapped, flustered and exasperated, "Who do you think you are? Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop on people?"
"Me?" Arabella Donovan flashed a wide grin, showing off her pearly whites. "Why, I'm none other than that 'uncultured country bumpkin from some backwater town' you were just talking about."
Melanie Yates: "..."
Is there anything more embarrassing than getting caught bad-mouthing someone by the person themselves?
Of course there is: not only getting caught red-handed, but also being called out on it to your face.
"You... You..." Melanie Yates's face flushed beet red. After sputtering for a while without forming a coherent sentence, she awkwardly shut her mouth and sat back down.
Eloise glanced at Mrs. Donovan, who was hiding behind a potted plant in the adjacent booth, then stared at Arabella for a long moment before tentatively calling her name. "Arabella?"
"That's me. Hi, Fourth Sister! Mom and I just finished shopping and came here to eat. The pastries at this place are delicious! Sis, can you ask later if I can buy some to go, or maybe get us a few extra plates? Please, please~"
Eloise could easily tell that Arabella's request was just a pretext, and her expression softened.
"Eat as many as you like. I'll bring some over to you myself in a little while."
"Thanks, Fourth Sister!"
'My fourth sister is so gentle, sweet-tempered, and beautiful. Come to think of it, the reason Cassandra Lynch is so anxious about her is probably because Fourth Sister looks almost exactly like Mrs. Lynch did when she was young. It's a good thing the two families live in different cities, so far apart. If anyone from the Lynch family had ever laid eyes on her, this secret wouldn't have lasted nearly this long.'