Free Web NovelChapter 43: Chapter 43: Good for Nothing
Hearing the name again after half a month, Arabella Donovan was taken aback.
She vaguely recalled her prediction in the restaurant—the time for Melanie Yates’s brother’s accident was fast approaching. For Melanie to be calling her sister now... could it be?
The moment Eloise Donovan finished her question, the sound of quiet sobbing came from the other end of the line.
She felt a bit helpless but did her best to soothe the person on the other end. "How did you get my number? Okay, okay, don’t panic. Just calm down. Yes, Serena and I are in Jarden right now. Fine, I’m on XX Street. It’s on the way for you to come to us. Okay then, see you in a bit."
Eloise Donovan hung up and turned to meet Arabella Donovan’s curious gaze. The matter involved Arabella to begin with, so she had no intention of hiding it.
"That was Melanie Yates. Her brother was in a car accident."
Her suspicion confirmed, Arabella Donovan’s heart sank.
’Didn’t I tell Melanie Yates to warn her brother about going out alone? How did he still get in an accident? Did Melanie not tell him, or did he not take it seriously? Ugh, this is a mess. I just hope he wasn’t hit as badly as he was in the original story.’
"So, she’s calling you now because..."
"She’s in a complete panic and doesn’t know what to do. She bought a plane ticket and flew back overnight, got my number from a classmate, and is hoping you’ll go to the hospital to see if her brother can still be saved."
Eloise seemed to realize something as she spoke, a guilty look crossing her face. "I’m sorry, Serena. I agreed on your behalf without asking you first. She just landed, so I expect she’ll be here to pick us up soon."
Arabella wasn’t bothered by this at all. She waved her hand dismissively. "It’s fine, really. I was curious about how her brother is doing anyway. Since she’s asking, there’s no harm in going to take a look."
Zane Lynch, however, was completely lost. "Who are you talking about? Melanie Yates... that name sounds familiar."
Caspian Rhodes glanced at him and smoothly chimed in, "The Yates Family’s youngest daughter."
The Yates Family and the Lynch Family were on good terms; otherwise, Melanie Yates wouldn’t have gotten connected with Cassandra Lynch.
It took Zane Lynch a few seconds to sort out the connections. He then drew a sharp breath. "Then her brother must be..."
"Ivan Yates was in a car accident."
"Mr. Rhodes, you know Melanie Yates’s brother?" Hearing the name, Arabella whipped her head around to look at Caspian Rhodes.
A hidden smile flashed in Caspian Rhodes’s eyes as he nodded. "The Rhodes Family and the Yates Family have some business dealings. We’re reasonably well acquainted."
In truth, his dealings were with Ivan Yates’s father. He was even less familiar with the young master of the Yates Family than Zane Lynch was.
But that didn’t stop an unknowing Arabella from marveling at a certain someone’s extensive connections.
’Sure enough, the world of wealthy CEOs is a small one. You run into old acquaintances everywhere you go.’
The corners of Caspian Rhodes’s lips curled up, but he forced himself to look concerned for Ivan Yates. "He was in a car accident? Is it serious? Which hospital is he in?"
Arabella turned to look inquiringly at Eloise. Eloise’s suspicious gaze swept over Caspian, but she ultimately chose to answer truthfully. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"She didn’t say, but she’s frantic, so... it must be somewhat serious."
"Then I’ll go with you. If anything happens, it’s better to have another person there to help."
Caspian’s proposal was perfectly reasonable, and Eloise couldn’t think of a reason to refuse, so she had no choice but to agree.
"Then call and ask which hospital Ivan Yates is in. We’ll drive straight there and meet her at the entrance. It’ll save time."
Eloise nodded, then called Melanie Yates again to get the address.
The three of them had just settled into the back seat when Zane Lynch, not wanting to be left out, squeezed into the front passenger seat with a goofy grin. "I know the Yates kid too! I’ll just hitch a ride with you all and go see him."
But coming after Caspian’s excuse, his reason seemed rather flimsy. At least, Eloise saw right through his little scheme and shot him a disdainful look.
Arabella, sitting beside Eloise, covered her mouth to hide a snicker, once again voicing her sister’s unspoken thoughts.
’Useless at everything, but first in line for a bit of drama.’
Caspian stifled a snort.
Since they no longer needed to make a detour to pick up the two sisters, the already frantic Melanie Yates told her driver to take a shortcut.
The two cars arrived at the hospital entrance one right after the other. When Melanie Yates pushed the door open and stepped out, her legs were so weak they almost gave out.
Seeing this, Eloise rushed forward to steady her. "Are you alright?"
"Thank you." Melanie’s eyes were rimmed with red. Looking at the Donovan sisters, she was momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing the young lady, who just half a month ago had been so arrogant and full of life, now looking so wretched, Eloise felt not a shred of satisfaction, only sympathy.
She furrowed her brow and took the initiative. "Which room is your brother in? Is he badly hurt?"
"Room 304. I don’t know how serious it is. My parents are hiding it from me; they didn’t want me to know. I heard about it from a friend."
Eloise understood. Melanie’s family, likely afraid of worrying her, hadn’t told her the truth.
But a friend of hers in the same city heard the news first and called to ask what was going on, accidentally letting the cat out of the bag.
"Let’s talk on the way. After that day, didn’t you tell your brother to stay home and not go out?"
"Of course I did!" Melanie sniffled. "I called to warn him every single day after that."
But she knew her brother’s personality; making him stay cooped up at home would be worse than death to him. So she could only repeat herself, reminding him to always take family or friends with him and never, ever go out alone.
And yet, something still happened!
The group hurried up to the third floor. At that moment, Ivan Yates’s room was empty.
The moment Melanie opened the door, she saw her brother lying on the bed, wrapped up from head to toe like a mummy. His eyes were shut tight, his face was pale, and he looked as if he had fallen into an eternal sleep.
Overcome with grief, she lunged forward and began to wail at the top of her lungs.
"Didn’t I tell you not to go out? You just wouldn’t listen! Would a few days at home have killed you? *Sob, sob,* now look at you! What are Mom and Dad going to do? What am I going to do? Brother... Ivan... *sob, sob, sob*..."
The anesthetic had finally taken effect, allowing Ivan Yates a moment of peaceful sleep, only for him to be rudely jolted awake by his dear sister pressing down on him. His chest heaved, and he broke into a violent coughing fit.
The sound startled Melanie. Her crying cut off abruptly, and her eyes widened as she stared at Ivan. "Brother, you’re okay!"
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH! I was fine. But if you keep pressing on me like that, I won’t be for long."
Melanie froze, only then noticing her hands were still pressed against her brother’s chest. She quickly and sheepishly pulled them back.
Just as the awkwardness set in, Mr. and Mrs. Yates’s surprised voices came from the doorway. "Melanie, what are you doing here?"
