Free Web NovelChapter 63: Chapter 63: We Don’t Agree
To Cassandra Lynch, everything that happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion.
She had never imagined that Eloise Donovan would leave Stroven City and show up in her own city.
She certainly never expected to see her in her own home—this golden child whose place she had usurped for years, the one who, despite having everything stolen from her, still lived a brilliant and exceptional life.
Caught so completely off guard, Cassandra Lynch’s expression faltered for a moment.
Shock, panic, anger, and resentment flashed across her face one by one. Yet, she knew perfectly well that these were the very emotions she could not afford to show right now. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
After that brief, genuine display, she tried to force her expression into one of confusion and bewilderment. However, the transition was too quick and the feat too difficult, causing her face to look somewhat menacing and twisted, doubling the sense of discord.
Arabella Donovan watched the scene, so scared her jaw nearly dropped.
’Sob, sob, sob, so scary. I feel like I’m going to have nightmares tonight.’
"..."
The Donovan Family couldn’t help but chuckle, and with that, the tension of finally confronting the big boss and cornering the root of all evil instantly vanished.
Felicity Lister and Wanda Chamberlain, being particularly sensitive to Cassandra Lynch’s identity, naturally noticed her shift in emotion as well.
Felicity Lister already knew the truth, and her heart was filled with only frustration and disappointment. Wanda Chamberlain, however, furrowed her brow, sharply sensing that something was off.
No one spoke, and the scene fell into a stalemate.
Unexpectedly, the one who finally broke the deadlock was Mrs. Sherwood, who had been walking downstairs arm-in-arm with Cassandra Lynch.
"You..."
Mrs. Sherwood had previously only seen Eloise Donovan’s back from a distance and found it strangely familiar. Now that she saw her face, she was utterly bewildered on the spot.
She unconsciously let go of Cassandra Lynch’s hand and drifted toward Eloise Donovan as if in a trance.
Cassandra Lynch stared at her now-empty hand, no longer able to maintain her composure. She clenched her fists so tightly her nails nearly drew blood.
However, she seemed to have forgotten that while Mrs. Sherwood had abandoned her and run off, Gregory Sherwood was still standing behind her.
Gregory Sherwood looked at the woman before him, whose mind was completely clouded by resentment and jealousy, and couldn’t help but recall the information he had recently investigated.
He finally had to admit that this "little sister" he had watched grow up had, at some point, undergone a shocking transformation. He could no longer even remember what the naive and adorable girl he once knew looked like.
"You are..." As Mrs. Sherwood got closer and saw Eloise Donovan’s face clearly, she grew timid, as if meeting a long-lost loved one.
Watching this, a lightbulb went off in Arabella Donovan’s head.
’Ah, how could I forget? This Mrs. Sherwood was my fourth sister’s mom’s college classmate and bosom buddy. They were closer than sisters. Because they were so close, they made a joke-pact when my fourth sister’s mom was pregnant with her. If the baby was a girl, their families would be joined by marriage, so they’d never be apart.’
The Donovan Family, who had been enjoying the show: !!!
Holy crap, that happened?! No way, absolutely not! How can there still be arranged marriages these days? This engagement doesn’t count, we don’t agree!
Not far away, Hector Donovan, who had been temporarily drafted into the small kitchen to cut steaks, was already sharpening his knives. They hadn’t even dealt with Caspian Rhodes, that pig plotting to steal their precious cabbage, and now another one shows up?!
’This marriage was originally supposed to be for Fourth Sister, but wasn’t her identity stolen by Cassandra Lynch? So naturally, the engagement fell to Cassandra Lynch.’
Remembering the verdant glow atop Gregory Sherwood’s head from their last meeting, Arabella Donovan’s gaze toward Mrs. Sherwood suddenly filled with a trace of sympathy.
’Mrs. Sherwood would never have imagined that the engagement she casually arranged for her son would result in him wearing a whole green prairie on his head, would she?’
The Donovan Family: Pfft???
But then she recalled how he had defended Cassandra Lynch and argued with Eloise when she had tried to warn him, and the little sympathy she had felt immediately vanished.
’Oh well, he’s asking for it. I warned him that day, and he still gave me and Fourth Sister attitude. Forget it. With judgment that poor, he should just go get tangled up with the Playboy. Let my Fourth Sister be fabulous on her own.’
Arabella: HoldsAGrudge.JPG
The Donovan Family, already on high alert regarding Gregory Sherwood, heard this and were appalled. They decisively kicked a certain someone off the list of potential candidates and, from this day forward, forbade him from being alone with Eloise!
Eloise Donovan was also surprised to learn that she was the one who was originally supposed to have an engagement with Gregory Sherwood. Then, remembering their tense and hostile first meeting that ended on a sour note, she instantly lost all interest in the matter.
Mrs. Sherwood had no idea that her own son had already screwed things up on their very first meeting. She stared at Eloise Donovan for a long while, feeling more and more like she was in a dream.
One look at her dazed expression and Arabella knew exactly what was going on. freёwebnovel.com
’Tsk, tsk, tsk, another auntie charmed by Fourth Sister’s looks. Speaking of which, Fourth Sister’s mom really was so many people’s Lover! It’s a shame she passed away so long ago, otherwise I’d have really wanted to meet her.’
Arabella had discovered this when she read the story before: more than half of Cassandra Lynch’s "universally beloved" attribute was built on her identity as Rona Sullivan’s daughter.
You could say that over ninety percent of the elders who doted on her had once been "fish in Rona Sullivan’s pond." However, the feelings these "fish" had for her were generally not romantic, but rather familial, friendly, or sisterly affection... which just goes to show her charm.
Eloise Donovan’s eyelashes lowered slightly, hiding the disappointment in her eyes. If it were possible, wouldn’t she also want to meet the person who brought her into this world?
As Rona Sullivan’s close friend, Mrs. Sherwood was also acquainted with Wanda Chamberlain.
Seeing her dazed state, Wanda Chamberlain was about to step forward and explain, but Felicity Lister grabbed her hand first.
"This is Miss Eloise Donovan, and beside her is her younger sister. They are both distinguished guests specially invited by Solara."
"Miss... Donovan?" The shock was too much; Mrs. Sherwood still looked dazed.
Wanda Chamberlain, on the other hand, had calmed down slightly at the sight of Cassandra Lynch, and her wits returned.
"Solara invited them?"
Felicity Lister looked up to meet her gaze. The two women’s eyes met, a silent understanding passing between them.
Meanwhile, when Cassandra Lynch learned that it was Zane Lynch who had brought them here, she was filled with not only resentment but also an uncontrollable panic, terrified that the Lynch Family had discovered something.
Just then, Felix Lynch and Ryan Sullivan, who had just finished their meeting, also walked in from outside. Both men froze at the sight.
Everyone who saw Eloise Donovan for the first time thought she was the spitting image of Rona Sullivan. Only Felix Lynch noticed at a glance that Eloise’s nose and chin were just like his younger brother’s.
Needless to say, Ryan Sullivan’s reaction was similar to his wife’s. As one of the few people present who had no idea Eloise Donovan even existed, his first thought was that his little sister had returned.
But reason quickly told him that his beloved sister had died on a rainy night eighteen years ago. She could never come home again, playfully calling him "big brother."
A hidden pain, buried for years, ambushed this seemingly omnipotent man, causing him unbearable anguish.
