"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Suddenly learning the shocking truth, Mr. Donovan choked and subconsciously called out, "Serena..."
Arabella Donovan glanced at him in confusion, her face full of concern. "Dad, are you okay?"
"I'm... I'm fine." Mr. Donovan's face was a little pale, and his gaze toward Claire Bishop held a new severity and scrutiny it hadn't before.
If he'd held a sliver of sympathy for Claire Bishop before, now that he knew the truth, he had none to spare. He was even itching to clean up this mess for his deceased good friend.
After her performance, Claire Bishop deliberately slowed her movements, waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Donovan to give in and ask her to stay. Who would have thought that after waiting for so long, the two of them wouldn't make a single move.
Just as she was stuck in an awkward position, a figure appeared at the door.
"Justin?"
"Justin!"
"And you are?" Justin Donovan glanced coldly at Claire Bishop, seemingly not recognizing her.
But Arabella Donovan worried this was the plot's last-ditch struggle to right itself, since in the original novel, Justin Donovan had never appeared at this point in time.
'Why is my brother back at this hour? What if he believes Claire Bishop's lies and accepts the child? Wouldn't all our previous efforts be for nothing?'
Mrs. Donovan's heart pounded in her chest when she heard this. She quickly stepped forward to stand between the two. "This is Mr. Bishop's daughter. She just came back from abroad. Why are you home so early today? Don't you have work?"
"I just came from the police station. Nothing was going on, so I came back early."
"The police station? What happened?"
Everyone present was shocked, and Arabella Donovan immediately perked up her ears.
The original novel never mentioned this. Could something else have happened to trigger a butterfly effect?
"It's nothing, just helping with an investigation. Last month, I was on a business trip in Crovia, and someone maliciously installed a hidden camera in my hotel room. They've caught the person now, and the police asked me to come in and give a statement, since I'm one of the victims, after all."
"What? A camera in the hotel room?" Mrs. Donovan was shocked, and then, as if she realized something, she asked, "The secret recording..."
"They just sent it to me. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet."
As soon as he said this, the living room fell silent.
After a long moment, a certain someone's joyous shriek, like that of a screaming chicken, once again rang in the ears of the Donovan Family.
'HAHAHA, you're screwed now, aren't you? There was a camera in the room! How are you going to explain this now? In the myths, Fu Xi's mother had to step in a giant's footprint to get pregnant with him, but you two managed to create a life without even holding hands. Was it from breathing the same air in the room? Wow, what kind of unknown, high-end black-box technology is this? So advanced, truly advanced!'
Hearing the thick sarcasm and gloating in Arabella's words, the Donovan Family couldn't stop the corners of their mouths from turning up, though they had to force them back down.
"It's good that you have it back. It's a matter of privacy, after all. Even though we have nothing to hide, we certainly don't like our business being broadcast to the world."
As Mrs. Donovan said this, she shot a meaningful glance at Claire Bishop. But in that instant, she saw Claire Bishop start to sway and fall sideways.
To be precise, she fell directly toward Justin Donovan. A normal person might have instinctively reached out to catch her, but this brother of hers was quite a character.
The moment he saw her falling, he immediately took a large step back in disgust.
Claire Bishop's attempt to fall into his arms failed, and she fell directly onto the floor. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Mr. and Mrs. Donovan's faces turned pale with fright—not because they were worried about her, but because they feared if something really happened to her and the baby in her belly, their family would be blackmailed for life.
Arabella Donovan hid behind her parents, looking from one person to another like a gossiping bystander enjoying the drama.
'PFFT-HAHAHA, seriously, bro? You take a step back at a time like this? And wasn't this female lead just alive and kicking, making a scene about leaving? How can she just faint on command? Don't tell me she's faking it, right?'
Faking it? Mrs. Donovan's outstretched hand froze. She quickly calmed down and shouted, "Claire, what's wrong? Quick, quick, call an ambulance! Take her to First Hospital."
This shout seemed to trigger a keyword. Claire Bishop quickly realized that faking a faint right now was a bad move and hurriedly "groggily came to."
"I-I'm fine. It's just low blood sugar. I'll be okay in a moment."
Arabella Donovan looked at her with an indescribable expression, not bothering to hide her disdain.
'I told you she was faking it. With acting skills like that, she dares to pretend to faint? It's a total eyesore.'
The three Donovans: "..."
Claire Bishop sat up, holding her forehead for a moment, and realized no one was taking the other hand she had extended for help.
She could only withdraw it awkwardly and use a nearby table to slowly pull herself up.
"Are you sure you're okay? You fainted. You should still go to the hospital for a check-up."
The moment Claire Bishop heard the word "check-up," her head throbbed. Especially when she realized that even after she had fainted, Justin Donovan hadn't given her a single glance, a ferocious look flashed across her face for an instant.
"I'm fine, I've recovered. I just remembered I have an appointment at the cemetery this afternoon to see my parents. It's almost time, so I won't disturb you any longer. I'll come visit again another time."
After saying this, she no longer lingered like before. She grabbed her bag and ran off as if her feet had grown wings, like a dog was chasing her from behind.
Arabella Donovan watched Claire Bishop's panicked retreat and shook her head with a bit of regret.
'She got scared off that easily? This female lead's mental fortitude seems a little weak.'
Mrs. Donovan and the others were both exasperated and amused. They thought to themselves that it was a good thing her mental fortitude was weak; otherwise, who knows how she might have guilt-tripped them.
"I'm sorry, Serena. You just got back, and you had to walk into such a mess." As she spoke, Mrs. Donovan shot a glare at Justin Donovan.
Justin Donovan, who felt like he had just caught a stray bullet: "..."
"It's fine, it's fine. Every family has a few weird friends or relatives. But I don't think this really has much to do with my brother. That Miss Bishop's story is full of holes."
Arabella Donovan said this to test the three Donovans' attitude on the matter. In the original novel, the reason Claire Bishop could so easily deceive the Donovan Family was not only because she had help from someone at the hospital, but also because of their guilt toward her deceased parents and their trust in her character.
Unfortunately, parents are parents, and children are children.
Some children can bring honor to their parents, while others can ruin their parents' lifelong reputation, not even letting them rest in peace after death.
Seeing Arabella Donovan proactively speak up for her eldest son, Mrs. Donovan was both moved and emotional. "We know. We just never expected that child to turn out like this."
Arabella Donovan didn't say a word, but her inner commentary didn't miss a beat.
'Oh, there's so much you don't expect! Would a normal person seek revenge on an enemy, only to end up in their enemy's bed? Besides, this girl is notoriously lovesick and brings bad luck. The moment she secures a place for her child with my brother, the kid's real father—a man who's probably broken half the criminal code—will show up at our door and lead our family to ruin. Her specialty is repaying kindness with malice and biting the hand that feeds her.'
The three Donovans: !