I Read Their Tragic Fates, and My Family Reads My Mind?

Those words were incredibly ugly. The hot-tempered Hector Donovan almost lunged forward to give the paparazzi a free headline with his fists.

He was stopped at the last second by Justin Donovan, but the elder brother’s expression was just as dark as his sibling’s.

As the head of the family, Mr. Donovan immediately stepped forward and said coldly, "How we raise our children is not for outsiders to judge. Furthermore, while my wife and I have always taught our children to respect their elders, respect is mutual. If an elder shows them care, they will surely be respectful in return. But for an old scoundrel who flaunts his age just to pick a fight, there’s really no need to show any respect at all."

"You!"

Hearing Mr. Donovan so bluntly call him an old scoundrel, Jeremy Donovan flew into a rage and was about to erupt, but Arabella Donovan cut him off.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Are you deaf? Of course I’m talking to you."

At these words, the expressions of the Donovan family members grew even darker.

Arabella Donovan, however, simply tilted her head with a placid expression and asked curiously, "May I ask how we’re related?"

Jeremy Donovan froze. It took him a moment to sort out his relation to Arabella Donovan before he snorted coldly. "I’m your distant uncle."

"Distant, you say?" Arabella Donovan dragged out the word, as if only half-understanding. "How distant are we talking?"

"Pfft..." Seeing Jeremy Donovan’s face suddenly turn green, Hector Donovan felt all his frustration vanish. He walked over to his sister and put an arm around her shoulder. "About as distant as two complete strangers, I’d say."

"Hahahaha..." The crowd, which had been enjoying the show for some time, erupted in laughter.

Jeremy Donovan had failed to make a laughingstock of others and had instead become one himself. His face was as black as ink.

But Arabella Donovan knew just how to add fuel to the fire. "Oh, in that case, Fifth Aunt is a much closer relation to us. So by this distant uncle’s logic, doesn’t the fact that I was speaking with her prove my respect for my elders even more?"

’After all, you’re just a distant relative. How could you possibly be as important as our actual, direct family?’

Jeremy Donovan choked, wanting to argue but unable to come up with a rebuttal. He was so furious he could barely breathe.

Seeing that he couldn’t use seniority to intimidate Arabella Donovan, Jeremy Donovan quickly switched tactics.

"I hear you grew up in a Sacred Temple and learned the art of unerringly predicting people’s fortunes. Why don’t you read mine for me?"

Arabella Donovan glanced again at his forehead, which was glowing with a greasy green light. "I’m afraid I can’t do that."

"Why not? You read fortunes for them, so on what grounds can you refuse to read mine?"

"On the grounds that they are people with whom I have an affinity, and you are not."

’It’s because they were polite and kind to me, and you’re not. Ptooey! And yes, I hold a grudge.’

The crowd, who had been enjoying the drama all evening, heard Arabella Donovan’s undisguised double standard, but they didn’t find her petty in the slightest.

After all, a certain someone had started the trouble with her first. The instigator is always in the wrong, so wasn’t it perfectly normal for him to be rejected? Even a saint has their limits.

Jeremy Donovan, however, was convinced this was just another excuse, that Arabella Donovan, like her father, looked down on him. His face darkened. "Whatever they paid you, I’ll give you double—no, triple."

Seeing him flaunt his wealth like this, Arabella might have been impressed on another day. But right now, all she wanted to say was, "Do I look like I’m short on cash? Or, for that matter, does my family look like we’re short on cash?"

Infuriated by Arabella Donovan’s imperviousness, Jeremy Donovan gritted his teeth. "If it’s not about the money, then why won’t you do it? Don’t tell me your skills are lacking, and you’re afraid you’ll make an inaccurate prediction and ruin your own reputation?"

It was not a very clever attempt at goading her. Arabella Donovan gave him a cool glance and, in the calmest tone, said the words most likely to shatter his composure.

"There’s a saying: what is fated to be yours will be, and what is not, you must not force. Since you are not a person of affinity, I will absolutely not make an exception for you. Nothing you say can change my mind, so give up."

How could Jeremy Donovan possibly give up? Arabella Donovan’s words had unintentionally struck a fatal nerve.

"What is fated to be yours will be, and what is not, you must not force." The more he heard it, the more it sounded like a metaphor for him and Mr. Donovan.

He was instantly convinced that this was Arabella—and by extension, Mr. Donovan—mocking him. Mocking him for struggling all these years only to remain inferior to Mr. Donovan, making all his actions seem like the pathetic antics of a clown.

Already intensely sensitive about Mr. Donovan’s very existence, Jeremy Donovan’s rage boiled over. His face contorted viciously as he threatened her.

"Enough of this nonsense about ’affinity’! You’re going to read my fortune today whether you like it or not! You’re just a country bumpkin from the middle of nowhere who actually thinks she’s hot stuff. Do it properly, and maybe I’ll toss you some money for your trouble. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next."

Melanie Yates, who had arrived a little late due to traffic, heard this the moment she walked in. Her eyes went wide.

’Good heavens,’ she thought. ’What kind of thuggish, nouveau-riche bully is this? Threatening the birthday girl right in front of her parents and relatives? Does he have no respect for anyone here?’

Melanie Yates considered herself a bit domineering at times, but at least she knew where to draw the line.

’Compared to this guy, I’m practically a saint. Stomping all over the host’s dignity just to make a scene... is he actually trying to start a feud? Are people really this reckless nowadays?’

Jeremy Donovan’s outrageous behavior not only stunned the outsider, Melanie Yates, but also completely exhausted Mr. Donovan’s patience with his distant relative.

"That’s enough, Jeremy Donovan," Mr. Donovan’s voice boomed. "I invited you to my daughters’ birthday party to celebrate them coming of age, not for you to come here, harass one of the birthday girls, and try to strong-arm her. You just accused my daughter of having no manners, yet you come to a host’s home and act this pushy and insolent. Is *that* what your family calls good breeding?"

"Since you clearly didn’t come in good faith to celebrate my children’s birthday, my family does not welcome you. Justin, see him out."

"Quentin Donovan, you dare throw me out!"

Jeremy Donovan’s face was a mask of disbelief. He had dared to cause a scene today precisely because he believed times had changed. He was now a successful businessman who had amassed a fortune most people couldn’t earn in several lifetimes. This gave him a sense of superiority even when facing Mr. Donovan. He was certain the other man wasn’t as wealthy as him anymore and wouldn’t dare to offend him—in fact, he’d probably have to suck up to him.

But in reality, regardless of whether his wealth had truly surpassed Mr. Donovan’s, the two had no business connections and no intention of ever collaborating. Mr. Donovan had no reason to be wary of him, much less humiliate his own family just to curry favor. It was utter delusion.

Also wearing a grim expression was the Mr. Donovan who had come with Jeremy Donovan. He never imagined the man would be so stupid as to brazenly show up on someone else’s turf just to wreck their party.

’Now they had lost all face and dignity. His attempt at intimidation had failed, and they had become a laughingstock for everyone.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’He’d been humiliated right along with him. If he had known this would happen, he never would have come!’

Arabella’s expression remained placid, but inwardly, she was already cheering on her father with biting sarcasm.

’Tsk, tsk. Listen to that. He’s throwing you out, so what? Did you expect him to pick an auspicious date for it?’

Mr. Donovan: "..."

The crowd: Pfft...