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

Arabella Donovan wasn’t just making things up. According to how others in the book described Kieran Kerr, he had been outstanding in every way since childhood.

Mr. Kerr had been very strict with him. But because he was *too* strict and paid little attention to his son’s romantic life, Kieran’s love life was a blank slate even as he approached thirty.

Between a distant father and a high-pressure mother, Kieran Kerr had no time for relationships. He wasn’t even sure what kind of partner he wanted.

As he got older, the years of intense pressure backfired, sparking a delayed rebellious streak. He hopped on the trend of online dating and found himself a "gentle and considerate" girlfriend.

’He thought his girlfriend was timid, charming, and fragile, but in reality, the person on the other end was a hulking man weighing two or three hundred pounds. Standing up, he’d be twice Kieran’s size.’

Eloise Donovan: "..." Words failed her.

The color drained from Ms. Kerr’s face when she heard this. Thinking about her son’s personality, it seemed strangely plausible.

"What are baleful stars?"

"Generally speaking, baleful stars refer to six specific stars: the Scythe, the Net, the Fire Star, the Bell Star, the Earth Calamity, and the Void. The Fire Star and Bell Star carry the element of fire. A clash with them can cause mental imbalance, irritability, and conflict. The Scythe and the Net represent the presence of insidious people, who are likely acquaintances you have known and trusted for a long time. A clash with them can endanger your health. As for the last two, Earth Calamity and the Void..."

Arabella Donovan paused deliberately. "They represent accidents and grave danger."

Since this concerned her son, Ms. Kerr understandably began to panic.

"Then how can I prevent my son from encountering these baleful stars?"

Arabella Donovan glanced at Ms. Kerr’s face again, choosing her words carefully. "Ms. Kerr, the color of your Palace of Children is dim, and I can faintly see a vertical line. Forgive me for being blunt, but this facial feature indicates your child is in impending danger."

As for what kind of danger and how severe it would be? That was left to Ms. Kerr’s imagination.

Sometimes, these vague pronouncements are the most terrifying. Ms. Kerr’s mind reeled, fixated on Arabella Donovan’s words—’accidents’ and ’grave danger.’ Cold sweat began to stream down her face.

"Therefore, I suspect your son has already had a clash with a baleful star. But since I haven’t met him in person, the information I can glean from your face alone is limited."

Ms. Kerr’s hands clenched into fists. She made a swift decision. "I’ll call him right now and tell him to come back."

He was her only son. Business was important, but not more important than his life. She felt a desperate need to see him and make sure he was safe.

"I’m afraid it might be too late."

"What?" Ms. Kerr’s legs went weak, and she nearly fell. Mrs. Rhodes quickly stepped forward to support her.

Arabella Donovan’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Ms. Kerr’s Palace of Children, which had suddenly begun to glow red. "Your son is walking into danger as we speak, but there is still a sliver of hope. Do this: write a single word for me. As you write, repeat your son’s name in your mind."

"You are connected by blood. His life is a gift from you; your bond is the deepest one in this world. The word you write may allow me to see the karmic threads more clearly and find a way for you to save him."

Ms. Kerr’s mind was in turmoil. How could she possibly think of a word to write?

She turned her head and saw the striking sign of the women’s clothing store next door—"Dazzling Colors."

Arabella Donovan watched as Ms. Kerr, with a trembling fingertip, shakily traced a word onto her palm. For a moment, her mind went blank.

’Uh... Does this count as the world’s consciousness secretly giving me a cheat code?’

Eloise Donovan blinked, understanding immediately.

The word Ms. Kerr had written on Arabella Donovan’s palm was ’Color’. Recalling the cause of Kieran Kerr’s death in the original plot, did she even need to ponder its meaning?

Arabella Donovan felt a thrill of excitement, but her expression remained perfectly grave, not betraying a hint of it.

"Using this word to divine his current situation... I’m afraid the outlook is grim."

Mrs. Lynch glanced at Ms. Kerr’s deathly pale face and realized the situation must be dire.

Her inherent trust in Eloise Donovan extended to Arabella Donovan, so she instinctively asked, "How is it grim?"

"The word she wrote, ’Color,’ also means ’Lust.’ There’s an old saying you’ve all probably heard: ’A knife hangs over the head of lust.’ It speaks of conflicts that arise from beauty and passion, which can end with drawn blades and someone getting hurt."

Mrs. Lynch was a bit lost, but she understood the proverb.

"You mean, Kieran might get hurt because of a romantic dispute? He’s in a relationship? He likes someone?"

Mrs. Lynch directed her last few questions at Ms. Kerr, who was also dumbfounded.

"I... I don’t know. He never told me."

She then recalled what Arabella Donovan had said earlier: ’He has a mind of his own and might do something unconventional that would worry his parents.’ Her expression soured even more.

"Furthermore, that word has a second pronunciation. In that context, it refers to dice, and I’m sure you know what *that* implies, Ms. Kerr."

Ms. Kerr’s eyes widened again. "You mean my son is involved in gambling? Impossible! I know my son. He would never pick up such a bad habit."

Arabella Donovan’s lip twitched as she retorted in her thoughts.

’Are you even listening to yourself? You didn’t even know your son was dating someone. How can you be so confident that you know him so well?’

But sarcasm aside, that wasn’t actually what Arabella Donovan meant, so she didn’t refute her.

"Gambling isn’t just about money. You can gamble with emotions, too. But I’m sure you all understand that in gambling, you lose nine times out of ten. The games are often rigged behind the scenes. The dream of getting rich overnight is usually just a massive scam."

It finally dawned on Ms. Kerr. "You mean my son is being scammed? That his girlfriend is a fraud!"

After listening for a while, the pieces also clicked into place for Mrs. Rhodes. "The scams these days are endless; you can never be too careful. Wait a minute, didn’t you say Kieran went out west to handle that raw materials deal..."

The two of them suddenly turned to look at each other, their eyes wide.

If this happened anywhere else, it would be one thing. But getting scammed in a place like that... he’d be lucky to escape with his life!

"Call Kieran right now! Ask him about his girlfriend, and whatever you do, convince him not to go meet that so-called girlfriend of his. Tell him to get back home immediately!"

Ms. Kerr snapped out of her daze. "Right, right, I’ll call him... It’s not going through. Why isn’t it going through?"

In fact, ever since Arabella Donovan said Kieran Kerr might be in trouble, Ms. Kerr had been trying to contact her son.

But even now, she hadn’t been able to get through to him.

Seeing Ms. Kerr was in a total panic, Arabella Donovan acted decisively. "Quick, contact the colleague who traveled abroad with him!"

And so, a few minutes later, Mr. Kerr, who was happily on his way to meet his girlfriend in person, felt the back of his car get hit hard.

He thought it was an accidental rear-ending, but before he could even steady himself, his car was hit again. And then, it died completely.

Kieran Kerr: "???"