"What is this?"
"Claire Bishop's prenatal report. She's indeed more than three months pregnant. The one who altered the report for her is a doctor in the ultrasound department named Ethan Ford. He was her high school classmate and has had a crush on her ever since."
In other words, setting aside the truth of Eloise Donovan's situation for a moment, the facts about Claire Bishop were completely accurate.
"What does Eloise think?"
"I want..." Eloise Donovan's eyes grew red. "I want to know the truth. Even though they're already gone, I have to know where I came from. Serena said I look almost... identical to that Mrs. Lynch."
Mrs. Donovan's eyes reddened as well. "Whether you acknowledge them or not, I've raised you for more than ten years. You are my daughter."
Before, when she believed Eloise Donovan was Holly Wagner's daughter, Mrs. Donovan, no matter how heartbroken and reluctant she felt, had never dared to say these words, afraid of alienating her own biological child.
Now that this was no longer a concern, a weight was lifted from their hearts, and the mother and daughter could finally hold each other and have a good cry.
Watching this scene, the three men of the Donovan family—the father and his sons—felt a sense of relief. They were relieved they could still keep Eloise Donovan, and even more relieved that the daughter they had found was Arabella Donovan, not some monster like Miss Lynch.
Meanwhile, Arabella Donovan, still unaware of what had transpired, had just ordered a safe deposit box. She was now agonizing over how to discreetly reveal the truth to her kind older sister.
The result of all her overthinking was that Arabella Donovan slept in the next day. When she came downstairs with dark circles under her eyes, everyone else had already left for work or school. Only Hector Donovan remained, sitting at the dining table, elegantly enjoying his breakfast.
"You're up. Eat breakfast, then go upstairs and pack your bags."
Arabella Donovan's hand froze as she was pulling out a chair. "Pack my bags? For what?"
'Is my second brother trying to kick me out of the house?!'
Mr. and Mrs. Donovan, who had finished breakfast long ago and were now drinking tea on a nearby sofa, snapped their heads in their direction.
A vein throbbed on Hector Donovan's forehead. "Our older brother said you aren't sure what you like yet and don't have any clear plans for the future. Since that's the case, why don't you come visit the film set with me? Maybe you'll find something that interests you."
Arabella Donovan stiffened. "Won't I be a bother? I don't have any experience with that sort of thing. I probably won't be able to help you at all."
'Help! How am I supposed to tell my brother that as the sole heir of my sect, I have to go back and inherit that run-down little Sacred Temple one day?'
"Pfft..." Hector Donovan was so caught off guard by this sudden bombshell that he nearly snorted his porridge out his nose.
Mr. and Mrs. Donovan were also stunned. The three of them couldn't help but picture their daughter (and his sister) dressed in Daoist robes, sitting in a Sacred Temple, greeting pilgrims and preaching her teachings. The thought alone sent a shiver down their spines.
"You don't have to do anything. Just think of it as a fun outing. All you have to do is stay quietly on the sidelines and watch me film."
Mr. Donovan chimed in, "It's good to get out and meet some new people. How long will you be gone?"
"We're filming on location in Jarden, so we'll be gone for about a week, round trip."
It wasn't a long time, but Arabella Donovan had been home for less than two days, and now she was leaving on another trip. Mrs. Donovan really couldn't bear to let her go.
Just as she was about to say something, she saw Arabella Donovan's eyes widen in surprise.
'Jarden? Isn't that Eloise's hometown?'
Eloise's hometown? The Lynch Family was in Jarden!
The three of them—Mrs. Donovan, her husband, and her son—exchanged a look. In an instant, they reached a verdict.
'In that case, a trip wouldn't be so bad. I was just agonizing over how to tell my sister, and maybe I'll run into someone connected to the Lynch Family in Jarden. Even if I don't, I can use the trip as a pretense when I get back to drop some hints for her. For instance, I could say I met someone in Jarden who looked just like her.'
The more Arabella Donovan thought about it, the more foolproof the plan seemed. She stopped objecting to her brother's suggestion and obediently went upstairs to pack her things after breakfast.
When she came downstairs with her bag, however, she found Mr. and Mrs. Donovan waiting by the door, each holding a suitcase even larger than hers.
"Dad, Mom, what are you...?"
"Your father and I discussed it. Jarden is far from home, and your brother will be busy with work and might not be able to look after you properly. We'll go with you to take care of you, and we can turn it into a little vacation while we're at it."
"What about the company...?"
"Your older brother's there. Nothing will go wrong," Mr. Donovan said, shirking his responsibilities without a shred of guilt.
Arabella Donovan: "..."
And so, when Justin Donovan and Eloise Donovan returned from work and school, they were greeted by an empty house.
The abandoned pair: ?
Although Mr. and Mrs. Donovan claimed they had come along to look after Arabella Donovan, they didn't actually go with her to the film set.
Hector Donovan's latest project was a historical fantasy drama, in which he had a cameo as an Immortal Venerable—a classic "Lover" archetype.
In fact, with his current A-list status, he rarely accepted roles in television dramas anymore. Even if he did, he would undoubtedly be cast as the male lead; he would never condescend to play a supporting character for a newcomer.
However, he owed the director of this drama a favor from his early days when he was just starting out. Taking this role was simply his way of repaying it.
As a result, despite only having a cameo, he was the biggest star in the entire production. Bringing one extra person to the set to watch was hardly a big deal.
When the director heard he'd brought a beautiful young woman to the set, he immediately rushed over, his eyes gleaming with a hunger for gossip.
"And this is..."
Hector Donovan knew the director well and saw right through his nosy intentions. He shot him an eye-roll. "My sister. My actual, biological sister."
To his surprise, this only made the director's eyes shine brighter. "So this is the sister you've been hiding from everyone! Now that I look closer, she does resemble you a bit. A real budding beauty. Young lady, since you're already here, how about a cameo in my show? I promise we'll make you look absolutely stunning, enough to wow everyone."
Arabella Donovan figured he had most likely mistaken her for Eloise Donovan, so she just offered him an awkward yet polite smile.
'Seriously, is filmmaking this casual nowadays? You can just pull any random person onto the set to act? And director, you're really giving off some creepy-old-man-luring-an-innocent-maiden vibes!'
"Get lost. Isn't it enough that you're taking advantage of me? Now you want to take advantage of my sister, too? Stay away from her."
"Now, that's not a fair way to put it..."
Before the director could say more, a clear male voice called out from behind them, "Director, Donovan."
Arabella Donovan turned toward the voice and saw a boyishly handsome young man with a bright smile slowly approaching from a short distance away.
"Ah, you're here. Let me introduce you. This is the male lead of our show, Edward Pierce. Payne, this is Best Actor Hector Donovan. He has a cameo in the show as your Master."
'Oh, so *this* is that new A-lister who's a serial cheater and sleeps with his fans. If I remember correctly, in just a few months, his career is going to implode after he gets exposed for hosting orgies! He's the male lead of this show? Then isn't my brother's cameo a complete waste of time?'
Hector Donovan: "..."
Not far away, the show's biggest investor, who had just stepped onto the set: ?