Chapter 400
Elspeth’s twenty million was stashed away in the Bank of Country R, a clear indictor that the money in
her Country R account was the result of her embezzlement.
To be able to take out twenty million at a moment’s notice meant that she must have embezzled
astronomical sums, likely from the Abernathy Group’s various sources and the bribes she received in
her capacity as the chairman’s wife.
“Gordon, has Elspeth transferred the money to Ward yet?” Thaddeus asked, his gaze as deep as a
starry night sky.
“It’s been transferred.”
“Has he withdrawn it?”
“Not yet. It’s such a large sum, he’d need a dump truck to carry it! Carrying around that much cash is
too conspicuous, especially when he’s planning to make a run for it.”
Thaddeus nodded slightly, “Alright, contact the police immediately and freeze Ward’s account.”
“Right away, Mr. Thaddeus!” Gordon promptly stood and left to do just that.
Indeed, freezing an account was something the police could do quite easily.
“Hmph, that beast won’t be able to get his hands on the money and will likely turn against Elspeth out
of desperation.”
Evadne’s eyes were sharp and bright, “The focus now is to track down Ward. Once we catch him, he’ll
have no choice but to spill the beans on Elspeth’s crimes.”
“That guy, we’ve got a lead.” Jareth casually leaned back, slinging a careless leg over the armrest of
his chair.
Evadne and Thaddeus: “What?”
“Why else do you think I came to see you? I’m not here for a social call. If I were, I would have brought
Marilla with me.”
Jareth’s left arm draped lazily over the back of the couch, exuding a mafia prince’s dominant presence,
“One of our Fairhaven family operatives found a clue at Sunset Harbor. Two fishermen saw Ward
sneaking onto a cargo ship late at night. The ship is bound for Country T. It seems he plans to smuggle
himself out.”
“Country T? Do you think he might change his course to another country en route?” Evadne frowned,
worry clouding her features. “Possibly, but the two countries along the way are pretty barren. What’s he
going to do with twenty million there, use it as kindling?”
Jareth continued, “So I’ve sent my guys to secretly follow him. We won’t overlook any harbors in the
other countries either. But we need to be careful not to spook him. If he jumps ship midway or switches
to a yacht or speedboat, it’ll make our job much harder.
Evadne, Thad, don’t worry. Even if he leaves the country and the police can’t apprehend him
immediately, our Fairhaven Group will bring him back, intact.”
Smuggling goods, a skill the Fairhaven Group had perfected, having built their empire on it.
“My older brother has connections in Country T. I’ll get in touch with him so we can work together and
catch him unawares.” Evadne was eager to participate, practically itching to get in on the chase herself.
“Oh, if your brother could lend a hand, that would be great!” Jareth said cheerfully.
Thaddeus‘ sharp gaze pierced Jareth’s ingratiating face like a dart.
When had this guy learned to act so obnoxious, flaunting his douchebag attitude like that?
With both Thaddeus and Jareth bringing good news, Evadne couldn’t help but let her happiness shine
through.
She had the basic manners of a good host, so she went to the bar to prepare some drinks for them.
Taking advantage of Evadne’s absence, Jareth scooted over to sit next to Thaddeus.
“Aren’t you cold?” Thaddeus asked in a chilly tone.
“Huh? No, why would I be?”
“Then move away. I don’t like the smell of your perfume!
“Tch, so picky! Who cares if you like it or not, so long as Marilla does!”
As he spoke, Jareth’s eyes roamed over Thaddeus‘ face, finally settling on a red mark hidden beneath
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇthis shirt collar. Jareth’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked in a low voice, “Thad, did you and
Evadne, you know, last night?”
“How did you know?” Thaddeus‘ long lashes fluttered, his dark eyes rippling with emotion.
Despite his best efforts to hide it, his slightly upturned lips betrayed a sense of satisfaction.
“Good lord, you might as well have ‘sated‘ written across your face! Do you have any idea how smug
you look? Just one glance at you, and I’m about to puke!” Jareth couldn’t help but tease him.
“Is there something wrong with that?”
Thaddeus met his gaze, his voice low as he asked, “Am I not allowed to do things lovers do with my
future wife?”
“We’re all adults here, so there’s nothing wrong with it if you’re both willing. But, did you take
precautions?”
“Precautions?” Thaddeus looked slightly confused.
“Did you use protection? What about last time?” Jareth had no qualms about asking such questions.
After all, they were both men, and Thaddeus, despite his outwardly tough and decisive appearance,
was incredibly inexperienced in matters of love, with Evadne being his only relationship.
“Last time,” Thaddeus honestly replied, “No, I wasn’t in any state to think about that.”
“And this time?”
“I pulled out.”
“If your sperms are particularly lively, pulling out might not do any good, she could still get pregnant.”
Jareth put an arm around Thaddeus‘ shoulders, sighing heavily as he advised him, “Buddy, next time,
use a condom. You’ve only just made some progress in your relationship, you should be careful.
If you truly care about her, don’t let her become pregnant before you’re married. She’s Emeric’s
precious daughter, you should cherish her. After all, getting pregnant before marriage, especially with
her ex. No matter how you spin it, it won’t look good. For a woman, her reputation is more important
than anything.”
“Jareth.”
Thaddeus fixed him with a sincere gaze, his eyes brimming with deep emotion as he said, “If Evadne
were to become pregnant with my child, do you think I would shirk my responsibilities?
I only want her for the rest of my life. Whether or not we’re married, she’s still my woman, my wife. If
she’s pregnant, and I’ll go propose to the Ashbourne family. I want to make our wedding grand.
Everything that I couldn’t give her before, I intend to provide now.”
“Thaddeus, you’re getting ahead of yourself. You don’t even know if Evadne would be willing to marry
you again.”
Speaking of pregnancy, Jareth became chatty once again, “Hey man, I plan to have five children with
Marilla when we’re married. How many do you plan on having with Evadne? Between the two of you,
you could buy a whole country. Don’t you plan to have a large brood like Emeric to secure your
throne?”
“If Evadne wants, I don’t mind, Thaddeus said, his gaze turning passionate, filled with dreams for the
future.
“Do you like children? I love them. I dream about having kids.”
Jareth was fantasizing about going to the amusement park with Marilla and their children, so happy that
he couldn’t close his mouth.
Thaddeus slowly closed his eyes, an image of Evadne’s shy beauty appearing in his mind, his heart
beating faster.
“Yes, I like children.”
But he only liked the idea of having children with Evadne.
Two grown men chatted enthusiastically.
They were oblivious to the fact that on the other side of the wall, Evadne was trembling as she held a
tray, etching their conversation deep into her heart.
She murmured, “I also like children. Thaddeus, I also like children. I used to dream of having a child
with you. Unfortunately, if you place your future on me, I’m afraid you might not get your wish in this
lifetime.”
Evadne, with red–rimmed eyes, took a deep breath and slowly slid down the wall in despair.
Whether she could bear children or not didn’t matter to her anymore.
Ever since she lost a child, she would never be able to have her own children again.
The news of Thaddeus spending the night with Evadne spread to Cassius quickly.
Cassius, the eldest brother, was worried about his reckless sister. He planned to rush over to stop them
and give Thaddeus a good beating for the pain he had caused his sister.
However, he was intercepted by Elvis.
“Cassius, what’s the point of rushing over now? It’s all over and they aren’t children. Whatever was
meant to happen, could you have stopped it?”
“What do you mean?”
Cassius looked at him in surprise, “Are you supporting their relationship?”
“At the very least, I don’t support Evadne being with Avery Elvis stated bluntly.
“Even so, you’re just letting Evadne settle for less. Thaddeus and Avery, neither of them are good for
Evadne,” Cassius shook his head in frustration.
“But Thaddeus truly loves Evadne. He might have messed up in the past, but he has shown remorse
and has tried to make up for the pain he caused Evadne. As for Avery, his intentions towards Evadne
are not pure. He definitely has some ulterior motives. Plus, Emeric’s sudden change in attitude towards
him, can you say that Avery hasn’t played any tricks behind Emeric’s back?”
Elvis usually didn’t interfere in family affairs, but this involved Evadne’s happiness. He couldn’t stand by
and watch.
Cassius frowned, lost in thought.
His younger brother, who usually seemed to be put of tune, was making some valid points.
“I have also had my doubts. I later found out that on the night when our father and the three ladies
returned home, Avery was with them at the hospital. Only our father went up while Avery stayed
behind, seemingly to avoid suspicion. And that very night, our father told me that he wanted to arrange
a marriage between Evadne and Avery, to form an alliance with the Chambers Group. I and Arnold
vehemently opposed it, but our father was adamant.”
“No, I won’t agree to this marriage!”
Elvis sharply furrowed his brows, his emotions running high. He crushed a glass in his hand out of
anger.
Cassius blinked, stepping back to avoid the shards of glass.
“If Emeric dares to marry Evadne to a Chambers, I might not kill Avery, but I’ll make sure he never has
descendants!”
Just then, the door to the study opened.
Chasel walked in brazenly with a tray, startling both brothers.
“Mr. Bright, we are having a conversation. It would be polite for you to knock,” Cassius said, looking
slightly exasperated but not angry.
“Do you see my hands free?”
Chasel gave him an irritated look, slamming the tray onto the coffee table, and sarcastically said, “I
pushed the door open with my butt. If you think I’m rude, I can go out and knock again.”
Elvis lit a cigarette and looked Chasel up and down, a playful look in his eyes.
He had to say, the way Chasel had just spoken to Cassius seemed a bit like a girl pouting at her crush.
And, not just among men, even among women, Chasel’s butt could be considered quite perky.
“Is there something you need?” Cassius asked, returning his attention to the conversation.
“My aunt personally made soup. She asked me to bring it to you two to nourish your bodies,” Chasel
said, his tone mocking, clearly trying to irritate Cassius.
“I don’t like soup. Can you bring me a chilled beer instead?”
Elvis rested his long legs casually on the edge of the coffee table, the cigarette in his mouth moving up
and down, “Do you have a lighter? Light it for me.” “You’re taking advantage of the situation!” Chasel
was so angry his face turned red. He wanted to pour the hot soup on Elvis‘ head!
What an attitude! Did he really think he was a servant to order around?
“Elvis, stop messing around.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe usually silent Cassius finally spoke, his voice low and magnetic, exactly the tone Chasel liked,
“Chasel is Suri’s nephew, a guest of the Ashbourne family. Don’t make inappropriate jokes.”
“Alright, alright, I’m inappropriate, I’m disrespectful, I’m shameless. I’ll go now before I become a
nuisance,”
Elvis pocketed his cigarette, standing up smoothly and with a certain carelessness that was somehow
still attractive. He picked up a mug and took a sip, smacking his lips.
“Damn, too bland.”
Chasel’s eyes widened, almost flipping the coffee table in frustration.
What kind of man was Emeric, to have children that were each a force to be reckoned with, and yet
here was Elvis, stirring up trouble as if it were his job. Had there been some sort of genetic mutation?
Elvis, yawning, left the study.,
Now it was just Cassius and Chasel, the air suddenly still, a strange tension building between them.
Cassius didn’t lift his head to look at Chasel, treating him as if he were nothing more than air.
Such cold indifference sent the seasoned playboy, Chasel, into silent turmoil.
He had seen countless people, but he couldn’t figure out if Cassius was playing hard to get, or if he had
lost interest after that night.
Cassius, who had been overworking in recent years and had vision not as good as before, would wear
glasses when he was at home. He had a silver–rimmed pair ready in his study for when he had to go
over documents or read.
At this moment, the man sitting upright took his glasses out of the case, his long eyelashes lowered as
he slowly put them on.
He was already handsome, and the glasses only added a scholarly air to his appearance, like a
nobleman who had just returned from studying abroad.
Chasel’s breath hitched, his heart pounding, his throat dry as he found himself drawn to Cassius.
Cassius was engrossed in his work when he suddenly felt his chair swivel.
As their eyes met, Chasel leaned over the desk, his tall figure looming over Cassius, trapping him
against his heated chest.
“Mr. Chasel, what are you doing?” Cassius asked, his handsome face looking up at him, his eyes deep
and unreadable.
“Cassius, has anyone ever told you how damn sexy you look with glasses on?”
Chasel’s eyes were slightly reddened as he boldly lifted his leg, his knee resting on Cassius‘ thigh,
giving it a gentle rub.
Cassius‘ brows furrowed, his breath hitching.
His self–restrained gaze slowly moved down, lingering on Chasel’s bare chest and the tantalizing
collarbone that peeked out from his blue silk shirt.
That night, their lips had tangled, and he had torn open his shirt, his hands gripping his waist, his mouth
seeking his lips, his neck, his collarbone.
He had been drunk, but he remembered he was very fond of Chasel’s collarbone.
Because the same thing was once a secret shared only between him and his lover.
They had done it countless times.
“Cassius, why are you ignoring me?”
Chasel’s arms wrapped around Cassius‘ neck, the expression on his beautiful face combined with his
fox–like eyes made him even more alluring than any woman, “When you’re drunk, you can’t get enough
of me. But when you’re sober, you act like you don’t know me. Are all the men in the Ashbourne family
so fickle?”
“Get off me.” Cassius said clearly, his voice soft but firm.
Thinking about that night only agitated him more, and he found his patience with Chasel rapidly
dwindling.
Chasel, used to Cassius‘ gentle demeanor, was taken aback by his sudden coldness. He held onto him
even tighter. “Cassius, you hypocrite, you took advantage of me that night. How can you treat me like
this now?”
“I’ll count to three.”
“One, two, three, so what?” Chasel finished for him, his eyes turning a bright red.
Cassius took a deep breath, his eyelids lowered, and then suddenly, he harshly pushed Chasel away.
“Shit!”
Chasel was quick enough to react and pulled back, but he still staggered awkwardly.