NovelEnglish
Chapter 30
In the end, Frederic promised his father he wouldn’t interfere with the Stirling family’s affairs anymore.
Only then was the matter considered
closed.
He and Elspeth left with gloomy faces. Hamilton looked at the mess around him, his eyes filled with
bitterness. “We’re blo ody cursed, I tell ya. We Abernathy men are all getting screwed over by those
scheming Acacia harpies.”
Thaddeus bent down to pick up something from the floor, his mind racing. Could someone have gone
to Aetheria in place of Cas sius? But there was no way Frederic could have mistaken the person. They
had squared off countless times in the business world. He couldn’t have mistaken the person unless he
was going sen ile.
At that moment, Thaddeus picked up a folding fan. “Grandpa, is this yours?”
“Ah! Yes…I’d forgotten. Hand it over.” Hamilton’s face softened. “This fan was handmade by Ilana. She
even did the painting and calligraphy on it. It’s all her work.”
She painted?
Thaddeus suddenly froze, like his soul had left his body. When she was by his side, she was always
well behaved and dull. Compared to Acacia who could play the piano, dance, and sing, Ilana was
nothing special. Apart from being gentle and having a pretty face, she had no special talents. She was
no different from a maid.
But once she left him, she bloomed like a pearl emerging from dust. Not only did she shine brightly, she
also exuded confidence. Her talents, which he had never known about, emerged one by one like
surprises, leaving him unprepared.
Did she think Thaddeus didn’t deserve her talents and that only Cas sius did?
So her feelings for him weren’t true love, but a compromise for his sake. Her true love was Cas sius,
wasn’t it?
“Every weekend, Ilana used to visit me. Sometimes she’d accompany me for a walk, sometimes she’d
sit with me in my study for an entire afternoon. She never found it boring. She’d just sit there reading or
drawing. She’s excellent at drawing. I can tell she’s been practicing for at least a decade. She looks so
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtbeautiful when she draws. She’s confident and graceful. She’s no ordinary girl, but a lady from a noble
family.” Hamilton sighed, looking gloomy. “She’s much better than that Acacia who only know how to
put on a façade. It’s a shame you’re such a blind fool, Thaddeus.”
Thaddeus clenched his jaw and unfolded the fan.
A smooth, flowing sentence caught his eye-
If I could return to my youth, I would exchange wealth for a gentle breeze.
Suddenly, Thaddeus felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. His chest trembled, and his eyes scanned
the sentence over and over again. The style and charm of the calligraphy was exactly like the painting
hanging in Evadne’s office.
He suddenly remembered seeing Ilana at the hotel where Evadne worked. And the sound of Ilana’s
footsteps in the corridor after he left Evadne’s office. Did Ilana know Evadne?
Could it really be such a coincidence? Could it be that Evadne is Ilana? That was impossible!
Ilana could be indecisive at most, but she could never be as cun ning as Evadne.
Meanwhile, Skyrim, Silverlake Harbor.
Cas sius had returned from his trip to Aetheria and was having dinner at home with Arnold and their
father.
During the meal, Cas sius reported on his work progress in Aetheria. Emeric nodded in approval, a hint
of pride appearing on his stern face. His eldest son was excellent in many ways, but he preferred a life
of religion. Power, wealth, and shares couldn’t sway him from becoming a priest.
“Cas sius, it’s unlike you to sn atch away Abernathy group’s business like that,” Emeric said after a sip
of red wine. “You’ve always advocated for solving problems in a fair and peaceful way. This aggressive
move is more like my style when I was young.”
“Peace is like a human body. It appears healthy, but you never know when it’ll fall sick.” Cas sius
provided a profound response and elegantly took a sip of water.
Arnold chuckled. He knew Cas sius had made this move to avenge his sister.
“Business requires flexibility. As long as it’s legal, the means can vary. You did well this time.” Emeric
patted Cas sius on the shoulder, his gazes sharp and excited. “Besides, Frederic is my enemy. His
grandfather wronged your great-grandmother. Revenge can wait a long time.” Arnold gave a resigned
laugh. The Ashbourne family had a tradition of holding grudges for a hundred years.
“By the way, how is Evadne doing in Elmsworth? Her decisive actions against the Stirling group were
good, but if she mishandles it, I’m afraid she’ll earn people’s hatred and bring trouble upon herself. You
two need to protect her, understood?” Emeric’s tone was casual, but his eyes were filled with concern.
“We got it, dad.”
12.22
Chapter 30
“Dad, don’t worry. If anyone dares to bully Evadne, the four of us will make them regret ever being
born.”
“Don’t be so harsh. Just make their life miserable.” Emeric took another sip of his wine, his eyes
squinting in satisfaction.
After dinner, Emeric and Cas sius left first.
Just as Arnold was about to leave, he noticed that Cas sius had left his phone on the table. The phone
started vibrating, and Thaddeus’s name stood out on the screen.
Arnold, with a mischievous curiosity, glanced around, then cleared his throat and answered the phone.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Thaddeus?”
“I want to speak to Ilana.” Thaddeus’s tone was unfriendly, which made Arnold uncomfortable.
“Thaddeus, have you lost your marbles? What gives you the right to have Ilana answer your calls?”
There was a pause, then a heavy voice asked, “Is this Cas sius?”
Arnold figured Thaddeus must have realized something, but he steeled himself and said, “Mr.
Thaddeus, if you’re drunk, call your fiancee, I don’t have time to chit-chat with you.”
“Cas sius, if you truly want to stand up for Ilana, then do it in a straightforward way, instead of playing
dirty tricks behind the scenes,” Thaddeus’ tone was icy, his stance clear.
“Thaddeus, there’s no one in the world that are more shameless than you.” Arnold was so furious he
gritted his teeth, “Who was the one who first defamed Ilana in such a despicable way, don’t you know it
yourself? If you want to plead for your fiancee, then be sincere, don’t be a thief and expect a good
reputation, it’s disgusting.”
Thaddeus on the other side clenched his fists, his face burning as if on fire. The man who could speak
freely at countless important meetings was now speechless under Arnold’s scolding.
“But let me make it clear to you, even if you kneel down and beg me now, I won’t let you guys off easily.
Anyone who bullied Ilana, I will make them pay a heavy price.” With that, Arnold decisively ended the
call.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThaddeus sat in his study, looking at the dark screen, his forehead veins bulging, his fingertips almost
crushing the screen.
“Mr. Thaddeus.” Gordon hurried in, seeing his gloomy face and short breaths.
“Speak.”
“I followed your instructions to investigate, and the results are that among the five children born to Mrs.
Ashbourne, besides the eldest son Cas sius, who we could find some information on, the files of the
other four children… all have been encrypted at a high level, and cannot be cracked.”
Thaddeus abruptly looked up, his grim gaze sweeping over him with murderous intensity.
Gordon’s face turned pale, his throat bobbing, “Should I… go to the HR department tomorrow to resign
and settle my salary, or…”
Evadne, fresh out of the bath with a face mask on and dressed in a white bathrobe, elegantly came
downstairs to find a drink, looking like a graceful little swan.
Jason hurriedly approached, his eyebrows full of concern. “If you need something, just let me know, I’ll
get it for you.”
“It’s just getting a bottle of red wine from the cellar, no biggie. It’s past nine, why are you still dressed so
formally?”
Evadne gave him a once over, blinking, “From now on, when you return here, make yourself at home
and feel free to change into comfortable clothes-no need for formality. You being like this makes me
feel like I’m always in work mode. It’s stressful.”
Another reason was that it reminded her of Thaddeus. Speaking of which, it was quite embarra**ing.
She had been married for three years, and aside from that one night when she saw his robust body
and remarkable abilities, she hadn’t seen her husband’s body since. Thaddeus was a man of strict
discipline. When he returned to Windermere Estate, he always stayed in his study unless he needed to
use the bathroom or take a shower. Only before bed would he take off his suit and change into a deep
blue nightgown to rest. His suit was elegant and noble, yet suffocatingly gloomy. Yet, only Evadne knew
that beneath that cold, emotionless shell, a fiery, pa**ionate heart was hidden. Otherwise, how could
there be the pa**ion of that one night, a night of ecstasy that she could relish for a lifetime.
“Evadne?” Jason tilted his head and softly called her.
“Huh?” Evadne was a bit dazed, her cheeks flushed, a hint of moisture reflected in her bright eyes.
“Your face… it’s so red.”
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
