Chapter 18
“I remember you used to be a good drinker. How come you’re so bad now?” Arnold quickly handed over some water for her to rinse her mouth, and also brought some hangover pills for her.
“I haven’t had a drink in three years… Who can stand all this drinking all of a sudden?!” Evadne knew Thaddeus didn’t like women who smelled of alcohol, so she didn’t drink again during the three years of their marriage.
“Looking at you now, if I didn’t know you were drunk, I’d think you were pregnant,” Arnold said jokingly.
“Haha… What would you guys do if I really were pregnant with Thaddeus’ kid?” A hint of pain flickered in Evadne’s eyes.
“What can we do? We’d just have to help you bring up the kid. It doesn’t matter whose blood runs in their veins, the kid would be innocent.” Despite his dislike for Thaddeus, Arnold had a strong sense of justice, perhaps a professional trait from being a lawyer.
“Don’t worry about it. Thaddeus letting me carry his child? As if!” Evadne sneered, taking a sip of water to clear her throat.
Arnold asked, “By the way, do you remember what happened last night?”
“I remember picking a fight with Ives, then Thaddeus showed up… or something? After that, it’s all a blur.”
“You really don’t remember?”
“I think… I saw a really handsome guy, who helped me get out of the mess? Da mn, I was too drunk, or I would’ve asked for his contact.”
“That was Jareth. We were at his new nightclub last night.”
Hearing the name, Evadne lost all interest, “Forget it, the guy is such a play boy.”
“Do you know you were dragged into the men’s restroom by Thaddeus later?” Arnold asked.
Evadne’s eyes widened, “What?!”
“I don’t know what you guys did in there, but when I walked in, you were hugging him and wiping your nose on his shirt.” Arnold shook his head, apparently unwilling to recall the scene..
Evadne gasped.
“Sis, if I didn’t show up when I did, Thaddeus might’ve…”
“No way, Thaddeus is not that type of guy.” Evadne rubbed her forehead in annoyance.
“You’re still defending him!”
“I’m not defending him. Besides being cold, unromantic, and hating me, he’s a decent man.” Evadne winced after saying this.
“Haha, but I don’t know what got into him last night. He actually asked me if I would marry you and told me not to toy with your feelings, saying you were a delicate flower that couldn’t take the strain of love.” Arnold smirked, “Is he out of his mind? He can’t even handle his own affairs and he’s trying to meddle in others’.”
“Hold on, why would he mention that to you for no reason?”
“Because he mistook me for my brother. I just went along with it and told him to keep his hands off my woman. Haha, he must be mad.” Arnold boasted.
“You’re terrible!” Evadne, blushing with anger, punched Arnold’s handsome face.
636
Jason made a delicious breakfast, knowing Evadne had had too much to drink. He even made her some fried eggs and bacon.
Evadne came down for breakfast in a pink silk nightgown with her hair loose. Despite wearing underwear, she still looked seductively attractive. Jason’s face turned red and he quickly looked away.
“Hey! There are two grown men in this house. Can’t you consider our feelings?!” Arnold rolled an egg on his bruised face, looking at a loss.
“I’m tired of wearing white dresses and sneakers for three years. Now I’ll wear whatever I want. Who’s gonna stop me if I feel like going for a run in the middle of the night?” Evadne retorted, biting into a piece of bread.
“Why could you only wear white dresses and sneakers for three years?” Jason asked seriously.
“What’s it to you?!” The siblings answered in unison.
Evadne put on some make-up, dressed in a white business suit, and high heels, transforming into a beautiful businesswoman heading to the hotel looking fresh. Despite her head feeling like it had been smacked by a gorilla.
Sitting in her office, Evadne pondered over the morning’s conversation with Arnold, feeling confused. Had Thaddeus really cared about her last night?
Oh, how could it be. He just saw the maid who used to be by his side suddenly changed the owner, causing him to be possessive. She,
Evadne, would not fall into the same trap again!
Then she received a message from the Secrecy Bureau of Ashbourne.
Cas sius: Evadne, those negative news about you yesterday afternoon have been retracted. Those accounts attacking you have also been cancelled.
Cas sius: Thaddeus did it.
Evadne: Hmm, I should thank him.
Elvis: Ha, he thinks it’s all fixed just by deleting the posts? How naive.
Bennett: The Abernathy group’s stock price only moved Ilana this morning regrettably.
Arnold: Sis, even if we can’t touch him for now, we should at least deal with the Stirling family first!
Evadne: I will have my revenge.
“Jason, come in.” Evadne called through the intercom.
Jason came in promptly. “Miss, you called for me?”
“Are the documents and proof I asked you to prepare ready?” Evadne asked, casually spinning in her chair.
“They are ready, we can submit them to the authorities anytime.”
“No, take it easy.”
Evadne leisurely crossed her legs, “First, leak the information to a few media outlets close to the Ashbourne group, get the public’s attention, then we’ll see.”
“But involving the media will complicate things. Why not take direct action and catch the Stirling group off guard?” Jason asked, confused.
“I am a ritualistic person, I do not end my goals simply and violently, but enjoy the process of slowly applying the means,” Evadne caressed the diamond bracelet her grandpa gave her, her gaze icy and ruthless.
The important thing is, if this all becomes public, the Stirling group will be in trouble. The Stirling family was in no position to talk to me, so Acacia had only one choice – to ask Thaddeus to come to her rescue. “Thaddeus, I can’t wait to see you all fraz zled over your fiancee’s predicament.”
That night, at prime internet time, a news story quietly popped up, but within an hour, it was all the rage!
“Breaking! Due to serious quality issues, the K Group terminates all business with the Stirling group!”
“Quality concerns? Stirling group’s Vintage Elegance line under fire!”
Caught off guard, the Stirling group was a deer in headlights. Their PR team, not the sharpest tools in the shed, couldn’t put a lid on the brewing storm, nor could they delete negative comments.
“The Stirling group? Ain’t that Thaddeus’ soon-to-be-wife’s family? Talk about a wedding disaster waiting to happen!”
“Thought they were marrying into a wealthy family, turns out they’re just furniture peddlers. And not just that, they’re cutting corners!”
“I hate to drag personal issues into this, but this whole thing is a real headache.”
“Go d! I just ordered Vintage Elegance furniture for my new house. Gotta cancel it tomorrow. Just my luck!”
In his study, Thaddeus listened to Gordon relay the bad news about the Stirling group, his head pounding like a drum.
“The Ashbourne group is Skyrim’s richest. They’re industry leaders in almost every industry they’re in. If the Ashbourne group boycotts the Stirling group, it’s akin to the Ashbourne group sending out their hitmen. Everyone else will have no choice but to fall in line.”
Gordon smirked, his eyes devoid of sympathy for the Stirling group, only filled with a sense of irony. “Thank Go d the Stirling group isn’t publicly traded, or their stocks would plummet by the time the market’s open. Your future father-in-law already has high blood pressure, and he’s a petty guy too. He might just pass out…”
Thaddeus shot him a frosty glare, making Gordon swallow his words.
“This news, which are not substantiated by any evidence, may just be made up of nothing.” Thaddeus took a deep breath, his eyes dark, “how did the quality issue even come up?”
“Rumor has it, it’s the Ashbourne group’s new general manager at their Elmsworth hotel, K Orld. First, she axed the partnership with the Stirling group.
Then within a week, all the K Group’s hotels followed suit, ditching the Stirling group’s products.”
“A hotel manager having so much power? Unbelievable!”
“That’s because she’s none other than Emeric’s daughter, the Ashbourne family’s little princess, Evadne.”
Evadne?
