His Ex Wife is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus)

Chapter 461

Frederic glared at his wayward son, his expression as stormy as a raging sea.

And trailing behind him, besides his loyal right–hand man Dennis and a phalanx of bodyguards, was

Glynnis, looking like she’d just eaten a fly.

Truth be told, Glynnis would rather be anywhere but here to face Elspeth; she hadn’t set foot outside

the Windermere Estate since the horse race debacle,

Elspeth, as her flesh and blood, had hung their dirty laundry out for all to see!

These days, she couldn’t even glance at the TV without cringing. A quick scroll through Facebook, and

there they were, snide comments and jabs at Elspeth.

She even had to mute all those groups. But they never stopped gossiping about the mother–daughter

duo.

[Now when I think about it, I feel sorry for poor Elspeth. Frederic probably hasn’t touched her in ages.

Who else would be so desperate to touch themselves, and with such fervor?]

[Well, once you’ve had kids, you’re just another piece of furniture to men. Even Elspeth, with her star–

studded past, couldn’t escape that fate.]

[What does middle age have to do with it? Elspeth’s on drugs, wetting herself. If I were Frederic, I’d be

six feet under from the shame. What a family tragedy!]

[The real victim here is Glynnis. No decent beau and now her mom’s been carted off by the cops in

broad daylight.]

[Which respectable family would want to tie the knot with that kind of scandal hanging over them? Talk

about embarrassing.]

Those so–called friends of hers sure didn’t pull any punches when kicking her while she was down.

More like ‘frenemies‘ if you might ask!

But right now, Glynnis had to play the part of the concerned daughter. No matter Frederic’s stance on

Elspeth, she had to show her father that she was the dutiful, caring daughter, better than that simpleton

Marilla by miles!

She had just witnessed Thaddeus throw a punch at Cedric, their words as clear as day to everyone

present. Inside, she smirked.

Go ahead Thaddeus, make a spectacle for that woman. In the end, you’ll just be another

disappointment to dad, and that CEO position will slip right from under you.

“What am I doing? You saw it clear enough,” Thaddeus said, icy and unyielding, his eyes narrowing

with authority.

“Haven’t you realized who you are? This is a precinct! How are you any different from a street thug

when you hit someone? It’s disgraceful! Foolish!”

Frederic had recently warmed slightly to his son, feeling a twinge of guilt for mistreating Cynthia. But

seeing him now, so reckless and impulsive for Evadne’s sake, he found his son utterly repulsive.

The officers around, including Aaron, heard the patriarch of the Abernathy Group spout such nonsense

and shook their heads in disdain.

“What sort of leadership is this? He runs a corporation? Ridiculous is what it is.”

“Yeah, hitting’s wrong, but to him, it seems more about losing face than morality. His values are all out

of whack!”

“Elites really are heartless, parasites on society. Hopeless!”

Frederic wasn’t deaf. He caught snippets of their words and grew even angrier, looking at Thaddeus

with fire in his eyes.

“I know who I am,” without hesitation Thaddeus returned to Evadne’s side, gripping her hand firmly.

His striking gaze softened as he looked at her, “I’m the man of the Ashbourne family’s eldest daughter.

My woman was bitten by this cur. I hit him is that not justified?”

–

Evadne’s heart skipped a beat, her fingers curling within his grasp.

“You!” Frederic was taken aback.

“If it were your woman who’s insulted to her face by such scum, could you swallow that pill and remain

indifferent?”

Thaddeus smiled thinly, “But of course, you value your pride over everything else, so you would

certainly be above it all.”

The crowd gasped! The Ashbourne father–son feud had escalated to an open war!

Frederic, speechless from his son’s retort, was caught off guard when Glynnis stepped in, defending

her father, “Thaddeus, how

can you speak to dad like that?! You’re in the wrong for fighting, and you’ve tarnished the company’s

image. What’s wrong with dad giving you a talking–to?! Are you going to degrading yourself until

everyone hates you and spits at you for only a woman?”

Evadne couldn’t stand to see her man chastised by someone like Glynnis, but this was an Ashbourne

family affair. Though she and Thaddeus were committed to each other, it wasn’t her place to intervene.

Her meddling in would only worsen the tie between the Abernathy father and son. She didn’t fear

Frederic’s disdain, but she worried for Thaddeus, who was already walking on thin ice at the

Ashbourne Group, that his situation would be only harsher.

“Hated and be spat at by everyone? You must mean Elspeth.” Thaddeus didn’t even glance at Glynnis,

his voice threaded with a chilling threat, “I advise you to behave. If you persist in whitewashing your

mom’s crimes, I’ll make sure you follow in her footsteps, and you two can keep each other company

behind bars.”

His words were not just for Glynnis but also for Frederic. The implication was clear: Elspeth was

beyond saving.

“Thaddeus! how dare you!” Glynnis stomped her foot in frustration, clutching at Frederic’s arm, tears

brimming, “Dad! What’s he talking about? He wants to kill my mom, your wife! He wants to kill not just

mom but me too! What did I ever do to him, why does he want us dead? Who’s the cruel one?!”

Frederic, dizzied by her shaking and more confused than ever, could barely muster a response.

“Mr. Frederic Abernathy.”.

Cedric saw the rift between the father and son as his golden ticket.

Scrambling to his feet, wiping the blood from his nose while donning a sorrowful visage, he stood

before Frederic, “Mr. Frederic Abernathy. I’ve been utterly devoted to you, to the Abernathy Group. I’ve

worked my fingers to the bone, given my all. You know this. I’m aware of the bad blood between Mr.

Thaddeus Abernathy and your wife, but as a lawyer, I was merely doing my job. Yet Mr. Thaddeus

Abernathy, because of his grudge, has taken it out on me Mr. Frederic Abernathy, I’m so wronged!”

Frederic, catching sight of Cedric’s bloody face, couldn’t bear to look again and simply said, “Mr.

Dempsey, I’m truly sorry for this. I’ll handle it.”

Thaddeus was utterly fed up with everything related to the Abernathy family.

“Evadne, let’s go home.”

He didn’t want to share the same air as Frederic any longer. Taking Evadne’s hand, they walked out

unabashed, ignoring the stares of the onlookers.

As they passed Cedric, Thaddeus paused and casually said, “Your medical expenses, just bill them to

my secretary. Getting punched by me isn’t an everyday affair, make sure you claim a good amount.”

Cedric’s face contorted in anger, his wounds throbbing painfully, almost making him cry out.

Evadne followed Thaddeus, her eyes fixed on his broad shoulders and strong back, stepping lightly

behind him.

Aaron watched, utterly dumbfounded. His little sister had always been unconventional, not like other

girls – bold and generous, shining bright like moonlight on a frosty night.

Yet now, in Thaddeus’s presence, she was the picture of gentle and demure femininity – a sight he’d

never seen before, almost worth snapping a picture to commemorate!

“Ms. Ashbourne,” Frederic called out coldly, stopping them in their tracks.

Thaddeus immediately tensed, pulling her into his embrace as if to protect her from the world.

“Mr. Abernathy, is there anything else?” Evadne asked, her tone neither servile nor overbearing.

“Do you dare claim that the public exposure at the last horse race, her arrest, and that doctor’s

testimony had nothing to do with you?” Frederic’s voice was tight with anger, his teeth gritted.

Thaddeus’s brows knitted together, “If you have something to say, say it to me directly. Don’t make it

difficult for Evadne.”

But Evadne, unruffled, flashed Frederic a/radiant, disarming smile, “How can it has nothing to do with

me? It has everything to do with me.”

The crowd gasped. The Abernathy Group’s people were stunned, and even Thaddeus was surprised

by her candor.

Glynnis, seizing the opportunity, spat out bitterly, “Evadne! It was you all along, working against my

mom! I knew she was innocent; it was all your doing! How could you be so cruel?! You’ve turned our

family upside down and now you’re ensnaring my brother, using him for your vile schemes! You’re a

scourge, a disaster!”

Aaron could no longer stand it and was about to defend his sister when Evadne, ever poised, replied

with a slow smile, “Mr. Abernathy, Victor indeed works for me. But from your wife’s approach to him for

drugs, her addiction, and even her desperate actions at the horse race, it was all her choice. No one

ever forced her. Indeed, it was a trap, but Elspeth had the option to walk

212

away from the start.”

With that, Thaddeus tenderly wrapped his arm around Evadne and they left the station.

“Dad! You’re just letting her go?! She’s the mastermind behind mom’s downfall!” Glynnis cried out in

desperation.

Dennis, unable to bear it any longer, chided lightly, “Ms. Ashbourne’s words require evidence. If you

can’t provide it, I suggest you

be cautious; otherwise Ms. Ashbourne could sue you for defamation.”

Glynnis shot Dennis a venomous glance.

“Aaron, I need to see your Chief,” Frederic gazed at Aaron callously.

Aaron, leaning casually against the wall with folded arms, “The Chief is out; someone higher up needed

him.”

“Then do me a favor and call him; have him come see me immediately.”

“Sorry, but as a lowly officer, I don’t have the clout to summon the Chief at will.”

Aaron yawned and waved dismissively, “If you need him, you’ll have to call him yourself.”

This blatant disregard added fuel to Frederic’s fury. He knew Aaron was Emeric Ashbourne’s son and

Evadne’s brother; he wouldn’t make things easy for him.

Hmph! A child born of a mistress, just as lowly as expected!

Glynnis continued to wail, “Dad, Evadne is walking all over us. Are we from the Abernathy Group

supposed to let her manipulate us, to be slaughtered like lambs?!”

“Impossible, utterly impossible.”

Frederic’s face turned an ashen hue, his teeth almost grinding to dust, “I know what she wants. She’s

deluded herself into thinking she can marry Thaddeus again. I will never let such a scheming woman

become a daughter–in–law of the Abernathy family. Even if my dad supports her, it’s futile!”

On the ride home, Evadne nestled against Thaddeus, tracing lazy circles on his firm chest.

“Don’t keep crossing your dad for my sake.“.

“Don’t worry,” Thaddeus replied in a husky voice, kissing her forehead tenderly.

“Mr. Frederic Abernathy, the chairman of the Abernathy Group, still calls the shots. Aren’t you afraid

he’ll dismiss you in a fit of rage and hand over the billion–dollar empire to your older brother?” Evadne

voiced her concern with a serious tone.

“If Frederic really intends to cast me aside, and I’m no longer the president of the Abernathy Group,

then I might just have to rely on you to support me,” Thaddeus said with a wry smile.

“Rely on me? The Ashbourne family doesn’t support freeloaders,” Evadne’s eyebrow arched elegantly.

“I can pull my own weight, you know. I’m quite capable,” he replied, his chest muscles tensing, flicking

her fingertips.

“Oh? And how capable might that be?”

Thaddeus wrapped his large hand around her slim waist and lifted her into his arms, his gaze heavy

with desire as he looked into her eyes, “You’ll find out when we get home.”

A blush crept over Evadne’s cheeks as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a

deep kiss.

The car pulled up in front of the villa.

Gordon stepped out first to open the door for Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy. That was when he noticed a

black Rolls–Royce parked at the doorstep, its presence dominating even in the dim light.

Just as Thaddeus stepped out with Evadne in his arms, the door of the Rolls–Royce swung open.

“Evadne.”

Both were taken aback, Evadne’s eyes widening in surprise before she quickly hopped down from

Thaddeus.

“Dad?”