Chapter 620
“What on earth has Bevis been up to now?” Evadne asked with a steely tone, her eyes deep and
unfathomable as the depths of a dark lake.
Thaddeus couldn’t help but feel that Bevis, a distant cousin of the Ashbourne Group and the only
brother of Chairman Emeric, seemed to be anything but well-behaved.
He had always thought the Ashbourne family to be a rare example of unity and harmony, but it seemed
even they were not immune to having a black sheep in their midst.
“Bevis got into some backdoor stock options to make a quick buck, but then the stock market of
Country M took a nosedive and he lost a fortune,” explained Cassius, his brow furrowed in disapproval.
“He could have backed out in time to save himself, but he got some wild idea that the government of
Country M was going to stabilize the market, so he doubled down on his options. Only he didn’t have
the funds, so he started eyeing the company’s money.”
“Bevis is the king of fools! His brains are worth less than the cobblestones!” Evadne fumed, her fist
thudding against the car window.
Thaddeus took her hand in his, sharing her sentiment, “Options trading is a high-stakes game, it’s like
throwing dice with no chance to win. Just six months ago, one of our execs at Abernathy Group got in
so deep he ended up jumping from his office building.”
Jason was equally livid, dropping all formalities, “A few days ago, when Ruby was goi over the financial
reports, she found two discrepancies that screamed fraud. She reported it straight to President
Ashbourne, and that’s how Bevis got caught. If it were for that, we would’ve been in an even bigger
mess. As it is, we’re still down by over five
million!”
Ruby was the finance director, a trusted protégé personally mentored by Cassius.
The reason KS Group had dominated the business world and remained at the pinnacle of Skyrim’s elite
for decades was because the Ashbourne patriarchs had a keen eye for talent and knew how to place
the right people in the right positions.
“Heh, Cassius, you practically saved Bevis’ life.
Evadne clenched her teeth, “Otherwise, he’d be the next one taking a dive off the roof!”
Cassius sighed helplessly, “I tried to handle this quietly, but word still got back to Dad. You can imagine
how furious he was.”
“And to make matters worse, Bevis had the audacity to argue back, refusing to repent and even said
some outrageous things. It was enough to give Dad a stroke,” Evadne hissed, shuddering with rage.
“In front of Mr. Ashbourne?” Thaddeus asked gravely.
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“Yes, Dylan was there too. Thank God he was. He got Dad to the hospital in time to save his life,”
Cassius replied, his eyes reflecting the chill of his words.
Thaddeus fell silent, his handsome features shadowed with thought.
“Cassius’s words are heavy with meaning, but family matters are not my place to
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtcomment,” he mused.
Evadne’s eyes blazed with a cold fire, and only Thaddeus’ embrace kept her from losing all composure.
“How does your dad intend to deal with this second son of the Ashbourne family?” Thaddeus finally
asked, voicing the question both he and Evadne wanted an answer to.
“Just the thought of it burns me up!” Jason couldn’t contain his anger anymore, his foot pressing hard
on the accelerator, “Bevis’ debt, that fifty million hole, Chairman Emeric covered it with his own money!
And he’s keeping it under wraps, minimizing the whole ordeal. In other words, he doesn’t want to
pursue it!”
Thaddeus was taken aback but quickly understood, “Mr. Ashbourne must hold a significant position
within the conglomerate. If word got out, it could cause a chain reaction that could hurt the whole
family.”
Evadne’s heart ached, “It’s not just about that. It’s also because Emeric values family too much. Bevis
is his only brother, they grew up together. He’s always been protective, too soft-hearted to come down
hard on him.”
Thaddeus nodded in understanding, “Indeed, Chairman Emeric is a man of loyalty and honor. Without
such traits, how could the Ashbourne family have remained so close?”
“Bevis wasn’t always like this.”
As times changed, Cassius couldn’t help but be reflective, “Dad told me once that when they were kids,
because he was so stubborn and rebellious, he often got punished by Granddad. He’d get locked in the
chapel to copy scriptures, with no food or sleep. Back then, Bevis was a crafty little chap. He’d stand up
for Dad in front of Granddad and sneak into the chapel at night to feed him and even help him copy
scriptures. His imitation of other people’s handwriting was so good, he copied dozens of pieces and
Granddad never noticed the difference. But I don’t know when he changed. It seems power and wealth
can indeed corrupt and change a person’s nature.”
Evadne’s expression remained icy, “But even so, Dad never wronged him, never let him down. When
he put his own greed above the wellbeing of the company, did he spare a thought for Dad? He only
sees the glory of being chairman, oblivious to the hardships of holding power!
Dad may let this slide, but I will not! I won’t let it rest!”
Thaddeus and Cassius exchanged a look that was heavy with unspoken understanding.
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Chapter 620
They knew all too well that Evadne, with her iron will, would never tolerate Bevis’ betrayal.
The car’s heater was on, but the atmosphere remained chillingly tense.
To lighten the mood, Thaddeus searched for a safe topic of conversation:
“Cassius, that’s a sharp suit you’re wearing.”
Evadne glanced at her brother, recognizing at once the tailoring of Camille.
Cassius smiled faintly, “Dr. Bright gave it to me,”
His voice couldn’t hide his pleasure, even revealing a hint of bragging rights.
Thaddeus let out a low whistle. “Nice.”
Cassius suddenly felt an uneasy flutter in his chest, his cheeks flushing with warmth. “Ahem, don’t get
the wrong idea. He gave me the clothes to thank me for looking after him these past few months.”
Thaddeus’ long lashes flickered in surprise. “Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?”
Cassius sat up straighter, turning his face away, his heartbeat racing.
It was like proclaiming there was no silver buried here-a dead giveaway.
When they arrived at the hospital, it was the wee hours of the morning.
It was Suri’s turn to watch over the patient tonight. After three grueling, sleepless even the strongest
person would crumble, so she took turns with the other ladies
for Emeric.
Hearing that Evadne and the others had arrived, Suri hurried out to greet them.
“Evadne, you’re back!”
“Suri.” When Evadne saw Suri, her composure started to crack, her eyes reddening with
tears.
She ran to embrace Suri, her tears flowing freely.
“Oh, my dear, what’s the matter? Our little queen turned into a sobbing mess?” Suri cooed, comforting
her while casting an accusing glance at Cassius.
Cassius, struggling in his role as the protective elder brother, could only respond with a wry smile.
“Suri. You’ve all been through so much. How’s Dad doing?” Evadne choked back her tears, sniffling
with her nose turning red.
“He’s doing well. Slept more peacefully tonight than the past couple of days.”
“Is it just you here? Where are my brothers? The heartless lot. If they don’t come now,
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15:20
hen will they?”
efore Evadne could finish her sentence ddoon at the end of the hallway swung open.
rnold! Can you keep it down forore?! diswept in never rooming with you again! Your loring sounds like a
freakin’ thundersternov vo urving to kill me in my sleep?”
un
vis emerged, dark circles under his eyes, and his teeth in frustration. “You snore like freight train, dude!
I’m done!!
hold followed, clutching a pillow and yawnings do hard his words were slurred, but he dn’t miss a
chance to retort, ‘And you thininyoute any better? if I’m a thunderstorm, u’re a jackhammer, mate. And
you grind your teeth to boot Whoever marries you is pning up for early aging.”
nold! Elvis!” Evadne was moved to tears, feeling a cilt/tofon ter earlier harsh words.
w could she have spoken so about her brothers?
e Ashbourne kids had always been solid, always thererwiveren needed!
vadne!” Both brothers perked up, immediately coming overetoto Evardine.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
rnold came over right away, and Elvis rushed back from alatorad das fast as he could. And ennett, he’s
on his way too.”
issius spoke softly, moving to pat her shoulder gently, providing a sense of s
adne, don’t panic, we’re all here.
arons away on a mission, chasing down a significant perp He woonbeebad tertomorrow at the earliest.”
coulan’t hide her quilt. “I didn’t dare tell him about his father’s sinesss wass an
buda…
aeeed to say more, Suri, i understand.”
ance qickly reassured her, understandingly. “When Aaron’s on a mission hendesisto #fdccused. Any
distraction could be life-threatening. Let’s not tell him untithes’s safely
ckSsadery first.”
adeess stood quietly to the side, content to watch her surrounded by her loved oneses, ing to beetee
ran in her shadow.
long as spec nad what she needed, he felt fulfilled.
long as she was happy, he was happy.
esident AshbouuresMs/Ashbourne!”
denly, Jason Tuunecdiphius face a mix of anger and confusion. “Trouble, Avery is herete!
15:20/0
Evadne and Thaddeus’ expressions darkened instantly, a united front.
“Ah, that piece of work thinks he can stir trouble? I haven’t slept well in three days; I’ve got a lot of pent-
up rage looking for an outlet,” Elvis narrowed his eyes, cracking his neck.
Arnold spat, “After all that’s happened, he still has the nerve to show up, pretending everything’s fine?
Does he have some kind of nerve, or is he just plain delusional?”
Evadne’s voice was icy. “Tell him to get lost.”
“But he says he’s got something important to hand over to you, something you’ll definitely need,” Jason
hurriedly continued, not wanting to delay Evadne’s business.
“Playing games again. Does he think I’ll fall for his tricks again? That I’ll trust him?” Evadne’s eyes
seethed with hatred, her fists cracking with tension.
Thaddeus’ lips thinned, his expression serious. “Evadne, I’m here, and your brothers are here, he can’t
pull anything. Let’s meet him and see what he’s up to this time.”
Evadne was surprised that this man had become more open-minded than her; in the past, he certainly
wouldn’t have suggested such a thing.
Elvis raised an eyebrow teasingly. “Oh, look at you, all enlightened? Snakey Avery is your number one
rival, Thaddeus. Aren’t you afraid of a little green-eyed monster when rivals clash?”
Thaddeus just slightly lifted his lips, nonchalantly responding, “I haven’t thought that much. I’m just
afraid of missing out on something that might indeed be important to Evadne.”
Evadne’s brothers admired Thaddeus’ magnanimity. This guy had the right idea.
Evadne paused, furrowing her brows, and then decided to follow Thaddeus’ advice.
“Let Snakey Avery come in.”