Chapter 561
The chill of the night air, fraught with a tension as thick as molasses, wove through the
space between them like an unwelcome specter.
Avery’s heart plunged the moment he saw his beloved Evadne standing with Thaddeus,
the joy of her presence crashing down. around him, shattering like fragile glass.
“Evadne, my dear, you’ve come?” Mrs. Chambers‘ eyes sparkled with a tender gleam, and
she looked as if she would rise from her wheelchair to embrace the girl if only her legs
would allow it.
It was curious how Mrs. Chambers, whose memory often faltered when it came to her own
son, never failed to recognize Evadne’s striking beauty. Her affection was a poorly kept
secret, transparent as glass.
“Mrs. Chambers, good to see you,” Evadne greeted, bowing her head in polite deference.
Thaddeus wrapped a protective arm around Evadne’s waist, his gaze sharp and unyielding
as a blade of ice, vigilant of Avery’s every move.
“Evadne, who is this?” Mrs. Chambers asked, bewildered by Thaddeus‘ stoic expression,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtclutching the hem of Avery’s shirt for
reassurance.
Evadne’s gaze lingered on the man’s chiseled profile, about to speak when Avery,
adjusting his gold–rimmed glasses, stole the moment with a smile. “Evadne, what a
coincidence to bump into you here. Are you heading out on a journey?”
Talking only to Evadne, he acted as though Thaddeus wasn’t even there. –
“Avery, do you really think I’m in the mood to travel?” Evadne’s voice was sharp as frosted
crystal, unwilling to mince words with Avery in front of Mrs. Chambers. “You know the
darkness you’ve conjured, the blood on your hands better than anyone else. With Eden
still at large, Cassius and Thaddeus‘ vendettas unavenged, how could I possibly entertain
the thought of leisure?”
Thaddeus‘ lips twitched ever so slightly, his gaze loaded with a love as brilliant as the
stars.
“Ave, what is Evadne talking about? I don’t understand,” Mrs. Chambers said, her
confusion evident.
“It’s quite normal that you don’t understand, as I’m equally perplexed,” Avery reassured,
hands gently massaging his mother’s shoulders, his angelic features belying the venom
within. “Evadne, who’s Eden? I don’t know the man. And what trouble have Cassius and
Thaddeus found themselves in? Is there anything I can do to help?”
Rage boiled within Thaddeus, a tempest swirling in his chest at the memory of he and
Cassius’s near–fatal encounter on Star Island while pursuing Ward.
And here was Avery, the puppet master of it all, feigning innocence.
Offering help? What, a quicker death?
Evadne felt Thaddeus‘ hand trembling on her waist, his anger nearly self–destructive.
Her heart was heavy, longing to avenge her brother and Thaddeus, to breathe relief to
Debby and her husband far away in Helgen. But this was not the time for trivial verbal
victories. She sought a reckoning, Avery’s comeuppance, his atonement.
“Ave. I’m cold, can we leave now?” Mrs. Chambers whispered, her frail body curled
slightly, asking tentatively.
She had been sheltered for years, her son’s care leaving her fragile as a leaf. Although
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmautumn was nigh in Elmsworth, the chill of early morning and evening had yet to take
hold.
“Of course, Mother, I’ll take you to the plane right now.”
Avery was about to wheel his mother toward the aircraft when Thaddeus interjected with a
frosty voice, “Avery, I regret to inform you that your plane won’t be taking off tonight. Not
from here. You’re going nowhere.”
Yet Avery continued undeterred towards his private jet.
“Avery.” Thaddeus‘ gaze darkened, his aura so intimidating it seemed to freeze the very
wind in its tracks.
“My mother said she’s cold, did you not hear her?” Avery glanced sidelong at Thaddeus,
his eyes venomous as a viper ready to strike, “And what right do you have to dictate what
I do? If the police suspect me of wrongdoing, let them come with a warrant. I will comply
with any investigation. Otherwise, no one can stop me.”
“Suspect? Hardly.”
Evadne’s lips curled into a scornful smile, her laugh sharp enough to pierce his heart. “If it
were mere suspicion, we wouldn’t be here confronting you, nor stopping you from leaving.
Avery, you are the culprit. No matter what you say, I will never believe you.”