Chapter 568
At this moment, Frederic’s eye muscles twitched, his mind a whirlwind of chaos.
Amidst the turmoil, there was a profound sense of unease and fear.
“I have no clue what Mr. Thaddeus meant,” Dennis managed, his forehead beading with
cold sweat. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, and any slip of the tongue
could spell disaster on both fronts.
“You said earlier that Cynthia’s death might have been foul play? That Thaddeus said
Elspeth did it? Does he have proof? Does
he?”
“You really need to ask Mr. Thaddeus, I truly don’t know.”
Frederic released his grip, his hands veined and trembling. His shoulders felt as though
they bore the weight of mountains, pressing down inexorably, as each breath became
more laborious to draw.
The confident aura he had upon arrival was now nowhere to be seen.
He could accept, tolerate, and stoop as low as possible. Elspeth had trampled over every
boundary.
Even now, his disdain for the scheming woman was complete, but for the greater good of
the Abernathy Group, for the sake of his reputation as the chairman, he swallowed bitter
pills, feigning deafness and muteness time and again!
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But there was one thing, just one thing he could not accept the fact that Elspeth might
have caused Cynthia’s death!
He even began to delude himself, to hypnotize his own mind-
That Thaddeus‘ earlier words were said in anger, meant to guilt him, to sicken and
frustrate him!
Seeing Frederic in such agony, Dennis cautiously ventured, “Mr. Abernathy, do you want
me to go…”
“No! Don’t do anything!”
Frederic clutched Dennis’s arm with a trembling hand, his eyes wide with panic, “The trial
is imminent, there’s much you have to do. Don’t get distracted! Right now, there’s nothing
more important than navigating the Abernathy Group through this storm!” Dennis knew
what he was referring to.
With Elspeth’s trial on the horizon, the internet was awash with her scandalous deeds. She
was the wife of the Abernathy Group chairman, so it was inevitable that some of the
backlash would affect Frederic and the company’s brand reputation.
“How’s the progress on the press conference I asked you to arrange?” Frederic steadied
himself, his suit soaked through with sweat.
“It’s all set. Tomorrow afternoon at three, the conference will commence on time.”
Frederic nodded, his gaze complex and melancholic as he looked towards Cynthia’s
gravestone, his fingers curled so tightly they threatened to pierce his palms.
After a long moment, he spoke with a heavy voice, “Let’s head back.”
On the drive home from the cemetery, Thaddeus‘ stern visage was pale as a winter’s frost.
Evadne covered his taut hands with hers, feeling as though she held blocks of ice, and her
heart ached.
Yet after a moment’s hesitation, she spoke gently, “Thaddeus, I hope you understand why
I stopped you back there.”
“Evadne, I know where your heart is.”
Thaddeus wrapped his arms around her, his calloused palm caressing her cheek as he
suppressed his sorrow and whispered, “You’re afraid that by revealing Elspeth as my
mother’s killer to Frederic too soon, it might compromise your quest for justice. You fear
that his love for my mother might not be strong enough to withstand the pressures of
upholding the Abernathy family’s reputation.”
Evadne nodded slightly against his chest, “Yes, but that’s not the whole story.”
“Is there more?” Thaddeus looked down at her in surprise.
“Your half–told story must have left Mr. Abernathy on tenterhooks. He’ll likely be restless,
consumed with what you left unsaid.” Evadne’s lips curled with a hint of mischief, “Let’s
save this grand revelation for the end. Only with a proper buildup will the truth deliver a
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmfatal blow. Only then will he be heartbroken with regret.”
“Ah, heartbroken. Will he be?”
Thaddeus‘ eyes burned with a bloodthirsty red, “He never showed heartbreak when my
mother died. After twenty years, does his
1/2
heart still have the capacity to feel pain?”
Evadne opened her mouth to speak, but found no words to comfort him.
In that moment, she felt not only indignation for Thaddeus mother but also profound relief.
Releved that although Thaddeus was Frederic’s son, he possessed none of the man’s
selfishness and callousness.
After returning home, Thaddeus changed and rushed back to the Abernathy Group office.
In truth, aside from meetings, there was nothing that urgently required his attention today.
But weighed down by his heavy heart, he sought refuge in work, fearful that his dark
mood might affect Evadne.
As dusk turned to night, had it not been for the insistent calls from Evadne urging him to
come home for dinner, he might have stayed in his office well into the wee hours.
Gordon drove Thaddeus back to the villa he shared with Evadne.
As Gordon and Thaddeus stepped through the door, they both froze in unison, as if
transformed into statues, transfixed by what awaited them inside.