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Chapter 342
“Evadne? What’s wrong?” Avery could, tell by the look on Evadne’s face that something was off, and
he asked with concern.
“I just realized, I never blocked Thaddeus on my phone. So how come he’s on my blocked list?”
As she spoke, Evadne’s piercing gaze slowly moved to Avery’s innocent face.
“Evadne.”
“Did you do this?”
Evadne asked bluntly, “Apart from you, I haven’t met anyone privately tonight. Thaddeus told me he
tried calling me all night but couldn’t get through because he was on my blocked list,”
Avery’s hands clenched in his lap, and a cold glint flashed briefly behind his polished glasses.
“I’ve been thinking, and the only time I left my phone was when I went to the restroom at the restaurant
we were at. So, you blocked him then, didn’t you?” Evadne squinted her eyes slightly.
“Evadne, are you accusing me?” Avery’s eyes were as innocent and clear as ever
“I’m not accusing you. I’m stating facts.”
It seemed he wasn’t going to get any sympathy.
A massive feeling of loss descended on Avery, making it hard for him to breathe, “Evadne, I admit, I
shouldn’t have touched your phone. But I didn’t want Thaddeus to ruin our date, and you have no idea
how much I’ve looked forward to today. I was selfish, and no matter how try to explain it, it’s my fault.
I’m sorry.”
“This is the last time. It won’t happen again.”
Too many things had happened tonight, and Evadne simply didn’t have the energy to argue with him
about this, “Whatever is going on between Thaddeus and me is our business. I don’t want anyone else
interfering. When we divorced, I didn’t even block him then, and I don’t want to say goodbye to him now
in such a petty and boring way. After all, we might still have to cooperate in business in the future. As
long as he’s dead to me, that’s enough. Anything more would just prove that I haven’t let go of him.”
Avery, who was initially worried, brightened up at hearing this, “Evadne, have you really let him go?”
Evadne’s eyes had been a deep red. She slowly nodded.
“I’m so glad, Evadne.”
A wave of excitement surged through Avery, and his hands seemed to have a mind of their own,
“Evadne, now that you’ve let go of Thaddeus, could you give me a chance to pursue you? I want to be
the man standing by your side, to shelter you from the storm. I may not have been part of your past, but
I want to be in your future.”
“Ave, I’m not in the mood for a relationship right now. I’ve told you this before.”
Evadne was drained, both physically and mentally, and even her breath seemed weak, “I’m too tired. I
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtdon’t want to get involved in love again. I’m sorry” “With me, you won’t have to do anything. You just
need to enjoy being loved.”
Avery’s eyes were intense, and he leaned in closer to her, his breath growing warmer, “Evadne, why
don’t we give it a try? Give me a chance to treat you well, okay?”
Evadne pressed her lips together, at a loss for words, “Being in a relationship isn’t like online shopping.
There’s no seven–day return policy, okay?” “You don’t have to do anything, just let me love you and
protect you!”
Avery’s other arm, the one not in a cast, supported him against the car window, his body looming over
Evadne’s. His slightly upturned eyes were filled with affection, threatening to drown her in it, “I’ll always
be there for you, and if you ever feel like I’m worth it, I’ll be there no matter when you look back.”
“Ave, thank you for saving me tonight. But please don’t do something so dangerous again,”
Evadne frowned, and she had a complex feeling, “I’m not someone worth risking your life for. It’s not
too late to cut your losses now.”
Cut your losses?
Avery’s hand, pale against the cold window, slowly clenched, and a hint of red appeared in the corners
of his eyes.
These words were far more damaging and humiliating than a simple “I don’t like you.”
“Everyone’s love is precious. I don’t want you to end up like me.”
All love, in the end, was a mistake.
When Thaddeus returned to the car, it was already late into the night.
Gordon had bought a hot coffee from a 24–hour supermarket across the park, and when he handed it
to Thaddeus, he noticed that Thaddeus’s hands were completely frozen, unable to even hold the
coffee.
He felt a pang in his heart, and he turned up the car’s heating to the max, took off his coat to wrap
around Thaddeus, who was chilled to the bone, and put the hot coffee in Thaddeus’s lap.
“Mr. Thaddeus, there’s a hospital nearby. We should go and get your hands checked. They’re all
cracked from the cold.”
“How’d they do it.” Thaddeus stared at his phone, his voice as cold and mechanical as ever.
Gordon was taken aback, “Mr. Thaddeus, what did you say?”
“The photos were on my phone. No one touched it..I didn’t touch it. How were they deleted?” Thaddeus
enunciated each word, biting them out from
between his teeth.
“Could it be a virus on your phone?“<
Gordon’s brain was working overtime, “You sent me to learn about computer technology before, and I
remember learning about this, but I’ve never actually used it. I remember that advanced hackers only
need to know your phone number and model to hack into your phone and delete content that isn’t
stored in an encrypted inbox. So you always delete after reading, or you put important files in your
encrypted inbox, you never leave them on your phone. So could someone have hacked your phone?”
Thaddeus took a deep breath, his forehead covered in sweat.
Right, he had learned about hacking in military school. How could he have forgotten?
The content in text messages couldn’t be altered, but they could be deleted!
“Go and check.”
Thaddeus’s handsome face was as white as plaster, and his voice was as deep as thunder, “Go check
the hotel where Edith was tonight, check the surveillance footage, check that woman who looks almost
exactly like Evadne.”
“Exactly the same? How is that possible!”
Gordon was taken aback, thinking their boss had lost his senses. “Mrs. Abernathy is a once–in–a–
lifetime beauty. Who can compare to her? Let alone look exactly like her. That’s impossible.”
“Just investigate as I asked, and cut the chatter.” Thaddeus remembered the face in the photo, so
similar to Evadne’s, and felt a chill run down his spine. That woman couldn’t be Evadne.
But if that woman existed, possessing a face nearly identical to Evadne’s, he feared she might use it to
indirectly harm Evadne.
His desire to find this woman was no longer just about uncovering a conspiracy.
“As for how the text message disappeared, I’ll trace it back to its source.”
The rumors of Thaddeus’s secret late–night meeting with Edith continued to spread online.
The Fairhaven Group and the Abernathy Group both dispatched PR teams to handle the scandal, but
the situation had become too public. Despite trying to suppress the rumors, they couldn’t stop the
spread of the photos and videos.
Mrs. Fairhaven was shocked when she saw the trending topic. She dropped her phone and tumbled
down the stairs. Thankfully, the staircase was buffered and only a few steps tall, but she still managed
to twist her ankle and bust her head.
Jareth was terrified and took his mother to the hospital immediately.
In the hospital room, Mrs. Fairhaven lay in bed receiving an IV drip, tightly gripping Jareth’s hand, her
eyes welling up with tears.
“Jareth, what do we do? Edith is only twenty–two and now, how can she face the world after this? How
can I face your grandfather and your father?” As she spoke, Mrs. Fairhaven burst into tears.
“I’ll handle this, Mom,” Jareth reassured her, his throat tight with bitter emotions.
“But how? There are photos and videos. Edith isn’t even married yet. And now with this scandal, who
will want to marry her?”
“Edith is my sister. Who dares to gossip, I’ll rip out their tongues!” Jareth clenched his teeth, his eyes
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmignited with fury.
PL
“Innocent words can cause great damage. Do you think this is twenty years ago when the Fairhaven
family could fight in the streets of Elmsworth and even the police wouldn’t interfere? Now we live under
the rule of law, can you manage this?”
Mrs. Fairhaven sobbed and hit the bed with her fists.
The Fairhaven family did indeed start from the underworld. His grandfather, Barry Fairhaven, fought
fiercely with his brothers to establish their family business, the original accumulation of the Fairhaven
Group. As times changed, Barry didn’t want his descendants to follow his path, so he whitewashed the
Fairhaven Group.
By the time Jareth’s father became the CEO of the Fairhaven Group, the organization was mostly
legitimate, doing honest business. But the family style and way of handling matters still carried traces of
their underworld past. His father had many conflicts with Barry and his own brother because of this.
Jareth always thought his father was too soft and somewhat self–righteous.
If he were in charge, the Fairhaven Group’s power would’ve been in his hands long ago, and that two–
faced, ruthless uncle of his wouldn’t have the audacity to act so arrogantly!
“And what about your so–called good friend? He hasn’t said a word since this happened. Does he think
he can just pretend nothing happened?” Mrs. Fairhaven cried even harder, nearly fainting.
“Mom, don’t talk about Thad like that. He’s not that kind of person!” Jareth defended vehemently.
“Everyone saw what happened, how can he deny it?”
“There must be a reason. Thad has never shown interest in Edith. He has someone else he loves! He
would never touch Edith!” Jareth was desperate, his eyes red–rimmed.
“Edith is your only sister! She’s been taken advantage of by a man, and you’re still defending him!”
“Mom!”
“Right now, there’s only one way out. Thaddeus has to take responsibility for Edith!”
Jareth’s expression darkened. “Responsibility? What do you mean?”
“I’ll get discharged as soon as possible, pick a day, and go to the Abernathy family to propose a
marriage!” Mrs. Fairhaven said with determination.
“You’re being ridiculous! Even if you put a gun to Thad’s head, he won’t marry Edith!” Jareth jumped up
from his seat, shouting in anger.
“That’s not for him to decide.”
Mrs. Fairhaven’s eyes were cold, a stark contrast to her usual gentle demeanor. “If you’re a man, you
take responsibility for your actions! If he doesn’t marry Edith, he’ll be opposing the entire Fairhaven
Group. Even if I don’t do anything, do you think your grandfather would just stand by and watch his
granddaughter be humiliated? Don’t think just because he’s Frederic’s son, the Fairhaven Group can’t
touch him!”