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Chapter 408
The video of Elspeth and her daughter creating chaos at the funeral went viral online in no time!
Whether it was Cassius pulling strings behind the scenes, or due to disgust at Elspeth, the media
present at the scene collectively decided to show only Alva standing up against her and Erica’s
grandma pouring soup over her, Evadne and Thaddeus were barely on camera, seemingly well–
protected.
Initially, the most explosive news was about Evadne being Thaddeus‘ ex–wife.
However, with both President Ashbourne and Thaddeus exerting pressure, no journalist dared to reveal
this piece of news, fearing it would spell the end of their career.
Even though online rumors about their hidden marriage were rife, the storm surrounding Elspeth was
so big that the rumors barely made any waves.
Netizens made memes of Elspeth drenched in soup, along with all sorts of witty comments and jokes.
The Abernathy Group’s PR team couldn’t keep up with the deletion of these posts.
[May Elspeth live long, I need her scandals to keep me entertained!]
[Such a snaky woman, who doesn’t care about common people’s dignity, should spend her remaining
years in jail!]
[The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Elspeth’s daughters can’t be any better!]
[Elspeth’s eldest daughter is definitely a brat, but her younger daughter has never appeared in public
and no negative news about her has ever been reported. She must be a good girl, right?]
[A shrew like Elspeth can only bring up daughters of the same kind!]
Elspeth, it could be said, has completely ruined her reputation!
Glynnis, with her own dark history, was dragged back into the spotlight due to her mother’s antics.
But this was far from enough. What Evadne and Thaddeus wanted was not just their social annihilation,
but also their being completely destroyed!
After handling his business affairs and matters related to Thaddeus, Jareth was ready to go home to
bid farewell to his beloved wife.
Sitting in his car, he furiously browsed through social media comments, using a fake account to
lambaste anyone who dared to slander Marilla.
The proud heir of the Fairhaven family, usually arrogant and unyielding, was now cursing like a fishwife,
engaging in an online war of words with the keyboard warriors, all this to defend his delicate wife!
His driver was sweating bullets, his body trembling, except for his hands which were steady due to
muscle memory.
“Lily!” Jareth suddenly roared.
The driver turned white with fear, stuttering, “M–Mr. Fairhaven, did you forget? You asked Lily to stay at
the villa to take care of Mrs. Fairhaven.”
“Damn, I forgot it.” He rubbed his forehead, exhaling deeply.
Currently, everyone around Jareth had been ordered to refer to Marilla as “Mrs. Fairhaven“.
Actually, he also wanted to transfer half of his shares and all his properties to Marilla’s name.
He had been thinking about this for a while. The reason why he still hadn’t taken any action was
because he wanted to wait until the current storm was over, and then officially asked for Marilla’s hand
from the Abernathy family.
But before that, he must help Thaddeus and Evadne get rid of Elspeth, not just out of friendship, but
also for his own selfish reasons.
Who would want their future mother–in–law to be such a sinister woman? That would be like planting a
bomb next to their peaceful life!
Jareth couldn’t wait to get home and called Lily directly, “Lily, monitor the comments online
immediately! If any media outlet dares to bad–mouth my wife, catch that journalist and I will personally
beat him until his mother can’t even recognize him! If there are any idle keyboard warriors talking
nonsense, find them out too. I will sue them until they lose everything!”
“I have already started looking into and deleting negative comments about Mrs. Fairhaven. Like you, I
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtdon’t want this chaos to affect her.” Lily had been with him for many years and knew him well.
“Good job! I will reward you with a big bonus!” Jareth nodded in satisfaction.
“But right now, there is a bigger problem.”
Lily sighed, feeling guilty, “This morning, news about Erica’s funeral reached Mrs. Fairhaven while she
was watching TV.”
Jareth’s heart clenched; the thing he feared most happened.
“It’s my fault. I was lack of consideration. I didn’t expect the news to be leaked so quickly, especially
since we had a complete news blackout before. But there are no excuses. I failed in my duty. Don’t give
me the bonus, instead, punish me.” Lily felt remorseful and was willing to accept the punishment.
“It’s not your fault, Lily. You have been doing a lot by taking care of Marilla and handling all the work for
me.”
Jareth was deeply worried, his eyes filled with anxiety, “How is Marilla now?”
“She’s not doing well. She has been crying non–stop. I think you should come home soon.”
“Alright, I’m on my way.”
After ending the call, thinking of his wife crying alone at home, Jareth felt a mix of worry, fear, and
anxiety. His blood pressure shot up and he kicked the back of the driver’s
seat
“Drive faster! Don’t you want your salary?!”
“Yes, sir!” The driver stepped hard on the gas, feeling as if his hemorrhoids were about to pop out.
Jareth rushed home in a frenzy, barely changing out of his suit before rushing upstairs to check on his
wife.
“Mr. Fairhaven.” Lily was waiting outside the door, bowing when she saw him.
“Is she inside?” Jareth’s heart was racing.
“Yes, she hasn’t eaten or drunk anything and refuses to come out.”
Lily bit her lip, looking troubled, “I didn’t dare to go in. You know, at a time like this, the person she
needs the most is you.”
Jareth gently pushed open the door and walked into the room.
Despite it being daytime, all the curtains in the room were drawn and the lights were off, making the
room feel oppressively dark.
“Honey? Honey?”
Jareth searched his study, bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom, but couldn’t find the figure he was
longing for.
The man was in a panic, his shoulders trembling under his well–tailored suit, and his palms soaked in
cold sweat!
“Marilla? Marilla?!”
His calls brought Lily, who was waiting outside, into the room.
“Marilla is gone!” Jareth was panic–stricken
“How could this be?!”
Lily also panicked, “I’ve been guarding the door, and Mr. Fairhaven didn’t step out of the room!”
This statement was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Jareth’s handsome face pale as a ghost, his heart
pounding as if it would leap out of his throat!
He rushed to the window, yanked open the curtains and the window, terrifying images flashing in his
mind.
With all his courage, Jareth, his forehead drenched in sweat, looked down at the ground below with red
eyes.
Everything was calm and quiet, there was nothing down.
He took a deep breath, his heart easing a bit, his well–tailored suit completely soaked in sweat.
Lily knew what Jareth was afraid of. She was scared too.
After all, Marilla had mental health issues. They were really scared that if she got upset, she would do
something extreme!
“Find her!”
Jareth slammed his hand on the window sill, his eyes burning with a fiery red, “Even if I have to tear
this mansion down, I have to find her!“.
“Yes! I’ll go search right away!”
Lily immediately left to find Marilla.
The room was silent again, Jareth’s anxious and tense mood relaxed slightly, and he became a bit
calmer.
Just then, he faintly heard the soft sound of sobbing, and his heart tightened.
“Marilla!”
Jareth was overjoyed and ran into the bedroom following the sound. The sobbing became clearer, each
sound making his heart ache.
Finally, Jareth arrived at the door of the bedroom wardrobe, where the sobbing was clearer,
accompanied by the rustling sound of fabric. Jareth slowly opened the wardrobe door, and the next
moment, his heart ached so much that he could barely breathe.
Marilla’s thin and frail body was curled up, like a lost kitten trembling in a damp and dark corner.
Her arms were wrapped around her knees, her black bangs stickily clinging to her smooth forehead
due to the sweat; her pale and tender face was flushed red from the lack of oxygen after hiding for such
a long time.
“Jareth.”
As soon as Marilla saw Jareth, she couldn’t hold back her tears. She burst into tears, her tears falling
like broken pearls, “Is Erica really dead?”
Each word pierced Jareth’s already extremely aching heart, making it bleed heavily.
He opened his strong arms and carried her wet body out of the wardrobe.
The moment he touched her skin, his heart was in chaos. Her whole body was burning hot, showing
that she had been hiding in there for a long time.
Jareth’s eyes filled with tears, even his voice of comfort was choked, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry Marilla. I’m
sorry.”
He didn’t know what else to say, he could only keep apologizing, his heart in a mess.
“Is Erica really dead?” Marilla kept asking, over and over again, tireless.
“She’s just gone to another world, a better, happier world,” Jareth patiently answered her, over and over
again.
Later, probably because she was too tired, coupled with the lack of oxygen and excessive grief, Marilla
fell into a faint–like sleep.
Jareth immediately called the Fairhaven family’s private doctor to check on her. After learning that it
was just excessive sorrow combined with low blood sugar, and that she would be fine with some rest
and an intravenous drip, he finally relaxed a bit.
The man knelt down by the bed, holding her hand tightly, his lips gently brushing against her arm,
feeling anxious.
“Mr. Fairhaven, the car is waiting for you downstairs. It’s time to leave.”
Lily paused, then spoke in a subdued voice, “If you really can’t bear to leave Mrs. Fairhaven, then you
might as well not go. I can go for you. Going to Country T to catch criminals is dangerous, and you’re
not the same as before. You have someone to worry about. It’s better to stay out of such things.”
“No, I have to.”
Jareth placed Marilla’s small hand on his chest, his eyes filled with reluctance but his tone was firm, “I
promised Thad. He’s my only buddy, and I have to help him Besides, if it wasn’t for that bastard who
killed Erica, would things have gotten this bad? Would my wife have cried herself sick? Damn it, when I
catch him, I won’t let him live a peaceful Ufe!”
With the Fairhaven family’s methods, there was no way this person could leave Country T alive and
intact! But Thaddeus insisted on bringing him back alive for his woman to deal with, making the task
more difficult. He’d have to be there to lend a hand.
“Then, for your safety on this trip, be sure to wear the bulletproof vest that I have prepared for you and
Mr. Abernathy.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Alright! Lily, you’re more naggy than my mom! I picked you because you’re a woman of few words.
Why do you talk more as you get older?” Jareth chided her.
Lily pressed her lips and took a step back, feeling discomforted.
In the past, women came and went in Jareth’s life, but the one constant was her. Over the years, she
played multiple roles by his side – secretary, bodyguard, dance partner, confidante and when
necessary, she even had to play his lover to fend off annoying women.
She was used to being needed by Jareth. She never had any other men, except for Mr. Fairhaven.
They were not lovers, but sometimes they were even closer than lovers. She didn’t know if this was
love, but she knew one thing – he and she was never going to happen. What’s more, Jareth already
had the love of his life; she really shouldn’t be so naggy, and make him annoyed.
“Lily, the next few days will probably be even harder for you.”
After kissing his wife’s lips, Jareth slowly stood up and told her solemnly, “Please stay with Marilla all
the time from today, move into her room, close all doors and windows at night, and never be careless.”
“Yes, Mr. Fairhaven, I will.”
Lily gave a firm nod, her gaze as sharp as a fatcon’s, “I assure you, I will protect Mrs. Fairhaven around
the clock, even if it costs me my life. I promise you that when you return, she’d be safe and sound.”
Over at the Abernathy Group, they were busy dealing with the dirty laundry of Elspeth’s misdeeds. You
could say they were in a state of chaos, suffering a crushing defeat. But in reality, Frederic wasn’t trying
to clean up after Elspeth this time; he was trying to salvage the corporate image of the Abernathy
Group from another negative news onslaught!
The taller the tree, the stronger the wind. Ever since Thaddeus took over the Abernathy Group, his bold
reforms and swift decisions facilitated the group’s rapid expansion in Elmsworth, and the group’s
business map in the continent was also expanding. But the price of rapid rise was making countless
rivals, with several competitors keeping a close eye on them.
Now, the Abernathy Group had an important project to collaborate with a famous financial group in the
country. If the Abernathy Group caused a scandal at this critical moment, leading to a sharp drop in
reputation and stock market turbulence, it could seriously affect the collaboration and give those with
malicious intentions an opportunity to take advantage.
“Frederic! What do you have to say for yourself this time? How long are you going to protect that
wench?!”
Outside the Chairman’s office at the Abernathy Group, a few senior executives lined up on both sides,
hearing the clatter inside and were sweating bullets.
Inside, the office was a mess.
Hamilton Abernathy, seated in his wheelchair, had thrown everything on the desk at Frederic; one of
the pen holders hit his forehead, making it swell up instantly, but Frederic just stood there, not daring to
move.
Throwing a tantrum and flinging things on the desk seemed to be an Abernathy family tradition.
“Just this morning, the minute the stock market opened, our stocks are in the red! And have you seen
what the media is saying about us?!”
Hamilton was livid, pointing at Frederic and berating him harshly, “They’re calling us a family of devils,
ruthless money–grubbers, villains! The Abernathy name is being dragged through the mud by that
ungrateful woman!”
Frederic clenched his teeth and fists, fury seething within him. He saw what Hamilton saw, and his
anger was no less than his father’s.
He’d warned Elspeth more than once to keep a low profile, to behave herself, but she’d ignored his
advice time and time again, acting recklessly and finally causing trouble, making a big mistake!
She dared to do so because he had spoiled her over the years, because she was relying on his
indulgence.
He regretted it now, but in front of his father, he didn’t want to admit his mistakes, didn’t want to admit
that his choice back then was a huge blunder.
—“Elspeth is currently confined to our home, reflecting on her actions. She is not to step foot outside of
Windermere Estate without my permission.”