Chapter 172

Thaddeus had his back turned to her, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to face her.

Avery’s jaw was clenched tight, his eyes dark with unreadable emotions.

Even though Evadne and Thaddeus were divorced now—and far from amicable—there was still something unresolved between them.

"Thaddeus, if you came here to talk, then talk."

Evadne stepped forward, her gaze boring into his back. "Don’t act like you’ve got a guilty conscience. I don’t need the nightmares."

Thaddeus swallowed hard before finally turning to face her. "It’s nothing. I just couldn’t sleep."

Evadne frowned. What did his insomnia have to do with her?

Was he seriously blaming her for his sleepless nights?

Ridiculous. Since when was everything her fault? She hadn’t done a damn thing wrong.

"If you can’t sleep, take a pill or count sheep. Showing up here won’t fix anything."

"It already has." Thaddeus met her eyes, his voice low. "Tonight, I think I’ll sleep just fine."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Evadne watched until his car vanished into the night, then muttered under her breath, "Psycho."

Back in his car, exhaustion hit Thaddeus like a tidal wave. His eyes burned, red-rimmed and heavy.

He gripped the steering wheel, his muscles tense, his breathing uneven.

As he watched Evadne and Avery disappear inside, his chest tightened.

With trembling fingers, he grabbed his phone and dialed Gordon.

"Mr. Thaddeus, what can I do for you?"

"Dig into it."

"Into… what?" Gordon sounded confused.

"The connection between the Ashbourne Group and the Chambers Group. And Evadne’s relationship with Avery."

Thaddeus’s voice was ice-cold. "Evadne isn’t the kind of woman who gets played. I don’t buy Avery’s story."

"Understood! I’ll get right on it!"

Gordon sounded almost pleased, his tone brightening before he cautiously added, "If only you’d trusted Evadne sooner, she might not have left. None of this mess would’ve happened."

"One more word, and you’re on the next flight to the Africa branch." Thaddeus gritted his teeth.

Gordon immediately backtracked. "Sorry! I spoke out of turn!"

Evadne had noticed Thaddeus at the gate.

She hadn’t wanted to deal with him—he could clean up his own messes.

But Avery had gone out to confront him, so she’d stepped in before things escalated.

The brief interruption didn’t ruin the evening. Dinner ended on a high note, laughter filling the air.

Emeric retreated to his study with Mr. Dan, then discreetly summoned Cas sius and Arnold.

"Dad, what’s this about?" Cas sius asked.

"How much do you know about Evadne and Mr. Avery? Be honest." Emeric sat elegantly on the sofa, his expression unreadable.

The brothers exchanged glances before Arnold nudged Cas sius forward. "You should ask him. I had no idea Evadne and Mr. Avery were even close."

Cas sius remained silent, his expression guarded.

"Cas sius, how serious is this?" Emeric pressed. "Since when does Evadne let a man dote on her like that? Tonight, Avery was practically feeding her, and she didn’t refuse. What’s really going on between them? Has she actually fallen for him?"

"Dad, you sound like you don’t approve of Mr. Avery," Cas sius pointed out bluntly.

Emeric didn’t respond.

"Avery and Evadne have known each other since they were kids. They’ve always gotten along. There aren’t many men Evadne tolerates, and the Chambers family has been our ally for years. If Avery and Evadne end up together, it wouldn’t be a bad thing."

Cas sius spoke calmly, but Emeric’s frown deepened.

"Tonight, Mr. Jeff made his intentions clear. He wants to arrange a marriage between our families. Why else bring his two unmarried sons? He’s got his eye on Evadne."

Emeric nodded. "And I won’t allow it."

The Ashbourne siblings blinked in surprise.

They hadn’t expected their father to be so vehemently against the Chambers family.

"Dad, do you have some kind of beef with Mr. Jeff? Did you two have a falling out?"

Arnold gave his father a thumbs-up. "Impressive, keeping your cool while secretly hating someone. If it were me, I’d have lost it by now."

"Arnold, how the hell did you pass the bar? Did they just let you slide because of my name?"

Emeric shot him an irritated look before turning serious. "Evadne is my little princess. She just got out of that disaster with the Abernathy family. I’m not throwing her into the viper’s nest that is the Chambers family. Do you think they’re some picture-perfect dynasty? It’s a den of snakes, every one of them scheming. If Evadne marries into that, she’ll be torn apart. And let’s not forget—Avery is Jeff’s least favorite son. He clawed his way up overseas, and you can bet there’s blood on his hands. He’s probably thinking marrying into our family will clean up his image and give him a foothold back home. And I won’t have it."

Arnold was stunned. Cas sius lowered his head, guilt gnawing at him.

He’d only wanted his sister to move on. He hadn’t considered the deeper implications.

"My daughters lift others up, but not at the cost of their own happiness. That’s non-negotiable."

The sleek Bentley sped toward Elmsworth.

Byron drove his own luxury car, while Jeff—surprisingly—invited Avery to ride with him.

Father and son sat in tense silence. There was history between them, but little warmth.

"Avery, what’s going on between you and Miss Ashbourne?" Jeff’s voice was flat.

"Since when do you care about my love life?"

Avery smirked. "I lived abroad with Mom for fifteen years, and you never asked. Now that I’m back in Elmsworth, suddenly you’re interested?"

"Don’t deflect. I’m asking about Evadne!" Jeff’s tone sharpened, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Like you saw tonight, Evadne and I are close." Avery adjusted his glasses, his smile cold.

Jeff took a deep breath, a vein pulsing at his temple. "From now on, stay away from her. Keep your distance."

"Why?" Avery’s smirk didn’t waver.

"Because Evadne is meant for Byron. You getting involved ruins everything."

"Byron’s your son. So am I. If Evadne marries me, she’s still your daughter-in-law. What’s the problem?"

"My decision is final. Byron marries Evadne. If you want an Ashbourne, there’s Nydia—Myra’s daughter. She’s still single."

"So the unwanted son only gets the spare daughter, is that it?" Avery’s smile turned icy.

"Avery! Enough!"

Jeff’s eyes burned with fury. "You don’t compete with Byron. Know your place!"

"I’ve heard that my whole life. And yet, nothing has ever truly been mine."

Avery closed his eyes, his smile chilling. "I’m done waiting for scraps. Tell Byron not to bother. Evadne is mine, and no one’s taking her from me."