Chapter 492

Jareth's entire body tensed as Evander's brother, Elias, strode into the room with the effortless confidence of a rockstar.

People called Jareth the "Grim Reaper," but next to Elias, he might as well have been a harmless shadow. And since Elias was Evander's brother? Jareth wouldn't dare lay a finger on him.

"Mr. Fairhaven, I'm so sorry." Lily panted, her eyes brimming with regret as she looked at Jareth.

Jareth swallowed hard, his voice urgent. "Don't be reckless! A man like Elias doesn't waste his time fighting women. That's beneath him!"

"So what, I'm just supposed to stand here and let her beat me to a pulp?"

Elias yawned, his expression bored. "Do I look like I enjoy pain to you?"

His words left Jareth speechless.

He knew Lily too well—fierce, loyal, and utterly devoted to her master. Anyone who dared cross her boss would face her wrath without hesitation.

"But you're right. I don't hit women."

With a careless shrug, Elias released his grip and smirked. "Lucky for you, sweetheart, you're a woman. Otherwise, I would've broken those pretty little claws of yours already."

"Jerk!"

Lily, proud and unyielding, couldn't stand the humiliation. She clenched her fists, ready to strike again, but Jareth's sharp command stopped her.

"Lily! Stand down! He's Ms. Ashbourne's brother!"

Lily froze, her eyes widening in realization.

Her brother?

The wild, untamed man before her—was Evander's brother, the heir of the Ashbourne family?

Elias stuck his tongue out at the stunned Lily before turning a cold, assessing gaze on Jareth.

"Evander and Thorne—they're with you, aren't they?"

Inside the room, the atmosphere was thick with emotion.

Evander noticed the bruise on Thorne's face, her expression shifting between shock, anger, and concern as she cradled his face. "Who did this? Tell me!"

"I tripped on my way here," Thorne offered weakly, his lips quirking into a wry smile as he gently held her hands.

"Bull! You tripped face-first? Since when are you that clumsy?"

Evander's cheeks flushed with anger. "When you visited the other day—did Emeric and my brothers do this to you?"

Thorne quickly shook his head. "No, really, it wasn't them."

"It had to be! You were in the peace corps—you can handle yourself. Even Elias could only fight you to a standstill! Who else could've done this unless you let them?"

Tears welled in Evander's eyes as she hesitated to touch the bruise, not wanting to hurt him further. "Even if they were angry, there's no excuse for hitting your face! What's wrong with them?"

Thorne's gaze softened with affection, already over the incident.

But seeing her so distressed, his heart twisted with a mix of happiness, sorrow, and regret. His eyes reddened as he gripped her hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

"Evander, none of that matters. Nothing is as important as having you back by my side."

His voice was thick with emotion, nearly choking on the words.

With tears streaming down her face, Evander threw herself into his arms. "Thorne, I'm back. I never want to leave you again."

Suddenly, urgent knocking shattered the moment.

"Thorne! Evander! Open up!"

Evander and Thorne exchanged puzzled glances. "Is that Mari?"

Thorne lifted her from the bed, supporting her waist as they moved to the door and opened it—

Mari stood there, her eyes red-rimmed, cheeks smeared with frosting. "Thorne! Evander! Trouble! Someone's after Evander!"

"Trouble?" The couple froze.

The next second, Elias's tall, imposing figure appeared behind Mari, his gaze icy.

"Evander."

"Elias!"

Evander paled, her voice sharp. "Thorne! Close the door, quick!"

Thorne, usually unflappable, hesitated at the sight of Elias.

But Mari sprang into action, sweat beading on her forehead as she scrambled to help shut the door.

Yet no matter how fast she was, Elias was faster. His strong hand stopped the door from closing. Mari pushed with all her might, but it wouldn't budge.

Seeing his sister—once so close to him—now terrified as if he were a ghost, Elias sighed deeply, a bitter smile on his lips. "Evander, don't hide from me. I didn't come to drag you back."

Thorne's eyes flickered, and Evander stared in disbelief. "Huh? Elias."

"I never intended to keep you two apart."

Elias looked at the couple who had suffered so much yet still couldn't find peace together, his heart heavy. "I came to make sure you were safe—not sick, not hurt. Don't be afraid."

Those simple words struck Evander straight in the heart.

Elias was visibly moved, his lips pressed tightly together.

After all this time, he never would've imagined that among Evander's family, someone would stand by him—someone who trusted him.

"Elias!"

Evander stepped forward and embraced him. He returned the hug warmly, stroking her hair tenderly. "You reckless girl. Jumping from five stories to escape? If you'd gotten hurt, how could we go on?"

"Evander!" Thorne's eyes widened in shock.

"I'm fine, aren't I? It was just five floors." Evander sniffled, unashamedly wiping her nose on Elias's shirt.

"I know you too well. Who could ever stop you from doing what you want? Forget five floors—you once jumped out of a plane over Star Island!" Elias scolded, his eyes filled with affection as he pulled out his tie and wiped her nose.

The only woman who could make Elias melt had always been—and would only ever be—her.

"Can we stop the nonsense now?"

Evander sniffled, her nose bright red from crying.

Just then, Jareth rushed in, his forehead creased with anxiety.

Relieved to see the situation relatively calm, he took a deep breath and pulled Mari into his arms.

"Uh, Jareth... did I misunderstand this gentleman?" Mari lifted her innocent face, guilt written all over it. "I thought he was a bad guy."

"Indeed, this gentleman is not a bad guy."

He's the devil incarnate! Even the worst criminals would call him their ancestor!

After calming Evander down, Elias coolly raised an eyebrow and approached Thorne.

"Mr. Ashbourne, thank you for giving me a chance," Thorne rasped, his voice low.

Suddenly, everything went dark before his eyes!

Elias's brow twitched violently, and he threw a punch straight at Thorne's face!

"Thorne!"

"Elias! Stop!" Evander tried to intervene, but it was too late.

Thorne remained unfazed, ready to take the blow.

But just half an inch from his nose, Elias stopped, letting out a cold laugh. "Don't flatter yourself too much. I'm just making sure my sister isn't heartbroken over you. Did you really think your dirty tricks would work on me?"

Thorne felt as if his heart had been crushed by a stone, trembling with pain. "I'm sorry. I know I deserve the worst. But still, thank you for not taking Evander away. Even if it's just for a little while—being with her, every second, every minute, is a treasure to me."

Elias paused, slowly withdrawing his hand.

Evander, unable to wait any longer, returned to Thorne's side, their fingers tightly interlocked.

"Let's talk about something happier," Elias said, his voice softening as he didn't want to see the pain in his sister's eyes. "Evander, that woman who looks almost exactly like you—I've found her hideout."

The news Elias brought was monumental for Evander and Thorne!

Jareth perked up, but he didn't want Mari involved in this mess. He sent her back to her room with Lily and stayed behind for the details.

Thorne held Evander close on the sofa as Elias recounted his encounter and skirmish with Elsie—how she'd hidden weapons, tried to seduce him, but ended up outwitted by him.

However, he didn't tell them—

That night, Elsie had suddenly kissed him, a gentle nibble turning passionate.

Amid the deep kiss, he remembered her soft sobs, tears streaming down her face.

She came for his life—and she was the one crying?

"Damn, this is insane!" Jareth was dumbfounded.

Elias shot him a disdainful look. "There's always one fool in the crowd."

Jareth clenched his teeth, his face screaming patience.

He couldn't beat Elias. Elias was Evander's brother and Thorne's brother-in-law. Picking a fight would leave him battered inside and out!

"Look at you, rejecting a seductress who came knocking. Didn't take the bait, Elias? Haven't you been off the market for a while? What a rare opportunity—a night worth a thousand gold," Evander teased, leaning into Thorne's arms.

"Do I look like I've never seen a woman before? You think I can't control myself every time one throws herself at me?" Elias retorted, taking another jab at Jareth. "I'm not him."

"Damn it!" Jareth's face turned red, cursing inwardly.

"But she looks so much like me. You always said you wanted a wife who looked like me—our brother called you a freak for it," Evander continued, though Thorne beside her felt a surge of jealousy.

His face reddened too, much like her brother's.

"I've never settled for counterfeits in my life—why would I start with a woman? Am I sick in the head?" Elias finally lost his cool.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Evander said, her tone turning serious despite her teasing. "You said you used that woman as bait at the hotel, lying in wait for the person pulling the strings. So—who does she work for?"

Elias's lips curled into a scornful smirk as he pulled out his phone and placed a picture on the coffee table.

All three leaned in to look.

The atmosphere in the room dropped, the air almost freezing over!

The man in the photo leading Elsie away was all too familiar—

Avery's secretary, Harvey!

"It's him. It had to be him!"

Evander seethed with rage, trembling with fury. "He wasn't content with trying to kill my brother and Debby—now he's targeted you, Elias! He's utterly heartless!"

But this time, Avery had miscalculated.

They said Avery was a cold-blooded snake—but they had a python in their midst: Elias!

Thorne moved to soothe Evander's trembling form, his warm hands gently rubbing her shoulders, comforting her without words.

In truth, he had suspected this all along. Now, with confirmation, he wasn't surprised.

"That time, Thorne, you were lured to the hotel by this woman and then fell into Edith's trap. Now it all makes sense. Avery was behind it—using this woman and my naive sister to drive a wedge between you and Evander, forcing you to marry Edith! Such a twisted, venomous plot—it's pure Avery!"

Jareth gritted his teeth. "He almost made Evander misunderstand you, made everyone think you were a scoundrel, and turned you into Chairman Ashbourne's enemy. He almost succeeded! Too malicious!"

Evander's chest ached, her lashes drooping with remorse.

"He won't succeed."

Thorne lowered his gaze, pressing a tender kiss to her cheek. "My girl knows I'd never deceive her. She'll come to trust me in time."

"You're such a fool."

Evander hunched her shoulders, a playful pout in her voice as embarrassment flushed her face. "And what if I can't figure you out? What if I refuse to turn back to you?"

Thorne's eyes curved into a beautiful arc as he gazed at her, brimming with adoration. "If you don't turn back for a day, I'll wait for a day. If you never turn back, then I'll wait a lifetime."