His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 413

The following day, Thaddeus and Jareth, along with their elite squad, set off in secret towards Star Island.

The journey was anything but smooth. It was a clear day when they set off, but two hours into their boat ride, a sudden storm hit, with dark clouds and heavy rain.

For the sake of stealth and safety, they didn't opt for a large vessel, but instead traveled on yachts. This ensured they were less conspicuous, faster, and could scatter if detected by the enemy, making it harder for them to be completely surrounded.

However, the downside of these boats became glaringly obvious in the extreme weather.

“Mr. Abernathy! Mr. Fairhaven! What do we do?! Are our yachts going to capsize?!”

The crew from the Fairhaven group struggled with the wheel, but the yacht continued to rock wildly in the storm, unable to maintain balance, let alone move forward.

Suddenly, a huge wave rolled towards their boat, heading right at Jareth.

Jareth's eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, his vision was blocked.

Thaddeus had thrown himself instantly in the path of the wave, shielding Jareth with his broad body.

The wave crashed into him with a force that would have knocked anyone else over, but Thaddeus, he was as steady as a rock. This man had really the ability to capture other people’s heart with his charm, even for men.

“Thad! Are you okay?!” Jareth immediately reached out to him, his pupils contracted.

“I’m good. It's nothing,” Thaddeus replied, his lips curling up slightly, his eyes as bright as deep-sea pearls.

Their eyes met, and Jareth blushed, “Damn it, Thad, stop looking at me like that. I think I’m falling for you!”

“Thank Marilla. If it weren't for her, I’d really fear you’d fall for me one day.”

After saying this, Thaddeus quickly moved away, taking the wheel from one of the crew members and started steering himself.

“What the heck! I was just joking around and you’d take it seriously?” Jareth scoffed, wiping off the water from his face. He gazed at Thaddeus' firm and broad figure which could render people sense of enough safety for a long while before letting out a self-mockery sigh. Deep down, he admired his best friend more than anything.

Back then, he was pompous enough to pursue Evadne, and when she turned down his affection, he got quite depressed for a prolonged time.

Now it seemed that Evadne did the right choice. Having been pampered by Thad, she could never fall for him. Except, he didn’t feel frustrated, nor did he think it was a pity.

Instead, he needed to thank for this one-sided love; otherwise, he’d never meet his love of life, Marilla, the woman he would spend the rest of the time with.

Mountainous sea was tumbling over, the situation dire, but under Thaddeus' helm, the boat navigated steadily toward Star Island.

Two hours later, their boat was the first to reach the island. Half an hour later, the rest of the boats arrived one after another.

By this time, night had fallen. Luckily, the storm had started to subside.

“Perfect night for some action. Let’s go, Thad!” Jareth tucked two of his guns behind his back, excitement glinting in his eyes.

Rumors said that Mr. Fairhaven was well-known for his inclination to gamble with his life, which seemed true. It looked like he had again overlooked the peril ahead of them.

“Do you think this is some sort of video game? You only have one life. If it's lost, it's game over.”

Thaddeus, dressed in black tactical gear, looked rugged and wild. His hands, gripping the gun, were veined and strong.

“You’re not the same as before. You have my sister now, and you’re not a lone wolf anymore.”

Jareth stiffened at the mention of Marilla. Yes, he was a family man now, and he had something to lose. His heart, once as hard as iron, had softened like a sponge.

Marilla had almost broken down because of Erica’s decease; if anything happened to him, what would happen to his delicate, fragile wife?

“Mr. Abernathy, Mr. Fairhaven! Look! A helicopter is coming!”

They turned to see a helicopter swiftly approaching. Everyone immediately went on high alert, guns drawn and aimed at the helicopter.

“No need to panic. It's probably not the enemy,” only Thaddeus remained calm and steady.

“How can you be sure?” Jareth asked in surprise.

“If it was, they would have started shooting at us by now. The fact that they haven't made a move means they're not here to kill us.”

Jareth nodded, “Makes sense!”

The helicopter landed smoothly on the beach, causing a whirlwind of sand that blinded everyone.

Merely Thaddeus stood tall and steady against the wind, watching the handsome man disembark from the helicopter.

The next second, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Holy cow! It's your brother-in-law!”

Jareth, seeing Cassius and his men approaching, dashed behind Thaddeus in shock.

Normally, as a prestigious “devil” who would scare those from both the legal world and the underground gang, Jareth’d never fear anyone. Now he knew who scared him - Cassius, a man always exuding an extremely intimidating aura.

At this moment, Thaddeus and Cassius locked eyes, a palpable tension in the air.

“President Ashbourne, what brings you here?” Thaddeus' eyes were sharp, his voice cold and stern.

“We share the same goal. Is there a need to ask?”

Cassius didn't have a good impression of his former brother-in-law. Even though he now knew of Thaddeus' true feelings for Evadne and his remorse, and that he would never marry another woman aside from Evadne, the Ashbourne family was known for their stubbornness. Even if they felt one way, they wouldn't show it.

In other words, they were proud.

Moreover, Thaddeus had once ruthlessly abandoned his sister, who had waited for him like Penelope in Homer's Odyssey, faithfully waiting for three years despite his absence.

She even risked her life for him on the battlefield and almost became a cripple.

No matter what, he would not easily change his attitude towards Thaddeus. Evadne was a star in the sky, and if he wanted her, he would have to risk his life.

"I'll take care of Ward. You don't need to worry, President Ashbourne," Thaddeus said, his expression grim. He was not going to back down.

"I'm Evadne's big brother. After all, this is the Ashbourne family business. I can handle it. There's no need for you to interfere," Cassius said, not backing down either.

"Jareth, let's go."

Thaddeus didn't want to argue any longer; he was ready to leave.

"If I remember correctly, didn't you tell my sister that you were going on a business trip, Mr. Abernathy?"

Cassius's icy voice was like a thorn in Thaddeus' side!

He turned around abruptly, but Cassius just smiled at him, "If Evadne finds out that you lied to her, even though you did it for her, do you think she will be angry with you or not? I'm afraid, she will be furious."

"Don't tell her!" Thaddeus felt a surge of panic. He rushed over to Cassius, his voice pleading, "President Ashbourne, everything I've done was for Evadne. But I'm afraid that if she knows I'm hunting down Ward, she'll come to me in a fit of desperation. I can't let the woman I love be in danger, never! But if I don't take care of this issue personally for Evadne, then what kind of man am I? What right do I have to protect her?"

His words were filled with deep emotions, moving everyone who heard them.

Cassius's handsome face tightened slightly. Even Jareth couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for his best friend.

"President Ashbourne, I know you still hate me for causing Evadne so much pain, for cruelly abandoning her."

Thaddeus' eyes started to redden, his voice hoarse, almost begging, "I'm doing all this to make amends. I'm willing to risk my life to get back everything she wants, even if none of you forgive me. Just don't let Evadne risk her life, you know her better than I do as her brother!"

He was really afraid that Evadne would be angry with him. Their relationship was just starting to improve; he didn't want everything to go back to square one.

But what he feared more was her getting hurt.