His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 429

"Jareth, I appreciate your continued concern for me," a smile of approval gracing Frederic’s lips.

"Not just me, Marilla and Thad are thinking about you too," Jareth's eyes curved into crescents, his words sweet enough to induce a toothache. This was not just about impressing his future father-in-law, but also about earning some brownie points for his best friend.

"I haven't seen Marilla in a while. You two follow me to the study; let's sit and catch up." As Frederic spoke, a tender smile danced on his face as he beckoned Marilla over, "Come Marilla, come to your dad."

As Marilla grew older, her interactions with her father lessened. But in her memories, her father was always the one who doted on her the most.

"Daddy." Her eyes bright as a doe's, she released Jareth's hand and walked towards Frederic.

For some unknown reason, Jareth's eyes reddened and a sour feeling rose in him at the sight. He knew, no matter how good he was to Marilla, no matter how much he loved her, he could never replace her family in her heart.

Perhaps in this world, many people could live without love, but none could bear the pain of losing their family, of being torn away from their flesh and blood.

As Marilla approached, Frederic smilingly opened his arms, enveloping her petite frame. His large, gentle hand caressed her silky raven hair as he held his long-absent daughter close to his heart.

She pressed her small face into her father's chest, and for some reason, her heart fluttered, and a bitter emotion welled up. Tear drops trickled down, dampening Frederic's neat shirt.

At that moment, Glynnis' rage finally hit its peak, and she was on the verge of tears. As Frederic's first-born, she was always the apple of the Abernathy family's eye. She was proud of her intelligence and beauty, and from a young age, her competitive nature had always made her the center of her parents' attention, overshadowing Marilla's existence. But now, Hamilton, Elspeth, then Jareth. Marilla was slowly taking away everything that used to be hers!

Even Frederic's affection was stolen by her!

She was filled with rage, unbearable rage!

On the other side.

Elspeth, who was confined to the house, had been terrified by the news about Ward and the online comments. She was in a state of panic, not knowing what to do.

Frantically, she found the medication Victor had left her, gave herself two shots, and her convulsing nerves finally calmed down, allowing her to think a bit.

She hadn't expected that Ward, who had fled to country T, would be caught. Even less did she expect that the sparks of public opinion about Erica's death would splash on her.

The police hadn't summoned her yet, which meant Ward hadn't given her up. But she couldn't guarantee that Ward wouldn't crack under pressure and spill everything about her hiring him to kill Erica. By then, it would be too late!

Currently, her movements were limited by Frederic's house arrest and the only person who could run errands for her was Glynnis.

Glynnis, her eyes swollen from crying, came to see Elspeth, sitting there sobbing uncontrollably. But Elspeth had no time to deal with her messy emotions; she got straight to the point, "Ward's been captured, and he might expose what we've done. This man, he cannot be kept alive!"

"What we've done? What have I done?" Glynnis sniffed, a cold light flashing in her eyes, "Weren't those things all ordered by you? What does that have to do with me? Don't drag me in!"

"You ungrateful girl! Are you trying to wash your hands off this now? Your own mom is in trouble, and instead of thinking ways to help, you just want to hide away? If anything happens to me, you won't have a peaceful life either!" Elspeth's fierce gaze made Glynnis tremble with fear!

They were far from being mother and daughter; they were more like accomplices in crime!

"What are we going to do now? What are you planning?" Glynnis asked, her teeth clenched, her voice filled with irritation.

Elspeth suddenly lost all expression, her face chillingly cold, "I'm going to kill Ward."

"Kill Ward?! But he's under police control now; how are we going to do that?!" Glynnis, who had been gradually trained by Elspeth, didn't even blink at the mention of "murder". Her first thought was how to do it.

"There are plenty of people in prison willing to take money to do someone else's dirty work! And with so many people there, it's easy to find an opportunity to get rid of him without anyone noticing!" Saying this, Elspeth tossed a bank card towards Glynnis, "The money in here is enough for you to handle this. Deal with it as soon as possible; don't make me wait too long."

Glynnis held the card in her hand, feeling like she was holding a sharp blade.

"Mom, I can do this for you, but I have one condition."

In the study, the atmosphere was unusually warm and harmonious.

Frederic and Jareth chatted about trivial matters. As the elder, Frederic asked him about his business. Jareth, having prepared for this meeting with his future in-laws, responded smoothly.

He'd hung around with Thaddeus since they were kids, and was more familiar with the Windermere Estate than his own home. But now, facing his future father-in-law, even the usually composed Jareth felt a little nervous.

"Mr. Fairhaven, your tea. Miss Marilla, your favourite orange juice," Dennis approached with a tray.

"Thank you, Dennis," Marilla picked up the glass, her smile innocent and pure, as radiant as spring flowers, unchanged from her childhood.

A warm feeling welled up in Dennis's heart.

Glynnis and Marilla, though both Frederic's daughters, were as different as night and day. Simply put, Glynnis lacked the grace and elegance expected of a lady of her standing. Even Elspeth, at home, put on airs of a lady of the house. But Glynnis couldn't be bothered, she was more like a wild child.

In the past, he'd worried about Marilla's future, worried that her autism would condemn her to a lifetime of loneliness, unable to experience love, marriage, and motherhood like other girls. But now it seemed he was worrying over nothing.

With Jareth, the son of the Fairhaven family, adoring and loving her, Marilla's future was secure, and she'd never be bullied again.

Marilla took a satisfying sip of her orange juice, her lips glistening.

Jareth chuckled lightly, pulling out a clean handkerchief from his pocket to gently wipe away the droplets on her lips. His practiced movements suggested he did this often.

"Ahem. Jareth." Frederic, having had his fill of the sweet scene, cleared his throat seriously, "After all that has happened, it's clear that you truly care for Marilla. And I've watched you grow up since you were a boy. Now that you wish to date my daughter, I won't stand in your way. However, Marilla is young and has always been shielded from the world's harsh realities. She's innocent and inexperienced. This is her first relationship, and the first time she's spent a couple of nights away from home. Marilla has never been out at night, and Jareth, you've broken our family rules."

"I apologize, Mr. Abernathy. I didn't think it through. But with Marilla staying at my place, I can't possibly let her go out at night. There are too many bad people out there, and Marilla is so pretty. What if she's targeted by some man? How can I be at ease?" Jareth responded with a cheeky grin.

Frederic shook his head, "I'm not talking about going out or not, but the fact that even though you're dating, you're not legally married. If word gets out about you two living together, it won't affect you, Jareth. But my daughter, she's a virtuous girl. It could harm her reputation."