Seeing Evadne's disinterest, Thaddeus suddenly realized that his previous words were indeed too crude, too ungentlemanly.
His woman, both in the past and now, had never lived a day of ease by his side. Although he couldn't help himself at the moment, he, a man burdened by his own sins, hadn't even given Evadne a proper proposal. How could he dare to dream of a marital life?
Not flipping out on him was already giving him more face than he deserved.
"Oh no, my soup!"
At that moment, the soup on the stove boiled over, and Evadne hastily scurried to clean up the mess.
Thaddeus saw the boiling pot, the steaming kettle, and the delicately arranged pastries, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat. A tear stealthily escaped the corner of his eye, but he quickly wiped it away.
He couldn't bear to see Evadne laboring away. Without even changing his clothes, he rolled up his sleeves to clean the kitchen and set the table.
He had felt the urge to cry earlier, his emotions a tangled mess, filled with pity for her and shame for himself.
The missing three years could have been days of such bliss, yet he never cherished them. But thankfully, he had regained what was lost. From now on, he would hold tightly to this hard-won happiness.
"Hey, it's been hot lately, and I made some lemon mint sorbet for dessert, try it."
Evadne pinched a piece of the sweet and offered it to Thaddeus' lips. He leaned in, his lips parting slightly and she playfully withdrew, holding the sorbet between her lips and teasing him with a flutter of her eyelashes.
Thaddeus' eyes reddened with desire, his hand trembling as he clasped the back of her neck and caught the other half of the sorbet with his mouth.
First, he savored the cool sweetness, then he sealed her lips with his own, swallowing her breathy moans and soft whimpers.
After a moment of deep kisses, Evadne was left languid, her silk gown damp and clinging to her willowy waist, revealing a shape that could haunt a man's dreams.
Thaddeus gazed down, his eyes feasting on the sight, feeling a tightness in his gut as if it were about to burst.
"Sweet?" Evadne, her hand on his shoulder, traced her finger along his sticky lips.
"Yes. But not nearly a fraction as sweet as you," Thaddeus's eyes was heavy with passion as he sucked on her fingertip.
"You're getting naughtier by the day, with that silver tongue of yours."
A tingle shot through Evadne from her fingertip, and she shivered, her voice a playful scold, "Alright, let's eat before it gets cold."
Thaddeus reluctantly let her go and sat down properly, picking up his fork, when Evadne's cell phone rang. Seeing it was Aaron, her heart leaped and she quickly answered on speaker, "Aaron, what's happening?"
"Evadne, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Aaron's tone was mixed.
Evadne and Thaddeus exchanged a knowing look, "The good news first."
"We've finally got enough to charge Elspeth. She can't escape the drug use and possession charges. First-time offenders usually get sent to rehab, but Elspeth's possession is enough for a sentence - three years minimum."
Three years seemed light. But no matter, this was just the beginning. The real show was yet to come.
"And the bad news?" Thaddeus asked with a deep voice.
"The reason we could charge Elspeth is that Victor turned himself in."
Both were visibly shocked, and Evadne's heart clenched, "Victor...turned himself in?!"
"Yes. He's handed over all the evidence he's got on Elspeth to me, and, well, let's just say every piece of it could rock the Abernathy Group to its core and shoot Frederic's blood pressure through the roof. Even Cedric racks his brain and wouldn’t clear her of all the charges!"
This was undoubtedly good news, but Evadne couldn't bring herself to feel happy about it. Thaddeus, reading her distress, wrapped her in his arms, his voice gentle and soothing, "I know you're upset. Let's go to the precinct first. I'll reheat dinner for you later."
Evadne leaned into his chest, nodding as her brow furrowed.
Victor sat calmly in the interrogation room, a wall separating him from Elspeth. His serene composure was a stark contrast to the woman next door, who seemed like a caged lunatic.
"Officers, this is what I have to confess, all the details of my crimes and Elspeth's."
Aaron stared deeply at Victor, "Victor, you must be aware that your crimes are more severe than Elspeth's. You're looking at charges of incitement and drug trafficking. You'll be facing a heavy sentence."
"Aaron, I understand what you're saying," Victor's expression was indifferent.
"Why then?" Aaron, bound by his duty as an officer, could only ask this much.
Victor knew what he was really asking. If he chose silence, even if Elspeth implicated him, the police couldn't touch him without evidence. Yet he chose to confess.
"Besides parents, Aaron, surely there's someone you care about deeply. You'd do anything for her, make any sacrifice."
Aaron's eyes narrowed, Evadne's smiling face appearing in his mind.
"You have your answer, and coincidentally, it's the same as mine," a faint but clear smile gracing Victor’s lips. It was a smile as earnest and joyful as that of a young man first laying eyes on a girl he admired in school.
Aaron looked stunned and sighed, "I understand."
"No, you don't. No one can understand this kind of pure, yet complex emotion," Victor's smile turned proud.
Soon, Evadne and Thaddeus arrived at the station. But to their utter disbelief, Victor refused to see them.
Evadne knew he was determined to sacrifice himself without looking back. The more she thought about it, the heavier her heart felt, consumed by guilt.
Thaddeus kept his arms tightly around her trembling shoulders the whole time, his voice warm in her ear, "Evadne, don't panic. I'll hire the best international lawyers for Victor, ones that won't be outdone by Cedric. We'll do our best to minimize his sentence. After he gets out, he won't have to worry about making ends meet. Even if he can't be a doctor anymore, I'll make sure to find him another job. He won't be mistreated.”
Those words of comfort were like a drop in the bucket, really. But with Thaddeus by her side, Evadne found a measure of solace amid the emotional storm.
"Evadne, among the evidence Victor gave me, there's this. He insisted it be entered as court evidence, but I hesitate. With or without it, Elspeth’s guilt is clear. Yet, this could make Frederic turn his back on Elspeth once and for all."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus)
Please upload further chapters...
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Where is the continuation of this story? You should not have started writing a story if you dont intend to continue till the end you left us hanging, thats very unprofessional as a writer....
Next chapter please.....
1 chapter per day??...
Hurry up and load more better yet just load the whole book...