His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 490

Thaddeus stared at the unfamiliar number flashing on his phone screen, momentarily immobilized. Not many people had his private number, and he never bothered with wrong numbers or cold calls. But this time, his heart inexplicably raced out of control.

Pressing the answer button, he brought the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

On the other end, the tumult of a storm mixed with static.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Usually, Thaddeus would've hung up by now. But today, he uncharacteristically waited for a reply.

"Thaddeus, it's me."

Evadne's frail, soft voice came through in fits and starts, torn to shreds by the howling wind. Like a dagger, it pierced straight through the man's heart.

"Evadne?!"

Thaddeus's eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and joy as he shot to his feet, his breathing laced with an intense tremor. It was almost unbelievable to him that he was receiving a call from her.

"Thaddeus. I want to see you. I'm so tired," Evadne's fading voice was nearly imperceptible.

"Evadne, where are you?! I'll come to you right away!" Thaddeus's eyes reddened, a nameless agony churning within.

"I don't know where I am."

The woman on the other end couldn't hold back her tears any longer, "I've walked so far. I can't go on. My head's spinning. I just want to sleep."

"Evadne! Don’t sleep, please, stay awake!"

Thaddeus's heart clenched, spasming wildly, "Don't hang up. I'm tracing your call right now! Stay with me!"

Hamilton, overhearing, tensed with concern.

"Granddad Hamilton, I'm sorry."

"Thaddeus, you don't need to explain."

With an understanding wave of his hand, Granddad urged, "Go now! Nothing is more important than finding Ilana!"

Gripping his phone, Thaddeus dashed out of the hospital room.

"You've got to find Ilana! Keep her safe!" Hamilton cried after him, tears in his eyes.

Thaddeus nodded heavily, his steps heavy. He got into his car, taking Gordon with him as they sped off into the stormy night towards Skyrim.

He quickly gathered his men; a convoy of sleek black sedans raced behind Thaddeus's lead, struggling to keep up with his breakneck speed.

To them, Mr. Abernathy wasn't driving a car; he was piloting a jet on the slippery roads with limited visibility. He was gambling with his life at this speed!

Gordon, white-knuckled and pale, clutched the handle above the car door as if his life depended on it.

"Mr. Abernathy! Please, calm down! Finding Mrs. Abernathy is crucial, but you have to think about your own safety!"

"Evadne's in danger! She could be in trouble at any second!” Thaddeus’s eyes bloodshot, tremendous terror caused his shoulders, which were hid under the suit, convulsed uncontrollably, “Any second late, and Evadne might be in danger. How can you expect me to stay calm?!"

Gordon fell silent, his eyes shut tight, praying for their safety.

"Can you still pinpoint Mrs. Abernathy's location?!" Thaddeus's voice hoarse, forehead slick with sweat.

"Yes, we still can! About two kilometers away!"

Suddenly, the signal vanished from the GPS screen. Gordon exclaimed in panic, "Damn it, Mr. Abernathy! We've lost Mrs. Abernathy's signal!"

Thaddeus felt a heavy sinking in his heart. All he could hope for now was that Evadne's phone had simply died and not that she had met some terrible situation.

"Evadne, hold on. I'm going to find you!"

Soon, they arrived at the last known location. His men fanned out with flashlights, searching desperately.

Thaddeus ran into the rain, his shoes and pant legs caked in mud, but he didn’t care less, his eyes burning with anxious concern.

"Mr. Abernathy! Slow down! Be careful of the road!" Gordon followed, stumbling, his mind a whirl.

What had happened? Why was Mrs. Abernathy alone in this forsaken place?

Evadne, after dealing with some thugs, was drained of her last ounce of strength. She had taken one of their phones and pushed on through the rain. Fearing they might follow, she kept trekking forward instead of stopping for any short while, because she didn’t have any single of strength remained to handle any danger.

In the end, Evadne’s spirit went completely numb, her legs still moving in their quivery state unceasingly as if they were not hers anymore.

But eventually, she couldn’t take another step and collapsed in a dilapidated gazebo at the foot of a hill. Only then did she dare to call Thaddeus - her only fear was that her man wouldn't find her.

As time ticked by, Evadne huddled into a ball, her face buried in her arms, drifting to sleep with the phone clutched tightly in her hand.

In her daze, she dreamed of the accident three years ago - the car accident, the dark red blood streaming down, begging the doctor to save him, save her child.

"Evadne!"

In her haze, she thought she heard Thaddeus calling her, but she had no strength left to respond.

Jareth put aside his documents and opened the door to find Lily with a look of urgency, “Mr. Fairhaven! Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy is here!”

“Who? Thad? At this ungodly hour?!” Jareth’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“It’s not just Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy. Ms. Ashbourne is with him!”

Sensing trouble, Jareth dashed downstairs.

In the living room, Thaddeus sat on the sofa, clutching an unconscious Evadne, his handsome face pale and bloodless, staring unblinkingly at her face.

“Thad! What on earth happened?”

Jareth rushed over, his heart tightening at the sight of Evadne limp in Thaddeus’s arms, unconscious.

“What happened to Evadne?!”

“Sorry for disturbing you so late, Jareth.” Thaddeus’s voice trembled as he spoke, “But I didn’t know where else to take her where we wouldn't be found, so I had to come to you. I’m sorry.”

“C’mon, we’re buddies. My home is always open, no matter what, no matter when. It’s my absolute duty to help you two out!”

Jareth knew something serious must have happened. Though worried, he felt it wasn’t his place to pry.

“She’s running a high fever. Do you have any fever reducers?” Thaddeus asked hoarsely.

“I’ll get them now!” Lily hurried to fetch them.

“Look at her; a pill isn’t going to do much good!”

Jareth immediately ordered, “Lily, contact my personal doctor. Have him come over now to see Ms. Ashbourne!”

Lily went to make the arrangements at once.

“Cold, so cold.” Evadne shivered with chills, murmuring in her half-awake state.

Thaddeus drew a deep breath, fighting back tears, wishing he could transfer all his warmth to her.

“Thad, I hate to say it, but ever since Evadne’s been with you, she hasn’t had a single day of peace.”

Jareth stood before them, shaking his head sorrowfully, “The Ashbourne brothers are probably tearing Elmsworth apart looking for her. Those guys are crazy about their sister. Won’t stop until they’ve turned the place upside down. With your previous troubles still unresolved and now you've whisked Evadne away again; you’re really asking for it.”

“Yeah, asking for it indeed. I’m already a villain for the ages; what’s one more crime to my name?” Thaddeus attempted a wry smile.

Jareth clenched his jaw in frustration, “Damn it, in my opinion, you two should just elope!”