His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 722

"My teddy bear, my little teddy bear."

In the suffocating darkness, Marilla clung to the icy wall, her body trembling as she hugged her knees to her chest.

That man had taken her teddy bear, and it felt as if he had shattered her soul, and ripped the spine from her body. Her mind was blank, cold sweat cascading down her pale, pretty cheeks like rain.

"Jareth, where are you, please come save me."

Suddenly, every light in the room blazed on. Beams of harsh fluorescent light assaulted Marilla's pallid face, the interrogation-like brightness pushing her already fragile psyche to the brink.

"Jareth, I'm so scared. Jareth," tears streamed endlessly from Marilla's tightly shut eyes.

She couldn't remember anything; even the loving, tender moments she had shared with Jareth seemed to twist and fade into the distance.

The massive screen on the wall, like a dark curtain, flickered to life.

Marilla forced her swollen eyes open, the tears turning her vision red as they flooded her sockets.

And when she saw the woman on the screen, bound, beaten, and blindfolded, unmistakably Lily.

A thunderous crash, her mental fortress crumbled completely.

In the boardroom of the Fairhaven Group, the directors' meeting commenced as scheduled.

Chairman Barry sat at the center of the table, a king among his loyal subjects. He had built this empire through ordeal from the ground up, and now, his presence in the Fairhaven Group was nothing short of imperial.

Although Barry was gradually handing over the reins to Jareth, there were a few old-timers who resisted the young heir, pledging allegiance only to the patriarch.

It wasn't just about respect - they feared that with Jareth's ascent, their own power and profit would diminish, which would prevent them from seeking benefit.

They knew supporting Gary would lead the company into decline, but not everyone was interested in the grand future of the Fairhaven Group. Some were only concerned with maximizing their current benefits.

This was the main reason Gary, despite his lack of competence, could stand toe-to-toe with Jareth.

Barry cleared his throat with pomp and surveyed the room with an authoritative gaze.

"I believe you all know what I'm about to announce at today's meeting."

Jareth's noble brow furrowed slightly, a sense of disquiet pricking at his heart, making it flutter uncontrollably.

Since the meeting began, he had been glancing at his phone every minute or two. He didn't know what made him so anxious, but his heart wouldn't settle.

All eyes turned to Jareth. Gary, sitting across from him, glared with icy hostility, but a few seconds later, a subtle, malicious smile crept across his lips.

"And now, I declare that my grandson Jareth will assume the role of CEO of the Fairhaven Group and officially join the board of directors!"

Barry's declaration had barely ended and the people present were about to applaud when Gary slowly stood up, his voice dripping with dissent.

"I object!"

"Whom I marry is my own business." Jareth's fist was clenched on the table, his eyes a terrifying shade of red, "No one has any say in it."

Without a single shot fired, everyone in the room felt the tension cut like a knife.

"I'm just your uncle; I naturally can't control everything. But Mr. Barry Fairhaven, your grandfather, the head of the Fairhaven family, with his final say in all matters - surely he has a say in this, doesn’t he?"

Gary snorted with a mix of humor and resentment, then his face twisted into a mask of indignant injustice, "Mr. Barry Fairhaven, our Fairhaven Group might be fourth among the top families, but we're still a force to be reckoned with, a distinguished lineage.

With Jareth's looks and abilities, he might not snag a blue-blooded heiress like Ms. Ashbourne, but does he have to bring home a nutcase? Is our family really that desperate?!"

The room was a storm of shocked faces and gasps. A nutcase?!

Mr. Jareth Fairhaven's fiancée, the Abernathy family's darling daughter, was she mentally ill? Was this a match of equals or some kind of misdirected charity work?

"Gary."

Jareth remained seated, an aura of fury around him that seemed capable of consuming the world. His voice was a raspy warning of impending doom, "You publicly insult my fiancée. Have you considered the consequences?"

The murmurings ceased abruptly. A born leader sat still as a mountain but carried the power to intimidate all wrongdoing.

"Insult? I'm merely stating the facts. Where's the insult in that?"

Gary smirked coldly, and then with a flourish, scattered a stack of papers across the table. They slid from one end to the other, "Come on now, take one each - let's all have a look! This is Ms. Marilla Abernathy's psychological assessment report! Jareth, if I'm fabricating even half a word, may I be struck down!"