SWNOVELS Chapter 336
Chapter 336
Byron’s face quickly turned from rosy, to a sickly green upon hearing the words.
The crowd was left in shock.
Mr. Avery was quite bold and provocative with his words.
Guests began to chatter among themselves.
“Seems like there’s some bad blood between the two Chambers brothers.”
“Bad blood? More like a full–blown feud!”
“Did Mr. Avery just claim that the horse was his? Did Byron just make use of his younger brother’s property without giving a heads up?”
“That’s not quite right, is it?”
The murmurs reached Byron’s ears and he clenched his teeth, barely holding his anger in check. “Avery, it’s just a horse. Was it necessary to make such a scene?” He retorted coldly,
“Absolutely.”
Avery’s chilling reply was as piercing as his sharp gaze, “If it were just a horse, I wouldn’t mind. But you’ve laid your hands on the gift meant for Miss Evadne before she even had a chance to see it. Do you find that appropriate?”
Evadne, her eyes still wide with excitement over the sight of the prized horse, was taken aback by his words.
“Byron, have you lost all sense of decency over the years?”
Avery didn’t hold back from mocking him, not caring about the fact that they were brothers, “Didn’t our father ever teach you that taking someone else’s belongings without permission is rude?”
Byron felt like he had been slapped across the face, his composure slipping away.
He could handle the slight embarrassment over the horses. But with Evadne present, the humiliation was magnified a thousand–fold, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, his blood seething with a rage that threatened to consume him.
“If the horse was meant for Miss Evadne, why was it tied up here? I assumed it belonged to the Chambers‘ stables and as a Chambers, I have every right to lead it.”
Avery adjusted his glasses, a smirk playing on his lips, “So if you’re tied up here, does that mean I can lead you away too?”
“You!”
Laughter erupted from the crowd, making Byron’s face grow even redder with anger. He took a step forward, his fists clenched. If it weren’t for his secretary holding him back, he would have lunged at Avery in a heartbeat.
“Let it go, Avery. It’s a trivial matter, there’s no need to spoil the mood over this.”
Evadne gently touched Avery’s arm, her voice soft, “We shouldn’t disrupt Byron’s gathering. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Alright.”
Avery responded quietly, leading the magnificent horse away with Evadne under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
At that moment, he seemed like a knight in shining armor, strolling under the starlit night with his beloved princess.
Byron was seething with rage. He was furious at Avery’s public humiliation, and even more so at seeing him taking Evadne for a moonlit stroll around the stables, blatantly disregarding his presence.
In the lounge, Byron was fuming, downing a glass of whiskey before smashing it to smithereens.
“That bastard. Over a mere animal, he dares to act so arrogantly!”
F
“Mr. Byron, his arrogance stems not from owning the horse, but from having a valid reason to humiliate you in public, his secretary said, frustration clear in his voice.
Byron glared at him, “Are you saying that I gave him the opportunity to humiliate me?”
“No, no! That’s not what I meant! I’m just indignant on your behalf! After all, you’re the one Mr. Jeff has chosen to marry into the Ashbourne family!” The secretary stammered, sweating nervously.
“I don’t need you to be angry for me. I need you to come up with a solution!” Byron snapped, his eyes red with fury, his breathing erratic, and his hands trembling.
Seeing this, the secretary hastily poured another glass of whiskey. After Byron downed it in one gulp, his breathing slowly returned to normal, and his hands stopped shaking.
No one would have guessed that the elegant and composed man they saw in public relied on strong liquor to numb his nerves and control his volatile emotions.
“He’s made you uncomfortable. You should return the favor. At the very least, we can’t let his date with Miss Evadne go so smoothly,” the secretary suggested quietly.
A light seemed to flash in Byron’s eyes. After a moment of silence, he beckoned to his secretary.
“I have a plan. Get it done right away.”
Unable to reach Evadne and unable to find out her whereabouts from Cassius, Thaddeus was in turmoil.
His anxiety was so great that he felt like his ears were ringing and his heart was out of sync, as if a swarm of mosquitoes were buzzing in his ears.
“Mr. Thaddeus, Mr. Frederic has an important social engagement and he wants you to join him. You’ve been absent from the public eye for a while due to your illness, so tonight’s party is particularly significant as your first public appearance since your recovery.”
Gordon, as the CEO’s secretary, was always clear and to the point, “You’re the CEO, the chosen successor of Mr. Frederic. You need to be present at these events to reassure the team that you’re well,”
Thaddeus remained silent, staring blankly at his dark phone screen.
“Mr. Thaddeus, you can be in love, but don’t let it consume you.”
Gordon sighed helplessly, “I know you’re concerned about Mrs. Abernathy, but she’s a grown woman of prestige with plenty of capable protectors. What could possibly happen to her? You didn’t use to be so irrational. As a man, you should prioritize your career.”
“Do you think it’s wrong for me to put her first?” Thaddeus asked, his brows furrowed in frustration.
Gordon swallowed hard, “No. That’s not what I meant.”
“I remember a time when I was like a machine, working tirelessly day and night. I had a wife, but I never really put her first. Nothing was more important to me than work. I used to think that without my position, I would have nothing.
Thaddeus slowly closed his eyes, his long lashes trembling slightly, “But when I lost Evadne, I realized the truth. Without her by my side, I truly have nothing.”
“No, it’s not just that. Everything I’ve ever had, it’s all become meaningless.”
He thought, “What’s the point of being at the top? Even there, I’ve lost what I held dear. It’s quite tasteless.”
“Mr. Thaddeus, how could you say that? You used to tell me that you climbed to the top, despite knowing it’s a lonely place, because you knew you couldn’t protect those around you without power. You wanted to make a name for yourself, to honor your late mother!” Gordon pleaded anxiously. Thaddeus’s eyes slightly narrowed.
Thinking about his mother’s tragic death, he felt the heartache come in waves, making him feel suffocated.
2
“And besides, you have to play both sides. You’re so busy trying to win Mrs. Abernathy’s favor, neglecting your business. What will you do if you end up worse off than Mrs. Abernathy?”
Gordon snorted, “You want to be a kept man? That’s no way to hold your head high.”
Thaddeus squinted his eyes, a feeling of resentment welling up inside him.
Rough words, but correct. Unpleasant, but not wrong.
“Get the car. We leave now.”
2
“This kind of horse is considered the Ferrari of horses, a treasure of Whiteguard. I used to beg my dad to give me one, but he was always afraid I would get hurt and didn’t want me to get too close to horses.”
Under the light, Evadne excitedly stroked the golden horse’s fur. The pulse under her fingertips made her heart race.
Suddenly, her mouth went dry, and what came to her mind was Thaddeus, bare–chested in front of her, his muscles tight, his lines wild.
Evadne’s fingertips tingled, her cheeks flushed, and she blushed.
That man, when he was on top of her, completely letting go, he was also an untamed stallion.
“Evadne, do you like it? Evadne?”
“Huh?”
Evadne snapped back to reality, quickly touched her hot cheek, her eyes shimmering, “I do, horses are my favorite animals.”
Damn, why would she think of that filthy man when she saw a handsome horse?
Avery silently moved behind her, his tall figure casting a beautiful silhouette over her.
He looked at her jade–like profile, her eyes soft under her lashes, “I remember, you told me when you were little that you loved horses and wanted to be-an equestrian. That was always your dream.!”
“When I was little, that was indeed my dream.”
Evadne smiled faintly, “But now, that’s no longer my dream, and I know I’m not suited to be an athlete in many ways.”
She didn’t mind Avery bringing up their childhood, even if she couldn’t remember some things.
But she felt that the biggest difference between them was that she always looked forward, while he always seemed to live in the past.
“Evadne, what’s your dream now?” Avery clenched his fists, his chest heaving with hot breath.
“For a long time, I wanted to become a good doctor.”
She couldn’t fight alongside Thaddeus, but she could be his strong support.
She always hoped he would come back safely, but she also hoped that if he got hurt, she could be the one to bandage his wounds.
“Now I don’t have a dream.”
Evadne’s heart was numb and sour, her emotions complex, and all she could muster was a chuckle, “Now, I just want to have everything handed to me on a silver platter, to sit back and enjoy, to get something for nothing, to skyrocket to success.”
“Oh? Evadne, can you read minds?”
Avery smiled softly in her ear, “It seems we’re on the same page.”
Evadne raised an eyebrow, “You’re a grown man, not even thirty, and do you want to live off someone else? That’s not very ambitious, is it?”
“You misunderstand. I hope that my future wife can live a worry–free life, her only responsibility being to stay as beautiful as a flower.”
Avery’s warm breath was on her ear, his eyes flashing with desire, “Being my woman, having everything handed to her, sitting back and enjoying, isn’t that what she deserves? Only a man who’s not capable would let his woman suffer and wander.”
Evadne’s breath hitched. She wasn’t sure if she was reading too much into it.
She always felt that Avery’s gentle words were laced with sarcasm toward someone.
Suddenly, a loud neigh echoed through the quiet riding field!
“Mr. Chambers! Ms. Evadne! Be careful!”
A gust of wind suddenly blew, whipping up dust and sand.
Evadne turned around sharply, her pupils dilating in shock!
A black stallion had broken through the fence and was charging straight towards them!