Chapter 347
Chapter 347
At this moment, Frederic and Elspeth were at home..
Frederic was sat on the couch, engrossed in the news updates on his phone, his expression grim.
The rumors about Thad and Edith, despite his efforts to squash them using the top PR team in the country, were still rampant on the internet.
Thad, being the CEO of the Abernathy Group, remained silent and out of sight, which only fueled speculation and cast a dark shadow over his reputation.
Meanwhile, Elspeth was seated at her vanity, taking care of her long, lush hair that she invested more than a million dollars in annually.
Back in the days, she had seduced Frederic to climb the social ladder, and the thing that he loved to touch the most during their passionate encounters was her beautiful hair. “Frederic, come here.” Elspeth swiveled in her chair, beckoning him with a crook of her finger.
“What is it?” Frederic didn’t look up from his phone.
“Come here, Frederic, touch my hair. I’ve been maintaining it painstakingly for you for thirty years.”
Elspeth’s voice was sweet and seductive, her eyes alluring. “Touch it and see if it’s still as it used to be.”
“Elspeth.”
Frederic paused, a question that had been gnawing at his heart surfaced, “Did you have anything to do with Myra’s situation?” But he didn’t voice it out.
Instead, he changed the subject, “The last time, in front of me and Dad, Jareth confessed his feelings to Marilla.”
“What? When did.this happen?” Elspeth shot up from her chair, her face alight with joy.
“A while ago, when Thad was hospitalized. He brought Marilla to visit Thad.”
“That’s wonderful! Oh my!”
Elspeth clapped her hands in delight. “What was Dad’s reaction? Jareth is like a son to him, both families are well acquainted, and they’re a good match. He must approve of this match, right?”
“You were so keen on pairing Glynnis with Mr. Jareth before, you didn’t care about Marilla’s marriage at all. Why this sudden change of heart?” Frederic asked, his voice indifferent.
Elspeth deftly sidestepped the question, “Frederic, you make it sound as if I don’t care about Marilla. She is my daughter too, I love her as much as I do Glynnis. It’s just that Glynnis and Jareth weren’t meant to be. If Jareth has feelings for Marilla, I’d be more than happy to see them together. What mother doesn’t want her daughter to marry well?” “Marilla and Jareth may be together, but it’s not official yet. There’s still room for change.”
Frederic frowned, “Once they go public, it won’t be easy to break things off.”
“Frederic, are you saying you don’t want Marilla to marry into the Fairhaven family?” Elspeth asked anxiously.
“Did you see Mrs. Fairhaven’s face when she left last time? She was furious. Jareth is her only son, and now that this has happened, how could she possibly agree to this match?” Frederic rubbed his temples, his face a mask of frustration.
Elspeth was silent.
She remembered Mrs. Fairhaven’s flushed face, the anger burning in her eyes. It seemed that her daughter’s path to a wealthy marriage was completely blocked. No, not yet!
Jareth was willing to step in, so she had to do everything in her power to secure this marriage for Marilla!
So, Elspeth sighed heavily, and quietly walked up to Frederic, gently massaging his shoulders as she spoke softly. “Frederic, I can see that you’ve been upset these past few days. It must be because of this issue, right? I have a solution that could solve all our problems.”
Frederic asked, “What solution?”
“Let Thad marry Edith, and everyone will be happy. If we accept Edith, Mrs. Fairhaven will accept Marilla.” Elspeth’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Who Thad likes, isn’t it clear? His heart only has room for Evadne, and no other woman.”
Frederic’s brows furrowed, his frustration mounting, “After all these years, don’t you understand his temperament?”
“Thad may love Evadne, but that’s only if Evadne loves him back.”
Elspeth laughed coldly. “Thad has hurt Evadne badly when they divorced. Now he’s involved with Edith, do you think Evadne, who’s known for her pride, would ever accept him back? She’d rather die.“.
She’d rather die.
Frederic looked troubled. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door. The butler’s anxious voice rang out, “Mr. Frederic, ma’am, the Fairhavens have arrived.”
“Tell them I’m not here.” Frederic replied without thinking.
“Mr. Frederic, among them is. Mr. Barry, the Chairman of Fairhaven Inc. Are you sure you don’t want to see them?”
Frederic’s heart sank.
Elspeth crossed her arms, a smug smile on her face, “As long as Thad and Edith’s marriage isn’t settled, we won’t have peace. Even Barry is involved now. If this continues, things will get out of hand.”
Barry rested his hands atop the eagle’s head of his cane, sitting regally–in the center of the sofa, his powerful presence making the Abernathy family hold their breath.
“Mr. Barry, why didn’t you give us a heads–up about your visit? We would have prepared a proper welcome.”
Frederic approached with a smile, alongside his wife Elspeth.
The living room was filled with associates of the Fairhavens, the atmosphere tense and ominous.
Frederic scanned the room, still smiling. “Mr. Barry, is all this fuss because we failed to greet you properly? Are you upset?”
“I am indeed upset, but I think you know exactly why, don’t you, Mr. Frederic?”
Barry’s voice was icy and intimidating, “Your family sure knows how to put on airs. My daughter–in–law comes over and she doesn’t even get to see Thad. Did I really have to come over myself to get an audience with your son?”
Edith, held by Mrs. Fairhaven, quietly sobbed and wiped her tears with a handkerchief. Her round face was full of sorrow, a pitiful sight to see.
As Frederic was about to respond, Elspeth interjected, “Oh, Mr. Fairhaven, don’t be so harsh. Our Thaddeus is not impolite, he just happened to be out that day. He would never Intentionally avoid you.”
“I asked your husband, not you, Elspeth.” Barry didn’t even glance at Elspeth, his disdain for her evident.
Elspeth blushed, her face as red as a beet.
But who was Barry? A legend in Elmsworth, just like her father–in–law, Hamilton. How could she possibly cross him?
Mrs. Fairhaven secretly smirked, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Elspeth, with her lowly background in theater, had no sense of decency. She had climbed her way up the social ladder by seducing Frederic, not content with simply staying in her lane. She had two daughters, one a troublemaker, the other a fool, and yet she still had aspirations of marrying into the Fairhaven family by targeting her son. What a pipe dream!
“Mr. Abernathy, last time you said Thaddeus wasn’t home, we let it slide. But this time, I won’t leave until I see him.” Barry gestured for Edith to come to him. She came over, crying her eyes out and buried her face in his chest, “Is your son planning on hiding like a coward after what he’s done to my granddaughter?”
A coward?
Though Frederic didn’t particularly dote on his son, the insult still stung. After all, Thaddeus was his flesh and blood. An insult to his son was an insult to him.
“I believe no one would know better why I haven’t explained myself these past days than Ms. Edith herself.”
A cool, deep voice, neither rushed nor slow, but as cold as ice, rang out.
Everyone looked up in surprise.
Descending from the marble staircase, Thaddeus with his hand casually in his pants pocket, his tall figure outlined by a tailored grey suit, came down step by step with an air of grace and composure.
Edith looked at Thaddeus, his handsome face full of arrogance and determination, and forgot to continue crying.
This man was the fantasy of every woman.
She was right to throw away her dignity and shame to cling to him.
She was determined to have him!
“Mr. Thaddeus, what do you mean by that? Are you implying that my granddaughter is at fault for what you’ve done to her?” Barry’s eyes flashed with anger, his voice cold.
Thaddeus gave a cold smile, “You’ve understood perfectly, why repeat it and embarrass your granddaughter?”
The room fell silent.
What did he mean by that?
Was there more to the story of that night?
Edith’s face paled, and she bit her lip, not daring to make a sound.
Barry, despite his age, was taken aback, struggling to breathe, his face turning red.
“Thaddeus! What nonsense are you talking about? You can’t be rude in front of your elders!” Frederic quickly scolded in a low voice, but he too was filled with doubts.
“Rude?”
Thaddeus laughed again, his eyes beautiful but intimidating. “I’m just stating the facts. Ms. Edith, do you dare to swear an oath?”
Edith was taken aback, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Do you dare to swear that you were completely innocent in what happened at the hotel that night, that you knew nothing about it from beginning to end? Do you dare to take an oath?”
Thaddeus‘ cold eyes stared at her like a police officer scrutinizing a criminal.
Edith, with her innocent and pure expression, stammered, “Thad, why would you say that? Swear what? Isn’t it you who asked me to meet at the hotel that night?”
Thaddeus‘ eyes narrowed sharply.
He had expected Edith to argue, but he didn’t expect her to lie so blatantly.
“We agreed to meet in room 2051. I arrived first and you were late, so I decided to take a shower and wait for you. I didn’t expect you to arrive right after I finished showering. Isn’t that what happened that night?”
Edith’s long lashes were wet with tears, her eyes red and swollen, making her story sound all the more convincing. “Thad, I don’t know what happened in between that made you deny everything that happened that night. But no matter what you say, I won’t blame you. You want me to swear an oath, then I’ll swear an oath!”
With that, she gritted her teeth and raised three fingers, “I, Edith Fairhaven, swear to God that everything I said about that night is true. If not, may I be hit by a car the next time I leave the house! May I die a horrible death!”
What a laughable oath.
She didn’t believe in hell or karma. All she knew was whatever she wanted, she would get it, no matter how dirty the methods!