Chapter 746
Chapter 746
Glynnis‘ caustic remarks stripped Marilla’s face of all color, her slender frame trembling even more violently. She clenched her
eyes shut, mangling the small teddy bear in her grip.
It was the only way she could force herself not to recall those horrifying memories.
“So you can’t snag a spot as Mrs. Fairhaven, but hey, looks like you might land a cozy spot with Mr. Bartley’s son. Congrats in
advance.” Glynnis flipped her hair arrogantly – a clear mimic of Elspeth’s flirtatious antics, “But sadly, I don’t have any wedding
gift for you.”
Thaddeus‘ brows were knitted in anger, his eyes searing with crimson fury, “Say that one more time, and I’ll make sure your right
ear hears nothing ever again.”
“Can’t handle the truth? She’s heading straight into the Bartley family’s arms, and your scowling won’t change a thing!”
Like a tiger Thaddeus advanced towards her with menacing steps.
Glynnis threw her hands up in dramatic despair, “Help! Dad! Save me! Thaddeus is out for blood!”
“Enough! What is all this racket?!” Frederic stood on the staircase, glaring down at the feuding pair, his voice thunderous.
“Dad! Thaddeus is going to hit me. He only knows how to hit women!”
Glynnis sobbed exaggeratedly, “He might as well just kill me!”
“That’s enough!” Frederic pinched the bridge of his nose, his patience worn thin by the shrill noise, “Dennis, take her to the
airport, now!”
“Yes, Mr. Frederic Abernathy.”
Dennis glanced coldly at Glynnis, “After you.”
Gritting her teeth, Glynnis hauled her hefty suitcase towards the door. Frederic, not entirely heartless, commanded sternly, “Help
her with that, will you?”
“Yes, sir,” Dennis had to comply, lifting the suitcase.
“Thank you, Dad! Bye, Dad!” Glynnis put on a pitiful act as she bid her father farewell, but deep down, she harbored a sliver of
hope.
Her father had always shown her mercy. She would be back!
With Glynnis gone, Thaddeus approached Frederic, struggling to suppress the turbulent rage within him, “Glynnis mentioned the
Bartleys came proposing for Marilla. Is that true?”
Frederic looked down at him with disdain, “Of course.”
His son’s brows furrowed, “Mr. Bartley’s son wants to marry Marilla? And you agreed?”
The match is socially suitable, the Bartley family hold sway in politics, and I’ve met Mr. Bartley’s son -a gentleman of distinction,
far superior to Jareth.”
Frederic’s lips curved mockingly, same gesture as what Thaddeus would usually do, “At the very least, His is not a womanizer.
And his parents don’t mind Marilla’s illness. They’re willing to accept her. Tell me, why would I refuse such an advantageous
alliance?”
Maritia hid behind Thaddeus, her face pale, damp with sweat, tears welling up in her red eyes.
Back in school. Alston never hit or insulted her like Edith did, but the psychological shadows he inflicted were far worse than any
physical torment.
She could still recall how Alston always stood watch while Edith’s clique tormented her, sometimes smirking from the shadows.
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One summer in the second year of junior high, after receiving new school uniforms, Edith, jealous of how
Marilla looked, dragged her into the equipment room and drenched her in dirty water, ruining her new uniform; satisfied, she then
left.
Curling up in the musty corner, she couldn’t help shivering at the height of summer. At that moment, Alston, who had been silent
before, approached and draped his coat over her shoulders.
Before she could utter a word of thanks, she saw his gaze fixed on her drenched chest. Her small, budding figure was
embarrassingly visible beneath the soaked blouse.
In a panic, she screamed, her arms instinctively crossing her chest.
“Marilla, let me touch them, just once, okay? No one will ever know,” Alston had whispered, his voice deceptively sincere yet
laced with raunchy depravity.
Even now, the memory still sent chills through Marilla’s body.
“I know why you’re so eager to marry Marilla off.” Thaddeus‘ hands became white through tight clenching, “You’re upset with me
and want to lash out. But you can’t use your daughter’s happiness as a pawn in your petty games!”
“Thaddeus, now you’re taking lessons from the Ashbourne girl in how to insult people? You’re assuming the worst of me.”
Frederic shot back furiously, “Marilla is my daughter. Do you think I’d harm her? Every decision I
make is for her best interest!”
Thaddeus let out a cold laugh, “Or maybe it’s for the best interest of your career. An alliance with the Bartley family would benefit
both the Abernathy Group and yourself.”
The air between them dropped to a frosty silence. Frederic’s face turned from red to white as his son unabashedly stripped away
his pretenses, fueling his anger even more.
“Still, better than the man you found for Marilla!” He roared.
Marilla, tears welling up, closed her eyes tightly.
“Now, the whole of Elmsworth knows of Marilla and Jareth’s scandal. My daughter has suffered enough, becoming the talk of the
town and the subject of whispers and stares. This is the ‘fine match‘ you’ve arranged for her, the ‘noble deeds‘ of your dear friend
and his family!”
Thaddeus‘ handsome face was an icy mask, knowing all too well his father would use this to strike at him ruthlessly.
Jareth and Marilla were deeply in love, and he was innocent; he’d done nothing wrong. But the sins committed by the Fairhaven
Group couldn’t be erased or argued away.
“To send my own daughter, your most tender–hearted sister, into the wolves‘ den of the Fairhaven Group, only to be preyed upon
with schemes and humiliation before she even walked down the aisle! Is your sister so worthless to you? What’s so bad about a
union with the Bartley family? She wouldn’t be shortchanged! At the very least, the Bartley family is influential and respected,
unlike the Fairhaven Group, who are nothing but thugs from top to bottom. Barry Fairhaven, a roughneck who clawed his way up
from the streets, what good can come from him? I say Jareth is just like him!” Frederic spewed his words without a filter, unable
to contain his anger.
“Dad‘ Enough. Please, stop talking about Jareth!”
Marilla, unable to bear it any longer, burst into tears, “Jareth’s always been good to me; he never mistreated me! We’ve broken
up, I’m not with him anymore. Please stop saying these things about him!”
“Marills.” Thaddeus felt a sharp pain in his heart, rendered speechless.
Manilla and Jareth, after weathering so many storms to be together, were on the verge of happiness when everything suddenly
reset to square one,
Why did fate mock these two lovers so cruelly?! What had they done to deserve this?!
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Chapter 746
Frederic saw his usually obedient daughter talk back to him, his face turning pale. But when he heard that she had broken up
with Jareth, his expression softened, and he tried to be patient, “It’s good that you’ve split. That kind of playboy only pretends to
be devoted in front of you, but he can’t keep up the act forever. It’s over, and there’s no loss. Follow my plans for you, and you
will find true happiness in life.”
“I will never agree to Marilla marrying him!”
Thaddeus‘ eyes blazed with crimson fury, “His dubious relationship with Edith is far from virtuous. You keep saying the Fairhaven
Group is a den of wolves, so is the Bartley family heaven on earth? You’re just using Marilla as a tool for your own gain!”