His Ex wife is a billionaire Chapter 460

Chapter 460

Seeing Evadne’s disinterest, Thaddeus suddenly realized that his previous words were indeed too crude, too ungentlemanly.

His woman, both in the past and now, had never lived a day of ease by his side. Although he couldn’t help himself at the moment, he, a man burdened by his own sins, hadn’t even given Evadne a proper proposal. How could he dare to dream of a marital life?

Not fl*pping out on him was already giving him more face than he deserved.

“Oh no, my soup!”

At that moment, the soup on the stove boiled over, and Evadne hastily scurried to clean up the mess.

Thaddeus saw the boiling pot, the steaming kettle, and the delicately arranged pastries, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat. A tear stealthily escaped the corner of his eye, but he quickly wiped it away.

He couldn’t bear to see Evadne laboring away. Without even changing his clothes, he rolled up his sleeves to clean the kitchen and set the table.

He had felt the urge to cry earlier, his emotions a tangled mess, filled with pity for her and shame for himself.

The missing three years could have been days of such bliss, yet he never cherished them. But thankfully, he had regained what was lost. From now on, he would hold tightly to this hard–won happiness.

“Hey, it’s been hot lately, and I made some lemon mint sorbet for dessert, try it.”

Evadne pinched a piece of the sweet and offered it to Thaddeus‘ l*ps. He leaned in, his l*ps parting slightly and she playfully withdrew, holding the sorbet between her l*ps and teasing him with a flutter of her eyelashes.

Thaddeus eyes reddened with desire, his hand trembling as he clasped the back of her n*eck and caught the other half of the sorbet with his mouth.

First, he savored the cool sweetness, then he sealed her l*ps with his own, swallowing her breathy moans and soft whimpers.

After a moment of deep k*sses, Evadne was left languid, her silk gown damp and clinging to her willowy waist, revealing a shape that could haunt a man’s dreams.

Thaddeus gazed down, his eyes feasting on the sight, feeling a tightness in his gut as if it were about to burst.

“Sweet?” Evadne, her hand on his shoulder, traced her finger along his sticky l*ps.

“Yes. But not nearly a fraction as sweet as you,” Thaddeus’s eyes was heavy with passion as he sucked on her fingertip.

“You’re getting naughtier by the day, with that silver tongue of yours.”

A tingle shot through Evadne from her fingertip, and she shivered, her voice a playful scold, “Alright, let’s eat before it gets cold.” Thaddeus reluctantly let her go and sat down properly, picking up his fork, when Evadne’s cell phone rang. Seeing it was Aaron, her heart leaped and she quickly answered on speaker, “Aaron, what’s happening?”

“Evadne, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?” Aaron’s tone was mixed.

Evadne and Thaddeus exchanged a knowing look, “The good news first.”

“We’ve finally got enough to charge Elspeth. She can’t escape the drug use and possession charges. First–time offenders usually get sent to rehab, but Elspeth’s possession is enough for a sentence – three years minimum.”

Three years seemed light. But no matter, this was just the beginning. The real show was yet to come.

“And the bad news?” Thaddeus asked with a deep voice.

“The reason we could charge Elspeth is that Victor turned himself in.”

Both were visibly shocked, and Evadne’s heart clenched, “Victor…turned himself in?!”

“Yes. He’s handed over all the evidence he’s got on Elspeth to me, and, well, let’s just say every piece of it could rock the Abernathy Group to its core and shoot Frederic’s blood pressure through the roof. Even Cedric racks his brain and wouldn’t clear her of all the charges!”

This was undoubtedly good news, but Evadne couldn’t bring herself to feel happy about it. Thaddeus, reading her distress, wrapped her in his arms, his voice gentle and soothing, “I know you’re upset. Let’s go to the precinct first. I’ll reheat dinner for you later.”

Evadne leaned into his chest, nodding as her brow furrowed.

Victor sat calmly in the interrogation room, a wall separating him from Elspeth. His serene composure was a stark contrast to the

woman next door, who seemed like a caged lunatic.

“Officers, this is what I have to confess, all the details of my crimes and Elspeth’s.”

Aaron stared deeply at Victor, “Victor, you must be aware that your crimes are more severe than Elspeth’s. You’re looking at charges of incitement and drug trafficking. You’ll be facing a heavy sentence.”

“Aaron, I understand what you’re saying,” Victor’s expression was indifferent.

“Why then?” Aaron, bound by his duty as an officer, could only ask this much.

Victor knew what he was really asking. If he chose silence, even if Elspeth implicated him, the police couldn’t touch him without evidence. Yet he chose to confess.

“Besides parents, Aaron, surely there’s someone you care about deeply. You’d do anything for her, make any sacrifice.”

Aaron’s eyes narrowed, Evadne’s smiling face appearing in his mind.

“You have your answer, and coincidentally, it’s the same as mine,” a faint but clear smile gracing Victor’s l*ps. It was a smile as earnest and joyful as that of a young man first laying eyes on a girl he admired in school.

Aaron looked stunned and sighed, “I understand.”

“No, you don’t. No one can understand this kind of pure, yet complex emotion,” Victor’s smile turned proud.

Soon, Evadne and Thaddeus arrived at the station. But to their utter disbelief, Victor refused to see them.

Evadne knew he was determined to sacrifice himself without looking back. The more she thought about it, the heavier her heart felt, consumed by guilt.

Thaddeus kept his arms tightly around her trembling shoulders the whole time, his voice warm in her ear, “Evadne, don’t panic. I’ll hire the best international lawyers for Victor, ones that won’t be outdone by Cedric. We’ll do our best to minimize his sentence. After he gets out, he won’t have to worry about making ends meet. Even if he can’t be a doctor anymore, I’ll make sure to find him another job. He won’t be mistreated.”

Those words of comfort were like a drop in the bucket, really. But with Thaddeus by her side, Evadne found a measure of solace amid the emotional storm.

“Evadne, among the evidence Victor gave me, there’s this. He insisted it be entered as court evidence, but I hesitate. With or without it, Elspeth’s guilt is clear. Yet, this could make Frederic turn his back on Elspeth once and for all.”

Aaron brought out a laptop and played a video from a surveillance camera. Although the video was silent, the images were explosive, to say the least!

Thaddeus gasped, shocked. They were all adults, but he still felt the urge to shield Evadne’s eyes!

On–screen, Victor and Elspeth were entangled in a steamy embrace, Elspeth sitting atop him, eyes closed in pleasure, completely bare!

Aaron’s expression was unfazed; after years as a detective, he’d seen it all – brains blown out, b*dy parts in bags…any of it more stomach–churning than this.

Evadne was even more composed, actually mocking with a sneer, “Well, the old witch still keeps in good shape.”

“The sacrifices Victor made truly immense,” Aaron lamented.

After closing the laptop, Evadne spoke with finality, “This video should be as if it never existed. It must not be exposed.”

Both men understood she was protecting Victor’s last shred of dignity, while Victor had willingly been her pawn, never regarding himself as anything but a tool in her game. His loyalty was such that he’d shatter into pieces for her without a second thought.

“If in my quest for vengeance, I stoop to trampling others‘ self–respect, to profiting from their pain…I’d despise myself. I refuse to become a slave to hatred,” Evadne said through clenched teeth, still feeling sting in her heart.

“Evadne.”

The two men stood behind her, watching her delicate yet resolute silhouette enveloped in a shroud of sorrow, at a loss for words. Aaron saw them out of the office. They hadn’t gone far when they bumped into Cedric, his face dark as a storm cloud.

Thaddeus tightened his grip on his woman’s hand, his gaze sharp as a blade on Cedric. Cedric’s breath hitched, feeling as if a cold, gleaming dagger was pressed against his throat, the intimidation palpable!

Still, he steadied himself, taunting with a sneer, “Well, Ms. Ashbourne, your connections are indeed vast and powerful.” “I’m flattered.”

Evadne’s beauty was striking, as she smiled haughtily, “But it’s such a shame, Cedric; after all your running around for Elspeth, it all came to naught. Pity indeed.”

“And isn’t it true, Mr. Dempsey, that in your over a decade of practice, you’ve never lost a case? Even outside your law firm in Elmsworth hangs the sign ‘The Undefeated‘?”

Following her lead, Thaddeus chimed in with a mocking raise of an eyebrow, “I’d suggest you take down that sign tomorrow morning. Save yourself the embarrassment when the Elspeth case goes to trial and people come to smash your sign instead.” Aaron chuckled behind them.

This couple, not only a match in looks but also in sharp tongues. Was it from all the k*ssing they exchanged wits?

Cedric was seething! The Elspeth case wasn’t huge, just a drug charge. But a loss would tarnish his golden reputation, his standing in the legal community, and especially in Frederic’s eyes.

He had never lost, and he couldn’t stand the feeling of defeat. So Cedric, full of resentment, bit out with a sinister smile, “Ms. Ashbourne, I underestimated you. I thought with your family’s clout, you’d be forceful. But to see how you get men to sell themselves out for you, to bend over backward.”

Evadne remained calm; if she couldn’t withstand such petty insults, how would she manage a billion–dollar empire?

However, the two men beside her were no longer calm, especially Thaddeus, his fists clenched and trembling, his handsome face as cold as frost, anger boiling in his throat!

Seeing Thaddeus clearly provoked by his words and knowing he couldn’t do much in the police station, Cedric grew even more brazen, “Haha, Mr. Abernathy, you’re lucky. In the future, if you face a tough opponent or a project you can’t handle, just have Ms. Ashbourne step in. With just a seat from Ms. Ashbourne, which tycoon wouldn’t fall head over heels? Whatever you desire will surely come pouring in.

“Ah!”

His arrogance lasted but five seconds before darkness swamped his vision! Instant pain, numbness, and a stinging sensation hit his nose, stars burst in his eyes, and he crashed heavily to the ground!

“Thaddeus?!”

Evadne’s eyes widened in astonishment, staring at the tall, imposing figure radiating an icy aura before her, her heart pounding wildly.

Even Aaron was dumbstruck, not even catching how Thaddeus struck before Cedric was floored. No good! He had to review the surveillance later to study that move! It was simply incredible!

“Thaddeus, this is the precinct! How could you hit me?!”

Cedric, clutching his possibly broken nose, tears and blood streaming down, cried out, “I’ll sue you for assault! I will.”

“I hit a person? I hit what is clearly a dog.”

Thaddeus cracked his knuckles, the sound crisp, glaring down at him coldly, “No, calling you a dog is an insult to dogs. In my eyes, you’re nothing but a beast.”

Cedric trembled all over, a mix of anger and fear swirling within him! But he was no nob*dy; he was a renowned attorney, the heir to the Dempsey family. When had he ever suffered such indignity!

So he deliberately shouted, drawing the attention of more police officers, “The Abernathy Group’s president abusing power, assaulting innocent citizens, and uttering insults at will! And in the precinct, no less! Thaddeus, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re a tycoon! By attacking here, you’re showing contempt for the law, for the justice system!”

“Cedric, you better listen up.” Thaddeus‘ piercing gaze was like a sword thrusting straight for his heart, his voice as cold as the winter frost, “You’ve got a beef with me, come at me; I’ll take you on. But if you so much as mutter a single word against my woman, I swear, even if I end up behind bars, I’ll make you pay dearly. Next time, I’ll rip out that greedy tongue of yours and flush it down the toilet. Don’t believe me? Just try me.”

Cedric’s eyes bulged, his tongue beginning to stiffen with fear!

Evadne stepped forward and gently cradled Thaddeus‘ hand, blowing softly on the reddened knuckles, her eyes filled with reproach, “How much force did you use? Your hand is all swollen.”

“It’s nothing,” the man looked down and replied with a deprecating smile.

Evadne gazed deeply at him, her eyes sparkling, then turned with a mocking laugh towards Cedric, “If you end up in the slammer, I’ll have to throw a few punches to him myself. I’d be so bored out here on my own; I’d have to go keep you company.”

Aaron’s mouth hung open in disbelief. Were they actually flirting in the middle of a fight? This couple’s thought process was

beyond him.

Cedric forgot his pain, completely dumbfounded! What did they think he was? Some sort of plaything?!

At that moment, a chaotic clatter of leather shoe footsteps approached rapidly.

Thaddeus! What on earth are you doing?!”

Thaddeus‘ eyes snapped up, and in the next instant, his handsome features turned icy cold.