His Ex wife is a billionaire Chapter 663

Chapter 663

Suri was utterly shocked, her hand numb and suspended in mid–air.

That slap, unreserved, landed solidly on Cassius‘ face.

With tears welling in his eyes, Chasel gazed at the man who had stepped in to shield him, feeling his heart pounding so fiercely it threatened to burst out of his chest.

“Cassius!”

“Suri, please don’t hit Chasel. It’s not his why

it’s all mine.”

The air in the hallway seemed to freeze at that moment.

Facing the overwhelming pressure, Cassius‘ composure only made the situation more heart–wrenching. “For me, for the Ashbourne family, he’s taken too many blows already. From now on, I don’t want him to suffer even a bit more. I’ll do everything I can to protect him.”

Everyone was astounded!

Chasel hung his head low, moved yet filled with a deeper, more painful sense of guilt and self–reproach.

From a young age, his grandfather and aunt told him that he was the future hope of the Bright family, that he should be a man who stands tall and upright.

But the truth was, he who was supposed to stand tall and upright had instead only brought trouble to his loved one, causing him endless problems.

What kind of man was he?

“Cassius, you said Chasel took a beating? What do you mean?!” Evadne’s heart tightened sharply.

“Chasel has been in a bad state since he ran away from the Bright family.”

Cassius, recalling the cruel, swollen scars on Chasel’s fair skin, he clenched his trembling fists, “Hearing of father’s illness, he didn’t want to delay a second and came over despite his condition, to treat father.”

Suri’s gaze suddenly sharpened with concern, “The Bright family used family discipline on him?!”

“Cassius, stop talking.”

Chasel tugged at the hem of his shirt, shaking his head with a voice so faint it was nearly inaudible, “Stop, it’s all in the past. You don’t need to explain anything for me.”

It seemed to be true.

Suri shivered and staggered backward.

Having come from the Bright family herself, she knew all too well the fearsome nature of the Bright family’s discipline.

And now, with their secret relationship exposed, the Bright family might very well beat him to death!

Suddenly, the door to the examination room swung open.

Emeric, seated in a wheelchair, was pushed out by Mr. Dylan, facing the stunned crowd.

His face was still weak from the recent medical emergency, but he sat upright determinedly, refusing to let his children see him in a state of decline.

“Dad!” The Ashbourne siblings were torn between concern and fear.

With their father’s appearance, it was clear he knew everything about Cassius and Dr. Bright.

They feared their father’s wrath and disappointment toward their brother.

But what they feared more was that this might aggravate their father’s Illness, his b*dy really couldn’t endure any more blows!

“Dad.”

Cassius instinctively tightened his grip on Chasel’s arm, pulling him behind for protection.

This gesture struck Evadne profoundly!

There was no difference.

It was the same love Thaddeus had given her, with no difference.

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So what if they were gay?

Did they steal someone’s food? Kidnap someone’s child? Even if slandered by a thousand tongues, watched by a thousand judging eyes, what did it matter?

When the whole world turned against them, the Ashbourne family would always be their safe harbor. That was enough.

Chasel stood rigidly behind Cassius, not daring to look at Emeric.

Tall and graceful as he was, he now seemed to have lost his backbone, curling inward and shrinking down, wishing he could bury his head in the ground and disappear completely.

Emeric lifted his face, his gaze piercing through Cassius and onto Chasel.

After a long silence, he spoke softly, “Cassius, let’s have a word, just the two of us.”

In the hospital room, only Emeric and Cassius remained.

Emèric, facing the window, took his time before speaking.

Cassius braced for the onslaught of questions, anger, and reprimands he had imagined, but they did not come like a storm.

But this silence was even more unbearable.

“Dad, everything you’ve seen is true. I am sorry.”

Cassius couldn’t hold back anymore, bowing deeply to his father, “I’ve let down the upbringing and expectations you had for me. Everything is my fault. I only ask one thing of you, don’t make things difficult for Chasel.”

Emeric remained silent.

Cassius slowly straightened up, “This incident, I know, has caused a great deal of trouble for the K Group. Tomorrow, I will submit my resignation, hand over my duties, and step down from the board.”

Emeric, upon hearing this, abruptly rose from his wheelchair, his b*dy swaying as he steadied himself against the windowsill. “Dad, be careful!”

Just as Cassius moved to assist him, Emeric turned around, looking at him furiously.

“Just because of this, you’re quitting?”

Cassius was taken aback.

“Internationally, there are countless CEOs who have come out publicly, and they’re still faring well. The domestic environment is a bit more conservative, but this is just a personal affair; who does it bother? Who does it harm?”

Emeric slammed his hand against the wall, his voice filled with anger, “Back in the day, I married four times, and the tabloids had a field day with me. Did I not sit untroubled at the helm, keeping my seat as chairman for decades? Those who gossiped behind my back, didn’t they still have to treat me with utmost respect?”

Cassius was totally stunned, his l*ps parted but no words came out, “Dad, I…”

“As my son, how come you have a heart smaller than a pinhole? Your mental toughness is even less than Evadne’s by half!”

He continued, shaking his head in bewilderment, “This is strange, who do you take after? Neither your mother nor I are like this!”

“Dad, I’m different from you.” Cassius hadn’t expected his father to take his side, and his heart warmed with the support, but guilt weighed even heavier on him.

“What’s the difference? How are you different!”

Emeric’s eyes reddened with urgency, he rose from his sickbed and strode over, “Are you less good than me? Are you less good than anyone? You’re not even less good than Thaddeus! Loving someone isn’t wrong. Being different isn’t your fault. If people outside curse you, it’s because they lack a heart of tolerance. They’re narrow–minded!

Don’t worry about what others think. Just remember one thing.”

Emeric’s voice caught, and he heavily patted Cassius on the shoulder, “No matter what happens, you’ll always be my best son.”

Cassius‘ eyes went wide.

Every word from his father pierced the coldness in his heart, suddenly making his blood run warm, filling him with a feeling of warmth throughout.

Even after his mother’s passing, Cassius had never shown weakness in front of his father, but now, tears blurred his vision.

“Don’t dwell on it. Even if trouble comes knocking, me, Suri, Evadne, Arnold and even Thaddeus, we all have ways to handle it.

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10:03

Chapter 663

Since Thaddeus is so keen on marrying Evadne, let this crisis be a test I’ve set for him, to see if he’s up to the mark. He needs to understand that joining the Ashbourne family is no easy feat,” Emeric snorted with a hint of scheming.

“Dad, thank k you.” Beyond that, Cassius didn’t know what else to say.

Emeric, recalling the filthy abuses he had seen online, embraced his son with a heart full of pain, “Thanks be damned; between father and son, that word should never come between us.”

He knew the world was laughing at the Ashbournes.

People thought Cassius was tarnishing the Ashbourne family and the K Group, branding it as the shame of Emeric’s life.

But they were all wrong.

For Emeric, no matter how wealthy, powerful, and respected, before all his unreachable statuses, he was foremost a father to the child.

He had promised Silvana to protect her children, to ensure they lived safe and sound through their lives.

The revelation of Cassius and Chasel’s affair caused a huge uproar online.

It was clear as day that the gossip–hungry masses and the Ashbournes‘ rivals reveled in the scandal, spewing disgusting venom.

[What a disgrace! Isn’t the LGBTQ community just synonymous with promiscuity and AIDS?]

[This is simply obscene. It’s against the natural order!]

[HomoS*xual people are messy these days, hooking up left and right. Where’s the real love in that?]

[Cassius‘ image has completely collapsed! Such a perfect CEO, now his reputation is in ruins!]

[What shocks me more is that Cassius‘ lover turns out to be the young master of the Bright Group! Good heavens, do the rich get their kicks from such thrills?]

[What a waste of two handsome men, sigh!]

The scandal rocked the Ashbourne household to its core.

The two madams of the Ashbournes, along with Nydia and Aaron, had all gone to the next room to support Suri. After all, this matter involved the Bright Group and Suri was the one who had kept the secret the longest, the guilt and pain she felt was unimaginable.

She was so regretful that she could stab her own heart out.

Chasel was her nephew, and she loved Cassius as her own son. The dilemma was tearing her apart.

Thaddeus stood alone at the end of the corridor, answering a call from Gordon.

“Mr. Thaddeus, the person who spread the photos of President Ashbourne and Dr. Bright has been found and contained by our people. He’s a notorious gossip journalist who’ll do anything for money. He claims he received the photos and information through an anonymous email, and the payment was through a bank account. He never met the informant in person; he was just a pawn.”

“Deal with him, but leave him breathing,” Thaddeus‘ voice was icy cold.

“Understood!Leave it to me; it’ll certainly be his worst nightmare,” Gordon was also fumed with anger.

“Get all the information you can from him about the whistle–blower. I’ll look into it myself.”

Thaddeus had learned cyber–investigation and some hacking techniques in military school.

It was time to pick up those skills again.

Gordon spoke frankly, “You? No offense, but wouldn’t Mrs. Abernathy handle it faster?”

“Are you doubting me?” Thaddeus clenched his teeth.

Gordon shivered, “I’m on it!”

The phone had barely clicked off when another call came through seamlessly.

Thaddeus frowned; it was a private number,

He rarely answered unknown calls; and this number is not his work number, known by very few.

But he picked up, “Who is that?”

“Is this a hotline? Do I have to fight for a slot?” Elvis‘ voice came through, tinged with mockery yet seemingly casual.

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10:03

Chapter 663

Thaddeus‘ eyes lit up, “Elvis?”

“How’s my big brother?” Elvis’s tone suddenly grew serious.

In just a few words, his concern overflowed.

“Chairman Emeric is talking to him. Given the circumstances, it’s a bit of a blow,” Thaddeus was straightforward, offering no comforting lies.

There was a pause on the other end, “Emeric? He didn’t keel over, did he?”

Thaddeus was somewhat speechless, “No. We’re just worried the shock might worsen Chairman Emeric’s condition.”

“It shouldn’t. Emeric’s got a tough mind. He didn’t collapse when Evadne secretly married you, divorced you, and lost a child over it. There’s no reason this would break him now.”

Thaddeus clutched his chest, coughing softly as if struck by a bullet.

If Elvis prodded him a couple more times with his words, while Chairman Emeric might not have fallen, he was about to.

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