Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Chapter 22 Evadne returned to her office, the waitress buzzing around with her legs still trembling like a leaf. “I was so freaked out! Mr. Thaddeus is just too handsome, his aura is so strong, my face went all red when I saw him. I didn’t give anything away, did I. Ms. Evadne?” “No, you did great.” Evadne handed her an envelope. “This is for you.” “Thank you, Ms. Evadne!” The waitress took the envelope and noticed that it was a thick one. At that time, Jason came forward with a document – a confidentiality agreement. “I know you’re a good girl, but to cover our bases, it’s better to sign an agreement.” Evadne said with a relaxed smile, “You can’t tell anyone what happened here today. If anyone else finds out about my conversation with Mr. Thaddeus today, except for me, I will hold you accountable for breaching the agreement.” The waitress hastily nodded her head, signed the agreement promising to keep the secret, and then left the office. “This Thaddeus, I heard he’s a tough nut to cra ck. If he lived in ancient times, he’d probably be a king who doesn’t know right from wrong! What do you think, Ms. Evadne, Ms. Evadne?” Upon hearing Jason calling her, Evadne came back to her senses and gave a wry smile, “Huh, so Mr. Thaddeus really loves Ms. Acacia. He has even given up his dignity for his future wife.” “I heard this Mr. Thaddeus had a divorce before. He wasn’t very good to his ex-wife. So, did this Ms. Acacia hit the jackpot…” Evadne slammed the table, her piercing gaze startling Jason. He wasn’t sure what he said to make Ms. Evadne so angry. “Ms. Evadne, if your negotiations with Thaddeus fall through, what’s your plan?” Jason quickly changed the topic. “Wait.” “Wait for what?”
“Wait for the Stirling group to cra ck under the pressure and send Ives to explain the quality issues. They will definitely try their best to defend themselves. Then, we’ll deliver the killing blow.” A smug smile graced Evadne’s face. *Thaddeus might still help them, right?” “No, he won’t.” Evadne looked up at the poster she designed, which Thaddeus once praised, “He was used by the Stirling group because he didn’t see their true colors. Now that he knows the truth, he won’t help the Stirling group again. Plus, he only loves Acacia. He’s never cared about anyone else. He helped this time partly because he was afraid the Stirling group would affect the Abernathy group. He’s very thoughtful.” Thaddeus begged thrice for Acacia, gave up his dignity, climbed ten stories, braved the storm, but wouldn’t even pour water for Ilana. -*Thaddeus, can you…get me a warm gla** of water? My stomach hurts a little.” -“I have to go out on urgent business. Let Alva pour it for you.” Evadne burst into laughter, her eyes getting a little moist. “Thaddeus, your love for Acacia is a blessing for the people!” When he arrived, the sky was overcast. When he left, it was pouring rain. Thaddeus’ mood was as bad as the weather. The atmosphere in the car was as oppressive as a funeral. Thaddeus rubbed his forehead, feeling a sharp pain in his head. “Mr. Thaddeus, what kind of person is Ms. Evadne? Why did your mood become so bad after seeing her?” Gordon asked, confused. “You’ve met all sorts of tough opponents over the years, and you’ve always handled them with grace. But this time…” Thaddeus thought of the pictures of Evadne as a child, feeling an indescribable sense of strangeness. The little girl in the photo was completely different from the Evadne he met today, which, of course, was normal as people always change. “Go investigate the cause of the conflict between the Stirling group and the Ashbourne group, and the recent activities of the Stirling father and son. Report back to me ASAP!”
Back at the company, Thaddeus was swamped with meetings and approving tons of documents. He thought that after Ilana left, his relationship with Acacia could develop smoothly and his long-lost heart would find a home. But the truth was, he did not feel the joy of finding love again, but rather, felt increasingly powerless in this relationship. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. After Thaddeus responded, Gordon rushed in with a file. “Mr. Thaddeus, I’ve checked. The K Hotel cancelled Vintage Elegance’s order and ended their cooperation with the Stirling group nine days ago. 1/2 11:58 But at that time, the Ashbourne group had not yet made the quality issues of the Stirling group public, and the outside world was only speculating.” Then. Acacia announced her engagement, smeared Ilana’s reputation, and the Ashbourne group made the quality issues with the Stirling group’s products public, causing a huge stir. Thaddeus clenched his teeth, his trembling hand reaching for painkillers. After taking them, his headache eased slightly. “Word on the street is that there was this deputy manager at K Hotel, Keith, who got his grubby hands on some kickbacks from the Stirling group before Evadne took over. He pulled a fast one, replacing quality mattresses with shoddy ones, but got caught by Ms. Evadne and got his a ss fired. Dude worked there for over twenty years, even got promoted by Evadne’s pops. Ms. Evadne’s got some serious balls, like a female version of you.” Although pis sed off about the staircase flasco, Gordon still praised Ms. Evadne. “Why do… I feel like all these events are somehow connected?” Thaddeus ma**aged his temples, suddenly hearing the click-clack of heels echoing down the hallway. Ilana’s footsteps. -“Thaddeus, quit the painkillers, alright? If you have a headache, tell me. I can give you a ma**age.”
-“Thaddeus, your pain is my pain. So I need to help you get better, so neither of us has to hurt.” Ilana’s gentle words echoed in his ears. He almost felt a pair of hands ma**aging his temples from behind. Da mn it, he was missing that woman again, even hallucinating today! Had he, Thaddeus, started missing all those deep feelings he never really cared for since the divorce? He was not the kind of guy who gets emotional easily! As night fell, a Rolls-Royce cruised down the slick road. This area was not far from K Hotel. Thaddeus had always been envious of the piece of land owned by the Ashbourne group, which was now valued at nearly ten billion. If it wasn’t for prior management issues leading to a downgrade in star rating, K Orld Hotel could have been the only six-star hotel in Elmsworth. With Evadne’s arrival, it seemed that the hotel had been given a new lease of life and was slowly getting back on track. Then, the red light flashed on. Thaddeus wiped the mist off the car window, his dark eyes shifting outside. A girl, holding an umbrella, was hailing a cab by the road. Thaddeus frowned, suddenly realizing something. His heart pounded as he pushed open the car door and ran across the road in the rain. “Mr. Thaddeus! Where the hell are you going?” Gordon exclaimed in shock. Ever since his divorce from his ex-wife, Thaddeus’ behavior often left him puzzled. The girl managed to flag down a cab. Just as she reached for the door handle, a large hand grabbed her arm. She looked up in surprise, then turned pale and froze. “Mr. Thaddeus?” “Ms. Evadne.” Thaddeus’ wet hair covered his angry eyes, “Need a lift?” The girl screamed, shook off his hand and hopped into the cab, which sped off immediately. “Mr. Thaddeus!” Gordon ran over with an umbrella. Thaddeus pushed him away and stood in the rain, lips trembling, gasping for breath. “Evadne, you da mn fraud!”