<b>Chapter </b><b>336 </b>
Byron’s face quickly turned from rosy, to a sickly green upon hearing the words.
The crowd was left <b>in </b>shock.
Mr. Avery was quite bold and provocative with his words.
Guests began to chatter among themselves.
“Seems like there’s some bad blood between the two Chambers brothers.”
“Bad blood? More like a full–blown feud!”
“Did Mr. Avery just im that the horse was his? Did Byron just make use of his younger brother’s property without giving a heads up?<b>” </b>
“That’s not quite right, is it?”
The murmurs reached Byron’s ears and he clenched his teeth, barely holding his anger in check. “Avery, it’s just a horse. Was it necessary to make such a scene?” He retorted coldly,
“Absolutely.”
Avery’s chilling reply was as piercing as his sharp gaze, “If it were just a horse, I wouldn’t mind. But you’veid your hands on the gift meant for Miss Evadne before she even had a chance to see it. Do you find that appropriate?<b>” </b>
Evadne, her eyes still wide with excitement over the sight of the prized horse, was taken aback by his words.
“Byron, have you lost all sense of decency over the years?<b>” </b>
Avery didn’t hold back from mocking him, not caring about the fact that they were brothers, “Didn’t our father ever teach you that taking someone else’s belongings without permission is rude?<b>” </b>
Byron felt like he had been pped across the face, hisposure sl*pping away.
He could handle the slight embarrassment over the horses. But with Evadne present, the humiliation was magnified a thousand–fold, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, his blood seething with a rage that threatened to consume him.
“If the horse was meant for Miss Evadne, why was it tied up here? I assumed it belonged to the Chambers‘ stables and as a Chambers, I have every right to lead it.”
Avery adjusted his sses, a smirk ying on his l*ps, “So if you’re tied up here, does that mean I can lead you away too?”
“You!”
Laughter erupted from the crowd, making Byron’s face grow even redder with anger. He took a step forward, his fists clenched. If it weren’t for his secretary holding him back, he would have lunged at Avery in a heartbeat.
“Let it go, Avery. It’s a trivial matter, there’s no need to spoil the mood over this.”
Evadne gently touched Avery’s arm, her voice soft, “We shouldn’t disrupt Byron’s gathering. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Alright.”
Avery responded quietly, leading the magnificent horse away with Evadne under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
At that moment, he seemed like a knight in shining armor<b>, </b>strolling under the <b>starlit </b>night with his beloved princess.
Byron was seething with rage. He was furious at Avery’s public humiliation, and even more so at seeing him taking Evadne for a moonlit stroll around the stables, tantly disregarding his presence.
In the lounge, Byron was fuming, downing a ss of whiskey before smashing it to smithereens.
“That bastard. Over a mere animal, he dares to act so arrogantly<b>!</b><b>” </b>
F
“Mr. Byron, his arrogance stems not from owning the horse, but from having a valid reason to humiliate you in public, his secretary said, frustration clear in <b>his </b>voice.
Byron red <b>at </b>him, “Are you saying that I gave him the opportunity <b>to </b>humiliate me<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“No, no! That’s not what I meant! I’m just indignant <b>on </b><b>your </b>behalf! After all, you’re the one Mr. Jeff has chosen to marry into the Ashbourne family!” The secretary stammered, sweating nervously.
“I don’t need you to be angry <b>for </b>me. I need you toe up with a solution!” Byron snapped, his eyes red with fury, his breathing <b>erratic</b>, and his hands trembling.
Seeing this<b>, </b>the secretary hastily poured another ss of whiskey. After Byron downed it <b>in </b>one gulp, his breathing slowly returned to normal, and his hands stopped shaking.
No one would have guessed <b>that </b>the elegant andposed man they saw in public relied on strong liquor to numb his nerves and control his vtile emotions.
“He’s made you ufortable. <b>You </b>should return the favor. At the very least, we can’t let his date with Miss Evadne go so smoothly,” <b>the </b><b>secretary </b>suggested quietly.
A light seemed to sh in Byron’s eyes. <b>After </b>a moment of silence, he beckoned to his secretary.
“I have a n. Get <b>it </b>done <b>right </b>away.”
Unable to <b>reach </b>Evadne <b>and </b>unable <b>to </b><b>find </b><b>out </b>her whereabouts from Cassius, Thaddeus was <b>in </b><b>turmoil</b><b>. </b>
His <b>anxiety </b>was <b>so </b>great that he felt like his ears <b>were </b>ringing <b>and </b>his heart was out of <b>sync</b><b>, </b>as if a <b>swarm </b>of mosquitoes were <b>buzzing </b><b>in </b>his ears.
“Mr. Thaddeus, Mr. Frederic has an <b>important </b>social engagement and he wants you to join him. You’ve been absent from the public eye for a while <b>due </b>to your illness<b>, </b><b>so </b>tonight’s <b>party </b>is particrly significant as your first public appearance since <b>your </b>recovery.”
Gordon, as the CEO’s secretary, was always clear and to the point<b>, </b>“You’re the CEO, the chosen sessor of Mr. Frederic. You need to be present <b>at </b>these events to reassure the team that you’re well,”
Thaddeus remained silent, staring nkly at his dark phone screen.
“Mr. Thaddeus, you can be in love, but don’t let it consume you.”
Gordon sighed helplessly, “I know you’re concerned about Mrs. Abernathy, but she’s a grown woman of prestige with plenty of capable protectors. What could possibly happen to her? You didn’t use to be so irrational. As a man, you should prioritize your career.”
“Do you think it’s wrong for me to put her first<b>?</b><b>” </b>Thaddeus asked, his brows furrowed in frustration.
Gordon swallowed hard, “No. That’s not what I meant.”
“I remember a time when I was like a machine, working tirelessly day and night. I had a wife, but I never really put her first. Nothing was more important to me than work. I used to think that without my position, I would have nothing.
Thaddeus slowly closed his eyes, his longshes trembling slightly, “But when I lost Evadne, I realized the truth. Without her by <i>my </i>side, I truly have nothing.”
“No, it’s not just that. Everything I’ve ever had, it’s all be meaningless.”
He thought, “What’s the point of being at the top? Even there, I’ve lost what I held dear. It’s quite tasteless.”
“Mr. Thaddeus, how could you say that? You used to tell me that <b>you </b>climbed to the top, despite knowing it’s a lonely ce, because you knew you couldn’t protect those around you without power. You wanted to make a name for yourself, to honor yourte mother!” Gordon pleaded anxiously. Thaddeus’s eyes slightly narrowed.
Thinking about his mother’s tragic death, he felt the heartachee in waves, making him feel suffocated.
2
“And besides, you have to y both sides. You’re so busy trying to win Mrs. Abernathy’s favor, neglecting your business. What will you do if you end up worse off than Mrs. Abernathy?”
Gordon snorted, “You want to be a kept man? That’s no way to hold your head high.”
Thaddeus squinted his eyes, a feeling of resentment welling up inside him.
Rough words, but correct. Unpleasant, but not wrong.
“Get the car. We leave now.”
2
“This kind <b>of </b>horse is considered the Ferrari of horses, a treasure of Whiteguard. I used to beg my dad <b>to </b>give me one, but he was always afraid I would get hurt and <b>didn’t </b>want me to get <b>too </b>close to horses<b>.</b><b>” </b>
Under the light, Evadne excitedly stroked the golden horse’s fur. The pulse under her fingertips made her heart race.
Suddenly, her mouth went dry, and what came to her mind was Thaddeus, bare–chested in front of her, his muscles tight, his lines wild.
Evadne’s fingertips tingled, her cheeks flushed, and she blushed.
That man, when he was on top of her<b>, </bpletely letting go, he was also an untamed stallion.
“Evadne, do you like it? Evadne?”
“Huh?”
Evadne snapped back to reality, quickly touched her hot cheek, her eyes shimmering, “I do<b>, </b>horses are my favorite animals.”
Damn, why would she think of that filthy man when she saw a handsome horse?
Avery silently moved behind her, his tall figure casting a beautiful silhouette over her.
He looked at her jade–like profile, her eyes soft under hershes, “I remember<b>, </b>you told me when you were little that you loved horses and wanted to be-an equestrian. That was always your dream.!”
“When I was little, that was indeed my dream.”
Evadne smiled faintly, “<b>But </b>now, that’s no longer my dream, and I know I’m not suited to be an athlete in many ways.”
She <b>didn’t </b>mind Avery bringing up their childhood<b>, </b>even if she couldn’t remember some things.
But she felt that the biggest difference between them was that she always looked forward, while he always seemed to live in the past.
“Evadne, what’s your dream now?<i>” </i>Avery clenched his fists, his chest heaving with hot breath.
“For a long <b>time</b>, I wanted to be a good doctor.”
She couldn’t fight alongside Thaddeus<b>, </b><b>but </b><b>she could </b>be his strong support.
She always hoped he woulde back safely, but she also hoped <b>that </b>if he got hurt<b>, </b>she could be the one to bandage his wounds.
<b>“</b>Now I don’t have <b>a </b>dream.”
Evadne’s heart was numb and sour<b>, </b>her emotionsplex, and all she could muster was <b>a </b>chuckle, “Now, I just want to have everything handed to me on <b>a </b>silver <b>tter</b>, <b>to </b>sit back and enjoy, <b>to </b>get something for nothing<b>, </b><b>to </b>skyrocket <b>to </b>sess.”
<b>“</b><b>Oh</b>? <b>Evadne</b><b>, </b><b>can </b><b>you </b>read minds<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Avery smiled <b>softly </b>in her <b>ear</b><b>, </b>“It seems we’re <b>on </b>the same page.<b>” </b>
Evadne raised an eyebrow, “You’re <b>a </b>grown man<b>, </b>not even <b>thirty</b><b>, </b>and <b>do </b><b>you </b>want <b>to </b>live off someone else? That’s not very <b>ambitious</b><b>, </b><b>is </b><b>it</b><b>?</b><b>” </b>
<b>“</b><b>You </b>misunderstand. I hope that my future wife can live a worry<b>–</b>free life, her only <b>responsibility </b>being to stay as <b>beautiful </b>as <b>a </b>flower.”
Avery’s warm breath was on her ear, his eyes shing <b>with </b>desire, “Being my woman, having everything handed to her<b>, </b>sitting back and enjoying, isn’t that what she deserves<b>? </b>Only <b>a </b>man who’s not capable would let his woman suffer and wander<b>.</b><b>” </b>
Evadne’s breath hitched. She wasn’t sure if she was reading too much <b>into </b>it.
She always felt that Avery’s gentle words wereced with sarcasm toward someone.
Suddenly<b>, </b><b>a </b>loud neigh echoed through the quiet riding field!
“Mr. Chambers! Ms. Evadne! Be careful!”
A gust of wind suddenly blew, whipping up dust and sand.
Evadne turned around sharply, her pupils dting in shock!
A ck stallion had broken through the fence and was charging straight towards them!