Late at night.
Evadne had just enjoyed a long, hot bath, wrapping herself in a soft, peach–colored silk robe and tying up her lustrous hair neatly in a towel. Her face was flushed from the heat, a rosy hue that made her appear even more charming. Humming a soft tune, she headed downstairs.
Despite the recent mishaps that had gued her life, she knew there was always a silver lining. After all, she was the daughter of the Ashbourne family. There was nothing she couldn’t achieve if she set her mind to it. Even the presidency was within her reach if she yed her cards right.
All but that man.
Whenever she thought of him, a pang of heartache would strike her.
She had believed that Thaddeus truly loved her. Deep down, she had even started to ept him.
Yet the harsh reality had pped her right in the face.
Men were either being unfaithful or scumbags,
And Thaddeus was no exception.
The more she thought about it, the more it infuriated her. The corners of her mouth drooped gradually.
“Ms Ashbourne, I’ve just brewed some chamomile tea. It’s good for the nerves and won’t make you gain weight.”
Standing in the living room, Jason was all dressed up in his suit and tie, albeit with an apron. He looked at Evadne with a warm smile.
Seeing him doing all this for her, Evadne felt a inexplicable pang of guilt, She uttered ndly, “Jason, you are my secretary, not a household worker. You don’t need to do these things. I’ll ask Suri to send a servant from Skyrim to cook for me. You’ve worked hard enough today. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
“But Ms Ashbourne,” Jason stammered, worried that his position as her secretary was at stake, <b>“</b>President Ashbourne assigned me to you not only to assist you with work but also to take care of your daily needs. It’s always been this way.”
Evadne shook her head, “I told you before; you should focus on someone worth your time, like Nydia.”
At the mention of Nydia, Jason clenched his hands, his heart lurching.
“You are already busy working for me. You don’t need to distract yourself with these trivial things. Just treat Nydia well. That’s all I ask.” Evadne suggested earnestly. She had always been worrying about her sister’s happiness.
“Ms Evadne. Nydia and I are just friends<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“Jason, has there been any news from the hospital?” Evadne didn’t feel like hearing his exnation. She had no mood in talking about love matters.
All she wanted to do was to torture Elspeth. – –
Jason paused, pressing his l*ps, “ording to our informants at the hospital, as you expected, Elspeth and Frederic had a big fight. Frederic didn’t stay at the hospital afterward, nor did he show up in the following days. Congrattions, Ms Ashbourne, it seems like you’ve sessfully instigated discord between them.”
“Once the seed of doubt has been nted, Elspeth is no longer the innocent woman in Frederic’s eyes. Her life in the Abernathy family will only get tougher.”
Evadne smirked, her eyes cold, “As long as they get estranged, and we keep putting pressure on Elspeth. Only then will her true colors be revealed<b>.</b><b>” </b>
To destroy people, one must find ways to get them mad. This was a reasonable strategy.
“Another thing, I looked into Elspeth’s previous daily routine as you asked. Every week, she’d go to the beauty clinic where there’s this stic surgeon who has pretty intimate rtionship with her. He’s <b>in </b>his forties, very charming.”
What Jason said was quite intriguing.
“Okay, I got it.”
Arms crossed ahead of her chest, Evadne sneered, “He’s already forty, and not as energetic as someone younger. For Elspeth who has strong desire S**ually, is that guy able to satisfy her?”
Jason replied ndly, “In my opinion, that doctor may suffer.<b>” </b>
“One for money, the other for S**, looks like no one’ll lose anything.”
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
“It’ste. Who could it be?” Jason wondered.
“Jason, go answer the door<b>. </b>It’s a guest I invited,” Evadne instructed calmly.
A guest? Evadne hadn’t mentioned any guestsing over tonight.
Without much thought, Jason went to open the door.
Standing there was a young woman in her twenties, dressed in a simple tracksuit with a ck baseball cap on her head.
“You are?” Jason stared at her, puzzled.
“I–I’m Erica. I’m a maid from the Abernathy family. I’ve been taking care of Ms Abernathy.” Erica introduced herself nervously, looking around anxiously.
Upon hearing that she was one of Mari’s maids, Jason quickly understood.
“Erica, I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up due to some reasons. I hope you didn’t have a hard time getting here,” Evadne immediately scurried over, taking the young woman’s hand and leading her into the living room, “Do you feel freezing outside? Your hand is so cold. I told you to take a taxi here. Don’t stint on such things.”
<b>“</b>It’s not necessary. I took the bus and then the light rail. It was quite convenient,” Erica replied quickly, her cheeks red from the cold.
She once was the noble Mrs. Abernathy, but now seeing the concern in her eyes, l*ps quivering, Erica was deeply moved.
<b>At </b>the thought that Erica had to walk over in the piercing wind for a long while after getting out of the light rail, Evadne felt distressed.
She understood that Erica didn’t want to spend money.
Jason quickly prepared a hot <b>cup </b>of tea for Erica and gave her a hand warmer to hold.
The girl sat on the sofa of the living room. After warming up, Erica finally found her voice, “Mrs. <b>I </b>mean Ms Ashbourne, thank you for your kindness and for taking care of Ms Abernathy all this time.”
Erica spoke softly, her gaze steady and resolute, “I saw how you treated Ms Abernathy back at the Abernathy family. I would do anything for you, for her sake.”
A heavy sigh escaped Evadne as she studied the girl’s clear, innocent eyes, the same as Mari’s.
She wasn’t sure if she was making the right decision, but she needed someone reliable and trustworthy close to Elspeth.
However, aside from Alva, there was no one she could trust.
After careful consideration, she chose Erica.
Jason pressed his l*p, realizing that Ms Ashbourne intended to use Erica to gather information about Elspeth.
“Erica, I need you to win Elspeth’s trust and stay close to her. If possible, I want you to ce a bug in her room.”
Evadne’s eyes darkened slightly as she spoke frankly, “I want to know every move Elspeth makes.”
Erica froze, clutching the hand warmer in her hands, silent for a moment.
“I know this task is difficult for you. After all, Elspeth is Mari’s mother. There’s a risk involved.”
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
Breaking the silence, Erica lifted her gaze, determination shining in her eyes, “About what you asked, I will do it well. I’ve seen how Ms Abernathy has suffered over the years. In Elspeth’s eyes, she only has one daughter, Glynnis. The treatment Ms Abernathy receives at home is barely better than that of a servant. It’s only when Mr. Frederic and Mr. Thaddeus are around that Ms Abernathy is treated as ady should be.”
Evadne’s eyes welled up at Erica’s words, causing Jason’s heart to ache.
“I like Ms Abernathy, but I know the difference. I won’t tolerate their wrongdoings just because they are rted to Ms Abernathy.”
Tears welled up in Erica’s eyes as she spoke, “If it weren’t for Mr. Fairhaven, I wouldn’t know who else could truly help Ms Abernathy. Mr. Fairhaven is truly good to Ms Abernathy.” Evadne recalled the sight of Jareth and Mari, their fingers intertwined, their faces full of happiness. She felt moved and envious..
Mari had found her safe harbor.
Where was her happiness?
“Ms. Ashbourne, you’ve been good to Ms. Abernathy too, so I will help you no matter what.”
Evadne tightly grasped Erica’s hand, “Erica, thank you. But you must be careful and don’t force yourself to do things. If there’s any danger, contact me immediately. ns can be postponed, abandoned, but you mustn’t take any unnecessary risks. Do you understand?”
Erica nodded vigorously, holding back her tears.
The girl had came all this way and still was hungry, so Evadne cooked a hearty bowl <b>of </b>pasta with some meat and eggs, serving it with a side of pickled vegetables prepared by Myra. It was a simple meal, but made with care.
Erica slurped her pasta, clearly famished.
“Is it good?” Evadne asked, sitting across from her and smiling.
“Yes! It’s delicious! Really!”
Erica drained the bowl of soup, wiping her mouth in satisfaction, “Ms. Ashbourne, you’re really a good cook! Mr. Abernathy is lucky to have you!”
A smile still lingered in Evadne’s pretty eyes, only a tinge of tease in her tone, “Too bad, he doesn’t appreciate his luck. I’d rather be with someone else than him.”
Glynnis was beaten up badly by Jareth’s men. She didn’t dare to go home, fearing she would upset Elspeth, nor did she dare to tell Frederic either.
She had no choice but to fly alone to Oldrun for facial reconstruction.
Lily was Jareth’s girl, and wouldn’t have done such a thing without his permission.
If she dared to tell this incident to her family, not only would she lose face, but she might also incite Jareth’s wrath!
At that day, she was cooped up in that ce with d*rty mice and suffered the ruthless strike. She didn’t want to experience the cruelty she had gone through that night ever again.
But she wouldn’t let this go. She couldn’t!
After her surgery in Oldrun, Glynnis snuck back to Elmsworth with her head wrapped in gauze. The moment she got into the car<b>, </b>she received a call from Edith.
“Where have you been? Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” Edith’s imperious tone was still the same.
“Edith, watch your tongue. I am the daughter of the Abernathy family, not your maid!” Glynnis snapped<b>, </b>clutching her still hurting face.
“Look at you! Last time you humiliated me in front of Thad. I haven’t even settled that score yet and you dare to get angry with me.”
Edithughed mockingly, “Fine, I’ll forgive you. Tomorrow, I’ll send someone to pick you up and you can go with me to try on dresses for the engagement party.”
“Engagement? What engagement?”
“It’s <i>my </i>engagement with <i>Thad</i>, of course!”
“What?!”
Glynnis was shocked, “How could Thaddeus possibly get engaged to you? Not unless he’s lost his mind!”
“Thad hasn’t agreed yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
Edith’s tone was full of arrogant confidence, “Just you watch, he will sumb to me, and I will be your sister–inw soon.“