<b>Chapter </b><b>762 </b>


    In the dead of night, Mr. Bartley summoned Alston to his study. Mrs. Bartley was already there<b>, </b>her presence a clear sign of the gravity of the discussion about to unfold.


    “What? Call off the engagement?!<b>” </b>Mrs. Bartley shrieked in disbelief. “Timothy, are you <b>out </b>of your mind<b>? </b>The news has already spread like wildfire. I have thedies from the country club practically fawning <b>over </b>me, showering me with gifts because our Alston is set to marry the Abernathy heiress!”


    Her eyes zed with the scandal of it all. “With the wedding just around the corner, you drop this bombshell on me. How am I supposed to show my


    ace around them after this?”


    “Dad! What’s going on? Why cancel the engagement?!” Alston, his face flushed with anger, recalled the evening’s humiliation. “Mari had the audacity to hold hands with Mr. Ashbourne and dance with him right in front of me. I’ve been embarrassed already, and now you want to call off the wedding altogether?<b>” </b>


    Edith had painted Mari as a simpleton. But what sort of fool dares to flirt with another man in front of her own fiancé, to be so intimate in public?


    The thought of it was maddening. He wanted to make her pay, to make her regret her indiscretion.


    “If your dignityes at the cost of my future, then I say your pride is a small price to pay!” Mr. Bartley’s words were shocking, his impatience written all over his face.


    “What are you saying?!” Both mother and son stared at him, bewildered.


    “Haven’t you seen it tonight? Aaron has fallen for that ‘simpleton‘,” Mr. Bartley said, sipping his tea with an air of self–satisfaction. “Suri approached me in confidence, asking me to break off the engagement.”


    “If I agree to hand Mari over to her son, she’ll back my campaign in the uing election. Chairman Emeric is also in the loop. If I refuse, they’ll throw their support behind my rival. Tell me, would either of you do differently?”


    Alston clenched his jaw, and Mrs. Bartley was at a loss for words.


    “My dear wife and son, this arrangement is nothing but beneficial for us!” Mr. Bartley lounged on the couch, legs crossed, transforming from a dignitary to a rogue in a heartbeat. “Firstly, Alston won’t have to marry the ‘simpleton‘ and demean himself. I’ll get what I want without owing the Abernathy group any favors, freeing us from Frederic’s influence.”


    “Secondly, it secures my campaign financing and aligns us with the influential Ashbourne family. It’s killing two birds with one stone, isn’t it?”


    Alston, desperate, interjected, “Dad, aren’t you oversimplifying things? The Ashbournes have a formidable reputation. I find Emeric even more daunting than Frederic!”


    “Emeric’s seriously ill, everyone knows that. He’s abroad for treatment and probably won’tst two years. I’m not afraid of him,” Mr. Bartley retorted casually.


    “But now the CEO is his daughter Evadne! In my eyes, that woman is like a banshee, far more terrifying than her father!” Alston fumed, influenced by Edith’s opinions. “You might handle Frederic, but can you really contend with Evadne? She’s the actual power behind the Ashbourne family now!”


    “And let’s not forget, she has Thaddeus backing her!”


    Mr. Bartley’s temper red, and he stood up abruptly, pointing at Alston as he shouted<i>, </i><i>“</i>You think if it weren’t for Suri’s proposal, you’d have any chance of securing this marriage? Look at the mess you made tonight, acting like a cornered animal in front of Mr. Frederic. I’ve taught you better! Even if it’s an act, you have to maintain yourposure. But you lost your temper in front of everyone! Do you think your father holds enough clout to challenge the Abernathy group?!”


    Alston was speechless.


    He had only agreed <b>to </b>marry Mari to please <b>Edith</b><b>. </b>He <b>didn’t </b>care for <b>her</b><b>; </b><b>it </b>was all a performance, a means to an end. Yet watching her dance intimately with Aaron had <b>stung </b>him deeply. It felt like a betrayal<b>, </b>as if <b>they </b>were already married and he, her husband, had been publicly humiliated.


    “Let me make this clear: you’vepletely ruined your impression <b>with </b>Frederic. He’s known for holding grudges<b>, </b>and even if I didn’t speak up, he’d never allow his daughter to marry you.”


    Mr. Bartley shook his head in disappointment. “You don’t have what it takes to marry into their world. Give up on that fantasy<b>!</b><b>” </b>


    The following day, Frederic, having wrapped up his engagements, inquired about the previous night’s events during his leisurely ride home.


    Dennis recounted every detail, including Suri’svish gift to Mari and Aaron’s bold deration of affection.


    “Mr. Frederic, Suri has been incredibly generous with our Miss Mari. The wee gift alone was worth over ten million,” Dennis remarked, clearly impressed by the Ashbournes‘ gesture.


    “It’s clear who stands where. We’ve been nning an engagement with the Bartleys, and yet they’ve shown no such grandeur. It’s quite telling.”


    Frederic frowned, his pride getting the better of him. “Bought by a mere trinket? Those Ashbournes probably have a vault full of such baubles. Emeric probably has a whole truckload.”


    “That may be, but Aaron is leagues better than that Bartley boy<i>,” </i>Dennis scoffed. “Last night, Alston had the nerve to publicly criticize you. I wonder what’s eating at his brain.”


    Frederic’s expression grew even darker at the mention of this. Theparison between the two suitors was thest thing he wanted to contemte.


    “Sir, I’ve seen how Aaron truly feels about Mari. Why don’t we call off the engagement with the Bartleys? A match with the Ashbournes would be a hundred times better<b>. </b>I bet you’d be over the moon with that.”


    Frederic mmed his hand down on the armrest, his face flushed with anger. “My son marrying an Ashbourne girl and my daughter wed to an Ashbourne boy? As if my children have no other prospects but those Ashbournes!” he fumed, his pride wounded.


    Dennis wisely chose to remain silent.


    Outside the window, the sky was overcast, mirroring Frederic’s mood. If he set aside his personal feelings, he had to admit that Aaron, Suri’s son, was a far superior match for his daughter than the Bartleyd. And not just in terms of family assets.


    He knew deep down that Alston had no real affection for his daughter; it was all about family arrangements. But the way Aaron looked at Mari, with such genuine affection, couldn’t be just for show.


    If only Aaron wasn’t an Ashbourne.


    His phone buzzed, startling him from his thoughts. It was Hamilton.


    Feeling a sudden surge of irritability, Frederic took a few rings before answering, “Dad, you wanted to talk?”


    “Can you speak freely?”


    “Go ahead.”


    “The Bartleys want to call off the engagement.”


    Frederic’s heart skipped a beat, his voice pitched high in disbelief, “What did you say?!”


    Hamilton couldn’t help a smirk, “Seems like Timothy couldn’t face you after what happened, so he got in touch with Mr. Murray first thing in the morning and requested a talk. I didn’t want to meet him at first, but this is too good a chance to miss.”


    Hamilton continued, amusement in his voice, “The Bartleys finally realized they’re not good enough for my precious granddaughter and decided to back out gracefully. Son, it seems your <b>judament </b><b>hasn’t </b>been much


    better.”


    Frederic’s face turned thunderous.


    But something wasn’t adding up.


    Last night, Suri and her son Aaron had crashed the Bartley’s party, and Aaron’s dance with Mari had infuriated Alston. Then, all of a sudden, the Bartleys were backing out.


    It felt like <b>a </b>setup, a y by the Ashbournes, and they were the unwitting actors in it.


    As night fell, the familiar warmth of the hot springs hotel enveloped them.


    “Oh! Easy, easy, are you trying to kill me? Edith’s voice was a mix of pain and pleasure.


    Tonight, Alston was relentless, pushing Edith to her limits with positions she’d never dared before. Despite her protests, her body responded with fervor.


    After the third round, both were spent; Alstony copsed on the bed, too exhausted to move.


    “Damn it, you almost tore me apart. What got into you?” Edith didn’t have the energy to clean up, pushing him away irritably, “What’s gotten into you today? What happened?”


    Staring nkly at the ceiling, Alston’s voice was filled with bitterness, “My engagement to Mari is off.”


    “What?! Why?!” Edith’s eyes widened in shock.


    “It was all set. But atst night’s party, that Suri from the Ashbournes brought her son over, pressuring my dad to drop the engagement and let me hand Mari over to her boy.”


    Alston clenched the sheets, eyes red with anger, “I underestimated Mari. She dared to deceive me to think she had another man while she was with me!”