Jareth''s piercing gaze suddenly narrowed, and for a moment his vision blurred,


    "Dead?"


    "Yes. It was gruesome. By the time they found her body, it was nearly unrecognizable."


    Dean''s brow furrowed tightly as he spoke in a hushed tone, "The autopsy showed she''d been assaulted, had severe STDs, her body was in a terrible state."


    Jareth closed his bloodshot eyes, the hand holding the basin clenched tight, his veins standing out as he trembled slightly,


    "By whom?"


    "Many."


    Dean''s tongue clicked against his teeth, "Edith hadn''t arrived long before she was sent to an underground club. It was basically a high-end brothel, where girls catered exclusively to the elite and powerful from overseas."


    "It''s said there''s only one way out of that ce: to be yed with until death. Even


    if Edith hadn''t been killed, her fate would''ve been the same."


    Jareth''s pale eyelids drooped.


    A mix of intense, bitter emotions tore through him, leaving him speechless.


    He despised Edith, no question.


    As he watched her board that smuggling ship, leaving her to fend for herself in a foreignnd, his heart still burned with hatred.


    But upon hearing of her tragic death, he couldn''t muster any resentment. It felt as if a dark void had been carved out of his chest, decades of love and hate plunging into an endless abyss, never to be seen again.


    "Mr. Fairhaven, forgive me for saying, but I think there''s no need for you to grieve for Edith, even though she was your own sister."


    Dean''s eyes were icy with loathing, "If not for her, Mari wouldn''t be in this state, and if not for her, the master and the entire Fairhaven Group wouldn''t be like this."


    "An eye for an eye, and we''ve not shortchanged her."


    "Tonight, you''ll head over to the country and bring back Edith''s ashes."


    Jareth''s expression darkened as he spoke, "Then, investigate what she went through there."


    "Mr. Fairhaven!"


    "Dean, I''m not seeking revenge for Edith. What''s done is done. Now that she''s dead, all hatred should beid to rest."


    Jareth suppressed the turmoil within, his gaze regaining rity, "I''ve heard of that underground club. Whoever sent Edith there must have known about the Fairhaven Group. He targeted Edith secretly for two possible reasons-to vent anger or to silence her."


    Dean''s mouth fell open in sudden understanding!


    "He might have schemed with Edith in the past, but now it''s all over. However, we must be wary of him targeting the Fairhaven Group again."


    Dean nodded vigorously, "Understood!"


    As they made their ns, people from the Abernathy Group approached them.


    "Jareth!" Hamilton smiled warmly, waving at him.


    Jareth quickly handed the basin to Dean and wiped his wet hands on his trousers before hastily moving forward.


    "Grandpa, Mr. Frederic," he bowed deeply.


    "Look at this young man, always so polite. Even as chairman of the Fairhaven


    Group, he''s still humble—a rare quality," Hamilton beamed with pride.


    Frederic once saw Jareth as nothing more than a frivolous yboy.


    Now, as he watched him grow, Jareth had be increasingly impressed.


    Jareth joined the Abernathy men as they entered the hospital room to visit Mari.


    The girl resting on the bed slowly opened her soft eyes at the sound of their arrival.


    "Oh."


    "Mari, my dear child, I''m here to see you."


    Hamilton sat by the bed, gently stroking his granddaughter''s hand, tears lurking in his weathered eyes, yet he tried his best to smile, "Heh, you''ve put on a bit of


    weight. It seems Jareth''s been taking good care of you."


    "You should feed her a bit more, fatten her up like a little piglet!"


    "Dad, what girl wants to bepared to a pig?"


    Frederic chided with an involuntary burst ofughter, "Besides, she wouldn''t look good in a wedding dress then."


    Jareth stood stiffly, his heart pounding.


    Mari''s cheeks flushed as she struggled to sit up. Jareth rushed to help her, and she ended up resting against his stomach.


    "Your father, always loose-lipped like an old pair of jeans, can''t keep a secret to save his life," Hamilton chided, his eyes twinkling with joy, "Jareth, I won''t beat around the bush. Frederic and I havee today to officially ask for your hand in marriage for our Mari."


    "Grandpa."


    Overwhelmed, Jareth''s breathing grew heavy, his words jumbled, "Grandpa."


    Suddenly, tears began to flow freely.


    Ovee with emotion, he cried as Mari, frail and gentle, wrapped her arms around him, catching his hot tears with her rosy cheeks.


    Though she couldn''t speak, her tender gaze bathed in happiness was all thefort he needed.


    "There''s no need for words, my boy. I understand," Hamilton''s own eyes reddened as he ced the hands of the two young people together, "I''m getting old, and Frederic will too one day. The only one who can apany Mari to the end, to love and cherish her for a lifetime, is you."


    "From now on, only good days await you."


    "Grandpa, Mr. Frederic. I promise to make Mari happy," Jareth vowed, his voice etched with determination.


    "Ah." Mari knelt by the bed, tenderly wiping away his tears.


    "Still calling me Mr. Frederic? Isn''t it time to change that?"


    Frederic spoke up, then coughed awkwardly, "Ahem, let''s wait until the marriage certificate is signed, after the wedding."


    "Dad!"


    Jareth called out eagerly, unable to wait a moment longer.


    Frederic, taken aback, felt his heart race, momentarily at a loss for words.


    "Jeez, dude, the kid''s calling for you, didn''t you hear?" Hamilton nudged him with his elbow as he passed by.


    Frederic snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and his face broke into a contented smile,


    "Ah."


    At the beginning of next month, it was Mari''s birthday.


    Jareth had decided to quietly tie the knot with Mari on that day. He had nned


    a grand, romantic proposal, but Mari, who saw right through his intentions, turned it down.


    She didn''t even want a wedding ceremony.


    She had always struggled with severe social anxiety. It was only because of Lily''spanionship that she had managed to step out of the shadows of her inner


    self.


    But now, Lily was gone.


    She had retreated back into her corner, curling up away from the world, terrified of contact with anyone other than her family, which made her deeply uneasy.


    Considering Mari''s mental state, a grand wedding was out of the question.


    For Jareth, who wished to give his beloved the world, this was a profound disappointment.


    That evening, Jareth called Evadne and Thaddeus to vent his frustrations. "The ceremony doesn''t matter as much for you two,"


    Evadne sat before her vanity, eyesfortably squinting as she enjoyed Thaddeus'' hairstyling, her phone on speaker, "You and Mari have been through life and death together. The whole world is a testament to your love. No wedding, no matter howvish, couldpare to that. It''s more important that you make Marifortable. Forget about appearances and the shallow judgments of others,"


    The mention of the wedding made Thaddeus'' heart ache with a soft pain.


    Did he even have the right to be dishing out advice to Jareth?


    He owed his own woman a grand wedding.


    He owed Evadne so much that even if he turned his bones to dust, to steep in her


    tea or mix with her meals, it wouldn''t be enough.


    "Ah, gentle, be gentle." Evadne murmured softly as Thaddeus'' hand inadvertently pressed too hard.


    "Sorry, did I hurt you?" Thaddeus snapped back to the present, his breath heavy.


    "Mmm, it''s a bit drytely, maybe some oil?"


    "Sure, darling," Thaddeus'' voice was tender and amodating.


    "You two are too much, picking on me because my wife''s sick, huh?"


    On the phone, Jareth''s voice was stiff, a shiver running down his spine, "When


    you two lovebirds are enjoying your blissful married life, maybe spare a thought for a regr guy like me!"