"If you want to stare, just go ahead. Ms. Evadne isn''t some animal in a zoo."


    Jason rolled his eyes, muttering as he turned and headed for the hospital room. "Just wait here."


    A minuteter, Jason reappeared, his expression conflicted as he faced the man in the hallway.


    "Ms. Evadne doesn''t want to see you. Please leave."


    Thaddeus clenched his fists. "Why?"


    Jason let out a cold, bitterugh. "Why? Maybe because Ms. Evadne finally wised up. She doesn''t want to trip over the same man twice, or keep humiliating herself by chasing after someone who doesn''t care."


    The color drained from Thaddeus'' striking features. He stood in silence.


    Remembering everything Ms. Evadne had sufferedtely, Jason''s eyes reddened. He fought to keep his anger in check. "Mr. Thaddeus, Ms. Evadne is exhausted. If she doesn''t want to see you, then please leave her alone. Stop making things harder for her."


    Windermere Estate.


    In the study, Alexiaid out the results of her investigation for Chad, holding nothing back.


    "So I have reason to believe that the woman called Sunny is actually Elsie-the same Elsie Avery used as a stand-in for Evadne."


    She watched Chad, who stood behind the desk with his head bowed in concentration, brush gliding across the paper as he wrote. Alexia''s jaw clenched. "No wonder she was so passive-aggressive when she saw me today. If she really is Elsie, it all makes sense."


    "I don''t care that she was rude to me I''m just worried she might have figured something out. Didn''t you think she seemed unsettled when she bumped into you today?"


    "After finally escaping Avery''s grip and going through hell with Elvis to start a new life, the first thing she''d want to do is change her face. To never again be someone else''s shadow." Chad finished writing a graceful, flowing letter on the paper, his hand steady and sure. "She''d want to be herself, at longst."


    Alexia''s eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you figured it out at first nce?”


    "I only suspected. That''s why I sent you to confirm my hunch."


    Alexia was awed-Sir was always so sharp. If only he had a healthy body, Thaddeus would never stand a chance against him.


    "Sir, I think Elsie may be suspicious of you after today. She''s been around Ayery and crossed paths with de before Even if she doesn know us well, I''m afraid shelt sense something-and if she tells Ms. Evadne, it''ll be a disaster."  s


    She stepped forward, her gaze cold and calcting. "Should I send someone to


    deal with her, just in case?"


    "Alexia, don''t


    ''t be so hasty." Chad set down his pen, moved aside the paperweight, and admired his work with a faint smile. "Maybe she''s only suspicious, not certain. If you make a move now, it''s as good as announcing to everyone that I''m the one behind Avery."  s<fn2dc9> ?????? ???? Find★Novel</fn2dc9>


    "Then you''re just going to let it go?"


    Alexia frowned in concern. "Elsie''s still one of Avery''s people, and now she''s tangled up with Elvis. If we don''t root her out now, she''ll juste back to haunt us."


    Brutal and ruthless, Alexia didn''t hesitate to say what others wouldn''t.


    Just like the saying goes: the sting of a wasp is nothingpared to a woman''s venom.


    "Even if she must be dealt with, we''ll wait." Chad''s gentle smile barely concealed a trace of cruelty. "When the time is right, well remove the problem and protect ourselves at the same time."  s


    Elmsworth, 5 AM. In the depths of winter, the world outside the window was still draped in silent darkness.


    Evadne tossed and turned in her hospital bed, dozing off for moments before jerking awake again, unable to find any real rest.


    Atst, she dragged her weary body out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and shuffled toward the hallway, hoping a walk might clear her head.


    Her legs were still weak, so she steadied herself against the wall, inching slowly toward the entrance.


    She opened the door, and as her gaze lifted, a sudden jolt ran through her-she froze in her oversized hospital gown.


    Thaddeus sat outside on a cold stic chair, back ramrod straight, eyes closed, perfectly still.


    Under the pale glow of the hallway light, he was utterly silent. The long night had left him with nothing but his own shadow forpany, deepening the loneliness in the air.


    Evadne''s heart skipped a beat, her breath catching.


    The sound of the door finally stirred him. Thaddeus'' bloodshot eyes fluttered open and, lifting his gaze, he met hers.