Evadne''s hand tightened on the cold rock, her attention shifting entirely from Thaddeus to Alexia. Just then, Alexia took the tie clip from its box and, catching Thaddeus off guard, fastened it to his tie.
He stiffened and took a step back, but she was too fast. The clip was already in ce.
"It suits you, Mr. Abernathy," Alexia cooed, her eyes sultry. Her voice was so melodious it could have captivated any other man. "It seems my taste isn''t so bad after all."
Thaddeus''s expression darkened visibly. Only his sense of propriety, and the fact that this woman worked for his brother, stopped him from doing something that would humiliate her.
Evadne watched them, her clear eyes like a winter storm, filled with a deste, broken sorrow. But she fought to regain herposure. She had just reached for her phone, intending to record Alexia, when her vision was suddenly plunged into darkness.
A long, cool hand gently covered her eyes.
Then, Chad''s deep, maic voice whispered in her ear, full of a gentle warmth.
"Don''t look."
Evadne''s heart leaped. She spun around, her pupils constricting as she stared at Chad''s handsome face. Her back was just an inch from the rock formation when he wrapped an arm around her, bracing his hand against the stone to shield her from its sharp edges.
He was thoughtful, gentle, considerate. In every way, he seemed like the perfect
man.
And it made Evadne''s blood run cold.
"Have you been standing here long? Your face is red from the cold."
Chad''s gaze was intense. He opened his coat, enveloping her small frame to shield her from the biting wind. "Let''s go back. You''ll catch your death out here." Evadne stood rigidly, avoiding his prating stare. "I''m not cold."
She truly wasn''t. Her heart was already frozen solid.
Chad''s voice dropped, and he leaned in closer. "You''re heartbroken."
"No, I''m not," she said stubbornly, though her eyes were red-rimmed.
"I have a gift. No one''s true feelings can escape my notice," he said with a soft smile. "But only if I truly care about the person."
"Mr. Abernathy, if you truly care about me as you say, then you wouldn''t t be making me so
ufortable," Evadne retort
meeting his dark eyes, a
self-deprecating smirk on her lips. "After all, have no desire to be known as the slut who slept with the younger brother and then moved on to the older one."
Chad had never seen her smile like that. It was like a thorny red rose, like a defiant flower blooming in a storm.
"Don''t listen to them. They''re just jealous," he said, his voice low and slightly hoarse.
Evadne''s bright, painful smile<fnc271> For original chapters go to find[?]ovel</fnc271>
widened.Jealous that I''m done with the younger brother and now get to
y
he older one That ve
made my way through all the Abernathy men?"
"Are you afraid of me?" Chad asked suddenly, changing the subject.
Evadne''s heart hammered against her ribs, but her expression remained unreadable. "We have no history. Why would I be afraid of you?"
"Good. As long as you''re not afraid of me."
Chad let out a long breath, as if relieved. He then took off his heavy overcoat and draped it over Evadne''s shoulders, wrapping her slender body tightly within its warmth.
She flinched, about to shrug it off, but he held thepels, trapping her.
"Ms. Ashbourne, I don''t have a strong constitution. I have no power in the Abernathy Group, no head for business, and my grandfather doesn favor me. I admit, in many ways, I am not Thaddeus''s equal. But there is one thing you can trust me on. No matter what happens, I will never let you be heartbroken."
His eyes were like dark jade-warm, deep, and profound.
But to Evadne, they were a bottomless abyss of sin, where one wrong step would
lead to eternal damnation.
...
The news of Chad and Evadne''s public appearance at the Abernathy g
sparked endless spection and even trended on social media.