She had been with him for so long, and this was the first time he had everid a hand on her. He had hit her with such force.


    "I have reminded you more than once to keep your mouth shut about things you shouldn''t discuss. It seems your memory is poor." Chad tilted his chin up, his eyes churning with a ruthless cruelty she had never seen before. "They say a wolf travels a thousand miles to eat meat, while a dog travels a thousand miles to eat filth. Ms. Stirling, are you trying to prove to me that you belong to thetter group?"


    "Sir, please... calm down..." Alexia stammered, her face ashen, her body trembling. “But I... I don''t understand what I did wrong. Please, tell me..."


    "When speaking with Thaddeus, you only need to hint at things. You never say everything." Chad closed his eyes, leaning backnguidly. "And tonight, at a critical moment in our confrontation, you chose the most inappropriate time to bring up the kidnapping from twenty years ago."


    Alexia was bewildered. "But... you saved his life. That''s a fact. Reminding him of it is the only way to ensure he remains grateful to you!"


    Chad let out a soft scoff. "Grateful? He''s already forgotten his feelings for Evadne. Do you really think he cares that I saved his life? Those three pills damaged his brain, and that is a double-edged sword. He feels nothing for Evadne, and he will feel nothing for me. Thaddeus suspects me now. Every extra word you speak nts another seed of doubt in his mind. I can admit to what happened this time, but from now on, the events of twenty years ago are not to be mentioned again. The slightest misstep could bring us a world of trouble."


    Alexia was silent, but she couldn''t help but ask, “Sir, in that case... wasn''t it a miscalction? Thaddeus is bing uncontroble. Won''t he eventually be your direct opponent?"


    "A confrontation is inevitable. And he will likely see through my current dying tactics soon enough." Chad''s lips curved into a cold, confident smile. "But it doesn''t matter. By the time he figures everything out, it will be toote."


    After parting with Chad, Gordon drove the Maybach back toward Windermere Estate.


    "Mr. Thaddeus, are you really okay? You look terrible," Gordon said, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror, his heart aching with worry.


    Thaddeus''s eyelids drooped, his breathing shallow. "I''m fine."


    "God, if only Dr. Bright were here right now. He could at least help!"


    "He''s a neurologist. I have a gunshot wound. What could he do?" Thaddeus''s thoughts drifted back to Evadne. She was too brilliant, too. capable. They had been through so many harrowing moments together that he couldn''t just ignore her, could stop himself from thinking of her. Afterst night, the weight of his guilt and regret was heavier than ever.


    “Damn it... Does Chad have a tracking device on you or something?!" Gordon gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. "How did he know you were injured? And how did he time it so perfectly to get to Mr. Ashbourne and stir us trouble? He''s just another snake like Avery!" <fn57e4> This content belongs to FindN0vel</fn57e4>


    Suddenly, something clicked in Thaddeus''s mind. His eyes flew open. After being double-crossed by Avery years ago, he had installed anti hacking and anti surveince software on his phone. No one could listen in. And he and Evadne had barely spoken on the phone since their separation.


    So how did Chad know everything?


    Just then, his gaze fell on the dashcam mounted on the rearview mirror. That night, Evadne had been in his car. Their entire conversation had taken ce inside the car.


    That was it. The car had beenpromised.


    Upon returning to Windermere Estate, Thaddeus went straight to his study. He ordered Gordon to immediately pull the surveince footage from the parking garage and bring him the memory card from the dashcam.


    A short whileter, Gordon returned. "Mr. Thaddeus, the surveince footage shows nothing out of the ordinary."


    Thaddeus had expected as much. If someone had tampered with his car, the surveince tapes would have been the first piece of evidence to disappear. His face grim, he inserted the memory card into hisputer.