The mention of Ms. Alexia seemed to satisfy him. "Well, don''t just wander around. A new male patient was brought in today, a very important one to Ms. Alexia. Go see if she needs any help."
Evadne''s entire body rxed with relief. "Right away!" she chirped, pushing her cart in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, at one of Elmsworth''s top hospitals, Thaddeus''s condition had stabilized, and he had been moved to a private room for observation. However, his public copse in front of the entire board of the Abernathy Group had sent shockwaves through thepany, fueling all sorts of rumors.
Suddenly, the once-frail Chad was looking revitalized, while the powerful Thaddeus seemed to be in a precarious state. Within hours, whispers began circting that the eldest son would reim his birthright and take over the Abernathy Group.
"Doctor, how is my son?" Frederic cornered the doctor in the hallway, his voice fraught with anxiety.
"Mr. Frederic, please rest assured, Mr. Thaddeus''s life is not in danger. It''s just that..." The doctor''s gaze flickered with suspicion. "His symptoms are ratherplex. It doesn''t appear to be a simple medical episode."
Standing behind them, Chad''s refined face was cast in a strange shadow. The corner of his mouth twitched upward before settling back into a neutral
expression.
Frederic''s face went pale with worry. "Then what is it?!"
"Well... we''ll have to wait for the blood test results to be sure."
After the doctor left, Chad stepped forward and helped Frederic to a nearby chair. "Dad, try not to worry too much. Thaddeus isn''t like me. He''s always been strong. He''ll pull through."
"Pull through? How can he?!"
Frederic mmed his fist on his thigh in frustration. "Ever since that head injury, he''s been a different person His personality has gotten stranger and his health has clearly. declined! In the end it''s all that wretched girl from the Ashbourne family''s fault! She''s a troublemaking siren who''s brought nothing but chaos to our family!"
"Dad, please don''t talk about Ms. Evadne that way," Chad said, his voice even but his eyes darkening "In my opinion, she''s a wonderful girl. She never hurt Thaddeus; everything was his own choice. I hope that in the future, you can treat her with respect and refrain from saying such hurtful things."
Frederic stared at his son''s deep, unreadable eyes. "Chad... are you serious about Evadne?"
A soft smile touched Chad''s lips. "More serious than I''ve ever been about anything."
Frederic frowned. "Does it have to be her? There are thousands of wonderful girls in the world..."<fn0> The rightful source is find?novel</fn0>
"It has to be her," Chad said firmly. "So, I ask for your blessing, Father."
"Chad, you''ve had a hard life. All those years away from me, you never once asked for anything. Now that Thaddeus and Evadne are over, if you want her... I won''t stand in your way, even if I don''t approve. But the Ashbourne family is powerful, and that girl is stubborn. She was so in love with Thaddeus that she secretly married him behind her father''s back Even if were to propose a match, would she reall choose you? And Emeric is a tough nut to crack. He was dead set on Thaddeus being his son-inw. Would he ept a new man by his daughter''s side, especially
Thaddeus''s own brother?"
Chad lowered his gaze, a gentle smile ying on his lips. “You''re right. But I believe that, with time, everything will work out.”
Everything would change. Just as the kidnapping had altered the course of his and Thaddeus''s lives, he would take back everything that was rightfully his, one piece at a time, and set things right.
"Dad, if... and this is just a hypothetical," Chad said, gently patting Frederic''s back, "if Thaddeus''s health fails him and he can no longer handle the responsibilities of the Abernathy Group, what would you do?"
Frederic rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I know. If something happens to Thaddeus, who will manage thepany for me?"
Chad leaned in close, whispering in his ear, "If you trust me, I could step in for Thaddeus, just for a while, until he recovers."