Evadne stood silhouetted against the light. Though her figure was slender, she projected an aura of towering strength. The powerful,manding shadow she cast seemed to envelop the entire ballroom, silencing the crowd with its sheer intensity.


    Thaddeus watched her, and the cool, clear depths of his eyes began to burn, glowing like two embers. He could almost see a golden phoenix taking flight behind her, its radiant wings spreading wide enough to eclipse the sun and moon.


    "Evadne!" Cassius and Jareth eximed, equally surprised to see her there.


    The shbulbs erupted again, a blinding onught.


    "It''s Ms. Ashbourne!"


    "You mean President Ashbourne. She''s in charge of KS Group now!"


    "Wait... Evadne is here to support Thaddeus? Didn''t they break up?"


    "You don''t get it. It''s called ''they have a history"!"


    Chad''s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on Evadne''s fiercely determined face. His pale lips curved into a strange, unsettling smile that sent a chill down the spine.


    Evadne met his smiling gaze, suppressing the wave of disgust that rose in her chest. She scanned the crowd, herposure unwavering.


    "Everyone," she announced, her voice ringing with authority, "I stake the reputation of the entire KS Group, and my own personal honor, on this: Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy has absolutely not been using drugs!"


    "Hah, a guarantee? What good is your guarantee?" Alexia sneered, her expression turning venomous. "Everyone in Elmsworth knows you''re Thaddeus''s old me." She deliberately used the demeaning term to humiliate Evadne.


    Thaddeus''s brow darkened, his gaze slicing into Alexia''s face like a shard of ice. "Damn bitch," Jareth seethed, hisnguage growing more colorful by the minute. Evadne simply raised an eyebrow, her regalposure unruffled. *Such a nasty, bitter little snake. You must be Acacia''s sister.*


    Alexia continued her tirade with a smirk. "Even family members can''t serve as character witnesses for a suspect. You think your personal guarantee means anything? Given your rtionship with Thaddeus, your word is worthless."


    Evadne lowered her gaze thoughtfully. "You''re right. I can''t guarantee it."


    A triumphant, vicious smile spread across Alexia''s face. She thought Evadne, like


    Cassius and Jareth, had just shown up to make a fool of herself.


    But in the next second, Evadne''s head snapped up, her eyes like daggers that made Alexia flinch.


    "But there is someone who can."


    As she spoke a tall, elegant figure walked through the open doors, his steps measured and deliberate. From a distance, the crowd couldn''t make out his features clearly. But just the sight of that familiar silhouette was enough to strike Cassius like a bolt of lightning. Every nerve in his body screamed, and his lips trembled as he fought to contain an overwhelming surge of emotion.


    But it was a losing battle.


    "Chasel... It''s Chasel!" Jareth shook Cassius''s frozen arm, his voice filled with disbelief.


    But Cassius didn''t seem to notice. Before the eyes of everyone, he stood there, tears streaming down his face, utterly speechless as he gazed at the man he loved more than life itself.


    It was Chasel.


    Even now, he couldn''t believe that Chasel would ever appear before him again.


    "Chasel," Thaddeus murmured his name, a wave of indescribable emotion washing over him.


    At the same moment, the sinister smile on Chad''s lips froze.


    The long-absent Chasel, dressed in a sharp ck suit, walked calmly toward Thaddeus. He was still handsome and well-built, but he was far too thin. The dark suit only entuated his gaunt frame, making him look like a walking mannequin.


    Cassius remembered how much Chasel hated wearing ck. His closet was filled with colorful, mboyant designer clothes, but not a single ck item. "I wear a white coat all day at work," he used to say. "Thest thing I want is to dress like an undertaker in my free time. It''s just so joyless."


    But now, he stood before him, d entirely in ck. The old Chasel-the vibrant, cheerful, life-loving Chasel-was gone, as if a brilliant star had fallen into a dark abyss, leaving not a single glimmer of light behind.


    Chasel walked past Cassius without so much as a pause. In that brief moment, Cassius clearly saw the cross-shaped scar on his cheek, a cruel, ring reminder. A violent pain seized his heart and the world went dark. He swayed, his body trémbling uncontrobly.