"Cassius, are you okay?" Jareth grabbed his arm, steadying him.


    Cassius stared at Chasel''s lean back, his dry lips parting, but no sound came out. It felt as if his throat were filled with blood, the longing he felt turning into a de that pierced him through and through, leaving him bleeding and broken.


    Chasel stopped beside Thaddeus, a faint smile on his lips as he gave a slight nod in greeting. Then, he lifted his gaze, his sharp eyes locking onto Chad''s duplicitous face.


    "My name is Chasel Bright. I was Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy''s attending physician. About six months ago, in order to rescue Ms. Evadne Ashbourne, who was being held captive on a remote ind, Mr. Abernathy made a deal with Avery Chambers. He ingested a poison in exchange for Ms. Ashbourne''s safe return to her family."


    The announcement sent a shockwave through the room.


    "I remember that! Ms. Ashbourne was kidnapped by Avery Chambers, the chairman of the Chambers Group. Some said it was a crime of passion, others said he was desperate and using her as a hostage. But the kidnapping definitely happened!" the reporters buzzed.


    "That''s right! Ms. Ashbourne was rescued, but Mr. Abernathy was rushed to the hospital. The Abernathy family tried to keep it quiet, but in this age of information, secrets don''t stay secret for long. A lot of people in our circles heard about it!"


    "If that''s true, it lines up perfectly with what Dr. Bright is saying!"


    Evadne closed her reddened eyes, the memories of those long days and nights trapped on Avery''s ind flooding back. She had been unconscious the day Thaddeus rescued her. She didn''t know what kind of deal he had made with that monster, but she understood one thing with absolute certainty: her safety had been bought with Thaddeus''s life. She wondered if she would ever have the chance to risk everything for him in the same way.


    Chasel pulled a medical report from his jacket and held it up for everyone to see.


    "This is the original brain scan and blood analysis report for Mr. Abernathy, personally signed by me and issued by the most authoritative medical institution in Elmsworth. It is officially stamped and legally admissible in court. This is the one and only copy; it cannot be forged. The poison Mr Abernathy ingested caused severe neurological damage and affected many of his bodily functions. I performed a blood test at that time, and the results were consistent with today''s findings-his system contained traces of


    narcotics. It''s clear that what Avery gave him was a highly purified form of a controlled substance!"


    The crowd gasped. "My God! How cruel!"


    "Even if I weren''t here to testify, the international police and special forces who assisted in Ms. Ashbourne''s rescue and Avery''s capture were present. Can''t they attest to Mr. Abernathy''s condition at the time?" Chasel''s every word was firm and resolute, leaving no room for doubt.


    On the stage, the color drained from Chad''s face, his expression growing darker by the second. Threats, intimidation, murder, frame-ups... he had used every trick in the book,


    inced he could manipte the world to his will. But this time, he had miscalcted. He thought that by driving a wedge between Chaser and Cassius, he could make Chasel give up on the Ashbournes and Thaddeus for good, vanishing from their lives forever.


    And for a while, he had believed he''d won.


    But now, Chasel''s dramatic return was a resounding p in the face. He had underestimated human nature. He had no friends, no lover. He was ruthless and apathetic. He simply couldn''tprehend the weight of friendship.


    It wasn''t just about like-minded people. Even those on opposite sides, in light and shadow, good and evil, could still look up and admire the same sun.


    "I was unable toe forward until now due to personal reasons that required me to recuperate abroad, Chasel continued, his voice ringing with conviction. "I never imagined that in less than six months, someone with sinister intentions would exploit Mr. Abernathy''s medical condition attempting to brand him as an addict and drag him into the abyss, all so they could usurp his position."


    Chasel narrowed his handsome eyes and stepped forward, confronting Chad directly. "Chad, your script was quite dramatic, but unfortunately, it was full of logical facies and plot holes. In your story, Mr. Abernathy is a self-destructive addict. But what does that make you? A sewer rat crawling out of the filth to steal another man''s champagne and cheese?"