As long as he was dependent on drugs, as long as the poison controlled him, he would never be worthy of inheriting the Abernathy Group, and he would never be worthy of Evadne. He would always be the loser in their game.


    Just as Evadne, her heart pounding with emotion, turned to look at Thaddeus, he spun around without a single nce in her direction and strode towards the ballroom exit, leaving a wake of stunned silence.


    Evadne froze, a look of shocked disappointment on her face. "Thaddeus..."


    The cameras swiveled, their shes chasing his retreating back. The crowd exchanged bewildered nces.


    "Thad, where are you going?" Jareth called out, about to follow him, but Gordon quickly intercepted him. "Mr. Fairhaven, I''ll go!" he said, dashing after Thaddeus. Jareth stared at the open doorway, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.


    "Jareth, you stay here with Evadne," Cassius said, his face grim. "Chasel is gone. I have to find him." With that, he too hurried out of the room.


    "Hey! You guys—" Jareth cursed under his breath. "Seriously, why am I always the one left to clean up the mess?"


    The reporters swarmed Chad, with Alexia trying desperately to shield him. In her high heels, she was no match for the surging crowd. She stumbled and swayed, her clothes wrinkled and her hair a mess, a pitifullyical sight.


    "Mr. Chad Abernathy, you were the primary beneficiary of Thaddeus Abernathy''s dismissal! You took his position! There are now widespread usations that you framed him in a brutal family power struggle. Do you have anyment?"


    "Did you orchestrate the police investigation into your brother?"


    Alexia trembled, breaking out in a cold sweat.


    But Chad remained unnervingly calm. His gaze cut through the crowd to Evadne, who stood on the periphery, watching him with cold intensity. His voice was low and steady, without a trace of a tremor, as if his actions werepletely justified.


    "First, you''re mistaken. I didn''t take anything from him; I took back what was rightfully mine. The Abernathy family has a tradition of primogeniture. My father''s generation followed it, and so does mine. Now that I have returned, the position of CEO of the Abernathy Group should be mine, regardless of my brother''s circumstances." He delivered the lines with an air of shameless entitlement.


    "Second, the Abernathy Group is a publicly tradedpany. The appointment and dismissal of a CEO is not my decision alone. Thaddeus was removed by a vote of the board of directors. It had nothing to do with me."


    With a final, deep look at Evadne and a cryptic smile, Chad turned and pushed his way through the crowd.


    Evadne felt the air leave her lungs, as if countless vipers were slithering towards her from all directions, their cold, venomous tongues flickering.


    "Mr. Abernathy!" Alexia cried out as she was jostled by the reporters. She lost her bnce and fell to the floor with a thud, where she wa immediately surrounded by a frenzy of shing cameras.


    ...


    In a hotel restroom, Gordon locked the door. Still feeling uneasy, he dragged a cleaning cart and a pile of misceneous items to barricade it.


    "Mr. Abernathy! Are you alright?"


    Thaddeus''s tatt, powerful frame was curled into a ball in the corner, his


    body wracked with tremors. His


    handsome, well-defined feature et


    were now a ghastly, ashen white, all traces of his usual cool,


    looked broken, lost, decadent... like apletely different person.


    "Mr. Abernathy is it... happening again?" Gordon knelt before him, his eyes filling with tears. He couldn''t


    bring himself to say the word,


    withdrav


    awa


    Coud


    Never ept


    it. Night after night, he was haunted


    by nightmares of Thaddeus having a public episode, losing everything, only to wake up in a cold sweat.


    "Gordon... Gordon..." Thaddeus''s body shook violently. He stared at Gordon with bloodshot eyes, holding out his hands. "Tie me up... quickly... tie me up!"


    Gordon wiped away his tears and quickly untied his own tie, wrapping it around Thaddeus''s wrists and pulling it into a tight knot.


    "It''s not enough... not enough!" Thaddeus''s formidable willpower was crumbling. Tears streamed down his face. "The drug... give me the drug..."


    Gordon shook his head, sobbing. "No! You can''t take that stuff! It''s poison!"


    "Then... kill me!" Thaddeus roared, his eyes a maelstrom of agony and despair.


    Just then, Gordon''s already-strained heart felt like it was about to implode. Someone was knocking on the door.