"Thaddeus, you''re back." Chad smiled, but his fingers only tightened their grip.


    He had no intention of letting Evadne go.


    His eyes were filled with an intense possessiveness.


    Evadne''s heart skipped a beat. As she looked into Thaddeus''s dark, cold eyes, hers began to well up.


    In that moment, she felt the sight of her and Chad locked in this struggle was utterly mortifying.


    But she knew the act hade this far; stopping now would mean all her efforts were for nothing. She had to see it through.


    So, instead of breaking free from Chad''s grasp, Evadne forced a faint smile at the man who had just arrived.


    "Mr. Thaddeus."


    Mr. Thaddeus.


    Thaddeus''s handsome face darkened. He clenched his fists, his expression unreadable.


    "What are you two doing?" he asked, his voice hoarse.


    Chad''s eyes crinkled, a genteel smile still on his lips. "I was hosting a guest at Windermere Estate tonight and had some business to discuss, so I invited Evadne over for a simple dinner. We''ve just finished, and I was about to take her home.


    If I''d known you wereing back tonight, I would have told you to join us."


    "Join you?"


    Thaddeus''s lips twisted into a cold smirk. "If I were there, you probably wouldn''t know which hole in your face to stuff your food into.


    Besides, wouldn''t I be interrupting your... quality time with Ms. Evadne?”


    His cold, mocking words stabbed at Evadne''s heart, making her longshes tremble.


    "Thaddeus, you''re much more amusing than you used to be. At the very least, you''ve developed a sense of humor."


    Chad took a step, pulling Evadne by the hand as they slowly walked past Thaddeus. "It''s gettingte. I need to get Evadne home to rest. If you want to chat, I''m afraid it will have to wait for another time."


    As Evadne passed by Thaddeus, her soft, dark hair brushed against his shoulder, and the familiar, sweet scent filled his senses.


    Thaddeus''s heart clenched violently. His lips parted slightly, and he instinctively turned around—


    At the main entrance, he saw Chad-the man who was always frail and sensitive to the cold-taking off his own cashmere coat and gently draping it over Evadne''s shoulders.


    For some reason, Thaddeus''s heart began to pound faster and faster, uncontrobly.


    He stared, fixated, at Evadne''s elegant back, waiting. He was waiting for Evadne, who had always despised Chad, to reject the advances of this insidious man.


    But to his shock, in the next second, Evadne lifted her moon-bright face and gave Chad a sweet smile.


    "Thank you."


    "Of course. The wind is cold tonight. I wouldn''t want you to catch a chill."


    Then, he watched as they left together, Chad''s arm hovering protectively around the small of her back.


    What looked like a gentleman''s concern was, in Thaddeus''s eyes, a tant deration of ownership.


    Thaddeus clenched his jaw, his chest heaving. A faint, metallic taste of blood seemed to rise in the back of his throat.


    In the early hours of the morning, Windermere Estate was silent.


    After everything that had happened, the ce had long since lost the feeling of a home. It felt more like a magnificent, cold pce-a stage for power struggles. Gordon hurried down the dim, empty corridor. The eerie atmosphere was perfect for a horror movie; anyone with a weak nerve wouldn''t dare stay here alone for long.


    Fortunately, Gordon wasn''t afraid of ghosts.


    Some of the people he''d met were a million times more terrifying than any ghost. "Mr. Thaddeus! Are you in there? It''s me!" Gordon knocked anxiously on the door. After a long moment, a response came from within. "Come in...”


    Gordon pushed the door open and was instantly horrified. The coffee table was littered with all sorts of bottles—red wine, spirits, sake. An empty one had even rolled to his feet.


    Only a single, dim floormp was lit in the living room. Thaddeus''s tall frame was slumped on the floor, his back against the sofa, as he tilted his head back and chugged from a bottle of red wine


    "Mr. Thaddeus! What are you doing?! Your condition doesn''t allow for excessive drinking!"


    Gordon, both shocked and angry, rushed forward to snatch the nearly empty bottle from the man''s hand He used all his strength to help him onto the sofa. "Dr. Bright warned you repeatedly! The medication he developed can control your


    condition, but you absolutely must


    avoid emotional distress and


    alcohol! If you mess up your central


    nervous system again and the


    medicine stops working, not even a miracle worker could save you! Can''t you pull yourself together?!"


    “I''m fine. My chest feels tight, so I wanted a drink,” Thaddeus said, closing his eyes


    wearily. The reek of alcohol was heavy on his breath.


    "A drink? It looks like you''ve drunk everything in the liquor cab! Any more and you''ll be down to the cooking wine!"


    Gordon quickly poured a ss of warm water and found two pills to give to Thaddeus.


    There wasn''t much of Dr. Bright''s medication left.


    While there was still some, he had to contact Chasel in the next few days to get more for Mr. Thaddeus. Otherwise, his condition could spiral out of control at any moment.


    "Mr. Thaddeus, what happened? Why are you drinking yourself into a stupor for no reason?" Gordon asked nervously.


    "Gordon, my heart feels heavy," Thaddeus slurred, pounding his chest with his fist. Fearing he would hurt himself, Gordon quickly grabbed his hardened fist with both hands.


    "What''s wrong with you? Did that bastard Chad give you a hard time again? Just tell me!"


    "Evadne... did you really have to be so convincing?"


    Thaddeus''s eyes were half-closed, a hazy mist clouding them. "Are you really just acting, or... have you developed feelings for him?"


    Gordon froze.


    He could only be talking about Chad.


    "Mr. Thaddeus, you''ve never really forgotten Mrs. Abernathy, have you? She''s still in your heart... you still love her, don''t you?!" Gordon pressed, pulling out his phone and turning on the voice recorder ready to capture proof of his boss''s confession. Cóntent


    But the only response he got was a soft snore. Thaddeus had passed out on the sofa, dead drunk.