The entire banquet hall erupted into an uproar.
The in-looking young man had not only sneaked into the event disguised as a waiter, but he had drawn a knife, intending to ughter both Mr. Abernathy and President Ashbourne-the heirs to two massive empires!
Everyone knew that if he had so much as scratched either of them, his life would be
over.
What could have possibly driven this young man to risk his life and future on such a desperate, suicidal attack?
And why did he call Chad a murderer and Evadne his aplice?
It was a scandalous mystery, and the crowd was eating it up.
The hotel security team swarmed the hall, intending to drag the attacker away, but Thaddeus kept the man pinned down, refusing to loosen his grip.
"Please hand him over to us, sir. Let us handle this so you don''t get hurt," the security captain urged respectfully.
Thaddeus remained motionless like a statue, his cold gaze locked onto the man beneath him.
The guards stood by awkwardly, knowing better than to forcefully pry the suspect from his hands.
“Evadne, it''s too dangerous here... Let''s get you out of here,” Chad said through gritted teeth, enduring the agonizing pain in his back as he helped Evadne to her feet.
"Wait."
Evadne took a deep breath to steady herself, her dark eyes locking onto the attacker. "Why did you say Mr. Abernathy is a murderer and I''m an aplice? My family''s background is spotless. We''ve never broken thew. And Mr. Abernathy has spent years doing charity work and giving back to society.
"You attacked Mr. Abernathy with a knife, incited a panic, and ndered both of our names. With all those chargesbined, aren''t you afraid of rotting in a prison cell for the rest of your life?"
Thaddeus looked up. His gaze met Evadne''s, shing briefly like steel before quickly darting away.
He could feel his heart trembling violently. No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, the turmoil wouldn''t settle.
Chad''s dark eyes swept over the attacker''s hate-filled face before he gently urged Evadne.
“Evadne, let the police handle him. Let''s get out of here first and figure things outter."
"You''re hurt. You should go ahead," Evadne replied with absolute seriousness. "I''m perfectly fine. I''m staying right here to get to the bottom of this."
She stepped closer, demanding answers from the man. "Speak up. You''re going to exin yourself right now. The Ashbourne family operates with total integrity, and I won''t let you drag our name through the mud!
“Mr. Abernathy might be forgiving enough to let this go, but I''m not. If I don''t clear this up, who knows what rumors will spread about me and my family?"
The shadows in Chad''s eyes darkened.
He clenched his fist, crushing a shard of ss in his grip. The jagged edge pierced his palm, blood seeping between his fingers, yet his expression remainedpletely impassive.
"It... it doesn''t have anything to do with you! But Evadne, you''re parading around with a murderer! You''re coborating with him! That proves you''re just as bad! You deserve to die too!” the man roared, his eyes bloodshot.
Though there was no press present, several guests were already secretly recording the scene on their phones.
In the era of social media, nothing stayed buried for long. No matter how much power someone wielded, suppressing the truth was impossible once it hit the inte.
"What did he do? Tell us! If you can''t back it up, you''re just a lying lunatic trying to cause trouble!” Evadne pushed back fiercely, her tone cutting and relentless.
She was baiting him, trying to provoke him into spilling the truth.
Just then, the police arrived, interrupting the standoff.
Unable to hold the man any longer, Thaddeus handed him over to the officers.
As the police dragged the struggling man out of the banquet hall, he twisted his head back and screamed at Chad:
"Chad Abernathy! Do you remember Nora?! Nora Jones!"
The crowd exchanged bewildered nces.
Evadne''s heart tightened, though she masked it by looking at the pale Chad with feigned confusion.
Chad''s gaze was as dark as an abyss. He said nothing.
"You murdered Nora! You destroyed her entire family! You butcher! Psycho! You''ll rot in hell for what you did!"
The man''s screams echoed down the hallway, fading away as he was hauled out. The whispers around the room intensified.
"He''spletely out of his mind," Evadne muttered, hiding the triumph in her eyes as she quickly supported Chad''s arm. “Mr. Abernathy, how iS your injury? I have some medical training. Let me check the wound before the ambnce arrives."
"Thank you, Evadne," Chad replied, his smile as warm as ever as he leaned gently against her.
From a distance, their posture looked intimate. Affectionate.
To Thaddeus, the sight was unbearable.
He turned away, his steps heavy as he walked out of the hall.
"Sir! Are you alright?!" Gordon rushed over, sweating profusely. "I heard you fought
a guy with a knife! Can you stop ying with fire? You''re going to give me a heart attack!"
"I''m fine."
Suddenly, Thaddeus frowned, slowly raising his hand.
He had been so hyper-focused on Evadne''s safety that he hadn''t even noticed the knife had sliced his palm during the struggle.
"Oh my God! You''re bleeding everywhere! I''m taking you to the hospital right now!" Gordon cried out in distress.
"It''s nothing."
"I heard what the guy said. He called Chad a murderer and Ms. Evadne an aplice?" Gordon''s instincts red. “It looks like Chad''s dirtyundry is finally being aired out!"
"Evadne was intentionally provoking him to speak. She knew that once he was
taken away, he might never get the chance to speak in public again. I know how her
mind works."
Thaddeus clenched his uninjured
fist, his eyes turning cold. "Just because he''s in police custody
doesn''t mean he''s safe. If I were.
whether the usations
Chadow!
were true or false would do everything in my power to silence him.
"We need to be on high alert over the next few days."