Chapter 448


    “It’s me. Evadne, it’s me,” Thaddeus’s mind buzzed, his voice hoarse as if filled with gravel. He clung to


    Evadne’s trembling form as if she would disintegrate into ashes if he loosened his grip for a mere


    second, his heart breaking, “Evadne, tell me where it hurts? Tell me, please!”


    “Wind!”


    Once her thoughts cleared, Evadne immediately thought of the poor creature, struggling to break free


    from the man’s embrace, scrambling towards Wind, whoy on the ground, gasping for breath.


    “Evadne! Come back!”


    Thaddeus’s voice was a desperate cry, his chest tightening as he followed her.


    The medics, Cassius, and Mr. Dn had all arrived, but none could stop Evadne, whose eyes were red


    with determination.


    Below, the crowd was stunned to see Thaddeus, normally soposed, rush onto the track and hold


    Evadne who was in a state of panic, “Good heavens, is that skittish man really the Mr. Abernathy I


    know? This is unbelievable!”


    “I never thought I’d see the day Thaddeus would look so distraught. It seems Evadne is the only one


    who could knock him off his pedestal.”


    “Ahh! I’m dying of envy! I wish Mr. Abernathy would hold me tight like that!”


    “But seriously, if Thaddeus loves Evadne so much, why did they divorce in the first ce?!”


    “Yikes! Could it have been that Acacia and Elspeth conspired against Thaddeus, leading Evadne to


    misunderstand and that’s why they split? Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, are they


    getting back together?!”


    The murmurs were like a boiling pot, but what they saw was clear. Thaddeus’s love for Evadne was


    deep, like the thawing waters of spring, flowing unreservedly to his one true love.


    “Hey, you did this, didn’t you?” Glynnis whispered cynically to Edith.


    Edith’s eyes were bloodshot as she red at Evadne, who was being tenderly cared for by Thaddeus,


    her voice seething with venom, “What nonsense are you spouting?! It’s her own bad luck that got her in


    this mess. What’s it got to do with me?!”


    “Do you think your little scheme may backfire?”


    Glynnis couldn’t help but snicker, “Not only is Evadne intact, but now everyone has witnessed


    Thaddeus’s irreceable affection for her. Thanks to your ‘matchmaking,‘ they might be even more


    inseparable now.”


    “You shut up!”


    Edith’s gaze was icy as she red at Glynnis, her cheeks flushed with fury, her resentment dripping, “If


    you mock me again, I’ll make sure you fall harder than Evadne! Don’t test me! We Fairhavens stop at


    nothing!”


    Glynnis clenched her teeth in a standoff, yet her heart quivering with fear.


    After all, her standing at home had greatly diminished, unloved and neglected. But Edith was different;


    she was Barry’s precious granddaughter. Provoking her could be a costly mistake.


    “Evadne! Stop it. Let’s go to the hospital!”


    Cassius’s voice was cracking with urgency, and he and Thaddeus, two grown men, seemed powerless


    against her will.


    “I’m a surgeon myself! I know my own body better than any of youymen!”


    Evadne ignored her pain, kneeling beside Wind, who was struggling to breathe, tears streaming down


    her face as she tenderly touched his weakening body.


    “Wind, why did you push yourself like this?! I told you to stop; why didn’t you listen?!”


    Thaddeus stood stiffly beside her, watching as she fretted over her horse, his own heart aching in


    empathy. She was kind to the marrow, and he was deeply in love with her pure, clear soul.


    The horse trainer arrived swiftly and began a thorough examination with Evadne.


    Soon, they discovered the problem. Wind’s left leg had been sliced with a long, narrow cut at some


    unknown time!


    The wound was hidden on the back of the leg, and in the rush to start the race, neither Evadne nor the


    horse trainer had noticed it!


    !


    One look and it was clear – this was sabotage!


    Normally, an injury like this could be treated and bandaged in time for a full recovery. But after a few


    thousand meters of a frantic gallop, the wound had severely worsened, the pus mixing with the dark fur,


    flesh blurred and bone visible. The situation couldn’t be


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    worse.


    “Exin this to me!” Evadne’s voice was choked with tears.


    “Ms. Ashbourne! I had no idea. I really didn’t know how this happened!” The horse trainer was close to


    tears, shocked and fearful, “Wind was fine when I checked before the race. How did ite to this?!”


    “Evadne, Gene’s been with our family for years. He’s always been meticulous with the horses, and


    we’ve never had any incidents in over a decade.” Concerned, Cassius’s voice became steady once


    more, uttering in a deep voice, “But sometimes idents happen, and if someone is out to harm Wind,


    we’re vulnerable without being prepared.”


    Evadne took a deep breath, her body shaking with rage.


    Thaddeus knelt behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace,


    “Evadne, someone must have slipped into the stables and cut Wind’s leg before the race and then


    escaped quickly. Leave it to me; I’ll find the person responsible for hurting Wind.”


    Moved by his words, Evadne leaned against his warm chest, her eyes red as she sniffled. If he had


    said he was doing it for her, she might not have been as touched. But he was doing it for Wind.


    Her heart swelled with emotion, affirming that they both saw all creatures as equals, both kindhearted


    and empathetic.


    “The culprit must have some knowledge of horses.” Evadne analyzed calmly, “This cut was made with


    precision – any shallower and it wouldn’t have been this severe, but any deeper and I would have


    noticed before the race.”


    “The racetrack is crawling with horse aficionados. Where can we start?” Mr. Dn’s face was etched


    with worry and vexation. “Whoever yed dirty had two motives – One, to harm Evadne, which means


    we’d start looking among those with a grudge against her; the other, to sabotage the Ashbourne


    family’s horse, to ensure they lose the race and forfeit theirpetitive edge.”


    Thaddeus’s muscr hand tenderly caressed the small of Evadne’s back, his gaze darkening with a


    chilling glint.


    His deduction pointed clearly to one thing! Those with a score to settle with Evadne and those itching


    f?r a deal with the K Group were all there, a veritable hotbed of suspects!


    “Of course, there could also be other reckless individuals stirring trouble. But with the incident so


    sudden, we must focus on these two most likely motives,” Thaddeus added with a cold edge to his


    voice.


    Evadne lifted her perspiring face towards him, her eyes shining with admiration for the man before her.


    But she wouldn’t tell him that; she didn’t want to inte his ego.


    “Evadne! Are you alright?!”


    1


    2


    4


    At that moment, Avery arrived in haste, trailed by Harvey and several top–tier medics from Elmsworth


    in their pristine white gowns, all summoned at his urgent behest.


    “Gene, Mr. Lyle, please make sure Wind isfortable and have the tools ready. I’m going to operate


    on him myself.”


    Evadne, supported by Thaddeus, stood up


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    and said faintly, “And, I need a brace to stabilize waist. That’s all for now.”


    “Alright, after the race, I’ll take care of you,” Thaddeus replied, his voice husky, a pang of pain in his


    heart.


    They passed by Avery without a word, without a nce, as if he were thin air. The snub was more


    unbearable to Avery than a knife to the


    throat!


    “Evadne. Evadne!”


    No matter how Avery called out, Evadne never looked back.


    “Mr. Chambers, it’s clear Evadne doesn’t want to see you, nor does she require your help.”


    As Cassius brushed past, he dropped a mockingment, “The man Evadne needs has always been


    Thaddeus. With him by her side,


    she needs no one else.”


    Avery felt drained, as if all blood had been siphoned from him. He closed his eyes, reopened them, and


    they were bloodshot with fury.


    In the deserted infirmary.


    Evadne undressed in front of her man, revealing bruises in a rainbow of painful colors across her


    delicate skin.


    Whether it was the chill of the air conditioning or the heat of her anger, she trembled slightly, silent and


    facing away from him.


    Thaddeus took a deep breath, his usually unshakeableposure shattered by the sight of her


    injuries. His hands tightened into fists then loosened, visibly shaking.


    “Hurry up, we’ve got a lot to do,” Evadne urged softly.


    Suppressing the tears, Thaddeus awkwardly secured the brace around her waist, and wound the


    bandages around her with his lips pressed tightly together.


    To ease his worry, Evadne gritted her teeth against the pain, sweat glistening on her brow, yet she


    remained silent.


    Once he finished, Thaddeus could no longer restrain himself and pulled her into an embrace from


    behind.


    “Hey.” Evadne frowned in mild annoyance.


    His heart swelled with emotion, clogging his throat, and tears fell, burning her skin where they touched.


    After a moment, Thaddeus gasped, his voice choked with emotion, “Whoever dares to touch the


    woman I love is a dead man.”


    Evadne snorted lightly, enduring the pain to raise her arm and gently caressed his head, “I know you’re


    anxious, but I’m getting impatient


    too.”


    The atmosphere was tense,


    Although the K Group’s horse had triumphed, the tragic incident made it inappropriate for William and


    his son to discuss business deals right then. It would have been cold–hearted.


    After managing Evadne’s affairs, Cassius returned with a stern face. Before Emeric and Myra could


    speak, Ford rushed forward with concem, “President Ashbourne, how’s Ms. Evadne Ashbourne? Is she


    badly hurt?!”


    “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ford Morris. My sister is not in grave danger, just some cuts and a


    more serious injury to her waist, but Mr. Abernathy has seen to her. He’s with her now in the infirmary,”


    Cassius replied; his smile not quite reached his eyes, nor did his expression show any relief.


    Hearing that Thaddeus was with Evadne, Ford’s expression soured.


    “Thank God, by His grace,” William murmured caringly, crossing himself in a show of piety.


    Emeric, his face pale, seemed to regain some color with Myra’s support but stood up again, anxious to


    see his daughter.


    Suddenly, Gary frowned and interjected, “What about the horse? How’s it doing?”


    A hush fell over the group.


    “Mr. Fairhaven, I’ve asked, Wind is in bad shape. It seems the Ashbourne family’s trainers might have


    neglected a proper check, not noticing its leg injury. The horse barely finished the race and copsed at


    the end. It’s such a pity!” The secretary chimed in, clearly part of a rehearsed routine.


    “And what about Wind’s leg?” Edith asked, feigning concern.


    “It’spletely broken. They’ll likely have to euthanize it.“.


    “Oh, to be put down, how terrifying, how tragic!” Edith gasped, her eyes brimming with crocodile tears.


    But the smile hidden under her hand was sinister.


    “Euthanize? Wind isn’t terminally ill; why put it down?!” Myra was bewildered.


    “Myra, you don’t understand.” Gary said, taking on the role of the exiner, “The injury is close to the


    joint, leading to rapid infection. The best solution is amputation, but even then, survival isn’t likely for


    long. s, Wind was a thoroughbred, a champion of the tracks. But for a thoroughbred to be crippled,


    unable to gallop across the field of victory, that’s a fate worse than death. A humane end might be a


    mercy, a swift release from a life of suffering.”.


    “Humane? Calling for death when there’s life yet to be lived, that’s what you call humane?” Jareth


    red coldly at the scheming Gary, itching to administer a dose of his own twisted mercy right then and


    there.


    No, this scoundrel didn’t deserve an easy out. He deserved a gut–wrenching end, poison coursing


    through his veins, agony untold!


    Edith was a master of drama, tears streaming down her face in an instant, “Evadne knows her horses;


    she knows equestrian. When she mounted Wind, she should’ve felt his injury, right?”


    “Good heavens! If that’s the case, then Ms. Ashbourne’s actions are utterly ruthless, absolutely


    barbaric!”


    Glynnis seized the moment tosh out at Evadne, “All for a trophy, for that first–ce ribbon, she’d


    sacrifice an innocent life? Such behavior is utterly despicable! Mr. William Morris, Mr. Ford Morris, you


    both cherish these animals; can you truly ept such an oue?!”


    “Yes, Mr. William Morris. I hope you’ll reconsider before making your decision,” Gary chimed in, fanning


    the mes.


    Ford looked at his father William, whose silvery brows furrowed in aplex expression.


    Frederic and Barry, among others, felt their sinking hearts stir with anxiety, awaiting William’s verdict.


    After a moment, William’s gaze deepened, “About this partnership…”


    “Gary, for someone who barely rides, you sure seem to know a lot about horses. Thank goodness we


    can search it online, huh? It’s amazing how it lets you y the expert on the fly.”


    At that, everyone turned in astonishment. They saw Evadne, her smile chilling, walking shoulder to


    shoulder with Thaddeus.