Chapter 500
Chapter 500
Edgar felt his world crumbling as the prosecutors approached him. His legs turned to jelly, and in full
view of everyone, he copsed to the ground!
All over social media, headlines red the same news – Edgar was under arrest.
Quick to react, reporters swarmed Jeff.
“Mr. Chambers! What’s your take on your son–inw’s arrest?”
“Were you aware of Mr. Gardner’s shady dealings?”
“Has Mr. Gardner been scratching your back during his tenure? Has he been funneling benefits to the
Chambers Group under the table?”
Jeff felt his blood boil, his face ashen.
He’d thought Matthew would handle everything, but people from the DA’s office had still broken
through, led by none other than Emeric’s second son, Arnold!
Both prominent moguls, yet here was Emeric’s boy, arresting his son–inw, making a mockery of him!
If only he’d known, he would have slipped away in the confusion. What a blunder!
“Dad! Let’s get out of here!” Matthew rushed over, helping his father towards the exit.
Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.
The reporters were relentless, trailing them closely as Jeff struggled forward. In the chaos, Jeff’s shoe
was trampled off!
“Oh, my shoe!” Jeff awkwardly lifted his bare foot.
“Dad! Who cares about your shoe at a time like this? We need to move!” Matthew, sweating profusely,
dragged his father onward.
So Jeff hobbled away with one shoe, fleeing the scene in a sorry state.
“Look! Why’s there a shoe here?”
“Is that Jeff’s shoe? Was he so panicked that he lost it? So funny!”
The reporters snapped pictures of the shoe and erupted intoughter.
As Edgar was escorted out of the venue by the DA’s men, his legs dragged behind him as if stricken
with polio, too terrified to
move.
Across the street, Evadne and Thaddeus watched everything unfold.
Gordon had already brought out the champagne, his face beaming. “Congrattions, Mr. Abernathy,
and Mrs. Abernathy. A power couple, indeed!”
The couple clinked their sses, a sparkle in their eyes as they looked at each other with affection.
“Thank you, Thad, for lending me a hand. It’s been a pleasure working together,” Evadne said, her
eyes shimmering with unspoken emotions, her beauty taking his breath away.
“I didn’t do much, it was all-”
Thaddeus nearly slipped and called her his “wife“, his heart skipping a beat. He quickly corrected
himself, “It was all you, Evadne, with your careful nning and strategy. I just did my bit to support.”
He envied those like Jareth who could so openly embrace Mari and call her his wife, without a care in
the world.
But he had no right toin. He had missed too many chances at happiness.
Now, reunited, it was a miracle.
He would be content just to be by her side, even as an unnamed protector.
Evadne saw her brave knight flustered over a slight slip of the tongue and moved closer, her graceful
arm wrapping around his neck as she nted a kiss on his jaw.
Gordon discreetly stepped out of the car, the mark of a good secretary being to see and hear nothing.
Thaddeus’s breathing deepened, his strong hand caressing her waist. “Evadne, stop tormenting me.
My iron will crumbles before you.”
Her voice, soft and sweet, whispered promises into his ear, “As my man, you have been strong.
Tonight, I’ll reward you
The g, crucial for Elmsworth, ended in a bizarre spectacle.
Edgar’s corrupt career wasid bare, igniting public outrage. Even the President took notice, ordering a
thorough investigation of Gardners and any officials connected to them, to purge the rot of corruption.
The political arena was on edge, and Edgar was despised more than ever.
The Chambers Group also suffered, its reputation tarnished, under close scrutiny.
Jeff, scrolling through social media on his way home, saw his lost shoe turned into a viral meme –
“Mogul’s Choice: You Deserve It!” – and in a fit of rage, he threw his phone, shattering his car’s
windshield.
Arriving homete at night, Jeff couldn’t sleep. He summoned everyone to the living room for an
emergency meeting.
Byron stumbled in, still drunk, until a sharp p from his father sobered him up.
Avery watched with detached amusement, propping his head with his fist, enjoying the spectacle.
“Someone’s clearly behind this! Who dares to target the Chambers Group?” Jeff roared, nearly
smashing the expensive coffee table.
After decades ofmanding respect, he had never been so humiliated. His face and even his shoe
were lost. His anger wouldn’t be quelled without repercussions.
“Dad, with Edgar arrested, it’s a big hit for us,” Matthew mused darkly. “First things first, we need to cut
all ties with him. Anything we gained through his position that could benefit the Chambers Group, we
must destroy the evidence, and fast. The President’s involved now. It won’t be long before they’re
knocking on our door.”
“What? Arrested? Why?” Byron, bleary–eyed and clueless, struggled to understand.
“You damn fool! All you care about is booze and women. You couldn’t hold a candle to your brothers,
not by a long shot! For the love of God, can you tell me how I ended up with a son who can’t even get it
up?” Jeff’s patience with Byron had evaporated, and in a fit of rage, he hurled the insult like a dagger
straight for Byron’s pride.
The very mention of impotence made Byron’s blood boil. He despisedparisons to his brother
Avery, and despised even more any insinuation of sexual inadequacy.
Well, there his father went, doing the jitterbug right on top of hisndmines.
“It’s all thanks to that quack, Evadne!” Byron spat out, his eyes aze and breathing like a bull in a
ring, “If that self–righteous hack hadn’t botched my surgery, how the hell would I be in this mess? She’s
to me, that witch!”
“And who did you just call a witch?” Avery’s voice sliced through the tension, his pale lips barely
moving as he locked his icy gaze on Byron, a chilling threat simmering in his eyes. “Say it again. Who’s
the witch?”
Byron’s heart skipped a beat, and he stumbled back into the couch, his voice suddenly weak. “It’s all
Evadne’s fault! She operated on my leg for heaven’s sake. How does that mess with my manhood?
She must have sabotaged me!”
In the past, Byron wouldn’t have flinched at Avery’s provocations. But now, crippled and out of favor
both in thepany and with their father, he didn’t have the guts to confront him.
“Hah, Byron, Dad says you’ve got crap for brains, and you’re in such a rush to prove him right?” Avery
adjusted his sses, a scornful smirk on his lips. “If Evadne wanted to harm you, she wouldn’t have
saved your leg. She’d have left you paralyzed. Are you suggesting she cured your leg only to cripple
your sex life? Hrious. Keep that kind of stupidity within the family, will you? Don’t go embarrassing
the Chambers Group in public.”
“You!” Byron was seething, his face as red as a beet.
“Enough! Stop buzzing around like an annoying fly!” Jeff rubbed his temples, headaches splitting his
head. “Who has the guts to leak such damning evidence? Who can sidestep security and broadcast it
for all to see? Who has this kind of power?”
“Who else but the Bartley family? They’ve always been at our throats, especially with the elections
coming up. They’re out to get us, that’s for sure,” Byron muttered bitterly.
“No, it’s not the Bartleys.”
Matthew’s voice was certain, “From what I know, they don’t have the means. Even if they had some
dirt, they wouldn’t release it during such a crucial meeting. It’s not in their interest, and it would only
bring them trouble.”
Suddenly, it clicked for him, and he clenched his teeth, “I have this nagging feeling, this kind of sneaky,
ruthless move smells like Evadne’s work.”
“Evadne? That little brat?” Jeff was taken aback.
“Matthew, do you have proof?”
Avery’s eyes darkened with suspicion. “You’re not throwing mud at a girl just because she put you in
your ce over Byron at the Ashbourne’s, are you? You’re the CEO of a major corporation. Is that
really all theposure you’ve got?”
“I’m not making wild guesses. After that incident with Byron, we pretty much dered war on the
Ashbournes. You heard what Evadne said, didn’t you? With her vengeful nature, she was bound to
come after us. And look, here we are.”
Matthew’s eyes narrowed with cynicism, “Avery, at this point, you can’t still be dreaming of being the
Ashbournes‘ son–inw. Can’t you be a little more ambitious? The Ashbournes are dancing on our
heads, and who led the charge to nab Edgar? Evadne’s brother Arnold. They expose everything, and
Arnold swoops in. Coincidence? I think not.”
Avery clenched his fists, fury taking his breath away.
“If Evadne was to strike, why go after him?” Byron began, but as the words left his mouth, it dawned on
him, and a cold sweat trickled down his back.
Originally, he and Bertha had conspired against Nydia. Could it be that Edgar was just a decoy? Was
Evadne’s real target Bertha?
“Dad! Matthew! You have to help Edgar!” In a frenzy of tears and smeared makeup, Bertha burst into
the room, her plea filled with despair. “Edgar has worked for the Chambers family for years. You can’t
abandon him now!”
“And you have the nerve toe crying here?” Jeff rose furiously, pointing an using finger at his
daughter. “Edgar’s finished, and if you have any sense, you’ll distance yourself from that mess! If you
don’t let go, I’ll disown you. Don’t drag the family down with you!”
Bertha stood stunned, swallowing her grievances, unable to utter a word.
“Bertha, the prosecution will summon you soon. Be prepared,” Matthew said as he ced a heavy
hand on her shoulder. “And we’ll arrange a press conference. First, you’ll publicly apologize for Edgar’s
actions and show your willingness to do what’s right. Second, you distance yourself from him, deny any
involvement in his deeds. Lastly, you’ll speak for the Chambers Group, try to salvage our reputation.”
Bertha’s mind was a mess, blindly nodding along to Matthew’s instructions.
Avery stayed silent, the reflection on his sses concealing his thoughts. He despised his family’s
crooked ways, but he had no desire to see the Chambers Group crumble. Otherwise, he’d inherit
nothing but ruins.
Let Matthew clean up the mess.
He’d just wait and reap the benefits.