Chapter 710


    Chapter 710


    Aaron’s arrival sent Matthew stumbling backward in an ungainly stagger, his scalp nearly bursting with


    terror!


    At that moment, four undercover cops streamed in, positioning themselves behind Aaron, forming an


    imprable wall of steel!


    Avery’s heart skipped a beat as the cops barged in unexpectedly, his sinister gaze flicking toward the


    unruffled Thaddeus. And thetter, meeting his malevolent stare, narrowed his dark, austere eyes ever


    so slightly.


    The thick air seemed charged with two sharp arrows shing viciously, or two formidable forces of Ice


    and fire invisibly confronting each other!


    Avery had nned to stage a grand spectacle tonight. Well, Thaddeus was about to fuel that fire, to


    burn it so fiercely that it would spiral out of Avery’s control.


    Mari, catching sight of the long–absent Aaron, lit up with a doe–eyed sparkle, Almost reflexively, she


    lifted her hand to wave, “Hey,”


    But then she felt a weight on her shoulder; she slowly looked up to find Jareth’s chiseled jawline


    towering over her, and her heart clenched tight, her hand falling back to her side, her gaze dropping,


    too timid to look Aaron’s way again.


    “What do you want?!” Matthew’s face paled with panic, his legs quivering uncontrobly inside his


    trousers.


    “Matthew, you’re under arrest for charges of bribery, embezzlement, and rape. Now we’re operating


    execution of arrest byw. This is the warrant.” Aaron’s voice cold and procedural as usual, as he


    shed the arrest warrant in front of him, “Do you understand what I said earlier?”


    “I don’t understand!”


    Matthew felt as if the sky had copsed on him in a deafening roar, his mind spinning, “What do you


    mean? What evidence do you have to arrest me?!”


    Aaron, a seasoned cop, had seen the depths of human depravity.


    Facing Matthew’s pathetic excuses, Aaron remained expressionless, yet each word he uttered


    resonated with irrefutable authority, “It’s not me seizing you; it’s thew, meting out justice and seeking


    retribution for the victims. Matthew, you have the right to remain silent. But for a man of the Chambers


    family, this is yourst shred of dignity.”


    Just as Aaron was about to cuff Matthew forcibly, the banquet hall’srge screen flickered to life. What


    followed were harrowing images and the heart–wrenching cries of young girls in agony! Each cry struck


    a chord in the hearts of those who still harbored a sliver of conscience!


    Though the girls‘ identities were obscured, Matthew’s monstrous face was unmistakably exposed!


    And all of this was broadcasted live by the media to the inte, spreading Matthew’s atrocities like


    wildfire across the nation. The Chambers Group’s attempts to suppress the truth were futile.


    With a chilling click, the cold handcuffs snapped shut around the wrists of the beast who had brutalized


    countless young women.


    “It’s not me. That’s not me in the video!”


    Matthew, scion of a powerful legacy, clung desperately to life even in the face of doom, “That video is


    fake! That’s not me in it!”


    “Then who could it possibly be?”


    Elva, with her serene and cold beauty, stepped firmly to the center of the crowd, her eyes brimming


    with deep–seated hatred, fearlessly locking gazes with Matthew, “These videos were copied from your


    study’sputer. By now, the police must have seized yourputer, and those files are


    incontrovertible evidence.”


    Matthew realized toote that he had been outyed by the woman he had trusted most! He


    remembered how she had acted out of normal behavior and seduced him in his study that night, a ruse


    to set him up!


    She didn’t have the brains or the guts for this, but now she seemed emboldened. Could it be?


    When he caught Evadne and Elva exchanging nces, his scalp tingled with dread, his neck muscles


    bulging with rage.


    “Bitch. You even conspired with outsiders against me! This isn’t the end!”


    Elva’s gaze remained calm and undisturbed as she watched the hideous man before her, her rosy lips


    curling into a smile, a single tear tracking down her cheek.


    Then, to everyone’s astonishment, she boldly slipped off her emerald evening gown, revealing her


    scar–marred body to the gathered crowd.


    “Elva.” Evadne gasped at the sight of the resolute and unflinching Elva, her soul shivering for the


    woman.


    Though covered only by a thin, white silk stip, the tangled scars on her limbs were a shocking, chilling


    sight.


    Matthew, in all the years I’ve been married to you, was there ever a day you spared me?”


    Eva’s smile was a tragic mask, filled with enough venom to tear him apart, “When you were upset, you


    hit me, when things didn’t go your way you hit me, you even forced me to sell my body to please the


    Chambers Group’s business associates. When t refused, you beat me mercilessly 1 survived not


    because you showed mercy, but because I refused to die. Otherwise, you would have killed me a


    hundred times over!”


    The brutal truth exploded like thunderps, one after another. Matthew was less than human, a vile


    creature, a demon devoid of all conscience


    And as the Chambers Group’s image which had been carefully managed by Avery began to crumble


    once again, the scandal exploded more fiercely, more violently, blindsiding everyone.


    The name Chambers Group” would forever be synonymous with every sin in this world. Their


    reputation, once at rock bottom, now struggled to rise, shaking even the foundations of one of the four


    great families.


    In that moment, Avery’s face drained of color, his cheeks twitching with suppressed rage. The image he


    had so carefully rebuilt was shattered once again.


    He knew that Thaddeus and Evadne were to me for this chaos!


    The scene descended into mayhem. Jeff suffered angina and, after swallowing a piece of quick–acting


    heart reliever, was promptly escorted out by his secretary and bodyguards.


    As Matthew was led away by the police, he red venomously at Evadne; still ranting madly. “Evadne.


    I know you’re behind all this! Just wait until I get out. I’ll kill you! And Elva! You sluts! I’ll have my


    revenge!”


    Thaddeus gaze hardened as he pulled Evadne into an embrace that was tight and imprable.


    “He’s all bark and no bite, just a dog yapping away. Touch me? He doesn’t have the guts.”


    Evadne nestled softly against his chest, her ears tuning into his thunderous heartbeat, a teasing smile


    gracing her lips, “Look at you, all scared. That’s not like you at all.”


    “I dunno what’s gotten into me, I’m scared, and I can’t control it.”


    Taking a deep breath, Thaddeus pressed his chin gently against the crown of her head, murmuring,


    “Evadne, Jeff will get Matthew out of this mess. He’s his prodigal firstborn, after all. And those charges?


    At most, they’ll put him away for twelve, maybe thirteen years. He’ll see the light of day again. So, his


    threats, they’re not just hot air.”


    “You’re spooked by his ghost stories?” Evadne lifted her delicate face, her eyes a tender storm as she


    looked at him.


    He shook his head, his hand cradling the nape of her neck as his lips softly brushed against her


    smooth forehead, “No, as long as


    I’m around, no one’sying a finger on you, I just regret letting you take such a risk. Should’ve never


    put you in the line of fire. From now on, you just strategize from behind me, okay?”


    “That won’t happen,” suddenly, Elva’s husky voice came.


    Looking up, they saw her dressed once again in the evening gown designed by Camille, tears


    brimming in her eyes as she approached them.


    “Ms. West, you’ve been through so much tonight.” Evadne’s eyes reddened, remembering how Elva


    hadid bare her deepest wounds for all to see, just to bring Matthew to justice.


    “I should be thanking you and Mr. Abernathy. Without you two, I could never have taken this step.”


    Elva was ovee with gratitude, struggling to find the words, “You gave me a chance at a new life.”


    “Ms. West, that’s too much.” Thaddeus replied with a gentle curve of his lips, his voice soft, “It was you


    who saved yourself.”


    Evadne chimed in, “Right, Ms. West, what were you trying to say earlier?”


    “Matthew’s never getting out of prison again.”


    Elva handed over a USB drive, her eyes zing with a vengeful red, “On here is a recording of


    Matthew on the phone that night, Last week, he had his way with a girl on a cruise ship. Seeking a


    thrill, he drugged her, leading to her sudden death.


    Then he hired the man on the phone to dispose of her body. I managed to record it while he was


    asleep and got the man’s number. The police haven’t been alerted yet; if you act fast, they should be


    able to catch his aplice quickly.”


    The news hit them hard. Although Matthew was a man of many sins, destined to be nailed to the pir


    of shame, the thought of another young girl falling prey to him still wreaked havoc on their hearts.


    *Also, my brother has gone to the station, ready to confess how he’s been cooking the books and


    embezzling funds for Matthew over the years. Ms. Ashbourne, Mr. Abernathy. We’ve done all we can.


    The rest is up to you. You can do it,” Elva spoke softly, her voice heavy with guilt.


    Unable to hold back her tears anymore, Evadne reached out and hugged her tightly, her own tears


    quickly soaking Elva’s shoulder. Under the relentless re of the media’s cameras, a contorted


    Matthew was escorted into the back of a police cruiser.


    As he was taken away, Aaron caught sight of Mari, securely in Jareth’s arms not far away. Even


    amidst the crowd, he could instantly find her delicate, lovely face an image seared into his heart,Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    indelible.


    Good, he thought. She was loved and protected, and that was all that mattered.


    With that thought, Aaron forced his intense gaze away, fearing that any lingering second might betray


    the secret he harbored.


    The Chambers Group was likely in for a sleepless night.


    With the three obstacles before Avery now fallen, he yet found no satisfaction. Whether it was fate’s


    cruel jest or sheer blindness of the heavens, what he desired always seemed out of reach.


    He longed for Evadne, yet was doomed to be her adversary. He sought Matthew’s penance to his


    mother, only for it all to crumble at the moment of fulfillment.


    As Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy, the unsung heroes, prepared to get in the car and leave after taking their


    revenge, Avery raced to intercept them.


    “Evadne, I need a word with you alone,” Avery’s intense gaze was locked on her as he struggled to


    catch his breath. His usually impable hair was slightly disheveled, a rare sign of disarray.


    Thaddeus felt a surge of protectiveness, his grip tightening around Evadne’s waist as his eyes filled


    with concern.


    But then, thedy gave him the assurance he needed, her rejection crisp and cold.


    “There’s nothing left for us to discuss. If you’ve got something to say, say it now.”


    “Why…why did it have to be today?” Avery barely held his emotions in check, a vein throbbing at his


    temple.


    “Why couldn’t it be today?” Evadne’s derisive retort was as striking as her beauty, “What, should I have


    checked the calendar before making a move?”