His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 823

Jareth's piercing gaze suddenly narrowed, and for a moment his vision blurred,

"Dead?"

"Yes. It was gruesome. By the time they found her body, it was nearly unrecognizable."

Dean's brow furrowed tightly as he spoke in a hushed tone, "The autopsy showed she'd been assaulted, had severe STDs, her body was in a terrible state."

Jareth closed his bloodshot eyes, the hand holding the basin clenched tight, his veins standing out as he trembled slightly,

"By whom?"

"Many."

Dean's tongue clicked against his teeth, "Edith hadn't arrived long before she was sent to an underground club. It was basically a high-end brothel, where girls catered exclusively to the elite and powerful from overseas."

"It's said there's only one way out of that place: to be played with until death. Even if Edith hadn't been killed, her fate would've been the same."

Jareth's pale eyelids drooped.

A mix of intense, bitter emotions tore through him, leaving him speechless.

He despised Edith, no question.

As he watched her board that smuggling ship, leaving her to fend for herself in a foreign land, his heart still burned with hatred.

But upon hearing of her tragic death, he couldn't muster any resentment. It felt as if a dark void had been carved out of his chest, decades of love and hate plunging into an endless abyss, never to be seen again.

"Mr. Fairhaven, forgive me for saying, but I think there's no need for you to grieve for Edith, even though she was your own sister."

Dean's eyes were icy with loathing, "If not for her, Marilla wouldn't be in this state, and if not for her, the master and the entire Fairhaven Group wouldn't be like this."

"An eye for an eye, and we've not shortchanged her."

"Tonight, you'll head over to the country and bring back Edith's ashes."

Jareth's expression darkened as he spoke, "Then, investigate what she went through there."

"Mr. Fairhaven!"

"Dean, I'm not seeking revenge for Edith. What's done is done. Now that she's dead, all hatred should be laid to rest."

Jareth suppressed the turmoil within, his gaze regaining clarity, "I've heard of that underground club. Whoever sent Edith there must have known about the Fairhaven Group. He targeted Edith secretly for two possible reasons—to vent anger or to silence her."

Dean's mouth fell open in sudden understanding!

"He might have schemed with Edith in the past, but now it's all over. However, we must be wary of him targeting the Fairhaven Group again."

Dean nodded vigorously, "Understood!"

As they made their plans, people from the Abernathy Group approached them.

"Jareth!" Hamilton smiled warmly, waving at him.

Jareth quickly handed the basin to Dean and wiped his wet hands on his trousers before hastily moving forward.

"Grandpa, Mr. Frederic," he bowed deeply.

"Look at this young man, always so polite. Even as chairman of the Fairhaven Group, he's still humble—a rare quality," Hamilton beamed with pride.

Frederic once saw Jareth as nothing more than a frivolous playboy.

Now, as he watched him grow, Jareth had become increasingly impressed.

Jareth joined the Abernathy men as they entered the hospital room to visit Marilla.

The girl resting on the bed slowly opened her soft eyes at the sound of their arrival.

"Oh."

"Marilla, my dear child, I'm here to see you."

Hamilton sat by the bed, gently stroking his granddaughter's hand, tears lurking in his weathered eyes, yet he tried his best to smile, "Heh, you've put on a bit of weight. It seems Jareth's been taking good care of you."

"You should feed her a bit more, fatten her up like a little piglet!"

"Dad, what girl wants to be compared to a pig?"

Frederic chided with an involuntary burst of laughter, "Besides, she wouldn't look good in a wedding dress then."

Jareth had decided to quietly tie the knot with Marilla on that day. He had planned a grand, romantic proposal, but Marilla, who saw right through his intentions, turned it down.

She didn't even want a wedding ceremony.

She had always struggled with severe social anxiety. It was only because of Lily's companionship that she had managed to step out of the shadows of her inner self.

But now, Lily was gone.

She had retreated back into her corner, curling up away from the world, terrified of contact with anyone other than her family, which made her deeply uneasy.

Considering Marilla's mental state, a grand wedding was out of the question.

For Jareth, who wished to give his beloved the world, this was a profound disappointment.

That evening, Jareth called Evadne and Thaddeus to vent his frustrations.

"The ceremony doesn’t matter as much for you two,"

Evadne sat before her vanity, eyes comfortably squinting as she enjoyed Thaddeus' hairstyling, her phone on speaker, "You and Marilla have been through life and death together. The whole world is a testament to your love. No wedding, no matter how lavish, could compare to that. It's more important that you make Marilla comfortable. Forget about appearances and the shallow judgments of others,"

The mention of the wedding made Thaddeus' heart ache with a soft pain.

Did he even have the right to be dishing out advice to Jareth?

He owed his own woman a grand wedding.

He owed Evadne so much that even if he turned his bones to dust, to steep in her tea or mix with her meals, it wouldn't be enough.

"Ah, gentle, be gentle." Evadne murmured softly as Thaddeus' hand inadvertently pressed too hard.

"Sorry, did I hurt you?" Thaddeus snapped back to the present, his breath heavy.

"Mmm, it's a bit dry lately, maybe some oil?"

"Sure, darling," Thaddeus' voice was tender and accommodating.

"You two are too much, picking on me because my wife's sick, huh?"

On the phone, Jareth's voice was stiff, a shiver running down his spine, "When you two lovebirds are enjoying your blissful married life, maybe spare a thought for a regular guy like me!"