His Ex Wife is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus)

Chapter 762

In the dead of night, Mr. Bartley summoned Alston to his study. Mrs. Bartley was already there, her presence a clear sign of the gravity of the discussion about to unfold.

“What? Call off the engagement?!” Mrs. Bartley shrieked in disbelief. “Timothy, are you out of your mind? The news has already spread like wildfire. I have the ladies from the country club practically fawning over me, showering me with gifts because our Alston is set to marry the Abernathy heiress!”

Her eyes blazed with the scandal of it all. “With the wedding just around the corner, you drop this bombshell on me. How am I supposed to show my

ace around them after this?”

“Dad! What’s going on? Why cancel the engagement?!” Alston, his face flushed with anger, recalled the evening’s humiliation. “Marilla had the audacity to hold hands with Mr. Ashbourne and dance with him right in front of me. I’ve been embarrassed already, and now you want to call off the wedding altogether?”

Edith had painted Marilla as a simpleton. But what sort of fool dares to flirt with another man in front of her own fiancé, to be so intimate in public?

The thought of it was maddening. He wanted to make her pay, to make her regret her indiscretion.

“If your dignity comes at the cost of my future, then I say your pride is a small price to pay!” Mr. Bartley’s words were shocking, his impatience written all over his face.

“What are you saying?!” Both mother and son stared at him, bewildered.

“Haven’t you seen it tonight? Aaron has fallen for that ‘simpleton‘,” Mr. Bartley said, sipping his tea with an air of self–satisfaction. “Suri approached me in confidence, asking me to break off the engagement.”

“If I agree to hand Marilla over to her son, she’ll back my campaign in the upcoming election. Chairman Emeric is also in the loop. If I refuse, they’ll throw their support behind my rival. Tell me, would either of you do differently?”

Alston clenched his jaw, and Mrs. Bartley was at a loss for words.

“My dear wife and son, this arrangement is nothing but beneficial for us!” Mr. Bartley lounged on the couch, legs crossed, transforming from a dignitary to a rogue in a heartbeat. “Firstly, Alston won’t have to marry the ‘simpleton‘ and demean himself. I’ll get what I want without owing the Abernathy group any favors, freeing us from Frederic’s influence.”

“Secondly, it secures my campaign financing and aligns us with the influential Ashbourne family. It’s killing two birds with one stone, isn’t it?”

Alston, desperate, interjected, “Dad, aren’t you oversimplifying things? The Ashbournes have a formidable reputation. I find Emeric even more daunting than Frederic!”

He’s abroad for treatment and probably won’t last two years.

terrifying than her father!” Alston fumed, influenced by Edith’s opinions. “You might handle Frederic, but can you really contend

let’s not forget, she has Thaddeus backing her!”

made tonight, acting like a cornered animal in front of Mr. Frederic. I’ve taught you better! Even if it’s an act, you have to maintain your composure. But you lost your temper in front of everyone! Do

Alston was speechless.

care for her; it was all a performance, a means to an end. Yet watching her dance intimately with Aaron had stung him deeply. It felt like a betrayal, as if they

impression with Frederic. He’s known for holding grudges, and even if I didn’t speak up, he’d

have what it takes to marry into their world.

about

detail, including Suri’s lavish gift to Marilla

gift alone was worth over ten

with the

frowned, his pride getting the better of him. “Bought by a mere trinket? Those Ashbournes probably have a vault full of such baubles.

Aaron is leagues better than that Bartley boy,” Dennis scoffed. “Last night, Alston had the nerve to publicly criticize you. I wonder what’s eating at

the mention of this. The comparison between the

about Marilla. Why don’t we call off the engagement with the Bartleys? A match

an Ashbourne girl and my daughter wed to an Ashbourne boy? As if my children have no other prospects but those Ashbournes!” he fumed, his pride wounded.

wisely chose to remain

mirroring Frederic’s mood. If he set aside his personal feelings, he had to admit that Aaron, Suri’s son, was a far superior match for his daughter than

it was all about family arrangements. But the way Aaron looked at Marilla, with such genuine affection, couldn’t be just for

wasn’t

phone buzzed, startling him from his thoughts. It was

a few rings before answering, “Dad, you

you speak freely?”

“Go ahead.”

to call off the

heart skipped a beat, his voice pitched high in disbelief, “What did you say?!”