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!”

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

fumed, influenced by Edith’s opinions. “You might handle Frederic, but can you really contend with Evadne? She’s

forget, she has

shouted, “You think if it weren’t for Suri’s proposal, you’d have any chance of securing this marriage? Look at the mess you 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 you think your father holds enough clout to challenge the Abernathy group?!”

Alston was speechless.

end. Yet watching her dance intimately with Aaron had stung

completely ruined your impression with Frederic. He’s known for holding grudges, and even if I didn’t speak up, he’d never allow his daughter to

don’t have what it takes to marry into their world. Give up

about the previous night’s events during his

every detail, including Suri’s lavish gift to Marilla and Aaron’s bold declaration of

been incredibly generous with our Miss Marilla. The welcome gift alone was worth over ten

an engagement with the

a mere trinket? Those Ashbournes probably have a vault full of such

boy,” Dennis scoffed. “Last night, Alston had the nerve

comparison between the

I’ve seen how Aaron truly feels about Marilla. Why don’t we call off the engagement with the Bartleys? A match with the Ashbournes would be a hundred times

slammed his hand down on the armrest, his face flushed with anger. “My son marrying 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

wisely chose to

set aside his personal feelings, he had to admit that Aaron, Suri’s son, was a

deep down that Alston had no real affection for his daughter; it was all about family arrangements. But the way Aaron looked at Marilla, with such genuine affection,

wasn’t

buzzed, startling him from his thoughts.

irritability, Frederic took a few rings before answering, “Dad, you wanted

you speak

“Go ahead.”

want to call off the engagement.”

voice pitched high in disbelief, “What did