Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Chapter 37 the Stirling Group was facing a double whammy of product and trust issues. People were vowing to boycott the Stirling Group’s products left and right. Ives’ once pride and joy, with over 500 nationwide stores, had dwindled to a mere hundred within a week. Those that survived were barely holding on, resorting to drastic price cuts to avoid being stuck with their inventory, even if it meant selling at a loss. Seeing the ma**ive losses pile up day by day, the already frail Mr. Stirling finally succumbed. Una personally went to her sister for help. But Elspeth was too afraid to get involved again and could only watch from the sidelines. “Hamilton has issued a final warning. If anyone dares to help the Stirling Group, he will deal with them harshly. I’m living in someone else’s home, sis. I can’t even begin to describe the hardship,” Elspeth sighed deeply, taking her sister’s hand, and placing it in her own for comfort. “Although the Abernathy Group can’t lend a hand, I’ve asked Frederic to find a suitable date for Acacia and Thaddeus’ wedding as soon as possible. How about the first weekend after Mr. Hamilton’s birthday?” “Wait till his 80th birthday?” Una asked anxiously. She could wait, but the Stirling Group couldn’t! “I wish Acacia could marry Thaddeus tomorrow. But Mr. Hamilton insists on waiting till his 80th birthday. There’s nothing I can do.” Elspeth lowered her voice. “I heard that after leaving Thaddeus, Ms. Ilana started seeing the president of The K Group. She was whisked away by President Ashbourne the day she left The Abernathy Family. Many people in The Abernathy Family saw it.” Una had heard some of this from her son and was eaten up with jealousy. Her daughter for not having Ms. Ilana’s cu nn ingness. She still hadn’t completely won Thaddeus over, while Thaddeus’ ex-wife had already found a new wealthy partner. “Do you think The K Group’s attack on the Stirling Group had anything to do with something Ilana said to President Ashbourne?” Elspeth asked, stirring the pot with a puzzled expression.
A lightbulb turned on in Una’s head at her sister’s suggestion. She shot up from the couch, eyes ablaze with anger. “That bit ch! She ruined Acacia’s wedding, and now she’s trying to mess up our plans even though she’s already divorced from Mr. Thaddeus! Does she think she’s untouchable now that she’s got a rich new boyfriend?” “It’s hard for us to touch her.” Elspeth sighed, “After all, Ms. Ilana is now President Ashbourne’s girlfriend. The Ashbourne family is high up there, out of everyone’s reach.” “Right, the Ashbourne family… Is she, an ordinary woman, even worthy of them?”
Una was seething with jealousy, her eyes cold. But she suddenly had an idea. “Ms. Ilana always puts on a sweet act in front of Mr. Hamilton, pretending to be in love with Mr. Thaddeus, presenting herself as meek and mild. But she’s already betrayed Thaddeus. She’s secretly with President Ashbourne. How else could she have a new relationship so quickly! Wouldn’t it be great if we could expose her hypocrisy on Mr. Hamilton’s birthday, sis?” Elspeth gave a knowing smile and took a sip of her high-end English tea. “That’s a great idea, but it’s all your imagination. I didn’t say anything.” In the manager’s office of the K Orld Hotel. The screen was filled with blood, and screams echoed everywhere. Evadne, who was quick-witted and a fast reader, had finished reviewing all the documents and was now happily playing her favorite game. She loved defeating newbie players. Just as she slashed a game character, blood splattering all over the screen, Jason walked in and was so frightened that he quickly turned his head and shut his eyes. “Speak up if you have something to say or leave if you don’t.” Evadne’s fingers were dancing on the keyboard and mouse, making everyone marvel at her speed. “Ma’am, there are two interesting things to report.” Saying this, Jason covered the screen with one hand and quickly placed a set of documents in front of her with the other, then quickly withdrew. “Oh my… You’re such a scaredy-cat. How are you going to protect your girlfriend in the future? Next time I’ll take you to a horror escape room to bolster your courage!” With that, Evadne slashed another
character, causing another spatter of blood. “Awesome!” Jason could hardly keep a straight face. When the game finally ended with no survivors, she exited satisfied and picked up the documents. “Isn’t this the pawn record from our Ashbourne Pawnshop? Why was it brought out?” “These jewels and accessories were pawned by Acacia’s mother at the Ashbourne Pawnshop.” Jason smirked, “You’re really smart. You had me keep an eye on The Stirling Family’s movements these past few days, and sure enough, I found something new.” Evadne smirked, clearly amused. “I saw this coming. Without a move from the Abernathys the Stirling Group had no choice but to raise some cash.” “I thought they’d sell their house, but no, they just pawned some jewelry. Guess they’re still loaded enough to take the hit.” “They’re just burning their last bit of cash to keep the group afloat. Better to go out with a bang than to slowly bleed out,” Jason sneered. “This is what the Stirling Group gets for slandering us!” Evadne didn’t say anything else; she just idly flipped through the pawn records. Not many people knew that the Ashbourne family owned two large, reputable pawn shops in Crescentville and Skyrim, Since Emeric liked collecting precious antiques, he secretly opened these two pawn shops, hoping to get his hands on some unexpected treasures. With these two pawn shops, Emeric didn’t make much in recent years. After all, not many who stepped into a pawn shop could redeem their items. Suddenly, Evadne’s pupils dilated, her fingers trembling slightly. Seeing Ruby Enigma on the list, she felt a mix of mockery and resentment. Her eyes were about to pop from anger. This was the token of love Thaddeus painstakingly gave to Acacia. She fell in love with it at first sight two years ago when she saw him gazing at the pendant under the light. She always dreamed that the necklace could be hers. She wanted a gift from Thaddeus, even if it wasn’t expensive, even a rock would make her happy. But dreams were just dreams.
Thaddeus only gave gifts to those he loved. He didn’t love her, so she wasn’t even worthy of a rock. Now, Acacia had sold the man’s deep affection. Evadne wanted to laugh at this, but her eyes hid unspeakable sadness. “I wonder how Thaddeus would feel about this.” “What did you say?” Jason didn’t catch her words. “The Stirling family doesn’t know how to appreciate things. This necklace is priceless, and they only sold it for $700,000? We made a killing!” Evadne smirked, a mischievous look on her face. 12:10 Her phone rang then. It was her brother. “Brother!” Evadne’s laughter faded, her voice sweet. “Cas sius, how have you been? Tired? Need my help with anything?” Cas sius’ voice was full of tenderness. “I’m not tired, but don’t overwork yourself, remember to rest.” After a brief chat, Cas sius got to the point. “There’s a charity auction this weekend. Can you attend for me? Father tasked me to buy a Dante Chair, the budget is $10 million. But I have to give a lecture at the church this weekend, so… I have to trouble you to bid for the Dante Chair.” “Me? What’s my role? Can I go as the girlfriend of the K Group President, Cas sius?” Evadne asked teasingly, taking a bite of chocolate. “You can. As long as you go, you can decide your role. Maybe you could say you’re the lady of the Ashbourne family.” Evadne nodded while chewing her chocolate. Cas sius chuckled indulgently. “You rarely appear in the media or public. The high society of Elmsworth doesn’t know you, so you can go without worries.” “Okie dokie! But a budget of only $10 million is kinda small, what if I find something else I like?” “Then bid for it, I’ll reimburse you. We Ashbournes have a tradition, and once we participate in an auction, we must bid, we can’t let others have a chance.” Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
“Got it, Emeric’s family motto, take all opportunities, and leave none for others!” Evadne laughed, flicking her fingers lightly. “Good luck, Evadne. Don’t forget the Dante Chair.” After hanging up, Jason reminded her anxiously. “Miss Evadne, if we’re representing Mr. Cas sius at the charity auction, we should bring a collection. But if we prepare now, is it a bit tight?” “I’ve already prepared what we need.” Evadne’s lips curved into a playful smile, with a twin kle in her eyes. Weekend, Parkray Auction in Elmsworth.