His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 1138

Hans's sharp gaze also landed on Mason and the young girl sitting on the old man's lap. The girl was forcing a smile, the scene shrouded in a dim, debauched haze of filth and depravity. She wore a collar around her neck, just like the pitiful girls in the glass boxes, displaying a shocking number that represented her price.

Having followed Chad and witnessed the depths of human sin, Hans felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest the moment he stepped inside. Seeing these innocent girls humiliated and defiled made his heart ache with a sharp, twisting pain. He looked away, unable to watch, his fists clenching involuntarily.

The heavy curtain dropped completely, hiding the scene from their view.

Just then, a tall, burly foreign bodyguard emerged and, in fluent Chinese, asked them to leave.

Hans turned to go without a second thought, but Alexia kept looking back. In all her time with Chad, she had always been by his side during meetings, whether with Thaddeus or Avery. He had never once asked her to leave. This was the first time. The exception fueled her curiosity while also sending a faint, chilling dread through her.

Inside the dim, smoke-filled private room, Mason toyed with the woman in his arms. His slightly narrowed eyes were wicked, sinister, and wild, their true expression hidden in the uncertain light.

"Uncle, it's been a while. I hope you've been well," Chad said, his lips curved into a smile that was faint and tinged with an almost imperceptible stiffness.

"Well? I've been fantastic! With a filial nephew like you taking care of me, and so many young, beautiful girls to keep me company, how could I not be well? I'm living like a king!" Mason's murky eyes glared as his hand shot out and grabbed the girl roughly. She trembled in his arms, whimpering in pain but not daring to make a sound.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

Chad, who loathed the smell of smoke, lowered his long lashes and pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket. He casually held it to his nose and mouth, letting out a few muffled coughs. "Uncle, you summoned me all the way from Elmsworth to Helgen. It must be for something important. If that's the case, perhaps we should talk alone."

"Hahaha! My dear nephew is right!"

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle, but the problem you mentioned has already been resolved." The comment had completely ruined Chad’s mood for tea, but he still placed his cup down gracefully, a slow smile spreading across his face. "My brother and Ms. Evadne have broken up. It was a clean, and very unpleasant, split."

Mason raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Even if Thaddeus and Emeric got along well before, that connection is now severed. My brother has hurt Ms. Evadne repeatedly. No matter how much Emeric liked Thaddeus, Evadne is his most cherished daughter, the apple of his eye. When forced to choose, he'll naturally distance himself from my brother. He will no longer be an obstacle to our plans."

"See? This is why you're my favorite nephew!" Mason’s face, like a flipping book, instantly switched to a wide grin. "Thaddeus is just some bastard child Frederic sired after a one-night stand. How could he possibly be worthy of the esteemed Ms. Ashbourne? Only you, my dear nephew, are a perfect match for her."

Chad's inscrutable eyes showed no emotion, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. "You're overthinking it, Uncle. I merely wanted to weaken Thaddeus's power. And, as a bonus, let him have a taste of what it's like to lose."