Chapter 325
Chapter 325
Chapter 325
“What? ” The news struck like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone’s minds reeling in disbelief.
They thought, ‘Athena, who was once a cast –off, has suddenly become Mrs. Cavendish p>
Lizzie’s face paled with terror as she thought, ‘Doesn’t this mean Athena is now my aunt by marriage? ‘
“Lizzie!” Xander’s thunderous roar cut through the air. “Answer me, my wife came to this party unharmed. Why is she now
go weak. so gravely injured?” The force of his fury instantly made Lizzie’s knees
With a thud, Lizzie dropped to her knees, her eyes darting helplessly, her face pale with terror. “ Please calm down, Prince Xander,” she stammered. “It was … it was all Wade’s doing! That vile man tried to assault Mrs. Cavendish, and she only killed him in self–defense p>
Xander let out a cold, disdainful snort, clearly dissatisfied with Lizzie’s answer.
“You’d better give me a satisfactory response.” With that, Xander strode out, carrying Athena in his arms.
His trusted aide swiftly stepped forward and draped a cloak over Athena, concealing her disheveled state.
Right before everyone’s eyes, Xander took Athena away.
Some sighed with emotion, some watched with envy, while others had their composure completely shattered.
Lizzie collapsed to the ground, her face full of lingering fear.
‘Xander is ruthless. He’ll never let this go,‘ she thought, panic rising in her chest.
She remembered how, once, a prince had crossed Xander and was exiled to the barren wastelands as punishment.
Now that she was of marriageable age, she wondered if Xander wpi;d send her off to some barren, faraway land thousands of miles away.
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became, tears streamed down her cheeks.
She thought, ‘What should I do p>
Just then, a maid stepped forward and advised, “Your Highness, don’t panic. Hurry to the palace and seek help from the Queen Mother!
‘The Queen Mother has always doted on you, so she won’t turn a blind eye to this p>
Even if Xander was furious, he’d still have to give the Queen Mother face.
Lizzie took a deep breath, steadying herself. “Yes, yes, I must go to the palace and see the Queen Mother,” she said, her voice regaining a hint of composure.
With her maid’s support, Lizzie rose unsteadily and made her way outside, her legs still weak from the ordeal.
Ferris waited eagerly for Athena, his heart brimming with joy as he slipped a pair of priceless emerald bangles from his
sleeve.
Ferris wondered, ‘How should I propose to Athena when I see her?
Chapter 325
‘ She’ll surely blush at my words p>
The thought of seeing Athena so soon filled Ferris with a mix of nerves and excitement.
Just then, Ferris’s trusted aide exclaimed in alarm, “Mr. Mcgee, Miss Monson is coming out p>
Ferris, his back to the door, drew a steadying breath and turned around.
What met his eyes was a heart–stopping sight. Athena, battered and bruised, lay limp in Xander’s arms. Her eyes were shut tight, her condition unclear.
At the sight of Atheny, Ferris felt as if his heart had stopped.
Regaining his senses, he rushed forward in panic, calling out desperately, “Atheny! Atheny… ”
Xander’s guards swiftly blocked his path and sternly warned, “Mr. Mcgee, show some respect! You must not address the future Mrs. Cavendish by her nickname p>
Ferris’s eyes widened in shock. He stared at Xander, a mocking smile twisting his lips. “Future Mrs. Cavendish? Prince Xander, you know full well that Athena and I were about to be married. Why would you swoop in and steal her away from me p>
The blatant disrespect in his words was shocking.
Xander shot Ferris an icy glare but remained silent p>
He had already shown Ferris every possible consideration.
Carrying Athena in his arms, he walked past Ferris and said coolly, “I gave you your chance. You failed to seize it p>
With that, he strode away decisively.
Ferris was about to chase after them when Gale suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping him in a desperate embrace. “Ferris,” she pleaded, her voice breaking, “let’s go home first, please p>
“Why… why did it come to this?” Ferris cried out in despair.
Ferris collapsed into anguished sobs as the emerald bangles fell from his grasp, smashing to smithereens on the ground.
Xander didn’t just take Athena away. He also took Ferris’s entire future with him
Marrying Athena had been Ferris’s lifelong dream since childhood.
“Atheny…” Ferris’s anguished wail pierced the air.
Gale desperately covered Ferris’s mouth, choking back tears as she pleaded, “Ferris, please… don’t cry out like this p>
Athena was gone forever. She was now the future Mrs. Cavendish.
Although Gale still had no idea what was really going on, at least Athena was alive, and for now, that was all that mattered.
Ferris stared with bloodshot eyes as Athena disappeared into the distance. “It feels like my heart is leaving with her,” he thought, the pain almost too much to bear.
Suddenly, Ferris yanked Gale’s sleeve and cried out anxiously, “Mother, please, tell me, what in the world is going on? Why did Atheny become Mrs. Cavendish? And how did she end up so badly hurt p>
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Chapter 325
At the mention of this, Gale’s eyes welled
up
with tears.
She sniffled before recounting the whole story to her son, though she carefully omitted Lizzie’s involvement.
Gale thought, ‘Although I suspect Lizzie’s hand in this, how can I tell Ferris without any concrete proof?
‘Besides, with Ferris’s impulsive nature, if he ever found out that Lizzie had framed Athena and did something reckless out of anger, who knows what might happen p>
Gale shook her head, guilt weighing heavily on her. “It was all that monster Wade. He had ill intentions toward Atheny. He deserved to die p>
Ferris was completely shattered, his chest feeling as if it had been struck by a heavy blow.
The pain was so intense he could barely breathe.
Ferris thought bitterly, ‘I should’ve killed Wade when I had the chance. If not for him, Athena would never have become Mrs. Cavendish. She was meant to be my bride…
‘But I’m just a worthless cripple. How could I ever seek revenge?
‘If it weren’t for Athena, I’d be lying cold in a coffin right now.
‘I owe her more than I could ever repay p>
“Ferris, don’t do this to yourself,” Gale pleaded, her voice trembling. Her heart broke as she watched her son in such torment.
Gale seethed inwardly, ‘It’s all that wretched Ruth Mcgee’s fault. If she hadn’t seduced my husband, that bastard Wade would never have existed p>
Just then, Ferris suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Ferris! Someone help!” Gale screamed in panic.
Attendants rushed forward and carefully lifted Ferris onto the waiting carriage.
The Xander Manor stood heavily guarded.
Xander strode into the heavily guarded courtyard, Athena cradled in his arms. A group of imperial physicians stood waiting.
As soon as Xander appeared, they all dropped to their knees in unison.
Before they could utter a word, Xander cut them off with an icy command. “Skip the formalities. Tend to Mrs. Cavendish,
now p>
The imperial physicians exchanged bewildered glances, whispering among themselves, “Since when did we have a Mrs. Cavendish? ”
When they were summoned by Xander, they had assumed it was for his own illness.
After cooling their heels for hours, they didn’t expect to treat a woman.
The imperial physicians present exchanged bewildered glances.
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Chapter 325
Was it really necessary to make such a big fuss? ‘ one of them wondered silently.
Though the physicians were grumbling internally, none dared show even a hint of dissent on their faces.
The imperial physicians followed closely behind Xander and filed into the bedchamber.
Xander gently laid Athena on the bed. With careful hands, he slipped off her cloak, revealing the bruises and wounds that covered her body.
With an icy glare at the imperial physicians, Xander commanded, “Mrs. Cavendish is gravely injured. She’s hovering between life and death. Spare no effort in saving her. No negligence will be tolerated p>
The imperial physicians dropped to their knees in terror, voices trembling as they hastily murmured in unison, “Yes, Your Highness! ”
Xander stepped aside to make room as an elderly imperial physician with a white beard approached to examine Athena’s injuries.
The elderly physician frowned as he examined her.
He thought, ‘These are merely superficial wounds.
‘The girl remains unconscious simply from exhaustion.
‘How could this possibly be life–threatening p>
The elderly imperial physician instinctively glanced at Xander, only to meet his deceptively calm gaze, eyes like daggers, piercing and bone–chillingly cold.
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.