A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 709

Dean was caught off guard, unable to voice a word, when Yvan let out a mocking chuckle. In a swift motion, he pulled Matilda into his embrace, "As for those unsavory thoughts of yours, Mr. Dean, I'd suggest you keep them to yourself..."

His demeanor shifted instantly; what was a flippant smile turned into a gaze as sharp and deadly as a blade. If Yvan's words could kill, Dean would be in pieces, "Some people, you simply can't touch!"

The underlying threat in Yvan's words struck a chord in Dean, causing his face to go through a spectrum of colors. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Mr. Boyd, you...how did you get here? We haven't seen you around for half a year; we all thought you were off enjoying life somewhere..."

Oh, the sly fox, trying to worm words out of him.

Yvan's eyes narrowed into a sinister smile, his cold gaze sweeping around, causing everyone to hold their breath.

"I took a little trip to Australia, left the company matters to Matilda in the meantime. Any objections?" He delivered his prepared speech flawlessly, concealing the fact that he was merely an amnesiac, a stand-in for the real Yvan.

Dean shivered, "No, no, not at all. We just didn't expect you to show up out of the blue today, gave us quite the scare."

"It was more than just a scare, wasn't it?" Yvan pressed on, "A guilty conscience, perhaps."

He knew they mistook him for Matilda's ex-husband, which is why they were so afraid. Deciding not to correct their assumption suited him just fine; it played well into intimidating them further.

Holding Matilda closer, Yvan turned to her, "Why did you drink so much? Couldn't you have asked for help?"

Seeing Matilda on the verge of tears, Yvan's brow furrowed as he turned his icy glare towards Dean. The wrath of a man unknowingly devoted to his wife was palpable; his eyes sparkled with fury, "Talking business, why involve so much drinking?"

Although he was speaking to Matilda, his sharp tone was clearly directed at Dean.

Dean, cornered by Yvan's interrogation, looked desperately at his friends for support. However, sensing the shift in power, they quickly changed their tune, siding with Yvan to reprimand Dean.

"Yeah, Mr. Dean. I was saying, it's not right for all of us to gang up on Ms. Thompson, a single woman, right?"

"Exactly, she agreed to drink, that's bold enough. We should know where to draw the line, shouldn't be too harsh."

"I think you're right, Mr. Dean. Let's toast to Mr. Boyd instead. We're all old friends here, aren't we, Mr. Boyd?"

Their attempts to smooth things over, to give Dean an out while ingratiating themselves with Yvan, were slick to the point of being unassailable.

Yvan, still exuding an air of enigmatic authority, simply sat with his drink, an almost regal isolation surrounding him. His eyes held a more sinister mirth than before, lips curling into a smirk, "Mr. Dean, why aren't you drinking? Surely, you're not disrespecting me, are you?"

The very words Dean had used to coerce Matilda were now being used against him by Yvan, turning the tables completely.