Chapter 621
“You seem amazing.” Odalys continued teasing him with a smile.
Percival’s lips curved into a smile at her praise.
He lifted his hand, gently covering her small hand, enveloping her delicate palm as if he wanted to protect her. The heat from his palm traveled through her fingertips and reached her hand.
The tingling sensation made their hearts skip a beat.
As if they were electrocuted, they quickly withdrew their hands.
“Just like Percival just said.” Odalys concealed her moment of awkwardness.
Orson didn’t notice their little movement and just scratched his head. A huge question mark was written across his devilishly handsome face.” Sophia’s fingers are injured by sulfuric acid. She won’t be able to hurt anyone for a while.
“Odalys, you also mentioned she’d always wanted to get close to Edie. The two women have been testing each other, and now that her hands are injured, will Edie still think much of her?” Orson voiced his doubts.
Odalys didn’t speak again.
She turned and walked toward the bedroom.
Pushing open the door, she saw Edie and Hannah sprawled on the sofa.
Apparently, she had used a charm to knock them unconscious when she came in. They were still unconscious and knew nothing of what had happened in Bennett Villa.
Odalys continued, “Why wouldn’t Edie think much of her? Isn’t marrying Henry all about integrating herself here and getting what she wants?
“Although I don’t know what she wants, it must have something to do with the Bennett family. Someone is doing her dirty work for her, so why would Edie refuse?
“Besides, she’s put a curse on Henry. Isn’t she trying to control him? Sophia is offering herself up on a silver platter. Why wouldn’t Edie take advantage of that?”
Henry had been dealing with things upstairs. He had just come down when he heard Odalys’s words.
He froze, staring at Odalys in disbelief. His eyes flashed with panic and unease. He rushed over and asked, “What do you mean she put a curse on me?”
“What? You didn’t notice the pain in your chest this morning after you argued with her?” Odalys said as if she knew everything.
Henry recalled the argument he had quarreled with Edie when he came back, and then his chest had ached badly. But it had returned to normal afterward, so he hadn’t thought much of it.
“Then what should I do? If she puts a curse on me, do I have to do whatever she says? Am I going to die?” Henry panicked.
He was afraid of death and didn’t want to die.
Under his leadership, the Bennett Group had finally made a name for itself. Although the Bennett Group had now gone bankrupt, he was still unwilling to accept it. He would die with regrets if he died like this.
“You’re probably not going to die.” Odalys glanced at him.
Without another word, she walked out.
Orson hurriedly followed behind her, cheerfully acting as her little follower.
The bodyguards were a little surprised to see him like that. After all, Orson was the eldest young master of the Lark Group, a man of great influence since he was born, but now he was cheerfully following behind Odalys.
“Odalys, Henry has been cursed. You mentioned Atlas and Caspian being possessed.” Orson jabbered on.
There were too many things he wanted to know.
Odalys walked outside and stopped. The sun was just right at that moment, shining warmly on her.
She looked up at the sun and was in a daze for a long while.
Odalys coldly said, “Wasn’t it a test? So I beat the shadow and soul that occupied Windsor’s body out of him and let them turn to Atlas and Caspian.
“Let’s see how Olive and Brandon react when they find out. Brandon had previously beaten Windsor back to his original form. He could tell at a glance.
“I want to see what Brandon does next. From that, I’ll determine which member of the Bennett family is related to him by blood.”
That was the bait she threw out to lure out Brandon.
“So, someone erased the bloodline?” Percival walked out and asked after he finished talking to Henry.
Odalys raised her hand before her eyes, blocking the strong light. Then she slowly lowered her head and looked at the green grass at her feet. She said, “Someone must have covered it up, and I can’t see it clearly. It stands to reason that the bloodline is easy to see, just like the line on you and Edie is faint, as if it is about to break.
“I’ve wondered why the bloodline is usually solid, but yours is dashed.
“I suspected your relationship with Edie before. But looking at the Bennett family, I was even more surprised they didn’t even have dashed lines. I felt someone had done something behind their backs, and I couldn’t see it.
“In fact, I can if I want to see it, but it’s too energy-consuming, and it may even hurt me. It’s not worth the loss.”
She didn’t want to waste her energy on such trivial matters.
“Then don’t look, and don’t worry about it!” said Percival after hearing her words. His handsome face instantly lost its color.
Magic things were energy-consuming. If one’s energy and spirit were consumed too much, it would hurt one’s body. However, what Odalys said was more serious than hurting her body.
Odalys said, “Don’t worry. I know my limits. Only Sophia, Henry, and I know what happened today. No one else in the Bennett family does. I blocked Hannah and Edie’s perception while they were unconscious.
“Then, no one will sympathize with Sophia even if she wants to play the victim. Plus, her hand is injured, so Edie will be suspicious of her.
“I just want them to fight amongst themselves. It’s best not to interfere with them until they expose the person behind them. Otherwise, we will be passive if they are too restrained.
“It surprised me that Sophia restrained herself time and time again and didn’t use her trump card even when she was injured.
“She should have a way to contact the person who’s been enhancing her luck behind the scenes. It is the one who drew the Love Spell, but she didn’t. It’s a bit of a headache.”
Percival looked thoughtful after hearing that and glanced around.
“Could it be that the person is not in Crownridge?
Or his whereabouts are unknown?” Percival asked suddenly.
If the person was in Crownridge, it wouldn’t make sense if he was able to stay calm.
All of the person’s plans had been ruined, but he was still able to remain silent. It was really hard to believe.
“That’s possible. Maybe the person, like my master, is in a remote mountain, unconcerned with worldly affairs, or in seclusion without contact with the outside world.” Odalys said.
It was common for people in the Magic Sect to be in seclusion and retreat from the world for several years.
Percival said in a deep voice, “Speaking of your master, I recall Henry once sent his bodyguards to the mountain to kidnap him. My men followed to stop them, but strangely…
“Henry’s men lost their way on the mountain.
They didn’t encounter anyone but suddenly fell and sustained serious injuries and were forced to retreat.”
Chapter 622
Percival found the incident weird and unusual at that time.
“If it’s related to what happened to your father, the other party’s age should be about the same as your father’s or even older than him,” Odalys analyzed.
At the mention of his father, Percival’s eyes welled up with complex emotions.
“It’s a pity that my master is in seclusion and doesn’t concern himself with worldly affairs. Otherwise, I would have asked him about it,” Odalys said.
Percival stood shoulder to shoulder with her, bathed in the sunlight. Their shadows stretched out long and intertwined on the ground, seemingly inseparable.
“Do you think my father knew your master? I don’t know if the expert I met back then was your master,” said Percival frankly.
All the things he had encountered these days were strange, which made him wonder if his encounter with the expert was just a coincidence.
“I don’t know. It just feels too coincidental,” Odalys said.
It was like an invisible hand was guiding and controlling everything.
And she hated it most when others controlled her life. No matter what, she wanted to destroy everything and rebuild it. She would never let anyone lead her around.
Percival said, “I feel the same way. Everything is too coincidental, including when we were chasing the location of the Simpson family’s ancestral home, which led us to the intersection of the junction of energy, and then we accidentally entered the time tunnel and saw the scene of my father’s accident.
“There is no denying the junction of energy or the Time Tunnel is related to my father.”
In both accidental encounters, he saw things related to his father.
Perhaps his father’s accident was the most crucial link.
Odalys said, “Speaking of the junction of energy, I think of the time we saw ourselves in the era around the 1920s.
Later, the emerald that Celeste gave me has memories of those years.”
Then Odalys asked boldly, “Why don’t we test it tonight?”
“How do we test it?” asked Percival, who frowned after hearing her words.
Odalys said, “I’ll tell you when we get back tonight. I’ll see if we both can see the memories inside the emerald at the same time. Maybe we can find out why we can see these things, and what happened back then.
“It feels like everything is in a constant loop, or that someone is deliberately guiding us back to discover it. I don’t know if any of this is your father’s doing.”
She had said before Percival’s father might have been personally involved.
If he was personally involved, the matter might have been more serious than they had imagined, so he needed to bring the whole thing to light himself.
Thinking of that, Odalys’s heart couldn’t help but feel heavy.
“Odalys continued to analyze, “What was your father trying to tell us? He led us to find my astrological signs under that thurible when we were at the junction of energy.
“From the very beginning, someone knew I was going there or wanted to deal with me.
“But you went in first and eventually led me to follow you.”
It felt like everything had been designed. All was coincidental, yet seemingly reasonable.
“If he knew your astrological signs, it’s possible it was 20 years ago when you were born. I’m a few years older than you. My father had an accident soon after you were born.
“But my grandpa has set his sights on you and believes if I marry you, you will bring me good luck,” said Percival, following her train of thought.
They were both suddenly startled and looked at each other.
It was as if something flickered in their minds, getting closer and closer. They tried to catch it but couldn’t.
“Odalys.” Orson ran over at that moment, interrupting their conversation.
He ran up to them, panting. He looked around Bennett Villa. He was relieved to see there was no one outside except the bodyguards Percival had brought with him.
“What’s wrong? “Odalys asked.
Orson looked inside Bennett Villa and whispered, “Sophia seems to have fainted. Henry asked what we should do now.”
Odalys said, “Let her be. She’ll wake up eventually. Even if she does, her hands are injured. She’ll be thinking about treating her hands first and won’t have the energy to deal with us.
“Hannah and Edie will wake up soon, too. Let’s go.”
She had always been resolute and hated procrastination.
The main reason Odalys came here today was Oliver was severely injured by a backlash. Sophia would make a move.
So Odalys came to directly cut off Sophia’ s plan, forcing her to contact Edie.
She pushed them toward the Simpson family, wanting to see if they could still keep their cool.
Maybe the person behind the scenes could be forced out in this way. Otherwise, it would never be a good thing for the other party to hide in the dark.
“The Simpson family are so calm, I want to blow up their house.” Orson was furious.
Odalys stopped in her tracks when he said that.
Orson was a little scared, so he scratched his head quickly and asked, Odalys, what did I say wrong?”
Odalys said, “Find someone to report it and seal up Edie’s villa in the East District.
Maybe that will make Edie desperate. After all, Zachery’s brother-in-law has been arrested.
“Just shake things up and let the police investigate. It involves Edie, who definitely won’t be able to sit still.”
The main reason was Edie was too calm.
“I’ve made arrangements before I came,” Percival said suddenly.
He expected Odalys would make the next move, and the villa in the East District last night must be a good push. So he had made arrangements and would act immediately when Odalys mentioned it.
“Damn. Percival, do you know what Odalys wants to do? You two are so telepathic.” Orson was shocked again. Upon seeing his surprised look, Odalys couldn’t help but laugh.
“By the way, how is the research on Dangelo’s medicine going?” Odalys asked. Dangelo had been living in the VIP ward of the hospital since the car accident. Many wealthy people in Crownridge had cancer or similar diseases. On Odalys ‘ advice, Orson checked and found they might all have been infected with the virus planted by someone else.
They wanted those heirs or those in power to get sick or have cancer to cause chaos in wealthy families.
Apparently, they were targeting wealthy families, and what wealthy families were not short of was money. If wealthy families were in chaos, businesses would be in chaos. Some people could take advantage of it.
“There has been progress. Mr. Drake also proposed he is willing to try medicine. I have also talked to Stellan, and he said he supports Dangelo’s approach,” Orson said.
Medicine must be tested by someone, and it must be tried by one who has the disease.
Generally, rich people were not willing to test medicine. After all, if something went wrong, they might lose their lives. These wealthy people who had cancer were all afraid of death, and no one was willing to do it.
Chapter 623
So Dangelo stood up for the reason.
“I’ll go to the hospital to see him later,” Odalys said.
Although she didn’t go to the hospital, Dangelo and Sienna kept in touch with her and even sent her money from time to time, asking her to buy delicious food. They treated her like a little girl.
She had never experienced the feeling in the Bennett family, but the Drake family and the Tillery treated her like a little girl. “Okay. I’ll go back to the hospital later and make arrangements,” Orson said quickly.
Finnian died, and Orson needed to go back to dealing with it. He couldn’t let Clarence be too sad. Although Clarence said he didn’t care, Orson was still worried that he would be sad.
“Shall we take down the villa in East District first?” Orson asked, rubbing his wrist.
He had the feeling that being by Odalys’s side recently gave him the chance to truly showcase his skills.
“I’ve had Callum arrange for manpower,” Percival said.
Even injured, Callum couldn’t stay idle. Though he was not physically present, he remained involved, overseeing the
bigger picture and acting as a strategist.
“As for the girls on the list who have died, the police are now involved in the investigation. They’ve made it clear that families who prioritize sons over daughters and sell their daughters are breaking the law. Those parents who sold their daughters have been arrested,” Percival said.
He was always known for his efficiency and thoroughness in handling matters. “Okay,” Odalys replied in a low voice.
They hadn’t wanted to act rashly before, but the deaths of these girls were truly horrific.
They were never loved by their parents and were ultimately sold by them. They ended up dying a miserable death at the hands of others and then were used in posthumous marriages. Even if they had agreed to it, their lives were still cut short at such a young age.
It would be a lie to say it didn’t sadden them.
“Those girls were taken to have posthumous marriages after their deaths, dressed in red wedding gowns… Could they become vengeful ghosts?” Percival suddenly wondered.
It was said that a woman who died tragically in the red wedding gown would eventually turn into a vengeful ghost.
Although it was just a rumor, it would be troublesome if it were true.
Odalys said, “Vengeful ghosts are those who die with grievances and tragic deaths. These posthumous marriage brides mean they are bound after death and can not be reincarnated. They will be trapped by the men’s side and serve them.
“To put it bluntly, it’s like in ancient times. Once a posthumous marriage bride was married, she would be trapped in a house and unable to get out, being toyed with by men. She could neither live nor die.”
It was the sorrow of women.
“Odalys, what is Edie asking these girls to be the brides of posthumous marriage for? Who were the girls having posthumous marriage to?” Orson was confused.
For a posthumous marriage, the other party must be dead. After death, the other party had the need and wanted to get married. For that reason, the other party’s living family members would find a suitable marriage partner for him and marry him.
It sounded creepy, and normal people wouldn’t do such a thing.
“The Simpson family,” Odalys said.
Upon seeing Orson’s puzzled expression, Odalys had no choice but to explain,” Edie has always served the Simpson family and is obsessed with helping Quinton, her younger brother. She is willing to give everything to Quinton, even if she is eventually kicked out by the Stewart family.
“It is the thought and idea that is in her bones. She believes she lives to fight for the Simpson family. However, she seems to feel something is wrong, so she does that privately, perhaps to protect herself. “She wants to use posthumous marriage as an excuse to form a team that she can control and let those girls who had posthumous marriages be used by her. But if the matter is exposed, the Simpson family will not be able to pursue her.
“So someone in the Simpson family must have died, and it did require a posthumous marriage. Edie wanted to get by, which meant she and the Simpson family should not be as harmonious as they seemed.”
Otherwise, Edie wouldn’t have put up in Bennett Villa.
With her previous arrogant lifestyle, she wouldn’t have stayed in Bennett Villa.
Unless she had nowhere to go, or maybe the Simpson family forced her to stay in Bennett Villa.
So the question came back to the fact that the Bennett family had something she or the Simpson family wanted.
As for what it was? That was unknown.
“Edie’s position is not so firm,” Percival added.
Odalys nodded in agreement.
All people were selfish. Especially after coming into contact with the Stewart family and then being controlled by the Simpson family, how could Edie be willing to suppress her interests for them? Even she, who prioritizes her brother’s well-being, would develop resentment over time.
As long as their hearts were not united, there would be disagreements.
“If that’s the case, Percival, I feel like it’s not even certain she’s your biological mother. Didn’t Odalys say your bloodline with her is a dashed line?” Orson suddenly had a revelation.
The dashed line meant it could be false, or it could be that there was no direct kinship.
Orson continued, “But Edie is coming after Bennett Villa, and so are Oliver and Brandon. Bennett Villa is eerie. With the Bennett family going bankrupt, it seems like there’s nothing to gain.”
“But the fact that these people are going after the Bennett family is truly odd.”
It stood to reason that everyone would avoid such a family. Getting involved with it would only bring endless trouble. However, they chose to get involved, which was even stranger.
“That’s why I said there’s something wrong with Bennett Villa,” said Odalys. Not only was there something wrong with Bennett Villa, but there was also something wrong with the members of the Bennett family.
“Forget it. My brain can’t handle this. I’ll go back to the hospital and make arrangements. Odalys, are you coming over tonight?” Orson became somewhat anxious.
“Yes. I’ll be there later,” Odalys said.
Orson made an OK gesture and said, ” Good. I’ll let my father know. He’ll probably want to join in on the fun when he hears you’re coming to the hospital tonight.
“I’ll give him a call first. I’m out of here.” Orson said, turning to leave.
Back at the hospital, he could shine in his field of expertise.
Otherwise, he didn’t understand magic, and his brain wasn’t functioning well. Listening to them talk so much, he felt like many of his brain cells had died. It was just too brain-consuming!
“I’m leaving.” Orson strode away, waving to them.
Percival watched Orson flee in a hurry and couldn’t help but chuckle. It was easy to see Orson was a little embarrassed. Knowing Orson’s character, Percival knew what he was thinking.
“Let’s go back, too. Freya and the others are done filming this afternoon, and they’ve all gone to Magic Entertainment to have coffee with Evander.” Odalys said.
After what happened to Francis, and with the filming almost finished, Zachery applied for half a day off for them.
Stellan and the others went straight to Magic Entertainment when Odalys arrived at Bennett Villa.
“Okay,” Percival responded.
He had no objections to what she said.
As they walked out, Hannah and Edie also woke up. They looked at each other in confusion. After realizing something
was wrong, they quickly got up and walked out.
As soon as they walked out of the door, they saw Odalys and Percival in the distance.
“Odalys,” Hannah saw Odalys’s figure and quickly walked over.
Chapter 624
After drinking Oliver’s runes potion, Hannah’s injuries had all healed. Now, she rushed over in a few steps to block Odalys’s way.
Odalys frowned at the smell of medicine on her.
Hannah shouted angrily, “What are you doing at Bennett Villa? Didn’t you say you were breaking up with us? Why are you back? Do you think I’ll forgive you if you come back? Don’t forget what you did to the Bennett family.
“It’s all your fault the Bennett family has become what it is now.”
She thought of the other day when she had made an appointment with Evander to open a room, but he stood her up and reported her by name, which led to her being arrested by the police. After the incident came to light, she was too ashamed to even leave her house.
Now, she was seeing her worst enemy when she saw Odalys.
If Odalys hadn’t stopped her from joining Magic Entertainment, she wouldn’t have had to resort to contacting Evander directly, and things wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand.
Odalys scoffed sarcastically, “Ms. Bennett, do you blame me for your current state, or are you angry that your plan to frame Evander backfired, leaving you humiliated after he reported you?
“You’re at such an old age, yet you’re trying to set a honey trap?” Thinking of the Thoeyae forbidden scents found in the hotel room, Odalys couldn’t help but see Hannah differently.
No one would have imagined Hannah would set her sights on Evander. “You…” Hannah flushed as she wished for the ground to swallow her whole. She glared at Odalys before turning her attention to Percival. Gritting her teeth, she pointed at Odalys and said, “Mr. Stewart, look at how she speaks to me, her mother.
“She’s my daughter, but so disrespectful to me! She even tried to harm me, and I almost died because of her! Isn’t she just abusing the Stewart family’s name to do whatever she wants?
“Hurry up and divorce her! Otherwise, she will ruin the Stewart family’s reputation.
“You were supposed to marry Sophia. It was Odalys who impersonated Sophia’s, which led to her being taken away by the Stewart family. I didn’t want to say this, but Odalys has gone too far,” said Hannah, twisting the truth.
She just wanted to smear Odalys’s name and force her to return to the Bennet family with nowhere else to go.
Besides, now that Odalys was thriving, it made Hannah feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Hannah didn’t want to admit she had bad taste, nor did she want to believe she was blind to fall for Sophia. Therefore, she could only vent all her anger on Odalys.
Percival coldly said, “Really? If I remember right, weren’t you worried I was dying and afraid Sophia would become a widow if she married me, so you wanted to force Odalys to marry me in Sophia’s place?
“But if I remember correctly, my grandpa always said he wanted me to marry Odalys, the real daughter of the Bennet family! Not Sophia. What qualifications does Sophia, an adopted daughter, have to talk about marriage for good luck?
“Have you kept her by your side for so long that you treat her as your flesh and blood, or was Sophia originally your illegitimate daughter?
“You, as Odalys’s mother, slander Odalys before me like this. Is this the upbringing of the Bennet family? Do you want to ruin her reputation, destroy her marriage, and even seduce the people of her husband’s family?”
Each word he uttered pierced Hannah’s heart like a needle.
She was dumbfounded, never expecting Percival to defend Odalys like that.
Percival’s voice was as cold as ice as he added, “Or do you believe Sophia has the same demeanor as you once did, so you deliberately protect her, Mrs. Bennett? Do you see her as a source of pride?
“As far as I’m aware, Mrs. Bennett, you were an orphan taken in by the Bennett family, not even a child bride. You forced Windsor to marry you after he was drunk and had one night of intimacy with you.
“Whether Windsor was truly drunk or drugged that night, only you know the truth, don’t you?”
Hannah couldn’t help but shiver.
It was a secret known to no one, yet Percival revealed it effortlessly.
She stared at Percival in astonishment. She was surprised he would expose her past.
Odalys was amused by Percival’s words. It was the first time she had witnessed Percival delving into someone’s past, deliberately bringing up her painful things.
He was always aloof and above exposing such disgraceful matters.
However, he was exposing Hannah’s unbearable past in Bennett Villa, turning her face livid with panic flashing in her eyes.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Hannah rebuked, utterly lacking confidence.
As soon as she said her words, she saw several figures emerge from Bennett Villa.
They were Atlas, Caspian, and Henry. They stood not far away, having heard Percival’s words. They stared at her in disbelief.
“Percival Stewart, are you deliberately slandering me just to stand up for Odalys? No matter what, I am still Odalys’s mother. Is this how the Stewart family teaches you to publicly slander your elder like this?” Hannah was furious.
She had always put on airs at home, acting like a wealthy lady, and had never embarrassed herself in front of her sons.
Now the way they looked at her made her feel extremely ashamed.
Percival said coldly, “What kind of elder are you? What qualifications do you have to stand in front of me and call yourself Odalys’s mother? Have you ever done anything remotely motherly?
“How the Stewart family teaches me depends on how you treat my wife. Odalys is my wife, a member of the Stewart family. What right do you have to slander and deny her before me?
“What does it have to do with you whether she is good or bad? How dare you judge her in front of me?
“You’re the one who’s setting a bad example. Who can you blame? If you want to meddle in other people’s business, you should take care of yourself and your adopted daughter, instead of gossiping in front of me. “You don’t even want to let my grandpa go. How dare you talk about manners and self-esteem before me? Are you even worthy, Hannah Bennett?”
Odalys was stunned. She looked at Percival in disbelief, thinking she had misheard.
She had never seen him confront anyone so angrily! Every word he uttered stabbed Hannah’s heart, exposing all her ugliness.
Her bloody past was laid bare before the Bennett family.
At the same time, it also shattered the Bennett brothers’ perception of Hannah.
“You… you…” Hannah’s eyes rolled back in anger, and she nearly fainted.
Upon seeing that, Odalys quickly took out a silver needle and stuck it into her body to prevent her from fainting on the spot. Just as Hannah was about to faint, Odalys forcefully poked her awake. Hannah grimaced in pain. Upon seeing Odalys was about to give her two more silver needles, she was so scared that she immediately woke up and dared not faint again.
“You… You!” Hannah said angrily as she backed away.
“Mrs. Bennett, are you still dizzy?” Odalys asked, swaying the silver needles in her hand.
Hannah stared at her silver needles, and her eyes rolled back, but she didn’t dare to faint again. Her lips trembled, but she couldn’t utter a word.
Chapter 625
Odalys watched Hannah back away. Then she strode forward and grabbed her arm.
“Ah!” Hannah screamed as she watched her raise the silver needle again and stab it into her arm.
It felt like ants were gnawing at her when the needle pierced her skin. It wasn’t particularly painful but was itchy and uncomfortable. Hannah stared wide- eyed, not expecting Odalys to do it.
Hannah roared, “Odalys Stone, you bitch! Why do you have to do this to me?
“Are you trying to kill me? Will you only be satisfied when I’m dead?”
Odalys withdrew the silver needles and looked at her with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah, I want you dead. What about it? Do you think I can’t bear to see you die? Do you think I have feelings for you? Save it for someone else. You can’t guilt-trip me.
“Even if it gets exposed, I’m not afraid of being smeared. Anyway, I’m just a piece of trash. Besides, someone has been helping me with the lawsuit I filed against you for abandonment.
“Remember to appear in court in two days,” Odalys reminded her.
Hannah almost forgot about it if Odalys hadn’t mentioned it.
‘Netizens helped her sue me, thought Hannah.
Everyone wanted to see her ruined. Hannah was unconvinced and felt like she was about to die of anger.
Hannah couldn’t figure out why Odalys had become like that.
“How dare you sue me! You even learned to sue me from those netizens? I am your mother!” Hannah snapped.
As soon as she finished her words, Odalys grabbed her arm and lifted her. Odalys said, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re my mother or not. What matters is you seduced Windsor and deliberately got pregnant to marry him. And you must have taught Sophia all these over the years.
“Now that you have made the Bennett family like this, you should explain to your sons why Sophia did the same thing you did when you were young.
“Don’t let them misunderstand and think it’s society’s fault! After all, it was all your style back in the day,” Odalys pushed Hannah forward.
Hannah was pushed forward, nearly falling to the ground.
Looking at her three sons standing before her, she saw their faces were grim, staring at her in disbelief as if she were a stranger.
“Sons, don’t listen to their nonsense; I didn’t!” Hannah tried to explain.
Atlas stood there with a dazed expression, lost in thought.
He and Caspian were the most affected. Their bodies were constantly jolted by something trying to press them down. Their minds were in turmoil, as if something was pressing down on them from above, suffocating them.
“Let’s go,” Odalys said.
Percival watched her vent while he stood silently by her side, guarding her.
At first, he was worried she wouldn’t retort, but he didn’t expect her to let out her anger, which made him secretly relieved.
‘It is good for people to vent; otherwise, even if they look like they don’t care on the outside, keeping it bottled up inside for a long time will be bad for their health. Grandpa was worried she was suppressing her emotions before,’ thought Percival.
The members of the Stewart family were fiercely protective of their own.
Once they accepted Odalys, she became their cherished treasure, and they would naturally look after her and worry about her being bullied.
“Okay, let’s go home,” Percival responded.
He picked up the car keys and walked out. A gust of wind blew, and a fallen leaf landed on Odalys’s hair.
Percival reached out to remove the leaf. His fingertips brushed against her cheek. A tingling sensation spread from his fingertips, and Odalys’s face flushed.
She subconsciously quickened her pace, noticing Percival was frozen in place.
“Let’s go home,” said Odalys, walking back.
She reached out and grabbed Percival’s wrist, pulling him along. As she led the way, Percival deliberately slowed his pace, as if walking slower would allow her to hold his hand for a little longer. The inexplicable feeling of his heart skipping a beat was unfamiliar yet enjoyable to him.
Odaly strode forward with light and carefree steps. The events at the Bennett family hadn’t dampened her spirits, and Percival’s mood lifted along with hers.
Henry stared at Hannah with red eyes behind them.
“Mom, didn’t you and Dad get married after falling in love?” Henry asked coldly.
Hannah’s lips moved, but she couldn’t say anything.
“So, did Sophia learn the method she used on Dad from you?” Atlas was also shocked.
Caspian didn’t say anything but looked at Hannah with a complicated gaze.
He had always been rational, even stepping out of his role as a participant to view everyone from the perspective of a bystander. That was why he had remained on the sidelines when the Bennett family was in trouble.
He even moved out before anyone noticed a problem with Bennett Villa.
If there hadn’t been a problem with the illegal construction of the house, he would never have moved back.
Hannah laughed at her exasperation.
Looking at her sons, whom she had raised, questioning her because of the words of Odalys and Percival, she also wondered if it was right or wrong to have given birth to them.
They started to act all high and mighty after a little something happened as if she owed them something.
“Do you think you are noble? Or did the Bennett family raise you to think you are superior? What are you questioning me about? If I hadn’t slept with Windsor, would you be where you are today?” Hannah said with a cold laugh.
Her heart turned ice cold at that moment.
Then Hannah was even more certain that if she had the opportunity, she would seize it to get close to the Stewart family. If she could get pregnant with Evander’s child, she wouldn’t have to suffer their anger.
Hannah thought, ‘What good could come from a child raised in this kind of family?
‘No wonder they are different from Odalys. It is the energy field of the Bennett family that is messed up.’
Facing their argument, Odalys and Percival didn’t look back. They got into the car. Odalys turned her head and looked in the rearview mirror, finding Edie looking at her through the floor-to-ceiling window upstairs.
She turned her head back and looked at Edie.
“She’s been staring at us,” Odalys said. Percival followed her gaze and saw Edie drinking coffee calmly as if it was none of her business, and as if the affairs of the Bennett family had nothing to do with her.
“She is probably the one who is only concerned with her well-being. Nothing matters to her unless she benefits from it.” Percival said in a deep voice.
Odalys didn’t say anything. She saw Edie lift her coffee cup in her direction.
A sneer curled her lips. After rolling up the car window, Percival drove off.
At the second floor in Bennett Villa.
As Edie sipped her coffee, savoring its rich aroma, a look of disdain in her eyes threatened to spill over. She turned gracefully as her phone buzzed with an incoming call.
Upon seeing the number, Edie’s smile froze.
“Didn’t I say don’t contact me unless it’s important?” Edie snapped.
Chapter 626
Edie hated it when people contacted her without permission.
To her, everyone was her servant and did her bidding.
If someone contacted her proactively, it was like lowering her status. Even though she was kicked out of the Stewart family, she still saw herself as superior.
“Something’s wrong,” the person on the other end of the line said anxiously.
Edie’s eyelids twitched when she heard something was wrong.
“What’s the matter?” Edie’s hand holding the coffee cup trembled.
A sense of foreboding washed over her. She slammed the coffee cup on the table. The person on the other end of the line said, “The police sealed off the villa in the East District.
“They also found out about families in Crownridge who favor sons over daughters and have been selling their daughters. All the parents who sold their daughters have been arrested.
“And now the list of girls who were sold is out. The police are tracking them down. All of our people have been arrested, and the guys who were involved last night were also taken away from the hospital.”
The person on the other end of the line sounded terrified, as if they had been caught red-handed.
Edie felt like she was going to have a heart attack.
She thought, ‘How did the police find out after all this time? Girls from such families are sold, and no one can know about it as long as their parents don’t report it.
‘Even if someone asks, just tell them the girls had no money to go to school, so they went to work in another city.
‘There’s no way anyone would suspect me. Now the villa in the East District has been sealed off and people have been arrested. Everything I’ve worked so hard for is gone.’
“How could it happen? Didn’t I tell you to be more discreet? Why are the police watching us?” Edie yelled, not caring about her image.
Her recently maintained face seemed to have aged several years at that moment.
She was so angry that she was trembling. She wished she could crawl through the phone and give those useless fools a piece of her mind.
The man said, “I don’t know. There was no warning at all. The police just showed up. I just ran out. The police are searching for me everywhere. I think I’m going to be arrested soon.
“Boss, check out the Bennett family. They brought someone over for a posthumous marriage last night, then something went wrong.
Did they call the police after they left?”
Then the call was cut off before Edie could speak.
Edie’s mind kept flashing back to the scene last night. The villa was covered in blood. Her men were injured. Many of them were seriously injured and lying on the ground. The place was a mess.
“Sophia Bennet. Yes! It’s her.” Edie murmured.
She jumped to her feet, accidentally knocking over the coffee cup. It clattered to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Edie walked outside without stopping to clean up.
“Help! Let me out!” Sophia’s voice came from inside the room.
Edie froze. She noticed Sophia’s bedroom door was locked from the outside, and Sophia’s voice was hoarse as if she had been calling for a long time. She quickly smashed the lock open.
With a bang, Edie kicked the door in.
She saw Sophia sprawled on the floor, a foul stench permeating the room.
The bed was a mess with bits of flesh scattered on the sheets and a few things that looked like teeth. Edie recoiled in disgust.
“Help me! Get me to the hospital, quick! My hands, my hands!” Sophia cried out as Edie rushed in, frantically raising her hands.
Edie looked at her raised hands.
Her once-delicate hands were now a bloody mess. Her nails seemed to be detached from her fingers. The sight was shocking.
“Burned by sulfuric acid?” Edie asked, finding it hard to believe.
Sophia practically crawled toward her, nodding repeatedly. “Yes. Henry did it.
“Edie, please take me to the hospital. I need to go to the hospital. I can’t lose my hands,” Sophia murmured.
She used to look down on Edie and would never have called her name.
But now she needed Edie’s help, so she had to call her. Upon hearing her calling, Edie came to her senses.
“I can take you to the hospital, but you have to promise me you’ll do whatever I say afterward.” Edie immediately made her demand.
Sophia nodded repeatedly.
Edie was still not reassured. She took out her phone and recorded a video, making Sophia admit it in the camera before putting her phone away and helping her up.
As she helped Sophia out, Henry’s figure blocked their way.
“Where are you going?” Henry asked.
He watched as Sophia leaned against Edie, looking frail and vulnerable.
Edie glared at Henry, not giving him a damn of respect.
“Step aside. Where I take her is none of your business,” Edie said sharply.
As far as she was concerned, Henry had no right to interfere in her affairs.
Upon hearing Henry’s voice, Sophia recoiled like a startled bird, shrinking behind Edie. She glared at Henry with her eyes filled with hatred.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Henry and Odalys were in cahoots.
‘When did it happen? I have been working tirelessly to drive a wedge between the Bennett siblings, turning them against each other and keeping them away from Odalys. So why is he listening to Odalys now?’ thought Sophia. “Move,” Edie demanded.
She had a sneaking suspicion that Henry was involved in Sophia’s injury.
‘Odalys and Percival had just left Bennett Villa! And I blacked out for an hour just an hour ago. I had no clue what had transpired during that time,’ thought Edie.
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became.
Edie thought again, ‘What were Percival and Odalys doing here?
‘The villa in the East District was sealed by the police, and my men were arrested. Was Percival involved?
‘Or someone from the Bennett family escaped last night. Did Odalys have anything to do with it?
‘It seems I have underestimated them. I always thought Odalys and Percival were clowns who couldn’t make any waves, and I never paid any attention to them.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s time to teach them a lesson.’
“Call the police, Edie. Call the police quickly.” Sophia didn’t care about anything else.
Now she just wanted to escape from Bennett Villa. Looking into Henry’s eyes, she panicked. Henry looked at her flustered look and thought of what Percival had said. He turned sideways and stopped blocking their way. Edie helped Sophia walk downstairs.
“Have you seen Dad?” Henry suddenly asked.
Atlas and Caspian’s faces became pale when they heard Henry mention Windsor.
They immediately told him what had happened at Film Capital. Henry had no idea what had happened before, but Odalys notified him to go and pick up the person.
“So, Dad wanted to ambush Francis, but Odalys saw him. She also notified you to go over?” Henry was a little surprised.
He didn’t expect Odalys to take the initiative to contact them, just to lure them into the trap.
Chapter 627
It seemed Odalys had planned everything. She was using all of them as tools.
“Yes. She said she injected something from Dad’s body into ours.” As Atlas spoke, he felt an intense itching in his body.
Caspian didn’t say a word, as if he was enduring something.
Henry said, “Let’s go and see where Dad went. Now that something has happened to the Bennett Group, and he hasn’t been back from abroad for many years, he has no friends in Crownridge. He has nowhere else to go but home.
“But he’s not back yet. Something must have happened to him.”
Upon hearing that, Atlas quickly lifted his foot to follow.
However, Caspian did not follow. He just stood quietly at the railing, watching the figures of Henry and Atlas hurriedly leaving. It took a long time before he looked away.
“Who is it?” Caspian suddenly asked.
Just as he finished his words, it seemed as if someone was talking in his ear.
And the person who spoke might be the thing Odalys was talking about, the thing that was knocked out of Windsor’s body. It was the thing that had been burrowing inside his body, trying to suppress him.
It was a pity that the voice was distant. It disappeared before he could hear it.
Caspian was deep in thought until Hannah awkwardly went upstairs. The two stood in the corridor, looking at each other, but said nothing.
“Mom, why did you take Brandon in?” Caspian suddenly asked.
Hannah stood there, looking awful.
Caspian added, “Dad mistakenly thought you were cheating on him, but you are afraid of him when I watch you with Brandon. Are you taking him in to use him against Dad or do you have another reason?”
Hannah remained silent.
She did not expect Caspian to ask these questions.
“Since Oliver and Brandon moved into Bennett Villa, there have been strange winds at night! We are all getting weaker and weaker, and even having a streak of bad luck. Mom, do you know what you are doing?” Caspian continued to question her.
He seemed to know everything and yet knew nothing at all.
Hannah said nothing. She turned and walked into her bedroom, slamming the door shut with a loud bang, giving Caspian no chance to continue his questioning.
“Damn it.” Caspian was so angry that he kicked a vase aside.
He thought of the scene of the posthumous marriage last night, and the scene of Sophia hurting someone. Henry, as if he had lost his soul, was being pushed onto the auction block at a nightclub.
Everything overturned his cognition.
No one was normal, as if they had been manipulated.
“I can’t stay in this house for another day. I have to find a way to leave, or the next person to die will be me,” Caspian said calmly.
Without saying another word, he went back to his room to pack his luggage and left with it.
At 4 p.m., inside Magic Entertainment.
It was a lively scene inside. Incense smoke curled from the thurible, and many fresh flowers and fruits were placed beside it. They were offerings from believers who had come to pray.
“Evander, don’t move. Let me do it.” Freya rubbed her hands together and held the old man’s hand.
Dorian was so worried that he paced back and forth.
Selah and Francis also came closer. Their heads touched as they stared at the chessboard.
Freya and Evander sat opposite each other, playing chess. Evander wanted to take back his move, but Freya caught him red-handed. They almost quarreled. The onlookers were so nervous that they were sweating.
“Dad,” Stellan answered the phone and got up to leave.
Dangelo’s voice came from the other end of the phone.
Stellan’s palms were sweating with nervousness, and he asked with a heavy heart, “Do you want to try medicine? What if the medicine doesn’t work?”
Everyone knew Orson had been working on medicine recently. Now the medicine was out but needed someone to try it to see if it could swallow cancer cells.
If the cancer cells were swallowed, it meant the developed drug could effectively inhibit the growth of these cells, and then the cancer could be cured.
Dangelo said, “You don’t believe in others, but don’t you believe in Odalys? The prescription she gave must be fine. Besides, I have cancer, and it’s the most difficult kind. Even if I don’t take medicine, I won’t live long.
“I want to try it. I just discussed it with your mother. I’ll try it later! If it works, I will still stand up for you and let you try the entertainment industry.
“But if the medicine fails and I can’t support the company for you, you have to go home and inherit the family business and guard your mother for me.
“Your mother likes to pretend to be strong. In fact, she was a little woman when she married me. She pretended to be a strong woman to work hard with me. She has worked hard these years.
“She has never had a good life with me. She is busy all day long. If something happens to me, remember to be nice to your mother.
“After you get married and start a business, if your wife doesn’t like your mother and doesn’t want to live with her, you take good care of your mother. Don’t let her be wronged.
“Also, your mother loves Odalys. No matter what happens in the future, you have to discuss it with Odalys. Don’t be impulsive.” Dangelo spoke as if he was making arrangements for his end of life.
Stellan felt incredibly heavy.
He stood there, and the scorching sun shone on him, but he didn’t feel the heat at all.
He was an only child in his family, spoiled by his parents since he was a child. He had never experienced any setbacks. Now facing these, he couldn’t bear it in his heart.
“Okay.” Stellan wanted to say something but said nothing in the end.
He was not a hypocritical person, nor did he know how to comfort people. The only thing he could do was to do everything to the best of his ability so as not to worry his parents.
It wasn’t until he hung up the phone that Odalys’ s voice came from behind.
“What? Do you have so little confidence in my prescription?” Odalys asked.
Her words startled Stellan. He quickly turned around and saw Odalys gnawing on an apple, leaning against the wall. She stared at him faintly with a smile.
“Odalys, why are you here?” Stellan panicked a little.
He felt like he was getting caught talking behind someone’s back.
Although he didn’t speak ill of Odalys, Dangelo called him to give instructions in case of an accident. In fact, it was not that they didn’t trust Odalys ‘ prescription but were afraid of accidents.
“I just came back and saw you answering the phone with a heavy heart, so I came to take a look,” Odalys said.
She pointed to the side, and Stellan turned his head to look. Sure enough, he saw Percival’s luxury car parked not far away.
Stellan rubbed his fingertips in embarrassment. He walked toward her and saw her throwing an apple at him. “Have one,” she said.
“Thank you.” Stellan took the small apple and bit it.
The aroma of the apple spread through his mouth. He stood there, shoulder to shoulder with Odalys, eating apples in silence.
Chapter 628
Stellan and Odalys heard laughter coming from inside as they ate their apples.
“Coming. Coming,” Freya’s voice sounded out.
She cheerfully carried the chair, and Selah also carried things out. Francis and Percival carried the shelf. Dorian and Evander carried the cups.
Soon they set up the barbecue grill and put two tables outside.
Dorian was prepared, bringing out a lot of delicacies.
“This is?” Odalys was a little surprised.
Looking at their posture, it seemed as if they were preparing to barbecue outside.
“They said they were too depressed lately and didn’t have time to relax, so they wanted to have a barbecue,” Stellan said.
As soon as he said his words, Evander waved to them and said, “Odalys, Stellan, come here quickly.”
“Coming.” Odalys quickly lifted her foot and walked over.
She found Callum had also arrived when she walked over. The injury on his hand hadn’t healed yet, but he still bought a lot of things, which the bodyguard carried over. The group of people rarely crowded together.
Instantly, it was lively outside Magic Entertainment.
Some fans or believers came to pray. However, they didn’t dare to approach when they saw the scene.
“Have you eaten? Come and eat some.” Odalys quickly beckoned to them.
When the fans saw Odalys, they were flattered and stepped forward to take the grilled skewers. They looked at Odalys cautiously as they ate. “Odalys.” A fan called her tentatively and asked carefully, “Sophia’s fans almost misunderstood you a few days ago, and Sophia also framed you. Aren’t you mad?”
“Why should I be mad?” Odalys was confused.
She never liked to punish herself for the mistakes of others.
“But they wanted to hurt you, and you saved them in the end. I didn’t see them come back to thank you,” The fan said, obviously wanting to stand up for her.
The matter was quite a big deal at that time.
Sophia stabbed Odalys’s fans outside the Magic Entertainment gate and ran away.
Afterward, the fans thanked and apologized on Twitter, but there was no follow-up. It was Odalys’s fans who stood up for her. They were somewhat unhappy.
Odalys said softly, “Don’t punish yourself for others’ mistakes. Getting angry or bottling things up is bad for your health, and you might even get sick. Don’t take other people too seriously.
“Never let anyone else make you unhappy. The purpose of life is to be happy! Only when you’re happy can you have good luck, right?”
She wasn’t being pretentious at all and didn’t think she was superior to her fans.
Several of her fans gathered around, listening to Odalys and looking at her in shock.
It was as if they were getting to know Odalys, their idol, all over again.
They had never seen an idol who was as approachable as Odalys. Odalys set up a barbecue stall outside and invited them to eat together.
A fan said, “By the way, do you remember that fan from last time? You warned her not to go back to her hometown. She went back and was almost sold by her parents. I heard they were planning to sell her to Rafael and use the dowry to buy an apartment for her brother.
“You told her not to go back to her hometown. She went back this time and almost lost her life. “It was you who reminded her, and she kept a close watch on it. Also, some people wanted to know if your prediction was accurate, so they followed her and rescued her when they saw what happened.
“I heard she’s traumatized now! It’s a good thing she was careful, or Rafael probably would have taken advantage of her.” Her fans shared the follow-up story with her.
Odalys only remembered it after they mentioned it.
She did remind that fan not to go back to her hometown.
It seemed like she was lucky that someone followed her, wanting to see what would happen next. She was lucky to be alive.
“How is she?” Odalys asked with concern. Upon seeing that she was interested, her fans continued, “She was depressed for a few days afterward, and then she came here to pray. I heard she also bought a lot of fruit.
“But she knew you were busy and didn’t dare to disturb you. She didn’t come to thank you but recorded a video and posted it on Twitter. I’ll find the video for you.” The fans were excited. They immediately searched online and quickly found the video.
Odalys looked at the figure in the video and saw the little girl looked much more haggard. She fell silent after watching the video.
Odalys thought, ‘Although men and women are equal now, some girls still have no status and are even disliked by their parents in many poor places.
‘However, this trend is not something I can change on my own!’
“It’s good that she’s okay,” Odalys said with mixed feelings.
Words couldn’t express her feelings.
“Odalys, you’ve done a great job! We all think you’re amazing. Everyone has their own life; you can’t protect every one of us.”
“But we’re all so happy to know you. It’s just a pity you’re not in the entertainment industry. We can’t see you on screen all the time.” The fans said, a little disappointed.
It was only when they mentioned it that Odalys realized they had something to do with Blossom. And because of Blossom’s reminder, they stayed away from Sophia and saved their lives.
It was said that some people did not listen to the advice and ended up having accidents in their families. Some even had car accidents. On the contrary, those who listened to Blossom were fine after a period of downturn.
The fans did not dare to disturb her. After finishing the barbecue, they went in to pray and then left.
“I didn’t expect your fan club to be so powerful.
They have all the gossip.” Freya said as she drank her soda and leaned over.
She saw how Odalys had been chatting with her fans.
She knew Odalys wasn’t arrogant but didn’t expect her to be so down-to-earth even when interacting with her fans.
“Why? You got some gossip to share?” Odalys asked as she put her arm around Freya’s shoulders.
Freya snuggled closer to Odalys, leaning into her embrace.
Freya said, “I was thinking about Officer Hersey’s disappearance. We thought about calling the police when Francis had his accident today. Then someone mentioned Officer Hersey seemed to have gone missing. Nobody knows if he’s dead or alive.”
They didn’t know Officer Hersey well but knew he was an upright man.
His disappearance was supposed to be confidential, but now everyone seemed to know about it.
The story was that he had gone after a suspect to avenge his comrade-in-arms who died ten years ago and strayed into the woods, where he encountered a mudslide and went missing.
The police were still searching for him, but there had been no news.
However, everyone knew no news probably meant he was dead.
Freya said, “Odalys, Officer Hersey’s daughter is so young. He’s handled so many cases, and everyone says he’s a good man. If something were to happen to him, wouldn’t his child’s life be difficult?
“Handling cases means offending quite a few powerful people. He investigated their cases, which must have hurt their interests. If
something were to happen to him, his wife and child would be ostracized.”
It was reality, although it had nothing to do with her.
Chapter 629
Being upright was a good thing for the people but a bad thing for the opponents.
“Do you worry about other people’s business at such a young age?” Odalys asked, smiling as she cupped Freya’s face in her hands.
She leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Why are we talking about such heavy topics? Let me tell you something awesome.”
She was trying to avoid the topic of Officer Hersey and didn’t want to continue the conversation.
Freya was stunned. When she heard what Odalys whispered in her ear, she almost jumped up and exclaimed in disbelief, “What? Edie’s villa was sealed up?
“Damn. It’s fucking awesome! What goes around comes around!” Freya’s eyes were red with excitement.
After all, she had always been suppressed by Edie when she grew up. Edie had even tried to harm her many times.
She had never swallowed her anger. Now that she heard something had happened to Edie, she was happier than anyone else.
“Let me check the news,” Freya said, immediately taking out her phone.
Sure enough, it was all over the news headlines!
There were even live broadcasts. All was about the seizure of the villa in the East District. It even involved some parents selling their daughters.
“Seventeen pairs of parents sold their daughters to get money for their sons to marry or buy the houses? It’s insane.” Freya was so angry that her chest hurt.
Freya thought, ‘I’ve seen people who favor boys over girls, but I’ve never seen anything so blatant. ‘It might have been understandable in the last century when people were so poor that they couldn’t even afford to eat.
‘It’s the 21st century, and there are still parents who are willing to sell their daughters to use the money to buy houses for their sons or get their sons married, resulting in their daughters’ disappearance or tragic death.’
“What’s going on?” Selah ran over with a hot dog. She ate as she approached them.
Selah felt a pang in her heart as she read the news on Freya’s phone.
As women, they could empathize with the victims.
The men, engaged in their conversation over drinks, were interrupted by the commotion. Francis got up and walked over, asking, “Who died tragically?”
“It’s always men!” Selah retorted.
Freya, seizing the opportunity, chimed in, “Why should your happiness as men come at the expense of us women? Are we born inferior to you?”
“Exactly! Who do men think they are?” Selah exclaimed, taking a swig of her drink.
Freya took the bottle from her and gulped down a mouthful.
“Right! Let me tell you, Francis. Don’t think you men are so great. Do you think we women are pushovers? If you think you can sell us off to get money to marry and buy a house, we’ll kill you first.”
Selah listened, nodding repeatedly.
“Chop you up and feed you to the dogs. It’s outrageous.” Selah added in agreement. Stellan also strode over, dragged by Selah to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Francis. Then, she called Callum over as well.
The three men stood in a row, subjected to a barrage of criticism from the two tipsy women. The three men stood in silence.
They looked helplessly at Percival, who was sitting there with his gaze fixed on Odalys.
Then, Percival got up and walked toward Odalys, holding out a skewer of barbecue in front of her. Odalys didn’t take it. Percival’s heart skipped a beat, and a sense of panic welled up inside him.
Percival said, “Odalys, the idea of favoring sons over daughters should never exist.
“Men exist to pave the way for women. Even in poverty, they shouldn’t let women sacrifice for them, right?
“If a man can’t provide happiness for a woman, he should let her go and not let others bully her.”
Percival’s voice was deep and steady, but there was a hint of anxiety and unease in it.
Odalys sat there, took the skewer he handed her, and ate gracefully and methodically. Her eyes were always calm, and she didn’t answer him. Percival’s fingertips turned white.
Freya and Selah’s curses were still ringing in his ears.
He vaguely felt their curses were extremely vicious, even going as far as to drag their ancestors through the mud.
Evander and Dorian pretended to have eaten too much. They helped each other up and walked into Magic Entertainment. After entering, they didn’t forget to quickly bolt the door behind them. Percival added, “If I had a daughter, I would spoil her, love her, and make her happy.”
“Even if I had a daughter, I would still put my wife first. If there was no wife, where would the children come from? Neither a wife nor a daughter should be sacrificed for the sake of the family.”
Percival’s voice was low and hoarse, as if he was panicking.
The corners of Odalys’s mouth curled into an arc, but her face remained expressionless as she sat there. Her fingertips gripped the hem of her clothes tightly to prevent herself from laughing out loud.
Percival continued, “I can swear I am not someone who favors sons over daughters. Moreover, the Stewart family has been passing down the lineage through only one son for generations and has few offspring. If a daughter were to be born into our family, let alone my grandpa, I’m afraid even the ancestors of the Stewart family would be overjoyed.
“The children of the Stewart family are only to be cherished and would never be sold. Even if something were to happen, it would be men who should take responsibility, and women would never be implicated.”
The more Percival spoke, the less confident he became. He saw her looking down at her food, seemingly having no intention of paying attention to him.
Percival held his breath. Usually, negotiating deals and securing billion-dollar projects never fazed him, but he felt utterly unsure of himself in this situation.
He even regretted not stopping Freya earlier when she brought up those topics.
The fuse was lit with one sentence.
He was already imagining Odalys wanting a divorce the next second, maybe even wanting nothing to do with him. She would embrace the idea of a strong, independent single life.
Should he stay or leave? Should he keep her by his side or set her free?
The thought of life without her and of her wanting a divorce brought a flicker of confusion to Percival’s eyes. For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of helplessness, followed by a wave of panic and fear.
It was as if all his life had been drained from him even though Odalys hadn’t left yet.
“Odalys.” Percival suddenly reached out, his large hand enveloping her small one.
He enclosed her hand in his, gently caressing it.” What I just said wasn’t just talk. I swear at everything the Stewart family stands for that those were my true feelings.”
The corner of Odalys’s lips twitched as she abruptly looked up, meeting his panicked gaze. Odalys couldn’t hold it any longer.
She couldn’t help but laugh softly. Looking at Percival’s nervous look and the cold sweat constantly oozing from his forehead, she said impatiently, “What are you talking so much for?”
“Didn’t we get married to dispel bad luck? We didn’t sleep together. We are a fake couple. How can we have children?” Odalys reminded him with a chuckle.
Her words made Percival’s face pale.
The thought of her saying they were a fake couple who didn’t sleep together made him feel as if he had lost all his strength.
“I…” Percival felt a huge blow to his heart.
He never thought of them as a fake couple from the beginning.
Percival treated her as his wife in his heart, although he never thought of forcing her to sleep with him. He never thought of divorcing her, let alone her divorcing him.
Now, what she said about the fake couple hit the most vulnerable spot in his heart.
Chapter 630
A flicker of hurt crossed Percival’s eyes, and he became dejected.
Whether it was the atmosphere or Percival’s inner turmoil, his hand froze in mid-air before retracting awkwardly.
Such an expression on anyone else might have appeared awkward.
But Percival exuded an air of nobility with his extraordinary temperament and regal aura. His gesture, however, was unexpectedly endearing.
Odalys couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. She turned to look at Percival’s profile, noticing how he had turned away. His big, deep eyes slightly reddened, and his thin lips pressed together in silence.
Odalys reached out and gripped his shoulder, turning his body to face her. She looked down at him, and their eyes met.
Her forehead rested against him, and she could feel his rapid breathing. His hot breath was on her face. Odalys’s fingertips lifted his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.
She saw a flicker of sadness in Percival’s red- rimmed eyes.
Her delicate fingertips gently rubbed his chin, her thumb tracing his thin lips. She felt his lips move slightly and then saw him suddenly lean in.
Percival’s heart thumped loudly, nearly bursting.
His heart raced, eyes flickering as he watched her approach, thinking she was about to kiss him. His hands instinctively clenched, his gaze a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
“Why are your eyes red?” Odalys asked softly.
Her voice was soft, like the spring breeze, gently brushing against his heart and creating ripples that reached its depths.
Percival’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he watched her small hands cup his handsome face, examining him from side to side and saying, ” Percival, you’re a domineering president. How can you be insecure?”
“You let such a small matter affect your mood?” Odalys scolded him.
It was a scolding, but it carried a flirtatious undertone.
To Percival, it sounded as if she were whispering sweet things to him.
Her words made his ears burn and his mouth dry. He stared at her clear, big eyes with unconcealed laughter in them.
“There you go,” Odalys chuckled softly.
Her small hands gently wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him into an embrace.
Odalys lowered her head, resting her chin on Percival’s shoulder. Feeling his stiffness, she tightened her arms around him and gently patted his back.
“You’re Percival Stewart. Countless women would give anything to marry you. Not just because the Stewart family is incredibly wealthy, but because you are a man of elegance and intellect. You deserve it,” Odalys said softly.
It never occurred to her that Percival would be so insecure.
Perhaps it had something to do with his growing up without a mother’s love, or maybe because his father passed away early, leaving him to be raised by Evander, his grandfather. No matter how much Evander loved him, it couldn’t make up for the kind of love his parents had for him. “But I only want you, Odalys Stone. I love you,” said Percival deeply.
It was as though he needed to confess the deepest truth within him.
At that moment, he was held tightly by her and didn’t care where he was. Percival reached out and enveloped her in his arms, their bodies pressing close.
He had yearned for it and always wanted to do it but never dared.
Percival said hoarsely, “I didn’t trust you when you first entered Stewart Villa.
“But my emotions are stirred by you for some unknown reason. Naturally, I find myself paying attention to your whereabouts every time. I feel anxious, uneasy, even pained when I don’t see you.
“When I heard something had happened to you or that you were in danger, I was so anxious that I couldn’t sleep at night.
“When Caspian was bullying you, I was like a furious teenager. I rushed to the hospital to confront him without even caring about my image. It was then that I knew I was doomed. “I have fallen for you, but I’m afraid you don’t like me back, or you’ll leave.
“Frankly, I don’t want you to leave. However, I don’t want to keep you trapped by my side either. You are free, and all the best things should belong to you.”
His emotions were complicated at that moment. He didn’t know why, but suddenly felt like speaking his mind.
“Don’t move. Let me hold you for a little while longer,” Percival said, feeling her trying to push him away. He held her tighter.
Odalys leaned on his shoulder, listening to his words. A smile touched her lips. The few who were arguing not far away all turned their heads abruptly.
They widened their eyes. Francis was about to speak.
“Shut up. Don’t argue,” Freya said urgently.
After excitedly recording a video and sending it to Evander, she forcibly dragged Francis away. Selah also pushed Stellan, while Callum stood silently in place.
Callum was injured and was not able to move.
At that moment, Callum, as if being chased by a ghost, dashed 300 feet away and jumped into the car. He hid in the driver’s seat and rolled up the window.
Callum lay nervously by the car window, peeked out, and shrank back. Although his movements were a bit forceful and pulled at his wound, he remained silent.
“Mr. Stewart confessed his love to Odalys?” Callum was a little surprised.
Just then, he moved quickly and thought even faster. Now back in the car, he hadn’t reacted yet. He just saw someone running, and he subconsciously wanted to hide.
Percival’s words echoed in his ears. Callum was so nervous that his palms were constantly sweating. He moved his lips, wanting to look up.
“Don’t move.” Someone held a gun against his back.
Callum frowned and turned his head to see Evander panting as he climbed into the passenger seat, still holding a gun against his waist.
“Tilt your head a little. I want to watch, too,” Evander said in a commanding tone.
Callum’s eyes widened as he watched Evander take out his binoculars and come over to watch the front of Magic Entertainment.
The car was parked less than 300 feet away from the barbecue site, not far enough to use binoculars, but Evander brought the equipment and waved to Dorian.
“Bring it here. Hurry up and record it.” Evander’s voice couldn’t hide his excitement.
Dorian didn’t dare to neglect it and brought the equipment up.
“Sir, a little to the left. The angle is better,” Dorian reminded Evander.
Callum also came over and saw Evander zooming in on the lens and taking pictures. He moved his lips and said, “It might be better to record a video.”
“Yes. Do both. You are responsible for recording, and I am responsible for taking pictures. These are all images that Percival will treasure in the future,” Evander said with relief.
The car was filled with excitement.
Odalys was held tightly in Percival’s arms at the front of Magic Entertainment. She felt Percival’s strong heartbeat getting faster and faster, and his body was as hot as fire.
“I’m going to the hospital tonight. Do you want to come with me?” Odalys asked with a chuckle.
Percival held her tightly, her melodious laughter reaching his ears. A smile touched the corners of his lips.
“Sure. Wherever you go, I’ll go with you,” Percival said.
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