Chapter 504: There's a Murder
Hayley’s POV:
So this was Odessa’s real reason for inviting Johnny and me to dinner. She wanted to publicly force me to break up with Benjamin. How shameless could she be?
“Enough!” Benjamin’s face was as dark as a storm cloud. He had clearly believed Odessa had truly changed her attitude toward me, only to discover she had calculated against even her own son.
Seeing that both Johnny and Benjamin were about to lose their tempers, Odessa quickly found an excuse to slip away. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom,” she said, grabbing her bag. Afraid she wouldn’t get away fast enough, she shifted into her wolf form and bolted toward the restroom at full speed.
Once Odessa left, Johnny remained silent. Not even Benjamin’s apologies could make up for what had happened. About 20 minutes passed, and Odessa still hadn’t returned. My unease grew, and my instincts warned me that something was wrong. I decided to follow my gut and went to check on Odessa.
As I reached the sink area outside the restroom, I ran into a man wearing a baseball cap and a face mask. He held a knife in his hand and was heading toward the women’s restroom. His figure, coupled with the scent that caused Hera to recoil in disgust, instantly identified him. I recognized him at once. “Irving?”
He turned around upon hearing my voice. He was surprised to see me but didn’t say a word. I caught a glimpse of his eyes, and any lingering doubt vanished. It was him. Seeing the knife in his hand, an ominous feeling washed over me. “What are you doing?”
“This has nothing to do with you,” Irving growled, his eyes filled with madness. “I’ve already been forced into exile, yet the Southwells still won’t leave me alone! They’ve stripped me of my wolf! I’ve already lost everything. Life is worse than death without my wolf. So today, I’m going to take my revenge on that Odessa b*tch!”
With that, he lunged toward the women’s restroom. “No!” Without thinking, I grabbed his arm and struggled to wrest the knife away. It seemed Irving had no intention of hurting me because it didn’t take much effort before I managed to disarm him. “You already killed Grandpa Southwell! If you kill again you’ll leave yourself with no way out!” I warned him, hiding the knife behind my back.
Irving froze for a moment, then abruptly turned and ran. Just before he fled, I noticed a faint smile on his lips. Why was Irving smiling? I didn’t have time to figure it out. Tossing the knife into a nearby trash can, I rushed into the women’s restroom to check on Odessa.
The moment I stepped inside, I froze. Odessa lay in a pool of blood, and blood was gushing out from her chest. “Mrs. Southwell?” I knelt beside her, checking her pulse and heartbeat. I was about to call for help when a piercing scream echoed behind me. “Ahhh! Murder! There’s a murder!” A woman who had just entered the restroom bolted in terror. Her panicked cries stirred chaos throughout the building.
Security guards arrived moments later, immediately calling for an ambulance and notifying the police. Odessa suffered severe injuries—a strike to her vital spot prevented her from healing on her own. Benjamin accompanied her to the hospital, his face pale with worry.
As for me, the only suspicious person left at the scene, I was taken to the police station for questioning. After giving my statement and signing the documents, I prepared to leave. But just as I reached the door, a beta detective hurried back and blocked my way. “Ms. Hayley Carson, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Odessa Southwell. Under the law, you are now formally detained.”