Chapter 12

Earlier that morning, Dorian had witnessed her single-handedly stopping the poison from spreading in Percival’s body. In that moment, he realized Odalys was no ordinary woman. She possessed some serious skills.

“As long as he listens and takes the herbal baths every night, there won’t be any problems,” she said softly, her voice calm and sure.

When she stepped into the dining room, the lavish spread surprised her. The slow-cooked pork ribs were so tender they practically fell off the bone; the spicy crab smelled absolutely mouthwatering; and the garlic butter lobster glistened as if it came straight from a food magazine.

In the seven months she had been back at the Bennett family estate, most of her meals had been leftover scraps. She often came home late to find the family had already eaten. It hadn’t bothered her in the mountains, but seeing a meal like this now made her feel conflicted; emotions swirled in her chest.

“Is everything alright, Mrs. Stewart? Is it not to your liking? Or are you allergic to seafood? I can remove it and prepare something else,” Dorian asked, noticing her staring at the food.

“No, it’s perfect,” Odalys said quickly, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. “These are all my favorites. I was just… lost in thought.”

Dorian relaxed, sighing in relief. He ladled soup into her bowl and handed her a pair of chopsticks, his voice full of concern. “Good to hear. If you ever have any preferences or restrictions, feel free to let me know.”

“Thanks,” she replied softly.

Dorian stepped back, allowing her to eat in peace. She finished the meal alone; the servants quickly cleared the dishes afterward. She stood by the window, lost in thought for a moment, before grabbing her purse and heading out.

After finishing her errands, she wandered down the busy, neon-lit streets, her mind heavy with thoughts.

“Odalys,” a voice suddenly called out behind her.

She turned to see Finnian standing there, breathing heavily, his eyes locked on her with a sharp, intense gaze. Before she could react, a hand grabbed her arm with surprising force. She winced in pain.

“Let go,” she said coldly, pulling away.

Finnian’s lips tightened into a thin line, his handsome face twisted in anger. When she tried to free herself, instead of letting go, he tightened his grip, trying to force her into submission. But Odalys wasn’t having it. With a swift motion, she wrenched her arm free and pushed him away effortlessly.

She turned to face him, her eyes as cold as ice, sending a chill down his spine. He frowned, confused and rattled by her sudden shift. “When did she start looking at me like that?” he wondered.

“How long are you going to drag this out? You blocked my number. Trying to get my attention, huh? Let me tell you something—this playing hard to get crap doesn’t work on me,” Finnian’s voice was low, but there was an edge to it.

With a sharp slap, Odalys silenced him. The sound echoed through the street, leaving him standing there in shock, his cheek stinging from the impact. He stared at her, unable to believe what had just happened.

A smirk curled at the corner of her lips as she sized him up. “What, did your mother forget to give you a decent face, or are you just that obsessed with controlling me with all your manipulative bullshit?”

“You think you can lecture me? Just because you’re a bastard from the Lark family?” Odalys’s words hit him like a slap, each one cutting deeper than the last.

Finnian’s lips trembled, his fury rising like a tidal wave. He couldn’t believe she was using his illegitimate status to attack him. But what hurt even more was the way she had suddenly turned on him—so defiant now. “All I asked was for her to take her sister’s place…” He’d always been so compliant before, so he couldn’t figure out why she was being so defiant. “What the hell is her problem?” he thought.

Finnian hissed, fury practically radiating off him. “You wanna talk to me like that? Then don’t even think about coming crawling back when you change your mind. I won’t have anything to do with you, not now, not ever.”

Just as he was about to turn and walk away, Odalys suddenly grabbed his arm. He jerked to pull away, but she tightened her grip, her fingers digging in.

Finnian Lark shot her a look of disdain. “I told you already. There’s no chance in hell we’re getting back together.”

“Finnian!” she snapped, her voice icy, her anger rising. “You sneak into my life in the middle of the night to harass me, then you think you can just waltz off like nothing happened?”

Her words rang out loud and clear, and Finnian’s heart skipped a beat. He’d gone to great lengths to stay low—hat pulled down low, mask covering his face—hoping no one would recognize him. But now, she was practically shouting at the top of her lungs in front of everyone.

He tried to pull away, but it was like trying to break free from a vice grip. Pedestrians stopped, their eyes shifting their way. Curiosity lit up the crowd.

“Let go of me! Now!” Finnian growled, panic creeping into his voice. If anyone figured out who he was, his entire career—his reputation—would be ruined.

“You better explain yourself right now!” Odalys demanded, her voice rising in fury. “What do you mean, agree to what you said? You want me to be your girlfriend? I’m so done with your obsessive bullshit!”

“Someone help me! Call the cops!” Odalys screamed, her voice deliberate and low enough to make her sound like a victim.

With the mask and sunglasses, no one could tell who she was, but as soon as she yelled, the crowd started to gather. Everyone would want to watch a creepy guy harass a woman at midnight.

“This is harassment!” one woman shouted.

“Ugh, this guy’s a total creep,” another muttered.

Some women started whispering and pointing at him. Odalys saw the crowd’s reaction and, with a sudden move, let go of his arm. Just as Finnian thought he’d escaped, she slapped her hand behind his head, knocking his hat off and yanking the mask off his face.

Finnian froze, staring at her in shock. The smirk on her face made his blood boil. He couldn’t believe it—he’d come here to talk to her, and now she was trying to destroy him. He’d never imagined she would go this far just to ruin him.

In a blind panic, Finnian grabbed his face and turned to run. But just a few steps later, a woman threw an ice cream cone at his head, shouting, “Asshole!”

The ice cream slid down his hair, and Finnian could feel his blood pressure rising. He was losing it. Even though he was an illegitimate son, he’d always been a fan favorite. But now, Odalys had made him into a total joke—like a rat scurrying through the street. Furious, he covered his face and bolted, his steps fast and frantic.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. By the time he reached his car, he glanced around, but Odalys was gone. She’d played him—drawn all the attention to herself so she could slip away without anyone noticing. Realizing this, Finnian clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth. “Odalys Stone, you conniving bitch. You’ve always liked me, haven’t you? If you can’t have me, you’ll destroy me instead? Well, not on your life.”

He was fuming, every inch of him seething. He slammed his fist onto the seat. His phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen, and for a moment, his anger softened just a bit. “Sophia,” Finnian muttered, his voice flat but trying to sound less tense.

On the other end of the line, Sophia’s voice was shaky, clearly upset. “Finnian… where are you? Why haven’t you been answering? Is it because I asked my sister to marry in my place? Are you mad at me!”

Finnian froze, quickly checking his phone. Two missed calls from Sophia. He’d been too busy dodging angry pedestrians to notice.

“What’s there to be mad about?” he replied, forcing a calm tone. “It was only fair that she filled in for you. And anyway, it’s just for a month. Once that guy’s gone, she’ll be back at the Bennett family. It’s no big deal.”