Chapter 169

"Go to sleep," Firmian said. He turned and went to his room with the glass, leaving Francis behind.

Alone, Francis thoughtfully looked at Sophia's room door. Then, in a deep voice, he said, "He visited a woman at midnight and then another?"

"It seems Atlas likes the angelic bitch," he muttered. With this conclusion, Francis carried his glass of water to his bedroom.

Unaware of the misunderstanding, Sophia lay in bed, unable to sleep. Her mind was consumed with plotting Odalys's death. How could she lure Odalys to the cliff? How could she push Odalys off without being seen? Her plan required careful consideration.

Late at night, in the Stewart Villa, a tall figure stood by the French window, gazing at distant lightning as if his sight could pierce the darkness. He held a glass of water.

"Me—" Sicwart Dorian began, approaching with a glass of water.

Percival instantly snapped out of his thoughts. He reached for the water and took a sip.

"Have you watched the variety show?" Percival asked hoarsely.

Nervous, Dorian nodded and whispered, "Yes."

"Have you saved all the screenshots of what Sophia did?" Percival asked sternly.

Restless, Dorian raised his head, looked at Percival, and replied in a low voice, "Mr. Stewart, are you missing your wife?"

Silence fell.

Realizing his slip, Dorian was shocked. On the day Odalys left home, Percival had instructed Dorian to watch every episode of the variety show for evidence of Sophia bullying Odalys. However, in the show, Odalys had beaten Sophia. In today's episode, Odalys had kicked Sophia to the ground, stomped on her, and dragged her towards the cliff, nearly pushing her over. Furthermore, Odalys had thrown a lighter, nearly causing an explosion near Atlas. Given this, how could Sophia have bullied Odalys? She might have been killed first.

"Did you slack off?" Percival asked deeply.

Sweating, Dorian nodded. "No! I got all the screenshots. I'll take the evidence to the hospital later. I will confirm Mrs. Bennett's… myself and question her family's upbringing. How dare they bully Mrs. Stewart! How courageous!" Dorian's voice rose in indignation.

Percival silently agreed. This anger dissipated slightly.

"Alright, go," he said tersely.

Dorian quickly withdrew from the study.

Sitting on the sofa, Orson swirled his glass of red wine, a faint smile playing on his handsome face. In a low voice, he said, "You won't give the Isennett family a moment's peace, will you?"

Chapter 165

"Whoever messes with the Stewart family pays the price. Since she doesn't want a good rest at the hospital, I don't mind keeping her busy," Percival said coldly.

He turned, walked to the sofa with his water, and sat down.

Orson leaned back, casually crossing his long legs. "By the way, Henry invited Oliver over. Oliver has ulterior motives. It seems he wants something from the Bennett family."

"The hospital called, saying they mentioned the emerald pendant. They seem interested in Odalys's belongings."

The hospital was his territory; he knew everything that happened in the VIP ward. Caspiar's incident hadn't alerted the Bennetts to the hospital's insecurity. How would they react when they learned the truth?

"Callum, keep an eye on Oliver and find out his connections with influential Crownridge families. I want to know when and how he served them," Percival said deeply.

Sitting in the corner, Callum quickly took out his iPad and began taking notes.

"I'll get right on it," Callum said. He took a drink from his glass of liquor, then strode away with his iPad and car keys. He was a man of action, efficient and effective.

Curious, Orson said, "I watched the show, and Odalys seemed strange. She seemed interested in the village but did nothing. Given your understanding of her, will she act after the cameras are off?"

He had complete faith in Odalys. He'd deliberately created a Twitter account to follow her news, paying close attention to everything she did on the show.

"Sophia and Atlas will certainly cause trouble for Odalys, and Odalys seems to have the emerald pendant Oliver wants," Percival said. "The Bennetts are stubborn, so I'll keep them busy to prevent them from bothering Odalys," he added hoarsely.

Everything was under his control.

Orson changed the subject. "By the way, about the clothes Odalys found in the pond—we investigated, and the maker and his family disappeared after your father's incident. It's odd. Back then, you considered them suspects, but the investigation suggested otherwise. I thought they closed their shop because of the incident's bad influence."

"On second thought, they may be connected to the incident."

Silence followed Orson's words. Only the experienced could tell those clothes had been worn by the dead.

"It seems we need a trip," Percival said hoarsely, slamming his glass down.

Orson finished his wine, set down his glass, and stood. Percival grabbed his coat and left. "Where are we going?" Orson hurried to catch up.

Percival didn't answer; his gait was rapid. Orson broke into a cold sweat; Percival rarely showed such anxiety. Worried, he quickened his pace.

Orson watched Percival give Dorian a few instructions before hurrying away with the car keys. "An armored car? What are you driving it for?" Orson's voice was husky, his fear evident.

6:41 PM

Chapter 169 (Continued)

Every Stewart family car was modified. The one Percival chose was fireproof, bulletproof, and explosion-proof—for dangerous missions. After Percival took the driver's seat, Orson quickly got into the passenger seat.

"Shut up if you want to come," Percival said huskily, subtle emotion in his eyes.

Orson instantly fell silent. Then, muttering to himself, "Is he going to see Odalys? At midnight! Damn."