Chapter 186

“Don’t rush. As long as Rafaci starts moving, we won’t be at such a disadvantage. Also, I suspect something is amiss with Sophia’s Love Spell.”

“The Bennett family is in a precarious position. They want Sophia to work with Atlas to scheme against me and take the emerald pendant, but they haven't considered involving anyone else to solve this issue.”

People who give Love Spells are naturally involved in black magic. But, for some reason, they haven’t acted to help the Bennett family. This suggests they might only be in contact with Sophia, or perhaps… Odalys’s voice trailed off thoughtfully.

“If that’s the case, then Sophia is more complicated than she looks,” she muttered.

“For years, Sophia has had a smooth ride in the entertainment industry, aided by the Bennett family’s resources. Her popularity isn’t bad either. But since you returned to the Bennett family, her luck has changed,” Percival said grimly.

He hadn’t been concerned with Sophia or the Bennett family, but Odalys had pointed it out, so he investigated and unexpectedly discovered a pattern.

“We’ll talk more about this later,” Odalys said, a faraway look in her eyes.

She turned to the old man, who stood anxiously, his nervousness palpable. He froze when their eyes met, his panic evident.

“I didn’t hear anything! I swear!” the old man blurted, shaking his head frantically.

The more you know, the quicker you die. The secrets of the wealthy are not meant for people like him to hear. The fact that he wasn’t told to leave made him stay, listening, growing more terrified by the second.

“It’s fine,” Odalys said with a sly smile. “After all, you can’t exactly spread what you’ve heard, can you?”

She had never been one to trust blindly. Her initial trust in him had been influenced by the talisman she used to control him. If she discovered he was lying, she would use more drastic measures. His silence, for now, ensured his safety. If he spoke out, however, that would be the end for him.

“Take this phone. If anything comes up, I’ll contact you,” Percival said, handing him a phone. “The person threatening you won’t be able to touch your life.”

“Yes, sir,” the old man said, hurriedly taking the phone.

He had expected Percival to kill him, but this was the outcome. The shock sent cold sweat down his back, his legs trembling.

“Give me your hand,” Odalys instructed.

The old man blinked, extending his hand uncertainly. He watched as Odalys grasped it, her fingers tracing upward. He felt a strange force pulling at him.

A groan escaped the old man’s lips as pain shot through his hand, contorting his face. The sensation intensified, as if something deep within his muscles and tendons was being tugged, making his wrist jerk uncontrollably. When she released her grip, the pain sharpened.

“Once the business is settled, your tendons will fully heal,” Odalys whispered softly but firmly. “If you want it to heal completely, you’ll need…”

She finished speaking and stood up, walking toward the door with Percival.

The old man stood motionless, staring at his wrist in disbelief. He couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

“My tendons… they seem to have healed?” he said, awestruck.

Chapter 186 (Continued)

His hands had been ruined; he hadn’t been able to make clothes for years. Now, his hands were moving again. Could it be possible?

As he processed this, he looked up to see Odalys and Percival already walking away. With a heavy heart, he fell to his knees with a loud thud, tears streaming down his face.

As Odalys and Percival walked under the moonlight, the road ahead was bathed in an ethereal glow. The cool night air carried a sense of calm, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

“Do you believe what he said?” Odalys finally asked softly.

“Everything matches my investigation,” Percival replied, his tone distant but confident. “It’s credible. Also, he has some connections with my grandfather. He wouldn’t harm my father. Moreover, his family was practically wiped out—like a warning to him.”

“That’s why I had people watching this village. I didn’t expect it to pay off after all these years,” Percival continued coldly, his mind racing. Who were the people behind all of this? What was their endgame? Why had they interfered with the clothes, only to vanish afterward?

“They’re rushing to kill my father. It might have something to do with the poison in me. If my father dies and I also die, my grandfather will be left alone, and the Stewart family will fall into their hands,” Percival’s voice grew colder, his resolve hardening.

Odalys sighed. “The Stewart family is rich and powerful, so it’s normal to be targeted.”

There was a brief pause as she stretched. Being with Percival seemed to dissipate the tension she’d felt all day.

“Normally, business competition is one thing, but if they want my whole family dead, that’s a different level,” Percival said quietly.

He glanced at her, considering something. “Sophia has been targeting you. Do you want me to have her dealt with?” he asked seriously.

Seeing how she had manipulated the variety show, falsely accusing Odalys—it had crossed Percival’s line. Odalys was part of the Stewart family, and Sophia’s provocations challenged everything they stood for.

“Not yet,” Odalys replied, shaking her head. “Before, I got a piece of her hair and used a special method to see her past. When she was young, she had her skin scraped off, literally peeled back, and her face was completely changed.”

“There’s a form of black magic called soul-swapping. I suspect she might have gone through that. She had her face swapped, and that’s when the Bennett family took her in. After that, they abandoned me. I don’t know what their connection is to her, but the Bennett family is definitely after her fate. We need to investigate who was behind her facial transformation.” A dark note crept into Odalys’s voice.

She hadn’t shared this with him before.

“Facial transformation?” Percival’s expression shifted, his eyebrows furrowing. He had heard of strange things happening in the world, but this was bizarre.

“Yes. After we finished the variety show, I killed the person pulling the strings behind Sophia. Afterward, her face began to change. When she got close to Finnian, she regained her original look.”

“She used him for an advantage. Finnian lost something, and Sophia gained her original appearance. It was mutually beneficial. That’s why she gave Finnian the Love Spell, to control him. Even though he’s regained his sanity, he’s still being manipulated by her,” Odalys paused, her eyes narrowing.

Percival listened silently. After a moment, he spoke, his voice edged with concern. “So, she used Finnian to get what she wanted, and now he’s under her control?”