Chapter 197

Brandon nodded. To his surprise, Cidalys was more powerful than he'd expected. Rafael begged for mercy after Odalys had taught him a good lesson.

Odalys said, “Don’t worry. As I said, I will protect you, though I can’t kill him yet. I will find a way to get him under control since he’s here to keep an eye on you for his boss. I will get him to bow.”

She put down her cup and, after a squint at Brandon, whispered, “He asked you to send the clothes to the Stewart family; that’s how the deaths occurred.”

“Now your village is being targeted, so I suspect their target is here. Think before you answer my question. Is there any detail you missed? It’s very important because your life is affected. Your lives were spared, but you can’t leave your homes. The only explanation is that you have what they want. Once they get what they want, I’m afraid this village will disappear. Nobody will know if a mountain village like this burns down.”

Odalys’s low voice and sharp analysis instantly changed Brandon’s expression.

“I’ve thought about why I was chosen, but I don’t have any good answers yet. All the villagers here live by their craftsmanship; there’s nothing special about us,” Brandon sobbed. Thinking of his family, he felt a pang of sadness. He didn’t dread death, but it saddened him that his descendants might die because of this incident.

Odalys said in a low voice, “Think carefully. When did things start to go wrong? Did you meet any strangers? Did your family mention anything unusual?”

“They may be murder victims. Their deaths may not be warnings to you. They may have been killed because they knew something they shouldn’t have.”

“By the way, stay home until the film crew leaves. I had you screened when they filmed you. Therefore, don’t leave your house until we leave.”

During the live broadcast, many scenes were omitted. Of course, nobody suspected Odalys had tampered with the broadcast. The villagers would be in danger if they appeared on it.

“Got it,” Brandon nodded, knowing Odalys had said this for the villagers’ safety.

Then, she checked on Brandon and Keylor. After giving them a few instructions, she rose from her chair.

“These nuts are from the trees,” Brandon said, giving Odalys two bags of nuts.

Odalys accepted them with a smile: “Thank you.”

She carried the nuts and left. Not far from the base, she saw the pale-faced Rafael waiting. Odalys stopped silently.

“Help! I’ll promise you anything if you help me!” Rafael was on the verge of collapse. He would rather die than endure the pain. His entire body pricked, and his bones ached. He realized Odalys had done something to him, and he now dreaded her.

“I can help you,” Odalys said to Rafael.

Rafael broke out in a cold sweat, his body shuddering. He heard Odalys’s voice from above. “You raped thirteen women, killed seven people, committed several burglaries, and hurt more than twenty people.”

“You hide here because you’re wanted. If you leave, the police will find you. That’s why you secretly watched us after our arrival. You wanted to attack Sophia because you suspected we were sent here to test you. When you found she was wanton but brainless, you conspired with her against Freya. You used her plot as an excuse to enter my room. You were anxious to find out who we were, but you found nothing. Then, you were emboldened. However, Freya hurt you accidentally, so your attempt failed. Am I right?”

Odalys’s voice was low, but Rafael heard every word. Frightened, he collapsed and looked at her with fear. She knows everything. She knows my crimes better than the police do, he thought.

“Who are you? Why do you know so much about me?” Fear weakened Rafael’s knees.

Carrying the nuts, Odalys looked down at him. “It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is that your life is in my hands. I can kill you whenever I want.”

Rafael shivered, feeling Odalys was more terrifying than his boss. Odalys was the first woman to impress him with such oppression.

“If you take this poison, I will help you!” Odalys whispered, producing a pill.

Rafael quickly recoiled. As he opened his mouth to speak, Odalys flicked the pill into his mouth. Before he could react, he’d swallowed it.

“You… you…” Rafael was aghast. He clutched his throat, but it was too late.

“Listen to me if you don’t want to die,” Odalys whispered. Striding over to him, she asked, “You don’t feel the pain anymore, do you?”

Surprised, Rafael touched his body and found the pain was gone.

Odalys said, “From today on, your pain will double at midnight. Only I can cure you, so don’t seek help from others or go to the hospital. The wrong pill will result in festering, bleeding, and fracturing. You will be paralyzed and then die.”

Each word made Rafael’s face paler. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine Odalys would become his nightmare.

“Mark my words. Keep what happened here, including seeing me, to yourself,” Odalys said, bending down to look him in the eye. “I’m talking about your boss. If you send word or ask for help, you will die. Before you die, your private parts will fester first. Then you will vomit blood and die. Try it if you don’t believe me.”