Chapter 199
“Many things happened in the past few days, and you stood up for Freya and Selah regardless of your safety. You have my admiration.” Francis scratched his head, embarrassed.
Odalys cracked some nuts and handed them to Freya and Selah. “I know,” she said. The look in one's eyes can betray their feelings.
Back at the airport, when Francis looked at Odalys, the aversion in his eyes was violent.
“Really? Even so, you still asked me for help and invited me to meals. Don’t you mind?” Francis was taken aback. He thought he was good at concealing his feelings, but that wasn’t true.
“Why should I? You don’t know me, so your dislike is understandable. I don’t expect everyone to like me. Look, the Bennets hate me. Besides, I dislike some people, so why can’t they dislike me? We are born equal, so one has the right to like or dislike others,” Odalys said blandly. She was open-minded. She wouldn’t take the initiative to pick on people she didn’t like, but she wouldn’t tolerate anyone who went too far.
“Give me your hand,” Odalys said, raising her chin.
Flattered, Francis stretched out his hand. His fingertips trembled with anxiety. When Odalys held his wrist, he trusted her, so he was afraid of what he might hear from her.
Francis licked his lips nervously when Odalys stared at his palm. Out of curiosity, Stellan, usually reticent, looked at Odalys and Francis. He cracked a nut and placed the kernel in an empty shell.
“How is it? Not good?” Francis panicked. Odalys’s silence agitated him.
“Give me your car,” Odalys said with a solemn face.
His heart beating wildly, Francis licked his lip and leaned over. The others did the same, since Odalys didn’t stop them.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Odalys asked in a low voice.
Francis’s lips moved as a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. “Why do you know that?”
Odalys clutched Francis’s wrist; a hint of ferocity flashed in her eyes. She continued, “Did you agree to meet her parents after this show?”
“Yes,” Francis answered after a moment of silence. He was shocked. He’d kept this relationship secret; even his parents and agent were unaware of it. His modeling career had just begun, and his agency didn’t want him distracted by a relationship. Therefore, he’d told nobody. He was pleased his girlfriend hadn’t made him introduce her to the public. Besides this show, the imminent meeting with her parents and the announcement of his engagement were the other goals of his return. He, at 26, was ready for marriage.
“Break up with her and stay away from her after this show, if you trust me. She won’t marry you. She arranged this meeting with her parents to kill you,” Odalys whispered.
Instantly, Francis received subtle gazes from his companions. Odalys didn’t want the viewers to hear this shocking news; that’s why she’d beckoned Francis closer and spoken under her breath. She was afraid Francis’s girlfriend was one of the viewers and that her speech would endanger Francis prematurely.
“To kill me? Impossible,” Francis was terrified.
Odalys pressed Francis’s palm with her fingertip, and Francis instantly groaned in pain. Then he heard her ask, “Is your chest aching?”
“Yes,” Francis replied.
Hearing this, Odalys let go of Francis’s hand and inquired, “Did she give you something like tonics and tell you to take it before she slept with you?”
“Yes,” Francis bit his lip. He had a premonition of approaching evil. She knows everything, he thought.
Odalys explained, “It is fatal. Because of it, your body will ache whenever you quarrel with her. In the meeting with her parents, she will make you eat something to complete the murder. She wants your body or organs. Do an investigation, and you may find that her family needs your organs or body. The patient may be her ex-boyfriend. If her ex-boyfriend were the patient, the couple in the imminent meeting would be his parents. They would work together to kill you.”
Odalys’s words made Francis’s heart sink.
“Did she get your blood? For example, when you were with her, did she hurt you by accident?” Odalys asked.
Francis withdrew his hand and sank onto his seat, weak-kneed.
“Pull yourself together, and don’t alert the viewers,” Odalys reminded him.
Francis forced a bitter smile. Thanks to his showbiz training, he quickly regained his composure as if nothing had happened.
“Yes! She went to my place one day. After a meal, she cut my finger by accident while preparing the fruit tray. The wound was deep, so we went to a nearby clinic for emergency treatment.”
“Did she choose the clinic?” Odalys asked coldly. The others instantly understood the implication.
“Yes. Her reason was that the hospital was far away. The clinic was near my place, so I followed her without objection.” Francis felt a chill down his spine.
“She cut your finger, took you to a clinic for treatment, and got your blood and hair for analysis. After that incident, she was better to you than before. From then on, she demanded you take the drug before you two made love,” Odalys smiled. The plot seemed flawless.
“You are right,” Francis responded in a low voice. He silently and blankly stared at his palm. It shocked him that his girlfriend wanted to kill him.
“She once said that her elder brother was seriously ill. After each visit to her brother, I couldn’t reach her for days. When she finally answered my call, she sounded frail,” Francis gave Odalys a bitter smile. Thanks to Odalys, Francis could now see the loopholes in his relationship, loopholes he’d ignored when blinded by love.
“Francis, stay away from her if you don’t want to die yet. However, you have been chosen by her; she may make a scene and even ruin your life if you break up with her,” Odalys said under her breath. In short, that woman was trouble for Francis.
Hearing Odalys, Freya was scared.
“Francis will live in seclusion for a moment of peace once his reputation is ruined. Then, his disappearance will become reasonable. With his family and friends included, everyone will mistake his disappearance for his wanting a good rest because of the scandal. His death during his seclusion will arouse no suspicion.” The plot in the novel came from life.