Chapter 221

Stellan was silent. The anxiety he'd felt vanished the moment he heard Francis's tears. Two hours later, the plane landed. The tension had completely dissipated.

A luxurious RV pulled up, and Stellan strode toward it, entering quickly. Just as he was about to close the door, it jammed. He turned, confused.

“You?” he asked, his expression cool, disbelief flickering across his features.

Francis stepped inside, tossing her luggage aside, crossing her arms, and sinking into a seat. She was asleep within moments.

“Wait, we’re coming too.”

Freya and Selah squeezed in, slamming the door shut.

“What is this?” Stellan’s lips moved, his eyes flicking uneasily between them. “I have things to do. I can’t take you all.”

Freya, her pale face delicate, flashed a mischievous smile and winked. “We don’t need a ride, but didn’t Odalys say your dad’s in trouble? We’re coming along to help.”

Selah nodded. “Right. The more the merrier. Go on, drive! We’re running out of time,” she urged, nudging Stellan toward the driver’s seat.

Stellan hadn't expected this, but after a brief hesitation, he moved to the driver’s seat, revved the engine, and sped off.

“Odalys, we just landed. We’re in Stellan’s car, heading back now,” Freya said, dialing Odalys’s number and putting the call on speakerphone.

Odalys’s voice, calm but sharp, came through. “Have you made contact?”

They glanced at Stellan, who shook his head. “No, can’t get through. The phone’s out of service, and we checked the cameras. The car hasn’t been seen since.”

A heavy silence, mixed with worry and curiosity, fell over them. “Could it really be like Odalys said? Has something gone wrong?” they wondered.

“Give me their number,” Odalys said quietly.

She held the phone to her shoulder, rummaging through her bag for an iPad. Her fingers flew across the screen. After a few moments, she spoke again, her voice lower.

“Go to Crownridge East District, near the overpass. There’s a sloped area to the left.” She tapped the screen, studying the flashing red dot. A flicker of something darker crossed her eyes. “Percival,” she said his name softly.

Percival, sitting beside her, remained still, silent, and attentive. When he heard his name, he glanced at her. She raised her chin slightly.

“Look at this location,” Odalys murmured, turning the iPad toward him.

Percival leaned close, his tall frame near hers, studying the screen. His voice was low, almost a whisper. “Do you need me to send someone to help?”

“There’s no time. I suspect someone tampered with the car. It lost control, broke through the guardrail, and went down into the trees on the slope. If possible, could the Lark family arrange for an ambulance to head over first?” Odalys replied quietly.

In the front seat, Orson, pretending to rest, had been listening intently. As soon as he heard his name, he turned and nodded sharply. “Got it. Send me the location.”

6:25 PM

Chapter 221

“Near the overpass in East District, by the sloped woods,” Odalys confirmed.

Orson gave an “OK” signal and murmured, “Understood.”

After exchanging a few more words, Odalys spoke again, her tone calm but urgent. “I’ve arranged for an ambulance. It should be on its way. You go ahead.”

The line fell silent.

As soon as Odalys spoke Percival’s name, everyone in the car fell still, holding their breath.

“Freya,” Odalys asked, noticing the silence. It felt unnatural.

After a few moments, Freya responded, her voice faint. “We’re here, we’re here.”

“Do you have the location?”

Selah immediately chimed in. “Got it. We’re on our way. The airport’s close, so we should be there in about 30 minutes.”

“Alright. I’ll hang up now. Call me when you arrive.”

Odalys hung up the phone and glanced at her WhatsApp. As soon as the plane landed, Stellan had sent her a transfer of 1.5 million dollars. Earlier, when she’d given him the talisman, she’d mentioned a fee but hadn't specified the amount. To her surprise, he had remembered and transferred the money immediately after landing. She stared at it but didn’t accept the transfer. The silence on the other end of the call was unsettling. It felt like they were afraid of hearing something they shouldn’t.

The Stewart family was untouchable—its influence stretched across the globe, controlling the world’s financial power and political affairs. They were a force no one dared cross, and though they had retreated from the public eye, they were still at the top of the business world. Their reach was vast, like an army—people didn’t need the Stewart name to follow their orders.

“I didn’t just hear that, did I?” Selah whispered, her voice trembling. She sat back, her mind racing. “Did Odalys just call him… Percival?”

“Percival? Could it be the one I think it is?” Francis, who had been resting quietly, sat up, stiff, breaking into a cold sweat. The mention of the name shook him to his core.

Freya, deep in thought, held her phone tightly. A soft, worried whisper escaped her lips. “So, Odalys is married to him?” The realization made her heart tighten.

“Only the Stewart family could pull strings like this—arranging us a private line straight back to Crownridge, setting up a VIP route to avoid the crowds, and sending us directly to the outskirts. No one else has this kind of power,” Selah said, her voice low with awe and fear. Even with money, such arrangements were rare and needed approval from multiple sources. This sudden VIP treatment, however, seemed effortless.

The atmosphere in the car grew tense.

“Whoever this ‘Percival’ is, we need to keep quiet. Don’t say a word about this. We don’t want to cause any trouble for Odalys,” Selah warned, her voice firm and serious.

Francis nodded quickly. Who would dare say anything about this? Only someone seeking certain death.

Stellan, driving, was stunned. He hadn’t expected this, but it made sense now. No wonder the Porsche Cayenne earlier had seemed so out of place. Odalys and the Stewart family were connected in ways he hadn’t imagined.

His car veered off course, following the route Odalys had given.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed. Stellan saw a car speeding off the overpass, plunging downward with terrifying force. The sound of it hitting the ground reverberated in his ears.

Everyone in the car was startled, their eyes snapping toward the source of the noise, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

Chapter 221

The car screeched to a halt as Stellan slammed on the brakes.

6:25 PM