Chapter 222

The car plummeted, crashing to the ground and rolling violently before slamming into a tree with a deafening bang. It was wedged there.

"Damn, no way…" Francis cursed under his breath, his shock quickly turning to urgency.

The group immediately leaped from the vehicle and rushed toward the wreckage. Stellan's heart dropped as he saw the license plate. His eyes widened in shock as he shouted, "It's my dad's car!"

He hadn't anticipated that Odalys's warning, "It's too late," would be so terrifyingly true. No wonder she'd insisted on a private jet, sending them back immediately. The crash site was near the airport, and they had arrived just in time.

The realization hit Stellan hard, and his eyes watered with guilt and helplessness. If they'd taken the flight the production team had arranged, they would have been too late.

"Move!" Francis threw his bag into the car and sprinted ahead, his long legs taking the lead.

As they neared the wreck, the car door flew open, and a woman was violently shoved out, her blood-soaked body collapsing onto the ground.

"Dangelo!" she screamed weakly, her blood-covered hands reaching helplessly toward the man trapped inside. It was no use—his body was trapped.

"Mom!" Stellan cried, rushing to her side.

He saw his mother, her usually pristine appearance shattered and covered in blood, her wealthy facade gone. She knelt, frantically trying to claw her way back to the car. Stellan sprinted forward and pulled her away from the wreck.

Hearing his voice, the disoriented woman thought she might be imagining things. Slowly, she turned her head, her eyes locking onto her son. "It's okay now," she whispered, letting him pull her to safety.

"Stellan? Is it really you? Please, please save your father!" Sienna trembled, her voice cracking as she pointed toward the car.

Just then, the car jolted forward. Everyone froze, watching in disbelief as it began rolling again.

Francis rushed forward, trying to stop the car, but his hands grasped only air. The car continued its descent, spilling gasoline as it tumbled down the slope. Stellan felt dread fill the air, hearing his father's name echo in his head. Regret began to seep in, but it hadn't fully overwhelmed him yet.

Then, the world shook with a deafening boom. The explosion reverberated through the sky, sending them flying backward and knocking them off their feet. But Selah still held onto her phone, clutching it tightly, her voice trembling. "Odalys…"

On the other end, Odalys heard the blast, her eyes narrowing as she froze, her finger hovering over her iPad screen. After a long pause, she murmured, "I understand."

"It's true… the explosion," Selah whispered, sinking to the ground in shock. "Some fates… you can't avoid them."

Odalys's voice, on the other end, was calm and measured. "Selah, listen to me. You need to get Stellan to use the talisman I gave him. Place it on his father's body."

Selah quickly scrambled to her feet. The car had exploded; shattered glass lay everywhere, cutting everyone with sharp shards. Selah rushed to Stellan, grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking him.

"Odalys said the talisman. The one she gave you," Selah urged.

Stellan, confused, stared at her for a moment. When the word "talisman" clicked in his mind, he began rummaging through his bag, his hands trembling as he pulled out the talisman Odalys had given him. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the wreckage.

"Stellan, don't go!" Sienna screamed, but it was too late. She was too injured to stop him. She watched helplessly as he rushed toward the car, talisman in hand, ready to save his father.

But just as he reached the car and began to try to place the talisman on his father, the car exploded again.

The force of the second blast was overwhelming. Everyone's eyes widened in horror as they watched Stellan's figure consumed by flames.

Selah collapsed to the ground, still holding the phone, unable to tear her gaze away.

"Selah," Odalys said, hearing the sound. Selah snapped back to reality, her face pale.

"Second explosion… Stellan was in the car…" Selah's words trembled with pain. "He's… he might be gone."

The weight of her words hung heavily in the air. Stellan, a friend she'd grown close to during filming, had been taken from them. She didn't know how to process it.

"Freya!" Francis called, suddenly noticing that Freya had collapsed, her face pale with shock as she stared at the wreck.

He rushed to her, but she grabbed his wrist with surprising strength, her eyes wide. "I saw… I saw a golden light," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"A golden light?" Francis was confused, still processing the explosion.

Freya didn't answer. Instead, she dashed toward the wreckage, her eyes focused on something beyond the flames.

As she reached the site, she saw Stellan emerging from the car, cradling a bloodied Dangelo in his arms.

"What… what is this?" Francis stammered, watching in disbelief as Stellan approached, still clutching the talisman, his grip firm despite the shock.

"Ambulance is here," Selah murmured, noticing the sirens in the distance. She looked back to see the paramedics rushing to Sienna, who was being loaded into the ambulance.

The doctors ran toward Stellan, who handed over Dangelo with a look of disbelief. The doctor's face contorted in surprise at Dangelo's state. "After an explosion and falling from such a height… it's a miracle he's still alive."

From the overpass to the explosion and now this moment, they had all thought Dangelo was surely dead, but to their shock, there was still a pulse. "Who's the family member?" the doctor asked urgently.

Stellan stood frozen for a moment, his mind still reeling. Then, shaking himself out of his daze, he quickly followed, looking back at Francis. "Thank you. For everything."

"Drive them back for me," he said quickly, as he followed the doctors toward the ambulance. His hand still tightly gripped the talisman. Despite the damage—burned to a crisp—he couldn't believe it. The talisman had protected them, shielded them from the worst of the blast. If he hadn't believed Odalys, his father would have been turned to ash.

Stellan pulled out his phone with trembling hands and found Odalys's contact. He typed two simple words: [Thank you]. There was nothing more he could say. His heart was full, yet words failed him.

Perhaps everyone had underestimated Odalys's power. She had never flaunted her abilities, and yet, in this moment, it was clear she was far beyond anyone's comprehension.

"Odalys is incredible," Selah whispered in awe.