Chapter 258

This was the Stewart family's turf. Odalys had just confronted Edie, and Percival must have known. Odalys lowered her head and remained silent for a moment.

She spoke calmly, "Your mother and Hannah go way back. I just caught a glimpse through the floor-to-ceiling window, and I sensed a rupture between us. I could see her hatred for me. That means the person who secretly pushed the Bennett family to abuse and beat me, and ultimately abandon me, was your mother, Edie. I'm their biological daughter. I had always wondered why the Bennett family abandoned and tortured me, then cast me aside. Just now, when I saw your mother, I realized the reason. I understood why the woman you married ended up being me. It was all orchestrated by your mother behind the scenes."

"So, in this life, your life and death are in my hands. If I want you dead, you won't live," Odalys's voice remained calm, as if she were speaking about something ordinary.

Percival fell silent, then slowly stood and walked toward her. He stopped in front of her, stood there for a long time, and then said in a deep voice, "I've already said this. As long as she oppresses you or goes after you, you can handle it however you want."

"I just got off the phone, and they mentioned your mother might have known Hannah from the past. My people have already looked into it. The year you were abandoned, my mother had a falling out with the Bennett family and cut off all contact with them. So, I never knew she had that connection with them."

"I'm sorry that she incited the Bennett family to abuse you," Percival's voice was hoarse.

After the call, he was eager to find her, but she was already gone. He was frantic, but as soon as he got downstairs, he happened to run into her returning. When Percival heard Odalys's self-mocking words, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

In a low voice, he said, "You don't need to apologize for what you've done, and you certainly don't need to think that I'll take the other side because of it. I'm always on your side. It was like that before, it is like that now, and it will always be." He reached out, intending to pat her head, but his hand stopped halfway. After a brief silence, he slowly withdrew his hand.

"Hey, I thought you might think I'm cruel," Odalys suddenly felt a lot lighter.

Odalys didn't like being at odds with others. She was direct and decisive, never holding grudges. If she had an enemy, she had to settle it face to face. When Odalys saw Edie earlier, she had already wanted to go down and teach her a lesson.

"By the way, the bodyguards sent word. Brandon wants to see you," Percival quickly shifted the conversation. He moved aside to give her room to pass, and Odalys headed upstairs, with Percival following behind her.

"He wants to see me because he wants to figure out exactly what we know and what could work in his favor. As long as he denies everything and thinks we can't do anything about it…" Odalys said.

Percival murmured, "That's why I had my people bypass him and go straight after Rafael. Maybe we can hear something different from him."

"I think so," Odalys replied quietly. Their plan was to leave Brandon and Keylor in the dark, not to press them, nor interrogate them. After spending enough time in a dark basement, their mental state would begin to break. Eventually, Brandon and Keylor would beg them to ask questions. Odalys was a master at psychological warfare.

"It's getting late; you should rest," Percival said when he noticed Odalys seemed a little tired.

Odalys stood outside her bedroom door, pushing it open, when something seemed to come to her mind.

She peeked over at Percival and said, "By the way, tell Mr. Stewart to come home early."

"Got it," Percival replied in a low voice. After Odalys closed the door behind her, Percival took out his phone and called Evander, passing on Odalys's message to have him home early. "Understood. I'll be home soon," Evander said. After ending the call, Percival lifted his foot and headed toward the bedroom.

Once Odalys returned to her room, she went into the bathroom for a quick shower. After drying her hair, she lay down. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, her phone vibrated. She glanced at her phone, which had been charging on the side, and seeing it was fully charged, immediately unplugged it.

"Selah, what's going on?" Odalys asked, her voice weary. She wasn't exhausted from the day's events, but she had used magic tonight, and it drained her energy.

"Odalys, did you see the news! It's all over trending. They're saying Mr. Stewart is dead!" Selah asked, holding her breath, speaking cautiously. When Selah saw the trending news that Percival was dead, she immediately called Odalys.

"Who's dead!" Odalys asked, her head aching.

"Mr. Stewart is dead? Is it talking about Percival?" Odalys thought.

"It's the current head of the Stewart family, Percival. I heard he died about half an hour ago," Selah said. "Some people are saying that unusual things were seen over the Stewart Villa tonight, lightning flashing and dark clouds covering the sky. They say it's a sign of Percival's death," Selah continued cautiously. Selah and Francis had discussed it and decided to make the call. Francis was sitting across from her, nervously listening to their conversation. "You go check it out," Odalys said before hanging up.

Odalys picked up her phone and opened Twitter, seeing headlines like: "The Stewart family head, Percival, has passed," "Unusual phenomena above Stewart Villa at midnight," "The Stewart family's future uncertain. What happens to the elite family?", and "Shock! Percival, unmarried, has passed away." Staring at these headlines, Odalys fell silent, thinking she must be seeing things. She had never seen such absurd news before.

Odalys sat up against the headboard, holding her phone, and after a while, stood up and walked next door. She knocked on Percival's door, which opened to reveal him holding his own phone, seemingly browsing the news. Odalys quickly extended her phone's screen to him.

"They're saying you're dead," Odalys said, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing. What will he think when he sees the news about his own death? she wondered.

Percival replied, "It is something I expected. My mother suddenly showing up tonight was likely her testing whether I was really that ill. Didn't the Bennett family already know I would die within a month? A hint. I suspected there was a mole in the family, but later, I realized my mother was the most suspicious. She wasn't just checking on me but to confirm my condition. Plus, my grandmother, Orson, and the others all looked in on me all evening."

This is a significantly improved version with corrected grammar, punctuation, and formatting. Some phrasing was slightly altered for better flow and clarity. Note that some ambiguities in the original text remain, as the original writing style contains some inconsistencies.