Chapter 280

(Villa.) Before Edie could approach, bodyguards pointed guns at her and fired two shots at her feet.

Edie turned to the Stewart villa. It was then she realized Percival truly didn't want her anymore. Regardless of her past actions, Percival had always kept his distance, treating her like a mother. But after last night, everything had changed. Was Percival's abandonment a sign that he was truly dead? Edie wondered.

"You've all lost your minds!" she yelled, her anger boiling over. "I'm Percival's mother! If anything happens to me, do you think the Stewart family will let you off?"

Freya stood before Odalys, protectively. Stepping forward, she looked coldly at the haggard Edie.

"The Stewart family!" Freya said in a low voice. "You're no longer part of the Stewart family. For years, you've used the Stewart name for shady dealings. My cousin has been more than patient with you."

Grimacing in pain, Edie tried to stand but fell again with a thud.

"Your cousin?" Edie sneered, her words venomous. "What are you? How dare you call my son cousin? You're nothing to us. It's because I drugged your filthy mother that she ever married into the Stewart family!"

"Your mother tried to steal from me, and now you want to harm me! But I am Percival's real mother, and even if he's dead, the Stewart family will still be mine!" Edie spun, seemingly trying to regain control of her emotions. Her words left everyone speechless.

"Are you saying that Percival's father and my mother were in love, meant to marry, but you interfered and destroyed their relationship?" Freya asked, stunned.

For years, Edie had constantly undermined Freya, orchestrating situations where others took advantage of her. Freya never imagined Edie harbored such secrets.

"Yeah, so what? In the end, I won, didn't I? So what gives you the right to call my son cousin?" Edie mocked.

Freya froze, unable to process this. She only knew her father and Percival's father were comrades. Later, after both men were in an accident, her parents saved Percival's father. That's why her parents died, and the Stewart family took Freya in.

"Someone, call an ambulance!" Edie gritted her teeth, her face contorted in agony.

Odalys watched her struggle. Nearby, she saw two figures approaching. She locked eyes with Percival, who subtly raised his hand.

"Freya, let's go inside," Odalys said, pulling Freya away.

Edie lunged forward, but Odalys was faster, slamming the door shut, leaving Edie grasping at air.

"Mmm," Edie mumbled, sensing someone near. Turning, she saw Orson approaching with a handkerchief. He quickly covered her mouth and nose. Edie struggled briefly before collapsing into his arms.

"What should we do?" Orson asked quietly, after confirming Edie had passed out.

Percival stared at Edie, noticing her loss of elegance. She looked ten years older overnight. This was the mother who had once meticulously cared for herself.

"Check the drug she injected," Percival instructed coldly.

Orson picked up a syringe, sniffed it, and whispered, "It's a slow-acting poison. It causes uncontrollable pain."

"Manageable at first, but addictive. It's a mixed poison," Orson added, his face darkening.

Chapter 250

Edie used drugs to control Freya. That was ruthless.

"Consider this her final act. Let her die with it," Percival said, his eyes cold.

Orson looked at Edie, his expressionless. She seemed familiar, yet distant.

"My handkerchief only contains a small amount of sleeping drug, enough to knock her out for half an hour. What should we do with her?"

However cruel, she was still Percival's mother.

"Have someone take her home. Then have another team investigate where she got the drugs. Find out who supplied her and why," Percival said deeply.

The sheer power of that drug had ruined her future. Once the pain became unbearable, Edie would desperately seek more. This drug, mixed with other substances, caused excruciating body aches. Perhaps this was her deserved fate.

"Alright, I'll arrange it," Orson said, lifting her to leave.

Percival stood outside Freya's apartment, knocking. The door opened immediately; Freya and Odalys had been waiting. They must have overheard his conversation with Orson.

"She really tried to control me with drugs?" Freya asked, shocked.

Odalys offered sympathetic comfort.

"So, will she need drugs to ease her pain? Should we get a doctor to flush it out? It's still fresh in her system," Freya murmured.

Percival seemed deep in thought, carefully choosing his words. "This is her choice. We have no right to interfere. She chose to go against the Stewart family and tried to use you to manipulate us."

"She chose this path. I won't pay the price for her decisions. Once she chose illegal substances, she lost her chance at being saved," Percival said coldly.

It might sound cruel, but he believed adults should face their own consequences.

"As for what she said about your parents, that's a matter for the older generation. Even if your mother and my father couldn't be together, they chose to remain friends, comrades through life and death."

"The past didn't affect them. You don't need to take her words to heart," Percival added.

Freya fell silent.

"If you let this affect you, you're falling into her trap. She's trying to control you to force the Stewart family to compromise, showing she's afraid of you," Odalys said.

Odalys knew Freya wasn't one to hold grudges. That's why she wanted to be friends with Freya.

"Odalys, you're the best," Freya said, hugging Odalys. "We'll be friends forever, right?"

"Not really," Odalys laughed, teasing her.

Percival watched, his face unreadable. He cleared his throat.

"By the way, how did you get here? I thought you were with Sophia earlier," Odalys asked, confused.

When Freya learned he'd been with Sophia, she became anxious.

"Percival, why were you with Sophia? Don't you know she's always trying to frame Odalys?" Freya asked, angry.