Chapter 360

Pendaal murmured sleepily, mentioning that he’d had the documents in the car but waited to hand them over until they were outside. Orson took the documents from Pendaal, glanced at them, and paled. His bewildered, handsome face went white; his lips moved as he stared at the documents, then at Percival and Odalys.

"Is it all fake?" Orson asked incredulously. He stumbled back and collapsed onto the carpet.

"But our family did a paternity test; he does have the Lark family bloodline," Orson said. "After all, technology doesn't lie. Having been a doctor for many years, I know how to distinguish the real from the fake. Test data can be falsified or manipulated."

He fell silent. All these years, he'd treated Finnian like his own brother, never looking down on him for being illegitimate. His parents had treated Finnian the same. He’d been in the position of family head. But Finnian had developed malicious intentions, wanting to oust the Lark family from power; his ambitions were too great, Odalys explained. The Lark and Stewart families had been friends for generations! Taking over the Lark family would allow him to infiltrate the Stewarts, but he lacked confidence, so he turned his attention to the Bennett family's marriage plans.

She added, "Blossom Tillery, the eldest daughter of the Tillery family, was nearly driven to insanity by a love spell cast by Sophia because of her obsession with a celebrity. Fortunately, Harvey sensed something was wrong and sought help."

She continued, "The Drake family, who for generations had only one son, faced near tragedy. While Dangelo and Sienna were away on business, their car was sabotaged, careening out of control on the highway and exploding. Dangelo and Sienna barely escaped the burning vehicle."

"A series of incidents targeting Crownridge's wealthiest families," Odalys whispered.

Orson abruptly woke from his daze. He knew about these incidents but hadn't connected them to the Lark family. Now, reminded by Odalys, he understood.

"Damn it!" Orson got up angrily, striding forward and kicking Finnian hard. Finnian crashed to the ground, screaming in pain but unable to move. Orson snapped, "Sure, you were brought back into the Lark family, but what have we done to you? Why? We even gave you a chance before, and even when you got into trouble, my father stepped in to protect you! Why do you still want to destroy our family?"

"Finnian, it seems your ambition is far too great. Our Lark family can't satisfy your desires anymore!" Orson shouted angrily. He'd truly treated Finnian like a younger brother; even when he made mistakes, as long as they weren't fatal, the Lark family had handled things for him. Perhaps Finnian's recklessness stemmed from the Lark family's favor.

"No, Odalys is lying! She's trying to drive a wedge between us, Orson. Don't believe her. She must be working with Percival to break us apart!" Finnian said desperately. He'd dared to think they'd never let him go, even forcing him into a corner. Now that he was no longer part of the Lark family, they wouldn't care about him.

Chapter 360 (Continued)

"If you're innocent, why are you anxious? Why would Odalys lie? Besides, what kind of deal did you make with Sophia privately? You volunteered to give her your aura; what else is there to say?" Orion said, his attractive eyes exuding vicious intensity.

"Take care of it yourself! I'm leaving," Odalys said. From here on, it was the Lark family's business, no longer her concern. Besides, she'd burned the talisman in sunlight earlier, dissipating the dark aura around Finnian. But he'd been entangled with dark energy so long that his aura was almost gone. A person who loses their aura is near death. That's why she'd cut open his abdomen and removed the talisman paper; to her, Finnian was already a dead man. Even if kept alive, he wouldn't last long.

"Odalys, thank you for today. I'll explain everything to the family and make sure it's handled properly. We won't cause you any more trouble," Orson said, respectfully following her as she left. Even though Odalys hadn't officially taken him as an apprentice, in Orson's eyes, she was already a senior. Odalys had taught him medical skills, and he was extremely grateful. Without her guidance, his skills would have remained stagnant. But after her guidance, he'd made great strides.

This matter was now known to the entire Lark family. Other elders, who'd never met her, were praising her, promising that the Lark family wouldn't ignore anything concerning Odalys. Unknowingly, the Lark family had become her backing, her support.

"Okay," Odalys replied softly. She walked out, Percival following. Side by side, they walked towards the elevator. The bodyguards, standing nearby, moved forward. Orson snapped his fingers at them; they bowed to Odalys before approaching.

"This love spell was cast on Finnian by Sophia. Now that you've removed and burned it, will Sophia suffer any backlash?" Percival asked. Logically, there would be a backlash. Whether talisman or curse, the principle was the same: evil deeds came with a price.

"There will be backlash. Otherwise, everything I did in Windsor last night would have been in vain," Odalys said softly, her eyes lighting up. Everything seemed under control; that feeling was satisfying.

"To make Windsor break that taboo, it's not enough to make him think this way alone; Sophia also has to suffer backlash. Her body will be harmed, so she'll actively seek out Windsor?" Percival paused before sharing his guess. It seemed Odalys had planned this. "That's about right. After the old man who did the ritual died, Sophia was hit with backlash, causing her appearance to change. Thanks to Emman and the love spell in his body, she was able to maintain her current appearance. Now that the love spell in Finnian's body has been destroyed, Segala has lost her foundation."

She added, "That's why the much younger Sara was willing to be close to her. With all his troubles with Edie, Henry surely has no time for her. He subtly distanced himself so he wouldn't get involved with her mess!"

She continued, "Adas may not seem smart, but he's unlikely to get any further with Sophia. So, aside from Windsor, Sophia won't find anyone else in the Rennen family suitable to target."