Chapter 422

“Stop, no, please, no!” Edie murmured, her voice trembling. Before she could react, hands lunged at her, grabbing her collar with terrifying speed. Her eyes widened in shock as she was yanked forward into the mirror. She lost consciousness instantly.

As Edie lay unconscious, Freya rubbed her hands together with giddy excitement. “Damn, that was satisfying… seeing her panic like that for the first time—felt like a breath of fresh air.”

Selah chimed in hesitantly, “I almost got scared too. The illusion was too real.”

The two dragged Edie to the side. Meanwhile, Odalys gracefully leaped through the window.

“Odalys, what do we do now?” Freya asked, her curiosity evident.

Odalys didn't answer immediately. She took a talisman from her pocket and placed it on the bathroom floor. Instantly, the room plunged into darkness.

Standing over Edie’s motionless form, Odalys held her breath, her eyes closed. The talisman glowed with fiery energy as flames danced across its surface. Time stretched. Minutes felt like hours.

Freya and Selah watched anxiously, exchanging nervous glances.

Finally, Odalys opened her eyes, her expression complicated, and the flames on the talisman flickered out.

“We should leave,” Odalys said quietly but resolutely.

Without another word, she jumped back through the window. Freya and Selah followed, using ropes to climb out, disappearing into the night. As they vanished, the bathroom door slammed open.

Edie Hannah rushed in. She froze, seeing Edie lying on the floor, her face confused. Hannah kicked Edie sharply.

Noticing Edie was unconscious, Hannah grabbed her by the neck, slowly tightening her grip. Just as the pressure peaked, she released her, a dark look crossing her face.

“If you weren’t useful to me, I’d strangle you right now,” Hannah hissed coldly.

Edie’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of her voice. She blinked in confusion before locking eyes with Hannah, her face filling with rage. Without thinking, she slapped Hannah, sneering, “Hannah, so it was you! You really thought the things you did would stay buried just because I died? Think again!”

Edie staggered to her feet, scanning the bathroom. She touched the mirror, confirming it was real. Her reflection stared back, clear as day. The faucet was running normally—no blood. So, everything she’d seen was an illusion? But why was she on the floor? Her mind raced.

Her eyes narrowed as she cautiously glanced at Hannah. Grabbing her bag, she stormed towards the door. Passing Hannah, she shoved her shoulder hard. Hannah didn’t react angrily; instead, she smiled darkly as Edie stormed out, then calmly closed the bathroom door.

“You know why Edie married Henry so suddenly!” Hannah’s voice cut through the air.

Caspian, frozen with his phone, turned in confusion.

“Wasn’t it because she was abandoned by the Stewart family and needed a place to hide?” he asked, unsure.

Hannah laughed softly, stepping closer, her eyes locking with his. “Foolish boy,” she said, her tone affectionate yet laced with venom. “She used to be my friend. What kind of woman willingly becomes her old friend’s daughter-in-law?”

She walked right up to Caspian and continued, “Do you honestly think Henry was so extraordinary that she’d abandon everything and marry into the bankrupt Bennett family? We’re public enemies now. Why would she want this mess?”

Caspian fell silent, processing her words.

“She wanted something from the Bennett family,” Hannah added with a cold smirk. “She thought she could take it. But I’m afraid she’s wrong.”

A chill crept down Caspian’s spine. Something unsettling in Hannah’s voice made her words feel like a threat. She then softened, as if nothing had happened. The dark aura around her disappeared instantly.

He looked like a man on the brink of collapse, fully aware that the Bennett family was teetering on the edge of total collapse, the media already circling like vultures.

“Why are you so frantic?” Hannah said coldly, a sly grin curling her lips. “Why should I care about Henry’s reputation?”

“Caspian, are you alright?” Atlas asked, confused.

The Bennett family’s foundation was crumbling; they were all adrift. No one knew what was truly happening.

Caspian leaned in to speak quietly, his voice low and intense. “Listen,” he said, closing the hospital room door behind him. “Since Dad returned from abroad, he’s been acting strange. After Henry married Edie, everything changed. And I don’t think Mom’s the same either.”

Atlas’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

Caspian continued, “Mom and Dad are divorced, and Mom doesn’t seem to care. She’s not even trying to get Sophia back. Does that seem normal to you?”

Atlas stood stunned. “Now that you mention it, it does seem off.”

“It feels like something’s going on with the Bennett family, but neither of us knows what’s really happening. It’s like they’re secretly involved in something, and that’s what’s causing this,” Caspian said quietly. “And now, whenever I go home, it feels so eerie. It’s cold, and I keep having nightmares. Remember that necklace Odalys gave Mom? She said it would protect her.”

“Ever since Odalys left the Bennett Villa and took the necklace, things have been going wrong—Mom, then Henry, and now Sophia. It’s like they’re all connected, but I can’t explain how. My gut tells me the only person who knows is Odalys.”

Caspian’s voice dropped, his frustration mounting.

“You’re asking me to go back and beg Odalys? No way!” Atlas’s face flushed red, his anger rising as he waved his hand dismissively. “I’m her brother!” he said proudly, but even as the words left his mouth, he felt the lack of conviction. He had less strength in those words now, especially after how Odalys had treated him. The more he thought about it, the more uncertain he became. “I got into a car accident last night. If it weren’t for Odalys, I’d be dead. I’ve been so unlucky lately. Have you thought about what Mom and Sophia mentioned?”

“Finian’s a perfect example of someone who got caught in it—he’s neither alive nor dead, and he’s lost everything,” Caspian reiterated the situation.

Hearing this, a knot tightened in Atlas’s stomach.

“So, what do we do now?” Atlas asked, his voice shaking with rising panic.