Chapter 462

"His son is dead, his wife, daughter-in-law, and grandson are all dead, yet when I examined him, I didn't see any signs of his line being completely cut off," Odalys murmured. "That means he still has descendants. This time, when we 'captured' him—well, 'captured' isn't the right word—he probably came willingly. He has some connection to the Bennett family. I suspected he'd return there, but I never imagined it would be this way. His eagerness to move back into the Bennett family speaks volumes."

Odalys bit into a piece of watermelon, her voice a low whisper as the thought lingered.

"Wait, are you saying his descendants could be related to the Bennett family?" Orson's attention snapped back, his earlier unease replaced with heightened interest.

Odalys nodded thoughtfully. "It's possible. He might appear to have no heirs, but he could be hiding something. Maybe he's crafted this persona of having no family to mislead others. His public story is that his century-old tailoring shop was shut down, and after being forced back to the mountain village, he now returns to Crownridge, shunned by society. His son even died tragically right outside the Bennett Villa."

"The night his son died there," Odalys continued, "I saw something strange—his body dissolved into a foul liquid and seeped into the ground right at the entrance. The Bennett family has always been steeped in negative energy, but the way his son died, without him ever mentioning it afterward…that's odd. If your last son dies, you'd think he'd be angry, vengeful, seeking retribution, right? But this man never did. Instead, he kept busy, always moving."

"Also, I found the alley he entered before—it's the same alley Oliver was seen going into. That means they know each other. Oliver, as you know, is an expert in energy fields, and he can calculate and predict things like no one else. If this old man and Oliver know each other, he must be somewhat knowledgeable about this kind of power as well. What's more, if you don't look closely, you'd never guess he doesn't have any heirs. It's likely he has some kind of talisman shielding his true nature, making it hard for people to see through him."

Orson chewed his watermelon slowly, trying to make sense of everything.

"He has a similar vibe to Sophia," Odalys continued, her voice cool. "Sophia's been aided by someone subtly strengthening her energy and maintaining her appearance. The moment her luck fades, so does her beauty—it all comes undone. That's why she's so eager to sleep with men, or flirt, to absorb their energy and life force. She even uses Love Spells to borrow power. Don't you think it's eerily similar to what this old man might be doing? Both are using talismans to hide their true intentions."

Orson paused. "So you're saying there's a connection between him and Sophia?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes, but Sophia doesn't know about it," Odalys said. "If that's the case, we should test him. Let's feed him the news about Sophia possibly being pregnant and that Finnian has her in his clutches, her life hanging by a thread."

"That way, we can see who's really invested in this, who's the most desperate," Percival interjected, his voice deep and steady. "This will flush them out and give us a clear shot."

Odalys smiled. "Exactly. Let's see who reacts first."

She took another bite of peach, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. She and Percival exchanged a glance, and for a moment, something unspoken passed between them. Their connection felt different now, more charged—perhaps it was the lingering memory of last night, when they had walked together in wedding attire, across the Bridge of Sighs, eyes locked. The emotional bond between them had subtly deepened.

Orson, now fully alert, slammed his hands on the table. "What do I do now?!" His voice was eager, full of energy. He was practically bouncing in his seat. The prospect of big moves ahead had ignited a fire in him.

Earlier, his grandfather had warned him: "Do whatever it takes to support Odalys, make sure she's free of any worries, and protect her from exhaustion. She's the last hope of traditional medicine. She could save so many people, even restore traditional medicine to its peak."

Clarence, his grandfather, had always believed in the power of traditional medicine. The Lark family had never given up on it, and with Odalys's arrival, hope had been rekindled. Her expertise had already led to patents being filed under her name, and the Lark family was pushing hard to promote the wonders of traditional medicine. If it made a return, people wouldn't need to rely on modern medicine anymore, which had ruined so many families—crushing their wealth, ruining lives, and still not managing to save those who were truly suffering. Odalys's work could change everything, and Orson, driven by his grandfather's faith, was more determined than ever to see it through.

"Right now, there's nothing to do except keep an eye on Oliver. See what they do next," Odalys said. "And also, watch how Windsor's luck continues to decline. After everything goes wrong for him, will he still hold on to the Simpson family? The people from the Simpson family are still hiding and haven't shown themselves. Except for Edie and Henry getting tangled up, the Simpson family seems to have stayed completely out of it."

"The Simpson family really knows how to hold their ground," Odalys said. "If it hadn't been for the night Percival and I visited the Simpson family, and if I hadn't seen their terrifying energy field layout, maybe I wouldn't have realized just how formidable they were. No wonder Percival never interacted with the Simpson family. No wonder he always kept his composure and never alarmed them. The Simpson family isn't as simple as it seems. The Simpson villa's address is still at the junction of energy, and the Simpson family's energy is very strange. These two things are certainly linked."

"Alright. I'll have my people keep an eye on them," Orson quickly agreed. He took out his phone and sent a message to his subordinates.

After Odalys finished her fruit, Percival stood up to clean the dishes, and she followed him to the kitchen. She watched him place the dishes in the dishwasher.

"Percival," she called out in a low voice, leaning against the kitchen doorframe.

Percival turned around. "Hmm?"

"How about we take some time to meet with Edie?" Odalys suggested, a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"Are you trying to probe her mind to figure out why my father doesn't appear in her thoughts?" Percival seemed to have guessed her intentions.

Odalys quickly nodded.