Chapter 463

Even though she was composed and mature for her age, Odalys was still only a twenty-year-old girl, and like any young woman, she had her playful side.

"Have you ever noticed any familial connection between Edie and me?" Percival asked suddenly, catching Odalys off guard.

She blinked, then replied honestly, "I have noticed, but it's faint and barely there. It disappears quickly."

Percival wiped his broad hands and moved toward her. He stood close, his expression thoughtful.

"So, she is indeed my mother," Percival mused, "but her consciousness doesn't seem to carry any memory of my father. Either she's been possessed by something like Windsor, ormaybe she never loved him, and someone erased her memory."

Percival's mind had clearly turned cold toward Edie, particularly after suspecting her involvement in his father's car accident. There had been a time when he had even considered killing her. A woman capable of harming her own husband, ignoring her son, and even attacking the elderlysuch a person could only be cruel to the core.

Odalys, sensing his shift in tone, decided to lighten the mood. "So, are you going to go meet her?" she teased, batting her eyelashes.

His gaze softened with affection. He reached over to pat her head and shrugged. "I'll go."

At this point, Orson, who had been quietly observing the exchange, couldn't help but make his exit. "Ahem, I'm off to the hospital to check the test results," he said, eager to leave before the awkwardness of the situation could drag on any longer.

Orson, however, had other plans. He snapped a quick photo of the scene and immediately sent it to Evander. Along with the photo, he included a small video he'd captured, showing Percival feeding Odalys a bite of food—a moment that made his heart race with excitement.

"Grandpa, do you think things are getting serious between them?" Orson typed quickly, his fingers trembling with the thrill of the gossip he was sending.

Unbeknownst to him, Odalys had silently walked up beside him. She looked down at his phone screen, then glanced over at him with a sly smile. "You're pretty good at this," she commented.

Orson froze, his heart pounding. "Well, I was pretty much unmatched in the art of stealth photography back in the day," he said, trying to save face.

But as he finished his message and looked up, he found himself face-to-face with Odalys, her eyes twinkling mischievously. The awkwardness set in. His entire demeanor froze as he tried to hide his phone in his pocket.

Odalys tilted her head. "Next time, make sure I look better in the photos. You made my face look huge in that one."

Orson's face went red.

Percival, who had been quietly watching the exchange, finally spoke up. "You overdid it, Orson," he said with a faint smile. "It looks like you were capturing a kiss between us, but we weren't actually kissing."

Orson felt his defenses crumble as he realized that they had caught him red-handed. His face flushed deeper.

"Alright, I'm leaving," Orson said quickly, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to escape.

Odalys, calling out from behind him, couldn't resist teasing. "What's the rush? No more photos? Are you sure?"

Hearing her words, Orson took off even faster, almost sprinting out of the room.

Odalys burst into laughter, her eyes sparkling as she watched him flee.

Just as they were about to leave, Stellan walked back in, impeccably dressed in a sharp suit. He looked every bit the handsome young man he was, though there were traces of blood on his face, suggesting he had just come from a rather intense situation.

"Mr. Stewart, could we talk for a moment?" Stellan asked politely, his voice filled with respect. Despite the Drake family's prominence, they were still nowhere near the level of the Stewart family. Without Odalys' connection to Percival, Stellan knew they would never have a shot at bridging the gap between the two families.

"Of course," Percival replied calmly.

He nodded at Odalys, signaling that he would speak with Stellan for a while. "I'll have a quick chat."

"I'll go visit the set, then," Odalys said with a casual hand gesture, making her way out of the room.

Once she left, the atmosphere in the hotel room became quieter. Percival settled down on the sofa, arms draped casually over the armrests, his gaze resting on Stellan with quiet intensity.

"Recently, there have been some strange events around the Drake Group," Stellan began, his tone wary. "Several high-profile business partners from other prominent families have been suddenly reaching out to collaborate with us."

"My father suspects something's off. He believes someone's behind the scenes stirring things up, trying to create the impression that the Drake family is poaching business from other families, making us enemies. If this continues, it will create friction and distrust among the other families. They may even start to suspect that we orchestrated the gathering of all the families and that Oliver's involvement is part of some scheme."

"My mother's tried investigating, but there's no clear evidence of any external influence—it's as if this is all just happening by itself, but something doesn't sit right with me."

Stellan looked uneasy. Although he was still working on his acting career, he had been forced to take a more active role in his family's affairs due to his father's declining health. With his mother handling both the hospital and the company, Stellan felt the weight of his responsibilities.

"I thought I should come to you, Percival. If you can help, maybe we can clear this up quickly. The longer this drags on, the worse it will be for our business."

After a moment of silence, Percival finally spoke. "In that case, why not trace it back to the source?"

Stellan blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" He was somewhat unsure of Percival's intentions and worried that he might be misinterpreting things.

"Go with the flow. Since they want to get close to the Drake family and cooperate with them, let them think they've succeeded. See if they truly want to cooperate with the Drake Group, or if they're setting a trap to make you fall into it. Set up a situation that makes them believe the Drake family has been caught in their scheme. Then, you can reach out to the Tillery family, have the Drake Group block their escape routes, and make sure that whether they're setting a trap to deceive the Drake family or genuinely want to collaborate, they won't be able to escape. As long as you block their retreat, these people will naturally suffer losses in business. A failed business partnership would have a huge impact on both the company and the family. At that point, the most skilled thing for a wealthy family is to shift blame onto each other, shirk responsibility, and even fall out over their own interests. As long as someone stirs trouble, the Drake family can accurately identify the person trying to maximize their benefits and strike at them, turning the tables and letting them tear each other apart."

Percival succinctly stated his thoughts.

"Exactly. In that case, the Drake family doesn't necessarily have to genuinely cooperate, but they can pretend to consider it, lead them into the game, and make them think we want to cooperate with them. Then their true colors will be exposed."

Percival, seeing that he understood, couldn't help but appreciate him with a glance.