Chapter 50

The next morning, the sun rose in the east, casting its golden light across the sea. The rays reflected brilliantly off the water.

Because the members of Group A were unwell, the boat docked early. The staff announced an immediate evacuation.

Sophia carefully applied makeup to mask her pale face. Her eyes darted around Group B, searching for Odalys. Except for Freya, Stellan, and Selah, she saw no sign of her.

"Atlas, Odalys didn't show up," Sophia whispered, hurrying to his side. Her hands trembled with a barely concealed mixture of cruelty and satisfaction.

Lucian followed, his arrogance palpable. As he brushed past Sophia, he said, "Ms. Bennett, don't forget your promise."

Lucian's words irritated Sophia, but the sight of Odalys's continued absence erased any discomfort.

"As long as she's dead, that's all that matters," she muttered. "How dare she compete with me? Too bad she never had a chance."

Once onboard, Sophia's phone regained signal. Instead of browsing the internet, she immediately made a call, sinking back into her seat with a contented sigh. Her body ached, but her heart felt lighter.

"Odalys is finally gone," she thought. "Thank goodness she died after marrying Percival—for me! This is great. I don't have to marry him, and I'll be the Bennett family's only daughter."

Atlas's voice interrupted her. He'd received a message and his face had darkened. "Atlas, what's wrong?" Sophia asked cheerfully.

Atlas looked at her with a complex expression. "Mom had an accident," he said after a pause. "A chandelier fell on her, breaking her leg. Her face was injured when a phone exploded. She's in the hospital."

Sophia was stunned. "She was hit by a chandelier? What a coincidence! Do you think someone tampered with it? How is she?" she asked quietly. She'd planned to go online, but this news superseded that.

Though not particularly close to Hannah, Sophia knew she needed to show concern. Hannah was her support system; her position would be jeopardized if anything happened to her.

"The situation isn't good," Atlas replied, letting out a low grunt. "Once we're back on land, we'll go straight to the hospital. Our toxins haven't fully cleared; we can get treatment there."

He casually took Sophia's phone. While he didn't understand Henry's warning against checking the news, he obeyed and pocketed it.

Kenny addressed the group using a microphone. "You signed up for a half-month variety show. Due to Group A's poisoning, we've had to shorten it and send everyone home for medical treatment. The previous contract remains valid; the show will resume in four days. You'll have four days to recover. The production team will use this time to find a suitable location to prevent this from happening again." He smiled, glancing at the show's popularity numbers.

19:10 Mon, Jan 6

Selah quietly raised her hand. "So, we're still recording for another week after this, right?" she asked softly.

Kenny nodded. "That's right. After four days of rest, we'll continue for another week." He signaled for breakfast.

A wave of discomfort washed over Sophia. The boat was moving. "Huh? Where's Odalys? Why haven't I seen her?"

Sophia's question caused Group B's faces to harden. Their eyes grew sad as they silently stared at the sea.

This made Sophia uneasy. Someone was missing, yet Kenny seemed oblivious. Did he truly not notice, or…? Sophia felt unsettled.

More than two hours later, the boat docked. Sophia slipped into her high heels, expecting a crowd of fans and reporters. Instead, the area was deserted.

"Why is no one here? Didn't the production team invite the media?" Sophia's mood plummeted. Her grand entrance had vanished.

She'd rushed off the boat, hoping for attention, only to find herself frozen in disbelief.

Two men in suits approached. "Are you Ms. Bennett?"

"I am," Sophia replied softly, a growing unease tightening her chest.

They showed their identification. "We're from Pioneer Shield Insurance. Two hours ago, you called regarding a policyholder's accident. You said she had passed away."

Sophia panicked, looking at the cameraman. Before she could speak, they produced an insurance policy.

"Is this the policy you're referring to? Odalys Stone's accident insurance? When did the accident occur, and where?" the agent asked seriously.

Sophia was near tears. Before boarding the boat, she had called the insurance company, briefly mentioning Odalys's "accident." She never expected this.

"What are you talking about? I don't know," Sophia stammered, flushing with embarrassment.

The agents flipped through their records. "You called over two hours ago. We have a recording." Two police officers approached.

"We also called the police. Please cooperate. Was the deceased's body recovered?" the agent asked, recording the conversation.

Sophia trembled. "You must be mistaken," Atlas interjected, realizing the gravity of the situation. The livestream was still running.

19:10 Mon, Jan 6

"We're not mistaken. The police are here. Did you file a false report?" the agent asked coldly. They'd seen insurance fraud before.

(Online Comments)

[What's going on? Odalys is dead?] [How could the production team miss this? Didn't anyone notice Odalys went to the beach with Selah last night and never returned?] [What about the rest of Group B? Did they not report anything about Odalys's disappearance? No one even questioned her absence?] [Insurance? Am I the only one who feels something's off? Odalys had an accident, and Sophia already filed a claim today.] [Who buys accident insurance out of the blue? Isn't that a typical murder-for-insurance scheme? Could this all be a conspiracy?]

This cleaned-up version improves grammar, punctuation, and flow, making the passage easier to read and understand. The bracketed comments are left as they were, as they appear to be accurate representations of online comments.