Chapter 528
Atlas spun around, his scalp tingling as he met Sophia's beaming gaze. Instinctively, he recoiled, eyeing her with wariness.
"Atlas, why are you looking at me like that?" Sophia gazed at him with feigned sadness, then crouched and shuffled toward him. "Dad told me to rest up for the baby. Do you think he's trying to put me under house arrest? Atlas, you're the best to me in the Bennett family. Don't ignore me, okay?"
"Atlas! It's not my fault Mom and Dad are getting a divorce. He forced me into this! I'm just a girl. What could I do? Atlas, can you help me?" Sophia pleaded, leaning toward him and grabbing his arm.
Atlas recoiled as if burned, shaking her hand off. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet and bolted upstairs.
"Atlas! Atlas!" Sophia chased after him. Atlas, terrified, sped up, rushing into his room and slamming the door shut.
Sophia stood still, biting her lip and staring at his bedroom door with a grim expression. "Did he find something? He was knocked out by me last night, so he couldn't have found out I opened his chest. Why is he so afraid of me? Did he find out, or was he under too much pressure recently?" she muttered.
She had been testing Atlas. She couldn't let anyone know her secret. After returning to the Bennett Villa, she had been hiding her strength, worried they might exploit her if they found out. To protect herself, she had to endure.
"And what Odalys said about the man who set a magic zone in the villa—that man is dead," Sophia murmured, her eyes widening in sudden realization. The man had died while setting the zone. Her luck had plummeted, and she'd only managed to maintain her current state by using the Love Spell to seize Finnian's luck.
"Could it be that Odalys meant that old guy was helping me when she said he was setting a magic zone? That villa…" Sophia panicked, quickly grabbing her phone to reread the news about the events at the villa. A haunted house! More than a dozen bodies had been dug up; the murderer was unknown, but these people had disappeared one after another. She compared the dates of their disappearances and deaths to her periods of good fortune—high exam scores, generally good luck—and made a startling discovery: they coincided. The last death occurred around the time Odalys returned; no one died afterward. In other words, no one died after Odalys returned. Afterward, Sophia consistently had bad luck.
Is it possible the person who died was performing a ritual for me? Did they absorb others' fortune and try to give it to me? No wonder my fortune hasn't been improving. Is it because no one is doing this for me anymore? No, I should find someone to extract fortune for me again.” Sophia panicked. He never connected the villa incident with himself; he had always been well-behaved, and no one knew what was different about her. No wonder when I contacted that person before, I found out that the person who met me was a fake magician and tricked me into taking off my clothes and bathing. It seems that after that man died, his cell phone fell into someone else’s hands. No wonder no one has contacted me again. What should I do! Could it be that no one can take his place?” Sophia panicked, feeling powerless. Apart from the Love Spell, she had no other useful options, and there weren't many Love Spells left. She couldn't use them casually anymore. If the man is dead, he must have a successor. If I could find his successor, perhaps they would know something about the Love Spells. Thinking of this, Sophia walked heavily upstairs.
She found Caspian still outside the door. He had been outside and hadn't entered. He was shocked by Stellan's words and was questioning their credibility. He didn't expect to see such a scene. "Sophia, who are you? No wonder you want to replace Odalys. It seems that you are not simple either," Caspian said coldly.
Thinking of how he had previously protected her, believing her to be weak, he wanted to slap himself. Now, he felt the entire Bennett family, even his parents, couldn't be trusted. What should I do? Should I ask Atlas to be my ally? He is being targeted by Sophia now, What if she gets to me too? At the thought of this, Caspian immediately gave up.
Percival drove his Cayenne away from the Bennett Villa, followed by Stellan's car. At a corner, Percival slowed. A figure ran, opened the door, and jumped in.
"I'm so exhausted," Orson gasped. He had just climbed to the second floor of the Bennett Villa to search for something, his heart pounding. Only after receiving Percival's message to retreat did he jump from the second floor. Unexpectedly, Caspian was outside, and he almost ran into him. Startled, Orson turned and jumped over a wall, stepping on a stray dog and being chased for nearly three thousand feet. Cornered, he knocked the dog unconscious before escaping. Fortunately, Percival slowed down, allowing him to catch up.
"Any discoveries?" Odalys asked, handing him a bottle of water. "Thank you," Orson said, taking a few gulps. "Yes, I followed your instructions and checked Sophia's room. I brought some back for you," he continued, opening his pocket to reveal a piece of paper wrapped around some burnt paper.
Odalys took the ashes, gently rubbing them with her fingers, lifting them to her nose, and sniffing lightly. Then she ran her fingertips across the ashes. Orson watched in astonishment as the ashes were restored to their original state. "Holy crap," Orson cursed. He hadn't expected her to have that ability. The handwriting was visible. "Although it was torn and burned, it's not difficult to see that they are astrological signs. Atlas's astrological signs," Odalys said, having seen the year and month. Given the ages of the Bennett family's men, she knew it could only be Atlas.