Chapter 361
At the hospital, after the dizziness subsided, Cain suddenly felt much better. The lingering sensation of something missing was gone. Unable to hold back, he asked, “Master Flynn, has my luck returned!?”
Raylan replied, “Half of it has. The rest was already used by Sienna.” He added, “You’ll still be unlucky, but it won’t be as severe or frequent as before.”
Stunned, Cain exclaimed, “So, you’re saying that the luck I gave away has only half returned, and the rest is gone forever!”
Raylan shot him a cold look. “What? You’re still not satisfied? The curse is broken. She can’t steal your luck anymore.”
Cain shivered under his gaze and quickly explained, “Master Flynn, you misunderstood. Of course, I have no complaints. I was just asking.”
At first, knowing he had only regained half his luck left a sour feeling in his heart. But hearing Flynn’s explanation, he immediately let go of any resentment. He had personally witnessed how powerful a true horoscope master could be. He wouldn’t dare offend Raylan. He also wouldn’t dare cross Phoebe again. He finally realized that his real sister was different. She had actually gone easy on him before. If she had truly wanted to deal with him using those mysterious methods, he would have suffered terribly. Comparing the past with the present, he finally saw how foolish he had been. He couldn’t even tell who genuinely cared for him and who was just pretending.
He consoled himself. Getting back half his luck and not being as unlucky as before was already good enough. From now on, if he ever saw Sienna, he would stay as far away from her as possible. He had learned a painful lesson.
Looking at Phoebe, he asked warmly, “When are you heading back to Solara City? Want to go together?”
Phoebe found his sudden friendliness baffling. She thought he had another brain malfunction. She responded coldly, “No need.”
Cain felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. Trying to mend their relationship was going to be tough.
Elliot had also wanted to invite Phoebe back to Solara City with them. But seeing his son get shut down, he swallowed his words.
Phoebe gathered up all the ritual materials from the table, packed them into a trash bag, and prepared to dispose of them later. It was best not to let these things fall into the wrong hands.
After finishing up, she turned to Raylan. “Raylan, let’s head back to Oriar.”
Raylan stood up. “Alright.” He didn’t mention anything about payment. If the Jenkins family dared to withhold it, he had plenty of ways to deal with them.
Ellica and Jamar wanted to keep them a little longer, but seeing their determination to leave, they knew it was futile.
Just as Elliot and Jamar stood up to escort them back to Oriar, the hospital room door suddenly swung open. Lydia and Ophelia walked in together.
The moment Ophelia saw Phoebe, her smiling face instantly darkened. She even let out a cold sniff. When her gaze landed on Raylan, her expression turned more inquisitive and observant. But as soon as Flynn’s icy gaze swept over her, she shuddered. Despite his ethereal, otherworldly appearance, he gave off an aura of fear and intimidation. Still, she had come to gather information for her partner, and she had accomplished that much.
Lydia was momentarily stunned to see Phoebe and Raylan there. She asked, “Why are you here?”
Before Phoebe could respond, Elliot beat her to it. “Leave them,” he said with a plea, then turned to his wife. “They have a problem.”
Lydia felt a bit wronged. “I was just asking. Why are you speaking to me like that?”
Elliot frowned. “Because you, as a mother, have been completely unreasonable.”
Lydia’s face darkened. “Am I being unreasonable?”
Phoebe couldn’t be bothered with their family drama. “Mr. Jenkins, my senior and I are leaving now,” she said.
But Elliot insisted. “I’ll send you back.” He even walked to the door, making it clear that he would take no for an answer.
Phoebe’s nose twitched slightly as she caught a scent in the air. She glanced at Lydia and Ophelia; her mind made up, rejecting Elliot, she said, “Alright?”
Ignoring Lydia and Ophelia, she left swiftly with Raylan. Just before stepping out, her fingers moved slightly. A wisp of evil energy slipped into Ophelia’s body. The hospital room door closed.
Ophelia smirked at Lydia. “Your daughter is even more disrespectful than mine. Seeing her own mother and not even greeting her?”
These words successfully made Lydia’s expression darken. Jamar was speechless. He was growing increasingly annoyed with Reece Hill’s mother. That was just an open attempt to stir trouble between his moms and Phoebe.
He spoke up. “Phoebe cut ties with us long ago. Strangers don’t have to greet each other, do they? Mrs. Hill, why don’t you just mind your own family affairs from now on.”
Ophelia confronted him like this, and her expression soured even more. Ophelia hadn’t expected the youngest son of the Jenkins family to confront her. She turned to Lydia. “Is your son saying I’m not welcome here!”
Lydia, embarrassed, scolded Jamar, “You’re being so rude! Where are your manners!” She thought her son was just too foolish, exposing family conflict in front of her friend like this. She added, “Apologize now!”
Jamar rolled his eyes. “I only spoke the truth. I’m going to find Dad.” With that, he opened the door and slipped out, hoping to catch up.
Seeing that Jamar had outright ignored her and run off, Lydia was furious. One after another, they were all being led astray by Phoebe.
She turned to Ophelia apologetically. “I’m sorry. He has been having issues with me lately.”
Ophelia said magnanimously, “No worries, my two kids are just as troublesome.” She sat for a little while longer before taking her leave.
On the way back to Oriar, Phoebe asked Elliot, “Has Mrs. Jenkins been acting emotionally unstable lately?”
Elliot was stunned for a moment before he realized what she meant. He said, “Yes, she doesn’t listen to anything we say, yet she believes every word that woman tells her. Did you notice something!” He knew his wife’s temper wasn’t the best, but she had never been this stubborn and irrational.
Phoebe nodded. “I noticed that Mrs. Hill is wearing a special type of fragrance. This fragrance doesn’t harm her, but it does affect those who are in frequent contact with her.” She added, “It amplifies their emotions, making small issues turn into insurmountable problems.”
Phoebe had already sensed that Lydia had become increasingly hostile toward her, even to the point of hatred. She had long suspected that something was amiss. Using positive energy to perceive any curses or unusual forces, she had found nothing. But after seeing Ophelia, she finally understood. Every time Ophelia interacted with Lydia, she deliberately wore this scent. It caused Lydia to become more and more emotionally unstable. And, of course, Ophelia had also been whispering slander about Phoebe in Lydia’s ear for who knew how long, deepening her resentment.
Ophelia wasn’t entirely innocent in this. This fragrance only amplified pre-existing emotions; it didn’t create something out of nothing. Which meant that, deep down, Lydia did harbor resentment and dissatisfaction toward her.
By warning Elliot, Phoebe wasn’t just informing him. She was setting things in motion. She wanted Lydia to realize what was happening and start feeling wary and disgusted with Ophelia. With Lydia’s personality, and given how irrational she had become, she would surely confront Ophelia.
Before leaving the hospital, Phoebe had already planted a touch of evil energy on Ophelia, which would heighten her emotions as well. If Lydia confronted her, Ophelia wouldn’t be able to control her temper and would blurt out her true feelings. The two women would inevitably start turning on each other, saving Phoebe the trouble of dealing with them herself.
Lydia was someone who cared deeply about her reputation. Whenever something went wrong, she always looked to blame someone else. Once she realized she had been manipulated by Ophelia, she would undoubtedly seek revenge. And the most likely way to do that would be to interfere in the Lyons family’s affairs. That, in turn, would hit Ophelia where it hurt the most, forcing her to fight back. As the two women tore each other apart, the stage would be set for a spectacular show.