Chapter 408
Chapter 408
Lately, the atmosphere within the Bennett family had become unnervingly eerie. Everyone seemed different–like they weren’t quite themselves. They all looked hollow, like ghosts walking through the halls Atlas couldn’t shake the growing feeling that maybe it was time to leave, to get away from this place that had started to feel so wrong.
“Do you know what happened ten years ago today!” Hannah suddenly spoke, her voice cold and distant. The temperature dropped sharply, and it started snowing heavily. It was also on that very day that Odalys left the Bennett family and never came back”
Atlas paused, the cup of coffee he’d been holding suddenly feeling heavy in his hand
He remembered what Knox had said–that a heavy snowstorm had struck the town that day, and Odalys had been found in the snow, abandoned. and taken to the police station
“Mom,” Atlas began hesitantly, “did you and Dad… purposely abandon Odalys? Was she discarded so you could adopt Sophia?” He asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty. He knew he shouldn’t be asking these questions, but his curiosity and the unsettling things he’d learned about Odalys’s past were making it hard to stay silent.
“He already suspected that Odalys had been deliberately abandoned–Knox’s words, and the way the police had tried to contact the family, only for them to refuse Odalys’s retum, all pointed to something dark behind her departure. Atlas felt a pang in his chest as the thought lingered.
She was his sister after all, and now, if things had gone differently, perhaps he could have benefitted from her fame. But now, speaking about her- he could barely even mention her without facing backlash from the entire internet. It had cost him everything, even his job,
Hannah didn’t respond right away. Instead, she stared at the calendar, lost in her thoughts. Finally, she broke the silence again, her voice cold and bitter. “Do you think your father’s behavior has been strange since he came back to the country!”
Atlas immediately felt his guard go up. When it came to his parents‘ relationship, he had to tread carefully. One wrong word, and the situation could escalate beyond his control. He quickly put his coffee down, adopting a serious tanc
“Mom, do you regret divorcing Dad? Maybe you should talk to him. Have you thought about remarrying him” He glanced at her, his voice earnest. “I don’t want him to get too involved with Sophia. If she ends up marrying into the Bennett family, things are going to get… complicated.”
He didn’t hold back, letting his true feelings spill out. The very thought of Sophia marrying Windsor made him nauseous–he could hardly imagine her in that role, especially given her history with him.
Before he could continue, Hannah slammed the calendar down onto the coffee table, her eyes blazing with fury.
“Windsor has ruined me! He turned me into a laughingstock, and I won’t let him get away with it,” she hissed. “Sophia that raised her for over a decade, and now she thinks she can step on me to climb higher! She has another thing coming”
ungrateful little bitch. 1
Her chest heaved as she vented her anger, and Atlas winced, uncomfortable with the venom in her words. He had known for a while that his mother had a complicated relationship with Sophia, but this was something else entirely. The betrayal, the manipulation–it was clear that Sophia had used everything Hannah taught her against her.
“Mom,” Arlas asked cautiously, lowering his voice. “Dad said something about breaking his vows. What does that mean? Is there something going on between you two that you’re not telling us?”
Atlas wasn’t a superstitious person, but lately, he’d found himself searching for star readings online, trying to find answers, even though all the astrologers he found only gave him vague answers, making him more frustrated
“Mom,” he repeated, “Is there something you and Dad are hiding! The Bennett family is falling apart, and if you don’t start being honest with us, it might all come crashing down. Look at Henry and Edie–getting married in a flash. They’ve checked out. And now Dad’s with Sophia again… If you don’t tell us the truth, we might not survive whatever’s happening.”
Just then, Caspian entered from upstairs, his face grim, as if he had figured something out.
“Help me upstairs, I need to rest, Hannah mustered, closing her eyes.
But Atlas and Cosplan didn’t move to help her. They just stood there, watching her with unreadable expressions. The silence in the room thickened, heavy with unspoken words.
After a long moment, Hannah opened her eyes, irritated to find that neither of her sons had come to her aid. She was about to speak when. suddenly, a thunderous crash echard outside.
The sound of
of thunder rumbled violently, and a bolt of lightning struck the Bennen Villa.
Before they could process what had just happened, Caspian’s phone buzzed. He answered quickly, his voice trembling with disbelief. “What? How is
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Chapter 408
that possible?” His words rang out in the eerie quiet of the villa,
After hanging up, Caspian’s face turned ashen as he turned to look at Hannah, and then at Atlas.
“What’s going on? Atlas demanded, his voice tight with concern.
Caspian stood motionless for a moment, the shock on his face evident. “I had people keeping an eye on Sophia,” he began, his voice hoarse. “According to my sources, Finnian and Dad both went to the hospital tonight. There was an argument, and after that… Dad and Sophia went to bed together”
Atlas’s stomach dropped as he processed the words. He couldn’t believe it. Sophia, injured and vulnerable, had somehow manipulated Windsor into sleeping with her. The thought of it made him sick to his core.
“Mom,” Atlas said, rushing to Hannah’s side as he saw her slumping to the ground, unconscious. He caught her just in time before she hit the floor.
But Caspian didn’t help. He merely turned, walking toward the door without a word.
er like
“Caspian, where are you going?” Atlas called out frantically. “Mom’s fainted You’re just going to leave her
e that
Caspian didn’t even glance back. As he walked out, he threw a careless remark over his shoulder. “If she’s fainted, just take her back to her room She’ll be fine.
“Dammit, Caspian!” Atlas shouted, his temper flaring. He supported his mother with one arm while trying to stop Caspian, but it was no use. Caspian was already gone, heading for the door.
As Caspian drove away, the oppressive energy that had been weighing down on the Bennett Villa seemed to lift, almost as if the dark forces surrounding it had dissipated the moment he left.
“What the hell is going on here?” Caspian muttered to himself, his heart pounding as he gripped the steering wheel tighter.
He glanced back at the fading lights of the Bennett Villa A shiver ran down his spine
‘Could the Bennett family truly be haunted? Has Sophia and Windsor made some kind of deal, or was this all connected to the mysterious Love Spell? Was that the key to everything that was happening! The sudden decline of the Bennett family the strange, erratic behavior of his father and others… Could it all be tied to this spell Caspian thought
Caspian shuddered. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. These magical things weren’t as easy to dismiss as nonsense. They could control people’s hearts, steal their luck, or even–he dreaded to think–cause death
His thoughts spiraled as he fumbled for his phone. He quickly typed out a message to Odalys:
[Odalys, can you help me? Is this situation with the Bennett family connected to a Love Spell? What is it exactly How did Sophia get her hands on it! And do you know how to cast 11]
Caspian sent the message and waited, but all he got was silence.
“How do I get in touch with her? Today, she gave Sophia a lesson, clearly doing it to avenge the Tillery family. Could she have a good relationship with the Tillery family! Caspian murmured
AD
