Chapter 410
about
The morning after Edie’s arrest, the Simpson family swung into action. They used their connections to get Edie released, but Caspian wasn’t al to let that site. He followed the trail of connections right to the source, and immediately blew the whistle on everyone involved, severing the Simpson family’s influence piece by piece.
Now, Edie stood there, glaring at him with an icy look that made his skin crawl.
“Lee,” she began with a smirk. “I didn’t know you had it in you. I hear that everything happening with the Simpson family today… it’s all because of your little report to the authorities, right? Looks like, aside from solving cases, you’ve got some other tricks up your sleeve.”
She stepped closer to him, leaning in with a whisper. “I wonder, does your wife and daughter know how resourceful you really are?”
She paused for a moment before contiming, her voice dropping to a threatening murmur. “I heard that the last time your daughter was at school there was a sudden explosion in her classrooms. I wonder, with a father like you, will her luck run out one day? What if something happens to her? You’d better be ready to moum, Lee. You wouldn’t want to regret it.”
The words hit their mark. Lee’s face paled instantly, his features tightening with a mix of anger and fear.
He thought back to that explosion–an investigation that had gone nowhere. The authorities had been stumped. But Lee knew, deep down, someone had orchestrated it as a warning–a waming directed squarely at him.
“That’s none of your concern, Edie. As long as it has nothing to do with me, that’s all that matters,” he shot back, his voice cold,
Edie met his icy gaze, but her smile faltered, her expression hardening. With a quick snap of her head, she turned toward Henry and snapped, “Well? Are we leaving or just standing here waiting to die?“
“Let’s go.” Henry growled, clenching his fists in frustration.
The insult stung, especially in front of all these people, but Henry knew better than to push too hard. With the Simpson family’s strange methods, he couldn’t afford to make a move 100 soon. For now, he’d bide his time, hoping for an opening to strike back.
Caspian couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene. His lips twisted into a sarcastic grin.
Meanwhile, Lee reviewed the nearby surveillance footage, piecing together the events of the explosion. From the video, it looked like a pure accident. Caspian had been distracted, staring at his phone while driving.
He had crashed into a light pole, which fell and ignited a fire beneath his car, ultimately causing the explosion.
It was a chain of bad luck for Caspian, a perfect storm of misfortune. The footage didn’t lie. The cause of the crash was clear–Caspian had caused it all by not paying attention. The responsibility lay solely on his shoulders.
On the road, Percival drove, keeping a safe distance behind Windsor’s vehicle. He had seen everything–Caspian’s near–fatal accident and the series of events that followed. If not for Odalys’s talisman, Caspian would be a goner, or at the very least, badly injured or crippled.
*Seems like Caspian’s lucky Percival remarked, gripping the steering wheel “If not for Odalys, his life would’ve ended tonight.”
He glanced at Caspian’s car in the distance, remembering the crash
Ordinarily, a driver would simply need to make a small adjustment to avoid disaster, but Caspian–he had seemed like he’d been paralyzed, as though something had paralyzed him at the whicel.
“After spending all that time at the Bennett Villa, dealing with Windsor and Sophia, it’s a miracle he survived,” Odalys remarked, her voice flat “Saving him wasn’t out of pity or because I’m some saint. It was a debt to repay–a favor from a past life when he covered my body after I died.”
She paused for a moment, the weight of her words sinking in. “Now, it’s settled. We owe each other nothing”
**Not to mention, Caspian had plans for me in his past life. He even tried to force a posthumous marriage with me.” Her lips curled into a bitter smile. “From now on, whatever happens to him is none of my business. I won’t interfere.”
Percival raised an eyebrow. “You think Windsor’s headed for the Simpson family? That seems like quite the twist”
He kept his eyes trained on Windsor’s car, little commercial activity. Windsor’s car had turned in that direction, clearly headed straight for them.
noting the detour. The Simpson family lived in the northern part of the city, a more remote area with
“Let’s hope I’m wrong,” Odalys muttered. “If not, we’re in deeper trouble than we thought.”
1/2
11:44PM d
Chapter 410
“Are you saying it’s a matter of life–and–death? That Windsor and Quinton might have swapped fates? Percival asked, his voice tinged with confusion.
After all, both men had spent three y
years overseas, and their return had been… strangely timed.
Windsor’s first stop had been to find Sophia, followed by an immediate, almost unnatural relationship, and then a swift divorce from Hannah.
“Possibly.” Odalys said quietly. “It could be a trade of destinies. Or it could be something else.
Percival parked under a tree, using the shadows to conceal the car. He cut the engine, watching Windsor’s car settle about li
160–foot away.
The stillness of the night hung heavy in the air, as Windsor remained inside his car, not making a move
Odalys and Percival sat in silence, their eyes trained on the figure in Windsor’s vehicle. They watched as he lit a cigarette. One. Two. Three.
Windsor’s movements were deliberate. He smoked the first, then the second, and then the third, each time staring intently at the burning tip
“It’s not just smoking.” Odalys said coldly, her tone sharpening “He’s performing a ritual–summoning spirits, not just smoking. Sometimes, when there are no candles, people use cigarettes to call souls.”
Her words sent a chill down Percival’s spine. He hadn’t encountered this before, but he knew of it. Master had once warned her that certain people used smoke in the dead of night to summon spirits.
She quickly checked the time on her phone: 1:30 AM.
“There’s something of about this,” she murmured, her fingers rubbing the phone screen as if she could feel the tension in the air. “negative energy. Very heavy,” she said, her voice low, almost inaudible.
Percival could sense her anxiety. Reaching out, he took her hand, holding it firmly.
“We’ll
wait, he said sofily, his voice reassuring.
Odalys nodded, but the exhaustion hit her all of a sudden, overwhelming her.
She had been fine just moments ago, but now, as Windsor lit his third cigarette, a wave of sleepiness washed over her. Her eyelids felt heavy, her body dragging
“This doesn’t feel right. Odalys whispered, her voice tinged with uncase.
Suddenly, she pinched herself hard, then bit her fingertip, drawing blood. She touched Percival’s forehead with the same bloodstained finger and then smeared it across her own brow. The cold, sharp sting of the ritual sent a shock through her, snapping her back to full awareness.
Just as she did, Windsor seemed to convulse as if the act of summoning had backfired. A violent cough escaped his throat, and with it, a stream of blood sprayed from his mouth.
His cigarette dropped, smoldering on the ground, burning a hole in his pants.
“Windsor?” he muttered, looking down at the mess. “What the hell just happened?”
