Chapter 253

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on them. How bitterly ironic.

"Alright, I'll listen to you," Callum murmured, nodding slightly.

As they stepped outside, a sudden crash of thunder split the air. The sky above was consumed by swirling black clouds, casting an eerie darkness over Stewart Villa.

"What in the world is happening?" The bodyguards downstairs were equally startled.

Orson and Callum rushed to the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching in disbelief as dark clouds seemed to envelop only Stewart Villa. Lightning struck relentlessly outside, never touching the villa directly.

They exchanged anxious glances before hurrying toward Percival's room.

As they pushed open the door, a burst of force blasted them backward, sending them flying from the room with a deafening slam.

Both screamed in pain as they were thrown across the hallway. The door slammed shut with another violent thud.

Orson and Callum stared in shock, their minds struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

"Did we just get thrown out?" Orson muttered in disbelief.

Callum, shaken but determined, rose and tried to re-enter. But as he reached the door, the same invisible force struck him, sending him tumbling back.

The door slammed shut once more, and now, no matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn't budge.

"There's something inside… a force pushing me out! I can't get in, and I can't even open the door!" Callum grunted, struggling against the unmoving door.

Orson, ever calm, suggested, "Let's go outside and get a clearer view."

The force inside the room was overwhelming, like an unyielding wall, and they knew the violent lightning around the villa wasn't a coincidence.

"Alright," Callum said, nodding.

Together, they rushed downstairs, where the guards and servants watched the sky above Stewart Villa grow ever darker, thick clouds clinging to the mansion's top.

The lightning cracked above, striking with increasing intensity, as though the heavens themselves were targeting the villa.

Another massive thunderclap echoed, lighting up the night. But there were no stars, no moon—only a thick, impenetrable darkness, as though the sky itself had shut out the world.

"Dorian?" Orson looked around, confused.

"Dorian left with some of the guards after Mrs. Stewart spoke with him when Mr. and Mrs. Stewart returned," one of the servants quickly reported.

Orson's heart sank, a sense of dread washing over him.

A car suddenly appeared, speeding toward them. Evander stepped out, looked up at the storm, and his body trembled slightly.

"This dark cloud… it's only covering the top of Stewart Villa. Everything around it is normal. What's going on?" His voice was strong, laced with concern.

After his call with Odalys ended without a reply, a nagging sense of unease had taken hold. His instincts told him something was wrong, so he'd rushed there as quickly as possible.

But nothing could have prepared him for the scene before him: the entire villa shrouded in darkness, lightning crashing down with terrifying force.

"Just now…" Callum recounted everything that had happened.

Evander, after hearing it, remained unnervingly calm. He stood still, eyes scanning the villa as he murmured, "Odalys must have sent Dorian out on an errand. After dinner, she left in a hurry."

"The storm, the lightning—it's too sudden, too violent. It's as though it's aimed at Stewart Villa." Evander's voice was low but certain.

Though older and experienced with strange occurrences, this moment still shook him. But experience had taught him to adapt quickly.

"Evander, what do we do? I can't reach Odalys," Callum asked urgently.

Evander closed his eyes, clasped his hands behind his back, and sighed deeply. "We wait."

"Wait? Wait for who?" Callum asked, confused.

Orson, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke. "This… this feels like something Odalys would do. She left in such a rush, and now there's lightning striking around the villa. It's as if she's controlling it, or at least, it's responding to her presence."

He deeply respected Odalys. Though they hadn't known each other long, Orson had quickly realized she wasn't someone who took life lightly.

She had managed Percival's illness—how could she suddenly leave without doing something? If she had truly left, why hadn't she taken her phone? If she was the type to abandon someone in need, then why had Percival trusted her so much?

The pieces were starting to fall into place.

"Could it be Odalys…" Callum stuttered in realization.

Just as he was about to voice his thoughts, a sudden flash of golden light exploded in the sky, and with a resounding crash, the storm clouds surrounding the villa seemed to shatter.

The air grew still, and an eerie calm returned.

Servants and bodyguards, who had been frantically trying to record the event on their phones, looked down in surprise as their screens went black.

"My phone's broken," one of them muttered.

"Mine too," said another, shaking his head.

Callum and Orson turned in disbelief, only to see Odalys walking toward them, her long black hair flowing in the wind, her steps hurried yet composed.

"Odalys?" Callum gasped, barely able to believe his eyes.

She was empty-handed. The bottle she had been carrying was gone, but her expression was grim, her pace unbroken. Behind her trailed Dorian and several others, their clothes torn and singed, as if they'd been through hell.

"Odalys!" Callum rushed forward, but Odalys didn't stop. She walked past them and into Stewart Villa, her face as dark as a storm cloud.

Orson grabbed Callum's arm.

"Don't follow her," Orson warned quietly, shaking his head.

Evander, watching, remained still, his gaze fixed on Odalys as she moved swiftly, unnoticed by the others who were too distracted by their phones.

"Wait," Evander murmured again.

It was a single word, but it settled over Callum like a calming weight. He paused, then, in an uncharacteristic moment of self-awareness, slapped himself hard across the face.

"What was I doing? So frantic, so impatient. I should have trusted Odalys. She wouldn't have left Percival to fend for himself." He slapped himself again, more forcefully.

Panic had clouded his judgment. He had been so focused on finding Odalys, so fearful of Percival's fate, that he had failed to see the bigger picture.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Odalys had been the one with the answers all along.