Chapter 255

Contempt flared in Lalie's eyes as she lunged at him, dagger in hand. He let out a cold laugh. Evander stood, his eyes sharp with contempt.

“Think anyone’s going to stop you?” he taunted. “Look around. Who’s blocking your way? If you want to do it, then hurry up. Don’t waste my time.”

As Lalie thrust the knife forward, Orson moved to intervene, but Evander remained unfazed. He swung a brick with ease, and just as Lalie lunged, he swiftly kicked her foot, causing her to stumble.

"Ahh!" Lalie cried out in surprise, and in an instant, her body crashed to the ground. The bodyguards surrounded her, but none dared to help her up.

“You dare lay a hand on me? I’m Percival’s mother!” Edie screamed, staring in disbelief at Evander.

She had been accustomed to doing as she pleased within the Stewart family, with Evander always silent, never standing in her way. But tonight, he had struck her. The audacity! This wasn't the refined Evander she knew. Tonight, he was acting like a thug.

With great effort, Edie pushed herself off the ground. Orson, seeing her struggle, quickly stepped forward to offer assistance. “Ms. Simpson, do you need help with that wound?” he asked formally.

The words stung. No one in the Stewart family had called her by her name since her husband’s death; it seemed she was no longer part of their family. Even Percival refused to meet with her. Edie slapped his hand away, kicked off her high heels, and stormed barefoot toward the Stewart Villa.

Inside the Stewart Villa, on the second floor, Odalys entered Percival’s room. Her face was dark, as the room was suffused with wicked energy so thick it seemed to suffocate the air. With a swift motion of her hand, she sent the vile energy flying out of the window. The bulletproof glass shattered, and the wicked energy dissipated into the night.

Odalys stepped forward and saw Percival sitting on the edge of the bed, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white, veins bulging from his arms. His eyes were bloodshot, consumed by agony.

“Let’s go,” Percival rasped, his voice hoarse with pain.

Odalys didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she reached into her pocket, retrieving the snake’s heart she had harvested from the island. The heart glowed with a faint golden light, as if it radiated its own ethereal aura.

“Percival,” she called softly, her voice tender, and Percival’s bloodshot eyes met hers. As their gazes locked, she gently pressed the heart to his forehead. He froze, feeling her delicate touch against his burning skin.

Percival coughed a few times, but before he could pull away, Odalys’s hand gripped his arm, holding him firm, while the other pressed against his waist. Then, with surprising strength, she lifted him and tossed him onto the bed. The impact was soft but powerful. Percival’s towering frame bounced slightly, and Odalys stood above him, her hair flowing wildly around her face. With a practiced motion, she placed her fingers on his forehead and traced a line down the bridge of his nose, across his throat, and finally to his palm, fusing the venomroot with his skin, forcing its deadly power into his bloodstream.

She pressed firmly against his chest, and with a violent slap, the venomroot entered. Percival’s throat tightened, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The blood pooled on the floor, staining the carpet as Percival fell forward, gasping for air. Odalys watched him cough until his blood turned a darker shade.

She quickly grabbed a bathrobe from a nearby chair and draped it over him, her movements swift and deliberate.

“How do you feel?” Odalys asked, bending down to help him sit up.

Percival blinked, confused. As he looked at his body, he realized he had just expelled the poison. There were no signs of injury, no marks, no ruptured skin—only the blood he had coughed up.

“What just happened?” Percival asked, his voice hoarse, still reeling from the shock.

Chapter 255 (continued)

Odalys took a deep breath, relieved. She touched his forehead to check his temperature, then felt his pulse to ensure his body was stable. Satisfied, she sat beside him on the bed.

“I told you earlier,” she began softly. “The wicked energy from the Stewart family is gone. It’s all now gathering in the Bennett family. When you went to Bennett Villa, you were affected by it, and the poison you were already fighting began to react. The wicked energy sped up the process, nearly killing you.”

She paused, reflecting on how she had sensed something was wrong after their meal. As soon as she had a moment, she had prepared the venomroot and other herbs, drawing upon Percival’s energy to create a channel for the lightning. By calling the storm’s energy and focusing it on the snake’s heart, she had forced the venomroot into his body at just the right moment, pushing the poison out.

“The blood you coughed up—it’s the poison being forced out,” Odalys continued, her voice tinged with frustration. “You probably thought you were done for, didn’t you? Ready to sacrifice yourself? If I hadn’t come in when I did, you would have let go, wouldn’t you?”

Percival was silent, guilt weighing heavily on him. He had been prepared to die, to give up and end it all. The realization made him feel small and vulnerable.

“Don’t even think about it, Percival,” Odalys said sharply, her eyes narrowing. “You’re not dying on my watch. Not without my permission.” Her eyes burned with a fierce intensity as she glared at him. Her next words were soft but deadly serious.

“The venomroot I injected into you will make you feel sick over the next few days. It’ll make your body feel like it’s boiling, but you must endure. The lightning that struck that wood—the lightning will purify you, cleanse every impurity in your blood, and restructure your cells.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small carved block of wood, shaped and engraved with a single character: Percival. The symbol was vibrant, almost alive, as though it pulsed with an otherworldly energy.

“Take this with you,” she said, handing him the small wooden charm. “It’s made from lightning-struck wood. This kind of wood is rare, and it holds power. Keep it with you at all times.”

Percival took the charm, feeling its weight in his hand, and glanced at the intricate character carved on its surface.

“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice still rasping but full of quiet emotion. He grasped the charm tightly in his palm, the warmth of it grounding him in that moment. It felt as if the symbol itself was embedded in his soul.

Chapter 256

“It’s okay. Trouble was knocking at your door. Before it happened, I lured your grandpa over here,” Odalys said, lifting her gaze toward the floor-to-ceiling window and gesturing for Percival to look as well.

Percival rose from his seat, casually tying the robe draped over his shoulders as he approached the window. In the courtyard of Stewart Villa, Evander was seen; he then grabbed Edie and dragged her away.

“I didn’t expect your grandpa to act so decisively. He grabbed a brick, hit her over the head, and then had her dragged off,” Odalys said indifferently.

Percival lingered by the window for a moment before shifting his gaze back to her. “You knew she’d come?” he asked, a hint of surprise in his tone.

With her arms crossed over her chest, Odalys stood by the window, staring into the distance. Faintly, Edie’s gut-wrenching screams could still be heard. The next second, Evander strode forward, pulling something out and shoving it into Edie’s mouth. Her screams were abruptly swallowed by the night as the bodyguards dragged her off, leaving a pool of blood on the ground.

“If she didn’t come, how else would she gather information about you!” Odalys said, her voice calm. “Every doctor has predicted you won’t survive another month. It’s been over two weeks now, and whether you’re alive or dead is very valuable information. I figured if Mr. Stewart showed up, she’d follow. That’s why I staged all this. The moment Mr. Stewart refused to let her upstairs, it confirmed the rumor that you’re on your deathbed.”

“By the way,” she added, lowering her voice, “she’s your mother. Watching your grandpa beat her like that, aren’t you concerned?”

Odalys studied him closely, waiting to see if Percival would soften because of Edie’s identity.

“If she had anything to do with my father’s death,” Percival said in a low, steady voice, “then my grandpa’s hit was far too merciful.”

Odalys froze, caught off guard by his response. Before she could fully recover, Percival turned to her, his expression serious. “She’s arrogant, conceited, and reckless. You don’t need to stoop to her level.”

“I won’t allow her to bother you again. If she ever tries to trouble or bully you, you have my permission to take whatever measures you need to protect yourself,” he said firmly.

For the first time, Odalys felt someone stand up for her.

“Any measures?” she asked after a brief pause. “What if I lose my temper and kill her on the spot!”

Their eyes locked. Percival’s deep, magnetic voice broke the silence. “That’s fine.”

Odalys didn’t respond, sinking into quiet contemplation. As they spoke, the door suddenly burst open. Evander barged in, followed closely by Orson and Callum. They hurried inside, only to stop dead in their tracks when they saw Odalys and Percival standing side by side by the window, speaking in hushed tones. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Everyone stared in shock, the tension and worry draining from their faces. Callum, caught off guard, bumped into Evander, and the two stumbled, nearly falling over. Orson reacted quickly, grabbing both of them by their collars to steady them.

“Mr. Stewart, you’re all right?” Callum’s voice was filled with disbelief. Callum had witnessed Percival’s poisoning firsthand, seeing him in a state worlds apart from what he saw now. If he hadn’t been there himself, Callum would never have believed it.

Hearing Callum’s voice, Percival slowly turned around.