SWNOVELS Chapter 4
Chapter 4 Odalys didnt even glance back at Percival Stewart .
Not a flicker of hesitation , not a hint of acknowledgment .
Instead , she turned with that effortless grace of hers and fixed her gaze on Dorian .
The butler looked like someone had just smacked him with a frying pan .
Her voice , calm and detached , cut through his stupor .
Wheres my room ? Be a darling and show me the way She wasnt asking , she was commanding .
And it didnt matter that she was deep in Stewart family territory .
Odalys carried herself like she owned every inch of i Dorian blinked , struggling to process what hed just witnessed .
After a quick , uncertain glance at Percival , who gave the faintest nod , Dorians entire demeanor shifted .
Cone was the stunned confusion , replaced by cool professionalism .
This way , maam , he said , gesturing with the practiced precision of someone who knew better than to ask questions .
Percival , on the other hand , stayed rooted to the spot Hands clasped loosely behind his back , he watched her walk away , his sharp eyes narrowing as if trying to dissect her piece by piece .
Only when she disappeared around the corner did he lower his gaze to the tattered remnants of his shirt and the skin beneath it .
The sight stopped him cold .
The wounds that had ravaged his body for years open , festering and bleeding were gone .
The relentless , searing pain that had become a constant companion ? Vanished .
His hand drifted to his chest , tracing the spot where her fingers had brushed against him .
The second shed touched him , his heart had nearly stopped .
like it couldnt decide if it wanted to keep beating The Bennett girl ? he murmured to himself , his lips curling into a faint smirk .
Huh .
Thats new .
Mr.
Stewart The voice cut through his thoughts .
Callum Hale was striding toward him , his face a mixture of concern and barely contained panic .
Are you okay ! What just happened ? his mind still spinning .
Percival didnt answer immediately .
His eyes flicked toward the hallway where Odalys had disappeared , Finally , his raspy voice broke the silence .
The poison .
its suppressed Callum froze mid step , blinking like hed misheard .
What ? He let out a low whistle , running a hand through his hair as he started pacing .
Hold up Suppressed ? Are you serious right now ? That shits been ripping you apart for years , and now what ? She waves her hand , touches you , and poof ? Just like that ? He scoffed .
Percival , no offense , but that sounds like a load of bullshit Percival didnt respond .
His hand lingered on his chest , his mind replaying the moment over and over .
For years , his body had been a battlefield , the poison clawing at him from the inside out Doctors some of the best money could buy had tried and failed to cure him .
Every day was the same cycle : pain , blood , wounds that refused to heal , and then scabs that tore open again .
Each time , the intervals got shorter .
the pain sharper , the decay more brutal .
The verdict had been unanimous .
He was living on borrowed time , and there wasnt anything anyone could do about it .
Not even the Stewart family , with all their money and power , had been able to fix it .
That was why his grandfather had gone looking for answers chewhere .
Desperation had led him to mystics , fortune tellers , anyone who might offer some kind of hope .
And hope had come in the form of an arranged marriage a union between Percival and a woman whose unique fate could balance his own .
She came for me , Percival said suddenly , his voice quiet but firm .
Callum stopped pacing and stared at him For you ? You think shes here to kill you ? The second the words left his mouths , Callum winced .
Shit .
No , that doesnt make sense .
If she wanted him dead , she wouldnt have just saved his ase .
So , whats her game ! he wondered .
Kill me ! Nah , I dont think thats her angle .
But she knew I was poisoned , suppressed it with one simple move , and had the balls to say she could buy me another month .
111 play along for now .
I want to see how she plans to pull that off Percival said , his voice steady , his gaze sharp .
Callum Hale frowned , nodding slightly as the logic landed , but his worry lingered .
Mr.
Stewart , even the top doctors wouldnt make that kind of promise .
What if shes the one who poisoned you in the first place ? Chapter 4 Percival didnt respond right away , his eyes distant .
Look into her , he finally said , his voice cold and steady .
Callum fersitated for just a second before understanding dawned .
With a sharp nod , he replied , Luderstood .
Ill get on it now ! He had barely immed to leave when Durian entered the room with his usual precise movements .
He stopped a few steps away from Percival and respectfully began reporting everything that had happened at the Bennett estate .
Percivals slurp eyes narrowed slightly as he listened , his voice lowering a cold drawl .
She took all the wedding gifts ? Yes , sir , Dorian replied .
She also gave me her 113 and asked me to open a safety deposit box at the bank to store them .
As he spoke , he pulled out and hailed it to Percival .
Percival took the ID and studies the plates .
Her slurp eyes seemed to glate back at him from the card , almost daring him to underestimate her .
He stared at it for a long moment , his thunch bagħatly brushing the eilge of the image .
Fine , he said eventually , handing it back to Dorian .
Make sure its all stored properly Yes , sir .
Dorian replied .
He turned to leave but stopped alarmpitly , as though something had been weighing on him .
Mr.
Stewart , he saul , his voice quieter this touse , theres something odd .
The bride was supposed to be Sophia Bennett , not this newly rediscovered eklest daughter , Do you think the Bennetts switched her on purpose , knowing we needed this marriage to resolve certain issues ? Dorian hesitated , recalling the tension at the Bementy hose .
The muffled argurneins upstairs , the way everyone avoided eye contact it all added .
up to something shady Percivalslipyridded into a humoress smick .
The Hennens are shrewd .
They wouldnt risk a bad deal .
Who in their right mind would marry their damchter m aslying man His gaze shifted , almost alisently , toward the hallway leading to Odalyss room .
Inside the bridnom , Oililys pared slowly , taking in the luxurious furnishings .
The room was opulent , filled with antique pieces that screamed old It was a world apart bon the cramped , forgonen comer shed been shoved into at the Bennett house .
Well dama , she muttered , a a smirk nigging at her lips .
From the moment she woke up in this second life , every move she male had been deliberate .
Becoming a stand in bride wasnt an act of desperation it was a power play .
The Bennetts thought they it pulled a fast one by sending her , but the joke would be on them .
If Percival survived , the Stewart familys wealth and influence would drive Sophia insane with envy .
And the Beets ? Theyll learn what it incant to play with fire .
Her eyes narrowed as her thoughts shifted to Percivals condition .
She murmured , almost to herself , But seriously , how does a man like hun end up poboued like that ? This wasnt some onlinary poison .
Hospitals wouldnt even know where to start with something like this .
The symptoms were brutal first is flared upconce a month , then weekly , then every three days .
By the end , it attacked daily , ripping the boily aport until blood vessels burst and death came in the most horrific , agonizing way possible .
This wasnt just murder it was annihilation .
The poison also rendered its victims sterile , ensuring thered be no heirs .
Whoever had done this wasnt just after Percivals life they wanted to destroy the entire Stewart bloodline .
Odalyss expression handened , her eyes turning cold as ice .
She hadnt saved him out of kindness .
No , she wanted answers .
Who had done this to him ? And why ? At the same time , shed made sure the Stewarts understood her worth .
Even if the Hennetts wanted her gone , the Stewarts wouldnt let anything happen to her now She wain i foolish enough to think she could do everything on her own .
Strength wasnt about refusing help it was about using the tools and allies at your disposal .
Anything che was just stupidity 2:42 PM Chapter 4 Her phone buzzed , dragging her out of her thoughts .
She frowned and picked it up , answering without checking the caller ID .
The voice on the other end was sharp and accusatory .
Odalys , what the hell did you do to Sophia ? Odalys blinked , momentarily caught off guard .
Excuse me ? She glanced at the screen , and her expression darkened when she saw the name Finman Lark .
The sound of his voice sent a rash of bitter memories crashing over her .
Finnian , the man whod haunted her past life .
Cold , distant , always dangling just enough affection to keep her hooked .
Hed broken her piece by piece , twisted her mind until she couldnt tell up from down .
And when the Bennetts had forced her into marriage , he hadnt lifted a finger to stop it .
Shed resisted , of course .
Theyd punished her for it- humiliated her , stripped her of her dignity , and recorded the entire thing to control her .
Her eventual death ? Finnian hadnt held the knife , but hed sharpened it .