Ch. 406..410

Chapter 406

Sherry cried out excitedly the moment she heard Sylvia’s voice, “Sylvia! Where are you? Why is your phone turned off? I’ve been trying to find you for days and I even went to Odell but he couldn’t even be bothered to give me the time of the day. Did something happen to you?”

Sylvia lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, " Something did happen to me, but you don't have to worry."

"How am I supposed to not worry? I haven’t heard from you for so many days." She suddenly added when another thought came to her, "By the way, I heard that Madam Carter had an accident, but I couldn't find any more details when I began asking around."

Sylvia's eyes shifted when she heard this. "Grandma fell off a cliff and is now in a vegetative state."

"What?!" Sherry exclaimed.

Sylvia quickly asked, "Don't you know anything about this accident?”

"Of course, I don't. All I heard is that there’s been an accident involving Madam Carter, but no one knows what happened and of course, nobody knows that she’s now in a vegetative state.”

Sylvia frowned.

Sherry was very well-connected in Westchester City. She knew all kinds of people and knew everything that happened day in and day out.

Unless Odell had purposely kept what happened to Grandma a secret.

If he kept it a secret, how did Tara find out?

Sylvia vividly remembered how Tara accused her and Edmund of being the ones responsible for what happened to Grandma the last time they met.

Did Odell tell her?

Sherry enquired on the phone, “Sylvia, say something. Where are you now?"

Sylvia answered, "I'm in Odell’s house. He’s keeping me imprisoned here.”

“What’s his problem?”

"When Grandma fell, I just happened to be having a chat with Edmund. The moment he saw me with

Edmund, his immediate reaction was to suspect that I was having an affair with Edmund and that we pushed Grandma off the cliff to silence her because she stumbled into us being together.”

“What, what’s wrong with this line of reasoning?! ” Sherry piped furiously. “Sylvia, just sit tight. I'll send someone to rescue you."

Sylvia hurriedly persuaded her, “Sherry, let’s calm down first. There are eyes on me everywhere and you can't break me out even if you send someone.”

"Then how am I supposed to save you?"

"Don't worry." Sylvia glanced into thebedroom to make sure that Odell was still asleep. She continued, “ I’m calling you with Odell’s phone right now. When I manage to think of something, I’ll take his phone again and contact you. Just don’t call this phone yourself no matter what.”

"Okay, I understand."

“Until next time.”

“Alright.”

Odell was a very vigilant man with instincts sharp like an eagle. Sylvia was deathly afraid of him catching her so she quickly wrapped up the call with Sherry and made sure to delete the record of the call.

Then, she put the phone back in his pocket and climbed back onto the bed.

She lay beside him, thinking about what Sherry had just told her.

Soon, she heard rustling from beside her.

She immediately closed her eyes.

Odell’s long arms wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her into an embrace.

Sylvia drowsily opened her eyes to look at him, acting as if she had just woken up.

His dark eyes were also staring straight at hers.

She smiled gently. “Thank you for keeping me company.”

He ignored her and withdrew his arms.

The look in Sylvia's eyes shifted as he crawled on him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist while speaking softly to him, "I understand that I was in the wrong. I promise to dedicate myself to you and only you from now on. I’ll also take good care of Grandma to make up for my wrongs. I don't ask for forgiveness, but I hope that you won’t stop venting your anger on me in the future."

She said this all in one breath and silently breathed a sigh of relief.

It turned out that giving this sort of false confession was not as difficult as she anticipated.

Odell still did not respond.

She looked up at him and met his dark, sharp eyes.

He gently held her by her chin. "You’re acting very strange today. What are you up to?”

She chuckled sarcastically. “What can I possibly get up to? You’re keeping me prisoner in this place, remember?”

He narrowed the look in his eyes and cast a severe look at her.

She sighed and added, "It’s just that I suddenly had an epiphany. Instead of continuing my stubborn resistance, it’s easier to just admit my mistakes so I can live without a guilty conscience from here on.” He chuckled softly. “Wise decision.”

Chapter 407

Sylvia smiled and maintained a perfectly obedient behavior.

Odell seemed greatly relieved to hear this. He pinched her cheeks and kissed her on the lips a few times, then he spoke, “Get some rest. Remember to watch Grandma at night."

With that, he rolled over and got out of bed.

Seeing his figure departing, Sylvia suddenly called out to him, "Odell."

He stopped and turned back at her.

Sylvia asked in a low voice, "Did you tell anyone about what I did to Grandma with Edmund?"

His face darkened. "Do you think I'll let people know about me being cuckolded?"

Sylvia smiled apologetically and said, "Don't be upset. I just want to know if it’s still possible for me to right my wrongs.”

Odell gave her an unpleasant look and walked out.

Sylvia's expression dropped in an instant.

She remembered that Odell immediately brought her here after what happened to Grandma. The information she gathered suggested that he immediately cleaned up the scene so nobody could tell what happened. This seemed like a rather curious point to her.

Since she knew it was not her nor Edmund who pushed Grandma, what evidence was there to clear from the scene?

Once again, she placed her suspicions on Tara.

Even Sherry was not aware of what happened to Grandma, and Odell could not possibly tell her either. How did she find out?

Was she there when it happened?

She must have been responsible for what happened!

A few days later.

Sylvia woke up around noon and immediately heard Tara's voice downstairs.

She was talking to Violet. She had come to see Madam Carter again.

Sylvia's eyes flickered, and she proceeded to head downstairs.

By this point, Tara had already entered Madam Carter’s room.

Violet had gone out to prepare food for them, leaving Tara by herself.

She stared at the elderly woman sleeping soundly on the bed. It seemed like she would wake up when people least expected it. Something flashed in her eyes, but she did not dare draw closer to the bedridden old lady.

‘Damned old fart, hurry up and die already.’

She cursed silently, but still made sure to wear the same compassionate expression.

The first time she came in, she immediately noticed the camera perched on the ceiling. She knew that even if nobody else was present in the room, she could not show any disrespect to the sleeping Madam Carter.

She continued looking ahead with a thousand-yard stare. She suddenly heard a noise from behind her.

She nearly jumped when she detected the presence of another person in the room with her.

"Heh." Sylvia, who was standing by the door, chuckled.

Tara turned and noticed that it was Sylvia. She immediately glared at her and said with unconcealed anger, "Sylvia, don’t you know to knock on the door when entering?”

Sylvia leaned against the door frame and regarded her with a queer look before mentioning, "Tara, this is my house.”

Tara retorted, "This is Madam Carter’s room."

“Your point being?” Sylvia asked sardonically.

Madam Carter’s room was still part of the house, was it not?

Tara clenched her hands and said, "I know this is your house, but it's rude to spook me like this.”

“Spook you? When did I do that? Did I suddenly shout to scare you?” Sylvia narrowed her eyes. "Or perhaps it’s because you’re feeling guilty?"

The look in Tara’s eyes transformed. She instinctively drew herself away from Sylvia and suddenly exclaimed, "What am I guilty of? Enough nonsense! I didn't do anything."

Sylvia laughed heartily. "What are you getting so defensive about? I never said that you did anything that you should feel guilty about.”

"It seems that you still don't welcome me so I’ll leave,” she said and immediately strutted out of the room.

She vanished in the blink of an eye as if wary of being exposed.

Sylvia’s expression darkened.

If she was unsure before, she was now certainly convinced that Tara was in one way or another involved in Grandma’s accident.

Chapter 408

Tara went straight to Lake Victoria Villa after leaving Odell’s place.

She went back to her room and after making sure that the housemaids and bodyguards were still in the yard and not following her, she immediately called her mother.

As soon as the call connected, she immediately asked, "Mom, you didn’t let anyone know that you pushed Madam Carter, did you?”

Melanie answered, “Do you think I’m an idiot? Why would I tell anyone that?”

Tara was still rather skeptical. "Are you sure? Did you tell your informant?”

"Of course, not. I don’t even dare to let anyone know that I’m your mother.”

Tara sighed weakly. “Alright, you just stay where you are and don't come back to Westchester City no matter what and especially don’t approach me.”

"Okay, I got it.” Melanie reassured Tara, then she suddenly asked, “Speaking of which, why are you asking me this all of a sudden? Did something happen?"

Tara frowned and confessed, “I think Sylvia is suspecting me."

"What? How’s that possible? You weren’t even present when it happened. Of all the people she should suspect, you should be the last on the list.”

Tara suddenly connected the dots.

It was true. She should be the last person Sylvia should suspect.

Besides, it was not her who pushed Madam Carter, it was her mother.

Sylvia must have been intentionally messing with her!

Just the thought of it infuriated her to no end. To think that she had fallen into Sylvia’s trap and panicked like a fool.

That b*tch must be even more suspicious of her now.

Furthermore, she seemed to be getting along well with Odell.

Recently, Tara always made sure to badmouth Sylvia whenever she had the chance to talk to Odell on the phone. The problem was that Odell seemed to not take her words seriously and at times would even cut her off irritably. On several occasions, he even went as far as to hang up on her.

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.

She could not afford to have Sylvia continue whispering her spells in Odell’s ears. She could not risk having Odell suspect her!

A day later, in Odell's house.

It was afternoon and Sylvia had just woken up. She opened her eyes to see Odell sitting on the couch nearby.

He was dressed elegantly in a tailored suit.

Sylvia got out of bed and walked to the couch to sit next to him. She wrapped her arms around his arm.

"Odell, you're here," she greeted him in a raspy, still not fully awake voice as she burrowed her neck into his shoulders.

In a split second, she felt a pair of arms tugging around her waist and before she realized what was happening, she was thrown on her side and landed on his muscular thighs.

He looked at her with his profoundly deep eyes, a ray of scarlet glimmering within them as they shone with primitive lust.

Like a hunter that finally found wild game.

Sylvia's eyes quivered. She craned her neck toward him without being prompted to.

Odell lowered his head and hungrily devoured her lips.

Everything spiraled out of control after that.

• ••

Two hours later, the room was quiet again.

Sylvia was laying in his arms with her eyes closed.

She waited until his breathing turned into a slow and regular rhythm. Then, she opened her eyes.

She gave him a gentle shove.

He barely reacted at all. He was asleep.

Sylvia immediately took out the phone from his pocket and slipped off to the balcony.

She called Sherry.

Sherry picked up at the first ring, and Sylvia hurriedly asked, “Hey Sherry, any news?”

Sylvia had contacted Sherry two days ago and asked her to find out if Tara had been to Northpeak Holiday Resort on the day that the fateful accident happened to Madam Carter.

Since the holiday resort was highly exclusive, only members were allowed to enter.

If Tara had been there, her name must be on the membership list.

Unfortunately, Sherry answered with a distinct note of dejection, "I went through the membership list and I couldn’t find Tara Avery on any of their lists.”

Chapter 409

Sylvia knitted her eyebrows into a frown. "What about the surveillance footage? Did you see her?”

"I checked but it just so happened that many surveillance cameras in the resort were being repaired at the time. I couldn't find any angles near the hillside where Madam Carter fell. I also checked the surveillance cameras positioned on the roads and by the gates but I couldn’t see any signs of Tara either."

Sherry asked, “Sylvia, do you have any other ideas?"

Sylvia answered bluntly, "No."

Her mind was blank.

Her intuition told her that Tara had something to do with what happened with Grandma, but the fact was that she was not present at the resort on that day.

If she was not even present, how could she possibly be the one that pushed Grandma?

Sherry said, “Don’t stress yourself trying to find another solution. I’ve already contacted all the people I know and we’ve been at this for some time already so it’s time to wrap it up. Find an opportune time and I’ll bust you out of there.”

"Not yet.” Sylvia thought for a while and insisted. “By the way, how’s Edmund doing?”

Sherry sighed. "He's in custody. I went to see him yesterday and he said he's fine and that there’s no need to worry about him."

Sylvia frowned weakly and muttered, "Okay."

She promptly hung up after that.

As usual, she erased the record and shoved the phone back in Odell's pocket. Then, she went back to the bed and lay next to Odell.

She stared at his sleeping face that somehow retained the same dashing look as when he was awake. She had to hold back the urge to punch him in the face, then she settled with turning to face the other way and get some shuteye.

Meanwhile, Tara had been stewing at home for two days and was still feeling incredibly restless.

Sylvia must have discovered something. That was the only explanation for her suspicions.

She could not let Sylvia continue to pry deeper into the matter.

She had to figure out something to keep her away from Odell.

The sun had only just risen and she was already headed to Odell’s place.

Her plan was to instigate another argument and get Sylvia to attack her again. Only this time she would get Sylvia to hit her harder to a point where even Odell would be angered by her actions.

The car was only one turn away from reaching Odells’ house when she suddenly spotted something.

"Stop!” She immediately prompted.

The driver pulled the car to the side of the road.

Tara squinted and looked across the road.

There was a park across the road and at the entrance of the park was none other than Sherry. She was standing on a very large boulder and she was facing

Odell’s house with a pair of binoculars in her hands.

Her behavior was highly suspicious.

Tara immediately took out her phone and snuck several pictures in.

After a while, she turned to the driver and ordered with a note of satisfaction in her voice, "Turn around and go back."

No need to recycle her old tricks this time around.

The driver heeded and turned the car around.

Tara then sent Odell the pictures of Sherry standing on the boulder with binoculars in hand, facing toward his house.

This was the message she attached to the picture. “ Odell, I was just visiting Grandma when I happened to spot Sherry here. I know that she’s very close with Sylvia so why is she acting so suspicious in this picture? Surely she’s not up to anything, right?”

The Carter Tower.

Odell was reviewing documents in his office.

When his phone vibrated, he picked it up and peeked at the message.

After he read the messages he received from Tara, his face instantly turned cold.

He was sure he had seen the woman in the picture Tara had sent her at one point.

She had come to him not just once but twice. It was a while ago and both times she came looking for Sylvia but was chased away empty-handed.

Now she was seen standing at the park near his house with binoculars in hand. What else could she be up to other than scheming to save Sylvia?

The question was, how did she know that Sylvia was locked up in his house to begin with?

Did she somehow gather the information herself?

Or did someone tell her?

Odell's eyes became black as night. He immediately called the bodyguards stationed at his house.

Chapter 410

Meanwhile, at Odell’s house.

Sylvia had just exchanged shifts with Violet.

She went back to her bedroom upstairs but was not in a hurry to rest. Instead, she went straight for the balcony and turned toward a small park in the southwest direction.

She managed to call Sherry yesterday afternoon.

She was still suspicious of Tara’s involvement with Grandma’s accident. Even if Tara did not go to the resort that day, that did not eliminate the possibility that she had an accomplice who went in her place.

She asked Sherry to look up all the people who went to the resort that day.

There were no more than fifty people present on that day, and this was including three newly registered members.

The person she was looking for must be among them. Maybe Sylvia knew this person too.

However, the resort greatly emphasized protecting the sensitive information of its esteemed members. Although Sherry knew one of the managers of the resort, the manager only allowed her to review the information of the guests in person. That was, she had to go to the resort to look up the information she needed. She was not allowed to take pictures of said sensitive information or else her membership privileges would be revoked effective immediately.

Since Sherry could not send Sylvia the information they needed, she could only take her to the resort to see them in person.

Sylvia wanted to find a chance to slip away sometime within the next two days so she could head to the resort to have a look.

The most ideal avenue out of this place was the park located to the southwest.

There was a blind spot to the west that allowed her coverage from the bodyguards. If she managed to scale the wall, she would find herself on a river at which Sherry would be waiting for her in a boat. Then, they could sail to the opposite park.

Sherry should be scouting the location by now.

Sylvia opened the window on the balcony and stuck her head out.

After standing outside for a while, she turned back to the room.

As usual, she climbed into the bed and wrapped herself in the quilt, promptly falling asleep.

She slept through the afternoon.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Odell who had arrived at some point.

The black tailored suit he wore perfectly complemented his figure.

He sat with elegance on the couch, observing her with his jet-black eyes.

Sylvia froze for a second. Then she expressed a smile with her eyes. "Odell, you’re here.”

"Hmm." He grunted.

Sylvia rolled over and got out of bed. She was barefoot and wore nothing but a skimpy nightdress as she approached him.

She was going to sit down beside him when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She landed on top of his lap.

She felt his hot, steamy breath on her soft skin.

She slowly, seductively inched her cheeks toward him.

He bowed his head and kissed her.

They went at it again.

After some time, silence again.

Sylvia lay next to Odell, both of them had their eyes closed.

When his breathing calmed to a regular rhythm, she opened her eyes.

She slipped out of bed gently, sneakily took his phone out of his pocket, and snuck to the balcony to call Sherry.

Sherry answered almost instantly.

She immediately relayed, “Sylvia, I sawyou this morning. Everything is progressing as planned and the boat is ready. There’s nothing to worry about. So, when are you planning to leave?"

Sylvia considered for a moment and announced, "9 a.m. tomorrow."

That was usually the time she slept.

Violet would not make an unannounced visit and the bodyguards would have their guard down around that time. Odell would be none the wiser as well.

“Alright, I'll wait for you here at 9 a.m. sharp.”

“Got it.”

Just like that, Sylvia hung up.

She carefully erased the call record as usual and turned back to the bedroom.

She shoved Odell's phone back in his pocket to make it seem as if it was untouched. Then, she went back to bed and ducked into the covers next to him.

His eyes were shut and he was sleeping soundly.

The sheer thought of how obedient and submissive she had been these past few days to appease him made her snigger.

‘Just you wait!’