After divorce, Ex-wife Revealed Identities
Chapter 997

Chapter 997

The Sweeney family paid well, but the risks were high.

They came to work here for the money. But now, they just wanted to leave, desperately.

Being given to Master Wood meant death, and being kicked into the pool to drown also meant death.

They couldn't help but worry about their impending fate.

After a few more minutes, the maid in the pool finally sank to the bottom, lifeless.

"Anyone who dares to defy my orders will end up like her!" Tristan said coldly, staring at the trembling maids. "Now go serve Master Wood."

Master Wood looked as happy as if he had won the lottery.

He sat on a lounge chair, his large belly protruding, and began to undress. "Come on, beauties! Don't worry, I won't treat you badly." The scene was too much to bear.

It was so shocking that it almost made one's eyes pop out.

Tristan turned away in disgust. "Enjoy yourself, Master Wood. I have other matters to attend to."

Marcelo also stood up immediately. "Enjoy, Master Wood."

Master Wood's eyes were only on the beautiful maids; he didn't even glance at the brothers.

"Go on, go on!" he waved dismissively.

He smiled lewdly, his face greasy with fat.

"No! Don't come near me!"

"Master Wood, please, I'll do anything..."

Master Wood's disgusting laughter echoed in the air. "Hee-hee-"

At the Blood Medical Sect Manor.

In a very quiet courtyard, an elderly man with gray hair stood in the yard, calculating something with his fingers before letting out a heavy sigh.

Casey Gentry stood behind him, looking anxious. "Elder Reginald, how is Mr. Maskelyne's fate this time?"

Having failed to help Sylvia and returned to the Blood Medical Sect, Casey felt guilty. So upon returning, he immediately sought out the family's fortune-teller, Reginald Gentry, to divine Franklin's fate and see if he could overcome this crisis.

"His life is no longer in danger, young master. You need not worry," Reginald said, retracting his fingers, though his brows were still furrowed with concern.

Casey breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his calculation. "As long as he's safe... But Elder Reginald, why do you still look troubled? Did you foresee something else?"

Reginald looked up at the dark sky, his face pale. "My close friend Master Newman... has passed away."

Casey was stunned.

These masters always spoke so elegantly and mysteriously.

So "passed away" meant he had died?

He swallowed and clumsily tried to comfort Reginald in his tone. "Life and death are determined by fate. Since Master Newman's fate was such, you... you should accept it."

"Master Newman had a calamity in his fate that he couldn't avoid," Reginald shook his head. "I just wonder if he found the heir of the Sackcloth Sect... We who peer into the secrets of heaven are always intertwined with fortune and misfortune!"

He thought about how he hadn't been able to see his close friend one last time before his death.

His heart was filled with regret.

But what could regret change?

"Forget it, young master. You should go back. Mr. Maskelyne's life is no longer in danger. You need not worry," Reginald said, patting Casey's shoulder. "I will be in seclusion for seven days. Tell them not to disturb me."

Casey quickly nodded. "Alright, alright."

He understood that Reginald probably wanted to chant scriptures for his friend and didn't want anyone to disturb his peace.

Sigh-

*

At the Hipps Residence, Sylvia was completely different from other collateral young ladies and lived in the main house with Old Mrs. Hipps and Old Mr. Hipps.

Not only her but also Jasmine and Giancarlo lived there as well.

Though they were old, their research had not stopped.

The Hipps family had set up a courtyard as a laboratory for them, equipped with almost all the latest instruments and equipment.

After dinner, they went to their lab. They were working on a new experiment that could significantly contribute to the country and humanity if successful.

Sylvia stayed in her room, eagerly studying the secret techniques passed down by Master Newman.

She had an excellent memory and memorized all the spells and their applications.

Although she had acquired Master Newman's abilities, she wasn't yet proficient in using them.

She desperately needed practical experience.

In her room, Sylvia tried drawing a few simple fortune-gathering arrays.

These arrays could enhance the Hipps family's prosperity and bring them good fortune.

She also practiced some luck-enhancing arrays and then moved on to breaking arrays after mastering a few beneficial ones.

The most crucial part of an array was its array eye.

While small arrays had easily identifiable array eyes, larger and more complex arrays made replaceing the array eye extremely difficult.

The Hipps family was a century-old prestigious family. She had also learned some feng shui principles by now.

So she asked Clare for a map of the Hipps Residence.

Clare was curious. "What do you need a map for?"

Sylvia smiled. "The house is so big; what if I get lost? I just want to familiarize myself with the layout."

"That makes sense. If there's anything you don't understand or need help with, I can show you around," Clare laughed warmly. "This is your home; don't be shy about asking for anything you need." Since bringing Sylvia back, he felt like he was living in a dream every day.

Such an extraordinary niece being part of their family felt like a miracle!

He would wake up smiling from his dreams.

Naturally, he wanted to pamper her as much as possible.

This led him always to have a fatherly smile whenever he looked at Sylvia.

Not just him; Old Mrs. Hipps and Old Mr. Hipps were the same way, as were Jasmine and Giancarlo.

They wished they could do everything for Sylvia-dress her, feed her-if only she would let them.

Unfortunately... Sylvia was too independent to give them that chance.

Now that she finally had a request, Clare wanted to give her not just the house map but maps of the entire world if she needed them.

Sylvia had no idea what Clare was thinking. She took the map and returned to her room directly.

After carefully studying it, she realized that the Hipps family truly deserved its century-old prestige. The family's founder must have hired an excellent feng shui master back then.

The layout of the Hipps Residence and all its ponds and pavilions were meticulously designed for prosperity.

But... if the feng shui was so good, why did the Hipps family face such a significant calamity before?

Sylvia frowned slightly.

Could it be that with so many people in the family, some with impure intentions had altered parts of the estate when given their own courtyards?

She suspected that some collateral branches might have damaged the feng shui by making changes according to their preferences.

It seemed necessary for her to take a good look around the Hipps Residence.

She busied herself studying in her room, enhancing her abilities.

Before she knew it, it was evening. A maid came to call her for dinner, and she realized it was almost dark.

Only Old Mrs. Hipps and a few others ate in the main house; no outsiders were present, making for a very harmonious atmosphere during meals.

"Our estate is so large; do we ever make renovations?" Sylvia asked casually. "Uncle Clare, can you take me around after dinner? I'd like to get familiar with our home."

"Of course! A walk after dinner is good for health," Old Mrs. Hipps said enthusiastically. "Your grandfather and I will join you."

Clare laughed as well. "Yes! Sylvia, you haven't properly toured our home since you arrived!"

So about twenty minutes later, Old Mrs. Hipps, Old Mr. Hipps, Sylvia, and Clare began strolling around the estate.

The estate was vast. They walked west from the main house and eventually reached Lakeside Pavilion without realizing it.

Maritza lived there and was sitting in her yard mixing some fragrances. She enjoyed creating scents and worked as a perfumer for the Hipps family's perfume company. She had a natural talent for it; her fragrance "Dark Secret" was very popular.

She had several fresh flower petals laid out before her and was carefully grinding them with skillful hands when she looked up and saw the four of them at her gate. Startled, she quickly stopped what she was doing.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle? Why didn't you say anything?"

"We were just taking a walk after dinner and ended up here," Clare said with a smile.

Sylvia looked around the courtyard. In its center was a small table with various tools for making perfumes laid out on it.

She approached the table and examined the vibrant petals.

The faint scent of flowers lingered in the air... but why did one of those tools have a red hue like blood?

Sylvia thought she detected a faint smell of blood?

She was always sensitive to blood due to her background as a boxing champion; she had smelled plenty of blood in the ring. Seeing Sylvia examining her latest concoction made Maritza nervous. She quickly instructed a maid to put everything away. "Come inside for a bit."

"In the past, this place wasn't called Lakeside Pavilion; what was it called again?" Clare pondered but couldn't remember.

"Moonlight Courtyard," Sylvia answered; she had just studied the map today and remembered clearly.

Indeed... Lakeside Pavilion had been renovated and rebuilt.

Recalling the coordinates on the map, Sylvia noted that Lakeside Pavilion used to be farther from the pond but was now very close-right outside its door.