She replied, "Go ahead."Justin glanced warily at Casey before turning back to her. "Can we talk somewhere else?"Lindsay’s expression turned impatient. "No, if you have something to say, say it here and quickly. If not, then leave."Seeing her impatience, Justin felt a deep ache in his heart. She used to be so patient with him, but now she couldn’t even stand to talk to him for a few extra minutes. Knowing her temper, he resigned himself to speaking in front of Casey."I know I messed up before," he began. "I shouldn’t have secretly kept in touch with Olivia because of my mom, and I shouldn’t have chosen to help her over you. I won’t have any more contact with her in the future. I know you can’t forgive me, but can you at least give me another chance?"He looked at Lindsay with eyes full of hope and desperation. "Even if we can’t be lovers, can we at least go back to being friends?"Lindsay gave him a look that seemed to question his sanity. "Go back to being friends because we can’t
When the man saw that Lindsay recognized him, he smiled smugly. "I knew you’d remember me."Lindsay walked over and found an empty seat. She looked at the man and said, "Of course I remember."Then she added, "After all, out of all the men who’ve pursued me, you were the ugliest and had the most cringe-worthy way of expressing yourself."She genuinely hadn’t expected this guy to be Olivia’s brother. Back when she was in college, he had actively pursued her, even going so far as to harass her for a while. Every day, he would stand outside her dorm with a bouquet of roses. One day, he even lit candles in the shape of a heart under her window and brought out a guitar to serenade her with love songs.She was thoroughly disgusted and called campus security. He was forced to clean up his mess before being escorted away by the guards. Every Friday when she left campus, he would wait by the gate, insisting on taking her out to dinner, which irritated and annoyed her to no end.When Justin fou
"If you have something to say, say it quickly, or I’m leaving."The name he had given her back then wasn’t Hugo; it was something completely different, likely to keep her from linking him to Olivia. After all, before Olivia was adopted by the Harper family, her last name was Warren.Seeing that she was serious about leaving, Hugo finally spoke up. "I just want to know, what method did you use to turn the tables on me?"He had been stalling all this time, hoping to read Lindsay’s face, but to his frustration, he couldn’t decipher anything. Her aura seemed normal, just like it had been when he was pursuing her before. There was no indication that she was a powerful mystic, nor could he gauge her level of skill. Instead of clearing up his doubts, the encounter only left him more confused.What Hugo didn’t know was that Lindsay had been playing along, not just to irritate him but also to assess his face and sense the issues with his aura. Since walking into the room, she had already picke
Lindsay noticed Hugo’s skepticism but didn’t bother to explain. She just smiled nonchalantly. "Believe what you want."She was simply testing the waters, and in doing so, she confirmed her suspicions. Hugo was well aware that he and Olivia didn’t share the same mother. The only question remaining was whose mother they actually shared. Their father certainly had a way with women, managing to have one woman raise another’s child.She had previously studied the face of Jenny’s mother and hadn’t found any signs of curses or spells. This suggested that these women were acting of their own free will. Of course, just because the women weren’t under any strange influence didn’t mean that the man himself wasn’t up to something unusual.Seeing Lindsay’s casual demeanor, Hugo couldn’t tell if she had genuinely figured it out or if she was just bluffing. "You’re quite impressive, knowing I could sense their badges and having them block me in the stairwell," he remarked. Then he looked directly
Justin watched Lindsay's retreating figure, his eyes filled with pain. Casey noticed him too and felt a headache coming on. The crew members were probably still on their way. He decided to speak first. "Wait here for a bit; someone will come to pick you up soon."Justin’s eyes brightened. "Did Linds arrange that?"Seeing his brother’s hopeful expression, Casey sighed. "I asked your director for the number and made the call."The light in Justin’s eyes immediately dimmed.Casey said, "Justin, your relationship with Lindsay is over. It’s time to move on."From the way their energies clashed, it was clear that Lindsay would never forgive him, let alone consider getting back together.Justin shot Casey a cold look. "Why are you getting close to Lindsay? I’ve already given up the fight for the family business, but you still won’t leave me alone?"As a child, Justin had wanted to be close to his older brother, but Casey had deliberately kept a distance, maintaining a cool detachment. Coupl
Casey knew Hugo was probing for information. He responded, "Not very likable."That was genuinely how he felt about Olivia, even though he knew she was his half-sister. In contrast, he found the Ford family’s younger twin siblings much more agreeable.Seeing Casey’s reaction, Hugo felt reassured, thinking Casey might still be unaware of his relationship with Olivia. "Seems like you two aren't meant to be," Hugo remarked.Casey laughed softly. "I have no interest in getting involved with your sister, and I’d prefer to stay far away—seems like bad luck follows her around. You’re living proof of that."Hugo was momentarily at a loss for words. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere.So, he decided to stop talking to Casey and closed his eyes, pretending to rest. In reality, he was using a secret technique to imprint a brief summary of the day’s events into his ring.Casey noticed the gemstone on Hugo’s ring emitting a cold gleam but chose not to interfere, closing his eyes as well.
Tracy was a rising star who had recently made her debut after winning a talent show competition. Not only did she win the show, but her popularity also soared, surpassing the other contestants. She wasn’t signed with Harper Entertainment but with another major entertainment company.As Lindsay watched Tracy standing next to Charles, smiling sweetly, she couldn’t help but connect this newcomer to Hugo and Olivia based solely on her last name. However, when she looked directly at Tracy’s face, she noticed that Tracy didn’t resemble Olivia at all. Lindsay even checked from the side and still found no similarity.Lindsay then carefully examined Tracy’s facial features and realized that her appearance had been deliberately masked; the face she presented to the world was a façade. With her enhanced skills, Lindsay was able to see through the illusion and confirmed that Tracy was indeed Olivia’s sister.This aligned with what Casey had mentioned earlier—that Olivia had a brother and a sist
After some casual conversation, Lindsay and Elric left together, leaving Justin's group behind.Raymond suggested, "Should we go back to playing music?"Having already decided to coast through until the last day, Justin and Alex nodded in agreement. "Sure!"None of them were particularly enthusiastic about Tracy joining the group, and they weren’t in the mood to take care of her. They weren’t exactly the nurturing type, so they didn’t bother asking for her opinion before deciding on the day’s activities. Tracy didn’t seem to mind and was quite supportive of their plans. She also didn’t try to overstep by making suggestions, which, combined with the unfavorable comparison to Olivia, left a decent impression on the group’s livestream audience.However, when they arrived at the restaurant, they were told that the regular pianist, who had taken a leave of absence, had returned, meaning their temporary gig was over.Suppressing his frustration, Raymond asked, "Since we can’t do this job, w
In the vibrant district of the historic town, the streets were lined with vintage boutiques and various artisan stalls. Lindsay's group visited the town’s administration office and rented a temporary booth.Alex and Justin eagerly borrowed a table and chairs, setting up the booth. Following Lindsay's instructions, they also bought a piece of white fabric and worked together to create a simple sign. The production team provided markers and other supplies.Lindsay glanced over at Benedict and said, "Benedict, I’ll let you handle writing the banner."She was eager to observe his writing and the energy he gave off while doing it.Benedict sighed inwardly—this girl was constantly trying to test him. After a moment’s thought, he nodded. "Alright, I’ll write it."He grabbed a marker, uncapped it, and wrote in bold letters across the white fabric: “Fortune Telling, Divination, and Tarot Readings.”Lindsay watched him closely, noticing the fluidity of his movements as he wrote, his posture exud
Justin added, "My mom’s been trying to get me to help Olivia and distance myself from Lindsay. She’s also said plenty of nasty things about Lindsay. This time, not only did I ignore her, but I even pushed back. It probably pissed her off, and now she’s taking it out on Lindsay."Alex, clearly upset, said, "You should talk to her and tell her to stop fixating on Lindsay. Lindsay hasn’t done anything to provoke her. It’s ridiculous."He was frustrated that Justin’s mom had been stirring up trouble, making Grace even more difficult to deal with.Justin nodded. "Alright, after the show is over, I’ll have a talk with her."He also felt his mom was acting out of line. Back when he liked Lindsay, her disapproval at least made sense. But now that Lindsay had kicked him to the curb, his mom’s continued obsession was baffling.Although they were speaking softly, Lindsay and Benedict, walking ahead, heard every word.Lindsay found the situation with Abby baffling as well. A woman who fawned over
After Lindsay left, the other guests quickly followed, leaving only Alex standing there awkwardly. He spoke briefly to the production staff, and they soon shifted the cameras away from that area. Alex then walked over to Grace, saying, "Mom, since Lindsay won’t lend it, let’s just drop it."Grace shot him a cold glare, her expression dark. "How can you be so heartless? The one lying in bed is your fourth brother. Are you hanging around Lindsay all the time just to learn how to be cold and ruthless?"Unable to contain her frustration toward Lindsay, Grace directed it at Alex instead.Alex sighed in exasperation. "Even if we need help, it has to be something she’s willing to do! We’ve wronged Lindsay enough as it is, so why do you keep trying to guilt-trip her? Brandon’s situation isn’t Lindsay’s fault. Why don’t you go find Olivia? She’s the one who caused all this, maybe she can fix it. After all, whoever’s behind her is no easy target."Right now, all Alex felt toward Lindsay was gui
Grace held back her anger and said, "It'll only take a few minutes. I have something important to discuss with you."Lindsay sat back down in her seat. "Fine, go ahead."The livestream was on, and Lindsay was fully aware of it—she was doing this on purpose.Grace was about to speak when her assistant whispered something in her ear. Her expression changed, and she subtly shifted her body to turn away from the camera.Then she looked at Lindsay. "Can we talk outside?"In her rush to find Lindsay, she had almost forgotten that this was a live-streamed variety show. She didn’t want to be on camera, much less discuss such personal matters in front of an audience.Lindsay, however, refused. "If it's important, say it here. If not, then don’t say anything."Grace’s expression darkened. "It’s because it’s important that we need to talk privately."She emphasized, "It’s not appropriate in front of the camera."Lindsay just smiled. "Unless it's something shady, what’s wrong with saying it on cam
Lindsay thought about it for a while and figured that if Grace was coming to find her, it was probably for Brandon. The only thing she could want would be the artifact in her possession.Alex saw her reply and couldn’t help but smile wryly. His sister was indeed sharp and saw right through it.He sent a voice message, repeating what the head of the Divination Association had told them. "Mom just wants to borrow the artifact from you to suppress Brandon’s condition."Lindsay replied, "Tell her not to waste her energy."Seeing that message, Alex knew right away that she wouldn’t lend it out. It didn’t surprise him—his sister could be ruthless when she wanted to be."We can’t convince her otherwise, not even Dad can stop her... sigh," Alex added. When their mom’s temper flared, she wouldn’t listen to anyone.Lindsay didn’t seem to care. "Then let her come. I’m not going to do her any favors."Alex recalled the conversation between their parents at the hospital and decided to warn her, "M
Recently, Grace had been spending more time with Abby, often meeting up for outings. Over time, Richard noticed that Grace's anger towards their biological daughter had deepened. Abby had always disliked Lindsay and showed more favoritism towards Olivia. She must have been stirring up trouble and egging Grace on whenever they met. With time, Grace was bound to be influenced.Grace, clearly annoyed, said, "You even want to control who I make friends with? Aren't you going too far? What's wrong with me getting along with Mrs. Ford and spending more time with her?"Richard felt cornered. "I just think there's something off about her. Her intentions in getting close to you don't seem good. That's why I'm trying to give you a heads-up."Grace didn't believe him at all. "I think you're overthinking it. We’ve always had a decent relationship. We’re just closer now, that’s all.""What do you men know about women’s matters? Don't interfere." She now had plenty to talk about with Abby. Jenny wa
Richard glanced at Grace with clear disapproval. “This whole mess was caused by Olivia and Brandon. What does any of it have to do with Lindsay?”He could tell that recent events, and the embarrassment caused by their sons, had left his wife feeling bitter. It seemed she had begun to project that frustration onto Lindsay, despite the situation having little to do with her.Grace crossed her arms defensively. “If it wasn’t for her ongoing fight with Olivia, Brandon wouldn’t have gotten involved. He’s her brother. Doesn’t she owe him some consideration now that he’s in this condition?”Richard frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say?”Valarie, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up, her displeasure clear. “I see it differently. It’s Olivia and your son who started the trouble, and all Lindsay did was defend herself. Are you really looking to embarrass yourselves even more?”Grace shifted uncomfortably, feeling the sting of her mother-in-law’s words. “I’m just thinking abou
Given the Harper family's persistence, there was no way the Divination Association could avoid a thorough investigation. Seeing that Randolph wouldn’t back down, the official left, courteously escorted out by Randolph, who, for the moment, had ceased his protests.Valarie carefully placed the multicolored stone inside a small protective pouch before securing it around Brandon's neck. Though he felt a slight relief after putting it on, the bad luck continued. As the official had warned, his misfortune was too severe for one artifact to fully contain.Randolph tried every connection he had, attempting to borrow a second artifact, but came up empty-handed. Time slipped by, and evening approached before they could find any further solutions.By the time Richard and Grace arrived at the hospital, they were met with the weary faces of their parents. Feeling guilty for everything his father had gone through, Richard bowed his head. "Dad, Mom, I'm so sorry you had to go through this today."
Hearing their words, the hope that had briefly flickered in Brandon’s eyes quickly faded, leaving him more devastated than before. "Grandfather, I know I was wrong," he muttered, finally realizing the truth. His foster sister had been nothing but trouble—far from trustworthy, she had been a constant source of harm. Meanwhile, his real sister, though harsh and distant, had proven to be far more reliable. Regret gnawed at him deeply.Randolph sighed, his voice heavy with disappointment. “Knowing you’re wrong doesn’t change anything. It’s too late now.”Turning back to the two mystics, Randolph asked, “If you can’t break the curse directly, could you at least help suppress his misfortune? Maybe with a protective charm or some kind of mystical object?”Despite his frustration with his grandson’s foolishness, he couldn’t just leave him to suffer.Both mystics exchanged uneasy glances. “We don’t have the ability to suppress his bad luck with charms.”“For something like that, you’d need t