Lindsay was currently handling the bustling line for makeup. Meanwhile, there was a disagreement within Elric's group. Olivia suggested, "Why don't we continue performing? I can play the harp and dance ballet."Brandon supported the idea. "That could work. Via can dance really well.”Elric, however, scoffed. "Didn't you already do this the last two rounds? Especially the last time, you played and danced for so long but made barely any money. Haven't you learned from that yet?"He continued, full of disdain, "This is an ancient city. There are plenty of people who can play the harp and dance ballet. Let's not embarrass ourselves any further."Olivia was speechless. What a jerk, his words were way too harsh. She was a professional—how could those people compare to her? How was she embarrassing herself?Brandon, hearing Elric’s remarks, found them particularly unpleasant. He retorted, "You're being too much."Elric glanced at him. "What? Can't handle the truth?"Brandon was left speech
This jerk had been insulting her the entire time, and it was live-streamed—he was going to ruin her reputation. Olivia decided she couldn’t stick around him any longer. If she kept hanging out with him, her image online would be impossible to salvage.From her expression, it was obvious Olivia had stormed off because of Elric.Seeing this, Brandon shot a glare at Elric. "What a classless guy. Let’s split up and make our own money."It’d save Olivia from getting bullied by that jerk.Elric grinned, clearly pleased. "Sounds perfect to me."He couldn’t have asked for a better outcome! Even Wendy was glad to see Olivia leave. She was just as fed up with that overly dramatic, tearful innocent act. It had been three rounds already—couldn’t she try something different?Brandon, frustrated by Elric’s attitude, turned and hurried after Olivia. By the time he caught up, Olivia had started crying, looking as if she'd been badly mistreated.Meanwhile, the live stream audience had split into two
Oliver saw things more clearly now. He let out a cold laugh. "If she didn’t play her games with the people who genuinely care about her, how would she get what she wants? Do you think anyone else would pay her any mind? Just look at Elric and Wendy. They don’t coddle her at all."Only those of them who had once spoiled Olivia were still willing to indulge her."Olivia’s only been able to get away with this because she’s been taking advantage of our affection all along."Raymond nodded. "Exactly. She’s been using our love to get her way."He gave a wry smile. "You know, looking back, were we like that with Lindsay, too?"They used to rely on Lindsay’s kindness and affection, assuming that no matter what happened, she’d always be the loving sister who cared for them.Oliver’s posture stiffened. "Now that you mention it, we were pretty awful. Over the years, we’ve let Olivia influence us too much."They had spoiled Olivia for over a decade, but in that time, she had also shaped their beh
Trying to keep his dignity in front of Elric, he held back. With a forced grin, he approached a friendly-looking young woman, "My sister’s playing is pretty good, don’t you think? Maybe you could show a little appreciation?"The young woman took a few steps back and shook her head, "I think her playing is quite average. The organizers of Goodwill City host a harp gathering every five days. At these gatherings, the players sound much better than your sister. Not only is it free, but they also offer complimentary tea and snacks."On the next street over, a guy from another group is playing the harp beautifully, and he’s not charging either. So where do you get the nerve to ask for money?"She was a fan of Lindsay and had come here specifically to listen to Olivia play, hoping to stir up some tension between them. Who would’ve thought she would get involved with Brandon? Naturally, she felt she had to be honest. She wasn’t intentionally belittling Olivia, but there were just too many
After Olivia's failed attempts at playing the harp and dancing, she and Brandon returned the instruments to the production team. Olivia had overheard people talking earlier about some amazing harp player on the next street, supposedly part of Lindsay's group. Her curiosity was piqued—who could it be? And more importantly, how was Lindsay making money this time? Intrigued, she suggested to Brandon that they take a walk around and scout for opportunities. Together, they headed to a nearby street.Meanwhile, the live stream’s chat was buzzing with reactions."Wasn’t she supposed to prove El wrong? This is it?""This ending is killing me, so funny!""So, Elric was right after all—there’s no shortage of talented musicians and dancers here. Our angel really embarrassed herself.""She didn’t listen to the warnings, and now look—embarrassed again.""Elric: It’s so hard to give good advice to someone who won’t listen.""Elric’s eyes were spot on. He saw it all coming.""This twist is so sa
Since it was his first time participating in a variety show, he had no idea how things worked. "Alright, I’ll follow your lead."With that, the two left the street and went to find Elric and Wendy. After asking around, they eventually found them working at a local inn. Both were currently playing the role of servers, earning money by waiting tables, which had drawn quite a crowd of tourists eager to dine there.As Elric finished serving a round of dishes, he spotted Olivia and Brandon approaching. The smile on his handsome face quickly darkened. “What are these troublemakers doing here?” he thought. Not wanting to engage, he turned to head back to the kitchen to continue working.But Brandon called out, "Elric, what are you two doing here?"Turning around, Elric snapped, "Can’t you see for yourself?"Brandon, with a hint of disdain, asked, "Don’t tell me your big money-making plan is just waiting tables?"Elric raised an eyebrow. "So, what if it is? It's honest, hard work, and it
Benedict carried an air of elegance, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "My mentor excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, so I grew up learning all of them."Lindsay nodded in understanding. "That explains it.""Your rank as a mystic must be quite high. From your appearance, I can’t discern anything, which suggests your abilities are likely stronger than mine."Though her words were partly meant to probe, much of it was also the truth. His appearance seemed unguarded, yet she couldn’t read him at all. She could only make out the most basic of details, while the crucial aspects remained hidden from her. This led her to believe that his abilities might surpass her own.What she could discern was that Benedict had no familial ties with Olivia or the others, meaning he wasn’t related to them. Lindsay had a vague sense that he had possibly reached the highest level of divination mastery—transcendence, where one's abilities merge with the universe itself. His
Lindsay smiled and said, "I never expected us to have this kind of connection.""That seal... it wasn’t a gift from my mentor to you, was it?"Benedict's eyes gleamed with amusement. "You’re as sharp as ever, Lindsay. I’ve met with your mentor three times in total. During our last meeting, he handed me the seal, but when I reached for it, it slipped from my hand and fell to the ground, a sign that it wasn’t meant for me."So, I returned it to him, but he didn’t take it back. Instead, he told me to hold onto it and give it to the person it was destined for."He continued, "Three years ago, I left it at that shop, never imagining it would make its way to you. It seems fate really had a hand in this."Lindsay chuckled. "Is that so? Quite the coincidence, then."Her smile deepened. "Though I have to wonder if you left the seal there knowing I was the one destined to find it."Benedict paused briefly, then laughed softly. "If you want to think of it that way, you’re welcome to."Changing th
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