Olivia spoke as if she were willing to return Brandon's luck, acting the part of a caring sister. It was a clever move to win back sympathy from the audience. But Elric could see right through her—there was no way she intended to give the luck back now. She was probably planning to delay things until the show ended, and after that, she could make up any excuse to avoid it. What could Brandon really do at that point?Elric was determined to expose this act. He was curious to see how far Olivia would take it.Lindsay chimed in, "I’ve never seen anyone reverse luck like this before. I’d like to watch."The others quickly agreed, voicing their curiosity. "Yeah, we want to see it too!"Alex nudged Brandon. "Hey, if Via’s willing to give your luck back, what are you waiting for? Ask Mr. Scott to get started."He knew Olivia wasn’t being genuine. She was just playing her part, keeping Brandon in the dark. Later, she’d decide if and when she’d actually follow through. Brandon was just f
This time, Brandon finally showed a bit of sense. Glancing at the bracelet on his wrist, he felt an uneasy chill run down his spine. The sooner he could get rid of it, the better. He turned to Olivia. "Via, let’s ask Mr. Scott to help us transfer the luck back. You should take the bracelet. And after the show, we’ll track down the person who convinced you to do this. Maybe they’ll have a way to prevent the rebound. And if not, the Harper family has mystics on staff—we can always consult them too."Olivia’s smile faltered inwardly, though she kept a calm expression on her face. “Great, all terrible ideas,” she thought. “Those so-called mystics are amateurs compared to Benedict. Brandon’s practically signing my doom.”Worse yet, he didn’t seem to care that she’d be the one suffering misfortune now. She inwardly fumed at how easily he was swayed by Elric and Alex’s suggestions. “If he’s going to be like this, I won’t bother with him anymore.”But outwardly, Olivia smiled sweetly and nodd
Everyone else also turned their gaze to Brandon. Elric, with a smile, asked, "Can you really go through with it?"Brandon immediately found himself torn once again. "Isn’t that a bit too harsh?" he asked, conflicted. If the backlash hit Olivia hard, she’d suffer far more than if she returned his luck willingly. He wasn’t sure he could be that cruel.Lindsay scoffed. "So, you can’t do it, huh? If that’s the case, then there’s nothing more to say. Let’s just wrap this up."Her reaction wasn’t surprising. After all, Brandon doted on Olivia the most, and he had willingly given his luck away. More importantly, he hadn’t suffered enough to truly learn his lesson. Elric shook his head in disappointment. "We’ve wasted everyone’s time here. You two siblings are just playing us for fools.” “Let’s call it a day—this is getting boring," he added, knowing full well Brandon would regret his choice later.Alex, full of frustration, sighed. "Brandon, I hope you can take care of yourself from he
"Could there really be something between the two of them?""I have the same suspicion, but there's no evidence."The chat in the live stream quickly shifted from talking about how Olivia could actually pull off such a dangerous trick to scolding Brandon for being so foolish. It seemed like he was being manipulated by her, helping count the money after being sold out, completely unaware of the trap he was falling into. Eventually, the conversation turned back to discussing their relationship, hinting that it might not be so simple after all.Albert, who had been watching the live stream, noticed the perfect opportunity for his team to release the bombshell. He instructed his team to take action. They first anonymously uploaded a video to a paparazzo's account. Once the paparazzo made a move, they would jump in to stir things up and boost the hype.Not long after, a well-known paparazzo with a large following posted a message on Instagram.“Top Paparazzo: Want to know the juicy deta
Richard and Grace were once again bombarded with questions from relatives and friends. This time, Richard’s father and mother, Randolph Harper and Valarie Hall, stepped in, delivering a direct notice: they were to return to the family estate the next day. There was no escaping a round of scolding.Richard, who was still abroad, received strict orders from his father to come back immediately. He had no choice but to ask his assistant to book a flight for the next morning. Afterward, he pulled up the latest episode of the reality show and skimmed through the key moments. By the end of it, he was so furious he felt like he might burst a blood vessel. It was as if his lungs were about to explode.He couldn’t understand how Brandon’s mind worked—how could he be so foolish? Even after his luck was drained, leaving him in such a miserable state, he still couldn’t bring himself to be firm with Olivia. Richard couldn’t believe that his family had produced such a self-sacrificing fool. If an
He could clearly feel it—everyone was shutting him out, isolating him. The urge to leave was strong but doing that would just make him look even more pathetic. So, he stayed silent, sitting stiffly in his seat.Around nine, the group left the inn to explore the night market. As they stepped outside, Elric glanced back at Brandon and asked, "Aren’t you going to take care of your dear sister?"Brandon’s jaw clenched. This guy really had a knack for hitting where it hurt. His feelings toward Olivia were a tangled mess now, and he didn’t know how to face her, so he was avoiding her. "I’m on a show," he replied. "I need to keep work before personal matters."Elric chuckled. "The night market isn’t part of the live stream. The show’s almost over for the day.""It doesn’t matter," Brandon shot back. "I want to check out the night market too. Is that a problem?"He’d much rather be ostracized and follow along with the group than have to see Olivia right now.Elric smirked knowingly. "Of c
As they walked, Lindsay explained, "Most of the items here are cursed in some way. If you take them home, at best you’ll have bad luck, and at worst, you could get seriously ill or even die. So, they’re not suitable for you."She had noticed that nearly ninety percent of the antiques on display carried a curse, which meant most of them likely came from dark or tainted places. Of course, not all were necessarily from burial sites—some had been deliberately exposed to cursed locations to soak up negative energy.For the average person, cursed objects are dangerous, but for many practitioners of divination, they could be useful. Aside from using such items to harm others, mystics often need cursed objects for their own rituals or battles. When practitioners face off, drawing on these strong curses becomes essential. Regular environmental energy just wouldn’t cut it; these objects provided the concentrated energy they needed for more intense workings.Hearing Lindsay’s words, those who
Some of the items were so rare that, even with a significant amount of money, they couldn’t be purchased outside the market.However, nearly all of them were cursed, and a few had an incredibly strong malevolent energy. Bringing one of those home would be like bringing a weapon of misfortune. The Divination Association had strict rules, whether inside or outside the night market. Items that were highly cursed couldn’t be sold to ordinary people, or even to lower-level mystics—it would be a death sentence to take them home. Regular cursed objects, on the other hand, were less of a concern. While they could affect people, the damage was minimal and unlikely to cause serious harm.Joshua had a stroke of luck at one of the stalls, finding a snuff bottle that caught his eye. Lindsay inspected it and confirmed that it was a rare item imbued with positive energy, urging him to buy it right away. Trusting her judgment completely, Joshua spent every last bit of his savings to purchase 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