"Mr. Fergus, please tell Mr. Carver Senior to take care of his health. Young people have their own ideas, so he shouldn't force things on them." "Yes, Mr. Fergus, you really should help calm Mr. Carver Senior down." Everyone knew not to meddle in other people's family affairs. This commotion was clearly meant to upset Warren. Fergus had not understood before, but seeing it now made him wish he could call Percy immediately. He would sue them all and send them to prison. Aria had tipped him off, saying that they were just waiting for these people to walk into their trap. These seemingly insignificant figures had been quietly corroding Carver Group for years. Fergus wouldn't have noticed them at social events before. It just showed how cunningly Ian had played this. Ian was familiar with such scenes. After all, he was the one who had encouraged Owen to partner with Krowonian businessmen back then. It was all to make his brother Warren face reality. He had invested so much effo
"Mr. Veyrith!" Everyone rose from their seats. They had thought things were over for Owen, given the recent investigations. But he had kept an ace up his sleeve. Malric Veyrith was a real disciple of Mount Dracotigris. Hailed as the most likely to achieve transcendence, his gift for divination and fortune-telling was unparalleled. They said he had recently solved Janovin's flooding problems. It was extraordinary. Could someone really control the weather? But that was not even his most impressive feat. They had witnessed him restore a lost soul, and just recently, he had solved that crisis with the Furler boy. Also, the shopping center they had invested in had been struggling until he suggested adding a fountain plaza. Business immediately boomed after that. That was why their faces shifted into obsequious smiles. "What brings you here? Weren't you debating with overseas scholars?" Ian smilingly welcomed him too. Malric Veyrith seemed familiar with Ian but remained aloof. "
But Owen felt he should steer Fergus in the right direction. So he approached Fergus and spoke quietly, "Fergus, stay out of today's matters. There's something wrong with Aria. You'll understand when your grandfather arrives." If Fergus could show emotion, he would have scowled. Warren was right. Their ancestors must have done something terrible to be cursed with a father like Owen. He regretted defending this man in the family chat. Owen stood there confidently. He had always been so self-centered that he had never even checked on Fergus when he was abroad. He had only asked about Fergus' relationships since his return. Fergus would never accept Owen's claim that he hadn't attempted to sow discord between him and Warren. Connecting the dots now, Fergus felt an increasing disgust for Owen and Ian across the room. They were clearly trying to break Warren. When one attempt failed, they would try again. They kept trying to humiliate Warren. And there were even proposals for partne
Malric's words sparked a commotion. "Concerning birth signs? What does that mean?" "It's obviously nothing good." "I'd heard Ms. Carver had a harsh fate. It must be true..." "It's so disrespectful of her to make her elders wait. What kind of young lady behaves this way? Poor upbringing, clearly." Fergus could not stand it anymore. His worthless father had brought this priest to declare Aria's birth signs inauspicious. They clearly just wanted to brand her as a bad daughter who brought misfortune to her father. As Fergus' eyes narrowed, he was about to explode. A soft laugh echoed from upstairs. Aria appeared in her black T-shirt and pants. Her gleaming hair and eyes were dark as usual. "It seems I went too easy on fixing the Carver Group last time." These minor shareholders did not even qualify for board meetings. Aria studied their unfamiliar faces. "If I remember correctly, all of you rely on the Carvers for your livelihood. As the current CEO, I have a question, Fergus
Malric was unsure of the Carver family's inner workings, so he glanced at Owen. "What nonsense are you saying, Aria?" Owen's face reddened with anger. "When did I ever abandon you?" Aria spoke slowly, "I have proof, so just wait. Can you honestly claim your kindness to Mindy wasn't motivated by the benefits of her birth signs?""I..." Owen started. Aria cut him off, "Don't lie, Mr. Veyrith is watching. Lying before a priest might just bring karma knocking on your door."As a superstitious man, Owen grew fearful. He fell silent with his fists clenched. Malric could not bear hearing her words anymore. "Ms. Carver, you shouldn't treat your father this way as a daughter. The gods are watching." "Let them watch then." Aria was brazen and unconcerned. "You may not know this, but I never fall for any guilt-tripping tactics. "I repay kindness with kindness, and I return cruelty with vengeance—even if that person is my own father. As for others..." Aria surveyed the room. "Even more
Others were wondering the same thing. Ian would not want anyone going to the backyard, so he glanced at Edwin. Edwin quickly replied, "It's just a crow. Someone's shooing it away." "A crow?" Fergus, ever sharp, smiled. "Where? I've never seen one." Poeta descended the stairs in fresh makeup. "That crow's been in the tree since midnight. Didn't you see it, Fergus?" The sky-blue gown she wore for today's performance was custom-made and well beyond her financial reach. She'd even borrowed money for the jewelry on her wrist. But she was confident that after today, she would cement her place in the Carvers and ascend to Janovin's elite.Surely Fergus bringing her along meant that he was ready to cut ties with Warren. She had waited years for this. She had been too young and naïve before, so she had simply accepted Warren's offer to further her studies abroad then. Thinking back, she should have schemed to stay with the Carvers. But thankfully, Fergus had not forgotten her. Desp
This so-called prodigy cultivator was not part of Aria's plan. But since Owen had eagerly brought this man over, she might as well put Malric to full use. Her words about bad omens carried less weight than Malric's. After all, they trusted him most. Malric did not contradict Aria. Though crows were traditionally auspicious, they were also known as harbingers of death. With such persistent calling, could something actually be here? Malric's brow furrowed. "Please, everyone, follow me to have a look." With a prodigy like Malric speaking, even Ian had no excuse to stop them. He wanted to throw Owen out. He was really a fool who caused more harm than good. Of all the people to invite, he chose Malric. Sure, he would work for money, but he was not truly on their side. Owen had not expected his plan to backfire. He had brought Malric to prove Aria's harsh fate would harm him as her father, not to investigate some crow! Despite his frustration, Owen had to follow since Malric was
Warren chuckled at this. He might not understand fortune-telling himself, but Aria was genuinely formidable. Things had been peaceful at his house, and his health had improved too. It was all thanks to Aria rearranging the Carver residence's layout when she first returned to Janovin. Warren had told no one about this. Ever since Aria's kidnapping incident, he had sensed an invisible hand slowly corrupting the Carver family. The formations at the mansion and hotel were clearly designed on purpose. Knowing the culprit understood fortune-telling, Warren kept Aria's arcane abilities secret from everyone. He would hide information about Aria until everything came to light, especially since people had been asking about her after the Panne Street incident. Warren had been very clever about this. From his perspective, Aria was absolutely qualified to guide this young priest. Malric had even tried to guilt-trip Aria because of his status, so Warren did not consider that worthy of a true
Miguel had worked so hard to climb out of being just another underpaid teacher. Most people would have been thrilled to land a principal job, but Miguel got greedy. He never cared about shaping young minds. As he often said, "It's just a paycheck. Only losers pass up money to preach about education." That mentality might fly in small towns, but in the big city, these kids wouldn't stand a chance based on merit alone. Miguel wasn't exactly looking down on his students—he just knew the situation in each class best. Students with or without local residency permits would face different college admissions standards. Rich families already had their children's overseas education lined up, so there was no sweat required. Even if they had bad grades, it wouldn't be a problem. They could still go abroad and buy themselves a fancy degree. Money talked, and that was the harsh reality. Miguel needed that Department of Education position to set his son up right. It was pretty ironic for a
Aria would definitely have the principal of Oakvale Academy detained eventually, but not now. The moment Miguel was in custody, the people pulling his strings would smell trouble. Based on past cases, they'd likely cut all connections immediately. All their carefully gathered leads could vanish in seconds. So Miguel needed to stay free for now and even remain in plain sight. Aria said, "Don't tell your principal about what happened today." She looked at Eden. "When you go back, just attend classes like how you normally do. If Mr. Sonder asks about you, tell him you're still thinking it over. "Show how nervous you are about this, but also hint that you're eager to go abroad. You're just not quite ready yet. "Don't tell anyone about our conversation. I've added you as a contact. If anything seems off, text me immediately. "Someone will be protecting you 24/7, and your family too. So don't be afraid." As she spoke, Aria stood up. "Let's go. I'll take you back to school. They
"I don't know what Judy meant by that," Eden said as she looked up. "She never talked like that before." "Got it," Aria said, zooming in on the photo. By looking at the brand of the chocolate drink and the surrounding buildings, she could nail down the exact location. Without hesitation, she sent it to Sam for analysis. Something about this "interview" smelled fishy. She had to see firsthand what kind of meeting would change a simple and positive girl like Judy. "About those selected applicants—do you know exactly who they were?" Aria dug deeper with her questions. Once she had names, she could connect the dots between the students. These patterns would reveal what the buyers were looking for. Human trafficking was a high-stakes criminal business, and Aria did not believe this was just about exploiting young girls. The bar incident had been her wake-up call. She needed the full picture before making her move. She would just spook them if she jumped in too soon. Their oper
Aria needed to identify all the "buyers". Missing even one buyer could mean one more student was sold. "Do the selected applicants have anything in common besides their family situations?" Aria asked, and Eden shook her head. But she then added, "Everyone had good grades, so nobody ever questioned why they were chosen for scholarships. Nothing seemed fishy about it." Aria made a mental note about the good grades, then scrolled through Judy's Facebook feed. This kind of investigation was pretty straightforward for her. Even without being accepted as a friend, she could hack in easily. From her posting habits, Judy seemed like an optimist. She was a nice girl who rarely posted anything negative. But one post made Aria scroll back and look twice. The post was cheerful, with a sunny photo and a cup of chocolate. But the text caught her attention. It read, "About to start my new life! All my hard work has paid off. The interview was kind of weird, but no big deal. Let's go!" Ar
The person on the other end of the call didn't speak. He just nodded with a pouty little face from behind a computer screen. It was actually Sam. He'd been working behind the scenes all along, especially when investigating the Wagner situation. Having him tail Philip was the least suspicious option. Simon was available too, but his presence would definitely attract unwanted attention as a beast of fortune. Since they were dealing with an arcane seeker, bringing Simon would be like handing them a treasure. So Aria made the call to have Sam follow Philip, while Simon stayed with Landon. Aria was not worried about her handsome fiancé being in danger. It was only because Simon would be safest with him. The Yorks carried heavenly fortune. As long as there was no fated ordeal in play, anyone who tried to harm Landon would likely meet a bad end. After all, that purple energy surrounding him wasn't just for show. With Simon staying near him, Simon could mask Landon's aura while also
"Yeah, that's right," the rest of the burly men chimed in. The whole scene was painfully forced and fake. In reality, they just wanted to leave. But Aria wasn't about to let them off so easily. She figured she would return the favor since they'd been asking about her. She asked, "Oh, so the Draycotts owe your company money? Which company is that?" Viggo had not expected this question. He froze momentarily, then quickly replied, "Our company is small, so it's not worth mentioning. It's nothing compared to yours." "It's admirable how your company can sponsor students despite being a small one." Aria's compliment was delivered flatly. Viggo's scalp tingled with unease. "It's actually our investor. He doesn't just fund us but many companies. He came from a small town himself and wants to help these students get better learning conditions." "Now that's a rare and kind soul. I'd love to meet him sometime." Aria said casually, "Since we've had such a fortunate encounter, let's exc
The three men Aria had knocked to the ground were hurting all over, yet she had the nerve to talk about following the law. Viggo knew his men were losing their cool. After all, they'd never been humiliated like this in Ludwiten before. He quickly moved to block them, forcing a smile. "Yes, you're absolutely right. "Well, they say you never really know someone until you trade a few punches. You look unfamiliar, though. You're not from Ludwiten, are you?" Viggo was fishing for information about Aria. He needed to know who she was and why their operation had suddenly derailed today. But someone as shrewd as Aria instantly caught his meaning, so she smirked. Since things had already escalated this far, it did not matter whether she revealed her identity or not. Whoever was behind these men would investigate her anyway. It was better to draw all the attention to herself now while her senior and the Public Integrity Task Force gathered evidence behind the scenes. That way, they cou
Viggo tried to explain, "You've got it all wrong—we don't mean any harm. We were just told to pick Ms. Bohmer up for paperwork. "Ms. Bohmer's a top student, and her school recommended her for study abroad. Just ask her if you don't believe me." Viggo shifted the spotlight to Eden. He figured a student like her wouldn't know how to speak up. Indeed, Eden was terrible at lying. Under Aria's watchful gaze, she nodded. She then added, "But something about them felt off. Maybe I was just being paranoid when I asked for your help." She couldn't very well tell this stranger that everything was based on a hunch, that these people gave her the creeps. They hadn't crossed any lines yet, but something felt wrong. She just couldn't put her finger on what. Eden struggled to explain, but Aria cut right to the chase. "So are you saying you need eight beefy men to escort a girl like her just to fill out some study abroad forms? Can't the teachers or the proper agencies handle it? "Looking
Hearing this, Viggo frowned. The burly men exchanged glances too as they sized up the person in front of them. They'd been in Ludwiten so long but had never met anyone as bold as Aria. They all figured that she must be some out-of-town wealthy heir who didn't know the rules here. She was practically asking for trouble when she blocked their way. These people didn't follow the stock market much. If they had, they'd know that a certain young lady had arrived in town not long ago. And she was someone who was good at dealing with those who crossed her. "You should ask around about who runs things here before acting so cocky. Since you like it here, stay right here with your bike!" As they spoke, one of them walked toward Aria aggressively, raising his arm to throw a punch. The rest moved in at the same time. But before the man could touch Aria, his hand was suddenly caught. Aria moved fast. With one leg braced against her motorcycle as a pivot point, she lunged forward and droppe