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
Aria's words struck deep, though her mention and praise of Malric was quite perfunctory. But she had achieved her goal by turning their own tactics against them. The family connections who had come to watch Aria's downfall now stared at Ian. Their eyes held suspicion instead of respect. They all believed in fortune-telling, so there could be no misunderstanding. Malric could not be wrong. Ian had indeed been manipulating things behind the scenes! To break a seemingly unshakeable alliance, all she had to do was simply destroy their common interests. Ian had been confident that these allies he had cultivated would always stand with him. On the surface, he seemed uninvolved, but in reality, he had backed the majority of the Carvers' minor shareholders. The family connections were part of a larger plan to eventually split the Carver fortune, each representing their own family's interests.But now, he had become their common enemy! Ian finally witnessed firsthand how the legendar
Aria was trying to destroy the influence Ian built for himself in Janovin for 70 years. Aria locked eyes with Ian. "Saving Grandpa's life once earned you a lifetime of comfort. If the Carver family didn't genuinely care for you, they would have sent you away with a couple of dollars."After all, there were plenty of beggars who couldn't afford to eat at the time. Great-great-Grandpa couldn't bear to see a child begging in that era. That's why he decided to adopt you."Grandpa has never revealed your identity to anyone all these years. He has always treated you as if you were his elder brother."Aria's gaze darkened. "The Carver family owes you nothing, yet they have always been protecting you. Despite this, we're still the bad guys in your eyes."Aria stared at him with an icy gaze. "You know, you really remind me of a saying—some people will always be ungrateful, no matter what's done for them.""How dare you!" No one had dared to talk to Ian like this since he was a child. I
The roads were soaked. It had been raining for a whole day in Southbury. Aria Carver's backpack was thrown out of the door by the butler in disdain."Mr. Kent doesn't want to see you, Ms. Carver. So, I have to say some words in his stead. Your birth parents are in the countryside. Your father's last name is Carver."The Kent family mistook you for their daughter in the past. But now that Ms. Lily has been found, I hope that you can do what's best for everyone and stop contacting the Kent family."The butler, Alfred Dun, took out a card. "Here's 10,000 dollars. Mr. Kent instructed me to give it to you as compensation.""No need."Aria didn't even look at the card as she picked up her backpack.Alfred looked at her in disdain. She didn't want the money? Was she acting tough?She should really think about her circumstances. The Kents had found their real daughter. They wouldn't want a country bumpkin like her anymore. She was an embarrassment. "As you wish, Ms. Carver." Alfred
"I'll offer treatment for everyone at the community square tomorrow." Then, Aria reminded them, "Remember to take the medicine. Don't stay up late to watch soap operas. They won't end so soon.""The Tiara" was all the rage in the Elmer district at that time. All the older men and women were hooked on it.A lot of them looked guilty after Aria said that. "We…We will sleep at 10:00 pm from now on."In the past, no one could have imagined that this group of people would be so obedient to one person. A lot of them had made great contributions to the country. Even their identities were kept a secret.Elmer district's community manager, Joel Hayes, had been hoping that Aria would come back sooner. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Dr. Carver, I have been keeping an eye on your house. I've not allowed anyone to approach your property.""Thanks for the hard work." Aria bowed slightly and handed him an apple. Joel accepted the apple with a smile. "It's no trouble at all. I tr
"You have a good eye, boss! I'll prepare an account to receive payment from the Yorks!"Aria said calmly, "No need to rush. Let me sleep first. Do it tomorrow."Other than making money, Aria's biggest interest was treating all sorts of rare diseases. This job from the York family was a nice one for her.Honestly, she was probably the only person who wasn't fazed by the York's visit to Southbury. All of the prominent families in the city were scrambling into action.A family like the Kents had to reach out to everyone they knew and utilize all of their connections in an attempt to get an invitation from the Yorks. Even regular people were talking about how the city was especially lively that month.First, the richest man in Janovin came to look for his granddaughter. Then, the York family came to receive treatment. Some said that the Yorks came to Southbury because the legendary Whiz Doctor was in town. There were a lot of rumors about the Whiz Doctor, but some of them were qui
"That's right, young lady. We should probably call an ambulance. This boy appears to be lost. I called out for some time just now, but no one came over," an old man said. He was concerned that Aria might be blamed if anything happened to the boy. Aria quickly unbuttoned the boy's coat and brought him to some shade. "Don't worry. I'm a licensed doctor."Then, she opened her bag and took out a medical kit. It was equipped with needles and scalpels of all sizes, all arranged neatly in rows. Aria felt the boy's pulse again. "Stop it! How can you simply touch the patient?" Jimmy yelled. He couldn't allow Aria to do as she pleased. She ignored him and continued to monitor the boy's pulse and heart rate. Jimmy sneered. "I'm Jimmy Cornell, currently studying at Janovin Medical University. My mentor is Dr. Salome Gunther. I'm not just a random bystander. You say you're a licensed doctor? How old are you?"Aria continued to ignore him. Her focus was on the boy. She took out a needl
Aria was trying to destroy the influence Ian built for himself in Janovin for 70 years. Aria locked eyes with Ian. "Saving Grandpa's life once earned you a lifetime of comfort. If the Carver family didn't genuinely care for you, they would have sent you away with a couple of dollars."After all, there were plenty of beggars who couldn't afford to eat at the time. Great-great-Grandpa couldn't bear to see a child begging in that era. That's why he decided to adopt you."Grandpa has never revealed your identity to anyone all these years. He has always treated you as if you were his elder brother."Aria's gaze darkened. "The Carver family owes you nothing, yet they have always been protecting you. Despite this, we're still the bad guys in your eyes."Aria stared at him with an icy gaze. "You know, you really remind me of a saying—some people will always be ungrateful, no matter what's done for them.""How dare you!" No one had dared to talk to Ian like this since he was a child. I
Aria's words struck deep, though her mention and praise of Malric was quite perfunctory. But she had achieved her goal by turning their own tactics against them. The family connections who had come to watch Aria's downfall now stared at Ian. Their eyes held suspicion instead of respect. They all believed in fortune-telling, so there could be no misunderstanding. Malric could not be wrong. Ian had indeed been manipulating things behind the scenes! To break a seemingly unshakeable alliance, all she had to do was simply destroy their common interests. Ian had been confident that these allies he had cultivated would always stand with him. On the surface, he seemed uninvolved, but in reality, he had backed the majority of the Carvers' minor shareholders. The family connections were part of a larger plan to eventually split the Carver fortune, each representing their own family's interests.But now, he had become their common enemy! Ian finally witnessed firsthand how the legendar
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
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
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
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
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
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
"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. "