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
After Aria finished speaking, everyone was in an uproar."Ashes? What ashes?""What is Ms. Carver talking about?"The relatives weren't the only ones who were puzzled. Even Warren and Fergus looked over. Aria had never mentioned anything about ashes to them.Ian never expected her to know about the ashes. An unprecedented panic crossed his face, but he quickly regained his composure.Ian had been to Mount Dracotigris and had studied fortune-telling. He would have known if someone had tampered with the layout. Thus, the only explanation he could fathom was Aria bluffing.Ian sneered. "This is getting more and more ridiculous. Everyone knows how skillful Mr. Veyrith is. If there were something unusual here, he would have sensed it by now."Malric lifted his chin when his name was mentioned. Moving his fingers thoughtfully, he stated firmly, "There's nothing supernatural or evil here. Ms. Carver, please watch what you're saying."Aria smiled. "There's a crow, isn't there? I don't
Ian's unease had reached its peak. He couldn't let the situation spiral out of control. He thought of his so-called family member who always claimed to value family ties.Ian looked toward the side. "Warren, how could I possibly be in charge of the company's matters? I don't even have the right to attend shareholders' meetings, let alone lead anyone on."Do you perhaps have some misunderstandings about me? I only helped Owen because he came to me. I don't wish to see you two falling apart."Owen, oblivious as always, blurted out, "Dad, don't blame Uncle Ian—it's my fault! You've always handled the company alone. Besides, I've always been useless to you."Since you never give me a chance to prove myself, I had no choice but to ask Uncle Ian for help. The shareholders were just following my instructions."Warren didn't even bother to look at him. Owen seemed to have inherited none of his genes."Mr. Owen, you're overestimating yourself," Aria interjected, stepping in as Warren rema
Malric had his fair share of experience in expelling evil beings. Logically, he should fear nothing. Yet, he couldn't suppress the unease that gnawed at him as he faced the crow before him.His mentor had once advised him to always remain polite when encountering such creatures. Clasping his hands together, Malric bowed to the crow. "My apologies.""Mr. Veyrith, what are you doing?" someone asked, their confusion mirrored by others in the group. Malric couldn't fully grasp the peculiar sensation he felt, so he could only explain, "This crow is no ordinary crow.""Not an ordinary crow?" The group trusted Malric's judgment and followed his lead, bowing to the crow.To their astonishment, the crow accepted their gesture. Puffing out its chest, it strutted a few steps forward with a distinct air of importance.Fergus was baffled. "Aria, this…"Aria stroked her chin thoughtfully. "The crow is indeed special. It's proving to be quite effective," she said cryptically as if referring t
A strong gust of wind howled, scattering leaves to the ground as the crow cawed ominously. The sky was eerily clear, not a single cloud in sight. The crowd was absolutely stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief."It's really a cremation urn!"Why is there a cremation urn here?""Isn't this layout supposed to bring fortune?"As questions were hurled one after another, Ian's expression darkened.Warren reacted swiftly, staggering forward with his walking cane to take a closer look. "T-This cremation urn...""It was taken from the Carver family's memorial hall," Aria said, stepping forward to support Warren. Although she had warned him not to get too upset or angry, she was still concerned. She tapped on Warren's life-saving pressure point and raised her voice so everyone could hear. "These are Great-great-Grandpa's ashes."Warren froze for a moment before lifting his reddened eyes. "How could this be? You're lying to me, aren't you? Your great-great-grandfather's ashes should
"When a soul lingers in the present world or harbors unresolved regrets, it may develop resentments. Over time, the soul could become an earthbound spirit, endlessly repeating its final moments or the actions it regrets," Malric explained."You're right, Mr. Veyrith. When I dreamt of Great-great-Grandpa, he looked troubled. He must have something he regrets about." The crow, perched on a nearby tree, almost cawed aloud in disbelief. Aria was laying it on too thick, and the bird could hardly bear to watch.Noticing the crow's reaction, Aria glanced in its direction and continued, "Based on what Mr. Veyrith said, this cremation urn must belong to my great-great-grandpa. He even told me he felt cold. No one had offered him blessings, and it seems he's lost something important."Aria paused for dramatic effect before turning to Malric. "Mr. Veyrith, do you know why my great-great-grandpa would say such a thing?"Malric drew a deep breath, hesitant to feign ignorance. He feared Aria m
"It's funny, Mr. Owen. You've been superstitious for most of your life, yet now you're saying that ghosts can't appear in dreams." Aria turned her gaze toward Owen. "Still, I can't blame you. You've always been nothing more than a pawn. I doubt you're smart enough to figure this out, so I had someone prepare the evidence for you."With a smile, Aria laid out the photos, one by one. "Ian has been collaborating with the Krowonian businessmen for years, and his butler is one of the major shareholders you were hoping to partner with. Quite the schemer, isn't he?"Aria continued, her tone unhurried, "It only took a few compliments to make you see him as a father figure. You fell right into his trap. I'm sure your dear uncle has been stoking the flames of your conflicts with Grandpa from the start.""Shut up!" Owen clutched his chest, feeling faint.Aria tapped her temple, exuding a dignified air. "It seems there's nothing in here," she said, pointing at her head. "And you certainly lack
Aria continued, "Sky might really have a sick grandmother, but the way he put it is suspicious. When a man deliberately tries to make you feel sorry for him, that's a red flag. He's just trying to deceive you! "If it's not for love, it's for money. Sky's clearly after the latter. Stringing these clients along keeps them coming back to buy drinks. "Some ladies even got into fights over him at the club. I would say he's quite skilled at using such manipulation tactics." Manipulation? Claire's expression shifted, suddenly turning serious. Aria's smile widened. "To have a top escort with such sophisticated techniques, we definitely have to take a closer look at this place." She watched the nervous Sky inside, her tone light. "He's clever, and he's not just a pretty face." At her words, Landon raised an eyebrow. His fingers paused mid-air as he followed her gaze. He spoke in a low voice, "Since when did his type catch your interest?" He thought, "At least you used to have standa
Sky's messages were surprisingly normal, which was a stark contrast with his club persona. If he hadn't been working at a club, he might have seemed like husband material.There were a few texts proving that point. "Sorry, I just got off work. I'm ordering takeout. You're probably asleep by now. Rest well, and good night.""Oh, were you at Nocturne? I wasn't in today. I was at the hospital with my grandma. Why didn't you tell me earlier? Let me know next time. I'll arrange my schedule."He maintained this gentle, measured tone with everyone. He even refused private money transfers.His response was always the same. "I actually don't like seeing you at the club, but it's my job. Stop sending me money. Keep it for yourself. Aren't you graduating soon? Take care of yourself, dummy.""Pfft, what a calculated move." Having built the dark web forum herself, Aria had seen plenty of these chat patterns. Juggling multiple conversations, they would pretend to just see messages when they wer
Landon had always been great at analysis, and Aria knew he might be even better than her at it. In all her years of operating under the radar, she had never been caught. Yet while dealing with the Gunther family in Riveria, his tracking had cost her a modified laptop. "I also think someone else was there." Aria's gaze returned, a hint of mischief in her smile. "We'll need to dig deeper into those young women, including their top escort Sky." Nobody wanted a death on their hands. At clubs, sleeping with someone or waking up to demands for compensation was one thing. But death changed everything. As the one who served Luna drinks, Sky had become a key suspect. Unlike the college young women, Sky was brought in for questioning. Through the interrogation room glass, he appeared agitated and nervous. But he insisted he had only shared a few drinks with Luna, nothing more. "In this line of business, you can't ignore customers. You have to greet everyone who comes in. We have sale
Aria recalled the young women's testimony earlier. "We're different from Luna. This was her first time at Nocturne, and I've been here several times. Sky's the club's top escort, so we've seen him before." At first, that statement did not seem strange; it had felt like a perfectly normal response. Aria had not given it much thought. But now... Aria glanced aside. As the guard said, Luna could only get in through regular patrons. So after bringing her in, all the young women went to the washroom at the same time—what were the odds? As Aria chatted more with the guard, she gathered quite a bit of information. When they were leaving, he pitched, "Are you guys interested in working here? The pay is great; you'll earn a thousand dollars a day, plus commission." Aria raised an eyebrow. "Both of us? We're still students though. Is that okay?" Landon, who was long past his student days, gave her a meaningful look. Aria signaled him to play along, so he shook his head with an indulgen
"Understood." Orion's bodyguard immediately headed downstairs. At that moment, Orion didn't know that Aria had not gone to the Grishams at all. She was already inside Nocturne. Sitting in Luna's seat from that night, her gaze traveled upward as her expression shifted. Security cameras were everywhere. They were installed quite openly too. It was as if the club did not care who saw them, almost deliberately so. Aria followed this train of thought further... "Hey, you! This area's sealed off. How did you get in?" It was a club security guard. He did not realize Aria was connected to law enforcement. He assumed she was just a social media influencer sneaking in for attention. Even if she was a reporter, it wouldn't matter. The management had declared only the police had investigative rights, and no one else could try to slander the club. Luna's suicide had caused too much trouble. As staff members, they feared the club's closure. It was already temporarily shut down for a th
The man being scolded by Orion was Craig Jameson, a new member of the Chamber of Commerce. He was known for his venture capital connections and was even awarded for philanthropic work recently. But he now sat pale-faced. "I offered her money! She wouldn't listen, just kept backing away. I'm the innocent one here. Why am I the only unlucky one? Nothing happened to the others." He had not been alone in the VIP room last night. "It's too late for excuses." Orion drew from experience. "The police will trace this to you eventually. We need a strategy. First, fix your attitude." Craig looked confused, and Orion patted his back. "Think about your public image. Young women have been attracted to you before. On camera, she was clearly interested in Sky and mistook you for him. "Even if she didn't, maybe she actually liked you and wanted a one-night stand." "But how do I explain her jumping right after waking up?" Craig quickly grasped the key issue. Orion narrowed his eyes. "Rem
On the surface, this appeared to be a simple suicide case. Could there actually be more to it? Looking deeper, things did not seem to add up. A college student on the verge of graduation like Luna wouldn't just jump to her death. What happened before her suicide would be the key to this case. "Sorry for the misunderstanding." Aria smoothly shifted her approach, offering an apologetic smile. "I just started this job, and I think it's just tragic. Why would she take her own life?" Seeing her apparent inexperience and noticing Claire's earlier glance, the young women relaxed. "It's probably stress. We don't know much, but Luna often complained about her poor hometown. She didn't want to go back but didn't know how to stay in Ludwiten. Sigh, we don't really understand it all." Aria followed their lead and said, "So you're saying..." "We didn't want to mention this since it's not flattering, but Luna had some extreme ideas about staying in Ludwiten. She was pretty, so she though
"We've notified the deceased's family. They'll arrive soon. As the reporting parties, please wait a bit longer," the female officer said, stepping aside to check on some findings. Aria stayed where she was, her gaze darkened. These college students interested her more than the crime scene investigation. The police would soon determine the cause of death. The initial assessment suggested suicide. The trajectory of the fall and building layout would quickly reveal the floor she jumped from. Sure enough, the club manager stood there with a troubled face. "Honestly, we get thousands of customers daily. It's impossible to track every drunk woman's movements. We can't control who customers choose to leave with, right? "You don't know what it's like these days. When people meet at clubs and hit it off while drinking, they would just leave as a pair. We can't interfere with that, can we? "And nobody knows why she went to that floor. Now social media's saying our club isn't safe. I ho
"Make way, please make way!" The police struggled to maintain order at the scene. The location's fame naturally drew crowds of onlookers. Since the ones who reported the incident were college students, it made the situation seem even more tragic. "What happened?" "I don't know. I heard someone jump from the building." "Why would anyone do that for no reason?" "There's no official word yet. They just took the body away. They probably couldn't save her anymore." Amid the murmurs, Aria looked toward the scene. Through the crowd, she could see a few young women crying while a female officer named Claire Mitchell consoled them. "Don't worry, we'll investigate thoroughly." One of the young women spoke through tears, "Officer, we had no idea this would happen. She was gone in just a moment. Yes, she drank too much last night, but we were all supposed to be having fun together." The young women appeared visibly shaken. Claire knew nobody could stay calm in such incidents. "Do