But Aria had seemed not to understand Amara's hints. Weren't people who managed businesses supposed to be clever? Why couldn't Aria understand what Amara was asking for? Now, Amara's feelings about the Carvers were complicated. But she still wanted that connection, so she stepped forward. "I've met the Carvers' adopted daughter. May I know who you are?" Before Aria could respond, one of the others burst out, "Amara!" She turned, puzzled. The person pulled her close and whispered, "I remember now! That's why she looked familiar. She's the one!" "The one?" Amara did not follow. "She's the real heiress of the Carver family. I heard she runs the whole Carver Group now. Didn't she just film something with Don?" Amara did not follow entertainment news, and Don did not mention anything about filming. "Just don't say anything else. Whatever you do, don't offend her." Amara's heart sank. She was now regretting her harsh words earlier. "Ms. Carver, please forgive my foolishne
"I..." Daisy was just about to say something, but Aria cut her off, "Your mother was young and beautiful too before having you. Everyone knows that childbirth takes the greatest toll on a woman." Aria's gaze bore into Daisy, her presence terrifying. "Yet your mother endured that pain to bring you into this world just because of how much she loves you. Despite knowing the pain, she risked everything for your existence. "She asks about your meals because she cares about your feelings." Aria's eyes darkened. "Looking at how poorly raised you are, it just proves how you don't deserve her love and sacrifice at all. "It's common for society to blame women when men cheat. They would blame her for not improving herself, maintaining her looks, or keeping her figure. "But when it's clear that the man has cheated, the wife shouldn't be the one getting blamed. I'm here today to right these wrongs for your mother. Since your father thinks he's so powerful with his family background, I'll ex
"I planned to return to my job after maternity leave. Your father couldn't have stopped me either. But I saw your face red from struggling with formula one night, and I couldn't leave you. "I told myself my career could wait until you were older. Your father was delighted. He said he felt secure with me at home. Later, I discovered that the company had been deciding between your father and me for an overseas position. "I resigned, and your father's career got better subsequently." Lettie's hand clenched. "I was foolish for leaving myself with no safety net. After having you, I grew soft and kept lowering my standards. I thought I could even tolerate a mistress." Tears streamed down Lettie's face. "I've become someone I can't even respect. But I can't take it anymore." She wiped her tears. Holding her stomach protectively, she looked at Daisy and said, "You think I'm shameful and don't want me as your mother, right? Fine. Just stay with the Hendricks family after the divorce. I
Without warning, Lettie slammed her head against the floor with a loud thud. Her forehead split open. Even with Aria's quick reaction, she could only prevent a second strike. "This isn't necessary." Aria smiled softly. "Though I do need something to justify my involvement." Lettie looked up. Aria's fingertips pressed against her wrist. "Would you offer me your devotion?" "Devotion?" Lettie did not understand, but she would agree to anything. "Yes." Aria said, "Good." In the furthest bedroom, the energy flow shifted noticeably. As vengefulness retreated, wind swept in. Nyx watched happily for Aria. For arcane seekers, devotion could forge arcane power and cleanse bad karma at crucial moments. Devotion as pure and intense as this was rare to find. Lettie seemed to see Aria as the only hope in her life. In a way, wasn't Aria a source of hope for them all? Just like its sisters, Nyx, too, was unwanted. Even their birth parents rejected them. After everything they did, th
Someone standing at the side reminded Amara, "Amara, she's made many people suffer. Why are you trying to provoke her? She's the true Carver heiress!" "That's exactly why we must handle her this way." Amara sneered once she was alone. "We might not match her in business, but she's naïve about how to deal with people. "Sure, I do want to please the Carvers. But she's treating me like an enemy. The Hendricks family may not be as wealthy as the Carvers, but we have connections. With Don's position, does she think she can just push us around?" "Money doesn't justify bullying." Amara smiled darkly. "She'll learn at the courthouse. She's just encouraging divorce over some texts. The judge won't grant it, especially with the mandatory reconciliation period." Indeed, it was not simple to get a divorce these days. With her legal studies, Aria knew this as well as Amara did. Her first move after leaving with Lettie was to find a comfortable café and call her brother Percy. "Yes, I hav
Having seen plenty in Southbury, Aria knew this world well. As the Nightshade Queen, she had frequented nightclubs for information. She would see drunk students outside, with some of them being heartbroken and confused. Others were picked up from campus. They were willingly accompanying executives and businessmen. There were many such cases at art schools. Some were just drinking, while others were desperately seeking to seduce someone else's husband. In those kinds of venues, one would see everything. All kinds of cars could often be seen at the campuses at night. People called modern life materialistic, and indeed it was. After seeing so much, Aria understood people's differences. And this had nothing to do with the level of education they had received at school. Morals would only constrain those with morals anyway. "I don't understand." Lettie frowned. "She's wealthy, and her parents are lawyers. Her future's bright. Why choose a married man?" Aria zoomed in on her phone
Aria's eyebrow arched. "That's her?" "Do you know her?" Lettie asked. Aria's eyes settled on a photo of the mistress in a traditional Krowonian outfit. Slowly, she said, "I've seen her posts before." "She's a cosplayer, right?" Lettie set down her milk. "At first, I was shocked too. I thought I was imagining things until she confronted me personally. That was when I confirmed that she's the one." Aria's eyes darkened. "Some people need harsher lessons." Lettie agreed, "I was too cautious before and not confident enough." "Lettie, I wasn't talking about you. I meant myself." Looking down, Aria's fingers flew across the keyboard while typing something. She had not expected one trip through the manifestation to change someone's personality. In the end, the selfish ones would remain selfish. But something caught her attention. The chosen ones in the manifestation might not be what she had thought. If each person there corresponded to those with vengefulness from the present
"A divorce trial is the quickest way there is." Aria scanned her phone. "I've seen your browser history. You've been researching divorce for a while. But you held back because people might gossip about Daisy for having to choose sides in court. "She doesn't understand you, but I do." Aria's smile was genuine. "You remind me of my mother. You're both remarkable women. "You'd never give up despite circumstances, nor would you pass negative values to your children. You'd fight for even the slimmest chance." Aria turned the laptop back to Lettie after preparing the content to post. "The choice is yours. You can keep this as leverage for more power in the Hendricks family or let them have a taste of what you've experienced." Lettie had never expected to regain control. She had thought Aria would judge her weak for not divorcing. But instead, Aria completely respected her choice. Lettie smiled and hit the spacebar. It was then posted on all platforms. "I don't want revenge. I just
Dorian reached out instinctively, but he was too late. Magdalene hit the ground hard, her forehead bruised. How she wished she could just faint and escape this nightmare. But reality was merciless. With her head throbbing, she could only look at Dorian and the chaos engulfing the Fitzroy Group.Dorian's knees trembled with fear. "Mom, what should I do? That bastard must have exposed me! He'll pin everything on me. Mom—""D-Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I'll get you out of this," Magdalene said, though she was barely holding herself together.But the SWAT team would be here any second.Dorian's face turned deathly pale as a sudden realization struck him. "Mom, you told me to do everything. You said helping the Draycott family tamper with Waymond's financial statements would give us the upper hand!"Magdalene froze. Her outstretched hand dropped as she coughed up blood. "Y-You—!""Don't worry, Mom. Even if you go to jail, I'll come visit you. You're already old, but I still h
Dorian steadied Magdalene, helping her sit down. "Mom, what if Laura refuses to apologize? We need to put an end to this mess online before someone digs too deep.""Don't worry. Your brother is the one involved, and he's already on the plane. No one will link the Grisham family's accounts to you. Even if the police conducted an investigation, they'll only interrogate your brother." Magdalene took a deep breath, but it did little to calm her. Her clothes were stained with Laura's blood, making her feel utterly repulsed. Meanwhile, Dorian relaxed, reassured that he wouldn't be implicated.To him, his half-brother was nothing but an obstacle—a liability who competed for the inheritance. Though Dorian had joined the Fitzroy family late, he had Magdalene's support.Neval, on the other hand, had been nothing but a disgrace, sinking deeper into his gambling addiction. Now, at last, he served his purpose—as a scapegoat.Just as Dorian was savoring that thought, a frantic voice broke thro
Eamon never loved Laura, but he had always respected her. He fulfilled her requests, supported her family, and never strayed. While other wealthy men indulged in affairs, Eamon remained distant and polite, just as he had been in college.Their marriage wasn't filled with passion, but his world still revolved around her, Jett, and his work. Laura had a life many envied—a stable family, a respected position—yet she had only realized its worth too late. Tears welled up in her eyes. If she had been more decisive, things wouldn't have come to this. She could have continued her life as Eamon's wife, reaping its privileges whether love was present or not. Instead, she had listened to her mother and lost everything—her family, her son, and the Grisham family shares she had once taken for granted.She had never even desired those shares. So how had it come to this?Regret twisted inside her, making it hard to breathe. Clutching her shirt, she barely registered the voices around her unt
Magdalene's voice rang out, sharp with indignation. "What an ungrateful wretch! If not for my husband, you wouldn't have achieved any of this!"The PR manager remained unimpressed. "And yet we stayed here for his sake. Otherwise, with their so-called capabilities…" His gaze flickered toward Dorian, who stood frozen in shock. "Your youngest son is a fool blinded by women. He lacks competence and knowledge."As for your eldest, he has potential, but you raised him to be useless. I've been in this business too long to be deceived. You're only doing this to hold on to power."Magdalene's breath hitched. His words cut deep.The PR manager added, "Now that Fitzroy Group belongs to you, clean up the mess yourself."Her hands trembled with fury. She lifted a finger, pointing at the departing figures, but no words came out.Dorian leaned in, his voice hushed yet frantic. "Mom, what do we do? The Guetta family won't even pick up our calls."Magdalene bit down so hard on her lip that the t
The deeper people dug online, the more they painted Eamon as the perfect man—handsome, intelligent, scandal-free. Many began to feel it was a waste for him to have married Laura in the first in the first place. As for Magdalene's accusations, the public remained skeptical. They weren't entirely convinced by her words but were eager to hear the Grisham family's statement. No matter how attractive Eamon was, cheating was unacceptable.Aria stayed out of the online chaos, but she knew exactly who was orchestrating it—Eamon.Since the Fitzroy family refused to acknowledge their wrongdoing, Aria saw no need for restraint. It was time for the final blow."Expose the Fitzroy family's IP addresses," she ordered. "And have the one who photoshopped that image apologize. If he refuses, the dark web forum will make sure he regrets it."Online smear campaigns often relied on bots, just as the Fitzroy family had used them to fabricate rumors about Eamon's infidelity. After tossing out a few mi
Laura's marriage to Eamon had turned her into a laughingstock in Ludwiten. How could that heartless man transfer their marital assets ahead of time? What had she even gained from wasting years in this sham of a marriage?"I want that jerk to pay! Aren't feminists trending right now? Just spin the narrative like they do!"The Fitzroy Group had always been a family-run business, but aside from Magdalene, none of her descendants were competent enough to keep it afloat.The PR manager had long known this. Most senior employees remained loyal out of respect for the late CEO, but after hearing Laura's words, they could only exchange helpless glances. Did these spoiled heirs truly believe the internet could be so easily manipulated? That people would blindly believe whatever was fed to them? How delusional.The reality was damning. The video clearly showed Laura drugging Eamon. Instead of conducting themselves with the dignity befitting an esteemed family, they had resorted to illegal s
The Fitzroy Group's reputation was in shambles, battered by relentless criticism online. Dorian Fitzroy, the so-called CEO, had once boasted that he would triumph over Waymond and the Grisham family. Yet now, he was scrambling just to save himself.The Fitzroy family's underhanded tactics had been thoroughly exposed, with the internet tearing apart their every move.While the previous three generations of Fitzroys had been capable leaders, everything changed once Magdalene took over. Their successors had become mere opportunists, riding the coattails of others rather than proving their worth.Even within the company, employees had no idea what Dorian's actual skills were. Aside from exploiting his connections and bribing officials, he was utterly useless.Now, overwhelmed and powerless, he refused to even leave his office. When his secretary knocked, he stayed silent, praying for Magdalene to rescue him.Meanwhile, the prestigious families who had hoped to use the Fitzroys to el
"How did the video get leaked out? Did Eamon know about this beforehand and prepared for it? All you know is to cry! If I can't secure the Grisham family's shares, you'll soon be worthless!" Magdalene's voice was sharp, sending a chill down Laura's spine. The words cut deep, leaving her eyes brimming with resentment. But Magdalene had no patience for her daughter's emotions. "Who released this video? Why hold onto it for so many years? Did Eamon do this to take you down? Does he not care about Jett at all?"Laura didn't have the answers. All she felt was a deep, throbbing pain. Her phone buzzed nonstop—messages from high-society women, all pretending to be concerned but prying for gossip. Their insincere probing only intensified her hatred for whoever had exposed the truth."Mom, what's the point of yelling at me? I had no idea an old video like this would resurface. Before Jett was born, Eamon did..." She trailed off, her mind suddenly dragging her back to a buried memory.It was
Magdalene had never encountered such humiliation before. Gripping the chair for support, she trembled with fury, her face dark and rigid. The anger surged within her, rendering her speechless—only her heavy breaths betrayed the storm raging inside. People had always feared her. With her status, no one dared to raise their voice at her, much less hurl insults. In the past, when others struggled to survive, she stood above them, indifferent and untouchable.Raised in an elite family, Magdalene had long believed in class superiority. To her, the so-called common folk had no right to challenge her, let alone condemn her.Yet now, they all turned against her. Their scorn was relentless. They called her a vile, greedy old woman who leeched off her daughter's success. Some even accused her of being capable of far worse than drugging someone.Her expression darkened as she read their words. Taking a deep breath to suppress her growing panic, she swiftly contacted Neval."Board the plane