"You'd handle it? You promised to confront her last month, but did you?" Celestia scrolled through her phone. "I'm an influencer with two million followers! What will happen to my job if people find out about my complicated love life?" Her eyes reddened. "My parents keep asking about this too. My family's well-off, and I'm an art school graduate. We could go back to my home if we don't want to stay in Janovin. But you still won't divorce her. What am I supposed to tell my parents?" Hearing that, Paxton pulled her close. "I know you've suffered a lot. Let's buy you another bag. It's not that I don't want to divorce. Something's odd here. Lettie's not the concern, but I don't want to offend the Carvers." Celestia dabbed her barely wet eyes. "The Carvers wouldn't care about things like this, would they? It's got nothing to do with them. But you're right to worry. Maybe you should ask around." "My thoughts exactly." Paxton's face hardened. "And the novel must be credited as mine. I
Aria might as well say Landon had period cramps! Percy's features were naturally mischievous. Whenever he raised his gold-rimmed glasses, he looked refined yet roguish. It felt like he had not said anything when he actually had. Though he had heard from Leon that Aria really liked Landon, as her brother, Percy's feelings about her love life were complicated. Landon chuckled softly before letting out a few coughs. "I've been in poor health. I hope you'll understand, Percy." Percy was speechless as he thought, "Stop pretending! Did you forget I was there when you devoured those companies? You didn't look sick then! Taking a deep breath, Percy remembered his purpose here. He turned to the pregnant Lettie. "Generally, I would advise against divorce trials. Both parties should discuss it together if possible. An out-of-court settlement is best." He added, "It's for your benefit. Given your pregnancy, judges might deny the divorce or mandate a cooling period. Based on current evi
"Actually, I've rarely seen Don. Even when he came back just recently, he only stayed for three or four days before he moved to the dorms. He hates being disturbed, especially while researching history. The university library is his favorite place, and he never involves himself in family matters." "Does he never involve himself, or is he ignoring them on purpose?" Landon's precise question came in a smooth tone. Aria had wondered the same thing. Lettie was never one to complain. "He's really someone who would avoid mundane matters. Not just with me—he rarely sees any relatives. Amara handles all that. He's not sociable, but he always tells Paxton to take me to visit my family more whenever he visits." Percy looked up. "Have you told Don about your husband's affair?" "No." Lettie's lips pursed bitterly. "I haven't had the chance." Aria tapped her phone screen while considering her next moves. Just then, Lettie's phone rang. She frowned at the display. "It's Paxton." "Record
Even if Paxton would not admit it, there was no way he could deny the affair now. Though the photos sent to Lettie were anonymous, all their couple photos were visible on Celestia's social media. Paxton never imagined Lettie would find his alternate account. Women could have detective-like intuition about affairs. With Aria's help, finding evidence was not difficult. Lettie nodded to Aria. She gripped something and finally spoke, "Is that all you wanted to say? Will you even believe yourself?" She avoided mentioning the novel rights as she took it step by step. This way, Paxton would not be too guarded. "I swear to god I'm not lying!" Sure enough, Paxton thought he could smooth-talk his way out. His eyes shifted. "Lettie, I know you've been home too long. After years without work, you worry about losing touch and start imagining things. But you know me; I love you too much to ever betray you. "As for Mom, she's already old, and she's born in a different era. Be patient with h
Lettie then mentioned the most important point, "Perfect timing. You can explain to your mother that you helped me type my novel, too." "Of course!" Paxton agreed instantly, still treating her like a naïve housewife without realizing her plan. "I'll go now, Lettie. I'll explain everything to Mom. Let's keep the rest between us. You know how powerful the Carvers are." "Good. So you've admitted that you only typed my novel while the writing was mine." Lettie hung up immediately, giving him no chance to respond. Paxton froze for a moment, and then his eyes widened. He threw his phone down. "Damn it! That stupid woman was trapping me!" Clutching his hair, Paxton's face contorted with unprecedented rage. Even Percy was impressed. He gave Lettie a thumbs up. Still breathing heavily from tension, Lettie took a drink of water after ending the call. "He's deceived me countless times. I had to learn and fight fire with fire." "Marvelous!" Aria beamed. "That's exactly right!" Lett
Aria noticed Landon's gaze and raised an eyebrow at him. She then slid her fries across the table over to him. "Here, they're nice and crispy. But you shouldn't eat too many," she reminded him with a serious face, referring to his doctor's orders. Looking at her fries, Landon felt like laughing. Did she think that was what he had been thinking about? Some habits of hers never changed no matter how much time passed. Still, he preferred this over her old troublesome habits. He lowered his gaze and took a single fry, somehow managing to make even this simple act look elegant. After admiring his graceful movements, Aria's fingers flew across the keyboard as she searched for Lettie's old Instagram account. Too much time had passed, and Lettie couldn't remember her password anymore. She tried a few times but still could not log in. Without a word, Aria plugged in a USB drive and began working on cracking the password. Watching the rapid changes on the computer screen, Percy's dark
"This was your dream when you were younger, wasn't it?" Pointing at the earliest blog post, Aria read aloud, "One day, I want to write a book that people will remember. The title doesn't matter as long as it reaches across oceans, bridges cultures, and introduces Farshya to the world. "I want people to see the beauty of our country without prejudice. I hope the characters I create will be so vivid that they'll give strength to anyone who reads about them." Aria smiled. "That's pretty cool. It's just like my brother, Leon." Lettie had not heard these words in so long. After starting a family, her thoughts had shifted to balancing relationships, managing daily life, and pleasing her in-laws. On her first day as a newlywed, her mother-in-law, Amara, had immediately established dominance. She had insisted that their family was better suited to government work and she should give up any public-facing career. She pushed Lettie to become a teacher instead. Back then, Paxton was not
"I turned 41 this year. On my birthday, I cooked a full dinner. But I was secretly hoping he'd bring me a cheeseburger. Even if he didn't, I thought at least my daughter would be with me. I waited from noon until evening, then from evening until eleven at night. "I reheated the food seven or eight times. Sitting there alone, I played some comedy show on TV. I found myself laughing along without really following what was happening. I still craved that burger but worried my mother-in-law wouldn't be happy to see the take-out containers. "Still, it was my birthday, so I placed the order and chose the toppings. Something was missing from the table. I almost called the restaurant to ask if they could add a small cake. It didn't have to be anything fancy, just the kind you'd get from a convenience store. "But I worried the delivery person would find me annoying. I didn't want anyone to dislike me, especially not on a day like this." The post instantly shot to the top of the platform'
The market share was already limited, and if the Carvers entered, they would certainly claim a portion of it. Moreover, Fiona's greatest wish was to reconcile with the Grishams. Aria's trip to Ludwiten would only heighten the sense of crisis, and someone was definitely trying to drive a wedge between the families. After expressing these concerns, Stephen continued, "Ms. Carver, though your suspicions go beyond this, outsiders will definitely seize upon this point and keep feeding suggestions to the Grishams." Stephen poured tea for everyone before continuing, "Mr. Grisham was famously devoted to his daughter. Both families supported Mrs. Carver's marriage without much objection since she wanted it. The fact that Mr. Carver offered some company shares at that time put the Grishams at ease too. "Later, as you know, the Carver family's shares were diluted. After you were kidnapped, Mrs. Carver fell seriously ill. The Grishams visited many times, especially Mr. Richard and Mr. Waymon
Aria announced, "Mr. Warsaw, please prepare. We're heading to Ludwiten."This decision to visit Ludwiten wasn't made on a whim. The place held something crucial to Yonah's cultivation.Aria didn't yet know what it was, but her instincts warned her that if she didn't go, she would regret it.Stephen, however, didn't immediately agree. He was always deliberate in his actions, cautious not to leave room for criticism in matters of etiquette or social nuance.After a moment of consideration, he said, "Ms. Carver, if it were any other city, we could leave without much thought. But for Ludwiten, we need to be more careful."Aria, quick-witted as ever, understood his meaning right away. "You mean it's because of my uncle and his family?"Stephen nodded. "The Grisham family made their fortune in Ludwiten and have been a pillar of the community for generations. They're one of Ludwiten's most prominent families. When Mrs. Carver married into the Carver family, the Grishams disapproved of t
"He's not the only one who said that," Fergus interjected. "It's a widely held belief in the business circle.""They say the Wagner family rose to prominence in the south during a time when factories were shutting down. The shift encouraged people to start their own businesses instead of relying on collective systems.""They believe Mr. Wagner Senior seized this opportunity and expanded his business, and eventually moved from the south to the north, finally settling in Janovin."Philip nodded. "That's true.""After leading the Wagner family through so many challenges, doesn't your ancestor deserve a memorial plaque in his honor?" Fergus' words hit a nerve."He didn't want it," Philip replied, unfazed. "Maybe it was because he was influenced by the foreigners' culture. My great-grandfather likely rejected the idea of memorial plaques because such practices aren't common abroad.""If that's the case," Aria said, absently twirling the amethyst pendant in her hand, "your great-grandf
Philip scolded himself, "Why didn't I think of this earlier? Aren't I the most sensitive to these things? How could I be so stupid, letting Grandpa Yonah suffer for so long? I'm such an idiot. I should've gotten rid of it sooner!"Philip muttered to himself as he tightly gripped Aria's hand. "Aria, don't go to the Furler family just yet. Let's go to my house first."At his words, the people around the dining table exchanged glances. Fergus and Leon locked eyes, their brows furrowing deeply.From Philip's account, it was clear that Yonah had been drinking some kind of tonic for years. But this so-called "tonic" wasn't medicine at all—it was blood.And it had been happening since before Philip even started middle school, so many years ago.It could only mean that the seemingly harmless Yonah was actually someone or something else.Yonah had been possessed all this time, and none of them noticed.To pull this off, someone would need to perfectly mimic Yonah's mannerisms and behavio
Those who witnessed the situation all said that Yonah pampered Philip. On the surface, it seemed like he had truly been "spoiled" by Yonah throughout his life.Yonah never pressured him to be like Kenny. He was free to do whatever he wanted, and his studies didn't matter. But wasn't this just another form of neglect? To Yonah, he was expendable.That was why Philip was so drawn to bars and street racing—anything that offered a thrill. Since Kenny was the exceptional one, he figured Kenny could take charge. He would just play the flashy second-generation heir, hoping Yonah would feel more at ease with him.Why was Philip like this? Because, at times, he still felt warmth from Yonah. But recently, that warmth had completely disappeared. And then, there was the incident he witnessed this time.Certain memories surfaced from the deepest corners of his mind, repeating themselves over and over. He couldn't even tell if they were memories anymore.Every night, he had the same dream. The
Philip looked tortured, his hands clutching his head, his eyes red and swollen.Perhaps it had something to do with his broken family and losing his mother too early. Because of this, Philip placed immense value on his family.Growing up, Kenny was always better than him. Jack had always been proud of Kenny. Only Yonah treated him with unconditional kindness.When he was a child, Yonah often said, "My good grandson, you don't need to be exceptional—just be healthy in the future."Philip vividly remembered a time when he had a high fever. Jack wouldn't even bother to care for him, and the household staff kept their distance. The doctor recommended isolation because the fever was caused by a highly contagious and dangerous bacterial infection.But Yonah stayed with him the entire time, patting his shoulder and telling him stories."My good grandson, don't be afraid. I'm here with you. You'll be fine. You'll get better. Tell me what you want to eat."Philip couldn't believe that su
They only believed others were worth helping if there was something to gain.The last time, the crow and Landon witnessed an elderly man fall. A passing student helped him up, even calling an ambulance, concerned for his well-being.However, when the elderly man's family arrived, they insisted the student stay, demanding to know if the man had fallen because he was bumped into. The student initially believed that everything would be cleared up once the old man regained consciousness.But no one expected that when the man opened his eyes, he nodded and firmly claimed that someone had indeed bumped into him, causing him to fall.As a result, the student not only lost his time but also had to prove that he wasn't responsible for the fall. The complexity of the situation was beyond imagination.They said that heaven was blind, but perhaps it wasn't—maybe heaven's eyes were open, and human actions shaped the world. Eventually, even heaven might grow disappointed.The crow flapped its
"Oh?" Landon's expression remained indifferent, clearly unconvinced by Aria's words.Her credibility with him was low. Back on the mountain, she had claimed she wasn't interested in the sect across from them, yet in the end, she still ended up in his backyard.Landon knew he shouldn't carry that kind of emotion with him, but sometimes, it was inevitable. As his past memories grew clearer, he found himself wanting her to look at him—and only him.A man like Landon was like lava flowing from a mountain—calm on the surface, but beneath, a constant simmer. His deep eyes, impeccably tailored suit, and red rosary bracelet on his wrist drew attention, projecting a cold, ascetic aura. No one could guess what he was thinking.But the truth was, someone as burdened with karma as he was couldn't escape being affected by those he cared about. Once he became attached, his possessiveness grew stronger than anyone else's.Simon could sense the change in him. Upon meeting Landon for the first t
If Percy were here, his reactions would have been even more exaggerated.Everyone in the family had a protective streak when it came to Aria. Even Stephen, who wasn't keen on seeing her marry so early, believed that a man like Landon was indeed worthy of Aria."Ms. Carver specifically mentioned to me that Mr. York's stomach handles noodles better," Stephen said warmly as he placed a bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of Landon.Aria, mid-bite of her braised pork, froze momentarily upon hearing this.Landon turned his gaze toward her, his voice calm but probing. "You specifically told Mr. Warsaw that?"Aria glanced between Stephen and Landon before nodding. "Of course, I mentioned it." Whether or not it was "specific" was up for interpretation, and she decided to let Stephen manage that narrative.A faint smile tugged at the corners of Landon's lips, and he murmured just loud enough for her to hear, "At least you still have some heart."Stephen chuckled knowingly. He understood