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'
"Everything proved that I was just deluding myself. All these years without a career, I've been treated as less than everyone else. "On the surface, I should accept my fate. After all, only those who create economic value have a voice. Everyone around me says I married well and that I should be grateful for my life."I don't understand what's so good about it. I've tried to convince myself to compromise. Yes, I don't have a job, I'm ageing, and I've lost touch with society. These days, HR departments have an unspoken rule—34 years old is the cutoff age. "So where can I go? What kind of work can I do? Must I stay this way and keep being treated as inferior? Does being a stay-at-home mom really create no value? "Even hiring a live-in nanny in the city costs at least 15 thousand dollars a month. Stay-at-home moms don't just do a nanny's job. We're teachers, social coordinators and managers of everything inside and out. "Yet, we can't say a word, because if we do, it sounds like w
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
Aria didn't notice the subtle shift in Philip's expression. The influx of information was overwhelming, and she needed a moment to sort through it.Philip being possessed wasn't a surprise to her, but Ashton's behavior left her unsettled and full of questions."Leon, contact Ignatius and let him know you're taking me to visit the Furler family," she instructed.Philip immediately grasped her intent. He lowered his head, appearing calm, yet a shadow of unease lingered as though he was hiding something."Now or tonight?" Leon asked.Aria wanted to go right away but noticed Philip's apprehension. "Tonight is fine," she conceded.Assuming Philip was still shaken, Leon instructed, "Mr. Warsaw, arrange for Philip to get some rest."Stephen entered the room carrying a tray of tea. "Leon, no need to worry. Mr. Wagner's room has already been prepared; it's right next to yours."Turning to Aria, Stephen added, "Ms. Carver, you've been busy all day. Please, have some tea. The kitchen has
Tobias had always said Aria was a once-in-a-millennium prodigy in spiritual cultivation, but Leon's ability to effortlessly channel the power of the Five Emperor Coins was both baffling and unsettling.Although Aria had marked the coin with her imprint to serve as a protective charm for Leon, the outcome had far surpassed her expectations.Because he was her relative, Aria had attempted to deduce more about him based on his facial features, but nothing came to her.As she touched the now-charred coin, the lingering heat revealed the intensity of the force that had been exerted upon it.No one knew what exactly had happened.Aria didn't believe Leon was lying to her. He truly didn't understand these matters and had his own dreams and ambitions. Perhaps it was from his past life unless the Leon in this life had tapped into the power of the Five Emperor Coins.Ever since her experience in the manifestation, Aria had been driven by an urge to uncover more about the Carver family's
Philip added, "Aria had warned me to be careful because of my constitution. That's why I didn't reveal myself. I pretended not to notice anything. If Ignatius hadn't been hogging the bathroom, I wouldn't have had to use the restroom in the Furler residence's family hall."The strange thing was that it wasn't even very late, but there wasn't a single servant in sight at the Furler residence. It was as if they had all been deliberately sent away. I was already uneasy, but after I finished in the restroom and came out, I saw that scene."The memory of that moment was seared into Philip's mind.He had tiptoed back, heart pounding as though it might burst, terrified of being discovered.When he returned, he immediately asked Ignatius if Ashton had been acting strangely lately.Ignatius, still engrossed in his game, barely looked up. "What could be strange about my grandpa? The old man just keeps nagging me to hang out more with the Carvers boys. Do you think I'm cut out for that? Oh, r
At that moment, it felt as though something had seared his hand.Philip's eyes flickered wildly with disbelief as he stared at Leon, the one who had thrown the copper coin."How could this ordinary man—mediocre in both fortune and fate, even marked for a short life—know how to wield the power of the Five Emperor Coins?" he thought.The black mist clouding Philip's gaze retreated swiftly, recoiling in fear. He realized that the Five Emperor Coins would incinerate him beyond recovery if he lingered even a second longer.It had been years since he had endured such agony.This wasn't just any force. It was unlike anything he had ever encountered before. Not even the Dracotigris Order had delivered a power so unrelenting, so consuming. If he stayed, he wouldn't merely suffer—he would be obliterated.The Carvers weren't as straightforward as they seemed.Even someone he thought he understood, someone as seemingly inconspicuous as Leon, could wield the Five Emperor Coins.Leon, who ap