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
Lettie had always put Paxton's needs above her own, easily melting at his sweet words. But now, she dared to play him for a fool!In a fit of rage, Paxton slammed his phone, cracking the screen. He paced back and forth, his agitation palpable. "After all these years of supporting her, she's forgotten who she really is! If it weren't for me, she'd still be stuck working at her parents' grocery store. How else would she have become a rich man's wife?"Now she's even trying to trap me with her words. Hah! If she won't accept my kindness, fine! I'll divorce her right now!"Paxton angrily grabbed his things. Celestia beamed at his words. "Why waste time arguing with someone like her? She's just after the book royalties now that they're rolling in. That speech was probably the best she could come up with after racking her brain. The judge won't base a ruling on just one statement."Don't let this affect your health—you need to quit smoking and stay calm. Remember, we're planning for a
Celestia's face turned white with panic. Terrified that her photos would be screenshotted, her fingers moved faster than ever, but she couldn't keep up. She posted nearly three times a day, and now, the floodgates had opened."What do I do? What can I do?" Celestia was so anxious that she pulled at her hair. "Private account! I'll set it to private right now!" But it was too late. People were already taking screenshots and screen recordings, and within a minute, comments flooded Paxton's page. "I knew I recognized this homewrecker—I've seen her content!" "You've seen her content? What do you mean?" "She's a fashion influencer! She does street style and promotes clothes, bags, and beauty products! Her handle is @CelestiaNorwood." "No way! Didn't she just preach about women's independence and not relying on men? How the tables have turned!" "Wow! Her private account shows quite a different life!" "This can't be true. No influencer would date such an old guy." "Honey, tha
In that moment, Paxton felt real fear. His throat became too tight to speak. Kaiden's voice hardened, "I don't care how you do it, but contain this matter. Your personal drama is causing too much negative publicity. You can forget about that promotion. As for Mr. Hendricks Senior, you can explain this to him yourself." Kaiden did not want to get involved, but Don was once his mentor, guiding him when he needed it most. It was through family connection that Paxton's career had advanced so smoothly. His mind was in chaos now. The higher he climbed, the harder he would fall. "I'll explain everything. Don't worry! I'll apologize to my wife right away!" Hearing this, Celestia exploded. "Apologize? What about me?" Her shout drew stares across the hotel lobby. Terrified of attracting more attention, Paxton covered her mouth. "Please, keep your voice down!" Kaiden heard the commotion too. "Who's with you? Where are you now?" "I..." Paxton tried to lie. But Kaiden did not want t
Then, Celestia could immediately post a video claiming she never knew he was married when they met. That would be the best way to shift the narrative. Paxton thought about it and said, "Fine, I'll go sweet-talk her." They needed to reconcile, or the book "Voices" would no longer be his. He could lose his job, but not that book.Nobody in Farshya knew how much money it was making overseas. It had earned 50 million in annual royalties, and film studios were already showing interest. He would never give up this book! Paxton lowered his gaze. "I'll bring Daisy along. Lettie can't stand seeing our daughter suffer, so she'll back down for her sake." But this time, Paxton's calculations would surely prove wrong. Celestia stood up. "I'm coming too. I'll wait outside." She could not stay here anyway. Paxton frowned. "Don't let her see you." "I'm not stupid. I'll take photos of you two making up and post them online. That will make it credible." Celestia knew her game. "Remember, d
Landon cast a glance at Aria, curious about how much she actually knew about the stock market. She had always been modest about her knowledge, but he suspected there was more to her than she let on. The only one oblivious to Aria's true capabilities was Jett. Yet, he dared not refuse any request she made. Without hesitation, he tapped into his social circles, pulling strings where needed.Less than an hour later, Orion received word. A slow, chilling smile spread across his face. "So, the Grisham family wants to dip their hands into real estate too?"Arlo handed him a report. "Just as you predicted. It's not just real estate—Ms. Carver's making moves in the stock market as well. Fortunately, you already set a trap for Mr. Jett in advance."For the first time in days, Orion’s tension seemed to ease. A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Fine. Let them struggle their way in. I don't care how they do it, but make sure the Carver family is crushed in the stock market.""Understood." A
Jett asked, "What exactly are you after? There's no need to bring down the Draycott family so quickly. It's not like you can win. Didn't you join the Chamber of Commerce to take things slow? You just arrived in Ludwiten. Why the rush?""Am I in a rush?" Aria asked. She wasn't after the mastermind behind the Draycott family. If she were, she would've tied Orion to the financial building and let people take pictures all day—no need for mind games.The situation was too tangled, too many people involved. The Draycott family had managed to cover up something as blatant as that incident at the bar. Someone had to be cleaning up after them.Finding a few scapegoats would have been easy, but Aria wanted more. She wanted to uncover everyone who had spread rumors about Fiona in the past.And for some reason, despite their focus on the Grisham family, it felt like they were up against the Carvers. Whoever was behind this didn't want the Carvers to regain control of the Chamber of Commerce.
Jett grew more agitated as he spoke, waving his hands as if he wanted to tear Owen apart. Aria promptly stopped him. Otherwise, passersby might think he was an escaped patient from Ludwiten's mental asylum.Owen had done many foolish things, which Aria only discovered after arriving in Ludwiten and conducting her own investigation. Warren carried guilt toward Clyde because of Owen. And while Jett was normally timid, his words weren't wrong.When Owen first came to Ludwiten, he thought he could make it big, recklessly using the Grisham family's funds and resources. But he had been deceived by several people and lost everything.Not only was he foolish, but he was also malicious—leaving behind a disaster for the Grisham family to clean up. "Jett, calm down," Aria said. "I know Owen dragged the Grisham family down. He's already been punished and won't be coming out anytime soon."You and I both despise him, but let's stop dwelling on the past. He's not worth it."Jett had never
With Landon monitoring the stock market, Aria could walk right into Orion's trap. This way, Orion would let his guard down. When people felt confident, they invested more. Aria, well-versed in the stock market, understood this all too well. She had never intended to get rid of Lily. However, things were different this time. There was a limit to how much one could withstand another's viciousness. Aria doubted Lily could predict the market flawlessly—it was impossible, just as it was impossible for her to know everything.The logic was simple. If something fell outside one's area of expertise, even the most attentive observer would only grasp the outcome, not the details. Thinking it over, Aria realized Lily only knew about major events. The smaller ones seemed to escape her notice.If she put herself in Lily's shoes, it was like remembering which lottery would have a winner but not the exact numbers drawn.After all, no one knew when they would be reborn. The only way to acce
Malcolm did not know why Aria was asking, but he remembered the details clearly. "It was after that day." Aria tapped on the desk. "No wonder the Draycotts suddenly changed their market strategy. I get it now." What was she talking about? Before Malcolm could ask, Aria continued, "Some people are trying to cheat the system. Keep an eye on things, but stay safe. If anything happens, come to me first. "Like you said, they've got deep connections. Don't bother with the police—just keep the evidence." "Got it." Before hanging up, Malcolm asked, "Should we still watch the stock market?" Aria smirked. "Yes. They're not the only ones who can play dirty." Lily had probably been reborn too. But whatever Lily knew, Aria knew as well. She had never thought to use that knowledge this way before since it hadn't seemed necessary, but things were not the same now. If her dreams were real, then in her past life, Lily had only made it to Janovin. She had played the star medical student at
After being together all this time, Aria suddenly had a thought. Were she and Landon too distant from each other? No, "distant" was not quite the right word. It was more like they did not know each other well enough. Landon always felt just out of reach, like there was a fog between them. Simply put, he was not being straight with her. The thought left her feeling uneasy. Before she could say anything, her phone rang. It must be news about the Draycotts. It had to be something big for them to call so urgently. Aria glanced at the pair. Landon smiled. "If you have questions, Jett, feel free to talk with my manager, Ms. Virelle." Manager? Seraphina caught on quickly. "Mr. Grisham, shall we step outside?" Jett was still trying to process everything. "Wait." Balancing business and personal matters as usual, Aria held her phone up and said, "I heard Ms. Virelle used to work at the Draycotts' club. Let's have a chat later." Seraphina froze, glancing at Landon. Seeing his bl
Seraphina could not let her mind go there. Maybe she should've stayed in Netherrealm for a few more years. It was not so bad down there anyway. Landon barely spared her a glance, keeping his eyes on Jett with polite interest. "Won't you sit, Jett?"Sit? Jett could barely remember why he had come in the first place. Landon's voice snapped him back. "I... Mr. York, excuse me for asking, but what's your relationship with Ms. Virelle?""She works for me." Landon glanced at Seraphina. "Ms. Virelle? That's a new title."Jett stumbled over his words. "She works for you?""Yes," Landon said casually, like it was the most obvious thing. "Isn't it obvious?"Jett could not imagine the Yorks being in that kind of business. From Jett's expression alone, Landon could guess what kind of mess his people had made in Ludwiten. Since he had been dragged into it now, he figured he owed the Grishams an explanation. "I planted her in the Draycott family. The Yorks need a foothold in Ludwiten."So
Getting out of there wasn't going to be easy. Aria did not waste any time. She moved fast behind the suite divider, her laugh carrying a different note than usual. "What a shame."Landon's hand paused as he fixed her hair, his voice as smooth as ever. "I could have them leave.""Bad timing. My cousin's out there." Aria glanced at him, taking in that perfect collarbone of his. No wonder they used to call him the untouchable one, with all those socialites dying for just a smile.She had never given much thought to that kind of thing before. All those times working with patients, she had kept things strictly professional. But things felt different now, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Her gorgeous fiancé had a way of making her lose her head.Landon pulled his hand back while looking down. "We should meet with your cousin. I hear the Grishams like to evaluate their in-laws.""Huh?" That had not crossed her mind. He did not seem like someone who would care about app
Aria felt something wild coming off him. It was not hatred, but something close. She was too caught up to figure out what it was. She had never felt anything like this before; it was like she was floating. Her eyes were open, but she could not focus. Even his breathing felt like an invasion, starting at her ear and spreading through her whole body. When his fingers pressed into her waist, instinct made her try to push him away. That was a bad move—it only made things more intense. He lit her up like a match, heat spreading from her neck downward till she had to tilt her head back just to breathe. It reminded her of that hazy dream, the one in which she had been caught between sleep and waking, her pulse racing and her skin on fire. But it did not feel exactly the same because what she was feeling now was real. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpses of the river through the massive windows. The view was blurry, but it was enough to remind her where she was. Unable t