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
"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
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
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
"Why the rush?" Stephen believed Aria would understand the delicate situation he had just explained and that it did not have to be so urgent. As she threw a glance at Philip, Aria was clearly reluctant to speak in his presence. Phillip looked confused. "Aria, are you sure you won't visit my family first?" "I will, but we'll follow Stephen's planned sequence." After arriving in Janovin, they would visit different families to avoid revealing their actual purpose. Visiting relatives in Janovin before seeing her uncles in Ludwiten would seem natural. Aria suspected that Yonah did not know about what Barron had left behind. With that thought in mind, she moved closer to Stephen while touching her amethyst pendant. She lowered her voice. "There's something I've never found." It was something Barron had left for Aria, and he had even advertised it twice in the youth paper. But Aria did not tell Stephen about this. The less the Earthbound Manifestation was revealed, the clearer she c
Aria wouldn't refuse. Landon was too valuable an ally in dealing with manifestations to leave behind. With him present, their combined arcane and fortune would make her practically unbeatable, especially against those who practiced dark arts. Aria had a feeling that going to Ludwiten would resolve all the mysteries. Though the regrets from the previous manifestation were settled, the root cause remained unsolved. If the opposing forces continued to nurture evil through social media, the manifestation's power would keep growing. Aria worried that this was not an isolated case. There could be a second, or even third. Since the reputation of the Hendricks family had been affected, it had broken their cultural heritage line. After all, someone like Paxton was unworthy of succeeding Don. This was Aria's first encounter with such manipulation. She had not expected that a morally corrupt mistress could destroy Don's life's work in an instant. Paxton's actions would surely affect Don's
"Aria has us, and that's all that matters," Fergus said protectively. With their worthless father Owen's history hanging over them, he remained anxious as the eldest brother. Fergus totally understood their uncles' feelings. The family could easily provide for Aria. If the Carver shares weren't enough, he could transfer all his Parker Street investments to her name. She should not marry this early. Few brothers would ignore a broken engagement, and Landon had broken two. Fergus was there whenever Landon had discussed canceling the engagement with Warren due to poor health. Coughing softly, Landon's gaze was fixed on Aria when he looked up. His pale, handsome face looked so delicate, and his lashes fluttered. "I want to go as your fiancé. With me there, the Grishams won't immediately turn you away. It is their niece's first time bringing someone home, after all." His face made him seem incredibly persuasive as if it would be cruel of her to not bring him along. Aria had always b
Social gatherings had become rare among their circles, which limited resource sharing. The Carvers used to host regular parties from time to time. With Mindy being such a gracious hostess, everyone had envied Owen then. Even if Owen had made mistakes, did he deserve such a terrible ending? Surely a father couldn't be that cruel. Ever since Aria's return, the Carvers had been busily handling all sorts of affairs, leaving no time for parties. They predicted she would eventually slip up. However, they had to admit she was pretty good at managing a company. At first, they had assumed the Carver Group's long-standing issues would persist even under Warren's leadership, and that she would barely make waves after taking over. Who could have predicted that in just one month, she would transform it into an untouchable enterprise? This disrupted the power balance the other families had cultivated for years. They had almost caught up to the Carvers and needed just that final push. Whether
Parents exchanged glances, and many of them were already frowning. Miguel couldn't figure out how his young mistress had shown up here. This would destroy his career! He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "Who told you to come? Go home now!" Then he straightened up and called out loudly, "Ma'am, you've got the wrong person. Please take your child away." The artsy-looking woman started to realize there might be some misunderstanding. Normally, she wouldn't appear publicly in front of so many parents. Miguel had warned her that if she wanted a good life, she couldn't interfere with his career. But from the message she'd received today, she was clearly told that he wanted her to bring their son over. Being quick-witted, she tried to leave once she sensed something was wrong. She pulled the boy's hand.But a spoiled sixth-grader as he was, he wouldn't budge without getting what he wanted. "Dad, why are you pretending not to know me and Mom? Is it because of that old wo
Everyone turned to stare at Aria, their faces filled with disapproval. Eden caught some of the heat too; she wasn't looking so great in their eyes either. "She's so dumb to throw away such a golden opportunity." "She just doesn't get it. Her family's dirt poor, and everyone knows that." Aria heard the whispers around her. She stood her ground, eyes cool at the edges, but her expression never changed. She even let out a soft laugh. "Nice move, Mr. Sonder. A few words and everyone forgets your wrongdoings. Don't worry, though. I've brought you a special gift." As she spoke, she glanced at her watch. "It should be here any minute. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. You may call me Ms. Carver." Miguel snorted. "I couldn't care less what your name is." In his anger, he'd completely forgotten about the scandal that had been the talk of Ludwiten lately. Aria made a small sound as she hung her helmet on the bike. "I figured since you and Mr. Draycott were so tight, you'd be keep
The way Aria looked at him made Miguel feel like she could see right through him. It really got under his skin. Miguel walked over, putting on his responsible educator act. "Ms. Bohmer, I heard about your situation. It's fine if you need more time to consider, but please have your friend move her vehicle. School grounds aren't for just anyone off the street to enter whenever they please." Eden started to object. But Aria let out a soft laugh, stepping in front of her. "You're Mr. Sonder, right?" Before coming, Aria had reviewed this principal's file. His rise to this position had been swift, with an impressive résumé showing no academic fraud. But Sam wasn't just anyone—he could dig up dirt nobody else could find. This principal valued his son above all else—a son born from an affair, no less. Miguel nodded with formality. "That's me." Aria's smile didn't fade. "No wonder you looked familiar. We must have crossed paths elsewhere. Your younger son is starting middle school thi
Miguel had worked so hard to climb out of being just another underpaid teacher. Most people would have been thrilled to land a principal job, but Miguel got greedy. He never cared about shaping young minds. As he often said, "It's just a paycheck. Only losers pass up money to preach about education." That mentality might fly in small towns, but in the big city, these kids wouldn't stand a chance based on merit alone. Miguel wasn't exactly looking down on his students—he just knew the situation in each class best. Students with or without local residency permits would face different college admissions standards. Rich families already had their children's overseas education lined up, so there was no sweat required. Even if they had bad grades, it wouldn't be a problem. They could still go abroad and buy themselves a fancy degree. Money talked, and that was the harsh reality. Miguel needed that Department of Education position to set his son up right. It was pretty ironic for a
Aria would definitely have the principal of Oakvale Academy detained eventually, but not now. The moment Miguel was in custody, the people pulling his strings would smell trouble. Based on past cases, they'd likely cut all connections immediately. All their carefully gathered leads could vanish in seconds. So Miguel needed to stay free for now and even remain in plain sight. Aria said, "Don't tell your principal about what happened today." She looked at Eden. "When you go back, just attend classes like how you normally do. If Mr. Sonder asks about you, tell him you're still thinking it over. "Show how nervous you are about this, but also hint that you're eager to go abroad. You're just not quite ready yet. "Don't tell anyone about our conversation. I've added you as a contact. If anything seems off, text me immediately. "Someone will be protecting you 24/7, and your family too. So don't be afraid." As she spoke, Aria stood up. "Let's go. I'll take you back to school. They
"I don't know what Judy meant by that," Eden said as she looked up. "She never talked like that before." "Got it," Aria said, zooming in on the photo. By looking at the brand of the chocolate drink and the surrounding buildings, she could nail down the exact location. Without hesitation, she sent it to Sam for analysis. Something about this "interview" smelled fishy. She had to see firsthand what kind of meeting would change a simple and positive girl like Judy. "About those selected applicants—do you know exactly who they were?" Aria dug deeper with her questions. Once she had names, she could connect the dots between the students. These patterns would reveal what the buyers were looking for. Human trafficking was a high-stakes criminal business, and Aria did not believe this was just about exploiting young girls. The bar incident had been her wake-up call. She needed the full picture before making her move. She would just spook them if she jumped in too soon. Their oper
Aria needed to identify all the "buyers". Missing even one buyer could mean one more student was sold. "Do the selected applicants have anything in common besides their family situations?" Aria asked, and Eden shook her head. But she then added, "Everyone had good grades, so nobody ever questioned why they were chosen for scholarships. Nothing seemed fishy about it." Aria made a mental note about the good grades, then scrolled through Judy's Facebook feed. This kind of investigation was pretty straightforward for her. Even without being accepted as a friend, she could hack in easily. From her posting habits, Judy seemed like an optimist. She was a nice girl who rarely posted anything negative. But one post made Aria scroll back and look twice. The post was cheerful, with a sunny photo and a cup of chocolate. But the text caught her attention. It read, "About to start my new life! All my hard work has paid off. The interview was kind of weird, but no big deal. Let's go!" Ar
The person on the other end of the call didn't speak. He just nodded with a pouty little face from behind a computer screen. It was actually Sam. He'd been working behind the scenes all along, especially when investigating the Wagner situation. Having him tail Philip was the least suspicious option. Simon was available too, but his presence would definitely attract unwanted attention as a beast of fortune. Since they were dealing with an arcane seeker, bringing Simon would be like handing them a treasure. So Aria made the call to have Sam follow Philip, while Simon stayed with Landon. Aria was not worried about her handsome fiancé being in danger. It was only because Simon would be safest with him. The Yorks carried heavenly fortune. As long as there was no fated ordeal in play, anyone who tried to harm Landon would likely meet a bad end. After all, that purple energy surrounding him wasn't just for show. With Simon staying near him, Simon could mask Landon's aura while also
"Yeah, that's right," the rest of the burly men chimed in. The whole scene was painfully forced and fake. In reality, they just wanted to leave. But Aria wasn't about to let them off so easily. She figured she would return the favor since they'd been asking about her. She asked, "Oh, so the Draycotts owe your company money? Which company is that?" Viggo had not expected this question. He froze momentarily, then quickly replied, "Our company is small, so it's not worth mentioning. It's nothing compared to yours." "It's admirable how your company can sponsor students despite being a small one." Aria's compliment was delivered flatly. Viggo's scalp tingled with unease. "It's actually our investor. He doesn't just fund us but many companies. He came from a small town himself and wants to help these students get better learning conditions." "Now that's a rare and kind soul. I'd love to meet him sometime." Aria said casually, "Since we've had such a fortunate encounter, let's exc