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
As Ignatius was about to sit down to collect himself, he overheard his uncle, Edmund Furler, telling his father, "Dad's condition hasn't improved. The doctors say there's nothing serious and he just needs rest. Should we mention this to the Carvers?" At the Furler residence, Maxwell Furler, Ignatius' father, was usually the decision maker. "We should, but we can't refuse the visit. Just explain that Dad can't come downstairs due to his health. The Carvers won't mind, but something's definitely off with Dad." "I agree." Edmund whispered mysteriously, "It's like there's another person in Dad's body. Maxwell, last night was frightening; he kept demanding to see Philip. Maybe we should use this opportunity to have Ms. Carver take a look at him." Maxwell frowned. "You and your superstitions. I told you before—" "It's not just me. Remember how she saved Ignatius? We all just treat it as a coincidence but think about it, Maxwell. Ms. Carver had just arrived in Janovin then. Even if sh
Preston ignored Aria's attempts at conversation twice and merely walked ahead. Meanwhile, Landon paused his long stride, clearly waiting for Aria. With an elegant profile, he looked so refined and noble as he reached to help her down the steps. He appeared more like a beautiful but deadly godfather than a gentleman. Now that he was away from the Carver residence, the lethal pressure of his presence was on full display. Only when Preston noticed Landon's manner did he finally acknowledge Aria and put on a smile. "I didn't know Mr. York and Aria were so close to each other." Judging from the contrast in addressing Landon and Aria, Preston was clearly pulling rank to pick on an easy target. Clearly, some people in their circle never learned. Landon barely lifted his eyelids, but even that slight movement radiated so much coldness. Anyone who worked with him would recognize this as the precursor to destruction. Though Preston had met Landon several times, the huge gap between the
After Aria's final words, all color drained from Preston's smiling face. He had been looking down at Aria while trying to curry favor with Landon. But now, he looked flustered as he lowered his gaze and took a sip of tea to cover his discomfort. "These... These are just rumors. Surely you don't believe them, Aria." "Rumors?" Aria's elegant fingers rotated her teacup with casual indifference, but her words sent chills down their spines. "The construction workers worked so hard for a year just so that they could take their wages home for New Year's. Are those who jumped to their deaths because of your debt collection also just rumors? Mr. Lawrence, if you don't want others to know what you did, perhaps you shouldn't have done it. "I know exactly what kind of projects you consider worthwhile." This was not just a warning. She was practically declaring that she would destroy the Lawrence family. Lucy, however, missed the implications. She only wondered how a young woman like Aria d
Landon smiled and rose to follow Aria, adjusting his cuffs as his eyes met Preston's. Coughing softly, his voice remained deep. "Your daughter is already a lost cause, so there's nothing for me to guide her. Such behavior truly needs the cover of artistic education. "But here's one tip for you, Mr. Lawrence. Your family is becoming an eyesore. Perhaps it's time for you guys to disappear." Unlike Aria's bold and direct declaration, his words came so softly and casually as if he was just making small talk. But he was practically saying he would destroy them all. Preston collapsed heavily and nearly had a heart attack. He gasped for air. After years in business, he'd thought his money-making schemes were foolproof. He believed such things would go unnoticed since he operated within technical legality. After all, he was not the only one withholding construction payments. Besides, everyone was in the predatory loan business. He just had the bad luck of a suicide being traced to him.
These comments came from those who usually sided with Owen. This time, they truly feared Aria. She could have skipped the visits and just told them directly to behave. Aria did manage to fire a shot across the bows. Everyone understood these visits were meant to remind the elite families that the Carvers weren't what they used to be. They had better stay in line. Aria did not deny she had such intention. She was heading to Ludwiten soon, leaving Warren in Janovin. She needed to show some muscle to those always hoping for the Carvers' downfall. She worried about Warren's safety while she was gone. Of course, it gave her a perfect cover to observe any unusual behavior among the families. "I actually wanted to be friendly with them," Aria mused in the car. After welcoming Barron's spirit, she had deliberately let two people spread the word about her fortune-telling abilities, hoping others would seek her services. "I could have earned some nice side income." She played with her
Everyone in the café had been enjoying their afternoon tea when they heard the commotion. They turned to look. "Where's the server?" Nisa called out. These rich ladies were all regulars who paid hefty annual membership fees. At their summons, the manager appeared with a smile before any server could respond. "Mrs. Guetta, how may I help you?" "Jonah, perfect timing. I was wondering when this place started letting country bumpkins like her in," Nisa said, her gaze sweeping over Lily. Without hesitation, Jonah Marx kicked Lily out. At that same moment, Aria arrived for their appointment. Traffic had been terrible. She had only agreed to meet Nisa because she needed to uncover something important. In her dreams, there was still one voice that hadn't appeared. The owner of that voice had harmed her mother, Fiona. She would never feel at peace until she dug out the person behind it. Aria was never worried about threats from others. For instance, she knew about Lily's wild accu
Dorian was grinning from ear to ear, showing none of the dignity expected from someone of a prominent family. He had less class than a common street hustler. The members of the Chamber of Commerce had good reason to look down on him. Dorian didn't believe that Neval, who was addicted to gambling, wouldn't return to the country for at least ten years. Once they took down the Grisham family, he'd be calling all the shots in the Chamber of Commerce! Dorian truly took after Magdalene in this aspect. The latter embodied all the worst traits of her generation—a twisted mindset and was always scheming something. Also, she was arrogant and had a superiority complex. Magdalene didn't want Neval to return, which explained why she'd readily given him money. She thought that Waymond would soon be arrested. Then, the Grisham family would go from riding high to crashing and burning, and Aria would pay the price. These were already set in stone! The prominent families' joint effort to targe
In the Fitzroy family, only Neval saw things clearly, despite being a screw-up. Everyone else was blinded by their own arrogance. Laura, of course, never saw it that way. Perhaps too much time had passed, which made her forget how she had married into the Grisham family in the first place. She had also forgotten what it meant to be grateful. Without the Fitzroy family's involvement, Orion's long-standing attempts to sabotage Waymond would have failed. This had been an unspoken secret between the two families for years. Magdalene had always been the head of the Fitzroy family. The best thing about her younger son, Dorian Fitzroy, was that he would always follow her orders. Neval wasn't her biological son, but Dorian was. As a child born in her later years, Dorian was showered with love. Now, he sat at the meeting place where several families had agreed to gather. "How do you plan to deal with Aria?" The Guettas were the ones who had organized this meeting. They used to keep
Magdalene said, "In the past, our family had helped the Grishams to survive. But now..." She took a sip of her tea. "They're digging their own grave, and we can't help them anymore." Just as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man walked in. When Magdalene saw him, her brows immediately furrowed. Her eldest son, Neval Fitzroy, was her least favorite child. He had brought nothing but shame to the Fitzroys. If he hadn't developed a gambling addiction, the Fitzroy family wouldn't have fallen this far. She asked, "What are you doing here?" Neval rubbed his hands together and snickered. "Mom, I'm a little short on cash lately. I mainly came because I missed you, but I'm also here to ask for a little money." Before Magdalene could respond, Laura stood up. "Neval, Mom just gave you 20 million last month. You shouldn't have spent it so quickly." Magdalene had been in a good mood, but now her face darkened. "Did I raise you to leech off me? How could 20 million dollars be gone so
Orion slammed his fist hard on the table. He'd been played by someone who looked like nothing more than a trust fund kid. Yet he had no choice but to let Aria manipulate him. Because no matter what he said, someone would show up to "take care of" him. At this point, he could only make everything look like a simple financial crime in order to protect himself. Aria had calculated this perfectly and planned accordingly. Even now, most people saw Aria as just some young hotshot who made money but didn't understand the bigger picture. They thought because she came from a small town, she was naïve enough to believe taking down the Draycott family would solve everything. In reality, she would be dragging herself down as well. Unless she didn't plan to stay in Ludwiten at all! Most people who thought this way were driven by pride and jealousy. They wouldn't admit they wished they were in Aria's shoes. The Carvers had raked in so much money from the stock market this time around. The
"Yes, I'm sure," Gabe said, having checked everything carefully. The old man thought for a moment. "Find a way and get someone else to tell Orion what he should and shouldn't say. If he's smart enough, he should understand." "Alright." Gabe pushed up his glasses. "Don't worry; everything will be handled." The old man's eyes were deep and calculating. "To achieve great things, some people must be sacrificed. If necessary, offer the Draycott family some benefits. Go take care of the Bellebrook situation." Gabe chuckled. "They're just some greedy, low-class people. They only succeeded because of you, yet they always think they made it on their own." "Gabe, mind your words." The old man had a kind face. Looking at him, one would think he cared for all people. Judging from his simple lifestyle, he did not seem like someone who would do bad things at all. Even the cup he used was bought from the supermarket for just over ten dollars. "Go now. As I've always said, anyone can l
Aria's question made Orion freeze right away. The scholarship program was his secret lifeline. He simply couldn't figure out how she knew so many details about everything! "You've been setting me up in the stock market all this time. How did you also find out about the scholarship program?" Orion felt genuinely scared now—everyone had really underestimated Aria. When had she done all this research? She'd dug deeper than he ever imagined. The scariest part was that neither he nor that person had noticed anything. They all thought she was just helping the Carver family restore their former glory. Keeping the Chamber of Commerce out of the Carver family's hands was that person's strict order. That was why the Draycotts had climbed so quickly within the organization over the years. They all assumed Aria had come to Ludwiten to target the Chamber. But now... Orion looked up again. "The scholarship program is weird business. I only handled recruitment. I don't know where those peop
Orion said, "I don't know much, honestly." He looked at Aria with hesitation, as if he was afraid to name that person. He made a gesture instead. "That person is the lieutenant governor of Ludwiten, who has many achievements to his name. "If you're brave enough to investigate, I can tell you about the deals I handled. But I don't know about the rest." Aria raised an eyebrow. Her expression said everything—she had already kidnapped him, so did he seriously think she would be afraid to investigate this further? Orion took a deep breath. "I just handle the money. That person wants something bigger—he wants to make history, but he's been in poor health lately. He needs me to keep certain people in line, but I can't give you details since I really don't have proof." "Which people does he control? And how does he do it?" Aria asked casually. Orion glanced upward, his eyes slowly losing focus. "I have no idea which people." "Mr. Draycott, I thought you would have learned by now.
"Who the hell are you?" Orion shouted as he couldn't hold back anymore. He gripped the armrests hard, almost jumping out of his chair. But Aria barely glanced his way. "I brought you here, didn't I? Who do you think I am?""Y-You're..." Orion remembered a rumor from a business dinner about a Special Missions Unit that operated outside normal chains of command. They could investigate anyone without going through regular channels.Their authority even topped the Regular Missions Unit. Orion had laughed it off back then. Every group had to answer to someone higher up, so there couldn't be a unit with that kind of freedom. In Ludwiten, everyone answered to that one big shot. But now he realized such a thing actually existed!Orion's face turned ghostly pale. "Are you… a part of the Special Missions Unit?"Only that could explain everything! With all her digging and investigating, that person would have noticed what she had been doing. But Orion did not understand something. "