"Seeing Aria like this brings me so much joy." Georgina set down her fan and took a pill, her breathing gradually steadying. Landon observed her condition without surprise. He certainly saw more than Aria did. But fate's secrets were not meant to be revealed; everyone had their own path. All he could do was ask, "Should we tell her about your condition?" "And have her worrying about me while handling everything else?" As she spoke, Georgina waved dismissively. "Managing the Carver Group means there are countless employees depending on her. "Last time I saw her, she was falling asleep sitting up. She already worries too much about me, and I know why. It's because of my granddaughter Lily." Georgina lowered her gaze, smiling. "You know the situation with the Kents. I couldn't survive in Southbury then with everyone pointing fingers and calling me a wicked mother-in-law. They said I had blood on my hands. "But Aria stood by me without judgment. Only then could I come to Janovi
"Christian was your whole world back then, so it wasn't strange you wanted to give him gifts." Though Georgina preferred not to mention him, this particular item must have been precious for Aria to consider giving it away. After explaining, her mood lightened. "I'm glad you realized what you wanted and didn't let the Kent family engagement bind you. I planned to give this to you on your first day of university since that's what the priest requested. But I feel now's the right time." Georgina had wanted to mention this during their last meeting. But Aria had looked so exhausted then, so she'd wanted to let Aria rest. By morning, Aria had already left. With Aria's upcoming trip to Ludwiten and not knowing when they would meet again, Georgina's main concern was returning these items. Aria was really curious about what they might be. Since Georgina said it was left by the old priest who used to visit her, Aria was sure it was from Tobias. She never knew he had left anything for her
Lily definitely had not learned her mistake—there must be more to it. Though Aria had investigated, nothing turned up. Now she understood why Lily kept coming here. Aside from using Georgina's connections, she was after what was in the box. "Grandma, the first layer wasn't locked. Do you know what was inside?" Of course Georgina knew. "When the old priest gave me the box, he said anyone could read the books about medicine and the arcane in the first layer, especially you. They were all rare copies." Everything suddenly connected in Aria's mind. No wonder Lily's skills seemed endless; this explained it. Aria turned to Georgina. She preferred to be direct, so she said, "Grandma, I think I know who took them. Recently, a few people visited your place, but there was one you knew well—Lily. She's been using these medical texts to treat people. "Her medical skills are fine, but I worry she's misusing the arcane books for personal gain." Georgina swayed slightly at these words. Li
Earlier, Aria had really wanted to keep some family ties for Georgina. After all, Georgina had given Aria all the love meant for her granddaughter, Lily. When the Kents drove her out, Aria had seen Georgina staring at a pair of handmade baby booties. She had made them herself and wanted to give them to Lily. But Karen had scorned them and did not even allow her to see the child. Aria knew Georgina still yearned to see Lily. Blood ties were different. Aria could approach everything else with logic, but not Georgina. When everyone else abandoned her, Georgina stayed. She always said, "We can't let Aria go hungry. Of course, she needs school. Whatever Aria wants, we'll save up for it. The same goes for Sam." Everyone had their weak spots, and for those they loved, anyone would surely lower their defenses. After all, they still held on to hope. Though Georgina never said it, Aria understood she'd held hope for Lily. That was why Aria had not been harsh enough with Lily. But tha
Breaking the Eight Trigrams Manifestation required precision instead of force. The path led from the East Gate of Life through the Southwest Gate of Rest, finally striking through the North Gate of Opening. But this was not just about breaking a manifestation. The lock had eight marks—Life, Rest, Harm, Block, Vision, Death, Awakening, and Opening. These were the eight gates within the manifestation. As Aria studied the corresponding numbers, she was suddenly struck with inspiration. Following the sequence, she pressed them. The lock then opened with a click. She raised an eyebrow, recognizing the familiar combination. "0715, my birthday." Aria casually opened the box. "Typical of Mr. Revelare to choose that date." She knew she was born on Twilight Hallows, a day when parents would urge children home early. Owen had always believed Aria's birth signs were not the best, and he thought this was likely because of this day. People considered it the Day of Spirits. On this day, a
The box included a protective membrane. Carrying bones around would raise questions in modern days. Even Aria worried about inspections. Sometimes, Tobias acted just like those arcane seekers from Mount Dracotigris. When her fingertips touched it, heat surged through her bloodline. The blade felt like it belonged in her hands; even its tassel was exquisitely crafted. But she remembered something when she entered the manifestation and got the Soul-Summoning Plaque. She had been an arcane seeker in her past life, hadn't she? Could an arcane seeker use a blade? She had mostly seen them wielding swords, just like those TV shows with flying swordsmen. Perhaps she had to use a blade because she came from a smaller guild. As Aria traced the bone blade, her initial attraction grew into fascination. Tobias wouldn't leave her just any blade. Since she'd encountered it in the manifestation, it must be connected to her. "Do you like it?" Suddenly, Landon's voice came close. It was low,
Although the crow was unsure of its owner's thoughts, it was indeed afraid of the dagger made out of Oracle bones.In fact, it wasn't made of ordinary animal bones. It was from the Oracle, one of the Four Perils. Most importantly, it carried spiritual energy from heaven and earth.Back then, the crow didn't expect the insignificant sect, which was consistently at the bottom of each tournament, to have the purest spiritual energy. Plus, all of their members were not to be underestimated. The crow would have never believed it if it hadn't come to live in the mountains with Landon. After all, Landon was bewitched to become the woman's boy toy. He stayed behind only because he liked the sect's spiritual energy. At that, the crow shifted its body and didn't continue to disturb Landon. Since Landon mentioned he needed the knife sheath, the crow would go and get it. Apart from the curved dagger in the wooden box, there was also a somewhat inconspicuous emerald and a turtle shell-lik
That night, Warren stood before the memorial hall and spoke to his ancestors."Aria will be returning to Ludwiten tonight. Things will be different this time. There will be many obstacles ahead of her, but we must return eventually. Aria will finish what I couldn't. Please protect her."The Carver family was forced to shift their business from Ludwiten to Janovin at the time. And back then, they believed they could return at any moment. Yet, over 70 years had passed since then.Both Warren and Stephen were sentimental individuals, always hoping to return to Ludwiten. However, circumstances had shifted over the years. Moreover, the business landscape in Ludwiten had grown increasingly complex, with rising foreign investments. Their commitments in Janovin, especially after Owen married Fiona, kept them from returning.Warren had expected Owen to stay in Ludwiten, as he had promised the Grisham family. But Owen broke that promise.Warren's greatest wish had always been to return to
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