Rafe continued ignoring the messages. Then his bank sent a notification. Five million dollars had been deposited into his account. Another message quickly followed. "For my investment, you'll get standard market trader rates after profits. Take extra commission if you want, but you must follow my instructions exactly. Open an account." Looking at the money, Rafe decided to take one last chance. He did not act rashly and chose to observe for a few days first. The stocks they mentioned were indeed rising, so he made his move. Even now, Rafe had not forgotten that feeling. He had been sitting at his computer as he watched exchange indexes climb daily, everything turning green. He watched the five million dollars become 10 million, then 20 million, and so on until it passed 100 million. Rafe truly admired this mysterious person. Not a single stock purchase lost money; they showed stunning growth instead. Anyone would get caught up in such success. Just when he was losing restrain
"Don't call me 'bro.' I'm a woman." It was a relaxed voice with a distinctly youthful ring to it. Rafe was stunned. Was she even an adult? Aria was indeed young then. She had even told him she was doing homework, so he should handle future investments himself since they had already won back their capital. Rafe found it surreal. His mentor was doing homework and studying. The mature, reliable, experienced brother figure in his head suddenly became a young woman, leaving him dazed. Aria's choice of Rafe wasn't random. "Harry recommended you. I checked your background. It's quite impressive." Rafe finally understood. She had meant to help him all along, hence choosing stocks. As a trader for many years, he had never met such a financial genius. Harry had said she did not just help one person. She selectively invested in those who had left state enterprises due to market transitions. "Dude, look at me. I'm just a country boy who knows coal mining, yet Boss never looks down on m
That was unlike Harry. He usually told everyone everything, so Rafe was genuinely surprised. "But Boss, weren't you just starting college?" "I'm repeating a year, starting this year," Aria said casually, "Age doesn't matter for engagement. It was arranged back when we were younger." Rafe was incredibly curious about what kind of man could catch Aria's eye. The voice on the phone had a northern accent, with a slight cough. He sounded quite considerate but with health issues. Would he be alright? Aria noticed Rafe probably did not know she was the youngest Carver. She knew Harry and others were keeping their old agreement too. "Actually, Rafe, I do need your help with something." Aria looked at the invitation card again. "I remember you have considerable influence in the Chamber of Commerce. How well do you know the Draycotts?" Rafe was eager to help. "Very well. Boss, are you looking to join the Chamber?" "That's the idea." Aria smiled mischievously. "I'm particularly intere
Warren felt deep remorse about his foolish son Owen's actions, and Stephen understood how he felt. He did not say anything more about that and only mentioned Felix's endorsement matter. "Mr. Carver Senior, Mrs. Carver made a smart decision. The Draycotts won't find it easy to cause trouble. Family will always stick together; surely the Grishams will accept Mrs. Carver and Ms. Carver. Mrs. Carver's brothers used to adore Ms. Carver the most. They'll find ways to reach out." Hearing this, Warren gazed out the window while leaning on his elaborate walking stick. "The Draycotts have devoured many companies over the years. Our old friends can barely survive now. The Chamber... I hope Aria understands my intentions." "Mr. Carver Senior, Ms. Carver is brilliant. She'll grasp your vision. The fact that Mr. Fergus volunteered to go to Ludwiten proves your approach was right. "I believe none of our ancestors wants to see the Chamber become what it is today. The Carvers haven't changed."
Orion looked up. "Some traditionalists in the Chamber won't listen to reason. They keep preaching about morality. Everyone knows that despite our foreign status, our patriotic hearts never wavered." "Right! I donated plenty during the last flood." "The Kincaid family's influence at the port is quite big. These stubborn old-timers are foolish to oppose them, and they shouldn't drag the Chamber into it." Orion smiled politely. "My thoughts exactly. We can't make mistakes with the voting." "Beyond voting, Mr. Draycott must have other plans." Someone winked from the side. "The Hawke family is a perfect example, isn't it?" Orion smiled silently, and everyone understood the unspoken message. They all knew what happened to the Hawkes. That was because they had refused to listen to the Draycotts. They insisted the Chamber was founded by Barron and should include the Carvers.Such blind loyalty. They really couldn't read the situation, could they? The group burst into laughter agai
The man sat beside Luna Hanson casually. "Is this your first time here?" Caught off guard by his approach, Luna fidgeted nervously. "Yeah, I came with my friends." Were her friends here as well? A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, but the command in his earpiece left him no choice. "Where are they?" Right on cue, a few young women walked over. "Luna, look at you! We were just in the washroom, and you've already caught someone's attention." Luna's cheeks flushed. "No, he just thought I was alone and bored." As she spoke, she didn't notice how the man relaxed when they appeared. He exchanged a knowing glance with them. It was clear what he wanted. "Don't turn him down, Luna!" "Come on, have a drink! We're here with you, so nothing bad will happen!" Her friends kept encouraging her while the man smiled politely. "I just want to share a drink with you, nothing more. If you're worried, I'll take the first sip." Luna glanced between the man and her friends. Everyone l
"Yes, warn those old foxes. They're always scheming behind my back." Orion snuffed out his cigar in the ashtray. "It's time to remind them who runs the Chamber." In their circles, having dirt on someone was just as valuable as financial leverage. He was just about to head back to the Draycott residence after resting his eyes. But right then, a loud bang echoed through the building. The thud came from somewhere above, as if something heavy had hit the ground. Some people jumped at the sound. Others missed it entirely as the club music drowned everything else out. Orion barely registered it as he drowsily got into his car. The next morning, Nocturne was swarming with police. The club was not just locally famous. Its reputation for exclusivity attracted not only regular patrons but also major social media influencers. It had become an online sensation. People said that advance reservations were required just to get in. Even with a reservation, the bouncers might turn you away si
Car horns blared through the street. Larry grew restless and was about to step out to check the situation. Aria suddenly asked, "What's that building?" "The Pinnacle Exchange Tower." Despite being irritated by the traffic, Larry remained respectful toward Aria. "Since this is your first time in Ludwiten's outer district, you might not know this. That building houses billion-dollar investment firms. And right across is our city's most famous stock exchange." Aria appeared lost in thought before closing her eyes. Just like viewing a 3D model, her mind reconstructed the scene without the traffic. She focused only on the incident site and surrounding structures. When she opened her eyes, their car had inched forward slightly. Aria's gaze fixed on another building. "What about that grand one over there?" "That's where all the young folks go!" Larry loved to chat. "It's been booming these past two years. People flood in there. My daughter even asked me for money to check it out,
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. "