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,
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 nowâeveryone 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 everythingâshe 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 biggerâhe 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 youâĶ 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. "
Usually, in this situation, Orion would have a lawyer present. But things were different today! He did not even know which department was holding him. All his usual connections seemed blocked, which made Orion start to panic from deep inside. He sat there, fidgeting nervously. No one else was in the room. "I want a lawyer! I'm innocent!" he shouted, trying to move, but his hands were cuffed to the chair. Just then, a familiar cool voice spoke up, carrying its usual casual tone, "Whether you're guilty or not, the law will decide." It was Aria. Her presence was completely different from earlier in the office. When Orion saw her, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. There wasn't a trace of the spoiled, rebellious, rich kid in her now. Instead, she looked at him calmly as if she were the highest authority in this place. Orion's heart sank. He wasn't stupid and knew how things worked. That was why his eyes widened as he stared at Aria. "Who are you really?" "D
Magdalene told Laura, "Now you're the partner everyone wants to work with." She laughed out loud. "This divorce couldn't have come at a better time." Laura's eyes widened as Magdalene spoke, her excitement growing by the second. "Mom, does that mean I'll be..." Laura could hardly imagine how amazing her future would be. Magdalene stroked her hair. "They won't call you Mrs. Grisham anymore. They'll call you the CEO of the Fitzroy Group." Laura's face trembled with barely contained excitement. She never considered that the shares they wanted weren't rightfully theirs but something they were taking through dirty tricks. "I was worried these families might side with Aria." Laura had genuinely been concerned about this. After all, families like the Katz family and those families working in traditional industries had started treating Aria with the same respect they once had for Barron. This was exactly what drove Laura crazy. Why should Aria get to live carefree after ruining her
Magdalene felt better than she had in a long time. She even ordered someone to open a bottle of wine to celebrate. This was the most relaxed day Magdalene had experienced in weeks. News about the Draycott family kept pouring in, and she had been feeling not just anxiety but a deep uneasiness. Over the years, the Fitzroy and Draycott families had become deeply entangled. Even without obvious business interests like others had, they shared information regularly. Even in that incident years ago, the Fitzroy family had been involved. Previously, she had worried more than anyone about the Draycott family's collapse. Now, she felt differently. First, there were the Grisham shares they would soon acquire. Second, she had learned that the Draycott family was not the only one that had lost money in the stock market because of Aria. Many prominent Ludwiten families had suffered losses thanks to her market manipulations. Magdalene understood clearly that to establish themselves in this
Aria turned her head, smiling brightly. "If you put it that way, I guess there really is something wrong with me." Lily couldn't understand why Aria still acted this way even after she had said all that. It was like Aria couldn't be bothered to take her seriously, as if she were just some random stranger with no connection to her. Lily was the one with knowledge of the future! Her face darkened. Aria noticed Lily's eyes on her, so she turned to face Lily. "You're Grandma's granddaughter, so I've cut you some slack. But you've only gotten worse by using visits to Grandma as excuses to steal things. "Anyone who cares about what you're saying can look into it. As for everything else, I'll leave that to these gentlemen." Hearing this, Lily panicked. She knew perfectly well that if Aria left, no one in that room would spare her. The most painful way to torture someone was to make them live in constant fear. Aria left the office, abandoning the terrified Lily. Those Chamber membe
Aria said, "You guys have misunderstood me. The Draycott family is just the first to fall. After that..." Aria's gaze fell on the figure hiding at the back. "Since Mr. Fitzroy is here, I won't need to make a special trip to your residence. Tell Mrs. Fitzroy Senior that your family is next on my list." Everyone who heard Aria's words wanted to eliminate her. But clearly, now wasn't the time. She had the upper hand, and the Draycott family's downfall had not benefited them at allâespecially the Fitzroy family, who were already having a public clash with the Grishams. The Fitzroys wouldn't have stepped forward, but now that they'd been called out, they had to respond. Since things were out in the open, they had nothing to hide anymore. "Let's see about that." Their message was clear. Besides, they had already lost money in the stock market and weren't happy. Though they weren't as powerful as the Draycotts, they still had their backing from the mysterious man. If they united,
After this incident, members of the Chamber of Commerce couldn't keep pretending nothing had happenedâespecially those who had stabbed the Grishams in the back to climb up with the Draycott family. As fear crept through them, they were particularly worried that Orion might spill their secrets from years back. The corporate tower had never seen such a crowd gathered below as today. Earlier, they had kept up appearances. But the Chamber members now pushed past security, bringing their entourages charging up the stairs. Aria watched all of this with interest. She'd come here waiting for the rats to crawl out of their holes. Like the Guetta family, who were close to the Grishams but never made waves in Ludwiten. Jett's problems had enabled Aria to follow the breadcrumbs and uncover the truth. Without them, she wouldn't have spotted that the Guettas had jumped ship to the Draycotts. Those seasoned business sharks definitely had not expected to find Aria when they arrived. They wan