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,
"Make way, please make way!" The police struggled to maintain order at the scene. The location's fame naturally drew crowds of onlookers. Since the ones who reported the incident were college students, it made the situation seem even more tragic. "What happened?" "I don't know. I heard someone jump from the building." "Why would anyone do that for no reason?" "There's no official word yet. They just took the body away. They probably couldn't save her anymore." Amid the murmurs, Aria looked toward the scene. Through the crowd, she could see a few young women crying while a female officer named Claire Mitchell consoled them. "Don't worry, we'll investigate thoroughly." One of the young women spoke through tears, "Officer, we had no idea this would happen. She was gone in just a moment. Yes, she drank too much last night, but we were all supposed to be having fun together." The young women appeared visibly shaken. Claire knew nobody could stay calm in such incidents. "Do
"We've notified the deceased's family. They'll arrive soon. As the reporting parties, please wait a bit longer," the female officer said, stepping aside to check on some findings. Aria stayed where she was, her gaze darkened. These college students interested her more than the crime scene investigation. The police would soon determine the cause of death. The initial assessment suggested suicide. The trajectory of the fall and building layout would quickly reveal the floor she jumped from. Sure enough, the club manager stood there with a troubled face. "Honestly, we get thousands of customers daily. It's impossible to track every drunk woman's movements. We can't control who customers choose to leave with, right? "You don't know what it's like these days. When people meet at clubs and hit it off while drinking, they would just leave as a pair. We can't interfere with that, can we? "And nobody knows why she went to that floor. Now social media's saying our club isn't safe. I ho
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