Sophia added, "She's really popular. Do you want to take a look—"Karen interrupted her, saying, "Ms. Bush, I know you're close to Georgina, but I don't want to hear anything about them."She left promptly after that as if the mere mention of Aria disgusted her.Jane nudged Sophia, saying, "Why did you bring this up to her?"Sophia curled her lip. "I wanted to remind her not to set herself up for failure, but she refused to accept my kindness."The young woman Georgina had taken under her wing was competent, to the extent of getting on the Super Hot Trending List after live streaming for the first time. However, Karen hadn't considered that at all. She was as dumb as rocks, indeed. …It was evident that Karen would get in the car in a bad mood. "That damn girl's embarrassing me again. She could do anything, but she just had to start live-streaming. She is basically begging for money online. How humiliating!"Marshall's face was dark as he shut the car door. Noticing his disp
Marshall was annoyed by Georgina's stubbornness. "Mom! It's been 20 years since you'd caused the death of a patient, and they finally stopped paying attention to that, but you just had to draw everyone's attention to you again! You're bringing misfortune to our family!""How dare you!" Georgina raised her walking stick, about to bring it down on Marshall. However, Marshall gave her a bank card, saying, "You're already old, Mom, so stop being so stubborn. I know you don't like hearing what Karen says, but she's my wife. You should understand where I'm coming from, right?"Georgina bit out, clenching her fists, "I'd rather I didn't have a son like you.""Mom, please refrain from expressing sentiments you don't genuinely feel." Marshall supported her as she stood. "Did the York family return the Whisperwind Herb to you? Mom, listen to me. My company's not doing well right now, so can you give it to me again?"Georgina's chest was rising and falling from her deep breaths. "And I wond
Sam believed that the fish were too weak and that their deaths were not his fault at all. Georgina was perplexed too. "Why does something always happen to the living beings in the market whenever you go there?"Sam looked up with the pork burger between his teeth. Georgina changed his outfit for him. "Whatever. It's just a few buckets of fish."Aria raised a brow, looking at the crabs coughing up white foam. "It's probably not just a few buckets of fish, Grandma."Georgina felt a headache coming on. She pinched Sam's arm. "Look at you! You should hide now lest Ms. Weaver catches sight of you."As if that'd work—Edith showed up a mere few minutes later, asking, "Where's Sam?"Edith looked especially intimidating with her plump figure standing akimbo. Sam wanted to make an appearance, but Aria pushed him down calmly. Sam gestured, "What if she bullies Grandma?"Aria looked at him. "They're good friends, so they're just gonna banter for a while. This gives Grandma something to
The comments flashed by too fast. Aria was still teaching Georgina how to put on her mic when she asked, "What are they saying? Should I put on my glasses and read the comments?"Aria laughed. "They're commenting in support of you." She looked at the screen. "Thanks for the gift, TryingtoAvoidFailing. You shouldn't be careless even after you've recovered from your sickness."Thank you to all the friends who followed our livestream, too. Today will be the same as last time—we'll offer free online consultations to three people."SoPretty: "Have you really taken your grandma here as well?"ABigAccount: "So she's another streamer putting on an act. How boring!"PassionateBrother: "The streamer is likely contemplating, 'Well, the script's set. Let's figure out how to deliver it convincingly.'"PikaCat: "Those who think that the streamer is putting on an act can watch the recording from yesterday. A medical professor was here yesterday, thank you."ABigAccount: "And that's hard? P
Once again, the stream surged to the top of the trending list. Initially third on the local charts, it had now ascended to a prominent position on the national ranking.The moderator praised himself for his sharp eyes again. He reviewed the contract Aria had signed and registered Heartbound Hall in this competition. Every year-end, Shark held a competition to determine the top ten most popular streamers on the platform. Those among the top ten would then be awarded a sum of prize money.The streamer in tenth place would be awarded 100,000 dollars, and the sum would increase by a hundred thousand dollars by every rank. Additionally, the streamers would also have the opportunity to attend a year-end party in Janovin.The moderator noticed that Aria didn't care much about all that, so he thought he'd register on her behalf. He believed she had a good chance of entering the top ten. While she couldn't compete with the big-shot streamers and their massive fanbases, her popularity was
Aria paused in surprise. York?"Holy shit, a Holy Emperor!""This streamer is amazing! This is only her second time streaming, but a Holy Emperor has already visited her stream and given her a Meteor Shower! I'm jealous!"That wasn't the end of it, though. Another system notification appeared. "Holy Emperor VIP: York gave Heartbound Hall two Meteor Showers. 100 Galaxies will be randomly gifted to viewers in the stream!"LikeYouLots: "Holy mother! 100 Galaxies!"Night11: "A Meteor Shower costs 5,000 dollars, so three Meteor Showers amount to 15,000 in total, right?"GettingAJob: "Shh, stop talking. Mr. York is still giving her gifts!"WannaDate: "Hey, Helen's fans, do you feel like clowns now?"A Meteor Shower didn't only bring profits to the streamer. A stream that had received a Meteor Shower as a gift would also be publicly announced on the platform. This meant that anyone who entered the platform would see this stream. Aside from that, the Galaxies that would randomly
Someone had come to look for the moderator just now. He'd been worried that the new streamer had done something wrong, but it turned out that they wanted to award her a certificate. Looking at the data at the backlog, the moderator was so shocked he couldn't utter a single word—the new streamer who'd started streaming two days ago had been given gifts valued at 200,000 dollars! The moderator was so happy that he could pass out. On the other hand, Aria was extremely calm. "Thank you for the gifts, Mr. York." Aria's gaze darkened slightly. "But you've given me too much. I don't receive gifts when I haven't done anything to deserve it."StarryEyes: "She's not enthusiastic enough."WannaDate: "She's always been calm and collected. She said that she'd focus chiefly on patient consultations, too."ShinyBaby: "She's amazing, that's all I can say."…Landon sat in his private jet, his lunch beside him. He took the towel his bodyguard handed him and read the comments in the stream.
"Mr. Ingerton?" The speaker looked at Harry in confusion. Harry didn't care about how influential those people might be in Southbury. He grabbed one of the men present and asked, "It's her! Do you know this streamer?"The man was confused. "Mr. Ingerton, we're at the Chamber of Commerce right now. About this random streamer…"Harry was annoyed by the man's ignorance but didn't say it aloud. "Whatever. I'll look for her myself."She was in Heartbound Hall in Clearwater Alley, and he could easily go there with the help of a GPS. With the meeting focused on external investment and Harry as its centerpiece, it was to be expected that the others present would experience unease at the prospect of his departure."This meeting hasn't ended yet, Mr. Ingerton," Norman remarked, daring to do so because of his status in the medical industry, "Is leaving just like that really an appropriate thing to do?""Who cares about if it's appropriate?" Harry thought, "Like I give a shit about who yo
Landon's warm lips brushed against Aria's. The touch was light as a feather yet utterly captivating. His kiss was so delicate it seemed to awaken every memory stored in her body. In that moment, Aria could swear she caught that same sandalwood scent from her dreams. Black mist and countless indiscernible inscriptions appeared, but he paid them no mind, gripping her waist as he whispered low in her ear. When he kissed her wrist without looking away from her face, his presence was impossible to ignore. His black leather gloves lay discarded to the side. To Aria, every place his hands touched felt like it was on fire. The sensation intensified when his fingertips traced the black mark on her neck. Something inside her screamed to take control, which made her grab his hand. He seemed to smile with his lips by her ear. "So, are you ready to pay the renewal fee?" Aria had never thought anyone could enchant her like this. But this was different. It felt just like seeing a fallen g
Landon asked, "You're getting water?" As his gaze drifted down to where Aria's hair fell, his voice turned rich and low. "Then why are your ears turning red?" Aria's hand froze mid-air. "It's hot in here." "What?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's only 70°F here." Aria wanted to tell him to stop talking so much. It was all because of what he had done in her dreams, making her imagination run wild now. Did he think having a handsome face meant he could do whatever he wanted? He even used all that binding stuff on her too. But she couldn't be sure it was even him. And even if it was, it must have been from a past life. As an arcane seeker, Aria knew what recurring dreams usually meant. But she had pushed those thoughts aside. A past life should not dictate their relationship in this one. At the very least, he wouldn't try anything like putting her in chains and locking her up now. That would be illegal. She would have him arrested and be done with it. Besides, her handsome fi
The atmosphere inside the room was totally different from the outside.Aria did sense the strange aura around Seraphina just now. Her beauty was otherworldly, almost supernatural. And there was something familiar about her presence—Aria felt she had encountered it before but couldn't remember where. Given how quickly Seraphina had withdrawn her hostility and turned gentle, Aria saw no point in making an issue of it. Besides, the way Landon was massaging her neck felt too good, making her mind feel hazy. As her blood flow slowed, she started to feel drowsy. The trio hiding in the copper coin did not dare show themselves; they were probably not even there. They had been especially quiet since arriving in Ludwiten, as if something here affected them. This was one of the things Aria wanted to investigate. The Wagners had used some unknown method to hide themselves after reaching Ludwiten. Even the Special Missions Unit failed to track them. All they had was that initial contact
The woman in the evening gown kept glancing back as she left, words caught in her throat. Though she wanted to say something, she eventually lost her nerve. She had never dared disobey Landon's orders in the slightest. But besides Landon, other men did tend to fall under her spell.Jett had already stood up, clearly recognizing her. He was surprised and excited. "Ms. Virelle, what brings you here?"She was known to be hard to book. Despite working in nightlife, she carried herself with an elegant air. Even when major incidents happened at clubs, no one blamed her. After all, she was above the wealthy heirs' advances, caring nothing for expensive bottles or money thrown her way. She only went out with those who caught her interest.No one had figured out her criteria for choosing men. She seemed to act on whims, operating independently even from the Draycotts' influence. Eventually, everyone came to call her Ms. Virelle.Seraphina Virelle had planned to just walk past. She did n
Landon told Aria, "Rest on the couch while I wrap this up." He really had a way of making his suggestions hard to refuse. Aria hadn't wanted to know too much about the York family's business dealings. After all, it might get awkward if they ever became competitors."Is this appropriate?" Aria was reminding him to keep business and feelings separate. If she heard any good business strategies, she wouldn't let sentiment stop her from using them.Landon caught her meaning, his smile deepening as his voice took on a rich tone, his eyes soft. "There's nothing inappropriate. We're not discussing anything important."He removed his leather gloves and gently touched the dark circles under her eyes as he spoke. His gentlemanly gesture made it hard to believe he had just been in intimidation mode."Then I'll use your computer to work on some files. You two talk; don't mind me." Aria needed to review the Draycotts' recent moves to prepare for her next steps. Landon hummed in agreement,
At those words, the guard did not dare stop Aria anymore, fearing a misunderstanding. This was all Landon's doing; it had nothing to do with him. He could not understand why Landon had brought a woman back today. Their attire made them look rather intimate, and by sheer coincidence, Aria had arrived. The guard, who rarely showed emotion, now had his features twisted in concern. Seeing this, Aria fiddled with the amethyst pendant at her waist, raising an eyebrow coolly. "So, should I go in?" "Please, Ms. Carver, go right ahead!" The guard weighed his options. If Aria left without entering today, he might find himself fired before nightfall. It was better to let Landon handle his own mess. The guard stepped aside with swift decisiveness. Aria found this amusing—so her handsome fiancé could stir up trouble after all. Well, she wouldn't mind finding a new one. Though she would miss that face of his, she had no use for someone who had been tainted. But from what she knew of his
After the incident with the Katz family, the Fitzroys would certainly be restless. After all, not once during the entire event did Aria allow Jett to take any credit. Aria wanted to observe the Fitzroys' intentions and Laura's reaction. Human nature seemed the most unpredictable element, so taking preventive measures seemed wise. As for Jett, it was time for him to grow up. Otherwise, the Grisham family's situation would remain unsolvable. Jett hadn't failed to reflect. Today's events involving the Katz family had shaken him deeply. Before this, he had never truly understood what kind of enterprise his grandfather Clyde wanted to build. The concept of "national brands" had remained unclear to him. Many of the family's decisions had left him puzzled. But today, everything had finally clicked into place. He had even begun doubting himself, wondering if all those years abroad had been worthless. When he voiced this concern aloud, Aria responded, "Having a global perspective is
That was how certain things worked. They would initially seem insignificant until their loved ones brought them up repeatedly, causing doubt to creep in. Laura lifted her gaze. "Mom, I still think you're overthinking it. Clyde wouldn't ignore Jett and hand everything to Aria." "That's debatable." Magdalene glanced away. "After all these years, you must have forgotten. From the moment Aria was born, she stole all of Jett's attention. Even her first birthday celebration outshone the Grishams' eldest grandson. "Your late mother-in-law made poor decisions in her confusion. You can't allow the same here. Look at what happened with the Katz family. More people will support Aria, and where will that leave Jett? "As the Grishams' eldest grandson, how awkward will his position become?" With each of Magdalene's questions, Laura fell deeper into silence. She had never considered these things before. She had been happy that the Grishams and the Carvers were on good terms again. Moreo
Magdalene asked, "So Jett was just taken away without any explanation? They're practically treating him like a Carver family lackey by making him follow someone even younger than him!" She looked displeased when talking about this matter. "You're his mother, so you should be the one having control over his actions. This situation might be causing a stir, but what does it have to do with Jett? "No one even remembers he's the Grisham heir anymore!" The older generation valued reputation above all else. Magdalene selfishly hoped the Ludwiten business circle would remember Jett's success rather than the Carver family. There was nothing wrong with that desire, but the problem lay elsewhere. "Mother, you know the Katz family situation was handled entirely by Aria. Jett doesn't understand these matters, does he?" Jett's mother, Laura Fitzroy, was quite frustrated as she tried to explain things to Magdalene. "The Grishams were facing a huge crisis, yet Clyde never approached me becau