"Stopping them now is impossible. If we do, it's the same as cutting off their financial lifeline," Aria texted. Fergus understood the situation. No one in the stock exchange market would believe them—especially the older investors, who placed more trust in their exclusive insider tips.Something flickered in Aria's eyes as she considered the matter. After a moment, she said, "Fergus, leave this matter to me."Fergus immediately responded, "Okay. I'll keep buying as you instructed."Knowing he was dependable, Aria didn't reply further.Still, Fergus remained concerned. "I heard about the plot of land. Be careful. Don't forget about us—Elijah and Leon live close to you, too."Aria chuckled at his message. Fergus was being overly cautious. If Elijah and Leon got involved, it would be far too crowded. What would they do—hold a fan meet-and-greet?Still, when the time was right, she intended to use their influence to her advantage.She put her phone away. Jett, who had been watc
"Why?" Jett demanded, frustration threatening to overwhelm him. He couldn't understand—it felt like his mind was about to explode. In his memories, his grandmother had always given him whatever he wanted.When he struggled with physics, Magdalene feared he'd wear himself out studying, so she pulled strings at a prestigious university abroad, sparing no expense to make things easier for him.Her approach to education was completely different from Clyde's.Jett had always believed Magdalene understood him best, granting him the most freedom in the world. No matter what he did, she thought he was amazing, filling him with confidence from an early age.Aria studied him. Knowing the road ahead would be difficult, she understood Jett had to break free from his comfort zone."It's because you're the eldest son of the Grisham family," she said. "I might be standing in your way."Jett found the notion ridiculous. "What do they mean? We've only known each other for a few days."Their firs
The villagers had only one goal—money.They didn't care about policies or the higher-ups. All they saw was an easy mark, a rich outsider who could be deceived. It had become second nature to them, playing the part of helpless victims to gain the moral high ground.Jett used to be oblivious to this, but now that he understood, cold sweat gathered on his back. The way the villagers eyed Aria's car with barely concealed greed sent a chill down his spine.Jett wanted to back off. "Aria, even if there's the slightest chance that the government had some policies in place, let's not get involved in this mess. We can take our time solving things at home."Aria twisted the bottle cap, took a sip, and said casually, "Who told you I wanted to solve things at home?"She maneuvered the steering wheel with one hand and shot him a glance. "You're the eldest grandson of the Grisham family. I'm only here to cure Grandpa. Nothing else matters to me."She added, "We're doing business, not handling
The modified off-road vehicle was already eye-catching, but the row of bodyguards in black standing beside it made the scene even more striking. Amid them, Landon stood out effortlessly. He was dressed in a well-tailored wine-red suit, his long legs and slender waist accentuating his natural elegance. A cigarette rested between his fingers, adding an air of quiet indulgence.Aria raised an eyebrow. She never thought he smoked.Yet, even surrounded by bodyguards, he remained the focal point—making them seem like mere backdrops.At that moment, she finally understood what it meant for someone's presence to command attention. Landon embodied that completely.It felt only natural for her to stop her car upon seeing her fiancé.Landon's indifferent expression softened the moment he saw Aria, causing the people around him to exhale in relief. Though they didn't know the reason for his improved mood, at least they wouldn't have to bear the brunt of his temper.Stepping out of her car,
Aria enjoyed talking to smart people. Her eyes lit up. "It's a package deal. The land comes as a gift, along with the urban village. They need to dangle some hope in front of me to lure me into the trap."Landon chuckled. "Seems like the Draycott family believes in Lily's predictions. They think she's completely accurate."Aria took a sip of water. "Well, she's been spot on with the stock market. And she's not wrong about the big picture, either. Didn't they bring up developing the land at today's meeting?"He nodded. "They left out the details, though."Aria mused that no matter how many times Lily was reborn, Landon would still win.Leaning in closer, she whispered, "Yes, and it's a lot. I know you're smart, but keep it down. We're still in the village—someone might overhear."Landon pushed her forehead back with his left hand. "I smell like cigarettes."Aria raised an eyebrow. "It smells good."Unlike with others, Landon’s presence put her at ease.His gaze flickered toward
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that Landon, the so-called demon lord, was gone.But work still had to be done. One pressing matter was the bidding war against the Draycott family—something Landon had personally instructed them to handle.To put up some resistance against Orion, they discreetly pulled a few strings. More importantly, they feared that if Landon actually won the bid, things could turn messy.…In the past, Orion would have been furious if someone dared to snatch something he had set his sights on. He wasn't entirely pleased about it now, either—but his arrogance kept his temper in check."For some reason, the York family also conducted a site investigation," Arlo reported.Orion's expression darkened as he considered the implications. After a moment, he said, "It's not necessarily a bad thing."Arlo frowned, gripping the report in his hand. "But if the York family joins the bidding, the price will skyrocket.""So what if it doubles?" Orion remained indifferent
The market had closed, leaving behind an unusual stillness. During trading hours, the space was packed with people fixated on screens—professional traders managing portfolios while financial experts explained the intricacies of the stock market to the public.However, the real power players in the stock market weren't here. They were elsewhere, trading from private offices, analyzing charts on high-end monitors.The ones who remained were either newcomers testing the waters or retirees—elderly folks whose children were unmarried, with no grandchildren to care for. They often took a stroll through the exchange after finishing their grocery shopping.Yet, these retirees were not to be underestimated. Many of them carried Louis Vuitton handbags, a testament to the fact that Ludwiten's retirement pensions were far more generous than in other places.Aria had chosen this exact time to make her entrance.When her sleek sports car pulled up outside the stock market, it naturally drew att
"But they are buying gold, and its value keeps rising.""I heard someone is about to step in to stop it from increasing."An elderly woman scoffed. "Oh, come on. When has gold ever really dropped? Emeralds might have outperformed it at times, but gold? Never.""Enough guessing. Let's go see for ourselves!"A cash transaction of this scale took time. The bills had to be counted by machine, manually verified, then checked again for accuracy before the funds were credited. Three rounds, no exceptions.The trader was practically beaming. It wasn't every day they met a client this wealthy—let alone one so generous. The transaction fees alone were enough to cover their expenses for a year!"Please sign here." The trader took the chance to probe. "You seem experienced. Are you locals?""Please sign here." The trader then continued to probe their background, "You don't seem like it's your first time trading. Are you locals?"Aria shook her head and chuckled. "We just returned from over
A man with a foreign accent expressed dissatisfaction with this matter. "I'll schedule a meeting tomorrow. Tell Orion's assistant we're withdrawing all financial support." "I'm sorry, Mr. Janston. That can't be changed now." "Why?" Robin Janston was confused. His assistant whispered in Angladian, "Boss, we already transferred some funds to Orion ten days ago. It was for a plan to disrupt the market by investing in low-cost gold." Robin paused for a moment, then muttered, "Shit!" The money was sent, so it was too late to regret it. His assistant could only comfort him, "Don't worry. This plan is foolproof—we have the best players controlling things from behind. If something goes wrong, we can cut ties immediately." This was their only option now. Financial giants were satisfied with their market layout in Farshya, but Orion's incident had cast a shadow over their plans. They would not possibly partner up with him anymore. However, they had to pull out their stock market
Orion no longer cared about appearances. He only wanted to make those people behind this scheme pay. His inner turmoil made him forget where he was at right now. If other Chamber of Commerce members hadn't remained rational, he would have thrown a punch already! Even so, causing a scene at the Planning Department would definitely attract attention. Since Apollo was a public servant, Orion's outburst quickly brought local police. Apollo did not want to escalate things. With colleagues watching, he would have to explain later. If he ended up at the station answering questions about this incident, he would be so humiliated. It was not just about losing face—even his job position would be at risk! So to anyone who asked, he kept shaking his head and said, "It's nothing. Just a misunderstanding between me and Mr. Draycott as friends." Avoiding work-related discussion was the safest approach. Orion still seethed with anger, but like Apollo, he did not want to be taken away over thi
Someone said, "Apollo, where are you rushing off to? I'm waiting out here. Come with us to announce the good news!" The person grabbed him and pulled him toward Orion. "Orion was thoughtful and worried you might not know we were waiting, so he specifically instructed us to stay by your car." Apollo was devastated, and he even started to curse in his mind. As they approached, Orion saw Apollo's expression and thought he was overjoyed, so he patted his shoulder heartily. "Apollo, calm down. Are you that excited? It's just a piece of land making a bit of money. Look at the bigger picture—this is just the beginning. "Hurry up and catch your breath to announce it to us. We've been waiting a while." Apollo looked up at Orion, knowing he could no longer hide the truth. He also thought that he might as well just say it now. After all, this was the Planning Department, and Orion wouldn't possibly do anything rash here. Thinking this way, Apollo actually felt a bit relieved. He pushe
A Chamber of Commerce member advised Orion, "This seems like a major policy. Otherwise it wouldn't take this long." "Right, Mr. Draycott. Don't worry. Apollo is definitely unavailable during a meeting." During meetings, everyone would turn off their phones, and Orion knew that. He was puzzled as to why Tommy would not answer his calls. "Fine. We'll wait!" It was already midday. Everyone waiting here was the boss of their own companies, so sitting hungry here was seriously embarrassing! But thinking about what was about to be theirs made everything feel balanced. They continued reassuring each other that the meeting was still being dragged on. Finally, someone from Apollo's level, Manny Danson, emerged carrying a takeout container. Government offices typically ordered lunch delivery these days. Their faces immediately darkened. "Mr. Danson. Where are you going? Is the meeting over?" Orion was known as a charitable local businessman and a regular in their circles, so Manny
On the other hand, the land Orion bought at a high price wouldn't be developed or used for the next ten years. That was as good as useless! The policy could have landed on any piece of land. Why did it have to be the exact plot Aria wanted? Everything was totally over! Apollo couldn't control himself and tugged at his hair. He pretended to be unwell as he pressed his hand to his forehead. In reality, his mind was racing. A piece of land that had sat untouched for so long was suddenly being announced for development. Was heaven playing a joke on him? Danny finished announcing the news and set down his pen. "We've been incredibly busy lately, and some of our colleagues are inevitably tired. "When people get tired, they're prone to mistakes. So I want to remind everyone not to think they can get away with anything. "Alright, I have another meeting this afternoon. Have an internal meeting to digest this information and implement the development policy as soon as possible. Meeti
The relevant documents lay spread out before everyone. Apollo had just arrived, and his eyes immediately locked onto the sealed file. He knew better than anyone what was inside, and his gaze never wavered from the document. Someone beside him noticed his reaction and teased, "What's got you so worked up today, Apollo?" Apollo hesitated for a moment, worried about raising suspicion. He quickly waved his hand. "Oh, I've just been having some stomach issues lately." "You've got to take care of yourself at this age then. Health comes first." Apollo nodded quickly before reaching for the teacup on the table. Drinking water was just another way to mask the look in his eyes. He was well aware that the policy about to be announced was most likely related to the land Orion had secured. Now, he just had to wait for the announcement. Before long, a middle-aged man in a white shirt and black pants walked in. Everyone immediately stood to greet him. "Good morning, Mr. Arterton." Dan
The groom, Dirk Baugher, did not stop Leena. He just seemed a bit confused. After paying, they left the gold store. Leena spoke first, "Honey, it'd be amazing if we had just been a little earlier. The price of gold actually jumped 60 dollars per ounce in just a short while. But it's good news. "Don't be mad about me buying extra. I used my own money, and I'm sure gold prices will keep rising!" Dirk reached out and ruffled her hair. "No worries, Leena. Now that we're married, I'll let you handle these decisions for our family. There's no need to use your own money; I've got cash to cover it." The kind of husband who respected his wife like this truly deserved all the happiness. Not many men were this considerate these days, after all. After Dirk and Leena left, some jewelry and gold bars were completely sold out. Shoppers in the mall were stunned by the gold store's situation. About ten women approached the store manager. "You're the manager, right? We'll be back tomorrow; t
"The government meeting will wrap up this morning, and then they'll announce the land requisition," Lily spoke quickly, worried that Orion would find her no longer useful. Orion was a profit-driven businessman. Hearing this, he instantly changed his tone. "I was too hasty earlier. Don't take it personally, Ms. Kent. "Christina, make some extra soup for her. Maybe a good mood will help her remember more details." Lily was sharp. Knowing her predictions held weight, she seized the moment and said, "I've had too much soup. I want to go out, walk around, and clear my head." After some investigation, Orion found out that Lily was vain to her core, loving to shop and show off. Coming from her background, she needed photos to brag on her social media feed. He wasn't opposed to it. For long-term cooperation, Lily was his golden ticket in business. "Go ahead. Whatever you want, put it on the Draycott Group's check." Her face lit up. She had made good money playing stocks, but who wo
Arlo pushed open the door with a grim expression. Seeing his face, Orion furrowed his brow. He quickly hung up the phone and turned to Arlo. Arlo glanced around the room. He made sure the only ones here were people they could trust before speaking up. "Mr. Draycott, we've got a serious problem. The gold stocks aren't dropping." The members of the Chamber of Commerce erupted before Orion could respond. "What? That's impossible." Arlo wiped sweat from his forehead. "It's true. They're holding steady." The group looked ready to explode. "Ms. Kent guaranteed gold would tank. We even coordinated with overseas capital to make sure this would happen. How could the stocks not drop?" "Calm down, Rex." Orion was caught off guard too. His champagne suddenly felt undrinkable. "So there's no movement at all, right? What about the other three stocks?" Arlo mumbled softly, "Same thing. They're exactly where they closed on Friday." "Well, that's normal." One of Orion's bootlickers jump