Aria's thoughts were all over the place. Perhaps she was too tired, or maybe it was Landon's scent. She furrowed her brows as black mist curled around her, even her gaze shifting with it.Sensing the growing surge of bad karma, Landon chose not to push forward. Instead, he reached out and covered her eyes. "It's been a while since you asked for consultation fees from me."This time, he didn't pull her toward his neck. Instead, he bit his finger and pressed his lips to hers.With her vision blocked, Aria's consciousness wavered, slipping toward drowsiness. She only snapped out of it when the phone she'd dropped under the car seat started ringing. Blinking away the haze, she grabbed Landon's wrist and twisted it in a swift reversal.Her hair brushed against his face as she loomed over him, eyes tinged with red beneath her cool demeanor. "My phone is ringing."Landon turned his head slightly, revealing his sharp side profile, his elegance undisturbed.Retrieving her phone, she s
Laura's voice dripped with resentment as she confronted Aria. Aria, unfazed, twirled the blade she had whisked out of nowhere. Her tone was indifferent. "Yes, Aunt Laura. Are you saying all this just to get me to share some profit with the Fitzroy family? Or do you want me to secure a spot for your family in the project bidding?"Laura stiffened. She hadn't expected Aria to catch on so quickly. She was much sharper than she had assumed.It brought Laura back to the first time she met Aria—a baby lying in a crib, wearing a tiger hat, smiling at everyone—everyone except Laura.Back then, Laura had just married into the Grisham family and given birth to Jett. She had felt an inexplicable sense of rejection from the child, and it displeased her. But there was nothing she could do about it. Eamon doted on Aria because of Fiona, showering her with the best things in Janovin. Clyde and his wife treated Aria like a precious jewel, calling her a blessing—cheerful, dominant, and full of l
Laura ended the call angrily. Never in her life had she been this angry. She had been raised to embody grace, elegance, and composure. As Eamon's wife, she had perfected the role expected of her in the Grisham family, always appearing poised and refined. But today, all of that restraint had shattered.The butler stared at her in shock as she fumed, breath heavy with frustration.She had never expected Aria to submit easily, but the woman was far more defiant than anticipated. Not only had she refused to comply, but she had also dared to hint at an even greater ambition—dealing with the Fitzroy family once the Draycotts were out of the way."She's delusional if she thinks she can take on the Fitzroys," Laura scoffed, her voice sharp with disbelief. "She has no idea who she's up against."After letting it all out, she tried to gather herself together. Her driver then approached her. "Mrs. Grisham, perhaps it's best to take a step back and consider alternative strategies. Didn't Mrs
Settle the score? With whom?The Chamber of Commerce members, devastated by their losses, wanted to pin the blame on Orion. If not for him, they wouldn't have been so obsessed with the stock market.One particular member, who had just suffered a breakdown, had neglected his company entirely to monitor stocks, convinced that Orion's three picks would soar. But now, his faith had cost him everything.Yet, none of them dared to lash out at Orion. They clenched their fists, their faces contorted with frustration.Despite their losses, they weren't entirely ruined. The three stocks still held some value—six to seven dollars each. If they pulled out now, they could salvage at least a third of their assets. The problem was that they couldn't sell until Friday.One of them, grasping at straws, muttered, "Today was bad, but maybe tomorrow will bring a rebound."No one responded. They knew better. A drop like this wouldn't end in a day. Worse, each transaction came with hefty fees.Some h
Warren was holding a shareholders' meeting in Janovin. The Carver family was nothing like it had been before. No one entertained the idea of collaborating with Krowonian companies anymore—those who remained were fully committed to rebuilding the business. More importantly, everyone had heard of Aria's success in Ludwiten. Their excitement was barely contained."Mr. Carver Senior, my friends in Ludwiten told me that Ms. Carver secured the most sought-after government development land. Perhaps we should also shift our focus there..."Warren didn't deny their assumptions. He merely laughed. "You're right. Our company will officially establish a branch in Ludwiten next month. We started there all those years ago—it's time to go back."Such a move had been unthinkable before. No matter how much some had wished for it, returning was no easy feat.Rebuilding connections, especially after what Owen had done, was a challenge. The Carver Group had lost its foothold in Ludwiten, and break
Breaking into the international market was no easy feat, but the Carver Group had absolute confidence in their technology.During the shareholders' meeting, the proposal passed unanimously. Aria had not only ventured into Ludwiten but also carved out a new path, fulfilling the long-held dreams of many. The air buzzed with excitement, the joy unmistakable.For Warren, this was a moment of true fulfillment. With such talented and capable grandchildren, he had no regrets in life."Aria accomplished what we could only dream of back then." He spoke not as a chairman but as someone who had endured hardships and understood what returning to Ludwiten meant for the Carver Group.The shareholders were elated, and the entire company felt like celebrating. In a cutthroat industry, finding a company that valued its employees was rare. Yet, under Aria's leadership, while she focused on expansion and revenue, the employees worked reasonable hours and left on time. Even during peak seasons, over
"With the current market trend and international demand rising, gold prices will only continue to increase this week."50 billion? Each share gaining twenty dollars in value?Everyone in the office gasped in shock.An average person might struggle to grasp such astronomical growth, but everyone seated in the conference room was a seasoned businessman. They understood the implications instantly—Aria was on the verge of making a staggering fortune.Fergus could see that Warren was just as stunned as he was. Keeping his voice low, he explained, "Take a moment to let it sink in, Grandpa. Also, ten billion of that fifty billion came from the profits we made off the Draycott family."Some foreign investors tried to siphon money from us through the stock market. Aria ensured they lost every last cent."As for gold, they wanted to suppress its price, but we won't allow it. Our country's economy shouldn't be dictated by outsiders, and that includes the business world, where interests are
Robert was no longer the butler of the Grisham residence. Instead, he was one of Aria's staff members brought from Janovin. He only asked because Laura had never visited alone before.Despite her urgency, Laura maintained a composed façade, though she seemed unimpressed with the new butler. "Can't I come here by myself?""Of course you can. I misspoke. However, Mr. Grisham Senior just left. I'm afraid you might have come in vain."Although Laura had sabotaged Jett's investment, she wasn't foolish enough to cause trouble for a butler. She was only here to speak with Fiona, and Clyde's absence made things easier.She cast Benson Pennyworth a cool glance. "This is my house. There's no such thing as coming in vain. Where's Fiona?"Benson hesitated for a brief moment as if suppressing something, but his tone remained respectful. "Ms. Grisham is in the kitchen, preparing medicine. Shall I take you to her?"Laura waved him off. "No need. Get back to work—I'll go myself."Without anothe
"But they can't just treat people like this!" Atticus exclaimed while looking at Lily, who stayed silent. He refused to believe the woman he admired was anything like they said. "Lily, just call Mr. Clinton or Mr. Guetta right now. Let's see if this man still dares to talk to you like that. You're just too nice for your own good." Hearing what he had just said, Lily clenched her fists. Why was this idiot making things worse? She was already trying to stop him, and he still wouldn't shut up. "Atticus, forget it. You guys finally got to visit Ludwiten, so let me show you around the city." Right now, all Lily wanted was to leave. Every second here was another chance for her lies to unravel. If she played her cards right, these clueless classmates of hers would still buy her act. She had been humiliated enough—she couldn't take any more! But Atticus didn't get the hint. He kept shouting, puffing up like an angry rooster. Jonah had no patience left. With a wave, he signaled the
The crowd couldn't help but laugh at Aria's remark, which only made the group feel humiliated. Just as they were about to fire back, a louder commotion erupted nearby. It seemed that someone had been thrown out of the café up ahead. Atticus couldn't be bothered with Aria anymore. Before dragging his friends away, he said, "What a classless bumpkin." They still wanted to wait in line for some croissants. But what the hell had just happened? Then, they spotted a familiar figure being shoved out of the café. They were dumbfounded for a second, and they thought they were seeing things. "Lily!" Atticus, her ever-devoted simp, rushed forward. "What the hell are you doing? You can't just push people around! We're customers!" They were still students, so they had no clue about certain rules in Ludwiten. This century-old café was members-only, and the café had the right to refuse service. Lily's heart sank when she heard his voice. As they reached her, her face went pale. With
Aria had spotted these people long before they noticed her. She didn't have a good impression of them at all. They hadn't bullied her back then. But in her memory, they'd often throw in a mocking comment or two just to score points with Lily. People from small towns like them sometimes had bad habits. For example, they would believe they knew the whole truth despite having limited knowledge. The biggest difference between them and city folks was that they were really out of the loop. It was like telling billionaires that a car costing 300 thousand dollars was expensive—they'd look at you confused. Tell someone worth a fraction of that, and they'd nod in agreement. In the business world, being in the know was everything. Some people made fortunes with the right information. There would also be people who heard the same thing but wouldn't even care about that. These students had actually been told that Aria wasn't the same person anymore, and they shouldn't mess with her like b
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