Laura paused for a moment before continuing, "Fiona, what's done is done, and we can't just ignore it. Eamon… It may be hard to imagine, but Jett wouldn't have ended up like this without Owen's influence."Eamon was always busy, so he never had the time to guide Jett. That's why Jett has no real accomplishments as the Grisham family's eldest son. Some of our family's elders even cut ties with us after what Owen did."If they had been around to guide Jett, things might have turned out differently."Fiona looked down at the hand holding hers. "Laura, don't worry. I won't ignore what happened. No one hates Owen more than I do.""I understand. And Owen has already been punished. It's unrealistic to keep holding on to resentment. We should focus on moving forward. You and Eamon should clear up any misunderstandings," Laura said sincerely.But Fiona caught the deeper meaning behind her words. "If you were in my place, how would you let go of the grudge?"Laura pointed to a red-marked a
"I only realized today that you're not worthy of marrying into the Grisham family!" Fiona stood up, her patience completely spent. "See her out!"Laura was stunned. She hadn't expected Fiona to actually say that. Fury made her hands tremble as she pointed at Fiona. "You're saying I'm not worthy? And whose fault is it that the Grisham family is in such a miserable state?"Their decline is all thanks to your husband! And now, after divorcing him, you dare to come back? I only wanted harmony in this family, yet you accuse me like this? Fine! I'll go ask Eamon myself if he thinks the same way—that I don't deserve to be here."Fiona, if I end up divorcing Eamon, it's because of you! How dare a divorced woman like you meddle in your family's affairs!"Snatching up her bag, Laura stormed toward the door, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor.Since both Aria and Fiona refused to listen, Laura would let everyone in Ludwiten decide who was right. Fiona had no right to stay
"You want to teach the Fitzroy family a lesson?" The only one who sensed the danger around Aria stood beside her, exuding his usual refined demeanor. "Do you need my men to go with you?"Aria glanced at Landon before replying, "No need. I can handle it myself."She hadn't intended to go that far, but Magdalene was practically digging her own grave.Landon studied her thoughtfully. "You're still the same as ever. You only care about your family."It had been the same back when Aria was part of the sect—anyone who harmed her seniors would suffer tenfold, even if that person was Landon himself.Landon's tone felt oddly sulky, and Aria frowned. "Who else would I care about apart from my family?"Landon said nothing, offering only a half-smile.Something clicked in Aria's mind. Without hesitation, she reached out and took his hand. "You're my family too. Don't be so stingy. You're about to be the Carver family's live-in son-in-law soon, after all."Landon stilled, his gaze shifting
"I've devoted my entire life to the Grisham family since marrying into it, yet Fiona still treats me like an outsider. I never expected her to say such a thing." Laura felt indignant.Eamon sat on the couch, his expression impassive. "So?""So?" Laura could hardly believe his reaction. She had expected anger, or at the very least, some sign of support. After all, he was her husband."Are you going to let me suffer because of your sister? Didn't you hear what I just told you?"Eamon lit a cigarette and glanced at her. "I heard you. You wanted Aria's land, but she refused. So you went to Fiona, thinking she'd take your side. You didn't expect her to shut you down."Laura faltered. It was the truth, but the way he said it carried an undertone she didn't like.Before she could respond, Eamon continued, "I won't get involved. That land belongs to Aria. She can do whatever she wants with it. It has nothing to do with Jett."Laura's anger flared. "Nothing to do with Jett? Didn't he pul
Laura had always been a devoted wife, tending to her husband's every need. To outsiders, she was the epitome of a responsible wife and mother.When she brought up divorce, she had expected Eamon to reassure her and refuse. But he agreed.Tears streamed down Laura's face as unease settled deep in her chest. She couldn't understand—why?Meanwhile, Magdalene bolted out the door the moment she heard the news, leaving her bag behind. When she arrived and saw her daughter in tears, she demanded, "What happened? Why did Eamon agree to the divorce?"To Magdalene, Eamon had always followed along with whatever Laura wanted. The Grisham family hadn't pursued their family over what happened with Robert, which only reinforced her belief that Eamon valued Laura's side of the family enough to protect them from Clyde's wrath.So, why would he agree?Magdalene was baffled.Laura wiped at her tears, her distress evident. "Maybe he found out what we did… or maybe he's just grown tired of all the t
Juno explained, "Mrs. Grisham, I'm from the company's legal department. Mr. Grisham has appointed me to handle your divorce proceedings on his behalf. Let me know if you have any questions."Laura's eyes reddened. "We're the ones getting divorced. Why should I ask you? Get him on the phone. I'm telling you—" Before she could finish, Magdalene snatched her phone and ended the call. Pressing a firm hand on Laura's shoulder, she said, "You're from the Fitzroy family. Stop acting like this!"Laura's hands trembled. "Mom, didn't you hear that? He got a legal representative to handle this. He really wants a divorce!"Magdalene's gaze darkened. "I heard it all. He had everything prepared the moment you brought up divorce. He must have been planning this all along."No wonder he didn't ask about the Grisham family's incident. He played the part so well just to deceive me! If this is how he wants to treat you, then fine—divorce him!"I'd like to see if the Grisham family dares to go ag
Magdalene called Orion as usual. A mutually beneficial relationship required constant maintenance, after all. Orion, however, felt nothing but frustration every time his phone rang. He sat unshaven in front of his computer, staring at the stock market website long after trading had closed.Even the bank officers he knew well had only approved a few million in loans, citing difficult times. It was nowhere near what he needed.Investors who had followed Orion's lead now begged for help, but he believed they should take responsibility for their own decisions. He had bigger concerns—Harlan was missing.Irritated, Orion nearly declined the call. But when he saw Magdalene's name on the screen, he hesitated, an idea forming in his mind. He then decided to accept the call.Magdalene wasted no time getting to the point. The moment Orion heard about the Grisham family's stocks, his eyes gleamed with interest.Of course, he wouldn't let the Fitzroy family know about his financial troubl
"Mr. Grisham ordered his legal team to contact them." The person notifying Aria about this was an HR employee from the Grisham Group. Aria had subordinates stationed in HR, but whether she chose to use them was entirely up to her.From the beginning, she had known what Eamon intended. He had been preparing ever since he realized the Fitzroy family had betrayed them—when Robert stopped Fiona from visiting and even attempted to harm Clyde.Eamon had given his wife a chance. Aria understood that he wanted to settle things smoothly; after all, they had been together for years.But the Fitzroy family never acknowledged their mistakes. They neither apologized for Robert's actions nor showed any sign of remorse, behaving as if nothing had happened.On top of that, they had spoiled Jett far too much. When Laura instructed Jett to withdraw his investments, Eamon had likely made up his mind then and there."Mrs. Fitzroy Senior wants my Uncle Eamon's shares." A sinister smile played on A
"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