"Ms. Carver! Ms. Carver! I've finally found you!"Frank spoke with a thick Janovian accent. He was so excited that his pot belly was trembling.Aria glanced at him. He was wearing a nice suit. He wasn't tall, but he looked like a successful businessman. She wasn't acquainted with someone like that. She picked up her bag and said calmly, "You've got the wrong person.""Wrong person…" Frank echoed her words in disappointment. He observed Aria's beauty and elegance, instinctively believing she might be the "Ms. Carver" he had been seeking.Thinking back to what he did, he realized that his actions had bordered on desperation. The intel provided by the people in Uludon didn't mention that "Ms. Carver" was a medical practitioner. Aria was a very skilled doctor. If she was indeed the "Ms. Carver" he was looking for, the Kents would at least have mentioned her medical prowess. He just thought she resembled the "Ms. Carver" he was looking for from behind. So, he made a mistake. Sin
Frank wasn't trying to put down Aria.Nevertheless, the Carvers kept a low profile. Even when the sons of the family ventured forth to establish their own careers, they never told anyone they belonged to the prominent Carver family.Warren had made the trip to Southbury to bring the Carver family's youngest daughter back home, so he didn't want to make a big deal out of it.Frank had gotten a huge fright just now when he thought he had inadvertently exposed Warren's identity.Plenty of elite families in Southbury would kill to establish a connection with the Carvers. If they found out Warren was here, he wouldn't be able to receive treatment in peace.Thus, Frank could not be the one who exposed Warren's identity and situation.Aria noticed Frank's reaction, but she didn't say anything. After all, doctors were obligated to keep their patient's information confidential.No matter who Warren was, he was merely a patient to Aria.That being said, she wondered why the Carvers would
"And you are?" Stuart asked as he turned to look at Aria. He saw a young woman with long black hair standing before him. She seemed to be sucking on a candy.Though she looked rather young, she was blindingly beautiful. There was a hint of elegance peeking through her aloof demeanor. She had a mole near the corner of her eye. For some reason, her dark eyes exuded a compelling air when she looked at others.Frank quickly said, "Stuart, I brought her here. She's the genius—""How ridiculous!" Salome screeched sharply, cutting Frank off."You again, you greedy young woman." Salome, who had finally arrived, glanced at Aria, her expression darkening. "Are you here to trick patients at the hospital because you couldn't get any money just now?"Then, Salome shouted, "Who brought her in here? Shouldn't you have checked her background first?"Upon hearing Salome's voice, Bryan ran over in a hurry. "This is all a misunderstanding, Dr. Gunther. These people here came with the patient. Right
"You're actually familiar with medicine?" Bryan exclaimed in shock.Scoffing, Salome remarked, "Are you even thinking straight, Dr. Lowe? How can a young woman like her know anything about medicine? I bet she overheard one of the nurses describing the patient's symptoms.""This young woman just arrived, Dr. Gunther. None of us had a chance to speak to her yet," one of the nurses chimed in.Salome eyed the nurse who spoke and said, "So what? How old is she? She probably hasn't even graduated yet. Does she have a license? How can she diagnose patients without one?"A loud smack rang out as Aria swiftly slammed her medical license down on the chair. To everyone's amazement, she was even licensed as an attending physician! Everyone who practiced medicine knew how hard it was to become an attending physician.No one dared to say Aria wasn't qualified anymore. It was almost as if Aria had slapped Salome in the face.The doctors and nurses were still in disbelief as they muttered among
Scoffing, Salome said, "What are you people so shocked by it? She's a country bumpkin. It's no surprise she's familiar with the symptoms of a tick bite. She's just tricking everyone into thinking she knows medicine. Go on. See if she dares to conduct surgery!"Aria didn't intend to perform surgery on Warren. Instead, she took out a set of acupuncture needles from the medical kit.Everyone who had high hopes for Aria's medical skills was sorely disappointed by this."Acupuncture needles? Is she going to administer acupuncture when the patient's condition is that serious?""She's not taking it seriously at all!""Maybe it's because she doesn't know how to perform surgery. Why did Dr. Lowe choose to have faith in a young woman like her? What a troublesome turn of events."Salome gloated, "What did I say? It was all just an act. She has no real talent at all. Maybe the license is a fake too!""Dr. Gunther's right. How can such a young woman be a licensed attending physician?""Don'
The moment Landon stepped into the elevator, the air inside seemed to grow cold. With his gaze averted, he seemed like a peaceful, harmless person, but when his gaze focused on someone, it gave that person a somewhat frightening feeling."Fill me in on the situation," Landon said.Wiping his sweat away, Abraham said, "Rest assured, Mr. York. Dr. Gunther is an expert in this field. With her treating Mr. Carver Senior, I'm sure everything will be fine!"Only Landon, who held the reins in the York family, could strike such fear in the hearts of other prominent people.Toying with the rosary bracelet he was wearing, Landon quirked an eyebrow and remarked, "That's not what I heard.""W-We're not lying, Mr. York," Harold stammered. "We would never do anything to jeopardize Mr. Carver Senior's condition. After all, he's from the Carver family!"Landon didn't say anything. He simply waited until the elevator reached the sixth floor, but that only made his commanding presence feel even mo
Neither Aria nor Landon averted their eyes. In fact, Aria blatantly stared at Landon with a clear, unwavering gaze.She was fond of looking at handsome men and had seen her fair share before, but none could compare to the man standing before her. His sickly pale complexion complemented his dark, obsidian eyes. The combination gave off an air of cold sternness when he looked at others.He had the air of a reserved gentleman, both noble yet fragile at the same time. It was uncommon among men.The hustle and bustle of the hospital didn't drown out his presence. He stood there looking like an aristocrat from ancient times.Aria watched as Frank ran over to Landon the moment he spotted Landon and rambled away in excitement.Separated by the window and the wall, Aria couldn't hear their conversation. She simply raised her eyebrow.At the very next second, Landon looked at her once more. The warm light of his surroundings added a touch of haziness to his features, but the lack of distin
Abraham widened his eyes in shock, thinking to himself, "It can't be. Does she want to use Mr. York as her test subject? How can she even think of that? Is she trying to get herself killed?"He stepped forward to draw attention to himself and said to Aria, "Why don't you…"Before he could volunteer himself as Aria's test subject, she, still in a mask, was already approaching Landon.Only then did the balding Abraham realize she was even taller than him!The slender, long-legged Aria was five feet eight inches tall. Her bewitching eyes stood out, making it obvious she was a beautiful woman. Somehow, sparks seemed to fly in the air when she stood in front of Landon, who was six feet two inches tall.The two of them gave off vastly different impressions. One was cool and aloof, while the other was fiery and striking. It was as if opposites had met.Landon's eyes took on a frostiness when Aria came close, but she stopped at a polite distance away from him before taking off her face m
Ian's unease had reached its peak. He couldn't let the situation spiral out of control. He thought of his so-called family member who always claimed to value family ties.Ian looked toward the side. "Warren, how could I possibly be in charge of the company's matters? I don't even have the right to attend shareholders' meetings, let alone lead anyone on."Do you perhaps have some misunderstandings about me? I only helped Owen because he came to me. I don't wish to see you two falling apart."Owen, oblivious as always, blurted out, "Dad, don't blame Uncle Ian—it's my fault! You've always handled the company alone. Besides, I've always been useless to you."Since you never give me a chance to prove myself, I had no choice but to ask Uncle Ian for help. The shareholders were just following my instructions."Warren didn't even bother to look at him. Owen seemed to have inherited none of his genes."Mr. Owen, you're overestimating yourself," Aria interjected, stepping in as Warren rema
After Aria finished speaking, everyone was in an uproar."Ashes? What ashes?""What is Ms. Carver talking about?"The relatives weren't the only ones who were puzzled. Even Warren and Fergus looked over. Aria had never mentioned anything about ashes to them.Ian never expected her to know about the ashes. An unprecedented panic crossed his face, but he quickly regained his composure.Ian had been to Mount Dracotigris and had studied fortune-telling. He would have known if someone had tampered with the layout. Thus, the only explanation he could fathom was Aria bluffing.Ian sneered. "This is getting more and more ridiculous. Everyone knows how skillful Mr. Veyrith is. If there were something unusual here, he would have sensed it by now."Malric lifted his chin when his name was mentioned. Moving his fingers thoughtfully, he stated firmly, "There's nothing supernatural or evil here. Ms. Carver, please watch what you're saying."Aria smiled. "There's a crow, isn't there? I don't
Aria was trying to destroy the influence Ian built for himself in Janovin for 70 years. Aria locked eyes with Ian. "Saving Grandpa's life once earned you a lifetime of comfort. If the Carver family didn't genuinely care for you, they would have sent you away with a couple of dollars."After all, there were plenty of beggars who couldn't afford to eat at the time. Great-great-Grandpa couldn't bear to see a child begging in that era. That's why he decided to adopt you."Grandpa has never revealed your identity to anyone all these years. He has always treated you as if you were his elder brother."Aria's gaze darkened. "The Carver family owes you nothing, yet they have always been protecting you. Despite this, we're still the bad guys in your eyes."Aria stared at him with an icy gaze. "You know, you really remind me of a saying—some people will always be ungrateful, no matter what's done for them.""How dare you!" No one had dared to talk to Ian like this since he was a child. I
Aria's words struck deep, though her mention and praise of Malric was quite perfunctory. But she had achieved her goal by turning their own tactics against them. The family connections who had come to watch Aria's downfall now stared at Ian. Their eyes held suspicion instead of respect. They all believed in fortune-telling, so there could be no misunderstanding. Malric could not be wrong. Ian had indeed been manipulating things behind the scenes! To break a seemingly unshakeable alliance, all she had to do was simply destroy their common interests. Ian had been confident that these allies he had cultivated would always stand with him. On the surface, he seemed uninvolved, but in reality, he had backed the majority of the Carvers' minor shareholders. The family connections were part of a larger plan to eventually split the Carver fortune, each representing their own family's interests.But now, he had become their common enemy! Ian finally witnessed firsthand how the legendar
Warren chuckled at this. He might not understand fortune-telling himself, but Aria was genuinely formidable. Things had been peaceful at his house, and his health had improved too. It was all thanks to Aria rearranging the Carver residence's layout when she first returned to Janovin. Warren had told no one about this. Ever since Aria's kidnapping incident, he had sensed an invisible hand slowly corrupting the Carver family. The formations at the mansion and hotel were clearly designed on purpose. Knowing the culprit understood fortune-telling, Warren kept Aria's arcane abilities secret from everyone. He would hide information about Aria until everything came to light, especially since people had been asking about her after the Panne Street incident. Warren had been very clever about this. From his perspective, Aria was absolutely qualified to guide this young priest. Malric had even tried to guilt-trip Aria because of his status, so Warren did not consider that worthy of a true
This so-called prodigy cultivator was not part of Aria's plan. But since Owen had eagerly brought this man over, she might as well put Malric to full use. Her words about bad omens carried less weight than Malric's. After all, they trusted him most. Malric did not contradict Aria. Though crows were traditionally auspicious, they were also known as harbingers of death. With such persistent calling, could something actually be here? Malric's brow furrowed. "Please, everyone, follow me to have a look." With a prodigy like Malric speaking, even Ian had no excuse to stop them. He wanted to throw Owen out. He was really a fool who caused more harm than good. Of all the people to invite, he chose Malric. Sure, he would work for money, but he was not truly on their side. Owen had not expected his plan to backfire. He had brought Malric to prove Aria's harsh fate would harm him as her father, not to investigate some crow! Despite his frustration, Owen had to follow since Malric was
Others were wondering the same thing. Ian would not want anyone going to the backyard, so he glanced at Edwin. Edwin quickly replied, "It's just a crow. Someone's shooing it away." "A crow?" Fergus, ever sharp, smiled. "Where? I've never seen one." Poeta descended the stairs in fresh makeup. "That crow's been in the tree since midnight. Didn't you see it, Fergus?" The sky-blue gown she wore for today's performance was custom-made and well beyond her financial reach. She'd even borrowed money for the jewelry on her wrist. But she was confident that after today, she would cement her place in the Carvers and ascend to Janovin's elite.Surely Fergus bringing her along meant that he was ready to cut ties with Warren. She had waited years for this. She had been too young and naïve before, so she had simply accepted Warren's offer to further her studies abroad then. Thinking back, she should have schemed to stay with the Carvers. But thankfully, Fergus had not forgotten her. Desp
Malric was unsure of the Carver family's inner workings, so he glanced at Owen. "What nonsense are you saying, Aria?" Owen's face reddened with anger. "When did I ever abandon you?" Aria spoke slowly, "I have proof, so just wait. Can you honestly claim your kindness to Mindy wasn't motivated by the benefits of her birth signs?""I..." Owen started. Aria cut him off, "Don't lie, Mr. Veyrith is watching. Lying before a priest might just bring karma knocking on your door."As a superstitious man, Owen grew fearful. He fell silent with his fists clenched. Malric could not bear hearing her words anymore. "Ms. Carver, you shouldn't treat your father this way as a daughter. The gods are watching." "Let them watch then." Aria was brazen and unconcerned. "You may not know this, but I never fall for any guilt-tripping tactics. "I repay kindness with kindness, and I return cruelty with vengeance—even if that person is my own father. As for others..." Aria surveyed the room. "Even more
Malric's words sparked a commotion. "Concerning birth signs? What does that mean?" "It's obviously nothing good." "I'd heard Ms. Carver had a harsh fate. It must be true..." "It's so disrespectful of her to make her elders wait. What kind of young lady behaves this way? Poor upbringing, clearly." Fergus could not stand it anymore. His worthless father had brought this priest to declare Aria's birth signs inauspicious. They clearly just wanted to brand her as a bad daughter who brought misfortune to her father. As Fergus' eyes narrowed, he was about to explode. A soft laugh echoed from upstairs. Aria appeared in her black T-shirt and pants. Her gleaming hair and eyes were dark as usual. "It seems I went too easy on fixing the Carver Group last time." These minor shareholders did not even qualify for board meetings. Aria studied their unfamiliar faces. "If I remember correctly, all of you rely on the Carvers for your livelihood. As the current CEO, I have a question, Fergus