"Mr. Hesse, is Grandpa still mad at me?" Mindy asked, biting her lip to make herself seem even more pitiful.Toby Hesse, who was part of Warren's team, replied with a smile, "Mr. Carver Senior dotes on you the most. Once enough time has passed, he'll come to see that you meant well, Ms. Carver.""Okay," Mindy replied with a look of disappointment.She left the building. After she got into the car, her gaze turned grim. "Dorothy, did you find out where Grandpa went?""He left for a business meeting. Don't worry, Ms. Carver," Dorothy said consolingly. "Once Lily gets the chance to give Mr. Carver Senior a checkup, he'll realize that the country bumpkin is nothing special. Then, he'll know just how thoughtful you are.""I hope so," Mindy said with a sigh. "Grandpa's always so harsh with me."He even put her in a difficult spot for that country bumpkin's sake.Mindy didn't know why she felt so bothered and frazzled. Perhaps it was because she was running low on her supply of aromath
"It's all your fault, you jinx! You ruined my life!" Olivia shrieked. Right from the start, it was clear she wasn't in her right mind.Worried that she might harm Aria, the bodyguard advised, "Be careful, Ms. Carver. She's unstable right now.""It's fine. You can leave us. I want to ask her about something private," Aria said with a chuckle.The bodyguard was hesitant. "Mr. York instructed us to never let you be in harm's way."Aria's smile deepened. "He's right outside. Don't worry. I can protect myself. In any case, she's still poisoned right now. I can easily overpower her."Only then did the bodyguard leave the room, closing the door behind him.Yanking on the chain that restrained her, Olivia wanted to headbutt Aria. However, Aria abruptly grabbed her by the neck. Eyes flashing darkly, she said, "Say, if you die here today, do you think the authorities will investigate you or me?"Aria wasn't joking when she said she could overpower Olivia. Her clutch was so tight that Oliv
"Grant and I wanted to sell you off as quickly as possible," Olivia admitted. "But that thing around your neck… it was too striking. No one dared to buy you. The pendant would shine, and there was even a word inscribed on it!" A flicker of horror crossed Olivia's face as the memory resurfaced. The word inscribed on the pendant wasn't about fortune or wealth. It was the word, "Soul". With that pendant on her, nobody wanted Aria. "I consulted an old fortune teller from the village," Olivia continued. "He claimed the pendant was from hell, pure evil. He advised me to get rid of it immediately. Apparently, keeping you could bring doom to the entire village. Thus, Grant and I didn't dare to raise you anymore. We also sold your pendant to Thomas Weller, a pendant collector in Southbury."Aria perked up at the name. "What happened in the fire that year?" she asked."We fled after switching you with the Kents' daughter," Olivia confessed with a hint of fear in her eyes. "At that time
Aria spoke slowly. "Who's that person?"Olivia seemed fearful, glancing around nervously. "I… I don't know. I can't tell you. I'll be punished."Aria sensed something was wrong from Olivia's frantic rambling. She reached out and checked Olivia's pulse, finding it erratic.Raising her chin, Aria locked eyes with Olivia. Her gaze turned cold. "Did someone put a curse on you?"Olivia suddenly went crazy and slapped herself. "The heavens will punish me for this! Why did I say anything?"Tears streamed down her face. "Lily, you must study hard. You're all I have. If you get into a good college, I'll be able to enjoy life in the city." Then, she grabbed Aria's hand. "Lily, you promised to buy your brother a house. I know you love me more—more than that useless daughter of mine!" Aria paused after hearing that. "You have a daughter?"Olivia stared at Aria. "I had difficulty giving birth. Despite all that effort, the baby turned out to be a girl! Why can't I have any sons? What bad l
Malcolm's phone clattered to the floor as he stood in shock. Memories of everything he'd said to Aria flashed through his mind.He vividly recalled their first meeting, where he treated her like his sister. He had even assured Shiloh and the others that he could protect her.Suddenly, he realized the true meaning behind Aria's smile. The weight of these memories caused his knees to buckle.He'd never imagined his mysterious boss, the one he pictured as a powerful elite running a vast empire from a luxurious office, could be someone so close to him. And to top it all off, she was even younger than him!Aria's beautiful face made her look more like an actress than a doctor. She also happened to be the "fake heiress" that the Short family had scorned. His head spun as he scrambled to pick up his phone, his fingers flying across the screen in a flurry of frantic typing. But Aria was quicker. A message popped up saying, "Investigate it now."Could it be true? Was Aria really his boss
Ever since the last examination, Cameron had not contacted Lily. However, upon hearing that they were coming to Janovin, Lily took the initiative. She booked a hotel and even planned their trip.Cameron found it difficult to reject her when she had done so much. "Don't worry. Grandpa isn't that old-fashioned."Although Abraham didn't know the details of what had transpired between the younger generation, he found it hard to like Lily. After all, she hadn't visited Georgina once despite being back for a long time.Nevertheless, politeness prevailed, and he wouldn't outright dismiss her. He beckoned Cameron over.Cameron stepped forward. "Grandpa, Lily came to visit you."Abraham nodded and offered Lily a polite smile. "Lily, I have a pressing appointment today. Unfortunately, I won't be able to spend much time." He glanced at Cameron, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "Take good care of our guest."Cameron was clueless about where his grandfather was heading. Lily lowered he
Frank still found it hard to believe that Aria was the very person he'd been searching for. The irony of it all—he'd even tasked her with investigating Ms. Carver's whereabouts—embarrassment burned in his gut.Aria casually called out to him, "Frank."His awkwardness intensified at the sound of her voice. Aria raised an eyebrow, puzzled by his reaction.Frank regained his composure and gave her a courteous smile, though it seemed rather unnatural. "C-Can we talk privately?"Aria smiled nonchalantly. "I have a feeling I know what you want to say, but is it urgent? If not, I'd love to join your distant relative for some stew."Performing surgery was a demanding task, and the only thing she'd eaten was noodles. It wasn't exactly filling. She was famished. Besides, she needed time to process the revelation about her identity.Frank instinctively wanted to correct her that Landon wasn't their distant relative, but he didn't have the guts to do so with Landon right beside them.But Ar
Landon's slender wrist somehow managed to pull off the scrunchie with an air of elegance. Aria couldn't help but glance at it. Suddenly, she asked, "What do the Carvers think about their missing daughter?"Landon smiled as he ladled her some stew. "Mr. Carver Senior has been searching for her for years. Why do you suddenly ask?""Oh, just curious," Aria mumbled, feigning casual interest. "I thought I should know my patients better. Besides, you are, like, distant relatives, right?"Landon, mid-scoop, paused at her words. "Actually, we're not exactly distant relatives. It's more like our grandfathers knew each other. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been bethrothed to Ms. Carver in the first place."Aria only remembered about the betrothal when he mentioned it. She shot him an odd look.Landon didn't want her to misunderstand. "We already called it off, though. Especially now that they have finally found their daughter, they're willing to cancel it.""Oh." She took another bite of her s
Landon cast a glance at Aria, curious about how much she actually knew about the stock market. She had always been modest about her knowledge, but he suspected there was more to her than she let on. The only one oblivious to Aria's true capabilities was Jett. Yet, he dared not refuse any request she made. Without hesitation, he tapped into his social circles, pulling strings where needed.Less than an hour later, Orion received word. A slow, chilling smile spread across his face. "So, the Grisham family wants to dip their hands into real estate too?"Arlo handed him a report. "Just as you predicted. It's not just real estate—Ms. Carver's making moves in the stock market as well. Fortunately, you already set a trap for Mr. Jett in advance."For the first time in days, Orion’s tension seemed to ease. A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Fine. Let them struggle their way in. I don't care how they do it, but make sure the Carver family is crushed in the stock market.""Understood." A
Jett asked, "What exactly are you after? There's no need to bring down the Draycott family so quickly. It's not like you can win. Didn't you join the Chamber of Commerce to take things slow? You just arrived in Ludwiten. Why the rush?""Am I in a rush?" Aria asked. She wasn't after the mastermind behind the Draycott family. If she were, she would've tied Orion to the financial building and let people take pictures all day—no need for mind games.The situation was too tangled, too many people involved. The Draycott family had managed to cover up something as blatant as that incident at the bar. Someone had to be cleaning up after them.Finding a few scapegoats would have been easy, but Aria wanted more. She wanted to uncover everyone who had spread rumors about Fiona in the past.And for some reason, despite their focus on the Grisham family, it felt like they were up against the Carvers. Whoever was behind this didn't want the Carvers to regain control of the Chamber of Commerce.
Jett grew more agitated as he spoke, waving his hands as if he wanted to tear Owen apart. Aria promptly stopped him. Otherwise, passersby might think he was an escaped patient from Ludwiten's mental asylum.Owen had done many foolish things, which Aria only discovered after arriving in Ludwiten and conducting her own investigation. Warren carried guilt toward Clyde because of Owen. And while Jett was normally timid, his words weren't wrong.When Owen first came to Ludwiten, he thought he could make it big, recklessly using the Grisham family's funds and resources. But he had been deceived by several people and lost everything.Not only was he foolish, but he was also malicious—leaving behind a disaster for the Grisham family to clean up. "Jett, calm down," Aria said. "I know Owen dragged the Grisham family down. He's already been punished and won't be coming out anytime soon."You and I both despise him, but let's stop dwelling on the past. He's not worth it."Jett had never
With Landon monitoring the stock market, Aria could walk right into Orion's trap. This way, Orion would let his guard down. When people felt confident, they invested more. Aria, well-versed in the stock market, understood this all too well. She had never intended to get rid of Lily. However, things were different this time. There was a limit to how much one could withstand another's viciousness. Aria doubted Lily could predict the market flawlessly—it was impossible, just as it was impossible for her to know everything.The logic was simple. If something fell outside one's area of expertise, even the most attentive observer would only grasp the outcome, not the details. Thinking it over, Aria realized Lily only knew about major events. The smaller ones seemed to escape her notice.If she put herself in Lily's shoes, it was like remembering which lottery would have a winner but not the exact numbers drawn.After all, no one knew when they would be reborn. The only way to acce
Malcolm did not know why Aria was asking, but he remembered the details clearly. "It was after that day." Aria tapped on the desk. "No wonder the Draycotts suddenly changed their market strategy. I get it now." What was she talking about? Before Malcolm could ask, Aria continued, "Some people are trying to cheat the system. Keep an eye on things, but stay safe. If anything happens, come to me first. "Like you said, they've got deep connections. Don't bother with the police—just keep the evidence." "Got it." Before hanging up, Malcolm asked, "Should we still watch the stock market?" Aria smirked. "Yes. They're not the only ones who can play dirty." Lily had probably been reborn too. But whatever Lily knew, Aria knew as well. She had never thought to use that knowledge this way before since it hadn't seemed necessary, but things were not the same now. If her dreams were real, then in her past life, Lily had only made it to Janovin. She had played the star medical student at
After being together all this time, Aria suddenly had a thought. Were she and Landon too distant from each other? No, "distant" was not quite the right word. It was more like they did not know each other well enough. Landon always felt just out of reach, like there was a fog between them. Simply put, he was not being straight with her. The thought left her feeling uneasy. Before she could say anything, her phone rang. It must be news about the Draycotts. It had to be something big for them to call so urgently. Aria glanced at the pair. Landon smiled. "If you have questions, Jett, feel free to talk with my manager, Ms. Virelle." Manager? Seraphina caught on quickly. "Mr. Grisham, shall we step outside?" Jett was still trying to process everything. "Wait." Balancing business and personal matters as usual, Aria held her phone up and said, "I heard Ms. Virelle used to work at the Draycotts' club. Let's have a chat later." Seraphina froze, glancing at Landon. Seeing his bl
Seraphina could not let her mind go there. Maybe she should've stayed in Netherrealm for a few more years. It was not so bad down there anyway. Landon barely spared her a glance, keeping his eyes on Jett with polite interest. "Won't you sit, Jett?"Sit? Jett could barely remember why he had come in the first place. Landon's voice snapped him back. "I... Mr. York, excuse me for asking, but what's your relationship with Ms. Virelle?""She works for me." Landon glanced at Seraphina. "Ms. Virelle? That's a new title."Jett stumbled over his words. "She works for you?""Yes," Landon said casually, like it was the most obvious thing. "Isn't it obvious?"Jett could not imagine the Yorks being in that kind of business. From Jett's expression alone, Landon could guess what kind of mess his people had made in Ludwiten. Since he had been dragged into it now, he figured he owed the Grishams an explanation. "I planted her in the Draycott family. The Yorks need a foothold in Ludwiten."So
Getting out of there wasn't going to be easy. Aria did not waste any time. She moved fast behind the suite divider, her laugh carrying a different note than usual. "What a shame."Landon's hand paused as he fixed her hair, his voice as smooth as ever. "I could have them leave.""Bad timing. My cousin's out there." Aria glanced at him, taking in that perfect collarbone of his. No wonder they used to call him the untouchable one, with all those socialites dying for just a smile.She had never given much thought to that kind of thing before. All those times working with patients, she had kept things strictly professional. But things felt different now, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Her gorgeous fiancé had a way of making her lose her head.Landon pulled his hand back while looking down. "We should meet with your cousin. I hear the Grishams like to evaluate their in-laws.""Huh?" That had not crossed her mind. He did not seem like someone who would care about app
Aria felt something wild coming off him. It was not hatred, but something close. She was too caught up to figure out what it was. She had never felt anything like this before; it was like she was floating. Her eyes were open, but she could not focus. Even his breathing felt like an invasion, starting at her ear and spreading through her whole body. When his fingers pressed into her waist, instinct made her try to push him away. That was a bad move—it only made things more intense. He lit her up like a match, heat spreading from her neck downward till she had to tilt her head back just to breathe. It reminded her of that hazy dream, the one in which she had been caught between sleep and waking, her pulse racing and her skin on fire. But it did not feel exactly the same because what she was feeling now was real. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpses of the river through the massive windows. The view was blurry, but it was enough to remind her where she was. Unable t