Warren had assumed that he'd have to spend a lot of time convincing Aria to return to Janovin with him, but she agreed readily.This made Warren very eager to return there. Aria prepared his medicine before telling him about her plans. "You should return to Janovin first, Grandpa. I'll go later after picking up my grandma.""You want me to go back first?" Warren was reluctant to be apart from Aria, so he threw a tantrum like a kid. "No."Aria chuckled. "The medical resources in this county are limited. Your health condition means that I need to treat you with all I have, but they're short of many herbs here.""I'll go with you to meet your grandma, then." Warren's words brooked no refusal. "The Carver family is indebted to her. I should've visited her to thank her long ago."Aria couldn't very well say no to that. Before their departure, Aria visited Jeffrey. He woke up just as she was adjusting the drip rate of the IV bag he was hooked to. He grinned. "Hey, Aria."There seem
Georgina had been waiting for Aria since getting her call in the afternoon. She and Sarah felt anxious when they watched Aria's livestream. Thankfully, Lucas was also present and told them about the plan to arrest the criminals. Georgina would've bought tickets to Uludon immediately if not for that. "That's Aria, isn't it, Ms. Harris? That car looks so expensive—and it has a Janovian license plate!"Janovian? Georgina looked up, only to see six luxury cars parked over there. Aria had come out of the vehicle leading the envoy, supporting an old man as they walked over. The old man wore a suit. "How did Aria get to know those people? They're obviously wealthy at first glance!"As Georgina's neighbors in the alley milled around, she smiled. "They're her biological family."Aria had told Georgina everything she needed to on the phone the previous day. As thorough as she was, she worried that Georgina would overthink it. At the end of the call, she mentioned, "I set my sights
Initially, Georgina hesitated about going to Janovin with Aria, but now it seemed that she must. Even if she wouldn't be of any help, she could still watch over Aria. Warren and Georgina talked for a long time. Georgina showed Warren photos of Aria when she was a child. "Look at how out of it she was; her gaze was so blank. I was worried about her grades, but now she's the smartest student in the state."Warren's eyes shone. "She's the smartest student in the state?" He knew Aria took after him, unlike Elijah and Leon, who were only interested in acting and singing."Yeah, she's incredibly smart. The Kent family owe her, to be honest." Georgina said guiltily, "My good-for-nothing son and daughter-in-law treated her really badly."Georgina told Warren everything. Warren was understanding. "You didn't have a hand in all that. You watched over and provided for Aria until adulthood, and this is indisputable. Aria is constantly thinking of how she should care for you.""Aria keeps eve
Landon was patient. "Where's your bank account number again?"Sam pointed at the straps of his suspenders.Landon transferred 100,000 dollars to his bank account and said, "I heard that you're partial to yarrow and staghorn."Sam nodded.Landon ruffled his hair with a smile. "I'll bring some for you next time."Sam decided he would tolerate Landon since he'd paid and would bring those herbs for him the next time they met. Tolerating Landon's existence was the farthest Sam could go. He'd never grow to like Landon because Landon's presence felt dangerous, and he always found himself having the urge to escape whenever he was in Landon's vicinity.Sam had no idea if Aria had listened to what he'd said to her. He heaved a long sigh when he thought about it, completely oblivious to the fact that his words had achieved an effect completely opposite of what he was envisioning.Aria still had some loose ends to tie up in Southbury, so she planned to get some investigations done when Wa
This was the scene that greeted Landon when he arrived. Aria didn't look like someone here for groceries but like a doctor offering her services for free in the market.Among all the people he'd met, she was most adored by the elderly. He'd wanted to lend her a hand through his connections, but only after he'd returned to Southbury did he realize that she knew people as important as Kenneth Kane and didn't need his help at all.Landon fiddled with the beads he wore around his wrist, deep in contemplation. Aria still hadn't noticed him yet. She was inspecting someone when her grocery bag was suddenly gone. She turned back only to see Landon's handsome face. He wasn't wearing glasses this time, so he looked less aloof and intimidating. Aria could see that Landon was trying his utmost best to blend in. However, he'd ended up being surrounded nevertheless."He's your boyfriend your grandma's been talking about, isn't he? He's handsome!""You're a good match! Both of you look good."
Samuel's grip on his phone tightened. The person reporting to him pitched his voice lower. "Dad, the project in Uludon is a bust. The HOU was in charge of apprehending those involved, and the York family had a hand in it too. "I have no other alternative but to stop the project. I'm worried that we'll be exposed if we maintain an overly high profile for any longer.""The York family, you say?" Samuel narrowed his eyes. "Since when does the York family get themselves involved in such matters?""Has the Murray family started working with the York family, Dad?"Samuel seemed to contemplate it. "No. The York family never forms any alliances.""Lucas Murray's career is going way too swimmingly so far. That young lady adopted by the Kents has meddled in way too much!" The man on the phone with Samuel seemed to hate Aria to the bone, gritting his teeth in resentment as he spoke.Samuel's gaze cooled. "Is she involved in this again?""If not for her livestream, word about the issues
Warren took a look at the tickets. Aria had booked them for a train leaving two hours later, meaning he could still stay here and have tea for an hour longer. That cheered him up, and he started chatting with Georgina again. Aria went into her room, grabbed some herbs, and wrapped them properly. Before Frank and Warren left, she reminded Frank, "I asked Mr. Watson about this. He said that no one had tampered with his prescription, but I noticed the presence of abnormal sounds in Grandpa's lungs. "After you return, please monitor Grandpa's diet. He should be having meals following the recipes while controlling intake of other foods. I'll resume treating him after I arrive in Janovin."Warren was visibly healthier recently. He'd been coughing when he'd first arrived, but now his face was ruddy. Aria had also given Warren a bag filled with herbs. Warren had wanted to start on some work on the train, but the herb bag had a calming effect. Coupled with how comfortable the first-cla
"I didn't know she was the one the Carvers had been searching for," Landon said.Titus stopped teasing Landon because he was extremely pleased with Aria. "You should do your best. If you have no idea how to gain her affections, you can read more novels for inspiration!"Novels? Landon had no plans to do something so dumb.However, when he unlocked his phone and saw that Aria had not replied to any of his messages, he clicked on a novel greatly adored by its readers—the comments were all praising the male lead, saying that he was their dream husband. Landon could finalize deals worth billions without breaking a sweat, but he couldn't help frowning as he read this novel.…Aria had no idea that Landon had gone astray. The next day, a hundred boxes of chocolate of various flavors and from multiple brands appeared in Aria's house, along with a sea of roses.The elderly residents walking around the neighborhood were stunned by the sight of Heartbound Hall's entrance.Aria doled a
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