Landon slid the plate of steak he had cut to Aria. "Mindy really wants to get married to me, but I rejected her."Aria was quite taken aback."I wanted to tell you early to avoid any misunderstanding," he explained wearily. "As my supposed girlfriend, you seem unfazed by all the gossip."Aria took a bite of the steak he had cut up for her. "I do care. It's just that I haven't caught wind of it yet. Stay away from her, though.""Okay," Landon replied, amused. He wondered if Aria was jealous of Mindy.The answer, however, was far from it. "She has an unusual scent that might be harmful to your health," Aria said."That's it?" Landon asked with a low voice.As the saxophonist was just nearby, Aria couldn't hear Landon clearly. "What did you say?""Nothing important. Did you suspect Mindy of having bad intentions towards the Carvers? What have you discovered now?" Landon's smile was pleasant.Aria couldn't help but think that he was way too smart for his own good. He always saw th
"What an honor." Landon's smile widened upon hearing Aria's compliment. For some reason, the gold-rimmed glasses he wore made him look even more playful. The York family's bodyguards had never seen Landon like this before, and they were quite surprised.They were impressed that Aria dared to tease Landon. After all, the socialities couldn't even get close to him at parties, let alone tease him.However, Aria didn't seem to fear him at all. Her carefree attitude made it seem like she had Landon wrapped around her finger, though the bodyguards wouldn't dare to say it out loud.By how Aria teased and complimented him so naturally, it seemed that she often did something similar."That's settled then. You're mine now." After Aria made up her mind, she didn't like sharing what was hers.Landon twirled her long hair. "Yes, I'm yours.""Find out everything you can about the young woman the Carvers are sponsoring," Aria requested, yawning. Exhaustion was evident in her voice. "I can't p
Landon frowned but answered the call anyway. The person on the other end of the line seemed to be worried he would get angry. He explained frantically, "Boss, we're still working on getting a higher profit margin from our side. It's around 10% now, and I know you're not satisfied with it. As for Barry…"The phone call had attracted Aria's attention. When she looked over, she widened her eyes. Landon gently turned her head. "Don't move. I don't want to burn you with the dryer.""Go on and take the call. I can finish drying my hair." Aria felt it was inappropriate for him to blow-dry her hair while in a meeting.Landon chuckled. "I'm blow-drying my fiancée's hair right now. Can you hold off the report for a minute?"On the other end of the line, Edward Sarris was speechless. Collecting himself, he stuttered, "Go ahead, Boss! I'm sorry for disturbing you."Edward wondered why he had chosen to call five minutes before the official meeting. This awkward moment could have been avoid
Landon's body tensed as he stared at her with dark, inscrutable eyes. Their noses almost touched when he leaned closer. His touch made his Adam's apple bob slightly.Janovin was usually windy after fall began. Yet, the room was eerily quiet as the wind howled outside.Aria furrowed her eyebrows slightly, perhaps disliking the coolness of his rosary beads. When Landon looked at her, his side profile seemed to give off a sense of danger.His handsome face appeared different, unreadable.Landon leaned down and caressed her face. Then, he muttered, "You have no idea the things I could do to you."He wasn't even sure what he was capable of. Yet, Aria seemed blissfully unaware.His gaze flickered between her eyes and lips. His hand beside her tightened, betraying the struggle for control within him. The strain reddened his eyes.Landon coughed and inadvertently dispersed dust from his rosary beads, revealing a faint glow as his gaze deepened further.Finally, he lifted her from the b
Aria couldn't care less about the marriage, and Landon seemed equally disinterested. So, Aria told his grandfather to call it off. When people later compared her to Mindy, Landon replied, "The Carver family values blood relations, and the person I was engaged to is Ms. Carver. It's not that I don't want her or anything. She's the one who didn't like me. Stop spreading nonsense."By then, Landon was already suffering from severe coughing fits, yet he stood up for Aria in a circle where everyone seemed to despise her. This happened after Warren had passed away.Everything after that was a blur for Aria. When she finally intended to visit and check on him, news came of his car accident. Aria couldn't understand why he had suddenly ended up in such a situation.Aria abruptly woke up, instinctively shielding her eyes from the sunlight. For a moment, she couldn't discern whether she was dreaming or awake. It was only when she turned her head and touched Landon's pajamas that she breathe
"I picked it up from watching TV shows," Aria lied calmly. "Go and open the door for Sam. He'll have a million questions for me otherwise."Landon ran his hands through her hair and stood up. He didn't believe her for a second, though. When Landon opened the door, he saw the caution etched on Sam's face. Sam worried Aria would do something reckless because she was smitten with Landon's face. He noticed the deepening darkness in Landon's eyes. Sam glanced down at his wrist, wondering if the rosary beads were losing their effect.Landon raised an eyebrow. "Is it just you?"Sam pointed downstairs. As smart as Landon was, he caught on quickly, "Your grandmother is eating breakfast downstairs, so she asked you to come look for us?"Sam nodded in confirmation. Landon smiled slightly. "You came at a bad time today, so I won't give you any money." Sam was bemused by his statement. Landon ushered him inside. "I'll pay you if you don't visit mornings and nights."Sam made a gestur
Aria needed to gather her thoughts before explaining to Landon. However, Landon was sensitive and caught on to the key points quickly. "Do you think I'm in danger on the highway?""Yes," Aria said, meeting his gaze.Landon smiled at her. "I believe in everything you say."His words made Aria blink slightly. "Be careful of the people around you.""Okay." Landon tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "If you need anything from me about the Carvers, let me know. I've been in Janovin longer than you and might be more helpful."Aria decided to be direct. "I need you to schedule an appointment with an interior designer for me.""Who?" he asked.Aria handed him a name card. "It's a foreign interior designer named Augustus Babel."Landon's gaze darkened. "The Babel family again?""You know them? That would be helpful. He designed the Carver residence, and I think he did a fantastic job. I'd like to understand his inspiration," Aria replied absentmindedly. Landon took the card,
The man's thick Janovin accent was unmistakable as he introduced himself. "Ms. Carver, this must be your first time here. You can just call me Will."As soon as he finished speaking, a shout came from the side. "Mr. Weller, you're here! I got some good stuff today!"Will gave a firm nod, his voice exuding authority. "I'll check it out later.""Alright, I'll hold it for you then!"Aria asked with a smile, "Mr. Weller?"Will fanned himself with his hand. "Just a local courtesy. My full name is Will Weller. By the way, Mr. Carver Senior mentioned you were looking for topaz for your house. Any specific requirements?""No." Aria glanced at Sam, who was scanning the street with pursed lips. It was clear Sam was familiar with Panne Street. Aria had brought him to use his skills; he excelled at finding things quickly."Honestly, Ms. Carver, you came a little early," Will said as they walked. "But it's understandable. You probably don't know Panne Street's history."Aria offered a playf