"Has Philip told you anything, Grandpa? Why didn't he go?" Moses asked, his voice dripping with bitterness. Friends were meant to share both joy and suffering, yet Philip had skipped the race despite Moses' invitation.If Philip had been there, the car crash might not have happened. Samuel said in a low voice, "He claimed someone predicted that something would happen to him if he went to the race. I'll ask Kenny for more information when he comes by later."He added, "I've told you to spend more time with Kenny. You could learn a lot from him. Philip, on the other hand, is a bad influence."Moses' head snapped up. "Someone predicted harm if Philip went? Can this person handle my situation now? Grandpa, whenever I close my eyes, all I see is a horrifying vision of a laughing fetus. I can't take it anymore!"Moses clutched his shirt as cold sweat ran down his back. "Why did it only come for me, Grandpa?""Calm down," Samuel soothed. "That's all superstitious nonsense. The problem
"It was you who called for an ambulance, wasn't it? Moses must have called you that day to leave a record." Ignatius looked at Philip. "Here's what I think—if he said on the phone that Mouse was the one who hit the other car and there's a record of this on your phone, it could clear his name. "Moses wanted to drag you into this too, but you called for an ambulance instead."Ignatius' hands trembled as he smoked. "I don't want to believe Moses could be so cruel, but people can do terrible things to save themselves. You're a Wagner, so you're safe. Lamond and I have no way out of this."Philip knew this was true. No one would talk about the accident publicly. It happened on a foggy mountain road, and both cars' dashcams were broken. The Whits and Furlers wouldn't let Lamond and Ignatius testify.The key to clearing Moses' name was that phone call. Moses had lied, and that phone call had indirectly turned Philip into an alibi Moses desperately needed to salvage the Layne family's nam
Aria had no idea that Fiona had been asleep since returning to the hotel. Her phone had been taken from her, and it had been set to silent mode.While Owen wouldn't lower himself to check Fiona's phone, the constant barrage of messages from a certain scammer irritated him. He tossed Fiona's phone onto the table. Owen sighed as he watched Fiona sleep. "Your problem is that your heart is simply too kind."Concerned about a potential overdose, Owen called their family doctor.The doctor reassured him, "Mrs. Carver is having a normal reaction to the medication. Due to her recent episode, she hasn't slept much in the past two days. She's just exhausted."Relief washed over Owen. "I'm glad she's okay."The doctor envied their relationship. "You're such a good husband to Mrs. Carver. I'll hook her to an IV so that she can get her nutrients in."Owen nodded. Before leaving, he turned on the aromatherapy diffuser in the room. He decided to wait until tomorrow to have Dr. Kent examine
Mindy cast her gaze down; sadness etched on her face. Her cousin, Marty Carver, said, "Don't worry, Mindy. We won't become friends with that country bumpkin. She can't hold a candle to you. Kenny and Moses said that no one in our circle would accept her. She's just a joke to us."Mindy snapped her head up. "You shouldn't talk like that in front of Grandpa, Marty." "Grandpa Warren's favoritism is so obvious." Marty curled his lip. "Why can't I? If my grandpa were head of the family, that country girl wouldn't be back." Looking at the two men standing behind Marty, Mindy chided, "You shouldn't call her that, Marty! She's your cousin! Anyone else can, but not you!"Marty was perplexed. "Why are you still defending her at such a crucial time? Why is Grandpa Warren so insistent on kicking you out before she returns? Moses analyzed the situation and suspected she poisoned Grandpa Warren's mind against you. She's jealous of you, even before stepping foot back in the family!"Owen's fro
A gnawing worry settled in Owen's gut as he left Ian's. What could have happened to the Laynes? Owen thought he ought to have Troy look into it. However, upon returning, Troy was nowhere to be found. When Owen called, Troy's voice cracked with sobs as he spoke, "My nephew Howard... he's gone."Howard Jepson was the young man Philip and his friends called Mouse.After learning of everything that had happened, that feeling of unease lingered. Owen's head felt like it was close to bursting, and he thought of his wife, who acted unusually from time to time. Abruptly, he instructed his driver, "Turn around. We're going to Mr. Windsor's place.""Yes, sir."…Blake was swamped that day as every noble family in the city sought his services except for the Wagners. Philip was looking for the young woman he'd met. "Are you telling me you knew nothing about this, Mr. Weller?" Philip demanded, disbelief lacing his voice. "Look at Ignatius' eyebags! Please, tell us, where is your niece?"W
The elderly neighbors huddled together, their voices laced with confusion. "Wasn't that ball supposed to be indestructible?""I recall that as well. It was quite scary, too.""Anyone who tried to step on it would fall. And didn't we hear strange noises at night? I think they came from that thing.""This yard is empty, so what could be making a noise? The sky's turning dark, and I'm concerned about Sam getting spooked. Let's drop this."Spooked? Sam looked up, squeezing the ball in his hand with an innocent expression.The old folks stood speechless, a sense of dread settling over them like a shroud. There was something off, something deeply unsettling about the situation."Perhaps that's normal," one of them ventured. "Didn't Aria say he was skilled at dealing with the supernatural?"Meanwhile, Georgina bustled around the yard, setting up a table laden with snacks, fruits, and a steaming pot of tea. She planned to invite the neighbors over for a board game. It was a remarkab
Ignatius didn't expect the expert Philip spoke of to look like this. She was young and beautiful. She was also currently grilling meat over a fire. She didn't resemble a fortune-teller; rather, she seemed more like a celebrity.Aria raised her brow slightly. "Are you here because of the car crash? You want me to deal with your predicament, don't you?"Both Philip and Ignatius were in awe. How did Aria know when they had said nothing at all? The Laynes would keep this incident quiet, meaning Aria must have foreseen it.Ignatius looked at her with a desperate plea. "You must save me, Ms. Aria, please!""I won't get involved," Aria drawled. "You need to make amends on your own until your debts are settled."Ignatius' face drained of color. He turned to Will, pleading, "Please, Mr. Weller! Help me put in a good word or two!"Will dared not interfere with Aria's decision. "If she doesn't want to help, there's nothing more to be done."Anxious, Ignatius trailed after Aria. "I know I'v
Philip was filled with disappointment. He and his friends had been part of the same social circle for over a decade, always following Moses' lead. They never expected Moses to drag them down with him just to survive this ordeal.Aria casually flipped a coin, remarking, "Your other friend is probably having it the worst."Once they entered the yard where Sam stood, no spirit or ghost dared approach.Tobias had told Aria that fetuses denied life before birth, especially those who should have been born but weren't, harbored immense vengeful energy.With Philip and Ignatius' arrival at Aria's mansion, the vengeful spirit's targets dwindled from three to one. One could only imagine Lamond's torment.Philip was desperate to save his friend. "What should we do?"Just then, Lamond called. He said, "I feel so cold, Philip. Can you come over? I'm so scared."Cold at this hour? Desperate to help, Philip didn't notice anything unusual in Lamond's words. Before he could respond, Aria took hi
Aria's question made Orion freeze right away. The scholarship program was his secret lifeline. He simply couldn't figure out how she knew so many details about everything! "You've been setting me up in the stock market all this time. How did you also find out about the scholarship program?" Orion felt genuinely scared now—everyone had really underestimated Aria. When had she done all this research? She'd dug deeper than he ever imagined. The scariest part was that neither he nor that person had noticed anything. They all thought she was just helping the Carver family restore their former glory. Keeping the Chamber of Commerce out of the Carver family's hands was that person's strict order. That was why the Draycotts had climbed so quickly within the organization over the years. They all assumed Aria had come to Ludwiten to target the Chamber. But now... Orion looked up again. "The scholarship program is weird business. I only handled recruitment. I don't know where those peop
Orion said, "I don't know much, honestly." He looked at Aria with hesitation, as if he was afraid to name that person. He made a gesture instead. "That person is the lieutenant governor of Ludwiten, who has many achievements to his name. "If you're brave enough to investigate, I can tell you about the deals I handled. But I don't know about the rest." Aria raised an eyebrow. Her expression said everything—she had already kidnapped him, so did he seriously think she would be afraid to investigate this further? Orion took a deep breath. "I just handle the money. That person wants something bigger—he wants to make history, but he's been in poor health lately. He needs me to keep certain people in line, but I can't give you details since I really don't have proof." "Which people does he control? And how does he do it?" Aria asked casually. Orion glanced upward, his eyes slowly losing focus. "I have no idea which people." "Mr. Draycott, I thought you would have learned by now.
"Who the hell are you?" Orion shouted as he couldn't hold back anymore. He gripped the armrests hard, almost jumping out of his chair. But Aria barely glanced his way. "I brought you here, didn't I? Who do you think I am?""Y-You're..." Orion remembered a rumor from a business dinner about a Special Missions Unit that operated outside normal chains of command. They could investigate anyone without going through regular channels.Their authority even topped the Regular Missions Unit. Orion had laughed it off back then. Every group had to answer to someone higher up, so there couldn't be a unit with that kind of freedom. In Ludwiten, everyone answered to that one big shot. But now he realized such a thing actually existed!Orion's face turned ghostly pale. "Are you… a part of the Special Missions Unit?"Only that could explain everything! With all her digging and investigating, that person would have noticed what she had been doing. But Orion did not understand something. "
Usually, in this situation, Orion would have a lawyer present. But things were different today! He did not even know which department was holding him. All his usual connections seemed blocked, which made Orion start to panic from deep inside. He sat there, fidgeting nervously. No one else was in the room. "I want a lawyer! I'm innocent!" he shouted, trying to move, but his hands were cuffed to the chair. Just then, a familiar cool voice spoke up, carrying its usual casual tone, "Whether you're guilty or not, the law will decide." It was Aria. Her presence was completely different from earlier in the office. When Orion saw her, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. There wasn't a trace of the spoiled, rebellious, rich kid in her now. Instead, she looked at him calmly as if she were the highest authority in this place. Orion's heart sank. He wasn't stupid and knew how things worked. That was why his eyes widened as he stared at Aria. "Who are you really?" "D
Magdalene told Laura, "Now you're the partner everyone wants to work with." She laughed out loud. "This divorce couldn't have come at a better time." Laura's eyes widened as Magdalene spoke, her excitement growing by the second. "Mom, does that mean I'll be..." Laura could hardly imagine how amazing her future would be. Magdalene stroked her hair. "They won't call you Mrs. Grisham anymore. They'll call you the CEO of the Fitzroy Group." Laura's face trembled with barely contained excitement. She never considered that the shares they wanted weren't rightfully theirs but something they were taking through dirty tricks. "I was worried these families might side with Aria." Laura had genuinely been concerned about this. After all, families like the Katz family and those families working in traditional industries had started treating Aria with the same respect they once had for Barron. This was exactly what drove Laura crazy. Why should Aria get to live carefree after ruining her
Magdalene felt better than she had in a long time. She even ordered someone to open a bottle of wine to celebrate. This was the most relaxed day Magdalene had experienced in weeks. News about the Draycott family kept pouring in, and she had been feeling not just anxiety but a deep uneasiness. Over the years, the Fitzroy and Draycott families had become deeply entangled. Even without obvious business interests like others had, they shared information regularly. Even in that incident years ago, the Fitzroy family had been involved. Previously, she had worried more than anyone about the Draycott family's collapse. Now, she felt differently. First, there were the Grisham shares they would soon acquire. Second, she had learned that the Draycott family was not the only one that had lost money in the stock market because of Aria. Many prominent Ludwiten families had suffered losses thanks to her market manipulations. Magdalene understood clearly that to establish themselves in this
Aria turned her head, smiling brightly. "If you put it that way, I guess there really is something wrong with me." Lily couldn't understand why Aria still acted this way even after she had said all that. It was like Aria couldn't be bothered to take her seriously, as if she were just some random stranger with no connection to her. Lily was the one with knowledge of the future! Her face darkened. Aria noticed Lily's eyes on her, so she turned to face Lily. "You're Grandma's granddaughter, so I've cut you some slack. But you've only gotten worse by using visits to Grandma as excuses to steal things. "Anyone who cares about what you're saying can look into it. As for everything else, I'll leave that to these gentlemen." Hearing this, Lily panicked. She knew perfectly well that if Aria left, no one in that room would spare her. The most painful way to torture someone was to make them live in constant fear. Aria left the office, abandoning the terrified Lily. Those Chamber membe
Aria said, "You guys have misunderstood me. The Draycott family is just the first to fall. After that..." Aria's gaze fell on the figure hiding at the back. "Since Mr. Fitzroy is here, I won't need to make a special trip to your residence. Tell Mrs. Fitzroy Senior that your family is next on my list." Everyone who heard Aria's words wanted to eliminate her. But clearly, now wasn't the time. She had the upper hand, and the Draycott family's downfall had not benefited them at all—especially the Fitzroy family, who were already having a public clash with the Grishams. The Fitzroys wouldn't have stepped forward, but now that they'd been called out, they had to respond. Since things were out in the open, they had nothing to hide anymore. "Let's see about that." Their message was clear. Besides, they had already lost money in the stock market and weren't happy. Though they weren't as powerful as the Draycotts, they still had their backing from the mysterious man. If they united,
After this incident, members of the Chamber of Commerce couldn't keep pretending nothing had happened—especially those who had stabbed the Grishams in the back to climb up with the Draycott family. As fear crept through them, they were particularly worried that Orion might spill their secrets from years back. The corporate tower had never seen such a crowd gathered below as today. Earlier, they had kept up appearances. But the Chamber members now pushed past security, bringing their entourages charging up the stairs. Aria watched all of this with interest. She'd come here waiting for the rats to crawl out of their holes. Like the Guetta family, who were close to the Grishams but never made waves in Ludwiten. Jett's problems had enabled Aria to follow the breadcrumbs and uncover the truth. Without them, she wouldn't have spotted that the Guettas had jumped ship to the Draycotts. Those seasoned business sharks definitely had not expected to find Aria when they arrived. They wan