The mother and son conspired to bring misfortune upon happy families. The old woman believed a daughter-in-law from a fortunate background would be ideal.There were no real demons, only the darkness that lurked within human hearts, twisting desires into temptations, which led to the manifestation. Only a single object remained with the Earthbound Manifestation shattered and vengeful spirits trapped within a Charm Coin by Aria. It was a simple candle jar, a customary offering to Gaia in times long past. However, this practice had become increasingly uncommon with waning faith in Gaia.Ever the pragmatist, Aria retrieved the jar, recognizing the value of even the most ordinary loot. As the remaining trapped spirits surged toward the surface, one among them cried out, searching for her daughter.Stepping forward, Aria inquired, "Is your daughter the seventh in line with the surname Carver?"The spirit, its consciousness fading, confirmed, "Yes, she was abducted. She wore a tiger ha
A lone candle jar on the east side of Daemon Grimlock's study exploded.His face contorted in shock, a stark contrast to his previous composure while studying the fortune. He stared at the shattered glass in disbelief. A violent cough erupted from his lungs, expelling blood as his blood pressure spiked.The commotion alerted the secretary outside, who attempted to enter. "Mr. Grimlock?""It's nothing!" Grasping his cane for support, Daemon clutched another candle jar tightly. His voice, aged by a decade in a mere moment, rasped, "Send someone to check on Owen. I need to know what he's doing right now.""Yes, sir!" The secretary promptly complied.A sinister glint flickered in Daemon's eyes.He struggled to understand what was happening. The Carver family's fortune, which he had painstakingly amassed, was inexplicably slipping away, trickling back to its rightful owners."Wait," he croaked, halting the secretary. "Ask Blake if Owen still trusts him implicitly, like before."Daem
The manager nodded."I've read about it in martial arts novels. It's pretty impressive!"Aria said calmly, "That man's robes are from Mount Dracotigris."Upon hearing this, the manager froze. "What do you mean?"She raised her chin and stated, "He's a real cultivator. Whoever kicks him out will be unlucky."The manager's jaw dropped. "No way, Ms. Carver…""Bring him back quickly. Cultivators aren't just in novels," Aria said casually. "Haven't you seen the videos online? There was even a recent cultivator conference.""What conference?" The manager jerked his head up, unsure if such fantastical things existed in reality."It's true," she said, showing him a page on her phone. "It was an academic conference. Judging by his attire, he likely holds a high position among cultivators."The manager immediately rushed to stop Homer from being ejected."Sir, I apologize for the misunderstanding!" the manager exclaimed hurriedly. "You're here for the cultivator conference, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Homer's eyes lit up. "Take me there quickly!"He was confident that this Mr. York was the apprentice he'd been searching for. However… "It's you?"Disappointment creased Homer's face as he stared at Landon in the posh hotel suite. "Why are you staying here instead of York Residence?"Aria watched the scene with amusement. When it came to York family gossip, most of it was true. For instance, Landon was blessed with such good fortune that even the esteemed wise sages of Mount Dracotigris were envious.Landon coughed awkwardly a few times, maintaining his composure. "Mr. Bond, it's been a while. You seem to be as vigorous as ever."Homer rolled his eyes and turned to Aria. "So this is the Mr. York who supposedly borrowed the fortune from the heavens?"She nodded. "He's practically Heaven's favored child. He has no need to borrow fortune at all," Homer said. "Mr. Bond, you exaggerated," Landon said with a chuckle, pouring Homer a cup of coffee.Then he glan
The ease of online exposure these days kept Homer, a recluse, hesitant to leave his mountain sanctuary.Even the Carver Group's PR department was caught off guard by the sudden publicity. Their hotel had skyrocketed to the top of trending topics, an unexpected stroke of good fortune that left them bewildered. Three of the top trending topics were all about their establishment!The most popular one read, "Shocking! I won the lottery! The wise sage's words are true! Hurry up and get a room!"Prior to this, the hotel's rating had dipped to a mediocre 4.3 stars. Worse, business conferences had dwindled at the ageing five-star establishment. Comments were rife with complaints about guests frequently falling ill during their stays, encountering rude and passive-aggressive staff, and experiencing inexplicable bad luck after their visits. Some even dismissed any chance of good fortune and accused Homer of being a fraud hired by the hotel for a publicity stunt.Learning of this, the hot
Mindy, ever understanding, offered, "Aria's drastic measures were likely intended to boost hotel business. Don't be too hard on her."Owen shook his head repeatedly, looking defeated. "She just returned, and Dad has already let her take over the hotel? It's too soon. I won't hold it against her as her father, but the hotel has many other shareholders to consider. "If things go south, I'm worried there will be trouble. Even though our family owns the biggest share, we can't ignore the other owners' opinions." His phone rang, interrupting him. "See, another stockholder calling, pressuring me to take back control."Mindy noticed the call and interjected, "Dad, other issues can wait, but public perception is crucial. If we don't address it, things will only spiral out of control and become even harder to manage."He acknowledged her point. "I just worry that if we hold Aria responsible, she'll become defensive.""Then you should apologize on her behalf," she replied instantly. "Not o
"Let's discuss this later, after we've resolved the issue. Get the press release ready quickly," Owen said before hanging up the phone.Mindy's eyes flashed with anger as she glared down the hallway from her room.When a nurse arrived, Mindy laid back down and reached for her phone.The social circle's group chat wasn't as lively as when Moses and Philip were around, but news about the hotel was still being discussed. Someone tagged her."Mindy, is this your family's hotel?""Why use such a bad marketing strategy? If I hadn't already been at your hotel, I would've believed it.""Who is the new person in charge? Tell Uncle Owen to fire them now. This is so humiliating!"Mindy couldn't contain her grin, but the answer she typed out was more modest. "Don't be so harsh. My sister just came back and isn't familiar with the market yet. It's understandable that she might make some mistakes."The group chat lit up with responses."Sister? You mean the one who just returned to the Carv
"You can't say that! Leon's stage performances are excellent. If you take a picture with him and upload it, it will become viral in minutes.""Well, the Carver family is viral now. Leon only cares about his biological sister and never cares about Mindy. Sooner or later, that bumpkin will take him down as well."Mindy, seeing this, said, "Kylie, it's no surprise Leon doesn't care about me. After all, I'm just someone the Carver family sponsored.""What do you mean just a sponsee? You were there for the Carvers when Mrs. Carver lost her mind. Who knows where they'd be now if it weren't for you? Now that this bumpkin has returned, the Carvers want to disown you, and she's even making the hotel ratings drop.""Kylie, Dad has always been kind to me. He's trying to mend things now. Let's not discuss Aria's situation anymore."Kylie Wagner was Philip's cousin. She had been close to Mindy since they were little. They were also schoolmates. Despite different courses, they were well-known o