As long as Georgina was alive, there was hope that Lily's plan could be carried out. She had already decided what her next step would be. However, Lily remained unaware of Aria's real identity. She thought she was now among the elite in Janovin, but both the Wagners and Laynes saw her only as a doctor. None of the daughters of the wealthy and powerful in the city saw her as a friend, so they naturally wouldn't tell her about the marriage between the York and Carver families.…The collapse of the Short family directly affected the Layne family, who had already been having a rough time recently. Samuel's hands, perched on his walking stick, were shaking as he said, "Did you not find out why Landon suddenly took action against the Shorts?""You know this as well, Dad. If we investigate the matter right now, we're basically admitting our involvement in what the Shorts have done, so we can't do it."Samuel looked at his eldest son, who used to be the most competent one of them al
It wasn't only the people in Janovin who placed particular importance on their social circles. This was common regardless of area.Even a famous celebrity would have to rely on connections to borrow couture outfits from more prominent brands if they weren't ambassadors of said brands.The more prominent the brand and the better the designer, the stricter they were about people wearing their clothes and jewelry.Not everyone could come to own these pieces. For the extremely wealthy, celebrities merely served the role of good-looking clothes racks whenever they were picking jewelry and clothing. No designer would risk offending anyone in that circle. However, they couldn't flat-out reject the Carver family's proposal.They either told Keith that they were currently participating in fashion shows overseas or had their hands full with couture outfits for another client. All in all, no one took Aria up as their client. Their responses were so polite that Keith couldn't find any faul
Keith was fuming. Just as he planned to inform Warren of this so that he could think of a solution, the door to his office was pushed open. "Ms. Carver." Keith turned off speaker mode on his phone immediately.Aria had come alone. Sam had gone to Ludwiten with Fiona. Aria wanted to investigate some matters, so she hadn't asked Landon to accompany her. She paused outside Keith's office when she heard him on the phone discussing something concerning her. She remained at the door, careful not to interrupt until he was almost done.Keith didn't know how much she'd heard. He was about to explain himself when Aria chuckled, saying, "You don't need to tell Grandpa about this. His body deteriorated too much last time, and flying into a rage will negatively impact his health.""What they're doing is absolutely abominable!" Keith managed to look poised in his suit despite his rage. "They're excluding you with these underhanded methods. Color me shocked."Aria was nonchalant. "It's fine.
Aria continued, "Sometimes a luxury brand isn't expensive because of the brand itself but because of the story behind it."With his experience working for an elite company, Keith instantly understood what Aria had meant by that.Aria pointed at the crown. "I packaged myself as a foreign brand so that I can price my items higher. The story behind the brand isn't by me, but by the people in charge of my online orders."Keith paced around the room, his mouth wide open. "Do you know how popular you are in the social circles here, Ms. Carver?"He added, "I mean, the couture gowns and jewelry designed by you are absolutely amazing! The ladies here compete fiercely against each other just to get their hands on the limited items you release every year!"Keith wasn't a lady, but he knew clearly how astronomically famous the brand Lamar was in the jewelry and couture design industry. The couture gowns were relatively easy to acquire in Janovin, and Warren had reserved many of them the pre
These incidents had happened during Leon's childhood, so whatever he'd told her would be limited in that sense. Keith was different, seeing as he'd worked in Carver Group for so many years. Aria was sure that he knew clearly about those incidents. Even if he didn't, he'd have an idea about things that seemed unusual back then. In addition, he was not a member of the family, which meant that he could discuss the matter more objectively. This was why Aria's first move was to seek him out. "None of us expected Mrs. Carver to be reduced into that state." Keith heaved a long sigh. "Mr. Carver Senior fought with his son on the matter. He believed that Mrs. Carver's psychological trauma was all the more reason for her to leave the house and interact with other people in her social circles."Mr. Carver, on the other hand, didn't want to remind her of those sad memories. He also worried that she'd injure other people like she'd once done."Aria raised a brow. "Has she really injured a
Keith paused. "Are you possibly suspecting Mr. Carver? He'd never!"Aria glanced at him, and he said, pushing his glasses up, "I'll always take your side, Ms. Carver. However, according to what I know about Mr. Carver, he'd never harm Mr. Carver Senior despite their disagreements."I'm not saying that Mr. Carver is a good man, rather that he's a complicated man. He doesn't resent his father to the extent of harming him."Aria believed him. However, Owen was the only Carver who could conveniently dose Warren with poison. There was also something interesting about the time the poison had taken effect. Aria had assumed that Mindy had been the perpetrator because she'd tried repeatedly to deliver homemade soup to Warren.After investigating the matter, Aria changed her mind. Mindy's soup had never been successfully delivered. If Warren's illness worsened after Mindy delivered soup to him, she would surely be seen as responsible. Mindy probably did so because she wanted to express h
Owen wouldn't do that unless someone else ensured that he would profit massively from it, giving him the idea that he'd no longer need to be conscious of the Carver family if he adopted Mindy. Aria was a master in the esoteric arts herself. Anyone who cared about them could see that Mindy didn't possess the ability to transform someone else's fortune. Anyone who could boost a family's good fortune and someone else's would possess earthly fortune. Landon was an example of someone who had it, and he was a rare case, one in a century. Under normal circumstances, people like Landon possessed so much fortune that it made their lives difficult. Mindy didn't seem to have this quality unless she was concealing something from everyone else.Aria rose from behind the desk. "Who else is my father close to aside from Mr. Windsor? Particularly people who put their trust in the esoteric arts. Who does he interact the most often with? "Most importantly, I want to know how the Carvers came to
The twins and Nyx's appearance proved a point—a master in the esoteric arts was behind everything. While Aria had encountered Blake before, her knowledge of him indicated he was incapable of such chaos.Judging from the manifestations Aria had seen, the conjurer was considerably skilled. Aria realized she would need to consult the Dracotigris Order about the number of powerful masters they knew of. …Meanwhile, Warren was playing chess with a man older than him at home. The other man was wearing a bracelet and had a shock of white hair. "You're still so hot-tempered despite your old age. Can't you discuss the matter civilly? He's your son, after all.""As if I want a son like him, Ian." Warren drank some tea. "Now that Aria's back, I don't even want to bother with him. He can do anything he wants as long as he doesn't try to adopt some random young woman."Ian chuckled, shaking his head. "You're saying things you don't mean again.""I do mean what I said," Warren said proudly,
The three men Aria had knocked to the ground were hurting all over, yet she had the nerve to talk about following the law. Viggo knew his men were losing their cool. After all, they'd never been humiliated like this in Ludwiten before. He quickly moved to block them, forcing a smile. "Yes, you're absolutely right. "Well, they say you never really know someone until you trade a few punches. You look unfamiliar, though. You're not from Ludwiten, are you?" Viggo was fishing for information about Aria. He needed to know who she was and why their operation had suddenly derailed today. But someone as shrewd as Aria instantly caught his meaning, so she smirked. Since things had already escalated this far, it did not matter whether she revealed her identity or not. Whoever was behind these men would investigate her anyway. It was better to draw all the attention to herself now while her senior and the Public Integrity Task Force gathered evidence behind the scenes. That way, they cou
Viggo tried to explain, "You've got it all wrong—we don't mean any harm. We were just told to pick Ms. Bohmer up for paperwork. "Ms. Bohmer's a top student, and her school recommended her for study abroad. Just ask her if you don't believe me." Viggo shifted the spotlight to Eden. He figured a student like her wouldn't know how to speak up. Indeed, Eden was terrible at lying. Under Aria's watchful gaze, she nodded. She then added, "But something about them felt off. Maybe I was just being paranoid when I asked for your help." She couldn't very well tell this stranger that everything was based on a hunch, that these people gave her the creeps. They hadn't crossed any lines yet, but something felt wrong. She just couldn't put her finger on what. Eden struggled to explain, but Aria cut right to the chase. "So are you saying you need eight beefy men to escort a girl like her just to fill out some study abroad forms? Can't the teachers or the proper agencies handle it? "Looking
Hearing this, Viggo frowned. The burly men exchanged glances too as they sized up the person in front of them. They'd been in Ludwiten so long but had never met anyone as bold as Aria. They all figured that she must be some out-of-town wealthy heir who didn't know the rules here. She was practically asking for trouble when she blocked their way. These people didn't follow the stock market much. If they had, they'd know that a certain young lady had arrived in town not long ago. And she was someone who was good at dealing with those who crossed her. "You should ask around about who runs things here before acting so cocky. Since you like it here, stay right here with your bike!" As they spoke, one of them walked toward Aria aggressively, raising his arm to throw a punch. The rest moved in at the same time. But before the man could touch Aria, his hand was suddenly caught. Aria moved fast. With one leg braced against her motorcycle as a pivot point, she lunged forward and droppe
After finishing her sentence, Aria ended the call. She trusted her senior would take action on that end. Besides, nobody at the Public Integrity Task Force would dare ignore her message after hearing the way she spoke. Lucas had received his transfer orders. Just after arriving, people were already waiting for him at the train station before he had even attended any meetings. None of them were low-ranking, which matched his own status. The phone call came at an oddly perfect time. It rang right as he left the station, and it was from the Public Integrity Task Force. He hadn't forgotten why he was transferred here, so he glanced at his secretary. His secretary, Douglas Nixon, told the others, "Mr. Murray has some personal business to attend to." Douglas handled things smoothly. He immediately blocked a few people from approaching, though they were all prominent public officials from Ludwiten. Lucas did not want to delay the matter for too long. After hearing the problem, he
Besides, this spot was a perfect blind spot for surveillance. The school's security cameras couldn't reach here, and a tree blocked the view from across the street. If anyone reviewed the footage later, they would only see Eden exit the school gate and disappear after heading to the opposite side. This was exactly what Miguel and the scholarship committee wanted. Miguel had already walked away. He acted as if he'd just been out for a casual stroll, chatting with security while escorting a student along the way. Right then, Aria rode up on her motorcycle and caught the whole scene. Though she had planned to enter the school, she immediately spun her bike around and tailed the van as it drove off. Nobody noticed her because everyone in the van had their eyes fixed on Eden. The attention made Eden's skin crawl. The driver named Viggo Moseley chuckled. "You'll get used to it. The people you're meeting later are the ones handling your paperwork for going abroad." It was just a s
"Don't be silly, your grandmother and I can take care of each other just fine," Brent said. Despite the fact that he came from a village, he never thought of women as any less than men. Eden was an orphan, but her grandparents gave her all their love. "Once you go abroad, your grandmother and I will move back to our hometown. We'll farm a little land and do some other jobs while waiting for your return!" Brent's laughter put Eden much more at ease. As Miguel walked ahead, he felt nothing but mockery when he overheard her conversation. Indeed, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. If there were really such great opportunities to study abroad, the school would surely give them to children of investors and business people who supported the school. Who would choose to send a bunch of poor kids overseas? Not understanding how social class worked was just plain stupid. Eden was walking behind him, so she couldn't see his expression. When they reached the gate, the security g
Miguel said, "How are we rushing things at all? The list came out ages ago, so you're already behind schedule. "We need to handle your paperwork, clear things with your family, and get you seen by the scholarship committee before you miss this opportunity." Miguel made it sound like the spot was incredibly rare. "They picked you because of your top grades and all-around excellence. Once you're there, whether you impress them enough to get the scholarship is all on you." After hearing this explanation, Eden felt a little less worried. Her grades were definitely impressive since she was in the top one hundred of her year. Oakvale Academy was known for getting kids into good colleges and had solid connections with schools abroad. With Eden's academic record, being selected wasn't that surprising. What she did not realize was that Miguel said all this just to ease her suspicions. He needed her to let her guard down and follow him. Security cameras lined every school hallway. If
Laura believed that once she and Jett met face-to-face, he would surely give in at the sight of her condition. After all, no child in the world would abandon their mother, especially not Jett! As his mother, Laura understood Jett well. But after hearing her words, Nisa shook her head. "Laura, if you asked me to arrange a meeting with Mr. Grisham, I might try to help. But if you drag Jett into this, the Grisham family will hold me responsible. "I won't do anything that foolish. You should forget about any thoughts of using your son too. You'll only make the Grishams think keeping you in Ludwiten is simply troublesome." Nisa was a clever woman, though somewhat blunt. She really wanted no further contact with Laura. She couldn't even handle her own husband, let alone manage someone else's problems. The socialites had kicked Laura out of their circle, and there was just no way they would let her back in. Today, Laura finally had a taste of how cruel people could be. She had nothi
The person next to Durand widened his eyes. "Mr. Guetta, are you hiding something from us?" "Not at all." Durand kept his words guarded. "As businessmen, we need to understand what we should and shouldn't touch. The Fitzroy family's situation makes that pretty clear. "Let's see if Aria will be so lucky when facing similar circumstances." Lucky? Everyone knew the entire Fitzroy family had been arrested. Magdalene faced multiple charges with no hope of getting out. She had tried to send messages to that mysterious, powerful man; she believed her past connection with him might help. After all, that person had climbed so high due to many factors. Magdalene couldn't believe he would just watch as both the Draycott and Fitzroy families fell. Because if they did, he might not be able to retain his position too. Yet no one responded to her, and she finally experienced what it meant to have no peace. Every day, she heard Dorian cursing her for doing such terrible things. In just two