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,
"Of course we'd do it after you asked, Kylie. The Carvers may be rich, but our families aren't lacking either. They want us to suck up to a country bumpkin they randomly took home, like, are they serious? As if she's worthy of that.""Okay, stop there. Just mentioning her ruins my mood. I don't know if my grandpa has gone senile. He's repeatedly told me that we should show the Carvers some respect regarding this matter because her six brothers back her up.""Everyone knows those brothers don't care about their family matters. Except for Leon, they all dote on Mindy too. They won't just stand by while a country bumpkin is brought into their family."This was what Mindy heard when she walked over. She paused in her tracks for a moment so the person behind her wouldn't hear the conversation inside. She took a step back deliberately, seemingly to accommodate the owner of the gallery. She said with a smile, "Thank you, Verona, for connecting me with the other party. I would've been at
"I know. I'm happy that my sister's back too." There were no flaws in Mindy's smile. "The banquet will be held tomorrow. Grandpa doesn't know that you're back yet, I think, or he'd surely send you an invitation."Verona's hand flew to her head, her emerald ring catching the light. "The Carvers sent me a letter, but I haven't gotten the time to open it… I thought it was from Owen. Ahem… I'll check later.""You still don't think much of Dad, Verona." Mindy shook her head. "He's having a hard time, to be honest, all because of me. No one understands him."It was obvious that Verona didn't want to talk about Owen. She merely said, "I'm jealous of everyone who took Fiona from me."Mindy couldn't help but laugh. However, she then cast her gaze down, seemingly worried. "There's something I'm unsure I should mention, Verona.""What can't you tell me?" Verona gently fixed Mindy's hair.Mindy bit her lip. "I'm afraid saying this might seem like I'm stirring trouble, but I'm worried my sist