Gaining full control over the local business circles was crucial to their occupation of Farshya, so they couldn't afford to antagonize Barron.The Krowonians were also keen on staying out of international headlines, as their reputation would suffer if this incident became public.Viktor quickly apologized. "Sorry. It was all a misunderstanding." He spoke in stilted, accented Farshyan, "Please believe us when we say we sincerely want to work with you, Mr. Carver Senior. My subordinates were unaware that this young woman was your granddaughter."None of the intelligence they gathered had mentioned an eldest daughter in the family. She probably left the country early in her childhood, leading to her being missed in the investigation process.Viktor bowed. "I apologize for the terrifying experience, Ms. Carver."Aria replied directly, "I refuse to accept your apology. You were killing people without restraint—it was horrifying."She presented herself as a naïve, innocent young woma
Barron mulled over his thoughts before finally saying, "Tell me about this idea of yours.""Dad!" The Carvers standing nearby were shocked. They couldn't believe Barron would place his trust in this unfamiliar young woman, especially considering how obviously most of her claims seemed dubious.Barron raised his hand, halting the heated discussion around them. He met Aria's gaze. "But you must tell me where you come from and why the Krowonians were tailing you.""Sure." Aria looked at everyone. Barron, who instantly understood her intentions, gestured for everyone to leave save for a bodyguard. Aria bent down and patted Annie on the shoulder, telling her to leave as well. "Put your trust in the Carvers. They won't give you a hard time."Aria then looked up. "I'll have to trouble you to feed her."The Carvers had married good women. They had felt sympathy for Annie from the moment she walked in, so they waved her over.With the door firmly closed and the room soundproofed, no one
"Yes. Everyone is working and going to school. We travel occasionally to relax," Aria said.Barron's eyes reddened. "That's great, truly great!"It was hard for anyone not from this era to understand their commitment to studying and earning money. They just wanted their people to be able to afford food and no longer suffer bullying. It was that simple.Aria trusted herself but also believed in the existence of altruistic people—those who acted heroically to save others.She was grateful to have been born a Carver because Barron was one of those rare individuals. Despite being a businessman, he remained altruistic. "Tell me, young lady, what do you need me to do?" Barron asked, returning the new device he had been holding back to Aria once he had calmed down. He had wanted to inspect it further, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. He needed to stay focused. "I have one condition—I will never work with the Krowonians.""Don't worry. You won't have to," Aria assured hi
Barron would never let the Krowonians succeed, even if it meant sacrificing his life.However, seeing Aria willing to put herself in danger touched him deeply. He began to bow in gratitude, but Aria stopped him. "I'm really a Carver, so we're practically family. If I let you bow, my grandpa will have my head when I get back."Aria was clearly joking—Warren adored her more than any of his grandchildren, and he'd never raise a hand against her.Barron chuckled at her words. "You truly are a Carver!"As the door opened, everyone inside heard laughter. "Really. I have six brothers, and none of them want to inherit the family business. They probably find the massive family fortune intimidating."Aria's words made Barron laugh. It had been a while since the Carvers last saw Barron with a smile on his face. Despite having their suspicions about Aria, they were still thankful to her. Barron looked up. "Tell the embassy we'll attend the banquet. I'll bring Warren home with me too."The
No, this man was probably Landon's previous incarnation. He raised a brow, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "Are you Mr. Carver Senior's granddaughter who has been studying overseas?"Aria didn't give anything away. "Yes. I've heard of you."The man's smile widened, his voice as smooth as the rustling forest winds. "This is our first meeting. When did you hear of me?""You're famous out there." Aria scanned the face of his partner. She adjusted her posture and added quietly, "I prefer the reincarnated version of you."He'd tarnished himself now, something that Aria minded. She wasn't sure if he heard the latter half of her sentence, but he chuckled softly and coughed a little. "The way you look at me is interesting.""Is it?" Aria was waiting for whoever was in the study to come out. Barron hadn't invited those people here before heading to the embassy just so she could meet them. He probably had something he wanted to pass out to these men in advance.Aria had guessed ri
As fog blanketed the windows, Viktor stood outside the embassy, awaiting Barron's arrival. He had been waiting for quite some time, intending to extend a courteous welcome. However, seeing Aria with Barron caught him off guard."Care to explain this, Mr. Carver Senior?" Viktor asked, his curiosity piqued."My granddaughter is fluent in Krowonian, so she'll interpret for me. Why? Do you have a problem with that?" Barron replied. Viktor couldn't refuse to show Aria in. "Of course not. After you."Aria, her arm looped around Barron's, remarked imperiously, "This place is tiny, Grandpa.""It is not that big compared to Carver Residence, for sure." Viktor liked Aria in terms of her appearance and family background. If only she wasn't problematic. "Please follow after me."They made a turn, which took them to a vast building connected to a soccer field."This is where the school will be. The students can play soccer after school. The classrooms are over there. We plan on hiring teach
Viktor was completely focused on Barron. Beyond the conditions he had previously outlined, his goal was clear—consume the Carver family and seize control of the Farshyan Chamber of Commerce.Viktor took his seat and commanded, "Bring young Mr. Carver here so that Mr. Carver Senior can see him."Warren was the family's weakness, and Viktor intended to exploit it to the fullest.Some semblance of emotion could be seen on Barron's face, as expected. Viktor was satisfied and had the staff prepare dinner. …The agents in black followed after Aria. She had entered and left the restroom without anything happening, and she seemed quite innocent. She smoked, too. With a hooded gaze, she asked, "Do you have a lighter?"The moment an agent handed one over, Aria disarmed him by prodding on his acupoints.The agents hidden in the shadows were oblivious to what had transpired. Aria glanced up. Under her gown, a row of silver needles was strapped to her thigh.The agent died instantly, sil
Riley suddenly clutched his head, tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered his mother pushing him into a closet, shielding him as armed men stormed into the room. Her clothes were torn from the struggle, and blood was everywhere.His father, a reporter, lay on the ground with his glasses askew. The study room was in shambles.In the end, the principal found Riley and pulled him out of the closet. He could still hear his mother's frantic screams echoing behind him.With a pale face, the boy muttered, "Mom, n-no!"Nyx covered the Riley's mouth. "Ms. Carver, there's something wrong with him."Aria tapped Riley's forehead, silencing him. Her eyes darkened as she said, "If you have any humanity left, take me to the detention room to find Bree."Riley, gritting his teeth in pain, nodded. Aria remained cautious, making him lead the way as she followed close behind.The detention room was somewhere none of the children wanted to go. The principal made it clear that only those who m
In that moment, Cormac couldn't afford to care about pride or appearances. His survival depended on severing all ties, especially with a traitor."I don't have a daughter like you!" he snapped, slapping Aliya again. "Do you even realize what you've done? Trafficking human organs—do you think that's something you can walk away from?"Aliya collapsed to the floor, stunned. A chill unlike any she'd ever felt seeped into her bones. She stared up at her father in disbelief, watching as he bowed his head respectfully toward Aria, the very woman she had just mocked.In Aliya's world, her father was the state government. She had grown up believing that their family controlled everything, that Cormac Windham's influence extended far beyond his office, even as retirement loomed.But all of it was crumbling before her eyes.Outside his office, word had already begun to spread. Though muffled, the sharp sound of a slap echoed faintly through the corridor.Everyone understood what that meant—
The group dared to be reckless as Amos was Ludwiten's lieutenant governor. They were peas in a pod and did corruption together.However, they didn't know that their support had already collapsed. Aria was not in a rush to capture Amos' lackeys as her target was in the state government. She didn't go alone either, for Aliya also went with her.Shortly after, Aria issued a new command. "Seal the premises. No one is to leave. Tell everyone to remain in their seats."A request like that, especially directed at the state level, would typically require an exhaustive process—dozens of forms, layers of red tape. Even in cases involving fatalities, senior officials were rarely detained on the spot.But Aria followed with a second message, one that sent chills down spines. "This case involves foreign infiltration. Someone has betrayed the country."Those words landed like a thunderclap. No one dared raise an objection. No one wanted to be associated with treason—not ordinary citizens, and
"Grandpa, it's not convenient for me to get in touch with all of you right now. Remember to take your medicine on time. I have to pretend that I'm locked up. Uncle Eamon and Uncle Waymond have to seem fretful so that the enemy wouldn't be alerted. I'm sorry, Grandpa."Aria didn't reveal what she had encountered in the message. This was because the Special Missions Unit was bound to a confidentiality contract when making decisions. What Aria said was almost pushing the limits.Aria only agreed to get locked up just to see how people would react when the Grisham family was in trouble.When the opponent placed their attention on this incident, they would let their guard down and give Aria a chance to secure evidence of their crimes.If the Grisham family retained its usual influence, the mastermind wouldn't show himself so easily. As Aria felt sorry for her family and worried about Clyde's health, she immediately sent a message to apologize after the auction. However, she couldn't s
There was no way Aria didn't know that the conviction was unfair. Furthermore, Percy specialized in handling economic cases. He knew there was no way Aria would be locked up so quickly. Yet, her crime had been publicly declared without prior warning. Percy was absolutely furious. He tugged his tie and declared the system was corrupted. While Fergus was also helping to find connections, Warren had just landed from Janovin.Clyde had sought out all sorts of connections, even his ex-colleagues in the education field.Fiona clenched his hands. "They promised to help Dad look into it." "They're just trying to fool Mr. Grisham Senior. Their higher-ups have already warned them about it." Nisa suddenly lowered her voice. "They're trying to make his health relapse again. If that happens, the Grisham family is done for."At this moment, a low voice sounded from the door. "So that's what happened. I was wondering why there was no progress with Aria's side after a whole day."It was Eamon.
Because Amos' arrest was part of a covert operation, the news didn't reach anyone outside the circle. That meant Durand remained completely unaware. He was still riding high on the thrill of his plan, blinded by the pleasure of watching the Grisham family fall.That night, he raised a glass of wine in early celebration, his mistress seated beside him. He didn't know that the move he'd made would become the greatest regret of his life.Elsewhere, Nisa couldn't bring herself to be as heartless. That was why, under the quiet cover of night, she made her way to the Grisham residence—not to see Clyde, but to speak with Fiona. She knew Clyde would shut her out immediately, but Fiona… Fiona might just listen.They weren't close. Not the way Fiona was with Priscilla. But they had once shared a few polite meals, floated in the same social circles. Enough to warrant a conversation—barely.When they sat down, Fiona's expression was cool, even distant. She hadn't forgotten the things Nisa had
Lucas could hear the pride in his mentor's voice for Aria. After all, his mentor had taken Aria in Southbury and even owed her his life. Lucas didn't dare to inform his mentor that Aria was being suppressed in the political world. He understood his mentor well. He was devoted to the country and couldn't stand such injustice.Therefore, Lucas didn't tell the truth to prevent his mentor from worrying. If someone with his position made a move, it would become a huge issue. That was why Lucas hid the truth from him. The former had to play along with the other politicians and endure them spouting empty promises. Before Lucas set out, his mentor stood on top of Old City and looked at the vast mountains. "Do whatever you need to, just like what you had done in Southbury. I'll be waiting for you and Aria's return at Janovin."These people didn't deserve his mercy at all!"You used your authority to disregard people's lives." It was the first time Lucas had shown his emotions so open
Amos was too stunned to react. One side of his face throbbed with pain, and fish oil clung to his hair, glistening from the dish he had been slammed into.He had always eaten fish a particular way—only one side. No matter how expensive the fish, he refused to flip it over, believing that leaving it untouched brought good fortune.But today, that superstition had been smashed—along with his pride. Pinned to the table, Amos hadn't even found the time to get angry. Confusion flickered in his eyes as he struggled to rise.Then Lucas spoke, his words crashing down like a stone wall."Amos Lune, you conspired with the Draycott and Fitzroy families to crush honest entrepreneurs. You've abused your position shamelessly."Lucas didn't stop. His tone cut sharper with each sentence."We also have evidence linking you to a human organ trafficking ring in Bellebrook. You've disgraced the people who supported your rise—and the country that invested in you."Lucas had been suppressing his ange
Lucas shook his head steadily. "Not yet."Amos, still basking in the glow of his "victory", had no idea what was coming. He answered Durand's call with a smug smile. On the other end, Durand's laughter rang out loud and triumphant."Mr. Lune, you should've seen the Grisham brothers' faces! I bet they never expected to be abandoned like that!"You played it brilliantly. One quiet move, and boom—the Grisham family's out of the Chamber of Commerce. From here, it's just a slow bleed. They'll lose everything."Amos kept his tone cool. "This isn't enough. Keep pushing the online chatter. The narrative needs to focus on how their precious granddaughter cost so many investors their savings. And don't forget her carefully crafted persona—it's about to unravel."He paused, voice crisp. "Reach out to the other businessmen. Now that the Grishams can't offer any benefits, it's time for everyone to take a bite. You understand, don't you, Durand?"Durand took a moment, then replied, "Right. Got
Cormac even thought of leaving some of his influence behind after retiring. This way, he could still have some power over decisions. He thought he could remind Lucas that not just anyone could do his job well. Therefore, Cormac remained calm after receiving the note. He was already so used to handling his daughter's troubles.Cormac strode into his lounge and asked Pedro, "Is it drunk driving again? Don't you know how to handle it?""It's not drunk driving." Pedro still seemed out of it.Cormac's expression darkened. "It's not drunk driving? Was she on drugs again? I already reminded you numerous times to get someone to keep an eye on her. Which stage of the process is she at right now? Call the people from the drug-testing institution.""No. That's not it." Pedro took off his glasses and his badge.Cormac finally realized that Pedro seemed off. "What happened? Just tell me. I doubt she'll kill someone. Although my daughter is troublesome, she won't do something like that. I kno