Verona grasped Aria's intent and assured her, "Don't worry, Aria. I won't mention today's events to anyone, including Toto's father.""Thank you. And please ensure Toto doesn't come across such dolls again."Verona nodded quickly, having had more than enough of this experience. She was determined to prevent it from happening again. As Aria prepared to leave, Toto grabbed her hand. "Aria, what's wrong with Starry? Why did you ask Mom to stop me from playing with her?"Children often become attached to toys, especially those who are single-parented like Toto. This gift, given by his father, was particularly cherished.Aria knew she needed to be clear with Toto. She looked him in the eye and said, "Toto, do you remember what happened in the dream?""I do." There was no way Toto could forget about the events in his dreams. Aria gently patted his head. "The wooden doll caused everything that happened in the dream. It came from Krowo, and—"Before she could finish, Toto's anger fla
"However, if they have to choose to bow to you, they won't be happy about it," Verona said, looking at Aria. "There's also Mindy. The biggest mistake I've ever made in my life is introducing her to people I know."Yet she deserves recognition for her accomplishments. She's highly regarded in the antiques world and has deep knowledge of artifact restoration. If you plan to take action against her, be sure to weigh your decision carefully."Verona was worried, especially after learning that the doll was made by a company whose shares Owen held a controlling number of. The more she thought about it, the more afraid she was that something was going on behind the scenes. Aria laughed, casual and alluring. "After Grandpa passed the company down to me, I was at a loss on where to start from. If someone insists on presenting themselves to me on a silver platter, I'm not going to let them go unscathed."I also know some things about antiques and artifacts. They aren't as powerful as fortun
The Carver family had finally secured a successor. With Aria now leading the company, the family’s businesses were safeguarded. Warren had always been discontent with Owen, not only due to his selfishness but also because of his ineptitude. Warren feared that Owen might trade away their shops for personal gain.The Carver family was now heading in a new direction. The shareholders and capitalists could sense that; thus, the number of people on Owen's side had significantly decreased.…Owen had never lost his temper so badly. In the lobby, he smashed everything he could get his hands on. "Why did no one tell me that Fiona has recovered?"He glared vehemently at the family doctors. "Didn't I tell you to report everything about Fiona to me? Or have you all become blind and incapable of treating your patient?"The doctors panicked. "Mrs. Carver's sickness wasn't one she could recover from. We checked her thoroughly.""Are you telling me that everything which happened at the banquet
The old man had taken on different identities throughout the years, so no one would figure out who he was, and this was why he must be careful to make sure nothing went wrong. He returned to the study with his lamp and looked at his butler standing outside. "What's going on?" he asked hoarsely. His hands were so thin and wrinkled that they were hard to look at.Judging from the cold sweat beading on his forehead, the butler feared him. "The young master is outside. He's worried about you, so he insisted on visiting you. I was afraid that he'd see things he shouldn't, so I made noise on purpose."The man surveyed his butler carefully before pushing the inkwell back into place. This also made him look at himself in the mirror—skin hanging loosely from his bones, an ugly figure, eyes filled with geriatric tiredness.The mirror shattered after he struck it with his walking stick. He said, "Find out from the Laynes when the item I need will be ready."The old man's shadow, hidden in t
Georgina's first encounter with her blood granddaughter Lily was fraught with tension. Though she had considered shutting the door on Lily, the girl's tearful pleas—her eyes swollen and red—halted her."I just wanted to see you, Grandma. Why do you dislike me so—is it because of my mother? My mother and I are different people, Grandma!"Lily was great at acting. As someone who had lived another life, she knew how to make Georgina's heart soften. "Am I no longer your granddaughter in your heart, Grandma? Weren't you and Grandpa excited when I was born?"The elderly residents of the neighborhood pitied her, and they advised Georgina to let her in first despite the misunderstandings between them. After a brief hesitation, Georgina decided not to think so poorly of Lily.Lily didn't ask Georgina for anything. She gave Georgina some supplements and helped her tidy up the herbs at the clinic before massaging her legs.Before leaving, she said, "I'll visit you again, Grandma. You sho
A company would change drastically whenever someone new took office. No one could say for sure where the new CEO's first strike would be aimed at. Every department was discussing Aria, but none of the employees had seen her face before. Aside from the Carvers, the media was more wary of Landon. Without Landon's permission, no reporter dared release a front-facing photo of Aria. It was known that the washrooms in a large-scale company was where the gossip was at, and that was true for Carver Group as well.Aria had overheard two employees putting lipstick on say to each other, "Do you think the new CEO will be adept in managing the company?""Who knows. I heard that she's pretty young. You know as well as I about the situation of our company. There are so many shareholders; who would listen to her?""None of them, probably. She came out of nowhere after all. It's none of our business anyway; we're just ordinary employees. If things don't work out, we can just leave."Aria walked
The low-level employees were all freaking out, as none of them expected the new CEO to come over for an inspection. They were all stunned as Aria passed by, followed by Keith. Keith appeared to be refined and gentle, but there was a terrifying, intimidating coldness that only employees could pick up on. This was especially true for those in the secretariat; a chill ran down their backs upon the sight of Keith, and everyone who was discussing between themselves clammed up immediately. They'd assumed that the new CEO would be meek and uptight, seeing as she was from the countryside, so they were all pleasantly shocked when they saw Aria for the first time.They had never met anyone who was more intimidating than both Keith and the bodyguards. Even Mindy had paled in comparison to Keith when she had visited the company. Aria, on the other hand, proved to be unforgettable, both in appearance and the way she conducted herself. Wearing a black leather jacket, a white shirt, and a high
They concluded that Aria was quite smart. One day had only passed since the banquet, and yet she knew who everyone was. Even if Warren was helping her, this didn't discount the fact that she had a shockingly great memory. She had also thrown the pen with great accuracy. The shareholders were old, not stupid. Aria was more than she looked on the surface, and if they were smart, they would have some self-preservation instead of doing anything dumb.Hugo West was a crafty old man. "I didn't expect you to know about me, Aria. You really do take after Mr. Carver Senior in this aspect—you care about us old men."He was saying this on purpose to flatter Aria, who smiled. "I was worried that you'd be tired, Mr. West. If you have any good news, share it with Mr. Chary in private."Hugo was on Owen's side, so he wanted to rope other shareholders into expressing his stance. He didn't expect to be interrupted before he could start. He could only pat his bald head and guffaw. "Jon here has s
Landon cast a glance at Aria, curious about how much she actually knew about the stock market. She had always been modest about her knowledge, but he suspected there was more to her than she let on. The only one oblivious to Aria's true capabilities was Jett. Yet, he dared not refuse any request she made. Without hesitation, he tapped into his social circles, pulling strings where needed.Less than an hour later, Orion received word. A slow, chilling smile spread across his face. "So, the Grisham family wants to dip their hands into real estate too?"Arlo handed him a report. "Just as you predicted. It's not just real estate—Ms. Carver's making moves in the stock market as well. Fortunately, you already set a trap for Mr. Jett in advance."For the first time in days, Orion’s tension seemed to ease. A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Fine. Let them struggle their way in. I don't care how they do it, but make sure the Carver family is crushed in the stock market.""Understood." A
Jett asked, "What exactly are you after? There's no need to bring down the Draycott family so quickly. It's not like you can win. Didn't you join the Chamber of Commerce to take things slow? You just arrived in Ludwiten. Why the rush?""Am I in a rush?" Aria asked. She wasn't after the mastermind behind the Draycott family. If she were, she would've tied Orion to the financial building and let people take pictures all day—no need for mind games.The situation was too tangled, too many people involved. The Draycott family had managed to cover up something as blatant as that incident at the bar. Someone had to be cleaning up after them.Finding a few scapegoats would have been easy, but Aria wanted more. She wanted to uncover everyone who had spread rumors about Fiona in the past.And for some reason, despite their focus on the Grisham family, it felt like they were up against the Carvers. Whoever was behind this didn't want the Carvers to regain control of the Chamber of Commerce.
Jett grew more agitated as he spoke, waving his hands as if he wanted to tear Owen apart. Aria promptly stopped him. Otherwise, passersby might think he was an escaped patient from Ludwiten's mental asylum.Owen had done many foolish things, which Aria only discovered after arriving in Ludwiten and conducting her own investigation. Warren carried guilt toward Clyde because of Owen. And while Jett was normally timid, his words weren't wrong.When Owen first came to Ludwiten, he thought he could make it big, recklessly using the Grisham family's funds and resources. But he had been deceived by several people and lost everything.Not only was he foolish, but he was also malicious—leaving behind a disaster for the Grisham family to clean up. "Jett, calm down," Aria said. "I know Owen dragged the Grisham family down. He's already been punished and won't be coming out anytime soon."You and I both despise him, but let's stop dwelling on the past. He's not worth it."Jett had never
With Landon monitoring the stock market, Aria could walk right into Orion's trap. This way, Orion would let his guard down. When people felt confident, they invested more. Aria, well-versed in the stock market, understood this all too well. She had never intended to get rid of Lily. However, things were different this time. There was a limit to how much one could withstand another's viciousness. Aria doubted Lily could predict the market flawlessly—it was impossible, just as it was impossible for her to know everything.The logic was simple. If something fell outside one's area of expertise, even the most attentive observer would only grasp the outcome, not the details. Thinking it over, Aria realized Lily only knew about major events. The smaller ones seemed to escape her notice.If she put herself in Lily's shoes, it was like remembering which lottery would have a winner but not the exact numbers drawn.After all, no one knew when they would be reborn. The only way to acce
Malcolm did not know why Aria was asking, but he remembered the details clearly. "It was after that day." Aria tapped on the desk. "No wonder the Draycotts suddenly changed their market strategy. I get it now." What was she talking about? Before Malcolm could ask, Aria continued, "Some people are trying to cheat the system. Keep an eye on things, but stay safe. If anything happens, come to me first. "Like you said, they've got deep connections. Don't bother with the police—just keep the evidence." "Got it." Before hanging up, Malcolm asked, "Should we still watch the stock market?" Aria smirked. "Yes. They're not the only ones who can play dirty." Lily had probably been reborn too. But whatever Lily knew, Aria knew as well. She had never thought to use that knowledge this way before since it hadn't seemed necessary, but things were not the same now. If her dreams were real, then in her past life, Lily had only made it to Janovin. She had played the star medical student at
After being together all this time, Aria suddenly had a thought. Were she and Landon too distant from each other? No, "distant" was not quite the right word. It was more like they did not know each other well enough. Landon always felt just out of reach, like there was a fog between them. Simply put, he was not being straight with her. The thought left her feeling uneasy. Before she could say anything, her phone rang. It must be news about the Draycotts. It had to be something big for them to call so urgently. Aria glanced at the pair. Landon smiled. "If you have questions, Jett, feel free to talk with my manager, Ms. Virelle." Manager? Seraphina caught on quickly. "Mr. Grisham, shall we step outside?" Jett was still trying to process everything. "Wait." Balancing business and personal matters as usual, Aria held her phone up and said, "I heard Ms. Virelle used to work at the Draycotts' club. Let's have a chat later." Seraphina froze, glancing at Landon. Seeing his bl
Seraphina could not let her mind go there. Maybe she should've stayed in Netherrealm for a few more years. It was not so bad down there anyway. Landon barely spared her a glance, keeping his eyes on Jett with polite interest. "Won't you sit, Jett?"Sit? Jett could barely remember why he had come in the first place. Landon's voice snapped him back. "I... Mr. York, excuse me for asking, but what's your relationship with Ms. Virelle?""She works for me." Landon glanced at Seraphina. "Ms. Virelle? That's a new title."Jett stumbled over his words. "She works for you?""Yes," Landon said casually, like it was the most obvious thing. "Isn't it obvious?"Jett could not imagine the Yorks being in that kind of business. From Jett's expression alone, Landon could guess what kind of mess his people had made in Ludwiten. Since he had been dragged into it now, he figured he owed the Grishams an explanation. "I planted her in the Draycott family. The Yorks need a foothold in Ludwiten."So
Getting out of there wasn't going to be easy. Aria did not waste any time. She moved fast behind the suite divider, her laugh carrying a different note than usual. "What a shame."Landon's hand paused as he fixed her hair, his voice as smooth as ever. "I could have them leave.""Bad timing. My cousin's out there." Aria glanced at him, taking in that perfect collarbone of his. No wonder they used to call him the untouchable one, with all those socialites dying for just a smile.She had never given much thought to that kind of thing before. All those times working with patients, she had kept things strictly professional. But things felt different now, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Her gorgeous fiancé had a way of making her lose her head.Landon pulled his hand back while looking down. "We should meet with your cousin. I hear the Grishams like to evaluate their in-laws.""Huh?" That had not crossed her mind. He did not seem like someone who would care about app
Aria felt something wild coming off him. It was not hatred, but something close. She was too caught up to figure out what it was. She had never felt anything like this before; it was like she was floating. Her eyes were open, but she could not focus. Even his breathing felt like an invasion, starting at her ear and spreading through her whole body. When his fingers pressed into her waist, instinct made her try to push him away. That was a bad move—it only made things more intense. He lit her up like a match, heat spreading from her neck downward till she had to tilt her head back just to breathe. It reminded her of that hazy dream, the one in which she had been caught between sleep and waking, her pulse racing and her skin on fire. But it did not feel exactly the same because what she was feeling now was real. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpses of the river through the massive windows. The view was blurry, but it was enough to remind her where she was. Unable t