"Relationship?" Rupert was confused. "What relationship?"The officers interrogating him traded looks before saying, "We heard that Mr. Carver and the deceased were involved with each other.""That would never happen!" Rupert waved a dismissive hand. "Elijah never got close to anyone in the industry, let alone start a relationship with them. Where did you even hear that?"The officers didn't answer that question. They realized that Rupert and Poppy had told them completely different things. Either Rupert didn't know about the actors' relationship status, or Poppy had lied to them. Would Poppy lie, though? She had only graduated from university, and there was nothing wrong with her background. She didn't seem like someone who would lie about this. The officers frowned, deep in thought, and this was the scene Aria walked into. Percy was already there, accompanied by another lawyer from Carver Group representing Elijah. However, Percy couldn't take the case due to his connection wi
The best way to learn more about the case was to talk to someone who worked closely with the deceased. Usually, a celebrity's assistant would be the best informed about her schedule and recent developments, even when compared to her family.Aria was so focused on this that everything else slipped her mind. Elijah frowned. "You shouldn't have brought her here, Percy."Percy shrugged. "Elijah, be more reasonable. You're here, aren't you? It'll be fine."Elijah sighed softly. He was elegant and composed as he politely asked the officers, "Can I leave now?"Despite Elijah's popularity, the officer remained impartial. "You can't leave before you're cleared."This was standard procedure in criminal cases. However, those brought in for questioning could usually post bail unless there was solid evidence against them.Aria hadn't expected Elijah to be denied bail. This suggested the police had found something that could work against him.Percy understood this too, his usual smile fading.
Thankfully, the Special Missions Unit, or SMU, was full of talent, and one such person had just reached out to him. Drake Huntington was visibly elated, and few things made him this happy these days. Having majored in criminal psychology, Drake was usually a stoic man, and his grin shocked Holly Bush, his secretary. Aria said casually, not distantly polite at all, "I need to be reinstated to my position, Mr. Huntington. Please inform everyone below us that No. 1 is back.""I'll inform them right away!" Drake laughed heartily. "You're finally willing to come back! Where are you? I'll have Holly pick you up right now."Aria looked outside the window. "I just left Janovin, about an hour into the mountains. No need to send Holly to pick me up; I'm heading to the crime scene to investigate." "You're going to a crime scene?" Drake's first reaction was to open a report he had about a series of murders. Aria said candidly, "Someone in my family is involved, so I have to get to the bo
When Aria finally found a photo of Elara's face, one of the forum posts suddenly blew up. "I can't believe you guys are still having fun here when 'Empty Fort' won't be in cinemas anymore. Something serious happened!""What could happen? Was someone sleepwalking again?""Not something so insignificant.""Did Elara's rivals report the movie because they didn't want it to be shown in cinemas? How despicable!""Not that too. It's something way more serious. I don't know the specifics, but a lot of people were summoned for questioning. I'm really panicking here.""What sort of questioning? Be more specific, OP.""Just get ready. Someone's reputation is about to take a huge hit tonight."Aria knew what the OP said was true, while the forum members dismissed it as fake. The OP's vague posts and refusal to answer questions made them seem unreliable. Still, everyone stayed glued to the thread, eager to dig into the gossip. The more they discussed, the wilder the theories became, fue
Would it be Elara? Could she be connected to the sleepwalking incidents?Aria scrolled through her phone in the car, her thoughts racing. If it was related to Elara, her assistant was sure to know something. Aria's next course of action hinged on Percy securing the police reports and confessions. Meanwhile, Aria sent screenshots of the post to Sam. "Look into who posted this as well as their whereabouts."When Sam received the message, his eyes lit up, and he grabbed his black bag and left, biting on a piece of bread. Finding the identity of a forum member was easy for hacker L. Less than five minutes later, the requested information was sent to Aria, followed by a message saying, "I'm coming too."Aria didn't stop Sam. She read the information sent to her, and as expected, OP was someone on the crew. More specifically, she was one of the background actors; her name was Fanny Allen. The boxing-related profile pictures had led many to assume the user was male until Sam uncovere
Aria pressed on her amethyst pendant. She wondered if something like this had also happened to Elijah's crew. "Cut!" The director looked at Belle. She checked the footage and made sure that nothing was wrong with it before asking for the water to be changed into warm water. She entered the pool with her makeup flawlessly intact, paying no attention to the state of her body double. She found Fanny to be poor and filthy, and she pinched her nose when they passed by each other—how incredibly humiliating. Fanny had a blanket around her shoulders, but she was still cold. The crew had no time to provide her with any care, and they merely told her to head to the dressing rooms which had heating. Fanny headed to the dressing room. Alone in front of the mirror, Fanny clutched her phone tightly, her expression unreadable, her gaze dark. She tossed her cup of tea into the trash, the gesture brimming with resentment for Belle, who was good at nothing but putting up appearances. Yet, Fann
"Slander?" Fanny sneered coldly. "They don't need me to do that. None of those people are decent to start with."Aria pushed Fanny's arm down. "You lied during the police interrogation and posted those slanderous comments online. Do you want to guess at how you'd end up?"Fanny froze. Tears streamed down her face as she protested indignantly, "Am I in the wrong? I was just venting online. "I'm taking this acting job seriously, not them! I'm the one filming all those dangerous stunts, not them! They do nothing but take the credit for everything!"Aria studied Fanny. "You get paid for it, and you agreed to work as their body double. You're also paid handsomely for performing dangerous stunts."You should fulfill your obligations after being paid. What you're doing is considered backstabbing your employers."Not all the credit is yours, too. Some of the audience like to watch action scenes, while some others are just here for the pretty faces."Aria was someone who liked pretty fa
"Why would you think that?" Aria didn't let that piece of information slip. Fanny said nonchalantly, "Not just her, but many others in the industry. It was especially obvious in Elara's case. She was meticulous about things like when filming would start and the direction she faced during prayers."I heard she even got a protective charm from overseas. I don't have concrete proof, though."A protective charm, and from overseas?Aria pressed on her Charm Coin, her gaze darkening. "You mentioned in the post that she was sleepwalking frequently.""I saw her five times," Fanny said. "I guess I'm the only one who saw her, though. I slept there secretly during those days, but I no longer dared to do so after seeing her sleepwalking. I was afraid that something would happen to her and that the film crew would blame me."Aria raised a brow. "Didn't her management company notice such a serious issue? What about her assistant?""Maybe they didn't notice. I don't know." Fanny's gaze wander
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
Landon's warm lips brushed against Aria's. The touch was light as a feather yet utterly captivating. His kiss was so delicate it seemed to awaken every memory stored in her body. In that moment, Aria could swear she caught that same sandalwood scent from her dreams. Black mist and countless indiscernible inscriptions appeared, but he paid them no mind, gripping her waist as he whispered low in her ear. When he kissed her wrist without looking away from her face, his presence was impossible to ignore. His black leather gloves lay discarded to the side. To Aria, every place his hands touched felt like it was on fire. The sensation intensified when his fingertips traced the black mark on her neck. Something inside her screamed to take control, which made her grab his hand. He seemed to smile with his lips by her ear. "So, are you ready to pay the renewal fee?" Aria had never thought anyone could enchant her like this. But this was different. It felt just like seeing a fallen g
Landon asked, "You're getting water?" As his gaze drifted down to where Aria's hair fell, his voice turned rich and low. "Then why are your ears turning red?" Aria's hand froze mid-air. "It's hot in here." "What?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's only 70°F here." Aria wanted to tell him to stop talking so much. It was all because of what he had done in her dreams, making her imagination run wild now. Did he think having a handsome face meant he could do whatever he wanted? He even used all that binding stuff on her too. But she couldn't be sure it was even him. And even if it was, it must have been from a past life. As an arcane seeker, Aria knew what recurring dreams usually meant. But she had pushed those thoughts aside. A past life should not dictate their relationship in this one. At the very least, he wouldn't try anything like putting her in chains and locking her up now. That would be illegal. She would have him arrested and be done with it. Besides, her handsome fi
The atmosphere inside the room was totally different from the outside.Aria did sense the strange aura around Seraphina just now. Her beauty was otherworldly, almost supernatural. And there was something familiar about her presence—Aria felt she had encountered it before but couldn't remember where. Given how quickly Seraphina had withdrawn her hostility and turned gentle, Aria saw no point in making an issue of it. Besides, the way Landon was massaging her neck felt too good, making her mind feel hazy. As her blood flow slowed, she started to feel drowsy. The trio hiding in the copper coin did not dare show themselves; they were probably not even there. They had been especially quiet since arriving in Ludwiten, as if something here affected them. This was one of the things Aria wanted to investigate. The Wagners had used some unknown method to hide themselves after reaching Ludwiten. Even the Special Missions Unit failed to track them. All they had was that initial contact