Dream-Poeta didn't return to the family with Fergus, unlike in real life. They exchanged a hasty goodbye at the airport once before reuniting when Fergus attended a banquet.It was like how things would go in many novels—Fergus often found himself thinking about Poeta whenever he saw her. Perhaps his first love was simply too unforgettable, and he wanted to get to the bottom of why they'd broken up. Perhaps he wanted to ask Poeta himself why she'd chosen to leave when they'd been deeply in love.Poeta refused to say anything no matter what Fergus did, so he sought Warren out. He told Warren that he'd get by alone without the family's support, almost similar to what he'd said in Warren's study in real life. Warren would never let Fergus get tangled up in trivial romantic affairs. Carver Group was at a critical juncture, and Fergus' priority was to manage the company so that the unemployment rate could be salvaged.This was why Warren forcibly intervened in their relationship. Unl
In Aria's dream, she'd gotten to know about Fergus' engagement not because she was invited but because Fergus had gotten into an accident on the day. He fell unconscious and was in a vegetative state. Poeta, whom Fergus was already legally married to, inherited all his shares of Carver Group. Aria had been thinking about how Warren shouldn't have died so early, judging from both his physical condition and estimated lifespan. Now she had the answers. Warren was hit by bad news again and again, and he, already weak due to his serious illness, could no longer handle it.He dragged his weak body to the hospital, where he visited Fergus. His grandson remained unconscious even until the day he died. After Warren's death, some of the choices he'd made as head of the company were denounced. Naysayers talked about his archaic way of thinking and how it was incompatible with modern development. Owen started expanding Carver Group's business overseas. He fired many of the company's emp
Aria didn't think Poeta would have such a thorough plan—did she really approach Fergus for Carver Group's stock, which she'd use to eliminate Percy? Aria couldn't believe that Poeta had done it for the money. No matter how well someone disguised their ambition, it would still surface from the depths of their gaze. However, Aria believed that the other factors resulted from deliberate planning by someone else. The average person's understanding of the art of seduction was usually like this—a beautiful woman was recruited to seduce a man. That was far from all of it, though. An expert attempt at seduction would feature a man's first love. She'd look beseechingly at the man and tell him earnestly that she wanted to be with him until his life's end, regardless of their difficulties.It was okay if a man's first love approached him, but things were a bit more complicated if said first love had secrets of her own.Poeta and Fergus happened to encounter each other in a massive inter
Devon Michaels was carrying a green rucksack that was just the right size for newspapers. He was wearing a shirt and pants in a similar color and a beret, and his face was filthy. He was pinching something between his fingers. "I can't believe someone's brave enough to show up here!" Nyx was shocked. He couldn't believe that a spirit would enter this hall of all places without permission.The spirit differed from Nyx and the others in that he possessed no vengefulness and thus was not protected. If he really did approach the memorial hall, he would disintegrate at any moment. Devon seemed to have noticed the noise coming from Aria's side. He looked sideways at her, his eyes lighting up. "Hello! Finally someone can see me. What's going on? No one can see me here.""If they could see you, they'd call an exorcist over," Nyx couldn't help saying while sucking on his pacifier.Aria seemed to have remembered something. She walked over and looked at the envelope he was holding. Devon
If a spirit wanted to eat food in the mortal world, a mortal human must explicitly invite him to do so. Devon hadn't realized that he was no longer alive, but he was polite nevertheless. He waited until Aria invited him to start eating. He ate ravenously but not boorishly. He divided his pile of sandwiches into two and gobbled up half instantly before staring at the apple.While he ate, Aria grabbed a pencil and some paper. She was thinking of making some items for him using her special methods. Devon's straw shoes were holey and in shreds, and his feet were covered with blisters.When Aria noticed that he'd stopped, she asked, "Why did you stop?""I want to save the rest for the others," Devon said abashedly, touching the back of his head. "My uncle and brother haven't eaten for a long time. They only had a last piece of bread left, but they gave it to me because I needed to have enough strength to take the train."Aria paused for a while before she smiled and said, "Eat them al
Aria's gaze was filled with shock, a rare occurrence. She didn't expect Devon to know Stephen. Also, was the man named Soren, whom he had mentioned, also a member of the Warsaw family? Before Aria could ponder the question further, Stephen suddenly looked up. "Who is it?"Stephen looked confused despite his sharp gaze. He suspected he'd had a hallucination, but he was sure that he'd heard someone mention his brother Soren's name.Stephen didn't think anyone would know his brother's name, given that he should be the only one who stayed to assist the Carvers according to the plan. Soren Warsaw had joined the army at a young age. Soren was much older than him, to the extent of looking more like his father rather than his brother. He'd heard from Soren, who was on the frontlines for a while, but he ended up being the only one in his family who survived the war.He'd asked around about Soren's whereabouts years ago, and he'd gone abroad to look for traces of Soren, but there was noth
Stephen didn't know what Aria was up to, but he always did as she said unconditionally. It wasn't just because she was the head of the family but also because he believed she could handle everything well. Warren slept lightly, so Stephen didn't take long to wake him up. Stephen told him everything, and he got up so hurriedly that he'd forgotten to wear his slippers. This was unexpected given that he didn't believe in things such as spirits or deities. "Quick, take me to the study!"The visitor was a heroic spirit coming from the frontlines, and Warren had never forgotten how his family's business had come to be. Warren walked briskly, supporting himself on his walking stick. He was anxious as he wondered what had happened for a heroic spirit to visit him here. Stephen wanted to know as well, but he had to wake Fergus up. When Fergus was roused, Poeta, who was sleeping in the room next door, woke up as well. With a coat draped over her and the long hair cascading down her shoul
Only then did Devon realize that Warren couldn't see him either. He turned to ask Aria, "I can hear Mr. Carver Senior's voice. Why can't he hear me?""It's nighttime," Aria answered vaguely. "I'll hand him the letter in front of you. Is that okay?"Devon nodded. He'd stowed the letter into a pocket closest to his heart, several layers of clothes the only thing between it and the letter. Everyone else present could see nothing until Aria touched the sheet of yellowing paper. Warren took the letter immediately. After many years, the ink on it had already been smudged. The text read like someone's final words. "Never sign the West Treaty and beware of some Farshyans who have betrayed the country. Beware—"The writer hadn't gotten to finish his sentence—beware of what?Warren's hand gripping the walking stick shook. He turned to Devon, whom he couldn't see. "What's the writer telling me to be wary of?""I'm merely the messenger. I don't know about anything else." Devon looked conf
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