Aria looked up calmly. "I didn't want to take it this far, but Mr. Soller, I think it's time your credentials are questioned." Dylan's face twisted in fury. "What do you mean by that?"Aria flashed a sly grin. "Exactly what I said."Mindy quickly tried to de-escalate the situation. "Aria, we're filming a show. Please show some respect for your seniors."Aria shot her a cold glance. "Seniors? Whose seniors? Yours? That explains a lot. Birds of a feather, I suppose."Dylan, fuming, turned to Melody. "This is too much! I'm refusing to participate if she's still on the show. Deal with this. I don't understand why you'd invite someone so arrogant, especially someone who doesn't even have a degree. Or is it because her brother's a famous idol? Ridiculous!"Dylan was certain the production team would side with him. His status alone made that seem inevitable.Melody, caught off guard by the escalation, was about to intervene when Aria spoke again. "Mr. Soller, don't get so heated. It's
Mindy quickly cut in. "Mr. Soller!"She couldn't let Aria reveal the truth. If Aria's identity were exposed, everyone's perception of her would change. Mindy, quick on her feet, knew exactly how to handle the situation. She gave Dylan a disapproving glance and said, "We're here to evaluate artifacts, so leave our family and identity out of this. The only thing that matters here is our skill."Mindy's reprimand earned her many supporters. At the very least, the audience wouldn't blame her for Dylan's actions."Melody, let's continue." Mindy maintained her resolute demeanor. "I'm sure Mr. Soller will prove himself in the later assessments."The audience agreed with her on that."That's right. We're only on the second item. Let's see who wins after all ten.""Although Mr. Soller seems questionable, there's nothing wrong with the aspiring relic restorer. Her achievements are real. Leon's sister should be more careful with her words.""What achievements has she made?""You don't k
On camera, an elderly man dressed in a white suit walked up to the stage. Despite his gray hair and age, he carried an air of refined elegance. However, at this moment, he appeared visibly angered. His gaze fixed on Dylan and Mindy with a look of hostility."Why are you here?" Hugh exclaimed, quickly walking up to him.In the cultural relics community, reputation was everything. People typically made a name for themselves by discovering or appraising rare and valuable items.Don, an expert in the field, had spent his entire life searching for cultural relics. He had been working overseas, with his greatest ambition being to recover all of Farshya's cultural relics through his influence and connections.Everyone in the community respected him. Despite his fame, Don maintained a low profile and rarely appeared in public. In recent years, believing he still had much to learn, he sought hands-on experience by spending up to a year in tomb sites. His living conditions were notoriously
Instantly, the entire studio erupted with excitement. The audience widened their eyes in disbelief, and even the director and the show's host, Melody, were left stunned.The staff exchanged nervous glances, their hands trembling. Could it really be what they thought it was?The show's executive producer was the first to snap out of his daze. He elbowed the cameraman urgently. "Get all the cameras zoomed in on Leon's sister's face now!"It would be a mistake to continue filming the Carver family's adopted daughter. After all, the person Don considered his senior was about to shock the entire cultural relics community. The producer knew exactly what the audience craved. Online comments flooded in, nearly breaking the internet.Those who had previously criticized Aria—accusing her of seeking fame, disrespecting her seniors, and being uncultured—were now staring at their phones in shock.This was so unexpected that it couldn't possibly have been scripted. Aria was actually Don's sen
Don said, "There are some old items I've always wanted to restore, but I'm worried I might damage them with my poor eyesight and trembling hands. Could you come with me after the show if you have time?" No one could believe those words came from Don's mouth.Stunned into silence, the people on stage didn't know how to proceed. Unable to interrupt the two heavyweights, they looked at Leon, their eyes silently asking if he realized how remarkable his sister was.Leon, however, maintained a composed expression. As a top idol, he had to stay calm in any situation. Yet, underneath the table, he was texting furiously."Did you guys see that? Mr. Hendricks actually called Aria his senior! This is the Don Hendricks we read about in textbooks! And what does Aria mean by knowing a thing or two about cultural relics? Thanks to her, I have a feeling I'll be headlining the entertainment news tomorrow!"Leon appeared cool and elegant on the surface, but his text message was far from that image
A new comment appeared online. "He didn't fake his qualifications, did he?"Dylan was sweating profusely on stage. The pressure was overwhelming. When he saw Owen preparing to leave, he called out in desperation, "Mr. Carver, can you help me out? You were the one who asked me to help Ms. Mindy deal with this."Online comments quickly escalated."What does he mean? Is there some inside story here?""I suspected something about Mr. Soller when he acted so dismissively earlier. Today, he seemed determined to undermine Leon's team, especially targeting his sister, as if he wanted to paint them as uncultured.""He's so ruthless! Thank goodness Aria is capable enough, or he'd use his status to manipulate anyone he pleased.""Most importantly, he's calling on Mr. Carver! Is the Carver family involved in this?"The cameramen now focused on the audience, and when Owen noticed, he raised his hand to block the shot.His demeanor had shifted dramatically from when he'd confidently exited t
Ivan didn't dare speak his thoughts, even if he had guessed the truth. Landon's power and presence were undeniable, and his very appearance said it all.Owen, after all, was supposed to be Landon's father-in-law. Yet Landon showed him no mercy.Ivan shivered at the thought. He vividly recalled Owen's request to give special treatment to Mindy. Luckily, Ivan found it troublesome and declined. If he hadn't, he might now be on Landon's blacklist.He silently praised himself for sticking to his principles. Regardless, the production team still had to explain the situation to the audience.…Meanwhile, Dylan was still shouting. "Mr. Carver, don't go! Mr. Carver!"Aria chuckled. "Mr. Soller, are you trying to get Mr. Carver to use his family's legal team? There's no need to trouble yourself." With that, she took a step back and said, "I've already called them here." Footsteps echoed from behind the curtain, and the cameramen quickly panned toward the source.Standing in formation
Things were not going as Mindy had hoped. The Carver Group's legal team didn't show up without a reason. They came armed with evidence proving that Dylan had faked his qualifications. But that wasn't all—he had also exploited his position as a lecturer to gain personal benefits from students.Take Mindy, for example. Her talent in cultural relic restoration paled in comparison to most of her peers. Yet, because she paid off Dylan, she received opportunities that should have gone to more deserving students, including prestigious awards.In their field, awards and competitions were everything. Mindy could have funded her own exhibition, but instead, she chose to steal opportunities meant for others. Worse still, she even claimed credit for work done by her group members—with Dylan's help.When Don saw the incriminating documents, his hands trembled with fury. "Do you even understand what cultural relic restoration is?" he yelled, throwing the papers at Dylan.Don was passionate abo
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