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
Barty came from a small town and was celebrated as the top graduate of his county's high school. His parents and the entire village pooled their resources, hoping that his university education would bring prosperity to their community.However, once Barty started studying under Dylan, he realized how harsh reality could be. For students like him, coming from humble backgrounds, achieving success was far more challenging than expected.At first, Barty believed he could endure until graduation. Dylan was his mentor, and he convinced himself that persevering through the hardships would pay off. He even imagined that once he had juniors under his guidance, he could help them avoid the same fate.Barty had planned to quietly blend in, graduate, and leave. But Dylan had other plans. Dylan became more oppressive after securing a connection with the powerful Carver family. Every achievement Barty and his team earned was attributed to Mindy, who took all the credit, even their awards.Dyl
Upon seeing the students, Dylan almost collapsed to the floor on stage. Aria glanced at him before turning to the stage. "I did what I promised you. Also, you don't need to worry about your degree certificates. Mr. Hendricks here will ensure that you're treated fairly."Don had already gotten an approximate idea of what had happened. He nodded. "I'll be in charge of helping you."None of the seven students expected this from Aria. Not only did she not resent them for accusing the Carvers of doing something they hadn't, but she'd also carefully considered their futures.Don was a real scholar, one they'd never dream of talking to. "Thank you, thank you!" they said in unison. Barty bowed first, and his juniors followed.Aria didn't forget who had tried to ruin the Carver family's reputation. Warren and Barron had always supported students from poverty, and they'd never tried to take the life someone rightfully deserved away from them. The Carvers would even put more resources int
It was normal for different people to approach a topic differently. Some of those excessively kind people would always have excuses ready. The line between good and evil was blurry for many people to start with, and things had changed now compared to the past. Although Mindy wasn't a daughter of the Carver family by blood and had done many evil deeds, numerous folks still found her pitiful.The support offered by those people would usually be converted into fuel for Mindy, enabling her to borrow more fortune. She'd wanted to manipulate the public's way of thinking like how she'd always done, but it didn't work because the crowd was huge. Also, she couldn't make use of the fortune surrounding her no matter what she did. Was it because of those students whose prospective careers she'd taken for herself? Mindy realized that this was a pivotal aspect of it. She turned to look at the students.Was their appearance here not purely coincidental? Did the country bumpkin also arrang
Carver Group's legal representative was present, and he told everyone else that Owen had been kicked out of the Carver family. Mindy, the sponsored student, also had nothing to do with the family from now on. They had only succeeded in doing those evil deeds in the name of the Carvers because the average person had no way of knowing the family's internal affairs.It wasn't as if the Carvers could tell everyone that something was wrong with the previous head of the family. He'd insisted on adopting a student they sponsored, stirring up dissent within the family. Now, through this variety show, everyone finally came to realize that Owen was a useless man who kept on bringing down his own biological daughter, Aria. His so-called adoptive daughter was also guilty of more despicable wrongdoings. Everyone, whether through the Internet or in person, demanded justice for those who were wronged.Mindy shuffled toward the exit, her face covered, but she failed to leave because of the
"No! I can't just sit here and let this happen!" The man extinguished his cigar, grabbed his keys, and left his villa.…At the same time, the smile that Mindy had plastered on her face disappeared. She looked somewhat twisted, even, prompting the audience to realize that something was wrong with her face.They hadn't noticed this before, but now that her hair was disheveled and she no longer maintained that gentle, meek façade, she looked menacing from a certain angle. It was as if this wasn't her original appearance, and she'd had her face altered. There was no other explanation for her protruding forehead. Cosmetic surgery? This was the audience's first reaction, given how common it was. Why wasn't this clearly visible before today, though? Weird. Just as everyone was wondering about that, someone said, "She probably got surgery in her childhood.""That bad? Surgery in her childhood?"What was she after, for her to get surgery on her face at a young age? The audience
Leon was pushing Aria's baby stroller. Everything was going great until he reached out to pay for something. Aria disappeared soon after, and no one responded no matter how loudly he yelled her name. Mount Salam was so crowded he had no idea who had taken her away. He ran with all his might when he noticed someone suspicious, but his legs were too short, and he couldn't catch up to the suspect no matter how hard he tried. As he fell to the ground, a van disappeared into the traffic.Leon had always wanted to compensate for his mistake. He didn't want Fiona to feel so sad, and he'd rather he was the one who got abducted. However, he fell short of his brothers regardless of his efforts. He was good at nothing but singing and dancing, and he—"I was abducted because of you," Aria said to Mindy, pulling Leon behind her. "You orchestrated everything. I'd be abducted regardless of who was watching over me. "The fact that you got cosmetic surgery to look like me further proves that.
It was very likely that Mindy was the child of human traffickers, sent here to destroy the Carver family.Aria also suspected that she wasn't Farshyan. Where would she be from, then? The audience's first reaction was that she was from Krowo because Owen was working with Krowonian business.Mindy and Owen were trending on social media because of hateful comments aimed at them. Nobody had seen anyone so venomously evil like Mindy before. Leon's fans exploded when they heard what Mindy had said about him. "What she said was honestly insane. Mindy Carver—bah! She isn't worthy of the last name Carver! When she talked earlier, I felt the hairs on my arm stand up.""She seemed unhinged. I feel like she was gaslighting Kina. Do you think Kina grew up hearing all that?""Why does she walk around so arrogantly when she's merely a student sponsored by the Carvers? What did she mean by 'just singing and dancing', huh? Kina is an international superstar who has done a lot to bring Farshya
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