Landon cast a sidelong glance at the crow, which understood his unspoken command. It fell silent and reverted to its simpler form, a bird whose only sound was a caw.Tasked with notifying the right people about Landon's disappearance, the crow waited patiently for the heavy rain to relent before it took flight from the shadowy alley.Meanwhile, the bodyguards stationed at the alley's entrance were plagued by worry. Their anxiety deepened when they heard the crow's cawing. Despite the risk of angering Landon, they decided they must investigate. However, as they ventured deeper into the alley, they were struck by an eerie stillness cloaked in fog, with no visible end in sight.Realizing the gravity of the situation, they pressed on, only to find that Landon was nowhere to be seen. Their eyes fell upon a lone Charm Coin resting on the ground, and despair washed over them.…Instead of an extravagant residence, Don called an ordinary neighborhood in Janovin home. However, the neighb
Without saying a word, Aria lifted the earrings from the box and examined them closely. She didn't detect any lingering presence of vengeful spirits attached to them. However, she knew that items from ancient Occidentia could harbor hidden dangers, often tied to customs that could not be officially recorded."Where exactly did you go?" she asked, determined to gather more information about the local environment. "Did anything unusual happen during the excavation?"Don retrieved a map, his finger tracing a circle around a specific area. "There are still some aboriginal residents living there. The excavation itself went smoothly, nothing out of the ordinary on that front."He paused, contemplating his next words. "However, there was one strange occurrence. The local residents seemed particularly fixated on a young lady from our team. They never argued with us, but they followed her around everywhere. At first, they were kind, giving her fruit and food and advising her to avoid getting
Don sighed deeply. "I'm not well-versed in business management, but I've noticed many corporations are shifting toward a new direction. The voices of change are becoming louder. "Mr. Carver Senior faced significant challenges recently, and people of our generation often struggle to keep pace with these changes. We're all still learning along with everyone else. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have realized that my subordinates were mistreating those students. In our industry, it's rare to find individuals committed to their work. Many traditional crafts are fading away because no one is willing to inherit the knowledge and skills."Often, we find ourselves filled with regret when we reflect on past events."Don waved a dismissive hand, attempting to lighten the mood. "I've been rambling. But truly, your words today were impactful! The Carver family will undoubtedly reach new heights in the future!"Aria met his gaze seriously. "If you hold the Carver family in such high regar
As Aria was deep in thought, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, hinting at something ominous in the distance, as if some creature was undergoing a trial. She was just about to focus on it when her phone rang. Leon's voice came through, hurried and anxious. "Aria, are you with Landon?"…Leon still had makeup on as Clary stood beside him. His popularity had skyrocketed lately, and Clary couldn't contain her excitement. Her admiration for Aria was growing by the day. Clary had been planning to get Leon on a live broadcast, but Leon's casual mention of Landon had caught her off guard. She froze. Even if Leon had Aria's support, he shouldn't have addressed his boss so casually.Upon seeing Clary, Leon immediately shifted his gaze and turned in another direction.…Unaware of what was happening on Leon’s side, Aria shut the window. "No, I'm at Mr. Hendricks' place. I believe Landon is with Mr. Tarson right now."Leon's voice dropped to a whisper. "He's not. The York famil
Don didn't notice Aria's subtle placement of the Charm Coin. He was too concerned about his granddaughter, Daisy Hendricks' reaction to anyone messing with her room. Nyx, nestled inside the Charm Coin, understood his role. Aria had left him behind to investigate the room's strange atmosphere, which would likely intensify after dark.Before closing the door, Aria asked again, "Other than the earrings that keep returning, nothing else strange has been happening, right?"Don nodded, sounding certain as he said, "Just the earrings. I haven't mentioned it to my family because I don't want to scare them."Then, with a sudden realization, Don added, "Wait, has something happened to Daisy?"Aria responded honestly. "Something feels off in her room. When I next visit you, I'd like to meet her if possible.""Of course!" Don agreed immediately, his concern evident. He worried that his work might have adverse effects on his family.Aria acknowledged his concerns. "It's something that can b
Ian, the cunning old fox, refused to meet with any of the shareholders, which took them by surprise. A man working for Ian emerged, apologetically delivering the news. "I'm sorry, sirs, but Mr. Carver isn't feeling well. He caught a cold due to the persistent rain and is worried about getting you sick."The shareholders were skeptical. Ian had recently invited them to dinner, and it seemed implausible that he could fall ill in such a short time. They knew he was deliberately avoiding them. "Of course. We'll leave these gifts here and meet Mr. Carver whenever he's free."Naturally, Ian would gladly accept the gifts, especially when they came from his allies. Meanwhile, he sat in his tearoom, sipping tea and lamenting the shareholders' naivety. Their visit, coinciding with Landon's disappearance, handed the Yorks significant leverage against them."I told all of them to leave, Mr. Carver." William Fallon walked over with a smile, his words sounding stiff.Ian set his cup down. "Now t
Ian remained silent, his heart filled with resentment toward Mindy. Her arrogance had ignited multiple controversies, tarnishing her public image and causing irreparable damage. Their hard work now seemed to benefit their rivals, and several shareholders had even managed to break free from Ian's control.Ian couldn't fathom why William held Mindy in such high regard. Was it simply because of her background? Or was there another, more hidden reason he had yet to discover?Reluctantly, Ian replied, "We'll discuss this further once the York family has been brought to its knees."William chuckled confidently. "The master has never miscalculated a single step," he boasted. Besides, they had borrowed fortune from a dragon this time—nothing would go wrong.…The dragon William referred to was now reduced to a servile, humbled creature. He kicked some discarded jewelry aside, offering in a meek voice, "Would you like some tea, my lord?"Landon glanced around the majestic lizard's abode.
Aria quickly noticed something off about Sam's condition. She set her helmet down smoothly and moved toward the alley. The bodyguards tried to follow her but were stopped by Sam, who walked behind Aria with a bag slung over his shoulder, his eyes gleaming with excitement.As Aria made her way there, she tried to recall any evil spirits that would compel someone to make a choice. Yet, as she entered the alley, she sensed something different—it wasn't the work of an evil spirit. The dense, swirling fog and the unnatural shift in the weather, along with the bit of gossip Leon had shared, reminded her of an old myth she had once heard.According to legend, a snake could become a majestic lizard after a hundred years, and with a thousand more years and an ordeal in the three realms, it could finally transform into a dragon.These lizards, she recalled, would often take human form and seek out someone they were fated to meet. They'd ask that person a single question—"Do I look like a dr
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