The majestic lizard seemed to recall something important, quickly darting behind Aria. After all those years, it had grown weary of battling fortune tellers. Landon was waiting; if he sensed the lizard had fought with this young woman, it would be doomed.Determined to act quickly, the majestic lizard resolved to eat Sam first before turning to Aria.Cunning by nature, it thought holding Sam hostage and threatening Aria with him was a solid plan. But just as it reached for Sam, Aria interrupted, saying, "I forgot to remind you of something. For your own safety, it's best not to target my younger brother here."The majestic lizard, of course, ignored her warning. It relished the taste of children, especially those with tender flesh and petite forms. But the moment it extended its claws, it was thrown to the ground with an unexpected force.The impact left the lizard dizzy, and tears welled in its eyes from the pain. It was stunned. Since when had human children become so strong? It
Sam wasn't about to listen to the majestic lizard. With all the recent rain, he knew they were surely due to the majestic lizard's machinations, which only fueled Sam's disdain.In Sam's mind, the best-tasting animals were those he caught himself. Warren had set up a grill just for him, and Sam imagined how good the majestic lizard would look sizzling over the flames.Warren would surely benefit heavily from eating the majestic lizard's meat too, so Sam was willing—albeit reluctant—to give Warren some of it. He could start marinating the meat any time now.Sam always took everything seriously. He let the majestic lizard scream its fill as he took a coil of red rope out of his bag expressionlessly and tied it around the lizard.What could be more terrifying than encountering Chaos? Discovering that he had learned how to wield Demonbind made by arcane seekers!The majestic lizard sank into despair. It couldn't fathom what Chaos was doing. Why was Chaos sprinkling salt on his face? T
The majestic lizard had wanted to tell her that Landon was waiting for Chaos at its residence, but it suddenly remembered that arcane seekers harbored a deep-seated hatred toward Landon. Of course, it'd heard that from the grapevine. Younger demons like the majestic lizard hadn't had the chance to meet Landon before. The majestic lizard reasoned that Landon would prefer to keep his identity hidden; otherwise, why would he bother to disguise himself as a human?With this in mind, the majestic lizard resolved not to disrupt Landon's carefully laid plans. It was acutely aware that Landon could dispatch this arcane seeker without breaking a sweat, and it had no intention of letting her command his mount.The majestic lizard concluded that all it needed to do was lure Aria to where Landon was hiding, and once there, he would ensure her demise.The majestic lizard was quick-witted, but it also made a lot of assumptions. Meeting Sam's piercing gaze filled it with dread, and it quickl
How could it be such a coincidence? Just two days after Homer left, something strange happened to Landon.Various thoughts raced through Titus' mind, making him feel uneasy. At that moment, the phone in the living room rang. It was rare to see landlines in homes these days, but vintage items like that were common in York Residence, a symbol of their quiet luxury.Not in the mood to take the call, Titus motioned for his secretary to answer it.Unexpectedly, the caller's first words were, "I know where Mr. Landon is. I can give you some clues."The secretary's expression shifted. "Please hold for a moment," he said, covering the receiver and turning to Titus. "Mr. York Senior, it's a female college student. She claims to know where Mr. Landon is."Titus walked over, his expression tense, though his voice remained steady, revealing none of his rising anxiety. "Hello."The caller was momentarily thrown off by Titus' voice. She had seen the news about Landon's disappearance, which m
Titus instinctively wanted to frown upon hearing that Lily was from the Kent family, but when she mentioned her grandmother, he hesitated. He hadn't met Georgina, but he knew of her reputation. More importantly, she was the grandmother of his future daughter-in-law, Aria, with whom he was very pleased.Who would have thought that the doctor Landon had praised as a genius would turn out to be Aria? Even more astonishing was that she was later revealed to be the long-lost daughter of the Carver family.Titus could confidently say it was thanks to Aria that Landon was still alive.Knowing Lily was somehow connected to Aria, Titus held back any harsh words and remained silent.Sensing that Titus was holding back, Lily seized the opportunity to continue. "Mr. York Senior, I know you're worried about your grandson. "When I went out to restock medicine, I saw Mr. York in a car on the northwest side of the state. The car wasn't from Janovin; I could tell from the license plate. "I wa
Titus indeed viewed Lily with suspicion. He wouldn't have been so cautious if she had asked for something in exchange for her information. However, since Lily offered clues without seeking anything in return, it made him wary. His impression of her was far from that of a kind, selfless woman.Titus believed that some people could indeed tell a person's fate by merely observing their face—Homer was proof of that.However, such abilities were either innate or honed over years of cultivation. Could Lily possess such gifts? If she did, why hadn't she revealed them earlier?Titus was not someone who could be easily deceived, being both knowledgeable and cautious.Lily, knowing this, had prepared her script. "I understand my words may seem unbelievable. If you doubt me, you can ask the Furler family—I once helped them by predicting an event."But Mr. York Senior, what matters most right now is finding Mr. York. Once you do, make sure he doesn't ride in a white car and have him take a di
The rain splattered against the rocks, its sound echoing through the cave. The crow, ever alert to its master's mood, knew trouble was brewing. Its owner, Landon, was growing impatient, his protective cover tossed aside as he sipped coffee with a bored expression.If the majestic lizard didn't act soon, the crow feared everything in the cave would be destroyed. It knew Landon's temper all too well. As expected, Landon grew bored of his coffee. He stood up and gazed at the glass lights the majestic lizard had carefully collected. Without a second thought, he touched one, and it shattered.Landon turned his attention to the deepest part of the cave. His handsome face remained indifferent while the black mist swirling around him kept others at bay. He looked almost god-like. "Release the souls," he commanded."Yes, my lord." Feeling relieved to have something to do, the crow was about to take off when three figures appeared through the rain. Recognizing one of them as Sam, the crow
The majestic lizard narrowed its eyes, growing more curious about who Aria was in her past life. But before it could ponder further, a wooden stick prodded against its back—Chaos was warning that it would be dead meat if it didn't open the cell quickly.The majestic lizard obeyed without hesitation and opened the cell despite knowing it was unnecessary—Landon could have bypassed it easily. Everything that was unfolding now was far from what the majestic lizard had imagined."What happened to your hand?" Aria asked, noticing blood on Landon's finger. She immediately grabbed his hand to examine it, then shot the lizard a sharp look.The majestic lizard instinctively backed away. It had nothing to do with Landon's injury, and it silently wondered how Aria could dare touch Landon's hand. Didn't she know Landon hated practitioners like her the most? Aria was doomed!Yet, to the lizard's astonishment, Landon, who could control people's fates and regarded humans as insignificant, actually
Everyone in the café had been enjoying their afternoon tea when they heard the commotion. They turned to look. "Where's the server?" Nisa called out. These rich ladies were all regulars who paid hefty annual membership fees. At their summons, the manager appeared with a smile before any server could respond. "Mrs. Guetta, how may I help you?" "Jonah, perfect timing. I was wondering when this place started letting country bumpkins like her in," Nisa said, her gaze sweeping over Lily. Without hesitation, Jonah Marx kicked Lily out. At that same moment, Aria arrived for their appointment. Traffic had been terrible. She had only agreed to meet Nisa because she needed to uncover something important. In her dreams, there was still one voice that hadn't appeared. The owner of that voice had harmed her mother, Fiona. She would never feel at peace until she dug out the person behind it. Aria was never worried about threats from others. For instance, she knew about Lily's wild accu
Dorian was grinning from ear to ear, showing none of the dignity expected from someone of a prominent family. He had less class than a common street hustler. The members of the Chamber of Commerce had good reason to look down on him. Dorian didn't believe that Neval, who was addicted to gambling, wouldn't return to the country for at least ten years. Once they took down the Grisham family, he'd be calling all the shots in the Chamber of Commerce! Dorian truly took after Magdalene in this aspect. The latter embodied all the worst traits of her generation—a twisted mindset and was always scheming something. Also, she was arrogant and had a superiority complex. Magdalene didn't want Neval to return, which explained why she'd readily given him money. She thought that Waymond would soon be arrested. Then, the Grisham family would go from riding high to crashing and burning, and Aria would pay the price. These were already set in stone! The prominent families' joint effort to targe
In the Fitzroy family, only Neval saw things clearly, despite being a screw-up. Everyone else was blinded by their own arrogance. Laura, of course, never saw it that way. Perhaps too much time had passed, which made her forget how she had married into the Grisham family in the first place. She had also forgotten what it meant to be grateful. Without the Fitzroy family's involvement, Orion's long-standing attempts to sabotage Waymond would have failed. This had been an unspoken secret between the two families for years. Magdalene had always been the head of the Fitzroy family. The best thing about her younger son, Dorian Fitzroy, was that he would always follow her orders. Neval wasn't her biological son, but Dorian was. As a child born in her later years, Dorian was showered with love. Now, he sat at the meeting place where several families had agreed to gather. "How do you plan to deal with Aria?" The Guettas were the ones who had organized this meeting. They used to keep
Magdalene said, "In the past, our family had helped the Grishams to survive. But now..." She took a sip of her tea. "They're digging their own grave, and we can't help them anymore." Just as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man walked in. When Magdalene saw him, her brows immediately furrowed. Her eldest son, Neval Fitzroy, was her least favorite child. He had brought nothing but shame to the Fitzroys. If he hadn't developed a gambling addiction, the Fitzroy family wouldn't have fallen this far. She asked, "What are you doing here?" Neval rubbed his hands together and snickered. "Mom, I'm a little short on cash lately. I mainly came because I missed you, but I'm also here to ask for a little money." Before Magdalene could respond, Laura stood up. "Neval, Mom just gave you 20 million last month. You shouldn't have spent it so quickly." Magdalene had been in a good mood, but now her face darkened. "Did I raise you to leech off me? How could 20 million dollars be gone so
Orion slammed his fist hard on the table. He'd been played by someone who looked like nothing more than a trust fund kid. Yet he had no choice but to let Aria manipulate him. Because no matter what he said, someone would show up to "take care of" him. At this point, he could only make everything look like a simple financial crime in order to protect himself. Aria had calculated this perfectly and planned accordingly. Even now, most people saw Aria as just some young hotshot who made money but didn't understand the bigger picture. They thought because she came from a small town, she was naïve enough to believe taking down the Draycott family would solve everything. In reality, she would be dragging herself down as well. Unless she didn't plan to stay in Ludwiten at all! Most people who thought this way were driven by pride and jealousy. They wouldn't admit they wished they were in Aria's shoes. The Carvers had raked in so much money from the stock market this time around. The
"Yes, I'm sure," Gabe said, having checked everything carefully. The old man thought for a moment. "Find a way and get someone else to tell Orion what he should and shouldn't say. If he's smart enough, he should understand." "Alright." Gabe pushed up his glasses. "Don't worry; everything will be handled." The old man's eyes were deep and calculating. "To achieve great things, some people must be sacrificed. If necessary, offer the Draycott family some benefits. Go take care of the Bellebrook situation." Gabe chuckled. "They're just some greedy, low-class people. They only succeeded because of you, yet they always think they made it on their own." "Gabe, mind your words." The old man had a kind face. Looking at him, one would think he cared for all people. Judging from his simple lifestyle, he did not seem like someone who would do bad things at all. Even the cup he used was bought from the supermarket for just over ten dollars. "Go now. As I've always said, anyone can l
Aria's question made Orion freeze right away. The scholarship program was his secret lifeline. He simply couldn't figure out how she knew so many details about everything! "You've been setting me up in the stock market all this time. How did you also find out about the scholarship program?" Orion felt genuinely scared now—everyone had really underestimated Aria. When had she done all this research? She'd dug deeper than he ever imagined. The scariest part was that neither he nor that person had noticed anything. They all thought she was just helping the Carver family restore their former glory. Keeping the Chamber of Commerce out of the Carver family's hands was that person's strict order. That was why the Draycotts had climbed so quickly within the organization over the years. They all assumed Aria had come to Ludwiten to target the Chamber. But now... Orion looked up again. "The scholarship program is weird business. I only handled recruitment. I don't know where those peop
Orion said, "I don't know much, honestly." He looked at Aria with hesitation, as if he was afraid to name that person. He made a gesture instead. "That person is the lieutenant governor of Ludwiten, who has many achievements to his name. "If you're brave enough to investigate, I can tell you about the deals I handled. But I don't know about the rest." Aria raised an eyebrow. Her expression said everything—she had already kidnapped him, so did he seriously think she would be afraid to investigate this further? Orion took a deep breath. "I just handle the money. That person wants something bigger—he wants to make history, but he's been in poor health lately. He needs me to keep certain people in line, but I can't give you details since I really don't have proof." "Which people does he control? And how does he do it?" Aria asked casually. Orion glanced upward, his eyes slowly losing focus. "I have no idea which people." "Mr. Draycott, I thought you would have learned by now.
"Who the hell are you?" Orion shouted as he couldn't hold back anymore. He gripped the armrests hard, almost jumping out of his chair. But Aria barely glanced his way. "I brought you here, didn't I? Who do you think I am?""Y-You're..." Orion remembered a rumor from a business dinner about a Special Missions Unit that operated outside normal chains of command. They could investigate anyone without going through regular channels.Their authority even topped the Regular Missions Unit. Orion had laughed it off back then. Every group had to answer to someone higher up, so there couldn't be a unit with that kind of freedom. In Ludwiten, everyone answered to that one big shot. But now he realized such a thing actually existed!Orion's face turned ghostly pale. "Are you… a part of the Special Missions Unit?"Only that could explain everything! With all her digging and investigating, that person would have noticed what she had been doing. But Orion did not understand something. "