"For years, I've only heard your messages. I don't even know what the master looks like. It's either you don't trust me, or the master's identity needs to stay hidden." Ian spoke slowly, "Either way, now that things have gone sideways, I need to meet him face to face!" "I'll relay your request to the master," William said. "Once things cool down, a meeting shouldn't be a problem." Ian dropped his thoughts of destroying everything, including William. "Make sure your cleanup is thorough. Don't let the Yorks trace this back to me." "Of course, sir." William bowed. But his face twisted into a sneer the moment he turned away. This fool was getting too big for his boots. Just because he called him "Mr. Carver", Ian really thought he was somebody. Without their help, Ian would still be the Carver family's servant. He was just an adopted son, after all. They had only invested in him because the Carver name made their work easier. If he became useless, they would have no problem disca
"As a top international school, our students are very united. Some just face more academic pressure than others." Jenny changed her tone as she was trying to avoid conflict. "Kids nowadays overthink everything. When parents aren't attentive to their mental health, there's only so much the school can do. "Shirley's death devastates me too, but we should examine why this happened. Maybe her parents put too much pressure on her." Jenny pointed to the surveillance camera outside. "Two weeks before she jumped, she had a fight with her mother. As teachers, we can't say much about this. Sometimes parents are too harsh and may embarrass their children in public. Kids can break under that pressure." Her words were clearly manipulative. Aria tapped her phone screen and smirked. "So you played a part in this too then." "What part?" Jenny protested. "I'm just analyzing—" Aria cut her off, flashing a police badge. "Save the analysis. Given your leading testimony, we'll take you in directl
Just as Tiffany was about to laugh, the door flew open with a bang. Jenny's anxious voice called out, "The principal isn't here right now. Any questions will have to wait until she returns— "Ms. Wagar, why are you making such a fuss?" Tiffany stood up irritably. Looking up, she saw someone else besides Jenny at the door. Seeing it was a young woman, she did not bother hiding her arrogance. "Are you looking for my mom? She's not here. People these days have no manners when asking for favors." Tiffany examined her nails with disdain. She assumed this was just another person seeking her mother's influence. Aria studied the middle schooler before her. There was not a clean spot on her soul. She reeked of corruption and darkness that oozed from within. This kind of person was rare. Though the sacrifice did not know it, Pahana had the ability to amplify one's true nature. Someone as fundamentally evil as Tiffany was worse than the undead spirits in some ways. "I'm not here for
"Got it, boss. And so did Ms. Wharton behind me." The call had been connected the whole time. At the other end was Julia Wharton, the principal of Summers International School whom Aria had already arranged to be brought into a police car. She had been called in for questioning unexpectedly. But instead of an interrogation, they had simply placed a phone on speaker. At first, Julia did not understand what they were doing and stayed silent. She knew how to deal with such situations, so she waited for her lawyer as usual. But when she heard them mention her daughter's name, she started to panic. She tried to leave, but they locked the car doors. "A reminder, Ms. Wharton—our Highest Operations Unit answers to no local authority. Your connections mean nothing to us. If you hurt yourself struggling, that's on you." Julia regretted not getting out earlier. "This is entrapment!" Julia screamed toward the phone. "Tiffany, don't talk to her! Tiffany!" She screamed herself hoarse,
Hearing that, Tiffany felt her whole body go cold. "You have no right to take my phone, you—" Tiffany's protest was cut short as Aria pulled out her badge. "Undercover operation. I have every right to do so." That was when Tiffany realized she had been played. The officer was so young and carried herself more like someone from the streets than law enforcement. It was why Tiffany had not been on guard. Aria had provoked her on purpose to show her true colors. Knowing she was in trouble, Tiffany mimicked what she had seen in movies. "I need to contact my parents. I want our family lawyer present." "Go ahead." Aria was unfazed. "But first, you are a primary instigator of school bullying who systematically harassed and tormented Shirley Pollard. As a result, she suffered severe psychological trauma and took her own life. I have the legal authority to question you." When Shirley's name came up, Tiffany felt a moment of fear. But she quickly regained her composure. Everyone at scho
Despite being one of the Four Perils, Sam had his strengths and limitations. His vocabulary was not exactly expansive, so it was hard for him to describe what he found. So, he simply forwarded the chat logs between Radley and Tiffany to his boss. "You slept with that skank, didn't you?" This was Tiffany questioning Radley. He replied with a shrugging emoji, "You're imagining things." "Don't deny it. I saw all of it. The three of you even took pictures of her." Radley seemed annoyed. "Just drop it, Tiffany. Let me take you out for afternoon tea." "She's dirt poor, and you still went for her. Radley, don't forget you're still my boyfriend! Of all people, why Shirley? You know how much I hate her!" Then came Radley's attempt to coax Tiffany, "I was just having fun. She's already damaged goods. You should be happy about that." Aria gripped her phone tightly. Though she had expected things to be dark, seeing it firsthand still made it hard to contain her rage. "Find them all.
Gordon laughed incredulously. "You couldn't stop them? This is a school! It's crucial exam season now! Who's going to take responsibility if this disrupts the students?" "Yes, you're absolutely right, but the investigator..." the principal hesitated. He did not quite know how to describe someone he had not met but whose presence was incredibly intimidating. Gordon scoffed. "No one can conduct investigations like this by completely disregarding the consequences. Let's see who's being so disrespectful of protocol!" Just as he finished speaking, he rounded the corner and saw a man drinking tea outside the classroom. A pear tree below the building was shedding its blossoms onto the ground. When Gordon recognized the man, he froze mid-step. Before he could react, Landon barely lifted his eyelids. His voice was cold yet melodious. "It's been quite a while since I've left school, so I don't really know the school protocols. "Perhaps you could educate me on how to abuse one's posit
Even on the day Shirley jumped, the officer had provided Tiffany with a counselor during the interrogation and treated her mother, Julia, with respect. Today, they seemed to have thrown all the protocols out the window. "I'm going to report you! You're disrupting my classes! You can kiss your badge goodbye!" Pahana's influence was not all bad. Rainy days could affect emotions, and the rainwater contained elements that brought out one's deepest thoughts. That was exactly why Aria had brought Pahana along. Earlier, Tiffany had been sweet-talking the officers with evil intentions. She revealed nothing throughout the questioning and showed no cracks. Unlike now, when her screaming nearly gave Gordon a heart attack! Gordon clutched his chest. He did not need to look at Landon's face to know he was finished. They had not revealed their identities and interrogated Tiffany at school. It was clearly all to prevent any leaks and bait him into coming to rescue her. The moment he arrived
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
Landon's warm lips brushed against Aria's. The touch was light as a feather yet utterly captivating. His kiss was so delicate it seemed to awaken every memory stored in her body. In that moment, Aria could swear she caught that same sandalwood scent from her dreams. Black mist and countless indiscernible inscriptions appeared, but he paid them no mind, gripping her waist as he whispered low in her ear. When he kissed her wrist without looking away from her face, his presence was impossible to ignore. His black leather gloves lay discarded to the side. To Aria, every place his hands touched felt like it was on fire. The sensation intensified when his fingertips traced the black mark on her neck. Something inside her screamed to take control, which made her grab his hand. He seemed to smile with his lips by her ear. "So, are you ready to pay the renewal fee?" Aria had never thought anyone could enchant her like this. But this was different. It felt just like seeing a fallen g
Landon asked, "You're getting water?" As his gaze drifted down to where Aria's hair fell, his voice turned rich and low. "Then why are your ears turning red?" Aria's hand froze mid-air. "It's hot in here." "What?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's only 70°F here." Aria wanted to tell him to stop talking so much. It was all because of what he had done in her dreams, making her imagination run wild now. Did he think having a handsome face meant he could do whatever he wanted? He even used all that binding stuff on her too. But she couldn't be sure it was even him. And even if it was, it must have been from a past life. As an arcane seeker, Aria knew what recurring dreams usually meant. But she had pushed those thoughts aside. A past life should not dictate their relationship in this one. At the very least, he wouldn't try anything like putting her in chains and locking her up now. That would be illegal. She would have him arrested and be done with it. Besides, her handsome fi
The atmosphere inside the room was totally different from the outside.Aria did sense the strange aura around Seraphina just now. Her beauty was otherworldly, almost supernatural. And there was something familiar about her presence—Aria felt she had encountered it before but couldn't remember where. Given how quickly Seraphina had withdrawn her hostility and turned gentle, Aria saw no point in making an issue of it. Besides, the way Landon was massaging her neck felt too good, making her mind feel hazy. As her blood flow slowed, she started to feel drowsy. The trio hiding in the copper coin did not dare show themselves; they were probably not even there. They had been especially quiet since arriving in Ludwiten, as if something here affected them. This was one of the things Aria wanted to investigate. The Wagners had used some unknown method to hide themselves after reaching Ludwiten. Even the Special Missions Unit failed to track them. All they had was that initial contact