While having interests in their pop culture was not wrong, freedom of expression came with responsibility, especially given Farshyan history. What would the hero think if they came back and saw the young ones dancing while wearing Krowonian fashion? They would have thought they had not accomplished their mission of protecting the country. The spy must have dared to act so brazenly, thinking he could deceive others with his outfit. Aria watched his demeanor shift once his female companion left. She followed quietly, noting the delicate tattoo on his hand. It was trendy enough to avoid suspicion, but she had seen the same mark on all the attackers at the plaza. It would not be too hard to recognize them. "That car is his ride," Simon observed while finishing his pancake. Aria hailed a cab to follow them. The excited driver perked up at the chance for a chase. He expertly kept pace with their target. He boasted proudly, "They can't outrun me." Simon was wearing the amethyst pend
Poeta had not heard from Fergus in ages. If not for his assistant's occasional flower deliveries, she would have worried he had grown suspicious of her. "Yes, that's right, he said he'd bring me to see you." She spoke with relief, "I wanted to let you know so you could prepare." "Why would he suddenly bring you here?" Ian's voice deepened, showing his years of experience in scheming against others. "Did you mention me to him?" Poeta hesitated. "He kept asking about my life abroad. I told him I happened to meet you, and you recognized me. You knew he had feelings for me, so you helped me..." Ian's expression turned vicious. "Who told you to say that?" He gripped his sandalwood beads. What an incompetent fool. How could his "genius" grand-nephew ever fall for her? He took a deep breath. "How did he react?" "He was grateful to you," Poeta replied, her impression of Fergus still stuck in their younger days when he had never doubted her. "He even said he wished his grandfather w
Aria's eyes fixed on the guard. "What about Grandpa Ian?" The guard fumbled for words. "Nothing... let me just report your arrival." "No need." Aria noticed the numerous surveillance cameras. Sneaking in would be impossible, so she had decided to just take the direct approach. "I'll call Grandpa Ian myself." The guard panicked, knowing that call would cost him his job. "No, no, please come in! I'll open the gate right away!" As they drove through, the cab driver was still stunned. "So this is your family's place? Then who were we following?" "A spy." Aria's words made the driver laugh. "You're quite the joker." Aria just smiled faintly. Simon grabbed her wrist. "Something's wrong with that house." Aria did not need to ask why as she saw it too. Her previous investigation had not shown anything unusual, but now she could sense vengeful energy absorbing the land's fortune. It seemed that Ian would really do anything for profit. The driver looked at the house too. "What'
"Indeed, Ms. Carver arrived by cab." That alone was unusual. Edwin's understanding shifted with Aria's explanation–she had run away from home. Ian's eyes flickered with surprise; this was not what he had expected. Running away? Though suspicious, he maintained his composure. "Your grandfather would move mountains for you, Aria. Try to understand his good intentions." "Haven't I been understanding enough?" Aria settled onto the couch. "He made me create an online persona, and I did. I even had to memorize stuff until my head hurt. I'm a medical student, but he forces me to run the company. "He says I need to learn proper etiquette like other socialites since I'm from out of town. He's worried people will gossip." She leaned back. "I know he looks down on me but can't show it, so he argues with me at home and won't let me have friends." Her outburst left Edwin stunned. Ian put on a loving smile. "You're just being childish. Your grandfather could never look down on you. Come
Ian hid his nature too well. If Owen had not failed, he would have stayed perfectly invisible behind the scenes. This made Aria suspect he had hidden his playing cards, especially given how unusual this place felt. That was why she chose a gradual approach rather than confronting him directly. Ian said naturally, "Aria, stop being stubborn and have some hot food with your friend first. And who might this be?" "He's from Southbury." Aria pulled Simon closer. "My little brother from the back alley. Grandpa hates it when I associate with Southbury people. Even Grandma would only let them stay in courtyard houses instead of the main residence. "He got upset about this friend too. He said I was making him lose face by not following his orders." Ian could not recognize Simon as the beast of fortune. While those in the back garden would know, they were still recovering and waiting for William. They had no idea Aria would brazenly bring their target right to them—normal people would ce
A loud crash echoed from the back garden. The loud sound revealed how furious the intruder was. Aria stopped eating and asked, as anyone would, "Grandpa Ian, what's happening back there?" Ian glanced at Edwin, who quickly covered, "Nothing serious, they're just training an incompetent household staff." "Did they steal something?" Aria asked naturally. Edwin stumbled before nodding. "Yes! Ms. Carver, you're quite perceptive!" "They need proper punishment." Aria set down her fork and wiped her mouth. "Our family suffered because of that useless Dorothy. I got kidnapped because she let criminals in. "Grandpa Ian, you should fire disobedient staff. You can't go easy on them. If they conspire with outsiders to steal, they might even drain all of the Carver family's fortune. "Some people are born ungrateful. Even if you feed and care for them, they'll still bite the hand that feeds them." Aria's eyes fixed on Ian as she spoke. Though Ian's expression didn't change, Aria knew sh
Aria thought to herself that that was exactly what she was trying to do, but she feigned shock. "Grandpa Ian was adopted? Grandpa never mentioned this! He doesn't treat Grandpa Ian like an adopted brother at all." "Mr. Carver Senior has always valued brotherhood," Edwin responded naturally, then realized he had praised their enemy. "Besides, there's a good reason for this. When the Carvers faced trouble back then, it was Mr. Ian who stepped up and protected Mr. Carver Senior." Aria doubted this version of events. Ian had let the Krowoians drain their land's energy through the Carver name. How could someone like him risk his life to save anyone? There must be other interests involved. Aria really wanted to understand how he received the protection of the Carver family's ancestors if he was not a true Carver. The house had problems, but they were not inherent. Something else was at play. As she pondered on this, her fingers tapped the table. Meanwhile, William could barely cont
William trusted their carefully cultivated agent would be absolutely loyal to their empire. Though not Krowonian, he had been given all the promised benefits. William could not imagine anyone would give up such opportunities. Most importantly, these were people chosen by their saintess! He blocked Ian's path with a dark tone. He looked at Ian. "I hope you won't regret this later." Ian gestured for them to leave. William said nothing more, but today's losses were severe enough to require higher authorization. People like Ian prioritized profit. Once that was gone, relationships naturally crumbled. Aria's earlier words were not casual, just as her suggestion to take a walk after eating was not random. Edwin thought nothing of it as long as she avoided the back garden. Aria chose the exit path. She left Simon behind to prevent his aura from being detected. As for herself, the spy she had let escape was from the perimeter and would not recognize her. Thus, she encountered William
Social gatherings had become rare among their circles, which limited resource sharing. The Carvers used to host regular parties from time to time. With Mindy being such a gracious hostess, everyone had envied Owen then. Even if Owen had made mistakes, did he deserve such a terrible ending? Surely a father couldn't be that cruel. Ever since Aria's return, the Carvers had been busily handling all sorts of affairs, leaving no time for parties. They predicted she would eventually slip up. However, they had to admit she was pretty good at managing a company. At first, they had assumed the Carver Group's long-standing issues would persist even under Warren's leadership, and that she would barely make waves after taking over. Who could have predicted that in just one month, she would transform it into an untouchable enterprise? This disrupted the power balance the other families had cultivated for years. They had almost caught up to the Carvers and needed just that final push. Whether
"Aria has us, and that's all that matters," Fergus said protectively. With their worthless father Owen's history hanging over them, he remained anxious as the eldest brother. Fergus totally understood their uncles' feelings. The family could easily provide for Aria. If the Carver shares weren't enough, he could transfer all his Parker Street investments to her name. She should not marry this early. Few brothers would ignore a broken engagement, and Landon had broken two. Fergus was there whenever Landon had discussed canceling the engagement with Warren due to poor health. Coughing softly, Landon's gaze was fixed on Aria when he looked up. His pale, handsome face looked so delicate, and his lashes fluttered. "I want to go as your fiancé. With me there, the Grishams won't immediately turn you away. It is their niece's first time bringing someone home, after all." His face made him seem incredibly persuasive as if it would be cruel of her to not bring him along. Aria had always b
Aria wouldn't refuse. Landon was too valuable an ally in dealing with manifestations to leave behind. With him present, their combined arcane and fortune would make her practically unbeatable, especially against those who practiced dark arts. Aria had a feeling that going to Ludwiten would resolve all the mysteries. Though the regrets from the previous manifestation were settled, the root cause remained unsolved. If the opposing forces continued to nurture evil through social media, the manifestation's power would keep growing. Aria worried that this was not an isolated case. There could be a second, or even third. Since the reputation of the Hendricks family had been affected, it had broken their cultural heritage line. After all, someone like Paxton was unworthy of succeeding Don. This was Aria's first encounter with such manipulation. She had not expected that a morally corrupt mistress could destroy Don's life's work in an instant. Paxton's actions would surely affect Don's
"Why the rush?" Stephen believed Aria would understand the delicate situation he had just explained and that it did not have to be so urgent. As she threw a glance at Philip, Aria was clearly reluctant to speak in his presence. Phillip looked confused. "Aria, are you sure you won't visit my family first?" "I will, but we'll follow Stephen's planned sequence." After arriving in Janovin, they would visit different families to avoid revealing their actual purpose. Visiting relatives in Janovin before seeing her uncles in Ludwiten would seem natural. Aria suspected that Yonah did not know about what Barron had left behind. With that thought in mind, she moved closer to Stephen while touching her amethyst pendant. She lowered her voice. "There's something I've never found." It was something Barron had left for Aria, and he had even advertised it twice in the youth paper. But Aria did not tell Stephen about this. The less the Earthbound Manifestation was revealed, the clearer she c
The market share was already limited, and if the Carvers entered, they would certainly claim a portion of it. Moreover, Fiona's greatest wish was to reconcile with the Grishams. Aria's trip to Ludwiten would only heighten the sense of crisis, and someone was definitely trying to drive a wedge between the families. After expressing these concerns, Stephen continued, "Ms. Carver, though your suspicions go beyond this, outsiders will definitely seize upon this point and keep feeding suggestions to the Grishams." Stephen poured tea for everyone before continuing, "Mr. Grisham was famously devoted to his daughter. Both families supported Mrs. Carver's marriage without much objection since she wanted it. The fact that Mr. Carver offered some company shares at that time put the Grishams at ease too. "Later, as you know, the Carver family's shares were diluted. After you were kidnapped, Mrs. Carver fell seriously ill. The Grishams visited many times, especially Mr. Richard and Mr. Waymon
Aria announced, "Mr. Warsaw, please prepare. We're heading to Ludwiten."This decision to visit Ludwiten wasn't made on a whim. The place held something crucial to Yonah's cultivation.Aria didn't yet know what it was, but her instincts warned her that if she didn't go, she would regret it.Stephen, however, didn't immediately agree. He was always deliberate in his actions, cautious not to leave room for criticism in matters of etiquette or social nuance.After a moment of consideration, he said, "Ms. Carver, if it were any other city, we could leave without much thought. But for Ludwiten, we need to be more careful."Aria, quick-witted as ever, understood his meaning right away. "You mean it's because of my uncle and his family?"Stephen nodded. "The Grisham family made their fortune in Ludwiten and have been a pillar of the community for generations. They're one of Ludwiten's most prominent families. When Mrs. Carver married into the Carver family, the Grishams disapproved of t
"He's not the only one who said that," Fergus interjected. "It's a widely held belief in the business circle.""They say the Wagner family rose to prominence in the south during a time when factories were shutting down. The shift encouraged people to start their own businesses instead of relying on collective systems.""They believe Mr. Wagner Senior seized this opportunity and expanded his business, and eventually moved from the south to the north, finally settling in Janovin."Philip nodded. "That's true.""After leading the Wagner family through so many challenges, doesn't your ancestor deserve a memorial plaque in his honor?" Fergus' words hit a nerve."He didn't want it," Philip replied, unfazed. "Maybe it was because he was influenced by the foreigners' culture. My great-grandfather likely rejected the idea of memorial plaques because such practices aren't common abroad.""If that's the case," Aria said, absently twirling the amethyst pendant in her hand, "your great-grandf
Philip scolded himself, "Why didn't I think of this earlier? Aren't I the most sensitive to these things? How could I be so stupid, letting Grandpa Yonah suffer for so long? I'm such an idiot. I should've gotten rid of it sooner!"Philip muttered to himself as he tightly gripped Aria's hand. "Aria, don't go to the Furler family just yet. Let's go to my house first."At his words, the people around the dining table exchanged glances. Fergus and Leon locked eyes, their brows furrowing deeply.From Philip's account, it was clear that Yonah had been drinking some kind of tonic for years. But this so-called "tonic" wasn't medicine at all—it was blood.And it had been happening since before Philip even started middle school, so many years ago.It could only mean that the seemingly harmless Yonah was actually someone or something else.Yonah had been possessed all this time, and none of them noticed.To pull this off, someone would need to perfectly mimic Yonah's mannerisms and behavio
Those who witnessed the situation all said that Yonah pampered Philip. On the surface, it seemed like he had truly been "spoiled" by Yonah throughout his life.Yonah never pressured him to be like Kenny. He was free to do whatever he wanted, and his studies didn't matter. But wasn't this just another form of neglect? To Yonah, he was expendable.That was why Philip was so drawn to bars and street racing—anything that offered a thrill. Since Kenny was the exceptional one, he figured Kenny could take charge. He would just play the flashy second-generation heir, hoping Yonah would feel more at ease with him.Why was Philip like this? Because, at times, he still felt warmth from Yonah. But recently, that warmth had completely disappeared. And then, there was the incident he witnessed this time.Certain memories surfaced from the deepest corners of his mind, repeating themselves over and over. He couldn't even tell if they were memories anymore.Every night, he had the same dream. The