Once Aria made a decision, there was no turning back. As the beast of fortune, Simon could avoid many misfortunes, making it safest for him to return with the photos of the enemy's base. However, Simon's mind lingered on Aria. They were both from Southbury, and she was the only person besides David, who had never demanded anything from him after saving his life. Simon had always believed he was nothing more than a mere human, not some fabled beast of fortune.He had been taught that every citizen held a duty to their country in times of crisis. So, he decided to form a pact. When a beast of fortune offers protection to their chosen, it sends shockwaves across the land and even underground, resonating with all.Aria, the protectee, looked up in stunned silence.This pact was different—its power wasn't merely personal. It carried the weight of a nation's rise. By initiating the pact, Simon would cast blessings throughout Farshya. In doing so, he would alleviate his burdens, while Ar
The man wearing a robe lowered his arm. He had a sinister look on his face. "Stop the fight. Wait until the beast of fortune leaves before continuing."The Krowonian soldier felt a surge of irritation at the endless stream of superstitious nonsense Morlock Grimalkin was spewing. "We're at war. I'm sure the Farshyans know that the battlefield is everchanging. We can't afford to delay any opportunities.""I understand that. However, the fortune is now on their side. A reckless attack could lead us astray in ways we cannot predict."Morlock turned, revealing a deep scar etched across his brow. His face, sharp and unkind, carried the harshness of his words. High cheekbones jutted like blades, and his piercing eyes glimmered with malice.It was said a person's features could reveal their nature, and Morlock embodied that belief. Yet, Darius favored such individuals. He saw them not as men of principle but as tools, driven by personal gain—tools he could wield to his advantage."What sh
It was one thing if this was the Beast of Fortune's own intention—but what if someone else was manipulating it? Morlock's gaze darkened. He had to find the culprit. The Beast of Fortune should belong to him!Just as Morlock was about to leave, Darius stopped him, "Mr. Grimalkin, some of my cowardly soldiers claimed they keep hearing cries from fortune-tellers. Do you have a way to deal with it?"Morlock sneered. "They're still making a commotion even after death. Take this talisman. My fellow peers sure never knew what was good for them."Darius immediately gestured for his subordinates to take the talisman. Darius was quite cautious around Morlock. He never forgot why Morlock's peers had their guard down. It was all because of Morlock's betrayal. These thoughts never left his mind.Morlock came to Darius during the night. He was exactly what Darius thought Farshyan fortune tellers would look like—eerie and unpleasant.However, Morlock's proposal was too tempting. He said he cou
There was no way the Cerulean Dragon would change its master without Landon's permission. He was not like Chaos, who would obey anyone who fed him. The Cerulean Dragon was the smartest among the Four Perils. It was proud, and thus, it was difficult for him to yield to any human. Although the Cerulean Dragon might have swapped owners willingly, it had to endure a thunderstrike from the heavens as a punishment. However, there was no thunderstrike or punishments of any sort. It seemed like the heavens were celebrating—the Divine Clouds shimmered brilliantly.The crow circled above, observing the extraordinary scene. After all, it wasn't every day that such joyous celebrations occurred in both the Heavens and the Netherrealm.The crow decided it was better than Landon being hot-headed and hosting a grand wedding. Compared to that, gifting a beast of fortune and invoking divine fortune seemed perfectly reasonable.In the depths of the Netherrealm, the air stirred with the crow's fl
There were no surveillance cameras in this era, so Aria didn't have to worry about being discovered. At the heart of the camp, the patrolling guards were far more alert.Snipers were usually stationed at high points, lying in wait, so Aria needed to identify every blind spot carefully.This required careful observation, but Aria had a solid grasp of the soldiers' routines. Those with a keen understanding of military operations knew that patrolling schedules, though predictable, adhered to a strict schedule. By cracking their routine, Aria spotted her opportunity to infiltrate the team during the handover.Aria moved discreetly as the soldiers exchanged their covert signals, pulling the last soldier out of the line without drawing attention.The darkening sky made it easy for her to take action. She quickly changed into his uniform and blended into the squad without anyone noticing.She even left behind a Krowonian traditional outfit beside the young soldier. Aria didn't leav
The soldier was clearly a traitor who had studied abroad. He followed Viktor closely, speaking respectfully in accented Krowonian and fanning him as he talked.Although Aria couldn't see his face, his voice sounded familiar. She felt certain she had heard it somewhere before.As Aria lagged behind, her slow pace drew attention."You, there! What are you doing?" the squad leader barked. Instantly, all eyes turned to Aria—including those of the traitor.Aria was fluent in Krowonian, but disguising her voice was a challenge. Lowering it to a gruff tone, she replied, "Yes, sir! There seems to be a fire over there."Everyone immediately looked in the direction she pointed. Viktor's expression darkened. "Damn it! Our food supplies!"The dining area and food storage were ablaze. No one understood how the fire had started, and panic erupted among the soldiers.In his frustration, Viktor kicked the traitor—Eddy Caldwell—to the ground. Yet Eddy scrambled to his feet, unfazed, and offered
However, Viktor failed to find anything. His expression darkened as he whipped the person over and over again."Some Farshyan bastards must have sneaked inside!"Viktor turned abruptly, pointing the whip at Eddy. "You! Didn't you say the Farshyans' weaponry is limited and outdated? How the hell did they set fire from outside?"Eddy was at a loss. Desperately trying to piece together an explanation, he ventured, "Maybe... one of them studied abroad in Krowo and became familiar with our weaponry?""Studied abroad…" Viktor suddenly looked up. "Apart from our soldiers, are there any outsiders in our camp?"The deputy officer immediately replied, "There are some dancers and musicians here to entertain the troop.""Investigate them immediately!" Viktor ordered, his teeth clenched as his gaze fell on the scorched remains of their food supplies.At first, Viktor hadn't been too worried. He had dismissed the Farshyans as incompetent fools, incapable of such sabotage. After all, the Krowo
Since the soldier reminded Aria of the time, it meant that there would be a new code after 7:00 am.There was no way Aria would know the new code. However, if she showed any signs of hesitation, the other soldiers would start to suspect her. Worse still, she noticed the soldier reaching for the back of his gun.It was too late. Aria narrowed her eyes and replied. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't look at the time. Let's go over it again."The soldier kept his hand on the gun and was about to speak when Aria unleashed several silver needles with a swift flick of her hand. The needles shot out with a sharp whoosh, striking all 12 members of the two squads.In an instant, the soldiers stood frozen. Their acupuncture points had been precisely targeted. Though fully conscious, they were now incapable of speech or movement.However, leaving all 12 soldiers standing there would be too conspicuous. Anyone passing by would immediately notice something was wrong.Fortunately, the Krowonian soldiers
Dorian reached out instinctively, but he was too late. Magdalene hit the ground hard, her forehead bruised. How she wished she could just faint and escape this nightmare. But reality was merciless. With her head throbbing, she could only look at Dorian and the chaos engulfing the Fitzroy Group.Dorian's knees trembled with fear. "Mom, what should I do? That bastard must have exposed me! He'll pin everything on me. Mom—""D-Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I'll get you out of this," Magdalene said, though she was barely holding herself together.But the SWAT team would be here any second.Dorian's face turned deathly pale as a sudden realization struck him. "Mom, you told me to do everything. You said helping the Draycott family tamper with Waymond's financial statements would give us the upper hand!"Magdalene froze. Her outstretched hand dropped as she coughed up blood. "Y-You—!""Don't worry, Mom. Even if you go to jail, I'll come visit you. You're already old, but I still h
Dorian steadied Magdalene, helping her sit down. "Mom, what if Laura refuses to apologize? We need to put an end to this mess online before someone digs too deep.""Don't worry. Your brother is the one involved, and he's already on the plane. No one will link the Grisham family's accounts to you. Even if the police conducted an investigation, they'll only interrogate your brother." Magdalene took a deep breath, but it did little to calm her. Her clothes were stained with Laura's blood, making her feel utterly repulsed. Meanwhile, Dorian relaxed, reassured that he wouldn't be implicated.To him, his half-brother was nothing but an obstacle—a liability who competed for the inheritance. Though Dorian had joined the Fitzroy family late, he had Magdalene's support.Neval, on the other hand, had been nothing but a disgrace, sinking deeper into his gambling addiction. Now, at last, he served his purpose—as a scapegoat.Just as Dorian was savoring that thought, a frantic voice broke thro
Eamon never loved Laura, but he had always respected her. He fulfilled her requests, supported her family, and never strayed. While other wealthy men indulged in affairs, Eamon remained distant and polite, just as he had been in college.Their marriage wasn't filled with passion, but his world still revolved around her, Jett, and his work. Laura had a life many envied—a stable family, a respected position—yet she had only realized its worth too late. Tears welled up in her eyes. If she had been more decisive, things wouldn't have come to this. She could have continued her life as Eamon's wife, reaping its privileges whether love was present or not. Instead, she had listened to her mother and lost everything—her family, her son, and the Grisham family shares she had once taken for granted.She had never even desired those shares. So how had it come to this?Regret twisted inside her, making it hard to breathe. Clutching her shirt, she barely registered the voices around her unt
Magdalene's voice rang out, sharp with indignation. "What an ungrateful wretch! If not for my husband, you wouldn't have achieved any of this!"The PR manager remained unimpressed. "And yet we stayed here for his sake. Otherwise, with their so-called capabilities…" His gaze flickered toward Dorian, who stood frozen in shock. "Your youngest son is a fool blinded by women. He lacks competence and knowledge."As for your eldest, he has potential, but you raised him to be useless. I've been in this business too long to be deceived. You're only doing this to hold on to power."Magdalene's breath hitched. His words cut deep.The PR manager added, "Now that Fitzroy Group belongs to you, clean up the mess yourself."Her hands trembled with fury. She lifted a finger, pointing at the departing figures, but no words came out.Dorian leaned in, his voice hushed yet frantic. "Mom, what do we do? The Guetta family won't even pick up our calls."Magdalene bit down so hard on her lip that the t
The deeper people dug online, the more they painted Eamon as the perfect man—handsome, intelligent, scandal-free. Many began to feel it was a waste for him to have married Laura in the first in the first place. As for Magdalene's accusations, the public remained skeptical. They weren't entirely convinced by her words but were eager to hear the Grisham family's statement. No matter how attractive Eamon was, cheating was unacceptable.Aria stayed out of the online chaos, but she knew exactly who was orchestrating it—Eamon.Since the Fitzroy family refused to acknowledge their wrongdoing, Aria saw no need for restraint. It was time for the final blow."Expose the Fitzroy family's IP addresses," she ordered. "And have the one who photoshopped that image apologize. If he refuses, the dark web forum will make sure he regrets it."Online smear campaigns often relied on bots, just as the Fitzroy family had used them to fabricate rumors about Eamon's infidelity. After tossing out a few mi
Laura's marriage to Eamon had turned her into a laughingstock in Ludwiten. How could that heartless man transfer their marital assets ahead of time? What had she even gained from wasting years in this sham of a marriage?"I want that jerk to pay! Aren't feminists trending right now? Just spin the narrative like they do!"The Fitzroy Group had always been a family-run business, but aside from Magdalene, none of her descendants were competent enough to keep it afloat.The PR manager had long known this. Most senior employees remained loyal out of respect for the late CEO, but after hearing Laura's words, they could only exchange helpless glances. Did these spoiled heirs truly believe the internet could be so easily manipulated? That people would blindly believe whatever was fed to them? How delusional.The reality was damning. The video clearly showed Laura drugging Eamon. Instead of conducting themselves with the dignity befitting an esteemed family, they had resorted to illegal s
The Fitzroy Group's reputation was in shambles, battered by relentless criticism online. Dorian Fitzroy, the so-called CEO, had once boasted that he would triumph over Waymond and the Grisham family. Yet now, he was scrambling just to save himself.The Fitzroy family's underhanded tactics had been thoroughly exposed, with the internet tearing apart their every move.While the previous three generations of Fitzroys had been capable leaders, everything changed once Magdalene took over. Their successors had become mere opportunists, riding the coattails of others rather than proving their worth.Even within the company, employees had no idea what Dorian's actual skills were. Aside from exploiting his connections and bribing officials, he was utterly useless.Now, overwhelmed and powerless, he refused to even leave his office. When his secretary knocked, he stayed silent, praying for Magdalene to rescue him.Meanwhile, the prestigious families who had hoped to use the Fitzroys to el
"How did the video get leaked out? Did Eamon know about this beforehand and prepared for it? All you know is to cry! If I can't secure the Grisham family's shares, you'll soon be worthless!" Magdalene's voice was sharp, sending a chill down Laura's spine. The words cut deep, leaving her eyes brimming with resentment. But Magdalene had no patience for her daughter's emotions. "Who released this video? Why hold onto it for so many years? Did Eamon do this to take you down? Does he not care about Jett at all?"Laura didn't have the answers. All she felt was a deep, throbbing pain. Her phone buzzed nonstop—messages from high-society women, all pretending to be concerned but prying for gossip. Their insincere probing only intensified her hatred for whoever had exposed the truth."Mom, what's the point of yelling at me? I had no idea an old video like this would resurface. Before Jett was born, Eamon did..." She trailed off, her mind suddenly dragging her back to a buried memory.It was
Magdalene had never encountered such humiliation before. Gripping the chair for support, she trembled with fury, her face dark and rigid. The anger surged within her, rendering her speechless—only her heavy breaths betrayed the storm raging inside. People had always feared her. With her status, no one dared to raise their voice at her, much less hurl insults. In the past, when others struggled to survive, she stood above them, indifferent and untouchable.Raised in an elite family, Magdalene had long believed in class superiority. To her, the so-called common folk had no right to challenge her, let alone condemn her.Yet now, they all turned against her. Their scorn was relentless. They called her a vile, greedy old woman who leeched off her daughter's success. Some even accused her of being capable of far worse than drugging someone.Her expression darkened as she read their words. Taking a deep breath to suppress her growing panic, she swiftly contacted Neval."Board the plane