Chapter 2

Silence descended upon our surroundings as everyone processed my words.

Shane's expression darkened. He was seconds away from losing his temper when I raised my voice again and interrupted him.

"However, Mr. Carlton is the ultimate decision-maker of the company. You have given your special assistant, Ms. York, full authority over the proceedings of this event, and she insists on taking the risk to impress your client. As your subordinate, I don't have the authority to interfere with your decision."

I took two steps back and pointed at the treeless, concrete square outside the cemetery.

"I don't want to get in the way of your preparations for Mr. Paulson, so I'll be heading to the safe zone over there. From now on, Mr. Carlton and Ms. York have full authority over the ceremony. I, Jennifer McQuinn, will not interfere no matter what happens."

I turned around after I was done speaking and didn't spare them another glance as I made my way over to the concrete square.

Valerie let out a mocking laugh from behind me. She clicked her tongue and sneered, "What a coward. She'll never make it big that way. Forget about her, Shane. She's just upset that I'm doing such a good job helping you. Let's have a grand feast once Mr. Paulson signs the contract!"

Shane scoffed. "Let her go wherever she pleases. What a boring woman. Valerie, double-check the positions of the candles. Make sure that all of them are lit when Mr. Paulson gets here."

I walked to the edge of the concrete square and found a position that was in the surveillance camera's blind spot. I then saved the recording and transferred a high-quality version of the video to the cloud.

I scoffed as I looked at the people who were still bustling about on the mountain, making the final preparations.

They could do as they pleased. The bigger the fire, the better.

…

A few luxury cars appeared on the winding mountain road and slowly drove into the cemetery at around 2:00 pm.

The car door swung open to reveal the tycoon, Edward Paulson. Seven to eight bodyguards clad in black surrounded him when he got out of the car.

Edward was in his 60s. He had traveled to Arlana during his younger years to make a name for himself. Now that he had achieved tremendous success, he prioritized the state of his family's geomancy and his late ancestors' peace above everything else.

Shane immediately fixed an amicable smile on his face when he noticed Edward's arrival.

Valerie also rushed toward Edward and exclaimed, "You're finally here, Mr. Paulson! Look, I specially prepared a grand ceremony to welcome you back to your home country. You can properly pay your respects to your ancestors as well."

She pointed at the mountains of candles that were placed all over the ground and proudly continued, "I commissioned the oldest candlemaker in the country to craft those candles. Each one of them is handmade. They're perfect for today's ceremony. I'm sure your ancestors will appreciate the gesture!"

Edward frowned slightly. Although he did place great importance on the ceremony, he was still a businessman who had experienced much of the world.

He looked at the candles that were stacked up so high that they were nearly touching the branches of the pine trees. He then took note of the howling winds billowing through the mountain.

"Isn't there… a little too many candles?" he asked hesitantly. "The winds are quite strong today, and we're surrounded by trees. Is it safe to light so many candles?"

Shane was just about to explain when Valerie pulled a lighter out of her pocket.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Mr. Paulson! We have to make sure that the fire is blazing! After all, the bigger the fire, the more sincere your feelings are! Also, I specially hired a geomancer to let me know when's the best time to light the candles. We can't miss it!"

Edward and his bodyguards were given no time to stop Valerie as she snapped the lighter open and moved toward the candles closest to her.

The fire immediately began to spread to the surrounding candles. With a loud roar, the flame suddenly shot skyward, reaching well over six feet.

It was already a windy day, but the draft blowing through the mountain was especially strong that day.

The candles continued to burn brilliantly, the columns of flames licking higher and higher into the sky.

When a strong gust blew past, some of the smaller candles that weren't secured to the ground toppled over and rolled away.

Shane was still oblivious to the mounting crisis unfolding before him. Wanting to support Valerie, he cheered and applauded her, shouting, "Look at the blazing fire, Mr. Paulson! Look at how the flames are reaching toward the sky! I'm sure that your ancestors will be able to feel your sincerity!"