Before Aria arrived, Orion and the others had tried everything to keep the Carvers out of the Chamber. They even tried to stir trouble between the Grishams and Carvers. Now, their defenses had crumbled. The prominent families who had acted dishonestly felt especially uneasy. Barron had founded the Chamber, and over the years, they had used its reputation to secure numerous private gains. They refused to surrender such a profitable organization that concealed their schemes, let alone return it. As soon as Aria became a Chamber member, certain investors began to move. The Draycott faction harbored various schemes. They had to bring her down before she could restore the Carver family to public prominence; their survival depended on it. In today's digital age, even the biggest merchants feared reputation damage the most. If the public discovered the truth about how they had pushed out the Chamber's rightful founders while profiting from its patriotic reputation, the backlash would de
"Please, Mr. Katz, you're too kind." Aria quickly stopped the elderly man's gesture. "You were my grandfather's old friend and worked with my grandfather. Even without my help, my grandfather wouldn't let you fall. "My uncle had already made preparations, and I merely expedited things." The elderly businessmen heard the humility in her words. It was only meant to ease their burden. Clyde watched Aria's response with approval, rising with his cane. "Securing the projects is only the first step. Reviving our existing businesses is now the most important part. "Isaiah, do you have any plans?" Clyde asked Isaiah Katz. Isaiah paused, then shook his head. "I tried the online streaming we discussed. It made no impact." "Yeah, we even hired some influencers, but sales were minimal. We still operated at a loss." The business world always changed rapidly, and they struggled to keep up. Their children showed no interest in inheriting their enterprises since they viewed their work wi
"What do you mean?" someone asked for clarification as they did not understand what Aria meant. Aria glanced over, turning the black ring on her finger. "You'll understand when the time comes. Mr. Katz, I'll discuss the details with you once I've made preparations." "Does that mean you'll help us?" Isaiah's eyes welled with tears, and Aria smiled a little. "Not just help. Your business philosophy aligns with the Carvers'. So, we'll succeed together." What could bring more joy than finding a like-minded business partner? Though moved, Isaiah knew he was getting the better deal. "We can't be hasty. You must take 40 percent of my company shares." He turned to those two behind him. "Don't you agree?" "Yes! Of course!" The Draycotts had their eyes on their land. For over a year, they had used various tactics to force their orchards into bankruptcy. They understood perfectly what Aria's intervention meant. She was saving their lives. How could they not be grateful? Others w
But Aria beat Waymond to it. "Uncle Waymond, let's talk privately later." She wanted to discuss financials with Waymond, which were the matters best kept from her grandfather. She had examined his condition and planned to stabilize it gradually with her medicine tonight. Waymond couldn't help but smile at her mature demeanor. "Alright, we'll talk later." Clyde remained unaware of what the two were planning. After the initial Chamber selection concluded, business partners bid farewell to Clyde. They wished him good health and looked forward to the next profit calculation. Orion approached, immediately laying his trap. "Mr. Grisham, I admire your forgiveness. Even after your love-struck daughter nearly ruined the Grishams, you forgave her. Now you trust your granddaughter too. "Aren't you worried she'll bring the same misfortune?" Clyde smiled, his emotions unreadable. "I once saved the disloyal Draycotts. Isn't it natural to be kind to my own granddaughter?" Orion seethed
When Orion heard Aria's words, he glanced at Lily, who spoke right on cue. "Though the Kents are a medical family, we stayed in Southbury and never ventured out. After my grandmother's medical incident, we stopped practicing. "Ms. Carver attended vocational school in Southbury, so perhaps she gained connections after joining the Carvers. Meeting Dr. Farrow would be a blessing for any medical practitioner. "I envy Ms. Carver. At Janovin Medical University, I only heard Dr. Farrow's lectures from afar and was never qualified to approach him." Though Lily's words seemed complimentary, her implication was clear. If she, a top student, couldn't meet Lennox, how could a vocational school graduate possibly do so? No one had heard of connections between Lennox and the Carvers. The crowd caught her meaning, so they watched Aria with speculation and disdain. Orion laughed and said, "Mr. Grisham, you see how young and prideful Aria is. She's unable to keep things to herself and likes ex
Waymond knew Orion's methods well. Given his vengeful nature, he would surely scheme against Aria during the practical phase. Waymond worried for her. Aria needed to win the projects and revive the dying industries, which was an enormous amount of work. He supported helping farmers since the Grisham family always emphasized helping others when the family was wealthy. However, agricultural aid typically brought low returns and struggled to penetrate markets. That explained Isaiah's difficulties. They would need local resource support. "Aria, we need to talk about this." Even Clyde's expression had grown grave. "Waymond, arrange the car. We're returning home." Clyde decided firmly. "Isaiah, wait for our call." Aria realized her grandfather and uncle might have misunderstood. She considered how to explain while noticing Alaric's meaningful glance, asking her to maintain his good-guy persona. Aria muttered helplessly, "I can barely explain my situation, let alone yours." "A
"Someone lit prayer candles for you in Ludwiten?" Caspian asked. As Caspian realized something, his face turned pale. "Boss, when you passed away in your last life, I cleaned up everything connected to you. No one could even approach your grave. "But things were chaotic then, so I might have missed something." During that special period, with war everywhere, even the Royal Hotel had closed. Few things remained intact, but Caspian remembered being extremely careful with anything related to Landon. Landon stood, dark mist rising behind him. "So you don't know?" Caspian quickly shook his head, distancing himself. "Then find out who it was." Landon's tone remained neutral, yet his presence felt suffocating. His emotions always seemed stable. As the crow said, Landon's emotions couldn't be unstable. If they were, Ludwiten's weather would become unpredictable. Meanwhile, Fiona thought meeting Richard was just a chance encounter. When Waymond told her she should return to th
Waymond had always been one who wore his heart on his sleeve, so he teared up. Seeing Fiona this way, his usual stern face crumbled. "If you cared so much about Dad's health, why didn't you come see him as soon as you arrived in Ludwiten?" Fiona paused, realizing something. "I did come home, more than once." "You came back? When?" Eamon could not help asking. Fiona detailed both visits to the Grisham residence. The first time happened before meeting Priscilla. She went straight to the mansion as she was worried about miscommunication. The butler stopped her, apologetically explaining that the family had business troubles. And with Owen's past schemes, her visit would only bring problems. The second time, she was still worried, especially after noticing her childhood friend Priscilla had changed. She tried again. The housekeeper accepted her gifts and promised to convey her sentiments. Fiona had suspected something was off but felt powerless. Her calls wouldn't go through, t
Aliya had never heard of the Special Missions Unit until today. But after seeing Pedro's panicked reaction, it didn't take long for her to realize that this was a group with more authority than even her father.Still, some people lived so long in privilege that they convinced themselves they were untouchable. Logic no longer applied to them.Aria was done entertaining Aliya's ignorance. With a flick of her wrist, she signaled someone to silence her. Then, she turned to Aliya with icy disdain."Don't worry," Aria said. "I'll take you with me when I pay your father a visit. Then we can ask him together what his name truly means in this state."Her voice was calm but sharp."You seem to have forgotten that his power—any power—comes from the people. And now, you're using that power to treat their lives like currency. To buy yourself a life of superiority."She stepped closer. "Organ trafficking is illegal here. That's the crime we've confirmed so far. But don't worry. We'll find the
When Pedro heard that it was the Special Missions Unit, his forehead was covered in sweat immediately. Even his mind had gone blank. At that moment, all he could think about was how doomed they were!Others might not have heard of the unit before. However, as a state official, there was no way Pedro wouldn't know them. In fact, the Special Missions Unit was something they had no control over.Technically, the Special Missions Unit had way more clearance than they did. After all, they were in charge of big cases. Sometimes, they would even work with the special troops.The Special Missions Unit belonged to the country, and they were extremely mysterious. Even people with high clearance wouldn't know who they were in real life.Pedro only managed to find his voice after a long time. As he wiped the sweat off his forehead, he chuckled awkwardly."Oh, this is all a misunderstanding. May I know who I am speaking to? I never expected the Special Missions Unit to be carrying out a missio
Aliya had never met Aria before, but this was the first time she'd seen a young woman more poised—and far more arrogant—than herself. That only fueled her rage. And the fact that Aria was stunningly beautiful didn't help either.Scoffing, she snapped, "Do you dare let us make our calls? Let's see if you still look so smug after that."The other wealthy attendees stiffened. None of them moved. With Aria in the room, they had the sinking feeling that calling in favors wouldn't end well.Aria merely tilted her head and smiled. "Of course," she said, then turned to her team. "Please hand this lady her phone. Let her make her call."The members of the Special Missions Unit didn't question her. They knew Aria well enough to understand what she was doing—she wanted the bigger fish. The call would be recorded, and with any luck, it would lead them straight to someone higher up the chain.Aliya was momentarily thrown off by Aria's easy agreement. But she quickly chalked it up to ignorance.
Aliya squinted at the unmasked man beside Aria. Now that his face was fully visible, something about him sparked a flicker of recognition. She lowered her gaze, trying to recall where she'd seen him before.Then a sharp gasp cut through the air."He's from the York family… Janovin's York family! Wait—was he Mr. Crow? Were they working together the whole time?"Even though they were all wealthy people, they weren't in the same ranks. No one dared to mess with the York family at all.If the circumstances were different, the arrogant, wealthy people from earlier would've tried to exchange contacts with Landon. That way, they could've partnered up in the future. However, with what had happened that day, those people were in a daze.Meanwhile, Aria knew those people still had no idea what was going on. So, she just removed her disguise and showed them who she really was.Aliya was stunned by what Aria had done. When she saw who the latter truly was, her gaze was filled with jealousy.
The wealthy clients that were left behind at the auction had connections to powerful people, and Dave didn't think Aria was capable enough to deal with every one of them. Although Farshya was well-developed, it had always been a country that focused on connections.Power meant everything, and Dave wanted to see how Aria and her team would deal with his guests. If he remembered correctly, Aliya was the daughter of a great leader in the state. She wanted a womb from a young lady because she wanted to have children.Before the clients got what they wanted, Aria had offended a lot of big shots. Dave thought about it for a second and hoped Aria would suffer as much as he did.Dave was right about one thing. Aliya wasn't anxious at all when someone infiltrated the auction and took control of the event. She was only stunned for a moment at first. Once everything had settled down, she calmed down and even looked a little proud."I suggest you talk to your leader first before deciding to cu
Dave had escaped, but just barely.He'd saved his life, nothing more. The documents he needed to destroy were still intact. Everything had gone completely off script.Every exit had been sealed. If he hadn't killed a villager and disguised himself with a spell, he would've died at the auction. He didn't receive any news about the ambush and was caught entirely off guard.He wasn't in Janovin, and security was that tight there. With his connections, he could've found out what was going to happen in advance. However, that wasn't the case at all.Slipping into a grimy back alley, Dave cursed his luck. Most of his men had been rounded up in the village. He could only hope a few had managed to slip through. But with sirens wailing in the distance, he knew hope was thin."Who the hell was that?" he muttered, wiping dirt off his face with a shaking hand. Normally a stickler for cleanliness, Dave was too rattled to care. "And where's the real Eden?"His mind snapped into action. The scho
Landon's sudden appearance wasn't just a coincidence. With Aria's intelligence, she would figure something out soon—he knew that. He hadn't planned on revealing himself like this. But something that belonged to him was here, and the demonic energy in this place… Aria couldn't face it alone.She studied him from head to toe, her hand still in his. His grip was firm, protective."There's a lot of mist ahead," he said quietly. "We'll need to tread carefully."Aria tilted her head. "You speak like you know this place well.""I do," Landon replied with a calm honesty. "I was deathly ill once. My soul wandered into a place just like this. Homer pulled me back."His voice made it sound like a distant memory, and Aria gave a soft laugh, tightening her hold on his hand. "You really are full of surprises. I guess it's true—handsome men are the most dangerous."But Aria's thoughts were racing. Why had he come after her like this, knowing it would reveal parts of himself he'd tried to keep h
Landon was still handling the stragglers behind Aria when he paused, his gaze flicking upward. Cameras were mounted in every corner—too many eyes. Vanishing without a trace wasn't an option.He glanced in Aria's direction, then lowered his head. His lips moved in a whisper, but the sounds were incomprehensible—something rhythmic, otherworldly. It was less like a speech and more like a chant—an exorcism.Meanwhile, Dave descended into the underground, calm and unrushed. That place reeked of foul energy, dense and suffocating. His master had cast a spell over it—one designed to kill anyone who dared to enter, no matter their strength. Dave wasn't afraid. He had more pressing priorities—destroying documents, erasing traces, minimizing damage.His bodyguard stayed close, watching for anyone who might try to stop them.Aria, moving swiftly, reached the lower floor—only to halt. Mist curled along the ground, thickening with every step. The air turned icy. And the corridor behind her…
"Why would there be people outside?" asked Dave. He had been disguising himself as a doctor for years, and that was the first time he looked so anxious. After all, if someone did approach their building, the villagers would have informed them about it. However, they received no news this time.Dave wondered what was going on."Dr. Dave, what should we do now? I think we're surrounded!"He was still in his coat as he slightly clenched his fists. "Let's move out. Bring the girls in the basement with us.""T-They're not in the basement."When Dave heard that, he looked furious. "What do you mean they're not in the basement?""Someone took them away, and I'm guessing it was her fault!" The bodyguard pointed at Aria, who was standing on the highest point, showing off her skills. With swift, lethal kicks and a taser turned weapon, no one dared get close.Whoever touched Aria would die, and no one dared to approach her at all.As for Landon, he still had his mask on as he stood behind