"Did you just say that Landon is with Rainbow?" Percy seized the key detail. "Everyone in Janovin knows he broke off the engagement. What's he doing there?"Jeffrey pursed his lips. "I'm not sure, but he said that she's his girlfriend.""What?" The other five brothers exploded."That's inappropriate of him!""Tell us, Leon, what the hell is your boss thinking?""How did Rainbow become his girlfriend?"The brothers turned to Leon all at once. Leon had been silent for a while because he was searching for air tickets. With Rainbow found, he thought he should fulfil his responsibility as her brother and pick her up as soon as possible. The stylist was still admiring the condition of Leon's skin. "Stage makeup looks good on you, Mr. Carver. Please don't look at the gossip online. They're claiming that you're promiscuous, but they're just trying to bring you down."Leon suddenly said, "What do you think girls now like, Clary? I have to give Rainbow a surprise."He had such a dopey
Landon paused. Aria leaned closer toward him and said, "I've known you for a long time, but because of what I heard at the hospital, I've always assumed that you were a member of the Carver family."Now that I think of it, something isn't right with that. Frank listens to you, and Mr. Lowe accompanies you to the hospital himself. "It's not just members of the Carver family who can command such deference, but also members of the York family—the latter more so."Aria's gaze fell on his wrist. "You always wear that rosary bracelet that helps to relieve the uneasiness of the body and mind. I should've figured out who you are a long time ago."Landon coughed lightly as he supported Aria. His lips were pale as he said, "I thought I could keep that under wraps. I'm sorry."His handsome features looked even more harmless when he wasn't wearing his glasses. He looked especially elegant and pious as the winds blew. "But you ended up figuring it out anyway.""I'm Landon York." He smiled. "
Aria was speechless. That wasn't what she'd asked, was it?Landon said, "Those words used to feel like shackles binding me. No matter how I tried to free myself from that, they reminded me that I wouldn't be able to decide who I'd get married to.""I can treat your sickness—" Aria had just started speaking when Landon interrupted her with a chuckle. "But now I'm glad that they serve to tie you and I together."Aria looked confused, which was a rare expression on her. Landon held her in his arms. His heart thumped steadily and firmly in his chest. "I've had feelings for you since a long time ago, and they're completely unrelated to who you might be."Aria raised her head, wanting to look at him, but he, feeling insecure, pressed her head into his chest. "I don't have any unadvisable pastimes, and I'm good at earning money. Perhaps you could take some time to consider getting together with me.""Sure." Aria's nose was buried in his clothes, and she could feel him breathing. He was
Warren had assumed that he'd have to spend a lot of time convincing Aria to return to Janovin with him, but she agreed readily.This made Warren very eager to return there. Aria prepared his medicine before telling him about her plans. "You should return to Janovin first, Grandpa. I'll go later after picking up my grandma.""You want me to go back first?" Warren was reluctant to be apart from Aria, so he threw a tantrum like a kid. "No."Aria chuckled. "The medical resources in this county are limited. Your health condition means that I need to treat you with all I have, but they're short of many herbs here.""I'll go with you to meet your grandma, then." Warren's words brooked no refusal. "The Carver family is indebted to her. I should've visited her to thank her long ago."Aria couldn't very well say no to that. Before their departure, Aria visited Jeffrey. He woke up just as she was adjusting the drip rate of the IV bag he was hooked to. He grinned. "Hey, Aria."There seem
Georgina had been waiting for Aria since getting her call in the afternoon. She and Sarah felt anxious when they watched Aria's livestream. Thankfully, Lucas was also present and told them about the plan to arrest the criminals. Georgina would've bought tickets to Uludon immediately if not for that. "That's Aria, isn't it, Ms. Harris? That car looks so expensive—and it has a Janovian license plate!"Janovian? Georgina looked up, only to see six luxury cars parked over there. Aria had come out of the vehicle leading the envoy, supporting an old man as they walked over. The old man wore a suit. "How did Aria get to know those people? They're obviously wealthy at first glance!"As Georgina's neighbors in the alley milled around, she smiled. "They're her biological family."Aria had told Georgina everything she needed to on the phone the previous day. As thorough as she was, she worried that Georgina would overthink it. At the end of the call, she mentioned, "I set my sights
Initially, Georgina hesitated about going to Janovin with Aria, but now it seemed that she must. Even if she wouldn't be of any help, she could still watch over Aria. Warren and Georgina talked for a long time. Georgina showed Warren photos of Aria when she was a child. "Look at how out of it she was; her gaze was so blank. I was worried about her grades, but now she's the smartest student in the state."Warren's eyes shone. "She's the smartest student in the state?" He knew Aria took after him, unlike Elijah and Leon, who were only interested in acting and singing."Yeah, she's incredibly smart. The Kent family owe her, to be honest." Georgina said guiltily, "My good-for-nothing son and daughter-in-law treated her really badly."Georgina told Warren everything. Warren was understanding. "You didn't have a hand in all that. You watched over and provided for Aria until adulthood, and this is indisputable. Aria is constantly thinking of how she should care for you.""Aria keeps eve
Landon was patient. "Where's your bank account number again?"Sam pointed at the straps of his suspenders.Landon transferred 100,000 dollars to his bank account and said, "I heard that you're partial to yarrow and staghorn."Sam nodded.Landon ruffled his hair with a smile. "I'll bring some for you next time."Sam decided he would tolerate Landon since he'd paid and would bring those herbs for him the next time they met. Tolerating Landon's existence was the farthest Sam could go. He'd never grow to like Landon because Landon's presence felt dangerous, and he always found himself having the urge to escape whenever he was in Landon's vicinity.Sam had no idea if Aria had listened to what he'd said to her. He heaved a long sigh when he thought about it, completely oblivious to the fact that his words had achieved an effect completely opposite of what he was envisioning.Aria still had some loose ends to tie up in Southbury, so she planned to get some investigations done when Wa
This was the scene that greeted Landon when he arrived. Aria didn't look like someone here for groceries but like a doctor offering her services for free in the market.Among all the people he'd met, she was most adored by the elderly. He'd wanted to lend her a hand through his connections, but only after he'd returned to Southbury did he realize that she knew people as important as Kenneth Kane and didn't need his help at all.Landon fiddled with the beads he wore around his wrist, deep in contemplation. Aria still hadn't noticed him yet. She was inspecting someone when her grocery bag was suddenly gone. She turned back only to see Landon's handsome face. He wasn't wearing glasses this time, so he looked less aloof and intimidating. Aria could see that Landon was trying his utmost best to blend in. However, he'd ended up being surrounded nevertheless."He's your boyfriend your grandma's been talking about, isn't he? He's handsome!""You're a good match! Both of you look good."
Chaos erupted at the auction. For all their pride and arrogance, the wealthy clients' expressions had twisted into pure panic the moment something went wrong.So, their first reaction was to seek a staff member."The power's unstable!" Dave spoke into the microphone, trying to project calm. "Everyone, stay calm. There's scheduled maintenance in town—it's just affecting the electricity. Nothing's wrong."He genuinely believed that. It was what he'd been told.But Aria knew better. The blackout wasn't random. It was a signal. Sam had tracked down the source of the call. With the exits sealed off, Aria had everything she needed to act.A faint smirk curled on her lips. Without hesitation, she grabbed Landon and swiftly took Aliya hostage. Her movements were sharp, practiced, so fast that no one around her even had time to react.Then came the needles.Aria flicked her wrist, sending a series of acupuncture needles flying. The rich guests closest to her froze in place, locked in stu
Tony's accusation stirred a ripple through the room, and it didn't escape Dave's attention. With a subtle flick of his wrist, he signaled to someone nearby.Aria caught the movement. Her fingers tensed, ready to slip free of the rope she had already loosened. But before she could act, she heard a smooth, composed voice glide through the air."I need her to boost my luck," the man said coolly. "I've done my research. She's the ideal bride for someone like me."Dave stopped in his tracks, and it seemed like he was telling someone else to verify what Landon had said."Sir, it checks out," one of the staff murmured after a brief consultation. "Mr. Crow's fate is complicated. The master said only a spiritual match could extend his life. Otherwise, he won't make it past his next birthday."Dave let out a low chuckle, visibly relaxing. "Well then, Mr. Crow, it seems you've come to the right place. Please—carry on, everyone."Aria listened in stunned silence. Landon hadn't lied. His life
Aria couldn't tear her eyes away from Dave.He was still quietly speaking to the man on the screen, their exchange shrouded in secrecy. No one nearby could hear what they were saying—but Aria could guess. It had to be a deal of some sort, something about her. Everything about Dave's posture, the glint in his eyes, told her this wasn't just business. It was personal.She glanced up at the clock again, nerves coiling in her chest. Something was wrong. Sam was taking longer than usual. That wasn't like him.The auction was nearing its close. They couldn't miss the chance to strike. Sasha, glowing with excitement, clapped her hands and declared, "Six million! It looks like no one else is bidding—congratulations to our newest member, Mr. Tiger—""Ten million dollars."The voice sliced clean through the noise, calm, clear, and cold.Everyone turned toward it.A man stood at the edge of the crowd, dressed in a sleek tuxedo dusted with black feathers, his mask intricate and dark.T
Aria had once told Sam to avoid chaos if he could—but she'd also said that when desperation knocked, rules could bend.Now was one of those moments.Sam hesitated only briefly before diving in.He had to know who was behind this. Who kept targeting Aria? Who was pulling the strings in the dark? And once Sam decided on something, there was no turning back.Without Aria by his side, he breached the system, knowing full well the other side had already alerted the police.The firewall he faced wasn't just tough—it was nearly impenetrable. It filtered everything, controlling access with surgical precision. But Sam wasn't interested in the broader network. He narrowed his focus and cut straight to the source, filtering out all the noise to lock onto the actual IP.The auction raged on aboveground. The man behind the screen, confident in his usual routine, remained calm and unaware that the mask he'd worn for years was finally slipping. He'd always stayed out of sight, appearing only
While Aria discreetly signaled to move, the auction hall was buzzing with excitement. Laughter echoed, wine glasses clinked, and the room pulsed with greed.Sasha's voice came through the mic, smooth and cheerful. "While everyone's enjoying themselves, let's welcome our latest arrival of the evening."She glanced at the man beside her—her bodyguard—who immediately stiffened under her gaze.To the crowd, it looked like he was escorting Aria to the stage under control. In truth, Aria's hand was already pressed lightly against his chest, right over a poisoned pressure point. He knew better than to resist—he'd seen what she was capable of.And she'd made her warning crystal clear—if she was exposed or captured, he wouldn't live to see morning.The guests didn't notice a thing. All eyes were on Aria, their expressions hungry. They saw value in her—fresh, young, healthy. To them, she wasn't a person. She was premium merchandise.She was brought to stand beside a young woman who had alr
Eamon and Waymond had just been thrown out of the Chamber of Commerce. Waymond's face was flushed with fury, his eyes red. "Eamon, why didn't you let me speak earlier? Mr. Lincoln was being unreasonable!"Eamon, ever perceptive, shook his head. "Mr. Lincoln's been bribed. He was never going to take our side."Wise and strategic, Eamon had always been top of his class—but now, he was even sharper when it came to reading a room."I'm guessing Aria found something during her investigation that made them nervous," he continued. "Durand couldn't have controlled Lincoln on his own. There's more to it."Waymond frowned, still struggling to piece things together. "But who could bribe Mr. Lincoln? Not even the mayor has that kind of sway. He's—""What if it's someone from the state?" Eamon cut in, eyes flicking back toward the building. "We need to tell Dad. There's no point in staying here, but there is someone we can talk to.""Who?" Waymond asked quickly. "Lucas Murray—the new secr
Durand's expression darkened; Eamon was right. Amos and the official from the state had originally wanted to work with the Grishams, especially Eamon. That was why they used the Fitzroys as a bridge to approach him. Unfortunately, Magdalene had failed to establish any rapport with the Grishams.Instead, she kept criticizing Eamon, claiming he followed Laura's every word, and insisted they had plenty of ways to manipulate the Grishams. In the end, the divorce erupted into a scandal, and the entire Fitzroy family was imprisoned.Ironically, Eamon's actions only impressed the state official more. Durand had even heard Amos say that their leader hoped Eamon would continue working with them as his involvement would ensure their plans progressed smoothly.That knowledge burned Durand with frustration. No matter what he did, he could never measure up to Eamon."It looks like you still haven't grasped the situation, Mr. Grishman. Mr. Grisham Senior has begged everyone, but where did it le
"I'm happy to take over the Grishams' responsibilities," Durand said.Waymond scoffed coldly. "You're not worthy of it.""Mr. Lincoln, it seems someone's not too happy with you."Durand, dressed like a gentleman as always, adjusted his glasses and replied calmly, "Waymond, you've been in this business long enough to know how things work. The Grishams have gained a lot over the years. It's not up to you to decide whether to hold on to it."Leonardo stood, trying to ease the tension. "There's no point in arguing. Let's settle this the traditional way—with an anonymous vote. Everyone, write down whether you think the Grishams should step down. Let the vote speak for itself. That way, it'll be fair."He instructed someone to bring in a box, paper, and pens. Each member was handed a set. It was more for show than anything else; everyone already knew how the vote would go.Eamon saw right through their performance, his gaze turning cold as he sat silently. The votes were quickly cast an
"Mr. Grisham, how long your niece stays locked up isn't up to us—it depends on the severity of her crime," Durand said. "As a member of the Chamber of Commerce, you should understand how serious the situation she's stirred up really is. Haven't you read any of the online news?"People are now hoping the Grisham family goes bankrupt. They're even demanding that we, the Chamber, investigate this matter ourselves!"His words made those who had previously wanted to side with the Grishams start to hesitate. With the Draycotts and Fitzroys already doomed, the Grishams had seemed like the next best option. But no one had expected Aria to make such a critical mistake.Public sentiment had turned sharply. The Chamber of Commerce was now being blamed for enabling an economic disaster. What angered the public most was Aria's carefully crafted image. If she'd shown her true colors from the start, they might have ignored her. But pretending to be righteous, only to betray the common people—that w