The disdain on Oliver's face dealt a blow to Lily's dignity. Not wanting to be brought down even more just because of a bottle of wine, she said, "That's enough! It's just a misunderstanding. Christian, pay for everything with your credit card."Her gaze, fixated on Christian, was emotional. She and Christian were similar, so he would definitely know that this incident would only harm his family's reputation if he let it snowball further.If word of this were to spread on campus, if everyone else heard about how Christian, the scion of the Short family, couldn't even afford a bottle of wine, he'd never get to join the elite social circles in Janovin. Christian understood what Lily meant. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Hand me the reader."The restaurant manager walked over. Christian gripped his card tightly, which made his reluctance to pay obvious. However, he decided it was fine. He would just have his father give him more money later."I'm sorry, sir, but this card isn't worki
Even when the York family’s bodyguards weren't publicly assigned to their employers, they would still discreetly send experienced men for protection.Before Christian's friends could unleash a torrent of insults, Timmy was already on the floor. Confused, the group of students hesitated before erupting into chaos.Oliver was annoyed and was about to tell them to leave when a cold, deep voice said slowly, "Tell them to come in."The bodyguards stood to the side, and the students finally saw Landon's face in its entirety. He had extremely exquisite features, and he stood lean and tall. His eyes were as dark as the night as he sat on a mahogany chair. He was only wearing a shirt and slacks, but he fit right in with the opulence of this restaurant.He looked as majestic as a king in ancient times, and his gaze alone was full of meaning. His bright red rosary bracelet was especially eye-catching—it seemed to distance him from modern times. He remained striking even in comparison with the
"That was in the past, and I'm not proud of it, so don't mention it." Aria tapped on Landon's wrist. "He's talking to you, so show some respect."What Aria wanted was simple—for Christian to be dismissed as soon as possible. Christian was so ugly that it ruined her mood.Landon complied. He looked up lazily. "I don't know what will happen to me if I antagonize your family, but I know what's going to happen to your family.""Now that's funny! You're just a pretty boy Aria is providing for, and yet you dare boast so arrogantly in front of us!" a young man shouted.Lily no longer thought much about Landon. So what if he was pretty? Could looks be exchanged for money?Her opinion toward him had soured also because he'd embarrassed her in that manner. Aria laughed when she heard those words. "Pretty boy, huh? You're not wrong. You'll probably have to pay 100,000 dollars for him if he were to work in a nightclub. Or maybe double that—it'd still be worth it."Landon wouldn't just let
Upon seeing who called, Christian complained, "You must help me out here, Dad. Someone's looking down on our family—"Before Christian could finish his sentence, Norman roared, "Where are you?"Christian's hands started to shake. "Dad—""Don't call me that! Answer my question! Where are you?" Norman was going mad.Christian realized that something had gone wrong. "I-I'm at this place serving baked seafood—""Bastard!" Norman clutched at his chest. "Why did I give birth to you when you do nothing but give me trouble? All thanks to you, our family is done for!"Norman's voice was so loud that Christian's friends heard him. "Who did you cross? Tell me, you useless good-for-nothing!"Norman suddenly received countless calls on his phone. The family's business dealings in the gray area were under investigation. Everything had happened within minutes, and Norman hadn't even had time to enlist someone else's services. The authorities had directly issued an order suspending the family
The other students asked hoarsely, "What does that mean? Is he—""The exact amount of wealth amassed by the Yorks have yet to be fully calculated. The antiques the family donated to museums alone are worth 10 billion dollars." Mary turned to Landon. "You're Landon York."Landon didn't deny that, which made Christian even more fearful. He said, his lips trembling, "I didn't know it was you, Mr. York. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come over here no matter what.""This is all a misunderstanding!" Christian grabbed Timmy's arm. "It's because of him! He kept on egging me on!"Christian no longer cared about his dignity. "Can you spare my family, seeing as we have achieved countless feats in the medical field? Please, this is just a misunderstanding!""A misunderstanding, you say?" Landon glanced at him, his gaze cold. "You didn't know who I was, but I know about you."He said icily, "You were my fiancée's ex-boyfriend."Fiancée? Everyone turned to Aria.Landon said slowly, half-smil
Christian crumpled to the floor. No one dared step forward after they knew who Landon was. Landon made to leave the room with Aria; his bodyguards would deal with everything else that followed.Upon seeing how protective he was of Aria, Lily was consumed by flames of jealousy, which eventually morphed into a burning hatred. Why did Aria, of all people, get to have this man as beautiful as an angel? Lily gripped the straps of her backpack hard as her gaze fell on Landon's face. Her lips were almost bruised from how hard she was biting on them, and her eyes burned hotly. "This fine man should have been mine," Lily thought. Despite coming from a wealthy family in Southbury, Christian was cowardly in the face of difficulty, unlike Landon, who was so powerful he could bring upon the Short family's downfall with just one sentence.Lily decided to try attracting Landon's attention. Although they didn't have a good start, she was greatly advantaged in a way other people weren't—she k
Chenice had said all that out of jealousy because Aria had found herself a great boyfriend. However, when she started rumors about Aria and her sugar daddies, Mary wondered if Chenice was not afraid of the karmic consequences.Mary didn't know about anyone else, but the only thought in her mind was that she should stay away from this crowd.When Landon left, he said, "I can't tolerate anyone saying malicious things about my fiancée. If anyone else wants to spread rumors around, expect lawyers to show up at your door. I'm always ready to take the matter further."All the students dared not speak. Lily, the shrewd and calculating woman she was, knew very well that this was not the right time and place to tell Landon about what she knew. Those who attracted the most attention were always dealt with first. Also, Landon wasn't just an ordinary descendant from a wealthy family; he wouldn't remember her if she'd only used the most basic tricks.As Lily witnessed Chenice's downfall, she
Lily cried pitifully, "Please give it some thought. If I knew that Aria had such a powerful man as a boyfriend, would I embarrass myself on purpose like this?"That was true. Noticing that the accusatory stares had softened, Lily added, "Don't worry. I'll deal with the misunderstanding between me and Aria—I'll seek her out later. Grandma won't just stand by and watch us turn against each other."Everyone traded gazes. It wasn't that they didn't want to believe in Lily's words. It was that they suddenly realized that Lily and Aria were sisters, and they had mutual relatives even though they weren't blood-related. If they ended up upsetting Lily, they would be the ones suffering from the adverse consequences. In addition to that, Lily also had her own connections within Janovin. Soon, someone apologized, "I'm sorry, Lily. We were a bit agitated just now. You should talk this through with your grandma, though. "You and Aria are family in the end. Now that she has found herself s
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