"Indeed, Ms. Carver arrived by cab." That alone was unusual. Edwin's understanding shifted with Aria's explanation–she had run away from home. Ian's eyes flickered with surprise; this was not what he had expected. Running away? Though suspicious, he maintained his composure. "Your grandfather would move mountains for you, Aria. Try to understand his good intentions." "Haven't I been understanding enough?" Aria settled onto the couch. "He made me create an online persona, and I did. I even had to memorize stuff until my head hurt. I'm a medical student, but he forces me to run the company. "He says I need to learn proper etiquette like other socialites since I'm from out of town. He's worried people will gossip." She leaned back. "I know he looks down on me but can't show it, so he argues with me at home and won't let me have friends." Her outburst left Edwin stunned. Ian put on a loving smile. "You're just being childish. Your grandfather could never look down on you. Come
Ian hid his nature too well. If Owen had not failed, he would have stayed perfectly invisible behind the scenes. This made Aria suspect he had hidden his playing cards, especially given how unusual this place felt. That was why she chose a gradual approach rather than confronting him directly. Ian said naturally, "Aria, stop being stubborn and have some hot food with your friend first. And who might this be?" "He's from Southbury." Aria pulled Simon closer. "My little brother from the back alley. Grandpa hates it when I associate with Southbury people. Even Grandma would only let them stay in courtyard houses instead of the main residence. "He got upset about this friend too. He said I was making him lose face by not following his orders." Ian could not recognize Simon as the beast of fortune. While those in the back garden would know, they were still recovering and waiting for William. They had no idea Aria would brazenly bring their target right to them—normal people would ce
A loud crash echoed from the back garden. The loud sound revealed how furious the intruder was. Aria stopped eating and asked, as anyone would, "Granduncle Ian, what's happening back there?" Ian glanced at Edwin, who quickly covered, "Nothing serious, they're just training an incompetent household staff." "Did they steal something?" Aria asked naturally. Edwin stumbled before nodding. "Yes! Ms. Carver, you're quite perceptive!" "They need proper punishment." Aria set down her fork and wiped her mouth. "Our family suffered because of that useless Dorothy. I got kidnapped because she let criminals in. "Granduncle Ian, you should fire disobedient staff. You can't go easy on them. If they conspire with outsiders to steal, they might even drain all of the Carver family's fortune. "Some people are born ungrateful. Even if you feed and care for them, they'll still bite the hand that feeds them." Aria's eyes fixed on Ian as she spoke. Though Ian's expression didn't change, Aria k
Aria thought to herself that that was exactly what she was trying to do, but she feigned shock. "Granduncle Ian was adopted? Grandpa never mentioned this! He doesn't treat Granduncle Ian like an adopted brother at all." "Mr. Carver Senior has always valued brotherhood," Edwin responded naturally, then realized he had praised their enemy. "Besides, there's a good reason for this. When the Carvers faced trouble back then, it was Mr. Ian who stepped up and protected Mr. Carver Senior." Aria doubted this version of events. Ian had let the Krowoians drain their land's energy through the Carver name. How could someone like him risk his life to save anyone? There must be other interests involved. Aria really wanted to understand how he received the protection of the Carver family's ancestors if he was not a true Carver. The house had problems, but they were not inherent. Something else was at play. As she pondered on this, her fingers tapped the table. Meanwhile, William could barel
William trusted their carefully cultivated agent would be absolutely loyal to their empire. Though not Krowonian, he had been given all the promised benefits. William could not imagine anyone would give up such opportunities. Most importantly, these were people chosen by their saintess! He blocked Ian's path with a dark tone. He looked at Ian. "I hope you won't regret this later." Ian gestured for them to leave. William said nothing more, but today's losses were severe enough to require higher authorization. People like Ian prioritized profit. Once that was gone, relationships naturally crumbled. Aria's earlier words were not casual, just as her suggestion to take a walk after eating was not random. Edwin thought nothing of it as long as she avoided the back garden. Aria chose the exit path. She left Simon behind to prevent his aura from being detected. As for herself, the spy she had let escape was from the perimeter and would not recognize her. Thus, she encountered William
Aria would wait for the mastermind to show before revealing her full strength. If not, they might retain hidden forces. The wooden doll's location remained uncertain. Aria worried about the numerous vessels and heavy vengefulness. It might lead to escaped targets and chosen ones like the Pollard family. This could not be random. The pattern reminded her of the Earthbound Manifestation she had encountered when Krowonians tried infiltrating through schools. They were possibly using similar but more subtle methods now. With life force and fortune involved, she had to take it seriously. She needed to inform her senior apprentice who was returning to Janovin soon. The Dracotigris Order must be notified too as evidence suggested they had internal problems. Aria withdrew her gaze, appearing normal as if just taking a post-meal walk. Perhaps only Simon resting upstairs would understand her true purpose. Now, she was the only practitioner in the house. No one else could sense his aura
The night deepened. The back garden appeared flawless, at least from an esoteric perspective. It was facing south with auspicious energy flowing from the east. But its perfection masked something crucial. Every piece of land had its destined fortune. It was not just humans that had souls–every blade of grass and tree had a spirit too. Nature would distribute what each deserved fairly. This layout disrupted that balance. While the house's fortune was excellent, it blocked the eastern winds. This meant the fortune of the entire wealthy district could not flow upward and would stop here instead. Aria studied the surroundings. With cameras everywhere and Sam absent, she would have to hack the mainframe herself. The security room now saw only yesterday's night footage. Ian focused entirely on Fergus. Finding a valuable new puppet was crucial to him. He underestimated Aria, while Edwin thought she was just playing around. They had opened several wine bottles, with loud party sounds
Fergus sighed deeply. "Enough about her. Let's discuss our matter." He was playing his part perfectly for Aria's plan by doing things he would normally avoid. "Granduncle Ian, Grandpa has always disapproved of Poeta. Only you can persuade his stubborn mind." After some thinking, Fergus still decided not to hold Poeta's hand when he told Ian, "I want to marry Poeta." Poeta's heart raced with excitement. She could barely conceal the greedy gleam in her eyes! "Ferg, you finally—" Catching Ian's warning glance, Poeta quickly changed course, "Bringing up marriage now will only strain things with your grandpa. I can wait, so don't fight with him because of me." Fergus gazed at her deeply. "It's not for you. It's for myself." He left those words hanging. He had to thank Aria for letting him witness everything firsthand. Ian had always protected them from Warren whenever Warren was being strict, even saving Fergus from drowning once. This planted a good impression of Ian in Fergu
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