Chapter 290: Girl, This is the 21st Century

The sun was aggressively bright and hot as Aria and Zoe strolled along the paved pathways of the city park.

Aria was wearing a black, fitted long-sleeve crop top and a pair of dark cargo pants. Ten yards behind them, maintaining a perfect distance, Richard shadowed their every move. He wore his usual suit, looking like a Terminator on a leisurely afternoon stroll.

"Aria," Zoe asked, her voice dropping into a suspicious whisper. "Why are we walking toward the cemetery? Please tell me we are not doing anything that is going to invite a poltergeist into my life. My vibes are currently very fragile."

Aria let out a bright, airy laugh. "Relax, Zoe. We aren’t robbing a grave."

"Then why are we going in there?!"

"It’s a shortcut," Aria lied effortlessly, pulling her best friend closer by the elbow. "By the way, I have premium tea, and I need a sounding board."

Zoe’s anxiety instantly went up in smoke. "Spill it."

Aria leaned in, pitching her voice low so Richard wouldn’t hear.

"So," Aria murmured, her eyes dancing with mischief. "You know how Diana is supposedly ’recovering’ in one of the guest rooms?"

Zoe nodded eagerly.

"At three in the morning," Aria revealed, "I went to the kitchen for water. And I saw Richard sneaking out of her corridor."

Zoe gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth. "Shut up."

"I’m dead serious," Aria grinned. "He tried to tell me he was delivering a medical bandage. At three AM? Medical bandage my ass."

"Oh my god," Zoe’s eyes widened. "Are they hooking up?! That is literally a Netflix original series waiting to happen!"

Zoe paused, a realization suddenly dawning on her.

"Wait a minute," Zoe hissed, grabbing Aria’s arm. "If Richard and one of your mortal enemies are hooking up... Aria, what if he leaked the audio?"

Aria blinked, her footsteps slowing.

"Think about it!" Zoe whispered furiously. "Diana hates you. She wants you gone. What if she ordered him to record you in the car, or planted a bug, and had him leak it to the press to ruin you? It makes perfect sense!"

Aria’s emerald eyes blew wide.

She hadn’t thought of that. It was definitely possible. Diana was spiteful enough to try and ruin her career, and Richard would certainly have the resources to pull off an untraceable leak. ℯℯ𝘭.

But as Aria looked back at the towering, silent bodyguard trailing them, a brilliant idea blossomed in her mind.

Tonight was the auction for the remaining fifty percent of Vale Entertainment. She needed to slip away to bid under her fake identity, but Richard watched her like a hawk. He reported her every move to Damien.

But what if she gave him a reason to look the other way?

’I could blackmail him,’ Aria realized, a smirk curling her lips.

Even if the rumor wasn’t true—even if Richard wasn’t the bodyguard who got Diana pregnant in her past life, and even if he didn’t leak the audio, it didn’t matter. It was her word against his. And Damien would definitely believe his wife over his operative. One word from Aria, and Richard would be fired, or worse, killed.

It was a bit cruel, but she was out of options. She needed a free night, and Richard was going to give it to her.

"Zoe, you are a genius," Aria beamed, patting her best friend’s shoulder.

They turned off the main park path and passed through the wrought-iron gates of the cemetery.

The air was instantly cooler, shaded by ancient weeping willows and towering oaks. The sprawling perfectly kept lawns were dotted with marble mausoleums and weathered headstones.

"I still don’t like this," Zoe muttered, shivering slightly as they walked down a gravel path. "I have enough bad karma to last me three lifetimes."

As they rounded a corner near a cluster of weeping angels, an elderly Chinese woman approached them on the path. She was tiny, her face lined with deep, gentle wrinkles, carrying a woven basket full of white chrysanthemums.

Richard instantly closed the ten-yard gap, stepping forward to intercept the stranger.

Aria immediately threw her hand up. "It’s fine, Richard."

Richard paused, stepping back into the shadows of a nearby mausoleum, though his eyes never left the old woman.

The woman smiled warmly at Aria, her eyes crinkling. She pulled a single white chrysanthemum from her basket and held it out.

The woman reminded Aria so much of Granny Shen that a sharp ache bloomed in the center of her chest.

"Aì shì shēngmìng de zhǒngzi, sǐwáng zhǐ shì ānxi," the elderly woman spoke in soft Mandarin, pressing the flower into Aria’s hand. (Love is the seed of life; death is only rest.)

Aria gently took the flower. She bowed her head slightly in a gesture of deep respect.

"Xièxiè nín. Nín de huà hěn měi," Aria replied flawlessly, her pronunciation perfect, even though she didn’t fully comprehend the philosophical weight of the woman’s wisdom. (Thank you. Your words are very beautiful.)

The woman smiled, patting Aria’s hand before shuffling away down the gravel path.

Zoe stood frozen, her jaw hanging open.

"Since when," Zoe asked, staring at Aria in utter disbelief, "do you speak fluent Mandarin?!"

Aria didn’t miss a beat. "Duolingo."

"Duolingo?!" Zoe shrieked, throwing her hands in the air. "Are you kidding me?! I have been on that stupid green owl app for five years trying to learn Korean, and the only things I know how to say are ’Hello, I love you,’ and ’Thank you’!"

"Maybe you just aren’t applying yourself," Aria teased, tucking the white flower into the pocket of her cargo pants. "Or maybe the owl just likes me better."

"I am applying myself!" Zoe defended passionately, stomping down the gravel path. "I have to be fluent for when I finally meet Kim Taehyung! When V from BTS and I get married, I need to be able to communicate with my in-laws, Aria! It is vital to my future!"

"Zoe, your parents and immediate family are Chinese," Aria pointed out, laughing at her best friend’s priorities. "Why don’t you know any Mandarin? Study that instead."

"I was born in Brooklyn!" Zoe huffed, crossing her arms defensively. "I’m American! And honestly, you need to hurry up and get crazy famous so we can go to international award shows and you can accidentally bump into V so I can introduce myself."

"I promise to do my best to secure your K-Pop husband," Aria chuckled.

"Good," Zoe nodded, appeased. "Because frankly, the men in our current orbit are a disaster. Have you checked TikTok today?"

"No," Aria said. "What did I miss?"

"The Leo and Bella dumpster fire is currently burning down the entire internet," Zoe reported gleefully. "So, Leo went on TikTok Live this morning and denied dating her. He said they were ’just colleagues.’ Bella immediately lost her mind and went on Instagram Live crying, saying they had sex, he made all these promises to her, and now he’s tossing her aside after he got what he wanted."

Aria’s eyebrows shot up. "Wow."

"It gets worse," Zoe grinned. "Lucas joined the chat. He posted a story siding with Leo, calling Bella a ’manipulative whore’ who preys on younger guys for clout."

Aria let out a loud, genuine laugh. "It’s a literal snake pit."

"Bella’s fans are doxxing Leo’s stylist," Zoe listed off her fingers. "Leo’s fans are mass-reporting Bella’s accounts. And Lucas’s remaining twelve fans are just trying to survive the crossfire. It’s a total bloodbath."

"Thank God I am not involved in any of it," Aria sighed happily, enjoying the cool cemetery breeze. "But The Empress’s Shadow is definitely going to flop at the box office. Way too much drama in the interim. The premiere interviews are going to be top-tier comedy, though."

Aria stopped walking.

They had reached a quiet, secluded corner of the cemetery. Sitting beneath the shade of a massive oak tree was a polished black marble headstone.

Engraved into the stone in elegant silver lettering was the name: Eleanor Vale.

Zoe froze.

"Aria," Zoe whimpered, taking a step backward. "You said we weren’t digging up any graves."

Aria reached into the side pocket of her cargo pants and pulled out a pair of gardening gloves. She tossed one pair at Zoe’s face.

Zoe shrieked, catching the gloves before they hit her nose.

"Relax, Zoe," Aria said calmly, pulling her gloves on. "My mother was cremated. Her ashes were sprinkled in the ocean, remember? There isn’t a body down there. This technically isn’t a grave. It’s a cenotaph."

"It’s still illegal!" Zoe hissed, looking around frantically for security. "We are going to get arrested!"

"Stop panicking and help me dig," Aria ordered, dropping to her knees in front of the marble headstone.

"What if someone comes by?!" Zoe panicked, clutching the gloves to her chest.

"No one is coming by," Aria pointed over her shoulder. "Richard is keeping watch at the end of the path. If anyone approaches, he’ll handle it. Now, dig."

With a groan, Zoe dropped to her knees beside Aria and started clawing at the soft, freshly turned earth near the base of the headstone.

They dug in silence for five minutes, their gloved hands scooping away the rich, dark soil.

Suddenly, Aria’s fingers brushed against something hard.

"Found it," Aria whispered.

She dug her fingers around the edges, pulling a small, dirt-caked metal lockbox out of the earth.

Zoe leaned in, her eyes wide with anticipation. She had been imagining this moment all day.

"Open it," Zoe urged breathlessly. "Is it gold? Diamond necklaces? Bearer bonds?!"

Aria brushed the dirt off the latch and popped the box open.

Resting inside, on a bed of faded red velvet, was a single, blue piece of plastic.

Zoe’s face fell. "That’s it?"

"It’s a bank card, Zoe," Aria laughed, picking up the card and wiping a smudge of dirt off the magnetic strip. "What? Did you expect a pirate treasure chest full of gold doubloons?"

"I mean... kinda," Zoe pouted.

"Girl, this is the 21st century!" Aria laughed.

Aria slipped the bank card into the zippered pocket of her cargo pants. She closed the empty metal box, tossed it back into the hole, and quickly kicked the dirt over it, patting it down until the ground looked relatively undisturbed.

She stood up, peeling off the dirty gardening gloves, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. She had the funds.

They walked back and climbed back into the SUV.

Zoe collapsed into the plush leather backseat, wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek.

"Alright, tomb raider," Zoe sighed, looking over at Aria. "Where to now?"

Aria stared out the tinted window, her hand resting over the pocket that held her mother’s secret fortune.

"Now," Aria grinned, "we go shopping."