"I'll offer treatment for everyone at the community square tomorrow." Then, Aria reminded them, "Remember to take the medicine. Don't stay up late to watch soap operas. They won't end so soon.""The Tiara" was all the rage in the Elmer district at that time. All the older men and women were hooked on it.A lot of them looked guilty after Aria said that. "We…We will sleep at 10:00 pm from now on."In the past, no one could have imagined that this group of people would be so obedient to one person. A lot of them had made great contributions to the country. Even their identities were kept a secret.Elmer district's community manager, Joel Hayes, had been hoping that Aria would come back sooner. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Dr. Carver, I have been keeping an eye on your house. I've not allowed anyone to approach your property.""Thanks for the hard work." Aria bowed slightly and handed him an apple. Joel accepted the apple with a smile. "It's no trouble at all. I tr
"You have a good eye, boss! I'll prepare an account to receive payment from the Yorks!"Aria said calmly, "No need to rush. Let me sleep first. Do it tomorrow."Other than making money, Aria's biggest interest was treating all sorts of rare diseases. This job from the York family was a nice one for her.Honestly, she was probably the only person who wasn't fazed by the York's visit to Southbury. All of the prominent families in the city were scrambling into action.A family like the Kents had to reach out to everyone they knew and utilize all of their connections in an attempt to get an invitation from the Yorks. Even regular people were talking about how the city was especially lively that month.First, the richest man in Janovin came to look for his granddaughter. Then, the York family came to receive treatment. Some said that the Yorks came to Southbury because the legendary Whiz Doctor was in town. There were a lot of rumors about the Whiz Doctor, but some of them were qui
"That's right, young lady. We should probably call an ambulance. This boy appears to be lost. I called out for some time just now, but no one came over," an old man said. He was concerned that Aria might be blamed if anything happened to the boy. Aria quickly unbuttoned the boy's coat and brought him to some shade. "Don't worry. I'm a licensed doctor."Then, she opened her bag and took out a medical kit. It was equipped with needles and scalpels of all sizes, all arranged neatly in rows. Aria felt the boy's pulse again. "Stop it! How can you simply touch the patient?" Jimmy yelled. He couldn't allow Aria to do as she pleased. She ignored him and continued to monitor the boy's pulse and heart rate. Jimmy sneered. "I'm Jimmy Cornell, currently studying at Janovin Medical University. My mentor is Dr. Salome Gunther. I'm not just a random bystander. You say you're a licensed doctor? How old are you?"Aria continued to ignore him. Her focus was on the boy. She took out a needl
Aria stuck the first needle into the boy without any hesitation.The boy immediately frowned. It was like he was regaining his consciousness. It looked like he was struggling as his brows furrowed even deeper. Someone in the crowd yelled, "He's waking up!"Jimmy was stunned. His face grew pale. "This can't be…"How did she pull that off? Just one needle? Could a person really regain consciousness from that?Aria raised her hand again. Her gaze was focused, and she looked very composed. She stuck the second needle into the boy's fingertips to draw some blood. Right after she did that, the boy opened his eyes. His pupils were dark and round, while his eyelashes were extraordinarily long. He glanced at Aria quietly, but his face was still quite pale. Everyone in the crowd was stunned. Francine spoke up, "Young lady, you healed with a few pokes of the needle?"Aria applied some light pressure on the needle. She saw that the bloodletting was done, so she removed the needle
Jimmy had always thought that the common folk were beneath him. He didn't notice that Aria's gaze changed as she looked up. Viciousness and contempt filled her eyes. She casually toyed with a piece of candy in her palm. Then, she flicked toward Jimmy.He felt his knee give out as he fell to the ground. "Ah!" The pain caused him to frown.He tried to get up but realized that he couldn't move his body at all. He couldn't talk, and his hands wouldn't budge. It felt like his movements had been sealed with the attack.Aria walked up to him and said calmly, "As a medical student, you failed miserably at determining the patient's symptoms, and you even declared a verdict without a second thought. "Being a doctor doesn't mean you're better than anyone else. It's a job for you to help people in need. You're unskilled and unethical. Now that you're on your knees, I'll accept your apology. Consider this a lesson I'm teaching you in your mentor's stead.""You!" Jimmy's eyes were filled
People in the crowd exclaimed in surprise and started talking."Everyone in Caesar Hotel today is quite important. I heard that there are a lot of prominent medical families in there.""Then this boy…"Aria wasn't surprised at all. After all, Miles was very well-dressed. The watch he was wearing on his wrist was quite expensive as well. "Remember to bring bodyguards when you come out next time," Aria said as she packed her medical kit up. When Miles realized that she was leaving, he clung to her leg.Aria couldn't get on the bicycle, so she looked down at him.Miles didn't speak. He just held on to her sleeve. He took a step whenever she did. They were going nowhere like that. She stopped in her tracks. "I'll take you back to your parents.""Okay!" Miles got what he wanted. He nodded and said, "I'll have my parents thank you properly, miss."Aria adjusted his collar for him. "No need for that. I don't take payment for helping kids.""And…" Miles shifted his gaze. "Do you
Aria couldn't really see what the person in the car looked like. But she was a doctor. So, she was very sensitive to the scent of herbs. She smelled the faint fragrance of herbs when the window was rolled down. Aria was well-versed in the "Traditional Herbs Almanac". She was well aware that there was a high chance that someone with a chronic illness would be photophobic.Troy urged, "Mr. Miles, don't you want to go see Mr. Landon first?"Miles was distracted. He said to Aria, "Miss, please stay here and wait for me. I'll be back soon."Aria nodded.Miles dashed toward the car.Troy stayed behind and handed Aria a card. "Thanks for saving Mr. Miles, Ms. Carver. This is a gift for you. Please accept it.""You know my last name? That means you know who I am." Aria smiled meaningfully. "It doesn't feel like you're thanking me. It feels like you're trying to distance yourself from me."Troy froze for a second. "You're mistaken, Ms. Carver.""Doesn't matter." Aria glanced at Mile
"Since you know the person who saved Miles, pick something out and send it to her." Landon coughed lightly as he looked at Troy deeply. "I'll pay her a visit with Miles in a few days."Troy started to sweat under Landon's gaze. He didn't dare to look Landon in the eye. He replied nervously, "Yes, boss!"He figured it wouldn't be hard to track down Aria. After all, she used to be part of the Kent family. She would probably tell them where she was. But he was clearly being too optimistic. He didn't know that Aria didn't want to see the Kents at all. They were an eyesore to her, but they kept showing up before her—just as what was happening at the very moment. Aria had sent Miles back to his family. She was planning to get on the shared bicycle she was using and ride it home. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang next to her. "Why are you here?"The person who spoke up was her adoptive mother, Karen Layne. The disdain in her voice was clear. She didn't even want to utter Aria's nam
Dorian furrowed his brows, lost in thought. "There was someone… I think he was a low-level official handling Ludwiten's economy at the time.""Take a look. Is it him?" Aria slid her phone across the table, revealing a picture. Dorian immediately nodded. "That's him, but why does he look younger? He doesn't seem like the timid man I remember.""Power changes people," Aria said knowingly. "It's understandable you don't recognize him. But look," she said, pointing to the webpage with a smile. "Do you recognize him?"The man in the photo wore glasses and a suit, exuding an air of authority. Something about him felt eerily familiar.Dorian paused for a moment. "H-He is…""He's the third-in-command of the city, Amos Lune." Aria's gaze flicked between the two images. "It's indeed hard to believe. With a simple name change, he's a completely different person. But someone must have worked hard to push a minor official this high."Dorian had never considered how deep the web of influence
Dorian had always been timid, never having faced real hardships. The thought of spending the rest of his life in jail was unbearable. "This is all because of your greed," he spat, his voice trembling with resentment. "You and your obsession with the Grisham family—you always thought they were better than us. That's why you were so desperate to outdo them."His eyes burned with anger as he continued, "You were beyond saving from the start, yet you still dragged me and Laura down with you. Mom, you can't be this selfish."Magdalene staggered, nearly collapsing from the sheer weight of his words. Rage and betrayal clawed at her chest, but before she could succumb, Aria intervened, keeping her upright. Magdalene had to hear everything."Aria," Dorian pressed on, his desperation mounting. "You don't know half of what my mother has done. It's about Fiona. I know everything. You'll want to hear this."He had never been this frantic before. He was willing to reveal any secret if it meant
Magdalene thought they were being taken to an interrogation room. Instead, they were led somewhere not far from Fitzroy Group. After being handcuffed, they were blindfolded. When the blindfolds were removed, harsh lights greeted them. Magdalene's son and daughter sat on either side of her.Dorian was the first to react, his voice sharp with panic. "Lawyer! I want a lawyer!"Laura, in contrast, remained silent, the weight of remorse pressing down on her.A lazy voice cut through the tension. "I don't have a lawyer for you, but I can arrange a lifetime sentence."Laura stiffened instantly. Magdalene turned toward the voice in disbelief. Dorian, though unfamiliar with Aria, recognized her face. Her presence was unforgettable, and the tattoo on her neck had been seared into his memory."Aria?" Laura's voice cracked. "Why is it you?"Aria met her gaze with cool indifference. "Why shouldn't it be me?"Magdalene's experience gave her a sharp intuition. She narrowed her eyes. "How can
Dorian reached out instinctively, but he was too late. Magdalene hit the ground hard, her forehead bruised. How she wished she could just faint and escape this nightmare. But reality was merciless. With her head throbbing, she could only look at Dorian and the chaos engulfing the Fitzroy Group.Dorian's knees trembled with fear. "Mom, what should I do? That bastard must have exposed me! He'll pin everything on me. Mom—""D-Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I'll get you out of this," Magdalene said, though she was barely holding herself together.But the SWAT team would be here any second.Dorian's face turned deathly pale as a sudden realization struck him. "Mom, you told me to do everything. You said helping the Draycott family tamper with Waymond's financial statements would give us the upper hand!"Magdalene froze. Her outstretched hand dropped as she coughed up blood. "Y-You—!""Don't worry, Mom. Even if you go to jail, I'll come visit you. You're already old, but I still h
Dorian steadied Magdalene, helping her sit down. "Mom, what if Laura refuses to apologize? We need to put an end to this mess online before someone digs too deep.""Don't worry. Your brother is the one involved, and he's already on the plane. No one will link the Grisham family's accounts to you. Even if the police conducted an investigation, they'll only interrogate your brother." Magdalene took a deep breath, but it did little to calm her. Her clothes were stained with Laura's blood, making her feel utterly repulsed. Meanwhile, Dorian relaxed, reassured that he wouldn't be implicated.To him, his half-brother was nothing but an obstacle—a liability who competed for the inheritance. Though Dorian had joined the Fitzroy family late, he had Magdalene's support.Neval, on the other hand, had been nothing but a disgrace, sinking deeper into his gambling addiction. Now, at last, he served his purpose—as a scapegoat.Just as Dorian was savoring that thought, a frantic voice broke thro
Eamon never loved Laura, but he had always respected her. He fulfilled her requests, supported her family, and never strayed. While other wealthy men indulged in affairs, Eamon remained distant and polite, just as he had been in college.Their marriage wasn't filled with passion, but his world still revolved around her, Jett, and his work. Laura had a life many envied—a stable family, a respected position—yet she had only realized its worth too late. Tears welled up in her eyes. If she had been more decisive, things wouldn't have come to this. She could have continued her life as Eamon's wife, reaping its privileges whether love was present or not. Instead, she had listened to her mother and lost everything—her family, her son, and the Grisham family shares she had once taken for granted.She had never even desired those shares. So how had it come to this?Regret twisted inside her, making it hard to breathe. Clutching her shirt, she barely registered the voices around her unt
Magdalene's voice rang out, sharp with indignation. "What an ungrateful wretch! If not for my husband, you wouldn't have achieved any of this!"The PR manager remained unimpressed. "And yet we stayed here for his sake. Otherwise, with their so-called capabilities…" His gaze flickered toward Dorian, who stood frozen in shock. "Your youngest son is a fool blinded by women. He lacks competence and knowledge."As for your eldest, he has potential, but you raised him to be useless. I've been in this business too long to be deceived. You're only doing this to hold on to power."Magdalene's breath hitched. His words cut deep.The PR manager added, "Now that Fitzroy Group belongs to you, clean up the mess yourself."Her hands trembled with fury. She lifted a finger, pointing at the departing figures, but no words came out.Dorian leaned in, his voice hushed yet frantic. "Mom, what do we do? The Guetta family won't even pick up our calls."Magdalene bit down so hard on her lip that the t
The deeper people dug online, the more they painted Eamon as the perfect man—handsome, intelligent, scandal-free. Many began to feel it was a waste for him to have married Laura in the first in the first place. As for Magdalene's accusations, the public remained skeptical. They weren't entirely convinced by her words but were eager to hear the Grisham family's statement. No matter how attractive Eamon was, cheating was unacceptable.Aria stayed out of the online chaos, but she knew exactly who was orchestrating it—Eamon.Since the Fitzroy family refused to acknowledge their wrongdoing, Aria saw no need for restraint. It was time for the final blow."Expose the Fitzroy family's IP addresses," she ordered. "And have the one who photoshopped that image apologize. If he refuses, the dark web forum will make sure he regrets it."Online smear campaigns often relied on bots, just as the Fitzroy family had used them to fabricate rumors about Eamon's infidelity. After tossing out a few mi
Laura's marriage to Eamon had turned her into a laughingstock in Ludwiten. How could that heartless man transfer their marital assets ahead of time? What had she even gained from wasting years in this sham of a marriage?"I want that jerk to pay! Aren't feminists trending right now? Just spin the narrative like they do!"The Fitzroy Group had always been a family-run business, but aside from Magdalene, none of her descendants were competent enough to keep it afloat.The PR manager had long known this. Most senior employees remained loyal out of respect for the late CEO, but after hearing Laura's words, they could only exchange helpless glances. Did these spoiled heirs truly believe the internet could be so easily manipulated? That people would blindly believe whatever was fed to them? How delusional.The reality was damning. The video clearly showed Laura drugging Eamon. Instead of conducting themselves with the dignity befitting an esteemed family, they had resorted to illegal s