Aria acted swiftly, promptly blurring the little girl's face while addressing the viewers. "I hope everyone can respect the privacy of others, especially that of a child."TinasMom: "Don't worry. We won't take any screenshots."LoveDancing: "Yes. You should ask the little girl what happened to her."Everyone had a bad premonition. Aria didn't ask any more questions, though. She said while reading the comments, "I'll contact this patient privately, so please wait for a while."In order to protect the patient's privacy, Aria turned her mic off. Even so, the number of viewers was still increasing rapidly. From 10,000 viewers, the number increased to 60,000 viewers, and it didn't stop there. There was no sound in the live feed now, but the viewers didn't leave. Aria contacted the little girl via DM. "When did you start feeling pain? What happened before that? Do you still remember?"As if recalling old memories, the little girl said, "Uncle Ryan bought me toys last night befor
Aria met Faith's gaze. "I suggest that you take Hope to the bathroom first. Don't let her take a shower. We'll talk after that."Faith's eyes widened in shock. Her hands were shaking as she held Hope in her arms. One minute later, she reemerged in front of the camera, her eyes red. She didn't cry, though. Faith was trying her utmost to rein in her emotions."Hope, go do your jigsaw puzzle there, okay? Mommy needs to talk to her." As Faith coaxed Hope, she tried to smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Aria offered her opinion. "I think it's better if Hope stays here with us. She's more sensitive than the average child. You'll have to do a lot of things next, and she'll feel more anxious if you shy away from her while dealing with the procedures."Faith looked at Hope. Hope raised her hand to wipe at her mother's face. She said, "I wanna stay, Mommy."Faith held Hope tightly as tears flowed down her face. "I'm sorry, Hope."Hope looked lost. Aria said, "I shouldn't need
"Heartbound Hall? Got it!" Faith ended the call hurriedly. She then muttered to herself, "Report this to the police first, and then extract proof…"As time passed, some viewers in the stream became antsy."Can someone tell us what's going on here?""Is the streamer not here? What's going on?""This streamer's so cool. So many people are in this stream despite her absence, and the stream is third on the Super Hot Trending List now!"As the stream continued to gain popularity, the moderator grew increasingly anxious. The platform had strict regulations in place, including a warning system that would disable a streamer's account after 20 minutes of inactivity.With the streamer absent for an extended period, anxiety spread among the viewers; they wondered why she was not back yet.Only after dealing with everything did Aria notice that she had received two system notifications. "The system has determined that this is a fraudulent account. A warning is issued.""Please return to
The young boy on the screen paused briefly before sniffing in disdain. Behind him was a massive study that made the wealth of TheHandsomeMrLowe clear to everyone watching.GrandeinSouthbury: "Oh… He's so cute, and his skin is so pale!"WannaDate: "Look at me! Please, young master!"Aria recognized the face on the screen. She said blandly, "Aren't you Cameron Lowe, the third son of the Lowe family?"HappyLife: "She doesn't seem that enthused. Has he misunderstood her?"Cameron sneered. "Yes, it's me. Let me tell you something here, Aria. You should stop wasting your energy. You're inferior compared to Lily. Not only would you fail to marry into the Short family, but you'd also never marry into my family. You're not worthy of that!""Oh, okay." Aria's reply sounded way too perfunctory. Cameron opened his mouth, his face reddening. "You better heed your promise, or else…"Aria didn't bother talking to him. "Where's your brother?"Cameron yelled loudly at someone behind him. As i
Before Aria could reply, the comments erupted into laughter. NewbieMochi: "Yes, Grandpa Lowe, all of us can see you!"Immersed: "This stream is amazing! LMAO. This is absolutely hilarious!"LikeYouLots: "I just saw the principal on the screen. What the heck?"GettingAJob: "He's not just a principal, is he? He's a very famous doctor too!"ForgetaboutLove: "A famous doctor?"GettingAJob: "He's the head of the neurology department in the First Affiliated Hospital. He's a really famous professional. You guys can look his name up."GonnaGetRich: "I just looked him up, and wow, he's amazing! So many people have registered for an appointment with him that you can only book one in the next year!"LikeYouLots: "You guys know what I'm feeling now, right?"Handsome: "Didn't you say that the streamer was a quack doctor? Even your principal said that she's a prodigy!"LikeYouLots: "That's why I'm completely convinced now." The viewers who had tuned into the stream initially perceived h
NewbieMochi: "OMG! It's really a Holy Emperor!"…In St. Peter Castle in Angladus, Landon's meeting had just ended. He sat on the couch and pulled on his tie while scrolling his phone with his right hand. In contrast to his demeanor back in his home country, he seemed more uninhibited yet relaxed. This, coupled with his regal bearing, was why Barry Smith, who arrived after him, dared not utter a word.Solo noticed that Landon's phone screen had gone dark. He said helpfully, "Dr. Genius probably didn't notice you, Mr. Landon."Landon looked up at him, his gaze dark. Solo recoiled from him. "If you want to give her gifts, you can wait till tomorrow."Only then did Landon tuck his phone back into his pocket and turn his gaze toward Barry. "Go on."Barry exhaled deeply in relief before he commenced his report to Landon, his voice quivering with apprehension at the thought of facing consequences.…Aria had noticed those two comments as well. Nonetheless, they didn't stop her fr
"This alley is so decrepit and narrow! As expected of someone who lives in poverty!"The woman who had spoken was Dorothy, whom Aria had encountered at the hotel. Holding Mindy close, she spoke with a slight frown. "You didn't have to come all the way here yourself, Ms. Carver. It's not like someone who lives here would be that skilled of a doctor!""Stop, Dorothy," Mindy intervened, her long skirt trailing behind her and her high heels making walking on the cobblestone roads quite difficult. "I'm doing this for Mr. Levin's sake."Dorothy sighed. "You're the adopted daughter of the Carver family, and the company's stock will all be yours in the future. Do you really need to do this for his sake when he's just a manager?""Dorothy." Mindy stopped her from continuing with a frown. "Don't forget about my brothers. The company will be theirs."Dorothy realized that she'd said too much. She gave the bodyguards following after them a look before saying, "You're right, Ms. Carver. What I
As Dorothy's feet left the ground, she was so scared that her face went pale. Sam was about to put force behind his grip when Aria said, "Toss the stuff, not her."Dorothy was so shocked that her mind went blank. She slumped onto the ground, her limbs as cold as ice.Sarah knew that Sam was quite strong, but she'd never seen him lose his temper. "Aria, uh…""Don't worry, Ms. Johnson," Aria said blandly. "Sam knows what he should and shouldn't do."Sam did nothing else, proving Aria right. He stood in front of the entrance, his gaze sharp. When Mindy approached him, he fanned the air in front of his nose, as if he had nothing but disdain for her. Mindy finally couldn't stand it anymore. She felt as if something were lodged in her chest. If not for Frank, she wouldn't have come here. "I have no idea why you're so stubborn. We gave you all those gifts, but you refuse to take them."Aria smiled. "It doesn't look like you're giving me gifts; it feels more like an unwarranted dona
One of the male students couldn't contain his curiosity, so he asked a bystander, "Why is everyone treating that woman with such respect?" "Don't you all recognize her?" The onlooker seemed shocked. "She now holds more liquid assets than anyone in Ludwiten. That land she acquired recently is valued in the billions—and that doesn't even account for her other ventures." Atticus felt his heart sink even further after hearing those words. The other male students all seemed dumbfounded and frustrated as well. Anyone watching could see the regret written all over their faces. But what could they do now? Being told off was embarrassing enough, so they definitely were not going to stick around. After walking a short distance, someone couldn't help muttering, "Do you think Aria really has that kind of money? They said she has billions of dollars." Nobody answered. They had all seen how people reacted, and making excuses now would just make them look dumb. "Lily, since you're in Ludw
Lily stood nearby, her body stiffening as she listened to what Aria had just said. She had seen similar headlines before but never paid them any mind. She thought that no matter how great the spending power of everyday shoppers could be, they could not possibly compete with corporate capital. After all, companies could drop tens of millions on stocks without blinking. She had never thought much about the power of ordinary shoppers. But now, she was being told she had lost because of them—the very people she had dismissed as insignificant! Lily couldn't accept it. She was a reborn, so technically speaking, she should have been blessed with great luck. But why did Aria keep winning against her? Her hatred burned as she glared at Aria, frustrated that no one would listen to her. This version of Aria was nothing like the one she remembered. Lily remembered how after being brought back to the Carver family, Aria had been treated worse than she ever was with the Kents. Everyone in
The students from Southbury had no clue what Jonah was talking about, but locals in Ludwiten knew. On that same day, gold prices had surged by nearly 40 points per share at the stock exchange. Gold stores across the city were hiking up prices too. Out of everyone at the stock exchange, Aria held the majority of the gold shares. It could only mean that she had made an unimaginable fortune. Not to mention, the land she owned had just been confirmed for development—soon to become the largest economic zone in years. Instantly, every member in the café wanted to approach and talk to her. Lily and the group of male students were then shoved aside. "Ms. Carver! What a surprise running into you here!" A well-dressed middle-aged man stepped out of a luxury car. His tailored suit showed how wealthy he was, yet here he was, fawning over Aria and being so friendly with her. Compared to Aria, Lily seemed like a total joke after being caught mooching off someone else's membership. Atticus
"But they can't just treat people like this!" Atticus exclaimed while looking at Lily, who stayed silent. He refused to believe the woman he admired was anything like they said. "Lily, just call Mr. Clinton or Mr. Guetta right now. Let's see if this man still dares to talk to you like that. You're just too nice for your own good." Hearing what he had just said, Lily clenched her fists. Why was this idiot making things worse? She was already trying to stop him, and he still wouldn't shut up. "Atticus, forget it. You guys finally got to visit Ludwiten, so let me show you around the city." Right now, all Lily wanted was to leave. Every second here was another chance for her lies to unravel. If she played her cards right, these clueless classmates of hers would still buy her act. She had been humiliated enough—she couldn't take any more! But Atticus didn't get the hint. He kept shouting, puffing up like an angry rooster. Jonah had no patience left. With a wave, he signaled the
The crowd couldn't help but laugh at Aria's remark, which only made the group feel humiliated. Just as they were about to fire back, a louder commotion erupted nearby. It seemed that someone had been thrown out of the café up ahead. Atticus couldn't be bothered with Aria anymore. Before dragging his friends away, he said, "What a classless bumpkin." They still wanted to wait in line for some croissants. But what the hell had just happened? Then, they spotted a familiar figure being shoved out of the café. They were dumbfounded for a second, and they thought they were seeing things. "Lily!" Atticus, her ever-devoted simp, rushed forward. "What the hell are you doing? You can't just push people around! We're customers!" They were still students, so they had no clue about certain rules in Ludwiten. This century-old café was members-only, and the café had the right to refuse service. Lily's heart sank when she heard his voice. As they reached her, her face went pale. With
Aria had spotted these people long before they noticed her. She didn't have a good impression of them at all. They hadn't bullied her back then. But in her memory, they'd often throw in a mocking comment or two just to score points with Lily. People from small towns like them sometimes had bad habits. For example, they would believe they knew the whole truth despite having limited knowledge. The biggest difference between them and city folks was that they were really out of the loop. It was like telling billionaires that a car costing 300 thousand dollars was expensive—they'd look at you confused. Tell someone worth a fraction of that, and they'd nod in agreement. In the business world, being in the know was everything. Some people made fortunes with the right information. There would also be people who heard the same thing but wouldn't even care about that. These students had actually been told that Aria wasn't the same person anymore, and they shouldn't mess with her like b
Everyone in the café had been enjoying their afternoon tea when they heard the commotion. They turned to look. "Where's the server?" Nisa called out. These rich ladies were all regulars who paid hefty annual membership fees. At their summons, the manager appeared with a smile before any server could respond. "Mrs. Guetta, how may I help you?" "Jonah, perfect timing. I was wondering when this place started letting country bumpkins like her in," Nisa said, her gaze sweeping over Lily. Without hesitation, Jonah Marx kicked Lily out. At that same moment, Aria arrived for their appointment. Traffic had been terrible. She had only agreed to meet Nisa because she needed to uncover something important. In her dreams, there was still one voice that hadn't appeared. The owner of that voice had harmed her mother, Fiona. She would never feel at peace until she dug out the person behind it. Aria was never worried about threats from others. For instance, she knew about Lily's wild accu
Dorian was grinning from ear to ear, showing none of the dignity expected from someone of a prominent family. He had less class than a common street hustler. The members of the Chamber of Commerce had good reason to look down on him. Dorian didn't believe that Neval, who was addicted to gambling, wouldn't return to the country for at least ten years. Once they took down the Grisham family, he'd be calling all the shots in the Chamber of Commerce! Dorian truly took after Magdalene in this aspect. The latter embodied all the worst traits of her generation—a twisted mindset and was always scheming something. Also, she was arrogant and had a superiority complex. Magdalene didn't want Neval to return, which explained why she'd readily given him money. She thought that Waymond would soon be arrested. Then, the Grisham family would go from riding high to crashing and burning, and Aria would pay the price. These were already set in stone! The prominent families' joint effort to targe
In the Fitzroy family, only Neval saw things clearly, despite being a screw-up. Everyone else was blinded by their own arrogance. Laura, of course, never saw it that way. Perhaps too much time had passed, which made her forget how she had married into the Grisham family in the first place. She had also forgotten what it meant to be grateful. Without the Fitzroy family's involvement, Orion's long-standing attempts to sabotage Waymond would have failed. This had been an unspoken secret between the two families for years. Magdalene had always been the head of the Fitzroy family. The best thing about her younger son, Dorian Fitzroy, was that he would always follow her orders. Neval wasn't her biological son, but Dorian was. As a child born in her later years, Dorian was showered with love. Now, he sat at the meeting place where several families had agreed to gather. "How do you plan to deal with Aria?" The Guettas were the ones who had organized this meeting. They used to keep