The truth had finally come to light, and justice prevailed.Celestia, who had always believed her fame could shield her from the consequences of her actions, was now facing the backlash. Her arrogance, manifested in her contempt for ordinary people—whom she often insulted as "old hags" or "nobodies"—had backfired. Even her loyal fans had remained silent. Meanwhile, the online focus had shifted to the Hendricks family.Amara, frantic, called an ambulance, hoping to wait for her husband's support. Her neighbors, however, were left speechless, advising her to lay low for the time being.Don, who had been unaware of the incident until later, learned of it through his students. Upon hearing the full details, his face darkened. He leaned heavily on the table, muttering under his breath, "I can't believe this."Without wasting a moment, Don returned home. As soon as Amara saw him, she prepared to vent her frustration about Lettie. But Don didn't give her the chance. His hands trembled a
"I'm aware of it. I'm the one who did it." Aria didn't hide anything. "You asked me to take a look at something previously, and I have some clues for it now as well."Don was stunned momentarily. Then, he sighed and said, "You did the right thing, Ms. Carver. My son is truly a huge jerk. Never have I thought he would turn into someone like this. "It's bad enough that he didn't take any responsibility for the family, but he actually snatched the glory that was rightfully Lettie's. I felt sorry for our ancestors to have a descendant such as Paxton.""The way I see it, it's no mere coincidence," Aria responded. She pulled out the stuff Don had given her before. "The wrath on it is gone, and so is the ones in your place."However, you have a choice to make now." Aria's eyes narrowed. "Make Paxton apologize to Lettie properly and return the novel's copyright to her. "He also has to admit that he cheated on Lettie. Then, he's going to return all of the marital assets and go through wi
Amara stood next to Don with tears in her eyes. After what had transpired, she thought he would divorce her. After all, she came from a rural area. He could've done it any time he wanted. In fact, Amara had felt inferior in her heart. That was the exact reason all of this happened. She lacked love and a sense of security. What was more, she felt the constant need to prove her self-worth. All of these contributed to her inferiority complex. That was how she came to raise someone like Paxton. Lettie saw the change in Amara. Although it didn't mean that she could forgive the latter, she didn't intend to make things difficult for Amara either. Lettie had exacted her revenge. More importantly, Aria showed her that justice would prevail in this world. That was enough for her. Now, it was time for Lettie to forge her own future. From here on out, she and the Hendricks family would never cross paths again. Now that everything had come to a close, Aria should've been happy about it.
No one understood what Aria was talking about, except Landon. "You're suspecting that someone was orchestrating the whole thing and setting up a trap for you.""It's not just for me. That mastermind used the same tricks on the Carver family and the Hendricks family. They sought the incompetent sons in both families and worked their angles there."Aria lowered her voice. "If my grandpa hadn't been a tough man, my brothers might've met the same fate as Daisy. Just look at how closely Paxton and Owen resemble each other. Although they weren't similarly aged, they could've been poker buddies if they got together."Landon's lips couldn't help but curl into a grin when he heard what she said. It looked like a clue had just made itself seen. "You're right. We have to think about this carefully. I think everything's settled here. How about I ask Sam to come back and make sense of the situation? It'll be a little troublesome, though. He's still recovering at Mount Dracotigris."Such as th
"Follow me to the underground parking lot," Aria said briefly, but she didn't specify who she was talking to. Landon was very self-conscious. He didn't feel safe with someone who reeked of bad karma. However, Aria always had a tendency to forget the lessons she learned. He had told her that she couldn't keep saving people like this.It wasn't as if Aria listened to Landon, though. Instead, she was more focused on finding a lover. In fact, Landon couldn't care less about the others. He merely showed up here because he had a bad feeling about the whole thing. By the time Percy turned around, Aria and Landon were gone. Jeez. Landon would just follow wherever Aria went, wouldn't he?Landon was very different from his old self. Now, he was the furthest thing from cold and aloof. Back in the parking lot, Paxton was already having a meltdown. His phone kept ringing, and his information was exposed. More importantly, he couldn't believe that Celestia had been playing him for a fool.
"Stop badgering my daughter, and I'll pay you however much you want. It's not like things are unsalvageable at this point, are they? You still haven't found the person who leaked your information online—they're the ones at fault, not Celestia. Venting your hatred on her is pointless.""Pointless, how?" Paxton said what all men would say, "She seduced me first! If she hadn't latched onto me, I wouldn't have had that massive row with my wife! I supported her career and spent so much money on her because I thought she was pure and innocent, but it turns out she's a slut any man could sleep with!"Audriana's eyes turned red with rage. "You're not to talk about my daughter like that!""I'm not to, you say? Ha, funny." Paxton stomped on Celestia's leg. "As if you could stop me! You should read up on what they're saying online. And you claim to be a noble family in Ludwiten while you're already rotten to the core!"Celestia almost passed out from the sharp pain; cold sweat ran down her ba
Aria said expressionlessly, "Weren't you two still lovey-dovey mere moments before? Why did he become a pervert all of a sudden?"Celestia froze. She looked at Aria in disbelief. "W-Why do you—""I'm from the Carver family," Aria suddenly introduced herself. "I'm managing Lettie's affairs."Celestia's gaze wavered. It turned out that the other woman was the daughter of the Carver family, a hot topic of conversation in her social circles now.She almost struggled to catch her breath as she thought of what she had done. Aria had just told her that she was managing Lettie's affairs, which was scary because Celestia had witnessed for herself what Aria was capable of—she was so brave she could even fly a fighter jet!How on earth did Lettie meet her? "It was you who exposed what's between Paxton and I!" Celestia suddenly had a realization. She took a heavy step back, eyes on Aria. She'd been thinking of how she'd take her revenge before meeting Aria, but now she felt nothing but
Aria gave the leader of the SMU a casual look as she said to Paxton, "Someone like you deserves a heavy sentence."The leader wanted to say, "Yes, boss." However, he noticed that something wasn't right—Celestia was watching them. Landon was here, too, as well as the young boy Aria had saved in the square.And so the leader yanked Paxton up from the floor without a hitch. The men also escorted Celestia to the car. According to Aria, Celestia knew some things that would help their investigation, so they had to inspect her thoroughly. From the beginning, Aria acted like a cooperative passerby. Paxton screamed and yelled, but it all was pointless.Celestia said she wanted to call a lawyer, and she wouldn't say anything before the lawyer came. Her mother had taught her this since she was little. However, the SMU didn't follow the usual flow. Paxton was sent to an ordinary holding cell, while Celestia was subjected to a tightly confined investigation. Audriana hung up, feeli
Parents exchanged glances, and many of them were already frowning. Miguel couldn't figure out how his young mistress had shown up here. This would destroy his career! He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "Who told you to come? Go home now!" Then he straightened up and called out loudly, "Ma'am, you've got the wrong person. Please take your child away." The artsy-looking woman started to realize there might be some misunderstanding. Normally, she wouldn't appear publicly in front of so many parents. Miguel had warned her that if she wanted a good life, she couldn't interfere with his career. But from the message she'd received today, she was clearly told that he wanted her to bring their son over. Being quick-witted, she tried to leave once she sensed something was wrong. She pulled the boy's hand.But a spoiled sixth-grader as he was, he wouldn't budge without getting what he wanted. "Dad, why are you pretending not to know me and Mom? Is it because of that old wo
Everyone turned to stare at Aria, their faces filled with disapproval. Eden caught some of the heat too; she wasn't looking so great in their eyes either. "She's so dumb to throw away such a golden opportunity." "She just doesn't get it. Her family's dirt poor, and everyone knows that." Aria heard the whispers around her. She stood her ground, eyes cool at the edges, but her expression never changed. She even let out a soft laugh. "Nice move, Mr. Sonder. A few words and everyone forgets your wrongdoings. Don't worry, though. I've brought you a special gift." As she spoke, she glanced at her watch. "It should be here any minute. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. You may call me Ms. Carver." Miguel snorted. "I couldn't care less what your name is." In his anger, he'd completely forgotten about the scandal that had been the talk of Ludwiten lately. Aria made a small sound as she hung her helmet on the bike. "I figured since you and Mr. Draycott were so tight, you'd be keep
The way Aria looked at him made Miguel feel like she could see right through him. It really got under his skin. Miguel walked over, putting on his responsible educator act. "Ms. Bohmer, I heard about your situation. It's fine if you need more time to consider, but please have your friend move her vehicle. School grounds aren't for just anyone off the street to enter whenever they please." Eden started to object. But Aria let out a soft laugh, stepping in front of her. "You're Mr. Sonder, right?" Before coming, Aria had reviewed this principal's file. His rise to this position had been swift, with an impressive résumé showing no academic fraud. But Sam wasn't just anyone—he could dig up dirt nobody else could find. This principal valued his son above all else—a son born from an affair, no less. Miguel nodded with formality. "That's me." Aria's smile didn't fade. "No wonder you looked familiar. We must have crossed paths elsewhere. Your younger son is starting middle school thi
Miguel had worked so hard to climb out of being just another underpaid teacher. Most people would have been thrilled to land a principal job, but Miguel got greedy. He never cared about shaping young minds. As he often said, "It's just a paycheck. Only losers pass up money to preach about education." That mentality might fly in small towns, but in the big city, these kids wouldn't stand a chance based on merit alone. Miguel wasn't exactly looking down on his students—he just knew the situation in each class best. Students with or without local residency permits would face different college admissions standards. Rich families already had their children's overseas education lined up, so there was no sweat required. Even if they had bad grades, it wouldn't be a problem. They could still go abroad and buy themselves a fancy degree. Money talked, and that was the harsh reality. Miguel needed that Department of Education position to set his son up right. It was pretty ironic for a
Aria would definitely have the principal of Oakvale Academy detained eventually, but not now. The moment Miguel was in custody, the people pulling his strings would smell trouble. Based on past cases, they'd likely cut all connections immediately. All their carefully gathered leads could vanish in seconds. So Miguel needed to stay free for now and even remain in plain sight. Aria said, "Don't tell your principal about what happened today." She looked at Eden. "When you go back, just attend classes like how you normally do. If Mr. Sonder asks about you, tell him you're still thinking it over. "Show how nervous you are about this, but also hint that you're eager to go abroad. You're just not quite ready yet. "Don't tell anyone about our conversation. I've added you as a contact. If anything seems off, text me immediately. "Someone will be protecting you 24/7, and your family too. So don't be afraid." As she spoke, Aria stood up. "Let's go. I'll take you back to school. They
"I don't know what Judy meant by that," Eden said as she looked up. "She never talked like that before." "Got it," Aria said, zooming in on the photo. By looking at the brand of the chocolate drink and the surrounding buildings, she could nail down the exact location. Without hesitation, she sent it to Sam for analysis. Something about this "interview" smelled fishy. She had to see firsthand what kind of meeting would change a simple and positive girl like Judy. "About those selected applicants—do you know exactly who they were?" Aria dug deeper with her questions. Once she had names, she could connect the dots between the students. These patterns would reveal what the buyers were looking for. Human trafficking was a high-stakes criminal business, and Aria did not believe this was just about exploiting young girls. The bar incident had been her wake-up call. She needed the full picture before making her move. She would just spook them if she jumped in too soon. Their oper
Aria needed to identify all the "buyers". Missing even one buyer could mean one more student was sold. "Do the selected applicants have anything in common besides their family situations?" Aria asked, and Eden shook her head. But she then added, "Everyone had good grades, so nobody ever questioned why they were chosen for scholarships. Nothing seemed fishy about it." Aria made a mental note about the good grades, then scrolled through Judy's Facebook feed. This kind of investigation was pretty straightforward for her. Even without being accepted as a friend, she could hack in easily. From her posting habits, Judy seemed like an optimist. She was a nice girl who rarely posted anything negative. But one post made Aria scroll back and look twice. The post was cheerful, with a sunny photo and a cup of chocolate. But the text caught her attention. It read, "About to start my new life! All my hard work has paid off. The interview was kind of weird, but no big deal. Let's go!" Ar
The person on the other end of the call didn't speak. He just nodded with a pouty little face from behind a computer screen. It was actually Sam. He'd been working behind the scenes all along, especially when investigating the Wagner situation. Having him tail Philip was the least suspicious option. Simon was available too, but his presence would definitely attract unwanted attention as a beast of fortune. Since they were dealing with an arcane seeker, bringing Simon would be like handing them a treasure. So Aria made the call to have Sam follow Philip, while Simon stayed with Landon. Aria was not worried about her handsome fiancé being in danger. It was only because Simon would be safest with him. The Yorks carried heavenly fortune. As long as there was no fated ordeal in play, anyone who tried to harm Landon would likely meet a bad end. After all, that purple energy surrounding him wasn't just for show. With Simon staying near him, Simon could mask Landon's aura while also
"Yeah, that's right," the rest of the burly men chimed in. The whole scene was painfully forced and fake. In reality, they just wanted to leave. But Aria wasn't about to let them off so easily. She figured she would return the favor since they'd been asking about her. She asked, "Oh, so the Draycotts owe your company money? Which company is that?" Viggo had not expected this question. He froze momentarily, then quickly replied, "Our company is small, so it's not worth mentioning. It's nothing compared to yours." "It's admirable how your company can sponsor students despite being a small one." Aria's compliment was delivered flatly. Viggo's scalp tingled with unease. "It's actually our investor. He doesn't just fund us but many companies. He came from a small town himself and wants to help these students get better learning conditions." "Now that's a rare and kind soul. I'd love to meet him sometime." Aria said casually, "Since we've had such a fortunate encounter, let's exc