"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
Sam was a boy of many secrets. For example, his sense of smell was abnormally sharp, and he could pick up scents that the average person could not.For him to say that Mindy smelled bad, she must've smelled like poison. Aria tapped her fingers on the tripod intermittently. She was wondering if she should tell young Mr. York that the fumes coming out of the aromatherapy diffuser in his study smelled exactly the same as Mindy Carver. She'd only thought about this question for two seconds when Georgina called for her. "Is what Ms. Johnson said true, Aria? Did Heartbound Hall blow up on the Internet?"Aria didn't need to answer that question. Their neighbors visited in throngs during the afternoon, clamoring around Georgina and asking her questions. What had happened during the livestream was still a hot topic of discussion. Joel shared Aria's post on Facebook, and someone asked, "Who is she, Mr. Hayes?"Joel answered, "She's a young friend who treats her patients with compassion an
Cyrus tried to picture a scene where all those certified powerful figures gave new streamer gifts. The mere thought of such an occurrence becoming headline news sent shivers down his spine; it was a scenario that must never, ever come to pass.Joel said quickly, "Dr. Genius said before that she won't let you pay whenever you visit her for a consultation, so you shouldn't give her any gifts. You know as well as I that she prefers to keep a low profile and doesn't want any attention."Kenneth contemplated it. "You're very thoughtful, Joel. Very well, we understand. We'll watch her live streams and won't do anything else." Cyrus was in charge of promotion, so he suggested, "Preferably with alternative accounts."Even from the other end of the call, Kenneth recognized the voice immediately. "Cyrus."Cyrus said, "Yes, sir. I'm listening."Kenneth was intimidating despite his calm voice. "When it comes to some matters, you shouldn't judge them by what you see on the surface. You shoul
Warren leaned on his walking stick for support. "Enlisting their services isn't as simple as it once was. After that incident, they're now working under the HOU.""They resurfaced three months ago," Frank whispered. "Word has it, their boss made the call, so now they're working for both the government and as a private organization."Warren's eyes gleamed. "Do it. As long as we can find Rainbow, I'm willing to pay whatever amount."This was what an old man was hoping—for his granddaughter to come home. …Aria raised a brow when she received this message. Bernard Morgan, the representative from Grand Construction Corp., was still talking. "Are we going to help them, Ms. Aria?"Aria was still in Clearwater Alley. She was wearing Bluetooth earphones. She smiled lightly. "I was just warned against doing business with the Carver family.""Hah," Bernard said, "and who might that dumbass be?"Aria spun her teacup absentmindedly. "You're the one in charge of the Dark Web Alliance now
It was obvious that Harry wasn't entirely happy with that. The reporter was dumbfounded. Everyone else seemed to find this situation awkward as well, particularly the Short family, who were also present. They'd always been the face of Southbury, and Christian had always been the focus of attention during grand occasions where outside guests were present. On the other hand, Harry told the Short family they were not as important as they thought. However, he was the second-in-command of Grand Construction Corporation, a company even the municipal authorities had to treat with respect, so the Short family could only hold their resentment in. …Sarah laughed as she watched this unfold on TV. "This man must be a powerful businessman. The head of the Short family wouldn't still be smiling otherwise."After Aria ended the call, she said in surprise, "Do you know the Short family personally, Ms. Johnson?""I don't know them that well. I'm closer to your grandma." Sarah harrumphed. "E
Aria said calmly, "He went on a business trip."Unexpectedly, Sarah came to the rescue. "I can prove that she isn't lying to you about this, Georgina. I saw him get in his car, which is super expensive, by the way. The car itself is worth six million dollars!"Aria didn't connect the dots between six million dollars and Landon's Maybach. She was currently sending a message to her overly handsome patient.The contents were simple. "I'm borrowing you for a while."Sickly Beauty: "What do you mean?"Aria: "I'll explain later."Sickly Beauty: "Sure."Only after gaining permission from the subject himself did Aria stop feeling guilty. Georgina was worried. "I didn't know he's from such a wealthy family. After getting together with him, would you be…"Aria said promptly, "He listens to me."Georgina was happy. "That's great, then!"Aria was about to sigh in relief when Georgina said, "Why do I feel like something's wrong here? The two of you have known each other only briefly, ri
Aria smiled. "Grandma was asking what you wanted for dinner. She'll make them for you for when you come back."Landon noticed how Aria was acting differently from usual. "Grandma?"Aria's gaze didn't waver as she said, "She's beside me right now."Georgina felt embarrassed after she was mentioned. She muttered, touching her nose, "I was worried that you were lying to me." Aria smiled. "Do you believe me now?"Georgina nodded, her eyes filled with happiness. There was word on the streets about how Landon was the smartest member of the York family. That was true, seeing as how Landon smiled after hearing Georgina's words. "What did she lie to you about, Grandma?"He didn't call Georgina Ms. Harris, but instead went with what Aria called her. That took Georgina by surprise. "I was overthinking things. Aria told me the two of you are in a relationship, but I didn't believe it.""In a relationship…" Landon's gaze fell on Aria's beautiful face as he enunciated the words slowly. I