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
Landon seemed to have picked up on what was on Solo's mind. While fiddling with his rosary bracelet, he said, "Have those gowns made and delivered to Clearwater Alley.""Oh! You're buying them for Dr. Genius!" Solo thought it was fine, as nothing was special with that. After all, Landon and Aria were good friends, with a deep and enduring bond between them. However, Landon added, "Leave a note saying this is from her boyfriend.""What?" Solo almost sank to his knees on the floor. Landon said coolly and casually, "How are you supposed to spy for Grandpa when you cannot even handle such news?"Solo thought about how he would gladly give the job to whoever wanted it, as he really could not figure out Landon. …Harry was currently on a commercial street in Southbury. A group of people followed after him, talking about their projects and investments in a bid to reel this wealthy man from Janovin into investing his money. Marshall was among them, but he did not get to be seated
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