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
Sophia added, "She's really popular. Do you want to take a look—"Karen interrupted her, saying, "Ms. Bush, I know you're close to Georgina, but I don't want to hear anything about them."She left promptly after that as if the mere mention of Aria disgusted her.Jane nudged Sophia, saying, "Why did you bring this up to her?"Sophia curled her lip. "I wanted to remind her not to set herself up for failure, but she refused to accept my kindness."The young woman Georgina had taken under her wing was competent, to the extent of getting on the Super Hot Trending List after live streaming for the first time. However, Karen hadn't considered that at all. She was as dumb as rocks, indeed. …It was evident that Karen would get in the car in a bad mood. "That damn girl's embarrassing me again. She could do anything, but she just had to start live-streaming. She is basically begging for money online. How humiliating!"Marshall's face was dark as he shut the car door. Noticing his disp
Marshall was annoyed by Georgina's stubbornness. "Mom! It's been 20 years since you'd caused the death of a patient, and they finally stopped paying attention to that, but you just had to draw everyone's attention to you again! You're bringing misfortune to our family!""How dare you!" Georgina raised her walking stick, about to bring it down on Marshall. However, Marshall gave her a bank card, saying, "You're already old, Mom, so stop being so stubborn. I know you don't like hearing what Karen says, but she's my wife. You should understand where I'm coming from, right?"Georgina bit out, clenching her fists, "I'd rather I didn't have a son like you.""Mom, please refrain from expressing sentiments you don't genuinely feel." Marshall supported her as she stood. "Did the York family return the Whisperwind Herb to you? Mom, listen to me. My company's not doing well right now, so can you give it to me again?"Georgina's chest was rising and falling from her deep breaths. "And I wond
Sam believed that the fish were too weak and that their deaths were not his fault at all. Georgina was perplexed too. "Why does something always happen to the living beings in the market whenever you go there?"Sam looked up with the pork burger between his teeth. Georgina changed his outfit for him. "Whatever. It's just a few buckets of fish."Aria raised a brow, looking at the crabs coughing up white foam. "It's probably not just a few buckets of fish, Grandma."Georgina felt a headache coming on. She pinched Sam's arm. "Look at you! You should hide now lest Ms. Weaver catches sight of you."As if that'd work—Edith showed up a mere few minutes later, asking, "Where's Sam?"Edith looked especially intimidating with her plump figure standing akimbo. Sam wanted to make an appearance, but Aria pushed him down calmly. Sam gestured, "What if she bullies Grandma?"Aria looked at him. "They're good friends, so they're just gonna banter for a while. This gives Grandma something to
The comments flashed by too fast. Aria was still teaching Georgina how to put on her mic when she asked, "What are they saying? Should I put on my glasses and read the comments?"Aria laughed. "They're commenting in support of you." She looked at the screen. "Thanks for the gift, TryingtoAvoidFailing. You shouldn't be careless even after you've recovered from your sickness."Thank you to all the friends who followed our livestream, too. Today will be the same as last time—we'll offer free online consultations to three people."SoPretty: "Have you really taken your grandma here as well?"ABigAccount: "So she's another streamer putting on an act. How boring!"PassionateBrother: "The streamer is likely contemplating, 'Well, the script's set. Let's figure out how to deliver it convincingly.'"PikaCat: "Those who think that the streamer is putting on an act can watch the recording from yesterday. A medical professor was here yesterday, thank you."ABigAccount: "And that's hard? P
The HR employee glanced over at Aria and spoke with a hint of cockiness. "Eden, I called your name twice. You should pay more attention next time. You can't act like this during the interview. Otherwise, you might not even complete the application."The cockier she sounded, the more convinced the students became that the scholarship program was legitimate. Their wariness gradually faded.Noticing the students' reactions, Aria walked over to the HR employee.The woman said nothing more. She looked Aria up and down, glanced at the red mark on the paper, then turned and led Aria to the innermost room—her heels clicking sharply on the floor.Aria knew she was their real target. Others had arrived before her, but they were ignored until she showed up.Inside, the interviewer was a middle-aged man. He gestured for Aria to sit. Without much expression, he asked, "Eden, will you be able to adjust to foreign cuisines? What are your expectations for your future school? What are your plans af
After entering the building, Aria discovered there were at least ten other students around her age. Some had been picked up from rural areas. All of them believed they were there for a language test in Angladian, and many were busy practicing their speaking skills.The leader gestured for his subordinates to push Aria forward. "Off you go. Try your best to nail it on the first shot."Aria walked inside without resistance. She noted that surveillance cameras had been installed in every corner, even at every hallway turn. It was clear all the students were under strict observation.She had to admit—the company was much more professional-looking than expected. If she hadn't disguised herself as Eden or known in advance that the company was suspicious, she might have believed this was a legitimate organization."Alright. Next student, come with me," called one of the HR staff.Everyone seemed busy. Employees sat at desks buried under piles of documents, each preoccupied with their ow
Those who dedicated their lives to protecting others didn't care about how people viewed them, because a greater purpose drove them.Just as Brent had said, no one would help people like them without expecting compensation. And if anyone did, it could only be the Farshyan soldiers.At that moment, the train to Janovin began to move.…Meanwhile, Aria, disguised as Eden, sat quietly in the car with her eyes closed, appearing to be asleep. She didn't react when the man sitting next to her gently tapped her arm. He leaned closer and whispered, "Sir, doesn't she seem different from usual? Do you think she's car sick or something?"The driver frowned, holding up an ID photo and glancing back at her."Maybe she's just used to us now. Probably has everything figured out by this point. Anyway, our job's just to drop her off. What happens after that isn't our concern. Once they pick her up, we'll get our money."Unbeknownst to them, Aria was wide awake, listening to every word and memor
Ordinary people understood the harshness of reality. Brent, having lived in poverty for most of his life, had been looked down on more times than he could count.Poor people like them could die unnoticed at home, and no one would care, let alone offer help without expecting something in return.If something really happened to Eden, Brent doubted he and his wife could do anything to save her. Judy was a prime example. Her father, Alec Lanez, had even given up selling bread just to look for her.Every time Alec went to the school, he was met with the same cold response."It has nothing to do with us. Your daughter ran away and refuses to acknowledge you. So why are you coming here? Peasants like you should know your place. Without us, people like you could only dream of going overseas. How filthy!"Brent had heard the school's representative say those exact words when he accompanied Alec. Both of them could only stand there, humiliated and speechless.Alec's back was sore from how m
Eden immediately opened the windows after hearing that. "Did Ms. Carver send you here? Is she in any danger? I'm really worried about her. Should I call the police? I'd feel horrible if anything happened to her."Weston remained calm and indifferent. "Calling the police will only make them suspicious. My boss is amazing, and there's nothing she can't handle. She has a plan. Right now, my priority is to bring all of you to Heartbound Hall in Janovin so your grandfather can receive treatment."The respect in Weston's voice when he spoke of Aria was unmistakable."Pack up your things and come with me," Weston ordered.Their team had already checked the surroundings and ensured nothing would go wrong. Anyone watching would think Eden's grandparents were simply collecting bottles and preparing lunch as usual, not leaving the house until the afternoon.Without wasting time, Weston picked up the elderly couple's luggage. His most important task now was to get Eden and her grandparents to
"We followed the address, so this must be the place. Sir, isn't that the girl?" It was the same group of people as before. After failing their last mission because of Aria, they were being extra cautious this time."We can't afford any more mistakes. Treat her kindly so that she won't suspect anything.""Yes, sir."When they saw a young woman in a school uniform appear right on time, they were convinced she was the right person. After all, Aria looked exactly like Eden.They rolled down the car window and waved. "Ms. Bohmer, over here."Aria looked up and recognized several familiar faces. She grabbed her bag and walked toward the car."Ms. Bohmer, we meet again," The driver greeted Aria warmly. "Let's go."The team had prepared for a difficult encounter. They'd even been authorized to use force if necessary, as long as they avoided surveillance cameras. But to their surprise, Aria simply opened the car door and got in without resistance.Aria glanced at their puzzled expression
The aged voice was filled with indifference. "It seems like she reached a dead end."Amos sneered. "I don't understand why these peasants like staying in the city. Still, it's fortunate for us. Otherwise, it'd be hard to get our hands on them.""Amos," the person cut in sharply, as if reminding him of his place.Amos only dared to speak so harshly when no one was around. If word got out, his image as the perfect secretary would be ruined.He quickly calmed down and fell silent. The caller didn't press the matter, simply saying, "You need to change the way you speak and act from now on."Since she's already agreed, give her the money. Don't treat her requests as a nuisance. The more requests they make, the less likely they are to cause trouble later."After picking her up tomorrow, send a few men to check if her grandparents need any help. Make sure everything is done properly."Amos nodded. "I understand. You always see the bigger picture. We'll continue looking after them."Poo
"I promise it won't happen again!" To an outsider, it might've sounded like Amos was talking about the cafeteria mishap. But the truth was much darker. What Amos really meant was that incidents like this could continue, just never publicly. Once the media's attention died down, they could go back to doing whatever they pleased. But for now, the performance had to be flawless.The man on the other end of the call seemed satisfied. Though his voice was flat and monotonous, there was a noticeable shift; it was now less stern."She's been manipulating the stock market," he said. "It's caused major damage to several of Luwditen's corporations. We can't let her walk free."Amos removed his glasses, a grim look on his face. "That's exactly what I told the Securities Regulatory Department. It doesn't matter who comes to plead on her behalf. Even if she's the late Mr. Barron's heir, she has to face the law."She's confessed. No one's going to let her off the hook now. You know what jail'
At first, Eden didn't understand what Aria meant. But as night fell, Aria lowered her head and started fumbling with something. When she looked up again, Eden was stunned—Aria looked exactly like her.Eden's eyes widened in disbelief. She'd only seen something like this in movies. But now, it was unfolding right in front of her. So there really was such a flawless disguise technique in the world."Aria, you…""Since I'm using your identity, I have to be you," Aria said with a soft tug of her mask, smiling. She had always been bold, yet precise. Working in the Special Missions Unit meant secrecy was second nature to her—this part was routine."Stay home and rest tonight. I'll leave first thing in the morning. Once I'm gone and the coast is clear, take your grandparents and leave."Eden opened her mouth, unsure of how to respond. She didn't even know when the people watching them would leave."My team will come get you," Aria reassured her. "What's important is that your grandparent