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
Once again, the stream surged to the top of the trending list. Initially third on the local charts, it had now ascended to a prominent position on the national ranking.The moderator praised himself for his sharp eyes again. He reviewed the contract Aria had signed and registered Heartbound Hall in this competition. Every year-end, Shark held a competition to determine the top ten most popular streamers on the platform. Those among the top ten would then be awarded a sum of prize money.The streamer in tenth place would be awarded 100,000 dollars, and the sum would increase by a hundred thousand dollars by every rank. Additionally, the streamers would also have the opportunity to attend a year-end party in Janovin.The moderator noticed that Aria didn't care much about all that, so he thought he'd register on her behalf. He believed she had a good chance of entering the top ten. While she couldn't compete with the big-shot streamers and their massive fanbases, her popularity was
Aria paused in surprise. York?"Holy shit, a Holy Emperor!""This streamer is amazing! This is only her second time streaming, but a Holy Emperor has already visited her stream and given her a Meteor Shower! I'm jealous!"That wasn't the end of it, though. Another system notification appeared. "Holy Emperor VIP: York gave Heartbound Hall two Meteor Showers. 100 Galaxies will be randomly gifted to viewers in the stream!"LikeYouLots: "Holy mother! 100 Galaxies!"Night11: "A Meteor Shower costs 5,000 dollars, so three Meteor Showers amount to 15,000 in total, right?"GettingAJob: "Shh, stop talking. Mr. York is still giving her gifts!"WannaDate: "Hey, Helen's fans, do you feel like clowns now?"A Meteor Shower didn't only bring profits to the streamer. A stream that had received a Meteor Shower as a gift would also be publicly announced on the platform. This meant that anyone who entered the platform would see this stream. Aside from that, the Galaxies that would randomly
Someone had come to look for the moderator just now. He'd been worried that the new streamer had done something wrong, but it turned out that they wanted to award her a certificate. Looking at the data at the backlog, the moderator was so shocked he couldn't utter a single word—the new streamer who'd started streaming two days ago had been given gifts valued at 200,000 dollars! The moderator was so happy that he could pass out. On the other hand, Aria was extremely calm. "Thank you for the gifts, Mr. York." Aria's gaze darkened slightly. "But you've given me too much. I don't receive gifts when I haven't done anything to deserve it."StarryEyes: "She's not enthusiastic enough."WannaDate: "She's always been calm and collected. She said that she'd focus chiefly on patient consultations, too."ShinyBaby: "She's amazing, that's all I can say."…Landon sat in his private jet, his lunch beside him. He took the towel his bodyguard handed him and read the comments in the stream.
"Mr. Ingerton?" The speaker looked at Harry in confusion. Harry didn't care about how influential those people might be in Southbury. He grabbed one of the men present and asked, "It's her! Do you know this streamer?"The man was confused. "Mr. Ingerton, we're at the Chamber of Commerce right now. About this random streamer…"Harry was annoyed by the man's ignorance but didn't say it aloud. "Whatever. I'll look for her myself."She was in Heartbound Hall in Clearwater Alley, and he could easily go there with the help of a GPS. With the meeting focused on external investment and Harry as its centerpiece, it was to be expected that the others present would experience unease at the prospect of his departure."This meeting hasn't ended yet, Mr. Ingerton," Norman remarked, daring to do so because of his status in the medical industry, "Is leaving just like that really an appropriate thing to do?""Who cares about if it's appropriate?" Harry thought, "Like I give a shit about who yo
Laura's piercing scream echoed through the room, shattering any illusion of the gentle, refined woman from a prestigious family. She had been the picture of grace in the Grisham family—a well-mannered and elegant wife, admired by high society. Everyone envied her seemingly perfect marriage.But Laura had never stopped to consider that it was all because of Eamon. It was his status, his wealth, his name that allowed her to hold her head high among the elite.Now that everything was slipping from her grasp, she lost all composure. Gone was the elegant, dignified image—replaced by a woman consumed by rage and desperation. She grabbed whatever was within reach and smashed it to the floor.The housekeepers kept their distance, unwilling to risk stepping inside.The lawyer, however, had no such luxury. He sighed, maintaining his professional tone. "Ms. Fitzroy, obtaining shares is practically impossible at this point. Public sentiment is overwhelmingly against you. I strongly advise se
Laura went pale after hearing that. She shot up from the couch, unable to contain her anger. "Who's saying my marriage had ulterior motives? Who can prove it? If Eamon hadn't wanted to marry me, how could I have given birth to Jett?"The most disgraceful thing Laura had ever done was to use underhanded tactics to secure her marriage.She still remembered the cold indifference in Eamon's eyes when he woke up that morning. The way he had ordered her out of the room as if her presence alone disgusted him. It wasn't until Jett was born that his attitude started to change.But that didn't mean anything. She refused to believe his affection over the years had been fake. No one had proof, so why should the narrative suddenly change now?The lawyer looked at her solemnly. "Ms. Fitzroy, perhaps you should see the video circulating online. It's an old recording. The quality isn't great, but it clearly captures what happened back then.""Video? What kind of video?"Laura's hands were shakin
For some reason, they suddenly lost all interest in Lily. It wasn't as if they couldn't afford their meals, so there was no need to flatter her anymore. The group glanced at Atticus, whose mind was in turmoil. How he wished Lily was right—at least, he could justify his own judgment. But the truth was far from that. All he felt was mounting embarrassment. "I'm not going." Bastian was the first to speak, followed by several others. It was telling how unpopular Lily had become—so much so that even a free meal couldn't entice them. Lily had never experienced such disdain before. After all, she was used to being the center of attention, yet now, even these so-called village bumpkins were looking down on her!"I get it now. You all just flock to the rich and trample on the poor. Now that Aria is more capable, you want to butter her up—just like you did with me before," Lily sneered.But no one was willing to entertain her mockery. They were young men with their own pride.Bastian sc
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