"In the end, it all depends on which side we're closer to." Orion's eyes lit up when he heard that. It seemed like Lily was trustworthy. She had to have been reborn—there was no other explanation for how she possessed such crucial knowledge. Even Orion, with all his connections, had only learned about it much later.Orion masked his excitement with difficulty and signaled his assistant, who placed a plain cardboard box on the table.The trio's eyes flickered toward the box. They already knew what was inside—this wasn't their first encounter with it."As usual, I'll be relying on you three," Orion said.One of them replied discreetly, "A businessman like Mr. Draycott is exactly what our district needs. Don't worry."After finishing their drinks, the three left the club separately. Yet none of them went home—they each headed to another destination, accompanied by women Orion had arranged.He understood their desires well, but his gestures carried a deeper message—a reminder of
The roads were soaked. It had been raining for a whole day in Southbury. Aria Carver's backpack was thrown out of the door by the butler in disdain."Mr. Kent doesn't want to see you, Ms. Carver. So, I have to say some words in his stead. Your birth parents are in the countryside. Your father's last name is Carver."The Kent family mistook you for their daughter in the past. But now that Ms. Lily has been found, I hope that you can do what's best for everyone and stop contacting the Kent family."The butler, Alfred Dun, took out a card. "Here's 10,000 dollars. Mr. Kent instructed me to give it to you as compensation.""No need."Aria didn't even look at the card as she picked up her backpack.Alfred looked at her in disdain. She didn't want the money? Was she acting tough?She should really think about her circumstances. The Kents had found their real daughter. They wouldn't want a country bumpkin like her anymore. She was an embarrassment. "As you wish, Ms. Carver." Alfred
"I'll offer treatment for everyone at the community square tomorrow." Then, Aria reminded them, "Remember to take the medicine. Don't stay up late to watch soap operas. They won't end so soon.""The Tiara" was all the rage in the Elmer district at that time. All the older men and women were hooked on it.A lot of them looked guilty after Aria said that. "We…We will sleep at 10:00 pm from now on."In the past, no one could have imagined that this group of people would be so obedient to one person. A lot of them had made great contributions to the country. Even their identities were kept a secret.Elmer district's community manager, Joel Hayes, had been hoping that Aria would come back sooner. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Dr. Carver, I have been keeping an eye on your house. I've not allowed anyone to approach your property.""Thanks for the hard work." Aria bowed slightly and handed him an apple. Joel accepted the apple with a smile. "It's no trouble at all. I tr
"You have a good eye, boss! I'll prepare an account to receive payment from the Yorks!"Aria said calmly, "No need to rush. Let me sleep first. Do it tomorrow."Other than making money, Aria's biggest interest was treating all sorts of rare diseases. This job from the York family was a nice one for her.Honestly, she was probably the only person who wasn't fazed by the York's visit to Southbury. All of the prominent families in the city were scrambling into action.A family like the Kents had to reach out to everyone they knew and utilize all of their connections in an attempt to get an invitation from the Yorks. Even regular people were talking about how the city was especially lively that month.First, the richest man in Janovin came to look for his granddaughter. Then, the York family came to receive treatment. Some said that the Yorks came to Southbury because the legendary Whiz Doctor was in town. There were a lot of rumors about the Whiz Doctor, but some of them were qui
"That's right, young lady. We should probably call an ambulance. This boy appears to be lost. I called out for some time just now, but no one came over," an old man said. He was concerned that Aria might be blamed if anything happened to the boy. Aria quickly unbuttoned the boy's coat and brought him to some shade. "Don't worry. I'm a licensed doctor."Then, she opened her bag and took out a medical kit. It was equipped with needles and scalpels of all sizes, all arranged neatly in rows. Aria felt the boy's pulse again. "Stop it! How can you simply touch the patient?" Jimmy yelled. He couldn't allow Aria to do as she pleased. She ignored him and continued to monitor the boy's pulse and heart rate. Jimmy sneered. "I'm Jimmy Cornell, currently studying at Janovin Medical University. My mentor is Dr. Salome Gunther. I'm not just a random bystander. You say you're a licensed doctor? How old are you?"Aria continued to ignore him. Her focus was on the boy. She took out a needl
Aria stuck the first needle into the boy without any hesitation.The boy immediately frowned. It was like he was regaining his consciousness. It looked like he was struggling as his brows furrowed even deeper. Someone in the crowd yelled, "He's waking up!"Jimmy was stunned. His face grew pale. "This can't be…"How did she pull that off? Just one needle? Could a person really regain consciousness from that?Aria raised her hand again. Her gaze was focused, and she looked very composed. She stuck the second needle into the boy's fingertips to draw some blood. Right after she did that, the boy opened his eyes. His pupils were dark and round, while his eyelashes were extraordinarily long. He glanced at Aria quietly, but his face was still quite pale. Everyone in the crowd was stunned. Francine spoke up, "Young lady, you healed with a few pokes of the needle?"Aria applied some light pressure on the needle. She saw that the bloodletting was done, so she removed the needle
Jimmy had always thought that the common folk were beneath him. He didn't notice that Aria's gaze changed as she looked up. Viciousness and contempt filled her eyes. She casually toyed with a piece of candy in her palm. Then, she flicked toward Jimmy.He felt his knee give out as he fell to the ground. "Ah!" The pain caused him to frown.He tried to get up but realized that he couldn't move his body at all. He couldn't talk, and his hands wouldn't budge. It felt like his movements had been sealed with the attack.Aria walked up to him and said calmly, "As a medical student, you failed miserably at determining the patient's symptoms, and you even declared a verdict without a second thought. "Being a doctor doesn't mean you're better than anyone else. It's a job for you to help people in need. You're unskilled and unethical. Now that you're on your knees, I'll accept your apology. Consider this a lesson I'm teaching you in your mentor's stead.""You!" Jimmy's eyes were filled
People in the crowd exclaimed in surprise and started talking."Everyone in Caesar Hotel today is quite important. I heard that there are a lot of prominent medical families in there.""Then this boy…"Aria wasn't surprised at all. After all, Miles was very well-dressed. The watch he was wearing on his wrist was quite expensive as well. "Remember to bring bodyguards when you come out next time," Aria said as she packed her medical kit up. When Miles realized that she was leaving, he clung to her leg.Aria couldn't get on the bicycle, so she looked down at him.Miles didn't speak. He just held on to her sleeve. He took a step whenever she did. They were going nowhere like that. She stopped in her tracks. "I'll take you back to your parents.""Okay!" Miles got what he wanted. He nodded and said, "I'll have my parents thank you properly, miss."Aria adjusted his collar for him. "No need for that. I don't take payment for helping kids.""And…" Miles shifted his gaze. "Do you
"In the end, it all depends on which side we're closer to." Orion's eyes lit up when he heard that. It seemed like Lily was trustworthy. She had to have been reborn—there was no other explanation for how she possessed such crucial knowledge. Even Orion, with all his connections, had only learned about it much later.Orion masked his excitement with difficulty and signaled his assistant, who placed a plain cardboard box on the table.The trio's eyes flickered toward the box. They already knew what was inside—this wasn't their first encounter with it."As usual, I'll be relying on you three," Orion said.One of them replied discreetly, "A businessman like Mr. Draycott is exactly what our district needs. Don't worry."After finishing their drinks, the three left the club separately. Yet none of them went home—they each headed to another destination, accompanied by women Orion had arranged.He understood their desires well, but his gestures carried a deeper message—a reminder of
In the meantime, over at the Draycott family, several calls from Orion's affiliated companies had gone unanswered. Orion was hosting guests in a private club at the time. The club was lavishly adorned, with bridges arching over streams of flowing water and calligraphy set against painted backdrops. A pianist played softly in the distance. Even the wine was poured into crystal goblets, evoking the elegance of an era when scholars gathered to debate philosophy and poetry.Privacy was the club's most valued feature. The pianist couldn't see the guests in the private rooms, and diners rarely revealed their true identities. They enjoyed exclusive dishes and rare reserve liquors and dressed with understated simplicity.Despite Orion's immense wealth, the guests he entertained held a level of influence that even he couldn't reach. Yet, it didn't matter. If Orion needed something, all he had to do was ask.An assistant at Orion's side began pouring wine for the three men. Just as he was a
Aria hadn't shared the detailed plan for exposing the factory's true nature with Isaiah. So, as the employees worked, he busied himself overseeing and recording the packaging process.Unaware of the online developments, Isaiah handed his notebook to his assistant just as a young man from the live stream production team rushed over, breathless."M-Mr. Katz, Ms. Carver is here! S-She brought a huge celebrity. She said he's our ambassador! We've got over a million viewers on the live stream!"We're finally being seen! They're not here to scold us. They're asking which product tastes best. They're all here to support us!"The young man, overcome with emotion, removed his glasses and clung to Isaiah's sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably.Over the years, they have tried so many ways to promote their products. Even though they didn't know how to write scripts, they tried to record videos. They were desperate for anyone to remember their canned peaches. Yet, no matter their efforts, attentio
The employee breathed a sigh of relief and replied with sign language. This caused everyone watching the live stream to feel baffled."Wait, does anyone know what he's saying? And since when does my idol know sign language? He's so talented!""I'm deaf-mute," one viewer explained in the chat. "Leon asked him how to get to the factory's livestream room. The employee told him to take a right and offered to guide him. He also asked if Leon was from the media and wanted to apologize.""Apologize? What for?""I know about this! I just caught up on the drama. A reporter visited to conduct an undercover investigation and asked the man the same questions."They thought he was impatient because he was signaling urgently, and they edited the video to make it seem like he was being rude.""What the heck? They're just trying to slander him!""They even added sound effects to make it worse.""How could they do this to the deaf-mute community? Do people even have a conscience anymore?"The
Hannah wanted to ask the people who had criticized their factory during the live stream what they had done wrong, but she held herself back. Confronting them might scare away the few loyal customers who were still buying their products. When a surge of viewers flooded the live stream, Hannah braced for more scolding. However, as she focused on the incoming comments, she realized they weren't criticizing her."Miss, what's the new ambassador's favorite product? Why can't I find it in the link?"Ambassador? Hannah hadn't heard anything about this."I want to buy it so badly. Can the host put up the link now? I'm afraid it will sell out!""Girls, there are fewer than 100 items left in each link! No matter what he likes, we need to act fast. Host, notice me! I want the mystery box!"Hannah found her voice at last. "Everyone, is there some sort of misunderstanding?"Isaiah had once considered finding ambassadors to promote their products, but all had turned him down. They claimed th
Leon's sudden appearance in a live stream caused a stir. Anyone familiar with the entertainment industry knew that once a celebrity entered a set, they vanished from the public eye.After a period of absence, making a comeback on screen would generate even more significant buzz. His fans had been waiting for so long!Fans didn't need hashtag campaigns or trending topics to spread Leon's return. In his absence, they had survived on replays of old variety shows, joking about his disappearance. So, the moment he popped up on the screen, the comment section exploded.Leon didn't need to say or do anything—his presence alone sent them into a frenzy. Only after their initial excitement wore off did they start asking questions."Wait. You're not on set. Why do you look like you're in the suburbs?""The director let you leave? That's wild.""Oh, my goodness. Babe, look here! Guys, he has a new haircut.""I screenshotted it. He's too handsome.""Wait. Why are you in the car?"Leon chuc
Canned peaches were too cheap and too old-fashioned. They couldn't even catch the public's attention anymore. Isaiah reflected bitterly. Age weighed on him—he couldn't keep up with the times or learn fast enough. Many had advised him to give in and step aside. After all, with ice cream and milkshake shops booming, who still craved canned peaches?He didn't deny the truth but had tried to adapt. Still, Aria told him to wait—there was one last chance.Suddenly, it all felt worth it. Whether the factory survived or not, Isaiah vowed to properly distribute the final batch. After hanging up the call, he headed to the factory, uncertain of Aria's plans. He stuck to his routine.That was exactly what Aria had anticipated. She hadn't acted earlier because the timing wasn't right. Now, the Carver Group sprang to action with her single message. Their previous experience meant no time was wasted. They immediately sent a legal notice to the person who had posted the video.Orion had undere
Clary immediately gave Aria a thumbs-up. Aria leaned casually with one hand draped over the car door, exuding the effortless air of a cool CEO. "Clary, could you ask the crew to assign us a cameraman?"Given the request came from Aria, the cameramen were quick to respond. It wasn't just about lending a hand—it was an opportunity. Everyone in the industry knew that Aria's content always went viral. They didn't know what she had planned, but they knew it would be headline-worthy.Clary picked two of the most experienced cameramen and added a video production manager to Aria's team for support.As she started the car, Aria nodded at the production crew standing by. "Thank you, everyone. Good luck with the shoot. Clary, please help hand out the gifts."The crew all knew Aria planned to take Leon somewhere. Since she had already informed them, they didn't interfere. Luckily, Aria had turned down Elijah's offer to tag along.Aria was known for her thoughtful gestures. She would brin
Luka and Axel were secretly taken away. Jett barely registered the plainclothes officers who had appeared out of nowhere—his focus had shifted to the phone Aria now held out. It belonged to his so-called best friend.A sinking feeling consumed Jett. This latest betrayal was a brutal lesson, one that forced him to rethink everything.His phone wouldn't stop ringing—calls from his maternal grandmother's relatives. Before Aria came into the picture, he would have answered every call, perhaps even begged his grandfather for leniency. But now? He had half a mind to blacklist them all.Jett had always thought foreign corporations offered more freedom. He hadn't fully appreciated how rare and resilient the Grisham family was to have survived the upheavals of each passing era without falling apart.Frustration overwhelmed him. He gripped his hair and clutched his head.Aria, meanwhile, felt satisfied. Her plan had worked better than expected. Jett's entanglement was the perfect bait to tr