Poe was just passing by the place when he saw the free clinic and decided to try his luck. He didn't expect to be healed. When he found out that Aria wouldn't take a dime from him, he had the urge to get on his knees and thank her.Aria stopped him and wiped his hands. "Sir, your condition isn't that serious. It was just a simple adjustment. Most traditional medicine practitioners would handle it like that.""A simple adjustment? But Dr. Gunther said I needed surgery. The surgery was too expensive. It was 100,000 dollars!"100,000 dollars? People around him frowned when they heard that. That was a catastrophic amount of money for the common folk. "Who is this Dr. Gunther? A bandit?" Maria was the first to voice her discontent. A lot of the residents in the Elmer district were government officials. They felt for the people. The other residents were angry as well. They said to Joel, "Joel, you need to look into this."Joel wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I… I'll try my best.
If Dr. Whiz was no longer working with the Gunther family, who would she choose to provide medical services in Southbury?The other prominent families in Southbury went to work immediately and started sending private messages to Aria. Malcolm's message stood out the most. "You've made a wise decision, boss. It's finally the Lowe family's time in the sun!"Aria didn't reply to any of the messages. She turned off her phone after she sent out the announcement and went back to operating her free clinic. No one would think that a young lady providing treatment to people at a community square would be the renowned Dr. Whiz.…Meanwhile, Dr. Salome Gunther whom Maria and the others were talking about, was sitting in Caesar Hotel and preparing to accept a new pupil.Although she met with an annoying brat that day, the Kents were very accommodating and eased some of her anger. At the dinner table, Karen raised her glass. "Lily, quick! Thank your mentor."Lily raised her glass, a gen
Salome reined in her anger. She was too smart to reveal that the Gunther family was on its last legs in public.The most important thing she had to do at the moment was to keep everyone else from suspecting anything. "You're right. Everyone has bore witness to our achievements in the medical world in the past few years. It's just a little annoying to receive such unfortunate news on such a happy occasion."Marshall was a businessman with a sharp nose. He sensed that something was off. Karen was just afraid that Salome would turn Lily away. So, she was still singing her praises. "That's for sure! You've even won awards abroad. Surely, no one would dare to challenge you in Farshya!"Salome didn't mention the fact that the targeted drug analysis that won the award was provided by the Panacea Society.She sighed and said, "There's no need to brag about that, Karen. We're not perfect, after all, like the treatment for Mr. York. We were short of one herb—the Whisperwind Herb. If we h
"Ms. Carver! Ms. Carver! I've finally found you!"Frank spoke with a thick Janovian accent. He was so excited that his pot belly was trembling.Aria glanced at him. He was wearing a nice suit. He wasn't tall, but he looked like a successful businessman. She wasn't acquainted with someone like that. She picked up her bag and said calmly, "You've got the wrong person.""Wrong person…" Frank echoed her words in disappointment. He observed Aria's beauty and elegance, instinctively believing she might be the "Ms. Carver" he had been seeking.Thinking back to what he did, he realized that his actions had bordered on desperation. The intel provided by the people in Uludon didn't mention that "Ms. Carver" was a medical practitioner. Aria was a very skilled doctor. If she was indeed the "Ms. Carver" he was looking for, the Kents would at least have mentioned her medical prowess. He just thought she resembled the "Ms. Carver" he was looking for from behind. So, he made a mistake. Sin
Frank wasn't trying to put down Aria.Nevertheless, the Carvers kept a low profile. Even when the sons of the family ventured forth to establish their own careers, they never told anyone they belonged to the prominent Carver family.Warren had made the trip to Southbury to bring the Carver family's youngest daughter back home, so he didn't want to make a big deal out of it.Frank had gotten a huge fright just now when he thought he had inadvertently exposed Warren's identity.Plenty of elite families in Southbury would kill to establish a connection with the Carvers. If they found out Warren was here, he wouldn't be able to receive treatment in peace.Thus, Frank could not be the one who exposed Warren's identity and situation.Aria noticed Frank's reaction, but she didn't say anything. After all, doctors were obligated to keep their patient's information confidential.No matter who Warren was, he was merely a patient to Aria.That being said, she wondered why the Carvers would
"And you are?" Stuart asked as he turned to look at Aria. He saw a young woman with long black hair standing before him. She seemed to be sucking on a candy.Though she looked rather young, she was blindingly beautiful. There was a hint of elegance peeking through her aloof demeanor. She had a mole near the corner of her eye. For some reason, her dark eyes exuded a compelling air when she looked at others.Frank quickly said, "Stuart, I brought her here. She's the genius—""How ridiculous!" Salome screeched sharply, cutting Frank off."You again, you greedy young woman." Salome, who had finally arrived, glanced at Aria, her expression darkening. "Are you here to trick patients at the hospital because you couldn't get any money just now?"Then, Salome shouted, "Who brought her in here? Shouldn't you have checked her background first?"Upon hearing Salome's voice, Bryan ran over in a hurry. "This is all a misunderstanding, Dr. Gunther. These people here came with the patient. Right
"You're actually familiar with medicine?" Bryan exclaimed in shock.Scoffing, Salome remarked, "Are you even thinking straight, Dr. Lowe? How can a young woman like her know anything about medicine? I bet she overheard one of the nurses describing the patient's symptoms.""This young woman just arrived, Dr. Gunther. None of us had a chance to speak to her yet," one of the nurses chimed in.Salome eyed the nurse who spoke and said, "So what? How old is she? She probably hasn't even graduated yet. Does she have a license? How can she diagnose patients without one?"A loud smack rang out as Aria swiftly slammed her medical license down on the chair. To everyone's amazement, she was even licensed as an attending physician! Everyone who practiced medicine knew how hard it was to become an attending physician.No one dared to say Aria wasn't qualified anymore. It was almost as if Aria had slapped Salome in the face.The doctors and nurses were still in disbelief as they muttered among
Scoffing, Salome said, "What are you people so shocked by it? She's a country bumpkin. It's no surprise she's familiar with the symptoms of a tick bite. She's just tricking everyone into thinking she knows medicine. Go on. See if she dares to conduct surgery!"Aria didn't intend to perform surgery on Warren. Instead, she took out a set of acupuncture needles from the medical kit.Everyone who had high hopes for Aria's medical skills was sorely disappointed by this."Acupuncture needles? Is she going to administer acupuncture when the patient's condition is that serious?""She's not taking it seriously at all!""Maybe it's because she doesn't know how to perform surgery. Why did Dr. Lowe choose to have faith in a young woman like her? What a troublesome turn of events."Salome gloated, "What did I say? It was all just an act. She has no real talent at all. Maybe the license is a fake too!""Dr. Gunther's right. How can such a young woman be a licensed attending physician?""Don'
Landon cast a glance at Aria, curious about how much she actually knew about the stock market. She had always been modest about her knowledge, but he suspected there was more to her than she let on. The only one oblivious to Aria's true capabilities was Jett. Yet, he dared not refuse any request she made. Without hesitation, he tapped into his social circles, pulling strings where needed.Less than an hour later, Orion received word. A slow, chilling smile spread across his face. "So, the Grisham family wants to dip their hands into real estate too?"Arlo handed him a report. "Just as you predicted. It's not just real estate—Ms. Carver's making moves in the stock market as well. Fortunately, you already set a trap for Mr. Jett in advance."For the first time in days, Orion’s tension seemed to ease. A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Fine. Let them struggle their way in. I don't care how they do it, but make sure the Carver family is crushed in the stock market.""Understood." A
Jett asked, "What exactly are you after? There's no need to bring down the Draycott family so quickly. It's not like you can win. Didn't you join the Chamber of Commerce to take things slow? You just arrived in Ludwiten. Why the rush?""Am I in a rush?" Aria asked. She wasn't after the mastermind behind the Draycott family. If she were, she would've tied Orion to the financial building and let people take pictures all day—no need for mind games.The situation was too tangled, too many people involved. The Draycott family had managed to cover up something as blatant as that incident at the bar. Someone had to be cleaning up after them.Finding a few scapegoats would have been easy, but Aria wanted more. She wanted to uncover everyone who had spread rumors about Fiona in the past.And for some reason, despite their focus on the Grisham family, it felt like they were up against the Carvers. Whoever was behind this didn't want the Carvers to regain control of the Chamber of Commerce.
Jett grew more agitated as he spoke, waving his hands as if he wanted to tear Owen apart. Aria promptly stopped him. Otherwise, passersby might think he was an escaped patient from Ludwiten's mental asylum.Owen had done many foolish things, which Aria only discovered after arriving in Ludwiten and conducting her own investigation. Warren carried guilt toward Clyde because of Owen. And while Jett was normally timid, his words weren't wrong.When Owen first came to Ludwiten, he thought he could make it big, recklessly using the Grisham family's funds and resources. But he had been deceived by several people and lost everything.Not only was he foolish, but he was also malicious—leaving behind a disaster for the Grisham family to clean up. "Jett, calm down," Aria said. "I know Owen dragged the Grisham family down. He's already been punished and won't be coming out anytime soon."You and I both despise him, but let's stop dwelling on the past. He's not worth it."Jett had never
With Landon monitoring the stock market, Aria could walk right into Orion's trap. This way, Orion would let his guard down. When people felt confident, they invested more. Aria, well-versed in the stock market, understood this all too well. She had never intended to get rid of Lily. However, things were different this time. There was a limit to how much one could withstand another's viciousness. Aria doubted Lily could predict the market flawlessly—it was impossible, just as it was impossible for her to know everything.The logic was simple. If something fell outside one's area of expertise, even the most attentive observer would only grasp the outcome, not the details. Thinking it over, Aria realized Lily only knew about major events. The smaller ones seemed to escape her notice.If she put herself in Lily's shoes, it was like remembering which lottery would have a winner but not the exact numbers drawn.After all, no one knew when they would be reborn. The only way to acce
Malcolm did not know why Aria was asking, but he remembered the details clearly. "It was after that day." Aria tapped on the desk. "No wonder the Draycotts suddenly changed their market strategy. I get it now." What was she talking about? Before Malcolm could ask, Aria continued, "Some people are trying to cheat the system. Keep an eye on things, but stay safe. If anything happens, come to me first. "Like you said, they've got deep connections. Don't bother with the police—just keep the evidence." "Got it." Before hanging up, Malcolm asked, "Should we still watch the stock market?" Aria smirked. "Yes. They're not the only ones who can play dirty." Lily had probably been reborn too. But whatever Lily knew, Aria knew as well. She had never thought to use that knowledge this way before since it hadn't seemed necessary, but things were not the same now. If her dreams were real, then in her past life, Lily had only made it to Janovin. She had played the star medical student at
After being together all this time, Aria suddenly had a thought. Were she and Landon too distant from each other? No, "distant" was not quite the right word. It was more like they did not know each other well enough. Landon always felt just out of reach, like there was a fog between them. Simply put, he was not being straight with her. The thought left her feeling uneasy. Before she could say anything, her phone rang. It must be news about the Draycotts. It had to be something big for them to call so urgently. Aria glanced at the pair. Landon smiled. "If you have questions, Jett, feel free to talk with my manager, Ms. Virelle." Manager? Seraphina caught on quickly. "Mr. Grisham, shall we step outside?" Jett was still trying to process everything. "Wait." Balancing business and personal matters as usual, Aria held her phone up and said, "I heard Ms. Virelle used to work at the Draycotts' club. Let's have a chat later." Seraphina froze, glancing at Landon. Seeing his bl
Seraphina could not let her mind go there. Maybe she should've stayed in Netherrealm for a few more years. It was not so bad down there anyway. Landon barely spared her a glance, keeping his eyes on Jett with polite interest. "Won't you sit, Jett?"Sit? Jett could barely remember why he had come in the first place. Landon's voice snapped him back. "I... Mr. York, excuse me for asking, but what's your relationship with Ms. Virelle?""She works for me." Landon glanced at Seraphina. "Ms. Virelle? That's a new title."Jett stumbled over his words. "She works for you?""Yes," Landon said casually, like it was the most obvious thing. "Isn't it obvious?"Jett could not imagine the Yorks being in that kind of business. From Jett's expression alone, Landon could guess what kind of mess his people had made in Ludwiten. Since he had been dragged into it now, he figured he owed the Grishams an explanation. "I planted her in the Draycott family. The Yorks need a foothold in Ludwiten."So
Getting out of there wasn't going to be easy. Aria did not waste any time. She moved fast behind the suite divider, her laugh carrying a different note than usual. "What a shame."Landon's hand paused as he fixed her hair, his voice as smooth as ever. "I could have them leave.""Bad timing. My cousin's out there." Aria glanced at him, taking in that perfect collarbone of his. No wonder they used to call him the untouchable one, with all those socialites dying for just a smile.She had never given much thought to that kind of thing before. All those times working with patients, she had kept things strictly professional. But things felt different now, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Her gorgeous fiancé had a way of making her lose her head.Landon pulled his hand back while looking down. "We should meet with your cousin. I hear the Grishams like to evaluate their in-laws.""Huh?" That had not crossed her mind. He did not seem like someone who would care about app
Aria felt something wild coming off him. It was not hatred, but something close. She was too caught up to figure out what it was. She had never felt anything like this before; it was like she was floating. Her eyes were open, but she could not focus. Even his breathing felt like an invasion, starting at her ear and spreading through her whole body. When his fingers pressed into her waist, instinct made her try to push him away. That was a bad move—it only made things more intense. He lit her up like a match, heat spreading from her neck downward till she had to tilt her head back just to breathe. It reminded her of that hazy dream, the one in which she had been caught between sleep and waking, her pulse racing and her skin on fire. But it did not feel exactly the same because what she was feeling now was real. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpses of the river through the massive windows. The view was blurry, but it was enough to remind her where she was. Unable t