Aria's gaze suddenly cooled and turned threatening, as if she'd regressed to her previous state. Her brows were furrowed in rage and clear hostility.However, she knew she mustn't do anything in front of Georgina again, as that would worry her. She must rein her emotions in. Aria clenched her right fist tightly and bit so hard on the piece of candy in her mouth that it shattered. No one would want to lose their dignity and to be treated this way, but Georgina was dragging her injured leg behind her as she bowed in apology to Aria's teacher just to ensure that she could still go to school and have a better future.Was this still not enough? Did she really deserve to be humiliated again and again?Aria had no words for what she was feeling at this moment. She walked over and helped Georgina stand straight. Georgina looked back instinctually, but she averted her gaze when she noticed Aria. She didn't want Aria to show up here, as her intermittent explosive disorder was different
An old man ran in, huffing and puffing. The glasses on his face were crooked, and his protruding belly jiggled up and down as he ran. The sight was quite funny.Abraham hadn't come to school in a long time, and his arrival on campus today was thanks to an impulsive decision on his part. His school would always be one of the worst in terms of grades among all schools in Southbury, but he still felt obligated to keep a lookout on his students here. He had been in quite a good mood until he'd passed by the canteen and heard his students talk about Aria's arrival on campus.It was rare that they would see each other, so Abraham thought of inviting her to speak in the school assembly that would be held later. He didn't expect the students' next sentence to be about how Aimee had called Aria's guardian and that she was sure to be expelled from the school.Abraham was alarmed. The school's director was with him, but he stopped caring about that as he quickly ran to the Administrative D
The traffic generated by her stream was mind-boggling."Wow, her stream's on the Super Hot Trending List!""She knew something was wrong with the patient's stomach just by looking at his face! That's amazing!""I didn't know she was the one who treated my senior who's preparing for the postgraduate admission exams!"These exclamations rang in Aimee's ears. Her face had turned red. Still, she retorted, "That didn't happen! She can't be so skilled in medicine! Dr. Lowe, she's faking it!""Are you implying that I'm trying to trick everyone alongside her?" Abraham was furious. What on earth was wrong with Aimee?Aimee's words took a turn. "You won't, surely, but Aria has always been crafty. She might've fooled you. Even if she does have some knowledge of traditional medicine and can treat patients online, I don't believe she's capable of scoring so well in the preliminary exams!"Aimee set the exam answer sheets she'd prepared on the desk. She said coldly, "Dr. Lowe, take a look at
The results of the preliminary exams were released a long time ago, but Aimee kept them with her and did not release them. Furthermore, the exceptional results of Aria's exam triggered a subconscious suspicion of cheating. "If nothing out of the ordinary has happened during the exam-taking process," Abraham said evenly, "I'll ask you this question again, Ms. Lindbridge. On what basis do you doubt the veracity of Aria's exam results?"Aimee said hurriedly, "Dr. Lowe, you have no idea how terrible her grades were! There's no way she could score full marks consecutively in several subjects. Maybe there was nothing wrong when she took the physics exam, but how about the Angladian test? "Not many people could understand everything in our Angladian classes, and she used to only score 30 to 40 in her exams. Why did she score so well this time? She must've learned about the exam questions and memorized all the answers beforehand!""Did you say that she'd also scored full marks in Angladi
Suggestive noises were heard throughout, together with the sounds of fabric rustling against fabric. Anyone could figure out what was happening. At that moment, Aimee paled. Subconsciously, she turned to look at Penn Angort, the school's vice principal.Penn, a portly, balding figure in the crowd, stood out with a panicked grimace. He frantically waved his arms, yelling, "Turn it off! Tell them to cut the broadcast!"The students managing the broadcast were about to turn everything off when they realized that they'd broadcasted the wrong thing, but the clip's contents were so shocking that they stood there, unable to react. They couldn't figure out how this voice clip had ended up being played. It was as if their broadcasting station had been controlled by someone else.…They were right in that someone had taken control of the station remotely. The person behind it was not present on campus, though, but in the Chamber of Commerce.Sam was attending a banquet with Harry when A
Landon had received countless praise ever since he was little about how he always played his cards well and how meticulous he was; nothing had ever gotten out of his control.The most difficult person to deal with in the York family was the man currently leading it because no one could ever figure out his feelings. Landon yearned to expose Aria to the throngs who'd lauded him. It was not he who was in control of the situation now; instead, she was in control of him. His emotions rose and fell, entirely out of his grasp. A raw desperation clawed at him, a mix of suffocation and a dull ache in his chest.It made him tightened his grip on his teacup. Once again, his glance fell on Sam, who was typing away on his keyboard, completely focused.Due to where he was seated at, he couldn't see what Sam was typing.However, Sam didn't seem like a kid who loved playing games. The way Harry treated him was worth thinking about, too. Landon retracted his gaze and looked back at his waist. H
"It's her!""Mr. Angort is married with children! Gosh!""How disgusting!"Everyone started to discuss this. Abraham's face was dark as he barked, "Aimee Lindbridge! Penn Angort! Do you even have any respect for this school?"Penn quickly started begging for mercy, "She seduced me, Dr. Lowe. After I've—""Shut up!" If Abraham hadn't come to school today, he would never have known about all this disturbing stuff happening in his school. "I don't want to hear any explanations from you. The two of you are in this together!"Aimee shamelessly denied, "That's not me!"She mustn't admit that it was her, or her career would end immediately! There was no video of the scene, and no one could insist that it was Aimee when her voice was the only source of proof. "Oh?" Aria fiddled with her pendant. "Are you sure that's not you, Ms. Lindbridge?"Soon after, the second voice clip came. It reverberated in the room, loud and clear. "You want your child to be admitted to our school? Sure
"That's right! These are two separate matters, aren't they?" "If you really didn't cheat, you should try retaking the exams."The crux of this was that no one believed Aria could score full marks. Abraham wanted to defuse the situation, so he said, "Calm down, everyone!""No can do! If she can still get full marks in math after she retakes the exam, I'll apologize!"Georgina was somewhat anxious upon hearing that. However, just as she wanted to explain, Aria grabbed her hand. She looked at everyone coldly and focused on a particular spot. "I shall wait for your apology.""Sure!" The other student sounded confident, as if he'd done something immeasurably righteous. "Now that she's agreed, Dr. Lowe, you should arrange for her to retake the exams!" A certain group of students kept making a scene, pressuring Abraham to decide.To be honest, Abraham didn't want Aria to retake the exams. Asking her to prove her innocence was already an insult, and practically speaking, it was diff
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
Landon's warm lips brushed against Aria's. The touch was light as a feather yet utterly captivating. His kiss was so delicate it seemed to awaken every memory stored in her body. In that moment, Aria could swear she caught that same sandalwood scent from her dreams. Black mist and countless indiscernible inscriptions appeared, but he paid them no mind, gripping her waist as he whispered low in her ear. When he kissed her wrist without looking away from her face, his presence was impossible to ignore. His black leather gloves lay discarded to the side. To Aria, every place his hands touched felt like it was on fire. The sensation intensified when his fingertips traced the black mark on her neck. Something inside her screamed to take control, which made her grab his hand. He seemed to smile with his lips by her ear. "So, are you ready to pay the renewal fee?" Aria had never thought anyone could enchant her like this. But this was different. It felt just like seeing a fallen g
Landon asked, "You're getting water?" As his gaze drifted down to where Aria's hair fell, his voice turned rich and low. "Then why are your ears turning red?" Aria's hand froze mid-air. "It's hot in here." "What?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's only 70°F here." Aria wanted to tell him to stop talking so much. It was all because of what he had done in her dreams, making her imagination run wild now. Did he think having a handsome face meant he could do whatever he wanted? He even used all that binding stuff on her too. But she couldn't be sure it was even him. And even if it was, it must have been from a past life. As an arcane seeker, Aria knew what recurring dreams usually meant. But she had pushed those thoughts aside. A past life should not dictate their relationship in this one. At the very least, he wouldn't try anything like putting her in chains and locking her up now. That would be illegal. She would have him arrested and be done with it. Besides, her handsome fi
The atmosphere inside the room was totally different from the outside.Aria did sense the strange aura around Seraphina just now. Her beauty was otherworldly, almost supernatural. And there was something familiar about her presence—Aria felt she had encountered it before but couldn't remember where. Given how quickly Seraphina had withdrawn her hostility and turned gentle, Aria saw no point in making an issue of it. Besides, the way Landon was massaging her neck felt too good, making her mind feel hazy. As her blood flow slowed, she started to feel drowsy. The trio hiding in the copper coin did not dare show themselves; they were probably not even there. They had been especially quiet since arriving in Ludwiten, as if something here affected them. This was one of the things Aria wanted to investigate. The Wagners had used some unknown method to hide themselves after reaching Ludwiten. Even the Special Missions Unit failed to track them. All they had was that initial contact