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
Aria bought a crepe, paid for it, and handed it to Georgina. "Probably. All sorts of weird stuff exists in this world, after all.""Who do you think did it, then?" Georgina asked a straightforward question. Aria smiled. "I think it was L.""L?" Georgina was confused. "As in the letter in the alphabet?"Aria explained patiently, "It's a nickname. All hackers have a nickname online to better protect themselves in real life."Georgina paused. "Why do you know so much about that, Aria?""Sam told me," Aria answered calmly, "He showed me records about L's life. He succeeded in hacking a bank's system at the age of six. He's an IT genius."Georgina muttered, "Only Sam would read weird stuff like this.""You're right about that," Aria agreed with a nod. Georgina said suddenly, "L is a decent person."Aria smiled. "How so?""Didn't you hear your classmates praise him? He dealt with these harmful people for the sake of everyone else!" Georgina huffed. Aria thought she looked adorab
"No, don't do it!" Aimee suddenly yelled. If Karen decided to lodge a report, she would know that Aimee had lied!Karen frowned. "What's with you, Ms. Lindbridge? You gave me a shock.""I'm sorry, Mrs. Kent," Aimee spoke faster as she browsed a website. "I wanted to remind you about the money you agreed to pay me."Karen sneered. "I'll transfer the sum to you immediately."Aimee bought an air ticket right after receiving the money. This was probably due to her fear of Aria, but she couldn't help but tell Karen, "Mrs. Kent, your adopted daughter is more than she appears to be. You should be careful."Karen dismissed her concerns. "Aria? She's just a poor girl without status or power. Why should I be careful?""She—" Aimee had just started her sentence when the Ministry of Education showed up at her door. Karen said in displeasure after Aimee had hurriedly ended the call, "She's so careless.""Mrs. Kent! Our esteemed guest, Ms. Morris, is here!" Alfred reported.Karen straighte
It was the comment-farming company who called. They'd been calling many times in succession as if there was a pressing matter.The moment Karen wanted to take the call, Dorothy frowned and gave her a look. Afraid that this would upset Dorothy, Karen quickly turned on silent mode on her phone. "Cheers, Ms. Morris."Only then was Dorothy satisfied. She clinked glasses with Karen, a smile on her face. …Ethan scratched his head in frustration. His company was currently in chaos, and Karen's unanswered calls did little to ease his worries. "They attacked our servers again, Mr. Addison!""Another batch of our accounts got suspended!"One by one, their projects were crumbling. These accounts, painstakingly maintained and heavily invested in, were now rendered useless. Their lifeline had been severed with brutal efficiency.Ethan's chest rose and fell. "Have you managed to find the rival company behind this? Did we offend a celebrity with fabricated rumors?""No. We couldn't find a
Landon was constantly on his phone during the banquet. This attracted Warren's attention as Landon never had the habit of having his phone with him at all times. "What business deal are you so concerned about?" Warren raised a brow.Landon smiled. "It's not work. I'm waiting for messages from a friend."He then unlocked his phone. Suddenly, his gaze darkened. His fingers twitched, and some semblance of emotion appeared on his normally impassive face.Holy Emperor VIP: York: "I sent one to you just now."Aria's reply came almost immediately. "I didn't receive it. The message was probably erased when my account was suspended. Send it again."She said to send it again? Landon didn't reply immediately, running his fingers on the surface of his phone. He still remembered the dull ache in his chest when he'd sent the photo and gotten no reply. Landon's gaze fell on one side of the chessboard, spacing out. Warren, noticing his distraction, grew curious. He was about to prod for mor
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
Eden nodded. "Okay. I'll do as you say, Aria."She sent the text just like Aria instructed. Moments later, her teacher replied—everything had been arranged. A car would pick her up from home. There was no need to return to school.A cold shiver ran down Eden's spine. They knew where she lived. They'd been watching all along. Not just the school—they were everywhere.Eden didn't linger at school. Outside the entrance, the main topic of conversation was the officials' arrival for an investigation and the school's public exposure.Everyone knew the cafeteria was a mess. Students had complained countless times, but each time inspectors came, the food improved just long enough to pass the checks. Then it would all revert. It had become the norm—something they were forced to accept.Eden was no different. She just wanted to get home. She needed to see her grandparents. She feared something might happen to them next.Every step on the way home, she stayed alert, scanning her surroundings
Eden listened closely, her brow furrowing. Her teacher wasn't speaking Farshyan. School was no longer a safe place, and Eden didn't know who she could trust. Her classmates were too caught up in mocking Aria to notice anything was wrong, all assuming Eden was lucky to have been chosen.She considered calling the police, picking up her phone, but then paused. What could she even say? That there was a mole at school? Her face turned pale as she remembered how close the principal was to influential people. The authorities might not believe her, or worse, they might be involved.Despite the headlines claiming Aria had been arrested, Eden felt a spark of hope. Aria had promised she'd show up if Eden ever needed her. Taking a deep breath, Eden dialed the number Aria had given her.She didn't expect anyone to answer. But then came a cool, familiar voice. "Eden? What's wrong? Did someone give you trouble again?"Eden's heart soared. "You're not arrested! The news is fake, isn't it? I knew
Lucas gave Amos a sidelong glance. "In that case, let's do as Mr. Lune suggested—punish everyone involved."Announce to the public that Oakvale Academy will be used as a test case. We'll be conducting surprise inspections in all middle and high schools."As for why Mr. Kelsey encountered two completely different scenes during his visits—well, that's easy to explain." Lucas' gaze swept across the room. "Someone tipped off the school before your visit. If any other school received advance notice, every one of you will be under scrutiny."Though Lucas spoke with a smile, none of the seven present—including the three officials—could return it. The smile, in this context, was more chilling than rage. This was a warning. Amos, in particular, felt deeply unsettled. He had come intending to redirect Lucas' attention away from Oakvale Academy. Instead, the incident had blown up. With public attention turning toward the school, transferring Eden would soon become impossible.Still, Amo
Now that Miguel, who was an expert in covering up, was gone, the long-standing issues in the school were exposed.The group stood frozen as they watched a cafeteria worker pour something into a large pot. A closer look revealed it was leftover mushroom soup. But that wasn't the worst of it. The soup reeked, clearly spoiled, yet it was still being reheated for the students.Things only got worse when they entered the kitchen. Hygiene standards were appalling. Not a single chef wore a mask, and some were even smoking while cooking.Amos' expression darkened immediately, even before Lucas could react.One of the chefs noticed them and slammed his ladle onto the counter. "What are you doing in here? Outsiders aren't allowed in the school—don't you know that?"Unlike other schools, Oakvale Academy had somehow always slipped through the cracks during routine inspections. When required to present something, they staged it well enough to fool a camera.So, the staff never expected a surp
Aria understood that this was all the person could offer. The real mastermind would never reveal himself so easily—not even to his most trusted subordinates.Those in power never needed to explain themselves. Those who understood them would earn their favor; those who didn't were destined to remain at the bottom.Her thoughts raced. She needed hard evidence to capture whoever was behind Amos. Baseless accusations would only alert the enemy and push them deeper into hiding.Allowing herself to be arrested had been part of Aria's plan. She needed the mastermind to lower his guard. After all, she had been too visible in Ludwiten lately. With eyes constantly watching her, she couldn't make any real moves. But she couldn't let the incident at Oakvale Academy go unresolved. Her instincts told her it was the key to everything.Before Philip found his family, she had to act—and that meant changing her identity to save Even.Just then, the person's phone buzzed. He turned the screen towa
"Boss!" Weston rushed over the moment he finished dealing with the other officers. Aria arched an eyebrow, flexing her wrists. "He's the mole?""Yes." Weston nodded. The Securities Regulatory Bureau, dispatched by the Securities Regulatory Commission, was tasked with auditing listed companies—particularly sniffing out insider trading and market manipulation.While not everyone in the bureau could be corrupt, it was common for a few to be compromised.The officer who had been interrogating Aria was of a minor rank, but the one Weston had just exposed held real power.Aria looked over at the trembling man. His legs had given out, sending him to the floor. His phone lay discarded beside him as he shook uncontrollably.They had met before—at a Chamber of Commerce meeting. To him, Aria had just been a clever heiress with some market luck, thanks to Landon's influence. No one would have expected her to single-handedly bring down the Draycott family.No one would logically believe