Frances understood what Landon meant—only professionals could turn such a large-scale public opinion around. Thus, Frances reached an understanding with Landon.Meanwhile, Moderator 007 got the confidence he needed at the headquarters of Shark. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, he bypassed Harley and directly consulted his superiors. They didn't dare to disagree; after all, this was an order from Landon.As time passed, the tide of negative comments online continued to swell, and Marshall remained convinced Georgina would cave and reach out to him. Numerous influential accounts manipulated public opinion, fueled by information left behind by Ninemyth Entertainment. Although these accounts likely weren't privy to the truth, they sought attention amid the buzz surrounding the issue.Many netizens commented on the issue. "Just wait and see. Shark will soon make a statement and freeze Heartbound Hall's livestream account.""This issue is way too serious. They have to addres
"Oh, my goodness! It looks like they're on Aria's side. Georgina, look at this headline!" Sarah exclaimed as she clicked on the webpage emotionally.Georgina immediately set her pen down and put on her reading glasses.It was an announcement from Shark. Concise yet impactful, it addressed the recent controversy surrounding Heartbound Hall."We have issued legal notices to all accounts involved in the defamatory statements regarding Heartbound Hall. Our company reserves the right to take legal action against any slander or defamation targeting Heartbound Hall. We operate within legal and regulatory frameworks, and we assure the public that our streamer did not violate any laws."These accusations stem solely from malicious reports propagated by comment-farming companies. We will pursue this matter to the fullest extent. Furthermore, on behalf of our CEO, we express our hope for a positive online environment that fosters healing for patients under the care of medical professionals."
"Regarding the unlawful detention by public officials, we will conduct a thorough investigation to give the public an explanation and clear Heartbound Hall's name."If the police had simply made a statement on their official website as they usually did, nobody would have noticed. However, Shark had issued a statement before the police did, sparking a significant commotion.Regardless of the nature of the comments, positive or negative, everyone awaited the official statement from the police. Consequently, there was a frenzy when the statement was finally released."Unlawful detention?""I mentioned earlier that the streamer had been wrongfully accused. I was watching the livestream at that time. What the police did was against protocol.""I apologize for criticizing the streamer earlier.""I don't understand why the auxiliary police officers would apprehend the streamer when it was against protocol.""It appears someone paid to falsely accuse the streamer and ensure she never re
Kent Corporation fell from grace overnight, and Marshall's carefully cultivated façade was shattered. Reporters swarmed Kent Corporation's entrance.Marshall escaped from the basement while hiding his face. He'd never felt such humiliation. He scurried into his car like a frightened mouse. As he scrolled through the damning online comments, the severity of the situation finally dawned on him.Reaching out to his connections proved futile. No one responded.Eventually, one of his cousins secretly told him, "What happened to your wife was Mr. Yaeger's idea."The mention of Frances' name sent Marshall reeling, his legs shaking uncontrollably. His phone clattered to the floor. Meanwhile, Karen sat in the interrogation room, her face drained of color. Blinded by their power and status, Marshall and Karen bullied ordinary people like Aria. They believed a simple push would force Aria, a mere "peasant" in their eyes, to abandon her livestream and flee Southbury.They never expected
The Layne family was unnerved by the loss of Ninemyth Entertainment as a promotional tool. Even the rarely-seen former patriarch, Samuel Layne, intervened. "Sever ties with some distant relatives from now on."Without the Layne family's support, Karen's fate was sealed.Lucas' involvement in the Southbury case thrust him into the spotlight, altering the course of events in Janovin.Samuel sat in the study, his gaze hazy as he addressed those below him. "What did I say before? Don't let Lucas achieve anything in Southbury. Did you pretend not to hear it?" "Dad, I—"Samuel raised his hand to cut him off. "We can't lose our opportunities in Southbury. Losing Ninemyth Entertainment is nothing much, but Lucas can't have any more achievements. This is what Mr. Hammond wants.""Dad, don't worry. It was just an accident this time."Samuel squinted at the livestream on his phone. "Investigate the girl beside Georgina. It's a bit unusual how lucky she got. If she's trouble, get rid of he
Karen, who was in the detention centre, waited for her family to rescue her. She stared longingly at the prison gate. It was only after her case was adjudicated that Marshall was allowed a supervised visit. It was impossible to save Karen; even Marshall found it difficult to ensure he wouldn't get jailed.However, Karen refused to see the gravity of the situation. She grabbed the iron bars and shouted desperately, "Marshall, you must find me the best lawyer. I refuse to accept this!"Exhaustion etched lines on Marshall's face as he urged her to calm down.Karen remained stubborn. "How can I calm down? I'm the one facing imprisonment!"Marshall lowered his voice. "What do you want, then? The newly-appointed secretary-general is among those arrested!"The news devastated Karen. "Report that your mother caused someone's death. It's the truth, after all!"Marshall desperately wanted to silence her. "Stop talking."Karen sneered. "Why should I stop talking? Even if I've lost, tha
Aria stood underneath the streetlamp, wearing a black jacket that accentuated her long legs and lean waist. "He can still consider it. We won't force them."Harry burst out into laughter. "He can only choose between going to jail and getting bankrupt. You're the best!"Aria grinned slowly. "He deserves it. I gave him a chance."Marshall couldn't blame anyone but himself for not taking the opportunity when it was offered. He had caused trouble multiple times and even got Georgina involved. Aria was never the type to forgive and forget.Marshall was lucky to be part of the Kent family; otherwise, he would have been among those jailed.Marshall turned to Georgina for help. Just like before, he knelt down and cried, thinking she would save him. However, Heartbound Hall didn't even open its doors this time.Georgina sat in the backyard, gently stroking the bracelet left behind by her husband, Kingsley Kent. "Kingsley, our son has been incompetent since he was young. You told me to g
Thus, Agnes had to respect Lily. "Dorothy, it's all thanks to you."Dorothy patted Lily's hand fondly. "I'm pretty fated with her. On the way here, she was incredibly humble, insisting she shouldn't treat anyone until she graduates. But it's obvious she's very outstanding!"Lily couldn't bring herself to admit that it was pure luck. When Yonah suffered a sudden attack, Dorothy declared Lily could save him. Put on the spot, Lily couldn't say no. Thankfully, she had the medical book she had stolen from the Kent family. Lily recalled Karen mentioning that Georgina was talented in healing people. Thus, Lily believed that the medical book contained valuable knowledge. Plus, considering the book's evident age, she decided to follow its instructions. Although the book's messy handwriting was hard to decipher, she roughly followed the acupuncture instructions. Unexpectedly, Yonah woke up after she administered the two needles.The Wagner family was one of the Big Four Families with co
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