Landon's dismissal of her taste rankled Aria. She wasn't one to tolerate gaslighting. Just as she opened her mouth to retort, she caught his gaze flit to Malcolm. Understanding dawned, and a slow grin spread across her face. "Do you think I'm interested in Malcolm?"Landon remained silent, his eyes an unreadable storm. "You don't like Malcolm?" Aria pressed, arching her eyebrow. "The Lowe family raised him well," Landon hedged, avoiding a direct answer. Aria's smile widened. "So you dislike him, then? Malcolm's a good guy—righteous, innocent, and youthful."A dangerous glint flickered in Landon's eyes despite the lingering smile on his lips. "Oh?" Aria didn't plan to hide. "I only treat him as my subordinate."After Landon mulled over the word's meaning, he didn't seem as intimidating anymore.His behavior today was out of character. Perhaps it was the scene he saw when he entered the door, almost causing him to lose control. It seemed that he needed to head to the old mona
The ever-polite butler informed Aria, "Mr. York is currently in a meeting. He instructed us to tell you that you can reach him on his personal number when you're awake. He will take your calls.""No need. Let him have his meeting in peace. I'll need to take my exam too. Thank you for your coffee. It's delicious," Aria replied smilingly.The butler smiled. "It's my honor to serve you."For someone under Landon's care, Aria displayed remarkable composure.Aria entered the examination hall five minutes earlier.Normally, students would be low on energy for afternoon exams. However, Aria was well rested. She completed her answers even faster than she had in the morning.By 4:00 pm, Aria had finished all her exams and handed in her papers.The grading teachers had been eagerly awaiting her answers.Once the papers were collected, Abraham used the PA system to announce to all students and faculty that Aria's results would be posted on the bulletin board tomorrow morning. Anyone inter
Aria, who had just finished her exams, had no idea that she was the hottest topic of conversation between the socialites in Janovin. Her way of thinking differed from theirs, making it natural that she wouldn't be too chummy with them. Aria prioritized her career and preferred earning more money over thinking about men.Aria exited the examination hall and entered an SUV, where Harry awaited. He showed her the acquisition proposal he'd prepared. "The price can be lower," Aria said while circling something with a pen, "Shonda Jenner, the business manager of Kent Group, can stay, but fire everyone else."Harry nodded. "I'll arrange for that right away.""We're not in a hurry." Aria propped her chin on her palm as she fiddled with her amethyst pendant. "Wait till Marshall is on his last legs before heading over there."Soon, as if her words had come true, Kent Group came to be in a serious crisis. Both their business partners and the four largest banks in Southbury were no longer
"What?" Marshall was so angry he laughed out loud. "Are you offering only 50,000 dollars for a company as large as mine, Mr. Ingerton?"Harry seemed unperturbed. "You don't want it? Fine."He ended the call so fast that Marshall hadn't even managed to react to it. He remained confused for some time.He called all the noble families he was on good terms with the following day, but no one talked to him.This was Marshall's first time experiencing what it meant to be at the lowest point of his life. When he'd initially driven Georgina away with such delight, he hadn't expected to feel such anguish at this moment. Marshall, who was used to getting deference and respect from other people, was now bankrupt. He couldn't handle the immense pressure that came with it. After thinking of the external debts and the more than 100 employees demanding their salaries, he decided to call Harry. "Mr. Ingerton! I'm willing to sell the company for 50,000 dollars! On one condition—I want to sign the
Abraham did not sleep well that night. He called Malcolm over for a chat. "Do you think Aria will pass the exams?"Malcolm was tortured for so long his eyes had glazed over. "This is the tenth time you've asked me this, Grandpa. Yes, she will!"Abraham was still worried. "Did I set the threshold too high? 590 points is impossible even for Cameron."Malcolm yawned. "You can't compare that useless lump who's my brother to Aria, Grandpa."Cameron was speechless after being insulted out of nowhere. He was still indignant as he said coldly, "I don't understand why you insist on helping her, Grandpa. She and Lily come from the same family, but look at Lily, then at Aria! "Not only did she get horrible grades, but she'd also cheated! The questions were so difficult, and yet she'd copied the right answers down on the answer sheets as if she wasn't afraid of being exposed for cheating at all!""Quiet, Cameron!" Abraham said crossly, "The next time I hear you say those insulting words, I'
Lily felt much more relieved after hearing about Aria's situation from Cameron. She'd seen Marshall's calls, but she'd blocked him—she didn't want to return any of his calls.Heartbound Hall's stream was performing so well that she couldn't just ignore it. However, it so happened that her family in the countryside had called to ask for more money. They were even more adept at exploiting her for their own gain than Marshall. It didn't hurt that they were privy to a secret concerning her, either. This meant that Lily couldn't just ignore them all the time. Olivia was audibly anxious as she asked, "So when can you meet us, Lily? Someone came here to ask about Aria again, and your dad and I really don't want to live in constant anxiety like this all the time. Maybe you can come over to the countryside and take us with you to the city."Lily had an idea. "Mom, I recall that the town chief's son has yet to get married."Olivia felt awkward bringing this up. "It's because you didn't wa
"Why haven't they announced her grades yet?""Did she do so badly that they couldn't grade her papers properly?""She wanted you to apologize to her on your knees, didn't she? That was hilarious.""She's from the countryside. That's why she's boasting all the time. Look! She came with her grandma and the old lady stinks."Georgina heard that, obviously, seeing from how she looked crestfallen. Aria turned her gaze at the clique of students laughing and jeering at her, and the air around her seemed to have become frigid. Meanwhile, someone shouted, "Ms. Warsaw is here!"Deanie was in charge of sticking the results on the bulletin board. In order to quell dissent, she didn't dally, and she also pasted the answer sheets on the board along with the results.Everyone suddenly went quiet as they read the results, their eyes wide in disbelief. Aria scored 150 in Math and 150 in Angladian. Everything was the same as the previous time—she had scored full marks in everything aside from
Aria didn't gaze at that clique who'd just run away. Many of her classmates flocked toward her, some envious, some just here to offer their congratulations. Some students also came to offer their apologies for having misconceptions about Aria. Aria didn't care much about that, so she smiled in return. The other students were more willing to talk to Aria after that. They asked her about her studying methods and how she managed to memorize the Angladian vocabulary for the exam. Besides that, they also praised her for being able to solve such difficult questions. Aria didn't withhold any information. She wrote the process behind solving these questions on the bulletin board. The classmates, who finally understood the questions, started greeting Aria with respect. Less than half an hour had passed, but Aria had already garnered herself a legion of fans. Cameron was present throughout, and he was completely dumbfounded. He took his phone out, wanting to send Lily a message, but