Olivia smiled brightly. "Aria met someone she knew.""Really? That's great! You should come with us." Grant set his hand on Jonathan's shoulder enthusiastically.Jonathan shook his head quickly. "No, it's fine. I drove here."He turned his gaze toward Aria. "Uh, I'll be going now. While on the way… Take care!"He emphasized the two words at the end. Aria was smart; she would surely realize that something was wrong. However, Aria smiled. "Don't worry, Mr. Brooks. My parents will take care of me, so I'll be fine."She lowered her head and had some of her soup. Upon noticing that, Grant let go of Jonathan's shoulder. He said, looking touched, "Aria—"Jonathan felt anxious upon seeing how obtuse Aria was, but he couldn't say anything, not when they were Aria's parents. He could report this to the police and have them investigate the couple, but he worried he'd be affected if this backfired on him.Everyone else might not know about Perry Town, but not the local citizens of Uludo
The town chief had seen photos of Aria. Satisfied with her looks, he requested to meet Aria soon. Olivia and Grant wanted to take Aria to him as soon as they could, but they had to continue with the act lest Aria fight back. Many female students they'd brought here were initially reluctant, but they had no choice but to stay in Perry Town and care for the children after everything was set in stone. A woman would want to settle down after they'd given birth to children of her own—that was the rule.When they were almost in Perry Town, Olivia contacted the local matchmaker, and they agreed to set up a meeting tonight for fear of anything unexpected happening if they'd decided on a later date. There were few paved roads on the way to Perry Town. The roads to the town were all littered with craters, so the trip there became very bumpy.It was normal for the authorities to accidentally leave out some corners of the country during their construction efforts, and Perry Town was one
"I—" Liam Renner was still a young boy. Upon hearing Aria's statement about his health, his eyes started darting around nervously. Olivia said immediately, "He looks healthy, but he's still coughing a lot." She directed this next question to Liam. "Why did you come out, anyway?"Liam was having a cold—that much was true. He said nasally, "I missed my sister.""Okay, okay, let's go inside," Grant said with a smile, "It's time for Aria to taste our cooking."Olivia and Grant were both very astute. They entered the house together with Aria, holding a conversation all the while.Four generations of the same family lived together in the Renner home. Grant introduced them to Aria one by one, from her grandparents, uncle and aunt to Rainie Spencer, her sister-in-law.Everyone in that house looked relatively normal, save for Rainie. She looked about three years older than Aria and had a head of messy hair. She seemed to be spacing out as she held a baby in her arms.Aria had to call ou
"She knows that she shouldn't have done that now, Olivia. We can't let the baby go hungry, can we?" Geoff tossed a walnut into his mouth. "She's been beaten into submission at this point, so don't worry. We seized her from the town center, so now she knows that it's pointless even if she seeks help from the town authorities. She's given up. She told me that she wants to spend her life with me."Grant was annoyed. "I'm not trying to bring you down, Geoff, but why haven't you managed to subdue her? It's been three years since then.""She was a university student, you know. They're hard to deal with because they know more stuff." Geoff leered. "Speaking of this, the 'daughter' you've brought home this time looks pretty, Grant. She seems meek too. Maybe I can—"Olivia interrupted him, "No, you can't! You aren't allowed to lay your hands on her! The town chief—Mr. Barter—has set his sights on her, and they'll come over to take a look at her later, so you'd better keep your thoughts to yo
"Something else? I want to watch you do consultations!"Aria smiled. "We're not doing that today. Pay attention, everyone. I'm holding an anti-trafficking session today.""W-What?""Did I hear it wrong? Trafficking?""Damn! When did things get this exciting?""Hello? Hello? Why aren't you talking?"Aria didn't say anything more. She turned off her earpiece, leaving only the mic on. Olivia was still quite vigilant. Noticing that Aria hadn't come out, she called to her outside the door, "Are you done changing, Aria? We have guests. They've just arrived, and they want to meet you!""Wait. What?""Is this a drama?"Aria pushed the door open and left the room. Her camera was currently directly aimed at Olivia's face. However, Olivia seemed to have not realized that at all. She was satisfied with Aria's outfit. "Aria, your aunt heard that you're back, and she insisted on playing matchmaker. Let's see what the guy she matched you with looks like. It's fine if you don't agree on p
Rainie's eyes, which had lost their shine a long time ago, were rimmed with tears. She dared not cry out loud, so she could only push her emotions down. Aria had written "all of you" instead of just referring to Rainie alone, which meant that she'd caught on to what Rainie had hinted to her—she'd noticed the basement. Rainie stood beside the bed, her heart thumping fast. Liam entered, frowning. "Aria just told you to grab her bag for her. Why did you take so long in there? What are you looking at?"Rainie's scalp numbed. She suddenly grabbed his hand. "Take me out of here. Save me—""Bah! You're throwing another crazy fit." Liam didn't pay her any heed. He yanked the bag away from her and rummaged in it. Aside from a box of silver needles and a scrap of paper, there was nothing in the bag. Liam curled his lip. "She looks like someone quite well off, but she's actually quite poor."Upon hearing that, Rainie felt relieved. At the same time, she admired Aria for her attention to
Under the lights, Aria suddenly laughed. "I heard that you work for the town government.""That's right," Ollie replied, his eyes scanning Aria up and down. He wasn't really listening to Aria's question. Unexpectedly, Aria continued, "How would you handle it if I told you that I was kidnapped?""What are you going on about, you insolent girl?" Olivia exploded. She made to grab Aria, but Sue Barter, Ollie's aunt, stopped her. She was clearly unhappy with the unfolding events. "Did you not convince her to be Ollie's wife?""She wasn't like this before!" Olivia fumed, realizing Aria had been faking it their entire journey. What a good actor she was! Olivia feared the Barter family's anger, which would spell disaster for the Renner family. Luckily for her, Ollie was satisfied with Aria. His lecherous gaze never left Aria as he said, "It's fine if you aren't convinced now. We can marry first and develope our relationship later. Isn't this a trend in the city these days?"He steppe
Everyone reacted differently to Aria's words. Before Ollie could fly into a rage, Olivia's face turned red in anger—Aria was obviously doing this to ruin the Renner family's chances of getting wealthy!"Shut up!" Olivia barked, stepping forward to grab Aria by the hair. Sue didn't stop her this time. No one in Uludon would ever dare talk about the Barters in this manner—this young woman from the city needed a lesson. However, before Olivia could move, she felt dizzy, and her legs seemed to weaken. Thankfully, Liam was beside her. He caught her before she fell. "Mom, what's wrong?""She made me so angry that I'm feeling dizzy." Olivia shook her head. Ollie didn't throw a tantrum, but his gaze darkened. "She's hard to tame, but I like it—the more feisty she is, the better."He then turned to Olivia. "Olivia, perhaps I can consummate my marriage with Aria here tonight. We'll hold the wedding tomorrow."Ollie had never encountered a woman like Aria. She was cold and sharp, and he
In that moment, Cormac couldn't afford to care about pride or appearances. His survival depended on severing all ties, especially with a traitor."I don't have a daughter like you!" he snapped, slapping Aliya again. "Do you even realize what you've done? Trafficking human organs—do you think that's something you can walk away from?"Aliya collapsed to the floor, stunned. A chill unlike any she'd ever felt seeped into her bones. She stared up at her father in disbelief, watching as he bowed his head respectfully toward Aria, the very woman she had just mocked.In Aliya's world, her father was the state government. She had grown up believing that their family controlled everything, that Cormac Windham's influence extended far beyond his office, even as retirement loomed.But all of it was crumbling before her eyes.Outside his office, word had already begun to spread. Though muffled, the sharp sound of a slap echoed faintly through the corridor.Everyone understood what that meant—
The group dared to be reckless as Amos was Ludwiten's lieutenant governor. They were peas in a pod and did corruption together.However, they didn't know that their support had already collapsed. Aria was not in a rush to capture Amos' lackeys as her target was in the state government. She didn't go alone either, for Aliya also went with her.Shortly after, Aria issued a new command. "Seal the premises. No one is to leave. Tell everyone to remain in their seats."A request like that, especially directed at the state level, would typically require an exhaustive process—dozens of forms, layers of red tape. Even in cases involving fatalities, senior officials were rarely detained on the spot.But Aria followed with a second message, one that sent chills down spines. "This case involves foreign infiltration. Someone has betrayed the country."Those words landed like a thunderclap. No one dared raise an objection. No one wanted to be associated with treason—not ordinary citizens, and
"Grandpa, it's not convenient for me to get in touch with all of you right now. Remember to take your medicine on time. I have to pretend that I'm locked up. Uncle Eamon and Uncle Waymond have to seem fretful so that the enemy wouldn't be alerted. I'm sorry, Grandpa."Aria didn't reveal what she had encountered in the message. This was because the Special Missions Unit was bound to a confidentiality contract when making decisions. What Aria said was almost pushing the limits.Aria only agreed to get locked up just to see how people would react when the Grisham family was in trouble.When the opponent placed their attention on this incident, they would let their guard down and give Aria a chance to secure evidence of their crimes.If the Grisham family retained its usual influence, the mastermind wouldn't show himself so easily. As Aria felt sorry for her family and worried about Clyde's health, she immediately sent a message to apologize after the auction. However, she couldn't s
There was no way Aria didn't know that the conviction was unfair. Furthermore, Percy specialized in handling economic cases. He knew there was no way Aria would be locked up so quickly. Yet, her crime had been publicly declared without prior warning. Percy was absolutely furious. He tugged his tie and declared the system was corrupted. While Fergus was also helping to find connections, Warren had just landed from Janovin.Clyde had sought out all sorts of connections, even his ex-colleagues in the education field.Fiona clenched his hands. "They promised to help Dad look into it." "They're just trying to fool Mr. Grisham Senior. Their higher-ups have already warned them about it." Nisa suddenly lowered her voice. "They're trying to make his health relapse again. If that happens, the Grisham family is done for."At this moment, a low voice sounded from the door. "So that's what happened. I was wondering why there was no progress with Aria's side after a whole day."It was Eamon.
Because Amos' arrest was part of a covert operation, the news didn't reach anyone outside the circle. That meant Durand remained completely unaware. He was still riding high on the thrill of his plan, blinded by the pleasure of watching the Grisham family fall.That night, he raised a glass of wine in early celebration, his mistress seated beside him. He didn't know that the move he'd made would become the greatest regret of his life.Elsewhere, Nisa couldn't bring herself to be as heartless. That was why, under the quiet cover of night, she made her way to the Grisham residence—not to see Clyde, but to speak with Fiona. She knew Clyde would shut her out immediately, but Fiona… Fiona might just listen.They weren't close. Not the way Fiona was with Priscilla. But they had once shared a few polite meals, floated in the same social circles. Enough to warrant a conversation—barely.When they sat down, Fiona's expression was cool, even distant. She hadn't forgotten the things Nisa had
Lucas could hear the pride in his mentor's voice for Aria. After all, his mentor had taken Aria in Southbury and even owed her his life. Lucas didn't dare to inform his mentor that Aria was being suppressed in the political world. He understood his mentor well. He was devoted to the country and couldn't stand such injustice.Therefore, Lucas didn't tell the truth to prevent his mentor from worrying. If someone with his position made a move, it would become a huge issue. That was why Lucas hid the truth from him. The former had to play along with the other politicians and endure them spouting empty promises. Before Lucas set out, his mentor stood on top of Old City and looked at the vast mountains. "Do whatever you need to, just like what you had done in Southbury. I'll be waiting for you and Aria's return at Janovin."These people didn't deserve his mercy at all!"You used your authority to disregard people's lives." It was the first time Lucas had shown his emotions so open
Amos was too stunned to react. One side of his face throbbed with pain, and fish oil clung to his hair, glistening from the dish he had been slammed into.He had always eaten fish a particular way—only one side. No matter how expensive the fish, he refused to flip it over, believing that leaving it untouched brought good fortune.But today, that superstition had been smashed—along with his pride. Pinned to the table, Amos hadn't even found the time to get angry. Confusion flickered in his eyes as he struggled to rise.Then Lucas spoke, his words crashing down like a stone wall."Amos Lune, you conspired with the Draycott and Fitzroy families to crush honest entrepreneurs. You've abused your position shamelessly."Lucas didn't stop. His tone cut sharper with each sentence."We also have evidence linking you to a human organ trafficking ring in Bellebrook. You've disgraced the people who supported your rise—and the country that invested in you."Lucas had been suppressing his ange
Lucas shook his head steadily. "Not yet."Amos, still basking in the glow of his "victory", had no idea what was coming. He answered Durand's call with a smug smile. On the other end, Durand's laughter rang out loud and triumphant."Mr. Lune, you should've seen the Grisham brothers' faces! I bet they never expected to be abandoned like that!"You played it brilliantly. One quiet move, and boom—the Grisham family's out of the Chamber of Commerce. From here, it's just a slow bleed. They'll lose everything."Amos kept his tone cool. "This isn't enough. Keep pushing the online chatter. The narrative needs to focus on how their precious granddaughter cost so many investors their savings. And don't forget her carefully crafted persona—it's about to unravel."He paused, voice crisp. "Reach out to the other businessmen. Now that the Grishams can't offer any benefits, it's time for everyone to take a bite. You understand, don't you, Durand?"Durand took a moment, then replied, "Right. Got
Cormac even thought of leaving some of his influence behind after retiring. This way, he could still have some power over decisions. He thought he could remind Lucas that not just anyone could do his job well. Therefore, Cormac remained calm after receiving the note. He was already so used to handling his daughter's troubles.Cormac strode into his lounge and asked Pedro, "Is it drunk driving again? Don't you know how to handle it?""It's not drunk driving." Pedro still seemed out of it.Cormac's expression darkened. "It's not drunk driving? Was she on drugs again? I already reminded you numerous times to get someone to keep an eye on her. Which stage of the process is she at right now? Call the people from the drug-testing institution.""No. That's not it." Pedro took off his glasses and his badge.Cormac finally realized that Pedro seemed off. "What happened? Just tell me. I doubt she'll kill someone. Although my daughter is troublesome, she won't do something like that. I kno