Sue only grasped Aria's plan as she began to drive. The injured Jeffrey disguised himself as Ollie. He had his arm draped around Rainie. Through the car windows, those outside couldn't discern his true identity.This village might have been small, but anyone leaving had to pass three checkpoints.It took Rainie a year to get past all three checkpoints. The first two were relatively easy, but the guards at the final checkpoint had very keen eyes. After stopping them, the guard peered into the car. He vaguely recalled that the Barter family car hadn't been so crowded when they entered the village. Rainie's face paled. However, Aria piped up casually, "Pull over and give him a scolding."Sue's hands trembled. "What?""How do you normally insult those in your way? Do it." Aria raised her chin. Sue met Aria's icy gaze, then at the pendant she was fiddling with. Sue contemplated using this opportunity to ask for help, but Aria's words chilled her. "The poison in your system will
The authorities at Uludon could not ignore the serious consequences of what had transpired.Cold sweat ran down Gregory Webb's back as he rushed toward Coral Village, racking his brain for solutions. Frank sat beside him, looking equally anxious. He turned his gaze toward Gregory and said, "I asked you about Olivia and Grant, and you assured me there was nothing wrong with them."Gregory paled. Feeling guilty, he said, "I had no idea this is how they were earning money.""You should at least know what's going on in a town under your jurisdiction, shouldn't you, as the county chief?" Frank's words were sharp. "When we tried to trace Rainbow, our leads were severed in your county.""I didn't understand why at first," Frank continued coldly. "But now I see—it's how the people here operate, and your leniency had been the biggest obstacle!"Gregory tried to distance himself from the scandal, assuming the airs of a bureaucrat. "You shouldn't let a small group of people shape your opin
Gregory's mind went blank when he heard the last sentence. He hadn't felt anxious when he'd heard that Perry Town had kidnapped someone and that Frank had come to seek him out, and he'd felt like he could deal with it even when everyone was waiting for him to surface on the Internet.However, he was now completely in a panic after getting that call because Ollie just had to lay his hand on someone backed up by Kenneth Kane. A heavy fog shrouded the mountains. The moment they took a turn into the paths leading to the village, their car was stopped by a horde of angry villagers. An old lady pounced forward, yelling, "Was it you who took that damn girl away?""Madam, calm down and listen to me, I'm—" Gregory raised his arms high. The old lady refused to listen to him. She spat on him. "I don't care who you are. Give us the girl!"Gregory was dumbfounded. He recalled how he'd been loved and respected by everyone the last time he'd shown up here. "Have you gone crazy? Do you know w
Rainie hadn't had the courage to get out of the car at first, as this place was the beginning of her nightmare. Even if she escaped this place, she would forever be different compared to her peers of the same age. Why had she been so dumb? Why had she believed the old man's words? Her blind trust had led to her abduction and imprisonment in the mountains. She'd been raped and had given birth to a child while all her classmates had bright futures. Two years of constant fear and diminished self-worth had carved a deep scar on her soul. Yet when Aria looked at her with that radiant smile of hers, Rainie felt a flicker of hope reignited in her heart. "You're right!" she agreed. "A woman's innocence isn't the only measure of her worth!""Then let's go," Aria chuckled. She turned her gaze to the lavish mansion. "They're probably waiting eagerly for me, their future daughter-in-law."…Gregory couldn't bear to imagine what would unfold. Aria's every word would shake the very foundati
Aria agreed coolly, "Sure."She then pushed Ollie to the side and let go of the rope she held. "You should be able to take fair action now, Mr. Barter."Dick immediately helped Ollie up. When he noticed that Ollie's legs were broken, his expression darkened. What wedding? He would just hold a funeral for Aria instead! "Tell me, miss, what did my son do to you?" Dick said with a sinister veneer of kindness on his face, "You should have considered yourself fortunate that he's set his sights on you. However, you weren't thankful at all! How dare you lay a hand on him!"Aria raised a brow. "He wanted to rape me, and you're telling me to be grateful? How is this lawful in any manner?""Here, in Perry Town, the Barter family is the law!" Dick bore down on Aria. "They kidnapped you because you look naїve and stupid—an easy target!"Aria fiddled with her amethyst pendant. "That was what you said when Rainie escaped from the village and asked for help from the town government, wasn't i
Dick failed to register why Gregory had come to Perry Town at first. This was a trivial matter to him, something Gregory needn't concern himself over. Had Gregory come because of the videos online? As Dick speculated, he made his way toward Gregory with a smile. "Mr. Webb, I—""Tell your men to leave! Now!" Gregory hissed as soon as he exited the car.Dick assumed that Gregory was putting on an act for Frank, who was sitting in the car, and so he replied nonchalantly, "Mr. Webb, I can deal with any videos that might damage our county's reputation. Why don't you join me for some drinks? Everything will be water under the bridge after a good night's sleep."Gregory was furious. Dick had just exposed him on a nationwide livestream!Ignoring Dick, Gregory immediately approached Aria. "Don't worry, young lady. You'll be safe in Uludon with me here."Aria's gaze darted between Gregory and Dick twice before a smirk played on her lips. "Really? Considering how friendly you seem to be wi
"Are you worried, Dad? Why are you worried about them?" Ollie had become increasingly dumb due to the drugs; no intellect was left in him, only unadulterated cruelty. "Kill them all! Who dares assert their dominance in Uludon? I don't care if they come from the Carver family or whatsoever. Anyone who dares ruin things for me must die!""What are you running your mouth about, Ollie?" Dick had no idea what was up with Ollie. He covered Ollie's mouth and turned to Jeffrey, whose expression was as cold as ice. He was filled with regret. "We didn't know that it was you, Mr. Carver."He crawled over to Jeffrey and grabbed Frank's legs, begging, "You've come to our town a few times before, Mr. Levin. Ollie and I aren't bad people, truly, and we'd never harm Mr. Carver."The sight of him disgusted Frank to no end. He kicked Dick away. "You took young women—wives and daughters—away from their families, and you're aware of the villagers' human trafficking activities. And yet you claim that yo
Aria's voice was indifferent. "There's a path in your 4 o'clock direction. Lead Rainie and Frank that way. Someone will be there waiting for you."There was indeed a special forces team waiting there.Aria didn't write the note for nothing when she left Southbury.It was just that the Special Missions Unit simply preferred to operate in secrecy. Their actions were always veiled, and not even the HOU could interfere with their decisions.This was because all the cases they dealt with were so unique that the public could never be made aware of them, and Aria was the team's core."Why hasn't Boss signaled us yet? Does she not want us to show up?" A black-haired teenage boy adorned in a long robe stood on the hillside, two big bikes parked behind him.A sweet-looking teenage girl, who was wiping a black knife, glanced back. "You men are disgusting! What do you think you are? How could you ogle the boss like that!"The boy then raised his hand. "Don't lump us together. I'm quite a ha