Alas, Frank dared not dwell on that thought. He had brought Aria over, and furthermore, she had just saved Warren's life. He couldn't stand by and do nothing while she dug a grave for herself."I'm afraid Dr. Genius here is a little blunt. She may come across as tactless sometimes… I'm sure you won't hold it against her," Frank said pleadingly as he looked at Landon.Landon simply hummed in response.Raising an eyebrow, Aria asked in puzzlement, "Why are you so nervous, Mr. Levin? Was there something wrong with my description?""Not at all," Landon chimed in, though his sudden chuckle sent chills down others' spines. "Your description was very apt.""Good-looking people always know the right things to say," Aria remarked, her gaze clear.Then, she turned around and looked at the doctors who had just returned. They had gone off to get their notebooks and phones just now, so they didn't know what happened moments ago.Aria asked, "Is everyone here?""Yes, we're all here!" the doc
Landon felt as though something inside his body was struggling to break free, threatening to destroy everything in its wake. A heated feeling was building up inside of him.He subconsciously swallowed. The motion added an air of sexiness to him as he stood under the light. It was a rare sight.Everyone in Janovin knew that Landon lived an ascetic life. He was even a vegetarian. No one had ever been able to make him lose his air of refinement and aloofness. But now, his shirt was half-open, and his hair was ruffled.Frank was terrified, thinking that Aria had truly offended Landon this time.He had worked with Warren for many years now. The Carvers and the Yorks were well-acquainted, and Landon made frequent trips to Carver Group in order to cancel the marriage agreement between the two families.Thus, Frank had met Landon many times before, and he had never seen Landon eyeing someone with such a dangerous look in his eyes.Most of the time, Landon's gaze was calm and unruffled. H
As soon as Aria said those words, a deafening silence fell.Landon fixed his eyes on her. The light reflected in his clear, aloof gaze.The other doctors present didn't know who Landon was. But as medical professionals, they were all aware of one thing—doctors wouldn't deliver such bad news unless it was indeed a hopeless situation.Aria had been smiling all along, but now, her expression was serious. It didn't look like she was joking.Could it be true? Was he really dying soon? He was a little pale, but it didn't seem like he was on the verge of death.All the doctors looked at Landon.Abraham and Harold exchanged a glance before hastily shooing the other doctors away.Frank's heart missed a beat when he heard Aria's comment. He instinctively tried to pull her away.Landon's health was a constant concern for almost the entire York family.In fact, Landon was only here in a small city like Southbury because it was said that the Whiz Doctor had once shown up here.Even though
"There's no guarantee that I can treat him," Aria said as she leaned against the wall and yawned. "I don't know his medical history, so I can't make a diagnosis. Also…"Landon chuckled and continued her sentence for her, saying, "Also, you're tired now, so you don't want to check on any more patients today.""It's always so easy to communicate with smart people," Aria remarked as she raised her brows and looked at Landon with a smile. She checked his pulse before adding, "Considering your condition, your treatment can't be rushed."It felt as though even God seemed reluctant to let Landon's life end, thus allowing him to continue living.Aria figured Landon wasn't the type to give up easily. He trusted and relied on himself more than anything or anyone else.He was wearing a rosary bracelet, which seemingly proved he sought protection from God. However, it was simply used as an essential oil carrier—something to help him stay calm and alleviate stress.Aria caught the scent of th
"That man?" Aria repeated, focusing on the way Frank addressed Landon. "He's not a member of the Carver family?"Frank dared not expose Landon's identity, of course, so he said stiffly, "You could say he's a distant relative. His last name isn't Carver."Chewing on a piece of candy, Aria said with a faint smile, "I thought you'd insist that the old patient wasn't named Carver, Mr. Levin.""That's because I now consider you a friend," Frank said glibly. "Furthermore, you seem like a principled and ethical person, so I have nothing to worry about. You're right. My boss is indeed one of the Carvers of Janovin, the wealthiest family there.""Uh-huh," Aria said, still sucking on her candy.Realizing that she didn't seem to care at all, Frank chuckled and remarked, "I should've known to expect as much from you. You're able to take this news without making a big deal out of it. I was worried about nothing earlier. Do accept my apologies.""It's only right for you to protect your employe
Frank didn't put it to heart and glanced at Aria. "What a funny joke. It's fine as long as you know what you're doing. Let me know if anything happens. Although I'm just a general manager, I can help you pull in some connections."Aria was quite surprised that Frank was a general manager.After all, Frank seemed like an errand runner from his appearance. Well, it appeared that she'd misunderstood.Frank added, "There's something else I need your help with."Aria raised her eyebrows. "Go ahead."Frank looked around before lowering his voice. "Mr. Carver Senior came to Southbury because his granddaughter was abducted here. There were some leads before, but we lost them. Since you'll come across many people in your field of work, can you help me keep an eye out?"Aria was reminded of the job she had turned down.It seemed she was quite fated with the Carver family's daughter."Okay." Aria didn't question further.Frank didn't want to tire her out. "Let me take you home. The road'
It was Georgina's favorite cooking book, filled with recipes for healthy meals. She'd often sit in the reclining chair of the inner courtyard, engrossed in its pages. "This one looks promising," she'd say to Aria. "How about steamed fish with mushroom soup tonight?" Now, the book lay in ruins.A cold fury settled over Aria. She marched toward the inner courtyard.Upon spotting Aria, a young boy dressed as a masseur quickly set down his bucket and gestured toward her.Aria placed her hand on his shoulder. The former's eyes were filled with concern despite her aloof voice. "Sam, calm down. Slowly tell me what happened."Georgina had adopted Sam from the streets out of kindness. Born mute, he had only recently learned to produce some sounds, though he still primarily communicated through sign language.Despite his petite frame and neat appearance, Sam looked around 11 years old. As he gestured to Aria, his eyes conveyed a mix of liveliness and seriousness."You're saying that the
Aria wheeled Georgina forward. "You needn't worry about my studies. You should focus on getting better. Listen to Sam, and stop eating so much sweet food."Georgina mumbled, "How could you not continue your studies? I heard their daughter is at the top of her class.""Isn't that great? She's as smart as you." Aria smiled lightly.Georgina lifted her head. "What are you going to do, then?"Aria removed Georgina's shoes and socks. "I'll earn money. I won't starve myself to death. Sam, get the bucket."Sam mumbled an answer.He exerted considerable effort to lift the bucket, ran to fill it with water, and hurried back.It seemed that he had plenty of energy.Aria was already used to seeing that.Georgina couldn't help but laugh. "He seems to be bursting with energy. Our neighbor bought a pair of stone statues yesterday, but they couldn't unload it. Yet, Sam lifted it effortlessly. It's like he isn't afraid of breaking his hand."Aria raised her eyebrows upon hearing that.Sam p
"In the end, it all depends on which side we're closer to." Orion's eyes lit up when he heard that. It seemed like Lily was trustworthy. She had to have been reborn—there was no other explanation for how she possessed such crucial knowledge. Even Orion, with all his connections, had only learned about it much later.Orion masked his excitement with difficulty and signaled his assistant, who placed a plain cardboard box on the table.The trio's eyes flickered toward the box. They already knew what was inside—this wasn't their first encounter with it."As usual, I'll be relying on you three," Orion said.One of them replied discreetly, "A businessman like Mr. Draycott is exactly what our district needs. Don't worry."After finishing their drinks, the three left the club separately. Yet none of them went home—they each headed to another destination, accompanied by women Orion had arranged.He understood their desires well, but his gestures carried a deeper message—a reminder of
In the meantime, over at the Draycott family, several calls from Orion's affiliated companies had gone unanswered. Orion was hosting guests in a private club at the time. The club was lavishly adorned, with bridges arching over streams of flowing water and calligraphy set against painted backdrops. A pianist played softly in the distance. Even the wine was poured into crystal goblets, evoking the elegance of an era when scholars gathered to debate philosophy and poetry.Privacy was the club's most valued feature. The pianist couldn't see the guests in the private rooms, and diners rarely revealed their true identities. They enjoyed exclusive dishes and rare reserve liquors and dressed with understated simplicity.Despite Orion's immense wealth, the guests he entertained held a level of influence that even he couldn't reach. Yet, it didn't matter. If Orion needed something, all he had to do was ask.An assistant at Orion's side began pouring wine for the three men. Just as he was a
Aria hadn't shared the detailed plan for exposing the factory's true nature with Isaiah. So, as the employees worked, he busied himself overseeing and recording the packaging process.Unaware of the online developments, Isaiah handed his notebook to his assistant just as a young man from the live stream production team rushed over, breathless."M-Mr. Katz, Ms. Carver is here! S-She brought a huge celebrity. She said he's our ambassador! We've got over a million viewers on the live stream!"We're finally being seen! They're not here to scold us. They're asking which product tastes best. They're all here to support us!"The young man, overcome with emotion, removed his glasses and clung to Isaiah's sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably.Over the years, they have tried so many ways to promote their products. Even though they didn't know how to write scripts, they tried to record videos. They were desperate for anyone to remember their canned peaches. Yet, no matter their efforts, attentio
The employee breathed a sigh of relief and replied with sign language. This caused everyone watching the live stream to feel baffled."Wait, does anyone know what he's saying? And since when does my idol know sign language? He's so talented!""I'm deaf-mute," one viewer explained in the chat. "Leon asked him how to get to the factory's livestream room. The employee told him to take a right and offered to guide him. He also asked if Leon was from the media and wanted to apologize.""Apologize? What for?""I know about this! I just caught up on the drama. A reporter visited to conduct an undercover investigation and asked the man the same questions."They thought he was impatient because he was signaling urgently, and they edited the video to make it seem like he was being rude.""What the heck? They're just trying to slander him!""They even added sound effects to make it worse.""How could they do this to the deaf-mute community? Do people even have a conscience anymore?"The
Hannah wanted to ask the people who had criticized their factory during the live stream what they had done wrong, but she held herself back. Confronting them might scare away the few loyal customers who were still buying their products. When a surge of viewers flooded the live stream, Hannah braced for more scolding. However, as she focused on the incoming comments, she realized they weren't criticizing her."Miss, what's the new ambassador's favorite product? Why can't I find it in the link?"Ambassador? Hannah hadn't heard anything about this."I want to buy it so badly. Can the host put up the link now? I'm afraid it will sell out!""Girls, there are fewer than 100 items left in each link! No matter what he likes, we need to act fast. Host, notice me! I want the mystery box!"Hannah found her voice at last. "Everyone, is there some sort of misunderstanding?"Isaiah had once considered finding ambassadors to promote their products, but all had turned him down. They claimed th
Leon's sudden appearance in a live stream caused a stir. Anyone familiar with the entertainment industry knew that once a celebrity entered a set, they vanished from the public eye.After a period of absence, making a comeback on screen would generate even more significant buzz. His fans had been waiting for so long!Fans didn't need hashtag campaigns or trending topics to spread Leon's return. In his absence, they had survived on replays of old variety shows, joking about his disappearance. So, the moment he popped up on the screen, the comment section exploded.Leon didn't need to say or do anything—his presence alone sent them into a frenzy. Only after their initial excitement wore off did they start asking questions."Wait. You're not on set. Why do you look like you're in the suburbs?""The director let you leave? That's wild.""Oh, my goodness. Babe, look here! Guys, he has a new haircut.""I screenshotted it. He's too handsome.""Wait. Why are you in the car?"Leon chuc
Canned peaches were too cheap and too old-fashioned. They couldn't even catch the public's attention anymore. Isaiah reflected bitterly. Age weighed on him—he couldn't keep up with the times or learn fast enough. Many had advised him to give in and step aside. After all, with ice cream and milkshake shops booming, who still craved canned peaches?He didn't deny the truth but had tried to adapt. Still, Aria told him to wait—there was one last chance.Suddenly, it all felt worth it. Whether the factory survived or not, Isaiah vowed to properly distribute the final batch. After hanging up the call, he headed to the factory, uncertain of Aria's plans. He stuck to his routine.That was exactly what Aria had anticipated. She hadn't acted earlier because the timing wasn't right. Now, the Carver Group sprang to action with her single message. Their previous experience meant no time was wasted. They immediately sent a legal notice to the person who had posted the video.Orion had undere
Clary immediately gave Aria a thumbs-up. Aria leaned casually with one hand draped over the car door, exuding the effortless air of a cool CEO. "Clary, could you ask the crew to assign us a cameraman?"Given the request came from Aria, the cameramen were quick to respond. It wasn't just about lending a hand—it was an opportunity. Everyone in the industry knew that Aria's content always went viral. They didn't know what she had planned, but they knew it would be headline-worthy.Clary picked two of the most experienced cameramen and added a video production manager to Aria's team for support.As she started the car, Aria nodded at the production crew standing by. "Thank you, everyone. Good luck with the shoot. Clary, please help hand out the gifts."The crew all knew Aria planned to take Leon somewhere. Since she had already informed them, they didn't interfere. Luckily, Aria had turned down Elijah's offer to tag along.Aria was known for her thoughtful gestures. She would brin
Luka and Axel were secretly taken away. Jett barely registered the plainclothes officers who had appeared out of nowhere—his focus had shifted to the phone Aria now held out. It belonged to his so-called best friend.A sinking feeling consumed Jett. This latest betrayal was a brutal lesson, one that forced him to rethink everything.His phone wouldn't stop ringing—calls from his maternal grandmother's relatives. Before Aria came into the picture, he would have answered every call, perhaps even begged his grandfather for leniency. But now? He had half a mind to blacklist them all.Jett had always thought foreign corporations offered more freedom. He hadn't fully appreciated how rare and resilient the Grisham family was to have survived the upheavals of each passing era without falling apart.Frustration overwhelmed him. He gripped his hair and clutched his head.Aria, meanwhile, felt satisfied. Her plan had worked better than expected. Jett's entanglement was the perfect bait to tr