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
Landon's black hair danced in the moonlight, accentuating his handsome features. Despite his chronic illness, his graceful landing betrayed no weakness save for his pale complexion. The way he landed on one knee, all while wearing leather gloves, was particularly impressive. The gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose made him resemble a young medieval cardinal.As soon as Landon touched down, the other plainclothes officers emerged from the mist. They didn't arrive in ordinary cars but in modified Jeeps with red markings.The seven or eight vehicles' engines filled the air with a loud racket."Mr. Barter, what happened?" The townspeople were beginning to get anxious. They had never seen anything like this before.Not only them, but Gregory had never experienced anything like this. He had only seen a large-scale operation like this on TV for cross-border arrests.Dick also had an ominous feeling. Feeling uneasy, he wanted to use the townspeople again.The plainclothes officers
Dick felt himself going numb.Landon knew so much about him that there was nothing he could refute!Meanwhile, the townspeople didn't know who Landon was, nor did they dare to speculate. Witnessing the imposing military aircraft and Jeeps nearby, their hands trembled uncontrollably. Only someone wielding immense power could command such resources. And that someone, it turned out, was Aria's boyfriend.The Barter family even thought of having their way with her!All the townspeople were afraid.The entire Barter family also felt extremely regretful. This was especially true for Sue, who witnessed the whole scene.When she saw her brother being escorted away, her brain was buzzing. Initially, Sue thought Aria was a clueless, gullible student. A carefully orchestrated mix of money and threats, she believed, would eventually bend Aria to their will.Olivia had told her the same thing. Aria was unlike her daughter, Lily, who was now living as a wealthy family's daughter in Janovin.
Everyone in the café had been enjoying their afternoon tea when they heard the commotion. They turned to look. "Where's the server?" Nisa called out. These rich ladies were all regulars who paid hefty annual membership fees. At their summons, the manager appeared with a smile before any server could respond. "Mrs. Guetta, how may I help you?" "Jonah, perfect timing. I was wondering when this place started letting country bumpkins like her in," Nisa said, her gaze sweeping over Lily. Without hesitation, Jonah Marx kicked Lily out. At that same moment, Aria arrived for their appointment. Traffic had been terrible. She had only agreed to meet Nisa because she needed to uncover something important. In her dreams, there was still one voice that hadn't appeared. The owner of that voice had harmed her mother, Fiona. She would never feel at peace until she dug out the person behind it. Aria was never worried about threats from others. For instance, she knew about Lily's wild accu
Dorian was grinning from ear to ear, showing none of the dignity expected from someone of a prominent family. He had less class than a common street hustler. The members of the Chamber of Commerce had good reason to look down on him. Dorian didn't believe that Neval, who was addicted to gambling, wouldn't return to the country for at least ten years. Once they took down the Grisham family, he'd be calling all the shots in the Chamber of Commerce! Dorian truly took after Magdalene in this aspect. The latter embodied all the worst traits of her generation—a twisted mindset and was always scheming something. Also, she was arrogant and had a superiority complex. Magdalene didn't want Neval to return, which explained why she'd readily given him money. She thought that Waymond would soon be arrested. Then, the Grisham family would go from riding high to crashing and burning, and Aria would pay the price. These were already set in stone! The prominent families' joint effort to targe
In the Fitzroy family, only Neval saw things clearly, despite being a screw-up. Everyone else was blinded by their own arrogance. Laura, of course, never saw it that way. Perhaps too much time had passed, which made her forget how she had married into the Grisham family in the first place. She had also forgotten what it meant to be grateful. Without the Fitzroy family's involvement, Orion's long-standing attempts to sabotage Waymond would have failed. This had been an unspoken secret between the two families for years. Magdalene had always been the head of the Fitzroy family. The best thing about her younger son, Dorian Fitzroy, was that he would always follow her orders. Neval wasn't her biological son, but Dorian was. As a child born in her later years, Dorian was showered with love. Now, he sat at the meeting place where several families had agreed to gather. "How do you plan to deal with Aria?" The Guettas were the ones who had organized this meeting. They used to keep
Magdalene said, "In the past, our family had helped the Grishams to survive. But now..." She took a sip of her tea. "They're digging their own grave, and we can't help them anymore." Just as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man walked in. When Magdalene saw him, her brows immediately furrowed. Her eldest son, Neval Fitzroy, was her least favorite child. He had brought nothing but shame to the Fitzroys. If he hadn't developed a gambling addiction, the Fitzroy family wouldn't have fallen this far. She asked, "What are you doing here?" Neval rubbed his hands together and snickered. "Mom, I'm a little short on cash lately. I mainly came because I missed you, but I'm also here to ask for a little money." Before Magdalene could respond, Laura stood up. "Neval, Mom just gave you 20 million last month. You shouldn't have spent it so quickly." Magdalene had been in a good mood, but now her face darkened. "Did I raise you to leech off me? How could 20 million dollars be gone so
Orion slammed his fist hard on the table. He'd been played by someone who looked like nothing more than a trust fund kid. Yet he had no choice but to let Aria manipulate him. Because no matter what he said, someone would show up to "take care of" him. At this point, he could only make everything look like a simple financial crime in order to protect himself. Aria had calculated this perfectly and planned accordingly. Even now, most people saw Aria as just some young hotshot who made money but didn't understand the bigger picture. They thought because she came from a small town, she was naïve enough to believe taking down the Draycott family would solve everything. In reality, she would be dragging herself down as well. Unless she didn't plan to stay in Ludwiten at all! Most people who thought this way were driven by pride and jealousy. They wouldn't admit they wished they were in Aria's shoes. The Carvers had raked in so much money from the stock market this time around. The
"Yes, I'm sure," Gabe said, having checked everything carefully. The old man thought for a moment. "Find a way and get someone else to tell Orion what he should and shouldn't say. If he's smart enough, he should understand." "Alright." Gabe pushed up his glasses. "Don't worry; everything will be handled." The old man's eyes were deep and calculating. "To achieve great things, some people must be sacrificed. If necessary, offer the Draycott family some benefits. Go take care of the Bellebrook situation." Gabe chuckled. "They're just some greedy, low-class people. They only succeeded because of you, yet they always think they made it on their own." "Gabe, mind your words." The old man had a kind face. Looking at him, one would think he cared for all people. Judging from his simple lifestyle, he did not seem like someone who would do bad things at all. Even the cup he used was bought from the supermarket for just over ten dollars. "Go now. As I've always said, anyone can l
Aria's question made Orion freeze right away. The scholarship program was his secret lifeline. He simply couldn't figure out how she knew so many details about everything! "You've been setting me up in the stock market all this time. How did you also find out about the scholarship program?" Orion felt genuinely scared now—everyone had really underestimated Aria. When had she done all this research? She'd dug deeper than he ever imagined. The scariest part was that neither he nor that person had noticed anything. They all thought she was just helping the Carver family restore their former glory. Keeping the Chamber of Commerce out of the Carver family's hands was that person's strict order. That was why the Draycotts had climbed so quickly within the organization over the years. They all assumed Aria had come to Ludwiten to target the Chamber. But now... Orion looked up again. "The scholarship program is weird business. I only handled recruitment. I don't know where those peop
Orion said, "I don't know much, honestly." He looked at Aria with hesitation, as if he was afraid to name that person. He made a gesture instead. "That person is the lieutenant governor of Ludwiten, who has many achievements to his name. "If you're brave enough to investigate, I can tell you about the deals I handled. But I don't know about the rest." Aria raised an eyebrow. Her expression said everything—she had already kidnapped him, so did he seriously think she would be afraid to investigate this further? Orion took a deep breath. "I just handle the money. That person wants something bigger—he wants to make history, but he's been in poor health lately. He needs me to keep certain people in line, but I can't give you details since I really don't have proof." "Which people does he control? And how does he do it?" Aria asked casually. Orion glanced upward, his eyes slowly losing focus. "I have no idea which people." "Mr. Draycott, I thought you would have learned by now.
"Who the hell are you?" Orion shouted as he couldn't hold back anymore. He gripped the armrests hard, almost jumping out of his chair. But Aria barely glanced his way. "I brought you here, didn't I? Who do you think I am?""Y-You're..." Orion remembered a rumor from a business dinner about a Special Missions Unit that operated outside normal chains of command. They could investigate anyone without going through regular channels.Their authority even topped the Regular Missions Unit. Orion had laughed it off back then. Every group had to answer to someone higher up, so there couldn't be a unit with that kind of freedom. In Ludwiten, everyone answered to that one big shot. But now he realized such a thing actually existed!Orion's face turned ghostly pale. "Are you… a part of the Special Missions Unit?"Only that could explain everything! With all her digging and investigating, that person would have noticed what she had been doing. But Orion did not understand something. "