Doing his best to keep his emotions in check, Frank considered the reasons why Olivia and Grant would want to lie. He also observed them carefully and noticed they were clearly trying to hide something.Thus, he came to a seemingly impossible yet perfectly reasonable conclusion.He barged into the room and announced his deduction. "You and the Kents didn't get your babies switched. You didn't like the baby you kidnapped, so you exchanged her for a different one! You never had a daughter!"When Olivia spotted Frank, her expression hardened. She recognized him as being one of Aria's family members. Did he know Jeffrey?Frank got straight to the point. "You guys purposely misled me and made me ask the Kents, but how would the Kents know that you never gave birth to a child? They simply thought that one of you villagers gave birth to Aria."They were angry that she had stolen their daughter's place, so they wouldn't have told me the truth. I wouldn't have been able to get the real ans
Throughout these years, all Jeffrey and Leon wanted to do was to find their younger sister as soon as possible. However, they were worried that her safety would be compromised if it became known that the Carvers were looking for a long-lost daughter.Too many people would've wanted to claim to be her. If such people acted on their greed, their little sister's life would be in further danger.The Carvers had hired countless private detectives, but all of them said it was unlikely that their younger sister was still alive and well.Refusing to accept that, Jeffrey and Leon secretly created a base filled with photos of their younger sister. Every year, they would head over there to celebrate her birthday. They wondered what she would look like when she grew up.Well, Jeffrey finally got his answer. She was even more beautiful than what he and Leon had imagined!He leaped to his feet, his eyes sparkling with joy. "I'll go to her right away and tell her I'm her brother!""Mr. Carver!"
Jeffrey, who always kept his cool, was so emotional now that his voice had turned hoarse."Mr. Levin, do you still think we need some bloody DNA test? Who else could this be, if not my sister?" he cried out. It had to be her. It couldn't be anyone else.Everyone kept saying that Mindy looked like the sister they lost, but Jeffrey didn't think they looked alike in any way.The photo of the little girl he saw now was what he remembered of his sister. Her face was smeared with dirt. But even though she had been kidnapped, she was still able to eat her candy. She stared at the camera with bleary eyes, as though she wasn't fully awake yet.Her eyes were large and round. Her cheeks were plump. She was even wearing the tiger-themed hat Jeffrey and Leon made for her. They had done a poor job of making it themselves, so the embroidery looked very messy.Meanwhile, Frank was also agitated. It was one thing to figure it out. It was another to receive solid proof that he was right. The young
"Alright." Aria agreed to it. Despite feeling puzzled, she knew her focus should be on saving Jeffrey. "Does he have any allergies, especially to certain medications? Does his body reject drugs like penicillin?""None at all," Frank replied.Meanwhile, the stretcher was brought over. Aria swiftly took one of the ends and lifted Jeffrey with the help of the other medical staff. The doctor and nurses all followed along as well.Frank was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat. He wanted to tell Aria that she was the Carver family's daughter, but he was also worried about the news affecting her feelings about Jeffrey. That might affect the surgery too.Soon, the light outside the surgical theater turned on, indicating it was occupied.Landon had followed Aria to the hospital. He still needed to tie up loose ends. Once Aria had gone into the surgical theater, he looked at Frank and asked, "Did you guys find Ms. Carver yet?"His tone was cool and indifferent, making it seem
"Mr. Carver Senior, we've found Ms. Carver!" Frank declared with excitement. Even his hands were trembling. "This time, it's really her! She's in the same building as me!"Warren jumped to his feet, his eyes filled with shock. "Where are you?""We're at Beacon Hospital in Uludon," Frank replied, doing his best to keep his voice down. "Mr. Jeffrey is here too. He has already met Ms. Carver, but the situation is rather complicated. I'll explain in further detail once you arrive, Mr. Carver Senior."Warren clutched his cane. His gaze was shining with excitement. "Jeff has met our little rainbow? Why is he at Uludon? How did he run into her?""Technically speaking, Ms. Carver saved Mr. Jeffrey. And when he first saw her, he felt a sense of kinship with her." Frank gave a quick summary. "Mr. Carver Senior, I'm afraid that what I'm about to say next might be too much for you to take. Perhaps you should steel yourself first."However, Warren was far too overjoyed to care about anything e
"Mr. Hesse, is Grandpa still mad at me?" Mindy asked, biting her lip to make herself seem even more pitiful.Toby Hesse, who was part of Warren's team, replied with a smile, "Mr. Carver Senior dotes on you the most. Once enough time has passed, he'll come to see that you meant well, Ms. Carver.""Okay," Mindy replied with a look of disappointment.She left the building. After she got into the car, her gaze turned grim. "Dorothy, did you find out where Grandpa went?""He left for a business meeting. Don't worry, Ms. Carver," Dorothy said consolingly. "Once Lily gets the chance to give Mr. Carver Senior a checkup, he'll realize that the country bumpkin is nothing special. Then, he'll know just how thoughtful you are.""I hope so," Mindy said with a sigh. "Grandpa's always so harsh with me."He even put her in a difficult spot for that country bumpkin's sake.Mindy didn't know why she felt so bothered and frazzled. Perhaps it was because she was running low on her supply of aromath
"It's all your fault, you jinx! You ruined my life!" Olivia shrieked. Right from the start, it was clear she wasn't in her right mind.Worried that she might harm Aria, the bodyguard advised, "Be careful, Ms. Carver. She's unstable right now.""It's fine. You can leave us. I want to ask her about something private," Aria said with a chuckle.The bodyguard was hesitant. "Mr. York instructed us to never let you be in harm's way."Aria's smile deepened. "He's right outside. Don't worry. I can protect myself. In any case, she's still poisoned right now. I can easily overpower her."Only then did the bodyguard leave the room, closing the door behind him.Yanking on the chain that restrained her, Olivia wanted to headbutt Aria. However, Aria abruptly grabbed her by the neck. Eyes flashing darkly, she said, "Say, if you die here today, do you think the authorities will investigate you or me?"Aria wasn't joking when she said she could overpower Olivia. Her clutch was so tight that Oliv
"Grant and I wanted to sell you off as quickly as possible," Olivia admitted. "But that thing around your neck… it was too striking. No one dared to buy you. The pendant would shine, and there was even a word inscribed on it!" A flicker of horror crossed Olivia's face as the memory resurfaced. The word inscribed on the pendant wasn't about fortune or wealth. It was the word, "Soul". With that pendant on her, nobody wanted Aria. "I consulted an old fortune teller from the village," Olivia continued. "He claimed the pendant was from hell, pure evil. He advised me to get rid of it immediately. Apparently, keeping you could bring doom to the entire village. Thus, Grant and I didn't dare to raise you anymore. We also sold your pendant to Thomas Weller, a pendant collector in Southbury."Aria perked up at the name. "What happened in the fire that year?" she asked."We fled after switching you with the Kents' daughter," Olivia confessed with a hint of fear in her eyes. "At that time
Ordinary people understood the harshness of reality. Brent, having lived in poverty for most of his life, had been looked down on more times than he could count.Poor people like them could die unnoticed at home, and no one would care, let alone offer help without expecting something in return.If something really happened to Eden, Brent doubted he and his wife could do anything to save her. Judy was a prime example. Her father, Alec Lanez, had even given up selling bread just to look for her.Every time Alec went to the school, he was met with the same cold response."It has nothing to do with us. Your daughter ran away and refuses to acknowledge you. So why are you coming here? Peasants like you should know your place. Without us, people like you could only dream of going overseas. How filthy!"Brent had heard the school's representative say those exact words when he accompanied Alec. Both of them could only stand there, humiliated and speechless.Alec's back was sore from how m
Eden immediately opened the windows after hearing that. "Did Ms. Carver send you here? Is she in any danger? I'm really worried about her. Should I call the police? I'd feel horrible if anything happened to her."Weston remained calm and indifferent. "Calling the police will only make them suspicious. My boss is amazing, and there's nothing she can't handle. She has a plan. Right now, my priority is to bring all of you to Heartbound Hall in Janovin so your grandfather can receive treatment."The respect in Weston's voice when he spoke of Aria was unmistakable."Pack up your things and come with me," Weston ordered.Their team had already checked the surroundings and ensured nothing would go wrong. Anyone watching would think Eden's grandparents were simply collecting bottles and preparing lunch as usual, not leaving the house until the afternoon.Without wasting time, Weston picked up the elderly couple's luggage. His most important task now was to get Eden and her grandparents to
"We followed the address, so this must be the place. Sir, isn't that the girl?" It was the same group of people as before. After failing their last mission because of Aria, they were being extra cautious this time."We can't afford any more mistakes. Treat her kindly so that she won't suspect anything.""Yes, sir."When they saw a young woman in a school uniform appear right on time, they were convinced she was the right person. After all, Aria looked exactly like Eden.They rolled down the car window and waved. "Ms. Bohmer, over here."Aria looked up and recognized several familiar faces. She grabbed her bag and walked toward the car."Ms. Bohmer, we meet again," The driver greeted Aria warmly. "Let's go."The team had prepared for a difficult encounter. They'd even been authorized to use force if necessary, as long as they avoided surveillance cameras. But to their surprise, Aria simply opened the car door and got in without resistance.Aria glanced at their puzzled expression
The aged voice was filled with indifference. "It seems like she reached a dead end."Amos sneered. "I don't understand why these peasants like staying in the city. Still, it's fortunate for us. Otherwise, it'd be hard to get our hands on them.""Amos," the person cut in sharply, as if reminding him of his place.Amos only dared to speak so harshly when no one was around. If word got out, his image as the perfect secretary would be ruined.He quickly calmed down and fell silent. The caller didn't press the matter, simply saying, "You need to change the way you speak and act from now on."Since she's already agreed, give her the money. Don't treat her requests as a nuisance. The more requests they make, the less likely they are to cause trouble later."After picking her up tomorrow, send a few men to check if her grandparents need any help. Make sure everything is done properly."Amos nodded. "I understand. You always see the bigger picture. We'll continue looking after them."Poo
"I promise it won't happen again!" To an outsider, it might've sounded like Amos was talking about the cafeteria mishap. But the truth was much darker. What Amos really meant was that incidents like this could continue, just never publicly. Once the media's attention died down, they could go back to doing whatever they pleased. But for now, the performance had to be flawless.The man on the other end of the call seemed satisfied. Though his voice was flat and monotonous, there was a noticeable shift; it was now less stern."She's been manipulating the stock market," he said. "It's caused major damage to several of Luwditen's corporations. We can't let her walk free."Amos removed his glasses, a grim look on his face. "That's exactly what I told the Securities Regulatory Department. It doesn't matter who comes to plead on her behalf. Even if she's the late Mr. Barron's heir, she has to face the law."She's confessed. No one's going to let her off the hook now. You know what jail'
At first, Eden didn't understand what Aria meant. But as night fell, Aria lowered her head and started fumbling with something. When she looked up again, Eden was stunned—Aria looked exactly like her.Eden's eyes widened in disbelief. She'd only seen something like this in movies. But now, it was unfolding right in front of her. So there really was such a flawless disguise technique in the world."Aria, you…""Since I'm using your identity, I have to be you," Aria said with a soft tug of her mask, smiling. She had always been bold, yet precise. Working in the Special Missions Unit meant secrecy was second nature to her—this part was routine."Stay home and rest tonight. I'll leave first thing in the morning. Once I'm gone and the coast is clear, take your grandparents and leave."Eden opened her mouth, unsure of how to respond. She didn't even know when the people watching them would leave."My team will come get you," Aria reassured her. "What's important is that your grandparent
Eden nodded. "Okay. I'll do as you say, Aria."She sent the text just like Aria instructed. Moments later, her teacher replied—everything had been arranged. A car would pick her up from home. There was no need to return to school.A cold shiver ran down Eden's spine. They knew where she lived. They'd been watching all along. Not just the school—they were everywhere.Eden didn't linger at school. Outside the entrance, the main topic of conversation was the officials' arrival for an investigation and the school's public exposure.Everyone knew the cafeteria was a mess. Students had complained countless times, but each time inspectors came, the food improved just long enough to pass the checks. Then it would all revert. It had become the norm—something they were forced to accept.Eden was no different. She just wanted to get home. She needed to see her grandparents. She feared something might happen to them next.Every step on the way home, she stayed alert, scanning her surroundings
Eden listened closely, her brow furrowing. Her teacher wasn't speaking Farshyan. School was no longer a safe place, and Eden didn't know who she could trust. Her classmates were too caught up in mocking Aria to notice anything was wrong, all assuming Eden was lucky to have been chosen.She considered calling the police, picking up her phone, but then paused. What could she even say? That there was a mole at school? Her face turned pale as she remembered how close the principal was to influential people. The authorities might not believe her, or worse, they might be involved.Despite the headlines claiming Aria had been arrested, Eden felt a spark of hope. Aria had promised she'd show up if Eden ever needed her. Taking a deep breath, Eden dialed the number Aria had given her.She didn't expect anyone to answer. But then came a cool, familiar voice. "Eden? What's wrong? Did someone give you trouble again?"Eden's heart soared. "You're not arrested! The news is fake, isn't it? I knew
Lucas gave Amos a sidelong glance. "In that case, let's do as Mr. Lune suggested—punish everyone involved."Announce to the public that Oakvale Academy will be used as a test case. We'll be conducting surprise inspections in all middle and high schools."As for why Mr. Kelsey encountered two completely different scenes during his visits—well, that's easy to explain." Lucas' gaze swept across the room. "Someone tipped off the school before your visit. If any other school received advance notice, every one of you will be under scrutiny."Though Lucas spoke with a smile, none of the seven present—including the three officials—could return it. The smile, in this context, was more chilling than rage. This was a warning. Amos, in particular, felt deeply unsettled. He had come intending to redirect Lucas' attention away from Oakvale Academy. Instead, the incident had blown up. With public attention turning toward the school, transferring Eden would soon become impossible.Still, Amo