"I didn't know she was the one the Carvers had been searching for," Landon said.Titus stopped teasing Landon because he was extremely pleased with Aria. "You should do your best. If you have no idea how to gain her affections, you can read more novels for inspiration!"Novels? Landon had no plans to do something so dumb.However, when he unlocked his phone and saw that Aria had not replied to any of his messages, he clicked on a novel greatly adored by its readers—the comments were all praising the male lead, saying that he was their dream husband. Landon could finalize deals worth billions without breaking a sweat, but he couldn't help frowning as he read this novel.…Aria had no idea that Landon had gone astray. The next day, a hundred boxes of chocolate of various flavors and from multiple brands appeared in Aria's house, along with a sea of roses.The elderly residents walking around the neighborhood were stunned by the sight of Heartbound Hall's entrance.Aria doled a
Joel didn't care about what the other people present thought. He was happy after completing the mission Kenneth had assigned him. "Everyone misses you, Dr. Carver. They watch your stream often but haven't mustered up the nerve to log in to their main accounts.""I'll visit them at Elmer before I leave the city," Aria said as she walked.Joel was shocked. "Before you leave? You're leaving, Dr. Carver?"What should he do, then? As if he could rein the higher-ups in! He wasn't brave enough for that, no thank you!"I found my family, and they're in Janovin." Aria smiled. "Don't worry, Joel. I'll tell them about it."Joel was still in disbelief. He muttered, "Mr. Kane was posted to Janovin as well. He's going to leave soon. I can't believe that you're leaving too."Kenneth was posted to Janovin even though he was already retired. He was a more important figure than she had thought. However, Aria didn't dig too deeply into it because it was a private matter for Kenneth. She merely sa
Christian had been there when Lucas was formally appointed Secretary-General, so he knew who Lucas was. "Good afternoon, sir," he said, surprised. Lucas pushed down his anger and looked at Christian. "And you are?""I'm Christian Short from the Short family in Southbury. We specialize in medicine." Christian tried to ingratiate himself with Lucas. "My father and I met you once."Jude Reilly, who was with Lucas, tried to ease the tension. "Mr. Murray, the Short family was instrumental in helping us find the kids–""Do you know them?" Lucas cut him off. Jude paused for a moment before saying, "Yes. The Short family business is one of the most conscientious enterprises in Southbury. You might not know this yet, but they have access to some of the most advanced medical technology in the country.""Oh?" Lucas' face didn't belie any expression. "Is this the same Short family that enjoyed a close relationship with the Gunthers?"Jude's face paled instantly, and everyone else looked q
Jude, the head of Southbury's medical industry, directed the Short family to sit in the back. "Sit in the back?" Christian questioned. "But I have to go onstage to receive an award later."Lucas' gaze turned steely as he looked at Jude. "It was so nice of you to arrange that."Jude's face paled. No longer trying to maintain his image, he yanked on Christian's shirt. "You're going onstage for this award, you say? And who do you think you are? That award belongs to Dr. Carver!"Christian was stunned. Understanding the danger of speaking up, Norman stayed silent with a forced smile.The Short family moved from their front-row seats to a corner at the back. As Christian was driven out of the hall in front of everyone, he looked at Jude. "Didn't you arrange for me to go onstage, Mr. Reilly?""Don't call me that!" Jude snapped, flinging Christian's hand away when he saw no one was around.Christian lunged forward, but guards firmly blocked his path.Jude was disgusted by Christian's
Without the Layne family's backing, Lucas had struggled to make any headway in Southbury, let alone govern it. Lily felt somewhat gleeful. At times, she had no idea if Aria could be considered lucky. While Aria had built connections, they were with people destined for downfall."Don't worry, Christian," Lily said confidently, "Your family has built a solid reputation over decades. You don't need to curry favor with a short-sighted politician."Her words gave Christian a shock, and he quickly covered his phone. "You're bold, Lily.""That's nothing. You should know that I've ascended the higher rungs of the social ladder here in Janovin, Christian. Even if politicians have risen up the ladder, they can just as easily fall." Lily laughed. "The Short and Layne families will come together eventually. There's no point in chasing fleeting connections."Christian thought she had a point. He finally regained some of his composure after the embarrassment in the hall. "I didn't expect you t
A portable mic was attached to Rainie's shirt collar so everyone heard what she said. Everyone was touched by her words, especially those parents whose children had been kidnapped.Aria wasn't quite used to receiving such nice words, so she turned to the side and patted Rainie on the shoulder, saying softly, "Hang in there. If you ever need anything in the future, just call me."Only those parents who had desperately searched for their children understood the true significance of identifying the culprits in this case. Although Aria didn't show her face, the sight of her and Rainie standing together onstage filled the people's hearts with hope. There were still some children yet to be found, but the crowd here believed that every one of them would be reunited with their families eventually.The authorities were cracking down hard on human traffickers, and no one dared to protect them at such a critical moment. Everyone was pleased with the severe punishment Uludon had received.
Aria smiled as she watched Seth walk down the stage. Her mind buzzed with suspicion—someone high up must be behind the Uludon kidnappings. Birth certificates and DNA reports were very difficult to legitimize without the overseeing efforts of the relevant authorities.However, everything seemed perfectly normal under investigation, and this was why many people found it extremely difficult to search for their children and verify the relevant information.When the HOU tried to investigate who among the higher-ups would be behind this, they failed to uncover anything. So Seth was from the Layne family in Janovin, huh? Did he just basically serve his family to her on a silver platter?Aria's gaze darkened as she held her trophy in her hands. To Seth, she was nothing but an ordinary citizen with the audacity to disrespect him. The Layne family had been among the most powerful in Janovin for too long. They could dictate how an ordinary citizen's life would go with just a single order
With every word Aria uttered, Norman's face grew thunderous. Though she never directly mentioned his family, everyone understood the target of her scathing remarks.Norman felt suffocated under the weight of their collective scrutiny. He had underestimated Aria's eloquence. In just a few sentences, she had brought the Short family to a profound humiliation.Given her feelings for Christian, Norman had assumed Aria would be easily manipulated. According to Christian's account, Aria had harbored resentment since their annulment and had been relentlessly pursuing him. Besides, Christian also mentioned that what had happened in the manor back then was nothing but an act. Hence, Norman had attempted to flaunt his family's closeness to Kenneth's student. But Aria's ruthlessness caught him off guard.Aria coolly said, "Mr. Short, your son made it clear he wanted me ousted from the hall. Yet you were there, dismissing it all as a misunderstanding. Does this overconfidence run in your fami