Fiona tilted her head. She had a head of waist-length hair, and her wrists peeked out under her wide sleeves. Aside from a watch, she was also wearing a silver bracelet with precious stones embedded in it. She looked every inch like the wealthy woman she was, and she said, "You're more skilled at this than you say, young lady.""I'm decent at it." Aria withdrew the needles before reminding Fiona, "The doctor should already have told you to let go of some matters. It'll make you feel better."Fiona was stunned. She suddenly smiled. "Do you and your younger brother here have anything to attend to later?"Aria had wanted to tell Fiona she'd be heading home, but Fiona's gaze told her she wanted the opposite answer.Aria shook her head. Fiona said immediately, "I'll buy you guys a drink. Children can't drink alcohol, so your brother will be having a can of Coke instead. Let's have some fried chicken, shall we?"Aria couldn't stomach fried chicken, but Sam's eyes lit up upon hearing
Aria always respected teachers. She clinked her glass against Fiona's.Fiona's grin widened. "Has anyone told you this? You're more mature than your peers, and you're likable. I feel better when I spend time with you.""We're compatible, probably." Aria grabbed a fry. She didn't let down her guard so easily in front of anyone that often. Fiona had a calming disposition, and she was open-minded and accommodating. Even Sam was docile when in front of Fiona. Aria had thought Georgina to be the only person who held themselves with such gentleness, but now she'd come across another. A stranger, no less.Aria found that miraculous as well. Fiona chuckled lowly. "No one else would like it when I'm in the middle of an episode."Aria paused in her actions. Fiona continued, "I feel sorry that you had to see me in that state, but I'm glad too, for I would've never met you if I hadn't had that episode."Aria chuckled. "Our meeting was really coincidental, that's true. Your family must h
This was Troy Jepson, whom Aria had met outside Caesar Hotel. Wasn't he Landon's assistant from before?Aria looked confused as she swayed her glass of beer. Had she saved a member of the York family?Troy didn't expect to meet the fake daughter of the Kent family here in Janovin, either. He didn't want to see her again, regardless of the circumstances. She'd saved Miles once, and Troy had reported her bad reputation to Landon. After that, Landon had reassigned him to Janovin. Someone else had said that he was fortunate, but that wasn't the case. He'd only be fortunate if he'd gotten to stay by Landon's side.After returning to Janovin, he found himself further and further removed from the York family's core influence. It got so bad that he was forced to jump ship to work for the Carvers instead, taking some information about the York family business with him. Only now could he finally stand with his head held high once again.However, his job now was different from before. H
A doctor? The fake daughter? Troy would believe that Lily, the real daughter, was skilled in medicine. After treating Yonah, the head of the Wagner family, she was now quite famous even in Janovin.Troy refused to comment on Aria's expertise. Fiona was sick and thus was far from being a normal person. Troy would just tell Owen everything after he was back. "You should go to work," Aria whispered to Fiona before she left, "If you don't want to return to your old company, you can seek me out—we're hiring."Fiona's eyes lit up slightly. She was obviously reluctant to part with Aria, judging from how wistfully she looked at Aria's retreating back. However, Aria had to go back home and couldn't stay. The moment Aria left, Owen showed up, looking harried and with a tight frown on his face. He finally relaxed only after seeing Fiona. "Didn't I tell you to stay in your room and not wander around? It's dangerous out here.""And you had a drink, too!" Owen draped his jacket over Fiona's
It was past midnight when Aria and Sam returned to the hotel suite they were staying in. Georgina was already fast asleep.Not wanting to rouse her, they went to the living room. While typing on his laptop, Sam gestured, "They're asking you when they can meet you.""Not now." Aria made a load of purchases online. They would be delivered to the mansion she'd bought. Sam replied to the message with a frowny face emoji, which thrust the group chat into gloomy sadness.However, the necessary reports must still be made. Someone said, "Tell the boss that there was a car crash halfway up a mountain involving a pregnant woman. The area is now barricaded, but I worry that something bad might happen after the area is reopened."Sam thought, "There's no need to trouble Aria over this. We aren't going to profit from this anyway." When he was about to say no, Aria took the laptop from him and typed a reply, "For you guys to be so worried… Has this led to the birth of a vengeful spirit?""I
Sam pointed at Aria's phone, a gesture that meant, "Call her and arrange for a meeting!"Aria laughed. "No need. We're going straight to her house."What was the reason behind Fiona's reluctance to return home and insistence on staying in a hotel? That was the first problem they had to get to the bottom of.Aria had never been so curious about a stranger before. "Look her up. I want information about her and her relationship with her family."Sam, also known as the hacker L, wasted no time. Leveraging his hacking prowess, he bypassed the firewall with practiced ease, granting him direct access to the system for his search.Aria reminded him to be discreet. Since they were currently in Janovin, the capital, a low profile was important. Sam understood and took a more reserved approach. He used workarounds and hid his IP address before doing the job.However, he found nothing. He turned to Aria and shrugged, palms up. Aria raised a brow. "They made her information confidential?"
"Did they move in just because the rent's cheap?""What other reason would there be? They'll regret this!""You can't be sure, not when so many years have passed since that incident."A group of elderly residents gossiped under the trees. They didn't expect the topic of their conversation, Aria, to appear with Sam, laden with fruits and herbs."Hello," Aria greeted. "We just moved in. I'm Aria, and this is my brother, Sam."Sam, sporting a colorful outfit and a baseball cap, offered a shy nod to the elders. Their fondness for children, coupled with Sam's adorable demeanor, fostered an instant connection."Oh my! You brought gifts too!" an old woman exclaimed, her impression of Aria instantly improving. While the gifts were a kind gesture, it was Aria's demeanor that truly won them over."Is the woman in the yard your grandmother?" asked Doria Quezos.Aria nodded with a chuckle. "She's a traditional healer. We've set up a makeshift kitchen outside. You're all welcome to join us
"I'm so scared, Philip! I'm really scared!" said Moses Layne, one of the young scions who'd been racing that night. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes. He huddled alone in a corner, refusing to allow his family to enter the room.The moment he spotted Philip, Moses sprang up and grabbed his arm. "I dreamed of Mouse. He kept asking why we were still alive. He said he was cold down there and wanted us with him."Initially dismissing Moses' fears as grief-induced, Philip's skepticism wavered when Lamond Whit and Ignatius Furler also shared similar haunting visions, albeit less intense due to their distance from the crash site."Do you think Mouse blames us for his death?" Lamond and Ignatius cautiously asked Philip. "Is that why he's appearing in our dreams?"Ignatius explained, "We didn't mean to graze our cars against the pregnant woman's."Lamond chimed in, "Mouse mentioned finding her familiar. You know how he was with pretty women—he'd always want to linger a little longer."Ig