"Don't pry," Landon reprimanded Solo with a low murmur. Even when delivering a stern admonishment, Landon retained his handsome demeanor.Georgina wheeled herself to them, addressing Landon and the others, "It's the first time Aria has brought friends to the clinic. You guys have fun. There's coffee prepared in the courtyard. Those who have slow digestion should take more of them. I'll go buy some shrimp to cook for all of you."Georgina's keen eye detected an air of privilege around these young men. Perhaps they weren't even friends, but intuition told her not to pry. What mattered most was that Aria had finally brought people home.After all, Aria had never been fond of the clinic. She used to complain that lingering there too long made her smell of traditional medicine, inviting mockery from her peers and making it difficult for her to fit in. Consequently, she would never stay for dinner.Whenever Aria visited her Georgina, she had to do so covertly, lest Karen berate her.Des
Aria's voice cut through the air. "Mr. Lowe."Bryan straightened up immediately. "Yes?""Can you identify medicinal herbs and boil water?" by boiling water?" Aria gestured toward the medicine cabinet with a subtle tilt of her chin.Bryan nodded. "Yes, but I'm not very quick at identifying them."Aria glanced at him sideways. "Prepare orzo, ground nutmeg, and rhizome. Only come find me if someone wants a massage."Bryan, a highly respected lead surgeon, couldn't help but feel like he was being relegated to receptionist duties.Aria grinned. "Do you not want to do it?"He rolled up his sleeves. "It would be an honor."He was there to learn from her, and a little receptionist work wasn't about to deter him. With tasks assigned, Aria led Landon into a room decorated in an intriguing style. A plush massage bed dominated the center, the air imbued with the calming scent of mugwort. A curious contraption, seemingly connected to the stove outside, was nestled beneath the couch.Upon
Landon tilted his head slightly, keeping his eyes closed.Whenever Aria lowered her head, her hair would brush against his arm.One's sensation would be amplified during a massage.Landon's gaze darkened as he watched the way her hair tumbled down as she moved. The massage only lasted about 20 minutes. Throughout the session, Landon found himself tempted to run his fingers through her hair, feeling strangely captivated."Done. You can get dressed now," Aria stated matter-of-factly, ending with a firm press of her thumb near the knee.Landon realized he was perspiring heavily. Unlike the clammy sweat of illness, his body felt warm all over.When he looked at Aria, his eyes were intensely dark, revealing little of his thoughts. "Thank you.""We're pressed for time today, so consider this just a trial of sorts," Aria remarked, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. Her long hair clung to her neck, accentuating her cool yet enchanting appearance, especially against her crimson lip
Upon hearing that, Aria dashed out of the room before anyone else could react. Swift and determined, she grabbed a wooden stick from somewhere, her eyes flashing with fury.Outside, a crowd had gathered in the alley, mostly residents who had just finished their grocery shopping."What's going on?""Apparently, someone's accusing Ms. Harris of malpractice, saying she caused a death!""It can't be true, right?""It might be true. She's a traditional medicine practitioner, after all.""I had a neck massage from her yesterday. Could something happen to me?""If it's true, we shouldn't go there anymore."Georgina, her knuckles white around her cane, stood trembling amidst the discussion.The individual blocking Georgina sneered and shook his head. "No wonder you're living comfortably here. You think you can just hide your past. But you're still the same. Traditional medicine is outdated. How dare you try to steal our customers.""I don't know what you're talking about. Move asi
The voice had belonged to Aria. With the invitation card between her fingers, she said, "Go back and tell Dr. Gunther that Heartbound Hall will arrive on time. Your family, on the other hand, had better hang in there. I hope nothing happens to you.""We're the Gunthers! As if anything would happen to us!" Constantine boasted arrogantly. He chuckled as if he'd heard something funny. "I'll just leave this here! No one in Southbury would dare touch us. The Gunther family is king in this city! You better commit this to memory, young one.""Got it." Aria chewed on a piece of fruit candy, her gaze dark. "The Gunthers, huh."Assuming that she was a naïve young woman, Constantine turned and arrogantly walked away. Aria's gaze narrowed as she looked at his retreating. Constantine hadn't thought much of his arm, which Aria had twisted, but his face abruptly fell when he walked out of the alley and got into the car. Why did he feel like he'd lost feeling in his arm?Constantine wanted
Bryan paused, mindful of the presence of the young man purportedly from the Carver family. He hesitated, unsure if what he was about to say would tarnish the patient's impression of Aria.However, Aria tilted her chin up, gesturing for him to continue.And so Bryan said, lowering his voice, "I heard my grandpa say that Ms. Harris was a doctor who became prominent later than the others. The Harris family wasn't much, but she was pretty good and had treated many patients with difficult and rare diseases. "However, perhaps she'd gotten too arrogant later, for she'd taken in the same patient as the Gunther family at the same time. She insisted on treating the patient using traditional methods, and the patient ended up dead…"Worried that Georgina would overhear their conversation, Bryan scooted closer. "This incited a huge uproar back then. If not for someone in Janovin who'd vouched for your grandmother, she would've had to go to jail. "However, this couldn't be resolved just like
Bryan wasn't hungry originally, but he was salivating over the food now. Georgina smiled. "Not bad."Aria didn't stay idle. After all the ingredients were in the oven, she made some millet flatbread in the pan and garnished it with some chopped chives.As if the oven-roasted ribs with potatoes and eggplant weren't enough, she cut up some romaine lettuce and tossed them with some vinaigrette. It smelled so good that Solo kept on turning his head back to look. It was Georgina who had baked those prawns, but Aria made a dipping sauce for them. The dishes looked colorful and very appetizing when served on the table. There were also some freshly baked rolls on the table that were still smoking hot. Bryan wanted to eat, but he dared not start. Georgina chuckled, saying, "Dig in. Let's give Aria's cooking a try."Both Bryan and Solo were extremely eager to do so. However, Solo didn't forget about Landon who was beside him. However, Landon had never eaten food that was prepared alon
At this moment, thumping footsteps could be heard from outside the yard. Sam, who had been absent the entire day, entered the yard carrying a tote bag. Surprised by the large gathering, he paused momentarily and exchanged a glance with Aria.Aria raised a brow. "You're back? Grandma has been talking about you the whole day. Go have some food first."Sam grunted in response and made his way inside. Upon the sight of the massive tote bag Sam was carrying, Bryan wanted to help him. "It's heavy, isn't it? I'll help you carry… it!"The word "it" was punctuated heavily. He was using so much strength the veins on his neck popped, yet he failed to lift the bag."This sure isn't that light, huh," he said awkwardly. As if in disbelief, he tried to lift the bag again, using both arms this time, making a face as he exerted even more of his strength.Sam watched him in silence, staying on the spot. Bryan gave up. His arms went limp on his sides as he puffed heavily. "Seriously, what did yo
"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