Inside the Special Cases Unit's conference room, officers huddled around a screen, studying Philip."Did the boss send him here?""Yeah. She said that he's special and can help with solving the case.""When is she coming back? Has she said anything about that?""She said after everything at school is settled.""Settled? Who are you kidding? What does she need an education for?""You don't believe me? Take a look at this."Everyone in the room fell silent as they pored over the chat records on the screen. What could make Aria decide to go to school? Her good manners, of course. …Aria and Abraham had been waiting at the bookshop near the academy from early on. Abraham's friend had agreed to meet him at 2:00 pm, but he had yet to show up even though it was currently a couple minutes to four.Abraham finished his tea and was about to message his friend when a group of academics entered the store. One of them, a scholar named Xavier Shepherd, was bragging about his student, Li
"Time sure is unforgiving. Abraham was such a stickler for rules, and yet he's having a difficult time at this age," Xavier said as he patted Abraham on the shoulder. "We've both become older, Abraham. My memory isn't what it used to be. I forgot we agreed to meet. Uh, this shop isn't the best place to discuss your friend's transfer to the Academy, is it?""She wants to transfer to the Academy?" Lily exclaimed in surprise. "She can't, Mr. Lowe Senior. Not with her abysmal grades. She's always been a student in your vocational school, hasn't she?"Many of the academics present turned to look at them. However, Xavier didn't stop Lily.Abraham, understanding the situation, felt a deep sense of resignation. He looked apologetically at Aria, for he had repeatedly assured her that everything would be alright—this wasn't the Xavier he remembered."Mr. Lowe Senior," Aria, ever perceptive, recognized the potential humiliation Abraham would face regardless of his response. To steer the conve
"It's certainly been a long time since we last met in Mr. Carver Senior's office, Mr. Watson." Xavier was trying hard to ingratiate himself with Keith, who he didn't even deign to shake his hand. Keith acknowledged Xavier with a brief glance, but Xavier remained unfazed and continued the conversation. "And what brings you here, Mr. Watson?""I'm here to pick up Mr. Lowe," Keith explained, aware of what Aria wanted him to do. He walked past Xavier and directly addressed Abraham. "Mr. Lowe Senior, Mr. Carver Senior learned about your meeting with an old friend and asked me to pick you up and drive you to the Carver residence afterward. He's been eager to see you after he left Southbury."A hush fell over the room. Keith's respectful demeanor toward Abraham was a slap in the face to Xavier, who was visibly stunned.Oswald, who'd been going on about how Aria and Abraham were lying to make themselves look good, was now flushed scarlet. Keith would deal with Xavier later. For now, Osw
Even Lily, with her exceptional acupuncture skills, couldn't heal every illness. There were bound to be times when her diagnoses were inaccurate.Xavier suspected Abraham was exaggerating Aria's abilities to facilitate her transfer to the Academy. He couldn't resist a sarcastic quip. "While I appreciate your attempt to bolster a young doctor, Abraham, there's no need to let Aria take credit for your work just to help her out.""You think I'm letting her take the credit? Mr. Watson is right here. As if I can do that!" Abraham said righteously, looking at Lily, who was trying hard to stay unnoticed, "Lily was Salome's student. She should know who treated Mr. Carver Senior."Abraham hadn't wanted to cause trouble for Lily, so he'd remained silent when he saw her. However, every word out of Lily's mouth seemed designed to sabotage Aria and paint her as incompetent. He'd had enough.He said, "Aria is the most skilled doctor in Southbury. It's baffling that her vocational background lead
Just then, a sense of unease gnawed at Cameron. Unbeknownst to him, Lily, who he thought was innocent, had publicly shamed his grandfather.…Given Abraham's stature, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to engage further. Continuing the argument would be unbecoming.Lily was confident that Abraham wouldn't continue the dispute. As a respected figure in the medical field, he took pride in his knowledge and reputation, which she leveraged against him. However, she overlooked Aria's tenacity."So, you're implying you were forced into becoming Salome's student?" Aria smirked. "Lily, I'm offering you a chance to come clean. Otherwise, the whole of Janovin Medical University Academy will learn about your association with Salome's misdeeds."Aria popped a piece of candy into her mouth. "By then, the shame won't be confined to this room. Remember, everything's on the internet. It just takes someone determined to dig it up."Lily, who was crying, suddenly got choked up. She glared at Ari
If Lily's reputation were ruined today, it would be difficult for the Layne family to continue manipulating the situation.That was why Dominic stood out. He glanced at Keith before looking at Aria. "If the Kent family did help you, you should at least show some mercy. After all, you should exercise some compassion as a doctor. You can't ruin another doctor's career just because you saved Mr. Carver Senior."Aria was sharp. The information she had gathered allowed her to recognize him.Seeing the Layne family's sudden anxiety, Aria found it amusing. "Here I was, wondering who had dared speak up for Dr. Gunther's student. It's the Laynes."Dominic's expression turned grim. "You must speak with evidence, young lady.""Lily's mother has the same surname as you," Aria said lazily. "She's already in jail for bribery. Isn't she your distant relative? Mr. Layne, don't tell me you forgot."Dominic had never met such a difficult opponent before. He narrowed his eyes and shot back, "There
Lily had always portrayed herself as an orphan in the circle. It was her way to flaunt her talent. Even when Marshall, who she introduced as a distant relative, came to find her, she maintained this façade. Marshall even managed to secure a reputable job by using Lily's name.Lily cultivated an image of a humble and polite woman, evoking pity from those around her. After all, surviving in Janovin as a young woman wasn't easy. This act convinced some of the older scholars to consider helping her.However, the truth was far from what anyone suspected. The Layne family was secretly backing her. Now, fearing entanglement with the Gunther family, the Laynes discarded Lily like she was trash. The scholars exchanged silent glances and began to distance themselves from Lily. Salome was still under investigation in Southbury. Galen, once influential in Janovin, couldn't even leave his courtyard now. The storm was far from over. The authorities were still investigating the case.A corrupt
Xavier elaborated, "Aria needs to become a peacemaker to convince the Layne family to let her off the hook. Eventually, the Carver family will tire of being indebted to her. When that happens, she'll be in a difficult position!"The scholars found merit in Xavier's argument.A scholar remarked, "Well, we need to regard her highly now. After all, she should be quite skillful to be able to save Mr. Carver Senior."Xavier disagreed. "It's just luck."Compared to Aria, Xavier was more concerned about getting his hand on the "Needle's Codex" in Lily's possession.Acquiring the book would solidify his position. After all, he witnessed Lily's inexperience during the needle insertion.However, the chances of Xavier acquiring the "Needle's Codex" seemed slim. Perhaps the Layne family had already secured it.Lost in thought, Xavier furrowed his brows.…Meanwhile, Lily's face was ashen as she hurried back to the university.She had tried calling Dominic multiple times, but he didn't pi
Parents exchanged glances, and many of them were already frowning. Miguel couldn't figure out how his young mistress had shown up here. This would destroy his career! He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "Who told you to come? Go home now!" Then he straightened up and called out loudly, "Ma'am, you've got the wrong person. Please take your child away." The artsy-looking woman started to realize there might be some misunderstanding. Normally, she wouldn't appear publicly in front of so many parents. Miguel had warned her that if she wanted a good life, she couldn't interfere with his career. But from the message she'd received today, she was clearly told that he wanted her to bring their son over. Being quick-witted, she tried to leave once she sensed something was wrong. She pulled the boy's hand.But a spoiled sixth-grader as he was, he wouldn't budge without getting what he wanted. "Dad, why are you pretending not to know me and Mom? Is it because of that old wo
Everyone turned to stare at Aria, their faces filled with disapproval. Eden caught some of the heat too; she wasn't looking so great in their eyes either. "She's so dumb to throw away such a golden opportunity." "She just doesn't get it. Her family's dirt poor, and everyone knows that." Aria heard the whispers around her. She stood her ground, eyes cool at the edges, but her expression never changed. She even let out a soft laugh. "Nice move, Mr. Sonder. A few words and everyone forgets your wrongdoings. Don't worry, though. I've brought you a special gift." As she spoke, she glanced at her watch. "It should be here any minute. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. You may call me Ms. Carver." Miguel snorted. "I couldn't care less what your name is." In his anger, he'd completely forgotten about the scandal that had been the talk of Ludwiten lately. Aria made a small sound as she hung her helmet on the bike. "I figured since you and Mr. Draycott were so tight, you'd be keep
The way Aria looked at him made Miguel feel like she could see right through him. It really got under his skin. Miguel walked over, putting on his responsible educator act. "Ms. Bohmer, I heard about your situation. It's fine if you need more time to consider, but please have your friend move her vehicle. School grounds aren't for just anyone off the street to enter whenever they please." Eden started to object. But Aria let out a soft laugh, stepping in front of her. "You're Mr. Sonder, right?" Before coming, Aria had reviewed this principal's file. His rise to this position had been swift, with an impressive résumé showing no academic fraud. But Sam wasn't just anyone—he could dig up dirt nobody else could find. This principal valued his son above all else—a son born from an affair, no less. Miguel nodded with formality. "That's me." Aria's smile didn't fade. "No wonder you looked familiar. We must have crossed paths elsewhere. Your younger son is starting middle school thi
Miguel had worked so hard to climb out of being just another underpaid teacher. Most people would have been thrilled to land a principal job, but Miguel got greedy. He never cared about shaping young minds. As he often said, "It's just a paycheck. Only losers pass up money to preach about education." That mentality might fly in small towns, but in the big city, these kids wouldn't stand a chance based on merit alone. Miguel wasn't exactly looking down on his students—he just knew the situation in each class best. Students with or without local residency permits would face different college admissions standards. Rich families already had their children's overseas education lined up, so there was no sweat required. Even if they had bad grades, it wouldn't be a problem. They could still go abroad and buy themselves a fancy degree. Money talked, and that was the harsh reality. Miguel needed that Department of Education position to set his son up right. It was pretty ironic for a
Aria would definitely have the principal of Oakvale Academy detained eventually, but not now. The moment Miguel was in custody, the people pulling his strings would smell trouble. Based on past cases, they'd likely cut all connections immediately. All their carefully gathered leads could vanish in seconds. So Miguel needed to stay free for now and even remain in plain sight. Aria said, "Don't tell your principal about what happened today." She looked at Eden. "When you go back, just attend classes like how you normally do. If Mr. Sonder asks about you, tell him you're still thinking it over. "Show how nervous you are about this, but also hint that you're eager to go abroad. You're just not quite ready yet. "Don't tell anyone about our conversation. I've added you as a contact. If anything seems off, text me immediately. "Someone will be protecting you 24/7, and your family too. So don't be afraid." As she spoke, Aria stood up. "Let's go. I'll take you back to school. They
"I don't know what Judy meant by that," Eden said as she looked up. "She never talked like that before." "Got it," Aria said, zooming in on the photo. By looking at the brand of the chocolate drink and the surrounding buildings, she could nail down the exact location. Without hesitation, she sent it to Sam for analysis. Something about this "interview" smelled fishy. She had to see firsthand what kind of meeting would change a simple and positive girl like Judy. "About those selected applicants—do you know exactly who they were?" Aria dug deeper with her questions. Once she had names, she could connect the dots between the students. These patterns would reveal what the buyers were looking for. Human trafficking was a high-stakes criminal business, and Aria did not believe this was just about exploiting young girls. The bar incident had been her wake-up call. She needed the full picture before making her move. She would just spook them if she jumped in too soon. Their oper
Aria needed to identify all the "buyers". Missing even one buyer could mean one more student was sold. "Do the selected applicants have anything in common besides their family situations?" Aria asked, and Eden shook her head. But she then added, "Everyone had good grades, so nobody ever questioned why they were chosen for scholarships. Nothing seemed fishy about it." Aria made a mental note about the good grades, then scrolled through Judy's Facebook feed. This kind of investigation was pretty straightforward for her. Even without being accepted as a friend, she could hack in easily. From her posting habits, Judy seemed like an optimist. She was a nice girl who rarely posted anything negative. But one post made Aria scroll back and look twice. The post was cheerful, with a sunny photo and a cup of chocolate. But the text caught her attention. It read, "About to start my new life! All my hard work has paid off. The interview was kind of weird, but no big deal. Let's go!" Ar
The person on the other end of the call didn't speak. He just nodded with a pouty little face from behind a computer screen. It was actually Sam. He'd been working behind the scenes all along, especially when investigating the Wagner situation. Having him tail Philip was the least suspicious option. Simon was available too, but his presence would definitely attract unwanted attention as a beast of fortune. Since they were dealing with an arcane seeker, bringing Simon would be like handing them a treasure. So Aria made the call to have Sam follow Philip, while Simon stayed with Landon. Aria was not worried about her handsome fiancé being in danger. It was only because Simon would be safest with him. The Yorks carried heavenly fortune. As long as there was no fated ordeal in play, anyone who tried to harm Landon would likely meet a bad end. After all, that purple energy surrounding him wasn't just for show. With Simon staying near him, Simon could mask Landon's aura while also
"Yeah, that's right," the rest of the burly men chimed in. The whole scene was painfully forced and fake. In reality, they just wanted to leave. But Aria wasn't about to let them off so easily. She figured she would return the favor since they'd been asking about her. She asked, "Oh, so the Draycotts owe your company money? Which company is that?" Viggo had not expected this question. He froze momentarily, then quickly replied, "Our company is small, so it's not worth mentioning. It's nothing compared to yours." "It's admirable how your company can sponsor students despite being a small one." Aria's compliment was delivered flatly. Viggo's scalp tingled with unease. "It's actually our investor. He doesn't just fund us but many companies. He came from a small town himself and wants to help these students get better learning conditions." "Now that's a rare and kind soul. I'd love to meet him sometime." Aria said casually, "Since we've had such a fortunate encounter, let's exc