When everyone heard that one of them had to go to the nursery alone, they exchanged silent glances. It was clear no one wanted to go.Chandler was scheming something. "We finally have a lead, so one of you should go while I search for other clues. After all, I'm more familiar with the production crew's gimmicks."Everyone knew he was putting on an act.As an award-winning actress, Lavender could put on a good show too. "Chandler, as the one who got the clue, you should be the one to go."Lana got angry and punched the door when she realized they were taking their time deciding. "So who's coming with me?"Even the audience could feel something amiss by how frustrated Lana was. However, they couldn't pinpoint what exactly."This NPC is an excellent actress," someone commented."She makes it sound like whoever goes out will die," another said.Lana giggled. "Since you can't decide, I'll choose. Whoever I pick must go with me obediently. Let's see. One, two, three, four... I'll pic
The robotic voice sounded again after Aria read the card. "Congratulations, Player No. 5, for finding the clue and saving all the players."Player No. 5, you can choose to hide the clue or reveal the clue. Here's a tip. You'll have a better chance of winning if you keep the clue a secret. After all, there's no need to split the score among all the players."Just then, the lights on the second floor came back on, revealing the participants' expressions on camera.Chandler and Anthony looked panicked. They hadn't found a single clue since arriving and had been saved by the very person they looked down on. Nothing could be more humiliating than this.The fans who had been staunchly defending Chandler and Anthony at the start of the challenge fell silent in the comments section.Almost all the viewers could now see Leon in a new light, though Aria remained the standout. The fact that a non-celebrity participant was shining in a show full of celebrities caused the viewership to skyrock
"I'm a student from Janovin Medical University," Helen said, glancing at Aria as if to imply her own superior education. Amused, Aria turned to Lana. "Are you happy?""Absolutely. I love meeting people in my field," Lana replied, her eyes sparkling. "Doctors and nurses are my favorite."Suddenly, she clapped her hands as if remembering something important. "How could I forget? Didn't you say you could help our hospital find the missing child?""Yes, but we need your help," Chandler immediately replied. "All you need to do is answer a few of our questions."Lana nodded with a smile. "Okay."Chandler continued with his first question, "Were you the one who took the baby away from the delivery room after the woman gave birth?"Lana answered, "Yes."Anthony butted in, "Did someone take the wrong baby home? Was that why the woman in the story couldn't find her baby?"Lana shot him a mocking look. "Nope."Helen didn't believe it and continued asking, "How could it not be? Are you
That made Anthony shut up. Everyone else was stunned as well. Lulu, who'd been silent prior, paled even more. "You aren't an NPC? What are you, then?"Lana said animatedly with a grin, "Didn't I tell you? This is our hospital, and I'm a nurse here, and that's Ms. Wenn to you."As she spoke, the lights flickered. With a hint of concern, Lana warned, "Players, you have two minutes left. If you keep asking the wrong questions, you'll be eliminated."Anthony's voice shook with fear. "W-What's going on here, Chandler?""Don't ask me that. I don't know either." Chandler couldn't even protect himself, much less care about anyone else. He repeatedly hit the SOS button, but nothing happened.Everyone else, except for Leon and Aria, began to panic. Lavender clutched Leon's hand in fear. "Have your partner show everyone the clue she found, Leon. We can work it out together."Lavender hadn't spoken up when Leon had been sidelined earlier. However, she had helped him land his first movie role
The other participants were dumbfounded. Lulu, who was standing in the corner, was the only one who seemed out of it.Aria raised a brow and asked a shocking question. "Is the person who had an abortion among us right now?"The comment section erupted as the audience reacted in disbelief."Now that you asked that question, I'm wide awake!""An abortion? Did I hear that right?""She's a famous female celebrity, my friends! There are only two of them in the show!"No one expected to hear something so shocking while watching a variety show."Is it the famous actress Lavender Erikson or Lulu Charters?""Lavender, definitely. I heard rumors about how she always met her directors at night.""No, it's Lulu! She was covering her tummy often."The audience watched everything from an outsider's perspective and saw everything clearly. Anthony and Chandler were still giving Lavender and Lulu looks when Aria asked the fourth question in succession, "This is just one of the stories. But
Aria fixed her gaze on Lulu and said, "Lulu, the fear of your pregnancy being exposed wasn't the only reason you turned down the role. You also thought the pay was inadequate and considered acting in a Netflix drama beneath you. No one anticipated it would become such a hit."Lulu shook her head vehemently with each of Aria's accusations. "No, that's not true!"She couldn't admit to those allegations. If she did, her life would be ruined once this went public. With such a tarnished reputation, she'd be barred from future projects.Aria slammed all the clue cards on the table. "You were the victim of a car crash, and the hospital has records of that. The doctor can keep your pregnancy secret, but not that. Anyone who wanted to look deeper into it would succeed. You can't get away from this unscathed, Lulu.""There's nothing between us, young lady, so why do you insist on hounding me? These are rumors without proof, yet you're trying to sway public opinion with them!" Lulu denied the
"Yes, sir!" Lysander scrambled up from the floor. "Someone's in that manifestation, Mr. Bond, we gotta save them!"Landon initially didn't care much about such affairs, and he didn't want to investigate what services the professionals at Mount Dracotigris typically offered.However, the Wrathborn Manifestation sounded particularly familiar. He paused and looked at Homer, frowning, "Is it 'Survival of the Fittest'?"Homer said immediately, "You know about it?""My company is one of its investors." Landon took Lysander's phone and zoomed in. "I have a friend who's a celebrity. He happens to be one of the show's guests."Leon was a guest on the show, so Landon had to take note of what was happening there.Homer seized Landon by his shoulders. "Have the crew call back all the drones and take me there immediately!""Certainly." Landon went about it efficiently as usual.…Kian started sweating the moment he heard that Landon was looking for him. "Mr. York, Leon's safe for now," K
Lulu insisted she had done nothing wrong. "Do you understand how cutthroat this industry is? How can I work if I'm pregnant? So many rivals want me to fail! They're just waiting for me to slip up so they can climb higher!"Lulu screamed, a complete departure from her image as a gentle, kind woman, "If it wanted to be born that badly, it should've tried harder! I managed to find out its sex through my connections, and of course, it had to be a girl!"No wealthy family would want a daughter! It was why I was cast out of the family!"Lulu's attitude made Lana laugh harder, causing the walls to tremble.No one knew who Lana was speaking to. "What did I just say? These adults are heartless!"All the cameras in the room cracked as Lana seized Lulu by the collar and lifted her into the air, her eyes blazing with hatred. "Seeing as you feel no remorse for your past actions, you deserve to die!"The audience was left in suspense, only aware of Lulu's confession about the abortion and her
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