Salome craned her neck. "But you know as well as I that the medical industry is most profitable. With how many people there are in the family, we can't let our sources of income be severed.""I'm not asking that of you," Galen said slowly, "Just lay low for a while and wait for things to subside."Salome understood immediately. "Is someone from Janovin coming down here again, Father?"Galen didn't respond to that. He merely closed his eyes.Salome said, "Don't worry, Father. I'll make sure that nothing will be unearthed."Nothing had happened to the Gunther family for more than a decade since then, and they would surely emerge unscathed this time as well!…One night, inside a skyscraper in Janovin, the screens of countless office computers glitched at the same time. In a clinic in Southbury, Aria bit on a piece of fruit candy as she tapped her fingers on the table.Right after that, an identical email appeared in the mailboxes of those office accounts. The invader came and w
Unlike the previous time, the banquet was not held in the city but in a villa in Westwood. Aria didn't ride her Tomahawk bike there this time. She packed her medical kit and invitation card before hailing a taxi. Did she hallucinate it, or did this invitation card look different?Aria was deep in contemplation after getting in the taxi. When the driver heard where she was going, he was surprised. "Not everyone gets to visit Caesar Villa in Westwood. I heard that all the people going today are renowned figures, so what about you, young lady?""I'm just going to make myself more known out there." Aria smiled lightly.The driver chuckled. "That's what I thought. You're just a young lady. It's not like you're going there to treat someone, right?"Aria smiled and said nothing. Caesar Hotel and Caesar Villa were of different levels. Caesar Hotel, which was in the city center of Southbury, was open to everyone. On the other hand, Caesar Villa in Westwood was a villa with a rose yard, comp
People were still gradually entering the outer hall of the villa. Aria was among them, but her attire was obviously unlike what other people were wearing. Clad in a white shirt, jeans, and a maroon baseball cap, she looked like a student who hadn't graduated yet. The bodyguards at the gate stopped her from entering, asking politely, "And you are?"Before Aria could say anything, someone sneered from beside them. "A quack who 'specializes' in traditional medicine; and she has the audacity to show up here."It was Jimmy. He was supporting Salome as they walked over, followed by Karen and Lily. Lily was obviously avoiding Aria because she didn't want anyone to know about the relationship between them. Karen, on the other hand, was glaring at Aria so venomously, that her gaze was boring holes through her face. Aria really was everywhere! Aria raised a brow and said slowly, looking interested, "Oh, I know all of you.""You're nothing but a stranger to me," Jimmy said, "Look at wher
Upon hearing the word "forged", the bodyguards looked at each other and said politely, "Please show us your invitation card, miss."Aria had astutely realized why she had come to get ahold of her invitation card. She had nothing to fear, though. If worse came to worse, she'd just expose her identity as Dr. Whiz. Aria handed the gold-plated invitation card over. As expected, the bodyguards were alarmed.This… This was…Upon seeing the bodyguards' expressions, everyone voiced their speculations, "Is something really wrong with the invitation card?"Jimmy was righteously furious as well. "Not only did Georgina Harris kill a patient, but her student is also a scammer. She's the embarrassment of the medical industry!"Salome was laughing as well. She sounded smug as she said, "If you really want to enter that badly, you can always ask for help from senior doctors such as me. You shouldn't resort to playing these tricks—how inappropriate.""Yeah, how embarrassing!""So is this how
Aria didn't let the bodyguards help. "You don't need to go to the trouble. This bag holds my medical equipment, so I'll just carry it myself. You can do whatever you need to do."She had to meet the grandson of her grandma's old friend, too, and it would be inconvenient if she went around with such a high profile.The bodyguards knew what they should do. "Please come with us, then."Salome couldn't watch this unfold any longer. She bit out, "Are you sure that the invitation card is real?""She's right! Maybe you made a mistake!" Karen yelled louder than anyone else.Karen knew best about Aria's situation. She would never receive a real invitation!Lily bit on her lower lip and pulled on her mother's sleeve. "Mom, this is the York family's villa."Only then did Karen regain her rationality, and she didn't get into an argument with the bodyguards. Her daughter was right. They were at the York family's villa, and she mustn't cause a scene. Jimmy thought otherwise. He'd always l
"Ah," Karen said.Salome sneered. "As if she could get the invitation card anywhere. I had someone deliver it to her.""You did?" Lily was confused. Salome felt a bad headache come on. "My family received three invitation cards. I wanted Constantine to deliver a fake one to her, but he must've gotten it wrong and sent her a real one instead.""That damn girl benefited from this, then!" Karen said vehemently, "You should've given it to me instead, Dr. Gunther."Salome lost all her patience. "I can bring you in with me, so it's the same anyway!"She walked toward the bodyguard and pushed her invitation card forward haughtily. After inspecting the card, the bodyguard stood aside and let her in. Only then did Salome feel like she'd regained some of her dignity. However, her mood plunged soon after, as Karen shouted, "Dr. Gunther, Dr. Gunther! They're refusing to let me in!"Salome turned back and looked at the bodyguard who'd stopped Karen from entering. "What's going on here
The newcomer was dressed fashionably, with pale skin and handsome features. With the pair of red headphones around his neck, he didn't look much like a doctor, but rather a rapper.He sat down beside Aria, muttering, "My grandpa also tells me to do stuff like this. Take care of his old friend's granddaughter, hah. Do I look like I know how to do that?"He looked Aria up and down, his gaze sharp. "You shocked everyone just now, young lady. For you to say that you came from Heartbound Hall, you sure are bold."Aria studied his face for a while, and she said, her gaze meaningful, "Malcolm?"Malcolm's eyes opened wide instantly. He wondered why the young woman before him sounded like his boss when she'd uttered his name. He was convinced he had hallucinated it; anything else was absurd!Malcolm looked at his phone. His boss had never said that she'd come to the seminar, and the last message in their chat was still her refusing an order.That was what he thought! His amazing, powerful
"You're leading a team even if you're useless yourself?" The person who'd interrupted Aria was Constantine, who'd come late. His arm was still limp even now, all thanks to Aria.Constantine sneered coldly, looking at Aria. "Your family is absolutely laughable, Malcolm. Did you really bring some random nobody here?"Malcolm was unperturbed. "And is that any of your business?"Constantine didn't respond to that. Instead, he said to Taron, "Don't say that I didn't remind you, Taron. You shouldn't hang out with good-for-nothing like them all the time. Look carefully at her. Who is she?"Taron had never liked how arrogant he was, so he retorted, "Like I give a damn about that. I don't make friends based on their family background.""That's why I said that you're stupid. You can't tell a pill from another, that's fine, but you don't even know that she's your ex-cousin-in-law." Constantine pointed at Aria. "She's the fake daughter who was kicked out by the Kent family!"What?Taron was
"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