Viktor had his men stop upon hearing Aria's words. This was a delicate moment, and Krowo needed to win over Farshyans, who were willing to side with them publicly.The youth newspaper had been a thorn in the Krowonians' side. If certain issues were exposed internationally, their ongoing claims—that they had come to Farshya to improve the people's lives without coveting their land—would be called into question.Viktor made his way forward. "You misunderstand, beautiful lady. Krowo built schools for Farshyan kids there who couldn't afford to go to school. This girl looks so young, yet she's selling flowers here, so we wanted to send her to school. We don't speak the same language, so she is somewhat averse toward me."Aria hadn't met any politicians before, but she knew instantly that Viktor was insincere. He had a photographer with him, and that, together with their current location, gave Aria insight into his intentions."If we're in Krowo right now, and a young girl was suddenly p
Edmond took out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to Annie in front of the cameras. "This is from Mr. Regal. You should be grateful to him. Thanks to him, we have food to eat and water to drink now."Annie looked at the bill hungrily. Aria, knowing she was short on money, asked, "Do you want it?""I won't stop you if you take it," Aria added seriously, "But I need to tell you something. Sometimes, accepting someone else's money can cost you more than you think because you never know what they really want in return."Annie bit her lip. She wanted the money because her mother was sick, and her father needed money to pay for opium. But she remembered how her younger sister had been taken away by these very men. They had also given her father ten dollars, which he promptly spent at the opium den. Annie had waited and waited for him to return.No, she didn't want this money that was stained by evil deeds! She only wanted her sister back!"I don't want your dirty money!" Fear flashed in
The person was right, as events soon proved. The moment Aria and Annie departed, Viktor gave the soldier a look. With a cruel grin, the soldier followed after the two women.The youth paper crew, who had witnessed everything, were anxious. They hoped Aria had heeded their warning—the sooner she left, the better her chances of survival.Aria and Annie should be at the bank now, which meant that they were likely to reach the Peace Pavilion on time.No one knew that Aria wasn't in a haste to run away. Her bike was still parked at the side of the road. Aria made a turn into an alley and had Annie enter a modest diner by herself while she stood at the junction. The soldier had already loaded his gun. He already had plans to deal with the arrogant woman who had insulted his country. He would take his time to humiliate her and make sure that she regretted it.However, when he made his way into the alley, someone tightened their arms around his neck, and he heard a cracking sound. Aria
"A boy?" Annie paused, shaking her head before the memory clicked. "Oh, I remember now. It's a little boy, isn't he? But my sister didn't bring him over. She said he was chosen."Aria focused on the main point. "Chosen by what?""I'm not sure," Annie admitted, thinking back. "I think he was kidnapped as well, but no one searched for him or spent money to retrieve him."Annie was trying her best to explain everything to Aria. "They took a lot of kids, not just Bree—my sister. None of them have come back."Can you ask someone what's going on, Aria? You speak Krowonian so well, and they're nicer to people who speak the language.""They? The Krowonians?" Aria narrowed her eyes. Annie shook her head. "No, not the Krowonians. They never kidnap people. They'd just pull you over for a photo or two. They promised to send Bree back after taking her picture, so why isn't she back yet?"Annie's confusion was evident while Aria's mind raced through the history of this period. Suddenly, she
"We're here." Annie pushed open a narrow door, revealing a dark, gloomy lane. Inside, everyone sat in a numb silence. As Annie entered, a woman's voice rang out, "You're terrible! If you have this disease, you should move out of here. You'll rot away until you die!"Aria noted Annie's reaction and realized this wasn't the first time such an incident had occurred. Annie lowered her head and quickly ushered Aria inside.In the room, a woman lay in bed, her coughs echoing in the foul-smelling air.One glance was all it took for Aria, an experienced doctor, to understand the woman was clinging to life by a thread.Annie seemed to know this as well. "How are you feeling today, Mom? The apothecary gave me some medicine, and I met Aria Carver. She was really nice to me.""Don't come any closer!" Faith Fischer coughed as she tried to prop herself up on the bed, her hands covered in burst blisters. "Stay back!"Aria held up the curtains, her gaze settling on Faith. She was so thin, redu
Justin immediately bowed upon hearing that Aria was from the Carver family. "You didn't need to come over personally, Ms. Carver," he said, "If you wanted Annie to work in your quarters, I could have delivered her myself."Justin tried to be friendly with Aria. "My grandfather was once business partners with Mr. Carver Senior."The Carvers were highly respected in business circles, even among the Krowonians.Justin wasn't dumb. He believed Faith's words due to Aria's luxurious appearance. Her gown was clearly expensive, and the pearl necklace and amethyst pendant she wore were of the highest quality.Though Justin was now destitute, he had once come from wealth. Smoking and gambling had drained his resources, and his family, especially Faith, who stank and refused to die, added to his burdens.Justin met Aria's gaze, sniffling as he chuckled. "I'll go with you, Ms. Carver. You can pay whatever you wish for Annie. If you like her, you can give us more.""Are you trying to sell m
Aria met Faith's gaze. "If I find your daughter and bring her back here while also ensuring Annie's safety, will you die in peace?"Faith paused. Aria said slowly, "You're aware of the marks on your body. You can't keep this from Annie for much longer."Faith was deep in consideration. Her nails were already turning black—she didn't know if she should believe in Aria. "You've absorbed too much sorrow," Aria said. "Maintaining your current state will be a struggle."If I'm not mistaken, you've already targeted your neighbor who mocks your family. You believe Annie will be spared malicious taunts if she's gone, but you haven't dared to confront your husband despite him being the root of your suffering."Faith's eyes welled with tears. "I've tried to kill him, but fate has been cruel. Why is he still alive? Why does a man so vile continue to draw breath? My daughters will be in perpetual danger as long as he lives."Do you know what he said? He said that Annie would be old enough
"This is Bree!" Annie exclaimed anxiously, clutching the newspaper. Aria quickly folded the paper and tucked it away. "Come on, let's go.""Let's go!" Annie nodded emphatically, her eyes bright. Faith worriedly said, "You didn't mention you were bringing Annie along.""She'll be leading the way. Besides, I'm not taking her anywhere dangerous. Before we arrived, a Krowonian soldier died. The others would have noticed and will be searching everywhere for me by now," Aria explained. "I'll take Annie somewhere safe. Don't worry."Faith nervously fidgeted with her fingers. "Where?""To the Carver family's home, behind the Chamber of Commerce," Aria said, putting away her pistol and made to leave with Annie in tow. With the curtains parted, light flooded the room, making Faith acutely aware that she hadn't experienced the outdoors in a long time. She shifted in bed and asked Aria, "Can we really kill off all the Krowonians?""No, but we can drive them out of the country." Aria loo
Dorian reached out instinctively, but he was too late. Magdalene hit the ground hard, her forehead bruised. How she wished she could just faint and escape this nightmare. But reality was merciless. With her head throbbing, she could only look at Dorian and the chaos engulfing the Fitzroy Group.Dorian's knees trembled with fear. "Mom, what should I do? That bastard must have exposed me! He'll pin everything on me. Mom—""D-Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I'll get you out of this," Magdalene said, though she was barely holding herself together.But the SWAT team would be here any second.Dorian's face turned deathly pale as a sudden realization struck him. "Mom, you told me to do everything. You said helping the Draycott family tamper with Waymond's financial statements would give us the upper hand!"Magdalene froze. Her outstretched hand dropped as she coughed up blood. "Y-You—!""Don't worry, Mom. Even if you go to jail, I'll come visit you. You're already old, but I still h
Dorian steadied Magdalene, helping her sit down. "Mom, what if Laura refuses to apologize? We need to put an end to this mess online before someone digs too deep.""Don't worry. Your brother is the one involved, and he's already on the plane. No one will link the Grisham family's accounts to you. Even if the police conducted an investigation, they'll only interrogate your brother." Magdalene took a deep breath, but it did little to calm her. Her clothes were stained with Laura's blood, making her feel utterly repulsed. Meanwhile, Dorian relaxed, reassured that he wouldn't be implicated.To him, his half-brother was nothing but an obstacle—a liability who competed for the inheritance. Though Dorian had joined the Fitzroy family late, he had Magdalene's support.Neval, on the other hand, had been nothing but a disgrace, sinking deeper into his gambling addiction. Now, at last, he served his purpose—as a scapegoat.Just as Dorian was savoring that thought, a frantic voice broke thro
Eamon never loved Laura, but he had always respected her. He fulfilled her requests, supported her family, and never strayed. While other wealthy men indulged in affairs, Eamon remained distant and polite, just as he had been in college.Their marriage wasn't filled with passion, but his world still revolved around her, Jett, and his work. Laura had a life many envied—a stable family, a respected position—yet she had only realized its worth too late. Tears welled up in her eyes. If she had been more decisive, things wouldn't have come to this. She could have continued her life as Eamon's wife, reaping its privileges whether love was present or not. Instead, she had listened to her mother and lost everything—her family, her son, and the Grisham family shares she had once taken for granted.She had never even desired those shares. So how had it come to this?Regret twisted inside her, making it hard to breathe. Clutching her shirt, she barely registered the voices around her unt
Magdalene's voice rang out, sharp with indignation. "What an ungrateful wretch! If not for my husband, you wouldn't have achieved any of this!"The PR manager remained unimpressed. "And yet we stayed here for his sake. Otherwise, with their so-called capabilities…" His gaze flickered toward Dorian, who stood frozen in shock. "Your youngest son is a fool blinded by women. He lacks competence and knowledge."As for your eldest, he has potential, but you raised him to be useless. I've been in this business too long to be deceived. You're only doing this to hold on to power."Magdalene's breath hitched. His words cut deep.The PR manager added, "Now that Fitzroy Group belongs to you, clean up the mess yourself."Her hands trembled with fury. She lifted a finger, pointing at the departing figures, but no words came out.Dorian leaned in, his voice hushed yet frantic. "Mom, what do we do? The Guetta family won't even pick up our calls."Magdalene bit down so hard on her lip that the t
The deeper people dug online, the more they painted Eamon as the perfect man—handsome, intelligent, scandal-free. Many began to feel it was a waste for him to have married Laura in the first in the first place. As for Magdalene's accusations, the public remained skeptical. They weren't entirely convinced by her words but were eager to hear the Grisham family's statement. No matter how attractive Eamon was, cheating was unacceptable.Aria stayed out of the online chaos, but she knew exactly who was orchestrating it—Eamon.Since the Fitzroy family refused to acknowledge their wrongdoing, Aria saw no need for restraint. It was time for the final blow."Expose the Fitzroy family's IP addresses," she ordered. "And have the one who photoshopped that image apologize. If he refuses, the dark web forum will make sure he regrets it."Online smear campaigns often relied on bots, just as the Fitzroy family had used them to fabricate rumors about Eamon's infidelity. After tossing out a few mi
Laura's marriage to Eamon had turned her into a laughingstock in Ludwiten. How could that heartless man transfer their marital assets ahead of time? What had she even gained from wasting years in this sham of a marriage?"I want that jerk to pay! Aren't feminists trending right now? Just spin the narrative like they do!"The Fitzroy Group had always been a family-run business, but aside from Magdalene, none of her descendants were competent enough to keep it afloat.The PR manager had long known this. Most senior employees remained loyal out of respect for the late CEO, but after hearing Laura's words, they could only exchange helpless glances. Did these spoiled heirs truly believe the internet could be so easily manipulated? That people would blindly believe whatever was fed to them? How delusional.The reality was damning. The video clearly showed Laura drugging Eamon. Instead of conducting themselves with the dignity befitting an esteemed family, they had resorted to illegal s
The Fitzroy Group's reputation was in shambles, battered by relentless criticism online. Dorian Fitzroy, the so-called CEO, had once boasted that he would triumph over Waymond and the Grisham family. Yet now, he was scrambling just to save himself.The Fitzroy family's underhanded tactics had been thoroughly exposed, with the internet tearing apart their every move.While the previous three generations of Fitzroys had been capable leaders, everything changed once Magdalene took over. Their successors had become mere opportunists, riding the coattails of others rather than proving their worth.Even within the company, employees had no idea what Dorian's actual skills were. Aside from exploiting his connections and bribing officials, he was utterly useless.Now, overwhelmed and powerless, he refused to even leave his office. When his secretary knocked, he stayed silent, praying for Magdalene to rescue him.Meanwhile, the prestigious families who had hoped to use the Fitzroys to el
"How did the video get leaked out? Did Eamon know about this beforehand and prepared for it? All you know is to cry! If I can't secure the Grisham family's shares, you'll soon be worthless!" Magdalene's voice was sharp, sending a chill down Laura's spine. The words cut deep, leaving her eyes brimming with resentment. But Magdalene had no patience for her daughter's emotions. "Who released this video? Why hold onto it for so many years? Did Eamon do this to take you down? Does he not care about Jett at all?"Laura didn't have the answers. All she felt was a deep, throbbing pain. Her phone buzzed nonstop—messages from high-society women, all pretending to be concerned but prying for gossip. Their insincere probing only intensified her hatred for whoever had exposed the truth."Mom, what's the point of yelling at me? I had no idea an old video like this would resurface. Before Jett was born, Eamon did..." She trailed off, her mind suddenly dragging her back to a buried memory.It was
Magdalene had never encountered such humiliation before. Gripping the chair for support, she trembled with fury, her face dark and rigid. The anger surged within her, rendering her speechless—only her heavy breaths betrayed the storm raging inside. People had always feared her. With her status, no one dared to raise their voice at her, much less hurl insults. In the past, when others struggled to survive, she stood above them, indifferent and untouchable.Raised in an elite family, Magdalene had long believed in class superiority. To her, the so-called common folk had no right to challenge her, let alone condemn her.Yet now, they all turned against her. Their scorn was relentless. They called her a vile, greedy old woman who leeched off her daughter's success. Some even accused her of being capable of far worse than drugging someone.Her expression darkened as she read their words. Taking a deep breath to suppress her growing panic, she swiftly contacted Neval."Board the plane