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
The Carvers here were Aria's ancestors. Aria was certain because the old man on the paper resembled Warren from afar. Or rather, Warren resembled his grandfather way too much, both in appearance and in personality.Aria folded the paper and glanced at the passing vehicles. She took Annie's hand. "Let's go."Something that even the newsboys knew surely wouldn't escape everyone else's attention. Aria believed that the Carvers would never work with the Krowonians and that something was happening behind the scenes. As a member of the family, it was a given that Aria would worry about how this would negatively impact the Carvers. However, it also gave her the quickest way to enter the embassy without concealing her presence."Not this way, Aria.""I know. We stand out too much now. We need a change of clothes."A change of clothes? Before Annie could react, Aria pulled her into the most luxurious shop on the street.In the Nobeetan concession, gowns were the focus of everyone's atte
"She's a Carver?" the Krowonian asked stiffly, "Are you sure?"The individual proceeded to provide more details. "She definitely resembles a Carver based on her features. Besides, only the Carvers could afford such an extravagant spree. She just spent a significant amount of money, sirs!"He gestured to indicate the amount, and the Krowonians halted.It was clear what their superiors wanted—the Carvers possessed something of great interest to the higher-ups. Their influence within the Chamber of Commerce was obstructing the Krowonians' objectives.The Carvers needed to be at the forefront of establishing the aid center to win the trust of the Farshyan people. Only then would the people entrust their children to the center and the Krowonians.For this reason, the Carvers must remain unharmed for now.The Krowonians had already kidnapped one child from the Carver family as a hostage. If they were to capture another Carver, Barron Carver, the patriarch, would become hostile toward t
Just then, a cheerful voice echoed from the entrance, "Grandpa, I'm back!"The concierge was confused, but Aria paid him no heed. With open arms, she approached Barron confidently, acting with the ease and enthusiasm of a student returning home from abroad.Every member of the family present was baffled. They only had sons in the family, so where did this young lady come from? Under normal circumstances, Aria would be dismissed as a fraud. But today was different. No con artist would dare impersonate a Carver family member during such a critical time, especially with nothing more than a flimsy, easily debunked lie.This was why everyone was confused and astonished except for Barron, who remained composed as he watched Aria walk toward him. Barron felt compelled to let her continue for reasons he couldn't quite explain. He knew what Aria was after; her eyes made it clear she wasn't that dense.Aria embraced Barron naturally, speaking with a playful tone, "The food in Angladia is
Gaining full control over the local business circles was crucial to their occupation of Farshya, so they couldn't afford to antagonize Barron.The Krowonians were also keen on staying out of international headlines, as their reputation would suffer if this incident became public.Viktor quickly apologized. "Sorry. It was all a misunderstanding." He spoke in stilted, accented Farshyan, "Please believe us when we say we sincerely want to work with you, Mr. Carver Senior. My subordinates were unaware that this young woman was your granddaughter."None of the intelligence they gathered had mentioned an eldest daughter in the family. She probably left the country early in her childhood, leading to her being missed in the investigation process.Viktor bowed. "I apologize for the terrifying experience, Ms. Carver."Aria replied directly, "I refuse to accept your apology. You were killing people without restraint—it was horrifying."She presented herself as a naïve, innocent young woma
Barron mulled over his thoughts before finally saying, "Tell me about this idea of yours.""Dad!" The Carvers standing nearby were shocked. They couldn't believe Barron would place his trust in this unfamiliar young woman, especially considering how obviously most of her claims seemed dubious.Barron raised his hand, halting the heated discussion around them. He met Aria's gaze. "But you must tell me where you come from and why the Krowonians were tailing you.""Sure." Aria looked at everyone. Barron, who instantly understood her intentions, gestured for everyone to leave save for a bodyguard. Aria bent down and patted Annie on the shoulder, telling her to leave as well. "Put your trust in the Carvers. They won't give you a hard time."Aria then looked up. "I'll have to trouble you to feed her."The Carvers had married good women. They had felt sympathy for Annie from the moment she walked in, so they waved her over.With the door firmly closed and the room soundproofed, no one
"Yes. Everyone is working and going to school. We travel occasionally to relax," Aria said.Barron's eyes reddened. "That's great, truly great!"It was hard for anyone not from this era to understand their commitment to studying and earning money. They just wanted their people to be able to afford food and no longer suffer bullying. It was that simple.Aria trusted herself but also believed in the existence of altruistic people—those who acted heroically to save others.She was grateful to have been born a Carver because Barron was one of those rare individuals. Despite being a businessman, he remained altruistic. "Tell me, young lady, what do you need me to do?" Barron asked, returning the new device he had been holding back to Aria once he had calmed down. He had wanted to inspect it further, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. He needed to stay focused. "I have one condition—I will never work with the Krowonians.""Don't worry. You won't have to," Aria assured hi
It was obvious how great the view at night would be. The hall had built-in wine racks and various essentials for hosting parties. The view from the hall was truly remarkable. When one looked out, one could see The Bay. Gazing down, one would feel like a king gazing imperiously over the entire bar below.However, the police could only furrow their brows as they couldn't find any clues. Just as they contemplated their next course of action, Aria arrived. "Where is my friend?" Initially, she just wanted to know Landon's actual location. After all, Landon's call didn't go through several times, which surprised her."They're in the corridor downstairs, not here." The investigator was wearing disposable shoe covers while checking the scene. As Aria was going to look for Landon, she suddenly paused. It was only then she noticed the view from where she was. She could see everyone and everything in the bar, especially as the bar stools lit up when someone sat on them. When Aria reca
Orion's primary concern was securing control of the Chamber of Commerce. "You truly understand these poor people the most," he instructed his secretary. "Go and settle this. Handle it flawlessly, or it might jeopardize the Chamber of Commerce's voting."Aria, a potential threat, was disregarded, as were the ethical protocols Orion was undoubtedly familiar with. It seemed that once wealth was acquired, human life became a mere inconvenience. Aria knew the rules. Confronting the names Haisley had mentioned would only alert their enemies. In this critical situation, she desperately needed an ally. As she reviewed her notes, a police officer began, "Ms. Carver, we're uncertain about the actions of your companion. We cautioned him against interfering with the crime scene, but he seemed intent on investigating. And there's a child with him, a surprisingly strong child."Aria smiled at the thought of Sam. "He won't contaminate the crime scene," she assured them. "I believe he's searchin
Aria signaled Adrian to go ahead. However, her gaze revealed nothing. Although Adrian felt he had been played, he didn't have any evidence, so he decided to visit Ronan. The boss dispatched Adrian to instruct Ronan on what he could and couldn't say. Ronan had already made a costly mistake, and another slip-up could easily be exploited by the police. Andrew knew he had to be cautious; these detectives were sharp. As Adrian settled into the visiting room, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The surveillance cameras loomed large in his mind, and he wondered how to extract the necessary information without alerting them. Yet, Ronan seemed nonchalant and showed no signs of worry. Adrian decided to check in with him. "Mr. Belmont, how are you feeling? Did they ask you questions that you don't know the answer to? You may direct it to me and stay silent for the time being. Perhaps you may provide any clues to the police."Adrian carefully crafted his question, pausing s
When Aria exited the interrogation room, she heard someone saying, "A representative from Nocturne has arrived. It might be a bit difficult to investigate the hidden passage."Aria lifted her gaze slightly. "Get him to come and find me.""It's the bar's lawyer. He seems a bit difficult to deal with."She smiled. "I like dealing with people like him."In less than three minutes, a group of people sat down. "Let me introduce you to Ludwiten's famous lawyer, Adrian Whitmore. This is the specialist in charge of the case."Adrian smiled and shook hands with Aria. Then, he spoke professionally. "I am Mr. Belmont's lawyer. From what I know, Mr. Belmont has provided all relevant evidence Nocturne can provide. As the person in charge of Nocturne, it'll give him a bad rep if he stays detained."While I deeply sympathize with the late Ms. Hanson's death, there is no direct evidence that my client is involved in her death. We will cooperate with the questioning, but I will request his rele
Haisley continued, "If I go to jail, nobody will care for him when he's old. He'll be laughed at by all his relatives! I really hate pompous people like you who want to teach others a lesson. You're not doing a good deed. You're only making the old geezer even worse off!"Aria spaced out and started looking for the two names she had mentioned. "Are you done talking?" she asked, looking up.Haisley was stunned by her attitude.Aria tapped her temples coolly. "I don't understand people like you. I don't care whether your father is doing well. He's not my father."He spoiled you when raising you. If he chooses to ignore your crimes, he deserves to live a bad life. We're locking you up to do the world a favor. Wake up, princess. We're not obligated to spoil you like your dad."Haisley's expression was grim, while the police officers seemed pleased. Although they were professional at their work, they wished to retort when faced with people like Haisley. Youngsters nowadays would le
Aria asked calmly, "Who did you see?""A person who was on the news before." Haisley seemed uneasy and asked again, "Are you sure this is confidential?"Aria glanced at the audio recording and disrupted it with a click. "You can talk now. Who did you see?"Haisley clenched her hands. "One was Xavier Larkspur from the local trading association, and another one was from the Chamber of Commerce…"None of the police officers could hear what she was saying. One of the investigators removed his buzzing headphones and barged into the dark with a gloomy expression. "This goes against the rules!"Aria was unfazed. "According to the rules, you guys should be leading the investigation yourself. From Nocturne's business practices or the incidents that happened there, you guys should have investigated it before. Why didn't you?"The investigator was rendered speechless. Some of them argued, "This just happened! And it's never happened before!"Aria stood up. "Perhaps you guys just found out
Technically, Aria's interrogation method wasn't standard protocol. However, her method managed to expose Haisley's true colors. "It's true that I was envious of her. So what? She acts so arrogantly despite coming from a small town like me. "I don't get it. I'm prettier than her and wear all kinds of branded clothing. Why am I still inferior to her? She just looks a bit more innocent than me, but she also admitted she wanted to find a rich boyfriend."Haisley sneered. "You're interrogating me, so you might as well ask around. Most people who go to the bar are looking for a rich boyfriend. If Luna didn't have the same intention, she wouldn't have followed us."Everyone knows there's no such thing as free lunch. However, people are greedy. They'll get baited if you give them a bit of temptation. "Luna is no different. She dreamed about marrying a rich boyfriend. If she woke up and she found herself sleeping beside Sky, I bet she wouldn't take her life."Aria was looking for that
Haisley, who had just gotten exposed, became pale. She wanted to stand up from the interrogation chair. "What right do you have to investigate my privacy?"Aria said slowly, "Haisley, why don't you look around to see where you are before slamming on the table? You're a suspect. Who else are we going to investigate?"Haisley sneered. "I'm a suspect? When did I become a suspect? You guys are just useless. Otherwise, go ahead and capture those behind the scenes! Why are you arresting me for? You're just trying to shift the blame on me. "Luna likes to jump off buildings. What does it have to do with me? I'm telling you not to accuse me without evidence!""Do I need to remind you of your image of a gentle and considerate senior in college?" Aria said flatly. The police officers watching outside thought Haisley was beyond help. Haisley took a deep breath. "I'm just working as a facilitator. I doubt it's illegal. How can you slander me without evidence? Is that how you guys do your w
A continued texting, "You're right. They won't suspect us, anyway. It has nothing to do with us. Even if she reported it to the police, someone would take care of it. Cases like this are difficult to solve. "How can she prove she was forced? She even dreamed about marrying a rich guy. Anyway, we should quickly delete this conversation. Now that Luna has been chosen, we should choose another target."The conversation was also synced on the display screen, causing the police officers to feel a chill down their backs. The young women sitting behind the glass were still college students. Yet, they had been targeting people online and bringing them to bars.The police officers clenched their hands when faced with the four young faces. They weren't people who helped out their juniors but demons!Aria didn't feel surprised at the revelation. What she was doing now was proving some of her suspicions. She already felt something off when she saw them downstairs.However, she needed evide