"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
Barron would never let the Krowonians succeed, even if it meant sacrificing his life.However, seeing Aria willing to put herself in danger touched him deeply. He began to bow in gratitude, but Aria stopped him. "I'm really a Carver, so we're practically family. If I let you bow, my grandpa will have my head when I get back."Aria was clearly joking—Warren adored her more than any of his grandchildren, and he'd never raise a hand against her.Barron chuckled at her words. "You truly are a Carver!"As the door opened, everyone inside heard laughter. "Really. I have six brothers, and none of them want to inherit the family business. They probably find the massive family fortune intimidating."Aria's words made Barron laugh. It had been a while since the Carvers last saw Barron with a smile on his face. Despite having their suspicions about Aria, they were still thankful to her. Barron looked up. "Tell the embassy we'll attend the banquet. I'll bring Warren home with me too."The
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
The three men Aria had knocked to the ground were hurting all over, yet she had the nerve to talk about following the law. Viggo knew his men were losing their cool. After all, they'd never been humiliated like this in Ludwiten before. He quickly moved to block them, forcing a smile. "Yes, you're absolutely right. "Well, they say you never really know someone until you trade a few punches. You look unfamiliar, though. You're not from Ludwiten, are you?" Viggo was fishing for information about Aria. He needed to know who she was and why their operation had suddenly derailed today. But someone as shrewd as Aria instantly caught his meaning, so she smirked. Since things had already escalated this far, it did not matter whether she revealed her identity or not. Whoever was behind these men would investigate her anyway. It was better to draw all the attention to herself now while her senior and the Public Integrity Task Force gathered evidence behind the scenes. That way, they cou
Viggo tried to explain, "You've got it all wrong—we don't mean any harm. We were just told to pick Ms. Bohmer up for paperwork. "Ms. Bohmer's a top student, and her school recommended her for study abroad. Just ask her if you don't believe me." Viggo shifted the spotlight to Eden. He figured a student like her wouldn't know how to speak up. Indeed, Eden was terrible at lying. Under Aria's watchful gaze, she nodded. She then added, "But something about them felt off. Maybe I was just being paranoid when I asked for your help." She couldn't very well tell this stranger that everything was based on a hunch, that these people gave her the creeps. They hadn't crossed any lines yet, but something felt wrong. She just couldn't put her finger on what. Eden struggled to explain, but Aria cut right to the chase. "So are you saying you need eight beefy men to escort a girl like her just to fill out some study abroad forms? Can't the teachers or the proper agencies handle it? "Looking
Hearing this, Viggo frowned. The burly men exchanged glances too as they sized up the person in front of them. They'd been in Ludwiten so long but had never met anyone as bold as Aria. They all figured that she must be some out-of-town wealthy heir who didn't know the rules here. She was practically asking for trouble when she blocked their way. These people didn't follow the stock market much. If they had, they'd know that a certain young lady had arrived in town not long ago. And she was someone who was good at dealing with those who crossed her. "You should ask around about who runs things here before acting so cocky. Since you like it here, stay right here with your bike!" As they spoke, one of them walked toward Aria aggressively, raising his arm to throw a punch. The rest moved in at the same time. But before the man could touch Aria, his hand was suddenly caught. Aria moved fast. With one leg braced against her motorcycle as a pivot point, she lunged forward and droppe