On camera, an elderly man dressed in a white suit walked up to the stage. Despite his gray hair and age, he carried an air of refined elegance. However, at this moment, he appeared visibly angered. His gaze fixed on Dylan and Mindy with a look of hostility."Why are you here?" Hugh exclaimed, quickly walking up to him.In the cultural relics community, reputation was everything. People typically made a name for themselves by discovering or appraising rare and valuable items.Don, an expert in the field, had spent his entire life searching for cultural relics. He had been working overseas, with his greatest ambition being to recover all of Farshya's cultural relics through his influence and connections.Everyone in the community respected him. Despite his fame, Don maintained a low profile and rarely appeared in public. In recent years, believing he still had much to learn, he sought hands-on experience by spending up to a year in tomb sites. His living conditions were notoriously
Instantly, the entire studio erupted with excitement. The audience widened their eyes in disbelief, and even the director and the show's host, Melody, were left stunned.The staff exchanged nervous glances, their hands trembling. Could it really be what they thought it was?The show's executive producer was the first to snap out of his daze. He elbowed the cameraman urgently. "Get all the cameras zoomed in on Leon's sister's face now!"It would be a mistake to continue filming the Carver family's adopted daughter. After all, the person Don considered his senior was about to shock the entire cultural relics community. The producer knew exactly what the audience craved. Online comments flooded in, nearly breaking the internet.Those who had previously criticized Aria—accusing her of seeking fame, disrespecting her seniors, and being uncultured—were now staring at their phones in shock.This was so unexpected that it couldn't possibly have been scripted. Aria was actually Don's sen
Don said, "There are some old items I've always wanted to restore, but I'm worried I might damage them with my poor eyesight and trembling hands. Could you come with me after the show if you have time?" No one could believe those words came from Don's mouth.Stunned into silence, the people on stage didn't know how to proceed. Unable to interrupt the two heavyweights, they looked at Leon, their eyes silently asking if he realized how remarkable his sister was.Leon, however, maintained a composed expression. As a top idol, he had to stay calm in any situation. Yet, underneath the table, he was texting furiously."Did you guys see that? Mr. Hendricks actually called Aria his senior! This is the Don Hendricks we read about in textbooks! And what does Aria mean by knowing a thing or two about cultural relics? Thanks to her, I have a feeling I'll be headlining the entertainment news tomorrow!"Leon appeared cool and elegant on the surface, but his text message was far from that image
A new comment appeared online. "He didn't fake his qualifications, did he?"Dylan was sweating profusely on stage. The pressure was overwhelming. When he saw Owen preparing to leave, he called out in desperation, "Mr. Carver, can you help me out? You were the one who asked me to help Ms. Mindy deal with this."Online comments quickly escalated."What does he mean? Is there some inside story here?""I suspected something about Mr. Soller when he acted so dismissively earlier. Today, he seemed determined to undermine Leon's team, especially targeting his sister, as if he wanted to paint them as uncultured.""He's so ruthless! Thank goodness Aria is capable enough, or he'd use his status to manipulate anyone he pleased.""Most importantly, he's calling on Mr. Carver! Is the Carver family involved in this?"The cameramen now focused on the audience, and when Owen noticed, he raised his hand to block the shot.His demeanor had shifted dramatically from when he'd confidently exited t
Ivan didn't dare speak his thoughts, even if he had guessed the truth. Landon's power and presence were undeniable, and his very appearance said it all.Owen, after all, was supposed to be Landon's father-in-law. Yet Landon showed him no mercy.Ivan shivered at the thought. He vividly recalled Owen's request to give special treatment to Mindy. Luckily, Ivan found it troublesome and declined. If he hadn't, he might now be on Landon's blacklist.He silently praised himself for sticking to his principles. Regardless, the production team still had to explain the situation to the audience.…Meanwhile, Dylan was still shouting. "Mr. Carver, don't go! Mr. Carver!"Aria chuckled. "Mr. Soller, are you trying to get Mr. Carver to use his family's legal team? There's no need to trouble yourself." With that, she took a step back and said, "I've already called them here." Footsteps echoed from behind the curtain, and the cameramen quickly panned toward the source.Standing in formation
Things were not going as Mindy had hoped. The Carver Group's legal team didn't show up without a reason. They came armed with evidence proving that Dylan had faked his qualifications. But that wasn't all—he had also exploited his position as a lecturer to gain personal benefits from students.Take Mindy, for example. Her talent in cultural relic restoration paled in comparison to most of her peers. Yet, because she paid off Dylan, she received opportunities that should have gone to more deserving students, including prestigious awards.In their field, awards and competitions were everything. Mindy could have funded her own exhibition, but instead, she chose to steal opportunities meant for others. Worse still, she even claimed credit for work done by her group members—with Dylan's help.When Don saw the incriminating documents, his hands trembled with fury. "Do you even understand what cultural relic restoration is?" he yelled, throwing the papers at Dylan.Don was passionate abo
Barty came from a small town and was celebrated as the top graduate of his county's high school. His parents and the entire village pooled their resources, hoping that his university education would bring prosperity to their community.However, once Barty started studying under Dylan, he realized how harsh reality could be. For students like him, coming from humble backgrounds, achieving success was far more challenging than expected.At first, Barty believed he could endure until graduation. Dylan was his mentor, and he convinced himself that persevering through the hardships would pay off. He even imagined that once he had juniors under his guidance, he could help them avoid the same fate.Barty had planned to quietly blend in, graduate, and leave. But Dylan had other plans. Dylan became more oppressive after securing a connection with the powerful Carver family. Every achievement Barty and his team earned was attributed to Mindy, who took all the credit, even their awards.Dyl
Upon seeing the students, Dylan almost collapsed to the floor on stage. Aria glanced at him before turning to the stage. "I did what I promised you. Also, you don't need to worry about your degree certificates. Mr. Hendricks here will ensure that you're treated fairly."Don had already gotten an approximate idea of what had happened. He nodded. "I'll be in charge of helping you."None of the seven students expected this from Aria. Not only did she not resent them for accusing the Carvers of doing something they hadn't, but she'd also carefully considered their futures.Don was a real scholar, one they'd never dream of talking to. "Thank you, thank you!" they said in unison. Barty bowed first, and his juniors followed.Aria didn't forget who had tried to ruin the Carver family's reputation. Warren and Barron had always supported students from poverty, and they'd never tried to take the life someone rightfully deserved away from them. The Carvers would even put more resources int
In that moment, Cormac couldn't afford to care about pride or appearances. His survival depended on severing all ties, especially with a traitor."I don't have a daughter like you!" he snapped, slapping Aliya again. "Do you even realize what you've done? Trafficking human organs—do you think that's something you can walk away from?"Aliya collapsed to the floor, stunned. A chill unlike any she'd ever felt seeped into her bones. She stared up at her father in disbelief, watching as he bowed his head respectfully toward Aria, the very woman she had just mocked.In Aliya's world, her father was the state government. She had grown up believing that their family controlled everything, that Cormac Windham's influence extended far beyond his office, even as retirement loomed.But all of it was crumbling before her eyes.Outside his office, word had already begun to spread. Though muffled, the sharp sound of a slap echoed faintly through the corridor.Everyone understood what that meant—
The group dared to be reckless as Amos was Ludwiten's lieutenant governor. They were peas in a pod and did corruption together.However, they didn't know that their support had already collapsed. Aria was not in a rush to capture Amos' lackeys as her target was in the state government. She didn't go alone either, for Aliya also went with her.Shortly after, Aria issued a new command. "Seal the premises. No one is to leave. Tell everyone to remain in their seats."A request like that, especially directed at the state level, would typically require an exhaustive process—dozens of forms, layers of red tape. Even in cases involving fatalities, senior officials were rarely detained on the spot.But Aria followed with a second message, one that sent chills down spines. "This case involves foreign infiltration. Someone has betrayed the country."Those words landed like a thunderclap. No one dared raise an objection. No one wanted to be associated with treason—not ordinary citizens, and
"Grandpa, it's not convenient for me to get in touch with all of you right now. Remember to take your medicine on time. I have to pretend that I'm locked up. Uncle Eamon and Uncle Waymond have to seem fretful so that the enemy wouldn't be alerted. I'm sorry, Grandpa."Aria didn't reveal what she had encountered in the message. This was because the Special Missions Unit was bound to a confidentiality contract when making decisions. What Aria said was almost pushing the limits.Aria only agreed to get locked up just to see how people would react when the Grisham family was in trouble.When the opponent placed their attention on this incident, they would let their guard down and give Aria a chance to secure evidence of their crimes.If the Grisham family retained its usual influence, the mastermind wouldn't show himself so easily. As Aria felt sorry for her family and worried about Clyde's health, she immediately sent a message to apologize after the auction. However, she couldn't s
There was no way Aria didn't know that the conviction was unfair. Furthermore, Percy specialized in handling economic cases. He knew there was no way Aria would be locked up so quickly. Yet, her crime had been publicly declared without prior warning. Percy was absolutely furious. He tugged his tie and declared the system was corrupted. While Fergus was also helping to find connections, Warren had just landed from Janovin.Clyde had sought out all sorts of connections, even his ex-colleagues in the education field.Fiona clenched his hands. "They promised to help Dad look into it." "They're just trying to fool Mr. Grisham Senior. Their higher-ups have already warned them about it." Nisa suddenly lowered her voice. "They're trying to make his health relapse again. If that happens, the Grisham family is done for."At this moment, a low voice sounded from the door. "So that's what happened. I was wondering why there was no progress with Aria's side after a whole day."It was Eamon.
Because Amos' arrest was part of a covert operation, the news didn't reach anyone outside the circle. That meant Durand remained completely unaware. He was still riding high on the thrill of his plan, blinded by the pleasure of watching the Grisham family fall.That night, he raised a glass of wine in early celebration, his mistress seated beside him. He didn't know that the move he'd made would become the greatest regret of his life.Elsewhere, Nisa couldn't bring herself to be as heartless. That was why, under the quiet cover of night, she made her way to the Grisham residence—not to see Clyde, but to speak with Fiona. She knew Clyde would shut her out immediately, but Fiona… Fiona might just listen.They weren't close. Not the way Fiona was with Priscilla. But they had once shared a few polite meals, floated in the same social circles. Enough to warrant a conversation—barely.When they sat down, Fiona's expression was cool, even distant. She hadn't forgotten the things Nisa had
Lucas could hear the pride in his mentor's voice for Aria. After all, his mentor had taken Aria in Southbury and even owed her his life. Lucas didn't dare to inform his mentor that Aria was being suppressed in the political world. He understood his mentor well. He was devoted to the country and couldn't stand such injustice.Therefore, Lucas didn't tell the truth to prevent his mentor from worrying. If someone with his position made a move, it would become a huge issue. That was why Lucas hid the truth from him. The former had to play along with the other politicians and endure them spouting empty promises. Before Lucas set out, his mentor stood on top of Old City and looked at the vast mountains. "Do whatever you need to, just like what you had done in Southbury. I'll be waiting for you and Aria's return at Janovin."These people didn't deserve his mercy at all!"You used your authority to disregard people's lives." It was the first time Lucas had shown his emotions so open
Amos was too stunned to react. One side of his face throbbed with pain, and fish oil clung to his hair, glistening from the dish he had been slammed into.He had always eaten fish a particular way—only one side. No matter how expensive the fish, he refused to flip it over, believing that leaving it untouched brought good fortune.But today, that superstition had been smashed—along with his pride. Pinned to the table, Amos hadn't even found the time to get angry. Confusion flickered in his eyes as he struggled to rise.Then Lucas spoke, his words crashing down like a stone wall."Amos Lune, you conspired with the Draycott and Fitzroy families to crush honest entrepreneurs. You've abused your position shamelessly."Lucas didn't stop. His tone cut sharper with each sentence."We also have evidence linking you to a human organ trafficking ring in Bellebrook. You've disgraced the people who supported your rise—and the country that invested in you."Lucas had been suppressing his ange
Lucas shook his head steadily. "Not yet."Amos, still basking in the glow of his "victory", had no idea what was coming. He answered Durand's call with a smug smile. On the other end, Durand's laughter rang out loud and triumphant."Mr. Lune, you should've seen the Grisham brothers' faces! I bet they never expected to be abandoned like that!"You played it brilliantly. One quiet move, and boom—the Grisham family's out of the Chamber of Commerce. From here, it's just a slow bleed. They'll lose everything."Amos kept his tone cool. "This isn't enough. Keep pushing the online chatter. The narrative needs to focus on how their precious granddaughter cost so many investors their savings. And don't forget her carefully crafted persona—it's about to unravel."He paused, voice crisp. "Reach out to the other businessmen. Now that the Grishams can't offer any benefits, it's time for everyone to take a bite. You understand, don't you, Durand?"Durand took a moment, then replied, "Right. Got
Cormac even thought of leaving some of his influence behind after retiring. This way, he could still have some power over decisions. He thought he could remind Lucas that not just anyone could do his job well. Therefore, Cormac remained calm after receiving the note. He was already so used to handling his daughter's troubles.Cormac strode into his lounge and asked Pedro, "Is it drunk driving again? Don't you know how to handle it?""It's not drunk driving." Pedro still seemed out of it.Cormac's expression darkened. "It's not drunk driving? Was she on drugs again? I already reminded you numerous times to get someone to keep an eye on her. Which stage of the process is she at right now? Call the people from the drug-testing institution.""No. That's not it." Pedro took off his glasses and his badge.Cormac finally realized that Pedro seemed off. "What happened? Just tell me. I doubt she'll kill someone. Although my daughter is troublesome, she won't do something like that. I kno