Upon hearing the words, "invitation letter", Solo glanced over.Landon remained indifferent. "You could say that."There was a twinkle in Aria's eyes. "Are you aiming to do good deeds anonymously?"Landon coughed lightly, his voice still rough. "My health isn't optimal. The invitation would go to waste on me. Since I can't attend, I thought it best to gift it to a deserving doctor."Aria raised an eyebrow. "Didn't it cross your mind to try your luck? The York family invited numerous renowned doctors. Perhaps one of them could help cure you."Landon lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes casting a shadow below. "I thought of it before. But I don't think there's a need for that after meeting you." His words left everyone stunned.Solo fumbled, dropping the bucket, while Aria accidentally tilted her coffee cup.Sam, who had been squatting, stood up abruptly, staring at Landon.Landon realized the intimacy of his words and hastily clarified, "I meant in terms of medical expertise.
Aria seemed oblivious to Landon's fluster, her long eyelashes casting a veil of shadow over her eyes. Landon, on the other hand, found himself averting his gaze, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "So, what's the plan for the clinic?" he rasped. Aria's smile widened, lifting her head to reveal the mole beside her eye more prominently. "Still working out the details. Grandma's vision is to provide treatment opportunities for everyone. So, gaining recognition from yesterday's event wouldn't align with that."Landon muttered a response, initially considering ordering Solo to assist with the clinic's operations. However, Aria appeared to have her own agenda, implying she might not want his involvement.Grateful he didn't press further, Aria raised her cup in a toast. "Please support me when the time comes."Solo pondered if Landon's support was lacking, considering he practically lived in the clinic. Yet, he refrained from commenting.Landon even forbade them from driving the
"Let's just say they weren't exactly welcoming," Aria replied with a nonchalant shrug, picking a few choice examples from her previous encounter. "The bodyguard barred me from entry, and their secretary looked down on me. 'Respect yourself,' they said, as if I was some street urchin."It turned out Aria had long suspected Troy's identity. It was just that she said nothing about it.Given the close ties between the Jepson and Layne families, Troy likely recognized her from the party. This could explain his condescension while she administered CPR. As for the occupant of the exclusive Maybach, it didn't take much deduction to guess who it was.The person capable of commanding Troy's deference must be the rumored tycoon dominating the business world—the heir to the York family.Aria refrained from disclosing how the heir had assisted the HOU in tracking her closely. Her current guise as a "fake heiress" was her most effective disguise.Solo's expression darkened upon hearing Aria's a
Aria, oblivious to Solo's hint, maintained her smile. "I might have been influenced by those rumors as well." Solo breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. Thankfully, Aria knew that she had misunderstood.However, Aria added, "Rich people can be quite unpredictable, though. I can't say for sure about that Mr. York."Solo was exasperated, avoiding Landon's gaze. He wished she had skipped that remark.Meanwhile, Landon stood in his white shirt and black pants, his eyes holding a hint of indifference and danger.Aria straightened up, pouring him another cup of coffee. "I was only joking earlier. But from a medical standpoint, his aversion to physical contact might indicate allergies or sensitivities."Solo was once again taken aback. Aria had managed to deduce Landon's condition without even meeting him. Though she might not excel in conversation, her medical acumen was undeniable.Upon hearing this, Landon offered a half-smile. "Indeed, Mr. York experiences discomfort with
Landon straightened up, offering a genuine smile. "Okay," he said. Their interaction felt natural. It was like they were old friends catching up. However, Solo couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the vibe. Plus, he'd never seen Landon act like this with anyone—he seemed to be flirting with Aria. It was quite rare to witness Landon behaving that way. One would find it difficult to take their eyes off Landon when he tugged at his collar, smilingly under the locust tree.A wild thought struck Solo. Could Landon be falling for Aria? He didn't dare dwell on it, though, and kept his gaze downcast.Meanwhile, Georgina had finished boiling water and called them over to cook some herbs. Georgina was happy that Aria's friends were staying over for dinner. While pondering what else to buy for dinner, she headed out with Sarah. This time, Sam joined them.Aria turned up the heat in the treatment room and asked Landon to lie down while she researched something onlin
Frank didn't bring Aria to the hospital nearby but to the Caesar Hotel located in the city center. However, they encountered quite a jam along the way.Frantic, Frank kept craning his neck, the bumper-to-bumper traffic a growing source of his anxiety. Aria leaned back in her seat and spoke calmly, "Frank, don't get too worked up. Tell me about the patient's condition.""It's not an illness. She just suddenly fainted. I didn't get to see her," Frank said, glancing at the driver before lowering his voice. "The patient has been weak since childhood and suffers from anemia. Though adopted by the Carvers, Mr. Carver Senior sees her as his granddaughter due to a resemblance to his long-lost granddaughter. Be careful with your words when you meet her." Aria responded casually, "Wasn't Ms. Carver missing since childhood? How could they determine they look alike?"Frank let out a weary sigh. "There were childhood photos," he began, "and it turns out she'd been abducted too. When I was lo
Karen nodded eagerly, urging everyone to try the desserts. However, her gaze remained fixed on the young woman. She couldn't help but wonder just how wealthy the young woman was to lead such a lavish lifestyle.While they were affluent themselves, there existed a disparity among the wealthy. For instance, they might splurge on Hermès bags worth tens of thousands, but they would only purchase three at most and rotate between them. In contrast, the young woman seemed unconcerned about her expenditure.The young woman comfortably sank into her seat, while the first woman to enter seemed to be her lady's maid. "Ms. Carver, what would you like to eat? I'll have them prepare it."Mindy Carver's voice was gentle. "Dorothy, please sit. There's no need for you to always attend to me.""How can I do that? It's my duty to take care of you," replied Dorothy Morris, the middle-aged lady's maid, with unwavering responsibility. Mindy couldn't dissuade her, so she decided to place an order.
Frank froze. "Aria, it's nothing serious, right?"Aria withdrew her hand. "Relax. Just be mindful of your diet and sleep habits. Most importantly, schedule a check-up at the hospital. It's treatable."Frank had come seeking help from Aria for Mindy. He hadn't anticipated needing treatment himself. Aria stood there, a paradox of coolness and unexpected beauty. She had swapped into a black hoodie before leaving, the garment hugging her curves and revealing a sliver of toned legs. Her cascading hair framed her slender, pale neck. Aria wore a countenance of indifference, tinged with a hint of danger. The moment Dorothy laid eyes on Aria, an immediate dislike flared within her. She found her beauty too intimidating.Approaching them, the bodyguard said, "She's Dr. Genius. Please inform her of Ms. Carver's symptoms." Dorothy smiled. "May I know your name?"As she assessed Aria, Dorothy struggled to conceal her disdain.Despite knowing Warren's decision to stay back after meeting
Aria's question made Orion freeze right away. The scholarship program was his secret lifeline. He simply couldn't figure out how she knew so many details about everything! "You've been setting me up in the stock market all this time. How did you also find out about the scholarship program?" Orion felt genuinely scared now—everyone had really underestimated Aria. When had she done all this research? She'd dug deeper than he ever imagined. The scariest part was that neither he nor that person had noticed anything. They all thought she was just helping the Carver family restore their former glory. Keeping the Chamber of Commerce out of the Carver family's hands was that person's strict order. That was why the Draycotts had climbed so quickly within the organization over the years. They all assumed Aria had come to Ludwiten to target the Chamber. But now... Orion looked up again. "The scholarship program is weird business. I only handled recruitment. I don't know where those peop
Orion said, "I don't know much, honestly." He looked at Aria with hesitation, as if he was afraid to name that person. He made a gesture instead. "That person is the lieutenant governor of Ludwiten, who has many achievements to his name. "If you're brave enough to investigate, I can tell you about the deals I handled. But I don't know about the rest." Aria raised an eyebrow. Her expression said everything—she had already kidnapped him, so did he seriously think she would be afraid to investigate this further? Orion took a deep breath. "I just handle the money. That person wants something bigger—he wants to make history, but he's been in poor health lately. He needs me to keep certain people in line, but I can't give you details since I really don't have proof." "Which people does he control? And how does he do it?" Aria asked casually. Orion glanced upward, his eyes slowly losing focus. "I have no idea which people." "Mr. Draycott, I thought you would have learned by now.
"Who the hell are you?" Orion shouted as he couldn't hold back anymore. He gripped the armrests hard, almost jumping out of his chair. But Aria barely glanced his way. "I brought you here, didn't I? Who do you think I am?""Y-You're..." Orion remembered a rumor from a business dinner about a Special Missions Unit that operated outside normal chains of command. They could investigate anyone without going through regular channels.Their authority even topped the Regular Missions Unit. Orion had laughed it off back then. Every group had to answer to someone higher up, so there couldn't be a unit with that kind of freedom. In Ludwiten, everyone answered to that one big shot. But now he realized such a thing actually existed!Orion's face turned ghostly pale. "Are you… a part of the Special Missions Unit?"Only that could explain everything! With all her digging and investigating, that person would have noticed what she had been doing. But Orion did not understand something. "
Usually, in this situation, Orion would have a lawyer present. But things were different today! He did not even know which department was holding him. All his usual connections seemed blocked, which made Orion start to panic from deep inside. He sat there, fidgeting nervously. No one else was in the room. "I want a lawyer! I'm innocent!" he shouted, trying to move, but his hands were cuffed to the chair. Just then, a familiar cool voice spoke up, carrying its usual casual tone, "Whether you're guilty or not, the law will decide." It was Aria. Her presence was completely different from earlier in the office. When Orion saw her, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. There wasn't a trace of the spoiled, rebellious, rich kid in her now. Instead, she looked at him calmly as if she were the highest authority in this place. Orion's heart sank. He wasn't stupid and knew how things worked. That was why his eyes widened as he stared at Aria. "Who are you really?" "D
Magdalene told Laura, "Now you're the partner everyone wants to work with." She laughed out loud. "This divorce couldn't have come at a better time." Laura's eyes widened as Magdalene spoke, her excitement growing by the second. "Mom, does that mean I'll be..." Laura could hardly imagine how amazing her future would be. Magdalene stroked her hair. "They won't call you Mrs. Grisham anymore. They'll call you the CEO of the Fitzroy Group." Laura's face trembled with barely contained excitement. She never considered that the shares they wanted weren't rightfully theirs but something they were taking through dirty tricks. "I was worried these families might side with Aria." Laura had genuinely been concerned about this. After all, families like the Katz family and those families working in traditional industries had started treating Aria with the same respect they once had for Barron. This was exactly what drove Laura crazy. Why should Aria get to live carefree after ruining her
Magdalene felt better than she had in a long time. She even ordered someone to open a bottle of wine to celebrate. This was the most relaxed day Magdalene had experienced in weeks. News about the Draycott family kept pouring in, and she had been feeling not just anxiety but a deep uneasiness. Over the years, the Fitzroy and Draycott families had become deeply entangled. Even without obvious business interests like others had, they shared information regularly. Even in that incident years ago, the Fitzroy family had been involved. Previously, she had worried more than anyone about the Draycott family's collapse. Now, she felt differently. First, there were the Grisham shares they would soon acquire. Second, she had learned that the Draycott family was not the only one that had lost money in the stock market because of Aria. Many prominent Ludwiten families had suffered losses thanks to her market manipulations. Magdalene understood clearly that to establish themselves in this
Aria turned her head, smiling brightly. "If you put it that way, I guess there really is something wrong with me." Lily couldn't understand why Aria still acted this way even after she had said all that. It was like Aria couldn't be bothered to take her seriously, as if she were just some random stranger with no connection to her. Lily was the one with knowledge of the future! Her face darkened. Aria noticed Lily's eyes on her, so she turned to face Lily. "You're Grandma's granddaughter, so I've cut you some slack. But you've only gotten worse by using visits to Grandma as excuses to steal things. "Anyone who cares about what you're saying can look into it. As for everything else, I'll leave that to these gentlemen." Hearing this, Lily panicked. She knew perfectly well that if Aria left, no one in that room would spare her. The most painful way to torture someone was to make them live in constant fear. Aria left the office, abandoning the terrified Lily. Those Chamber membe
Aria said, "You guys have misunderstood me. The Draycott family is just the first to fall. After that..." Aria's gaze fell on the figure hiding at the back. "Since Mr. Fitzroy is here, I won't need to make a special trip to your residence. Tell Mrs. Fitzroy Senior that your family is next on my list." Everyone who heard Aria's words wanted to eliminate her. But clearly, now wasn't the time. She had the upper hand, and the Draycott family's downfall had not benefited them at all—especially the Fitzroy family, who were already having a public clash with the Grishams. The Fitzroys wouldn't have stepped forward, but now that they'd been called out, they had to respond. Since things were out in the open, they had nothing to hide anymore. "Let's see about that." Their message was clear. Besides, they had already lost money in the stock market and weren't happy. Though they weren't as powerful as the Draycotts, they still had their backing from the mysterious man. If they united,
After this incident, members of the Chamber of Commerce couldn't keep pretending nothing had happened—especially those who had stabbed the Grishams in the back to climb up with the Draycott family. As fear crept through them, they were particularly worried that Orion might spill their secrets from years back. The corporate tower had never seen such a crowd gathered below as today. Earlier, they had kept up appearances. But the Chamber members now pushed past security, bringing their entourages charging up the stairs. Aria watched all of this with interest. She'd come here waiting for the rats to crawl out of their holes. Like the Guetta family, who were close to the Grishams but never made waves in Ludwiten. Jett's problems had enabled Aria to follow the breadcrumbs and uncover the truth. Without them, she wouldn't have spotted that the Guettas had jumped ship to the Draycotts. Those seasoned business sharks definitely had not expected to find Aria when they arrived. They wan