Draco was not just consumed by resentmentāhe also possessed two rare Protection Shields. One came from himself, a defense born out of his past experiences, and the other was granted by a spirit who had sacrificed all their remaining fortune to create it for him.Aria hadn't noticed the shield before due to the presence of the Soul Suppression Plaque, but now she paused, observing the faint golden glow that emanated from his resentment. "Were you a soldier before?" she asked.Draco's eyes burned with fury. "So what if I was? They never treated us like humans. They deserve to die! All of them who bullied my daughter should die!" His anger boiled over as the Soul Suppression Plaque gleamed, feeding off his intense resentment.When Aria saw that, she released Draco. Some Protection Shields wouldn't just appear because one was a soldier. The presence of the Protection Shield meant that Draco was not an ordinary soldier but one with great merit.Aria didn't want to get rid of Draco. Ho
The soul that Draco was gripping tightly didn't understand why Aria, who had previously stopped him, now allowed Draco to hurt others. Even Draco noticed this and turned to her. "Aren't you going to stop me? Didn't you say you would make me disappear if I didn't return?"Aria replied nonchalantly, "That was before. I treat those with merits differently. I can still make you disappear after you finish taking your revenge. But I'll tell you thisāit's not worth it to waste your merits on a bunch of idiots."Draco's grip loosened slightly as he pondered her words, but the anger in his bloodshot eyes hadn't subsided. "They aren't innocent."Aria looked at him and replied, "I know they're not innocent. I'm just saying they're not the ones who bullied your daughter. You'll be making a huge mistake by killing them."The soul whom Draco was gripping quickly nodded. "She's right. Draco, we were wrong to spread false rumors online and do that to you. We're really sorry. Since we're all coll
"I'll eat them! We can talk this out. It's just eating a few people. I can do it! Once they return, I'll be waiting for them at their homes." The lizard was determined to prove its worth to Aria.The souls felt their feet going numb after hearing that, but Aria didn't spare them a glance. She turned to look at Draco instead. "When you wake up tomorrow, seek me out at Carver Group's. Does that sound good?"Draco thought for a moment before replying, "I believe in the Carver family."Then, he walked toward the Soul Lock Manifestation with half of his resentment gone.After he was gone, the other souls could finally move. None of them wanted to stay there, so they hurried forward and disappeared.Peace was finally back. The fog was also not as thick as before, and the skies in the city turned clear."It finally stopped raining." An elderly woman in the market sighed in relief, glad that the downpour had ceased. Continuous rain had made her joints ache, and she feared for the riverba
Aria asked the lizard, "Now that you haven't fulfilled his wish, what are you planning to do next?"The lizard appeared confused until Aria reminded it, "You made a pact. Breaking it will have consequences. Just look at your claws."As the lizard glanced down, it noticed the skin on its hand starting to crack. Its eyes widened in horror. "My skin is cracking! That old coot deceived me!"Nearby, Sam scoffed, thinking the lizard was overreacting. Once Aria deemed it useless, he would have a fine meal. There was no need for the lizard to treat its wound. A sprinkle of salt, and it would make for a delightful dishāSam had become quite the connoisseur in food preparation.The lizard looked at Aria helplessly, "Miss, please help me!"Aria replied calmly, "It's simple. Become my spirit vassal and sign a pact with me. You've seen I'm a billionaire CEO in this world. I'm much more open than the person pulling your strings. He's probably not as wealthy as I am."The majestic lizard began t
Landon had never ridden a Tomahawk before; he usually preferred the comfort of cars. Lifting one eyebrow in curiosity, he swung one leg over the bike and straddled it.Seeing his uncertainty, Aria reached out and placed his hands around her waist. "Hold on tight. I go fast."As Landon inhaled the fragrance of her hair, a smile crept onto his face. The engine roared to life, and Aria leaned forward, her back arching gracefully. Landon tightened his grip around her waist with one hand, breathing in her scentāit was nothing like the overpowering perfumes that usually gave him a headache; she smelled like rain in springtime.Waiting at a red light, Landon's gaze drifted down to Aria's exposed waist. His eyes darkened, and he instinctively tightened his hold on her.Aria turned her head, eyebrows raised in confusion, as if asking him what was wrong through the visor of her helmet.Landon chuckled, his voice low and magnetic as it whispered in her ear, "How do you plan on dealing with
The bodyguards didn't suspect Lily at all. They had investigated her whereabouts and confirmed she had never been to the northwest.The butler also confirmed her words matched the videos the Dark Shadow sent. However, Landon was still missing, and he wasn't in any of the white cars they stopped.Titus didn't fully believe Lily's words, but he knew she could be right. Thus, he needed to be on guard.He paced around his study with his walking cane. Suddenly, he realized something. "If the car accident really happens, the problem isn't on the white car but the truck. Go and investigate the truck driver's identity."It was daytime; if Lily was correct, the truck driver would be key to causing a major accident during daylight hours.As the roadblocks increased, a truck driver named Damon Kirch began to feel anxious. He didn't want anyone to discover that he had been drinking. The road he was traveling was usually deserted, so he couldn't fathom why there were so many roadblocks today
Damon was so angry that his eyes were red. He rolled down his windows to scold Aria, but she beat him to it. "What's that scent on you?"Upon hearing that, Damon seemed nervous. "What do you mean? Do you even know how to ride a bike? Do you know that you're blocking my way?"The commotion quickly gathered attention from the surrounding vehicles, creating a bottleneck of cars waiting for inspection due to the roadblock.A driver rolled down his window and called out to Landon, "Young man, you should get your girlfriend out of here. Don't let her cause a scene. You're lucky there's a roadblock; otherwise, it would be dangerous to act like this on the highway."Landon removed his helmet. "She's not a busybody; she's saving you all." He then looked at the driver. "You should thank her."The driver shook his head in confusion. "He's quite handsome. It's just that he's not in his right mind."A young child was sitting behind the driver. "Daddy, what are you saying? When will we get to
The officer stood in shock after Aria revealed herself as 001, the elusive commander of the Highest Operations Unit who had investigated Nymeria's church. Her identity was highly confidential and known to few. This revelation carried weight, and the officer immediately focused on checking on Damon.It quickly became apparent that Damon wasn't just drunkāhe was also transporting private gas. A potential accident involving such volatile materials could be catastrophic. The surrounding drivers started to break out in cold sweats, realizing just how close they had come to disaster."Dad, what happened?" the young boy asked after seeing how terrified his father was."Nothing much. We've met our life savior, that's all," the father replied, realizing how fortunate they were. Their car would have been trailing the truck for some distance. He also remembered a notorious intersection prone to car accidents ahead. Fortunately, the young woman had prevented the truck driver from proceeding.
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 organsādo 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 meantā
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 processādozens 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 treasonānot 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 residenceānot 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 conversationābarely.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 wayāonly 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 smashedāalong 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 riseāand 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 boomāthe 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 personaāit'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