"For years, I've only heard your messages. I don't even know what the master looks like. It's either you don't trust me, or the master's identity needs to stay hidden." Ian spoke slowly, "Either way, now that things have gone sideways, I need to meet him face to face!" "I'll relay your request to the master," William said. "Once things cool down, a meeting shouldn't be a problem." Ian dropped his thoughts of destroying everything, including William. "Make sure your cleanup is thorough. Don't let the Yorks trace this back to me." "Of course, sir." William bowed. But his face twisted into a sneer the moment he turned away. This fool was getting too big for his boots. Just because he called him "Mr. Carver", Ian really thought he was somebody. Without their help, Ian would still be the Carver family's servant. He was just an adopted son, after all. They had only invested in him because the Carver name made their work easier. If he became useless, they would have no problem disca
"As a top international school, our students are very united. Some just face more academic pressure than others." Jenny changed her tone as she was trying to avoid conflict. "Kids nowadays overthink everything. When parents aren't attentive to their mental health, there's only so much the school can do. "Shirley's death devastates me too, but we should examine why this happened. Maybe her parents put too much pressure on her." Jenny pointed to the surveillance camera outside. "Two weeks before she jumped, she had a fight with her mother. As teachers, we can't say much about this. Sometimes parents are too harsh and may embarrass their children in public. Kids can break under that pressure." Her words were clearly manipulative. Aria tapped her phone screen and smirked. "So you played a part in this too then." "What part?" Jenny protested. "I'm just analyzing—" Aria cut her off, flashing a police badge. "Save the analysis. Given your leading testimony, we'll take you in directl
Just as Tiffany was about to laugh, the door flew open with a bang. Jenny's anxious voice called out, "The principal isn't here right now. Any questions will have to wait until she returns— "Ms. Wagar, why are you making such a fuss?" Tiffany stood up irritably. Looking up, she saw someone else besides Jenny at the door. Seeing it was a young woman, she did not bother hiding her arrogance. "Are you looking for my mom? She's not here. People these days have no manners when asking for favors." Tiffany examined her nails with disdain. She assumed this was just another person seeking her mother's influence. Aria studied the middle schooler before her. There was not a clean spot on her soul. She reeked of corruption and darkness that oozed from within. This kind of person was rare. Though the sacrifice did not know it, Pahana had the ability to amplify one's true nature. Someone as fundamentally evil as Tiffany was worse than the undead spirits in some ways. "I'm not here for
"Got it, boss. And so did Ms. Wharton behind me." The call had been connected the whole time. At the other end was Julia Wharton, the principal of Summers International School whom Aria had already arranged to be brought into a police car. She had been called in for questioning unexpectedly. But instead of an interrogation, they had simply placed a phone on speaker. At first, Julia did not understand what they were doing and stayed silent. She knew how to deal with such situations, so she waited for her lawyer as usual. But when she heard them mention her daughter's name, she started to panic. She tried to leave, but they locked the car doors. "A reminder, Ms. Wharton—our Highest Operations Unit answers to no local authority. Your connections mean nothing to us. If you hurt yourself struggling, that's on you." Julia regretted not getting out earlier. "This is entrapment!" Julia screamed toward the phone. "Tiffany, don't talk to her! Tiffany!" She screamed herself hoarse,
Hearing that, Tiffany felt her whole body go cold. "You have no right to take my phone, you—" Tiffany's protest was cut short as Aria pulled out her badge. "Undercover operation. I have every right to do so." That was when Tiffany realized she had been played. The officer was so young and carried herself more like someone from the streets than law enforcement. It was why Tiffany had not been on guard. Aria had provoked her on purpose to show her true colors. Knowing she was in trouble, Tiffany mimicked what she had seen in movies. "I need to contact my parents. I want our family lawyer present." "Go ahead." Aria was unfazed. "But first, you are a primary instigator of school bullying who systematically harassed and tormented Shirley Pollard. As a result, she suffered severe psychological trauma and took her own life. I have the legal authority to question you." When Shirley's name came up, Tiffany felt a moment of fear. But she quickly regained her composure. Everyone at scho
Despite being one of the Four Perils, Sam had his strengths and limitations. His vocabulary was not exactly expansive, so it was hard for him to describe what he found. So, he simply forwarded the chat logs between Radley and Tiffany to his boss. "You slept with that skank, didn't you?" This was Tiffany questioning Radley. He replied with a shrugging emoji, "You're imagining things." "Don't deny it. I saw all of it. The three of you even took pictures of her." Radley seemed annoyed. "Just drop it, Tiffany. Let me take you out for afternoon tea." "She's dirt poor, and you still went for her. Radley, don't forget you're still my boyfriend! Of all people, why Shirley? You know how much I hate her!" Then came Radley's attempt to coax Tiffany, "I was just having fun. She's already damaged goods. You should be happy about that." Aria gripped her phone tightly. Though she had expected things to be dark, seeing it firsthand still made it hard to contain her rage. "Find them all.
Gordon laughed incredulously. "You couldn't stop them? This is a school! It's crucial exam season now! Who's going to take responsibility if this disrupts the students?" "Yes, you're absolutely right, but the investigator..." the principal hesitated. He did not quite know how to describe someone he had not met but whose presence was incredibly intimidating. Gordon scoffed. "No one can conduct investigations like this by completely disregarding the consequences. Let's see who's being so disrespectful of protocol!" Just as he finished speaking, he rounded the corner and saw a man drinking tea outside the classroom. A pear tree below the building was shedding its blossoms onto the ground. When Gordon recognized the man, he froze mid-step. Before he could react, Landon barely lifted his eyelids. His voice was cold yet melodious. "It's been quite a while since I've left school, so I don't really know the school protocols. "Perhaps you could educate me on how to abuse one's posit
Even on the day Shirley jumped, the officer had provided Tiffany with a counselor during the interrogation and treated her mother, Julia, with respect. Today, they seemed to have thrown all the protocols out the window. "I'm going to report you! You're disrupting my classes! You can kiss your badge goodbye!" Pahana's influence was not all bad. Rainy days could affect emotions, and the rainwater contained elements that brought out one's deepest thoughts. That was exactly why Aria had brought Pahana along. Earlier, Tiffany had been sweet-talking the officers with evil intentions. She revealed nothing throughout the questioning and showed no cracks. Unlike now, when her screaming nearly gave Gordon a heart attack! Gordon clutched his chest. He did not need to look at Landon's face to know he was finished. They had not revealed their identities and interrogated Tiffany at school. It was clearly all to prevent any leaks and bait him into coming to rescue her. The moment he arrived