Since Shirley died at school, the administration should bear primary responsibility. They could throw Julia under the bus to appease public anger, and then the rest of their families could be saved. This was a tried and true method. Having found their scapegoat, Ivor and Orson exchanged glances. A daughter-in-law was certainly not as important as the Karken family's survival, so Gordon would agree to their plan. There were two others in addition to the Daley and Meyer families. Both were involved in the business industry, so they would naturally follow Ivor's lead. "But no one from my side can reach Gordon still." Orson had tried calling repeatedly but with no response. Ivor found it strange, but a call came from home just then. It was Gerald's longtime driver. "Mr. Daley, Mr. Daley Senior told you to calm public sentiment first. He's called the internet department. None of you should respond; everything's under control. "After that, find the girl's parents. This can all be r
Julia, who should have been the scapegoat, had already been arrested. It was even recorded on video right in the police car. The footage was clear. Julia seemed agitated and had lost all her composure as a principal. She screamed and demanded to be released, even shouting, "Do you have any idea what you'll face from arresting someone at school? Does Mr. Meyer know about this?" She had not just dug her own grave—she had thrown Orson under the bus with her. Orson dropped all pretense. "That idiot! Who's behind this investigation? Mr. Daley, you can see it in this video, don't you? Whoever's gunning for us has to be an insider! "Don't you recognize that vehicle too? Your family's got deep connections in the police force. So, who would dare move against us without even giving you a heads-up? "Fine, maybe you were kept in the dark. But does Mr. Daley Senior not know anything about this too?" Orson's suspicions made sense. This was such a big operation with Julia already in custody
Gerald pretended to sound righteous as he asked those questions. Aria deflected effortlessly, "Public confidence is built on fairness. You're the ones making parents afraid to send their kids to school. "You're living off taxpayers' money, yet you're acting without basic humanity. Let me remind you, Mr. Daley Senior, your grandson Radley is one of the bullies." "Yes, he should be lectured for bullying classmates." Gerald narrowed his eyes. "The Daley family shows no favoritism, and there are proper procedures for handling this. Who'll take responsibility for the chaos you've caused by exposing our identities?" Aria's voice was light. "Exposing your identities? Mr. Daley Senior, do you have proof? I've been at the school, so how could I expose your identities?" "You just admitted to releasing the videos!" Even the experienced Gerald was irritated by her audacity. "Oh, that." Aria said carelessly, "Yes, I released the initial videos. However, the well-meaning online community
"A student like this wouldn't bully others. They probably just didn't get along. They're all minors, so we shouldn't judge kids so harshly. Let's hear their side of the story." "Exactly! I can't believe this young man would bully anyone. Look how patient he is with kittens! He's handsome and could easily study abroad, but he chose to stay and help develop our city. I'm literally crying!" "There must be some misunderstanding. This witch hunt feels too much. Since Radley's a top student, we need to investigate more. A bullying label can ruin a good student's life. Let's not destroy a kid's future." "Maybe ask yourself why out of the whole school, only your kid got bullied." "It's better to build mental toughness than blame the environment. No one can prevent suicide." "Right? I heard she lived a questionable lifestyle as she probably needed money... A young man of Radley's status wouldn't associate with people like her." "From those videos, he seemed to have solid values! I d
However, the airport ground personnel stopped Radley and Krissa in the next second."Are you Radley Daley and Krissa Meyer? You have been placed under travel restrictions."Radley refused to believe it. "No way. Here's my passport!"He wasn't a citizen of Farshya, so they didn't have the right to restrict his travel."That's right. Please come with us, " the ground personnel signaled to the person next to him.This was the first time Radley encountered such a situation despite numerous trips abroad. The reporters were inching in, and the camera lights were still on. Nobody seemed to be maintaining order either.Radley started to get impatient. Although he was underage and not really tall, the way he spoke didn't seem like an immature child at all. He shouted, "I have a passport that proves I'm an official citizen of Athara. You have no right to restrict my freedom! Get out of the way! I need to board soon!""Mr. Daley." Felix wanted to stop Radley, but he was holding onto too
The ground personnel knew he couldn't make a move on a minor. However, since Radley refused to cooperate, he could take proper action.With a swift move, the ground personnel flung Radley to the ground.Radley didn't expect the ground personnel to actually make a move. He yelled, "I want to go to Athara! Let me go! You have no right to stop me!"At that moment, everyone in the country knew he was a liar who pretended to love his country.Some commented online, "It's a wake-up call to those worshipping his status. He's Atharian, and I'm sure you can see if he's patriotic or not.""Having a cat cannot justify his bullying. How could you all praise him for being kind just because he fed a cat? He bullied a person!""Can all of you stop worshipping his face and money? Radley is just a scumbag!"Aria's voice also sounded through the loudspeakers. "Did you all hear that? To those who blindly sympathize with him, please rethink your choices. You're sympathizing with a bully today, but
For example, the airport was in chaos because of Sam. To smooth things over, Aria even used Landon's connections to give the airport personnel a heads-up. Naturally, she also offered them some compensation, as the incident might disrupt flight schedules.As everyone online watched the people involved being apprehended, Gerald's schemes were rendered ineffective.Ivor was the first to be taken away, followed closely by Orson. Although the families were together, each case was handled by different departments and required separate investigations.Gerald was also summoned to his workplace for questioning. He was much more cunning and thoughtful than the others. As he had contributed to the country before, he didn't believe their family would get into any major trouble.The most troublesome issue was that Radley had claimed he was an Atharian on camera. Gerald needed to find a way to settle this.Before Gerald entered the car, he gripped the walking cane. "Sir, can I have a word wit
Aria's subordinate asked, "Ms. Carver, do you want to meet the Daley family's lawyer?" Aria flipped through the case records and asked, " Have we still not received a copy of Shirley's autopsy report?"Her subordinate shook his head.Aria gripped the document with a gloomy look. "Go and search for the footage from the day of the incident and investigate how deeply the Daley family is involved. Why is there no autopsy report? How many people are involved? Send a copy of the name list to the Department of Justice."If the Daley family wants to use underage law to protect their grandson, so be it. All of them can be sent off to jail. Besides, I am suspicious about Shirley's death. Please apply to reinvestigate her death." Her subordinate was stunned. "Ms. Carver?"Aria was firm. "Go ahead. I want an answer in half an hour.""Understood."Meanwhile, the Daley family's lawyer, Jason Dalton, was very confident. He even planned to request Radley's release, citing his poor health as
Landon looked out the window. "You'll be immune to ghosts once you see more of them. Have you ever seen a fortune teller dispelling a manifestation in the mountains? They were as afraid as you when they first started."With more experiences and encounters, they would come to realize that the world is a strange place—and eventually, they would get used to it."Aria thought the same way as Landon did. She didn't want Lettie to be trapped in self-doubt after the incident ended. Aria had encountered many patients who wrestled with the same question. "What kind of person would do such a thing? They were the ones in the wrong, not me. So why was I the one being scolded?"The world was unfair, and one had to understand this to retaliate against the unjust. Aria could have left the incident as it was, but she used this tactic to get Lettie to move on. When Lettie saw the first comment, her hand shook and she struggled to breathe. She trembled violently when she saw the photo. Some of th
Marrying into the Hendricks family would have been perfect. Too bad Paxton's hesitation led to this mess. Celestia would have to lay low for now. Social media reactions were just like Celestia expected. The online community jumped on the marketing accounts' narrative. "Exposé—The Truth Behind the Viral Story!" "We Worried for Nothing—She's Back with the Cheater!" "See? Why should we sympathize with housewives? Not only was she love-blind, but she also played the victim for attention and used us for views. She's running back to her husband's arms!" While the workers at the comment-farming company posted these messages, they had no idea that the cybercrime officers were at their door. There was no chance to escape at all; it was an immediate shutdown. They still could not figure out how their "secure" operation was exposed! Meanwhile, Celestia sat in her car as she scrolled through the comments. Delighted, her eyes lit up as she replied, "If you meet a cheater in real life, g
Cold sweat broke out on Paxton's back as realization hit. Percy was here. Judging from Aria's attitude now, could Percy be handling the divorce case? Panicking, his earlier confidence crumbled. Paxton hurried toward the parking garage. Daisy yelled at him from behind. She was crying so hard she lost a shoe. "Dad! Dad!" Paxton suddenly exploded and said, "Stop following me, you useless waste! You can't even repeat simple instructions! All that money on your education, and this is what I get? Where's your brain?" Daisy froze, her face draining of color. She had never seen her father like this. Though rarely home, he always brought her dolls and chocolates from abroad. Her classmates envied her, and Amara called her Daddy's princess. As she uncertainly reached for his shirt, he shoved her away. "Go find your grandmother! Idiot!" Daisy stood stunned. Paxton had not even noticed her scraped foot bleeding. Her eyes widened in recognition. This was just like how things were with Ama
"I... I..." Daisy faltered as she was unprepared for Aria's words. Paxton and Daisy had come hoping to manipulate Lettie as they always had. In marriages, visible violence might draw outside sympathy. But such psychological torture of exploiting Lettie's maternal love, pushing her boundaries, and destroying her self-worth was far more terrifying. As a doctor, Aria's expertise went beyond healing bodies. She specialized in psychology. Lettie's condition wasn't just trauma; it was long-term emotional abuse. Aria had seen Lettie's sleeping pills. With her pregnancy affecting hormones, they needed to address her emotional pain. If not, Aria worried Lettie might break. Aria touched her amethyst pendant. Sometimes, abandoning all illusions was the only way to start over. For mothers, children were their deepest attachment. It was better to see clearly now than suffer endless emotional manipulation. "I'm not going back with you two. I want a divorce, and I will get one." Lettie's ha
Indeed, Lettie hesitated. She looked at her daughter instinctively. After all, blood ties could not be easily broken. Paxton seized this moment to step forward and hug her. "Lettie, I knew you couldn't give up on our family. I've really learned my lesson. We'll move out and keep Mom from interfering. Please?" His movements were too quick for Lettie to react. Aria sat there with a smirk, her gaze drifting to the window. It was a great photo spot indeed. It would be a perfect picture of an adorable daughter, a caring husband, and a forgiving wife. This would become a narrative of quick reconciliation that would betray the public's support. Aria had even thought of headlines for Celestia's post. Too bad she hadn't come inside. If she had, seeing Aria's face might have shaken her confidence. Lettie didn't let Paxton's embrace last. Once she recovered, she shoved him away. Then, came the slap. "You're absolutely shameless!" Lettie could not believe his act, even now. Glancing a
As Amara stood there trembling, it drew stares from onlookers. She could not believe her son would speak to her this way. It was Paxton who had begged her to help, saying Celestia wanted to meet Daisy. He even asked her to arrange it so the girl would accept them when the divorce happened. That way, Don would not interfere too much. As a mother, how could she ignore her son's troubles? He had gone on about Celestia's background—how cultured she was and how her parents were prestigious lawyers in Ludwiten. Amara had been impressed. A simple housewife like Lettie could not possibly compare to a Ludwiten socialite. Through Amara's investigation, she found out that the Norwoods were renowned in legal circles. Daisy's grandfather was even a senior judge. That was the kind of woman worthy of her son. She had done everything to help him seize this opportunity, but how had she become the villain? Amara clenched her fists. She understood what Paxton meant now. He was making her the sc
"Now more people would hate mothers-in-laws like us." "My daughter says this isn't over. Just wait; she'll get what's coming to her." Amara had planned to go to the supermarket but ended up hiding at home, afraid to go downstairs. Don was still at the university studying his latest archaeological finds, unaware of everything. She trembled thinking about what he would do to her when he found out. Panicking, she grabbed her coat and followed them. "Paxton, let me come with you. I'll make sure you don't get taken advantage of." "Mom!" Paxton's tone became impatient. "Look how many people are outside waiting to mock us! If you come, our whole family will end up all over social media. I could take Daisy to the café unnoticed, but not you. People can't stand the sight of you right now." Amara gritted her teeth. "They can't stand me? These people have nothing better to do than meddle in our family affairs! What's wrong with our family not wanting Lettie anymore?" "Mom! How can you
Celestia still had no idea what awaited her. She had been a bully since middle school, and her family would always clean up her messes. To her, Lettie was just some washed-up housewife who couldn't possibly understand how to harness social media's power, unlike herself, since this was her bread and butter. She knew the online community craved plot twists upon plot twists. Before leaving the car, Celestia gripped her phone, nervous about all her hidden misdeeds. But if she could destroy Lettie's image, she could profit from this viral outrage. Paxton picked up Daisy, who couldn't stop crying. "Dad, is Mom really divorcing you? Everyone online is attacking me. They're saying I'm a terrible daughter and not worth keeping. Even my classmates are laughing at me. Dad, please make up with Mom!" Paxton massaged his throbbing temples. "Daisy, that's why I'm here to pick you up. You have to make up with your mother. To stop the online hate, you need to act in a way that makes your mother
Then, Celestia could immediately post a video claiming she never knew he was married when they met. That would be the best way to shift the narrative. Paxton thought about it and said, "Fine, I'll go sweet-talk her." They needed to reconcile, or the book "Voices" would no longer be his. He could lose his job, but not that book.Nobody in Farshya knew how much money it was making overseas. It had earned 50 million in annual royalties, and film studios were already showing interest. He would never give up this book! Paxton lowered his gaze. "I'll bring Daisy along. Lettie can't stand seeing our daughter suffer, so she'll back down for her sake." But this time, Paxton's calculations would surely prove wrong. Celestia stood up. "I'm coming too. I'll wait outside." She could not stay here anyway. Paxton frowned. "Don't let her see you." "I'm not stupid. I'll take photos of you two making up and post them online. That will make it credible." Celestia knew her game. "Remember, d