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
At that moment, Aria walked inside the room. "I'm afraid not. Just because there's evidence not released to the public doesn't mean it doesn't exist. You're being too impatient, Mr. Dalton."After seeing Aria, Jason exclaimed, "Ms. Carver."Before coming, Gerald had warned him that the person investigating the case was influential. Now that Gerald had been taken away, Jason was the only one left to deal with matters.However, Jason didn't expect to see Aria under such circumstances. He knew more about Percy, her brother.Jason's biggest nightmare was going against Percy in court, and he didn't want to offend Percy's sister either.Jason stood up, wanting to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Carver. I saw your photo on your brother—Percy's social media before. I didn't expect to meet you so soon."It was obvious he wanted to get close to her.Aria smiled and didn't reject the handshake, even tightening her grip. "I saw your résumé, Mr. Dalton. You've been a great help to the
Miguel had worked so hard to climb out of being just another underpaid teacher. Most people would have been thrilled to land a principal job, but Miguel got greedy. He never cared about shaping young minds. As he often said, "It's just a paycheck. Only losers pass up money to preach about education." That mentality might fly in small towns, but in the big city, these kids wouldn't stand a chance based on merit alone. Miguel wasn't exactly looking down on his students—he just knew the situation in each class best. Students with or without local residency permits would face different college admissions standards. Rich families already had their children's overseas education lined up, so there was no sweat required. Even if they had bad grades, it wouldn't be a problem. They could still go abroad and buy themselves a fancy degree. Money talked, and that was the harsh reality. Miguel needed that Department of Education position to set his son up right. It was pretty ironic for a
Aria would definitely have the principal of Oakvale Academy detained eventually, but not now. The moment Miguel was in custody, the people pulling his strings would smell trouble. Based on past cases, they'd likely cut all connections immediately. All their carefully gathered leads could vanish in seconds. So Miguel needed to stay free for now and even remain in plain sight. Aria said, "Don't tell your principal about what happened today." She looked at Eden. "When you go back, just attend classes like how you normally do. If Mr. Sonder asks about you, tell him you're still thinking it over. "Show how nervous you are about this, but also hint that you're eager to go abroad. You're just not quite ready yet. "Don't tell anyone about our conversation. I've added you as a contact. If anything seems off, text me immediately. "Someone will be protecting you 24/7, and your family too. So don't be afraid." As she spoke, Aria stood up. "Let's go. I'll take you back to school. They
"I don't know what Judy meant by that," Eden said as she looked up. "She never talked like that before." "Got it," Aria said, zooming in on the photo. By looking at the brand of the chocolate drink and the surrounding buildings, she could nail down the exact location. Without hesitation, she sent it to Sam for analysis. Something about this "interview" smelled fishy. She had to see firsthand what kind of meeting would change a simple and positive girl like Judy. "About those selected applicants—do you know exactly who they were?" Aria dug deeper with her questions. Once she had names, she could connect the dots between the students. These patterns would reveal what the buyers were looking for. Human trafficking was a high-stakes criminal business, and Aria did not believe this was just about exploiting young girls. The bar incident had been her wake-up call. She needed the full picture before making her move. She would just spook them if she jumped in too soon. Their oper
Aria needed to identify all the "buyers". Missing even one buyer could mean one more student was sold. "Do the selected applicants have anything in common besides their family situations?" Aria asked, and Eden shook her head. But she then added, "Everyone had good grades, so nobody ever questioned why they were chosen for scholarships. Nothing seemed fishy about it." Aria made a mental note about the good grades, then scrolled through Judy's Facebook feed. This kind of investigation was pretty straightforward for her. Even without being accepted as a friend, she could hack in easily. From her posting habits, Judy seemed like an optimist. She was a nice girl who rarely posted anything negative. But one post made Aria scroll back and look twice. The post was cheerful, with a sunny photo and a cup of chocolate. But the text caught her attention. It read, "About to start my new life! All my hard work has paid off. The interview was kind of weird, but no big deal. Let's go!" Ar
The person on the other end of the call didn't speak. He just nodded with a pouty little face from behind a computer screen. It was actually Sam. He'd been working behind the scenes all along, especially when investigating the Wagner situation. Having him tail Philip was the least suspicious option. Simon was available too, but his presence would definitely attract unwanted attention as a beast of fortune. Since they were dealing with an arcane seeker, bringing Simon would be like handing them a treasure. So Aria made the call to have Sam follow Philip, while Simon stayed with Landon. Aria was not worried about her handsome fiancé being in danger. It was only because Simon would be safest with him. The Yorks carried heavenly fortune. As long as there was no fated ordeal in play, anyone who tried to harm Landon would likely meet a bad end. After all, that purple energy surrounding him wasn't just for show. With Simon staying near him, Simon could mask Landon's aura while also
"Yeah, that's right," the rest of the burly men chimed in. The whole scene was painfully forced and fake. In reality, they just wanted to leave. But Aria wasn't about to let them off so easily. She figured she would return the favor since they'd been asking about her. She asked, "Oh, so the Draycotts owe your company money? Which company is that?" Viggo had not expected this question. He froze momentarily, then quickly replied, "Our company is small, so it's not worth mentioning. It's nothing compared to yours." "It's admirable how your company can sponsor students despite being a small one." Aria's compliment was delivered flatly. Viggo's scalp tingled with unease. "It's actually our investor. He doesn't just fund us but many companies. He came from a small town himself and wants to help these students get better learning conditions." "Now that's a rare and kind soul. I'd love to meet him sometime." Aria said casually, "Since we've had such a fortunate encounter, let's exc
The three men Aria had knocked to the ground were hurting all over, yet she had the nerve to talk about following the law. Viggo knew his men were losing their cool. After all, they'd never been humiliated like this in Ludwiten before. He quickly moved to block them, forcing a smile. "Yes, you're absolutely right. "Well, they say you never really know someone until you trade a few punches. You look unfamiliar, though. You're not from Ludwiten, are you?" Viggo was fishing for information about Aria. He needed to know who she was and why their operation had suddenly derailed today. But someone as shrewd as Aria instantly caught his meaning, so she smirked. Since things had already escalated this far, it did not matter whether she revealed her identity or not. Whoever was behind these men would investigate her anyway. It was better to draw all the attention to herself now while her senior and the Public Integrity Task Force gathered evidence behind the scenes. That way, they cou
Viggo tried to explain, "You've got it all wrong—we don't mean any harm. We were just told to pick Ms. Bohmer up for paperwork. "Ms. Bohmer's a top student, and her school recommended her for study abroad. Just ask her if you don't believe me." Viggo shifted the spotlight to Eden. He figured a student like her wouldn't know how to speak up. Indeed, Eden was terrible at lying. Under Aria's watchful gaze, she nodded. She then added, "But something about them felt off. Maybe I was just being paranoid when I asked for your help." She couldn't very well tell this stranger that everything was based on a hunch, that these people gave her the creeps. They hadn't crossed any lines yet, but something felt wrong. She just couldn't put her finger on what. Eden struggled to explain, but Aria cut right to the chase. "So are you saying you need eight beefy men to escort a girl like her just to fill out some study abroad forms? Can't the teachers or the proper agencies handle it? "Looking
Hearing this, Viggo frowned. The burly men exchanged glances too as they sized up the person in front of them. They'd been in Ludwiten so long but had never met anyone as bold as Aria. They all figured that she must be some out-of-town wealthy heir who didn't know the rules here. She was practically asking for trouble when she blocked their way. These people didn't follow the stock market much. If they had, they'd know that a certain young lady had arrived in town not long ago. And she was someone who was good at dealing with those who crossed her. "You should ask around about who runs things here before acting so cocky. Since you like it here, stay right here with your bike!" As they spoke, one of them walked toward Aria aggressively, raising his arm to throw a punch. The rest moved in at the same time. But before the man could touch Aria, his hand was suddenly caught. Aria moved fast. With one leg braced against her motorcycle as a pivot point, she lunged forward and droppe