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
Jason instinctively wanted to contact Gerald when his assistant reminded him, "Mr. Dalton, Mr. Daley Senior should still be under investigation. I doubt he can take calls."Jason's face turned pale as he quickly said, "Go and gather previous discussions about Shirley. Now!"His assistant didn't understand what was happening. This was the first time he had seen him so anxious in all the years he had worked for him. The Daley family's case was not easy. After all, it was a high-profile case that required extra tactics to win. Jason didn't get stumped when he received the Daley family's request. Thus, why was he fretting now?The answer lay with Radley. The traits embedded in his genes were impossible to hide. His attitude took a major shift the more time he spent sitting on the chair.Jason should have arrived by now, but he was nowhere to be seen. Radley started to get a bit antsy.At this moment, Aria exchanged places with one of the interrogators. She entered the room and s
Landon cast a glance at Aria, curious about how much she actually knew about the stock market. She had always been modest about her knowledge, but he suspected there was more to her than she let on. The only one oblivious to Aria's true capabilities was Jett. Yet, he dared not refuse any request she made. Without hesitation, he tapped into his social circles, pulling strings where needed.Less than an hour later, Orion received word. A slow, chilling smile spread across his face. "So, the Grisham family wants to dip their hands into real estate too?"Arlo handed him a report. "Just as you predicted. It's not just real estate—Ms. Carver's making moves in the stock market as well. Fortunately, you already set a trap for Mr. Jett in advance."For the first time in days, Orion’s tension seemed to ease. A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Fine. Let them struggle their way in. I don't care how they do it, but make sure the Carver family is crushed in the stock market.""Understood." A
Jett asked, "What exactly are you after? There's no need to bring down the Draycott family so quickly. It's not like you can win. Didn't you join the Chamber of Commerce to take things slow? You just arrived in Ludwiten. Why the rush?""Am I in a rush?" Aria asked. She wasn't after the mastermind behind the Draycott family. If she were, she would've tied Orion to the financial building and let people take pictures all day—no need for mind games.The situation was too tangled, too many people involved. The Draycott family had managed to cover up something as blatant as that incident at the bar. Someone had to be cleaning up after them.Finding a few scapegoats would have been easy, but Aria wanted more. She wanted to uncover everyone who had spread rumors about Fiona in the past.And for some reason, despite their focus on the Grisham family, it felt like they were up against the Carvers. Whoever was behind this didn't want the Carvers to regain control of the Chamber of Commerce.
Jett grew more agitated as he spoke, waving his hands as if he wanted to tear Owen apart. Aria promptly stopped him. Otherwise, passersby might think he was an escaped patient from Ludwiten's mental asylum.Owen had done many foolish things, which Aria only discovered after arriving in Ludwiten and conducting her own investigation. Warren carried guilt toward Clyde because of Owen. And while Jett was normally timid, his words weren't wrong.When Owen first came to Ludwiten, he thought he could make it big, recklessly using the Grisham family's funds and resources. But he had been deceived by several people and lost everything.Not only was he foolish, but he was also malicious—leaving behind a disaster for the Grisham family to clean up. "Jett, calm down," Aria said. "I know Owen dragged the Grisham family down. He's already been punished and won't be coming out anytime soon."You and I both despise him, but let's stop dwelling on the past. He's not worth it."Jett had never
With Landon monitoring the stock market, Aria could walk right into Orion's trap. This way, Orion would let his guard down. When people felt confident, they invested more. Aria, well-versed in the stock market, understood this all too well. She had never intended to get rid of Lily. However, things were different this time. There was a limit to how much one could withstand another's viciousness. Aria doubted Lily could predict the market flawlessly—it was impossible, just as it was impossible for her to know everything.The logic was simple. If something fell outside one's area of expertise, even the most attentive observer would only grasp the outcome, not the details. Thinking it over, Aria realized Lily only knew about major events. The smaller ones seemed to escape her notice.If she put herself in Lily's shoes, it was like remembering which lottery would have a winner but not the exact numbers drawn.After all, no one knew when they would be reborn. The only way to acce
Malcolm did not know why Aria was asking, but he remembered the details clearly. "It was after that day." Aria tapped on the desk. "No wonder the Draycotts suddenly changed their market strategy. I get it now." What was she talking about? Before Malcolm could ask, Aria continued, "Some people are trying to cheat the system. Keep an eye on things, but stay safe. If anything happens, come to me first. "Like you said, they've got deep connections. Don't bother with the police—just keep the evidence." "Got it." Before hanging up, Malcolm asked, "Should we still watch the stock market?" Aria smirked. "Yes. They're not the only ones who can play dirty." Lily had probably been reborn too. But whatever Lily knew, Aria knew as well. She had never thought to use that knowledge this way before since it hadn't seemed necessary, but things were not the same now. If her dreams were real, then in her past life, Lily had only made it to Janovin. She had played the star medical student at
After being together all this time, Aria suddenly had a thought. Were she and Landon too distant from each other? No, "distant" was not quite the right word. It was more like they did not know each other well enough. Landon always felt just out of reach, like there was a fog between them. Simply put, he was not being straight with her. The thought left her feeling uneasy. Before she could say anything, her phone rang. It must be news about the Draycotts. It had to be something big for them to call so urgently. Aria glanced at the pair. Landon smiled. "If you have questions, Jett, feel free to talk with my manager, Ms. Virelle." Manager? Seraphina caught on quickly. "Mr. Grisham, shall we step outside?" Jett was still trying to process everything. "Wait." Balancing business and personal matters as usual, Aria held her phone up and said, "I heard Ms. Virelle used to work at the Draycotts' club. Let's have a chat later." Seraphina froze, glancing at Landon. Seeing his bl
Seraphina could not let her mind go there. Maybe she should've stayed in Netherrealm for a few more years. It was not so bad down there anyway. Landon barely spared her a glance, keeping his eyes on Jett with polite interest. "Won't you sit, Jett?"Sit? Jett could barely remember why he had come in the first place. Landon's voice snapped him back. "I... Mr. York, excuse me for asking, but what's your relationship with Ms. Virelle?""She works for me." Landon glanced at Seraphina. "Ms. Virelle? That's a new title."Jett stumbled over his words. "She works for you?""Yes," Landon said casually, like it was the most obvious thing. "Isn't it obvious?"Jett could not imagine the Yorks being in that kind of business. From Jett's expression alone, Landon could guess what kind of mess his people had made in Ludwiten. Since he had been dragged into it now, he figured he owed the Grishams an explanation. "I planted her in the Draycott family. The Yorks need a foothold in Ludwiten."So
Getting out of there wasn't going to be easy. Aria did not waste any time. She moved fast behind the suite divider, her laugh carrying a different note than usual. "What a shame."Landon's hand paused as he fixed her hair, his voice as smooth as ever. "I could have them leave.""Bad timing. My cousin's out there." Aria glanced at him, taking in that perfect collarbone of his. No wonder they used to call him the untouchable one, with all those socialites dying for just a smile.She had never given much thought to that kind of thing before. All those times working with patients, she had kept things strictly professional. But things felt different now, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Her gorgeous fiancé had a way of making her lose her head.Landon pulled his hand back while looking down. "We should meet with your cousin. I hear the Grishams like to evaluate their in-laws.""Huh?" That had not crossed her mind. He did not seem like someone who would care about app
Aria felt something wild coming off him. It was not hatred, but something close. She was too caught up to figure out what it was. She had never felt anything like this before; it was like she was floating. Her eyes were open, but she could not focus. Even his breathing felt like an invasion, starting at her ear and spreading through her whole body. When his fingers pressed into her waist, instinct made her try to push him away. That was a bad move—it only made things more intense. He lit her up like a match, heat spreading from her neck downward till she had to tilt her head back just to breathe. It reminded her of that hazy dream, the one in which she had been caught between sleep and waking, her pulse racing and her skin on fire. But it did not feel exactly the same because what she was feeling now was real. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpses of the river through the massive windows. The view was blurry, but it was enough to remind her where she was. Unable t