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
Aria spoke calmly. "We'll see how long your sentence will be later. I can assure you that your father and grandfather will spend the rest of their lives in jail."She seemed to have thought of something as she continued, "Oh, right. There's also Mr. Dalton, who you've been wanting to see. He'll be accompanying you as well."Radley trembled as he reviewed the information. He had never imagined Gerald would be taken away for investigation. "You're lying! This is impossible! My grandpa is already retired. Plus, he has several merits to his name!"Gerald had taught him to stay calm when things get dangerous. As Radley was sure Aria wouldn't find any more evidence, Radley couldn't give himself away.Just as Radley was about to break down, he suddenly thought of that. He glared at Aria. "There's no need to scare me. You guys have no right to prosecute my grandpa."Aria's gaze darkened. "The results will determine whether we have the right. Until now, you have no remorse for what you d
Aria looked over and saw a mother and son standing by the door. The woman still had her apron on. She looked like an employee of a fruit chain store.The woman held her son's shoulder and walked forward. "A handsome man told us the bullying case is being handled here. Is this the right place?"Due to the unique nature of the bullying case, only the Special Missions Unit was authorized to handle it.Aria walked over to them. "Ma'am, you're in the right place. We're the ones handling it."The woman hurriedly said, "That's great! My son has some information to tell you. We hope this can help Shirley."Aria's eyes lit up. "What we need the most now is new clues. Thank you."It was then that Lucian lifted his head and looked at Aria. "Before I give you any information, I would like to ask the person in charge a few questions.""I'm the person in charge. Go ahead." Aria handed Sharon a cup of water. "Why don't we sit down and talk?"Lucian felt touched to see his mother respected. "I
Lucian clenched his hands. "This is especially the case for Ms. Wagar. She needs the help of the Karken family to be chosen as the best teacher. That's why she hinted to Shirley not to tell her family.""Ms. Wagar brought Shirley to take a shower." Lucian suddenly raised his head. "Our school is a boarding school with a bathroom right next to the dorms. The surveillance cameras are still working, so they should be able to capture Ms. Wagar taking Shirley to take a shower and change clothes." The surveillance cameras were indeed working. However, the school claimed something was wrong with the system, and the records were gone.This was nothing difficult for Aria. She took out her phone and sent a message. "Recover Summers International School's surveillance camera records. Get the areas around the stadium, the supply room, and the bathroom."After saying that, she asked Lucian, "Do you remember which day it happened?"Lucian could never forget about that day. "March 13th. It was
Lucian explained, "Someone contacted me after I made the anonymous report. They told me to bring the evidence for them to view. I was on alert and hung up the phone without saying anything."He added, "I called them using a public phone."Upon hearing that, Aria stroked his head. "You did great. I'll help you to publicize the things you didn't."Aria stood up while saying that, with Lucian following suit. "Miss."She turned back and saw Lucian's reddened eyes. "The grown-ups said bad people will go to hell. Will Radley and the others go to hell too?"Aria's gaze turned dark. "Of course. They have no reason not to go to hell."Lucian's face tensed up. "I'll wait to see their fate! I was too much of a coward back then. I owe Shirley, but I still want to tell her I managed to fulfill our promise."Lucian managed to pass the video to the person who could avenge Shirley at the right time. Lucian had not been doing well. He suffered from nightmares every night, seeing Radley and the
The old man hung up the call and called his secretary. "Inform my subordinates to report the bullying case as it is. There's no need to cover up anything.""But the Daley family is your—""Forget about that!" The old man pointed to the photo. "We need to give this girl justice!"In the meantime, Aria recovered all the videos and ordered Sam to post them online. Under normal circumstances, such cases wouldn't be made public. Many lawyers had predicted that the worst outcome for the bullies would be detention.However, the people online were stunned as the videos were revealed online. "The victim didn't take her own life. She was killed!""Although the person who provided the evidence got their voices altered, we can still hear that Shirley had been…""Oh, my goodness. Are they really less than 14 years old? They are more evil than demons!"As the bullies' faces were not censored this time, everyone could see their faces.It wasn't just a simple case of exclusion and not gett
Many people who saw Shirley's last words were touched, especially those with kids."How could they do that to such a kind child?""I found out online that Shirley is the daughter of a retired soldier.""They must punish the murderers!"Facing the public's overwhelming comments, the Department of Justice's officer cuffed Gerald.Gerald, who had wielded countless connections, revealed a look of fear for the first time. He widened his eyes when he saw the cuffs on him, screaming that he was innocent. Gerald had merits awarded by the country. He couldn't be dealt with like this!The officer understood what he was getting at. "There is concrete evidence about Radley for murder. The Daley family tried to destroy evidence, bribed officers, and blatantly ignored the law…"Gerald couldn't bear to hear what he said afterward. His face was pale, and his hands kept shaking. How could there be evidence on Radley? Could the Daley family still have a successor?Gerald looked at the officer
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