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
There were more comments online."Boys should protect girls! You'll no longer be in pain, Shirley. You're the best. Why don't we become friends in the future? I'm studying at Sunshine Kindergarten's kiddie class. Don't get lost."I don't really know how to type, so Mommy is the one typing it. I can even share my favorite biscuits with you. Shirley, don't worry. Mommy said these bad people will get the punishment they deserve.""I can only say an eye for an eye. Also, please return the merit to Draco."More and more comments were posted beneath the official account. Nobody wanted to forgive the few demons.Radley was a minor, and he relied on the tactics Gerald taught to look confident. However, Aria could tell by a glance if he was really afraid. Tiffany was in shock, with no other thoughts on her mind. Krissa was also crying, and she trembled when she heard she was going to jail. Aria didn't treat them like children. After all, she highly doubted those who thought of the shee
When Aria entered the interrogation room, Radley was drinking water. His hand froze when she saw her.Aria started calmly, "You thought all the evidence was gone, but we have all of them. As for your grandfather's merit, I think he didn't mention this to you. A lot of educators were taken away at that time. I was the one who brought them back."Aria continued, "One of the few things I regret is not taking a closer look at your grandfather's face. Don't worry. All of you will reunite soon.""What do you mean?" Radley suddenly stood up and tugged on his cuffs.Aria pressed the stop recording button on the camera. "Aren't you going to accompany your family members in jail?"She looked at him. "It's fine if you don't. You're quite young and smart. As a minor, you should know you won't be sentenced to jail for your entire life. I think going to jail is way too less of a punishment for you."She looked at the corner of the room. "So I suggested Shirley let you have a taste of the fear
Landon, who had almost recovered, could see souls that ordinary people couldn't. This included the souls that were trapped.Landon, standing by the door in a sharp suit, seemed out of place. He carried a calm and scholarly air, unaffected by anything. This was the scene Aria saw when she got out of the room. She raised her eyebrows and walked over to him.Before she got closer, he turned around as if waiting for her. His eyes were striking, and his voice was low as he spoke. "Is everything settled?"At that moment, Aria thought the scene felt familiar. It was as if she had seen something similar. However, it didn't happen here; it happened at a palace in the skies. Landon stood bathed in light and wore a deep red robe. When he turned to look at her, he had a smile on his face.Aria shook her head, trying to get rid of the scene. It was easy for her to get reality and imagination jumbled up.However, Landon gently held her shaking head. He looked down at her with an arched eyeb
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