At that moment, Celestia reveled in her own brilliance. A smug smile spread across her face as she watched her followers soar. Everything was unfolding exactly as she had planned.Sitting in the car, she felt a surge of satisfaction. She knew that an old hag like Lettie wouldn't stand a chance against her.Just as Celestia was about to reply to some online comments, a few screenshots suddenly appeared in her feed.Her smile faltered, and her face drained of color. Her hands shook so violently that she nearly dropped her phone.The screenshots revealed her private conversations with Derek and several other men, including male classmates who had been pursuing her.Celestia had intended to explain things to Derek once the situation died down, but she never anticipated that such a personal exchange would be exposed to the public.Her eyes widened as she stared at her phone, frantically deleting the comment. But more and more identical comments appeared, and soon, even her fans had no
Derek ended the call with a sharp click, the sound of the disconnection echoing like a slap to Celestia's face.For the first time, Celestia felt a deep, paralyzing fear. If she couldn't clear the air, her entire career would be destroyed. Years of hard work, of carefully cultivating her popularity, could all vanish in an instant.Not only was Derek actively searching for her, but even the loyal followers she once called "simps" were beginning to question her. Her phone buzzed incessantly with messages.Simp 1 was still in disbelief. "Celestia, the screenshots online are fake, right? That old hag is just trying to ruin you. I know you're not materialistic. You've never even accepted the gifts I sent you."Celestia knew she needed someone to vouch for her. She changed his nickname and sent him a screenshot. Then, with a pleading tone, she recorded a voice message. "I don’t understand why these rumors are spreading. This is what my actual screen looks like."As expected, Messiah sto
001 continued, "The reason why she didn't accept your money is because she thought it was too little, and she turned down your takeout because it wasn't to her taste. You really are a simp, aren't you?"Her words immediately set off a firestorm in the comments section. After all, no one had dared to reveal their identity after spilling such gossip before.At this point, both Celestia and Messiah found themselves under intense scrutiny. Messiah's face flushed with embarrassment. Sitting in front of his computer, he was about to defend himself when the screenshots and videos Aria sent made him realize he had been the fool all along.Celestia had thought of him as nothing more than a simp. Meanwhile, Messiah, unable to believe the girl he loved could treat him this way, repeatedly called her, but she refused to answer.What he didn't know was that Celestia didn't have the time to explain. She was focused on getting her parents' help to get her out of this mess.Celestia couldn't st
Derek continued to explain himself online, "I'm a scumbag through and through. To show my remorse, my wife and I will make my mistress repay the money I spent on her. Additionally, I'll donate all the money to Ms. Lettie Newman and Hope Manufactures."The online community was confused by the mention of Lettie Newman."Lettie Newman is the author of 'Voices'. She's the wife of the person involved in this mess.""This world is strange. His way of handling things is... unique," someone else commented."Right? It looks like Celestia's been destroying other people's families for a while now!"Celestia felt her mind unravel. She couldn't understand why Derek was helping Lettie, especially when he was demanding money back from her."Celestia, what's going on? Did something happen again?" Audriana asked, worry evident in her voice.Celestia broke down. "Mom, what should I do now? I don't know what to do!""Come home first and stop engaging with people online. We're here for you," Audri
The truth had finally come to light, and justice prevailed.Celestia, who had always believed her fame could shield her from the consequences of her actions, was now facing the backlash. Her arrogance, manifested in her contempt for ordinary people—whom she often insulted as "old hags" or "nobodies"—had backfired. Even her loyal fans had remained silent. Meanwhile, the online focus had shifted to the Hendricks family.Amara, frantic, called an ambulance, hoping to wait for her husband's support. Her neighbors, however, were left speechless, advising her to lay low for the time being.Don, who had been unaware of the incident until later, learned of it through his students. Upon hearing the full details, his face darkened. He leaned heavily on the table, muttering under his breath, "I can't believe this."Without wasting a moment, Don returned home. As soon as Amara saw him, she prepared to vent her frustration about Lettie. But Don didn't give her the chance. His hands trembled a
"I'm aware of it. I'm the one who did it." Aria didn't hide anything. "You asked me to take a look at something previously, and I have some clues for it now as well."Don was stunned momentarily. Then, he sighed and said, "You did the right thing, Ms. Carver. My son is truly a huge jerk. Never have I thought he would turn into someone like this. "It's bad enough that he didn't take any responsibility for the family, but he actually snatched the glory that was rightfully Lettie's. I felt sorry for our ancestors to have a descendant such as Paxton.""The way I see it, it's no mere coincidence," Aria responded. She pulled out the stuff Don had given her before. "The wrath on it is gone, and so is the ones in your place."However, you have a choice to make now." Aria's eyes narrowed. "Make Paxton apologize to Lettie properly and return the novel's copyright to her. "He also has to admit that he cheated on Lettie. Then, he's going to return all of the marital assets and go through wi
Amara stood next to Don with tears in her eyes. After what had transpired, she thought he would divorce her. After all, she came from a rural area. He could've done it any time he wanted. In fact, Amara had felt inferior in her heart. That was the exact reason all of this happened. She lacked love and a sense of security. What was more, she felt the constant need to prove her self-worth. All of these contributed to her inferiority complex. That was how she came to raise someone like Paxton. Lettie saw the change in Amara. Although it didn't mean that she could forgive the latter, she didn't intend to make things difficult for Amara either. Lettie had exacted her revenge. More importantly, Aria showed her that justice would prevail in this world. That was enough for her. Now, it was time for Lettie to forge her own future. From here on out, she and the Hendricks family would never cross paths again. Now that everything had come to a close, Aria should've been happy about it.
No one understood what Aria was talking about, except Landon. "You're suspecting that someone was orchestrating the whole thing and setting up a trap for you.""It's not just for me. That mastermind used the same tricks on the Carver family and the Hendricks family. They sought the incompetent sons in both families and worked their angles there."Aria lowered her voice. "If my grandpa hadn't been a tough man, my brothers might've met the same fate as Daisy. Just look at how closely Paxton and Owen resemble each other. Although they weren't similarly aged, they could've been poker buddies if they got together."Landon's lips couldn't help but curl into a grin when he heard what she said. It looked like a clue had just made itself seen. "You're right. We have to think about this carefully. I think everything's settled here. How about I ask Sam to come back and make sense of the situation? It'll be a little troublesome, though. He's still recovering at Mount Dracotigris."Such as th
Aria had once told Sam to avoid chaos if he could—but she'd also said that when desperation knocked, rules could bend.Now was one of those moments.Sam hesitated only briefly before diving in.He had to know who was behind this. Who kept targeting Aria? Who was pulling the strings in the dark? And once Sam decided on something, there was no turning back.Without Aria by his side, he breached the system, knowing full well the other side had already alerted the police.The firewall he faced wasn't just tough—it was nearly impenetrable. It filtered everything, controlling access with surgical precision. But Sam wasn't interested in the broader network. He narrowed his focus and cut straight to the source, filtering out all the noise to lock onto the actual IP.The auction raged on aboveground. The man behind the screen, confident in his usual routine, remained calm and unaware that the mask he'd worn for years was finally slipping. He'd always stayed out of sight, appearing only
While Aria discreetly signaled to move, the auction hall was buzzing with excitement. Laughter echoed, wine glasses clinked, and the room pulsed with greed.Sasha's voice came through the mic, smooth and cheerful. "While everyone's enjoying themselves, let's welcome our latest arrival of the evening."She glanced at the man beside her—her bodyguard—who immediately stiffened under her gaze.To the crowd, it looked like he was escorting Aria to the stage under control. In truth, Aria's hand was already pressed lightly against his chest, right over a poisoned pressure point. He knew better than to resist—he'd seen what she was capable of.And she'd made her warning crystal clear—if she was exposed or captured, he wouldn't live to see morning.The guests didn't notice a thing. All eyes were on Aria, their expressions hungry. They saw value in her—fresh, young, healthy. To them, she wasn't a person. She was premium merchandise.She was brought to stand beside a young woman who had alr
Eamon and Waymond had just been thrown out of the Chamber of Commerce. Waymond's face was flushed with fury, his eyes red. "Eamon, why didn't you let me speak earlier? Mr. Lincoln was being unreasonable!"Eamon, ever perceptive, shook his head. "Mr. Lincoln's been bribed. He was never going to take our side."Wise and strategic, Eamon had always been top of his class—but now, he was even sharper when it came to reading a room."I'm guessing Aria found something during her investigation that made them nervous," he continued. "Durand couldn't have controlled Lincoln on his own. There's more to it."Waymond frowned, still struggling to piece things together. "But who could bribe Mr. Lincoln? Not even the mayor has that kind of sway. He's—""What if it's someone from the state?" Eamon cut in, eyes flicking back toward the building. "We need to tell Dad. There's no point in staying here, but there is someone we can talk to.""Who?" Waymond asked quickly. "Lucas Murray—the new secr
Durand's expression darkened; Eamon was right. Amos and the official from the state had originally wanted to work with the Grishams, especially Eamon. That was why they used the Fitzroys as a bridge to approach him. Unfortunately, Magdalene had failed to establish any rapport with the Grishams.Instead, she kept criticizing Eamon, claiming he followed Laura's every word, and insisted they had plenty of ways to manipulate the Grishams. In the end, the divorce erupted into a scandal, and the entire Fitzroy family was imprisoned.Ironically, Eamon's actions only impressed the state official more. Durand had even heard Amos say that their leader hoped Eamon would continue working with them as his involvement would ensure their plans progressed smoothly.That knowledge burned Durand with frustration. No matter what he did, he could never measure up to Eamon."It looks like you still haven't grasped the situation, Mr. Grishman. Mr. Grisham Senior has begged everyone, but where did it le
"I'm happy to take over the Grishams' responsibilities," Durand said.Waymond scoffed coldly. "You're not worthy of it.""Mr. Lincoln, it seems someone's not too happy with you."Durand, dressed like a gentleman as always, adjusted his glasses and replied calmly, "Waymond, you've been in this business long enough to know how things work. The Grishams have gained a lot over the years. It's not up to you to decide whether to hold on to it."Leonardo stood, trying to ease the tension. "There's no point in arguing. Let's settle this the traditional way—with an anonymous vote. Everyone, write down whether you think the Grishams should step down. Let the vote speak for itself. That way, it'll be fair."He instructed someone to bring in a box, paper, and pens. Each member was handed a set. It was more for show than anything else; everyone already knew how the vote would go.Eamon saw right through their performance, his gaze turning cold as he sat silently. The votes were quickly cast an
"Mr. Grisham, how long your niece stays locked up isn't up to us—it depends on the severity of her crime," Durand said. "As a member of the Chamber of Commerce, you should understand how serious the situation she's stirred up really is. Haven't you read any of the online news?"People are now hoping the Grisham family goes bankrupt. They're even demanding that we, the Chamber, investigate this matter ourselves!"His words made those who had previously wanted to side with the Grishams start to hesitate. With the Draycotts and Fitzroys already doomed, the Grishams had seemed like the next best option. But no one had expected Aria to make such a critical mistake.Public sentiment had turned sharply. The Chamber of Commerce was now being blamed for enabling an economic disaster. What angered the public most was Aria's carefully crafted image. If she'd shown her true colors from the start, they might have ignored her. But pretending to be righteous, only to betray the common people—that w
Dave smiled, clearly enjoying the desperation on Lewis' face. "Also, you won't be getting any more orders. Your supervisor is going to help us delete every report you've ever submitted. What a shame, Lewis. You risked your life on the front lines, only for someone else to reap the rewards behind your back. If I were you, I'd stop being so loyal. Wouldn't it be better to join us?"He was trying to manipulate Lewis, planting doubt and betrayal like poison. As Aria listened, her fists clenched slowly. Nothing crushed a person's spirit more than destroying their belief in what they stood for. They had exposed Lewis on purpose—to break his faith in the uniform he wore.The masked clients settled back into their seats, returning to their arrogant ease. They were reminded that they were above the law within these walls. No one from the outside could enter the premises, and if someone did, they wouldn't leave intact.These people had powerful connections. To them, the undercover cop was a
Aside from Aria, who had initially refused the food, everything had seemed normal to Stephanie. After all, Aria eventually accepted a drink, and nothing else appeared out of the ordinary.But the more Stephanie thought about it, the deeper her frown became. A sense of unease crept in, and she instinctively lowered her microphone, ready to rush to the basement to check things for herself. Seeing her reaction, the wealthy clients began to panic.The woman in the fox mask stood up, clutching her bag tightly, and made for the exit. She feared she would actually be arrested if she stayed any longer. She had no intention of ending up in jail just for attending an auction, especially one like this. Most importantly, she couldn't afford to have her reputation tarnished.Like her, the rest of the crowd shared the same instinct—flee.Meanwhile, Aria narrowed her eyes as she subdued a bodyguard with one hand. She maintained firm but measured pressure with her left hand, ready to act the moment
When Sasha heard the man mention the rare gem, her eyes narrowed slightly. Very few people knew about it. Only Dave and a handful of higher-ups were aware. She immediately wondered who had leaked the news.But the man's words had already ignited excitement across the auction floor."What? A rare gem?""It's been ages since we've seen one! I can't believe there's actually one today!"To these people, a rare gem referred to someone whose body was considered exceptionally valuable, blessed with natural fortune, vitality, and unmatched physical condition. It was believed that such a person couldn't fully harness the luck they were born with. But if someone else could acquire it...Not only could they preserve their youth and beauty, but their careers and fortunes could be transformed. The idea sent a thrill through the room, and their greed quickly became impossible to hide.Sasha realized the situation was slipping out of her control. She reached for her communicator to contact Dave,