Aria and Landon walked along the street until they found themselves at one of Portfall's universities. Aria looked up, her expression relaxing. "Let's walk around the campus. It might help me unwind." Landon asked softly, "Do you miss your school days?" Aria nodded slightly. "A bit. Back then, we didn't have to think about anything. We just had to go to class, eat, and sleep. We didn't have to worry about anything. It was nice. "Everyone's got the same problem. When you're young, you can't wait to grow up, join the real world, and make money. But once you grow up, you realize the older you get, the lonelier it becomes. "When you're little, you don't have a care in the world. When you're grown, you just miss how things used to be." Landon caught her hand in his. "You're not alone. You've got me." Aria looked at him, then down at their joined hands. "We're on campus. We probably shouldn't act too lovey-dovey here." As they talked, several students passed by, chatting as the
Huck hadn't found any signs of his computer being touched. He turned to check the drawer and crouched down, spotting the strand of hair he'd placed there on purpose. If someone had opened it, the hair would've fallen to the floor. After checking everything, Huck stood up. He grabbed a document and walked out. Clyton said with a serious tone, "Our company policy doesn't say you can't bring kids, but you need to let us know ahead of time." Aria nodded eagerly. "Thanks, Mr. Farman." That was when Huck came out. He stared at Aria, Landon, and Sam for a long while before he finally spoke. "You should go home early." Aria said, "Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Maddox. We'll head out once we're done with these files!" Huck nodded, then left with Clyton. After they'd left the building, Huck looked at Clyton. "Something doesn't feel right." Clyton tried to reassure him. "Mr. Maddox, you're probably overthinking it. They just brought a kid to work. It's not a big deal." Huc
Meanwhile, Aria and Landon returned to the Grandview Regency Hotel. When Aria opened the door, she found Sam sitting on the bed with puffy cheeks. Sam pouted. "Boss, where'd you go? Why didn't you take me?" Aria paused. "I had some business to handle. You were still sleeping when we left early this morning." Sam rolled back and forth on the bed. "You could've woken me up! You left me here all alone and took Mr. ATM with you but not me!" Aria laughed helplessly. "I'll take you next time. You should eat something first. I brought you fried chicken." Sam's eyes lit up. "Ooh, now we're talking. I'll have some food first, then." After handing Sam the food, Aria walked to the desk and opened her laptop. Landon sat down beside her. "Are you looking into who's behind the company?" Aria nodded slightly. "During the interview, I felt like someone was watching through the cameras. And something felt off about the health check too." Landon's fingers traced along her cheek. "I trust
Right then, Clyton walked over. "The test results will take a bit longer. Have some fruit while you wait." "No problem." Aria smiled. "May I have your name, please?" "I'm Clyton Farman. Just call me Mr. Farman." Clyton continued, "If all three of you make it into the company, you'll be working under me." Aria nodded enthusiastically. "It would be an honor to work under you! Please take good care of us." Clyton waved it off. "Of course. Though you two might face some challenges since you're from out of state. Most people in Portfall don't take kindly to outsiders." Aria blinked innocently. "With you looking out for us, Mr. Farman, I'm sure we'll be fine." Clyton chuckled. "Haha! You're quite something." Just then, Clyton received their medical reports. He quickly forwarded them to Huck and got up, heading for the office. After Clyton left, Celeste turned to Aria. "If all three of us get in, we'll make so much money." Aria said with a smile, "Definitely. I can't believe
Celeste started to say something else when the conference room door suddenly opened. A middle-aged woman stepped out. "Is candidate number 12 here?" Aria glanced down at her number. "That's me." The woman waved her over. "It's your turn. Come in." "Alright." Aria stood up and said quietly, "I'll head in." Landon nodded gently. "Alright." Celeste cheered her on. "You got this!" Aria smiled back at them, then followed the woman into the conference room. Two interviewers sat inside—a man and a woman, both around 40 years old. From the moment Aria entered, their eyes locked onto her with hawk-like intensity. They each wore a Bluetooth earpiece, and a security camera in the upper right corner pointed directly at their area. "So you're Aria Carver, right?" One interviewer flipped through her résumé, frowning deeper with each page. "You graduated from a no-name state school... And you have no internship experience whatsoever. Either one of these is enough to disqualify you."
Right as Aria finished speaking, she jabbed the stick straight at Frederick. He flew back and crashed to the ground several feet away. Aria launched herself forward and landed beside him in a heartbeat. Frederick didn't even get a chance to fight back, and Aria already had her hand around his throat. The others saw it happen and stood frozen where they were. They were too scared to move. "Let him go! Our sect leader will hunt you down if he finds out!" "He's the sect leader's favorite elder. If you hurt him, our leader will never forgive this." Frederick finally understood how terrifying she was. His voice came out broken and ragged. "Who... Who are you?" "Take a guess." Aria's grip tightened on his throat, her voice cold and sharp. "Is this all the Embercross Sect amounts to? You're pathetic." Frederick struggled desperately, trying to get away. Aria spoke slowly, her eyes flat and emotionless. "I didn't care about your sect before. But the things you've done make me sick.