It was sunset at the Grisham residence. The Nobeetan wooden door opened. Aria's first impression was one of waning vitality. The interior was cozy with embroidered tablecloths, ornaments, and strategically placed wall sconces in every corner. Still, Aria sensed the room's declining energy. It was an unsettling feeling. Poor air circulation mixed with faint traces of rose fragrance. Then she heard coughing—deep, heavy coughs with labored and raspy breathing. It sounded like an infection in the trachea, bronchi, and lungs. Unlike her usual ease in examining patients, Aria felt tense. This patient was her grandfather, whom she had never met. Once a titan of industry, Clyde now required care in his illness. His condition was severe. Before checking his pulse, she could not be certain if there was still hope. She had kept Sam outside. Chaos' dark energy would harm someone chronically ill. Besides, Aria could tell Clyde's condition had not developed overnight. It would be fine
Today, Clyde felt that his illness must be affecting his mind. This young doctor was far too young to be his daughter, Fiona. How could he actually think that Fiona had returned to life for a moment? Clyde shook his head gently. Their looks were also different. Fiona possessed a delicate beauty reminiscent of ancient paintings, while this young lady had an ethereal coolness about her, though not off-putting. She seemed composed and professional. Clyde found himself unusually calm, which was probably because of the acupressure points she had massaged. "This treatment approach is different from the usual." Though Clyde's breathing remained labored, his eyes showed no trace of illness-induced cloudiness. They still reflected the refined gentleman of his youth. No wonder Warren had said, "Your grandfather was the most scholarly gentleman I'd ever met." Indeed he was. Aria smiled softly. "Dr. Woody practices modern medicine, while I practice traditional medicine. Our approaches
Later, Clyde learned from a friend that without that medicine, he might have been infected. As Clyde reminisced about those days, Aria withdrew her hand instead of answering his question. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "When I first came in, seeing you surprised me. I wondered if we'd met before. "You donated supplies in Southbury, didn't you?" Aria had remembered during her examination. Many of her memories were missing. As Tobias had once said, certain memories would return when she met the people she was meant to meet. She had always thought he meant returning to the Carvers, not the Grishams. Clyde's eyes brightened at her words. "You're that little girl!" Now he understood why she seemed familiar. She was the child who had given him the medicine! "Yes, that's me." Aria was amazed at the coincidence too. She had not realized she had crossed paths with Clyde even then. Clyde sat up straighter, wanting to invite her to sit. But he remembered his condition and withdrew
"In medical science, mental health can impact physical well-being. Even our cells have to be activated by happiness." Aria spoke while massaging Clyde's pressure points to improve circulation. Clyde had never heard such an explanation about cells needing activation. What a fresh perspective from the young doctor. "Your observations have probably gone beyond typical medical practice." If anyone else had pried into the Grisham family's private matters, Clyde would have been guarded. But this young woman was different. He had witnessed her quietly saving many lives back then without hesitation. When they tried to find her later, she had vanished. Clyde completely trusted her as a person. He rose shakily from the bed. Sunlight streamed through the window and shone on him. He looked like an elderly man in his twilight years who still kept his back straight and carried a dignified bearing. "Yes, I carry burdens, but it's been so long. Some things are better left in the past. Stil
"That won't be necessary." Aria had noticed Wendy's surveillance outside the room. Having tested whether the room was soundproof, she knew Wendy hadn't overheard anything. This explained her timing here, as she was clearly trying to catch some information now. Aria smiled faintly. "I noticed during my examination that Grandpa Clyde hasn't been able to digest food well. Eating before properly digesting previous meals only burdens the body." After years at the Grisham residence, every doctor had followed Wendy's schedule. Yet this young doctor seemed deaf to hints. And what was this "Grandpa Clyde" business? How presumptuous! Such obvious social climbing! Wendy couldn't help rolling her eyes, about to say, "You don't understand Mr. Grisham Senior's routine..." But Clyde cut in, his voice carrying clear displeasure. "Wendy, follow the doctor's orders. Dinner can wait." What had gotten into Wendy? She used to understand hospitality better. Or had his recent detachment from hous
Wendy stood frozen, never imagining she would lose her position over something so trivial. Her years of "experience" had led her to believe she deserved higher status in this household. To her, this young doctor was merely an assistant who knew nothing and was covering until Cecil arrived. How could Clyde fire her over this doctor? Wendy could not accept it. As security escorted her out, she kept shouting and glaring at Aria with venomous eyes. Aria paid no attention. She carefully sterilized her needles before inserting them into Clyde's acupuncture points. "These points help relieve coughing. Have Robert prepare sweet snow pears for you twice daily. It'll significantly help soothe your throat and suppress coughs." Aria gave instructions while working, and the needles took effect quickly. Though they would not cure him immediately, Clyde felt unprecedented relief, as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders—a comforting warmth spread through his abdomen. Beyond acupunct
But never mind. There would be other chances of meeting Aria. Clyde felt much lighter after seeing his old friend. Perhaps it helped to have someone talk through his troubles, or maybe the acupuncture worked. He just felt better than he had in ages. "Since that's settled, I won't keep you. But how should I handle your fee?" Clyde hadn't missed her attitude, suspecting she had tension with Cecil. He assumed she was new to Ludwiten and facing workplace bullying at the hospital, so he wanted to support her. Aria paused at the mention of payment. Noticing her reaction, Clyde smiled and said, "Whatever it is, you can tell me freely. The Grishams have connections at the hospital. I know the director quite well." The hint couldn't be clearer. Aria finally understood, caught between amusement and awkwardness. Sam had been keeping his distance by following orders to protect Clyde from his energy. Seeing Aria's conflict, he bounded over and pulled out a new phone, showing Clyde his b
Aria's smile held a touch of mischief. "Your concern is unnecessary—my practice has always been reliable. See you the day after tomorrow." Robert was speechless; Aria had managed to offend all the right people in one visit. His face darkened considerably. After all, Wendy had been his recommendation. Now, with Wendy gone, he had lost a collaborator. As Aria predicted, Wendy wouldn't quietly accept her dismissal. Wendy had taken her grievance to Waymond. "Mr. Grisham, I don't understand what kind of doctor she is. She started using needles on Mr. Grisham Senior. And when I simply asked about responsibility, she told me to get out. "Then Mr. Grisham Senior dismissed me. I just..." Wendy lowered her head, crying with apparent distress. "All these years serving the Grishams, I never complained about the work. I was always there when he needed care at night. "Mr. Grisham, I just wanted to wait for your approval before trying new treatments. How could Mr. Grisham Senior be so fooli
Aliya had never heard of the Special Missions Unit until today. But after seeing Pedro's panicked reaction, it didn't take long for her to realize that this was a group with more authority than even her father.Still, some people lived so long in privilege that they convinced themselves they were untouchable. Logic no longer applied to them.Aria was done entertaining Aliya's ignorance. With a flick of her wrist, she signaled someone to silence her. Then, she turned to Aliya with icy disdain."Don't worry," Aria said. "I'll take you with me when I pay your father a visit. Then we can ask him together what his name truly means in this state."Her voice was calm but sharp."You seem to have forgotten that his power—any power—comes from the people. And now, you're using that power to treat their lives like currency. To buy yourself a life of superiority."She stepped closer. "Organ trafficking is illegal here. That's the crime we've confirmed so far. But don't worry. We'll find the
When Pedro heard that it was the Special Missions Unit, his forehead was covered in sweat immediately. Even his mind had gone blank. At that moment, all he could think about was how doomed they were!Others might not have heard of the unit before. However, as a state official, there was no way Pedro wouldn't know them. In fact, the Special Missions Unit was something they had no control over.Technically, the Special Missions Unit had way more clearance than they did. After all, they were in charge of big cases. Sometimes, they would even work with the special troops.The Special Missions Unit belonged to the country, and they were extremely mysterious. Even people with high clearance wouldn't know who they were in real life.Pedro only managed to find his voice after a long time. As he wiped the sweat off his forehead, he chuckled awkwardly."Oh, this is all a misunderstanding. May I know who I am speaking to? I never expected the Special Missions Unit to be carrying out a missio
Aliya had never met Aria before, but this was the first time she'd seen a young woman more poised—and far more arrogant—than herself. That only fueled her rage. And the fact that Aria was stunningly beautiful didn't help either.Scoffing, she snapped, "Do you dare let us make our calls? Let's see if you still look so smug after that."The other wealthy attendees stiffened. None of them moved. With Aria in the room, they had the sinking feeling that calling in favors wouldn't end well.Aria merely tilted her head and smiled. "Of course," she said, then turned to her team. "Please hand this lady her phone. Let her make her call."The members of the Special Missions Unit didn't question her. They knew Aria well enough to understand what she was doing—she wanted the bigger fish. The call would be recorded, and with any luck, it would lead them straight to someone higher up the chain.Aliya was momentarily thrown off by Aria's easy agreement. But she quickly chalked it up to ignorance.
Aliya squinted at the unmasked man beside Aria. Now that his face was fully visible, something about him sparked a flicker of recognition. She lowered her gaze, trying to recall where she'd seen him before.Then a sharp gasp cut through the air."He's from the York family… Janovin's York family! Wait—was he Mr. Crow? Were they working together the whole time?"Even though they were all wealthy people, they weren't in the same ranks. No one dared to mess with the York family at all.If the circumstances were different, the arrogant, wealthy people from earlier would've tried to exchange contacts with Landon. That way, they could've partnered up in the future. However, with what had happened that day, those people were in a daze.Meanwhile, Aria knew those people still had no idea what was going on. So, she just removed her disguise and showed them who she really was.Aliya was stunned by what Aria had done. When she saw who the latter truly was, her gaze was filled with jealousy.
The wealthy clients that were left behind at the auction had connections to powerful people, and Dave didn't think Aria was capable enough to deal with every one of them. Although Farshya was well-developed, it had always been a country that focused on connections.Power meant everything, and Dave wanted to see how Aria and her team would deal with his guests. If he remembered correctly, Aliya was the daughter of a great leader in the state. She wanted a womb from a young lady because she wanted to have children.Before the clients got what they wanted, Aria had offended a lot of big shots. Dave thought about it for a second and hoped Aria would suffer as much as he did.Dave was right about one thing. Aliya wasn't anxious at all when someone infiltrated the auction and took control of the event. She was only stunned for a moment at first. Once everything had settled down, she calmed down and even looked a little proud."I suggest you talk to your leader first before deciding to cu
Dave had escaped, but just barely.He'd saved his life, nothing more. The documents he needed to destroy were still intact. Everything had gone completely off script.Every exit had been sealed. If he hadn't killed a villager and disguised himself with a spell, he would've died at the auction. He didn't receive any news about the ambush and was caught entirely off guard.He wasn't in Janovin, and security was that tight there. With his connections, he could've found out what was going to happen in advance. However, that wasn't the case at all.Slipping into a grimy back alley, Dave cursed his luck. Most of his men had been rounded up in the village. He could only hope a few had managed to slip through. But with sirens wailing in the distance, he knew hope was thin."Who the hell was that?" he muttered, wiping dirt off his face with a shaking hand. Normally a stickler for cleanliness, Dave was too rattled to care. "And where's the real Eden?"His mind snapped into action. The scho
Landon's sudden appearance wasn't just a coincidence. With Aria's intelligence, she would figure something out soon—he knew that. He hadn't planned on revealing himself like this. But something that belonged to him was here, and the demonic energy in this place… Aria couldn't face it alone.She studied him from head to toe, her hand still in his. His grip was firm, protective."There's a lot of mist ahead," he said quietly. "We'll need to tread carefully."Aria tilted her head. "You speak like you know this place well.""I do," Landon replied with a calm honesty. "I was deathly ill once. My soul wandered into a place just like this. Homer pulled me back."His voice made it sound like a distant memory, and Aria gave a soft laugh, tightening her hold on his hand. "You really are full of surprises. I guess it's true—handsome men are the most dangerous."But Aria's thoughts were racing. Why had he come after her like this, knowing it would reveal parts of himself he'd tried to keep h
Landon was still handling the stragglers behind Aria when he paused, his gaze flicking upward. Cameras were mounted in every corner—too many eyes. Vanishing without a trace wasn't an option.He glanced in Aria's direction, then lowered his head. His lips moved in a whisper, but the sounds were incomprehensible—something rhythmic, otherworldly. It was less like a speech and more like a chant—an exorcism.Meanwhile, Dave descended into the underground, calm and unrushed. That place reeked of foul energy, dense and suffocating. His master had cast a spell over it—one designed to kill anyone who dared to enter, no matter their strength. Dave wasn't afraid. He had more pressing priorities—destroying documents, erasing traces, minimizing damage.His bodyguard stayed close, watching for anyone who might try to stop them.Aria, moving swiftly, reached the lower floor—only to halt. Mist curled along the ground, thickening with every step. The air turned icy. And the corridor behind her…
"Why would there be people outside?" asked Dave. He had been disguising himself as a doctor for years, and that was the first time he looked so anxious. After all, if someone did approach their building, the villagers would have informed them about it. However, they received no news this time.Dave wondered what was going on."Dr. Dave, what should we do now? I think we're surrounded!"He was still in his coat as he slightly clenched his fists. "Let's move out. Bring the girls in the basement with us.""T-They're not in the basement."When Dave heard that, he looked furious. "What do you mean they're not in the basement?""Someone took them away, and I'm guessing it was her fault!" The bodyguard pointed at Aria, who was standing on the highest point, showing off her skills. With swift, lethal kicks and a taser turned weapon, no one dared get close.Whoever touched Aria would die, and no one dared to approach her at all.As for Landon, he still had his mask on as he stood behind