Kade wiped his tears. "All I want is to take Leopold down myself and get justice for Boyle!" Aria hesitated. "I get how you feel. But if he's really the deputy director of the Security Bureau, that's some serious power he's got. And Portfall's not like anywhere else in Farshya." Kade nodded. "I know. But I can't just let it go." Aria looked at him. "That doesn't mean we're out of options. We just need to find evidence that'll stick." Kade shook his head, looking defeated. "Ms. Carver, I've tried everything you're talking about. But this is Portfall. Even if I found evidence and handed it over, it'd probably land on his desk before anyone else saw it." Aria tapped her fingers on the table. "I'll look into this and see if I can help. For now, stay here at the hotel. I've already extended your reservation. If anything comes up, I'll let you know right away. "Also, you've already completed what my great-grandfather asked you to do. Take some time to rest. When you're ready, I'l
Aria had taken the beggar to a nearby hotel. After getting a room, she said quietly, "Take a shower and clean yourself up first. I'll go buy you some clothes." The man nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Carver." Aria waved it off. "Don't mention it. You're someone my great-grandfather sent here, and I can't just leave you in the cold. By the way, what's your name? Where are you from?" "My name's Kade Harrington, Ms. Carver. I'm from Goldfield, the northern part of Farshya." Aria nodded slightly. "Alright, Mr. Harrington. I'll go get you those clothes." She turned and walked out, closing the door behind her. Once the door clicked shut, Aria's eyes darkened. After leaving the hotel, she pulled out her phone and called Sawyer. When he picked up, Sawyer spoke. "Ms. Carver, what can I do for you?" Aria got straight to the point. "Mr. Pratt, do you know someone named Kade Harrington?" Sawyer thought for a moment. "No, I don't." Aria continued, "Do you know if my great-grandfather sent
Meanwhile, Aria showed up at the amusement park. After wandering around for ages, she finally spotted Sam and Betty's backs in the distance. She then headed over to them. When she was just a few steps away, Sam sniffed the air and suddenly spun around. "Boss, I could tell that you were heading over here." "Good job, Sam." Then she looked at Betty. "Betty, are you having fun?" Betty was all smiles. "Yeah! Sam took me on tons of rides, but we still haven't been on the Ferris wheel yet." Aria ruffled her hair. "Alright, it's still early. You can go on whatever rides you want." Betty grabbed Aria's hand. "Yay! Aria, do you want to ride the Ferris wheel with us? I heard the view from up there is amazing!" "Sure." Anyone would find it hard to say no to such an adorable little girl. The three of them headed over to the Ferris wheel. As their carriage on the Ferris wheel went up higher, the view spread out beneath them. Even in broad daylight, the sight was breathtaking. Bett
The SUV pulled to a stop. Aria and Travis climbed out, and the driver took off for the parking garage. Aria looked up at the apartment building. This area was nice enough, though the buildings had definitely seen better days. Travis glanced at her. "Ms. Carver, right this way." Aria nodded and followed him to the elevator. They rode up and walked straight to his apartment. Travis had barely opened the door when they heard yelling from inside. "Give me back my phone! I need to win that money back!" They couldn't see who was shouting. The voice came from somewhere deeper in the apartment. Travis hesitated. "Ms. Carver, I've got Horace locked in his room." Aria looked up. "Show me his phone." Travis nodded quickly and turned to Cecilia. "Get Horace's phone for Ms. Carver." Moments later, Aria was scrolling through Horace's phone. She checked his Facebook messages first and smirked. It was such an obvious scam, yet he'd walked right into it. She opened the browser next an
If it were a call from back home, Aria would have recognized the number. She thought for a moment, then pressed the answer button without speaking. When the person on the other end saw the call connect, he asked, "Is this Mrs. York?" She'd just heard Randall call her that a couple of days ago. She paused. "Uncle Randall?" Randall chuckled and said, "Mrs. York, it makes me happy to hear you calling me that." Aria looked up. "I'm glad to hear that, Uncle Randall. Landon calls you uncle, so it's only right I do the same." "Thank you for trusting me, Mrs. York." Randall's voice grew serious. "Please know that I trust you just as much." Aria laughed softly. "You're too kind, Uncle Randall. But why are you calling me?" Randall's tone grew heavier. "There's something I might need your help with, Mrs. York. I actually reached out to Mr. York first, but he said I should talk to you. That's why I'm calling." Aria asked, "Hmm, you're quite an influential figure in Portfall, Uncle
Horace turned his phone off. He could only trust the Blazecrust support agent now to recover all his money. Taking his unfinished coffee with him, he left the shop and hailed a cab. Right after getting in, Rowan called. "Horace, where are you? We'll treat you to a meal." Horace spoke quietly. "It's fine. You guys go ahead." "Alright." Rowan paused. "Horace, listen—stop playing on Blazecrust. I took down the ad right after you left. If not, more people would get scammed." Horace grew impatient. "Got it. I have things to do. I'm hanging up." His place wasn't far from the cafe, and the cab dropped him off at his apartment building. After Horace paid and got out, he kept staring at his phone. He did not want to miss any insider tips from the support agent. A voice came from behind. "Horace, why did you take a cab home? Where's your car?" Horace turned to look at her. "Mom, there's a problem with the car. I sent it to the repair shop. It'll take a few days." His mother, Ceci