While Jeffrey questioned Olivia and Grant, Frank remained outside. Since Olivia recognized Frank, she would most likely be even more adamant about not revealing the truth if he were around.As it was, she was a cunning woman. When Jeffrey asked about the family's involvement in child trafficking, she made it sound like they were only a bunch of middlemen."Well, some families wanted a child, while others wanted to sell theirs off. All we did was connect the buyers to the sellers. We wouldn't have dared to kidnap a child, of course."Jeffrey's gaze turned cold. "I guess you don't care that much about your son's life after all."Glancing to the side, he continued, "I guess you're useless too, Mr. Webb."Gregory started sweating profusely. He grabbed Grant and snarled, "The Barters have been arrested! Why isn't your wife telling the truth? Does she want you and your entire family to be imprisoned for life?"Shuddering in fear, Grant slapped Olivia on the face and demanded, "Tell the
Doing his best to keep his emotions in check, Frank considered the reasons why Olivia and Grant would want to lie. He also observed them carefully and noticed they were clearly trying to hide something.Thus, he came to a seemingly impossible yet perfectly reasonable conclusion.He barged into the room and announced his deduction. "You and the Kents didn't get your babies switched. You didn't like the baby you kidnapped, so you exchanged her for a different one! You never had a daughter!"When Olivia spotted Frank, her expression hardened. She recognized him as being one of Aria's family members. Did he know Jeffrey?Frank got straight to the point. "You guys purposely misled me and made me ask the Kents, but how would the Kents know that you never gave birth to a child? They simply thought that one of you villagers gave birth to Aria."They were angry that she had stolen their daughter's place, so they wouldn't have told me the truth. I wouldn't have been able to get the real ans
Throughout these years, all Jeffrey and Leon wanted to do was to find their younger sister as soon as possible. However, they were worried that her safety would be compromised if it became known that the Carvers were looking for a long-lost daughter.Too many people would've wanted to claim to be her. If such people acted on their greed, their little sister's life would be in further danger.The Carvers had hired countless private detectives, but all of them said it was unlikely that their younger sister was still alive and well.Refusing to accept that, Jeffrey and Leon secretly created a base filled with photos of their younger sister. Every year, they would head over there to celebrate her birthday. They wondered what she would look like when she grew up.Well, Jeffrey finally got his answer. She was even more beautiful than what he and Leon had imagined!He leaped to his feet, his eyes sparkling with joy. "I'll go to her right away and tell her I'm her brother!""Mr. Carver!"
Jeffrey, who always kept his cool, was so emotional now that his voice had turned hoarse."Mr. Levin, do you still think we need some bloody DNA test? Who else could this be, if not my sister?" he cried out. It had to be her. It couldn't be anyone else.Everyone kept saying that Mindy looked like the sister they lost, but Jeffrey didn't think they looked alike in any way.The photo of the little girl he saw now was what he remembered of his sister. Her face was smeared with dirt. But even though she had been kidnapped, she was still able to eat her candy. She stared at the camera with bleary eyes, as though she wasn't fully awake yet.Her eyes were large and round. Her cheeks were plump. She was even wearing the tiger-themed hat Jeffrey and Leon made for her. They had done a poor job of making it themselves, so the embroidery looked very messy.Meanwhile, Frank was also agitated. It was one thing to figure it out. It was another to receive solid proof that he was right. The young
"Alright." Aria agreed to it. Despite feeling puzzled, she knew her focus should be on saving Jeffrey. "Does he have any allergies, especially to certain medications? Does his body reject drugs like penicillin?""None at all," Frank replied.Meanwhile, the stretcher was brought over. Aria swiftly took one of the ends and lifted Jeffrey with the help of the other medical staff. The doctor and nurses all followed along as well.Frank was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat. He wanted to tell Aria that she was the Carver family's daughter, but he was also worried about the news affecting her feelings about Jeffrey. That might affect the surgery too.Soon, the light outside the surgical theater turned on, indicating it was occupied.Landon had followed Aria to the hospital. He still needed to tie up loose ends. Once Aria had gone into the surgical theater, he looked at Frank and asked, "Did you guys find Ms. Carver yet?"His tone was cool and indifferent, making it seem
"Mr. Carver Senior, we've found Ms. Carver!" Frank declared with excitement. Even his hands were trembling. "This time, it's really her! She's in the same building as me!"Warren jumped to his feet, his eyes filled with shock. "Where are you?""We're at Beacon Hospital in Uludon," Frank replied, doing his best to keep his voice down. "Mr. Jeffrey is here too. He has already met Ms. Carver, but the situation is rather complicated. I'll explain in further detail once you arrive, Mr. Carver Senior."Warren clutched his cane. His gaze was shining with excitement. "Jeff has met our little rainbow? Why is he at Uludon? How did he run into her?""Technically speaking, Ms. Carver saved Mr. Jeffrey. And when he first saw her, he felt a sense of kinship with her." Frank gave a quick summary. "Mr. Carver Senior, I'm afraid that what I'm about to say next might be too much for you to take. Perhaps you should steel yourself first."However, Warren was far too overjoyed to care about anything e
"Mr. Hesse, is Grandpa still mad at me?" Mindy asked, biting her lip to make herself seem even more pitiful.Toby Hesse, who was part of Warren's team, replied with a smile, "Mr. Carver Senior dotes on you the most. Once enough time has passed, he'll come to see that you meant well, Ms. Carver.""Okay," Mindy replied with a look of disappointment.She left the building. After she got into the car, her gaze turned grim. "Dorothy, did you find out where Grandpa went?""He left for a business meeting. Don't worry, Ms. Carver," Dorothy said consolingly. "Once Lily gets the chance to give Mr. Carver Senior a checkup, he'll realize that the country bumpkin is nothing special. Then, he'll know just how thoughtful you are.""I hope so," Mindy said with a sigh. "Grandpa's always so harsh with me."He even put her in a difficult spot for that country bumpkin's sake.Mindy didn't know why she felt so bothered and frazzled. Perhaps it was because she was running low on her supply of aromath
"It's all your fault, you jinx! You ruined my life!" Olivia shrieked. Right from the start, it was clear she wasn't in her right mind.Worried that she might harm Aria, the bodyguard advised, "Be careful, Ms. Carver. She's unstable right now.""It's fine. You can leave us. I want to ask her about something private," Aria said with a chuckle.The bodyguard was hesitant. "Mr. York instructed us to never let you be in harm's way."Aria's smile deepened. "He's right outside. Don't worry. I can protect myself. In any case, she's still poisoned right now. I can easily overpower her."Only then did the bodyguard leave the room, closing the door behind him.Yanking on the chain that restrained her, Olivia wanted to headbutt Aria. However, Aria abruptly grabbed her by the neck. Eyes flashing darkly, she said, "Say, if you die here today, do you think the authorities will investigate you or me?"Aria wasn't joking when she said she could overpower Olivia. Her clutch was so tight that Oliv
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,