"Grant and I wanted to sell you off as quickly as possible," Olivia admitted. "But that thing around your neck… it was too striking. No one dared to buy you. The pendant would shine, and there was even a word inscribed on it!" A flicker of horror crossed Olivia's face as the memory resurfaced. The word inscribed on the pendant wasn't about fortune or wealth. It was the word, "Soul". With that pendant on her, nobody wanted Aria. "I consulted an old fortune teller from the village," Olivia continued. "He claimed the pendant was from hell, pure evil. He advised me to get rid of it immediately. Apparently, keeping you could bring doom to the entire village. Thus, Grant and I didn't dare to raise you anymore. We also sold your pendant to Thomas Weller, a pendant collector in Southbury."Aria perked up at the name. "What happened in the fire that year?" she asked."We fled after switching you with the Kents' daughter," Olivia confessed with a hint of fear in her eyes. "At that time
Aria spoke slowly. "Who's that person?"Olivia seemed fearful, glancing around nervously. "I… I don't know. I can't tell you. I'll be punished."Aria sensed something was wrong from Olivia's frantic rambling. She reached out and checked Olivia's pulse, finding it erratic.Raising her chin, Aria locked eyes with Olivia. Her gaze turned cold. "Did someone put a curse on you?"Olivia suddenly went crazy and slapped herself. "The heavens will punish me for this! Why did I say anything?"Tears streamed down her face. "Lily, you must study hard. You're all I have. If you get into a good college, I'll be able to enjoy life in the city." Then, she grabbed Aria's hand. "Lily, you promised to buy your brother a house. I know you love me more—more than that useless daughter of mine!" Aria paused after hearing that. "You have a daughter?"Olivia stared at Aria. "I had difficulty giving birth. Despite all that effort, the baby turned out to be a girl! Why can't I have any sons? What bad l
Malcolm's phone clattered to the floor as he stood in shock. Memories of everything he'd said to Aria flashed through his mind.He vividly recalled their first meeting, where he treated her like his sister. He had even assured Shiloh and the others that he could protect her.Suddenly, he realized the true meaning behind Aria's smile. The weight of these memories caused his knees to buckle.He'd never imagined his mysterious boss, the one he pictured as a powerful elite running a vast empire from a luxurious office, could be someone so close to him. And to top it all off, she was even younger than him!Aria's beautiful face made her look more like an actress than a doctor. She also happened to be the "fake heiress" that the Short family had scorned. His head spun as he scrambled to pick up his phone, his fingers flying across the screen in a flurry of frantic typing. But Aria was quicker. A message popped up saying, "Investigate it now."Could it be true? Was Aria really his boss
Ever since the last examination, Cameron had not contacted Lily. However, upon hearing that they were coming to Janovin, Lily took the initiative. She booked a hotel and even planned their trip.Cameron found it difficult to reject her when she had done so much. "Don't worry. Grandpa isn't that old-fashioned."Although Abraham didn't know the details of what had transpired between the younger generation, he found it hard to like Lily. After all, she hadn't visited Georgina once despite being back for a long time.Nevertheless, politeness prevailed, and he wouldn't outright dismiss her. He beckoned Cameron over.Cameron stepped forward. "Grandpa, Lily came to visit you."Abraham nodded and offered Lily a polite smile. "Lily, I have a pressing appointment today. Unfortunately, I won't be able to spend much time." He glanced at Cameron, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "Take good care of our guest."Cameron was clueless about where his grandfather was heading. Lily lowered he
Frank still found it hard to believe that Aria was the very person he'd been searching for. The irony of it all—he'd even tasked her with investigating Ms. Carver's whereabouts—embarrassment burned in his gut.Aria casually called out to him, "Frank."His awkwardness intensified at the sound of her voice. Aria raised an eyebrow, puzzled by his reaction.Frank regained his composure and gave her a courteous smile, though it seemed rather unnatural. "C-Can we talk privately?"Aria smiled nonchalantly. "I have a feeling I know what you want to say, but is it urgent? If not, I'd love to join your distant relative for some stew."Performing surgery was a demanding task, and the only thing she'd eaten was noodles. It wasn't exactly filling. She was famished. Besides, she needed time to process the revelation about her identity.Frank instinctively wanted to correct her that Landon wasn't their distant relative, but he didn't have the guts to do so with Landon right beside them.But Ar
Landon's slender wrist somehow managed to pull off the scrunchie with an air of elegance. Aria couldn't help but glance at it. Suddenly, she asked, "What do the Carvers think about their missing daughter?"Landon smiled as he ladled her some stew. "Mr. Carver Senior has been searching for her for years. Why do you suddenly ask?""Oh, just curious," Aria mumbled, feigning casual interest. "I thought I should know my patients better. Besides, you are, like, distant relatives, right?"Landon, mid-scoop, paused at her words. "Actually, we're not exactly distant relatives. It's more like our grandfathers knew each other. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been bethrothed to Ms. Carver in the first place."Aria only remembered about the betrothal when he mentioned it. She shot him an odd look.Landon didn't want her to misunderstand. "We already called it off, though. Especially now that they have finally found their daughter, they're willing to cancel it.""Oh." She took another bite of her s
Landon thought Warren was there for Jeffrey, so he rose to greet him. However, Warren rushed past him, his eyes filled with hope that glistened alongside the raindrops clinging to his shoulders and hair. Gone was his usual arrogance. "Rainbow," Warren's voice trembled, "I've finally found you."Landon, setting cutlery for Warren, froze. A look of utter shock, a rare sight on his handsome face, contorted his features. He immediately gazed at Aria, who maintained an indifferent expression.Rainbow? Could Aria be the fiancée he'd never met?A frown creased Landon's brow as he recalled his earlier conversation with Aria. He'd assured her the engagement was off.Landon gripped the spoon tightly, his emotions unreadable.Warren approached Aria. "You've grown up so well," he said, his voice hoarse. "I couldn't sleep after you were kidnapped. Nightmares of you being hungry haunted me. Thankfully, you're still…"Warren couldn't bear to say the word "alive."He had been the most worri
No young woman would want to become their family's breadwinner at such a young age. Life had dealt Aria a cruel hand. She should have been doted on like a princess, not treating patients and being targeted by smugglers, only to be taken back to the mountains. Warren's hand trembled violently, his body swaying precariously. Thankfully, Aria was quick to react, catching him before he could fall. However, her brow furrowed with concern as she checked his pulse. "Did someone change the prescription I gave you?""No!" Warren rasped, a fit of coughing wracking his frail frame.Frank and Keith looked on with worried looks.Aria immediately fed him a piece of medicinal candy. "Did you get caught in the rain on your way here?"Warren, finally regaining his breath, managed a shaky nod. After examining his acupuncture points, Aria noted, "There's an abnormality in your lung sounds." Then she let out a light chuckle devoid of sarcasm. "You need to take it easy, avoid getting soaked. You
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