With a sharp click, the door was locked from the outside, followed by eerie laughter that echoed through the room.Panic erupted instantly. "Who locked the door?" Lavender yanked at the handle desperately, her eyes darting to the cameras for answers.Evelyn, unconcerned about breaking the rules, fumbled for her phone's flashlight, only to realize with growing dread that it was dead.Helen was frightened. She clutched Anthony's shirt, hoping he would protect her. Yet, Anthony was equally shaken. He desperately fought the urge to quit the show.Chandler shouted, "Leon, is it you? Stop fooling around!"The voice outside responded with a roar, "Leon? Who's Leon? You trespassers are being punished for coming to the hospital's second floor without permission!"Relief washed over the group as the voice sounded normal, but doubts soon crept in. "Isn't this hospital abandoned? Why is this person calling us trespassers?" Anthony wondered aloud.Chandler reassured him, "It's just an NP
When everyone heard that one of them had to go to the nursery alone, they exchanged silent glances. It was clear no one wanted to go.Chandler was scheming something. "We finally have a lead, so one of you should go while I search for other clues. After all, I'm more familiar with the production crew's gimmicks."Everyone knew he was putting on an act.As an award-winning actress, Lavender could put on a good show too. "Chandler, as the one who got the clue, you should be the one to go."Lana got angry and punched the door when she realized they were taking their time deciding. "So who's coming with me?"Even the audience could feel something amiss by how frustrated Lana was. However, they couldn't pinpoint what exactly."This NPC is an excellent actress," someone commented."She makes it sound like whoever goes out will die," another said.Lana giggled. "Since you can't decide, I'll choose. Whoever I pick must go with me obediently. Let's see. One, two, three, four... I'll pic
The robotic voice sounded again after Aria read the card. "Congratulations, Player No. 5, for finding the clue and saving all the players."Player No. 5, you can choose to hide the clue or reveal the clue. Here's a tip. You'll have a better chance of winning if you keep the clue a secret. After all, there's no need to split the score among all the players."Just then, the lights on the second floor came back on, revealing the participants' expressions on camera.Chandler and Anthony looked panicked. They hadn't found a single clue since arriving and had been saved by the very person they looked down on. Nothing could be more humiliating than this.The fans who had been staunchly defending Chandler and Anthony at the start of the challenge fell silent in the comments section.Almost all the viewers could now see Leon in a new light, though Aria remained the standout. The fact that a non-celebrity participant was shining in a show full of celebrities caused the viewership to skyrock
"I'm a student from Janovin Medical University," Helen said, glancing at Aria as if to imply her own superior education. Amused, Aria turned to Lana. "Are you happy?""Absolutely. I love meeting people in my field," Lana replied, her eyes sparkling. "Doctors and nurses are my favorite."Suddenly, she clapped her hands as if remembering something important. "How could I forget? Didn't you say you could help our hospital find the missing child?""Yes, but we need your help," Chandler immediately replied. "All you need to do is answer a few of our questions."Lana nodded with a smile. "Okay."Chandler continued with his first question, "Were you the one who took the baby away from the delivery room after the woman gave birth?"Lana answered, "Yes."Anthony butted in, "Did someone take the wrong baby home? Was that why the woman in the story couldn't find her baby?"Lana shot him a mocking look. "Nope."Helen didn't believe it and continued asking, "How could it not be? Are you
That made Anthony shut up. Everyone else was stunned as well. Lulu, who'd been silent prior, paled even more. "You aren't an NPC? What are you, then?"Lana said animatedly with a grin, "Didn't I tell you? This is our hospital, and I'm a nurse here, and that's Ms. Wenn to you."As she spoke, the lights flickered. With a hint of concern, Lana warned, "Players, you have two minutes left. If you keep asking the wrong questions, you'll be eliminated."Anthony's voice shook with fear. "W-What's going on here, Chandler?""Don't ask me that. I don't know either." Chandler couldn't even protect himself, much less care about anyone else. He repeatedly hit the SOS button, but nothing happened.Everyone else, except for Leon and Aria, began to panic. Lavender clutched Leon's hand in fear. "Have your partner show everyone the clue she found, Leon. We can work it out together."Lavender hadn't spoken up when Leon had been sidelined earlier. However, she had helped him land his first movie role
The other participants were dumbfounded. Lulu, who was standing in the corner, was the only one who seemed out of it.Aria raised a brow and asked a shocking question. "Is the person who had an abortion among us right now?"The comment section erupted as the audience reacted in disbelief."Now that you asked that question, I'm wide awake!""An abortion? Did I hear that right?""She's a famous female celebrity, my friends! There are only two of them in the show!"No one expected to hear something so shocking while watching a variety show."Is it the famous actress Lavender Erikson or Lulu Charters?""Lavender, definitely. I heard rumors about how she always met her directors at night.""No, it's Lulu! She was covering her tummy often."The audience watched everything from an outsider's perspective and saw everything clearly. Anthony and Chandler were still giving Lavender and Lulu looks when Aria asked the fourth question in succession, "This is just one of the stories. But
Aria fixed her gaze on Lulu and said, "Lulu, the fear of your pregnancy being exposed wasn't the only reason you turned down the role. You also thought the pay was inadequate and considered acting in a Netflix drama beneath you. No one anticipated it would become such a hit."Lulu shook her head vehemently with each of Aria's accusations. "No, that's not true!"She couldn't admit to those allegations. If she did, her life would be ruined once this went public. With such a tarnished reputation, she'd be barred from future projects.Aria slammed all the clue cards on the table. "You were the victim of a car crash, and the hospital has records of that. The doctor can keep your pregnancy secret, but not that. Anyone who wanted to look deeper into it would succeed. You can't get away from this unscathed, Lulu.""There's nothing between us, young lady, so why do you insist on hounding me? These are rumors without proof, yet you're trying to sway public opinion with them!" Lulu denied the
"Yes, sir!" Lysander scrambled up from the floor. "Someone's in that manifestation, Mr. Bond, we gotta save them!"Landon initially didn't care much about such affairs, and he didn't want to investigate what services the professionals at Mount Dracotigris typically offered.However, the Wrathborn Manifestation sounded particularly familiar. He paused and looked at Homer, frowning, "Is it 'Survival of the Fittest'?"Homer said immediately, "You know about it?""My company is one of its investors." Landon took Lysander's phone and zoomed in. "I have a friend who's a celebrity. He happens to be one of the show's guests."Leon was a guest on the show, so Landon had to take note of what was happening there.Homer seized Landon by his shoulders. "Have the crew call back all the drones and take me there immediately!""Certainly." Landon went about it efficiently as usual.…Kian started sweating the moment he heard that Landon was looking for him. "Mr. York, Leon's safe for now," K
Chaos erupted at the auction. For all their pride and arrogance, the wealthy clients' expressions had twisted into pure panic the moment something went wrong.So, their first reaction was to seek a staff member."The power's unstable!" Dave spoke into the microphone, trying to project calm. "Everyone, stay calm. There's scheduled maintenance in town—it's just affecting the electricity. Nothing's wrong."He genuinely believed that. It was what he'd been told.But Aria knew better. The blackout wasn't random. It was a signal. Sam had tracked down the source of the call. With the exits sealed off, Aria had everything she needed to act.A faint smirk curled on her lips. Without hesitation, she grabbed Landon and swiftly took Aliya hostage. Her movements were sharp, practiced, so fast that no one around her even had time to react.Then came the needles.Aria flicked her wrist, sending a series of acupuncture needles flying. The rich guests closest to her froze in place, locked in stu
Tony's accusation stirred a ripple through the room, and it didn't escape Dave's attention. With a subtle flick of his wrist, he signaled to someone nearby.Aria caught the movement. Her fingers tensed, ready to slip free of the rope she had already loosened. But before she could act, she heard a smooth, composed voice glide through the air."I need her to boost my luck," the man said coolly. "I've done my research. She's the ideal bride for someone like me."Dave stopped in his tracks, and it seemed like he was telling someone else to verify what Landon had said."Sir, it checks out," one of the staff murmured after a brief consultation. "Mr. Crow's fate is complicated. The master said only a spiritual match could extend his life. Otherwise, he won't make it past his next birthday."Dave let out a low chuckle, visibly relaxing. "Well then, Mr. Crow, it seems you've come to the right place. Please—carry on, everyone."Aria listened in stunned silence. Landon hadn't lied. His life
Aria couldn't tear her eyes away from Dave.He was still quietly speaking to the man on the screen, their exchange shrouded in secrecy. No one nearby could hear what they were saying—but Aria could guess. It had to be a deal of some sort, something about her. Everything about Dave's posture, the glint in his eyes, told her this wasn't just business. It was personal.She glanced up at the clock again, nerves coiling in her chest. Something was wrong. Sam was taking longer than usual. That wasn't like him.The auction was nearing its close. They couldn't miss the chance to strike. Sasha, glowing with excitement, clapped her hands and declared, "Six million! It looks like no one else is bidding—congratulations to our newest member, Mr. Tiger—""Ten million dollars."The voice sliced clean through the noise, calm, clear, and cold.Everyone turned toward it.A man stood at the edge of the crowd, dressed in a sleek tuxedo dusted with black feathers, his mask intricate and dark.T
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