Lily shook her head, biting her lip. "It's not her fault. There was a massive upheaval in my family, and she couldn't come to terms with it."Her words seemed innocuous, but she'd actually pinned the blame on Aria. Christian frowned. "Just say it, Lily. We're here, so there's nothing to fear. She can't do anything to you!""She didn't do anything to me!" Lily's head was bowed. "She just had a slight misunderstanding concerning us. The Gunther and Kent families have a close relationship. My father gave the Gunther family the Whisperwind Herb as a sign of gratitude after Dr. Gunther took me in as her student, and then…"Christian sneered. "And here she is, making something out of nothing!""Christian, calm down." Salome put on a show of being the bigger person here. "It's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared, or anyone not in the know would think that the Whisperwind Herb was acquired from unlawful sources."A smile bloomed slowly on Aria's face as she watched the borin
Aria remained silent, her eyes focused on the grandfather clock in the hall as she idly chewed on her candy.Salome took her silence as a sign of cowardice. She covered Lily's hand with hers and sat down confidently.Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Lily's heart raced. Perhaps it was the anticipation of meeting Landon soon. She glanced down, her eyes resting on the wooden box. As anticipated, only the Whisperwind Herb could act as a conduit to the York family.Titus picked up the box under everyone's jealous gazes. The masses were about to congratulate Salome when Titus said, "My family isn't known to be righteous. Regardless, we cannot, in good conscience, take away what belongs to someone else. "Landon's fate lies in the hands of higher powers. The Whisperwind Herb is very rare, certainly, but we cannot take this."What?Everyone turned to Titus, including Aria, who lifted a brow in surprise. Titus set the box down and lifted his right arm. Suddenly, four words appeared on
Amidst the ongoing attempts to gain favor with the Gunther family, a sharp noise shattered the air—a door to the inner hall had been forcefully kicked open.Under a cloak of normalcy, a team of plainclothes officers materialized in a whirlwind of movement. Salome and Constantine found themselves slammed to the floor before they could even react. The officers, precise and ruthless, executed the takedown with practiced ease.Constantine was still screaming, "Who are you? How dare you do this to us?"The team leader showed his credentials. "We're the Highest Operations Unit!"The HOU?Everyone was shocked.Why would the HOU show up here, of all places?Titus raised an eyebrow but remained silent, observing the unfolding events with a wise and discerning gaze.Aria made no motion, hidden away in a shadowed nook beyond the reach of the cameras. With her candy and backpack, she resembled a guileless young girl amid the tumult.Constantine attempted to rise. "I couldn't care less abo
Salome waved dismissively. "Yes, you have no other choice. If you don't believe me, feel free to seek out other doctors! Next!"The old man panicked. "I'm sorry, Dr. Gunther. You're a professional in this, and my illness…"The video faded to black. Next, another video was played. On the screen, Salome was sneering. "The poor villagers are always such a hassle."A medical intern said, "Is this really appropriate, Dr. Gunther? He just has a small cyst, and it's benign too! We can first—"Salome cut him off sharply, "Am I in charge here, John, or are you?"Within a day, John Cox was dismissed from the hospital, never to return. In the same month, Salome publicly denounced John for causing a medical incident under her supervision, advising other hospitals not to hire him and his school not to grant him certification.John found himself shut out from any prospects of employment. In a video, he removed his surgical mask, revealing a scar above his eye. "I thought this would be bur
The Gunthers' protectors went to great lengths to hide their involvement, and those whose participation was clear had been pre-emptively brought under the HOU's control.Therefore, the HOU waited three days before choosing to launch a raid on the York family's villa. They needed to avoid alerting local authorities while keeping their operation covert. The seminar held by the York family presented the perfect opportunity to strike.Their arrival was so swift and unexpected that no one had a clue how they obtained proof of the Gunther family's wrongdoing.No one, including the HOU itself, knew who uploaded the video that was now circulating widely online.Inside the villa, Yannick Davies, the leader of the HOU, approached Titus. "Our sudden intrusion is regrettable. We apologize for the inconvenience."Titus chuckled. "You apprehended criminals who hurt the society. It's a great service. No apologies necessary."Yannick shook his head. "Such disregard for human life in a small town
Aria weaved through the throng exiting the hall, her baseball cap pulled low to obscure her face. She acted as if everything that had happened had nothing to do with her. Shiloh, bewildered, caught up beside her. "Who's behind all this, do you think?"Aria said casually, "No idea."Shiloh scratched his chin. "You've got a point. There's no way you'd know something Malcolm hasn't heard a whisper about, right, Malcolm?"Malcolm, who was lost in thought, mumbled a distracted, "Hmm, yeah."Aria glanced at him, her voice nonchalant. "They got what they deserved. As long as you haven't done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about."Shiloh nodded confidently. "I'm not scared. I'm hopeless at medicine, and all Grandpa does is drink. He wouldn't touch something like this with a ten-foot pole."Malcolm finally looked up. "I'm not afraid, too. I believe in my grandfather."A faint smile touched Aria's lips. "Grandma always told me Dr. Lowe Senior is the only one who treated her l
Yannick began, "The hacker is cunning, constantly shifting locations and masking their IP address. It has been three grueling days, and the Technical Department only managed to narrow the location down to Southbury."Yannick furrowed his brow. "As for the other person, we can't find them no matter what we tried."It was rare that someone could render the HOU completely helpless. The last time this had happened was three years ago.Landon retracted his gaze. He drawled, "Perhaps you can approach it from another direction and start by investigating the Gunther family's enemies.""The Gunther family's enemies?" Yannick understood what he meant immediately. "Are you suggesting this is because of a personal feud, Mr. York?"Landon looked down. "No organization has publicly claimed responsibility for this debacle. Besides, the person behind this chose to take up the role as a whistleblower; they don't seem like a righteous hero who's doing this for no reason.""That's true." After some
Titus observed Landon's face. "You seem like you're in a good mood."Landon paused in the middle of his actions. "Huh?"Titus picked up his teacup. "Someone hacked into your house, and you're still smiling despite that. What else could be the reason for that aside from a good mood? Brat."Landon knew that Titus was still cross at him for not seeking proper treatment for his illness. He poured another cup of tea. "Solo must've told you about the state of my body recently and also… someone I've met."Titus looked up in defiance. He refused to acknowledge Landon's statement. "Solo's your bodyguard. Why would he tell me details about such things?""You're right, Grandpa," Landon said with mirth in his voice. Titus couldn't be bothered to engage in this verbal back-and-forth with Landon. The Yorks tended to prefer going straight to the point, except for Landon, who always had something brewing in secret."Fine, just tell me. Which one out of the doctors who came today is the Dr. Gen
In that moment, Cormac couldn't afford to care about pride or appearances. His survival depended on severing all ties, especially with a traitor."I don't have a daughter like you!" he snapped, slapping Aliya again. "Do you even realize what you've done? Trafficking human organs—do you think that's something you can walk away from?"Aliya collapsed to the floor, stunned. A chill unlike any she'd ever felt seeped into her bones. She stared up at her father in disbelief, watching as he bowed his head respectfully toward Aria, the very woman she had just mocked.In Aliya's world, her father was the state government. She had grown up believing that their family controlled everything, that Cormac Windham's influence extended far beyond his office, even as retirement loomed.But all of it was crumbling before her eyes.Outside his office, word had already begun to spread. Though muffled, the sharp sound of a slap echoed faintly through the corridor.Everyone understood what that meant—
The group dared to be reckless as Amos was Ludwiten's lieutenant governor. They were peas in a pod and did corruption together.However, they didn't know that their support had already collapsed. Aria was not in a rush to capture Amos' lackeys as her target was in the state government. She didn't go alone either, for Aliya also went with her.Shortly after, Aria issued a new command. "Seal the premises. No one is to leave. Tell everyone to remain in their seats."A request like that, especially directed at the state level, would typically require an exhaustive process—dozens of forms, layers of red tape. Even in cases involving fatalities, senior officials were rarely detained on the spot.But Aria followed with a second message, one that sent chills down spines. "This case involves foreign infiltration. Someone has betrayed the country."Those words landed like a thunderclap. No one dared raise an objection. No one wanted to be associated with treason—not ordinary citizens, and
"Grandpa, it's not convenient for me to get in touch with all of you right now. Remember to take your medicine on time. I have to pretend that I'm locked up. Uncle Eamon and Uncle Waymond have to seem fretful so that the enemy wouldn't be alerted. I'm sorry, Grandpa."Aria didn't reveal what she had encountered in the message. This was because the Special Missions Unit was bound to a confidentiality contract when making decisions. What Aria said was almost pushing the limits.Aria only agreed to get locked up just to see how people would react when the Grisham family was in trouble.When the opponent placed their attention on this incident, they would let their guard down and give Aria a chance to secure evidence of their crimes.If the Grisham family retained its usual influence, the mastermind wouldn't show himself so easily. As Aria felt sorry for her family and worried about Clyde's health, she immediately sent a message to apologize after the auction. However, she couldn't s
There was no way Aria didn't know that the conviction was unfair. Furthermore, Percy specialized in handling economic cases. He knew there was no way Aria would be locked up so quickly. Yet, her crime had been publicly declared without prior warning. Percy was absolutely furious. He tugged his tie and declared the system was corrupted. While Fergus was also helping to find connections, Warren had just landed from Janovin.Clyde had sought out all sorts of connections, even his ex-colleagues in the education field.Fiona clenched his hands. "They promised to help Dad look into it." "They're just trying to fool Mr. Grisham Senior. Their higher-ups have already warned them about it." Nisa suddenly lowered her voice. "They're trying to make his health relapse again. If that happens, the Grisham family is done for."At this moment, a low voice sounded from the door. "So that's what happened. I was wondering why there was no progress with Aria's side after a whole day."It was Eamon.
Because Amos' arrest was part of a covert operation, the news didn't reach anyone outside the circle. That meant Durand remained completely unaware. He was still riding high on the thrill of his plan, blinded by the pleasure of watching the Grisham family fall.That night, he raised a glass of wine in early celebration, his mistress seated beside him. He didn't know that the move he'd made would become the greatest regret of his life.Elsewhere, Nisa couldn't bring herself to be as heartless. That was why, under the quiet cover of night, she made her way to the Grisham residence—not to see Clyde, but to speak with Fiona. She knew Clyde would shut her out immediately, but Fiona… Fiona might just listen.They weren't close. Not the way Fiona was with Priscilla. But they had once shared a few polite meals, floated in the same social circles. Enough to warrant a conversation—barely.When they sat down, Fiona's expression was cool, even distant. She hadn't forgotten the things Nisa had
Lucas could hear the pride in his mentor's voice for Aria. After all, his mentor had taken Aria in Southbury and even owed her his life. Lucas didn't dare to inform his mentor that Aria was being suppressed in the political world. He understood his mentor well. He was devoted to the country and couldn't stand such injustice.Therefore, Lucas didn't tell the truth to prevent his mentor from worrying. If someone with his position made a move, it would become a huge issue. That was why Lucas hid the truth from him. The former had to play along with the other politicians and endure them spouting empty promises. Before Lucas set out, his mentor stood on top of Old City and looked at the vast mountains. "Do whatever you need to, just like what you had done in Southbury. I'll be waiting for you and Aria's return at Janovin."These people didn't deserve his mercy at all!"You used your authority to disregard people's lives." It was the first time Lucas had shown his emotions so open
Amos was too stunned to react. One side of his face throbbed with pain, and fish oil clung to his hair, glistening from the dish he had been slammed into.He had always eaten fish a particular way—only one side. No matter how expensive the fish, he refused to flip it over, believing that leaving it untouched brought good fortune.But today, that superstition had been smashed—along with his pride. Pinned to the table, Amos hadn't even found the time to get angry. Confusion flickered in his eyes as he struggled to rise.Then Lucas spoke, his words crashing down like a stone wall."Amos Lune, you conspired with the Draycott and Fitzroy families to crush honest entrepreneurs. You've abused your position shamelessly."Lucas didn't stop. His tone cut sharper with each sentence."We also have evidence linking you to a human organ trafficking ring in Bellebrook. You've disgraced the people who supported your rise—and the country that invested in you."Lucas had been suppressing his ange
Lucas shook his head steadily. "Not yet."Amos, still basking in the glow of his "victory", had no idea what was coming. He answered Durand's call with a smug smile. On the other end, Durand's laughter rang out loud and triumphant."Mr. Lune, you should've seen the Grisham brothers' faces! I bet they never expected to be abandoned like that!"You played it brilliantly. One quiet move, and boom—the Grisham family's out of the Chamber of Commerce. From here, it's just a slow bleed. They'll lose everything."Amos kept his tone cool. "This isn't enough. Keep pushing the online chatter. The narrative needs to focus on how their precious granddaughter cost so many investors their savings. And don't forget her carefully crafted persona—it's about to unravel."He paused, voice crisp. "Reach out to the other businessmen. Now that the Grishams can't offer any benefits, it's time for everyone to take a bite. You understand, don't you, Durand?"Durand took a moment, then replied, "Right. Got
Cormac even thought of leaving some of his influence behind after retiring. This way, he could still have some power over decisions. He thought he could remind Lucas that not just anyone could do his job well. Therefore, Cormac remained calm after receiving the note. He was already so used to handling his daughter's troubles.Cormac strode into his lounge and asked Pedro, "Is it drunk driving again? Don't you know how to handle it?""It's not drunk driving." Pedro still seemed out of it.Cormac's expression darkened. "It's not drunk driving? Was she on drugs again? I already reminded you numerous times to get someone to keep an eye on her. Which stage of the process is she at right now? Call the people from the drug-testing institution.""No. That's not it." Pedro took off his glasses and his badge.Cormac finally realized that Pedro seemed off. "What happened? Just tell me. I doubt she'll kill someone. Although my daughter is troublesome, she won't do something like that. I kno