Since they planned to reopen Heartbound Hall, a steady supply of herbs was crucial. Nestled on the border of two states, Southbury boasted a humid climate and dense undergrowth â a veritable treasure trove for foragers. Here, one could unearth a bounty of mushrooms, including prized wild portobello and yarrow.Sam particularly favored these two herbs, easily drawn to their scent.For the locals, the mountains provided sustenance while the river quenched their thirst.Gathering a few wild yarrows was a common practice, considered perfectly acceptable. Yet, Aria and Sam weren't content with a meager harvest. They scoured nearly half the mountain, their backpacks overflowing with herbs by the time they started their descent.On their way back, they encountered Jonathan Brooks, an early riser who prided himself on being the first to claim the day's choicest mushrooms. It was a surprise for Jonathan to encounter others even earlier than himself, especially in the dark hours of the m
Jonathan hesitated. "Electrodiagram? Is it that serious? It only happensâĶ""You must go." After saying that, Aria gave him a name card. "Or you can come to Heartbound Hall at Clearwater Alley."Jonathan still seemed unsure after receiving the name card.Meanwhile, the duo had already descended from the mountains. Jonathan couldn't help but notice how familiar they seemed with the path, moving much faster than he did.Sam wasn't eager to return home, especially after hearing about wolves in the mountains. He seemed almost eager to encounter them.Aria lifted him and settled him into the back seat, securing a red and black helmet on him. "Hold onto the bag."Sam sat upright, muttering a response.Aria kicked the pedal, swinging her long leg over the seat, her hair fluttering in the wind. Despite her fatigue, her face remained strikingly beautiful. "We'll come back another day. It's already 4:30 am. Grandma will call us for breakfast at six when she wakes up."Sam gestured eagerly
The sun was shining brightly the next morning. Before Aria had even gotten up, the clinic was already bustling.Sam came in twice and gestured beside her. However, Aria couldn't even be bothered to open her eyes. Finally, her grandmother's voice cut through the haze. "Aria, it's Thursday. Why aren't you in school?"With a groan, Aria sat up and shuffled out of bed. Despite the lack of sleep, her bare face held an undeniable beauty. "I don't have class in the morning."Georgina, a woman with a keen eye, wasn't fooled. She let out a sigh that spoke volumes. "If catching up is a problem, just tell me, dear. It's no big deal. Sarah mentioned there are supplementary classes available. Why not look into those?"Sam's eyes widened at that suggestion. A faint smile touched Aria's lips as she secured her long hair in a simple ponytail, the action revealing a small mole at the corner of her eye. "No need, Grandma. I'll handle it."Aria smiled and tied her long hair in a ponytail, making t
Absolute silence was required when checking the pulse. Thus, Solo didn't dare to say anything despite seeing Aria so close to Landon. Besides, Landon didn't resist.Releasing his wrist, Aria muttered, "It's only been three days. Why has your condition reverted back so quickly?"Landon coughed again, his voice hoarser than before. "I've always been like this. No need to blame yourself."A lazy smile played on Aria's lips. "Blame me? I'm not as virtuous as you think. I just want to understand why. Your condition shouldn't have worsened so soon."Landon's thoughts turned to the discarded aromatherapy diffuser, his expression darkening.Aria turned to Solo. "Tell me everything he's eaten, when he slept, when he woke up, in as much detail as possible."Solo immediately reported to her.Aria went silent after hearing that. "It looks like there isn't any problem with your diet."Landon clenched his hand into a fist and croaked out, "Uh-huh."Aria glanced at him. "Next time you're fre
The unexpected visitor turned out to be Joel. His face lit up with relief the moment he spotted Aria. Sweat glistened on his forehead as he approached. "Dr. Genius, I've been searching for you. Kenneth and the others were asking why you didn't come to Elmer Square for consultations yesterday."Being retired cadres, the elderly in Elmer's held significant sway, and Joel couldn't afford to offend them.Since they had asked about Aria, Joel had to seek her out."I've decided to reopen my grandmother's clinic here," Aria announced, handing Joel a piece of paper with a practiced smile. "So, I won't be continuing my consultations at Elmer Square anymore."Joel nodded, wiping his brow. "You understand Kenneth's condition and Mandy's heart..."As they were not alone, Joel was too embarrassed to say that Elmer needed her. Thus, his expression appeared strained. Aria smiled casually. "I was planning to inform them. Now that you're here, please let them know they're welcome to visit her
Upon hearing the words, "invitation letter", Solo glanced over.Landon remained indifferent. "You could say that."There was a twinkle in Aria's eyes. "Are you aiming to do good deeds anonymously?"Landon coughed lightly, his voice still rough. "My health isn't optimal. The invitation would go to waste on me. Since I can't attend, I thought it best to gift it to a deserving doctor."Aria raised an eyebrow. "Didn't it cross your mind to try your luck? The York family invited numerous renowned doctors. Perhaps one of them could help cure you."Landon lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes casting a shadow below. "I thought of it before. But I don't think there's a need for that after meeting you." His words left everyone stunned.Solo fumbled, dropping the bucket, while Aria accidentally tilted her coffee cup.Sam, who had been squatting, stood up abruptly, staring at Landon.Landon realized the intimacy of his words and hastily clarified, "I meant in terms of medical expertise.
Aria seemed oblivious to Landon's fluster, her long eyelashes casting a veil of shadow over her eyes. Landon, on the other hand, found himself averting his gaze, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "So, what's the plan for the clinic?" he rasped. Aria's smile widened, lifting her head to reveal the mole beside her eye more prominently. "Still working out the details. Grandma's vision is to provide treatment opportunities for everyone. So, gaining recognition from yesterday's event wouldn't align with that."Landon muttered a response, initially considering ordering Solo to assist with the clinic's operations. However, Aria appeared to have her own agenda, implying she might not want his involvement.Grateful he didn't press further, Aria raised her cup in a toast. "Please support me when the time comes."Solo pondered if Landon's support was lacking, considering he practically lived in the clinic. Yet, he refrained from commenting.Landon even forbade them from driving the
"Let's just say they weren't exactly welcoming," Aria replied with a nonchalant shrug, picking a few choice examples from her previous encounter. "The bodyguard barred me from entry, and their secretary looked down on me. 'Respect yourself,' they said, as if I was some street urchin."It turned out Aria had long suspected Troy's identity. It was just that she said nothing about it.Given the close ties between the Jepson and Layne families, Troy likely recognized her from the party. This could explain his condescension while she administered CPR. As for the occupant of the exclusive Maybach, it didn't take much deduction to guess who it was.The person capable of commanding Troy's deference must be the rumored tycoon dominating the business worldâthe heir to the York family.Aria refrained from disclosing how the heir had assisted the HOU in tracking her closely. Her current guise as a "fake heiress" was her most effective disguise.Solo's expression darkened upon hearing Aria's a
Aria had once told Sam to avoid chaos if he couldâbut 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 toughâit 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 herâher bodyguardâwho 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 resistâhe'd seen what she was capable of.And she'd made her warning crystal clearâif 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 herâfresh, 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 classâbut 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'sâ""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 Murrayâthe 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 wayâwith 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 usâit 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 peopleâthat 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 purposeâto 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 instinctâflee.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,