《Divorced, But Queen》 Again Marriage 1 Chapter 1 72% +20 Aria Saxon stood in the doorway of their swanky penthouse, her baggy pajamas practically drowning her slim frame, as Liam Cole, her husband of two years, dropped a bomb that hit like a freight train. He stood there in a slick ck trench coat, his chiseled face cool and unreadable, save for a faint flicker of guilt in his hazel eyes. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m done. I want a divorce,¡± he said, voice t. ¡°I¡¯m with Hannah now.¡± She froze, her brain scrambling to catch up. ¡°Wait¨Cshe doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re married?¡± Her words came out sharp, edged with disbelief. Two years ago, a deadly epidemic had torn through Erennd, spreading like wildfire and leaving chaos in its wake. Liam, fresh out of grad school and working at a top hospital, had volunteered to head overseas. They¡¯d just picked up their marriage license, ink barely dry, when he hopped on a ne. Now, after all that time, he waltzed back just to end it. And the woman he¡¯d fallen for? Hannah Gibson, the golden girl of the Gibson family. ¡°We got hitched in a rush,¡± Liam said, like that exined it all. ¡°Hannah was one of the first volunteers. She had no clue I was taken.¡± Aria¡¯s lips twisted into a bitter smirk. ¡°So, what? You just forgot to mention your wife while you were making moves on her?¡± ¡°No way!¡± Liam fired back, his face flushing. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that, Aria. That epidemic was a nightmare. Hannah saved my ass¨Cmore than once¨Cputting her life on the line. We fought that virus together, day after day, and¡­ feelings just happened.¡± He softened, eyes begging her to understand. ¡°Look, we both know this marriage was a quick fix. There¡¯s no spark here. If your dad hadn¡¯t bailed out my grandpa, we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess. Hannah and me? It¡¯s the real deal. We¡¯re head over heels.¡± Aria let out a sharpugh, sarcasm dripping. ¡°Oh, please, Liam. You¡¯re the one who got down on one knee and sold me on forever. Don¡¯t act like I held a gun to your head.¡± She¡¯d spent her life feeling like an outsider in the Saxon family, always chasing a sense of belonging. Liam¡¯s proposal had been a lifeline, a shot at a real home. Out of gratitude, she¡¯d thrown herself into saving his family¡¯s sinking ship, the Cole Group. She¡¯d sunk her own cash into it, taught herself business and economics from scratch, and worked herself ragged to keep thepany afloat. When Liam¡¯s grandfather got sick, she¡¯d juggled hospital runs and tracked down top doctors. His mom and sister wanted designer bags, jewels, and fancy dresses? She¡¯d footed the bill without blinking. She¡¯d run thepany and the household, covering every cent the Coles burned through. And now he had the nerve to say there was ¡°no spark¡± between them. Liam¡¯s face reddened, but he pushed on. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay? Grandpa thinks you¡¯re amazing, and back then, I figured you¡¯d be the perfect Mrs. Cole. I went with it, made those promises, told you I¡¯de back. If I hadn¡¯t met Hannah, I¡¯d have stuck it out, yed the part. We could¡¯ve been one of those polite, no¨Cfuss couples.¡± Aria was done. No sense dragging this out. ¡°Fine,¡± she said, voice like ice. ¡°I¡¯ll sign the papers. We¡¯re through.¡± Liam blinked, clearly thrown by how fast she agreed, but relief flooded his face. After a beat, he rubbed his neck and muttered, ¡°So, uh¡­ you staying on at Cole Group?¡± She shot him a look, incredulous. ¡°Are you for real? Why would I stick around after this?¡± He shifted, uneasy. ¡°Hannah helped develop the protease inhibitor for the virus. She¡¯s already scored a big gig with Kerano Global Health. I¡¯m still on probation, so I¡¯m heading back to Erennd¡± 15.00 IVIO11, 20 May Aria¡¯s jaw dropped, shockcing her voice. ¡°Hold up¨CHannah worked on the inhibitor? How am I just hearing this?¡± ¡®Why the hell didn¡¯t thepany suits looped me in?¡® she fumed silently, her thoughts spinning. Liam¡¯s face lit up as he bragged about Hannah¡¯s new gig at Kerano Global Health. ¡°She¡¯s a freaking superstar in medicine, a total whiz at drug research. But she¡¯s too nice for the corporate shark tank¨Call that backstabbing and scheming. Cole Group would eat her for lunch. ¡°You, though? You¡¯re in your element, swimming with the big fish. That¡¯s why Grandpa¡¯s got such a soft spot for you. He might not even sign off on our divorce.¡± His words carried a sour edge, like he despised the dog¨Ceat¨Cdog world that bankrolled his cushy life. Sitting pretty at the top, he looked down his nose at the people who kept his family¡¯s empire humming. Aria¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smirk. ¡®How did I ever think this guy was my rock?¡® Completely missing her shift in mood, Liam plowed ahead. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal: if you stay at Cole Group, Grandpa won¡¯t make a fuss. Stick it out, and I¡¯ll throw in 1% of the shares. That¡¯s millions in dividends every month, no sweat.¡± Aria let out a sharp, incredulousugh. ¡°One percent? You think I¡¯m that desperate? You want me to sign the divorce papers, step aside for you and Hannah, and then stay to clean up Cole Group¡¯s messes while you two cash out? Yeah, right.¡± Liam¡¯s jaw tightened, a sh of irritation in his eyes. He thought he¡¯d tossed her a golden ticket, and here she was, trashing his family¡¯spany. ¡°Messes? Cole Group¡¯s a damn money machine, with or without you.¡± He leaned forward, his voice edged with heat. ¡°Kerano Global Health¡¯s the real deal, Aria. Hannah and I are out here doing work that matters¨Chelping the country. You¡¯re living the high life, so what¡¯s your problem?¡± ? Comment Again Marriage 2 Chapter 2 72% +20) Aria locked eyes with Liam, her gaze cold as steel. ¡°I¡¯m out of Cole Group, and I don¡¯t want your precious shares. I¡¯ve got four percent, worth about 1.5 billion dors at today¡¯s valuation. I¡¯m taking what¡¯s mine and walking away.¡± Liam¡¯s jaw hit the floor: ¡°Four percent? How the hell did you score that much of Cole Group?¡± ¡°Two years ago, when thepany was on itsst legs, I dropped 150 million to keep it afloat,¡± Aria said, her tone clipped. He snorted, not buying it for a second. ¡°150 million for four percent? What, were they handing out shares at a fire sale?¡± Liam knew about the financial crisis and that Aria had joined thepany, but no one had mentioned her shelling out 150 million. Four percent for that price was a steal¨Csuspiciously so. She must¡¯ve worked some backroom deal to snag those shares on the cheap. The idea made his blood boil. Aria found his skepticism almostical but was done arguing. When Liam opened his mouth to push back, she mmed the door in his face with a sharp bang. His expression darkened, and he stormed off to Hannah Gibson¡¯s apartment that same night. At Hannah¡¯s ce, Liam unloaded everything Aria had said. Hannah¡¯s brows furrowed, her striking features tightening. ¡°Cole Group¡¯s a giant. A little rough patch two years ago wouldn¡¯t tank the shares that hard. 150 million for four percent? No way. And where¡¯d she even get that kind of money?¡± She shook her head, her sharp, deep¨Cset eyes shing with contempt. ¡°I thought she was some bold, heart¨Con¨Cher¨Csleeve type. Guess I read her wrong. Greedy¡¯s putting it mildly.¡± With hermanding presence¨Cpiercing gaze and chiseled features¨CHannah always seemed in control. Liam¡¯s mood soured further. Two years ago, Aria had been poised, a woman who fit his world perfectly. Now, after two years of the good life, she was demanding 1.5 billion dors like it was nothing. ¡°Forget 1.5 billion,¡± Liam growled. ¡°She¡¯s not getting a penny of that 150 million either.¡± Hannah arched a brow, her voice cool and calcted. ¡°She grew up in the middle of nowhere, then yed rich wife for two years. No shock she¡¯s hooked on the fancy life. If she¡¯d just sign the divorce papers and move on, I¡¯d throw her three mil to soften the blow.¡± Liam¡¯s heart softened at her generosity. He pulled her into his arms, murmuring, ¡°Hannah, you¡¯re too good for this world. I¡¯m damn lucky to have you.¡± She smirked, rolling her eyes yfully. ¡°Aria¡¯s got no degree, no real skills. Woman to woman, I¡¯m not here to grind her into the dirt.¡± Their eyes met, the air between them electric. Hannah broke the gaze first, but Liam was already caught up. With a sly grin, he scooped her up and carried her toward the bedroom. ¡°Babe, we¡¯ve been missing out on us time for way too long.¡± Hannah didn¡¯t hesitate. She slipped out of her clothes with a teasing smile, leaning in for a kiss that set the night on fire. Aria owned a chic downtown loft, and once she decided to end her marriage, she grabbed a bag, stuffed it with essentials, and bounced. After a steamy shower, she flopped onto her bed, smirking at the thought of no early trek to Cole Group. ¡°Divorce? Kinda the best move ever, she thought, melting into the sheets. Her phone pinged with a text from Benjamin Hayes Benjamin H, Aria, that proposal¡¯s fire, I¡¯m in for the Cole Group gigl 1/3 15:06 Mon, 26 Mayo MT (+20 Aria¡¯s fingers zipped across the screen. [Hey, Benjamin, quick heads¨Cup¨CI¡¯m ditching Cole Group. Might wanna rethink that deal. No telling if it¡¯ll tank without me.] Cole Group was a snake pit, and though Daniel had a blind spot for the creeps, Aria had kept them in line. Once she was gone? Those lowlifes would run wild. Across town, a silver¨Chaired man rose from his cushy sofa, his hazy eyes glinting with a sly grin. His jittery butler hustled over. ¡°Mr. Hayes, you good? What¡¯s up?¡± Benjamin grabbed the butler¡¯s arm, practically buzzing. ¡°Get moving¨Cdig up if Aria¡¯s really dumping her marriage!¡± Liam¡¯s return to town was old news; Benjamin had heard it weeks back. But Aria bailing on Cole Group? That was a red g for major drama. The butler frowned. ¡°Sir, Liam just got back. No way he¡¯s splitting with Aria, right?¡± Benjamin rolled his eyes, waving him off. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re clueless. That Cole dude¡¯s a total dud¨CI met him, boring as hell. If Aria¡¯s walking, Sebastian¡¯s got an opening. Quit gawking and get the scoop!¡± The next morning, Aria¡¯s phone lit up with a call from Liam¡¯s grandfather, Daniel Cole. She slid into her car and made her way to the sprawling Cole Manor. At the front gate, she nearly bumped into Liam and Hannah, their hands locked together, looking like they¡¯d just stepped out of a rom. Their eyes shed¨Chers, his, Hannah¡¯s¨Cand the air practically sizzled with bad vibes. Just then, Elena Cole, Liam¡¯s mom, came sweeping out, her smile brighter than a toothpaste ad. She grabbed Hannah¡¯s hand, giving it a warm squeeze. ¡°Hannah, you¡¯re here! God, I¡¯ve missed you, girl!¡± ¡°Missed you too!¡± Hannah shot back, all charm and dimples. Elena fussed over Hannah for a sec before her gaze flicked to Aria, one eyebrow arched like a viin in a soap opera. ¡°Aria, you¡¯ve been killing it at Cole Group these past two years. Consider it our way of settling up. Just sign the divorce papers already¨Clet¡¯s all move on.¡± From the second Aria had married into the Coles, Elena hadn¡¯t dared pull the ¡°evil mother¨Cinw¡± act. Not because she didn¡¯t want to¨Cshe was just outyed. She¡¯d pegged Aria as a sweet, small¨Ctown pushover. Big oops. Aria had strolled in, taken the reins of the household, andnded a VP gig at Cole Group, Elena¡¯s sneaky ns? Toast. She¡¯d had to y nice, and it burned her up inside. Now, with Liam back and ready to dump Aria, Elena was all but popping champagne. Her chin tilted high, eyes sharp as knives, she added, ¡°Oh, and stop grabbing me that face cream. Just gimme the supplier¡¯s contact.¡± Aria¡¯s lips quirked into a smug half¨Csmile. Without/a word, she breezed past Elena and headed for the house, bound for Daniel¡¯s study. Elena¡¯s face soured, her pride taking a hit. ¡°Tch, country bumpkin. No manners,¡± she muttered. Hannah, smooth as ever, stepped in. ¡°Don¡¯t let her bug you, Mrs. Cole. That face cream¨Cwhat¡¯s the deal? I¡¯ll track it down.¡± Elena¡¯s frown eased. ¡°You¡¯re a sweetheart, Hannat. I¡¯ll shoot you a picter.¡± Elerra didn¡¯t fancy family. Even after twenty years as a Cole, she¡¯d never broken into the snooty socialite clique. 15:06 Mon, 26 May MT 72% +20) Then Aria showed up with this no¨Cname face cream¨Csmelled like an herbal remedy, no brand, nothing chic. Elena had turned her nose up until a zitty day pushed her to try it. Bam¨Cher skin was glowing, wrinkles fading fast. She started hyping it to the richdies, who¡¯d scoffed at the ubeled jar. But when they saw Elena looking ten years younger, they were begging for her secret. The cream wasn¡¯t sold anywhere, so Elena had been scoring twenty¨Csome jars a month from Aria, leveraging it to finally win over the elite crowd. The idea of Aria ghosting her¨Cand leaving her high and dry with her new pals¨Cgave her nightmares. Hannah¡¯s offer was a godsend. Practically giddy, Elena waved them off and pranced away to a brunch. Liam threaded his fingers through Hannah¡¯s, leading her upstairs. In the study, Daniel¨Ceighty¨Csomething but still a business¨Cworld legend¨Csat waiting. The sight of Liam and Hannah all cozy sent him into a rage. His face went crimson, and he hurled a mug across the room. Liam yanked Hannah out of the way as it zipped past their heads, shattering against the wall. Shards New, nearly clipping Hannah¡¯s ankle. Liam¡¯s jaw tightened, his re locked on Aria. ¡°What kinda nonsense did you feed Grandpa?¡± Aria¡¯s lips twitched, but before she could p back, Daniel pounded the desk, his voice booming. ¡°You ungrateful punk! Aria¡¯s been loyal for two years, and you roll in with some fling, whining about a divorce?¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes narrowed at ¡°fling,¡± a flicker of anger sparking. Liam shot back, ¡°Grandpa, Hannah¡¯s the Gibson family¡¯s pride, Mandino City¡¯s golden girl. You used to rave about her! How can you just buy Aria¡¯s story and trash Hannah like that?¡± 3/3 Again Marriage 3 Chapter 3 Daniel was fuming, his hands trembling as he gripped his cane and stood. ¡°Sneaking around as the side chick? You¡¯re calling me trash her?¡± 72% 20 Hannah¡¯s face went cold as ice. ¡°Mr. Cole, I didn¡¯t have a clue your grandson was married when we started. If I¡¯d known, a girl like me, with a clean te, would¡¯ve bolted.¡± She spun on Liam, her eyes zing. ¡°You swore you and Aria were over, that divorce was just around the corner. That¡¯s the only reason I gave you a chance. Now I¡¯m stuck with this ¡®side chick¡® crap, and everyone¡¯sughing. Clean up your damn mess, Liam. We¡¯re done.¡± Hannah stormed toward the door, but Liam grabbed her arm, his voice low and desperate. ¡°Hannah, don¡¯t walk out. Grandpa¡¯s been yed by Aria¡¯s lies, that¡¯s all. If you leave, she¡¯ll never sign those divorce papers. She¡¯ll bleed Cole Group dry, and my family¡¯s screwed.¡± His plea was raw, tugging at her heart. Hannah stopped, turning slowly. ¡°You¡¯ve got one day to fix this.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Liam said, relief flooding his face. He faced his grandfather, his tone rock¨Csolid. ¡°Grandpa, I only married Aria because you wouldn¡¯t let me study abroad. It was a dumb move, and I never loved her. Hannah¡¯s the one¨Cshe¡¯s shown me what real love feels like.¡± Daniel¡¯s face stayed hard, while Aria just smirked, eating up their drama. Liam didn¡¯t back down. ¡°Hannah¡¯s killing it at Kerano Global Health, running the whole show. Top schools are begging her to speak. She¡¯s got ss, respect¨Cthe kind of woman born to lead the Cole family.¡± Kerano Global Health was the real deal, a world¨Css institute with standards so brutal even hotshot professors struggled to get in. And Hannah was the one calling the shots. Daniel¡¯s icy stare softened just a bit. ¡°If this is all a misunderstanding, I¡¯ll say sorry to Miss Gibson. But Aria¡¯s the only granddaughter¨Cinw I¡¯ll ever ept.¡± Liam¡¯s grip on Hannah¡¯s hand tightened, his eyes fierce. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m not changing my mind. Try to stop me, and I¡¯m gone. I¡¯ll follow Hannah to Erennd and nevere back.¡± Pushing him now would only make things worse. If Liam really ran off with Hannah to Erennd, the whole family would be done for. Daniel stayed quiet, his brow furrowed deep. The Cole family was barely holding on. Daniel¡¯s only son was long gone, leaving a grandson who¡¯d rather dissect cadavers than deal with dors and a granddaughter who lived for the next party. With no decent heirs to speak of, Daniel had put all his chips on Aria, his grandson¡¯s wife. But then Liam, that moron, went and screwed it all up by cheating Daniel sat, his mind a mess, guilt carved deep into his weathered face as he looked at Aria. He sighed, the sound heavy with regret. ¡°Aria, darling, the Coles have done you wrong. If you¡¯re not okay with this divorce, I¡¯ll fight it till I¡¯m pushing daisies, I swear.¡± Liam clung to Hannah¡¯s hand, sweating like a pig, scared Aria might not let him off the hook. Aria stayed cool, her voice even. ¡°Liam¡¯s got a new squeeze. No point in me hanging around where I¡¯m not wanted.¡± Daniel¡¯s shoulders slumped, his voice soft and sad. ¡°The Saxon family¡¯s got their heiress. You¡¯d just be extra weight there. Stick with us, Aria, I¡¯m on my If Liam wouldn¡¯t step up and have kids, IVF could fix that. Aria¡¯s kid would still carry the Cole name, and thepany would stay in the family. ¡°Grandpal¡± Liam¡¯s face twisted, his voice shrill. ¡°You can¡¯t just hand Cole Group to some nobody!¡± 1/3 15:06 Mon, 26 May MT Aria shot him a look sharp enough to draw blood. ¡°Grandpa, I was just fine without the Saxons before I hit twenty, and I¡¯ll keep on being fine. This marriage? If Liam won¡¯t end it, I will. I¡¯m not sticking around to y happy wife while he¡¯s out fooling around.¡± Daniel pressed a hand to his temple, sighing like the world was on his shoulders. ¡°You two, beat it. I need to talk to Aria alone.¡± Liam started to protest, but Hannah yanked him out the door. Daniel¡¯s gaze locked on Aria, heavy with something unsaid. ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll green¨Clight the divorce.¡± Relief hit her, but his next words were a gut punch. 72% (+20) ¡°That 150 million you threw in? You can take it back, and that¡¯s it. The shares stay with us. I¡¯ll toss in this year¡¯s dividends to soften the blow,¡± he said. Aria¡¯s eyes shed with disbelief. ¡°150 mil? That¡¯s all you¡¯re offering?¡± Daniel¡¯s tone turned steely. ¡°You¡¯re not a Cole anymore. Holding four percent of Cole Group isn¡¯t right.¡°. ¡°Grandpa, I never asked for a dime from you people. Why do you think I signed that prenup?¡± Aria¡¯s voice was ice, her patience gone. ¡°When Cole Group was tanking, stocks in the toilet, I dumped 150 mil into it. That four percent was mine¨Cearned, not handed to me. Not just as Liam¡¯s wife, but as a shareholder.¡± Her eyes darkened as it all clicked. ¡°I bled for Cole Group. It¡¯s soaring now because of me. If you¡¯re cutting me out of my shares, fine. But by market value, I¡¯m owed fifteen billion dors.¡± Daniel¡¯s face went pale, then red with outrage. ¡°1.5 billion? That¡¯s nuts. I¡¯ll give you 230 million, plus dividends and a little extra. Take it.¡± Aria let out a bitterugh, her heart sinking. ¡°I see it now. All your ¡®kindness¡® these past two years? Just because I was your ticket to saving Cole Group. I had you all wrong. You forced that prenup on me, and now this? You¡¯re just like the rest.¡± Liam might¡¯ve been too clueless to see her sacrifices, and she could live h that. But Daniel? He¡¯d watched her pour everything into hispany, seen her fight tooth and nail, and now he was acting like she was some thief trying to steal what she¡¯d built. Aria¡¯s eyes zed with cold fire as she stared down Daniel. ¡°Liam yed me, Cole family fortune. But what¡¯s mine? No one¡¯sying a finger on it.¡± and I¡¯m fine walking out with nothing. I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about your Her tone flipped so fast it threw Daniel for a loop. He coughed, gulped some water, and said, his voice loud enough to fill the room, ¡°Aria, we¡¯re grateful for that 150 million you pumped into Cole Group. It saved our bacon. But word is, your parents only coughed up 15 million for your wedding gift.¡± His words were sugar¨Ccoated, but Aria caught the shade. She let out a sharpugh, her face twisting with mockery. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter where the cash came from. I put it in. That¡¯s the deal.¡± Daniel leaned forward, his voice turning steely. ¡°You didn¡¯t get a stake in Cole Group until after you tied the knot with Liam. You signed a prenup, Aria. You¡¯re not touching a dime of thispany. Offering you 230 million is already bending over backward, and I haven¡¯t even put pen to paper on the transfer.¡± Aria¡¯s gaze went qubzero. ¡°So you¡¯ve been ying me from day one.¡± The prenup had been no skin off her nose¨Cher own assets were a hot mess, and splitting with Liam would¡¯ve left her in the red. She didn¡¯t care about the shares themselves, but handing them over to the Coles for nothing? Not in this lifetime. i¡¯d be a hassle, but herwyers could sort it out without her breaking a sweat. Daniet, stroking his scruffy beard, shot her a sly look from his sunken eyes. ¡°Get smart, girl. Stir up trouble, and you¡¯ll regret it. The Saxons won¡¯t lift a finger for you, and crossing the Coles is like punching a brick wall.¡± When sweet talking didn¡¯t work, he went full hardball. 15:06 Mon, 26 May MT. Aria¡¯s lips curled into a taunting smirk. ¡°If you¡¯re hell¨Cbent on ripping me off, don¡¯t cry when I drag you to court.¡± This was going nowhere fast, and she wasn¡¯t about to waste another second. Daniel sneered. ¡°Sue us? I¡¯d love to see whatwyer¡¯s dumb enough to take your case and tangle with the Coles.¡± Aria didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°You¡¯re half in the ground already. Don¡¯t worry about my battles.¡± With that, she spun on her heel and strutted out. His face twisted in fury, his breath hitching as he knocked a cup to the floor, shattering it. The butler, hearing the crash, burst in and caught Aria¡¯s icy stare. ¡°Mrs. Cole,¡± he said on reflex. 72% +20) Aria¡¯s voice was light butced with poison. ¡°The Coles eat people alive and don¡¯t even bother spitting out the bones. Don¡¯t you dare call me Mrs. Cole.¡± The butler stood there, gobsmacked, as Aria vanished down the hall. He scrambled into the study to check on Daniel. In the car, Liam¡¯s brow creased, his voice tight with confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t get why Grandpa¡¯s so hung up on Aria. He really thought she could run Cole Group?¡± Hannah, who¡¯d done her digging on Aria, spoke softly but with a razor¡¯s edge. ¡°I checked her out. Aria never made it to college¨Cbarely crawled through middle school. She was a total troublemaker: skipping ss, throwing punches, messing with other kids. No way she¡¯s got the brains to be VP.¡± Liam¡¯s jaw hit the floor. Aria, a backwoods delinquent? He¡¯d never heard a whisper about her rough past. Hannah kept going, her tone smooth but loaded. ¡°That Cole Group disaster two years ago? I looked into it. Three board members saw your grandpa was down for the count, swipedpany funds, and bolted overseas. Cops hauled them back. If anyone deserves a pat on the back, it¡¯s the police. But somehow, Aria got all the shine. People even say she sealed big deals to keep thepany afloat. And that 150 million?¡± She let it hang for a second. ¡°The Saxons never gave two cents about their ¡®mistake¡® daughter. They married her off the minute they got her back. No way they handed her 150 million. A few mil, maybe. I¡¯m betting she pulled some shady crap to get that cash. If it blows up, it could sink Cole Group.¡± 3/3 Again Marriage 4 Chapter 4 Äî72% Hannah gave a breezy shrug, a sly grin tugging at her lips. ¡°My grandpa and yours? They¡¯ve been tight for, like, forever. When Cole Group was going under, my folks hit me up. I told them to throw a bone, you know, score some good vibes.¡± Liam¡¯s eyes bugged out. ¡°Hannah, I¡¯ve known you forever, and you never said a peep about this?¡± His heart swelled with warmth. She¡¯d worked all that magic and let Aria hog the limelight. She nced away, brushing it off with a wave. ¡°I don¡¯t go fishing for gold stars, Liam. If Aria hadn¡¯t gone full diva, I¡¯d have kept it zipped.¡± He grabbed her hand, his voice low and earnest. ¡°You¡¯re too damn good, Hannah. Grandpa¡¯s been yed by Aria¡¯s little act, but once we¡¯re married, he¡¯ll see you¡¯re the real MVP.¡± Hannah arched a brow, her confidence practically radiating. ¡°Oh, he¡¯ll get the memo.¡± Liam¡¯d been abroad for two years, keeping tabs on thepany from a distance. His uncle, a brainiac with a PhD from some elite overseas school, started at Cole Group same time as Aria. Every deal he closed, he¡¯d ring Liam to spill the tea. Liam thought it was all clicking now¨CHannah¡¯s family, the Gibsons, had pulled some serious strings tond those contracts. His uncle had done the legwork, letting Aria take the bows just to help her get her bearings. But she¡¯d swiped all the credit without so much as a flinch. Right then, Liam¡¯s phone pinged with a text from the butler, spilling every detail of his grandpa¡¯stest face¨Coff with Aria. His face lit up as he yanked Hannah into a tight hug. ¡°Grandpa¡¯s cool with ditching Aria! We¡¯re finally free to move in together.¡± Hannah¡¯s lips curved into a smug smirk. ¡°Told ya I saw iting.¡± Liam let out a heavy sigh, scratching his neck. ¡°It¡¯s and now she¡¯s gunning for fifteen billion.¡± gonna be a walk in the park, though. She¡¯sing out swinging¨Cturned down a 230¨Cmillion deal Hannah snorted, her voice dripping with shade. ¡°Greedy¡¯s an understatement. But chill. If this hits the courtroom, that money¡¯s gotta be dirty. She¡¯s screwed.¡± ¡°We need Owen Shaw on our side,¡± Liam said, his tone all business. ¡°Dude¡¯s a legal rockstar¨Cice¨Ccold, fair as theye. They don¡¯t call him the King of the Courtroom for nothing.¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes gleamed with a spark of mischief, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve bumped into him a time or two. If we lock him down, we¡¯re golden.¡± Liam¡¯s grin stretched wide as he pulled her close again. ¡°Hannah, where the hell would I be without you?¡± Aria had just kicked off her heels and copsed onto the couch when her phone buzzed with Benjamin¡¯s name lighting up the screen. ¡°Hey, darlin¡®, what¡¯s good? Got a minute toe kick it with this old coot?¡± Benjamin¡¯s voice was warm,ced with that familiar yful charm. Aria propped herptop on her knees, already typing ¡°top divorcewyers¡± into the search bar. ¡°Benjamin, I¡¯m kinda mmed right now.¡± ¡°I hear ya, busy girl. Word¡¯s out about Liam¡¯s drama, too. Listen, I got a pal who¡¯s a straight¨Cup beast in court¨Cperfect for your case.¡± Awyer handpicked by Benjamin? That was a no¨Cbrainer, Aria¡¯s lips quirked into a grin. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Benjamin. I¡¯ll swing by to thank you properly Benjamin¡¯s chuckle practically danced through the phone, his excitement bubbling over. ¡°I¡¯ll hook you up with my He caught himself, nearly spilling his not so secret n to set her up with his grandson, ¡°Uh, my buddy¡¯s contact. I¡¯ll text you his info. You two can get to 114 15:06 Mon, 26 May MT chatting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a gem, Benjamin. I¡¯ll stop by for that thank¨Cyou soon, promise,¡± Aria said, her voice soft and teasing. ¡°No rush, sweetheart. Win that case, then we¡¯ll have a big ol¡® party at my ce, yeah?¡± ¡°Count me in.¡± The call ended, and sure enough, Benjamin¡¯s text popped up with a contact card. Aria added thewyer instantly, firing off a quick message: [Hey, Mr. Webb, got a case I¡¯d love to run by you.] (+20) Meanwhile, across town at Seacrest Law Firm, Owen Shaw was slogging through a stack of files when Benjamin¡¯s message came through, asking him to help a friend with a messy divorce. He shot back a [No problem,] only for his phone to ping again¨Ca friend request. Owen squinted at the screen. ¡°Mr. Webb? Wrong guy or what?¡± But it was Benjamin¡¯s referral, so he hit ept and typed: [Ms. Saxon?] Arial replied: [That¡¯s me! Hey, Mr. Webb.] Owen: [You¡¯reying it on thick with the formal vibe.] A legal consult, and she already fumbled my name?¡® he thought, a smirk tugging at his lips. ¡°Formal?¡± Aria mused, picturing one of Benjamin¡¯s old cronies¨Cprobably some grizzled guy in his fifties with a cigar habit. She typed: [Hey, Mr. Webb! Benjamin sent me your way, said you¡¯re the guy for business disputes.] Grinning, he still didn¡¯t bother correcting her. They texted back and forth for ten minutes, and he pieced together the whole story. Her husband¡¯spany tanked right after their wedding, so she¡¯d thrown in a chunk of cash to save it. Now, those shares were worth a fortune¨Ctwenty times what she put in. But her sleaze of a husband stepped out, and now they were splitting. His family was ying dirty, waving a prenup in her face, iming her investment was ¡°marital property¡± and offering her chump change to keep her shares. Owen typed:(Mind me askin¡®¨Cwhat¡¯s the damage on those shares?] Aria replied coolly: [About fifteen billion.! Owen¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡®Holy hell. That is serious cash.¡® Owen: Ms. Saxon, how about you swing by Seacrest Law Firm? We need to talk this out in person.] And just like that, it hit him. She wasn¡¯t just any client¨Cshe was the Ms. Saxon, the Cole heiress his mom couldn¡¯t stop gushing about, the one with brains, beauty, and a heart of gold. The next morning, Aria hightailed it to Seacrest Law Firm. Talk about rotten luck she ran smack into Liam and Hannah right at the entrance. Hannah¡¯s eyes raked over Aria like she was yesterday¡¯s trash, then she let out a nasty littleugh. ¡°Well, look who it is, Ms. Saxon. Here to sweet¨Ctalk Mr. 2/4 15:06 Mon, 26 May MT. chatting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a gem, Benjamin. I¡¯ll stop by for that thank¨Cyou soon, promise,¡± Aria said, her voice soft and teasing. ¡°No rush, sweetheart. Win that case, then we¡¯ll have a big ol¡® party at my ce, yeah?¡± ¡°Count me in.¡± The call ended, and sure enough, Benjamin¡¯s text popped up with a contact card. Aria added thewyer instantly, firing off a quick message: [Hey, Mr. Webb, got a case I¡¯d love to run by you.] Meanwhile, across town at Seacrest Law Firm, Owen Shaw was slogging through a stack of files when Benjamin¡¯s message came through, asking him to help a friend with a messy divorce. He shot back a [No problem,] only for his phone to ping again¨Ca friend request. Owen squinted at the screen. ¡°Mr. Webb? Wrong guy or what?¡± But it was Benjamin¡¯s referral, so he hit ept and typed: [Ms. Saxon?] Arial replied: [That¡¯s me! Hey, Mr. Webb.] Owen: [You¡¯reying it on thick with the formal vibe.] A legal consult, and she already fumbled my name?¡® he thought, a smirk tugging at his lips. ¡°Formal?¡± Aria mused, picturing one of Benjamin¡¯s old cronies¨Cprobably some grizzled guy in his fifties with a cigar habit. She typed: [Hey, Mr. Webb! Benjamin sent me said you¡¯re the guy for business disputes.] Grinning, he still didn¡¯t bother correcting her. They texted back and forth for ten minutes, and he pieced together the whole story. Her husband¡¯spany tanked right after their wedding, so times what she put in. We¡¯d thrown in a chunk of cash to save it. Now, those shares were worth a fortune¨Ctwenty But her sleaze of a husband stepped out, and now they were splitting. His family was ying dirty, waving a prenup in her face, iming her investment was ¡°marital property¡± and offering her chump change to keep her shares. Owen typed:[Mind me askin¡®¨Cwhat¡¯s the damage on those shares?] Aria replied coolly: [About fifteen billion.! Owen¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡®Holy hell. That is serious cash.¡¯ Owen: [Ms. Saxon, how about you swing by Seacrest Law Firm? We need to talk this out in person.] And just like that, it hit him. She wasn¡¯t just any client¨Cshe was the Ms. Saxon, the Cole heiress his mom couldn¡¯t stop gushing about, the one with brains, beauty, and a heart of gold. The next morning, Aria hightailed it to Seacrest Law Firm. Tath about rotten luck she ran smack into Liam and Hannah right at the entrance. Hannah¡¯s eyes raked over Aria like she was yesterday¡¯s trash, then she let out a nasty littleugh. ¡°Well, look who it is, Ms. Saxon. Here to sweet talk Mr. 214 72% 201 Shaw into taking your case? Hate to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but a shady operator like you, fleecing folks with dirty tricks? Mr. Shaw wouldn¡¯t touch you with a barge pole.¡± Aria didn¡¯t bat an eye. ¡°Oh, Hannah, you that sure Seacrest would back a homewrecker like you in a courtroom?¡± She tossed out the jab and sauntered inside, leaving them choking on her dust. Hannah¡¯s face went crimson. She lunged to grab Aria¡¯s arm, but Aria, like she had radar, sidestepped and snatched Hannah¡¯s wrist, flicking it away like it was a bad vibe. Spinning around, Aria fixed Liam with an ice¨Ccold re. ¡°Leash your yappy mutt, Liam. Shees at me again, I¡¯m not just pping back¨CI¡¯ll snap her arm off.¡± A gaggle of suits rounded the corner just in time to catch her warning. The hallway went pin¨Cdrop quiet, every eyeball glued to the showdown at the door. Liam pulled Hannah into his arms, shielding her as he shot Aria a scowl. ¡°Real nice, Aria. Hannah¡¯s just trying to save your sorry butt, and you¡¯re too bullheaded to see it. I¡¯m letting this slide ¡®cause you¡¯re ady, but don¡¯t test me again.¡± Hannah, nestled against Liam, didn¡¯t bother chiming in. Why waste my breath on a nobody like Aria? No degree, no job¨Ctotal small¨Cfry energy. Not worth my time,¡® she thought. Aria didn¡¯t even dignify him with a nce. She glided over to the gobsmacked receptionist, cool as a cucumber. ¡°Hey there, I¡¯m here for Mr. Webb. Got an appointment.¡± Owen, who¡¯d been soaking up the whole melodrama, couldn¡¯t peel his eyes s off Aria. His mom wasn¡¯t kidding¨Cthis woman was a stunner. First impression? She was a straight¨Cup powerhouse. No shocker she¡¯d single¨Chandedly yanked Cole Group back from the grave. But when she name¨Cdropped ¡°Mr. Webb,¡± Owen¡¯s lips quirked, and he mentally dialed back his awe. The receptionist blinked, snapping out of her trance, and nodded toward a middle¨Caged guy in a sharp suit. ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Webb right there.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria said, all smooth and polished. Owen took a step forward, ready to clear up the mix¨Cup, but before he could get a word out, Aria breezed right past him. She zeroed in on Mason Webb, shing a dazzling smile and sticking out her hand. ¡°Mr. Webb, hi! I¡¯m Aria.¡± ¡®You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me,¡® Owen thought. Mason, caught off guard, shook her hand with a nk look. ¡°Uh, hey there. And you are¡­?¡± Aria¡¯s smile went full¨Con professional charm. ¡°Mr. Benjamin Hayes sent me your way. Said you¡¯re the best in the biz for this kind of case and I should hire you.¡± Mason¡¯s eyes lit up like he¡¯d just struck gold. ¡®Mr. Hayes knows me? And he¡¯s sending me clients?¡® he thought, barely containing his grin. Time was, Mason had been Seacrest¡¯s golden boy, the top¨Cdogwyer¨Cuntil Owen swooped in and nabbed the chief attorney spot. Gwen wasn¡¯t just a name, either; the guy had serious game, and Mason had to suck it up. Now, though, Mason¡¯s grin was practically splitting his face. ¡°Ms. Saxon, the pleasure¡¯s all mine,¡± he said, tossing a smug, eat that smirk Owen¡¯s This train was derailing fast. Owen rubbed his temples, exasperated. ¡°Ms. Saxon- way. 15:06 Mon, 26 May MT ¡°Owen!¡± A shrill voice sliced through the air, cutting him off cold. 414 Again Marriage 5 Chapter 5 Hannah strutted over, tucking a stray curl behind her ear with a coy smile. ¡°Hey there, I¡¯m Hannah Gibson.¡± Aria¡¯s gaze slid to Owen, who stood brooding in the corner, his brows pinched as he eased back. ¡°Sorry, not really a handshake guy. Who¡¯re you?¡± Hannah froze for a split second but bounced back with a grin, all warm and chummy. ¡°Owen, dude, it¡¯s me! Your Mandino junior, three years behind. We totally killed it co¨Chosting that g, remember?¡± After the quick trip down memoryne, she got to the point. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the deal¨CI need you to take our case.¡± Owen was the legal world¡¯s ice¨Ccold rockstar¨Cchiseled features, a stare that could freezeva, and a six¨Cfoot¨Cthree frame that owned any room, even when he was just lurking in the shadows. The guy radiated don¡¯t test me energy, and Liam, Hannah¡¯s boyfriend, was clearly feeling the pressure. He stepped up, chest puffed out. ¡°It¡¯s a divorce case, Mr. Shaw. You got our back, we¡¯ll make it worth your while.¡± Here¡¯s the hitch:wyers from the same firm couldn¡¯t y both sides of a case. If Owen took Hannah¡¯s gig, Aria would have to hunt down a new firm. Aria cocked her head, reading the room. ¡°Mr. Webb, no offense, but between you and Mr. Shaw¡­ who¡¯s the big deal around here?¡± Hannah let out a snarky chuckle. ¡°Aria,e on. My man Owen¡¯s the top gun at Seacrest Law Firm. He¡¯s not about to rep some sketchy con artist.¡± Aria was ready to fire back, but someone cut in. ¡°Con artist? You got proof for that, Ms. Gibson?¡± Owen¡¯s frosty gaze flicked between them, his voice sharp as a de. ¡°You know talking smack like that can get you sued.¡± Hannah didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°Okay, let me break it down. Two years ago¡­¡± She spilled the whole story, iming Aria pulled a shady marriage scam, snagged a questionable 150 million to funnel into the Cole Group, and used it tounder money. ¡°We¡¯re not out to burn her, but Grandpa Cole offered her 230 million, and she justughed. Girl¡¯s demanding 1.5 billion bucks!¡± she said. Her voice had that ¡°I tried to help, but she¡¯s too much vibe¡°. She wisely dodged the prenup mess¨Ctoo spicy for this crowd. Mason felt his stomach lurch. Fifteen billion dors? That was straight¨Cup wild. Aria¡¯s odds of winning this case seemed slimmer than a tightrope in a storm. He wasn¡¯t touching this without the full picture. ¡°Ms. Saxon, quick question¨Chow¡¯d you rake in that kind of cash?¡± Every eye in the ce locked on Aria, waiting for her to spill the tea. Aria¡¯s lips curled into a smug, you wish smirk, her tone pure defiance. ¡°Whoever¡¯s throwing shade better bring receipts. The Coles want to jack my shares, saying my money¡¯s dirty? Then they gotta prove I scammed someone. I don¡¯t owe anyone an exnation about my cash.¡± She shot a nce at Owen, testing how tight he was with his old schoolmate. ¡°That¡¯s how thew works, right, Mr. Shaw?¡± Owen¡¯s sharp eyes met hers, cool and unflinching/He gave a curt nod. ¡°Exactly. You two need solid proof Aria¡¯s a fraud. if it holds up, that money¡¯s not hers anymore¨Cit goes straight to the cops.¡± Liam¡¯s face twisted like he¡¯d swallowed a bug. Turn it over to the cops? What kind of crap is that?¡® Liam¡¯s voice was thick with annoyance. ¡°What the hell¡¯s that about?¡°¨C Hannah gently grabbed his wrist, shutting him down. Her voice was soft but pointed. ¡°Two years ago, a massive scam tore through back home. Families got crushed, and the scumbags behind it vanished. Funny thing right about then, Ms. Saxon pulls 150 million out of thin air¡­ 1/3 15:07 Mon, 26 May She let the words hang, and the room buzzed with suspicion. ¡°150 million? Even a big dog like Mr. Shaw would sweat toe up with that. How¡¯s a girl barely out of college doing it?¡± ¡°Both went down two years ago. Hard not to raise an eyebrow.¡± The whispers grew louder until a cleaningdy, who¡¯d been quietly taking it all in, suddenly rushed forward and dropped to her knees in front of Aria. Tears poured down her face as she clutched Aria¡¯s pant leg, sobbing. ¡°Ms. Saxon, please, I need my 150,000 back! It was for my husband¡¯s surgery. ¡°They stole it, and he didn¡¯t make it. I¡¯ve got kids to feed¨Cplease, I¡¯m begging you!¡± The room went still, everyone frozen by the woman¡¯s raw grief. Aria stepped back, her face cool andposed, while the woman wailed and pressed her forehead to the floor like her world had shattered. Owen¡¯s expression turned to stone, his voice like a de. ¡°Security, get her out of here.¡± Two guards hustled in, gently but firmly guiding the woman away. Her gut¨Cwrenching cries lingered in the air long after she was gone. The mood in the room grew heavy, and the looks shot at Aria were now spiked with doubt. Hannah¡¯s lips curved into a faint, smug smile, loving how this was ying out. 20 Owen¡¯s sharp gaze swept over the crowd, his tone cold enough to freeze blood. ¡°No evidence, no rumors. You¡¯re all in the legal game¨Cstart pping your gums without proof, and you¡¯ll never see the inside of aw firm again.¡± His words hit like a punch, and the suspicious stares at Aria fizzled out. No one dared cross him. Hannah¡¯s brow creased, her mind spinning. ¡®Why is Owen sticking his neck out for Aria again and again? Are they tight?¡® Aria, cool as a cucumber, acted like the woman¡¯s breakdown was just another Tuesday. ¡°Mr. Webb, about my case¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m out.¡± Mason cut her off, his voice heavy with conflict. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯lly it all out for Mr. Hayes exactly as it happened. If I took your case, I¡¯d be your guy, but you¡¯re still dodging the question about that 150 million. And asking for 1.5 billion bucks? That¡¯s a long shot, and I¡¯m not here to y dirty.¡± Better to bail now than get pushed outter. Liam¡¯s face split into a cocky grin. ¡°Smart move, Mr. Webb. With Mr/Shaw on our team, we¡¯ve got this in the bag.¡± He shot Aria a frosty re. ¡°Aria, quit screwing around. Grab your 230 million and hit the road.¡± Ar¨ªa arched a brow, her lips curling into a tight, sarcastic smirk. ¡°Loud doesn¡¯t mean right, pal. I¡¯m not just getting my money back¨CI¡¯m dragging both of you to court for nder, defamation, and tanking my rep. If Seacrest¡¯s passing, I¡¯ll find someone else. Peace out.¡± She spun on her heel, striding toward the door with calm, unshakable confidence. ¡°Ms. Saxon.¡°Owen¡¯s deep, steady voice stopped her cold. She nced back, one brow raised. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s good?¡± His eyes locked onto hers, intense and unyielding. ¡°Your case? I¡¯m taking it.¡± The room went dead quiet, the only sound the faint rustle of wind outside. ¡°Mr. Chow!¡± Liam¡¯s voice cracked with disbelief. ¡°You said you¡¯d take our casel What¡¯s with the switch¨Cup?¡± Owen¡¯s braw furrowed. ¡°When did I ever say I¡¯d take your case?¡± 15:07 Mon, 26 May MT. Liam choked, his eyes darting to Hannah.. Hannah¡¯s face darkened, her suspicions locked in. Owen and Aria had to know each other. 72% She kept her voice steady but firm. ¡°Owen, I get it. Maybe you and Ms. Saxon are old friends, and you feel like you owe her. But this is bigger than that. That scam screwed over folks at Seacrest Law Firm too. As awyer, you¡¯ve gotta be on the side of what¡¯s right.¡± Again Marriage 6 15:07 Mon, 26 May MT. Chapter 6 The hall went pin¨Cdrop silent, the kind of quiet that made one heart race. Aria stole a sideways nce, her eyes following the crowd¡¯s to Owen. 20 He was all effortless charm¨Ccrisp white shirt, tailored ck cks, and sleek leather shoes that caught the light. His sleeves were rolled up just enough to sh a ck watch that screamed money, but when Hannah¡¯s voice faded, his easy smile vanished. His gaze turned cold, sharp enough to slice through the tension. Arja had pegged Owen as Hannah¡¯s buddy, maybe even her partner in crime to make Aria the bad guy. But in a split second, everything flipped. ¡°Why the hell is he picking up my her case?¡® she wondered. ¡°Miss Gibson,¡± Owen drawled, his voice smooth but icy enough to frost the air, ¡°you trying to run my ybook now?¡± The wordsnded like a punch, and a shiver rippled through the room. That polished, heartthrob vibe? Total bait. Everyone forgot Owen had scrapped his way to the top of the legal game, with a ruthless edge that could outsmart anyone. He reined in the intensity, his face all cool confidence, and strolled toward Aria. His shoes clicked on the hardwood, each step screaming control. ¡°Ms. Saxon,¡± he said, stopping close enough for her to catch a whiff of his cedarwood cologne, ¡°that wasn¡¯t Mr. Webb you were texting about the casest night. It was me, Owen Shaw.¡± second. Aria¡¯s breath hitched, her poised mask slipping for a hot second. ¡°Wait¨Cyou¡¯re thewyer Benjamin was talking about?¡± He shed a half¨Csmirk, nodding. ¡°In the flesh.¡± The room¡¯s attention snapped to one spot. Mason¡¯s face went cherry¨Cred. Owen had swooped in on the case he¡¯d tossed aside, and though Mason wanted to gloat, the truth burned¨Che¡¯d totally blown it. Neither Owen nor Aria spared him a look, but his cheeks med like he¡¯d been dragged on social media. ¡°Let¡¯s take this to my office,¡± Owen said, his tone all business, no room for pushback. Aria didn¡¯t miss a beat, her heels clicking as she followed him. Passing Mason, she paused, her voice soft but with a sting. ¡°My mistake, Mr. Webb. Wrong guy.¡± She glided off, leaving Mason to stew under the barely hidden smirks of their coworkers. A spark of resentment red in his gut, all airned at Aria¡¯s retreating back. He huffed, spinning to Hannah, ¡°Look, I¡¯d have jumped at your case, but since Mr. Shaw¡¯s got Ms. Saxon¡¯s back, you¡¯re gonna need another firm.¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes darkened, a storm brewing. She¡¯d thought this was a done deal, but Aria had clearly pulled some big¨Ctime strings. ¡°They name¨Cdropped Mr. Hayes,¡± she said, voice tight. ¡°What, is Aria besties with him now?¡± Liam rubbed his neck, frowning. ¡°No clue. But with Owen on her side, we¡¯re in for a brutal fight.¡± Hannali squared her shoulders, her voice zing with grit. ¡°I don¡¯t care how Aria sweet¨Ctalked Mr. Hayes or snagged Owen for her case. We have to win. That money¡¯s for the people, and I¡¯ll be damned if we let her strut off with it.¡± Her verds, fierce and full of heart, set the room aze, putting everyone into her fiery resolve. 15:07 Mon, 26 May MT. 3/1%0 A newbie intern, his face twisted in frustration, muttered, ¡°Everybody says Mr. Shaw¡¯s all about justice. So why¡¯s he ying ball with a scammer?¡± A coworker leaned closer, voice hushed. ¡°Rumor is Mr. Hayes pulled some serious strings. Shaw¡¯s hands are probably tied.¡± ¡°One hundred fifty million bucks. The life savings of thousands of families. How does she even do that?¡± +20) No one could wrap their heads around how a regr woman like Aria pulled in that kind of cash. Fraud or a once¨Cin¨Ca¨Clifetime lottery win were the only guesses that made sense, but no one had hit a payday that big in forever. The intern idolized Owen. He¡¯d signed on with Seacrest Law Firm just to learn from the guy. But this case? It was shaking his whole worldview. All because of that Aria chick, sweet¨Ctalking Mr. Hayes into roping Shaw into her drama,¡® he fumed, shooting a bitter scowl at the office door. Inside, the room was quiet as a tomb, the only sound the soft flip of pages. Neither of them spoke. After what felt like an eternity, Owen lowered the file and eyed Aria lounging on the sofa, her gaze drifting somewhere out the window. ¡°Ms. Saxon?¡± he said, cutting through the silence. Aria blinked, snapping back to the moment. ¡°Whoops, spaced out. What¡¯s good?¡± Owen held up a prenup, pausing for a beat. ¡°This deal¡¯s no good for you. It¡¯s locked tight. Even if Liam¡¯s stepping out, you¡¯re not getting a single penny.¡± She¡¯de ready for war¨Calmost too ready. She even had proof of Liam¡¯s cheating, neat and tidy. Owen had handled plenty of divorce cases, but this was a new one. Aria wasn¡¯t just walking away empty¨Chanded; she was torching a couple billion like it was nothing. He¡¯d never seen that before. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about his stuff,¡± Aria said, her voice cool as ice. ¡°I want this divorce done, my shares safe, and, if I can pull it off, one¨Cpoint¨Cfive billion in my pocket. Cole Group¡¯s about to tank anyway¨Cthose shares are gonna be worth peanuts soon.¡± Her eyes were steady, almost eerily calm. No rage over her husband¡¯s betrayal, no bittern This whole courtroom drama might as well have been a quick coffee run. If Owen had only seen the prenup, he¡¯d have bet Aria was crazy in love with Liam. But one nce at her icy, unbothered vibe? Yeah, love wasn¡¯t in the picture. about missing out on his fortune, no hint of a broken heart. Owen stayed all business, keeping it smooth. ¡°Working this out on the down¨Clow would¡¯ve been the easiest, sneakiest move, but the way things are going? We¡¯re stuck duking it out in court.¡± He pulled a contract from his desk, slid it her way, and flipped a fancy ck pen toward her. ¡°Ms. Saxon, just sign this retainer, and I¡¯ll handle all the Lawyerly nonsense with the other side. You won¡¯t have to lift a finger.¡± Aria didn¡¯t even flinch. She grabbed the pen and scratched her name across the page. ¡°You¡¯re not even gonna peek at it?¡± Owen asked, cocking an eyebrow. She shot him a look, cool as ice. ¡°Benjamin says you¡¯re legit. That¡¯s all I need. You¡¯re not dying to know where I got the money, are you, Mr. Shaw?¡± Owen shed aid¨Cback grin. ¡°Nah, doesn¡¯t matter where it came from¨Cit¡¯s not gonna tank our case. People only care about the shiny surface stuff anyway. Long as your conscience is clear, Ms. Saxon, we¡¯re solid.¡± Two years back, the Saxon family¡¯s true¨Cand¨Cfake heiress scandal had been all anyone could talk about, ripping open a twenty¨Cyear¨Cold secret. Logan Saxon, the family¡¯s big shot, had gone missing in a mudslide while on a business trip. His wife, Zoe, didn¡¯t listen to a soul and went searching for him, only to go intobor early on some barkroad. In a panic, she wound up at a podunk hospital, where she had a baby girl. When the storm passed, Logan was pulled to safety and ended up at the same hospital. 2/3 15:07 Mon, 26 May The Saxons were convinced their little girl was a good¨Cluck charm, spoiling her rotten and naming her Silvia. Fast forward twenty years, a random ident flipped their world upside down: Silvia wasn¡¯t their kid. Shell¨Cshocked, the Saxons dug into it and found out their real daughter had been swapped at birth with some farmer¡¯s baby. They didn¡¯t waste a minute, tracking down their biological daughter, renaming her Aria, and bringing her into the fold. But in a total plot twist, Aria up and married the Cole Group¡¯s golden boy just a monthter. Meanwhile, Silvia stayed put with the Saxons, still their pampered princess, living her best life. Owen never doubted Aria could scrape together 150 million. She¡¯d already pulled off the impossible, yanking the Cole Group back from the grave and proving she was a total boss. Half a billion? That was just pocket change for a woman like her. As Aria stepped out of thew firm, her phone lit up with a buzz. The screen shed one word: Mom. She stared at it for a hot second before answering. A soft, nervous voice came through. ¡°Aria, you and Liam¡­ you¡¯re really calling it quits?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± Aria said, her tone t as a pancake. ¡°Think you could swing by the house?¡± the woman asked, sounding like she was walking on eggshells. ¡°No prob,¡± Aria shot back, keeping it short and sweet. Again Marriage 7 Chapter 7 The Saxon estate sprawled across Mandino City¡¯s swankiest vi district, tucked away at BlueMoon Haven. Aria glided her car through the manicured garden, parked, and headed toward the imposing manor that stood like a sentinel. Crossing the front door, her mind churned, already betting on who¡¯d be inside, ready to give her the third degree. The Saxons were one of Mandino City¡¯s elite four families, and her grandfather, Joseph, ruled the roost with an old¨Cschool iron fist. Terrified of the family scattering, he kept everyone¨Cher dad Logan, her uncle Luke, and their kids¨Cunder the massive roof of the Saxon manor. Everyone, that was, except his eldest daughter, who¡¯d married and bolted. 71% +20 Then there was Aria¡¯s free¨Cspirit uncle, Nathan, a painter with a decent rep, always chasing his next masterpiece and dodging home, much to Joseph¡¯s constant headache. Aria stepped into the living room, and sure enough, there they were¨Cthe Saxons, draped over plush sofas like they owned the world. As expected, Luke¡¯s n was all present, except their high schooler. Luke himself lounged among them. The air felt thick, like a storm was brewing, and Aria stood there, their eyes slicing through her like she was on trial. She stayed quiet, her gaze catching Silvia, snuggled in Zoe¡¯sp. A quick, weird pang hit her chest¨Csharp, fleeting, and gone before she could pin it down. Joseph¡¯s face was hard as stone, his sharp eyes burning with barely leashed fury. ¡°Aria, you got any clue why we hauled everyone here for this sit¨Cdown?¡± His lean face and intense stare screamed control. Joseph was obsessed with the family¡¯s rep, always dishing out orders and expecting the younger crowd to snap to it. Cross him? They were basically dead to him. And Aria? She wasn¡¯t exactly the ¡°yes, Grandpa¡± type he craved. Aria met his re, cool as a cucumber. ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯m getting a divorce.¡± Boom! Joseph¡¯s hand crashed onto the coffee table, rattling teacups and sshing coffee everywhere. ¡°You were so hell¨Cbent on marrying Liam that Silvia stepped back for you. ¡°Two yearster, you¡¯re stirring up a divorce? You¡¯re making the Saxons look like a damn joke!¡± Logan¡¯s face darkened, his jaw tight. ¡°Dad, Silvia wasn¡¯t into Ljam. You can¡¯t say she gave him up.¡± Joseph¡¯s lips ttened into a grim line. ¡°We coughed up that prime Northside plot to the Coles to nix the engagement. But Aria? She practically raced to the altar with Liam, sneaking in a prenup behind our backs. You hear what people are whispering? Airhead, lovesick, fool. The Saxon name¡¯s getting dragged through the dirt.¡± His voice spiked, and he pped the table again, his temper red¨Chot. ¡°Grandpa, take a breather,¡± Caleb said, sliding a ss of water toward Joseph. ¡°Liam¡¯s the one who screwed around with that Gibson girl. Aria¡¯s the one who got burned here¨Cnot her fault.¡± Caleb, Arta¡¯s older brother and the Saxon family¡¯s eldest heir, had been her anchor over the past two years. He¡¯d schooled her in the ways of the corporate jungle, passing down half his tricks to help her thrive. They got on well enough, always able to talk without sparks flying- Luke, toying with the oversized gold chain dangling from his neck, shed a crooked grin. ¡°Hang on, Caleb, I¡¯m not buying that. Mr. Cole let slip that Aria 15:07 Mon, 26 May ? M funneled 150 million into Cole Group. Didn¡¯t think Logan had that kinda bank tucked away for his real daughter. Bet Silvia¡¯s wondering if she¡¯ll get the same fat stack when she walks down the aisle.¡± He leaned hard into ¡°real daughter,¡± his voice tart with shade. +20) Luke was the spitting image of histe grandma Nora, with a bold, almost too gorgeous look that had charmed everyone since he was a kid. As an adult, he¡¯d leaned into his yboy rep full tilt. His dad, Joseph, wasn¡¯t having it and dragged him to the altar. After Luke and his wife weed a son, he finally dialed back the wild life. He¡¯d always wanted a sweet, doe¨Ceyed daughter, but his wife, Abigail, was married to her career and shot down the idea. 22 DA AD Comment Again Marriage 8 Chapter 8 Their years of squabbling left Luke pouring all his affection into his niece Silvia, treating her like his own little princess. Aria¡¯s return threw a wrench in the works. Luke was on high alert, paranoid she¡¯d swipe Silvia¡¯s ce in the family, and he kept her at a distance. He wasn¡¯t Team Aria, and she wasn¡¯t exactly his biggest fan either. ¡°Aria¡¯s wedding gift was fifteen mil, not 150 mil,¡± Logan cut in, his voice sharp enough to slice through the tension, pulling Aria back to the present. She nced at her biological father, her expression unreadable. Logan, who could¡¯ve been Joseph¡¯s twin with his chiseled features and take¨Cno¨Ccrap aura, was someone Luke looked up to and rarely crossed. ¡°So where¡¯d she dig up that 150 mil?¡± Luke pressed, voicing the question burning in everyone¡¯s mind. Joseph¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Aria, where did you get that kind of cash for Cole Group? Don¡¯t tell me that Gibson girl was right about you being mixed up in that fraud mess two years ago.¡± From the moment Aria set foot back in the Saxon family, the vibe had been all kinds of wrong. Zoe walked on eggshells around her, always gentle, terrified of ruffling her feathers. But with Silvia, Zoe¡¯s warmth was real¨Cshe¡¯d tap Silvia¡¯s forehead, chuckle, ¡°You little troublemaker,¡± or ruffle her hair, telling her to behave. When Silvia goofed, Logan would ice her out, sending to the study to think it over. When Aria messed up, he¡¯d exin things softly, urging her to get some rest. Caleb treated both girls fairly, but there was always a strange wall between him and Aria, something intangible she couldn¡¯t quite grasp. Nathan, like Luke, had clocked her as an outsider from day one Aria¡¯s heart was a frozenke, unmoved by their sidelong nces. She let out a sharp chuckle. ¡°So, you dragged me back here just to snoop about where I got my 150 mil? What¡¯s it matter to you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude?¡± Joseph snapped, his voice cutting like a de. From that first meeting, Joseph couldn¡¯t muster a drop of affection for Aria. A twenty¨Cyear¨Cold raised in the middle of nowhere, she carried a chilly vibe that didn¡¯t sit right. No trace of excitement at finding her family, not even a ¡°Grandpa¡± to bridge the gap. Compared to Silvia, his adopted darling, this blood granddaughter felt like a stranger. ¡°The baby swap was a freak ident,¡± he said, his tone steely. ¡°Ain¡¯t on Silvia. Blood or no, she¡¯s your sister. Don¡¯t go resenting her or scheming to outshine her. What she¡¯s got, you¡¯ll get too.¡± In this family, Joseph¡¯s word was gospel. Nobody dared push back. He expected Aria to nod, maybe mutter, ¡°Got it, Grandpa.¡± But instead, she shed a smirk dripping with mockery, her voice cool as frost. ¡°Rx, Mr. Saxon. I¡¯m not here to steal Silvia¡¯s spotlight.¡± Calling him: ¡°Mr. Saxon¡± instead of ¡°Grandpa¡± mmed the door on any chance of family warmth. Zoe¡¯s face twisted with worry, itching to tell her daughter to ease up, but her lips parted, and no words came. ¡°Dad¡± Logan cut in, rising to calm his fuming father. He gently guided Joseph back to his seat before turning to Aria. ¡°Aria, hon, can you let me in on how you pulled in that 150 million?¡± His voice was soft, all care and no judgment. The word ¡°pulled¡± smoothed the thorns in Aria¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡¯ve got a piece of a ,¡± she said, keeping it short. ¡°The 150 million¡¯s dividends I¡¯ve stashed over the years? 2/2 Logan nodded, his gaze kind. ¡°Mind sharing thepany¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t. I promised to keep it on the down¨Clow.¡± 71% +20 Luke snorted, his voiceced with shade. ¡°Two years ago, you weren¡¯t even a Saxon. Just some country girl. Where¡¯d you dig up the dough for shares?¡± Aria tilted her head, each word a slow, deliberate jab. ¡°None of your damn business.¡± The room went dead quiet, tension thick enough to choke on. Luke shot to his feet, face red with rage. ¡°That¡¯s how you talk to your uncle? Two years with the Coles, and they couldn¡¯t teach you to zip it?¡± Again Marriage 9 Chapter 9 Logan¡¯s brows furrowed, his face tightening as he fought to keep his cool. ¡°Luke, Aria¡¯s my daughter. How we raise her is our business, so back off.¡± 71%0 +20 Luke scoffed, jerking his hand back with a scowl. ¡°You think I care about your family drama? I¡¯m only stepping in ¡®cause I don¡¯t want Silvia getting hurt. And let¡¯s be real¨CSilvia¡¯s not even your blood. Why not let here to our side? I¡¯d treat her like my own.¡± ¡°Uncle Luke,¡± Silvia murmured, her voice soft but trembling with nerves she couldn¡¯t hide. ¡°Aria¡¯snded some killer deals for Cole Group. She¡¯s got Dad¡¯s brains¨Cshe¡¯s incredible. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea about her.¡± She shot a quick,plicated nce at Aria, her eyes carrying a weight her words didn¡¯t. Luke let out a harshugh, dripping with mockery. ¡°A delinquent who skips ss and starts fights? Couldn¡¯t even make it to high school. Brains? That¡¯s a joke people¡¯d spit their coffee over.¡± ¡°Cool it,¡± Joseph snapped, his re pinning his youngest son. Then he turned to Aria, his tone all business. ¡°A divorce would kick up a storm for both families. Besides, Daniel made it crystal clear¨Cwhen he¡¯s gone, Cole Group¡¯s yours. You¡¯ll be the one calling the shots. With us behind you, the Gibsons won¡¯t dare stir up trouble. Let them run off to Erennd if they¡¯re so keen.¡± The promise sparkled like a prize just out of reach. If Aria controlled Cole Group, the Saxon family would have it in the bag. They¡¯d dominate, soaring to the top of the four major families in no time. Logan¡¯s frown deepened, his voice low and tense. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re not seeing the whole picture. Aria was bullied into signing a prenup before the wedding. The Coles never saw her as one of them. Liam¡¯s a deadbeat, and Daniel¡¯s just stringing her along to keep her ving for Cole Group. It¡¯s all a big con.¡± Zoe nodded fiercely, her eyes zing. ¡°Why should my daughter keep busting her ass for them after Liam cheated? No way Aria¡¯s going back. This marriage is over.¡± Joseph¡¯s face darkened, his cane thumping the floor like a judge¡¯s gavel. ¡°If this was Silvia, she¡¯d have guys falling over themselves even after a divorce. But Aria? Who¡¯s she gonna find if she walks away?¡± His words cut deep, sharp as a de. ¡°I¡¯m still head of this family, and I make the calls.¡± The room fell silent, the air heavy with tension. Only Luke gave a quick nod, backing his father up. Zoe¡¯s heart twisted. Her daughter was being thrown to the wolves, not even allowed to choose her own path. In a low mutter, she said, ¡°If Aria hadn¡¯t been switched at birth, if she¡¯d grown up a Saxon, would you still look down on her like this?¡± The words slipped out, raw and unfiltered, and they hit like a p, Silvia¡¯s eyes filled with tears, and she dropped her gaze, biting her lip to hold back a sob. Luke¡¯s face hardened. ¡°Zoe, what the bell kind of thing is that to say? Silvia¡¯s innocent!¡± Zoe turned to Silvia, grabbing her hand with a look of pure regret. ¡°Sweetheart, I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± Silvia tried to hold it together, but the tears broke free. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mom,¡± she whispered, her voice cracking. ¡°This is all because of me.¡± As Zoe stood tofort her, a faint warmth flickered in Aria¡¯s chest, soft and fleeting. But it vanished before she could hold onto it. Once again, Zoe had chosen Silvia. Aria had known this truth for years. ¡°I¡¯m not here to talk about the divorce,¡± she said, her voice steady and unyielding. ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s happening.¡± Joseph froze, his eyes wide with shock. Silvia¡¯s tears stopped as she looked up, her face nk, caught off guard. Again Marriage 10 Chapter 10 717% 420 Aria fished a sleek card from her pocket, took a few steps, and dropped it on the table with a soft thud. ¡°Twenty mil on this. Password¡¯s six zeros. That¡¯s the wedding gift you handed me, plus what I spent that month with the Saxons.¡± The room went pin¨Cdrop quiet. No one saw iting¨Cshe hadn¡¯t touched a single cent and even tossed in an extra three million, like she was ready to burn every bridge with this family. ¡°That¡¯s nuts!¡± Logan¡¯s face darkened, his eyes locking onto her sharp stare. The lecture he had primed died in his throat. His gut was screaming: if they didn¡¯t fix this now, Aria might be gone for good. He closed the gap between them, his hand hesitating before resting gently on her shoulder. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re a Saxon, blood and bone. No one¡¯s rewriting that. You want to ditch that marriage? Fine by me. But you¡¯re taking back your hundred fifty mil. And the Coles¡® stuff? We don¡¯t want their scraps.¡± Aria didn¡¯t bother correcting him¨Cshe wasn¡¯t chasing a hundred fifty million. She wanted 1.5 billion dors. Logan turned, squaring up beside her like a shield. ¡°Dad, if Aria¡¯s not wee here, we¡¯re gone. All of us.¡± ¡°Logan!¡± Joseph¡¯s face twisted, red with rage. ¡°You throwing the Saxon rules out the window?¡± The Saxon code: family interests above all, no scandals, no splitting up. Caleb rose, cool and steady. ¡°I¡¯m with Dad. If Grandpa and Uncle Luke don¡¯t want my sister around, we¡¯ll hit the road. Silvia, you with us or staying at the manor?¡± Silvia twisted the hem of her dress, her voice barely above a whisper. ¡°I go where Mom and Dad go.¡± Zoe, who¡¯d always bristled at her father¨Cinw¡¯s old¨Cfashioned ways, was already mentally packing. Move out? She¡¯d be the first out the door. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do all this for me,¡± Aria said, her eyes calm as a stillke. ¡°Silvia and I were switched at birth, right? That just proves she¡¯s the one cut out to be a Saxon. Not me. So why not just lean into the mix¨Cup?¡± ¡®Lean into the mix¨Cup. Silvia¡¯s heart gave a little jump, a spark of hope ring. She¡¯d once snuck back to her bio family¡¯s crumbling shack in the sticks. Her real parents didn¡¯t even pretend to care¨Cjust sized her up with greedy eyes. They¡¯d already pocketed 1.5 million from the Saxons, but still hounded her for another million to fund her brother¡¯s wedding. Her birth family was stuck in another century, obsessed with boys, their home a filthy disaster. Silvia had been freaked out, tossing them 600 thousand dors and bolting. Aria could walk away from the Saxons and still y. Silvia? She¡¯d rather die than lose this life. ¡°Enough!¡± Joseph barked. Disowning his own granddaughter? That¡¯d make the Saxons the punchline of every gossip rag. No way he¡¯d let that shame stick. His weathered face turned cold as he gave in. ¡°Aria, after the divorce, you¡¯re back here. Stay in line, and I won¡¯t meddle. But¡­¡± His voice cut like a de. ¡°No Saxon shares unless you pass my test. She¡¯s got no im to them yet.¡± Savia had been handed two percent of the shares at eighteen, no strings attached. Aria, his own blood? She had to jump through hoops. Caleb¡¯s jaw tightened, but he bit his tongue. 1/2 15:07 Mon, 26 May MT Chapter 10 71% +20 Aria fished a sleek card from her pocket, took a few steps, and dropped it on the table with a soft thud. ¡°Twenty mil on this. Password¡¯s six zeros. That¡¯s the wedding gift you handed me, plus what I spent that month with the Saxons.¡± The room went pin¨Cdrop quiet. No one saw iting¨Cshe hadn¡¯t touched a single cent and even tossed in an extra three million, like she was ready to burn every bridge with this family. ¡°That¡¯s nuts!¡± Logan¡¯s face darkened, his eyes locking onto her sharp stare. The lecture he had primed died in his throat. His gut was screaming: if they didn¡¯t fix this now, Aria might be gone for good. He closed the gap between them, his hand hesitating before resting gently on her shoulder. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re a Saxon, blood and bone. No one¡¯s rewriting that. You want to ditch that marriage? Fine by me. But you¡¯re taking back your hundred fifty mil. And the Coles¡® stuff? We don¡¯t want their scraps.¡± Aria didn¡¯t bother correcting him¨Cshe wasn¡¯t chasing a hundred fifty million. She wanted 1.5 billion dors. Logan turned, squaring up beside her like a shield. ¡°Dad, if Aria¡¯s not wee here, we¡¯re gone. All of us.¡± ¡°Logan!¡± Joseph¡¯s face twisted, red with rage. ¡°You throwing the Saxon rules out the window?¡± The Saxon code: family interests above all, no scandals, no splitting up. Caleb rose, cool and steady. ¡°I¡¯m with Dad. If Grand manor?¡± and Uncle Luke don¡¯t want my sister around, we¡¯ll hit the road. Silvia, you with us or staying at the a whisper. ¡°I go where Mom and Dad go.¡± Silvia twisted the hem of her dress, her voice barely above Zoe, who¡¯d always bristled at her father¨Cinw¡¯s old¨Cfashioned ways, already mentally packing. Move out? She¡¯d be the first out the door. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do all this for me,¡± Aria said, her eyes calm as a stillke. ¡°Silvia and I were switched at birth, right? That just proves she¡¯s the one cut out to be a Saxon. Not me. So why not just lean into the mix¨Cup?¡± ¡®Lean into the mix¨Cup. Silvia¡¯s heart gave a little jump, a spark of hope ring. She¡¯d once snuck back to her bio family¡¯s crumbling shack in the sticks. Her real parents didn¡¯t even pretend to care¨Cjust sized her up with greedy eyes. They¡¯d already pocketed 1.5 million from the Saxons, but still hounded her for another million to fund her brother¡¯s wedding. Her birth family was stuck in another century, obsessed with boys, their home a filthy disaster. Silvia had been freaked out, tossing them 600 thousand dors and bolting. Aria could walk away from the Saxons and still y. Silvia? She¡¯d rather die than lose this life. ¡°Enough!¡± Joseph barked. Disowning his own granddaughter? That¡¯d make the Saxons the punchline of every gossip rag. No way he¡¯d let that shame stick. His weathered face turned cold as he gave in. ¡°Aria, after the divorce, you¡¯re back here. Stay in line, and I won¡¯t meddle. But¡­¡± His voice cut like a de. ¡°No Saxon shares unless you pass my test. She¡¯s got no im to them yet.¡± Silvia had been handed two percent of the shares at eighteen, no strings attached. Aria, his own blood? She had to jump through hoops. Caleb¡¯s jaw tightened, but he bit his tongue. 11/2 15:07 Mon, 26 May MT. Luke helped Joseph shuffle out, leaving just the second branch of the family in the tense living room. Zoe stood, inching toward Aria. ¡°Sweetheart,e home with us, okay?¡± Aria¡¯s face stayed ice¨Ccold. ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯m used to flying solo.¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. ?71%¡ã 20 Caleb¡¯s expression hardened, all business. ¡°We¡¯ll sort out the home stuffter. Right now, we gotta get that divorce in the bag. Aria, I can hook you up with a killerwyer-¡± ¡°Appreciate it, but I¡¯m set,¡± Aria said, shutting him down. ¡°Got one lined up already.¡± 2/2 Again Marriage 11 Chapter 11 Caleb blinked, thrown off. ¡°Wait, who¡¯s yourwyer?¡± ¡°Owen Shaw,¡± Aria said, cool as ever. The room went quiet, four jaws practically hitting the floor. Logan let out a low, ¡°Well,¡± grinning with relief. ¡°Owen? You¡¯re in good hands, girl. Guy¡¯s a beast.¡± 71% +20 Zoe¡¯s face clouded, her emotions a tangled mess. She hesitated, then blurted, ¡°Aria, how¡¯d you even score Owen? Word is he¡¯s tight with thewyer Liam hired. Could be ying for their team.¡± Aria gave a half¨Cshrug. ¡°Mr. Hayes put me in touch.¡± Zoe muttered under her breath, ¡°Why not just tell us? We¡¯re your family, not some outsider.¡± Caleb¡¯s jaw tightened, ready to jump in, but Aria cut him off fast. ¡°What, you want me to ditch Owen and let you pick someone else?¡± The air turned thick. Zoe bit her lip, her eyes shimmering with hurt. She¡¯d only wanted to help, but with Aria, it always seemed to go sideways. ¡®At least I¡¯ve got Silvia¨Csweet, ride¨Cor¨Cdie Silvia¨Cwho¡¯s always got my back,¡® she thought. The thought hit Zoe like a p. She clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms, grounding her. If Aria had been raised by her, she¡¯d be as sweet and open as Silvia. But those small¨Ctown folks had made her so closed¨Coff, so cold. If only Zoe hadn¡¯t lost her back then. Logan, who knew his wife¡¯s heart after years together, sighed softly. He stepped close, slipping an arm around her shoulders, his voice a quietfort. Aria watched them for a long moment, her face unreadable, then turned and walked out, not sparing a backward nce. Caleb¡¯s gaze shifted to Silv¨ªa, his voice steady but firm. ¡°Silvia, you didn¡¯t ask for this mess, and neither did Aria. We missed twenty years of her life, and we owe her big. That might mean you¡¯re not the center of attention for a while.¡± Silvia¡¯s eyes glistened, but she nodded, her voice soft. ¡°I get it, Caleb. I¡¯ve been in her ce all this time. Whatever it takes to make things right, I¡¯m all in.¡± Zoe reached out, gently tousling Silvia¡¯s hair. ¡°Caleb, take it easy. You¡¯re scaring her.¡± Caleb¡¯s expression softened, a flicker of frustration in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say more, but a quick look from his dad made him hold back, lips pressing shut. Aria was zipping down the highway when Grace¡¯s name shed on her phone. With a groan, she yanked the wheel, pulling a sharp U¨Cturn toward Cole Group¡¯s headquarters. At the front desk, the receptionist¡¯s eyes went wide as saucers when she spotted Aria. She clutched her coworker¡¯s arm, whispering, ¡°No way, Ms. Saxon¡¯s back!¡± The rumor mill at Cole Group had been churning for weeks, everyone gossiping about their boss strutting back into town alongside the Gibson family heiress. The coworker¡¯s face twisted with indignation. ¡°Ms. Saxon¡¯s been grinding nonstop for thispany, and Mr. Cole still has the guts to-¡± ¡°Zip it!¡± the receptionist hissed, pping a hand over her friend¡¯s mouth. ¡°You wanna get fired? Someone dissed Mr. Cole yesterday and got canned by Mr. Marshall 15:08 Mon, 26 May? MT 71% 20 Aria hadn¡¯t even made it to her office door when Grace Webb, her secretary, and the executive assistant ambushed her, lugging a mountain of files. ¡°Ms. Saxon, these have been stacking up¡± Aria threw up a hand, cutting them off. ¡°Not my problem anymore, guys. I¡¯m here to quit.¡± She breezed into her office, fired up herptop, and banged out a resignation letter in record time. Then she started tossing her stuff into a cardboard box. Outside, the assistant¡¯s jaw practically hit the carpet, his files tumbling into a chaotic heap. Grace, though, didn¡¯t even flinch. She knew Aria¡¯s vibe: when she decided something, it was game over. Box in hand, Aria stepped out and nearly crashed into a posse heading her way. Leading the pack was a smug, middle¨Caged guy with a smirk that screamed trouble. ¡°Well, well, if it ain¡¯t Ms. Saxon. Where you headed with all that baggage, darling?¡± Andrew Marshall. Liam¡¯s sleazy uncle. He¡¯d waltzed into Cole Group as Technical Director after blowing back into the country. Aria had fought tooth and nail against his hire¨Csure, he could tinker with tech, but he was way out of his depth for a gig that big. Only Daniel¡¯s blind loyalty had handed him the keys. 2/2 AD Comment Sen Again Marriage 12 Chapter 12 71% +20) She and Andrew had locked horns more times than she could count, and she never pulled punches just because he was older. Aria wasn¡¯t about to waste her breath on a lowlife like him. Spinning on her heel to leave, she barely made it a step before Andrew shuffled into her path, blocking her like a bad habit. ¡°What, too good to answer your elders now? Typical small¨Ctown trash. You¡¯re not even in the same ballpark as Hannah,¡± he sneered, his voice oozing with that smug, know¨Cit¨Call vibe. The managers, dragged into this awkward standoff, stood stiff as boards, their eyes glued to anything but Aria. Even as she moved to bolt, the fear of their boss¡¯s temper kept them frozen. They didn¡¯t have Andrew¡¯s connections¨Cor his guts¨Cto take her on face¨Cto¨Cface. Aria tipped her chin up, her gaze cool as a winter morning. ¡°I could ditch Cole Group right now, and you¡¯d still be a washed¨Cup nobody. Now, be a good littlepdog and get the hell outta my way.¡± Her words hit like a sucker punch, leaving everyone in the room stunned silent. Aria had always been sharp¨Ctongued, but this? This was straight¨Cup ruthless¨Cno filter, no holding back. Andrew¡¯s face twisted, his re so vicious it could¡¯ve peeled paint. ¡°You think you can just walk? The Hayes Group contract¡¯s still unsigned. You¡¯re not done till it¡¯s inked.¡± That Hayes deal was one John Hancock away from done, and with Aria out, Andrew was practically salivating to steal the credit. Too bad for him, he¡¯d shown up at their office, contract in hand, and got the door mmed in his face. Hayes Group didn¡¯t y games: they¡¯d only sign with Aria. No amount of sweet¨Ctalk or bonus profits could sway them. Aria¡¯s eyes shed with annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m not with Cole Group anymore, genius. Your trainwreck of a deal¡¯s none of my business.¡± She took a step, but Andrew¡¯s hand mped onto her arm. The box she was holding slipped, crashing to the floor, her stuff scattering like confetti. Aria¡¯s head snapped up, her eyes zing with a fury that could stop a heartbeat. Andrew caught her re and froze, like he¡¯d just stepped on a rattlesnake. He stumbled back, voice wobbling but still cocky. ¡°Y¨Cyou all, check her stuff! Make sure she didn¡¯t lift anything from thepany!¡± Nobody moved. The room was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Andrew¡¯s finger jabbed at the crowd. ¡°What? Thepany pays you to-¡± Before he could finish, Aria grabbed his arm and twisted it back with a quick, brutal snap. ¡°Argh!¡± His scream ricocheted down the hallway. The employees, who¡¯d been sneaking nces since Aria strutted in, didn¡¯t bother pretending anymore¨Cthey gawked openly. There was Andrew crumpled on his knees, his hand bent at a nauseating angle. His face was a sweaty, pain twisted mess as he shrieked for an ambnce, for the cops, his voice so shrill it could shatter ss. Aria, crouched down scooping up her spilled belongings, shot him a look that could freeze fire. ¡°Keep whining, and I¡¯ll yank your jaw off next. Wanna bet! won¡¯t Andrew zipped it, pronto. 1/2 15:08 Mon, 26 May MT. Seeing him like this sent a quiet thrill through the crowd. As a Cole family crony, Andrew had been a royal pain for years, throwing his weight around and making everyone¡¯s life miserable. Whenever he crossed the line, they¡¯d turn to Aria. She was tough as hell but had their backs. 71% Once, when a female coworker got drugged and strong¨Carmed into a client dinner, Aria didn¡¯t hesitate¨Cshe sent the sleaze responsible straight to the ICU. 20 Not every guy in the office was Team Aria, but the women? They¡¯d go to war for her. With her around, they worked their tails off, no questions asked. But now¡­ she was out the door. A few women who¡¯d been chewed up by Andrew swapped nces, their minds racing. ¡°Ms. Saxon¡¯s gone, and Andrew¡¯s gonna turn this ce into a nightmare. I¡¯m done,¡± one whispered. ¡°Better to bail now than wait for them to pin some garbage on us and shove us out. I¡¯m out too,¡± another said, nodding. Aria finished gathering her things, propped the box on her hip, and leveled Andrew with a stare colder than a January night. ¡°Mr. Marshall, I¡¯m done with Cole Group, and I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass what happens to it¨Cor your pathetic little schemes. ¡°Stay outta my way, and we¡¯re square. Come at me again, and I¡¯ll have a nice little present sent straight to Daniel.¡± ? Comment AD No Ads Again Marriage 13 Chapter 13 Andrew¡¯s pain took a back seat as his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. ¡®How the hell does she know?¡® Aria didn¡¯t bother with a goodbye nce. She stood, strutted out, and left him choking on her dust. One of hisckeys fidgeted, voice shaky. ¡°Uh, boss, we calling the cops or what?¡± Andrew¡¯s face twisted like he¡¯d been hit with a brick. ¡°Cops? Get me a damn ambnce, you dimwit!¡± 71% +20 Aria was on her own now, no one to watch her back, yet she¡¯d had the guts toe for him. She was holding something big¨Csomething that could burn his world to ash. ¡®That little viper,¡® he seethed. ¡®She¡¯s gonna regret crossing me.¡® When Liam heard Aria had put his uncle in the hospital, he to over there, anger roaring in his chest. As he saw Andrew looking like he¡¯d been tossed in a blender, Liam¡¯s blood boiled. ¡°She went after you? Man, I was such a sucker to think she had a shred of decency.¡± Andrew, wrapped in bandages from his wrist to his neck to his forehead, looked like he¡¯d stumbled out of a bad horror flick. He groaned,ying it on thick. ¡°Liam, my boy, Aria beat the tar outta me. I can¡¯t even drag myself to work. She won¡¯t fork over a cent for my bills, my pain, or the pay I¡¯m losing!¡± Liam¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Andrew. I¡¯ll a We¡¯ll make her pay yup.¡± ¡± Andrew¡¯s fake whimpering hitched, Aria¡¯s parting shot ringing in his ears. He scrambled to backtrack, voice wobbling. ¡°Uh, maybe awyer¡¯s too much hassle. She¡¯s gotta be walking away with a nice chunk from the divorce, right? Just take my cut from that.¡± Hannah, who¡¯d just strolled in with a fruit basket, plunked it on the table and raised of your money. What, you gonna slide her some of yours now?¡± an eyebrow. ¡°Hello? Aria signed a prenup. She¡¯s not touching a dime Liam grabbed Hannah¡¯s hand, giving it a quick, reassuring squeeze. ¡°No way, babe. She yed me, yed Cole Group. I¡¯m not giving her squat. Don¡¯t stress, I¡¯m not that dumb.¡± The 230 million? He thought that was Daniel¡¯s guilt trip payout, not his problem. Andrew, still hamming up his sad¨Csack routine, froze solid. His hand was already healing, but he¡¯d piled on the bandages to guilt Liam into coughing up cash without dragging Aria into it. But now¡­ Aria wasn¡¯t getting a dime from the Coles. ¡®Man, that¡¯s cold,¡® he thought. ¡®The Cole family doesn¡¯t mess around.¡® Hannah let out a sharp huff, her eyes drilling into Andrew. ¡°Andrew¡¯s beat to hell, and I¡¯m calling it¨Cshe¡¯s got a violent side. Who¡¯s to say your grandpa and the others haven¡¯t caught her wrath?¡± Liam lounged back, giving a casual shrug. ¡°I¡¯m halfway across the world, but I keep tabs on the family. Far as I can tell, she¡¯s been holding it down.¡± 1 Hannah¡¯s eyes narrowed, unconvinced. ¡°With Daniel and Elena¡¯s status? Yeah, she wouldn¡¯t dare touch them. But the staff? Last time I was at the Cole Manor, a nanny Mary- was sobbing, swearing Ariaid into her.¡± Liam¡¯s jaw hit the floor, ¡°Hold up. That¡¯s legit?¡± ¡°Damn straight,¡± Hannah said, her voice dropping low, scheming. ¡°If we can dig up dirt on Aria throwing hands, this case is ours.¡± Her words flipped a switch in Liam. He spun to Andrew, tone sharp. ¡°Uncle Andrew, get me that injury report, yeah?¡± 15:08 Mon, 26 MayMT Andrew froze, his eyes darting to the window like a cornered animal. ¡°Uh¡­ look, she¡¯s been with Cole Group two years. I¡¯m not sweating this.¡± Liam¡¯s patience snapped. ¡°Uncle Andrew, I¡¯ve got awyer¡¯s letter breathing down my neck. Quit ying knight for Aria.¡± Andrew¡¯s face crumpled¨Che was losing the reins. He grabbed his temple, faking a wince. ¡°Ugh, my head¡¯s killing me. You two, out.¡± 71% Back at her apartment, Aria¡¯s gaze swept the room, snagging on something that made her blood run cold. She dropped her bag and zeroed in on a crisp white envelope on the table. It was wless, except for a stark ck skull stamped dead center. A death notice from Blood Association, the kind of assassin crew that didn¡¯t y games. Once thisnded, one had a month¨Ctops¨Cbefore they were a gonex Someone has the guts to put a hit on me?¡® she thought. ¡®Well, that is a plot twist. Aria slid into a chair, kicking her legs up with azy, dangerous grace. Her heelnded smack on the envelope¨Cperfect footrest. A smirk curled her lips as she mentally sifted through her enemies. Her phone buzzed, yanking her back. It was Owen. ¡°Miss Saxon,¡± he said, voice all business. ¡°The Coles got thewyer¡¯s letter. They¡¯re digging in their heels, so we¡¯re probably slugging it out in court.¡± ¡°Got it. Thanks, Mr. Shaw,¡± Aria said, her tone smooth,manding, with a hint of a tease. Owen fumbled, thrown by her cool confidence. ¡°Uh, no biggie. Just doing my job.¡± The evidence was airtight, so the case wasn¡¯t a beast. Keeping her posted was just protocol. After hanging up, a knock hit his office door. ¡°Come in,¡± Owen called. It was Aaron Freeman, the intern with a vendetta against Aria. He was Owen¡¯s underling, always nursing a grudge. ¡°Mr. Shaw,¡± he said, sliding a tidy stack of files onto the desk. ¡°Case docs, all sorted.¡± Owen gave a quick nod. ¡°Solid.¡± Aaron didn¡¯t budge, his face a mess of nerves, like he was itching to spill something but scared to open his mouth. Owen raised a brow. ¡°What¡¯s up? You got something to say?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± Aaron shifted, then dove in. ¡°Mr. Shaw, why¡¯re you backing Aria¡¯s case? She¡¯s probably a con artist.¡± Owen¡¯s pen stopped cold. He set it down, slow and deliberate, pinning Aaron with a look. ¡°Sit. Let¡¯s talk.¡± Aaron dropped into the chair, instantly regretting his big mouth as Owen¡¯s vibe turned subzero. He fidgeted, palms mmy. Owen leaned back, his tone deadly serious. ¡°You¡¯re a , Aaron. You know it¡¯s about evidence and facts. So hit me¡ªwhat¡¯s the proof Aria¡¯s a crock? What¡¯s the real deal?¡± Aaron¡¯s brain screeched to a halt. ¡°Well¡­ that hundred fifty mil she¡¯s got? It¡¯s fishy. She hasn¡¯t said squat about it.¡± ¡°And why should she?¡± Owen shot back, eyes shing. ¡°She exins, and you¡¯ll demand a paper trail, right? ¡°You¡¯re side eyeing her because you can¡¯t fathom ber making that kinda cash. If it was me, would you blink?¡± He didn¡¯t wait for an answer, his voice cutting like a de. ¡°If you can¡¯t wrap your head around that, pack your crap and bounce 2/3 15:08 Mon, 26 May MT Owen dropped his eyes to the files, done. 70% (+20) Aaron sat there, shell¨Cshocked, his brain finally clicking. Regret hit him like a freight train. ¡°Mr. Shaw, I blew it,¡± he said, voice cracking. ¡°Don¡¯t write me off. ¡°Two years ago, that Mandino City scam? My grandpa got burned¨Clost three hundred grand, nearly ended it. I got too personal, lost my damn mind.¡± That scam had ripped through the city like a tornado, fleecing thousands in a month and racking up nearly 300 million in damages. 3/3 Again Marriage 14 Chapter 14 .70% +20 Owen rubbed his temples, watching Aaron¡¯s eyes brim with tears. ¡°You can¡¯t let your feelings screw up a case, and you sure as hell can¡¯t let some random gossip throw you off your game. ¡°I¡¯m cutting you a break this time, but go home and get your head straight. Mess up again, and you¡¯re out.¡± Aaron shot up, stumbling over his promises. ¡°Mr. Shaw, I swear, it won¡¯t happen again!¡± ¡°Beat it.¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± Aaron stunk out, easing the door shut, silently cursing Hannah. She¡¯d been so smug, swearing Aria was a crook like she had a file of proof stashed somewhere. In the hospital¡¯s sterile, buzzing hallway, Liam leaned close to Hannah. ¡°What makes you so sure Aria¡¯s 150 mil is dirty money and not just a gift from the Saxons?¡± Hannah¡¯s gaze dipped, her voice sharp as a de. ¡°My cousin mil for Aria¡¯s dowry.¡± PLus, she believed Aria didn¡¯t have the smarts to th was King on her pretty face. was Silvia¡¯s college roommate. She told mest night the Saxons only forked over fifteen pull in that kind of cash unless she Hannah was dead certain Aria was knee¨Cdeep in that fraud mess. Call the strings. Liam¡¯s thoughts churned. He¡¯d met Aria right when that scam was blowin pulli 0
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If Hannah was onto something, Aria had yed him like a cheap guitar from the start¨Cshaping herself into his perfect girl, tossing flirty signals to lock in a ring and a marriage license. a Then, while he was halfway across the globe, she¡¯d slithered into the Cole Group, snapped up shares for peanuts, andundered money for bigger paydays. ¡®She is a damn viper,¡® he cursed silently. Rage red hot in his chest, but he shoved it down and pulled Hannah in, arm around her shoulders. ¡°Hannah, thank God you came into my life. You showed me Aria¡¯s true face.¡± Hannah smirked, all confidence. ¡°Girls like her are born to fake it, especially with looks like that. Don¡¯t kick yourself for falling for her game.¡± Her tone turned bitter. ¡°Why¡¯s your uncle dodging us on that injury report?¡± Liam let out a heavy sigh. ¡°He worked with her for two years. Guy¡¯s too soft¨Chearted. Let¡¯s not hound him. I¡¯ll check with Mary when I get home. If she¡¯ll speak up, Aria¡¯s done.¡± A dark glint shed in Hannah¡¯s eyes, but she nodded. ¡°That¡¯ll work.¡± ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll drive you home.¡± ¡°Sweet¡± Liam dropped Hannah off, then gunned it back to the Cole Manor, He tracked down Mary and got straight toft. ¡°Did Aria ever put hands on you?¡± 1/2 15:08 Mon, 26 May MT. Mary¡¯s eyes went wide, her nod shaky. ¡°Mrs. Cole was obsessed with perfect ingredients. Thought I got her crap produce, so¡­¡± 370% 20 Her voice cracked as she looked away, rolling up her sleeve to show a patchwork of bruises and scars. Tears spilled over as she begged, ¡°Mr. Cole, you gotta have my back! She roughed me up bad and didn¡¯t even toss me a buck for the doctor.¡± Liam¡¯s gaze hardened as he noticed the dark bruises staining Mary¡¯s arms. His jaw clenched, a surge of loathing for Aria twisting in his chest. ¡®How could she be so vicious?¡® he thought, his expression like ice. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say something when sheid hands on you?¡± he asked, his voice low, sharp with barely contained anger. Mary¡¯s legs gave way, and she crumpled to the floor, her hands shaking. ¡°She¨Cshe swore she¡¯d fire me if I talked, sir. My boy¡¯s in college. I can¡¯t lose this gig.¡± Liam let out a heavy breath, crouching to gently lift her up. ¡°Get to a hospital and have those injuries checked. Send me the report. I¡¯m wiring you 65 grand to make this right. She¡¯s not touching you¨Cor anyone¨Cever again.¡± Mary¡¯s eyes flickered with hope before she ducked her head. ¡°Sir¡­ you and Mrs. Cole¡­ are you calling it quits?¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads 3.30 IVION, 20 May Again Marriage 15 Chapter 15 ¡°Damn straight,¡± Liam snapped. ¡°She¡¯s not fit to carry the Cole name.¡± Fury churned in his veins as he stormed upstairs to the master bedroom. ¡°Everything Aria¡¯s touched¨Ctoss it. The bed too. Get a new one, pronto.¡± ¡°On it, sir!¡± the staff replied, scrambling toply. Downstairs in the living room, Mary¡¯s phone pinged with a notification. 65 grand, deposited. Her pulse jumped. She slipped into the garden, ncing around to ensure no one was watching, then dialed a number with trembling fingers. 70% 20) Up in the bedroom, the purge was in full swing. Lucy, one of the maids, yanked open a drawer and froze as a gleam of silver caught her eye. ¡°Uh, sir? This drawer¡¯s packed with jewelry. What¡¯s the n?¡± ¡°Dump it,¡± Liam said, his tone cold as steel. ¡°Gotcha,¡± Lucy replied, shooting a quick, greedy look at another maid. Their eyes sparkled with temptation as they gathered the dazzling pieces, but they barely made it to the door before Liam¡¯s voice cut through. ¡°Hold up.¡± He nced at the haul¨Cdesigner brands, top¨Cdor stuff. ¡°Leave it. You two, out.¡± The maids¡® faces fell, but they set the jewelry down and scurried off. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Liam tugged the drawer open wider, a bitter smirk curling his lips. ¡°She sure knew how to blow my money.¡± The Cole family¡¯s money. No way was he letting it go that easily. His gaze drifted to the window, where Mary was pruning the flowerbeds. A chill crept up his spine. He pulled out his phone and made a call. Across town, Aria was mid¨Cstride on her treadmill when her phone lit up. Without checking the caller ID, she tapped ept. ¡°Aria, I misjudged you,¡± Liam¡¯s voice roared through the line. ¡°Going after my uncle is one thing, but beating up Mary? A sixty¨Cyear¨Cold woman?¡± Aria slowed to a stop, her brow furrowing. ¡°You on something, or what?¡± Her voice was rough from the workout, a sultry rasp that slipped through the phone like a spark. Liam¡¯s grip on the phone tightened, his heart stuttering. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± She stepped off the treadmill, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from her neck. ¡°If you¡¯re not calling to make peace, don¡¯t bother. I don¡¯t need your crap ruining my vibe.¡± Her tone was steadier now, but still carried a breathy edge. To Liam, it sounded like something else entirely¡ªlike she¡¯d just tumbled out of bed after a very different kind of cardio. Liam stiffened, his eyes zing with fury. ¡°Aria, we¡¯re not even divorced yet, and you¡¯re already shacking up with some other dude?¡± Aria froze mid¨Cwipe, her gaze sliding to the phone glowing on the table. She let out a low, mocking Who I¡¯m with ain¡¯t your business, Liam.¡± She was nothing like the woman he¡¯d pictured two years back. Since she¡¯d pped him with divorce papers, the real Aria had into focus. That soft, sweet girl he thought be married? A total mirage. 15:08 Mon, 26 May MT. Liam dragged in a sharp breath. ¡°Never thought you¡¯d sink this low. Guess I dodged a- Click. 70% 20 She hung up without a second thought. Liam¡¯s face flushed hot with shame as he stared at his phone, his jaw tight and his expression stormy. ¡°Aria Saxon,¡± he hissed under his breath. Scrambling to save face, he snapped a quick photo of her scattered jewelry and fired off a text: [You think I¡¯m begging to talk? Come get your damn junk.] The message sank like a stone, no response. Eventually, Liam cooled off. They were practically done anyway. ¡®Why waste my energy on her? If she wants to wreck her life, that is her call.¡® Fresh from a hot shower, Aria felt like she¡¯d washed the whole mess away. She grabbed her phone and tapped open an app with a slick ck maple leaf logo. A quick swipe, and the screen jumped to a chat window. Unread messages flooded in, a jumbled frenzy, followed by a video call lighting up her screen. ? Again Marriage 16 Chapter 16 Aria switched to voice mode, slouching back with a sly grin. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the vibe?¡± ¡°Boss!¡± a guy¡¯s voice sted through, loud enough to wake the dead. ¡°Two damn years, and I finally tracked you down!¡± Thankfully, Aria knew his deal. She propped the phone on the table, letting him ramble like a kid hyped up on energy drinks. This was White Fox, the go¨Cto fixer for Solemnity Guild¨Cjuggling jobs, sniffing out dirt, and tying up loose ends. 70% He said, ¡°Ever since you ghosted us, Team Six has been a straight¨Cup dumpster fire. Our perfect record? Donezo. Team One¡¯s acting like they own us, calling us fleas¨Csayin¡® we¡¯re all sh and no brains. The crew¡¯s dying to throw down, but we¡¯ve barely knocked out any missions.¡± Aria kicked back, tearing into a bag of chips with a loud crunch. ¡°Y¡¯all are that useless now? Getting smoked and roasted?¡± White Fox¡¯s voice wobbled, practically in tears. ¡°When you were calling the shots, we were untouchable. Anyone messed with us, we¡¯d hit back harder. Now? Temm One¡¯s got some new badass¨Cguy¡¯s a freaking beast. We¡¯re toast.¡± ¡°Come on, boss,¡± he begged, voice dripping with desperation. ¡°Bet civilian life¡¯s dull as dishwater. Two years married, your wallet¡¯s gotta be hurting, right? Come back, and we¡¯ll split the cash 50-50. Bring your man, too¨Cwe¡¯ll treat him like royalty.¡± Aria¡¯s voice went colder than a winter night. ¡°I¡¯m divorced.¡± ¡°No shot!¡± White Fox¡¯s squeal could¡¯ve cracked a windshield, torn between shock and trying not to cheer. ¡°What kinda clown fumbled you?¡± The guild had always danced on the edge of shady, but to keep Aria from walking, the bigwigs swore they¡¯d clean up. She didn¡¯t bite. She bailed, and a monthter, dropped the mic: she was out. Why? To get hitched. White Fox was grinning so hard one could practically see it through the phone. ¡®Divorced? Hell yes, screw that loser!¡® He barely held back augh. ¡°Boss, ditch that nobody. Come back. I¡¯ll handle him¨Cslice him up, easy peasy.¡± ¡°We just scored a job with a 150¨Cmillion payday,¡± he dangled, voice smooth as silk. ¡°Without you, it¡¯s a coin flip. With you? We¡¯re golden.¡± Aria sipped her water, sauntering to the window to take in the city¡¯s twinkling skyline. ¡°I¡¯m done for good,¡± she said, firm as steel. No more blood¨Csoaked brawls, no more life¨Cor¨Cdeath scraps, no constant paranoia about who¡¯d get taken out next. This chill, easy life? She was hooked. Even if it was a little¡­ tame. White Fox wasn¡¯t giving up. ¡°Boss, if you don¡¯te back, I¡¯m rolling into Mandino City. I¡¯ll hunt down that ex and make him regret ever breathing. Cops¡¯ll think I¡¯m your new fling.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just drop you to clear my name,¡± Aria fired back, dry as dust. ¡°I¡¯m begging, boss. On my knees, for real!¡± ¡°Call me ¡®queen, and it¡¯s still a big fat no.¡± Aria lounged in her chair, her voice smooth. ¡°Oh, and one more thing¨CI need you to poke around for me. Three hundred grand, cash in hand.¡± White Fox tensed, itching to brush her off but knowing she¡¯d vanish if he pushed too hard. With a heavy sigh, he grumbled, ¡°What¡¯s the deal?¡± ¡°Blood Association¡¯s got a price on my head Dig up who¡¯s bankrolling the hit, ¡°No way!¡± White Fox¡¯s jaw dropped, his brows shooting up. ¡°A hit on you? Those psychos at Blood Association must¡¯ve lost it!¡± 20 15:08 Mon, 26 May MT ¡¤ ½ð70%È« 20 Still reeling, he scrubbed a hand through his hair. ¡°Boss, you¡¯ve beenying low for two years. Might be a little rusty. Let me watch your six¨Cfree of charge.¡± Aria¡¯s lips curved into a sly smirk, her tone cool as ever. ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks.¡± She hadn¡¯t missed a single day of training. Her current apartment, though, was a bust for setting up a proper gym. She¡¯d need to snag a new ce soon. The Cole family had her custom equipment tucked away, along with a few paintings. Once she found the right spot, she¡¯d move it all over. 22 Again Marriage 17 Chapter 17 70% +20) Meanwhile, at Cole Manor, Liam strode up to the fourth floor, his sharp eyesnding on a heavy door, locked tight. ¡°Why¡¯s this sealed shut?¡± he asked, his voice clipped. Lucy, the housekeeper, nced nervously at the door. ¡°That¡¯s Madam¡¯s training room. No one¡¯s allowed in except for cleaning.¡± Liam¡¯s jaw tightened, his tone turning icy. ¡°Open it. Now.¡± Lucy scrambled with the keys, and the door swung open, a cool breeze slipping in from the towering windows. Liam smoothed his hair back and stepped inside, his boots clicking tap¨Ctap¨Ctap against the polished floor. The room was a fitness junkie¡¯s wet dream: Roman chair, treadmill, butterfly machine, barbells¨Cevery piece top¨Ctier and clearly broken in. Liam¡¯s gaze swept over the setup, a flicker of approval sparking in his est. He had no patience for women who squandered money on pointless toys. A heavy punching bag angle in th center, fed boing gloves to Aria¡¯s a boxer?¡® he thought, his brow arching. d nearby. To the side, a wooden board leaned against the wall. Curious, Liam stepped closer¨Cand froze. The thing was peppered with needle marks, so dense it made his skin crawl. ¡®What the hell was she up to?¡® he wond He waved Lucy over. ¡°Rip this board out. It¡¯s creepy as hell. And chuck everything else in here. Rece it all, same models, same specs.¡± He¡¯d scoped out the gym gear already¨Ceverything was high¨Cend, the best the best. Hannah lived for boxing, and he thought this ce was like it was built just for her. Lucy¡¯s face twisted with worry. ¡°Sir, Madam¡¯s gear is custom¨Cmade. 1 don¡¯t know the models.¡± ¡°No paperwork?¡± Liam snapped, his patience fraying. Lucy¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a list! Hang on.¡± Five minutester, she handed him a folder. Liam¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. ¡°Thirty million? She blew 30 million on this stuff? What a freaking money pit!¡± Lucy shrank back, biting her lip. She wanted to mention Aria had paid for it herself, but Liam¡¯s scowl shut her up fast. Liam¡¯s chest burned, but he forced a deep breath. ¡°Fine. Just ditch the board. Keep the rest, but get it cleaned up. I want it looking like it just rolled off the factory line.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Lucy mumbled, darting off. Liam kept wandering, pausing when he spotted a few paintings in the guest bedroom. ¡°These hers too?¡± he asked, his voice low and taut. ¡°Yes, sir. She brought them here,¡± Lucy said softly./ Liam¡¯s eyes narrowed, a scoff slipping out. ¡°She/hauls home every piece of trash she finds, doesn¡¯t she?¡± He reached for one of the paintings, ready to have it tossed, when his gaze caught a bold, swirling signature in the corner: [Mono.] His breath hitched. He eased the painting back onto the wall, leaning in close. Three pieces an old man¡¯s weathered face, a flock of birds in flight, a misty mountain ridge all signed Mono. 1/2 15:08 Mon, 26 May MT. Mono, the reclusive genius painter, was a legend, his stark realist works coveted across the globe. His pieces were worth a fortune, fought over by collectors with bottomless wallets. 70% +20) Twenty years ago, at just fifty, he¡¯d dropped off the map. A decadeter, he resurfaced with Caged Girl, a dark, soul¨Cshaking masterpiece that turned the art world upside down. Someone threw 1.3 billion at it; Mono didn¡¯t even blink. After that, he went quiet again. Whispers spread that he¡¯d taken a secret apprentice, passing Caged Girl to them. Mono didn¡¯t take students, only offered guidance to a select few. People had been obsessed with unmasking his disciple for years, but no one got close. ¡®Aria with three Mono paintings? No freaking way. Those have gotta be knockoffs,¡® Liam thought, his mind racing. Framed and wless, the paintings stared back at him. Liam¡¯s pulse raced. He¡¯d seen Mono¡¯s work before, and these¨Cthe brushwork, the raw energy, the signatures¨Cfelt too real. ¡°Are these copies by his apprentice? Does Aria know them?¡® His mind churned, questions stacking up like storm clouds as he stood in the hushed room. Again Marriage 18 Chapter 18 ¡®Impossible. She grew up in a backward vige; how would she have connections with someone so impressive?¡® Liam wondered. He carefully put the paintings back, then took a photo of them, ordering, ¡°Keep these paintings safe. No one is allowed to touch them.¡± Although they were just replicas, the artist¡¯s skill was superb, indicating deep familiarity with Mono. Lucy felt the seriousness in his tone and rubbed her nose, all curious. ¡®Are these paintings really that important?¡® It came to her how the madam had casually tossed the paintings onto the sofa when bringing them back, instructing her to have them framed. She had thought they were just ordinary paintings, paying not much attention while dusting them. But judging from now, she knew she needed to be more cautious with them in the future. After sending the photo to someone, Liam went to Hannah¡¯s apartment. ¡°Hannah, as you guessed, Aria has a violent tendency. Mary has injuries all over her arms, not sure about other ces,¡± he started. Mary had been serving the Cole family for the longest time among other servants. If Aria could hurt Mary, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate with others either. Hannah looked pained, her voice cold. ¡°She¡¯s gone too far. We Mu U per true nature in court.¡± Seeing Hannah even angrier than him, Liam calmed down andforted her instead. ¡®She is simply too kind¨Chearted to have risked her life to pull managed to cure my illness,¡® he said inwardly. me out from a pile orpses when I fell into aa from the gue, and she even Liam¡¯s eyes softened as he pulled her into a kiss, his voice sexy. ¡°Hannah¡­¡± Hannah let out a coquettish moan and pushed him away. ¡°Go take a shower.¡± /U% ¡°Alright, wait for me.¡± Liam immediately headed to the bathroom. Hannah sat on the bed, waiting for him with a smile. On the bedside table, Liam¡¯s phone vibrated twice. Hannah picked it up casually, only to see a message: [Throw it away.] ¡®Is he still in contact with Aria?¡® Hannah wondered. Clicking on the message, she found Liam had initiated the conversation, a faint pang of bitterness welling up within her. ¡®If it was just damn jewelry, why not just throw it away directly? Why bother letting here back to pick it up?¡® Hannah frowned, feeling inexplicably annoyed. After thinking for a moment, she typed: [The jewelry you wore is dirty. I don¡¯t want to touch it. Since you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯ll have the maid throw it away.] When Aria saw the message, she scoffed, deleted it, and blocked the sender in one go. No longer ving away for the Cole Group, Aria was now sleeping and waking up early, herplexion much improved. She spent an hour browsing houses online and found amunity with top¨Cnotch security and high confidentiality. Satisfied with it, the changed her clothes and headed to the real estate sales center right away. Since it wasn¡¯t far, she opted to take a taxi. 15:08 Mon, 26 May MT. As the car started, the driver turned on the device. ¡°Here¡¯s a news update: The police in Mandino City have reported a recent influx of scammers. ¡°Citizens, please stay alert to online dating. Beware of scams, and don¡¯t believe in financial investments¡­¡± 70% After hearing the news, the driver cursed, ¡°These scammers just won¡¯t stop! They took a break for two years, and now they¡¯re back in Mandino City scamming again.¡± Aria listened without saying anything. At a red light, the driver stepped on the brake and nced at the rearview mirror. Suddenly, his gaze froze, his tone probing. ¡°Miss, are you from out of town?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a local,¡± Aria replied. The driver looked skeptical. ¡°You don¡¯t have an ent! Most locals in Mandino City have some ent. It¡¯s easy to tell.¡± +20) Two years ago, a major scam case caused quite a stir. Part of the reason was that the scammers posed as good¨Clooking social elites, making people more likely to lower their guard. 2/2 Again Marriage 19 Their scam tactics were very sophisticated; even the police couldn¡¯t find evidence. 70% Just looking good wasn¡¯t enough to raise suspicion, but Aria imed to be local without any local ent, which made the driver suspicious instantly. Aria exined, ¡°I lived in the countryside before and only moved to Mandino City after growing up.¡± That statement had too many holes. The driver swallowed hard, opened his phone, and entered a group chat, typing: [Send me that scammer¡¯s photo again; I think I¡¯ve run into one.] [No way. They¡¯re targeting you?] someone replied with a photo. Seeing the photo, the driver widened his eyes in disbelief. [This girl is in my car!] Another one replied: [Quick, call the police! She¡¯s carrying around 150 million. the police verify it¡¯s real, I can get my 100 thousand back.] Messages urging the driver to call the police kepting in. As the traffic light turned green, he was so engrossed in his thoughts that he forgot to start the car. A honk came from behind. The driver flinched and quickly put down his phone, hitting the gas. On the way, he kept ncing at his phone, torn inside. These scammers usually had aplices, and he was afraid of etaliation. As they neared the destination, the driver took a deep breath and pressed the emergency call button. Soon, the call was connected. ¡°Hello, 911 emergency. How can help you?¡± The news on the radio suddenly switched to an emergency rm. Aria raised her eyes, looking puzzled at the driver. The driver¡¯s voice trembled as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m a driver, and a scammer just got in my car. What should I do now?¡± Aria was left utterly speechless by his words. The operator asked, ¡°Does the scammer have a knife? Could they threaten your safety?¡± ¡°Seems like no knife. It¡¯s a girl. I think I can handle her,¡± the driver said. ¡°Sir, while ensuring your safety, if possible, we suggest you drive straight to the police station.¡± The driver sniffed, saying, ¡°But what if she notices I change the route? I¡¯m scared of getting revenge from her aplices. ¡°But can¡¯t she hear you now?¡± the operator asked. The driver nced back and met a pair of deep, thoughtful eyes. He suddenly huped. ¡°I¨CI¨CI think she heard me.¡± At this moment, the GPS announced, ¡°Destination reached, 1/2 20 15:08 Mon, 26 May MT Despite just a few miles and some traffic lights, the whole trip took less than ten minutes, but the driver felt like it was an eternity. Aria couldn¡¯t help but burst out chuckling. The suppressedughter sounded eerie in the car. The driver froze stiff instantly. Right next to them was the sales center, but Aria didn¡¯t hurry to get off. She raised an eyebrow and casually asked, ¡°Sir, still heading to the police station?¡± 70% +20) Seeing her smile, the driver felt his anger rise. He hung up the phone, restarted the car, and said firmly, ¡°Of course, why not! You scammers take the money and run, ruining people¡¯s lives. You must face legal punishment.¡± Aria propped her arm on the door frame, resting her chin on her palm, her tonezy. ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m a scammer?¡± The driver shot back, ¡°You suddenly had 150 million! What else could you be?¡± Aria¡¯s smile faded, her eyes turning cold. ¡°So word of my 150¨Cmillion investment has spread that far.¡± The police station was indeed unavoidable now. She put on a brighter smile, her tone indifferent. ¡°This misunderstanding is huge. I may have killed people, but I don¡¯t scam.¡± Hearing this, the driver was so startled he almost hit a railing. He desperately grabbed the steering wheel to avoid an ident. Meanwhile, Aria gripped the handle above her head firmly and spoke slowly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I never hurt good people; I only kill bad ones.¡± The driver¡¯s heart was in his throat. Trying hard to suppress his Perhaps getting used to a peaceful life, when Aria looked back on he stammered, ¡°W¨Cwho¡­ who have you killed?¡± past, the memories seemed a bit faded. ¡°Let me think¡­¡± 2/2 AD Comment Again Marriage 20 ¡°Seven years ago, there was a bald director in Welentino City who embezzled funds, took bribes, abused his power, and illegally built factories that caused a fire, leaving many workers¡® families ruined. ¡°Not only that, he pocketed thepensation money, amassing a fortune of 160 million, and was on the run for over a year. When he was found, he was hanged. Actually, it wasn¡¯t suicide; I killed him.¡± Aria¡¯s tone was soft and indifferent. There was no hint of anger or pleasure towards the director in her voice. Hearing her words, the driver didn¡¯t believe she had killed anyone but was even more convinced she was a scammer. To get her to the police station smoothly and distract her, he asked, ¡°So, how did you kill Den Connor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret. Can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Why kill him? To uphold justice?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Sort of. I didn¡¯t even charge. It was free.¡± ¡°You charge money?¡± ¡°Not charging? Do you expect me to eat The driver humphed coldly. ¡°How old were ¡°Can¡¯t kill them all, but I can catch them.¡± ¡°So, how much do you charge for that?¡± seven years ago? I don¡¯t believe it. If you¡¯re so capable, why not kill all these scammers?¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Depends.¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely a scammer. Next, you¡¯ll say you need money to help everyonell get their money back, huh? I won¡¯t fall for it.¡± ¡°I do charge. Not from you guys, though, but from those spreading rumors about me.¡± As she said this, Aria¡¯s eyes turned colder. Kind of startled by her icy tone, the driver floored the gas pedal. Finally reaching the police station, he quickly got out, locked the car door, and ran into the station, shouting, ¡°Officers, help!¡± Aria waited for a while; soon, a few policemen came out. The car door opened; she voluntarily extended her hands, asking, ¡°Should I be cuffed?¡± The policemen were silent for a moment before saying, ¡°No evidence yet. Come with us first.¡± The driver was sitting on a chair, shaking his leg nervously. Seeing Aria enter, he became excited. ¡°It¡¯s her! She said she killed someone and that she killed Den Connor, who hanged himself seven years ago.¡± After checking Aria¡¯s passport, the police nced at the driver. ¡°Seven years ago, she was only fifteen. How could a fifteen¨Cyear¨Cold girl kill someone and get away with it while recovering the funds?¡± The driver choked up. Aria said, ¡°This person called the police suddenly, using me of fraud. I want to sue him for spreading rumors, which have tarnished my reputation.¡± The driver¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°You¡¯re twisting the truth!¡± 1/3 15:09 Mon, 26 May MT ¡°So, why do you think I¡¯m a scammer? Did I scam your money?¡± Aria shot him a cold look. Under the police¡¯s questioning, the driver finally handed over his phone. So, he was in a group chat. Members were either victims of a two¨Cyear¨Cold scam case or their rtives and friends: 70% Someone nicknamed Justice Warrior posted a pic of Aria at Seacrest Law Firm in the group chat, detailing how she invested 150 million two years ago and now was ckmailing her husband for 1.5 billion dors. Thus, the group members got furious, sting her nonstop. The police captain rubbed his temples, giving the driver a stern look. ¡°Just because someone says she¡¯s a scammer doesn¡¯t make it true. No evidence means it¡¯s nder.¡± Later, Justice Warrior kept stirring up emotions, iming to work at thew firm, knew Aria, and would help recover everyone¡¯s money. He even subtly hinted he was short on cash, needed to grease some palms. When questioned, he didn¡¯t get mad. With a set of well¨Ccrafted words, hepletely distanced himself from any suspicion, clearly stating that he was offering help for free and merely venting in the group chat. Upon scrolling through his social media, the cops noticed that all the captions and photos revolved around legal matters, and there were even images featuring the Seacrest Law Firm. ¡°Check this guy out. Could be part of the scam gang we¡¯re after,¡± a cop said. 20 The driver hesitated, retorting, ¡°He¡¯s a good guy. People transferred oney to him, but he didn¡¯t take it.¡± ¡°How do you know no one transferred money to him privately?¡± Aria shot back. The driver was stumped, unable to respond, his face beet red. ¡°This guy posted your pic right after joining the group chat,¡± the police captain said, looking serious. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you might be targeted. ¡°You¡¯re suing your husband. If you win and get the shares back, small fries.¡± ck, that¡¯s 1.5 billion dors. If I were a scammer, you¡¯d be my only target. Forget about the As soon as the captain finished, everyone in the room turned to Aria. Shock, eagerness, envy, admiration, suspicion¡­ all kinds of looks focused on her openly, but she sat there calm and collected. The driver was called into an office for a long lecture. But he still stuck to his version of the truth, insisting Aria was a scammer and causing a scene because the police wouldn¡¯t arrest her. Till the cops waved handcuffs before his eyes, he finally chilled out, gave Aria a nasty look, and bolted. There was always that one type of person who, even when everyone told them they were When logic failed, the cops iad to keep a close eye on him. wrong, just wouldn¡¯t budge. The captain turned to Aria, all serious. ¡°From now on, you gotta be wary of anyone who gets close to you, no matter their age or gender. They might all be out to scam you.¡± ¡°Got it. Aria nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t brush it off. Take it seriously.¡± will 70% 15:09 Mon, 26 May MT. The captain still looked doubtful, adding, ¡°Let¡¯s swap contacts. If you spot anyone suspicious, let us know first.¡± 20 Soon, the identity of Justice Warrior was tracked down¨Cverified info pointed to an elderly person. Clearly, either the ount was stolen or bought with cash. The cops would follow this lead. After swapping contacts with the captain, Aria headed straight to the real estate sales center. On her way, she got a message from Owen: [Ms. Saxon, here¡¯s the draft legal document.] She opened it, checked, and replied: [No prob. I¡¯lle to sign tomorrow.] Arriving at the sales center, she was epted by a receptionist. ¡°Wee! Are you here for some properties, ma¡¯am?¡± Aria tucked her phone away and replied, ¡°Yeah, do you have a model of the Mayen Garden?¡± The suited¨Cup receptionist smiled, ¡°We do. Follow me, please.¡± Meanwhile, not far away from Aria, a curly¨Chaired girl was linking arms with her friend happily. ¡°Silvia, you¡¯ve got good taste. Pick a house for us, will you?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Silvia forced a smile, her expression a bit stiff. As she nced up, her eyes met those of the young man next to the curly¨Chaired girl. The man winked at her in a deliberate and greasy way. Instantly, Silvia turned her eyes away in disgust, trying to ignore the asional nces thrown her way. ¡°Hey! Isn¡¯t that Aria?¡± the curly¨Chaired girl suddenly asked. Comment No neh AD Send gift Again Marriage 21 Silvia was taken aback, looking up to see Aria studying a model home. ¡°She¡¯s not here to check out houses, too, is she? Let¡¯s go take a look,¡± Delh said. Before Silvia could fully recover, Delh dragged her over. Themotion caused Aria to nce their way. Reluctantly, Silvia forced a smile. ¡°Hi, Aria.¡± Aria remained calm, giving a slight nod. ¡°Hey.¡± The receptionist was interrupted mid¨Csentence but quickly went on, ¡°Ma¡¯am, this housing area meets your requirements. Each unit is two¨Cstory and can be customized-¡± ¡°Mayen Garden!¡± Delh suddenly eximed, cutting off the receptionist. She stared at the golden ¡°Mayen Garden¡± sign, scoffing, ¡°Mayen Garden costs 65 thousand dors per 10 square feet. This duplex is 10,000 square feet total, 66 million dors. Can you even afford it? Stop trying to act rich and waste everyone¡¯s time.¡± Silvia¡¯s face darkened instantly as she chided, ¡°Delh, what are you talking about?¡± Delh pouted. ¡°Did I say anything wrong? She¡¯s a country bumpkin, so how could she afford such an expensive house? You said your parents only gave her 15 million when she married, must¡¯ve run out by now after two years.¡± Silvia flushed red, looking at Aria instinctively to exin. ¡°Sorry, Aria, I¨C1 didn¡¯t mean-¡± ¡°Why are you so scared of her? Does she bully you often?¡± Delh pulled Silvia behind her. ¡°Ryan, take care of my roommate.¡± 3:47 pm WB Ryan shifted his gaze from Aria, wrapping an arm around Silvia¡¯s shoulder and assuring Delh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, babe. No one¡¯s gonna mess with you. guys.¡± ¡®How fierce her eyes are! That girl must be tough to handle. Better stick. with Silvia, the innocent bunny,¡® he calcted inwardly. Silvia tried to pull away, but Ryan held her tight, soothingly. ¡°Be good. My girl¡¯s standing up for you there.¡± Unable to escape, Silvia¡¯s eyes reddened in anger. She hadn¡¯t expected Ryan to be so bold as to take advantage of her right in front of Delh. ¡°Aria, my cousin and Liam are truly in love. They¡¯re not even bothering with your fraudulent marriage and even gave you over 200 million inpensation. Be smart and divorce, take the massive payout, and scram back to your farm!¡± Delh looked sharp with her perfectly done makeup, her small heels barely keeping her on the same level as Aria. She had her hands on her hips, eyes wide as saucers, and was speaking so loudly you¡¯d think she was in the right. Aria chuckled softly, hershes casting a shadow as she looked down. ¡°I was wondering who could be so self¨Crighteous. Oh, it¡¯s just the cousin of the other woman. Do you think Hannah knows she has such a loyal dog?¡± Ashamed and angered by these words, Delh demanded, her expression contorted, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean what I mean,¡± Aria replied. Delh gritted her teeth, then suddenly realized something. ¡°Oh, I get it. You¡¯re not here to buy a house. You¡¯re here to hook a man!¡± She pointed at Aria and shouted, ¡°Everyone, look! This woman is a 3:47 pm SU WG scammer. She tricks men into marriage for money andpensation!¡± Many guests were drawn by themotion, all looking their way. Delh added, all smug, ¡°A woman who scams with her body, who knows. how many men she¡¯s been with. A used shoe, probably diseased-¡± But before she could finish, Aria pped her across the face, causing a loud smack. Almost instantly, the surroundings fellpletely silent, no one daring to speak. Her cheek burning, Delh widened her eyes in fury. ¡°How dare you hit me?!¡± ¡°Why not.¡± Aria remained calm. ¡°Bitch, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Delh charged toward her furiously. But Aria sidestepped just in time, causing Delh to nearly crash into a table. The receptionist quickly caught her. ¡°Let me go,¡± Delh snapped. Silvia didn¡¯t want things to escte and tried to break free from Ryan¡¯s grip to stop Delh. As Delh was ring viciously at Aria and not noticing them, Ryan¡¯s eyes. gleamed with hidden intent. His hand moved towards Silvia¡¯s chest. Silvia sensed danger, her expression instantly changing. She raised her hand to shield her chest and demanded, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Luckily, Aria caught the scene and kicked out at the moment Silvia broke free. 3/6 3:47 pm W SW B With a brutal thud, Ryan flew back and then crashed hard onto the ground, skidding several feet away. The onlookers were all stunned. Silvia, pulled back by inertia and barely steadying herself, was frozen in shock, too. Seeing this, Delh screamed and charged at Aria again. She got a manicure, her fingertips slender and long¨Cif she were to scratch Aria¡¯s face, it could cause serious disfigurement.. Silvia instinctively reached out to stop her. ¡°Delh, calm down.¡± Fueled by anger, Delh couldn¡¯t hear anything and elbowed back viciously. Silvia got shoved away, her forehead mming into a table corner, blood instantly flowing. She let out a painful scream. Aria took a quick nce, tilted her head to dodge Delh¡¯s hand, then kicked her in the back of the knee, making her kneel. Soon, security arrived, calming the chaos. An ambnce showed up, and all four ended up in the hospital. In the ward, Silviay pale with a bandage on her forehead. Aria sat nearby, fiddling with her phone. Outside, Delh was frantic, muttering, ¡°What do I do? The Saxon family. dotes on Silvia so much. They won¡¯t let me off for hurting her.¡± Before getting into the ambnce, Aria called Caleb. Ryan¡¯s stomach still ached. Through the ss, he gave Aria a venomous 3:47 pm WG look and said to Delh, ¡°Wait outside. When the Saxon family arrives, you¡­ Hearing his n, Delh calmed down, her eyes filled with hatred. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it.¡± Then, they waited at the elevator until the Saxon family appeared. As the Saxons often dropped off Silvia at school, Delh recognized them instantly and rushed to Zoe. ¡°Mrs. Saxon, don¡¯t worry. Silvia¡¯s fine.¡± Luke¡¯s face darkened as he asked, ¡°What exactly happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Aria¡­¡± Delh said, then lowered her head, looking all torn. Caleb frowned, his voice chilly. ¡°What about Aria?¡± Seeing Delh acting and struggling to speak, Ryan cut in, ¡°Silvia gets. along great with my girlfriend. She was helping us pick an apartment and ended up running into Aria. ¡°Aria wanted to buy a multi¨Cmillion¨Cdor mansion. Out of concern, we kindly asked and advised her to consider more affordable options and think more about her family. However, she didn¡¯t take it well and told us. to get lost.¡± Finishing, Ryan gave Delh a look. Delh continued, ¡°Silvia treats Aria like a real sister, always wanting to get closer, but Aria was cold, even saying Silvia took her life and demanding she leave the Saxon family. We couldn¡¯t stand it and stepped in to defend Silvia. ¡°Before Silvia lost consciousness, she was worried that Aria would be med by you and kept crying. I told her it could be pinned on me, and only then did she feel relieved and fall asleep. I didn¡¯t want to bring this up initially, but I¡¯m concerned that Aria might continue targeting Silvia. She¡¯s just too kind and vulnerable.¡± 3:47 pm W B Again Marriage 22 When the group arrived at the door of the ward, Delh stopped talking. She was speaking in a way that seemed to be considering Silvia¡¯s feelings, so Luke and Zoe didn¡¯t suspect anything. Meanwhile, only Caleb gave Delh and Ryan a cold, piercing look. Luke pushed the door open and saw Silvia lying unconscious on the hospital bed, his eyes filled with resentment. ncing to the side, he saw the culprit ying with her phone. His anger couldn¡¯t be suppressed any longer, and he quickly walked over and pped Aria¡¯s hand. The phone slipped out and fell to the ground. Aria raised an eyebrow, her eyes shrouded in ayer of icy frost, sharp as a razor¡¯s edge, brimming with deadly intent that sent chills down one¡¯s spine. Meeting those eyes, Luke suddenly felt like he was being stared at by a beast in the dark, his whole body freezing up. ¡°Uncle Luke, what are you doing?¡± Caleb immediately stood in front of Aria, his back steady and solid, giving off a strong sense of security. Aria loosened her tightly clenched fist slightly. Caleb¡¯s protection calmed the restlessness in her heart a bit. At this moment, those curses from the couple echoed in her mind. ¡°Madelyn, you¡¯re a cold¨Cblooded monster. You have no heart. You¡¯re destined to be alone for life. Don¡¯t thinking back to the Saxon family can change anything; no one will ever love you.¡± To some extent, what that couple said dide true. 3:48 pm WG She had once hoped for family affection, thinking the cautiousness of the Saxon family was love, but it wasn¡¯t. She had also hoped for romantic love, thinking Liam¡¯s promises were love, but now she realized it wasn¡¯t. From Caleb, she felt what it was like to be loved, but he loved Silvia more. She even wondered maliciously who Caleb would choose if it came down. to either her or Silvia living. Delh and Ryan exchanged a nce and left in silence. The horrified look was blocked, and Luke actually felt a twinge of relief. Realizing he had been scared by a junior, he turned serious, and he immediately started cursing loudly. ¡°Caleb, just think about how Silvia treated you. Now that she¡¯s been bullied and lies unconscious in a hospital bed, on the brink of death, yet you¡¯re still defending Aria?¡± Caleb¡¯s tone was resolute. ¡°Uncle Luke, Aria wants to sever ties with the Saxon family for 20 million. Do you really think she¡¯d say something as outrageous as kicking Silvia out of the family? Don¡¯t you believe random rumors from outsiders!¡± Luke¡¯s face turned serious, looking embarrassed. He stuck his neck out stubbornly. ¡°Why not? You¡¯ve only known her for a month. How can you guarantee she¡¯s good behind closed doors?¡± In Luke¡¯s eyes, Silvia had taken up Aria¡¯s identity for twenty years, so it was understandable that Aria hated her. But Silvia was innocent from start to finish. In his view, the bond of raising someone was more important than blood ties. His brother couldpensate for Aria, but they couldn¡¯t ignore how Silvia felt. 3:48 pm WB. After all, Aria was cold and heartless; it would definitely be Silvia who stayed by their side in the end. ¡°Uncle Luke.¡± Caleb was usually gentle and warm, but now there wasn¡¯t a trace of softness on his face; it waspletely covered in coldness. ¡°I don¡¯t ask you to treat Aria fairly or love her as much as you love Silvia. But please don¡¯t target her. She¡¯s my sister and a member of the Saxon family, not your enemy.¡± His tone carried a warning. Luke mumbled something and finally withdrew his gaze angrily, turning to look at Silvia on the bed with concern. Caleb picked up the phone with its broken screen. ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll take you to buy a new pher, okay?¡± 3/3 Again Marriage 23 Aria took it from him and said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It can be fixed.¡± Zoe focused solely on Silvia and ignored the tension between the three of them. Her eyes were glistening with tears as she said, ¡°Silvia has always been afraid of pain since she was little; we never let her get even a scratch before. Now that she¡¯s been hurt so badly, she must be in so much pain.¡± She shot an using look at Aria that disappeared in an instant. ¡°Aria,¡± she asked cautiously with a hint of probing in her voice, ¡°is Silvia¡¯s injury rted to you?¡± Aria didn¡¯t miss her expression; she raised an eyebrow slightly and curled her lips into a mocking smile. ¡°In another sense,¡± she said slowly, ¡°yes.¡± Zoe¡¯s expression changed instantly; Luke stood up abruptly and yelled at Caleb, ¡°See! I knew it was her doing!¡± Caleb frowned and was about to speak when he heard a faint murmur from Silvia; the tense atmosphere vanished immediately. ¡°Mom.¡± As soon as Silvia opened her eyes and saw her mother, tears welled up in them as if she had many grievances that couldn¡¯t be expressed. Zoe¡¯s heart softened instantly; she gently stroked Silvia¡¯s head and asked softly, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°No,¡± Silvia replied. Her nose was bright red, and her voice had a sob in it. Luke¡¯s eyes reddened with concern as he asked, ¡°Silvia, what exactly happened? Did Aria target you, purposely causing you harm?¡± Hearing this, Silvia instinctively turned her head to meet Aria¡¯s. emotionless eyes. 3:48 pm WB She hurriedly denied, ¡°It wasn¡¯t her. It was Delh who pushed me. Aria even tried to protect-¡± ¡°Silvia!¡± Luke cut her off, fuming, ¡°Stop defending Aria. Your friends. already told us.¡± ¡®What did Delh say?¡® Silvia looked totally confused. ¡°Zoe, if there¡¯s a first time, there¡¯ll be a second. Aria hates Silvia. This time, Silvia got lucky and only hit her forehead. What if Aria tries to kill her next time? ¡°If y you guys just stand there and do nothing, I¡¯ll move out with Silvia!¡± Luke red at Aria, who looked back at him with a mocking gaze. The air was thick with tension, like it only needed a spark to explode. Zoe broke the silence first. ¡°Aria, did you push Silvia?¡± ¡°If I said no, would you believe me?¡± Aria stared back at Zoe. The ring sunlight outside nted through the window and fell on her face, half daylight, half darkness. Her left eye was bright and sparkling, while her right eye was hidden in the dark, deep and unfathomable like a ck hole. The stark contrast seemed to hang on Zoe¡¯s next words. Caleb¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he took a step forward and called out urgently, ¡°Mom-¡± Aria turned her head, her facepletely hidden in the darkness now. She looked at Caleb coldly with a hint of warning in her eyes. Caleb understood what Aria meant and stopped in his tracks, looking at his mother anxiously and hoping she would say, ¡°I believe you.¡± But he was disappointed. 28 SWB 3:48 pm D Zoe hesitated. Her expression wasplex¨Cguilt, self¨Creproach, sadness, and distrust all mixed together. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s my fault for not watching over you back then. If you had grown up in the Saxon family, you wouldn¡¯t be like this now.¡± Zoe¡¯s voice choked
  1. up.
¡°I¡¯ve raised Silvia for over twenty years, and the bond of family is something I can¡¯t sever. Can¡¯t you all get along peacefully? Please, I¡¯m begging you, just for me.¡± As soon as she finished, Aria tilted her head and smiled. At that moment, she stayedpletely in the shadow with no trace of sunlight on her body. Meanwhile, Silvia froze with wide eyes, not understanding how things had escted so quickly. She had already exined herself, but why didn¡¯t they believe her? ¡°Mom.¡± Silvia grabbed Zoe¡¯s sleeve. ¡°You really misunderstood-¡± ¡°I get it.¡± A clear voice interrupted her words. Silvia nced sideways at Aria and saw those cold eyes filled with. determination. 33 Again Marriage 24 Something seemed to have changedpletely at that moment. By the time Zoe realized what was happening, a detached voice sounded again. ¡°Mrs. Saxon, what you¡¯re worried about won¡¯t happen.¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes, fogged with tears, froze instantly. ¡°What did you call me?¡± Aria rarely called her ¡°mom,¡± but she wouldn¡¯t stay silent when it was necessary. But at that moment, she called her Mrs. Saxon. Zoe didn¡¯t know what she had done wrong. ¡®Am I wrong for educating my daughter?¡® ¡°She said she won¡¯t call you mom anymore and won¡¯t return to the Saxon family, right?¡± Luke looked at Aria with cold mockery in his eyes. ¡®Who would willingly leave the Saxon family? Aria deliberately not calling her mom was just trying to y on Zoe¡¯s guilty conscience,¡® he said inwardly. Caleb frowned and clenched his fists, feeling angry inside. ¡°Since Silvia is fine, I¡¯ll take Aria back first.¡± Not realizing how serious the situation was, Zoe frowned and even scolded him, ¡°Silvia just woke up, and she needspany. Can¡¯t you stay a little longer?¡± Being alone with her husband¡¯s brother could damage their reputation if it got out. Caleb wasn¡¯t thinking that far ahead now. He grabbed Aria¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Aria, let¡¯s go.¡± Silvia watched this scene with a heavy heart, but she knew she had no right to feel sad since that was indeed Aria¡¯s biological brother. 3:48 pm WG She thought they could coexist peacefully. When being dragged out of the ward, Aria felt dazed. Walking down the corridor, she looked up at Caleb¡¯s broad back and asked hesitantly, ¡°Don¡¯t you think I pushed Silvia?¡± Caleb slowed down slightly to walk beside her. ¡°If you pushed her, you wouldn¡¯t havee here with her or denied it. ¡°Did you go to the sales center to buy a house? Are you not nning to return home?¡± Aria gave a soft hum. ¡°I don¡¯t like your home.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your home, too,¡± said Caleb as he gently touched her head. A strange feeling shed through Aria¡¯s mind; she wanted to move his hand away, but held back in the end. ¡°That isn¡¯t my home.¡± Caleb fell silent, thinking the Saxon Manor couldn¡¯t be considered a home from Aria¡¯s perspective, indeed.. ¡°There¡¯s an apartment about two thousand square feet in Mayen Garden. Are you moving there?¡± ¡°I just want to buy a bigger ce again¨Csomewhere with a training room and a painting studio.¡± ¡®Aria can paint?¡® Caleb was momentarily stunned, recalling how she had. very few belongings and no painting tools at all when she returned to the Saxon family. It seemed she never intended to stay long from the start. Or maybe she wanted to test them out before deciding to stay, but ultimately, she was disappointed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll buy it for you, not using the Saxon family¡¯s money.¡± Aria¡¯s voice. was cold as she stated the fact, ¡°Any money you spend will still be under 1:49 pm WG SW B the Saxon family¡¯s name, and I don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve got a few hundred million on me, and after the divorce, I¡¯ll have fifteen hundred million dors.¡± Caleb looked astonished. ¡°Fifteen hundred million¡­ dors?¡± ¡°Yeah, I invested 150 million in the Cole Group for a 4% stake, and now it¡¯s valued at about that much. You can rest assured. I¡¯ll live even better without the Saxon family.¡± The Saxon family wasn¡¯t one of the oldest prestigious families in Mandino City; it rose to prominence in recent decades. Though not on par with the centuries¨Cold families like the Shaw and Fletcher families, they were still among the top wealthy families. They had strict control, never allowing their younger generation to be spoiled brats; allowances were fair for everyone. Whether it was investing or starting a business, they didn¡¯t interfere much. It was normal for the family members to have a few to several million in private money, but over a billion stunned Caleb. B AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 25 hapter 25 He finally realized that this sister, who had returned home after twenty years, , didn¡¯t need any help from them at all. Caleb was about to say something when he noticed Aria¡¯s vacant gaze fixed ahead. Following her gaze, he saw two doctors approaching. ¡°Dr. Robertson, there¡¯s a critical patient in Room 501 with a forehead. abrasion. The family insists there must be no scarring,¡± the nurse said. Everett stopped, incredulous. ¡°Just an abrasion, and you call me? Don¡¯t you know I have an important surgery?¡± The nurse exined, ¡°Everett, the director said this is our hospital¡¯s investor. You have to go!¡± The patient in Room 501 was none other than Silvia. Everett was a renowned dermatologist, and since the Saxon family had invested in this hospital, the director took it seriously and immediately. called him over. Everett was a bit annoyed and turned to leave, but his gazended ahead, and he suddenly froze, stunned for a full two seconds. The nurse urged, ¡°Everett, let¡¯s just make a quick appearance at 501. We can still make it to the surgery.¡± Everett drew his gaze away. ¡°Delegate such trivial matters to others; do not waste my time.¡± With that, he strode off. The nurse had no choice but to follow behind him, muttering, ¡°Dr. Robertson, you have time to stare at a beauty but no time to go through the motions? It¡¯s just a few steps away.¡± 3:49 pm WG Everett red at her. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense; that girl looks like a child I once treated; I just got startled for a moment.¡± ¡°No excuses. I¡¯ve been here at our hospital for ten years, yet I¡¯ve never seen a kid that looks like that little beauty.¡± ¡°That was fifteen years ago; back then, I was just a doctor in a small town.¡± ¡°Dr. Robertson, you remembered a kid for fifteen years? I¡¯m telling Mrs. Robertson; there¡¯s something wrong with you.¡± Everett humphed coldly. ¡°My wife knows too; that little girl narrowly escaped being burned alive by her parents for insurance fraud; if she grew up safely, she¡¯d be twenty¨Ctwo now.¡± ¡°My god, there¡¯s such a thing.. As the conversation trailed off with them disappearing at the end of the corridor, Caleb pulled his gaze away. ¡°Aria, do you know that doctor?¡± Aria dodged the question, asking instead, ¡°I thought you¡¯d stop him and ask him to check on Silvia.¡± Caleb chuckled wryly. ¡°Am I really that kind of person in your eyes?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Guess I need to work on my image then.¡± ¡°Good luck with that.¡± It was a rather emotionless, somewhat perfunctory exchange. But Caleb felt it was already great that his sister was talking to him nicely. ¡°Let me drive you home,¡± he offered. ¡°Okay.¡± On the way, Caleb bought her thetest model phone. 3:49 pm 3 Upon reaching their destination, Aria turned her head and said, ¡°Thanks. Later.¡± She closed the car door and left without looking back. Expecting her to invite him up for a cup of coffee, Caleb fell silent. It seemed he still had a long way to go to get closer to his sister. He turned around to leave. Meanwhile, he dialed his assistant¡¯s number, ordering, ¡°Find out exactly what happened at the sales center today. Also, send Jeffrey to Jamn to look into Aria¡¯s past.¡± Jamn was the small vige where Aria used to live. The assistant was puzzled. ¡°Boss, didn¡¯t we already investigate Ms. Saxon¡¯s background?¡± ¡°Those records might be fake. Dig deeper into the Colton couple, especially about how they treated Aria.¡± Aria wasn¡¯t the type to give strangers a second nce, but her look at Everett today was a bit off. And Everett hesitated when he saw Aria, too. ¡®Almost burned alive for insurance fraud¡­ With this thought, Caleb¡¯s heart clenched. He dared not think further. His hands gripping the steering wheel trembled. And he tried tofort himself, ¡®Maybe it was not what I feared it to be.¡¯ Again Marriage 26 Within half an hour, the assistant sent over theplete surveince footage. Just as Caleb rushed back to the hospital, he stopped, watched the video, and his expression grew increasingly frosty. At that moment, a young man¡¯s furious roar came from the ward, ¡°Aria caused my sister to end up like this, and you just let her leave like that?¡± As soon as Caleb left, Zoe called over Nathan, who had just gotten out of school. Nathan loved his sister; he couldn¡¯t stand Silvia suffering any injustice. As soon as he heard from Luke that Aria had hurt Silvia¡¯s forehead, he couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. Luke humphed coldly, his tone full of displeasure. ¡°Your brother is so protective of Aria, afraid we¡¯d bully her.¡± ¡°Aria didn¡¯t bully me; it was Delh¡¯s boyfriend¡­¡± Silvia hurriedly exined. But she felt too embarrassed to continue. ¡°Silvia, stop defending Aria. Ever since she came back, this family hasn¡¯t been at peace,¡± Nathan said. Suddenly, Caleb pushed the door open, causing a loud bang. His usually gentle face was now icy cold. Seeing such a Caleb, Luke couldn¡¯t hide his schadenfreude. ¡°Caleb, weren¡¯t you seeing Aria off? Why so angry? What did she do again?¡± Caleb swept his gaze coldly over the three of them. ¡°Do you really not want Aria toe home? Nathan, do you hate your biological sister that much?¡± 3:49 pm WB. The words ¡°biological sister¡± hit Nathan hard. He blinked, looking away guiltily. ¡°I called her sister on her first day back, but all she said was a cold hello. I¡¯m not sick; why should I warm up to someone who gives me the cold shoulder?¡± Nathan had always been a troublemaker, so the family strictly disciplined him. Whenever he made a mistake, he faced harsh punishment. Only Silvia unconditionally stood by him, speaking up for him when scolded, kneeling with him when punished, shielding him when beaten¡­ To him, whether or not they were biologically rted didn¡¯t change Silvia¡¯s ce in his heart. When he found out he had another sister, he was so excited he couldn¡¯t sleep all night, thinking there would be another sister to protect him. But the first time he saw Aria, he felt she resembled their father, serious and unapproachable. He called her sister, but all she said was ¡°hello.¡± She was smiling, but her expression felt fake. Once, he got punished for misbehaving, she stood coldly without saying a word in his defense. He never called her sister again ever since. Looking at them, Caleb let out a self¨Cmockingugh. ¡°I think I understand why Aria rushed to get a marriage certificate with Liam.¡± She felt it. This family didn¡¯t wee her. Caleb gripped his phone, staring at Silvia. ¡°Silvia, they won¡¯t listen to your exnation, but I will. Tell me what happened today?¡± Caleb had always been gentle with Silvia. But now his gaze was too cold. Silvia wanted to recount the situation, but her nose stung, and her tears 3:49 pm PWB wouldn¡¯t stop. Nathan¡¯s face darkened as he stood in front of Silvia. ¡°Caleb! Why are you forcing Silvia?¡± Zoe didn¡¯t want to see brothers at odds and quickly asked, ¡°Caleb, did something Aria said make you misunderstand Silvia?¡± At that moment, Caleb finally understood how isted Aria must have felt. ¡®Was she going through the same thingst month?¡® he thought. Silvia wanted to exin but choked up and couldn¡¯t form aplete sentence. In that instant, she saw disappointment in Caleb¡¯s eyes. ¡°Look for yourselves! This is from the sales office surveince.¡± Caleb collected himself and handed over the phone, expressionless. Zoe took it in shock while Nathan and Luke leaned in, too. Silvia widened her eyes, thinking, ¡®If Caleb had the footage, why hadn¡¯t he shown it earlier? Did he not trust me? Surveince! Would they see how close Ryan came to touching me¡­ Again Marriage 27 Tears streamed down her cheeks as immense humiliation filled her. She wanted to say ¡°Don¡¯t look,¡± but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak up. ¡®Caleb must have seen it already, yet still shared it with them. He clearly didn¡¯t care about me; he only cared about Aria!¡® With this thought, she clenched her fists tightly, resentment ring in her eyes. ¡®I exined everything; they just don¡¯t believe me! Why- Suddenly, a warm handnded on top of her head, dispelling all her extreme thoughts. ¡°Silvia, why didn¡¯t you tell us he harassed you?¡± Bending down, Caleb gently wiped away her tears. ¡°As a girl, if you keep quiet when someone takes advantage of you, they¡¯ll only get bolder. You¡¯re a member of the Saxon family; behind you stands. your family. No matter what happens, never be afraid.¡± Warmth flooded into Silvia¡¯s heart, erasing all her negative thoughts. instantly. She turned her head to the side, tears streaming down once again as she reached out to hug Caleb tightly, sobbing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Caleb. I was wrong.¡± ¡®I was originally from a poor family yet took on Aria¡¯s identity. ¡®I ought to feel guilty, instead of having such dark thoughts,¡® she inwardly. said ¡°Ryan¡¯s been harassing me, but I didn¡¯t dare speak up. I was scared he¡¯d use me of seducing him, and I was terrified of Delh targeting me. ¡°I¡¯m just a fake. I was scared.¡± Finally, Silvia spilled the beans, her voice soft but clear enough for Caleb to catch. If it were two years ago, she would never have kept quiet. 3:49 pm WG But now, she wasn¡¯t the Saxons¡® daughter; she was an impostor. Not having anything, she wouldn¡¯t have feared losing it. But she already had so much. Ever since her true identity came out, she heard people gossiping about her every day. ¡°Look, that¡¯s the Saxon family¡¯s fake daughter. The real one¡¯s back, yet she still has the nerve to stay at the Saxon family.¡± ¡°No wonder she seems so timid,cking grace. Turns out she¡¯s just a poor soul at heart, and no amount of nurturing can change her lowly lineage.¡± ¡°I used to chase after her. How embarrassing.¡± ¡°I heard the Saxon family doesn¡¯t care about Aria. Wonder if she¡¯s the one stirring up trouble behind the scenes, forcing Aria out.¡± Surrounded by those scornful looks, disdainful tones, fake friendly masks, she had to butter everyone up, treading carefully every day. The more the Saxon family ignored Aria, the more guilty she felt. She wanted to change, but couldn¡¯t change a thing. Aria wasn¡¯t having a good time, and neither was she. Caleb patted her shoulderfortingly. ¡°I will get revenge for you.¡± After checking the surveince, Luke erupted in fury. ¡°That beast actually dares to molest Silvia. I¡¯m gonna kill him!¡± Zoe stood there in a daze, a cold face shing through her mind. ¡°If I said no, would you believe me? ¡°Mrs. Saxon, what you¡¯re worried about won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡®I was wrong. My daughter was disappointed in me. As she fell into deep. regret, Zoe¡¯s legs went weak, almost buckling under her. ¡°I¡­ I 3:49 pm WG misunderstood Aria, and I¡­¡± ¡°Mom, the main issue now isn¡¯t you misunderstanding Aria. Families fight and misunderstand all the time. I was even used of stealing when I was little!¡± Having been wrongfully used too many times, Nathan didn¡¯t think this was a big deal. ¡°That bastard bullied my sister. I¡¯m going to ruin him!¡± he cursed. Seeing Silvia so devastated, Zoe finally snapped back to reality with a stern voice. ¡°We must sue them.¡± If it weren¡¯t for Delh spreading lies, she wouldn¡¯t have unjustly used Aria and caused a rift between them. *********** At the same time, a couple emerged from the train station, their faces grimy,rge bundles of luggage on their shoulders. The plump Alice, Silvia¡¯s biological mom, wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked, ¡°Dominic, are we really going to ask Silvia for money?¡± Again Marriage 28 After leaving the train station, Dominic, Silvia¡¯s biological dad, threw the luggage off his shoulder onto the ground. His cloudy eyes shed with a shrewd light. ¡°If we don¡¯t go, our son will get his hands chopped off! ¡°If we don¡¯t find her, we can only look for Madelyn, but do you dare to mess with that freak?¡± Fear struck Alice¡¯s heart, and she shook her head frantically. ¡°No, we can¡¯t go to her; she¡¯ll kill us!¡± Suppressing the fear, Alice hesitated again. ¡°But the Saxon family paid 1.5 million to sever our blood ties with Silvia. They warned us not to contact her or disturb her. If they find out, they¡¯ll make us pay.¡± ¡°Idiot, just hide it. The Saxon family is rich; they give millions in allowance every month. Since Silvia carries our blood, she should support us. Why should the Saxon family just cut us off like that?¡± Dominic hunched over, his eyes cold and ruthless. ¡°First, get 1.5 million to save Austin and bring him to the city. Then make Silvia buy us a house. and car so we can settle here.¡± The Saxon family gave them 1.5 million, plus the 600 thousand Silvia left behind, totaling over 2 million. For an ordinary family, that would be enough for afortable life. Dominic built a small vi in town and even bought two cars. But Austin got into gambling and stole money from home. Within a month, he lost a million and owed the casino over 2 million. The casino threatened that if they didn¡¯t pay within half a month, they would chop off Austin¡¯s hands. Dominic sold the house and cars, got 1.5 million, and immediately brought his wife to the city to look for Silvia. 3:50 pm WG. ¡°That girl was a fool. Even after bing a wealthydy, she still secretly came back to visit us and left 600 thousand behind. Since she was my child, she should support the family,¡® he said inwardly. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Dominic walked out, and Alice hurriedly followed. Behind them, a limping figure slowly appeared. He stared at their backs and smirked evilly before limping after them again. When Aria fixed her phone, the sun was about to set. She rubbed her fingers, turned it on, and new messages popped up. Caleb sent half an hour ago: [Aria, Mom ising to see you; probably to apologize. [I have an emergency and need to head back to the office. If you don¡¯t want to see them, don¡¯t open the door.] At that moment, the doorbell rang. Aria opened the surveince and saw Zoe and Nathan. ¡°Mom, just give her a call. Why do you have toe all the way here? I haven¡¯t finished my homework yet!¡± Nathanined. His family wouldn¡¯t let him dye his hair, so Nathan got it permed instead. His bangs were a bit long and covered part of his eyes, but they couldn¡¯t hide his arrogant gaze. He was clearly annoyed and confused. Zoe nced at him with slightly reddened eyes. ¡°What do you know? Aria calls me Mrs. Saxon now, not Mom. It¡¯s my fault.¡± Seeing her about to cry again, Nathan raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom. You apologize. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± 3:50 pm WB Zoe sniffled and continued ringing the doorbell. ¡°Maybe Aria isn¡¯t home?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know; we¡¯re not that close.¡± Aria sat there for five minutes waiting for them to leave. Finally, Nathan grew impatient, saying, ¡°Mom, stop ringing; she¡¯s definitely not home.¡± But Zoe stubbornly stood her ground. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait here until shees back.¡± Helpless, Aria rubbed her temples in frustration, walked out of her room, and opened the door. Seeing her, Zoe lit up with joy. ¡°Aria!¡± ¡°Is there something else you need from me, Mrs. Saxon?¡± Aria asked. Hearing this title again made Zoe¡¯s eyes widen slightly as she trembled. Nathan red at Aria as if ready to explode with anger. ¡°Aria! Why didn¡¯t you open the door earlier? Letting your mom wait so long? Are you sick or something?¡± Again Marriage 29 ¡°Did I tell her to wait?¡± Aria suddenly spat out. Both froze on the spot. One was devastated, feeling as if the sky had copsed, while the other¡¯s face was dark with anger, rendered speechless. Zoe, trembling, reached out and sped Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°Aria, Mom was wrong! ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you or suspected you of pushing Silvia when you actually helped her by kicking Ryan¡­ I misunderstood you. Can you forgive me? It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Perhaps it was the bond of kinship at y, for as Aria gazed upon Zoe¡¯s sorrowful face, a fleeting pang of bitterness skittered across Aria¡¯s heart, only to vanish as swiftly as it came. This was the first time Nathan saw his mother so humble; it made him ufortable inside, too. ¡°Mom has already apologized; what more do you want? It¡¯s not that big of a deal¨Cwhy are you being so petty?¡± Coldly, Aria replied, ¡°So what if I have to?¡± Anger surged within Nathan as he clenched his fists tightly together. ¡°Aria! You¡¯re just jealous because everyone treats Silvia well and want attention on yourself instead. Let me tell you this: blood doesn¡¯t mean everything- everyone likes Silvia because she is kind¨Chearted and obedient. ¡°Even though she had no blood rtion with our family, she would still be our family¡¯s treasure¨Cour parents¡® daughter¨Cmy big brother¡¯s little sister -and my elder sister. ¡°The mix¨Cup wasn¡¯t fair to you, but we¡¯ve been trying to make it up to you. Mom and Dad are so scared of upsetting you that they tiptoe around even when talking. ¡°Big bro¡¯s even neglecting Silvia because of you. You wanna marry Liam? 3:50 pm UB Go ahead. Wanna divorce? Fine. Isn¡¯t that enough to satisfy you?¡± Nathan practically shouted by the end. He¡¯d seen everyone walking on eggshells around Aria. Even Silvia looked guilty, afraid of making her unhappy. He¡¯d tolerate her, keep his distance, never say hurtful things, even if he didn¡¯t like her. He just didn¡¯t get it¨Cthey¡¯d gone this far; what exactly was Aria still fussy about? ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough to satisfy me? Let me tell you something¡­¡± Aria fixed her gaze on him, her tone unwavering. ¡°All the things you¡¯ve done¡ªwho exactly have they moved, other than yourselves? ¡°Did I ask you to tiptoe around me? Do I owe you gratitude for your self- righteous efforts?¡± she mocked with a beam. ¡°I only stayed at the Saxon. family for a month. Don¡¯t make it sound like you gave me the whole world.¡± Aria lowered her head, pushing Zoe¡¯s hand away. ¡°To me, it¡¯s the same. whether you¡¯re there or not.¡± Nathan coldly retorted, ¡°Isn¡¯t the apartment you¡¯re living in now paid for by us? Your clothes, bags, jewelry, aren¡¯t they all¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Suddenly, Zoe jolted back to her senses, as if struck by a heavy blow. ¡°Aria never spent our money. She bought the apartment herself. She returned the 15 million and even added 3 million more. That day, Aria didn¡¯t take the card; Joseph took it instead. The money they sent, she either rejected or returned. Thinking about what they¡¯d done for Aria, besides empty words of concern, Zoe couldn¡¯t find a shred of evidence. She didn¡¯t trust her own daughter. 3:50 pm Nathan, unaware of what happened at home, was nk¨Cminded, asking instinctively, ¡°If she¡¯s not using our money, where did she get hers from? The Cole family?¡± Zoe could barely stand, tears falling uncontrobly. ¡°Aria, Mom realized it toote. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to call me ¡®mom. Just give me a chance. to make it up to you, please?¡± ¡°You never owed me anything. No need to make up,¡± Aria replied coldly. ¡°No, I was wrong!¡± Zoe insisted. As she saw her biological mother cry, Aria¡¯s fingers curled slightly, her heart feeling heavy. But she knew she couldn¡¯t make the mistake again. The Saxon family wasn¡¯t the ce for her. She looked at Zoe seriously, asking, ¡°Do you really want me back?¡± Zoe thought there was hope, nodding in surprise. ¡°Sure.¡± Aria spoke slowly, enunciating each word. ¡°Well then, disown Silvia and kick her out of the Saxon family, and I¡¯lle back.¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads WB Again Marriage 30 Zoe¡¯s smile froze at the corners of her mouth. Nathan was stunned, too, followed by overwhelming fury. Meanwhile, Aria stood there calmly, even smiling. ¡°Can¡¯t do it? Then leave!¡± She made a move to close the door. Zoe quickly grabbed her. ¡°Aria! We¡¯ve raised Silvia for twenty¨Ctwo years¡ª¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t bother me here,¡± Aria cut her off. ¡°Mrs. Saxon, you can¡¯t be so greedy. You were always meant to have just one daughter. You have feelings with Silvia and can¡¯t bear to part with her. I get it. ¡°But I can bear it. I have no feelings for you. Just treat it as if you never mixed up the babies. Leave me alone.¡± Zoe shook her head, tears smearing her face. ¡°No, no, Aria.¡± She had raised Silvia for over twenty years, pouring all her love into her. That was her own daughter, raised by herself. There was no way she could. bear to let her go. But Aria was the daughter she had carried in her belly for ten months, and she had already lost her for twenty years. She couldn¡¯t lose her again. Zoe felt utterly desperate. ¡°Mom!¡± Nathan¡¯s eyes turned red with anger. ¡°Aria¡¯s intention is to kick my sister out. Don¡¯t you get it? Let¡¯s go! Stop begging her!¡± Nathan went to pull Zoe, but she stubbornly held onto Aria. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go!¡± Nathan insisted. In the tug¨Cof¨Cwar, a sharp p sounded. All three froze. 3:50 pm WB Zoe stopped crying. Nathan widened his eyes, staring at his hand in disbelief. ¡®How did I end up pping her? When did I even touch Aria¡¯s face?¡® Nathan subconsciously looked at Aria, his palm felt numb. Meanwhile, Aria had turned her head slightly to the left, her cheek faintly red. ¡°I-¡± Before Nathan could finish, he was pped back. Due to inertia, he staggered to the side, his feet tangled, almost falling. Aria returned the p, looking at him coldly. ¡°We¡¯re even now.¡± With that, she turned around and mmed the door shut with a bang. Nathan¡¯s head was buzzing, and he gently touched his cheek. He winced in pain, his chest heaving with anger. ¡°Aria, damn you!¡± He kicked the door hard, shouting, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hit you. It was an ident! An ident! Why¡¯d you hit me back? And so hard too!¡± Just as he was about to kick the door again, Zoe stopped him. Crying as if it were the world¡¯s end, Zoe calmed down now, wiping away her tears. ¡°If you kick Aria¡¯s door again, I¡¯ll tell your dad when I get back.¡± Nathan wanted to cry,ining, ¡°Mom, she hit me!¡± Zoe nced at his face and looked away. ¡°So she hit you. Didn¡¯t you start it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to!¡± ¡°But you did hit her?¡± 3:50 pm WG. ¡°Yeah, but it was just a light tap!¡± ¡°Well, hitting you probably made her feel a bit better.¡± Hearing this, Nathan widened his eyes, unable to believe that his usually gentle and loving mother, who was always imed to be the most doting parent in the world, could say something so cold. Zoe sighed softly, adding, ¡°Let Aria be for now. Your grandpa and Uncle Luke don¡¯t wee her, so what can I do, even though I beg her toe back?¡± Calm now, she carefully wiped away her tears, took out a small mirror to touch up her makeup, and became the dignified Mrs. Saxon once again. Nathan was left stunned. After tidying up, Zoe looked at the door again, saying, ¡°Aria, it¡¯s really Mom¡¯s fault. Once I handle things at the Saxon family, I¡¯lle back to take you home.¡± Aria leaned against the door, silent. Only when the outside quieted down did she sit nkly in the chair, staring into space for a long time before letting out a sigh. ¡®Be it! I¡¯ve always been alone and have long gotten used to it,¡¯ she murmured inwardly. At the same time, Nathan was so frustrated. After entering the elevator with his mom, he saw his face in the mirror. He couldn¡¯t help but want to explode, but it hit a sore spot, forcing him to calm down. ¡°Mom! My face is swollen. How can I go back to school like this?¡± 3:50 pm WB With this face, he was sure he¡¯d beughed at by his buddies for half a year. Zoe was fixing her makeup again, ncing at him briefly before looking away. ¡°Aria is a girl; how much strength could she have? You are a real man, yet with tender skin like a girl¡¯s. Who¡¯s to me for that?¡± Nathan was left speechless. ¡°Oh, and if you tell everyone what Aria said, I¡¯ll tell your dad that you hit Aria and that I cried because of you.¡± ¡°She even pressured you to get rid of Silvia, yet you still protect her?¡± Zoe started feeling sad again. ¡°Aria doesn¡¯t want toe back to the Saxon family or ept us, so she said that on purpose. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the surveince footage? When Silvia was being taken. advantage of, Aria noticed immediately and retaliated for her.¡± Only when she saw the footage did Zoe realize how wrong she had been. Her good daughter was misunderstood by her as someone who would harm others. ¡®I truly wasn¡¯t fit to be a mother.¡¯ With this thought, tears welled up again, but Zoe held them back. When Nathan thought about Aria¡¯s kick on that guy, he let out a cold humph, not saying anything more. ¡®Well, I¡¯d let the p go as repayment for Aria saving Silvia,¡® he thought stubbornly. Later that night, Hannah received a call from her aunt Carmen. ¡°Hannah, Delh injured Ms. Saxon and was taken away by the police for 3:50 pm UB. intentional harm!¡± ¡°What?¡± Hannah eximed in shock, her expression changing slightly. ¡°Which Ms. Saxon? Is it Silvia or Aria?¡± When Liam heard Aria¡¯s name, he looked up.. After she heard the whole story, Hannah¡¯s face instantly turned cold. ¡°Delh is so innocent, those sisters must¡¯ve set her up. I never thought. the Saxon family would do something so dirty. ¡°Hannah, what should we do now? If the Saxon family doesn¡¯t ept a private settlement, Delh and her boyfriend will both end up in jail.¡± ¡°This mess started because of us. Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Carmen. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± After hanging up the phone, Hannah told Liam what happened and scolded coldly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Saxon family to stoop so low. They set up my cousin just to target me.¡± Liam wasn¡¯t as angry as Hannah, asking, ¡°Aunt Carmen said that Delh¡¯s boyfriend was harassing Silvia. Is this true? ¡°Of course it¡¯s fake. Delh is the heiress of the Marshall family, while Silvia is just a fake heiress with peasant blood in her veins. Anyone with half a brain wouldn¡¯t bother with her when they could have Delh!¡± Hearing these words, Liam wanted to say something, but seeing Hannah¡¯s cold expression, he changed his mind halfway through his sentence. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the Saxon family tomorrow to see my¡­ I mean, Mr. Saxon, to find out what¡¯s going on. The best oue would be a private settlement.¡± Hannah¡¯s voice was icy. ¡°They did this just to target us. They won¡¯t agree to a settlement. Leave this to me. I refuse to believe the Saxon family can control everything here!¡± 3:50 pm WG Again Marriage 31 The p mark on his face was too obvious. Nathan felt embarrassed and begged his mother for a long time, finally taking two days of ¡°sick leave¡°. Walking home with some meds, he spotted two in¨Cclothed folks peeking through the door. He hurried over, asking, ¡°Whatcha doin¡®?¡± Startled, the two jumped in fright.. Dominic had done his homework¨Che¡¯d checked out the Saxon family and recognized Nathan right away, shing a ttering smile. ¡°Hi, we¡¯re Aria¡¯s foster parents. We came all the way to see our daughter.¡± Dominic knew how much the Saxon family valued Silvia, so he used Aria as a cover. The money transaction could only be done privately and must never be known by the Saxon family. Alice chimed in at this time, ¡°We¡¯ll just take a look at her and leave. We won¡¯t disturb her.¡± Nathan had just found out about Aria¡¯s old name. Too in, he thought, frowning slightly. ¡°Her full name was Madelyn?¡± His sister¡¯s name, Silvia, was carefully chosen by his parents, meaning pure and noble, beautiful and poised. Before Madelyn came to the Saxon family, his parents had pondered long and hard, naming her Madelyn, meaning gentle beauty, full of vitality. As he came to think of it now, no one seemed to have ever mentioned her old name. Nathan gave them a thorough once¨Cover, suspicion rising. ¡°Aria¡¯s already married. Whye here instead of the Cole family? And it¡¯s been two 3:50 pm SWG years¨Cwhy now?¡± For an average family, 2 million would be more than enough to livefortably. But judging from their clothes, Nathan couldn¡¯t help but suspect they were here for money. Dominic knew rich folks were tricky, so he had a story ready. ¡°Madelyn¡­ she blocked us. We didn¡¯t even know she got married. How¡¯s the guy she married treatin¡® her?¡± As he said that, tears welled up in his weary eyes. Seeing this, Alice quickly dabbed at the non¨Cexistent tears from her eyes. As he saw no hint of the two acting, their sincerity evident on their faces, Nathan¡¯s doubts werergely dispelled, reced by a strong sense of dissatisfaction towards Aria. ¡®No blood rtion, but these folks raised her for twenty years. Blocking them? That¡¯s cold¨Chearted,¡¯ he said inwardly. ¡°Aria moved out ages ago. Go find her there!¡± Nathan straight¨Cup gave them the address. Dominic and Alice¡¯s faces stiffened a bit. Dominic chuckled awkwardly, ¡°Young man, you look a bit like my Madelyn. Are you her younger brother?¡± Nathan raised an eyebrow, almost wanting to find a mirror on the spot to check if he resembled Aria. ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded. ¡°Anything else?¡± Dominic nced at Alice, who looked conflicted. ¡°Um¡­ can we see Silvia?¡± she asked hesitantly. 3:50 pm WB. Nathan¡¯s face instantly darkened, his voice icy. ¡°What? 600 thousand not enough? You want more from my sister?¡± Everyone knew about Silvia going to the countryside to find her birth parents. Seeing her upset, no one mentioned it, but they looked into it privately and found out the whole story. Dominic¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He waved his hands in panic. ¡°Not for money. We just want to see her. If it¡¯s inconvenient, that¡¯s fine. As for the money Silvia gave¡­¡± Tears rolled down his wrinkled face, and his voice choked. ¡°I was thinking of saving it for her wedding. We never raised her. There¡¯s so little we can do¡­ Sorry, we¡¯ll leave now.¡± Seeing a middle¨Caged man cry in front of him for the first time, Nathan suddenly felt guilty. Just as he was about tofort Dominic, the man suddenly straightened up and hurried away with his wife. He sighed, scratched his hair, and swiped his face to unlock the door. Only after turning the cornerpletely did Dominic let go of Alice¡¯s hand and walk on his own. Alice looked anxious and caught up with Dominic in small steps. ¡°Dominic, are we not asking Silvia for money anymore? What about our son?¡± Dominic¡¯s face was grim, his voice suppressed with anger. ¡°Stupid woman, didn¡¯t you hear Nathan say we already got money from Silvia? If we offend him, we won¡¯t get a chance to see her! We have to avoid the Saxon family when looking for Silvia.¡± Alice sniffled and didn¡¯t say more. Early the next morning, Silvia was discharged from the hospital. 3:50 pm D Except for Logan, who was at work, the whole family came out to pick her
  1. up.
Seeing the wound on his granddaughter¡¯s forehead, Joseph looked heartbroken. ¡°You were discharged so soon. What did the doctor say? Will it leave a scar?¡± ¡°Grandpa, the doctor said it won¡¯t leave a scar. I was dead bored in the hospital for so long.¡± Silvia¡¯s voice was soft and nasal, her pale lips and sickly appearance adding to the overall impression of frailty. Even so, Silvia still smiled brightly, trying to cheer everyone up. Everyone present couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for her. Seeing Nathan still standing there, Silvia asked, puzzled, ¡°Nathan, I¡¯m home already. You should go to ss now!¡± Nathan tugged at his mask and mumbled, ¡°I took two days off, gonna go back to school the day after tomorrow.¡± Caleb asked, ¡°Now that we¡¯re home. Why are you still wearing a mask?¡± Last night, Nathan had been on nursing duty, saying he didn¡¯t like the smell of the hospital and had kept the mask on. But now that they were home, he still hadn¡¯t taken it off. Nathan instinctively covered his face, his eyes darting around before meeting his mother¡¯s warning re. He looked away instantly. ¡°I¡¯m a bit allergic.¡± Silvia was shocked, reaching out to pull off his mask. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Let me see. Why didn¡¯t you get checked at the hospital?¡± Nathan stepped back. Afraid of hurting Silvia¡¯s injury, he didn¡¯t dare to move much. ¡°It¡¯s just a little bit, Silvia, you- 475 3:50 pm SWB The mask was pulled off, revealing half a face with five finger marks. Everyone was stunned except for Zoe. Joseph¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What happened! Who hit you?¡± That p from Aria had been brutal. Even after Nathan had iced it for a long time and applied medicine, the finger marks were still obvious. Silvia and Nathan had always been close. Now that he was hit, tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Nathan, why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Seeing her about to cry, Nathan quickly waved his hands. ¡°No one hit me. It was just a misunderstanding.¡± Luke chimed in, ¡°What misunderstanding requires such heavy- handedness? ¡°Didn¡¯t you go find Aria with your mom yesterday? Did she hit you?¡± The room fell into dead silence instantly. Joseph got so angry that his head hurt, banging his cane loudly on the ground. ¡°What gives her the right to hit a Saxon?¡± Again Marriage 32 This statementpletely distanced Aria from the Saxon family. ¡°Grandpa, Aria is also a member of the Saxon family!¡± Caleb¡¯s face darkened as he coldly stared at Nathan. ¡°What did you do? Why did Aria hit you?¡± Upon learning it was Aria who hit Nathan, Silvia stopped crying, as Aria wasn¡¯t the type to act out without reason. ¡°Nathan, what did you do?¡± she asked, too. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Nathan felt immense pressure and suddenly regretted taking leave. Friends were easy to fool, but family wasn¡¯t. He nced sideways and mumbled, ¡°It was¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± No one understood what he said. Nathan looked pleadingly at his mother, but Zoe just snorted and ignored him. Meanwhile, Caleb shot him a cold re, adding, ¡°Did you start it?¡± Nathan was stunned, his eyes involuntarily widening. ¡°Talk about a true brother! He could hear me clearly?!¡± Seeing his expression, Caleb understood everything. ¡°Nathan, you actually pped your sister?¡± Nathan didn¡¯t think he was wrong and retorted stubbornly, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I just lightly tapped her face, but she pped me hard.¡± ¡°Are you sure it was just a light tap?¡± Caleb pressed. As he recalled the crisp sound of the p, Nathan deted as he murmured weakly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that light, but I really didn¡¯t mean it.¡± 3:51 pm WB Silvia¡¯s eyes carried a hint of knowing. ¡°Even though it wasn¡¯t on purpose, you still hit her. Nathan, that p you got was totally deserved.¡± ¡°I know, so I didn¡¯t me her.¡± Caleb¡¯s tone was eerily calm. ¡°You still want to me her?¡± Caleb spoke coldly. ¡°Since Nathan didn¡¯t mean it, she shouldn¡¯t have used so much force.. We¡¯re a family, not enemies,¡± Joseph chimed in. Luke nodded in agreement. ¡°Exactly. Zoe even went to apologize personally, yet she still refused toe back. Does she expect Dad to coax her in person?¡± ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want toe back, then forget it. Do Ick just one granddaughter? I warn you all: no one is allowed to grovel and beg her to return. The backbone of the Saxon family must never bend because of an unruly youngster!¡± Joseph snapped. Listening to them quietly, Zoe clenched her fists, the desire to leave the Saxon family brewing in her mind for the first time. It was clear they had wronged her daughter, yet in the old man¡¯s eyes, asking for forgiveness from their own family was a shameful act. They never treated Aria as one of their own. Only now did Zoe understand why Aria had distanced herself from them. It wasn¡¯t because of her cold personality or their favoritism toward Silvia. It was because this family never intended to ept her. The memories stabbed her heart like a dagger, filling Zoe with regret. Joseph had a stern face. The atmosphere was heavy; only Luke acted like an outsider, even humming a tune in a good mood. 5 3:51 pm UG. Joseph shot him a cold look, snapping, ¡°And you, get your woman back soon, or pack your bags and leave!¡± Luke muttered something unwillingly and went out. He and his wife were forced into an arranged marriage, neither of them willing at first, so living apart wasmon, but his father would force him to bring her back every time. Just as Joseph was about to go upstairs, the butler hurried in, reporting, ¡°Sir, Mr. Bartholomew Gibson is here, along with the Marshall couple.¡± Delh had spent the night in jail, so it was normal for the Marshall couple toe plead for her. But what was Bartholomew doing here? Confused, Joseph sat in the main seat on the sofa. ¡°Zoe, take Silvial upstairs.¡± Zoe was stunned, frowning. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re not going to let that Marshall girl off the hook, are you?¡± If it weren¡¯t for that girl¡¯s lies, she wouldn¡¯t have had a misunderstanding with Aria. With her around, no one could ever let Delh off. I have my reasons, take Silvia upstairs!¡± Joseph¡¯s voice was full of authority. AD Comment Again Marriage 33 Zoe pursed her lips tightly, her gaze sweeping over her two sons, the older one serious and the younger one carefree, before she turned and walked away. Her steps carried an unmistakable air of anger. Silvia quickly followed. Joseph watched, feeling increasingly irritated, and pressed his temples in frustration. Ever since Aria returned, this family hadn¡¯t had a moment¡¯s peace. Soon, the butler ushered the three in. The elderly man leading the way had gray hair and sses, his cheekbones quite prominent. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall carried severalrge bags filled with valuable items, their faces wearing awkward smiles tinged with apology. The older generations of the Gibson and Marshall families were rtives, and now with this marriage tie, their rtionship became even closer. The Marshall family was far inferior to the Saxon family, so they would be at a disadvantage in negotiations. That was why they sought help from the Gibson family. Bartholomew was worried that the issue between Hannah and Liam would escte and affect the Gibson Group, so he took this opportunity to visit and get on the same page with Joseph. Caleb and Nathan were indifferent to the three, but Joseph weed them warmly. ¡°Bartholomew, what¡¯s with the formality? You didn¡¯t have to bring so much stuff,¡± he smiled. 3:51 pm ¡ê WB. His words carried a hint of arrogance from someone in a higher position, which didn¡¯t sit well with Bartholomew, though he didn¡¯t show it on his. face. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we visited each other. Since you have trouble with your legs, I¡¯ll have to be the one toe.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we visited each other. Since you have trouble with your legs, I¡¯ll have to be the one toe,¡± Bartholomew said. Joseph chuckled, replying, ¡°Indeed, my leg isn¡¯t convenient for going out. Unlike you, who can still be in the thick of things at work and jump into the entertainment news at any time.¡± As soon as Joseph finished, a cold glint shed in Bartholomew¡¯s eyes. At the recent chamber ofmerce event, he identally got sshed with wine by a bartender, and coincidentally, this bartender bore a slight resemnce to the Gibson family members, leading to a slew of rumors spreading around. ¡°These media outlets will hype any topic for clicks. The Gibson Group has already warned them. I heard Luke upset his wife again. Ever since Nora passed away, these youngds can¡¯t even keep their wives happy,¡± Bartholomew joked. When he spoke of the name ¡°Nora,¡± Bartholomew¡¯s tone softened with tenderness. Caleb and Nathan exchanged nces, both seeing the same helplessness in each other¡¯s eyes. Over five decades ago, everyone knew that Bartholomew had a soft spot for Nora, and it was widely assumed that the two would eventually tie the knot. However, just when things seemed to be moving smoothly, an unexpected twist emerged¨CJoseph. Joseph was an orphan with good looks, sweet¨Ctalking, and thick¨Cskinned. To win over Nora, he even changed his surname to Saxon. 3:51 pm SWG They got married quickly, shocking everyone. Soon after, Bartholomew got married, too. The rtionship between the two families was awkward and delicate. Joseph and Bartholomew had been at odds from their youth till they were almost in their graves, always exchanging barbs. People in their circle were used to it. When big shots fought, it was always the soldiers who suffered¨CMr. and Mrs. Marshall sat still, not daring to breathe loudly. Joseph sighed, stroking his beard. ¡°Yeah, my Nora was too ruthless, leaving me alone to deal with these troublesome things every day. Now my granddaughter¡¯s husband is eyeing your granddaughter and wants a divorce.¡± Hearing this, Bartholomew felt a pang in his heart. In his youth, Joseph stole his beloved woman and made him aughingstock. Now old, his granddaughter had stolen Joseph¡¯s grandson¨Cinw, making him a joke again. Luckily, Liam and Aria signed a prenup, allowing a loophole to protect the Gibson family¡¯s reputation. ¡°The Cole kid and Aria signed an agreement¨Cpeople who don¡¯t know. might think my granddaughter is the third wheel,¡± Bartholomew said. AD Comment Again Marriage 34 Bartholomew gave a slight smile and smoothly changed the topic, ¡°I heard the Saxon Group is eyeing thend west of the city. I brought the contract today and can transfer it to you right now.¡± With that, he pulled out the contract, and Joseph¡¯s eyes lit up instantly. With the market saturated, the Saxon Group needed to break new ground and diversify its projects to climb higher. Meanwhile, the Gibson Group dominated the tourism industry, and thend in the west of the city, ripe for development, was in their hands. Seeing Joseph¡¯s greed shine through without restraint, Bartholomew felt confident the deal was sealed. He took out a pen from his left chest pocket and ced it on the table. ¡°Young people these days aren¡¯t like us back then¨Cthey act on a whim. If the Saxon family issues a statement that Aria and Liam¡¯s marriage is contractual, we¡¯ll transfer thisnd to you for free. Plus, we¡¯ll prioritize the Saxon Group for future tourism coborations.¡± The Saxon family¡¯s rise into the top four ns wasn¡¯t just about strategy but also shrewdness. In Mandino City, where integrity mattered most, the Saxon Group was second to none. With its ster reputation, it was a safer bet than otherpanies. Coborating would be a win¨Cwin, and eliminating potential risks for the Gibson Group¨Ca no¨Cbrainer. As Joseph skimmed the contract, he nodded immediately. ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Caleb suddenly interjected, ¡°Grandpa, Aria and Liam didn¡¯t marry for convenience¨Cthey¡¯re in it for life. Awsuit would hurt Aria.¡± 3:51 pm SUB Bartholomew jumped in eagerly, ¡°From what I know, Daniel agreed to return the 150 million in full plus an extra 50 million aspensation- 200 million total. But she wasn¡¯t satisfied, which is why they haven¡¯t divorced yet.¡± Joseph frowned, nced at the contract, and signed without hesitation. ¡°Grandpa!¡± Caleb tried to stop him, but it was toote. Bartholomew smirked faintly, ¡°Looks like your grandson¡¯s calling the shots now?¡± Being challenged by his grandson in front of his rival, Joseph darkened his face instantly. ¡°I call the shots. Don¡¯t worry. The statement will be out by 6 PM.¡± Looking at his stubborn grandfather, Caleb felt utter despair. Seeing Caleb in such a state, Nathan didn¡¯t get it but feared angering their grandpa, so he pulled Caleb to the window. ¡°Caleb, Grandpa¡¯s doing this for the Saxon Group, and Aria isn¡¯t losing out. Why stop him?¡± Caleb shot him a sarcastic look, asking, ¡°You think Aria deserves just 200 million?¡± ¡°Two years for 50 million¨Cnot bad, right?¡± ¡°Aria holds 4% of the Cole Group¡¯s shares, worth 15 hundred million by market value. 200 million? That¡¯s a joke!¡± Nathan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How does she have the Cole Group¡¯s shares?¡± With no turning back now, Caleb felt drained and didn¡¯t bother exining. further, turning to leave without a word. ¡®No one could stop Grandpa¡¯s decisions. Maybe Aria won¡¯t be back in this lifetime, he thought bitterly. Caleb¡¯s leaving didn¡¯t change the course of things. 3:51 pm WB Chapter 34 The deal was sealed, and Bartholomew gave Mr. Marshall a look. Andrew quickly pulled out a gold¨Ciid box and ced it solemnly on the table. ¡°Mr. Saxon, I only found out after work that my daughter identally hurt your granddaughter. She feels really guilty and regretful. ¡°This is a ne once used by the Queen of Erennd, globally unique. I hope Silvia can forgive Delh.¡± Joseph was slightly stunned, not expecting the Marshall family to offer such an expensive gift to apologize. Mrs. Marshall¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Delh always treated Silvia as a bestie, standing up for her more than once. She didn¡¯t mean to push her. ¡°She is too naive, deceived by Ryan. We¡¯ve already sent that scumbag behind the bars, and as for Aria¡­¡± she paused tactically. ¡°Delh spoke disrespectfully to Aria first, so getting pped was only fair. ¡°Luke, but my daughter has already spent a night at the police station. Please, have mercy!¡± Finishing, she made a move to kneel, but Nathan stopped her. Joseph picked up his cup, took a light sip, and then spoke. ¡°I can¡¯t decide on this. Nathan, go bring Silvia over.¡± ¡°Got it, Grandpa.¡± Nathan hurried upstairs to call both his mother and sister down. Despite the expensive apology gift from the Marshall family, Zoe didn¡¯t want to forgive them, but she couldn¡¯t make the decision for Silvia. She couldn¡¯t let her personal feelings deprive her daughter of what she wanted. ¡°Silvia, you decide for yourself,¡± she said. The ruby diamond ne was Silvia¡¯s favorite piece of jewelry. 3:51 pm Looking at the ne, she felt a strong urge to im it for herself, but eventually suppressed it. ¡°Mom, I want to ask Aria¡¯s opinion.¡± Zoe¡¯s tightly furrowed brows rxed slightly as she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± ÀÎÀÎÀÎÀÎ Meanwhile, after Aria signed the legal draft, Owen pushed the prepared materials in front of her. ¡°There¡¯s something odd. When I was collecting these evidences, it all went so smoothly, as if someone had prepared them in advance just to hand over to me,¡± he asked. Aria was momentarily stunned, then smiled as an idea crossed her mind. ¡°Someone wants me to smoothly get this fifteen hundred million dors. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Shaw, if they offer, you take it.¡± ¡°Alright, go through it first and let me know if there¡¯s anything that needs. to be added.¡± Aria picked up the documents, her gaze drifting to his forearm. It was still a bit hot. Owen rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing a sturdy forearm. A faint half¨Ccircle of tiny teeth marks was barely visible. where the sleeve covered. ¡°Ms. Saxon?¡± Aria snapped back to reality, a vague memory fading from her mind. Owen pulled down his sleeve, picked up his pen, ready to speak when Aria¡¯s phone suddenly buzzed. She was about to hang up when she saw the caller ID, her eyes narrowing slightly. ¡°Why would Silvia be calling me?¡® she wondered. 3:51 pm WB. 5 Seeing her conflicted expression, Owen said, ¡°You can take the call.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Aria pressed the answer button. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Aria, the Marshall family came to apologize. Should I forgive them?¡± Silvia asked. Aria¡¯s tone was calm. ¡°You¡¯re the one who got hurt. You decide whether to forgive or not.¡± ¡°Thanks, Aria.¡± Unlike Aria¡¯s aloofness, Silvia¡¯s voice was sweet, just as her appearance waspletely non¨Cthreatening. Aria said softly, ¡°Mhm, I gotta go if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± The call ended, and Aria continued reviewing the documents, signed after confirming everything was fine. ¡°Mr. Shaw, thanks.¡± ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll send you an electronic copy of the finalized documents.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks again.¡± With that, Aria stood up and left. Just as she closed the door, her gaze swept over Owen¡¯s profile, her thoughts momentarily frozen. In the next instant, an image of a face smeared with oil paint shed in her mind. 515 Again Marriage 35 hapter 35 ¡®How could hee to mind?¡® Aria chuckled, closed the door, and left. Just as she got in the car, a WhatsApp notification popped up. [Aria, Mr. Bartholomew Gibson came to deliver the contract for thend transfer in the west of the city. Grandpa agreed to issue a joint statement saying you and Liam are in an arranged marriage.] An arranged marriage confirmed meant Liam wasn¡¯t cheating. This was something Joseph would do. Unfortunately, fake couldn¡¯t be real. Aria didn¡¯t care much about this. She typed: [Okay, let it be.] After seeing off Bartholomew and the Marshall couple, Zoe asked, ¡°Nathan, where¡¯s your brother?¡± Nathan instinctively looked at Joseph and replied tactfully, ¡°Grandpa signed the contract for thend transfer from Mr. Gibson and agreed to issue a statement that Aria and Liam are in an arranged marriage.¡± Zoe lifted her head in shock. ¡°Dad, how could you agree?¡± But Joseph felt tired and gestured to the butler to help him up slowly. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a break. Nathan, you exin it to them clearly. Don¡¯t make it seem like I¡¯m some kind of wicked grandpa.¡± With that, he was helped into his room by his butler. After he left, Nathan recounted what happened then from his grandfather¡¯s perspective, ¡°Mom, Dad was stressed over that piece ofnd. If Grandpa didn¡¯t agree, Mr. Gibson would definitely target us; it would be hard for our tourism business. ¡°Anyway, Aria hasn¡¯t lost anything. It¡¯s a win¨Cwin situation; no need to 13 3:51 pm 5 WB Chapter 35 overthink it.¡± Without evidence, Nathan was skeptical about Aria holding 4% of the Cole Group¡¯s shares and didn¡¯t mention it. Zoe pondered for a long time before sighing. ¡°Your grandfather made the right choice. I just worry about hurting Aria¡¯s heart.¡± Anyone else would choose to sign the contract, too. It was just that Aria wasn¡¯t raised by them, so she might not understand these things. At six PM, a rification statement quietly topped the trending topics board. ¡°Regarding the breakdown of the alliance between the Saxon and Cole families. ¡°The Saxon Group rifies that both parties signed a prenuptial agreement with no substantial marital rtionship; divorce is a normal process unrted to others.¡± Thements section immediately saw some activity. [Wow, so Ms. Gibson got called out for nothing, and Aria didn¡¯t even bother to clear things up.] [I knew it, someone as top¨Cnotch as Hannah wouldn¡¯t mess with someone else¡¯s marriage. d I never roasted her.] [Even though it¡¯s just a contract marriage, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that Liam¡¯s a second¨Ctimer. He¡¯s not even worthy of the Ms. Gibson.] [Fed up with these shills above. Less than tenments but tens of thousands of likes? How much you payin¡® per post? Lemme get in on that cash.] [@Piggy Come and catch the fresh drama of the wealthy while it¡¯s still 3:51 pm WB hot!] [Real¨Clife romance novel vibes! Contract marriage, I thought the leads would fall for each other after tying the knot. ] [Heard the Saxons and Coles don¡¯t do much biz together. What¡¯s the point of this contract marriage?] [This industry¡¯s waters are deep.] Lots of chatter but not much buzz, quickly drowned out by other threads. That day, Caleb was on the grind when a knock came. ¡°Come in,¡± he said. It was his special assistant, Jeffrey, who was sent to Jamn for intel. ¡°Boss, we found out Ms. Aria Saxon¡¯s info. It is fake, indeed.¡± Caleb dropped his pen right away. Jeffrey handed over the documents. ¡°Ms. Saxon used to be called Madelyn, and she went missing at the age of ten. The Colton couple only reported it to the police a few dayster. I asked a lot of people in the vige¡­¡± Again Marriage 36 Again Marriage 36 Thinking of what those women had said, Jeffrey clenched his fists. ¡°They said not long after, Dominic Colton bought a car, most likely they sold Ms. Saxon.¡± Hearing this, Caleb shot up, his eyes widening abruptly. ¡°They¡­ sold Aria?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeffrey lowered his eyes. ¡°Also, when Ms. Saxon was seven, there was. a fire in her room, and she was the only one locked inside.¡± ¡°That little girl almost got burned to death by her parents for insurance fraud, and managed to escape on her own. If she had grown up safely, she¡¯d be twenty¨Ctwo now.¡± The doctor¡¯s words stabbed into Caleb¡¯s heart like a de. Caleb leaned on the table, his chest heaving violently, as if his heart was being tightly gripped, suffocating him.¡± ¡®Burned to death! Insurance fraud! So, was the child Dr. Robertson. mentioned Aria? And they even sold her!¡® he murmured inwardly. Caleb¡¯s hands trembled as he opened the documents, and an old photo fell out. Jeffrey exined, ¡°This was given to me by an elderly neighbor. It¡¯s of Ms. Saxon when she was nine.¡± Gently pinching the corner of the photo, Caleb picked it up. What met his eyes was a skinny little girl. Her hair was dull and yellow, herplexion dark, and her face bruised. The clothes she wore weren¡¯t just ill¨Cfitting but were also men¡¯s style. ¡°This¡­ was this Aria?¡® Caleb opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but no sound came out. 13 3:51 pm WB This waspletely different from what he had imagined. He had thought that the Colton couple would treat Aria as lovingly as the Saxons did with Silvia. Carefully putting the photo away, he suppressed all his emotions and said, ¡°Go to the hospital.¡± Outside the office, the secretary hesitated, his hand raised and then lowered. The chairman had asked him to call Caleb for a meeting about a coboration. He hade three times that day, each time being turned down. Taking a deep breath, the secretary raised his hand again, ready to knock. Suddenly, there was a loud ¡°ng.¡± The door opened abruptly, and he instinctively stepped back. There walked out Joseph, his face cold and anxious. Jeffrey followed closely behind. Both seemed in a hurry and didn¡¯t even nce at him. Puzzled, the secretary returned to the chairman¡¯s office and recounted. what he had seen. ¡°When Joseph left, he was holding a stack of documents that Jeffrey had brought back.¡± Logan frowned, pressing on his throbbing temples. ¡°Find out where they went.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± As the secretary left, Logan stared at the proposal on his desk, unable to focus. Ever since his father had issued a rification statement with the Gibson Group, Caleb had be much down, staying directly at thepany and not going home. 23 3:51 pm & WB Aria had also run away and hadn¡¯te back. On the way, Caleb finished reading all the documents. They detailed Aria¡¯s life from birth to age ten¨Cgoing to school, doing housework, working on the farm¡­ Dominic had a history of domestic violence, and she had been beaten more than once. His wife, Alice, was biased against girls and would curse at her for the slightest disagreement. At just a few years old, the young girl was tasked with all the dirty and strenuous chores. Without videos or photos, just emotionless text, Caleb could still picture the little girl working alone and being scolded and beaten. He closed his eyes, hoping it was all fake, but reality was right in front of him. Two years ago, when he went to Jamn to pick Aria up, the Colton couple treated her with utter obedience, not daring to say a harsh word. Back then, he had thought it was love. ¡®Why hadn¡¯t I paid more attention and noticed something was off earlier? During those missing ten years, where had Aria been, what had she gone through, and why had she returned?¡® he asked inwardly, only to find he knew nothing. B AD Comment Send gift No Ads 3:52 pm AWG ¨C Again Marriage 37 At the hospital, Caleb headed straight for the president¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Colon, I¡¯m looking for Dr. Everett Robertson from dermatology.¡± Caleb tried to stay calm, but his slightly trembling fingers gave away his emotions. Seeing his serious expression, Manfred Colon thought of Silvia, who had been hospitalized recently, and assumed he was causing trouble. His smile looked a bit forced. ¡°Mr. Saxon, Dr. Robertson is probably in surgery. What do you need him for?¡± ¡°Mr. Colon, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re just here to ask him some questions. It has nothing to do with Silvia.¡± The Saxon family had never used their power to bully others or do anything that would tarnish their reputation. It was chosen as the hospital¡¯s investor after careful consideration. Manfred inwardly cursed himself for judging others with petty- mindedness, then raised his eyebrows. ¡°Mr. Saxon, please take a seat. I¡¯ll call Dr. Robertson over as soon as he finishes the surgery.¡± Caleb remained silent for a moment. Jeffrey continued, ¡°We¡¯ll just wait for Everett and won¡¯t keep you busy, Mr. Colon.¡± Reluctantly, Manfred took them to the operating room. Caleb and Jeffrey didn¡¯t get closer. They sat on a bench far away in the corridor. After several days of relentless stakeout, Dominic and Alice finally managed to catch sight of Silvia stepping out. 3:52 pm P They immediately hailed a cab to follow her. Ten minutester, the Saxon family¡¯s car stopped at the mall entrance. Silvia got out, adjusted her hat, and said to the driver, ¡°I¡¯m going shopping. with my friends, and then we¡¯ll grab dinner. I¡¯ll call you back at 8 PM.¡± ¡°Sure thing, miss.¡± The car turned around and left. As Silvia walked in with her mid¨Cheel shoes, two figures suddenly appeared before her eyes. ¡°Silvia!¡± A shrill voice rang in her ears. She looked up sharply to see two old faces staring at her wide¨Ceyed. Even though she had only met them once, Silvia recognized them instantly¨Cher birth parents. ¡®What were they doing here?¡® Silvia wondered. She gripped her bag tightly and tried to stay calm. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Silvia, don¡¯t you remember Mom?¡± Alice forced a smile, but it looked a bit stiff. Dominic chimed in, ¡°I¡¯m your dad.¡± Silvia quickly nced at the two, then looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t know you.¡± With that, she was about to go inside. Alice panicked, burst into tears, and copsed to her knees. ¡°Silvia, please help us.¡± Silvia quickly stepped back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± But Alice just kept crying, unable to speak clearly. More and more onlookers gathered. It was Silvia¡¯s first time encountering S 3:52 pm 55W B this situation, and she was so anxious her eyes turned red. She bent down to help Alice up. ¡°Get up first.¡± Dominic also feared the situation escting and being found out by the Saxon family. He yanked Alice up. ¡°Silvia, this is a long story. Can we find a quiet ce to talk?¡± Silvia nodded hurriedly. ¡°Okay.¡± The three of them turned into a side alley of a mall, away from the street crowd. Silvia¡¯s tone was urgent. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± Dominic cut straight to the point, showing the IOU from the gambling den. ¡°Your brother owes 2 million. We sold everything¨Chouse, car¨Cand only got 500 thousand dors. We still need 1.5 million. ¡°If we can¡¯t pay within five days, the gambling den will cut off your brother¡¯s hand.¡± The IOU was crumpled and stained with sweat. Silvia didn¡¯t reach out to take it. Her expression was grim. ¡°So, you¡¯re here to ask me for money?¡± Alice grabbed Silvia¡¯s hand, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Silvia, only you can save your brother now. We didn¡¯t want to disturb your life, but we¡¯re at our wits¡® end. ¡°You and Madelyn both chose the Saxon family. We only have one son; we * his ¡® ca Comment AD Again Marriage 38 52 pm & Silvia gave a faint smile, her eyes full of sarcasm. ¡°You raised Aria for twenty years. Why don¡¯t you go to her but to me?¡± If they had weed her with love two years ago, she might have softened. But now, she wanted nothing to do with this family. Gambling and bankruptcy, Austin ended up like this because of their spoiling. ¡°This has nothing to do with me,¡± Silvia said. If Austin were a good guy, out of blood ties, she might help in times of trouble. ¡®But gambling debts? He deserves it!¡® Silvia said inwardly. With that, she tried to leave, but Dominic blocked her path, his face instantly cold. The gentle expression was gone in an instant. ¡°Aria is the real daughter of the Saxon family. You¡¯re just a fake, and your carry my blood. Why can¡¯t I ask you for help?¡± The sharp words stabbed her heart. Silvia bit her lip, holding back tears. ¡°You never raised me. You have no right to ask me for money. If you keep harassing me, I¡¯ll call the cops.¡± Finishing, she turned to leave. ¡°We knew about the mix¨Cup with you and Aria long ago!¡± The sudden words stopped Silvia in her tracks. She turned around, disbelief written all over her face. ¡°What did you say?¡± Seeing that this tactic worked, Dominic let out a cold humph. ¡°Fifteen years ago, I identally found out that Aria isn¡¯t biologically rted to us. 3:52 pm A trip to the hospital revealed that you two were swapped at birth. We came to the Saxon family that very day. But after seeing how well¨Coff you were living, we decided to drop the matter.¡± Fifteen years ago, Austin got hurt while ying, lost too much blood, and fell into aa. The doctors wouldn¡¯t allow immediate family to donate blood, but Dominic and Alice kept insisting, so they had to get their blood tested first. That was when things got messed up. Their real daughter wasn¡¯t biologically theirs. What Dominic said was half true, half false. He had known about the mix¨Cup for a while, but looking for Silvia was a lie. ¡°If you can¡¯te up with the money, I¡¯ll go tell the Saxon family that you begged us not to reveal the truth when we found you!¡± Dominic threatened with a fierce look in his eyes. Silvia staggered back, leaning against the wall, her voice trembling. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it!¡± Dominic had anticipated this. He pulled out his phone and showed her a photo of the DNA test report. ¡°Take a look yourself.¡± Silvia took it and saw a wrinkled, old¨Clooking document. The date on it was fifteen years ago. Her mouth opened slightly as silent tears streamed down her face. ¡®How could this be¡­ She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. At the same time, Everett had just stepped out of the operating room and 2.3 3:52 pm D was pulled away by Manfred immediately after briefing the post¨Coperative instructions. Even though exhausted, he managed to muster a smile for the investor of their hospital. ¡°Is there something you need, Mr. Saxon?¡± ¡°Dr. Robertson, do you recognize this little girl in the photo?¡± Caleb held the corner of the photo. The image shook badly, making it hard for Everett to see clearly. He took it, and upon recognizing the girl¡¯s face, he widened his eyes in shock. ¡°Who is she to you?¡± A long time had passed, yet Everett still couldn¡¯t forget those eyes¨Csilent, hollow, world¨Cweary. Fifteen yearster, he never thought he¡¯d see her photo again. Seeing this, Caleb got it instantly¨CAria was the child nearly burned to death for insurance fraud. ¡®Dominic Colton! Alice Colton!¡® he roared inwardly. Caleb clenched his fists, his eyes reddening as he suppressed his fury, veins bulging on his forehead. ¡°She¡¯s my sister.¡± Everett looked at him, gradually piecing it together. ¡°That little girl wasn¡¯t the child of that couple. Was she trafficked?¡± He handed the photo back. ¡°If you guys are avable, let¡¯s talk in my office. in detail.¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads 3:52 pm
  1. UB.
Again Marriage 39 ¡°Fifteen years ago, I was just a small¨Ctown dermatologist,¡± Everett began, his voiceced with the weight of old memories. ¡°One afternoon, a little girl came in, badly burned on her back. Her parents refused to pay for treatment, using us of exaggerating the severity of her injuries to scam them.¡± He paused, the frustration evident in his face. ¡°They insisted on taking her home, refusing to let us treat her. In the end, it was the elderly neighbor who¡¯de with them to the hospital who ended up paying for the medical bills. ¡°At first, the girl wouldn¡¯t say a word. But when her parents left, she told us to call the police. She said they locked her in a room and set the house on fire, hoping to collect insurance money.¡± Caleb felt like he¡¯d been stabbed in the gut. His fists clenched, anger rising in his chest. He thought, ¡®How could they be so cruel?¡± He couldn¡¯t shake the guilt that was gnawing at him. If only the Saxon family had discovered this sooner, they could¡¯ve rescued Aria earlier. He wondered, ¡®What had we been doing all these years?¡® Caleb shut his eyes, overwhelmed by the sting of regret. Everett, unaware of Caleb¡¯s inner turmoil, continued speaking, lost in his own memories. ¡°There was no evidence, so the police couldn¡¯t do much. ¡°All they could do was mediate and get the parents to sign an agreement.¡± He shook his head. ¡°The girl was only seven, but she was so skinny, she looked more like a five¨Cyear¨Cold. She was dressed in boys¡® clothes, a clear sign of a family that favored sons over daughters.¡± 3:52 pm RWG ¡°I could never believe that anyone could do something that horrible for their own child,¡± Everett muttered. ¡°You said she¡¯s your sister¡­ Was she kidnapped? Have you found her? Is she okay now?¡± A flicker of realization crossed his face. He stood up suddenly. ¡°Wait¨Ccould she be the real daughter that the Saxon family found?¡± The gossip surrounding the Saxon family had been rampant, especially in the hospital circles where they were major investors. Everett had heard all kinds of rumors, like the one about the baby mix¨Cup. Caleb¡¯s eyes snapped up. ¡°Everett, can you tell me the name of the hospital in this town?¡± Everett raised an eyebrow, his tone turning icy. ¡°If the Saxon family is so powerful, don¡¯t you think you should¡¯ve figured this out by now? Do you really need me to spell it out for you?¡± Everett had heard about the Saxon family¡¯s real daughter¨Cthe one no one really liked, who had married into the Cole family just two months after returning home. Back then, he¡¯d thought it was just another high¨Csociety marriage, nothing out of the ordinary. But now¡­ If the Saxon family truly cared about that girl, they couldn¡¯t let her marry so quickly. And they shouldn¡¯t call them the best business partners. ¡°Ugh!¡± Everett spat in disgust, waving them out of the office. In the car, the silence was thick and suffocating. 3:52 pm & WG Jeffrey had suspected Aria¡¯s childhood had been rough, but the truth was worse than he ever imagined. What he¡¯d uncovered so far was only the beginning. If Caleb hadn¡¯t asked him to dig into it, no one would have ever known the full extent of what Aria had been through. Gripping the steering wheel, Jeffrey broke the silence. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a dinner this afternoon. Should we still go?¡± Caleb nced down at the photo on his phone, his thumb absently rubbing the screen. ¡°Pack up. I¡¯ll handle this personally.¡± ¡°Should we check in with Mr. Saxon?¡± Jeffrey asked. Caleb replied, ¡°No need.¡± By 10 PM, Logan was frazzled. He¡¯d lost track of how many times he¡¯d called his secretary into the office. ¡°It¡¯s been a week. That damn kid still hasn¡¯te back. What is he doing?¡± His voice was sharp, his exhaustion evident. 33 Again Marriage 40 The secretary sighed internally before responding. ¡°He¡¯s been traveling back and forth. He¡¯s been going to a town, and then to the vige where Miss Aria grew up.¡± Logan froze, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Jamn?¡± The secretary nodded and replied simply. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright, you can go now,¡± Logan said. ¡°Understood, Mr. Saxon,¡± the secretary replied respectfully. With that, the secretary left, and the office fell silent. Logan held his pen, mind racing. He wondered, ¡®What is Caleb doing in Aria¡¯s hometown?¡± He grabbed his phone and quickly typed a message: [Aria, are you awake?] A few minutester, Aria emerged from the bathroom and finished blowing her hair. She grabbed her phone, reading his message. [Not yet, what¡¯s up?] Logan responded immediately: [Has your brother been in touch with you.tely?] Aria quickly replied: [No.] Logan typed again: [If he does, could you let me know?] Aria replied: [Okay.] or Logan had always been the heir apparent, raised to respond to others with formality¨Clong, detailed messages from employees asking for things, of just a simple acknowledgment. But now, in this small exchange, he understood exactly what those 3:52 pm WB employees felt. After a quick scroll, he opened a chat with one of his managers and found a cute nod sticker. He saved it and sent it to Aria. Aria read it, stared at the screen for a moment, unsure how to reply. After a few seconds, she sent back a simr sticker. A secondter, a little cat emoji appeared. Aria chose to remain silent. Suddenly, a thunderp rang out. Aria put her phone down to close the window, but just as she did, the doorbell rang, coinciding with the loud rumble of thunder. Tonight was definitely not going to be peaceful. She walked toward the living room, opened the security monitor, and saw Silvia standing at the door. Her eyes narrowed slightly. When Aria opened the door, Silvia¡¯s bloodshot eyes met hers. The awkward smile on her face didn¡¯t hide her obvious distress. Her throat choked, and her lips trembled slightly. ¡°Aria.¡± ¡°It¡¯ste. What are you doing?¡± Aria asked, not usatory, just concerned. Silvia sniffed and, without warning, tears started flowing. Another loud crack of thunder made her flinch, her red eyes still locked on Aria. She squeezed her dress in her hands. ¡°They came looking for me,¡± Silvia said before lowering her head. Aria¡¯s expression remained unchanged. ¡°Dominic and Alice?¡± 2214 3:52 pm D WB ¡°Yes,¡± Silvia replied. Aria let out a quietugh, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. ¡°Did theye to ask you for money?¡± Silvia¡¯s eyes shot up, startled. ¡°You know?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t hard to figure out. They wouldn¡¯te to me, so they went to you,¡± Aria said matter¨Cof¨Cfactly. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t theye to you?¡± Silvia asked, looking confused. ¡°Maybe¡­ because they¡¯re afraid I¡¯ll kill them,¡± Aria said casually. The coldness in her voice left Silvia wide¨Ceyed, unsure if Aria was joking or serious. ¡°You feed one wolf, they¡¯ll keeping back for more,¡± Aria said, her tone eerily calm. ¡°I¡¯d suggest you tell your parents.¡± As she spoke, she nced over at the balcony. ¡°It¡¯s about to rain. Aren¡¯t you going home?¡± The way she said ¡°your parents¡± instead of ¡°our parents¡± made it clear: she was distancing herself. The sound of raindrops started falling heavily from the balcony. The rain wasing down in sheets. Silvia bit her lip, frustration and guilt flooding her. ¡°Austin¡¯s gambling debts¡­ they¡¯re holding him hostage. They need 1.5 million dors to bail him out. I¡¯ve given them everything I can. ¡°But now¡­ they want me to buy a house in the city with Austin¡¯s name on it, and pay him 150 thousand dors a month for living expenses¡­ They¡¯ve known about the baby mix¨Cup for fifteen years, Aria. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Aria didn¡¯t flinch. She was calm. 3:52 pm D W G Silvia blinked in confusion. ¡°Aren¡¯t you shocked?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known for a long time,¡± Aria replied calmly, her voice t. AD Again Marriage 41 Chapter 41 Silvia¡¯s pupils contracted, her breath catching for a moment as she tried to steady herself. ¡°Why?¡± she whispered, her voice strained. ¡°Why don¡¯t you find them?¡± Aria gave a coldugh, her eyes narrowing in mockery. ¡°If they can¡¯t even get their own child right, what makes you think I¡¯d bother with them?¡± Stall silent, suddenly feeling the weight of her words. With Aria, there was always this pressure an invisible weight that made it hard to breathe. Sikia said, ¡°If we¡¯d swapped back earlier you wouldn¡¯t be in this mess.¡± Aria replied, her voice casual, yet sharp, ¡°But even if we had, the result would be the same. You were always more suited to be Saxon family¡¯s daughter than ever was.¡± Aria¡¯s features were a carbon copy of Zoe¡¯s¡ªher small face,rge eyes, the softness that suggested innocent But the coldness in her gaze, the constant distance she kept from everyone, made her unapproachable The Saxon family believed Aria¡¯s aloofness was due to her upbringing, but it wasn¡¯t. She had always been this way. It wasn¡¯t the environment that had shaped her; it was just her nature. Even if she hadn¡¯t been switched at birth, the oue would have been the same. The family wouldn¡¯t like her. What they wanted was a cheerful, lively, optimistic, and kind hearted daughter¨Csomeone like Silvia Aria could never be that.. ent out i Silvia took a step forward, about to speak, when suddenly the lights flickered and then went out, plunging them into darkness. Instinctively, she screamed, but before she could process anything, a firm hand yanked her forward. Something whizzed by her ear, so close that could feel the air shit, it embedded itself in the wall with a soft thunk. Her heart raced, and before she couldprehend what had just happened, Aria had already pulled her into the living room, mming the door shut behind them and locking it Silvia¡¯s hand trembled as she tried to steady herself. ¡°W¨Cwhat just happened?¡± Aria didn¡¯t answer. Only Silvia¡¯s erratic breathing filled the room. A few long momentster, the lights flickered back on. Aria¡¯s expression remained unreadable as she casually pulled something from a drawer and began extracting the needle lodged in the door. Silvia¡¯s gaze followed the needle, her mouth going dry. ¡°What¡­ What is that?¡± Her fingers instinctively went to her ear, where she could still feel the faint sting. She nced down and saw a speck of blood on her fingers. The same needle that had whizzed past her head. Her heart pounded in her chest. She thought, Aria hadn¡¯t pulled me just then, that needle would have stabbed right into my temple!¡± She swallowed hard, her mind racing. What¡¯s going on? Had it been meant for me? Or for Aria? Aria didn¡¯t respond as she neatly ced the needle into a small sealed bag, setting it on top of the shoe cab. Silvia¡¯s gaze shited, and the noticed the faint scars on Aria¡¯s pale shoulder¨Cthin Then her eyes darted down. A small scar¨Cstill raised¨Cpeeked out from under Aria¡¯s sleepwear, and Silvia¡¯s phone slipped from her grasp, ttering to the floor. She couldn¡¯t help but stare, her breath catching in her throat. Aria nced back at her, then bent to pick up the phone, cing git in Silvia¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯te here again,¡± she said, her tone as cold as ice. ¡°Whatever happens tonight stays between us. Otherwise, the consequences are yours to beac Silvia didn¡¯t speak. She was still frozen, staring at Aria There had been another scar starting from the left shoulder and going downwards. It hadn¡¯t been deep, but it had been quite noticeable. Aria hadn¡¯t even worn the expensive dresses Zoo had bought her when she first came home¨Cdresses that still hung untouched in the closet. Silvia a had assumed Aria didn¡¯t like them, thought she was being stubborn or resentful, and that¡¯s why she refused to wear them. Now, she felt foolish even thinking that. Ana turned away, heading further into the house Silvia hesitated, then reached out, her hand brushing against Aria¡¯s arm. ¡°This ce is dangerous Pleasee with me. Let¡¯s go back together.¡± The needle was most likely meant for Aria, not her. She wondered, ¡°And the scars on her back¡­ what had Aria been through?¡± She felt a pang of guilt, realizing just how sellish she¡¯d been, resenting Aria¡¯s position. She thought, ¡°My biological parents came to me asking for money. I hoped they would go to Aria Again Marriage 42 Chapter 42 was me who had taken on the identity of the daughter of the Saxon family that rightfully belonged to Aria, and yet I still wanted to shift those anful parents onto her. ¡®They were so obsessed with the idea that boys were better than girls. How could they possibly treat Aria well?¡± Aris didn¡¯t say a word. She simply shrugged off Silvia¡¯s hand with a fluid motion. Silvia sniffed, but she followed, stepping into Aria¡¯s room. It was nothing like the fairy¨Ctale room Silvia had, Aria¡¯s space ce was stark, minimalist¨Ca model home, It was extremely impolite to look around someone else¡¯s territory. Standing there, unsure of where to look, Silvia lowered her gaze, ncing up at Aria from time to time. The rain outside began to quiet, the tapping on the windows slowing to a stop. Aria¡¯s phone buzzed, and she tapped on the screen, her expression focused. Alpha: [The surveince footage was deleted, but I managed to recover it. Alpha: [Blood Association is making their m move? Aria: [It¡¯s ck Rose Alpha: Same weapon. She¡¯s really trying to take your ce. She¡¯s already getting too close Alpha: Next time, there might be more than one person. I¡¯ll keep an eye on ck Rose¡¯s movements. You stay alert ] Aria: [Understood. Aria:[ Aria¡¯s gaze flickered up, her lips pressing together in a thin line. ¡°You¡¯re still here!¡± Silvia, who had been standing awkwardly, tried to make herselffortable, her legs! stiff from standing for so long. ¡°Cant stay!¡± she asked, her voice hesitant. Silvia didn¡¯t want to go back. She wanted to stay. The two of them would be safer together. Aris didn¡¯t respond right away, scanning Silvia¡¯s face. She happened to avoid inheriting the ws of Dominic and Alice. She was beautiful, in an innocent, almost naive way¨Cher eyes too bright, her features too delicate. Perhaps frightened by the scene just now, Silvia bit her lip and stood there motionless, looking innocent and naive. The Saxon family had always adored her, and now/Silvia understood why, Probably no one would dislike such a girl for no reason. Aria retracted her gare. ¡°Turnaround.¡± Silvia, still unsure, obeyed, her heart hammering in her chest. The sound of Aria pulling open a cab broke the silence, and Silvia instinctively gripped her skirt, biting her lip, knowing A was changing clojes 10:42, Wed, 26 May She thought of the scars on A¡¯s back, her stomach tightening. In the end, she still didn¡¯t have the courage to peek at Aria¡¯s back. That scar seemed to have been there for many years, It should have been a burn scat. There didn¡¯t seem to be any scars on the front. She wondered, ¡°Why was it only the back that got burned? She imagined many possibilities, but she still couldn¡¯t figure out. A few momentster, Aria, fully dressed, turned toward the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said in her usual cold tone. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you back.¡± Silvia nodded, following her down the stairs. Outside, in an inconspicuous light pink car, ck Rose leaned back, her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed with irritation. ¡°Failed again, huh? What¡¯s the point of staying if it¡¯s all going to fall apart??¡± A voice on her earpiece crackled in annoyance. The ck Rose sneered, ¡°I¡¯m not ming you for the perfunctory investigation, yet you¡¯re the one getting impatient.¡± She sent out the needle without making the slightest sound. However, Aria reacted extremely quickly and even managed to save the other person ¡°You want to imitate the Echohawk and create an undefeated myth persona. As soon as you heard that the target was an ordinary person, you eagerly tock on the mission without conducting a thorough investigation yourself. Who else can you me?¡± the man scoffed. ck Rose was so angry. ¡°It¡¯s not your ce to lecture me on how I do things!¡± ¡°Fine! There are only five days left. You figure it out for yourself. If you fail, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences,¡± the man demanded. The ck Rose took off her earphones and barely managed to hold back her anger and didn¡¯t smash them. She looked out the window irritably, and two figures came into her view, Aria took big strides towards one of the cars, opened the door of the passenger seat, and looked at Silvia Silvia pursed her lips and reluctantly got in. Aria closed the car door, then suddenly tilted her head and looked in a certain direction. When their gazes met, the ck Rose¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Again Marriage 43 Chapter 43 Until Aria finally looked away, ck Rose realized this car was tinted, one couldn¡¯t see in from the outside, especially at night. She knew Aria wasn¡¯t going to be easy to deal with. ck Rose had always trasted her instincts. She frowned deeper as her gare followed the figur She thought. That silhouette looks familiar A ridiculous thought flickered through her mind, and ck Rose gave a cold, mockingugh beher She thought. There is no way it could be her! Watching the car disappear into the distance, ck Rose didn¡¯t linger any longer. Aria had only dropped Silvia off; she hadn¡¯t even gotten out of the car. Zoe dialed Silvia¡¯s number for the fourth time, only to be met with the same response¨Cphone off. Luke couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. He pushed up from the sofa, pacing anxiously, ¡°Silva never turns off her phone. Let¡¯s stop waiting and send people to look for her. Zoe stayedposed and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll call Logan, tell him to leave work early.¡± Over the past two years, Silvia had changed. The lively, carefree girl had grown reserved, cautious. She no longer asked for gifts in a spoiled, childish way Zoe could feel it¨CSilvia was dritting further and further away from them. The distance was there, etched into their lives, and there was no erasing it all they could do was try y to soften it. Heart heavy, Zoe scrolled through her contacts. Just then, Lh Draven came running in, her voice alive with excitement. ¡°Miss Saxon is back!¡± Zoe¡¯s head snapped up, joy shing across her face as she hurried toward the entrance. ¡°Silvial¡± Seeing her mother waiting for her, Silvia¡¯s eyes stung. ¡°Mom¡­ Luke¡­ One look at her and Luke¡¯s expression darkened. He thought instinctively that someone must have bullied her ¡°What happened, who hurt you?¡± Silvia shook her head quickly. ¡°No one.¡± Zoe took her chilly hands into her own and turned imm¨¦diately to Lh, ¡°Prepare a hot bath¡± Lh nodded and hurled upstairs. With that arranged, Zoe looked back at Silvia, her voice full of concern. ¡°Where have you been? Why was your phone off?¡± ¡°I identally broke it,¡± Silvia exined quietly/¡°I went to find Aria. She drove me back.¡± Zoe from, her emotions stirring violently, She practically ran outside. ¡°Aria¡¯s home? Why didn¡¯t shee in?¡± She craned her neck, searching, but not even a trace of a cat remained Silvia caught the Nicker of disappointment on Zoe¡¯s face and, almost instinctively, tightened her grip on her sleeves. ¡°She¡¯s busy.¡± 142 wed, 26 May Zoe sighed softly, the ache in her chest growing. Luke itched to say something sarcastic, but in the end, swallowed it down. He thought grimly, ¡®Even living away from home, Aria¡¯s been feeding off the Saxon family all these years. What¡¯s there to worry about? ¡®Silvia¡¯s the one who trily deserves our concern¨Ctaking every blow in silence, unable to fight back. ¡°She was just a baby back then, Why should she bear the burden of others¡® mistakes?. ¡°If we¡¯d found out sooner that Silvia and Logan weren¡¯t blood rtives, I would¡¯ve imed her as my daughter without a second thought¡­ but it was too His chest tightened. He looked at Silvia, that ¡°almost daughter he had no fate with¡ªand stiffened. ¡°Silvia, your right ear is that blood?¡± His sharp voice jerked Zoe back to herself She turned, eyes wide, and caught sight of the faint cut on Silvia¡¯s earlobe.¡±What happened? Call a doctor, now!¡± Zoe hadn¡¯t always been a stay¨Cat¨Chome mother. She¡¯d had a sessful career once, leaving Silvia in the care of two well paid nannies One day, on her rare day off, Zoe had taken her daughter out for vinations, During the injection, two¨Cyear¨Cold Silvia had silently wept, too terrified to even make a sound. It hadn¡¯t felt right. Zoe checked the surveince tapes and uncovered the nightmare: Silvia had been abused by her nannies. Logan and Zoo were furious, guilt¨Cridden. Zoe quit her job on the spot to raise Silvia hersel But no matter what they did, they could never break Silvia¡¯s habit of crying without making a sound. From that day forward, Silvia had be the center of their world. Luke¡¯s face hardened with cold fury. ¡°You went to find Aria and came back injured? Did she bully you again?¡± His voice sharpened, ¡°She doesn¡¯t want toe home, fine! She¡¯s in adult, even been married¨Cwhat, is she going to starve out there?¡± Silvia blurted, ¡°It has nothing to do with her!¡± Luke stared at his niece, his heart filled with frustration. ¡°You¡¯re just too kind, Silvia.¡± Watching everyone fuss around her, Silvia felt oddly detached. There was all this chaos over a cut so small it was barely visible. Her mind drifted to the scars crisscrossing Aria¡¯s body! Her lips parted, but she couldn¡¯t form the words She wondered, ¡°Will Aria really want those old wounds exposed? Won¡¯t the Saxon family¡¯s kindness just feel like pity to her?¡± In the end, Silviacked the courage to say anything Again Marriage 44 Chapter 44 ¡°Mom, it¡¯s just a scratch. No need for a doctor. It heal in a few days. I¡¯m a little cold¡­ I¡¯m going upstairs, she mumbled, brushing past them without waiting for a response. Zoe and Luke exchanged nces, both feeling something was off with Silvia tonight. Silvia remained low spirited for the next two days, is an attempt to lift her mood, Zne asked Logan to buy tickets for an art exhibition in the neighboring city. Silvia wasn¡¯t much for painting herself, but she loved viewing artwork. Her bedroom walls were lined with prints from famous artists Her favorite was Mono, which was a shame because his pieces had be almost impossible to find. Hand in hand, they entered the exhibition hall The space was hushed, even those who spoke kept their voices solt, absorbed in the world of color and canvas. Silva loved this kind of atmosphere. She tugged Zoe excitedly toward a painting near the entrance. ¡°Mom! I know this artist. When I first followed her she only had a few thousand fans!¡± Zoe leaned in, admiring it too. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good eye, Silvia. The brushwork looks wild at first, but the story beneath it. it¡¯s powerful You can see the depth of the artist¡¯s soul¡± Silvia beamed, the first real smile she¡¯d shown in days. They wandered the exhibit, quietly discussing their favorites, until Zoe¡¯s phone buzzed. She nced at the screen, her expression tightening Giving Silvia¡¯s hand a light pat, she murmured, ¡°Nathan¡¯s teacher¡¯s calling, I¡¯ll be quick sweetheart ¡°Okay, Mom,¡± Silvia replied. Zoe moved to the lounge area and answered, ¡°Hello, Ms. Gibbs.¡± Valerie Gibbs began, ¡°Mrs. Saxon, I¡¯m sorry to bother you¡­¡± It turned out Larkridge High School had recently hosted a friendly basketball match and lost two games in a row to Stonemere High Nathan, unable to stomach the defeat, had led his friends onto the court. Jensions ran high shoving led to punches almost immediately. Someone from Stonemere High School yed too dirty and injured a student from Larkridge High School. Nathan already had a short temper, and this time he simply couldn¡¯t hold it back. Then, a fight broke out. Teachers who tried to break it up got caught in the chaos, taking a few hits themselves. Fortunately, teenagers heal fast¨Cmost injuries were superficial But before the dust even settled, trouble struck again. On the way out, a yer from Stonemere rassed girl from Nathan¡¯s ss. Nathan exploded and fought him too. Unfortunately, one of the boys he fought was Stonemere¡¯s top student, whose furious parents now demanded consequences, iming the brawl would 10:42 Wu, 20 May affect their son¡¯s chances at being valedictorian And the yer who¡¯d harassed the gift He ended up hospitalized¨Chis parents were ready to sue By the time Zoe finished bearing the full story, she had a headache blooming behind her eyes. She said a few brief words to the teacher, then, without hesitation, dialed Logan ¡°Your son¡¯s been fighting again. You po handle i Without waiting for a reply, she hung up and switched off her phone, determined to enjoy the day with Silvia. Logan stared at his phone for a long moment, massaging his temples before grumbling to his assistant, ¡°Caleb¡¯s stil not back!¡± ¡°No, sir,¡± the assistant replied. ¡°I did reach out. He doesn¡¯t sound too happy¡± Grinding his teeth, Logan muttered, ¡°Two rebellious brats. One runs away from home, the other picks fights at school. They¡¯re both determined to make my life hell.¡± He waved a hand irritably ¡°Contact Valerie. Find out what the other side wants. If we can settle it quietly, do it ¡°Understood,¡± the assistant replied. At Cole Manor, Liam mmed the court notice down onto his desk in his study, snorting coldly, He left the room and climbed the stairs, meeting Hannah as she stepped out of the training room, still toweling sweat from her neck. ¡°Hannah,¡± he called, taking the towel from her hands and gently wiping her down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re having to go through all this¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said simply The first time Hannah had seen the training room, she¡¯d fallen in love with it, even though knowing it had once belonged to Aria made her ufortable The equipment was top¨Cnotch, wildly expensive. Aria had been wasteful while Hannah was not. Besides, everything had been thoroughly cleaned and repaired. It would do for now. They hey descended the stairs together. ¡°I received the summons,¡± ¡°Liam said, voice low. ¡°The court¡¯s arranging a mediation. I won¡¯t agree to let Aria walk away with Cole family shares.¡± He squeezed her hand. ¡°After the divorce is linalized, I¡¯ll rece every piece of equipment in the training room. It belong only to you.¡± Hannah allowed a small smile to touch her lips. ¡°We¡¯ll be back in Erend soon. It¡¯d be a waste. No need to splurge¡± Liam¡¯s grip tightened. ¡°I¡¯m making the decision. Anything Aria¡¯s touched, I won¡¯t keep,¡± A flicker of pleasure it Hannah¡¯s eyes, though she kept her face neutral. ¡°As you wish¡± Just then, the butler rushed into the foyer, his voce flustered as he said, ¡°Sir¡­ there¡¯s a man outside. He ims to be Miss Aria¡¯s¡­ ex husband¡± Chapter 45 Again Marriage 45 Chapter 45 ¡°What?¡± Liam and Hannah exchanged a stunned nce, disbelief shing between them. Liam recovered first, his voice steady as he said, ¡°Hannah, po take a shower, I¡¯ll meet with him.¡± Hannah, ever une to pry into private matters¨Cespecially ones she had no business being present for¨Cmodded without hestation. ¡°Alright.¡± The door closed softly behind her, Liam descended the stairs, selling onto the couch with casual elegance, reaching for his coffee with an air of effortless refinement. The butler stood quietly to the side, waiting. At Liam¡¯s curt order-¡°Let him in¡°-he bowed his head and replied, ¡°Yes, si Liam took a sip of coffee just as a squat, disheveled middle¨Caged man limped into view. The man wore drab, ill fitting clothes; one pant leg was longer than the other. A battered wooden cane chudded against the floor with each unmen step His face was narrow and hollow¨Ccheeked, his chin lost beneath a rough mess of ck and white stubble The moment Liamid eyes on him, his hand jerked violently, his teeth clinking sharply against the rim of his cup. In the few minutes he¡¯d been waiting, Liam had imagined Aria¡¯s ex¨Chusband as some polished, sessful man¨Cperhaps one crippled by injury after the divorce, but nheless a rival worth noting. He thought maybe the man hade to taunt him, to reim what he had lost He had considered a hundred possibilities, but nothing could have prepared him for reality: A filthy, pitiful wreck of a man. Liam didn¡¯t care for Aria; he looked down on her greed, her decent¨Cbut even he knew one thing There was no way this man had ever been her husband Setting the cup down with deliberate calm, he drawled, ¡°You¡¯re iming to be Aria¡¯s ex¨Chusband?¡± Leaning backzily against the couch, one leg casually crossed over the other, Liam steepled his fingers across his knoe and studied the man with a gaze that could cut ss. The mans shrank under his scrutiny, voice timid and halting. ¡°Yes, sir. My name¡¯s Henry Lester I was Aria¡¯s¨Cwell, Madelyn¡¯s¨Cex husband.¡± Liam¡¯s brows lifted ever so slightly. ¡°Madelyn?¡± ¡°She went by that name before she leh Jamn,¡± Henry mumbled, daring a quick nce up before dropping his eyes toutoor once again, Liam frowned deeply. ¡°You expect me to take your word for it? Where¡¯s your proof?¡± Henry sagged visibly, clutching his cane as though it were the only thing holding him upright With a subtle nod from Liam, the butler quickly fetched a chai Henry eased into it, some of the strain leaving his shoulders. Liam¡¯s voice was slow, almost bored, butced with threat. ¡°If you can¡¯t produce proof, I¡¯ll have you arrested for nder¡± Aria¡¯s reputation was already a liability. Any association with someone like this would drag Liam¡¯s own standing through the mud. ¡°I have proof!¡± Henry cried, fumbling inside his threadbare coat before producing a crumpled, yellowed piece of paper. A sour stench apanied it, making Liam¡¯s nose wrinkle in disgust. ¡°Put it on the table,¡± he said coldly Henry did as told, mumbling, ¡°It¡¯s a deed¡­a sale contract. Over a decade ago, Dominic sold his daughter to me¨Cto be my child bride.¡± ¡°Child bride?¡± Liam stared at him, stunned. ¡°Dominic is Aria¡¯s foster father?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe his ears, in this day and age, there were still things like child brides. Aria had been sold to this man, Henry¡¯s head hung low, his yoice thick with regret. ¡°I¡¯d known the wasn¡¯t Dominic¡¯s real daughter, I never would¡¯ve signed.¡± Liam¡¯s gaze dropped to the so¨Ccalled deed on the table. One thousand dors. Dominic had sold his daughter for one thousand dors. Suppressing a surge of revulsion, Liam kept his expression cold. Henry hurried to exin, ¡°I only took Madelyn in out of pity intended to raise her like a goddaughter¡­ to send her off in marriage properly.¡± Tears welled in Henry¡¯s eyes as he spoke, his voice breaking with emotion. ¡°I cared for her¡­ sacrificed for her. But in the end¡­ to get back into the Saxon family, she crippled my leg with a kitchen knife.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a blessing that she married Mr. Cole. I don¡¯t ask for anything else, I just want to get some money to heal my leg,¡± said Henry He clutched his cane, struggled to his feet, and then dropped heavily to his knees with a loud thud. ¡°Mr. Cole,¡± he sobbed, ¡°you¡¯re her husband now. I¡¯m handing over this contract to you. I only ask for a little money¨Cto fix my leg.¡± Liam regarded him coolly. He believed the story already. ¡°Fine,¡± he said after a beat. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one hundred fifty thousand dors¡± Again Marriage 46 Chapter 46 A flicker of cunning shed through Henry¡¯s tear soaked eyes. Still crying, he rasped, ¡°Mr. Cole because of this legno woman would ma ¡°You and Madelyn are husband and wife. If you give it to me, you can get it back from her. Lonly want 300 thousand dors,¡± he said. Liam¡¯s paze turned sharp. ¡°I what you say is true, I¡¯ll pay you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth. Every word,¡± Henry replied eagerly, trying to sound convincing ¡°Good. Now get out,¡± Liam sapped. Liam¡¯s tone made it clear there would be no further negotiation. Henry, recognizing he had pushed as far as he could, mbered to his feet Hannah came downstairs and asked about the visitor. After hearing the full story, her expression softened with sympathy. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she was once a child bride to someone like that.¡± She frowned, troubled. ¡°Still. He raised her. How could she be so ruthless, crippling him like that for her own gain?¡± Liam brushed his fingers lightly along her brow, offeringfort. ¡°I have someone investigate. If it checks out, three hundred thousand dors is nothing¨Cwe¡¯ll get it back from Ariater.¡± Hannah nodded, but then, her eyes sharpened with resolve. ¡°He¡¯s pitiful enough. I¡¯ll cover another three hundred thousand. Give him sx hundred.¡± Liam chuckled under his breath. ¡°Hannah, you¡¯re too soft¨Chearted,¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Owen¡¯s never lost a case. If we go head¨Cto¨Chead with him, our odds aren¡¯t good. But if that man testifies against Ana in court, proving shemitted fraud, she won¡¯t be able to take the shares with her.¡± Seeing Liampse into thoughtful silence, Hannah let out a sharp little huff, her voice tinged with jealousy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Having second thoughts?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Liam said, pulling her into his arms with a lowugh. ¡°We just need more solid evidence. We can¡¯t rush this¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°I know a private investigator. Let me handle it.¡± Liam didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Alright¡± Logan called Aria and pleaded, ¡°Aria, Caleb¡¯s still missing. Your mother¡¯s taken Silvia to a neighboring city and won¡¯t be hack anytime soon. I¡¯m tied up with work. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to rely on you. He¡¯s at Larkridge High School, Maple ss. His homeroom teacher is Valerie Gibbs.¡± Aria opened her mouth to refuse but Logan hung up without waiting for her reply. ¡°Problem solved,¡± Logan said dryly Micah, looking uneasy, ventured, ¡°Mr. Saxon is it feally okay to send Ms. Sason to handle this?¡± Logan nced up with a half¨Csmile, ¡°Tell me what¡¯s the best way to get close to someone?¡± Micah paused, then smiled faintly. ¡°see¡± Legan chuckled softly, signing a document with swift strokes. ¡°Aria¡¯s determined to leave us. If I don¡¯t tie her down somehow, I might lose her for good, He flipped another page. ¡°Nathan may seem noisy and troublesome, but he actually respects strength. And Aria, for all her coldness, is they protective of her family. Nathan isn¡¯t the type to cause trouble without reason. If we Intervened, we¡¯d just smooth things over queatly. But A sense of justice¡± Micah offered a bootlicking grin. ¡°Mr. Saxon, you truly know them Logan smiled, a touch of self¨Cmockery in his eyes. He thought, ¡°But I don¡¯t even know what Aria truly wants¡­what she likes or what she hates. His voice hardened. ¡°Send a bodyguard to shadow her. Nathan can take a few punches if he must, but Aria must not be touched, if anyone daresy a hand on her, break them.¡± Micah thought, ¡®Isn¡¯t the n to avoid esction?¡® ¡°Okay.¡± Ania nodded. Aria had no intention of going. She focused on her own tasks. A message from Alpha popped up. Alpha: (ck Rose went to Larkridge High School in Mandino City.] Aria tucked the phone away, a small smile ying on her lips. The silver needle had beenced with a slow¨Cacting poison. Symptoms began within five days- ck Rose, so sure of herself, had timed her strike with clinical precision but she hadn¡¯t dug deep enough into Aria¡¯s true identity. Logan had just ordered her to clean up Nathan¡¯s mess¨Cand now, coincidentally, ck Rose had appeared at Larkridge High School. It seemed ck Rose had been busytely. Only three days left. No wonder she was getting desperate Killing wasn¡¯t hard. Making a murder look like an ident took sk?l White Fox still hadn¡¯t traced whomissioned the hit within a month. The only exnation was that the buyer had paid at least 150 million dors. At that price, Blood Association should have assigned a whole team, not just one assassin And yet, only ck Rose had been dispatched¨Cand she was only now making her move. Aria didn¡¯t have all the answers yet, but she knew it was time to act H&Grabbing her keys, she headed for her next destination¨CLarkridge High School. Again Marriage 47 Chapter 47 Aria kept her hands steady on the wheel, maintaining a speed of lity. After navigating a curve, she nced at the map. A few kilometers ahead, there would be an intersection¨Cthest turn she needed to make. The light tumed red. Aria pulled into the far¨Crightne and came to a stop She flicked her eyes to the rearview mirror, a cryptic unile ying at thein The green light for the right turn blinked on. A made no move. s of her lips. Homs red behind her. Still, the ck car remained motionless. The driver of the car directly behind her hammered the horn again and again. Aria didn¡¯t move. Then, losing patience; the driver rolled down his window and yelled, ¡°Hey! You blind or deaf up there? Move your damn car ¡°Fuck!¡± he cursed under his breath, though in the and he chose to endure Gradually, the other divers began squeezing into neighboringnes to get around the stalled ck car, each throwing in a few curses as they passed. Some, worried the driver might have had a medical emergency, called the police. Others, simply furious at the obstruction, also chose to report it, Only when the number of cars thinned out did Aria finally ease her bot onto the gas and steer into the right turn. Suddenly, a truck barreled into her line of sight. Aria instinctively swerved left, but another car had cut into thene, blocking her escape. The driver, panicking, yanked the wheel the wrong way, and the side of his vehicle scraped violently against hers. The two cars clung together, twisted like desperate lovers, locked in an embrace they couldn¡¯t escape. Drivers at the light screamed in horror ¡°Movel Get out of the way!¡± The truck surged forward like an arrow released from a bow. Boom- A sickening crash split the air. The ck car was struck at the rear, spinning wildly through the intersection stamming into a traffic light pole, and skidding another dozen feet before finally screeching to a batt The truck driver, meanwhile, managed to brake just in time, narrowly avoiding a more catastrophic collision. 10:42 Wed, 28 May WGW. Panting, the man exhaled a long, shaky breath, unbuckled his seatbelt, and fumbled for his earpiece. He jammed it back in ce, muttering bitterly, b abust.¡± A voice snapped back at him through the carpiere. ¡°You idiot. You blew a perfect chance. It¡¯s not easy to act at Larkridge High School* Grinding his teeth, the man shot back, ¡°The whole damn n was ast minute thing if you hadn¡¯t been so cocky, I wouldn¡¯t have had to make a move at alli ¡°Finish the job yoursell. If the higher upse down on me, so be it.¡± He tore the earpiece out, threw it aside, and stared into the rearview mirror. The ck car was turning steadily, pulling further and further away from him. Anyone facing death would instinctively veer left. Aria had done the same at first. He had blocked her path on purpose. But she was skillful. The moment the truck struck, she had thrown the wheel hard to the right and reversed at just the right moment. She had known how to get out from the beginning¨Cshe had only pretended to be trapped against him, using him as a shield at the critical moment. She had done it on purpose. He thought, ¡°Calcting,posed. No wonder ck Rose failed against her. I should never have gotten involved. For 1.5 million dors, he had nearly lost his life. Hearing the approaching wall of police sirens, the man hurriedly restarted his engine and sped off. When Aria reached her destination, she climbed out of the car and made her way toward the security booth. Alpha¡¯s tracking had never been wrong¨Cck Rose was indeed inside Larkridge High School. identally killing someone would bring a heavy punishment, enough to destroy a career In their world, thew was simple a life for a life. So Aria wasn¡¯t worried about ck Rose hurting innocent students, AD Comment Again Marriage 48 Chapter 48 She lifted her hand to knock on the window, only to pause at the sight inside: The old man on duty, dressed in his security uniform, was dabbing at ba eyes with a handkerchief. ¡°They¡¯re too cruel how could anyone bully a girl this sweet?¡± he muttered tearfully at his tabletten Sniffing harder, he mumbled, ¡°She doesn¡¯t even have a mom anymore¡­ poor kid.¡± Aria stood there, silent, Then she rapped lightly on the ss. The old man tamed toward her, tear filled eyes blinking ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Sir, could you open the gate for me? I need to drive in.¡± He reached out and tapped the screen a few times, wiping first his left eye, then his right, before shooting her a sidelong nce. ¡°And you are?¡± Aria replied calmly, ¡°There was a fight involving a student. I was asked toe handle it.¡± There had been only one recent incident involving a fight¨Cand the parents from Stonemere High School had made sure the whole school knew about it. The old man¡¯s expression grew knowing as he looked her up and down. He asked, ¡°You¡¯re here for Nathan, aren¡¯t you?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°You his sister!¡± he asked again. Without thinking, she said, ¡°No¡± She half¨Cexpected him to refuse her entry, but to her surprise, he simply waved her in ¡°Go on, then.¡± Aria wondered if the Larkridge High School security staff had been bribed by ck Rose Aris pulled through the gates. From the booth behind her came the old man¡¯s shout, ¡°Parking lot¡¯s six hundred feet ahead, take a left She offered him a polite smile through the window. ¡°Thanks, sir.¡± He nodded after her. ¡°Smart girl, pity she¡¯s never had proper training.¡± Æð He was about to dive back into his show when a message popped up on his tablet. My teacher, the experiment failed again. Pleasee back. Begging you!) ¡°Useless idiot,¡± the old man muttered, swiping the message away to resume his drama. Following the directions she received, Aria eventually found Valerie¡¯s office after ten minute walk, with no signs of being followed. What she didn¡¯t expect was to see Micah¨Cgh the bodyguard standing next to him. She wondered, ¡°if they have already sept someone to deal with things, why do they need me at all? The moment Micah spotted her, his face lit up, and he hurried over. ¡°Mi Saxon, you¡¯re here. Aria¡¯s face remained nk; she couldn¡¯t even pretend politeness, Clearing his threat awkwardly Micah said, ¡°Both sides¡® parents are being difficult. Mr. Saxon gave explicit orders: M. Samn can handle ¡°However I see it?¡± Aria arched an eyebrow. Micah hesitated, a sense of foreboding creeping over him. ¡°Yes.¡± He thought, ¡®But Ms. Saxon is always calm andposed surely she won¡¯t cause any trouble! He exhaled quietly in relief and led the way. ¡°They¡¯re waiting in the dean¡¯s office.¡± Aria followed him down the office. Micah turned to the bodyguard before entering ¡°You stay here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the bodyguard replied. Before they even stepped inside, Aria could already hear themotion Maelis Vellier¡¯s voice rang out first. ¡°Where the hell are his parents? We¡¯ve been waiting an hour!¡± Another shrill voice chimed in, ¡°With his hand like this, how¡¯s my son supposed to get top marks? If you don¡¯t give us an answer, I go straight to the education board ¡°Please, calm down, they¡¯re on the way¡± Valerie said, so parched she didn¡¯t dare even sip her water. The dean wiped sweat from his forehead and forced a nervous smile. ¡°You have my word, you¡¯ll get a full exnation¨Case, just wait a little longer¡± Maelis, losing all patience, jabbed a finger in the dean¡¯s face and bellowed, ¡°Of course you¡¯re calm¨Cit¡¯s not your kid who¡¯s hurt Nathan stepped forward, despite the gash on his forehead, and shielded the dean with his body. ¡°Tll take responsibility. If you¡¯ve got something to say, say it to me.¡± Thorne Vellier rolled up his sleeves, his beer belly nearly knocking Nathan over as he advanced. ¡°You little- The office door swung open, cutting him off mid¨Csentence. All heads turned toward the entrance. AD Comment Again Marriage 49 Chapter 49 Nathan¡¯s eyes bulged when he saw Aria. ¡°Why is it you?¡± he demanded. Aria gave him a quick nce but remained silent as she pulled out a chair and sat down Micah spoke up. ¡°No one else had time. Mr. Saxon asked Miss Aria Saxon toe.¡± It stung Mathan¡¯s pride to have someone he disliked witness his most humiliating m moment Still, the mess was his making, and he had no right to me anyone else, These people were tough to deal with, but Nathan was curious to see how Aria would handle it. Once he¡¯d calmed down, he figured he might as well step aside. ¡°She¡¯s my guardian. You want to figure things out, talk to her Thome spoke up first, ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡± Aria interrupted, ¡°I¡¯ll understand the situation first, then we¡¯ll talk aboutpensation. At the mention ofpensation, Thorne¡¯s eyes lit up, but before he could speak, Aria shot him a look that silenced him. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me, or we¡¯re done here. We¡¯ll call the police.¡± The dean and Valerie exchanged a nce, Valerie wondered, is she being too arrogant? Maybe. But at least it is quiet now Maelis gritted her teeth. ¡°Fine, you figure it out. But don¡¯t think this is over¨Cmy son was hurt, and it¡¯s not finished¡± Aria turned her eyes to Nathan, taking in his disheveled school uniform, torn cer, bandaged forehead, swollen lett cheek, darkened lips, and the bloodstains on his neck ¡°You guys really scratch each other like that when you fight?¡± she remarked. Nathan, frustrated by her gaze, was ready to retort, but paused. ¡°is that really the point?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did you lose the fight?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nathan responded without hesitation. ¡°I win.¡± Thorne and Maels were seething, ready to erupt when Nathan added, ¡°Tavion runs his mouth, so he¡¯s paying the price.¡± Thorne and Maelis exchanged looks, their fury momentarily quelled by the thought of a bigger payout. They had researched¨Cthe Saxon family was one of Mandino City¡¯s four major families. Asking for a few million wasn¡¯t out of the question. Aria¡¯s gaze swept over the two boys before doesn¡¯t even know how to strike in the shadows.¡± A sharp whistle cut through the room. 1/2 It was Tavion Tavion grinned cockily. ¡°Nathan, is this your sister? She¡¯s got a nice figure¨Cbetter than your girlfriend¡¯s¡± Nathan instantly lost it, charging at Tavion, but before he could reach him, Valerie shipped in front of him. ¡°Tavion¡¯s parents, your son¡¯s words are a bit too harsh.¡± Thorne scoffed, turning his head away. As Aria looked at the teacher protecting Nathan, she slowly stood up and said, ¡°Compensation will be reduced by 300 thousand dors.¡± The room went still. Thorne wondered, ¡°What?¡± Before anyone could respond, Thome rushed forward, pped Tavion hard across the back of his head. His beer belly jiggled with the force of the p, ¡°Useless. Apologize!¡± he shouted. Tavion cried out in pain, still stunned, before being forced to bow. ¡°He¡¯s young. He doesn¡¯t understand, I¡¯ve already taught him a lesson,¡± Thorne said with a patronizing smile, his voice smooth and apologetic. The dean and Valerie fell silent. Valerie thought. ¡°Is this really the same man who¡¯d been cursing us for the past hour?¡® tas surprised. Nathan was just as su He thought, ¡®Is this how it would be resolved? I have money. I can handle it myself! Aria¡¯s tone remained calm. ¡°You hit the wrong ce. His mouth is the dirty part¡± The p echoed across the room,nding squarely on Tavion¡¯s already wounded lips. He howled in pain, tears filling his eyes. The office was dead silent; only the distant sounds of a ssroom could be heard. Valerie, seizing the opportunity, took a sip of water, finally breathing a little easier, ¡°Ms. Saxon, here¡¯s what happened¡­ Valerie began exining the whole situation 2/2 E Again Marriage 50 No Ads Chapter 50 Nathan had started the fight, but it had been in defense of a female student who¡¯d been bullied. He was in the right. Aria looked at Valerie. ¡°So, it was mutual lighting?¡± Valerie nodded, ¡°You could say that.¡± A then nced at Tavion¡¯s leg ¡°Is his leg really broken?¡± Valerie hesitated, ¡°The school doctor said the bone¡¯s fine, but favion says it hurts¡± Maells chimed in, hands on her hips, ¡°Your school doctor¡¯s downying it. My son¡¯s leg is definitely broken. You¡¯d better pay up so we can take him to the hospital¡± Her wide hips bumped the dean, who subtly moved away to avoid the conflict. Aria gave a slight nod and turned her attention to the other person in the room. ¡°And what about the skinny guy?¡± The ¡°skinny guy.¡± Leafric Moraine, scowled. ¡°My name¡¯s Leadric Moraine.¡± He didn¡¯t appear to be injured, except for his right hand, which was bandaged. Valerie spoke up again ¡°Leonic is the top student at Stonemere High. He came here to represent his school in a basketball he identally sprained his hand.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sounds like an ident.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Elric Morvaline cursed angrily, his cheek muscles twitching with fury. ¡°My son wouldn¡¯t have been hurt if that little brat hadn¡¯t started the fight¡± Ana, not yet in her twenties, wasn¡¯t even acknowledged by Eirk. Seeing her sitting there only fueled his anger, Without a second thought, he reached out to pull her up. ¡°What are you doing? Nathan was quick to act, grabbing Elric¡¯s arm, and throwing it aside. ¡°Why get physical?¡± Seren Moraine quickly stepped in, grabbing her husband¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t act impulsively. We¡¯re here to resolve this, not escre it.¡± Elric, embarrassed, shook off Seren¡¯s grip with force. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do All you ever do is cry. Just shut u Leotrichurried over to support his mother, lips pressed tightly together, his eyes dark with frustration. The tension in the room thickened. stay out of it!¡± Aria, unfazed, extended a finger and pushed Nathan aside, moving straight to the point. ¡°How muchpensation are you asking for?¡± ¡°Ten million dors,¡± Thorne said, his face calm, though his trembling lips betrayed his excitement. Nathan exploded. ¡°Ten million? Why not just rob a bank?¡± Thorne snorted. ¡°My son¡¯s injury is the worst. The medical bills and hospital fees are already going to be a lot. His leg¡¯s ruined, and his life¡¯s ruined. Ten million isn¡¯t too much to ask.¡± Aria nodded thoughtfully. ¡°You¡¯re right. Ten phillion isn¡¯t too much.¡°. The eyes of the Morvaines gimmered with greed. Nathan¡¯s face twisted in anger. ¡°You¡¯ve lost it ¡°Aria, if you¡¯re not going to handle this properly, then leavel What are you even doing here?¡± Il ten million was paid, his parents wouldn¡¯t me Aria. He¡¯d take the heat. Micah cut in. ¡°Mr. Saxon has left this matter entirely to Ms. Saxon, Mr. Nathan. Please step aside.¡± Nathan shot Aria a re that could pierce through steel. ¡°Til handle my own business. I don¡¯t need her here. She can leave!¡± Micah grabbed Nathan¡¯s arm, pulling him aside. ¡°Sir, don¡¯t disturb Ms. Saxon Nathan seethed, ¡°You actually listen to her He tried to break free from Micah¡¯s grip, but he failed. ¡°Can you call the shots? When is the ten millioning?¡± Thome pressed eagerly, nearly unable to contain his greed. Elric¡¯s excitement grew. He was already calcting the payout in his mind. Aria smiled faintly. ¡°I can give you ten million, but how do I know your son¡¯s leg is really that bad? What if you¡¯re trying to scam me?¡± Nathan exploded again. ¡°Are you stupid? They¡¯re just trying to scam you!¡± ¡°Micah, he¡¯s too noisy,¡± A ordered. ¡°Understood, Ms. Saxon.¡± Micah turned to Nathan, threatening. ¡°Mr. Nathan, if you don¡¯t quiet down, I¡¯ll have to cover your mouth. I didn¡¯t wash my hands after using the restroom earlier. Nathan froze in anger. Elric sincered. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you a certificate of injury.¡± With ten million on the line, faking a certificate was e257. Aria nced at Tavion¡¯s leg, a small smile curling on her lips. ¡°Ten million¡¯s no problem, but with an injury this severe, I¡¯m guessing amputation¡¯s in order, right?¡± Ó† Again Marriage 51 Chapter 51 No one in the room was fooled by Tavion¡¯s dramatic injury, it was clear his leg wasn¡¯t actually broken. Of course, that¡¯s why Aria had been so quick to agree earlier. Nathan realized this only toote, his face flushing red with embarrassment. Micah released his grip, his voice calm but firm. ¡°Mr. Nathan, just watch. Please don¡¯t interrupt Ms. Saxon.¡± Nathan wanted to argue, but words failed him. He stood there in silence, forced to watch as a spectator Lavion red at the scene, his anger bubbling over. ¡°Why should I have my leg amputated!¡± Maelis, still basking in the excitement of the ten¨Cmillion¨Cdor offer, didn¡¯t share her son¡¯s outrage. Her tone was much gentler, ¡°isn¡¯t amputation a bit too extreme?¡± Aria¡¯s gaze sharpened as she met Maelis¡¯s eyes, a cool smile curling at the corners of her lips. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the injury was severe?¡± Her voice carried the faintest edge of a challenge. Mais faltered, her words stuck in her throat. Thorne, ever the businessman and ustomed to these situations, stepped in with an air of authority. ¡°Ms. Saxon, let¡¯s both take a step back, We¡¯ll settle for six million instead.¡± His eyes glinted with subtle calction. ¡°You know as well as I do that your family¡¯s business is closely intertwined with powerful circles. The thing you want is any kind of scandal or negative press. It could damage everything you¡¯ve worked for Gone was the loud, aggressive tone from earlier. Thorne now spoke with a calm, measured voice, but there was an unmistakable threat lurking beneath his words He was a man who knew exactly when to shift his tactics He thought, ¡°This little girl is no ordinary person. I¡¯m sure she has secured a ce for herself in her family¡¯s business¡± No one wanted to get associated with any negative points. As long as there was even the slightest potential risk, it was easy to lose support Thorne, convinced he had struck the right note, let his chest puff out slightly. He was proud of his calcted approach, certain it would work in his favor The room fell into a tense silence Meanwhile, Valerie, who had been sipping water, swallowed slowly, still processing the shift from a simple dispute to a rull¨Cblown negotiation She exchanged a look with the dean, who remained utterly unbothered, seated in his office chair as though the world around him was nothing but a distant noise. It was clear that things weren¡¯t going to be resolved quickly. Valerie sighed, stepping back. As long as there was no physical confrontation, she figured they might as well let the adults talk it out She nced at Nathan, they had already missed a ss, and no one know when this would all end. Just then, the bell rang Everyone knew about Nathan being called in, so the students made a beeling for the guidance office. In the Maple ss, someone in the front row, near the wall, called out, ¡°Lily, Nathan got into a fight for your sake Aren¡¯t you going to check on him?¡± 10:43 Wed, 28 May WGW ? Lily Cromwell paused, put down her pon, and muttered quietly, ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± One of the boys sounded displeased, ¡°If you¡¯re going, why are you taking so long?¡± Lily¡¯s deskmate stood up, visibly irritated. ¡°We said we¡¯re going. No need to be rude.¡± A girl behind them shot back, ¡°Don¡¯t mess with Lily, Lily, let¡¯s go The boy scoffed. ¡°You all only care because she¡¯s the top student in our grade.¡± Before anyone could say more, he ran off The deskmate said angrily. ¡°Ostic often runs his mouth. Just ignore him.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lily replied. The group of girls walked out, only to find the hallway packed with students. The crowd only dispersed after a few teachers came out and scolded them. Lily was the cause of themotion, but the teachers didn¡¯t stop her or anyone from Maple ss. Several of Nathan¡¯s friends pressed their ears against the door, including Osric ine ¡°Mr. Vellier, should we contact some reporters to make this a bigger deal?¡± Aria replied calmly. Thome¡¯s expression stiffened. He hadn¡¯t expected Aria to be soposed. Again Marriage 52 Aria crossed her arms, her smile cold yet polite. ¡°A severed leg would ruin his life, no question. Teri million dors is a small price to pay castors i mysellTM A titted her head and added, ¡°Tavion, would you say ten million dors is worth losing your leg Her words hung heavy in the air. Tavion, standing nearby, felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could respond, his father, who had been staring at Tavion¡¯s leg, made his decision In an instant, Tavion¡¯s blood ran cold. ¡°My son¡¯s leg is broken and needs amputation. You¡¯ll pay ten million dors!¡± Elric¡¯s voice was fine.. Tavion¡¯s eyes widened His own father was ready to amputate his leg for ten million dors. But Tavion realized then that this money wouldn¡¯t be his His heart pounded in his chest as he shook his head furiously. ¡°I didn¡¯t break my leg No one¡¯s cutting off my leg He sprinted out of the room, his legs showing no signs of injury. The door fl flew open as several people lunged forward to stop him. There was a brief struggle, then Tavion dashed off. Maelis rushed out after him. The door was left wide open. The tension in the room was palpable, and no one seemed sure how to proceed. Ostic, having witnessed the chaos, slid forward and grabbed the door frame, inching it shut again. Once it was closed, Valerie stood frozen. ¡°What on earth¡­¡± It seemed that, for now, the discussion was over. Aria smiled fatly. ¡°Mr. Vellier, it seems your son¡¯s leg is fine, Thorne¡¯s face darkened as he clenched his fists. ¡°Even if his leg is fine, what about the other injuries Aria¡¯s expression shifted to one of cold calction. ¡°Let¡¯s do the math then.¡± She looked at Nathan and beckoned him forward. ¡°Come here.¡± Nathan hesitated. He wondered, ¡®What is she doing now? He would¡¯ve argued with her in the past, but given that she was cleaning up his mess, it didn¡¯t feel right to oppose her now. That would be ungrateful. Aria nodded for him to take a few steps closer. ¡°See his face, his neck?¡± Thorne didn¡¯t understand. Aria¡¯s voice remained calm, detached. ¡°We don¡¯t make bad deals. My family¡¯s always had high end insurance for our health and safety.¡± Nathan¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise. My parents bought me insurance? When was that?¡® 17 Aria continued, ¡°His injuries his forehead, face, nose, mouth, arms, and torso will be covered. The more severe the lefury, the higher the payout Where do you think that moneyes from?¡± Shrily rested her elbow on the armrest, propped in her hand. ¡°Whoever hurt Mathan will be held ountable by the nuranpany. ¡°Roughly speaking, the payout will be no less than 3 million dors. Of course, the insurancepany will expect your to cover half of that. As for your son¡¯s injury, you can definitely go to the hospital. Use the best medications, and we will cover all the expenses.¡± Thome¡¯s expression shifted, He knew wealthy families often took out hefty insurance policies, but he hadn¡¯t thought of this any sangle The realization hit him, and his confidence faltered. But he stubbornly retorted, ¡°Why do you get to call the shot?¡± Aria¡¯s voice was ice¨Ccold. ¡°Micah, call the insurancepany. Have thene to the school. And bring thewyers and doctors with them.¡± Micah immediately acknowledged and pulled out his phone Thome stood frozen, realizing he had underestimated this situation. ¡°I¡¯m unlucky, dealing with these heartless rich people¡­ With that, he hastily exited the office. The students eavesdropping outside quickly leamed their lesson and retreated to the sides of the hallway. The door closed behind them, and the group gathered together, ¡°Holy crap! I identally hit Nathan on the head the other day,¡± one of them said, wide¨Ceyed ¡°I hit his back. He was in pain for two days. This might cost us hundreds of thousands of dors another said, ¡°Stop talking!¡± Osric groaned, ¡°Last year, we had a worse fight, and Nathan didn¡¯t make me pay a cent! What a good guy!¡± Lily stood nearby, hands clenched nervously together. Her desk mate tried to reassure her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s probably Nathan¡¯s sister, and she¡¯s already handled the worst of it Another girl nodded, ¡°Exactly. Even without Nathan, someone would¡¯ve helped you. No one lets Taxion off the hook after something like that.¡± Inside the office, the negotiations continued. Aria turned back to Elric, ¡°So, how muchpensation do you want? ? Again Marriage 53 Chapter 53 Elric knew better than to directly demand a high price, Aria was not someone to be trified with ¡°Your brother¡¯s injuries have nothing to do with my he stated coldly. Aria gave him a sharp look. ¡°We didn¡¯t ask you for any money. It¡¯s normal to have some friction during a basketball game, but you don¡¯t even know who actually bumped into your son. So why are you targeting Nathan?¡± The situation on the court had almost turned into a brawd, and no other patents had gotten involved, except for them. Her gaze was chilling, eyes as sharp as if she could road his soul. Elric finched and quickly averted his eyes, adopting a defensive stance. ¡°We just want thirty thousand dors. For someone like you, Ms, Saxon, that amount is just pocket change, isn¡¯t it?¡± Aria nced briefly at Leofric, who stood protectively by his mother¡¯s side, then returned her attention to Elric ¡°I won¡¯t give you any money,¡± she replied Matly. He pressed, ¡°Fine, then give it to my son.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his is mine.¡± he muttered dismissively. ast into Aria was unbothered. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make things difficult. If Leofric can get ¡°If you agree, we¡¯ll sign an agreement. If not, you can talk to mywyer,¡± ca prestigious university, I¡¯ll pay thirty thousand. Elric thought for a moment and realized pressing the matter further wouldn¡¯t benefit him, so he backed off His goal had been aplished. Aria took a piece of paper from Valene and prepared an agreement, pen in hand. Nathan leaned in to nce at the paper and couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Your handwriting is terrible.¡± Aria simply replied, ¡°Those who cause trouble don¡¯t have the right to speak in front of me.¡± ¡°I was just trying to help!¡± Nathan shot back. ¡°Fool,¡± she retorted. Nathan¡¯s nostris fared in frustration. Valerie quickly interjected, ¡°Respect your sister.¡± Reluctantly, he swallowed his words. Once the document was signed, Eric walked away with a spring in his step. Loofric nced at Aria and then followed his mother out. Aria stood up. ¡°Sorry to trouble you. Now that it¡¯s resolved, I¡¯ll be leaving¡± ¡°it¡¯s no trouble at all,¡± Valerie said with a smile, clearly approving of how Aria handled the situation¨Csimple and direct ¡°Ms. Saxon,¡± Valerie continued, ¡°why did you agreed pay so quickly when it¡¯s obvious that Leoric¡¯s parents are trying to extort you?¡± Aria thought back to Leofric 1/3 His school uniform was faded, his frame thin and frail, showing signs of malnutrition. His mother was no better. ¡°it¡¯s because the money doesn¡¯t matter for me,¡± she said simply Those words left Valerie sprechless. Micah, suppressing a chuckle, observed with growingplexity in his eyes. He thought to himself, ¡®Everyone says Ms. Saxon is cold and ruthless, but there¡¯s a kindness in het Just then, Micah¡¯s phone buzzed. It was a message from Logan is it all sorted?] Micah replied: [Yes, Mr. Saxon. It¡¯s done. Logan ordered: There¡¯s an issue with a project. Come back quickly with your bodyguard. We need to take care of it) Micah was taken aback. Logan¡¯s messages were always demands, never exnations. After exchanging a quick word with Aria and Nathan, he left immediately with the bodyguard. Nathan, feeling both grateful and awkward, burned to Aria. ¡°Thanks for today. I¡¯ll pay you back, really, I¡¯ll cover the thirty thousand Aria didn¡¯t bother responding¨Cafter all, she hadn¡¯te for him. The two were never on the same wavelength anyway. Nathan, unfazed by herck of response, pushed open the door and left His friends immediately swarmed around him. One of his friends eximed, ¡°Nathan, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so tolerant. Even though you¡¯ve got a temper, you didn¡¯t ask us to pay for anything after Nathan looked confused. ¡°Pay for what?¡± Another chimed in. ¡°We heard! Your family bought you a huge insurance policy. Anyone who hurts you has to pay, right?¡± ¡°Your family is really nice. After all that happened, you didn¡¯t ask Taion to pay?¡± the third said. Nathan was at a loss for words. How could he exin that Aria had taken care of everything? If the Vellier family came looking for him again, thin He could only nod. ¡°Yeah, they bought it for me, but it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± But it was a big deal. That night, after the incident, Logan immediately bought high insurance policies for everyone in the family ild get worse. His good friends, while being provoked by others, pushed him forward, shouting, ¡°Deat him up! If you get sued forpensation, you can¡¯t afford it!¡± Word spread, and soon, his ssmates treated him like a pariah, avoiding him as if he were a gue. Anything even remotely risky¨Clike moving healy things¨Che was excluded from He became the fragile little boy of the entire grade. Nathan, oblivious to how his life would change, looked around and saw a girl with a low ponytail and ck framed sses, 10:43 Wed, 28 May G Their eyes met ¡°Move. You¡¯re in the way.¡± Her voice was clear, but with an icy edge Nathan instinctively stepped aside, then looked back at the girl, only to see her frozen, her eyes wide with She stood motionless, Staring at something, or rather, someone. Nathan wondered, ¡°What is going Again Marriage 54 Chapter 54 Nathan followed her gaze gaze and saw ¡¯s back. Ostic nudged him, ¡°Nathan, is that your other sister? She¡¯s so cool!¡± ¡°Your family is really good looking,¡± one girl pushed ¡°Is it true your parents don¡¯t like their daughter and just married her off early?¡± another girl asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice. They had no real contact with Aria, but they know Nathan. If Nathan didn¡¯t like someone, they assumed there must be something wrong with them. Now they saw Aria and realized they were wrong she was nothing like they imagined. Nathan wasn¡¯t listening to his friends¡® chatter. He was too focused on Aria and the strange expression in Lily¡¯s eyes. He wondered, ¡°Why is Lily looking at Aria like that?¡® Nathan looked at Aria. She didn¡¯t pause for even a second, nor did she turn her head. It seemed as if she didn¡¯t know Lily at all. Then, without warning a scruffy figure barged through the crowd, heading straight toward them. A man in work clothes, his shoes leaving muddy imprints with each step. His expression was grim, and as he pushed through the crowd, he frightened the students, causing them to scream. Lily remained frozen, her hair grabbed forcefully, yanking her back. ¡°Ah!¡± she screamed. ¡°Who are you? What do you w I want?¡± Lily¡¯s deskmate cried out. Lily¡¯s deskmate tried to pry the man¡¯s hand off, but he was too strong. She couldn¡¯t budge him. Leon pped her away, shouting. ¡°I punish my own daughter, stay out of it!¡± Nathan rushed forward, but the chaos around him made it impossible to get through Leon shouted, ¡°You little bitch, I told you not to study, to get married! How dare you run away and transfer toch a good school? Where did you get the money? Tell me! Where did you get it from?¡± Leon¡¯s furious words pierced the air, but to Lily, everything seemed to slow down. She remembered the words someone once said to her: ¡± give you two choices. First, take the sixty¨Cfive thousand dors, kill him, Second, I kill both. Which one will you choose?¡± A sharp pain hither, and once again, she regretted not choosing to kill Leon that night. She wondered, ¡®I took the money, but I didn¡¯t follow through with the n, will she kill me he kill me now?¡± Before she could think further, Nathan finally shoped through the crowd, grabbing Leon¡¯s wrist and pulling Lily behind him, ¡°Call the police he shouted. Leon red at them, his eyes venomous like a phake.¡± knew it. A little girl like you wouldn¡¯t dare transfer to a new city without help. You must have a man behind you.¡± Everyone in the crowd could see who he was and looked at Lily with pity. In the second semester of their sophomore year, with only a month left until summer break, a new student transferred into Maple ss Everyone was surprised¨Cwho would transfer so close to the final exams? Soon, the exams arrived. Maybe the teachers were worried about students getting too distracted during the break, so they made the test unusually hard. But Lily still managed to score first, beating the second ce student by eighteen points. The second ce student was a top performer from Cypress ss, always ranking number one and never dropping from the top spot. Yet, she had been vertaken by the new transfer student. Lily quickly became well known, but she remained mysterious¨Cno one could find out anything about her previous school Some students mocked her, wondering what kind of school she came from, if she was so good. Now, they understood the reason f for her secrecy ¡°She¡¯s the top student in our grade, and next year, she¡¯s a major contender for the SAT. She transferred to Larkridge High based on her own abilities, so keep your mouth shut!¡± Nathan¡¯s gaze hardened, staring Leon with unwavering intensity. Leon red back, his eyes full of menace: ¡°What I teach my daughter is none of your business. Stay out of this, or I won¡¯t be so polite.¡± ta word. Nathan opened his left hand, signaling his response without a won Suddenly, Leon snapped, pulling a knife out of his pocket. ¡°Stay out of this, or I¡¯ll kill you both!¡± The students around them were terrified, quickly scattering. Aria, however, stayed where she was, calmly scanning the area. Lily was frozen in ce, wanting to move, but was stopped by Nathan ¡°Don¡¯t go over there!¡± The students fled in all directions, and a teacher stepped forward, trying to reason with Leon. Leon waved the knife wildly. ¡°Get away! Why didn¡¯t you notify the parents when my daughter enrolled here? You human traffickers, you should all die!¡± He was losing control, shouting angrily, his steps erratic but slowly drawing closer to one specific target. Lily knew her terrifying father too well. He cared about his public image, always presenting himself as a doting father in front of others, no matter how treated her at home. She thought, ¡°Is he really going crazy just because I ran away? And he¡¯s got a knife. Lily instinctively looked toward Aria, noticing something was off, ¡°Why is he heading toward her? While the others panicked, Lily bolted forward. Nathan¡¯s pupils constricted, and he immediately sprinted after her, shouting ¡°Lily!¡± At th Aria, his Comment Again Marriage 55 No Ads Chapter 55 A voice shouted, ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Lily instinctively threw herself in front of Aria. The entire room froze, their hearts skipping a beat in shock ¡°Uly!¡± someone cried out. Then came the sickening sound of flesh bring pierced. Blood poured from Aria¡¯s hand, dripping onto the floor. Aria intercepted the knife Lily held her tightly. Feeling Lily trembling in her arms, Aria knew it was the first time anyone had unconditionally protected her For a moment, Aria thought about pulling away, about continuing her mission to track down ck Rose But her body wouldn¡¯t respond, her hand hanging limply at her side Nathan snapped back to reality first. He kicked Leon aside with force, and teachers and students rushed forward to restrain him. Aria¡¯s left hand dropped, the knife ttering to the floor with a sharp clink. Blood was flowing faster now. The assant had been subdued, but no one seemed able to process what had just happened. They couldn¡¯t understand why Leon had attacked Ania. Lily, still numb, slowly opened her eyes. When she pulled her arms away from Aria, her gazended on the blood staining her hand. A familiar, haunting fear gripped her¨Ca fear bom of years of abuse. Her voice shook, her body quivering in response. She took a shaky breath, exhaling slowly, trying to regain some semnce of control. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re hurt,¡± s she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The air between them p grew heavy, an unspoken tension filling the space. No one seemed willing to interrupt. Nathan¡¯s suspicions were confirmed. Aria and Lily had met before. His eyes dropped to the injury on Aria¡¯s hand. She looked strangely calm, as if she felt no pain at all. He knew if this were Silvia, she would¡¯ve been in agony Nathan¡¯s heart squeezed with an emotion he couldn¡¯t fully identity. It hit him so suddenly, so strongly, that he almost couldn¡¯t catch his breath Valerie was the first to act, rushing to Aria¡¯s side. She quickly stripped off her jacket and wrapped it tightly around her hand ¡°Let¡¯s get you to the nurse, Valerie urged. Larkridge High took student safety seriously, and their medical facilities were fully equipped. The school had hired professionals to handle emergences Aria nodded, letting Valerie pull her toward the stairs. Lily instinctively started to follow, but stepped herself halfway. Her pare ficked down to Leon, who was still pinned to the ground, and he darkened with an anger she didn¡¯t know she had. She thought to hersell, That was the perfect opportunity, Icould¡¯ve just ignored him and let him freeze out there. What a shame! Nathan took a few steps closer, his voice hesitant. ¡°We you¡­okay!¡± Their math teacher from Cypress ss, who also taught Maple ss, was well known for his arrogance. He constantly boasted about his students, often looking down on others. Ever since Lily imed the top spot in their grade, her ssmates had all been walking with their heads held high, Nathan considered Lily a point of pride for their ss and thought everyone should protect her. Lily looked up at him, her voice surprisingly steady. ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ve helped me again.¡± Nathan, feeling a little smug, shrugged casually. ¡°No big deal.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Lily hesitated, her eyes narrowing sightly. ¡°Your sister¡¯s hurt. Aren¡¯t you going to check on her?¡± Lily had always been shy, and aside from her seatmates, she didn¡¯t often speak to anyone else. They hadn¡¯t really exchanged many words over the past few months. But now, her gaze wasn¡¯t filled with shyness. Instead, it held confusion¨Cand a trace of anger. Lily was defending Aria Nathan couldn¡¯t find the words to exin himself. If it were Silvia, he would have been concerned, but it was A. He just couldn¡¯t bring himself to care. Aber a long pause, Nathan muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, i don¡¯t get along with her ¡°Why not?¡± Lily¡¯s part ¡®s gaze was intense. ¡°Did she bully you?* Nathan shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Did she bully someone else?¡± she asked again. He hesitated for a moment, then replied, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you care about her?¡± Lily pressed. Nathan felt a weight settle on his chest. He swallowed bard, his wordsing out with more force than he intended. ¡°Good rtionships go both ways. She ignores me, som not going to chase after he Lily furrowed her brow, clearly not understanding. So caring is the same as chasing someone?¡± Nathan didn¡¯t know how to answer. Osric, who had been watching the exchange, couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. ¡°Lily, don¡¯t forget Nathan just saved you. Why are you being so harsh?¡± His tone was sharp, and Nathan shot him a look, silently asking him to stay out of it. Two security guards arrived quickly, dragging Leon away, his furious eyes locked onto Lily Nathan moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from Lean¡¯s view. Lily suddenly spoke, her voice low but firm. ¡°You¡¯ve helped me twice now repay you Nathan scratched his head awkwardly, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°But,¡± Lily continued, her eyes serious, ¡°next time something like this happens, don¡¯t help me. I don¡¯t like you, and I don¡¯t want your help The others stared at her in disbelief, wondering if she was out of her mind Nathan, for the first time, felt the sting of rejection. The smile on his face vanished, and he couldn¡¯t find the words to respond At the door to the nurse¡¯s office, Ana stopped. ¡°Miss Gibbs, the students are probably still shaken up. You should go back. I can handle it from here.¡± Valerie thought, ¡°How can forget that?¡± Valene pped her forehead. ¡°Ms. Saxon, if it¡¯s serious, you need to go to the hospital.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ana nodded. Valerie hurried off. Aria stepped into the nurse¡¯s office, where a womanin a white cost and mask was waiting: She immediately noticed the bandages around Aria¡¯s hand and walked over with some antiseptic. ¡°Your hand¡¯s injured?¡± she asked, concem in her voice ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied. ¡°I¡¯ll disinfect it first. It¡¯ll sting a little, but you can handle it, right?¡± the nurse asked. ¡°Okay¡± Aria nodded. A few minutester, the nurse asked, ¡°How did you get hurt?¡± Aria replied casually, ¡°A madman broke into the school. He¡¯s been taken care of¡± The nurse exhaled in reliet ¡°Was the weapon rusty?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow, a small, knowing smile on her lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice.¡± The nurse stood up. ¡°Just to be safe, give you a tetanus shot. Are you allergic to any ¡°No Aria replied. medications? The nurse prepared the injection, holding up the vial and shaking it gently before drawing the liquid into the syringe. She sat beside Aria, ready to proceed. ¡°We¡¯re all set.¡± Aria nodded, her expression calm. Just as the needle was about to touch her skin, Aria suddenly asked, ¡°Who ced the order with the Blood Association? Again Marriage 56 Chapter 56 Aria¡¯s grip on ck Rose¡¯s hand tattered for a moment before it plunged downward, aiming straight for her. In that split second, A squeezed her hand tightly, her elbow driving straight into ck Bose¡¯s head. There wasn¡¯t enough time. ck Rose immediately decided to kill her, no matter the cost Palling a small knife from her sleeve, ck Rose twisted her wrist, and in the instant it fell into her paten, she thrust it directly toward Aria¡¯s heart. Aria dodged, twisting her body, and grabbed ck Hose¡¯s wrist, locking her in ce. ck Rose performed a swith flip, breaking free from her hold. In mere seconds, the two exchanged more than ten blows. A mostly fought with her right hand. ck Rose¡¯s expression darkened. She didn¡¯t dare continue. This woman was as skilled as she was. Whoosh! A silver needle was thrown out. ck Rose hoped it would hit, so she didn¡¯t immediately retreat. But Aria casually caught the needle, using her injured left hand. Aria tilted her head slightly, a hint of disdain in her eyes, , the corner of her lips curling into a faint sneer. ¡°This is how a needle is used.¡± As Aria spoke, the needle spun in her fingers, leaving a trail of afterimages before it pierced the air and shot toward ck Rose. ck Rose was shocked, her eyes widened. In the brief moment of hesitation, the needle sank into her right shoulder. The next second, Aria moved like a shadow, closing the distance and gripping her throat. ¡°Who ced the order!¡± ck Rose realized her identity instantly, her chest heaving irregrly. The fear of death overwhelmed her, but ck Rose didn¡¯t dare hide anything. She said, ¡°They didn¡¯t say who.¡± ¡°But I can find out.¡± Aris released her, ¡°I¡¯ll find out and keep my identity secret. If we¡¯re even, you won¡¯t have to worry. Otherwise, I can kill you wherever you go ck Rose knew Aria held grudges and wasn¡¯t one to let things slide. She decided not to y any games. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Get lost,¡± Aria said coldly. ck Rose scrambled to leave. Then Aria stepped into the inner room to ensure the school nurse was safe before leaving Micah hurried to thepany. Logan sensed something was off and immediately called Valerie, only to learn the full story. Logan ordered, ¡°Find out who tried to kill Aria. Also, got the bestwyer in this field. Look into Leon¡¯s background, He¡¯s going to spend his life in prison.¡± Logan thought, his eyes with fury, ¡®Extortion, hacking into my phone, sending messages, bribing parents¡­. ¡°Whoever is behind this is targeting Aria. But who¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Saxon,¡± Micah replied quickly. Once the door closed, Logan called Aria, but the screen showed she was already on another call 1/3 Achapter 56 Atera moment of thought, Logan chose to send a message. Heanwhile, Owen asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re refusing mediation and going straighti Bitigation, fight?¡® A responded with a simple, ¡°Min ¡°Wiright, I¡¯ll inform the other party¡¯swyer. The call ended, And Owen immediately typed to reject mediation. Owen was reviewing Information when a knock on the door sounded. ¡°Come in¡± Aaron entered, holding aptop, walking briskly. ¡°Mr. Shaw, just now, Mr. Saxon contacted our firm. Ms. Saxon almost ant stabbed by a student¡¯s parent at Larkridge High School.¡± Owen paused, his pen hovering mid¨Cair. ¡°What happened?¡± Aaron pushed theptop forward. ¡°Mease take a look.¡± Owen set his pen down and looked at the surveince footage disyed on the screen. Aaron asked, ¡°Mr. Shaw, Mr. Saxon said they¡¯ll provide proof of the assant¡¯s crimes. The demand is life imprisonment. Do you think this is the Cole family¡¯s doing?¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡± Owen hadmunicated with Liam, and he could feel his confidence. Liam didn¡¯t believe they¡¯d lose thewsuit. The risk of murder would drag the Cole family into a scandal. And whoever was behind this was no ordinary person. The scene free at the moment when Aria gripped the dagger Owen¡¯s eyes lingered on her hand, then moved to her emotionless face. ¡°She¡¯s quite resilient when ites to enduring pain, Owen thought. Suddenly, a scene shed in his mind. A filthy little girl sneered, ¡°if you dare save him, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± That girl was as tough as nails, and ruthless. At 7 p.m., the Cole family gathered to celebrate Ophelia¡¯s birthday. Ophelia had nned to throw a grand party, but given the Cole family¡¯s current situation, not even a small party was allowed by Daniel In the end, the family gathered for a modest, rather shabby birthday celebration. Hannah was also there. She gifted Ophelia a limited edition bag. ¡°Ophelia, happy birthday!¡± Ophelia pouted. She wasn¡¯t thrilled. Last year, Aria had given Ophelia ten sets of high¨Cend dresses for the new season, a choice of three limited¨Cedition nes, bracelets, and bags. And all of her friends and ssmates were jealous. 2/3 Again Marriage 57 Chapter 57 Ophelia thought, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because Hannah and Liam aren¡¯t married yet, so Hannah isn¡¯t as generous. ¡®Once they¡¯re married, things will be different¡± Thinking this, Ophelia forced a smile. ¡°Thanks, Hannah¡± Hannah palted her head. ¡°This year, your birthday isn¡¯t ideal. Next year, I¡¯ll make sure in theow you a big one Ophelia immediately brightened. ¡°I hold you to that. You better keep your word Elena smiled helplessly. ¡°Hannah, don¡¯t spoil her too much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable, Mons. You¡¯re just jealous of how close I am to Hannah.¡± Ophelia wrapped her arm around Hannah¡¯s ¡°You brat.¡± Elena paused, then changed the subject. ¡°Hainali, any news on the beauty cream? A few of my friends have already reserved some, and I need it for them by the beginning of the month.¡± Hannah¡¯s expression froze for a moment, then she smiled faintly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Cole. My colleague is an expert in this area. It¡¯ll be ready in a few days.¡± Hannah had checked the cream herself. It was an unregted product, and she didn¡¯t know where Aria had gotten ten the courage to distribute t One of Hannah¡¯s colleagues at Kerano Global Health had a particr interest in this field and had privately researched it. Hannah had paid a little to have it sent over. Hannah¡¯s colleague at Kerano Global Health was a professional, and their products were far superior to whatever Aria had provided. Elena smiled warmly. ¡°Thank you, dear.¡± ¡°We¡¯re family, Mrs. Cole, Hannah replied, smiling. Elena felt warmth in her heart. This was the kind of daughter¨Cinw she had hoped for¨Cnot like A, cold and distant. Just then, Daniel came downstairs, and everyone stood up to greet him. Daniel gestured for them to sit, his face serious. ¡°Aria was almost Harmed at Larkridge High School today.¡± Everyone froze. Daniel continued, ¡°She¡¯s fine, but people might suspect us, so we need to low for a while.¡± -Hannah asked tentatively, ¡°Could it be an act of revenge? Liam furrowed his brow ¡°The 150 million dors she received two years ago has already made headlines. It¡¯s possible someone she scammed is seeking retribution.¡± grew tense. Elena tried to ease things. ¡°It¡¯s Ophelia¡¯s birthday today. Let¡¯s not worry about outsiders. Let¡¯s eat¡± The atmosphere grew. Aherward, Hannah immediately contacted her colleague at Kerano Global Health. ¡°Sini, can I buy some of the beauty cream you¡¯ve been working on!¡± On the other end of the phone, a blonde woman hesitated for a moment, thenughed. ¡°Sure, but it hasn¡¯t been tested yet, and we haven¡¯t used it on anyone.¡± Hannah figured it wasn¡¯t something peuple would ingest, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. Then Hannah said, ¡°You¡¯re too modest, Sini, Im sure it¡¯s the best. I have someone who wants to try it.¡± Chapter 57 Sini had been struggling to find someone to best IL, aild now someone had volunt ¡°Aright, but just so you know, I¡¯m not charging you. If anything goes wrong, it¡¯s not on me, Sint replied Hannah agreed quickly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I take full responsibility¡± Hearing that his sister was injured, Calels quickly returned with Jeffrey ¡°Mr. Saxon, where should we head fest?¡± Jeffrey asked. Caleb replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Aria¡¯s ce first.¡± Jeffrey immediately drove toward Aria¡¯s residence. Soon, Caleb got out of the car and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been following me around for a while now. Take three days off and rest. When you¡¯re back, find out where Henry went.¡± The car door closed, cutting off anything Jeffrey had wanted to say. After a moment, he sighed and drove home. Aria struggled to finish her shower. Her phone kept buzzing, and when she checked, she saw someone had been loitering outside her door for thirty- seven minutes. The figure was crouched down, and though she couldn¡¯t make out the face,/ Aria opened the door. ¡°Caleb, what are you doing out here?¡± Aria could bell it was Caleb by the silhouette. Maybe because Aria opened the door so suddenly, Calls tensed, bracing himself against the wall. He turned around to face her. Seeing his condition, Aria froze. Caleb had always been meticulous about his appearance, but now his hair was messy, stubble covered his chin, and his face looked gaunt and pale. Caleb was a far cry from the man she remembered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria asked. Caleb looked at her, regret sweeping over him like a tide. It was suffocating and painful. He didn¡¯t know how Aria had made it this far Ania had grown up alone, yet was deemed antisocial. She fought with everything she had to break free from the mire and stand before them, only to realize her family didn¡¯t love her. Aria was clever and strong, capable of handling anything on her own. Caleb wanted to make up for it, but realized he couldn¡¯t help her. At moments Eke this, Caleb almost felt relieved that Aria didn¡¯t care about family. No expectations meant she wouldn¡¯t get hurt so badly. Caleb forced a smile, trying to mask the pain in his chest, and looked at Aria¡¯s bandaged left hand. His gaze slowly moved upward, stopping on her face. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Again Marriage 58 Chapter 58 With cone in his expression, pain in his eyes, and a gentle tons by his voice, Caleb looked at her deeply It wasn¡¯t just her he was seeing ¨Cit was someone else through her. At that moment, Aria understood. She asked. ¡°You went to Jamn, didn¡¯t you? ¡°yeah¡± Caleb dipped his gen, not wanting to appear too vulnerable in front of his sister. Ana turned slightly to the side. ¡°Come in, sit for a hit! ¡°Okay¡± Caleb gave a small nod. Once they were on the couch, Aria poured him a sk of water. ¡°Why¡¯d you want to look into my past, Caleb?¡± Caleb¡¯s hand paused mid¨Cair as he reached for the ss. Caleb tried to act calm, but the faint ripple on the water¡¯s surface gave away the turmoil inside. ¡°I just¡­ wanted to know what your life was like back then.¡± ¡°Then why not ask me?¡± Aria thought, Aria remembered bumping into Everett the other day and suddenly everything clicked. Sheid it out inly. ¡°You probably found out I¡¯ve always known I¡¯m not Dominic and Alice¡¯s biological daughter,¡± Caleb nodded Aria continued, ¡°They were definitely sexist, but they didn¡¯t hate me from the start. I was born with something off¨Cemotionally. I could sense the world around me, but I didn¡¯t want to react to it, I was cold at everything ¡°At first, they thought i was mute. Then one day they heard me call the olddy next door ¡®Grandma. That¡¯s when they started to resent me, calling me an ungrateful brat.¡± Because of blood ties, Dominic and Alice didn¡¯t abuse her¨Cat least not to the point of denying her food. In reality, Aria never cared about whatever scraps of affection they threw her way, and she didn¡¯t feel sad about it either. Aria had always known she was different. But she had no desire to change. Instead, she chose to outsmart that couple every chance she got. If Dominic and Alice hit her, Aria would wait until they were asleep and pour hot water on them. They nagged her while she cooked? She¡¯d flip the entire table When they threw her out, Aria ran to the vige chief. He¡¯d go straight to Dominic and call him out for child abuse. After a while, Dominic and Alice ignored her. And A ignored them right back. Caleb had met the old woman she used to call Grandina. A kind, warmhearteddy. When: she learned he was Aria¡¯s brother, she smiled, though there was a touch of resignation in her voice. ¡°Trying to get close to Madelyn, huh? Not easy, Caleb didn¡¯t hesitate. He nodded. When Silvia was upset, Caleb could buy her things she liked¨Cclothes, jewelry,handbags or take her to an art exhibit. But with Aria? Caleb couldn¡¯t figure her out. He didn¡¯t know what she Eked or hated. He didn¡¯t even know how to connect with her. tufigured,¡± the old woman said with a sigh. ¡°Madelyn¡¯s ¡°Qut het besit¡¯s also smal, il there¡¯s a broad tie, and you¡¯re only good to her out of gult -not with your whole haart ¨C defalk hesitation. Especially if she sees you treating komeine alte betta¡± Caleb thought, ¡°What has the Saron family ever really given Ariat Clothes, handbags, dresses, jewelry. ¡°But Aria clearly prefers pants, doesn¡¯t like jewelry, and hales carrying bags. ¡°Everything they give her is what Silvia liked. And then they me her for being cold and distant. What Aria really wanted is love not their self righteous, guilt ridden version of ¡°kindness¡± ¡°She just wanted a family,¡± the old woman had said. She also shared stories from Aria¡¯s childhood. Like the time someone yelled at her, and Aria stared them down until they left. Or when a dog tried to bite her, and Aria grabbed a knife, ready to stilke. She had a fierce streak. Even the vige kids feared her. Dogs avoided her altogether The old woman didn¡¯t have any family. She¡¯d often feed Aria, and Aria would quietly help around the house. she lo Aria¡¯s love was straightforward. If you loved her, she loved you back. Simple as that. The old woman managed to do it. No one else had. ¡°Caleb!¡± Aria spoke up Caleb¡¯s thoughts snapped back. He looked into her eyes¨Cthey were calm and smiling. Aria said softly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel guilty. I actually really like the life I have now.¡± No missions. No bloodshed. No scheming. And more money than she could ever spend. Aria genuinely liked her Caleb didn¡¯t have the courage to meet her gaze. He looked away, a bitter smile on his lips. ¡°These days I keep thinking¨Cif there hadn¡¯t been a switch at birth, maybe things would¡¯ve turned out differently.¡± ¡°No.¡± Aria said without hesitation. ¡°Everything happened the way it was meant to. I don¡¯t regret it.¡± Aria didn¡¯t really understand Silvia¨Cbut she didn¡¯t resent her either. The process had been messy, but the ending was okay, Just like today¨Cshe managed to grab the knife in time and save the girl who lunged at her And ck Rose had tried to kill her and failed, ending up being forced to help her find the one who ordered the hit. Again Marriage 59 Chapter 59 Being a Saxon came with perks. But it alth came with shackles. Thate being controlled,¡± Aria said Caleb knew she wasn¡¯t trying tofort him. Deep down, he understood this was just how it had to be, Even if Caleb found out where Aria had been during those missing ten years, it wouldn¡¯t change anything. There was nothing he could do. When Caleb got off the elevator, he ran into four familiar faces Logan, Zor, Silvia, and Nathan. Seeing him in such a wrecked state, all four were stunned, ¡°Caleb, what happened to you?¡± ¡°Are you here to see Aria? Caleb asked. Zoe nodded. ¡°It¡¯s your dad¡¯s fault Aria got hurt and didn¡¯t even tell me. I only found out when I got home. Did you see her? How¡¯s her hand? Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°She¡¯s resting now. No need to bother her.¡± Caleb walked past them, but Logan blocked his way. ¡°Caleb, apologize to your mom.¡± Caleb looked up, his tone calm. ¡°What exactly am I apologizing for?¡± Logan frowned, confused how a simple trip to the countryside had changed his son so much. ¡°You disappeared without a word and didn¡¯t check in with anyone. We¡¯ve all been worried sick, and now ¡°Dad,¡± Caleb cut him off. ¡°Didn¡¯t Jeffrey keep in touch with you?¡± Logan was at a loss for words. Caleb took a deep breath. He didn¡¯t want to take his anger out on his family, so he softened his tone. ¡°Aria likes peace and quiet. If all of you show up out of the blue, she won¡¯t befortable. After all, we never really cared that much before, did we?¡± Caleb said it with a self¨Cdeprecating smile, and no one had a thing to say in response. In the two years Aria had spent with the Cole family, aside from Caleb, no one had truly interacted with her. The tension was thick. Silvia stepped forward, gently tugging on his sleeve, her eyes a little red. ¡°Caleb¡­ you¡¯re really upset right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Caleb looked at the sister he shared no blood with, his expression conflicted. Caleb just couldn¡¯t look at her the same way anymore. ng to you?¡± Nathan caught the shift in Caleb¡¯s attitude right away and instantly thought of Aria. ¡°Did Aria say something Caleb nced at him coolly, voiceced with sarcasm. ¡°Someone listening to it might think you were Luke¡¯s son the way you always assume everything is Aria¡¯s fault.¡± It was the first time Caleb had ever snapped at him like that. Nathan¡¯s face darkened. Sensing Caleb¡¯s bad mood, Nathan didn¡¯t fight back. He muttered, ¡°Fine, she didn¡¯t. No need to bite my head off. As if Luke could have a son as good- looking as me.¡± Right now, it felt like (now, it felt like Caleb had a mountain pressing down on his chest. He was exhausted. Even thinking took effort. Zoe noticed something was off with Caleb. Her tone turned fum, ¡°Since Aria¡¯s fine, let¡¯s all head back.¡± Once a rift formed, it never really went away, no matter how many people pretended. Chapter 59 The five of them walked under the streetlights, each lost in their own thoughts. Ana stood on the balcony, watching their silhouettes fade Into the night. Then she pulled the curtains closed, Just as she sat down, Aria¡¯s phone rang. It was the manager of the s The sales office. ¡°Ms. Saxon, your apartment at Mayen Garden is ready to move in Last time, her tour had been interrupted. But Aria had gone back and visited again. The ce had a minimalist design and great soundproofing exactly what she wanted. even sketched out a renovation n on the spot and handed it to the Aria nned to turn the second floor into a training and research room. She¡¯d ev manager, which dyed the process. ¡°Would you like toe see it in person? We offer free moving services,¡± the manager asked. ¡°No need, I trust you. Can you move gym equipment too? There¡¯s a lot,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Of course,¡± the manager answered. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the address. Sorry to trouble you. The training room on the fourth floor has all my stuff. Not a single piece is to be left behind.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Caleb gave a small nod. Early the next morning, the manager personally led seven or eight employees to the Cole residence. Liam woke up to the noise. When he found out what was going on, his head throbbed in frustration. Then Liam called Aria immediately and snapped, ¡°Are you serious, Aria? You brought a whole crew to the house at the crack of dawn and woke up my grandfather!TM The manager calmly exined with a smile, ¡°Mr. Cole, this was my decision. Since you and Ms. Saxon are getting divorced, isn¡¯t it better to move her stuff out sooner?¡± The manager thought, ¡®Aria bought that apartment and even asked if credit was given to the staff member who helped her that day. ¡°She clearly has a good heart.¡± The manager was used to dealing with rich families and had heard plenty about the Cole family. He had zero sympathy for this cheating heir. Truthfully, he¡¯de early just to be petty. Aria said, ¡°Just let them move my things from the fourth floor.¡± Liam sneered. ¡°That equipment was bought with my money. What gives you the right to take it?¡± C Again Marriage 60 Chapter 60 Aria went silent for a moment. Liam thought she had been hit where it hurt. Then Liam was just about to press a lite harder when a coldugh came through the phone. Aria spoke un ¡°Liams, I¡¯ve never spent a single penny from the Cole family. In fact, every dime spent in that house came out of my own picket Liam let out a short, mockingugh. ¡°Wia, if you¡¯re gonna make stuff up, at least back it up. Do you even know how much the Cole family¡¯s annual expenses are? You paid for that? Please. The 150 million dors you scammed all went into the Cole Group. Where¡¯d you get money to support the family? Aria didn¡¯t bother arguing. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, go ask your grandpa. Or better yet, check with the Cole Group¡¯s ounting¡± Ana¡¯s voice was calm, steady, without the slightest hit of guilt. Liam pressed his lips together. ¡°Even if what you¡¯re saying is true, your money¡¯s dirty. What can your measly 15 million dors in engagement gifts even do? ¡°Idiot,¡± Aria said tly. Liam¡¯s eyes burned with fury, ¡°Arial¡± Liam inhaled deeply, then exhaled, telling himself not to stoop to her level ¡°Those pieces of equipment¨CI already had them refurbished for Hannah.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow, confused. ¡°She¡¯s not grossed out?¡± ¡°You think Hannah¡¯s like you? She doesn¡¯t waste money. She¡¯s strong, independent, smart, and clear¨Cheaded ¡°Liam started rattling on. ¡°Shut up,¡± Aria interrupted impatiently. ¡°If Hannah¡¯s fine with second¨Chand junk, good for her. I¡¯m not. Since she¡¯s already used them, pay me back the full price. The invoice¡¯s with Lucy.¡± Liam was just about to snap back, thinking the stuff had been used for two years¨Cno way it was still worth that much¨Cwhen Aria spoke again. Aria said, ¡°A future chairman of the Cole Group¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t even cough up 30 million dors?¡± Liam went quiet for half a second, frowning slightly, his voice tight. I have it.¡± ¡°Then wire it to me. ASAP¡± Right after she said that, Aria hung up without hesitation and shot over her bank ount info. Liam¡¯s face turned cold, his mood even worse. He pressed his temples, feeling the irritation surge up ¡°If had known it would end like this, I would¡¯ve just had a new set custom¨Cmade for Hannah, Liam thought. The manager had been waiting. Only after Aria texted her did he take the staff and leave. The living room went quiet. Liam massaged his temples again and called the finance department, getting straight to the point. ¡°How much money did the finance department send over for the Cole family¡¯s expenses these past two years?¡± The department head froze, blurting out, ¡°Uh¨CMr/Cole, we haven¡¯t sent anything. ¡°Since thest financial crisis, the Cole Group¡¯s been running at a loss. Bonus payouts for the board and employee year¨Cend sries have been put on hold. Things only started to get a little better affer Ms. Saxon took over.¡± Luam stiffened. ¡°The situation was that bad?¡± The department head almost rolled his eyes so hard they fell out. He muttered, ¡°We busted our asses at thepany just to get to where we are now. 1/2 10:10 ¡°And Mr. Cole just walled back from abroad and managed to drive Ms. Saxon away ¡°Now we¡¯ve lost several big partnerships, a bunch of employees have quil, and he still has the nerve to casually say, ¡°I didn¡¯t know things at Col were this bad¡± He seriously has no clue how hard it is to actually run a business! The department head forced a smile, ¡°Mr. Cole, if you really wanna understand the Cole Group¡¯s situation, you could honor us with a visit sometime¡± Liam didn¡¯t catch the sarcasm at all and praised him instead, ¡°Having you guys in charge really puts me at ease. Hearing this, the department head froze. Just destroy everything already,¡® he thought. After hanging up, Liam rubbed his forehead again. He honestly hadn¡¯t realized the Cole Group had been in such deep trouble two years ago. But now things were back on track. Liam could focus on his career. Still, thinking about that 30 million dors felt like swallowing a fly. Liam hated owing Aria anything. In the end, gritting his teeth, Liam emptied 30 million dors from his private stash and wired it to Aria¡¯s ount. AD Comment Again Marriage 61 As soon as the money arrived, Aria smiled faintly and contacted the store she¡¯d usedst time to custom¨Corder a brand new set of equipe?an?. At Larkridge High School, the dismissal bell rang. Valerin packed up her stuff and looked at Lily. ¡°Lily,e to my ¡°Okay, Ms. Gibbs Lily got up and followed her out. The ssroom exploded into noise, yoffied Someone muttered, ¡°Lily¡¯s dad almost killed Nathan¡¯s sister, and she¡¯s still showing up to ss like nothing happened. Coldhearted much?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she be considered Nathan¡¯s sister¡¯s savior, though? ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s weird. Lily looked like she knew her dad was gonna snap. She bolted so fast.¡± ¡°I was there. I can vouch¨Cit definitely looked like that.¡± The ss buzzed with gossip, basically suggesting that yesterday¡¯s whole thing had been staged by Lily and her dad, just to cozy up to the rich and powerful. Suddenly, Nathan shoved his chair back, the screech cutting through the noise like a knife. Nathan red hard at the loudest guy and stormed out, tossing back a cold line. ¡± you don¡¯t know what happened, shut the hell up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really like you. I don¡¯t want your help. I don¡¯t like you. Nathan could practically hear the words pounding in his head. Nathan cursed under his breath and kept walking until he found himself standing outside the teacher¡¯s office. Nathan muttered another curse and was about to turn away when Lily asked, ¡°Ms. Gibbs, can I ask for Nathan¡¯s sister¡¯s contact info? I need to return something to her.¡± *Nathan probably has it. You can ask him,¡± Valerie replied Lily asked again, ¡°You don¡¯t have it yourself?¡± ¨C No, I really don¡¯t,¡± Valerie said. Lilly said, ¡°Okay then.¡± The conversation stopped. Nathan quickly tiptoed away, scared he¡¯d be used of eavesdropping Nathan walked a few more steps, then turned back, humming a random tune and dragging his feet like he was just passing by. Lily got closer and closer. Then, they brushed past each other. Nathan stopped and turned to nce back. He thought maybe Lily would ask him for Aria¡¯s contact info¡­but she didn¡¯t, ¡®Maybe she thinks Aria and I have a terrible rtionship? It isn¡¯t great, sure¡­ but it isn¡¯t so bad that-¡°Nathan thought. Nathan paused. He thought he didn¡¯t even have Aria¡¯s WhatsApp. Pulling out his phone, Nathan opened a group chat, found Aria, and sent a friend request. Nathan murmured, ¡°She only came to the school because of me. It¡¯s normal to add her. Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m giving in After ss, Lily got back to the dorm. She didn¡¯t hit the books again. Instead, Lily climbed into bed, turned to face the wall, and shut her eyes, thinking about how to get Kathair to give It was winter. Snow nketed everything. Ten¨Cyear¨Cold Lily, dressed in thin clothes, shivered under a threadbare nket. The sound of a key turning the lock made Lily jerk in feat. She clutched the nket tighter, her small body trembling After a rustle of movement, the door was kicked open with force, Leon lifted the quilt and pulled her up. The stench of alcohol hit her like a punch, followed by the sting of a p and a string of cursos. ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t you heat the water? I bust my ass st day working and you can¡¯t even do that much?¡± Lily cried and shielded her head, exining through sobs, ¡°Dad, the power¡¯s out! I couldn¡¯t!¡± Loon kicked her hard, sending her crashing to the floor. ¡°You¡¯re just like your mom! Both of you wishing I was dead! She found herself a new man,ughing behind my back. What the hell was sheughing at? Huh? Answer mel¡± ps, punches, and kicks rained down on Lily. yaren¡¯t you talking now?¡± Leon kicked her again, rage twisting his face. ¡°Tell me, if I killed you, would shee back?¡± ¡°Why a Struggling to lift her head, Lily saw Leon storm into the kitchen. Terror jolted through her. Lily scrambled up and bolted toward the door. She didn¡¯t want to die. Through the snow and the night, the little girl ran barefoot, falling, getting back up, running again. Behind her, Leon¡¯s drunken curses echoed louder and louder, but the houses grew smaller and smaller, and finally, there were no more people in sight Then, Lily saw something she would never, ever forget. And she stopped dead in her tracks. Again Marriage 62 Chapter 62 Not far away, under a broken, rusty swing, a man¡¯s eyes bulged out of his head, his face hushed ugly mix of red and purple. He wed helplessly at the chain strangling his neck. Mouth wide open, he cried out in agony, ¡°Help met His legs dangled timply, knees bent and brushing the ground. He could have theed if he just stood up But he didn¡¯t. Why didn¡¯t he? Maybe it was because the streetlights were too bright, or maybe Lily¡¯s eyesight was just too good. Even though the man¡¯s face was twisted and grotesque, Lily still recognized him. He was themupt official who had embezzled money, ruining countless workers¡± families. ¡°Have you seen enough?¡± A cold, clear voice sliced through the night, as chilling as a frozenke in winter Stiffly, Lily turned her head and met a pair of striking eyes. Aria was smiling, but the smile was eerie and terrifying. The two stared at each other,pletely ignoring everything else around them. ¡°You little bitch, so here you are- Leon walked here. Leon had just caught sight of the scene when a stick flow through the air and smashed into him, knocking him out cold. Aria straightened up, the snow under her feet crunching with soft sounds do kill him?¡± Lily asked, ¡°Did you Aria chuckled and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it? He killed himself. It has nothing to do with me.¡± Then Aria kicked Leon¡¯s body lightly with her foot and asked, ¡°Is this your dad?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily answered. Aria asked, ¡°Was he holding a knife because he wanted to kill you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Caleb dropped his gaze, not wanting to appear too vulnerable in front of his sister. Aria chuckled. ¡°So he¡¯s a bad guy! Do you want me to kill him for you? It¡¯ll cost you three thousand dors¡± ven after witnessing something so horrifying and meeting this terrifying girl, Lily didn¡¯t feel afraid. She replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have any For some reason, ever money.¡± ¡°No money, huh?¡± Aria sighed regretfully. ¡°That¡¯s too bad, I already killed one bad guy for free. Can¡¯t do another one for free.¡± ¡°You said you didn¡¯t kill that man,¡± Lily said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about him,¡± Aria stared at her and smiled again. ¡°Poor thing.¡± Lily didn¡¯t say anything and asked, ¡°Since I say everything, are you going to kill me?¡± Aria bent down, lihed Lily¡¯s chin with two fingers, and clicked her tongue twice. ¡°I don¡¯t kill kids! But, you did see something you shouldn¡¯t have, and that¡¯s a little tricky.¡± $10: 11% THUNGSEN Aria pulled out a card from her pocket and stuffed it into Lily¡¯s cost. Her eyes turned told as she nced at Leen lying on the ground. Aria said, ¡°Here are your two options. First, there¡¯s 65 thousand dors on this card. Take the money and kill him. Second, I will both of yo ¡°Little girl, which one are you picking?¡± Lily¡¯s body was frozen stift. Her hands trembling, she clutched the card hidden in her coat. ¡°1 pick the first one.¡± ¡°Smart girl. The password is 123456. Don¡¯t let anyone steal it, alright?¡± club?¡± A answered. With that, Aria squatted down and did something quick, making hersell seen a few inches taller, Then Aria disappeared into the night without leaving a single footprint behind. Lily ran ver squatted down, and started frantically brushing snow over her own footprints, trying to cover everyst trace The whole time, Lily didn¡¯t dare nce even once at the swing. Not until every trace was gone did Lily turn to look at Leon. She picked up the stick, her eyes turned bloodshot, and raised it high above her head. In the end, she couldn¡¯t do it. Lily just knelt down and cried. After a while, she hid the bank card carefully, then dropped to her knees, pping Leon¡¯s face with her small hand. ¡°Dad! Someone¡¯s dead!¡± Leon woke up with a start and shoved her aside roughly. When he caught sight of the man hanging from the swing, he let out a terrified scream ¡°Dad!¡± Lily shouted at him. ¡°That guy¡¯s worth 150 thousand dors¡± Leon snapped back to reality. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Lily repeated what she had seen in a newspaper article. ¡°If you give the police information about this guy, there¡¯s a 150 thousand reward.¡± Leon grabbed her shoulders tightly. ¡°Just now, that girl¨Cyou saw her too, right? She¡¯s the one who killed him, isn¡¯t she?¡± re you weren¡¯t just seeing things? I didn¡¯t see anyone else,¡± Lily said, her teeth chattering from the cold. ¡°If someone else really was here, ¡°Dad, are you sure wouldn¡¯t she be the one to get the 100 thousand dors instead?¡± Hearing this, Leon suddenly got it. He said, ¡°Right, right, there was nobody else! No one at all!¡± Leon pulled Lily into a tight hug. ¡°You brought Dad here, good girl Leon nced nervously at the spot at where the girl had stood earlier. It was all white, nothing there, ? AD Comment Again Marriage 63 Chapter 63 Sa Leon kept telling himself he must¡¯ve imagined 1. Scared out of his mind, Leen clutched Lily tightly and pulled out his phone to call the polica, Lity woke up with a start, her forehead drenched in sweat. She fumbled about her phone it was only for a in Leon got that 150 thousand dors. He met some woman and started spending all his time fooling around, which meant he didn¡¯t beat Lily for quite al while. Later, when Lily grew older, Lean wanted to marry her off! Even after Lily begged, it didn¡¯t help. So she cossed him, saying if she got into a top university, there¡¯d be a schrship reward at least ten grand If Leon waited until she got epted, Lily promised he¡¯d get all the money. But Leon got more and more impatient. He didn¡¯t want to wait anymore. Desperate, Lily turned to her homeroom teacher for help and secretly transferred to Larkridge High School It was Aria who gave her the 65 thousand dors that kept her going till now. Unable to sleep, Lily moved carefully, getting out of bed without making a sound, At the Mandino City Police Department, Fryderyk, dressed in uniform, w was tiredly reying security footage over and over. His coworker, a young officer, looked puzzled. ¡°Tryderyk, why are you watching the footage again and again?¡± Fryderyk pressed his fingers against his brow, ¡°How did Lily figure out that her dad wanted to kill Aria?¡± ¡°Come on, that¡¯s her dad. Of course she knows him,¡± the young officer said. same questions ¡°Not just that,¡± Fryderyk shook his head, certain. ¡°They know each other, Go to her school. Bring Lily in. I have som ¡°Okay.¡± Caleb gave a small nod. Soon enough, Lily was brought to the station. Calmly, she recounted everything that had happened. Fryderyk asked, ¡°How did you realize your dad was trying to kill Aria?¡± Lily answered honestly, ¡°He¡¯s always cared a lot about appearances. He never acts crazy in public. Even when he came to school to find me, he always put on the act of a loving father. But that day, he wasn¡¯t himself. He was pretending to be insane, and he kept sneaking looks at Nathan¡¯s sister, getting closer and closer¡± Fryderyk continued, ¡°Do you know Aria?¡± Lily instinctively pressed her fingertips together and shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Fryderyk caught the little gesture, and made up his mind. He said, ¡°Then why did you look at her like you were reuniting with someone you a long time? Lily, you know Aria. And it¡¯s not just a casual acquaintance.¡± issed for The young officer couldn¡¯t take it anymore and jabbed Fryderyk¡¯s elbow. ¡°Captain Fletcher, she¡¯s just a high schooler, not a criminal. Ease up a little, you¡¯re scaring the poor kid.¡± 10 Chapter 63 Fryderyk shot him a nce. ¡°My tana¡¯s been fina.¡±¡° Sitting there obediently, Lily said, ¡°Officer, it was the first time I¡¯d seen someone that beautiful, I just got a little starstruck, ¡°Tell me, does knowing her have anything to do with charging my dad?¡± Fryderyk looked at her in surprise. The young officer quickly cleared his throat and said, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. Just regr procedure. Don¡¯t be scared? Lily pave a sweet little smile. ¡°Thank you!¡± Hearing this, the young officer nearly burst outughing, quickly biting his lip to hold it in Fryderyk didn¡¯t press about Aria anymore, Instead, he asked why she transferred to Larkridge High School behind Leon¡¯s back. Lily calmlyid out the truth, which made the young officer so furious he practically wanted to rush to the detention center and kick Leon¡¯s ass himself. ¡°Officer, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can check Lily rolled up her sleeves, showing the scars covering her arms. Old ones, new ones, bruises everywhere, shocking to see. Even Fryderyk felt a surge of anger in his chest. He said, ¡°I believe you. Why didn¡¯t you call the cops before?¡± Lily gave a bitter littleugh. ¡°I did. But what good did it do?¡± The room fell silent. After she finished her statement, the young officer personally drove Lily back to school, cursing Leon the whole way. Soon after, evidence of Leon¡¯s crimes was delivered to the station. And Fryderyk, face grim, headed for the interrogation room. ¡°You still refusing to talk?¡± Fryderyk said coldly, Leon, his hands cuffed, snapped irritably, ¡°I already told you, I was just swinging the knife around: Besides, all I did was cut her hand. Why the hell am still locked up?¡± Fryderyk sneered and tossed a pile of evidence from the Saxon family in front of him. ¡°Prostitution, assault, child abuse, trafficking minors, attempted murder¡­Leon, these charges are enough to keep you rotting behind bars for the rest of your life. ¡°Not to mention¨Cyou hurt the Saxon family¡¯s daughter. You really think they¡¯re gonna let you off easy?¡± With that, Fryderyk got up to leave. Panic gripped Leon. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. ¡°Wait¨Cwait a second! I remember now! I remember! Aria¡­ she¡¯s a murderer!¡± ? Again Marriage 64 Chapter 64 Fryderyk¡¯s mind went nk with a loud buzz. He stopped in his tracks. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Leon, as if grabbing onto a lifeline, trembled slightly as excement filled his voice, ¡°saw her kill someone. I was so scared stabbed without thinking¡± ¡°Who did she kill?¡± Fryderyk asked. ¡°Den, the corrupt director from Welenting City,¡± Leon answered immediately. ¡°Seven years ago, my daughter and were the first ones on the scene letail from that night. Even though it had been years, Leon remembered every detail Leon muttered, ¡°No wonder that little brat ran out to shield her. They must have known each other for a long time? It hit Leon then¨CLily had deliberately led him to misinterpret everything that night. Overwhelmed by excitement, Lean recounted everything in vivid detail, not skipping a single moment. ¡°So, you see herce clearly? You didn¡¯t actually witness her killing him?¡± Fryderyk asked after hearing him out. didn¡¯t see Leon hadn¡¯t seen the woman¡¯s face clearly that night, but Lily¡¯s reaction had convinced him it was her So Leon insisted, ¡°I saw it clearly¡± Fryderyk stared at him, his gaze turning cold. ¡°Leon, this isn¡¯t a reason for you to try to kill Aria. You need to understand one thing if you lie under oath, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯ll end up convicted. If you cooperate with the investigation and help us find out the truth, you might get your sentence reduced.¡± Leon hesitated for a full five minutes before finally nodding. ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll talk¡± The young officer followed behind him, notebook in hand. ¡°Captain Fletcher, what¡¯s our next move?¡± ¡°First, pull the files from that old case,¡± Fryderyk answered. ¡°Start digging into Aria¡¯s background quietly. Focus especially on Lily¡¯s spending records.¡± ¡°What about the woman who hired Leon to kill Aria?¡± the young officer asked. ording to Leon, a woman all wrapped up in clothing had handed him 16 thousand dors in cash upfront, promising another 300 thousand dors after the job was done. Fryderyk pressed a hand against his brow. ¡°Let the Saxon family handle that part¡± The young officer quickly agreed, then after a moment, sighed heavily. ¡°Captain¡¯s aunt is your actual aunt by marriage. If they find out you¡¯re investigating Aria as a suspect in Den¡¯s case¡­ you might not be able to your face at home anymore.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s innocent, I¡¯ll personally go to the Saron family and apologize,¡± Fryderyk said calmly. ¡°But if she really did kill Den, thew would deal with her. Fryderyk added, ¡°Keep this quiet. No leaking anything outside, She¡¯s about to file for divorce soon,¡± ¡°Got it, Captain Fletcher,¡± the young officer said, Daniel had believed that if someone like Aria, an outsider, could master thepany¡¯s operations within two short months, then his grand surely do no worse. That was until the board called him. Only then did Daniel realize Liam had never once stepped foot inside thepany. Daniel swallowed his anger and dialed. ¡°Where are you right now?¡± Grandpa, I¡¯m at Hannahh ce,¡± Liam answered. Daniel¡¯s temples throbbed with fury. He pped his desk hard. ¡°How long has it been since you went to thepany?¡± Liam frore for a second, ¡°Grandpa, I studied medicine. I don¡¯t know how to manage apany. As long as Uncle¡¯s there, it¡¯s fine.¡± As Daniel had feared¨CLiam hadn¡¯t even tried to show up. Daniel forced himself to calm down. ¡°Aria pulled the Saxon Group out of the coboration. The project in Northside? The Hayes Group specifically demanded Aria¡¯s signature or they¡¯d refuse to let us participate, The Stars Group is willing to lose 25 million dors in penalties just to cancel the medical robots project with us, Again Marriage 65 Chapter 65 ¡°Thepany¡¯s aplete mess right now. As the sessor, you don¡¯t even have a clue. The board¡¯s ma strip you of your heir status and pick someone else.¡± Back when Daniel still ran the show, the shareholders tolerated Liam holding a symbolic title, But once Daniel stepped back, Aris filled the vold, pulled the Cole Group back from the brink, and led it to new heights. Now that Aria was gone, crisis after crisis hit¨Cand no And no one was willing to let Liam keep holding the title without actually doing any work. Shocked, Liam jumped to his feet. ¡°What does any of this have to do with me?¡± Liam thought, ¡°The Cole Group belongs to my family. Even if I don¡¯t get involved, nobody else has the right to take away my position. ¡°How does Aria¡¯s departure have nothing to do with you?¡± Daniel was furious. He had anticipated trouble once Aria left, but not to this extent. Partnerships were about mutual benefit. Losing Aria shouldn¡¯t have impacted the actual profits. Even with the Saxon Group backing out, there should have been others willing to step in. Daniel simply couldn¡¯t believe one person could have this much influence. But the facts were staring him in the face. ¡°You better figure out a way to fix this,¡± Daniel warned. ¡°Or you go beg Aria toe back.¡± With that, Daniel hung up. Liam¡¯s face darkened. But Hannah immediately pieced everything together. She said, ¡°As soon as Aria left, all this chaos broke out. She must have sabotaged you. She let so easily because she know you¡¯d have to crawl back to her. ¡°As for the Saxon Group¡¯s project, my dad¡¯s interested in it. He can fill the gap. The medical robots project was risky anyway. If it¡¯s gone, it¡¯s gone. Tomorrow, just go back to work. As for the Hayes Group¡¯s project¡­¡± Hannah thought for a moment and continued, ¡°That project doesn¡¯t start for a few more months. No need to panic. Plus, in one month, Benjamin tums eighty. He¡¯s a huge fan of painting. If you can gift him an authentic piece by Mono, you¡¯ll definitely lock down the partnership.¡± Liam sighed. ¡°Mono¡¯s retired for years. His works are rarer than he is, Even if we find one, it would have to go to the professors handling my licensing first,¡± In Liam¡¯s mind, his future came before the family business. Hannah nodded in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s always a way. I chose you, Liam. No matter how hard it gets, I¡¯ll stick with you.¡± Liam felt a wave of gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Hannah.¡± Talking about Mono triggered a memory, Liam suddenly thought about the three paintings Aria had left in the guest room. medical When Liam posted photos of them online, people offered millions for them, convinced they were authentic, no matter how much he insisted otherwise. Thinking it over, Liam said, ¡°Hannah, Aria left three paintings at the Cole Manor. They look a lot like Mono¡¯s originals.¡± Hannah snorted. ¡°No way. How could she possibly have authentic pieces from Mono? And three of them, no less? They¡¯re obviously fake. She¡¯s the type to sh fake art around just to show off. Definitely something she would do. Let me handle those paintings for you,¡± Something else crossed her mind, and Hannah added, ¡°Actually, better not. She might¡¯ve left them on purpose. If the paintings disappear im they were real and demandpensation. That could get messy. suld ¡°Tomorrow, just focus on going to thepany. If Aria could make the board happy without even a real degree, you definitely can too.¡± Lishi gavo a estall nod, ¡°yeah.¡±/ As the designated heli, Liam hadn¡¯t skipped any of the necessary courses. Even after two years he was confident he could catch DUTY AD Again Marriage 66 Chapter 66 Early the next inbring. Liam stepped through the main doors of Cole Group. Employees bristled past him, barely sparing ko Liam lightly coughed into his right fist, but still, no one paid him any attention. Are they really this busy? Liam thought, puzzled. He rade the elevator down and ran right into a woman dressed in a skirt and cks, The woman gave him a polite smille, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Cole. You¡¯re here.¡± Liam nodded, his gaze quickly sweeping over her outfit. ¡°hurt the Cole Group supposed to have a uniform dress code? The woman replied, ¡°Ms. Saxon said everyone should be treated equally. Employees can choose between skirts or cks Liam grunted and nodded. Then he asked, ¡°And you Are?¡± Grace replied, ¡°Mr. Cole, I¡¯m Grace Webb, Ms. Saxon¡¯s assistant, stant, I¡¯ve already prepared ¡°Good. Just stay by my side for now,¡± Liam interrupted without hesitation. Cut off mid¨Csentence, Grace didn¡¯t push it. Soon, Liam headed straight into the familiar office and immediately noticed the towering stacks of documents waiting for him. Grace exined, ¡°Mr. Cole, the board asked me to pass these to you. You¡¯re expected to finish reading them in five days and get up to speed on everything from the past two years.¡± Liam frowned. ¡°Now that Saxon Group has pulled out, the top priority should be bringing Gibson Group in. Go prepare the rted materials talk to them myself.¡± Grace responded, ¡°That project won¡¯t benefit from Gibson Group at all. The board has already decided to partner with the Fletcher Group.¡± Liam asked, ¡°The Gibson Group is still a leadingpany. How would bringing them in not help?¡± Grace said, ¡°Mr. Cole, once you go through these materials, you¡¯ll understand why.¡± Clearly displeased, Liam muttered, ¡°This much in five days? What do they think I am, a robot?¡± Keeping a professional smile, Grace answered, ¡°If it were Ms. Saxon, she would¡¯ve finished it in two days¡± ¡°You seriouslyparing me to her?¡± Liam sneered. Grace added, ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Cole, Ms. Saxon is truly exceptional. She handled work and studied simultaneously, leading Cole Group through a crisis in just six months. Not everyone can do that.¡± Bang! ¡°Get out!¡± Liam barked, ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily answered. Once her handover was done, Grace was out of Here. After the door closed, Liam sat down with a dark expression and picked up a document Ten minutes! Later, Liam was massaging his temples, then opened hisptop and reviewed basic business terms he had saved before. After an hour, Liam got up, file in hand, and walked to the window to clear his head. All that data stuffed into his brain at once felt like a jumbled mess Finally, when the workday ended, Liam felt a rush of freedom. He quickly packed up and headed out. Grace was already waiting by the door. ¡°Mr. Cole, are you heading to the cafeteria for dinner?¡± she asked. ¡°it¡¯s after work hours. I¡¯m going home,¡± Liam said bluntly. Grace continued, ¡°The board has set a task schedule for you. If you finish your tasks on time, you can leave on schedule.¡± The schedule sat right on his desk. Liam had seen it and found it absurd. He said, ¡°if you guys want to work overtime, that¡¯s your problem. Get out of my way Grace stepped back. ¡°Mr. Cole, the workload they assigned to Ms. Saxon was intre than double yours, and she managed toplete it.¡± When Aria first took over, the board had deliberately made things difficult, throwing the hardest projects at her During that time, Aria lived in the office, sleeping only four or five hours a night. Through sheer ability, Aria had earned everyone¡¯s respect. And Grace was one of those people. Liam gave a short, mockingugh. ¡°How much did Aria pay you to keep singing her praises?¡± Grace replied calmly, ¡°Since Ms. Saxon left, I haven¡¯t had any contact with her.¡± ¡°You take Cole Group¡¯s paycheck but your heart belongs to the Saxon family,¡± Liam said coldly. ¡°Does she even know how loyal you are?¡± Hearing this, Grace couldn¡¯t even fake a smile anymore. She said, ¡°Mr. Cole, I submitted my resignation a month ago. My handover is alreadyplete. It was the board that asked me to stay an extra month.¡± AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 67 Chapter 67 Since you¡¯re done handing over, just leave. No need to stick around, Liam said as he strode past, the sharp dicks of his feather shoes onl unpleasantly in the hallway Grace couldn¡¯t have asked for better. She immediately went to the board to report in, ignored anyone trying to stop her, packed her things, and of let the Cole Group. Meanwhile, Daniel received another call from the board. George said, ¡°Liam doesn¡¯t even understand thepany¡¯s current projects and still has the nerve to say Gibson Group can rece Saxon Group! He¡¯s already lost several major cotiorations, Everyone else is pulling overtime, and he just clocks out at five on the dot, refusing to stay!¡± George was so furious he was shouting and mming the table, his face red and his veins bulging George continued, ¡°We paid a fortune to recruit Grace from overseas to support Aria, Liam forced Aria out with that divorce¨Cwe let that go. ¡°When Grace resigned, we begged her to stay another month to help Liam. And he just kicked her out if he wasn¡¯t your grandson, we wouldn¡¯t even consider him qualified to inherit the Cole Group!¡± Daniel, proud of his bones, hated being looked down on. But under these circumstances, he could only swallow his anger. Daniel said finally, ¡°I¡¯lle to the office tomorrow and train him myself if he can¡¯t meet the board s standards, I¡¯ll no longer meddle in the heir matter.¡± Hearing this, George softened his tone and said a few kind words about Liam before hanging up. For the next week straight, Liam worked under Daniel¡¯s watchful eye, pulling overtime every night to finish all the materials the board had prepared. Without any decent rest, Liam looked absolutely drained, like he¡¯d aged several years. ¡°Grandpa, you didn¡¯t push Aria this hard. Why are you picking on me?¡± Liam muttered. Daniel kept a stone¨Ccold face. ¡°Because she was smart and hardworking. If I hadn¡¯t seen her potential, do you think I would¡¯ve agreed to that marriage? ¡°She barely started and already resolved thepany¡¯s crisis, secured multiple partnerships, and convinced the board to back her if it weren¡¯t for your crush on that girl from the Gibson family, I wouldn¡¯t have to be hery teaching you now.¡± Liam froze, confused. ¡°Was it really Aria who fixed thepany¡¯s problems? I thought the board tolerated her because she was Mrs. Cole.¡± Daniel scoffed. ¡°That bunch of old fossils won¡¯t even acknowledge you. You think a title like ¡®Mrs. Cole¡® could make them bow their heads!¡± Aria¡¯s talent and abilities were so exceptional that even Daniel had to admit it. Still, Aria couldn¡¯t stand Liam keeping another woman. That little jealousy made Daniel doubt whether she could achieve greatness in the future. Daniel tossed a book onto the table. ¡°Here. This is something Aria used to study.¡± Liam opened it and blinked in shock. ¡°it¡¯s¡­ all in Erennian?¡± The pages were filled with notes too¨Calso in Eregnian. Liam recognized her handwriting a little messy but still readable from the time they signed the marriage license. ¡°Grandpa, didn¡¯t Aria never go to school?¡± Lian asked. Daniel shot him a look like he was the dumbest map alive. ¡°You think someone without an education could lead a ? ¡°Could even understand this level of technical Erennian? That girl¡¯s no ordinary woman¡± 40:77 Thu,zy May: Aria¡¯s pride and independence made her hard to control. That¡¯s why Daniel had made her sign a prenup before handing her Cole Group¡¯s future Now, with the Saxon and Cole families estranged, Daniel figured maybe it wasn¡¯t a bad thing to push Liam hard and see if he could finally grow up Daniel said sternly, ¡°Whatever she managed to do, you must be able to do too. Don¡¯t embarrass me in front of the board!¡° After Daniel left, Liam wandered into Aria¡¯s old office and found another book from Erennd, filled with more handwritten notes. ¡®She even knows Erennian?¡± Liam was stunned. Aria had hidden far more skills than he ever imagined. As more key employees resigned one after another, Daniel called for a shareholders¡® meeting, ¡°Aria still holds shares in Cole Group. Inform her she needs to attend,¡± Daniel ordered. After getting the call, Aria soon received a message from the chief assistant. [Ms. Saxon, after you left, a lot of employees resigned too. Mr. Cole thinks you¡¯re behind it. He called this meeting specifically y to make things hard for you. Please be careful.] O AD Again Marriage 68 Chapter 68 The moment Aria stepped into thepany, the employen chat blew up. [Guys, Ms. Son is here! She¡¯s wearing casual clothes¨CI almost didn¡¯t recognize her.) (Ms. Saxon is only twenty two, you know, just the age when most people graduate college. She should be full of youth and energy I A had been at Cole Group for two years. She was almost always seen in a suit, giving off a calm and mature vibe that made people forget just how young she really was Someone asked, Hey, about that rumar¡­ Did Ms. Saxon really s y scam 150 million dors?[ [No way! Don¡¯t listen to that nonsense, we all know better. When she first joined, she didn¡¯t even know much about the business. But in just one month she got the hang of it. In six months, she pulled thepany out of a financial crisis and locked in two major deals. With learning skills like that, why wouldn¡¯t she be able to earn 150 million dors? [Exactly. And don¡¯t forget that Ms. Saxon from the Saxon family. No college degree doesn¡¯t mean she doesn¡¯t study. Some things are just in the genes. Ding! The elevator reached the top floor. As Aria walked out, she immediately picked up on the heavy atmosphere in the air. Ana stepped into the conference room. Around the long table, all the board members were staring at her, surprised. At the head of the table sat Daniel, face stern, eyes cold, his disapproval clear/ On Daniel¡¯s right sat Liam. He gave Aria a brief nce and said, voice cutting cold, ¡°Ms. Saxon, since you¡¯re part of Cole Group, you should be following ourpany dress code.¡± The room fellpletely silent. One was their former boss, and the other was the new newly appointed heir who had only taken over a little more than ten days ago. And even juicier¨Cthey were husband and wife, currently going through a divorce. The executives stayed silent, watching the drama unfold with barely concealed curiosity. There was only one empty seat left, all the way at the end of the table¡ªa ring reminder of her fall in status. Anyone else would¡¯ve struggled with the humiliation. But Aria was not just anyone Aria sat down calmly and asked, ¡°What exactly is the dress code requirement, Mr. Cole? Only suits count as appropriate attire?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Leaningzily against the back of her chair, Aria draped one hand over the armrest, her whole attitude nonchnt. Liam nced at his grandfather, then tapped his fingers twice on a list ced in front of him, the resignation list, before questioning her, ¡°if you¡¯re nning to leave, why are you dragging thepany employees with you!¡± With that, Liam shoved the paper toward her. ¡°Seven or eight employees have already resigned. Three of them were crucial to the tech department¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°So? What¡¯s that got to do with me?¡± Liam was clearly provoked by her easy tone. He mmed his palm on the table. ¡°You leave, they leave! Who else could it be because of Aria asked coolly, ¡°Where¡¯s your evidence?? Liam snapped back, ¡°It¡¯s right in front of us! What more proof do you need?¡± 1/2 Aria answered just as coolly, ¡°The 150 million dor investment and the deshares are out in the open too. Why are you all trying in de The board members shifted ufortably, ncing back and forth between the twyd. Lam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°We¡¯re talking about employees here. Stop changing the subject¡± Ariaughed lightly, sarcasmced through her voice. ¡°And here thought it was something serious. Your really gathered all these people for this Don¡¯t you guys have anything better to do?¡± Silently, the board members agreed in their hearts. Aria went on. ¡°When a problemes up, instead of looking at yourselves first, you me others. Liam, you¡¯re not even fit to be a doctor, let alone a president.¡± E Again Marriage 69 Chapter 69 Lian¡¯s face stiffened immediately. His proudest achievement was being a doctor, Aria¡¯s words hit him right where it hurt, Liam¡¯s face turned dark, his expression stormy. ¡°You have no right to judge me, you fraud.¡± The more Liars thought about it, the more convinced he became that Aria had deceived him. Back then, Liam hadn¡¯t cared that Aria grew up in the countryside, didn¡¯t mind that she didn¡¯t have a college degren Liam had been sincere about spending his life with her. But Aria had hidden everything, never giving any exnation. Now Liam fully believed Hannah¡¯s theory¨CAria had targeted the Cole family from the beginning, hiding her abilities to make them let down their guard. If it hadn¡¯t been for Hannah¡¯s timely warning, Aria might¡¯ve emptied out the entire Cole Group. The air was thick with tension. Their gazes shed¨Cone calm and aloof, withzy contempt in her eyes, the other furious and cold, ready to explode Daniel coughed lightly, breaking the standoff. He looked at Aria and sighed. ¡°Aris, you and Liam were just not meant to be. I can¡¯t force it- Aria cut him off with a mocking snort. ¡°When exactly did I ever need you to force anything?¡± The board members immediately stopped pretending to watch the show. Some sipped water, some looked down at their notes, others started fake conversations. It was one thing for Aria to stand up to Liam. But to talk back to Daniel himself? That was a whole new level Daniel¡¯s face instantly turned icy, his hand tightening around his cane to keep himself from losing itpletely. The anger boiling inside Daniel left no room for politeness anymore. He said, ¡°You grew up in the countryside, didn¡¯t learn how to respect your elders. I understand. I won¡¯t hold it against you.¡± Aria said coolly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to call yourself my grandfather, Mr. Cole. I don¡¯t have many hobbies, but money is one of them. If you want to steal my money, you¡¯re my enemy. Liam couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He used her. ¡°Aria, that 150 million dors you invested came from fraud! There¡¯s no way we¡¯re giving it back to you. Grandpa¡¯s been more than kind to you these two years, so show so he respect.¡± Aria crossed her arms and askedrity. ¡°Which part of what I said was disrespectful, Mr. Cole? Liam wanted to fire back but had no idea where to start. Daniel took over. ¡°If you insist on being stubborn, don¡¯t me me for paying a visit to your grandfather.¡± ¡°Idiot,¡± Aria said tly. ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Aria said tly. Daniel¡¯s face hardened, ¡°You¡¯re impossible.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re disgraceful,¡± Aria replied. ¡°You little brat!¡± Daniel shot up from his chair, furious. ¡°if I had known how stubborn you were, I never would¡¯ve let you marry Liam!¡± Aria her arms. ¡°Right. I should¡¯ve just let the Cole Group go bankrupt back then.¡± Liam immediately snapped back, ¡°You act like you saved the wholepany! The Cole Group would¡¯ve survived without you!¡± Chapter 69 Aria sneered. ¡°Ask the board. Without me, would the Cole Group have really made it through?¡°¡± Liam¡¯s eyes swept over the board members. One by one, they quickly looked away, pretending to be busy with documents. A couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste any more time. She stood up. ¡°Unless it¡¯s important, don¡¯t bother me again, Court¡¯s in a week. Don¡¯t bete? Everyone watched silently as Aria walked away. Back at the apartment, Liam barely got through the door before he saw Hannah hurrying toward him. He couldn¡¯t wait to tell her about what happened earlier, But Hannah beat him to it. She said, ¡°Delh just called me. Aria¡¯s now a suspect in a murder case. The police have officially opened an investigation,¡± Liam froze, his voice filled with disbelief. ¡°Murder? Dd id they have any evidence?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Hannah replied, her eyes shing coldly. ¡°But there¡¯s a witness. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they find hard proof.¡± ? Again Marriage 70 No Ads Chapter 70 Liam was startled, Mateo, here¡¯s the prenuptial agreement and the medical report of the housekeeper who got assaulted. ¡°This is also evidence that her adoptive parents sold her off as a child. A witness has agreed to testify in court if it¡¯s not absolutely necessary, I¡¯d rather not bring this out¡± Selling a kid off as a child was disgraceful. As long as Aria didn¡¯t push too far, Liam didn¡¯t want to expose it either. Mateo flipped through the documents, his frown deepening by the second. ¡°The other party isn¡¯t asking to split your assets. This prenup is basically useless. ¡°The injury report can be used as evidence of her violent behavior. But where¡¯s the actual proof she assaulted someone?¡± Liam froze. ¡°in¡¯t this enough?¡± Mateo shook his head. ¡°Of course not. Your housekeeper got hurt. Just saying she hit her isn¡¯t enough. Where¡¯s the evidence?¡± Liam replied, ¡°My bad, I didn¡¯t prepare everything. I¡¯ll have the butler pull the security footage.¡± Mateo nodded, then asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the money she used for investing came from fraud? Do you have evidence ready?¡± Liam answered, ¡°They¡¯re the ones suing. Shouldn¡¯t they have to provide evidence? Don¡¯t worry, Mateo, there¡¯s no way she can prove she got that money legally.¡± Mateo exined, ¡°Mr. Cole, she invested and owns shares¨Cthat¡¯s a fact. If you think shemitted fraud and you don¡¯t want her to take the shares, you have to prove it. It¡¯s not up to her to prove she deserves to keep them.¡± Liam added, ¡°She invested after we got married. The shares belong to the Cole family.¡± Mateo replied, ¡°Anything gained during a marriage counts as marital property. The initial 150 million dors she put in is hers, but the profits¨Cdividends. stock sales¨Care marital property. The problem is¡­¡± Mateo gave him a weird look. ¡°This prenup says that all personal and marital assets remain separate. You two have no joint property. you want her shares or the profits from them, you¡¯d have to invalidate the prenup. But if you do that, she can also ask to split your assets¡± ¡°As for this so¨Ccalled ¡®child contract, buying and selling children is a crime. If this is true, both sides could face criminal charges. You giving me this contract¡­¡± Mateo trailed off, his eyes glinting with a hint of contempt, guessing Liam probably wanted to smear Aria for being married twice. Mateo continued, ¡°You swore up and down she was a fraudster, married you under false pretenses, and was violent. I thought you guys had solid evidence. Now the trial¡¯s about to start. ¡°Mr. Cole, hate to break it to you, but you¡¯re probably going to lose.¡± Mateo had seen plenty of rich men who wanted to dump their wives ather bing sucessful and were reluctant to share assets But Mateo had never met one who, after signing a p a prenup, wanted to grab his wife¡¯s assets too ¡°This¡¯s definitely a new low. If I had known it would be like this, I never would¡¯ve taken the case, Mate thought Chapter 70: Thinking about how confident the otherwyer was, Mateo fallpletely humiliated now There were better ways to handle this, but Mateo wasn¡¯t the kind of giry to stoop that low. Liam hadn¡¯t expected things to be thisplicated. His Ince darkened. ¡°No wonder Aris was so quick to sign that prenup. She was nning for this along¡± Mateo stayed silent. He really didn¡¯t get how rich people¡¯s brains worked. AD Again Marriage 71 Chapter 71 ¡°Mateo, even if I get evidence of Aria assaulting someone, it¡¯s not going to help much with thewsun?¡± Liam asked. Mateo shook his head. ¡°I help, but not enough. On the surface, you¡¯re still the one at fault. By the way, how¡¯s your ex¨Cwife¡¯swyer? Good!¡± If it was just seme averagewyer, Mateo wouldn¡¯t be this worried. Thinking that, he took a sip of water. ¡°It¡¯s Owen Shaw, Liam said. P¨CMateo spat the water out all over the ce. ¡°Owen Shaw?!¡± Meanwhile, Jackson rushed back to the police stalk station, panting and holding a file. ¡°Captain Fletcher We found something!¡± Fryderyk took it from him. Jackson wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°Lily had a bank card with 65 thousand dors in it. Over the years, she only spent about seven thousand dors. The card was originally issued to some old guy who had been dead for over ten years. His family willingly sold the card.¡± ¡°What about Aria¡¯s information?¡± Fryderyk asked. Jackson answered, ¡°It¡¯s been wiped. There¡¯s no trace. I went to the vige where she grew up. They only said she went missing when she was ten and came back two years ago. After that, she returned to the Saxon family. The vigers are super wary and didn¡¯t want to say more.¡± ¡°Ten years old and disappeared? Then found herself? Isn¡¯t Aria supposed to have grown up in the countryside? Does the Saxons know about this?¡± Fryderyk frowned. Things were getting way moreplicated ¡°Aria¡¯s trial is today. Once it¡¯s over, detain her!¡± Fryderyk said as he walked toward the break room. ¡°Get ready. We¡¯re heading to court.¡± ¡°All members of the audience, please remain silent. The court rules are now being read¡­¡± In the gallery, Fryderyk fixed his gaze on Aria, studying her closely Caleb noticed and frowned. ¡°Fryderyk, what¡¯s with the look you¡¯re giving my sister?¡± Pulled out of his thoughts, Fryderyk nced over. ¡°What look?¡± Like looking at a criminal,¡± Caleb thought. Caleb had known Fryderyk since they were kids, so he understood him pretty well. Him showing up here today was really weird. Besides, Fryderyk brought another cop. He definitely wasn¡¯t here as family. Caleb stared at him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Since they were nning to detain Aria anyway, Fryderyk wasn¡¯t going to hide it. But the courtroom wasn¡¯t the ce to exin everything ¡°I tell you after it¡¯s over,¡± Fryderyk said, Caleb¡¯s heart sank. He had a bad feeling. Pushing down his anxiety, he looked up at the judge. The judge asked, ¡°Defendant, did you hear and understand the intiff¡¯s demands?¡± 10:13 Thu 29 MBy Lam nodded. ¡°Yes, Your Honor, I agree with the intiff¡¯s requests and ask for mediation¡± Instantly, the whole courtroom fell into stunned silence. Daniel almost jumped to his fort in shock, Hannah quickly grabbed his arm and whispered, ¡°Grandpa, we thought this through, We¡¯ll exin everyming after it¡¯s over¡± With that, Hannah nced at Fryderyk sitting up front, her suspicions growing stronger, Daniel¡¯s face turned red with anger. No way could he calm down. Before the trial, Liam had promised Daniel everything was set, that they would definitely win. So Daniel had already moved all the family assets. Worst¨Ccase scenario, the prenup would get thrown out, and they¡¯d have to divide property again, But Liam just agreed to Aria¡¯s requests without a fighti Daniel regretted trusting Liam so much, thinking he¡¯d figure it out. The judge looked over at Aria. ¡°Does the intiff agree to mediation?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Aria said.. Owen lifted his head slightly, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. When Owen¡¯s gaze met Mateo¡¯s, Mateo gave him a sheepish but respectful smile. Since both sides agreed, the mediation went smoothly. Aber signing the written agreement, Aria withdrew herwsuit. And they scheduled to file for divorce registration the following Monday, Walking next to her, Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah,¡± Owen leaned down slightly and said, ¡°Did Liam suddenly agree to your terms?¡± ¡°There might be somethinging. Stay alert,¡± Owen said. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Shaw, Aria replied. As the Cole family members left, Fryderyk walked up. ¡°Aria, you need toe with us to the station!¡± AD Again Marriage 72 Chapter 72 That sentence sesshilly made Owen stop in his tracks Fryderyk answered. ¡°Someone used you of murdering Den, the corrupt official from Welentino City, seven years ago. We need you to with the investigation¡± The Den case had made huge waves back then, involving a wide web of people. The main culprit had seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind. All kinds of theories surfaced, and the case stayed in the public eye for a long time. Later, the police found it was the work of a group. The people who helped Den escape weren¡¯t simple either. They had nned to dig deeper and root them all out But then Den suddenly died¨Capparently by suicide. With the clues he left behind, the authorities quickly recovered the stolen money andpensated the victims familles. The whole process went surprisingly smooth. All the evidence pointed to suicide. Den¡¯s death cut off the trail, and the case had to be temporarily closed. Fryderyk had known about the case, though he hadn¡¯t been part of the investigation team. It just happened that the new cluended in his hands. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Caleb was still stunned hearing this. He found it absurd, and immediately stepped in front of Aria, Laughing out of anger. ¡°Fryderyk, my sister was fifteen seven years ago! ¡°A fifteen¨Cyear¨Cold girl killing a man in his forties? Are you kidding me?¡± Fryderyk also thought it was unlikely, but Aria had disappeared for ten years, and the timeline fit a little too well. Den deserved to die a hundred times over, but the people behind him had yet to face justice. Now that Aria hade into the picture, Fryderyk wasn¡¯t willing to just let it go. Unfortunately, the Fryderyk and Saxon families were tied by marriage. Therefore, offending the Saxons was inevitable. Fryderyk said. ¡°Someone made an usation. We have to investigate whether she was involved.¡±¡° Caleb looked like he still wanted to argue, but Aria pressed his hand down. She said, ¡°Caleb, help me handle the Cole Group shares. Gat them transferred and converted into cash as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the less they¡¯ll be worth.¡± Both men turned to look at Aria, falling silent. At a time like this, she was still worried about business? After a moment, Aria looked at Owen and added, ¡°Mr. Shaw, I¡¯ll have to trouble you again.¡± Owen¡¯s brow moved slightly. He nodded. ¡°Ms. Saxon, don¡¯t worry.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Are we leaving now!¡± Watching this scene, Fryderyk couldn¡¯t help feeling a little thrown off by how smoothly they were cooperating. Jackson raised his hand. ¡°Hold on, go get the car Owen¡¯s assistant had already driven up. Before getting into the car, Owen looked at Aria and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, the retainer you paid me was pretty generous. I didn¡¯t do much in the end. If you ever need help again, just call me. No charge* Fryderyk lifted his eyes in surprise, ncing at the man standing by the car. 1/2 The Shaw family had six branches, and the inain house was based in Kanit City. Their businesses spanned the globe. The second branch, Owen¡¯s branch, had been the least favored. They split off early and came to Mandino City, building their fortune from scratch. They had taken a dyingpany and turned it into one of the city¡¯smercial giants. Alden, the second patriarch, had only two grandsons: Kim and Owen. Kim, head of the Shaw Group, had shown an extraordinary business sense from a young age, growing up under Alden¡¯s wing Kim was known for being ruthless, sharp, calcting, and merciless. He tapped the list of opponents that every majorpany feared the most. G Again Marriage 73 Send gift Chapter 73 Unlike Kim, Owen stayed so low¨Ckey it was like he didn¡¯t exist until he made a name for himself in a major criminal defense case, sending Ha?c, the te patriarch, to prison, earning the title ¡°Cold¨CFaced Judge.¡± Since then, people no longer called him ¡°Kim¡¯s brother,¡± but ¡°Mr. Show Fryderyk wondered, ¡®Are Owen and A close?¡® By the time Jackson pulled the car up, Owen had already left. Fryderyk snapped back to reality, opened the rear door, and said, ¡°Aher you.¡± Caleb¡¯s expression looked pretty sour, but Aria remained calm. She said softly, ¡°Caleb, I¡¯ll be back by tomorrow at thetest¡± Caleb nodded. If this was just a ploy to frame Aria, Fryderyk wouldn¡¯t need to risk offending the Saxons. There had to be another agenda. Caleb chose to trust his sister. Aria got ot into the car. Fryderyk followed, sitting beside her. The car fell into heavy silence. From the rearview mirror, Jackson kept sneaking nces, shocked at how calm Aria was An average person used of murder would at least show some shock, panic, fear, or worry. But Aria had none. She looked as calm as if she was just going home. At first, Jackson thought a fifteen¨Cyear¨Cold girl couldn¡¯t possibly kill a seasoned criminal. Now, he wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. Suddenly, Fryderyk asked, ¡°You¡¯re not worried about getting convicted?¡± Aria leaned against the seat, her voice light. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill anyone. What¡¯s there to worry about?¡± They would interrogate her at the station anyway, so Fryderyk didn¡¯t press further Over at the Cole family, Daniel¡¯s face was dark with rage as he red at the two people standing before him. His voice dripped with fury. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you discuss it with me before agreeing to Aria¡¯swsuit?¡± Liam replied, ¡°Grandpa, Aria signed a prenuptial agreement. Our chances of winning are slim. There¡¯s no poin dragging this out.¡± Daniel was so furious he almost raised his hand to hit someone. Hannah quickly stepped in, ¡°Grandpa, Aria¡¯s been taken away by the police for murder!¡± Daniel froze mid¨Cswing. ¡°What?¡± Hannah exined what she had found out, carefully analyzing the situation. ¡°If Aria snaps and starts airing everything¨Cthe prenup, the fact that she contributed to the Cole Group but still had her shares stolen¨Cthe public will only think we schemed against her. ¡°This would blow up and damage the Cole Group¡¯s reputation. At this critical time, we can¡¯t afford any more mistakes Daniel slowly lowered his hand and motioned for her to continue. Hannah went on, ¡°Now someone¡¯s used Aria of murder. Plus, there¡¯s her embezzlement of 150 million dors. As long as we Inside the interrogation room, the air was thick with tention. Wearing his uniform, Fryderyk loisked sharp and cold, every inch professional. His game was probing, his entire presence ern This was Fryderyk at work¨Cnot personal toward Aria. Fryderyk asked, ¡°Do you know why Leon tried to kill you?? Across from him, Aria nodded slightly. ¡°I know.¡± Jackson inmediately started taking notes. The scribbling of his pen echoed eerily in the empty room Fryderyk waited for her exnation, but Aria stayed silent. He frowned and asked again, ¡°Why did he want to kill you?¡± Aria answered lightly, ¡°He got paid.¡± Fryderyk asked, ¡°Who paid him?¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Officer, how would I know? You¡¯ve been investigating me for so long and still haven¡¯t figured that out?¡± ¡°She knows we have been investigating her?¡® Jackson¡¯s breathing grew heavier, his shock too obvious. Seeing this, Fryderyk shot Jackson a warning look.. ¡°You¡¯re saying you made enemies on your own and don¡¯t even know who they are?¡± Fryderyk kept questioning. Aria thought for a moment before replying, ¡°I¡¯ve always been aw¨Cabiding citizen. Haven¡¯t made many enemies.¡± After a short pause, Fryderyk asked, ¡°Do you mind if we use a polygraph? E Again Marriage 74 ¡°No,¡± Aria responded. Soon, a polygraph was strapped onto Aria, Fryderyk nced at the digital screen, and the readings on it formed a t lin is the machine broken?¡± he asked. The officer checked the polygraph and then shook his head. ¡°to¡± Even innocent people showed emotional fluctuations when they were in the interrogation room. However, Aria was unusually calm. ¡°is Madelyn Colton your former name?¡± Fryderyk asked, acking¨CHe Aria tilted her head slightly and said,¡± ¡°Officer, my name is supposed to be Silvia Saxon if that is what you are asking Her answer was wless. ¡°Do you hate the Saxon family? Fryderyk continuod Aria raised her eyebrows. ¡°Does it have anything to do with the usation?¡± ¡°No, it is a test for the machine,¡± Fryderyk exined. don¡¯t hate them.¡± ¡°Do you hate Silvia?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you hate your adoptive parents?¡± The line on the digital screen slightly went upward, but the change was within the normal range. Aria pave a faint smile. ¡°Who are my adoptive parents?¡± Fryderyk raised his eyebrows, and his expression froze in ce. ¡°Aren¡¯t Dominic and Alice your adoptive parents?¡± ¡°Never had they fed me, so why do you have that delusion?¡± Aria asked. When Aria was two years old, Dominic and Alice had sold her away. Aher a moment of silence, Fryderyk changed the topic. ¡°Do you know who paid Loon to kill you?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± The line on the digital screen stayed t, et Lily Cromwell seven years ago?¡± Fryderyk brought up another topic. *Did you meet Lily ¡°Who¡¯s she?¡± The interrogation dragged on for a full hour. When it ended, Fryderyk visibly looked tired. He nced at the digital screen and muttered, ¡°Aria¡¯s been trained. The polygraph doesn¡¯t work on her Jackson frowned, knowing something was off. ¡°Captain Fletcher, what¡¯s next for her?¡± ¡°is Lily here?¡± ¡°Interrogate her.¡± As Aria was escorted out of the interrogation room, she crossed paths with Lily. Lily, a seventeen¨Cyear¨Cold girl, failed to conceal her shock when she saw A Suddenly, everything clicked for her Leon must¡¯ve spilled the truth about that night. Fryderyk¡¯s goal of this meeting between Aria and Lily was achieved. Lily put on the polygraph, and her heart pounded like mad. It took her quite a while in calm down. Fryderyk asked, ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Lily nodded honestly, ¡°It¡¯s my first experience of an interrogation room. It feels like I¡¯m the suspect, so yeah, I¡¯m nervous.¡± This time, Fryderyk was in charge of the recording while Jackson did the questioning. Jackson oased Lily in with simple questions andter asked, ¡°Do you know Aria?¡± Lily responded, ¡°Do you mean Nathan¡¯s sister? The woman I just ran inter¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°That night seven years ago, you and your father found Den¡¯s body, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The line on the digital screen went upward. Obviously, Lily was nervous. ¡°There were other people, weren¡¯t there?¡± Lily hesitated for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Jackson pressed Lily further. ¡°Why did you lie? Even mislead your father?¡± I Lily let out a snort. ¡°Seven years ago, I was only ten years old. How could I mislead a grownup? I just wanted to help my dad get 100 thousand dors.¡± With that sum of money, she could lead a peaceful life for some days as her father wouldn¡¯t abuse her verbally or physically. ¡°Did you see that girl kill Den?¡± ¡°Was she Aria?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see her face?¡± Lily hesitated. ¡°It was nighttime. I didn¡¯t see her clearly.¡± ¡°Did she give you a bank card?¡± ¡°To be for her sake!¡± ¡°No.¡± Lily gave a bitter smile. ¡°She was a good person. She gave me the card because she sympathized with me. Without her kindness, night not be alive today. I would¡¯ve taken Leon down with me.¡± Her words astounded Fryderyk and Jackson, and they subconsciously nced at the digital screen. Again Marriage 75 Lily exined, ¡°Leon is violent. Whenever he was unhappy, he gave me a good beating. He even nned to sell me to an old man for In a living hell, More than c, I wanted to kill him and then myself¡± That bank and gave her the courage to stand up to Leon and run away. ¡°That girl did nothing wrong. Even if she were the murder, so what? The corrupt ruined so many people, so didn¡¯t he deserve to de? Why do you go after good people instead of the bad ones?¡± Lily shouted She then broke down, so the interrogation had to pause. Because of this incident, both Fryderyk and Jackson got a good lecture from their supervisor They were gelling nowhere with the case. Fryderyk felt frustrated and annoyed. ¡°Back then, the people in charge of this case must have been aware of Lily¡¯s misfortune, but why didn¡¯t they give her a hand?¡± Jackson sighed because he was as ignorant as Fryderyk. There was little he could do. He had talked with Lily¡¯s mother, who already had a new family, and thetter refused to provide for Lily. Night fell Joseph leamed from his good friend that Aria owned four percent of the Cole Group. He quickly called for a family meeting. ¡°Where¡¯s Ana? Why isn¡¯t she here? Caleb replied ndly, ¡°Grandpa, didn¡¯t you disown her? Why should she be here?¡± Joseph frowned deeply. ¡°Her surname is Saxon. She should be here even if I have disowned her.¡± Never would he admit his mistake, even if there was strong evidence. Caleb kept his mouth because it was useless to argue with Joseph. ¡°Why was it held back from me that Aria owns four percent of the Cole Group?¡± Joseph demanded. ¡°What?¡± Apart from Caleb, the others seemed appalled by the news. With doubt, Luke asked, ¡°Why does she own the shares of the Cole Group?¡± Joseph showed his family the chats with his friend, so everything became clear son and said reproachfully, ¡°Caleb, Aria was in court today. Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± Zoe turned to to her son: onse was curt. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask.¡± Silvia quietly stayed in aer like a mute. Caleb¡¯s response was ¡°That is not the point. Joseph pounded the table. ¡°The Cole Group is in serious trouble! Stall her divorce, and get her here, I have other ns for those shares.¡± Logan frowned. ¡°Dad, those shares belong to Aria. What are you nning to do with her shares?¡± ¡°Her shares?¡± Joseph sneered. ¡°If she weren¡¯t a Saxon, could she marry into the Cole family?¡± Caleb clenched his fists, irritated and frustrated. ¡°You can¡¯t see Aria even if you want to. She was taken away by Fryderyk as the suspect of Den¡¯s death seven years ago.¡± ¡°What¡± Zoe shouted in shock. Aria was right in the middle of her meal when Fryderyk appeared. ¡°The Saxon family bailed you out. You can leave now. The investigation won¡¯t stop, so 1/2 we need your cooperation at any moment.¡± Aria didn¡¯t raise her head at all. ¡°Got you. Let me finish my meal first.¡± Ater the meal, the heated out. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home,¡± Fryderyk offered. Aria responded with confusion, ¡°Officer, are we that close?¡± Fryderyk looked surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t you know me?¡± ¡°Should I?¡± Fryderyk choked with emotion. ¡°Your aunt is the wife of my uncle,¡± Without hesitation, Aria pulled open the car door, got in the backseat, and gave Fryderyk an address. Fryderyk frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to the Saxon Manor?¡± ¡°No. ¡°I will have to take you there and make an apology.¡± Over the phone, Fryderyk just had a good lecture from his grandmother. Aria stayed silent, and Fryderyk took her silence as agreement. Aria wondered about the choice of the Saxon family. Would they disown her at the news of her being the suspect? Or spare no effort to protect her? E Again Marriage 76 Chapter 76 The hashtags like Ms. Saxon is a murderer) and Ms. Saxon defrauded 150 million dors) went viral within half an hour, and they interested the public Whom did she k? Any details? [Totally clueless] [Me too. However, her family bailed her out right after she set foot in the police station. The officer in charge of the case is her rtive. Interesting, isn¡¯t it?] Any information about the fraud?| Soon, a social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers posted a video about the fraud from two years ago, and many details indicated that Aria was the fraudster. Oneizenmented, (Aria was bom rich, so it is easy for her to get 150 million dors from her family, isn¡¯t it?) Then came another trending topic. Who is the real Miss Saxon in Mandino City?] Via a video, the same influencer gave details about Aria¡¯s life with the switch of two babies, Aria¡¯s return to the Saxon family, and the arranged marriage included. [You know the detail that the engagement gift was 15 million dors. Are you an insider?] [I sniff a conspiracy. Forget the conspiracy. Shouldn¡¯t she be sentenced to death since she is a murderer and a fraudster?] Aren¡¯t we, ordinary folks, hopeless? She is wealthy, but she still defrauds for more money.] Justice! [Justice!] There were more and more critical voices. At the same time, Ania and Fryderyk arrived at the Saxon M Fryderyk pulled severalrge bags of pricey gifts out of the trunk. Catching Aria¡¯s curious gaze, he exined, ¡°My grandma sent these over as apology gifts.¡± Lexie had no daughter and liked Gloria very much. On the news that Fryderyk had arrested Gloria¡¯s niece, she quickly got the gilts ready and made Fryderyk go make an apology to the Saxon family Aria scoffed, ¡°Did you just realize that you had gotten the wrong person, Mr. Fletcher?¡± The setting sun brought the sky brilliant hues, and its glow shone on Aria and blurred her expression. Fryderyk had an intuitive conviction that there was something unsound in Aria. Ana must have been involved in the case even if she wasn¡¯t the murderer, ¡°No.¡± Fryderyk didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d made a mistake, nor did he feel any remorse. He hade as requested by his grandmother, for the sake of the rtionship between the two families. Aria didn¡¯t say anything else, and she led the way. Looking at Aria from behind, Fryderyk couldn¡¯t help but feel like being her footman. The Saxon family was expecting Aria, so their door was open. Aria and Fryderyk, upon their arrival, heard the conversation from inside the house. ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve prepared the agreement for the stock transler?¡± ¡°Efficiency is the key to winning the business war. Let¡¯s wrap this up quickly,¡± ¡°So, what will you give Aria for her shares?¡± A female voice responded, ¡°Uncle Logan, what are you talking about? She is a member of the Saxon family, and there came her chance to help the family business thrive. I think she would love to help¡± This voice belonged to Tina Fletcher, the e eldest daughter of Gloria. 26 years old, she was an A¨Clist celebrity. With outstanding appearance and good acting skills, she was popr ¡°It is said that her capital for the investment resulted from fraud. Uncle Logan, is th that true?¡± Before Logan answered the question, there were footsteps. Fryderyk and Aria walked into the house one after another. At the sight of Aris, Caleb and his parents happily hurried over. ¡°Aria, how¡¯s your hand?¡± ¡°Did they give you a difficult time at the police station?¡± Silvia was too embarrassed to go over, but Tina¡¯s interpretation of her hesitation was that she was slighted. Tina was devoted to her career and seldom went home. She knew the mix¨Cup and hadn¡¯t seen A in person yet. All she knew was that her real cousin was Aria who had married into the Cole family and would got divorced soon. Aria was the center of attention while Silvia dejectedly stood in a corner. Together with the bad rumors, Tina¡¯s poor impression of Aris was deepened. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to bring so many things here.¡± Logan told the servants to take the gifts from Fryderyk. Fryderyk gave a polite smile. ¡°I feel sorry for Aria though it is my job.¡± Logan¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Have you figured out the truth?¡± on as possible¡± ¡°I will. As soon as Given his observations, Fryderyk concluded that the rumors about the rtionship between Aria and her family weren¡¯t true. It seemed the Saxon family cared about Aria while she stayed distant. Joseph noticed the dejected Silvia and mmed his hand on the table. ¡°Enough of that. She didn¡¯t stay at the police station for long. Ania,e over here and sign the agreement for the stack transfer.¡± Hismanding tone made Aria raise her head. ¡°Mr. Saxon, are you going to buy my shares?¡± ¡°Buy¡± Joseph sounded shocked. Tina joined the conversation with a frown. ¡°How could you use that word with your family?¡± Caleb and his family didn¡¯t agree with Joseph, so they kept their mouths shut. Tina¡¯s support made Joseph feel much better. Aher a nod, Joseph said, ¡°Tina is right¡± Aria jeered, ¡°Oh, I see. You want me to part with my shares for free.¡± She then thought, ¡°That¡¯s why they bailed me.¡± Her sarcasm displeased Joseph, so he said, ¡°Fine. I will give you 1.5 million dors,¡± Aria sneered. ¡°Daniel offered 230 million dors for my shares, and I said no. Why do you think that you can take away my shares with 15 million dors?¡± Tina was notorious for her sharp tongue, but she always knew better than to disrespect the elders. She couldn¡¯t restrain her anger when Aris talked back 10:13 Thu, 29 May u ¡øG. Chapter 76. to her grandfather. ¡°Your surname is Saxon. Family interests alwayse first. Grandpa already promised you 1.5 million dors. How outrageous that you are so greedy Hearing this, Caleb and his parents pulled a long face. Tina wasn¡¯t a Saxon, so she didn¡¯t have the right to censure Aria like this. It surprised Fryderyk that his cousin meddled in the internal affairs of the Saxon family. He stormed over and said in amanding tone. ¡°This is their family matter.¡± ¡°don¡¯t allow her to disrespect my grandfather,¡± Tina argued. Fryderyk was the first child of his peers in the Fletcher family, so he had been trained as the heir. However, he joined the army after his uncle because he wasn¡¯t interested in business. Together with his sharp features, his grim face was frightening With Tina included, the younger generation of the Fletcher Lamily dreaded Fryderyk Tina was afraid of nobody but Fryderyk because she had seen his ferocious face Aria guessed at once who Tina was. She tilted her head, gave a faint smile, and said to Tina, ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you buy my shares and gift them to your grandfather?¡± Tina jeered at Aria because she didn¡¯t think that Aria had many shares, ¡°Fine, name your price.¡± ¡°Given the current value of the Cole Group, 4% means more than four hundred million dors¡­¡± And voice answered the question for Aria. Caleb then grinned at Tina. Again Marriage 77 Chapter 77 Hearing Caleb, Aria knitted her eyebrows. Her assets fell by seventy million dors in two months. How useless the Cole family wast With a polite smile on his face, Caleb took a few steps closer to Tina. ¡°Tina, pay the money, and the shares will be yours right away¡± Wide¨Ceyed, tina stammered, ¡°Tour, four hundred million dors?¡± Her estimation was dissens of millions at most Fryderyk was taken aback. He soon recalled the story his colleague had shared with him. It was about a woman who had beaten her husband in court and managed to reim her shares, which were worth five hundred million dors. Instantly, the criminal groups prepared the perfect scam operations for her and tailed her. Aris turned out to be the woman in the story When Tina was lost for words, Caleb turned to Joseph, ¡°Grandpa, Aria earned the money on her own, and we didn¡¯t give her a penny Legally speaking those shares are her personal assets. Joseph¡¯s face turned livid. ¡°You all see me as a bad old man who covets her shares. If it weren¡¯t for the Saxon Group, I wouldn¡¯t give a damn about them¡± In the oppressive atmosphere, Tina opened her mouth again. ¡°Every member will benefit from the family business if it thrives. Grandpa is doing this for the whole family She had the shares of the Fletcher Group. When necessary, she didn¡¯t mind contributing her shares to the family business. Aria asked in a nd tone, ¡°Tell me, how?¡± Tina replied, ¡°If the Saxon Group thrives, the stock prices will soar. Won¡¯t you got more dividends?¡± Arja let out a short. ¡°Tina, Aria doesn¡¯t have any shares of the Saxon Group.¡± Silvia exined in a hesitant voice. Instantly, embarrassment got Tina. However, she quickly added, ¡°Because she is Mrs. Cole, Grandpa is afraid that she will give her shares to the Cole family¡± What a poor excusel Caleb and his parents didn¡¯t bother to argue e with Tina. Because of what Tina had said, Aria pondered for a while. She then said, ¡°I can give you my shares.¡± ¡°What is your condition?¡± Joseph asked. ¡°An exchange. Four percent of the Saxon Group.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Joseph¡¯s face darkened. ¡°The Cole Group is far inferior to the Saxon Group now Daniel didn¡¯t have many descendants, and he was too paranoid to hand over the power to others. Therefore, few people were loyal to the Cole Group. As a result, the Cole Group was now far behind the Saxon Group. After the financial crisis, its stock price plummeted, and its outstanding workers were poached by itspetitors. It survived the crisis but was in a critical situation. Without that confidential project, fewpanies wanted to cooperate with the Cole Group. Aria seemed unfazed by Joseph¡¯s anger, and she sat down. ¡°it is true, but don¡¯t you want its medical chips, Mr. Saxon?¡± That was the ultimate goal of Joseph¡¯s coboration with the Cole Group. Unfortunately, the Cole Group kept its technology confidential. In other words, Joseph¡¯s n failed. Aria¡¯s divorce wasn¡¯t the real reason for the end of the cooperation between the two families. It was an excuse for the Saxon Group to cut ties with the Cole Group. The Saxon Group had wasted a lot of money in this cooperation and got nothing in return. In the past two years, Joseph Had sounded Aria out more than once. The problem was that Aria knew nothing about that confidential project of the Cole Group Joseph thought that he should get the confidential project before the others did, or the bankruptcy of the Cole Group With more shares, his work. That was why he needed Aria¡¯s shares. C Again Marriage 78 Chapter 78 Joseph snorted and shot Logan a re. ¡°Why did you tell her?¡± Logan responded, ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t.¡± His chats with Aria were numbered. Joseph andried to show his disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t like my proposal, Mr. Saxon, Thave other buyers on my list¡± Aria rose to her feet and looked at Caleb. ¡°Caleb, please contact the Stars Group for me. I will sign the contract right away if its offer reaches sir hundred million dors.¡± It was a good surprise for Caleb that Aria needed him for her show. He quickly collected himself and nodded. ¡°Okay¡± ¡°The Stars Group?¡± Joseph was in shock. The Stars Group¡¯s medical bot was mature. The otherpanies saw it as a good chance for them when the Stars Group suddenly cancelled its cooperation with the Cole Group. Joseph suspected that the Stars Group shared the same idea as his. He wouldn¡¯t be fooled if Aria mentioned anotherpany instead of the Stars Group. The sense of crisis became strong, so he quickly said, ¡°Listen, give me your shares of the Cole Group, and I¡¯ll give you four percent of the Saxon Group¡± ¡°Deal¡± Aria responded. Joseph let Caleb prepare the contract right away. As a witness to the negotiation, Fryderyk regretted his visit to the Saxon family. He shot a nce at Tina to warn her to stay out of trouble. Logan and Zoe hadplex expressions on their faces. They didn¡¯t expect Aria to beat Joseph in this negotiation The contract was signed. Lh ran into the room and shouted, ¡°Mr. Saxon, bad news. Many people gather outside and call Aria the murderer or the fraudster. They want us to have over Aria.¡± Outside the Saxon Manor, the excited people were throwing trash into the yard of the Saxon family. Scared, the servants withdrew into the house. ¡°What should we do? Is Aria a murderer?¡± ¡°A murderer and fraudster! The Saxon family is ruined by her.¡± ¡°The Saxon family shouldn¡¯t have taken her home.¡± Aria was aloof, so the servants felt that she turned up her nose at them. They had a poor impression of her and preferred Silvia. In a corner, the gardener was busy with the flowers. Hearing the servants, he had a sh of malice in his eyes. Hearing Lh, the people in the living room quickly took out their phones and checked the trending topics. There were many harshments online, and the Saxon Group soon got implicated. Il contact the PR department right away,¡± Logan said. As a member of the showbiz, Tina knew the importance of one¡¯s reputation. For the first time in her life, she witnessed such mass hysteria. ¡°Things got out of hand within two hours. Someone must be behind this.¡± She was familiar with the tricks popr in the showbiz. With confusion, she asked, ¡°I heard of the fraud. Murderer? Aria, did you kill someone?¡± Aria smirked, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°You Tina sounded angry. ¡°The troublemaker must be the Cole Group!¡± Caleb said firmly. ¡°Fryderyk, you have the witnesses, but Aria hasn¡¯t gotten convicted. How did the news get leaked!¡± With his eyebrows knitted, Fryderyk didn¡¯t look happy. ¡°I¡¯ll find out the leakers. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Joseph¡¯s phone kept ringing Irritated, Joseph turned off his phone and pounded the table. ¡°Aria, what the hell did you do?¡± He regretted the shock transfer. Instantly, Aria got the subtle gares that contained hame, worry, or doub A didn¡¯t miss those emotions of her so¨Ccalled family. Expressionless, she said coldly, ¡°The solution is simple. Disown me as you didst time ¡°No!¡± Worried, Zoe was on the verge of tears. ¡°Aria, be cooperative, and the police will clear your name soon.¡± It was easy to clear the air about the so¨Ccalled fraud, but not the suspicion of murder. ¡°What if I were the murderer?¡± Aria asked, Silence fell. With a teasing smile, A went on, ¡°What §¿ Again Marriage 79 Chapter 79 Liam read the trending toples, and his expression changed drastically. Many people gathered outside the Saxon Manor, and the Saxon Group¡¯s stock price was splummating. It was stupid to hush the crowd up now, but there were such fouls. All the trending topics and Videos about Aria were deleted within a short time. One key opinion leader left a sharpment online. [Justice can¡¯t beat the capitalists!|| Soon, the deletion was said to be conducted by the Sason Group, and it bet became a trending topic. Liam was in a bad mood because things were getting out of his control. He dialed Hannah¡¯s number. ¡°Hannah, things are getting out of hand.¡± On the other end of the line, Hannah was confused by Liam¡¯s worry. ¡°Du you go soft on Aria?¡± ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m afraid that the Saxon Group may get back at the Cole Group since it is implicated.¡± ¡°Rx Grandpa said that the Gibson family is on your side.¡± Liam sighed. There was little he could say because he was the real reason for the whole mess. After the call with Hannah, he went to Daniel¡¯s study. ¡°Grandpa, it is getting out of control, so get prepared.¡± Daniel looked grim. He rubbed his temples to relieve his headache. ¡°The Cole family and the Gibson family are tied together, so we should seize the chance to take the Saxon Group down. Once it gets back to its feet, we will be its first victim, Give it another strike.¡± Frowning, Liam wanted to argue, but he caught sight of Daniel¡¯s gray hair and wrinkles. Regret got him, so he swallowed his words. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll go to the Stars Group tomorrow. You have my word that I will secure the project,¡± Liam said. Daniel nodded. ¡°There must be a good reason for the Stars Group to choose the cancetion of cooperation over the settlement money. The loss of our technology will displease its board directors for sure. Sound them out about Aria when you are there. This project is too important to lose.¡± ¡°Got you,¡± Liam responded. This was the Saxon Manor. In the depressing atmosphere, the crowd didn¡¯t think that Aria could kill a grown man. Aria sounded indifferent after her eyes swept over the other people in the room. ¡°Time¡¯s running out. Make your choice now, or the stock price of the Saxon Group will plummet.¡± Caleb understood that it was a best and that Aria was giving the Saxon family onest chance. He firmly said, ¡°Aria, I will be on your side no matter what happens¡± His choice didn¡¯t surprise Aria, but it was a pity that his preference to her contained regret and guilt. ¡°Issue a statement now! Cut all ties with Arial¡± Joseph¡¯s voice thundered through the room, Joseph would never allow anyone to jeopardize the Saxon Group. ¡°No!¡± Caleb, Silvia, and their parents shouted at the same time. Trembling, Zoe stood before Aria. ¡°Joseph, Aria is my daughter, my flesh and blood.¡± Logan held his wife¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Dad, that isn¡¯t the right thing to do to your family.¡± Silvia went over and held Joseph¡¯s hand as tears streamed down her face ¡°Grandpa, not her fault. She ¡°Sima,¡± Aria interrupted. With tears in her eyes, Silvia said through her quivering lips, ¡°Grandpa, my real parents were bad to Aria. She is innocent. He expression wasplicated, so Caleb couldn¡¯t help but thinki must know something. This ht took Tina by so Logan tiled his best to stay calm while Zoe sobbed with sadness, Caleb was expressionless but seemed decisive, and Silvia had broken down- At the same time, the troublemaker lemained calm and indifferent as if she were an onlooker. ¡°A, you¡¯re nothing bait trouble!¡± Tins pursed her lips, and the look in her eyes was cold. ¡°The Saxon family was a loving one. You are the remion for att these arguments and conflicts¡± Instantly, Fryderyk¡¯s face darkened. However, Fryderyk couldn¡¯t point a finger at Tina, who was Joseph¡¯s granddaughter. Aria didn¡¯t feel guilty over Tina¡¯s usation. ¡°Mr. Fletcher, shouldn¡¯t go to the police station, given themotion?¡± Fryderyk hesitated for two seconds before he answered, ¡°You do need our protection.¡± Aria walked to the door, and Zoe quickly grabbed her arm. ¡°Aria, we would help you get a reduced sentence if you were a murderer, I will wait for you toe home.¡± Zoe had tears in her eyes. It was about regret and guilt. Did Zoe regret that she hadn¡¯t taken Aria home earlier? Aria looked at her mother and asked, ¡°Whom do you prefer to be your daughter? Silvia or me?¡± Zoe hesitated. ¡°¡­¡± Aria gave a faint smile, and her expression was calm. ¡°You made the choice.¡± ¡°Arial¡± Zoe clutched Aria¡¯s hand, her voice trembling. ¡°You are a bit paranoid, but I love you too. If I had brought you home earlier and disciplined you¡­¡± ¡°Mrs. Saxon¡± Aria interrupted Zoe and gently pulled Zoe¡¯s hand away. ¡°Do you really think that the Colton couple is the cause of my personality?¡± Her indifference hurt Zoe, and Zoe couldn¡¯t help but shed tears. Logan sensed that Aria was weird. He chose to side with his wife even if he wanted to improve his rtionship with Aria Holding Zoe by the shoulders, he said, ¡°Aria, she¡¯s your mother.¡± Aria shifted her gaze to Logan, ¡°Mr. Saxon, do you also think so?¡± Leaning into Logan¡¯s embrace, Zoe wept. Logan had aplicated expression on his face. Both Zoe and Logan fell silent, and that was their answer. Caleb closed his eyes, and a wave of despair washed over him. His parents let Aris down anyway This result wasn¡¯t surprising to Aria as she had heard someonement that nobody would like a woman like her with her parents, rtives, friends, or lovers included. Back then, Aria didn¡¯t think so or feel lonely because she had friends who didn¡¯t mind dying for her. Now, she began to doubt herself. She turned around and walked away. ¡°Aria.¡± There came a call, and Aria¡¯s wrist was grabbed. Aria looked back and saw a pair of tearful and red eyes, ¡°¡­if I leave this family, will youe back?¡± ¡°Silvial¡± Zoe shouted. Grief¨Cstricken, she thought, ¡°I could have had a happy family. Why didn¡¯t things go my way? Why does Aria distance herself from us? Why?¡± With a faint smile, Aria raised her hand, and her palm brushed past Silvia¡¯s soft hair, ¡°Silvia, you¡¯re a good girl. She then withdrew her hand, and her cold gazy swept over Zoe and Logan. ¡°You still have time to make your choice. Disown me, or ept a murderer to be your daughter¡± Aher this speech, Aria lett without hesitation. Zoe wanted to stop Aria, but Joseph¡¯s furious voice prevented her. ¡°Let her go! Whoever tries to stop her should leave this ce with her.¡± Again Marriage 80 Chapter 80 ¡°Go to the underground parking lot. The car¡¯s waiting there,¡± Fryderyk said. ¡°Okay,¡± Aria respected. On the way to the underground parking lot, Fryderyk nced sideways at Aria whose fare was devoid of emotion. How Incredible that A gave up on the Saxon family first! They saw her as an ill bead person of bad character and were confident of getting her right. rasan Fryderyk disagreed with them in his opinion, Aria was born this way and know that the Saxon family preferred a meek girl like S to a lonely one like her. The Saxon family wouldn¡¯t love Aria as they as they did sibia, es a, even if there was no Silvia, ¡°Your parents won¡¯t give up on you, but they may not convince your grandfather,¡± Fryderykmented. Aria turned her head and nced at Fryderyk with surprise. ¡°Are youforting a criminal suspect?¡± Fryderyk had figured out one thing when Aria confronted her family. That was Aria had killed Den. ¡°You had a good reason to do that, but you did it in the wrong way. Even if hemitted some crimes, there is thew.¡± Aria ignored Fryderyk¡¯s second sentence. ¡°If you were in my situation, would your parents give up on you because of the objections from your grandparents¡°: ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t They¡¯d do whatever it takes to protect me,¡± Fryderyk thought. If Logan and Zoe stood firm, there was little Joseph could do Fryderyk didn¡¯t answer the question. He arrived at the underground parking lot with Aria. Jackson honked the horn. ¡°Captain Fletcher, over here!¡± Fryderyk walked over and grabbed the door handle. There she is! The fraudster!¡± By instinct, Fryderyk yanked Aria to his back. He quickly turned around, opened the car door, and shoved her inside. *Captain Fletcher, get in, quick!¡± Jackson shouted. Many things rained down on Fryderyk¡¯s back. There was the sound of the shutter. bay back!¡± ¡°Arial Payback! Pay ¡°Go to hell, murderer!¡± ¡°To hell with you, fraudster!¡± Angry voices echoed in the parking lot. The lights red at Fryderyk, so he couldn¡¯t open his eyes at all. By instinct, he got into the car and closed its door Jackson quickly locked the car doors, started the engine, and sped out of the parking lot. He nced at the rearview mirror and saw a mob of people running after the car, waving their cards, and shouting things like justice and the police sheltered a criminal. Jackson felt frustrated as things were getting out of hand. Suddenly, a foul stench attacked his nostrils. His expression froze in ce, and he then looked back at Fryderyk. ¡°Captain Fletcher, are you alright?¡± Fryderyk was wiping his clothes with a towel, and his expression was grim. ¡°These people had a clear target, so not all of them are ordinary folks. Find out the boss behind the scenes¡± ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± Jackson responded. ¡°Thanks, Aria sincerely said. She would have disgusting stuff on her clothes if Fryderyk hadn¡¯t acted quickly enough. A ¡®n urder might happen once her reasonst to anger. Fryderyk exhaled deeply to suppress his baltation. ¡°Be cooperative with us if you feel grateful to me.¡± ¡¯s tone turned cold. ¡°I take my word back.¡± Fryderyk felt speechless Jackson coughed awkwardly. Because of Fryderyk¡¯s stern gaze, he shed a sheepish smile and said, ¡°Captain Fletcher, this is getting out of hand, so the Chief is already alerted. He is waiting for us.¡± A low grunt issued from Fryderyk¡¯s throat. Right then, a phone rang Aria asked. ¡°Can I take this call?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Fryderyk responded. Aria answered the call. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re on fine) All the trending topics are about you, and you will soon have no secrets,¡± the caller said. It was quiet in the car, so Fryderyk vaguely heard the voice from the other end of the line. The caller was a young man. ¡°Why did you call me?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Did I need a reason? You ditched your own yours, not mine. ¡°You¡¯re thergest shareholder.¡± ¡°I will transfer all my shares to you, for free.¡± Fryderyk nced at Aria and thought, ¡°She has a very close.¡± After a brief silence, the caller roared, ¡°No way! When will you go home?¡± ¡°Still in the police car,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Oh, forgot that you are a celebrity now. I will clear things up, and ask Allen to get you off the murder charge.¡± Who was Allen? Could he help Aria clear her name? Fryderyk stayed silent and listened intently. ¡°Wait till finalize my divorce.¡± ¡°Alright, see you ¡°See you.¡± around¡± ¡°You don¡¯t ask about me at all the callerined. Aria lost her patience and quickly hung up the phone. On the rest of the journey, nobody spoke in the car. At the sight of Fryderyk who looked terrible,one police officer hurried over and said with surprise, ¡°Captain Fletcher, the Chief wants to see you.¡± ¡°Got you. Take her to the waiting room,¡± Fryderyk ordered. Aria followed the officer away Fryderyk headed to the break room, get clunged, and went to an office. ¡°Come in,¡°came a voice from inside. knocked on the done. Fryderyk pushed the door open and walked into the room. ¡°Chief¡± The middle aged man, Allen Lawrence, nced at Fryderyk and then beckoned to thetter. ¡°Come over here!¡± Fryderyk walked over as requested. Allen stood up and kicked Fryderyk on the ass. ¡°You troublemaker! Den was a scumbag, but let him rest in peace. Why did you find a suspect? Now, an innocent woman called Aria is suffering online bullying¡± ¡°She is not innocent,¡± With a serious expression, Fryderyk continued, ¡°Chief, she is probably the murderer of Den. There is no evidence, but we will get some via the investigation. We should find Den¡¯s aplices.¡± So many families had been ruined that Den¡¯s aplices should be brought to justice. Infuriated, Allen had a headache. ¡°She is innocent as I said, and that¡¯s final¡± ¡°Why are you so sure, Chief? Do you know the murderer of Den? Fryderyk asked while looking Allen in the eyes. Allen avoided Fryderyk¡¯s sharp gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t, I but I am sure that the murderer isn¡¯t Aria.¡± Suspicion flickered in Fryderyk¡¯s eyes. ¡°Leon and Lily both recognized Aria,¡± ¡°They may resemble in shape.¡± After a moment of thought, Fryderyk suggested, ¡°Chiel, do you want to meet her? She¡¯s here now! ¡°Why did you bring her here?¡± ¡°She needs our protection now.¡± Allen sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go see her and make an apology¡± Then, Fryderyk and Allen headed toward the waiting room. Fryderyk knocked on the door. ¡°Aria, the Chief would like to see you.¡± Allen puffed out his chest before he walked into the room. He almost bumped into door the moment he clearly saw Aria¡¯s face. AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 81 Holding the door, Allen frore on the spot. After a few seconds, he stiffly turned his head, and his eyes gradually became wide open ¡°Why is she here?¡± he wondered. He straightened his back and looked at Fryderyk. ¡°Is she Aria?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Fryderys, replied. His sharp gare shifted between A and Allen. ¡°Chief, do you know her?¡± don¡¯t¡± Allen rubbed his temples to relieve the pain, ¡°I want a word with her.¡± Fryderyk didn¡¯t move, and he shed back to the moment in the car. ¡°Ask Allen to get you off the murder charge. Allen, Allen Lawrence?¡± he wondered. ¡°Why are you standing there? Move!¡± Allen pushed Fryderyk out of the room before Fryderyk asked his questions. Outside the room, Fryderyk leaned against the wall, took a stick of gum out of his pocket, and put it into his mouth. The faint fragrance excited his taste buds, and he gradually collected his thoughts. The visit to the Saxon family was helpful. At least, he already figured out the rtionship between Aria and her family. It seemed the Saxon family was ignorant of what Aria had gone through. Why did Aria show up after she had been missing for ten years? Was it a coincidence that she found her real family upon her return to this city? Did she have any ulterior purpose? Fryderyk turned his head slightly, and his gazended on the door handle. Why did Aria get acquainted with Allen? In the waiting room, Allen hurried over, pulled a chair over, and sat across from Aria. ¡°On mission, huh?¡± Aria looked at Allen and said, ¡°So, you did get promoted to be the Chief. Theirst meeting was five years ago. Back then, Aria¡¯s a sharp eye. Still in the old trade?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria replied. Allen nodded, and the crow¡¯s feet around his eyes deepened with his smile, He said, ¡°Good. You¡¯re still young. You can¡¯t waste your whole life in the shadows. Your current name is Aria, isn¡¯t it? Wait¡­ Something popped to mind, and Allen quickly pulled out his phone. After a quick flip through the trending topic about Aria¡¯s life, he had shock on his face again. What aplex story! No wonder Aria had chosen that trade. At the thought of Aria¡¯s skills, Allen¡¯s sympathysted only two seconds. Allen said, ¡°Fryderyk is headstrong. He won¡¯t stop till he finds the truth. What did he get on you?¡± ¡°Quite a lot,¡± Aria thought ¡°My face,¡± she said calmly, ¡°and a bank card.¡± Allen frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you wear masks during missions?¡± ¡°Before the targets take theirst breath, I take my mask off.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Aria gazed at Allen and slowly replied. ¡°In this way, they¡¯ll remember my face. They won¡¯t find the wrong person to avenge themselves when there is a chance.¡± That was her practice. Allen was dumbfounded. Silence pervaded. Amused and and irritated, Allen turned his head, closed his eyes, and took two deep breaths before he asked, ¡°What about the bank card?¡± Chapter 81 ut ¡°I all.¡± paid her to keep her mouth shut. That¡¯s all. That wasn¡¯t Aria¡¯s pattern, but Alten let it go. Allen changed the subject, 171 have a word with Fryderyk first. The mob has been cated, and Flet Fryderyk taka y?t hometer, ¡°This mess drew a lot of attention, and you are mistaken for the culprits of another to unsolved murder cases. We will send word that you are the suspect in Den¡¯s case toronow and clear your nameter.¡± Den deserved what he got. After the news was spread, the public would be appeased. ¡°As for the fraud charge. I will tell them to solve the problem for you. Allen talked on It sounded like he had full faith in Asia and didn¡¯t need her to provide any evidence. ? Again Marriage 82 A Teaned back in her chale and thoughtfully pred at Allen. Allen had more faith in Arta than the Son family did though he and she had met only ¡°Can I take a look at the case files for that fraud from two years ago?¡± A asked. Allen¡¯s eyes lit up as an incredible idea popped to mind. ¡°Of courser Allen quickly stood up, opened the door, and walked away. The smile on his face was bright. Standing in the corridor, Fryderyk was in shock. Then, Allen told Fryderyk to lem with him. It took them quite a while to reappear with a box of files, and their clothes were full of dust. The files were ced before Aria, Aria raised her eyebrow in surprise. ¡°So many files?¡± ¡°Many victims,¡± Allen exined. He then found out the files of the suspects. Back then, only seven or eight suspects had been exposed. As Aria flipped through the files, Allen gave Fryderyk a look. Without a word, the two men left the room. Outside, Allen gave his instructions. ¡°The case about Den is closed. Don¡¯t waste your time on it. Clock out after you take Aria home.¡± Fryderyk stood rooted to the spot. ¡°No. I won¡¯t stop till find all those culprits.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t find them¡± ¡°Why?¡± The answer was a secret, and Allen was supposed to keep it to himself forever. However, if he stuck to his promise, Fryderyk would keep disturbing Aria. Allen finally made his decision. ¡°They¡¯re dead. All of them.¡± The car glided through the neon¨Clit streets. Fryderyky recalled his conversation with Allen when he waited for the green light. He thought, ¡°Allen said that all of Den¡¯s aplices were dead, and he refused to give me more information. Did Aria kill them too? Who on earth is she? The car stopped, and Fryderyk escorted Aria to her apartment. The moment they walked out of the elevator, the smell of paint assaulted their nostrils. When they approached Aria¡¯s apartment, Fryderyk¡¯s pupils constricted. The door had been painted red. On it were ck words, Scammer, go to hell and [Murderer Aria pursed her lips, and the murderous intent shed past her eyes. Fryderyk nced at Aria and promised, ¡°I will find the troublemakers.¡± He sincerely wished that Arls wouldn¡¯t take action impulsively. ¡°Your address has been exposed, so it is dangerous for you to stay here Wait.¡± Fryderyk then hurried downstairs and soon returned with his tools. He carefully cleaned the lock. Before he asked for the password, Aria told him some numbers. Fryderyk quickly entered the code, pushed the door open, and looked back at Aria. ¡°Do you mind?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria responded. Fryderyk strode into the apartment, turned on the Eights, and started a thorough search, He exhaled in relief because there were no signs of illegal incursion. ¡°Pack up your stuff, and go to the hotel. You had bettere back after your name is cleared.¡± 1/2 Hapter 87 Mathanks for your help, Mr. Retcher. I¡¯ll move in a few days, Goodbye Thinking that few people could hurt A, Fryderyk left. With a High price, A hired the professionals to clean her doo After a shower, she turned on herputer, wrote down the Information of the scammers she had seen in the police station, and send it to Alpha Alpha: [Who are they?] Aria: The scammers of a case from two years ago. They got 300 million dors and made me their scapegoat. There were other ways to clear her name, but she preferred the most direct one. None of the troublemakers would be spared. After a short conversation with Alpha, Aria sent a message to another person. I will appear at the Stars Group at 9:00 tomorrow. The next day, Aria got up, and her attention was drawn to a new post. The Saxon family disowns Aria. This post added fuel to the fire. To the public, it was strong evidence to convict Aria. More and more curses were rained down on Aria. [It is said that the police have released her. Is that true?] [How outrageous! I know her address. Anyone wanna go with me?] AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 83 New messages flooded in, and A checked her WhatsApp. Zoe: [A, sorry that we couldn¡¯t stop your grandpa. Infuriated, he fainted and was rushed to the hospital, so we had to yield.) Zon: (That statement is nothing. You are still one of us. Logan: [A, don¡¯t take the trending topics to heart. I will contact the police, and you won¡¯t go to jail. I can help if it is inconvenient for you to exin the source of that sum of money. Caleb: Aria, you have my support no matter what you choose to do. Am I still your brother? Silvia: [I¡¯m sorry, Aria.] Aria read the messages, and a bitter smile shed past her face. The Saxon family finally made their choice, and Aria was Zoo escorted Silvia to school and home every day. She kept Silviapany under the burning sun when thetter lined up for cakes or coffee. She secretly prepared gifts for Silvia¡¯s roommates for fear that they would bully Silvia¡­ Logan was a man of action. He frequently bought gifts for his wife and his daughter. At the auction, he didn¡¯t mind bing a spendthrift as long as there were items that interested his wife and his daughter¡­ Caleb was gentle while Nathan was protective of Silvia unconditionally. Firm in speech but soft in heart, Joseph sometimes gave Silvia a smiling face, and he was generous in the stock transfer. Luke treated Silvia as if she were his child. The Saxon family was a loving one. Ania¡¯s attempt to join the Saxon family failed and broke the bnce. The Saxon family pive Aria love moved with guilt, and they couldn¡¯t trust her unconditionally. Aria closed her eyes, and thest bit of her expectation was gone. Without the Saxon family, she could lead a good life. She turned off her phone and gor ready for theing meeting In a conference room, the shareholders were in a heated discussion ¡°Mr. Oconnor, without the chips from the Cole Group, we can¡¯t continue our project, and our loss will reach more than 25 million dors.¡± ¡°We have done a lot for this project. Mr. Oconnor, all our efforts will result in nothing¡± A third shareholder argued, ¡°The Cole Group agreed to surrender another 1% of the profits to us. The Shaw Group is ambitious about medical bots. If the Cole Group is angered and turns to the Shaw Group¡± Right then, his speech was interrupted by the rm clock, Silence fell, and the ck phone on the table became the center of attention. Johnny Oconnor cleared his throat, picked up the phone, and silenced it. ¡°It¡¯s 8:50.¡± What did that mean? The shareholders looked at Johnny with confusion ¡°Don¡¯t you demand to meet that mysterious shareholder? She will be here at 9:00,¡± Johnny exined. Wide¨Ceyed, the shareholders forgot their argument. Seven or eight years ago, the Stars Group was on the verge of bankruptcy, and Johnny popped up with a bunch of researchers and bought it. That bunch of researchers was mysterious and kept a low profile. They seldom interacted with other workers in the Stars Group. o technology, the Stars Group was in desperate need of money. Johnny travelled around the world to look for Investors. One day, he returned with arge sum of money, and the Stars Group than had a to tharcholder. Whenever the Stars Group needed money, that mysterious shareholder sent money over in time. Gradually, she spent more and more money in Group, Therefore, she had many more shares than the other shareholders did. In eight years, the Stars Group became one of the toppanies in Mandino City- More than once, the other shareholders wanted to buy the shares from the mysterious one, but only Johnny kept in contact with her. This was the lobby of the Stars Group. Aria walked forward, and the receptionist recognized her and stopped her by asking, ¡°Ms. Saxon, what can I do for you?¡± The bad rumors about Aria were widely spread, so the receptionist was rude. Without a word, Aria showed the receptionist her certificate of appointment. Pouting, the receptionist took the paper over, and her eyes soon became wide open. ¡°May I go in now?¡± Aria asked. The receptionist snapped back to reality. Trembling all over her body, she handed the paper back to Aria. ¡°Ot, of course.¡± Aria took the paper and walked on. In a trance, the receptionist stood rooted to the spot and stared at Aria¡¯s back. Right then, Liam arrived at the Stars Group and caught sight of Aria who wa was walking into the elevator. ¡°What is she doing here?¡± Soon, he had his answer to this question ¡°Grandpa was right. Aria is the reason why the Stars Group forced us out of the project,¡± he thought. Sullen, Liam tapped the table and said, ¡°Hello, I have an appointment with Mr. Oconnor.¡± ¡°Oh, well, Mr. Oconnor is in a meeting. It will be over soon. Please wait,¡± the receptionist responded. ses and made a call, Johnny¡¯s assistant went downstairs and led the way for Liam. The receptionist came back to her senses and mai This was the conference room. ¡°She¡¯s here.¡± Speaking, Johnny stood up and walked toward the door, The shareholders swallowed nervously, their eyes glued to the door. After the ss door was pulled open, a figure came into view. ¡°Aris?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a member of the Cole Group board? What are you doing here?¡± Johnny exined, ¡°She¡¯s the person who keeps funding1 the Stars Group all these years.¡± Stunned, the shareholders sprang to their feet. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°How old was she eight years ago!¡± rl keep funding the Stars Group? From millions of dors to billions? How could a fourteen¨Cyear¨Cold girl Aria pulled a chair over and sat down. Her eyes swept across the room. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± ja took the other people three minutes to ept the truth. ¡°Did you force the Cole Group out of the project because Liam wants to divorce you?¡± ¡°Ms. Saxon, you are thergest shareholder of the Stars Group and have the final say here, but you shouldn¡¯t be carried away by your anger. 2/3 ¡°You shouldn¡¯t!¡± Those critical voices contained contempl. Aria picked up a ss of water, took a sip, and then said ndly, ¡°Do you know the Cole Group better fan i do?¡± She had been the CEO of the Cole Group for two years, so she knew thatpany well. The technology of the Cole Group is immature. A researcher from Tech, Ruby Olsen, owes me a favor, and she agreed to join us at the end of this year. She will stay here for one year,¡± she went on. Instantly, the others stared at Aria in shock. A researcher from GloTech? Ar could get help from such a talent. Aria added. ¡°I don¡¯t work in the Cole Group anymore, so we will make our own chip¡­ The meetingsted for one hour. Waiting, Liam gradually lost his patience. Angered, he stood up and left with his papers. In the corridor, some noises caught his attention, and he looked over. At the end of the corridor, Aria stood out among the men in suits. Again Marriage 84 Chapter 84 Liam strode over, suppressed his anger, and said in a low voice, ¡°I gave you the shares even if you lied to me. Why did you undermine the cooperatio between the Stars Group and the Cole Greup?¡± ¡°Gave?¡± After a snort, Mia said with contempt, ¡°What did you give me? Those shares are mine. Your business shrinks, and the profits fat sharply. The wholepany is leaderless, so isn¡¯t the right choice to kick the Cole Group out of the project?¡± Since Aria left, the Cole Group had been taking steps backward. At the thought of the departing employees, Liam sneered. ¡°Because you tured those technicians away.¡± ¡°After you got what you wanted, you still yed the dirty tricks behind my back. I was wrong about you. You are narrow¨Cminded and selfish, You are far inferior to Hannah. Fortunately, I saw through you before you could ruin the Cole Group Hearing this the others were agape in shock. Aria opened her mouth before the sullen Johnny defended her. ¡°Liam¡± In contrast to the emotional Liam, Aria remained calm and scoffed, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have chosen you if I had known that you are to foolish. I shouldn¡¯t have wasted my time saving you.¡± Liam also regretted his marriage to Aria, and his expression froze at herst sentence. ¡°When did you save me?¡± jeered after something popped to mind, ¡°You finally gave yourself away, didn¡¯t you? Are you gonna tell me that you pulled me out of the corpses and cured me after I fainted from the gue?¡± Aria remained calm and said ndly, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t save you. I saved a stray dog¡± Liam choked with anger. He thought, ¡°I fool offended, but I shouldn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t save me, sol shouldn¡¯t get angry¡± He turned to Johnny andined, ¡°Mr. Oconnor, you are supposed to meet me at 9:00. It is ten o¡¯clock now Is this how the Stars Group entertains its guests?¡± Johnny raised his eyebrows. With a smiling face, Johnny replied in a cold tone, ¡°Mr. Cole, what a misunderstanding! You said that you wanted to meet me at 9:00, and I didn¡¯t give my agreement, did 17¡± Yesterday, Liam and Johnny had encountered each other at a business gathering. Before they bid goodbye to each other, Liam mentioned that he would pay a visit to the Stars Group for the project. Johnny gave no response, so Liam mistook that for tacit consent. Liam thought, ¡°Why didn¡¯t he make himself clear since he isn¡¯t interested in cooperation? He is making a fool of me.¡± Instantly, his expression turned grim. Liam felt enlightened when he noticed that Johnny protectively stood by Aria. He said disdainfully, ¡°Aria, how impressive! Youpletely bewitched the chairman of the Stars Group¡± Born with a silver spoon, Liam had a handsome face, and his life was smooth. Therefore, he was proud and never bowed his head. It was impossible for him to coborate with Johnny after Johnny responded to his sincerity with a contemptuous look. ¡°I won¡¯t pester you since the Stars Group isn¡¯t interested in cooperation. Aria is now a murder suspect and a scammer of the case from two years ago. With her in your project, can you maintain the good reputation of the Stars Group?¡± Then, Liam straightened his back and walked away proudly. Thanks to Liam¡¯s reminder, the others looked at Aria withplicated emotions With the help of the researcher from GloTech, the Stars Group could make a great innovation leap forward. was costly, and it couldn¡¯t be finished in one year. However, the innovation of the chip was c Aria was now notorious, and the Saxon tarily had just disowned her openly. The consequences were unthinkable if theizens learned that Aria was thergest shareholder of the Stars Group¡­ One shareholder said, ¡°It¡¯s alright to cancel the cooperation with the Cole Group, but keep it a secret that A is the Group Johnny frowned. ¡°If that is published, the rumors about fraud will cease! What about the murder charge? ¡°Given the statement of the Saxons family, theizens won¡¯t be convinced If we make an announcement.¡± Silence fell, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell the world about my role in thispany.¡± Aria didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for the shareholders. She funded the stan Group, but that was all. Johnny disagreed. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°I will solve the problem, Just give me some time,¡± Aira said. Johnny fell silent. In the end, he nodded and said, ¡°Okay, you are the boss.¡± The crowd dispersed. Aria followed Johnny to his office and gave him several resumes. ¡°These technicians just let the Cole Group, and I want you to recruit them. Talk with them in person.¡± Johnny took the resumes and nodded, ¡°Okay,¡± Aria was ready to leave since she had achieved her goal. Right then, Johnny called, ¡°Madelyn, we are here for you even if the Saxon family disowned you.¡± Aria looked back at Johnny with a smiling face. ¡°Rx. I am too busy to shed tears for that.¡± Gazing at Aria¡¯s back, Johnny sternly thought, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be disappointed if you didn¡¯t reunite with them. The Saxon family is blind.¡± up her phone. ¡°Did she really In the car, Liam called Hannah and told her about his visit to the Stars Group. Hannah put down the equipment and picked up say that she saved you?¡± ¡°Yes. You personally fed me the inhibitor, so I wasn¡¯t fooled,¡± Liam responded. That day, Liam was infected with a virus, became unconscious, and was carried to a waste incineration nt. He wanted to call for help but couldn¡¯t open his eyes or make a sound. Hearing the people around him talking about burning him, he was in despair. In a daze, he heard a female voice. He was then dragged out of the corpses because a woman found that he was still breathing When he woke up again, he saw Hannah beaming at the people congratting her sess in making the inhibitor and joining Kerano Global Health. Hannah then sat under the light, made the inhibitor with a serious look, and personally fed Liam. Liam remembered Hannah¡¯s voice, and never would he forget that his savior was Hannah. Hearing Liam, Hannah agitatedly gripped her phone. Did that analysis sheet belong to Aria? She came from the countryside and was illiterate, so how could she do theplicated pharmaceutical research? No, she couldn¡¯t Hannah collected her thoughts and said, ¡°Since A already hooked up with Johnny, the Stars Group won¡¯t let the Cole Group join the project. It is said that the Shaw Group is also interested in your chips.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Liam replied. *Kim Shaw owes me a favor. Come pick me up at theb. Let¡¯s go to the Shaw Group and got the contract signed today.¡± Aria got out of the car and walked into the building where her apartment ¡°Go to hell!¡± An angry voice came from behind. Aria paused and moved sideways. In the blink of an eye, a tie Aria popped up and protectively stood before AD Again Marriage 85 After a ssh, the dark ink was all over the risin¡¯s back. The young woman holding a bucket gritted her teeth with anger when she found Aria safe and sound. She changed her position for another con Aria. Aria faced the attacker and lifted her foot without hesitation. Bang! Behind the attacker, dozens of men raised their heads at the same time, and their gabes followed the bucket flying in the air. The bucket twirled in the air, and the ink in it poured down on the attacker. After a squeal of shock, the bucket hit the ground with a thud. Shock rooted the onlookers on the spot. ¡°I¡¯ll kill your The attacker shouted. The knight once again stood before Aria protectively. He asked the attacker, ¡°Do you wanna go to jail?¡± The attacker was then pulled by herpanion. ¡°Miss Shaw, the police just issued a statement. Look!¡± Recently, a stabbing attack happened at Larkridge High School in Mandino City. The suspect is Mr. Cormwell, 56 years old and jobless. He used Ms. Saxon, 22 years old, of killing Den Connor, who had been wanted by Wolentino City for 17 months, seven years ago. He imed that she had disguised the murder as a suicido. [Our investigation confirms that Ms. Saxon is the witness to the stabbing attack and has nothing to do with Den¡¯s death or the fraud case from two years ago. M. Cornwell get paid to kill Ms. Saxon, so he is now under arrest.) The attacker shouted indignantly, ¡°She has a rtive in the police station, so the truth must have been covered up. If she is innocent, why did the Saxon family disown her? I paid you, so catch her! Now!¡± The statement issued by the Saxon family became the strong evidence against Aria. Therefore, Caleb hurried to the hospital to persuade Joseph ¡°Grandpa, did you see the statement issued by the police?¡± Joseph squinted at Caleb, ¡°I did, but so what? The police issued that statement because her surname is Saxon, I don¡¯t think that she could earn 150 million dors on her own.¡± Luke sided with his father. ¡°Aria is evil, and she has only herself to me now. You tell her to return the shares of the Saxon Group as soon as possible.¡± Caleb clenched his fists with lury. How absurd that the police helped Aria while her real family turned against her! After a deep breath, Caleb asked with a grave expression, ¡°Do you really have to do it this way?¡± His disappointment and indignation irritated Joseph. Joseph said in a deep voice, ¡°Do you really think that I disowned her because the Saxon Group would be implicated?¡± Joseph had been proud of his loving family, but everything changed upon Aria¡¯s return. His son argued with him, his daughter¨Cinw was unhappy with him, his grandson ran away from home, and his granddaughter became gloomy¡­ ¡°There has been no peace since her return,¡± Joseph shouted. After a bitter chuckle, Caleb said while suppressing his anger, ¡°Grandpa, is Aria the real reason? Apart from her, all the others live under your control like puppets.¡± Instantly, Joseph¡¯s expression changed drastically. Luke was appalled because Caleb was known for his good temper and emotional stability. In his opinion, Caleb had said such hurtful words to Joseph because of Aria, Frowning, Luke reproached Caleb. ¡°Caleb, Aria doesn¡¯t like to live with us, and it isn¡¯t a big deal. It is said that she spent one hundred million dors buying a house in Haven Garden: You and your parenta a polli E so why do you Again Marriage 86 Ch Chapter 86 ¡°I do have a house in Mayen Garden, offered it to Aria, but the said no. Neither my parents nor give her any money in private, I will call the p let them exin to you if you hit think that the information in their statement is fake. What do you say?¡± Caleb asked. Gentleness leh Caleb, and it was already reced by anger. After Joseph and Luke pulled a long face, Calels sneered. ¡°Since you can¡¯t tolerate my little sister, will leave with her. I will help her in my own way Caleb turned and walked away. In a fit of anger, Joseph smashed his cup, In the corridor, Caleb called Jeffrey, ¡°is everything ready?¡± ¡°Soon,¡± Jeffrey responded. ¡°I want it to be a trending topic in two hours.¡± Jeffery hesitated for a moment and then asked, ¡°Boss, your grandfather doesn¡¯t want to offend the Cole Group or the Gibson Group. Do you want me to post it without notice to the PR department?¡± ¡°Comect¡± ¡°Got you. In the corridor, Silence pervaded. Dozens of meny on the floor. The man who had shielded Aria from the ink nervously swallowed. Not far away, the attacker was agape in shock, and her white teeth were in sharp contrast to her face full of ck ink A reporter hid in the corner, and his heart pounded like mad. He felt d that he had persisted and captured the exciting moment. He had the confidence that his video would make a ssh once it was posted online. Aria leaned against a pir casually. Brutal force was the best solution. A beckoned to the attacker. ¡°Come here. instantly, the young woman crossed her arms over her chest and burst out crying. ¡°You beat them. You can¡¯t beat me.¡± She wanted to run away, but her legs failed her ¡°I won¡¯t. Come over here,¡± Aria persuaded patiently. ¡°Really?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°You have my word.¡± The young woman dragged her feet. ¡°What for?¡± Aria asked, ¡°Rumor has it that I got 150 million dors via fraud, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Scared, the young woman mustered her courage anyway. ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t you grow up in the countryside? How could you earn so much money when y have no skills at all? You must be a fraudster.¡± Aria took out her phono, clicked an app, and handed her phone over. ¡°Count.¡± you Confused, the young woman took the phone, lowered her head, and gazed at the phone screen. Her eyes then became wide open, and her finger tapped the phone screen uncontrobly. ¡°Hundred, thousand¡­ billion?¡± How incredible! in shock, she counted again and again. Crebre 85) This is just one of my bank ounts. Afa gave a faint smile, ¡°Do you think that I need to sear other people for 150 mm Investigate mo it my money came from an unidentified source?¡± Shock rooted the young woman to the spot. A asked, ¡°is your family rich?¡± Very. At the thought of that figure she had just counted, the young wornais quickly corrected herself, ¡°Yes.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes swept over the men on the floor. ¡°They got hurt because of you, so you need to pay their medical bills. Any objections?¡± The young woman shook her head frantically. ¡°No.¡± Something popped to mind, so she bowed respectfully. ¡°Tam sorry¡± Aria was speechless. ¡°Goodbye then.¡± The young woman then told her men to get back to their feet. ¡°I will give each of you another 30 thousand dors, but you need to go to the hospital on your own. Any objections?¡± The group of men responded at the same time, ¡°No.¡± The crowd dispersed. Aria had the time to talk with her knight. ¡°Thanks.¡± The man shed a charming smile. Before he made a sound, Aria added, ¡°What do you think if I express my gratitude with 30 thousand dors?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The man didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. Aria transferred the money to the man and walked to her apartment. The man stared at Aria¡¯s back for a long time before he left. In a corner, he pulled out his phone and sent a message. [Besides the shares, she has billions of dors in cash.] Again Marriage 87 The woman raised her foot and kicked the bucket Into the air. The ck ink poured down onto the head of another women. Then seunde ¡°Calen herl Now!¡± Three burly men lunged at the first woman. Expressionless, the first woman gripped the hand of one man, twisted it, and kicked its owner away. Together with a miserable How the burly mar collided with hispanion. Soon, the woman was surrounded by a bunch of men. Then, each of those men got a kick and fell to the floor with their respective postures. The woman beckoned to the other one and showed thetter something. After the shock, the other woman bowed respectfully and said, ¡°I am sorry.¡± Together with the exciting music, the video soon made a hit after it was posted online, [Did she beat dozens of men? On her own? [How neat her moves aret How impressive! I love her.] [Am I the only person wondering about the content on that phone screen? That troublemaker changed her attitude right away! [Isn¡¯t she the scammer, Arial] People became excited when they found the outstanding fighter was Aria [Guys, watch yournguage. The police have issued a statement to make things clear.] Then, theizens were shocked to find that Aria was used of killing Den [Are you kidding me? I spent the whole night cursing her, but she turned out to be the murderer of that jerk, Den.] Wrong She is the witness. Den killed himself. Case closed. What about the fraud case? The Saxon family disowned her openly, so doesn¡¯t it indicate that her family didn¡¯t give her thatrge sum of money?] [Check the new trending topic. The truth is out.] [The stories about the rich In the past, there were photos,plete evidence, and convincing details to narrate the rtionship between the Saxon family and the Cole family. including their cooperation, falling out, andwsuits against each other. At the end of the post, there was strong evidence about how the two families had thrown dirt on Aria together. Dumbfounded, theizens felt that they had been used by the two families. [Her husband cheated on her, encroached on her shares, and throw dirt on her. Her family disowned her¡­ I feel sorry for her. Without Aria, the Cole Group would have gone broke a long time ago. How shameless it is to throw dirt on her Many a statement saying that the marriage between Aria and Liam is part of the business coboration?] After the statement, the Saxon Group got thend from the Gibson Group, and the twopanies then had cooperation in tourism. The source of that 150 million dors is still a mystery] it is legal ie, ording to the investigation of the police.1 [it
  • Saxon family became the new target of theizens. Joseph found many missed calls when he woke up from sleep. He checke anger got him.
At the news that the muckraking was the work of Caleb, Joseph fainted and was rushed into the ICU again. The butler qkly made calls, so the Saxon family gathered in the hospital again. Luke wanted to give Caleb a good beating to vent his anger after he figured out the whole story. ¡°You traitor¡­¡± wrong. Do you really think that our rivals are ignorant of ¡°Luke!¡± Logan stood before his son aggressively. ¡°Caleb helped histe sister. He did nothing wo those messes? ¡°If we don¡¯t solve the problem now, it will ruin the Saxon Group one day. Fortunately, Caleb took action first, and the PR department seeded to appease the public.¡± G Again Marriage 88 Chapter 88 Zoe sided with her husband. ¡°If we bring Aria home now, her problem will be solved too. Logan and Zoe formed their n when Joseph decided to issue the statement of disowning Aria. with the pressure from the public, Joseph couldn¡¯t prevent Logan and Zon from bringing Aria home anymore. His sickness was a bad surprise Lake talmed down, Furrowing his brows, he asked, ¡°Will she agree? ¡°Of course,¡± Zoe responded to hide her panic. ¡°We gave her our exnations when the statement was issued. She will understand.¡± Standing behind Zoe, Silvia looked at Caleb with a and said, ¡°Dad has a difficult life, so don¡¯timitate him anymore. Nobody is allowed to taint the reputation of the Saxon Group.¡± Her sharp gazended on Logan. ¡°Logan, solve the problem your daughter caused. Don¡¯t let here home if she doesn¡¯t follow the rules of this family Logan remained silent. Caleb shed a sneer and then said ndly, ¡°Aunt, never has Aria said that she wants toe home.¡± As Joseph¡¯s eldest grandchild, Caleb was a good kid, humble and warm Yet, he now mocked at his aunt Gloria was shocked by Aria¡¯s influence on this Eamily. With a stern look, she said, ¡°Luke is right. Aria has a bad influence on you. Caleb became rebellious.¡± ¡°Who is rebellious?¡± Nathan hurried to the hospital after sses. He happened to hear Gloria¡¯sst word. Nobody answered N Nathan, and the atmosphere in the ward was depressing. Nathan blinked his eyes with confusion. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Joseph sleeping on the bed breathing steadily. Joseph woke up. He asked about the Saxon Group, and Logan replied that the public had been appeased. ¡°Dad, ites out good. Our rivals can¡¯t attacks with those messes anymore. To convince Joseph, Logan showed the trending topics. The PR department of the Saxon Group acted quickly and solved the problem once and for all. With a always make us obey you and allow no resistance. I have had enough of this oppression Goodbye.¡± His thoughts churned, and he sighed in the end. Well, I am old. From now on, Logan will be in charge of the Saxon Group. Do whatever you want, and i won¡¯t be interfering anymore. My only condition is that this family can¡¯t be broken up.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Logan, Luke, and Gloria exchanged nces, and they were appalled by the abrupt change in Joseph. Joseph said, ¡°I don¡¯t have much time left, Tell Lincoln toe home if any of you find him. I won¡¯t meddle in his life anymore. As for Aria¡­ She cane home if she wants to. Now, go. I want a moment alone.¡± In the end, only the butter and the veling that Joseph had aged in an incant, Gloria looked at Luke and said, ¡°Luke, find Lincoln and convince him to centar Kame Logan, let¡¯s go see Arts, I¡¯ll convince her toe home.¡± AD Again Marriage 89 Tha was the Shaw Group, Kim saw h istanting right after the meeting was over. ¡°Mr. Shaw, ady called Hannah Gibson wor her Cole,¡± Kit aselitant reported. Hannah and Liam) kim raised his brows slightly. ¡°Whight, bring them here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the assistant responded. He went downstairs and said with a polite smile, ¡°Ms. Gibson, Mr. Cole, pleasee with me! ¡°Thanks,¡± Hannah said. The three people arrived at their destination, with a faint smile, Hannah waved her hand and said warmly, ¡°Kim, long time no Kim nodded. ¡°Long time no see.¡± Liam extended his hand towards Kim and greeted, ¡°Mr. Shaw, I¡¯m Liam Cole.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Kim said. After the coffee was served, Kim let his guests sit down. ¡°Well, what can I do for you?¡± Liam quickly took out his papers. ¡°Mr. Shaw, it is said that yourpany is interested in medical bots, so I came for cooperation¡± Kim looked grim after the smile left his face. He kept his mouth shut, and neither Hannah nor Liam could read his mind. He flipped through the papers and then said, ¡°Your chip is the state of the art at home, but we attach great importance to the reputation of our business partners. Sony that the Cole Group fails to meet our standard in that aspect.¡± Something was off since the Stars Group insisted on forcing the Cole Group out of the project with a loss of money. The Shaw Group didn¡¯t want the trash dumped by others. Liam had thought that this negotiation would be smooth, so his face hardened at this refusal. ¡°Mr. Shaw, the Cole Group is in good faith. There must be some misunderstandings.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you two check the trending topics today?¡± Kim asked. Instantly, Hannah and Liam took out their phones and checked the trending topics. Their expression changed quickly and drastically. Sullen, Liam couldn¡¯te up with a word to defend himself. Hannah soon collected herself and exined, ¡°Kim, some important information is missing in the post. Aria is guilty of bigamy because she became a child bride years ago. ¡°For the sake of her reputation, we keep that a secret. It seems the Saxon family doesn¡¯t appreciate our kindness at all.¡± Kim said, ¡°I am oue¨Cfocused.¡± Frowning, Hannah nced at Kim, hesitated, and then said, ¡°Kim, you gave me a promise that you would help me with one thing unconditionally. Can ask you for a favor now?¡± Years ago, Kim was ambushed by several men, and Hannah happened to drive past. Hannah told her driver to stop the car, so Kim went home unscathed. Without Hannah, Kim would have gotten some wounds at worst. None of the Shaws was an ingrate, so Kim saw Hannah as his savior anyway. He would help her as long as her request was reasonable. Kim dropped his eyes and asked, ¡°You want the Show Group to cooperate with the Cole Group, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Kim, I am sorry, I shouldn¡¯t interfere with your business, but I want to help the Cole Group out.¡± Hannah sounded apologetic. Liam looked at Hannah affectionately and held her hand under the table. Never had he expected her to do so much for him Kim thought for two seconds and then nodded. ¡°Alright¡± This quick answer was a good surprise to Hannah ¡°Kim, thank you so much. The Cole Group won¡¯t let you down. The researcher of GloTech, Ruby Olsen, ising home, and we will make her a member of the Cole Group.¡± Kim nodded. ¡°That wil ? great. He made a call. Soon, the person in charge of medical devices appeared and i ? Again Marriage 90 Chapter 90 Back in his office, Kim took off his suit jacket, put it on the chal, and gave Isis secretary an order. ¡°Check if Ruby Olsen ising home. His w responded, ¡°Yes, sir,¡± ¡°Your brother is not bad. The Saxon family would have a difficult time if he didn¡¯t act quickly¡± Johnny¡¯s voice came through the phone on the table. Aria, busy packing up her stuff, replied with a smiling face, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s quite good¡± She closed her suitcase and stood up. ¡°I have to go now. Time to move. ¡°Beg me, and I will give you a hand.¡± ¡°Dream on ¡°Aria hung up the phone without hesitation.. Most of her stuff had been sent to to Mayen Garden, and only one sly one suitcase was left. She picked up the suitcase and left her apartment. Outside the building, a group of people got out of their cars. Zoe became hesitant. ¡°Aria hasn¡¯t replied to my message yet. Shall we give her a call before we go upstairs?¡± Expressionless, Gloria said, ¡°Why? She should feel honored that we came to pick her up.¡± Luke nodded, ¡°Apart from Dad, nobody has such an honor.¡± Gloria had been in the military, and she was now the chief of surgery in a military hospital. She was stern, so the younger generation of the Saxon family dreaded her. Caleb wanted to keep his distance from the others, while Silvia and Nathan were afraid of Gloria. The three people tacitly lingered behind. The sun was ring, and Nathan became impatient. Heined, ¡°Aunt is right. Aria should feel honored.¡± Caleb shot Nathan a cold nce. ¡°No one forced you toe.¡± Nathan grumbled, ¡°Who are you? You be fiery whenever ites to Aria.¡± He felt that the gentle and warm Caleb had disappeared since thest business trip. Before the group of people walked into the building, Aria appeared with her suitcase. Luke said, ¡°Well, it saves us the trouble of going upstairs. She is anxious to go home with us.¡± He tried his best to respect Aria when her parents and siblings were around. However, his sarcastic bone was unmistakable. Logan¡¯s face darkened slightly. Logan thought, ¡°Before us, Luke can¡¯t conceal his resentment of Aria. In private, he must have said something worse. Perhaps Aria doesn¡¯t want to live with us at all.¡± The problem was that Joseph wouldn¡¯t allow his family to be broken up. Logan sighed helplessly. When he raised his head, a warm smile appeared on his face. ¡°Aria,¡± Aria paused. A figure ran to Aria and took her suitcase. ¡°Moving to Mayen Garden?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± After the answer to Caleb, Aria looked at the crowd. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Her expression was cold, and she didn¡¯t bother to greet them. ¡°How rude!¡± Gloria thought. She took two steps forward and said in a stern voice, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you greet us? Didn¡¯t the Cole family teach you respect in the past two years?¡± Hearing this, even Nathan changed his expression. Didn¡¯t the Saxon familye to take Aria home? What was Gloria doing? ¡°Gloria!¡± Zoe became restless because she was afraid that Aria would be displeased. ¡°Aria is my daughter. The meaning between the lines was that it Chapter 90 was inappropriate for Gloria to lecture Aria. Gloria was Joseph¡¯s eldest child. She was away from home a lot, but she was respected by her whole family. That day, Ret nephew jeered in hur, sister inwined about her. Was Arians as Luke had said? With a long face, Gloria said, ¡°You couldn¡¯t keep your husband, and you caused a lot of trouble. More than 20 years old, you still ran away from home. How troublesome you are!¡°. Aria changed her expression and sneered, ¡°Madam, I am not a member of your family, so it is not your ce to judge me.¡± G Again Marriage 91 Chapter 91 The Saxon family had always been deeply rooted in tradition, prioritizing family honor and reputation above all ehe. Respecting elders, showing hospitality, maintaining humility, and adhering to a strict hierarchy¨Cthese values were second nature to them. Growing up in such an environment, these rules and principles had been ingrained in every member of the Saxon family. Even after marrying into the Fletcher family, Gl¡¯s influence within the Saxon Group hadn¡¯t waned; if anything, it had grown stronger. Aria was undeniably talented, and Logan had once intended for her to join the Saxon Group. But with her strained rtionship with the family, her path forward looked increasingly difficult. More importantly, her sharp and defensive nature often ended up hurting those who genuinely cared about her. Deliberately, Logan said in a low voice, ¡°Aria, you might not think of yourself as part of the Saxon family, but you can¡¯t change the fact that yourst name is Saxon. Your aunt might have been blunt, but she didn¡¯t mean any harm. She¡­ ¡°Mr. Saxon.¡± Ana lifted her head slightly, the sunlight casting across her face. Instead of softening her features, it only highlighted her sharp, icy demeanor. She mocked calmly, ¡°You¡¯ve already cut ties with me. Now you show up with these people, blocking my way and lecturing me without so much as an exnation. What for? Did the Saxons run out of people to push around?¡± Logan froze, caught off guard by the indifference and biting sarcasm in her gaze. He wanted to exin, but no words came out of his mouth. He had thought that everything was under his control, and Aria¡¯s alienation wasn¡¯t within his expectations. Tears welled up in Zoe¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°Aria, it¡¯s not like that. We already exined everything on WhatsApp¨Cit was just a temporary measure. Now that the situation¡¯s been resolved, your grandfather promised he won¡¯t interfere with our branch anymore, and he won¡¯t try to control you.¡± They told her to ignore the online rumors, to endure it for a while. Once everything was settled, no one would stop her from returning to the Saxon family. Even Joseph would treat her as one of his own. Whatever Silvia had, she would have too, e could even join the Saxon Group, and with her abilities, her position wouldn¡¯t below. She To them, it seemed like she was desperate toe back to the Saxon family. Aria chuckled, her deep gaze sweeping over them. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m desperate toe back? What has the Saxon family ever done for me? Why would I care about your approval or affection?¡± When she was struggling and under attack from rumors, they didn¡¯t stand by her. Instead, they used the excuse of ¡°looking out for her future to sever ties with har Now that the dust had settled, they suddenly wanted her back. They were the ones who cut ties, and now they tried to get her back. Gloria scoffed, her tone sharp. ¡°Without the Saxon family, do you think you could¡¯ve married into the Cole family? Could you have gotten the 150 million dors and those shares?¡± Aria let out a mockingugh, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Ms. Saxon, is the Cole family some kind of treasure trave? Why does everyone act like marrying into their family was the jackpot for me? If the Cole family is so amazing, then why did you go to such lengths to call off the engagement back then?¡± Several of the Cole Group¡¯s busin les were steadily declining, and signs of erials were beginning to emerge The Saxon family thought the Cole family was beneath them and didn¡¯t want Silvia to be part of the Coles. But when it came to Arie, en pointed to one thing without the Saxon family, she¡¯d never have been able to marry into such a wealthy family. Gloria¡¯s face twisted in disdain. ¡°You grew up in the countryside, with no education and nothing to show for yourself except partying and wast How could you possiblypare to Silvia?¡± Silvia¡¯s expression shifted, her voice sharp. ¡°Aunt Glorial¡± Zoe panicked, Instinctively stepping in. ¡°Gloria, Silvia and A¡¯s situations arepletely different. How can you evenpare them?¡± In other words, Gloria shouldn¡¯t havepared Aria to Silvia; Zor wasn¡¯t defending Aria. To the Saxon family, she wasn¡¯t even worthy of beingpared to Silvia. Caleb¡¯s face darkened, his voice colder than ice. ¡°Aunt Gloria, are you here to apologize and bring her back, or just to stir up trouble?¡± At that moment, Logan deeply regretted bringing Aria along. ¡®Gloria, can you just stop talking for once?¡± AD Again Marriage 92 Arta¡¯s volen turned icy, her gaze sharp. ¡°Since Ms. Saxon is so confused about me, let me clear things up for you. ¡°I¡¯ve already repaid the 20 million dors you called an engagement gift and my expenses while loving with the Saxon family. The 150 millon mine, and it has nothing to do with you. As for the shares¡­ I traded Cole Group shares with Joseph for them. They weren¡¯t a gh. left all the clothes, bags, and gifts you gave me at the Saxon family¡¯s ce. I didn¡¯t take a single thing. I¡¯ve never owed the Saxon family anything Her gaze was cold, devoid of love or hate, as if she were staring atplete strang
Then, she went on, ¡°I don¡¯t owe you anything. So stop acting all high and mighty, trying to guilt me. If the fact that myst name is Saxon bothers you so much, I¡¯ll just change it to Colton.¡± Compared to the Saxon family, the Coltons were far more tolerable. At least they know when to shut up with just one look from her Aria thought if she had known it would end d like this, she¡¯d never havee back. ¡°No!¡± Logan and Zoe shouted in unison, their voices filled with panic. st give me one more chance as your mother, I beg you.¡± Zoe¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Aria, please don¡¯t act on impulse. It¡¯s our fault for not cherishing you Just tears welling up in her eyes as she lowered herself, her humility almost pitiful Luke, watching from the side, couldn¡¯t hold back his anger. ¡°Zoe, if she doesn¡¯t want toe back, then let her be. Why are you lowering yourself like this?¡± Logan¡¯s face turned cold. ¡°Luke, this is a matter for the second branch. Stay out of it.¡± Suppressing his frustration, Luke retorted, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay out of it. If you enjoy being humiliated, that¡¯s on you. But Gloria, don¡¯t get involved either. You think you¡¯re helping, but they¡¯ll probably just me you for it.¡± He was wondering, ¡°You already have a perfect daughter. Why waste your time chasing after someone who doesn¡¯t care?¡± Even Gloria seemed uncertain now. She turned to the side and asked, ¡°is what she said true? That 150 million dors didn¡¯te from the second branch?¡± When news of Aria¡¯s investment broke, nearly everyone assumed Logan had secretly transferred assets to her. ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡± Logan¡¯s expression darkened. Everyone thought the money Aria had was from him, but the truth was, he hadn¡¯t given her a single cent ow up with the Saxons. She¡¯s been *150 million dors isn¡¯t exactly a small amount,¡± Gloria said, her face flushed as she frowned. ¡°But Aria didn¡¯t grow through so much. If she wants to invest, why not just give it to her aspensation?¡± Everyone wondered if she just had a change of heart. Just as Nathan thought the tension might finally ease, Gloria turned to Aria and asked, ¡°Where did the 150 million dorse from? Who did you borrow it from? Tell your parents to pay it back as soon as possible¡± Nathan was speechless. At least she didn¡¯t outright use Aria of scamming the money. Ania couldn¡¯t be bothered to respond. She reached for the suitcase Caleb was holding, intending to leave, but he dodged slightly and looked at her with a hint of pity, ¡°I¡¯m not on their side. I¡¯m here to help you move.¡± She furrowed her brows but didn¡¯t refuse him agaiq. When her address was leaked, on the day she went to the Stars Group, oup, a crowd had gathered downstairs¨Creporters, victims of fraud cases, and even Chapte 92 herbers who despised her It was Caleb who stepped in and cleared them out. Gloria harshly said, ¡°Caleb, she wasn¡¯t raised in the Saxon family, so it¡¯s no surprise she doesn¡¯t follow our rules. But you¡¯re the eldest son of the Sat family. Why are you acting so recklessly?¡± Gloria¡¯s cold reprimand was echoed by Logan¡¯s displeased expression. ¡°Caleb.¡± Caleb paused and asked, ¡°if Ariaes back, sure, the attacks on the Saxon Group might stop. But what does she get out of it?¡± Logan¡¯s face stiffened slightly. ¡°We¡¯re family. This is nothigh about gains and losses.¡± Caleb then asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t she fine living on her own? Why force her toe back and endure cold stares? she returned.¡± His questioning left Logan and Zoe momentarily stunned. Think about what we did during the first month As Aria was about to leave, Zoe snapped out of her daze and stubbomly grabbed her arm, ¡°Aria, do you really not need me as your mom?¡± Unmoved, that?¡± Aria turned slightly, her gaze serious as she looked at her. ¡°Without me, your lives wouldn¡¯t change. But if Silvia were gone, could you live with ? Again Marriage 93 They were perfectly fine without her. Her two years with the Cole family proved that. But they wouldn¡¯t even dare to imagine how their lives would turn out without SilvdA Zoe felt unea, her eyes widening slightly as she instinctively let go of Aria¡¯s hand. Ana firmly said, ¡°You¡¯re only tied to me by blood, weighed down by guilt, and trying to make up for it ¡°If you could choose, you wouldn¡¯t want a cold and distant daughter like me. You don¡¯t love me.. ¡°And I don¡¯t love you either. I¡¯m done ying along with this fake family act Aria turned to trave, but Nathan rushed forward in a few quick steps, blocking her path. His voice was filled with frustration. ¡°Aris, you can choose not toe back, but you can¡¯t deny how much Mom and Dad love you. ¡°Even when Dad¡¯s buried in work, he still keeps an eye on the Cole and Gibson families, secretly gathering information and evidence. Even if Caleb didn¡¯t step up to defend you, Dad would¡¯ve done it himself. ¡°Mom, who never used to do any chores, now cleans your room every single day and won¡¯t let anyone else enter it. She used to love her beauty sleep, but now she¡¯s up all night worrying about you, trying everything she can to earn your forgiveness and make things right ¡°You think they don¡¯t love you? That¡¯s because you¡¯re so self¨Ccentered that you ignore the care they¡¯ve shown you!¡± Nathan was furious at how easily she dismissed their family, walking away without a second thought about the pain she was causing those who loved her. Just like before, Nathan firmly believed Logan and Zoe truly loved Aria. Aria couldn¡¯t understand what made him so convinced. She let out a soft, mocking . ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what love looks like? Wow, their love must be truly extraordinary.¡± Nathan, provoked by her sarcastic tone, took a deep breath, ready to fire back. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± Out of nowhere, a figure darted in and showed him hard, sending him stumbling backward. Nathan staggered a few steps before regaining his bnce, only to meet a pair of eyes zing with fury. The girl red at them, her voice sharp and cutting. ¡°Gathering evidence is love? Cleaning her room is love? Wow, the Saxon family¡¯s love is so cheap!¡± Her sudden appearance caught everyone off guard She was petite, dressed in a blue¨Cand¨Cwhite school uniform that made her look even thinner. Her hair was slightly yellowed, hinting at poor nutrition. But this frail looking girl, who seemed like she¡¯d disappear in a crowd, stood her ground in front of Aria, ring at them like they were the viins in her story. ¡°Who are you to meddle in the Saxon family¡¯s business?¡± Nathan¡¯s face darkened, his gaze icy ¡°Why should I tell you? it¡¯s none of your business) Her sharp, furious shout cut through the air, silencing t the in Aria nced down in surprise, irritation simmering in her chest vanishing in an instant. Nathan on thes e spot. Zoe frowned, her eyes 93 Sher father, Le¨®n, had once t money to have A killed, is had ever cared about A, how emul Lity scoffed at their hollow disy of concem. Without hesitation, she grabbed Arts¡¯s wrist and tugged her away, Cutting through the oppresse Saxon family members like a de. Caleb, carrying the suitcase, followed them without hesitation. Zoe made a move to chase after them, but Logan stopped her. ¡°Aria¡¯s holding a grudge against os right now. She doesn¡¯t want toe back. Do At least she¡¯s still willing to ept Caleb,¡± Zoe couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore; tears rolled down her cheeks. They hadn¡¯t just failed to bring Aria back¨Cthey¡¯d lost Caleb too. Gloria¡¯s expression darkened, her gaze heavy, ¡°What kind of riffaff is she hanging out with now?¡± Heru words snapped Nathan out of his daze. He turned to her, his expression unreadable He wondered, ¡°Aunt Gloria hasn¡¯t even interacted with Lily. How could she judge her so harshly?¡® A sudden thought struck him, freezing him in ce. ¡°if it had been some random stranger instead of Lily standing up way? Probably not As rity returned to his mind, Nathan felt a pang of regret for the things he¡¯d said to Aria carlier. for Aria today, would I still feel this E Again Marriage 94 Chapter 94 He was thinking, ¡°She doesn¡¯t even know about the things our parents have done. I need to stop letting my emotions get the better of me As Lily and A reached Aria¡¯s tai, Lily quickly let go of her hand, her face turning bright red. ¡°I just saw they wouldn¡¯t let you leave, 50 10. She had been so furious at Nathan¡¯s words earlier that she couldn¡¯t hold back and rushed over ¡°Oh no, I¡¯ve got evening sses¡± Lily blurted out, shuffling to the side before bolting off ¡°See you, M. Saxon Aria watched the girl¡¯s retreating figure, her furrowed brows easing slightly. So, Lily was the one who had been hiding in the shadows these past few days. After cing Aria¡¯s suitcase in the trunk, Caleb reached out and ruffled her hair. ¡°Still worried about her? Hey, I¡¯ve got this. I drive her to school.¡± Caleb remembered Lily well. She was Leon¡¯s daughter, the girl who had fearlessly stepped forward to shield Aria from harm. To him, she was a lifesaver, ¡°Thank you,¡± Aria said softly. ¡°Why are you thanking me? Save that for strangers. Be safe, and I¡¯lle check on you soon,¡± Caleb replied with a warm smile During the month Aria stayed at the Saxon family¡¯s ce, she had insisted that the housekeeper not clean her room, saying she would handle it herself. Caleb had taken note of this and, knowing she had a lot to sort out after moving, decided not to disturb her for now. Inside the car, Lily sat stiffly, like a student caught in the principal¡¯s office. Even her breathing was barely audible. Seeing her like this, Caleb couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. For someone so timid, she sure had the guts to confront his family. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous,¡± he said gently Lily lowered her head and murmured a response, trying to suppress her nerves. She turned her gaze to the window, lost in thought. Finally, I could do something for her! I¡¯m so happy!¡® she thought, her heart practically bursting with joy. Across the street, Nathan was hailing a cab to head back to school for his evening sses. When he spotted Caleb¡¯s car, his face lit up, and he raised his hand, ready to call out. But just as he was about to shout, his eyes met Lily¡¯s through the backseat window. The word ¡°Caleb¡± got stuck in his throat. ¡°What the heck? Why is she in Caleb¡¯s car?¡® Nathan froze, dumbfounded While Nathan stood there in a daze, the car drove off. He immediately started running after it, shouting, ¡°Caleb But soon, even the car¡¯s tail lights disappeared from view. He knew well Caleb was ignoring him on purpose, Nathan said through gritted teeth, ¡°Caleb, this isn¡¯t nicel You¡¯re prioritizing Aria and ignoring me now? I merely said a few words. Ugh, damn it!¡± ayen Garden and pulled her suitcase behind her, a cheerful male voice called out, ¡°Hey there!¡± When Aria arrived at Mayen She turned around and saw a familiar face it was the guy who stood in front of her when she was sshed with ink the other day Scratching his head with a sheepish grin, he said, ¡°Wow, it really is you! I thought I might¡¯ve gotten the wrong person.¡± Before she could say anything, he casually took the suitcase from her hand. ¡°Let me help you with that. You live here too? What floor?¡± The man had short, neatly trimmed hair, fair skin, and sharp, clean cut features. His bright smile and lively demeanor gave him an approachable, almost boyish charm. Arie¡¯s expression remained neutral at the replied, ¡°Eighteenth¡± He chuckled lightly, stepping into the elevator with her suitcase and pressing the button for the eighteenth floor, ¡°What a coincidence A nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± When the elevator arrived, he ced her suitcase in the hallway and asked, ¡°By the way, I¡¯m Bhatt Sutton, What¡¯s your name?¡± Arka said tly, ¡°Aria Saxon.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Rhett beamed. The elevator door closed with a soft ding, and the disy showed it stopping at the neenth floor. Aria walked to her door, entered the password, and scanned her fingerprint. ¡°Ms. Saxon?¡± A smooth, clear voice drifted over, making Aria pause with her hand on the doorknob. She turned her head to look. Owen closed the door behind him and gave her i polite smile. The sunlight hit his face, entuating his sharp features and lending him an air of quiet authority and intensity She nodded slightly. ¡°Mr. Shaw.¡± Owen¡¯s gaze flicked to her suitcase, his brows knitting slightly. ¡°A few days ago, someone offered me a hefty sum to rent this apartment. Now that I see you here, it all makes sense. Someone¡¯s got their eye on you.¡± G Again Marriage 95 No Ads Chapter 95. Chapter 95 Aria merely said calmly, ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Shaw.¡± Seeing her calm demeanor, Owen figured the already had a n. He gave a slight nod and left without saying more. Ana stapped into her new home. Sunlight poured through the floor¨Cto¨Cceiling windows, flooding the space with warmth and brightness. The room felt open and spotles The sales manager had arranged for a cleaning service, saving her the hassle. With only a few belongings to unpack, she quickly got everything in arder. After a quick shower, she headed to the second floor studio, grabbed a sheet of drawing paper, and picked up a pencil. Her pencil moved swiftly across the paper, the soft seatching sound almost unintempted as a portrait began to take shape Ten minutester, she set the pencil downs and snapped a photo of the finished sketch. Her phone chimed with a notification. Aria operied the Maple Link app. ck Rose: (The order came from the Solemnity Guild.) Ana¡¯s gaze sharpened, and she let out a cold scoff before typing: We¡¯re even now Without hesitation, she switched to her chat with Alpha and sent over the photo of the sketch. The next second, a trending topic notification popped up on her phone: [Saxon Heiress Suspected of Fraudulent Marriage] Aria wasn¡¯t one to dwell on online gossip, but a quick scroll revealed the gist of it. Liam and Hannah were under fire, bombarded with criticism, Meanwhile, the Gibson Group had stopped in, hinting at one thing: Aria was being used of bigamy. Aria scoffed, her lips curling into a cold smile. She could guess what they had found out. The trending topic fizzled out in just ten minutes, barely causing a stir. Only a handful ofizens bothered to start threads discussing it Then, Aria saw ament: Trashy guy and scheming girl¨Cwhat a perfect pair.] The profile picture was a dark, gothic¨Cstyle portrait Its username was Vanessa Ward, and the ount had been verified with her status as a singer and actress. Netizen A: [Oh no! Vanessa, did you forget to switch to your private ount? Delete it now before the trollse swarming!! Netizen B: [Vanessa¡¯s been gone to study abroad for a whole year, and the first thing she does after her return is gossip? ssic.] Netizen C: Study abroad? Sure, sounds fancy. She probably had a kid by now! Netizen D. (Or maybe she got some work done on her face while she was at it. Vanessa shot to fame through a reality show featuring idol groups. Her solid singing skills won her fans, but her debut was riddled with scandals¨Crumors of being a sugar baby to a wealthy patron, for one. Later, she transitioned into acting, starring in a drama adaptation of a popr novel. The bacsh was brutal, but it got her great traffic. Critics tore into her looks, acting, voice, and background. Wherever she went, chaos followed, and her poprity rivaled that of top¨Ctier celebrities. Yet, her voice was undeniably unique. When she released a song advocating for women, it swept through the awards circuit, earning her multiple des Chaptengs chard Fang thou lly tamning over and prepared to celebrate. But then she joined a v lobe tha spotlight, and stirred up drama, sessfully attracting a fresh wave of tro, Her fans were exasperated. Her thats¡± bana celebrated. At this point, Vanessa had single¨Chandedly stolen the spotlight. The Saxon family drama? Forgotten. Everyone was too busy talking about her. Someone noticed her IP address had changed. Not long after, the topic with the title ¡°Vanessa Ward Has Returned, Ready for a Comeback¡± got into the top three trending topics. Aria raised an eyebrow, surprised at Vanessa¡¯s retum. Then, her phone buzzed, Alpha: [Check your messages on WhatsApp.] Vanessa: [I¡¯m back!] At the airport, the woman at the center of the buzz was waiting for someone. With her curly hair, oversized sunsses, a strappy mini dress, and knee¨Chigh boots, Vanessa was dressed to turn heads her signature bold and stylish look. Though her return had just hit the trending list, her discreet itinerary meant no one had recognized her yet. After she waited for half an hour, a slender figure finally appeared in her line of sight. Vanessa waved excitedly and hurried over. ¡°Aria, over here!¡± As Aria got closer, Vanessa pulled her into a tight hug, yfully rubbing her cheek against Aria¡¯s shoulder like an affectionate puppy, letting out a dramatic sigh. ¡°Girls back home really do have a different vibel¡± Aria chuckled. ¡°Weren¡¯t you nning to stay abroad for two years?¡± Again Marriage 96 ti got bored fleamed everything I needed to, to I thought, why note back ekly? Oh, and why didn¡¯t you tell me shout your divirta ho 16 mnd out hom my phone alte exantal¡± Vanessained. Arfa shnagged, her terrealm. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± Vanessa stared at her, incredulous, ¡°What¡¯s a big deal for your then?¡± ¡°Tood. That¡¯s what matters right now,¡± Aria replied simply, cing Vanessa¡¯s luggage into the trunk. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head to Cloe¡¯s ce.¡± On the drive, Vanessa finished ranting about how awful foreign food was and shifted the topic to the fraud case from two years ago. ¡°Those people are repeat offenders, backed by the Blood Association. They¡¯re not easy to deal with.¡± It was the Blood Association again. No wonder they dared to take on the Solemnity Guild¡¯s job. The Solemnity Guild must have offered a heftymission. If Aria died, they¡¯d still get her money. Aria tightened her grip on the steering wheel, a cold glint shing in her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re like flies¨Cso annoying¡± Running away wouldn¡¯t solve anything. Besides, they were not just after money; they wanted her dead. Vanessa¡¯s gaze turned cold as she looked down. ¡°The sketch you sent me is it the guy they sent?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Most likely. His name is Rhett Sutton, and he lives upstairs from me.¡± Vanessa nodded. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll look into him.¡± The two girls walked into Navoron Restaurant, greeted by a smiling waitress, ¡°Wee,dies. Pleasee in. Do you have a reservation? if not, we have tables avable, and you can order right away.¡± The waitress gestured to load them toward the main dining area. Aria pulled out a card when someone called out to her, ¡°Ms. Saxon?¡°, Aria looked up and saw two familiar faces it was the directors from the Stars Group, Trenton Stewart and Victor Walker. She gave a slight nod A middle¨Caged man trailing behind suddenly asked, ¡°Is Aria Saxon a shareholder of the Stars Group?¡± The man was was one of Hayes Group¡¯s executive directors, Johnny ny Kramer. Today, he was representing Hayes Group in project negotiations with the Stars Group, specifically regarding the coboration that had been canceled with Cole Group Since Aria and Johnny were the respective representatives of their groups, they naturally knew each other. Aria had intended to exchange pleasantries, but before she could, Victor and Trenton quickly denied it. ¡°No, she¡¯s not! She¡¯s a shareholder of the Cole Group, not the Stars Group.¡± Their tone was overly urgent, as if trying to distance themselves from her. Johnny noticed something was off and cast a questioning look at Aria. She arched a brow, her eyes shing with faint helplessness. 1/2 Victor quickly changed the subject, stepping side to stand in front of Arts and extending his hand. ¡°Mr Kramer, this way, Johnny set aside his doubts and nodded. ¡°Alfight, let¡¯s go.¡± Vanessa watched their retreating figures, her expression darkening. ¡°The Stars Group is denying your statos?* Ana said tly, ¡°Not entirely. It¡¯s not important.¡± Vanessa let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°You always do this acting like it¡¯s no big deal when it clearly is Aria pulled out a tinum card marked with a special number. ¡°I¡¯ll take this suite.¡± The waitress frore for a moment upon seeing the number and then quickly recovered, her tone unconsciously tinged with respect. ¡°Apologies, Ladies. Please follow me this way.¡± Noticing Aria following behind, Victor and Trenton exchanged a worried nce, their faces clouded with concern. They wondered, ¡°Is she gonna confront us for denying her shareholder status? Will she refute us in front of everyone? But she¡¯s agreed not to reveal her identity!¡± The two grew increasingly anxious, their nerves on edge, hearts pounding as she approached, However, Aria and Vanessa walked past them and headed in the opposite direction. The waitress opened the door to the suite, and Aria, along with Vanessa, stepped inside. Victor and Trenton widened their eyes as they spotted the que reading ¡°Golden Premier Suite They were thinking, ¡°The Golden Premier Suite is reserved for the most distinguished guests at Navoron Restaurant. Even Mr. Oconnor couldn¡¯t get in- how did Aria Saxon manage it?¡± Still grappling with their surprise, Victor and Trenton entered another suite to begin their business discussion. The atmosphere was cordial, and Johnny appeared quite satisfied. Just as Victor and Trenton thought everything was proceeding smoothly, Johnny suddenly asked, ¡°Are you sure Aria Saxon isn¡¯t a shareholder of the Stars Group?¡± Both Victor and Trenton promptly denied it, saying ¡°No, she isn¡¯t,¡± Johnny¡¯s expression clouded with hesitation. Benjamin had once mentioned that Aria might be the elusive shareholder of the Stars Group. If that were true; there¡¯d be no need to hesitate¨Che could sign the contract immediately. However, Victor and Trenton insisted she wasn¡¯t ¡°Is there something bothering you, Mr. Kramer? Trenton asked cautiously. ? AD Comment Again Marriage 97 Chapter 97 Johnny nodded. ¡°To be honest, the Hayes Group stopped working with the Cate Group because Ms. Saxon Jaf* Victor and Trenton froze, wondering, ¡°Wait, Aria Saxon is Ms. Samn? She¡¯s really that tight with the Hayes Group? Johnny continued, ¡°Ms. Saxon is close to Benjamin Hayes¨Cpractically his confidante, I heard she¡¯s a shareholder in the Stand Group, which is why i considered this coboration. But it seems there¡¯s been a misunderstanding. The Stars Group¡¯s proposal is promising, but for now, we¡¯ll only coralder working with Ms. Saxon hersell* Victor and Trenton exchanged a look, utterly floored. They never imagined that the olive branch extended by the Hayes Group was all because of Aria They wondered who she was exactly to be able to be Benjamin¡¯s confidante. Johnny stood up, making a show of heading for the door. ¡°Well, it seems I¡¯ve made you twoe here for nothing today Victor and Trenton scrambled to their feet, blurting out, ¡°Wait, Mr. Kramer There must be some kind of misunderstanding!¡± 2 Like what?¡± Johnny asked. ¡°A misunderstanding? | Trenton¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment, his voice faltering. ¡°Actually¡­ Aria Saxon is thergest shareholder of the Stars Group.¡± If they could rewind time to thirty minutes ago, they would¡¯ve immediately nodded when Johnny asked if Aria was a shareholder of the Stars Group However, they had denied it. And worse, they had denied it right in front of Aria. Johnny¡¯s gaze swept over them, his eyes narrowing with doubt, scrutiny, and a flicker of anger, ¡°I asked you twice, and both times you denied it. Now, after I¡¯ve spelled it out for you, you suddenly admit she¡¯s the Stars Group¡¯s shareholder? It¡¯s hard not to question the Stars Group¡¯s sincerity at this point.¡± As he reflected on the events of the past few days, Johnny began to piece it all together. Victor and Trenton had been so desperate to distance themselves from Aria, afraid she might drag them down. But the moment they realized Hayes Group would only work with her, they scrambled to acknowledge her status as a shareholder. Forget about Aria being a close friend of Benjamin¨Canyone in her position would be furious. Even as an outsider, Johnny found their behavior utterly disgraceful. They used her and then denied her status. The shift in Johnny¡¯s demeanor was impossible to miss. The warmth from earlier had vanished, reced by a cold, cutting edge that made Victor and Trenton break out in a nervous sweat. The Northside project had immense potential, and the Stars Group had shown nothing but good faith. There was no reason for Hayes Group to reject the deal¨Cit was practically a done deal. Everyone wanted a piece of the ple, and Victor and Trenton were no exception. They had even made bold promises to secure this opportunity. If they failed to close the deal, their careers would be over. Panic began to creep in, but they managed to keep their expressions in check, scrambling to salvage the situation from another angle ¡°Mr. Kramer, the terms the Stars Group is offering are the best in the market. Partnering with us would only benefit Hayes Group.¡± Trenton said, his voice trembling slightly despite his best efforts to sound confident. Johnny¡¯s face darkened, cutting off Trenten mid¨Csentence ¡°if Ms. Savors is really a shareholder of the Bears Group, let herhan Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out. Benjamin valued Aria highly, and Johnny felt obligated to stand up for her. Victor and Trenton frot¨¦ in ce, as if struck by lightning, their legs heavy like ke they were weighed down try sandbags, making it hard to breathe Trenton¡¯sce was filled with panic. ¡°What do we do now? If we can¡¯t secure this deal, we¡¯re done for!¡± Victor said through gritted teeth, ¡°Let¡¯s talk to Aria Saxon!¡± A knock came at the door of the suite. Thinking it was the waiter, Aria didn¡¯t bother looking up and casually said, ¡°Come in¡± Vanessa recognized the two men and frowned slightly, her tone cold. ¡°What do you want?¡± Victor spoke first. ¡°Ms. Saron, Hayes Group and the Stars Group have a coboration in progress. As thergest shareholder, could you step in and help. usout?¡± Trenton quickly added, ¡°Let us know when you¡¯re avable, and we¡¯ll arrange a meeting with Mr. Kramer to finalize the contract as soon as possible Neither of them mentioned the earlier incident. AD Again Marriage 98 Chapter 98 Aria set down her fork and looked at them. ¡°Johnny Dconner didn¡¯t sign 117¡± The Stars Group had already signed it, but Hayes Group hadn¡¯L Victor and Treston were momentarily speechless. Trenton¡¯s expression shifted, showing a hint of respect. ¡°You¡¯re the Stars Group¡¯srgest shareholder. If you represent us, Hayes Group will see our sincerity ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to keep my identity a secret?¡± Aria frowned. ¡°Did you offend Mr. Kramer?¡± Their faces stiffened. ¡®How does she know about that? Victor and Trenton wondered. Seeing their reactions, Aria quickly pieced it together. Hayes Group¡¯s interest in the partnership with the Stars Group likely had everything to do with her. Vanessa mmed her fork onto the table, her stunning face now frosty with disdain. She didn¡¯t bother hiding the mockery in her eyes. ¡°Aria¡¯s just a shareholder who invests money. You don¡¯t even have the guts to acknowledge her status, so whye to her about a partnership? Get out. Stop interrupting our meal.¡± Victor¡¯s face darkened instantly. ¡°Miss, we¡¯re discussing business with a shareholder. This has nothing to do with you!¡± Aria tapped the table lightly, her voice calm but carrying an undeniable authority. ¡°Gentlemen, please show some respect to my friend. If you want me to discuss the deal, fine¨Chave Johnny Oconnore to me himself. You two don¡¯t get to order me around.¡± Her tone was low, but the strength and dominance in it left no room for argument Trenton¡¯s heart sank. He quickly nudged Victor and said, ¡°Apologies, Ms. Saxon. We were too hasty and overstepped.¡± Aria was thergest shareholder in the Stars Group, holding more power than both of thembined. But because of her young age, they instinctively treated her as a junior, their wordsced with subtle condescension. Aria didn¡¯t care what others thought of her as long as the money kept flowing. But disrespecting her friends? That was a line no one could cross. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Victor turned to Vanessa and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aria chimed in, ¡°Herst name is Ward.¡± A flicker of frustration crossed his face, but he reluctantly bowed. ¡°My apologies, Ms. Ward. I spoke without thinking.¡± Vanessa waved it off casually. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Aria¡¯s expression remained cold. Sensing that continuing the conversation would only make things worse, Trenton quickly said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, sorry to have disturbed you. He pulled Victor along as they left. ¡°Does she think she¡¯s all that just because she threw in a ton of money?¡± Victor grumbled as they stepped outside. Trenton shot him a re. ¡°We brought this on ourselves by denying her status. Now look where we are. If we can¡¯t secure this deal, decades of hard work will go up in smoke! The priority now is getting Aria Saxon to agree to negotiate.¡± Victor sneered, his tone dripping with disdain¡¯t have no idea what she was picked for. Everyone says those rumors about her scammning her way into marriage are false, but I bet they¡¯re true. How else could someone her agee up with that kind of money? If it¡¯s not her looks or her body, then what?¡± ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s go,¡± Trenton said curtly, cutting him off. Anthoinear pulled out of the parking space at Havoron Restaurant, another vehicle smoothly slid into the spo The door of both cars opened at the same time, and two groups of people Mepped out. Hannah and Liam got out of one car, while Kim and his secretary got out of the other. Hannah raised her eyebrows and spoke in a bright, cheerful tone. ¡°Kim, Navoron Restaurant has some new dishes on the menu. We book suite Golden Premier Suite. Dinner¡¯s on me tonight¡± Liam, who had just walked closer, overheard her and yfully tapped her nose. ¡°With me here, why would you need to treat anyone?¡± ¡°I got Kim to sign the contract with the excuse that he had to repay me. I feel bad about it, so this time, I insist on paying Hannah replied with a determined smile Kim, his expression as cold as ever, let his lips curl into a faintly cold smile. ¡°The Cole Group is still under the Shaw Group¡¯s consideration.¡± Hannah gave a sheepish smile. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that now. Let¡¯s head inside first.¡± have a reservation?¡±
  1. e. Do you ha The waitress who had earlier received Aria now approached them with a professional smile. ¡°Wee.
¡°Yes,¡± Hannah replied politely, her demeanor carrying a subtle air of superiority. ¡°I¡¯ve booked the Golden Premier Suite.¡± AD Again Marriage 99 Chapter 99 The waitress frorelos a moment before quickly saying, ¡°Please hold on, let me check She hurried to the reception desk and checked the reservation system. Sure enough, the Golden Premier Suite was booked under the nan Gibson. The waitress said apologetically, ¡°Ms. Gibson, I¡¯m terribly sorry, but the Golden Premier Suite officially opens at 7 pm, and it¡¯s currently & pm. The reservation policy for the Golden Premier Suite was strict: it could only be used from 7 pm to 10pm. Liam¡¯s face darkened, his tone icy. ¡°Rules are made by people, aren¡¯t they? We¡¯re already here what¡¯s the harm in starting half an hour early? The waitress could tell these were people of high status and not ones to offend. Normally, she could request approval for early ess, but the problem was that the Golden Premier Suite was currently upied. Looking distressed, she bowed deeply and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, but the Golden Premier Suite is currently in in use.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hannah¡¯s perfectly made¨Cup face showed a hint of anger. ¡°I made a reservation! How could you let someone else use my suite?¡± The lobby was filled with a tense atmosphere. Hannah and Liam bath wore grim expressions The Cole Group wasn¡¯t nning to coborate with the Shaw Group just this once, and the Gibson Group also had business interests in mind. Building a good rtionship with Kim was a shared goal for both Hannah and Liam. Navoron Restaurant gave off an air of luxury and grandeur. Each private suite had its own unique design, but all of them screamed extravagance. The Golden Premier Suite, however, stood out with its modern design and strict usage restrictions. Cloe, the owner, had once mentioned that this suite was specially designed for a particr VIP, which exined its unique decor and limited avability. Other suites had no such restrictions and could be reserved just a few days in advance. But the Golden Premier Suite required at least a month¡¯s notice, and during peak seasons, reservations could take up to three months. Everyone believed Naveron Restaurant was using a scarcity marketing tactic, but they couldn¡¯t resist falling for it. Hannah had waited two full months to secure this reservation. She had specifically invited Kim for this dinner to apologize and strengthen their rtionship. And now, of all times, this had to happen. Not far away, Amanda rk, Kim¡¯s secretary, watched the scene unfold, the awkwardness in the air almost tangible. She leaned toward Kim and muttered, ¡°Should¡¯ve stayed home today.¡± Amanda used to be Kim¡¯s high school ssmate. After studying abroad, she joined the Cole Group and had been working as his secretary ever since. Kim shot her a sidelong nce. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the the raving about how much you wanted to try the food at Navoron Restaurant?¡± ¡°And Alex wants it toot I promised to bring her some food here,¡± Amanda replied. Alex was one of Kim¡¯s assistants and also a friend who had graduated with him. ¡°You¡¯re embarrassing me,¡± Kim said calmly. Amanda sighed. ¡°At this rate, we might not even get a table!¡± nim rave h¨¦t ¨¤ co?l, sweep: and Aminits Wisely tipped he -I¡¯m so sorry, ML. Gibson, the waitress stammered, visibly flustered as sweat Tormed on her forehead. ¡°The gunda who arrived are VIP prioritize them. They should be done soon, and the Golden Premier Suite will definitely be avable by seven in the meantime, I can en uite for you to rest.¡± Alm onlookers turned their heads, their gazes filled with curiosity and amusement, as if they were watching a live performance. And to make matters worse, Kim was still waiting Liam¡¯s expression darkened, his voice sharp andmanding. ¡°You gave away the suite we reserved? is this how Havoron Restaurant treats its customers? Get your manager here¨Cnow!¡± Hannah took a deep breath, suppressing her frustration, and walked over to Kim. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kin Kim remained calm, his tone indifferent. ¡°Waiting another half hour won¡¯t make a difference.¡± He could use the time to ha Again Marriage 100 Chapter 100 The waitress looked like she was on the verge of tears and quickly turned away to make a phone call. Not long after, a woman descended the stars, her every step exuding elegance. She wore an elegant gown, and her makeup was wless, everyone¡¯s attention Her hair was styled in an intricate updo, revealing her porcin like neck. The slight curve at the corner of her eyes added a touch of allure to her appearance. ¡°What seems to be the issue here?¡± The woman was none other than Cine Woods, the 11 year old single and wealthy dener of Haveron Restaurant The moment Cloe appeared, Amanda could clearly sense Kim¡¯s mood shift, his auta growing colder. Puzzled, she kept her observations discreet, quietly studying the scene. The lobby grew increasingly crowded as more people gathered, their whispers and curious nces turning the situation into a spectacle. Hannah cast a quick nce at Cloe, her disdain evident. Without hesitation, she stepped forward, subtly positioning herself in front of Lism. ¡°We reserved the Golden Premier Suite of Navoron Restaurant in advance, yet your staff gave it away without consulting us.¡± Cloe gave the waitress a nonchnt nce. ¡°What happened exactly?¡± The waitress wiped her tears and said, ¡°Ms. Woods, I followed the rules. You said anyone with the First¨Css VIP Card could use the Golden Premier Suite without restrictions. Besides, it¡¯s only six¨Cthirty¨Cthere¡¯s still half an hour before we officially open.¡± Cloe fixed her eyes on her. ¡°You¡¯re sure about this?¡± The waitress nodded. ¡°Absolutely sure.¡± Cloe¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile as she turned to the group. ¡°Sorry,dies and gentlemen. The Golden Premier Suite doesn¡¯t open until seven. Mind waiting another half hour?¡± Faced with the rules, Hannah didn¡¯t press further but asked coldly, ¡°Waiting half an hour is fine, but the suite only opens once a day. If someone else is using it during our reserved time, does that mean we have to give it up?¡± Cloe crossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s exactly how it works. Hannah said with restrained anger, ¡°I don¡¯t think we deserve such treatment.¡± Cloesaid, ¡°Do you remember when Navaron Restaurant first opened, I mentioned that the Golden Premier Suite was designed for a very special guest!¡± A few customers nodded. ¡°Yes, you did,¡± Cloe¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°And I also said that while the Golden Premier Suite is open for public reservations, if this special guest shows up with the First ss VIP Card, the suite must be vacated for them, no matter who reserved it. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Liam nodded firmly, ¡°Yes.¡± Navoron Restaurant had only issued ten VIP Cards in total, and in the nine ye years since its opening, only five had been given out Four of those cards were ounted for, but the first¨Css VIP Card had never been seen. The rules of Navoron Restaurant were publicly known, and most people assumed the First¨Css VIP Card was just a marketing gimmick, never actually distributed. Who would¡¯ve thought the holder of this elusive card would show up today? The crowd erupted in whispers their curiosity nga fever pitch. Hannah¡¯s face stiffened, her eyes glinting with coldness. m gently took her hand to soothe her. ¡°Ms. Woods, we respect the rules and won¡¯t break them. We just need to see the First ss VIP Card with Suspicion brewed in his heart as he thought, ¡°Nine years without a trace, and now it shows up the moment we arrive?¡± Cloe nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go ask the guests if they¡¯re willing to let us verify the First¨Css MMPC Card.¡± ¡°What if the First ss VIP Card has always been in your possession, Ms. Woods?¡± someone asked. ¡°Exactly. We need to meet the guests,¡± another chimed in. ¡°Let us meet them,¡± a third voice insisted. Cloe didn¡¯t agree immediately. ¡°I need to check with the guests first.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± came the response. As Cloe turned, her gazended on two stunning young women who had just entered her line of sight. The waitress quickly stepped forward. ¡°Ms. Woods, the ones holding the First¨Css VIP Card and requesting the Golden Premier Suite are them.¡± E AD Comment Send gift No Ads Again Marriage 101 Chapter 101 The crowd collectively froze, their expressions a mix of shock and disbebel. Someone said, ¡°Wait a second isn¡¯t that Aria Son? The one who¡¯s been trending online for days?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the cardholder? And she even used the Golden Premier Suite her ex¨Chusband had reserved?¡± someone said in disballet. The onlookers¡® faces shifted dramatically, their gares bouncing between Aria, Hannah, and Liam, ¡°Aria?¡± Hannah and Liams blurted out her name, their voices filled with incredulity. They wondered, ¡°How could she possibly be the cardholder?¡± Aria and Vanessa stepped out, only to find the lobby packed with people, all staring at them like they¡¯d just witnessed the impossible ¡°Wright, looks like I don¡¯t need to fetch it myself¡± Cloe smiled warmly as she approached. ¡°Hey, Ania, would you mind showing everyone your First¨Css VIP Card?¡± Aria hesitated for a moment before handing over the card, ¡°Sure, no problem¡± Cloe held the card high, revealing the bold number ¡°1¡± engraved on it. ¡°Everyone, take a look! She is Navoron Restaurant¡¯s most honored guest. The Golden Premier Suite is made just for her The Saxon family¡¯s drama had been the talk of the city for ages, especially the story of their real and fake daughters Curiosity buzzed among the onlookers. The Golden Premier Suite was tailored for Aria, yet in and was living in the countryside. How did shee to know Cloe back then? nina years ago, she hadn¡¯t even returned to the Saxon family Hannah curled her Eps into a mocking smile. was wondering why the moment we arrived, the suite was taken. So she¡¯s behind this.¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened, his eyes zing with fury. ¡°Aria, is there anything you won¡¯t do to mess with us?¡± Aria blinked, her expression nk. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Liam snapped, his tone sharp with frustration. ¡°You¡¯ve been in Mandino City for two years and never once used that First¨Css VIP Card. We went through so much trouble to book the Golden Premier Suite, and you hogged it on purpose. If that¡¯s not intentional, then what is?¡± He thought, ¡°She¡¯s been stirring up trouble between the Stars Group and the Cole Group, forcing us to pull out of the deal. Now, after Hannah went to great lengths to secure the coboration with Kim, she¡¯s here again, deliberately causing chaos to make him lose faith in us. Her motives are downright malicious!¡± The crowd exchanged knowing looks and nodded in agreement. They believed that there was no way all of this could be a coincidence¨Cit was obvious Aria was targeting Liam and Hannah, Aria smirked nonchntly, her voice dripping with sarcasm, ¡°Wow, you really know how to make yourself the center of attention. It¡¯s 6:45 right now, and the suite doesn¡¯t open until T. So tell me¡­ what did I even do wrong?¡± She hadn¡¯t used the card in two years, and whenever she needed the Golden Premier Suite for an important asion, she always booked it ahead of time. This time, though, with Vanessa¡¯s sudden return and no time to make a reservation, Aria had no choice but to use the card. d¡¯ve happened. If Liam and Hannah had just arrived at Navorgh Restaurant on time and not gone looking for trouble, none of this would¡¯ve The crowd finall Hinally understood, their expressions shifting to disapproval. ¡°Exactly! The suite opens at seven. Why did they show up half an hour early? Couldn¡¯t they have just waited a bit longer?¡± someone muttered. 1/2 Chapter 101 nced at Liam and Hannah, Teigning shock as she covered her mouth ¡± Wells, Han¡¯t that Bam Cole; the cheating mistress, Hannah Gibson!¡°. Cloe¡¯s tone was light and indifferent. ¡°I suppose sa Vanessa mocked, ¡°We deliberately sunided eating at 7 pm. If we¡¯d known the reservation wors for a scumbag And his side chick, we would ofm Hannah¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Miss, you shouldn¡¯tment without knowing the full story. What gives you the right to insult us? Winess crossed her arms, a cold smirk tugging at her lips. Her gaze was filled with disdain as the retorted mockingly. ¡°Liam hasn¡¯t mean finalized has divorce, and you¡¯re already tangled up with him. If that¡¯s not shameless, then what is? Hannah¡¯s expression turned icy, her eyes shing with a sense of chilling fury. Seeing Hannah being verbally attacked, Cole¡¯s face turned stormy. ¡°Aria, keep your friend in line! Don¡¯t let her spit venom everytierun ? AD Comment Again Marriage 102 Chapter 102 Vanessa, unitared by the outburst, stopped forward and stood in front of Aria. Her voice was sharp and deliberate, each word cutting a bu must¡¯ve spent so much time wallowing in hith that you think everyone¡¯s just like you. Some, I¡¯ve got haters, but at least run got principles don¡¯t y mistress, and I don¡¯t wreck homes. If you¡¯re so desperate to be the poster child for shamelessness, on ahead, but keep your trash From me. It¡¯s revolting¡® The crowd didn¡¯t fully grasp her words, but the sheer venom in them left everyone feeling sullied. Amanda fraze, her mouth agape indisbelief. So this was the infamous Vanessa, the queen of controversy No wonder she was known as the celebrity with the most haters in the industry. That mouth of hers could poison anyone with just a single word. She secretly nudged Kim ¡°Mr. Shaw, did you catch what Vanessa Ward was randing about?¡± He didn¡¯t answer her. Amanda nced up and saw Kim staring at Cloe with a peculiar expression. The surrounding noise seemed to fade into the back ground for him. Her instincts told her there was something going on between these two. She thought she might as well enjoy the other drama first. Amanda continued to y the role of a curious bystander, soaking in the spectacle. Liam¡¯s face alternated between pale and flushed, humiliation coursing through him like a tidal wave. Hannah¡¯s expression was equally grim as she fixed her icy gaze on Aria. ¡°Aria, love can¡¯t be forced. You¡¯re just jealous that Liam chose me if you hadn¡¯t deceived him, none of this would¡¯ve happened.¡± Upon hearing the word ¡°deceived¡°, someone discreetly pulled out their phone to record the scene. Hannah¡¯s features were decent, and her hairstyle cleverly softened the angles of her square face, giving her a sharp and confident vibe that stood out in the crowd. Both women had cold personalities, but Aria¡¯s aloofness wasn¡¯t inther appearance¨Cit was in her gaze and aura. The indifference she exuded carried a hint of disdain, making people unconsciously overlook her looks: When two women were vying for the same man,parisons were inevitable. And in this case, under the crowd¡¯s scrutiny, Hannah¡¯s ws became ringly obvious Aria was like an ice queen¨Cstunning from afar, but so icy that people would feel the chill in their bones if they dared to get close. Aria nced at Hannah with a faint, mocking smile. ¡°Ms. Gibson, care to exin? What exactly have I lied about?¡± Hannah frowned, her expression tinged with hesitation and helplessness. ¡°Aria, women alreadyce so much unfair treatmentpared to men. Reputation is everything to us. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be tearing each other down¨Cwe should be lifting each other up. I don¡¯t want to make things harder for you or put you in a bad spot,¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already secured the shares, and now the Cole Group and Gibson Group are under fire. I haven¡¯t even exposed your secrets, but you keep pushing, stirring up trouble for the Cole Group again and again!¡± Her words struck a chord with the crowd, pulling them deeper into the drama. They wondered, She doesn¡¯t seem like someone who would ruin another¡¯s deception she mentioned?¡± Could there ba Aria let out a derisiveugh, ¡°Wow, Ms. Gibson, what a touching speech. I¡¯m curious¨Cwhat leverage do you think you have to sound so Liam frowned deeply. ¡°Aria, if this gets out, it won¡¯t end well for you. Just stop meddling with the Cole Group, and we¡¯ll make sure your she buried.¡± The more they beat around the bush, the more the onlookers¡® curiosity burned. They were practically itching to thout, ¡°Just spill it already? Aria¡¯s voice was calm and indifferent. ¡°Quit wasting time. Just say ?L¡± Hannah¡¯s brows furrowed in anger, her heart soothing with frustration. She truly couldn¡¯t understand that, after everything Arts had been through, how could she still look at her with such cold disdaint Hannah sneered. ¡°Aria, I gave you a chance. Are you sure you want me to say it out loud?¡± Aria¡¯s tone was steady ¡°Go ahead. Hannah took a deep breath, clearly furious. She suppressed her anger and snapped, ¡°Aria, you were a child bride to some old man in your vige for years! You deliberately kept this a secret and married Liam. That¡¯s bigamy!¡± Again Marriage 103 Chapter 103 The air seemed to freere, as itself had stopped, The crowd watching the drama all wore expressions of shock and disbelief. They wondered, Aria Saxon married Liam Cole when she was only twenty. Could it be that she had been married off as a child bride in her teens? Vanessa¡¯s eyes narrowed, her face lcy and full of fury. ¡°What the hell are you spewing? Keep spreading lles, and rip your mouth apart Liam had no intention of letting this matter go public. His first marriage to a woman who¡¯d been sold off as a child bride to some crippled old farmer was a humiliation he wanted buried forever, But A wouldn¡¯t back down, constantly targeting him and Hannah, For the sake of the family¡¯s reputation, he couldn¡¯t let her keep running wild and making a mockery of them. Hannah fell a rush of satisfaction as she spoke, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bring this up, but you left me no choice.¡± She turned to Aria, her expression fut of feigned pity. ¡°You were born into the Saxon family and should¡¯ve lived a life of privilege. ¡°But because of one mistake, you ended up growing up in some remate, impoverished area. At just ten years old, you were sold off to marry a man in his forties. When I first heard about it, I was shocked and even falt sorry for you. But that doesn¡¯t give you the right toe after us. ¡°Bringing this up might have been wrong, and if the inte wants to drag me for it, take it.¡± Liam pulled her close, his arm draped protectively over her shoulder, his voice gentle yet firm. ¡°Hannah, I fell for you first. If people want to me someone, let them me me.¡± Anu¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile as she looked at them. ¡°Got any proof?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Hannah met her gaze directly, her tone unwavering. ¡°We¡¯ve got the indenture your adoptive parents signed. They sold you for one thousand dors when you were just ten.¡± Ania asked tly, ¡°Really? And who can prove it?¡± Hannah said proudly, ¡°Henry Lester admitted it himself Aria let out a coldugh, her words sharp and cutting. ¡°You talk about women standing together against injustice, yet here you are, waving around an Indenture to use me of bigamy. Everyone says you¡¯re the pride of Mandino City, Gibson¨Cpure, elegant, and unmatched. But I suppose that¡¯s just a Le after witnessing your true colors! Even if the story about being sold as a child bride were true, Aria was supposed to be the victim. Why should she be the one med? The crowd exchanged uneasy nces, their sympathy for Aria growing while their disdain for Hannah became evident. Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Hannah blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re right, you are a victim. We never wanted to reopen your wounds. But you kept pushing us to this point. Besides, Henry Lester didn¡¯t restrict your freedom. If you didn¡¯t want it, why didn¡¯t you go to the police? Why stay silent all these years?¡± Aria calmly asked, ¡°Ms. Gibson, are you ming victims of abuse for not reporting it?¡± What kind of parents would sell their own child? Reporting them wouldn¡¯t magically stop their abusive behavior, would it? Hannah pressed her lips together, her face stiffening for a moment. She took a deep breath and snapped, her voice sharp, ¡°I¡¯ve already admitted that exposing this was wrong and am willing to take the me. You don¡¯t need to twist the narrative to ruin my reputation.¡± Aria chuckled. ¡°No wonder I felt like I recognized you the first time we met, Ms. Gibson Turns out you¡¯re just like Liam¨Calways eager to paint yourself as When Hannah was about to refute in anger, Aria cut her off, her voice steady and firm, ¡°Human trafficking is a crime. Don¡¯t try to sugarcoat it by cal some child bride deal.¡± Liem froze for a moment before quickly questioning ¡°So, you¡¯re admitting that your foster parents sold you to Henry Lester be a child brides A countered, ¡°And how exactly does that connect to your usation of memitting higamy?¡± Again Marriage 104 Chapter 104 Hannah exined, her voice trembling slightly, ¡°Even if you and Henry Lester didn¡¯t officially register your marriage, you lived as husband and deleter name and reality, Marrying Liam afterward constitutes bigamy¡± ¡°Husband and wife in reality?¡± Aria scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain as she locked her gaze onto Hannah and Liam. She spoke dowly, enunciating each word, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I was ruined by some old man and should just crawl into a hole¨Cnever step foot in Mandino Cily, never return to the Saxor family, and definitely never get married? is that what you¡¯re implying?¡± Liam and Hannah¡¯s faces stiffened, stunned that she would so boldlyy everything bare, The crowd exchanged uneasy nces, their whispers growing louder as shock turned into contempt People instinctively sympathize with those who¡¯ve endured suffering. To the onlookers, Aria might appear strong now, but she was still a pitiable figure a girl sold by her foster parents and abandoned by her family. Hannah hurriedly denied, ¡°That¡¯s not what we meant! You¡¯re overthinking it ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s not what you meant? Then what are you trying to say?¡± Aria¡¯s voice was calm, but her gaze was sharp, cutting through their pretense. ¡°Pretending to be so righteous and above it all¨Cmust be exhausting.¡± Liam frowned. ¡°What¡¯s with that sarcastic attitude? We¡¯re just stating the facts. If you can¡¯t handle it, why keeping after us?¡± Aria sneered. ¡°Facts? Oh, really? Did the indenture explicitly say I was sold to be his child bride?¡± Liam froze, momentarily at a loss. The indenture didn¡¯t say that, but Henry had admitted it himself. ¡°A single old man buying a little girl¨Cwhat else could it be if not to make her his child bride?¡± Liam retorted, his jaw tightening. Amanda, unable to stay silent, stepped forward and said calmly. ¡°Why assume ¡°child bride¡®? Couldn¡¯t it just be adopting her to care for him in his old age?¡± Vanessa, barely holding back her anger, snapped, ¡°Wow, you guys are really something. Can¡¯t find any dirt on Aria now, so you¡¯re making up stories about her childhood? Picking on a ten year old¨Chow low can you go?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Liam denied it, but the crowd¡¯s expressions had already shifted. Forced to exin, he added, ¡°Everything we said came straight from Henry Lester. We¡¯re not making anything up Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? So you¡¯ve met Henry Lester?¡± Liam nodded firmly. ¡°Yes¡± Aria¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile, her tone light yet sharp. ¡°Thanks for finding him for me. Looks like you¡¯ve done all the work¨Cevidence and everything¡± She turned to Hannah, her voice dripping with mockery. ¡°Ms. Gibson, you¡¯re so kind. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll help me report this to the police, right?¡± She smiled faintly,pletely unbothered, as if the term ¡°child hild bride¡± didn¡¯t faze her at all. Someone said, ¡°Buying a girl? People who¡¯d ever do that deserve to rot in hell¡± ¡°The Saxon family raised Silvia Saxon wholeheartedly, but her biological parents sold/ Aria Saxon for money. I wonder if the Saxon family knows about this, someone muttered. Another one said, ¡°And even if they do, what difference does it make? They¡¯ve already cut ties with Aria Saxon!¡± Someone chimed in, ¡°Neither her biological parents nor her foster parents cared for her. Poor Aria Saxon¨Cher life is just too tragic.¡± 1/2 Chapter 104 From the crowd, a girl cupped her hands around her mound deliberately shouted, ¡°Ms. Gibson¡¯s always been to charitattas this, she¡¯ll definitely help A Saxon report 11, an, there¡¯s evidence and witnesses¡°:¡± Some people nodded. ¡°Exactly! Ms. Gibson and Mr. Cole are both in the medical hold they¡¯re supposed to bepassionate people.¡°. The mumsured discussions reached Hannah¡¯s ears, and her face flushed with embarrassment and anger. She had nned to expose A for bigamy, b¨²a now everyone expected her to help report the crime. ¡°How did things turn out like this?¡® Hannah fumed inwardly Aria had orchestrated this moral dilemma in front of everyone, forcing Hannals to take action against Henry and Aria¡¯s foster parents. Liam, now fully aware of Aria¡¯s ploy, looked livid, ¡°We¡¯re divorced Why should I bother with you?¡± Vanessa red at him and Hannah, ¡°Then what¡¯s your excuse for deliberately framing and tarnishing your wife¡¯s reputation? What¡¯s your real motive?¡± Triggered by Vanessa¡¯s earlierment calling them ¡°a scumbag and his side chick, Liam, already furious, lost all restraint in his words. ¡°This has nothing to do with you, you shameless actress who slept her way to fanse¡­ What responded to him was a p, which echoed, loud and sharp. E Again Marriage 105 Chapter 105 Liam¡¯s head whipped to the side from the p, leaving himpletely stunned. Aria casually pulled back her hand and said with a calm Indifference, ¡°Mind y I yournguage.¡± The crowd collectively gasped, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, They couldn¡¯t believe she just pped Liam in the face. Vanessa pulled out a wet wipe from somewhere and grabbed ¡¯s hand, wiping it clean with exaggerated care. A teasing smille yed on her tips as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy on them ever again. They¡¯re disgusting¡± Vanessa was used to dealing with online hate, snarky coworkers, and bossy superiors. She rarely let things bother her, but whenever Aria was around, she was always the first to step up and fight back for her. Aria thought. Having a bestie who always stands up for me? Now that¡¯s the best!¡® The sharp sting on his cheek finally snapped Liam out of his date. The pain radiated all the way to his teeth, and his eyes burned with fury. ¡°Arial¡± Hannah reacted even faster than Liam. Seeing Ariay a hand on the man she loved right in front of her was a tant challenge to her patience. Her handshed out toward Aria¡¯s face, fast and fierce. However, Aria pulled Vanessa back and, with her other hand, swiftly caught Hannah¡¯s wrist. The impact froze their hands mid¨Cair, the strength of their grip locking them in a silent battle. ¡°Ms. Gibson, did you ask me before trying to hit me?¡± Aria¡¯s voice was calm, yet sharp enough to cut through the tension. Hannah had been training in boxing since she was young, even clinching the city championship. Even the toughest guys in her league couldn¡¯t take her down. Fueled by rage, she had put real power into that punch. But somehow, Aria blocked her punch with ease. Hannah¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, unable toprehend how Aria had blocked her punch so effortlessly. She thought furiously, ¡®I¡¯ll see how fa far she can go with this! Hannah twisted free from Aria¡¯s grip with a sharp, calcted move, her right arm whipping through the air and aiming straight for Aria¡¯s chest Hannah¡¯s speed was astonishing, the muscles in her forearm smooth and taut, a testament to her boxing champion prowess. The crowd fraze, their eyes wide in shock. Everyone knew Hannah¡¯s reputation, and with the two standing so close, it seemed impossible for Aria to avoid the punch¨Cunless she could teleport Aria didn¡¯t dodge. She shifted her body to the side in one swift motion, raising her arm to block the attack. The force Hannah unleashed rebounded with equal intensity, snapping back at her like a whip, Caught off guard by her own arrogance, Hannah failed to pull back in time. The recoil sent her spinning, her bnce lost as she stumbled sideways. Before she could hit the ground, Liam stepped in and caught her just in time Defeated by Aria, Hannah¡¯s pupils trembled in disbel 1/2 She had seen the video that made Aria famous. Aria¡¯s moves were way too smooth, and those people fell too fast, Hannah bevad it had to ¡°She must have hired those people to act with her, just to distract everyone from her scams, Hannah reasoned, clinging to her doubts. When she decided to strike, she had considered the risks. If Aria ended up seriously injured, Hannah could use that video to discredit her. But she hadn¡¯t expected this¨CAria not only blocked her attack but nearly humiliated her in front of everyone. I¡¯m a boxing champion, How could I possibly lose? Hannah¡¯s thoughts raced, refusing to ept the reality. It has to be because I underestimated her Aria bent slightly, brushed the dust off her shirt, and shot a mocking nce at Hannah and Liam. ¡°Ms. Gibson, you seem pretty disappointed. Her strike had been merciless; if it hadnded on someone untrained, a few broken ribs would¡¯ve been the least of their worries. Seeing Ana unharmed, Liam let out a quiet sigh of relief. Though not an expert in martial arts, his years of basic training told him Hannah¡¯s move wasn¡¯t something to take lightly. Hannah had stepped in to defend him, but if Aria had been injured, this whole situation would¡¯ve been a nightmare to resolve. Liam¡¯s gaze darkened as he reyed the scene in his mind. Standing close, he had seen what others missed an ordinary person wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge Hannah¡¯s attack. AD Again Marriage 106 Chapter 106 His employees often said Aris had been working tirelessly far the Cole Group these past two years, but now It was clear nor energy had gone training in martial arts. How else could the have such skit? Hannah straightened up and said coldly, ¡°You went after Liam first, I was just teaching you a lesson. Even if you hadn¡¯t blocked it, you wouldn¡¯t han ¡°Is that so?¡± Cloe stepped forward, her eyes frosty ¡°Ms. Gibson, attacking my guest In my Navoron Restaurant¨Cis this the kind of manners the Gibson family teaches?¡± Hannah scoffed, clearly unimpressed. Tunny how you didn¡¯t say a word when A made her move, Ms. Woods. You let your friend attack me. Is this how Naveron Restaurant treats its guests?¡± Cloe¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile, ¡°Mr. Cole insulted Ms. Saxon¡¯s friend, and she had every reason to rette. But you, Ms. Gibson¨Cwhat¡¯s your excuse for resorting to violence?¡± ¡°Tillet this p slide because of what you¡¯ve been through, but don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be so forgiving next time,¡± Liam said, stopping Hannah from snapping back as he turned to Aria. Aria looked up at the man who was both familiar and strange, a flicker of mockery shing in her a reyes From a young age, she¡¯d always been able to sense how others felt about her¨Cwhether they liked or disliked her Two years ago, Liam wasn¡¯t like this. Back then, his eyes were filled with passion for medicine, for life, and maybe even for her. His sincerity had been undeniable, and his feelings for her were genuine. The Solemnity Guild had given her six months. If she wanted to stay with the Saxon family, they wouldn¡¯t stop her. But if she chose not to, she would have to return. She had long grown tired of a life filled with bloodshed, but the Saxon family had given her no reason to stay. The arranged marriage between the Saxon and Cole families was an opportunity. She didn¡¯t dislike Liam, and when he, eager to leave the country. proposed they register their marriage, she agreed. It was the perfect chance to leave the Solemnity Guild behind, When Daniel insisted on a prenuptial agreement, it suited her perfectly. She didn¡¯t even know the full extent of her own assets, and keeping them separate from the Cole family was for the best She had used Liam to escape the Solemnity Guild, taking on the role of his wife. In return, she had done her best to help his family and care for his rtives. Whatever debt she owed had long been repaid. She had epted the divorce, but now the Coles wanted to take what was hers, pushing her patience to its limits. The way Liam looked at her now was filled with nothing but disdain, a far cry from the way he used to look at her. She knew he wasn¡¯t worth her time. Aria ignored him. Cloe couldn¡¯t ignore it. Her expression darkened, and her beautiful eyes turned icy as she said, ¡°Naveron Restaurant doesn¡¯t serve troublemakers. From now on, you¡¯re banned. And that includes¡­.. She raised her gaze slightly, locking eyes with Kim. ¡°And that includes Mr. Shaw here. Anyone who associates with them can¡¯t be much better.¡± Their eyes met¨Cone calm and indifferent, the other shadowed and unreadable. Startled, Amanda hupped and raised her hand nervously. ¡°Ms. Woods, I¡¯m just an assistant. Surely, I¡¯m not included, right?¡± Cloe shifted her gaze and smiled faintly, rou¡¯re not included.¡± Lam¡¯s face darkened, ¡°We¡¯ve already paid. What gives you the right to refuse tis service?? Cloe merely said, ¡°Navoron Restaurant will refund you tenfold.¡± Before Liam could argue further, Kim cut in with a mocking tone, ¡°if I¡¯d known this ce was run by the oh-so¨Chypocritical Ms. Woods, wouldn¡¯t bothered stepping in. Goodbye,¡± With that, he strode out with long, confident steps. Amanda quickly apologized to Cloe before hurrying after him. Kim¡¯s words left. Hannah ted. ¡°If Kim doesn¡¯t like it here, then there¡¯s no point sticking around. Let¡¯s po¡° The group left, and the onlookers gradually dispersed as well. ¡°Aria, Vanessa, I¡¯m sorry you had to go through this today. Drinks are on me next time Cloe said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, Clon. I shouldn¡¯t have dragged you into this,¡± Aria said. Elena spread rumors that Aria had been sold to an older man by her foster parents. The wealthy socialites, relieved they hadn¡¯t stuck with Aria¡¯s beauty cream, eagerly switched to the new beauty cream Elena promoted, That morning, Wendy Shaw, Kim¡¯s mother, was washing up. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she let out a sharp scream. G Again Marriage 107 Chapter 107 In the mirror, the woman¡¯s fairplexion was now marred by dark spots. They weren¡¯t overlyrge, but they stood out starkly appeal h She let out a sharp scream, her legs giving way as she nearly copsed. Hearing themotion, James rushed in, panic written all over his face. They hurriedly made their way to the hospital, I was Sunday, and Owen was working overtime at his office when he got the call. Without hesitation, he rushed to the hospital. ¡°How did these dark spots appear so suddenly?¡± he asked. When she woke u up that morning, the spots were faint, barely noticeable. But within two hours, they had darkened significantly. The doctor¡¯s examination revealed it was caused by chemical irritation. Emma¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying, her despair evident. James, deeply distressed, rubbed his reddened eyes ¡°Emma, did you use any new skincare products recently?¡± he asked gently Emma thought for a moment, then suddenly grabbed James¡¯s hand, her voice trembling with urgency. ¡°Yest Elena gave me a beauty cream not long ago, Owen asked, ¡°Elena? Liam¡¯s mom?¡± Emma nodded repeatedly. ¡°She used to give me a beauty cream that Aria rmended, and it worked wonders. But the beauty cream she gave me a few days ago was something Hannah ordered from abroad. It¡¯s from Kerano Global Health. I thought it would be even better, so I used it immediately James, is my face ruined forever?¡± Emma said as she cried. James gently patted her hand, his voice soft and reassuring. ¡°No, Emma. You¡¯re beautiful no matter what. The doctor said the spots will gradually fade since you haven¡¯t used the beauty cream for long.¡± Hearing the words ¡°gradually fade, she burst into tears again. James had grown up in a stifling environment. But his personality wasn¡¯t extreme, he was somewhat timid. After moving to Mandino City, he met the kind¨Chearted Emma from the Brown family. They fell in love with each other at first sight and quickly married, their love enduring to this day The couple had always been easygoing, neverpeting or fighting for anything. But their two sons were nothing like them. One was sharp andmanding, exuding a natural aura of authority as a business elite. The other was gentle and reserved, his emotions always hidden, thriving in the legal world. With two brilliant sons taking care of everything, the couple felt no need to stress. They were free to enjoy life to the fullest, often traveling and exploring scenic spots. Emma had always ced great importance on her appearance, dedicating her entire world was crumbling around her. st of her time to maintaining her face. Now, staring at her face, she felt like Owen had the beauty cream sent to a specializedb for testing. Turning to Emms, he asked, ¡°Mom, how many people are using this cream?¡± Emma froze for a moment before quickly springing into action. She wiped her tears and said, ¡°Let me make some calls first.¡± In less than half an hour, over a dozen wealthy women had gathered at the hospital. Some had dark spots, others had red patches, and a few were covered in rashes. The allergic reactions varied widely, leaving even the doctors scratching their heads. The women handed all their beauty creamy to Owen, asking him to have them tested together. One woman broke down in tears, crying¡± should¡¯ve just bought it back from Aria. Using this garbage cream haspletely ruined met Another chimed in. ¡°Aha was a victim, too. We shouldn¡¯t nte her. And now, thanks to Hanna The room was soon filled with curses and walls, Owen caught onto a key phrase and asked, ¡°What do you mean?! Emma exined what had happened yesterday afternoon. E Comment Again Marriage 108 Chapter 108 Owen frowned. ¡°You seriously believe those haueless tumor Emma leaked troubled ¡°Sorry, Limessed up¡± She hadn¡¯t believed the rumors of said anything had about Aria, She¡¯d just instinctively frusted Har Kerane Global Health, her rmendation had to be reliable, James red at him, ¡°Owen, don¡¯t talk to your mother like that? Owen stayed quiet, grabbed tworge bags of beauty creams, and walked out. The Sason family dismissed the rumors outright, refusing to believe them. judgment, thirk Logan wasted no time and ordered his team to disrupt the Cole Group¡¯s business and warned Darel that if they targeted Ania again, there would be no holding back. Daniel called to berate Cole, who was still hiding out in his apartment. The p mark on his face was too obvious, and he didn¡¯t want to show up at the office. Now, with Daniel scolding him, his anger boiled over. ¡°Aria, you want to y dirty? Fine, don¡¯t me me for hitting back?¡± He called his assistant. ¡°Find out which hospital Henry is at.¡± The private investigator hadn¡¯t uncovered much, but it was enough to confirm that Aria had been sold and had crippled Henry¡¯s leg She and Hannah each pitched 150 thousand dors. Since Henry needed treatment for his leg, the hospital would be the first ce he¡¯d go Mandino City Police Station. A middle¨Caged man, disheveled and covered in bruises, dragged his injured leg to the entrance of the police station. The moment he reached the door, he copsed onto the ground. He struggled to move his cracked lips and managed to croak out, ¡°Help¡­ Help me.¡± The officer on duty saw him and immediately rushed out to help him up. Henry tried to speak but couldn¡¯t get a word out. The officers gave him water and some food to help him recover. After a long while, he finally regained some strength and broke down in tears. ¡°Someone¡¯s trying to kill me!¡± he said. ¡°Who¡¯s trying to kill you?¡± one officer asked urgently. ¡°Caleb Saxon! He¡¯s out for revenge because I hurt his sister!¡± The officer froze, nearly spilling the water in his hand. He quickly turned to his colleague. ¡°Go get Captain Fletcher, now!¡± In the Saxon Group. Caleb was in his office, calmly handling work. Jeffrey went in hurriedly and said, ¡°Boss! Henry¡¯s at the police station. He escaped!¡± Caleb paused, his expression calm andposed. ¡°He was beaten up because he owed money. What does that have to do with us? Jeffrey hesitated, then nodded. Just as he started to rx, his phone rang. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s the police calling.¡± Dal, 31 May Caleb took the phone, and Fryderyk¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Come In the station.¡± ¡°Wright,¡± Caleb replied without hesitation. After signing the remaining documents, be instructed. ¡°Han the rest of the matters properly, and mathe sure to keep this under wraps.¡± Ethan had no choice but to nod ¡°Okay¡± At the police station, Fryderyk began questioning Calels. The inquiries focused on whether he had illegally detained Henry, but Caleb denied everythi imingplete ignorance. Meanwhile, the officers investigating the case brought in the man who had actually detained Henry. During the interrogation, the truth began to surface Henry had borrowed 65 thousand dors from the mars but refused to pay it back. The man¡¯s daughter was hospitalized with leukemia, and seeing Henry with money but unwilling to repay his debt, he lost his temper, beat Henry, and locked him up. Fryderyk asked, ¡°Alex Bell, you¡¯re from Jamn, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Alex confirmed. ¡°Henry says Caleb paid paid you to do this, revenge for his sister. Care to exin?¡± Alex immediately shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know Caleb, I beat Henry because I wanted my money back.¡± Fryderyk pressed further. ¡°What about Aria, or her previous name, Madelyn Colton? Do you know her?¡± E Again Marriage 109 Chapter 109 Alba froze, his fists clenching instinctively ¡°Yeah, I know her.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the deal between Henry and Madelyn?¡± Alex stayed at for a long moment before finally saying ¡°She¡¯s had a tough life. Turns out these monsters, Dominic and Alice, knew Madelyn wasn¡¯t their biological daughter. So, tiny sold her off Fryderyk¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°They know all along that A wasn¡¯t their biological daughter?¡± Caleb had indeed reached out to Alex, offering to aman to arrange a jobs for his wife and help cure his daughter¡¯s disease, even covering the expenses. Caleb wanted him to make Henry suffer, to force him to confess everything he¡¯d done, But before Alex could get much out of him, Henry escaped. The police caught Alex and dragged him to the station ¡°Henry paid 1 thousand dors for ten year old Madelyn, iming he wanted a daughter to take care of him in his old age. Then I saw his livestream on some app, where he was calling her his childbride. ¡°At first, his viewers sent tokens, asking him to buy her pretty dresses. But then it escted that he started demanding she wear sery outfits and forced her to dance. Jackson mmed the table in fury. ¡°Bastard! He should¡¯ve been beaten to death on the spot!¡± Fryderyk¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Keep going.¡± Recalling the incident, Alex still felt a chill. ¡°I was ready to call the police and had all the evidence. But Madelyn acted faster. She stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver, and went straight for Henry¡¯s leg. If I hadn¡¯t shown up in time, she would¡¯ve killed him.¡± The scene from that day was still vivid in Alex¡¯s mind. A girl in a floral dress stormed into the kitchen, cleaver in hand. She dropped to her knees in one swift motion and brought the de down without hesitation. Henry let out a blood¨Ccurdling scream, copsing to the ground. Her eyes were bloodshot as she raised the cleaver again, aiming for his neck. If Alex had been oven a secondte, Henry would¡¯ve been dead. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. When I pulled Madelyn off him, I happened to catch a glimpse of her back¡­ Back then, Alex had been angry, but he hadn¡¯t been that emotional until he became a father himself His voice choked as he fought back tears. ¡°Her back was covered in a massive burn scar. It was ugly, raw, and heartbreaking. ¡°Later, I found out that when Madelyn was seven, her house caught fire. The door was locked, trapping her inside. As she tried to escape, a pir crashed onto her back, pinning her down. Yet somehow, she managed to crawl out, fighting for her life. ¡°Dominic had taken out a hefty insurance policy on her, so you can imagine what that means¡± Alex¡¯s tone was calm, but the story he told was devastating Fryderyk and Jackson¡¯s faces turned pale, their throats tightening as if they were choking. They couldn¡¯t utter a single word. To them, Aria had always beenposed, indifferent, and incredibly capable. Who could have imagined that her childhood was marked by such unimaginable suffering? Even staying alive had been a battle. Fryderyk seemed to piece together Caleb¡¯s motives for everything he had done. He chose not to press further and shifted the topic instead, ¡°Do you think Dominic and Alice had anything to do with Ania¡¯s disappearance?¡± 1/2 Alex shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t knhw.nut after she disappeare The interrogation didn¡¯t continue further, and Alex was temporarily detained. Fryderyk went to Caleb and cald, ¡°You¡¯re behind this? Caleb looked at his angly face and asked, ¡°Any evidence?¡± ¡°No. So you can leave novy. Caleb stood up and said, ¡°Alex¡¯s daughter has leukemia. I¡¯ll help cure her from now on. Your won¡¯t consider this matter evidence, right¡± Fryderyk remained silent for a while and then said, ¡°Fine.¡± Again Marriage 110 Chapter 110 a?ky, right? You, an impartial policeman, have figured out the evidence, but let me leave. What did you get froin Merit Catab lo Window and salt. The atmosphere was silent. ¡°Take good care of your sister.¡± Fryderyk only left these words. He knew that if he told Caleb what Aris had gone through, Caleb might do something illegal to take revenge. But Fryderyk wanted to use thew to judge them. But what he didn¡¯t know was that Caleh had already taken action. Two days distressed. ¡°Hannah, what¡¯s going on? They¡¯ve been blowing up my phone, yelling at me nonstop!¡± Hannah was just about to respond when a group of women, their faces wrapped tightly in scarves, suddenly barged in ¡°Elena! Look at what you¡¯ve done to us!¡± The women surrounded Elena, hurling usations at her, barely managing to hold back from beating her. ¡°Hannah, you¡¯re the one who ordered this beauty cream! The doctors said they needed the ingredient list. Hand it over now!¡± Hannah had already contacted Sini. But the ingredient list had been identally thrown out by an assistant. Plenty of people used this batch of beauty cream without any issues. But only Elena and others had problems. The endless shouting was giving Hannah a headache. Frustrated, she snapped, ¡°Just give me the cream! I¡¯ll take it for testing!¡± ¡°Testing? The professionals couldn¡¯t figure it out. What if you destroy the evidence and we never find out the truth?¡± ¡°Just tell us where you got it from!¡± But Hannah couldn¡¯t take out anything at that moment, ¡°There¡¯s another possibility. They might¡¯ve used other products that reacted badly with my beauty cream.¡± Hannah suddenly realized something and turned to the group. ¡°Wait, did you all use the cream Aria gave you before?¡± Elena seemed to catch on and quickly nodded. ¡°Yes! But no one knows where Arls got it.¡± ¡°I see¡± Hannah¡¯s face darkened, her eyes shing with understanding. ¡°This batch of beauty cream is widely used in Erennd, and all the tests came back clean. But A¡¯s cream? 115 some shady, unlewised product she probably added something to keep people hoo problems,¡± there mind is so malicioust¡± The group exchanged uneasy nCUS, Hannah continued, ¡°The priority now is to get Aria¡¯s ingredient list and figure out what she added.¡± The realization hit the group hard, and their expressions twisted with disgust. ¡°She¡¯s so young, yet h ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Saxon family!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go now! Llena, you¡¯reing too since you¡¯re the middleman.¡± Arge, angry group stormed toward the Saxon family. Themotion even rmed Joseph, who had just been discharged from the hospital. Hannah stepped forward and exined the situation. ¡°Joseph, Aria¡¯s cream has ruined so manydies¡® faces. We need her to hand over the ingredient Est immediately so the doctors can prescribe the right treatment.¡± Joseph didn¡¯t immediately me Aria like he usually would. After all, with all her wealth, why would she risk her reputation for a quick buck from these women? Luke, however, was furious andshed out. ¡°Aria is absolutely heartless!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions without evidence,¡± Zoe interjected, frowning a Aria hesitated for a moment but ultimately answered the call. as she pulled out her phone. ¡°Let me call Aria first.¡± Zoe¡¯s anxious voice came through the phone, mixed with chaotic curses in the background. After listening, Aria let out a coldugh. ¡°They¡¯re really good at shifting the me.¡± Zoe didn¡¯t dare respond ¡°I¡¯m on my way now,¡± Aria said. AD Again Marriage 111 Chapte 111 Chapter 111 The elevator doors slid open. Aria spolted a familiar face, Rhett greeted her with a polite smile and stepped aside. ¡°Ms. Saxon, heading down!¡± He pressed the button for the ground floor. When they reached the parking lot, Aria opoised her car door but froze. Her gaze turned enld gradually Rhett¡¯s car wasn¡¯t far from hers. Noticing her hesitation, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria shut the car door and nced at him. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She looked straight at him with a sharp and cold gare. Rhett¡¯s heart skipped a best. His lips quivered, and his grip on the car door tightened as he fought to suppress the panic rising within hem He tried to stayposed, but the tremor in his voico betrayed him. He added, ¡°Ms. Saxon, what happened?¡± Aria didn¡¯t respond. She took slow steps toward him. Rhott wanted to escape, but his feet were glued to the ground. ¡°Someone tampered with my car. Can I borrow yours?¡± Aris asked. His heart pounded wildly as he stiffly nodded. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Rhett stepped aside. Aria went straight into the driver¡¯s seat. He stood there, frozen, until she rolled down the window and said, ¡® He wanted to say no, but that would only expose his fear. In the end, Rhett reluctantly got into the passenger seat. The moment he fastened his seatbelt, the car suddenly shot backed, forcing him forward and mming him against the door. Once out of the parking lot, the car galloped away at high speed. Rhett clung tightly to the seat, his teeth chattering uncontrobly. His heart raced wildly, and he only calmed down at the red light. Aria pulled out her phone and dialed the insurancepany. She handed over the tasks of calling the police and arrangingpensation to them without hesitation. She said, ¡°Hand me your phone.¡± ¡°What was she nning to do?¡± Rhett thought He looked at her in confusion, but he didn¡¯t dare to disobey. He had personally witnessed her take down a group of men without breaking a sweat He obediently handed over his phone. The traffic light turned green. Without warning, his phone was thrown out of the car window, tracing a perfect are before vanishing into the distance. Chapter 11c Rhett s eyes widened in shock as he asked, ¡°What the hell are you doing? Arlo nced at him slightly. As the car elerated, the growing speed made him mp his mouth shut in fear. ¡°Rhett Sutton, twenty years old. Patents divorced when you were young, and they both remarried. You were raised by your grandmothe Kanit University, currently on leave,¡± Aria said. Her sudden sentences made Rhett¡¯s eyes widen further. He asked, ¡°What¡­ What did you just say?¡± Aria asked, ¡°You worked so hard to get into Kanit University, Why throw it all away now?¡± thett¡¯s grip on the seat tightened, he thought, ¡®How did she know all this quickly?¡± The car fell into heavy silence, neither of them speaking. When they arrived at the Saxon family, Aria stepped out of the car and said coldly. ¡°You¡¯ve got one week to decide either fix this mess or keep throwing yourself deeper.¡± Leaving those words behind, she turned and walked away. thell leaned against the passenger seat, finally releasing his grip on the armrest, his body drained of strength. He knew he would fail, and he had only been trying to buy time. He thought, ¡®Could she really help us?¡® As soon as Aria arrived, a crowd of people gathered around her. Among them, Elena¡¯s voice was the loudest She said, ¡°Aria, you¡¯re absolutely heartless! To make everyone use your rmended beauty cream, you actually added harmful ingredients to it ¡°You¡¯ve made your dirty money. Now our faces are ruined. How are you going topensate * us?¡± The crowd was so dense that Zoe couldn¡¯t even squeeze through, only catching a glimpse of Aria¡¯s head. Though their faces were covered, the exposed patches of skin were enough for Aria to identify the issue. Her gaze turned cold as she looked at Elena, Aria asked, ¡°Dirty money? You told them I took money?¡± Elena avoided her gaze, her voice faltering. ¡°The beauty by cream came from you, u, so it must be your mistake.¡± Hannah stepped forward and asked, ¡°Aria, what exactly did you put in the beauty cream? It¡¯s ruined everyone¡¯s faces!¡± One of the women shouted angrily, ¡°if my face isn¡¯t fixed, call the police. I don¡¯t care about the cost. I¡¯ll make sure my husband stops working with the Saxon Group.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell my father to cancel all contracts with the Saxon Group as so Luke grew as soon as I get home.¡± anxious upon hearing this. He said, ¡°The Saxon family cut ties with Aria long ago. Whatever she did has nothing to do with us!¡± That was right. Using the Saxon family wouldn¡¯t threaten Aria at all. Aria asked calmly. ¡°You¡¯ve been using this beauty cream for two years without any issues. Now that you¡¯ve switched to other products and your faces are ruined, you came to me instead of investigating the problematic product? Have you lost your senses?¡± Hannah frowned at her and said, ¡°They¡¯re elders. Show some respect. Sini is a senior researcher at Kerano Global Health. Her beauty cream is in high demand, even in Erennd. I¡¯ve used it without any problems. But somehow, the others who¡¯ve used your cream are the ones with problems. ¡°This product doesn¡¯t even have a traceable manufacturer. It¡¯spletely unregted goods. The situation is urgent. Just tell us the seller so the ingredients and help them¡± Aria couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with Hannah and ignored her entirely. ¡°The beauty cream was developed by me. Its ingredi herbal. You can have any institution test II. ¡°But your skin problems are obviously from some chemical junk, not my cream Hannah sternly asked, ¡°Why would you give out something you casually developed?¡± Aria shot her cold re and said, ¡°That¡¯s not your concern.¡± Then she looked at others and continued, ¡°When Elena had e, I developed this beauty cream specifically for her condition. When she suggested giving it to you all, I emphasized that everyone¡¯s skin is different. What works for her might not work for you¡± ¡°What? We spent a lot of money on it! And she never told us it was developed for her skin¡± Ana¡¯s cold gazended on Elena, who instinctively wanted to deny it. Aria said calmly, ¡°Elena, I still have our chat records Elena was speechless and thought, ¡°Bastard.¡± Elena resorted to ying the victim. She said, ¡°Even if I did charge for it, so what? My face is ruined too. It¡¯s all your fault. You have to tak esponsibility¡± Aria said, ¡°Even if I handed you the full ingredient list, you¡¯d still find a way to me me. You can check the beauty cream anytime, if there¡¯s a problem, I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡± Her calm expression made others hesitate. Aria added, ¡°I can cure your faces¡± They looked up in surprise, and heard, ¡°But you¡¯ll have to pay the price.¡± AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 112 Chapter 112 20 After Hannah listened to her words, her eyes were filled with anger. She said, ¡°Aria, even real doctors can¡¯t cure this! Who do you think you are, iming you can?¡± Aria didn¡¯t even nce up, calmly waiting for their response. Being ignored, Hannah¡¯s expression became gloomy. ¡®No respect for anyone! She is indeed an uneducated woman!¡® Hannah thought. One of the women asked, ¡°What price?¡± After using the beauty cream, its effects were great. Hoping to remove her freckles, she had someone investigate the beauty cream, only to find no problem. She was convinced it was a custom form Aria had created for Elena. Aria replied in a calm tone, ¡°First, I will charge 300 thousand dors upfront. You¡¯ll need to cover the cost of the medicinal ingredients.¡± If it meant curing their faces, they¡¯d pay not just 300 thousand dors but even 3 million dors if necessary. Tara nodded decisively. ¡°That¡¯s eptable.¡± Aria continued, ¡°Second, during the treatment, you must follow my instructionspletely. No interference from anyone else. Otherwise, you¡¯ll bear the risk.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Hannah immediately said sharply, ¡°Aria doesn¡¯t have experience in this field. Don¡¯t let her fool you, or you¡¯ll regret it when your face is ruined. Everyone, trust me. I¡¯ll find a way to fix your faces.¡± Elena quickly chimed in, ¡°Hannah leads a team at Kerano Global Health and has created treatments for epidemics. She can definitely fix our faces.¡± Elena¡¯s words boosted Hannah¡¯s confidence. She smiled and straightened up. ¡°I won¡¯t charge a single penny,¡± Hannah said. They exchanged hesitant nces, unsure of who to trust. J A woman rted to the Gibson family stepped forward and asked, ¡°Why are you hesitating? If you don¡¯t choose Hannah, are you seriously idering Aria, a person without education?¡± That was right. Hannah was highly educated and the team leader at Kerano Global Health. Aria grew up in the countryside and was said to have dropped out of school early, not even finishing high school. The women immediately flocked to Hannah¡¯s side, saying, ¡°Ms. Gibson, we¡¯re counting on you to fix our faces.¡± After all, they were the ones who had begged for the beauty cream in the first ce. Now that it had caused issues, ming Hannah might upset her, and she could refuse to help them. Even though they wanted to me Hannah, none of them dared to show it. In the end, only Tara stayed put. Her friend stared at her in disbelief and asked, ¡°Are you seriously trusting Aria? Come on, hurry up and join us!¡± Tara¡¯s husband had worked with Aria before and had often praised her abilities and character. The problematic beauty cream had been brought by Hannah, so Tara didn¡¯t want to risk her face with her again. 15.42 Sun, Jun Tara said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, I trust you.¡± Soon after, Hannah led the group away, leaving Tara behind to wait for Aria. The Saxon Manor finally quieted down. Zoe finally had the chance to chat with Aria. Her face lit up with a smile as she walked toward her, ¡°Aria.¡± Aria looked at her and suddenly asked, ¡°Mom, have you ever actually used the beauty cream I send you every month?¡± Zoe paused. Her skin was highly sensitive, so she only used custom¨Cmade products. She wouldn¡¯t dare try anything unfamiliar. All twenty¨Ceight bottles of beauty cream Aria had sent her were ced untouched in a cab. ¡°Lh showed me your skin test results. That beauty cream was specially formted for you,¡± Aria said with a bitterugh. ¡°No wonder no one trusts me. You¡¯ve never trusted me either, right?¡± The beauty cream she had developed was used by so many people, yet her own mother didn¡¯t dare to try it. Zoe opened her mouth to exin but couldn¡¯t say a word. Çú AD Comment Again Marriage 113 Chapter 113 If it had been Silvia who sent her the beauty cream, she would have used it without hesitation. At that moment, Zoe seemed to understand why Aria had grown distant from her. They had never truly epted Aria. She had been the one to push Aria away first. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her face turned pale. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Aria shifted her gaze to Joseph. ¡°Joseph, before I came back to the Saxon family, I heard your legs had lingering issues with frostbite. On the day! returned, I gave the butler ginger essential oil and instructed him to apply it to your legs every night. But you never used it.¡± If he¡¯d used it, he would¡¯ve asked her for more. Joseph¡¯s grip on his cane tightened instinctively. That day had ended in a mess, and he hadn¡¯t dared to use anything she gave him. In fact, he had told the butler to throw it away. Tara stood not far away, watching them. A wave of sadness washed over her for Aria. She touched her face, then looked at Aria with a serious expression. ¡°I believe in you, Aria. I know you can fix my face.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Aria turned and walked away, with Tara hurrying to catch up. Elena stood frozen, watching Aria¡¯s figure fade into the distance. Regret weighed heavily on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She could only cry silently, unable to call out. Once outside, Tara asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, when can we start treating my face?¡± ¡°Leave me your number. Tomorrow at nine, bring the beauty cream you used.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Since the symptoms varied, Aria suspected the ingredients in the beauty creams might differ. To be thorough, shebeled the samples with names before sending them for testing. In the hospital. Owen had just stepped into the hospital room when he ran into his parents, who were about to leave. ¡°Dad, where are you two headed?¡± he asked. Emma exined how they had gone to confront the Saxon family, and how Hannah had promised to treat everyone¡¯s faces. In the end, only Tara decided to follow Aria. Owen furrowed slightly, confusion flickering in his eyes. ¡°Hannah¡¯s cream caused the issue, so why is everyone ming Aria?¡± He couldn¡¯t make sense of their logic. ¡°Mom, are you going to Hannah?¡± Emma nodded firmly. ¡°Of course! I can¡¯t go to Aria, can I?¡± Owen frowned. ¡°But wasn¡¯t the beauty cream she brought also from Kerano Global Health?¡± Emma froze, momentarily at a loss. 15.42 Sun, 1 Jun They had indeed used the cream because of Kerano Global Health¡¯s reputation, but it still caused problems. Could Hannah really fix her face? Just then, Tara knocked on the door and walked in. ¡°Owen, perfect timing! Hand me my beauty cream. I¡¯m going to meet Aria tomorrow to get treated. Owen had gone to another institution earlier that day, but they still couldn¡¯t identify the issue with the cream. While retrieving Tara¡¯s beauty cream, he asked, ¡°Tara, why don¡¯t you take my mom with you tomorrow?¡± Emma pouted. ¡°I was nning to go to Hannah.¡± Compared to Hannah, James trusted Aria more. ¡°Emma, just listen to Owen and go to Aria. Hannah has so many people to treat, she won¡¯t have time for you. If Aria can¡¯t fix it, you can go to Hannah afterward.¡± Emma finally retented with a sigh. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go with her.¡± As if remembering something, Owen ced Tara¡¯s beauty cream back on the table. ¡°Tara, you can leave this bottle with me. I¡¯ll take it to Ar¨ªa tonight. The moment those words left his mouth, Emma¡¯s handbag slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a sharp thud. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at him. ¡°Wait! You two are living together?¡± ¤¤ AD Comment Send gift No Ads 13.42 4410 Again Marriage 114 Chapter 114 The three of them stared at Owen,pletely stunned. Owen quickly reacted and rified, ¡°We¡¯re just neighbors.¡± ¡°Neighbors?¡± That gave her quite a scare! Emma finally let out a breath of relief. Sure, Aria seemed like a good person. But with her ties to the Cole family, there was no way Owen could marry a divorced woman. Little did Emma know, her assumptions were about to be turned upside down. Meanwhile, at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Liam let out a deep breath as he held the divorce certificate. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s over.¡± Aria nced at him. ¡°If you¡¯d acted like this two years ago, we wouldn¡¯t have ended up here.¡± Liam¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Hannah was the key yer in developing protease inhibitors. She¡¯s brilliant in this field, while you can¡¯t even grasp the basics. Aria, stop being stubborn and quit making a joke out of others.¡± Aria halted, turning back to face him. ¡°She worked on the protease inhibitors?¡± She let out a dryugh, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Since you¡¯re so sure, here¡¯s a tip. Go check that SCI and see if Hannah¡¯s name is mentioned.¡± With that, she gged down a taxi and left. Liam stood there, his expression unreadable. ¡®Does the study on protease inhibitors have any papers?¡® he thought. Back at the office, he immediately powered up hisputer and started searching. When he found the research paper on protease inhibitors, his eyes lit
  1. up.
The study was incredibly detailed, covering advanced concepts and outlining various experimental processes. It was an excellent resource for learning. But when was this published? Why didn¡¯t Hannah mention it to him? He flipped straight to the author page, scanning the list of over twenty names. At the very top was the lead author, Madelyn Colton. Madelyn Colton? Liam¡¯s expression darkened as he quickly dismissed the thought. There was no way Aria couldpare to Madey¡­ Madelyn¡¯s research skills were renowned, but her entric personality made her the hardest person to deal with at Kerano Global Health. He had once considered studying under her, but she never epted students. Herb was top¨Ctier. And Hannah, as a neer to Kerano Global Health, wasn¡¯t qualified to enter it yet. As the lead researcher for protease inhibitors, it was no surprise that Madelyn was the primary author. But as Liam counted the names, twenty¨Cthree in total. He went over them again and again, yet Hannah¡¯s name was nowhere to be found! How could this happen? 15:42 Sun, 1 Jun Liam shot to his feet, stunned. No wonder Aria had known it, she must have already read this SCI. ¡®Hannah worked so hard, and they didn¡¯t even put her name on the author list?¡® he thought. 44% ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Liam mmed his hand on the desk. He was about to storm off to find Hannah. But he remembered she was busy with their skincare treatments. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to calm down. ¡°Once this is over, I¡¯ll make Kerano Global Health give me an exnation.¡± Ar¨ªa returned to Mayen Garden and spotted her car pulling up. Fryderyk stepped out of her car, holding a set of tools. She walked over and said, ¡°Fryderyk, aren¡¯t you the captain? Since when did car repairs be part of your job?¡± If not for her nk expression, her words might have been mistaken for sarcasm. It wasn¡¯t Fryderyk¡¯s responsibility. But Allen had specifically ordered that anything involving Aria was to be handled by Fryderyk alone, as he was the only one privy to a certain secret for now. Fryderyk forced an awkward smile. ¡°Wherever I¡¯m needed, I get moved.¡± He dropped the joking tone and said, ¡°Someone tampered with your brakes. I¡¯ve fixed them, but this is a serious matter. We¡¯ll make sure to investigate thoroughly.¡± ¡°Thanks for the help, Fryderyk. You¡¯re really capable.¡± Handing the tools to another officer, he took his phone. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange numbers. Next time you head out, let me know first.¡± Aria hesitated. ¡°And what good would that do?¡± Fryderyk said, ¡°Allen¡¯s orders. I¡¯m responsible for your safety.¡± N AD Comment Again Marriage 115 Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Aria nodded. ¡°Alright. If somethinges up, I¡¯ll let you know. But as for protecting me, that won¡¯t be necessary. If real danger end up being liabilities to each other.¡± Fryderyk said, ¡°Okay.¡± Another officer drove her car to the parking lot, double¨Cchecked that everything was in order, and handed her the keys. Aria thanked him and headed inside the building. Rhett stepped out from the shadows, his hand trembling slightly at his side, He had been told the n was just to disable Aria¡¯s car so she couldn¡¯t start it, giving him a chance to offer her a ride and get closer to her. But the truth was, they had sabotaged her brakes. They wanted her dead. Rhett stood there for a long time, his mind in a haze, before finally heading back to the neenth floor. At six o¡¯clock, the doorbell rang. Aria opened the door and saw her neighbor, Owen, standing there. ¡°Mr. Shaw, what¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked. Owen held a bag in his hand but didn¡¯t hand it over right away. ¡°Ms. Saxon, my mom¡¯s been using this beauty cream too. Could you fix it?¡± ¡°Sure. The consultation fee is 300 thousand dors. You can pay after it¡¯s resolved,¡± she replied casually. He handed the bag to her. ¡°Thanks, Ms. Saxon.¡± As Owen turned to leave, he caught sight of a man in uniform walking toward them with a food delivery box. ¡°Ms. Saxon, your food¡¯s here.¡± It was a delivery guy from Navoron Restaurant. ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria replied casually. The delivery guy smiled warmly. ¡°Cloe said she¡¯s been working on a new dish and will send it over tomorrow for you to try first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Owen, standing nearby, recalled the multiple times he¡¯d seen Navoron Restaurant¡¯s delivery staff at her door. It confirmed one thing, Aria didn¡¯t cook. The delivery guy hesitated, his gaze flickering toward Owen. Aria¡¯s tone was calm. ¡°He¡¯s just my neighbor. Don¡¯t be gossipy, that might I cause misunderstandings.¡± Scratching his head, the delivery guy chuckled. ¡°Got it. Enjoy your meal, Ms. Saxon. Bye.¡± Owen offered a polite smile and nodded. ¡°Ms. Saxon, enjoy your meal. I¡¯ll head back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Once the door closed, Aria unpacked her meal and ate quietly. After tidying up, she took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and grabbed two jars of beauty balm before heading to herb., Chapter 115 The was but well equipped, with all the necessary tools neatly arranged. Donning a whiteb coat and gloves, Aria scooped out a small amount of the beauty balm and began the fasting process. Without an assistant, she had to wait for the equipment to produce results. Immersed in her work, she lost track of time. After what felt like hours, she pinched the bridge of her nose to ease the strain, picked up a pen, and meticulously recorded the detected ingredients The two jars of beauty cream had nearly identicalponents, with the only difference being their ratios. The hallway outside. Emma whispered, ¡°Owen, what¡¯s Ms. Saxon like? I heard she¡¯s pretty fierce.¡± James reassured her. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯ve heard she¡¯s really kind. I mean, she even created that beauty cream for Elena.¡± Tara, noticing James always sticking close to Emma, said with a hint of jealousy, ¡°You¡¯ve got your husband and son with you. What¡¯s there to be afraid of? I¡¯m all by myself, and I¡¯m not afraid.¡± Emma smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got me, don¡¯t you?¡± Tara didn¡¯t reply. Owen spoke up, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± He pressed the doorbell. After about ten seconds, the door opened, revealing a face that looked utterly drained. Her eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles starkly visible beneath them. Even so, Emma¡¯s first thought upon seeing Aria was, ¡®Wow, she¡¯s stunning! Even looking this worn out, she¡¯s still beautiful.¡® Owen¡¯s gazended on the whiteb coat she was wearing, and his expression tightened. ¡°Did you stay up all night?¡± Aria nced at the clock on the wall. It was already nine o¡¯clock in the morning. She stepped aside and said, ¡°Come on in.¡± Owen pressed his lips together, feeling a pang of regret for giving her the beauty creamst night. Just as Tara was about to step inside, Owen suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you grab some breakfast and rest up? We¡¯lle again this afternoon.¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°Do you have any food at home?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 116 Chapter 116 ¡°Nope,¡± Aria said. ¡°I have some. Give me ten minutes,¡± Owen said. Without waiting for her response, he shut the door decisively. Inside, Aria raised an eyebrow, confused. Outside, the three exchanged bewildered nces, staring at Owen in confusion. Ignoring the awkward atmosphere, Owen said casually, ¡°Dad, Mom, Tara, head over to my ce first. Let Aria catch up on her sleep, and then you can James was the first to react. ¡°She stayed up all night testing the beauty ¡°Yeah.¡± Owen nodded. cream?¡± Emma didn¡¯t even bother with her scarf, her excitement bubbling over as she pushed Owen toward the opposite apartment. ¡°Hurry! Let¡¯s make Aria a nice breakfast.¡± The four of them entered Owen¡¯s apartment. Owen quickly prepared a simple breakfast. Sandwiches, fried eggs, and warmed milk. Just as he finished, Aria walked in. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll check your faces first. While I catch up on sleep, you can start preparing the ingredients.¡± Tara practically tore off her mask in excitement. Owen ced the sandwiches on the table and said, ¡°Eat first. You can check after.¡± Tara quietly put her mask back on, her gaze darting between the two of them with curiosity. She thought, ¡®Weren¡¯t the Shaw brothers supposed to be cold? That was not true!¡® With all eyes on her, Aria calmly finished her breakfast and washed her hands. She said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started.¡± Emma and Tara immediately sat in front of her and removed the masks on their faces. Emma¡¯s face was mostly marked with dark spots, while Tara¡¯s issue was e. Aria gently tilted their chins one by one, carefully studying their faces for a long moment before asking, ¡°Did you bring the medical reports from your doctors?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They handed over their reports. Aria reviewed them in silence for a while before finally saying, ¡°Give me a pen and a notebook.¡± Owen quickly handed her a notebook and pen. She took them and quickly wrote down a list of medicinal ingredients. She continued, ¡°Get the ady ande here.¡± Emma epted the list with visible excitement and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, I can¡¯t thank you enough!¡± Tara quickly also showed her gratitude. Then she asked, ¡°How long will it take to heal our faces?¡± ¡°Emma, you¡¯ll need five days. Tara, you¡¯ll need seven.¡± Chapter 116 After adding both of them on WhatsApp, Aria returned to her room to catch up on sleep. When she woke up, it was already rout She freshened up and took her time savoring the new dishes. Afterward, she sent her feedback to Cloe and then sent a message to Enima Aria: We can start anytime. Others don¡¯t need toe.] In less than five minutes, they arrived with the required ingredients. Aria said, ¡°Let¡¯s get started right away.¡± Two hourster, Emma and Tara stepped out of Owen¡¯s apartment, their faces wrapped in gauze. James and Emma naturally stayed over. Tara felt a bit awkward disturbing Aria. So she pleaded with Emma with her eyes and sessfully settled in Just to be cautious, Emma applied an extra two days¡® worth of medicine for herself. Over the past seven days, neither of them had dared to look in the mirror even once. After removing their gauze, Aria said, ¡°Go wash your faces. You¡¯ll see for yourselves.¡± By now, they hade to understand Aria¡¯s warm heart beneath her cool face. Without hesitation, they dashed into the bathroom. Their excitement was barely contained. Excited shrieks echoed from the bathroom. ¡°Emma, your face looks amazing. So perfect!¡± ¡°Your face is perfect too! Your e scars arepletely gone, and the pores are practically invisible.¡± Hearing their joy, Aria couldn¡¯t help but smile along with them. When they stepped out of the bathroom, they thanked her. Emma said sincerely, ¡°I almost went to Hannah for treatment. Thank goodness Owen stopped me.. Tara felt satisfied that she had chosen to trust Aria a week ago. After paying the fee, they left with wide smiles and a spring in their step. Aria, thank you so much!¡± Seeing Emma¡¯s face fully restored, James spread his arms wide, ready for a hug. But to his surprise, Emma rushed past him, grabbed Owen¡¯s hands, and said excitedly, ¡°Owen, I absolutely adore Aria! You need to step up and impress her. ¡°Do you like her? Tell me!¡± The more she got to know Aria, the more she admired how kind and outstanding she was. She was very different from Hannah, who couldn¡¯t stop unting and always had excuses when things went wrong. Emma added, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know her earlier? I like her very much.¡± Listening to this barrage of words, Owen sighed helplessly and said, ¡°Mom, seriously? We¡¯re not even friends yet.¡± Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Again Marriage 117 Chapter 117 ¡°How can you be so useless?¡± Emma red at him and said, ¡°You should change your cold face.¡± Tara, whose son was still in high school, didn¡¯t say anything about the topic. She changed the topic. ¡°How about we go check on how others facere doing?¡± Emma¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. Let¡¯s go!¡± The two decided to go but first ask Aria for her permission. Receiving her agreement, they set off enthusiastically. Meanwhile, a group of women exited apartment. ¡°The spots are fading a lot. Just one and they¡¯ll bepletely gone!¡± ¡°My case is worse. Erythema and e. It¡¯ll probably take two or three months for me.¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s working, ignore the length ¡°Isn¡¯t that Emma and Tara?¡± ¡± Everyone looked up and saw Emma and Tara walking toward them. Judging by their confident demeanor, it was obvious what had happened. A woman raised her chin slightly and said, ¡°Didn¡® I tell you not to choose Aria? Now, you¡¯re back here again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! What if Aria had ruined your faces? Even Hannah wouldn¡¯t be able to¡­¡± She paused as she got a clear look at their faces. Her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Wait¡­ How are your facespletely healed?¡± Their skin was wless, even better than before the damage. They were stunned and immediately surrounded the two and asked questions. Emma touched her face with a satisfied smile and said, ¡°My face has been fine for days now. I just took a couple of extra days to rest. How about you? With Hannah¡¯s good skills, you must be healed, right?¡± She was clearly rubbing it in. No one had time to dwell on her words. They quickly pressed on, ¡°How did your faces recover so quickly?¡± Tara replied with a smile, ¡°It was Aria who treated us!¡± ¡°She can actually cure this?¡± They thought, ¡®If we¡¯d gone to her earlier, our faces would¡¯ve been wless by now.¡® Emma tilted her head with a bright smile. ¡°Two weeks from now is the annual charity party. Good thing my face is back to normal.¡± The charity party was the most prestigious event in Mandino City, drawing a lot of elites, with even guests from Kanit City attending. Missing such an important asion would be bad. ¡°Quick, take us to Aria! Hannah didn¡¯t even take responsibility.¡± At first, everyone thought their faces were improving. But the moment they saw Emma and Tara¡¯s wless faces, they realized Hannah had been cking off. Emma smirked, ¡°Well, you were the ones who turned her down, weren¡¯t you?¡± 10:57 Mon 2 Jim (EN. Chapter 117 Tara said, ¡°Aria stayed up for nights just to treat us. With so many of you, there¡¯s no way she can handle it.¡± The implication was clear that whoever secured Aria¡¯s agreement first would get a chance, Emma squeezed through the crowd and sent a message to Aria. [Aria, their faces haven¡¯t healed. They want you to treat them. Aria: [Sure. The fee is a million dors. Tell them to prepare the beauty cream and theirtest test results ande see me tomorrow Emma felt a wave of warmth. Even after everything, Aria was still willing to help. When Emma told them Aria¡¯s words, the room erupted into chaos as everyone started bidding. ¡°I¡¯ll pay 1.5 million dors! Treat me first!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay 2.3 million dors!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay 6 million dors! Treat me first!¡± Emma interrupted them, ¡°Since Hannah¡¯s already treated your faces, you¡¯ll need to get a new examination.¡± Hearing her words, they rushed to the hospital. The doctor revealed that several of them were in worse condition than expected. Ovee with regret, they broke down in tears, cursing Hannah hard. Linda, who was one of Hannah¡¯s rtives, didn¡¯t dare to talk. The next morning, Hannah carefully prepared everything, waiting for them to arrive. She nced at the clock and frowned. Normally, they¡¯d show up half an hour early, but now it was already ten past nine! By half past nine, Hannah couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and called Linda. Linda quietly slipped onto the balcony and answered the call. Her voice was low as she said, ¡°Hannah, Aria managed to cure Emma and Tara¡¯s faces. Everyone¡¯s gone to her now.¡± Hannah¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± She thought, ¡®Their faces need at least a month to recover. It¡¯s only been seven days. How did she do it?¡® Hannah continued angrily, ¡°She¡¯s just trying to scam you all. If you don¡¯te back, I won¡¯t treat you anymore!¡± ¡°Hannah, she really did it,¡± Linda said. Hannah¡¯s chest tightened with fury. She couldn¡¯t let Aria ruin their faces. Gritting her teeth, she asked, ¡°Where are you all right now?¡± Linda, too scared to offend her, reluctantly told her the truth. With 1 sage to y
  1. n.
Comment Again Marriage 118 Chapter 118 At that moment, Aria had just finished examining the faces of two women and wrote down their pathology d¨¦falls. Linda hesitated, torn over whether to mention Hannah¡¯s arrival. Before she could decide, the doorbell rang, starding her so much that the trambor As Aria got up to open the door, Linda¡¯s heart raced uncontrobly. Seeing Hannah on the door monitor, Aria frowned slightly. She opened the door and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± Hannah said in anger, ¡°Aria! You took my patients without permission. If their faces are ruined, can you take responsibility for that?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Aria repliedzily, her gaze was filled with anger. ¡°So? Are you done? Can you leave already? Stop ringing the bell. It¡¯s getting on my nerves, Hannah didn¡¯t know why Aria was so confident and said, ¡°Aria, they are my patients. I will treat them.¡± Aria swung the door open wider, her tone calm but dripping with mockery. ¡°Go ahead, ask them if they want to leave with you.¡± Hannah shot her a confident nce before turning to the living room. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t let her trick you. Come with me. I promise your faces will be perfect in a month.¡± No one said a word. The surroundings were extremely silent. Hannah¡¯s gaze turned cold. 15 Finally, someone hesitated and spoke up, ¡°Aria said she could heal our faces in seven days.¡± ¡°Seven days?¡± Hannah, who had always upheld the principle of saving lives and protecting health, couldn¡¯t stand the thought of someone ying games with others health. She immediately said, ¡°It might work withser treatments, but the side effects are severe. The problem will keep recurring unless it¡¯spletely eradicated.¡± When no one responded, she added, ¡°I¡¯m one of the researchers at Kerano Global Health. If you don¡¯t trust me, are you seriously going to trust someone like Aria, whoes from a vige?¡± A woman hesitated and turned to Aria. She asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, could you exin your treatment method to us first?¡± Aria lifted her gaze indifferently and said, ¡°It¡¯s your call. If you don¡¯t trust me, you can leave now.¡± The woman fell silent and didn¡¯t dare say another word. No one made a move to leave. Hannah was furious and thought, ¡®These people are absolutely hopeless!¡® She took a deep breath and said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor. I can¡¯t just stand by and watch you throw yourselves into danger. ¡°Well, Aria, you can treat them, but I¡¯ll be keeping a close eye on you the whole time!¡± With that, she stepped forward, intending to enter. Aria leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, and raised her left foot to block the way. She asked, ¡°Did I say you could Her posture was rxed and her eyes were condescending. Hannah¡¯s expression darkened. She said, ¡°I lowered myself to teach you, and this is how you repay me?¡± n? Chapter 1181 Aria shifted her foot slightly, forcing Hannah to step back. ¡°Get out!¡± As Aria moved to close the door, Hannah stubbornly reached out to stop it, hooking fer foot inside to block it Out of nowhere, a sudden force mmed into Hannah¡¯s shoulder. Before she could react to what had happened, her body arced through the air andnded heavily on the ground in a sorry state. Liam arrived and witnessed the scene. His pupils contracted sharply. ¡°Hannah!¡± He rushed over, crouching down to hug Hannah in his arms. His voice trembled with anger as he roared, ¡°Aria! You deliberately hurt hen¡± Others who had been watching the entire scene were frozen in fear, their legs trembling uncontrobly. Aria¡¯s kick looked so slight, yet it sent Hannah flying. She was really brave. Aria looked at them with a cold sneer. ¡°Breaking into my home without permission? This is the price you pay.¡± Comment Again Marriage 119 She pulled out her phone and called the property management office. She said, ¡°I thought Mayen Garden was supposed to have excellent ¨C to exin how uninvited people got in?¡± ¡°We¡¯re so sorry, Ms. Saxon. We¡¯ll handle this immediately!¡± By the time the call ended, Liam had already helped Hannah to her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the hospital first,¡± he said. Hannah wasn¡¯t hurt, but she felt embarrassed. Her eyes reddened as she forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She said to Aria, ¡°Aria, just wait!¡± Liam looked at her angrily as well. Aria smirked, her tone dripping with mockery. ¡°Anytime. ???? be waiting.¡± Liam said, ¡°Hannah, let¡¯s go. If they don¡¯t want treatment, that¡¯s their problem. Right now, the most important thing is SCI about protease inhibitors. It doesn¡¯t have your name on it.¡± Hannah froze in disbelief and asked, ¡°What?¡± s Liam said, ¡°Even though you didn¡¯t work in theb, you were the one who made the biggest contribution. Professor Colton wrote the paper but deliberately left your name out.¡± Back when they were volunteering in the most heavily infected areas, it was Hannah who identified the criticalponent for the inhibitor and handed it over to the teacher. That discovery was what enabled the precise development of protease inhibitors. It was also that teacher who wrote a rmendation letter for Hannah, which allowed her to join Kerano Global Health. Hannah¡¯s gaze flickered with a mix of emotions. She said, ¡°If my name¡¯s not there, so be it. As long as it helps people, I don¡¯t care about¡­¡± As their voices faded into the distance, Aria closed the door and turned to the group. ¡°Who leaked my address?¡± Everyone instinctively looked at Linda. Linda hesitated before raising her hand. She said in a trembling voice, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want to offend the Gibson family. Please, Ms. Saxon, don¡¯t stop my treatment.¡± Aria leaned back on the sofa and said indifferently, ¡°Your consultation fee just doubled. Don¡¯t let it happen again.¡± Linda quickly nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± After finishing the check¨Cups, Aria created a group chat and said, ¡°Once I finalize the ingredients for beauty cream, I¡¯ll share a list of medicinal herbs and instructions. You can apply it yourself at home. No need toe back here.¡± They nodded eagerly. ¡°Got it.¡± Once the check¨Cups were done, everyone quietly transferred their payments through the group chat and left. Aria confirmed the payments with a quick tap, then switched to her banking app to transfer all the funds to another ount. Not long after, someone reached out to her. [Ms. Saxon, your recent donation is enough to fund the project for years. There¡¯s no need to send more.] Aria: [We still need more schools. Let¡¯s start with that.] Chapter 119 The person on the other end paused for a while before sending a lengthy message filed with gratitude. Ana skimmed jus tapped into her contacts and made a call. The recipient answered instantly, addressing hat in a foreign Isharage ¡°Madelyn, where have you been? When are youing back to Kerano?¡° ¡°Lance, I¡¯m back in Mandino City. I don¡¯t n oning back anytime soon.* Director Lance Luthor sighed. ¡°Alright. Are you still working in the field?¡± Aria remained silent, and Lance seemed to understand. He encouraged her, ¡°It¡¯d be a shame to waste your talent. You¡¯ll always be weed in var ¡°Thanks, Lance. By the way, has Hannah been part of the protease inhibitors research since I left?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Who¡¯s Hannah?¡± Aria exined Hannah¡¯s background. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it,¡± Lance said. ¡°Okay.¡± Larkridge High School, security office. The guard was enjoying his lunch while watching a drama on his phone when the ringtone suddenly red. He nced at the caller ID and nearly choked, spraying food everywhere. Frantically grabbing his phone, he said, ¡°You¡¯re letting me borrow her?¡± ¡°Professor Colton is in Mandino City. You should consider inviting her to be a mentor at your school.¡± AD Again Marriage 120 Chapter 120 The person on the phone was Lance. The old man¡¯s eyes lit up, and he jumped to his feet in surprise. ¡°Are you talking about Professor Madelyn Colton, the one who developed proteaz inhibitors?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s from your country, a young woman. You¡¯ll have to figure out how to contact her yourself. I can¡¯t share that information. That¡¯s all tran say,¡± Lance said. Kerano Global Health had strict rules that researchers¡® identities must remain confidential. Lance couldn¡¯t stand to see Madelyn¡¯s talent go to waste, so this was the only way he could push her back onto the field. The old man couldn¡¯t hide the joy on his face. After thanking Lance profusely, he immediately instructed his assistant to hire several private investigators to track Madelyn down. A new message popped up. [Professor Schmidt, you¡¯re retiring next year. If you don¡¯t find a suitable recement soon, I¡¯ll have to make the decision myself.) Martin: [I¡¯ve found someone incredible! I¡¯ll do my best to lock it in before the interviews start.] [There are a few promising students at Larkridge High School. Make sure to recruit them early. Once the exam results are out, it¡¯ll be toote. We can¡¯tpete with Kanit University.] Alex and Henry were both detained, and Fryderyk refused to let Caleb visit them, saying they weren¡¯t family. ¡°Let it go. Henry¡¯s sentencing is just around the corner,¡± Fryderyk said. What Henry did was easy to investigate, and it wouldnd him in prison for over a decade. As for Aria stabbing him, what¡¯s wrong with a kid defending herself? She wasn¡¯t even ten years old. Even if she¡¯d killed him, she wouldn¡¯t have been held responsible. Caleb gave Fryderyk a cold nce, said nothing, and walked out of the police station. At the gates of the Saxon Manor. ¡°Silvia, your Dad blew all our money on bad investments and even sold the house! Your brother and I are homeless now, with nothing left. Please help us!¡± Alice dropped to her knees, grabbing Austin¡¯s arm. ¡°Austin, please, beg your sister!¡± Austin stood there, his green¨Cdyed hair, pierced ears, and leather outfit screaming rebellion. He shook off Alice¡¯s grip and jabbed a finger dangerously close to Silvia¡¯s face. ¡°If you don¡¯t hand over the money, I¡¯ll make sure everyone knows you¡¯re just a fake on the outside, rotten to the core. Let¡¯s see how you n to marry into money once your reputation¡¯s trashed!¡± ¡°Austin!¡± Silvia staggered back a couple of steps, her mind swirling with the rumors she¡¯d heard. Lowering her head, she said, ¡°You want money? Fine. But first, answer one question truthfully.¡± Hope flickered in Alice¡¯s eyes. ¡°What question?¡± she asked. Chapter 120 Did you sell Aria for one thousand dors back then?¡± Alice frore, shaking her head vehemently. ¡°No!¡± Silvia fixed Alice with a piercing stare. ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± ¡°So what if we did?¡± Austin sneered, utterly unapologetic. ¡°We raised her, didn¡¯t we? What¡¯s wrong with making a little money off her Silvia stumbled back, tears spilling uncontrobly. ¡°How could you? If you didn¡¯t pick the wrong baby in the hospital back then, you¡¯d have sold THE OF just the same, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Alice reached out to grab her hand. ¡°No, Silvia, that¡¯s not truel Madelyn was crazy! She wouldn¡¯t lift a finger to help and even tried to poison us. What choice did we have but to sell her? ¡°And in the end, she came back with a knife, nearly hacking us to pieces. She is insane!¡± Silvia¡¯s eyes burned with hatred. ¡°Get out! And don¡¯t ever show your faces to me again!¡± Everyone adored Silvia, yet Aria was cruelly abused by her parents. Silvia, overwhelmed with guilt, dashed toward the door but froze in her tracks when she spotted a familiar figure. ¡°Caleb?¡± Caleb approached her at a measured pace, his cold gaze sweeping past her to the people behind, before finallynding on her face. ¡°You¡¯ve been in contact with them all along?¡± he asked. Silvia quickly shook her head and exined, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. They came to me asking for money. I gave them some once, but this is the second time, and I refused.¡± ¡°Caleb,¡± she sobbed, clutching his hand tightly, ¡°They abused Aria. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t know it was this bad. I swear I didn¡¯t know.¡± Aria had endured the suffering that should have been Silvia¡¯s. AD Comment Again Marriage 121 Chapter 121 And she had taken the love that should have belonged to Aria. She felt utterly lost, unsure of how to make things right. Seeing Caleb, Alice shuddered and quickly dragged Austin away. ¡°Ifl deal with them, would you feel bad for them?¡± Caleb asked. Silvia¡¯s head shot up at his words, her voice firm. ¡°No! Why would I feel bad for them?¡± ¡°Good.¡± Caleb let out a faint sigh of relief, his hand gently ruffling her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t see them again.¡± ¡°Got it, Caleb.¡± She quickly wiped away her tears. The two of them returned home one after the other and saw Gloria. ¡°Aunt Gloria,¡± they greeted. Gloria nodded in acknowledgment. Caleb headed to the study to get something, while Silvia sat down on the other side of the room. Gloria ced a box on the coffee table. ¡°It¡¯s getting colder, and Joseph¡¯s leg injury will start acting up again. Try this ginger essential oil. It might help. Every winter, Joseph¡¯s leg would go numb and ache, making it hard for him to sleep. The Saxon family had even hired a traditional medicine doctor to treat him, but the condition was never fully resolved. ¡°Is Dad still asleep?¡± Gloria asked. In previous years, around this time, Joseph¡¯s leg pain would have already red up, and he would be up early for a massage from the doctor. The butler, Zayne, hesitated. His expression conflicted. ¡°When Aria came back home the first time, she left a bottle of ginger essential oil for Joseph. I put it away at the time, thinking it wouldn¡¯t be of much use. But about a week ago, Joseph decided to try it, and the results were incredible. He¡¯s been sleeping soundly these past few days.¡± Gloria frowned. ¡°It¡¯s been over two years. Is it still effective?¡± ¡°It is. The doctor tested it and confirmed it was suitable for Joseph, but he couldn¡¯t identify the exact ingredients. Aria made it herself,¡± Zayne said. Gloria raised an eyebrow, surprised. ¡°She knows how to make something like that?¡± Zayne exined, ¡°Aria also makes beauty creams. It¡¯s incredibly effective.¡± Zayne still remembered how, just a few days ago, Zoe had been applying the cream, tears streaming down her face as she murmured, ¡°Aria made this for me¡­ It¡¯s better than anything I¡¯ve ever used, but I ignored it for two years.¡± Aria had stopped sending beauty creams after that./ Zoe was filled with regret. Too bad there¡¯s no cure for regret in this world./Aria didn¡¯t need them anymore. Gloria didn¡¯t like Aria, but she wouldn¡¯t deny her identity. ¡°Since the ginger essential oil was made by Aria, just go to her and ask.. biological grandfather, she wouldn¡¯t refuse, would she?¡± Zayne¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Our Saxon family has already severed ties with Aria.¡± ore. He¡¯s her Chapter 121 Gloria dismissed it with a wave. ¡°A flimsy statement means nothing. I¡¯ll handle this myself Then she left. Watching Gloria¡¯s retreating figure, Silvia felt powerless. After some thought, she took her phone and sent Aria a heads¨Cup. Gloria tracked Aria down on her way to Navoron Restaurant and intercepted her in the lobby ¡°Arial¡± Gloria called out. Aria stopped in her tracks. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Her tone carried a hint of impatience. Gloria frowned slightly but refrained from lecturing her about respecting elders. ¡°Your grandfather used the ginger essential oil you made. It worked well. I¡¯m here to buy more.¡± Aria was a little surprised. After two years, she hadn¡¯t expected Joseph to still be using it. ¡°Not for sale,¡± she said. Gloria was angry. ¡°That¡¯s your grandfather! Are you seriously going to just let him suffer like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lucky enough to be his granddaughter. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Her face remained calm, her eyes devoid of any trace of sympathy. Gloria was startled by her heartlessness, her gaze sharp. ¡°You¡¯re nothing like a Saxon!¡± Aria met her eyes directly. ¡°I was never a Saxon to begin with.¡± Gloria clenched her fists tightly, but thoughts of Joseph¡¯s condition forced her to swallow her anger. Gritting her teeth, she said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll buy the form.¡± Aria wasn¡¯t one to turn down money handed to her. She smiled faintly and said, ¡°15 million dors.¡± ¡°15 million dors?¡± Gloria was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s daylight robbery!¡± Aria repliedzily, ¡°Make it 20 million.¡± ¡°Aria, you¡¯re hopeless!¡± Gloria shouted. Aria arched an eyebrow. ¡°Fine, 30 million.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 122 Chapter 122 Gloria was so furious that her chest seized up. It was a real heart attack. She stumbled to the wall, clutching her chest as sharp, stabbing pain came in waves. After a few seconds of rest, she managed to steady herself She¡¯d never been this humiliated, not even when she was just starting out in the corporate world. ¡°Gloria, with all the money your family has, are you really going to let your father suffer over a measly 30 million dors?¡± Aria said. The money was not a big deal for Gloria. Because of Aria¡¯s status, the Saxons assumed she should hand over the form for free, and even prepare the ginger essential oil and deliver it in person. What Gloria couldn¡¯t stomach was the fact that the person making the offer was Aria. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn¡¯t have blinked at paying. Not just 15 million, but even 150 million. Gritting her teeth, Gloria said, ¡°Fine, 30 million! But how can I test its effect? What if it doesn¡¯t work?¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t buy,¡± Aria replied coolly, her tone indifferent. She turned to leave. Gloria, her face pale with anger, called out, ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll buy it! I¡¯ll transfer the money right now!¡± 30 million was nothing to her, after all. Afterpleting the transfer, Gloria asked, ¡°When will you give me the form?¡± Aria snapped her fingers, and the waiter practically materialized at her side, his posture respectful and attentive. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I need paper and a pen,¡± Aria said. ¡°Of course, please wait a moment,¡± the waiter replied. Seeing the waiter¡¯s almost reverent attitude toward Aria, Gloria couldn¡¯t help but remember the rumors she¡¯d heard. Aria held the First¨Css VIP Card, a coveted status symbol. Many people offered outrageous sums to buy or rent the card, but she turned them all down without a second thought. Back then, Gloria didn¡¯t believe it. But now, she was starting to. Soon, the waiter brought over a pen and paper. Aria picked a spot on the sofa, sat down, and began writing. Gloria frowned. ¡°You¡¯re writing it now?¡± She had assumed it would be some ancient, timeworn recipe. Aria nced at her coolly. ¡°What else did you think?¡± She continued writing without pause. Her strokes were quick and slightly messy, but the words were clear and legible. Gloria studied her handwriting, her gaze tinged with doubt. Aria¡¯s cursive was surprisingly polished, clearly the result of years of practice. It was far beyond what she had expected. Still skeptical, Gloria kept her eyes fixed on Aria¡¯s pen, watching her every move. Chapter 122 The paper detailed precise measurements down to the decimal point, step by step instructions, and even the specific equipment equina lex preparation. Gloria was stunned. Wasn¡¯t Aria supposed to have dropped out of school years ago?¡® she thought. Gloria had never thought highly of Aria because she was distant, disrespectful to Joseph, and never bothered to greet her elders With those preconceived notions, she had always thought of her as azy, unmotivated person. But now, as her gaze fell on Aria¡¯s face, Gloria had to admit that she might have been wrong. After filling the page with dense writing, Aria capped the pen and threw the paper to Gloria. ¡°Follow the instructions exactly. Don¡¯t mess with the proportions, and if something goes wrong, don¡¯te crying to me.¡± Gloria was speechless. Her temper¡¯s even worse than Joseph¡¯s. Gloria grabbed the ingredient, folded it neatly, and tucked it into her coat pocket before turning to leave. Once seated in the back of the car, she nervously checked her pocket. After a moment¡¯s thought, she pulled out her phone, took a picture of the ingredient, and uploaded it to herputer for safekeeping. Staring at the densely packed writing on the flimsy sheet of paper, Gloria clenched her teeth. She thought, ¡®This thing¡¯s worth 30 million dors? Unbelievable! ¡®If I hadn¡¯t argued, I could¡¯ve gotten it for just 15 million dors.¡¯ The driver nced back and asked, ¡°Shall we go back to the military hospital?¡± ¡°No, head to the Saxon family first,¡± she replied. The car had barely started moving when a sharp pain shot through her chest. As a department head, she knew exactly what was happening. Comment Again Marriage 123 Chapter 123 ¡°Quick! Get me to the nearest hospitall¡± she ordered. Aria stepped into the lobby and spotted them waiting for her. She walked over. Victor nced at his watch, his irritation evident. ¡°She¡¯s half an hourte.¡± Trenton sighed and said, ¡°We¡¯re the ones As soon as Aria came into view, Trenton muicklys for her help.¡± tood up, his tone respectful. ¡°Ms. Saxon.¡± Victor turned his head and saw Aria standing silently behind him. Her gaze swept over him. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. For days, they had been trying everything to get Johnny from Hayes Group to sign the deal. But no matter what they did, his stance was clear that Aria had to handle the matter personally. Left with no other option, they had to ask their chairman to arrange this meeting with Aria. Trenton immediately poured her a cup of coffee, his tone ingratiating. ¡°Ms. Saxon, this is delicious coffee. Please, have a sip.¡± Aria remainedposed and asked, ¡°Johnny still hasn¡¯t signed the contract?¡± They exchanged awkward smiles. After countless trips to Hayes Group, they finally understood that Johnny¡¯s serious words weren¡¯t just talk. He was willing to risk losing the deal entirely to stand up for Aria. Their mistake had been underestimating her and denying her true status. They said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, they said only you can handle the negotiations,¡± Both of them looked utterly tired, their faces pale and their eyes shadowed with fatigue as if they hadn¡¯t had a decent night¡¯s sleep in a week. Knowing she had a stake in the Stars Group, Aria decided not to make things harder for them. She extended her hand and said, ¡°Give me the contract.¡± Victor froze, disbelief shing across his face. He hade prepared for a tough negotiation, but he never expected her to agree quickly. ¡°What are you standing there for? Don¡¯t want to sign the contract?¡± Aria asked. Victor came back to his senses and quickly handed over the contract. Trenton tightened his grip on the cup, leaned back in his chair, and ignored the curious nces around him. He smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, Johnny mentioned that as long as you showed up, the Hayes Group would definitely sign.¡± The Hayes Group was supposed to sign the contract. The hassle was just to show support for Aria. After skimming through the contract, Aria said, ¡°Coordinate the schedule with Johnny and let me know.¡± She hadn¡¯te here for them. She was here to discuss investing in Cloe¡¯s new store in Kanit City. Chapter 123 ¡°Alright, Ms. Saxon, goodbye!¡± As A left, Victor patted his chest in relief and said, ¡°I thought she¡¯d make things difficult for us, but she agreed so quickly. We should yn ae sooner.¡± Trenton took a sip of coffee and said, ¡°Alright, it wouldn¡¯t have made sense for her to make things difficult for ust ¡°True enough.¡± On the third floor, Aria transferred 30 million dors from Gloria to Cloe. She said, ¡°I¡¯m investing 30 million dors. Just give me a small share of equity, As for the dividends, donate them to rural districts in Navoron Restaurant¡¯s name.¡± Cloe said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s catch up again sometime. Once I move to Kanit City, I probably won¡¯t be back much.¡± ¡°Why suddenly move to Kanit City?¡± Aria asked. Kanit City was a tough city to break into, so Cloe didn¡¯t need to rush here to earn money. Aria thought something and raised an eyebrow. She added, ¡°Is it because of Kim? Could he have something¡­¡± Cloe cut her off, ¡°Of course not.¡± She cleared her throat and continued, ¡°Stop guessing. I know him, but we just don¡¯t like each other. There¡¯s nothing more to it.¡± Everyone had their own secrets, so Aria didn¡¯t press further. She said, ¡°Vanessa and I wille visit you ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bring gifts,¡± Cloe said. ¡°Of course.¡± Thinking about those bottles of beauty cream, Aria decided it was time to leave. sometime.¡± ¡°As a waiter here, you can¡¯t earn much money in a month. Helen, can you afford your dad¡¯s medical treatment?¡± As soon as she arrived on the first floor, Aria heard these words amidst the noisy noise. She walked towards the side corridor and saw the back of Trenton. Comment Again Marriage 124 Chapter 124 Across from him sat a young girl, dressed in the uniform of Navoron Restaurant. Her hands were sped nervously in front of her as she bowed slightly. She said, ¡°Trenton, I¡¯ve already advanced six months of my satary Thank you for your concern.¡± Trenton said, ¡°From what I know, a kidney transnt costs about 150 thousand dors, not to mention follow¨Cup tare, medication, and hospital fees. Your six¨Cmonth sry is only 40 thousand dors. ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you nning to go back to school? Or do you want to spend the rest of your life as a waitress?¡± His voice was calm and gentle, but every word hit like a dagger. Helen clenched her fingers tightly and raised her head. ¡°Trenton, my dad partnered with your cousin to start apany. He owns shares. Selling them for 300 thousand dors shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Trenton raised an eyebrow in surprise and said, ¡°My cousin told me your dad signed a transfer agreement, giving the shares to him. What shares does he have left to sell?¡± ¡°What?¡± Helen¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Trenton chuckled, pulling out his phone and opening his photo album. He showed her a picture and said, ¡°Here¡¯s your dad¡¯s signature on the document.¡± Helen nced at it and didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°This is fake!¡± Suddenly, realization dawned on her. ¡°You set my dad up, didn¡¯t you?¡± His gaze locked onto her face, his tone dripping with false sympathy. ¡°A mutual agreement. How could it be a setup? Helen, you¡¯re a good girl. You wouldn¡¯t just stand by and watch him go without treatment, would you? I can help you. ¡°You know what I¡¯m after.¡± Tears of frustration and anger welled up in Helen¡¯s eyes, her chest tightening with helplessness. She had noticed the way he looked at her wasn¡¯t right. But her dad refused to believe it. ¡°Trenton?¡± Victor came from the restroom, caught sight of the scene, and strode over. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± he asked. Trenton chuckled lightly. ¡°Victor, I¡­¡± Victor nced at Helen, whose eyes were slightly red, and frowned. He said, ¡°Trenton, your wife stood by you when you had nothing, poured all her savings into your future. It¡¯s wrong for you to do so. ¡°Besides, this girl doesn¡¯t seem like someone who¡¯d be involved in this kind of thing. If she¡¯s not willing, just let it go.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be willing,¡± Trenton said confidently. ¡°Helen, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m on the board of the Stars Group. If I don¡¯t agree, your dad can not undergo kidney transnt y.¡± A sinister grin spread across his face as he reached out to touch her cheek. But his hand was stopped halfway. Trenton turned his head, only to feel a sharp force twisted his arm. Before he could react, his own hand was mmed across his face with a food sap. The crisp sound of the p echoed through the room. The inertia sent him stumbling back several steps. The shock wasn¡¯t limited to the three people present. It extended to Gloria¡¯s youngest son, Derek, who had just arrived. His face was dark with anger Just an hour ago, Gloria suffered a heart attack and was sent to the hospital, which shocked the entire Fletcher family. Derek, who was preparing for his graduate exams, also hurried to the hospital. After asking around, he learned about Gloria¡¯s heart attack because of Aria, which was extremely ridiculous. Gloria, who had long suffered from overwork, didn¡¯t me Aria for the incident. She brushed it off, not even mentioning the 30 million dor matter. However, Derek couldn¡¯t let it go. Frustrated, he ordered his driver to take him to Navoron Restaurant, determined to confront Aria. As soon as he entered the lobby, he witnessed the scene¡­ Trenton rubbed his cheek, his expression cold briefly before forcing an awkward smile upon seeing Aria. He said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, hello.¡± His tone carried a hint of anger. AD Comment S Again Marriage 125 Chapter 125 Aria said, ¡°Trenton, I didn¡¯t expect you, who loves your wife so much, to still have this side.¡± She had looked into the Stars Group board members, and Trenton had left the strongest impression. He was supposedly a man who adored his wife, the perfect husband. What a load of crap! Trenton tried to maintain hisposure and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you misunderstood. She¡¯s my friend¡¯s daughter. I was just looking out for her¡± Aria asked coldly, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± Her expression was cold, her sharp gaze carrying an air of superiority. Trenton didn¡¯t understand why she was so arrogant and dared to teach him a lesson after being abandoned by her family. His face darkened, and his tone turned mocking. ¡°Ms. Saxon, even if you hold thergest stake in Stars Group, my position is no less significant than yours. ¡°The Saxon family¡¯s mess ismon knowledge. Perhaps you should focus on your own business instead of meddling in my private affairs.¡± ¡®Aria is a shareholder of Stars Group? And she holds thergest stake?¡® Derek was a bit stunned when he heard this. He nced at Helen, conflicted. ¡®Helen, my ssmate! Should I even get involved in this mess?¡® he thought. Victor was rmed by Trenton¡¯s words. The contract hadn¡¯t even been signed yet. Offending Aria would surely ruin everything. He immediately tried to smooth it. ¡°Ms. Saxon, what Trenton means is that he wasn¡¯t bullying this girl. I can testify.¡± Aria¡¯s cold gaze swept over him as she asked, ¡°Are you sure you want to testify?¡± Her gaze was too oppressive, making Victor, who was feeling guilty, unable to say a word. Everyone at Navoron Restaurant recognized Aria, including Helen. Upon hearing that Aria was a shareholder of Stars Group, Helen clung to her sleeve. She said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, he¡¯s been exploiting Star Group¡¯s name to funnel clients to his cousin¡¯spany and pocketing the profits.¡± Upon hearing her words, Trenton and Victor¡¯s faces turned pale. Helen tried to speak, but Trenton, in a panic, rushed forward and shouted angrily, ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense!¡± Aria turned around and lifted her left foot high, fiercely kicking Trenton who was about to hit Helen. With a scream, Trenton was sent flying, crashing to the ground. ¡°Trash.¡± Aria retracted her foot, the hem of her dress rippling elegantly with the motion. Derek¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He quietly pulled back the foot he¡¯d been about to step forward with. He thought, ¡®Well, not getting involved in this mess.¡¯ Trentony on the ground, clutching his stomach as pain wracked his body. He coughed up blood and shouted, ¡°Aria! I¡¯ll sue you! I¡¯ll ruin you!¡± Aria chuckled softly, stepped closer, and pressed her foot down on his head. His chin mmed onto the floor. He spat out another mouthful of blood. The others watched with pounding hearts, terrified she might actually kill Trenton. 10:58 Mon, 2 Jun GN Aria withdrew her foot and turned to Victor. She said, ¡°Trenton has been abusing his position for personal gain. I¡¯ll leave it to you to investigate. The sooner you handle this, the sooner we can finalize the Hayes Group deal. ¡°Any objections, Victor?¡± Victor swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly. ¡°No, no.¡± He thought, ¡®How could I have been so blind? I thought she relied on her looks. What a joke! With that kind of presence and skill, no man would dare bully her! I offended her before, luckily I wasn¡¯t beaten today¡® Aria turned to leave but paused beside Helen. She said, ¡°Contact Victor. He¡¯ll make sure everything that¡¯s rightfully your father¡¯s is returned.¡± Victor immediately said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll return it all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget to call the police.¡± The moment Aria turned her head to speak, Derek had already ducked behind the wall to avoid her gaze. He thought, ¡®Everyone said Aria was rude, but why did no one talk about her fiery temper? She threw a punch whenever she wanted!¡± Derek was so lost in his thoughts that he didn¡¯t even hear the footsteps. It wasn¡¯t until a figure appeared that he looked up, meeting a sharp gaze. ¡°Had enough of watching?¡± Again Marriage 126 Chapter 126 Derek¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°I, I¡­¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Before he could finish stammering, Aria¡¯s blunt question left him speechless. He pointed at himself in shock. ¡°You seriously don¡¯t know who I am?¡± Aria gave him a quick once¨Cover. ¡°You look kinda familiar.¡± Without another word, she turned and started walking away. Derek instinctively followed, protesting, ¡°Hey, that¡¯s just mean! We¡¯ve met once before, anyway!¡± When Aria first returned to the Saxon family, Gloria had gone out of her way to introduce her two sons to her. Aria replied indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Derek kept pace with her, muttering, ¡°Come on, with a face like mine, how could you not remember? I¡¯m Derek, your cousin!¡± Aria stopped in her tracks. ¡°So, what do you want?¡± Finally remembering why he was there, Derek scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°Aria, you pissed my mom off so badly that shended in the hospital! What exactly happened between you two? ¡°My mom workste all the time, so her health isn¡¯t great. She¡¯s a bit like Grandpa, always acting old¨Cfashioned, but she doesn¡¯t mean any harm. Sure, she can be annoying, but can¡¯t you just let it slide and not take it to heart?¡± It was only their second meeting, but Derek was already talking to her like they¡¯d been close for years, leaving Aria raising an eyebrow in disbelief. ¡°Are we that close?¡± Well, it didn¡¯t seem they were close. They barely exchanged a few words during their first meeting. But Derek didn¡¯t think it mattered. ¡°We¡¯re family! Even if we don¡¯t see each other for decades, it¡¯s not like that changes anything.¡± He admitted he was a bit annoyed when he first arrived, but thinking it over, she couldn¡¯t have known about his mom¡¯s health issues. And after watching her in action just now, he¡¯d have to be crazy to even think about messing with her. Aria said indifferently, ¡°Two years ago, I made a bottle of ginger essential oil for your grandfather. Today, your mom came to buy it from me. I refused. Then she asked for the recipe, so I priced it at 30 million dors!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all it took to upset her?¡± Derek¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°What? You only asked for 30 million dors?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow, her expression a mix of surprise and mild annoyance. Derek had always been the type to do as he pleased, never caring much about rules or decorum. He spoke his mind freely, even if it meant offending someone. Among the younger generation, Joseph liked him the least. Once, Derek asked his dad why Joseph disliked him. His dad exined that when Derek was a kid visiting the Saxon family, Derek would often lecture about life principles. Der however, would cover his ears and chant, ¡°For God¡¯s sake, Grandpa¡¯s preaching again!¡± Another time, when Joseph was wheelchair¨Cbound due to a leg injury, while everyone else was concerned about his well¨Cbeing, Derek had secretly taken the wheelchair out to y. After years of antics, just seeing Derek was enough to give Joseph a headache. When Joseph announced his public statement, Derek was the first to object. Unfortunately, Gloria forbade him from going to the Saxon furniz In Derek¡¯s opinion, Joseph had been unreasonable first. Aria was right not to self her ginger essential oil, but he asking price was tos sa ¡°My family¡¯s loaded. You should¡¯ve started at 300 million dors! My mom loves to haggle. She¡¯d probably talk you down to 150 man ayat Aria stared at him, speechless. ¡°Hey, Aria, besides making ginger essential oil, do you make any other products? I could help you sell your stuff to those big shot CEOs. Hery sent the profits seventy¨Cthirty. You get seventy, and I take thirty.¡± Aria said nothing in response. Derek kept rambling, ¡°Honestly, my mom¡¯s just too sensitive. You only asked for 30 million, not 1.5 billion dors. How¡¯d that send her to the fatal ¡°Anyway, she¡¯s fine now, so let¡¯s drop it. Let¡¯s talk more about making money together.¡± ¡®Ugh, he never stops talking.¡® Aria spun around and walked off without a second nce. Derek instinctively followed her. ¡°Hey, wait for me!¡± Thud! He smacked right into the ss door. Ouch, that hurt! He clutched his nose, saw blood on his hand, and yelled, ¡°Aria! I¡¯m bleeding!¡± Aria nced back briefly, then kept walking like nothing had happened. MAR Again Marriage 127 Chapter 127 Derek let out a dramatic sigh. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re so heartless!¡± Someone handed him a tissue. He took it and wiped his nose. ¡°Oh, thanks!¡± He looked down and realized it was Helen. The air felt a little awkward, so he quickly said, ¡°Hey, I heard you got into grad school. Decided on a mentor yet?¡± Helen replied, ¡°I was thinking about Professor Schmidt, but he¡¯s retiring. Still trying to figure it out¡± Derek said, ¡°Oh! I¡¯m switching toputer science,¡± Helen nodded. ¡°Cool.¡± Aria returned to her apartment and found Rhett waiting at the door. ¡°So, have you made up your mind?¡± Rhett nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± She opened the door and gestured for him to were you forced? Rhett looked exhausted, his face pale and drawn. ¡°You¡¯re the first person I was supposed to scam. I guess you could say I volunteered. ¡°My friend was kidnapped while traveling. He¡¯s programming genius, and they¡¯ve forced him tomit fraud once. I was worried that if the amounts got too big, he¡¯d end up in prison. When I found out their target was you, I joined them on purpose, trying to buy some time. ¡°There are four or five people tailing me. They were the ones who destroyed your car. At first, I thought they just wanted to scam you for money, but now, it looks like they¡¯re nning to kill you.¡± He couldn¡¯t understand why they were in such a rush to kill her when they hadn¡¯t even gotten her money yet. ¡®Is their real goal to kill her and frame me for it?¡® Rhett¡¯s expression darkened. Aria¡¯s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. ¡°Can you and your friend contact without them knowing?¡± Rhett nodded firmly. ¡°Yes, his skills are good enough to bypass their surveince.¡± Aria added, ¡°Then figure out a way to lure them back to the country.¡± He stared at her in disbelief. ¡°How are we supposed to pull that off?¡± Aria¡¯s tone was calm but firm. ¡°You and your friend are smart enough to make it happen. ¡°If we can get the key yers back, we can take them all down in one go. Don¡¯t worry about the small fry. They¡¯re not your problem. ¡°If you pull this off, it¡¯ll be a huge win. No matter how much money your friend was forced to scam, it¡¯ll all be wiped clean.¡± Rhett hesitated, clearly tempted. ¡°We¡¯ll try to figure/something out.¡± ¡°You have to figure something out,¡± she said, her tone leaving no room for After a long pause, he finally said, ¡°Alright.¡± As Aria was seeing off Rhett, the door across the hall opened. Their eyes briefly met argument. Chapter 127 Rhett shifted his gaze and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± A gave Owen a slight nod and was about to close the door when he called out, ¡°Mr. Sazon ¡°I heard you¡¯re testing eleven Bottles of beauty cream to fix their faces. That¡¯s a lot, Mend a hand? I owe you one for helping me mom Eleven bottles was quite a workload. Having someone to help, Aria saw no reason to refuse. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°When will you start?¡± Owen asked. Aria said, ¡°Now?¡± Owen smiled. ¡°Sounds good.¡± Aria added, ¡°You¡¯ll need to shower first.¡± For a moment, the air felt heavy, the golden hues of the setting sun stretching across the hallway, adding an odd stillness to the scene Sensing the awkwardness, Aria added, ¡°It¡¯s just a precaution for theb.¡± Owen chuckled. ¡°Got it.¡± He turned back to his apartment, heading straight to the bathroom. After showering, he waited half an hour before crossing the hall. Aria had everything ready and handed him ab coat. ¡°It¡¯s a bit small, but it¡¯ll do,¡± The gloves were tight, too, but at least the mask fit perfectly. Aria began exining the precautions and went over the equipment they¡¯d be using. Owen listened carefully, asionally ncing up at her. She wore a mask, leaving only her eyes visible. Her voice was soft and low, carrying a hint ofziness. ¡°Got it?¡± she asked. Her gaze shifted to him¨Ccalm and distant, as if veiled by a thin mist, making it impossible to read her thoughts. As he listened, a fleeting image surfaced in his mind. They locked eyes. Before he could stop himself, he asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, have we met before?¡± AD Again Marriage 128 Chapter 128 His question came out of nowhere. Aria¡¯s eyes shed with surprise. She knew he didn¡¯t mean the past few months. She¡¯d had the same thoughtst time. Their gazes locked¨Ccalm and steady, without tension or sparks flying. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met,¡± Aria said after a moment. She studied him closely, then something clicked. ¡°You know, you kind of remind me of my friend¡¯s kid.¡± Maybe that was why Owen felt so familiar to her. Owen smiled faintly. ¡°If I ever get the chance, I¡¯d love to meet him.¡± The conversation naturally ended. Aria got to work, calling out the names of instruments one by one, and Owen handed them to her with precision. He seemed incredibly familiar with theb equipment. With his help, Aria¡¯s efficiency soared. Derek returned to the hospital and ran into his grandmother and cousin, who were visiting his mother. Lexie frowned in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s just 30 million dors! Why are you making such a big deal out of it? I¡¯ll transfer 66 million to you right now.¡± Gloria quickly stopped Lexie. ¡°It¡¯s not about money. I just don¡¯t understand. He¡¯s her real grandfather! How could she just cut ties with him like that? It¡¯s heartless!¡± Derek scoffed, retorting, ¡°Mom, it was Grandpa who heard those nasty rumors and decided to sever ties first. How could you me Aria for that?¡± Hearing Derek defend Aria, Fryderyk raised his eyebrows in surprise., Gloria countered, ¡°Your grandfather was only thinking about the Saxon Group when he made that mistake in haste. He¡¯s old. Why should Aria hold a grudge against him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already twenty¨Ctwo, Mom, and you still treat me like a child. Aria is only a few months older than me. If Grandpa wanted to cut ties, why couldn¡¯t she be upset about it?¡± Gloria took a deep breath, and Lexie immediately patted her back, ring at Derek. ¡°Don¡¯t upset your mother! ¡°Fryderyk, take this little rascal out of here.¡± Derek nced at Gloria, guilt flickering in his eyes, but his resolve remained firm. He knew he wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Mom, just focus on getting better and stop worrying about the Saxon family¡¯s mess. Aria¡¯s your niece. Helping her out financially is only fair. You ent up to one hundred million dors fixing Grandpa¡¯s leg, but when it came to Aria, you hesitated over a fraction of that.¡± With that, he walked out without looking back, Gloria froze, her mind racing as Derek¡¯s words echoed in her ears. Over the years, over one billion dors had been spent on Joseph¡¯s leg condition. Chapter 128 If this ginger essential oil could ease his pain, they¡¯d pay 300 million dors for it without hesitation, not to mention 30 million. And yet, Aria had only asked for 15 million dors at the beginning. Lexie sighed. ¡°Derek¡¯s right. You shouldn¡¯t be as stubborn as Joseph. That girl, Aria, had a tough life. She finally came home, but her biological parents already have another daughter and don¡¯t treat her wholeheartedly. Her uncle disliked her, her grandfather wanted to cut ties, and even her aunt misunderstood her¡­ ¡°Honestly, you¡¯ve all been too harsh on her. You¡¯ve given her nothing but still expect her to follow your every whim.¡± Gloria hesitated, her voice tinged with disbelief. ¡°Are you saying we, as elders, should go out of our way to please her?¡± Lexie said firmly,. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. You raised Silvia to be so perfect, but those adoptive parents? They abused Aria and even sold her off. You should be thankful that girl had the strength to survive. If she were weaker, she might not have made it back to the Saxon family. Gloria frowned, doubt clouding her expression. ¡°Lexie, you actually believe that?¡± Lexie looked shocked. ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s just baseless gossip. Clearly fake.¡± Lexie¡¯s expression grewplicated, but she chose to stay silent. Outside the hospital room, Fryderyk nced at his younger cousin. ¡°You went to see Aria?¡± Derek nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How is she doing?¡± asked Fryderyk. AD Comment Send gift No Ads Chapter 129 Again Marriage 129 Chapter 129 ¡°She¡¯s doing fine.¡± Derek said, recalling she could still fight. Derek¡¯s eyes narrowed as he leaned in, a teasing grin on his face. ¡°Fryderyk, is this the first time you¡¯ve cared about a girl who isn¡¯t family? nyderyk stayed silent, his expression unreadable. ¡°She¡¯s a rtive of the Fletcher family. Derek chuckled softly. ¡°The Fletcher family has plenty of rtives. Funny how I¡¯ve never seen you care about any of them¡± Fryderyk didn¡¯t bother responding to the jab. He turned and walked away. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the station Derek called out to him, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s already seven. What kind of shift are you pulling now?¡± Fryderyk replied without stopping, ¡°Overtime.¡± When Fryderyk returned to the police station, Jackson hurried over to him. ¡°Henry is denying the trafficking charges. He¡¯s asking for awyer and wants to see Aria.¡± Fryderyk¡¯s gaze turned icy, his voice sharp. ¡°Tell him to forget it.¡± Jackson reported, ¡°We¡¯ve tracked down Dominic¡¯s family. Dominic got scammed into a bad investment and is now drowning in debt. The word is, he¡¯s hiding from debt collectors.¡± ¡°Does this have anything to do with Caleb?¡± asked Fryderyk. Jackson shook his head. ¡°No idea. ¡°But as soon as Dominic arrived in Mandino City, he started bragging that his daughter was the Saxon family¡¯s heiress. It¡¯s no surprise people are targeting him.¡± Fryderyk stood motionless, his brows furrowed slightly as he sank into thought. Jackson, sensing the mood, wisely kept quiet. Fryderyk instructed, ¡°Just keep an eye on them. Don¡¯t get involved in their mess.¡± He thought, ¡®Even if Caleb is involved, what can I do? I can¡¯t stop him from standing up for his sister. ¡®As long as he doesn¡¯t cross the line, I¡¯ll look the other way. Aria had a habit of losing track of time when working. Suddenly remembering something, she asked without turning around, ¡°What time is it?¡± Her voice was slightly hoarse from not speaking for a while. Owen nced at his watch. ¡°1:50¡± Aria froze mid¨Caction. ¡°Thatte?¡± ¡°Not thatte,¡± Owen replied. At least it was better than thest time she pulled an all¨Cnighter. Turning her head slightly, Aria said, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Shaw. You should head back a Owen didn¡¯t move. ¡°You¡¯re continuing?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah, just wrapping things up. Owen offered, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait and leave till you finish.¡± rest. Thanks for your help.¡± *10:59 ¨C Mon, 2 J¨²n (GN. Chapter 129 Aria blinked at the equipment she was working on but didn¡¯t say anything more, quickly finishing up. There was still a lot of work left. If she were alone, she¡¯d probably end up pulling another all¨Cnighter. Before leaving. Owen asked, ¡°What time are we starting next time?¡± Aria looked at him. ¡°You¡¯reing back?¡± He replied casually, ¡°Still got work to do, right?¡± She frowned slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a job?¡± Owen said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m on vacation right now.¡± That exined it. Aria said, ¡°Then let¡¯s start after lunch.¡± She wasn¡¯t shameless enough to make someone help her stay up all night, so she needed to adjust the schedule. Owen smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± Back at his apartment, Owen immediately pulled out his phone and sent out a notification. [Starting today, I¡¯m on vacation for a week.] By morning, Seacrest Law Firm¡¯s WhatsApp group chat was in chaos. Aaron: [Mr. Shaw! Don¡¯t leave us hanging like this! How will we handle it?] [Why the sudden vacation, and at 2 AM? Are you hiding something, Mr. Shaw?] [No Mr. Shaw, no motivation. Life is meaningless.] Owen was the face of Seacrest Law Firm, capable and handsome. He was the reason many new employees joined the firm. The department head: [No cking off. Get back to work.] The group chat finally quieted down. Aria¡¯s phone rang, waking her up. It was a call from the property management office. ¡°Ms. Saxon, there¡¯s a mother and son at the entrance iming to be your adoptive mother and brother. They¡¯re demanding to see you. They asked me to pass along a message, ¡®Pearl is still alive.¡°¡± Upon hearing that, Aria froze, her grip on the phone tightening. AD Comment Again Marriage 130 Chapter 130 Chapter 130 At the gates of Mayen Garden, Alice and Austin huddled in a corner, shivering as the cold wind bit through their thin clothes. They clutched their Hekayer tighter, trying to keep warm. When Aria walked over, Alice immediately scrambled to her feet, stering on a ttering smile. ¡°Madelyn¡­¡± But the moment her eyes met Aria¡¯s icy gaze, the words caught in her throat. She instinctively took a step back. Aria¡¯s voice was calm but sharp. ¡°What do you mean Pearl is still alive?¡± Austin stepped forward, his fat face squeezing his eyes into narrow slits. ¡°You give us 1.5 million dors first.¡± Aria¡¯s cold re swept over him, and the childhood memories of her beatings came rushing back. He quickly ducked behind his mother, trembling ¡°Mom, she¡¯s ring at me!¡± Austin had inherited all the worst traits of his parents¨Clying, bullying the weak, and doing whatever he pleased. As a child, he often tried to pick on Aria, only to end up getting beaten up every time. In the past, Dominic and Alice would have stepped in to cause trouble for Aria. But now, Alice had no choice but to force a smile. ¡°Austin, Madelyn is just joking with you.¡± Turning to Aria, Aliceunched into the same tearful act she had performed for Silvia. By the end, tears streamed down her face, and she even dropped to her knees. ¡°Madelyn, we just need a ce to stay. The house that you don¡¯t even use anymore is perfect for us. Give it to us, and I¡¯ll tell you where Pearl is.¡± Aria lowered her head and let out a softugh. ¡°You went for Silvia, and I got that. But me? That¡¯s sunexpected.¡± Alice hadn¡¯t wanted toe to Aria either, but Silvia had been staying indoors, and waiting any longer would mean spending the night on the streets. Aria snorted, ¡°Still, what makes you think this information is worth a house?¡± Her eyes curved slightly, as if she were smiling, though the mockery in her gaze was unmistakable. Still kneeling, Alice shifted ufortably, her stiff knees inching backward. Tentatively, she asked, ¡°Madelyn, didn¡¯t you care a lot about Pearl?¡± Pearl was Dominic and Alice¡¯s third child. The couple¡¯s resentment toward their daughter only deepened after taking Aria in. They wanted to sell Pearl off after just a month. But the baby was too young, and worse, she was a girl. No one in the nearby viges wanted her. So, they left her to Aria, leaving her to fend for herself. It was as if the baby instinctively knew she wasn¡¯t loved. She rarely cried or fussed. At first, Aria didn¡¯t want to take care of the baby. But the baby would giggle at her, her wide, innocent eyes full of curiosity. Even when she was hungry, she would only let out soft whimpers, as if afraid to bother her. Aria¡¯s heart softened. She carried the baby to a kind neighbor in the vige to help feed her. -Pearl. Later, she gave her a name- The first word Pearl said was ¡°Aria.¡± When Pearl was one year and two months old, she came down with a fever. A kind elderly neighbor rushed them to the hospital, where Pearl was taken into the emergency room. Chapter 130 Austin and Alice showed up at the hospital, not out of concern for the child, but to try and extort money. They refused to pay the medical bills, so Aria ran home and took Austin¡¯s hidden stash of money. But when she returned to the hospital, the alda neighbor told her Pearl was gone. Austin and Alice pocketed the money they extorted and gave Pearl¡¯s body to the hospital. They didn¡¯t even let Aria say goodbye to Pearl. Aria snapped out of her thoughts, her expression hardening. With a subtle flick of her right hand, a small knife appeared in her palm. She stepped forward, grabbed Austin by the cor, and mmed him against the wall. The de pressed dangerously close to his carotid artery. Austin screamed in terror, instinctively struggling, but the knife nicked his neck, drawing a thin line of blood. The scene unfolded so quickly that Alice froze in fear, her voice cracking as she screamed, ¡°Madelyn! Let go of my son!¡± She scrambled to her feet and rushed forward, but Aria countered with a swift kick, sending her sprawling to the ground. AD Comment Again Marriage 131 Chapter 131 Aria¡¯s cold gaze locked onto Austin. ¡°You¡¯ve got one minute. Spill it, or I¡¯ll slit your throat. Her tone was icy, and the murderous intent in has ayas made l? clear she wasn¡¯t bluffing. Terrified and trembling, Austin stammered, ¡°I, I¡¯ll talk! ¡°Pearl had a fever for too long. Even though it subsided, the doctor warned it might re up again and suggested transferring her to the city hospital. But Mom and Dad refused. Then, a couple struggling with infertility happened to pass by. When they overheard Mom and Dad nning to give up on Pearl, they offered to adopt her and paid them some money. Pearl was sent to the city hospital that very day. ¡°They were afraid you¡¯d try to take Pearl back, so they lied and told you she had died.¡± Alice had only told him about this not long ago. Austin begged, ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I know! Please let me gol¡± Aria released him, and Austin copsed to the floor, trembling. Alice rushed over, her eyes darting to the wound on her son¡¯s neck. She immediately erupted in fury, shouting, ¡°Madelyn! You monster! You lunatic! You¡¯ll go to hell!¡± ¡°hat? Aria chuckled as she calmly wiped the blood off her knife and tucked it away. Threats were useless against her. This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve known.me, right?¡± Alice regretted her outburst almost instantly. Clutching her son, she retreated to the corner, her eyes filled with fear and wariness as she stared at Ar¨ªa. Aria warned, ¡°If you dare cause trouble again, I won¡¯t hesitate to send you both straight to hell.¡± ¡°Please, Austin, let¡¯s just go home!¡± Alice cried, her voice trembling as she watched Aria walk away. Even though Dominic was abusive, Alice feared Aria the most. When Dominic tried to burn her alive, Aria fought back by cooking a pot of poisonous mushrooms, nearly killing their entire family. Whenever they hit her, she¡¯d disappear for hours, only to return in the dead of night, prying open their door and staring at them, making sure no one got a good night¡¯s sleep. When they sold her to Henry, she stormed back home with a knife, shing wildly and almost crippling Dominic¡¯s hand. If she could choose, Alice would rather have avoided the nightmare of the baby swap, even if it meant giving up the money. Austin, having tasted the extravagant lifestyle of the big city, had no intention of going back to their old life. Gripping Alice¡¯s hand tightly, his expression turned dark and resentful. ¡°Mom, both your daughters are living it up as heiresses. Why do we have to scrape by like this? ¡°We can livestream and make money.¡± Austin had been nning this for a while. He just wanted to squeeze more money out of Aria, but she wasn¡¯t as easy to manipte as Silvia. Alice¡¯s heart raced as she shook her head frantically. ¡°No way! She¡¯ll kill us sure.¡± Austin¡¯s mind was consumed by thoughts of money, his earlier fearpletely forgotten. ¡°Mom, she¡¯s just bluffing. She wouldn¡¯t risk her ure for us. She¡¯s got too much to lose in awful society. ¡°Dad doesn¡¯t care about us anymore. We have to rely on ourselves. Once we make a quick 30 thousand dors, we¡¯ll go back home.¡± Alice hesitated, her fear battling with the lure of money. Finally, she gave in. ¡°Alright, 30 thousand dors, and then we¡¯re done.¡± 10:59 Mon 2 Jun Chapter 131 ¡°Madelyn thinks we¡¯re beneath her because we¡¯re from the countryside. She wouldn¡¯t even see us! I missed Madelyn so much, tot went to watu bit. never imagined¡­¡± Alice sobbed into the camera, trembling all over as she recalled what Aria had done. Austin tilted his head to show the wound on his neck. ¡°Madelyn¡¯s got a violent streak. Fine, she hit me, but she even went after my mom! Austin carefully rolled up Alice¡¯s sleeves, revealing her arms covered in bruises and scars. [Oh my god, those injuries are terrible!] [I¡¯ve been through domestic violence, too. That fear in her eyes is real.] [Wait, did your sister do that to your neck?] More and more people joined the live stream. Some, unfamiliar with the situation, asked, [Who are they? What¡¯s going on?] [This mother and son were abused by the daughter. She beat them up pretty badly.] As the audience grew, Austin casually revealed the person behind their injuries was Aria, the heiress of the wealthy Saxon family in Mandino City. Aria¡¯s name had been trending online, and her notoriety only fueled the fire. Word spread quickly, and the live stream¡¯s viewership shot up to over 30 thousand. AD Again Marriage 132 In Lakridge High School, with no sses on Saturday night, the moment school ended, everyone whipped out their phones to chat and made ca grab & bite together. Students from Maple ss gathered in small groups, chatting away. Ostic was scrolling through videos when he identally clicked into a trending live stream. When he heard the words ¡°Mandino City¡¯s elite Saxon family,¡± he instinctively paused and turned up the volume. ¡°Madelyn changed her name after returning to the Saxon family. She¡¯s now called Aria!¡± The voice from the phone cut through the noise, and the ssroom instantly fell silent. As if by unspoken agreement, everyone turned their heads in the same direction.. Nathan, who was nearby, narrowed his eyes and swiftly snatched Osric¡¯s phone. Someone stood on tiptoe and caught a glimpse of the username ¡°Aria¡¯s Foster Mother,¡± quickly sharing the discovery with the others. No one left. One by one, they clicked into the live stream, curiosity pulling them in. On the screen, a woman appeared with messy hair and worn¨Cout clothes, her body showing clear signs of domestic abuse. Someone hesitated before asking, ¡°Nathan, is that really your sister¡¯s foster mother?¡± Nathan stayed silent, his expression unreadable. Sensing his mood, the others wisely chose not to press further. After a wave of sob stories, more viewers joined the stream, and naturally, more people sent virtual gifts. [Did Aria really never go to school?] Austin read thement aloud and replied, ¡°That¡¯s true. My parents always wanted to send her to school, but she refused. Everyone misunderstood, thinking my parents were being unfair.¡± Austin kept being asked about Aria¡¯s childhood, so he skipped over some parts and focused on the shocking details. ¡°She deliberately went up the mountain to pick poisonous mushrooms for us to eat, set fire to the house, and even attacked us with a knife. ¡°Everything I said is true. The vigers can back me up.¡± Bang! The sudden sound of a desk being mmed startled everyone in the room. Lily shot to her feet, her eyes zing with fury. ¡°That¡¯s total nonsense!¡± Her angry outburst left the entire ssroom in stunned silence. After all, Lily was known for her gentle and soft¨Csp?ken demeanor. No one had ever seen her lose her temper like this. She stared at her phone for a moment, then abruptly left her seat and bolted out of the ssroom. Her deskmate called after her, ¡°Lily!¡± Osric chuckled, ¡°Nathan, you¡¯re her real brother, and you¡¯re not even mad. But look at Lily. She¡¯s furious!¡± Yeah, the real brother wasn¡¯t even angry. Osric had meant it as a joke, but he quickly realized Itwasn¡¯t funny sad shut his mouth. Nathan¡¯s expression darkened as he silently stood up and left the ssroom, At that nontent, a woman iming to be the Cole family¡¯s maid joined Austin¡¯s livestream, confirming Arid had violent tendencies and even had been assaulted by her. You¡¯ve been talking for ages. Do you have any proof?] [Exactly! Anyone can see you¡¯re just trying to stir up drama.) You¡¯re all lying scumbags.] Neither side could provide any solid evidence, and thement section devolved into a chaotic mess of insults. Meanwhile, Elena was lounging at home, letting Hannah apply a facial treatment to her. ¡°Hannah, are you sure my face will be fine in a month?¡± asked Elena. Hannah wiped her hands clean and reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Elena. It¡¯ll be perfect.¡± Elena sighed, ¡°I just don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with others.¡± As Hannah¡¯s future mother¨Cinw, Elena naturally expected Hannah to visit her at home, unlike the otherdies who had gone to Hannah¡¯s apartment. Elena had been kicked out of their group chat, and even her private messages were being ignored. Elena had no idea what was happening with the otherdies. Hannah pulled out a tissue to dry her hands, a cold glint flickering in her eyes. Elena picked up her phone and opened her entertainment app. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that Mary, our maid?¡± She turned up the volume. Hearing Aria¡¯s name, Hannah froze mid¨Caction and immediately leaned in to watch. It didn¡¯t take long for the two of them to piece together the whole story. ¡°I knew Mary had been hit by Aria, but I never thought she¡¯d even turn on the parents who raised her! What a disgrace!¡± Again Marriage 133 Elena Tace Invisted with anger. ¡°If a krown back then, I never divinit¡¯ve let n?r may four at my mi¨¦rc Hannah said nothing but quietly share the Bodletion with a few markeng ke daske, kay lips curling ira a aly sim It was dinner time when Aria and Ozah left the bih and noticed the ¡°Do you need me to stop in as yourwyer?¡± Owen acted. ¡°Not for now. I can handle it myself¡± Ars Ripped her phone face down on the table ¡®Mr. Shaw, let¡¯s wrap up for tonight. I need to take care of something¡± ¡°If you need anything, just let me know.¡± Owen replied before leaving Once Owen was gone, Aria went to her room, opened herptop, and clicked into the five stream. Her fingers flew across the keyboard quidfly She wasn¡¯t as skilled as Vanessa at programming, but tracing a location was well within her capabilities. After pinpointing Alice and Austin¡¯s location, Aria immediately called the police. Henry had exploited her for money, forcing her to wear a dress and dance. She crippled his leg, and that settled the score. Dominic and Alice had sold her off, throwing her life into chaos. The journey was rough, but it ultimately shaped her for the better. That, she could let go. But selling Pearl? That was something she couldn¡¯t let go. If they were so eager to destroy themselves, she¡¯d dly help them along the way. Most of the audience tuned in for the drama, but none of them expected to witness the police entering live. That was clean and efficient. [Shit! The cops actually showed up at the scene?] [Did the Saxon family step in?] [I¡¯ve been watching for hours but still can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s true.] [using a young girl of something so awful must be fake.] [Well, there was that child murder case recently, so it might not be entirely false.] Mary froze for a moment, then quickly ended the stream. She never imagined the media would release a high¨Cres version of her injury report,plete with a detailed analysis iming Aria had a mental illness. Mary had only shared the report with Hannah. Did Hannah leak it to the media? As the police took the two culprits away, Mary panicked, terrified she might be next, and started ming Hannah. Her husband stormed in, furious, and pped her hard across the face. ¡°The stream¡¯s blowing up! Why¡¯d you stop?¡± Mary sobbed. ¡°The police took them away!¡± Her husband thundered, ¡°What does that have to do with you? You think you can waste a golden opportunity to make money? Get back online, or else!¡± In Cole Group, the tech R&D center had been using subpar equipment, leading to inurate results and months of experimental data being scrapped. tain was zwamped with work. When Aris v call came viuagh, de m¨¦gant momarty, bona meer She sneered, ¡°Your sweel Hannah is so kind, huh? She didn¡¯t even bother calling the cops about tha contvang tar etat Uam was momentarily stunned, ¡°Can¡¯t you call the cops yourself? ¡°Give me the contract,¡± she deinanded. ¡°And why should 17 What makes you think you can act Ana¡¯s voice was calm, but her words were sharp. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t 17 #¡®s mine, Ry¡¯t it? Or are you Rolding ante it her muse yous still can¡¯t get dt magli ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Liam scoffed, his temper ring. ¡°Can¡¯t get over you? #¡®s just a piece of paper in the dudy drawer to get it yourdate ¡°Thanks,¡± she replied curtly. The line went dead with a sharp click, leaving Liam momentarily stunned. By the time he realized what had happened, it was already nat. The study was full of important documents, some of which could cause serious trouble if they fell into the wrong hands. They were divorced. What right did she have to go into his study? Liam called Aria back, but she didn¡¯t answer. Frustrated, he raked a hand through his hair, grabbed his jacket, and stormed out. Half an hourter, Liam arrived home. The butler greeted him at the door. ¡°Mr. Cole¡­ Ms. Saxon has gone into the study.¡± ¡°I know,¡± he replied tersely. Liam rushed to the study and saw Aria holding theint letter he had written. His face darkened as he stormed toward her, his voice sharp and furious, ¡°Aria!¡° Elena¡¯s face twisted with anger. ¡°If I¡¯d known back then, I never would¡¯ve let her step foot in my house!* Hannah said nothing but quietly shared the livestream with a few marketing ounts, her lips curling into a sly smile. It was dinner time when Aria and Owen left theb and noticed the entertainment news and live stream notifications. ¡°Do you need me to step in as yourwyer?¡± Owen asked. ¡°Not for now. I can handle it myself.¡± Aria flipped her phone face down on the table. ¡°Mr. Shaw, let¡¯s wrap up for tonight. I need to take care of something.¡± ¡°If you need anything, just let me know.¡± Owen replied before leaving. Once Owen was gone, Aria went to her room, opened herptop, and clicked into the live stream. Her fingers flew across the keyboard quickly. She wasn¡¯t as skilled as Vanessa at programming, but tracing a location was well within her capabilities. After pinpointing Alice and Austin¡¯s location, Aria Henry had exploited her for money, forcing her to immediately called the police. wear a dress and dance. She crippled his leg, and that settled the score. Dominic and Alice had sold her off, throwing her life into chaos. The journey was rough, but it ultimately shaped her for the better. That, she could let go. But selling Pearl? That was something she couldn¡¯t let If they were so eager to destroy themselves, she¡¯d dly help them along the way. Most of the audience tuned in for the drama, but none of them expected to witness the police entering live. That was clean and efficient. [Shit! The cops actually showed up at the scene?] [Did the Saxon family step in?] [I¡¯ve been watching for hours but still can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s true.] [using a young girl of something so awful must be fake.] [Well, there was that child murder case recently, so it might not be entirely false.] Mary froze for a moment, then quickly ended the stream., She never imagined the media would release a high¨Cres version of her injury report, it to the media? As the police took the two culprits away, Mary panicked, terrified she might be next, and started ming Hannah. Her husband stormed in, furious, and pped her hard across the face. ¡°The stream¡¯s blowing up! Why¡¯d you stop?¡± Mary sobbed. ¡°The police took them away!¡± Her husband thundered, ¡°What does that have to do with you? You think you can waste a golden opportunity to make money? Get back online, or else!¡± In Cole Group, the tech R&D center had been using subpar equipment, leading to inurate results and months of experimental data being scrapped. Liam was swamped with work. When A¡¯s call came through, he answered imitably, ¡°What now?¡± She sneered. ¡°Your sweet Hannah is so kind, huh? She didn¡¯t even bother calling the cops about the contract for the 1 Liam was momentarily stunned. ¡°Can¡¯t you call the cops yourself?¡± ¡°Give me the contract,¡± she demanded. ¡°And why should I? What makes you think you can act so entitled?¡± he retorted. Aria¡¯s voice was calm, but her words were sharp. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? It¡¯s mine, isn¡¯t it? Or are you holding onto it because you still can¡¯t get over me?¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Liam scoffed, his temper ring. ¡°Can¡¯t get over you? It¡¯s just a piece of paper in the study drawer. Go get it yourself!¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she replied curtly. The line went dead with a sharp click, leaving Liam momentarily stunned. By the time he realized what had happened, it was already toote. The study was full of important documents¡­ of which could cause serious trouble if they fell into the wrong hands. They were divorced. What right did she have to go into his study? Liam called Aria back, but she didn¡¯t answer. Frustrated, he raked a hand through his hair, grabbed his jacket, and stormed out. Half an hourter, Liam arrived home. The butler greeted him at the door. ¡°Mr. Cole¡­ Ms. Saxon has gone into the study.¡± ¡°I know,¡± he replied tersely. Liam rushed to the study and saw Aria holding theint letter he had written. His face darkened as he stormed toward her, his voice sharp and furious, ¡°Aria!¡± P 200 Öæ AB Comment Again Marriage 134 Just as Liam was about to grab theint letter, Aria darted away with astonishing speed. From start to finish, her eyes never left the paper. Frustrated and humiliated, Liam swung his fist at Aria¡¯s shoulder. She sidestepped smoothly, caught his wrist, and flung it aside. Aria, that¡¯s mine! Taking it without asking is stealing!¡± he snapped.. Without even ncing up, she replied coldly, ¡°You used me of sing Hannah¡¯s name, so why shouldn¡¯t I take a look?¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve got the nerve. Do you really think you could be Professor Colton just because you once had thest name Colton?¡± he sneered. Liam kept advancing, but Aria casually nted a hand on the desk, vaulted over it, andnded gracefully on the other side. She seemed to have finished reading. Tossing the paper back onto the desk, she remarked mockingly, ¡°By the way, there are three typos in it.¡± His eyes burned with fury. ¡°What does that have to do with you? You¡¯ve got the contract. Why are you still here?¡± have ck!mber Aria gave him a look like he was an idiot. ¡°Good luck.¡± As she reached the door, Aria suddenly paused, as if rememberings something, a and turned back. ¡°Are my paintings still in the guest room?¡± Liam froze, his fingers unconsciously crumpling theint letter in his hand. ¡°What are you doing with those fake Mono paintings? Where did you get them?¡± Even though professional appraisers had confirmed their authenticity, Liam refused to believe it. There was no way Aria could own three genuine Mono paintings. But he couldn¡¯t find any forgeries on the market that came closer to the originals than those. Only Mono¡¯s students could produce imitations of this caliber. He nned to use those three paintings to track down Mono and obtain the real ones. If that didn¡¯t work, finding Mono¡¯s student would suffice. Aria replied indifferently, ¡°What does it matter to you?¡± He knew she wouldn¡¯t tell him anything. Liam¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°If it¡¯s in my house, it¡¯s my business. How much for those paintings? I¡¯ll buy them.¡± ¡°Not for sale,¡± Aria rejected him without hesitation. Liam, too proud to show his desire, said coldly, ¡°Lucy threw all your stuff into the storage room. I¡¯ll return them to you once I find them.¡± The paintings were still with a certain master, and he hadn¡¯t retrieved them yet. Since they weren¡¯t particrly important, Aria didn¡¯t bother pushing the issue. ¡°If they¡¯re damaged, you¡¯ll owe me 30 million per painting.¡± Liam gritted his teeth. ¡°Fine!¡± Aria pressed, ¡°Put it in writing.¡± Fuming, Liam sat down, grabbed a pen, scribbled out the agreement, signed his name, and handed it to her. Aria took the paper, folded it casually, stuffed it into her pocket, and let without another word. After coaching out to Fryderyk, A headed to the police station, arriving just in time to see officers escorting Dominic down the hall The moment Dominie eyes on her, his face twisted in panic and rage, ¡°Madelyn! It was you, wasn¡¯t it? You set me up! You¡¯re the reason noy Investments went up in smoke!¡± He roared at Ana, his voice raw and wild, like a lion driven mad with fury. Aria¡¯s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile as she stepped forward, her movements calm and deliberate. Just as the officers braced themselves for another outburst, Dominic suddenly froze. His eyes widened in terror, as if he were staring at some unspeakable nightmare. He stumbled backward, then threw his head back and let out a crazed, maniacalugh. ¡°I¡¯ve always said you¡¯re a monster! No one will ever love you! Look at the Saxon family. They¡¯d rather dote on my child than acknowledge you, the freak!¡± Before the police found him, Dominic had been captured and brutally tortured. His mind had shattered by the time they brought him in. He med everything on Aria, his hatred for her burning like a fire, yet he couldn¡¯t hide the fear in his eyes as he met her cold, unyielding gaze. The murderous glint in her eyes made his blood run cold. For a moment, his face contorted with madness, his emotions spiraling out of control. He cursed, ¡°You¡¯ll die a miserable death, Madelyn! You¡¯ll get what¡¯sing to you!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Out of nowhere, Fryderyk appeared and delivered a swift kick to Dominic¡¯s stomach. AD Comment Again Marriage 135 What are you standing around for? Get him inside,¡± Fryderyk snapped. Sorry, Captain Fletcher,¡± one of the officers muttered as they dragged Dominit away, half pulling and half carrying him, Fryderyk turned to Aria, his expression softening with concern. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Aria replied calmly. She had long grown numb to Dominic¡¯s venomous words. He¡¯d said far worse before. She handed him a document. ¡°Here¡¯s the evidence of Dominic¡¯s child trafficking.¡± If Hannah hadn¡¯t mentioned it, she wouldn¡¯t have even known about the document. Fryderyk nced over it and nodded. ¡°This should be enough to put them behind bars.¡± ¡°Is there more evidence?¡± Aria asked. Fryderyk nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Caleb prepared it?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fryderyk replied. A faint smile appeared on Aria¡¯s lips. Caleb was the only warmth she¡¯d ever felt in that cold family. He never said much, but his actions always spoke louder than words. For instance, she recently discovered over a dozen properties registered under her name. Every month, she would have a steady deposit in her bank ount. And Caleb had been doing this not just after her divorce, but since she returned to the Saxon family. Fryderyk found himself momentarily distracted by her smile, a strange feeling flickering in his chest before vanishing just as quickly. He brushed it off and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you report this sooner after you came back?¡± She didn¡¯t answer, but her eyes told him everything he needed to know. Sometimes, calling the police couldn¡¯t solve the problem. Aria gave a faint smile. ¡°Thank you for your help, Captain Fletcher.¡± Fryderyk watched her walk away, her figure disappearing into the distance, before he turned and stepped inside. As Aria settled into the car, her mind wandered back to the day she left Jamn. Dominic and Alice couldn¡¯t sell her off. Aria chose to leave with an agent from the Solemnity Guild. Once the money was in hand, Dominic treated Alice and Austin to a feast that was nothing short of indulgent. The agent even offered to help Aria get rid of them for good. Aria followed them for a while, and during one of their outings, she orchestrated it so Dominic and Alice fell into the water. In her eyes, that settled the score, even if they were eventually rescued. Nathan followed Lily to the entrance of Mayen Garden and saw her crouched in a corner, almost curling into herself. Just as he was about to walk over, someone called out, ¡°Nathan?¡± Nathan turned around andw Derek. Both of them spoke at the same time, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I¡¯m here with my ssmate, Nathan replied. *I¡¯m here to see Aria,¡± Derek said. Nathan gave him a strange look. ¡°To see Aria?¡± Derek shot back, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got a problem with that?¡± Nathan frowned, clearly confused. ¡°Since when were you two so close?¡± ¡°None of your business, kid,¡± Derek retorted sharply. Derek had looked into it. Other than Caleb, no one else in the Saxon family cared about Aria. In fact, they often med and mistreated her. Nathan didn¡¯t care about his own sister, so Derek saw no reason to be polite to him. Derek¡¯s sudden hostility left Nathan momentarily stunned. ¡°You!¡± At that moment, a familiar car drove by. Nathan recognized it as Aria¡¯s and instinctively followed it with his gaze. Aria parked her car in a temporaryne and walked straight toward Lily. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked. Lily looked up, and upon seeing Aria, she immediately stood up. She hesitated, fumbling for words, before finally pulling a bank card out of her pocket and holding it out. ¡°I¡­ I came to return this to you.¡± The card was old, clearly having been used for many years. ¡°I used six thousand dors. I¡¯ll pay you back someday,¡± she said. Aria didn¡¯t take the card right away. Instead, she looked at Lily in surprise. ¡°After all these years, that¡¯s all you¡¯ve used?¡± The temperature was around ten degrees Celsius, yet Hannah was only wearing a thin sweater under a school jacket. She looked so fragile, as if the wind could carry her away. Her hands were red and chapped from the cold, the right one slightly swollen, hinting at some injury or strain. ¡°Aria frowned slightly and reached out to take the card from her. Just as Aria¡¯s fingers brushed the card, a shadow darted past, and the card was snatched from her grasp in an instant. AD Comment Again Marriage 136 Chapter 136 ¡°A bank card?¡± Nathan stared at the card in his hand, visibly shocked, ¡°Lily, why are you giving her a bank card?¡± Snatching something from someone¡¯s hand was just rude. Before Derek could even make a move, Lily was faster. She snatched the card back from Nathan¡¯s hand and said softly, ¡°This has nothing to do with j Her fingers brushed against his palm, and Nathan felt a cold chill seeping into his bones. He frowned and looked over, only to see Lily slightly tilting her head up, her gaze on Aria intense and unwavering, with a hint of reverent admiration shining in her eyes. Nathan froze, dumbfounded. He had only ever seen that look in TV dramas, which the heroine would give the hero after being saved. Why was he seeing it in Lily¡¯s eyes now?¡± ¡°Aria, I¡¯m returning it to you,¡± Lily said calmly. It was not ¡°I¡¯m giving it to you,¡± but ¡°I¡¯m returning it to you.¡± The bank card had always belonged to Aria. Nathan¡¯s expression turned a little awkward. Aria took the card again, nced at Lily, and said, ¡°Come with me.¡± She walked toward the car, opened the passenger door, and Lily climbed in without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Seeing this, Derek quickly ran over. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t forget about me!¡± He opened the back door and hopped in without waiting for an invitation. The car sped off, leaving Nathan standing there as a cloud of dust swirled around him before being carried away by the wind. One was his cousin, one was his biological sister, and one was his ssmate. Three people who barely had any connection to each other somehow managed to ignore him, treating him like a stranger who didn¡¯t matter. Even the dust seemed to avoid him, not even a specknding near. Nathan couldn¡¯t quite put his feelings into words. In his seventeen years of life, he¡¯d never felt this way. A mix of anger, sadness, confusion, and loneliness swirled inside him. The cold wind blew onto his face, sharp and unforgiving. Man, that was just sad. Aria brought Lily back to her apartment, with Derek shamelessly tagging along. The apartment had underfloor heating, and as soon as Lily stepped inside, the cozy warmth made her want to just flop down and soak it all in. Derek, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t hold back his excitement. ¡°Wow, Aria! This ce is amazing! I¡¯m definitely getting a ce here, too. Can I look around?¡± Chapter 136 Arfa nodded, ¡°Sure, just don¡¯t go into the . Everywhere else is fine.¡± Derek was shocked. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve got ab? that¡¯s awesome!¡± Realizing the two had something to talk about, Derek wandered off to explore. Aria headed to the kitchen, warmed up a ss of milk, and handed it to Lily, motioning for her to sit down. She asked, ¡°Besides Leon, do you have any other rtives?¡± Lily shook her head. Leon owed money everywhere, and their rtives had long cut ties with them. Aria added, ¡°You gave me the card back. What will you do from now on?¡± Lily tightened her grip on the ss. ¡°I¡¯ll skip some sses. I can take on a part¨Ctime job.¡± Leon had only been sentenced to five years. Once he was released, he¡¯d undoubtedly leech off Lily again. Aria asked, ¡°Is he still your legal guardian?¡± Lily nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Aria looked at her. ¡°Do you want to break away from him?¡± Lily hesitated, her fingers tightening around the ss before she ced it down. Gathering her courage, she asked softly, ¡°Aria, do you have any ideas?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± Lily turned her head, just in time to see Derek¡¯s figure disappear from the stairwell. Aria seemed pretty indifferent toward him, but the guy had enough shameless persistence to make it this far. Sometimes, being thick¨Cskinned could help one achieve his goals. She pulled her gaze back and asked cautiously, ¡°Can I not have Leon as my guardian? I want you to be my guardian.¡± Aria was stunned. ¡®Seriously? Want me to be her guardian?¡® ¡°As long as Leon keeps being my guardian, he will use it as leverage to guilt me into taking care of him when he¡¯s old.¡± Lily clutched her shirt, her eyes reddening just enough. ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll take care of you instead.¡± Aria fell silent. It was the first time someone had ever said they¡¯d take care of her in her old age. Being the guardian of a seventeen¨Cyear¨Cold girl? That was not something she¡¯d ever imagined. Lily watched her nervously, not daring to say another word. The silence stretched for three long minutes. Again Marriage 137 Finally, Aria spoke, ¡°We can start by applying for revoking Lean¡¯s guardianship.¡± Before winter break, she needed to deal with the hidden dangers lurking in the shadows. Lily jumped to her feet in surprise. ¡°Seriously?¡± Alfa nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± She could barely contain her excitement. ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll study hard and won¡¯t let you down!¡± Aria smiled faintly and stood up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go shopping for clothes.¡± Lily tried to refuse. ¡°I already have enough clothes.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d take care of me when I¡¯m old? If I don¡¯t treat you well now, what if you regret itter?¡± Lily froze for a second, then burst outughing. Derek came downstairs and overheard their n to go shopping. He immediately raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you and carry your bags!¡± And just like that, Derek became their little helper, trailing behind them with over a dozen shopping bags. As they passed a store, Aria spotted a deep blue suit and walked inside. Derek¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Aria, I don¡¯t need a suit yet. You don¡¯t have to buy one for me.¡± Aria replied coolly, ¡°It¡¯s for Caleb.¡± Derek clutched his chest dramatically and slumped into a corner, pretending to sulk. Aria ced the bags in front of him. ¡°We¡¯re going to shop for other things. Wait here.¡± Derek nodded. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± They walked into a lingerie store. When the sales assistant asked for her sizes, Lily blushed and whispered softly. Finally, after finishing their shopping, Lily said, ¡°Aria, this is enough. We shouldn¡¯t buy any more.¡± Aria deliberately avoided her while paying, but Lily could guess the clothes were expensive. She smiled. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll save the rest for next time.¡± Aria walked into a men¡¯s clothing store, scanned the racks, and picked out two outfits that suited Derek. Returning to the previous store, she handed the clothes to him. ¡°Your payment for all your hard work.¡± Derek froze for a moment, then broke into a wide grin, his teeth gleaming. Hugging the bags and her briefly, he quickly let go. ¡°Aria, thank you!¡± The eldest son of the Fletcher family had always been the golden child in the eyes of other parents¨Cpolite, academically gifted, and well¨Cbehaved. In stark contrast, Derek was mischievous, struggled with grades, and often got into fights, leaving his parents exasperated. Whenever conflicts arose at school, his parents instinctively assumed he was at fault. During his senior year of high school, he suddenly turned things around, studied hard, and performed exceptionally well on SAT, earning a spot at Mandino University. His parents thought it was sheer luck, a blessing from God. Chapter 137 They had no idea how much effort Derek had put in behind the scenes As for his graduate school exams, they didn¡¯t hold out much hope, already nning for him to join the family business under his older matter ¨C graduation. For as long as he could remember, his clothes had either been chosen by himself or prepared by the housekeeper or maids. This was the first time family member had personally picked out clothes for him. He was overjoyed, practically over the moon. Aria nced over, thinking to herself, ¡®This kid is so easy to cheer up.¡®. When they reached the underground parking lot, Aria¡¯s expression grew serious. She opened the trunk and watched Derek ce the clothes inside. She tossed him the keys. ¡°I¡¯ve got something to take care of. Drop Lily off at Mandino University for me.¡± Derek hesitated briefly but nodded. ¡°Got it. Leave it to me.¡± Aria gently patted Lily¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone prepare the documents for you.¡± Lily immediately understood that Aria was referring to changing her guardian. Her face lit up with joy as she nodded. ¡°Okay, Aria. We¡¯ll get going then.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± As the car disappeared from sight, Aria¡¯s warmth vanished, reced by a cold, resolute expression. She turned and strode purposefully in the opposite direction. Suddenly, someone called out to her, ¡°Aria?¡± Aria turned her head and saw Liam stepping out of a car, with Andrew standing awkwardly by his side. The moment Andrew saw her, he froze on the spot, like a mouse cornered by a cat, unwilling to move from where he stood by the car. Aria said nothing and continued walking forward. Liam, still fuming over the 4% of shares Aria had transferred to Joseph, thought she was dodging him out of guilt. He strode forward and grabbed her arm. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± In an instant, Aria turned and shoved him away. Something sharp whizzed past them and sank into the wall with a heavy thud. Again Marriage 138 Liam finally managed to stand upright, his eyes widening in shock as he spotted the bullet lodged in the wall. ¡°Aht Andrew was frozen in fear, crouched against the car like a terrified animal. Not far away, a car was reversing, its engine growling as it backed up. Liam was still reeling when Aria darted past him, snatching the car keys from Andrew¡¯s trembling hand and jumping into the driver¡¯s seat. Acting on pure instinct, Liam sprinted over and climbed into the passenger seat just as Aria started the car. The car sped off, leaving Andrew stranded on the ground. Thinking they were fleeing for their lives, he chased after them, shouting, ¡°Wait for me! Don¡¯t leave me! Help! Help!¡± Aria swerved sharply and hit the gas, her eyes locked on the road ahead. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she snapped, her tone sharp and impatient. Liam¡¯s heart was racing. He took a deep breath, his hands trembling as he fumbled with the seatbelt. ¡°This is my car. Why wouldn¡¯t I be here? ¡°Is the person in that car the one who tried to kill me?¡± he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. ¡°They¡¯re using a silenced gun,¡± he muttered, his unease growing. ¡°These people aren¡¯t amateurs.¡± Aria shot him a quick nce, her expression faintly mocking. How had she never noticed how clueless he was? Liam¡¯s gazended on the scratch on her nose, and the memory of the earlier life¨Cor¨Cdeath moment shed through his mind. For a second, he forgot what he wanted to say. ¡°Aria, I never thought you¡¯d save me.¡± If she¡¯d been even a little slower, that bullet would have gone straight through her head. She had risked her life for him. Liam sighed. ¡°I know you still have feelings for me, but I¡¯ve made my choice. Hannah is the one for me. She¡¯s a great woman, and there¡¯s no future for you and me.¡± Aria was at a loss for words. Liam continued, ¡°I was wrong about not recognizing your contributions to the Cole Group. I owe you an apology.¡± After dealing with so many issues, Liam finally understood how challenging it was to run a , saying, ¡°If you¡¯re interested, I can introduce you to some top¨Ctier guys. They¡¯re all sessful executives, though none of them are quite as handsome as me.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Aria cut him off sharply, her tone full of irritation. ¡°Say one more word, and I¡¯ll throw you out of the car.¡± Her fiery reaction to his matchmaking offer made Liam pause. He wondered, ¡®Does she truly love me that much? But we haven¡¯t even spent much time together.¡¯ 12:13 Tue, 3 Jun G Liam thought back to his school days, recalling the obsessive fans who had confessed their feelings to him. Slowly, he began to ept the idea. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t get too attached to me.¡± ¡®Is this guy out of his mind?¡® Aria gripped the steering wheel tightly. If she wasn¡¯t worried about losing the gray car, she¡¯d stop and kick him out right away. The gray car veered off the main road and onto a secluded path. As Aria turned the corner, Liam quickly noticed the gray car was trying to lure them away. He grabbed the steering wheel and shouted, ¡°Stop chasing them!¡± The car swerved sharply, and in the blink of an eye, the gray car sped around a corner and vanished from sight. Aria shot him a frosty re. ¡°Are you trying to get yourself killed?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to go this far for me,¡± Liam said. ¡°Get out!¡± Aria snapped. Since she had saved his life earlier, Liam decided to let her bad attitude slide for now. 12:13 Tue, 3 Chapter 139 Again Marriage 139 Chapter 139 Just as he reached for the door handle, he paused and frowned. ¡°Wait a second. This is my car. Why should I be the one to leave?¡± Not wanting to deal with him any longer, Aria unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Liam quickly followed her and grabbed her arm. ¡°What if theye back? Let me take you home.¡± They saw Aria save him. If they hold a grudge, they mighte after her. Aria spun around, locked his shoulder with a swift move, and threw him over her shoulder, mming him onto the ground. Liam hit the ground hard, a muffled groan escaping as pain shot through his back. ¡°Idiot!¡± Aria hissed. For a moment, Liam felt like he was back a year ago, lying in a hospital bed and hearing Hannah¡¯s sharp voice scolding someone. He opened his eyes and saw Aria¡¯s retreating figure. In that instant, it dawned on him that Hannah¡¯s voice and figure bore an uncanny resemnce to Aria¡¯s. He scrambled to his feet, watching as Aria gged down a taxi and left without looking back. Several cars pulled over, their windows rolling down as people stopped to watch themotion. Liam got up, brushed off the dust, and climbed back into the car. Aria really had a fiery temper. Who would treat someone they loved like that? Well, forget it. She saved him after all. Aria had just stepped into the elevator when she noticed Owening back with groceries. Owen¡¯s expression shifted as soon as he saw the wound on her nose. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re injured.¡± The wound didn¡¯t look like a simple scratch. It seemed more like¡­/ ¡°It¡¯s just a small injury,¡± Aria said, walking inside. She didn¡¯t say anything else, her brows slightly furrowed, her mood clearly off. The elevator had a mirror, and Owen¡¯s gaze lingered on her reflection. ¡°Do you have a first aid kit at home?¡± Aria nced up, her eyes meeting Owen¡¯s in the mirror. For a moment, their gazes locked through the ss, and time seemed to pause. ¡®She looks familiar,¡® Owen thought. ¡®He looks familiar,¡® Aria mused. Owen¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile as he broke the silence. ¡°Have you had dinner yet?¡± Aria shifted her gaze. ¡°Not yet.¡± Owen smiled. ¡°Want to join me?¡± She blinked, confused. ¡°Huh?¡± 1/3 1213 Chapter 139 Owen exined, ¡°I¡¯ve been experimenting with cookingtely and need someone to taste test. I helped you with the beauty cream, so how about you help me with the food?¡± Aria found the suggestion odd but couldn¡¯t think of a reason to refuse. ¡°Okay.¡± Ding! The elevator arrived. Owen lifted the groceries in his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll text you when dinner¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°Need a hand?¡± Aria asked. He smiled faintly. ¡°No need. Take care of your wound first.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria quickly disinfected the wound, applied a bandage, and opened herptop. She entered the license te number to start her search. She found the mall¡¯s underground parking lot footage, but it had been deleted. With no other option, she opened her encrypted software and contacted Vanessa. They avoided discussing sensitive matters on WhatsApp. Next, she reached out to White Fox and sent him a file. His reply came instantly. [Boss, why are you sending me Solemnity Guild¡¯s confidential documents?] Aria: [Just report it as is.] After sending the message, she logged out of the software. An hourter, her phone buzzed. Aria read the message, got up, and headed to the apartment across the hall. The door was slightly open, so she walked in and saw Owen wearing an apron, carrying a bowl of soup. With his tall frame, the pastel pink apron looked a bit out of ce but oddly charming. Owen set the soup down, noticed her gaze, and chuckled. ¡°My mom loves pink. She picked this out for me.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Your mom has great taste.¡± Three dishes and a soup wereid out, their presentation simple yet refined, rivaling the work of professional chefs from Navoron Restaurant. Owen pulled out a chair for her. ¡°Ms. Saxon, let¡¯s eat.¡± His sleeves were rolled up from cooking, fully exposing the bite mark on his forearm. Aria¡¯s gaze lingered on the mark, her expression shifting slightly. Owen saw the change on her face and nced at his forearm. ¡°Ms. Saxon, is there anything wrong with my bite mark?¡± Again Marriage 140 Chapter 140 Aria lifted her gaze, locking eyes with his deep, enigmatic stare, like the mist of an autumn morning, impossible to see through. He was doing it on purpose. The food tasting was just a pretense. He was testing her, in and simple. Unbothered, Aria sat down and asked, ¡°Your girlfriend bit you?¡± She seemed casually curious, her eyes lingering on his hand for a moment. Owen¡¯s lips curved slightly as he studied her face, searching for any cracks in herposure but finding none. He took the seat across from her, his thumb brushing over the bite mark as he chuckled faintly. ¡°Nope, just a feisty teenage girl. She really went for it.¡± Aria was surprised. ¡°She bit you that hard? What did you do to her?¡± ¡°She was up to no good, and I stopped her. She said if I kept getting in her way, she¡¯d take me down with her.¡± His tone was light, as if he were recounting something trivial. Aria¡¯s calm facade wavered ever so slightly. How she ever failed. She had crossed paths with a young man, his face smeared with grease paint, Her mind drifted back to her first mission¨Cthe only who had dared to block her way. He wanted to capture the target alive, while her orders were to eliminate him. In the end, the target died anyway, sumbing to a sudden heart attack. Her exnations were dismissed. Everyone believed she was the one who killed him. After that, her missions were wless. She never failed again. They respected her, praised her for her perfect record, her unmatched skill. But that first failure remained a thorn in her heart, twisting painfully every time they showered her withpliments. And the one responsible for her failure was sitting right in front of her. Eight years passed. This time, she could take him down. She couldn¡¯t wait to kill him. But the timing wasn¡¯t right. She had to hold back. ¡°Pretty heartless.¡± Ariamented, picking up her fork and grabbing a piece of meat to eat. Owen¡¯s gaze lingered on her lips. ¡°How is it?¡± She chewed fiercely, swallowed, and her expression turnedplicated. ¡°The taste doesn¡¯t match the look.¡± It wasn¡¯t bad, really. The problem was that the dish looked so good that it raised her expectations too high, leaving her a bit disappointed Owen chuckled, the corners of his lips lifting. ¡°You¡¯re used to the chefs at Navoron Restaurant. I can¡¯tpare.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°You really can¡¯t, but it¡¯s not bad. At least it¡¯s healthy.¡± His fork, still unused, reached out to ce a piece of fish on her te. ¡°Try this.¡± Owen¡¯s hands were striking¨Clong fingers, well¨Cdefined knuckles. It was those very hands that had pinned her down and tied her up. Aria stared at them, a sudden urge to snap them in half surging through her. Gritting her teeth, she muttered a quick ¡°thanks.¡± Her hand trembled slightly as she picked up the fish, and when she bit into it, her teeth identally grazed the fork. His hand hadn¡¯t moved away, still lingering close to her. A chill shot through her arm, straight to her chest, making her heart pound like a drum. She cursed quietly, ¡®Damn it. One day, I¡¯m going to give him a good beating!¡® Aria swallowed the fish, trying to push down the strange mix of irritation and something else she didn¡¯t want to name. ¡®Calm down, Aria. Focus/ She¡¯d find a chance to give him a proper beatingter. The two ate in silence, neither speaking. It wasn¡¯t until Aria set her fork down that Owen suddenly asked, ¡°Was this meal disappointing?¡± It was not disappointing. If anything, it was exhrating. Aria¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes, her tone perfunctory. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Got that homemade vibe.¡± Owen smiled. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to learn from Navoron Restaurant¡¯s chefs. Your meals are on me now. Just don¡¯t forget to test for poison.¡± Aria joked, ¡°Depends on my mood.¡± Heughed lightly. ¡°Should we do a test tonight?¡± Aria answered, ¡°It takes time, but the process isn¡¯tplicated. I can handle it alone. You cane by at nine tomorrow morning, Mr. Shaw.¡± ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t stay up toote. Get some rest.¡± The words carried a hint of intimacy. Aria nodded silently and returned to her home, taking a deep breath. Just then, herputer chimed with a distinctive alert. She sat down, entered her password, and saw a message from White Fox. [Boss, the leader wants to talk to you.] White Fox had sent multiple voice messages, one after another, without stopping. Aria put on her headset and answered. White Fox¡¯s frantic voice burst through. ¡°Boss, you finally picked up! I¡¯ll go get the leader.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Aria 3h. Comment Again Marriage 141 Chapter 141 He called her Aria, not Echohawk. Aria chuckled. ¡°You seem to know my identity well, sir.¡± The leader said, ¡°You¡¯re the one I value most.¡± Aria sneered, ¡°Value enough to send people to kill me?¡± She heard something fall to the ground on the other end. The leader sighed. ¡°Echohawk, you¡¯re still young. Come back! You used to be alone, with nothing to lose. But Aria is different. She carries too much in her heart.¡± Aria said firmly, ¡°Since I¡¯ve left, I won¡¯t return, nor will I join any other organization. Solemnity Guild is my other home. I hope you won¡¯t destroy it.¡± She held grudges. As for the people she wanted dead, she¡¯d hunt them down to the ends of the earth. Besides, she held Solemnity Guild¡¯s secrets. From the very beginning, she had been on guard. The leader clenched his fists. ¡°I won¡¯t make a move against you again. The others and Solemnity Guild are unrted.¡± For instance, those scammers had nothing to do with Solemnity Guild. The call ended, and White Fox stared at the leader in shock. ¡°Why do you want to kill her?¡± The elderly man in traditional clothes stood, his eyes cold and sharp. ¡°She¡¯s a ticking time bomb. Sooner orter, she¡¯ll bring ruin to Solemnity Guild.¡± White Fox let out a bitterugh. ¡°So, whoever left Solemnity Guild has to die?¡± The leader sighed, ¡°Echohawk is different from the rest of you.¡± White Fox retorted, ¡°She¡¯s one of us! She grew up with us. She¡¯d never betray Solemnity Guild!¡± The leader snapped, ¡°Enough. I won¡¯t harm her for now.¡± The leader left, and one of his followers nced at White Fox coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your ce. You work for Solemnity Guild, not Echohawk.¡± He quickly followed the leader. ¡°Sir, are you really not going to act against Echohawk?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± The leader gazed at the distant horizon. ¡°Reveal her identity to that person. Someone else will deal with her for us.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± he replied. Monday mornings were when Joseph held his family meetings. Derek deliberately chose this time, humming a tune as he strolled into the Saxon Manor with a shopping bag in hand, his steps light and carefree. Everyone was seated properly on the sofas and chairs, their postures upright like they were attending a formal event. Derek, already familiar with this scene, teased, ¡°Whoa! Grandpa¡¯s holding court again, huh?¡± Everyone except Joseph gave him a helpless look. Logan was the first to react, immediately standing up to take the bag from Derek. ¡°You little rascal, what¡¯s in the bag?¡± Derek dodged his hand with a grin. ¡°This is from a pretty girl for Caleb.¡± 12:13 Tue, 3 Jun G D Logan nodded. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s from Tina!¡± 72% Tina always made sure to buy gifts for everyone, so why was this one only for Caleb? The group exchanged puzzled nces but weren¡¯t envious just yet. Derek shook his head. ¡°Nope, it¡¯s from Aria.¡± Caleb stood up, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face. Taking the shopping bag from Derek, he froze for a moment, his smile faltering as something clicked in his mind. ¡°You and Aria are close?¡± Derek tugged at his shirt and puffed out his chest, his chin practically pointing at the ceiling. ¡°Of course!¡± He stuck out his leg and gave it a little bounce, his grin practically screaming, ¡°Look!¡± Caleb raised an eyebrow, catching on to Derek¡¯s smugness. ¡°Wait, did Aria pick out your clothes, too?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Derek pped Caleb on the shoulder. ¡°Come on, Caleb, think bigger!¡± He held up two fingers in a peace sign. ¡°She got me two sets, you know.¡± He made no mention of running errands for Aria, his grin widening with satisfaction. Zoe and Logan exchanged a nce, their smiles a little tight. Derek¡¯s bragging was starting to get under their skin. The couple couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Luke snorted. ¡°It¡¯s just clothes. What¡¯s the big deal? Anyone can afford it.¡± Derek shed a big grin. ¡°True, I can¡¯tpare to you, Uncle Luke. With Wilson studying abroad for so many years, he must¡¯ve sent you tons of gifts.¡± Luke was left speechless, unable to utter a single word. His rtionship with his son, Wilson Saxon, was strained. Forget gifts. There had barely been a handful of phone calls between them. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Joseph set his coffee cup down on the table with a heavy thud. ¡°Derek, since you¡¯re here, sit down for a while.¡± Derek replied casually, ¡°Grandpa, you know I can¡¯t sit still. I¡¯ve dropped off the gift, so I¡¯m leaving.¡± Just as he turned around, Zayne received a call from the security guard and said, ¡°Sir, the security guard said that a person iming to be Miss Aria Saxon¡¯s adoptive mother at the door wants to see you, saying Miss Aria Saxon may have been swapped.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 142 Chapter 142 The room fell silent, and everyone¡¯s expressions shifted instantly. Caleb¡¯s voice was cold and sharp. ¡°What nonsense is she talking?¡± Even Zoe¡¯s face darkened. ¡°The DNA test is solid.¡± Luke spoke up, his tone calm but firm. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare make such ims without some kind of proof. Let her in and get to the bottom of this. If she spreads rumors outside, it¡¯ll damage the Saxon family¡¯s name.¡± Joseph gave a subtle nod, and the butler Zayne went to fetch the guest. Derek decided to stay, curiosity getting the better of him. He wanted to see what kind of trouble that woman was going to stir up. Soon, Alice entered, led by the butler. She was still wearing the same outfit from her pitiful livestream, looking utterly haggard. Her dark circles made her look like a ghost. The Saxon family members reacted differently to her disheveled appearance, their expressions a mix of disdain and unease. Luke broke the silence. ¡°You said Aria was swapped. What do you mean by that?¡± Alice sniffled, and tears streamed down her face. ¡°Aria might not be a Saxon. She went missing when she was ten, and as soon as she came back, you took her in. ¡°The real Aria could still be in her hands!¡± Zoe shot to her feet, her voice sharp with disbelief. ¡°What do you mean? She went missing at ten?¡± Logan¡¯s tone was icy andmanding. ¡°Exin yourself. Now.¡± Alice¡¯s face twisted with panic. ¡°I¨CI¡¯ll tell you everything, but you have to save my son first! He¡¯s been wrongly arrested by the police. Get him out, and I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡± Dominic¡¯s name was on the contract, unrted to Alice or Austin. Both Alice and Austin had been detained for 24 hours for spreading false information online. The police discovered Austin had purchased arge amount of drugs, enough to face a sentence of seven years or even life imprisonment. Alice refused to believe her son couldmit such a crime, insisting he was framed. But with undeniable evidence against him, she had no choice but to turn to the Saxon family for help. The Saxon family was even more convinced that Alice was making up the story to manipte them into saving her son. Logan immediately ordered, ¡°Zayne, call security and have her thrown out.¡± Alice, desperate, shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not lying! She really disappeared for ten years! You can check the police records!¡± Joseph¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Logan, call the police now and confirm if Aria really vanished for ten years.¡± Logan pulled out his phone, ready to make the call. Caleb smirked and said, ¡°No need to call. Aria did disappear for ten years.¡± Luke¡¯s face froze in shock. ¡°So, she really isn¡¯t part of the Saxon family?¡± Caleb¡¯s tone turned cold. ¡°Uncle Luke, when did I ever say Aria wasn¡¯t my sister? Don¡¯t twist my words.¡± Chapter 142. Luke¡¯s expression soured as he suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s do another paternity test. This time, we¡¯ll watch her give the blood sample Zoe quickly agreed, ¡°Yes, another test! If this woman lying, we¡¯ll s send her straight to jail!¡± A paternity test wouldn¡¯t take? long. It could quickly Even if Alice was spreading baseless rumors, they¡¯d have solid evidence to shut her down. put an end to this nonsense. Derek couldn¡¯t hold back join your family?¡± anymore and sneered, ¡°Is being a Saxon heiress supposed to be some kind of jackpot? Do you really think Aria is desperate to He knew the Saxon family hadn¡¯t given Aria much financial Being the support. the Stars Group was Aria¡¯s hard work. Among the younger generation of the Saxon and Fletcher families, everyone else had grown up with their paths paved by their families But Aria was didn¡¯t incredible. She need the Saxon to prove her worth. ¡°Derek, this is a Saxon family matter. Stay out of it,¡± Joseph warned. 4 ¨C Again Marriage 143 Chapter 143 But Derek let out a coldugh. ¡°You¡¯re all so fixated on whether Aria¡¯s really a Saxon, but has anyone thought about where she was or what she has been through during those ten years?¡± The family always showered Derek¡¯s older brother with care¨Cmeals prepared with love, clothes handpicked by their mother¨Cwhile Derek was left to be raised by the nanny. He¡¯d always thought they were biased. But today, he realized the Saxon family wasn¡¯t just unfair. They were downright absurd. Even as a cousin, hearing about Aria¡¯s ten¨Cyear disappearance made him instinctively worried. Yet all they cared about was a DNA test. And Zoe had the audacity to call Aria cold¨Chearted, saying she was indifferent to her family. What a joke! Zoe¡¯s mind went nk, her voice trembling as she turned to Caleb. ¡°Caleb, you knew Aria had been missing for ten years?¡± Caleb didn¡¯t answer, and the realization hit Zoe like a blow. Her face crumbled. ¡°You knew but didn¡¯t say anything. Aria is your sister. She¡¯s also my daughter!¡± Caleb¡¯s expression darkened, his voice heavy with frustration. ¡°Mom, would it have made any difference if I told you? Would you have done anything?¡± The living room fell into a suffocating silence. ¡°Alice mentioned Aria¡¯s ten¨Cyear disappearance, and your first reaction was to doubt her bloodline and demanded another DNA test. Is that all you can do?¡± Caleb¡¯s voice was sharp with anger. ¡°Do you even know what she¡¯s been through? Dominic and Alice abused her relentlessly¨Cbeatings, starvation, neglect. They even took out a high¨Cvalue insurance policy on her and set the house on fire, trying to kill her for the payout. She barely escaped, and her back is covered in scars from that fire. ¡°They sold her for one thousand dors. And when she managed to escape ande home, they didn¡¯t feel a shred of guilt. Instead, they sold her off again.¡± Caleb¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he pleaded, ¡°I¡¯m begging you. Just let Aria live in peace. After everything she¡¯s been through, it¡¯s a miracle she¡¯s still alive.¡± The damage was done, and they¡¯d never be able to make it up to Aria. What was the point of feeling guilty? She was thriving, strong, and didn¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help. All Caleb wanted was to stay by Aria¡¯s side. Derek¡¯s eyes widened, his chest tightening as if something heavy was crushing him, leaving him gasping for air. So, that was what Aria had endured all these years! Zoe¡¯s hands trembled as she grabbed Caleb¡¯s arm. ¡°No, no way! Caleb, you¡¯re lying, aren¡¯t you?¡± Logan¡¯s eyes narrowed in shock. ¡°So, when you left home, you were investigating this?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Caleb lowered his gaze, a bitter smile tugging at his lips as tears welled up. ¡°Hard to believe, isn¡¯t it? That Aria, always so strong independent, never showing weakness, never asking for help, went through all of this?¡± He pushed Zoe¡¯s hand away, his gaze icy as itnded on the woman on the floor. ¡°Did you really think, Alice, that with Dominic and Austin behind bars, you¡¯d walk away unscathed?¡± 16 Alice¡¯s eyes widened in horror as realization hit her. ¡°It was you! You ruined my son! You sent my husband to prison¡± She hade to beg for help from her enemy! Consumed by rage, Alice lunged at him, but Caleb kicked her aside without hesitation. His expression was colder and fiercer than ever. ¡°Your son¡¯s crimes are his own. I didn¡¯t need to frame him. But don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be joining him in prison soon enough.¡± Alice knew all too well the Saxon family¡¯s power. There was no way she could save her son or husband, Alice tilted her head back and let out a wild, bitterugh, her eyes zing with hatred as she red at the Saxon family. ¡°I should¡¯ve killed Madelyn when I had the chance!¡± ¡°I starved her, froze her, burned her, sold her off, and still, she survived it all. Ten yearster, she crawled back alive. That girl¡¯s life is disgustingly tought Again Marriage 144 12:13 Tue 3 Jun & D Chapter 144 Silvia bit her lip hard, tears silently streaming down her face. She knew she could never again live peacefully as her parents¡® cherished daughter. Zoe gasped for air, her chest heaving as she copsed to the floor. When Logan tried to help her up, she shoved him away and crawled over to grab Alice by the cor. She roared, ¡°I treated your daughter so well! Why did you have to hurt mine? Why?¡± Alice pushed her off with a sneer, her eyes full of mockery. ¡°She¡¯s back now, isn¡¯t she? But did you treat her any better? You¡¯re no different from me.¡± Zoe froze in ce. It was true. She hadn¡¯t treated Aria well, either. She had always resented Aria for being so quiet, unlike Silvia¡¯s liveliness, and had kept her at arm¡¯s length. When Aria was falsely used by the Marshall family, she didn¡¯t believe her. When Joseph wanted to cut ties, she just stood by and let it happen. And when Alice came to reveal the baby swap, a part of her had doubted it, thinking her daughter should have been as obedient and sweet as Silvia. It was her own hands that had pushed Aria away, time and time again. ¡®Oh lord, what have I done to my own daughter?¡® Zoe copsed to her knees, her shoulders shaking uncontrobly as heart¨Cwrenching sobs tore through her. Logan ced a hand on her trembling shoulder. ¡°Zayne, get this woman out of here.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Zayne replied. The security guards dragged Alice out as she screamed curses, wishing the Saxon family nothing but misery. The living room finally fell silent. Only Zoe¡¯s muffled sobs remained, each one a haunting echo of the pain she had caused. Joseph closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. ¡°I should¡¯ve handled this better. Back then, I should¡¯ve done my homework.¡± Thinking about it, her reserved personality must¡¯ve been shaped by everything she went through. As her grandfather, he should¡¯ve been more patient and understanding. Joseph announced, ¡°Bring Aria back! I¡¯ll give her an extra 2% of the shares. Consider itpensation for neglecting her these past two years.¡± ¡°Dad,e on!¡± Luke cut in sharply. ¡°Aria doesn¡¯t strike me as someone who¡¯s been shortchanged. If you hand her that much as the rest of the family supposed to think?¡± He scoffed. ¡®If she really had it so rough growing up, how¡¯d she turn out like this? They¡¯re all exaggerating things.¡® Silvia hesitated before speaking softly, ¡°Grandpa, the 2% you gave me¡­ I can transfer it to Aria.¡± It was Aria¡¯s to begin with. If she could return it, she wouldn¡¯t feel so guilty. She didn¡¯t need anything else. She just wanted to stay in this family. Luke said, ¡°Silvia, Aria already has 4%. You only have 2%. How could she possibly take your shares?¡± Logan frowned, his tone icy. ¡°This is our business, Luke. Stay out of it.¡± , what¡¯s Luke shot to his feet, his face dark with anger. ¡°So, you¡¯re nning to hand over Silvia¡¯s shares to Aria? What¡¯s next, the whole ? ¡°Excuse me, can I interrupt for a second?¡± Derek¡¯s voice cut through the tension as he looked at them with mock confusion. ¡°You¡¯re all losing your minds over 2% of shares, huh? Seriously? Is it even worth the drama? ¡°Did Aria ever say she wanted shares from the Saxon Group?¡± Luke snapped back, ¡°If she didn¡¯t want them, why did she trick your grandfather into giving her 4%?¡± Caleb sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Those 4% were exchanged for shares from the Cole Group. Uncle Luke, did you forget? Or is your memory slipping?¡± Ever since Aria came back, every word he said was met with a rebuttal from Logan¡¯s branch. All that about family harmony was nothing but a joke. Luke sighed, ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯m the bad guy here. You¡¯re all saints. Just don¡¯t touch Dad¡¯s or Silvia¡¯s shares, and do whatever you want.¡± Derek leaned back, a smirk ying on his lips. It all made sense. Luke was the biggest troublemaker in this family. He snorted, ¡°Rx, Uncle Luke. Aria¡¯s the biggest shareholder in the Stars Group. She wouldn¡¯t care less about your 2%.¡± The living room fell silent for a moment. Luke blurted out in shock, ¡°What?¡± Aria was thergest shareholder of the Stars Group? That must be a joke! AD Again Marriage 145 Chapter 145 The Stars Group¡¯s rise from obscurity to rivaling Mandino City¡¯s top four enterprises was all thanks to that mysterious shareholder¡¯s relentless investments. Aria was not even twenty¨Cthree. There was no way it was her! Except for Caleb, no one in the room believed it. Derek smirked, clearly enjoying the moment. ¡°Wow, so none of you knew? Guess I¡¯m the only one in the know.¡± Luke frowned, his tone stern. ¡°I get that you¡¯re close to Aria, but don¡¯t make up stories just to boost her image. If a rivalpany hears this, they¡¯ll twist it to their advantage. It¡¯s one thing to be careless usually, but don¡¯t spread baseless rumors about something this serious.¡± Derek shrugged, looking unbothered. ¡°Uncle Luke, instead of telling me off, why don¡¯t you make a few calls? You know people from the Stars Group. It won¡¯t take long to confirm.¡± An hour earlier, Victor had justid out evidence of Trenton abusing his position for personal gain. A tinypany with barely a dozen employees had been using the Stars Group¡¯s name to secure major deals. If something went wrong, the Stars Group would¡¯ve been the one to take the fall. Thankfully, the issue was caught early. Otherwise, the consequences would¡¯ve been disastrous. Victor exined in detail how he had risked everything to gather the evidence. He had been the closest to Trenton, and it was he who ultimately brought him down. The other board members, who had always dismissed Victor as insignificant, suddenly found him intimidating. For the first time, he spoke so boldly in a board meeting. As the room fell silent and the others exchangedplex nces, Victor felt a surge of pride. He was finally in control. He knew they were wary of him. From then on, he might find himself isted. But it didn¡¯t matter. He had Aria backing him now. Lifting his chin, Victor dered, ¡°One more thing. Mr. Hayes holds Ms. Saxon in high regard. If she doesn¡¯t personally handle the negotiations, the Hayes Group will look for another partner.¡± Someone asked skeptically, ¡°She has connections like that?¡± Victor repeated Johnny¡¯s words. ¡°Ms. Olsen from GloTech will be returning to the country at the end of the year. Offending Ms. Saxon would harm the Stars Group¡¯s interests.¡± With that, no one dared to voice any objections Luke made several calls, each confirming the same shocking answer that Aria was indeed thergest shareholder of the Stars Group, holding 39% of the shares. Their daughter was far more extraordinary than they had ever imagined. Logan¡¯s expression was a mix of disbelief and regret, while Zoe¡¯s hands trembled slightly as she tried to process the news, her heart heavy with remorse. Joseph¡¯s eyes lit up with ambition. That was the opportunity he¡¯d been waiting for. If the Saxon Group could form a deep partnership with the Stars 12:14 Tue, 3 Jun G Group, they could dominate the market and leave theirpetitors far behind. He stood up decisively. ¡°We must bring Aria back home.¡± The others exchanged uncertain nces but said nothing. They all knew one thing that Aria was nevering back. Luke¡¯s face burned with shame as he stammered, ¡°If it¡¯s for the betterment of the Saxon Group, I¡¯d be willing to wee her back.¡± Caleb, already anticipating his grandfather¡¯s intentions, spoke up firmly. ¡°Aria¡¯s noting back, and you all need to stop interfering in her life.¡± Joseph frowned. ¡°What do you mean she won¡¯te back? She¡¯s a Saxon. That¡¯s something that will never change.¡± Caleb reminded him, ¡°Grandfather, you were the one who personally issued the statement severing ties with her.¡± With that, Caleb turned and walked away without another word. Derek was happy. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off. Take care, Grandpa, Uncle Logan, Uncle Luke!¡± He caught up with Caleb. ¡°Caleb, you know Grandpa won¡¯t back down easily, right?¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll deal with them,¡± Caleb said, ncing at Derek. ¡°By the way, how did you manage to bond with Aria?¡± Derek hesitated but decided to share. ¡°One word. ¡°Thick¨Cskinned! The more thick¨Cskinned, the better.¡± After testing thest bottle of beauty cream, Aria wrote down the treatment n, snapped a photo, and sent it to the group chat. The doorbell rang, and Rhett was at the door. ¡°My friend¡¯s back in town. He wants to team up with me to nt a Trojan on your phone and swipe your money.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 146 Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Patrick gradually earned their trust, ultimately creating the opportunity to return home. The first step involved a ¡®scam,¡® to lower their guard while sneaking into their inner circle. Then, she used a , the money will return.¡± Rhett still looked a bit shaken. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried this might just be a scam?¡± ¡°Not at all. I know who you really are,¡± Aria replied calmly. The person Rhett cared about most was his grandmother. Rhett fell silent. Aria had pinpointed his weakness, and he he couldn¡¯t afford to cross her. million dors. One hundred million dors was far more tempting than one ¡°He¡¯s already waiting for us. We¡¯ll be under constant surveince. Are you ready to head out now?¡± Rhett asked. ¡°Sure, let me grab something first,¡± Aria replied. On the way, Aria operated her phone, leaving only one hundred million in the ount. At caf¨¦, in the corner sat a young man about the same age as Rhett A scar ran across his brow, and his brooding expression gave him a tough, almost intimidating look. Aria scanned the room calmly, her gaze sweeping over the area. Rhett shed a warm smile. ¡°Ms. Saxon, this is the friend I mentioned. He¡¯s not much of a talker, but he¡¯s brilliant at coding. You can trust him to help you track someone down.¡± Aria extended her hand. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Aria.¡± The young man gave her hand a light shake. ¡°Patrick.¡± Rhett pulled out a chair for Aria, and she sat down. She then revealed two sketches and pointed to a painting of a baby. ¡°She was only fourteen months old when she was sold.¡± Patrick picked up the other sketch, which showed a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old. ¡°And this?¡± Aria said, ¡°This is what she might look like now. There could be slight differences.¡± Patrick was surprised that she managed to sketch what the girl might look like at sixteen based on a baby photo. Aria stated, ¡°I¡¯ve noted the exact time and location of the sale in the bottom right corner.¡± 11:01 Wed 4 Jun Mu Chapter 146 Rhett and Patrick exchanged a quick nce. They had assumed this was all just a show, but it turned out A was serious she really wanted i, to find the girl. In this way, the whole thing more believable. Patrick nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll require 300 thousand dors upfront, with the remaining 1.2 million dors to be paid once we locate her.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± said Aria. Aria transferred the money on the spot. As she reached for her coffee, Rhett ¡°identally¡± bumped her hand. The coffee sshed, leaving stains on Aria¡¯s clothes. Rhett immediately started apologizing profusely. Aria stood up, her expression calm. ¡°I¡¯ll go clean this up in the restroom.¡± She deliberately left her phone behind. Half an hour ago. Thestdy, upon receiving the photos, rushed to gather the herbs she needed. The earlierdies had already fully recovered and were constantly sharing morous selfies in the group chat, making her green with envy. She decided to visit the herbal shop herself, only to bump into Elena. Elena, behaving as if their past disagreements had never urred, linked her arm with thedy¡¯s as if they were the best of friends. ¡°My face is already halfway healed! My daughter¨Cinw is incredible. How is your recoverying along?¡± Elena had piled on heavy makeup today, barely managing to cover the marks on her face. The richdy brushed off Elena¡¯s hand. ¡°I went to Aria, not Hannah.¡± Elena froze in shock. ¡°You actually went to Aria for treatment? She¡¯s clueless! What if she ruins your face? You¡¯re way too daring to trust her. Aria¡­¡± Elena kept rambling on, but thedy, fed up, spilled the details about how Aria had sessfully treated everyone within seven days and even showed her the photos. AD Comment Send gift No Ads Wed Jun Again Marriage 147 Chapter 147 The woman said, ¡°The charity party is in a week, and my face will be fully recovered just in time. Don¡¯t bother me, or I might have to bring up the ss00 with your beauty cream.¡± If it weren¡¯t for their reluctance to offend the Cole family, they would¡¯ve confronted Elena long ago. Elena went from disbelief to shock, realizing that the stunning photos Emma had posted on social media weren¡¯t ¨¦dited. The charity party was only a week away. By then, everyone else would have wless makeup, while Elena would be stuck with heavy foundation¨Ca guaranteed embarrassment. Hannah was supposed to be the leader of KY. Elena wondered why her treatment was so much slower than Aria¡¯s. Elena decided to pay more to make sure she fixed her face before the g. Abandoning the herbs Hannah had rmended, Elena hurried out, pulling out her phone to call Aria. ¡°The number you dialed is currently busy.¡± After several attempts, Elena finally realized she¡¯d been blocked. She muttered a few curses under her breath, got into her car, and instructed the driver to head to the Saxon family estate. Elena had only driven about a kilometer when she spotted Aria through the window of a coffee shop. Without a second thought, she told the driver to stop and marched inside. Aria was just about to sit down when a sharp voice cut through the air. ¡°Aria!¡± Aria ignored the voice and calmly took her seat. Elena¡¯s eyes fell on the two young men sitting across from Aria, and she sneered, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d fallen so far as to go on blind dates with broke guys. ¡°Then again, who couldpare to my son? You¡¯ll never find anyone better than him. ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been fixing those richdies¡® faces. Name your price¨CI want mine done within a week.¡± Her words met with silence. The coffee shop fell into an awkward silence. No one paid her any attention. Elena¡¯s face darkened as she snapped, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m talking to you!¡± Aria turned to Patrick and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. If there¡¯s anything else you need, I¡¯ll send it over.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Patrick replied. Aria picked up her phone and stood up. Patrick also stood and offered, ¡°Ms. Saxon, let me drive you back.¡± ¡°No feed. I have other things to handle,¡± Aria replied coolly. Elena, ignored yet again, felt her temples throb with anger. ¡°Is that how you talk to your elders? What kind of attitude is this?¡± She reached out to grab Aria, but Aria swiftly caught her wrist in a firm grip. ¡°Mrs. Cole, I¡¯m not treating your face. Stop barking and making a scene. ¡°Keep your hands off me. You¡¯re disgusting.¡± Wed 4 Jun. I Chapter 147 Elena came from a modest family and had always tried to climb the socialdder. Once, she was surrounded by a group of people who mocked he calling her cheap and disgusting. That word ¡°disgusting¡± was her breaking point. Her eyes turned icy as she grabbed the coffee on the table and flung it at Aria. ¡°Watch out!¡± Rhett shouted. Aria shifted to the side, her hand brushing Elena¡¯s arm just enough to redirect the coffee¨Cstraight onto a man dressed in ck. Rhett froze, stunned. That man wasn¡¯t just anyone; he was a low¨Clevel enforcer in their group, known for his short fuse and ruthless methods. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder¨Cdid Aria do that on purpose? The man in ck stood up, his face dark with anger. Without a word, he pped Elena hard across the face. ¡°Ahhh!¡± A blood¨Ccurdling scream echoed through the caf¨¦ as Elena hit the ground, coughing up blood. ¡°Mom!¡± Liam was inplete shock. He had only invited his colleagues for coffee, never expecting to see his mother get hit right in front of him. He charged forward,nding a punch squarely on the ck¨Cd man¡¯s face. In an instant, five burly men in the caf¨¦ stood up. With just a nce from the enforcer, they sat back down. Aria¡¯s lips curled into a faint, amused smile as she leaned back, watching the chaos unfold like a perfectly orchestrated drama. The situation spiraled further out of control. The man in ck didn¡¯t retaliate. Instead, he suppressed the murderous glint in his eyes and calmly wiped the coffee stains with a napkin. Liam rushed to help his mother up. Elena sobbed uncontrobly, pointing at Aria. ¡°This is all her fault!¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 148 Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Elena let out a pained cry as her wound was jostled, coughing up another mouthful of blood. Liam said, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t talk. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital right now.¡± Having witnessed the ck¨Cd man strike his mother, Liam wasn¡¯t foolish enough to vent his anger on Ar¨ªa. His expression darkened as he shot the man a cold re and ordered his secretary, ¡°Call the police!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The secretary immediately pulled out his phone. As the CEO¡¯s mother, Elena¡¯s condition drew immediate concern from the surrounding crowd, who rushed forward to check on her. The ck¨Cd man, realizing the woman¡¯s identity was far from ordinary, red venomously at Aria, clearly ming her for the situation. Elena wanted her son to deal with Aria, but the pain left her unable to speak. All she could do was point at Aria and let out a weak, frustrated groan. Aria smirked, her smile sharp and unapologetic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Cole. I¡¯ll happily testify that he was the one who hit you.¡± Already dazed from the beating, Elena was so enraged by Aria¡¯s words that she fainted on the spot. ¡°Mom!¡± Liam called. ¡°Mrs. Cole!¡± Liam quickly scooped his mother into his arms and rushed toward the hospital. Meanwhile, his secretary and a few managers stayed behind to handle the situation, ensuring the ck¨Cd man couldn¡¯t escape. It wasn¡¯t long before the police arrived and took the man into custody. The five individuals immediately contacted their boss. Their mission was to keep an eye on Patrick, and in the event of an incident, they were to remain on standby, awaiting further instructions from their boss. As the caf¨¦ quieted down, Aria cast a fleeting nce at Rhett before turning and walking away. A middle¨Caged man in a suit walked into the office, holding a stack of documents. ¡°Mr. Schmidt, there are only two young women named ¡®Madelyn Colton.¡® One¡¯s still in school, and the other¡¯s already working. Neither of them has ever been abroad.¡± ¡®How could there be absolutely no information?¡® Martin frowned, puzzled. ¡°Could ¡®Madelyn¡® be an alias?¡± he wondered. ¡°That¡¯s very likely. Rumor has it that Professor Colton rarely shows up at KY. One of my former students works there. Back in university, she often traveled to Erennd and even spent a year as an exchange student. After graduating, she stayed there to work.¡± ¡°She also yed a major role in developing the protease inhibitors.¡± 1 Albert Clinton taught pharmacology and provided instruction to Hannah for six months. They asionally discussed academic topics/so he knew a bit about Hannah¡¯s situation. Martin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Get in touch with her right away. Even if she¡¯s not Professor Colton, she might know who is.¡± Albert nodded. ¡°So, are you still nning to work as a security guard at Larkridge High School?¡± 1101 Wed 4 Jun 11 Chapter 148 The professor¡¯s office was cozy, with a lounge in the back, afy sofa, air conditioning, and even a TV¨Cperfect for escaping the winter cold: M113 waved dismissively. ¡°No. ¡°The most important task right now is to find Professor Colton.¡± Mandino University¡¯s pharmaceutical analysis program ranked third in the country, attracting arge number of applicants, many of whom are drawn by Martin¡¯s reputation. Recently, rumors about Martin¡¯s retirement have been circting, leaving many students regretting their decision to apply to Mandino University. Martin hoped to find a capable sessor before stepping down; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t feel at ease retiring. Albert understood his concerns and nodded. ¡°Mr. Schmidt, there¡¯s still time. You¡¯ll definitely find the right person.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Martin replied. Albert left the office and quickly sent Hannah a message on WhatsApp. Hannah soon replied: [Professor Clinton, I¡¯m at Mandino University too.] [Ms. Lowell is on maternity leave, so I¡¯ve been covering her sses for the past three months. Just finished a lecture.] [Wait for me.] Albert typed back, then rushed out in a hurry. Hannah was waiting for him at the entrance of the teaching building. ¡°Professor,¡± she greeted with a polite smile. Catching his breath, Albert teased, ¡°We¡¯re colleagues now, you don¡¯t have to call me ¡®Professor¡® anymore!¡± Hannah smiled faintly. ¡°You¡¯ll always be my teacher to me.¡± As they walked, Albert casually steered the conversation toward Madelyn, showering her with praise at every opportunity. He was so caught up in the conversation that hepletely missed the awkward expression creeping onto Hannah¡¯s face. Sensing the timing was just right, Albert leaned in slightly and teased, ¡°You know, Professor Colton is always so mysterious. Hannah, you¡¯re not secretly Professor Colton, are you?¡± Again Marriage 149 Chapter 149 Hannah let out a softugh and said, ¡°Oh, Professor, you know how KY is with their confidentiality agreements. My lips are sealed,¡± Her tone was deliberately ambiguous, and Albert¡¯s eyes lit up with curiosity. Switching tactics, he asked, ¡°In the paper on protease inhibitors, how did youe up with the idea for the final ingredient?¡± A fleeting image of a crumpled draft paper shed through Hannah¡¯s mind. Her grip on her bag strap tightened as she hesitated for a moment. Then, she began to exin the experimental process and the effects of that particr ingredient. Her exnation was so thorough that Albert was now almost certain she was Professor Colton. ¡°You majored in pharmaceutical analysis, yet the protease inhibitors are entirely based on herbal medicine. I never would¡¯ve guessed you had such expertise in this area too,¡± Albert said, clearly impressed. Traditional Medicine wasn¡¯t exactly a priority at KY, but the sess of herbal¨Cbased inhibitors had turned heads, prompting KY to establish a dedicatedb for further research. The breakthrough even inspired many students to apply for overseas studies, hoping to join theb. Before the protease inhibitors, Madelyn had already published several influential papers on pharmaceutical analysis. This was precisely why Martin was so eager to invite her to Mandino University. Finally, Albert revealed his true purpose. ¡°Martin is retiring next year, and he¡¯d like to invite you to Mandino University as a graduate advisor.¡± Hannah blinked, stunned. ¡°Invite me?¡± ¡®Wait, does he actually think I¡¯m Professor Colton? No way¡­ Hannah¡¯s mind raced as she tried to process the situation. Her cheeks flushed slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor, I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to say no,¡± Albert interrupted with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re incredibly talented. Martin has promised that you¡¯ll only need to mentor one batch of graduate students. In three years, you¡¯ll be promoted to a Ph.D. mentor.¡± A Ph.D. mentor was a title far beyond what a KY team leader could ever hope to achieve. After the controversy surrounding the beauty cream, whispers questioning Hannah¡¯s abilities had grown louder. Even during her substitute teaching, some students had made snide remarks. Bing a Ph.D. mentor would silence all the rumors. The thought was undeniably tempting. Hannah hesitated before asking, ¡°Professor, you¡¯re really serious about this?¡± Albert nodded firmly. He was inviting her¨CHannah¨Cnot the elusive Professor Colton. Hannah finally spoke, ¡°Professor, I¡¯d like to think it over.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news,¡± said Albert. 1 Albert rushed to Martin¡¯s office, eager to share the good news, only to find that he had already gone home. Worried that Hannah might decline and disappoint Martin, Albert decided to wait for a definite answer before informing him. The moment Martin stepped into his house, a strong medicinal smell hit him. He scanned the room and spotted his daughter lounging on the sofa, her face covered with a thick, ck mask. 11:01 Wed 4 Jun MUI Chapter 149 ¡°Dad? What are you doing back?¡± Vivian Schmidt asked. Martin rarely came home, sometimes staying away for months. Seeing her father suddenly appear, Vivian was visibly startled, Martin asked, ¡°What are you putting on your face this time?¡± Martin walked over, peeled the mask off her face, and froze at the sight of angry red patches. ¡°What happened to your face?¡± he demanded. Vivian snatched the mask back from him and pped it back on. She exined how she and others had experienced allergic reactions to Hannah¡¯s beauty balm and how Aria had helped treat their skin. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± asked Martin. Vivian rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re never home. What¡¯s the point of telling you?¡± Concerned about his daughter¡¯s condition, Martin said, ¡°Show me the treatment n Aria gave you.¡± Vivianplied. Martin scrolled through the photos, his astonishment growing with every detail he read. ¡°She customized a different treatment n for each of you?¡± Vivian said, ¡°Exactly. I went to severalbs, and none of them could identify the ingredients in the beauty balm. Aria single¨Chandedly identified the ¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Vivian replied, recalling a livestream that had spread rumors about her. ¡°Her old name was Madelyn Colton.¡± Again Marriage 150 Chapter 150 Chapter 150 ¡°Madelyn Colton!¡± Martin¡¯s sudden shout startled Vivian, making her flinch. ¡°Dad; what¡¯s with the yelling?¡± she asked, annoyed. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s Madelyn Colton?¡± he asked, his voice trembling with excitement. ¡°Sure,¡± Vivian replied, confused. Martin said, ¡°Quick, send me a photo of her. And her contact info too!¡± ¡°What are you up to, Dad?¡± Vivian asked. ¡°Stay out of this, kid. Just do it, or I¡¯ll tell your mom about your fake marriage,¡± he threatened. ¡®Kid? I¡¯m thirty¨Ctwo, Dad!¡® Vivian thought, speechless. Photos and videos of Aria had long disappeared from the inte, but Vivian had saved a clip of her fighting. She took a screenshot and sent it to her father. ¡°We only talk in group chats. I don¡¯t have her contact info.¡± ¡°Then add her now,¡± Martin demanded. ¡°That would bother her. If you¡¯re so curious, investigate it yourself,¡± she retorted. Martin retreated to his study, saving the photo before forwarding it to Lance. [I found her.] The reply came quickly: [That was fast.] Now, Martin was certain¨CAria was indeed Madelyn. ¡®What were the Saxon family thinking, cutting off such an amazing daughter? Have they lost their minds?¡® he thought. Rumors imed she hadn¡¯t even gone to school. If it weren¡¯t for Vivian¡¯s allergic reaction sparking this chain of events, Martin might never have found her. ¡®That allergy really came at the perfect time,¡® he mused. Trying to calm himself down, Martin called his butler. ¡°Find Aria¡¯s contact information immediately.¡± At the Police station. Aria said, ¡°Nearly 1 hundred million in my ount¨Cgone, just like that.¡± ¡°What the-?¡± Jackson shot to his feet, his face a mix of shock and disbelief. ¡°Those scammers did this to you?¡± Fryderyk, on the other hand, remainedposed. ¡°What did you do this time?¡± He knew Aria wouldn¡¯t lose that kind of money unless/she let it happen on purpose. Aria replied coolly, ¡°Just here to go through the motions.¡± She needed to go through the motions to make it convincing. Fryderyk stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s get your statement down.¡± Once the formalities were done, Fryderyk called in Allen. Jackson, realizing this was above his pay grade, quietly slipped out. Allen asked, ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡± 11:01 Wed 4 Jun MOG Chapter 150 Aria out the strategy devised by Rhett and Patrick. Allen frowned. ¡°One hundred million is a huge risk. What if they don¡¯t take the bait? We¡¯ll lose the money, and Rhett could end up in serious troubles It was undeniably a risky move. Aria said, ¡°This is the fastest way.¡± Worried that something might happen, those people quickly took her money. The transaction would be impossible to miss¨Csuch arge sum would force them to flee immediately, dragging Rhett and Patrick along with them. Allen sighed. ¡°If they alle back, we won¡¯t be able to handle them alone.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t you know any mercenaries?¡± Fryderyk nced at her in surprise, while Allen gave an awkward smile. ¡°If they return to the country, I¡¯ll figure something out.¡± These troublemakers needed to be dealt with, and it had to be done quietly. The fewer people who knew, the lower the risk of exposure. After all, they still had informants operating within the country. Aria asked, ¡°How are you handling that guy?¡± ¡°What guy?¡± they asked. Aria replied, ¡°The one taken away from the caf¨¦.¡± Allen called over the officer in charge. After some questioning, they learned that awyer had bailed the man out. Aria smirked. ¡°Well, that was quick.¡± ¡°Who posted bail?¡± Allen asked. With the money gone, she must have reported it right away. They had to act fast to take the man in, leaving little time for preparation. The person who bailed the man out was likely either one of their so¨Ccalled ¡°Justice Warrior¡± or just another aplice. The officer replied, ¡°Mason Webb.¡± Allen issued an order. ¡°Investigate this man thoroughly. Keep him under surveince.¡± The officer answered, ¡°Understood, Chief.¡± Mason Webb¡­ That name rang a bell. Aria ; thev ring her AD Comment Again Marriage 151 Chapter 151 After wrapping up the discussion, Aria left. As soon as she got into her car, she received a message from Owen: [Dinner¡¯s ready, Ms. Saxon She hadn¡¯t ordered from Havoron Restaurant for several days, enough to prompt Cloe to call and ask what was going on. Aria sent: [I¡¯ll be home in half an hour. Noting.] Owen replied: [No problem, I¡¯ll wait for you.] Aria was speechless. She seriously suspected that Owen had recognized her. Aria turned off her phone and drove home. As soon as she arrived, Owen brought out the dishes again. ¡°Try it and see what you think.¡± Aria came, ate, and left in a sh. There was hardly anymunication between them, but obviously, something had changed. Crawfish, beef, greens, and chicken soup were today¡¯s dishes. Aria didn¡¯t know the specific names. She took a bite of the beef and tasted the familiar vor of Havoron Restaurant. She gave Owen a strange look. ¡°Did you really go to Havoron Restaurant to learn how to cook?¡± Owen nodded with a smile. ¡°A promise is meant to be kept.¡± Aria didn¡¯t know if he was referring to learning at Havoron Restaurant or the promise he made years ago. While she was in a daze, Owen ced a bowl of chicken soup in front of her, then put on gloves and started peeling shrimp. Soon, he ced the peeled shrimp on her te. Aria¡¯s eyelids twitched, and she pushed the te back. ¡°I can peel them myself.¡± The head chef at Havoron Restaurant had once mentioned that Aria found peeling shrimp too troublesome and wouldn¡¯t eat them unless they were already shelled. Owen didn¡¯t say a word but peeled all the shrimp on the te. ¡°Eat!¡± Owen said. Aria was silent for a moment and asked, ¡°How long has Mason been at Seacrest Law Firm?¡± ¡°For more than a decade.¡± Owen frowned. ¡°Is there something wrong with him?¡± Aria paused with the fork in her hand. This guy was really sharp. ¡°Yes.¡± Owen said, ¡°I¡¯ll look into him.¡± Aria hadn¡¯t even said what the problem was. The atmosphere became even weirder. Aria wolfed down her food and went back to the opposite apartment. Aria¡¯s phone buzzed with an iing call. She hesitated briefly before answering. ¡°Hello, Ms. Saxon. It¡¯s the security guard from Larkridge High School. We met before,¡± an elderly voice said. Chapter 151 Martin, worried about being mistaken for a scammer, started with this familiar reference to establish rapport. Aria immediately remembered him¨Cthe security guard who cried over TV dramas. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, I have another job. I¡¯m a graduate advisor at Mandino University,¡± Martin exined. Aria was surprised to learn that a graduate advisor also worked as a security guard at Larkridge High School. ¡°I¡¯d like to invite you to join Mandino University as a graduate advisor,¡± Martin continued. ¡°Not interested,¡± Aria replied without hesitation. Martin had anticipated her refusal and tried to persuade her. ¡°Think it over. You could still do some light research. If being a graduate advisor doesn¡¯t appeal to you, how about a doctoral advisor?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not considering it for now,¡± she said firmly. Sensing he might annoy her if he pushed further, Martin decided to stop. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± ¡°Goodbye,¡± she said, ending the call. The masked girl moved silently through the dense forest, blending into the shadows as she fixed her gaze on a bloated tycoon. The target was in a remote vige, putting on a charity show. Children surrounded him, while a reporter filmed the scene. Tonight, Echohawk¡¯s mission was to take him out. A disgusting man who used charity as a cover to abuse children and exploit them for money. This was her first mission, and it wasn¡¯t particrly difficult. The reporter packed up his camera and left. The tycoon nced at one of the children and said to his assistant, Clean him up and bring him to me.¡± He had built a house here. Echohawk slipped inside without a sound, trailing the tycoon to his room. With a swift motion, she drove a needle into his neck. The tycoon copsed to the floor. As she stepped closer, the wardrobe suddenly swung open, and a boy with a painted face leapt out. Again Marriage 152 Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Echohawk flicked her wrist, and a silver needle shot straight at him. The young man tilted his head just in time, and the needle embedded itself into the cab door. He nced at it, a flicker of surprise crossing his fans He didn¡¯t expect someone to try to kill with a silver needle. Echohawk followed up with a punch, forcing him to block and engage. ¡°Are you here to protect him?¡± Echohawk demanded, her voice sharp. ¡°Yes and no,¡± he replied, his tone light and quick. ¡°He can¡¯t die just yet.¡± With only four years of training under her belt, Echohawk knew she was no match for him. She tried to go for her needles again, but he caught her move, grabbed her wrist, and pinned her to bed. In desperation, she bit down hard on his hand. He winced but didn¡¯t let go, tying her up and gripping her jaw firmly. Her lips were stained bright red with his blood. He stared at her, half amused, half exasperated. ¡°What are you, a dog? That bite¡¯s no joke!¡± he teased. Realizing he had no intention of killing her, Echohawk gradually calmed down. Not wanting to provoke him further, she stayed silent. Seeing her quiet down, the man nced at the unconscious man on the floor and let out a sigh. ¡°I need to take him alive.¡± But Echohawk was here to kill him. Her gaze shifted to the bite marks on his forearm. They were uneven, some deep enough to draw blood. She thought, ¡®This guy¡¯s tolerance for pain is insane. Even after being bitten like that, he still managed to tie me up so calmly.¡® He didn¡¯t seem like a bad person. The young man¡¯s eyesnded on her masked face. ¡°You look young Why take on a job like this?¡± he asked, his tone curious. Echohawk stayed quiet, and the man chuckled lightly. ¡°You¡¯re able to dodge those bodyguards he hired. Good for you.¡± ¡°Not as good as you,¡± she shot back sarcastically. The young man reached out and tapped her forehead, the mask making a metallic ¡°ng¡± sound. ¡°Your mission¡¯s going to fail. Got any wishes? I can make it up to you,¡± he offered. Echohawk said nothing, but her stomach suddenly let out a loud growl. She had been tailing her target for so long that she hadn¡¯t had a chance to eat. The silence grew awkward. The young man couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Hungry, huh?¡± Echohawk mmed up again, refusing to respond. Suddenly, he leaned in closer, and she instinctively leaned back, her guard up. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± she asked defensively. Chapter 152 He pressed his hands on her shoulders and undid her restraints. ¡°Just leave. You can¡¯t beat me. ¡°If we ever meet again, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner¨Cforever, if that¡¯s what it takes.¡± Echohawk found his words ridiculous and slipped out the window without looking back. She hadn¡¯t given up on her n to take out the wealthy man. Disguised as a reporter, she had been patiently waiting for the right moment. But just as she was about to act, her boss assigned her to another urgent task, ordering her to return immediately. Resigned to failure, Echohawk she was just about to leave when she overheard the shocking news¨Cher target had died of a sudden heart attack Aria woke up at eight, sent Owen a quick message, and flopped back onto the bed. Eight years ago, Aria had been too impulsive. If that man had truly wanted her dead, she wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance. Aria had pushed herself to the limit, training relentlessly to grow stronger. Now that she¡¯d seen him again, Aria wasn¡¯t even sure how to bring up the idea of a sparring match. After all, he was awyer now. Owen read her message, made breakfast for one, and headed out to work When he ran into Mason, he greeted him casually, ¡°Morning, Mason.¡± ¡°Morning, Owen,¡± Mason replied, looking worn out and troubled, like he hadn¡¯t slept a wink. Owen asked, ¡°Tough case giving you headaches?¡± Mason let out an awkwardugh. ¡°Yeah, something tricky came up. I better get to it.¡± Owen watched him rush off, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. ¤³ Mason really did keep things well¨Chidden. If it hadn¡¯t been for yesterday¡¯s incident at the police station, no one would¡¯ve suspected a thing. Again Marriage 153 Chapter 153 Owen had just settled into his office when his phone rang. He turned off the audio recording on the surveince system before answering the call. Allen said, ¡°Owen, long time no see. Been keeping busy?¡± ¡°Allen.¡± Whenever Allen asked if he was busy, it was never just small talk¨Cit always meant he had a favor to ask And it wasn¡¯t just Owen he needed; Allen often required a whole team to get things done. Owen opened the case records on hisputer. ¡°Pretty busy.¡± There was a brief pause before Allen chuckled, his tone teasing. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know¨Cyou¡¯re on vacation. What¡¯s keeping you so busy?¡± Owen said, ¡°Being on vacation just means there¡¯s a pile of things waiting for me to deal with.¡± Allen ignored hisment and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve got something I¡¯d like your help with. It¡¯s not urgent, so it won¡¯t interfere with your work.¡± Owen sighed, already resigned. ¡°What is it this time?¡± Allen exined the situation briefly, leaving out Aria¡¯s identity. Owen, however, quickly caught on. ¡°Allen, are you saying the person scammed out of nearly one hundred million dors is Aria?¡± Allen sounded surprised. ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°I handled her divorce case.¡± Owen had already guessed Aria would be involved. ¡°I¡¯ll have my team assist with this.¡± Allen hesitated. ¡°About the fee¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll take care of it for free,¡± said Owen. Worst¨Ccase scenario, he¡¯d just buy everyone a gift. Allen was pleased. ¡°You¡¯re as dependable as ever, Owen. If I find a nice girl, I¡¯ll set you up with her.¡± Owen nearly choked. ¡°Allen, maybe try setting her up with my brother instead.¡± Allen said, ¡°Noted.¡± Hospital. Elena finally regained her voice. The moment she saw her son, she demanded, ¡°Where¡¯s Aria? Did you call the cops on her yet?¡± Since yesterday, Elena had been ming Aria. But after reviewing the surveince footage, her son discovered the truth¨Cit was Elena who had thrown coffee at Aria first. Startled, Aria identally deflected it, causing Elena to spill it on someone else. Liam exined, ¡°Mom, if you hadn¡¯t thrown that coffee, none of this would¡¯ve happened. It was an ident, not Aria¡¯s fault. ¡°You two used to get along just fine. How did things end up like this?¡± Frustrated, Elena said, ¡°You¡¯re my son! Why are you taking her side?¡± ¡°Mom, Aria¡¯s head over heels for me. She wouldn¡¯t deliberately target you,¡± he said, trying to calm her down. 11:02 Wed, 4 Jun M Oddly enough, Liam had sent people to investigate the assassin who hade after him, but they found nothing Elena squinted at him, utterly baffled. She had lived long enough to see through people. There wasn¡¯t even a shred of romantic connection between her son and Aria. If there had been, she wouldn¡¯t have been under Aria¡¯s thumb for the past two years. She wondered when Aria had ever been ¡°head over heels¡± for her son. Skeptical, she asked, ¡°Are you seriously telling me Aria likes you?¡± ncing at his phone, Liam quickly changed the subject. ¡°Mom, Hannah¡¯s here. Don¡¯t bring up Aria liking me it might make her jealous.¡± Before he could continue, there was a gentle knock at the door. Hannah entered, carrying a fruit basket. She sat down with a warm smile and began chatting with Elena, showing genuine concern. Yesterday, Hannah had already exined the side effects of Aria¡¯s treatment to the otherdies, so Elena no longer held a grudge. ¡°Yesterday, a professor from Mandino University contacted me. Martin invited me to join as a graduate advisor,¡± Hannah said. Liam¡¯s eyes lit up in surprise. ¡°A graduate advisor? Really?¡± Hannah nodded modestly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to value me so highly.¡± Martin was a leading figure in the medical field. He was highly respected for dedicating most of his earnings to research and student aid. Anyone recognized by him was a genuine researcher with no history of academic fraud. Bing a graduate advisor at Mandino University was far more prestigious than being a team leader at KY. Elena, who had lost her standing in the socialite circles, immediately pulled out her phone to share the news in her group chat. At first, no one believed her. Onedy even replied: [Martin is indeed looking for professors from KY to join Mandino University, but Hannah is just a team leader. She¡¯s not qualified.] Elena shot back: [Funny how you all doubt it¨Cmy daughter¨Cinw is the professor you¡¯re talking about.] The group chat fell silent. Again Marriage 154 Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Every year at the charity auction g, jewelry artist Selina Grive contributed a masterpiece, with all proceeds going to support children in remote and impoverished mountain areas. Cloe, who was heading to Kanit City in two weeks, was a devoted admirer of Selina¡¯s creations. Aria and Vanessa decided to bid on the jewelry as a heartfelt gift for her. Vanessa just returned to the country and had a packed schedule, leaving her only Friday night free. Cloe took the opportunity to invite them to Yen Club for a casual evening of drinks. Aria was about to head out when she received a message from Victor: [Ms. Saxon, Mr. Kramer is at Yen Club. If you have time, it might be good to meet him.] Aria replied: [I already have ns there tonight.] Victor quickly replied: [I¡¯ll head over now. Just spare me ten minutes of your time.] Johnny wasn¡¯t trying to make things difficult for him; he just wanted to confirm if Aria had truly forgiven him. Aria arrived at Yen Club earlier than nned, sent a quick message to Cloe, and headed to a different private room first. When Johnny saw her, he stood up with a warm smile. ¡°Ms. Saxon, our CEO¡¯s been talking about you nonstop!¡± Aria shook his hand with a faint smile. ¡°And you, Mr. Kramer? Haven¡¯t you been thinking about me too?¡± ¡°Of course! Absolutely!¡± Johnnyughed heartily, motioning for her to sit. ¡°Come, have a seat. Let¡¯s chat for a bit.¡± Victor Walker froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by how close they seemed. He quickly stepped forward, fumbling slightly as he took over pouring drinks. ¡°Mr. Kramer, I owe you an apology for my behavior the other day. Let me drink to that first.¡± He downed his ss in one go. Johnny waved it off casually. ¡°I heard about that incident. Mr. Walker, you¡¯re a reliable partner.¡± A recent scandal involving a Stars Group shareholder abusing their power had shaken thepany, sparking a wave of internal investigations. Victor said, ¡°Mr. Kramer, choosing Stars Group will never disappoint you.¡± Though Victor didn¡¯t own many shares in the Stars Group, the chairman¡¯s quiet support and Aria¡¯s trust had given him a chance to rise above the setbacks. He was even given priority to purchase the shares that had been reimed from Trenton. Despite being ostracized by some, Victor had earned the trust of both the chairman and Aria. He made the right call after all. He flushed slightly, recalling the harsh words he¡¯d once thrown at Aria. Pouring himself another ss of wine, he hesitated before speaking, ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡­ I doubted your abilities before and even thought you were just relying on your looks and¡­ well, other stuff. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re the person I owe the most. I sincerely apologize. If there¡¯s ever anything I can do to help, just say the word.¡± Victor had been swayed by Trenton¡¯s subtle insinuations, which often hinted at Aria¡¯s questionable conduct. Believing those hints, he¡¯d formed a biased opinion of her. ¡®I can¡¯t keep blindly believing everything people say anymore,¡® Victor resolved silently. Aria raised her ss, the soft clink breaking the tension in the air. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s put it behind us.¡± Chapter 154 Victor wasn¡¯t a bad guy just impulsive and quick to speak. Half the time, he didn¡¯t even realize he was being used, If he were truly bad, he wouldn¡¯t have tried to stop Trenton¡¯s wrongdoing that day. Johnny left the contract behind and said, ¡°Once the CEO signs off, I¡¯ll have someone send the contract over to Stars Group. ¡°Here¡¯s to a smooth partnership.¡± After wrapping up the afternoon¡¯s discussions at Yen Club, Johnny left. Aria was about to head to another private room. ¡°Mr. Walker, you should head back and get some rest!¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Just as he was about to leave, a mocking male voice echoed from another hallway. ¡°Ms. Woods, I heard you hired a male model at Yen Club, dressed in traditional attire to unt extravagance. Why don¡¯t you take off the attire before you embarrass the whole country?¡± Again Marriage 155 Cloe wasn¡¯t fazed by thement. She let out a charmingugh and retorted, ¡°I live my life openly unlike cone hypocrites who cariest and they business and end up snooping around my doorstep.¡± The moment Aria heard Cloe¡¯s name, she immediately walked over, with Victor following close behind. She called, ¡°Cloe.¡± Seeing someone arrive, the sweating manager looked as if he¡¯d just been saved, his expression one of immense relief. Aria said, ¡°Mr. Hypocrite, step aside.¡± The sudden remark made the manager¡¯s face go white as a sheet, his hand flying to his chest as if he were about to keel over, Victor¡¯s eyes widened when he saw it was Owen. His heart sank. He thought, ¡®Oh crap, Aria and Kim are at it again. This deal¡¯s as good as dead! The chip coboration between Shaw Group and Cole Group had been gaining momentum, with Liam increasingly involved with Shaw Group. After drinking quite a bit, Liam excused himself to another executive. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, just need to use the restroom.¡± As Liam rounded the corner, his steps faltered, and he froze in ce, his mind racing at the sight before him. He was surprised to see Aria here with Owen. He hurried over. Kim shifted his seat with a nk expression, casting a sidelong nce at Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, do you even bother checking what kind of people you hang out with? Stick with money¨Cgrubbers, and you¡¯ll just end up being their personal ATM.¡± Aria let out a coldugh. ¡°Who do you think you are, my dad? Since when do you get to dictate my friends?¡± The manager stiffened, cold sweat trickling down his back as he realized the situation was spiraling out of control. He quickly backed away and sent a frantic message to the second young master: [Mr. Shaw, help! The boss is in a shouting match!] Owen replied: [Can¡¯t he handle it?] The manager was speechless. The manager sent: [But he is facing two women¨Cone is Cloe Woods, the owner of Havoron Restaurant and the other is Ar¨ªa, the Saxon family¡¯s heiress.] Owen had just stepped into the elevator but immediately turned around and walked out, typing: [Try to hold them off.] The manager sighed. Both women were formidable, so he thought his boss might not stand a chance. A new message popped up: [Don¡¯t let Kim bully thedies.] The manager was speechless. ¡°Arial¡± Liam eximed in shock after hearing Aria¡¯s retort to Kim. ¡°Do you even know who Mr. Shaw is?¡± The room went dead silent, the air thick with tension after his outburst. Kim shot Liam a frosty re, but thetter seemed oblivious to it. Turning to Aria, Liam demanded, ¡°Apologize.¡± Aria¡¯s gaze was icy. ¡°Mind your own business and stay out of it. Shoo.¡± Chapter 155 Liam¡¯s face darkened instantly, but before he could respond, Kim¡¯s cold, piercing gaze shifted to him. ¡°Ms. Saxon, Stars Group and Shaw Gracepti joint project. I suppose there¡¯s no need to continue with it.¡± Cloe stepped in front of Alia, shielding her like a protective wall, her eyes zing personal scores!¡± ¡°And what if I am?¡± Kim replied indifferently. with fury. ¡°Kim, you¡¯re as petty as ever, using public matters to cesta Victor joined the two women, standing firmly by their side. ¡°Mr. Shaw, don¡¯t act like Stars Group is desperate for Shaw Group. We can coborate with otherpanies just as easily.¡± To him, Aria held more importance than any other chairman. Kim raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised at Victor¡¯s support for Aria. ¡°And you think you can speak for Stars Group?¡± Victor lifted his chin proudly. ¡°Aria is Stars Group¡¯srgest shareholder. Even our chairman listens to her. Of course, she can represent Stars Group!¡± Liam¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Aria is Stars Group¡¯srgest shareholder? The mysterious investor who poured money into Stars Group?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Victor. Liam eximed, ¡°Impossible!¡± Watching others¡® stunned faces, Victor smirked. ¡°Believe it or not, Stars Group¡¯s golden goose isn¡¯t someone you can mess with.¡± Cloe nced at the manager. ¡°I¡¯m a Yen Club VIP. Kick out the troublemakers.¡± Sweating profusely, the manager adhered to the principle of prioritizing guests and whispered to Kim, ¡°Boss, shouldn¡¯t you return to your private room?¡± Kim was shocked that his own employee seriously kicked him out. Cloe snorted coldly, pulling Aria into a private room. She instructed the manager to summon the male model she had booked earlier. Again Marriage 156 Chapter 156 The manager breathed a sigh of relief. Liam was still stunned. ¡°Mr. Shaw, is Aria actually thergest shareholder of the Stars Group?¡± Owen remarked coolly, ¡°She¡¯s your ex¨Cwife. Didn¡¯t you know that?¡± Liam truly had no idea. After the initial shock wore off, he graduallyposed himself. They were already divorced. Whatever happened to Aria now was none of his concern. He wasn¡¯t the type to begrudge his ex¨Cwife a good life. The manager whispered to the attendant, ¡°Go fetch Ms. Woods¡® regr escort.¡± ¡°Understood¡± After giving the order, the manager suddenly felt an eerie chill running down his spine, as if someone was watching him intently. He turned around and found himself under his boss¡¯s cold, menacing gaze. ¡°Yen Club is supposed to be an upscale establishment. Since when did we start allowing clients to keep male escorts on retainer?¡± The manager looked puzzled. ¡°Boss, Yen Club has always operated this way since opening. Our staff are professional entertainers, not escorts.¡± He noticed the boss frowning slightly. ¡°However, Yen Club doesn¡¯t interfere with employees¡® personal lives. For VIP guests like Ms. Woods, any male escort she retains exclusively for the year won¡¯t serve other clients.¡± As he spoke, the manager pretended to be casual while secretly watching the boss¡¯s expression. Seeing how grim his face looked, a wild thought suddenly struck him. It seemed like the boss was the one who started stirring up trouble in the beginning. It was as if he was deliberately targeting Cloe. Normally, if it were just a conflict, the boss would just ignore the other person and never be the one to start something. Liam headed to the restroom while Kim remained rooted in ce. The manager had no choice but to wait anxiously until the attendant finally led the male model over. Instinctively, he wiped his sweaty palms, nerves getting the better of him. The male model strode in wearing nothing but ck dress pants, his bare torso showcasing firm, sculpted muscles and sharply defined abs. Kim¡¯s face visibly darkened. He snapped, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, walking around half¨Cnaked in public? Take him to get dressed, then have him With that, he stalked off in the opposite direction, his rigid back radiating displeasure. The manager sighed helplessly. ¡°What are you standing around for? Hurry up and get dressed to serve our boss. Go find a few new male models and send them over to Ms. Woods.¡± ¡°Understood¡± Cloe and Aria didn¡¯t have to wait long before Vanessa showed up. She raised her ss and said, ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte. Let me start with a toast!¡± Cloe smiled and said, ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be a stranger. Sit down and join us!¡± 11:02 Wed, 4 Jun M Vanessa handed over the box. ¡°For Julia.¡± Julia had simple and direct tastes. She loved sparkling gold and showed little interest in anything else. Every now and then, Aria and Vanessa would spoil her with a little gold. Cloe took the box and said with augh, ¡°At this rate, you two are going to spoil her rotten!¡± Vanessa raised her ss and clinked it with the other two. ¡°I¡¯ve got a workmitment or Julia¡¯s birthday that I can¡¯t get out of, so I¡¯m giving her the gift in advance.¡± Julia¡¯s birthday fell two days before Cloe¡¯s trip to Kanit City. Cloe grinned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Give her some gold and all will be forgiven.¡± The three couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing at that. Shortly after, the manager entered with three fresh¨Cfaced male models. He said, ¡°Ms. Woods, Aston isn¡¯t feeling well, so I¡¯ve given him the night off. These three are new. Feel free to keep them if they meet your standards.¡± Cloe was just venting at the time. Since it was a conversation between girls, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for outsiders to be present. She waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s girls¡® night. No boys allowed. We don¡¯t need them.¡± The manager left the signature dishes on the table and ushered the others out. The three women enjoyed delicious food, sipped their drinks, and chatted away in lively conversation. Mostly, it was Vanessa dishing out showbiz gossip, like which sugar daddy was eyeing which starlet, whose celebrity boyfriend had juste out, or who got caught having an on¨Cset fling. At 11 p.m., the three parted ways. Vanessa was picked up by her assistant, while Aria and Cloe ordered a car service. AD 1 Comment Again Marriage 157 Chapter 157 At the parking lot, the designated driver handed the keys back to Aria but hesitated before leaving. He asked, ¡°Um¡­ could i get your number?¡± Aria looked up slightly at the young man opposite her and said coolly, ¡°I¡¯m divorced.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡®Is this the kind ofme excuse pretty girls use to reject guys nowadays?¡® the driver thought. He was about to speak when a car door mmed shut, cutting him off. Just then, a tall, coolly detached man strode over, his presence instantly shifting the atmosphere. He immediately got the hint, shed an awkward smile, and scurried off. ¡°Oh, I see. You already have a boyfriend. Sorry to bother you!¡± Aria shot Owen a puzzled look. The moment she saw him, it clicked. The driver had totally gotten the wrong idea. Aria¡¯s mind suddenly shed with an image of Kim. Thinking of all the hardships Cloe had endured over the years, she scowled and said, ¡°Your brother is such a jerk!¡± Owen had gotten the full story from the manager. He nodded. ¡°True that.¡± ¡®A grown man picking on a woman and threatening her with business? No wonder he¡¯s still single. Serves him right.¡® He thought. He added, ¡°But I¡¯m not like him.¡± Aria didn¡¯t reply. She walked straight into the elevator. A faint, mellow scent of alcohol lingered in the confined elevator space. Owen nced down, his eyes catching a glimpse of the faint rash on her earlobe. He froze for a second, then instinctively leaned in closer. Aria instinctively sidestepped and snapped, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Owen nced at her and asked, ¡°Are you allergic to alcohol?¡± Owen was stunned. ¡®Who on earth drinks when they¡¯re allergic to alcohol?¡® Aria touched her ear and replied, ¡°No.¡± She was indeed allergic to alcohol, though not severely. A small amount didn¡¯t really bother her. Before missions, she¡¯d always take an allergy pill as a precaution. To this day, no one knew about her allergy. She hadn¡¯t nned on drinking much tonight, so she skipped the allergy pill. It was just a minor rash, no big deal. Owen let out a humorless chuckle, his eyes devoid of mirth. ¡°Ms. Saxon, do you take me for a fool? That¡¯s clearly an allergic reaction. How much did you drink?¡± 1 Aria looked at him coolly and asked, ¡°Are we really that close?¡± She didn¡¯t really hold a grudge against him¨Cif anything, it was negligible. But after she¡¯d bitten him, there was a bit of personal history between them. Owen met her gaze in the mirror and said with a wry smile, ¡°I thought we were friends. Guess I was just fooling myself.¡± He lowered his head, his eyes dimming with hurt, a shadow of sorrow passing over them. wea, 4 Jun M Aria nced at him through the mirror, a hint of doubt flickering in her eyes. ¡®Were my words really that hurtful? Guess I shouldn¡¯t bite the hand that feeds me; she thought to herself. After all, she¡¯d been enjoying his cooking for a whole week, Maybe that remark was a bit too harsh. Aria could feel the heavy silence in the air, struggling to find the right words. The elevator doors opened, and she was the first to step out, leaving the cramped space behind. As she opened the door, Owen called out with a hint of helpless concern in his voice, ¡°Do you have any allergy meds at home?¡± Her hand hesitated on the doorknob. She hadn¡¯t expected him to care. ¡°Yes.¡± Owen asked softly, ¡°So, are we friends then?¡± The doors slid open with a soft chime as Aria replied, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°A deal¡¯s a deal. Don¡¯t forget toe by and try my cooking tomorrow morning.¡± With that, Owen closed the door. The beauty cream had long been tested, yet Owen still kept texting her gentle reminders. [Have some breakfast], [Don¡¯t forget tunch], [Remember to eat dinner.] She thought to herself, ¡®He¡¯s probably referring to that ¡®lifetime of free meals¡® promise he made. If he gets married, will he still treat his wife to meals all the time? How can he throw around promises so casually, without a second thought? Is Owen being so attentive out of guilt for ruining my mission all those years ago?¡® She wasn¡¯t even hurt. In fact, she was the one who bit him. If anyone felt guilty, it should be her. Aria popped an allergy pill. Suddenly, a thought struck her. Aria thought to herself, ¡®If Owen ever gets a girlfriend, how¡¯s he gonna exin these bite marks to her?¡® Again Marriage 158 Chapter 158 If she were to ruin his marriage prospects because of this, the consequences would be dire For now, she didn¡¯t want to bring up the past. She needed a good excuse to give him the ointment. After her bath, Aria stood with her back to the mirror, reaching awkwardly behind her to apply the cooling ointment to her burns The burns were severe enough to require long¨Cterm treatment before the scars would fade, After the ointment dried, Aria put on her pajamas and received a message from Lily. [Aria, I finally got my name on the household register!] She attached two photos, one showing the main page with Aria¡¯s name, and another with her own, Lily. ¡°Lily¡± was the name her mother gave her. Though her mother didn¡¯t love her now, at least there was love once. That¡¯s why she kept the name. Aria smiled and replied: [Got it. Remember to ask Ms. Gibbs to update your name in the school records.] ¡°Change the name?¡± Before morning reading, Lily handed her new household registration to Valerie, her eyes shining with uncontainable joy. ¡°Yes, my household registration has been transferred. My surname is Saxon now.¡± ¡®Saxon?¡® Valerie was surprised. The Maple ss fell into a mysterious silence. No one had expected Lily to actually change her surname. But since her lousy father was in prison, it was not surprising she took her mother¡¯s surname. Since it was still the first semester of senior year, it wasn¡¯t toote to update her student records. Valerie, genuinely happy for her, took the document. and asked, ¡°So you¡¯re taking your mother¡¯s surname?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m taking my sister¡¯s surname.¡± ¡°Your sister?¡± Valerie looked puzzled. She flipped open the household registration, her expression shifting. ¡°Aria Saxon? You¡¯re taking the Saxons family¡¯s name?¡± At that, the whole ss couldn¡¯t help but gasp in shock. They didn¡¯t believe Lily actually managed to get in with the Saxon family. Was it because she took a knife for Aria? If they¡¯d known, maybe they would have done the same. After all, joining the Saxon family meant entering an elite family. Everyone was insanely jealous. Nathan stared, utterly bewildered. ¡®How can I not know Lily has been added to our family register? Wait, hasn¡¯t Aria¡¯s registration been transferred to the Cole family? Doesn¡¯t she move it back after the divorce?¡® ¡°No,¡± Lily denied again, her eyes crinkling with genuine delight. ¡°My sister, Aria, severed ties with the Saxon family ages ago. It¡¯s just the two of us on the household registration now. Whatever surname she bears, I bear too.¡± For over half a year of teaching Lily, this was the first time Valerie had seen such a radiant smile on her face, heartfelt and pure, without the of pretense. est trace IM Moved by her joy, Valerie smiled warmly and said, ¡°Congrattions, Lily¡± ¡°Thank you, Ms. Gibbs,¡± Lily replied. Lily returned to her seat, but the ss remained in turmoil. Osric blurted out, eyes wide, ¡°Nathan, is it true your sister Aria really severed ties with your family?¡± A strange expression crossed Nathan¡¯s face. He hadn¡¯t known Aria was officially living on her own. Watching the smile on Lily¡¯s face, Nathan felt a pang of difort. Come to think of it, he¡¯d never called Aria affectionally after their very first meeting. Yet Derek and Lily called her affectionally with such ease. Kayle, Lily¡¯s deskmate, excitedly grabbed her and bombarded her with questions. ¡°Lily, how did you end up on the same family record as Aria? Does that mean you¡¯ll be moving in with the Saxon family? Since Aria is your sister, should Nathan be your brother too? He¡¯s only a few months older than you, right?¡± she rattled off. The others listened in silently, all ears for the gossip. Lily smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not rted to the Saxon family and won¡¯t be living with them. I¡¯m just Aria¡¯s little sister. I knew her before the Saxons even did.¡± It meant they¡¯d known each other before Aria returned to the Saxon family. Nathan was stunned. He was dying to ask how they knew each other, but realized he wasn¡¯t in a position to. This week, he decided not to stay at school and went home to ask his parents about the household registration. When he arrived, the family seemed expressionless. Only Silvia spoke up, ¡°Nathan, go wash your hands ande eat.¡± Nathan sensed a strange tension in the air as if everyone was bound by invisible threads, worn down by being stuck in the same ce for too long. ¡®What was going on?¡® he thought. Nathan washed his hands and sat down for dinner. ¡°Dad, Aria¡­¡± Again Marriage 159 He hesitated, then finally forced himself to say, ¡°Has Aria¡¯s household registration been transferred back home yet?¡± Zoe¡¯s fork slipped from her hand and ttered onto the table. In that moment, everyone¡¯s face was clouded with profound sorrow, even Luke, usually so outspoken, fell silent, merely casting Nathan aplicated nce Nathan realized something significant had happened in this family that he knew nothing about. He didn¡¯t say another word. After dinner, he found Silvia and quietly asked what had happened. Silvia¡¯s eyes filled with tears in an instant. ¡°Nathan¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Nathan quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears. ¡°What are you sorry for? You haven¡¯t done anything wrong to me.¡± Silvia tried to hold back her sobs, her wordsing in broken fragments as she told him what had happened that day. Still, it was enough for Nathan to understand. His eyes widened with disbelief. ¡°I went to see her and saw the scars on her back. Nathan, my biological parents nearly got her killed more than once. She has been missing for ten years, and no one knows what kind of hell she went through.¡± Nathan let out a bitterugh, tears streaming down uncontrobly. ¡°How could that be? She¡¯s so strong. She even took down a dozen bodyguards. No way¡­ I¡¯ll go ask Caleb.¡± Nathan rushed out of the room and saw that Luke¡¯s door was slightly ajar. Instinctively, he pushed it open and called, ¡°Uncle Luke.¡± Luke seemed to be watching something on hisputer. He snapped it shut in a panic, but in that split second, Nathan caught sight of a little girl on the screen. ¡°Who was that little girl?¡± Nathan demanded sharply. Luke¡¯s expression turnedplicated as he grabbed Nathan¡¯s hand, stopping him from reaching the mouse. ¡°Don¡¯t look at that.¡± ¡°Is that Aria? Was that her as a child? Why can¡¯t I see?¡± Nathan didn¡¯t care about respect anymore. He shoved Luke¡¯s hand aside and reopened theputer, only to see a gaunt little girl staring back from the screen. Luke let out a heavy sigh, his mood weighed down. ¡°I was the one who weed Aria least in this family. Even after the abuse came to light, I suspected Alice helped Aria fabricate a sob story.¡± He continued, ¡°Later, I secretly sent someone to investigate and obtained photos of Aria from her childhood. That reminded me of something, so I dug up this video. Years ago, I stumbled upon this livestream on an app. Nathan, if I¡¯d called the police back then, if I¡¯d used the Saxon family¡¯s influence to help her, could we have brought Aria home sooner?¡°, Luke hadn¡¯t slept properly for days, regretting that he ever investigated, regretting that he recorded this video and kept it until now. 1 He should just keep being the ¡°bad uncle¡°. That way, he wouldn¡¯t have to feel guilty. After watching the video, Nathan felt as if his heart was being pounded over and over again. He dropped to his knees, finally unable to hold back his sobs. se she didn¡¯t stand ¡®What a pathetic fool I¡¯ve been!¡® Nathan thought bitterly. ¡®I distanced myself from Aria just because she seemed cold to me, just up for me when I was punished by the family. Over such a petty thing, I shut my sister out for good, treating her with nothing bu ulity 11:02 Wed, 4 Jun M ¡®Did I break her heart back then?¡® She fought tooth and nail to survive and return home, only to be met with suspicion and wariness instead of the love and care the deserved ¡°What about Henry? And that couple?¡± Nathan looked up, his eyes burning with hatred. Luke let out a heavy sigh. ¡°They¡¯re all behind bars.¡± Not even a sliver of a chance remained for them to make amends. On the day of the charity auction g, Aria arrived at the Grand Metropolis Hotel in a simple trench coat. She handed over her invitation and walked inside. Her understated trench coat stood in stark contrast to the venue¡¯s opulent decor, making her the center of attention the moment she appeared. As soon as Aria appeared, Zoe immediately stood up, wanting to go to her, but Logan stopped her. ¡°Zoe.¡± Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she silently sat back down. Caleb had warned them. If anyone disturbed Aria, he would sever ties with the Saxon family and wouldn¡¯t take over the Saxon¨CGroup. Joseph was shaken by the ultimatum, but Logan and Zoe knew they no longer had the courage to beg their daughter for forgiveness. They simply didn¡¯t deserve it. Aria found her seat, sat down, and started scrolling through her phone. Another wave of murmurs swept through the crowd. Aria kept her head down, but caught a sudden gasp. ¡°Wait, are Owen and Aria seriously wearing matching outfits?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 160 Turning at the sound, Aria saw Owen approaching in a trench coat that perfectly inatched hers. He gave her a slight smile before taking his seat in the second row. Shortly after, Kim entered the hall and sat down beside his younger brother. He let his gaze briefly sweep over Aria, then leaned in and asked quietly. ¡°Are you dating Aria?¡± Owen shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°Since when did you get so pedantic?¡± That remark was a subtle way of exining that he and Aria wearing trench coats was just a coincidence. ¡°This isn¡¯t just any party, it¡¯s a charity g,¡± Kim said. ¡°As a member of the Shaw family, you should dress more formally¡± Kim believed that format attire signified respect. Kim was raised by his grandfather, Aiden Shaw. By the time Owen was born, Kim was already six and fully immersed in business training, leaving him little time for childhood y. Owen had zero interest in business or economics. Aiden barely noticed him, and his parents only wished for his happiness. As a result, Owen grew up free¨Crange, enjoyingplete freedom throughout his childhood. The two brothers spent little time together, but their rtionship could be summed up as mutual respect. ¡°The whole point of a charity g is doing good,¡± Owen retorted. ¡°That custom suit of yours costs hundreds of thousands of dors. You might as well just donate all that money instead.¡± Kim couldn¡¯t find anything to refute. He was used to this way of talking with his brother, fully aware that his brother thought he was too conventional. d in a violet strapless gown, Hannah made her entrance alongside Elena. Hannah had learned that Martin would be attending today. If she really took the job at Mandino University, she wouldn¡¯t be able to return to Erennd anymore. She was more inclined to stay, her mind was made up. Ever since that day, Albert hadn¡¯t reached out to her. Perhaps Martin would invite her personally today. Suppressing the secret thrill within, Hannah let her gaze sweep over Aria, a faint smirk ying at the corners of her lips. Liam had told her that Aria was a shareholder of the Stars Group. But she didn¡¯t feel jealous. After all, they were frompletely different worlds. Hannah said to Elena, ¡°Our seats are in the fourth row.¡± Liam, representing the Cole Group, was seated in the second row, separate from them. The swelling on Elena¡¯s face had finally gone down. Even after applying extra foundation to cover up, the stinging sensation still lingered beneath. Despite her foul mood, she forced herself to maintain the dignified air expected of the Cole family matriarch. Following the seat numbers, Elena spotted Aria ahead of her. Her expression hardened as she muttered under her breath, ¡°How on earth did she manage to sneak into the third row?¡± Elena clenched her fists, the sting of that p still fresh. One day, she would return it. Hearing someone call out, ¡°Professor Schmidt is here,¡± Hannah immediately stood up and walked over with a smile. ¡°Hello, Prof chmidt, I¡¯m Hannah Gibson.¡± J3 wea, 4 Jun M Martin replied, ¡°Hello.¡± He nodded, his gaze sweeping across the room. When he spotted Aria, his face brightened with a smile. Hannah turned to Albert with a faint smile. ¡°Professor Clinton.¡± Albert pressed his lips together and nodded, forcing a tight smile. That day, when Martin arrived, he excitedly said, ¡°I¡¯ve found Professor Colton!¡± But unexpectedly, Martin simply nodded and said he knew, and that the professor had declined his invitation. Albert had thought Hannah¡¯s enrollment at Mandino University was a done deal, but unexpectedly, she declined. He believed that Martin hadn¡¯t given up. This time, he came specifically for Hannah. Just as Albert was about to speak to Martin, he realized Martin had quietly walked away and stopped deliberately at the third row, saying, ¡°Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria looked up and recognized the distinguished gentleman from Larkridge High School. With a polite smile, she greeted him, ¡°Hello.¡± Without another word, Martin walked over and took his seat in the first row. Albert followed with a puzzled look on his face. ¡®Wasn¡¯t Professor Schmidt here today specifically to persuade Hannah to ept the invitation? Why is he giving her the cold shoulder while being so attentive to Aria instead?¡® he wondered. 1 Again Marriage 161 Albert took a seat beside Martin. Catching sight of Selina in his peripheral vision, he promptly rose to greet her At sixty, age showed on her face, yet it couldn¡¯t dim the artistic aura that radiated from her. ¡°Professor Schmidt, long time no see,¡± said Selina. ¡°Long time no see,¡± Martin replied. Seated side by side, the two soon struck up an animated conversation. Unable to join the conversation, Albert was relieved when someone nearby asked him an academic question, and he dly focused on answering it. Selina noticed Martin was troubled about finding a sessor. So, she said, ¡°If you lower your standards a bit, there are plenty of qualified candidates.¡± Martin gave a wry smile. ¡°I can¡¯t lower my standards. I¡¯ve already found the perfect candidate. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s a bit reluctant.¡± ¡°Someone actually turned down the chance to be a graduate advisor at Mandino University?¡± Selina asked in astonishment. Martin said, ¡°She¡¯s Professor Colton. If anyone has the right to refuse, it¡¯s her.¡± Selina asked in surprise, ¡°Professor Colton? The developer of protease inhibitors?¡± ¡°That¡¯s her,¡± Martin confirmed. Selina asked, ¡°Is she at the event?¡± Martin pointed and said, ¡°That beautiful youngdy in the middle of the third row.¡± Selina nced back and instantly spotted Aria. She was stunned, thinking in disbelief. ¡®Professor Colton is actually that young?¡® At that moment, Hannah was focused on the first row. Seeing Martin and Selina looking in her direction, her heart immediately settled. The auction was about to start, and once it ended, she believed that Martin would definitelye looking for her. Soon, the auction officially kicked off. Soothing music filled the hall as waitstaff wheeled in serving carts, carefully arranging hors d¡¯oeuvres and refreshments on each table. A charity video yed on the big screen as the host took the stage, offering warmmentary on the film while delivering heartfelt remarks. The host announced, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, the auction now officially begins!¡± The auctioneer stepped onto the stage to introduce the opening lot. ¡°Donated by the Shaw Group, this limited¨Cedition watch was handcrafted by a master from Masmubia. The starting bid is 16 thousand dors, with no restrictions on bid increments.¡± No sooner had the auctioneer finished speaking than a voice called out, ¡°Thirty thousand dors!¡± 1 ¡°Sixty five thousand dors!¡± ¡°150 thousand dors!¡± Most of the bidders were corporate executives. Some were looking to curry favor with the Shaw Group, while others truly desired the watch. The hammer fell at 1.5 million dors. The auction sped through lot after lot, its pace quickening, until a rare historical tome, donated by Owen, came up. Hannah, an avid reader, immediately raised her paddle and called out, ¡°150 thousand dors.¡± ¡°Three hundred thousand dors.¡± The bid came from Martin. Hannah was taken aback and didn¡¯t bid again. She believed Martin was nning to invite her to Mandino University. He probably knew she loved rare books, so he was bidding on this one to give to h¨¦r. Feeling ted, Hannah sessfully bid on two pieces of jewelry for Elena. The charity auction was drawing to a close, with only two lots remaining. The grand finale was a stunning jewelry masterpiece sculpted by Selina. The penultimate lot was brought onto the stage, veiled beneath a red velvet drape. This move caught everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°It looks like a painting.¡± ¡°What painting is so special that they¡¯re saving it forst?¡± The auctioneer strode to center stage and, with a dramatic flourish, unveiled the red velvet drape. ¡°Look! Isn¡¯t this Mono¡¯s painting?¡± Someone gasped in shock. Many in the audience sprang to their feet in shock. Mono ceased painting many years ago, and his works were never for sale. Of the only five paintings in existence, two were disyed in museums, one was held by the Fine Art Society, and the remaining two were treasured in private collections. This painting was one of those held in private collections. It seemed impossible that Mono¡¯s painting actually appeared at the charity auction event. The auctioneer announced, ¡°Everyone, this painting is not Mono¡¯s original work;. It¡¯s a replica.¡± Many suspected it was a replica. If it were the original, it would surely be the final auction item. Uriah, the esteemed artist, rose and inquired, ¡°May I approach the stage for a closer look?¡± The auctioneer nodded. ¡°Certainly, Mr. Preston. Please go ahead.¡± Uriah stepped onto the stage and carefully examined the painting with a portable microscope. The entire hall held its breath; not a single sound disturbed the silence. AD Comment Again Marriage 162 Chapter 162 After ten minutes of careful examination, Uriah finally eximed, ¡°This painting was finished only recently. There¡¯s no doubt, it¡¯s not an engine by Mono.¡± ¡°However, this artist demonstrates exceptional skill and a profound grasp of Mono¡¯s style. If this weren¡¯t a copy of the privately held Snow At Dusk but an entirely original piece, even ! would struggle to authenticate whether it was Mono¡¯s work or not.¡± Countless artists had attempted to replicate Mono¡¯s works, but while they might achieve a superficial resemnce, they failed to capture his essence Experts could spot a fake within ten seconds. Yet this time, Uriah spent a full ten minutes scrutinizing the painting. Liam stared at the stage in shock, instinctively ncing at Aria. Her donated lot hadn¡¯t even appeared yet. He wondered. ¡®Could this painting be hers too?¡® Uriah turned to the auctioneer and asked, ¡°Who donated this painting?¡± The auctioneer checked the list and announced, ¡°Aria Saxon.¡± Someone scoffed, ¡°How is that possible? She didn¡¯t even go to school. Since when could she paint?¡± A sneering guest muttered, ¡°She¡¯s a divorced woman who was thrown out by the Saxon family. How could someone like her possibly paint something this good? She must have bought it from someone else.¡± The room buzzed with whispers, every wordced with disdain for Aria. Logan and Zoe burned with humiliation and anger, and just as they were about to respond, someone beat them to it. ¡°Silence!¡± Martin¡¯s authoritative voice rang out, instantly hushing the entire hall. ¡°Ms. Saxon contributed this painting. Whether or not she painted it herself does not diminish her goodwill in contributing to charity.¡± A corporate executive standing beside her demanded loudly, ¡°Aria, did you paint this yourself?¡± His tone was harsh, practically interrogating her. All eyes in the room turned to Aria. Aria turned her head and snapped, ¡°None of your damn business!¡± The executive¡¯s face darkened. Just then, Owen¡¯s dry, nonchnt voice cut in. ¡°Since when do donors need to disclose the provenance of auction items at charity auctions? Is this a new rule? Was there a memo I missed?¡± Thedy whose face had been treated by Aria retorted sharply, ¡°There are so many auction items, yet you¡¯re all just singling out Aria. Anyone would think she had some personal vendetta against your family!¡± ¡°People nowadays believe every bit of gossip they hear. What a bunch of petty busybodies!¡± ¡°Seriously! Who gave you the right to ask where the painting came from?¡± 1 The executive hadn¡¯t expected such fierce pushback. He immediately shrank into himself, not daring to utter another word. ¡°The starting bid is sixteen thousand dors,¡± the auctioneer announced solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll bid 1.5 million dors!¡± Selina directly raised the price a hundredf?ld. Martin smiled faintly. ¡°Ms. Grive, I¡¯m not letting you have it so easily this time.¡± Chapter 162 Highest bid wins Martin called out, ¡°Three million dors!¡± Uriah also joined the bidding war, ¡°Four million dors!¡± Uriah called out, raising the stakes, ¡°Ten million dors!¡± The bidding grew frenzied as more voices joined in, swiftly surpassing the final prices of all previous lots. Elena fumed, ¡°Have they all lost their minds? Bidding so high for a replica?¡± Hannah was equally perplexed. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just trying to stick up for Aria. After all, she had a rough life.¡± Zoe raised her paddle and dered, ¡°Thirty million dors!¡± Whether or not it was painted by her daughter, Zoe was determined to buy it back. Everyone was shocked. No matter how they thought about it, thirty million for a replica was not worth it. Almost no one continued bidding. The crowd exchanged nces, whispering excitedly about the Saxon family¡¯s situation. They had disowned Aria, yet here they were spending 30 million dors on her painting, their own daughter¡¯s work, of all things. That¡¯s just bizarre. Martin didn¡¯t have much to his name and was out of the running early on. Watching the numbers climb, he couldn¡¯t help but wish he¡¯d saved more over the years. Just as the crowd expected the bidding to close at 30 million dors, Owen smirked and called out, ¡°Sixty¨Csix million dors!¡± Kim frowned at him and said sharply, ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Owen replied coolly, ¡°Not your money, anyway.¡± Kim fell silent. Kim wondered, ¡®What¡¯s with Owen? Why does he always have to go against them?¡® Logan¡¯s face darkened. Zoe raised her paddle and called out, ¡°One hundred million dors!¡± Again Marriage 163 Chapter 163 Owen drawled, ¡°One hundred and thirty million dors.¡± The crowd was stunned. The other items were only going up by tens or hundreds of thousands dors, but these two were raising the stakes by and. million at a time. They wondered how deep their pockets were. But this is just a replica, not the original. it to you. Aria couldn¡¯t stay seated any longer. She turned to Owen and said bluntly, ¡°If you like it that much, I can just give it to Owen smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯m an admirer of Mono¡¯s work.¡± His reply left her with no room to argue. Zoe was about to raise the bid again when Logan grasped her wrist. ¡°Zoe, don¡¯t be rash.¡± In the end, the replica painting sold for a staggering 130 million dors¨Cmore than thebined total of all previous auction items. Someone lowered their voice and whispered, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s something going on between Owen and Aria?¡± ¡°Come on, no way. A divorc¨¦e like Aria could ever be worthy of Mr. Shaw.¡± ¡°But rumor has it Mrs. Shaw is quite fond of Aria¨Cand she¡¯s even trying to y matchmaker for the two of them!¡± ¡°Looks like the Shaw family have finally weed Aria into the family.¡± They never saw that p in the faceing so fast. Aria and Kim went head¨Cto¨Chead in a heated auction battle for Selina¡¯s diamond ne. The bidding had already reached eighty¨Ctwo million dors. Kim had budgeted fifteen million dors at most, never expecting Aria to swoop in and drive the bidding up this high. ¡°One hundred million dors.¡± The crowd gasped in disbelief. ¡°Are the Shaws really this loaded? The younger brother just dropped 130 million dors on a replica painting, and now the older brother is bidding 100 million dors for a ne!¡± Two hundred thirty million dors were gone in one night. ¡°One hundred and thirty million dors.¡± And then, someone even crazier, The hall fell into stunned silence. Now it all made sense why these two lots were saved for the grand finale. At this moment, Liam couldn¡¯t help but feel a waye of relief. ¡®Thank God we¡¯re already divorced. With Aria¡¯s reckless spending habits, even the entire Cole Group wouldn¡¯t be enough to keep up with her!¡® Kim knitted his brows, a surge of frustration welling up inside him. ¡°One hundred and fifty million dors!¡± ¡°Two hundred million dors!¡± Aria called out without hesitation. Selina was so startled that she leaped up from her seat, urgently grabbing Martin¡¯s wrist. ¡°Do you have that girl¡¯s number? Text her right now, tell her to Chapter 163 stop bidding! I¡¯ll make one for her privately, and she can exchange it for one of her paintings Martin nodded and quickly pulled out his phone to text. As he typed, he couldn¡¯t help thinking, Man, this girl is really loaders Kim felt choked with anger, his chest so tight that he could barely breathe or swallow it down. Owen found it intriguing to see his elder brother disying emotions so openly. It was a rare sight indeed. ¡°Kim, still in the game?¡± Kim gritted out, ¡°Two hundred million.¡± Just as Aria was about to speak, Martin, seated in the front row, turned around. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he gave her a meaningful look and urgently gestured toward his phone, signaling her to check it. Aria nced down at Martin¡¯s message. The spectators were stunned to see that Martin actually knew Aria. They wondered what kind of text message he had just sent her. From her seat in the fourth row, Hannah watched the scene unfold, instinctively clenching her fists. Hannah thought to herself, ¡°It probably isn¡¯t what I¡¯m imagining.¡± Martin hade today specifically to invite her, as the auction was drawing to a close. Aria raised her head and dered coolly, ¡°Two hundred and fifty million.¡± Martin grew anxious. ¡®Why is this girl still raising the bid?¡® Kim¡¯s face darkened, his jaw clenched as he ground out, ¡°Three hundred million.¡± ¡®One more bid from her and I¡¯m out!¡® he thought, determination shing in his eyes. Aria rose and gave a slight smile. With a yful smile, she said, ¡°Since you¡¯re such an admirer of Ms. Grive¡¯s work, I¡¯ll stop. Three hundred million¨Cwhat a generous contribution to charity! Thank you, Mr. Shaw.¡± Kim fell silent. Three hundred million dors. Selina¡¯s work sold for such a high price for the first time. Despite the unexpected oue, the charity auction g wrapped up on a high note. Again Marriage 164 Chapter 164 The diamond ne was handed to Kim. Selina walked up to him with a smile and said, ¡°Mr. Shaw, now I¡¯m convinced you¡¯re truly my devoted fan.¡± Whenever Selina released a new piece, Kim would splurge on it without hesitation. Many spected he was buying them for a secret lover, yet no one was ever seen wearing his purchases¨Cnot even in photographs. It seemed he was driven by pure collector¡¯s passion. ¡°Your craftsmanship is superb and definitely worth collecting,¡± Kim said. Selina chuckled, ¡°The finest craftsmanship merely creates ornaments. Only when worn do they reveal their true splendor.¡± No artist wanted their painstakingly crafted masterpieces to remain hidden forever, not even Selina. She hoped her creations would adorn women. Learning of Kim¡¯s underhanded tactics, Selina deliberately sold her pieces to other buyers. Yet he always managed to acquire them, and then they¡¯d vanish from the market forever. Seeing Kim finally get the short end of the stick, Selina felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. Selina turned to Aria, took out her phone with a smile, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s swap contact info. Send me your address, and I¡¯ll send you mytest creation in a few days.¡± Now, Kim understood the reason why Aria had given up bidding. Kim couldn¡¯t help thinking, ¡®Why do I feel so off all of a sudden?¡® After adding her number, Aria asked, ¡°Ms. Grive, which of Mono¡¯s paintings is your favorite?¡± Selina nced at the painting in Owen¡¯s hand and countered, ¡°Is Mono the only artist you can imitate?¡± ¡°Yes, the paintings by other artists don¡¯t have copyright.¡± Selina couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and asked, ¡°Did you really paint this yourself?¡± ¡°Yes¡± She painted it. Owen nced down at the painting in his hand, relieved he¡¯d managed to snatch it. Selina pressed further, ¡°May I have one of your paintings?¡± Aria paused for a moment. ¡°My painting¡­ is somewhat strange.¡± Selina grew even more curious and smiled, saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as you painted it.¡± Logan and Zoe stood nearby, watching their daughter with a mix of joy and sorrow. 1 They were happy to see her thriving independently, yet heartbroken at havingpletely lost their daughter. Kim didn¡¯t linger. He had barely taken a few steps when Hannah blocked his path. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Kim. I¡¯ve caused trouble for you.¡± He frowned. ¡°What does this have to do with you?¡± Hannah sighed with feigned resignation and said helplessly, ¡°Kim, Aria hates me. She knows we¡¯re close, and even though she knew how much you 11:03 Wed, 4 Jun M waste admire Selina, she still deliberately drove up the price, making you so much money for nothing.¡± Kim shot her a strange look. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking this.¡± Just now, he¡¯d assumed Aria was raising the bid out of spite because of their conflict that night. But Selina¡¯s words made him realize how petty minded he¡¯d been, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit foolish. It turned out she was only after Selina¡¯s work all along. Hannah put on a guilt¨Cridden look. ¡°You don¡¯t have tofort me, Kim.¡± Kim fell silent. ¡°Fine,¡± Kim said, brushing past her. Hannah was momentarily thrown off by Kim¡¯s reaction, but she had no time to dwell on it. Martin and Albert were already heading her way. Havingposed herself, Elena urged Hannah, ¡°I¡¯ve heard Martin came specifically to invite you. Go greet him now!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Hannah replied. Hannah straightened her posture, smoothed her hair, and strode over with a confident click of her heels. Martin was about to speak to Aria when a voice cut in. ¡°Professor Schmidt, I¡¯ve made my decision. I ept your offer,¡± Hannah said. Martin was interrupted and looked displeased. He was just about to demand, ¡°Who are you?¡± when Albert beat him to it, asking excitedly, ¡°Hannah, does this mean you¡¯ve agreed to be a graduate advisor at Mandino University?¡± Hannah smiled gracefully and said, ¡°Yes, thank you, Professor Schmidt and Professor Clinton, for recognizing my qualifications. I¡¯ll step down from Kerano Global Health to be a dedicated graduate advisor at Mandino University.¡± Again Marriage 165 Chapter 165 Her words stopped the departing crowd in their tracks. ¡°Wait, Professor Schmidt actually invited Hannah to be a graduate advisor at Mandino University? Seriously? She doesn¡¯t even have the credentials for that!¡± ¡°They¡¯re really ying with these kids¡® futures here.¡± Elena immediately shot back, ¡°My daughter¨Cinw is a distinguished professor at Kerano Global Health! She¡¯s more than qualified to be a graduate advisor!¡± The crowd was stunned. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Hannah just a team leader? When did she be a professor?¡± Even Liam was stunned. He rushed to his mother¡¯s side. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s going on?¡± Seeing how shocked Liam was, Albert looked a little puzzled. Turning to Hannah, he asked, ¡°Hannah, if I reveal it myself, that wouldn¡¯t be considered breaking Kerano Global Health¡¯s confidentiality agreement, would it?¡± Hannah parted her lips slightly, but no words came out. Taking her silence as consent, Albert announced to everyone, ¡°Everyone, Mandino University has indeed extended an invitation to Professor Colton from Kerano Global Health to serve as a graduate advisor. Miss Gibson was bound by a confidentiality agreement and couldn¡¯t reveal her identity before, but now that she has agreed to join us. There¡¯s no need for secrecy any longer.¡± Shock rippled through the crowd. A guest gasped, ¡°Professor Colton? The one who led the research team that developed the pro¨Cvirus inhibitor?¡± The Pro¨Cvirus originated in Erennd and was highly contagious, with casualties mounting in the hundreds, even thousands. Even domestically, a small outbreak had already begun. Under Professor Colton¡¯s leadership, Kerano Global Health developed the inhibitor and rushed it back without dy, saving countless lives both at home and in Erennd. ¡°If Hannah was really Professor Colton, then the beauty cream allergy incident needs reevaluation. With her credentials, she¡¯d have no reason to lie about something like that.¡± ¡°Exactly! Professor Colton is a national hero in Erennd. If anyone dares question her credentials, the Erennders would tear us apart!¡± One of thedies absentmindedly touched her face, her eyes clouded with doubt. The thought made her panic. ¡®Could Hannah be right? Even though my face looks fine now, what if it just keepsing back until it¡¯s impossible to cure?¡® She panicked inside and instinctively nced at Aria, only to find her watching calmly, a mocking smile tugging at her lips. Suddenly, thedy recalled that Aria used to go by the name Madelyn Colton. 1 ¡®Wait, could it be that Aria is actually Professor Colton?¡® she thought. Owen caught the subtle shift in Aria¡¯s expression, and in that instant, knew exactly who she was. Shock gave way to admiration. Versatile in both academics andbat, she could save lives as easily as she could end them. 11:03 Wed, 4 Jun She was no longer that hot¨Ctempered, vtile girl she used to be. Hearing the discussion, Liam looked utterly stunned, wondering, ¡®Could Hannah really be Professor Colton? No wonder she didn¡¯t even flinch when she realized her name was missing from the paper. Martin swept a cool nce at Albert and asked, ¡°What makes you so certain she¡¯s Professor His aged voice held a hint of doubt. Albert¡¯s heart skipped a beat, his eyes widening, thinking. ¡®Did I get the wrong person?¡® Martin looked at Hannah with a faint smile. ¡°You¡¯re Hannah Gibson, right?¡± Hannah¡¯s mind was a mess. She gave a stiff nod. ¡°Yes.¡± Colton? Did she admit it herself?¡± ¡°There seems to be a misunderstanding. The person I intended to invite is Professor Colton,¡± Martin said, studying her with increased scrutiny. ¡°Miss Gibson, are you Professor Colton?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Hannah stammered. Hannah clenched her fingers until they turned white, her heart pounding as if trying to escape her chest. Reminding herself to¨Cstick to what she¡¯d told Albert that day, she forced herself to say, ¡°Professor Schmidt, I¡¯m bound by a confidentiality agreement. I really can¡¯t disclose anything.¡± If she weren¡¯t Professor Colton, she could have just denied it outright. This was an implicit admission that she was Professor Colton. Someone in the crowd eximed, ¡°So it really is Hannah!¡± ¡°Wow, she¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°The Gibson family has struck gold! With this status alone, they can partner with anypany in Erennd.¡± AD 1 Comment Again Marriage 166 Chapter 166 With the release of the protease inhibitors, every major corporation in Erennd publicly pledged to offer free coboration channels whenever Professor Colton needed themt Liam grabbed Hannah¡¯s hand, his voice trembling with excitement. ¡°Hannah, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re Professor Colton! Your name wasn¡¯t even on the protease inhibitors paper. I actually sent aint letter to Kerano Global Health about it. I¡¯ll withdraw it the moment we get back.¡± Joining Kerano Global Health must have taken tremendous effort. Whatever respect Martin had for Hannah was nowpletely gone. Albert had always assumed that Professor Colton was Hannah, but now he wasn¡¯t so sure. He turned to Martin and asked, ¡°Mr. Schmidt, you said Professor Colton declined Mandino University¡¯s invitation. So it¡¯s not Hannah, is it?¡± Hearing this, Hannah¡¯s heart leapt into her throat. It turned out Martin actually knew who Professor Colton was all along. Hannah pressed a hand to her racing heart and blurted out, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not me! Professor Clinton, I¡¯m bound by a confidentiality agreement and can¡¯t reveal who Professor Colton is. I thought you were inviting me. It turns out it was just a misunderstanding.¡± The crowd¡¯s admiring gazes instantly turned to contempt. Someone in the crowd scoffed, ¡°Wait, if she¡¯s not Professor Colton, then what exactly was she trying so hard to deny just now?¡± Someone in the crowd scoffed, ¡°She only denied it after Professor Clinton said Professor Colton turned down Mandino University¡¯s invitation. What does that tell you?¡± The jeering voices pierced through Hannah, sending a throbbing pain through her head and making her cheeks flush with shame. She lowered her gaze and blurted out, her voice trembling, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Schmidt. It¡¯s my fault for not exining sooner and causing this misunderstanding.¡± Martin gave a cryptic chuckle. ¡°Ms. Gibson, do be more precise with your words next time. We wouldn¡¯t want any misunderstandings.¡± He added, ¡°See? Professor Clinton got the wrong idea.¡± Albert¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment, his gaze toward Hannah now devoid of its previous fatherly warmth. All it took was a simple ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± but she had to be deliberately vague. Hannah hurriedly responded, ¡°Yes,¡± though a sh of resentment flickered in her lowered gaze. Under the lights, Liam¡¯s expression darkened. He stared at Hannah, his eyes flickering with shock and suspicion. Just like everyone else, Liam wondered. ¡®Why hadn¡¯t Hannah denied it immediately?¡® Even he got it wrong. ¡®She knew who Professor Colton is all along? Then why did she never tell me?¡® Liam wondered. Martin took a couple of steps aside and presented Aria with the rare historical manuscript donated by Owen. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯ve heard of your passion for reading. I¡¯d like you to have this rare manuscript.¡± 1 Hannah¡¯s forced smile froze on her face. She had her eye on this book, assuming Martin would win the auction for her. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t ce any further bids. But, he actually gave it to Aria. ¡°Why, of all people, did he give it to Aria?¡± Hannah grumbled. An unbelievable thought shed through her mind. She pursed her lips, refusing to ept it. ¡°He way. I must be overthinking this Aria had heard of Martin, but she¡¯d never met him. She¡¯d just found out he was the elderly man in the security booth who get emotional wenching TV dramas. She knew Martin wanted to invite her to Manding University, But she was afraid she wasn¡¯t suited to be an advisor. Aria epted the rare manuscript with a gentle smile. ¡°Mr. Schmidt, would you like a replica painting by Morio? You may choose any plece you prefer.¡± Refusing an elder¡¯s gift directly would be impolite, so she chose to offer something in return. Martin understood her intention, but he still persisted. ¡°Ms. Saxon, please reconsider. You may choose to supervise either master¡¯s or PhD students, whichever you prefer.¡± The moment those words were spoken, the whole room erupted in an uproar. ¡°Mr. Schmidt invited Aria? So she¡¯s Professor Colton?¡± ¡°No way! This is straight out of a drama!¡± The discussion didn¡¯t faze Aria at all. She smiled and quipped, ¡°Mr. Schmidt, I¡¯m good at fighting, but teaching is not really my thing¡± Martin chuckled, making his point without pressing further. ¡°You¡¯re just too modest and low¨Ckey. That¡¯s why everyone thinks they can take what¡¯s rightfully yours.¡± The realization finally dawned on everyone present. Aria really was Professor Colton. ¡°Wow, the Saxons must be kicking a big hit now,¡± someone in the crowd muttered. Again Marriage 167 N ds Chapter 167 ¡°Wow, who would¡¯ve thought Professor Colton was actually the seemingly ordinary Arial Guess you can¡¯t trust rumors after all!¡± ¡°Rumors are indeed unreliable. Aria is actually the majority shareholder of the Stars Group and wields significant influence. Many hoping to coborate with thepany have been reaching out to her discreetly.¡± Someone in the crowd gasped, ¡°No way, she¡¯s got that kind of connection too?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. She¡¯s also friends with Cloe from Amour Bistro, and she even holds their prestigious First¨Css VIP Card!¡± The more they uncovered about Aria¡¯s identities, the wilder the crowd grew with excitement. Someone in the crowd eximed, ¡°We used the beauty cream Hannah gave us and broke out in terrible rashes! We went to several hospitals but none could help, yet Aria cured us in just one week. She¡¯s absolutely Professor Colton!¡± ¡°Now Aria is this incredible, the Saxons who cut ties with her must really be kicking themselves!¡± ¡°Logan and Zoe must be kicking themselves now. Their daughter had blossomed into someone truly remarkable right under their noses, yet they¡¯d beenpletely oblivious.¡± Yet instead of understanding her, their constant misunderstandings only drove her further away. Hannah snapped out of her daze. ¡®Madelyn Colton! No way! She¡¯s Professor Colton?¡® Hannah thought in disbelief. ¡®Did she really write that research note? But she¡¯s supposed to be uneducated, how could she possibly conduct such advanced research? I refuse to believe it!¡® Liam was equally in disbelief. ¡®If Aria really is Professor Colton, why didn¡¯t she reveal it sooner?¡® ¡®If she loved me enough to risk her life to save me, then why didn¡¯t shee to save me when she knew I was fighting for my life on the front lines?¡± ¡®If I¡¯d known she were this foolish, I never would¡¯ve tied myself to her in the first ce. I also shouldn¡¯t have wasted the effort to save her. Was it a waste of effort to save me?¡® ¡®Could it be¡­ Liam thought in disbelief. ¡®No way¡­ Hannah was the first person I saw when I woke up. She¡¯s the one who¡¯s been looking after me all along.¡¯ Amid the flurry of voices, Hannah couldn¡¯t get a word in edgewise. That¡¯s how the misunderstanding arose. Hannah had been innocent all along. Thinking of the paper, Liam¡¯s face darkened. He fixed Aria with a cold stare. ¡°Since you¡¯re Professor Colton, then exin this. Why isn¡¯t Hannah¡¯s name on the protease inhibitors paper?¡± ¡°She worked day and night in theb and finally figured out the finalponent. What gives you the right to im all the credit for yourself?¡± he demanded. His usations rang out loud and clear, dripping with confusion and resentment. Aria turned her head with a cold sneer. ¡°Was she the one who tested the final drug? Are you really sure about that?¡± Liam said heatedly, ¡°All the medical staff present were witnesses, and the lead instructor even wrote her a rmendation let got into Kerano Global Health and became team leader!¡± at¡¯s how Hannah Liam snapped, ¡°Hannah clearly made the biggest contribution. Fine, you took all the credit, but you didn¡¯t even include her name on the research Veu, 4 JUNI paper!¡± ¡°Aria, you¡¯ve gone too fart¡± Liam shouted angrily. The crowd was stunned yet again, wondering how there could still be such hidden depths. ¡°Wait, so Hannah was actually the main contributor to the development of the protease inhibitors, and Aria just took credit for her work?¡± Hannah gently squeezed Liam¡¯s hand and sighed. ¡°Let it go. As long as we can save those suffering from the epidemic, it doesn¡¯t matter who gets the cr¨¦dit.¡± Even in this situation, Hannah still tried to save Aria¡¯s face, but Aria just sneered at them, as if they were the ones in the wrong Liam fumed with anger. ¡°Aria, everyone says you¡¯ve been working around the clock for the Cole Group. So when did you ever have time to go to Erennd and develop those protease inhibitors?¡± He pressed further, ¡°You should never have erased Hannah¡¯s name! I¡¯ll take this straight to Kerano Global Health and make them answer for it?¡± Aria sneered coldly. ¡°First, I was on a three¨Cmonth business trip to Erennd. Second, the protease inhibitors were the work of twenty¨Cthree researchers. Hannah never even set foot in theb. Do you really expect me to believe she single¨Chandedly developed it? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Aria shot back, her tone icy. ¡°As for that so¨Ccalled the team leader you mentioned. Go ahead, call right now and ask!¡± Again Marriage 168 m nodded. ¡°Got it!¡± He took out his phone, but Hannah quickly stopped him. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go this far. Even without me, they could have developed the inhibitors. Don¡¯t bother the professor just for some empty academic glory.¡± Someone sneered, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Miss Gibson? Too scared to make the call? Or is it a guilty conscience?¡± Hannah frowned at the source of the voice, her tone turning razor¨Csharp. ¡°And why should I have to justify myself to you?¡± ¡°Katrina,¡± Hannah said, ¡°I know you like Griffin, but I don¡¯t. There¡¯s no need to take it out on me because of that.¡± Katrina mmed the table in fury and snapped, ¡°What the fuck are you spouting? Keep talking nonsense and l¡¯it rip your mouth off Her mother pped her daughter¡¯s hand away, her eyes shing with severity. ¡°Watch yournguage!¡± Katrina bit down hard on her lip, her face set in stubborn defiance. The Ward family of Mandino City were just a minor family who had finally managed to hitch their wagon to the mighty Palmer family. There was no way they would allow their daughter to break off the engagement. Griffin Palmer, known as Griffin, shot back, ¡°You don¡¯t even like me, so why are you always picking on Hannah?¡± He was Zoe¡¯s nephew. Griffin pursued Hannah passionately from middle school through college, making no secret of his feelings. Standing next to Hannah, Griffin gave Aria azy, mocking look. ¡°Come on, Aria, stop stealing Hannah¡¯s credit. Clear this up and give her the credit she deserves. Do that, and maybe I¡¯ll even help get you into the Saxon family register.¡± Aria shot him a cold re. ¡°Who let this mutt in? Piss off.¡± Griffin¡¯s face darkened with anger. Before he could retort, a strong hand grabbed his cor and yanked him backward. Annoyed, he whipped his head around. It was his aunt and uncle. His face instantly brightened with a practiced smile. ¡°Uncle! Aunt! Griffin called out. Zoe shot him a sharp re. ¡°Griffin, how dare you side with outsiders against your own cousin? One word to your father and your allowance gets cut off!¡± Griffin muttered, ¡°I stand with what¡¯s right, not just with family.¡± Aria¡¯s gaze was steady. ¡°Don¡¯t im kinship. I don¡¯t know you.¡± She turned to Hannah and Liam. ¡°You two, why haven¡¯t you contacted the team leader yet?¡± Katrina mocked, ¡°Without a shred of evidence, you¡¯re just spreading lies with that mouth of yours and acting all righteous. How shameless can you be? Truly, shameless people rule the world.¡± The g?owd regarded them with mild disdain. Liam red at Aria. ¡°Still ying tough? Watch/me call right now!¡± Hannah¡¯s heart sank as she saw him open his phone. ¡°If I try to stop him again, it¡¯ll just backfire,¡± she thought. Chapter 168 Unlike Hannah, who was visibly anxious, Liam appeared perfectly , as if he had already anticipated the butter Almost immediately, the video call was answered. ¡°Professor Wace, this is Liant speaking.¡± Liam spoke loudly to make it easy for everyone to hear. ¡°I know.¡± Liam noticed the professor was absorbed in her work and didn¡¯t even nce his way. ¡°Apologies for disturbing you, Professor, but this is urgent and I had no choice but to reach out.¡± His voice was thick with apology. Ava nced up and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Liam turned the camera toward Aria and asked, ¡°Professor, I remember you¡¯ve met Professor Colton before. Is that her?¡± Aria looked at the screen. On the screen appeared a woman in her fifties, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Seeing Aria, she looked startled and instinctively raised her hand across the bridge of her own nose, shielding her face and leaving only her eyes visible Ava gasped in surprise. ¡°Colton?¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Professor.¡± Hearing her voice, Ava immediately recognized her and asked excitedly, ¡°Colton? Is that really you? You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied. Again Marriage 169 Chapter 169 ¡°Lance mentioned you¡¯ve stepped away from Kerano Global Health for now. Since you¡¯re between positions, would you be interested in joining, Mooney University as a faculty member?¡± Mooney University was one of Erennd¡¯s oldest and most prestigious institutions, world¨Crenowned for its achievements in medicine, it was also considered one of the toughest universities for international students to get into. Landing a professorship at Mooney University carried far more prestige than being a research supervisor at Mandino University. Hearing that someone was trying to poach Aria, Martin couldn¡¯t stay silent. ¡°Ava, I invited Professor Colton first. Don¡¯t try to poach her from me.¡± Ava snorted disdainfully. ¡°Let¡¯s keep it fair. May the best one win.¡± Liam, surprised by how much Ava valued Aria, quickly cut to the chase. ¡°Professor, when it came to developing the protease inhibitors, wasn¡¯t it Hannah who finalized thestponent and gave you her notes?¡± On the screen, Ava¡¯s expression froze for a beat before instantly smoothing over. ¡°Indeed.¡± Hearing this, Hannah finally felt the tension in her chest ease a little. Liam¡¯s face lit up with delight. ¡°Professor Wace, Aria, that is, Professor Colton. has published the paper on protease inhibitors, but she omitted Hannah¡¯s name from the credits.¡± He continued, ¡°It¡¯s one thing for Professor Colton to take all the credit and put her own name first, but she can¡¯t just erase everything Hannah did. Professor, please help us set the record straight and make sure Hannah gets the recognition she deserves!¡± Ava scoffed and suddenly shot back, ¡°I don¡¯t even me her for deceiving me, but you actually have the audacity to ask me to testify for you?¡± The atmosphere froze instantly. Hannah¡¯s face went rigid as overwhelming panic set in. She stepped forward, trying to keep her voice steady. ¡°Professor Wace, there must be some misunderstanding. The notes I gave you can be verified by handwriting analysis. They were definitely written by me.¡± Hannah reached out to snatch the phone from Liam¡¯s hand. But someone was quicker and snatched the phone away. It was Owen. Owen¡¯s demeanor was gentle, his expression calm, yet his words carried an icy edge. He looked at Hannah and said, ¡°Why the rush to hang up? Afraid Professor Wace might say something inconvenient for you?¡± Hannah¡¯s lips trembled. ¡®Why would Owen help Aria?¡® But if she really hung up now, everyone would just assume she had something to hide. She couldn¡¯t freak out. She had to stay calm. Though puzzled by Hannah¡¯s abrupt ending of the video call, Liam still chose to stand by her. 1 ¡°Give me back the phone,¡± Liam demanded. He reached out to grab the phone, but Aria seized his wrist and flung it aside. ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Owen turned to the screen with a faint smile. ¡°Please continue, Professor Wace.¡± Owen deliberately angled the screen toward the crowd, ensuring everyone could see Ava¡¯s expression clearly. Ava¡¯s face hardened with disgust. ¡°The moment the protease inhibitors were ready, Kerano Global Health immediately misbilized major hospital? ma gather herbal ingredients. Professor Colton rushed to the frontlines with equipment and materials, dumping the entire production protocol on my desk She said coldly, ¡°She was in a hurry to go elsewhere, so we didn¡¯t meet face to face. It was you who took that original document, rewrote it, and let me new version on my desk. You even emitted many details and disguised it to look like notes for me.¡± She sneered. ¡°I¡¯ve known all along that it was Professor Colton who led the team in developing the protease inhibitors.* Upon seeing those notes, she immediately recognized Hannah¡¯s academic dishonesty. Still, Hannah was an exceptionally talented researcher who worked tirelessly to care for patients and help produce inhibitors. Ava had always noticed how hard Hannah worked, and deep down, she hoped to steer the girl back onto the right path. ¡°Actually, I had written the rmendation letter for Kerano Global Health a long time ago. I chose to keep it a secret to give you a chance, hoping you¡¯de to your senses in time. What a pity you didn¡¯t cherish the opportunity. Since you returned to the country, you have ceased to be a Kerano Global Health researcher!¡± Liam froze on the spot, unable to believe his ears. Again Marriage 170 Chapter 170 ¡®Did Hannah lie to me?¡® Liam wondered. ¡®Was the inhibitor really developed by Aria and her team? Did Aria go to the front lines? Then the one who saved me¡­ Liam looked at Aria, fragmented memories flooding his mind and leaving his thoughts in utter chaos. Katrina sneered, ¡°So you¡¯re not just a homewrecker, but a thief too?¡± Hannah snapped, ¡°Shut up!¡± Hannah raised her voice, staring into the camera. ¡°Professor Wace, those notes were written based on my own experiments! I never even saw Professor Colton¡¯s research notes. I didn¡¯t even know she¡¯d been in theb! I always thought you used my notes to develop the inhibitor. No one ever told me it was Professor Colton who made it. I can quit Kerano Global Health, but I won¡¯t ept this false usation!¡± She insisted, ¡°I barely slept three hours a day. I had friends back home prepare herbal medicine and send it to the front lines. I did countless experiments and filled several notebooks! I can send all my notes and herbal medicine purchase records to Kerano Global Health to prove my innocence. I swear! never saw that missing research note!¡± ¡°Professor Wace,¡± Hannah pleaded, her voice trembling, ¡°You were my mentor throughout my studies abroad. Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± Ava fell silent for a moment, surprised by this unexpectedyer to the situation. Aria¡¯s research notes were printed, leaving multiple copies. She clearly remembered that there were significant oveps between Hannah¡¯s notes and Aria¡¯s research notes. But it still didn¡¯t prove Hannah stole the research notes. Maybe she had misjudged this girl. Seeing Ava¡¯s expression soften, Hannah turned to Aria and said solemnly, ¡°Aria. I formally apologize to you. I was mistaken about you.¡± She admitted honestly, ¡°I know how the inhibitor was developed. When I saw the herbalponents were almost exactly what I had in mind, I just assumed my notes had made a difference. Honestly, it never urred to me that you were the one leading the team behind it all.¡± Griffin grumbled, ¡°So this whole thing was just a misunderstanding, huh?¡± Someone in the crowd gasped, ¡°Wait. Aria needed a whole team to develop the inhibitor, but Hannah pulled it off all by herself? Doesn¡¯t that make Hannah way more impressive than Aria?¡± ¡°But what about the missing research notes? Who can prove Hannah didn¡¯t take them?¡± ¡°But Hannah does have proof that she developed it herself,¡± someone argued, ¡°Show us the evidence!¡± someone demanded. The crowd buzzed with spection. Ava sighed. ¡°Hannah, I know you¡¯ve been dedicated to your research on the inhibitor. It was my own bias that led me to misjudge you from the start. I¡¯m sorry! Having spent nearly a year at Kerano Global Health, Hannah couldn¡¯t possibly have been unaware of what was going on. Without concrete evidence, Ava couldn¡¯t press the matter further. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll exin the situation to Kerano Global Health.¡± 1 Hannah¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. ¡°There¡¯s no need, Professor. Since I¡¯ve already withdrawn, it just proves Kerano Global Health and i weren¡¯t meant to be.¡± She swallowed hard. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to build my career here at home, so I won¡¯t be going back to Erennd.¡± ¡°I respect your decision.¡± ¡°Thank you, Professor.¡± If she ever returned to Kerano Global Health, she knew she¡¯d only be aughingstock. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯tpare to Aria, so she didn¡¯t need to go back and make a fool of herself. Ava looked at Aria again and said, ¡°Aria, take your time to think it over. Mooney University will always wee you The video call ended. Hannah wiped away her tears, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. Though the confrontation was dramatic, this video call undeniably confirmed Aria¡¯s true identity. She was a professor that even Mooney University was trying to recruit her. with open arms.¡± Martin said warmly, ¡°Aria, if you¡¯re willing, you could also join Mandino University as a professor. We may not be as prestigious as Mooney, but at least you could stay in the country. And if you want to pursue research on herbal medicine, we¡¯ll make sure you have everything you need.¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°Sorry, Professor Schmidt. I¡¯m not that strong academically, and I¡¯m not really cut out for mentoring students.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 171 Chapter 171 Martin waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll handle all the academic matters. You just focus on your research.¡± Aria fell silent. ¡®n¡¯d be rude to refuse again! She thought. ¡°Then, could I have some time to think it over?¡± Aria said politely. Martin could barely suppress a grin. ¡°Wright be looking forward to your positive answer.¡± With the drama over, the crowd began to disperse Unable to hold back any longer, Zoe called out to her daughter. Forcing back tears, she managed a smile. ¡°Aria, sweetheart, next month¡¯s your birthday Will youe home for it?¡± Aria said tly, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that pitiful look, Mom. It makes it seem like I¡¯ve been living in misery since leaving you. I¡¯ve been doing perfectly fine on my own. No need for a birthday celebration. I have my own circle.¡± She turned and walked away without looking back. Zoe once once again dissolved into a weeping mess, while Logan¡¯s eyes stung with unshed tears. After spending a month at her parents house, Aria headed over to the Cole family¡¯s residence. They had never celebrated her birthday. In the parking Hannah sobbed. ¡°Liam, I¡¯m so hurt. Why doesn¡¯t anyone believe me?¡± Hannah clung to Liam, her face streaked with tears. Liam held her in aforting embrace, his mind filled with questions. Hannah clearly had no idea Aria was Professor Colton, yet she insisted she couldn¡¯t say anything because she¡¯d signed a confidentiality agreement. Liam told her the paper didn¡¯t include her name, yet she showed no surprise or anger as if she¡¯d known all along. And he began to wonder who had actually saved him. If Aria hadn¡¯t gone to the front lines, he¡¯d be sure it was Hannah who saved him. But Aria had been there too. However, Hannah would never use the harsh word to scold him. But Aria would. Liam closed his eyes, forcing down the doubts swirling in his mind. There was no turning back now. He was ready divorced Aria houldn¡¯t doubt Hannah¡¯s love for him.. ¡°it¡¯s okay. You¡¯ve quit, and that¡¯s that,¡± Leaning against Liam¡¯s chest, Hannah¡¯s eyes shed with malice. There were still twenty¨Ctwo other researchers, yet everyone only remembered Aria. That so¨Ccalled ¡°leading the team was nothing more than giving orders. A Had clearly contributed the least. if she had been able to enter a top¨Ctierbs, she could have developed the inhibitor ton, Hannah¡¯s eyes shed with resentment. Wiping away her tears, Hannah looked up at Liam and asked softly, ¡°Do you still want to join Kerano Global Health?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let my quitting change your mind,¡± Hannah said gently. ¡°I¡¯ll stand by whatever you decide.¡± Liam¡¯s expression was troubled. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± Joining Kerano Global Health had always been his dream, but now that Hannah had left, everything felt different. Hannah looked up at him: ¡°Follow your heart. I¡¯d never want you to regret your choice.¡± Hannah was even more afraid that Liam might choose the other path. if he regretted itter, he would definitely me her, thinking her withdrawal swayed his decision and drove a wedge between them. Liam hesitated for a couple of seconds before making his decision ¡°1stwant to join Kerano Global Health. At most three years, then I¡¯ming home. Hannah smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯ll help you, I¡¯ve already contacted a collector who owns a painting by Mono.¡± ¡°Thanks, Hannah.¡± Owen lounged on the sofa in his bathrobe, his eyes fixed on the painting hanging on the wall. He stared at it for a long time, lost in thought ¡°What if the cleaning maid identally damages the painting?¡± Owen worried. He got up, took down the painting, and hung it in his bedroom instead. It was much better. As he gazed at the painting, he couldn¡¯t help but think of Aria. Owen thought, ¡°What Aria¡¯s up to right now!¡± Fresh out of the shower, Aria contacted Patrick. Patrick messaged. [They saw by saw your ount bnce, looks like they¡¯re really tempted] Hundreds of billions in assets was an irresistible lure, Patrick sent a photo and location Here¡¯s our current location and theyout. [Rhett and I haven¡¯t fully gained their trust yet Aria replied: [GotiL] She saved the location and the image. A few secondster, all of Patrick¡¯s messages vinisher retracted everything he¡¯d just sent her. Again Marriage 172 Chapter 172 Daniel summoned the thire of them hom Liam and Hannah went back to their apartment to change, so they got back a bitte. Danielmended, ¡°know what happened tonight. Since you¡¯re staying in the country, you two should get married as soon as possible and give the Cole family a healthy heir.¡± Daniel didn¡¯t care who Professor Colton was. His only concern was to raise his great grandson in his lifetime, so the boy could one day take over the reins of the Cole Group. Hannah¡¯s expression stiffened. She said, ¡°Then we need to prepare the wedding first¡± Daniel¡¯s face darkened. ¡°It¡¯s your second marriage. What¡¯s the point of throwing a big wedding? isn¡¯t that just tantly telling the world that one of you is a cheater while the other yed homewrecker?¡± Hannah was taken aback by Daniel¡¯s harsh words. Her forced smile faltered as she said weakly, ¡°No, that¡¯s not true.¡± She wasn¡¯t the type to care much about ceremonies, but a wedding only happened once in a woman¡¯s life. If she didn¡¯t hold a wedding, she didn¡¯t know how many people would ridicule het. Hannah said. ¡°I¡¯m only twenty¨Cfour. It¡¯s way too early for me to have a baby I was hoping to wait until I¡¯m twenty¨Cnine.¡± ¡°Five more years? That¡¯s far too long!¡± Daniel snapped. ¡°I¡¯m giving you one year, and I expect a grandchild by then!¡± Liam frowned and said firmly, ¡°Grandpa, Hannah is the only woman I¡¯ll ever love. I want to give her the grandest wedding she truly deserves.¡± Hannah reached out and took his hand reassuringly, saying, ¡°Liam will still return to Erennd, but we arrange the wedding soon and start nning for a baby,¡± Daniel could see she was using the child as leverage. His brows furrowed with barely concealed anger as he fixed a stern gaze on Liam. He dered, ¡°you¡¯re not leaving the country until you give me a grandchild¡± Over the past few months, Daniel hade to realize that Liam simply wasn¡¯t cut out for the family business. He couldn¡¯t contribute anything meaningful to the Cole Group. Daniel had no choice but to use this as leverage to force them to conceive a child first. He said sternly, ¡°You can hold the wedding whenever you want. As for trying for a baby, put it on the agenda. It won¡¯t be noticeable in the first few months anyway.¡± Hannah nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave now.¡± Daniel watched their retreating figures, his brows knitted in growing frustration. Upon learning that Aria was thergest shareholder of the Stars Group, he was filled with deep regret. only he had known, he would never have let them divorce, no matter what But there were no ¡°if in life. The Cole family had already offended Aria He had no choice but to stabilize the Cole Group for now and pin his hopes on his great¨Cgrandson TUE THOI G Liam dropped Hannah off at the Gibson family¡¯s ce. As soon as he got back, he bumped into Ophelia ¡°m, the charity g is such a major event. Howe Hannah didn¡¯t get me a couture gown?¡± Ophelia usually attended such charity parties. As always, she went back to her room to pick out a couture gown, only to find none prepared. Ophelia¡¯s tone was full of usation. Liam frowned in displeasure. ¡°Hannah isn¡¯t even officially part of the Cole family yet. Shouldn¡¯t you be asking Mom for the gown you want?¡± Ophelia pouted, ¡°Now that Aria¡¯s gone, Isn¡¯t Hannah in charge of the money? Who else would I goto!¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Aria just responsible for thepany?¡± Liam asked in surprise. ¡°Since when does she manage the household too!¡± ¡°Aria¡¯s always been in charge! She covers all our family¡¯s expenses, big and small. For charity parties like this, whenever I wanted to ga, she¡¯d always have three couture gowns ready for me to choose from.¡± ¡°Aria was actually so nice to Ophelial Liam was stunned, Ophelia pouted and said, ¡°Liam, I¡¯ve run out of clothes! Just wire me 1.5 million dors sol can buy a whole new wardrobet ¡°1.5 million dors?¡± Liam gasped. ¡°Just for clothes?¡± Ophelia blinked in confusion. ¡°Is 1.5 million dors really that much for clothes?¡± Ophelia said matter¨Cof¨Cfactly, ¡°Every quarter, A would wire Mom and me 1.5 million to 3 million dors for clothes, and 3 million for jewelry. As for couture gowns? She always had those specially prepared for us.¡± Liam was stunned. The two of them spend almost eight million dors a year just on clothes and jewelry?¡± G Again Marriage 173 Chapter 173 Stunned by the staggering amount, Liam summoned the butle. ¡°Bryant, you¡¯ve terved this family for years. How could you just stand by and the Ara spend money like water without pping her?¡± Bryant looked puzzled and exined, ¡°Sir, all the money spent on Mr. Cole, Mrs. Cole, and Miss Ophelia was paid for by Mrs. Aria herself.¡± Liam know Aria was covering the Cole family¡¯s expenses, but he hadn¡¯t realized she was paying for these additional costs to ¡°Ater Mrs. Aria leht, Mrs. Cole has been in charge of household finances,¡± Bryant exined Ophelia stomped her foot in frustration. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Mom won¡¯t give me money for new clothes!¡± she huffed, then stormed off to confront her mother. Bryant continued, ¡°Mrs. Aria also hired a renowned physician to treat Mr. Cole¡¯s health condition. The medicine has run out, so bought another month¡¯s supply, which cost 300 thousand dors¡± Liam gasped. ¡°Three hundred thousand dors a month?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Bryant exined, ¡°The herbs aren¡¯t expensive, but the oral pils are.¡± Liam had never paid attention to the family¡¯s finances before, and was struck for the first time by just how massive their household To think Aria had done so much for his family, yet never once mentioned any of it to him, Liam¡¯s heart was in turmoil. ¡°Bryant, that¡¯s all for now. You may Borest now.¡± He hadpletely overlooked all that Aria had done for his family With her usually cold personality, he never expected her to be so kind to his family. Daniel and the others had always treated Aria with indiffe He had always thought they didn¡¯t get along The next morning, the news about Aria as Professor Colton suddenly topped the trending list A popr blogger kicked off the burr by posting aboutst night¡¯s charity auction g, teasing their followers with a cryptic hint that he¡¯d spotted Professor Cotton at the event The prion disease outbreak had caused devastating losses in Erennd. Once more, the blogger posted, polthaying Aria as a divine savior, asil Erennd would copse without her. The post mentioned that Aria tumed down the offer to be a professor at Mooney University and would soon join Mandino University instead. Her research skills were absolutely unmatched, even Martin would pale inparison The hyperbolic ims sparked a bacsh amongizens ¡°Yeah, Aria is indeed impressive, but what about the other twenty two researchers? Howe nobody remembers them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how it is, you know? People only remember the winner, never the loser.¡± ¡°Hannah, check out this blogger¡¯s analysis. Aria is a total fraud.¡± The ount named ¡®Hannah¡¯s Sweetheart imed on social media to be one of the 22 researchers, using Aria of abusing her authority to steal their rewarth achievements 1/2 10:45 Thu, 5Jun GOM He posted a photo showing a tense three¨Cway confrontation at the scene. He said, was therest night. Hannah single handedly developed the inhibitor, just hours after A¡¯s team. The professors from Monney University witnessed it all.¡± ¡°Aria¡¯s team had twenty¨Cthree people, while Hannah worked all by hersell. Isn¡¯t it obvious who¡¯s more capable? And let¡¯s not forget, Aria vene other people¡¯s research results.¡± The audio in the video was digitally altered, making the speaker¡¯s gender indistinguishable. The online buzz kept growing hotter throughout the day. Dozens of students applying to Mandino University¡¯s Pharmaceutical Analysis program stormed thements section of the university¡¯s official ount, demanding, ¡°Is Aria really going to be our graduate advisor? If that¡¯s true, we¡¯ll boycott this year¡¯s exam and try again next yeart¡± Martin mmed the table in fury when he heard the news. ¡°The grad school entrance exams are just around the corner. These students should be focusing on their studies, not wasting time online, let alone talking about boycotting the exams!¡± He ordered sterly, ¡°Find out who¡¯s behind all this.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Albert nodded. Aria came across the trending topic and immediately headed straight for Owen¡¯s door. Right then, Owen¡¯s phone kept buzzing nonstop as his friends flooded him with texts, [This manga is absolutely amazing¨Cthe art style is stunning. I¡¯m begging you to check it out!) [You¡¯ll be twenty¨Cseven next year¨Cit¡¯s time to start dating. This manga will definitely spark your desire for love. His friend texted: I¡¯ll send you a screenshot. Try not to get too excited when you see it! Hearing the knock, Owen got up to answer the door with his phone in hand, not having read thest two messages Withoughhinking, Owen¡¯s finger tapped the screen, probably opening thest message by ident. The door swung open. Aria¡¯s gaze dropped, as if she had caught sight of something shocking her pupils contracted sharply. Comment Again Marriage 174 Chapter 174 ¡°Ms. Sason, you¡­ Owen sensed something was off and followed her gare down, The phone screen waspletely filled with an image, a screenshot from a manga, showing a steamy bathroom kiss scene. The picture itself was fine, but the problem i neither of them were wearing any clothes, Owen¡¯s hand jerked in shock, sending the phone ttering to the floor. The screennded face¨Cup. Now the scandalous image was disyed in full view. He swiftly picked up his phone and locked the screen, hoping no one had seen what was on it. The air seemed to freeze. The only sound was the howling wind outside the window, Aria averted her gaze and subtly took a step back, Trying to keep her , she said calmly, ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡± Just as she turned to leave, Owen grabbed her wrist. ¡°Ana, wait. It¡¯s not what you think Aria said, ¡°Reading manga is perfectly normal.¡± Owen, at a loss for words, released her wrist and rubbed his forehead. ¡°So¡­ what did you want to talk to me about?¡± ¡°Never mind now.¡± Aria hurried out, practically sprinting the few steps back to her own ce. She mmed the door shut behind her, her heart still pounding from the awkward encounter Owen fell silent. He took a deep breath and unlocked his phone, He messaged. Are you insane? Sending me this trash!] Barrett shot back Trash? This is a fucking masterpiece! Without me, you¡¯d never see anything like this in your The incriminating image was still sitting in their chat. Owen deleted it instantly and fired back: [Fuck off He was awyer, so Aria must¡¯vee to him for something But of all things, she just had to see that. Owen gritted his teeth He probably didn¡¯t have a good image in in Aria¡¯s eyes anymore. Aria returned to her room, pulled out a chair, and sat down her mind still reeling Aria couldn¡¯t believe Owen would be into that kind of explicit manga. She shook her head in disbeliel 10:45 Thu, 6 Jun GM People really couldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover, Aria mused for a moment before sharing the trending topic in the group that. Ten minutester, the group chat went wild. Azura: 150. your current name is Aria Saxon now? No wonder the dean said you were back. Feouldn¡¯t find you anywhere! Are you joining Mandino University? [Not yet.) Belle: [I¡¯m so jealoust I wish I could go back home too. Vinac Guys, you¡¯re missing the point! Whe¡¯s this Hannah¡¯s Sweetheart¡® After all the time we¡¯ve riddan Aria¡¯s coattails. How could anyone backstab her like that?) When the virus emerged, Kerano Global Health focused all its efforts on solving the same problem. All the top researchers and top interns were quickly chosen by other professors The only ones left were either the weakest performers or interns who stood little chance of getting hired permanently. At that time, Aria was famously temperamental and only came to Kerano Global Health asionally. Everyone said her research abilities were far inferior to others. On top of that, she was so young that no one wanted to join her So these leftovers became her team by default. True to the rumors, Aria was stubborn as hell, obsessively pursuing her herbal research with methods no one else understood. When the rest of the team went on strike, she simply kept working alone. Unable to sway her, they reluctantly became her mindless assistants, mechanically following her every instruction, When she worked tirelessly, they had no choice but to match her intensity. Against all odds, after eighty grueling days, they¡¯d made it Every single inter got promoted to full¨Ctime statt. Yond University Beauty: This nickname is so disgusting, it definitely isn¡¯t one of us. Someone wants to harm Aria, take them down!! All twenty¨Ctwo members logged into the tform in perfect sync and started posting: Hannah¡¯s Sweetheart, if you¡¯re really one of the researchers, then who the hell are we? After finally riding Aria¡¯s coattails to sess, if you dare spread rumors again, il personally rip your mouth apart!¡± All twenty¨Ctwo, with official Kerano Global Health Researcher badges, instantly debunked the ount of ¡°Hannah¡¯s Sweetheart¡® as an imposter. ¡°So damn cool!¡± one group member eximed. Another chimed in, ¡°Who the hell is ¡°Hannah¡¯s Seetheart¡®?¡± Aria quickly uncovered the person¡¯s identity and posted the proof in the group chat. [Griffin? Who the hell is this guy? Why¡¯s he targeting Aria? Again Marriage 175 Chapter 175 Katrina logged into her all ount and spilled the messy love bute saga between Griffin and Hannah, leavingizens arly thinned. ¡°Turns out he¡¯s just a hopeless romantic crazy in love¡± ¡°He¡¯s maliciously ndering his own cousin for a woman who¡¯s alreadyken. What a lost cause A reached out to Mason and entrusted him with thewsuit. At that moment, Mason sat at home, his heart pounding wildly Why did Aria ask me to handle this case?¡± he thought anously. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t she have gone to Cheen? Could it be that she found out..? This is bad, really bad: But he couldn¡¯t refuse. Turning her down would only make things more suspicious Suppressing! hispanic, Mason considered contacting his aplices, but he was afraid of leaving more evidence behind Resigned to his fate, he opened hisptop and began drafting thewsuit It wasn¡¯t until the next day that Owen learned Aria had hired Mason for her case. As Owen passed by Mason¡¯s office, he lingered for a few seconds. Mason abruptly looked up and met his gaze, his heart nearly stopped. ¡°M¡­ Mr. Shaw, if something wrong?¡± Mason stammered. ¡°Nothing,¡± Owen replied coolly. With that, he walked away Tormented by quilt and fear, Mason could only bury himself in work, desperately trying to numb his ansiety waspletely baffled when the police showed up at his door. Griffin was He didn¡¯t know that Aria was highly respected that spreading rumors about her would cause serious trouble. Tristan and Amelia rushed to the Saxon family home. When Zog found out that Griffin had been spreading rumors, she was so funous that she smashed a cup and immediately drove her elder brother and sister¨Cinw away. Hannah sneered as she read the news of Griffin being hauled away by the police. Tossing her phone aside, she scoffed, ¡°What a useless piece of trash.¡± Liam walked into the bedroom, startled by the icy expression on Hannah¡¯s face. But as soon as she saw him, her features softened into a gentle smile. She wrapped her arms around his waist and asked sweetly, Lam, when should wo have our wedding?¡± Liam slowly snapped out of his thoughts, his gaze fanding on the phone on the bed. He saw the image. Suddenly, realization hit him. He turned to Hannah, his voice sharp. ¡°Hannah, have you been in contact with Griffin¡± Hannah¡¯s expression faltered for a moment, but she quicklyposed herself. ¡°No, he keeps bothering me, but I haven¡¯t replied at all, I can show you the chat history ¡°No need,¡± m replied everly. ¡°I trust you.¡± He didn¡¯t dwell on it. ¡°Hannah, I¡¯ve already asked my assistant to pick out wedding gowns for you.¡± Without another word, Hannah rose on her toes and kissed him. Just then, the shrill ring of a phone shattered their intimate moment. It was Liam¡¯s secretary on the line. ¡°Mr. Cole, there¡¯s been an explosion at the factory. Several engineers have been injured y advisor¡± he waited dramatically Meanwhile¡­ Derek rushed over to Aria¡¯s ce, just to freak out, ¡°Aria! Now I totally regret switching majors for grad school, otherwise, I could¡¯ve picked you as my Aria shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s way toote for regrets. The exam¡¯s only a few days away.¡± Aria looked at him, her expressionplicated. ¡°What major are you applying for?¡± ¡°Computer science, Derek replied. ¡°Do you really like it?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Then what are you regretting?¡± Aria pressed. Derek grinned.¡± my advisor were you, that¡¯d be such a fast Ariastuted him with a prating gaze. ¡°What on earth did the Fletcher family do to him? This poor kid is so starved for love that he came to me, she thought. ¡°Are you staying at home those days?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± A flicker of loneliness shed in Derek¡¯s eyes. He and his cousin were both at Mandine University. His cousin was aiming for Kanit University¡¯s graduate program, while he was reapplying to Mandina. Both were top universities in the country, equallypetitive to get into. No one seemed to believe he could make it. All the attention and expectations were on his cousin Only his eldest brother ever bothered to ask how he was doing. Aria asked again, ¡°How far is your exam location from home?¡± ¡°About an hour¡¯s drive, Derek replied. ¡°Will the family driver take you there?¡± Aria continued. ¡°Well.. I suppose sol Derek answered hesitantly. Aria said, ¡°give you a ride at six¨Cthirty¡± 10:45 Thu, 5 Jun 5 Derek¡¯s head shot up, his eyes instantly lighting up Ana grinned. ¡°Just kidding.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Again Marriage 176 Chapter 176 On the day of the exam, Derek was up at five. He got himself rebdy and went doenstairs for bra s? fast. Gloria barely looked at him, her expression unchanged as she burned and said, ¡°Zee, Lennox¡¯tdx¨¢m ueron is near the military Hospital Ell just drop l¨ºn oll on my way Zoe smiled, peeling an egg and cing it in her son¡¯s bowl. ¡°Derek has an eam today to ¡°He¡¯s just going for the experience. The driver will take him,¡± Gloria replied coolly ¡°Thanks, Mom¡± Lennox shed a polite smile and, ncing at Derek, added, ¡°Heylerek, thesed Aria¡¯s going to be a lecturer at Mandino Ur¨¦versity. You¡¯re pretty close with her, aren¡¯t you? She¡¯ll probably look out for you, so try not to stress too much. Even if your scores aren¡¯t high enough, I bet they¡¯l make an exception,¡± Derek smirked. ¡°Oh, so there¡¯s a backdoor option: Thanks for the tip¡± Gloria¡¯s tone turned frosty. ¡°The Fletcher family does not tolerate favoritism or cheating. After your exam, you¡¯ll go straight to thepany and stalt from the bottom. Why insist on pharmaceutical analysis? If you¡¯d just studyputer science like Lennor, you wouldn¡¯t be in this mess Derek had grown used to his mother¡¯s constant criticism, Computer science was his first choice, but his score was right on the cutoff, so he¡¯d been assigned to pharmaceutical analysis instead. There were many disciplines involved, and honestly, he found it interesting, so he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to transfer, he figured he¡¯d try the exams first Lennox chuckled. ¡°Devek missed theputer science mark by more than ten points, so he had to settle for pharma analysis.¡± Four years ago, Mandino University¡¯sputer science program was ranked number one in the country, drawing in hordes of applicants and driving the entry bar sky¨Chigh. Now, Kanit University had caught up, the two schools neck and neck. Deange Reed, a legend in the software world, had retired at fifty and returned to Huthailia Kanit University immediately offered him a PhD advisory post, That was why Lennox had chosen Kanit forputer science. Plus, Gloria knew Deangelo. ¡°Deangelo values skill above all else,¡± Gloria said. ¡°You¡¯ve won plenty of awards in college, so you¡¯ll catch his eye for sure. Work hard¨Cif there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯ll introduce you to him.¡± Lennor¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Thank you, Glorial I¡¯ll do my best¨CI won¡¯t let you down.¡± k was used to being overlooked, so he didn¡¯t feel a thing Derek was His phone buzzed; he smirked and answered. ¡°I¡¯m here. Come out,¡± came the terse voice on the other end, and the call ended. But in that moment, Derek felt a warmth in his chest. Gloria had recognized Aria¡¯s voice and looked surprised. ¡°Aria¡¯s giving you a ride to the exam Derek nodded. ¡°Yeah¡± Zoe frowned slightly, pretending not to care. ¡°If she¡¯s at the door, why note in and say hello!¡± 1/2 40:45 Derek, halfway to the door, stopped and gave a small, armedugh ¡°Why should she? You¡¯re not family to her He ignored the sh of annoyance on the three faces behind him and stenda mut the door. Gloria wasn¡¯t really offended by his words¡ªshe knew even she wasn¡¯t qualified to demand Ara¡¯s ings, it was just his tone that irked har Zoe¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Ever since Derek got close to Aria, he¡¯s be so much more retirious. en this way. He used to drive his grandpa cary¨Cit has nothing to do with Ana Gloria said with a ligh ¡°He¡¯s always been Zoe was left speechless. Lennox stood up. ¡°I¡¯m done eating too, Mom. You should stay home and rest. I¡¯ll ride with Gloria, then head to the military) Since Lennox spoke, Zoe didn¡¯t argue ¡°Alright¡± Outside, seeing Aria by the car, Derek walked over, light on his feet. ¡°Arial¡± Again Marriage 177 Chapter 177 Sheeyed his bag ¡°Did you pack everything ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Check again.¡± ¡°Okay, boss¡± Derek unzipped his bag, ticking things off as he went: ¡°ID, exam pass, answer sheet pen.¡­¡­.. Gloria and Lennox came out just in time to catch Derek obediently running i rough the but, *All set,¡± he dered With a rare show of kindness, A opened the car door for him. ¡°Get in.¡± He looked at her, his tone soft and sweet. ¡°Aria¡­¡± She nced over, unamused¨Cshe didn¡¯t know the guy She just nodded, then looked away. Gloria, now used to Aria¡¯s coldness, took the initiative. ¡°That remedy you gave really helped. My father¡¯s leg pain is much better.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not my grandfather,¡± Aria replied quietly, adding, ¡°Dosages change with every course. If he stops improving after two months, you¡¯ll need a new prescription¡± Her words matched what the doctor had said, so Gloria didn¡¯t question her. ¡°Could you help treat Joseph¡¯s log, then?¡± Aria said nothing Gloria shed. ¡°Could you help Joseph ph with his medicine?¡± Aris said tly, ¡°I¡¯ll write a new prescription, same price as before.¡± Gloria nearly lost herposure, grateful she¡¯d braced herself this time¨Cshe wasn¡¯t about to get a heart attack again. ¡°Aria even charges her own grandfather? Aren¡¯t you the biggest shareholder of the Stars Group? Is money really that tight? Gloria muttered, but before she could say more, Lennox stepped in Gloria shot him a disapproving look Derek, annoyed, cut in, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like money? Since you¡¯re so generous, why not pay for my grandpa¡¯s medicine too? My mom¡¯s always been kind to you¨CI¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t mind helping out. Deangelp would be so moved to know how fial you are.¡± Derek was clearly baiting him, but Lennox was tempted. ¡°Gloria¡¯s always treated me well. Derek¡¯s grandpa is my grandpa too¨CI¡¯ll pay for the next prescription.¡± Gloria¡¯s mood instantly brightened, ¡°it¡¯s the thought that counts, Lennox. I won¡¯t really make you pay ¡°No, Gloria, insist. if I said I¡¯d do it, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Lynnox looked as gentle as amb. ¡°Aria, how much for the prescription?¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Not much. Just thirty milion dors.¡± Lennox¡¯s smile froze. Thirty million? For a single course of treatment? She¡¯s robbing us blind!¡± 10:45 | Nu, Saung L He¡¯d heard Gloria had been hospitalized from stress, but now he finally understood why. Thank God he hadn¡¯t boasted about footing the bill for all the prescriptions. Seeing Lennox¡¯s stunned expression, Derek grinned. ¡°Second thoughts? That too much for you?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Lennox managed, face twitching. ¡°I pay.¡± With his mood soaring, Derek walked into the exam hall with a spring in his step, standing out against the sea of anxious faces. Thatsted right up until he got the test paper. His smile vanished, This year¡¯s questions were even tougher thanst year¡¯s. So hard, he wanted to curse out the whole exammittee. After the literature exam, he was even more crushed. At that point, he e wanted to send the test writers straight to hell Butter, Derek thought it through¨Cif it was hard for him, it was hard for everyone else. As long as he gave it his best, he was satisfied. When the exam ended, he grabbed his phone the moment it was allowed, saw Aria¡¯s message, and, still in high spirits, hurried-to find her. She really was the best. Spotting her car, Derek pushed through the crowd, calling out, ¡°Arial¡± As soon as Aria looked he threw his arms around her. ¡°Aria, I think I did pretty well!¡± he said, his voice bright with hope. She almost threw him off in surprise. ¡°Good for or you. Now let go.¡± othe Derek let go immediately, grinning as he jumped into the car. Not far away, Delh hput down her phone in shock. She had just witnessed a guy Buy run u up and hug Aria in full view of everyone. AD Send gift Again Marriage 178 Chapter 178 Delh watched the scene unfold and thought to herself, ¡°Look at them. They and so close. Aria must have been cheating all along Still bitter about her own public embarrassment, she snapped a photo and sent it to Hannah, embellishing the story with every message. When Hannah saw the photo, a secret sepse of satisfaction bloomed inside her. She wasted no time forwarding it to Liam, Hannah Liam, Delh saw a familiar car during her roam. She swears she¡¯s seen it at the Cole Manor.[ But Liam was knee¨Cdeep in disaster control, dealing with the fallout from the Cole Group¡¯s factory explosion, too busy to check his phone. ¡°How are the injured technicians?¡± Liam asked, voice clipped. ¡°Two with minor injuries have already been discharged,¡± his secretary replied. ¡°Three were closer to the st¨Cserious but out of danger This year¡¯s exam season was so tough it dominated online chatter, which barely managed to drown out news of the ident. ¡°We¡¯ve contained the story, but not from the Shaw Group. They¡¯ve called multiple times. And¡­¡± She hesitated. ¡°Several teams of factory workers have handed in their resignations.¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Have we figured out the cause yet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the new machines¨Cthey weren¡¯t imported after all. Turns out, they were domestically produced by a start-up copying a design from Zhuoda.¡± Last time, shoddyb equipment had caused a major precision error, so this time the Cole Group had been extra cautious, handpicking machines from Masmubia, a major researchpany, after expending huge effort on procurement channels. Liam mmed his hand on the desk. ¡°Who was responsible?¡± The secretary¡¯s hesitation made sense now. ¡°Andrew.¡± Andrew Liam¡¯s uncle¨Cwell¨Cconnected, untouchable in thepany hierarchy. Rage exploded in Liam¡¯s chest. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Daniel just arrived, Andrew¡¯s in the conference room getting chewed out.¡± Liam stormed out. Inside the conference room, Andrew protested, ¡°I¡¯m innocent! handed the matter to my assistant. I only signed the paperwork¨CI had no idea he¡¯d switch suppliers!¡± Daniel mmed the contract in his face. ¡°Three months ago, your ount received one hundred million dors. You swapped our machines for junk to make a secret profit, injured key technicians, and ruined the Cole Group¡¯s reputation! Do you even know what you¡¯ve done? Embezzlement Andrew! A hundred million¨Cenough to rot in jail for a lifetime!¡± The Shaw Group had only ever barely tolerated working with the Cole Group. After thest precision debacle, they¡¯d already voiced their discontent. This crisis was even worse¨Ccooperation was hanging by a thread. Daniel¡¯s head throbbed with fury Andrew had done his research¨Cthe machines were nearly identical, so he¡¯d thought he was safe. Thest thing he¡¯d expected was an explosion. The thought of jail made him desperate. As soon as he saw Liam, Andrew dropped to his knees, clutching Liam¡¯s pant leg. ¡°Liam, please¨Cbeg your grandfather formel I swear I¡¯m innocent. I don¡¯t know where that money came from¨Csomeone¡¯s framing mel¡± 17 10:46: Thu, 5 JUN Suddenly, he seized on a scapegoat. ¡°It¡¯s Aria¨Cit has to bet She¡¯s always had it in for me, always said I wasn¡¯t qualified to be a director, She wants to f the Cole Group with her own people. She must¡¯ve set me up!¡± Daniel, disgusted to his core, hurled a coffee pot to the ground. ¡°Call the police! Get this bastard out of my sight¡± Andrew grabbed at Liam, frantic. ¡°Liam, I swear, I¡¯m being framed!¡± Liam wavered, unable to bear his uncle¡¯s pitiful state. ¡°Grandpa, Andrew¡¯s a PhD from a top university. He¡¯s spent thest two years working tirelessly for the Cole Group, always managing the tech department, never making a mistake. Maybe this is a misunderstanding)¡± Again Marriage 179 Chapter 179 Daniel¡¯s face was thunderous. ¡°Top university? That¡¯s a diplonda milli Aria saw he was both ipetent and had bad intentions, so i touch the projects. That¡¯s the only reason disaster didn¡¯t strike sooner. Didn¡¯t warn you after Aria left! ¡°I told you to keep Andrew on the payroll, but don¡¯t let him touch anything important. Did you listen? Did you? You can¡¯t run thispany, but Arts can But no, you had to fall for that shallow Hannah and divorce Atia. If she hadn¡¯t left, none of this would have happened?¡± Liam¡¯s mind reeled. A diploma mill? That can¡¯t be Bryant quietly picked up a stack of documents and handed them over. The evidence was undeniable. Liam had no choice but to believe it. His eyes zed with shock and anger as he red at Andrew. ¡°You lied to me.¡± Daniel¡¯s voice was cold and sharp. ¡°Call the police. Take him away¡± ¡°No!¡± Andrew shrieked, scrambling for the door. He needed his sister; only she could save him. But staff wrestled him to the floor before he could escape. The whole room echoed with his terrified cries and curses hurled at Daniel ¡°Shut up!¡± Liam snapped, kicking him in fury. Momentster, the phone rang. The Shaw Group was calling¨Cthey were canceling all cooperation with the Cole Group. The news hit Daniel like a hammer; he copsed on the spot. ¡°Daniel¡± ¡°Call an ambnce!¡± Panic erupted. Andrew was dragged away by police. Daniel was rushed to the hospital. But thepany¡¯s crisis was far from over, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my grandfather?¡± Liam rushed forward, breathless The doctor¡¯s face was grave. ¡°He suffered a brain hemorrhage from the shock. He¡¯s stable for now, but he must be kept under observation¨Che can¡¯t handle any more stress.¡± Thank you, doctor, Liam and Bryant helped settle Daniel into a hospital room. The Cole Group was copsing. The Shaw Group was backing out, Daniel was in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage¡­ Liam¡¯s mind wasa nk; he had no idea how to deal with this avnche. Suddenly, Aria¡¯s face shed through his thoughts. Was she this frantic during thest financial crisis too? Bryant had been silent all this time, but how he hesitated before speaking. ¡°Sir, Mr. Cole hasn¡¯t taken his medication this month.¡± ¡°The herbal prescription from that famous doctor?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Bryant¡¯s face was etched with worry. ¡°Mr. Cole was so focused on the chip project, he cut back household spending, let go of a lot of stall. He thought the medicine was too expensive, not worth it, so he stopped. Mrs. Cole and Miss Coleined, but Liam¡¯s knees nearly buckled; he had to steady himself on the wall Daniel had always been the rock of the family. As long as Daniel was there, no crisis was insurmountable. He couldn¡¯t believe Daniel would skip life¨Csaving medicine just to save three hundred thousand dors, How had the Cold family sank sa le But there was still a way¨Che could ask Aria toe back. Frantically, Liam opened his phone and saw the photo Hannah had sent. He recognized Aria¡¯s car and felt a pang ¡®She¡¯s already moved on But he had bigger problems. He scrolled to Aria¡¯s name and called her At that moment, Derek was snoring in the passenger seat, A declined the call without hesitation. When Diam called again, she ignored if just as coldly. Fury crept across Liam¡¯s face. ¡°What is she doing? Why won¡¯t she pick up? ¡°Bryant, hire two caregivers, Grandfather¡¯s your responsibility. I¡¯m going to find Aria. With that, he strode out of the room. Bryant shook his head, sighing. Only now did Liam realize what he¡¯d lost. In those two years, Bryant¡¯s job as housekeeper had been a breeze¨Cnow, he barely got a wink of sleep. Liam was deluding himself. There was no way Aria would ever return to the Cole Group É« AD Comment Send gift No Ads Again Marriage 180 Chapter 180 In the car, Aria asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re sure you¡¯re not going home?¡± Derek nodded. ¡°I¡¯d rather not see anyone who makes me lose my appetite. Besides, all my study materials are at the apartment¡± Held only gone home yesterday to pick up a few things¨CLexie had asked him to stay the night so the family could take him to the exam. Dat with Aria giving him rides now, he had zero interest in going back. ¡°Aria, will you drive me again tomorrow?¡±¡± lie asked, She nodded. Derek grinned. ¡°Then swing by my ce for some notes and crash at yours, okay? Mayen Garden is just half an hour from the test se Aria shot hi him a look; he instantly put on his most pitiful puppy¨Cdog eyes. ¡°You have no idea how lonelym, living off takeout every day..¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Aria cut him off. ¡°Address¡± He immediately beamed and started giving directions. ¡°Next intersection turn left¡± When they reached Derek¡¯s ce, Aria waited in the car. An unknown number popped up on her phone. She answered. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s Amelia. Aria barely remembered her, having only met the extended family once when she first got back. They hadn¡¯t spoken since. ¡°What do you want?¡± Aria asked tly. Amelia hurried to exin, ¡°Look, the ount that posted those rumors about you is your cousin¡¯s, but he didn¡¯t post it himself.¡± Aria¡¯s contributions were significant, and the higher¨Cups demanded severe punishment Detention was inevitable. After a failed attempt at reconciliation with the Saxon family, Amelia came pleading herself. Aria gave a cold . ¡°Oh? If he didn¡¯t post it, should I me the limily dog? Get a ¨Cdon¡¯t bother me with this again.¡± She hung up, leaving Amelia so furious she nearly smashed her phone, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Saxon family? Why escte over something so brival?¡± she tumed, Tristan sighed. ¡°Hannah destroyed A¡¯s marriage, and now Gridin spreads lies about her online to defend Hannah. Honestly, they¡¯re lucky the Palmers didn¡¯t get draped in, too¡± ¡°Griffin isn¡¯t usually so reckless. Maybe Hannah said something to him? With Hannah targeting Aria and Griffin helping her, Amelia could see why Aria was furious. ¡°That little homewrecker¨Cstill trying to seduce my son? Find out where Hannah is.¡± Derek was sprawled on the couch with a book, calling up the stairs, ¡°Hey, someone¡¯s at the door!¡± No answer. The ce was well insted¨Cmaybe she hadn¡¯t heard. He got up and opened the door, only to seem on the threshold. Derek¡¯s expression chilled. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Lian¡¯s reaction was instant. ¡°You¡¯re the one who hugged Aria?¡± 1/2 They knew each other¨Cthey ran in the same circles. So the guy hugging Aria in the photo was just her cousin. That uneasy feeling in Liam¡¯s chest dissipated, reced by a flicker of retiel ¡®Of course Aria wouldn¡¯t move on so fast¡ªnot when she loved me much¡± But Derek frowned. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± Now Liam realized¨CDelh couldn¡¯t possibly not recognize someone from the Fletcher family. hat photo was sent to stir up trouble. Yet, it was Hannah who¡¯d forwarded it to him. A heavy feeling settled over him, but the Cole Group crisis was more urgent. He pushed everything else aside. ¡°I need to see Aria, Liam said. Derek blocked his view. ¡°You can exin first, then I¡¯ll ask Aria if she¡¯s willing¡± ¡°Delh was at the same test site¡ªshe snapped a photo and¡­ sent it to me.¡± Derek¡¯s tone went t. ¡°Aria¡¯s busy painting. She doesn¡¯t have time for you.¡± Comment Again Marriage 181 Chapter 181 ¡®Painting Liam thought. So those imitations were hers? that she never had ess to Monones she knows his apprentice ¡°I¡¯ll wait,¡± Liam said. He was determined to see her today. Derek gave a coldugh. ¡°Sull yourtell He nimed the door in Liam¡¯s face. Liam, thinking he¡¯d be invited in to wait, was left standing in the cold, He thought, ¡®This kid has no manners! Ten minutes passed. No one opened the door. Shivering, Liam finally rang the bell, Derek red at him when he opened the door. ¡°Ring that bell one more time and door again, the cops¡± And mmed th? Aria, upstairs, was putting the final touches on a new painting¨Ca woman draped in jewelry, every hairpin, earring, ne, brooch, bracelet, and anklet perfectly rendered. Selina¡¯s masterpieces, every one. After washing up, she headed downstairs. Derek immediately reported, ¡°Liam¡¯s here. No idea why, but he¡¯s been waiting at the door, ringing the bell nonstop. Seriously annoying¡± Aria went to the door, her voice alreadyced with irritation. ¡°If you¡¯ve got something to say, spit it out and get lost. Don¡¯t distract Derek from his studying¡± The door opened, and Liam visibly rxed, Ignoring her clear annoyance, he said, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m sorry¡± His voice was thick with remorse. ¡°It was my fault for ignoring everything you did these past two years, for acting like it was all just Cole family money. You gave your all for thepany, took care of my family¨CI owe you. If I hadn¡¯t left for overseas, we could¡¯ve been a real couple¡­ But you can¡¯t force love. I hurt you, and I want to make it up to you.¡± He looked haggard and worn down, but his words dripped with sincerity Without missing a beat, he went straight to business. ¡°The Cole Group is on the brink. I¡¯ll give you five percent of the shares if youe back and manage things Aria let out a coldugh. ¡°Five percent? Do look Eke i care? Did he forget that she was thergest shareholder of the Stars Group? She wouldn¡¯t even blink at that offer ¡°give you another five percent once this crisis is over¨Cplus all my personal profits. That¡¯s the best I can do ¡°And?¡± Aria tilted her head, smirking. ¡°We have no rtionship. We¡¯ve never even spent a day as a real couple. Why should I break my back for the Cole Group? What am I, stupid? ¡°When you need me, your family¡¯s all warmth and sincerity. When you don¡¯t, it¡¯s nothing but contempt, like I¡¯m some parasite, you¡¯ve already divorced me after cheating, and now you want your ex wife back to save thepany? Are you insane?¡± Her words were biting, her tone brutal, byt Liam could only swallow his frustration. 10:46 -Thu, 5 Jun G ? M He was the one begging; he could let her vent. Still, he couldn¡¯t stand one thing¨Che pushed back. ¡°No feelings? Come on, Arta, didn¡¯t you lov Her expression darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself¡± She moved to shut the door, but Liam stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t deny it. If you didn¡¯t love me, why¡¯d you risk your life to save mine?¡± ¡°Ever consider that maybe they were after me?¡± ¡°No way,¡± Liam insisted. ¡°Idiot,¡± Aria shot back ¡°Arial¡± With Daniel still in the hospital and thepany in shambles, Liam clung to his belief that Aria still loved him. ¡°If youe back and run the Cole Group I¡¯ll give you a child. Go do WF¨Cyou can have a baby to raise as the next hair.¡± Aria pped him, hard, without hesitation. ? IAD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 182 Chapter 182 Owen messaged Aria, but she still hadn¡¯t replied. He was about to knock on her door when, through the tracked doorway, he heard the sharp sound of a p. Instinctively, he fore¨Cwalking out now would just be awkward. The p had at least masked the noise of the door opening, but now the apartment was so quiet, any sound would be obvious. He left his door just barely ajar and waited by the entrance. Liam, smarting from the p, sobered up a bit. He knew he was out of line, but he couldn¡¯t let the Cole Group copse¨Cnot if there was even a chance Aria could save it. At this point, he¡¯d lost all pride, every shred of dignity scattered at his feet. Aria stared at him coldly. ¡°Try acting pathetic again and I make sure the Cole Group disappears from this world. Don¡¯t believe me? You¡¯re wee to tast me.. There was an icy, dangerous edge to her eyes, a chill that couldn¡¯t be disguised. It was nothing like the way Hannah looked at him. In fact, A Aria had never looked at Liam with warmth, not even the first day they met. Her words had been gentle, but her attitude was always cistant. For the first time, Liam understood¨Cmaybe she truly never liked him. ¡°Then why.. why did you agree to marry me in the first ce?¡± he finally asked. She paused mid¨Cmotion, looking at him intently. ¡°Because you proposed.¡± Liam¡¯s mouth twisted in disbelief. ¡°So, if anyone else had proposed, you¡¯d have said yes to them too!¡± ¡°As long as he wasn¡¯t a terrible person and had a clean record, sure. He clenched his fists. ¡°You think marriage is some kind of joke?¡± Aria answered evenly, ¡°I told you from the start¨CI needed the mariage to avoid something, and that i have a cold personality and a bad temper. I could never promise I¡¯d fall for you.¡± He froze. That really was what she¡¯d said; back then, he¡¯d just thought she was ying hard to gi Aris let out a mockingugh. ¡°You proposed to me so Daniel would let you go abroad. We both had our reasons so let¡¯s not point fingers. ¡°I respected your choices, whether you left or stayed; I took care of the Cole Group and your family, I owe you nothing. I owe the Cole family nothing. Now, get out.¡± She mmed the door. Liam just stood there, stunned Daniel had said he couldn¡¯t leave for overseas unless he found a wife to take From the very start, he¡¯d been wrong about everything. He stumbled away, Guild didn¡¯t let people go eatly. She wo with the Sons, so¡­.. If only the Saxon family had shown her a bit more love, she¡¯d never have ended up entangled with Liam, Leaning against the wall, Owen waited five minutes before pressing the doorbell, This time, Derek opened up, yelling, ¡°Who the hell¨CHe stopped short, jaw dropping. ¡°You.. you¡¯re Mr. Shaw Owen was surprised too. ¡°Der¡­¡± ¡°Derek,¡± he corrected quickly, ¡°Derek Fletcher. Sorry about earlier, I thought you were that other guy. What brings you here?¡± Owen replied gently, ¡°I live across the hall, I was Aria¡¯swyer.¡± E Comment Send gift No Ads Again Marriage 183 Derek knew Owen had handled A¡¯s divorce, but hadn¡¯t realded he lived next door. Suddenly, a thought struck him. ¡°Can i buy your wanted to be Aria¡¯s neighbor, Owen¡¯s voice was calm. ¡°I¡¯ve lived here for years, but the ant upstairs is vacant¨Cyou could buy that one.¡± ¡°That works.¡± Derek did a quick mental check of his savings, then caught up, ¡°Wait, why are you here to see Ari?¡± ¡°For dinner,¡± Owen replied. ¡°Huh?¡± Derek was baffled. Then a strange look crossed his face. ¡°Owen, are you after Aria?¡± Owen was good¨Clooking¨Che¡¯d admit that but Derek wasn¡¯t sure about the rest. Owen smiled faintly, ¡°No¡± Derek stared. ¡°Really? What a wi La waste.¡± He thought Owen must have no taste Owen exined, ¡°I¡¯m working on my cooking skills. She helps me taste¨Ctest. Want to join us? I made four dishes and a soup, more than enough for three.¡± Derok¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Can 1e over otten ¡°Of course ¡°Great! Wait here- go get Aria¡± By the time he¡¯d finished the sentence, Owen had gone from ¡°Mr. Shaw¡± to ¡°Owen¡± Owen couldn¡¯t help but feel he¡¯d been bought off rather easily. A minute she¡¯d started going less and less. Still she never missed his messages. Owen said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had Amour Bistro in a while. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± Derek thought, ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t Owen learning to cook at Amour Bistro? That¡¯s suspicious He couldn¡¯t help pulling a funny face. ¡°Sounds good¨CI can eat a ton.¡± When the food arrived, Derek immediately made himself at home, pulling out chairs for everyone and tearing open the packaging. He tried a bite of Owen¡¯s stir¨Cfried beef and gave a big thumbs up. ¡°Owen, this is delicious¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Owen replied. There was beef from Amour Bistro as well, and it fasted almost identical to Owen¡¯s Derek tried a bite, then paused, puzzled. ¡°Wait, why do these taste exactly the same? Did Owen secretly order from the band pass it off as his w cooking¡± Aria noticed his confusion and exined, ¡°Owen learned from the chef at Amour Bistro. That¡¯s why the taste is so close. ¡°Ohhh, got it,¡± Derek said, rolloved 10:46 ATHU, S¡¯JU G. At Mandino University, Hannah was teaching a ss. As the peiled was ending, a student raised her hand. ¡°Hiss Gibson, the interna a proteovirus inhibitor all by yourself¨Coutshining Aria¡¯s entire twenty three person team, Is it true?¡± Hannah blushed, lips curving into a modest smile. ¡°That¡¯s a bit exaggerated¨Cconsulted a lot of experts.¡± It was an indirect admission. She really had developed the inhibitor Another female student asked, ¡°Miss Gibson, aren¡¯t you in pharmaceutical analysis? How do you know so much about herbal medicat ¡°Traditional medicine is a passion of mine. Since childhood, I apprenticed with an old doctor. Another student pressed, ¡°Miss Gibson, 1 heard Aria cured several women¡¯s facial allergies. Since you¡¯re better than her, could you write me a prescription? I¡¯ll pay. I¡¯ve been so stressed and anxioustely, I can¡¯t sleep, and my face keeps breaking out.¡± Hannah replied, ¡°That¡¯s simple. You just¡­¡± But the bell rang, cutting her ofl. She smiled, ¡°Time¡¯s up¨Cdon¡¯t want to keep everyone. I¡¯ll answer your question tomorrow ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Bye, Miss Gibson.¡± Just as Hannah turned to leave, Amelia burst in, Invoice ringing through the ssroom. She said, id, ¡°You little witch! What did you say to my son to make him spread rumors about A online?¡± The entire ss swas stunned by the outburst. D Comment Again Marriage 184 Chapter 184 The sudden scene left everyone in shock, Hannah slowly snapped out of it, fists clenched. She was just a substitute teacher, but in this moment, she also represented Mandino University She couldn¡¯t afford to lose control. Amelia sneered, ¡°Oh, you were pretty high and mighty when you needed something. How you¡¯re ying mute! She looked ready to hit, but Hannah caught her wrist in a sh. ¡°Ms. Palmer, if you weren¡¯t Griffin¡¯s mother, you¡¯d be on the floor by dow. If you have something to say, let¡¯s talk outside.¡± Amelia red at her, refusing to back down. ¡°We¡¯ll talk right here Did you tell my son to post online that Aria stole someone your idea?¡± Hannah frowned. ¡°What does any of this have to do with me?¡± research? Was that Amelia shot back, ¡°How does it not? My son¡¯s practically illiterate¨Che¡¯s never even heard of Kerano Global Health He wouldn¡¯t know half those details unless someone put the words in his mouth.¡± Amelia wasn¡¯t interested in the Palmer Group¡¯s legacy; she just wanted to enjoy her life and spoil her son. Griffin, raised as a pampered yboy, was barely tolerated by the Palmer family as long as he stayed out of real trouble. If it was just a few words online, an apology would have sufficed. But he¡¯d even posted ¡°evidence¡°-a few doctored chat screenshots. It was almost impossible not to get arrested Hannah had only ever messaged him a few times on WhatsApp. ¡°Ms. Palmer, what your son did has nothing to do with me. If you can¡¯t prove anything. it¡¯s just nder. If you keep this up, I¡¯ll call the police.¡± She turned to leave, but Amelia grabbed a fistful of her hair. ¡°Liar! You witch¨CI¡¯ll kill you!¡± Amelia¡¯s grip was painfully tight, and in her fury, she managed to scratch Hannah¡¯s jaw. ¡°Miss Gibson!¡± The students rushed over to break them apart. Ash of hatred crossed Hannah¡¯s eyes. She twisted Amelia¡¯s wrist in one swift motion and kicked her hard, sending her crashing into the lectern with a sickening thud. ¡°Blood!¡± someone shouted. Amelia mmed against the desk. Blood began to pool beneath her head as she slumped to the ground, unconscious. ¡°Call an ambnce, quick!¡± Amelia suffered two broken ribs, a sprained wrist, and a severe head injury. She remained in a detained, and Liam came by to drop to drop off her toiletries. Daniel was still in the hospital, the Cole Group in chaos, so Liam had no choice but to hand Hannah¡¯s case over to the Gibson family Hannah believed she¡¯d only been defending herself and couldn¡¯t understand why the man she loved seemed to put her problemsst. ¡°Liam, are you regretting this?¡± She paused, suddenly noticing the red handprint on his face. ¡°Did Aria hit you? You went to see her, didn¡¯t you?¡± Liam didn¡¯t deny it, sounding drained. ¡°Hannah, my grandfather is in aa, the Cole Group¡¯s a mess, and I haven¡¯t slept in agad.¡± How that looked, she saw how pale and exhausted he was like he¡¯d aged years overnight. She opened her mouth, but all her anger faded. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you could do, even if I did,¡± Liam said quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll get you the bestwyer. Just hang in there for a few days. His phone kept buzzing With onest look, he left. Hannah watched him go, tears stinging her eyes. Regret gnawed at her. If only she hadn¡¯t lost control and hurt Amelia. Liam copsed into the back seat, sifting through the stack ofpanies his secretary had prepped. His head felt heavier by the second. He wanted nothing more than to sleep and forget it all¨Cbut he couldn¡¯t. Again Marriage 185 Chapter 185 Again, his mind wandered to A ¡®How did she ever survive all this? He looked at his secretary. ¡°Judith, how long have you worked at the Cole Group?¡± ¡°Five years,¡± Judith answered. ¡°Was Aria always this busy?¡± Judith hesitated, then nodded. ¡°Yes. Ms. Saxon hadn¡¯t studied anything rted to the business, so she had to start from scratch, right when thepany hit a financial crisis ¡°She basically lived at the office. Andrew used to bully the stall¨CMs. Saxon always stepped in to protect everyone. Once, a new hire was dragged off to drink with clients. ¡°Someone tried to drug her, but Ms. Saxon stepped in, fought the guy off, and called the police. She was a workhorse, but hardly ever drank managers resented her for that. Then one time, a client insisted she drink, she broke out in hives. ¡°That¡¯s when people realized she was allergic. Alter that, whenever she had to drink, she¡¯d take allergy meds in advance. Ms. Saxon was great. The employees who quit¨Cit wasn¡¯t because of her. They just fell-¡± Judith stopped, struggling to find the words. ¡°They just thought she gave everything but got betrayed. It felt unfair, so people left.¡± Liam¡¯s grip on the files tightened, a heavy ache pressing on his heart. Only now did he realize how much Aria had endured¨Cand how cruel his words to her had been. If he hadn¡¯t gone abroad and Aria had stayed, would any of this have happened? He shook the thought away. Even if he could do it all over, he would still have gone to Erennd. Saving lives had always been his dream. If not for Hannah, he¡¯d have died there. No one was truly at fault¨Che and Aria were just never meant to be If Aria ever heard how Judith described her, she¡¯d probably burst outughing Those two years, she¡¯d only drunk three times¨Cjust because the wine was expensive and smelled delicious, and she couldn¡¯t resist, That day, Aria went to the bank, filled out a form, bought a gold bar, and stopped by a jewelry store for a small bracelet The moment she stepped outside, her phone vibrated [Kim¡¯s vi, help¡­] The message was deleted mid¨Csentence. Aria jumped into her car and immediately called Owen He picked up right away. ¡°You.¡± ¡°Where does Kim usually stay?¡± Her tone was urgent. He gave her the address without hesitation. The next second, she hung up. Owen pulled on his coat and headed out, As he left, Aaron nearly ran into him. ¡°Mr. Shaw, where are you going?? ¡°Tell the director I need some time off,¡± Owen called back, already halfway down the hall. Aria sped to the gatedmunity and pulled up at the entrance, calling to the guard, ¡°My friend¡¯s been kidnapped, Let me through Her expression was icy, her volte trembling with barely controlled panic. The guard, startled, instinctively hit the button and watched d her de drive inside. ¡°Was she a scammer?¡± ¡°She¡¯s gorgeous and her car¡¯s expensive. No way ¡°What did she say just now?¡± ¡°Kidnapped¡­¡± The guard¡¯s eyes went wide. He dialed the police immediately. At Kim¡¯s vi, Aria vaulted the fence without a second thought. Two bodyguards spotted her and rushed over Inside, Cloe sat on the sofa, fists clenched, clear eyes tinged with anger. Maisie, curled up in her arms, looked up anxiously. ¡°Mommy, is he my daddy? Without hesitation, Cloe answered, ¡°No.¡± Maisie nced at the cold¨Cfaced man across from them. ¡°Thank goodness. I don¡¯t like him.¡± Kim¡¯s expression was unreadable. ¡°Cloe, don¡¯t be so sure¨Cthe paternity test isn¡¯t back yet.¡± Cloe shot back coldly, ¡°So what if it is? You think you can take Maisie from me?¡± A storm flickered in Kim¡¯s eyes, but before he could answer, the bodyguards burst in. ¡°Sir, there¡¯s a girl outside. She says you need to get out there and see her.¡± AD Again Marriage 186 Chapter 186 The housekeeper, standing off to the side, barely nced up. If she remembered right, that bodyguard had only started a few days ago. Passing on messages like that he¡¯d be out of a job soon enough. Sighing, she peeked at her phone. Kim was thirty two and had never dated anyone. Emma had always suspected something was off, and asked her to keep an eye out. Kim could have a boyfriend if he wanted, but the guy had to be clean¨Cno weird diseases. The old¨Cfashioned housekeeper lived in constant fear that one day Kim would bring home a man. She never imagined he¡¯d show up with a mother and daughter instead. And that it t little girl? She just might be Kim¡¯s Talk about making a ssh Maisie¡¯s eyes lit up, a spark of excitement in her voice. ¡°Mommy, is it Aria?¡± Cloe nodded. ¡°I think so.¡± She hadn¡¯t even finished sending her message before Kim tried to snatch the phone away, but Cloe had already managed to hit send. For years, she¡¯d kept a low profile, always afraid of running into Kim. She knew him too well: if he ever found out about Maisie, he¡¯d never let them go She¡¯d nned to escape to Kanit City, but still couldn¡¯t avoid him. Yet, he suddenly started digging into her life. ¡°Did he actually still care about me? No way. A heartless man like him couldn¡¯t care for anyone, she thought. Kim shot her a hard look. ¡°You really think she can get you out of here?¡± Cloe stared anxiously toward the door, sparing him a nce. ¡°Kim, illegal detention is a crime. You¡¯d better let us go while you still can.¡± The bodyguards, exchanging nervous nces, scratched their heads. ¡°Thatdy out there¡¯s got skills, boss. She¡¯s about to break in.¡± No sooner had he spoken than a figure came crashing through the entryway,nding right in front of them. The bodyguard jumped. Peering outside, he saw his colleagues sprawled in all directions. The woman¨CAria¨Cdusted off her coat and strode inside, not even out of breath. Kim¡¯s tone was icy. ¡°Useless. Get out!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The bodyguard beat a hasty retreat, darting back in only to drag out his unconscious partner, Maisie hopped off the sofa and ran straight into Aria¡¯s arms. ¡°Aria!¡± Aria knelt, scooping her up in one arm. ¡°Did anyone hurt you?¡± Maisie clung to her neck and shook her head. ¡°No one hurt me, but that mean man said horrible things and made Mommy mad.¡± The little girl was almost certainly Kim¡¯s daughter. And yet, the way she looked at him¨Cso o guarded, so unhappy¨Cit loh Kim with a strange tightness in his chest, a mix of frustration and regret 10:47 Thu, 5 Jun a Chapter 186 The housekeepes, standing off to the side, barely nced up. It she remembered right, that bodyguard had only started a few days ago Passing on messages like that he¡¯d be out of a jols soon ennugh. ked at her Sighing, she peeked at her phone. Kim was thirty two and had never dated anyone. Emma had always suspected something was off, and asked her to keep an eye out Kim could have a boyfriend if he wanted, but the guy had to be clean¨Cno weird diseases. The old fashioned housekeeper lived in constant fear that one day Kim would bring home a man. She never imagined he¡¯d show up with a mother and daughter instead. And that little girl? She just might be Kim¡¯s. Talk about making a ssh. Maisie¡¯s eyes lit up, a spark of excitement in her voice. ¡°Mommy, is it Aria?¡± Cloe nodded. ¡°I think so.¡± She hadn¡¯t even finished sending her message before Kim tried to snatch the phone away, but Cloe had already managed to hit send For years, she¡¯d kept a low profile, always afraid of running into Kim. She knew him too well if he ever found out about Maisie, he¡¯d never let them g She¡¯d nned to escape to Kanit City, but still couldn¡¯t avoid him. Vet, he suddenly started digging into her life. ¡°Did he actually still care about me? No way. A heartless man like him couldn¡¯t care for anyone she thought Kim shot her a hard look. ¡°You really think she can get you out of here?¡± Cloe stared anxiously toward the door, sparing him a nce. ¡°Kim, illegal detention is a crime. You¡¯d better let us go while you still can.¡± anging nervous nces, scratched their heads. ¡°Thatdy out there¡¯s got skills, boss. She¡¯s about to break in.¡± The bodyguards, exchanging i No sooner had he spoken than a figure came crashing through the entryway,nding right in front of them. The bodyguard jumped. Peering outside, he saw his colleagues sprawled in all directions. The woman¨CAria¨Cdusted off her coat and strode inside, not even out of breath. Kim¡¯s tone was icy ¡°Useless. Get out!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The bodyguard beat a hasty retreat, darting back in only to drag out his unconscious partner. Maisie hopped off the sofa and ran straight into Aria¡¯s arms. ¡°Arial¡± Aria knelt, scooping her up in one arm. ¡°Did anyone hurt you?¡± Maisie clung to her neck and shook her head. ¡°No one hurt me, but that mean man said horrible things and made Mommy mad.¡± The little girl was almost certainly Kim¡¯s daughter. And yet, the way she looked at him¨Cso guarded, so unhappy¨Cit left Kim with a strange tightness in bis chest, a mix of frustration and regret 10:47 Thu, 53UNCED I HI If only he¡¯d been there for Maisie from the start, maybe she wouldn¡¯t look at him a stranger He never should have bee Cloe now stood protectively beside A, holding Maisie¡¯s hand. Aria fixed Kim with a cold stare. ¡°Mr. Shaw, don¡¯t let this happen again. You have a family, too.¡± Kimrose, eyes dark as right, radiating cold. ¡°Is that a threat?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me the first time?¡± If she were just the Saxon heiress, Kim would¡¯ve brushed her off, but she won¡¯t. He said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, Maisie¡¯s my daughter. Whatw says I can¡¯t see my own child?¡± Aria¡¯s voice was razor¨Csharp. ¡°Your daughter? Got proof?¡± Kim smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll have it soon enough.¡± Aria snorted. ¡°And if it¡¯s true? So what?? ry into some random family? He gave a cold, thin smile. ¡°If my daughter doesn¡¯t stay with me, you want her to follow Clow and marry AD Comment Again Marriage 187 Chapter 187 re was mocking. ¡°Not now, but someday you will What can you give Malle, Clost A ideia restaurant, cooking for others? Kim¡¯s pare He loosened bistie, every movementced with aristocratic arrogance. ¡°I¡¯ll never have another child¨CMaisie¡¯s my only her. Il paver golden path le her, put her at the top of the world, give her honor and glory. All you can offer her is Amour Bistro. What, you want her to spend her life serving with a smile, just like you?¡± Cloe¡¯s lips trembled, biting back tears, stubborn yet shattered Aria¡¯s eyes went cold as ice, she clenched her fish, ready to strike. But before she could act, Maisiended a small, resounding p on Kim¡¯s face. Time fro ¡°Bad man! I hate you!¡± Maisie dered. She was smart enough to know how much those words would hurt her mom. Reaching out, the hugged Cloe tightly Cloe, holding back tears, gathered her daughter close. Maisie nestled in her mother¡¯s neck, eyes red and brimming ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t have to teto him. As long as I have you, I¡¯m the happiest kid in the world Cloe stroked her daughter¡¯s hair, voice trembling as tears streamed down her face. ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± As soon as Kim caught the look in Cloe¡¯s eyes, regret washed over him¨CMaisie¡¯s p hadn¡¯t hurt a bit, but it was a brutal wake¨Cup call Aria¡¯s face was icy, her gaze darkening with a murderous edge. ¡°Maisie, cover your ears,¡± she ordered coldly. Maisie instantly obeyed, hands flying up to block out theing storm. Aria stalked forward, her words sharp as knives. You really are pathetic, Kim, You didn¡¯t throw up for months. You didn¡¯t carry a baby for ten agonizing months. ¡°You weren¡¯t the one whose body was sliced open and stitched back together. All you did was have a little fun what exactly did you sacrifice? And now you want to take Maisie from her? ¡°Where do you get the nerve? Is it the Shaw family that makes you so bold, or are you just overestimating yourself?¡± Seeing the look in Cloe¡¯s eyes, Kim felt instant regret. Maisie¡¯s little p didn¡¯t hurt, but it snapped him awake, Outside, thunder rolled and clouds swallowed the daylight, plunging the room into shadow. Kim¡¯s mind shed to Cloe on the operating table. She was terrified of pain. Guilt hit him like a cold downpour¨Cfast, sharp, relentless. Cloe was always proud, never one to show weakness, but now her face was streaked with tears because of him. If he could turn back time just two minutes, he¡¯d have taken every word back He was angry Cloe had hidden her pregnancy and child, angry that she kept running, nning to escape to Kanit City. His frustration and resentment got the better of him, and now his words hade back to bite him. Emma was right: his mouth was going to get high in trouble one day. He had no right to fight for Maisie. He hadn¡¯t even nned to, he just wanted to take responsibility. But somehow, it all came out wrong At the door, Owen and his parents had arrived, catching Aria¡¯s words. They froze in shock. Crude as her words were, she wasn¡¯t wrong it was just a bit much. Emma was fuming. She marched over and, without hesitation, smacked Kim on the back of the head. ¡°You idiott Do you hire any idea ae through to give birth? You have no right to judge anyone!¡± Kim didn¡¯t segue. He simply endured everyone¡¯s disapproving res. ¡°Cloe.¡± He looked at her, sincere for once. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± In all the years she¡¯d knowns Kim, Cloe had never heard him apologize, She said, ¡°Maisie¡¯s mine. No one¡¯s taking her from ine.¡± This time, Kim nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t fight you.¡± ¡°As long as you stay in Mandino City, I promise I won¡¯t light you.¡± Again Marriage 188 Chapter 188 Aria said tly, ¡°She can go wherever she wants. If you really want to take her, try your luck¨Cif you think you can survive IL- The killing intent in her voice was unmistakable. Cloe didn¡¯t think Aria was joking- After all, a jerk was still an enemy. ¡°Now that you know about Maisle, I don¡¯t have to nun anymore. A, let¡¯s go! The rain was pouring down. Maisie shrank into hersell, whispering, ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s raining¡± Emma suggested gently, ¡°Why not stay until the rain stops? it¡¯s windy and cold, and kids catch colds so easily in this weather¡± So, Aria, Cloc, and Maisie stayed. The three of them settled on one side of the couch while the Shaw family gathered on the other. Emma kept staring at Owen, finally letting out a sigh. ¡°You know, I went to a fortune teller once and he said both my sons would have rough love but and hardly any luck with kids. I always thought, even if you two have bad tempers, at least you¡¯re good¨Clooking. ¡°Finding a wife shouldn¡¯t be that hard, right? But here¡¯s Kim, thirty¨Ctwo and still single, and Owen spends all day at thew firm, hasn¡¯t brought home a single girlfriend, I nearly fainted from excitement when I heard there was a child¨Crushed right over! And what do I hear? Kim calling Cloe a gold¨Cdigger. Nearly sent me to an early grave.¡± James muttered, ¡°Emma, just scold me instead.¡± Emma shot him a look. See your father? If you two had half his sense, I¡¯d be so moved.¡± Kim fell silent Owen quickly defended himself, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t lump me in with Kim. I¡¯d never say something that crude or tasteless. Besides, Cloe¡¯s done a great job raising Maisie. Everyone nced over. Maisie was squeezed between Aria and Cloe, doing funny little tricks to make them bothugh. Kim couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her He¡¯d always sworn off marriage¨Cmeeting Cloe was just an ident She¡¯d seduced him, he¡¯d fallen for her body, nothing more. They¡¯d had sex, but never love. When she suddenly asked to get married, he¡¯d turned her down. Cloe hadn¡¯t been surprised, just smiled, and told him to sleep with her onest time He¡¯d kept plenty of condoms at his ce, but they vanished. She¡¯d told him it was her safe period, that she¡¯d take a pill if she had to He still refused, but she kept seducing him, just like their first night. He never understood why she wanted to end things. Until she said he was just her ATM¨Cshe¡¯d made enough, and didn¡¯t want to y anymore. Only th did he let her go for good Cleo spoke up. ¡°This isn¡¯t all Kim¡¯s fault. Honestly, I kind of set him up.¡± Aria was surprised. Cloe sighed. In a way, she and Kim were alike; neither of them wanted marriage, but she did want a child. She¡¯d been attracted to Kim¡¯s looks right from the start, even did some digging on him. He was clean, single, handsome, smart, with no scandals after meeting him, other men just couldn¡¯tpare. So she made her move. Arranged ¡®idental meetings, pulled out all the stops, finally got him into bed only for him to send his assist out for condoms, even after she said she¡¯d take a pill. i Again and again, she kept at it. She was hooked. Kim was generous¨Climitless credit cards, gifts, bags, jewelry. Anything she liked, he¡¯d hunt down for her. He treated her almost like a kept woman. She had to admit she liked it, but feelings started to creep in, and that scared her. If it kept going, she¡¯d fall for him. She needed to wake up. ? Again Marriage 189 Chapter 189 So she proposed man (with a hint of real feeling. Hebted- So Cloe made her final If there was no child, she¡¯d let go. But then came Maisie, When Aria heard all this, she was both amazed and helpless. ¡°You¡¯re brawer than i thought.¡± Cloe shrugged. ¡°don¡¯t regret it,¡± Aria nodded, ¡°How could you? Look at her Maisie¡¯s adorable Cloe lowered her voice, ¡°It really was my fault, so don¡¯t go beating him up, okay?¡± Aria gave a half smile. ¡°Do look like someone who¡¯d lose own nothing?¡± The two women exchanged a quietugh. The rain eased, and the tension in the room finally broke, Emma took the initiative, turning to Maisie. ¡°Hollo, Maisie, I¡¯m Emma¨Cyou can call me Grandma.¡± Maisie blinked. ¡°But isn¡¯t a grandma supposed to be Mommy¡¯s mom? Are you my mom¡¯s mom?¡± Emmaughed. ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s just a name. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Maisie nodded. ¡°Okay¨CGrandma.¡± James raised his hand. ¡°And I¡¯m Grandpa!¡± ¡°Grandpa Maisie chirped, then nced at Owen. ¡°And who¡¯s that handsome guy who keeps sneaking pooks at Aria? Is he her boyfriend?¡± Suddenly, all eyes turned to Owen¨Cincluding Aria¡¯s. He didn¡¯t have time to look away. Their eyes mot. Silence foll Emma¡¯s eyes went wide. Was Owen finally interested in someone? Others might not see it, but A realized Owen was watching to make sure she didn¡¯t punch Kim Kim stood quietly in the corner, gare flickering between Cloe and Maisie He kept reying the day Cloe left the way she¡¯d gone out of her way to seduce him, ignoring her own exhaustion, almost desperate to get pregnant. If she wanted to use the child to force marriage, why run away? Cloe avoided his eyes, sighing inwardly. When she first learned she was pregnant, her grandfather had cancer, and Mandino City had the best doctors. She had to stay. The medical bills were crushing so she started Amour Bistro By the time the restaurant was thriving her grandfather had passed. When she first ran into Kim, she¡¯d gone out of her way to imitate him, hoping he¡¯d nevere to Amour She knew he owned Yen Club and deliberately avoided him, splurging on male hosts to keep him away: She thought maybe, it she pissed him off enough, he¡¯d lose interest. But it didn¡¯t work, Owen smiled and said, ¡°You can call me Uncle.¡± H Maisie asked, wide¨Ceyed, ¡°I call you Uncle, does that mean I can¡¯t take you as Aria¡¯s husband?¡± Owen hesitated, speechless. Emma quickly stepped in. ¡°You can if Owen¡¯s lucky enough!¡± Aris rolled her eyes¨CEnima was already trying to y matchmaker Kim broke in, ¡°Today¡¯s Maisie¡¯s birthday. Since everyone¡¯s here, why not stay and celebrate?¡± The paternity test wasn¡¯t even back, but Kim already epted Maisie as his daughter Emma looked at them hopefully. ¡°What do you say?¡± Maisie shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re not close yet. I want to celebrate with Mommy and Aria Emma smiled. ¡°Of course, sweetheart. Whatever you wantTM As the three were leaving, Kim moved to follow, but Emma stopped him. ¡°Owen, you go¨Cwalk them out and celebrate with Marie. You live across the hall from Aria anyway, right? Keep thempany on the way.¡± Owen nodded and followed along. Kim looked confused. ¡°Mom, that¡¯s my daughter. Why are you sending him?¡± Emma grinned. ¡°You sure are chatty today! Ask yourself: do you just want a daughter, or do you want a wile and child?¡± As Oven caught up, Aria said, ¡°I drove here, no need to walk us our Owen replied, ¡°I promised my mom I¡¯d help Maisie celebrate. I can¡¯t go against her wishes.¡± He looked at Maisie. ¡°Maisie, is it okay if I join you?¡± Maisie, who loved handsome guys, grinned. ¡°Of course!¡± 1 AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 190 Chapter 190 Maisie had already agreed, so neither Arianor Cloe could say als Authry hound a quiet moment, Daven leaned over and asked, ¡°What does Maisie W of the Aria replied, ¡°Gold in her favorite, followed by dolls. She loves making clothes for them. But she has so many dolls, she can¡¯t take care of you want to get her a gift, gold is your best bet.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He hesitated, then asked, ¡°What about you? W about you? What do you ilike? ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Aria looked up, suprised to see Owen watching her He smiled. ¡°Your birthday¡¯sing up soon. As your friend and neighbor, it¡¯s only right get you something¡± She wasn¡¯t surprised he knew her birthday he¡¯d handled her divorce have to be so formal¡± When they reached the car, Aria unlocked it and said, ¡°Owen, you don¡¯t He opened the back door and let Clog and Maisie in, then nced back at Ania with a small grin. ¡°But you¡¯ve got to to have some sense of asion.¡± Aria didn¡¯t push the issue. ¡°Then get whatever you want. I¡¯m not picky¡± Just then, Emma and James walked over. Emma said, ¡°Owen, the driver had to leave, so your father and I will take your car. Aris, you all live in the same building so after Maisie¡¯s birthday, could you give him a ride back? wasn¡¯t an unreasonable request, so Aria agreed. Before getting in, Emma shot Owen a ¡°go get her look, but he was too busy thinking about what gift to get Aria to notice Aria drove, Owen took the passenger seat. He turned to the back, smiling in the mirror, ¡°Maisie, do you remember your home address?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Maisie rattled off the address, then pulled out her smartwatch. ¡°What¡¯s your number? Il save it.¡± Owen gave her his number, and within seconds an unfamiliar call came through, Maisie said, ¡°Remember to save Maisie¡¯s number.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Owen promised. Maisie was grinning ear to ear in the rearview mirror¨Cutterly adorable. Owen¡¯s eyes softened; he couldn¡¯t help thinking that if Kim had raised Maisie, she wouldn¡¯t be the cheerful, sweet child she was now No one loved her more than Cloe did. She was much better off with her mom than she¡¯d ever be with Kim. Owen quietly sent a message on his phone. Cloe¡¯s ce was close to Amour Bistro, so they arrived in twenty minutes. Owengged behind, and just as they got to the building, the out¨Cof¨Cbreath restaurant manager rushed what you asked for.¡± ¡°Thank you¡± Owen said, giving his signature, polite smile before stepping into the elevator anding him a big bag. ¡°Mr. Shaw, here¡¯s Inside, Maisie immediately noticed the bag in his hand. ¡°Whoa, are you a magician? I didn¡¯t see you holding anything before¡± 1/3 Owen¡¯s smile was gentle, ¡°it¡¯s your birthday today fuckily, I made it in time.¡° Maisie¡¯s eyes lit up with anticipation. After cake, she couldn¡¯t wait to open her present. Inside were a longevity locket, golden cicada, golden gourd, golden butterfly Over twenty little treasures. She loved every single one But her absolute favorite was still the big gold bar and gold phoenix Aria had given her. A knock came at the door. Emma, James, and even Kim came by, all with presents for Maisin. Beaming, Maisie said, ¡°Help me carry these! I want to show you my special room for gifts ¡°Of course,¡± Owen agreed Cloe watched her busy little girl and finally felt her worries melt away. Maisie was surrounded by love¨Cshe should be happy. twas clear now that the Shaw family wasn¡¯t going to fight her for her child. After showing off her collection, Maisie suddenly asked, ¡°Do you like Aria!¡± Owen replied, ¡°I do¡± Maisie¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Then can you be her husband?¡± Owen patted her head. ¡°No, Maide. Like Aria as a friend¡± Maisie frowned. ¡°Is that different!¡± Owen chuckled, ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you¡¯re older.¡± ¡°Oh. Okay¡± Daven couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Are you trying to find Aria a husband?¡± Maisie nodded garnestly. ¡°Mom says if you want to spend your whole life with someone, it has to be your husband. I have Mommy Mommy has me Vanessa has her assistant¡­ But Aria¡¯s all alone¡± Liam didn¡¯t count¨Che¡¯d never even mally been with Aria, and never gave her gifts. Maisie didn¡¯t like him at all. Owen was genuinely touched that a five¨Cyear¨Cold could worry about adult rtionships He said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aria¡¯s wonderful. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll find someone perfect for her.¡± Though, honestly, someone good enough for Aria would be tough to find On the way back, Owen offered to drive, and Aria didn¡¯t argue. Aria¡¯s phone buzzed, Patrick had sent a document. Patrick: Info on thirteen people¨Cthey probably snuck back into Huthalia. The ringleader let me and Rhetto, we¡¯re on our way back The ringleader was Hudson Dodson, a boxer turned mercenary who¡¯d stolen something and vanished, There was a 25 million dor bounty on his head He was skilled, nearly impossible to track, and now let Taking him down would be no small feat. Hudson was linked to the Solemnity Guild, so he¡¯d certainly know who Aria was She was sure Hudson didn¡¯t really believe Rhett and Patrick had scammed her out of 100 miton dor. He must know she was baiting him. But with all that money, how could he iesit? The more often she appeared, the more likely she¡¯d get discovered, especially as Hudson¡¯s followers kept dwindling. Once thisst score was pulled off, they¡¯d disappear. That was the risk¨Che¡¯d definitely take the bait One of his hackers was tracking Patrick, who¡¯d never shown his full hand and always let himself seem a bit less skilled While captive, he¡¯d secretly hacked into the system and recorded everyone¡¯s details. Vanessa had already tracked down Hudson¡¯s identity, but nothing on the rest. Bounty hunters never hurt Huthailians, it was an unspoken rule. Break it, and the bounty just got bigger, with the local police never letting up No one wanted that trouble. Aria was confident Patrick and Rhett wouldn¡¯t be hurt, but they¡¯d taken a huge risk¨CIf caught, they¡¯d be dead for sure. Those two idiots had almost gotten themselves killed. She closed the chat, just as Fryderyk called ¡°Aria, I¡¯ve confirmed they snuck back to Huthallia. Come by the station ¡°Got it.¡± Her phone was loud enough for Owen to hear, and he immediately took a turn toward the police station. ¡°You¡¯reing too, Owen?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Yeah. Allen will probably call me any second now.¡± He¡¯d already guessed why Fryderyk wanted Aria¨Cthose people were targeting her Just then, his phone rang Owe me?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 191 . Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Aria didn¡¯t hesitate¨Cshe reached into Owen¡¯s pocket, pulled out his phone, and pressed answer. As she handed it to him, her body leaned close, bringing with it the faint scent of pine¨Cprobably her shampoo, Owen thought in a sh. ¡°Owen, get down to the station,¡± Allen¡¯s voice came through. Snapping out of it, Owen replied, ¡°I¡¯m on my way.¡± Fryderyk spotted the two of them and raised his brows in surprise. ¡°Come with me.¡± As they entered, Allen nced at them, suspicion in his eyes. ¡°You came together? Did you coordinate this in advance?¡± Aria dragged over a chair, plopped down, and said bluntly, ¡°Coordinate what?¡± Allen hesitated, unsure whether to out Owen¡¯s identity, and shot him a look for guidance. Owen had no intention of hiding, but before he could speak, Aria turned to Fryderyk, ¡°Mr. Fletcher, I just sent you a file. Print it, but leave no trace Maybe it was her natural air ofmand, but all three men looked at her at once. She looked up, all innocence. ¡°Printing at the police station¡¯s a hasste?¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Fryderyk replied, heading off to print. A heavy silence settled over the office. No one spoke until Fryderyk came back with the documents. As they scanned the identities, their shock was obvious. ¡°These people aren¡¯t ordinary.¡± Arja said, ¡°Rhett and Patrick have been released; they¡¯ll probably be back in Huthailia by tomorrow.¡± But there were thirteen in total¨Cshe¡¯d need to take them out one by one. ¡°Hudson is the key. I¡¯ll find a way to handle him,¡± Aria dered. ¡°No way,¡± Owen said immediately, locking eyes with Fryderyk before both men looked away. Fryderyk spoke first, ¡°I¡¯m a cop. This one¡¯s on me¨Cyou can¡¯t take such a risk.¡± Aria cut in, ¡°But I¡¯m the one they¡¯re after.¡± Hudson had survived this long for a reason¨Che was careful, and Fryderyk had no way to get close. Aria was the only real candidate. Owen frowned, ¡°It is exactly why it¡¯s most dangerous for you. Let me handle Hudson. I can make him change targets.¡± He had his own resources¨Cand, frankly, he was easier to target than Aria. She looked at him, eyes narrowing in mild confusion. ¡®Why¡¯s he trying to join the fun?¡® Allen rubbed his nose, filling in, ¡°Owen¡¯s a specialist I brought in. He¡¯s capable¨Cwhy not let him take Hudson?¡± Aria disagreed. ¡°How¡¯s his fighting? Should we go a round and see for ourselves?¡± She shot him a pointed look¨Cblunt and direct. Owen instantly understood. She was still holding a grudge over the day she¡¯d lost to him; now she wanted a fair fight. For a moment, he saw a different side of Aria a little vengeful, stubborn. Allen jumped in to calm things down. ¡°No need for that yet. Let¡¯s wait until those two brats get back to Huthailia and make a n. Owen, since you live across from Aria and no one knows your real identity, keep an eye out. Aria, don¡¯t go off half¨Ccocked.¡± 11:26 Fri, 6 Jun 03 U Chapter 191 Aria said nothing. Allen shot Owen a meaningful look¨Cwatch her. Owen gave the faintest nod, keeping his expression unreadable. Fryderyk observed the exchange with new appreciation. Owen had been hiding his true skills well. Mandino City was full of tigers hiding in in sight- Aria and Owen left the station. Allen watched them go, letting out a worried sigh. -no one was simple here. Again Marriage 192 Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Fryderyk asked, ¡°Allen, you never say, but I know Aria isn¡¯t ordinary. She can clearly handle herself why are you so worried about her? ¡°I can¡¯t help it,¡± Allen muttered, frowning deeply. ¡°She went through something. Got her own shadows. Ever sirice, she¡¯s been a lone wolf¨Cwon¡¯t let anyone in.¡± Fryderyk pressed, ¡°You know what happened?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Fryderyk shook his head. Aria and Owen seemed close¨Cdid they really know who the other was? Masmubia. In a smoky underground casino, a man lounged on a sofa, his gaze sly and cold, tinged with world¨Cweary disdain. Faces flickered in the shifting light¨Cgreedy, eager, desperate, mad. They crowded the gambling tables, bloodshot eyes wild. In this sunless den, fortunes were made and ruined in a single night. The man swirled a ss of blood¨Cred wine, then tossed it back. An old man beside him spoke quietly: ¡°Sir, the Solemnity Guild wants Echohawk dead. You can¡¯t take everything they say at face value¨Cthey may just want to use you as a weapon.¡± The manughed, eyes narrowing to icy slits. ¡°You¡¯ve checked it out?¡± The old man handed over a dossier. Downstairs, the noise was deafening, but here not a sound leaked through. The man stood, his tall figure casting most of the light into shadow. ¡°Get ready. We¡¯re going to Huthailia.¡± ¡°How many men do you want?¡± the old man asked. ¡°A handful. Too many, and the y gets boring.¡± Back in the car, the mood was tense. Owen sensed Aria¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t right. ¡°Aria.¡± It was the first time he¡¯d called her name out loud. -She turned. ¡°What is it?¡± He didn¡¯t answer, but she saw concern in his eyes and had to smile. ¡°Rx, Owen. I¡¯m not reckless enough to take them on headfirst. I¡¯m still young, not nning to throw my life away. This is our turf¨Cthey won¡¯t get far.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Fair point.¡± At a red light, he nced over. ¡°When did you realize it was me?¡± She met his eyes, then looked down at his right hand. ¡°When you tried to test me with the bite mark.¡± He remembered too. ¡°Ruined your mission, didn¡¯t I?¡± Owen had always wondered what could make a fourteen¨Cyear¨Cold girl walk the path she had. Chapter 192 k Once he realized it was Aria, he remembered the promise to buy her meats for hire and had instinctively started mottling her to rent ha ag They¡¯d met up countless times since, though somehow, their rtionship had never really deepened. Now that it was all out in the open, Aria didn¡¯t feel like hiding. ¡°Owen, feel like a fight? Twenty minutester, the car stopped outside a boxing gym. They got out and headed in together. Their looks immediately drew every eye in the ce The receptionist called out, ¡°You two here to sign up?¡± ¡°No.¡± Owen handed over a card. ¡°We need a ring. No audience.¡± Oh, so he¡¯s teaching his girlfriend some self¨Cdefense, the staff thought. Used to requests like this, she nodded and went to prepare the spare After changing and strapping on gear, Aria and Owen stepped onto the ring. Several staff gathered to watch through the ss. ¡°That couple¡¯s gorgeous. Better looking than celebrities.¡± ¡°Honestly, they don¡¯t look like a couple at all¨Cfeels more like enemies. Look at the tension in there.¡± The receptionist agreed, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s just their lovenguage. Either way, quiet¨Cyou don¡¯t want to get caught staring and get yelled at ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± On the ring, both started stretching. Aria smirked, ¡°Owen, don¡¯t you dare go easy on me.¡± Owen¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 193 Chapter 193 Chapter 193 As soon as the words left her mouth, Aria struck first, her fist aimed straight for Owen¡¯s face. He threw up his arm to block, swinging his elbow in a sharp arc toward her neck. Aria twisted, leapt into the air, and as shended, drove her knee into his shoulder, her palm snapping down at his head. Owen reacted instantly¨Che dropped to one knee, ducking his head to dodge her blow while catching her anikle with his hand. She hooked her leg around his neck, and he rolled, flipping their positions in an instant. ¡°Holy-¡± A couple of staff watching from the hallway stared, eyes wide. From the way they were fighting, there was no way these two were a couple. Everyone had expected some sweet, flirty action from a pair of pretty lovebirds¨Cno one expected a no¨Cholds¨Cbarred showdown. And these two weren¡¯t just y¨Cfighting. They both knew what they were doing. The staff kept watching, glued to the action. Neither Aria nor Owen held back¨Cevery punchnded with real force.
Owen was stunned by Aria¡¯s skills. Eight years ago, she¡¯d been talented but impulsive, easy to read. Now, her strength nearly matched his, and she was so much quicker. Aria darted to his side,nding a solid kick to his ribs. His body pitched forward, but he managed to catch himself and spin around. She came at him again, he blocked, countered¨Cbut then her arm shed out, locking around his throat. She wasn¡¯t going for his chest. She was going for the kill. Owen bent his knee forward, trying to throw her off, but Aria twisted and pinned him down. They crashed to the mat, Aria on top, her hands still around his neck, the other twisting his head back. If he were really her enemy, this was the moment he¡¯d hear the snap of his own neck. With Owen as her cushion, Aria didn¡¯t feel a thing. She grinned. ¡°You lost.¡± A drop of sweat slid off her nose andnded on his cheek. His chest, trapped beneath her, felt like it was on fire¨Chis heart pounding so hard he could barely breathe. Totally normal, he told himself. It was just the adrenaline, nothing more. But as he looked up, he caught his own reflection in Aria¡¯s eyes, and the rush only intensified. His fingers curled, trying to suppress the strange thudding in his chest, and he swallowed hard. Her hand was still mped over his pulse. Chapter 193 He gasped for air, feeling that dizzy, breathless pressure as her grip loosened. Aria seemed to notice, let go, and rolled off, sprawling beside him on the mat. She it back into ce. Aria peeled off her gloves, tossed them to the floor, and sat up. ¡°You okay, Owen?¡± He grunted and pulled himself upright. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re incredible. I can¡¯t beat you.¡± She was fast, every move ruthless¨Cif she¡¯d had a weapon, he wouldn¡¯t havested a minute. They changed back into their clothes and walked out together, leaving behind a silent crowd of staff still gaping in awe. Owen drove them back. Neither spoke¨Cafortable silence. They each returned to their own apartments and, without a word, made for the shower. Aria rubbed ointment on her sore spots, massaging carefully, then slipped on a robe and grabbed two jars of medicine before heading out. Again Marriage 194 Chapter 194 Owen was lying on his sofa, eyes closed, dozing lightly. When the doorbell rang, he knew immediately it was Arja, and hurried to answer & LAURA medicinal herbs drifted in. ¡°Owen, here¡ªtwo types of ointment. The light green one¡¯s for bruises, the dark green¡­¡± she eyed the scar on his right arm, ¡°Put that on the scorin help fade it. Use it before bed.¡± He took the jars from her, their fingers brushing for a second¨Che felt a spark, like a little shock of static Aria didn¡¯t flinch; maybe he¡¯d imagined it. ¡°Thank you,¡± Owen said. Aria replied, ¡°I¡¯ll head back. Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± In the hospital, Daniel¡¯s expression was grim. ¡°What¡¯s the Shaw Group¡¯s position? Are they really going to pull out?¡± Liam nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Daniel said, ¡°Isn¡¯t Hannah close to them? Take her over, apologize, and clear things up.¡± Liam¡¯s face tightened. ¡°Grandpa¡­ Hannah¡¯s still in detention.¡± Daniel frowned. ¡°What happened?¡± Liam had no choice but to exin everything that had gone down. Daniel managed augh, though his face was tight with worry. ¡°She¡¯s got guts, I¡¯ll give her that.¡± Fearing for Daniel¡¯s health, Liam quickly tried to reassure him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. If we can get Ms. Olsen involved, Kim won¡¯t pull out of the deal. I¡¯ve already arranged to meet Ms. Olsen¡¯s daughter.¡± Atst, some good news¨CDaniel rxed a little. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be here. Get back to thepany.¡± Liam had barely left when Bryant rushed in, pale with anxiety. ¡°Sir¨Csomething¡¯s happened.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Daniel demanded. ¡°A woman named Azalea Harrell came to see us¨Cshe says she¡¯s Brendon¡¯s first love and wants her child to acknowledge his ancestry.¡± Daniel was stunned. ¡°First love? Child?¡± Brendon was Daniel¡¯s only son, gone before forty. The Cole family had few heirs¨Cany possibility of new blood made Daniel¡¯s heart race with hope. ¡°Bring her in, quickly,¡± Daniel ordered. Bryant soon returned with Azalea. Azalea exined, ¡°I met Brendon on a business trip¨Cwe fell in love at first sight, had a brief but intense romance. He never told me he was from a wealthy family. My parents wouldn¡¯t let me marry far away, so we broke it off, married someone local and soon got pregnant. ¡°We were both from the countryside, never had proper medical checkups, just knew our son¡¯s blood type was B. But just recently, we got a free government screening¨Cturns out, my husband and I are both type A. Chapter 194 ¡°The doctor said there¡¯s no way two type A parents could have a type B child. In my life, I¡¯ve only been with Brendon and my heels found out, he was furious and divorced me. ¡°I started looking into Brendon¡¯s identity and that led me to the Cole family. This was the jade pendant Brendon gave me back then She handed over the jade pendant. It was a Cole family heirloom¨CBrendon had once told Daniel he¡¯d lost it, and Daniel had beaten him for Daniel¡¯s hands shook as he clutched the pendant, overwhelmed with emotion. Brendon had been type B¨Che knew this was true. ¡°How old is your son now?¡± Daniel asked. ¡°Twenty¨Cseven.¡± Twenty¨Cseven¨Cthe same age as Liam. Daniel was halfway convinced. ¡°Where is he? Bring him here for a DNA test. If it¡¯s true, I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s recognized by the family.¡± Talking about her son, Azalea¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Ondo¡¯s always excelled, won awards, got a schrship for college overseas. He started a business Masmubia with a friend, and it¡¯s grown a lot. We¡¯re doing better and better. He knows he¡¯s not a Gagher, and he¡¯s on his way back to Huthailia Daniel¡¯s thoughts raced. ¡®A businessman? Must have a good head for it.¡¯ He was both anxious and excited. ¡°Bryant, set her up with a ce to stay. Once her son arrives, bring him straight to me. And get a few of Liam¡¯s hairs, discreetly¨Cdon¡¯t alert him. For now, keep this under wraps.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Bryant replied. Again Marriage 195 Chapter 195 Chapter 195 In the outskirts, inside an abandoned factory, thirteen people huddled together, eating a hasty meal. Suddenly, a beeping sound came from aptop. The man in the yellow bandana rushed over, scanned the screen, and called out, ¡°Aria¡¯s phone online Aria¡¯s phone interface glowed on the monitor. Hadson strode over, his gaze sharp. ¡°Let¡¯s see what she¡¯s up to.¡± The man replied, ¡°She just opened an app called Notes and typed one sentence: ¡®So, how are you nning to move my money?¡°¡± ¡°Hudson, is she taunting us?¡± Isaias growled, frustration written all over his face. Hudson gripped his shoulder, voice steady but grave. ¡°Don¡¯t forget who she is. We y this smart, or we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After sending her message, Aria sketched a giant middle finger on the screen, tossed the phone aside, and moved on. She picked up her other phone, opened MapleLink, and jumped into a group chat. New messages were popping up every second. Jack: [Heard the Thirteenth Sigil headed to Huthailia. That true? Hudson must have a death wish if he¡¯s messing with Huthailia.] The Thirteenth Sigil¨Cthat was Hudson¡¯s name for his team. Yalo: [It¡¯s true. Apparently, he¡¯s nning something big. Onest job before he retires.] World¡¯s No.1: [Let¡¯s see if he makes it back alive.] Echohawk: [He¡¯s always had a knack for scamming Huthailians. No doubt he¡¯s after another huge payout.] ck Rose: [Echohawk, change your username already.] Echohawk: [ck Rose, heard you botched a hit on a civilian and gave up needles for good. Gonna keep copying me now?] That one stung. This person always knew how to twist the knife. ck Rose: [You¡¯ll regret that.] Jack: [Alright, enough fighting. Half this group is using Echohawk as a nickname. Just get used to it.] Some used their real names, others preferred aliases. There weren¡¯t many with the guts to be themselves¨CAria was one of them. But no one in the group actually knew which Echohawk was really her. A: [There were four from Thirteenth Sigil in here. I kicked them all out.] World¡¯s No.2: [Why kick them?] A: [Because they went to Huthailia and now they¡¯ll drag us down with them.] DungMaster: [Honestly, it¡¯s smart. If they get caught, the Huthailian police will be all over us.] World¡¯s No.1: [Hey, who developed MapleLink? Can we ban them?] ? 11:26 FII, 6jun DJ W Chapter 195 A: Rx, even if the cops find the software, they can¡¯t get in. Echohawk: [Bounty post: capture or kill anyone from Thirteenth Sigil¨C70 million dors. Hudson: 100 million dors.] Aria wasn¡¯t about to do this alone, If money could solve it, she¡¯d spend big. The group chat went dead for a second¨Cthen exploded. DungMaster: [Wait¨Cwho the hell is this big shot? Are you for real with that reward?] Jack: [That much money? I¡¯m in.] World¡¯s No.1: [Me too.] At those numbers, half the underground world wanted in. Aria exited the app. Her phone rang. It was from Vanessa. ¡°Aria, let¡¯s meet up. Give me your phone, I¡¯ll see if I can track their location.¡± Another woman¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Aria, we need to head out ¡°Text me your location. I¡¯lle find you,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Okay.¡± to the set.¡± She¡¯d barely stepped outside when she ran into Owen on his way to work. He lookedpletely unfazed, phone in hand, rideshare app open. Not evenst night¡¯s sparring had made things awkward between them. ¡°Morning, Ms. Saxon,¡± he greeted politely. ¡°Morning.¡± Out of courtesy, Aria asked, ¡°Your car still not back yet?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± he said. ¡°Need a lift?¡± After all the times he¡¯d fed her, leaving him to fend for himself would be pretty heartless. ¡°Would that be alright?¡± he asked. ¡°No trouble.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria dropped him off at Seacrest Law Firm. As she was turning the car around, she spotted Mason, so she rolled down the window. ¡°Mr. Webb, good morning.¡± Mason nearly jumped out of his skin, forcing a nervous smile. ¡°Morning, Ms. Saxon. Is Griffin¡¯s case finally over?¡± ¡°Yeah. Thanks for your help.¡± ¡°Just doing my job,¡± Mason breathed a secret sigh of relief, then forced a cheerful, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll head in.¡± Aria nodded, then paused as if something had crossed her mind. Webb, has anyone tried to contact you , no one.¡± Realizing he sounded too nervous, he quickly added, ¡°No trouble from the Palmer family, you can rest easy.¡± ¡°Good. See you next time, Mr. Webb.¡± ¡°See you.¡± As her car disappeared, Mason finally let out a long breath¨Conly to look up and meet Owen¡¯s eyes. His heart almost stopped again. ¡°Mr. Shaw¡­. morning.¡± ¡°Morning.¡± Shaken, Mason hurried inside to pull himself together. Owen watched him go, a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°Aaron, is that you?¡± Aaron greeted Owen as he walked up. ¡°You look so much younger today.¡± Owen was in a long coat and a grey scarf. He raised a brow, amused. ¡°Do I usually look old?¡± Aaron¡¯s eyelid twitched as he realized he¡¯d slipped up. ¡°No, no¨Cyou¡¯re young already. Just younger today.¡± Owen let it slide. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Inside, Owen hung up his scarf and coat. As he did, Aaron caught a glimpse of finger¨Cshaped bruises and a scratch around Owen¡¯s neck. He gasped, ¡°Mr. Shaw, were you¡­domestically abused? But you¡¯re not even married¨Cwas it a break¨Cin?¡± ¡°No,¡± Owen replied simply. But there was no denying those marks were from someone¡¯s hand. Sensing it was private, Aaron wisely didn¡¯t push, dumping all his umted work questions on Owen before leaving. Owen¡¯s phone buzzed. Ashen: [Someone posted a hit on Hudson. Boss, are we getting involved? Nobody¡¯s motivated without money.] Moss: [Let those rookies try their luck. Good training for them.] Officially, mercenaries weren¡¯t allowed to take private contracts. Otherwise, plenty of them would jump at it. Owen figured Aria had put up the bounty and replied, 15 million dors each. I¡¯ll pay. Reaper: [Knew there¡¯d be good eats following you. Better than yelling drill orders all day¨Ckilling¡¯s more fun.] Owen left it at that and closed the chat. Aria arrived at Vanessa¡¯s film set, making her way through the crowd when a voice called out, ¡°Aria?¡± It was Tina, surrounded by a group¨CMaximo, the cameraman, the assistant with a backpack. Tina stared in disbelief. ¡°What are you doing here? Aria didn¡¯t slow down. ¡°None of your business.¡± Again Marriage 196 Chapter 196 Tina¡¯s expression instantly turned chilly, but a momentter she smoothed it over with a soft smile, her voice gentle as she said, ¡°The set a h¨²ga, dont wander off and get lost.¡± Her style was all soft elegance and warmth, a far cry from her real, proud personality. She faked it so hard that Aria actually paused, giving her a look that all but said, ¡°Who possessed you?¡± A flush crept up Tina¡¯s cheeks¨Chow embarrassing. She regretted calling out to Aria in the first ce. The assistant director, Maximo Weaver, picked up on their history and asked tentatively, ¡°Tina, do you two know each other?¡± Tina, keeping her connections hidden, quickly replied, ¡°We¡¯ve only met a couple of times,¡± Her cool tone left Maximo thinking their rtionship was frosty at best. His own attitude toward Aria soured. ¡°And who are you? You can¡¯t just wander onto set. Security! Escort her out.¡± A staff member blocked Aria¡¯s way. Not far off, Vanessa¡¯s assistant came running, waving frantically. ¡°She¡¯s Vanessa¡¯s friend, here to visit!¡± Tina was the show¡¯s leadingdy; Vanessa, the second female lead. The two had butted heads on a reality show before, the falloutnding them at the top of the trending topics. Truth be told, Vanessa had just been a target¨Cshe barely had any die¨Chard fans, but haters? They were everywhere. The moment the casting list dropped, the drama¡¯s poprity soared. The producers didn¡¯t even need to buy publicity. Still in character, Tina gave a sweet smile. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re Vanessa¡¯s friend. Aria, you¡¯d better hurry up¨Cdon¡¯t keep people waiting.¡± Aria¡¯s look grew even more peculiar. Vanessa¡¯s assistant M quickly ushered her away. ¡°This way, Aria.¡± Vanessa was signed to Starmon Films, the studio bankrolling the whole production. Starmon, incidentally, was a Stars Group subsidiary. Tina¡¯s lips curled in a sneer as she watched Aria go. ¡°Here for a visit? More like here to get noticed¨Cmaybe she¡¯s hoping Mr. Dawson Campbell spots her and brings her into the industry.¡± Casting couch rumors ran rampant in the business, and after nine years, T¨ªna had seen it all. She added in a low voice, ¡°Starmon Films is owned by the Stars Group.¡± With that, she walked off. Maximo, still puzzled, muttered, ¡°Why does Tina always talk in riddles?¡± A staffer shrugged. ¡°Whatever¨CDawson¡¯s almost here. The director wants us to greet him and push Vanessa¡¯s scenes back a bi ¡°Fine.¡± Tina sat for makeup, her assistant handing over her phone. She fired off a message to Derek: Tina: [The exams are over¨CLennox thinks he did pretty well. How about you?] Chapter 196 Derek: [Didn¡¯t bother checking my score.] He always left each exam behind him, neverparing answers. Tina: [Don¡¯t worry if it didn¡¯t go well. Mandino U¡¯s diploma is gold¨Cjust stay on the straight and narrow, Okay?] Derek: (What do you mean ¡®crooked¡®? Lennox told me Aria¡¯s likely joining Mandino U as a professor, and you¡¯re pretty close to her, aren¡¯t your As expected, they believed whatever Lennox said. Derek: [None of your business.] Tina remembered Aria¡¯s words earlier and mmed the table. ¡°That brat!¡± Her makeup artist and assistant were both her p or people; Tina wasn¡¯t worried about her facade slipping. Inside the trailer, Vanessa was working furiously at herptop. ¡°They¡¯re every night.¡± Aria asked, ¡°How¡¯s their skill?¡± Fryderyk had offered to take care of it, but Aria trusted Vanessa more. gutsy, I¡¯ll give them that¨Csomeone¡¯s been remotely poking around your phone Vanessa snorted. ¡°Mediocre. Nowhere near me. I¡¯ll sort it out in ten minutes.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Aria waited, calm as ever. Suddenly, there was a a stunning young woman no one recognized. Dawson slicked back his hair and whistled. ¡°Hey gorgeous, are you an actress too?¡± Maximo cut in, ¡°She¡¯s Vanessa¡¯s friend, just visiting the set.¡± He eyed Aria, figuring she must be angling for the producer¡¯s attention. Aria shut the trailer behind her and coolly asked, ¡°You¡¯re the producer for Starmon Films?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This drama is a Starmon project. I gave Vanessa her role as the second female lead, and I can take it away just as easily,¡± Dawson said, shing a cocky grin and stepping closer, . ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Aria leaned against the trailer, her posture casual, one leg crossed over the other, her voicezy, almost taunting. Then why are pus here during working hours? Shouldn¡¯t you have somewhere better to be?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here on behalf of Starmon Films, to check up on things.¡± Dawson smiled, moving in until the distance felt personal. ¡°What¡¯s your name? I could sign you on with Starmon right now¨Cif, of course, you know how to behave.¡± Everyone caught the sleazy undertone. M quickly stepped in, murmuring something into Aria¡¯s ear. Aria caught on, her gaze suddenly sharp as a de. She stared Dawson down. ¡°And who¡¯s your daddy?¡± Dawson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Trying to hook up with my old man, huh?¡± Around them, people began to look at Aria differently. So, she was ambitious. Aria didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°Tell your father to get over here and meet me himself.¡± Dawson had grown up under a domineering father and couldn¡¯t stand strong women¨Che only liked the obedient, cutesy type. With Aria, all his interest vanished, reced by icy disdain. ¡°You want my dad toe see you? Who do you think you are? Get her out of here.¡± Maximo stepped forward. ¡°Miss, will you leave on your own, or do we need to help you?¡± M quietly slipped away, sprinting to find the director. The director was just about to start filming when M burst in. ¡°There¡¯s trouble¨CDawson¡¯s starting something again!¡± Dawson causing trouble wasn¡¯t news, but for M to panic meant this was bigger than usual. The director immediately called for a halt. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡± The male leads exchanged a nce. ¡°Should we go too?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s see what¡¯s up.¡± Again Marriage 197 Chapter 197 Chapter 197 When the director and the leads marched out, all the supporting actors and extras couldn¡¯t hold back their curiosity¨Cthey streamed after fram ki a swarm. Those who were still shooting froze in disbelief. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Looks like there¡¯s a major scandal brewing.¡± ¡°Tina and Vanessa are both missing. Something must have happened to one of them.¡± ¡°My money¡¯s on Vanessa. Definitely not Tina.¡± Word reached Tina, and she hiked up her dress and bolted, makeup forgotten, worry gnawing at her¨Cif Aria lost her temper, she might just blurt out that she was the Fletcher family heiress. A crowd of dozens surged forward, just in time to witness Dawson getting spectacrly drop¨Ckicked. His security team jumped in to save him and everyst one of them got tossed as well. The producer getting beaten up on set? If that hit the tabloids, who would ever invest in them again? The director¡¯s head throbbed. ¡°No one records a thing,¡± he snapped, ¡°or you¡¯ll be cklisted for life.¡± Phones slid quietly back into pockets. Aria strode over to Dawson, pointed her phone at his battered face, and snapped a clear photo¨Cclick, the sound echoed through the crowd. Writhing on the ground, every bone in his body aching, Dawson spat a curse at her. ¡°Bitch, you¡¯re dead!¡± Aria delivered azy kick¨Ca pebble bounced off the pavement and shot straight into his mouth. Dawson choked and gagged, scrambling to spit it out. Aria sent the photo straight to the Stars Group executives¡® chat, hit record, and fired off a voice message: [Whose son is this little mutt? You¡¯ve got thirty minutese collect your trash.] No one in their right mind would believe a creep like him was a real producer¨Cunless his dad was someone at the very top. The crowd gaped. Tina watched with a mix of awe and anxiety. ¡®No wonder she nearly sent her own mother to the hospital in a rage¨CAria really was outrageous, acting without a care for the consequences.¡® The director hurried over to help Dawson. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Dawson¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he red at Aria. The moment he tried to speak, one of his front teeth ttered to the ground. He let out a strangled, animal wail. Vanessa, finally finished with her hacking, stretched and threw open the car door¨Cjust in time to catch the aftermath. ¡°Holy shit,¡± she blurted, unable to stopughing. She¡¯d missed the ruckus outside¨Cthe RV was soundproof, and she¡¯d been absorbed in her work. But seeing Dawson¡¯s battered face now, she couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°Call the police! I want her in jail!¡± Dawson sputtered, lisping through his missing tooth. People around him were struggling not tough. Vanessa howled. Tina finally understood how the two could be friends¨Cbirds of a feather, those two. Trio Jun OR The director barked orders to seal off the area, calling in the PR team to make sure nothing leaked. He¡¯d picked up enough to realize Aria wasn¡¯t just any ordinary visitor. Maximo, though, was oblivious he yelled at Vanessa, ¡°Your friend¡¯s tatar trouble and you¡¯reughing?¡± Aria turned a cold gaze on him. ¡°I¡¯m the one who hit him. Why are you yelling at her?¡± Maximo opened his mouth to retort, but Aria cut him off. ¡°Just wait. Someone will be here to handle this.¡± Tina edged through the crowd, sidling up to Aria and whispering, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say I¡¯m your cousin, or mention I¡¯m the Fletcher family heiress. Aria blinked in mock confusion. ¡°Cousin? I don¡¯t recall having one.¡± Tina was left speechless. Momentster, Jasper Campbell himself arrived, looking every bit the big boss. The director rushed to exin, but Jasper brushed right past him, heading straight for Dawson. Again Marriage 198 Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Dawson, who¡¯d been sprawled on the ground, immediately dropped to his knees, clutching his father¡¯s pants. ¡°Dad, she hit¡­¡± Dawson¡¯s head snapped to the side. ¡°Useless idiot!¡± Jasper snarled. Maximo was stunned¨Che hadn¡¯te to cause trouble? Once he¡¯d finished berating his son, Jasper turned to Aria, bowing in apology. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ms. Saxon. I promise he¡¯ll never meddle inpany affairs again.¡± So she was a Starmon Films board member? Wait, no¨Cshe was Stars Group¡¯s board member, someone above Jasper himself. The director and Maximo exchanged a look, the truth dawning on them. Maximo mentally pped himself. He¡¯d picked a fight with someone he could never afford to offend. Aria¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Now you know to keep him out of things. What about before?¡± Dawson might¡¯ve been a creep, but at least he hadn¡¯t resorted to drugging or ckmail¨Cjust sneaky harassment. Fame and fortune always came with a price. She couldn¡¯t police every ugly deal, nor did she have the right to. Jasper could only hang his head in shame, unable to say a word. ¡°Take him to the hospital,¡± Aria said. ¡°If he harasses another woman, there won¡¯t be such an easy way out next time.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ms. Saxon. I promise I¡¯ll discipline him,¡± Jasper said, dragging Dawson away by the ear, ignoring his son¡¯s injuries. Vanessa quietly handed Aria herptop. ¡°Keep it for now¨Cdeal with your business and return itter. Be careful, okay?¡± Before leaving, Aria shot Maximo a nce and said to Vanessa, ¡°Focus on your scenes. If anything happens, call me. Don¡¯t forget you¡¯ve got serious backing.¡± The hierarchy was clear¨CDawson pushed everyone around, but Aria trumped them all. Maximo tried to shrink into the background, praying to go unnoticed. In the end, things worked out better than anyone expected. Dawson wouldn¡¯t be causing any more trouble. Small mercies. Everyone watched Aria walk away, someone finally voicing the question on everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°Who the hell is she, anyway?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? They called her Ms. Saxon. She¡¯s one of the real bosses.¡± ¡°No wonder Vanessa never got cklisted¨Cshe¡¯s got that kind of support. We¡¯d better keep our mouths shut from now on.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± On the road, Aria¡¯s car cruised smoothly along¨Cuntil a sudden crash from behind threw her forward, her seatbelt yanking her back just in time. She instinctively swerved, mming on the brakes. 11147 Sun 8 Jun A or Chapter 198 The car jolted into the guardrail, but thankfully she¡¯d been in the far¨Crightne, and no further collisions followed. Aria frowned, unfastened her seatbelt, and stepped out. The ck car that hit her popped its door open, and a man in a brown coat stepped out. Adjusting his silver¨Crimmed sses, he nced at the crumpled front end and said, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, miss. I take full responsibility.¡± Before Aria could reply, a stunned voice interrupted, ¡°Mrs. Cole?¡± It was Bryant. Aria shot him a look. ¡°Bryant, I¡¯m divorced from Liam now.¡± Bryant offered an apologetic smile. ¡°Sorry, Ms. Saxon, we were in a rush and rear¨Cended you by ident.¡± Her car was pretty banged up¨Cdefinitely not drivable. She felt another pair of eyes on her. ncing up, she locked eyes with the man, his gaze clear and gentle. He gave her a polite smile. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange contact info. I¡¯ll pay for the repairs.¡± There was something odd about this guy, but Aria took out her phone and added his contact anyway, then called her insurancepany for a tow. As soon as she hung up, the man said, ¡°My name¡¯s Ondo.¡± ¡°Aria,¡± she replied. ¡°Need a lift anywhere?¡± Ondo offered. Normally, Aria would¡¯ve refused, but this time she said, ¡°Sure. I need to get to the police station.¡± Bryant, looking tense, squeezed into the front passenger seat. Aria settled into the back, her sharp eyes flicking between the two men. What exactly was Bryant so afraid of? Again Marriage 199 Chapter 199 When they arrived at the police station, Aria got out with herptop bag. Ondo nced out the window, his voice low. ¡°Bryant, is she really mano. wife?¡± Bryant forced a sheepish smile. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Ms. Saxon¡¯s actually a good person¨Cjust a little on the cold side.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ondo let out a soft chuckle, his long eyes calm and unfathomable, hiding any trace of emotion. He gave onest look at the police station then drove away. Aria paused to nce back, then headed inside. Fryderyk got a call and made his way to the chief¡¯s office. On the desk, aptop screen blinked with a red dot. Fryderyk leaned over. ¡°Northside?¡± Allen nodded. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s where The Thirteenth Sigil is holed up. There¡¯s an abandoned factory there, site of an old murder. It¡¯s been left empty for years.¡± Fryderyk frowned. ¡°That ce is a nightmare for an ambush¨Ctricky terrain, easy toy traps, thirteen people inside and they¡¯re armed. A direct assault won¡¯t be easy.¡± Aria took it in stride. ¡°Start by sealing off the perimeter, cut off their escape routes. Fryderyk, I¡¯m putting you in charge.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Fryderyk answered immediately. ¡°Deploy the drone unit for surveince. Take a team with Owen, capture them alive if you can. If they fight, use lethal force.¡± The bounty Aria posted was generous, but even so, few were willing toe¨Cthirteen armed mercenaries in Huthailia was a death sentence for most. Hudson knew she had money; he¡¯d definitely rigged the whole ce with traps. Aria needed to scout ahead. She turned to Fryderyk. ¡°Mr. Fletcher, how¡¯s yourbat ability?¡± Allen answered for him, grinning, ¡°Rx, he¡¯s not as good as you, but he can handle himself¨Che¡¯s better than any of the Thirteenth Sigil guys. If anything goes down, he¡¯s got your back.¡± Fryderyk shot Allen a curious look. How did the chief know he couldn¡¯t beat Aria? He was even more intrigued about her true identity. ¡°So what¡¯s your n?¡± ¡°Too many people and we risk scaring them off,¡± Aria replied coolly. ¡°Tonight, then?¡± Fryderyk pressed. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Allen interjected, ¡°Bring Owen. No sense wasting good manpower.¡± He pulled out his phone and fired off a message. ¡°Have you been to that factory?¡± Aria asked. ¡°I¡¯ve handled the case,¡± Fryderyk replied. ¡°Got any photos?¡± ¡°Yeah, let me grab the files. Hold on.¡± A few minutester, he returned with a stack of crime scene shots. They cleared the table, and Aria began spreading out the photos, sketching as Fryderyk described theyout. ¡°When you push open the main doors, it¡¯s all open space¨Cused to be filled with machines, now just empty. Over here is the break room¡­¡± An hourter, Aria hadbined Fryderyk¡¯s memories and the photos into a detailed floor n. Chapter 199 Allen, watching from the side, was astonished. ¡°You¡¯re a real artist too? Every time we dig, we find more treasure. Wish I could recruit you for the With a red pen, Aria traced a path. ¡°This spot¡¯s perfect for an ambush¨Cgood sightlines, easy to attack and escape. Fryderyk nodded, adding his own mark. ¡°We can bait them into a trap right here.¡± All that was left was to survey the area outside the factory. Allen. watching the two of them, couldn¡¯t help smiling. They looked oddly well¨Cmatched. Maybe, once this mess was over, he could y matchmaker. Fryderyk snapped a photo of the finished map. Aria gathered her things. ¡°See you at midnight, Mr. Fletcher.¡± Fryderyk knew she and Owen were neighbors. ¡°I¡¯lle by to pick you both up.¡± After leaving the station, Aria picked up two boxes of gifts and headed to Mason Webb¡¯s home. A woman answered the door, a baby in her arms. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Webb¡¯s client. He did me a favor, so I wanted to thank him,¡± Aria exined. AD Again Marriage 200 Chapter 200 The woman, seeing Aria was alone and female, let her in without hesitation. ¡°Come in, Mason¡¯s just getting off work.¡± Aria left the gifts by the couch and took a seat. The woman set the baby in a cradle, poured Aria some water, and ced fruit on the table. The smell of food wafted through the apartment. ¡°Cooking dinner?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Yeah, give me a sec¨CI need to check the soup. Make yourself at home.¡± The woman bustled away. Aria nced at the baby, wide¨Ceyed and chewing on a chubby fist. She smiled softly. Mason came home to this scene, froze at the door, and dropped his bag. ¡°Aria! What are you doing here?¡± His wife came out with the soup, smiling. ¡°You¡¯re back! Entertain our guest and help tidy up for dinner.¡± Aria smiled at him. ¡°You look awfully nervous, Mr. Webb.¡± He stiffly scooped up his bag. ¡°Not at all.¡± The baby giggled and reached for Aria. Mason, flustered, rushed to scoop the child into his arms, his voice shaky. ¡°Ms. Saxon, how did you even find out where I live?¡± Aria¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°Your son is adorable.¡± Mason, who¡¯d had his first child at over forty, was fiercely protective. Her words made his hands tremble as he held the baby. ¡°Thanks for handling that online mess for me, Mason. I won¡¯t stay for dinner¨Cgoodbye.¡± She didn¡¯t linger. As the door clicked shut, his wife called from the kitchen, ¡°But dinner¡¯s ready! Why¡¯d she leave?¡± Mason handed off the baby and chased her down the hall. ¡°Ms. Saxon!¡± She paused. ¡°Yes?¡± He hesitated, conflicted. ¡°You know everything, don¡¯t you?¡± She¡¯de here as a warning. Aria cut straight to the point. ¡°They¡¯ve smuggled themselves into Huthailia.¡± His pupils contracted in shock. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. How could they be so bold?¡± Two and a half years ago, Mason had taken on what looked like a simple divorce case. The client¨Ca young man¨Cimed his wealthy wife had cheated and wanted a split with a payout. But as Mason dug deeper, he realized the man was after the woman¡¯s fortune from the start, collecting dirt on her. The pressure to help was soon backed by threats/ He did what he could legally, but his conscience never let him rest. Later, they asked him to take photos and arrange bail. Aria smiled faintly. ¡°Mason, you don¡¯t have much time to decide. Either help catch them, or go to prison. Those are your only options.¡± Chapter 200 Midnight, the three of them arrived at Northside, greeted by a forest shrouded in darkness. Fryderyk slid on his night¨Cvision goggles and led the way. ¡°There used to be a road, but after the murder, the ce was closed off. The forest you don¡¯t know the terrain, you¡¯ll get lost easily.¡± In other words¨Csomeone from The Thirteenth Sigil must be familiar with this ce. ¡°What exactly happened in that case?¡± Aria asked. ¡°It was a pharmaceutical factory, totally illegal. That¡¯s why it was hidden so deep. No one would¡¯ve found it, if not for the fire that killed a man. It was too remote forfort. After about thirty feet, all three stopped in unison. Owen spoke quietly. ¡°Hudson¡¯s cautious. He¡¯ll haveid traps on the first day¨Ckeep your eyes peeled.¡± Even though the nearest homes were far off, any one of these criminals escaping would put the whole city at risk. They had to cover every possible exit before making a move. ¡°One hour from now, meet back here,¡± Owen said. They split up, each disappearing into the gloom. Aria moved like a shadow, silent as a ghost, deftly disabling several traps as she ran. She lost track of time, but eventually caught a faint glow in the distance. Heart pounding, she vaulted up the nearest tree and concealed herself, holding her breath, vanishing into the darkness above. Again Marriage 201 Chapter 201 The light grew closer, pausing just outside the abandoned factory. Isaias, shlight in hand, grumbled under his breath. ¡°Hudson¡¯s being way too cautious. What¡¯s he waiting for?¡± Another man shot him a sharp look, annoyance in his eyes. ¡°We can¡¯t afford mistakes. Quit whining and get it done.¡± Isaias rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t we have an informant? Let him deliver the food for once¨Cthese rations are disgusting¡± ¡°He has other uses.¡± The two finished their business and left, heading toward the factory. Aria, as silent as a shadow, tailed them from a safe distance and pulled out her binocrs. ¡°Hudson, Aria¡¯s phone hasn¡¯t moved at all. You think she hasn¡¯t noticed us?¡± Isaias asked, uneasy. ¡°No way.¡± Hudson shook his head, frowning. ¡°Solemnity Guild said she¡¯s been trained. We can¡¯t act rashly.¡± All they knew was that Aria had once been an assassin for the Solemnity Guild. What they didn¡¯t know was her true identity¨CEchohawk. That bit of information was deliberately kept from them; if Hudson had known, he¡¯d never have dared covet Aria¡¯s money. ¡°So how long are we waiting?¡± Isaias muttered. Hudson had already checked¨Cthe authorities in Huthailia seemed unaware of their illegal entry. But the longer they stayed, the more likely they were to get caught. This had to end quickly. ¡°I¡¯ve mapped out our escape route for tonight,¡± Hudson ordered. ¡°Contact our guy and have him lure Aria here. There¡¯s so many of us¨Ctaking down a single assassin should be a piece of cake. Once she¡¯s here, the money¡¯s as good as ours.¡± The only real problem was escaping afterward, but with their inside man and a retreat n in ce, Hudson felt confident. ¡°Everyone get some rest. There¡¯s a tough fight ahead once we start pulling out.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The heavy doors closed. Aria stashed her binocrs and slipped away, guessing from the movement that their n was about to begin. Hudson thought he¡¯d slipped into Huthailia without a trace, but he had no idea they¡¯d been under surveince the whole time. She took a different route back and met up at the rendezvous. Together with Owen and Fryderyk, they sketched out the escape routes. After hearing their analysis, Aria rubbed her temples. ¡°You guys get some rest. I¡¯ll pull this all together.¡± Owen stood up and said, ¡°Eat something first, then get some sleep. I¡¯ll make some pasta.¡± Fryderyk, about to leave, paused and sat back down. ¡°Make me a te too.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Owen headed for the kitchen but stopped, ncing back. Chapter 201 The two inside were close together¡ªAria meticulously marking up maps while Fryderyk alternated between watching her and the ns The light cast a warm, peaceful glow over them. Owen narrowed his eyes and called, ¡°Fryderyk,e give me a hand.¡± Without thinking much of it, Fryderyk followed him out. Owen tossed him a tomato. ¡°Dice it.¡± Fryderyk washed the tomato and, unsure, asked, ¡°How do you want it cut?¡± ¡°In cubes.¡± Owen busied himself boiling pasta and beating eggs. He nced over¨Cand stopped in surprise. On the cutting board, the tomato was carved into the ¡°cube¡± character instead of actual cubes. Owen was speechless, one brow raised. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You said ¡®cut in cubes¡°,¡± Fryderyk replied, clueless but dutiful. Owen nearlyughed. ¡°You¡¯ve never cooked before, have you?¡± ¡°Never.¡± Fryderyk admitted honestly. ¡°Just wait outside,¡± Owen said, amused. Fryderyk washed his hands and stood aside, but didn¡¯t leave. Watching Owen work with practiced ease, he couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°Didn¡¯t think you could cook.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t cook, you can¡¯t get a date. You should learn,¡± Owen said dryly. Fryderyk couldn¡¯t quite tell if he was being mocked or given real advice. ¡°So, do you have someone in mind?¡± Owen shot him a sidelong look. ¡°We¡¯re not close enough for that kind of question.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Fryderyk replied, dropping the subject. Once Aria finished marking the three routes, she brought the ns next door. The men brought out the pasta. Aria went to wash her hands, then sat down, ready to dig in. ¡°Careful, it¡¯s hot,¡± Owen and Fryderyk said in unison. Aria nced at them, deadpan. ¡°Do I look stupid?¡± She blew on her soup and took a sip. The men fell silent, focusing on their meal. After his first bite, Fryderyk¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wow, didn¡¯t expect you to cook this well. This is really good.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Owen replied. Just then, Aria¡¯s phone buzzed. It was Mason. She put down her fork and answered. ¡°Ms. Saxon, they really contacted me,¡± Mason¡¯s voice trembled, barely masking his panic. Both Owen and Fryderyk looked over. ¡°They want you to lure me there, right?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Yeah, they didn¡¯t give me an address, just threatened my family if I didn¡¯t cooperate. Ms. Savori, please you¡¯ve got to help me. I never stote any money, I only ever took a picture of you at Seacrest Law and bailed out one of their guys.¡± He¡¯d always drawn a line, refusing their worst requests. Aria was nonchnt. ¡°What¡¯s the rush? Just do what they say.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll be breaking thew!¡± Mason fretted. ¡°I¡¯ll testify for you.¡± ¡°But what if¨Cwhat if you die?¡± Mason stammered. Aria snorted. ¡°You¡¯re awfully timid for an informant.¡± Mason sniffed, feeling aggrieved. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a real informant, my info was only half¨Ctrue anyway.¡± ¡°Rx¨Cthey won¡¯t touch your family,¡± Aria said calmly. She handed the phone to Fryderyk, who gave Mason a few more instructions until he finally calmed down. When the call ended, Aria just kept eating pasta, face calm as ever. Fryderyk returned her phone. ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go. You two stay outside for backup.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Fryderyk shot back, ¡°it¡¯s too risky. We should ambush them when they send someone to meet you.¡± ¡°If you strike too early, they¡¯ll scatter. I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Aria said. ¡°Trust me.¡± Fryderyk turned to Owen, hoping he¡¯d back him up. Owen obliged. ¡°Aria can handle herself. If she¡¯s going, she¡¯s got it under control. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Fletcher.¡± Fryderyk hesitated, then relented. ¡°Owen, you go with her.¡± Aria arched a brow. ¡°And what, exactly, is his cover?¡± Fryderyk replied, deadpan, ¡°You¡¯re her secret lover.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 202 Chapter 202 it was as if someone had pressed a mute button air thickened, tension frozen, sitarize to heary it was softoy Both Aria and Owen turned to look at Fryderyk, an unspoken question fingering in their eye The quieter it got, the more ominous it felt. Fryderyk cleared his throat and covered his mouth with a fist, struggling forposure. ¡°They probably already know who I am. I shouldn¡¯t show up. Owen¡¯s identity is under the radar, less likely to bepromised, he resined, the logic wless. ¡°If you two pretended to be a couple, they¡¯d never buy it. ¡°But a secret affair? That¡¯s believable, especially since you live across the hall. Besides, it¡¯ll be more convincing if Owen acts like the just couldn¡¯t picture Aria in a real rtionship; the ¡®lover¡® smokescreen seemed perfect. Aria, however, found it unnecessary. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking this. As long as you block their escape routes, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Fryderyk¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°I¡¯m a police officer. The safety of the people is my first priority¡± No matter how skilled she was, it was still his job to protect her. Owen turned to Aria and said, ¡°I¡¯m going with you. We¡¯ll y it by ear.¡± There was no room for negotiation¨CFryderyk wasn¡¯t backing down. Aria thought it over and gave in. ¡°Fine.¡± The next day, at the hospital, Daniel held the paternity results in trembling hands, eyes shining with excitement. ¡°Ondo, you really are my grandson. You¡¯re just a few months younger than Liam, so you¡¯ll be the second in line. I¡¯ll have you and your mother move back into the Cole family home.¡± Ondo nced at the papers, his face unreadable. ¡°Daniel, I¡¯m twenty¨Cseven, not a child. I don¡¯t need the Cole family¡¯s protection. I only came back to Huthailia for the test because I wanted to know who my biological father was. ¡°Now that he¡¯s gone, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll take my mother to Masmubja. We won¡¯t being back to the Cole family.¡± He was utterly detached, not even a flicker of interest for the Cole Group in his eyes. Daniel had done his homework¨COndo really was as aplished as Azalea imed. The kid had always been brilliant, earning his own tuition and living expenses, building apany from scratch. Small as it was, he¡¯d already carved out a ce for himself in the market with sheer talent and business acumen. With time, he could rival the Cole Group. If Ondo were a stranger, Daniel would keep his guard up. But this was his flesh and blood, and right now, the Cole Group desperately needed a savior. ¡°Ondo, you carry the Cole bloodline. I can¡¯t let you fend for yourself out there. If youe back, you¡¯ll have a seat at the table¨Csame as Liam. I¡¯ll let youpete for the inheritance. Whatever Liam gets, you¡¯ll get, too.¡± But Ondo just said, ¡°I have my ownpany.¡± Daniel¡¯s expression tightened. ¡°That littlepany of yours can¡¯tpare to the Cole Group.¡± He sighed, switching tactics. You may not care about yourself, but what about your mother? What if she can¡¯t adapt to living abroad? You¡¯re really nning to spend in Masmubia?¡± Ondo¡¯s cold resolve flickered. Daniel seized the opening. ¡°No need to decide now. Just think about it.¡± As he turned, a fleeting glint of mockery shed through Ondo¡¯s eyes. Again Marriage 203 No Ads your Chapter 203 Back in the hospital room, Daniel told Bryant, ¡°Have someone dig ?rbund his mother¨Ctee if you can find a breakthrough Daniel was obsessed with strengthening the Cole bloodline. Now that he had another grandson, he was determined to im him- especially since Ondo was a born businessman. ¡°Get things ready for discharge.¡± Daniel ordered. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Bryant replied. At nine that evening. Mason texted Ar¨ªa: [Is now a good time to go?] Aria headed to the training room, expertly strapping medical tools and two hidden knives to her body before slipping out. She nced at Owen¡¯s door as she made her way down the hall. As the elevator doors opened, a familiar voice called, ¡°Ms. Saxon?¡± She turned, startled, and locked eyes with Owen. For a second, neither spoke. Owen arched a brow, a faint smile on his lips, the corridor light casting shadows over his face, his gaze probing and inscrutable. Aria instinctively reached out, and the elevator doors opened again. Owen stepped in, joining her inside. ¡°If Mason hadn¡¯t messaged me, were you nning to go alone?¡± Owen asked quietly. He¡¯d seen Mason at work earlier and mentioned he¡¯d go with Aria, which is why Mason texted her in the first ce. Aria lifted her eyes to meet Owen¡¯s, then quickly looked away. ¡°I can handle it myself.¡± Earlier, four people had epted the bounty. Once she made it clear the police were involved, two dropped out. That left just the right number. Owen¡¯s eyes never left her. ¡°You broke your word.¡± She pressed her lips together, voice low. ¡°Yeah.¡± Then she felt the weight of his gaze¨Chot and just a little wounded. She didn¡¯t have to look up to know. When she finally met his eyes, she tried to y tough. ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± A beat of silence, then Owenughed softly. ¡°Nothing. I can¡¯t beat you, so whatever you say goes.¡± It sounded normal, but something about his tone felt¡­off. Then she caught a glimpse of red beneath his cor. Aria instinctively reached out and tugged at his shirt. There it was a lipstick mark on his neck, faint bruises from fingers pressed a little too hard. You didn¡¯t need to be a genius to guess what he¡¯d been up to ¡°She blurted out, ¡°You In this condition, you still want to go!¡± Wait, how had she missed the signs of his sex life? He had a girlfriend, but he was still asking her to dinner? Owen was really something A scooted a step away, slightly wary. Owen noticed her retreat and, grinning, touched his neck. ¡°Fooled you, too, huh?¡± She looked at him, puzzled. He met her eyes, lips curving in a smile. ¡°Did you forget? I¡¯m supposed to be your lover right now.¡± He practically purred thosest words. Aria¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°You did it on purpose?¡± With his performance, her casual attitude really did look half¨Cassed. If Owen could read her mind, he¡¯d say it wasn¡¯t just half¨Cassed¨Cit was practically amateur hour. ¡°I did it myself,¡± he replied, a glint of mischief in his eyes. She noticed another mark on his jaw. Honestly, she was impressed. ¡°You¡¯re reallymitted to the role.¡± The elevator opened, and they walked out, one after the other. Softly, Owen said, ¡°We need toe up with nicknames that fit our roles.¡± After all these months, their interactions were still painfully formal. How do lovers address each other, anyway? Aria remembered a cheesy scene from one of Vanessa¡¯s soap operas and blurted out, ¡°Baby?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 204 Chapter 204 Owen¡¯s feet tangled and he stumbled straight into the ss door, his forehead smacking into it with a loud thud. The impact knocked him back a few steps, leaving him momentarily dazed and unsteady The crash was so abrupt that Aria, standing nearby, stared at him in shock, her eyes wide was it really that dramatic? His forehead throbbed, but it was still manageable. The truth was, Owen was genuinely stunned; of all things, he hadn¡¯t expected her to call him ¡°baby.¡± Maybe it was because Aria was always so distant and reserved¨Cthose sweet, intimate sybles just didn¡¯t suit her. Not even a little. She¡¯d said it without a shred of emotion. Aria stepped closer, ncing at the rising bump on his forehead, searching for words. ¡°You¡­ are you okay?¡± The lobby lights were bright. She nced at him from the side, hershes fluttering, a hint of concern in her clear eyes. Owen couldn¡¯t help but notice¨Cher eyes really were beautiful: clear, cool, and impossibly distant, as if no one could ever truly reach her. That chilliness created an invisible wall, warning people not to get too close, not to meet her gaze for too long. But the echo of her calling him ¡°baby¡± rang in his mind, and his heart thudded faster. He averted his gaze, his throat suddenly dry. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he pressed his fingers to his forehead, the sting bringing him back to reality. Ever since she¡¯d choked him during that sparring match, his body seemed to remember the rush of adrenaline¨Cit crept up on him at the strangest moments. Owen knew exactly what this feeling meant. There was something strange flickering in his eyes. ¡°Owen.¡± Aria¡¯s voice was tinged with exasperation. ¡°I¡¯ll just call you by your name from now on.¡± All that fuss over a nickname. The ss door was automatic. Maybe Owen had moved too fast¨Che¡¯d even startled the door into not opening in time. Aria strode outside. Owen hesitated for just a moment, then followed after her. Outside, Fryderyk and Mason were each waiting in their cars. The group regrouped at the curb. Fryderyk spoke first. ¡°Everything¡¯s ready. The second you go in, we¡¯ll move in and seal off the perimeter. No one¡¯s getting out.¡± He turned to Mason. ¡°So, how did you convince them you could actually lure Aria out?¡± With the police present, Mason rxed a little. ¡°I told them about Owen, said he and Ms. Saxon had a special rtionship. Then¡­¡± He trailed off, embarrassed. ¡°Should I really say this?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Mason took a breath. ¡°I told them you two wanted to try something wild in the great outdoors. Owen hinted he wanted some ¡®rmendations, so I suggested Northside. As soon as you hit the outskirts, they nned to snatch you both.¡± Chapter 204 His voice grew smaller and smaller, his head almost disappearing into his cor. He hadn¡¯t wanted to go this far, but racking his brains, this really seemned the least suspicious way to set the trap, He¡¯d even packed a tent and nkets in his car, just to sell the story. Aria couldn¡¯t help a way smile. ¡°Thanks, Mr. Webb, for your¨Cremarkable¨Cthoroughness.¡± Something that should have been simple had gotten unnecessarilyplicated, and her own reputation was paying the price. Of course, this whole n was Fryderyk¡¯s idea. She shot him a sidelong look, then turned to Mason, hand outstretched. ¡°Since you¡¯ve prepared everything so well, Mr. Webb, hand me the keys Mason passed them over. Owen asked, ¡°Will my car survive this?¡± ¡°Not a chance,¡± Aria replied, sliding straight into the driver¡¯s seat. Again Marriage 205 No Ads Chapter 205 chapter 205 Owen quietly got in beside her. Fryderyk knocked on the window, handing Owen a small box. ¡°Inside are a pair of women¡¯s earrings listening devices. They lookpletely mome undetectable. He nced at Owen. ¡°It¡¯d look weird for a man to wear them, so don¡¯t. And whatever you do, stay close together¡± Owen nodded, tucking the box into his pocket. Aria drove off, the car gliding smoothly down the road. The awkwardness that began with that idental ¡°baby¡± lingered, thickening the silence all the way to their destination. In the shadows, Hudson watched with three of his men, well concealed. ¡°Hudson, are you sure it¡¯s really them?¡± one whispered. Hudson nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve all seen Owen¡¯s photo. If it¡¯s not him, we kill them both.¡± They¡¯d been watching Aria for days and knew Owen was her divorcewyer, confirmed they were neighbors. Whether or not they were actually together was anybody¡¯s guess, but so far, nothing seemed off. Still, Hudson couldn¡¯t shake a nagging suspicion. In the car, Aria let down her hair, then held out her hand. ¡°Give me the earring.¡± Owen opened his palm, offering the device. Aria picked one up and began fumbling it into her ear, struggling a bit without a mirror. Without a word, Owen undid his seatbelt and reached over, steadying her hand. ¡°Let me.¡± Aria, impatient, just handed him the other one and tilted her head, exposing her right ear. The car was dark, and Owen had to lean in close to see. Outside, one of the men asked, ¡°Hudson, why aren¡¯t they getting out of the car yet?¡± Just then, the car gave a little jolt. Someone cursed under his breath. ¡°Can¡¯t even wait to get inside¨Clooks like they¡¯re getting right down to it in there.¡± Hudson snickered, ¡°Let them finish. Once this is over and the money¡¯s split, you¡¯ll have more women than you can count.¡± Inside the car, both earrings were finally in ce. Owen absentmindedly reached over, tucking Aria¡¯s hair gently behind her ear. Aria looked up. ¡°What are you doing?¡± They were close¨Cjust a fist¡¯s distance apart. The faint glow from the streemps barely lit the car, but her eyes were startlingly bright in the shadows. In that tight space, the air suddenly felt thin, charged with something unspoken. Owen let go of her hair, still half¨Ckneeling. ¡°Just doing what lovers are supposed to do.¡± 1/2 chapter 205 A nced away, & faint, lionie smille tugging at her lips. ¡°Already getting into character if you ever get tired and low, yezd mill Owen had the looks, the skills and themitment to the bit Whatever odd tension was rising between them, she scattered it with a single sentence. He braced a hand behind her on the seat. ¡°You get out first. I¡¯ll follow.¡± They¡¯d lingered long enough to make the spies in the shadows fully believe the act. He might as well go all in. ¡°Sure.¡± Aria turned to open the door¨Cbut suddenly felt a sharp tug at her scalp. Her hand shot up, searching for the cause, just as her clothes were pulled. Owen instinctively leaned in, trying to help, but slipped, crashing into her and shielding her head with his arm. His hand hit the window, sending the whole car rocking violently. ¡°Going at it pretty hard in there,¡± someone outside muttered. ¡°What are we supposed to do, just watch?¡± another grumbled. ¡°If we barge in now, we might spook them. Better wait it out.¡± The four men outside were nowpletely convinced¨Cno need to act anymore. As far as they were concerned, Aria and Owen were definitely that kind of couple AD Comment Again Marriage 206 Without warning, they were forced into a close embrace, leaving both Owen and Aria momentarily stunned, Owen¡¯s warm breath brushed past Aria¡¯s ear, and she realized she could actually hear a heartbeat that wasn¡¯thers- it was pounding from ev Aria pressed her lips together, then pushed him away. ¡°My hair¡¯s caught, stop moving.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Owen forced down the wild pounding in his chest, trying to steady himself. Something was definitely off with him tonight. Her hair had gotten tangled around the button of his coat. Aria spent a good ten seconds trying to untangle it before she lost patience, grabbing her hair and getting ready to yank it free. But just as she moved, her fist was caught in his hand. Warmth spread from his palm to hers. ¡°Let me,¡± Owen said gently. A flicker of something strange crossed Aria¡¯s mind, but she let go. ¡°Fine.¡± Owen quickly freed her hair. Aria stepped out of the car, instantly sensing a threatening presence in the air. Owen followed, leaning close to her ear. ¡°They¡¯reing.¡± They strolled to the trunk and pretended to rummage for something. The next moment, the cold barrel of a gun pressed against them. ¡°Hands up. Don¡¯t move,¡± a man barked. They¡¯d never met Hudson before, but both recognized him instantly. A shlight beam shed across their faces, making them squint. ¡°It¡¯s them, Hudson,¡± Isaias said. Hudson nodded. ¡°Search them.¡± Owen switched to Erennian. ¡°How much do you want?¡± Hudson¡¯s lips curled into a cold sneer. ¡°You two are worth ten billion dors, you know.¡± His gazended on Aria. ¡°Search her¨Cespecially her.¡± Owen stepped in front of Aria. ¡°Search me if you must, but not her.¡± Hudson shoved the muzzle of his gun against Owen¡¯s temple. He spat, ¡°Move, or I¡¯ll blow your head off.¡± Owen didn¡¯t budge. Aria bent down, pulled out the two knives she¡¯d hidden, and tossed them to the ground. ¡°Try anything and I guarantee you¡¯ll walk away with nothing. You¡¯ve tracked me all the way here, risking everything to sneak into Huthailia. Are you really ready to walk away empty¨Chanded?¡± One of the men picked up the knives and looked to Hudson for guidance. Hudson lowered his weapon, his smile dark. ¡°Guess I underestimated you two. Didn¡¯t expect to see such true love. Take them.¡± As they were marched along, Aria suddenly felt Owen¡¯s hand grip hers, heat surging through her palm. She tried to pull away, but he held on, his gaze steady and unreadable. He was still ying the role. But they were supposed to be ¡°lovers,¡± not a real couple¨Cwas this really necessary? She didn¡¯t fight it any further. Chapter 206 They were led at the front, deliberately avoiding the traps sel along the way Twenty minutester they amber at the s Hand over your phones. Owen and Aria surrendered their phones. The man in the yellow bandana immediately started working on them ¡°Hudson, give me hall a transfer their assets.¡± Meanwhile, at the police station, Allen stood with a radio in hand, eyes glued to the screens as three tech specialists sat at attention ¡°It¡¯s started,¡± someone muttered as the tter of keyboards filled the room. Fryderyk¡¯s voice crackled over the radio. ¡°Strike team in position. Weapons checked.¡± ¡°Snipers ready.¡± In a clearing, a young man loungedzily atop a stone b. ¡°We¡¯re ready too.¡± Allen let out a small breath of relief, then turned to the tech team. ¡°Catching them is only part of the mission. The real key is identifying who¡¯s receiving the money.¡± Again Marriage 207 Chapter 207 Based on their investigation, someone abroad was helping the Thirteenth Sigilunder their money. If it entered those ounts, it would be gone for good. ¡°Rx,¡± said the youngest tech, ¡°we¡¯ve cracked the hardest part. Everything they do is under our noses. If they hadn¡¯t hacked the firewall ahead of time, it would¡¯ve taken a whole day to break in. But Allen had handed them aputer with backdoors pre¨Cinstalled¨Cskipping the hardest step. Still, it was delicate work¨Cthey couldn¡¯t afford to tip anyone off. The real goal was to catch the aplice abroad. Back at the factory, Owen shrugged off his coat andid it on the ground before being tied up. ¡°Sit and wait,¡± he told Ar¨ªa. ¡°Thanks,¡± she replied. Watching Isaias¡¯s painfully slow hacking, Aria sighed. ¡°If Vanessa were here, this would be over in minutes.¡± She was so bored, she almost wanted to do it herself. Her voice carried through the earring, reaching Allen and Fryderyk. ¡°Sheins about how slow they are, and it¡¯s her money they¡¯re stealing,¡± Fryderyk muttered, exasperated. For Aria and Owen, ¡°being kidnapped¡± was the least stressful job of the night; the tech team, on the other hand, was pounding away at their keyboards like their lives depended on it. ¡°Allen, got a lock¨Cthey¡¯re in Masmubia,¡± one specialist said, zooming in on the map. ¡°It¡¯s a shellpany, a lot of deposits are from Huthailia.¡± ¡°If we can hack their ounts, you three are heroes,¡± Allen said, fired up. ¡°Get everyone from IT in here. This is the kind of case they write about in history books.¡± With time tight, Allen remembered theputer Aria had brought. There might be more contacts inside. Hudson barked, ¡°You two, as Isaias called out, ¡°Done!¡± Hudson snapped, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Isaias packed up hisptop and the group started moving out. Three cars waited outside, with six or seven people already climbing on board. ¡°Hudson, we only need one hostage. Let¡¯s just kill the guy,¡± one of the men suggested, Hudson shot him a cold re. ¡°If we kill anyone, it¡¯s Aria. Don¡¯t forget who she is.¡± Blinded by the promise of ten billion dors, it took Hudson a moment too long to remember. Suddenly, he swung his gun on Aria. Chapter 207 Owen leapt in front of het. Everything happened in a split second. They¡¯d already worked their ropes loose. Owen seized Hudson¡¯s arm, preventing him from firing. Aria, meanwhile, grabbed the nearest enemy, using him as a shield andunching four medical tools with her left hand¨Ceach one hit a vital spot dropping three attackers who hadn¡¯t made it into the cars. Thest two men realized what was happening and opened fire, but A was already behind her human shield¨Cthe bullets tore into his body instead. Hudson had always been wary of Aria, but when he saw those medical tools fly, his eyes shrank in terror. In that heartbeat of hesitation, Owen wrenched the gun from Hudson, dodged a bullet, and took down the shooters. Within seconds, Aria and Owen had dispatched six men. ¡°Hudson,¡± Aria called out, as more men started pouring out of the cars. ¡°Owen, take care of them¨CHudson¡¯s mine.¡± Hudson, eyes wild, finally seemed to understand. His voice trembled with rage and fear. ¡°You¡¯re Echohawk?¡± Again Marriage 208 Chapter 208 The Solemnity Burld had ticked Hudson, and now he was out for blood. A sh of silver¨CHudson drew a knife and lunged straight for Aria¡¯s threat. She dodged sideways, but he immediately shifted his grip and shed horizontally. The two of them shed in a furious flurry of moves, moving so quickly the rest of the Thirteenth Sigil didn¡¯t dare risk firing. That split second of hesitation gave Owen his chance he turned and struck, forcing them all to focus on defending themselves. Every one of Hudson¡¯s attacks aimed to kill, but Aria was no less lethal. Up in the car, Isaias watched in horror as their own men dropped like flies¨CHudson was actually losing. Isaias shouted, ¡°Go! Drive! Now!¡± The man behind the wheel, a Huthailian, fumbled with trembling hands and mmed on the gas, fleeing into the night. Down in the fight, Hudson was already outmatched¨CAria had dislocated both his arms. She slipped a medical tool from her sleeve and jabbed it in; Hudson copsed, unconscious, before he even hit the ground. The factory fell eerily silent, the air heavy with the stench of blood. Aria reached for her earlobe and frowned. ¡°Lost my earring.¡± Owen¡¯s voice was calm, almost amused. ¡°Mr. Fletcher won¡¯t mind.¡± Half an hour earlier, Fryderyk had ordered his team to speed up. The forest was littered with traps, and though they had the map and avoided most of them, it still slowed their advance. Then the sound of gunfire echoed from Aria¡¯s location, and by the time they arrived, the carnage was breathtaking. It seemed their help wasn¡¯t even needed¨CAria and Owen had taken out everyone. That was terrifying. Owen reminded quietly, ¡°Two of them got away.¡± Fryderyk radioed, ¡°Rx¨Cthey¡¯re not going far.¡± Hidden in the shadows, two men clung to each other, shaking with nerves. ¡°She¡¯s Echohawk, right?¡± ¡°No one else could kill like that with just a medical tool. It has to be her.¡± ¡°We got nothing out of this, came all this way for nothing.¡± ¡°Not quite. Now we know who Echohawk is¨Cand she probably posted that bounty, too. Let¡¯s get out of here. The police here aren¡¯t ying around.¡± And so, thest two slipped away into the darkness. Hudson, even as he cked out, never realized that four separate groups had been hunting him tonight¨Che couldn¡¯t have escaped¡± Aria nced sideways into the darkness, thinking she owed those frencers a tip¨Ccouldn¡¯t have them go home empty¨Chanded. grown wing Originally, she¡¯d nned to handle everything herself, but hadn¡¯t expected Owen to jump in two, She asked, ¡°Did we catch the other group?¡± Fryderyk nodded. ¡°We did. Their ounts have already been hacked and frozen. This case is a huge win the higher ops are taking || very chea thank your friend for us. She came to the station and things went much smoother with her help. That was enormous, It would take some time to sort it all out, but Aria and Owen¡¯s money had only been bait¨Cit was never actually moved. On the way back, Aria leaned her head against the seat, eyes closed, deep in thought. Everything had gone a little too smoothly. She couldn¡¯t shake the feeling there was still another yer in the shadows. ¡°Sir, Thirteenth Sigil has been wiped out. All the funds in that shellpany¡¯s ount have been recovered by the Huthailian police. High above the city, a man sat in an executive chair, gazing out over the sparkling skyline. He replied coolly, ¡°Just as expected.¡± His subordinate added, ¡°Hudson isn¡¯t dead.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± The man¡¯s expression barely shifted. ¡°She really let him live?¡± ¡°We have three survivors¨Cdo you want them silenced?¡± ¡°That would be a waste of effort,¡± the man answered, waving a hand. ¡°Leave them be.¡± ¡°Understood, sir.¡± Hashtags like ¡°Vanessa Walks Out Of New Year Show¡°, ¡°Vanessa Angers TV Network¡°, and ¡°Vanessa Disrupts Live Program And Faces Fines¡± exploded Vanessa trended once again. [Vanessa will do anything to get attention. She just walked out in the middle of the show.] Again Marriage 209 Chapter 209 Maybe it was something vigent, let¡¯s not judge too quickly.) [She¡¯s ruined the whole show. If we don¡¯t get a proper exnation, I¡¯ll boycott her forever! Was there a death in her family or what?] (Does having powerful connections give her the right to drag everyone down?] The anger online was like a tidal wave¨Cespecially from Vanessa¡¯s fellow performers. She and another idol had debuted around the same time, but he¡¯d started three years before her. Now, thanks to Vanessa¡¯s abrupt exit, his show got axed and his fans were furious. Then someone leaked that Vanessa¡¯s so¨Ccalled ¡°connections¡± were actually Aria, the biggest shareholder of the Stars Group. Everyone knew about Aria¨Cthe real heiress who¡¯d once been kicked out of her own family. Soon, waves of hate flooded the official pages of both Starmon Films and the Stars Group. The PR teams scrambled, but it barely put a dent in the outrage. Vanessa issued an apology, but no one was buying it. The bacsh was so fierce even her own fans didn¡¯t know how to defend her. Seeing the trending topics, Jackson rushed to the police chief¡¯s office. ¡°Allen, isn¡¯t that the girl who helped usst night?¡± Vanessa was striking and had shown up at the precinct in an evening gown¨Cno one could forget her. Allen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s her?¡± Jackson quickly exined the online situation. ¡°We can¡¯t let her take the fall. She helped us; we owe her.¡± Allen agreed¨Cwho would¡¯ve guessed that girl was such a force? ¡°Go handle it. Make sure the truth gets out.¡± Soon after, an official police statement appeared: [Police Announcement: Last night at 11 p.m., thirteen members of a fraud syndicate were apprehended. Special thanks to Aria, Vanessa, and Owen for their assistance.] They¡¯d confirmed with the trio before posting. Aria forwarded the statement to the Stars Group and told them to buy the top spots on the trending searches: ¡°Vanessa Left To Assist Police¡± and ¡°Vanessa Helped Take Down Scam Syndicate.¡± Immediately, the TVwork deleted theirints and issued a new statement: nopensation needed, and they were eager to work with Vaness again. Starmon Films¡® PR team could hardly believe their luck. Of course, the haters didn¡¯t stop. [What could Vanessa possibly do, seduce the scammers into surrendering? The police must¡¯ve been bribed.] [Isn¡¯t Aria loaded? I bet they¡¯re all in on it together.] The police promptly sued the loudest trolls into silence. Across the country, officers worked overtime to confirm the identities of every victim. No case was more shocking than the infamous Mandino City scam from two and a half years ago. Even though most couldot get a full refund, people were overjoyed to get anything back at all [fused to think Arts might be one of the scammers¨Cturns out she risked her life to catch them. I¡¯m honefly moved. (We got most of our money back My grandpa¡¯s over the moon.] [Word is, the scammers targeted Aria first¨Cshe lost a hundred million just to lure them in. If she hadn¡¯t, the police never would¡¯ve cdighi tr¨ºn i know Aria and Vanessa, but who¡¯s Owen?] [How can you not know Owen?) Quickly, someone posted aption of all the high¨Cprofile cases Owen had worked over the years, shocking everyone again. [So Owen was Aria¡¯s divorcewyer?] [And to think there were rumors Aria¡¯s investment money was from scams¨Cturns out it was the exact opposite.) [Don¡¯t forget about Hannah, the supposed mentor at Mandino University. She yed the victim online and got Griffin to spread lies, until Griffin¡¯s mom stormed the campus and broke her ribs. Now Hannah¡¯s locked up.] [She¡¯s still a mentor? Mandino University must be crazy.] Mandino University immediately issued a statement that Hannah had been fired ages ago, dodging the scandal just in time. Unaware of the online chaos, Liam went to the detention center to pick up Hannah. She looked surprisingly well¨Cother than theck of freedom, she¡¯d had a fine time in custody. She clung to Liam, crying, ¡°Liam, I¡¯ve been so wronged.¡± He gently patted her back. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± They¡¯d barely turned around when a shout echoed across the hall. ¡°Homewrecking scum!¡± And then a bucket of ink came flying, drenching them both. 1 Comment Send gift No Aus Again Marriage 210 Chapter 210 Ink streamed down their faces and seeped into Their cors. Liam and Hannah looked utterly miserable -especially Hannah, whose hair hung in sticky, inky clumps, the mess making her skin erand. Liam wiped the ck stains from his face, his icy gazending on the girl who¡¯d thrown the ink. ¡°Who are you? Why did you do this to us? The girl tossed the bucket aside, her expression twisted with hatred. ¡°You seriously don¡¯t know? One of you theated, the other¡¯s a homewed then you both tried to turn the whole inte against your ex¨Cwife, painting her as a scammer. Shameless, both of your Hannah, not wanting anyone to see her disheveled state, had spent two hours on her makeup before leaving lockup. Now it was all ruined. She was so angry she could barely breathe, a deep furrow etched between her brows. After being locked up for days, the pent¨Cup frustration needed an outlet¨Cshe took a step forward, ready to retaliate, but Liam caught her wrist in tiife. ¡°Hannah, calm down. We¡¯ll call the police.¡± Behind the girl, a wall of bodyguards watched, their expressions unfriendly. Liam realized she must be someone important. ¡°Who are you to Aria?¡± To go this far for Aria¨Cshe had to be family or a close friend. The girl¡¯s lips twisted bitterly. Trusting these two was the worst mistake of her life. ¡°None of your business.¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Then don¡¯t me us for getting the police involved.¡± The girl showed not a hint of fear. ¡°Call them. Right now.¡± And so, all three were escorted to the station by nearby officers¨Cbodyguards trailing behind, drawing stares from every passerby who hurried to snap photos on their phones. Liam recounted what happened, while Officer Jackson looked over at the girl. ¡°Your name?¡± She crossed her arms, looking bored. ¡°Anabel Shaw.¡± ¡°Age?¡± ¡°Sixteen.¡± Jackson paused. ¡°What grade are you in?¡± ¡°Senior Two,¡± she replied. Jackson raised an eyebrow. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in school instead of dumping ink on people outside a detention center?¡± Anabel¡¯s cheeks puffed out. ¡°After what they did, wouldn¡¯t you want to do the same?¡± Jackson had to admit he¡¯d thought about it¨Cbut doing and thinking were two different things. Hannah, still wiping ink from her clothes, snapped, ¡°You¡¯re underage. We¡¯ll let this go, but you have to tell us who put you up to it. Who told you to thr ink on us?¡± Anabel sneered, ¡°No one tells me what to do. I don¡¯t need orders to throw ink on people like you.¡± Chapter 210 Jackson tapped the desk. ¡°Enough. What¡¯s your parents humberti Anabel bristled. ¡°I¡¯m sixteen. I don¡¯t need my parents here.¡± ¡°You damaged someone¡¯s property. You¡¯ll have to pay for that.¡± Anabel smirked. ¡°How about one hundred and filty thousand dors? That enough?¡± Jackson massaged his temple, almost wishing someone would dump ink on him too. ¡°Rich kids,¡± he muttered. Liam tried to keep his tone civil. ¡°We don¡¯t want your money. We want a real apology.¡± Anabel rolled her eyes. ¡°Three hundred thousand.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Anabel said again, ¡°Six hundred thousand dors.¡± Hannah mmed her hand down. ¡°Your parents work hard for their money and you just throw it around? You¡¯re hopeless? Anabel shot back, ¡°Six hundred thousand dors is nothing. You call that money?¡± Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose, patience wearing thin. ¡°Anabel, either give me your guardian¡¯s number or I¡¯ll have to detain you.¡± Anabel pouted. ¡°I¡¯m not from Mandino City. I¡¯m from Kanit City. But my cousin lives here.¡± ¡°Then call your cousin.¡± Finally, she gave them Kim¡¯s number. Jackson called, exining the situation. Liam turned to Hannah. ¡°Let¡¯s go home and clean up.¡± But Hannah, still fuming, refused. ¡°Not until we see her guardian.¡± Twenty minutester, she was losing patience. ¡°What¡¯s taking so long?¡± AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 211 hapter 211 Anabel shot back, ¡°Guess homewreckers really are impatient can¡¯t wait to get into bed with a married man, hutzz Those around them shot m and Hannah looks of disgust. Hannah felt the sting of their scorn and red at Anabel, icy as a de. ¡°Liam and I are in love. Ar¨ªa trapped Liam into mardage to get his mand. marriage was a mistake from the start.¡± Anabel leapt to her feet, furious. ¡°Everyone knows Aria risked her life to get your money back from the scammers! Say another word and F¡¯ll rid yone mouth off!¡± Hannah retorted coldly, ¡°With a mouth like yours, it¡¯s clear what kind of family raised you.¡± A low, icy voice cut through the room. ¡°The Shaw family did.¡± Everyone turned to the door. Kim stood there, his gaze sweeping over Liam and Hannah, who stared at him in shock. How could it be Kim? ¡°Kim!¡± Anabel ran over, grinning as she took his arm. Kim frowned, looking down at her. ¡°How many times have you skipped ss now? And why do you alwayse to Mandino City?¡± Anabel pouted. ¡°You¡¯re here, aren¡¯t you?¡± Kim ignored her, sitting down to talk to the officers. After hearing what happened, he gave Anabel a frosty look. ¡°How much do you want for with them. Upsetting Anabel was almost as bad as offending Kim¡¯s uncle himself. Hannah¡¯s fists clenched in frustration, her anger boiling. She took a deep breath and tried onest time. ¡°Kim, Aria must have said something to Anabe That¡¯s why she attacked us.¡± Anabel rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s bull.¡± ¡°Anabel.¡± Kim¡¯s tone was a warning, and Anabel swallowed her words. Kim insisted onpensation. Liam finally relented and epted. As Kim left the station with Anabel, he turned and said, ¡°You two might want to check the trending news¨Cmaybe think twice before using people next time.¡± Once outside, Liam and Hannah fell behind, checking their phones¨Conly then did they realize the scam syndicate had been bust Liam muttered, ¡°Since when did Aria have the skills to help the police catch scammers? The Saxon family must¡¯ve gone all out to clear her name.¡± Chapter 211. The Fletchers and the Saxons were rted. Fryderyk worked at the station¡­ The connections were obvious, The day he¡¯d returned to Huthailia, it was Hannah¡¯s words that had convinced Liam Aria¡¯s money was dirty. He tightened his grip on his phone. ¡°Hannah, let¡¯s not talk like that anymore.¡± She nodded. ¡°I know. If I say anything now, everyone will just think I¡¯m jealous and lying about Aria.¡± Liam opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt something inside him copse. Meanwhile, Anabel piped up, ¡°Kim, this is the way to the high¨Cspeed rail station. I¡¯m not going back.¡± Kim shot her a sideways nce. ¡°Then where are you going?¡± Anabel shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like I have ss tomorrow. I told Mom already¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to stay with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Owen¡¯s,¡± she said. ¡°Fine.¡± Kim switchednes and headed straight for Owen¡¯s apartment. When the elevator doors opened, Kim said, ¡°Go on, knock yourself. I¡¯m out.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Anabel rang the bell. A few secondster, the door swung open. ¡°Aria?¡± Anabel blinked, startled, and started to back away. ¡°Sorry, I must have the wrong door.¡± She turned to leave, but Aria¡¯s voice stopped her, soft and clear. ¡°Looking for Owen?¡± Anabel froze, her eyes widening in surprise. ¡°Wait¡­ Are you Owen¡¯s girlfriend?¡± AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 212 Chapter 212 One hour earlier, Dweniced the fridge was nearly empty. He grabbed his phone to head out, but as he passed the door across the hall, he paused. Last night, he¡¯d had a dream¨Ca vivid rey of the first time he¡¯d ever seen Ana. In that dream, he¡¯d managed to tear away her mask. Underneath wasn¡¯t the teenage girl he remembered, but the woman she¡¯d grown into. She¡¯d smiled at him and said, ¡°Owen, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± In that moment, nothing else existed. Their eyes met, and a wave of emotion crashed over him, so strong that even after waking up, his heart refused to settle down. For the first time, Owen couldn¡¯t deny it¨Che was drawn to Aria. He¡¯d never had a problem with the idea of falling in love, but all these years, he just hadn¡¯t met anyone who could make his heart race. If he kept his distance, maybe these new feelings would fade, but honestly, how could he keep away from someone like her? Falling for Aria felt natural¨Calmost inevitable. So Owen decided to just ept it. He took a breath and rang her doorbell. Aria opened the door in a fitted, pale sweater and jeans, her feet in house slippers. She wore her hair up, a few wisps brushing her cheeks, softening her usual air of reserve. Owen remembered the day he first saw her at Seacrest Law Firm¨Cshe¡¯d worn a crisp shirt with loose, dark cks and ck shoes. Turns out, he¡¯d remembered her all along. Seeing Owen standing there, a little dazed, she called out, ¡°Owen?¡± Snapping back to reality, he smiled. ¡°Sorry, I spaced out for a second.¡± ¡°I was about to go out and get groceries,¡± she said, then hesitated, suddenly self¨Cconscious about all the meals she¡¯d freeloaded off him. ¡°Or¡­ I could go get them this time?¡± His eyes crinkled at the corners. ¡°How about we go together?¡± Sunlight filled the hallway, bright enough that Aria could see every subtle change in Owen¡¯s expression¨Cand today, his smile was more radiant than ever. ¡°If you tell me what you need, I¡¯ll get it,¡± he offered./ She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve got experience. Do you have time now?¡± Aria nodded, pulling on her coat. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± ¡°What do you want for dinner tonight?¡± Owen asked as they headed out. ¡°I¡¯m not picky. Anything is fine,¡± she replied¨Cthen paused, realizing how natural it had be to eat at his ce. Chapter 212 Well, so be it. If he invited her, she¡¯d go, When he found someone else, she¡¯d quietly step back. After all, sharing a meal with another person was much nicer than eating alone. It was actually Aria¡¯s first time inside a fresh market. It was a bit crowded, but there was a warm, everyday buzz in the air. Owen went for the cart, but Aria took it from him. ¡°Let me. You focus on picking out the food,¡± He grinned. ¡°Alright.¡± She followed him through the aisles, pushing the cart as he carefully selected vegetables and fruit. When they finished, Owen took the cart from her hands. ¡°All set.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve eaten at your ce so many times¨Clet me pay this time,¡± Aria insisted. ¡°If you want,¡± Owen said simply, making no move to argue. They waited in line together, and when their turn came, Aria paid and quickly picked up one of the grocery bags. But Owen gently grabbed her hand for a second before switching the bags, passing her the lighter one. ¡°You take this one.¡± She didn¡¯t argue, just epted his gentlemanly gesture. ¡°Alright.¡± Again Marriage 213 Chapter 213 As they walked out, a woman¡¯s voice rang out behind them, scolding a boy ¡°Remember, when you start dating, never let a girl carry the gracenes or pay for them. Got it? Here¨Ctake these.¡± The boy grumbled, ¡°What if she¡¯s the one in charge of the money? Like, married couples sometimes¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s different, but you still shouldn¡¯t make her carry bags. Got it?¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I get it,¡± he muttered. Aria and Owen both heard every word. By then, they were already at the entrance, so neither of them bothered to exin their situation. Once home, Owen took the heavier bag from Aria. ¡°If you¡¯re not in a rush, you can wait in the living room¨Cyou don¡¯t need to go back.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she agreed. Running back and forth really was a hassle. ¡°I¡¯ll help out in the kitchen.¡± But that n fell apart¨COwen wouldn¡¯t let her near the stove. ¡°It¡¯s a family tradition: if a girl steps into the kitchen, the guy¡¯s doomed to die alone.¡± Aria stared at him. ¡°You actually believe that?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Yep.¡± She rolled her eyes, but when Owen handed her the apron and asked, ¡°Could you tie this for me?¡± she agreed. He slipped the apron over his head but didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°You¡¯re not going to turn around?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh, right.¡± He spun around, sighing inwardly. Did she really not see him that way at all? She tied the strings behind his back, neat and secure. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Thanks. Cooking gets messy, so I¡¯m shutting the door,¡± Owen said. ¡°Okay.¡± As she turned away, Aria blinked. Owen lived alone¨Che could tie his own apron, couldn¡¯t he? Maybe he just asked because she happened to be there. That suspicion lingered for a moment, then faded. She waited in the living room, and that was when Anabel arrived. Aria exined at once, ¡°I¡¯m not Owen¡¯s girlfriend¨CI¡¯m just his neighbor, here for dinner.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Anabel nced at the two doors in the hallway. ¡°So you live across the hall?¡± ¡°Yeah. Come on in.¡± Anabel stepped inside, spotted Owen in the kitchen, then slid onto the couch next to Aria, grinning wider by the second. ¡°Do you remember me?¡± she asked, leaning in. Aria nodded. ¡°Sure do. You¡¯re the kid I sshed with ink.¡± Anabel gave an embarrassed smile and, after a beat, said sincerely, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I got caught up in all those rumors online. I thought you¡¯d scammed a ton of people. I was wrong.¡± Aria replied calmly, ¡°Well, in the end you were the one who got inked. You don¡¯t need to apologize just learn from it, okay? Don¡¯t rush to judge people from the moral high ground, especially if you¡¯re only hearing one sido.¡± Anabel nodded earnestly, holding up three fingers. ¡°I promise, never again.¡± Elsewhere in the apartment, Hannah caught a new message, dashed into the bathroom, and grabbed Liam just as he stepped out. ¡°Liam, I found news about Mono!¡± she said, excitement lighting up her face. His eyes widened. ¡°Really?¡± She nodded. ¡°The International Art Competition organized by the Dlund Association just wrapped up. Morio was both the final judge and the regional judge for Huthailia, and he¡¯sing to the Art Union next week to help evaluate pieces. ¡°I also found out Mono¡¯s remaining originals are all with his apprentice. If we can buy one¨Cmaybe even two!-we¡¯ll be able to impress the selectionmittee and, if we gift one to Benjamin, lock down the partnership. ¡°Mono¡¯s apprentice must be talented too, so if we can¡¯t get Mono¡¯s original, his student¡¯s work might be the next best thing.¡± Again Marriage 214 Chapter 214 At the dinner table, Anabel ate quietly while stealing nces at Owen, her eyes intent on every detail of his expressiona The Shaw Family always insisted on silence at meals, but Owen¡¯s home felt different, so she didn¡¯t bother holding back. ¡°Owen, your true l better every time, Honestly, this tastes as good as Amour Bistro.¡± Owen nced up and asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the reason for running away from home this time?¡± Anabel shed a proud smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t run away this time¡ªI did a good deed.¡± ¡°Oh? What kind of good deed?¡± ¡°I threw ink all over Liam and Hannah,¡± she said, lowering her voice and sneaking a look at Aria, only rxing when she saw Aria¡¯s face was unreadable) Owen sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn your lessonst time?¡± The whole Shaw family had seen thest incident. Brodie had almost lost his mind and wanted to make trouble for the Saxons, but Anabel had gotten up further. down on her knees and begged forgiveness before it blew Even so, Brodie had sent word to Aiden to give the Saxons some grief, but Aiden had just ignored him¨Conly making family ties worse. Blushing, Anabel mumbled, ¡°Well, they deserved it for pretending to be innocent.¡± After that fiasco, Aiden had forbidden her from going to Mandino City, but she¡¯d snuck out anyway, telling only her mom. When dinner was over, Aria offered to help with the dishes, was firmly refused, and so she headed back to her own ce. As Owen washed up, Anabel leaned by the kitchen door, peering in. ¡°Owen, do you like Aria?¡± He turned, voice steady. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± She grinned. ¡°You look at her differently. I can just tell.¡± As a kid, Owen was always more popr than Kim¨Csoft¨Cfeatured, bright, polite, almost like someone had programmed him to be gentle with everyone. But things changed when he turned twenty and became the family¡¯s ck sheep¨Ceveryone called him ungrateful, ruthless, cold. He¡¯d been pped with everybel imaginable. But through it all, he stayed as gentle andposed as ever, the insults barely touching him. He treated everyone the same, including her. Still, Anabel could sense a difference in the way he looked at Aria¨Csomething softer, maybe even a little vulnerable. Owen just said quietly, ¡°Go get some rest. I¡¯ll take you home first thing tomorrow.¡± ¡°Can I stay until the afternoon?¡± Anabel wheedlo ¡°I have work,¡± Owen replied, not budging. She pouted. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Back in her apartment, Aria¡¯s phone buzzed, Martin: [Aria, any chance you¡¯ve changed your mind about being a grad advisor in Ma He¡¯d asked the same thing every morning and every night since that first day. City?] Hic messages had gotten shorten ter responses more perfonatory (Sorry, Martin Thave had arms thane That mea qualified to teach grad students) had fomed into a simple (Not for now) She nced at Martin¡¯stest message, and it made her think of her teacher, Mano, She scrolled to his pinned contact histest message filling the screen with just two words: Get out She¡¯d gotten married so suddenly, she hadn¡¯t had time to tell Mono, but he¡¯d found out anyway and blown up at her first She started typing: II heard you¡¯re judging for the Fine Art Society is it on the 7th? Mono replied with a single word. Not ¡°get out¡°-just a chilly ¡°Heh.¡± Aria: [It¡¯s been more than two years, you¡¯re still mad at me?] He didn¡¯t answer until that night. Again Marriage 215 Chapter 215 Aria was about to head to the training room when her phone rang. Seeing the taller ID, she answered immediately¡ªbefore she could say a word, all she heard wat dafie and a sharp scolding. ¡°Ungarana broke me up at the airport.¡± She barely managed to stifle augh as she pulled on her coat and left. Meanwhile, at the Cole Group, Liam picked up a call from Hannah. ¡°Liam, Collin told me Mono¡¯s arrived at the airport. I¡¯ming to get your let¡¯s go straight to the Fine Art Society.¡± It had been ten years since Monost showed up anywhere. Liam wasn¡¯t about to miss this chance, so he dropped his work and hurried out the door. At the airport, a silver¨Chaired old man sat alone, his suit neat but his eyes sunken, cheekbones sharp, every inch marked by age. Mono, juste with us, said a well¨Cdressed man, hair slicked back and posture formal. Mono looked away, voice low and rough. ¡°No need to worry, Gael¡¯s with me. I¡¯ll wait a bit longer.¡± Gael McFand, his private butler and a retired soldier, had watched over Mono for more than a decade. Sitting beside him, Gael kept a quiet eye on the crowds. The middle¨Caged man tried again, ¡°Are you waiting for your apprentice?¡± Mono snorted. ¡°No, I¡¯m waiting for a little idiot with more nerves than brains, who¡¯s blind and thick¨Cheaded.¡± With those words, Mono finally vented a fraction of his anger. Until she apologized in person, he refused to acknowledge that brat as his student. She¡¯d embarrassed him enough already. At that moment, Gael brightened. ¡°Mono, Aria¡¯s here.¡± Mono raised his chin, narrowed his eyes, and gave a cold snort. ¡°Well, she finally bothered to show up. Kept an old man like me waiting half an hour.¡± The middle¨Caged man looked up and saw a young woman approaching¨Cbeautiful, striking, and cool as ice. Nothing about her said ¡°artist,¡± and she certainly didn¡¯t look like Mono¡¯s apprentice. But Aria spotted Mono right away and hurried over. ¡°You¡¯rete¨Chow dare you keep Mono waiting so long?¡± the man scolded, acting like family. Then, bowing, he added, ¡°Mono, we can leave whenever you like.¡± Mono shot him a re that made the man¡¯s heart stutter¨Chad he said something wrong? Mono just huffed through his nose, then held out his arm. Aria stepped in and naturally took his arm, helping him up. ¡°Are you going to the Fine Art Society oring with me?¡± she asked. ¡°We have nothing to do with each other. Go to your ce and I¡¯ll lose all my reputation,¡± Mono snapped, eyes nted her way. Aria could only sigh¨Che was definitely still holding a grudge. The man quickly stuld, The Fine An society has arranged amodations for Mone, rit fere the way Ajatisn Fine, we¡¯ll go to the Fine Art Society,¡± A sald, shutting the matter down. Mono rolled his eyes at her, while Gael stifled a chuckle and followed with the luggage. At their destination. A tried to speak to Mono, but he waved her off. ¡°I¡¯m here now. Go back to wherever you came from, and don¡¯t show your three days.¡± She paused, then nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle see you in three days.¡± Climbing back into her car, Aria pulled away as Mo?o watched the taillights vanish, so angry that his nostrils red with every breath. That heartless brat¨Cshe really left as soon as he told her to. Across the lot, in a ck car, Liam sat in the driver¡¯s seat, frowning as he watched Aria¡¯s car disappear into the distance, Wasn¡¯t that Aria¡¯s car? Again Marriage 216 Chapter 216 The people from the Fine Art Society hade to wee Mono personally. It had to be a coincidence, Hannah thought¡ªthere was no way that car was Aria¡¯s. Hannah was the first to jump out, urging. ¡°Mono is still here, let¡¯s hurry and say hello.¡± She and Liams neshed straight toward the old master ¡°Mono, it¡¯s an honor. I¡¯m Hannah, team leader at Kerano Global Health and heiress of the Gibson family. Her voice was crisp, every word full of pride. She wanted to stay in the country for her career, and her mentor hadn¡¯t revoked her status, just told her to think carefully Getting a chance to work at Kerano Global Health was every graduate¡¯s dream.. Honestly, she didn¡¯t want to give it up¨Cespecially if it meant she could be a professor someday. But she was still waiting to see if Aria would take the position at Mandino University. If she did, Hannah could safely return to Kerano and never cross paths with her again. Mono nced over, his gaze sweeping across both of them before finally resting on Liam, his tone suddenly sharp. ¡°You must be Liam?¡± Liam froze, then broke into a wide, hopeful smile. ¡°Yes, Mono, I¡¯m Liam.¡± So Mono knew who he was. Liam¡¯s hands shook with excitement as he struggled to remainposed. But Mono¡¯s next words shattered his hope in a heartbeat. ¡°I do know you. You cheated on Miss Gibson here, abandoned your wife who ved away for the Cole family, left her with nothing, and then tried to seize her shares for yourself.¡± Both Liam and Hannah¡¯s faces went pale. ¡°Mono, there¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡± Liam hurried to exin. ¡°Our separation was amicable, the misunderstanding has been resolved, and everything that belonged to my ex¨Cwife has been returned by the Cole family.¡± Mono only sneered. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s me who misunderstood you two, is it?¡± Liam, not sensing the irony, pressed on eagerly, ¡°Mono, my grandfather is a huge admirer of your work. Unfortunately, we can¡¯t find your paintings anywhere these days.¡± At this, Mono¡¯s eyes grew even colder. ¡°Really? Well, that¡¯s a shame. I handed all my works over to my apprentice.¡± The meaning was clear: if you want a Mono painting, you¡¯ll have to find his apprentice. But of course, nobody knew who that was. Liam asked directly, ¡°Mono, would you mind¡­¡± ¡°If you know it¡¯s a bother, then shut up,¡± Mono snapped, his patience gone. Liam faltered, finally picking up on Mono¡¯s hostility. Maybe all those rumors online had made him angry. Truth was, Liam really had misjudged Aria. But trying to say any more would only dig the hole deeper. Noticing Gael standing nearby, Liam quickly thought to himself, ¡®Gael had been with Mono for years¨Che must know the apprentice¡¯s contact info. Maybe he could find a way to speak to him alone Chapter 216 Hannah saw the dead end and came up with another n. ¡°Mene, my cousin Collin just won first prize. If this year art cont the International finals too. ¡°He admires you immensely¡ªhe even turned down Johan¡¯s Invitation to be his student because he dreams of bing your appetensen, ni Johan will also be at thepetition and may try to publicly force Collin to ept him as a teacher. ¡°Collin will have no choice but to say yes unless you step in. If you agree to take him, the Gilson family will forever be in your debt.¡± Collin was a prodigy, regarded as the most gifted artist of his generation. Hannah thought, Once Mono sees Collin¡¯s work, he¡¯ll be impressed for sure. And if Collin can call Mono his teacher, getting two of Mono¡¯s paintings would be a piece of cake. AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 217 Chapter 217 Hannah was all smiles, never noticing the mocking curve of Mono¡¯s lips. Forcing a master to ept a student in public? Only a fool would do such a thing Mono was about to speak when the Secretary General, Westin Deleon, burst out of the Fine Art Society with a group of teachers, grasping Mond¡¯s arm. ¡°Professor¡± Westin was one of Mono¡¯s former students at Mandino University¨Che¡¯d managed to make a Hannah, litting his chin as he walked in. ¡°What¡¯s the rush, Westin? I¡¯m not about to make a run for it.¡± Outside, Liam sighed, troubled, ¡°Mano really doesn¡¯t like me. Hannah patted his arm reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mono likes Collin and takes him as an apprentice, getting a painting won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Liam wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°Mono must have extremely high standards for taking students.¡± Hannah sounded absolutely sure of herself. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. No one¡¯s ever seen Mono¡¯s apprentice¨Cor their work. If they were truly that good, why keep everything a secret? I bet Collin will blow Mono¡¯s student out of the water.¡± She spoke with such certainty, Liam started to wonder if the Gibson family had some kind of hidden ace Inside, Westin caned his neck, locking around. ¡°Professor Mono, is my seniornoting?¡± Mono had once shown his students a copy made by his apprentice¨Cthe nature had been so sloppy everyone just assumed it was some guy Mononever bothered to correct them ¡°Well, Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Mono replied coolly, ¡°but this time, I did bring something with me.¡± He nced at Gael, who immediately lowered one of the suitcases to the ground and unzipped it. Inside was a canvas, wrapped in in white cloth. ¡°Westin¡¯s eyes lit up. He could barely contain his excitement. ¡°is this one of yours? Are you nning a big return?¡± ¡°This is my apprentice¡¯s work. Take a look and decide if it¡¯s good enough for your exhibition,¡± Mono replied. There was a trace of pride in his voice though he¡¯d never admit i Westin grinned. ¡°Professor, you¡¯re joking. Your apprentice¡¯s work is definitely worthy. I¡¯m dying to see it.¡± With bated breath, Westin carefully ced the frame on the rack to the left. Mono watched without a word. Westin slowly lifted the who cloth. All eyes were drawn to the painting. The entire canvas was a swirl of ck¨Cunfriendly at first nce, chaotic lines circling round and round, creating a dark vortex at the center. And at the very heart of that darkness, a single fed eye stared back, as if ready to pull the viewer into the abyss. The teachers drew closer, each transfixed by the painting. The longer they stared, the more they say buried in the tangled lines were countless pairs of eyes, each expressing something different. 13:03 Tue, 10 Jun Everyone tried to pick out the pair that called to them. Finally, Gael draped the white cloth back over the canvas, snapping them all out of their trance. The room was silent, the shock palpable. This painting was electrifying¨Calmost unsettling. Westin¡¯s chest heaved as he tried to calm his racing heart. Suddenly, he understood why Mono had only shown them copies back in university, They wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle this style back then, it would have thrown their entire worldview into chaos. Mono signaled to Gael again, who produced a second painting and set it up. This one was of mountains and streams, serene and gentle, washing away the oppressive darkness of the first. Westin couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the one the Society put in our permanent collection? How is it here with you?¡± Mono¡¯s smile was deep and knowing ¡°Look again.¡± Again Marriage 218 No Ads Chapter 218 Westin¡¯s mind was spinning. Could this be another copy by my senior t He leaned in close, recalling Mono¡¯s methods for spotting forgeries, his gare flicking over the brushwork again and again until Araby, he ch difference¨Cthe faintest edge, a certain sharpness to the strokes Shocked, he murmured. ¡°My senior¡¯s insitation skills are getting frighteningly good. Even your signature is identical, Professor Mono sighed, a touch of helpless pride in his voice. ¡°Her style is always dark and heavy. That vorter painting is actually the least intense ane Forjeert, I¡¯ve kept these hidden from the world¡± His casual tone, however, hit the rooms like a thunderp. Everyone knew Mono had taken on a disciple, but none had ever seen her work Now they understood why. This kind of painting was simply too controversial, too unsettling for public disy¨Canyone who looked at it, artist or not, was left shaken.. ¨C Westin, dyeing Gael who remainedpletely unfazed, couldn¡¯t hide his curiosity. Mono noticed and exined, ¡°We have so many of her paintings at home. Gael¡¯s gotten used to them¨Cnothing can fare him now¡± Westin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Professor, could we see some more of her work? Does your senior only copy your pieces, or can she imitate other artists too? Monolited his chin, a note of pride slipping into his words ¡°She can copy anything¨Cif you¡¯re willing to let her see your work, she recreate it intime. But as for visiting, that¡¯s not up to me. I have to ask first.¡± Westin nodded with anticipation. ¡°I¡¯m sure my senior will agree.¡± Mono motioned to the entrance. ¡°Enough chatter, it¡¯s freezing out here. Let¡¯s headi dside.¡± ¡°Right¡± Westin agreed quickly. At the door, Liam let out a low whistle, ¡°Who would have thought Mond¡¯s apprentice was that talented?¡± Hannah replied coolly, ¡°With a master like Mono, it would be a tragedy if she wasn¡¯t.¡± But she thought to herself, Collin¡¯s work is even better than this. Liam remembered the three paintings he¡¯d recently returned¨Cauthenticity disputed by experts and finally dered imitations. Aria had so many forgeries in her possession, she must know Mono¡¯s apprentice personally. He decided not to tell Hannah for now¨Cno need to invite unnecessary trouble. He offered, ¡°Hannah, do you want me to take you back to your apartment?¡± She smiled. ¡°Jazmin¡¯s probably still at my ce. Please, drop me When Hannah got home, her aunt Jazmin Gibson rushed over, excitement written all over her face. ¡°Did you get to see Mono? Did you talk to him about Laking Collin as his student? Did he remember your cousin?¡± Hannah squeezed her aunt¡¯s hand. ¡°Of course brought it up. Don¡¯t worry, Auntie, Collin¡¯s talent will absolutely impress him. At the judging in thre days, if Collin wins gold and asks to be Mono¡¯s apprentice before Johan does, I¡¯m sure Mona will agree Her tone was so assured that Jazmin¡¯s smile nearly split her face. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± 1/2 13:03 TUE TO Jun Chapter 218 ¡°We¡¯re family. You and Zander have always treated me and my brother so well. Helping Colin makes me happy.¡± Zander Gibson, the head of the Gibson Group, had marriedte due to work. Collin, just a a little younger than Hannah, had shown astonishing talent for art from an early Unlike some families, Zander and Jarmin had never led to force their son into a career he didn¡¯t want Zander had trained Dexter, the older brother, to inherit the business. The two families had always be close Liam drove straight home, intent on returning those three paintings to A and maybe getting his hands on Mone¡¯s apprentice¡¯s contact info Again Marriage 219 Chapter 219 But the moment he stepped into the Cole Manor, a heavy, oppressive tension filed the He walked in and saw Daniel sitting rigid and silent at the head of the room. On the sofa, Elena was a mess, sobbing with red rimmed eyes while Ophelia tried tofort her, Nearby, a neatly dressed woman sat with anxious hands folded tightly in herp. And across from Daniel, a striking man in a sharp suit lounged back with his legs crossed, eyes down, calmly flipping through some papers on his kne A ridiculous idea flickered through Liam¡¯s mind. ¡°Grandpa, what¡¯s going on?¡± Daniel gestured for him toe clover and handed over two sheets of paper. Liam¡¯s hands trembled as he read them. ¡°He¡­¡± Elena finally lost control, wailing-¡°Liam, your bastard of a father actually cheated on me he¡¯s only three months younger than yout Three montist He was already fooling around while I was still pregnant with you!¡± A stab of pain shot through Liam¡¯s chest, his head spinning He had a brother nearly his own age?¡± Daniel mmed the table, his voice like thunder. ¡°The Cole family has had thin bloodlines for generations, and now, when we finally have another capable heir, all you can do is spend money andin. What right do you have to object? ¡°You have two children¨Cone obsessed with medicine, the other a useless good¨Cfor¨Cnothing. Which of them could ever shoulder real responsibility? Meanwhile, Ondo grew up in some backwater town, earned his way overseas, built everything from scratch. If he¡¯d been raised here, he¡¯d be the perfect heir. Elena apt to her feet in shock, ¡°Only Liam is worthy to inherit thepany! How can you hand the Cole Group to some legitimate son?¡± Liam couldn¡¯t help but wonder, Does Grandpa really want to pass everything to that guy!¡± A strange sense of relief crept in¨Cmaybe now, he could finally escape this crushing weight. Aher a long pause, Liam said quietly, ¡°Grandpa, if he¡¯s capable, I agree to let him be the next heir of the Cole Group.¡± Elena shrieked, ¡°I don¡¯t agree!¡± But Daniel saw through his grandson¡¯s thoughts and ignored Elena¡¯s hysteria. ¡°You¡¯ll each have the same number of shares¨Cmay the best man win.¡± Most of the shares still belonged to Daniel. He alone decided who would ultimately have power. But if both boys had equal stakes, the pressure was on Liam, the one who¡¯d been ving away for years. Ondo¡¯s lips curled in a subtle smile. ¡°Te back, but I never nned to work for the Cole Group.¡± Daniel nodded, unfazed. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about yourpany in Masmubia. The Cole Group will simply acquire it. That way, we can expand overseas, and you¡¯ll still hold absolute control thege. Go back, take care of your business, and leave your mother here at Cole Manor We have staff tako care of her. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± When Ondo¡¯s expression darkened, Daniel added, ¡°You don¡¯t have to change your name or be entered into the family register just yet. Come back Erst Aher a moment, Ondo nodded. ¡°A Daniel called Liam into the study. 1/2 ¡°Alright.¡± 15:03 Tue, JuJum Chapter 219 Meanwhile, outside, a bodyguard opened the car door for Ondo. The interior was spacious, with a rare hardwood U¨Cshaped bar and a custom wine rack, bottles gleaming in the subdued light On the back seat, a man lounged with a cigarette, smoke driftingrily across a face as sharp as a de. Ondo took one look, then climbed in. He poured himself a drink and sipped. ¡°That old fox really thinks he can trick me into working for the Cole family for free.¡± The man said nothing, just kept watching him through the haze. Ondo snapped his fingers. ¡°Russell, what exactly do you want from me?¡± Again Marriage 220 Chapter 220 Russell flicked the ash from his cigarette, extinguished it, and tossed it into the trash slot, the lid opened automatically, swallowed the stub, Ben snapped shut with a metallic click. ¡°Bring the Cole Group under control,¡± he said faily, Ondo pressed a button, clearing the air of smoke, and sighed. ¡°That¡¯s quite an assignment you¡¯ve handed me?¡± Russell looked at him coolly, ¡°You saying you can¡¯t handle it?¡± That icy aura nearly knocked Ondo back. He grilled his teeth, stubbornness shing in his eyes. ¡°I can handle it.¡± The car fell silent for a moment, until the bodygused in the front seat announced,¡± ¡®ve secured the house at Mayen Garden, Are we moving everyone ther now?¡± Russell nodded. ¡°Yes¡± Overhearing, Ondo shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°Moving to Mayen Garden¡­that for her?¡± Russellifted his game, a chill settling over his features, his eyes suddenly sharp and dangerous. Ondo looked away, took a sip of whiskey, and continued, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust everything the Solemnity Guild says. I know White Fox¨Che holds her in very high regard. Maybe they¡¯re just using us to get rid of her.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Russell replied, a thin, cold smile twisting his lips. ¡°But don¡¯t kid yourself. She¡¯s far from innocent.¡± Ondo nodded in understanding ¡°I get it. Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one slip through. If the Solemnity Guild needs to be destroyed, she goes down with them.¡± The car window was still cracked, letting in a rush of cold wind that pped across theirces. Ondo closed the window, nced at his buzzing phone, and began teating. ¡°Owen¡¯s agreed to take the case, He¡¯s set a meeting for four o¡¯clock.¡± Russell reached into a drawer, retrieved a battered old watch, and ran his thumb gently across the scratched ss. Let Starmon Films know, he said quietly Aureus Club sat in the city center, a social hub for the wealthy and powerful Even in the middle of the afternoon, it was packed. Music pounded like mortar shells, neon lights shed, darling and disorienting. Down one corridor, Dawson led Vanessa toward a private suite. Watching her tense expression, he tried persuasion. Look, I know you¡¯re friends with Aria, but even she can¡¯t afford to cross these people. Vanessa frowned. ¡°That serious?¡± Dawson said, ¡°He¡¯s a big shot in Masmubia¨Cconected to both the underworld and the upper crust. if you work with his people, the resources never stoping¡± Someone at his level could never normally cross paths with that kind of powerhouse, it was only pure luck that he¡¯d bumped into the man on a light back to Hutha. He¡¯d just started a conversation about the local culture, and that was enough to earn a tiny connection. That was all Dawson exined, but the look on his face told Vanessa everything she needed to know¨Cwhoever wasing, he wasn¡¯t someone to take Chapter 220 lightly. ¡°Why me, though?¡± she pressed, reading his mood. Dawson lowered his voice. ¡°I asked around. Apparently, he likes women with your kind of fire. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just drinks, nothing else Idne get dragged into anything more¨CI¡¯d never dare cross Ms, Saxon And he meant it. Aria was the sort who acted on instinct and never cared about the consequences. If he let anything happen to her friend tonight, tear him apart. He gave Vanessa a warning. ¡°Oh, and the Cole family¡¯s long lost son, Ondo, will be there too. Don¡¯t take out your feelings about Aria on him.¡± Vanessa blinked in surprise. ¡°Liam¡¯s brother?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 221 Chapter 221 Dawson nodded. ¡°Yeah, three months younger. Elena¡¯s been going crary in her socialite circles, ranting about Ondo and Atates. The gossip¡¯s. everywhere- even I¡¯ve heard it. Han into him again at Amour Bistro at lunch. As sont as he said his name, I put two and two togethe A water escorted them to a top-tier site. The VIP hadn¡¯t arrived yet, Dawson didn¡¯t dare anter, so they waited outside. Vanessa, ever vignt, tested thetest scoop to Aria. Aria, reading the message, instantly thought of that rear¨Cend collision. Was it really just coincidence? Her phone buzzed¨Canother massage, Aria, your paintings have turned up. I¡¯m swamped this week. I¡¯ll be at the Fine Art Society judging entries in three days. If you¡¯re free,e by otherwise, we¡¯ll set another time. Copying others! works was no big deal for her, she could finish a painting in no time. But if those three forgeries ended up in the market, it could cause serious trouble for collectors. She was nning to go to the Fine Art Society to meet Mono anyway might as well grab the paintings while she was there. [Okay.] Aria replied. A stinging ache burned across her back. She headed for the shower, applied ointment, and had barely finished when her phone chimed¨Ca special ringtone. She answered. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± White Fox¡¯s voice was hollow, stripped of its usual spark so drained Aria could feel it. ¡°I know. What¡¯s wrong?¡± A harsh pause. ¡°The boss told someone your real identity¡± Aria¡¯s heart seized ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Someone looking for Sara. Apparently, it¡¯s a rtive.¡± The name hit her like a blow to the chest¨CSara. How long had it been since she¡¯dst heard that name? After a beat, White Fox added, ¡°Just be careful, Ana. Watch everyone around you, understand? When the call ended, she stood at her window, letting the cold windsh her skin, At the Fine Art Society, Westin was ying the tour guide, leading Mono through the galleries. The ck vortex painting still lingered in his mind, muting his appreciation of everything else. ¡°Mono, I remember you once said your apprentice wasn¡¯t a trained artist by trade. What does she actually do? How long did she stu Thinking of his wayward disciple, Mano¡¯s stern features softened, the hint of a smile on his lips. ¡°To be precise, my apprentice only studied painting for two years¡± ¡°Two years Westin blurted out. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Mono snorted. ¡°Why impossible? Somelignes, row talent leaves hard work in the dust¡± 13:03 Tue, 10 Jun Chapter 221 Aria had been found by Gael, a battered girl barely twelve years old, mate and motionless for three days, At the time, Mono himself was suffering a creative drought. Sitting with her, he¡¯d drawn for three days straight, and from that vigil was born his low¨Cfamous Maiden in the Cape. She¡¯d watched him, then finally picked up a brush, scribbling nonsense. Gael bought art supplies by the truckload just to keep up w with her. Not wanting to see her waste the materials, Mono began to teach her himself¨Ctwo years of patient, relentless instruction. When she copied his paintings, the technique was there but the soul was missing When she painted for herself, all the feeling was there¨Cbut none of the polish. Her memory was frighteningly sharp; she learned anything quickly. Beyond painting, she soaked up everything Gael could teach her about medicine and more. Two yearster, she left, and Mono knew better than to try to stop her. At least she kept in touch, asionally mailing him paintings¨Ceven if they were always forgeries. Mono turned to Westin, ¡°By the way, my apprentice is a woman.¡± Again Marriage 222 Chapter 222 Westin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°A woman?¡± But the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. That ck vortex painting¨Cso saturated with deathly stillness and despair¨Cwas pure emotion, not technique. Only a woman could channel feelings so raw and nuanced onto a canvas. ¡°I want to meet my senior even more now, Westin admitted, unable to hide the eagerness in his voice. He was desperate to see more of Aria¡¯s work Mono wanted to see her too. In all those years, aside from their brief apprenticeship, they¡¯d barely crossed paths. Aria was always busy. When she finally found a moment of freedom, she¡¯d suddenly gotten married¨Cwithout a word to him. Divorced, too, and never breathed a syble. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became The private suite was thick with smoke. Vanessa endured it with a poker face, doing her best not to cough Besides the ¡°big boss¡± Dawson had warned her about and Ondo, there were two filmpany CEOs in attendance, each nked by a stunning actress -the brightest stars in the entertainment industry. All except Vanessa knew exactly how to y the game: pouring drinks, making conversation, serving up the kind of emotional energy these rooms demanded. Russell and Ondo, strikingly handsome, didn¡¯t take advantage or make lewd jokes; the actresses smiles were genuine, needing no cues from their bosses. Yet the man in ck¨Cthe one with a diagonal scar over his left brow and an aura colder than ice¨Cwas so intimidating no one dared get too close. So it was Ondo who found himself sandwiched between two ambitious beauties, both determined to charm him, Meanwhile, Dawson and the others were deep in negotiations with Russell about Neb¡¯s expansion into domestic film Neb, after all, was one of Masmubia¡¯s most powerful studios, responsible for blockbuster after blockbuster, its stars household names around the globe. Russell, though a Huthailian, was one of Neb¡¯s top executives, responsible for all business in the country. But CEO was just his public face, what truly unnerved people was his background. Dawson only knew bits and pieces, but he knew enough: cross this man and you¡¯d disappear without a trace. One of the film bosses piped up, ¡°Mr. Nicholson, we¡¯ve heard Neb¡¯s nning to invest in Huthalia. Is there already a project works?¡± Russell simply nodded. Theughterded. Everyone leaned in His gare slid to Vanessa¡¯s untouched ss. ¡°Miss Ward, are you feeling unwelt Dawson caught on instantly, shooting Vanessa a warning nce¨Cdrinking was nothing in their world, just another part of the business. Vanessa didn¡¯t flinch; she filed her ss, offered Russell a bright smile, and said, ¡°Mr. Nicholson, lit me boast to you, if you have any projects, thope you¡¯ll consider Starmon Films. If not, at least keep me in mind.¡± Chapter 222 She downed the drink in one go. Everyone at the table had the same thought, but Vanessa was the only one bold enough to say it aloud, Dawson¡¯s face twitched¨Che nudged Vanessa under the table, then stood to apologize. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Nicholson. Our actress tends to speak be Russell said nothing. Ondo smiled faintly, ¡°No harm done. Miss Ward is just looking out for her future.¡± A bit blunt, but honest. Dawson quickly shifted gears. ¡°There¡¯s a new sci¨Cfi film in the pipeline. Miss Ward would be perfect for one of the roles¨Cperhaps she could audition?¡± Russell nodded. Landing a role in a Neb production was a golden ticket, the sort of opportunity that transformed careers overnight. Everyone at the table was stunned. Dawson nearly bounced back into his chair, while Vanessa raised an eyebrow, sensing something off beneath the surface. One of the CEOs teased, ¡°See, Vanessa? The rest of you should take notes.¡± The other actresses, emboldened, tried to be just as direct, but neither Russell nor Ondo offered them any promises. Regret was written all over the faces. Again Marriage 223 Chapter 223 Vanessa, meanwhile, kept drinking just enough to act more tipsy than she really wat, when the night wound down, the CEOs exchanged contact info with Ondo and then left, each taking their own actress with them. Dawson stood and said, ¡°Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Gagher, we won¡¯t take up any more of your time¡± He helped Vanessa to her feet, ready to go. But Ondo stopped him. ¡°Dawson, Miss Ward¡¯s a little drunk. If the paparazzi catch her like this, she¡¯ll ba trending for all the wrong reasons.¡± With Vanessa¡¯s maism, it would only take one blurry photo for a hundred rumors to explode online¨Ca fresh round of gossip and scandal. ¡°You should call her family or friends toe get her,¡± Ondo suggested. Dawson nodded gratefully. ¡°You¡¯re right, thank you, Mr. Gagher.¡± He didn¡¯t actually know who Vanessa¡¯s family was, but he did know she was close to Aria Without hesitation, he called Aria and asked her to pick Vanessa up at the Aureus Club As soon as he hung up, he smacked his forehead¨CVanessa had an agent and an assistant, didn¡¯t she? But it was toote now. He assumed Russell and Ondo would leave, but to his surprise, they stayed put, content to wait. Noticing Dawson¡¯s confusion, Ondo offered, ¡°Aureus Club belongs to Russell. He can stay as long as he likes.¡± Of course. On his own turf, Russell could do whatever he wanted. Aria soon arrived, knocking on the door and stepping into the smoky suite. She made a beeline for Vanessa, ignoring everyone else, Dawson stood up ¡°Ms. Saxon,¡± he greeted her Vanessa mumbled and pretended to wake up, her eyes fluttering open. ¡°Aria? Why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to take you home,¡± Aria replied, slipping an arm around her, ¡°Love you, babe,¡± Vanessa said, feigning drunken affection as she leaned into Aria¡¯s shoulder But from the moment Aria walked in, Russell¡¯s eyes had locked onto her, cold and sharp as a de¨Che didn¡¯t bother to hide it Finally, Aria met his gaze, recognizing him: Russell, founder of Masmubia¡¯srgest underground casino, a master of the legal gray area, infamous for his dealings in the shadows. She¡¯d crossed paths with him before, once upon a time when she¡¯d been undercover as a politician¡¯s mistress. Her eyes flicked to Ondo. He caught her gaze and offered a polite smile. ¡°Md. Saxon, we meet again¡± Aria nodded slightly, then guided Vanessa out the door. Dawson said his goodbyes and followed. The suite fell silent for a few beats before Russell let out a decisive sport. I¡¯ve met her before.¡± Ondo looked surprised. ¡°When¡± Chapter 223 ¡°Five years ago. At Baron,¡± Baron¨Cthe notorious underground casino. Fin Masmubia, she¡¯d be easy to kill. But here in Hutha, one slip and you¡¯d pay dearly¡± Ondo warned. Russell gave him a sidelong look. ¡°You think I¡¯m that reckless?¡± Ondo shrugged. ¡°Just making sure you don¡¯t do anything impulsive¡± Russell¡¯s voice was cold as steel. ¡°I¡¯m not that stupid. The Solemnity Guild isn¡¯t easy to deal with. She¡¯s a damn fine weapon, if you ask me After all, nothing was more entertaining than watching dogs tear each other apart. In the car. Vanessa lounged in the passenger seat, all trace of drunkenness gone. ¡°Russell¡¯s Neb¡¯s CEO, huh? Never heard of him she said, frowning He wasn¡¯t on any official wanted lists, but everyone who mattered knew his name¨Cand how many people wanted him dead. Ariamused, ¡°How did Neymar get mixed up with them?¡± Vanessa filled her in. ¡°The big boss extended an olive branch. Neymar could hardly refuse. But Russell showing up in Huthai? This isn¡¯t just about business¨Cll look into it.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Focus on Ondo. Russell¡¯s too dangerous. Stay away from him if you can.¡± Vanessa grinned. ¡°Got it.¡± Aria dropped Vanessa off at her apartment, stayed for dinner, and only left when she was sure her friend was safe On her way home, she ran into the man she¡¯d just been discussing with Vanessa¨Cin the elevator. Again Marriage 224 Chapter 224 Russell stared at her, his expression unreadable. Aria hesitated for a second, then stepped in, her eyes licking to the lit button for the neenth floor before she pressed eighteen herself. The elevator doors slid shut. They each stood on opposite sides of the car ¡°We¡¯ve met before, haven¡¯t we?¡± Russell¡¯s voice was low and deep. Aria hadn¡¯t expected him to recognize her so quickly. After all, back then, she¡¯d looked like a know you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Russell let out a cold, humorlessugh, dropping his gaze. ¡°You remind me of someone who broke my rules, Ms. Saxon.¡± Five years ago, Aria had taken a job protecting a certain politician¨Cturing out a killer by posing as his lover at the Baron casino. The n worked, cha chaos broke out, and the casino was forced to shut down for a while, Aria had left a generous payoff behind and vanished without a trace. Clearly, Russell was talking about that night. Just as she was about to speak, a surge of danger prickled her nerves. She moved on instinct, dodging the sudden attack his hand shing through the air, a test as much as a killing blow If she¡¯d been any ordinary person, her throat would have been crushed by now. In the cramped space, fists whistled through the air. He struck, she parried. Russelshed out with a vicious kick in such a narrow elevator, a missed kick could easily you away¨Cor break your own bones Aria twisted out of the way, then took advantage of the opening to drive her knee toward his gut. He absorbed it without flinching, grabbing for her shoulders with both hands. it She dodged, twisted, then drove her hand for his neck¨Cmming Russell¡¯s back into the elevator wall The doors slid open at the eighteenth floor Russell made no move to counterattack, only stared her down, eyes sharp and calcting. ¡°Not bad. No wonder you managed to tear my casino apart.¡± Aria¡¯s grip on him didn¡¯t loosen, her brow furrowed. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already pay you? Wasn¡¯t fiteen million dors enough¡± Russell replied, ¡°Did I ever saygreed to your terms?¡± He raised his lett hand, enclosing hers where was locked around his neck. ¡°That¡¯s not how I settle debts.¡± His palm was hot¡ªalmost feverish, Ana let go, her voice t. Tine. What do you want, then?¡± The doors slid shut started moving down. 13:04 Tue 10 Jun ¡°I¡¯m not interested in money,¡± Russell said quietly He leaned in, gaze burning, not bothering to hide the hunger in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve got a beautiful body, you know.¡± His hand moved, about to touch her face, but Aria slipped aside, her eyes turning cold. ¡°So?¡± Russell¡¯s lips curled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you spend a month with me?¡± The suggestion was shameless. Aria¡¯s expression darkened. She looked up, her voice icy ¡°You nning to kill me?¡± There was humiliation in her words, but underneath, the threat was all too real. Shutting down his business for one night wasn¡¯t enough for him to want her dead¨Che had other motives. Russell¡¯sugh was low and chilling as he twirled a loose strand of her hair around his finger. ¡°No. I want to make you a living specimen. Something to admine every day¡± She¡¯d heard plenty of rumors about Russell, A ver blood. *Aria pressed a hand to his shoulder, pinning him against the elevator wall. Russell nced up at the security camera, his tone mocking ¡°Ms. Saxon, there are cameras in here. Maybe we should take this elsewhere?¡± Under the lights, her face looked almost translucent, an almost angelic beauty¨Cso pure on the surface, so dark beneath. He found it maddening. Again Marriage 225 No Ads Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Aris leaned in, inhaled lightly, her smile razor sharp. ¡°You smell like a ve. You want to y, but honestly? I¡¯m not interested.¡± For a second, a storm flickered across Russell¡¯s face. The elevator doors opened at the first floor, A passerby caught a glimpse of their ¡°Intimate¡± posture and muttered, ¡°Seriously? Can¡¯t you w wait till you get a room?¡± He shot Russell a quick, nervous look¨Cone nce at Hussell¡¯s eyes, dark and deadly, and be jabbed the ¡®close door¡® button, vanishing without another word. Aria stepped back, punched the eighteenth¨Cfloor button again. This time, Russell didn¡¯t make another move She stepped out. As she did, Russell¡¯s voice drifted after her, ¡°Aria, you care about a lot of people¡± Aria paused, turned back with a faint smile. ¡°So do you. Like Ondo. Or that girl who¡¯s always by your side? Everyone knew Russell had plenty of enemies¨Cand a woman hidden away somewhere, protected to the extreme. Leaving those words hanging, Aria walked away. As the doors closed, Russell¡¯s eyes grew even darker. She¡¯s moreplicated than thought Aria entered her apartment. The door across the hall opened, and Derek¡¯s cheerful voice greeted her. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re back She turned to find him grinning. ¡°I stopped by and you weren¡¯t home, so Owen made me dinner. ¡°Did you eat enough?¡± Aria asked. Derek rubbed his stomach, putting on a melodramatic face. ¡°Stuffed. But I haven¡¯t even made it inside and you¡¯re already kicking me out. That hurts, you know.¡± His tone was deliberately theatrical, hall¨Cpouting as he peeked at her face. vy mood lightened a little. ¡°What do you want, Derek?¡± Aria¡¯s heavy m He shrugged. ¡°I need a reason to see you?¡± Lately, Nathan had been reaching out more than in the past seventeen yearsbined, all to try and get information about Aria Derek found the whole thing absurd¨CNathan had never been close with his own sister, and now wanted to y the conce to be left out. After a bit more banter, Derek decided he¡¯de to Aria¡¯s just to spite Nathan, and maybe gloat about it Owen, hearing voices, stepped out from behind Derek His brows drew together when he saw Aria¨Cshe wasn¡¯t in a good mood He nced at her swollen knuckles, copter shing in his eyes. Bling? Sarves Him right. Suddenly remembering something, Derek said, ¡°it¡¯s a bit chilly, you should go inside first. I need to head up to the neenth for Aria frowned, ¡°Why the neenth?¡± ¡°I was going to buy a ce thele, but somenne beat me to it. I want to see if they sell ¡°There are still apartments in Mayen Garden,¡± she pointed i ¡°You don¡¯t have to firate on the neenth floor ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s closer to you.¡± She gave him a look. ¡°You don¡¯t need to buy a ce just to see me. You¡¯re wee to visit anytime.¡± He put on his best wounded face. ¡°Dut you were just trying to kick me out!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, not next time.¡± Derek¡¯s eyes sparkled, instantly taking advantage ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Canicrash here tonight?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± It seemed she was worried about Derek going to the neenth floor. Owen, regaining hisposure, said, ¡°T make breakfast for three tomorrow.¡± Derek froze. Breakfast together? Since when had things gotten so cozy between Owen and his sister? Aria nodded. ¡°Okay¡± Owen would cook, she¡¯d pay for the groceries. Aria unlocked her door. As Derek made to follow her in, Owen spoke up, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay at my ce tonight? Aria doesn¡¯t have pajamas or slippers in your size, but I¡¯ve got extras¡± Derek saw the sense in that. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stay with Owen tonight¨Cnext time I¡¯ll leave some stuff at your ce.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Suit yourself¡± Derek called back, ¡°Owen, I¡¯lle overter.¡± Owen said, ¡°Alright¡± The two of them went inside and closed the door. After a moment¡¯s thought, Owen picked up his phone and sent a message Comment Send gift No Ads Chapter 226 Again Marriage 226 Breakfast that morning was a spread hech baked tells, steak, a bowl of light oatmeal, some pickled vegetables, and a colorful fruit te of Derek¡¯s eyes practically it up the second he sawil. Waking up to a hot breakfast, no shouting, no lectures, on fake niceties¨Che honestly never wanted to leave. ¡°Owen, you¡¯re amazing! if i were a pil, I¡¯d many you, Derek said, not even trying to hide his admiration. ¡°A man who¡¯s good in the kitchen and out in the world¨Cwhere do you even find someone like that?¡± Owen just smiled politely. ¡°You should learn, ton. I¡¯ll help you find a girlfriend someday¡± Derek grinned. ¡°I¡¯lle to you for lessons once meet someone I like.¡± Aria arrived a moment after Derek, and Owen pulled out the chair for her. She sat down, murmured a soft thank you, and started on her oatmeal, Owen¡¯s gaze flickered to her hand. ¡°You didn¡¯t put on any medicine?¡± Aria followed his eyes, nced at her own hand, and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch. It¡¯ll heal soon! ¡°Warmpress, then medicine¨Cit heal faster,¡± Owen said. ¡°I¡¯ll put some onter.¡± He didn¡¯t press it. Derek watched the two of them out of theer of his eye. Aria was way too reserved he wondered if Owen¡¯s slow burn approach would ever work. Frankly, it looked hopeless. Derek finished his bread and asked, ¡°Larkridge High¡¯s out for the weekend, right? Finals are over. You picking Lily up this afternoon?¡± Ania nodded. po with you, Derek volunteered. ¡°Why?¡± Derek thought, ¡®To piss off Nathan. But what he actually said was, ¡°Finals are over, I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°Suit yoursell¡± Owen watched the way the siblings interacted, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He slid a perfectly sliced steak in front of Derek, then took Aria¡¯s te and began cutting hers, too, the movement so smooth and natural it caught her off guard. Ana was startled this level of attentive service was almost too much. Derek, on the other hand, was genuinely touched A perfectly cut steak on a winter morning was though to melt away his gloom. He¡¯d worked his butt off to make up credits in a different major, crammed for finals, and then slept half the day away afterward. Last night, his dad had berated him in front of everyone at dinner, Lennox pretended to defend him, which only made things worse. 1/2 Chapter 226 In a fit of anger, Derek had sapped, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just admit tennock your real son and stormed out. His dad had hurled the dishes after him and told him not toe home. So he¡¯d ended up here It was the first time anyone had even cut his steak for him. Owen¡¯s kindness, beway of Aria, made Derek¡¯s nose sling a little. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, sounding more pitiful than he meant to. Aria nced up. ¡°Owen cut the steak. Why are you thanking me?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m only getting it thanks to you. So, thanks to both of you.¡± Owen . ¡°No need.¡± He finished cutting Aria¡¯s steak and set the te in front of her, ¡°Thank you,¡± Ana said. Owen replied, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it¨Cyou paid for the steak, anyway.¡± After breakfast, Derek stopped Owen as he was about to get up. ¡°Owen, Aria¡¯s definitely going to be toozy to use apressor put on medicine. Why don¡¯t you help her?¡® wash the dishes.¡± He figured the least he could do was y matchmaker, since he was the one benefitting from their hospitality. He gathered the dishes and started humming as he headed to the kitchen. Aria sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to listen to him.¡± ¡°¡®s just a warm towel, notplicated. Wait a second.¡± Without waiting for a response, Owen disappeared into the bedroom. He quickly returned with a hot, neatly folded towel and gently set it on her hand. ¡°Thank you, Owen.¡± ??? Again Marriage 227 ¡°You¡¯ve already thanked me about a dozen times,¡± he said, a bird of amusement in his eyes. ¡°He need to be so polite between friends, it calia by a At the word ¡°friends,¡± any doubt Aria had was instantly dispelled. She smiled, ¡°I¡¯m just used to calling you Owen.¡± He suddenly called out, ¡°A,¡± She looked up instinctively, ¡°Yeah?¡± He grinned. ¡°Say it a few more times, and it feel natural¡± Aria met his gaze and nodded. ¡°Owen They both smiled. From the kitchen, Derek stole a nce over his shoulder and switched to a new tune. With Owen¡¯s looks and personality, maybe he was actually good enough for Aria after all. A few minutester, Owen handed Aria a tube of ointment. ¡°For bruising¡± She almost said thank you again but caught herself. ¡°Alright¡± She squeezed some out and rubbed it in. Once Derek finished the dishes, they headed out. Owen got a call from his friend Tobias Amold. The guy who just moved into 194 is named Russell. CEO of Neb, just bought up a couple of entertainmentpanies¨Clooks like he¡¯s nning to expand into the local market. He and the Cole family¡¯s new illegitimate son¡® seem pretty close. Why are you asking about him?¡± Russell¨Cthat name sounded familiar Owen frowned. ¡°See if you can confirm if Russell is the founder of the Baron casino.¡± ¡°Did he piss you off?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± That afternoon, Derek went with Aristo Larkridge High. On the way, she stopped at a skincare store and bought six sets of products. Derek followed her in, pulling out his phone. I¡¯ll pay for this Aria didn¡¯t argue, But when he tried to pay, the transaction failed¨Cbank card error. He tried another card. Same thing Suddenly, he understood: his family had frozen his ounts. Derek had just graduated and, thanks to his crazy exam schedule, hadn¡¯t had time to earn his own money. He¡¯d fought with his family before, but they¡¯d never cut him off¨Cuntil now. His phone buzzed. New message: [Derek, your dad stopped your cards and took back the property in your name. If you¡¯re homeless, want me to send you some cash!| Of course, Lennox had probably stirred the pot again, and the family, as always, believed him over Derek. They¡¯d even repossessed his apartment- 1/2 13.04 Tue 10 Jun Chapter 227 practically forcing him home to get punished. Derek¡¯s chest but with frustration. ¡°A, my cards are from¡± She barely looked up. ¡°Higured. Here, cany flete.¡± Derek obediently loaded the six shopping bags into the car. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been kicked out Cantinove in with you?¡± ¡°Had a fight with your family ¡°Yeah, my dad from my cards and took the apartment.¡± in that moment, Derek fell even more in awe of Asia. She was only eight or nine months older than him, already a millionaire, while he was sad living off his parents. That¡¯s the difference ¡°They took everything?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Everything. Even the ce used to stay most¡± She was silent for a second. ¡°Want me to buy you an apartment? There¡¯s still some in Mayen Garden.¡± He didn¡¯t answer. When the light burned red, Aria stepped on the brake and turned to look at him¨Cjust in time to see Derek¡¯s eyes brimming with tears at your ce? You¡¯re the only family I¡¯ve got ¡°You¡¯re too good to me. I still need to do grad school. No point having an empty apartment. Can¡¯t I just stay at now. If you don¡¯t want me¡­ jump out right here, I¡¯m done!¡± Aria pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°There are plenty of rooms. You can stay if you want.¡± Derek immediately dried his tears. ¡°Thanks¡± At Larkridge High, Aria pulled up by the girls¡± dorms. ¡°Go wait in the backseat.¡± The passenger seat was for his sister¨CDerek hopped out and moved to the back. ¡°Got it.¡± As he watched Aria¡¯s figure disappear into the dorm, he snapped a selfie and posted it. [Here at Larkridge High with Aria to pick up my little sister.] D Again Marriage 228 *Chapter 228 Chapter 228 The nest second, Nathan¡¯s message popped up: [u guys at Larkridge Hight At the girls dorm? Derek ignored himpletely. Then another notification¨CAria had just transferred him a hundred thousand dors. (This month¡¯s living expenses He clutched his phone, grinning like an idiot, and after a few or a few seconds, burst outughing. He took a screenshot and posted it. What¡¯s it like to have a sugar mama by your side!] Lennox saw the post and was stunned Aria was really this generous with Derek? Well, considering she¡¯d made off with thirty million from him, it kind of made sense. Just the thought of it annoyed him; his brows drew tight, a cold look in his eyes. With a sheer, he sent screenshots of both posts into the family group chat¡­ Lennox Aria¡¯s so generous to you, I¡¯m honestly jealous. Derek, in a great mood, shot back: Too bad, you¡¯re not as lucky. Gloria: You took money from Aria?) Arpay: Running away from home and taking handouts? Derek, get your ass back here!] Derek: [So what if Aria felt sorry for me and sent me money? You¡¯re the one¡¯s who froze my cards! Lexie: [Arnaw, why¡¯d you freeze Derek¡¯s cards? Derek: Not just froze my cards¨Cthey kicked me out too. Thank God A took me in Lexie looked at the messages and quietly smiled. Their housekeeper asked, ¡°Should I bring Derek home?¡± Lexie shook her head, ¡°No need, Aria¡¯s a good one. Derek¡¯s happy there.¡± But even as she said it, she still sent money to her grandson. Derek didn¡¯t touch it¨Che¡¯d already lined up a part¨Ctime job, ready to support himself. The usations in the group chat kepting, but Derek had had enough and left the group altogether. Lennox noticed right away: Looks like Derek left the group. Amay: [Ungrateful brati] In his room, Lennox smirked at the screen as a call came in. He answered, ¡°Lennox, Patrick¡¯s started apany¨CNimbus Tech. You can intern there over winter break,¡± said Peyton Maddox. Lennox knew Patricka PhD student at Kanit University, three¨Ctime programmingpetition champ, and Deangelo¡¯s star pupil. Lennox was excited. ¡°Send me Patrick¡¯s WhatsApp?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have it, but I¡¯ll send your scruber¡¯s contact,¡± Peyton said, That cheered Lenox right up. He DM¡¯d the recruiter, but Peylon soon replied: ¡°We¡¯re full up Lennox frowned and quickly typed back: [Peyton, this internship¡¯s really important to me. Can¡¯t you kick out the weakest link and let me try? Eknowl could help you guys. Lennon wasn¡¯tcking in talent or awards, and as a Fletcher, it wouldn¡¯t look great to turn him down. Peyton: Alright He had HR bring up the new hires r¨¦sum¨¦s, and bis eyesnded on one. ¡°Derek? Isn¡¯t he a pharmaceutical analyst? What¡¯s he doing at a tech ?¡°. ¡°He¡¯s got great hands¨Con skills,¡± said the recruiter. Everyone knew Derek wasn¡¯t valded at home like Lennox was Peyton made the call. ¡°Not in the right major. Why¡¯d we even hire him? Cut him¨Cbring Lennox in Seven new hires, all friends or Patrick¡¯s referrals¨CDerek was the easiest to drop. ¡°But the offer¡¯s already been sent. He got in through.. ¡°Is what I say useless?¡± ¡°Fine¡± In the girls¡® dorm, Lily¡¯s five roommates couldn¡¯t stop grinning at the skincare products she brought, international brands, a thousand bucks a set They tried to y it cool, but, ¡°Aria, you really don¡¯t have to bring us anything next time you pick Lily up!¡± ¡°Lily¡¯s helped us all so much with our studies¨Cour whole dorm¡¯s grades improved after the mock exams. The homeroom teacher even gave us all thermoses. We¡¯d feel bad taking your gifts again.¡± High school was rough, especially senior year¨Ceveryone sacrificing for that one goal, losing sleep, breaking out, looking like death. Aria¡¯s gift hit right where it counted. Still, they worried they¡¯d get used to the good stuff and spoil their skin. Aria just smiled, ¡°If you all get into good universities, I¡¯ll cover your skincare for the next four years. So study hard, alright?¡± ¡°Thank you, Arial¡± Lily was officially their lucky charm. Aria waved. ¡°See you next time! We¡¯re heading out.¡± ¡°Bye!¡± The girls waved them off. Just then, Nathan ran up, only to spot Derek grinning as he took Lily¡¯s books. ¡°Lily, time to head home,¡± Derek said. ¡°Thanks,¡± Lily replied. Aria started the car, her gaze passing right over Nathan without a flicker. 13:04 Tue, 10 Jun She pulled away, leaving him standing there, chest tight and aching, watching the car disappear They were supposed to be the closest in the world¨Cbe was the one who¡¯d ruled Back home, Caleb stood at the door with a bag of ghs, a tired smile on his face. ¡°Wris, ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Aria greeted him. Caleb had just returned from a two month business trip to Dlund, looking absolutely exhausted. ¡°Weah, the deal went through. I¡¯ll have more time new. This international partnership had eaten up all his time, Lily crept up shyly.¡°Hello¡± Aria opened the door and they all headed in. Caleb reached to ruffle Lily¡¯s hair, then paused, remembering he hadn¡¯t washed his hands pet¨Cand held back Instead, he handed her a small box. ¡°Agit for Lily. And this one¡¯s for Asia. Derek eyed him. ¡°What about me?¡± Caleb tossed him a bag. ¡°Sneakers.¡± ¡°Thanks, Cb nning on staying with me?¡± Caleb asked, having heard about Derek¡¯s fallout from Glona Derek shook his head. ¡°Til stick with Aris¡± Aria finished texting Owen and turned to Caleb. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Not yet Just then, Owen replied. Ania nced at her phone. ¡°Owen says toe over for hot pot tonight¨Che invited all of us.¡± Caleb raised a brow. ¡°Owen?¡± Derek exined, ¡°He lives across the hall. Sis pays for groceries sometimes, and we eat at his ce.¡± He lives right across the hall Caleb had actually considered buying the apartment across from Aria, but if Owen had it, He nced up at the floor above. that was probably out of reach. Derek noticed. ¡°Caleb, the upstairs apartment is taken, I asked about downstairs too¨Cnothing avable. There are still a few left in the building, though. If you buy one, we could be neighbors.¡± Caleb shot him a look. ¡°You got money for that?¡± Derek hesitated. ¡°You could lend it to me. Caleb shrugged, ¡°Sure. But only if you ask me nicely tonight in front of everyone.¡± Derek scowled, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask yourself?¡± 04 Tue, 10 Jun Imam Caleb gave him a sly grin. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Aria will think I¡¯m a nuisanci Derck just rolled his eyes. Again Marriage 229 7630 Chapter 229 Steam rose from the simmering hot pot, blurring the faces of the five people around the table. Owen moved with practiced ease, slipping vegetables into the broth, his long fingers shing past Aria¡¯s ey eyes. His knuckles were a little pink, and tiny beads of water glistened on the back of his hand. She couldn¡¯t help but stare, privately marveling¨Cthose really were some beautiful hands, The urge to reach out and touch themshed through her mind, and the moment she realized it, Aria quietly looked away, trying not to betray here. With all the steam, no one noticed her awkwardness. Caleb had met Owen a few times before. Out in the world, people called him the undefeated legend of the legal industry, famous for his integrity¨Cborn into wealth, yet always championing the underdog, taking on pro bono cases without hesitation. But there were less ttering stories, too: some said his methods were ruthless, that he put justice before blood, that beneath that gentle exterior he was a hard man to read. Praise and criticism followed him everywhere, but in the end, the good always outweighed the bad, Once, Caleb couldn¡¯t figure him out. But ever since Owen had taken Aria¡¯s divorce case, he understood: anyone Aria called a friend could never be a bad person. He dropped his gaze, joining Owen in prepping food for the table. Even though Derek was already twenty¨Ctwo, there was a clear innocence about him; Caleb and Owen silently agreed to treat him like a kid. Still, Caleb kept watching how naturally Owen served Aria¨Chow he handed her food, how he remembered her tastes. The more he noticed, the more he wondered if this wasn¡¯t the first hundred times Owen had done it. so good. Derek had said Aria often ate here. Suddenly, the meat in Caleb¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t taste so p Lost in thought, he idly stirred the pot. Owen nced over, ¡°Calebt¡± Snapped out of his daze, Caleb was almost relieved to hear his name. ¡°Sorry,¡± he muttered, fishing a piece of meat out and dropping it into Lily¡¯s bowl. But the idea stuck with him, and his gaze toward Owen turned a little more inquisitive To be fair, the
  1. Shaw!
family was a lot simpler than the Saxons¨Cno endless rules orplicated rtionships. He was a few years younger than Kim and constantly being set up on dates with people who only cared about status and gain, neverpatibility or feelings Kim was lucky¨Che got to choose his life freely. Caleb didn¡¯t n to meddle in Aria¡¯s love life. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered. After dinner, Derek jumped at the first chance, ¡°Caleb, did youe straight bare from the airport?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°How about we just share a room and crash at Owen¡¯s ce tonight?¡± Derek went right ahead, deciding for Caleb without waiting for his are Caleb turned to Owen, ¡°Is that okay with you?¡± Derek gave Owen a look that said, ¡°This is Aria¡¯s big brother. You¡¯d better make a good impression.¡± Owen got the hint and nodded, ¡°Sure. Do you have your luggage in the car?¡± Aria, having noticed Caleb¡¯s car earlier, offered, ¡°You can stay at my ce too¨Cno need for you two Owen added, ¡°I¡¯ve got a spare room here.¡± Caleb smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll stay with my sister, then.¡± Derek rolled his eyes¨Cwhy was he the only one getting kicked to the curb? squeeze together.¡± Again Marriage 230 Chapter 230 In the end, Owen would have him forpany. Derek raised his hand, ¡°Toss me the keys, I¡¯ll go get the luggage. ¡°Thanks,¡± Caleb said, tossing over the keys, then got up to help Owen clear the table, When Aria and Lily moved to help, they were stopped. ¡°We¡¯ve got it.¡± Owen said, blocking them gently. Caleb mentally gave Owen another point. After a day¡¯s rest, Caleb returned to work at the Song Corporation. On Monday morning, Aria dropped Lily off at school, then headed for the Fine Art Society. Today was the on site judging for the Huth division of the International Art Competition Five veteran artists sat at the judges¡® table. of them, Mono had the most seniority, y, while Uriah was the youngest, a diehard fan who¡¯d maneuvered to sit right next to Mons, eager to build rapport. ¡°Mono, at thest charity auction, Aria brought one of your imitations. Do you know her?¡± Uriah asked, his tone probing. Mono just answered with a cool, ¡°Yeah, I know he I her.¡± Unah porked up, ¡°is she your apprentice?¡± Mono fell silent. He was well aware Aria had been invited to teach as a graduate advisor at Mandino University¨Cil everyone knew she was his pupil, she¡¯d never get a moment¡¯s peace. Aria hated being disturbed. After a long pause, he finally said, ¡°I¡¯m not answering that question Urish froze, then immediately got it. If she wasn¡¯t, Mono would just say so He must be protecting her privacy. Smiling, he nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mono. My lips are sealed.¡± Backstage, fifty contestants crowded together, faces tense with anticipation and excitement, whispering among themselves before the judging began. ¡°It¡¯s been ten years¨CMono¡¯s finally shown up in person. Maybe he¡¯s nning to take on another apprentice.¡± ¡°I heard he brought one of his apprentice¡¯s paintings. The style¡¯s so dark it¡¯s not fit for exhibition orpetition, if he¡¯s looking for another student, someone here might have a shot¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t Johan also after Collin? Are they going to fight over him?¡± it is ¡°That¡¯s how it is when you¡¯re talented¨Ceverywhere you go, people want you. The rest of us are just background characters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true¨CKatrina¡¯s pretty good. She might catch Mono¡¯s eye.¡± ¡°Katrina? No way. Painting¡¯s about patience and attitude. With her temper, she¡¯ll be the first one cut. Just then, Collin walked in and everyone instantly fell silent. He scanned the room, then made a beeline for a particr sofa¨Cone that caught the sunlight just right. A girl had taken that spot as soon as she arrived, but as Collin stood before her, his meaning was clear. $13.05 Tue 10 Jun Not wanting to offend the Gibson family, she moved without a word, Collin sat down and texted Hannah: Hannah, where are you? Did you p painting? In the car, Hannah was practically glowing as she texted back, Got iti After a long negotiation with a collector, she¡¯d finally managed to buy one of Mono¡¯s rare paintings for a staggering 150 million dors, There were only five known Mono originals in cirction, and now she had one of them, She hadn¡¯t nned to bring it straight to the Fine Art Society, but since time was tight, she decided to show everyone right away. Meanwhile, Liam arrived at the hall carrying three of A¡¯s paintings, waiting at the door with his invite¨Ceach guest allowed to bring one family member or friend. A few minutester, Hannah arrived, beaming with excitement as she hurried over. ¡°Lism, I got it! I actually bought one of Mono¡¯s paintingsTMTM Again Marriage 231 Chapter 231 Liam¡¯s eyes widened with surprise, excitement in his voice. ¡°That collector finally agreed to sell?¡± He wanted to take the painting from Hannah, but his arms were already full. ¡°Yeah, it cost 150 million dors. Just hand this over¨Cno way the examiners will give you trouble now.¡± Hannah¡¯s smile was bright. Liam was deeply moved, ¡°Hannah, thank you. Really? Noticing what he was holding, Hannah frowned. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°These are Aria¡¯s three imitation paintings,¡± he exined. ¡°Treburning them to her.¡± Hannah looked displeased. ¡°Imitations like that shouldn¡¯t even exist, can¡¯t believe she¡¯s actually asking for them back.¡± Liam shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re here, She should decide what to do with them. Come on, let¡¯s go inside. ¡°Tine.¡± They handed over their invitations and found seats in the audience with their arms full of paintings Soon, the judging began in earnest Fifty contestants filed into the first three rows, taking their seats as staff ced each painting on disy at the front. Only twenty would advance¨Ca forty percent chance. The few with real confidence managed to keep calm, but most were a bundle of nerves. Katrina was one of the confident ones. A boy who was close to Collin smirked at her, ¡°Katrina, heard things are heating up between you and Griffin?¡± Katrina¡¯s expression darkened, anger shing in eyes. ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that nonsense? The boy sneered, ¡°You two are engaged, aren¡¯t you? What else would you call it? You¡¯re about to get married and still fighting for a spot in the finals with the rest of us.¡± Katrina snorted, ¡°Anyone under twenty four canpete. Who are you to talk? And keep me out of your drama with Hannah¡¯s lovesick puppy. Frankly, just thinking about it makes me sick.¡± At that, Collin¡¯s face clouded. ¡°Katrina, Hannah¡¯s not a homewrecker. If you keep ndering her, don¡¯t me me for getting rough.¡± Katrina¡¯sughter was cold. ¡°The Gibson family, huh? Thick as thieves. You can try to silence everyone, but that won¡¯t change the fact Hannah wrecked someone¡¯s marriage. I wouldn¡¯t bother talking to you if you weren¡¯t barking at me like a dog. What a pain Collin red at the boy, who shrugged and fell silent, and the tension on that side of the room finally faded. Elsewhere, Patrick¡¯s voice came through Aria¡¯s phone. ¡°No luck yet. The fastest way is to post the sketch online and see if shees to you.¡± Aria had already asked around the old neighborhood, but the couple wore masks¨Cshe couldn¡¯t even remember what they looked like after so many The hospital where the girl had been born had shut down, and the records were long gone. Even if she found her, what would she say? Tell her the truth that her birth parents sold her? Maybe it was better to let Pearl live her life in peace. Chapter 231 ¡°No need to keep looking.¡± A said softly. ¡°Just destroy the sketch.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± At the Aureus Club, Ondo slid a printed photo across the table. ¡°Russell, Aria¡¯s got people searching for this girl¡± The snapshot was a bit blurry, but Russell¡¯s eyes sharpened when he took a closer look. Ondo poured himself a drink and settled across from him, voice casual, ¡°Look familiar?¡± Russell¡¯s gaze stayed locked on the photo. ¡°What does Aria want with her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still digging. The girl¡¯s adoptive parents and brother are all in prison. It¡¯s hard to trace anything beyond that. Besides, Aria based her sketch off a baby picture there¡¯s no guarantee she even looks like this now.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 232 Chapter 232 Russell flicked his lighter, a blue me dancing as smoke curled upward, veiling his expression, ¡°Get me a high¨Cres version,¡± he said quietly. ¡°On it.¡± Ondo sent off a message, and in a few minutes, got a reply [The sketch is destroyed. He¡¯s giving up the search Ondo handed the phone over. Russell scrolled through the messages, then tossed it back. ¡°Keep looking¡± ¡°Russell, if you really want to get to her, it¡¯s not hard. She adopted a girl at Lakridge High. Snatch the girl and Aria wille running, Kill them both and Russell¡¯s hand stilled on the lighter, his gaze icy as it swept across the table. ¡°That¡¯s too easy a death for her. Keep digging¨Cevery detail. And don¡¯t let up on the Solemnity Guild.¡± He¡¯d always known the Guild wanted to use him to take out Aria, probably because she had their secrets. But Russell didn¡¯t trust them¨Cnotpletely Ondo nodded and stood. ¡°Alright. That old man¡¯s got me running the Cole Group now, so I won¡¯t being by the club as rouch Daniel was paranoid¨Che¡¯d ordered not one but three paternity tests. Once by stealth in the manor, and once by having Ondo¡¯s finger pricked for blood. Only after two separate confirmations did he allow Ondo into thepany. Now, Russell was nning to break away from the old organization and build his own empire in Huthailia. Swallowing the Cole Group was the quickest way, and he¡¯d have to grit his teeth and do it. As Ondo Ich, Russell¡¯s phone lit up with an international call. He stepped to the window, answering as a woman¡¯s gentle voice filled his ear, ¡°Russell, are you settled in Huthailia yet?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied. ¡°I miss you so much, but Father won¡¯t let me visit. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you here. You¡¯d only get hurt.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m miserable without you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Russell¡¯s tone was soft, but his lips curled in a cold, thin line Back at the artpetition, the judging reached its climax. The host stood on stage, reading out the names of those who¡¯d made the finals. Each was called up in turn¨Cincluding Collin and Katrina. To ensure fairness, themittee swapped out judges at each stage and kept wiry painting anonymous; only after the finals could artists reveal their identities. The big screen disyed all twenty finalist works. At the judges¡® table, Johan pointed at one. ¡°Who¡¯s number ten?¡± Chapter 232 They called out the names in order, and Collin found himself standing at the center spot. He stopped forward. ¡°Good afternoon, judges, I¡¯m Collin Gibson. Number ten is my work¡± Johan recognized Collin¡¯s painting and called on him deliberately. ¡°Collin, do you have a master yet?¡± Collin shook his head. ¡°No, Johan.¡± Johan smiled, ¡°Ever considered apprenticing with me?¡± He¡¯d made his intentions clear before¨CCollin knew Johan wanted to take him as a student. Before Mono arrived, Johan would¡¯ve been his first choice, but once Collin heard Mono was a judge, he changed his mind. To be Mono¡¯s apprentice was worth more than anything. Hannah had told him to speak up at the finals. If he asked, Mono would surely take him. Collin turned to Johan and bowed respectfully. ¡°I¡¯m honored by your invitation and grateful you recognize my talent. But ever since I was a child, I¡¯ve admired Mono¡¯s work.¡± He looked straight at Mono and bowed again, his voice steady, ¡°Mono, I want to fight for this opportunity. I wish to be your apprentice.¡± Aria had just sat down in the audience as she caught those words, one eyebrow arching in amusement. ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s fallen for Mono, too, she thought. # Again Marriage 233 Chapter 233 Johan¡¯s expression flickered for a moment before he finally spoke, voice calm but edged with disappointment, ¡°Monn¡¯s skill in art is indeed higher than mine, it¡¯s understandable you¡¯d chose him¡± Johan wasn¡¯t the petty sort But he¡¯d already mentioned his intent to take Colin as a disciple and nned to make it official in front of everyone. If Collin hadn¡¯t wanted that, he¡¯d had plenty of chances to decline¨Cyet he¡¯d waited until this very public moment. He hid it well, but the sting was real. And seeing Collin publicly beg Mono for a spot¨Ccould it be that Mono had already made him a promise! Johan sat up straighter, a shadow of imitation in his gaze as it swept toward Mono All eyesnded on the old master. Mono¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°So you¡¯re Collin? Hannah¡¯s cousin?¡± Collin suppressed his excitement and nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± Mono¡¯s attention shifted to the big screen. ¡°You have talent, no doubt¨Cyour , your use of color is Layered, your eye for detail is impressive. But¡­¡± He paused, his gaze sharp, ¡°you¡¯re too focused on technique. There¡¯s ack of true feeling. Johan, on the other hand, excels in this area. His work breathes with genuine emotion¨Che¡¯s well ahead of me there.¡± Johan¡¯s work was raw and honest, deeply felt It was exactly because Collin was so technically brilliant yet emotionally distant that Johan had wanted to mentor him. But now, even Johan was rethinking it. A proud heart rarely listens well, maybe taking Collin on wouldn¡¯t have been such a good thing after all. Mono¡¯s words had set Johan on a pedestal¨Cany lingering displeasure evaporated. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Mono. Apprenticeship is about mutual willingness. Since Collin has his heart set elsewhere, I won¡¯t force him.¡± He turned his attention to thest row of paintings. ¡°Who painted number eighteen?¡± Katrina¡¯s heart leapt wasn¡¯t that hers? Sh immediately stepped forward, hand raised high. ¡°Johan, that¡¯s mine!¡± Her voice trembled with excitement; Johan had noticed her. ¡°You switched to artter in the asked. Katrina nodded, a smile breaking through. ¡°You¡¯ve got a sharp eye. I only started in high school.¡± Johan replied. ¡°Your technique is still rough, but your ideas are fresh and you bring something unique. There¡¯s promise here. He was praising her. Katrina felt like she could explode with joy. ¡°Johan, may apprentice under you?¡± If Collin was right¨Copportunity was something he fought for. If she got rejected, so what? She could handle embarrassment, But if Johan epted her, she¡¯d finally have leverage against her family 13:05 Tue 10 Jun Chapter 233 Her eyes sparkled with anticipation and nerves. Johan gave a gentle smile. ¡°Of course.¡± Katrina¡¯s knees buckled¨Cshe dropped to the floor with a thud, tears springing to her eyes as disbelief hit her. ¡°You¡¯ll really take me?¡± she cried Johan chuckled, rubbing his temples. ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on the kneeling until the official ceremony, shall we? Get up¡± Katrina could barely stand, but another girl hurried over to help her up, still beaming With Katrina settled, Johan turned back to Collin, who quickly cleared his throat. ¡°Mono, I know I have a lot to learn. Please, let me be your student. I¡¯ll work twice as hard, I promise I won¡¯t let you down.¡± y to take on another student. Besides, I already have one But Mono had already made himself clear. ¡°I¡¯m too old now, and I don¡¯t have the energy! apprentice. I won¡¯t take anyone else.¡± G AD Comment Send gift No Ads Chapter 234 Again Marriage 234 Down in the audience, Aria¡¯s lips curled in the faintest smile, Collin¡¯s face drained of color. He looked to Hannals, incredulous, ¡°Didn¡¯t she say Mono agreed to take me?¡± In the audience, Hannah¡¯s grip lightened on her painting, finestration twisting her features. ¡°What is Mann doing? Collin is sited¨Chow could ha Liam shot her an odd look. ¡°It¡¯s normal for Mond to refuse. Just because someone¡¯s talented doesn¡¯t mean Mono should take them all.¡± So Collin had burned down Johan for Mono- and now was being turned away. Smirking nces from the crowd burned at Collin¡¯s pride, his face turning crimson. ¡°Mono, didn¡¯t¡­ didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d ept me as a studentr ¡°Il Hannah hadn¡¯t told me you would, I never would¡¯ve turned down Johan, Collin insisted. Mono frowned. ¡°I¡¯m seeing you for the first time today. When did I ever promise to take you?¡± Johan interpected, ¡°Hannah came to the Fine Art Society and told me that if Collin asked you in public, you¡¯d agree to take him.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Mono¡¯s temper snapped. ¡°When did I ever say that? Where is Hannah? Tell her toe out here right now!¡± Collin finally understood. He¡¯d been duped by Hannah. Mono had never agreed. He¡¯d rejected Johan for nothing His cheeks burned with shame as he stared daggers at Hannah. ¡°Hannah, what the hell is going on?¡± Everyone followed his gaze¨Cthere she was, clutching her painting Mono met his own apprentice¡¯s eyes and looked away with a a cold snort Aria thought, Impossible to please. Not without sympathy. Mono¡¯s gaze sharpened on Hannah. ¡°So it was you telling everyone I¡¯d ept Collin?¡± Hannah hadn¡¯t expected things to spiral like this. Her face flushed, but she straightened. ¡°Collin, I knew how much you admired Mono. I just wanted to give you the courage to ask¨CI never said Mono had agreed to anything¡± Her words said one thing, but her intent had been clear push Collin to ask and hope Mono would relent. ¡°I figured Johan would pressure you in public, so you¡¯d have no choice but to agree¡­¡± Mono looked sideways at Johan ¡°Was that your n?¡± ¡°Utter nonsensel¡± Johan barked, his face dark with anger. ¡°He¡¯s not nearly good enough for me to coerce him into apprenticeship.¡± Collin couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing Hannah had said things that butrageous. He turned to Johan, desperate. ¡°Johan, I¡¯ve always been grateful for your guidance. I never said anything like that.¡± Johan waved a dismissive hand. ¡°No point dwelling. Seems we¡¯re not meant to be master and student.¡± No Mono. No Johan. All because of this mess. Collin¡¯s heart was in his throat, but he could only swallow the pain. ¡°Sorry, Mano. I¡¯m just not worthy Contestants were called offstage, Collin, seething, stormed to the backstage area. Katrina skipped off to find Johan, only to be waved off by him. 1/2 Tak05=¡ÂTue, 10 Jun. ¡°See me in the judges¡® loungeter.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± she chirped, floating away. Aria stood, ready to follow the crowd when she heard Liam call, ¡°Aria, your paintings.¡± She turned, about to collect them, as Liam approached with Hannah right behind him, still clutching her painting But disaster struck in an instant Someone bumped into Hannah. She stumbled, tripped over a chair, and fell forward. The painting mmed into the edge of a chair, the sharp sound of ss breaking ringing out. Hannah shrieked, eyes wide with horror as she tore back the canvas covering, only to find a jagged crack shing right across cross the prized painting. HE Again Marriage 235 Chapter 235 ¡°My painting. It¡¯s rained, Liam Mone¡¯s masterpiece is destroyed,¡± Hannah choked out, her eyes reddening as panic settled in She¡¯d poured so much effort and a staggering 150 million dors into acquiring that piece. Turning with fury toward the culprit, Hannah¡¯s voice trembled with usation. ¡°Katrina, did you do this on purpose?¡± Katrina, still dared from being jostled by the crowd, stared in disbelief at the damaged painting in Hannah¡¯s hands. ¡°Wait That¡¯s a Mono original Themotion brought the hall to a standstill, Even the live judges turned to look their way Straightening, Hannahshed out, pping Katrina hard across thece. ¡°Do you have any idea what it took for me to get this painting? I spent 150 million, begged that collector for a month. If you hate me because of Grillin, fine, but why deliberately ruin my painting?¡± The p let Katrina stunned, her cheek burning and her mind spinning. She ought to fight back¨Cbut the truth was, she¡¯d been in the wrong ce at the wrong time. ¡°wasn¡¯t all my fault. I was pushed tool¡± Katrina tried to defend here, but Hannah was livid, nearly ready to tear her apart¡­¡­¡­. Meanwhile, Liam set Aria¡¯s paintings aside, then took the ruined artwork from Hannah, thinking fast¨Cmaybe a restorer could still fix it. ¡°is this really Mono¡¯s work? In this state¡­ it¡¯s finished¡± The damage was bad: not only were there scratches, but kes of paint hade off where the ss had shattered. Hannah¡¯s voice broke. ¡°Mono¡¯s paintings are so rare¨Conly five are in cirction. Now one¡¯s ruined. There are only four left in the world.¡± Liam tried to sound hopeful. ¡°Maybe it can still be restored.¡± But even a master restorer couldn¡¯t return it to its original glory. The crowd looked at Katrina now, eyes full of me and regret. She stammered, ¡°it was just an ident. I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d run into Hannah.¡± A crisp voice rang out, clear and challenging: ¡°It¡¯s a fake.¡± Heads turned, it was Aria. Hannah red at her, all venom. ¡°And what makes you so sure my painting is fake?¡± The crowd parted to let them through, curiosity piqued. Aria stepped forward, eyes settling on the painting in Liam¡¯s hands. ¡°Did no one notice how stiff the old man¡¯s wrinkles look!¡± It was a portrait of an old man. Aria didn¡¯t even have to squint the w jumped out at her. ¡°The wrinkles are all wrong. Too rigid, not natural at all. Liam suddenly realized what she meant. He¡¯d taken art courses himself, knew how to judge for authenticity. Up close, the linescked the delicate flow, the depth wasn¡¯t right. It was good, but not great. Not real. Not as seal the work Aria herself had produced. Hannah had been conned Chapter 235 A smirked, unbothered. ¡°Sansone sure thinks ¡®s the center of the universe. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hannah cut him oft voice shrill. ¡°Aria, the thing with the prion vinus is ancient history. You don¡¯t need toe at mid- how, not like this!¡± So the painting was a fake. Katrina, finally seeing her chance to clear her name, snapped back, ¡°Hannah, you brought a forgery here just to set me up for damages You¡¯re trying to scam mel¡± Hannah sneered. ¡°Like the Gibson family needs to scams someone like you?¡± But she turned her anger to Aria now, her voice icy. ¡°Whatever game you¡¯re ying, I don¡¯t care that you¡¯ve bought Mono forgeries on the side. That doesn¡¯t give you the right to call mine a fake.¡± Then, with a sudden re, she snatched up Aria¡¯s paintings from the chairs and smashed them to the ground. ¡°These three are the real Lakes. Take a look, everyone!¡± The frames cracked with a with a loud snap. Aria simply smiled, watching as her ¡°one hundred million dors¡± hit the floor. Easiest payday of her life. Liam froze, rushing to recover the artwork¨Conly to be beaten to it by a sharp¨Ceyed onlooker. The stranger picked up the old man¡¯s portrait and stared, eyes going wide. ¡°Holy shit. This is the real deal.¡± Suddenly the differences were clear. The forgery was no match for the genuine article. Someone quickly pulled up a photo of the original online. ¡°There¡¯s not a single difference¨Cnot even in the signature¡± ¡°Mono¡¯s true anginal,¡± another gasped. ¡°So Hannah¡¯s painting is the fake?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious. Totally obvious.¡± ¡°Shit, the lower right corner is damaged.¡± They gathered all three paintings, each with varying degrees of damage, none of them perfect anymore. ¡°Hannah, you just destroyed not one, but three Mono originals In an instant, all the outrage turned on Hannah. She snapped, ¡°How could three Mono paintings show up here at once? It¡¯s impossible. They¡¯re forgeries¨Cmine¡¯s reall¡± ¡°Let Mono judge,¡± someone said. ¡°He¡¯s right here.¡± All eyes turned to the five judges, now walking over Johan¡¯s gaze darkened as he caught sight of the handprint blooming on Katrina¡¯s cheek. The Gibson family¨Ctruly something else.. Someone handed Mono the paintings He nced at his apprentice, who returned a sweet, almost cheeky smile. He was still mad, but seeing Katrina grin for the first time, he couldn¡¯t bear to look away He¡¯d have to paint her like this when he got home. Hannah called anxiously. ¡°Mono?¡± Chapter 235 He blinked, then said coolly, ¡°Not mine.¡± ¡°Told you it was a fake.¡± Hannah stepped forward, cradling her ruined painting. ¡°Mano, I paid 150 million for this from a private collector. It must be yours¨Cnight?¡± She¡¯d spent weeks pleading for the chance even to see it, then caved in at thest minute, desperate not to lose out. She¡¯d hesitated at the wire¨Cwhat if she asked for authentication and offended the seller? What if she missed her only chance at a Mono original! Now she waited, hope flickering desperately in her eyes. Mono¡¯s answer was simple: ¡°This painting is a fake. It could never be my work.¡± The hope drained from her face. ¡°Please, Mono, look again. How could it not be yours?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. Not mine.¡± Her face went ashen. ¡°How could it be a fake?¡± Liam sighed, pulling her gently into his arms. ¡°Hannah, it really is a forgery.¡± Katrina, worried Hannah would stille after her for damages, wisely kept quiet. That p could be paid back another day. ¡°I was conned. One hundred and fifty million, gone.¡± Hannah finally broke down, sobbing into Liam¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± he said quietly, guiding her away. But Aria called after them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± Liam paused, ncing back. Hannah¡¯s voice was strained, ¡°What more do you want?¡± Aria smiled, ¡°My one hundred million dors?¡± Again Marriage 236 Chapter 236 Hannah blurted out, ¡°One hundred million dors Hannah frowned in confusion while Liam instantly got the hint, Thepensation for each damaged painting was about 33 million dors, and there were three damaged paintings in total, Liam had given his word in a moment of desperation and failed to see this misfortuneing. One hundred million dors couldn¡¯t bankrupt the Cole Group, which was at risk and had made no profit recently, but it was a hefty sum anyway. Without Hannah, those paintings could have been returned to Aria in perfect condition To make things worse, Hannah had spent 150 million dors on ake, In short, she had wasted 250 million dors. Liam pulled a long face while frustration burned in his eyes. ¡°Back in Erennd, Hannah saved lives on the battlefield. Why does she¡­¡± he wondered. Clenching his fists, he didn¡¯t let himself indulge in his negative emotion. ¡°Hannah saved me anyway, I love her, so I should be tolerant,¡± he told himself secretly. Liam picked up the paintings. have them repaired,¡± he promised. Aria produced the agreement and demanded, ¡°Mr. Cole, they are damaged anyway. Are you going back on your word?¡± The subtle gazes from the onlookers distressed Liam, and his face darkened, ¡°Just one hundred million dors. I will transfer the money to youter,¡± Liam sald Frowning Hannah snatched the agreement from Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°Liam, when did you sign this agreement? Why didn¡¯t you tell me of your meeting with her?¡± she demanded. Her voice dripped with indignation as if she wereining of her husband¡¯s The love triangle between Aria, Hannah, and Liam was widely spread. Now, things became more interesting to onlookers. Hannah¡¯s usation embarrassed the unhappy Liam, and anger got him quickly. ¡°Aria¡¯s paintings went missing at my ce, so I signed the agreement and promised to find them for her,¡± Liam exined. ¡°I¡¯ll wire the money to your ount,¡± he then said to Aria and walked away. -Liam wanted to dump the three paintings but changed his mind at the thought of their cost. Gloomy, he held the painting in his arms. It took Hannah quite a while to recover from the shock, Then, she chased after Liam. The tu tumult finally died down, and the crowd dispersed, except the members of the Fine Art Society. Katrina veiled her cheek with her hair as she approached Aria. ¡°Aria, thanks for your help,¡± she said. Aria said calmly, ¡°I was telling the truth. Your face looks bad, so you had better go to the hospital now.¡± Katrina nodded softly. Aria scanned the room and failed to see Mono, but Johan and Uriah. Johan and Katrina exchanged their contact information. Then, Katrina was escorted to the hospital. On her way out of the room, Aria tried to contact Mono. Urish quickly caught up with Aria and said, ¡°Aria, Mono said that he would stay in the Fine Art Society. He wants you to focus on your business and keep your rtionship with him a secret for the time being. He doesn¡¯t want you to be dis After the exhibition, he will reach out to you.¡± Since Mono kept a low profile, his admirers would turn to his student, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Preston. Speaking, Aria pulled out a bank card. ¡°This is my gift for Man¨¤. P Please take it to him.¡± What an impressive gitti. Unah took the bank card as he said, ¡°No problem. Aria, could you please give me your contact information?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria replied. This month, Owen served the public good in the countryside. Aria ordered meals from Havoron Restaurant. Soon, a call came from Cloe. ¡°Hey, Aria, not freeloading at your neighbor anymore?¡± Aria put on her headphones and headed to the training room. ¡°Cloe, you do keep tabs on me, huh?¡± The call came soon after Aria put in the order. E Comment Again Marriage 237 Chapter 237 Chapter 237 Cloe chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. Owen had learned to cook in my restaurant for one whole month.¡± Aria held a dagger and flung it toward a wooden board several meters away. The dagger embedded itself in the board with a crisp sound, ¡°The chels in Mavern Restaurant are experts, so it was reasonable for him to learn from them,¡± Aria said calmly. Cloe teased, ¡°There may be another reason.¡± ¡°What is 21¡± ¡°Owen has a thing for you.¡± The dagger viered slightly, and it almost missed the bull¡¯s eye. Aria raised her eyebrows. ¡°No way.¡± When Owen began his training in Navoron Restaurant, Aria just moved in and had little interaction with him. ¡°He learned to cook for himself. It has nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°He invites you to dine with him every day.¡± ¡°We¡¯re friends, and¡­¡± Aher a pause, Aria added, ¡°He may be fulfilling his promise.¡± Cloe¡¯s eyes lit up with curiosity. ¡°What promise Aria didn¡¯t answer the question. ¡°He and I are neighbors and friends. If you lived across the hall, I¡¯d be a frequenter to your ce too.¡± ¡°Come on! He is a man.¡± ¡°See him as a woman if you like.¡± Cloe was lost for words. ¡°Enough about me. How are things with you and Kim?¡± ¡°Hees once a week to see Julia. Cloe felt it inappropriate to stop Kim from seeing Julia since his blood was in Julia. Cloe would satisfy Kim as long as he had no n of taking Julia away. Cloe didn¡¯t talk about Owen anymore after she realized that Aria deliberately had the topic. She thought, ¡°Because of the jerk, Liam, Aria may lose interest in men. What a challenge for Owen!¡± Aria and Cloe chatted on before they hung up the phone. I minutester, Aria finished her shower, got a message, and collected her food at the doorway When she was ready for her food, her phone buzzed again. Owen: (Do you order meals from Navoron Restaurant this month? Aria: [Yeah.] Owen then sent a photo over. In the photo was a round table with chicken soup, braised pork, and sds on it 13:059 TUD: 10 Jum Owen: Lucky us. There is a wedding, and we got invited.] Aria erged the photos on her phone. On the right edge of the photo was a rough hand that contained a scar around its middle finger Instantly, Aria was shocked. Are you in Jamn?] Owen: [Yeah. I will stay in Jamn for one whole week and then go to another vige.] Owen typed, Why do you know that I am in Jamnt Soon, Owen deleted the message because it didn¡¯t sound lendly How do you know that I am¡­] He deleted the message again. Owen: (Why do you know?] There came no imply from Aria. Owen had deliberately captured nobody in his photo. He clicked the photo, zoomed in, and saw a hand. He turned his head and saw an elderly woman with gray hair softly ying with a little girl. The little girl was nestling in another woman¡¯s arms, clutching a toy, andughing with delight. ¡°Betty, when Madelyn invited you to town, you should have said yes,¡± Kate Livingston said. Betty Colton smiled gently. ¡°How could 17 I did nothing for her. I have a pension, My life in Jamn is great.¡± Instantly, Kate responded with a smiling face, ¡°It is true.¡± Shed to take care of Betty, and Madelyn paid her ten thousand dors per month. din town. The quality of her life and her family¡¯s was greatly improved by the iterate and old, she couldn¡¯t make so much money if she worked i handsome pay from Madelyn All she did for Betty was trifles like some shopping, so she was envied by her vigers. Kate was d that she had softheartedly opened her door and invited the thinly¨Cd Madelyn into her house from the heavy snow years ago. Hearing the conversation between Betty and Kate, Owen realized that he was in the vige where Aria had spent her childhood, AD Comment Again Marriage 238 ¡°Aria must be very close with letty since she could recognize recognize the elderly by the hand,¡± Owen thought. All the dishes were served, and the party began, Aaron swallowed and then said under breath, ¡°Mr. Shaw, the dishes look great Owen scanned the table and raised his eyebrows. ¡°You are right: The guests began to enjoy themselves after the bride and the groom made a toast to them. It was impossible for Kate to ignore the handsome Owen. After one mouthful of food, Kate leaned over and said, ¡°Owen, you are so handsome. You must be married.¡± With a faint smile, Owen replied, ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Do you have a girlfriend?¡± ¡°No.¡± Instantly, Kate¡¯s eyes lit up with surprise. ¡°The daughter of my rtive is a postgraduate, twenty five years old and quite pretty. What do you think¡­ Right then, Betty interrupted Kate by saying, ¡°Mr. Shaw may like someone Some people stood out among the crowd even if they wanted to keep a low profile. Owen was one of those people. He seemed nice and approachable, as if he w were a local That was how Kate got deceived. Hearing Betty, Kate shed an embarrassed smile and said, ¡°You are right, Betty. Sorry, Mr. Shaw.¡± Kate thought to herself, ¡°Rich people prefer a suitable marriage. The candidate for Mrs. Show must be somebody, not the vigers here.¡± Owen¡¯s expression was s was softened. ¡°No, no, don¡¯t apologize. I know that you try to help. I do like someone.¡± Hearing this, Aaron raised his head with a jerk and forgot the food. He thought, is Mr. Shaw serious? I see no woman in his life. While Aaron was in shock, Kate selected him as her new prey. She asked him a lot of questions. Suddenly, the little girl started coughing, and her face quickly turned red. Kate swiftly patted the girl on the back while offering her some water. Betty gave Kate a hand while saying, ¡°Many folks caught a cold recently. The kid is vulnerable, so you had better keep her at home.¡± The little girl was Violet, two years old: She was the daughter of Kate¡¯s daughter, Kate¡¯s daughter got married at a very young age. Now, she worked with her husband in another city. Kate had an easy job and volunteered to take care of Volet Kate replied, ¡°I will¡± Violet had abnormal flushes on her face. It took her quite a while to stop coughing Hugging Kate, Violet had tears on her face as the said, ¡°Granny, I feel so bad.¡± It was cold in winter, but the wedding party was hold in a house. That was why Kate had attended the party with violet. ¡°Be good, Violet. I¡¯ll give you some medicine after we get home. You will be okay soon,¡± Kateforted. ¡°Meat! I want,¡± Violet said. Kate quickly gave her granddaughter some meat. Laughter echoed in the room, and the atmosphere was lively and jubnt. Owen ate quietly. His heart tightened as he heard many people cough. 1/3 Chapter 238 Not a good sign that so many people caught a cold at the same time,¡± he thought. When the wedding party was over, Owen looked at Kate and asked, ¡°Kate, do you have any masks at home?¡± Kate nodded. ¡°Yes, I do. Do you need any?¡± ¡°There may be a flu epidemic. Wear a mask when you have to go out. So should you, Betty.¡± Betty similed. ¡°Thanks for your advice, Mr. Shaw. ¡°You may call me Owen,¡± Owen responded. Owen then said to Aaron, ¡°Let¡¯s go buy some masks and medicine. Aaron showed no objections. This was the Cole family. Liam didn¡¯t notice the monthly limit of his bank ounts till he tried to wire money to Ara, Instantly, ly, he went to the study to talk with his grandfather Daniel clutched his chest at the news that Liam intended to wire one hundred million dors to Aria. ¡°You know the status quo of the Cole Group. Why did you sign the paper?¡± ¡°Grandpa, the Cole Group was in a better situation when I signed the agreement. I will pay her with my own savings,¡± Liam exined. Daniel rolled his eyes at Liam ¡°All your savings are less than 150 million dors. What can you do after you t provide for Hannah? You care about your reputation. Have you thought of this family?¡± transfer all the money to Aria? How can you Daniel didn¡¯t expect Liam to be so foolish though Liam had disappointed him many times. He felt lucky that he had another grandson. ¡°Or, the Cole Group will bepletely ruined by Liam,¡± he thought ¡°Grandpa,¡± Liam argued, ¡°Look. If I don¡¯t give Aria the money, Mono¡¯s student will cause trouble for her. If Aris reims the paintings, I will lose both the money and the paintings.¡± Liam hade up with a n when he agreed to pay Aria. ¡°Now that Mono no longer lives in seclusion, and the identity of his student is still a mystery. I can sell these paintings at a price higher than one hundred million dors after they are repaired.¡± Daniel was well¨Cinformed though he spent most of his time at home. His expression was sohened. ¡°Get the paintings repaired first. Don¡¯t transfer the money till Aria urges you. Just let Hannah know what she should. She does more harm than good.¡± Liam nodded with aplicated expression. ¡°Got you, Grandpa.¡± Because of the misinformation from Hannah, Collin refused Johan¡¯s offer. Liam knew the truth very very well because he had been on the site. Reflecting, he felt down. Once again, he had doubts about Hannah¡¯s perfect image in his heart. . Without a warning, Collin gave Hannah a hard p as he shouted, ¡°You ruined my career!¡± Hannah was sturmed. When she came back to her lenses, her eyes zed with fury. ¡°Collin! Why did you p me? tried to help ¡°Did you? You lied, so Johan misunderstood met offended those people. No experts will ept me as their disciple anymore. Volunteers? Saved lives? You are nothing but a mistress. What a fool I was to trust people like you!¡± Hannah shed tears because the ridicule from her family was hurtful. ¡°How can you misunderstand me as outsiders do?¡± Sad, she ran out of the house and refused to acknowledge her blunder. 13:06 Tue, 10 Jun ¡°Every coin has two sides, Collin wants to learn from Mono, so he said no to Johan¡¯s offer himself He made the wrong decision, I did nothing wrong¡± she thought. Right then, her phone buzzed. There can
  • a message from Hellner Hospital, She was recruited.
Hannah wiped off her tears. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t waste my time on trifles. Many patients need me,¡± she thought. ¡°Mr. Shaw, the clinics are packed out for the flu. Speaking, Aaron pulled his mask with worry. He might have been infected if Owen hadn¡¯t let him wear a mask three days ago. Owen frowned and said, ¡°The average flu doesn¡¯t spread so quickly? ¡°It is weird. I wish the medical team would arrive as soon as possible¡± Right then, Kate came into view, together with a wheelchair. ¡°Kate, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Owen asked. Kate stopped and replied with worry, ¡°Betty is infected. I am sending her to the hospital.¡± Owen looked at the wheelchair and found Betty nestling in it with a nket, ¡°I should inform Madelyn,¡± Kate said. Then, she walked on. Again Marriage 239 In the past five days in Jamn, Aaron had heard of Madelyn many times, Some vigers regretted their previous indifference to Madelyn who was r was rich now. The others dreaded Madelyn who had killed her family at a very young age. They said that nobody dared to help her, except Betty Gradually, Aaron¡¯s interest in Madelyn grew. While Aaron was lost in thought, Owen walked on. He quickly caught up with Owen after he snapped back to reality. Because of the flu, both Owen and Aaron became idle. They bought medical stuff and gifted them to the vigers. Owen stopped by his car and said to Aaron, ¡°I¡¯ll drive them to the hospital. You stay here yhere! Aaron said, ¡°I will go with you.¡± ¡°You stay here to help the vigers. Be careful. Your safetyes first. Hand out the stuff to the vigers, and stay out of trouble.¡± Most vigers were either little or old, so Aaron could do something for them. Aaron nodded. ¡°All right.¡± Owen started the engine and caught up with Kate ¡°Kate, let me drive you to the hospital.¡± The car moved faster than the wheelchair did. With Kate¡¯s help, Owen carried Botty into the car, and the wheelchair was ced in the trunk. Kate couldn¡¯t help but thought, ¡°It is great to have a man around!¡± However, the car was stopped before it left the vige. There were four or five masked vigers and police officers on the other side of the roadblocks. Kate recognized the leader of the vige, Winston Morton. ¡°Winston, why are there roadblocks? Betty is sick, and she should be rushed to the hospital right away.¡± With a worried look, Winston will be infected.¡± exined, ¡°It is confirmed that an unknown virus has spread in our vige. Take Betty back to her home. Be careful, or you Winston¡¯s voice was muffled by the mask, and there was unmistakable gravity in it. A police officer added, ¡°Jamn is quarantined, and the medical team ising. For the public good, no viger is allowed to leave.¡± An unknown virus¡­ How dangerous! Owen nced at Betty in the backseat and frowned. ¡°Betty is severely sick, and there isn¡¯t enough medicine.¡± Nodding, Kate said, ¡°Winston, Betty is old. Any dys in treatment is risky¡± Winston hesitated. ¡°Well¡± ¡°No,¡± one officer said sternly. ¡°The virus is highly infectious, and we can¡¯t put the public at risk.¡± He handed some medicine to Kate. ¡°Go home, and take good care of the sick. The medical team will arrive today. The hospital is full of patients, and most of them are from the viges nearby. Jamn is the worst¨Caffected vige. It should be quarantined, and we will help the sick. After the medical staff arrive, we will send a doctor over to check on the sick.¡± Winston warned, ¡°Kate, you can¡¯t go home if you go to the hospital now. What will happen to your granddaughter?¡± Chapter 239 Violet was sleeping at home, and Kate finally realized that her granddaughter was infected by the virus. Instantly, her heart tightened right away.¡± Owen took the medicine and said, ¡°Thank you, Kate, let¡¯s head back.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Kate replied. On the way back, Owen called Aria. He said, ¡°Betty is sick.¡± Three hours ago, Aria got news that many people in Jamn suffered from the flu. She felt weird and quickly packed up her stuff for a trip to Jamn For the trip, she bought a lot of drugs and medical equipment. She was on her way to Jamn when Owen¡¯s call came. ¡°Is she infected?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Owen responded. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± Then, Aria hung up her phone and focused on driving. ? Night fell. Thunder roared, and rainshed down. E Again Marriage 240 Chapter 240 Owen stayed with Betty. He cooked for her, fed her, helped her take the medicine, and checked on her from time to time. Betty forced a faint smile. ¡°I am lucky I get help whenever I need it.¡± The rain was so heavy that it drowned out Betty¡¯s feeble voice. Owen failed to hear Betty clearly, so he leaned over. ¡°Betty, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°Much better,¡± Botty said. She looked in the direction of the window. ¡°It has been quite a long time since thest heavy rain like this. I don¡¯t think that the medical team can make it tonight¡± On the way to Jamn, Aaron was at the wheel while Owen enjoyed the view. Owen noticed the steep mountains, the cracks on them, and the rubble at their foot. It was easy to tell that there were mudslides from time to time. Owen¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Betty, did any mudslides happen on the path leading to this vige?¡± Betty clutched her quilt and said, ¡°There was one many years ago. Not a severe one!¡± However, the rain was relentless tonight. It was pitch dark. One couldn¡¯t see or hear anything in such heavy rain. On such a rainy night, any danger might happen in this mountainous area. Owen¡¯s phone buzzed, and there came a message from Winston. The rain is so heavy that the medical team can¡¯t make it tonight. They will spend the night in town ande tomorrow morning. The town wasn¡¯t far away from Jamn, just about a twenty¨Cminute drive. Betty sighed in relief. ¡°Great. I am fine, so go get some rest.¡± She could walk after taking the medicine. Owen intended to spend the night in Betty¡¯s house. He needed to go somewhere before he went to bed. ¡°I will sleep on your couch tonight. Call me if you need help. Now, I need to go out for a while!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Betty said. ¡°You are wee.¡± The moment Owen walked out of the house, the wind whipped him, and the rain soaked his trouser legs. The winter rain was icy cold, and the wind was bitter and biting. The medical team could stay in town, and Aria woulde for sure. How bad the weather was! Owen grabbed his umbre and plunged into the downpour. The rain pounded against the car windshield. The vipers worked at full speed, but Aria couldn¡¯t see the road ahead, At such a difficult moment, her good memory helped guide her forward, but she didn¡¯t drive fast. In the darkness, Owen in a raincoat held a shlight in his hand. As he walked on, his heart pounded like mad. He had called Aria many times, but she didn¡¯t answer any of them. Owen walked out of the vige and quickened his pace. Two beams of headlights flickered in the distance. Owen couldn¡¯t help but move faster as his heart leapt with hope. A thunderous sound drowned out the noise caused by the rain. Then, the headlights ahead vanished in an instant. Shock rooted Owen to the spot, and his pupils constricted. ¡°Arial¡± He ran over. Hall the road was covered by mud, rocks, and fallen trees, and there was no sight of the car, Yet, the guardrail on the other side of the road stood intact. Right after Owen breathed a sigh of relief, there came another thunderous sound. Before Owen reacted, he was pulled aside by by the waist. Then, he rolled into the safety zone. By instinct, Owen held Aria¡¯s head in his arms before he fell to the ground. Two people embraced together and rolled on the road. In the end, Ariay on the ground, and the back of her head rested on Owen¡¯s arm. The heavy rain pelted against her face, so she couldn¡¯t open her eyes. AD Again Marriage 241 Chapter 241 Chapter 241 The rain gradually eased. The patter of raindrops mixing with frantic heartbeats echoed in Aria¡¯s ear. The light from the shlight a few meters away shone on Owen and Aria. Owen propped himself up slightly and shielded Aria from the rain with his back. The light lit up his face, and his vision was blurred by it. The weight was lifted from Aria, so she shifted her head and opened her eyes. Water dripped from Owen¡¯s hair and sshed onto Aria¡¯s cheek. In the faint light, Owen¡¯s face became blurry, and Owen¡¯s gaze was unfocused. Knowing that there might be a mudslide, Aria drove carefully and stopped her car in time. Though faint, the beam of light was noticeable. She thought that the figure holding the umbre was a viger. Then, she heard him call her name¡­ Why did Owen take the risk? Aria raised her hand, so the light on Owen¡¯s face was blocked. The light was too dim for Aria to distinguish the emotions in Owen¡¯s eyes, yet she felt Owen¡¯s burning gaze anyway.. Owen was staring at Aria. Aria came back to her senses after a gust of bitter wind stung her nostrils. ¡°Owen.¡± Her voice sounded trembling. ¡°Get up.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Owen replied. He averted his gaze from Aria, got back to his feet, and pulled Aria up. Then, he yanked the zipper of his raincoat down, took off his raincoat, and wrapped it around Aria. In an instant, Owen was soaked to the bone, yet he seemed oblivious to the cold. He went to retrieve the shlight. Aria¡¯s gaze followed Owen as he moved. Aria thought, ¡°What a gentleman Owen is! He would do the same if this misfortune happened to others. However¡­¡± A faint smile shed past her face as she thought of Owen dashing toward her. It seemed he was concerned about her all the time. Was that her illusion? Owen bent down for the shlight, and Aria¡¯s handnded on his shoulder. Aria moved close to Owen and draped the raincoat around his shoulders. ¡°It is a light rain. I will use the umbre in my car,¡± Aria said. Aria was anxious to save Owen, so her umbre had been blown away by the wind. Fortunately, there was a spare one in her car. Standing on her tiptoes, Aria gently pulled the hood of the raincoat over Owen¡¯s head. Her warm breath tickled Owen¡¯s ear. It was not the right moment for romance, but Owen failed to stop his heart from racing. He got his raincoat back when he was stunned. Again, Owen took off the raincoat and draped it over Aria. ¡°Keep the raincoat. I¡¯ll use the umbre.¡± A raincoat was more useful than an umbre. Aria didn¡¯t argue. ¡°I need to get my luggage,¡± she said. 1/2 She desperately needed a hot bath and some dry clothes, of she would catch a cold for sure. ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡± Owen said, Owen used his shlight to observe the mountains and believed that there wouldn¡¯t be another mudslide in a short time. The mudslide wasn¡¯t severe though most of the road was covered by mud. Aria found the umbre for Owen and then turned to the trunk. Her She had taken with her only one set of clothes, so her suitcase was light. The suitcase was taken away by Owen before it on the ground. ¡°I will help you with it,¡± Owen said. ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria said. She then walked to grab her keys and phone from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡± There were vacant houses in the vige because many vigers worked in town. One of them was allocated to Owen and Aaron. ¡°Take a shower first. You may sleep here, and I will spend the night in Aaron¡¯s room,¡± Owen said. There was only one bathroom in the house, so Owen had to wait for his turn. Again Marriage 242 Chapter 242 Owen walked to the door, and Aria grabbed his sleeve. ¡°I will go to see Betty after the shower. You may get changed first. Betty would be distressed if Aria appeared in a sorry state. ¡°Alright,¡± Owen responded. Owen turned his back, and Aria opened her suitcase. When her hand was on her underwear in the suitcase, she froze. She turned around, gazed at Owen¡¯s back, and felt weird. Subconsciously, she saw Owen as a female friend. Aria warned herself. Then, she took her clothes, closed her suitcase, and left the room. Owen didn¡¯t turn around till he heard the door click shut. He plugged in the hairdryer, grabbed a set of clean clothes, and headed out of the room. Aaron had been awakened by the noise. At the door of his room, he asked, ¡°Mr. Shaw, you¡¯re back. How¡¯s Betty?¡± He hurried over when he found that Owen was soaked through. ¡°Why are you soaked to the bone? Mr. Shaw, you need a shower right away¡­ The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Instantly, Aaron¡¯s eyes became wide open. He stared at the bathroom in horror. ¡°M, M, Mr. Shaw, ghost!¡± Owen quickly stopped Aaron from going to the bathroom. ¡°It is Aria. Go back to your room.¡± Aaron gasped with shock. ¡°Aria?¡± In a daze, he stumbled into his room. He sat on his bed and watched Owen stand still at his doorway. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet. ¡°Mr. Shaw, would you like to take a seat here?¡± Owen responded, ¡°No, thanks.¡± Owen was easygoing, but he was awe¨Cinspiring in the eyes of Aaron. In the cramped space, Aaron grew more uneasy. ¡°There is a chair.¡± Owen replied, ¡°I¡¯ll stand here for a while.¡± Aaron fell silent. He stole nces at Owen from time to time, and there were a lot of questions in his mind. Why was Aria there? Why did Owen go pick Aria up? Why was Owen soaked to the bone? Why did Owen bring Aria back to his house? What was their rtionship? Thest question mattered the most to Aaron, but he didn¡¯t dare to ask Owen. Owen exined, ¡°The medical team spends the night in town, and they¡¯lle tomorrow morning. Aria came for Betty but got caught in a mudslide on the way. She and I are friends, so I went to pick her up.¡± He slowly and subtly gave Aaron an exnation. Aaron gaped with shock. ¡°Did she get hurt?¡± Owen said, ¡°No.¡± Aaron let out a sigh of relief. His expression drastically changed when something came to his mind. ¡°Is Aria¡­¡± Madelyn? Aaron knew a lot about Aria, but never had he connected her with this vige. ¡°Aria turns out to be the taciturn and relentless Madelyn the vigers talk about. We are in the vige where she grew up,¡± Aaron thought. Chapter 242 After the shower, Aria put her wet clothes into a bag, sealed it, and stepped out of the bathroom. The door to Owen¡¯s room was open, and nobody was there. Aria walked into the room and saw the hairdryer on the desk, Aria on | Owen read the message from Aria and then left for a shower. When he walked out of the bathroom, he saw Aaron crouching at the door of the house. ¡°Mr. Shaw, Ms. Saxon just left. She went to Betty¡¯s ce, Aaron exined. ¡°Got it.¡± Owen then nced at his phone. Aria: [I will take care of Betty. Thanks for your help.] Owen dried his hair and then called Winston. It was gray. Suddenly, Betty retched on her bed. Hearing the sound, Aria woke up from the sofa and rushed into the room. ¡°Betty!¡± She patted Betty on the back, and her expression was grave. Betty caught her breath. She saw Aria, and her eyes brightened instantly. ¡°Madelyn.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± Aria said. Betty turned her face. ¡°Put on a mask, quick!¡± Aria stood up, pulled open a drawer, took a mask, and put it on. Then she crouched down. ¡°Done.¡± She gently helped Betty sit up. ¡°Let me check on you.¡± A few minutester, her face turned grim. Again Marriage 243 Chapter 243 Because of the virus, Betty became weak. She had hypotension. The virus resembled Hantavirus. It was harmful to the kidneys and lungs and might result in death. The elderly were vulnerable before the attack of this virus. Thinking, Aria listed the herbs needed for the treatment. Then, she sent the list to a druggist and paid the bills. The druggist: (Ms. Saxon, you paid more than you should.] Aria: [Please send me all the herbs you have as soon as possible. Then, help me buy more.] The druggist: [Ms. Saxon, I¡¯ll get right on it.] Aria then bought a lot of benzalkonium bromide and special UV lights. After Betty fell asleep, Aria gently tucked her in and did the cleaning. Aria then washed up. She breathed a sigh of relief after it was confirmed that the medicine and the medical equipment would be sent to Jamn that day. Betty got up early. At six o¡¯clock in the morning, Aria was preparing breakfast when a knock sounded on the door. Owen arrived with some food containers. ¡°I brought you some breakfast.¡± He cooked for Aria at home and prepared breakfast for her now. He deliberately delivered the breakfast before Betty woke up. Touched, Aria moved aside and let Owen into the house. Owen opened the food containers, so the porridge came into view. Betty needed a light diet, so the breakfast Owen had prepared was perfect. Owen then produced a bowl of soup. ¡°Drink the soup after breakfast, It¡¯ll help warm you up.¡± Aria gripped her spoon. She then raised her head and joked, ¡°Are you going to cook for me for the rest of your life?¡± Owen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°If you want me to.¡± Time seemed to freeze. The atmosphere in the room became subtle. Aria was stunned. When she tried to figure out the meaning of Owen¡¯s answer, Betty coughed. 1 Instantly, Aria rose to her feet and ignored those subtle feelings. Owen reminded, ¡°We know little about the virus. You had better put on your mask after breakfast. I am gonna run a couple of errands, and I wille to collect the containerster.¡± The vigers were busy clearing the road, and Owen and Aaron intended to go help them. ¡°Give me your car key. I¡¯ll drive your car here,¡± Owen said. Aria silently handed Owen her car key and then left to look after Betty. After breakfast, Aria fed Betty some medicine, washed the food containers, and took out a pen and notebook. ¡°Betty, when did you fall sick? What are your symptoms?¡± 10:46 Chapter 243. Recalling, Betly said, ¡°The day before yesterday, I lost my appetite, felt nauseous, and had a headithe ¡°Where have you been? Who did you see? Did you have contact with animals?¡± Betty thought for a moment before she said, ¡°I seldom left this house. Four days ago, I attended a wedding party held in the vige, and then may ran If Betty was infected with the virus at the wedding party, both Aaron and Betty would be at risk. ¡°What did you eat at the party? Did you get bitten by the bug¡­¡± Aria asked a lot of questions and took notes. ¡°Betty, take a good rest. I will have a walk in the vige. Call me if your need anything¡± Her phone had died yesterday. She didn¡¯t charge her phone till she arrived at Betty¡¯s house. Betty read Aria¡¯s mind. ¡°It is not your job to please them¡­¡± Nearly all the vigers dreaded Aria, so Betty was afraid that they wouldn¡¯t be cooperative. ¡°I know, Betty.¡± Aria quickly checked the food in the kitchen and the drinking water before she left the house with a mask on. After the news about Jamn was released, Caleb let his assistant prepare for a donation. He called Aria. The news that she had to Jamn distressed him. Without hesitation, he left his office. Through the talk over the phone, Caleb saw through Aria. ¡°Caleb, many herbs and machines are needed here. I need your help.¡± Caleb said, ¡°No problem.¡± After the call with Aria, Caleb rang Jeffrey and said, ¡°Get gowns, hair covers, and analyzers ready, and I will deliver them personally. Call the hospital to see whether there are any volunteers going with me.¡± Jeffrey hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°Boss, should I inform the Chairman?¡± ¡°No.¡± This was Jamn. After the road was cleared, Owen took off his gloves, moved aside, and let the cars drive past. In a van, Hannah had her face covered by the mask. Someone said, ¡°Ms. Gibson, it is another great chance for you since you could make protease inhibitors.¡± Hannah smiled. ¡°You tter me. I am still a trainee manager.¡± The man said tteringly, ¡°You are so modest, Ms. Gibson. For fairness, you chose to be a trainee. Given your ability, you can be a manager. Besides, the director let you lead this team. It is an honor few doctors have. You should have confidence in yourself.¡± At first, Hannah was not satisfied with her job as the manager in clinical pharmacology. She didn¡¯t ept the job till the director promised to let her treat patients. ¡°The director trusts me, and I won¡¯t disappoint him.¡± Hannah looked out of the window, spotted a figure, and shouted, ¡°Stop the car.¡± ¡°Ms. Gibson, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Hannah exined, ¡°I saw an old friend. You may leave first.¡± 2/3 Chapter 243 Her colleagues also spotted Owen. Hearing Hannah, they had a look of surprise, They remembered that Hannah had helped Aria as hei divorcewyer. In other words, Owen and Hannah were supposed to be adde Why did Hannah act as if she was close with Owen? The road was rough, and the van was crowded. Therefore, when Hannah wanted to get out of the car, the others were d for more space in the rari ¡°Ms. Gibson, see youter.¡± Hannah gave an authoritative nod. ¡°Okay.¡± She got out of the car, walked to Owen, and said, ¡°Owen, wiry are you here?¡± At the sight of Hannah, Owen became expressionless. ¡°I am a passerby here.¡± ¡°Come on, Owen. I know that you¡¯re here for charity.¡± ¡°If so, why did you ask?¡± Aaron thought. Owen pulled out a car key and looked at Aaron. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Hannah seemed oblivious to Owen¡¯s indifference. She quickened her steps to catch up with Owen. She asked after Owen pulled open the car door, ¡°Owen, could you please give me a free ride? I was sent here by Heffner Hospital to help the vigers.¡± Owen gave Hannah a meaningful smile. ¡°This is Aria¡¯s car¡­ Don¡¯t you mind?¡± AD Again Marriage 244 No Ads Chapter 244 Chapter 244 The smite frore on Hannah¡¯s lips. Hannah clutched her bag, had a sh of ferocity in her eyes, and quickly collected herself. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that Ma Saxon is here.¡± She wondered, ¡°Why does Owen drive Aria¡¯s car? Why are they so close?¡± Hannah kept herposure despite her inner doubts. ¡°Owen, I am clear that my rtionship with Ms. Saxon is awkward, but it doesn¡¯t mean that she and I should be at odds. Ms. Saxon grew up in Jamn, so she doesn¡¯t want her folks to suffer, does she? I came to help her folks, so I think she won¡¯t mind giving me a free ride.¡± The meaning between the lines was that Aria was narrow¨Cminded if she refused to give a free ride to Hannah who hade to help her folks. In the passenger seat, Aaron heard Hannah, turned around, and said, ¡°Ms. Gibson, why did you get out of the car just now?¡± Hannah had an awkward expression. ¡°I saw Owen and came to say hi.¡± ¡°Hi, there. Goodbye.¡± Aaron was mad at Hannah because she had misled him to misunderstand Aria. He hated hypocrites, so he didn¡¯t mind offending Hannah. He then urged, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mr. Shaw. There is a lot on our tes.¡± Owen got in the car and said, ¡°Sorry, Ms. Gibson, we can¡¯t give you a ride.¡± He closed the car door before Hannah argued. The car sped off and kicked up a lot of mud. Hannah¡¯s white coat was tainted with mud. With a long face, Hannah took a deep breath and then called her colleagues. Nobody answered her call, and she then tried a few times. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± she said grumpily. Angry, she had to walk to the vige alone. ¡°When did you feel sick? What were your symptoms? Where did you go? What did you eat? Tell me everything,¡± Aria said. Sitting opposite Aria, the woman answered all the questions in detail. ¡°What do you keep?¡± Aria asked again. ¡°Some hogs, cows, and a kitten.¡± Aria took notes. She left some medicine and advised, ¡°Don¡¯t go out if you can, Call me if you feel worse.¡± The woman whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t have your contact information.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll soon.¡± Aria looked at the boy beside her. ¡°Could you show me your pigs and cows?¡± The boy nodded. ¡°Sure!¡± As Aria stepped into the backyard, a noise drew her attention. She looked over and caught sight of a gray rat squeezing through the crack in the door and scurrying away. Rats weremon in the countryside. Aria asked, ¡°What¡¯s kept behind that door?¡± ¡°Corns,¡± the boy replied. Aria checked on the pigs and cows and found them unsteady on their feet and breathless. The livestock in three families had the same symptoms. On the way to Betty¡¯s house, Aria texted Winston. [Let me into the group chat.] Chapter 244 Winston: (Why?] Aria: To exin the situation.] Thanks to Aria¡¯s previous donations, Winston had a brief hesitation and did as requested. Because of the quarantine, the vigers couldn¡¯t go to work anymore, Out of fear, they locked themselves at home and were active in the group chat. Ralph Marshall sent a photo together with a message. [The medical team arrived. There are so many chicks.] A viger highlighted a tall nurse in the photo. [I like this one. What a pity that I am not there!] Braden Colton: [Watch your mouth. They are here to help us.] Ralph: [Braden, we said nothing offensive.] Nobody had died of the virus or was severely sick yet, so the vigers still had the mood for jokes. Boston Webb: [In my opinion, none of them can beat Madelyn in appearance. Madelyn is pretty and rich. I regretted not having her as my child bride when we were little.] Beckham Colton: [Henry became crippled and is rotting in jail. Do you want to end up like him?] Boston: [Henry asked for it. Madelyn would stay true to me if I were good to her.] Alena Livingston: [Come on! She deserves a better man than you.] Winston: [Shut up! Look who is here.] [Who?] Aria: [Hi, I am Aria.] The chat ended abruptly. Scared, Boston sent a message to Winston. [Why didn¡¯t you warn us before you let Aria into the group chat?] Winston ignored the message. Aria: [The sick borates on your symptoms here. Let me know if your livestock is sick too.] The vigers wondered about the rtionship between the virus and the sick livestock, but none of them dared to ask Aria the question. Except for the sick, nobody sent new messages into the group chat anymore. Every viger knew the miserable ending of Dominic and his family. It took Hannah twenty minutes to walk to the meeting point. Then, sheined about her colleague who didn¡¯t answer her calls. He rolled his eyes at her and said, ¡°Ms. Gibson, didn¡¯t you tell us to leave first? We were too busy unloading the equipment to pick you up. It is not far. Aren¡¯t you here now?¡± His tone was unfriendly, so she said with a frown, ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Good houses have been chosen. Why don¡¯t you go find yourself a ce to stay instead of wasting your time here?¡± Hearing this, Hannah hurried to find Winston for her amodation. Chapter 244 Winston said, ¡°Only one house is avable now. It became vacant after its owner died there. Instantly, Hannah¡¯s face darkened. She snapped, ¡°How can you arrange such a house for me?¡± Winston hated to displease Hahnah who was supposed toe to help his folks. He racked his brains for a while. Then, he pped his hands, look Hannah¡¯s suitcase, and said, ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Winston led Hannah to Betty¡¯s house and asked, ¡°Betty, how are you feeling?¡± Betty was listening to the radio in the living room. At the sight of her visitors, she turned off the radio and said, ¡°Much better now.¡± Winston cut to the chase. ¡°Betty, this is the doctor who came to help us. She needs a ce to stay. I remember that you have a vacant room. Can she live here?¡± Betty shook her head. ¡°Winston, Madelyn lives in that room.¡± Hannah said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind sharing the room with her.¡± Before Betty made a response, Winston said, ¡°She minds.¡± Hearing this, Hannah frowned in displeasure and thought, ¡°How dare she!¡± All of a sudden, Betty coughed violently, bent down, and retched. Winston rushed over. ¡°Doctor, help!¡± After a sh of resentment in the eyes, Hannah walked over and checked on Betty. She then produced an antibiotic. ¡°Take this.¡± Winston helped Betty take the medicine. Betty gradually caught her breath. Winston heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank goodness the doctor is here,¡± he said. Hannah held her chin high and said, ¡°Winston, my amodation¡­¡± Right then, Betty spat out blood. Aria was back and witnessed that terrible scene. ? ÊÐ Again Marriage 245 No Ads Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Aghast, Aris rushed over and steadied Betty. ¡°What did you give her?¡± she demanded sharply. Again, Betty spat out blood, together with the pill from Hannah. Shock rooted Hannah to the spot. At that moment, all her attention was drawn by Aria instead of the patient. ¡°Are you Madelyn?* Aria turned ber bead toward Hannah and red at Hannah. Winston came back to his senses and quickly urged Hannah, ¡°Quick, show her the medicine you just gave Betty.¡± Frowning, Hannah produced the bottle of pills. ¡°The patient is infected with the virus. This antibiotic is made by Kerano Global Health, and it can help the patient. You know that, don¡¯t you? The patient may have a quick recovery after she spat out blood.¡± ¡°May? Didn¡¯t you learn to be prudent from your training?¡± Stern, Aria ridiculed coldly. ¡°I won¡¯t spare you if anything bad happens to Betty.¡± The virus hadn¡¯t been identified yet, and the misuse of antibiotics might result in damage to the kidneys and lungs of the patients. Regret got Winston who didn¡¯t expect Hannah to be unreliable. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a doctor from Heffner Hospital? How could you harm the patient?¡± With a creak, the door was pushed open. Owen and Aaron walked into the house and happened to overhear the conversation. Aaron looked confused. ¡°What happened?¡± Aria¡¯s worried look urged Owen to stride over. ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± Aria remained silent for dozens of seconds before removing her hand from Betty¡¯s wrist. ¡°Owen, get me the medicine from the table in my bedroom,¡± she sajd. ¡°Okay,¡± Owen responded. Aaron knowingly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get some water.¡± Owen dashed out of the living room and soon reappeared with a little box filled with pills. Aaron returned with a ss of water. Aria chose one bottle from the box and took out one pill from it. ¡°Betty, open your mouth,¡± she urged. Betty was unconscious. Owen sat down and held Betty in his arms. Then, Aria skillfully fed Betty the pill and then some water. After Betty swallowed the pill, four people in the room breathed a sigh of relief. However, Hannah asked with her brows knitted, ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Aria snapped as she red at Hannah. | Hannah was the representative of the medical team while Aria was a member of Jamn in essence. The people in Jamn were poor. They would be implicated if Aria hurt Hannah now. Aria made up her mind to teach Hannah a lessonter. Frowning, Hannah argued, ¡°I am a doctor from Heffner Hospital, so I know how to treat the patient. However, you fed her your pill. If her case worsens¡­ Did you n to make me your goatscape?¡± Aaron finally lost his patience. He sprang to his feet and snapped, ¡°Ms. Gibson, I learned from your colleagues that you are just a manager in clinical pharmacology, not a doctor. You gave Betty the wrong medication. Shouldn¡¯t you be held ountable for that? You tried to pass the buck after your arrogance harmed the patient. You are the most audacious person t have ever seen.¡± Hearing this, Hannah kept changing her expressions as her chest heaved up and down with rage. Chapter 245 Hannah red at Aaron, and her voice became shrill with wrath. ¡°nder! I have devoted myself to medicine for years, and I have been thoug Compared to the gue in Erennd, this virus is nothing. I didn¡¯t use the wrong medication. It was just an antibiotic, but you are making fun o Just be frank with me if you don¡¯t want me to live here. You didn¡¯t have to put on a show here.¡± After the challenge in Erennd, she had the confidence to adapt to any difficult context. After the speech, Hannah stormed away. Aaron was fuming with rage. Again Marriage 246 Chapter 246 Ashamed, Winston hung his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Madelyn. Betty suddenly retched, and the was here. In a fit of desperation, Het her trem Betty Aria helped Betty lie down, tucked her in, and then turned to Winston. ¡°Not your fault, Winston. I know that you tried to help Bety ¡°I need to collect some herbs,¡± Aria added. Her gaze shifted to Owen. ¡°Do you have time? Can you! look after Befty for me?¡± ¡°I can,¡± Aaron said. ¡°Mr. Shaw, go help Ms. Saxon collect the herbs. Many hands make light work.¡± Owen looked at Aria with an inquiring gaze. ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked. ¡°Okay. Thank you, guys,¡± Aria replied. Aria turned to Winston. ¡°Winston, you had better keep an eye on Hannah in case the misuse of the medicine happens again. ¡°Our priority is to identify the virus. After that, the medical team can find a solution. As for the source of the virus, I think that the virus came from animals. ¡°With the pets included, gather all the livestock into one ce. Then, disinfect each house in this vige. The disinfectant will be delivered today. Put on protective clothes before disinfection. Eradicate all rats.¡± Winston quickly nodded though he was surprised. ¡°Got you. Madelyn¡­ thank you.¡± Because of what Hannah had done, Winston began to doubt the expertise of the medical team from Heffner Hospital. He trusted Aria much more than the medical team. He left for his duties, and Aaron stayed with Betty. Aria picked up the tools to get some herbs from the mountains. Before she shouldered them, Owen took them away and said, ¡°Leave them to me. Your job is to find the herbs.¡± His mellow voice soothed Aria. Aria let go of the tools as her knitted brows rxed slightly. ¡°Alright.¡± On the way up the mountains, Aria nced at Owen and said, ¡°You and Aaron should leave here.¡± As long as Owen and Aaron didn¡¯t get infected with the virus, the lockdown couldn¡¯t prevent them from leaving this district. Owen showed a faint smile. ¡°Aaron and I want to help the vigers here.¡± Aria fell silent. Thanks to her good memory, she reached the riverbank, found the herbs she needed, and began to dig them out. Owen crouched beside Aria and asked softly, ¡°Did youe up here to gather herbs?¡± -Ar¨ªa responded, ¡°Yeah. There was an old herbalist in the vige.¡± That herbalist was Aria¡¯s first mentor in medicine. He wasn¡¯t a local. His past was a mystery, and nobody knew his name. He was addressed as the doctor by the vigers. In Jamn, Aria had to fend for herself. At first, she tried to earn her living by collecting bottles, but her n failed because of the elderly who were agile. By chance, she saw someone delivering herbs to the herbalist. Then, another n was formed in her mind. To gather the correct herbs, she needed to distinguish one herb from another. To distinguish the herbs, she needed to read. She taught herself to read, helped the herbalist to dry the herbs, and read medical books. Gradually, she knew a lot about herbs. Then, she went to the mountains and collected herbs for the herbalist. She was smart, so the herbalist began to teach her medicine. Timid, she practiced her medical skills on animals. 10:46 Wed 11 Jur Chapter 246. When Aria was nine, the herbalist disappeared without a warning. Later, A left Jamn. Two reflections were on the surface of the water. During his stay in Jamn, Owen had heard quite a lot about Aria who had suffered a lot in her childhood. Owen tilted his head and looked at Aria as a wave of sympathy came over him. ¡°She¡¯s tough,¡± he thought. Aria was unaware of Owen¡¯s emotions. She put the herbs into the basket and rose to her feet¡­ Suddenly, her hand was grabbed by Owen Comment Send gift AD Again Marriage 247 Chapter 247 Owen tensed up and took a step toward Aria. Tall, he blocked her view with his body, Aria frowned with confusion and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Owen answered tersely. ¡°There¡¯s a corpse.¡± A corpse was floating in the river, facing up. It was a man, grotesquely swollen from prolonged immersion in the river. When Aria moved to peek at the corpse, Owen instinctively pulled her back and covered her eyes with his palm. Aria was shocked when everything went ck all of a sudden. In Solemnity Guild, with great power came great responsibility. On missions, Aria charged forward while protecting herpanions. It was her fault if herpanions got hurt, and she would pay the price if any of them died. Now, she was prevented from seeing a corpse. Owen was tickled when Aria¡¯s soft eyshes brushed his palm. He swallowed hard. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Owen said gently. ¡°You¡¯ll have nightmares.¡± Owen was clear that Aria was too strong to be intimidated by a corpse. However, his hand had covered her eyes before he realized what he was doing. Perhaps, he was anxious to prove himself. She was so strong that he didn¡¯t have a chance to do that. Aria said calmly, ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She removed Owen¡¯s hand from her eyes, and Owen didn¡¯t persist. ¡°Call the police. Then, we will continue our work,¡± Aria said calmly. After the call to the police, Owen followed Aria like ackey. When Aria found the herbs again, Owen took the hoe over and said, ¡°Let me try. Give me some tips.¡± His enthusiasm made Aria nod. ¡°Fine. Loosen the soil around them. Get the root systems intact if possible.¡± Owen did as instructed. He carefully dug out the whole root system of the herb and gently ced it in the basket. A faint smirk appeared on his face. ¡°Not bad for the first try, huh?¡± Aria looked at Owen. The sunshine lit up Owen¡¯s face. It was pleasing to the eyes even if the handsome Owen just sat there. There came no answer from Aria, so Owen lifted his head. The two pairs of eyes met. Aria seemed to be lost in thought because her gaze was vacant. ¡°Is she ¡­ bewitched by my face?¡± Owen wondered. Owen paid little attention to his face, and only his mustache could distract him. At that moment, he felt grateful to his mother who had given him a good appearance. ¡°At least, my face attracts her attention,¡± he thought. It had been quite a long time since hisst haircut. 1 Chapter 247 A soft breeze rustled the trees. The sunshine prated through the leaves andnded on Aria¡¯s face. The dazzling light helped Aria snap back to reality. She saw the softness in Owen¡¯s eyes, so her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Hot bad. You can fend for yourself with this trade if you are tired of your current job,¡± she said. She tried to keep her tone steady but failed. Then, she quickly averted her gaze from Owen. She went to another corner and began to cut the leaves of the other herbs. ¡°She is calm. It seems my face doesn¡¯t work on her,¡± Owen thought. He felt it urgent to spend some money and time on the upkeep of his face. With all the necessary herbs collected, Aria and Owen headed home, Owen stopped at the foot of the mountain and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for the policemen here. Go take care of Betty.¡± ¡°Okay. Be careful,¡± Aria said. On her way back, Aria made a detour to the house where the herbalist had lived. The herbalist had bought the house with his money. After he disappeared, Winston gave Aria the key to his house. She didn¡¯t bring the key with her, so she unlocked the door with a wire. Inside the house, she caught a faint smell of mustiness. AD Again Marriage 248 Chapter 248 Before she left the vige, the house had been full of herbs. They were gone when she returned two and a half yearster. Aria walked into a room, held the edges of a cab, and pulled. The cab was moved aside. She tore off the moldy wall coverings. A hole in the wall came into view, and there were three medical books and a precious herb in an airtight container. ¡°Remember this spot,ss. After l¨Cam gone, these three books will be yours. As for this herb, it is good for your health. Eat it.¡± An old voice echoed in Aria¡¯s ears. Aria had mud all over her clothes in her first meeting with the herbalist. He called her a dirty kitten. Angered, she responded, ¡°Old man.¡± The herbalist didn¡¯t get mad at Aria but burst outughing. He gave her a piece of bread and said, ¡°My treat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back!¡± Aria said. She took the bread and darted away with the herbs the herbalist needed in her mind. Later, she dug up those herbs in the mountains and took them to the herbalist for money. However, she got a good lecture from him. He told her to learn to read and promised to teach her something about herbs. Like Betty, the herbalist had taught Aria how to make a living. There were many times when Aria had suppressed the impulse to kill Dominic and his family because of Betty and the herbalist. The herbalist was more impatient than Aria. He intended to poison the Colton couple after Aria had a narrow escape from a fire at home. However, Aria said, ¡°Old man, nobody will pay for my herbs if you go to jail. Nobody will help me with the scar on my back.¡± Hearing this, the herbalistughed loudly. Those old memories brought a faint smile to Aria¡¯s face. Aria took the books and the precious herb and put them in her basket. She froze in ce and forgot to move the cab back when she caught sight of something. There was a small medical kit in the crack of the cab. She took a step back, crouched down, and reached for the kit. The kit was opened, and the medical tools inside were in good order. The kit belonged to the herbalist. Why was it there? How long had it been there? Did the herbalist leave of his own free will? Was he forced to leave? Aria felt a pang of regret. The truth might be out now if she hade to get the books and the herb two years earlier. With a heavy heart, she moved the cab to its old ce and left the house. Her phone vibrated, and there came a call from Derek. She answered the call. ¡°Aria, I lost my job!¡± Derek wailed. Outside the airport, he looked up at the sky and shed tears. He got an offer from a startup and went to work that day. He had rented an apartment in Kanit City. Unfortunately, he was told on his first day at work that he didn¡¯t get recruited at all. The young woman working in the HR department tactfully hinted that his spot had been taken by an acquaintance. Chapter 248 Instantly, he thought of Lennox. His guess was soon confirmed. His with 16 thousand dors from Aria. Then, Aria said, ¡°I am busy. I have to go now.¡± Derek sniffed. ¡°Aria, can I stay in your ce as before?¡± Aria replied, ¡°I¡¯m not home. Go find Caleb.¡± ¡°When will you go home? I¡¯ll wait for you at Owen¡¯s.¡± After a few seconds of silence, Aria said, ¡°Owen is not home either.¡± ¡°What?¡± Derek gasped with surprise. ¡°You two¡­¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Aria hung up the phone. Derek wondered, ¡°Why are both Owen and Aria away from their homes? Are they on a date?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 249 Chapter 249 Chapter 249 No way! A couldn¡¯t be seduced by Owen, given her stupidity in romance. After a moment of thought, Derek reached out to Caleb. ¡°Hey, Caleb, can I stay in your ce for some days?¡± Caleb asked, ¡°Still on your little runaway adventure?¡± It shocked the Fletcher couple that Derek was so stubborn this time. Derek didn¡¯t call his parents in the past week and cklisted their phone numbers. His father wanted Caleb to pass on a message to Aria and persuade him to go home. Caleb said, ¡°I can¡¯t tell Aria what to do.¡± As a result, Caleb offended his uncle. Derek snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me as if I were a kid. I can provide for myself.¡± Caleb said, ¡°I¡¯m not home.¡± ¡°You either?¡± Derek smelled fishy, so he asked, ¡°Caleb, anything wrong?¡± The Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention had sent several medical teams including epidemiologists to the affected area. A news ckout on the new virus was imposed to prevent public panic, so Derek was kept in the dark. Caleb said, ¡°I am on a business trip. Go to my apartment downtown. You know its password. I have to go now.¡± The call was over. Derek stared at his phone, feeling both confused and lost. ¡°Why is everyone so busy all of a sudden?¡± he wondered. Recalling his misfortune that day, he got angry. He¡¯d gotten the job through a pal who was good at programming and taught him a lot. Derek got into a taxi and began to bombard his pal with messages. [Thepany you introduced is rubbish.] to anger and contempt. Derek: [I despise it.] Then, he sent a lot of memes This was the conference room at Nimbus Tech. With all the employees present, the meetingmenced. ¡°Ourpany specializes in the integration and innovation of electronic products and online technologies¡­¡± Patrick gave a good introduction to hispany. His phone vibrated when it was time for his new employees to make self¨Cintroductions. Peyton said, ¡°Patrick, there maye some important news. Why don¡¯t you check your messages first?¡± Patrick nodded. ¡°Alright, you may go on.¡± Then, he read the messages from Derek. Frowning, he typed, [Why do you think so?] Because Patrick was busy, Peyton presided at the meeting and said, ¡°Hi, I am Peyton Maddox, a graduate from Kanit University. Patrick and I went to the same university and interned at arge techpany. We didn¡¯t start our business till we had enough expertise in this field.¡± Apuse echoed in the meeting room. Lennox stood up before one of his female colleagues did. ¡°Hi, my name is Lennox Fletcher, a graduate from Mandino University. My goal is to continue my study at Kanit University¡­¡± Derek: [I got fired on my first day at work, and they didn¡¯t give me any notice in advance. I already arrived in Kanit City and rented an artment there. Screw them!] Chapter 249 Derek: [The nepotism is severe in that smallpany. They reced me with Lennox Patrick read the message, lifted his head, and looked at Lennox who was doing a self introduction. ¡°Are you Lennox?¡± He asked. Lennox nodded. ¡°Yes, Patrick.¡± There were the resumes of the employees on the table, so Patrick flipped through Lennox¡¯s. Patrick then said, ¡°You are outstanding, and we are d (i have you here. However¡­ ¡°Derek got an official offer from us. Why was he fired all of a sudden? Whose decision? Why didn¡¯t he get any notice before today?¡± At that moment, Peyton felt more embarrassed than Lennox did. ¡°Patrick, Derek majored in drug analysis¡­¡± he exined. ¡°That isn¡¯t the reason for us to go back on our word,¡± Patrick interrupted Peyton. ¡°I allow nobody to taint the reputation of Nimbus Tech. Whoever made the decision should invite Derek back here, or he should leave thispany like Derek.¡± ¡°Russell, this is the painting patched up by the shredded paper, and I let an art student copy it.¡± Ondo ced a painting on the table. ¡°It is confirmed that she is the daughter of Aria¡¯s adopted parents. She was sold when she was 14 months old. Aria once looked for her and gave up the n hallway. Russell, don¡¯t you think that they look alike?¡± Ondo added. Russell stared at the profile, and Ondo failed to read his mind via his expression. Ondo went on, ¡°Aria is now in Jamn to take care of an elderly woman who helped her in her childhood. ¡°Owen seems close with her. When they collected the herbs in the mountains, they found a corpse. The police are trying to identify the dead.¡± Russell raised his eyebrows and then tapped the table with one finger. ¡°gue her.¡± ¡°Got you,¡± Ondo responded. ¡°I want to know more about Owen.¡± ¡°I will start the investigation right away.¡± ¡°Dig out Rachel¡¯s past. Take Rachel¡¯s blood and hair for a paternity test with Dominic and Alice.¡± Ondo felt speechless. ¡°Russell, you gave me so many tasks that I need a hand.¡± Russell squinted at Ondo. ¡°Don¡¯t you have many underlings?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you issue orders to them yourself?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you get paid? I gave you the Cole Group.¡± Ondo was at a loss for words. Well, the pay was quite generous. This was Jamn. All the medical teams arrived at Jamn. Whoever got a positive test would be taken away for quarantine. In case of public panic, the police officers forbade the vigers to spread news about the new virus online. Gradually, the heavy atmosphere panicked the vigers. Later, they calmed down as the medical teams began their work methodically. Hannah was helping the vigers do the testing when she found that Aria, Owen, and Aaron had gathered in Betty¡¯s house. Her eyebrows were knitted unhappily. She said sternly, ¡°The virus is contagious, so no gatherings are allowed. After the testings, you guys should go back to your house.¡± There came no response. Silence pervaded, and the atmosphere became awkward. Hannah pursed her lips to suppress her anger. She cleared her throat and said, ¡°We will collect your blood now.¡± A nurse promptly took the tools over. Hannah looked at Owen and said warmly, ¡°You first, Owen.¡± Sometimes, Aaron couldn¡¯t help but admire Hannah, whose enthusiasm wouldn¡¯t fade because of Owen¡¯s indifference. Owen extended his left arm, and Hannah swiftly drew his blood. Now, it was Aaron¡¯s turn. Hannah lifted her chin and said in amanding tone when it was Aria¡¯s turn, ¡°Aria, you,e here.¡± Aria shot Hannah a sidelong nce and then sneered. She found Hannah absurd. She sat down and calmly extended her left arm toward Hannah. Hannah gave Aria¡¯s arm a hard pat, tightened the tourniquet, and picked up the needle to pierce Aria¡¯s vein. Again Marriage 250 Chapter 250 Owen intended to do something with his eyes narrowed, Suddenly, Aria withdrew her hand. As a result, the needle pierced into Hannah¡¯s thumb. Blood quickly oozed, and Hannah grimaced for the sharp pain. Fuming with rage, Hannah shouted, ¡°Aria, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Owen quietly retreated as his knitted eyebrows rxed. Aria cast Hannah a calm nce andmented, ¡°Dr. Gibson, how unprofessional you are!¡± She then scoffed, ¡°You forgot the disinfection and tightened the tourniquet so hard. Given your ferocity, outsiders may mistake me for the murderer of your husband.¡± Aaron almost failed to hold back hisughter. In time, he burped instead. Owen suggested, ¡°Let the nurse help you.¡± Hannah felt offended that Owenpared her with a nurse. She couldn¡¯t tolerate any doubts about her expertise. With a red face, she said, ¡°Sorry. I will be careful this time.¡± If she backed off now, rumors about her targeting against Aria or incapability would be spread. She wouldn¡¯t let that happen. She didn¡¯t make things difficult for Aria again. Her thumb still ached. It was time to draw Betty¡¯s blood. Hannah said to the nurse, ¡°Herees your chance. Go draw blood from thisdy.¡± What chance? It was a routine job for the nurse to draw blood from the patient. Thinking that Hannah was afraid of being infected with the virus, the nurs¨¦ pouted with contempt. ¡°Okay.¡± After Betty¡¯s blood was drawn, Hannah reminded, ¡°Owen, go back to your house, and don¡¯t wander around.¡± Owen gave a slight nod as his response. After Hannah left with the nurse, Aaron closed the door and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, we will stay and dine with you.¡± Aria said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll prepare some soup with the herbs. It is good for health.¡± That afternoon, all the medical equipment and herbs Aria had purchased arrived. The equipment was donated right away, and Aria kept the herbs for herself. All the test samples were sent to Jamn for analysis. The problem of a shortage of analyzers was timely solved by Aria¡¯s donation. In an instant, Aria got a lot ofpliments. One man sneered. ¡°She grew up in Jamn. Isn¡¯t it reasonable for her to donate some equipment for the sake of her folks since she is rich? We risk our lives to help her folks, so we, instead of her, should be praised. ¡°Look at Ms. Gibson. She is at odds with Aria, but she still volunteered for this challenge. She is worthy of admiration.¡± The nurse teaming up with Hannah scoffed, ¡°Vincent Wilkinson, it is alright for you to tter Hannah, but you shouldn¡¯t belittle Aria.¡± Hannah happened to overhear the conversation, so her brows were knitted with displeasure. Vincent caught a glimpse of Hannah, so he quickly said, ¡°Ms. Gibson was born with a silver spoon, but she sympathizes with the poor and volunteers to help them in the countryside. Isn¡¯t she great? 1/3 7 Wed, 119 Chapter 250 In contrast, A just did what she should. She got more praise than she deserves. Speaking, he shook his head and sighed. There was unmistakable contempt on his face. Hannah¡¯s knitted brows rxed a bit, and a faint smile shed past Hannah¡¯s face. Hannah walked over and lectured Vincent in a soft voice, ¡°Come on, Vincent. She and I came for the public good though our ways of doing things differ Speaking, Hannah cast a dissatisfied nce at the nurse, ¡°Giana Harmon, I know that you are unhappy with me because I let you draw blood from the patient. Just talk things over with me. You shouldn¡¯t talk behind my back.¡± Giana rolled her eyes at Hannah and said, ¡°I am not. It is my job to draw blood from tients.¡± Hannah responded, ¡°I hope so.¡± She didn¡¯t spare Giana a nce and walked away. Vincent quickly followed Hannah away. The others remained silent during the confrontation between Hannah and Giana. At the news that Aria was in Jametan, one local official advised the heads of the medical teams by saying, ¡°The donor of the analyzers, Aria, is a professor from Kerano Global Health. She led a team and seeded in making protease inhibitors during the gue in Erennd. Why don¡¯t we invite her to join our operation?¡± Hearing this, Cyril Tinsley slightly knitted his eyebrows. His tone was calm and resolute. ¡°Aria doesn¡¯t have the medical qualifications in this country. She isn¡¯t qualified to join us.¡± The official argued anxiously, ¡°She has the qualifications from Erennd. Everyone knows her achievement in virology. This unknown virus shares some simrity with P¨Cvirus. With her help, we may solve the problem quickly. We shouldn¡¯t shut out outstanding people because of the papers.¡± ¡°Like Aria, Hannah is up to the job. She is capable and has the relevant qualifications. With her around, we don¡¯t need Aria,¡± Cyril said. The official slightly changed his expression. He then remembered that Cyril was a rtive of the Gibson family in Mandino City. Hearing Cyril, Hannah had confidence in her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you, Cyril. I am experienced with the gue. I will make the inhibitors to solve the problem.¡± The official thought, ¡°This unknown virus isn¡¯t P¨Cvirus, and we may not need something like inhibitors.¡± Anyway, he failed to achieve his goal in this negotiation. After a sigh, he thought, ¡°Whatever. I did my best.¡± That afternoon, the epidemiologists officially called the new virus HG13 virus after a thorough discussion. Aria, Owen, and Aaron got negative test results, so did Betty shockingly. Hannah questioned the test results by saying, ¡°I personally checked on Betty, and her symptoms were conspicuous. Are the analyzers the problem? We should reapply for new analyzers because the ones donated by Aria may be defective.¡± Right then, a medical worker reported, ¡°Mr. Tinsley, all the sick got negative test results. Should we start another round of tests?¡± The bad news strongly supported Hannah¡¯s guess. Vincent said angrily, ¡°How could she donate defective machines at such a critical moment! For her reputation, she put our lives at risk. How outrageous!¡± ¡°Our previous efforts became futile!¡± ¡°What a waste of our time!¡± Cyril¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Apply for new machines, retest the vigers, and quarantine Betty. Whoever has contact with Betty should stay at home. Move now.¡± When Hannah arrived with her team, Betty had Aria and Owen around her. Hannah cut straight to the chase. She ordered, ¡°Take Betty away for quarantine.¡± 1 Again Marriage 251 Chapter 251 Aria remained calm and said, ¡°Show me her positive test result.¡± Hannah frowned. ¡°Why should I?¡± Vincent said, ¡°The result is confidential, and only the medical staff are authorized to see it.¡± Ar¨ªa smiled at Hannah and Vincent. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the patient has the right to see her test report?¡± Owen gently helped Betty to her feet. Hannah was surprised to see Owen there. ¡°Owen, why are you still here?¡± Owen cast Hannah a cold nce. He was confused by her enthusiasm since he had little interaction with her in the past. Now, he couldn¡¯t help but see her as a shameless person. ¡°Ms. Gibson, don¡¯t you think that you are interfering?¡± he asked. Holding the sick Betty, he had a worried look, but his tone contained impatience during his conversation with Hannah. As a , and it was named HG13 virus. ¡°HG13 virus is highly contagious. If one is infected with it, all his family members will have positive test results. I am afraid you and Ms. Saxon are already infected. ¡°Betty has the symptoms caused by the new virus, so she should be quarantined. Otherwise, more people will fall sick. This virus isn¡¯t lethal, and I have the confidence to cure Betty.¡± Eerie silence followed. The passionate Hannah didn¡¯t have any audience. Even her colleagues didn¡¯t listen to her, and all their attention was attracted by the same thing. On the table in the living room were several good dishes. The medical workers in protective clothes couldn¡¯t smell the food, but they were tempted by the good dishes anyway. Hannah saw the dishes too, and her eyes turned red. To help the vigers, she and her colleagues had a long day without a drop of water. In such a critical situation, Aria could enjoy good dishes. ¡°To make things worse, Owen has a misunderstanding of me,¡± Hannah thought. Aria walked over to Owen, took Betty away from his arms, and carefully helped the elderly sit down. ¡°You can take Betty away as long as you have her positive test result.¡± She didn¡¯t have much information about the new virus, but she was clear that it wasn¡¯t highly transmissible among people. She had faith in the medical teams, but there was Hannah, one leader of those teams. In her eyes, Hannah was arrogant and presumptuous. She didn¡¯t trust Hannah at all. Aria couldn¡¯t entrust Betty to Hannah. 1/3 Chapter 251 Moreover, all Aria asked for was a test report, but Hannah refused to show it. Ana couldn¡¯t help but suspect that Betty had a negative test result. Soon, her guess was confirmed by Hannah. Hannah snapped, ¡°Aria, you¡¯re so insistent on the test report because you know that the equipment you donated is defective and gives inurate results, aren¡¯t you?¡± Inurate test results? Aria frowned B¨¦fore Aria opened her mouth, Hannah went on, ¡°You dumped the defective goods in the name of charity. This new virus is a challenge to all the affected, but you pursue your own selfish desires at the expense of our medical staff, ¡°The situation here will worsen because of the inurate test results. The healthy can¡¯t be separated from the infected, so more and more people will fall sick. ¡°When we strive to get rid of the new virus, your selfishness makes things more difficult for us. ¡°The vigers lost faith in us and got into a panic. It will cost us more effort for pandemic prevention and control work. As a professor of Kerano Global Health and Mandino University, how could you do such a terrible thing?¡± When Hannahshed out at Aria, Aria¡¯s phone kept buzzing. Aria checked her phone and sawints from her folks in Jamn. The vigers dreaded Aria, so they weren¡¯t as candid as Hannah. However, their messages clearly expressed their doubts and dissatisfaction. Winston spared no effort to cate the crowd and persuade them to trust Aria. Hannah had little water that day. After the long speech, she felt thirsty and smelled the blood in her mouth. Fury got her when she found that Aria had ignored her and read messages. Her eyes grew dim, and her body shook. Vincent quickly steadied Hannah, and his voice became indignant for her sake. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you know nothing about respect.¡± Aria lifted her head and said casually, ¡°My respect is reserved for humans only.¡± A wave of humiliation washed over Vincent. He took a step forward and shouted, ¡°You¡­¡± Aria became formidable as her gaze turned icy. Instantly, Vincent f¨¦lt a chill down his spine and froze in ce, Aria averted her gaze from Vincent and asked coldly, ¡°Are you sure that the machines are the real reason for inurate results?¡± There were numerous reasons for discrepancies in the test results. The test samples, the operation of the machines, and the machine settings would affect the test results. The sick might not be infected with the new virus, and there might be other exnations for their symptoms. Now, Hannah imed that the machines donated by Aria were problematic. How presumptuous! Aria leaned down slightly, her expression gentle. ¡°Betty, grab some food first. I will be back soon.¡± Betty nodded. Her voice was raspy yet brimming with warmth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, dear.¡± Owen went over. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here. Go.¡± Aria looked at Owen with gratitude. Kate was busy taking care of Violet. Aria couldn¡¯t find another caregiver for Betty in a short time, given her awkward rtionship with the vigers. At that moment, Aria felt lucky that Owen was there. ¡°Thank you,¡± Aria said gratefully. Then, she stood up. ¡°Take me to check the machines.¡± Hannah¡¯s gaze lingered on Owen. Hannah found that Owen was cold and distant to her all the time and that his expression turned soft whenever he looked at Aria. She had seen that expression on Liam. She couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°Does Owen have feelings for Aria?¡± Again Marriage 252 Chapter 252 Hannah didn¡¯t feel for Owen, but never had she expected him to fall for Aria. ¡°Why does such a respectful man like a hypocrite?¡± she wondered. While Hannah was lost in thought, Aria had walked out of the house. She didn¡¯t need Hannah to lead the way because she knew Jamn better than Hannah. Winston trusted Aria, so all the pets and livestock had been locked in one ce as requested. As for the rodent n; it was being carried out. All eyes were on Aria as she arrived at the temporary headquarters of the medical tearns. Most vigers locked themselves at home, and the people on the road were medical workers in protective clothes. Therefore, Aria in casual clothes stood out among the crowd instantly. ¡°Is she the donor of those defective machines?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s her.¡± ¡°How unruly! She wanders around with only a mask on her face. She willin of us if she is infected.¡± Hearing the discussion, Giana shot back, ¡°She¡¯s a professor at Kerano Global Health. The Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention think highly of her. If she got infected, she wouldn¡¯t need our help.¡± Aria headed straight to an analyzer and carefully checked its exterior for any signs of damage. After the machine was confirmed to be intact, she clicked on the machine. Right then, Cyril appeared with his medical team. At the sight of Aria, he barked, ¡°Who are you? What are you doing here?¡± Hannah arrivedter than Cyril, but she answered his question in time. ¡°Cyril, that¡¯s Aria.¡± ¡°Aria? The hypocritical fraud?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± With a short conversation, Hannah and Cyril convicted Aria. Aria remained calm with her eyes on the interface of the machine. Her fingers moved fast, and she quickly checked the parameters of the machine. ¡°What is she doing?¡± Cyril asked. One medical worker near Aria answered, ¡°Checking the equipment.¡± Right then, a local office arrived and didn¡¯t miss the conversation on site. He walked to Aria and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, we checked the machine. It is great, and there is no problem with its settings. However, we can¡¯t get urate test results.¡± Aria straightened her back. Her hands left the keyboard and supported her body up. She looked at the crowd and said, ¡°So, the machines are ¡°No!¡± Cyril shouted. ¡°If they are fine, why are the test results inurate?¡± A sneer appeared on Aria¡¯s face. ¡°You tell me. You are the expert.¡± Cyril¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You donated the machines.¡± 1 ¡°Yeah, I donated them. You didn¡¯t pay me.¡± Aria crossed her arms and said coldly, ¡°The environments, the operations, and the conditions of the test samples can affect the test results. Why do you insist that the machines are the problem?¡± There came no answer. Hannah opened her mouth. ¡°I already let my family send a batch of new machines over. We will have the answer when the new test results are out Hearing Hannah¡¯s donation, Vincent said tteringly, ¡°Ms. Gibson, you¡¯re so thoughtful.¡± ¡°Fine. I will take the machines away since they are defective in your eyes,¡± Aria said. She didn¡¯t want to waste her time on the hustlers anymore. She would cure the vigers as long as they trusted her. Cyril changed his expression and had a sh of displeasure in his eyes. ¡°To reim the stuff you donated? Ms. Saxon, how impressive!* He had his own n about the machines donated by Aria, but she reimed them now. Hannah responded, ¡°We¡¯re too busy to give you a hand.¡± ¡°Aria donated the defective machines and then reimed them. The rumors will kill her soon. Serve her right!¡± Hannah thought ¡°Her hands are here,¡± a firm and authoritative voice said. The crowd turned their heads to the doorway and saw a volunteering with determined steps. The volunteer was tall, and there was fortitude in his eyes. Theer was Caleb. Aria was surprised to see her brother there. ¡°Caleb? What are you doing here?¡± With smiling eyes above the mask, Caleb walked to Aria and stopped by her side. ¡°I came to help you.¡± Half an hour ago, Caleb ran into a group of medical students from Mandino University on his way to Jamn, and they came as volunteers Without hesitation, Caleb joined the students and hurried to Jamn together. In the name of Aria, Caleb donated many things, including some analyzers. Before he caught his breath, he heard two passersby say that another supply of Aria¡¯s defective machines hade. Instantly, his expression changed. Before he figured out the whole story, Winston arrived. After the long run, Winston caught his breath. Then, he said with a grateful smile, ¡°Mr. Saxon, thank you very much.¡± During hisst visit to Jamn, Caleb exchanged his contact information with Winston. Caleb asked Winston about the rumors of Aria¡¯s defective machines. Winston sighed and then gave an exnation. In an instant, Caleb¡¯s face darkened. One volunteer asked, ¡°Are you talking about Professor Colton from Kerano Global Health?¡± Winston nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Caleb said decisively, ¡°Winston, I will leave the distribution to you. As for the analyzers¡­¡± He turned to the medical students and asked, ¡°Can you operate them?¡± It was conspicuous that Caleb nned to build his medical team. Eyeball to eyeball, the medical students looked at each other. 10:47 Wed, 11 Jun Mandino University was renowned for its rigorous academic standards. Its medical students boasted both a solid theoretical foundation and strong practical skills. Yet only a handful of students among the volunteers had interned in the hospital. Were theypetent to take the job? Right then, Helen said, ¡°Mr. Saxon, we can, but we need a leader. Will Professor Colton be our leader?¡± Caleb nodded while saying firmly, ¡°She will.¡± The medical students were supposed to work in logistics this time. Now, they were offered an opportunity to analyze the new virus. What a rare chance! This experience might change their lives forever. With Aria as their leader, they had a very good chance to seed. A wave of excitement swept through them. ¡°I¡¯m in! Let¡¯s build our own medical team!¡± ¡°Even Professor Colton gets questioned, so they won¡¯t trust us. I am in.¡± Caleb shared his n with Aria. Then, they walked to the medical students. Soon, Aria was surrounded by her new team members. ¡°Professor Colton, will you lead us to study the new virus?¡± ¡°Professor Colton, can you join Mandino University? I want to be your student.¡± ¡°Professor Colton¡­¡± Aria was moved by the sincere and enthusiastic students. With a faint smile, she said, ¡°Okay, I will join Mandino University. Let¡¯s solve the problem first.¡± AD Comment Send gift No Again Marriage 253 Chapter 253 Cheers erupted in the open air. Some students whined, ¡°What a pity that we don¡¯t major in pharmaceutical analysis!¡± ¡°Professor Colton, why don¡¯t you join the branch of clinical medicine?¡± ¡°No way! Professor Colton is an expert in pharmaceutical analysis.¡± Helen elbowed her way out of the crowd and asked loudly, ¡°C ¡°Can I be your student?¡± Aria recognized Helen and responded softly, ¡°Of course.¡± The crowd buzzed with excitement, shouting, ¡°Let¡¯s get down to work.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± They felt energized. Few people among the crowd knew architecture, so Aria and Caleb built some shelters for their team together. With a happy smile, Aria and Caleb worked well together. Three hourster, night fell. Helen handed Aria a towel, and Aria wiped her sweat off with it. Aria felt restless as if something important was missing. Then, a tall figure caught her eye. Against the light, the figure walked straight towards Aria. She had forgotten Owen. Aria pursed her lips and averted her gaze from Owen guiltily. Caleb walked over, crouched next to Aria, and gently took the tools from her hands. ¡°Aria,¡± he said softly. ¡°Go take a break. I¡¯ll wrap things up here.¡± Without hesitation, Aria let go of the tools and said, ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Her guilty look confused Caleb. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Caleb wondered. ¡°Aria,¡± a familiar voice sounded above. Caleb raised his head and saw Owen, his pupils constricting in surprise. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Is he the reason for Aria¡¯s guilty look?¡± he wondered. Owen crouched down casually. ¡°I got here earlier than you two. I was here for charity when the outbreak started.¡± After the exnation to Caleb, he turned to Aria and said, ¡°They wanted to take Betty away, but I said no. Betty¡¯s already asleep. Aaron is there with her.¡± On his way to see Aria, Owen had heard of the medical team formed by the students from Mandino University. He thought that Aria must be in that team. Aria had formed her n when the quality of her machines was questioned. The arrival of the medical students saved her a lot of time and trouble. ¡°Thank you,¡± Aria said sincerely. Owen gently pulled Aria up by the wrist. ¡°Your hands are for research, so leave the heavy work to me.¡± Sometimes, they joked with each other. Aria casually replied, ¡°Okay, I will leave it to you. Caleb, see youter.¡± Caleb nodded. ¡°Okay, just let us know if you need anything.¡± He couldn¡¯t help with the studies of the new virus, but he waspetent in logistics. After Aria left, Caleb turned to Owen and asked, ¡°Is this how you get along with Aria?¡± Just now, Caleb felt that he was the third wheel on site. There was a tacit understanding between Aria and Owen. Aria might not perceive that, but Owen must be clear of that. Caleb couldn¡¯t help but felt jealous. ¡°Yeah,¡± Owen responded curtly. Caleb was candid. ¡°Do you like Aria?¡± Owen didn¡¯t expect such a direct question. After a pause, he looked at Caleb and then slowly nodded. ¡°I do.¡± Caleb was dumbfounded by Owen¡¯s confession. ¡°She¡¯s great,¡± Owen said. It was true, so Caleb responded, ¡°I know.¡± Aria was admired by many people, but not her family. On the way to Jamn, Caleb received a call from his parents. Hearing his n, they told him to take good care of Ar¨ªa. ¡°Aria¡¯s amazing. She doesn¡¯t need my protection. All I can do is to keep herpany,¡± Caleb replied. His answer silenced his parents. Their rtionship with Aria wouldn¡¯t be so bad if they had given her more trust and love upon her return. There was no turning back the clock, so they would live with regret for the rest of their lives. ¡°Caleb, it is me, Silvia.¡± The phone was in Silvia¡¯s hand now. Silvia added, ¡°Be careful, both you and Aria.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Caleb was busy with his work, so he seldom went home or took the initiative to call his family, including Silvia. Silvia must have noticed the change in Caleb. She received fewer and fewer messages from him. Over time, they had no words for each other. Caleb felt no regret or guilt because he owed Silvia nothing. Caleb collected his thoughts. Working, he looked at Owen and said, ¡°Aria knows nothing about romance.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Owen¡¯s voice was steady and unwavering. ¡°I am resilient. Give me some help if possible, my dear brother¨Cinw.¡± Calebughed with anger. ¡°I¡¯m Aria¡¯s brother, not yours.¡± Caleb wouldn¡¯t help Owen or be in his way. Owen smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll.¡± Caleb felt speechless. He couldn¡¯t help but think that he was too nice to Owen. ) ¡­.. ¡°Hey, Ms. Gibson, have you heard that? Aria and her brother built their research team with over 20 medical students.¡± Hannah kept her hands busy. ¡°Whatever. We should focus on our jobs.¡± Vincent nodded. ¡°Ms. Gibson, you¡¯re right. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± After a brief chat, Vincent left. The others worked on. Hannah appearedposed, but her hands trembled uncontrobly. This was her shot to prove herself. Her life would be hopeless if she lost to Aria again. She was determined to beat Aria this time. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Not far away, a man nced at Hannah, walked over, and looked at the notes on the table. With a smile, he said, ¡°Dr. Gibson, are you studying the virus?¡± Restless, Hannah said, ¡°Yes. The vine is the best solution.¡± ¡°You are right. Let us know if you need help.¡± The man sighed as if something came to mind. ¡°It is weird. After the new virus, a corpse was found hers Hannah was shocked. ¡°A corpse?¡± The man looked surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear that? A dead man was found in the river, by Aria.¡± ¡°By Aria?¡± ¡°Yeah. It is said that the corpse is already swollen. The police can¡¯t identify him yet, though it is confirmed that none of the locals go missing.¡± After more information was provided to Hannah, the man said, ¡°Dr. Gibson, I have to go now.¡± Hannah nodded absently. ¡°Okay.¡± The man gave Hannah a meaningful nce before he turned around. Again Marriage 254 Chapter 254 Aria found the local official, got all the test results, and let her team members separate them by geography that start a new round of tests with my team.¡± Hearing Aria, Winston felt both happy and worried. Aria uploaded all the test results to the group chat. Aria: (I need the food list of one patient whose test result is negative. Any volunteer?) (Are you speaking on behalf of the medical teams?] Rumors had spread that the medical equipment donated by Aria was defective, After the burst of outrage, the vigers in Jamn gradually cooled down. Jamn had donated a school and offered free education and amodation to its students. She had done enough if her goal was to fish for fame. However, she had never sought publicity for her good deeds. Aria: [No. They are trying to help. See me as your n B. Keep me in the loop on the updates, okay?] Many hands made light work. The vigers were cooperative because Aria had done a lot for them. That night, the medical students were arranged to spend the night in the dormitories in Jamn Elementary School. Before they arrived at the school, their imagination about it contained shabby houses, rusty beds, and dirty floors. It was cold at night. With a worried look, the medical students were led into their lodgings by Winston. Then, their eyes became wide open. Were they really in the countryside? Under the lights, the floor beneath their feet shone. Each room contained a bathroom, a balcony, and a heater. The surprised look on the medical students pleased Winston. With a proud smile, Winston said, ¡°The bedsheets and the quilts are clean.¡± A male student ran into one room and said, ¡°Oh my, it is great! It looks much better than my dormitory.¡± 1 Smiling, Winston exined, ¡°This is the only school in this district. The students can live here for free if their houses are far away from the school With our limited ie, we can¡¯t afford such a good school. Thanks to Madelyn, all the kids in this district can go to school.¡± At the same time, Aria sponsored many poor children to continue their studies. After the rumors about the defective machines were spread, the vigers subtly criticized Aria. Winston quickly cated his folks. Aria had done a lot for her folks, but few of them had given her a hand in her childhood. Therefore, they weren¡¯t qualified to point a finger at her. Winston handed the keys to the medical students. ¡°Here are your keys. Three rooms for 18 girls, and two for 10 boys. There is hot water. Have an early night.¡± ¡°Thanks, Mr. Morton, good night.¡± The vigers prepared their urine and saliva as samples for the test conducted by Aria. Aria let the students collect the samples and then began her analysis. After careful examination andparison, Owen found the reason for inurate test results. Based on their experience, the vigers liked to treat their ailments with herbs from the mountains. Some herbs in their bodies led to inurate test results. Aria gave the patients other prescriptions, and they followed her instructions. Tomorrow, she would get the urate test results. As for Betty, her negative test result was caused by her pills. After another batch of machines arrived, Cyril instantly started another round of tests. The new test results were shocking as they were the same as before. Giana sneered. ¡°These new machines are defective too. Shouldn¡¯t you say something?¡± Silence fell. Cyril¡¯s face darkened because of the insolent Giana. ¡°Mind your tone!¡± Cyril snapped. Giana shrugged. ¡°Did I say anything wrong? Didn¡¯t you say that the machines donated by Aria are out of order? You pissed off Mr. Saxon, who hade with medical supplies, and it led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of dors.¡± She paused, and her eyes swept over Cyril and Hannah. ¡°Not my problem. Ms. Gibson, Mr. Tinsley, you two should give a good exnation to the higher- ups.¡± Hannah frowned. ¡°It was just a misunderstanding. You don¡¯t have to be so hostile.¡± Giana sneered. ¡°A misunderstanding? If nder is a misunderstanding, tell me, what do you call the homewrecker? A bitch?¡± The gazes on Hannah became subtle. The love triangle of Aria, Hannah, and Liam was an open secret in the medical team. Few people had the guts to ridicule Hannah face to face, like Giana. Instantly, Hannah¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You are ignorant of the truth, so keep your mouth shut.¡± With a smile, Giana pulled out a sheet of paper. ¡°Didn¡¯t you write this anonymousint letter, Ms. Gibson?¡± In a panic, Hannah scrambled for the paper. ¡°You thief!¡± Giana, awork engineer at Heffner Hospital, was dispatched to Jamn as an overseer. She was professional in her field. Due to the staff shortage in Jamn, she put on the nurse¡¯s uniform and shouldered the burden for her colleagues. Meanwhile, she was in charge of information safety in Jamn. The letter Hannah had tried to send to the media was intercepted by Giana. Giana deftly dodged Hannah¡¯s hand and said with contempt, ¡°If it is a misunderstanding, why did you write to the media and throw dirt at Aria? Hannah, you disgust me. Guys, just read the letter.¡± When Giana tried to hand the paper to a nurse, Hannah lost her cool and kicked Giana in the belly. Giana fell backward, and her back mmed hard onto the wall. Instantly, a searing pain ripped through Giana. She clutched her belly and slid down along the wall. Hannah got the paper and tore it into pieces. The onlookers froze in shock. Someone shrieked in horror as blood dripped down between Giana¡¯s legs, ¡°Blood? Oh god, blood!¡± ¡°Is Giana pregnant?¡± Hannah¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Why did you keep your pregnancy a secret? Why did youe to Jamn? Did you deliberately provoke me?¡± Hannah tried to pass the buck, but nobody listened to her. Her colleagues were busy saving Giana. Giana was oblivious to her pregnancy. With cold sweat all over her forehead, she randomly grabbed a female hand and said, ¡°Invite Aria over! Beg her to save me! Go, hurry up!¡± After a frantic nod, the owner of that hand dashed out. Right then, someone shouted, ¡°Giana is the only daughter of Mr. Harmon. Can Hannah stay at Heffner Hospital after she caused Giana¡¯s miscarriage?¡± Hannah was aghast at the news. ¡°Which Mr. Harmon? The director of Heffner Hospital?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Soon came a firm answer. Hannah retreated a few steps, and her knees went weak. Again Marriage 255 Chapter 255 Betty¡¯s condition gradually improved. When she learned about Violet¡¯s situation, she reached out and grasped Aris¡¯s hand with deep concern. ¡°Madelyn, I heard Violet isn¡¯t doing well.¡± Aria knew Violet, Kate¡¯s granddaughter, was both the only critical patient and the suspected source of infection. Aria said, ¡°If Kate is willing, I¡¯ll do everything in my power to save Violet.¡± ¡°Madelyn, thank you,¡± Betty said gratefully. Betty immediately picked up the phone and said, ¡°Kate, let Madelyn take a look at Violet!¡± ¡°Betty, thank you for your concern,¡± Kate politely declined. ¡°The hospital has transferred Violet to the istion ward, where specialists care for her. I can stay with her too, so let¡¯s not trouble Madelyn.¡± Violet was being treated in the istion ward, and as a close contact, Kate was also under medical supervision. Still, the doctors permitted her to stay by her granddaughter¡¯s side. Although Kate was truly grateful to Aria, when it came to her granddaughter Violet¡¯s safety, she trusted the medical professionals more. Aria overheard the conversation and gave a small, reassuring smile. ¡°With so many specialists on the case, Violet will be just fine.¡± The medical staff were treating all the other infected patients. For convenience, they relocated to the school, setting up beds in vacant dorm rooms. Betty was admitted there as well. They could use the school kitchen for cooking, eliminating the need to set up a temporary one outside. Just as Aria helped Betty sit down, a figure burst through the door and rushed straight toward her. ¡°Aria, help! Please!¡± the figure cried desperately. The girl frantically grabbed Aria¡¯s arm, her voice shaking. ¡°Giana is pregnant. She was kicked in the stomach, and now, she¡¯s bleeding. She begged me to ask you for help!¡± Aria gently pushed the girl¡¯s hand away. ¡°With so many doctors here,¡± she said calmly, ¡°she doesn¡¯t need me.¡± ¡°But Giana insists on seeing you,¡± the girl pleaded urgently. ¡°She has fertility issues. The doctors say her chances of conceiving are really low. She didn¡¯t even know she was pregnant. If she had, she never would¡¯vee with us to Jamn. She really trusts you. Just having you there makes her feel safe.¡± The girl¡¯s face was frantic, her voice trembling with panic. Aria paused briefly before replying, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, but I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll be of help.¡± ¡°I need to go back and get my emergency kit,¡± Aria said. Her emergency medicinal pills might help. 1 Betty¡¯s quarters and the treatment area were in opposite directions. Owen stepped out, removing his apron. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll grab your med kit.¡± Aria looked at him and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± With tears streaming down her face, Giana pleaded desperately, ¡°Please save my baby! I can¡¯t lose her.¡± The desperate pleas from the emergency room hit everyone present like a punch to the gut. Those closest to Giana couldn¡¯t hold back their anger any longer. They stared daggers at Hannah, eyes burning with hatred. One of them shouted, ¡°This is all your fault!¡± 1/2 Hannah looked equally grim. ¡°If she hadn¡¯t printed my stuff without permission, I wouldn¡¯t have identally kicked her ¡°identally kicked her?¡± one of them sneered. ¡°We saw it with our own eyes that you did that deliberately!¡± One of Giana¡¯s friends red at Hannah and snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t act shocked we found out about your false report framing Arial¡± One of Giana¡¯s friends red at Hannah and sneered, ¡°Typical homewrecker! First you disgusting!¡± steal her man, and now, you¡¯re scheming behind their back- Originally, no one wanted to get too involved in the personal drama between Hannah and Giana. But now that Hannah had harmed Giana¨Cand with the hospital director doting on his daughter¨Cthere was no way he¡¯d let Hannah off the hook. Hannah was the darling daughter of the Gibson family, but so what? The hospital director was no pushover, either. With this realization, everyone held nothing back. Their usations shot at Hannah like a barrage of arrows, each word sharper than thest. Again Marriage 256 hapter 256 Chapter 256 Hannah felt the full force of their malice pressing down on her, her chest tightening with suffocating rage. ¡°I¡¯m going to work on HG13 virus,¡± she choked out. With those words, she stormed out. ¡®My only chance to make everyone respect me again and put this whole incident behind us is to develop the HG13 virus inhibitor, she thought. Aria nearly ran into Owen at the doorway. He handed her the med kit and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right here waiting.¡± Aria took the med kit and strode into the emergency room. A doctor, looking grim, announced solemnly, ¡°The baby likely won¡¯t make it. Let¡¯s stabilize her first and wait for the director and the OB¨CGYN team to arrive.¡± Giana tried frantically to get up, but the doctor quickly held her shoulders. ¡°Giana,¡± he said, ¡°you¡¯ll have other children.¡± Tears streaming down her face, Giana sobbed hysterically, ¡°You¡¯re lying! I can¡¯t get pregnant again. I¡¯ll never conceive again!¡± Hearing Giana¡¯s desperate cries, Aria parted the curtain and stepped inside. Her sudden entrance caught everyone off guard. Giana¡¯s face was ashen as she reached out a trembling hand toward Aria. ¡°Aria, please¡­ save me. Save my baby.¡± In that instant, ¨¢ gaunt, pallid face shed through Aria¡¯s mind. In her mind, she suddenly heard a desperate voice from the past, ¡°Aria, please save me¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± Aria took a deep breath, steadying the turmoil within. She opened the medical kit, retrieved a vial, and shook out a pill. Bending down, she held it to Giana¡¯s lips. ¡°Take this.¡± cing all her hope in Aria, Giana swallowed the pill without hesitation. The two doctors snapped to attention, fixing their gaze on Aria with a mix of professional rm and suspicion. Their voicesced with urgency, one demanded, ¡°What did you just give her?¡± Aria was wholly focused on taking Giana¡¯s pulse, tuning out the doctors¡® urgent questions. Giana cut in firmly, ¡°I trust her. Get out.¡± The two doctors¡® expressions darkened. One of them cautioned urgently, ¡°Giana, there are many unlicensed quacks practicing traditional medicine. Aria doesn¡¯t have a medical license. You can¡¯t just¡­¡± Giana snapped, ¡°Get out!¡± Aria looked at them firmly. ¡°She can¡¯t take any more stress. Leave now.¡± The two doctors exchanged a helpless nce, then finally turned and walked out. ¡°Everyone outside, leave now,¡± Ariamanded. Everyone else slowly filed out, leaving only Giana¡¯s two closest friends by her side as the room grew quiet. The room fell into silence, broken only by the faint beeping of medical monitors. Giana asked weakly, ¡°Can, can you save my baby?¡± Chapter 256 It was possible to save the baby. But it would require acupuncture. Aria¡¯s fingers tightened unconsciously as she looked at Giana, choosing her words carefully. ¡°The baby could be saved if we could get you to a specialized hospital in time.¡± They were stuck in Jamn, too far from any proper hospital, and her condition wouldn¡¯t hold out much longer. Clinging to herst shred of hope, Giana bit down hard on her lower lip, her eyes pleading desperately. ¡°You must have a way, don¡¯t you?¡± Aria¡¯s heart ached with bitterness. ¡®If only the old traditional medicine practitioner were here, she thought, ¡®this child would have had a chance. ¡°If an experienced traditional medicine practitioner can administer acupuncture promptly and provide supportive treatment, there¡¯s about a fifty percent chance of saving the baby,¡± Aria said cautiously. Giana gripped Aria¡¯s hand tightly, desperate hope shing in her eyes. ¡°Then please, Aria, do it!¡± Aria felt her throat constrict¨Cthe suffocating sensation left her utterly speechless. Giana¡¯s heart sank like a stone. The hope that had just red up was instantly snuffed out. Her voice quivered as she barely managed to ask, ¡°You, you do know how to do this, right? ¡°Aria, please just try. If you try and the baby doesn¡¯t make it, I¡¯ll ept it as fate.¡± Aria¡¯s gaze darkened as it fell on Giana¡¯s face. ¡°Giana, thest person I treated, um, didn¡¯t make it.¡± Again Marriage 257 Chapter 257 Giana stared at her, eyes wide in shock and lips trembling. She could barely get the words out. ¡°Y¨Cyou¡­ You¡­ Aria gave a bitter, self¨Cmocking smile. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever treated one person before, but she died.¡± Aria gave a wry, self¨Cdeprecating smile, her gaze drifting into the distance. The light fell across her face, her long eyshes casting deep shadows beneath her eyes. Giana searched Aria¡¯s eyes intently, but was met only with overwhelming sorrow, as if she were veiled in an imprable gloom. Giana¡¯s heart sank. Was there truly no way out? Giana, refusing to give up, fixed her gaze and gripped Aria¡¯s hand again. Her voice was unwavering. ¡°Aria, just try! If I die, that¡¯s my choice to make.¡± Aria looked at her with confusion in her eyes. ¡°Why? Are you really willing to risk your life for a fetus that¡¯s not even fully formed?¡± Giana¡¯s lips twisted into a wry, yearning smile, her voice catching with emotion. ¡°I know you don¡¯t understand. Maybe no one really can¡­ ¡°I once had a cat. I promised her that if I could ever get pregnant, I would keep and love the baby as I loved her. ¡°My cat was beaten to death by burrs during a home invasion!¡± Tears welled up in Giana¡¯s eyes. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for her,¡± she choked out, ¡°I would never have escaped. I wouldn¡¯t even be here today.¡± Giana said with conviction, ¡°I can feel it. It¡¯s a girl.¡± Giana¡¯s heavy workload made her periods irregr. Sometimes, she would skip a month or two¨Cnothing out of the ordinary for her. If she had known she was pregnant earlier, she would have done everything in her power to protect the little one growing inside her. Now, she was drowning in regret. Giana said firmly, ¡°As long as there¡¯s even the slightest chance to save her, I¡¯ll fight for it with everything I¡¯ve got. I have to try.¡± She told herself, ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll die from this. At worst, I might lose the baby.¡® Aria drew a deep breath, then pulled out the sterilized medical kit from the case. Those were the old traditional medicine practitioner¡¯s needles. Her own needles were meant to take lives, not save them. Aria said, ¡°Wait here. I need to sterilize the needles.¡± Aria leaned over, pressed several key points on Giana, then quickly strode out of the room. Giana¡¯s two friends rushed over. ¡°How is she?¡± they asked anxiously. Aria didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the autove?¡± One of them responded promptly, ¡°Let me show you the way.¡± Aria nodded, then looked at the other woman. ¡°Stay here and look after her,¡± she instructed. Aria strode out of the room. Chapter 257 Owen remained rooted to the spot, his gaze following Arfa as she walked away. Owen thought, ¡®Something¡¯s off about her.¡® Half an hourter, Aria returned with the needles. Giana tilted her head slightly, her eyes brimming with hope as she looked at Aria. Aria¡¯s hand trembled slightly as she clutched the medical kit. She ordered firmly, ¡°You can leave now!¡± One of Giana¡¯s friends nodded and said, ¡°Okay, Giana¡¯s in your hands now.¡± Aria stepped forward, opened the medical kit, and withdrew a long needle. The needle cast a cold, clinical gleam across her face, lending her features an added solemnity. The needle was unusually long. Giana¡¯s heart clenched. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut, her thickshes trembling violently. ¡°I¡¯ll start from your abdomen,¡± Aria said gently. Giana nodded firmly. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria lifted Giana¡¯s top, twirling the needle between her fingers. She tried to insert the needle, but an invisible force locked her hand in ce. Aria couldn¡¯t steady herself. The needle trembled violently in her grip, leaving ghostly afterimages. A deafening drumbeat of her own heartbeat filled her ears. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, the deafening drumbeats echoing clearly in her ears. Aria remembered when she first learned acupuncture. Her hands were rock¨Csteady, the silver needle held without the slightest tremor. Her mentor praised her, saying she was born for this craft. But he was wrong about her. Her needles couldn¡¯t save lives. Instead, they only took them. Again Marriage 258 Chapter 258 Seconds ticked by, yet the pain she had braced herself for never came. Giana cautiously opened her eyes, only to be met with Aria¡¯s face¨Cso pale that it was almost ghostly,pletely drained of color, her forehead covered in a sheen of sweat. Giana¡¯s nursing experience made her acutely sensitive to subtle changes in expression. She immediately spotted the trauma in Aria¡¯s eyes. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it. Giana reached out and grasped Aria¡¯s trembling hand, forcing a weak but determined smile. Whispering hoarsely, she said, ¡°Aria, I trust you.¡± With these words, Giana released Aria¡¯s hand and closed her eyes peacefully. The treatment sessionsted a full two hours. Sweat poured off Aria uncontrobly, quickly soaking through her thermal shirt. A chill washed over her. She slumped back in the chair, head thrown back, surrendering to the blinding light. Her vision swam with spots of light, her mind utterly nk. All she wanted was to stay like that, still, letting herself drift in this empty tranquility. Giana had fallen asleep. Aria took a moment to collect herself, then picked up the pen nearby and, with trembling hands,boriously wrote out the prescription on the paper. Her handwriting was a shaky scrawl, the strokes twisting across the page like worms¨Cjust barely legible. Outside, Owen stood statue¨Cstill, rooted to the spot, his posture unchanged. He clutched the thermos, his gaze fixed intently on the hospital curtain. Giana¡¯s two friends paced anxiously back and forth nearby, their faces etched with worry. ¡°It¡¯s been so long. Why isn¡¯t it over yet? Can Giana¡¯s baby even be sayed?¡± one of them blurted out, her voice thick with worry. The other answered, ¡°At just three months along, the fetus is still fragile. After such severe shock and physical trauma, the chances of survival should be¡­ very slim.¡± The two friends exchanged a nce and sighed heavily. Just then, the hospital room curtain slowly parted, and Aria emerged. ? ¡°Get the medicines prescribed as soon as possible. Go to Jamn Elementary School and find the person in charge. They¡¯ll assist you.¡± Her voice came out slightly hoarse from exhaustion. The two women froze momentarily at those words, their eyes widening in astonishment. They asked, ¡°Is the baby safe?¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°Tell Giana the baby is safe. Ask her to stay calm and maintain a positive mood. I¡¯ll check in again tonight.¡± ¡®The baby¡¯s really safe?¡® Stunned and overjoyed, the two women quickly snatched the prescription from Aria¡¯s hand. Aria looked calm, but her face was ghostly pale, and her bloodless lips were slightly chapped. Owen¡¯s heart clenched with worry. Acting on pure instinct, he strode forward in an instant, unscrewed the cap, and pressed it to Aria¡¯s lips. Drink some water first,¡± he urged. Aria was indeed parched, her throat burning as if scorched by fire. The moment she opened her mouth, she grabbed the bottle and gulped down more than half its contents in one go. The water was at just the right temperature, with a subtle hint of saltiness. Seeing this, the two girls shared a guilty look, a flicker of remorse crossing their eyes. It hadn¡¯t even urred to them to bring Aria water or anything to drink. So that was why Owen disappeared for half an hour. He¡¯d gone to get a bottle of water specially for Aria. Owen appeared stern and aloof, yet he was incredibly attentive and considerate toward Aria. Damn! They were just so ship¨Cworthy. But there was no time for shipping in an emergency. One of them rushed into the ward to tend to Giana. The other woman shot off like an arrow toward Jamn Elementary School. In the blink of an eye, only Aria and Owen were left in the hallway. Aria¡¯s hand trembled slightly as she held the bottle. The moment she finished drinking, Owen immediately reached out and took it from her. The instant their fingertips touched, he was struck by an icy chill from her skin. His heart plummeted. ¡°Let¡¯s get you back,¡± he said tersely. Giana¡¯s caretaker passed the medical kit to Owen. They walked side by side, while Owen kept a discreet eye on her. Aria¡¯s steps faltered. A metallic taste of blood rose in her throat.
  1. 2.
Again Marriage 259 Chapter 259 Aria pushed the unwellness aside, and her steps grew noticeably lighter. Owen stopped, tentatively extending his left hand. ¡°How about I¡­¡± But as he caught sight of a figureing into view, he left his words unfinished. Caleb finished his tasks and, upon hearing Aria was there treating someone, rushed over immediately. Seeing this, he hurried over and asked, ¡°Aria, not feeling well?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°No big deal. Just a little.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t hesitate. He turned around, crouched down, and said, ¡°Let me carry you.¡± Aria stared nkly at the broad back in front of her, momentarily frozen, her mind going nk. As far as she could remember, no one had ever carried her like that before. ¡°Come on, Aria. Hop on,¡± Caleb urged gently. Acupuncture wasn¡¯t supposed to be this exhausting. But for her, it was always a struggle. Still, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say no to the hope shining in Giana¡¯s eyes. Aria took a step forward. Caleb wrapped his arms around the back of her thighs and lifted her onto his back. The winter clothing was bulky, making her heavier, but Caleb¡¯s steps were steady, hardly swaying at all. So this was what it felt like to be carried. It was so warm. Gradually, she rxed, leaning against Caleb¡¯s back and catching the familiar scent ofundry soap. It was the standard¨Cissue soap they all used. Caleb walked at a measured pace. He nced at Owen and asked in a low voice, ¡°How did she get so exhausted?¡± ¡°That patient¡¯s condition was quiteplicated,¡± Owen replied. Owen nced over, and his eyes fell on a face that was almost too beautiful. Sunlight shone on her face, causing her to involuntarily furrow her brows. He stepped half a pace behind her, using his shadow to block the beam of sunlight for her. ¡°Go and pick up that knife.¡± A bunch of teenage boys had gathered together. Their leader had his foot nted firmly on the back of a little girl no more than seven or eight years old. Her hair was matted and her face smeared with dirt, making her look every bit the street urchin. The leader ground his heel into her shoulder and barked, ¡°I said pick it up! Are you deaf?¡± Just then, a tall figure and a small one approached from nearby. The man with the yellow armband cast an icy, indifferent look at them, his eyes utterly impassive, as if the brutal scene before him was just routine. He said, ¡°Marcus, don¡¯t kill her.¡± His voice was as t and lifeless as stagnant water. 10:59 Thu, 12 Jun D With that, he shoved the neer forward. ¡°New recruit. Training starts tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh? A new ything?¡± Marcus Payne curled his lips into a malicious grin, grinding his foot against the little girl¡¯s back a few times before finally pulling it away and strollingzily toward the neer. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked. ¡°Madelyn,¡± she replied. Madelyn¡¯s gaze swept over the girl lying on the ground, then she looked up at the boy approaching her. He looked about thirteen or fourteen, still bearing traces of childishness¨Csquare jaw, short thick eyebrows, thin lips, and a cruel glint in his eyes when he smiled. For the time being, she couldn¡¯t beat him nor the group behind him. Marcus leaned down, staring straight into her eyes as he reached out. ¡°Those eyes are beautiful. Makes me want to pluck them out.¡± Madelyn turned her head, dodging his hand, and met the little girl¡¯s gaze. The girl looked even younger than she was. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± Madelyn asked. Before anyone started missions there, no one in Solemnity Guild had a code name. Most neers showed fear and panic, just like the girl on the ground. But this one was calm. AD Comment Again Marriage 260 Marcus¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Her name¡¯s Sara Nicholson. Now that you¡¯re here, she really does have hope.¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. From now on, Madelyn is my ything.¡± Madelyn instantly understood what he meant. Her expression unchanged, she looked up at the man who¡¯d brought her. ¡°Where will I be staying?¡± The man nced at Sara. ¡°You two will bunk together.¡± With that, he left. Madelyn walked over to Sara. ¡°Take me to the room now. Thanks.¡± Marcus¡¯s eyes darkened with malice as he was ignored. One of hisckeys leaned in and asked, ¡°Marcus, want me to take care of her?¡± Marcus sneered. ¡°No rush. We¡¯ve got all the time in the world.¡± Sara was safe, as Marcus had set his sights on Madelyn. But he never expected her to be such a formidable fighter. Once she confirmed the Solemnity Guild¡¯s no¨Ckilling rule, she fought back every time¨Calways targeting Marcus and ignoring everyone else. She went from being covered in wounds to beating Marcus and his gang into submission, growing faster than anyone else. Marcus set his sights back on Sara. Sara turned to Madelyn, pleading, ¡°Madelyn, could y you protect me? ¡°My brother¡¯s rich. Once we get out, I¡¯ll give you all the money you want.¡± Madelyn met her gaze. ¡°Do you really think we can get out of here?¡± Sara fell silent, the light in her eyes instantly dimming. Madelyn gently patted her head. ¡°Sara, as long as you¡¯re stronger than them, they can¡¯t hurt you.¡± Perhaps it was the warmth she felt from Madelyn, but from then on, Sara became her little shadow. Two yearster, it was their turn to join the team on a supply run. The team returned. But Madelyn and Sara never made it back. Marcus wanted Madelyn dead, yet it was Sara who perished. Madelyn tried to save her with acupuncture needles but failed. Sara was her first acupuncture patient. After that, her needles became lethal weapons. She never healed anyone with them again. Aria turned off the hot water. As the steam cleared, cold, damp air rushed over her, stinging her skin like countless tiny needles, Sara died in the bitter cold of winter. She stood there for ten minutes, numb, then numbly put on her clothes, dried her hair, swallowed a pill, and copsed onto the bed, drifting into sleep. The rusted, broken lock gave way as the two men pushed the door open and entered. 10:59 Thu, 12 Jun () DU One of them, looking anxious, whispered, ¡°Hurry. Find it fast.¡± The traditional medicine shop was small. They rummaged through every drawer and cab, but came up empty handed. One man spotted heavy dust beneath a chest of drawers, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Move this cab.¡± Once they shifted it aside, they found torn wallpaper and, behind it, a hidden hole in the wall. The hole was empty, though it was clear something had once been kept there. ¡°Must have been taken,¡± one muttered. After a moment¡¯s thought, the other said, ¡°The vigers said Aria learned medicine from Dr. Todd as a child. Could it be her?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s check her ce first.¡± ¡°Aria won¡¯t be easy to deal with. This needs careful nning.¡± At eight at night, Aria woke to find Owen asleep on the couch. ¡®Why is he sleeping here?¡® Aria wondered. She fetched a nket from the cab and moved to cover him. Just as she let go, Owen¡¯s eyes suddenly opened, and he caught her wrist. His hair was a bit long and tousled, a few strands dangling over his forehead. The sharp alertness in his newly awakened eyes instantly melted into soft warmth when he saw her. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Owen murmured softly. His voice was hoarse with sleep, carrying azy, deep timbre. They were so close that his words seemed to brush by her ear. For no reason, Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. AD Comment Again Marriage 261 Chapter 261 Chapter 261 She nced sideways and met Owen¡¯s sharp, deep eyes¨Clike a boundless night sky twinkling with countless stars. Aria¡¯s thoughts froze, as if she were being drawn into a world that belonged only to him. His eyes burned with intense emotion, but it only for a split second It vanished so quickly, leaving no trace. Aria snapped out of her daze, thinking it might just be her imagination. Then she asked Owen, ¡°How did you end up falling asleep on the couch?¡± Not wanting to make her ufortable, Owen effortlessly masked the turbulent emotions in his eyes and put on his usual gentle smile. ¡°I brought you dinner.¡± Their position was awkwardly intimate. Aria knelt with one knee on the couch, still clutching the nket. A mere lift of her hand would have brushed Owen¡¯s chin, yet she remained oblivious to their closeness. Just then, the door suddenly swung open, startling both Aria and Owen. They turned their heads toward the sound simultaneously. Caleb stood in the doorway, a bag in hand. The moment his eyesnded on the intimate scene unfolding on the couch, he froze in shock. His grip ckened, and the bag slipped from his grasp, hitting the floor. Aria turned back, following Caleb¡¯s gaze, and locked eyes with Owen. Her pupils constricted slightly as realization dawned on her. She jerked upright too abruptly, her foot catching on the edge of the coffee table. In an instant, she lost her bnce and tumbled backward out of control. ¡°Aria!¡± Caleb shouted in rm, sprinting toward her. As Aria tried to steady herself by reaching for the coffee table, Ower swiftly grabbed her outstretched right hand. The sudden movement threw her off bncepletely. Pulled forward, Aria tumbled straight into Owen¡¯s arms. From Caleb¡¯s perspective, the scene looked almost as if Aria had Owen pinned to the couch, making an aggressive move¨Clike she was having her way with him. For once, Aria was the one in charge. Owen felt her warmth in his arms, his heart hammering wildly as if it might burst out of his chest. ¡®Thank goodness for the nket between us,¡® he thought. ¡®Otherwise, she¡¯d probably hear it pounding.¡® Caleb hurried over and helped Aria up, his voice full of concern. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Recalling how she had tumbled into Owen¡¯s arms, Aria felt her ears burning and took a moment to steady herself. ¡°No,¡± she replied. She shot Owen a nce and added with a teasing smile, ¡°He was my cushion.¡± She could¡¯ve steadied herself, but Owen just had to pull her hand back. Owen straightened up, tidied the nket, and exined, ¡°She saw I was asleep and was just trying to cover me up.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Caleb shot Owen a sidelong nce. ¡°I was the one who startled Aria.¡± He silently chided himself. If only he¡¯d kept his cool, he wouldn¡¯t have scared Aria. Owen, who had willingly served as her cushion, slowly rose and unhurriedly straightened his slightly disheveled clothes. His every movement was so graceful andposed that it was oddly pleasing to the eye. But if you looked closely, a faint tremor in his hands betrayed his calm facade. Aria nced at his hands, and an absurd thought popped into her mind. ¡®He looks just like a guy caught cheating in someone else¡¯s house, trying to act calm but failing miserably. ¡®What on earth am I thinking?¡® Aria squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish those wild thoughts from her mind. Owen straightened his clothes, then folded the nket in one fluid motion. ¡°Where does this go?¡± he asked. ¡°The top shelf of the closet in the room,¡± Aria replied. Caleb started to offer, but just as he opened his mouth, he remembered he hadn¡¯t washed his hands. All he could do was watch helplessly as Owen walked into Aria¡¯s room. Caleb turned to the bag on the floor, hurried over to pick it up, pulled out some documents, and set them on the coffee table. ¡°Here, Aria. The young researchers came up with these. They asked me to bring them for you to review.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Thanks, Owen.¡± Again Marriage 262 Chapter 262 After putting away the nket, Owen walked out and headed into the kitchen. ¡°Wait a sec. I¡¯ll heat up the food.¡± Aria gave a natural nod, then sat down and began reviewing the documents on the coffee table. With experienced doctors present, it was only natural that the infected patients distrusted the young research team. The only patient they had there was Betty. After recovery, infected patients developed specific antibodies against the virus in their blood, which could theoretically be used to treat other infected individuals. However, the levels and activity of these antibodies varied among patients, and there was also the potential risk of transmitting other pathogens. Moreover, the limited sma supply presented a major obstacle to this treatment approach. Most of those young researchers studied modern medicine, with only about one¨Cfifth having studied traditional medicine. Traditionally, there was a clear divide between modern and traditional medicine, making many doctors and patients reluctant to ept such interdisciplinary coboration. A proven sess story could make all the difference. If they managed to cure Betty, the other infected patients might finally start to believe in them. Caleb cast a subtle nce toward the kitchen, his gaze lingering briefly on Owen¡¯s retreating figure before finally settling on Aria. Aria flipped through the documents at a brisk pace, pen in hand, making quick notes and marks as she went. She finished reviewing a day¡¯s worth of research in no time, closed the files, and handed them to Caleb. ¡°Here, can you please pass these on to them? I¡¯ll head to theb early tomorrow.¡± Caleb put away the documents, nodded, and sat down beside her. With feigned casualness, he asked, ¡°Aria, what do you think of Owen?¡± Aria¡¯s fingers paused midair. She looked up at Caleb, confusion shing in her eyes. She thought, ¡®Wait. After what just happened, does Caleb think there¡¯s something going on between Owen and me?¡® She weighed her words before saying, ¡°Hees from a decent family. He¡¯s handsome and talented, and highly skilled professionally. I bet he has no shortage of admirers. ¡°Why do you ask, Caleb?¡± Her expression remained as calm as ever, her eyes revealing nothing. ¡®Aria doesn¡¯t like Owen,¡® Caleb thought. Caleb couldn¡¯t suppress a smirk. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to freshen up,¡± said Caleb. ¡°Okay,¡± Aria said. Owen had prepared an extra dish, making it four dishes and a soup for the three of them¨Call in modest portions. During the meal, Owen caught the subtle slightly smug nces Caleb threw his way. There was a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes. 1/2 10:59 Th? 12 Jun TD T ¡®He¡¯s probablyughing at how I won¡¯t be able to win Aria¡¯s affection anytime soon, Owen thought wryly. After all, Caleb was Aria¡¯s own brother. The fact that he was not actively blocking him was already a blessing, After dinner, Aria headed to the makeshift ER where Giana was being treated. Still uneasy after what had happened in the afternoon, Caleb decided to go with her. Owen caught up with Caleb and said, ¡°You need deliver those documents to the research team. I¡¯ll go with Aria instead.¡± Without hesitation, he quickened his pace and caught Caleb couldn¡¯t help but marvel at Owen¡¯s shamelessnes in another direction. to Aria. ¡®Man, this guy¡¯s got some nerve,¡® he thought, but decided to keep quiet and simply walked off At the entrance, Owen said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait over there and check work messages. Text me when you¡¯re ready to leave. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria watched Owen¡¯s retreating figure, a strange feeling stirring in her chest. He had been acting more than just a friend. Maybe that look in his eyes earlier wasn¡¯t just her imagination. But it wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on it. Pushing the thought aside, Aria lifted the curtain and stepped inside. When Giana saw Aria, her expression brightened with excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve been taking the medicine as prescribed, and my stomach doesn¡¯t hurt anymore!¡± Aria nodded and sat down to check her pulse. After a few minutes, she said gently, ¡°You¡¯re doing well. Just keep it up. You don¡¯t need more acupuncture. Taking traditional medicine is enough. But remember, absolutely no modern medicine.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± A sharp, reproachful voice suddenly cut in. Again Marriage 263 Chapter 263 Aria and Giana turned their heads simultaneously. A man in his fifties rushed over, shouting, ¡°Giana!¡± When Giana saw her father, her eyes instantly welled up with tears. Her voice choked with emotion as she called out, ¡°Dad¡­ Falmost lost my baby¡± Ramon Harmon had learned the full story on his way there. ¡°Take good care of yourself. I promise I won¡¯t let Hannah get away with this!¡± Giana pleaded, ¡°Dad, please, whatever you do, don¡¯t let Shawn find out I¡¯m pregnant.¡± Shawn Thornton was Giana¡¯s ex¨Cboyfriend. Giana had carefully crafted a public persona ofing from an ordinary family. She thought she¡¯d hidden it well, but little did she know Shawn had known all along. He deliberately approached her, hypocritically iming he didn¡¯t mind her infertility. She was deeply touched, only to discoverter that Shawn had a girlfriend he¡¯d been dating for years. His scheming n was simple: let his girlfriend give birth, ? then ce the child in the Harmon family under the guise of adoption. Giana had no idea what was going on. It wasn¡¯t until Shawn¡¯s girlfriend sought her out that she finally realized, in shock, that she had unknowingly been the other woman. Now that Giana was pregnant, if Shawn found out¨CKg his vindictive nature¨Che¡¯d never let her off the hook. Ramon tenderly stroked Giana¡¯s head and soothed her a ¡°Dad, this is Aria. If it weren¡¯t for her, I would have lost ¨¤ gentle voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweetheart. Dad will never let anyone hurt you.¡± Tears welling in her eyes, Giana introduced Aria to her father. my baby. She¡¯s. , an incredibly skilled doctor.¡± Hearing this, Ramon turned his gaze to Aria and bowed deeply. ¡°Ms. Saxon, thank you so much for saving my daughter.¡± ¡°Just doing my job,¡± Aria replied. Straightening up, Ramon turned to Culver and said respectfully, ¡°Dr. Webster, would you please examine my daughter?¡± It was clear he had no intention of letting Aria continue treatment. Realizing the situation, Aria rose to yield her seat. Seeing that, Giana quickly grabbed Aria¡¯s hand and said to her father, ¡°Dad, Aria is my attending doctor now. Please don¡¯t trouble Dr. Webster.¡± Ramon nced at Aria and exined, ¡°It¡¯s not that I doubt Ms. Saxon¡¯s abilities. I¡¯d just feel more reassured with an additional medical opinion.¡± Being a nurse, Giana knew full well the potential pitfalls of switching doctors midway. Culver, a portly man in his sixties, wore a stern expression that barely concealed his haughty demeanor. Culver fixed Aria with a scrutinizing gaze. ¡°Why did you insist on not letting her use any modern medicine just now?¡± Aria had disliked this old man at first sight but replied coolly, ¡°Giana has taken traditional herbal medicine. Using modern medicine improperly could cause adverse reactions. There¡¯s no need for redundant treatment.¡± ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Culver snapped as he sat down to take Giana¡¯s pulse, casting a disdainful sidelong nce at Aria. He began, ¡°Traditional medicine and modern medicine shouldplement each other¡¯s strengths. It¡¯s exactly because of people like you¨Cblindly Chapter 263 idolizing traditional medicine and rejecting modern medicine¨Cthat people think traditional medicine is all hype and exaggeration ¡°You¡¯re the one tarnishing traditional medicine¡¯s reputation!¡± What a ridiculous usation! Aria arched an eyebrow indifferently. ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind.¡± Culver flushed with anger, abandoning the pulse¨Ctaking as he sprang to his feet. ¡°How dare you insult me?¡± Ramon stared at Aria, dumbfounded, his face a picture of shock. ¡®Does she really not know who Culver is?¡® he wonder in disbelief. ¡°Ms. Saxon, this is Dr. Webster, the president of the Provincial Traditional Medicine Association¨Ca veteran practitioner with decades of experience who has treated countless intractable cases,¡± Ramon quickly interjected. After all, Aria had saved his daughter¡¯s life. Ramon genuinely wanted to avoid any confrontation between them. Unfortunately, Aria remained unmoved. With a cool ¡°Oh,¡± she replied, ¡°I wasn¡¯t insulting anyone.¡± Culver sputtered with rage, his face flushed. ¡°You!¡± Again Marriage 264 Chapter 264 Ramon reacted swiftly, stepping between them with an apologetic smile. ¡°Dr. Webster, she¡¯s young and impulsive. Please be magnanimous and don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± As he spoke, he shot Aria a meaningful nce, urging her to apologize, but she remained unmoved. Left with no choice, Ramon changed the subject. Dr Webster, you¡¯re the only doctor I truly trust. Giana¡¯s my only daughter. Please examine her.¡± Culver snorted coldly and reluctantly took his seat again. Aria was about to leave when she lowered her and caught Giana¡¯s pleading eyes. After a brief hesitation, she stayed, quietlyom the sidelines. As Culver felt Giana¡¯s pulse, his brows knitted After a long pause, Culver dropped a bombshell ¡°What?¡± Ramon eximed in shock. ghter, forming deep furrows like stubborn knots. health makes pregnancy inherently difficult. This time, you¡¯re highly likely to miscarry.¡± Meanwhile, Giana¡¯s face drained of color, her eyes wide with terror and panic. Culver continued sternly, ¡°We must schedule to terminate the pregnancy immediately. If you wait untilter in pregnancy, you¡¯ll face high risks of severe hemorrhage, multiple infections, or even uterine rupture. At that point, a hysterectomy might be necessary to save your life.¡± Tears streaming down her face, Giana shook her head violently. She cried out hoarsely, ¡°That can¡¯t be true! Aria said my baby could be saved. She¡¯s the only one I trust!¡± Culver fixed her with a steely gaze and said with absolute authority, ¡°If you doubt my words, go get an ultrasound examination and see for yourself.¡± With that, Culver stood up, straightened his white coat, and shot Aria a cold re. ¡°So young, yet already this reckless for quick sess¨Cjust to show off your supposed skills, youpletely disregard the patient¡¯s condition and make baseless ims about saving the baby!¡± ¡°Medicine isn¡¯t some child¡¯s y,¡± he continued sternly. ¡°Giving patients false hope without careful consideration is irresponsible. Who trained you? Have you got the medical license?¡± ¡°Aria has no medical license!¡± Just then, Cyril strode in, fixing Aria with a cold, usatory re, his tone heavy with usation. ¡°Practicing medicine without a license¨Cperforming acupuncture, prescribing medicine¨Cyour actions are a clear vition of thew!¡± Cyril entered with a sizable entourage. They all suspected Ariacked a medical license, but since she¡¯d managed to save Giana¡¯s baby, they turned a blind eye. Had Culver not stepped in, they might¡¯ve kept believing she was some miracle worker. Culver¡¯s face flushed crimson with rage. He mmed his fist on the table and shouted, ¡°How can someone like this still be allowed to practice medicine here? Call the police immediately! We must not tolerate such illegal conduct!¡± Ramon hadn¡¯t expected things to escte like this and quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. ¡°It was an emergency. Ms. Saxon intervened out of goodwill to save my daughter.¡± Though he knew Aria¡¯s background and trusted her abilities, as a hospital director bound by regtions, he couldn¡¯t let her continue treating his daughter. At that moment, Giana was consumed by pain and torment. Culver¡¯s devastating words-¡°miscarriage¡°-echoed in her mind like a death knell. She looked toward Aria in the crowd. With tears in her eyes, she cried out, ¡°It was me. I begged Aria desperately to save me! None of this is her fault!¡± Her voice trembling with emotion, she added, ¡°I won¡¯t let her treat me anymore.¡± Giana didn¡¯t fear death, but she didn¡¯t want to implicate Aria. With a trembling voice, she whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ terminate the pregnancy.¡± Aria took a step toward Giana, her voice calm yet resolute. ¡± I you your baby could be saved. Do you still believe me?¡± Giana¡¯s mind drifted back to the moment when Aria treated her¨Cthe unwavering focus and determination in Aria¡¯s eyes still vivid in her memory. She looked up, her voice barely above a whisper, ¡°Really? Is it possible?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Absolutely.¡± Giana said firmly, ¡°I trust you!¡± Aria tilted her head, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. A sardonic smile tugged at her lips as she said, ¡°I¡¯m genuinely curious what makes you all so certain I don¡¯t have a medical license?¡± Again Marriage 265 Chapter 265 Tension hung thick in the air. Someone broke the silence, their voice dripping with skepticism. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re actually iming to have a medical license from Erennd, hoht Cyril frowned deeply, his voice sharp with impatience and reproach. ¡°A foreign traditional medicine license can¡¯t be used here. Don¡¯t you even know such a simple fact?¡± Vincent interjected, ¡°Ms. Gibson said you¡¯d been working at Cole Group this whole time. How could you possibly have had time to get licensed?¡± Aria shot him a disdainful look. ¡°So you¡¯ll believe anything Hannah says? If she imed I was your mother, would you swallow that too?¡± Vincent¡¯s face darkened, then paled. Remembering who she was, he bit back his words. Culver¡¯s face darkened, his eyes shing with cold fury as he rebuked sharply, ¡°A medical license isn¡¯t hard to obtain. Every practitioner has one. So why is all this arrogance about? What kind of teacher could have produced a student like you?¡± Aria said with a dismissive tone, ¡°With one foot in the grave, maybe you should worry about yourself.¡± Furious once more, Culver pointed at her, left utterly speechless for a long moment. The onlookers were so stunned that no one dared utter a word. Even daring to confront someone as high¨Cstatus as Culver¨Cthat was Aria. Aria couldn¡¯t be bothered with them any longer. Turning to Giana, her tone softened noticeably. ¡°Get some rest and take your medicine on time. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡± Giana nodded firmly. ¡°I won¡¯t take their medication. You¡¯re the only one I trust.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Aria turned to leave when Culver¡¯s displeased voice snapped from behind her. ¡°Ramon, if you still trust Aria and insist on keeping your daughter¡¯s pregnancy, don¡¯te crying to me when disaster strikes. I won¡¯t be responsible! ¡°I don¡¯t have time for these trivial matters. I¡¯m here to push for the integration of traditional and modern medicine so we can ovee this epidemic.¡± ¡°My other main goal,¡± Culver continued, ¡°is to find my master¡¯s three medical manuscripts, obtain the National Doctor¡¯s Seal, and inherit his mantle.¡± At those words, Aria paused for just an instant, but she quickly regained herposure and walked out the door as if nothing had happened. Aria sent Owen a quick text and, after about ten seconds, saw him walking over from down the corridor. The moment Culver set foot in the hospital, news of his arrival spread like wildfire through the staff. Owen had obviously caught wind of the rumors too. With a hint of concern in his eyes, he asked, ¡°I heard Ramon had invited Culver to treat his daughter, right?¡± Aria gave a gentle nod. ¡°Yeah, he said Giana would miscarry.¡± Noticing Aria was distracted, Owen didn¡¯t press further. ¡®Something must have happened just now,¡® Owen thought. Aria took out her phone and searched for the president of Provincial Traditional Medicine Association, quickly pulling up Culver¡¯s credentials. It was impressive indeed. ¡®Impressive credentials, but as a person? Not so much,¡® Aria thought with a hint of disdain. Aria¡¯s fingers moved swiftly, scrolling down the screen as she searched intently. Suddenly, her gaze froze, locked on a particr line of text. [Dr. Tristan Todd¡¯s health has been deteriorating, and he has now been admitted to a sanatorium. The Todd School is highly likely to be passed to his student, Dr. Culver Webster.] The Todd family, a renowned lineage in traditional medicine, had preserved its acupuncture techniques for generations. Yet many core techniques had been lost to time, leaving most of its disciples with only a superficial grasp of the art. It wasn¡¯t until Tristan¡¯s generation that Todd School¡¯s acupuncture techniques were revitalized. He even pioneered his own innovative needling therapy, earning him the title of ¡°Father of Modern Acupuncture Research in Huthailia.¡± Again Marriage 266 Chapter 266 Throughout his life, Tristan saved countless lives from ordinary civilians to prominent leaders who made outstanding contributions to that Ration As a result, he was held in the highest esteem by the nation. Aria had long heard of Tristan¡¯s renowned reputation, yet had never met him in person. She kept searching for information about Tristan until she came across a photo. In the photo sat a silver¨Chaired old man in a wheelchair, his emaciated frame marked by deeply sunken cheeks and bony hands resting visibly The photo was taken from a distance, making the old man¡¯s features indistinct. Yet Aria recognized him instantly. ¡®That¡¯s him¨Cthe old man,¡® Aria realized. Aria realized with a jolt that the old traditional medicine practitioner she knew turned out to be Tristan! Aria was stunned. Why would Tristan, a man of such great renown and aplishments, quietly conceal his identity and show up in an obscure vige like Jamn? That was news from five years ago. Since then, there hadn¡¯t been a single trace of Tristan. No one even knew which sanatorium he was staying in. Aria was so lost in thought that she strayed off course without noticing. Noticing Aria drifting away from his side, Owen turned his head just in time to see her veering off course, heading straight for a tree trunk. In a sh, he lunged forward and, just before her forehead hit the tree trunk, firmly blocked it with his hand. Her forehead met something unexpectedly yielding, sending Aria stumbling back a step. She looked up to find Owen¡¯s hand still outstretched, shielding her from the thick tree trunk mere inches away. If she were alone, she wouldn¡¯t have been so deep in thought as to have walked straight into a tree. Aria thought, ¡®Is it because Owen is with me? Do I really trust him this much?¡® Owen withdrew his hand, gently grasped her arm, and pulled her close. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind? You seempletely lost in thought.¡± His gaze dropped slightly, catching a glimpse of her phone screen. Though the text was unclear, he could make out the wheelchair photo. ¡°Dr. Tristan Todd?¡± he asked. Aria looked at him. ¡°You know him?¡± Owen hesitated briefly and asked, ¡°Are you looking up Tristan because of Culver?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Tristan might actually be that old traditional medicine practitioner.¡± Owen looked surprised. ¡°That old traditional medicine practitioner who collected traditional medicines?¡± For a period of time, Tristan vanished from the public eye, and no one knew where he had gone. 1959 Thu 12 lun, Doa Chapter 266 ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria acknowledged. A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes as she looked at Owen. ¡°Culver is Tristan¡¯s student?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Yes, he became Tristan¡¯s student over a decade ago.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow in disbelief. ¡°Wait. Tristan actually took on a student that old?¡± Owen paused thoughtfully, recalling stories he¡¯d heard in his youth. A teasing smile crept onto his lips as he said, ¡°Maybe Culver was just thick skinned enough!¡± Tristan had only ever taken on one student and had long dered he would ept no more. Despite Tristan¡¯s initial refusal to take on more students, Culver¡¯s relentless persistence and genuine sincerity eventually won Tristan over, making him his second student. After Tristan retired and faded from public view, someone mentioned the arduous journey Culver had taken to be his student years ago. Culver¡¯s face instantly clouded over, and the atmosphere grew tense. Owen was present at the scene. While he admired Culver¡¯s contributions to the medical field, witnessing that incident cast doubt on the man¡¯s character. Owen exined, ¡°Five years ago, word got out that Tristan intended to pass the Todd School to Culver. But when the National Doctor¡¯s Seat and those precious medical books went missing, the session had to be put on hold. Culver has been searching for them ever since.¡± Again Marriage 267 Chapter 267 Medical books? Aria couldn¡¯t help but connect this with the items she¡¯d taken from the old traditional medicine practitioner¡¯s ce. There were exactly three books. These must be the medical books Culver was after. Before they knew it, Owen had walked Aria to Betty¡¯s ce. Noticing the slight furrow in her brow, he instinctively reached out and lightly ruffled her hair, withdrawing his hand instantly. ¡°You¡¯re home. Go get some sleep. Don¡¯t overthink it, or you¡¯ll have trouble sleeping.¡± His words came out faster than intended, the end of his sentence carrying a barely noticeable tremor. With that, he turned and strode off in the opposite direction, his steps hurried and urgent. The warmth on her head vanished instantly, reced by a biting cold wind. Aria¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®Did Owen just¡­ pat my head? ¡®Could he have mistaken me for Anabel? ¡®Do we really look alike?¡® Owen could still feel Aria¡¯s gaze fixed on his back. Thank god it was night. At least she couldn¡¯t see how flustered his steps were. He clenched his right hand, his throat working repeatedly as he swallowed. Only when he reached the door did his heartbeat finally settle. He had no idea why he¡¯d reached out to pat Aria¡¯s head. When he saw her frown, he instinctively wanted to smooth it out, and by the time he realized, his hand was already there. ¡®At least I only touched her head and not her brows,¡® he mused. ¡®Otherwise, that would¡¯ve really been crossing the line.¡® Owen stepped inside, just as he locked eyes with Caleb, who wasing out of the bathroom. Caleb was also staying there, sleeping on the living room couch. He stayed there instead of going back to the dorm, simply to be closer to Aria. They weren¡¯t used to sharing rooms, neither of them. Owen had initially offered his room to Caleb, but Caleb refused. If it weren¡¯t for Aria, Owen wouldn¡¯t have even thought of doing something so ¡®thoughtful.¡® After all, he only had the title of ¡®big brother¡®¨Cthere was no need to ept such favors. Caleb broke the silence first, his voice calm but probing. ¡°Why are you blushing?¡± ¡°Windburn. It¡¯s freezing out there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to shower.¡± Owen averted his gaze and headed to his room. Caleb frowned as he watched Owen walk into the room. ¡®It¡¯s not like today¡¯s the first cold day. Why haven¡¯t I ever seen his face get windburned before?¡® he wondered. 11:00 Thu 12 Jun Owen hade back with Aria. If Caleb didn¡¯t trust Owen¡¯s character, he would have suspected the guy was up to no good with Aria. ¡°Dr. Webster, I believe Aria has taken those medical books,¡± someone reported respectfully. Culver sat on the sofa, holding a printed photograph of a recess. The bottom of the recess was covered in dust, except for a clearly visible rectangr outline in the center¨Cobviously left by the medical books that had once been stored there. He instructed, ¡°Find a chance to search her ce. Those medical books are secondary. The seal is the real target.¡± The two exchanged uneasy nces. ¡°There are surveince cameras at the entrance. We¡¯re worried we might tip her off.¡± If they could find what they wanted, then fine. But if they couldn¡¯t, they would definitely tip her off. Culver ordered, ¡°Hire a hacker to disable the surveince.¡± The man answered, ¡°Understood, sir.¡± They left, gently closing the door behind them. Culver¡¯s mind shed with the image of Aria¡¯s cold, distant face. ¡®That girl is no simpleton,¡® he mused. ¡®I need to tread carefully around her and absolutely can¡¯t afford to offend her. ¡®If she catches wind of my ns, she¡¯ll show up with the seal and throw everything into chaos. Taking over Todd School would be next to impossible then. ¡®Dr. Todd really was lucky. He took in a random vige girl, only to discover she¡¯s so well¨Cconnected.¡¯ Just as Culver was about to rest, a sudden knock interrupted the silence. ¡°Dr. Webster, it¡¯s Hannah,¡± called a woman¡¯s voice from outside. He frowned in annoyance, about to refuse, but restrained himself and said curtly, ¡°Come in.¡± Hannah stepped inside, her expression barely concealing a trace of unease. With feigned concern, she asked, ¡°Dr. Webster, I heard Aria had been disrespectful to you. Is that true?¡± Beforeing, Culver had left no stone unturned in investigating Aria¡¯s background and social connections. Again Marriage 268 Chapter 268 At first, he considered approaching her with warmth, but then thought such behavior hardly befitted his position as president, The more time he spent with Aria, the easier it would be for her to find leverage against him. Better to keep his distance and treat her with cold indifference. Culver knew all about the feud between Aria and Hannah, and had guessed why Hannah came to him. Usually, he would have just ignored her, but now they shared amon goal. ¡°You kicked Mr. Harmon¡¯s daughter and still have time toe see me?¡± Culver took a sip of water, his manner deliberately lofty. Hannah hadn¡¯t expected him to know about it and looked embarrassed. ¡°Dr. Webster, there¡¯s been a misunderstanding, !¡­¡± Culver reached out to cut her off. ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Hannah gripped her clothes tightly, her face twisted in conflict. Through gritted teeth, she said, ¡°I suspect Aria is a murderer.¡± ¡°What?¡± Culver sprang up from his chair, shock written all over his face. Hannah repeated what she had heard, then added, ¡°The victim¡¯s identity has been confirmed. He was an insurance agent from Briteron who had been working out of town for years. The police have kept the news under wraps.¡± Culver¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°And what does this have to do with Aria?¡± ¡°The victim was Simon Tate, the younger brother of Aria¡¯s adoptive mother.¡± A smirk tugged at Hannah¡¯s lips before she quickly suppressed it, realizing something. ¡°Simon was involved in that insurance fraud case years ago.¡± After a long conversation with Culver, Hannah returned to her ce, barely able to contain her excitement. Trying to steady herself, she quickly dialed Liam¡¯s number. ¡°Liam, are you busy these days?¡± Liam shook his head. ¡°Not really.¡± Thanks to Lucius¡¯s impressive abilities, he¡¯d resolved an equipment malfunction and closed two major deals within just a week of taking office. Daniel trusted him more than ever. With the pressure off, Liam felt much more at ease and was eager to join the new virus research project. ¡°Hannah, I¡¯lle to Jamn the day after tomorrow.¡± Since bringing the medical books back, Aria hadn¡¯t touched them. The three booksy quietly on her desk, still sealed in stic wrap. Reaching out, she peeled off the stic wrap and picked up the first volume. The ancient leather cover and yellowed pages suggested it was one of Todd School¡¯s treasured medical manuscripts, handed down through generations. Compared to the first, the second book¡¯s cover was noticeably newer, with the handwritten words ¡°Acupuncture Therapy¡± on it. That was the old traditional medicine practitioner¡¯s handwriting. As her fingers brushed the medical book, she felt a distinct bump. She froze, then hastily opened the book to reveal a meticulously carved recess containing a vibrant red seal. Chapter 268 It was unconventional in shape t, with ¡°Todd School¡± engraved at its center. Intricate, exquisite patterns surrounded the two characters. Could this be Todd School¡¯s official seal?¡® she wondered, her heart pounding. Aria picked up the bloodstone seal and held it up to the light. ¡®I only tagged along with the old traditional medicine practitioner for three or four years, and he left me something this important?¡® she wondered. If Culver was meant to be Todd School¡¯s sessor, why didn¡¯t the old traditional medicine practitioner just give him these three medical books? Aria¡¯s expression grew serious. She picked up her phone, opened her chat with Owen, and typed, (Do you know much about Tristan?] Owen had just stepped out of the show his phone lit up. It was a message from Aria. water droplets trickling down his hair. He grabbed a towel to dry off and was about to blow¨Cdry his hair when He considered calling her, but when his eyes drifted to the living room and saw Caleb sitting on the couch, he hesitated. After a moment¡¯s pause, he gave up on the voice call and typed instead. [Tristan¡¯s full of vitality¨Cwitty, cheerful, and always in good spirits.] Tristan was always smiling and full of energy, but in the photo, he looked rmingly gaunt¨Calmost unrecognizable. Owen: [I know which sanatorium he¡¯s at. It¡¯s in Kanit City. Let¡¯s visit him after the epidemic is over.] Aria: [Okay. Thanks.] Aria pulled up a private investigator¡¯s website and transferred 30 thousand dors, typing, [Investigate Culver thoroughly.] ¡®He¡¯s probably after me,¡® she thought. ¡®He wants the seal.¡® Aria curled her lips into a cold smile as she logged into a jewelry shop and ced an order. Again Marriage 269 Chapter 269 In theb, a group of people huddled around aputer, their eyes glued to the screen. When the test results appeared on the screen, the tense atmosphere shattered instantly, reced by a chorus of joyful cheers erupting throughout the ¡°It¡¯s negative! Betty¡¯s recovered!¡± someone shouted at the top of their lungs, their voice trembling with barely contained excitement. To make sure, they ran three tests in a row and even drew extra blood for another round. Every single result came back negative¨Cno exceptions. And Betty has fully recovered as well. ¡°Heffner Hospital has also sessfully treated several patients, but even though those patients show no symptoms, their test results stille back positive. If our machine detected cases like that, it would probably getbeled as defective again.¡± ¡°Totally! That¡¯s their go¨Cto me game. They¡¯d love nothing more than to drag Ms. Saxon¡¯s name through the mud.¡± ¡°Now that they¡¯ve got Dr. Websteri¡¯s support, we need to step up our game. We can¡¯t lose!¡± One of the students quickly shushed the group, whispering urgently, ¡°Keep it down. Don¡¯t disturb Ms. Saxon while she¡¯s doing the pulse diagnosis.¡± The room fell silent in an instant. Aria gently withdrew her hand and offered a reassuring smile. ¡°Full recovery confirmed,¡± she announced. Hearing that, Betty¡¯s eyes crinkled into a warm smile. ¡°Thank you, everyone. You¡¯ve all worked so hard.¡± The graduate student leading the volunteer team from Mandino University smiled warmly and said, ¡°Betty, it¡¯s truly our pleasure. We¡¯re especially grateful for your trust in us.¡± They all knew that Betty was willing to cooperate only because she trusted Aria. Fueled by this trust, they worked even harder than cramming for finals, and finally achieved satisfying results. Aria handed her phone to the twomunication specialists. ¡°Many vigers in other towns are infected, and there¡¯s a shortage of medical staff. Do outreach ording to actual conditions. Let those in need know they cane to Jamn for treatment.¡± One of the guys instinctively took the phone, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. Then, as if remembering something, he joked half¨Cseriously, ¡°Ms. Saxon, if Mr. Shaw finds out you handed me your phone, he might just kick me.¡± Aria looked utterly confused and blurted out, ¡°How is Owen involved in this?¡± The male student scratched his head and, half¨Cjoking, said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you dating Mr. Shaw?¡± Aria blinked in surprise. ¡°What?¡± Hearing this, Aria¡¯s eyes widened involuntarily in shock. She eximed, ¡°Why on earth would you think Owen and I are dating?¡± Gossiping was human nature. A few outgoing girls crowded around Aria, grinning. One of them asked eagerly, ¡°Ms. Saxon, wait, so you two aren¡¯t dating?¡± Aria shot back, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, ¡°Do we really look like we¡¯re dating?¡± One of the girls giggled and teased, ¡°Ms. Saxon, haven¡¯t you noticed? Mr. Shaw is always right behind you, taking care of everything for you. Honestly, he¡¯s so eager. He might as well tag along you everywhere!¡± 74%0 One of the girls chimed in, ¡°We totally figured you guys were already an item!¡± Aria was momentarily speechless, then rified, ¡°We¡¯re just friends, not dating.¡± Someone gasped, ¡°What? Mr. Shaw still hasn¡¯t won you over yet?¡± Aria sighed helplessly. ¡°He¡¯s not pursuing me. We¡¯re just close friends. That¡¯s all.¡± Betty looked at Aria and sighed. At her age, she could easily see how Owen felt about Madelyn. It was just a shame the girl herself hadn¡¯t realized it yet. The third¨Cyear grad student happened to nce toward the door and instantly spotted that familiar figure. A knowing smile curled at her lips as she teased, ¡°Speak of the devil! Herees Mr. Shaw.¡± In an instant, all eyes in the room snapped toward Owen as he stepped through the door, their gazes locking onto him with the intensity of spotlights- brimming with barely concealed gossip and curiosity. Aria looked at Owen, a flicker of doubt in her eyes. If one person misunderstood and thought Owen had feelings for her, that was normal. But if everyone did, maybe there was more to it. She had always thought Owen was gentle and warm¨Cnot just to her, but to everyone. Come to think of it, she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever seen Owen with any other female friends. The moment Owen walked in, he immediately picked up on the weird vibe. He walked steadily toward the group, his gaze immediately locking onto Aria. With a gentle smile, he said, ¡°I heard Betty had recovered. The tank is full. I¡¯m here to take her home.¡± He then turned to Betty and asked gently, ¡°Betty, we can go home whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± Betty looked at Aria with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯d like to stay and help out¨Ccook for the kids and help with the outreach as well.¡± ¡°Fighting this disease is tough work, and my single recovery case isn¡¯t nearly enough,¡± said Betty, who needed no medical degree to grasp this truth. Just as Aria was about to speak up, Betty grasped her hand and gave it a gentle, reassuring pat. With a warm smile, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, dear. I know my limits. I won¡¯t do anything too strenuous. I¡¯ll just help out with some light chores.¡± Betty turned to Owen, ¡°Owen, Madelyn needs to go to the livestock quarantine center. Could you give her a ride?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± The guy who¡¯d taken Aria¡¯s phone asked, ¡°Mr. Shaw, have you been busytely?¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°Not too much.¡± The male student asked Aria, ¡°Ms. Saxon, can we have Mr. Shaw handle the outreach in the group chat?¡± The ount added to the group chat was Aria¡¯s secondary one, which didn¡¯t contain any private content. She had another phone with her. Since he¡¯d offered, she couldn¡¯t just refuse. ¡°That works,¡± she conceded. The male student handed the phone to Owen and briefly exined the tasks. ¡°Mr. Shaw, thanks for handling this.¡± Owen smiled faintly. ¡°This is straightforward. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± ??? C Then Owen looked at Aria and asked gently, ¡°Ready to go?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria said. After getting in the car, Owen pulled out his phone, the glow of the screen highlighting the concern in his eyes. He said quietly, ¡°I found some information about Tristan. Here, take a look.¡± Aria froze for a split second before hurriedly pulling out her phone. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. The first thing Aria saw was a photo of Tristan lying in a hospital bed, hooked on to medical equipment. Hey unconscious, his face pale and lifeless. Aria¡¯s heart clenched painfully as her eyes fell on the three shocking words in the diagnosis report. She whispered in shock, ¡°Brain death?¡± Owen pressed his lips together, his expression grave. He nodded. ¡°Yes. ¡°Five years ago, Dr. Todd was assaulted by a deceased patient¡¯s family member,¡± Owen exined. ¡°That person was sentenced to over a decade and is still behind bars.¡± Again Marriage 270 Chapter 270 The ident was hushed up. The public was only told that Tristan had been admitted to a sanatorium for health reasons. Owen noticed the restrained emotions in Aria¡¯s eyes. He said gently, ¡°Betty has recovered. This outbreak will be over soon,¡± Aria thought once the outbreak was over, she¡¯d finally be able to visit Tristan. ¡°Mm.¡± Aria replied softly,posing herself. The car sped down the road, and before long, they arrived at the pig farm. Jamn¡¯s main ie came from their pig farm until swine fever forced its closure. Withpensation from the government and under the leadership of the vigemunity, everyone shifted to growing crops. Following Aria¡¯s proposal to centralize livestock and poultry management, the vige chief promptly repurposed the disused pig farm. The vige head, Winston, was already waiting at the gate. Spotting them, he hurried forward and handed over the veterinary needles he had prepared. ¡°Here are the needles you asked for,¡± he said. Now that Betty was safe and sound, Aria could finally go there with peace of mind. Winston asked, ¡°Madelyn, I heard Betty tested negative and had recovered, right?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have enough samples. If more people recovered, we could collect blood samples to iste antibodies and develop effective treatments or even a vine for those infected.¡± Her words made it clear that with enough samples, the research would seed. Winston paused briefly, then remarked casually, ¡°Those young interns are still just students. It must be quite challenging for you to work alone. Madelyn, why not join the medical team instead?¡± Aria looked up, her gaze lingering on Winston¡¯s face for two seconds. ¡°What I need is absolute obedience. The team can¡¯t provide that, nor would they trust me either. ¡°Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be questioning the medical equipment I/donated.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Winston agreed. They even doubt the equipment, let alone her medical skills. Aria continued, ¡°Those kids are all bright students, but what theyck is practical, real¨Cworld experience. Back when we were all on equal footing in the team, anyone could speak up freely with their ideas, and we¡¯d work together to solve any problem. ¡°But once things get too hierarchical, only the higher¨Cups get to decide what¡¯s right. If the experts really knew what they were doing, maybe that would work, but sadly, that¡¯s just not how it is¡­¡± Aria paused briefly before continuing, ¡°Cyril was already difficult enough to deal with, and now, we¡¯ve got Culver to contend with too.¡± Winston had also heard about what happened to Giana. His eyes lit up with understanding as he smiled and said, ¡°I get it now. Madelyn, you¡¯re absolutely right.¡± Owen listened quietly. Before bed the previous night, he¡¯d found out what had happened. Despite Culver¡¯s best efforts to conceal it, Owen had long noticed that his patients fell into only two categories: the wealthy and the powerful. Thu, 12 Jun P Culver wasn¡¯t the kind of person who woulde to Jamn just to treat the infected. His real reason foring was Aria, Owen suspected that Culver believed the National Doctor¡¯s Seal was with Aria. Aria tumed to Winston and said gently, ¡°Mr. Morton, let me take your pulse.¡± Winston¡¯s eyes darkened as he suppressed the turmoil within, then extended his hand. Aria gently ced her fingertips on Winston¡¯s wrist to check his pulse. After a moment, she said solemnly, ¡°You¡¯re infected.¡± Winston had suspected he might be infected even before Madelyn offered to check his pulse, so he wasn¡¯t all that surprised. He managed a wry smile and asked, ¡°Madelyn, can you really tell if someone¡¯s infected just by looking at their face?¡± Given how swamped he was with vige affairs, constantly on the go without protective gear, he had long been mentally prepared for getting infected. Aria nodded. ¡°Infected individuals show subtle changes in their eyes andplexion.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Are the caretakers here?¡± Winston nodded. ¡°They¡¯re in the livestock barn. I¡¯ll call them over now.¡± Momentster, four women hurried over, wearing medical masks but no protective suits. Aria examined them one by one, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper. ¡°You¡¯re all infected,¡± she said gravely. ¡°Go get a full medical screening immediately.¡± The four women stared at Aria in disbelief, unable to process what they¡¯d just heard. One of the women eximed in disbelief, ¡°But we haven¡¯t been near anyone else. How could we have gotten infected?¡± Again Marriage 271 Chapter 271 One of the women argued, ¡°But all our meals were delivered contactless to our doorstep! We always waited several minutes before picking them up. How could we possibly be infected?¡± Winston said with guilt, ¡°It must¡¯ve been me who infected you all. I¡¯m so sorry,dies.¡± Aria paused thoughtfully, then said gently, ¡°Perhaps the source wasn¡¯t you, Mr. Morton. It might have been livestock and poultry¡± Winston shuddered violently. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Violet the source of the infection?¡± Aria exined, ¡°Violet was most likely infected as well. While human to human transmission of this virus is possible, the likelihood is rtively low with proper protective measures, routine contact usually won¡¯t lead to infection.¡± That was the conclusion Aria had reached through her observations and research over this period. Winston wanted to ask why she hadn¡¯t spoken up sooner, but he bit back the words. Given how dismissive everyone had been before, they likely wouldn¡¯t have believed her anyway. Aria had long advised them to wear full protective gear when handling the livestock, but they failed toply. The same went for herbal preventive treatments¡­ Winston¡¯s face was etched with remorse as he hung his head, his voice heavy with guilt. ¡°There were just too many livestock, and the demand for medicinal herbs was overwhelming. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t follow your instructions.¡± The cost of medicinal materials far exceeded the value of livestock and poultry. Without concrete proof, the vigers wouldn¡¯t risk spending heavily on medicinal herbs just to save their livestock. ¡°Madelyn, thank goodness you insisted on centralized management of the livestock beforehand. Otherwise, the infection would have spread to so many more people,¡± Winston said, his voice thick with emotion. ¡°I¡­ I truly can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± She had never benefited from Jamn, yet she was the one who gave the most. Tears welled up in Winston¡¯s eyes. He had conveyed all of Aria¡¯s instructions to everyone, word for word. No wonder infections kept rising in other viges, while Jamn, the initial epicenter, saw little growth in new cases. At first, they assumed the low infection rate was because the main research efforts were concentrated in Jamn. Only then did it dawn on them that the real reason was that the source of infection had been kept away from them. Winston looked at Madelyn and said earnestly, ¡°Go ahead and treat me. I¡¯ll volunteer as one of your samples.¡± The women nearby, who had been keeping a close eye on the outbreak situation, all nodded firmly in unison when they learned that Betty had fully recovered. ¡°We¡¯ll volunteer too!¡± If even someone as elderly as Betty could recover, they were sure they¡¯d get better soon too. Aria nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll send a car here for you guys.¡± Aria sent a text message. When the car arrived, two volunteers stepped out and handed her protective suits. ¡°Ms. Saxon, we¡¯ll go in with you.¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°I can handle it alone. Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing More and more infected people will being to the medical center soon. It¡¯s going to get busy.¡± One of the volunteers said, ¡°Take care, Ms. Saxon.¡± After the two got in the car, Aria noticed Owen was still standing there. She frowned. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Owen replied casually, ¡°I¡¯m no doctor¨Cjust decent at cooking. Since lunch is over, I¡¯ll stick around and help out.¡± He helped with data collection andption, logistics coordination, supply transport and management, crowd control, disinfection procedures. He¡¯d been working tirelessly behind the scenes, but then, he just casually mentioned cooking, as if that were all he¡¯d done. Aria said, ¡°You¡¯re really downying yourself.¡± The volunteers who overheard their exchange were stunned. ¡®Ms. Saxon is seriously blunt,¡® the volunteers thought. Owen couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, then turned to the volunteers for a protective suit. As they handed him the items, both volunteers lowered their voices and said, ¡°Mr. Shaw, Ms. Saxon denies you¡¯re pursuing her. This is your perfect chance to impress her. Don¡¯t waste it.¡± They¡¯d all seen how devoted Owen was and would be more than happy to see him be with Aria. That was why everyone called him ¡°Mr. Shaw¡± instead of ¡°Owen¡°-using a term like that would not match with Ms. Saxon. Owen chuckled quietly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡®Just not right now,¡® Owen thought to himself. The volunteers cheered, ¡°Go for it, Mr. Shaw! Go for Aria!¡± A Again Marriage 272 They got too excited and ended up shouting without realizing it. Aria turned her head to look. Locking eyes unexpectedly, the two hurriedly rolled up the windows and urged the driver, ¡°Go! Go!¡± The car sped away. Aria¡¯s ¡®s gaze followed the departing car. After a moment, a puzzled look crossed her face. Aria wondered, ¡®Why are they running away?¡® Owen stiffly turned back around. Aria arched her brows, her usual sharpness softened. Her delicate features retained their cool, distant air. There was no anger, no frown, not even a hint of irritation. Owen hesitated, carefully choosing his words as he tentatively exined, ¡°They were just messing around. It won¡¯t happen again, so, don¡¯t take it to heart, okay?¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t messing around,¡± Aria said. Her voice was clear and t, devoid of emotion, as if she were simply stating an ordinary fact. His heart clenched suddenly, skipping a beat. His breath caught, and his pupils widened. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t think straight. Owen stammered, ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t mind?¡± Aria noticed Owen¡¯s slightly flustered expression but didn¡¯t dwell on it. ¡°The volunteers usually call me Ms. Saxon, but I¡¯m not much older than them. It was fine for them to call me Aria.¡± Aria looked away and turned inside. Owen felt the tension in his chest ease as his heart finally settled. To his surprise, he wasn¡¯t disappointed or upset¨Cjust deeply relieved. ¡®Thank goodness she misunderstood,¡¯ he thought. Aria didn¡¯t have any romantic feelings for him, so Owen kept his own well hidden. He couldn¡¯t risk giving her a chance to turn him down. Now that Aria¡¯s heart was sealed off, if she ever found out¡­ Given her personality, Owen probably wouldn¡¯t even get the chance to get close to her. Aria walked at a steady pace, but her thoughts grew increasingly tangled. ¡®There¡¯s nothing wrong with being called ¡®Aria¡®,¡¯ she thought. ¡°So why did he say I shouldn¡¯t mind?¡± Aria thought, ¡®Go for Aria?¡® ¡®So that¡¯s why the young interns told him to go for me. They thought Owen had feelings for me.¡® Not all the volunteers were around when she gave her exnation. Once they returned and learned the truth from others, they probably wouldn¡¯t misunderstand again. But Owen¡¯s expression looked a little off. $11.00 Thu, 12 Jun ODB Chapter 272 Aria Instinctively stopped and turned around. ¡°Owen, are you¡­¡± The world suddenly went dark as a solid wall of muscle crashed into her. The momentum sent her stumbling back. She instinctively nted one foot behind her, barely catching her bnce. Aria looked up, meeting Owen¡¯s eyes¨Cwide with surprise and a hint of confusion. Owen swallowed hard and asked, ¡°Why did you stop all of a sudden?¡± It was a t, emotionless question¨Ccalm and still. Aria studied his face. His brows were finely arched,shes downcast, his gaze deep and unreadable¨Cbetraying little emotion. Perhaps it was the exhaustion of the past few days, but his cheeks looked more hollow than usual. ¡®Nothing seems amiss,¡® she thought. Under her gaze, Owen¡¯s heart was pounding wildly¨Cnot from attraction, but from sheer panic and rm. Lost in thought, Owen didn¡¯t notice Aria¡¯s sudden stop. By the time he realized, his momentum carried him forward before he could stop, and he collided right into her. Aria wondered to herself, ¡®Owen, are you¡­ into me?¡® He knew exactly what she was about to say. Aria frowned in confusion, thought for a moment, then asked directly, ¡°Back at the medical station, they asked if we were dating.¡± Owen¡¯s eyes shed with surprise and he frowned slightly. ¡°Unbelievable! How could such a rumor spread?¡± His expression was serious and his tone sincere. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Rumors like this could damage your reputation. I¡¯ll rify things.¡± Aria wanted to ask him if he liked her, but held herself back. Instead, she said casually, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve cleared things up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then,¡± Owen said, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly as he averted his gaze. Again Marriage 273 He said, ¡°With the rising number of infected, medical equipment and medicine will soon run short, Caleb¡¯s gone to procurs more. He¡¯s warned you¡¯re overworking yourself. ¡°We¡¯re neighbors, so looking out for each other is only natural. You¡¯re doing something big, saving lives. My own charity ns didn¡¯t work out, so i figured I¡¯d volunteer during the pandemic and do what I can to help you out.¡± Anyone familiar with Owen knew whenever he felt guilty or had something to hide, he¡¯d unconsciously start overexining Aria wasn¡¯t that familiar with Owen yet, but hearing his words, a rxed smile bloomed across her face. ¡°You¡¯ve done more than enough.¡± Aria said, ¡°Let¡¯s head inside.¡± Watching her walk away, Owen thought to himself, ¡®Thank God I exined in time! Managing a strained smile, he nodded and replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Outside the pig farm stood makeshift living quarters. Aria and Owen donned their protective suits before heading inside. The wooden pig pens were built with ts, their offering glimpses of the interior. Huddled weakly in the corners, the pigs, cows, and sheep looked listless, showing little sign of life. Even the usually energetic cats, dogs, chickens, cks, and geese nowy weakly on the ground, their usual liveliness gone. The feeding troughs were piled with food, only about half of it eaten. Despite signs of cleaning, patchy stains of vomit and waste still lingered on the ground. Owen followed Aria toward the pigsty. Nearly twenty pigs nced their way, but most showed no reaction, remaining in their slumped or prone positions. Only a few managed weak, asional grunts. Aria crouched down to take a closer look. The pigs¡® skin looked a bit red, especially around the base of their ears. It looked like they¡¯d got a fever. The two then proceeded to check the other livestock pens. In Jamn, pigs and cattle were the main livestock, with few sheep and no horses. Based on visible symptoms alone, most were suspected to be infected. Chickens, ducks, and geese showed no symptoms, while about half of the dogs, cats, and rabbits were suspected to be infected. Arge quantity of veterinary blood collection kits was needed. Aria stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s separate the asymptomatic cats, dogs, and rabbits into different pens. Time to work.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Owen said. They started by separating the easiest ones first¨Cthe cats and rabbits¨Cleaving the dogs forst. The dogs that still had energy were barking like crazy, their deafening noise making their eardrums ache. The only two dogs that were tied up¨Cbothrge and muscr¨Cwere barking the loudest. They lunged forward so violently that their leashes strewed taut, looking ready to snap at any moment. With those two leading the charge, the rest of the pack erupted into a frenzy. Aria blocked Owen¡¯s path with an outstretched arm. ¡°Keep your distance,¡± she warned. 11:00 Thu, 12 Jun D D D ??? Owen considered how to handle them. Knocking them out with a kick might work, but he was afraid he¡¯d use too much force. Aria said, ¡°Step back. I¡¯ll handle this. Pass me the medical tools.¡± Those two years she spent learning animal acupuncture from Gael were finally paying off. Owen caught on immediately, quickly took a few steps back, and opened the medical kit. Aria pulled out a needle. Seizing the split¨Csecond pause of one of the dogs, her lightning, striking true into a critical pressure point. wrist snapped with practiced precision¨Cthe silver needle shot out like The once¨Cfrenzied dog gradually calmed down. Its body slowly sank to the ground, thenpsed into a drowsy, semi¨Ccoriscious state. Owen carefully carried the sedated dog to another pen. The barking grew even more deafening. Aria once again applied the needte, while Owen took charge of the transfer. The barking quieted down considerably. Aria eyed the dogs, holding a needle. ¡°Are you going to move to another ce on your own, or shall I make you?¡± Even the two leashed dogs didn¡¯t dare to make another sound. Working together, Aria and Owen effortlessly moved all the asymptomatic dogs. AD Again Marriage 274 Chapter 274 Leaving the pig farm, Aria and Owen stripped off their hazmat suits and headed back. In the car, Aria didn¡¯t even pause to rest before urgently texting Caleb. (Caleb, we needrge quantities of veterinary blood collection kits ASAP! Caleb replied instantly, [Got it. On it right now.] Meanwhile, after reporting the situation to his superiors, Winston sent thepiled containment n to the other vige heads¨Conly to be met with a wave of skepticism. The medical staff confirmed that the source of infection was humans, not poultry or livestock. They all thought Winston was talking nonsense. After all, the outbreak started in Jamn. If it were human¨Cto¨Chuman transmission, those infected could still receive government¨Cfunded treatment. But if the source was livestock or poultry, their only fate would be mass culling. None would be spared, not the pigs, cattle, sheep, nor even the dogs and cats. That was the quickest and most fail¨Csafe containment measure. Briteron¡¯s economic lifeline was pig farming, while Greino relied on sheep husbandry For those small¨Cscale farmers, the loss of their livestock would be financially devastating. Rather than ept that oue, everyone preferred to believe it was a case of human¨Cto¨Chuman transmission. One vige head messaged him privately. [Listen, Winston, whether the source is human or animal, it all started in Jamn. Lost ie is just one part of it¨Cthink of all the people who took out loans to raise livestock. If this information gets out, it¡¯s your vige that¡¯ll take the fall, not us.] Winston understood his point, but he knew that unless the source was eliminated, this outbreak would never truly end. Winston let out a long sigh. With no other choice, he shifted to requiring all vigers handling livestock to wear hazmat suits. As a result, the demand for hazmat suits would only continue to soar. Fortunately, the authorities acted swiftly, locking down the viges before the outbreak could spread further. For the time being, supplies and manpower were just barely sufficient to keep the situation under control. The vige heads all reported that they had issued orders. Aria and Owen returned to theb. As soon as they entered the school¨Cturnedb, a mor of voices engulfed them. The vigers rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing Betty back on her feet and helping out dissolved the vigers¡® doubts. They willingly stayed for treatment. Aria slipped into herb coat and dove straight into her work, while Owen headed off to assist elsewhere. Hearing that many vigers had flocked to those students for help, Hannah¡¯s face twisted in disbelief. She couldn¡¯t help sneering, ¡°Letting a bunch of students treat them? Those vigers must have lost their minds!¡± Someone sneered, ¡°Ms. Gibson, you¡¯re a Mandino University graduate too. Why look down on your school mates?¡± Hannah put on a righteous front. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking down on them. They have no field experience¨Cjust book smarts. How could they treat patients properly?¡± A viger shot back, ¡°They cured Betty. You¡¯re not seriously suggesting their equipment was faulty, are you?¡± Hannah was rendered speechless. After all, her team still hadn¡¯t managed to turn any patients negative, while other teams had. Hannah cleared her throat and tried to sound upbeat. ¡°Come on, guys. Don¡¯t let a bunch of students outshine us.¡± The team merely shot Hannah a brief, indifferent nce before burying themselves back in their work. The only sounds left in theb were the hum of equipment and the rustle of paper. Hannah utterly ignored, humiliation burning in her chest. Since the Giana incident, the staff at Heffner Hospital had been growing increasingly dissatisfied with Hannah. After all, Ramon, dean of Heffner Hospital had personallye to Jamn. Anyone showing support for Hannah would surely incur his resentment. She must develop an inhibitor to prevent the spread of the virus as soon as possible. At the thought of Liaming to support her, Hannah felt a surge of determination. As night fell, the pig farm zed with light. Again Marriage 275 Chapter 275 Caleb rushed back and immediately took charge, directing the veterinary student volunteers to carry the Blood collection The volunteers worked with practiced efficiency, swiftly unloading crate after crate of blood collection kits from the vehicle The superviso: hurried forward to coordinate. The team donned hazmat suits and immediately began the blood collection work. The higher authorities took the issue reported by Winston very seriously and swiftly decided to quarantine and treat all livestock and poultry. While culling was indeed the most straightforward and effective approach, no one could guarantee that simr outbreaks wouldn¡¯t ur again. Address the root cause first. Culling would only be implemented as thest resort. On this fateful day, someone burst breathlessly into Aria¡¯sb. ¡°Ms. Saxon! Emergency! The medical team just reported their first death case. It was a little girl!¡± Aria¡¯s expression hardened, her eyes shing with shock and grief. The indicator lights on the equipment kept shing, but Aria ignored them. She ripped off her gloves and strode toward the exit, demanding, ¡°Give me the details.¡± ¡°The child¡¯s name was Violet. She was among the first infected cases, and herpromised immune system made treatment especially challenging Early this morning, her EKG monitor tlined. The doctors fought to save her for two hours, but in the end, they couldn¡¯t bring her back.¡± Aria nearly ran into Owen as they met head¨Con at the doorway. Before Aria could say a word, Owen said, ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯llfort Betty.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria said. Aria rushed to the scene. A medical worker cradled the child. The little girl was tightly swaddled in a heavy nket, only her small face exposed¨Cits deathly bluish pallor a chilling sight. Kate knelt on the ground, desperately clinging to the medical worker¡¯s leg as two staff members struggled to pull her away. ¡°She¡¯s gone. We must rush her to the city crematorium for immediate cremation.¡± With bloodshot eyes and a voice cracking with hysteria, Kate screamed, ¡°She¡¯s not dead! No one is taking my granddaughter away from me!¡± Amid the chaotic crowd, Aria was stuck outside. She immediately called Owen. ¡°Owen, sterilize my needles. I¡¯m on my way back. ¡°Okay,¡± Owen said immediately. Aria hung up and forced her way inside. ¡°Give Violet to me!¡± The medical staff restraining Kate froze at Aria¡¯s words. Seizing the moment, Kate broke free and scrambled on her knees to Aria¡¯s side. Tears streaming down her face, she begged desperately, ¡°Madelyn, please save Violet!¡± Crying hysterically, Kate sobbed, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, so sorry! I should have trusted you and let you treat Violet sooner. I was wrong, so terribly wrong!¡± 11:01 Thu, 12 Jun 0 DI Consumed by remorse, Kate¡¯sce was drenched in tears as she sobbed uncontrobly. ¡®Betty told me to take Violet to Madelyn for treatment! Why didn¡¯t I listen? Why didn¡¯t I trust her? Kate thought in anguish. ¡°Kate, get up,¡± Aria said, locking eyes with them. She repeated, more firmly, ¡°Give me the child.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the nurse holding Violet was quite young. Just as she was about to hand the child over, Hannah lunged forward and grabbed Aria¡¯s wrist. She dered sternly, ¡°This corpse carries a massive viral load. If we don¡¯t cremate it immediately, the virus could spread and infect countless innocent people. ¡°Believe me, this isn¡¯t easy for us either, but for the greater good, we have no other choice.¡± ¡°Aria, I know you grew up in Jamn and want to save these willers.¡± Hannah said sternly. ¡°But the child is dead. If you take the corpse.away, you¡¯re being irresponsible to the people of Jamn!¡± Upon hearing this, Kate exploded with rage. She lunged at Hannah, grabbing her by the throat, her face contorted with fury. ¡°You murderer! How dare you stop Madelyn from saving her! How dare you!¡± Kate roared with fury, her grip tightening with murderous intent as she tried to strangle Hannah. Hannah desperately gripped Kate¡¯s wrists around her throat, but the enraged woman¡¯s strength was so overwhelming that she couldn¡¯t budge her an inch. Again Marriage 276 Chapter 276 Two medical workers rushed over. One of them shouted, ¡°You¡¯re strangling her! Let go now!¡± Kate held on tight. 701% Hannah drove her knee hard into Kate¡¯s stomach. As Kate recoiled in pain, Hannah shoved her away and exploded, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for us, your damn vige would¡¯ve been wiped out! Instead of showing any gratitude, you bite the hand that feeds you. Have you no shame?¡± Kate shouted, ¡°It was you! You¡¯re the one who hurt Violet!¡± Kate shrieked and lunged at Hannah again, her nails shing toward Hannah¡¯s face. ¡°You bitch! It was you who badmouthed Madelyn! You said she didn¡¯t have a medical license! You misled me! This is all your fault!¡± Before Hannah could react, Kate viciously tore off her mask, leaving several deep, bleeding scratches across her cheeks. Amid the renewedmotion, Kate was pinned to the ground. Hannah was about tosh out when a colleague stopped her. ¡°Ms. Gibson, are you trying to repeat the Giana incident?¡± Hannah froze abruptly, her eyes zing with resentment and unwillingness. She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to endure jt. Liam rushed to the scene. Seeing themotion, he quickened his pace and called out urgently, ¡°Hannah! What happened here?¡± Hannah¡¯s icy gaze instantly melted when she spotted Liam. She rushed into his arms, her voice thick with tears. ¡°Liam, thank God you¡¯re finally here!¡± Seeing her face covered in bloody scratches, Liam¡¯s heart ached. He hurried over and asked urgently, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The little girl died from a severe infection. She had a high viral load. We must send her body to the city for immediate cremation, but her grandmother won¡¯t let us take the body. And¡­¡± As she spoke, Hannah looked pointedly at Aria. Aria cradled Violet in her arms, her fingers lightly checking the girl¡¯s pulse before pressing several critical acupressure points on her body. Hannah sneered inwardly. ¡®Teaching fish to swim. What a joke!¡® Hannah said with fake confusion, ¡°Aria is a medical professional. She should know better. Yet she actually wanted to take Violet¡¯s body away!¡± At those words, Liam¡¯s expression shifted slightly as he followed Hannah¡¯s gaze. Aria, d in a whiteb coat, turned away with a grave expression, cradling the child in her arms. A medical worker chased after her and called out, ¡°Ms. Saxon, Violet is already dead. Where are you taking her?¡± Aria shot back, ¡°She¡¯s not dead!¡± With that, Aria strode away, carrying Violet firmly in her arms. Hearing this, Kate scrambled after her, nearly tripping over herself in her desperation. The medical staff exchanged bewildered nces, stunned and perplexed. One of the medics gasped, ¡°An says Violet¡¯s still alive? Is there still hope?¡± ¡°But she¡¯s showing no vital signs! The virus infiltrated all her major organs. How could anyone possibly revive her?¡± A crushing weight pressed on everyone¡¯s hearts, leaving them utterly miserable. 61%B 20 She was just a two¨Cyear¨Cold, sweet and well¨Cbehaved, never caused any trouble or cried. They all adored the little girl and couldn¡¯t bear to see anything happen to her. But deep down, they knew the chances of saving her were painfully slim¨Calmost impossible. The oppressive atmosphere hung heavy when Hannah abruptly cut in, ¡°If Aria wants to show off, she shouldn¡¯t mess around with corpses¨Cespecially one carrying a virus. ¡°If the whole Jamn gets wiped out because of her reckless actions¡­¡± A nurse cut her off impatiently. ¡°Just shut it, will you? All you ever do is badmouth Aria. If it weren¡¯t for her, would Giana¡¯s baby have made it? Would you even be standing here bbering?¡± Hannah instantly retorted, ¡°Dr. Webster already dered that Giana would miscarry. Aria didn¡¯t save her at all!¡± The nurse scoffed, ¡°Yeah, right! Just wait and see how Mr. Harmon deals with Hannah¡¯s heart sank, and her face instantly drained of color. If that day really came, Ramon would never let her off the hook. you¨Cthe ¡®culprit.¡± Hannah¡¯s grip on Liam¡¯s hand trembled involuntarily as she took several deep breaths, trying to steady herself. As the crowd dispersed, only Hannah and Liam remained. Again Marriage 277 Chapter 277 Hannah clung to his arm and pleaded, ¡°Liam, it¡¯s not like they said¡­¡± She tried to wash her hands of any me, her words dripping with grievance. Liam barely took in the words. The image of the little girl¡¯s ghostly pale, bloodless face kept surfacing in his mind. He couldn¡¯t help but recall the darkest hours when he was battling a severe virus infection. They were going to burn him alive, just to make sure the virus wouldn¡¯t spread further. 6120 He was lying in a heap of bodies, and no one cared whether he lived or died. Every single second, despair and fear gnawed away at me from the inside out. The little girl¡¯s situation was eerily simr to his own. Liam opened his mouth, intending tofort Hannah, but the words failed him. Back then, Hannah had done exactly what Aria was doing. But all Hannah did was me Aria, tossing around words like ¡°corpse¡± and ¡°virus¡°-not a trace ofpassion for the little girl. Liam stared at this unfamiliar version of her, his heart churning with conflicting emotions. Things had subtly changed, Hannah had, and so had he. Aria leapt out of the car, clutching Violet tightly as she sprinted into the ER andid her on the crash cart. The two boys rushed over. When they saw the little girl¡¯s condition, a wave of despair washed over them. One of them choked out, his voice trembling, ¡°Ms. Saxon¡­¡± Owen had the acupuncture needles prepared in advance, quickly opening the sterile packs and cing them on the nearby table. As Aria undressed Violet for the procedure, she ordered firmly, ¡°Everyone out, now.¡± Owen said, ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll be right outside. Call me stat if you need anything.¡± The two boys, having never witnessed such a scene before, stood frozen in ce. Owen grabbed their arms and pulled them out. Aria kept performing CPR on Violet nonstop throughout the ambnce ride. At that critical moment, acupuncture was the fastest emergency treatment avable. Aria took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then plucked a needle from the table, carefully positioning it above Violet¡¯s philtrum. As the tip of the needle was about to touch the skin, her hand suddenly trembled violently out of control, causing her to miss the insertion point. Through the gap in the door, Owen caught sight of Aria¡¯s trembling hand. His heart sank. He averted his gaze, reminded of how shaken she¡¯d been after treating Giana that night. Her hands were just as unsteady as that night. Owen couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®What on earth has she been through?¡® Aria shut her eyes tightly and drew a deep breath. As she opened them, her hand visibly steadied. Without the slightest hesitation, she inserted the needle swiftly. Next, she inserted needles into the palm, the sole, and finally a critical cardiac acupoint next to the heart. 13:13 Fri, 13 Jun G With bated breath and unwavering focus, Aria steadily inserted the needle. Afterpleting the acupuncture, Aria was drenched in sweat once again, but she was coping better thanst time. Aria groped for a chair and sank into it, exhaling several deep, shaky breaths. Kate came running to the door, only to be stopped by Owen. He said gently, ¡°Mrs. Livingston, Aria is doing everything she can to save your granddaughter. The best we can do now is wait.¡± K¨¢te nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face. Her legs gave way and she dropped to her knees. ¡°God, please, I¡¯m begging you! Save Violet! Help her pull through this!¡± With that, Kate prayed desperately with crossed fingers. Kate sobbed desperately, ¡®God, please! I swear I¡¯ll never y poker games again, never take another penny from Madelyn! Just let Violet recover. I¡¯d dly give up years of my life, even trade my life for hers!¡® Owen¡¯s heart was heavy, but he could say nothing. For Kate, this was all she could do now. +20) The two young men felt their eyes sting with emotion, yet neither moved to help Kate up. They simply stood by, silently praying for emergency treatment to seed. After what felt like an eternity, Aria finally detected vital signs on Violet. A spark of hope shed in her eyes. AD Again Marriage 278 hapter 278 Chapter 278 Vital signs were faint, but there was life. Aria quickly fitted the ventil¨¢tor onto Violet and made sure her clothes were properly arranged. Aria straightened up, walked to the door, and said, ¡°She¡¯s out of immediate danger for now.¡± The two boys, bursting with excitement, hugged each other and cheered, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re the best!¡± She brought Violet back from the dead! From then on, Aria would be practically their goddess. Upon hearing the news, Kate copsed to the ground and instantly burst into tears. 61% Kate crawled to Aria¡¯s feet and thanked her repeatedly. ¡°Madelyn,¡± she choked out, ¡°thank you, truly thank you! From now on, just say the word, and I¡¯ll do anything you ask.¡± Owen had been keeping a close eye on Aria. Seeing that she looked normal, just a bit weak, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as Aria reached out, Owen beat her to it, stepping forward to help Kate to her feet. With a solemn look, he said, ¡°Mrs. Livingston, Violet¡¯s out of immediate danger for now, but it¡¯s too early to tell whates next.¡°¨C Medical oues were unpredictable. If anyplications came upter, they might just redirect their anger toward Aria, while the real culprit got off scot¨Cfree. 20 Kate caught Owen¡¯s meaning and nodded eagerly. ¡°I know, I know! Everyone said Violet was gone, but it was Madelyn who insisted she was still alive¡­¡± If anything happened to Violet, Kate didn¡¯t think she could go on living either. Madelyn didn¡¯t just save Violet¨Cshe saved Kate, too. ¡°No matter the oue, as long as Violet isn¡¯t suffering, I can ept it.¡± With that, Kate raised her hand to the heavens and vowed, ¡°If I ever utter a single word ofint against Madelyn, may God punish me!¡± Owen said, ¡°Mrs. Livingston, that¡¯s too much.¡± Aria looked at Kate and said, ¡°The worst is over now. Keep Hannah Culver away from Violet.¡± Kate gave a solemn nod, vowing from that moment on to obey Madelyn¡¯s every word without question. Had it not been for Madelyn, once Violet was sent to the city hospital, I probably would never have known my granddaughter still had a fighting chance. The more Kate thought about it, the more terrified she became. She would be too ashamed to face Violet if anything happened. Aria turned to the two boys and instructed, ¡°You two take turns watching over Violet. Let me know right away if anything changes. I¡¯m going to theb to prepare some medicine.¡± With that, she turned on her heel and headed out. Owen caught up with her in just a few strides and asked, ¡°Need me to Aria nodded. ¡°Yep.¡± the medicine ready?¡± Owen said, ¡°You barely sleptst night, and now, you¡¯ve just done treatment. You really need to get some rest.¡± ¡°No need, I¡¯ll rest tonight,¡± Aria replied firmly. She headed straight for theb. 13:13 Fri, 13 Jun Owen instinctively grabbed her arm. ¡°Aria, get some rest. You¡¯ll be more effective that way.¡± Aria was forced to stop in her tracks and turned her head to look at him. Backlit, Owen¡¯s amber eyes appeared especially tender when he looked at others. Had it not been for what Owen saidst time, that concerned gaze of his could easily make her get the wrong idea. Aria said firmly, ¡°I know exactly how my body is doing.¡± Owen didn¡¯t release her wrist. With a firm but gentle tug, he drew her closer and guided her in another direction. ¡°Write the list for me,¡± he said, his tone firm. ¡°I¡¯ll get the medicines ready.¡± Afraid she might bolt, his grip was firm yet measured¨Cjust enough to make escape impossible for an ordinary person. After all, he genuinely cared about her, and Aria wasn¡¯t about to struggle free. She said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to theb anymore. Let go.¡± Owen released his grip but stayed put, waiting for her to move first. Aria smiled and teased, ¡°I thought Mr. Shaw was the gentle type. Guess I was wrong.¡± Trailing half a step behind, Owen rubbed his nose with the very hand that had just held her wrist. ncing at his palm, he felt his ears grow warm. He murmured in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± They walked in silence all the way to the break room. Aria was about to get something when Owen gently ced his hand on her shoulder, prompting her to settle onto the couch. AD Again Marriage 279 Chapter 279 He said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± 20 With that, he turned and took a few steps to the drawer, grabbed some paper and a pen, then sat down beside her. ¡°Just tell me what you need. I¡¯ll write it down.¡± Owen kept his head bowed, his expression focused, his fingers pressing the pen with deliberate firmness. The chair was small and much lower than the sofa. Looking down, Aria could clearly see his longshes, tall nose, and his thin, well¨Cdefined lips. Without a trace of emotion, Aria averted her gaze and recited the names and dosages of the medicines. The break room was quiet, with only Aria¡¯s soft voice and the scratching of Owen¡¯s pen on paper. G After a long silence with no sound from her, Owen looked up. Aria happened to be looking at him. Her eyes were veiled in a thin mist, gray and unreadable¨Cneither joy nor malice in them, as serene and deep as secluded mountain woods. The break room was warm with heating, and a subtle, unspoken tension began to weave through the air, seeping into every pore of Owen. He pursed his lips slightly, tightening his grip on the pen. His fingertip scraped forcefully across the pen holder, creating a faint friction sound that broke the silence. Aria looked up and met his gaze. Owen suddenly realized the charged atmosphere had existed only in his mind. She was simply exhausted and hadn¡¯t even noticed him at all. Owenposed himself and handed her the notepad. ¡°Check if I made any mistakes.¡± Aria reached out to take the notepad, her hand pausing for the briefest moment. She mentally shook off Owen¡¯s gaze from her mind and focused on the list. She smiled. ¡°All correct.¡± Owen said gently, ¡°Get some rest. I¡¯lle find you once the medicines are ready.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Aria nodded. Owen left, gently closing the door behind him. Aria copsed onto the couch and was out like a light. ¡°Hey, did you guys hear? Aria actually brought Violet back to life!¡± ¡°No way!¡± Realizing how that sounded, the nurse quickly added, ¡°I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t want Violet to recover. But she didn¡¯t breath. How did Aria bring her back?¡± Someone said, ¡°Those volunteers are watching like hawks, and Kate res at us like we¡¯re her worst enemies. I only managed a quick peek from afar- but it¡¯s true. She¡¯s really alive!¡± One of the nurses said, ¡°Honestly, we pronounced Violet dead, but Aria revived her. If I were Mrs. Livingston, I¡¯d be so mad I¡¯d want to strangle someone, so don¡¯t me her for how she¡¯s reacting.¡± A nurse chuckled, ¡°We¡¯re all just happy Violet pulled through. Rx, we¡¯re not like Ms. Gibson¨Calways acting high and mighty and lecturing people.¡± 1/2 611 20 One of the nurses marveled, ¡°Most doctors can only pull a patient back from death¡¯s door, but Aria? Violet had met the Death God, yet Aria dragged her right back to thend of the living.¡± Everyone was in awe of her, and not a single negative thought crossed their minds. ¡°Aria was supposed to help us out, but Cyril stopped her, saying she didn¡¯t have a medical license. And that whole thing? It was Hannah who deliberately misled everyone.¡± ¡°I heard Cyril has family ties with the Gibson family.¡± One of the nurses scoffed, ¡°Birds of a feather¨Cthose two are real bad apples!¡± One of the nurses snorted, ¡°Ugh! Disgusting!¡± Overhearing these discussions, Liam felt his mood turn heavy and conflicted. He went to see Ramon, who didn¡¯t me him for what Hannah did. Ramon simply said, ¡°If Aria hadn¡¯t been certain she could save my grandchild, I would have made her pay dearly¨Ceven if it cost me everything I own.¡± Liam opened his mouth to exin on Hannah¡¯s behalf, but Ramon cut him off by producing the surveince footage. That was secretly filmed footage from that moment. Overwhelmed with shame, he was rendered speechless and could only slink away sheepishly. Not far away, Ramon watched the scene with cool detachment as he made his rounds. The secretary hesitated, then asked cautiously, ¡°Mr. Harmon, are we really going to spare Hannah?¡± Ramon gave a chilling smile. ¡°Strike at the heart¨Cbut timing is everything.¡± Hannah never stopped her underhanded tricks during this time. She thought she was being so sneaky, but little did she know that Ramon was watching her every move. All he had to do was wait¨Cwait for someone else to strike first, then he¡¯d add fuel to the fire. AD Comment Send gift No Ads Again Marriage 280 Chapter 280 3010 In Mandino Police Station, a police officer walked in with a grave expression and ced an urgent case file on the desk. ¡°Jackson, there¡¯s been a criminal case in Briteron. Due to unusual circumstances, it¡¯s been transferred to our department.¡± The victim was a 37¨Cyear¨Cold man named Simon Tate. His parents are elderly. His sister, Alice Colton, was sentenced to two years in prison for child abuse and extortion. The primary suspect in this case is Aria Saxon. Jackson looked up in shock. ¡°Aria?¡± He immediately left his own work. Snatching up the case file, he rapidly scanned through it and barked, ¡°Go find Captain Fletcher right away! The chief said anything involving Aria goes straight to Captain Fletcher.¡± ¡°Copy that!¡± The officer immediately went to find him. Fryderyk had just wrapped up a difficult case and was assigning his team to draft the closing report when he received the news. Without dy, he rushed to the office area. Fryderyk asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jackson hurried over and handed him the case file, exining, ¡°From what we¡¯ve got so far, this isn¡¯t a major case. Not a shred of solid evidence¨Cstrictly speaking, we can¡¯t even officiallybel Aria as a suspect.¡± Fryderyk scanned through the case file, listening as Jackson continued his analysis. Jackson said, ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s deliberately targeting Aria. They even brought Simon¡¯s parents to the station, causing a scene at the entrance and demanding answers from us. ¡°They¡¯re trying to use public pressure. If Aria didn¡¯t have strong connections, she¡¯d likely have been framed already.¡± The so¨Ccalled motive for Aria¡¯s murder¨Cthat insurance fraud case from years ago¨Cheld no water whatsoever. Jackson lowered his voice. ¡°Someone¡¯s pulling strings. The town cops deliberately pushed this case up to force our involvement.¡± Fryderyk¡¯s expression darkened. While Aria was still toiling day and night in Jamn tobat the epidemic, someone was scheming behind her back to frame her. ¡°We need to get to the bottom of this,¡± Fryderyk ordered. ¡°Let¡¯s head to Briteron¨Cnow!¡± After spending days on end immersed inb work, Aria simply moved into the lounge to save time. Aria finally called it a night early. With some rare free time in her hands, she decided to carve a seal. On the tabley a piece of stone, its deep crimson hue like fresh blood, nearly identical in material to the seal she held in her hand. Time slipped away unnoticed. A crisp knock interrupted Aria¡¯s work. Setting down what she was doing, she rose to answer the door. Outside, the warm yellow light spilled into the night, casting Owen in silhouette. Aria couldn¡¯t quite make out his expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. Owen slightly raised his right hand with thete¨Cnight snacks in it, his eyes softened with warmth. He said, ¡°I brought you somete¨Cnight snacks¨Cpeach pies and chicken nuggets.¡± She had barely eaten anything for dinner. As soon as Aria caught a whiff of the food, her stomach growled right on cue. She stepped aside and said, ¡°It¡¯s cold out. Come in.¡± Owen stepped inside, set the takeout containers on the coffee table in front of the sofa, and began unpacking them. 61%0 Aria washed her hands and sat on the sofa, her gaze lingering on the food before meeting his eyes. ¡°Did you make this especially for me?¡± Owen recalled how the volunteers had mobbed him earlier demanding food, but replied with perfectposure, ¡°Nope.¡± Unintentionally, he nced up, his gaze sweeping across the desk behind her, where two pieces of stones caught his eye¨Conerge, one small¨Ctheir warm¨Ctoned surfaces shimmering gently under themplight. Owen asked. ¡°Are you working on that piece of stone?¡°. Afia nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± With a mouthful of pie, Aria¡¯s voice came out slightly muffled, carrying an unexpected warmth that softened her usual aloof tone. AD Again Marriage 281 Chapter 281 Owen smiled gently. ¡°I know stone carving¨Cneed a hand?¡± Aria froze for a second before replying, ¡°Sure.¡± 61% +201 Having only recently started learning stone carving, her pieces always turned out rough. With an expert like Owen offering to help, she had no reason to refuse. Owen got up, only to hear Aria¡¯s voice from behind. ¡°Just carve it to match that seal.¡± Owen¡¯s expression shifted as he recognized the seal. ¡°Wait. Is this Todd School¡¯s National Doctor¡¯s Seal?¡± Aria said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what Culver has been looking for.¡± Owen looked astonished. ¡°You¡¯re really just telling me about something this important, just like that?¡± Aria retorted, ¡°Do I need to keep it a secret?¡± Owen chuckled. ¡°For others, you do.¡± As Aria ate, it suddenly hit her that she¡¯d instinctively started treating Owen as one of her own. Friends were practically like family, so she guessed it was fine after all. After Aria finished eating, Owen said gently, ¡°Go get some rest. I¡¯ll carve the stone a while longer before I head out.¡± Feeling genuinely tired, Aria nodded without a second thought. ¡°Yeah, you should head back early.¡± Having gone to bed early, Aria was up by six the next morning. She opened the door and saw Owen still sitting in the chair. Her eyes flew wide open in surprise as she blurted out, ¡°Owen?¡± Owen turned his head toward her, lips curving into a light smile as he picked up the two seals from the table. ¡°Done.¡± Owen rose to his feet and approached her, cing the two seals¨Cindistinguishable to the naked eye¨Cin front of her. With a hint of pride, he said, ¡°Take a look. What do you think?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes scanned the two seals. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t spot a single difference. Aria was visibly moved. She reached out to take the seal, then looked up¨Conly to finally notice the dark circles under Owen¡¯s eyes. Staring at him in surprise, she blurted out, ¡°You pulled an all¨Cnighter?¡± Owen looked rxed, not the least bit tired from staying up all night. With a casual tone, he said, ¡°I just lost track of time. No worries. I can still catch up on sleep now.¡± He looked full of energy, his eyes sparkling with vitality. It reminded her of that cute, eager little look Vanessa would get when fishing forpliments. Aria arched an eyebrow, the thought making her blurt out, ¡°You did an amazing job with the carving.¡± Owen grinned. ¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡± Aria blinked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡®Wait, shouldn¡¯t be the one saying thank you?¡® 13:13 Fri, 13 Jun G. 201701 Before she could even voice her thanks, Owen was already heading for the door. Over his shoulder, he called, ¡°I¡¯ll head out now. Don¡¯t forget to get breakfast at the cafeteria.¡± Since things got busy, many kind¨Chearted women in the vige banded together to help out with cooking. Just before closing the door, Owen¡¯s gaze lingered for a moment on Aria¡¯s slightly tousled hair. It was the first time he¡¯d seen her just waking up. Owen thought, ¡®Her sleep¨Ctousled hair looks unexpectedly cute.¡® The door mmed shut. Owen turned and descended the steps. In the dim light of dawn, he spotted at first nce a figure sitting on a rock not far away. All around was silent and dark. The sudden, jarring scene would have made a timid soul cry out in terror. Even someone as unppable as Owen felt his heart skip a beat. Caleb sat up straight, his entire being radiating an intangible aura of authority. At that moment, Caleb fixed him with a look that was bothplex and questioning. Despite having done nothing wrong, Owen gulped nervously. Owen greeted, ¡°Morning.¡± Steeling himself, he walked over at a deliberately measured pace. The air grew a bit awkward. Caleb broke the silence first, his voice low and unreadable. ¡°Did you stay here all night?¡± +20 AD Comment Again Marriage 282 Chapter 282 Owen nodded slightly. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve been carving something.¡± Caleb curled his lips in a smirk. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just take it home to work on?¡± +20 Unable to sleep as he waited for Owen even past midnight, Caleb finally gave up and headed straight to theb. Trying to sound casual, he asked what Owen had been up to, only to learn that Owen and the night shift staff had gone to bring Aria ate¨Cnight snack. Caleb sneered inwardly, ¡®This guy¡¯s doing so well. It¡¯s like I¡¯m no use to Aria.¡® Owen rubbed his nose. ¡°That piece is quite important. It¡¯s not something I can easily take elsewhere to carve.¡± Caleb instinctively asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Owen was about to speak when Caleb suddenly stood up and cut him off. ¡°Don¡¯t say another word.¡± Caleb said with forced nonchnce, ¡°If you know Aria¡¯s secret, so be it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the petty type.¡± Though he said I wasn¡¯t the petty type, deep down his opinion of Owen had definitely taken a nosedive. Owen added, ¡°I came to bring her ate¨Cnight snack and saw her carving, so I lent a hand.¡± Caleb¡¯s expression softened slightly. ¡°Gotta say, you really know your way around the kitchen.¡± Owen was honestly d he knew how to cook. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had any other chances to spend time with Aria. ¡°As awyer, I have the freedom to pick and choose my cases,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°But Caleb, you¡¯re a true business genius. You¡¯ve pulled off some incredible achievements in business. It¡¯s honestly awe¨Cinspiring.¡± Even the famously stone¨Cfaced executioner of the legal world was handing outpliments. Caleb was momentarily speechless. ¡°Go back and catch some sleep.¡± After several days of acupuncture and herbal medicine, Violet¡¯s condition finally stabilized. As long as she got plenty of rest and proper care, she¡¯d make a full recovery. Kate watched anxiously from the side, wanting to help but not daring to step in. Aria carefully fed Violet the medicine and gentlyid her t. ¡°Violet¡¯sing around, Mrs. Livingston. Could you go prepare some chicken noodle soup?¡± Kate could hardly believe her ears. Her tear¨Cswollen eyes suddenly sparkled with hope. ¡°I¡¯ll go right away!¡± Kate hurried out, stumbling in her excitement. She tripped and fell, scraping her knee. Kate felt the sting of pain and murmured, ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream. Violet¡¯s really awake!¡± Laughing through her tears, Kate rushed headlong into the school kitchen. Before long, news of Violet¡¯s awakening spread like wildfire throughout Jamn. The news hit Hannah like a stinging p across the face¨Cpublic, humiliating, and utterly inescapable. Almost every pair of eyes turned to Hannah, their gazes filled with undisguised mockery. One of the doctorsined, ¡°The authorities sent out the notice ages ago. Every other vige knew the source was poultry and livestock and started taking emergency measures. But we at Heffner Hospital were the only ones who still thought it was Violet. Wepletely embarrassed ourselves at the meeting today.¡± 201 To make matters worse, Heffner Hospital faced severe repercussions from higher authorities for hastily concluding that the source of infection was a little girl and even nning to cremate her. At that moment, Ramon¡¯s expression sank. Hannah and Cyril were held primarily responsible for this grave misjudgment. Previously, Hannah had imed she could develop protease inhibitors. Even though many doctors had their doubts, they still chose to trust her and Cyril. Reality hit them hard, and Heffner Hospital¡¯s reputation was left in tatters. Someone cast a sidelong nce at Hannah and sneered, ¡°Aria has got a whole professional team backing her research. Yet you fools actually believe someone could single¨Chandedly whip up protease inhibitors?¡± ¡°The point is, there¡¯s not a shred of evidence, yet everyone still bought into it. Utterly ridiculous!¡± Again Marriage 283 Chapter 283 One of the nurses sneered, ¡°She is just so used to petty theft¨Cstealing men is one thing, but now, she¡¯s even stealing other people¡¯s research achievements. How utterly shameless!¡± 61% The remark pushed Hannah to her breaking point. Her pent¨Cup rage finally erupted. ¡°Watch your mouth! One more word of nder, and the Gibson family will make you regret it!¡± The girl sneered in a mocking tone, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so scared¡­¡± Someone nearby immediately jumped in, ¡°You almost killed an innocent child. Don¡¯t you feel any guilt at all?¡± Hannah sneered and retorted, ¡°Weren¡¯t you all convinced Violet had stopped breathing too? Now you¡¯re trying to pin all the me on me. How dare you!¡± Another one retorted, ¡°At least we admit we were wrong! Unlike you¨Cyou can¡¯t even be bothered to check on Violet.¡± Hannah was about to retort when she spotted Liam entering. She immediately dashed over to him, pouting, ¡°Liam, they¡¯re all bullying me!¡± A nurse close to Giana immediately mimicked Hannah in a mocking, pretentious voice, drawling, ¡°Liam, they¡¯re all bullying me¡­¡± Hannah¡¯s face flushed with fury, but she bit back her anger and turned to Liam with tear¨Cfilled eyes. Exhausted after days of nonstop work, Liam remained unmoved by Hannah¡¯s pleading gaze. He said gently, ¡°Hannah, you¡¯re not entirely meless in this. Let¡¯s find time to visit Violet together.¡± Hannah¡¯s ¡®s expression darkened. ¡°That old woman scratched up my face. It¡¯s time I got my payback.¡± Liam was taken aback, his tone grave. ¡°How can a few scars everpare to a human life?¡± Hannah quickly exined, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Mrs. Livingston despises me now. If I show up, she¡¯ll definitely make a scene. And if things escte, it¡¯ll only disturb Violet¡¯s rest.¡± Liam thought, ¡®She did something wrong. How can she not even bring herself to apologize?¡® Liam¡¯s face darkened. Without another word, he strode out, leaving behind a cold remark. ¡°I¡¯ll go alone.¡± He left without a second nce. Hannah watched Liam¡¯s retreating figure, her expression dazed. ¡®She thought to herself, ¡®Liam¡¯s changed. He¡¯s grown so distant. ¡®Could it be because of all these rumors and gossip that he misunderstood me?¡® A chilling glint slowly crept into Hannah¡¯s eyes. Just then, a message from Culver came through. She took a deep breath to steady herself and hurried over. Hannah asked, ¡°Dr. Webster, what did you need to see me about?¡± herse Culver shot her a cool nce. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about Violet. If this gets out, you¡¯ll be cklisted by every hospital.¡± Hannah¡¯s face paled instantly. Clenching her back teeth, she said, ¡°I¡­ I believe the truth will clear my name.¡± Culver let out a dryugh, his eyes mocking though his tone remained gentle. ¡°If you can develop the miracle cure before they do, this scandal will blow over. As the national hero, no one will remember the rest.¡± +20 153 PT1, 13 JUN G Hannah knew this all too well, but with no one to help her, she was left to work on her research alone, and it went pretty slowly. Culver said calmly, ¡°I can help you. But there¡¯s a condition. You¡¯ll need to retrieve something for me first.¡± Hannah looked up. ¡°What is it?¡°. Culver said, ¡°A seal.¡± ¡°Aria!¡± Spotting Aria striding ahead, Liam called out anxiously and hurried to catch up. ¡°Aria, how¡¯s Violet?¡± Without breaking stride, Aria shot back, ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± ±ØÍê61%±¸ Liam said earnestly, ¡°Though Hannah didn¡¯t mean to, she nearly cost Violet her life. I¡¯m here to apologize to Mrs. Livingston in person. From now until Violet graduates from college, I¡¯ll cover all her living expenses and medical bills. I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡± Aria¡¯s face remained nk. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Spotting Aria, theb members immediately rushed over, calling out excitedly, ¡°Ms. Saxon!¡± Suddenly, a voice echoed in Liam¡¯s mind. ¡°Professor Colton!¡± A sudden voice echoed in Liam¡¯s mind. His hand moved faster than his thoughts. Before he realized it, he had grabbed Aria¡¯s arm. Liam grabbed Aria¡¯s arm, his voice urgent. ¡°Aria, did you visit me when you were at the front?¡± +20 AD Again Marriage 284 Chapter 284 They shared a look and stopped dead, wisely deciding not to intrude. All of them knew Liam, Aria¡¯s ex¨Chusband. Liam found himself inexplicably nervous. Meeting her calm, unreadable gaze, his heart started to race. Aria scoffed with a coldugh. ¡°We¡¯ve been divorced for months, so why bring this up now? What exactly are you trying to say?¡± Liam stammered, ¡°¡­¡± Liam thought to himself, ¡®If Aria had been the one to save me, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡® 61% Aria went on, ¡°Even if I had been the one who saved you, would that have stopped you from cheating? Did you really fall for Hannah just because she saved you? Aria wrenched her hand free, wiping her sleeve with visible disgust. ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t Hannah who saved you, you¡¯d still have fallen for her. Just be honest for once. Stop making excuses for yourself.¡± Liam thought, ¡®She¡¯s right. ¡®Hannah saving me was merely the trigger. The real reason I dared to rebel against my marriage, divorce Aria, and be with Hannah ran much deeper. ¡®Even if Hannah hadn¡¯t saved me that day, even if I already had feelings for her, I probably would¡¯ve gritted my teeth and tried my damnedest to suppress those emotions. But for how long could I really keep pretending? ¡®Maybe I could suppress it then, but how long could I really keep pretending? ¡®Aria is simply too formidable. Just standing next to her makes me feel inadequate¨Cshe always seems to dominate every situation, and I just can¡¯t stand that dynamic. ¡®There¡¯s no way I could ever fall for someone like that. ¡®Divorce was inevitable, even without Hannah in the picture.¡¯ Now that Liam had figured things out, he didn¡¯t dwell on it any longer. Remembering the recent gossip, he asked casually, ¡°So, is it true Owen Shaw¡¯s trying to date you?¡± Aria¡¯s expression screamed, ¡°Buzz off¡°. Without a word, she spun on her heel and marched straight to theb,pletely ignoring him. Liam hade for Violet, so he didn¡¯t linger. As Aria made her way into theb, just as a few students were about to follow, someone stepped in front of them, cutting them off. Standing in their way was none other than Owen. They exchanged knowing nces, instantly catching on, their eyes gleaming with gossip¨Cfueled excitement. Just as Aria slipped on herb coat, Owen extended a wet wipe toward her. ¡°Here, you need this,¡± he offered. ¡®For what?¡® Aria looked a little puzzled. Following Owen¡¯s gaze to her wrist, she understood. ¡°Oh, I was just heading to wash up,¡± she said. Owen gave a small nod. ¡°Fair enough.¡± As soon as Owen withdrew his hand, Aria reached out and took the wet wipe. ¡°Well, since you already brought it, might as well use it,¡± she said with a small smile. 13:13 Fri, 13 Jun G 4.61%¹« Aria lowered her head, meticulously wiping her wrist. After thoroughly cleaning it, she was about to head for the trash bin when Owen plucked the used wipe from her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll toss it. You go wash up¨Cthe others are waiting,¡± he said. Aria nced up to find the students wearing gossip¨Chungry expressions, their eyes gleaming as they shamelessly stared at her and Owen. The moment she looked over, they instantly averted their eyes, pretending they¡¯d seen nothing. Aria didn¡¯t know how to exin. It wasn¡¯t like she could just go around telling everyone, ¡°That¡¯s just how Owen treats his friends.¡± Without a word, she washed her hands, took her ce at theb bench, and got to work. At around ten at night, Aria went to the lounge. As she pushed open the door, she suddenly froze in her tracks since something seemed amiss. She frowned, her eyes sharpening with wariness. Aria stepped inside, her eyes fixed on the sofa as her right hand reached for the light switch, about to flip it. Before she could flip the switch, the candles on the table suddenly flickered to life, apanied by two warm male voices singing softly. Caleb and Owen started singing, ¡°Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you¡­¡± The candles burned bright, letting Aria clearly see the two figures standing beside the sofa. It was her birthday. She had been so swamped with worktely that she barely even nced at her phone. Again Marriage 285 Aria listened quietly as they finished singing the birthday song, a faint smile touching her lips. ¡°Can we turn on the lights now?¡± she asked. Caleb and Owen looked helpless. ¡°Sure.¡± As the lights came on, Aria saw several snacks on the table, with a cake taking center stage. She nced up and noticed streaks of flour still smudged across Caleb¡¯s face, even a dusting on his nose from kneading the dough. Aria slowly approached with a soft chuckle. ¡°Caleb, did you bake this cake yourself?¡± Caleb froze, surprised. ¡°How could you tell?¡± Aria chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve got some flour on your face.¡± Caleb checked his reflection on the phone and immediately wiped the flour off, shooting Owen a sideways nce. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Owen replied lightly, ¡°If you¡¯d wiped it off, how would she know you made the cake yourself?¡± Speechless, Caleb didn¡¯t say anything more. He handed Aria the gift. ¡°Happy 23rd birthday, Aria!¡± Caleb scratched his head and said with a sheepish grin, ¡°It¡¯s my first time baking a cake, so it¡¯s not exactly a looker.¡°, Owen set his gift down on the other side with his usual calm. ¡°Happy birthday.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± 61%0 20 Meanwhile, at Saxon Manor, everyone said to Silvia with a bright smile, ¡°Happy birthday, Silvia!¡± The whole family gathered together, their faces alight with smiles, yet an unshakable sense that something was missing lingered in the air. Caleb had always been there for her birthday, every single year. But this year, for the first time, Caleb wasn¡¯t there. Silvia felt a pang of disappointment, but didn¡¯t let it show. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Uncle Luke, and Nathan.¡± ¡°Make a wish first,¡± Zoe said gently. As Silvia closed her eyes, Zoe and Logan exchanged a nce, their eyes filled with quiet mncholy. Today also marked Aria¡¯s birthday. They had never once celebrated their daughter¡¯s birthday. Nathan nced at the empty seat where Caleb should have been and let out a quiet sigh. He couldn¡¯t help but envy Caleb, who was free to up and leave whenever he wanted, unchallenged and unquestioned. He also couldn¡¯t help but envy Derek¡¯s shameless confidence. As Silvia opened her eyes, the three of them swiftly masked all traces of their emotions and forced cheerful smiles. After the birthday celebration ended, Silvia took out her phone and opened her that with Aria. She typed, [Happy birthday.] But no matter how many times she stared at those words, she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to hit send. Born on the same day, yet from that very moment, their fates diverged. 137173 Fri, 13 Jun G From that day on, she took over Aria¡¯s identity. Silvia clenched her phone, hesitated, but in the end, she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to send the message. She had no right to do it. A message from Caleb popped up: [Happy birthday!] Silvia¡¯s face lit up with joy. She quickly replied: [Thanks, Caleb.] It was attached with a heart emoji. In the dead of night, a shadowy figure, wrapped head¨Cto¨Ctoe in dark clothing, materialized soundlessly outside Betty¡¯s ce. She moved in fits and starts, scanning her surroundings warily. Inch by inch, she crept closer, climbed over the fence, and slipped inside. Producing a slim metal pick, she slid it into the doorjamb and began working the lock with practiced, silent precision. With a soft click, the door eased open. She slipped inside, making a beeline for the room where Aria usually slept. Flicking on her shlight, Hannah swept the beam across the room, her eyes scanning every detail. She pulled open a drawer¨Coddly empty. A light tap on the bottom, then a firm press, and the hiddenpartment sprang open. Hannah¡¯s eyes lit up as she lifted the panel and saw a blood¨Cred seal. It matched the photo Culver showed her exactly. Hannah¡¯s heart leapt. ¡®This is it!¡® she thought, excitement surging through her. Hannah quickly stuffed the seal into her pocket, restored the drawer to its original state, locked the door behind her, and slipped out through the window, leaving no trace she¡¯d ever been there. No sooner had she left than a tall figure emerged from the shadows where she¡¯d just disappeared. Fryderyk¡¯s eyes locked onto the thief¡¯s retreating figure. Just as he sprang forward to give chase, someone grabbed his arm. Again Marriage 286 Chapter 286 Aria was a bit taken aback when she realized it was him. ¡°Officer Fletcher, what are you doing here?¡± Fryderyk was just about to bolt after the shadowy figure when Aria¡¯s voice rang out. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned instinctively. ¡°Aria?¡± ¡®Why is Aria waiting out here sote at night? Is that thief connected to Aria?¡® Fryderyk wondered, instantly alert. He¡¯d just been stopped dead in his tracks right as he was about to give chase. If it had been anyone other than Aria, he would have immediately suspected them of being in on it. Fryderyk exined, ¡°I arrived in Jamn this evening and am staying next door. I heard amotion and came out¨Cthere¡¯s been a break¨Cin at this house.¡± Unable to sleep, Fryderyk stepped into the courtyard for some fresh air. Hearing a suspicious noise, he rushed out¨Cjust in time to spot a shadowy figure fleeing. From the figure, it was a young woman. Aria nced at the door to Betty¡¯s room. ¡°Want to go in and check?¡± Fryderyk was a bit confused. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t we be chasing the thief?¡® he wondered. It was so dark, Fryderyk couldn¡¯t make out Aria¡¯s expression. Knowing her, Fryderyk gave a curt nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± They hurried to the front door. Just as Fryderyk raised his hand to knock, Aria suddenly reached out and gave his shoulder a light tap. ¡°Don¡¯t bother knocking,¡± she said. ¡°No one¡¯s here.¡± Before Fryderyk could voice his question, Aria had already reached the fence. With practiced ease, she vaulted over, unlocked the gate from inside, and called out, ¡°Come on in.¡± Fryderyk was at a loss for words. On previous missions, he was always the one leading the charge. But this time, he was the one following someone else¡¯s lead. Fryderyk watched as Aria approached the door. Before he could even react, she had it open in a sh, like she¡¯d done this a hundred times before. Aria made straight for one of the rooms, Fryderyk following behind, puzzled. He couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°You live here?¡± ¡°Sort of,¡± Aria replied. ¡°But I¡¯m not staying here at the moment.¡± Aria walked up to the drawer, opened it with practiced ease, and lifted out the false bottom. Staring at the empty hiddenpartment, a slow, chilling smile curled at the corners of her lips. Fryderyk saw it all, ¡°Is your stuff stolen?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Fryderyk blurted out, ¡°Should we call the police?¡± Aria shot him a look that was equal parts amused and exasperated. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the police here?¡± Fryderyk was speechless again. ¡°I was going to chase after them-¡± He paused as it hit him. ¡°Wait, you did this on purpose?¡± 461%8 She deliberately held him back from chasing the thief. The ce was empty, yet both doors were locked from within. This was staged to look upied. Aria gave him a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m the victim here, Officer Fletcher, and you¡¯re my witness. I lost a crimson seal, which is really important. Don¡¯t forget to file a report for me.¡± In just a few minutes, Fryderyk found himself speechless three times. Now he got it¨CAria had nned this all along. Aria closed the drawer and headed out. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Officer Fletcher, It¡¯ste¨Ctime to call it a night.¡± Fryderyk caught up with her. ¡°Let¡¯s talk. There¡¯s a case that involves you.¡± Aria said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll walk you back to your ce. We can talk on the way.¡± Hannah tiptoed in, and the lights snapped on the moment the door clicked shut. She jumped in fright. The next second, a low, gentle voice came from behind¨CLiam asked, ¡°Hannah, where have you been?¡± Hannah instinctively clutched at her coat, but realizing how obvious that looked, she quickly dropped her hand. Turning around with a nervous grin, she said, ¡°Liam, you¡¯re awake?¡± Behind her, Liam took in her every move. ¡°I woke up when I noticed you were gone,¡± he said. A trace of guilt flickered in Hannah¡¯s eyes as she hurried over. ¡°Did I wake you up? I¡¯m so sorry, Liam. I suddenly realized I¡¯d made a mistake in a set of data and had to rush to fix it.¡± AD Again Marriage 287 Chapter 287 4Äî61%Ê× Liam pursed his lips, his expression a mix of concern and frustration. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to be out sote. Next time, let me know and I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Alright, Liam,¡± she said gently, ¡°go get some rest now, okay?¡± In theb, everyone worked with focused efficiency¨Cextracting antibodies from blood samples, purifying and characterizing them, running experiment after experiment, and constantly refining their methods. On the other side, only a handful of researchers were dedicated to traditional medicine experiments, extracting and istingpounds from herbs. Then came the critical phase of integrating traditional and modern medicine. After countless trials and continuous adjustments, the team finally achieved a breakthrough¨Cthe virus inhibition rate jumped from 0% to 20%, then skyrocketed to 70%. Ultimately, traditional medicine alone was enough to fully restore the body¡¯s health. After several sessful trials on theb mice, the whole team was so overjoyed that for a moment, no one could find the words¨Cthey just stood there, grinning at each other in stunned silence. After a moment, one of the researchers burst out excitedly, ¡°Does this mean we can start clinical trials now?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re almost there.¡± Throughout the research process, Aria mostly stayed hands¨Coff, only stepping in when absolutely necessary, giving the team ample room to innovate. They earned this sess all on their own. One of the researchers sighed, ¡°But we¡¯re still moving too slow. Heffner Hospital already submitted their clinical trial application a whole week ago.¡± ¡°Yeah. At this rate, we might not even find any vigers willing to give it a shot,¡± one of them sighed. The mood in theb instantly took a nosedive. Aria chuckled, ¡°How would you know without trying? Your treatment protocol has even helped livestock and poultry. Have more confidence in yourselves.¡± Human and animal immune systems differed significantly, leading to varying drug responses and therapeutic requirements. Aria shuttled between the twobs¨Cher team¡¯s breakthroughs greatly advanced livestock and poultry research, freeing up a lot of her time. Aria said, ¡°Get that report ready quickly and apply for clinical trials. You¡¯ve got plenty of vigers who trust you.¡± Given the exceptional and urgent nature of this outbreak, extraordinary response measures were implemented at every stage to effectively contain the spread of the virus and prevent arge¨Cscale epidemic, dramatically elerating the entire process. Every step¨Cfrom sample collection and analysis to drug development and testing¨Chad undergone rigorous professional oversight. Meanwhile, medical professionals were assigned to closely monitor the health status of local residents. Clinical trials were conducted concurrently while patients received active treatment. Aria turned to leave, her students now brimming with motivation. Back in the secondb, Aria came face¨Cto¨Cface with Culver. 13:14 Fri, 13 Jun G Culver made his rounds through theb, with Cyril Tinsley at his side, asionally buttering him up. * 361% Culver¡¯s gaze instantly snapped to Aria. ¡°So I hear you and those students of yours have cooked up some integrated traditional¨Cmodern treatment protocol?¡± The integrated traditional¨Cmodern treatment protocol offered clear advantages¨Cpatients recovered faster with fewerplications. Following Culver¡¯s arrival, Heffner Hospital also began using the same integrated traditional¨Cmodern treatment approach. Cyril snorted coldly. ¡°Thought some people were so capable, but in the end, they¡¯re just copying your methods, Dr. Webster.¡± Aria said expressionlessly, ¡°This is a restricted research facility. One more word and you¡¯re out.¡± Cyril started to snap, ¡°You¡­¡± Cyril was about to explode in anger, but when he looked up, he found the entireb staff staring him down in unison. Their piercing gazes made it clear- if he dared show Aria the slightest disrespect, they¡¯d throw him out on the spot. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, but not a single word escaped¨Cas if someone had him by the throat. ¡®Useless,¡¯ Culver sneered inwardly. Then he turned to Aria and drawled, ¡°Your clinical trial application will never be approved.¡± The next second, Cyril¡¯s phone rang. He nced at the caller ID, and his face instantly lit up with a smug grin. unting the phone triumphantly at the crowd, he called out in a booming voice, ¡°Dr. Webster, headquarters just called! This must be the official approval for our clinical trial to begin!¡± He couldn¡¯t wait to answer the call, deliberately put it on speaker, and, beaming with a smug grin, said, ¡°Hello¡­¡± A stern voice came through the phone. ¡°After rigorous review and evaluation, the clinical trial application you submitted has not been approved.¡± Again Marriage 288 Chapter 288 Äî 61%¼Û 20 Cyril¡¯s smile froze instantly, his face contorted in disbelief. ¡°No way! How could it possibly fail to get approval?¡± he blurted out. The voice on the other end of the line remained businesslike and impassive. ¡°I¡¯m just notifying you. For the specific reasons, check the notice yourself.¡± Cyril¡¯s veins bulged in fury as he bellowed into the phone, ¡°This experiment was personally overseen by Dr. Webster! It¡¯s impossible that the application wasn¡¯t approved! Put your supervisor on the line now!¡± The official, clearly annoyed, replied icily, ¡°Never heard of any Dr. Webster! Keep this up, and we¡¯ll void your application immediately!¡± With that, the line went dead. The call was on speakerphone, broadcasting the excruciatingly awkward conversation to everyone present. Especially that line-¡°Never heard of any Dr. Webster¡°-hung in the air, plunging the room into dead silence. Cyril was all set to show off, but ended up getting embarrassed publicly. Culver¡¯s usually calm andposed face darkened like a thundercloud. If it weren¡¯t for the formal setting, he would have stormed over and pped Cyril across the face, shouting, ¡°Idiot!¡± Cyril noticed Culver¡¯s darkening expression and instantly realized he was in deep trouble. Breaking into a cold sweat, he scrambled to exin, ¡°Dr. Webster, this is a novel virus¨Cit¡¯s actually quite normal for the application to be rejected at first. ¡°After all, you¡¯re about to take over Todd School and are swamped with work. Had those doctors followed your guidance, the application would have sailed through approval. ¡°A few experts went to Briteron and have only just submitted their applications. Even Professor Colton, who¡¯s personally leading the team from our Kerano Global Health, is still justpiling his report.¡± Culver¡¯s expression eased slightly, his eyes falling on Aria. Aria kept adjusting the equipment with quiet focus, as if she hadn¡¯t heard Cyril¡¯s words at all. ¡®Could it be that Aria Saxon doesn¡¯t realize how crucial that seal is? Culver wondered. Otherwise, how could she be so calm?¡® Culver wondered. Culver scrutinized Aria¡¯s face for any reaction but found nothing amiss. He asked pointedly, ¡°I heard you studied traditional medicine under Jamn¡¯s vige physician?¡± Aria nced at a security staff member and said coolly, ¡°Escort all unaffiliated personnel out.¡± Ignored by Aria, Culver¡¯s face flushed red, then turned pale with embarrassment and anger. With a furious snort, he flicked his sleeves and stormed off. Cyril scrambled after him. A faint smirk curled at the corners of Aria¡¯s lips as she watched Culver¡¯s back. Fuming with anger, Culver was storming down the road when he ran into Hannah, who looked visibly panicked. Hannah grabbed Culver¡¯s arm in panic. ¡°Dr. Webster! The clinical trial failed¨Cwhat do we do now?¡± Culver shot Cyril a sidelong nce. Cyril, quick to take the hint, discreetly withdrew. Hannah whispered urgently, ¡°Dr. Webster, I¡¯ve secured the official seal. Now you have to help me push this experiment through!¡± At the mention of the seal, Culver¡¯s heart sank. Frowning, he cut her off sharply, ¡°What are you panicking about?¡± ¡°We¡¯re running out of time!¡± Hannah blurted out, panic in her voice. ¡°Aria and her team have already submitted their clinical trial application!¡± 13:14 Fri, 13 Jun G 61% +20) Culver reassured her, ¡°Rx, they¡¯re still justpiling their report; they haven¡¯t even submitted the application yet¡­ I promised I¡¯d help you develop it, but I can¡¯t stop others from being faster.¡± After Culver left, Hannah stood rooted to the spot, her mind reeling for a long moment. On the pig farm, Fryderyk and Jackson wrestled the squealing pig, struggling to hold it still as the veterinarian gave the injection. After a full hour of this exhausting battle, both men were left sore and aching from head to toe before it finally ended. Jackson straightened up, rubbing his aching back, and asked wearily, ¡°Captain Fletcher, we¡¯ve been here for days. Aren¡¯t we going back yet?¡± They¡¯d barely spent any time in Briteron before being sent off to Jamn. Again Marriage 289 Äî 61%±¸ Chapter 289 Fryderyk replied, ¡°Hold on a little longer.¡± Watching the people still busy on the pig farm, Jackson took a few steps forward and sat down nearby. With a sneer, he muttered, ¡°Hannah Gibson is seriously shady¨Calways either tailing Aria or snooping around theb. You can just tell she¡¯s up to no good.¡± Fryderyk instructed, ¡°Keep an eye on her, but don¡¯t tip her off.¡± Jackson nodded. ¡°You got it.¡± 20 Theb was thick with tension, the air almost suffocating. News came through about the students¡® applications, and it was an application void notice. Because the experimental section was nearly identical to that of the newly submitted report by Heffner Hospital. This was the first time they¡¯d run into something like this¨Ceveryone was at aplete loss. Someone cried, ¡°What the hell is going on? How could our application report be identical to Heffner Hospital¡¯s?¡± A boy spected, ¡°Did someone¡­ leak our research?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got people on duty in theb 24/7, and the equipment never leaves the premises. So it¡¯s highly unlikely any of us could have leaked anything ourselves,¡± someone said. Just then, a girl¡¯s voice, thick with tears, cut in, ¡°One day I suddenly got a stomach bug and was stuck in the bathroom for half an hour¡­ Could that be¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, thick with self¨Creproach. Someone stepped out of the crowd and yelled, ¡°Seriously? At such a critical moment, why didn¡¯t you just message the group to get someone else to cover your watch?¡± The girl burst into tears, her head hanging so low her chin nearly touched her chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ it¡¯s all my fault,¡± she choked out. The senior researcher stepped in to smooth things over. ¡°Look, don¡¯t me her. If someone was determined to steal, luring people away would be child¡¯s y.¡± Another one said, ¡°Heffner Hospital is utterly despicable! How could they stoop so low as to steal our research data?¡± The crowd nodded. ¡°We have to go get some answers! Let¡¯s go right now!¡± Everyone clenched their fists, their faces contorted with fury. Aria rushed over upon hearing the news, just in time to witness the furious uproar among her students. ¡°Professor Saxon!¡± The students swarmed forward, all talking over each other in their eagerness to report what had happened. A knowing smile curled at the corners of Aria¡¯s lips as she motioned for them to sit. ¡°Take it easy. Calm down. Heffner Hospital has already started their clinical trials¨Clet them do the heavy lifting for us.¡± The students exchanged uncertain nces. ¡°Professor,¡± one blurted out, ¡°did you know about this all along?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°I just found out, too, but I¡¯m not surprised. Trust me on this¨Clet¡¯s not go picking fights just yet.¡± Seeing herposed demeanor, their agitation gradually subsided. ¡°Professor Saxon, we¡¯ll follow your lead,¡± they said in unison. J 0170 +20) One of the students quipped, ¡°Guess we¡¯re finally getting a break!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a day off first, then we¡¯ll go lend a hand at the pig farm too,¡± one of them suggested. On her way back, Aria¡¯s phone buzzed with a message from Derek: [Aria, I saw the news. Is the drug already in use?] Aria replied: [Yeah.] ?? ??? Derek: (Aria, when are youing back? I haven¡¯t seen you in over two months. I really miss you!] Aria: [I¡¯ll be back once the clinical trial is over.] Derek: [I¡¯ll be waiting!] It was attached with a cute emoji. Derek: [Oh, Aria! I almost forgot to tell you¨CI made it!] Aria sent Derek a digital cash gift with the message: [Bonus for you.] 6 Before long, Heffner Hospital¡¯s clinical trial was a resounding sess. The moment the news broke, it caused a huge sensation. Chief of Jamn, Winston, organized a grand celebration, with several viges chipping in to decorate the venue at Jamn Elementary School. Many keen reporters arrived early, eager to cover the event. Among them, a major media outlet immediately started a livestream on the spot. Again Marriage 290 Chapter 290 HG13 virus transmission can be effectively blocked by early¨Cstage infection medication. Building on this foundation, the veterinary expert team conducted in¨Cdepth research and sessfully developed a medication to block viral transmission among poultry and livestock. This breakthrough was led by Hannah. Hannah, dressed in a whiteb coat bearing the Heffner Hospital logo, appeared arm in arm with Liam, surrounded by an admiring crowd. Following behind her were five doctors and nurses, also in white coats, their faces alight with admiration and gratitude for Hannah. 61%1 20 Liam watched all this with a slightly grave expression. ¡°Hannah, I heard the clinical trial application from those Mandino University students was revoked due to giarism allegations?¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes flickered with a barely perceptible unease before she curved her lips into a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure either,¡± she said softly.. 42 She smiled and said, ¡°If Dr. Tinsley¡¯s team hadn¡¯t had their application rejected, I wouldn¡¯t have even had a shot at this. Maybe it¡¯s your luck rubbing off on me just because you¡¯re here with me.¡± The team members behind them chimed in, ¡°Who could be luckier than us? Working with Dr. Gibson is such a golden opportunity¨Cwe¡¯re definitely going ces!¡± Another teammate chimed in, ¡°Exactly! Following you means we¡¯ll all get a piece of the pie!¡± Though they said otherwise, all five knew perfectly well that Hannah¡¯s experiment¨Cfrom start to finish¨Chad nothing to do with them. Hannah generously included all their names in the research credits¨Cafter all, who would be foolish enough to turn down such an offer? The vigers also crowded around to thank Hannah. Initially, only a few thousand viewers tuned in to the livestream. Viewer A: [Hey, I heard Aria Saxon is here too¨Cwhere is she?] Viewer B: [First, she lost to Hannah Gibson on the P¨Cvirus, and now they¡¯re both researching the same virus, and she lost again¨Cno wonder she doesn¡¯t dare show her face.] Viewer C: [Rumor has it Aria Saxon brought 28 Mandino students to the project, yet still got outdone by Hannah Gibson working solo.] Viewer D: [And she calls herself a professor? What an absolute disgrace!] Viewer E: [Come on, Aria Saxon mainly studies viruses in livestock and poultry. You trolls are as clueless as ever.] In rapid session, hundreds of ounts were banned, leaving the screen flooded with nothing but uniform positivements. A red carpet was rolled out across the ground as Hannah, Liam, and their five team members made their way to the center stage. Winston grasped Hannah¡¯s hand. ¡°Dr. Gibson, we appreciate everything you¡¯ve done for ourmunity.¡± His tone was earnest, but his eyes betrayed little gratitude¨Cinstead, they revealed a cold detachment. Liam sensed something was off¨Ca growing unease gnawed at him. Hannah¡¯s gaze swept casually around the room. As she noticed that neither Aria nor any Mandino University students were present, a quiet sigh of relief escaped her. 13:14 Fri, 13 Jun G. 361% At that moment, Ramon approached from the other side. Hannah let go of Liam¡¯s arm and stepped forward. ¡°Mr. Harmon, I sincerely apologize for impulsively kicking Giana that day. I admit my mistake, but as a member of Heffner Hospital, I believe our institution is entitled to share credit for this research breakthrough.¡± Ramon fixed her with an icy stare, a derisive smirk ying on his lips. ¡°Share? Don¡¯t bother! Effective immediately, you¡¯re fired. Heffner Hospital will never employ someone who would recklessly endanger lives, much less entrust patients to your care.¡± The moment those words were spoken, the crowd fell into stunned silence. The live chat flooded the screen: [What¡¯s going on here now? Has the dean of Heffner Hospital lost his mind?] Ramon had issued a strict gag order about Giana¡¯s pregnancy, keeping the publicpletely unaware of it. Hannah¡¯s face twisted in an instant, her expression contorting with shock. AD Comment Send gift No Ads 10.14 Again Marriage 291 Chapter 291 ¡®How dare Ramon Harmon humiliate me like this? I¡¯m the nation¡¯s beloved heroine now!¡® she thought furiously. Seeing this, Cyril stepped forward to defend Hannah. ¡°Mr. Harmon, Dr. Gibson is the lead researcher on the HG13 virus¨Chospitals are practically fighting to recruit her. How could you possibly¡­¡± ¡°Dr. Tinsley,¡± Ramon cut in, ¡°we all know about your special rtionship. Don¡¯t y the outsider here.¡± Ramon fixed Hannah with a long, hard look, then turned and strode away, leaving behind an icy warning, ¡°Karma will catch up with you.¡± Given Ramon¡¯s reputation as a doting father, the staff at Heffner Hospital weren¡¯t particrly surprised by the oue. However, they¡¯d heard that none of the other five team members were involved in Hannah¡¯s research. The fact that she single¨Chandedly developed the HG13 virus treatment in just two months was nothing short of miraculous. Rumors also circted that Hannah had developed the previous protease inhibitors entirely on her own. Whispers spread through the crowd, their gazes now tinged with suspicion. Winston stood on stage. After finishing his speech, his piercing gaze swept across the crowd before finally settling on Hannah. A knowing smile yed on his lips as he dered in a clear voice, ¡°Now, everyone, please direct your attention to therge screen.¡± On the big screen, a video began to y, showing everything from the initial panic of the outbreak to the orderly emergency response, and finally to the relentless efforts of the healthcare workers, volunteers, vigers, and local officials during treatment. Every scene was clearly presented. All eyes were riveted on the screen, many with tears welling up in their eyes. But only Hannah stood there, her face a mask of shock. ¡®When did they record this? Why wasn¡¯t I informed? Thank goodness there aren¡¯t any surveince cameras in theb,¡¯ Hannah thought, her tension gradually easing. Midway through the video, the screen suddenly cut to the face of a little girl. ¡°Thank you, everyone, for always taking care of me. And a special thank you to Maddy for pulling me back from the brink of death,¡± Violet said sincerely. Her childlike voice, lisping and stumbling over her words, still brought tears to everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°I love you, Maddy.¡± Violet paused, then added in her tiny, lisping voice, ¡°And I love you, Wennie and Cabbie.¡± With that, she raised both hands, struggling to form a perfect heart shape above her head. But her tiny arms couldn¡¯t quite reach, leaving only a lopsided semicircle suspended in the air. Viewer A: [OMG, she¡¯s so cute!] Viewer B: [I so wanna take her home!] Viewer C: [She¡¯s simply the dream kid!] Viewer D: [She¡¯s simply a perfect child model!] From the surveince room, Aria watched the scene unfold, a knowing smile ying at the corners of her lips. Wiping away tears, a viger asked curiously, ¡°y know Violet refers to Madelyn by Maddy, but who is Wennie?¡± Another viger chuckled as he exined, ¡°Wennie is Owen Shaw, Madelyn¡¯s friend, and Cabbie is Caleb Saxon, her older brother.¡± Wiping away tears, a vigerughed, ¡°Madelyn truly is the blessing of Jamn! If only I could turn back time, I¡¯d never have ignored¡­¡± 13:14 Fri, 13 Jun G 61% (+20) They sighed, ¡°Yeah! We never lifted a finger to help her, yet she not only funded an entire school¨Cshe built it to such high standards, it¡¯s every bit as good as any school in the city.¡± The footage rolled on. The medical staff were working at a frenzied pace in theb, but it was the Mandino University students who appeared most frequently in the footage. Unlike the footage shot on cell phones, the scenes featuring them were all surveince footage. While the footage wasn¡¯t as crisp as smartphone recordings, it covered every angle, with the audio perfectly preserved. Hannah stared at the big screen, involuntarily taking a step back as her eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°How¡­ how could there be surveince footage?¡± she gasped. Again Marriage 292 Chapter 292 Liam immediately noticed something was off about Hannah. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hannah clutched Liam¡¯s hand desperately, her nails digging into his palm. Her voice trembled with panic as she pleaded, ¡°Liam, make them stop! Stop it now!¡± So that was why those students never came to bother her before, and Aria had been lying low all this time. They¡¯did this trap from the very beginning, just waiting for the perfect moment. Reporters and media crews swarmed the scene, livestreaming everything. ¡®They want to see me ruined and disgraced! I can¡¯t let that happen!¡® Hannah thought, panic rising in her chest. Seeing the panic on her face, Liam grabbed her hand, suddenly understanding. ¡°Hannah,¡± he pressed, ¡°tell me the truth¨Cwas the research proposal you submitted actually the work of the Mandino University students?¡± Hannah desperately tried to reassure herself. ¡®There¡¯s no way the security cameras were running 24/7. I checked that ce specifically¨Cthere definitely weren¡¯t any cameras there! No falling apart now. Stay calm!¡® Hannah opened her mouth to defend herself. ¡°I¡­¡± An exmation interrupted her. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that Dr. Gibson? What¡¯s she doing in someone else¡¯sb?¡± ¡®Breaking news! We¡¯ve got a bombshell!¡® With that in mind, reporters instantly raised their cameras, shes popping like fireworks. The big screen showed Hannah¡¯s figure in full view. The footage showed Hannah ncing around nervously, making sure no one was watching. Then, moving with exaggerated caution, she tiptoed over to the server and quietly inserted her sh drive. About ten minutester, she yanked out the sh drive and scurried away, furtive and anxious. The crowd stood frozen in shock. The livestream chat erupted instantly, withments flooding the screen at breakneck speed. Many viewersmented: [Wait, what? Is this theft happening live? So Hannh Gibson stole someone else¡¯s research?] Winston was the first toe to his senses. He lunged forward, desperately trying to cover the big screen with both hands, and bellowed, ¡°What the hell is this? Who yed this surveince footage?¡± Winston¡¯s frantic attempts were in vain¡ªhe couldn¡¯t even cover a corner of the screen. Instead, his actions only fueled the fire, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the damning footage. Hannah¡¯s face instantly went deathly pale. With a venomous re at the media crew she¡¯d paid off, she shrieked, ¡°Turn it off! Kill the livestream now!¡± The media crew had indeede for Hannah¡¯s money, but with such a bombshell unfolding before their eyes, shutting down the livestream was never an option. Not only did they refuse to stop the livestream, but they zoomed right in on Hannah¡¯s face. Viewer A: [That guilty face¨Ccase closed!] Viewer B: [Bonus fact: she stole from her own juniors!] Viewer C: I thought she actually did the research herself¨Cturns out she just stole it!] 13:14 Fri, 13 Jun G 301%0 20 Viewer D: [Experts did develop inhibitor drugs too¨Cbut the integrated traditional¨Cmodern medicine approach had fewer side effects and worked faster, so they went with Hannah Gibson¡¯s research.] Viewer E: [Aria Saxon¡¯s good at traditional medicine, and most of those students are into modern medicine¨Cno wonder they came up with abo treatment.] Viewer F: [Herees Hannah Gibson¡¯s excuses!] ¡°Hannah Gibson! Give us back our research!¡± an icy, furious female voice rang out. Twenty¨Csome students stormed over, their faces contorted with rage. One of them shouted, ¡°Three years ago, you stole Professor Colton¡¯s notes, and now you¡¯ve taken everything we¡¯ve worked so hard for! How shameless can you be?¡± G Hannah clenched her jaw, fingers digging into the fabric of her clothes at her side. ¡°Stop spouting nonsense! I didn¡¯t steal anything!¡± she shot back. ¡°That footage only proves I was in yourb and touched the server¨Cit doesn¡¯t prove at all that my submission used your research!¡± A traditional medicine student snapped back, ¡°Still lying through your teeth even when you¡¯re caught, you petty thief? Then name the herbal ingredients we used in our form!¡± The day after Hannah giarized their research, the students submitted their application. Yet she had already filed hers half a day earlier with just one night to prepare. Again Marriage 293 Chapter 293 With such voluminous andplex research materials, there was no way she could have possibly mastered them all in such a short timeframe. Hannah¡¯s face twisted with difort as she forced a calm facade. She retorted, ¡°What you¡¯re saying is baseless. Why should I disclose my research findings to you?¡± That did it¨Cthe crowd erupted in fury. A student said, ¡°We spent day and night practically living in thatb! Meanwhile, Professor Saxon was running herself ragged¨Cmeticulously guiding us while also diving deep into the viral problems guing poultry and livestock. ¡°All of us ved away, yet you¡¯re iming all the glory for yourself! G ¡°Just because we¡¯re students without professional clout, you think you can brazenly steal our work and get away with it?¡± By the end, everyone¡¯s eyes were red with anger. For months, they poured their blood, sweat, and tears into this, working even harder than during the grind of preparing for the SAT. The application might be rejected, but being branded as thieves was simply uneptable. The vigers cured by the Mandino University students stepped forward one after another to show their support. A tidal wave of usations crashed down on Hannah. Hannah took a step back, clutching Liam¡¯s hand. ¡°Liam,¡± she whimpered, ¡°they¡­ they¡¯re all ganging up on me.¡± She would never admit it. Not until the very end. If I¡¯m proven guilty of theft, everything I¡¯ve worked for will go down the drain,¡® she thought anxiously. Liam¡¯s heart sank like a stone. He refused to look at Hannah, his hands clenching into white¨Cknuckled fists. In that moment, he could no longer lie to himself¨CHannah Gibson had indeed stolen the Mandino University students¡® research. ¡®During the P¨Cvirus incident¡­ did she steal Aria¡¯s notes too?¡® Liam wondered, the answer already painfully clear in his heart. Liam already knew the answer in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to admit it. ¡®Perhaps Hannah was always like this,¡® Liam realized. ¡®She never changed¨CI was the one who misjudged her.¡¯ ¡°Liam¡­¡± Hannah¡¯s voice came soft and trembling, thick with feigned hurt. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me either?¡± Liam¡¯s gaze turned icy as he nced sideways at her. ¡°Then tell me,¡± he demanded, his voice low and controlled, ¡°why were you in theirb? And what exactly were you doing with that sh drive?¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes welled up with tears, her eyelids reddening as she stammered, her voice trembling, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know that was their server.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± A crisp female voice rang out. All eyes turned to see Aria walking toward them, one hand effortlessly supporting aptop as she moved with deliberate calm. She stood tall and straight, her hair pulled up into a sleek high bun. Her openb coat billowed with each stride, radiating an air of unrestrained confidence and a touch of rebellious charm. The livestream camera stayed locked on her, The barrage of critical livestreamments froze for two seconds. 13:14 Fri, 13 Jun G Viewer A: [OMG! She¡¯s drop¨Cdead gorgeous and badass! She ys!] Viewer B: [Seriously, that face never gets old! I¡¯m jealous of her future hubby¨Cimagine waking up to that face every morning.] Viewer C: [Step on me, queen!] Viewer D: [We need badass BGM for this.] Viewer E: [OMG, the two guys behind Aria Saxon are total hotties too!] Viewer F: [I¡¯m all about the buzzcut guy¨Cbet he¡¯s got an eight¨Cpack.] Standing right behind Aria were Fryderyk and Jackson. The vigers knew Fryderyk and Jackson as Aria Saxon¡¯s friends, but were unaware of their police identities. But Hannah knew it. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints at the sight of them. ¡°You¡­¡± she stammered, panic shing in her eyes. As Aria approached, the crowd instinctively parted to make way for her, awed by hermanding presence. Up close, Hannah instantly recognized theptop in Aria¡¯s hands¨Cit was hers. With a desperate lunge, Hannah charged at Aria, her voice raw with hysteria as she shrieked, ¡°Aria! How dare you touch myptop?¡± At that moment, only one thought burned in Hannah¡¯s mind. ¡®I have to destroy thatptop.¡® AD Comment Send gift No Ads Ÿá61%Ǭ FTI, 13 JUN GOG Again Marriage 294 Chapter 294 The camera captured Hannah¡¯s horrifically distorted face in full. Her eyes bulged grotesquely, her mouth twisted in a snarl, teeth bared and clenched to the point of cracking, the muscles in her cheeks spasming uncontrobly¡ªshe looked like a demon straight out of hell, thirsting to devour anyone in her path. The viewers were so startled by the horrific scene that they almost flung their phones out of their hands. Their gossipy curiosity burning, they couldn¡¯t tear their eyes away from the screen, afraid they¡¯d miss even a second of the drama. 61%%0 Watching the figure charge at her, Aria curled her lips in a derisive smirk. With lightning reflexes, she pivoted sideways, and in a sh, her hand shot out. to mp onto Hannah¡¯s arm like a vice. With a deft twist, she yanked Hannah backward while delivering a sharp kick to the back of her knee. Hannah let out a piercing scream of excruciating pain and dropped heavily to one knee, a dull thud echoing through the room. She knelt there in utter humiliation, her disheveled state exposed for all the Mandino University students to see. Hannah, burning with humiliation, struggled to rise, but the iron grip on her shoulder pinned her down. Hannah shrieked, her voice tight with panic, ¡°Aria! This is theft¨Cin and simple! Give me back myptop!¡± ¡®I deleted the evidence ages ago. There¡¯s no need to panic. But if Aria dared to bring theptop here, she must¡¯ve recovered the data!¡® Hannah thought. At the thought, her face turned beet red as a wave of terror crashed over her. Hannah tried to calm down and think of a solution, but her mind was a scrambled mess¨Cshe couldn¡¯t think straight. Desperate, she turned to Liam with pleading eyes and begged, ¡°Liam, please, help me!¡± Liam snapped out of his shock, hesitation flickering across his face as he hurried over in quick, cautious steps. ¡°Aria,¡± he pleaded, ¡°let her go first.¡± One was his ex¨Cwife, the other his current girlfriend¨CLiam found himself torn between them. With Aria pinning Hannah down in such a humiliating state, her embarrassment became his as well. Liam reached for Hannah, but his hand was abruptly stopped mid¨Cmotion. He looked up and met a pair of piercing, narrow eyes, cold and unfeeling. ¡°Mr. Cole, if you help Ms. Gibson, who¡¯s guilty of giarism, does that mean you¡¯re involved too?¡± His voice was cool and detached, with an unmistakable threat lingering in the final sybles. He meant helping Hannah made Liam an aplice. ¡®Is Owen Shaw reminding me, or is this a warning?¡® Liam wondered, his heart skipping a beat. Liam and Owen were barely acquainted, though they had attended the same high school. Liam often heard others mention Owen. Owen, an academic ace and a loner, was always at the top of his ss and ultimately became Mandino City¡¯s SAT top scorer. Aloof and emotionally reserved, he was nicknamed the unppable academic ace for his unshakableposure. He rarely showed up at social events, yet his legend spread far and wide. STD HI, 13 JUN EG The Shaw family was already legendary in Mandino City, let alone their deeply rooted ancestral lineage. Liam couldn¡¯t figure out why someone of awus would help Aria, a divorcee, time and again. Now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on that. ? 61%%0 $20 In that split second, Liam made his decision. He wrenched his hand free from Owen¡¯s grip, turned to Hannah, and said firmly, ¡°Hannah, admit your mistake and apologize. Then you can start over.¡± Liam stared intently at Hannah, searching her face for even a hint of regret¨Cbut found none. ¡°Liam, I can exin, I¡­¡± Hannah pleaded, her voice trembling. Liam cut Hannah off sharply, his face etched with disappointment. ¡°Enough!¡± He just couldn¡¯t understand¨Cwhy was Hannah still trying to quibble, even now? Liam had never regretted his choices¨Cuntil now. Standing amid the chaos and uproar, he was suddenly overwhelmed with remorse. Since childhood, he had been determined to be a doctor¨Csomeone who would serve his country and protect its people. He had always thought Hannah was just like him, sharing the same pure aspirations. But reality disappointed him again and again, constantly shattering his idealized view of Hannah. There was no evidence about the notes incident, so when she exined, he believed her. But this time? With undeniable evidence staring her in the face, she still refused to admit it¨Cnot a trace of remorse showed on her face. A wave of crushing exhaustion washed over Liam, leaving him so drained he could barely catch his breath. 2/2 Again Marriage 295 Chapter 295 Chapter 295 He stared at Hannah with a look of utter unfamiliarity as if seeing her for the first time. Hannah¡¯s heart lurched at the unfamiliar look in his eyes. She opened her mouth to exin¡ªonly for Aria¡¯s icy voice to cut through the tension, ¡°Want me to spill what¡¯s on yourptop?¡± Aria leaned in, deliberately lowering her voice. ¡°I almost forgot¨Cyou¡¯ve been reporting me everywhere for donating substandard goods. You stole their research and even paid FunStream Media to livestream it, just to make yourself famous.¡± After a deliberate pause, the corners of her lips curled into a loaded smirk. She said, ¡°I bet what¡¯s on yourptop would make for quite a show. You wanted fame? Let me help you.¡± After finishing her words, Aria let out a soft, derisive chuckle, her fingers hovering deliberately over the keyboard. Hannah¡¯s eyes were locked on Aria¡¯s hand. Suddenly, herst thread ofposure snapped¨Cshe shrieked, utterly broken, ¡°I admit it!¡± ¡°I admit¡­ I stole the research results from the Mandino University students,¡± Hannah choked out. The words had barely left her lips before she burst into tears, herposure shatteringpletely. Her voice was so faint that the mics didn¡¯t pick it up, leaving the live¨Cstream audiencepletely baffled. Viewer A: [What did mydy just say to make Hannah Gibson spill the tea like that?] Viewer B: [Yourdy? Pfft. She¡¯s MYdy.] Viewer C: [Spill the tea! I¡¯ll Venmo you for the deets!] Hannah looked past the crowd at Ramon, her voice trembling. ¡°Giana tampered with my belongings, and I lost my temper¨CI kicked her in a moment of anger. I was terrified you¡¯d retaliate, and out of that fear¡­ I made a terrible mistake.¡± Hannah looked around, her voice trembling. ¡°I just wanted to use this incident to beg Mr. Harmon for mercy, but nobody had my back. I was struggling all alone¡­ and I was terrified.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. I admit I was wrong. It¡¯s my fault; I¡¯ve let everyone down. I¡­ I¡¯ll do anything to make amends,¡± Hannah sobbed, her voice dripping with performative remorse. Aria watched her, lips curling in a sneer. Hannah wasn¡¯t apologizing out of genuine remorse¨Cjust because she¡¯d been caught. Even after apologizing, she still tried to shift half the me onto Ramon, making him the scapegoat to cover her own tracks. Thement section erupted. Viewer A: [Yeah, right, like a single verbal apology could fix everything.] Viewer B: [She¡¯s still worried about Mr. Harmon taking revenge? With the Gibson family¡¯s clout, as if he¡¯d even dare!] Viewer C: [As if he would let her steal if he wanted revenge.] Viewer D: [Now that the HG13 virus treatment was released, multiple media outlets rushed to publish articles praising Hannah Gibson to the skies. Well, guess what? They¡¯re now scrambling to delete posts overnight.] Viewer E: [Think they¡¯ll cover this up again?] Viewer F: [If it weren¡¯t for the livestream, we¡¯d probably never have found out about this.] #2145 Fr: 13 Jun Chapter 295 At the headquarters of FunStream Media, the CEO got a call from Gibson Group. A cold, threatening voice from the Gibson Group ordered, ¡°Shut down the livestream. Now.¡± Though it was just five words, the voice on the other end was like an arctic st, each sybleced with unmistakable menace. The CEO knew all too well the power of the Gibson Group and dared not disobey them in the slightest. Though he found it regrettable, he had no choice but to issue the order. The livestream exploded with furiousments as viewers relentlessly med Hannah for her despicable actions. Suddenly, the screen plunged into darkness, leaving only the stark message: [Livestream Ended.] Dozens of reporters swarmed the scene, capturing the explosive news. Within minutes, major media outlets published scathing articles condemning Hannah for theft and academic giarism. People frantically searched for rted posts, only to watch them vanish before their very eyes. The public only got to see what corporate interests wanted them to see. Any news unfavorable to them got swiftly suppressed. Not knowing was one thing, but watching the truth get erased before their very eyes¨Cthat was something else entirely. The Gibson family¡¯s heavy¨Chanded move instantly sparked widespread outrage, withizens flooding major social media tforms to vent their fury. Netizen A: [Seriously? You cut it off right at the best part? FunStream Media is so shameless!] Netizen B: [So, just because you¡¯re rich, you can steal other people¡¯s research?] Netizen C: [Still shielding this scum? Typical disgusting snobs.] Netizen D: [The livestream is back on!] Again Marriage 296 Chapter 296 Dexter¡¯s secretary hurried into the office, her voice urgent. ¡°Mr. Gibson, the livestream has started again, and all the deleted posts are back at the top!¡°. Dexter¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The secretary replied, ¡°It¡¯s the Saxon Group and the Stars Group. And the Shaw Group is also pressuring us.¡± Dexter¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Aria Saxon is a shareholder in the Stars Group, so their involvement makes sense. But what¡¯s the Shaw Group doing meddling in this?¡± The secretary hesitated before replying, ¡°Kim Shaw is courting Cloe Woods from Navoron Restaurant, and she is friends with Aria Saxon.¡± Dexter felt a throbbing headacheing on and instinctively massaged his temples. Before he could even catch his breath, the PR manager burst in, panic¨Cstricken. ¡°Mr. Gibson, bad news! The Hayes Group just posted a veiled usation targeting us, and the Fletcher Group chimed in¨Cit¡¯s already trending on social media! Netizens are reacting strongly, and our stock price is starting to fluctuate.¡± Dexter shot up from his seat, his voiceced with irritation. ¡°What are the Hayes and Fletcher Groups butting in for now?¡± The secretary exined, ¡°Mr. Hayes is friends with Aria Saxon, and the Fletchers and Saxons are rted by marriage.¡± Dexter drew a deep, steadying breath. Never in his wildest dreams had Dexter imagined that Aria alone could rally all the top conglomerates in Mandino City against the Gibson Group. Just what kind of monster has Hannah provoked this time? Useless¨Cshe never helps, only makes things worse. All she ever does is cause trouble, Dexter thought bitterly. He then ordered, ¡°Immediately cut all ties with her and redirect the heat toward the Cole Group.¡± The manager asked cautiously, ¡°Should we still issue a statement to clear Ms. Gibson¡¯s name?¡± Dexter¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Name one thing she¡¯s ever been wrongly med for. Cut her loose¨Cwe¡¯re done with her!¡± At the Hayes Residence, Benjamin settled onto his sofa and turned on the livestream. The camera panned past Owen, then followed his gaze to rest on Aria¡¯s face. Thements were scrolling. [Who¡¯s that hottie? Cameraman, pan back quick! I need to see more of him!] The cameraman monitoring the live feed noticed thement and swiftly redirected the camera back to Owen. Someonemented: [Damn, he¡¯s so hot! I¡¯d tap that!] Another onemented: [Give it up, guys- that hottie¡¯s totally Aria Saxon¡¯s. Just look how he¡¯s gazing at her.] At that moment, Owen gazed at Aria, his eyes brimming with tender warmth. Viewer A: [Look at that look in his eyes. If Owen Shaw isn¡¯t into Aria Saxon, I¡¯ll livestream myself eating dirt while doing a handstand!] Viewer B: [It¡¯s Mr. Shaw! I ship this couple!] Benjamin stared at the screen, his eyes widening in disbelief. He couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°What the hell is that kid doing there too?¡± The butler exined, ¡°Mr. Shaw was there doing charity work when the pandemic hit, so he stayed on as a volunteer.¡± 1/3 Chapter 296 Benjamin stared at the scrolling and blurted out, ¡°Oh no! My future granddaughter in about to be stolen away!¡± The butler stifled augh and said, ¡°Mr. Benjamin Hayes, Mr. Sebastian Hayes isn¡¯t keen on arranged meetings. It¡¯s quite unlikely he¡¯ll end up with MS Saxon. Besides, it was you who introduced Ms. Saxon to Mr. Shaw in the first ce.¡± Benjamin pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°What if Aria actually prefers someone like Sebastian? Maybe I should still try to set them up The butler had barely opened his mouth when Benjamin decisively concluded, ¡°Let¡¯s give it a shot first. If it doesn¡¯t work out, so be it.¡± If the matchmaking doesn¡¯t work out, then I¡¯ll give uppletely,¡® Benjamin thought. He then turned his attention to the big screen. Fryderyk stepped forward, produced handcuffs, and mped them onto Hannah¡¯s wrists. ¡°You¡¯re under arrest for academic fraud, theft of research findings, paying people to instigate the deceased¡¯s family to cause trouble at the police station, and maliciously framing Aria Saxon for murder. Come with us.¡± Again Marriage 297 Chapter 297 Chapter 297 The moment those words were spoken, the crowd erupted in chaos. Someone in the crowd shouted, ¡°What? Framing Aria Saxon for murder? Who did she supposedly kill?¡± ¡°Simon Tate,¡± said a viger from Briteron. ¡°He died in the river up in the mountains¨CAria Saxon found his body. Because of the pandemic, it became a sensitive situation, so we had to keep it under wraps.¡± Someone else said, ¡°The police initially investigated and concluded it was an idental drowning. But for some crazy reason, Simon Tate¡¯s parents went berserk, ignored everyone trying to stop them, and stormed into the police station, using Aria Saxon of killing their son to get back at her for that old insurance fraud.¡± ¡°So it turns out Hannah Gibson paid Simon Tate¡¯s parents to frame Aria Saxon? Is she out of her mind? Why is she so obsessed with targeting Aria Saxon?¡± someone in the crowd blurted out, their voice dripping with disdain. Another one said, ¡°Of course she¡¯s obsessed¨Cwhat do you expect from a homewrecker who stole someone else¡¯s ce?¡± The cold steel handcuffs snapped around Hannah¡¯s wrists with a metallic click. She instinctively yanked her arms away, shrieking, ¡°What are you doing? This is a false usation! Let me go!¡± Jackson stepped forward, firmly gripping her shoulder, his gaze sharp. He said, ¡°Do you really think we¡¯d arrest you without solid evidence?¡± With that, Jackson yanked Hannah to her feet. Hannah stumbled, her eyes wide with panic as she turned to Liam. ¡°Liam, help me! They¡¯re framing me!¡± Liam stared at her in utter disbelief, his voice shaking. ¡°Hannah, did you really pay people to frame Aria? Why did you do this?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it, Liam! Please, you must believe me¨Ctrust me, please!¡± she cried out desperately, her voice trembling. All tenderness vanished from Liam¡¯s eyes, leaving only bitter disappointment. ¡®giarizing students¡® work and falsely using Aria of murder? Just what won¡¯t that woman stoop to?¡® Liam thought in disgust. Dragged by the officers, Hannah stumbled toward the patrol car. As she was being dragged past Aria, Hannah suddenly lunged forward, pointing at Aria and shrieking hoarsely, ¡°Aria stole my $30,000ptop! I¡¯m suing her! Thatptop in her hands is the evidence!¡± Hannah shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation, ¡°If you¡¯re arresting me, then you have to arrest her too!¡± Hannah¡¯s shrill scream cut through the air,ced with the wild frenzy of a desperatest stand. Aria remainedposed, a faint, knowing smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Aria calmly held up theptop, her voice steady as she challenged, ¡°Take a good look¡ªis this really yourptop?¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes bulged as she finally saw theptop clearly. Her expression changed drastically. ¡°You¡­ you set me up?¡± she shrieked, her voice trembling with rage. If she had stuck to iming she only took an empty sh drive and denied stealing the research, she might have gotten away with it. Now that she had admitted it, theptop was a smoking gun¨Clegally obtained and fully admissible in court. Hannahpletely lost control, her face twisted with rage. All she wanted was to tear Aria apart. She shrieked hysterically, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll tear you to pieces!¡± Chapter 297 Fryderyk yanked Hannah back with a firm grip. ¡°Take her away!¡± The moment Hannah was escorted into the police car, the livestream chat exploded. Viewer A: [Yeah! Aria is such a badass! That move was absolutely brilliant!] Viewer B: [She totally fell for it. Hannah Gibson¡¯s gonna lose her mind!] Viewer C: [This ending is so satisfying. For once, those business moguls didn¡¯t get away with bullying people with their power.] Viewer D: [Just saying¡­ isn¡¯t Aria Saxon a business mogu Viewer E: [Hold up¨Cthat¡¯s not a fairparison! Hannah Gibson has been riding on her family¡¯s coattails, while Aria Saxon built her empire from scratch. How can you even put them in the same category?] After a long pause, a doctor from Heffner Hospital murmured, ¡°So¡­ our clinical trial was actually for the students of Mandino University?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 298 Chapter 298 Chapter 298 ¡°Looks like¡­ that¡¯s really the case,¡± one of the staff murmured. The staff at Heffner Hospital exchanged nces, and someone blurted out, ¡°Damn that bitch Hannah Gibson! We¡¯ve been ving away for nearly ber months, only to set the stage for those students!¡± Those words were like lighting a powder keg ¡°Tell me about it!¡± a nurse chimed in angrily. ¡°We¡¯ve been working overtime every day¨Cthese dark circles under my eyes just won¡¯t go away¨Cand in the end, all the credit goes to them!¡± The ce erupted in angry exchanges, the air thick with resentment. It felt like ving over a thesis for two months, only to find someone else¡¯s name on the cover. Though seething with resentment, they wouldn¡¯t take it out on a group of undergraduates. After all, these students were the real victims here. The students from Mandino University stood off to the side, holding their breath as they exchanged furtive nces, each struggling to suppress their grins. It wasn¡¯t exactly right, but damn did it feel good. If Hannah¡¯s theft hade out when the application was rejected, she could¡¯ve just brushed it off with a half¨Chearted apology and walked away scot¨Cfree -no real punishment at all. But once the clinical trial seeded, stirring up public attention and drawing official scrutiny, the consequences would be far more severe. She¡¯d be cklisted from the medical field for life and pay dearly for her theft. Now she had even paid people to falsely use Aria of murder¨Cthere was a good chance she¡¯d end up behind bars. Although it wasn¡¯t entirely fair to the staff at Heffner Hospital, the students were quite pleased with the oue. Someone from Heffner Hospital snapped angrily, ¡°Are we just going to let this slide? Why should we suffer for Hannah Gibson¡¯s crimes?¡± Someone else said, ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯re letting this slide! We need Mr. Harmon to press charges against Hannah Gibson. And as for the incident where she kicked Hershu¨Cwe¡¯ve got solid evidence. We¡¯re taking her to court!¡± Ramon pressed his hands downward, signaling everyone to calm down. ¡°Heffner Hospital has been selected as the site for Phase II and III clinical trials of the HG13 virus antiviral drug. Soon, the students involved in this research wille to our hospital for internships and be involved throughout the entire trial process. Once the drug is approved for market, your names will appear in the final report¨Cyour contributions will be recognized. Upon hearing this, their anger immediately subsided by more than half. Aside from the students from Mandino University, the medical team knew this virus better than anyone else. They were confident they could deliver. The battle against the epidemic had been won. That day, the sun zed brighter than ever. One by one, everyone began to pack up and leave. In the car, Giana grinned from ear to ear. ¡°See, Dad? I told you we should trust Aria¨Cshe¡¯s amazing! We¡¯ve got to thank her properly!¡± Chapter 299 Though Aria held the title of professor, she was still very young. Culver¡¯s decades of experience made him a more relistile authorit When it came to Giana¡¯s health, Ramon ced greater trust in Culver. On multiple asions, he urged her to focus on recovery aid even sovg terminate the pregnancy. But Giana stood her ground, and he couldn¡¯t change her mind. The constant worry kept him up night after night. Now, with the fatuspletely stable and the ultrasound showing no issues, he could finally breathe easy. He was truly d Giana had stood her ground. Ramon stroked her head and said, ¡°I will figure out a way to thank Aria Saxon.¡± It was easy enough to thank most people, but properly thanking Aria was a real challenge. He¡¯d have to give this some serious thought. After finishing Violet¡¯s examination at Jamn, Aria turned to Kate with a reassuring smile. ¡°Violet is perfectly healthy now,¡± she said gently. ¡°Just make sure she eats well and gets enough nutrition, and she¡¯ll recover gradually. She doesn¡¯t need any more medicine.¡± Kate¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears as she clutched Madelyn¡¯s hand, her voice quivering. ¡°Madelyn, I don¡¯t know what we would¡¯ve done without you. I was at aplete loss¡­ Please don¡¯t ever send me that ten thousand dors again. Aria shook her head gently. ¡°Mrs. Livingston, these are two separate matters. The money should still¡­¡± Kate stomped her foot, cutting her off. ¡°That¡¯s final! I made a solemn vow¨Cif I break it, I fear it¡¯ll bring misfortune to Violet.¡± Kate squeezed Madelyn¡¯s hand and said earnestly, ¡°You¡¯re Violet¡¯s savior, and so is Betty. Don¡¯t you worry¨CI¡¯ll take care of her as if she were my own mother, I promise.¡± Aria gently reassured, ¡°Mrs. Livingston, as long as the money is spent on you and Violet, it wouldn¡¯t count as breaking your vow.¡± Kate smiled gratefully. ¡°Three thousand dors is enough¡ªwe¡¯ll use it for Betty. Violet still has her parents, and we can afford to raise her ourselves.¡± By now, Kate¡¯s care for Betty had deepened from partial to wholehearted¨Cher only wish was to repay Aria¡¯s life¨Csaving grace through her actions. Aria hesitated briefly, then nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be going now. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you, Mrs. Livingston. Violet, I¡¯m off now. See you next time!¡± Violet waved her hand cheerfully and called out, ¡°Bye¨Cbye, Maddy!¡± As Aria stepped outside, she ran into a group of students from Mandino University. Rita Lawson, the senior leading the group, said yfully on everyone¡¯s behalf, ¡°Professor Saxon, you promised to be our graduate advisor at Mandino University¨Cdon¡¯t you dare forget!¡± Once the anti¨Cepidemic results were announced, word quickly spread that they had developed an innovative treatmentbining traditional and modern medicine. Among the students involved in the project, ten were already graduate students, while all eighteen of the others received guaranteed admission to graduate programs. Even those who didn¡¯t wish to pursue graduate studies would receive rmendations to prestigious medical institutions. Even Kanit University reached out with offers to them. Everyone ended up choosing to stay at Mandino University¨Con one hand, out of attachment to their alma mater; on the other, because Aria was there. Aria gave a resigned smile. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. Her methods were rather unorthodox. Teaching by force was easy¨Cif someone didn¡¯t listen, she¡¯d just beat them into submission. But teaching with ?? 21:46 Fri, 13 Jun knowledge? Now that was a real challenge. But when she saw those fresh, youthful faces in Jamn, her heart softened. The parking lot was a hive of activity as everyone packed up their belongings, hauling luggage and getting ready to leave. As Caleb was wheeling his suitcase toward his car, Aaron darted over with monkey¨Clike agility. ¡°Hey, Caleb, let¡¯s ride together and take turns driving¡± Aaron linked arms with Caleb like they were best friends, grinning as he said, ¡°Mr. Shaw and Ms. Sazon live in the same building, so they can just ride together.¡± Before Caleb could respond, Owen smoothly closed the trunk and said in an unhurried tone, ¡°It¡¯s a seven- or eight¨Chour drive. You and Aaron can take turns to make it easier, but I¡¯m well¨Crested¨CI can handle the whole trip myself.¡± Caleb arched an eyebrow and gave a silent, wry chuckle. Caleb thought to himself, ¡®So that¡¯s why Owen slept in three extra hours today¨Che was just resting up for the long drive! To outsiders, Owen was the embodiment of justice. But those who knew him well understood that beneath his gentle demeanor, he was unrelenting when it came to matters of principle, with an iron will. Caleb thought to himself, ¡®Who would¡¯ve guessed that Owen¨Cof all people¨Ccould be this considerate after falling for someone? itpletely overturned everything I thought I knew about him.¡® His stamina wasn¡¯t as good as Owen¡¯s¨Criding with him was definitely the safer option. Caleb had no reason to refuse. Aria finished packing her things and said goodbye to Betty. ¡°Mrs. Colton,¡± she said gently, ¡°I¡¯m heading off now. If anythinges up, be sure to call me, okay?¡± Betty¡¯s eyes brimmed with reluctance, yet kindness shone in them as she nodded repeatedly. She said warmly, ¡°Alright, dear, go with peace of mind. Be careful on the road.¡± ¡°See you, Mrs. Colton,¡± Aria said warmly. ¡°Looks like¡­ that¡¯s really the case,¡± one of the staff murmured. The staff at Heffner Hospital exchanged nces, and someone blurted out, ¡°Damn that months, only to set the stage for those students!¡± bitch Hannah Gibson! We¡¯ve been ving away for nearly two Those words were like lighting a powder keg. ¡°Tell me about it!¡± a nurse chimed in angrily. ¡°We¡¯ve been working overtime every day¨Cthese dark circles under my eyes just won¡¯t go away¨Cand in the end, all the credit goes to them!¡± The ce erupted in angry exchanges, the air thick with resentment. It felt like ving over a thesis for two months, only to find someone else¡¯s name on the cover. Though seething with resentment, they wouldn¡¯t take it out on a group of undergraduates. After all, these students were the real victims here. The students from Mandino University stood off to the side, holding their breath as they exchanged furtive nces, each struggling to suppress their grins. It wasn¡¯t exactly right, but damn did it feel good. If Hannah¡¯s theft hade out when the application was rejected, she could¡¯ve just brushed it off with a half¨Chearted apology and walked away scot¨Cfree -no real punishment at all. But once the clinical trial seeded, stirring up public attention and drawing official scrutiny, the consequences would be far more severe. She¡¯d be cklisted from the medical field for life and pay dearly for her theft. Now she had even paid people to falsely use Aria of murder¨Cthere was a good chance she¡¯d end up behind bars. Although it wasn¡¯t entirely fair to the staff at Heffner Hospital, the students were quite pleased with the oue. Someone from Heffner Hospital snapped angrily, ¡°Are we just going to let this slide? Why should we suffer for Hannah Gibson¡¯s crimes?¡± Someone else said, ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯re letting this slide! We need Mr. Harmon to press charges against Hannah Gibson. And as for the incident where she kicked Hershu¨Cwe¡¯ve got solid evidence. We¡¯re taking her to court!¡± Ramon pressed his hands downward, signaling everyone to calm down. ¡°Heffner Hospital has been selected as the site for Phase II and III clinical trials of the HG13 virus antiviral drug. Soon, the students involved in this research wille to our hospital for internships and be involved throughout the entire trial process. Once the drug is approved for market, your names will appear in the final report¨Cyour contributions will be recognized. Upon hearing this, their anger immediately subsided by more than half. Aside from the students from Mandino University, the medical team knew this virus better than anyone else. They were confident they could deliver. The battle against the epidemic had been won. That day, the sun zed brighter than ever. One by one, everyone began to pack up and leave. In the car, Giana grinned from ear to ear. ¡°See, Dad? I told you we should trust Aria¨Cshe¡¯s amazing! We¡¯ve got to thank her properly!¡± 1/3 148 Ff 13 Jun. Again Marriage 299 Chapter 299 Aria wheeled her suitcase toward the parking area. Owen spotted her from afar, quickened his pace to meet her, and reached out to take the tuitcas ¡°Aaron and Caleb are going together. I¡¯ve had enough rest and can handle the whole drive, so you should take a break¡± Aria instinctively looked toward Caleb, who gave her a wry smile and gestured toward her phone before getting into the car. Aria took out her phone, and a message popped up: [Aria, Owen slept in three extra hours today. Ride with him and rest easy.) While Aria was checking her phone, Owen had already stowed her suitcase in the trunk and was holding the passenger door open for her. Aria slipped into the passenger seat. Meanwhile, in Larkridge High School, homeroom teacher Valerie called Nathan desk. and Lily into her office, then picked up two application forms from her ¡°Both of you have always been outstanding in physics,¡± said Valerie. ¡°Thispetition is specifically organized by Kanit University¨Cwin first prize, and you¡¯ll get guaranteed admission.¡± Valerie paused, her gaze sweeping over both of them before continuing, ¡°Larkridge High School only has five spots¨Cand you two are among them.¡± Lily nced at the application forms on the desk and said firmly, ¡°Ms. Gibbs, please give my spot to another student. I¡¯ve decided to take the SAT instead.¡± The $30,000 prize for the city¡¯s top scorer was what she was after. With limited spots avable, Valerie and Nathan were somewhat taken aback by her decision. Valerie hurried to advise, ¡°Lily, your grades are excellent, but having an extra safety can¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Ms. Gibbs, my mind¡¯s made up,¡± Lily said, shaking her head firmly. Seeing the determination in Lily¡¯s eyes, Valerie sighed helplessly and nodded. ¡°Very well, Lily. I respect your decision.¡± Then she turned to Nathan. ¡°What about you, Nathan?¡± Nathan took the application form from her. ¡°Ms. Gibbs, I¡¯ll sign up,¡± he said. Valerie nodded. ¡°Alright, Nathan. Take the application form home and fill it out when you¡¯re ready.¡± Leaving the office, Nathan caught up to Lily and walked beside her. ¡°Lily, will you be staying at Aria¡¯s ce alone over winter break?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily nodded. Whenever Lily spent winter break alone at home, she never really felt safe. Most nights, she could hardly sleep, so she¡¯d just throw herself into studying until morning and then try to make up for it by sleeping during the day. At the start of each semester, it would always take her weeks to readjust to a normal routine. But it was different at Aria¡¯s ce. Even when Aria wasn¡¯t home, Lily still felt safe. Winter break stretched before Nathan, dull and empty. Saxon Manor stood empty. The once lively atmosphere had faded, andughter and cheerful chatter were now rare. Zoe, once the most cheerful of them all, smiled less and less, while Silvia, who used to be the life of the party, gradually fell silent. The Saxon family changed, but they brought it upon themselves. 1/A Chapter 299 Lily never started a conversation, so it was always up to Nathan to break the ice. He finally asked, ¡°So are you thinking about applying to kar University?¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± she replied coolly. Her words shut Nathan down cold. Nathan¡¯s hand instinctively slipped into his pocket, his fingers fidgeting nervously. He took a deep breath and turned to Lily again. ¡°Lily¡­ could I ask you a favor?¡± Lily had a hunch about what he was going to say, but kept her expression neutral. ¡°Tell me. I¡¯ll think about it,¡± she said. Nathan carefully pulled a delicate gift box from his pocket and handed it to Lily. ¡°This is for Aria¡¯s birthday.¡± When Aria first returned to Saxon Manor, Nathan had given her gifts. But after they fell out, she left without taking anything¨Cnot even those presents. Lily looked at the box in his hand but didn¡¯t take it immediately. ¡°But¡­ what if Aria doesn¡¯t want it?¡± she asked hesitantly. There was a real chance Aria might refuse it, Nathan hesitated, then said softly, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want it¡­¡± They stood quietly across from each other. One stood lost in thought, looking dejected, while the other watched in silence. Nathan looked up. ¡°Could you just try first? If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll talk about it then, okay?¡± Lily thought it over for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Nathan broke into a grateful smile. ¡°Thank you, Lily,¡± he said. Nathan hesitated, then asked, ¡°Mind if we exchange numbers? Just to stay in touch.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Lily said. Aria gradually woke up to find a nket draped over her. Rubbing her head, she sat up and checked her phone, surprised to see she¡¯d slept for five hours. Noticing that she was finally awake, Owen eased the car to a stop outside a nearby diner. He turned his head, his gaze settling on Aria. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed her disheveled hair, a sleepy haze lingering in her eyes, her gaze still clouded with drowsiness. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart skip a beat. His heart gave a gentle flutter. ¡°Let¡¯s go grab a bite first,¡± he said softly. Aria nodded, her voice slightly hoarse from sleep. ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± Owen suddenly produced a small packet of mouthwash from somewhere and handed it to her. ¡°Here, use this.¡± Aria blinked in surprise, then reached out to take it. ¡°Thanks,¡± she murmured. She tore open the packet and poured the mouthwash into her mouth. Thirty secondster, a paper cup was ced in front of her as Owen¡¯s gentle voice sounded. ¡°Here, spit it in this.¡± Aria¡¯s cheeks puffed out as she held the mouthwash in her mouth, her eyes wide with bewilderment and shock. 214 Chapter 299 She thought to herself, utterly stunned, ¡®Owen is prepared for everything as if he has a Mary Poppins bag, always able to pull sin whatch a in moment I need it? Seeing her bewildered look, Owen leaned in and held the cup to her lips. ¡°Spit in here,¡± he said gently. Aria blinked, snapping out of her daze. She took the cup from him and spat out the mouthwash. ¡°Thanks,¡± she murmured. After getting cut of the car, Aria tossed the cup into a trash bin and walked into the diner. Finished with her meal, Aria walked over to the driver¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯ll take the wheel now,¡± she announced. Owen beat her to the car and slid into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°I¡¯ll drive,¡± he said with a small smile. She insisted, ¡°I¡¯m good to go now. Let me take the wheel.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll drive,¡± he said. Aria narrowed her eyes slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust my driving skills?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Owen said. ¡°I think you do,¡± Aria raised her eyebrow. Owen gave a resigned chuckle and quietly stepped out of the car, surrendering the driver¡¯s seat to her. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s all yours,¡± he said. Aria said confidently, ¡°Rx, I¡¯m a decent driver.¡± ¡°I trust you,¡± Owen said. At 9 p.m., the living room at Saxon Manor was unusually quiet despite the number of people gathered there. Dexter und standing behind him, one neach s Over a dozen gift bags were neatly arranged beside the bodyguards. Amid the tense atmosphere, there was an undercurrent of appeasement. ¡®, on side. With a sincere and apologetic expression, Dexter said, ¡°Mr. Joseph Saxon, my sister was entirely at fault for stealing amends to you and Ms. Saxon on her behalf.¡± the research. I¡¯vee to make ¡°Regarding the false murder usation against Ms. Saxon, there was a misunderstanding,¡± Dexter exined. ¡°She did provide financial assistance to those two elderly people out ofpassion, but it was certainly not to hire them to frame her. She was deceived and had no idea they would make false reports to the police.¡± Nathan sat off to the side and let out a cold, derisive sneer. ¡°Birds of a feather flock together. Your grandfather pulled the same kind of stunt back in the day.¡± Dexter was well aware of Bartholomew¡¯s visit¨Chow the Saxon family had only issued that public statement after being offered the West District property in exchange. Now, sitting there, he found himself in the exact same position Bartholomew had been in back then, A hint of embarrassment crossed Dexter¡¯s face, but he quickly regained hisposure and said, ¡°Mr. Joseph Saxon, our two families have always enjoyed a fruitful partnership. It would be a shame to let these misunderstandings strain our rtionship.¡± Again Marriage 300 Chapter 300 Joseph looked up and asked coolly, ¡°So, what are you bringing to the table this time?¡± The moment he spoke, the temperature in the room plummeted. Zoe sprang to her feet, her voice sharp with emotion. ¡°Dad!¡± When Logan grabbed her hand, she wrenched it free with an angry jerk and shot him a furious re. She whirled around and mmed her palm on the coffee table. ¡°Dad, if you¡¯re as unreasonable asst time, I swear I¡¯ll divorce Logan on the spot! Nathan chimed in firmly, ¡°I¡¯m with Mom.¡± Silvia timidly raised her hand and whispered, ¡°Me too.¡± Logan remained silent, his jaw tightening as he swallowed his words. He thought to himself, ¡®Dad¡¯s notpletely hopeless yet¨Cno need to rush!¡¯ Joseph said coolly, ¡°See now? I haven¡¯t even said a word, and my daughter¨Cinw is already talking about divorce.¡± In his efforts to protect the Saxon Group¡¯s interests, Joseph issued public statements and severed ties¨Call in hopes of expanding the family business. Yet instead, he only seeded in pushing his loved ones further away. He knew full well that Aria was probably the brightest mind the Saxon family had seen in three generations. Looking back to the very beginning, Joseph was filled with deep regret. He thought to himself, ¡®If I could turn back time, I would move heaven and earth to keep Aria at the Saxon Group and mentor her personally. ¡®But now, it¡¯s toote. That girl haspletely given up on the Saxon family. ¡®Framing her for murder¨Cthis time, the situation is far graver thanst time. ¡®Guess I wasn¡¯t exactly fairst time¨Cotherwise, the Gibson family wouldn¡¯t being knocking again.¡® Joseph¡¯s face darkened, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he addressed the Gibson family. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for forgiveness, shouldn¡¯t you be begging Aria? What¡¯s the point ofing to us? You want me to tell her to drop thewsuit? Do you honestly think she¡¯d listen to me?¡± The rapid¨Cfire triple questions left Dexter utterly speechless. Dexter forced a smile that looked more painful than tears. ¡°Mr. Joseph Saxon¡­¡± Had it not been for Bartholomew¡¯s insistence, Dexter would never havee to face this humiliation. He muttered an apology and practically bolted from the room. An awkward silence hung heavy in the living room. ? ? ??? ? Joseph shot a nce at Zoe, who remained rooted to the spot. ¡°I¡¯m not that far gone yet,¡± he said with a hint of exasperation. ¡°Why are you getting so worked up?¡± Zoe¡¯s lips trembled slightly as she sneered, ¡°If you weren¡¯t such a fool, you wouldn¡¯t have issued that public statement disowning Aria.¡± Joseph looked up in astonishment, his eyes shing with genuine shock. For decades in the Saxon family, Zoe strictly observed the decorum expected of a daughter¨Cinw, always wearing a pleasant expression, never once showing displeasure or even raising her voice, let alone ever talking back to an elder as she did today. Chapter 300 And Ironically, it was Joseph who bore the greatest responsibility for Aria¡¯s departure, Joseph¡¯s lips parted slightly, but in the end, he chose to remain silent. The door swung open again, and in walked Caleb. Seeing it was her son, Zoe¡¯s face lit up. She rushed over anxiously and asked, ¡°Caleb! Is Aria¡± Caleb modded slightly. ¡°She went back to her residence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just d you¡¯re back safe,¡± Zoe said. with you?¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes moistened as she thought with relief, ¡®At least Caleb is still clo to Seeing how exhausted Caleb looked, Zoe¡¯s heart ached. She urged hire Aria¨Cso we can still hear some news about her.¡± gently, ¡°Go ¡°Yeah,¡± Caleb replied, returning to his room and heading straight for the shower. Soon after, someone knocked sharply on the bathroom door. Caleb turned off the shower. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Nathan said from outside the door. get some rest first, dear.¡± Nathan leaned against the wall and whined, his voice thick with grievance. ¡°Caleb, why did
  • stop me?¡±
When Nathan heard about the epidemic, he rushed to the scene right away, only to be stopped at the entrance. Even name¨Cdropping the Saxon family proved useless¨Che still wasn¡¯t allowed in. Nathan was counting on Caleb to get him inside, but instead got hauled back home against his will, which pissed him off a lot. Caleb retorted, ¡°What¡¯s the point of bringing you along?¡± ¡°Take me with you¨CI can help!¡± Nathan insisted. Caleb saw right through him. ¡°You just want to go because Aria¡¯s there, don¡¯t you?¡± Nathan fell silent. Caleb said, ¡°That¡¯s immature.¡± É« Again Marriage 301 Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Nathan grumbled, frustrated, ¡°So what is the mature way, then?¡± ¡°Figure it out yoursell,¡± Caleb said curtly, ending the conversation. Nathan returned to his room when his phone buzzed. Then, he saw the message: [Hey, Nathan! Aria has agreed to be a grad advisor at Manding University. Seeing the message, Nathan smacked his forehead. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that sooner?¡± At that instant, Nathan made up his mind¨Che¡¯d apply to Mandino University instead of Kanit University. Aria and Owen stepped into the elevator and came face¨Cto¨Cface with two people, who were Russell and Ondo. The four locked eyes for a tense moment, then looked away, their faces carefully nk. Owen pressed the button for the 18th floor as the elevator began its ascent. No one spoke; the silence was thick and unsettling. The elevator soon arrived at the 18th floor. Aria and Owen stepped out. Ondo watched Aria Saxon walk away, his gaze darkening with unreadable emotions. Not long ago, they had obtained blood samples from Rachel, along with sampl from Dominic and Alice in prison. The test results confirmed that Rachel was biologically rted to Dominic and Alice, which meant Rachel was Aria¡¯s half¨Csister. ¡°Russell,¡± Ondo asked hesitantly, ¡°should we tell Aria about Rachel¡¯s parentage?¡± % Russell shot him a sideways nce. ¡°Why tell her? Think we could use it as a threat?¡± Threatening her with this was unrealistic. After all, Rachel was barely over a year old when she was sold off. What kind of familial bond could Aria possibly have with her? Meanwhile, in Masmubia, golden sunlight poured through the enormous floor¨Cto¨Cceiling windows, bathing the opulent living room in a warm glow. Loungingzily on the plush sofa in a breezy summer dress, the woman reclined with her slender legs elegantly crossed. Sunlight streamed in, making the polish on her manicured toes sparkle like tiny jewels. Before Olivia Remar, a sixteen- or seventeen¨Cyear¨Cold girl knelt on the floor, gently cradling the woman¡¯s foot in both hands as she meticulously trimmed her toenails. Suddenly, Olivia¡¯s brows furrowed, a sh of annoyance crossing her face. She abruptly kicked the girl. ¡°What the hell are you doing? That hurt!¡± She uncrossed her legs, seized Rachel by the hair and violently yanked her head upward. Despite her wless makeup, Olivia¡¯s face twisted into something ugly with anger. She red down at Rachel and spat, ¡°Damned mistress, was that on purpose?¡± Rachel stammered, ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± Tears welled up in the girl¡¯s eyes, but she dared not let them fall. Her voice trembled as she stammered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Remar. It¡¯s on me, I¡¯m truly sorry.¡± Chapter 301 Rachel had delicate features, but a conspicuous scar on her left cheek ruined what would have been a lovely face. Olivia extended her long, manicured nails and gently traced them over the girl¡¯s star, her lips curling in disgust. ¡°How repulsive, she sheared Just then, someone burst into the room in a hurry. A subordinate burst in, slightly out of breath and clearly nervous. ¡°Ms. Remar, we¡¯ve finally tracked down Mr. Nicholson¡¯s location¨Che¡¯s in Manding ca Huthailia.¡± Hearing this, Olivia released Rachel¡¯s hair, her gaze softening briefly. But as she turned to her subordinate, her eyes went cold again. ¡°That¡¯s it is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± she demanded. The subordinate kept his head down and replied cautiously, ¡°It seems he¡¯s taken a particr interest in a Huthailian girl¨Che¡¯s been digging up a lot of information about her.¡± Olivia sprang to her feet and snapped, ¡°Who is she? How old is she? What¡¯s her name?¡± The subordinate obediently replied, ¡°She¡¯s a 23¨Cyear¨Cold rich heiress named Aria Saxon.¡± ¡®Twenty¨Cthree¨Cfour years younger than me,¡® Olivia thought darkly. With a grim expression, Olivia ordered, ¡°Make the arrangements immediately¨CI¡¯m going to Huthailia!¡± Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Olivia slowly shifted her gaze down to the girl still kneeling at her feet. Olivia stared down at Rachel condescendingly, a knowing smirk on her lips. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot¨Cdamned mistress, you are Huthailian too, aren¡¯t you?¡± She paused, then added, ¡°Do you want to return to your homnd?¡± Hearing this, Rachel instantly dropped¨Cto her knees, pressing herself even lower. ¡°I have no homnd,¡± she whispered tremulously. ¡°I belong to you for life, Ms. Remar.¡± Olivia¡¯s expression softened slightly. ¡°At least you know your ce. Fine then, I¡¯ll take you along. From now on¡­ I¡¯ll call you Rachel.¡± Only in Russell¡¯s presence would Olivia call her ¡°Rachel¡°-any other time, it was always that demeaning nickname, ¡°damned mistress¡°. Rachel prostrated herself, her voice trembling with deference. ¡°Wherever you go, Ms. Remar, I will follow.¡± Again Marriage 302 Chapter 302 Chapter 302 In the early morning, Aria stood on her balcony, basking in the sunlight. She picked up her phone and dialed a number, Her call was answered instantly. ¡°Madelyn, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Aria said, ¡°Sorry, Ruby. I should have contacted you sooner after you returned.¡± A burst ofughter came from the other end as Ruby teased with a chuckle, ¡°My dear, you¡¯ve been so busy with pandemic control efforts that you couldn¡¯t even celebrate the New Year properly. How could I possibly me you? How about we catch up over a meal?¡± Aria chuckled. ¡°Deal!¡± Ruby said, ¡°The Shaw Group kept pestering me for meetings, and I finally gave in. I¡¯m at the Golden Premier Suite at Navoron Restaurant¨Cget over here, quick!¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Be right there.¡± After hanging up, Aria left right away. While waiting for the elevator, she texted Owen: [Don¡¯t bother cooking lunch¨CI¡¯ll bring something back from Navoron restaurant.] Owen: [Got it!] Meanwhile, at Navoron Restaurant, after hanging up, the smile vanished from Ruby¡¯s face. Her expression returned to its usual haughty demeanor. With her usual poise, she strode confidently into the private suite. Just then, Liam and Ondo arrived as well. Upon seeing Ruby, Liam immediately stood up with respectful enthusiasm. ¡°Hello, Ms. Olsen. I¡¯m Liam Cole.¡± Ondo also promptly rose to his feet and greeted respectfully, ¡°Good day, Ms. Olsen. I¡¯m Ondo Gagher.¡± Facing these two unexpected guests, Ruby remainedposed. With a slight nod, she said coolly, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Kim stood up and said, ¡°Ms. Olsen, these are the two gentlemen I mentioned earlier. ¡°The Cole Group is at the forefront of domestic medical chip technology, with remarkable R&D achievements. Meanwhile, the Shaw Group has deep expertise in biomaterials research and development. ¡°With your expertise joining us, Huthailia¡¯s healthcare sector is bound to make a quantum leap forward.¡± Ruby lifted her chin with subtle confidence, her gaze sweeping across the three faces. Her tone remained calm, yet carried a hidden meaning. She then said, ¡°You tter me, Mr. Shaw. But coboration is never a simple matter¨Cit takes more than just technology. What truly matters is whether our core philosophies align.¡± Liam smiled, showing both humility and confidence. ¡°Ms. Olsen, the Cole Group has long prepared for this coboration. With our cutting¨Cedge technology and ready market strategies, we sincerely hope to join forces with you to let more people benefit from medical chips.¡± As he spoke, he reached into his briefcase to retrieve the meticulously prepared documents. Ruby raised her hand to cut him off and said bluntly, ¡°I¡¯m straightforward¨CI demandpletepliance and can¡¯t stand second¨Cguessing. Working with unfamiliar parties will most likely just lead to conflicts.¡± She paused, then added firmly, ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve alreadymitted to working with someone¨Cshe¡¯s even put together a team for me.¡± Ondo maintained a cordial smile as he said, ¡°Ms. Olsen, when it the country can rival the Cole 1/3 Chapter 302 Group Ruby curled her lips into a faintly mocking smile. ¡°Really? I heard that ever since Ms. Saxon left the Cole Group, several key technical personnel r and then there was a series of equipment malfunctions that injured employees. Care to exin?¡± Liam responded methodically, ¡°Those incidents did ur, but they allowed the Cole Group to weed out problematic elements within our organization Now with the Shaw Group as our strategic partner, I can assure you such issues will never recur.¡± Ruby gave a faint, knowing smile as she looked at him and asked, ¡°You¡¯re Liam Cole, correct?¡± Liam nodded. ¡°Yes, Ms. Olsen.¡± Ruby continued, ¡°Rumor has it your fiancee, Hannah Gibson, giarized a group of students¡¯ research and even went so far as to frame and nder others. True?¡± Liam stiffened momentarily, then said tersely, ¡°Yes. She¡¯ll face the consequences for her actions.¡± The scandal exploded online, drawing intense scrutiny from the authorities. With several powerful families actively targeting Hannah, not a singlewyer dared to take her case. Last night, Dexter visited the Saxon family. Ostensibly, it was just a courtesy call, but in truth, he was there to sound them out. After weighing the pros and cons, the Gibson family decided it was no longer worth investing any more time or resources in Hannah. Daniel was relieved that Liam and Hannah hadn¡¯t officially registered their marriage yet, so he ordered Liam to break up with her. To outsiders, their wedding seemed all but set in stone. Even if Hannah were convicted, Liam would wait for her. This was the path he¡¯d chosen¨Cthere was no turning back now. Ruby remained calm. ¡°That¡¯s certain¨Cno one escapes legal consequences. As for coboration¡­¡± She paused. ¡°I¡¯m only here today as a courtesy to Mr. Shaw. I have no intention of working together.¡± Ondo asked, ¡°Ms. Olsen, may I ask whichpany you¡¯ve agreed to coborate with?¡± ¡®Ms. Olsen always keeps her word. There¡¯s no point in trying to persuade her any further. Instead, I should go straight to the team she wants to work with -there might still be a window of opportunity,¡® he thought. Ruby¡¯s expression softened a little. With a gentle smile, she said, ¡°She¡¯ll be here any minute now. Mr. Shaw, I hope you don¡¯t mind if I have a guest join us?¡± Kim politely smiled. ¡°Not at all, Ms. Olsen.¡± Shortly after, there was a knock on the door. Ruby rose to her feet, followed immediately by Kim and the other two. Their gazes simultaneously turned toward the suite entrance. The door eased open. The moment they saw it was Aria, all three froze in shock and eximed in unison, ¡°Aria?¡± Ruby raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a small world!¡± It was far more than mere acquaintance¨Ceach of the three present was intricately connected to Aria. And this was especially true for Liam. Liam was the first to snap out of his daze, Incredulityced his voice as he asked, ¡°Ms. Olsen, don¡¯t tell me thepany you¡¯ve agreed to coborate with is the Stars Group?¡± 21:47 Fri, 13 Jun Ruby looked at Aria with warm, affectionate eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± she said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll work with whicheverpany Madelyn is with? The implication was clear: if Aria were still with the Cole Group, Ruby would have chosen them without hesitation¨Cthere¡¯d be no need for all this negotiation. For her, it was always about the person, not thepany. O Liam took this coboration very seriously. He thought bitterly, ¡®If it had been any otherpetitor, I would still have a shot at this. But of all people, it has to be Aria.¡® Aria smiled gently and said, ¡°Ruby, have you eaten yet?¡± Ruby shook her head. ¡°Not yet.¡± Aria said, ¡°Let¡¯s switch suites¨CCloe¡¯s here too.¡± At the mention of Cloe, Kim looked up. ¡°Count me in,¡± he said. Aria shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°Not you,¡± she said. Ruby nodded to Kim. ¡°Mr. Shaw, until next time.¡± As Aria turned to leave, Ondo casually remarked, ¡°I heard you¡¯re looking for a girl around 16 or 17, Ms. Saxon.¡± Again Marriage 303 Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Aria jerked to a halt, raising her eyes to meet Ondo¡¯s with a sh of sharp alertness. ¡°Is thising from you,¡± she demanded, ¡°or from Russellte Ondo and Russell from Neb Corp. had a close personal rtionship¨Can open secret in their loop, as neither made any effort to conceal it. They were more than just friends. Ondo maintained his gentle smile. ¡°Frankly speaking, Ms. Saxon, while about your background, which naturally led me to pay closer attention.¡± If someone were determined to dig into Pearl¡¯s affairs, they might uncover some traces. business matters recently, I happened to overhear a few things Patrick and Rhett both knew Aria was searching for someone, but neither of them knew exactly who. Since Ondo could mention it so directly, it was clear to her that he had already uncovered the connection between Aria and Pearl. That portrait¨Cshe¡¯d only ever shown it to Patrick. ¡®There¡¯s no way Patrick could be one of theirs. Just how far does Russell¡¯s reach go?¡® Aria thought. Aria met Ondo¡¯s gaze, an enigmatic smile curving her lips. ¡°So,¡± she said coolly, ¡°have you two uncovered any concrete leads?¡± A chill shed imperceptibly through Ondo¡¯s eyes. ¡°I happened to see the portrait sketch you drew, Ms. Saxon,¡± he said smoothly. ¡°Strangely enough, it bears an uncanny resemnce to a younger sister in my household. ¡°My younger sister is about sixteen or seventeen, Huthailian. She was trafficked to Masmubia at age ten. Seeing she had no one to turn to, we took her in. ¡°If you wish to meet her, I can make the arrangements, Ms. Saxon. A DNA test would also be no problem at all.¡± Aria asked, ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± Ondo cut straight to the chase. ¡°We¡¯d like Ms. Olsen toe work for Cole Group.¡± Aria¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile as she scoffed. ¡°Mr. Gagher, with all the effort you¡¯re putting in for Cole Group, it¡¯s hard not to question your true identity.¡± The other three failed to catch the underlying meaning in her words. However, Ondo¡¯s expression shifted abruptly, his gaze turning guarded as he looked at Aria. ¡°You¡­¡± Aria cut him off bluntly. ¡°Cole Group is a total mess¨CI won¡¯t let Ruby suffer through that.¡± She turned to Ruby. ¡°Ruby, let¡¯s go!¡± Ruby regarded Ondo thoughtfully, her gaze lingering on him, meaningful. After a brief pause, she nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± Kim immediately followed, thinking that if Cloe was there, Julia must be around. The three left one after another. Liam turned to Ondo and asked suspiciously, ¡°How did you know Aria was searching for someone?¡± Their rtionship was far from ordinary¨Cin fact, they were practically at each other¡¯s throats. Somehow, Liam felt a faint sense of satisfaction welling up inside him. Even though Liam didn¡¯t mind having Ondo around, he had no intention of letting the man overshadow his own brilliance. Though Ondo was meless, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he was born out of wedlock. ¡°I found out by chance,¡± Ondo replied evenly, his expression calm. Realizing Ondo didn¡¯t want to borate, m wisely didn¡¯t press further. Ondo regarded him as a rival, but Liam was single¨Cmindedly focused on the growth of the Cole Group. Ana never fell for threats¨COndo¡¯s tactic was doomed to fail. He¡¯d have toe up Once the Shaws learned about Julia, Cloe began openly keeping her by her side. with another n. Julia¡¯s eyes lit up the moment she spotted Aria. She scampered over on her little legs and piped, ¡°Aria, I missed you so much!¡± Aria softened her smile and crouched down just in time, catching Julia firmly as the little girl barreled into her arms. Just as Aria was about to pick Julia up, the little girl wriggled free and protested, ¡°No need to carry me, Aria! I¡¯m a big girl now. You¡¯ve been working so hard these past months¨Cyou must be tired.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired at all,¡± Aria said, her heart warming as she gently patted Julia¡¯s head. Then she stood up and introduced Ruby to Cloe, ¡°This is Ms. Ruby Olsen from GloTech.¡± Cloe quickly extended her hand. ¡°Ms. Olsen, I¡¯ve heard so much about you.¡± Again Marriage 304 Chapter 304 Ruby shook her hand and smiled. ¡°You can call me Ruby, just like Aria does.¡± Julia giggled twice, then piped up loudly, ¡°Hello, Ruby!¡± The three of them couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Julia dug around in her pocket with her tiny hand, pulled out a small, pretty box, and held it out to Aria Julia said, ¡°Aria, here¡¯s your present! Happy birthday!¡± After saying that, she gestured for Aria to crouch down, then leaned in and gave her a big, loud kiss on the cheek. Aria lifted the lid of the box to reveal a delicate ne inside. Cloe exined, ¡°She designed it herself and had it made using her own little stash of gold savings.¡± Aria¡¯s heart softened. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful. Thank you, Julia,¡± she said softly. Julia tilted her head up, eyes sparkling with anticipation. ¡°Let me put it on you, Aria.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied tenderly. Kim, sensing the warmth of the moment, wisely kept his distance. Still, he couldn¡¯t resist snapping a photo with his phone and texting it to Owen: [Go after Aria already!] Owen: [Whatever¡¯s going on between me and Aria, it won¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯ll never be Julia¡¯s dad.] Kim gritted his teeth, letting out a cold snort as he typed: [You useless jerk.] Owen: [Oh, you¡¯re so useful, huh? Just wait till Julia starts calling someone else ¡°Daddy¡°!] Kim let out a frustratedugh and turned off his phone. He lowered his gaze, only to find himself meeting Cloe¡¯s gentle eyes. Her smile vanished the moment she met his eyes. ¡®Am I some kind of monster to her? Back when we were intimate, she never looked at me like that,¡® Kim thought bitterly. The four of them entered the suite. Kim had other matters to attend to and left. After dinner, Aria went to the kitchen to get the food and hurried back. She rang the doorbell, but no one answered for quite a while. Puzzled, Aria pulled out her phone and dialed. After a dozen seconds, a weak voice answered, ¡°Hello?¡± His voice sounded faint and hollow. Aria said, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m at your door.¡± Aria heard the sound of someone getting out of bed inside. Owen¡¯s weak voice called out, ¡°Just a sec, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± The door swung open just as the call ended. Chapter 304 Aria was met with the sight of his visibly ill face. Owen looked groggy, his cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness. ¡°Are you sick?¡± Aria asked. Instinctively, Aria reached out and felt Owen¡¯s forehead. Frownin Owen shook his head weakly and took the food containers from he He turned and walked inside, his steps slightly unsteady. at the heat, she said, ¡°Owen, you¡¯re running a fever. You need to see a doctor ¡°I already took meds,¡± he said hoarsely. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ no need for a doctor. Aria walked in and shut the door behind her. ¡°Do you have a first¨Caid kit o Owen nodded weakly, lifting his drooping eyelids to nce toward the of r any medicine here?¡± couch. Aria didn¡¯t rush to get it. Instead, she opened the food containers eat, check your temperature.¡± one by ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡± one aid. ¡°This dish is a bit greasy. Skip it. Have the others, and after you ¡°Okay,¡± Owen murmured, his voice softer than usual and tinged with weakness. Owen had little appetite. After just a few bites, he set his fork down. Aria said, ¡°Let me take care of that.¡± Aria cleared the food containers, washed her hands in the kitchen, then walked to the sofa and picked up the first¨Caid kit on the floor. Owen¡¯s gaze never left her the entire time. Aria handed Owen the thermometer and said, ¡°Here, check your temperature.¡± Her tone carried a no¨Cnonsense edge¨Cthe kind she only reserved for those she was close with. Owen fought back a smile andplied. Aria checked the thermometer and frowned. ¡°101.3¡ãF,¡± she said, concern in her voice. Owen said softly, ¡°It¡¯s okay¨Cthe fever¡¯s gone down a bit. I¡¯ll be fine, really. You go take care of your stuff. I just need some rest.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Alright, go get some rest. I¡¯ll be back to check on you in two hours.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 305 Chapter 305 Ondo sat on the sofa, scanning the proposal as he said, ¡°I told her, but Aris didn¡¯t seem to care much.¡± Russell said coolly, ¡°She has no feelings- why would she tare?¡± It was within his expectations, so Russell wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised. ¡°What now?¡± Ondo spread his hands helplessly. ¡°Without Ruby Olsen, this project is stuck¨Cwe¡¯ll have to work at least another year to catch up For the Cole Group right now, a year was no small matter¨Cit would only further widen the gap between them and the industry¡¯s leadingpanies. With Ruby on board, recruiting other tech talent would be much easier. Just as Russell was about to speak, his phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Olivia. His and Ondo¡¯s eyes met. Ondo picked up the phone and answered, ¡°Ms. Remar.¡± ¡°Oh, Ondo!¡± came Olivia¡¯s soft voice through the phone. ¡°Where¡¯s Russell?¡± Ondo thought for a moment and replied, ¡°He¡¯s at a business dinner and forgot his phone. I was just about to take it to him.¡± ¡°Ah, got it,¡± Olivia said with a knowing smile. ¡°I¡¯ve got a question for you.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ondo replied. Olivia asked, ¡°I heard Russell is looking into a girl named Aria Saxon?¡± Ondo instinctively nced at Russell. After a moment of silence, he spoke deliberately, ¡°I¡¯m the one investigating. Given my current identity as the Cole family¡¯s illegitimate son, Aria Saxon is connected to our mission.¡± Olivia had investigated Russell, so naturally, she¡¯d looked into Ondo too. Hearing his exnation, she half¨Cbelieved him and teased, ¡°For a moment there, I thought Russell had found himself a new crush.¡± ¡®Nothing between them in the first ce¨Ca new crush? That¡¯s just absurd,¡® Ondo to with a wry smile. ¡°Ms. Remar, you must be joking,¡± Ondo replied tly. ¡°Russell has always been a man of principle¨Che¡¯d never mess around.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Olivia chuckled and said, ¡°My flightnds in an hour. Make sure to tell Russell toe pick me up, okay?¡± Ondo¡¯s expression shifted abruptly. ¡°You¡­¡± Olivia said, ¡°I¡¯m already in Mandino City, Huthailia¨Cwith Rachel in tow. Don¡¯t keep us waiting too long, okay?¡± The call ended abruptly. Russell¡¯s face darkened like storm clouds. In an icy yoice, hemanded, ¡°Find them and deal with them on the spot.¡± Ondo asked, ¡°So, who¡¯s going to pick them up?¡± ¡°You,¡± Russell said curtly. Ondo asked, ¡°What about you?¡± Russell stood up. ¡°I¡¯m at a business dinner, remember?¡± Chapter 305 Ondo was speechless. Owen gradually regained consciousness, his head throbbing and limbs weak. He dragged himself to the living room and took his temperature on ¡®Well, that fever dropped faster than I¡¯d like,¡® Owen thought wryly. His gaze fell on the coffee table, where Aria had neatly arranged the medicine and thermos before leaving. Owen popped the pill into his mouth and lifted the thermos, about to take a sip, when a sudden thought struck himn. At this rate, who knows when Aria will ever see me as more than just a friend? Maybe she really will treat the like a buddy for the rest of our lives, Owen thought with a bitter smile. He had always been in robust health, rarely getting sick. Yet this time, his illness arrived at just the perfect timing. A bold yet calcted idea took root in Owen¡¯s mind. ¡®I can¡¯t get better too fast.¡® Owen spat out the pill, took a few sips of water, then headed to the bathroom. With deliberate movements, he tossed the medication into the toilet and flushed it away. ¡®Perhaps skipping the meds won¡¯t work¨Cwhat if I get better on my own?¡® Owen thought slyly. After a moment¡¯s thought, he stepped into a cold shower to make his sickly appearance more convincing. An hourter, Aria arrived at Owen¡¯s apartment and, with practiced ease, keyed in the passcode to let herself in. The apartment was silent as Aria walked to the bedroom door. She raised her hand and knocked lightly, then called softly, ¡°Owen?¡± For a good while, there was no response. Öæ Again Marriage 306 Chapter 306 Raising her voice a little, she called out, ¡°I¡¯ming in, okay?¡± The door slowly swung open, and a damp chillced with the faint scent of medicine grested her. Aria walked into the room and immediately spotted the AC set to a chilly 61¡ãF. She frowned and hurriedly grabbed the remote, raising the temperature to a much morefortable 79¡ãF. ¡®He set the AC this low? Is he nuts?¡® Aria thought with an eye roll. Her gaze then fell on the bed, where Oweny motionless¨Chis face unnaturally pale, and strands of hair stered to his sweaty f forehead. Aria stepped closer and reached out to touch his forehead. The burning heat was even worse than this afternoon. She frowned in confusion and asked, ¡°Why is it getting worse?¡± Aria reached out to wake Owen, but just as her fingers were about to brush his cheek, she froze, her hand suspended mid¨Cair ¡°Face or head?¡® Aria hesitated, torn. ¡®Tapping his face feels too intimate, but patting his head seems a bit disrespectful¡­ Eyes shut tight, Owen could practically feel her burning gaze on him. His heart hammered in his chest¨Che was terrified she¡¯d discover he was already awake. He held his breath, not daring to even blink. ¡®I¡¯ve never been this nervous, not even on covert missions,¡® Owen thought wryly. When Aria gave his shoulder a light pat, Owen nearly gave himself away. Hidden beneath the covers, his hand clenched into a tight fist. ¡°Owen, wake up,¡± Aria urged. ¡®Would it be too obvious if I woke up now? Better keep pretending,¡® Owen thought, steeling himself to keep up the act. Aria gave him a firm shake. Owen sensed the timing was right. He first feigned a slight frown, then, with deliberate effort, slowly fluttered his eyes open¨Cthe perfect act of someone struggling to regain consciousness. At the sight of her, he first feigned a dazed expression, then mustered a weak smile and murmured hoarsely, ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Being sick really brought out his acting skills. Without thinking twice, Aria helped Owen sit up and casually handed him the thermometer. ¡°Take your temperature,¡± she said. ¡°Drink some water. I¡¯ll go make you some soup.¡± With that, she set the warm water she¡¯d prepared on the nightstand before heading out. Owen leaned against the headboard, finished his water, slipped the thermometer under his arm, and closed his eyes, pretending to nap. Aria came back in and shook him awake. ¡°Give me the thermometer,¡± she said. His throat tightened, and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed violently. Keeping his eyes shut, he fumbled for the thermometer before handing it to her. Aria checked the thermometer and immediately eximed, ¡°102.6¡ãF! We¡¯re going to the hospital now! Get up.¡± Owen coughed weakly, his pale face flushing slightly. ¡°Just¡­ wipe me down with some alcohol,¡± he murmured hoarsely. ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± His voice was hoarse, as if shrouded in mist, so veiled that it was almost impossible to catch any hint of probing in it. ¡°Get up!¡± Ariamanded. Owen swallowed hard and nodded in resignation. ¡°Alright,¡± he said, He threw off the covers, pulled on his jacket, and slipped on his shoes. Perhaps it was karma for overacting¨Cjust as Owen stood up, his vision swam, and he staggered uncontrobly to the side. Aria quickly reached out to steady him, guiding his arm over her shoulders. ¡°Lean on me,¡± she said. Her faint, delicate fragrance wafted into his nostrils as his hand lightly grazed the skin of her neck. Her skin felt a little cool to the touch, sending a faint shiver through him. It was irresistibly tempting to lean in closer. Owen couldn¡¯t help but swallow hard, feeling his body heat rise even higher. ¡®Breathe in, breathe out, Owen told himself, gradually calming down. Aria steadied Owen with an arm around his waist and pressed the elevator button. A long, tense minute ticked by. The elevator doors slid open. Aria froze as the elevator doors opened¨COndo and two women stood before her. Their gazes met, and silence hung thick in the air. AD Again Marriage 307 Chapter 307 Even before the nended, Olivia¡¯s op¨¦ratives had already delivered A¡¯splete dossier to her. Switched at birth, the true heiress Aria was raised by abusive adoptive parents. After returning to her birth family, she impulsively marred Lam, only to divorce two yearster. Olivia¡¯s first impression of Aria was that she was a timid, shrinking homewrecker¨Ctype¨Calways cowering and out of ce. But a closer look told a different story. Aria was not only a major shareholder in the Stars Group but also a professor at Kerano Global Health. Reaching such heights in both business and medicine took more than just hard work¨Cit demanded unfathomable cunning beneath the surface. Aria was no ordinary woman. Before Ondo could mention the hotel he¡¯d booked before picking her address for Mayen Garden, and dered she was going there. Ondo pressed 19; Olivia hit 18. Ondo knew Olivia had already dug into Aria. up from the airport, Olivia cut him off without hesitation, crisply gave the Fortunately, Rachel always wore a mask when going out to conceal the scar on her left cheek. What a coincidence¨Cthey¡¯d run into each other right there. Ondo¡¯s gaze slowly shifted from Rachel to Aria. Aria hadn¡¯t reached out to him all afternoon as if she truly couldn¡¯t care less who Pearl was. Olivia locked eyes with Aria for a few seconds, then pressed the close button. ¡°Ms. Saxon, the elevator¡¯s going up. Please wait a bit longer.¡± Owen, who had been staring at the floor, instinctively looked up when he heard the voice. The instant his eyes met Olivia¡¯s, his expression immediately hardened. Just then, Olivia¡¯s gaze happened to fall on him, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. She instantly reached out to block the closing elevator doors and blurted out, ¡°Mr. Shaw?¡± Olivia, the sole daughter of the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s boss. The Wolfshade Syndicate was a Huthailian¨CMasmubian crime syndicate operating in Masmubian. Its boss hailed from a notorious crime family and, after relocating to Masmubia, led the group into arms trafficking, kidnapping, and other illegal activities. While on a business trip to Masmubia, Owen attended a high¨Csociety event where his client introduced him to Olivia. The two had a brief chat. Owen nced sideways at Aria and confirmed one crucial fact. Aria didn¡¯t know Olivia, but Olivia certainly knew her. There¡¯s only one way Olivia would remember someone who didn¡¯t know her¨Cshe must have done her homework beforehand. Owen¡¯s gut told him one thing¨Cwhatever the reason, it was probably bad news for Aria Owen lowered his gaze slightly and gave Olivia a curt nod of acknowledgment. The other elevator arrived with a soft chime. Chapter 307 Aria supported Owen and guided him toward that elevator. Once inside the elevator, their gazes locked again¨CAria¡¯s eyes lingering on the masked girl¡¯s face. Noticing Aria¡¯s gaze, Ondo¡¯s heart lurched. He hastily hit the close button and stood motionless as the elevator doors slid shut They reached the 19th floor. Ondo said, ¡°Ms. Remar, Russell said you¡¯ll stay here temporarily. If it¡¯s not to your liking, he¡¯ll arrange another ce for you. Actually, Rachel had always been wearing her mask, so Ondo¡¯s reminder seemed rather unnecessary. Rachel cast a timid nce at Olivia. Meeting those ice¨Ccold eyes with a mocking half¨Csmile, her lips trembled I uncontrobly. ¡°Got., Got it,¡± she stammered. Ondo nodded and turned to leave. As soon as Olivia stepped into the room, she fixed Rachel with an icy stare and snapped, ¡°Take off that mask.¡± With trembling fingers, Rachel slowly raised her hand and fumbled to remove her mask. Olivia¡¯s palm struck Rachel¡¯s face with brutal force, the sharp crack echoing through the room. Olivia¡¯s p instantly left an angry red handprint swelling across Rachel¡¯s right cheek. Olivia said, ¡°Alright now. Put it back on!¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 308 Chapter 308 Rachel bit back her pain, barely daring to breathe. In a trembling voice, she asked cautiously, ¡°Ms. Remar, did your hand pet hurti Inside the clinic, the doctor stared at the thermometer¡¯s reading, his face tightening. He hurriedly jumped up to prep the IV, muttering, ¡°101 1 1 -10% keeps up, he¡¯ll be delirious.¡± Aria shot Owen a puzzled look, her brows furrowed. ¡°What happened after that? Why did your fever shoot up so quickly?¡± ¡®He¡¯s not some pampered weakling¨Cunder normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t spike a high fever this quickly. And normally, a high fever wouldn¡¯te on and persist this quickly, Aria thought. Hearing this, Owen¡¯s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He swallowed hard without thinking, but his throat was bone¨Cdry, as if it might catch fire. A nervous lump was stuck in his throat, refusing to go down no matter what. Owen was wracked by a violent coughing fit. Panicking inside, he desperately tried to suppress his cough, terrified it might give him away¨Cbut his body just wouldn¡¯t listen to him. With every cough, it felt like his throat was being scraped raw by sandpaper¨Cit hurt like hell, which meant it must be inmed. Seeing this, Aria quickly fetched a ss of water and pressed it directly to Owen¡¯s lips. Owen instinctively opened his mouth and slowly tilted his head back, gulping down the entire ss of water in one go. ¡°Thanks,¡± Owen rasped, his voice barely more than a whisper. The word he uttered was so hoarse, it was obvious he had a bad cold. Just then, the doctor approached, and Aria quickly stepped aside to make room for him. After carefully examining Owen, the doctor gestured toward the back of the clinic and said with a teasing smile, ¡°Go ahead and help your boyfriend into the private room, will you?¡± The clinic was spacious, with a rest area in the back. At the word ¡°boyfriend,¡± Owen¡¯s expression shifted instantly. His gaze darted reflexively toward Aria, only to find her face an impassive mask, utterly unreadable. Just as Aria was about to speak, Owen cut in, ¡°We¡¯re not officially dating yet.¡± There was a world of difference between ¡°not yet¡± and ¡°not at all¡°. Owen kept his eyes locked on the doctor as he spoke, enunciating the word ¡°yet¡± with deliberate softness. Aria hadn¡¯t heard him; she simply helped Owen to his feet and led him toward the private room. The doctor nced at Owen, shaking his head with a wry smile. ¡°Young people these days¨Ceven when pursuing someone they like, they¡¯ve learned to y the sympathy card.¡± With that, the doctor turned back to preparing the medication. Aria helped Owen onto the bed. ¡°It¡¯s already eight¨Cyou haven¡¯t had dinner yet. I¡¯ll go get you something to eat.¡± As she turned to leave, Owen caught her by the wrist. ¡°Wait.¡± 10:07 Sat 14 JUN Chapter 308 Caught off guard, A hadn¡¯t anticipated Owen would use so much force. Her foot caught on something unseen, and she pitched forward. Owen instinctively reached out and caught her. Aria reached out to steady herself against the bedside, but when Owen suddenly pulled her into his arms, her iling handnded squarely on his tipic Owen Shaw¡¯s back went rigid, a jolt shooting to his brain and leaving his mind nk. His eyes reflected her stunned face. They were so close their gazes locked, and for a moment, their breaths tangled in the charged air between them. The harsh fluorescent light washed over his face, bleaching his vision into a nk white void. Owen struggled to catch the emotions in Aria¡¯s eyes, but saw only a blur. Aria, however, noticed every fleeting shift in his expression. She noticed his pupils were fathomless, like bottomless abysses that could swallow her whole in an instant. Even through the fabric of his pants, Aria could feel the scorching heat radiating from his thigh, sending an electric jolt straight to her core. Again Marriage 309 Chapter 309 Startled as it burned, she yanked her hand away and thot upright. Aria hurried out without a backward nce at Owen, her steps quick and ingent The doctor, who had just finished preparing the medicine, was walking toward her. Seeing how flustered she was, he instinctudy called out the You two probably can¡¯t leave tonight. Remember to grab some toiletries for your boyf- I mean, your friend¡± Aria nodded hastily and vanished from sight in an instant. ¡®What¡¯s the rush?¡® the doctor wondered. Still puzzled, he opened the door¨Conly to find Owen sitting on the bed, his cheeks faintly flushed. Just minutes ago, he had been deathly pale. The doctor thought, ¡®Oh, youngsters¨Cgetting all flustered when nothing even happened! Owen rested his hands behind him on the edge of the bed, his spine ramrod straight. He stared vacantly ahead, his thoughts drifting far away The doctor deftly arranged the medical equipment, reached out to take Owen¡¯s hand with practiced ease, and swiftly inserted the IV needle to infusion. Throughout the entire procedure, Owen¡¯s expression remainedpletely nk. The clinic wasn¡¯t far from Mayen Garden. As Aria walked, the cool night air helped her gradually regain herposure. ¡®Even though it was an ident, I still kind of acted out of line,¡® she thought, feeling a bit embarrassed. Recalling the scene from just moments ago, Aria felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She raised her hand to smack her forehead, but froze mid- motion when she caught sight of her palm, her chest burning with a strange, unfamiliar heat. Aria took a deep breath and was just about to leave when a voice suddenly called out from behind her. ¡°Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria froze mid¨Cstep and turned around to see a sharply dressed man in a tailored suit approaching her. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Dexter Gibson.¡± He extended his hand with a polite smile. Although Aria Saxon and Dexter had crossed paths several times, they had never actually spoken. She cast a brief, disinterested nce at the outstretched hand but made no move to take it. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked coldly. Dexter had seen Aria at business dinners before. With a polite smile and a sincere demeanor, she neither fawned over business partners nor let anyone lose face. When beautiful women negotiated business deals, sexual harassment was almost inevitable. Those men wouldn¡¯t dare disrespect Aria, but they had no qualms about harassing her female staff. Dexter distinctly remembered that business dinner. Because Aria didn¡¯t hesitate¨Cshe smashed a bottle over that business partner¡¯s head. Dexter wasn¡¯t at all surprised that Hannah had met her match with Aria. Bare¨Cfaced, Aria¡¯s pristine features exuded a natural aloofness that kept people at arm¡¯s length. 1/2 1007 Sat 1U Chapter 309 She was even colder than at work. Likely because he was Hannah¡¯s brother, Aria pave Daxter the cold shoulder. Dexter cleared his throat and said, ¡°is Saxon, would you mine taking soniwcohura privita? ¡°No,¡± Aria cut him off bluntly. Dexter choked on his words. After an awkward pause, he cut straight to Expressionless, Aria said tly, ¡°So what chase. ¡°I¡¯m here shout my sister, Partial ¡°Ms. Saxon,¡± Dexter said firmly, ¡°name your terms for dropping thewsuit. Even shares in the Gibson Group are on the table? Since the attempted theft of the research results failed, Hannah might only face short¨Cterm detention ormently sugerat But the crux of the matter was, during Aria¡¯s pandemic relief efforts, Hannah had schemed to frame her. Now, if Aria refused to settle, and with mounting public pressure, Hannah would likely face criminal conviction. The Gibson family could never ept the disgrace of having one of their own end up in jail, no matter what. Dexter knew the attempt at reconciliation was doomed to fail, but since it was a direct order from Bartholomew, he had no choice but toply ¡°I want the Gibson Group. Hand it over, and I¡¯ll drop thewsuit. Otherwise, no deal,¡± Aria stated. With that, she turned on her heel and strode into the lobby. Dexter¡¯s lips twitched as he fought to keep his emotions in check. He pulled out his phone and dialed. ¡°Grandpa, Aria Saxon said she¡¯d withdraw thewsuit¨Cbut only if we surrender the Gibson Group.¡± On the other end of the line, Bartholomew exploded. ¡°What absolute fantasy is this?¡± Again Marriage 310 Chapter 310 The Gibson family¡¯s wanting Aria to drop thewsult was put as moch a pipe dream Knowing this all too well. Dexter remained silent ¡°Go alter her!¡± Bartholomew snapped. ¡°Once you win her over and she bes Hannah¡¯s sofer inw, she¡¯ll drop thewsuit diripts od t¨¦rs Dexter figured Bartholomew recognized Aria¡¯s value. With a wry, self mocking smile, he said, ¡°Grandpa, she¡¯s way out of mysguer Bartholomew snorted, ¡°She¡¯s merely a divorced woman. What¡¯s she being to picky Mor ¡°Aria Saxon is divorced! Hurry and drag our son back from abroad¨Chave him woo that girl, bring her home, and secure the family business ¡°You can¡¯t run thepany, but Aria Saxon from Mandino City can¨Cgo chase her! ¡°Since you can¡¯tpete with your brother, go win Aria Saxon¡¯s heart¨Cthat¡¯ll give you the upper hand. These were the words Dexter heard the other young heirs repeating from their family elders at the gatherings he attended. So what if she was divorced? Aria¡¯s desirability couldn¡¯t be diminished by a mere divorce certificate. If she could pour her heart into supporting the family of a man she married without love, just imagine how unstoppable she¡¯d be if she ever someone she truly loved. Not to mention the leading families in Mandino City¨Ceven many aristocratic ns in Kanit City were vying to have Aria as the perfect match for their sons. Those young heirs had been eager to make a move, but the moment they saw Aria, all their confidence vanished¨Cthey simply lost the nerve to pursue her. They weren¡¯t worthy, couldn¡¯t match her, and didn¡¯t dare try. Aria was outstanding in every way, yet to Bartholomew, just one failed marriage was enough to strip her of even the basic right to choose her own husband. Dexter found itughable. After hanging up, he headed to Yen Club. As Dexter pushed open the private room door, a jumbled, unpleasant mix of cigarette smoke, alcohol fumes, and cloying perfume assaulted his senses¡ª- the chaotic medley making him feel a bit queasy. He was used to these gatherings¨Cthey happened at least once a week. A few guys lounged on the sofa, chatting and drinking while flirting and joking around with a couple of wannabe celebrities by their side. The private room was spacious, and the guests naturally split into three groups: the carousers enjoying themselves, the dealmakers discussing business, and those fully immersed in their games. Spotting Dexter, someone at the poker table wayed him over. ¡°Come join us now!¡± Dexter was looking to blow off some steam with a few rounds of cards, so he joined them at the table. Across the table, Sebastian looked up from his cards and asked with a hint of mockery, ¡°So, the settlement talks fell throu dit?¡± It was a question, yet his tone waspletely confident. Chapter 310 Ethan picked up his cards and shook his head. ¡°It didn¡¯t wort With a wry smile, Dexter added, ¡°My grandpa still won¡¯t give up he actually wants me to chort Ana son, fat i?te for dere .¡± Another guy blurted out in disbelief, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just wishful thinking? ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started on your grandpa.¡± Sebastian sighed helplessly. ¡°Mine¡¯s had his sights set on Aria Savon sines Before her drains, and he¡¯s always nagging me to go introduce myself to her.¡± Everyone present knew Sebastian preferred sweet, delicate girls, not strong, independent women. Another guy said, ¡°Drop it already let¡¯s y cards.¡± Aria stood at the doorway, clutching the bag for two full minutes before finally stepping inside. Owen was lying in the clinic bed with an IV drip in his arm. He looked a little better than before. As Aria neared, Owen¡¯s head snapped toward her. For just a split second, their eyes locked¨Cthen, as if jolted by electricity, they both immediately averted their gazes. For a moment, an indescribable tension¨Cawkward and electric¨Chung thick in the air between them. Aria ced the bag on the table and pulled out the food containers and toiletries one by one. Seeing the toiletries, Owen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Aria carefully poured the chicken noodle soup into a bowl and handed it to Owen. Owen took it and blurted out stiffly, ¡°Thanks.¡± Aria looked at Owen and asked, ¡°Why would you take a shower with a fever?¡± Again Marriage 311 Chapter 311 Chapter 311 Aria couldn¡¯t find any toiletries in the quest bathroom. After a moment¡¯s thought, the headed to his en suite. As she stepped invade se traked a -only then did she notice the floor was slick with water, and a faint scent of shower gel lingered in the atr She was certain of one thing Owen had just showered. As soon as Aria saw Owen, the question that had been on her mind slipped out before she could stop herself. Owen had only wanted to spend some quality time with Aria and get closer he never expected they¡¯d end up at the clinic together. Now, Aria realized Owen had deliberately showered despite his high fever. Her opinion of him definitely took a nosedive. Owen instinctively pressed his lips together. His face, caught in the light, froze for a moment¨Ca flicker of awkwardness crossing it. He said, trying to sound casual, ¡°I heard showers could help bring down a fever, so I tried it¡­ But I guess it just made things worse.¡± Owen nced at her, wondering to himself if she¡¯d actually buy this excuse. ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Aria said mildly, her tone deceptively neutral. Owen breathed an inward sigh of relief. Scooping up a spoonful of steaming soup, he blew on it twice before bringing it to his lips. Just as Owen was about to swallow his soup, Aria suddenly teased, ¡°Honestly, I almost thought you were faking it just so I¡¯d have to take care of you.¡± Caughtpletely off guard, Owen choked on his soup. He broke into a fit of coughing, tears streaming from his eyes. Seeing this, Aria hurriedly took the bowl from Owen¡¯s hands and quickly pressed a few tissues to his mouth. ¡°I was just kidding! Why are you so jumpy?¡± Owen was seized by a violent coughing fit, his body convulsing with each hacking cough. Owen wanted to speak, but the coughing wracked his body uncontrobly. He kept the tissue pressed to his mouth, and the IV needle in the back of his hand trembled violently with every spasm. Aria¡¯s eyes widened in rm at the sight. Instinctively, she grabbed a handful of tissues and mped them over his mouth. Her movements were swift and forceful. Owen was so startled that his coughing miraculously stopped. Owen slowly raised his head, his gaze locking with hers once more. ¡°You stopped coughing?¡± Aria asked. His throat still tickled, but Owen suppressed the urge to cough and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said hoarsely. His face was an unnatural shade of red from coughing. When he spoke, he avoided her gaze, looking distinctly sheepish. Aria¡¯s gaze deepened thoughtfully as she picked up the ss of warm water from the table and handed it to him. ¡°Take it easy,¡± she said gently. Owen took the water and sipped it slowly. Finally, his sore throat felt better. Too sheepish to meet her gaze, Owen didn¡¯t notice that Aria was watching the rhythmic bob of his Adam¡¯s apple. Aria couldn¡¯t help but notice the veins along his neck, standing out clearly as he swallowed. With each movement, they pulsed ever so slightly, disappearing beneath the cor of his shirt and hinting at the chest hidden underneath. Chapter 311 Aria instantly snapped out of her daze and quickly averted her gaze, het ears burning with embarrassment: For a split second, she actually thought, ¡®Wow, Owen looks¡­ kind of irresistible. Am I losing my mind?¡± After Owen finished the water, Aria took the ss from him, raised the bedside tray table, and set the bowl of soup in front of him. Here, have some to settle your stomach first,¡± she said. It was the chicken noodle soup she¡¯d made herself. Owen smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± With his left hand¨Cthe one connected to the IV¨Cresting on the Owen used his right to slowly savor the soup, relishing this brief, peaceful moment. Aria had cooked just enough soup for one, Watching Owen finish everyst bite, a gentle sense of lightness rose in her heart. Feelingfortably full and content, Owen asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria replied. Owen nodded as hey back on the clinic bed. Thinking of Hannah¡¯s situation, he said, ¡°The Gibson family will probably hire a defense attorney for her. myself.¡± should be able to go back to the firm tomorrow¨CI¡¯ll take charge of b After a brief pause, he went on, ¡°Also, regarding the Gibson family¡¯s previous hiring of paid trolls¨Csince they caused damage to your reputation, we¡¯ll pursue legal action for that as well.¡± Aria studied him. ¡°With how you are right now, you really should take another day to rest.¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°I should be fine by the day after tomorrow.¡± Owen kinda regretted taking that extra shower¨Cand now he was ¡®forced¡® to to the clinic. Owen knew Aria wouldn¡¯t get proper rest if she stayed there. AD Comment Again Marriage 312 Chapter 312 Therefore, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine here by myself. Why don¡¯t you head home and get tome rast?¡± Aria paused for a couple of seconds, then said with a teasing smile, ¡°After all those free meals I¡¯ve mooshed off you, it¡¯s only fair I return the p once.¡± Owen looked up at the IV drip, the medicine slowly dripping. The words to refuse rose to his lips, but he swallowed them back. Just then, the doctor pushed open the door and walked in. Owen quickly spoke up, ¡°Doctor, I feel like my fever¡¯s gone down. Can I stop the IV after this bag is finished?¡± The doctor paused briefly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He quickly stepped forward and reached out to feal Owen¡¯s forehead, then turned to grab the thermometer. After giving it a brisk shake, he handed it to Owen and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take your temperature first.¡± Owen thanked him and took it with his free hand. But with his left hand stuck with the IV and his right holding the thermometer, Owen realized¨Cgreat, now he didn¡¯t even have a free hand to pull up his shirt. The doctor¡¯s lips quirked in amusement as he shot Aria a discreet nce. ¡°Other patients are waiting, so I¡¯ll get going. Could you help your friend lift up his shirt?¡± With that, he hurried out¨Cbut not before shooting Owen a knowing wink on his way out. Owen caught the implication in the doctor¡¯s look and froze for a moment, then nced awkwardly at Aria. ¡°I can manage it myself,¡± he stammered. With that, he set the thermometer aside, reached for his jacket zipper, then, using just one hand, awkwardly fumbled with his shirt buttons. Aria stared at his fumbling hand for two silent seconds, then suddenly stood up and leaned in closer. Owen¡¯s pupils dted. His fingers froze mid¨Cmotion on the buttons, his entire body rigid as if frozen in ce. He stared fixedly at her. ¡°Let me,¡± Aria said. Aria¡¯s voice was calm, her eyes clear and guileless¨Cutterly devoid of even a hint of anything suggestive. Her hands moved swiftly, nimble fingers working their way down his shirt buttons one by one. Owen instinctively held his breath, muscles tensing imperceptibly. As Aria undid the fourth button, the back of her hand almost identally brushed lightly against his chest. Her hand was slightly cool. That gentle touch was like an electric current shooting through him. Owen nearly lost hisposure¨Chis Adam¡¯s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. Halfway through unbuttoning, Aria¡¯s gaze involuntarily flicked to his chest. Her gazended on his perfectly defined abs, toned and firm. Her gaze drifted lower, but the view was cut off by his shirt. In that split second, Aria¡¯s heart hammered faster. She swallowed hard, quickly averted her gaze, picked up the thermometer, and handed it to Owen. Her voice came out tighter than she intended as she said, ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± Aria worked diligently on the buttons,pletely unaware that Owen¡¯s gaze remained fixed on her face¨Che didn¡¯t miss eting change in her eyes. Chapter 312 Guess all those workouts weren¡¯t for nothing. Guess she¡¯s not as maffected is the pretende: Owen thought, the tremare at leas Involuntarily. With a small sigh of relief, he tucked the thermometer under his tek armpit As Owen withdrew his left hand¨Cthe one connected to the IV he identally knocked against the ss, producing a faint denting card, with his left hand hooked up to the IV and a thermometer tucked under his arm, Owen¡¯s movements were painfully autward. He who tension. Ariaiced his difort and, after a brief hesitation, softly suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try tucking it under your other arm instead?: Aria thought, ¡®Right now, I kind of regreting to this little clinic. If I¡¯d gone to a proper hospital, at least they¡¯d have digital thermometers for oral readings. Then I wouldn¡¯t have to endure this painfully awkward situation! Owen didn¡¯t want to trouble her further in this situation. He shook his head and insisted, ¡°Ho, this works fine. Really, the Wisn¡¯t in the way As he spoke, he fumbled one¨Chanded to button his shirt. Having done it once before, the second time felt much more natural¨Cno longer as awkward or hesitant as before. ¡°Let me,¡± Aria said, stepping even closer and reaching out to fasten his buttons. She leaned down, and Owen looked up. They were so close that each could hear the other¡¯s poundin heartbeat. Owen dared not take deep breaths, but the more he restrained himself, the faster his heart raced¨Cits pounding growing louder with each passing second. Aria could distinctly hear the rapid pounding of his heart. As she fastened thest button, her fingers stilled, and she lowered her gaze to meet his. His heart hammered wildly in his chest¨Che could barely breathe. Owen¡¯s lips trembled slightly with nerves as he blurted out, ¡°You¡­¡± Just then, the door swung open abruptly, and the doctor entered with a patient, shattering the tense atmosphere. Ìï Again Marriage 313 Chapter 313 Witnessing the sudden scene, both Owen and Aria¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, and they turned their heads simultaneou The eyes of the four met. An awkward silence fell. The room was so quiet they could hear each other¡¯s breathing, with only the faint drip of the IV fluid breaking the tension. The doctor was the first to snap out of it. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he said, ¡°Well¡­ you two carry on. I¡¯ll just take this patient over to another bed. With that, he hastily led the bewildered patient toward a bed in the far corner, making it abundantly clear he was keeping his distance and had no intention of disturbing them. Aria was the first to snap out of it. Without bothering with Owen¡¯sst button, she hastily stood up and backed away several steps. At this moment, the girl settled back on the hospital bed, curiously eyeing Owen and Aria. She lowered her voice and whispered to the doctor, ¡°That couple is seriously good¨Clooking. They look wealthy¨Cwhat are they doing in a little clinic like this?¡± The doctor chuckled, half¨Cjoking, ¡°What, is my little ce not good enough for them?¡± The girl quickly waved her hands. ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I meant! I was just saying.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get the wrong idea¨Cthey¡¯re not a couple yet,¡± the doctor said as he pulled the curtain closed. ¡°Huh?¡± The girl¡¯s voice shot up in surprise, full of disbelief. ¡°They¡¯re not a couple? Then what were they doing just now? Some kind of roley?¡± The doctor nearly choked, coughing as his face flushed. ¡°They were just taking his temperature, not¡­ whatever you¡¯re thinking.¡± ¡®These kids really have no filter these days,¡¯ the doctor thought. ¡°Just taking his temperature?¡± The girl sounded a bit disappointed. Then, getting nosy again, she asked, ¡°So does that guy like her?¡± The flimsy curtain might as well not have been there¨Cit did nothing to muffle their voices. Aria and Owen caught every word of the conversation. Neither spoke¨COwen stared at the ceiling, Aria at the floor, their faces still burning with embarrassment. Five minutester, the doctor walked over. ¡°Let me check the temperature.¡± This time, Aria didn¡¯t offer to help, and Owen, too embarrassed to y weak, took out the thermometer himself. ¡°99¡ãF,¡± the doctor remarked. ¡°Young people really do bounce back fast. You can leave after this IV finishes. Just don¡¯t catch a chill again. I¡¯ll go get your meds.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± After the doctor left, the room fell silent except for the girl¡¯s phone call with her mother. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. My roommate will be here soon to look after me. The bed here is reallyfortable¡ªI¡¯ll be fine, I promise. Oh, and Mom, our school is organizing¡­¡± Her words were abruptly cut off. The sound of a thermos ttering to the floor echoed in the room. A pained groan came from the girl, while her mother¡¯s frantic voice came urgently through the phone. ¡°Marie!¡± 10 Chapter 313 Aria¡¯s expression shifted instantly. She rushed over and saw the girl, Marie, writhing in pain, foam bubbling at her mLIKA, Without hesitation, she knelt down, removed the IV needle from Marie¡¯s hand, rolled her onto her side, grabbed a tongue depresser from the to slipped it between her teeth to prevent tongue biting. Owen yanked out the IV drip, swiftly rolled off the bed, and dashed over in a few quick strides. Seeing what was happening, he spun around and sprinted to the phone. ¡°I¡¯ll call 911 for an ambnce!¡± he shouted, urgency clear in his voice, The doctor heard themotion and rushed in frantically. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Marie? Marie!¡± The voice of Marie¡¯s mother cried frantically through the phone. A Again Marriage 314 Chapter 314 Startled by the scene, the doctor quickly checked Marie¡¯s pupils and vital signs, urgently asking. ¡°Has she ever had an episode as this before The woman replied, ¡°She has cardiovascr and cerebrovascr disease heart and brain problems!¡± After making the call, Owen threw all the windows wide open. Meanwhile, the doctor was checking the girl¡¯s blood pressure and heart rate both readings were dangerously abnormal While pressing her fingers to Marie¡¯s acupoint, Aria asked urgently, ¡°Do you have any acupuncture needles here?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re being sterilized right now,¡± the doctor replied. His small private clinic was usually busy, with a steady stream of patients¨Cmany chose toe here when they couldn¡¯t make it to a major hospital in time. He had specialized in acupuncture and earned the necessary certifications, asionally using it for emergency cases. But when it came to life¨Cthreatening cardiovascr or cerebrovascr conditions, he knew better than to attempt acupuncture rashly. Owen said, ¡°I¡¯ll get the acupuncture needles!¡± Momentster, he rushed back with the needles in hand. The doctor instinctively reached for the needles, but a surge of apprehension gripped him. ¡°I primarily specialize in modern medicine. With such aplex case, I can¡¯t risk performing acupuncture.¡± He thought, ¡®If anything goes wrong because of my acupuncture, it would end my medical career.¡® Aria eximed, ¡°Let me!¡± She snatched a needle and quickly inserted it into the philtrum point, angling it upward. The doctor¡¯s eyelid twitched. He stammered, ¡°Have you done this before? The philtrum¡¯s full of nerves and blood vessels¨Cone slip and it could be serious.¡± Owen cut in, ¡°Rx. She¡¯s a pro.¡± Aria pricked Marie¡¯s fingertips to draw blood, then swiftly needled the other acupoints. Marie gradually calmed down. After taking her pulse, the doctor let out a long breath of relief, picked up Marie¡¯s phone, and reassured her mother, ¡°Your daughter is stable for now. We¡¯re waiting for the ambnce.¡± On the other end, Marie¡¯s mother, who was on her way to the airport, burst into tears when she heard this. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± she sobbed. Before long, the shrill wail of the ambnce grew louder as it approached. At the same time, Marie¡¯s counselor and roommate rushed to the scene. Aria carefully removed the acupuncture needles, watching in silence as the paramedics gently lifted the girl onto the stretcher and into the ambnce. The doctor finally rxed, a hint of admiration in his eyes as he looked at Aria. ¡°Your acupuncture technique is excellent. Which university are you a med student at?¡± Aria replied, ¡°I¡¯m actually a teacher.¡± ¡°A university professor? But you¡¯re so young!¡± the doctor eximed, genuinely surprised. She looked barely in her early twenties, appearing every bit a college student. It was hard to imagine she was already teaching at university level. ¡°That¡¯s about right,¡± Aria said. She then rose to her feet and looked at Owen. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Aria asked. Owen gave a small shake of his head, his tone rxed. ¡°All good now. Let¡¯s head backs After settling the bill, they left the clinic together. On the way back, Aria remained unusually quiet. Owen noticed her oddness and turned his head. ¡°You saved that girl, Marie,¡± he said Aria seemed lost in thought at his words. She stopped If he hadn¡¯te down with a fever after that cold shower I looked at Owen. ¡°Your illness really came at just the right time.¡± they never would have ended up at that clinic. Owen chuckled, a hint of guilt flickering in his smile. After all, he¡¯d taken that cold shower on purpose¨Cjust to get closer to Aria. His selfish act had unexpectedly saved someone¨Ca blessing in disguise, he supposed. He was grateful Aria was there. As they reached the gates of the Imperial Garden, they came upon three figures. A stranger, his face full of sincerity, was saying, ¡°Mono, I wish to be your apprentice!¡± AD Again Marriage 315 Chapter 315 Mono shot him an exasperated look and snapped, ¡°I said not¡± The man¡¯s hair was long enough to just cover his neck, with stim ck framed sses perched steadily on his nose. Dressed in vintage¨Cstyle clothing, he exuded a unique aura¨Ctimeworn yet pristine. Already ustomed to rejection, he remainedposed and resolute as he stated, ¡°I won¡¯t give up.¡± Mono heaved a weary sigh, his face etched with exhaustion. ¡°Lincoln Saxon, after all these years, can¡¯t you just let it go already?¡± Looking back, even before Mono retired, Lincoln was already doggedly pursuing him, pleading to be taken as his disciple. Who would have thought that, even after more than twenty years, to everyone¡¯s surprise, he was still at it? No matter where Mono was, Lincoln Saxon would follow like gum stuck to his shoe¨Cimpossible to shake off. Mono felt utterly drained. ¡®With this level of persistence,¡® he thought, ¡®Lincoln Saxon could master any painting style. Why must he obsess over bing my apprentice?¡® Standing to the side as a witness, Gael could only shake his head helplessly. He really admired Lincoln¡¯s perseverance. Over two decades ago, when Lincoln was just a boy, he camped out at Mono¡¯s doorstep day after day, pleading to be taken as his disciple. Such determination and persistence were far beyond what most people could muster. Hearing Mono¡¯s words, Lincoln lowered his head slightly and pushed up his sses, his voice tinged with a subtle grievance. ¡°Mono, you once promised that if you ever took on a disciple, you¡¯d consider me first. Yet in the end, you chose someone else.¡± ¡°My disciple is exceptionally gifted¨Cyou¡¯re not even in the same league.¡± Mono¡¯s words were brutally honest and razor¨Csharp, like a dagger plunging straight into Lincoln¡¯s heart and lungs, leaving him reeling from the pain, Without thinking, Lincoln blurted out, ¡°Who¡¯s your apprentice, Mono? Can I meet them?¡± ¡°Absolutely not. You¡¯d drive her crazy,¡± Mono refused without hesitation. Even he found it annoying¨Cand that girl cherished her peace and quiet; she¡¯d be even less tolerant. ¡°Mono,¡± came a cool,posed female voice from behind. The three men turned at the sound and saw Aria and Owen walking side by side. Mono first nced at Aria, his young apprentice, then let his contemtive gaze linger on Owen¡¯s face. ¡°Mono, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Owen Shaw,¡± Owen said respectfully with a slight nod. ¡°Alright.¡± Mono simply nodded, his gaze lingering on Owen a moment longer, a scrutinizing look in his eyes. Under that gaze, Owen unconsciously straightened his back, feeling a subtle wave of nervousness. He didn¡¯t know why he was so nervous, and for some reason, it felt just like meeting his girlfriend¡¯s parents for the first time. Lincoln turned to Aria and blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re Mono¡¯s apprentice?¡± Hearing this, Mono and Gael exchanged a knowing nce, their eyes gleaming with anticipation of the show toe. 1 10:08 Sat 14 Jung¡° u e Chapter 315 A said coolly, ¡°Yes. Got a problem?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lincoln replied, though he was genuinely taken aback by how young Mono¡¯s apprentice was, momentarily at a loss for words Lincoln stared at Aria, a sense of familiarity nagging at him. ¡°Mind if I ask your artist name?¡± he asked, curiosity in his voice ¡°Mono says you¡¯re exceptionally gifted. I¡¯d really love to learn from you,¡± he added. He thought to himself, ¡®A painter with such talent should¡¯ve made a name in the art world¨Cmaybe I even know her? Aria shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have an artist nam Lincoln, taken aback, asked, ¡°Wait, you use your legal name too, just like Mono?¡± Mono stepped in to exin on her behalf, ¡°Madelyn¡¯s paintings aren¡¯t avable on the market.¡± Lincoln instinctively blurted out, ¡°How could that be?¡± Mono countered impassively, ¡°Why not?¡± Comment Again Marriage 316 Chapter 316 ¡°That¡¯s not what I ineant. ¡°Lincoln began, but Mono cut him off. ¡°Just leave. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m ever going to take you as my app cance Mono sald coldly, ¡°If you want to see my apprentice¡¯s work, go to the Fine Art Society¡± Lincoln knew that pressing further would only make Mons even more annoyed, so with a sigh, he reluctantly Backed off Before leaving, Lincoln suddenly remembered something. Turning to Aria with genuine sincerity, he asked, ¡°Madelyn, could i get your contact infot ra love to consult you about painting techniques in the future.¡± ¡®Since I can¡¯t be Mono¡¯s apprentice,¡® he thought, ¡®building a good rtionship with his apprentice is the next best thing ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said coolly, pulling out her phone to scan his QR code. A momentter, they friended each other as contacts. Just then, Mono stealthily crept up, his eyes zeroing in on Aria¡¯s phone screen. ¡°You two just friended each other?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied, her voice much softer. ¡°Mono, is something wrong?¡± Mono¡¯s face twisted in a sudden grimace as he snatched Aria¡¯s phone and barked, ¡°Unfriend him! Why friend him at all?¡± After deleting and blocking Lincoln¡¯s number, Mono shoved the phone back at Aria, red at Lincoln, and snapped, ¡°Get lost! One more disturbance, and I¡¯m calling the cops!¡± Lincoln stood there, utterly bewildered. He wondered, ¡®Why did Mono suddenly do aplete about¨Cface? ¡®Did asking for his apprentice¡¯s contact info piss him off? ¡®But if that was the case, why didn¡¯t he say anything before we friended each other?¡® ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Mono said curtly. Gael steadied Mono as they made their way toward the gates of Mayen Garden, with Aria following close behind. Owen gave Lincoln a long, prating look. ¡°You¡¯re Lincoln Saxon?¡± Lincoln nodded, then looked surprised. ¡°You¡­ you know me?¡± With a sympathetic look, Owen said, ¡°Give it up. You¡¯ll never be Mono¡¯s a s apprentice¡ªhe truly detests you.¡± With that, Owen hurried after the others, leaving Lincoln rooted to the spot, his mind a , while Tina couldn¡¯t make it due to workmitments. Even Abigail, who had been separated from her husband Luke, made a special trip back for the asion. Seeing his youngest son, Lincoln, safe and sound, Joseph bit back his scolding and simply said, ¡°Come join us for dinner.¡± Lincoln walked over and sat down beside his father, Joseph. Chapter 31s Caleb, Silvia, Terry, Derek, and Nathan each called out Uncis Lincoln in turn Lincoln nced around the room and asked casually, ¡°Wilson¡¯s been studying abroad for four years now, but a about the Abigail nodded and replied, ¡°He¡¯ll be back in August.¡± Lincoln turned to his second brother, Logan, and asked, ¡°What about Aria? Is she still with the Cole family and hasn¡¯te here Lincoln knew about the baby switch and that Aria had gotten married soon after being reunited with the family. With everyone here for this rare family gathering, he thought Aria, this niece he¡¯d never met, would surely be there too. But she was nowhere to be seen. The moment those words left his mouth, the whole room went dead silent, with a palpable tension filling the air. Logan and Zoe fell silent. Caleb¡¯s expression turned frosty, Silvia nervously gripped her fork, and Nathan¡¯s face darkened with evident frustration. The entire second branch of the family looked palpably awkward, as if the atmosphere had suddenly turned tense. Lincoln sensed something was off and tentatively asked, ¡°Is she not getting along with you guys?¡± Again Marriage 317 Chapter 317 With that thought in mind. Abigail snorted derisively. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a surprise. Lincoln, you didn¡¯t get the memo? Dad publicly disowned her. Arta hat registered herself as an independent household she hasn¡¯t been part of our Saxon family for a long time now.¡± Lincoln¡¯s eyes darkened in an instant. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± He was never particrly close to Silvia, let alone Aria, his niece he¡¯d never even met. The only thing he ever did for her was to have someone send a gift when she was first brought back into the family. The Saxon family is filthy rich. Taking in one more daughter wouldn¡¯t have made a dent in our fortune. Why would Dad go to such extremes? Lincoln thought, unable to understand Joseph¡¯s decision. Abigail shrugged nonchntly, her expression cold. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ask your dad?¡± she said, making no effort to be polite. Luke immediately shot back, ¡°You don¡¯t even know the whole story¨Chow can you just me everything on Dad?¡± Abigail sneered, ¡°Do us all a favor and shut it. You¡¯re equally responsible for Aria¡¯s departure.¡± Luke, who normally never missed a chance to argue with Abigail, fell uncharacteristically silent this time. His face flushed with alternating shades of red and pale, lips parting briefly before closing again without uttering a word. Joseph¡¯s leg didn¡¯t bother him all winter, thanks to the family¡¯s staggering $130 million expenditure. And the one who pocketed all that money was none other than his own granddaughter, Aria. Looking back, Joseph had grown displeased with Aria¡¯s aloofness, convincing himself that sacrificing her interests was a necessary move for the family¡¯s sake. He thought to himself, ¡®As long as Aria knows how to fall in line, I certainly wouldn¡¯t shortchange her! Onlyter did Joseph realize that Aria had never needed the Saxon family¨Cif anything, the family was beneath her station. By now, all Joseph could do was hope that as Aria grew older, she might remember their family ties and return home. Joseph cut in firmly, ¡°Enough about this. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Caleb kept eating with his fork, as if none of this had anything to do with him. He was the only one who remainedposed. After dinner, Lincoln wanted to speak with Caleb privately, but Caleb simply brushed him off with, ¡°I got to work overtime,¡± and left. Left with no other choice, Lincoln sought out Nathan. After Nathanid out the entire chain of events, Lincoln stood rooted to the spot, utterly dumbfounded. Joseph severed ties with his granddaughter Aria over some measly benefits, only to discoverter that she possessed formidable connections and exceptional talents. That was what Joseph¡¯s style was like¨Ccounting pennies while the fortune slips away. Joseph was just the spark¨Cthe real issue lies with the entire second branch of the Saxon family. Lincoln couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°She¡¯s the child you went through hell and back to find. Even if she asked for the moon, you sha moved heaven and earth to get it for her. So why give her the cold shoulder?¡± Nathan pursed his lips. The usual defiant look in his eyes was gone, his face now clouded with silent regret. Chapter 317 Lincoln looked at him, let out a long sigh, and said, ¡°You made your choice. Might as well act like you never found her in the first plic v Half an hour earlier, Aria and the other three rode the elevator up to the 18th floor. Owen was the first to ask, ¡°Mono, Gael, have you had dinner yet?¡± Mono remained silent. Gael shook his head. ¡°Not yet,¡± he replied. Owen smiled warmly and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to my ce? I can cook.¡± Before Mono and Gael could respond, Aria interjected, ¡°No way. You just got over a fever. Go home and rest properly. I¡¯ll order takeout from Mavoron Restaurant.¡± Owen nodded without hesitation. ¡°Sure thing,¡± he said. ¡®So obedient?¡® Mono mused, a bit surprised. Mono gave him a once¨Cover, quietly sizing him up. Deep down, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a hint of satisfaction at his performance. ¡®He can cook¨Cten points for that. ¡®He doesn¡¯t talk back but listens. Plus five points. ¡®He¡¯s tall, handsome, and in great shape¨Cthat¡¯s another twenty points.¡® Mono inwardly rated Owen. Again Marriage 318 Chapter 318 Before entering, Owen smiled politely and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get some rest, then.¡± He¡¯s polite¨Cfive more points,¡® Mono thought. ¡°Mm¨Chmm,¡± Mono replied, and Owen stepped inside. Ara was just keying in the passcode when the door suddenly swung open from inside. Lily beamed as she bounded over. ¡°You¡¯re back, Arial¡± Aria looked slightly surprised. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to stay at school this week? I didn¡¯t evene pick you up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not far at all¨Cjust a quick bus ride,¡± Lily replied cheerfully. But as soon as she noticed Mono and Gael, a hint of shyness flickered across her face. Aria introduced with a smile, ¡°This is my master, Mono, and that¡¯s Gael.¡± Lily smiled sweetly and greeted them politely, ¡°Hello, Mono. Hello, Gael.¡± Mono had long known about Aria¡¯s new sister. With an affectionate smite, he pulled out the gift he¡¯d prepared in advance. Gael also handed her a gift. It was Lily¡¯s first time experiencing all this fuss, and she felt at a loss, instinctively looking to Aria for help. Aria stepped inside, gently stroked Lily¡¯s head, and whispered, ¡°We¡¯re all family here. Don¡¯t worry, just take it. Mono¡¯s loaded.¡± Mono feigned a wounded look and teased, ¡°You little rascal.¡± Aria pretended not to hear him and ushered them in, calling out, ¡°Come on in, Mono.¡± The four settled onto the sofa as Aria ordered a meal for five, adding a specially prepared egg custard for Owen¡¯s recovery diet. While waiting for dinner, Lily retreated to her room to do her homework, Gael lounged in the living room watching his shows, and Aria apanied Mono to the art studio. Mono took his time admiring the paintings, his eyes brimming with growing delight. Her paintings still had that dark aesthetic, but the emotions in them had clearly mellowed. Seized by inspiration, Mono settled in to paint a new piece. A sudden burst of heavy stomping shook the floor above. The soundproofing at Mayen Garden was usually excellent, yet the noise from upstairs was clearly audible downstairs, which showed just how loud themotion must have been. Mono¡¯s brush never paused, sweeping across the canvas with fluid strokes, music stopped dead. A woman stormed over in high heels, yanked the door wide open, and looked down her nose at Aria. ¡°What¡¯s your problem? Olevia asen Aria¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You¡¯re disturbing the neighbors downstairs. If you want to dance, take it somewhere else? Olivia let out a cold, derisive snort. ¡°This is my ce,¡± she said with contempt. ¡°I¡¯ll dance however I please. None of your business? After failing to meet Russell all this time, Olivia was seething with frustration. Ever since Ondo dropped them off, he¡¯d been brushing her off with ¡°I¡¯m busy¡± every time Olivia tried to reach him. She discovered that Russell owned a property in Mayen Garden¨Cthat was all she could find out. Aria could only say, ¡°If you keep making noise, I¡¯ll have to call building management.¡± Just as Aria was about to leave, Olivia suddenly called out, her voice sharp and using. ¡°What¡¯s going on between you and Russell Nicholson?¡± Aria stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her. Olivia snapped venomously, ¡°He¡¯s my fiance! If you dare sneak around with him behind my back, I¡¯ll tear you to shreds and feed you to the wolves?¡± Aria sneered, ¡°If you¡¯re really engaged, then why can¡¯t you even find him?¡± Olivia¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°How do you know that?¡± she demanded sharply. ¡°Was it that hard to guess? Your face says it all,¡± Aria said with a mocking smile. She then smirked. ¡°Try the Aureus Club¨Cyou¡¯ll find him there. You¡¯re wee.¡± Again Marriage 319 Chapter 319 With just those words, Aria hastily made her exit. Back home, sure enough, the noise had ceased. Navoron Restaurant delivered the meal. Lily arranged the dishes, Gael went to fetch Mono, while Aria called Owen, only to hear a cold, automated message indicating the call didn¡¯t go through. Ar¨ªa thought, ¡®I already messaged Owen about dinner. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be sleeping at this hour.¡® Aria hurried down the hallway to Owen¡¯s apartment and pressed the doorbell. After what felt like an eternity of silence, she pressed the doorbell again¨Cstill, no response. Aria frowned, then, without further hesitation, keyed in the passcode she knew by heart. The lock clicked open as she gently pushed the door. The living room was pitch¨Cck, save for a faint glimmering from a room in the corner. From where she stood, the door was slightly ajar. Aria softly called out, ¡°Owen?¡± Still, there was no answer. Then she hurried over, her footsteps echoing unnervingly clear in the deathly quiet space. Aria stood at the door, about to call Owen¡¯s name, when an unexpected scene suddenly caught her off guard. He stood bare¨Cchested, his shirt dangling from one arm. His sun¨Ckissed skin glowed, broad shoulders flowing into sculpted back muscles. Every contour was taut and defined, his trim waist forming a perfect V- line¨Can embodiment of raw masculine perfection, Sensing movement at the doorway, Owen froze for a split second, then abruptly whipped around. Aria¡¯s gaze locked onto Owen¡¯s taut, perfectly aligned eight¨Cpack abs¨Ceach muscle like carved marble, subtly rising and falling with his every breath. His chiseled muscles tapered down into his dress pants, the defined lines disappearing beneath the waistband. Aria¡¯s eyes widened as her gaze traveled upward, locking eyes with him in an electric moment. The air stood still. Owen seemed equally stunned by the sudden intrusion¨Coddly enough, he didn¡¯t even attempt to cover himself at first. Aria¡¯s mind wentpletely nk with a dizzying rush, heat flooding from her cheeks down to her entire body. Her eyes fluttered in panic before she finally snapped out of it. In a rush, she spun around, her movements flustered and desperate to get away. ¡°Sorry.¡± After blurting that out, Aria spun on her heel and all but fled the scene. But just as she reached the doorway, Aria froze in her tracks. ¡®I¡¯vee to get Owen for dinner. If I leave now, it¡¯ll just make things even more awkward, Aria thought, her cheeks burning. Aria awkwardly shuffled to the sofa and sat down stiffly. The image of what she had just seen burst back into her mind. 10.08 Sat 14 Jur Sat 14 Jun.- Chapter 319 A body so different from a woman¡¯s¡ªevery inch radiating raw power, sculpted to perfection. She couldn¡¯t help but admire it. Realizing her thoughts were drifting into dangerous territory, Aria lightly tapped her forehead and gradually regained her . Thank goodness he still had his pants on¨Cat least she didn¡¯t see anything she shouldn¡¯t have, Five minutes Owen cautiously emerged from his room. Aria heard footsteps, and her heart leapt into her throat. Aria thought, ¡®I just saw all of him. Oh god, do I have to take responsibility for this?¡® The light switch clicked as Owen turned it on. As the lights flicked on, Aria instinctively snapped her eyes shut, then slowly blinked them open a momentter. Owen stood there with his phone in hand, his hair still slightly disheveled. Owen stood a few paces away, his face etched with apology. He said softly, ¡°Sorry, I had my phone on silent mode. I was changing and missed your message.¡± Aria looked up, her eyes locking with his, a flicker of doubt in her gaze. ¡®Didn¡¯t he hear the doorbell either?¡® Aria thought. Owen seemed to read her mind and exined calmly, ¡°I did hear the doorbell¨CI just wanted to finish getting changed before opening the door.¡± Aria thought to herself, ¡®That was clearly a dig at me for barging in too hastily.¡® Realizing his slip, Owen quickly added, ¡°My bad for leaving the bedroom door open. Sorry.¡± He met her gaze, his face growing even more apologetic. AD Comment Again Marriage 320 Chapter 320 The apology she¡¯d prepared caught in her throat. He was the one who got seen, so why is he the one apologizing to me?¡® Aria wondered, bewildered. She cleared her throat and said, ¡°Just having soup for dinner isn¡¯t really enough. I came to get you for dinner.¡± Owen smiled. ¡°Shall we head over then?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria said, turning to leave. Owen watched her retreating figure, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. By the time they arrived, the other three were already seated at the table, which wasden with steaming dishes. Mono gave Owen a knowing look. ¡°She went to call you for dinner, so what took you so long?¡± Owen, without batting an eye, exined, ¡°I dozed off and missed the doorbell.¡± Aria carefully set a te of egg custard before Owen. Her usually cool gaze flickered with uncharacteristic embarrassment as she averted her eyes and said hurriedly, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first.¡± Her words came out a bit rushed, as if trying to brush past what had just happened. Except for Owen, who knew exactly what had happened, no one else caught the slightest hint of anything amiss in her voice. Owen gazed at the egg custard before him, his eyes shimmering with uncontainable delight. That dish was meant for him alone. Ovee with delight, he forgot his manners and dug in first. Beaming from ear to ear, he took a bite. ¡°Delicious!¡± he eximed. Mono¡¯s lips thinned into a straight line, and he let out a dry chuckle to himself. ¡®Look at him acting like a lovesick puppy over a simple egg custard. He must think Aria made it herself.¡® But since Aria ordered it, he figured it might as well have been made by her. Mono took a bite, his face crinkling withughter. ¡°Truly delicious. Aria, you certainly have excellent taste.¡± Lily also dug in excitedly and eximed, ¡°This is honestly the best dish I¡¯ve ever had!¡± ¡°Delicious!¡± Gael said sinctly. Aria was speechless. Olivia strode into the Aureus Club wearing a form¨Cfitting red mini dress, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor, radiating an air of innate arrogance. Rachel trailed nervously behind her, her face almostpletely hidden behind a mask¨Cher anxious eyes peeking out, brimming with unease and fear. Olivia strode straight to the reception desk, rapped sharply on the counter, and demanded, ¡°I¡¯m here to see Russell.¡± The receptionist shed a professional smile and asked, ¡°Excuse me, may I ask who Russell is?¡± Olivia rolled her eyes. ¡°Russell Nicholson!¡± Chapter 320 The receptionist froze for a split second at the mention of the name, then quickly himself with a professional smide. My apolo de- our extensive clientele, I can¡¯t immediately confirm if we have a guest by that name. Please allow me a moment I¡¯ll discreetly consult with manager Olivia frowned impatiently. ¡°Get a move on. Tell him it¡¯s Olivia Remar.¡± ¡°Right away,¡± the receptionist responded, swiftly turning to consult with the manager. Inside the private suite, Russell sat on the sofa, his gaze fixed on a teenage boy¡¯s photo disyed on theptop screen. Ondo observed Russell¡¯s increasingly stormy expression and said slowly, ¡°His name was Marcus Payne¨Cthe grandson of a Solemnity Guild founder. He died at the age of seventeen.¡± Ondo continued, ¡°The one who did it was Madelyn Colton¨Cnow known as Aria Saxon. ¡°Right after Madelyn Colton joined the Solemnity Guild, she crossed Marcus Payne. During a supply run with the team, he tried to kill her by nting explosives¨CSara was just coteral damage. ¡°Two yearster, Madelyn Colton returned alive to the Solemnity Guild¨Cbut Sa gone.¡± Russell clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned pale, his eyes zing with murderous intent. Ondo continued, ¡°Madelyn Colton began taking contracts at just fourteen, going by the codename Echohawk.¡± He then said, ¡°Marcus Payne was found riddled with silver needles¨Ca truly gruesome end. His grandfather, a founder of the Solemnity Guild, discovered that Madelyn Colton had tortured and murdered his grandson. Further investigation revealed she had taken a contract to assassinate Sara, set up others to do her dirty work, and ultimately eliminated Marcus Payne to cover her tracks.¡± AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 321 Chapter 321 ¡°She didn¡¯t even spare this founder¨Cexecuted him on the spot. The Solemnity Gold loader valued her skills and let it dide paused deliberately, his voice dripping with icy venom. e this point, dndo Then, he continued coldly, ¡°Sara was utterly dependent on Madelyn Colton, but she was treated with cold indifference When Madelyn Colton saw Sare being bullied, she simply turned away. That ertand wasn¡¯t even supposed to be Sara¡¯s responsibility Madelyn Calian deliberately assigned it to fec¡± At that point, he spat out angrily, ¡°Although Marcus Payne was the prime culprit, Aria Samon was an aplice in Sara¡¯s death ¡°Whether the assignment was real or take, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that Sara died because of Aria Saxon ¡°Russel, we can¡¯t let Aria Saxon get off that easy!¡± Russellposed himself, slowly unclenching his fist as he asked, ¡°Is Olivia still at Mayen Garden?¡± Ondo replied, ¡°Yeah, still at Mayen Garden.¡± Russell¡¯s lips curled into a cold, d, sinister smile as he said, ¡°Let them tear each other apart.¡± Just then, a knock came at the private room door. ¡°Enter¡± Ondo said in a lowmanding voice. The manager opened the door and said respectfully, ¡°Mr. Nicholson, Ms. Olivia Remar is here to see you.¡± Ondo looked genuinely astonished. ¡°How did Olivia manage to find this ce?¡± A cold glint shed in Russell¡¯s eyes as he ordered, ¡°Get another room. Bring her in.¡± The manager obeyed the order and left, promptly arranging for a new private room before instructing the reception staff to escort Olivia As soon as Olivia stepped into the private room and spotted Russell, her eyes lit up with delight. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she threw her arms wide and hurred over, eager to pull him into a hug. Olivia cried out excitedly, ¡°Russell!¡± Russell sat angled on the sofa, picking up a document with practiced ease¨Csubtly using it as a barrier to Olivia¡¯s attempted embrace. He wore a gentle smile, his toneced with feigned concern. ¡°This ce isn¡¯t exactly safe. What brings you here unannounced Olivia naturally looped her arm through his and said coyly. ¡°It was a pretty neighbor downstairs¨Ca girl named Aria Saxon I owner I was your fiances, and she suggested Ie find you at the Aureus Club¡± All the while she spoke, Olivia was studying Russell¡¯s reaction. Sure enough, a strange expression flickered across Russell¡¯s face¨Cgone in an instant, so fast that Olivia barely caught it. It made her wonder, Something¡¯s definitely up between them!¡± Olivia¡¯s eyes shed with venom for an instant before she quickly masked it with a sharine smile. Feigning nonchnce, she asked, ¡°Russell, who is Aria Saxon? How did you two meet?¡± Russell gave a casual smile and said, ¡°I just bumped into her when I was moving. We¡¯re barely acquainted.¡± Then, he said with feigned concern, ¡°This ce isn¡¯t really suitable for you. How about heading home for now? I still have some business to handle. Olivia shook her head stubbornly and said, ¡°Wherever you are, Russell, be there too, insest on staying here with you.¡± 1/2 10:43 Sun, 15 Jun GB?u Russell thought for a moment, then sighed in resignation: ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, Let¡¯s head back to Mayen Garden ¡°Sounds great!¡± Olivia chirped cheerfully. At Mayen Garden, after dinner, Owen got up to clear the table, but Aria gently pressed his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re still sick let me handle I Go gr Mono pave Owen an appraising nce and nodded approvingly. ¡°Taking initiative¨Cthat¡¯s ten points right there, he thought Owen¡¯s face still bore a feverish flush¨CAria noticed this, but her hands kept busy tidying up. Lily and Gael got up to help, quickly clearing the table. Owen sat with Mono on the sofa, their conversation slipping into a natural question¨Cand¨Canswer rhythm. Mono asked, ¡°Owen, have you ever dated anyone?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Never I hadn¡¯t met anyone I liked until now.¡± Mono cast a nce at A rummaging through the first aid kit, then smiled teasingly at Owen. ¡°So, you¡¯ve found that very someone now?¡± Owen nodded and said softly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve found her.¡± Mono lifted his chin slightly, giving a scrutinizing look. ¡°Have you really decided she¡¯s the one?¡± Again Marriage 322 Chapter 322 Owen looked Mono in the eye and said eninestly, ¡°I¡¯m certain. It¡¯s her and only be there won¡¯t be anyone else¡± Mano shook his head and said, ¡°Life is unpredictable. It¡¯s too soon to make such promises.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s too soon. She doesn¡¯t like me yet¨CI¡¯ve got to try harder.¡± Mono was speechless. What Mono meant by ¡°too soon¡± was clearly not what Owers had in mind. As Aria walked over, their conversation came to an end. Ana handed Owen a thermometer. ¡°Take your temp¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Owen took it naturally, skipping the ¡°thank you¡± as that would feel too formal between them. One gave it naturally, and the other took it just as naturally¨Cneither realizing they¡¯d already developed an unspoken bond that let no room for anyone else. Mono didn¡¯t know much about Owen, but he understood Aria, his own disciple, perfectly. ¡°Looks like thed still stands a chance with Aria, Mono thought. Owen wasn¡¯t running a fever. He went back to his apartment, took his meds, and soon drifted off to sleep. The next day, Aria drove Mono and Gael to the Fine Art Society. She had just unbuckled her seatbelt when Mono said, ¡°Stay in the car¨Cit¡¯s better if the others don¡¯t see you. With Gael here, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± If she were recognized, her quiet life would be thrown into chaos. A smile lit up Aria¡¯s eyes. ¡°Mono, just call me if you need anything.¡± Mono nodded. ¡°Got it¡± After months apart, Mono made a special trip to Mayen Garden just to check on Aria. Only after confirming she was safe and sound did he finally feel truly relieved. As Mono walked in, Westin, who had just arrived at the entrance, hurried over to greet him. His gaze lingered on the dep eagerly, ¡°Mono, was it my fellow apprentice who brought you here?¡± Mono gave a slight nod. ¡°She did.¡± ar¡¯s taillights as he asked Westin sighed in frustration at being just a step toote. Then, with eager anticipation, he asked, ¡°Mono, when will you bring her to meet us?¡± Mono replied vaguely, ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Westin noticed the perfunctory tone and smiled helplessly. Then, as something urred to him, his face it up and he said eagerly, ¡°Mono, the Fine Art Society has just acquired three of my fellow apprentice¡¯s paintings!¡± Mono frowned, puzzled ¡°Bought them?¡± That girl never sells her own paintings he thought. Westin replied, ¡°It was Liam Cole. At thepetition, Hannah Gibson, who was with Liam Cole, identally damaged his ex¨Cwife¡¯s paintings. I heard they had to pay one hundred million dors inpensation. ¡°Liam Cole then hired experts to restore the three paintings and sold them under my fellow apprentice¡¯s name. Society and bought them. Mone¡¯s face darkened instantly. ¡°How dare be sell her paintings!¡± ¡°Mono, someone like that isn¡¯t worth your anger,¡± Westin said, trying to soothe him. After calming Mono down, Westin finally voiced the question bursing in his heart. ¡°Aria Savon has three of my fellow apprentica¡¯s paintings. It of apprentice herself?¡± He also learned that Aria had donated a replica of Mono¡¯s painting at a charity auction. He believed she was most likely the famous apprentice. Mono nodded, ¡°That¡¯s her¡± Westin blurted out in surprise, ¡°Wow, my incredible fellow apprentice is really this young!¡± Mono¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. ¡°She¡¯s exceptionally gifted.¡± But he thought to himself, it¡¯s just a pity her taste in men leaves much to be desired Mono silently repeated Liam¡¯s name in his mind, his gaze growing cold. At the dinner party, a man with a foreign look spotted Liam and blurted out in surprise, ¡°Liam?¡± Liam spotted the man, his face breaking into a smile as he immediately strode over. ¡°Diegol¡± he called out warmly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe to Huthailia.¡± Diego shook his hand and, in halting Huthan, said, ¡°Well, Ie to Huthailia for my studies. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here! How are you and yo wife?¡± Hannah was still in custody, Liam looked embarrassed. ¡°Hannah isn¡¯t my wife yet¨Cwe¡¯re not married.¡± Diego looked surprised and asked, ¡°But isn¡¯t your wife Madelyn Colton? E AD Comment Again Marriage 323 Chapter 323 ¡°What?¡± Liam¡¯s eyes widened in shock. His lips parted slightly, remaining agape for a long moment. lips pas While on the Erennd frontline, Liam kept his marriage a secret, so everyone assumed he was single It was at the charity party that Liam first learned that A was actually Madelyn. Diego was arade Liam met on the Erend frontline¨Chis closest friend there. When Liam woke up after his brush with death, Diego had already been transferred back. Life on the frontline was so intense they could barely use their phones, let alone swap contacts Although Aria had been to the Erennd frontline, she probably never crossed paths with Diego, ¡°How did Diego even know Aria was my wife?¡± Liam wondered, his mind reeling A dreadful suspicion Liam couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe shed through his mind, his heart clenching painfully. His face tightened with tension, and his voice trembled as he asked, ¡°Diego, you¡­ have you ever met my wife?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have!¡± Diego said, looking utterly confused¨Che just couldn¡¯t figure out why Liam was so shocked. He then said, ¡°Professor Cotton came to the frontline with inhibitors, looking for you. I told her you were critically ill and presumed dead, already thrown in with the corpses scheduled for mass cremation. ¡°She pushed past everyone to find you herself. When she discovered you were still alive, she pulled you out. And it wasn¡¯t just you there were seven. other critically ill patients who were nearly sent for cremation by mistake. Professor Colton saved all of you. ¡°Professor Colton even treated you herself. Something felt off, so I asked her what your rtionship was. She told me you were her husband.¡± For those ten¨Codd seconds as Diego spoke, Liam went from confusion to utter shock, his eyes zing over in a daze, struggling to process what he¡¯d just heard. ¡°So it was Aria all along¨Cshe¡¯s the one who saved me it wasn¡¯t Hannah!¡± Liam realized Liam was at a loss for words¨Ca torrent of shock, anger, and remorse overwhelmed him. over the two years they were together. He hadpletely misunderstood Aria¨Ceven filed for divorce, dismissing all her sacrifices over At that moment, Liam had to admit he¡¯d beenpletely wrong about Hannah. He¡¯d always thought Hannah was kind, virtuous, and utterly selfless. But in reality, she was arrogant, giarized others research, and even framed Aria for murder. Wasn¡¯t he just as much an aplice? Liam clenched his fists, veins bulging prominently on the backs of his hands. ¡°Sorry, everyone!¡± Muttering a quick apology, Liam spun around and bolted to the parking lot, then sped straight to the Gibson family estate Hannah, having qualified for release on bail, was currently under house arrest at the Gibson family estate. Upon arrival, Liam strode in swiftly. The butler spotted him and greeted politely, ¡°Mr. Cole, are you here to see Ms. Gibson?¡± Suppressing his emotions, Liam replied tersely, 10:44 Sun 15 JON G The butler said, ¡°Please wait a moment,¡± Immediately upon hearing that Liam had arrived, Hannah quickly changed into a cute little dress and dashed downstairs, calling out cradly ¨C In her haste, she nearly crashed into Liant¡¯s arms. Instead of catching her, he firmly grasped her shoulders to stop het momentum. Hannah stumbled, her feet slipping, but managed to regain her bnce just in time. Meeting Liam¡¯s intense gaze, Hannah¡¯s heart clenched, ¡°Liam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. Liam¡¯s expression hardened as he met her gaze. ¡°Hannals,¡± he demanded, ¡°were you really the one who saved me? Under his piercing gaze, Hannah didn¡¯t dare let even the slightest flicker of emotion cross her face. Forcing certainty into her voice, she said, ¡°It was me Liam red at her, his voice trembling with anger. ¡°You¡¯re lying! It was Aria who saved me!¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes widened in shock, panic flickering uncontrobly. ¡°Liam, did Aria im she was the one who saved you? You actually believe her?¡± ¡°It was me who saved you!¡± Hannah insisted. ¡°I never left your side, tirelessly caring for you day and night¨Cit¡¯s always been me Disappointment filled Liam¡¯s eyes as he took a step back. 7 can¡¯t believe I ever fell for someone so fake, someone whose whole image was built on lies, he thought bitterly. AD Send gift Again Marriage 324 Chapter 324 68% Liam snapped, ¡°Aria didn¡¯t just save me from that mass grave¨Cthere were others too. Do you really expect me to track down every single one of them and ask, ¡®Was it Madelyn Colton or Hannah Gibson who saved you?¡°¡± This lie was so flimsy¨Cthe truth could have been uncovered with the slightest effort. And he fell for it. Hannah¡¯s lips quivered as she reached out to clutch Liam¡¯s arm, tears streaming uncontrobly down her face. ¡°Liam,¡± she sobbed desperately, ¡°I was just¡­ just so afraid you would never take that step.¡± She clung to his arm, her voice trembling with desperation. ¡°We¡¯re clearly in love, aren¡¯t we?¡± They were in that ambiguous will¨Cthey¨Cwon¡¯t¨Cthey phase, but Liam always held back¨Cafter all, he was a married man and couldn¡¯t cross that line. If it hadn¡¯t been for this life¨Csaving incident, even if he had emotionally strayed, he never would have crossed the line physically. Liam tried to argue back, but no words came. Despair flooded his heart. Liam demanded, ¡°What about after that? Why did you keep going after Aria again and again? Why did you deliberately mislead me about her? And why the hell couldn¡¯t you juste clean?¡± Hannah¡¯s lips trembled as she stammered, ¡°I¡­ I was just afraid you¡¯d end up falling for Aria.¡± Liam gave a wryugh. ¡°Hannah¡­ we¡¯re done.¡± He thought bitterly, ¡®I never should have gone to Erennd. Never should have met Hannah. I wish I¡¯d never started down this road.¡® With those words, Liam turned and walked out. Hannah grabbed his arm in panic, her voice trembling. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®we¡¯re done¡®? Liam, are you breaking up with me?¡± Liam shoved her hand away, his eyes zing crimson. ¡°Every word from you is a lie! You set up the woman who saved my life and led me to hurt her¨Cdo you really expect me to just turn a blind eye and pretend none of this ever happened?¡± Taking a deep breath, he continued, ¡°Hannah, let¡¯s end this once and for all. Don¡¯t cling to me, or I¡¯ll hold you ountable for everything you¡¯ve done.¡± Not a trace of love remained in his eyes¨Cjust cold indifference and a barely concealed revulsion. By the time Aria arrived in Kanit City, the topics [Vanessa Ward Injured], [Vanessa Ward Stabbed On Set], and [Vanessa Ward Targeted By Enemies?] had been trending for several hours. The reporters huddled together, buzzing with excited chatter. Someone said, ¡°One blogger online analyzed Vanessa Ward¡¯s birth chart and predicted she was in for an absolutely terrible year, with one disaster after another. If she can survive this year, not only can her reputation make aeback, but her career might skyrocket. But if she can¡¯t make it through, she might not even live to see next year.¡± ¡°I never used to believe in that kind of stuff,¡± he admitted. ¡°But after all this¡­ makes you wonder.¡± Someone else said, ¡°Just a month ago, she had a stage ident on a show, and now, while filming, the prop knife turned out to be real.¡± Another one said, ¡°If that knife had stabbed her heart, it would¡¯ve been all over. Luckily, it just got her shoulder¡± One of the reporters said, ¡°The prop crew and the knife¨Cwielding actor were both taken away by the police. Now word is spreading that Vanessa Ward pos walking jinx¨Cafter this mess, what producer or director would dare work with her again?¡± 1/2 09:32 Mon, 16 Jun ? ¡ø G Numerous rivals had already started working behind the scenes, pushing her onto trending topics and hiring online trolls to spread rumors that Vanessa was a jinx, a ma for misfortune, with trouble following wherever she went. Though Vanessa¡¯s acting career had been short and her filmography limited, her poprity was nothing to scoff at. After returning from her overseas studies, her career skyrocketed,nding her over a dozen lucrative brand endorsements. But in showbiz, many were deeply superstitious. Once thebel of ¡°jinx¡± was pped on her, making aeback in her career would be nearly impossible. Knowing Aria wasing, M specifically waited at another exit. As soon as she saw her, M greeted warmly, ¡°Hey, Aria!¡± Aria followed her inside. ¡°How did the checkup go?¡± M said, ¡°Thankfully, the co¨Cstar pulled the punch, so the injury isn¡¯t too serious. She¡¯ll need a week in the hospital and about a month to recover.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 325 Chapter 325 Aria paused at the hospital room entrance. A strong female voice rang out from the hospital room¨CVanessa called out, ¡°Hey team, focus on their midner! Don¡¯t let him deal damage!* Ability sounds rang out in rapid session. M and Aria were both speechless. M forced an awkward smile, quickly pushed open the hospital room door, and called out, ¡°Venessa, Aria¡¯s here!¡± Vanessa¡¯s shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages, and her left arm was in a sling. Still, that didn¡¯t stop her from gaming on her phone. Vanessa looked up and blew Aria a kiss. ¡°Wait till I finish this game¨Cthat MVP is mine for sure!¡± Five minutester, Vanessa won the game and logged out. Vanessa beamed, ¡°Aria, babe! You¡¯re here!¡± She spread her arms for a hug, but winced as the movement pulled at her wound. Aria realized why Vanessa¡¯s left arm was in a sling. ¡°Easy now, just stay put and rest.¡± Vanessa showed no sign of gloom; in fact, she looked positively refreshed. She eximed, ¡°Thisid¨Cback life is awesome! I finally get to kick back and rx.¡± Aria gently tucked Vanessa in and asked with concern, ¡°What happened?¡± Vanessa shrugged it off. ¡°Probably just a props department mishap.¡± The actor performing this scene with Vanessa was a professional stunt double. ording to the script, Vanessa was wielding a dagger while her opponent used a longsword. They had rehearsed this move countless times. This time, Vanessa sensed something was off with the longsword. The instant her opponent lunged, she instinctively dodged backward. Had she not reacted so quickly, that de would have pierced clean through her shoulder. Aria asked with concern, ¡°What really happened with that stage identst time?¡± The stage ident was hushed up, and it disappeared from the trending topics within minutes. Vanessa thought it was M who had told her and was just about to ask when Aria cut in. ¡°The reporters outside mentioned it.¡± ¡®So it was them, Vanessa thought. Aria pressed further, ¡°So, how did you deal with what happenedst time?¡± Vanessa replied, ¡°The production crew ruled it as an ident.¡± Aria frowned. ¡°Another ident?¡± The odds of such idents happening were astronomically low. She might barely ept the first as a fluke, but for it to happen again? That was beyond coincidence. Vanessa lifted a hand and gently smoothed the furrow between Aria¡¯s brows. ¡°Babe, stop worrying so much. I can totally take care of myself.¡± Aria nodded slightly, but her worry remained. ¡°After investigating Russell, did you encounter anything unusual?¡± Vanessa paused slightly, then countered, ¡°You think he¡¯s behind this?¡± Aria nodded again, her expression grave. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Have you two met before?¡± Vanessa asked, eyeing Aria curiously. ¡°No,¡± Aria replied after a brief pause. ¡°Possibly someone connected to the target.¡± During her time with the Solemnity Guild, she had blood on her hands. Even if her targets were monsters, that didn¡¯t stop others froming after her for revenge. Vanessa straightened her back, her expression instantly tense. ¡°He knows who you really are?¡± Aria nodded, ¡°Most likely, he does.¡± Vanessa¡¯s face darkened instantly. She snarled, ¡°That bastard! If he daresy a finger on you, I¡¯ll skin him alive!¡± M listened quietly, her face a picture of confusion. She could understand each word on its own, but when put together, she waspletely lost. M wondered, ¡®Could it be that the Russell they mentioned was the one who hurt Vanessa?¡® Just then, Dawson and Vanessa¡¯s agent, Janice, pushed open the door and caught the tail end of their conversation. Janice was about to speak, but when she caught sight of Aria in the room, she bit back her words. Dawson was about to greet Aria, but suddenly remembered something. Turning to M with concern, he asked, ¡°M, what did the doctor say about Vanessa¡¯s injury? How serious is it? Any risk of scarring?¡± M quickly straightened up, her whole body tense with nervousness in front of the big boss. ¡°Luckily, Vanessa reacted fast, so the stab wound isn¡¯t too deep. The doctor said she¡¯ll need a week¡¯s hospitalization, though there might be some scarring.¡± Vanessa looked up and added confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there won¡¯t be any scars.¡± AD Again Marriage 326 Chapter 326 ¡®With Aria by my side, getting rid of scars is a piece of cake!¡® she thought confidently. Only then did Dawson act as if he had just noticed Aria. He hurried forward with quick steps, his demeanor instantly turning respectful. Dawson said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, rest assured¨CI¡¯m on it. I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this and track down whoever tried to hurt Vanessa.¡± Aria stood up and said, ¡°Take me to the set.¡± Janice quickly gave M a meaningful look and instructed, ¡°M, take Ms. Saxon there. I¡¯ll stay here with Vanessa.¡± M quickly replied, ¡°Yes, Janice.¡± With Dawson in tow, the trio arrived at the filming location. After the injury incident, the scene had been cordoned off, with traces of the ident still lingering. The set was mostly draped in green screens, with props neatly arranged throughout, but a small pool of blood on the floor stood out starkly. Aria¡¯s gaze swept over the bloodstain, her eyes frosting over with a deadly chill. Noticing the icy look in Aria¡¯s eyes, M gulped nervously and asked tentatively, ¡°Aria, shall we go see the director first?¡± Aria gave a terse nod. ¡°Sure.¡± Dawson didn¡¯t say a word, silently trailing behind them. Beyond the set was the backstage area. The director, Gary Wird, was deep in conversation with the man across from him. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, the props were deliberately swapped out, and the key surveince footage was deleted. Whoever did this came prepared¨Cwe¡¯re dealing with professionals here.¡± Moving closer, Aria recognized the man¨Cit was Russell. Noticing Aria¡¯s gaze, Dawson hurried over and exined in a low voice, ¡°The film Vanessa is working on is backed by Neb Corp. Russell Nicholson is both the producer and the overall head of the project. Last time we went to the Aureus Club to discuss this partnership, Mr. Nicholson was quite cooperative.¡± Aria strode forward. Noticing someone approaching, Russell and Gary turned their heads in unison. A flicker of surprise crossed Gary¡¯s face when he recognized the CEO of Starmon Films. He immediately rose to his feet and approached. ¡°Mr. Campbell, what brings you here?¡± Russell¡¯s gazended on Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, here for Vanessa Ward, I presume?¡± There was no trace of surprise on his face¨Cjust a mocking glint in his eyes. Russell seemed utterly certain she woulde. ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied tly. Russell said, ¡°Regrettable as this is, Neb Corp. will cover Vanessa Ward¡¯s medical expenses and lost wages.¡± He apologized, but the mocking smile in his eyes was tant, oozing with provocation. 09:32 Mon, 16 Jun Aria¡¯s expression was icy as she shot back, ¡°Do we look like we need your money?¡± On her way there, Aria had watched the set footage. Had Vanessa not reacted so quickly, the consequences would have been dire The culprit was most likely standing right in front of her, Aria supposed. Their gazes locked, the air crackling with tension as the temperature around them seemed to plummet. Seeing the tension escte, Dawson¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He hastily stepped in to mediate. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯m sure Mr. Nicholson didn¡¯t mean it that way. ¡°An ident like this is bad for Neb Corp. Clearly, someone is working behind the scenes, trying to sabotage our partnership and drive a wedge between ourpanies. ¡°The police are already on the case, and we should have some answers soon. Please try not to worry, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria fixed her steely gaze on Russell. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, I expect a proper exnation from you¨Csoon.¡± With a mocking half¨Csmile, Russell replied in a deliberately unhurried tone, ¡°Alright, but we¡¯ll need to exchange contact info¨Cfor smoothermunication.¡± Aria smirked, her eyes cold and distant. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, you should just go through Mr. Campbell. After all, your fiancee is notoriously possessive¨Cif she finds out we¡¯re in contact, who knows what kind of misunderstanding that might cause?¡± ¡®How did Ms. Saxon even know Mr. Nicholson has a fiancee?¡® Dawson and Gary exchanged identical looks of shock. Russell smirked. ¡°Scared, Ms. Saxon?¡± As he spoke, he leaned in slightly and lowered his voice, a hint of mockery in his tone. ¡°Ms. Saxon, are you afraid my fiancee will get the wrong idea, or is it your neighbor, Mr. Shaw, you¡¯re worried about?¡± AD Again Marriage 327 Chapter 327 In an instant, their distance closed. A handsome man and a beautiful woman¨Cby all rights, it should have been a picture¨Cperfect scene, like something straight out of a magazine. Yet the ar between them was thick with tension. ¡®Wow, this scene is straight out of a TV drama!¡® Gary thought. He was itching to grab his camera, desperate to zoom in for a close¨Cup and capture every micro¨Cexpression. But he dared only to think, not to act. He couldn¡¯t afford to mess with either of them. While Gary was all about the visual spectacle, Dawson cared more about what was at stake. It was obvious that Aria and Russell knew each other, and there was clearly bad blood between them. He feared that if Aria offended Russell, the coboration between Starmon Films and Neb Corp. would fall through. He badly wanted to step in and say something, but felt utterly helpless. All he could do was hope they wouldn¡¯te to blows. Aria arched a brow, her gaze locking with Russell¡¯s. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want your fiancee to get the wrong idea, now would we? After all¡­¡± Her words trailed off as she lifted her right hand, feigning nonchnce as it came to rest on his left shoulder. The razor¨Csharp tension between them suddenly took a shocking turn. Everyone present was left utterly dumbfounded. A few crew members stood at a cautious distance, exchanging bewildered nces while their cameras kept rolling, faithfully capt scene. g the unfolding From the crew¡¯s angle, the two looked like they were practically glued together. The air around them seemed to shimmer with a dangerously flirtatious energy. With a shareholder from the Stars Group and Neb Corp.¡¯s CEO openly flirting like this, it was bound to be trending on social media. But nobody dared to leak the footage. Just as everyone held their breath, wondering how far things would go between the two, the atmosphere took a sharp turn. Aria paused for a split second. As she drew her hand back, her fingertip gave a subtle flick. A searing pain shot through his left shoulder, as if something sharp had pierced into it. Russell¡¯s expression darkened instantly as his right hand shot toward Aria¡¯s throat. Aria¡¯s gaze remained steady as she stepped back, her hand shooting out to seize his wrist. His entire left arm was numb from the shoulder down, so Russell could onlysh out with his legs. Aria twisted aside, her shoes skimming the floor in a blur of motion. Pivoting sharply, she spun around andshed out with a wind whipped kick at Russell¡¯s left shoulder. Russell stepped back and blocked with a raised leg. Aria pushed off with her left foot, her body suspended in midair. She spun, kicked, andnded lightly. The entire sequence flowed seamlessly. The recoil sent Russell stumbling back, the piercing pain in his left shoulder ring sharply. He knew Aria was an expert with silver needles. She was avenging Vanessa. The whole thing happened in a sh, leaving everyone stunned. The crowd wondered, ¡®One second they were all over each other, and the next, they¡¯re at each other¡¯s throats. What the hell just happened?¡± Dawson stood there, mouth agape, torn between calling out to Russell, which felt inappropriate, and addressing Aria, but he couldn¡¯t find the right words. Gary was the first to snap out of his daze. Seeing that Russell was hurt, he rushed forward to steady him. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, you¡­¡°. Russell¡¯s brows furrowed in pain, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. Gary realized he was holding Russell¡¯s injured left arm and instantly released his grip. ¡°My apologies, Mr. Nicholson.¡± Russell shot him a dismissive nce before fixing his gaze on Aria. ¡°Impressive moves, Ms. Saxon!¡± A sinister smirk curled at the corners of his lips. Aria chuckled lightly. ¡°Thanks for thepliment, Mr. Nicholson.¡± ¡°If you seek revenge, you¡¯re wee anytime,¡± Aria continued, her voice light.¡°But if youy a finger on my friends¡­¡°Her tone turned icy. ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay a hundred times over!¡± Aria nced at M, who was still frozen in shock. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said calmly, turning to lead the way. Again Marriage 328 Chapter 328 As Aria strode away, Russell¡¯s mocking voice rang out behind her. ¡°How fiercely you shield your friends, Ms. Saxon¡­ But for those you don¡¯t deem worthy, do you just stand by and watch them die?¡± Russell sneered, ¡°Or perhaps¡­ you let her die in your ce?¡± Aria froze mid¨Cstep, whirling to face Russell¨Cshe caught the unmistakable flicker of hatred in his eyes. Just stand by and watch her die. ¡®Let her die in my ce? Who is Russell Nicholson talking about?¡® Aria wondered, her mind racing, As Aria locked eyes with Russell, she sensed an unsettling familiarity. Russell and Sara shared alike eyes, but one pair was innocent and timid, the other cold and ruthless. The feelings they gave off were worlds apart. Aria had never considered this angle before, yet Russell¡¯s words nowpelled her to take a closer look. ¡°Who exactly is Russell Nicholson to Sara?¡® Aria wondered, her mind racing with suspicion and shock. Aria stared hard at Russell, her eyes a storm of confusion, shock, and Reining in the storm inside, she turned on her heel and walked away. wary alertness. Still reeling from shock, M hurried after Aria, not daring to fall behind. At the hospital, the doctor extracted a slender silver needle from Russell¡¯s shoulder. The slender silver needle glistened with fresh crimson blood. It was tossed into a nearby stainless steel tray. Russell sat propped up in the hospital bed, his face a shade paler than usual, yet utterly devoid of weakness. Ondo stood off to the side, ring at the silver needle in the tray, his chest heaving with barely contained fury. He shot the doctor a sharp look. ¡°Is it poisoned?¡± The doctor shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not poisoned. Whoever did this knows their acupoints¨Cclearly a professional.¡± After disinfecting and dressing the wound on Russell¡¯s arm, the doctor advised, ¡°Make sure to get plenty of rest, and avoid putting too much strain on this arm for now.¡± Russell gave a slight nod. ¡°Understood.¡± Ondo said, ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± The doctor left with the tray. The ward fell silent. Ondo said coldly, ¡°Russell, no more waiting. Kill Aria Saxon now.¡± A dangerous glint shed in Russell¡¯s eyes. ¡°We mustn¡¯t act rashly.¡± ¡°The Solemnity Guild kidnapped Sara¨Cthey¡¯re the ones who truly deserve to die,¡± said Russell. ¡°Aria Saxon is a sharp de we can wield against them saving us a lot of trouble.¡± 09:33 Mon, 16 Jun G Russell was one of the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s future leaders. There was no turning back¨Cretreat meant certain death. Especially, Olivia was into him. Olivia¡¯s feelings for Russell were a double¨Cedged sword¨Cthey amplified his influence but multiplied his enemies. With the top brass watching, every move became constrained. Ondo clenched his jaw, hating to admit it but knowing it was true. Taking out Aria was hard enough¨Ceven if they seeded, they¡¯d just be opening a can of worms. Russell asked, ¡°Is she here?¡± Ondo said, ¡°As you instructed, I¡¯ve informed her about what happened.¡± ¡°Russell,¡± Ondo asked, ¡°aren¡¯t you worried Olivia might take Aria Saxon out for good?¡± A knowing smirk yed at Russell¡¯s lips. ¡°Who will die is still anyone¡¯s guess. Either way, it¡¯s to our advantage.¡± Ondo suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°What about Rachel? Olivia doesn¡¯t seem to be treating her well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s her fate,¡± Russell said calmly, leaning against the headboard. ¡°For now, keep Rachel¡¯s identity hidden. Aria Saxon doesn¡¯t seem particrly concerned about her. We¡¯ll see if she can be of useter.¡± Ondo hesitated for a moment, his expression conflicted. ¡°Russell, you wouldn¡¯t really¡­¡± Russell cut him off sharply. ¡°No. Rachel grew up under our watch¨CI won¡¯t take her life.¡± Ondo exhaled an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. ¡°Understood.¡± His phone buzzed. Ondo nced at the screen. ¡°Olivia¡¯s here, and she¡¯s brought some of the Wolfshade Syndicate with her No sooner had the words fallen than Olivia burst in. ¡°Russell!¡± Olivia moved to embrace Russell, but Ondo swiftly intercepted her. He cautioned, ¡°Ms. Remar, Russell is still injured.¡± Olivia¡¯s face darkened murderously as she spat, ¡°I watched the video. That goddamn bitch! I¡¯m gonna kill her!¡± She then snapped with fury, ¡°Russell, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make her pay for this!¡± AD Again Marriage 329 Chapter 329 The five people Olivia brought with her this time had followed her loyally for over a decade, answering to her alone. She found Rachel more of a hindrance than a help, so left her behind this time. Olivia led the five to the door of Vanessa¡¯s hospital room. Then, Olivia knocked sharply on the ward door. M opened the door and was startled by the intimidating scene outside. Her heart skipped a beat as she instinctively held her breath, immediately moving to close the door. Olivia blocked the door with her hand, her voice icy. ¡°I¡¯m here for Aria Saxon.¡± M nodded hurriedly and shut the door, turning to Aria with pleading eyes. Her voice trembled, ¡°Aria, there¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s a whole crowd outside.¡± Hearing Olivia¡¯s voice, Aria wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised. She nodded at M, then looked at Vanessa. ¡°I¡¯ll step out for a bit.¡± Vanessa¡¯s face clouded with worry as she clutched Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°Are they Russell Nicholson¡¯s men?¡± Ariaforted her, ¡°Rx. We¡¯re in Huthailia¨Cthey wouldn¡¯t dare cause trouble openly.¡± ¡°Alright, be careful,¡± Vanessa said. Aria stepped out, her gaze sweeping over the five figures behind Olivia before settling on Olivia herself. ¡°What do you want?¡± Olivia caught the assessing look in her eyes. Most people wouldn¡¯t be this calm in a situation like this. Indeed, Aria was just as skilled as Russell¨Cthere was no way she¡¯d be intimidated by Olivia¡¯s entourage. Olivia¡¯s face darkened as she demanded, ¡°What exactly is your rtionship with Russell?¡± Aria paused to think, a faint smile ying on her lips. ¡°Well, I suppose we¡¯re¡­ enemies?¡± She had a pretty good idea of Russell¡¯s intention¨Che wanted to avenge Sara. Olivia frowned, suspicion flickering in her eyes. She wondered, ¡®When ites to his enemies, Russell wastes no time¨Che finishes them off without a second thought. ¡®But if he likes her, why would he target Aria Saxon¡¯s friends? Was it just to get her attention? ¡°This isn¡¯t his usual MO. Olivia wasn¡¯t foolish¨Cshe could tell Russell had no feelings for her. However, she didn¡¯t give a damn. Her feelings were all that mattered, and Russell was the one she had chosen. From the footage, Olivia could detect no affection from Russell toward Aria¨Cperhaps rather animosity. She supposed they were probably not just putting on a show for me, but were real enemies. Olivia¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Who did you hurt to earn Russell¡¯s hatred?¡± Aria fixed her gaze on her and suddenly asked, ¡°By any chance¡­ do you know Sara Nicholson?¡± 09:33 Mon, 16 Jun G Olivia¡¯s eyes widened violently as she involuntarily stumbled back. ¡°W¨Cwhat¡­ did you just say?¡± Aria stepped closer, her gaze sharp. ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°Of course, I know her¨Chow could I not know Russell¡¯s little sister? Where¡¯s Sara? Is she okay? We¡¯ve been looking for her for ages,¡± Olivia said! Those at the peak wouldn¡¯t stoop to putting on a show, and Olivia was no exception. Though she put on a show of wide¨Ceyed surprise and spoke with apparent concern, it couldn¡¯t mask the panic lurking beneath her carefully constructed facade. Aria wondered, ¡®Was she involved in Sara¡¯s abduction? Who was really behind that order?¡® ¡°Where¡¯s Sara?¡± Olivia¡¯s questions continued, though her expression was no longer as urgent as before. Aria looked up, fixing Olivia with a deep, searching gaze. Without a word, she turned and walked into the ward. Olivia didn¡¯t stop her. Her hand at her side clenched, then rxed. She quickly trotted over to Russell and blurted out, ¡°Russell, Aria Saxon really does know Sara!¡± Russell¡¯s head snapped up in shock. ¡°What?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe Aria actually admitted it. Olivia said urgently, ¡°I asked her where Sara is, but she wouldn¡¯t tell me. Russell, you need to look into this right away and find Sara¡¯s whereabouts as soon as possible.¡± Russell nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look into it. Thank you for your help, Olivia. After we settle this matter, I¡¯ll show you around Mandino City.¡± Olivia gave a gentle smile. ¡°Saraes first. My people are yours to use, Russell.¡± Russell nodded. ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡± The cab pulled up at the entrance of theplex. Aria paid the driver, stepped out, and headed inside. Just as Aria stepped into the residentialplex, a voice called out from behind. ¡°Aria!¡± AD Again Marriage 330 No Ads Chapter 330 Aria turned her head and saw Liam running toward her. When he finally reached her, he bent over with one hand on his hip, gasping for breath, his expression unreadable. He locked eyes with her, his voiceced with sincerity. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡®What the hell?¡® Ar¨ªa thought, not even sparing him a nce. She had just lifted her foot to leave when he grabbed her arm. ¡°What do you want?¡± She looked up, her eyes shing with irritation. Seeing this, Liam quickly released her hand and blurted out, ¡°I had no idea Hannah was setting you up. I didn¡¯t know she¡¯d do this.¡± If he had known, he wouldn¡¯t have fallen for Hannah, wouldn¡¯t have taken the wrong path, and wouldn¡¯t have divorced Aria. He then said, ¡°Go ahead and sue her. I won¡¯t stand in your way.¡± Aria curled her lips into a mocking smile. ¡°As if you could stop me even if you wanted to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Liam said hurriedly. Liam looked visibly awkward, with words stuck in his throat that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say. Gazing at Aria¡¯s unadorned, makeup¨Cfree face, Liam couldn¡¯t help but recall their first meeting three years ago. He remembered how, back then, Aria used to greet him with an aloof yetposed smile and a gentle ¡°hello.¡± But now, all he could see in her eyes was unfamiliarity and chill. She hadn¡¯t changed much in three years¨Cthe only difference was the way she looked at him now. Liam started, ¡°Aria, I know it was you¡­¡± ¡°Aria.¡± Owen¡¯s clear, mellow voice cut him off. Liam looked over, and Owen¡¯s figure came into view. Owen was dressed casually, carrying grocery bags, radiating thefortable familiarity of daily life. ¡°You¡¯re back? Is Vanessa alright?¡± Owen¡¯s voice was warm and familiar, as if he were just chatting with family about everyday things. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Aria nced at the groceries in Owen¡¯s hands, her voice unconsciouslyced with concerned reproach. ¡°The wind¡¯s pretty strong today. Should you really be out when you¡¯ve just recovered?¡± Owen lifted his brows slightly, his voiceced with a smile. ¡°I¡¯vepletely recovered from the fever, and it just so happens your master ising over today. I¡¯ll cook up a feast¨Cit¡¯s the perfect chance to thank you for taking care of me.¡± Listening to their conversation, only one sentence stuck with Liam, which was ¡°thank you for taking care of me¡°. ¡®Was it Aria who took care of Owen Shaw when he was sick? Since when did they be this close?¡® Liam thought bitterly, a pang of unease twisting in his chest. Liam stood frozen in ce, watching as Aria and Owen conversed intimately,pletely oblivious to his presence. A bitter ache twisted in his chest. Back in Jamn, Aria and Owen were practically glued to each other because of their research. Back then, Liam thought it was just a regr partnership. But now, seeing them, he knew there was definitely something more going on. Liam tried to speak, but before he could get a word out, Owen subtly shifted to the side, positioning himself in front of Liam and effortlessly blocking him from view. His tall frame effortlessly cut off Liam¡¯s line of sight. Liam frowned and shot Owen a displeased look, their eyes locking. Owen¡¯s gaze was a mix of scrutiny and cold mockery, edged with the faintest trace of wariness. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± Owen said, turning to Aria. Aria nodded. They walked away side by side, barely a hand¡¯s breadth apart. The setting sun bathes the earth in a warm golden glow. Their elongated shadows stretched across the ground, intertwining and merging into one, leaving Liam further and further behind. A breeze drifted by, snapping Liam out of his thoughts¨Conly to find that Aria and Owen were already far ahead, their figures growing smaller in the distance. Remembering that look in Owen¡¯s eyes, one thing became crystal clear to him. It wasn¡¯t just a guess¨COwen genuinely liked Aria. ¡®If I hadn¡¯t been with Hannah, would things have been different?¡® Liam couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Feeling restless, Liam suddenly remembered Aria¡¯s three paintings. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and dialed. ¡°Hi, this is Liam Cole. I¡¯m calling to ask about the whereabouts of those three paintings.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 331 Chapter 331 ¡°The Solemnity Guild only takes in those whoe willingly, but I was brought here against my will,¡± Sara said, her voice trembling. Thave a brother he loves me so much.¡± Sara pleaded, her voice trembling, ¡°Madelyn, why does the Solemnity Guild want me? I don¡¯t want to kill, I don¡¯t want to train¨CI just want to be with re brother.¡± ¡°Madelyn¡­ do you think I can ever go home?¡± Sara whispered, her voice trembling with fragile hope. Whoever joined the Solemnity Guild could never leave. Sara understood that, too. She slumped on the steps with a sigh and murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, ¡°I can never go back, can 12 Madelyn asked gently, ¡°I heard you were covered in old wounds when you first arrived at the Solemnity Guild. What about your brother?¡± Sara fell silent, her face shing with fear as if remembering someone. She said nervously, ¡°It has nothing to do with my brother¡­¡± Sara clutched at her clothes, curling into a tight ball with her face buried against her chest. She was like a fragile fledgling, meant to be sheltered under wings, yet here she stood in this merciless ce that devours souls whole. Madelyn¡¯s heart softened. She reached out and gently stroked Sara¡¯s head. ¡°If you want to tell me, I¡¯ll listen,¡± she said softly. ¡°Thank you, Madelyn,¡± Sara murmured. A few dayster, Sara sought out Madelyn again, tightly clutching a well¨Cworn notebook in her trembling hands. Its edges were frayed from years of use, and the pages had yellowed and turned brittle with age. ¡°Madelyn¡­¡± the girl asked hesitantly, ¡°if I¡­ if you ever meet my brother someday, could you please give him this notebook for me?¡± Madelyn didn¡¯t say a word, but she sensed something amiss. Looking at Sara with concern, she gently asked, ¡°Why? You can give it to your brother yourself when we find him¨Cthere¡¯s no hurry.¡± Tears welled up in Sara¡¯s eyes as she forced a small smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it with you for now. It¡¯ll be safer that way.¡± Madelyn took the notebook and nodded gently. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it safe for you.¡± Madelyn fixed Marcus with a gaze colder than ever. ¡°Marcus, where¡¯s Sara¡¯s notebook?¡± Marcus looked at her with a mocking sneer, his voice dripping with arrogance. ¡°That worthless notebook? I burned it ages ago. It¡¯s been two years¨Cdid you really think I¡¯d still be holding on to it?¡± Madelyn clenched her jaw, her voice trembling with rage. ¡°If you want toe after me, then do it directly! Why drag Sara into this? She was never a threat to you!¡± Seated on the stone bench, Marcus looked down at her with a superior air. He sneered, ¡°Madelyn, that¡¯s a question you should be asking Sara, not me ¡°That good¨Cfor¨Cnothing had no ce in the Solemnity Guild,¡± Marcus sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. ¡°But she had to be kept here¨Cso death was her only fate. ¡°I gave her a choice; kill you or die. ¡°She chose to die so you could live. ¡°You two could¡¯ve been travelingpanions to the underworld. Who would¡¯ve thought¡­ you¡¯re so damn tough¨Ceven that explosion couldn¡¯t k 1/2 He threw his head back in raucousughter, his grating cackles reverberating through the cavernous space. Meeting Madelyn¡¯s bloodthirsty re¨Cso intense it seemed to drip blood¨CMarcus didn¡¯t flinch. Instead, heughed with even greater arrogance and taunted, ¡°You want to kill me?¡± He defiantly lifted his chin and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the rules of the Solemnity Guild¨Ckill and you die. Do you dare make a move?¡± He got up and sauntered off, his stepszy and full of swagger. In an instant, the wind swept through. Marcus froze mid¨Cstep. ¡°W¨CWhat did you do?¡± he stammered. A needle shot into Marcus¡¯s neck. He tried to move, but his whole body locked up¨Crigid as stone, unable to budge an inch. ¡°Madelyn! Let me go!¡± he screamed in panic. Madelyn stepped closer, a frosty smirk curling at her lips. ¡°Do you know why I came back? Because I¡¯m going to kill you¨Cand make sure you die in agony.¡± Çú Again Marriage 332 Chapter 332 ¡°Kill me, and you¡¯ll die too!¡± Panic shed in Marcus¡¯s eyes, his voice cracking with fear. ¡°Just let me go¨Clet¡¯s wipe the te clean. I swear I¡¯ll neveT bother you again!¡± Madelyn ignored his desperate pleas. Without hesitation, she raised her silver needles and drove them into Marcus¡¯s body again. With each needle Madelyn drove into him, Marcus¡¯s body convulsed violently, his face contorting in ever¨Cdeepening agony. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it yourself? I should¡¯ve died¨CSara died for me. Even in the depths of hell, I¡¯ll tear you limb from limb,¡± she spat, eyes zing with hatred. The silver needles rained down on Marcus. He felt as if countless ants were gnawing at his flesh, the excruciating pain driving him to the brink of unconsciousness. Marcus gasped, ¡°H¨CHelp¡­ help me¡­¡± ¡°Almost forgot.¡± With that, she drove a needle into his throat,pletely silencing Marcus. He could only stare wide¨Ceyed in horror, watching helplessly as silver needles kept piercing his flesh, enduring waves of excruciating agony. Marcus died in excruciating agony. Madelyn stood watch, her gaze fixed on him as he drew his final breath. ¡°Aria.¡± She heard Owen¡¯s deep voice calling her name right by her ear. Aria¡¯s eyes snapped open, still glinting with a cold, deadly intent that hadn¡¯t faded. Owen bent down so he was at eye level with her, meeting her gaze at close range. In the span of a heartbeat, the murderous glint faded from her eyes, revealing an abyss of endless, unfathomable loneliness¨Cyet beneath that calm surface lurked a power capable of annihting all creation. Owen¡¯s heart clenched with concern. He reached out and gently covered her eyes with his hand. ¡°Bad dream?¡± he asked softly. His voice was feather¨Csoft, carrying a whisper of warmth that brushed against her ear. In the darkness, all Aria could hear was his voice. She blinked, her eyshes brushing softly against his palm, sending a subtle shiver through them both. Owendet his hand fall away, steadied her by the shoulders, and helped her up. ¡°Just now, Mono called your phone,¡± he said. ¡°I answered since you were resting. He said he won¡¯t being today and told us to go ahead with dinner.¡± Aria had arrived a bit earlier and was resting on the sofa in Owen¡¯s living room. Without realizing it, she drifted off to sleep. Her dream was of Sara and Marcus. After Marcus¡¯s death, Aria fled, only to be hunted by the Solemnity Guild. She took down several pursuers, but in the end, battered and bleeding, she was still captured. She was waiting to die when the leader gave her an ultimatum: kill Marcus¡¯s father, and she could live. In the end, she killed the founder and survived. Afterwards, Aria searched nearly the entire Solemnity Guild, but Sara¡¯s notebook was nowhere to be found. She had never looked inside, so she didn¡¯t know what Sara had written. Now that Aria knew Sara¡¯s true identity, she was utterly lost. Russell should have cared deeply about Sara, Aria guessed, her brow furrowing. But if he did, why was she already covered in old sears batere are en came to the Solemnity Guild? Could Olivia be involved in this? Lost in thought, Aria suddenly felt the gentle warmth of a hand resting on her forehead. Aria instinctively looked up, locking eyes with Owen¡¯s gaze, brimming with concern. ¡°I thought I might have given you my fever,¡± he said softly, his hand lingering gently on her forehead. ¡°But you¡¯re not hot¨Cactually you feel a bit cool Aria was about to speak when she felt her throat go dry. At that moment, Owen turned toward the dining table, picked up a ss of warm water, and handed it to her. ¡°Here, have some warm water. it¡¯ll help your throat.¡± Aria took the ss and drained it, then finally said, ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal,¡± Owen said as he took the ss from her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first.¡± She nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Aria had just sat down when her phone rang¨Cit was Mono calling. Mono said, ¡°Girl, your ex¨Chusband must be out of his damn mind¨Che actually showed up at the Fine Art Society trying to buy back those three paintings of yours!¡± Although she hadn¡¯t put the call on speaker, the living room was so quiet that Owen could clearly hear the conversation. Aria instinctively reached to lower the phone¡¯s volume, but before she could, Owen noticed and asked gently, ¡°Private space?¡± Should I give you some AD Comment Again Marriage 333 Aria¡¯s finger froze mid¨Cpress on the volume button. She nced at Owen, a twinge of unease shing through her, Composing herself, she calmly withdrew her finger and lowered her voice. ¡°Nothing you can¡¯t hear,¡± she said. Owen¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°Good.¡± Aria nced at her phone screen. ¡°Mono, so what happened next? Did you end up selling them?¡± On the other end of the line, Mono raised his voice, brimming with pride. ¡°As if I¡¯d ever sell them! That self¨Cproimed fellow apprentice of yours, Westin, has been cradling your paintings like they¡¯re his greatest treasure, constantly going on about when he¡¯ll finally get to meet you.¡± Liam even went to the Fine Art Society, offering to buy back the paintings at triple the original price. Westin tly said, ¡°Not even for ten times the price! These are my incredible fellow apprentice¡¯s paintings.¡± Unable to buy the paintings, Liam left with his tail between his legs. Mono immediately called Aria to gloat about it. Hearing his tone, Aria could just imagine howfortable Mono¡¯s life at the Fine Art Society must be. Her gaze swept over the table full of dishes, and she sighed dramatically, ¡°Owen prepared a whole feast here. Too bad you missed out.¡± Feeling quite helpless at what she said, Mono said with feigned indifference, ¡°I¡¯m eating quite well here too¨Cnot jealous at all.¡± Aria asked innocently, ¡°Is it as good as Owen¡¯s cooking?¡± Mono was speechless for a moment before uttering, ¡°You sure know how to talk, don¡¯t you?¡± Aria chuckled yfully, ¡°If you say so. Want me to snap a photo for you, Mono? Let you see what you¡¯re missing out on?¡± The line went dead. ¡°Hello? Mono?¡± Aria checked her phone, puzzled. ¡°Why¡¯d he hang up?¡± Seeing the puzzled look on her face, Owen suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Mono. Owen cleared his throat,dled a bowl of soup, and gently ced it in front of Aria. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first,¡± he said softly. Aria nodded with a smile. ¡°Alright then.¡± Aria opened her camera, snapped a photo of the meal, sent it to Mono with a teasing smirk, then put away her phone and finally started eating. She thought, ¡®Mono was the one who broke his promise¨Cserves him right to drool over this now!¡® Owen smiled as he recalled something. ¡°I ran into Mr. Schmidt recently¨Che was delighted to hear you¡¯ve agreed to be a guest lecturer at Mandino University.¡± During her time in Jamn, Aria frequently called Martin regarding her research. On the first day after the pandemic ended, Martin texted her as usual to ask if she¡¯d changed her mind. It was only after Aria texted back that he realized she¡¯d already agreed all along. Those kids all assured someone else would inform Martin, but in the end, no one did. Aria smiled faintly. ¡°They¡¯re quite well behaved¨Cwon¡¯t be much trouble to teach.¡± ? 09:33 Mon, 16 Jun She knew one thing about fresh graduates: if nothing else, they were really obedient. She added, ¡°They¡¯re quite diligent and well¨Cbehaved.¡± After working with them for a few months, Owen had developed quite a favorable impression of them as well. Owen asked, his tone seemingly casual, ¡°Liam Cole just came by to see you. What was that about? Need a hand?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°No. Just leave him be.¡± Liam had sold the paintings before going to Jamn to help. Since he had already paid one hundred million dors inpensation, the paintings rightfully belonged to him, so it was perfectly understandable for him to sell them. But what puzzled Aria was why Liam would go all the way to the Fine Art Society just to buy the paintings back Aria picked up the bowl of soup Owen had served her and took a slow sip, then paused mid¨Csip as if something had just urred to her ¡°Wait¡­ Did Liam finally realize it wasn¡¯t Hannah who saved him? What an idiot.¡® Aria sneered inwardly. At that time, as Kerano Global Health¡¯s professor, Aria was duty¨Cbound to take responsibility¨Csaving lives was simply her professional obligation. There were seven or eight critically ill patients, and she managed to save them all. If she had known what Liam would be, she would¡¯ve just ignored him back then. E Again Marriage 334 Chapter 334 It would¡¯ve saved her a lot of trouble if she¡¯d just skipped one patient. Noticing Aria¡¯s sudden pause, Owen asked, ¡°Something wrong?¡± Aria asked, ¡°Did Liam hire Hannah¡¯swyer?¡± Owen had just replied, ¡°Most likely,¡± when his phone buzzed with a new message. Aaron: [Mr. Shaw, the Gibson family has appointed a newwyer to negotiate with us. I¡¯ve sent you her credentials.) Then, he sent another message: [She¡¯s awyer closely associated with the Gibson family, ranked just below you, Mr. Shaw. She¡¯s a specialist in this field -you should be cautious.] Owen looked up from his phone. ¡°Hannah Gibson¡¯s got a newwyer¨Cthe Gibson family hired her. Aaron says she¡¯s a top expert in this field.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Will this be a tough case?¡± Owen smiled faintly. ¡°Not at all. She¡¯s looking at a minimum two¨Cyear sentence.¡± Aria arched an eyebrow. ¡°Two years? Not bad at all.¡± Liam returned home. As he stepped into the living room, he spotted Daniel and Ondo deep in conversation. Seeing him, Daniel¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Where have you been running off to these days?¡± With Ondo as his other grandson forparison, Daniel found himself growing increasingly displeased with Liam. He thought that all Liam ever did was chase skirts and pursue his so¨Ccalled pipe dreams, while neglecting everything that could actually benefit the Cole Group. Daniel then asked, ¡°I told you to maintain contact with Ruby Olsen and secure that partnership. Did you follow through?¡± Liam tried contacting Ruby a few times, but gave up after getting no response. After everything that happened between him and Aria, Ruby would never agree to work with the Cole Group. Gavin replied, ¡°Grandpa, Ms. Olsen returned to the country specifically for Aria, not for business. Aria¡¯s been staying in Jamn for months, and Ms. Olsen has deliberately kept her schedule open all this time just for her. There¡¯s absolutely no way she¡¯d agree to work with the Cole Group. Daniel¡¯s brows knitted tightly as he raised his voice sharply. ¡°Then make the impossible possible! If you hadn¡¯t divorced Aria, none of this would be necessary!¡± ¡®Yeah, if only I hadn¡¯t divorced Aria, things wouldn¡¯t be like this now. With that bitter thought in mind, Liam stood silent, his face shadowed with quiet sorrow. Seeing Liam¡¯s dejected expression, Daniel felt his anger subside somewhat, though not without a tinge of helplessness. He took a deep breath and changed the subject. ¡°Did you withdraw thewyer you hired for Hannah?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Gavin nodded firmly. ¡°From now on, whatever happens to her has nothing to do with me.¡± Daniel¡¯s expression softened slightly, his voice carrying a note of relief. ¡°It¡¯s for the best that you ended things.¡± Liam muttered in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room.¡± With that, he turned and headed toward the stairs, his figure bearing a weary weight of premature aging. Daniel assumed Liam was just heartbroken over the breakup and said nothing more. He sighed, then turned to Ondo. ¡°Thank goodness the Cale Group still has you. Otherwise, these old bones of mine wouldn¡¯t be able to keep thepany going.¡± He continued, ¡°Ondo, make sure to foster a good working rtionship with Mr. Nicholson. If you need anything, just let me know¡± Ondo smiled gently. ¡°Alright.¡± After a brief chat with Daniel, Ondo left. The moment he got into his car, he contacted Russell. ¡°Russell, how¡¯s your shoulder doing?¡± Russell merely said, ¡°I¡¯m back in Mandino City.¡± Ondo eximed in shock, ¡°You¡¯re back already? Then what about¡­ Ms. Remar?¡± Ever since Russell was hospitalized, Olivia had stayed by his side, refusing to leave. Russell hummed in response. ¡°We¡¯re heading back to Mayen Garden. You take over the follow¨Cup work¨CI¡¯ll be recuperating for a while.¡± Ondo replied, ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll head to Mayen Garden now.¡± Back in her room, Aria received a message from Benjamin: [Hey, kiddo, busytely?] Aria replied: [Not busy at all.] Benjamin: [Would you minding over tomorrow? I¡¯ve been having a terrible coughtely and just haven¡¯t been feeling well. I was hoping you could check on me.] Aria replied: [Got it. I¡¯lle first thing tomorrow.] After the chat ended, Aria opened the MapleLink app, found White Fox¡¯s contact, and typed: [Any news?] White Fox: [Boss, I was just about to message you. I just arrived in Mandino City.] A location pin popped up immediately. Aria: [Let¡¯s meet up.] AD Again Marriage 335 Chapter 335 ¡°Quick, get that brat back here!¡± Benjamin said excitedly. The butler hurriedly presented the medicine to Benjamin and gently advised, ¡°Mr. Hayes, please take your medicine first. Try not to get too worked up.¡± Benjamin¡¯s cough wasn¡¯t serious enough to trouble Aria, But ever since the birthday party got canceled, he hadn¡¯t found the right opportunity to introduce his grandson to her. Therefore, he didn¡¯t want to miss this chance. A tickle crept up his throat, and Benjamin covered his mouth with a handkerchief, starting to cough again. The butler grew worried. ¡°Sir, why don¡¯t we go to the hospital, just to be safe?¡± Benjamin regained hisposure and waved his hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. I know my own body well enough. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Benjamin added with a smile, ¡°Tomorrow I can finally start taking the medicine Aria prescribed. I¡¯ll recover faster.¡± The butler felt slightly relieved at the thought of Aria¡¯s visit the following day. ¡°Bring me my phone,¡± Benjamin urged. ¡°I¡¯ll call that brat myself.¡± ¡°Alright, sir,¡± the butler said helplessly. Sebastian received the call while on his way to a private club. ¡°Grandpa? What¡¯s it?¡± Benjamin got straight to the point. ¡°Come home immediately. Stay the night. And don¡¯t go anywhere tomorrow.¡± Sebastian asked, puzzled, ¡°Why can¡¯t I go out?¡± ¡°Aria ising tomorrow,¡± Benjamin replied. Sebastian choked. ¡°Grandpa, you still haven¡¯t given up on that?¡± Hearing Sebastian¡¯s reluctant tone, Benjamin felt a surge of anger in his chest. ¡°You should count yourself lucky to even know Aria. She¡¯s way out of your league.¡± There was almost no chance Aria would marry into the Hayes family, but Benjamin was genuinely fond of her and simply wanted the two young people to meet and just be friends. Among the younger generation in the Hayes family, only Sebastian was of the right age. The others were either too old or too young. ¡°Right, right, I¡¯m not good enough,¡± Sebastian snorted. ¡°Then why bother setting us up in the first ce?¡± ¡°Set you up? Keep dreaming!¡± Benjamin snapped. ¡°It¡¯s just an introduction. You¡¯re nowhere near good enough to date her.¡± ¡®Then why call me back at all? Grandpa is such a schemer. As if he thinks I can¡¯t see right through his little schemes,¡® Sebastian grumbled inwardly. So he said, ¡°Grandpa, I already have ns.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better be back tonight, or don¡¯t evere back again,¡± Benjamin said sternly. The butler added respectfully, ¡°Mr. Sebastian Hayes, Ms. Saxon ising to check on Mr. Benjamin Hayes¡® health tomorrow.¡± Sebastian was shocked. ¡°Grandpa, is your cough acting up again? You should go to the hospital. What can Aria possibly do? I¡¯lle back now and take you to the hospital.¡± Just as Sebastian was about to turn the car around, Benjamin said with annoyance, ¡°I¡¯m not going to the hospital. Aria wille to check on me. Finish your business and get your ass back here.¡± Hearing his grandfather¡¯s vigorous voice, Sebastian was a lot less worried and reluctantly said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be home tonight¡± Standing beside her car, Aria stared at the location pin White Fox had sent her. The private club stood in a secluded location, its surroundings eerily quiet with hardly a passerby in sight. The ce drew people from all walks of life and backgrounds imaginable. Aria stepped forward and walked inside. The club pulsed with colorful lights, while deafening music thundered through space and hit her like a wave. Aria frowned instinctively and headed toward the staircase. Amidst the flickering lights, a figure descended the stairs. Before Aria could move aside, her shoulder mmed hard into his. A distinct pain shot through her waist¨Cnot unbearable, but sharp enough to put her on alert. The man nced at her, and the wariness in his eyes eased a little. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said. The man gave a hurried nod and strode out. Again Marriage 336 Chapter 336 Aria turned her head and saw the man walking with steady and disciplined steps. Aria failed to dodge in time, crashing hard into the figure beside her. Her eyes darkened slightly. That was a gun. She withdrew her gaze and continued up the stairs at an unhurried pace. ¡®Looks like tonight is going to be anything but peaceful, Aria thought to herself. The private room number White Fox had sent was at the very end of the third floor. Aria walked down the corridor, her footsteps echoing in a steady, muffled rhythm. Just as she was about to arrive, the door of the adjacent room creaked open slightly. She instinctively nced sideways. Inside, the lights were dim, and smoke curled through the air. A few figures were either slumped or sprawled across the couch in twisted positions. Muffled groans and whispers drifted out. Aria¡¯s heart tightened. Even when her tasks required navigating intricate situations, she refused to let any of them affect her. That was her steadfast rule. The scene before her was nothing new. She could tell at a nce what they were doing. Aria coolly averted her gaze and stopped in front of the neighboring room. She raised her hand and knocked. The door opened. The moment White Fox saw Aria, his eyes lit up. ¡°Boss!¡± he eximed excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± He opened his arms wide, ready to give Aria a hug. Aria ced a single finger against his shoulder and said, ¡°Stop. Men and women should keep their distance.¡± White Fox sighed with a sorrowful look. ¡°Come on, we even crashed into the same bunk back then!¡± Memories of the past flooded Aria¡¯s mind. In the Solemnity Guild, gender didn¡¯t matter, and men and women were treated the same. After long sessions, everyone was too exhausted to walk a long distance back to the dorms and would crash together in themunal sleeping area. Aria was no exception. She and White Fox had bonded during those nights on the bunks. White Fox took the innermost spot by the wall, with Aria right beside him. She had intended to switch spots with White Fox, but someone beat her to it. The bully roughed White Fox up, imed his bunk, and shot her a predatory grin. In the Solemnity Guild, where the strong ruled and the weak got trampled, things like that were nothing out of the ordinary. It was survival of the fittest. There was no gender divide¨Conly power. To avoid being bullied, one either had to be strong enough to fight back or cling to someone who was. Aria was the only girl who chose to sleep in themunal bunk. C She didn¡¯t give that bully a chance to act and gave him a good beating before tossing him out. White Fox leisurely sprawled out in his old spot, making himself right at home. That night, when others tried to do the same thing, Aria crippled them all without exception, leaving each barely alive. That was how White Fox got into her good graces. Aria snapped out of her reverie, shot White Fox a nce, then brushed past him and settled onto the couch. She took out her phone to call the police, but remembered the man earlier and turned the screen off White Fox caught a glimpse of her screen and was stunned. ¡°Boss, are you going to call the cops? Have I pissed you off that badly?¡± White Fox acked in mock horror. Aria shot him a cool nce and said, ¡°Idiot.¡± White Fox chuckled. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to do. Don¡¯t worry about it. They¡¯re already under surveince. The cops will make their move soon! He sat down next to Aria and sighed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find Sara¡¯s diary, but I got news.¡± Aria asked, ¡°What¡¯s it?¡± White Fox said, ¡°It probably wasn¡¯t destroyed by Marcus¡­ It might¡­ with the leader.¡± Comment Again Marriage 337 A cold glint instantly shed in Aria¡¯s eyes. She thought, ¡®Maybe they want her dead, and it isn¡¯t just because she left the Solemnity Guild. There have to be other reasons. ¡®The Solemnity Guild has practically abandoned Sara. There¡¯s no way the leader would have taken notice of her! Aria couldn¡¯t help but wonder who had delivered Sara to the Solemnity Guild in the first ce. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll get that diary for you,¡± White Fox said. Aria turned to White Fox, shaking her head. ¡°I have another way. Stop digging into this.¡± White Fox understood her concern and felt touched. ¡°I¡¯ll be extra careful, Boss.¡± Aria said agitatedly, ¡°No! Stay out of this!¡± White Fox¡¯s eyes welled up. ¡°Boss¡­ Sara¡¯s my friend too,¡± he said, even though they only knew each other for a few months. A heavy silence fell over the private room, broken only by the faint strains of music drifting in from outside. Aria sighed again. ¡°Someone else is already investigating Sara. Don¡¯t put yourself in danger. Let them handle it.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± White Fox asked in shock. Aria said, ¡°Russell Nicholson¨Cfounder of Baron Casino and CEO of Neb Corp. ¡°Russell Nicholson?¡± White Fox gasped. Russell¡¯s name was well¨Cknown throughout the assassin circle. Having joined the Wolfshade Syndicate as a child, his abilities set him apart. Upon reaching adulthood, he established Baron Casino, demonstrating remarkable strategic prowess and courage. His talents soon caught the attention of the syndicate¡¯s leader, who began grooming him as a sessor. Over the past eleven years, Baron had be thergest casino in the region, raking in massive profits every day and lea in its wake. Because of this casino, Russell also became the most wanted man, though the bounty on him wasn¡¯t especially high. Countless families broken On the other hand, Neb Corp. was one of Masmubia¡¯s top filmpanies. No one knew exactly when it formed ties with the Wolfshade Syndicate, but at some point, it made Russell the CEO. Vanessa discovered that Russell didn¡¯t hold much power within Neb Corp., but he had full control over all domestic film coborations. For him, it was both an exile and a test. After learning Russell¡¯s identity, White Fox¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°B¨CBoss, maybe Russell is actually after. I bet the leader told him about Sara on purpose, trying to use him to get rid of you!¡± Aria remained unfazed, as if this didn¡¯t surprise her at all. White Fox¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°D¨Cdon¡¯t tell me¡­ he has already made a move?¡± Aria was about to say yes, but when she caught the worry in White Fox¡¯s eyes, she swallowed her words. ¡°Russell isn¡¯t that foolish. He definitely knows the Solemnity Guild is using him.¡± White Fox let out a sigh of relief. ¡°True. He wouldn¡¯t have made it this far if he were that dumb.¡± IVIOII, T0 ??? 6640 White Fax¡¯s mind was in turmoil. He never imagined that someone as powerful as Russell was rted to Sara. If that were the case, Sara¡¯sing to the Solemnity Guild might have been part of a well¨Cnned scheme. Suddenly, a muffled gunshot shattered the silence. White Fox stood up, a trace of alertness in his eyes. ¡°Did the raid start next door?¡± A normal arrest shouldn¡¯t involve gunfire unless the suspect posed an immediate and violent threat. Since the shot came so suddenly, chances were that it had been fired by the suspect. If they had a gun, things would get messy. Aria picked up two fruit knives from the coffee table and handed one to White Fox. ¡°You¡¯re not Huthailian. If you fight, it¡¯llplicate things. Stay behind me.¡± White Fox gave a firm nod. ¡°Got it.¡± White Fox often thought back to the missions he had done following Aria¡¯s lead. He didn¡¯t expect their first reunion to y out like this before they even had time to catch up. The closer they got to the door, the louder the voices became outside. ¡°Stay back, or I¡¯ll kill him!¡± the gunman roared in terror. His left arm locked tightly around the hostage¡¯s neck, while his right hand held a gun pressed firmly to the hostage¡¯s temple. ¡°Drop your guns, or I¡¯ll kill him!¡± the gunman threatened. AD Comment Again Marriage 338 Chapter 338 The lead officer loosened his grip on his gun, letting it dangle from his thumb as his arm swayed slightly. ¡°Stay calm! We promise we won¡¯t shoot.The said in a steady voice. ¡°Them too! Tell them to drop their weapons! Do it!¡± the gunman screamed, his grip tightening further. Sebastian¡¯s neck was being choked so hard that he could barely breathe. His temple throbbed from the pressure of the gun barrel. He regretted not listening to his grandfather and going home. If he hadn¡¯te to the private club, he wouldn¡¯t have run into the police raid and ended up as a hostage) At the end of the corridor, Sebastian¡¯s friends stood anxiously, their faces twisted with worry. ¡°Oh God, what do we do? If Sebastian gets hurt, how are we supposed to exin it to his family?¡± one friend cried out, panic in his voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this private club was safe? Howe something like this happened the first time we came here?¡± Another friend snapped, his voice trembling. They were the ones who picked the ce, and Sebastian was only here because they invited him. If anything happened to him now, they¡¯d all be held responsible. The private club had a specific target clientele. The room where the suspect was caught had been reserved long¨Cterm and wasn¡¯t open to the public. The police had been watching it for a while and cleared the entire third floor before the operation began. White Fox had reserved the private room in advance. When he arrived, the owner of the club had no idea what was about to happen. Three people had been captured, and one had gotten away. That fugitive was the one who came for the deal and was carrying a gun. He ran out from another stairwell and ran right into Sebastian, who was heading to the fourth floor. Without hesitation, he grabbed Sebastian and took him hostage. The lead officer made a quick hand gesture, and the rest of the team immediately lowered their weapons. The officer tried to calm the man and said in a steady voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be rash. Let¡¯s talk this through. We can work this out. Just put the gun down and don¡¯t hurt the hostage!¡± The man watched them warily, his eyes shifting back and forth as he backed up slowly, keeping the gun pressed against Sebastian and moving sideways. Sebastian was forced to follow. He had taken taekwondo before, but he figured it wasn¡¯t the time to act recklessly. The marad a gun, and no matter how fast he was, he couldn¡¯t be faster than a bullet. He didn¡¯t know what to do. At the stairwell, several officers were hidden in the shadows, nervously turned to Fryderyk, one of them whispering urgently, ¡°Captain Fletcher, what do we do now?¡± Fryderyk¡¯s expression was grave. He responded in a low voice, ¡°Stay hidden. If a chancees up, take him out.¡± Fryderyk holstered his gun and darted forward cautiously. His eyes locked on the area surrounding the suspect. Just then, a door to one of the rooms began to slowly open. Fryderyk¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He immediately stepped into view and deliberately raised his voice at the gunman, ¡°What do you want?¡± The man flinched and turned sharply toward Fryderyk, on high alert. ¡°Get me a car! Have everyone back off now!¡± he shouted, his finger twitching on the trigger. The door only opened a crack. The lead officer exchanged a look with Fryderyk and barked out orders, ¡°Everyone, back off! Get him a car now!¡± 09:34 Mon, 16 Jun G. The officersplied, and the corridor gradually fell into an uneasy silence. Fryderyk called out, ¡°We¡¯ve done what you asked. The car will be ready soon.¡± The man still stared at them suspiciously with his finger on the trigger. ¡°If any of you shoot, I¡¯ll kill him immediately.¡± ¡°You have our word. We won¡¯t open fire,¡± assured Fryderyk. Even so, the man didn¡¯t loosen his grip around Benjamin¡¯s neck. He knew how ruthless Huthailian police could be, so he didn¡¯t dare let his guard down, not even for a second. ¡°Why isn¡¯t the damn car ready yet?¡± the gunman snarled. He grew agitated again, pressing the gun barrel hard against Sebastian¡¯s temple, his eyes wild with fury. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to! You¡¯re just waiting for a chance to take me out! If I go down, he ising with me!¡± AD Again Marriage 339 Chapter 339 Fryderyk said calmly. ¡°The person in your hands is Sebastian Hayes. He¡¯s from a prestigious background. As long as you let him go, the Hayes family well. be willing to meet all your deihands¡± Hearing this, a cold glint shed in the gunman¡¯s eyes as he tightened his grip on Sebastian. Under his breath, he muttered, ¡°So, it turns out you¡¯re a nich kid, huh?¡± Those who dared to carry out such deals in Huthailia were usually desperate criminals, risking everything for money. They operated in the gray areas of thew, preying on rich heirs like Sebastian because they had money. The gunman thought to himself, if I could get away with this, I might extort a hefty ransom from his family and bleed them dry! The man knew there was no escaping justice, and he had to find a way to get away. But even if he escaped, he had no intention of letting Sebastian go easily. In past situations, whether or not they managed to flee, there was a high chance that criminals would kill the hostage. Fryderyk revealed Sebastian¡¯s identity precisely to make the gunman understand just how important Sebastian was¨Cthat he couldn¡¯t be killed on a whim. Otherwise, with the Hayes family¡¯s power, no matter where he fled, they would hunt him down relentlessly. A few secondster, a police officer rushed upstairs and announced, ¡°The car is ready.¡± The lead officer looked at the gunman and calmly repeated, ¡°The car is ready. You¡¯re free to go anytime.¡± ¡°Stay back!¡± the man shouted, still watching everyone warily while backing away with Sebastian in tow. But everything changed in a split second. Suddenly, the private room door burst open. Before anyone could react, a hand seized the man¡¯s wrist tightly. As the man pulled the trigger, the barrel was yanked upward. A gunshot rang out, and the bullet hit the ceiling. Aria reacted swiftly, twisting the man¡¯s wrist with full force. The man let out a scream of pain as Aria spun around and broke his other arm. His hand that had been gripping Sebastian instantly loosened. Clutching his throat, Sebastian stumbled toward the police. The world went ck for a moment, and his legs nearly gave out. Officers quickly rushed to his side. Just then, the man reached for a dagger at his waist and lunged at Aria. She dodged sideways, grabbed the back of Sebastian¡¯s cor with her left hand, and yanked him back. Sebastian¡¯s eyes widened in terror as the knife shed past him, barely missing his neck. Sebastian turned his head, and time seemed to freeze in that instant. The warm hallway lighting draped Aria in golden hues, outlining her features with an ethereal beauty that left one breathless. Sebastian¡¯s heart began racing uncontrobly. Fryderyk and the lead officer quickly rushed forward and subdued the criminal The lead officer looked at the two and asked with concern, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Aria released Sebastian¡¯s cor and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She shot a sideways nce at Sebastian, only to find him staring at her in a daze. ¡°Boss!¡± White Fox walked out of the private room. Seeing the criminal subdued, he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Aria looked away, rubbed her wrist, and asked, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Where are you staying tonight?¡± White Fox smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already booked a hotel. Let¡¯s catch up another time.¡± White Fox hade to Mandino City on a mission. Aria nodded and said, ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The handcuffed criminal red viciously at Ar¨ªa, his eyes brimming with murderous intent. The lead officer smacked him on the head and snapped, ¡°Shut your mouth! Take him away!¡± Fryderyk walked up to Aria, his expression a bit more serious. ¡°Next time, if you encounter something like this, don¡¯t be so reckless.¡± AD Again Marriage 340 Aria smiled faintly and said nothing. Fryderyk turned to Sebastian and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have two officers go with you to the hospital¡± Sebastian was still in a daze and didn¡¯t reply. His friends quickly rushed over and surrounded him, talking over each other. ¡°Sebastian, are you okay? That scared the hell out of us!¡± ¡°How¡¯s your neck? Do you need to go to the hospital?¡± His friends¡® voices wereced with concern as they recalled the dangerous moment just now. But Sebastian seemed not to hear any of them, and his gaze was still fixed on Aria in the distance. In his mind, Sebastian kept reying that life¨Cthreatening moment earlier. If Aria hadn¡¯t yanked him, that knife would¡¯ve gone straight into his neck. His heart skipped a beat, then began racing wildly out of control at the thought of it. Aria was chatting with White Fox, a rxed smile ying at the corners of her lips. Sebastian swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. ¡°Hey, Sebastian!¡± One of his friends waved a hand in front of his face. ¡°What are you staring at? You totally zoned out.¡± Sebastian finally snapped out of his daze, the tips of his ears turning red. ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± he muttered. His friends followed his gaze and saw Aria walking away. Realization hit them, and they started teasing. ¡°Oh, so you were looking at that pretty girl!¡± ¡°Usually it¡¯s the guy saving the beautifuldy, but it is the other way around for you. Lucky guy!¡± ¡°Damn, she¡¯s got skills! That guy had a gun, but she took him down and saved your ass!¡± Recalling that intense scene, they felt both lingering fear and a surge of excitement. They were all amazed by Aria¡¯s moves: Sebastian¡¯s gaze lingered on her retreating figure as she disappeared around the stairwell corner with the officers. Sebastian asked, ¡°Do you guys know her?¡± The group shook their heads. ¡°We were too far away to get a good look.¡± Right then, two officers approached. One of them said to Sebastian, ¡°We¡¯ll escort you to the hospital for a check¨Cup.¡± It was only then that Sebastian¡¯s friends snapped out of it. ¡°Right, right! To the hospital!¡± One of them urged anxiously, ¡°Alright, stop staring. She¡¯s gone. Fryderyk seems to know her, You can go thank her properly another day.¡± Sebastian nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get to see her again.¡± Sebastian purposely changed into a high¨Ccored sweater to cover the marks on his neck before going home. Seeing him return, Benjamin finally rxed, but gave a cold snort. ¡°What a surprise! You¡¯re back early today! Sebastian thought, ¡®How could I not be? I got taken hostage before I even got inside the private room and almost got myself killed: Thinking about how close he came to never seeing his family again, Sebastian¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Grandpa, you should get some rest Benjamin felt like his grandson was acting a bit strange tonight, but didn¡¯t think too much of it. ¡°Aria ising over early tomorrow. Be up early and make a good impression.¡± Whatever sentiment Sebastian had was gone in an instant. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve said it before. I¡¯m interested in Aria. I don¡¯t want a blind date: I like¡­ A side profile shed through his mind, and his heart skipped again. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Benjamin grumbled. ¡°I know you like the gentle type¡­ whatever. Aria wouldn¡¯t be interested in you anyway¡± A thought crossed Sebastian¡¯s mind. ¡®It¡¯s not like I only go for the sweet, gentle type. Thatdy is tough, but I like her! Seeing his grandson remain silent, Benjamin waved his hand irritably and said, ¡°Alright, go to bed early. And don¡¯t embarrass me tomorrow.¡± Sebastian nodded and turned to head back to his room. He had no ns to make a good impression. He was going to find Fryderyk and get thatdy¡¯s number. ??? Again Marriage 341 Chapter 341 Chapter 341 The next day. At the breakfast table, seeing Aria in a coat, Owen asked casually, ¡°Heading outter?¡± Aria nodded lightly. ¡°Yeah.¡± Owen asked, ¡°Do you need me to give you a ride?¡± ¡°No need, I¡¯m going to Mr. Hayes¡¯s ce. It¡¯s close by,¡± Aria replied. Owen watched as she took a sip of milk, his gaze lingering longer than intended. He remembered Emma telling him that Benjamin liked Aria a lot and had always wanted to set her up with his grandson. He had a lot of questions, but he wasn¡¯t in a position to ask. Owen ate slowly, thinking that Sebastian was probably going to be there. ¡®Would she go for someone like Sebastian? He¡¯s two years younger than me, after all.¡® Owen mused inwardly. A pensive look shed in Owen¡¯s eyes. He hadn¡¯t exercised at all during his months in Jamn, and decided he needed to start training harder again. Sebastian was still deep asleep when Benjamin yanked him out of bed and tossed a brand¨Cnew outfit at him. Benjamin barked, ¡°Go wash up and put these on¨Cnow!¡± Sebastian yawnedzily. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s still so early!¡± Benjamin¡¯s eyes filled with disdain when he saw Sebastian¡¯s messy hair. ¡°Go wash up, and wash your hair while you¡¯re at it. Make look presentable for once for god¡¯s sake!¡± Sebastian clutched his head and rubbed his hair like crazy while enuciating each word, ¡°I¡­ just¡­ washed¡­ it¡­ ¡­ night.¡± Benjamin stared at his grandson for a long moment, his eyes filled with obvious distaste. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Fine, forget it. With the way you look, you¡¯re nowhere near that kid from the Shaw family. Even if you dressed up all fancy, Aria wouldn¡¯t even give you a nce.¡± Anyst glimmer of hope in Benjamin¡¯s heart was extinguished. As he turned to leave, his eyes fell on Sebastian¡¯s neck, and he froze. ¡°What happened to your neck?¡± Sebastian paused, then quickly covered his neck and stammered, ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± In the end, under Benjamin¡¯s intense stare, Sebastian told the old man what had happened the night before but left out the most dangerous parts. As a man who had seen it all, Benjamin quickly regained hisposure. Then he growled, ¡°If I catch you in those seedy ces again, I¡¯ll break your legs myself!¡± Sebastian nodded vigorously and held up three fingers. ¡°Grandpa,¡± he said, ¡°I promise I won¡¯t go again.¡± Benjamin said, ¡°Thatdy saved your life. We¡¯ll go thank her in person someday.¡± Sebastian nodded. His eyes lit up with anticipation. Then, he got up to wash up, roughlybed his hair, and went to wait at the front gate. Leaning against the wall, Sebastian Idly scrolled through his phone when it suddenly rang. It was his buddy calling Did your grandpa find out about ?¡± the friend asked, sounding concerned. Sebastian rubbed his temples and lowered his voice. ¡°Yeah, he found out. He barged into my room early in the morning, dragged me out of bed t for Aria at the gate, and then spotted the marks on my neck.¡± His friend went quiet for a moment, then asked hesitantly, ¡°He¡¯s not banning us from seeing each other, right?¡± Sebastian said, ¡°Nah, not that extreme. Just don¡¯t go to unfamiliar ces again.¡± The friend let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good, that¡¯s good. By the way, why are you waiting for Aria at the gate?¡± ¡°Ugh, what else?¡± Sebastian sighed helplessly. ¡°Aria¡¯sing over to give my grandpa a checkup, and he¡¯s just using it as an excuse to y matchmaker between us.¡± The friendughed. ¡°Come on, Aria is great and all, but she¡¯s not your type. Everyone knows you¡¯ve got a thing for those sweet, cutesy girls. ¡°It¡¯s not like¡­ it has to be a sweet girl,¡± Sebastian murmured, his heart beat fast as that delicate profile shed through his mind again. Having grown up together, his friend instantly caught on and teased, ¡°Sebastian, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve fallen for that girl fromst night?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 342 Chapter 342 A smile tugged at Sebastian¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s a bit early to say that. I don¡¯t even know if she has a boyfriend. He had thought the fast heartbeat and shortness of breath were just physical reactions in the face of danger, and he had mistaken it for attraction toward¡¯s thatdy. But even after calming down, he still kept thinking about her and was really looking forward to seeing her again. He was so caught up in the call that he didn¡¯t notice the car pulling up nearby. His friend chuckled, ¡°Attraction is just instinctive chemistry. No wonder you never liked any of the sweet girls we introduced. Do you want me to look into her number for you?¡± Sebastian pressed his lips together and said, ¡°No need. I¡¯ll ask Fryderyk about itter. I need to wait for Aria first.¡± His friend teased, ¡°By the way, even though I didn¡¯t really get a clear look at that girl¡¯s face, I can tell she¡¯s the same type as Aria. Who knows, you might just end up liking Aria when you see her.¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Sebastian dered. ¡°I¡¯m not some fick who falls for every girl I see.¡± To prove his point, Sebastian blurted out, ¡°I d As Aria walked closer, she happened to overhear the She paused, took a good look at his face, and was how amazing Aria is. I¡¯d never fall for her!¡± part of that sentence. s surprised at how small the world was when she realized he was the hostage from the previous night. A figure suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Sebastian instinctively looked up. Upon recognizing the girl¡¯s face, his eyes widened in shock, leaving him rooted to the spot. The voice on the phone continued, even louder than before. ¡°We all know you¡¯d never like Aria. No need to yell about it.¡± The words rang out clearly between Sebastian and Aria. ¡°Hey? You still there?¡± his friend asked. Flustered, Sebastian hung up the call. Then he remembered he hadn¡¯t fixed his hair. He wanted to reach up and smooth it out, but stopped himself at the ?¡± Sebastian thought in disbelief, ¡®She¡¯s Aria? The girl who saved mest night was Aria?¡± Aria was surprised by his reaction and said, ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Sebastian felt his heart shatter into two. He couldn¡¯t believe he had just dered that he¡¯d never fall for Aria right in front of her. Chapter 342 Silence hung heavily between them, and even the breeze seemed tinged with awkwardness. Sebastian was filled with regret. He wished he could go back a minute and swallow every word he had just said, He would never have said that he would never fall for Aria. He knew he was so screwed. His face burned red, cars flushing, and he stammered, trying to exin. ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t mean it like that. I didn¡¯t know you were ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Aria cut him off softly, her tone calm. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Sebastian felt his heart broken into pieces. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Aria said as she walked in first. Sebastian looked up at the sky despondently, wondering why he ever picked up that call. After a few heavy sighs, Sebastian finally pulled himself together and hurried ahead to lead the way. Sebastian was desperate to find a chance to exin, but whenever the words were on the tip of his tongue, he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to say them. He couldn¡¯t just say, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t interested ¡®Of all people, why did it have to be her?¡® Sebastian thought in utter despair. Again Marriage 343 Benjamin had been waiting in the living room. The moment he saw Aria, a smile lit up his face as he walked over to greet her. ¡°Aris, there you, *** Aria smiled and nodded. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Benjamin Hayes,¡± she said warmly ¡°Good morning,¡± Benjamin replied. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sebastian looking like he wanted to say something but was holding back. The old man couldn¡¯t help wondering what was going on. Suppressing his curiosity, he asked Aria, ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± ¡°I have. Let me check your pulse first,¡± Aria said. Benjamin nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± A few minutester, Aria pulled her hand back and said softly, ¡°You¡¯re coughing with a lot of phlegm and feel tight in the chest. I¡¯ll give you a massage first and then prescribe some herbs to help with recovery.¡± Benjamin¡¯s eyes crinkled with a warm smile. ¡°Alright then, thank you, Aria,¡± he said. Benjamin thought to himself, ¡®What a sweet girl! If only she were my granddaughter!¡® ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Aria replied warmly. Benjamin noticed that Sebastian¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t left Aria the whole time. Something clicked in his mind, and he asked, ¡°Aria, would it be okay if my grandson learned from you? So he can help massage me sometimes?¡± Aria nodded and said, ¡°No problem.¡± Benjamin red at his disappointing grandson and urged, ¡°Hurry up and get over here to learn!¡± Sebastian walked over reluctantly, his hands glued stiffly to his sides, as stiff as a board and looking extremely ufortable. ¡°Useless brat,¡± Grandpa Benjamin muttered to himself, then just let him be. As a grandfather, he had done his part. While massaging, Aria patiently exined each step in detail. Sebastian appeared to be listening attentively, but his mind had already wandered off. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, and barely anything she said actually registered. Massage techniques weren¡¯t something one could pick up overnight, so Aria didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d grasp it all right away. After finishing the massage for Benjamin, Aria picked up a pen, wrote down the prescription, and handed it to Sebastian. ¡°Just brew the medicine ording to this,¡± she said. Sebastian nced up at her quickly, then dropped his gaze. His voice was a bit tense as he mumbled, ¡°Thank you.¡± Aria stood up to leave. ¡°Mr. Benjamin Hayes, I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Benjamin quickly tried to keep her a little longer and asked tentatively, ¡°Would you like to stay for lunch?¡± ¡°Thank you, but I have some matters to attend to, so I won¡¯t trouble you,¡± Aria replied. Ever since Aria agreed to be a graduate advisor at Mandino University, she had been busy brushing up on her theoretical knowledge. Lately, she¡¯d been burying herself in books every day. Chapter 343 Knowing how packed her schedule was, Benjamin didn¡¯t insist further and said, ¡°Then you must with us another a Aria smiled and agreed readily. ¡°Sure,¡± Benjamin turned to Sebastian and instructed, ¡°Sebastian, walk Aria out.¡± ¡°Got it, Grandpa,¡± Sebastian replied. After seeing Aria off, Sebastian returned to the living room. Benjamin couldn¡¯t wait any longer and asked, ¡°Do you two know each other?¡± Sebastian nodded, a hint of regret in his tone. ¡°She was the one who saved mest night.¡± Benjamin shot up from the couch, raising his voice. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier!!¡± ¡°I forgot,¡± Sebastian mumbled. Grandpa Benjamin took a few deep breaths, his expression turning grave. He said sternly, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Aria, I might have lost you brat for good!¡± Sebastian looked conflicted. ¡°Grandpa¡­ is it toote for me to change my mind?¡± Benjamin asked in confusion, ¡°About what?¡± Then his expression froze. ¡°Wait¡­ do you have feelings for Aria? Is it because she saved youst night?¡± Sebastian neither nodded nor shook his head. ¡°I just think¡­ she¡¯s really nice.¡± ¡°Someone your grandfather admires couldn¡¯t possibly be anything less than nice,¡± said Benjamin. ¨C Comment Again Marriage 344 Chapter 344 Though he said he would y matchmaker, Benjamin wasn¡¯t truly serious about it. He knew his grandson wasn¡¯t good enough for Aria, Still, he hadn¡¯t expected Sebastian to actually be interested in her. After a moment, Benjamin sighed. ¡°This is beyond my control. You¡¯re on your ur own.¡± Sebastian gave his grandfather a intive look. ¡°Grandpa, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d set us up?¡± Benjamin chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. ¡°I was just joking.¡± He looked at Sebastian and said bluntly, ¡°Look at yourself¨Cshe¡¯s a graduate advisor at Mandino University, and you¡¯re still just a student. Do you really think you¡¯re in her league?¡± Sebastian¡¯s eyes lit up. Since Aria was a professor, which meant they¡¯d likely run into each other often on campus. Their statuses might not match, but their ages did. He was about to finish his third year of grad scho I and would be graduating soon. Once he graduated, they could be together. The more Sebastian thought about it, the more excite I he became. Benjamin saw his grandson bubbling with enthusiasm and decided not to rain on his parade. As soon as Aria stepped out of the elevator, Derek came charging toward her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. The next second, her feet left the ground. ¡°Aria! I got in!¡± Derek shouted. His voice was full of excitement and joy. As he shouted, he spun her around in circles. Aria felt a bit dizzy from the spinning. With a wry smile, she said, ¡°Alright, I heard you.¡± Ever since Derek got close to Aria, he felt he¡¯d been getting luckier. The moment he saw the provisional admission list, he was overwhelmed with happiness and rushed straight to Aria¡¯s ce to share the good news. After calming down, Derek put Aria down and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat at Amour Bistro! Call Owen and Caleb too. My treat!¡± Aria said as she opened the door, ¡°They get off work at six. It¡¯s still early. Come in and rest. I¡¯ll make a reservation.¡± Derek beamed. ¡°Can we get, the Golden Premier Suite?¡± ¡°Sure thing,¡± said Aria. Derek cheered, ¡°Aria, you¡¯re the best!¡± At six o¡¯clock in the evening, the two arrived at Amour Bistro. It was Derek¡¯s first time in the Golden Premier Suite. He was full of curiosity, touching the elegant tableware and admiring the artwork on the wall. After a while, he finally sat down and picked up the menu to order. Chapter 344 Just as Derek finished ordering, his phone on the table suddenly buzzed, Lennox: [Hey Derek, I just got provisionally admitted to Kanit University. My mom is really happy and wants to treat everyone to dinner. Ne taxi cre Kanit University¡¯sputer science provisional admission list was announced two weeks earlier than Mandino University¡¯s. Coincidentally, the provisional admission in both Computer Science and Pharmaceutical Analysis at Mandino University were released at the same time that day. Lennox had clearly chosen this moment to share the news, even mentioning his mom¡¯s dinner just to gloat. Too bad he was about to be disappointed. Lennox: [Oh, I almost forgot¨CDerek, you applied out. Did you get in?] Lennox added: [Did you talk to Aria in advance? Or should I go ask her to make an exception for you?] Derek snorted coldly and typed: [It¡¯s none of your business.] Lennox: [Come on, we¡¯re cousins. Of course, it¡¯s my business. Everyone was talking about you today, saying there¡¯s no way you¡¯d get in. I said you were though.] working hard and might¡¯ve already been admitted. They didn¡¯t believe Looking at the message, Derek could imagine that fake, smug grin on Lennox¡¯s face. He sneered and didn¡¯t bother replying to Lennox. Not long after, his phone buzzed again. Another message popped up on the screen. Lennox: [Hey Derek, I booked the Golden Premier Suite at Amour Bistro. Hurry over. We¡¯re already on our way and will be there any minute.] AD Again Marriage 345 Chapter 345 They wereing this way, Derek grinned, tugged at Aria¡¯s sleeve, and said excitedly, ¡°Aria, check out the message Lennox sent me they¡¯reing here to jant us for dinner Derek could already picture the whole crowd arriving in full force, only to find the Golden Premier Suite already taken. Aria picked up the phone, looked at it with a frown, and said, ¡°His words make me feel like punching him.¡± Derek nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, what a two¨Cfaced act.¡± And yet, his family remains oblivious they keep praising Lennox as thoughtful and kind. Aria said, ¡°Just let him know we¡¯ve taken the Golden Premier Suite, so you don¡¯t end up taking the me again.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Derek replied cheerfully. Derek sent a message, and Lennox replied instantly: [Derek, you¡¯re not just saying the Golden Premier Suite is taken because you don¡¯t want us toe, are you?] Derek was speechless. ¡®Man, what a paranoid jerk,¡® Derek thought. Derek shot back, [Believe it or not,] then turned to Aria with a shrug. ¡°Aria, he¡¯s not buying it. Aria took a sip of water and said calmly, ¡°Well, just let him be.¡± Outside the lobby, two cars pulled up. Arnav, Gloria, Lennox, Lexie, Alice, and seven¨Cyear¨Cold Avery stepped out of the cars one after another. Lexie had three sons. Her eldest son, Adamson Fletcher, controlled the Fletcher Group, and his wife ran an entertainmentpany. The couple was constantly swamped with work and had only one child, Fryderyk. Since Fryderyk had no interest in business studies, Adamson stopped pushing and focused exclusively on grooming Terry as his sessor. Her second son, Evan Fletcher, served as President and oversaw several key business divisions of the Fletcher Group. He marriedter in life and had two children: Lennox and Avery. Her youngest son, Arnav, served in the military district. He married Gloria early in life, and they had three children: Tina, Terry, and Derek. Arnav had a fiery temper and was always at odds with his youngest son, Derek, who loved to talk back and refused to y nice. Adamson and his wife, as well as Evan, were too busy to attend the celebratory dinner. Tina couldn¡¯t make it, while Fryderyk and Terry were still on their way. The group walked into the restaurant. Lennox, clearly at home here, waved the receptionist away and led the way. With a theatrical sigh, he said, ¡°I wonder if Derek will show up?¡± At the mention of Derek, a mix of reactions crossed everyone¡¯s faces. No one expected Derek to have a spine of steel¡ªfor months, he hadn¡¯t given in, not once asking the family for a single dime. Arnav¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Leave him be. None of you are to give him money behind my back.¡± Chapter 345 Lennox grinned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle, I heard Derek gets along really well with Caleb and Aria. With them around, he il ne ret de hele Arnay¡¯s eyebrows shot up at the mention of Aria¡¯s name. He turned to his wife, Gloria, with a frown: ¡°Derek knows A!¡± Gloria replied casually, ¡°They get along quite well Arnav fell silent. ¡®I can¡¯t just barge in and tell and Caleb to stop helping out my son,¡® he thought. He didn¡¯t know Aria well, but he did know Caleb. ¡®At least that brat can keep in touch with them that¡¯s something? Arnay thought. The group continued down the hallway and soon arrived at the Golden Premier Suite. Lennox pushed the door open. As the door swung open, Lennox froze, his eyes widened at the sight of Aria and Derek inside. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± he blurted out. The entire group stood frozen in the doorway¨Cincluding his parents and grandmother. Yet he remained seated. Derek thought, ¡®My seat feels like it¡¯s on fire¨Cmy legs are practically begging me to stand up.¡¯ Meanwhile, Aria sat serenely to the side, holding her coffee cup and taking a slow, deliberate sip. She knew standing up now would mean she had lost. ¡°Stay cool,¡± she told herself, forcing myself to remain seated. Again Marriage 346 Chapter 346 Chapter 346 Derek took a deep breath, telling himself, ¡®Rx. Stay cool. Keep it together, ¡°We have the suite,¡± Aria said evenly. Everyone knew that Aria had a tinum card granting her unlimited ess to the Golden Premier Suite. Of all days, why did it have to be today? Could it be that Derek had also been provisionally admitted? A meaningful glint shed in Lennox¡¯s eyes before he broke into what appeared to be a genuinely warm smile. ¡°So, Derek, are you here to celebrate getting into the Pharmaceutical Analysis graduate program?¡± Lennox grinned and said, ¡°Guess what? I got into Kanit University¡¯s Computer Science program too! Let¡¯s celebrate together!¡± Arnav, unfamiliar with this major and convinced it was a dead end, said sternly, ¡°You¡¯re graduating soon. Either go help your brother at the Fletcher Group, ore train with me in the military.¡± Derek stiffened his neck and shot back, ¡°I¡¯m going to grad school.¡± Arnav scowled and said, ¡°What¡¯s so good about that worthless Pharmaceutical Analysis major? Don¡¯t waste your time!¡± Aria set her coffee cup down with a sharp clink and fixed him with a cold stare. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s polite to criticize Pharmaceutical Analysis right in front of me?¡± Arnav¡¯s opinion of this so¨Ccalled niece plummeted instantly. He snapped, ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± Lennox stepped in to exin, ¡°Uncle, Aria is a supervisor in Pharmaceutical A Analysis at Mandino University. Derek must have chosen her as his advisor.¡± ¡°Oh, right, Derek,¡± Lennox said with a hint of feigned concern. ¡°I just checked the provisional admission list for Pharmaceutical Analysis on my way here, but your name wasn¡¯t on it¨Cdid I miss something?¡± Derek thought, ¡°Seriously? I applied for Computer Science of course, my name¡¯s not on the Pharmaceutical Analysis list!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even apply for-¡± Derek began. ¡°Derek!¡± Arnav roared, cutting him off. ¡°Are you nning to use Aria to pull strings and get into grad school?¡± Derek just stared at his father, too exasperated to even bother replying. Derek couldn¡¯t be bothered to exin. After all, it was just a provisional eptance¨Cnot a final offer¨Cand no one could say for sure what might happen in between. Derek snorted, ¡°Even if I did pull strings, it¡¯d be through Aria¨Cnot the Fletcher family.¡± ¡°You ungrateful brat! Get your ass back home¨Cnow!¡± Arnav roared. ¡°I¡¯m twenty¨Ctwo, not twelve. You think I¡¯ll just scram because you say so?¡± Derek shot back, his rebellious streak ring up. ¡°My mom gave birth to me, and the Fletcher family¡¯s money raised me¨Cwhat did you ever contribute, besides your five minutes of fun?¡± Arnav¡¯s face turned purple with rage as he raised his hand to strike. Blinded by rage, he instinctively put all his might into the swing. If that p hadnded, things would have gotten really ugly. Chapter 346 Luckily, Aria caught his hand mid¨Cswing. Arnav instinctively let out a sigh of relief. But the moment he realized what had happened, his eyes narrowed in shock as he turned in stare at her Unlike his burly anm, Aria¡¯s hand looked slender and deceptively delicate almost fragile. Yet it was this slender hand that effortlessly intercepted him. She looked utterly unfazed, as if it took no effort at all. Arnav¡¯s face changed, realizing Aria was no ordinary girl. Gloria pped Arnav¡¯s hand away sharply, her voiceced with anger. ¡°Do you think you can treat your son like one of your solilers? Keep your hands to yourself!¡± Arnav snapped, ¡°It¡¯s all that brat¡¯s fault¨Che just had to piss me off!¡± As his words faded, he sized up Aria, his gaze still dark and unreadable. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder about her fighting prowess. Lexie gave Lennox a calm, meaningful look and said, ¡°Since Aria is already using this suite, let¡¯s just find another one.¡± Hearing this, a sh of embarrassment flickered in Lennox¡¯s eyes. He turned to Derek and said with feigned disappointment, ¡°Derek, you should¡¯ve given me a heads¨Cup about taking the Golden Premier Suite. That way, I could¡¯ve booked another one in advance. Who knows if Amour Bistro even has any tables left now?¡± Again Marriage 347 Chapter 347 Chapter 347 Upon hearing this, Arnav and Gloria¡¯s expressions darkened. Gloria narrowed her eyes, her toneced with reproach and resignation. ¡°Derek, we can tolerate your usual fooling around¨Cafter all, we¡¯re young, it¡¯s a big deal. ¡°But your Grandma is already in her eighties. How could you have the heart to drag her through all this trouble?¡± Derek sneered, ¡°I already warned him the room was booked, but he chose not to believe me.¡± Lennox took the me and said, ¡°This is my fault. I only told Derek after I was already on my way. Honestly, I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be such a coincidence. ¡° Arnav looked at his son with an inscrutable gaze. ¡°If you¡¯d been more dependable, Lennox wouldn¡¯t have doubted you.¡± Derek scoffed, ¡°Oh, so now it¡¯s my fault he didn¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°Since you failed to handle things properly and ended up shouldering all the me yourself, whose fault could it be if not yours?¡± Arnav retorted. ¡®That sounds a bit off, Lennox thought. Lennox¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he shot a quick nce at Arnav. Seeing the tension, Alice quickly stepped in to smooth things over. ¡°We¡¯re all family. Why don¡¯t we just share this room?¡± Suppressing the unease in his heart, Lennox forced a polite smile and asked, ¡°Derek, you wouldn¡¯t mind, would you?¡± Aria turned her face aside and said, ¡°I booked the room. Why are you asking him if he minds? If he says yes, he¡¯ll offend you guys; if he says no, he¡¯ll offend me. What¡¯s your game, Mr. Fletcher?¡± Lennox hurriedly waved his hands in denial and said, ¡°Aria, you¡¯ve got me all wrong. I really thought the room was booked in Derek¡¯s name.¡± He paused, his smile growing more fervent. ¡°Aria, since we¡¯re all here, how about we get together? Let¡¯s celebrate Derek getting into Mandino University¡¯s Pharmaceutical Analysis program.¡± He made a point of stressing the words ¡®getting into,¡® his tone unmistakably pointed. Aria smirked. ¡°Celebrating together isn¡¯t out of the question, but¡­¡± She leveled her gaze at Lennox. ¡°They can stay. You can¡¯t.¡± Lennox¡¯s polite smile almost slipped off his face as his expression darkened. ¡°Aria, why are you targeting me? Is it because¡­¡± He cast a meaningful nce at Derek, trying to sound tactful. ¡°Could there be some misunderstanding?¡± Aria said bluntly, ¡°You¡¯re so fake. I don¡¯t like you.¡± At these words, the private room fell into an awkward silence. Lennox and Alice¡¯s faces darkened. Lexie nced at Derek, noticing the faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. A flicker of amusement shed in her eyes. ¡®Looks like this rascal finally has someone standing up for him,¡® she thought. Lexie was well aware of the discord between her two grandsons, Derek and Lennox, but she knew better than to step in. When Lennox was young, Lexie noticed, he had a bit of a scheming nature and tactfully mentioned it to her second daughter¨Cinw. Unfortunately, Chapter 347 Lennox overheard the conversation. From that moment on, an estrangement grew between Lennox and his grandmother. Lexie was the most respected figure in the family. Even though Lennox harbored resentment, there was nothing he could do about it Since Lexie favored Defek, Lennox took out his frustration on him, constantlyparing himself to Derek and picking on him at every turn. Lexie witnessed all this and personally mentored Lennox for two years, to little avail. Lennox was practically wless in everything¨Cexcept when it came to Derek, his sole target. Derek was straightforward,pletely clueless about mind games¨Cno match for Lennox¡¯s scheming ways. The more Lexie tried to shield Derek, the more relentless Lennox became in targeting him. In the end, Lexie had no choice but to step back and let her two grandsons, Derek and Lennox, work out their issues between themselves. At this thought, Lexie sighed inwardly. Arnav never imagined someone could be so blunt, putting people on the spot like that. Arnav looked utterly astonished, leaned closer to his wife, and whispered, ¡°Is she always like this?¡± Gloria, long ustomed to this, gave a calm nod. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s just how she is.¡± Again Marriage 348 Chapter 348 Arnav sighed helplessly. ¡°No wonder she doesn¡¯t even greet me when she sees me.¡± Gloria said softly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t even address us. You¡¯re just her uncle by marriage¨Cdid you really expect her to respect you?¡± Gloria was her real aunt, and she didn¡¯t get that courtesy. No way an uncle¨Cinw could have it better than her. Gloria felt inexplicablyforted at the thought that she was not the most unwee person here. Arnav knew Aria had cut ties with the Saxon family. He nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The private room was so quiet that, even though Arnav and Gloria were whispering, everyone present could hear them clearly. Lennox felt utterly frustrated. Aria had just called him ¡°fake¡± in front of everyone. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, Arnav and Gloria didn¡¯t even defend him- instead, as if he wasn¡¯t even there, they openly discussed whether Aria ever addressed them properly. ¡®Sure enough, blood is thicker than water,¡® Lennox thought bitterly. Fuming inside, Lennox forced a strained smile and changed the subject. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s fine if you misunderstand me. But¡­ Aunt Gloria is your aunt, and Uncle Arnav is your uncle by marriage. Howe I¡¯ve never heard you address them properly?¡± Aria curled her lips in a cold, sardonic smile. ¡°The Fletchers nning to move to the seaside or something? Because you sure like to stick your nose into other people¡¯s business.¡± Arnav blurted out, ¡°Howe I didn¡¯t know?¡± No one answered him. Arnav turned to his mother. ¡°Mom, did our family really buy a house by the sea?¡± Gloria was at a loss for words. Lennox was speechless. Gloria shot her husband a sideways nce. ¡°Just zip it, will you?¡± Arnav finally sensed something was amiss. Scratching his nose awkwardly, he obediently shut his mouth. ¡®That was a not¨Cso¨Csubtle jab at him for meddling,¡¯ he realized. If he kept pushing, he¡¯d only end up making a bigger fool of himself. Lennox gritted his teeth, swallowing his rage. Lexie spoke up, ¡°Aria dear, I¡¯m entrusting Derek to your care.¡± Aria gave a slight nod. Lexie looked at everyone and said, ¡°Let¡¯s find another room, everyone.¡± At that moment, Avery, still holding Alice¡¯s hand, dug in her heels and refused to budge. ¡°Mommy, I like it here! I wanna eat here!¡± the little girl insisted. Lennox forced a smile and crouched down to coax his little sister. ¡°Avery, Aria doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed. Let¡¯s just find another spot¨Cthe food¡¯s exactly the same anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same!¡± Avery pouted. ¡°My deskmate told me only Golden Premier Suite has the new dishes, and they¡¯re supposed to be super yummy.¡± 10:27 Tue 17 Jun; Chapter 348 Looking at Lennox expectantly, she added, ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise we¡¯d get to try them today?¡± Lennox frowned and said, ¡°Avery, be good.¡± ¡°Can we stay and eat?¡± Avery begged, her eyes sparkling with longing as she looked up at Aria. ¡°I really want to try the food, Ana¡± Aria gave a faint smile. ¡°Like I said, anyone but him is fine.¡± Avery looked up at Lennox with innocent eyes and said sweetly, ¡°Lennox, why don¡¯t you go? Then we can stay and eat.¡± Lennox¡¯s face twisted momentarily before his voice turned icy. ¡°Avery, are you seriously telling your big brother to leave?¡± ¡°Avery!¡± Alice tugged at her daughter, her tone sharp. ¡°We¡¯re here to celebrate your brother getting into Kanit University. Where he goes, we go Alice, feeling utterly humiliated, couldn¡¯t wait to get out of there. ¡°Let¡¯s leave!¡± she snapped. Just then, Fryderyk and Terry rushed in. Terry took in the scene, confused. ¡°Alice, I thought we were having dinner. Where is everyone going?¡± ¡°Looks like Aria¡¯s taken the room and we¡¯re not wanted here,¡± Alice snapped. With that, she grabbed her daughter¡¯s hand and stormed out. Avery¡¯s voice trailed off as she was led away, pleading, ¡°Mommy, I wanna stay¡­ Aria said it was okay!¡± Lexie nodded at Aria and left as well. Not wanting to appear any more awkward, Gloria and Arnav quickly followed suit. Fryderyk and Terry exchanged nces. They both wondered what happened. Fryderyk couldn¡¯t be bothered with the drama. He plopped down next to Aria and grinned, ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind me crashing the party?¡± Again Marriage 349 Send gift No Ads Chapter 349 Chapter 349 Aria arched an eyebrow, casting a scornful nce at Lennox, who stood frozen in ce. Hearing Derek¡¯s words, Lennox froze mid¨Cstep, his eyes wide with shock. He turned to Fryderyk and exined, ¡°Fryderyk, Aria doesn¡¯t wastusta Ray for dinner. We¡¯ll need to switch to another room.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Derek rapped the table with a sneer at Lennox. ¡°What¡¯s this about ¡®Aria doesn¡¯t want us to stay for dinner¡®? She made it clear only you can¡¯t stay Everyone else is wee. Don¡¯t twist her words.¡± With the elders gone, Lennox dropped his usual well¨Cbehaved act, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he sneered, ¡°Derek, everyone¡¯s here to celebrate me. If I¡¯m not staying, do you really think Grandma and the others would?¡± The light fell on Lennox¡¯s face, the sneer ying on his lips looking particrly jarring. Fryderyk¡¯s head snapped up in surprise. Standing at a distance, Terry cast a cool, assessing nce at Lennox. He stood in the shadows, his gaze obscured, thoughts unreadable. Realizing Fryderyk and Terry were still present, Lennox¡¯s smile froze for a moment before he quickly rposed himself with practiced ease. With measured politeness, he said, ¡°Fryderyk, if you¡¯re nning to stay, I¡¯ll go inform Grandma right away.¡± Fryderyk was the eldest among the younger generation of the Fletcher family, yet remained single. Lexie kept nagging, hell¨Cbent on setting Fryderyk up on blind dates. But every time a blind date was scheduled, Fryderyk would excuse himself by iming he was busy with work. Fryderyk was handsome, and with the Fletcher family¡¯s prestige, he was near¨Cperfect¨Cif one ignored his aloofness. Many families vied for the Fletchers¡® favor, and since Fryderyk finally made time for a visit, Lexie wasn¡¯t about to let this golden opportunity slip through her fingers. The woman arranged for the blind date this time was the elder sister, of Lennox¡¯s ssmate. She would also be attending Lennox¡¯s celebration banquet, where Lexie nned to introduce her to him. If Fryderyk didn¡¯t show up, he¡¯d be standing her up again. Fryderyk said coolly, ¡°Alright, tell her.¡± Fryderyk impassively picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. Noticing/ennox still rooted to the spot, he asked coolly, ¡°Still here? nning to stay?¡± Lennox seethed with suppressed anger, but facing Fryderyk, he didn¡¯t dare talk back. Swallowing his pride, he ground out, ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Turning around, he saw Terry still standing there. Managing a strained smile, he asked, ¡°Terry, are you nning to stay as well?¡± Terry wasn¡¯t as thick¨Cskinned as his Fryderyk. Since he wasn¡¯t close with Aria, sticking would probably just kill the vibe. Besides, he was curious to see what kind of exnation Lennox would give their parents. Terry gave Aria a gentle smile, took out an exquisitely wrapped box from his pocket, bent down, and ced it before her. ¡°We haven¡¯t met often. I¡¯ve brought you a small gift to congratte you on joining Mandino University.¡± Aria said, ¡°Thank you, Terry. Let¡¯s catch up again soon.¡± As the saying goes, it¡¯s hard to refuse a friendly gesture. Aria was a bit surprised by Terry¡¯s gift, but she nodded and said, ¡°I should mention I haven¡¯t Chapter 349 signed the contract yet¨Cso I¡¯m not officially employed.¡± Terry smiled, ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time, I¡¯ll head over now then. Take care, Aria.¡± ¡°See you,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Seriously?¡± Derek muttered under his breath. He cursed inwardly, ¡°Damn, Terry actually prepared a gift in secret behind my back With Terry gone, Lennox felt too awkward to stay. In the lobby, Alice was negotiating with the manager, insisting on a private room just as good as Golden Premier Suite. The manager wore an apologetic expression as he politely exined, ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, Golden Premier Suite is already the best. Alice frowned. ¡°Give me a rundown of all your premium suite.¡± The manager maintained a professional smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid our premium, deluxe, and executive suites all require advance reservations and are fully booked at the moment. Mrs. Fletcher, the only option avable now is a standard suite.¡± Alice¡¯s face darkened. ¡°We had reserved Golden Premier Suite, but now Aria has taken it over. Doesn¡¯t Amour Bistro have any contingency ns for this? ¡°What if this happens again? How would you handle guests who reserved Golden Premier Suite in advance?¡± The manager¡¯s eyes lit up with sudden understanding. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is,¡± he said. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, Amour Bistro has encountered simr situations before and has established a clear policy: guests are allowed to reserve Golden Premier Suite along with another private room at the same time. Should Golden Premier Suite be avable as scheduled, we will provide a full refund for the alternate reservation. ¡°May I ask which private room number you¡¯ve reserved, Mrs. Fletcher?¡± Since Lennox had made the reservation, Alice had no idea which room it was. Scowling, she pulled out her phone to call him. Turning to the manager, she said curtly, ¡°Hold on, let me check with him.¡± Not far away, Lexie sat on the sofa with a sulky Avery munching on snacks beside her. Arnav and Gloria sat to the side, quietly observing the scene without intervening. Gloria gave her husband a reproachful look. ¡°If Aria hadn¡¯t stepped in just now, were you really going to hit Derek in front of everyone?¡± Arnav looked sheepish, but his tone remained defiant. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what that brat said?¡± he retorted. ¡°He made me soundpletely worthless.¡± Gloria shot back expressionlessly, ¡°And who do you think gave birth to all three kids?¡± Hearing this, Arnav¡¯s expression immediately softened. He reached out and took his wife¡¯s hand, saying catingly, ¡°Need you even ask? Of course you¡¯re the one who brought them into this world. You¡¯ve been through so much.¡± Gloria turned her head and asked coldly, ¡°Have you ever even spent a single day looking after the kids?¡± Arnav couldn¡¯t help but feel a wave of helplessness, ¡°Just my luck,¡± he thought bitterly. Every time his wife went intobor, he always found himself caught up in some urgent work he simply couldn¡¯t refuse. It was the same with all three kids. Sometimes he¡¯d be gone for just a couple of months; other times, it stretched to a whole year. Even though Gloria had her mother and professional caregivers by her side during childbirth, as her husband, Arnav should have been constantly there for her¨Cyet, frustratingly, he was absent every single time. Chapter 349 Arnav looked down, guilt written all over his face. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t,¡± he admitted quietly. Gloria pressed sharply, ¡°Have I ever spent a single cent on this family?¡± The Fletcher family was rolling in money. Arnav thought to himself, ¡®My measly sry is hardly worth mentioning¨Cmight as well just pive it all to Arnav¡¯s head sank even lower. ¡°¡­No,¡± he mumbled. Gloria demanded, ¡°Then tell me, which word our son said was wrong?¡± Arnav nodded vigorously, then muttered under his breath, ¡°He¡¯s right, but did he have to say it in front of everyone? How am I supposed to keep my dignity?¡± Gloria scoffed coldly, ¡°I wasn¡¯t embarrassed lying naked in the delivery room giving birth, but you¡¯re ashamed just because our son told the truth?¡±: Arnav said, ¡°It¡¯s not the same! When you were in , but his words only made Gloria angrier. She sprang to her feet, cutting him off with a furious shout. ¡°Arnav!¡± Gloria¡¯s furious shout instantly silenced the lobby. Terry and Lennox arrived in the lobby just in time to witness the explosive confrontation. Again Marriage 350 No Ads Chapter 350 Chapter 350 Gloria snapped, ¡°You¡¯ll never understand the pain until it¡¯s your turn! I gave birth to all three kids the exhaustion was mine, the pin yan thesting damage is mine alone, not yours. ¡°In the end, all three kids have yourst name. You hit and yell at them whenever you want, and now you even think the humiliation I went draug giving birth still can¡¯tpare to yours¡­¡± By the end, tears welled up in Gloria¡¯s eyes¨Chow could Arnav just dismiss it all with a casual ¡°it¡¯s not the same¡°? Arnav waspletely stunned. He hastily stood up, grabbed Gloria¡¯s arm, and exined, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. The situation is different.¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s different¨Cas if I could ever measure up to you!¡± Gloria snapped. Gloria violently yanked her hand from his grasp, turned, and stormed out of the room. Arnav didn¡¯t hesitate¨Che rushed after her. ¡°Gloria¡­¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Gloria roared. Arnav turned back hurriedly. ¡°Terry, look after Grandma,¡± he called out. Lexie watched as they left one after the other, letting out a long, weary sigh. After years of constant bickering, the family had grown ustomed to it. But it was supposed to be Lennox¡¯s celebration banquet tods. Lennox¡¯s expression darkened. Terry caught a quick nce before looki Let¡¯s carry on.¡± away impassively. ¡°Our parents¡® argument shouldn¡¯t spoil your celebration. Before Lennox could say a word, Alice grabbed his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t mind their usual bickering¨Cjust let them be for now. Lennox, besides Golden Premier Suite, did you reserve any other suites?¡± Lennox was taken aback. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alice repeated the manager¡¯s words. Lennox was stunned and stammered, ¡°I¨CI had no idea. When was I even notified?¡± The manager said, ¡°We¡¯ve had that for quite some time now. ¡°Madam, Sir, Amour Bistro is quite busy today. There¡¯s only one standard private room left¨Cif you don¡¯t reserve it now, it will be taken.¡± There was no way a family like the Fletchers would settle for a standard private room. Gloria and Arnav had already stormed off. Alice dered decisively, ¡°We won¡¯t reserve today. We¡¯ll do it another time.¡± Lennox frowned anxiously. ¡°Mom, but I¡¯ve already invited several friends¨Cthey¡¯re on their way here right now.¡± If word got out that Lennox had invited guests but had nowhere to host them, it would ruin his reputation and might even reflect poorly on the entire Fletcher family. Lexie walked over to the manager and said firmly, ¡°Book it now¨Ca standard private room will suffice. ¡°There¡¯s no need to make such a big fuss before the official admission. We can throw a proper celebration once you get the eptance letter¨Cit won¡¯t be toote. And don¡¯t make such an amateur mistake again.¡± Chapter 350 Those words cut Lennox deep. Lennox clenched his fists, struggling to keep his expression neutral. ¡°As you wish, Grandma, he said through gritted teeth. Lexie saw it all but remained silent. Some people just couldn¡¯t let things go. A hundred kindnesses meant nothing¨Cone oversight and it was all forgotten. They only remembered the is No matter how sincerely you gave your all, it¡¯d only be taken as ill intent. And Lennox was exactly that kind of person. Lexie had seen through it all¨Cas long as Lennox didn¡¯t cross the line, she would treat him no differently. Lennox suddenly remembered something. ¡°Oh, Grandma,¡± he said, ¡°Fryderyk wants to stay with Aria instead of joining us.¡± Lexie was surprised that they¡¯d gotten this close already. Fryderyk never voluntarily dined with girls. Could it be that he had taken a liking to Ar¨ªa? Lexie decided to ask about itter. ¡°Once everyone arrives, he muste over and say hello,¡± she said firmly. This wasn¡¯t an arranged meeting¨Cit was simplymon courtesy. After all, the girl came here for Fryderyk. Owen and Caleb ran into each other at the entrance. After exchanging greetings, they entered the private room together. When they saw Fryderyk, Caleb remainedposed while Owen looked visibly startled. Owen thought, ¡®Why is Fryderyk here too?¡® Aria sat between Derek on her left and Fryderyk on her right. That left Caleb and Owen to sit across the table. As Owen took his seat, Fryderyk happened to nce up. Their gazes locked for a fleeting moment before both quickly looked away. Caleb nced at Fryderyk and asked, ¡°When I came in, I saw your family heading to another room. Aren¡¯t you joining them?¡± Fryderyk nced at Derek. ¡°My brother¡¯s here,¡± he said. Again Marriage 351 Derek was genuinely happy that Fryderyk chose to stay. When called out, he immediately nodded enthusiastically and grinned, ¡°Yeah, yeah, Fryderyk and I are way closer than Lennox. Right, Fryderyk?¡± Compared to Lennox, Fryderyk did prefer Derek. He gave a slight nod, and Derek instantly beamed, dial beame rek ma As the dishes arrived, the naturally reticent foursomepsed into an even deeper silence. Only Derek made earnest attempts to spark conversation, asionally drawing terse responses from the others. Once he started digging into Amour Bistro¡¯s new dishes, he didn¡¯t even have time to talk. mouths. When Caleb and Owen simultaneously ced the peeled shrimp and crab in front of Aria, Fryderyk and Derek froze mid¨Cbite, their forks halfway to their Caleb shelled the shrimp while Owen prepared the crab. Derek nced at the table and quipped, ¡°Can¡¯t let you two hog all the spotlight. Let me see what other shellfish we¡¯ve got here.¡± Aria flicked Derek on the head with her finger. ¡°Just eat and stop fooling around.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Derek chuckled with a goofy grin. Halfway through the meal, a knock sounded on the private room door. Assuming it was the waiter, Caleb casually called out, ¡°Come in.¡± The door swung open, revealing a stylishly dressed woman. ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Amanda Ward,¡± she said with a smile. After introducing herself, her gaze went straight to Fryderyk, her eyes softening noticeably. ¡°Me too!¡± A little girl peeked out and chirped. A soft, sweet voice chirped as Avery peeked out from behind Amanda, her wide, sparkling eyes fixed on Aria. ¡°Hello, can I eat here with you? Please?¡± Aria nodded, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a gentle smile. ¡°Of course you can,¡± she said warmly. Avery beamed and scampered over. Derek lifted her onto the chair, teasing, ¡°You little foodie, does your mom know you sneaked over here?¡± Avery nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Mom knows! This nicedy brought me here.¡± At first, Alice was against it. Fortunately, Lexie intervened, and she finally relented. Amanda smiled and nced at Aria, who was sitting beside Fryderyk. ¡°She was so insistent oning,¡± Amanda said, ¡°and since I needed to discuss something with Fryderyk anyway, we came together.¡± Amanda looked around and asked politely, ¡°Would it be alright if I stayed too?¡± Aria nced at Derek, and their eyes met. Aria arched an eyebrow. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the host? Why are you looking at me?¡± Derek offered to treat, only to find the bill had already been waived. With Aria here, everything was on the house. Tue, Actually, she was the one treating. Now that everyone was here, it would be awkward to ask them to leave. Derek nodded. ¡°No problem.¡± Amanda took the seat beside Avery. The waiter, who had been waiting by the door, promptly brought over a set of utensils. Amanda thanked the waiter, then turned to Fryderyk with a smile in her eyes. ¡°My mom said I was supposed to meet you today¨Cas a date¨Cbut I didn¡¯t see you at Lexie¡¯s.¡± Silence fell. Derek was a little taken aback¨Cthis youngdy certainly didn¡¯t beat around the bush. Fryderyk set down his fork and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know this was supposed to be a blind date. I thought it was just a family gathering.¡± Truth was, he had already figured it out¨Cwhich was exactly why he chose to stay with Aria instead of joining the family gathering. Amanda nodded understandingly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re not really looking to date anyone¨Cit¡¯s just that Lexie is getting anxious. Fryderyk nodded. ¡°Right, I¡¯m not looking to date anyone at the moment.¡± Amanda asked, ¡°How about we have a marriage of convenience to get our families off our backs?¡± The sudden remark made Derek, who was drinking water, choke on it. Derek thought, ¡®Is this really the kind of topic to discuss in front of everyone?¡® But Amanda had no choice. After all, this was her only chance to see Fryderyk. Amanda cleared her throat and said, ¡°Actually, we went to middle school together, but I¡¯m guessing you probably don¡¯t remember me.¡± Derek studied Amanda. Though she was doing her best to conceal it now, the look she gave Fryderyk the moment she entered the room was undeniable. Derek assumed she must have a crush on Fryderyk. Fryderyk shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work.¡± Amanda wasn¡¯t surprised by his refusal. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already in love with someone,¡± Fryderyk said. Would you mind telling us who it is? asked Amanda. Fryderyk¡¯s head snapped toward Aria. ¡°Her.¡± A Again Marriage 352 Send gift No Ads Chapter 352 Chapter 352 Derek, who was trying to calm himself with a sip of water, suddenly spat it out again in shock. Earlier, it was just a small spray that spared the dishes, but this time a huge mouthful gushed out. Determined not to ruin the food, he quicklYENES FES head aside¨Conly to end up spraying it all over his little cousin Avery. Avery was happily eating when she was suddenly sprayed in the face with water. She shrieked, then pouted angrily and said, ¡°Derek, you¡¯re so gresit Em telling Grandma!¡± Derek hastily grabbed a tissue to wipe her face. ¡°Sorry, sorry! My bad,¡± he apologized. Derek¡¯smotion was so loud itpletely drowned out the sound of the cup rolling off the table beside Owen. A deathly silence fell over the private room. All eyes were locked on Aria. Owen was the only one watching Fryderyk closely, trying to read the subtle in his expression. Fryderyk thought he was perfectly calm, but the moment those words left his lips, his heart skipped a beat. The words slipped out before he could stop them. Fryderyk actually remembered Amanda¨Cand that they¡¯d been ssmates in middle school. It was all because of her grandfather. Every winter and summer break, he¡¯d go for military training, and Amanda¡¯s grandfather was always strict with him, never seeming to like him no matter what he did. Later, he happened to overhear a conversation and realized the real reason: Amanda had a crush on him, so the old man singled him out. After that, when the new semester started, Fryderyk began to pay attention to Amanda. A girl¡¯s feelings were hard to hide, especially with that starry¨Ceyed gaze. They went to different high schools, so they barely saw each other. After graduation, he enlisted, then threw himself into work. He never expected that, after all these years, the starlight in Amanda¡¯s eyes would still be there¨Cthough thankfully, it had dimmed a bit. It unsettled him. ¡®I¡¯m nothing special, and I¡¯ve barely spoken to Amanda. How could she still like me after all this time?¡® Fryderyk wondered. She even suggested a marriage of convenience. He turned her down without a second thought¨Cthe best way to reject someone was to say you already like someone else. Fryderyk hardly had any female friends, so when Amanda asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± the first face that popped into his mind was Aria¡¯s. And that was how the scene just now happened It was toote for regrets. Meeting Aria¡¯s cold yet questioning gaze, Fryderyk felt a pang of embarrassment and awkwardly averted his eyes. ¡°I¡­ prefer someone stronger than me,¡± he muttered. 10.27 Tue 17 Jun Chapter 352 The only woman he knew who was stronger than him was Aria. I¡¯ll make it up to her properly after this,¡® Fryderyk thought to himself. Amanda studied Aria intently, taking in every detail. Aria didn¡¯t blush of show any emotion just because someone confessed to liking her; she remained asposed as a monarch on their frone She wore no makeup, yet her natural beauty was wless¨Cthere wasn¡¯t a single imperfection to be found. Amanda knew of Aria; after all, she asionally saw her trending online. Here was a girl who had cut ties with her family and still thrived spectacrly, while Amanda¡¯s own reputation mostly came from her family¡¯s influence Aria was beautiful and capable. She was so outstanding that you couldn¡¯t to resent her¨Conly n bring. Amanda was a woman too and honestly she had no reason to dislike her. What¡¯s more, Aria had even helped my little sister. admire her. h The light in Amanda¡¯s eyes gradually faded, reced by a relieved smile. Amanda was not the devoted type and she had liked other men before, even dated a few, but those rtionships all fizzled out in the end. Lately, her parents had been pressuring her to get married. When she heard that Lexie was arranging blind dates for Fryderyk, the idea crossed her mind. After all, Fryderyk was her youthful crush¨Cthe one she could never have, and the one she never quite forgot. A bit of hope quietly rose Amanda¡¯s heart; maybe marrying him wouldn¡¯t be so bad. Again Marriage 353 Chapter 353 She checked and found Fryderyk didn¡¯t seem close to any other women. Little did she know, he liked Aria. Amanda gave a small smile. ¡°I see.¡± Amanda smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon is truly wonderful.¡± After a brief pause, she picked up her fork with practiced ease and, in a deliberately casual tone, said, ¡°Let¡¯s dig in then.¡± Aria¡¯s gaze swept over Fryderyk, and she was about to speak¨Cbut catching the relieved smile on Amanda¡¯s face, she held her tongue. Fryderyk felt the faint but unmistakable weight of nces settling on him¨Cfor the first time, eating felt like pure torture Derek¡¯s curious stare, Caleb¡¯s assessing look, and a veiled, guarded gaze mixed with wariness. He didn¡¯t even need to guess whose that was. Fryderyk decided to straighten things out immediately once this dinner was over and Amanda left. But just as they finished dinner, Alice arrived to pick up Avery. Alice immediately noticed the damp spots on her daughter¡¯s clothes and the wiped marks on her face. Her expression tightened. ¡°Avery, what happened?¡± Before Derek could get a word in, Avery blurted out, ¡°It was Derek! He sprayed water all over my face!¡± Lexie, Terry, Lennox, and Lennox¡¯s three ssmates came over one after another. At these words, the entire group¡¯s expressions shifted dramatically. ¡°Derek!¡± Lennox¡¯s mother snapped. ¡°If you have a problem with Lennox, just say so. Why take it out on a seven¨Cyear¨Cold?¡± Alice¡¯s face darkened. Lennox darted to his little sister¡¯s side, heart aching as he gently wiped her face. ¡°This is all my fault, Avery,¡± he said guiltily. ¡°I should have stayed with you the whole time.¡± Derek pressed his lips together and snorted derisively. ¡°Fine, think what you will.¡± Even if Derek tried to exin, he knew Lennox and his mom would never believe him anyway. Avery squirmed ufortably as Lennox wiped her face, ducking away from his hand. Then, in her clear, childish voice, she piped up, ¡°It¡¯s not Derek¡¯s fault. He just got scared by Fryderyk!¡± Upon hearing this, Lexie breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°At least it wasn¡¯t Derek¡¯s fault,¡± she thought. Lexie approached slowly and asked gently, ¡°Avery, what startled Derek so much?¡± While eating, Avery listened in on the adults¡® conversation. Tilting her head, she said, ¡°Thisdy said she came to meet Fryderyk for a date and asked if he wanted a pretend marriage. ¡°But Fryderyk said no, because he already likes someone. Thedy asked who, and he said, ¡®It¡¯s thisdy right here.¡°¡± As she spoke, Avery pointed straight at Aria. The room plunged into icy silence once more. 10:27 Tue 17 Jun Chapter 353 O- Fryderyk closed his eyes in despair. ¡®Great, now it¡¯s even harder to exin, he thought Amanda wished the ground would swallow her up in that moment. Amanda thought to herself, ¡°I nned for everything¡­ except the clueless kid right here.¡± The others¡® eyes widened in shock. Even Lennox¡¯s motherpletely forgot about her daughter being sprayed with water, her gaze like everyone else¡¯s -fixed on Fryderyk and Aria. Fryderyk actually had a crush on Aria. After exining everything, Avery looked up with curiosity and asked, ¡°Grandma, what¡¯s a marriage of convenience?¡± Avery was only seven. She knew what a blind date was, but had no idea what a marriage of convenience meant. Once again, the room fell into an awkward silence. Avery suddenly piped up, ¡°Since Fryderyk likes Aria, don¡¯t make him go on any more blind dates! She¡¯s so pretty and nice¡ªI want her to be my sister¨Cin- Aria even asked if she could eat shrimp and crab, checked with Derek, then gave me the peeled ones. If she became her sister¨Cinw, Avery bet Aria would treat her even better. Owen listened in silence, the corner of his mouth twitching eve SO slightly. The best part about being a kid was they didn¡¯t have to overthink things¨Cthey just say what they felt, and sometimes they even helped move things along. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t my family have a little kid to help out like that?¡® Owen mused, a bit envious. Owen med his brother for being so unhelpful. Even with a wife and a kid, he still couldn¡¯t get ahead. Owen guessed he¡¯d just have to take matters into his own hands. AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 354 Chapter 354 Some were shocked, others in despair, but only Lexie beamed with delight. Her eyes sparkled with pleasant surprise as she gazed at Aria She had always wished Fryderyk to bring a girlfriend back. Lexie continued, ¡®My eldest granddaughter¡¯s gone into showbiz. Now the only way to see her is to turn on the TV. ¡®Alice always thinks I¡¯m ying favorites and is always on guard against me. ¡®So, I hope that Fryderyk can marry early. ¡®Finally, Fryderyk has found someone he liked. But this girl looks hard to get. Fryderyk must work hard! As Lexie kept staring, Aria politely nodded. Aria shot Fryderyk a cold, warning nce. Fryderyk met her gaze, silently assuring her he had everything under control. Seeing the two of them exchange nces, Lexie beamed even more brightly. ¡®Fryderyk still has a chance,¡® she thought to herself. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Aria said, taking the lead as Caleb and Owen fell a step behind her. As Derek walked along cheerfully after them, Terry shot him a puzzled look and grabbed him by the arm. He asked, ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Derek grinned cheekily. ¡°Terry, I¡¯m still on my runaway streak. Dad has banned my credit cards, so I only follow them. Goodbye.¡± Terry was speechless. What could he even say? All he could do was watch in silence as Derek disappeared into the distance. Lexie kept her eyes on Aria¡¯s retreating figure until she finally disappeared around the corner, reluctant to look away even then. By now, no one was paying attention to Derek spraying others anymore. With the warm weather, that little ssh wasn¡¯t enough to give her a cold. Amanda was so embarrassed that she was unable to bear it another second. She hurriedly said her goodbyes and fled the scene. Lennox¡¯s three ssmates exchanged meaningful nces with him before quietly slipping away. Barry caught up to her, looking utterly confused. He asked, ¡°Amanda, what the hell was that? You actually proposed a marriage of convenience to Fryderyk in front of everyone. I thought you were just joking!¡± Amanda rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk such nonsense. I just wanted to marry Fryderyk first and see if love growster. How was I supposed to know he already had a loved one?¡± Barry asked, ¡°So, what now? Are you gonna give up?¡± Amanda shrugged and said, ¡°What else can I do if I don¡¯t give up? Try to beat Aria and win his heart? I don¡¯t like him very much. Why spend time chasing after him?¡± If he said yes, it was great. If not, on to the next. Looking at Barry, Amanda got even more excited. She continued, ¡°Besides, Fryderyk¡¯s already twenty¨Cseven. You know what they say that guys start Chapter 354 losing their mojo after twenty¨Cfive. Honestly, It¡¯s probably the best he turned me down. I should just find a boyfriend under twenty f Barry¡¯s two ssmates stood frozen to the side, wide¨Ceyed and barely daring to breathe.. Only then did Amanda realize there were others present. Her face instantly flushed as she pped Barry on the back and shouted, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tal me they were right here earlier?¡± Barry shrugged helplessly and said, ¡°You were excited just now. I didn¡¯t have the heart to interrupt.¡± Amanda jabbed a finger at him and snapped, ¡°Stay right there!¡± Then she hurried off in her heels, the sharp clicks echoing as she rushed away. Just a few steps down the hallway, Amanda instinctively turned her head, only to lock eyes with Aria and others. In that instant, Amanda staggered and nearly fell. Her eyes went wide with panic and she thought, ¡®Wait¡­ Didn¡¯t they already leave? Haven¡¯t they? Why are theying from that direction?¡± Amanda couldn¡¯t stand it another second. Hurrily, she kicked off her heels and ran away. She thought, ¡®Oh my God, so awkward!¡® Aria went to pay the bill, but the receptionist refused to ept her payment, so she had no choice but to find the manager. In the end, she didn¡¯t pay. Caleb and Owen both wanted to pay the bill, but Caleb was quicker and beat Owen to it. As the group walked back into the hall, they couldn¡¯t help but overhear a conversation. Derek, the only one under twenty¨Cfive present, let out an awkward chuckle. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s not entirely urate. ¡°Guys like Caleb and Owen, who work out regrly still have a healthy body after thirty.¡± Caleb and Owen were speechless. They shot Derek a piercing re, telling him to shut up. Derek rubbed his nose, putting on his innocent look. ¡®Seriously? I was just sticking up for them! Why did they re at me?¡® he thought, feeling wronged. Aria walked forward calmly. At that moment, the door opened and a few young people stepped inside. The experiment was aplete sess, so Sebastian and a few ssmates came to celebrate over a meal. Sebastian¡¯s eyes lit up instantly when he suddenly spotted Aria. Turning to his ssmates, he said, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m gonna go say hi to my friend. You guys go ahead and order a table.¡± Of course, Sebastian¡¯s ssmates had no intention of leaving. After all, it was rare to see him this excitement. They exchanged nces and crept closer. This gossip was too juicy to miss. As Sebastian walked, he thought to himself, ¡®Calling her ¡®Ms. Saxon¡® sounds too formal, maybe I should just use her name! ¡°Aria,¡± Sebastian said as he approached with a slight smile. ¡°Hello!¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°Hi.¡± Seeing them heading toward the exit, Sebastian scratched his head and asked, ¡°You guys done with your meal already?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re leaving.¡± Sebastian thought to himself, ¡®If only I¡¯de an hour earlier, we could¡¯ve had dinner together! He looked up and met a pair of scrutinizing eyes, instantl feeling a sense of fear. They were very likely to be rivals in love. Even though, deep down, Sebastian admired Owen. He was the first to look away. Turning to Caleb with a polite smile, he greeted him, ¡°Hello, Caleb.¡± Caleb nodded. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hey, Derek. Long time no see.¡± Derek nodded and said, ¡°Hi, long time no see.¡± After greeting the others, Sebastian turned to Aria and said, ¡°My grandpa¡¯s cough has gotten so much better. All thanks to you. He wouldn¡¯t have recovered so quickly without you. When are you free? I¡¯d like to treat you to dinner to thank you.¡± Derek thought to himself, ¡®Damn, he wants to have dinner with Aria?¡® Derek sidled up to Owen and whispered, ¡°Owen, did you see that? That guy totally snubbed you, no way that wasn¡¯t on purpose!¡± Owen replied, ¡°I know.¡± Derek thought, ¡®His grandpa¡¯s cough was just treated this morning, and now, after bumping into her this afternoon, he¡¯s already asking her out to dinner. He must have other intentions.¡® Derek leaned in and said to Owen, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m totally on your side. I promise I won¡¯t switch sides.¡± Owen said coldly, ¡°Well, thanks.¡± Derek noticed Sebastian¡¯s innocent demeanor and emphasized, ¡°Owen, this guy¡¯s just twenty¨Cfour! You¡¯d better watch out!¡± Owen said nothing. Caleb, overhearing the conversation was also speechless. Again Marriage 355 Chapter 355 Derek gave Owen a sympathetic look. Seeing that sympathetic look, Owen was furious. He thought, ¡®Is he sympathizing with me? He took a deep breath and shot Derek a cold nce. ¡°I can see and hear that. Save your breath,¡± he said. Derek didn¡¯t hear his sarcasm in it and simply nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Then, he just kept watching the show. Aria politely declined, saying, ¡°Benjamin did me a huge favor before. Treating his cough was no trouble at all. There¡¯s really no need for you to treat me. ¡°You all go ahead and eat. We¡¯ll be taking our leave now.¡± Aria had said many times that she wanted to leave, but she didn¡¯t seed. There were too many acquaintances today. As expected, Aria turned him down. Though slightly disappointed, Sebastian wasn¡¯t discouraged. ¡°Alright, have a safe trip,¡± he said. Aria politely nodded and said, ¡°Amour Bistro serves excellent dishes. You should try more of them.¡± Sebastian¡¯s face instantly lit up. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡®Finally, I can leave,¡® Aria thought, breathing a sigh of relief. As Aria started to walk, Owen took a few quick to catch up and walked beside her. Caleb gave Sebastian a polite nod, then joined the others. Derek jogged a few steps, ending up beside Owen. He muttered under his breath as they walked, ¡°Looks like Aria¡¯s been attracting admirerstely.¡± ¡®I actually saw three guys crushing on Aria at the same time. That¡¯s crazy,¡¯ he thought, still in disbelief. Derek muttered under his breath, only Owen, who was standing closest, heard it. ¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ Owen thought to himself. After the four left, Sebastian remained rooted to the spot, dazed. One of his ssmates stepped forward, waving a hand in front of his face. ¡°Hey, stop staring. They¡¯re long gone.¡± Only then did Sebastian retract his gaze. Facing the teasing eyes of his ssmates, he shyly avoided and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go inside.¡± Several ssmates immediately surrounded him. ¡°Don¡¯t run away! Tell us. Weren¡¯t you always into cute girls? When did your type switch to cool ones?¡± ¡°Your grandpa has been trying to set you up with Aria forever, and you were always dead set against it. When did you start crushing on her?¡± ¡°Come on, tell us. What happened between you two? We want the whole story!¡± The questions kepting from all sides, and Sebastian was practically kicking himself. ¡®Why did I ever say I liked cute girls? Why did I have to insist i didn¡¯t like Aria?¡® Sure enough, one should not speak too confidently. Chapter 355 Sebastian¡¯s cheeks flushed. He said, ¡°It was just a sudden love.¡± Youl ¡°Wait, Aria¡¯s divorce though. Won¡¯t your family have a problem with that?¡± Meanwhile, Fryderyk and Lexie happened to walk out just in time to overhear the conversation. Sebastian scoffed, ¡°Can you even call that a marriage? No love, no wedding. They have only met a few times. Honestly, it¡¯s no different than never being married.¡± One of the ssmates chimed in, ¡°Yeah,e to think of it, has Aria ever been in a rtionship? It seems like she¡¯d be hard to get¡­¡± The conversation faded, Lexie fixed Fryderyk with a sharp gaze and said, ¡°Aria is a good girl. Don¡¯t look down on her just because she is divorced.¡± Fryderyk sighed helplessly. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve told you. I only said that to make Amanda give uppletely. It was just a spur¨Cof¨Cthe¨Cmoment thing I don¡¯t like Aria.¡± Lexie wasn¡¯t letting it go. She pressed on, ¡°Not even a little bit?¡± Fryderyk was silent for a moment, then replied, ¡°I do like her, but not in that way. It¡¯s more the kind of appreciation as a friend and respect for her strength.¡± Lexie snorted. ¡°Are you just making excuses because you can¡¯t ept that she¡¯s divorced?¡± ¡°Who am I to look down on her?¡± Lexie teased, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, you must like her.¡± Fryderyk was speechless. He thought, ¡®I dug my own grave.¡® Fryderyk supported Lexie as they followed behind, while Lennox and others walked ahead. Lennox¡¯s expression darkened as he thought about the failed celebration party. Alice noticed and softlyforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it. Once you get your admission letter, we¡¯ll throw a grand celebration party. You¡¯ve already far surpassed Derek. The one you should beparing yourself to is Terry.¡± Alice had always raised Lennox to be the family heir, yet he secretly applied forputer science without telling her. Lennox understood Alice¡¯s concerns and said, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to do well in both majors.¡± Alice breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, ¡°I¡¯m d you understand.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 356 Chapter 356 Derek had to retum to school to prepare for his thesis defense. After sending Derek off, Caleb went back to the office to work overtime, white Are and Owen headed straight home. As they entered the elevator, a girl stood in the corner, clutching a bag and wearing a face mask. The girl instinctively shrank further into the corner when they entered. Aria pressed the button for the 18th floor. Her eyesnded on the lit¨Cup 19th¨Cfloor button. A slight frown crossed her face. The girl looked about the same age as Lily. Lily should have been in high school, but instead, she was always staying with Olivia instead of going to ss. An awkward silence filled the elevator as none of the three said a word. The girl didn¡¯t let out a sigh of relief until Aria and Owen stepped out of the elevator. Upon reaching the 19th floor, she stood before the door, hesitating for a full five minutes before finally mustering the courage to knock. In the living room, Olivia, Russell, and Ondo sat around the dining table, the takeout food still in its packaging, untouched. ¡°Come in,¡± came a voice from inside. Rachel cautiously pushed open the door and stepped in. Olivia¡¯s eyes shed with impatience. She asked, ¡°What took you so long?¡± Rachel hurried over and set down the medicine she¡¯d bought. She said, ¡°Sorry, Olivia. The elevator took quite a while.¡± Ondo unpacked the takeout and gestured for Rachel to sit down. He said, ¡°The wait wasn¡¯t too long. Thanks for getting that. Have a seat and eat.¡± But Rachel froze, not daring to move. Not wanting to make a scene in front of everyone, Olivia held back her irritation and kept her tone softened. ¡°Just sit down when you¡¯re told,¡± she said. Rachel didn¡¯t dare sit until Olivia spoke. Ondo quietly observed the two of them and felt that something was wrong. Ondo thought to himself, ¡®Back in Masmubia, everyone was too busy to spend a lot of time together. But now that I¡¯m paying closer attention, why does Rachel seem absolutely terrified of Olivia?¡® Ondo decided to keep a closer eye on them from now on. Olivia took a bite and found the dish quite tasty. Smiling, she served some onto Russell¡¯s te with her fork. She said, ¡°Russell, this one¡¯s really good. Try it.¡± Russell smiled and said, ¡°You have some too. I¡¯ll help myself.¡± Olivia smiled and nodded, too absorbed in her own happiness to notice that Russell hadn¡¯t eaten the food she¡¯d served him. Rachel removed her mask. Her long hair hid most of her face as she kept her head down, silently picking at her food. Ondo suddenly asked, ¡°Rachel, you¡¯re almost seventeen now, right? Would you like to go to school?¡± Russell wouldn¡¯t be leaving Huthailia for the next few years. As long as he stayed, Olivia had no intention of going anywhere either. Rachel was still so young. It wasn¡¯t good for her to be cooped up indoors all day. Rachel paused as she instinctively nced at Olivia, stammering, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± Chapter 356 Olivia cut her off, ¡°Going to school might be good for you. Larkridge High School is the closest around here, and Array pataract o goes there too. I hear she¡¯s top of her ss. ¡°Rachel, which grade would you like to join?¡± Rachel clutched her fork, unsure how to respond. Russell spoke up gently, ¡°You could start as a freshman to experience Huthailia¡¯s school environment. Making some good friends would be wondered. Olivia nodded in agreement. ¡°I think Russell¡¯s right,¡± she said. Rachel nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Olivia snuggled up to Russell and said, ¡°Russell, once Rachel moves into the dorm, I¡¯ll be all alone. I¡¯m scared¡­ Won¡¯t youe back and stay with me?¡± Russell said, ¡°There was an ident on set, so we have to rearrange the shooting schedule. Neb was unhappy. So I need to stay on set to oversee things. I¡¯ll arrange for a few caretakers to look after you.¡± Olivia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like having strangers around. How about I go to the set with you?¡± ¡°The set conditions aren¡¯t great. I just don¡¯t want you to have a tough time,¡± Russell said. ¡°With you around, everything is fine,¡± Olivia said. Russell nodded slightly. ¡°Alright, but I might not be able to give you much attention then.¡± Olivia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just focus on your career.¡± After dinner, Ondo cleared the table and left with Russell. Olivia¡¯s smile vanished as she turned to Rachel. ¡°Did you remember Aria¡¯s sister¡¯s name?¡± Rachel nodded. ¡°Got it. Lily Saxon, in the AP ss.¡± ¡°Befriend her before the SAT,¡± Olivia said. ¡°Okay,¡± Rachel said meekly. Again Marriage 357 Chapter 357 Chapter 357 Fresh out of the shower, Owen called Kim. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Kim said on the phone impatiently. Owen cut to the chase. ¡°How are things going between you and Cloe?¡± A brief silence hung on the other end of the line. Owen got the message. Clearly, nothing had changed. He teased, ¡°Mom and Cloe are practically besties now, but you¡¯re still stuck in first gear. Pathetic Kim, fresh off work, sat on Cloe¡¯s sofa. Owen¡¯s words made him upset as he struggled to steady his breath. Taking a deep breath, he reined in his icy demeanor and turned to Julia, who was ying with her toys nearby, shing what he believed was a particrly gentle smile. Julia nced up at him, then suddenly sprang up, clutching her toys and dashing toward the kitchen. ¡°Mom! Uncle Kim¡¯s smile is so creepy. How scary!¡± she said. Kim nearly choked on his own breath. While tidying up in the kitchen, Cloe turned her head and said gently, ¡°Just ignore him, sweetie.¡± Over the phone, Owen heard every word Julia said and couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. Kim gritted his teeth. ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Owen stifled hisughter and asked, ¡°Wait, is Cloe in the kitchen?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Kim replied. ¡°Now I get why you can¡¯t win Cloe over,¡± Owen said. Kim sneered and shot back, ¡°So, did you get Aria?¡± ¡®Damn it, I shouldn¡¯t have said that,¡® Owen thought. ¡°Look, I¡¯m serious for once. Just hang up if you don¡¯t want to hear it,¡± he said. ¡°Spit it out!¡± Kim was impatient. ¡°You actually let Cloe into the kitchen?¡± Owen¡¯s voice was full of disbelief. No sooner had Owen spoken than he heard the sounds of movement on the other end. Someone rose abruptly, followed by the sharp m of a door and the sudden rush of running water. Then came a torrent of furious shouts. ¡°Owen, I¡¯ve had it with you! Aren¡¯t you a Shaw, too? Why the hell am I the only one stuck running thispany? If I weren¡¯t buried at work, you wouldn¡¯t have learned to cook by now?¡± Owen subconsciously lowered his gaze, his tone tinged with guilt. ¡°Hey, you promised me that when we were kids, remember?¡± ¡°That was then. Not now!¡± Kim shouted. think! ¡°You could at least do the dishes and sweep the floor,¡± Owen said. 1/3 10/28/Tuan/ J¨²n i Chapter 357 Kim¡¯s furious voice roared over the sound of running water. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t tried?¡± He did wash the dishes, but broke a few of them. He also swept and mopped the floor, only for Julia to slip and fall. Cloe was so angry that she banned him from touching anything again. Owen thought to himself that Kim wasn¡¯t exactly the domestic type. Then he said, ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t think the reason you can¡¯t win Cloe over has anything to do with these household chores.¡± Kim¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I know!¡± The most important reason was that Cloe had Julia. Owen said, ¡°Honestly, you need to work on your temper. Julia likes gentle dads. She actually likes me quite a bit.¡± Owen and Julia exchanged numbers and spoke on the phone frequently. They really hit it off. Kim had long been aware of this, seething with jealousy. Just as he was about to retort, a sharp rap at the door cut him off, followed by Cloe¡¯s stern warning. ¡°Hey! Why is the water still running? Did you leave your brain at the door or something?¡± Kim hurriedly turned off the faucet. ¡°Right away!¡± Then he said to Owen, ¡°Nothing else? I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Owen said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t waste your chance then.¡± Kim sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t see through your little scheme. Do you really think I haven¡¯t discussed this with Julia? She told me that when you first met Aria, you explicitly said you only liked her as a friend, right?¡± Owen said nothing. Seeing Owen at a loss for words, Kim¡¯s mood lifted considerably. ¡°Bye,¡± he said. Owen stared at the ending call, pausing for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh. ¡®If I could go back to that moment, I would never say those words,¡® he thought. -That day, Aria drove to the city library. As she browsed the shelves by category, she had just pulled out a book when someone gently tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Madelyn?¡± the man said softly. Aria turned and saw a vaguely familiar face, but for a moment she couldn¡¯t ce him. Lincoln shed a warm smile and said, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Seeing her nk look, Lincoln prompted, ¡°Remember that night when I tried to apprentice under Mono but got turned down? You were there.¡± Aria nodded slightly. ¡°Oh, I see. Hi.¡± Lincoln nced at the book in her arms and said, ¡°Clinical Pharmacology? Are you studying medicine?¡± ¡°Sort of,¡± Aria said. Aria headed to the reading area, and Lincoln followed without hesitation. ¡°Honestly, I thought you were an art major¡± he said ¡°Nope.¡± Aria found a seat by the window and sat down. Lincoln slid into the chair across from her and asked, ¡°By the way, do you know why Moon got so andryst time?¡± Aria said, ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Mono rarely showed such open dislike for someone. Lincoln let out a helpless sigh. He¡¯d racked his brain for ages, yet still couldn¡¯t pinpoint the source of Mono¡¯s anger. He remembered it clearly that when he and Madelyn added each other on social media, Mono didn¡¯t react at all. But the moment Mono got hold of her phone, he suddenly lost it. It was so weird. Lincoln suggested, ¡°Hey, how about we add each other again? I promise I won¡¯t bug you.¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°Better not. Mono doesn¡¯t like you.¡± She didn¡¯t need to add anyone Mono disliked. Lincoln felt a pang of disappointment. Aria was surprisingly mature for her age and spoke even less than Mono. Not ready to give up, Lincoln continued, ¡°I swear. I won¡¯t tell Mono we added each other on social media.¡± He coaxed, ¡°Just add me back, and I¡¯ll stop bugging Mono.¡± Actually, ever since Mono made his disgust obviousst time, Lincoln had been too afraid to meet him again. Aria had arrived early, so the library was still nearly empty. But with Lincoln sitting across from her, chattering nonstop, she knew this couldn¡¯t go on. There was no way she¡¯d get any reading done like this. Aria nodded curtly. ¡°Fine. I need to get back to my reading.¡± Lincoln beamed. ¡°Deal!¡± Aria took her phone to scan his QR code, but Lincoln waited in vain. No friend request notification appeared. Lincoln asked awkwardly, ¡°Did you cklist me?¡± Without a word, Aria unblocked him, and only then did the friend request finally go through. Lincoln said, ¡°My name is Lincoln Saxon. Nice to meet you.¡± Again Marriage 358 Chapter 358 ¡°Logan Saxon is your brother?¡± Lincoln was briefly taken aback, then broke into a bright smile and said warmly, ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s my older brother!¡± Only now did Ana finally understand why her Master was angry. Lincoln was her uncle by blood, yet, surprisingly, they didn¡¯t even have each other¡¯s contact info. Her master noticed this, got angry, and immediately blocked and deleted her. But even if she¡¯d known Lincoln¡¯s identity beforehand, she wouldn¡¯t have cared. After all, he was just a stranger to her. But her master wouldn¡¯t see it that way. His heart ached for her, and that sorrow soon Aria said, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve exchanged contacts, Mr. Saxon, you may leave.¡± turned to rage. The main takeaway was exchanging contacts. Lincoln took the hint and didn¡¯t overstay his wee. With a knowing smile, he said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you get back to it. I¡¯ll get going now.¡± With that, Lincoln picked up the books he¡¯d selected and walked away. Aria took out her notebook and pen, taking notes as she read. Around noon, she stepped out to grab a quick bite, then returned and picked up where she left off. By five p.m., Aria had selected two more books, checked them out, and headed home. While waiting for the elevator, Aria got a message from Vanessa. [Hey girl, guess who I just spotted on set?] Aria replied, (Russell?] Vanessa asked, [Anyone else?] [Olivia?] Vanessa sent a flurry of voice messages, each starting with an exasperated ¡°ah!¡± She yfullyined, [Ugh, you¡¯re no fun! How did you guess it right away?] Aria recalled the previous incident and frowned. ¡®Russell has no reason to stay on set. What is he really after?¡® ¡®And then there¡¯s Olivia¡­¡® Aria thought to herself. Vanessa replied again, [I know what¡¯s worrying you. Don¡¯t worry. Last time, I only fell for his tricks because I was careless. That won¡¯t happen again. If he dares mess with me, trust me, I¡¯ve got plenty of tricks up my sleeve to deal with him.] Offending hackers didn¡¯t lead to a good oue for them. Aria still felt uneasy. [How much longer is this film going to take to shoot?] Vanessa sighed. (Russell¡¯s such a perfectionist. He makes us do dozens of takes for a single expression. Plus, we¡¯re constantly on location shoots, and all that travel time really eats into our schedule.] [What¡¯s even more ridiculous is that Russell demands all the actors stay on set, even when they don¡¯t have any scenes that day. It¡¯s so outrageous. Even his grandpa would have to salute him for how absurd he is!] This film blended ancient aesthetics with sci¨Cfi elements, weaving a brand-new story on a futuristic stage while drawing from age¨Cold legends. Chapter 358 Vanessa yed a little fox spirit a role with few scenes but significant importance, After Russell showed up, he scrapped a ton of footage they¡¯d already shot, especially Vanessa¡¯s scenes. He was ruthless with his conting half of her parts had to be reshot from scratch. She spent three to four hours just on makeup each time, which basically felt like starting filming all over again. Aria hesitated briefly, then sent a voice message. [I¡¯ll be your assistant. No charge.] On the other end, Vanessa was silent for a long moment before replying. (Don¡¯t worry, I can handle these two small fries. You shouldn¡¯t waste yo precious time being my assistant.] Vanessa understood Aria¡¯s fear. She was worried Russell mighte after her again. She promised. (If I notice anything fishy, I¡¯ll text you as soon as possible] Aria replied softly, I don¡¯t have much to do besides reading anyway, so it¡¯s a good chance to see what your filming is like.) [This is also the perfect chance to sound out Russell and Olivia.] Hearing that, Vanessa sent a voice message,ughing, [Alright, alright, I get it. You¡¯re totally obsessed with me!] Russell controlled the entire production, down to the costume and makeup departments. The contract allowed only one assistant per actor. Vanessa decided to give M paid leave. Aria said, [Then I¡¯lle tomorrow] [Whoa, that fast?] Vanessa blurted out in surprise. Aria chuckled. [Well, what can I say? I¡¯m just head over heels for you.] Vanessa couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud on set. Just then, the director¡¯s voice called out from across the lot, ¡°Vanessa, get ready. We¡¯re about to start!¡± AD Again Marriage 359 Chapter 359 ¡°I¡¯m !¡± Vanessa called out, quickly sending Aria a voice message before handing her phone to M. ¡°Take tomorrow off with p M, standing nearby, overheard their conversation and nodded obediently. ¡°Got it.¡± Not far away. Russell stared intently at the filming site with a stern expression, Olivia stood beside him, holding an umbre to shield him from the var ¡°Russell, I think the director can handle it on his own. Why don¡¯t you take a break?¡± Russell shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m good. Go rest, and I¡¯ll keep an eye on things.¡± The Wolfshade Syndicate was nning to relocate part of its operations to maind this country. While Russell appeared to be working for Neb Corp on the surface, he was secretly overseeing the syndicate¡¯s critical business relocation behind the scenes. Whoever married Olivia would be the sessor to the Wolfshade Syndicate. Olivia¡¯s father, the head of the Wolfshade Syndicate, had always looked down on Russell because of his humble background and never approved of him. But Olivia only had eyes for Russell. If Russell could pull off this business relocation, his status in the Wolfshade Syndicate would skyrocket, earning him the boss¡¯s full recognition. Relocating their operations was no easy feat. It would take at least three to five years toplete. The more Russell put his heart into this matter, the happier Olivia became. She pursed her lips with a slight smile and handed the umbre to the bodyguard. ¡°Don¡¯t let Russell get a tan. If he does, you¡¯ll be the one held ountable,¡± Olivia was a sucker for good looks. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have fallen for Russell the moment sheid eyes on him. She would never allow even the slightest blemish on Russell¡¯s face. The bodyguard answered, ¡°Yes, Miss Remar.¡± Olivia walked gracefully toward the lounge. Vanessa looked away, a faint smirk of disdain ying on her lips. The next day. Aria arrived at the set with her books. Vanessa managed to slip away to greet her, contract in hand. With a yful wink, she said, ¡°Sign this contract, and you¡¯ll officially be my person now.¡± Aria didn¡¯t even nce at the contract before signing, raising an eyebrow. ¡°At your service, Boss Vanessa.¡± ¡°Haha! Let¡¯s go. Time to hit the set.¡± Just then, Russell was intently adjusting the camera positions on the monitor, his chilling aura making others too intimidated to approach. The director wiped his mmy forehead and could only stand aside, awaiting instructions. Russell had never been this meddlesome before, but ever since Olivia arrived, he¡¯d been acting more like the director than the actual director. It always gave the director the illusion that Russell was trying to distance himself from Olivia. From a distance, Russell caught sight of Aria. An enigmatic smile yed at his lips as he simply watched her approach. ¡°Ms. Saxon, what perfect timing,¡± Russell said. 1028 Tue 17 Jun 13 Chapter 359 He didn¡¯t seem surprised by her arrival as if he¡¯d been expecting her. Aria lowered her eyes to adjust her work badge, hershes casting faint shadows beneath them. She remarked coolly, ¡°Well, 14r. Bachelor, production crew is so bad that it can¡¯t even ensure the actors¡® safety, what else can you expect?¡± The director recognized Aria and once again mopped his brow with a tissue. ¡®Oh no, even she¡¯s here?¡® The director groaned inwardly, Jesus Christ, is this shoot ever going to get back on track?¡± The director kept giving Vanessa meaningful looks and asked in a hushed tone, ¡°Why on earth did you bring her here?¡± Vanessa shrugged helplessly. ¡°She wanted toe. How was I supposed to stop her?¡± The director whispered, half¨Cjoking, ¡°Aren¡¯t you two close? Why couldn¡¯t you stop her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they all say she¡¯s the big shot behind me? When a real boss wants something, who am I, a small fry, to stand in her way?¡± The director was speechless. Olivia spotted Aria¡¯s figure in the distance. Her expression hardened as she immediately quickened her pace toward her. ¡°Aria? What are you doing here?¡± She looked Aria up and down, her expression darkening with displeasure. Turning to the director, she snapped, ¡°This set is supposed to be strictly confidential. How could you just let an outsider walk in?¡± The director wanted to wipe his brow again, but he¡¯d run out of tissues. Vanessa smiled and pointed at the badge hanging from Aria¡¯s neck. ¡°Ms. Remar, she¡¯s my assistant.¡± Being an assistant was just Aria¡¯s cover for staying here. She definitely had ulterior motives. Olivia instinctively nced at Russell, only to find him staring intently at Aria, his eyes dark and inscrutable. Comment Again Marriage 360 Chapter 360 Olivia Immediately stepped between them, her gaze mocking as she looked at A, ¡°Well, well, I never thought you¡¯d stoop to such ¨¦terial Saxon. Are you that hard up for money?¡± Aria lifted her eyelids with a faint smirk. ¡°Ms. Remar, since you¡¯re not interested in contributing to society, you must have amassed mile a loetube stiga as well donate some, do a little good, build up some virtue.¡± Olivia frowned, clearly thrown off. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Aria shrugged, her tone casual. ¡°Nothing, really.¡± Olivia¡¯s face darkened, ready tosh out at the obvious insult. ¡°Olivia,¡± Russell interjected, his tone calm but firm. ¡°She¡¯s an assistant. She¡¯s allowed here. Don¡¯t make things difficult for her. After saying that, Russell turned to Vanessa. ¡°Go get your makeup done.¡± Vanessa nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Olivia seethed inwardly but restrained herself, clinging to the belief that Russell could never be interested in Aria. She turned and jerked her chin toward the propden corner. ¡°We¡¯re short¨Chanded. Ms. Saxon, go move that wooden crate to Unit B.¡± At this point, Aria was nothing more than a lowly assistant. Whatever Olivia ordered, Aria had toply without question. ¡°Unit B isn¡¯t far from here. It¡¯s just a couple hundred yards,¡± Olivia said dismissively. She deliberately stressed the words, sneering, ¡°Watch your step. Everything here is custom¨Cmade and costs a fortune. Break anything, and you¡¯ll never be able to pay for it.¡± Vanessa, who was just about to go get her makeup done, instantly scowled and was about to say something. But Aria gently grasped her wrist, gave her a reassuring smile, and said, ¡°Go get your makeup done. I¡¯ve got this.¡± Aria was never one to get the short end of the stick. Vanessa rxed and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead then. Text me if you need anything.¡± Aria nodded slightly. ¡°Okay.¡± As Vanessa walked away, Olivia snapped impatiently, ¡°What are you waiting for? Get moving!¡± Olivia was thergest shareholder of the Stars Group, so no one had right to make her move things. Terrified of offending Aria, the director cast a pleading look at Russell. He stammered, ¡°Mr. Nicholson, this¡­¡± ¡°Let them,¡± Russell said coolly. Aria walked toward the prop storage area. Sighing deeply, the director hurried after her, bending low with an ingratiating smile. ¡°M¡­ Ms. Saxon, let me handle this.¡± Olivia said, her voiceced with a veiled menace, ¡°Aria¡¯s the assistant here. These are her duties, stay out of it.¡± She¡¯s just an assistant, not a crew member. Chapter 360 Olivia was deliberately picking on her, and the director was powerless to intervene. The director stiffly straightened up, his gaze darting away, unable to meet Aria¡¯s eyes. He stammered, ¡°This crate contains unit atat colonne fa They¡¯re quite heavy and¡­ tather delicate and expensive.¡± Aria gave a slight smile. ¡°Very well.¡± Seeing the faint, dangerous curve of her smile, the director was suddenly gripped by a sinking feeling that something bad was about to happen. Aria effortlessly lifted the crate and walked steadily. As if suddenly remembering something, she paused and turned to Olivia. ¡°Ms. Pemar, would you mind showing me the way? I happen to have something I¡¯d like to ask you about.¡± Olivia was about to sneer, but meeting Aria¡¯s gaze sent a sudden jolt through her. Recalling what Aria had saidst time, a name shed through Olivia¡¯s mind, Sara. Sara Nicholson. Olivia¡¯s expression flickered briefly before she quicklyposed herself and stepped forward. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll show you the way.¡± Russell¡¯s gaze remained fixed on the two women, not missing the slightest shift in Olivia¡¯s expression. Olivia had met Aria before. ¡®What did they say to each other?¡® Russell wondered. If he followed them, they might not talk freely. Russell averted his gaze, holding back for now. Olivia stepped up and waved the director away. ¡°I¡¯ll show her the way. You go attend to your work.¡± Unlike her earlier deliberate hostility, the director was quick to notice a subtle shift in Olivia¡¯s attitude toward Aria as if she was starting to be wary of something. Again Marriage 361 Chapter 361 When the mighty shed, the small fry got crushed. Not wanting to get caught in their crossfire, the director gave a quick nod and a polite smile before hastily making his exit. Stepping away from the noisy crowd, Olivia snapped at Aria, ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± Aria suddenly halted in her tracks and released her grip on the crate. The crate mmed down hard onto Olivia¡¯s foot. ¡°Ah!¡± Olivia let out a piercing shriek, clutching her foot as she dropped to a crouch. When she looked up at A, her eyes burned with venomous hatred. She shrieked, ¡°Aria! I¡¯ll kill you!!¡± Hearing themotion, the director came running and called out anxiously, ¡°What happened? Is everyone okay?¡± Seeing the intricate simted limbs scattered on the ground, director out a piercing shriek. ¡°Oh no! The props!¡± He immediately crouched down to inspect, his hands trembling slightly. These were worth a fortune, an absolute fortune. Even if these two women were going to fight, they shouldn¡¯t joke around with these things. The director was totally overwhelmed. Olivia anxiously searched the crowd for Russell, her face twisted in pain from her injured foot. ¡°Russell¡­¡± She seethed with rage, inwardly vowing to kill Aria. ¡°Oh dear, how did I let it slip?¡± Aria crouched down, her tone perfectlyposed. ¡°My deepest apologies, Ms. Remar. I seem to have identally dropped it right on your foot.¡± She was apologizing, yet her expression remained eerily calm, showing not a hint of guilt. Olivia ground her teeth against the pain, her voice seething with rage. ¡°Aria! You should know who I am, and you¡¯ve heard of the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Olivia snarled through gritted teeth, her voice dripping with venom. ¡°Killing you and everyone you love would be child¡¯s y for me.¡± Aria tilted her head slightly toward Olivia, the faintest curve ying at her lips. ¡°Ms. Remar, I just had a sudden thought¡­ and, well, my grip slipped.¡± Russell approached slowly, taking in the scattered props on the ground. He pressed his lips into a thin line as his gaze, cold and edged with menace, swept over Aria. Seeing Russell, tears welled up in Olivia¡¯s eyes as she shouted, ¡°Russell! Aria did this on purpose. She meant to drop it on me!¡± Russell¡¯s expression darkened as he strode forward ¡°It just urred to me. When I first met Sara, she had quite a few old scars on her body.¡± Aria¡¯s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, yet every word cut through the silence, reaching Olivia with razor¨Csharp rity. Olivia¡¯s face instantly paled. She whirled around to face Aria, stammering, ¡°W¡­ what did you say?¡°. ¡°Ms. Remar, do you happen to know how those scars got there?¡± 11:20 Wed 18 Jos Chapter 361 At that moment, Russell had approached. He caught the tail end of the conversation, but missed what came before. Olivia struggled to maintain her , but Russell, who knew her all too well, immediately noticed something was off Russell nced between the two and asked coolly, ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Aria¡¯s lips curved into a sly smile. ¡°We were just talking about¡­¡± ¡°We were talking about the damaged robotic limbs!¡± Olivia cut in sharply, her voiceced with warning and her gaze guarded. Aria smiled, lifted her gaze, and said, ¡°Indeed, Ms. Remar is right. I¡­ identally damaged the crew¡¯s props and ended up injuring Ms. Remar¡¯s foots She added calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll cover all her medical expenses.¡± Olivia took a deep breath, her voice icy. ¡°Keep your damn medical money. Try this again, and I¡¯ll snap your arm off.¡± She turned to Russell, reaching out with a intive yoice. ¡°Russell, it hurts so much. Take me to the hospital, please. My foot feels like it¡¯spletely ruined.¡± She wanted nothing more than to kill Aria on the spot, yet she dared not make a move against her. Russell crouched down, but instead of immediatelyforting Olivia, he turned his head, his gaze locked intently on Aria. ¡°Are you two¡­ really just talking about this?¡± Russell asked, his toneced with suspicion. AD Again Marriage 362 Chapter 362 Olivia had been spoiled retten since childhood, always wearing her emotions on her sleave. Even when she tried to concast them, that fickor el featured a worry was still discemible. What exactly did Aris say to her? Russell wondered, In Russell¡¯s memory, Olivia had never feared anything. Almost nothing could intimidate her. Meeting Russell¡¯s probing gaze, Aria coolly turned her head. As her eyes swept past Olivia, her gaze hardened with frosty intensity It was clear that Sara¡¯s injuries were connected to Olivia. ¡®Was Sara¡¯s capture by the Solemnity Guild also connected to Olivia?¡® Russell frowned. Aria rose to her feet. The director had just finished packing up the prop box, swearing to himself he wouldn¡¯t let themy a finger on it again. No matter how good the quality was, it couldn¡¯t withstand another fall. ¡°Russell, my foot hurts so bad¡­¡± Olivia whimpered, her voice weak and pleading. Her face twisted in agony, the pain nearly making her pass out. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Russell bent down and scooped Olivia into his arms, Before leaving, he shot Aria a long, searching look. The director waspletely absorbed in the box, oblivious to the undercurrents swirling among the three. He bent down to pick up the box, but lost his grip and it slipped across the floor. Aria smiled at the director. ¡°Need a hand with that?¡± The director quickly shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡®Weird,¡® he thought. ¡®She picked up the box like it was nothing, so why does it feel so heavy to me? Could I really be weaker than a girl?¡± The director mustered all his strength and, with trembling arms, managed to lift the box. But after just two shaky steps, his legs gave out. The box was so heavy that he couldn¡¯t even muster the strength to set it down properly. ¡°Quick! Quick! It¡¯s gonna fall!!¡± Aria swiftly took the box. ¡°Lead the way, Sir.¡± The director stared at her nkly, utterly astonished. ¡°Y¡­ you¡­ how can you be this strong?¡± This was downright humiliating. A skinny girl like her lifted it with ease, yet he couldn¡¯t even budge it.
Aria wasn¡¯t born strong. She developed her strength through training. She said casually, ¡°I just take practice,¡± The director was walking ahead when he suddenly stopped. ¡°So you did that on purpose? You deliberately¡­dropped the box on Olivia¡¯s foot?¡± Aria responded with a knowing smile, and the director read her meaning perfectly. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve! Olivia¡¯s going to get back at you for this.¡± 11:21 Wed 18 J0 Chapter 362 She shrugged. No worries.¡± The director sighed. ¡°Next time, please be careful with my valuable props, okay?¡± A tilted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Nicholson¡¯s footing the bill anyway.¡± The director was stunned. Now that made sense. After all, that troublemaker Olivia was Russell¡¯s responsibility, so it¡¯s only fair he footed the bill. With that thought, the director walked with a spring in his step. ¡°After moving this box, go hang out with Vanessa. You don¡¯t need to do this kind of work. The crew will handle it.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you, Sir.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Aria was such a polite girl. The director¡¯s impression of improving even further. Vanessa finished her makeup and got ready to film her scene, with Aria watching from the sidelines. The director shouted, ¡°Action!¡± As her co¨Cstar appeared, Vanessa instantly shed a sultry smile, only to falter momentarily when she caught sight of Aria in her peripheral vision. ¡°Cut!¡± The director asked, ¡°Vanessa, you¡¯re too slow! What¡¯s on your mind? Try again.¡± After that, Vanessa flubbed several more takes, each time failing to nail the right smile. Now Aria understood. The problem was her. She smiled helplessly, gestured for Vanessa to look in another direction, then quietly turned and walked away. Vanessa looked up at the sky with a wry smile. With her best friend here, she couldn¡¯t act at all. That afternoon, Russell arrived on set without Olivia, who was reportedly in the hospital recuperating from a muscle strain. Aria had calcted the position beforehand, ensuring Olivia wouldn¡¯t be seriously hurt. After all, her goal was never to make an enemy. ? Again Marriage 363 Chapter 363 As Aria sat engrossed in her book, a shadow suddenly fell across the pages as someone was blocking the light. She looked up and locked eyes with him. Even with his features obscured by the backlight, Aria could feel Russell¡¯s tant scrutiny burning Russell dragged a chair over and sat down right in front of her. He leaned in and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, shall we talk?¡± into her. Aria closed her book, leaned back in her chair with a faint smirk, and drawled, ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve already made yourselffortable here, how could I refuse a chat?¡± Russell red at her, a dark glint shing in his eyes. ¡°I told Olivia that since you smashed her foot, I¡¯d have your legs broken to avenge her. But she said you probably didn¡¯t mean to do it, and that she¡¯d settle this with you personally. She told me to stay out of it. In the past, she¡¯d have weed my intervention.¡± Aria arched an eyebrow, her tone dripping with sarcasm. ¡°So, Mr. Nicholson, are you here to brag about what a saint your fianc¨¦e is?¡± Russell smirked, his eyes devoid of warmth. ¡°I could never be as ¡®kind¡® as you, Ms. Saxon. After all, you even dared toy hands on me for your friend. Have you always been this ¡®kind,¡® Ms. Saxon?¡± Aria locked eyes with him, her lips curling in a mocking smile. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, you seem to hate me. What gives you the right?¡± Russell¡¯s eyes darkened with a dangerous glint as he forced a bitter, self¨Cmocking smile. ¡°You¡¯re right. I have no right to hate you. But tell me, do you think I have the right to kill you?¡± Aria smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s revisit this after you¡¯ve uncovered the truth, Mr. Nicholson. I think¡­ you¡¯re more likely to end up killing yourself.¡± Russell¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Tell me, what did you say to Olivia?¡± Aria blinked lightly, a faint smirk curling at her lips. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, you want me dead, why would I tell you anything?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t talk, you¡¯ll die even faster,¡± Russell threatened coldly. ¡°Russell!¡± Olivia called out through the car window, then pushed the door open and stepped out. A sharp pain shot through her foot, making her face pale instantly, but she gritted her teeth and limped over. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± It was the same question Russell had asked earlier that morning. But this time, it came from Olivia. Meeting Russell¡¯s gaze, Olivia instinctively exhaled a long breath of relief. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be in the hospital? What are you doing back here?¡± Russell asked. ¡°Being cooped up in the hospital was driving me crazy,¡± Olivia said as she limped closer. ¡°Russell, you go ahead and take care of your work. Since Aria was the one who hurt my foot, she¡¯ll be responsible for taking care of me.¡± Then, she gave Aria a meaningful look and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Ms. Saxon?¡± Aria remained lounging in her seat, merely arching an eyebrow. ¡°Ms. Remar makes a fair point.¡± Olivia shed Russell a sweet smile. ¡°Russell, go ahead with your work. Don¡¯t let me hold you up.¡± 11:21 Wed 18 J¨²n ¨¤ Qa Chapter 363 Russell¡¯s expression remained cold. ¡°Mm.¡± He didn¡¯t hesitate for a second, leaving without another word. The moment Russell left, Olivia¡¯s smile vanished, reced by an icy re. Olivia took Russell¡¯s seat and stared daggers at Aria. ¡°What on earth did you mean by those words this morning?¡± Sara was only seven when she was abducted. All these years, Russell had been searching for her. So he had long since discovered that Sara¡¯s death was linked to Aria. That¡¯s why he volunteered toe to this country, not for her at all. Olivia had nned to just watch from the sidelines, but she hadn¡¯t expected Aria to know so much. The best way to handle this is to kill her. But if Aria dared to tell her this, she must have something up her sleeve. So, she couldn¡¯t act recklessly now. Aria answered, ¡°Russell wants me dead. I¡¯m just trying to get to the truth.¡± Olivia narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯s that simple?¡± ¡°Yes, just that simple.¡± The murderous glint in Olivia¡¯s eyes faded slightly. ¡°Sara did suffer¡­ in the past. I never dared tell Russell¡­¡± AD Again Marriage 364 Chapter 364 Olivia paused, a shadow of worry flickering in her eyes. ¡°It was my father who hurt Sara. I should¡¯ve protected her, but I failed. Back then, Russell was just a kid. If he¡¯d known and tried to fight, he would have surely died! I had feelings for him and couldn¡¯t bear to see him throw his life away for nothing Aria listened quietly, her expression unchanged. She only believed about thirty percent of what Olivia said ¡°I¡¯ll make Russell spare you,¡± Olivia said, her voice dripping with menace as she stared at Aria. ¡°But on one condition¡­ you take this secret to your grave. Otherwise, the Wolfshade Syndicate wille after you, and neither will your family and friends.¡± Aria said coolly, ¡°Even if I keep quiet, others still know.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Olivia demanded sharply. Aria said coolly, ¡°The leader of the Solemnity Guild, Curtis Kelley. I heard he¡¯s holding a diary.¡± Olivia¡¯s pupils narrowed abruptly. ¡°A diary?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied coolly. Olivia stood up, her voice cold. ¡°Remember what you said.¡± Without another word, she hurriedly limped away, her urgency clear in her retreating figure. Aria watched Olivia¡¯s retreating figure, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. She slowly bent down and reached beneath the chair opposite her, her fingers soon brushing against a small, suspicious device. A flicker of realization shed in her eyes, and she let go of the device. Meanwhile, Russell took off his headphones, his eyes glinting with icy fury. Sara had suffered before. .And he¡¯d beenpletely clueless about it. Russell clenched his eyes shut, veins bulging at his temples from rage and self¨Creproach, his knuckles turning white from his grip. Aria was right about one thing. He was the one who failed to protect Sara. If anyone deserved to pay for this, it¡¯s him. Russell¡¯s eyes snapped open. No matter the cost, he would get to the bottom of this. Russell vowed through gritted teeth that anyone who hurt Sara wouldn¡¯t get out alive. Regardless of the credibility of Aria¡¯s words, one fact remained unchanged. The Solemnity Guild had hurt Sara. Since she wanted to use the Wolfshade Syndicate against the Solemnity Guild, he would just give it a push from behind. Russell vowed through gritted teeth, ¡°The Solemnity Guild must be wiped out, and the Wolfshade Syndicate won¡¯t escape either.¡± Russell texted Ondo. [Investigate everything about the year Sara was with Olivia. I want a full background check on everyone she came into contact with.] Ondo: [What did you find out?] 11-21 Wed Chapter 364 Russell: Sara was hurt back then. Her disappearance might not have been an ident.) After wrapping up the final night shoot, the set buzzed with activity as crew members swiftly packed away the filming equipment. Tomorrow, the crew headed to Kanit City¡¯s film studioplex. It was an area surrounded lush forests. Vanessa jogged over to Aria, her forehead dotted with tiny beads of sweat. ¡°Aria, go pack your things. This shoot couldst anywhere from a week to a month. It¡¯s a closed set, so we can¡¯t leave. Meet here at six tomorrow morning. We¡¯ll all drive there together¡± Aria brushed away the strands of hair clinging to her face. ¡°Go take off your makeup¨CI¡¯ll pack your things for you.¡± Vanessa shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll pack my own stuff¨Cit won¡¯t take long. Leave it to me.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t treat me like a stranger,¡± Aria teased. Aria took her phone out of her bag and handed it to her. ¡°The sooner you finish, the sooner you can rest. I¡¯ll help you pack.¡± Vanessa didn¡¯t refuse again. ¡°Alright then.¡± The crew was put up at a modest inn just steps from the filming location. While it wasn¡¯t luxurious, its prime location more than made up for it. Aria had stopped by earlier that afternoon. Again Marriage 365 Chapter 365 As soon as she reached the door, her eyes fell upon a bulging ck stic bag hanging from the doorknob. Wary of potential danger, Aria pulled out a pair of disposable gloves, put them on before reaching for the bag. Insidey a lifelike severed hand, its wound smeared with dark crimson blood that looked sickeningly sticky and grotesque. At first nce, it looked so realistic and horrifying that it made her skin crawl. ¡®A crew member, or an anti¨Cfan?¡® Aria wondered. She frowned, instinctively ncing up at the security camera above the door. She took out her phone and snapped a high¨Cresolution photo. She opened the crew¡¯s main group chat, found Russell, and attached a brief message: [Need to talk.] After sending the message, Aria opened the door and stepped inside, still holding the disturbing bag with a firm grip. Almost instantly, her phone buzzed. Russell replied instantly. [What is it?] Aria sent the photo, then followed up with a voice message: [This was hanging on Vanessa¡® a¡¯s doorknob. You¡¯re in charge. Get to the bottom of this.] Russell: [On my way.] Aria was stunned. ¡®Huh? He¡¯sing over?¡® She ced the evidence by the door, peeled off her left glove, and tossed it into the trash. She walked over to the vanity and began packing her things. Momentster, Russell knocked on the door. Aria said coolly, ¡°Come in.¡± Russell pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately locking it behind him. At the sound of the lock clicking shut, Aria looked up, puzzled. ¡°Why are you locking the door?¡± Russell gave a cursory nce at the bag by the door, paying no heed to the gruesome fake severed hand inside. ¡°How much do you know about the diary in Curtis¡¯s hands?¡± Russell demanded. He cut straight to the chase, his posture taut as a drawn de, his piercing gaze locked onto her. Aria leaned against the vanity, a mocking smile curling on her lips. ¡°Are youing all this way just for this, Mr. Nicholson? I thought you actually cared about the actors¡® safety. Guess I overestimated you!¡± Russell took two aggressive steps forward. ¡°You deliberately leaked that information through Olivia, didn¡¯t you? Just so I¡¯de and ask on my own?¡± ¡°You¡¯re ying both sides against each other, Ms. Saxon. Aren¡¯t you afraid that if both sides find out, they¡¯lle after you?¡± he asked The vanity mirror reflected their tense confrontation. ¡°I was merely having a casual conversation with Olivia¨Cno such cunning schemes involved,¡± Aria shot back, meeting his gaze unflinchingly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ¡°But you, Mr. Nicholson, eavesdropping on private conversations? That¡¯s downright despicable.¡± 1/2 1121 Wed 18 Jun (6) Chapter 365 Russell ignored her usation and cut straight to the point. ¡°What do you want?¡± Aria pointed at the bag by the door and said calmly, ¡°Find out who¡¯s behind this.¡± Russell gave her a long, searching look, then turned on his heel and strode out without another word. The door mmed shut with violent force. Meanwhile, two actors were on their way back to their rooms. The two actors froze in their tracks when they suddenly spotted Russell emerging from Vanessa¡¯s room. Their eyes went wide in shock, disbelief written all over their faces. One of the actors whispered, ¡°No wonder Vanessanded such an important role given her status. She must have pulled some strings.¡± The other actor said, ¡°But Vanessa¡¯s in the middle of removing her makeup right now. It¡¯s actually Aria in her room, helping her pack.¡± ¡°So, the one who¡¯s got something going on with Mr. Nicholson is Aria?¡± someone whispered, eyes wide with curiosity. The other actor nodded. ¡°Must be.¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t Olivia Mr. Nicholson¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡± ¡°These kinds of things happen a lot in the entertainment industry. It¡¯s normal.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, quick.¡± Back in their room, the two immediately shared what they¡¯d The gossip spread like wildfire through the crew. The small group chat was blowing up with gossip. just witnessed with the others. ? Again Marriage 366 Chapter 366 Even if nothing had actually happened, the gossip took on a life of its own, full of vivid details. And after Aria stepped on Olivia¡¯s foot that morning, the whole crew took it as undeniable proof. ¡°So, is this turning into a juicy love triangle? Mr. Nicholson got caught cheating, Olivia stormed in to make a scene, and Aria just smacked her rival with a box. Then Mr. Nicholson rushed to Aria to calm things down, but it backfired. He ended up mming the door and leaving in a huff. What a drama!¡± ¡°Honestly, something just doesn¡¯t add up. If Olivia is really the official girlfriend, and Aria stepped on her foot so badly that she ended up in the hospital, why wouldn¡¯t Olivia confront Aria about it?¡± ¡°What if¡­ Aria is actually the official girlfriend, and Mr. Nicholson secretly brought Olivia to the set? When Aria found out, she confronted them. Olivia deliberately picked a fight and ended up getting her foot hurt. Mr. Nicholson tried to me Aria but failed, so he just stormed out.¡± ¡°You hit the nail on the head! I saw with my own eyes today¨COlivia went to talk to Aria. Aria looked totally calm and collected, but Olivia seemed terrified of something and left in a hurry. So Olivia must be the other woman!¡± ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s Mr. Nicholson thinking? Aria is way prettier than Olivia, plus she¡¯s a major shareholder in a big corporation!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve caught Mr. Nicholson sneaking nces at Aria so many times! He barely even acknowledges Olivia¨Cshe¡¯s always the one throwing herself at him. Trust me, Mr. Nicholson is totally into Aria, but she¡¯s not interested, so he¡¯s deliberately bringing Olivia around just to get a reaction out of Aria!¡± Finally on her day off, M was soakingfortably in the bath. As soon as she opened her phone and saw the group chat flooded with messages, her eyes went wide. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± she blurted out. The gossip kept snowballing, and in the end, everyone sided with a theory: Olivia became the other woman for love, leveraging her family¡¯s influence to pressure Russell, leaving poor Aria as his unattainable true love. M hurriedly forwarded the chat to Vanessa. [Vanessa! You gott see this!] Fresh out of the shower, Vanessaughed so hard that she pped her mattress, then immediately forwarded the message to Aria. [Aria,e and judge this juicy gossip¡­] These showbiz folks really had some jaw¨Cdropping story¨Cspinning skills. After Russell had the ¡°evidence¡± retrieved, Aria finished packing Vanessa¡¯s belongings and left. She had just reached her doorstep when Vanessa¡¯s message came through. As the smart lock beeped, Aria suddenly heard movement behind her. She turned to see Owening out with a trash bag, looking surprised. ¡°Just getting off work?¡± he asked. Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah, not too bad. It¡¯s only ten.¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking out the trash?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± As Owen closed the door, he suddenly turned his head and asked, ¡°How about some spiced duck tomorrow? My parent¡¯s housekeeper made it and my mom sent over five.¡± In the past, his mother would never have bothered to send Owen home¨Ccooked meals. She only sent over five ducks because she knew Aria was eating at his ce. Aria paused, swallowing hard. ¡°I probably won¡¯t be home for quite a while.¡± Chapter 366 Owen¡¯s fingers tightened. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Aria exined, ¡°I¡¯m helping a friend as an assistant. We¡¯ll be at Kanit City Film Studios about a month, maybe more. The schedule¡¯s not fixed yet Owen thought, ¡®A month?¡® ¡®That¡¯s way too long,¡® he sighed inwardly. The crew usually ate together, so it wouldn¡¯t really make sense for her to bring the spiced duck to the set. Owen thought for a moment and asked, ¡°When are you leaving?¡± ¡°Tomorrow at eight,¡± Aria replied. ¡°I¡¯ll set off at seven.¡± ¡°That soon?¡± Owen said. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a bit rushed.¡± Again Marriage 367 Chapter 367 She was really craving that spiced duck, but it looked like she would have to miss out this time. Owen suddenly asked, ¡°Are you hungry now?¡± Aria paused, then smiled. ¡°Starving.¡± Owen smiled back. ¡°Go get your things ready. I¡¯ll whip something up.¡± Aria hesitated. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much trouble?¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°Not at all. Just needs to simmer.¡± It¡¯s best not to eat overly greasy food at night. Braised spiced duck was just right tender and falling off the bone. Owen turned to open the door. Seeing the trash bag in his hand, Aria stepped forward and offered, ¡°Want me to take that out for you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Owen replied. ¡°Just some stuff I¡¯m sorting out. They¡¯re not in a hurry.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Aria walked into her apartment. As soon as Owen entered his apartment, he moved a chair to the balcony. Since Aria rarely came homete, Owen didn¡¯t want to ask her directly. Instead, he sat by the door, reviewing case files, and only picked up the ¡°trash¡± he¡¯d prepared in advance when he heard hering back just to run into her. Good thing he nned this ahead of time, otherwise, she would¡¯ve missed the spiced duck. Aria changed into her loungewear and checked her phone. Seeing Vanessa¡¯s message, she wasn¡¯t sure whether tough or cry. They almost had her convinced with that story. With a sigh, she replied: [If it¡¯s just private gossip, let them have their fun.] Vanessa shot back: [Lol, got it.] Everyone had just assumed Aria was the official girlfriend. But if anyone had dared to spread rumors that her bestie was the other woman, she would¡¯ve hacked into their group chat and shut it down immediately. While packing, her phone kept buzzing incessantly. She unlocked it, opened Russell¡¯s chat, and saw a surveince video. A momentter, a man¡¯s photo and profile appeared. [Vanessa¡¯s anti¨Cfan. Hardcore supporter from the rival/studio. He¡¯s already been handed over to the police.] Aria typed: [Thanks.] Russell: [Time to honor your promise.] Aria: [Handling problems on set is literally your job as the production head.] At the top of the chat, ¡°Russell is typing¡­¡± shed repeatedly, until finally a message appeared, the words sent through gritted teeth: [Aria, don¡¯t test my patience.] Aria: [I¡¯ve already told Olivia everything. Curtis has the diary. I¡¯ve never seen it, never read it.] 1/2 Wed 18 Jun. C Chapter 367 Aria put her phone down, finally able to pack her things in peace, Just as she finished packing, a message from Owen propped up. [Ready.] Aria washed her hands and headed straight to his ce. At the dining table, Owen lifted the lid, and am rose, casting a warm golden glow under the chandelier. Aria was immediately hit by the rich, mouthwatering aroma. Owendled some amber¨Ccolored duck broth over the rice, letting it soak in before topping it with a few generous slices of tender meat. He slid the bowl in front of her and said gently, ¡°Have more meat. There¡¯s not much rice, just a little is enough. This broth really brings out the vor There was also a side dish and a fruit tter on the table. Owen slid it over, his wrist bone gleaming cold white in the light. ¡°This is to cut the grease.¡± Aria bit into the duck leg, her eyes narrowing in delight as the rich marinade vor burst in her mouth. ¡°This is delicious.¡± His cooking skills had improved even more. Owen noticed the sparkle in her eyes and smiled. ¡°Most of the credit goes to my housekeeper¡¯s recipe. There are other recipes too¨Cwait until you¡¯re back to try them.¡± He decided to visit his parents¡® home and ask the housekeeper for her secret recipe. Worried about overeating and not being able to sleep, Aria controlled her appetite and didn¡¯t eat too much. She headed back to her room, took a quick shower, and settled into bed for the night. AD Again Marriage 368 Chapter 368 A post quietly climbed to the top of the trending list. The title was ¡®Aria, Russell, and Olivia¡¯s Drama¡®. ¡°This plot is even more dramatic than any drama. Russell¡¯s got the devoted male lead script, Olivia¡¯s ying the ssic viiness, and Aria¡¯s totally the badass heroine.¡± ¡°So Aria must have a thing for Russell, right? Why else would a big shot like her go work as an assistant on set?¡± ¡°OMG, they¡¯re so shippable!¡± Everyone knew that Neb Corp., the top filmpany from Masmubia, was casting for a movie in this country, soizens were all well aware of who Russell was. ¡°Aria, Russell, I¡¯ve already Photoshopped your marriage certificate. Here¡¯s the pic attached. Just wire 330 thousand dors to my ount for the rights.¡± Owen got up early. When he saw the trending notification, he froze. ¡®Bullshit!¡® he thought, frowning. Just as he was about to exit, the trending topic suddenly vanished without a trace. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He searched the keywords and found another discussion thread. ¡®Russell failed to console Aria at night, and may face a long chase to win her back.¡® ¡®She loves him, he loves her. But who does she really love?¡® Owen scrolled through the posts, finally piecing together what had happened, and even found a candid photo. It was a shot of Russell looking at Aria. But contrary to what everyone was saying, there was no affection in Russell¡¯s eyes¨Conlyplexity and a hidden murderous intent. Owen lowered his gaze. ¡®Why would Russell want to hurt Aria?¡® ¡®Did they know each other before?¡® The information found was iplete and possibly a mix of truth and falsehood. Meanwhile¡­ In the hospital, Olivia flew into a rage and smashed her cup. ¡°They¡¯re talking absolute nonsense!¡± She was clearly the official fiancee. Russell only had her, so what was Aria supposed to be? She¡¯s not even qualified to be the other woman. The bodyguard standing beside her barely dared to breathe. ¡°Madam, the trending topic has already been taken down.¡± Chapter 368 As soon as Olivia heard that, the swung her legs off the bed and ordered, ¡°Pack my things. I¡¯m checking out now! She cared far less about the trending scandal than about what fussell and Aria had talked aboutst night. The hospital was just ten minutes from the set. She couldn¡¯t wait another second. ¡°Aria¡¯s here!¡± As soon as Aria stepped onto the set, she could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on her. There was a low buzz of whispered gossip all around. ¡°Is what they¡¯re saying on the trending topics true?¡± ¡°Of course it is. Just look at Aria. She¡¯s obviously the real deal.¡± ¡°So now it¡¯s unrequited love? Mr. Nicholson is pining after her but can¡¯t have her?¡± ¡®Trending topics? Unrequited love? What are they even talking about?¡® Aria thought. She frowned, just as Vanessa messaged her. [Go save us a seat on the bus. I¡¯ll be there soon.] Aria replied, [Okay] then headed to one of the buses and grabbed a window seat. Not long after, Vanessa hurried over. ¡°Aria¡­¡± As Vanessa approached, a figure quickly slid into the seat next to Aria before she could get there. It was Russell. Instantly, the atmosphere on the bus turned subtle and tense. Everyone¡¯s eyes darted between the two of them, full of gossip. Aria frowned slightly and whispered to Russell, ¡°I was saving this seat for Vanessa.¡± Russell turned, smirking. ¡°First of all, I don¡¯t see your name on it. And besides, I¡¯m the one who paid for this whole damn bus. Any problem with that?¡± He was so domineering. The people who¡¯d been watching couldn¡¯t help but amaze, immediately pulling out their phones to gossip. Vanessa was both speechless and helpless¨Ceven if she was annoyed, she couldn¡¯t show it. After all, the person who took her seat was her boss. She forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr. Nicholson. You sit.¡± Again Marriage 369 Chapter 369 Vanessa sat in the row in front of them, instantly pulling out her phone to type: [Ugh, he¡¯s so unreasonable and shameless!) Aria: [Agreed.] Vanessa: [Did you see the trending topics this morning?] Aria: [No, but I can guess. The trending topic disappeared fast, so whatever.] As soon as Aria arrived on set and saw everyone with dark circles under their eyes, she knew they¡¯d all stayed upte gossiping. And it was all based onpletely fake gossip. Russell deliberately sat next to her, obviously trying to drive Olivia crazy and stir up trouble for her. Meanwhile, Olivia rushed to the set in a panic, only to find itpletely deserted. Fuming, she anxiously dialed Russell¡¯s number, but no one picked up. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Olivia¡¯s eyes zed with anger as she snapped at her bodyguard, ¡°Go find out where the crew went, right now!¡± The bodyguard hurried off, while Olivia kept calling Russell. Russell¡¯s phone kept ringing. He nced at the screen and ignored it. After four or five minutes of nonstop buzzing, Aria finally frowned. ¡°That¡¯s really loud. Can you turn it off?¡± Russell shot her a look, his tone cool. ¡°My bus, my rules. If you don¡¯t like it, suck it up.¡± Aria just muted his phone. Up front, Vanessa was getting annoyed too. She texted: [What¡¯s his problem?] Aria: [Probably mentally ill.] Vanessa: [Fair point.] Their back¨Cand¨Cforth made the phones vibrate nonstop. Russell, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. ¡°It¡¯s noisy. Turn it off!¡± Aria, expressionless, replied, ¡°Feel free to move seats, Mr. Nicholson. Otherwise, just suck it up.¡± Russell was lost for words. In the afternoon, the bus finally arrived at Kanit City Film Studios. Aria got off to collect her luggage. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar figure, and her eyes darkened abruptly. Vanessa sidled up to Aria, noticing her sudden change. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria lowered her gaze and murmured, ¡°I just saw someone I know.¡± She set her suitcase aside. ¡°Give me a few minutes.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Vanessa replied. Chapter 369 A quickly strode off in that direction. Russell watched her retreating figure, his pare darkened with unreadable emotions, His phone was still ringing. This time, he didn¡¯t ignore it and answered. On the other end, Olivia¡¯s voice quivered, close to tears. ¡°Russell! Where did you guys go? Russe!! exined calmly, ¡°We¡¯re at Kanit City Film Studies. We need to shoot some other scenes. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hearing his normal tone, Olivia let out a sigh of relief and ventured, ¡°I thought¡­ you were mad at me and ignoring mHE ¡± A mocking smile curled Russell¡¯s lips even as his voice softened. ¡°I just fell asleep on the bus. Why would ignore you?¡± Olivia¡¯s throat tightened with emotion as she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m just d you wouldn¡¯t ignore me, Russell.¡± Meanwhile, Aria caught up to the figure, grabbed his shoulder, and said, ¡°Hold it right there!¡± The man jolted and bolted, trying to escape. Without hesitation, Aria chased after him and kicked a pebble straight at the back of his knee. The pebble hit dead¨Con. He stumbled and dropped to his knees. Aria strode over and pressed him down as he tried to get up. ¡°White Fox, why are you running?¡± ¡®Crap, I¡¯m so busted,¡® White Fox thought, quickly yanking off the messy wig and forcing a wry smile. ¡°Boss, I went through all this trouble to disguise myself. How did you still recognize me?¡± He wore a tangled wig, his face smeared dark, looking at least ten years older than he really was. He¡¯d snuck in as a crew member. Aria demanded, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± A glint of unease shed in White Fox¡¯s eyes, but he kept his tone light. ¡°Just wanted to see what a Huthailian film set is like.¡± Aria frowned. ¡°You¡¯re lying. You have a mission, don¡¯t you? What is it?¡± White Fox shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Aria pressed, ¡°Who did Curtis send you to kill?¡± ÓÉ Again Marriage 370 Again Marriage 370 Chapter 370 ¡°Killing someone in Huthailia? You¡¯ve got some nerve,¡± he said coldly, Huthailia jobs were the hardest to pull off. That¡¯s why the payout was so high. White Fox¡¯s lips parted hesitantly, her eyes clouded with conflict, ¡°I did take the contract and tailed the target for a few days, but.. they didn¡¯t deserie die.¡± ¡°Boss, I won¡¯t take action. Even if I did, there¡¯s no escaping. There are surveince cameras everywhere. You have my word.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t havee to Kanit City if it weren¡¯t for you,¡± White Fox grumbled. At those words, Aria¡¯s suspicions eased somewhat. White Fox suddenly remembered something and turned to her. ¡°By the way, Boss, you¡¯d better stay away from Russell and Olivia. After all¡­¡± After all, Sara got caught up in her mess and died because of it. White Fox left thest part unsaid, but Aria understood perfectly. Aria replied, ¡°Rest assured, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Vanessa was still waiting for her, so Aria didn¡¯t linger. ¡°I¡¯ll head over first. Let me know if you need anything.¡± White Fox grinned widely. ¡°Sure¡­¡± As Aria turned to leave, White Fox watched her retreating figure, her grin fading as her eyes clouded with worry and solemnity. The studioplex had its own hotel, where Aria and Vanessa shared a room. Once everyone had settled in, they headed straight to the set when the call came. The woods surrounding the studioplex served as the primary filming location for this production. The crew bustled about setting up equipment while the actors got familiar with the set and ran lines. When filming started, the director took Vanessa¡¯s bag from Aria and passed it to his assistant. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Vanessa from here. Why don¡¯t you go somewhere to rx?¡± The director noticed yesterday that whenever Aria was present, Vanessa would easily break character during filming. Vanessa wasn¡¯t a formally trained actress. She started out as a pop idol and was still new to acting. She still needed time to be a professional -actress. find The director was strict, and Russell was even stricter. He didn¡¯t allow a single w. Vanessa was a gifted actress, but her inexperience left her easily distracted by what was happening around her. The director nned to help her ovee this distraction issue through a step¨Cby¨Cstep approach. Luckily, the assistant director happened to be a woman and could temporarily fill in for Aria as Vanessa¡¯s assistant during filming. Aria smiled at the assistant director. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± The assistant director waved her hand dismissively. ¡°No trouble at all!¡± Aria had showered her with gifts, all high¨Cend designer brands. Chapter 370 Not to mention just being a temporary assistant during the shoot, she would¡¯ve been happy aven acting like a nanity. The cast members were prohibited from taking on other jobs, and no fan visits were permitted. The shooting schedule strictly adhered to predos requirements, requiring no coordination from Aria. Being Vanessa¡¯s assistant was a pretty easy gig for Aria. Aria had just settled into a shady spot when, out of nowhere, a hefty duffel bag came mming into herp. A sharp metallic tter came from the bag as something pointed jabbed painfully into her kneecap. Aria¡¯s eyes turned ice¨Ccold in an instant. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re not here to lounge around,¡± Russell ordered coldly. ¡°Since you¡¯ve got nothing better to do, hold onto my bag. If anything in it gets damaged, you¡¯ll pay for it.¡± The crew froze mid¨Ctask at the sight, exchanging knowing aces with those nearby as they inched closer without making a sound. Noticing the tension, a crew member rushed to alert the director. The director had specifically instructed him to keep an eye on Russell and Aria, and to alert him at the first sign of trouble. One of the extras leaned in and whispered curiously, ¡°What¡¯s in the bag? That clinking sound¡­ don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s actual gold?¡± ¡°Who brings actual gold to work, anyway? That¡¯s not even the point. The real story is, Mr. Nicholson was just looking for an excuse to talk to Aria, and he deliberately made her hold his stuff.¡± ¡°The hot guy and gorgeous girl¡¯s chemistry was totally shippable.¡± ¡°This shift was totally worth it. We¡¯re witnessing the big boss chasing after a girl.¡± But in reality¡­ They locked eyes in a battle of wills, neither yielding an inch, the air between them crackling with tension. Again Marriage 371 Chapter 371 Chapter 371 Aria shot Russell a cold, mocking look. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, you really know how to seize every chance for revenge, don¡¯t you? So petty! Do you really think Olivia would be satisfied with you?¡± Aria didn¡¯t budge the bag from herp, instead fixing Russell with an impassive stare. Russell¡¯s smirk deepened, his eyes glinting with mockery. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less whether she¡¯s satisfied. As long as you are, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria stared directly into his eyes, grabbed the bag, and hurled it forward with force. The bag mmed onto the ground with a heavy thud, the metallic nging inside ringing out even louder. Even though Russell managed to step back in time, the bag still came crashing down on his toes. The pain shot through him like a lightning bolt, reaching every fiber of his being. The director rushed over, just in time to witness Aria hurling the bag away. ¡°Let me take the bag,¡± the director said quickly, stepping forward to take charge. He rushed over without hesitation and instinctively lifted the bag, barely getting its bottom off the ground. Suddenly, the director¡¯s arm gave way under the weight, his hand and the bag mming back down to the ground with a heavy thud. The bagnded squarely on Russell¡¯s foot, again. The atmosphere felt tense. The director thought. ¡®Mr. Nicholson just dumped that heavy bag on her leg, how am I not getting my ass kicked for that?¡® Feeling the chill of Russell¡¯s icy re, the director swallowed hard, grabbed the bag, and beat a hasty retreat. Hopefully Russell stopped causing trouble so he could focus on filming in peace. Aria¡¯s gaze swept over the ground, a smirk curling at her lips. ¡°How does that feel, Mr. Nicholson?¡± Russell gritted his teeth and spat, ¡°Feels fantastic. I won¡¯t forget this.¡± Aria retorted coldly, ¡°Treat others the way they treat you. You started this, Mr. Nicholson, so don¡¯t me others.¡± He turned and walked away, his steps slow and measured. Upon closer look, his footsteps alternated between heavy and light. Aria withdrew her gaze coldly, picking up her phone just as it began to ring. ¡°Aria, I have my thesis defense tomorrow. I¡¯m graduating!¡± Aria smiled softly. ¡°Congrattions. From now on, you¡¯re no longer an undergrad. You¡¯re a graduate student.¡± Derek chuckled, ¡°Once the admission letteres, I¡¯ll be one too.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Your family doesn¡¯t know yet?¡± ¡°No, they only have eyes for Lennox. I can¡¯t be bothered to tell them anyway,¡± Derek said, shrugging off such trivial matters. Aria asked gently, ¡°You¡¯re not short on money, are you?¡± Derek nodded. ¡°I¡¯m all set. After my thesis defense, I¡¯m heading to Kanit City for that job I mentioned before. The boss seems like a really good guy. I¡¯ll Chapter 371 actually get to learn the ropes working with him.¡± He was initially rejected, even though someone had put in a word for him with the boss. To his surprise, Peyton Maddox, the hiring manari palie came to Mandino City to apologize. In the end, Derek took the job. They hired him even though he wasn¡¯t aputer science major. It wasn¡¯t until he joined thepany that Derek learned the truth that Peyton had screened him out to make room for Lennox. Only because the bose Patrick personally intervened did he get his position back. Lennox reported to Peyton, while he reported directly to Patrick. Lennox sulked for weeks. He¡¯d really wanted to work under Patrick, but it just didn¡¯t pan out. Seeing Lennox sulk just made Derek¡¯s day. It gave him extra motivation at work too. ¡°Aria after my thesis defense, I¡¯ming to crash at your ce for a couple of days. I¡¯ve been craving Owen¡¯s cooking so bad!¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯m in Kanit City too.¡± Derek¡¯s face lit up. ¡°You¡¯re in Kanit City! How long will you be staying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m with the film crew, so my schedule¡¯s up in the air,¡± she replied. ¡°When I get to Kanit City, I¡¯ll introduce you to my boss. He¡¯s a total tech wizard,¡± Derek said. When it came toputers, Aria had never met anyone more skilled than Vanessa. She said, ¡°Once you get to Kanit City, I¡¯ll introduce you to my friend. If she¡¯s avable, you can pick her brain about tech.¡± Derek eximed, ¡°Thanks, Aria!¡± Gloria had also been nningtely to take Lennox to Kanit City to meet Deangelo. Though Derek told himself he didn¡¯t care, a tiny pang of resentment still pricked at his heart. But the moment he thought about how much his sister cared for him, all that unhappiness just melted away. ¡°Aria, I¡¯lle find you when I get to Kanit City!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Again Marriage 372 Chapter 372 Olivia arrived at the set just in time to overhear two people whispering about something The girl whispered, ¡°Did you see? Mr. Nicholson actually had logistics set up a superfy chair for Aria this morning. How thoughtful of him!¡± The makeup assistant was applying setting powder to the extras and quipped, ¡°That¡¯s the ssic carrot and stick. What kind of decent person dumps a heavy bag on someone just to get close? He probably realized it afterward, so he sent over a chair as an apology¡± ¡°Mr. Nicholson is so careless. If he ends up hurting the one he likes, he¡¯ll never win her over.¡± Olivia¡¯s high heels crushed a dry twig underfoot. The two of them turned around and stood up in shock. Olivia frowned sharply. ¡°What exactly are you two talking about?¡± With bodyguards nking her, Olivia looked intimidating. Terrified, the two had no choice but to spill everything that had happened recently Olivia¡¯s face darkened as she listened. ¡°Where is Russell?¡± The makeup assistant pointed nervously in a direction. Olivia stormed off in fury, her pace quickening with each angry step until a dull ache red up in her foot. Forced to slow down, she thought bitterly. This is all Aria¡¯s fault. Her hatred for Aria only deepened. Spotting Russell talking with the director, Olivia stormed up behind him, her nails digging deep into her patin as she fought to keep her anger in check. She snapped, ¡°Russell, since when has it be trendy for bosses to butter up their assistants on set?¡± The director thought, ¡®Uh¨Coh, this is bad.¡¯ He quickly said, ¡°Mr. Nicholson, I¡¯ll go check on the props team¡¯s inspection. You carry on.¡± With that, he quickly slipped away. Russell rose leisurely to his feet. ¡°How¡¯s your foot?¡± Seeing that his first words were concern for her, Olivia¡¯s anger softened slightly. She said, ¡°I can walk normally now. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Then her tone turned sharp as she demanded, ¡°Russell, is it true what the crew¡¯s been saying? Did you really have Aria hold your bag and even get her a special chair?¡± Russell said coolly, ¡°Just some baseless gossip. Nothing worth mentioning.¡± Olivia wasn¡¯t buying it for a second. ¡®Russell¡¯s always been so distant with people. Since when does he care this much about any woman? This is definitely not some minor thing!¡® Olivia thought. ¡®Could it be that Russell actually fell for Aria while I was away?¡® A sudden chill ran down Olivia¡¯s spine as an unprecedented sense of crisis gripped her. ¡°Russell, are you falling for Aria?¡± Russell was silent for a second, then shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡®He hesitated!¡® Olivia thought, her heart clenching. That split¨Csecond pause spoke volumes. He never hesitated before. A ¡°Russell, you must never fall for Arial¡± Olivia blurted urgently. ¡°All these years I¡¯ve been searching for Sara, and now I know the truth. She¡¯s dead¡­ murdered by Aria.¡± Out of Olivia¡¯s sight, Russell¡¯s eyes darkened as his face instantly twisted into a mocking sneer. ¨C He clenched his fists. His eyes ring with barely conceated murderous intent. Just as Olivia was about to continue, Vanessa abruptly appeared. Mr. Nicholson, no scenes for the today. Mind ill take the day off?¡± Russell drew a deep breath, gradually schooled his features, and turned to Vanessa. ¡°What for?¡± Vanessa tantly ignored Olivia¡¯s displeasure at being interrupted and replied, ¡°Meeting a friend. It¡¯s important.¡± Olivia snapped, ¡°Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re in the middle of a conversation? Get lost!¡± Vanessa rolled her eyes. ¡°I came to ask for a day off, but only saw Mr. Nicholson, so I had to ask him instead. Rx, Miss Pemar, trust me, I¡¯ve seen plenty of handsome men, and my standards are sky¨Chigh. Mr. Nicholson¡¯s not my type, so I won¡¯t be stealing him from you.¡± Olivia blurted out, ¡°You won¡¯t? Aria sure will!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Vanessa eximed mockingly. ¡°That makes it even more impossible. If even I don¡¯t find him attractive, there¡¯s no way my bestie would.¡± ¡°Honestly, Mr. Nicholson isn¡¯t exactly a god¨Ctier hottie. He¡¯s miles away from my bestie¡¯s standards. Why would she even botherpeting with you for him.¡± Sensing Russell¡¯s icy gaze, Vanessa choked up and shed him a forced smile. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, that¡¯s not what I meant. Please don¡¯t take it the wrong way.¡± Again Marriage 373 Chapter 373 Russell scented coldly. ¡°Then what exactly did you mean?¡± Varmssa hoze. Oh shit! just pissed off the boss!¡® She thought, panicking. Vanessa gave an awkward chuckle. ¡°Uh, M¡­ Mr. Nicholson¡­ is that day off still possible?¡± Russell was lost for words. Olivia snapped, ¡°Get the hell out of here!¡± ¡°Got it! Thanks for letting me take the day off, Mr. Nicholson,¡± Vanessa said as she quickly made her exit. With that parting shot, Vanessa didn¡¯t hesitate¨Cshe bolted away. Meanwhile, Derek arrived in Kanit City without a hitch and headed straight to the office to check in. He knocked on Patrick¡¯s office door. ¡°Mr. Walker, I¡¯m here,¡± Derek said. Patrick looked up, set down his pen, and stood. ¡°You did well on your exams. I¡¯ll take you to Kanit Universit for a tour and introduce you to my professor.¡± Derek looked surprised. ¡°But, I¡¯m from Mandino University. What¡¯s the point of touring Kanit University?¡± Patrick exined, ¡°The main point is for you to meet my professor.¡± He stressed the word ¡°professor.¡± Derek finally got it. His face lit up. ¡®Whoa, his mentor is actually Professor Reed!¡® He was just about to agree when he suddenly paused. ¡°But Professor Reed is a professor at Kanit University. What¡¯s the point of me, a Mandino student, meeting him?¡± Patrick fixed Derek with a withering look for several long seconds, as if he were an idiot. ¡°Just go when I tell you to. No backtalk.¡± Derek sighed and said, ¡°Alright then.¡± Hearing Derek¡¯s half¨Chearted tone, Patrick rubbed his temples and let out a sigh. Aria¡¯s little brother was a bit of a fool. On his way out, Derek suddenly realized something. ¡®Wait. Isn¡¯t Mom taking Lennox to meet Professor Reed today too? What if we run into them? On the way to Kanit University, Derek¡¯s phone buzzed with a message from Aria. Derek turned his head hesitantly. ¡°Patrick, how about we don¡¯t go to Kanit University today?¡± ere wasn¡¯t a Koploputer se lehre stud who didn¡¯t sitaire beaupoki, They were Mways trying every possible way to meet the professor, Who in their right mind wouldn¡¯t want to? Patrick was speechless not a few seconds. ¡°You really that busy?¡° Derek nodded. ¡°My sister¡¯sing over with a friend to see me.¡± Patrick asked, ¡°Who matters more to you? Your sister or my teacher? Derek didn¡¯t hesitate for a second. ¡°My sister.¡± Patrick was rendered speechless. Suddenly remembering something. Patrick turned his head. ¡°Wait, the ¡®sister¡® you mentioned, is that your cousin, Aria?¡± Derek nodded again. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Wait, Patrick, you actually know my cousin Aria?¡± Patrick nodded this time. ¡°Yeah, I know her. Actually, the reason I noticed you in the first ce was because of her. She mentioned you to me.¡± Derek froze, his hands instinctively clenching into fists. So it was Aria all along. Derek felt his eyes well up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner? I could have been happy for longer.¡± Patrick chuckled, ¡°I thought you¡¯d be upset, feeling like you got in through connections.¡± Derek shot back, ¡°Upset? Are you kidding? Having someone look out for me, I couldn¡¯t be happier! My sister is seriously the best ever.¡± Patrick said, ¡°Sure, your sister got you on my radar, but you¡¯ve more than earned your ce. You deserve this.¡± Derek¡¯s eyes welled up. ¡°Patrick, thanks for saying that.¡± Patrick let out a helpless sigh.¡°We¡¯re nearly there. Let¡¯s just drop by. Text Aria and tell her to meet us on Kanit University¡¯s backstreet. There¡¯s an old restaurant there with amazing food. I finally got us a table. Perfect timing for us all to eat together.¡± Derek knew that old restaurant well. Because of its low prices, it was even more popr than Amour Bistro. Derek nodded eagerly and was just about to text when a new message popped up on his phone. [Derek, we¡¯re here at Kanit University! It¡¯s gorgeous here] There was a photo attached. [Oh, your mom¡¯s here too! She¡¯s taking me to meet Professor Reed!] [Do you know who Professor Reed is?] Derek snorted coldly. He was already on the way. Of course he knew who Professor Reed was. He was feeling happy now, so he didn¡¯t bother arguing with this person. S ** They might run into each other, and Derek suddenly found himself looking forward to the expression on Lennox¡¯s face when he saw him. Chapter 374 Chapter 374 Again Marriage 374 Chapter 374 Deangelo Gloria knocked on Deangelo¡¯s office door, carrying a fruit basket. Lennox, standing beside her, tried to contain his excitement. Deangelo looked up, surprised to see her. ¡°Well, what brings you here?¡± Gloria chuckled and walked in with the basket. ¡°Guess what brings me here.¡± The two had been old ssmates for years and always kept in touch. ¡°I had some business in Kanit City, so I thought I¡¯d drop by and see you. By the way, let me introduce you. This is Lennox, my nephew. He¡¯s been passionate aboutputer science since he was a kid, and he¡¯s quite talented.¡± Lennox¡¯s face lit up with joy as he stepped forward politely. ¡°Professor Reed, I¡¯ve admired you since I was little. It¡¯s an honor to finally meet you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just been admitted to Kanit University for a master¡¯s degree.¡± The official admission notice from Kanit University hadn¡¯t been issued yet. This kid¡¯s wording was a bit imprecise. He was definitely not the kind of student Deangelo was looking for. But Gloria¡¯s visit today was clearly for this purpose. After so many years of friendship, pulling a few strings wasn¡¯t out of the question. Deangelo nodded. ¡°Not bad.¡± He nced at Gloria and couldn¡¯t help teasing, ¡°Bringing gifts to win me over? It¡¯s just taking on a student, not a big deal.¡± Hearing his agreement, Gloriaughed. ¡°These are freshly picked fruits. I know you¡¯ve got a sweet tooth, so I brought them along for you.¡± Seeing how approachable Deangelo was, Lennox suddenly felt a wave of nerves. This visit, brought by his aunt, was the best chance he had. Lennox carefully reached into his pocket and took out a sses case. He said earnestly, ¡°Professor Reed, I¡¯ve always admired you. I heard you have a strong prescription, so I specially prepared this for you.¡± These were custom¨Cmade sses Lennox hadmissioned from abroad, worth tens of thousands of dors. He wasn¡¯t just hoping to make a good impression, he was also looking for a chance to ask to be Deangelo¡¯s disciple. There¡¯s a world of difference between being a student and being a disciple. A student was just an ordinary learner in the ssroom, ultimately still an outsider. But a disciple was like family and the master would teach with wholehearted dedication. Even Patrick hadn¡¯t been lucky enough to be Deangelo¡¯s disciple. Lennox¡¯s sudden move lett Deangelo staring in disbelief. Over the years, students had tried to get close to him, but always after building a rtionship first. No one had ever asked to be his pers apprentice at their very first meeting. This was the first time he¡¯d encountered such a direct request. Gloria¡¯s expression shifted. She looked at Lennox in shock. She hadn¡¯t expected him to pull something like this out of nowhere. With a gift back. Any further insistence would only invite a scolding. Lennox hurried to exin, ¡°Professor Reed, this is just a small token of respect from me as a junior. Even if you don¡¯t ept me, I still want you to have it.¡± Deangelo¡¯s face darkened. He said sternly, ¡°University professors cannot be bribed. You must take this back. If word gets out, I could lose my position. Custom¨Cmade sses require precise measurements. He had no idea where Lennox had gotten the data. This had crossed Deangelo¡¯s bottom line. Seeing the professor¡¯s displeasure, Lennox quickly retrieved the sses case. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, to a teacher was normal.¡± Deangelo remained expressionless. ¡°You¡¯re not my student yet.¡± Professor Reed. I didn¡¯t think it through. I thought giving a gift With such impulsive behavior, he would never ept Lennox as a student. His intentions weren¡¯t right, and he was bound to be nothing but trouble. ¡°I¡¯ll have to give it some more thought before agreeing to be your teacher.¡± At these words, Lennox¡¯s expression changed instantly. He was about to speak, but Gloria stopped him and quickly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Sorry, Deangelo. This kid hasn¡¯t been out in the real world and just got the wrong idea.¡± Gloria added, ¡°Think it over and do as you wish.¡± AD Again Marriage 375 Chapter 375 Deangelo¡¯s expression softened a little. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got work to do, so I won¡¯t keep you. Let¡¯s grab a meal together next time? Glona said awkwardly, ¡°Okay.¡± Lennox could barely keep hisposure as he followed Gloria out. He reassured himself that since Gloria and Deangelo were so close, Deangelo would surely ept him eventually. He was just being cautious about agreeing right now. At that moment, Patrick and Derek walked in. The two groups nearly ran into each other. Seeing Derek, Gloria was stunned. ¡°Derek? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Mom.¡± Derek had already prepared himself for this, so he wasn¡¯t surprised to see them. He snorted, ¡°You can be here, why can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Watch your mouth.¡± Patrick turned to Deangelo. ¡°Professor, this is one of my employees, Derek. He switched majors for grad school and applied to Mandino University¡¯sputer science program. He¡¯s already been conditionally admitted.¡± ¡°What?¡± Two shocked voices rang out at the same time. One was from Gloria, the other from Lennox. Gloria stared at him. ¡°Derek, you switched toputer science? Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± If she¡¯d known her son was applying forputer science, she definitely would have brought him to meet Deangelo instead of Lennox. ¡°Would it have made any difference? You¡¯d just say I was trying topete with Lennox,¡± Derek replied, his tone t and cold, His family had never believed he could get in, let alone switch fields for grad school. In their eyes, Lennox would always outshine him. Gloria opened her mouth, but her throat tightened and she couldn¡¯t get a word out. Lennox was also stunned. He never expected Derek would get into grad school, and in the same field as him. He forced a smile. ¡°Congrats, Derek. You really kept this from us. Otherwise, maybe we could¡¯ve applied to Kanit University together.¡± Deangelo took it all in, his gaze sweeping over Gloria¡¯s slightly remorseful and guilty expression, and he was filled with mixed emotions. He found it hard to believe that Gloria didn¡¯t even know her own son had switched toputer science for graduate school, yet she paid so much attention to her nephew, personally bringing him here to meet him. Honestly, he was at a loss for words. Deangelo managed a smile. ¡°Switching majors and still getting into Mandino University? That¡¯s impressive, young man. Kanit University¡¯s admission score isn¡¯t much higher. Why didn¡¯t you apply there?¡± Facing Deangelo, Derek¡¯s eyes showed even more respect. ¡°I¡¯m happy staying at my alma mater, especially since my sister¡¯s here.¡± Deangelo was surprised. ¡°Your sister?¡± Isn¡¯t Gloria¡¯s eldest daughter an actress? he thought. Patrick exined. ¡°Professor, his sister is Aria Saxon, the girl who saved me. Aria saved Patrick?¡® Derek was puzzled and curious. His mind was full of questions. Deangelo remembered how Patrick had been tricked into joining a scam organization. Sending money was useless, and he was so worried about it that he nearly pulled all his hair out, Fortunately, Patrick hade back safe, and the money w recovered. He¡¯d always been deeply grateful to the girl who saved Patrick, but since she lived far away in Mandino City, he¡¯d never had the chance to thank her in person. Deangelo sighed, ¡°If only she were here too.¡± Patrick smiled. ¡°She actually is. She and a friend are on their way to Kanit would you¡­¡± ¡°Count me in!¡± Before Patrick could finish, Deangelo was already Now, it was Gloria and Lennox¡¯s turn to feel awkward. University. We¡¯re going to eat at that old restaurant in the backstreet. Professor, on his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We mustn¡¯t keep her waiting!¡± Not ready to give up, Lennox shamelessly chimed in, ¡°Oh, Aria¡¯s here too? Derek, Aunt Gloria and I haven¡¯t eaten yet. How about we join you?¡± Gloria was utterly conflicted. For years, she and her husband had always thought their son could neverpare to Lennox, but reality had just dealt them a stinging p. Right under their noses, Derek had be so capable, and they¡¯d beenpletely blind She and her husband had noticed Lennox targeting Derek, but chose not to intervene. On one hand, Derek¡¯s grandmother¡¯s favoritism toward Derek only fueled Lennox¡¯s jealousy and to it resentment. On the other, they thought Derek was too artless, hoping this would help him develop resilience and strategic thinking. Lennox had been promoted solely because he was family. Anyone else from the Fletchers would have received the same treatment. But the situation now waspletely different from what she had expected. ¡°Tables there only seat six,¡± Patrick said tly. ¡°No room for more.¡± Comment Send gift * AD No Ads Again Marriage 376 At the entrance of Kanit University, As Ana closed the car door, a breeze carried a lower petal right onto the brim of Vanessa¡¯s cap. Aria approached, flicking a petal from Vanessa¡¯s cap with her fingertips as she whispered, ¡°Someone is following us.¡± Vanessa, wearing a baseball cap to keep a low profile, adjusted her ponytail as an excuse to discreetly nce back. ¡°The gray Honda?¡± Aria nodded slightly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°We haven¡¯t pissed anyone offtely, so who¡¯d tail us all the way to Kanit City?¡± Vanessa suddenly thought of someone. ¡°Could it be Olivia? She wouldn¡¯t actuallye after you because of those rumors, would she?¡± At the thought, her eyes grew alert. ¡®Damn that jerk Russell,¡® Vanessa fumed inwardly. He¡¯s always hanging around my best friend every single day! ¡®She rolled her eyes. ¡®Those two idiots!¡® Aria gave Vanessa¡¯s cap a gentle tap. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep my guard up from now on.¡± ¡°Aria!¡± Derek called out, his voice cutting through the summer cicadas¡® drone. He dashed out of the school gate, juggling several cups of fruit tea. If not for the drinks in his hands, he would¡¯ve hugged Aria tightly. ¡°I missed you so much.¡± Aria teased, ¡°Didn¡¯t we just have dinner the other day?¡± Derek grinned and yfully joked, ¡°Not seeing you for a day feels like ages, so after all these days, it¡¯s practically been years!¡± His eyes sparkled with such warmth that anyone unaware of the truth would have thought he was Aria¡¯s own little brother. That¡¯s exactly what Gloria thought as she stood at the entrance. It was the first time Gloria had seen Derek express his emotions so openly and directly show affection for someone. Derek genuinely adored Aria. Aria also seemed quite protective of him. They looked just like real siblings, while Gloria couldn¡¯t help but feel like an outsider. Patrick stepped forward with a polite smile and greeted Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Long time no see.¡± Patrick said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to properly thank you for helping with that scam ring. Since we¡¯ve run into each other, how about I treat you to dinner?¡± ¡°Count me in,¡± Deangelo stepped forward, his face brimming with gratitude. ¡°We owe you our deepest thanks for rescuing two of our university¡¯s students.¡± Kanit University deliberately kept quiet about Patrick and Rhett infiltrating the scam ring. Otherwise, they would have thanked Aria publicly privately. than Let me introduce my professor, Patrick said promptly. This is Professor Deangelo Reed,¡± Aria smiled and replied. ¡°Thank you, Professor Reed. Honestly, Patrick and the others deserve just as much credit for that ¨C ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, those two rascals wouldn¡¯t have dared to pull it off.¡± Vanessa knew about Patrick and Rhett¡¯s involvement, but Derek waspletely in the dark. His eyes widened in disbelief. He just couldn¡¯t believe someone as capable as Patrick had actually busted an entire scam ring. That¡¯s so awesome. He wouldn¡¯t even dare to imagine it. He wished Aria had taken him along back then. Aria introduced Vanessa to the group. ¡°This is Vanessa, my best friend¡± ¡°Hi everyone,¡± Vanessa shed a lopsided, kittenish grin. Deangelo studied Vanessa, suddenly struck by a sense of familiarity, but he couldn¡¯t quite ce where he¡¯d seen her before. Patrick suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s head to the backstreet first and chat on the way.¡± So the five of them set off together. As they left, Aria scanned behind them. The car was gone. Lennox was left standing to the side, feeling resentful. Then, he put on a pitiful expression and said, ¡°Auntie, do they have a misunderstanding about me?¡± In the past, whenever Gloria saw that pitiful look on Lennox¡¯s face, she wouldfort him despite her inner exasperation. But now, she simply couldn¡¯t be bothered. A ¡°Even I, his own mother, got ignored. What makes you think you¡¯d be any different? I¡¯ve got things to do. Just go back on your own,¡± Gloria said curtly. With that, she hailed a cab and left without looking back. Lennox stared at the receding taillights, a flicker of resentment shing in his eyes. If she had mentioned it earlier, there would have been exactly six of them and he could have gone with them to that old restaurant. In the car, Gloria called Arnav, her voice trembling with emotion and uncertainty. ¡°Honey¡­ have we been wrong all these years¡­?¡± The five of them arrived at an old restaurant called ¡°vor Essence¡± on the backstreet. The signboard hanging at the entrance was worn smooth and rounded with age, its surface bearing the marks of time. Peering inside, several vintage pendant lights hung from the ceiling. The faded retro patterns on the tiled walls and the sturdy, rustic wooden tables ar chairs added to the antique feel of the ce. The restaurant was bustling with lively chatter, nearly packed with diners. Patrick said, ¡°This ce has been here for fifty years. Everyone visiting Kanit Cityes here. The food is absolutely incredible.¡± Derek swallowed hard. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go in already!¡± Aria knew this ce well. Her mentor, Cloe, had trained here for a full year to master their culinary secrets. 10:19 Thu, 19 Jun Patrick gave the reservation number, and the group was then led to a table by the window. After they sat down, Patrick handed the menu to Aria and Vanessa. Both smiled and said they weren¡¯t picky eaters, leaving the ordering to Deangelo. Deangelo didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. With a cheerful grin, he said, ¡°Well then, I won¡¯t hold back.¡± He gave Derek a look and said, ¡°You pick something too.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Derek said cheerfully. Aria leaned in and whispered to Patrick, ¡°Who else has seen that portrait sketch from before?¡± Patrick froze for a second, recalling. ¡°When I was checking on it, a few colleagues happened to see it. Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Someone found out I was looking for someone, and they even got their hands on the sketch,¡± Aria said quietly. Patrick¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I¡¯ll get to the bottom of it.¡± Aria gave a brief nod. ¡°Mm.¡± Aria knew Patrick was very busy, so she didn¡¯t bother him about it. After all, it wasn¡¯t anything that could actually threaten her. Now that they¡¯d met, she figured it was fine to have him look into it. After ordering, Derek looked at Vanessa expectantly and asked with a smile, ¡°Vanessa, are you really that good at coding?¡± If Aria said he could ask Vanessa aboutputer¨Crted questions, then that meant she was a pro in the field. Vanessa lifted her chin with a yful, smug grin. ¡°Of course. When ites to hacking skills, I could easily im second ce.¡± Deangelo couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Well, she sure has a lot of confidence in herrself¡­¡± But before he could finish, his gazended on Vanessa¡¯s face and froze. The girl before him now ovepped perfectly with the memory¨Cthe girl on the surveince footage, shing a peace sign with a lollipop in her mouth. Deangelo shot to his feet, too stunned to push his sses back up as they slid down his nose. ¡°You¡¯re the hacker who breached Nexa Corporation all those years ago?¡± His gaze snapped toward Aria. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re the Nexa executive¡­¡± Realizing something, he stopped mid¨Csentence. AD Comment Again Marriage 377 Cybrix was founded in the early 1990s and quickly rose to be a leader in theputer industry. Deangelo worked there before returning ishi home country. Back then, thepany suffered a major hacking incident. Luckily, the hacker was just showing off and didn¡¯t actually do any damage However, this incident forced the entirepany into months of overtime, scrambling to patch every vulnerability they could incover Utterly humiliated, the boss of Cybrix poured a fortune into tracking down the intruder, only to receive a photo of Vanessa, with no further information to be found. At the time, no one could believe thepany hacker was just a young girl. In the end, so the matter eventually faded away without resolution. Later, a seniorpany executive died under mysterious circumstances. Only then did they realize the hacker hadn¡¯t broken into thepany¡¯s system just to show off. She¡¯d been digging up dirt on that executive. That guy was a real scoundrel, but with his substantial stake in thepany, even the boss couldn¡¯t do a thing about him. By unspoken agreement, no one mentioned thepany¡¯s breach again, and the photo was deliberately destroyed. Unexpectedly, today he actually ran into the person from the photo right here. At first, Deangelo failed to recognize her, because Vanessa in that photo looked strikingly young and was wearing disguise makeup. If not for that faintly familiar tone of hers, confident with a touch of boldness, Deangelo would never have connected the woman in front of me with the girl from that photo in my memory. Deangelo¡¯s words sent a jolt through Vanessa¡¯s heart. She instinctively nced at Aria, and seeing Aria¡¯s calm expression, she steadied herself. With an easy smile, Vanessa said, ¡°Professor Reed, I¡¯m still so young, no way I could have skills that impressive.¡± Derek could hardly believe his ears. He thought. ¡®Wait a second, wasn¡¯t someone just bragging about being the second¨Cbest hacker in the world?¡® Deangelo scrutinized Vanessa¡¯s features, bing even more certain. It was her. As for that senior executive who died under mysterious circumstances¡­ Deangelo looked at Aria, his gaze sharp with unspoken suspicion This senior executive was notorious for his countless misdeeds. Everyone wanted him gone. His sudden death caused quite a stir at the time. The rivalpany hired inte trolls to pin the me on the boss, but the n backfired. The public ended up praising them instead. This was a criminal case, and the boss didn¡¯t dare admit any involvement. When investigators linked it to thepany¡¯s hacking incident, both cases were investigated together¨Cultimately revealing it was the work of a hired assassin. The assassin was actually quite famous, and friends with the hacker in the photo. The fact that assassins took the job proved that someone hired a hitman tomit murder. The boss didn¡¯t investigate further and instead used other methods to handle the public rtions crisis. Since Aria and Vanessa knew each other, Deangelo couldn¡¯t just suspect Aria outright. Another reason was that Aria had taken down that group of scammers. There¡¯s no way this was just a coincidence, They must have done it Deangelo had no intention of exposing them on the spot. He eased into his seat and said with a faint smile, ¡°If you say so, alright then a Patrick and Derek werepletely confused by what they were hearing Derek scratched his head and whispered to Patrick, ¡°What are they talking about?¡± Patrick shook his head, indicating he had no clue either. Derek, still looking a bit lost but not forgetting what really mattered, pulled out his phone with an eager grin. ¡°Vanessa, can I have your phone number? If I have anyputer¨Crted questions, could I ask you for help?¡± Vanessa smiled warmly and said, ¡°Of course! If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime. Anyone who¡¯s Aria¡¯s brother is my brother too. Deangelo also pulled out his phone and also saved her number. ¡°Me too. Would you mind if I consulted you from time to time? I¡¯ve been exploring this field myselftely.¡± Vanessa¡¯s lips twitched. Patrick also pulled out his phone to save her number. Vanessa sighed in exasperation, ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys just start a group chat already?¡± Again Marriage 378 Chapter 378 Derek nodded with exaggerated seriousness. ¡°Good point! The four of us are in the same major. Let¡¯s get this group chat going! Vanessa was stunned. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Aria nced at Derek and said, ¡°I¡¯m not even aputer science major, what¡¯s the point of adding me to the group chat?¡± Derek grinned and said, ¡°Family should stick together.¡± Aria was speechless. After the meal, the five of them went their separate ways. Aria and Vanessa took a cab to the mall and dove into a shopping spree, soon loading up with bags until their arms were full. In the end, they had everything delivered straight to the film set. On their way back, they noticed they were being tailed again. Arriving at the edge of the set, Aria stopped and said, ¡°I¡¯ll move somewhere else to see exactly who they¡¯re after.¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably after you,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°How about we set a ¡± She drew a finger across her throat. Aria shed a confident smile. ¡°Once we unmask the mastermind, I¡¯ll be back tonight.¡± Just then, the mall delivery arrived. Vanessa had no choice but to nod. ¡°Fine, be careful out there.¡± Vanessa called over the staff and started handing out the shopping bags with them. Just then, Russell walked over and caught sight of Aria¡¯s retreating back. A staff member quietly handed Vanessa the mosquito repellent patches she¡¯d bought and whispered, ¡°Ms. Ward, since you picked these out, why don¡¯t you give them to Mr. Nicholson yourself?¡± Vanessa snatched the items from the staff member¡¯s hand and said firmly, ¡°Don¡¯t give them any. Neither Mr. Nicholson nor Olivia gets a thing.¡± The staff member could only stare. ¡®Ms. Ward¡­ that¡¯s our boss! You don¡¯t have to say it so loudly just because you¡¯re not giving it to him.¡® She thought anxiously. Russell overheard Vanessa¡¯s remark. He shot her a cold nce before walking away. Not far away, White Fox stared at Russell¡¯s retreating back, a flicker of worry crossing his eyes. Inside a private bar. Under the dim amber lighting, a man in his sixties reclined on the sofa, exuding an air of authority. The woman nestled in his arms fed him pieces of fruit with a sweet smile. ¡°Sir, while you were away these past few years, we¡¯ve been running this bar with great care.¡± The old man sported a buzz cut, his cor casually open to reveal a thin, bony neck. He gave the woman¡¯s waist a light pat. ¡°Nice work.¡± A ck¨Cd bodyguard entered and reported respectfully, ¡°Sir, Aria is at the film set. She¡¯s heading out.¡± The old man lifted his eyelids, his eyes deep in their sunken socketa glinting like vipers lurking in the dark ¡°Move out- The bodyguard obeyed and left at once, The woman nestled in his arms daringly patted his chest and pouted, ¡°Who is Aria?¡± He stroked her hair and said, ¡°Take a wild guess.¡± The woman pouted coquettishly and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t gone and fallen for another wornan, have you? I¡¯ve been with you for fifteen years. You can¡¯t just cast me aside now.¡± ¡°Rx. Even if I ever take a liking to another woman, I still wouldn¡¯t leave you behind.¡± Aria stepped out of the film set and headed toward a secluded spot. It wasn¡¯t long before a van came tearing around the corner and screeched to a halt right next to her.. The van door flew open and two men leapt out, wielding towels, clearly intending to use them on Aria as they charged straight at her. In a sh, the girl whirled around and delivered a wless roundhouse kick, sending the man with the towel flying. The other man¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, Aria lunged forward, grabbed his wrist, and gave it a sharp twist. With a sickening crack, he screamed in pain and dropped to his knees. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± Aria scoffed. ¡°And you dared to try a kidnapping in broad daylight?¡± The driver had barely scrambled out of the van when, in just three or four seconds, he saw both his partners already sprawled on the ground. He stood frozen, not daring to even breathe, and slipped into the back seat. Aria ordered, ¡°Get in. Take me to your boss.¡± Again Marriage 379 Chapter 379 The bodyguards were stunned. Who¡¯s kidnapping who here? Without hesitation, the bodyguard scrambled into the driver¡¯s seat. For some reason, the bodyguard on the ground p his teeth against the pain, scrambled up, and limped hurriedly toward the front passenger seat his movements frantic and unsteady. The bodyguard with the broken arm was visibly terrified, not daring to even approach the back seat. ¡°Stop wasting time!¡± Aria snapped. He had no choice but to obediently get in the car. As the car started, the bodyguard in the front passengers r seat stealthily pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling slightly as he attempted to send a message to Isaac. He slowly lifted his head, only to suddenly lock eyes s with Aris reflection in the rearview mirror. A faint smirk yed on Aria¡¯s lips as she drawled, ¡°Going to make a call?¡± The bodyguard was so startled that his phone nearly slipped from his grasp. He nodded frantically and startmered, ¡°Y¡­ yes, yes!¡± Aria fixed him with a cool stare. ¡°What are you nning to say?¡± ¡°Should we¡­ should we say we¡¯ve caught you?¡± the bodyguard stammered nervously. Aria didn¡¯t respond, which counted as tacit approval. With fingers shaking uncontrobly, the bodyguard stammered into the phone, ¡°Mr. Shaw¡­ we¡¯ve got her.¡± He hung up in a panic the moment he finished speaking. Aria arched an eyebrow. ¡°Nicely done.¡± The bodyguard on the left was practically glued to the car door, not daring to even nce in her direction. Suddenly, Aria grabbed his arm. He gasped, eyes wide with terror. With a sharp twist, she snapped his dislocated arm back into ce. The man had been drenched in cold sweat from the pain. Once his arm was set back, astonishment flooded his eyes. After a long pause, he finally choked out, ¡°Th¡­ thank you.¡± Soon, they arrived at the bar. Aria pushed open the car door, scanned the area, and asked coolly, ¡°This is the ce?¡± The three bodyguards hastily led the way, nodding frantically. ¡°Yes, right this way.¡± Aria stepped inside and immediately spotted the old man lounging on the sofa. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± Isaac fixed her with a beady¨Ceyed stare, his gaze radiating icy malice. ¡°No wonder that brat took a liking to you. You¡¯ve got the looks, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± Hemanded icily, ¡°Contact Owen.¡± Chapter 373 In that Instant, Ana realized who he was This man was Isaac. Aria finally rxedpletely. He would be easy to handle. Without waiting for an invitation, Aria dragged a chair over and sat down like she owned the ce, her expression utterly rxed. Seeing Aria¡¯s casual posture, the woman frowned andined to Isaac, ¡°She¡¯s showing you no respect at all!¡± Isaac¡¯s target wasn¡¯t her to begin with, so he didn¡¯t pay it much mind and casually waved his hand, saying, ¡°Let her be.¡± The woman cooed in a sickly sweet voice, ¡°Mr. Shaw¡­¡± Aria let out a derisive snort. ¡°Pushing sixty and still acting all cutesy? Maybe your Mr. Shaw doesn¡¯t mind, but I sure as hell do, it¡¯s downright disgusting The woman¡¯s expression hardened in an instant. She sprang to her feet, jabbing a finger at Aria, on the verge ofshing out. ¡°Sit down!¡± Isaac barked. The woman immediately sat down meekly, not daring to utter another word. Isaac fixed Aria with a sinister smirk. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts, girl. Just the way I like it.¡± Aria fixed them with an icy stare. ¡°Don¡¯t make me sick, or I¡¯ll send you right back where you came from.¡± Suddenly, a sharp crack shattered the tense silence. Isaac crushed the ss in his hand, shards scattering across the table. A flicker of despair shed in the three bodyguards¡® eyes. If a fight broke out and they didn¡¯t step in, would the boss strangle them to death? [Aria is here. Come to Kanit City if you want to save her. Isaac.] Owen¡¯s expression changed abruptly; his first reaction was disbelief. But he knew this number better than anyone else. Owen immediately booked the soonest ticket, strode out, and called Aria. Aria¡¯s phone buzzed in her pocket. Isaac¡¯s piercing gaze remained locked on Aria. When he heard the faint buzzing from her pocket, he whipped his head toward the three bodyguards and, his voice dripping with menace, demanded, ¡°You didn¡¯t confiscate her phone?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 380 Instantly, the three bodyguards bowed deeply. ¡°Our apologies, Mr. Shaw Aria pulled out her phone with a mocking smirk and sneered, ¡°What are you so afraid off if I don¡¯t answer, do you really think Owen, would be out i hero?? With that, she answered the call. Owen¡¯s urgent voice came through: ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°At a bar.¡± On the other end, Owen¡¯s grip on the steering wheel loosened slightly as relief washed over him. With Aria¡¯s skills surpassing his, Owen knew there was no way she¡¯d be caught so easily. Even if she got caught, it would only be on purpose. After all, this mess stemmed from him. He had to be the one to fix it. Owen said, ¡°I just got a message from Isaac. You¡­¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± Aria cut him off before he could finish. ¡°Rx, I¡¯ve got this. I just got tired from shopping, so I¡¯m taking a little break here.¡± Under the watchful eyes of Isaac and his bodyguards, she casually shifted positions, settling deeper into her seat with deliberate ease. ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. If this person has a grudge against you, why drag me into it?¡± Owen fell silent, his voice heavy with guilt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aria said, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. me that blind old bastard instead.¡± Isaac exploded with rage, his face turning beet red. ¡®Did that brat just call me a blind old bastard?¡® He shot to his feet. The sudden movement sent the woman beside him tumbling off the sofa. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m hanging up,¡± Aria said into the phone. She pocketed her phone and locked eyes with Isaac. ¡°About to make a move?¡± ¡°I only wanted to use you to lure Owen here,¡± Isaac said, his eyes glinting with malice. ¡°But I¡¯ve changed my mind. Since you¡¯re the woman he loves most, I think it¡¯ll be much more fun to break you.¡± Aria looked genuinely shocked. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m supposed to be someone¡¯s one true love? Owen? Who the hell said that?¡± Aria fired off three rapid questions in disbelief. Isaac sneered, ¡°Now you regret it? Toote.¡± He snarled, ¡°Strip her!¡± Isaac¡¯s bodyguards, all exclusively trained by the Shaw family, hesitated. They had never crossed any real moral lines before. Isaac¡¯s eyes turned cial as he issued a bone¨Cchilling warning. ¡°If you don¡¯t act now, I¡¯ll skip you alive!¡± The first to act were the same three bodyguards who had tried to capture Aria earlier. They already knew how this would end, so they just went through the motions. Within moments, the bodyguards in the private room were sent flying one after another, crashing to the fee in ntes Ana dusted off her clothes, coolly raised her eyes, her gaze locking onto Isaac. Isaac¡¯s fate twisted in terror as he stumbled backward, his voice trembling. ¡°Y¡­ you¡­ you.., Ana snatched the fruit knife from the table and hurled it in one fluid motion. Her knife struck Isaac in the leg. He let out a blood¨Ccurdling stream and copsed to the floor, clutching his wound in agony Aria pressed the de closer and wained, ¡°Try me again, and this knife finds your heart!¡± She brushed herself off and str?de out of the bar without a backward nce, The woman cowered in the corner, too terrified to make a sound. Only after Aria left did she dare to crawl forward on her hands and knees, her face streaked with tears. ¡°Mr. Shaw¡­ hold on, please! I¡¯ll call an ambnce right away!¡± Just as Aria stepped out of the VIP room, Anabel came rushing toward her, followed closely by an unfamiliar middle¨Caged man. ¡°Aria!¡± Anabel hurried over to Aria, scanning her from head to toe, anxiety Aria shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Anabel let out a relieved sigh. ¡°You scared me to death!¡± over her face. ¡°Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did Grandpa harm you?¡± The middle¨Caged man studied Aria intently, then stepped past her and entered the private room. His gaze instantly froze as he took in the scene before him. Isaac grimaced in agony, his face contorted with rage as he snarled, ¡°Owen¡¯s girl did this! Take them out!¡± Aria took two steps back, tilted her head slightly, and said, ¡°My name is Aria. I¡¯m not Owen¡¯s girl, just a friend.¡± She warned coldly, ¡°Call me wrong again, and I¡¯ll blind you.¡± Again Marriage 381 With a knife still embedded in his leg, Isaac was unable to sit or kneel property. Locking eyes with Aris, hatred bumped in his gave ? (elv bellowed, ¡°Tom, kill her!¡± Tom was the patriarch of the Shaw family in Kanit City and Anabel¡¯s father. Seeing the bloody scene, he frowned slightly and looked at Aria, saying, ¡°Even though he was at fault, you were a bit too harsh Aria crossed her arms, her expression dripping with sarca ¡°Victim ming? Seriously? What era is this that people still y that game?¡± Aria shot back sarcastically. ¡°Instead of ming others, why don¡¯t you just cage that bastard up and chain him, so he can¡¯t get out and hurt anyone else?¡± Tom knew exactly what kind of man Isaac was, but he found Aria¡¯s methods excessively brutal, utterlycking the grace and refinement expected of a well¨Cbred youngdy from a respectable family. Her words were just as infuriating. He wouldn¡¯t have said a word if it were anyone else. But this just happened to be the girl Owen had taken a liking to. Tom said, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to me anyone. But you and Owen are bound to be together eventually. If you push the Shaw family too far, marrying into family won¡¯te easy.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Anabel¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡®This is over.¡® Aria lifted her eyes in utter disgust. ¡°Feudal relic.¡± With that, she sauntered off. For the first time in his life, Tom was insulted like this. His face froze, his brows furrowing into a deep scowl. He snapped, ¡°That girl ispletely ill- mannered. Owen¡¯s father would never allow someone like her to be a part of the Shaw family.¡± Anabel¡¯s head was buzzing with anger when she heard that, and she immediately retorted, ¡°He is nothing like you narrow¨Cminded people.¡± ¡°It was clearly Grandpa Isaac who tried to hurt someone, but Dad, the moment you showed up, you started ming others. No wonder Owen¡¯s fam left for Mandino City. I can¡¯t stand you people!¡± With that, she decisively ran after Aria. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t listen to that fossilized old man,¡± Anabel said quickly. ¡°Owen¡¯s family left the n years ago. We¡¯ve barely kept in touch since.¡± Aria shrugged. ¡°Rx. I don¡¯t waste breath on idiots.¡± Anabel was stunned. She swallowed theforting words she¡¯d prepared. ¡°Aria, please don¡¯t let this drive a wedge between you and Owen.¡± Aria stopped in her tracks and fixed Anabel with a serious gaze. ¡°Why would there be any rift between us?¡± Chapter 481. That old fossil thinks I¡¯m en Owen¡¯s side, and your dad also believes I¡¯m bravelyed was kin Why does everyone think that?¡± Anabel swallowed hard, her tone a bit tense. ¡°Owen doesn¡¯t have any female friends You¡¯re the only one, and you tive night across from that¡¯s why they got the wrong idea.¡± Aria thought to hersell, ¡®Owen doesn¡¯t have any other female friends? She epted the exnation. ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll straighten things out for you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Right as the two of them stepped out of the bar, an ambnce came screeching to a halt right in front of them. Anabel suddenly remembered something, her hand shooting out to grab Aria¡¯s. ¡°Aria¡­¡± Aria turned to her, concern in her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Anabel quickly let go, fidgeting awkwardly. ¡°Never mind.¡± Aria gently ruffled Anabel¡¯s hair and asked softly, ¡°Are you afraid of Isaac?¡± Anabel froze, surprise flickering in her eyes. ¡°You noticed?¡± Aria nodded slightly. ¡°Yes.¡± Anabel¡¯s eyes welled up. Even after all these years, none of her family ever realized he was afraid of Isaac, but Aria saw it clearly. Aria gently draped an arm around Anabel¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Home or back to school? I can take you. Or, if you¡¯d rather talk, I¡¯m here for you.¡± Anabel hesitated for a few seconds, but finally couldn¡¯t hold it in. ¡°When I was little, I saw Grandpa Isaac in a violent rage. He nearly strangled a nanny to death. But the family just paid her off and covered it up.¡± ¡°Did you ever consider telling your parents?¡± AD Again Marriage 382 Chapter 382 ¡°No.¡± She shook her head, her voice tinged with defeat. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t make any difference¡± ¡°They¡¯d just always take his side. Even when Grandpa Isaac did something wrongter, if Owen hadn¡¯t stood up for the victim, the while thine de de Just been swept under the rug¡± ¡°Grandpa Isaac knows I saw that scene, and sometimes he gives me a sinister smile. I often have nightmares because of it. Anabel never felt safe in this household. Sometimes she wished she were the biological granddaughter of Owen¡¯s grandfather then she could have left Kanit City with them. Aria said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Isaac wouldn¡¯t dare hurt you. Next time he smiles at you, just smack him over the head. Make sure there are witnesses.¡± If he hurt outsiders, the Shaw family could pay to cover it up. But if he harmed his own family, he¡¯d bepletely abandoned. He didn¡¯t have the guts. Otherwise, there¡¯d be no one left to cover for him. Anabel couldn¡¯t even imagine it. ¡°He would kill me.¡± Aria reassured her, ¡°He won¡¯t. If they ask why you did it, just tell the truth. Say he was giving you that creepy smile and it scared you.¡± ¡°If once doesn¡¯t work, do it twice. After a few times, it¡¯ll be second nature.¡± Anabel sniffled and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it a shot next time.¡± If her parents started yelling at her, she would just run away to Mandino City and stay with Owen and the others. After dropping Anabel off at home, Aria asked the driver to take her to a roasted chestnut stand. As soon as Anabel got out of the car, she immediately pulled out her phone and called Owen. ¡°Owen! We¡¯re screwed!¡± Owen was already the high¨Cspeed train. He asked, ¡°Is she okay?¡± ¡°Aria¡¯s fine,¡± Anabel replied. ¡°She stabbed Grandpa Isaac and just walked off without a single scratch.¡± Owen asked, ¡°So what happened?¡± Anabel recounted their conversation, then said apologetically, ¡°Sorry, Owen. I really wanted to help Aria, but Dad just lost his damn mind.¡± Owen hadn¡¯t even won Aria over yet, and their family¡¯s already sabotaging everything. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Don¡¯t be alone with Isaac, got it?¡± Anabel¡¯s eyes welled up. ¡°Yeah.¡± After hanging up the phone, Anabel made up her mind. She had to protect Owen¡¯s happiness. She couldn¡¯t let Isaac mess things up for him again. At hospital. Tom sat by the hospital bed, peeling an apple as Isaac¡¯s nagging voice droned in his ears. Tom, I¡¯m your own unclel Look what Aria did to me. She left me in this statel You owe me justice today, I won¡¯t fast until he en Tom replied impassively, ¡°Uncle, you were the one who kidnapped Aria first. The fault lies entirely with you, just wanted to lure Owen out! He¡¯s the one who got me thrown in prison. You think I¡¯d just let that slide?¡± ¡°Uncle, be precise with your words. Owen was just doing his duty as awyer. You broke thew, so prison was where you belonged- Isaac¡¯s eyes burned with resentment. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll let him off for now. But what about Aria? Aren¡¯t you going to make her pay?¡± Tom¡¯s eyes turned icy as he recalled the bodyguard¡¯s words. He demanded, ¡°Did you order your men to strip that girl?¡± Just outside the hospital room, Owen, who had rushed over, happened to hear this. Without hesitation, he shoved the door open and strode inside. Tom stared at him in shock. ¡°Owen, you¡­¡± Before he could finish, Owen snatched the fruit knife from his hand and plunged it straight into Isaac. A scream tore through the air. ¡°Owen!¡± Tom leapt up to intervene, but Owen was already up. ¡°If there¡¯s a next time, I¡¯ll personally send you to the morgue!¡± He turned to leave but suddenly stopped, fixing his shocked and worried uncle with a cold stare. ¡°Uncle Tom, I call you that out of respect, but that doesn¡¯t give you the right to meddle in my affairs.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again!¡± With a conflicted gaze, Tom watched him leave before immediately pressing the nurse call button. AD Comment Again Marriage 383 Chapter 383 The shop A visited was a must visit spot in Kanit City. Vanessa loves sugar roasted chestnuts, but the shop was quite far from the film studio. It took nearly two hours for a round trip. So she¡¯s never had the chance to try them. The line was long, so Aria joined the end of it. The man in front was on a phone call, his voice slightly muffled by the face mask. ¡°Babe, I¡¯m already in line. I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±
  1. y. No one will recognize me¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. ¡°Babe, we¡¯re definitely celebrating your birthday right. I¡¯ve taken the night off to spend the whole evening with you¡± ¡°My manager¡¯s calling. I gotta go. See you soon, babe.¡± The man answered another call. ¡°Hello, bro¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m celebrating her birthday with her tonight¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll snap some secret pics so you guys can feast your eyes on a top celebrity¡¯s figure. I send them over tonight. Just wait for me.¡± Though the man spoke in a hushed tone, every word still reached Aria¡¯s ears. Aria kicked his shin and snapped coldly, ¡°Move along¡± ¡°Shit! Someone just kicked me.¡± The man hung up and turned around to re at her. ¡°You.. Seeing her face clearly, the man stopped mid¨Csentence, his eyes lighting up with surprise. He whistled and said, ¡°Well, what a beauty!¡± Only Aria was behind him. Thinking she¡¯d just arrived, he shed a grin and said, ¡°Hey pretty, just got here? Wanna give me your number?¡± Aria chuckled and said, ¡°Sure!¡± She took out her phone and gave him her number. ¡°My name is Willie Rowe. Willie Rowe¡­ Aria gave a curt ¡°Hmm.¡± Willie snapped his fingers at her with a cocky grin. ¡°Don¡¯t you think my name sounds familiar?¡± Aria nced up. ¡°Not at all.¡± Willie chuckled, leaned in close, took off his mask, and shed a dazzling smile. ¡°Recognize me now? The overpowering scent of makeup hit Aria¡¯s nose. She took a step back and forced a sardorle smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know you.¡± Willie¡¯s smile froze slightly. ¡°You don¡¯t even recognize me?¡± Aris pulled out her phone right in front of him, opened a search app, and typed in ¡°Willie Rowe.¡± Instantly, his profile popped up. He was the leader and visual center of the popr boy band Rising who rose to fame for his striking looks and was known for being dotted in both singing and dancing. Aria gave a light chuckle. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a celebrity,¡± Willie smirked proudly at his photo on her phone and leased, ¡°Handsome devil, aren¡¯t 17¡± Aria looked up at him and smirked. ¡°You don¡¯t look like your photos.¡± Willie said with a smirk, ¡°A lot of people say I¡¯m not photogenic. They think I look much better in person.¡± Aria rolled her eyes. ¡°Get in line.¡± Willie put his mask back on and kept trying to chat her up. ¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ania replied. ¡°Damn, a beauty like you is single?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m divorced,¡± Aria replied. Willie paused, then his grin widened. ¡°Your ex actually divorced a beauty like you?¡± Willie thought to himself, ¡°Someone who¡¯s been through a divorce has seen life, they shouldn¡¯t be that hard to win over.¡± ¡°He cheated on me,¡± Aria said tly. Willie teased, ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re this stunning and he still cheated? Just how drop¨Cdead gorgeous is that mistress?¡± Aria stopped responding, clearly done with the conversation. Thinking he¡¯d hit a sore spot, Willie finally stopped harping on how ¡°gorgeous¡± she was. Willie grinned and said, ¡°Hey, the world¡¯s full of guys¨Cplenty of hot ones too. You¡¯re still young, you¡¯ll meet plenty more.¡± Aria ignored him. Willie rubbed his nose sheepishly and quietly joined the queue. When his turn came, he lowered his voice and said to the vendor, ¡°¡®d like three bags of sugar¨Croasted chestnuts, please.¡± ¡°Coming right up!¡± Just as s Willie picked up his sugar¨Croasted chestnuts, his phone rang. Holding the bag in one hand, he answered with a yful, ¡°Hey, babe¡­¡± Aria said to the vendor, ¡°Two bags of sugar roasted chestnuts, please.¡± E AD Comment Again Marriage 384 Chapter 384 Chapter 384 The vendor looked apologetic. ¡°Sorry, miss, there¡¯s only one bag left.¡± ¡°One¡¯s fine.¡± After paying for her chestnuts, Aria turned around, just in time to see Willie hurrying toward a girl who was also wearing a face mask. Normally, Aria might not have recognized Tina. But after overhearing Willie¡¯s phone call mentioning a top¨Ctier superstar, she connected the dots. Tina also spotted Aria. Her eyes widened in panic. ¡°Babe¡­¡± Willie called out yfully, pulling her into a tight embrace. Tina reassured herself that Aria probably hadn¡¯t recognized her. She quickly looked away, grabbed Willie, and pulled him along. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go now!¡± Willie teased, ¡°Babe, this is the first time you¡¯ve ever taken my hand like this.¡± ¡°Tina¡± Afamiliar, sharp voice cut through from behind. Tina froze in despair before turning around. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she snapped. Willie stiffened, ncing between them in surprise. ¡°Walt¡­ you two know each other?¡± Willie shot Aria a series of desperate looks, silently begging her not to mention that he¡¯d saved her number, Aria pretended not to notice Willie¡¯s signals and, with a hint of mischiel, asked, ¡°So, is he your boyfriend?¡± Tina recolled as if burned, instantly dropping Willie¡¯s arm. ¡°No.¡± Aria said with a smirk, ¡°I heard him call you ¡®babe!¡± Tina shot her a cold look and snapped, ¡°Pretend you didn¡¯t hear that. You got divorced at just twenty¨Cthree, so why can¡¯t I date at twenty¨Csix? Aria scoffed, ¡°Sure, you can date¡­ but honestly, your taste in men is awfull She raised an eyebrow with a smirk and teased, ¡°So, are you two having a secret rtionship?¡± Tina jutted her chin. ¡°So what if we are?¡± Aria hefted the sugar¨Croasted chestnuts in her hand and grinned. ¡°Give me the chestnuts. Think of it as hush money.¡± Tina stared. ¡°What? But you already got yours!¡± ¡°One bag¡¯s not enough for me.¡± Tina was fuming. Today was her birthday, and the sugar¨Croasted chestnuts from this shop were all she¡¯d been craving. Shooting Aria a venomous re, she snatched the bag from Willie¡¯s hands and stormed toward her. ¡°You took my chestnuts. Now keep your mouth shut.¡± Aria took the bag with a smirk. ¡°I get it, it¡¯s hard for you to show him off, huh?¡± Tina bit her lip in fury and shot back, ¡°Ohe on, like your ex husband was any better?¡± ¡°Not much to show off, but still a bit more decent than your guy¡± Tina frowned sharply. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aria whispered, ¡°Your guy said he was going to secretly take photos of you so others could feast their eyes on a top celebrity¡¯s figure.¡± Tina¡¯s expression changed in an instant. Aria brushed past her, gged down two taxis, and left without looking back. Tina shot Willie a dark look and demanded, ¡°Did you two just talk?¡± Willie¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Just exchanged a few words, that¡¯s all?¡± ¡°Babe, let¡¯s get out of here. Tina wasn¡¯t that into Willie. She was filming a rom drama, and the director criticized her for ¡°delivering lines like a robot,¡± with no sense of being in love. Aber Willie had pursued her for a year, she agreed to date him, hoping it would help her get into character. She had confessed to Willie the reason she agreed to him, and he said he wouldn¡¯t mind. Tina seethed inwardly, ¡®If what Aria said is true, I¡¯ll make him pay!¡® ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go,¡± Tina said, her eyes glinting with suspicion. Tina narrowed her eyes and thought, ¡®Let¡¯s see how he dares to take those sneaky photos. Film Studio. As soon as Aria stepped out of the tax, she caught sight of Owen standing by the studio entrance. Owen stood by the entrance, his eyes glued to his phone, a troubled look nickering across his face Aria walked over and said, ¡°Owen.¡± As he looked up, a glimmer flickered in his eyes, but it was instantly reced by apology. Aria blinked. She wondered if she had seen it wrong. Thinking of the string of misunderstandings, the doubts buried deep in her heart surfaced once again. Q Again Marriage 385 Chapter 385 Owen said softly, ¡°Sorry I pol you involved. I promise it won¡¯t happen Isaac was the youngest san in the family and spoiled so much, turning him into awless and reckless troublemaker. The Shaw family wanted to protect their own, but they wouldn¡¯t sloop to low as to resort to coercion or bribery. Fyen with rear in prison, they paid every cent of thepensation owed Although the Shaw family wouldn¡¯t press charges, nowyer dared to take the victim¡¯s case. Everyone preferred to steer clear of trouble with such a powerful family. But Owen was different. He stepped up and took the case. Years behind bars did nothing to reform Isaac. He came out just aswless as before. And the Shaw family did not impose strict control over him. Aria was tough and wasn¡¯t hurt this time, but what about next time? What if it if the kidnapped person was utterly defenseless? Owen couldn¡¯t drag others into this. Otherwise, he¡¯d never be able to forgive himself. Owen would keep a close eye on Isaac, ready to put him back behind bars at the first opportunity Kanit City was hotter than most other ces. As the sun sank in the west, its rays still red harshly, They stood at that perfect distance, just enough for Aria to see the beads of sweat glistening on Owen¡¯s forehead. She pursed her lips slightly and murmured, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a minor issue.¡± She seemed genuinely unbothered by it. Owen¡¯s eyes misted over. ¡°I¡¯ll head out now, Just¡­ be careful, okay? There are more people watching you than you realize.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± A nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on him as he walked away. When Owen was just an arm¡¯s length away, he stopped, a gentle curve in his eyes. ¡°The sun¡¯s going down and it¡¯s getting chilly. You should head inside. ¡°Okay,¡± Aria responded, turning to leave Suddenly, a strong force came from behind, causing her to lunge forward straight into a broad embrace. Her foot twisted awkwardly. With one hand holding her phone and the other clutching a bag of roasted chestnuts, she had nowhere to brace herself and couldn¡¯t keep her bnce. Fortunately, a hand wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly and preventing her from falling. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± The middle¨Caged street vendor who had bumped into Aria blurted out an apology, then hurriedly disappeared into the crowd. They were pressed flush against each other, with barely any space between them. Through the thin fabric, Aria could clearly feel the warmth radiating from Owen¡¯s body. Then came the erratic thrumming of his heartbeat, fast and strong, its unsteady rhythm pulsing against her ear Snapping back to reality, Aria quickly pulled herself away, and Owen, taking the cine, released his hold on her waist. ¡°Uh, thanks,¡± Aria sald awkwardly, her voice barely above a whisper. Owen¡¯s ears burned red, the heat quickly spreading across his face. Worried she might notice, he averted his gaze and blurted out to pr Aria managed to keep lier expression calm, but her heartbeat seemed to sync with Owen¡¯s, pounding wildly out of control. Just then, a woman¡¯s voice cut through abruptly. ¡°You you two¡­¡± A turned her head, meeting a pair of wide, astonished eyes It was Tina. She and Willie had just stepped out of the car, only to catch the two locked in an embrace. After the initial shock wore off, Tina spotted the bag in Aria¡¯s hand and let out augh of disbelief. ¡°Aria, how dare you lecture me? You¡¯re dating someone too!¡± ¡°Give me back my roasted chestnuts, or this isn¡¯t over!¡± she snapped. Didn¡¯t she say she doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend?¡± Willie shot a nce at Aria, then turned to Owen standing beside her. He was just about to speak sarcastically, but when he saw clearly who it was, he swallowed the words back down He actually knew this guy. He was Owen, the renownedwyer, and the son of the Shaw family. Comment S Again Marriage 386 No Ads Chapter 386 ¡°Hand it over Tina demanded, reaching out to Aria. Aria tightened her grip. ¡°No¡± Tina gaped at her in disbelief. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t spread rumors that your two are dating!¡± Tina threatened. Aria replied nonchntly. ¡°Go ahead. It¡¯s not even real anyway¡± ¡°You¡­.¡± Tina ignored Aria¡¯s exnation, almost swearing. She bit back the curse that almost slipped out and studied Owen intently. Just then, a breeze pressed his shirt against his body, revealing the well¨Cdefined contours of his abdomen. ¡®Not bad, she thought, sizing him up. Her gaze drifted upward,nding on his slightly prominent Adam¡¯s apple People said that men with big Adam¡¯s apples were more masculine. She clicked her tongue, a little envious. This girl really lucked out. Tina¡¯s unabashed stare was so intense that Owen immediately noticed, his brows knitting in difort. Aria thought to herself how ridiculous this was, then stepped in front of Roxanne. ¡°Stop staring people. It¡¯s disrespectful.¡± ¡°Haha! Now you¡¯re protecting him? What a petty little thing.¡± A smile tugged at the corners of Owen¡¯s lips. Tina nced at her supposed boyfriend and felt even more annoyed. He was not even on TV, yet he wore makeup and cologne. No wonder she couldn¡¯t fall for him after weeks of dating. It felt just like dating a woman. Thinking about what Aria said only made her angrier. Aher tonight¡¯s test, she was dumping him for sure. Tina¡¯s gaze lingered on the roasted chestnuts in Ania¡¯s hand. Aher being tricked out of her chestnuts, she went back to buy more, only to find the store about to close and not a single pack left. But she didn¡¯t dwell on it. She would just have her assistant get them¡­ ¡°Since we¡¯ve run into each other, let¡¯s have dinner,¡± Tina suggested, trying to sound casual Even if Aria refused to acknowledge the Saxon family, it didn¡¯t change the fact that they were still cousins by blood. ¡°It¡¯s my birthday today¡­ and you¡¯re the only family I have let in Kanit City Tina added quietly. A shook her head with a smile. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯d rather not be the third wheel.¡± 09:50 FM 2030 Tina pursed her lips and said, ¡°Just bring Owen along. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not treating.¡± Aria said, ¡°I need to get these roasted chestnuts to Vanessa before they get cold and lose their vor Tina ground her teeth. So she snatched my chestnuts just to give them to Vanessal Seriously?¡± Tina said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone to deliver it to you, and it¡¯s been quite a while. It must be cold by now.¡± It would¡¯ve been better to just give it to her right away. Willie stepped forward and said, ¡°It must be fate running lido each other in a big city like Kanit. Since we¡¯re all here, why don¡¯t we celebrate Timor¡¯s birthday together? I¡¯ve already made a reservations. Mr. Shaw, you haven¡¯t eaten yet, have you?¡± Only then did Aria realize that Owen hade all the way from Mandino City and probably hadn¡¯t had time to eat yet. Owen said solity, ¡°I do as she says.¡± Tina was speechless at their public disy of affection and snapped, ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Willie hurried after her, reaching out to grab Tina¡¯s hand. Tina recoiled in disgust and yanked her hand away without hesitation. Aria frowned as she watched the scene unfold. Did Tina not believe what she had said? Owen¡¯s clear, gentle voice drifted down from above. ¡°Are youing with us?¡± Aria paused for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go.¡± After all, no one turned down a free meal. Besides, there was something she needed to figure out tonight. Seeing that Aria and Owen hadn¡¯t caught up, Tina slowed her pace, a flicker of unease in her chest¨Cthough her pride forbade her from asking again. Only when she glimpsed them out of theer of her eye did she feel secretly relieved, a faint smile tugging at her lips. Aria reminded, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to order delivery¡± Tina¡¯s smile vanished instantly. Through gritted teeth, she snapped, ¡°Finel Comment Again Marriage 387 Chapter 387 The crew handed Vanessa a bag of masted chestnuts just as the director called cut on the scene. Vanessa took the opportunity to pull out her phone and send Aria a heart emoji. Vanessa found herself with three bags of masted chestnuts. It¡¯s more than the could eat. Pulling one out, the offered it to Lori with a pin. ¡°lis Parrish, this one¡¯s for you. My bestie Aria bought them.¡± Lori, the female lead of this production, was a veteran actress in her forties who maintained a remarkably youthful appearance. She is the person from whom Vanessa learned the most, Lori took it and smiled. ¡°Witer watching me for so long, did you learn anything?¡± Vanessa chuckled sheepishly and admitted, ¡°Ms. Parrish, your acting is so natural, I don¡¯t know how many years i take me to be men half as good as you ¡°Feel free to ask me anything. I have already given you the apprenticeship gift.¡± Lori raised the bag of chestnuts in a yful salute and walked away ¡°Thanks a bunch, Ms. Parrish!¡± Vanessa said cheerfully Lori¡¯s assistant wiped the sweat from her forehead and whispered, ¡°Ms. Parrish, Vanessa has quite a few futers. Being close to her could hurt your reputation.¡± Lorl replied. ¡°This industry judges actresses harshly. Vanessa¡¯s a good¨Chearted girl. She genuinely wants to learn, so I don¡¯t mind showing her the ropes.¡± The assistant said nothing more. Vanessa bounced over to the director. ¡°Mr. Marin, Aria got these roasted chestnuts from that famous shop at the far end of town.¡± Cason grabbed a generous handful, his eyes crinkling with delight. ¡°It¡¯s quite a long way to run. Aria is really thoughtful.¡± ¡°You should spend more time practicing your acting. Perform in front of Aria. If you break character again next time, r¡¯ll have to scold you.¡± Vanessa nodded and cheerfully replied, ¡°Got it! You can count on me! This was was Vanessa¡¯s third time on a film set. It was her first time acting, before studying abroad. By a stroke of luck, she was temporarily cast as the second female lead in a major high¨Cprofile TV series, but her performance was harshly criticized. Despite her newfound poprity bringing a flood of acting offers from directors, Vanessa politely turned down every single one. Back then, Vanessa waspletely immersed in her music, and with events and variety shows keeping her busy, she simply had no time for acting lessons, so she turned down every offer. After returning from studying abroad, Vanessa stepped back into showbiz and 387 Actually, while studying abroad, Vanessa had secretly enrolled in acting sses and put in tremendous effort to i Now, Vanessa¡¯s acting had shown remarkable improvement. However, she stillcked ease and naturalness in her performances, and fu easily affected by external factors. Whenever someone she know well stared at her, she broke character She muttered to herself that Russell was unreasonable, keeping actors around even without scenes, but before this rule existed, she¡¯d always hung around the crew. The director got a call and sent someone to fetch Lori and Vanessa. The director said, ¡°There¡¯s a slow paced variety show called ¡°Cozy Screening foom inte June. Mr. Nicholson wants you two to be guest stars.¡± Vanessa knew this variety show well¨Ca slow¨Cpaced program where Tina and a well¨Cknownedy variety show regr served as permanent hosts, with two guest stars featured each episode. The show was primarily filmed in homes. The previous shoot was at the guest star¡¯s home, while the next would be at a friend¡¯s ce. Lori agreed. Vanessa gave a self¨Cdeprecatingugh. ¡°Mr. Morin, do I even look like someone with showbiz friends? Besides, Tina and I don¡¯t get along What if we end up arguing on camera?¡± G Again Marriage 388 Chapter 388 The director gave a knowing smick. ¡°That¡¯s actly the dynamic we¡¯re going for. As for friends, we never said they had to be industry pa?i. I think Ana. would be perfect.¡± Vanessa didn¡¯t answer immediately. ¡°Let me check with Aria first.¡± ¡°Alright, no rush¡± Inside the private dining room. The private dining room was wrapped in such a thick, stifling silence, it felt as if someone had hit the mute button. Even the waitstaff delivering food instinctively showed their steps, moving with exaggerated caution. Willie was about to speak up, but seeing the story look on Tina¡¯s face, he thought better of it, Dinner ended in heavy silence, and the four of them left together. Aria and Owen walked ahead, while Tina and Willie trailed a few pices behind. ¡°Are you heading back tonight?¡± Aria asked Owen. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s Saturday. I¡¯ll head back Sunday afternoon. Since I¡¯m already here, might as well stay a couple more days¡± Owen gated into the distance, asking with feigned casualness, ¡°Which hotel are you staying at?¡± Aria paused briefly before answering. ¡°The hotel at the film studio¡­ you¡­7a Aria asked, ¡°Are you heading there too?¡± vousness grip him and nodded. ¡°The film studioplex in Kanit City has replica a pce sets. I thought I¡¯d spend tomorrow Owen felt a strange nervous exploring the area first.¡± The implication was that he was staying at the film studio hotel Listening to their stilted, awkward exchange, Tina rolled her eyes and stepped forward. ¡°What he really means is, he wants to share a room with you.¡± Owen¡¯s heart seized up, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing hard as he choked out, ¡°No!¡± Ana rolled her eyes and shot Tina a withering re. ¡°Stop jumping to conclusions. We¡¯re not together.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Tina nced at Owen¡¯s poorly concealed expression, then at Aria¡¯s indifferent, wooden stare ¡°Hahahal She stood there, doubled over with uncontroble hughter, her whole body shaking. Tina never expected that Aria, despite being divorced, turned out to be such a stift, unresponsive person. She was really fed up with her. Aria rolled her eyes Was it really that funny? Tina gave Owen a somewhat sympathetic look, but a trace of glee at a misfortune flickered in his eyes. ¡°Poor Owen¡­¡± she drew out the words and walked away in a very good mood. Willie hurried her her, casting a quick nce at Aria as he passed by She wasn¡¯t lying to him. She really was single. After dinner, Willie realized that Aria was the quiet type. But they hit it off right away when they first met, so she probably had feelings for him, ¡®Good thing I got her contact info, Willie thought to himself. Willie tore his gaze away and hurried after Tina. Owen caught the look on Willie¡¯s face. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he said, ¡°Wille doesn¡¯t seem all that trustworthy.¡± Aria asked, ¡°You noticed that too!¡± ¡®So she knew all along, Owen realized. His eyes crinkled with a smile. As they passed by a hotel, Owen came to a stop. ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay here tonight¡± Owen noticed Aria had no intention of stopping and figured she was staying at another hotel. Alter Tina¡¯s blunt remark just now, Owen figured it would be way too awkward to share a room with Aria. Aria looked at Owen, her eyes d deep with thought. ¡°How about we walk a bit further and stay somewhere else?¡± ¡°Sure, that works,¡± Owen replied calmly From the moment they met at the film studio gates, Aria had been quietly studying Owen For the first time, she witnessed how quickly a person¡¯s expression could shift in mere seconds. His eyes brightened briefly before returning to normal. Noticing her watching him, he quickly averted his gaze and checked his watch. ¡°It¡¯s eight. Are you heading straight back?¡± His tone was deliberately casual, no different from usual. He looked at her, his gaze deliberately nk and calm. It was as if what had just happened was merely a figment of Aria¡¯s imagination. Owen liked her. Aria was certain of it now. Maybe he realized she had no feelings for him, so he kept his feelings hidden. Ana¡¯s fingers tightened unconsciously, a whirl of emotions churning within her. 09:50. FH 200m Again Marriage 389 But she was not really surpised. She found herself epting the truth almost infiantly. Perhaps, without even realting it, she had already grown used to Owen¡¯s constant care. Before moving to Mayen Garden, they had almost no contact apart from work areas I After she moved to Mayen Garden, Emma developed a facial allergy and paid Aria to treat her Owen practaly offered to assist Aria in testing the beauty cream Later, she recognized him, and he recognized her too. Owen kept his promise to ¡°treat her to meals for life¡°-he was always finding excuses for her to try his cooking, and before she knew it, sharing meals with him every day just became routine Aris couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°When did Owen start developing feelings for me?¡± She was so deep in thought that she didn¡¯t notice Owen¡¯s expression changed the moment she fell silent. His hand involuntarily clenched into a f before quickly rxing, as he struggled to suppress his inner turmoil. They both blurted out, ¡°You¡± at the same time, then stopped just as abruptly. ¡°You go first,¡± Owen said. ¡°You go first,¡± Owen said. The bodyguards were stunned. Locked in a silent gaze, the two fell into a brief hush, broken only by the footsteps of passersby and the distant hum of conversations. The air was thick with awkward tension and restraint, yet beneath it all lingered a tantalizing, unspoken undercument. Now aware of this, Ana found herself unable to treat Owen as she used to, it wasn¡¯t that she had only just realized. Last time, Owen denied it so quickly that she simply stopped dwelling on it ¡°Why did he deny itst time?¡® Aria wondered to herself Aria recalled what happenedst time and silently asked herself, if Owen had admitted it, what would I have done? Would I have tried to distance myself from him? ¡®Maybe I would have, Aria thought. ¡°But now? Should I push him away? No more being friends, no more mooching his meals like it¡¯s nothing, no more contact at all. Gazing at Owen¡¯s refined and gentle features, Aria had to admit to herself that she couldn¡¯t bear to let him go. He always gave quietly and carefully, afraid of starting her Just like the look in his eyes right now, filled with concern, yet tinged with cautious probing. A lump formed in Aria¡¯s throat, and she felt a heaviness in her chest. The words ¡°marriage and children had once felt so close to her, both a burden and a cage Honestly, a marriage built on love too far more effort than just staying together for appearances. 09:50 A rtionship between two people needed to be maintained, and so did family ties. When Liam suggested moving abroad, she agreed without a second thought. What she wanted wasplete, unrestrained freedom. Yet Owen had quietly slipped into her life without her even noticing. She didn¡¯t mind him, but she couldn¡¯t stand all theplications that came with marriage. She no longer wanted to bebeled as someone¡¯s wile, didn¡¯t want to maintain rtionships with others, and even more so didn¡¯t want the Show and Saxon families to have any further ties because of her ¡®Is hurting Chen really my only option?¡® she thought. It was so frustrating that she felt like screaming Owen picked up on Aria¡¯s restlessness. He stepped closer, standing right in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± To anyone not listening carefully, the slight tremor in Owen¡¯s voice would have gone unnoticed. But Aria heard it. She Aria sighed and decided to steer the conversation away. ¡°It¡¯s about what happened on set.¡± Owen exhaled slightly in relief, but at the mention of the trending topic, his eyes instantly turned icy. ¡°Was Russell¡¯s doing?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°He¡¯s trying to drive a wedge between me and Olivia.¡± Owen remained silent, his eyes dark with suppressed fury at Owen and thought, ¡®Why did I ever think he was gentle? His expression says it all. Aria nced at She suddenly felt a pang of regret that she never noticed all those genuine expressions on his face before. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the hotel first,¡± Aria said. Since Owen hadn¡¯t confessed, she decided to stop overthinking it and let it go. Her mind was a bit of a mess. She needed time to sort things out Arriving at the hotel, Owen headed straight to the front desk to book a room. The receptionist politely asked, ¡°Just for one night, Sir?¡± Owen hesitated for a moment. Aria pretended not to notice and deliberately looked away. After a brief pause, Owen murmured, ¡°Two days for now.¡± a polite The Comment Again Marriage 390 Chapter 390 Aria smiled and headed toward the elevators, with Owen talling close behind. ¡°Which for are you on?¡± he asked. ¡°Th floor,¡± Aria replied. Since they were staying for an extended period, the hotel had arranged rooms for them on the lower floors for conventemor. To amodate the cast¡¯s needs, the production team booked sites for them, Owen watched the numbers change on the elevator disy and thought to himself that they were abit far apart¨Ceight floors between them. The elevator soon stepped on the fifth floor, Aria turned to him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get off here. Good night¡± ¡°Good night,¡± Owen said softly. As Aria walked over, she spotted Tina and Willie standing at the door. Tina: also saw her, her eyes going wide. ¡°What, she¡¯s here again? Tina thought, exasperated. Aria nced at the two of them, a smirk ying on her lips. ¡°Well, what a coincidence.¡± Willie gave an awkward chuckle. ¡°What are the odds?¡± Clearly excited, Willie swiped the key card and opened the door. Turning to Tina with a yful grin, he said affectionately, ¡°Come on, baby, let¡¯s go in.¡± Aria shot them a look, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement, Tina felt utterly embarrassed and was already stabbing Willie a dozen times in her mind for putting her in this situation. Tina red at Aria. ¡°What are you staring at? Just because you¡¯re not bunking with your guy doesn¡¯t mean other couples can¡¯t share a room.¡± Aria rolled her eyes. Tina knew exactly what Aria was worried about. She rolled her eyes and scoffed, ¡°Rx, I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± With that, Aria stepped inside without a second thought. Just before closing the door, she paused, as if something had just urred to her, and asked, ¡°Hey, do you think Owen likes me?¡± Tina stared at her with a look of disbelief, her tone dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Yeah, aren¡¯t you just thrilled having such an amazing guy into you?¡± Without hesitation, Aria shut the door right in her face. She slipped into her slippers, sanki k into the chair, and after a moment¡¯s thought, opened her chat with Cloe. (Cloe, I think Owen might have feelings for
  1. me.
Cloe replied instantly. It took you long enough to notice? With eyes wide in disbelief, Aria typed back: [cle, you already knew? Come on, it¡¯s so obvious.) ¡°That obvious?¡± Aria thought in disbeliel 109:51: 61420J Aria teated Berek: (Hey, does Owen have a crush on anythe7] Deek: (Are you going wher Owen ?) He added, No need to chase him, just give him a mile and he¡¯ll be all over you | Aris fell silent. Even burek knew about it. Aria: INot chasing just asking Finally, not quite ready to give up, Aria texted her brother: Caleb, does fiven like maj Caleb: Did he confess?) Aria: No, just a hunch] Aria stumped back in the thai, staring nkly at the ceiling light, letting its harsh white re sting h It turned out everyone knew Owen had a crush on her, only she was clueless. Aria raised a hand to cover her eyes and sighed softly. After a while, Aria got up and took a shower. When she came out, she casually grabbed a book and settled quietly onto the sofa, trying to lose hersel its pages. When Vanessa came back, she immediately spotted Aria sitting as still as a statue, book in hand andpletely lost in thought Vanessa called out, ¡°Hey!¡± Aria snapped out of her thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Vanessa stared at her. ¡°Something¡¯s up. Let me shower first, then I¡¯ming back to grill you properly.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Vanessa secretly clicked her tongue, realizing the problem was quite serious. An hourter, the two best friends were finally curled up together of the couch. Aria described what happened between her and Owen as if she were an outsider, then turned to Vanessa and asked, ¡°Do you think this guy actually has feelings for the girl?¡± Vanessa¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°He totally does! One hundred percent!¡± She leaned in, eyes wide with excitement. ¡°Wait, so a guy actually confessed to you? Who is it? Do I know him?¡± Aria replied, ¡°It¡¯s Owen, my Vanessa wasn¡¯t surprised at all. With a knowing smile, she said, ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s him! How do you feel about it?¡± Aria frowned in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ My thoughts are all jumbled up.¡± Vanessa leaned in, curiosity all over her face. ¡°Sp, when it¡¯s just you and him, do you ever get annoyed?¡± Aria thought for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t Vanessa concluded, ¡°So you like him, huh? Why not give it a shot? I¡¯ve heard Owen¡¯s got a squeaky clean reputation, he¡¯s handsome, and his body¡¯s amazing. Honestly, one night with him would totally be worth it¡± 09:51 PM, 20 Jun Again Marriage 391 Chapter 391 Aria flicked Vanessa on the forehead. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting now?¡± Vanessa immediately hooked her arm through Aria¡¯s and leaned in, grinning, ¡°Aria, I know what¡¯s on your mind. Honestly, it¡¯s fine not to pata could just date, live together, and have some fun.¡± Aria gently nudged her away, ¡°Go to bed. I don¡¯t want to think about it anymore. Besides, I don¡¯t even like him. ¡°Sure, sure, you don¡¯t like him,¡± Vanessa said, ying along, but inside, she was practically giddy. Aria¡¯s finally falling for someone ¡°Oh right, Cason wants me to join a variety show¨CTina¡¯s a regr on it. There¡¯s this segment where they film at a friend¡¯s house, and Cason wants me to ask you. I haven¡¯t agreed yet,¡± Vanessa said. Aria didn¡¯t even hesitate. ¡°Go ahead, agree. My ce is presentable enough¡± Vanessa feigned outrage, raising a fist at her andughing. ¡°Mayen Garden is more than presentable. But¡­ Tins will be there too Aria shrugged, ¡°So what? I¡¯ve got no boof with her Vanessa replied, ¡°End of June, Lily¡¯s done with her SATS by then. I tell Cason tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright. Time for bed,¡± Aria said. Vanessa stretched, and just before leaving, reached out to give Aris a yful squeeze on the chest, quipping ¡°Wonder if Owen will get lucky with these one day¡± Aria could only think, ¡®This girl is asking for trouble, Lying in bed, Aria found herself wide awake. Finally, she gave up, threw on a jacket, and tiptoed to the balcony. The cool night air did nothing to calm her nerves. She nced at her phone¨Cit was already midnight. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she quietly stepped out of the living room and closed the door behind her. Meanwhile, inside another room, Willie was grumbling as he pressed a hand to his scratched up face. ¡°How the hell did Tina know I was trying to sneak photos of her?¡± He muttered, pulling the door shut. If he left it open, Tina would tear him to shreds. The moment he turned around and saw Aria, his eyes lit up. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s you!¡± he said, forcing a cocky grin¨Conly to wince as the cut on his lip pulled painfully. Inwardly, he cursed Tina for being a viper Embarrassed by the mess he was in, he forced a couple of awkwardughs and exined, ¡°By the way, your cousin and I broke up Willie had already asked Tina about Aria on the way over. He knew the two were rted. Aria said, ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong. She¡¯s not my cousin Seeing Willie¡¯s sorry state, Aria feltpletely at ease and turned to go back inside. Willie saw an opportunity and quickly stepped in front of her, waning one hand against the wall, trapping her With ridiculous confidence, he saide ¡°You¡¯re waiting for me, aren¡¯t you?¡± He¡¯d noticed Aria and Tina didn¡¯t get along. If she was out here waiting it must be for him, Aria caught a strong whiff of his cologne and, annoyed, spat out a single word, ¡°Hove ¡°Oh ying hard to get?¡± Willie only got bolder, grabbing her hand on the doorknob and leering. ¡°Honestly, you¡¯re betten¨Clooking A loud crack rang out. A bloodcurdling stresmi shattered the silence of the night, setting off the building¡¯s motion sensor lights one by one. Aria had broken his hand and kicked him away. ¡°Trash,¡± she said coldly. Tina, who hadn¡¯t gone to bed yet, came running the moment she heard themation. She couldn¡¯t help but curse, ¡°Holy shit.¡± Willie¡¯s right hand hung at a grotesque angle behind him. The scene looked straight out of a zombie movie. Way too violent. Tina warned, ¡°Willie, this ce is crawling with actors, if you don¡¯t cover up and get out, everyone¡¯s gonnae watch the show. His career was just taking off, Any scandal could ruin him. Despite the tears streaming down his face from the pain, Willie could only clutch his jacket to his face and run for it, humiliated: He burned their faces into his memory. One day, he¡¯d make them pay. Tina turned to Aria, sincere for once. ¡°Thanks,¡± She would never have slept with someone like Willie, but if any photos or videos got out, her career would be over. Aria just replied with a cool ¡°Mm,¡± and walked back inside. Tina stared after her, exasperated, ¡°What kind of family does shee from?¡± she muttered. Thinking it over, she realized no one else in Aria¡¯s family was anything like her. She still didn¡¯t understand why Aria had cut ties with her family, but she had to admit¨Cthere was something kind of badass about her. When she heard Aria¡¯s door close, Tina quickly went back to her own room. The next day, Vanessa told Aria to keep her distance and just watch her film from afar, to get used to the cameras before joining in. Aria did as she was told ¡°Can you believe Russell and Olivia aren¡¯t here today? It¡¯s a great day!¡± Vanessaughed as she did her makeup. Ariaughed too. ¡°Yeah, it really is.¡± At lunch, Aria nced over at the extras¡± rest area but didn¡¯t see White Fox anywhere. A little worried, she went to the casting manager. ¡°Hi, have all the extras for today¡¯s shoot arried?¡± The manager shook his head. ¡°A few called in sick.¡± ¡°Thank you¡± Aria texted White Fox, but by dinnertime, there was still no reply. A sense of dread crept in. Aria thought, ¡®Maybe he¡¯s on a job. Russell and Olivia aren¡¯t here either¡­ did White Fox Her heart sinking, she found Vanessa ¡°Are there any night scenes tonight?¡± Vanessa shook her head, but noticing Aria¡¯s anxiety, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± take their assignment?¡® Chapter 391- Aria said, ¡°Help me track down White Foc¡± ¡°Okay.¡± They found a quiet spot and sat down. Aria gave Vanessa White Fox¡¯s number, and Vanessa opened herptop, lingers flying across the keyboard. Not far away, Lori¡¯s assistant spotted them and murmured in surprise, ¡°Vanessa¡¯s aputer whiz too. What are they up to Lori, seeing how serious the two looked, said, ¡°Must be something important.¡± The assistant hesitated, then said, ¡°Should task Vanessa to help with your situation?¡± Lori shook her head, her voice suddenly cold. ¡°No.¡± The assistant fell silent. A momentter, Vanessa locked up. ¡°Found him.¡± Again Marriage 392 Chapter 392 Vanessa stared at the blinking red dot on the screen. ¡°White Fox¡¯s signal vanished right here¡± She zoomed out, scanning for information on the location. It¡¯s a pretty remote ce¨Cproperty¡¯s under Ondo¡¯s name. Her expression grew tense, ¡°So, thussell¡¯s got White For?¡± Arta nodded, ¡°Looks that way.¡± She wasn¡¯t surprised. She¡¯d hall expected it. But that didn¡¯t make the situation any lessplicated. Russell wasn¡¯t someone White Fox could afford to kill. ¡°I¡¯m going after him,¡±¡°¡± Aria said, Vanessa looked worried. ¡°That¡¯s White Fox¡¯s choice. He¡¯s in the Solemnity Guild¨Che knew the risk. You ako ob, you gotta be ready to die for it,¡± Aria¡¯s voice hardened. ¡°White Fox is only here because of me. I need to set things straight.¡± Vanessa knew there was no stopping her. She just handed over the car keys. ¡°Just¡­ be careful, okay? Nothing¡¯s more important than your own life.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Aria took the keys without hesitation and left at a brisk pace. Two hourster, as night fell, Aria arrived at the isted property. The area was silent, steeped in an eerie destion. In the distance, harsh white lights zed. Aria stopped out and walked straight toward the light, making no attempt to hide. It wasn¡¯t long before she found herself staring down the barrels of a dozen guns. The leader checked his phone, then locked up ¡°it¡¯s her. Bring her in.¡± When one of them reached for Aria¡¯s arm, she intercepted him with b sharp grip. ¡°I can walk on my own.¡± The leader hesitated, recalling the cold look Russell had given when they¡¯d caught White Fox. He wasn¡¯t sure what Russell wanted with this woman, so hi didn¡¯t push it ¡°Fine. Follow me.¡± ide, and the first thing she saw was White Fox. Aria followed them inside, He was forced to kneel on the floor, blood spattered down his shirt, a man behind him pressing a gleaming de to his artery. Russell sat nearby on a sofa, watching her with icy contempt. ¡°Right on time, aren¡¯t you?¡± White Fox lifted his head at the sound, and the lifeless look in his eyes was reced by a flicker of panic Aria Go! Leave me! His voice shook, and the de nicked his skin, sending a thin line of blood down his neck. Aria met White Fox¡¯s eyes, her voice quiet and haunting. ¡°Did Curtis make you silent. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Aria said. ¡°This is my fault White Fox had never shed a tear, no matter how much he was hurt. But hearing that, he couldn¡¯t hold back. 509:5148 Russell¡¯s gaze darkened, murderous intent ring as he crushed his ss in one hand. ¡°A, there¡¯s someone ss shards dug into his palm, and blood welled up as he stroked them absently. He barely seemed to notice, rising to his feet, eyes locked on A. ¡°Tell me how did you survive that night?¡± Aria tilted her head, her smile cold as ice. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, do you honestly think I shouldn¡¯t have?¡± Hiding in the shadows, Olivia froze as she heard Sara¡¯s name, Her fingers curled into fists, heart pounding in her chest. She didn¡¯t dare move closer. Russell¡¯s voice was low and furious. ¡°Sara¡¯s dead. So why the hell are you still alive?¡± The rage burning in his eyes was wild, twisted, murderous. He couldn¡¯t understand why A survived while Sara died. His killing intent twas almost palpable. Olivia could feel it, even from a distance. She¡¯d thought Russell might¡¯ve let Sara go after all these years, but now she realized he¡¯d never stopped ming himself, or Aria. But Ania didn¡¯t flinch. She stared right back at him. ¡°Why I¡¯m alive is none of your business. But your sister¡¯s death? That¡¯s on you. If you¡¯re looking for someone to me, look in the mirror. You failed to protect her. All you can do now is throw a tantrum.¡± ¡°Aria¡­¡± White Foxx was terrified she¡¯d gone too far¨Cafraid she¡¯d never make it out alive. Ho pleaded, ¡°Russell, Sara¡¯s death had nothing to do with Aria. The person who killed her. Aria already took care of them.¡± Russell let out a bitterugh, looking down at White Fox with scorn. ¡°And who the hell are you to say that? Sara died because of her, didn¡¯t she? Just like you look where trusting her has gotten you¡°. White Fox¡¯s gaze was unwavering. ¡°So what? ift die here, that¡¯s my fate, Nobody else is responsible.¡± If he hadn¡¯t thrown his lot in with Aria, he would¡¯ve died long ago. At least now, if he died in her country, someone would see him buried. Russell¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re really going to bat for her, huh?¡± Aria cut in. ¡°What do you want to let him go?¡± A twisted smile yed on Russell¡¯s lips. ¡°A life for a life. He walks out, you stay.¡± White Fox shook his head desperately, ignoring the de at his throat. ¡°Aria, get out of here. This is my fate¨CCurtis will never let me go.¡± Russell lost patience. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this melodrama. You have one minute, Aria. Make a choice, or have his head.¡± Aria let out a softugh. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill him! Russell sneered. ¡°Oh? I wouldn¡¯t bet on him surviving the night.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the only one who can get you what you want,¡± Aria whispered, so Olivia couldn¡¯t hear. Olivia thought, ¡°What is she telling him?¡± She edged closer, anxiety knotting in her chest. Russell nced her way, then looked back at White Fox. ¡°Did you know Sara?¡± Chapter 392 White For was silent, his eyes full ofplicated emotion. Another person who knew Sara. Olivia panicked, drew her gun, and alimed it at White Fox on the flone. ¡°Russell, he hurt you. He can¡¯t leave Barg Aria Stepped in front of White Fox, blocking her alm. ¡°Olivia, if he dies, you won¡¯t be able to keep everything hidden¡± ¡°You dare threaten me¡­ Olivia started, but bit her tongue, ncing at Russell. ¡°He shot Russell in the shoulder Someone needs to pay for that.¡± The more people who knew, the greater the risk. White Fus had to die. Aria walked closer, grabbed the gun¡¯s barrel. ¡°Olivia, the real problem is Curtis. He¡¯s the mole.¡± Olivia¡¯s eyes flickered. She wanted Curtis dead too. As long as he was alive, he was a threat. For now, she¡¯d put up with Aria and White Fox She didn¡¯t lower her gun, but looked at Russell, worry etched on her face. ¡°Fine, let White Fox go. But he shot Russell in the shoulder¨Cwho¡¯s going to answer for that?¡± A asked, ¡°If we settle that score, do we walk out of here?¡± Olivia hesitated, then nodded. ¡°Yes¡± Suddenly, Aria reached out and snatched the gun from Olivia¡¯s hand. Again Marriage 393 Chapter 393 The mood in the room snapped. Every gun instantly swung toward Aria. Without hesitating, Aria raised the gun and shot herself in the shoulder. Mood bloomed across her shirt. ¡°Arial¡± White Fox¡¯s eyes went red on the spot. Aria pressed her lips together, handed the gun back to Olivia, and said tly, ¡°is that enough for you?¡± Olivia stared at her, utterly shocked, ¡°You¡­ Russell watched it all in cold silence before letting out a short, scornfulugh, ¡°Funny, I don¡¯t remember giving my approval. Who said this deal was done?¡± Aria turned, a mocking smile tugging at her Eps. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Olivia spook for Mr. Nicholson? always thought.. in the Wolfshade Syndicate, her word wasw. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± After all, Olivia was the only daughter. Her status in the syndicate was second only to her father, Russell narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of Aria, raising his hand and digging his thumb into her fresh wound¡­ Blood poured out, running down his fingers and soaking into his sleeve. Aria gripped his wrist, voice tight with pain and anger. ¡°Russell, that¡¯s enough.¡°. ¡°You¡¯re thest person who gets to do this.¡± She hadn¡¯t forgotten¡­ It was Russell who failed to protect Sara, who let her end up in the Solemnity Guild in the first ce. Aria squeezed his wrist harder, her fingertips digging in as if she wanted to break bone. But Russell barely seemed to notice. After a tense beat, he finally let go, and Aria released him at the same moment. They locked eyes under the cold white light, tension thick and dangerous between them. ing the two stood on opposite sides, the sight sent a strange shiver through Olivia. Even knowing Olivia hurried forward,tching onto Russell¡¯s arm with a sweet, persuasive voice. ¡°Russell, I keep my promises. Aria just shot herself for this¨Clet them go. White Fox is still useful to us.¡± Russell turned to Olivia, and in the shifting light, the darkness in his eyes melted away. ¡°Since Olivia asked so nicely, let¡¯s let them go He said it softly, almost like a lover murmuring sweet nothings. A smile of triumph flickered across Olivia¡¯s lips. She turned and barked at the others, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Mr. Nicholson? Let them go¡± She nced at Aria, her expression hardening. ¡°Next time you pull something so reckless, he might not be so lucky.¡± The guards released White Fox. He stumbled toward Aria, tears streaming down his face. ¡°Aria¡­¡± Aria just turned. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± White Fox hurried after her. He looked a mess, but his wounds were mostly superficial. Chapter303. Aria¡¯s gunshot, though, was another matter. He¡¯d been sure he¡¯d die tonight, but once again, Aria had saved him Just before they disappeared into the shadows, White Fox couldn¡¯t help but look back meeting to south¡¯s pos For Russell, the grudge over Sararan bone deep. White for knew he had to get his hands on that diary Sant B He got into the driver¡¯s seat and sped off. In the back, Aria shumped, pale lipped. She tumbled open the glovebox, pulled out some gauze, and began to staunch her bleeding shoulder White Fox caught a glimpse of her in the rearview, quilt twisting his gut. ¡°Aria, this is all my fault. I¡¯m so sorry¡± Aria was already tying off the gaure, cleaning her bloodied hands with slow precision. ¡°Yeah, it is your fault. Why didn¡¯t you | asked?¡± tell me the truth when t White Fox sniffled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Ania¡¯s eyes drifted closed, voice drained. ¡°Pull over at a hospital. Get yourself patched up and get back to the Solemnity Guild if Curtis asks, tell him (. saved you, if he presses, say you overheard me and Russell making some deal, but you didn¡¯t catch the details. And tell him you¡¯re quitting the Guild.¡± White Fox sped up, his tone hopeless. ¡°He¡¯ll never agree to that.¡± ¡°He will¡± Aria¡¯s answer was sure. ¡°If he wants to keep this game going, you have to officially quit before you can get close to me again. Only when it¡¯s all done and dusted will we be able to move forward.¡± White Fox¡¯s eyes stung again. ¡°Okay, Aria. I get it. Just¨Cstop talking. We¡¯ll be at the hospital soon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gunshot, not a death sentence. The cops will show up if I go in. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll make it home.¡± She¡¯d avoided anything vital, and as long as she got care soon, she¡¯d recover. Still, White Fox¡¯s hands trembled on the wheel. He hated himself for dragging Aria into this. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll drop you at the hotel first.¡± Aria looked up at him. ¡°You never intended to kill Russell, did you? White Fox hesitated, then shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s Sara¡¯s brother.7 Aria pulled out her phone, one hand typing away. White Fox peeked in the mirror, worried. ¡°Aria, what are you doing?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Sending the Wolfshade Syndicate a little gift¡­ ¡°Russell, is your shoulder alright?¡± Olivia looked at him with concern. Russell¡¯s face was cold, his voice calm. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± White Fox¡¯s shot had only grazed him. But Aria..she¡¯d gone farther than he¡¯d expected. Olivia rxed a little, but then noticed the blood on his hand and reached for it. ¡°Russell, you¡¯re bleeding¡­¡± Russell pulled away before she could touch him, staring off into the darkness. ¡°It¡¯ste. Let¡¯s go. It gets cold out here at night.¡± Feeling the chill herself, Olivia nodded quickly. ¡°Okay¡± 09:51 P1,20 Jun Russell called for his top lieutenant. ¡°Hake ture Olivia gets back to the hotel safely.¡± Olivia clung to his sleeve. ¡°Aren¡¯t youring with me?¡± ¡°I will. I¡¯ll rest a bit first,¡± Russell said Sensing his displease, Olivia didn¡¯t press, just said, ¡°Okay, tell the diver to go slow¡± Russell just nodded. In the car, Russell gripped the steering wheel and dialed a number. Ondo¡¯s voice came through, ¡°Did A get White Fox out?¡± ¡°She did,¡± Russell answered, his tone dark. ¡°Any news?¡± There was a pause. Ondo finally said, ¡°Russell, it¡¯s not that simple. I looked into those two nannies who used to work for Olivia. They both died¨Cidents When Sara had gone missing, Olivia had nearly killed them in her fury. Back then, Russell¡¯s power was limited. If Olivia had gotten blood on her hands over his mess, he¡¯d have lost all standing in the Wolfshade He¡¯d managed to save the nannies, but after Olivia had taken out her rage, she¡¯d kicked them out. Russell had dug into both nannies¡± backgrounds and everyone Sara ever met. 0 if he hadn¡¯t eventually traced Sara to the Solemnity Guild, he might have believed it was just a string of bad luck. Now, Russell¡¯s hands tightened on the wheel, his knuckles turning white. ¡°It¡¯s connected to Olivia, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ondo confirmed, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Look into Rachel,¡± Russell said. Ondo got it immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll pick her up at school tomorrow morning¡± Russell hung up and nced down at his hand. A deep crescent was gouged into his skin, cazing blood and surrounded by angry bruising. The mark left by Aria¡¯s grip was sharp and unfinished AD Again Marriage 394 Chapter 394 The car pulled up nutside the film studio, Aria shrugged on her jacket, making sure every trace of blond was hidden ¡°Aria¡­¡± White Fox¡¯s voler was thick with worry and something deeper, almost unspoken ¡°You can¡¯t keep being this good to people, f?et a Aria nced at him with a wry smile. ¡°You¡¯re the only ones who think I¡¯m good¡± Most people pint see me as cold and heartless. Even my then bendy thinks that way.¡± She closed the car door and headed toward the hotel without looking back. White Fox watched her retreating figure, a single tear sliding down his cheek. Aria had finally managed to carve out an ordinary life for herself¨Cshe couldn¡¯t afford to let him drag her back into danger. As soon as her silhouette vanished, White Fox started the car and drove straight to the nearest hospital. On the way, his phone rang. It was Curtis Instantly, White Fox was on guard. ¡°Mr. Kelley.¡± ¡°You failed your mission?¡± Curtis¡¯s tone was chillingly calm, as if he¡¯d known all along White Fox hesitated only a second. ¡°Yes. Russell¡¯s tough.¡± ¡°If he were easy to kill, I wouldn¡¯t have sent you. How¡¯d you get away?¡± Curtis asked. He was alone on this job¨Cyet Curtis already knew he¡¯d escaped within just two hours. Curtis thought, ¡®Did he have someone inside Wolfshade Syndicate? Or was he in cahoots with Russell?¡± ¡°Aria saved me,¡± White Fox admitted. Aria pressed the elevator button, then texted Vanessa to let her know she was safe, Filming had nunto, so Vanessa was probably still at work herself! Aria didn¡¯t mention being injured; this was something she could handle on her own ¡°Aria.¡± A familiar voice called her name, breaking the silence in the nearly deserted hotel lobby. Chart her. The air felt strangely hushed, except for the slow, steady footstepsing up behind Aria slid her phone away and turned. ¡°Didn¡¯t feel like going out tonight?¡± Owen shrugged. ¡°Already walked around enough. As he got closer, he caught a faint metallic scent His gaze traveled over her face, then stopped his brow furrowed sharply. ¡°You¡¯re hurt.¡± There was no point hiding it. ¡°Just a scratch,¡± Aria replied softly But under the bright lights, Owen saw the blood soaking her cor¨Ca deep, jarring red. ¡®Hair Tips were pale, Too pale. She must¡¯ve lost a lot of blood, and the wound hadn¡¯t been treated. If she wasn¡¯t at the hospital, Il tould only mean one thing a gunshot. Owen¡¯s heart sank. Inside the elevator, he hit the button for the fifth floor, ready to ask if that supplies for wound care, but was interrupted A delivery guy rushed in, apologizing, reaching for the fifth floor button then saw it was already lit Aria had ordered first aid supplies and medicine on the way here. She called out her phone number and rose The delivery man double¨Cchecked and handed her the bag, but Owen was quicker, taking it from him. Once the doors closed, he pressed the lock button and said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s your shoulder, right? You won¡¯t be able to treat it yourself. Let me help.¡± Aria nced down, automatic resistance in her voice. ¡°I can handle it.¡± it was a front¨Cfacing wound; all she needed was a mirror to dig out the bullet herself. The elevator went silent, the air heavy, until the doors chimed open on the fifth floor. Owen strode ahead, then turned and blocked the doorway, repeating firmly. ¡°Let me help.¡± Aria didn¡¯t argue this time. ¡°Alright.¡± She hadn¡¯t brought her room card, so she typed in her passcode Owen set the supplies on the coffee table and quickly shrugged off his own jacket Aria sat on the sofa, hesitated, then slowly started unbuttoning her jacket with her right hand. Her left arm hung uselessly at her side, so every movement was awkward and slow. Owen didn¡¯t wait. He bent down, gently helped her out of her right sleeve, then slid the jacket off Beneath, her shoulder was wrapped inyer afteryer of gauze, blood already seeping through. One look bold Owen she¡¯d only done this to keep from bleeding out. Owen thought, ¡®She must have traveled a long way to get here.¡± He carefully removed the jacket and knelt at the coffee table, quicklyying out all the supplies. His hands were sure as he disinfected both his own hands and the tools, then picked up the scissors. ¡°Tm going to cut the bandages first.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Aria said. The sharp snip of the scissors echoed in the room, every cut beating in time with Aria¡¯s heart. She was suddenly aware of how often she¡¯d run into Owentely, almost likete was pushing them together. Layer byyer, the gauze fell away, revealing a ck T¨Cshirt it soaked in blood. Blood started to well up again, fresh an ¡°I¡¯m starting now.¡± Owen¡¯s hands shook, just for a second. But he kept going, voice steady. Aria arched an eyebrow. ¡°Okay.¡± Owen carefully cut the neckline open and gently peeled the sidet back When the wound was finally exposed to the air, his pupils contracted. Her shoulder was a mangled nless of raw flesh and twelling, blood still onzing. It was nothing short of brutal ¡°We need to clean it. This¡¯ll hurt, Owen warned, but he didn¡¯t slow down, rinsing the wound from the edge inward, getting soaked. His brow furrowed into a hard knot. ¡°I¡¯m using anesthetic¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Aria replied. He numbed the area, then handed her a shlight. ¡°Hold this.¡± Sheplied, and he worked quickly, carefully searching for the bullet. His movements were efficient and gentle, Suddenly, he tweezed out a tiny, bloodied fragment. He paused. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Aria nced over, remembering the moment Russell had ground his hand into her wound. ¡°ss From Russell¡± Owen¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Russell did this?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria said simply. Owen¡¯s grip ip tightened unconsciously as he fished out another shard. The bullet had missed anything vital, but it was lodged deep. He could guess how it happened. Straight¨Con shot. She must have pulled the trigger herself. The wound had clearly been crushed afterward, too. His lips pressed into a hard line, anger flickering in his eyes. All his focus was on the wound¨Che didn¡¯t notice the slight tension in Aria¡¯s posture, the way her body stiffened under his touch. Despite the anesthesia, Aria folt Owen¡¯s breath, warm against her neck, close and constant It tickled and made her flush a little with heat She swallowedm grateful her Adam¡¯s apple wasn¡¯t prominent, so maybe he wouldn¡¯t notice The scalpel grazed her skin. Owen looked up. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Aria¡¯s gaze fell into his worried eyes. Her heart skipped, and she softened her voice. ¡°No¡± The anesthetic wasn¡¯t fully working yet; it hurt, but she could bear it. Blood still oozed. He had to work tast The air felt colder, the whole atmosphere tighter, even though his hands were gentle and his focus absolute Beneath it all, there was a fury in his expression that even his tenderness couldn¡¯t hide Again Marriage 395 Aria could voo his face every time she lowered her eyes, and she knew he was angry on her behall. Finally, Deen dug the bullet out. He stitched the wound, stopped the bleeding, and started to wrap Bat she was still wearing the blood soaked T-shirt. It would only get in the way of cleaning and bandaging. After a beat, Aria said quietly, ¡°Just tut the shirt off. I¡¯ll need to change anyway.¡± When Aria said it, her expression barely shifted her tone so calm and matter of fact, it was like she was talking about something as ordinary as pouring a ss of water. Owen nced up, catching that chill steadiness in her eyes. In that moment, she was like an untouchable queen, utterlyposed and unbothered by the chaos around her. No matter how many admirers flocked nearby, she remained unmoved, untouched, simply because she didn¡¯t care. But Owen had no time for such thoughts. All he could see was Aria¡¯s wound. He picked up the scissors and said quietly. ¡°Let me cut away the fabric on your shoulder so I can wrap this up.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria replied. Her shoulder was soaked in blood, sticky and ufortable. She hesitated, then looked at Owen and asked, almost testing, ¡°Could I wash up a little first?¡± Owen didn¡¯t even nce at her. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What about just a wipe¨Cdown?¡± she pushed, He stayed silent until he¡¯d finished cutting away the shirt, then finally said, ¡°Fine,¡± and stood up. Aria¡¯s lips curled in a faint smile. ¡°There are clean towels under the bathroom sink, and the green basin is clean too.¡± Without hesitation, Owen headed straight for the bathroom. Watching his hurried back, Aria felt an unexpected warmth bloom in her chest. Back in the Solemnity Guild, there was nothing but rivalry and istion. She¡¯d always tended her own wounds. But tonight, someone actually cared enough to help. If Vanessa or Chloe were here, they¡¯d worry about her too, but that would just be friendship. With Owen, though¡­ after yesterday, she knew what he felt for her. It wasn¡¯t just friendship That knowledge made her feelingsplicated Owen returned quickly with hot water, setting it on the floor and wringing out a towel before sitting in front of her. ¡°I¡¯ll be as gue as I can. If it hurts, tell me, alright?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Okay¡± Owen confully wiped the blood from her skin. As the fabric was cut away, a bloodstained bra came into view He kept his eyes oed on her shoulder, pointedly not looking anywhere else. Then he hesitated an If wanting to say something. ¡°You¡­¡± Ana nced up, puzzled. ¡°What is it?¡± He remembered that Vanessa was probably nearby, so he swallowed whatever he was about to say ¡°Nothing¡± Aria looked down, noticing her bra was a mess, and couldn¡¯t help butugh softly. ¡°Px, can change the rest myself¡± Owen didn¡¯t reply, just focused on gently cleaning her shoulder, his face lening with embarrassment. He kept his head down, refusing to meet her gaze. Worried he¡¯d tug on the wound, he wiped so slowly, so delicately, his hand practically trembling But even with his head bowed, Aria could still see the flush burning in his cheeks. She looked away, a tiny smile ying on her lips. For a guy in his twenties, Owen¡¯s kind of endearingly shy! Once the blood was cleaned off, Owen grabbed a fresh roll of sterile gauze. Till start bandaging now ¡°Go ahead.¡± He knelt on one knee on the sofa for easier ess, and as he wrapped the gauze around her shoulder, he caught a glimpse of the mass of scars stretching across her back. He knew the story¨Chow a seven year¨Cold girl had nearly died in a fire, the insurance scam, her narrow escape. But he¡¯d never realized how severe her injuries had been. Seeing the scars now, he wondered how she¡¯d survived it at all. The ache in his chest was almost physical. Suddenly, Aria felt something warmnd on her shoulder. She looked up instinctively, then realized that Owen was crying. Snapping out of it, Owen continued to wrap her arm, careful and gentle. The steady rhythm of his hands pulled Aria out of her thoughts. When he finished, Owen wiped at the corner of his eye, trying to hide the evidence. ¡°All done.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria said quietly She nced down at herself, with her tattered clothes, she looked like a beggar. Standing up, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to change.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here. If you need help, He caught himself, suddenly realizing what be¡¯d almost offered Aria tilted her head at him, a teasing glint in her eyes. ¡°If I need help, then what?¡± 09:52 FM, 20 Jun She locked pale from blood loss, but her smile was dazzling Is she flirting with me? Owen wondered, a shock of hope flickering in his eyes Aria was never the type to flirt not with fiends, not like this, But before he could respond, A was already walking away, throwing back over her shoulder, ¡°Thanks for tonight Tran handle i ilt ineant he could ge The ruined shirt barely clung to her, and as she left, most of her back was exposed to the air. Owen looked once, then quickly averted his eyes. He listened for the door to click shut behind her. That final left a tter of hope in his heart¨Cthen dashed it Owen didn¡¯t leave. He ordered food and started cleaning up the mess on the floor. Meanwhile, Aria stood in front of the vanity mirror, taking in her own battered reflection, Owen¡¯s hands still vivid in her mind. She hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but now it struck her¨Cjust how messy everything was, and how exposed she¡¯d been ncing ng down, she caught sight of the awkward bulge at her chest. ¡°Wait, did Owen see that?¡® She shook her head¨Cbetween tending her wounds and his embarrassment, he hadn¡¯t noticed a thing, other than her scars. She looked up and watched as her cheeks flushed in the mirror. With a deep breath, she peeled off the shredded shirt, pulled out a padded sleep top, Unhooking was easy, but fastening a bra with one hand was impossible. She¡¯d have to be careful for a while¨Cnot to pull at the wound. Once dressed, she popped two painkillers, then stepped out. ing on the couch. At the sound of the door, he looked up Owen was sitting on and struggled to pull it on one¨Chanded. Aria¡¯s face immediately warmed, but she tried to keep her voice steady, ¡°You¡¯re still here!¡± Owen nodded. ¡°You need to eat.¡± She blinked, puzzled, then realized that he meant she needed to replenish her blood. ¡°I took some medicine,¡± she said. ¡°Lordered food,¡± ¡°Owen replied. ¡°I¡¯ll leave after you eat. He¡¯d lived in Kanit City long enough to know where to get real food, the kind that helps you heal. He¡¯d picked the best dishes for her Aria was suddenly aware of how hungry she was, so the just sat across from him on the couch. The moment she nced up and met his eyes, her heart did a little flip. Just then, a thought struck her. ¡°What was that warm drop thatnded on my shoulder earlier?¡® Again Marriage 396 Chapter 396 That warm drop on her shoulder. It wasn¡¯t from a leaky ceilling, and she definitely wasn¡¯t imagining things. It hit Aria all at once: Owen had seen the scars on her back while bandaging her, and he¡¯ll actually teared up. For a moment, her mind just¡­ nked out, a wave of emotion crashing over her, fon tangled to name. Her heart squeezed painfully and then started pounding so fast she thought it might burst. Her stare must¡¯ve been way too obvious, because Owen couldn¡¯t ignore it, even if he tried. He nced up and met her dazed eyes, caught in the act. A secondter, Aria snapped out of it, raised her hand, and smacked herself Eightly on the forehead, mortified. Owen¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Does your shoulder hurt?¡± The concern in his voice snapped Aria back to reality, and she wanted to p herself again. Finding but Owen had cried for her¨Csure, she felt a flicker of being moved, but just for a second. After that? Mostly, she was just curious. He was always so calm and collected, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°What does Owen look like when he cries? She forced herself to stop thinking about it. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Aria replied, but there was a strange, guilty note in her voice. Owen had no idea what was going through her head. At that moment, Aria¡¯s phone buzzed. She picked it up to see Vanessa had sent her a post that wasn¡¯t trending, but was definitely juicy: Vanessa: Film City spotted a total heartthrob wandering around, looking for his way home.] Vanessa: [He looks a lot like Owen. Can you check?] Aria opened the link and instantly recognized Owen¡¯s back Comments flooded in. [This guy is ridiculously handsome. I¡¯m in a daze!] I overheard an agent trying to recruit him. Turns out he¡¯s awyer!] He went for lunch, everyone¨Cgo check him out! Photo after photo, every angle: Owen, walking, resting, eating lunch Is he lost or just obsessed with Film City? He¡¯s been on the main street for eight hours. He went back for dinner¨Cat the same ce he ate lunch.) [He¡¯s back on the same street, still wandering ground. People joked that he looked like someone who time¨Ctraveled from the past and was trying to find his way back. The best guess? He was waiting for someone 09:52 Frl, 20 Jun Chapter 396 Then a photo appeared of Owen striding into the hotel. The hottie just went into the hoteli And the next picture Aria herrill, getting out of a car. As soon as thisdy got out, he stood up and ran to her. The post even had a photo of Owen running toward her, and another of the two of them waiting for the elevator together. He spent the whole day here, just waiting for his galliend. No wonder he kept looking in one direction. [This is killing me, I ship them so hard.] [Don¡¯t delete this thread! See if anyone else can catch them¨CI¡¯m leaving Kanit City, so it¡¯s up to you now She couldn¡¯t help but marvel at how skilled the inte was at shipping people together. Owen had nned to explore Film City that day anyway. The reality wasn¡¯t nearly as dramatic as people online made it sound But still, after dinner, there were plenty of photos showing Owen gazing at the hotel. She realized as soon as she¡¯d gone inside, he¡¯d shown up. Was he really waiting for her? Aria¡¯s expression shifted. She looked up and asked, ¡°Did you take any pictures while you were wandering around Film City?¡± Owen¡¯s face was as calm as ever, but there was a spark of amusement in his eyes. ¡°I did. Once I pick out some good ones, I¡¯ll send them to you.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Vanessa sent a voice message: [Did you see the post? Owen followed you all the way to Film City? Is he that lovesick? Aria texted back: [He came to Film City to apologize, not just for me.] Vanessa: Oh,e on. It¡¯s still because of you.) As Vanessa messaged, she opened the door¨Conly to freeze Owen was sitting right across from the entrance, and Vanessa nearly jumped out of her skin. One second she was gossiping about him, the next second he was right there in the flesh. It startled her so much she blurted out, ¡°Sorry, wrong room!¡± and immediately mmed the door. Aria, looking sideways, couldn¡¯t help butugh. Three secondster, Vanessa pushed the door open gain, staring at Aria with wide eyes and immediately started typing: You actually brought him home? Aria: it¡¯s not what it looks like can exin] Vanessa: Don¡¯t exin. I don¡¯t want to know. As Aria and Vanessa continued texting like nobody else was in the room, Owen stood awkwardly by the sofa, unsure whether to speak up. Finally, Aria put her phone away and called out, ¡°Youing in, or are you nning on guarding the door all night?¡± un d 09:52 Fri, 20 Jun Vanessa made a noise of agreement and walked in, greeting Owen with a bright, ¡°18, I¡¯m Varianna Owen nodded, polite as ever. ¡°Nice to meet you I¡¯m Owen¡± ¡°Sit down, make yourself at home,¡± Vanessa said as she dropped her things and bounced over to it beside She was about to throw an arm around Mia when Owen¡¯s voice cut in: ¡°Don¡¯t touch her Vanessa froze. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°She¡¯s hurt,¡± Owen exined. Vanessa shot to her feet, eyes wide. ¡°You¡¯re hurt?¡± Aria waved her off, assuring her she was fine, then added, ¡°Owen already patched me up.¡± Vanessa¡¯s gaze was full of melodramatic betrayal¨CWhy didn¡¯t you call me? Ania could only shrug. I thought I could handle it. Bumping into Owen was a was a coincidence! Vanessa shot Owen a side¨Ceye. A coincidence? This guy waited all day for you!! Aria blinked. ¡®Seriously, just a coincidence! After a flurry of meaningful nces, Vanessa announced, ¡°You¡¯re going back to Mandino City first thing tomorrow morning to recover She gave Ariano chance to protest. Turning to Owen, she said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving Aria in your care.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Of course,¡± ¡°And she won¡¯t be able to wash her hair or shower by herself, so you¡¯ll have to help¨Cwell, maybe just help her with her hair. She can handle the rest herself¡± Vanessa corrected herself mid¨Csentence. Owen nodded again,pletely unbothered. ¡°Alright.¡± Aria gawked at him. ¡®He agreed to that? Really?¡± Instantly, Vanessa¡¯s opinion of Owen shot up to eighty percent. Hotels just weren¡¯t as convenient as home, and Aria couldn¡¯t take time off easily. s M coulde help, but Vanessa decided Mayen Garden was best. Aria could eat home¨Ccooked food instead of takeout, and most importantly, get far away from Russell and all his trouble. Vanessa didn¡¯t let Aria argue. She pulled out her phone and started booking tickets. ¡°One o¡¯clock train tomorrow. You¡¯ll leave after lunch.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her on the way.¡± Aria thought, ¡®Wow, you two have this all nned out, huh?¡± A message popped up from MapleLink. It¡¯s done Aria smiled, feeling lighter than she had in days She¡¯d repaid her debt¨Cone bullet for White Fox¡¯s life. She and Russell were oven now. If only he¡¯d just let it be¨Cstop hiding behind Sara¡¯s name, stop pretending he was sowed something 09:52 HAF JUN Chapter 396. Aria did feel guilt toward Sara. Bit Russell! He had no right to y this game, Again Marriage 397 Chapter 397 As soon as Vanessa arrived on set, she somehow got her hands on an axe and started ting around looking for Fussall Director Cason did a double take at the sight and asked, ¡°What¡¯s Vanests doing, wandering around with an aver His assistant nced up. ¡°She¡¯s looking for Mr. Nicholson, I think Cason shot to his feet, his whole demeanor changing in an instant, Justst night, he¡¯d been woken from a dead sleep by a tall, Russell had exined a few urgent matters, then rushed back to Mambia, Olivia trading behind like the loyal sidekick she was Cason could understand if the boss had an emergency, but Vanessa searching for Russell with an axe? He asked, ¡°Has Aria shown up yet?¡± The assistant shook his head, ¡°Not yet¡± Cason felt a chill of premonition¨Csomething big was about to happen. He sprinted toward Vanessa, calling out as he ran, ¡°Vanessa, put the axe down! Mr. Nicholson isn¡¯t here!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± Vanessa whipped around, her face thunderous. That could only end in chaos. Cason breathed a silent sigh of relief. Thank God Russell wasn¡¯t there, or who knew how ugly this would get. He quickly took the ace from her, ¡°What happened? Mr. Nicholson went back to Masmubiast night. Aria isn¡¯ting anymore either?¡± Vanessa spat, ¡°Damn it.¡± Then, after a second thought, she added, ¡°Forget it if he¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Cason, I need to to take the morning off. Got something urgent to handle. He didn¡¯t have to ask to know it had to do with Russell But with Russell out of town, even Vanessa couldn¡¯t stir up too much trouble. He nodded, ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t take too long.¡± Got it.¡± Vanessa grabbed herptop, found an outlet, and settled in, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Meanwhile, at the very very top of a skyscraper downtown, ¡°Neb¡± glinted in giant lette letters under the sun. Inside the building, though, it was total chaos. Neb¡¯s system was under cyberattack. The IT department was in a frenzy, but whoever was on the other end of this digital assault was relentless. Within minutes, every screen in the office shed the same message in bold, screaming text: Russell Drop Dead! The CEO, finding out that Russell had pissed someone off again, mmed his palm on the desk and roared, ¡°Get Russell on the phone, now!¡± Russell had barely stepped off the ne before the angry call came He was met with a barrage of curses. 09:52 Frl¨C20Jun Olivia, walking not to him, asked, ¡°Bussel, what happened?¡± Russell¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Til handle it.¡± He hung up and muttered, ¡°treb¡¯s under attack- someone¡¯sing after ma He immediately dialed A, but she didn¡¯t pick up. Next, he called Cason. ¡°Tind Vineyes. It¡¯s urgent.¡± The moment Cason heard that, he remembered Vanessa had just taken the morning off its eyes went wide ¡°he way¨Cdid she actually do something. Forgetting about the film, Cason tore off running. ¡°Where¡¯s Vanessali¡± Someone pointed the way He found her in a side tent,ptop open, lines of code racing across the screen as Vanessa¡¯s fingers pounded the keyboard. Cason frome. On speakerphone, Russell¡¯s voice barked, ¡°Did you find Vanessa yet?¡± Vanessa didn¡¯t look up. She just stopped typing, stood up, and snatched the phone from Cason¡¯s hand, voice like ice. ¡°Russell, there won¡¯t be a next time¡± She hung up a and locked eyes with Cason, silent and defiant. stester, Russell called back, trying to keep his cool. ¡°Fine, just restore the system.¡± A few minutes Vanessa snorted. ¡°Wait for it.¡± She sat down again and, in a few deft moves, rolled back her attack. Crisis was over. The CEO warned Russell, ¡°You cause any more trouble, and we¡¯re finding a new partner.¡± Russell got into his car, face stormy. Olivia, as usual, seemedpletely oblivious to the tension, beaming as she asked, ¡°Russell, why¡¯s Father in such a rush to see us?¡± Russell rubbed his temples. ¡°I have no idea.¡± But whatever it was, it wouldn¡¯t be good for him. Not long after, his phone rang again¨Canother emergency. ¡°Russell, Baron¡¯s been targeted At the train station, Aria reached for her suitcase, but Owen beat her to it, grabbing the handle with ease. She sighed, ¡°My right hand works just fine, you know.¡± Owen looked down, his tone gentle but firm. ¡°Use your right hand for your phone. I¡¯ll carry this.¡± He stayed close to her left side, shielding her from the crowds jostling through the station. They walked out together, side by side. ¡°Ms. Saxon?¡± Aris turned at the familiar voice, meeting Ramon¡¯s eyes. Liam was there too. Her gaze barely lingered on Liam before siding away. Chapter 397 S Ramon greeted her warmly, ¡°What a coincidence, running into you here!¡± Aria nodded, polite but distant. ¡°It really is,¡± ¡°Thanks to you, my daughter¡¯s made a full recovery, No more bed rest, and the baby¡¯s doing great.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d. They¡¯ll be just fine,¡± Aria replied. Ramon¡¯s nce at Liam was you two would make a great couple. Remember to send mo an invite when you tie the knot¡± Owen shook his head, exining, ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding, Ramon, Aria and I just happened to run into each other on our way back to Kanit City.¡± Aria added, ¡°My left hand¡¯s out ofmission, so he¡¯s helping with my bags.¡± So they weren¡¯t together after all. Liam¡¯s expression grow even moreplicated. Il Aria didn¡¯t go for someone as outstanding as Owen, was there really no hope for anyone else? Ramon wasn¡¯t fazed. He figured it was only a matter of time. ¡°How¡¯s your hand? Have you had it checked?¡± I¡¯m fine. Already saw a doctor,¡± Aria replied. Ramon nodded, a strange look in his eyes. ¡°Do you remember Dr. Webster?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Aria said. Ramon had always admired Culver, but after his daughter¡¯s ordeal, he was starting to think the legendary doctor¡¯s reputation might be a bit overblown. ¡°Culver just found the National Doctor¡¯s Seal. He¡¯s about to take over Todd School.¡± Again Marriage 398 Chapter 398 Owen had already checked¨CMaverick was no longer in the Kanit City rehab center. The Todd family had taken him away, but to where, no one krew Whenever anyone tried to ask about Maverick, the Todds shut them down.cold Maverick had a former apprentice, too a falling out over the handover of Todd School left him on his own, running a small traditional medicine clinic in some quiet little town,pletely removed from the world. Aria had spent years with that old doctor, and he always sow through people there was no way he wouldn¡¯t notice Culver¡¯s true motives. Aria herself had dug into Culver¡¯s past he¡¯d studied modern medicine in Masmubia, picked up traditional medicine as a second degree, stayed to work in Masmubia after his PhD, then came home five yearster to take up a local post Eventually, he became Maverick Todd¡¯s disciple. Thanks to his time abroad, Culver had stayed in close touch with his old hospital in Masmu. Ramon sighed, ¡°It¡¯s a pity¨Che found the National Doctor¡¯s Seal but not the ancient medical books. The Todds are pretty disappointed.¡± Aria suddenly asked, ¡°Is Culver really going to resign?¡± ¡°He is,¡± Ramon nodded, using Culver¡¯s name directly. ¡°He¡¯s not really a Todd, you know. The only reason he¡¯s allowed to take over is because they value the line of session¨Cthere are strict rules. Culver has to leave the Provincial Traditional Medicine Association before he can take over Todd School¡± Aria nodded, weighing her next move. ¡°Thank you for telling me all this.¡± Ramon smiled gently. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me.¡± The Todds must¡¯ve examined that seal closely. They¡¯d never mistake a fake. Publicly announcing Culver¡¯s session might be part of another n. Maybe they were medical books, too. Either way, Aria was content to wait until they made their next move. still waiting for the real seal to show up, and those threest She nced at Owen, then, right in front of Liam, asked directly, ¡°Any news on Hannah¡¯s case?¡± The air instantly changed¨Cespecially for Liam, who looked like he¡¯d been pped. They¡¯d just been discussing Culver, and suddenly the topic had twisted back to Hannah. Aria did it on purpose. She imed not to care, but obviously she did. Aher the sh of anger, Liam couldn¡¯t help but feel a strange flicker of hope. Maybe Aria still cared about him. Owen paused a second, then replied, ¡°The Gibson family is just buying time, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before she¡¯s convicted. She¡¯s not getting away.¡± Aria nodded, almost thoughtful. ¡°Let them stall The longer this drags out, the more charges there¡¯ll be Ramon was a little lost, but Owen understood right away. After all, he¡¯d engraved that seal himsel Chapter 398. still need to get my things back,¡± Ain added quietly. Owen¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile¨Cshe¡¯d called it ¡°my things¡± Now Ramon was really starting to catch on. The topic had gone from Culver taking over Todd School, to Hannah, to extra charges, to Aria saying the needed her property back. Ht thought, ¡°Wait. Could Hannah have taken something hom Arial The seal? Was that seal actually Aria¡¯s?¡± His eyes went wide as the realization hit. Liam, thoroughly confused, finally blurted, ¡°What do you mean, more charges? What did Hannah do?¡± olly. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Aria looked at him coolly. Owen¡¯s smile deepened, ¡°We should go.¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Aria tumed to Ramon, ¡°See you, Ramon.¡± Ramon was still reeling, but managed a wave. ¡°Take care.¡± The group split up. Liam looked back as they ty walked away, sunlight tracing a perfect outline around Aria and Owen. He couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®They really do look good together. Whatever he¡¯d been hoping for quietly dissolved. Aria wasn¡¯t the type to take back what she¡¯d left behind. She had her own life now, and so did he Liam forced himself to move on, but Hannah¡¯s strange behavior that night lingered in his mind. A whip pcracked through the air,nding hard across Russell¡¯s back, leaving bloody stripes. He knelt, every muscle rigid, lips pressed tight, eyes zing with suppressed rage ¡°Russell.¡± Olivia tried to rush forward, but the man next to her caught her arm, smirking, ¡°Olivia, the more you beg, the worse it gets for him.¡± She ignored him, shouting toward the front, ¡°Father, that¡¯s enough!¡± But the whipping continued. Russell never made a sound. After tenshes, the punishment was over. Tyree Remar coiled up the whip and said coldly, ¡°Do you admit your mistake?¡± Russell released a breath. ¡°I do.¡± Olivia immediately hurried to his side, crouching to hug him¨Cher hands pressing the fresh welts, making the pain worse. ¡°Dad, you went way too far,¡± she snapped, though her face showed no trace of real concern for Russell Truth was, after their trip to Huthailia, Olivia was pissed at Russell. She wanted him to realize¨Conly she could truly help him. sy sister, But¡­ she was murdered.¡± Russell pushed her away and turned to Tyres. Hound my He stared straight at Tyree as he spoke. Tyree howned, then went silent, finally saying, ¡°It¡¯s been years¨Cthe chances the survived were always slim. If you get caught screwing up again, don¡¯t bothering back.¡± With that, Tyree strode away The man who¡¯d held Olivia back gave thisse steering look and followed Tyree out, not even ncing at Glivis Olivia helped Russell up, all concem. ¡°Russell, what¡¯s going on?¡± He coughed, face nk, ¡°Ludon¡¯t know.¡± She tested, ¡°Could it be Aria?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Russell replied tly. A hard glint shed in Olivia¡¯s eyes¨Chere, even in her own territory, he still refused to tell her anything. Russell met her gaze. ¡°You¡¯ve traveled a long way: Go rest.¡± She pouted, ¡°Let me at least help with your bandages.¡± ¡°No need. They¡¯ll handle it. I¡¯ve neglected youtely. I need time to sort out what happened to my sister.¡± Olivia tried to hide her unease. ¡°If you need anything, Russell, promise you¡¯ll tell me.¡± Henodded ¡°Yeah,¡± Back in his rooms, Russell finally had a moment to text Ondo: Aria¡¯s keeping quiet for now. Ondo: [But you got punished because of her Russell (Aria knows a hell of a lot more than any of us realize. Cross her and we¡¯ll all pay for it. In his car, Ondo mmed the wheel in frustration, setting off the horn and scaring Rachel in the passenger seat. He quickly apologized, ¡°Sorry.¡± Rachel shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°They coulde back any time. Only ten days left till break. Want toe stay at my ce? Anywhere you want to go?¡± ¡°Car¡­ can I stay at Mayen Garden?¡± ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t want to go out?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather study¡± The light turned green Ondo started the car, and a few minutester stopped at the school gates. Rachel got out, heading inside. Lily, arms full of study guides, spotted her and called, ¡°Rachel?¡± Rachel turned, her eyes brightening and they walked in together. Watching from the car, Ondo Fowned He recognized that gir 09-52 FM, Ondo thought, ¡°Two girls from different grades. How do they know each other? Did Aria send Lily to get close to Rachel Has she discovered who Rachel really is? But if so, why is Aria so calm?¡± Ondo decided to ask Rachel more next time.. ? Again Marriage 399 Chapter 399 In Peacewell Pharmacy, a middle¨Caged man in a long robe was carefully weighing herbs on a brass scale, the crisp clicks of an old abacus filing the air. Standing across from him was a chubby, good natured¨Clooking young man¨CMaverick¡¯s eldest grandson, Niks Todd Niks had the look of someone you¡¯d never suspect of anything¨Cround checks, soft build, harmless smile, He asked, ¡°You really aren¡¯ting back to Todd School?¡± ¡°Not nning to,¡± came the t reply. Niks propped his face on his hands, sighing, ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at Culver anymore¨Che found the National Doctor¡¯s Seal, you know?¡± Axton¡¯s hands paused over the abacus. He looked up, expression unchanged. ¡°He found it?¡± Niks nodded. ¡°Yeah. He did.¡± Axton Sanchez frowned, his gaze sharpening ¡°And the medical books?¡± ¡°No books. Just the seal.¡± Axton¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You checked it? is the seal real?¡± Niks shed a practiced, eager smile. ¡°My dad checked it himself. It¡¯s real. We really want you toe back.¡± Aston just dropped his eyes, his yellowed hands flicking the abacus beads once more. After a long silence, he said quietly, ¡°I stopped being his student a long time ago. You should go.¡± No matter how Niks tried to persuade him, Axton remained stone¨Cfaced and silent. Finally, Niks gave up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m leaving then. The handover ceremony for Culver is in mid May. You have toe.¡± Axton didn¡¯t respond. Niks slipped out in silence. But the moment he turned away, the innocent smile vanished from his face. Once back in the car, he dialed his father. ¡°Dad, Axton doesn¡¯t seenyto know about Culver getting the seal.¡± A long pause. Then, ¡°Keep digging. Those three medical books can¡¯t go missing¡± After about ten days of recovery, Aria¡¯s shoulder was finally well enough for some basic movement. Labor Day was days off for the whole school. Out for the seniors at First High, even a holiday meant nothing: SATs were next month, and no one dared ck off. Valerie had texted Aria ahead of time, so she arrived early and headed to his office first. She knocked, heard a e in,¡± and walked inside Valerie saw her and immediately set down her work, greeting her warmly, ¡°Aria, you¡¯re here.¡± Laying her name, Vrie couldn¡¯t help but remember the first time they met back then, she¡¯d been known as Nathan¡¯s sister. Now she was Lily¡¯s. (09:52 Fri, 20 Jun D Chapter 309 Aria gave her a polite smile. ¡°Hi, Ms. Gibbs,¡° Valerie got up and offered her a chair, then pulled another up for herself across from her, ¡°I knew you¡¯d being to pick up Lily, so I wanted to chat with you for a hi his tone turning serious ¡°Lily¡¯s been working hard. She¡¯s never dropped out of the top three in all the city¡¯s mock exams. She¡¯s got a real shot at taking the top spot this year. ¡°Buttely, I¡¯ve noticed she¡¯s been getting close to a freshman girl. That student¡¯s a bit¡­ unusual. She was enrolled mid¨Cyear, and before this, she¡¯d never had a formal education, ¡°Her tanly donated a library to the school¨Cotherwise, we never would¡¯ve epted her. When she first came, she wore a mask all the time. Some curious kid yanked it off one day and saw her face was scared¡­¡± Valerie paused, letting out a heavy sigh, her concern obvious. ¡°Fest High has a zero¨Ctolerance policy for bullying. The student who pulled her mask got written up on the spot. ¡°The other kids tried to make friends, but she turned everyone down¨Cexcept Lily. Somehow, she reallykes Lily. She visits the senior ssrooms all the time, eats and studies with Lily, even gets tutoring from her. ¡°Honestly, I should have talked to you sooner, but I wanted to see how things yed out before jumping to conclusions. Something about this feels off even asked Lily if they knew each other before¨Cshe swears they didn¡¯t.¡°¨C Aria listened carefully, not interrupting. She agreed it was odd. ¡°Thank you for telling me, Valerie. I¡¯ll look into it.¡± Valerie trusted Aria. She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about Lily¡¯s grades¨Cshe¡¯s always focused. But the SAT is to close. Thest thing she needs is some unpredictable drama right now.¡± A family wealthy enough to donate a whole library, but never sent their kid to school until high school? A girl who refuses to talk to anyone but Lily, yet insists on Lily spending all her time helping her with basic coursework? if they were truly friends, she wouldn¡¯t be distracting Lily at the most important moment. With that kind of money, she could¡¯ve hired a tutor. Aria stood and bowed slightly, her gratitude sincere. ¡°Thank you, My, Gibbs.¡± Homeroom teachers were always so busy, it was hard for them to care about their students the way Valerie did. She even noticed things like who was making friends with whom tely overlooked. That was something Aria hadpletely ov Valerie stopped her with a helpless smile. ¡°Just doing my job.¡± ¡°Ms. Gibbs, can ask who¡¯s listed as Rachel¡¯s guardian?¡± She answered without hesitation, ¡°Her guardian is Ondo¡± Aria¡¯s expression shifted. ¡°Thank you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle this¡± She had a pretty good idea who this girl was now the one who lived upstairs. They chatted a bit longer, until the bell rang Valerio told her, ¡°That girl will probablye looking for Lilly. You can wait outside her ssroom and maybe catch her.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll head over now! She left, making her way to the senior crash course ssroom. Just as she reached the door, she spotted a girl running down the hallway. The girl froze as soon as she saw Aria, Ada took a few s forward. The girl immediately backed away, fear and suspicion in her eyes. She was scared of Aria.¡± Aria stopped where she was, her gazes steady. ¡°Rachel,¡± Ondo strode up, nting himself at Rachel¡¯s side, giving Aria a pointed re before lowering his voice to Rachel, ¡°I couldn¡¯t find you in ss. Your ssmates said you came to ss One.¡± ss One was Lily¡¯s ss. He asked, ¡°Are you really that close with Lily from ss One?¡± Again Marriage 400 Chapter 400 Rachel shrank back, eyes downcast, and nodded softly. ¡°ves. Ondo¡¯s expression turned even colder. After making sure Aria hadn¡¯t recognized Rachel, he sneered, ¡°I used to think you took Lity in out of kindness Guess I gave you too much credit. Stay away from Rachel, or I won¡¯t hesitate to have Lily transferred to another school even during SATS¡± Aria¡¯s lips curled into a chilly smile. ¡°You¡¯re wee to try! Only someone like him would care suggest transferring the city¡¯s top student right before the SATS Rachel looked at Ondo, as if wanting to say something, but couldn¡¯t get a wond out. Olivia¡¯s threats still echoed in her mind. She hit her lip, and tears began to fall, quickly soaking the edge of her mask Ondo¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°Did Lily bully you?¡± Inside the ssroom, thest teacher had just finished a few reminders for the holiday. ¡°When youe back, it¡¯s mock exams. The SAT is right around theer, so don¡¯t get too wild over break.¡± A student groaned, ¡°With all the homework you gave us, there¡¯s no time for fun anyway Laughter andints followed. The teacher rapped the desk, grinning. ¡°Watch it, or I¡¯ll keep you here longer.¡± The student immediately raised a hand, all puppy eyes. ¡°Sorry. My bad.¡± Everyone chimed in, ¡°Sorry!¡± aht, ss dismissed.¡± He shook his head, amused. ¡°Wright, ¡°Yeah!¡± Lily, knowing Aria would pick her up, had already packed her books and was the first out the door¨Cjust in time to hear Ondo¡¯s sharp question Rachel, seeing Lily, went red eyed and shook her head furiously, ¡°No.¡± Ondo didn¡¯t buy it for a second. He shot Aria a frosty re. ¡°Seet Lily¡¯s bullying her.¡± Sometimes one just had tough at the absurdity. Aria reached out, ruffling Lily¡¯s hair. ¡°Her guardian doesn¡¯t want you hanging out with that girl¡± Lily saw right through Ondo¡¯s hostility toward Aria and instantly hardened her expression. ¡°I won¡¯t y with her anymore.¡± For her, no one mattered more than Aria. Ondo¡¯s warning was ice¨Ccold,¡± hope you both remember what you said today.¡± The hallway was filling up with students, and sonte overheard the exchange. One from the crash course ss couldn¡¯t help but mock, ¡°Please, it¡¯s always Racheling to our ssroom to find Lily¨Chow¡¯s that Lily¡¯s fault?¡± ¡°Exactly! Lily¡¯s been using her free time to teach Rachel basic elementary school stuff, right before the SATS¡± ¡°Honestly, if you enro kid thatte, shouldn¡¯t she be in first grade?¡± ¡°Lily, don¡¯t bother with her anymore. People might start thinking you did something to her.¡± Rachel just stood there, ent tears rolling down her cheeks, shoulders trembling. Ondo looked about ready to explode, but Ana ¡°il you mally care about her, maybe try talking to the homeroom teacher. Or, you know, talk to her yourself if you can¡¯t actually protect her pretending your controlling is for her own good.¡± Ondo snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t need you lecturing me. Just keep Lily in line. Rachel, let¡¯s go.¡± But for the first time, Rachel didn¡¯t move. She stood rooted in ce, finally whispering. ¡°They didn¡¯t bully m She looked up at Ondo, voice trembling but determined. ¡°No one bullied me. I wanted to be friends with Lily¡± ¡°The ones who really hurt me have always been you! Ondo froze, caught off guard. Aria let out a short, mockingugh. ¡°You¡¯ve spent so long ying Daniel¡¯sckey, you¡¯ve turned into Idiot Number Two.¡± Ostic frowned. ¡°Why number two?¡± A kid at the back shot back, ¡°What, are you stupid? That means there¡¯s already an idiot Number One.¡± ¡°So who¡¯s idiot Number One?¡± someone else asked, ncing at Nathan, who sat nearby in awkward silence. Nathan¡¯s deskmate quipped, ¡°Aria¡¯s Lily¡¯s big sister now. If you want to know, ask Lily¡± Sensing the tension, the group wisely fell silent. ¡°Let¡¯s just ask next time¡­ Ondo¡¯s jaw clenched so hard his temple throbbed, but before he could lose it, Rachel suddenly turned and walked away. He hurried after her, ¡°Rachel, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She didn¡¯t look up. Her voice was muffled and t. ¡°Aria¡¯s really nice.¡± When she was with Lily, all they ever talked about was Aria In Lily¡¯s stories, Aria was strong, kind, and good¨Cnothing like Olivia. Rachel honestly wished she could meet someone like Aris in her own life. Ondo thought Lily had influenced her too much, but he held his tongue, deciding to keep a closer eye on Rachel at school. Aria watched them go, then turned to Lily with a gentle smile. ¡°Let¡¯s head home.¡± She reached for Lily¡¯s backpack, ck, but Lily dodged her, shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯re still hurt¨C¡®ll carry it myself¡± ¡°You¡¯re hurt?¡± Nathan immediately straightened, eyes fixed on Aria. ¡°I¡¯m mostly better now,¡± Aria replied calmly. Lily¡¯s worry showed. ¡°Still, you should take it easy.¡± After saying goodbye to their ssmates, Aria and Lily left together. After dinner, Aria was about to head out when Owen grabbed her wrist. ¡°it¡¯s time to take your stitches out. Lily, deep in thought over a tough math problem, was already at the door and missed the brief struggle between them. 2/4 Aria lowered her voice. ¡°I can do it myself¡± But Owen didn¡¯t let go. His look said everything No, I¡¯ll do it. Aria sighed, resigned, and called out, ¡°Lily, go start your homework. I¡¯ll be there soon ¡°Okay!¡± Lily answered cheerfully. Owen released her hand and waited until the door shut behind Lily before asking quietly, ¡°How¡¯s your recovery?¡± ¡°I feel pretty good,¡± Aria said. ¡°I¡¯ll grab the med kit.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± set the He set the box on the coffee table and went to wash his hands. Aria was wearing a shirt with buttons today, easy enough to undo. As she unfastened them, Owen finished disinfecting his hands. ¡°Hey¡­¡± He turned around and caught a glimpse of bare skin, immediately whipping his head away. ¡°Sorry,¡± he muttered, cheeks and ears burning red. Aria nced down, realized what he¡¯d seen, and quickly pulled the shirt aside to bare just her left shoulder. ¡°Ready.¡± Owen took a steadying breath, then turned back and carefully began unwrapping the bandages, ¡°Honestly, you probably could¡¯ve taken the stitches out two days ago.¡± little.¡± He warned, ¡°Might sting a litt ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Aria replied. He started cleaning the area, the cold antiseptic stinging a bit. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± he asked, voice low, so close it felt like a whisper at her ear She swallowed the sudden flutter in her chest. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡± The stitches came out quickly¨Cwhatever pain there was, Aria hardly noticed. Owen disinfected the wound one more time, speaking softly, ¡°Gauze for tonight. You can switch to band¨Caids in a couple days.¡± ¡°Got it¡± With her wound healing well, Owen found his mind wandering, unable to focus. H is knuckles brushed against her warm, soft skin as he wrapped her shoulder. His heartbeat quickened. He finished the bandaging in record time. ¡°All dope.¡± Again Marriage 401 Chapter 401 Aria could clearly feel how rushed Owen was with thosest few wraps of gauze. She didn¡¯t think much of it, quickly buttoned her shirt, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Owen, still kneeling on one knee, kept his head down as he packed i I up the med kit. He didn¡¯t look at her. ¡°Okay. Goodnight.¡± Ariaughed in only sever only seven¨Cthirty.¡± He kept his head down and said nothing, so Aria shifted off the couch a bit and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get going, then.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± There wasn¡¯t any more room in the medicine box, so Owen closed it up. Hearing nothing behind him, his ears perked up. Finding it odd, she copied his pose¨Chalf¨Ccrouching beside the coffee table, propping her chin on her hand as she watched him. Owen had no idea she was this close. When she stayed silent, he found it strange, finally turning his head. Their noses brushed, so softly it was almost nothing, a feather¨Clight touch that startled them both. He froze, startled, and jerked back, meeting her gaze head¨Con. They were so close, Owen could see himself reflected in her r eyes. She looked just as surprised, still wearing that dazed look, as if she hadn¡¯t expected him to turn so suddenly. He¡¯d just bumped her nose¡­ If he¡¯d leaned in a bit more¡­ Owen¡¯s eyes dropped, lingering for a fraction of a second on her slightly parted lips. ¡®Where is he looking?¡® Aria slowly came back to herself, her lips closing gas she subconsciously pressed them together. Themp cast a warm glow over them, the whole room hush and mellow. The faint smell of antiseptic, the clean scent of hisundry detergent¡­ it all felt strangely intimate. Aria was the first to snap out of it, but she didn¡¯t speak. She just quietly studied Owen, her gaze drifting over his brows, his nose, his mouth, his jaw¡­ Vanessa always said Owen carried a kind of otherworldly calm, as if nothing could tempt him, making it impossible to even entertain the idea of crossing a line. At first, when they worked together, Aria hadn¡¯t noticed¨Cshe¡¯d just thought he was principled and trustworthy. But somewhere along the way, they¡¯d grown closer And eventually, she realized he liked her. Her nose began to itch¨Cshe scrunched it, but couldn¡¯t fight the urge, and finally sneezed. Owen snapped out of his trance, too. He quickly turned away and tried to stand, but his left leg had fallen asleep from kneeling so long. He stumbled, nearly sitting back down, and in the confusion, his handnded on something soft¨CAria¡¯s hand. The more flustered you are, the more mistakes you make. ¡°Sorry,¡± Owen apologized quickly, pulling his hand away, but Aria caught it, saying, ¡°Let me help you up.¡± He realized she was offering her right hand¨Cthe uninjured P one¨Cso he epted her support and got to his feet. He tried to sit down, but Aria didn¡¯t let go. Instead, she led him forward. ¡°When your leg¡¯s numb, you need to stand and walk it off. That¡¯ll make it pass faster.¡± If he hadn¡¯t knelt so long to help her with the stitches, this wouldn¡¯t have happened¨Cshe felt it was only fair to help. Their hands, one warm and one cool, intertwined. Owen stiffly shuffled forward, walking like a toddler taking his first steps, even though only one foot was numb. He found himself entirely focused on her hand. It was so much smaller than his. He tried to loosen his grip, but Aria held on tight. She noticed something was off with his walk and asked, ¡°Are both your feet numb?¡± Pulled back to reality, Owen forced himself to y it off, ¡°A little. It¡¯s almost fine.¡± A few more steps and the tingling faded. Again Marriage 402 Chapter 402 Aria finally let go. ¡°If you¡¯re okay, I¡¯ll be heading out.¡± He nodded, voice low, ¡°Alright.¡± Aria left, but as she reached the door, she stopped short¨Ctwo people were standing in the hallway. Caleb was on the left, and when he saw her, he smiled. ¡°Just finished dinner?¡± Aria nodded back, offering a polite smile. ¡°Yeah.¡± She looked to the right¨CNathan was standing there, looking awkward. Caleb exined, ¡°He heard you got hurt and insisted oning with me. I couldn¡¯t stop him.¡± Nathan straightened, cheeks turning red. He stammered out a quiet, ¡°Aria.¡± Aria ignored him and addressed Caleb, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a minor injury. I¡¯m fine now.¡± Nathan¡¯s hopeful gaze dimmed; he didn¡¯t say another word. Caleb added, ¡°We ran into Lily on our way here. She said she was busy with homework and that you were still eating, so we decided to wait out here.¡± Aria walked to the door, typed in her code, and said over her shoulder, ¡°Caleb,e in.¡± She didn¡¯t invit¨¦ Nathan. Caleb shrugged and slipped off his shoes, heading inside. Nathan stood at the threshold for a full ten seconds, reying Derek¡¯s advice in his mind, ¡°If you want to make up with Aria, you¡¯ve got to grow a thicker skin.¡¯* He finally mustered up the nerve to step in and quietly shut the door behind him. He shuffled over and asked Caleb, ¡°Are there any slippers left?¡± Caleb nced at Nathan¡¯s awkward, apologetic face and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯d rather not piss off Aria for your He thought, ¡®Serves you right. If only you¡¯d made different choices before.¡® Nathan couldn¡¯t even argue, just thinking about all the things he¡¯d done and said in the past made him want to p his old self. He bent down, opened the shoe cab, and pulled out an oversized pair of slippers. Just then, Lily came out of her room, books in hand. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re back!¡± sake.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria was already boiling water in the kitchen. ¡°Give me your You didn¡¯t drink any cold water today, did you?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Lily ran to fetch her bottle. On her way back out, she spotted Nathan, paused, then pretended not to see him, greeting Caleb instead, ¡°Hi, Caleb!¡± Caleb smiled, ¡°Evening.¡± Aria began slicing fruit, but Caleb gently took the knife from her. ¡°Let me handle this. Go sit.¡± She let go without protest. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lily poured out three sses of water and hesitated, debating whether to pour a fourth. She watched as Nathan quietly washed his hands in the kitchen. Their eyes met. He wasn¡¯t the confident kid he used to be¨Cnow, he seemed withdrawn, almost pitiful. He had helped her before, after all. She decided to pour a fourth ss, carrying the cups to the coffee table two at a time. Aria sat on the couch, texting. White Fox: [Aria, how¡¯s your injury?] Aria: [Pretty much healed. Are you back with Solemnity Guild?] White Fox: [Yeah. Mr. Kelley didn¡¯t say much about my failed mission.] Aria: [Did you bring up leaving Solemnity Guild?] A long pause, then: [I did. It¡¯ll take some time.] Aria: [If anything changes, let me know right away.] On the other side, White Fox smiled when he read her reply. Someone knocked on his open door. ¡°White Fox, Mr. Kelley wants to see you.¡± White Fox replied with a quick ¡°Got it,¡± fired off a string of messages, then switched her phone over to another system, shut it off, slipped it into her pocket, and got up to head out. He replied: [Aria, gotta go. Talkter.] He switched phones, tucked it away, and headed out. Aria stared at her phone, lost in thought, when a new message popped up: [Someone¡¯s looking into you. Do you want me to intervene?] e 20 AD Comment Again Marriage 403 Chapter 403 Seeing that message pop up, Aria raised an eyebrow and simply replied: [No need.] On the opposite couch, Nathan quietly sipped his warm water. The moment Aria nced up, he immediately looked away, staring at his cup like it held the answers to life. Caleb ced the fruit tter on the coffee table and nced at Nathan¡¯s withdrawn, silent posture, lips twisting with helpless amusement. Every time Nathan came home, the first thing he used to do was grab an ice¨Ccold drink from the fridge, unless it was the dead of winter, he¡¯d never be caught with warm water. But here, he was suddenly obedient. Lily sat down next to Aria. Caleb asked her a bit about school, then, shooting a look at Nathan, said, ¡°Your grades have slippedtely. Learn from Lily. You¡¯ve got to toughen up under pressure.¡± Nathan muttered, ¡°Not much I can do about it. All the good genes went to you guys.¡± Then, realizing what he¡¯d just said, he shot Aria a quick look, flustered, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean you.¡± She thought, ¡®So, did he mean I didn¡¯t get the good genes?¡® Nathan¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t keep up with his thoughts. ¡°I mean I¡¯m the dumbest of the bunch.¡± Aria, Lily and Caleb were speechless. Yeah, Nathan was definitely the least sharp in the room. Aria had always been the type to handle things on her own¨Cnever the sort to report in, no matter what she was doing. Caleb only ever came by just to make sure she was fine. Actually, Caleb had once brought this up to Owen. ¡°If anything happens, I¡¯m not always in the loop. Just let me know right away, will you?¡± Owen had smiled, ¡°I think you should just ask her directly.¡± But in an emergency, how was he supposed to ask? He couldn¡¯t very well call every day just to say, ¡°Hey, Aria, how are you today?¡± Later, Caleb realized that approach wasn¡¯t right, so he never brought it up again. Sometimes, though, he envied that Owen got to live right across from Aria. He¡¯d bought an apartment in this building too, but it wasn¡¯t ready yet. He¡¯d have to get on his contractor to speed things up. Caleb was busy with work, his assistant handled most of his meals¨Che could never cook at home like Owen. Mayen Garden was farther from the Shaw Group. If Owen had gone into thepany, like Kim, he might never have moved here, and probably would never have met Aria. Caleb had to admit, fate could be pretty strange sometimes. They didn¡¯t stay long¨Cafter about half an hour, Caleb got up to leave, Nathan trailing behind him. When they got home, Caleb gave Nathan ast word: ¡°The SAT¡¯sing. Don¡¯t let anything distract you.¡± Nathan, clutching his books, grumbled, ¡°You think I¡¯m that weak?¡± ¡°You are,¡± Caleb replied simply. Nathan was left speechless and headed inside. At the Saxon family¡¯s dinner table, everyone looked up as they walked in. Logan set down his fork and said sternly, ¡°Dinner is at six¨Cthirty. Because of you, we¡¯rete. Don¡¯t you know what today is?¡± It was Joseph¡¯s birthday. Gloria was there with her whole family¨Cincluding Derek, who¡¯d been gone for ages. Thepany was on holiday for Labor Day. The minute Derek found out Aria wasn¡¯t in Kanit City, he rushed back to Mandino City for Joseph¡¯s birthday. Caleb set two gifts on the table. ¡°We stopped by to see Aria.¡± Lincoln stood up at once, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring me?¡± He hadn¡¯t seen Aria sinceing back. Gloria frowned, ¡°It¡¯s fine to visit her, but your grandfather¡¯s birthdayes first. You need to learn your priorities.¡± Logan nodded. ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Watching the family bustle, Nathan felt a pang in his chest. Once, he would have joined in ming, too. But now, as lively as everyone was, Aria lived alone. Nathan set his books down, voice t, ¡°me me. I heard Aria got hurt and went to find Caleb at work so he¡¯d take me to see her.¡± Derek shot to his feet. ¡°Aria¡¯s hurt?¡± Logan and Zoe¡¯s faces changed, too. ¡°What happened?¡± Caleb washed his hands and joined the table. ¡°No need to worry. By the time we found out, she was already almost healed.¡± It sounded so simple, but everyone at the table heard the undertone. Derek shoved his chair back, ready to storm out. Arnav scowled, ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°To see Aria.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Caleb? She¡¯s almost healed. And your grandfather¡¯s birthday isn¡¯t over¨Csit down.¡± Derek red. ¡°How can I be sure until I see for myself? Where is she hurt? How bad? Was anyone taking care of her? Who did it? How can you all just sit here and act like it¡¯s nothing?¡± He rattled off a barrage of questions, furious. ¡°If any of you had gotten hurt, would you still be eating right now? I¡¯m staying with Ari? tonight. Don¡¯t wait up for me.¡± With that, he walked out without a backward nce/ Zoe¡¯s eyes reddened. She turned to Caleb, ¡°Where is Aria hurt?¡± Caleb replied calmly, ¡°Her shoulder. It¡¯s been about ten days, she¡¯s doing much better now.¡± As for how she got hurt, Aria hadn¡¯t told him, so he didn¡¯t ask¨Che just made her promise to let him know if she needed anything. Not that he¡¯d be much help anyway. Aria was too strong for any of them to do much. 2/3 Joseph, who¡¯d always had the mostints about Aria, stayed quiet, If not for Aria¡¯s remedies, his bad leg would have ruined him all winter. Even he wasn¡¯t shameless enough to turn around and badmouth her. Arnav muttered something about Derek being reckless and disrespectful, but Joseph cut him off, ¡°He¡¯s not wrong to want to check on Aria, Stop nagging him.¡± Arnav closed his mouth, a little embarrassed. He¡¯d thought Joseph would back him up¨Cnot so much. Joseph looked at Nathan. ¡°You did the right thing this time. Derek¡¯s smart enough to stay with her. You should learn from him.¡± Nathan winced. ¡°Grandpa, I can¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t have the nerve.¡± Joseph gave him a sidelong look. ¡°You¡¯re younger than Aria. If you have to, kneel and beg for forgiveness.¡± As the court date drew nearer, Hannah grew more and more anxious. ¡°It¡¯s not fair!¡± she snapped. ¡°Even if I admit to stealing someone¡¯s research, I confessed! It¡¯s not like I seeded. Why should I go to prison? Dexter, find me anotherwyer. Keep looking.¡± Dexter, face tight, sat on the couch. ¡°And what about framing Aria? Or all the times you smeared her online, hired trolls, started rumors, paid for hit pieces? The evidence is stacked a mile high¨Cwhat are you going to do about that?¡± Hannah started to cry. ¡°I¨CI just made some mistakes, that¡¯s all. I can¡¯t go to jail¡­¡± Dexter massaged his temples, exhausted. ¡°It¡¯s too big now. If you get off easy, the public will tear us apart. The only way out is to settle. Do you really think Aria would agree to that?¡± Hannah¡¯s hands tightened suddenly. Then, as if something dawned on her, she grabbed Dexter¡¯s arm. ¡°I know how to make Aria settle. I have to see her.¡± Again Marriage 404 Chapter 404 Dexter tracked down Aria¡¯s contact and sent a request: [Hello, Ms. Saxon, this is Dexter.] An hour passed, and Aria still hadn¡¯t epted. Dexter tried again: [Hannah wants to see you¡¯re willing to meet, you can name your terms.] Aria set her phone on the dining table, propped her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Owen came out carrying soup just in time to catch that absent look on her face. you. There¡¯s something really important she needs to discuss, if He set the bowl down and identally caught a glimpse of her phone screen. He blurted out, ¡°Hannah wants to see you?¡± Aria nced up, her eyes meeting his. Owen gave an apologetic smile. ¡°Sorry, I saw it by ident.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Aria could guess what Hannah wanted. ¡°She¡¯s probably hoping to use the Culver situation to cut a deal.¡± ¡°If you go, record it. Get everything on the record.¡± Owen said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Aria was about to protest that she could handle it herself, but seeing the look on his face, she swallowed her words. She looked over at Lily. Lily beamed, ¡°I¡¯ll be at home, working on my homework.¡± Aria¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you something yummy when I get back.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± At the caf¨¦, Dexter sat first. Hannah turned to him, ¡°I need to talk to Aria alone. You being here¡­ it¡¯s not appropriate.¡± Dexter eyed her. ¡°What could you possibly say that I can¡¯t hear?¡± Hannah was at a loss for words. Aria and Owen arrived, walking in at an unhurried pace. The moment Hannah saw them, her face soured. ¡°Why¡¯d you bring Owen?¡± Aria gave her a t look, not bothering to answer. Owen moved to the inside seat and pulled out a chair, but before he could sit, Aria had already taken the outside chair for herself. He smiled helplessly. Hannah and Aria were supposed to talk, but they sat at/opposite corners of the table. Dexter rubbed his temples, stood up, and said to Hannah, ¡°Let¡¯s switch seats.¡± Reluctantly, Hannah got up and sat directly across from Aria. Dexter greeted them politely, ¡°Ms. Saxon, Owen Aria nodded a hello and cut straight to the chase. ¡°Hannah, what do you want to talk about?¡± Dexter staying was one thing, but Owen too? Hannah felt humiliated and snapped, ¡°I want to talk to you in private.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°If you won¡¯t talk now, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Gritting her teeth, Hannah squeezed her hands together and muttered, ¡°Liam and I broke up.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Is that the point?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Hannah¡¯s voice started to shake, her eyes welling with tears. ¡°Now that we¡¯re over and he knows the truth, you two can finally be together You got what you wanted, so why can¡¯t you just drop the charges?¡± Aria was speechless for a second. ¡®No wonder she faked her research. It turns out she¡¯s just not that bright! She was losing patience. ¡°Are you seriously trying to solve everything with a breakup? giarism, theft, framing, stirring up the press. You¡¯ve done all this, and you want to wave Liam at me and call it even? Are you still half asleep?¡± At the word ¡°theft,¡± Hannah¡¯s expression shifted. ¡°Can you not use such harshnguage?¡± Dexter was about ready to lose it, his temples throbbing. He yanked Hannah back down into her seat, snapping, ¡°If you want to negotiate, then do it properly. Stop with this pointless nonsense.¡± They needed Aria to settle. Hannah¡¯s princess routine was helping no one. Dexter, of all people, siding with someone else. Hannah was both furious and aggrieved, shooting him a tearful re. Aria watched the two of them, an amused little smile ying on her lips. ¡°So you¡¯re not here for Culver?¡± Hannah stared at her, stunned. ¡°How did you¡­¡± Dexter frowned, ¡°What about Culver?¡± He did know Culver¨Ca friend of his grandfather¡¯s. If not for the National Doctor¡¯s Seal being lost, Culver would¡¯ve taken over Todd School years ago. Now he¡¯d found the Seal and quit the Association, set to take over as head of Todd School in mid¨CMay. Hannah¡¯s heart was racing. She couldn¡¯t believe Aria was so calm about the Seal. She¡¯d assumed Aria didn¡¯t know its importance. Now it was obvious Aria had known all along. Hannah asked, ¡°You knew all this time?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Knew what?¡± Hannah grew agitated. ¡°You said I wanted to talk about Culver, didn¡¯t you?¡± Aria let out augh. ¡°You¡¯re the one who wants to talk, not me.¡± Hannah¡¯s hands tightened on her knees. She had no idea how much Aria really knew. Steeling herself, she finally spoke. ¡°I saw Culver¡¯s National Doctor¡¯s Seal at your ce once. Aria, that Seal is yours¨Cyou should be the next head of Todd School. I¡¯m the only one who knows. If you agree to settle, I¡¯ll testify for you.¡± A server arrived with their coffee, hesitating at the tense atmosphere before setting down the cups and making a quick exit. Aria picked up her cup and took a sip, voicezy. ¡°Head of Todd School. Sounds impressive.¡± Hannah pressed on, ¡°Traditional medicine is what you¡¯re best at. If you inherit Todd School, your skills will skyrocket.¡± Aria¡¯s lips curled into a frosty smile. ¡°All that sounds nice, but if the Seal was mine, why does Culver have it?¡± Hannah forced herself to lookposed. ¡°Culver must have gone to Jamn to find you.¡± And, for once, Hannah was right. Chapter 404 Culver had indeed gone for her. If she hadn¡¯t rushed back to her clinic, Culver¡¯s people would have seeded. ¡°But I hid the Seal well. How did you see it?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes narrowed. Hannah¡¯s fingers were bone¨Cwhite. ¡°It was an ident.¡± Aria leaned back, staring her down. ¡°That Seal was hidden under who took it?¡± a false bottom in my drawer. No one but me knew it was there. The day it vanished Dexter¡¯s face was slipping, disbelief and dread written all just like that. Hannah¡¯s lips were pressed thin, but she snapped, ¡°I told you, it was or who stole it. Aria, only I can be your witness now.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes iced over. ¡°You do realize there¡¯s surveince, right? You Hannah¡¯s face went sheet white. She shot to her feet with a loud ba didn¡¯t notice the cameras when you were stealing from me?¡± Aria looked up at her, voice mocking. ¡°You want to use the Seal you stole from me as leverage for a settlement? Dream on.¡± She paused, then her tone turned cold and sharp. ¡°If there¡¯s surveince, why haven¡¯t you turned it over already? I never stole anything from you. Don¡¯t try to frame me.¡± She¡¯s hopeless, Aria thought, rising from her seat. ¡°If you won n¡¯t admit it, Culver will.¡¯ Owen stood as well. Dexter called out, ¡°Wait! Ms. Saxon, can we still talk?¡± Aria picked up her phone, stopped the recording right in front of them, and gave a faint smile. ¡°Talk? There¡¯s nothing left to talk about. But thanks for the evidence.¡± ¤ò Again Marriage 405 Chapter 405 Chapter 405 ¡°Aria!¡± Hannah¡¯s voice cracked as she cried out, desperate and losing it. She lunged forward, but Dexter caught her by the back of her shirt, holding her in ce. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t stop the tears from streaming down her face. With the theft charge hanging over her, there was no way out. Who else could possibly help her? Who was left? Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone in the crowd. Hannah froze, her mouth open, letting her tears fall freely. ¡°Liam¡­¡± Liam¡¯s wrist was still in Diego¡¯s grip. He hadn¡¯t expected to see Hannah here, or Aria. Diego, who¡¯d just arrived in town for a six¨Cmonth exchange at they¡¯d be partners in crime again. Aeffner Hospital, had been Liam¡¯s war buddy, and as soon as Liam started at Heffner, The hospital was just nearby, and they¡¯de out for lunch when they heard themotion and Hannah¡¯s shrill cry. Curious, Diego had dragged Liam along to check out the scene. Liam stood rooted to the spot, floored to run into both Aria and Hannah at his own workce. ¡°Professor Colton?¡± Diego lit up, hurrying over with his hand out. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¨CProfessor Colton! I never thought I¡¯d bump into you here. This is incredible!¡± Aria reached out to shake his hand, calm and poised. ¡°Hello, Mr. Sanders.¡± Diego¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°You actually remember me?¡± She gave a faint smile. ¡°Just call me Aria¨Cthat¡¯s the name I use now.¡± Diego grinned even wider. ¡°I¡¯m working at Heffner now, same hospital as your husband, Liam.¡± Aria¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°He¡¯s not my husband. We¡¯re divorced.¡± Diego¡¯s eyes went wide. He spun around to stare at Liam. ¡°What the hell?¡± All this time, Liam had never mentioned the divorce. No wonder he¡¯d always dodged Diego¡¯s attempts to meet Professor Colton. Now it made sense. What kind of idiot gets divorced from someone like her? Just then, Hannah managed to break free from Dexter and darted to Liam, wrapping her arms around his waist, sobbing, ¡°Liam, I don¡¯t want to break up! Please!¡± Liam immediately pried her off, his face cold. ¡°It¡¯s over, Hannah. We¡¯re done.¡± Diego looked dumbfounded for a second, then remembered what Liam had said when they¡¯d first met and that Hannah wasn¡¯t his wife, and they weren¡¯t married. 2 He turned back to Liam, ¡°So you cheated on her?¡± Liam didn¡¯t say a word. He didn¡¯t even try to deny it. Diego¡¯s expression darkened, but then something lit up in his eyes. He turned to Aria with a bright smile, ¡°Aria, can we exchange numbers?¡± Aria didn¡¯t see a reason to refuse. She nodded and took out her phone. Chapter 405 Off to the side, Owen watched the foreigner, feeling a vague, unfamiliar twinge of jealousy. Diego noticed Owen and asked, ¡°And you are¡­?¡± He¡¯d heard that in Huthailia, close friends sometimes called each other by repeating the name, but he decided to y it safe and just use the first name Aria introduced him, ¡°A friend. Also mywyer.¡± Diego¡¯s smile got even sunnier as he looked Owen up and down. ¡°Diego.¡± Owen met his eyes with a steady gaze and gave a slight nod, ¡°Owen.¡± The two men sized each other up for a moment, neither one looking away. Aria turned to leave. ¡°We¡¯ll get going now.¡± Diego waved after her, ¡°See you soon, Aria!¡± In Owen¡¯s mind, the words echoed coldly: Hopefully, never. As Aria walked past him, Liam felt a bitter,plicated twist inside. Regret, frustration¡­ something he couldn¡¯t even name it. Hannah clung to him, teary¨Ceyed, ¡°Liam, I¡­¡± ¡°Hannah.¡± He cut her off, voice cold and edged with anger. ¡°Don¡¯t evere near me again.¡± With that, he walked away. Diego followed, not bothering to keep pace, but he kept a clear distance. He hated cheaters, even if the guy was an old friend. AD Comment Again Marriage 406 Chapter 406 Hannah stared after them in disbelief. ¡®After everything Liam and I had been through, he¡¯s really going to dump me just because Aria has saved him first? Why? Why should Aria get everything?¡± Owen and Aria walked side by side toward the car, neither saying a word. When they reached the parking spot, Owen hurried ahead and opened the passenger door for her. ¡°Thanks.¡± Once they were both inside and buckled up, Owen tried to sound casual. ¡°So, that guy Diego¨Che and Liam are pretty close, huh?¡± Aria nced at him, surprised by the question. But she answered honestly, ¡°I think so. They worked on the pandemic together in Erennd, went through a lot. They¡¯re good friends.¡± ¡°Colleagues, too. I guess that makes them even closer.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Aria¡¯s voice was neutral, giving nothing away. ¡°You seem pretty interested in Diego?¡± He¡¯d never asked this much about someone before. She arched an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious. ¡®Was he¡­jealous? Just because Diego asked for her number? She turned, staring at him in silence. Owen kept his eyes fixed on the road, started the car, and said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s just I haven¡¯t seen a foreigner in a long time. Got curious, that¡¯s all.¡± Aria shifted in her seat, hiding a smile. ¡°Take the next left.¡± He didn¡¯t react fast enough; the car rolled right past the turn. A moment of awkward silence. Owen gripped the steering wheel tighter, cleared his throat, and muttered, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to get something for Lily to eat? There¡¯s a new ce along this road, heard it¡¯s pretty good.¡± She could see right through him, but yed along, ¡°Oh?¡± Actually, the street they¡¯d just passed had more restaurants. He¡¯d clearly nned this detour. Aaron had mentioned this new shop, said it was all the rage with girls. Soon, they pulled up outside. A long line had already formed. Owen said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get it. Wait in the car.¡± Aria nced at the scorching sun, shrugged, ¡°Alright¡± Owen got out and headed for the end of the line, umbre It was hot¨Cthe kind of heat that pressed down on him. in hand. Under his umbre, Owen looked impossibly fall, quiet, and a little lonely. Behind him, a group of girls started whispering, ¡°Oh my god, check ¡°He¡¯s got such a nice face, too!¡± that tall guy¨Che¡¯s super handsome!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see! Give me your sses!¡± One of them dared, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re so pretty, why not ask for his number?¡± Her friend rolled her eyes, ¡°Are you crazy? Guys who line up in the sun for sweets are definitely getting it for their girlfriend or a girl they like. Guys like that aren¡¯t single.¡± ¡°True. His girlfriend¡¯s gotta be SO ¡°Iknow, right? So jealous.¡± lucky!¡± All this chatter drifted to Owen, who stood silent, expressionless, until he noticed a shadow fall across him. He looked up to see Aria, her smile bright, eyes full of warmth. ¡°I saw an umbre in the car, figured I¡¯d bring it over,¡± she said gently. Owen blinked, momentarily stunned, barely registering the voices around him. ¡°Owen?¡± Aria¡¯s voice was a notch louder. He snapped back to himself, quickly took the umbre, and adjusted it to shade her from the sun. ¡°I can wait in line. You should head back to the car.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait here with you,¡± she replied. He frowned slightly. ¡°You¡¯ll get sweaty. It¡¯s not good for your shoulder. I¡¯ll handle this.¡± She relented, ¡°Alright.¡± As Aria walked away, every eye on the street followed her. After the car door closed, the crowd around Owen erupted again. ¡°Wow, did you see that girl? She¡¯s gorgeous.¡± ¡°Just now, I was jealous of his girlfriend getting sweets. Now I¡¯m jealous of the guy¨Cimagine being with someone that beautiful.¡± ¡°I wanna date a girl like that! Should¡¯ve asked God for better genes in the womb!¡± Owen nearly choked, coughing quietly as he lowered the umbre, trying to hide his blushing face. AD Again Marriage 407 1 Chapter 407 This dessert shop only offered six featured vors each day. Owen bought two of everything and stacked the bags onto the back seat. Aria turned to him, brow arched. ¡°Why¡¯d you get so much?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not very big. You guys will finish them. And if there¡¯s any left, I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Owen replied smoothly until he realized thest part sounded almost too familiar, almost like he belonged there. He cleared his throat and tacked on, ¡°I mean, if there¡¯s extra, you can just give them to me. Derek didn¡¯t have breakfast this morning anyway, so I doubt anything will be left.¡± Derek had crashed at Mayen Gardenst night, and Owen figured the food would disappear fast. Aria gave him a sideways look, nodded, and turned away quickly, worried she might not be able to hide the curve at the corners of her lips. Owen let out a barely audible breath and started the car, making a U¨Cturn back toward Mayen Garden. Her phone vibrated insistently in her hand, a string of new messages from Diego: [Aria, I didn¡¯t know you and Liam got divorced. If I¡¯d known he was like that, I never would¡¯ve called him a friend. I¡¯ll stay away from him from now on.] The messages came in rapid¨Cfire, each one making her phone buzz louder. Aria finally switched it to silent. Owen nced her way. She frowned and texted back: [That¡¯s between you two, not me. You don¡¯t have to report every detail. No need to say so much.] On the other end, Diego¡¯s heart sank. He remembered the sharp things Aria used to say in theb¨Cblunt, always honest. He reminded himself: that¡¯s just who she is. Still, she seemed a bit on edge, so maybe it was best not to push his luck. However, Aria seemed a little irritable, so he figured it s best not to push his luck. Diego: [Alright, I won¡¯t bring up Liam again next time. Le¡±s just catch up some other time.] Liam, who¡¯d caught sight of Diego¡¯s phone, blurted, ¡°Diego, are you texting Aria?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Diego shut his phone. ¡°Why?¡± Liam said, ¡°She¡¯s my ex¨Cwife. We¡¯re friends, but maybe you two shouldn¡¯t get too close.¡± Diego shrugged, totally unfazed. ¡°She¡¯s your ex¨Cwife now, right? You¡¯re done. That means I¡¯ve got every right to get to know her. If you were still married, I¡¯d keep my distance.¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Diego, you can¡¯t possibly¡­¡± ¡°I can, and I will,¡± Diego said bluntly. ¡°She¡¯s incredible. She¡¯s single. I¡¯m allowed to try.¡± Liam almostughed in disbelief. His own friend¨Cafter his ex¨Cwife? But then he thought of Owen, always at Aria¡¯s side. There was no way she¡¯d pick Diego, right? He said coolly, ¡°You won¡¯t seed.¡± Diego shot him a look. ¡°Says who? If she could like you, she could like anyone.¡± Liam opened his mouth and then shut it again, speechless. Chapter 407 On the way back, Owen stopped for even more groceries. With his arms full, he waited as Aria unlocked the door. Derek was squatting in front of the coffee table, hammering away on his keyboard. When he saw them, he immediately abandoned his work, bounding over. ¡°Whoa, you guys got a feast!¡± Aria, toeing off her shoes, replied, ¡°Owen bought it all.¡± Derek¡¯s grin stretched ear to ear. ¡°Thanks, man!¡± ¡°No need,¡± Owen said, about to turn to leave, but Aria stim. ¡°There¡¯s so much food. Aren¡¯t y For a split second, surprise and delight shed across his face. ¡°Sure.¡± She handed him a new pair of slippers. ¡°Here¨Cclean.¡± The two of them disappeared into the bathroom, one after the other. Derek unloaded the food, calling Lily out of her room. Lily quietly took a seat, though she kept sneaking nces at her phone, looking torn. Ever since yesterday, Rachel had sent an apology, but then gone silent.¡± Lily worried about her, but remembering what Ondo had said to Aria, her anger bubbled up. ¨¦ating with us?¡± Wearing disposable gloves, Aria picked out a little bit of each dessert, then said, ¡°Lily, take these upstairs to Rachel.¡± Lily paused, startled. ¡°Ondo¡¯s out. She¡¯s up there alone.¡± Lily nodded quickly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re family. No need to thank me.¡± Aria smiled, then nced at Owen. ¡°He bought it.¡± Lily turned her thanks to him. ¡°Thank you, Owen.¡± He smiled, gentle as ever. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Lily was about to leave when Aria reminded her, ¡°Bring your phone.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She hurried upstairs, r?ng Rachel¡¯s bell, and waited. When Rachel finally opened the door, Lily handed her the bag. ¡°Aria asked me to bring you these.¡± Rachel¡¯s eyes were puffy. She pressed her lips together, not taking the bag right away. She hesitated. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say¡­you wouldn¡¯t be friends with me anymore?¡± Lily managed a helpless smile. ¡°That was just for Ondo to hear. SAT¡¯sing up anyway¨Cwe¡¯ll just keep some distance at school, but we can text. Once SAT¡¯s over, I¡¯ll help you study again, okay?¡± Rachel¡¯s guarded expression melted. She took the bag, lips trembling into a tiny smile. ¡°Okay.¡± When the door shut, Rachel could barely contain her happiness. But then her phone buzzed in her pocket, and her heart plummeted. With shaking hands, she answered, ¡°Miss Remar.¡± Olivia¡¯s voice was icy with scorn. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re enjoying yourself.¡± Rachel clutched the phone, voice meek. ¡°Everything I have is because of you.¡± ¡°Good. And how¡¯s it going with Lily?¡± ¡°We¡¯re friends now.¡± ¡°Excellent. The test is getting closer. You know what to do.¡± Rachel bit her lip hard. ¡°I understand.¡± The call ended. Rachel slid to the floor, hugging herself, tears streaming silently. She didn¡¯t want to hurt Lily. But Olivia would never let her go. That day, Aria received an invitation from Martin. Martin: [The Todd School inheritance ceremony¡­ drop by if you want. If you¡¯re busy, no worries, it¡¯s not a big deal.] Aria replied: [Thank you, Martin. I was just about to try to get one, and you sent it over.] At the Todd School¡¯s garden, a middle¨Caged man in a long robe asked, ¡°Has the invitation been delivered?¡± Niks nodded. ¡°Yes, Dad. It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°We have to find out who made the fake seal. Only then can we track down the real National Doctor¡¯s Seal. And those medical books¨Cunder no circumstances can they fall into the wrong hands.¡± AD Again Marriage 408 Chapter 408 At the Gibson house, Hannah hurled her phone at the wall when Liam didn¡¯t answer¨Cstic and ss scattering like shrapnel. ¡°Why does this have to happen to me?¡± she choked out, voice trembling with rage. Dexter watched her coldly from the doorway. ¡°Just sit tight and wait for court.¡± As he turned to leave, Hannah panicked, rushing after him and grabbing his sleeve, tears streaming down her cheeks. ¡°Dexter, please help me. I can¡¯t go to jail. I can¡¯t do it.¡± But it wasn¡¯t just Aria who had filed charges. Heffner Hospital¡¯s Ramon and Mandino University were also suing. Aria had hit her with usations of nder, theft, defamation, and uwful use of informationworks. Ramon had her for intentional injury and embezzlement. Mandino University, representing its student volunteers, had piled on charges for patent fraud andmercial secrets. Jail was only the beginning. ¡°Dexter, we have money. If Aria won¡¯t settle, what about Mandino University and Heffner Hospital? Can¡¯t we buy them off?¡± He stared at her, disappointment etched deep in his face. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t tried? You almost caused Ramon¡¯s daughter to lose her child¨Cif Aria hadn¡¯t acted fast, you¡¯d be looking at a minimum of three years. ¡°As for Mandino University? Their students don¡¯t want money¨Cthey want justice. How exactly do you think we¡¯re going to settle that?¡± Dexter had thought it was just Aria¡¯s case. Maybe two years, worst¨Ccase. But everyyer he uncovered was uglier than thest. All those years in school, wasted. He shook her off and barked at the butler, ¡°Don¡¯t let her out of your sight. She¡¯s not to leave this house.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Gibson.¡± The butler bowed. Hannah slid to the floor, her voice hollow, ¡°Dexter, why are you giving up on me too?¡± The day of court happened to be the same day as the Todd School inheritance ceremony. Aria signed a power of attorney, sending Owen as her legal rep to court, while she headed to the gates of Mandino University. Martin was already waiting for her. Seeing Aria, he broke into a warm smile and walked over. ¡°Aria, long time no see.¡± She returned the smile, polite but reserved. ¡°Hi, Martin, It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car,¡± he said. ¡°Alright.¡± Martin wasn¡¯t nning on putting Aria on teaching duty; her strength was hands¨Con research and project work. He¡¯d bring up young teachers for regr sses, so Aria could focus on what mattered most. ¡°There¡¯s a student¨CHelen Larsen, in the same ss as Derek. Hard¨Cworking, top GPA, but weak with practicals. She was a volunteer this year. You probably remember her.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes, she talked to me about finding a mentor.¡± They¡¯d first met at Amour Bistro, where Helen worked part¨Ctime. After Trenton was arrested, her family business survived. Her father needed surgery, so they considered selling¨Cbut the Stars Group bought thepany and made sure her dad got paid, with future dividends wired straight to his ount. H¨¦len had been the first to add Aria¡¯s contact, saying she wanted to keep learning from her. Martin chuckled, ¡°She¡¯s quick, that one¨Cknows how to pick a mentor. One or two more like her and you¡¯ll have a little team.¡± Despite Aria¡¯s reputation, some Mandino University students still doubted her¨Cshe was almost the same age as them, after all. The top students often gravitated toward more ¡°senior¡± professors. ¡°There are two more studentsing in from other majors,¡± Martin went on, ¡°One from pharmacology, also a volunteer; his transfer request came straight to me. The other¡¯s from organic chemistry, didn¡¯t do so well in grad school admissions. The other professors are full¨CI fought to get him ced with you.¡± Aria had no objections. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Whatever works.¡± They chatted as the car wound through the city and finally stopped in front of a stately old building: the Todd Manor. The inheritance ceremony was held in the great hall. Candles burned on an altar at the center, names inscribed on spirit tablets. Rows of chairs stretched out behind it. Despite the modest crowd, the air was heavy with prestige¨Cthese were the elite of the medical world. The moment Aria stepped inside, she felt a gaze fix on her. She ignored it, walking with Martin to their seats. Along the way, Martin spotted an old friend and stopped to chat, leaving Aria to sit quietly. She nced up¨Cand immediately locked eyes with a young man across the room, his round face breaking into a sheepish grin. He approached, his every step radiating harmless energy. He stopped in front of her and said politely, ¡°Are you Professor Colton?¡± Aria nodded, ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Would you mind if we talked?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°After you.¡± She rose and followed him around a rock garden, pausing by a koi pond. The incense and murmurs of ceremony faded behind them. He introduced himself first: ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯m Niks Todd, Maverick¡¯s grandson.¡± Aria nodded, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± He smiled so wide his eyes nearly disappeared. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you really are as young and beautiful as they say.¡± She replied, cordial but cool, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯ll be joining Mandino University. At your age, that¡¯s a remarkable achievement. I hope to learn from you! She had no interest in small talk. Niks pressed on, ¡°Your expertise in traditional medicine is exactly what Todd School needs. Have you considered joining us She looked at him, her patience running thin. ¡°Not at the moment. Is this why you asked me toe over?¡± Niks knew his innocent look was deceptive he always started with ttery to put people at ease. It worked on most, but clearly not on Arta. He sobered up. ¡°It¡¯s not just that. You must¡¯ve heard¨CCulver found the missing National Doctor¡¯s Seal and is about to inherit Todd School¡± Aria gave nothing away. He continued, ¡°The seal went missing along with three ancient medical books. Now the seal¡¯s back, but the books are still gone Doesn¡¯t that strike you as strange?¡± She arched an eyebrow, smile cool. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with me?¡± Niks smiled, gentle but relentless. ¡°Didn¡¯t you file a police report? How could it not?¡± When Hannah stole the seal that night, Fryderyk had seen her, and Aria had filed a report just to have something on record. f he fact Niks knew this much meant he was well prepared. She cut to the chase. ¡°I want to see your grandfather.¡± A Again Marriage 409 Chapter 409 Aria made her way back inside just as the inheritance ceremony began. A middle¨Caged man stood in the center of the hall, solemnly announcing, ¡°Today, Todd School officially holds its inheritance ceremony. On behalf of my father Maverick, I hereby pass on the responsibilities and legacy of Todd School to his disciple, Culver.¡± Culver rose, facing the crowd, and bowed deeply before making his way forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, and his pupils shrank¨Che stumbled, nearly losing his bnce. Fiy Todd quickly steadied him, shooting a subtle nce at Aria as he whispered, ¡°Careful.¡± Culver regained hisposure, but inside, his thoughts were a raging storm. He thought, ¡®What is Aria doing here? Does she know the seal is the real National Doctor¡¯s Seal?¡® Even if she does, what of it? If the seal hadn¡¯t mysteriously gone missing, he would¡¯ve inherited Todd School ages ago. The seal belongs to him, period. Culver took a steadying breath, then bowed to Fiy. ¡°Fintay, you¡¯re Maverick¡¯s son. Please ept my bow on his behalf.¡± Afterward, Culver approached the altar, paying respects to the ancestral masters as Fiy recited the family rules and traditions. Aria strode right over and sat down next to Martin. Fiy noticed her, his voice faltering just a beat as he recited, but he quickly regained his rhythm. Martin leaned over, lowering his voice, ¡°What did Niks want with you?¡± ¡°We talked about Maverick,¡± Aria replied. ¡°I see.¡± Martin sighed. ¡°Maverick was a hell of a loss.¡± Aria nced at him, ¡°Martin, did you know Maverick personally?¡± Martin nodded. ¡°We saw a lot of each other when we were young. As, we got older, we drifted apart.¡± Fiy finished the family rites, then lifted a sandalwood box from the altar and opened it for all to see. ¡°This is the National Doctor¡¯s Seal of Todd School. Today, I hand it over to you.¡± Culver knelt, holding up both hands. ¡°I will not let you down.¡±/ Fiy withdrew the seal. In the sunlight, the deep red jade glistened like blood. Suddenly, a harsh voice rang out, ¡°That National Doctor¡¯s Seal is a fake!¡± Everyone froze, turning to the doorway. A middle¨Caged man stood there, ring at Culver with raw resentment. ¡°He¡¯s not qualified to inherit Todd School!¡± Culver stood, meeting the man¡¯s icy gaze. ¡°Axton, you were expelled by Maverick. You have no right to be here.¡± ¡°Fiy has already verified the seal is real,¡± Culver shot back, but Axton sneered, stepping further into the hall. ¡°If you look closely in the sunlight, the true National Doctor¡¯s Seal shows the word ¡®Todd¡® inside. This one is too clear, too perfect¨Cit¡¯s a forgery, and an obvious one at that. Fiy, how could you be so blind?¡± Culver¡¯s gaze flickered to Aria in the crowd¨Cshe wore a , mocking smile. 409 His heart dropped, fists clenching tight. He thought, ¡®Is the seal really fake? Is the real one still with Aria?¡® He¡¯d quit his position at the Association for this inheritance. If it turned out the National Doctor¡¯s Seal was fake, his career would be destroyed, She set me up. She¡¯s been waiting for me to walk right into her trap. Culver¡¯s face darkened, his eyes glinting with menace. Martin noticed the murderous look and whispered, ¡°Aria, why is Culver staring at you like that? Has he lost it?¡± He thought, ¡®Could it be¡­ Was that fake seal originally with Aria?¡® Martin¡¯s mind raced. No way, is Aria actually the true heir to Todd School? Aria¡¯s voice was soft and calm, ¡°I have no idea. Maybe he¡¯s sick or something.¡± Her tone was so rxed that Martin¡¯s suspicion faded. ¡°Yeah, must be.¡± After all, Aria and Culver had been rivals ever since Jamn. Culver collected himself, fixing Axton with a death stare. ¡°There¡¯s no way the National Doctor¡¯s Seal is fake. You¡¯re just jealous and trying to sabotage the session.¡± Fiy considered this, then spoke up, ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll examine the seal right here and now.¡± Axton smirked, ¡°If it¡¯s real, I¡¯ll admit Culver is the rightful heir.¡± A bead of sweat trickled down Culver¡¯s spine. He nced at Aria, gritted his teeth, and dered, ¡°Real or not, Maverick has already handed Todd School to me. The ceremony is done.¡± Axton red, ¡°What are you so afraid of?¡± Fiy stepped into the sunlight, holding up the seal for everyone to see. ¡°Silence, please.¡± He rotated the seal, letting the light pass through the blood¨Cred jade¨Con the shadow it cast, the word ¡°Todd¡± was faintly visible. Fiy announced, ¡°The National Doctor¡¯s Seal is genuine.¡± Axton¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as he marched up for a closer look. ¡°Impossible. Fiy, give it to me.¡± It really was real. Culver¡¯s entire body rxed in relief. Fiy pulled the seal away from Axton¡¯s outstretched hand. ¡°My father made his decision. Todd School is Culver¡¯s now. Let it go.¡± Axton shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Niks hurried over, practically dragging Axton out. ¡°The inheritance ceremony is over.¡± And just like that, Culver became the thirteenth head of Todd School. Martin stood, frowning. ¡°Something about this whole thing feels off.¡± Aria¡¯s smile was cold. ¡°Well, Culver¡¯s the head of Todd School now.¡± Half an hour earlier, by the pond, Niks had confirmed it: ¡°So you really knew my grandfather.¡± 09:59 Sat, 21 Jun Maverick had only ever epted two disciples: Axton and Culver. Todd School valued blood ties over all; it was unthinkable that an outsider would inherit. Yet Maverick had promised the school to Culver. Axton hadn¡¯t understood. He¡¯d argued with Maverick. The rest of the family didn¡¯t get it either, but no one dared make it public¨Cthey couldn¡¯t let outsiders see Todd School¡¯s dirtyundry. Niks had asked, ¡°Where did Culver¡¯s National Doctor¡¯s Seale from? It¡¯s a priceless heirloom, Ms. Saxon. Please, you must know.¡± Aria¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°I need to see him first.¡± Niks¡¯s shoulders slumped, his hands curling into fists. ¡°My grandfather is missing.¡± Aria froze. ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you say your family brought him home?¡± Niks¡® face filled with guilt. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. Four years ago, I was supposed to bring Grandpa home, but on the way there was a car ident. When I finished dealing with it, Grandpa had vanished. The authorities locked down the whole area, searching everywhere¨Cbut he was gone.¡± It was only after Maverick disappeared that the family began to suspect maybe there was a deeper reason for wanting Culver to inherit. Aria asked, ¡°You all knew the National Doctor¡¯s Seal was a fake, didn¡¯t you?¡± Niks nodded. ¡°We knew.¡± Aria said, ¡°The real one¡¯s with me. But I can¡¯t give it to you.¡± Niks wasn¡¯t surprised¨Cif the forgery was that perfect, only the real National Doctor¡¯s Seal could have served as its model. Niks pressed, ¡°And the medical books¨Care they with you, too?¡± Aria replied, ¡°They are. And I¡¯m not giving them up either.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Niks said quietly. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s better that way.¡± Only a few people had known their route that day. Despite all the security, Maverick had still been kidnapped. Whoever¡¯s been watching Todd School isn¡¯t simple. Aria asked, ¡°What was the real purpose of this inheritance ceremony?¡± Niks replied, ¡°To put Culver in the seat of power.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 410 Chapter 410 On the way back, Aria was unusually quiet. Martin could tell she had something on her mind, so he didn¡¯t press her and simply asked the driver to drop her off at Mayen Garden first. ¡°Aria,¡± Martin said warmly, ¡°if you ever need anything, anything at all, just let me know.¡± Martin genuinely admired her. She was sharp, unppable, and carried herself with an easy confidence, yet there was something so clear and honest about her heart. She¡¯d made her way on her own and still managed to shine. She was born to do big things. Being friends with her was all upside, no risk. Aria nodded with a grateful smile. ¡°Thank you, Martin. It Martin waved, grinning. ¡°Take care, Aria.¡±
  1. it. I will. Take care.¡±
Meanwhile, back in the Todd School¡¯s side hall, Axton¡¯s face was a mask of rage, finger nearly jabbing i into Fiy¡¯s nose. ¡°Have you lost your mind in your old age? Making Culver the head of Todd School¨Cyou¡¯re going to run us into the ground!¡± Fiy was unruffled. ¡°I¡¯m just following Father¡¯s wishes.¡± ¡°He was confused! And now you¡¯re confused right along with him! Culver? He¡¯s not qualified! You¡¯d be a better head than him, even Niks would be better!¡± Axton¡¯s voice wavered, the fight giving way to old pain. ¡°What does Culver have that makes Maverick like him so much?¡± His eyes glistened. Fiy¡¯s answer was gentle. ¡°He¡¯s the same as ever.¡± Niks watched the exchange, the heaviness in his chest nearly making him speak¨Cbut he caught Fiy¡¯s eye and swallowed his words. Fiy said quietly, ¡°Father has his reasons. What¡¯s done is done. Stop fighting the new headmaster.¡± Axton scoffed, shaking out his sleeves and stalking toward the door. ¡°If that¡¯s how it is, I won¡¯t set foot in Todd School ever again!¡± He stormed off. For a long moment, Fiy just stood there, then sighed deeply and walked back inside. Niks followed him in. Only when they were alone did he speak up. ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t think Axton¡¯s involved in that business. If he was, he wouldn¡¯t have shown up today or nearly ruined the session ceremony.¡± ¡°Should we tell him?¡± he asked. Fiy shook his head. ¡°He can¡¯t keep a secret. Better not to.¡± He changed the subject. ¡°How did it go, testing Aria?¡± Niks¡¯s face turned a bit pink as he recalled the pond¨Cside incident. ¡°She figured it all out right away.¡± He was supposed to be testing her, but Aria hadn¡¯t bothered hiding anything. She just and the medical book. Instead, Niks ended up blurting out everything himself. right out and said she had both the National Doctor¡¯s Seal Fiy frowned. ¡°You told her everything?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Niks said, a little sheepish. ¡°She admitted she has the Seal and the book.¡± Fiy was a bit surprised by how frank Aria had been. ¡°And you didn¡¯t try to get them back?¡± Niks shook his head. ¡°Dad, honestly, they¡¯re safer with her. And besides, Grandpa gave them to her¨Cwe really have no right to take them grandfather. God knows how he¡¯s doing.. Niks hesitated. ¡°Aria asked me for everything we¡¯ve found about the case over the years.¡± Fiy went silent, weighing the risks¨Cwhether Aria could help without leaking anything. Atst, he said, ¡°Give it to her. We¡¯vee up empty for years. Let¡¯s see if she can do better.¡± Niks nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± By the time she got home, Aria had received an encrypted file: [The password is my grandpa¡¯s birthday.] But Maverick¡¯s birthday was public info. Aria doubted it would be that easy. She typed it in. Password incorrect. She pulled out herputer and sent six dots to Niks. Niks: [You don¡¯t know my grandpa¡¯s birthday?] Aria: [Last time I saw him, I was nine.] A momentter, Niks quietly sent over the correct password. Aria opened the file and scrolled to surveince footage from that day. She watched closely: Maverick had still been unconscious, in a Todd family car. The crash wasn¡¯t serious, but several people were hurt and three ambnces had shown up. Aria rewound and reyed, then messaged Niks: [Did you look into the ambnces?] Niks: [We did. They were legit, all registered to the hospital.] The Todd family car was in frame the entire time¨Cexcept when a huge truck blocked the camera, hiding the back of the car. The feed showed no one entering the area. Niks: [We checked those two trucks, too. Nothing came up.] If nothing was wrong with the trucks, it would mean someone just vanished into thin air. Impossible. Something felt off. Aria snipped a section of the footage and sent it to Vanessa: Can you check if there¡¯s anything strange with this footage? Vanessa was an expert at this, even more so than Aria. Two hourster, Vanessa texted back: [That surveince was doctored. There¡¯s a ckout from 3:52 to 4:07. Whoever did it is a pro. If I hadn¡¯t done this kind of work before, I¡¯d have missed it. By the way, how¡¯d the trial go?] Aria froze, smacking herself on the forehead. She¡¯d been so caught up with the footage, she¡¯d forgotten all about the hearing. Vanessa: [Don¡¯t tell me you got so busy with the surveince that you forgot to show up at court.] Aria quickly shut herptop. Vanessa: [Aria, that¡¯s just disrespectful to Hannah. If I were her, I¡¯d be pissed.] Aria replied, a little helpless: [Gotta run.] She hurried downstairs and drove to the courthouse, arriving just in time to see Owen and Ramon walking out with a few others. Owen was head¨Cdown, texting. A momentter, Aria¡¯s phone started buzzing. Ramon spotted her and called out, ¡°Ms. Saxon!¡± Owen looked up, saw Aria, and immediately hung up, walking over. ¡°All done on your end?¡± Aria gave a small, tight smile. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m finished.¡± Ramon was beaming. ¡°Hannah¡¯s in custody now. We¡¯re just waiting facing real time.¡± Aaron, who¡¯d also been at court, waved. ¡°Ms. Saxon! Long time no sentencing. It¡¯s not the most serious offense, but she¡¯s racked up enough to be ee!¡± Aria smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Helen and a few volunteers hurried over. ¡°Ms. Saxon!¡± ¡°Hey, everyone,¡± Aria said, her ¡®smile warm. ¡°You all haven¡¯t eaten, right? Lunch is on me.¡± Ramon was quick to agree. Owen nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± The students still had things to handle at school, so they left with the school¡¯s legal staff. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ve got my car. Let¡¯s meet at Amour Bistro.¡± Ramon headed off with thewyers, Aaron tagging along. ¡°I¡¯m riding with Ramon!¡± Aria turned to Owen. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Owen!¡± Dexter strode over, eyes dark with anger. ¡°The sentence you¡¯re rmending is too harsh. If the verdict¡¯s excessive, we¡¯ll appeal.¡± Owen just shrugged. ¡°Do what you want.¡± Aria let out a softugh. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the news today?¡± Dexter scowled, ¡°What news?¡± Aria¡¯s smile was razor¨Csharp. ¡°Because of that National Doctor¡¯s Seal, Culver¡¯s inherited Todd School.¡± Hannah¡¯s theft charge wasn¡¯t going to carry the maximum penalty, unless that Seal was the reason Culver became head of the school. Then the stakes were way higher. Three years, minimum. If they appealed, Hannah would only get hit harder. Aria waved him off, all cheer. ¡°Go ahead, appeal. I¡¯ll be there in person next time.¡± Her mood was infectious. Owen grinned, too. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be waiting for Dexter¡¯s appeal day.¡± Again Marriage 411 After Aria and Owen left, Dexter checked his phone, his face darkened. Just how many things had Hannah done behind our backs?¡± Beside him, thewyer wiped his forehead nervously and muttered, ¡°Mr. Gibson, whatever you do. Don¡¯t appeal. Seriously. Not only should we not appeal, it¡¯d be best if we just let the verdict settle as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Dexter ground his teeth, voice cold. ¡°No matter how many years she gets, we¡¯ll ept the sentence.¡± But he still couldn¡¯t figure out why Aria hadn¡¯t dyed the trial. If all the charges had beenbined, Hannah¡¯s sentence would¡¯ve been even worse Aria was not someone known for mercy. And he had even bigger problems to handle. He had to get that National Doctor¡¯s Seal back. The pounding in his head felt like a hundred needles. His assistant hurried over, concern in his eyes. ¡°Mr. Gibson, do you want to see a doctor?¡± Dexter took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, forcing himself to stay calm. ¡°Contact Culver. We need to get the National Doctor¡¯s Seal and return it to Aria. Everything else can wait.¡± After lunch, Ramon and thewyers left first. Owen reached for Aria¡¯s keys, saying, ¡°Let me drive.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had a long day,¡± Aria protested, ¡°I¡¯ll drive. My shoulder¡¯s almost healed.¡± She tried to grab the keys back, but Owen lifted his hand higher and she just missed, her fingers brushing his hand, leaving two faint red marks. She stared, surprised. Owen tucked his hand away. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. I scratched myself.¡± Ariaughed. ¡°Wow¡­ soft hands, huh?¡± He thought, ¡°Is that supposed to be apliment? Should he say thank you?¡® He nced down. His skin did look pretty pale. Maybe she didn¡¯t like guys with pale skin? But she justughed, so probably not. He pushed away his doubts, got in the driver¡¯s seat, and headed back to Mayen Garden. Back at home, Aria opened herptop again to Few the surveince footage. Finally, she messaged Niks: [Found the truck driver.] None of the other camera angles showed anything, so that driver was their only lead. Aria: [Contact me as soon as you find him.] Niks replied almost immediately. [Got it.] A few minutester: [His family left the country. I¡¯ll get them back. I¡¯ll let you know.] Chapter 411 Aria replied: [OK] At the end of May, Vanessa wrapped up filming and dragged M to Mandino City, immediately pulling Aria and Cloe out for a wild night at a club Cloe hadn¡¯t nned to go, but as soon as Julia overheard the phone call, she insisted on tagging along insisting, all serious, that she needed to see male models for herself so she wouldn¡¯t get tricked by some blond loser in the future.¡± Cloe couldn¡¯t figure out where her daughter picked up ¡°male model¡± or ¡°blond loser,¡± and was so stunried she didn¡¯t even know what to say.. In the end, she could only give in and bring Julia with them. The neon¨Clit club, private VIP room, they all sat on the sofa while five male models stood at attention in front of them. The manager smiled. ¡°These five are all new.¡± Vanessa nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Julia. ¡°That one, with fair skin and handsome face. Do you like him?* It was the first time these models had faced such¡­ unusual clients. None of them could move. Stiff as statues¨Chips frozen, no¨Cswagger left. The guys thought, ¡®Who the hell brings a kid to pick male models at a nightclub?¡® They¡¯d truly never seen anything like it. Julia grinned and nodded. ¡°That guy is so pale. I like him.¡± Vanessa pointed to the next one. ¡°And him?¡± Julia nodded again. ¡°His eyes are all sparkly¨CI like him, too.¡± ¡°What about that one?¡± ¡°He¡¯s got dimples! I like him, too.¡± Again Marriage 412 Chapter 412 She praised all five, and by the end, every single one of those models was blushing, unsure whether tough or run. Vanessa pped her hands, waving grandly. ¡°We¡¯ll take them all! I¡¯m paying.¡± M could only stare at the ceiling, utterly helpless. If she weren¡¯t afraid of being worried about your image?¡± grecognized, she¡¯d have blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re a celebrity! Aren¡¯t you But when M nced down, she had to mit¨Cthis club really had a high b Every single guy was a certified hunk. The manager gave the models a nod, smili as he left, ¡°Enjoy yourselves, Vanessa beckoned. ¡°Come on, all of you, s 6 Eat, drink, and let¡¯s have some fu This club wasn¡¯t just famous for its male models¨Cthe food and drinks were top¨Ctier too. The suite was massive, half filled with party games and arcade machines. They could eat, drink, and y as much as they wanted. All five models knew how to keep the energy up. The room was never dull, not even for a moment. Meanwhile, it was Friday night. Kim had worked overtime, hoping to finish early and take Cloe and Julia on a weekend trip. He arrived at Cloe¡¯s ce and rang the bell¨Cno answer. Called her phone¨Cnothing. That was odd. She never went out thiste. Maybe she was deliberately ignoring him? He started mashing the doorbell. The neighbor across the hall¨Ca cranky olddy¨Cfinally opened up, unable to take the noise. ¡°Kim, what on earth are you doing?¡± She¡¯d seen Kim around a lot. ¡°Sorry,¡± Kim apologized, ¡°didn¡¯t mean to bother you.¡± He tried calling again. The old woman snorted, ¡°What, you still don¡¯t have the password? After all this time, and you still haven¡¯t won Cloe over?¡± Kim forced a smile. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Stop with the doorbell, would you? Cloe¡¯s friends picked her up to go out. She took Julia too.¡± ¡°Do you know where they went?¡± Kim asked hopefully. She shook her head. ¡°Nope. But I heard Julia mumbling something about male models or whatever.¡± Kim¡¯s face changed in an instant. ¡®Cloe took Julia to a male model club? Was she out of her mind?¡® The olddy shut the door, muttering, ¡°That kind of ce¡¯s not for me. I¡¯m too old for this¡­¡± Kim raced downstairs, already calling his secretary. ¡°Find out which male model club Cloe went to, now!¡± Amanda nearly dropped her phone. ¡®Holy crap, Cloe really is something.¡® 1/2 There were a lot of model clubs in Mandino City, but Cloe would only go to the best. That narrowed it down. Kim called back after ten minutes, sounding crazed. ¡°Do you have it yet?¡± Amanda forced a smile, ¡°Boss, it¡¯s only been ten minutes, not like I¡¯ve got superpowers.¡± He hung up. Ten minutester, he called again, even more agitated. ¡°Why are you so slow today?¡± Amanda rolled her eyes and muttered, ¡°If you¡¯re in sh, find it yourself. You haven¡¯t even managed to win her over and you¡¯re yelling at me? If we weren¡¯t old ssmates, I¡¯d have quit already.¡± Kim thought, ¡®Who is the real boss here, anyway?¡® ? Amanda took a deep breath, then pasted on a sweet voice. ¡°Boss, is Julia with them too?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± With Julia there, it¡¯d be even easier to find them. Amanda quickly got the answer and called Kim. ¡°They went to Neon Nightclub¨CAria and Vanessa are there too. Just a warning: don¡¯t piss them off, or even if you could fly a rocket, you¡¯d never catch up with Cloe.¡± ¡°Boss, do you want me toe and watch the show?¡± Kim snapped, ¡°No need,¡± and sped straight to the club. On the way, he called Owen. ¡°Aria and the girls took Julia to Neon Nightclub to pick out male models. I¡¯m heading there now¨Cdo with that information what you will.¡± AD Again Marriage 413 Chapter 413 During dinner, Vanessa called Aria abouting to Mandino City, Aria hadn¡¯t put her phone on speaker, but the table was so quiet that Owen caught most of the conversation they were nning a night out for furt Owen knew that Aria would never be the type to suggest hiring male models. That had Vanessa written all over it. Honestly, if anyone should be panicking, it was Kim, not him. He loungedfortably with a book, but a few minutester, he realized he¡¯d been staring at the same page for ages. What if those models got a little too handsy and Aria couldn¡¯t fend them off? A sudden image shed through his mind¨Cshirtless models flexing beside Aria, deliberately showing off, leaning in close with no shame, making her flustered. He shut his book, suddenly a little tense. He remembered that time she identally caught him changing. She¡¯d turned away in a panic. Aria had zero experience with this kind of thing. He got up to change his shoes, grabbed his keys¨Cthen hesitated. What right did he have to go? He hadn¡¯t even won her over yet and was about to startying down rules? Anyone would get annoyed, and Aria didn¡¯t even like him yet. If he showed up and she got mad, that¡¯d be even worse. He put the keys down. But the scene in his head kept ying. His eyesnded on a potted nt; almost without thinking, he plucked a flower and began pulling off petals. ¡°Go. Don¡¯t go. Go. Don¡¯t go. Go¡­¡± When there were just two petals left, the answer was ¡°Don¡¯t go,¡± He yanked off thest two, and said aloud, ¡°Go.¡± Decision made, he snatched up the keys and left, mming the door behind him. Only the lonely petals remained on the floor. On his way out, Owen pulled up his chat with Julia. Owen: [Hey, cutie, what are you all up to?] It took a few minutes before Julia replied, clearly too busy having fun: Julia: [We¡¯re ying games!] Then she sent a photo. ¤Ê The shot was of Aria, caught midughter, her profile glowing, one hand resting under her chin, the other holding an almost empty wine ss. Across from her, a hand with a bottle was reaching in for a refill. Several empty bottles littered the table. 1/2 Owen exhaled, got in his car, buckled up, and messaged again. is someoneing to pick your all up?! Julia: Nope! Are youing?] Owen smiled¨Cwell, Julia invited him, not him barging in. Owen: [Sure, I¡¯lle get you!] He floored the gas. At the club, Julia pouted after reading Owen¡¯s message. She hadn¡¯t invited him¨Cat least, not on purpose! They weren¡¯t done partying. She tugged Cloe¡¯s sleeve, pointing at her watch. ¡°Mom, Owen says he¡¯sing to pick us up.¡± Cloe nced at the chat, lips curling with a mysterious smile. She reached over and powered off Julia¡¯s smartwatch. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Keep ying.¡± The group was in the middle of the world¡¯s most old¨Cschool drinking game: truth or dare, with a spin¨Cthe¨Cbottle twist. Just now, one of the male models¨CSonny Sanford, the ¡°fair one¡± Julia had praised¨Chad lost, and his penalty was singing. While he crooned, Julia had been distractedly fiddling with her watch. When he finished, Sonny gave Julia a soulful look. ¡°Julia, you weren¡¯t even listening!¡± Julia giggled, pped. ¡°I was! It was awesome! Your turn to spin the bottle.¡± Sonny gave her a helpless smile and spun. The bottle stopped¨Cpointing straight at Aria. Julia let out a delighted squeal. ¡°Aria, truth or dare?¡± p Aria grinned. ¡°Truth.¡± the male models interrupted, ¡°Hey, since youdies are all friends, shouldn¡¯t we get to ask the the Vanessa was just about to lob a question when one of question?¡± Again Marriage 414 Chapter 414 Vanessa perked up. ¡°Fine, go ahead! But make it a good one. If I¡¯m not satisfied, I¡¯m docking your tips.¡± But by now, the guys had loosened up. After all, it was a dream job, partying with gorgeous women and getting paid for it. Sonny cleared his throat and blurted, ¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡± His cheeks flushed¨Cmaybe from the booze, maybe from nerves. Vanessa pped his arm. ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s your question? What a waste!¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t,¡± Vanessa answered for her, ¡°Next round!¡± Sonny justughed, sliding the bottle toward Aria. ¡°Your turn.¡± Vanessa egged her on, ¡°Go, babe!¡± (6) Cloe, watching all this, couldn¡¯t help but marvel. No wonder these two could party together. Put them together and you¡¯d get zero romantic tension. Aria spun the bottle, and itnded on Julia. ¡°Julia?¡± Julia raised her hand. ¡°Truth!¡± This time, the guy with dimples, Brennen Melton, asked, ¡°Julia, who do you love more, your mom or your dad?¡± Julia gave him a ¡°are you stupid?¡± look. ¡°Of course I love Mom best! And Aria, and Vanessa, and Owen¨Cwho¡¯s Dad? I don¡¯t have one of those.¡± Cloe kissed her daughter¡¯s cheek. ¡°I love you too, sweetheart.¡± Brennen scratched his nose awkwardly. ¡°Your turn to spin, Julia.¡± Vanessa waved her hand. ¡°This is getting boring¨Cbring out the cards! If it¡¯s too racy, skip it, or just take a drink.¡± ¡°Agreed!¡± Sonny got the cards while Julia spun the bottle again¨Cthis time itnded on Vanessa. Vanessa picked truth, drew a card, and read it aloud: ¡°Are you still in touch with the first person you slept with?¡± She grinned, ¡°Nope! Kicked him to the curb ages ago.¡± Aria and Cloe both gawked, turning to stare at Vanessa in shock. M did a dramatic flop off the couch, then popped up with wide eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a celebrity! You can¡¯t just say stuff like that!¡± Vanessa flipped her hair and shrugged. ¡°So what if I¡¯ve slept with someone? At least he was hot. I¡¯ve got no regrets.¡± Aria always thought Vanessa had never been in a rtionship. ¡®Well, guess you learn something new every day¨Ctexting could only reveal so much.¡® The game rolled on. Everyone was getting tipsy andughing louder. This time, the bottle pointed at Sonny again. He nced at Aria and said, ¡°Dare.¡± One of the other guys handed him a card. Sonny read it out. ¡°Pick someone of the opposite sex and touch their abs.¡± If the card drawer was a woman, she¡¯d pick a man; if a man, pick a woman to touch his own abs. 14:57 Sun, 22 Jun Everyone looked at Aria. Even Cloe nced her way, and Sonny¡¯s gaze lingered just a little too long. Vanessa finally realized what was up¨Cthese models were all about Aria. Sonny cleared his throat. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I choose you.¡± Aria blinked. ¡°Me?¡± Sonny nodded, all shy earnestness. ¡°Yeah, you.¡± Aria looked at Julia, ¡°There¡¯s a kid here¨Cmaybe not the best idea?¡± Julia, of course, nodded vigorously. ¡°It¡¯s totally fine! Go on, Arial¡± Sonny offered a gentle smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll just lift my shirt a little.¡± Honestly, for a nightclub, a dare like this was downright mild. ¡°Alright.¡± Aria sat up straight. Sonny tensed his abs, sitting up, and slowly lifted his shirt. He really did have a pretty impressive six¨Cpack¨Cpale, chiseled, just as advertised. Julia leaned in, but Cloe quickly covered her eyes. ¡°I wanna see too!¡± Julia protested. ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± Cloe replied firmly. Sonny held up his shirt, cheeks flushed, looking for all the world like a bashful guy being shamelessly teased. Aria reached out, her hand drawing close, and for a weird moment, she found herself thinking of Owen¨Chow he¡¯d looked, shirtless, the day she¡¯d identally walked in on him. She definitely hadn¡¯t been this calm that time. Was it just because she thought of Owen as a friend? Her palm hovered, just about to make contact when suddenly, a sharp knock echoed through the room. A momentter, the door swung open.¡± Again Marriage 415 Chapter 415 Everyone saw a stormy face at the door. Kim stepped into the private room, anger stuck in his throat, unable toe out. He¡¯d assumed Cloe would be the wildest one tonight¨Cwho would¡¯ve guessed Aria would steal the show? He shot a nce at Owen and quietly moved a couple steps to the side, keeping his distance. Owen, catching on, leaned in to see what was happening. A young man sat up straight, lifting his shirt to reveal half of his toned abs. Aria was braced on the table, leaning forward, her hand reaching toward his stomach, just a few inches away. If they¡¯d knocked anyter, she would¡¯ve touched him for sure. Owen stood there, his gaze locking with Aria¡¯s. Her hand stayed frozen mid¨Cair, like she¡¯d been caught red¨Chanded. The room fell into an awkward, almost surreal silence. Julia cocked her head and broke the tension, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here! And Kim¡¯s here too?¡± The manager, who¡¯d led the way, wiped the sweat off his forehead and silently prayed nobody would start a fight. Aria slowly drew her hand back, her palm burning hot. She turned away, grabbed her ss, and downed her drink in one shot. She thought, ¡®Why do I feel like I just got caught cheating?¡® She and Owen weren¡¯t even like that. Owen stepped further into the room, his voice gentle. ¡°Are you guys done? Julia said nobody was answering, so I came by. Ran into Kim outside.¡± He was exining, but his eyes were only on Aria. Julia¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡®Did I say no one was answering? Did I? Whatever. Owen¡¯s given me so many gifts, I can¡¯t throw him under the bus now.¡¯ She put on a smile. ¡°Yeah, I told him.¡± So it was Julia who ratted them out. Cloe red at Kim, ¡°How¡¯d you know we were here?¡± Kim didn¡¯t hesitate, ¡°Owen told me.¡± Owen just looked at the floor. Kim¡¯s gaze swept over the group, annoyed. ¡°Why¡¯d you bring Julia to a ce like this?¡± Cloe shot back, ¡°A ce like what? This ce is cleaner than you think.¡± Kim frowned, ¡°They¡¯re male models.¡± The manager quickly added, ¡°Sir, our models just perform¨Cthey don¡¯t do anything else. These guys are all college students with part¨Ctime jobs.¡± Kim scoffed, pointing at Sonny, ¡°Then why was he lifting his shirt? That¡¯s not ¡®just performing.¡°¡± 14:57 Sun, 22 Jun Chapter 415 The manager forced a smile, ¡°Maybe the guests were too good looking. He volunteered.¡± Sonny and Aria just exchanged a look. Brennen chimed in, ¡°We were ying truth or dare.¡± Kim nced at the time. ¡°It¡¯ste. Julia should get some sleep. We¡¯re heading home.¡± Cloe agreed, grabbing Julia¡¯s hand. ¡°Julia and I are going back to our ce¡ªwithout you.¡± She softened her tone for Julia, ¡°Let¡¯s go, sweetie.¡± Julia nodded. ¡°Okay!¡± Because she had to look after Vanessa, M hadn¡¯t touched a drop of alcohol. ¡°Let¡¯s head out too. I already booked a hotel. Aria offered, ¡°No need for a hotel¨Cjust stay at my ce.¡± Vanessa nced at Owen, gave a tired smile. ¡°I have to meet a producer tomorrow and there¡¯s an event the day after. Hotel¡¯s easier.¡± She wobbled as she stood up, and M quickly caught her. ¡°We¡¯ll head out first,¡± Vanessa said, pulling out a wad of cash. ¡°For you guys¨Cthanks for the fun night.¡± M helped her out. Cloe handed over some tips too, and even Julia slipped off her gold bracelet and tried to give it to Sonny, the guy Aria almost touched. The five male models were stunned by the kid¡¯s generosity, quickly refusing. Brennen said, ¡°You should keep it. We should be the ones giving you gifts.¡± Julia insisted, ¡°No way. It has to be fair. Next time, I¡¯ming back to y!¡± Cloe added, ¡°She¡¯s got plenty. Just take it.¡± The guys patted their pockets, but couldn¡¯t find anything to give back, so they just sighed. Brennen said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll ept it this time. Julia, you have toe back, okay?¡± Julia grinned, ¡°You got it. See you next time!¡± Aria, the only one who hadn¡¯t tipped, checked her pockets¨Cempty. Even Julia had given something; she couldn¡¯t not tip. Cloe had given away all her cash, so she was probably broke now. Aria hadn¡¯t drunk this much in a year; tonight she felt pretty tipsy. She turned to Owen, ¡°Do you have any cash?¡± Owen didn¡¯t even get a chance to answer before she turned to Kim, ¡°What about you?¡± Owen sighed, ¡°I have some.¡± He¡¯d grabbed his wallet when he picked up his jacket before heading out, just in case. He pulled out his wallet, took out all the cash¨Cdown to thest dor¨Cand put it on the table. 212 14:57 Sun, ZZ He didn¡¯t hand it to Aria, just addressed the five, ¡°Thanks for keeping thempany tonight.¡± His tone was polite and easygoing. Cloe shot Kim a look and couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue. Cloe thought, ¡®Same brothers, such different vibes. But if Kim were as smooth as Owen, she wouldn¡¯t have had her chance with him. Kim was easy to handle. But as Owen reached out to steady Aria, Cloe took it back¨Cmaybe this one was even easier, a real softie in love. Kim noticed Cloe staring at Owen and stepped in front of her, scowling. ¡°Stop looking. Let¡¯s go.¡± Cloe rolled her eyes and left with Julia. Kim followed, grumbling, ¡°It¡¯s dark in the hallway. Watch your step.¡± Cloe snapped back, ¡°We have eyes, thanks.¡± Kim said, ¡°You¡¯re wearing heels and you¡¯ve been drinking. Slow down.¡± Cloe huffed, ¡°I got it. I don¡¯t need your help.¡± Their bickering faded as they disappeared down the hall. ¡°Let¡¯s get going too,¡± Aria said, grabbing Owen¡¯s arm to steady herself. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll transfer you the cashter.¡± Owen replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Aria started walking, mostly steady. ¡°I¡¯m paying you back.¡± Owen walked beside her, silent but protective. At the parking lot, Owen opened the passenger door, hand braced on the roof so she wouldn¡¯t bump her head. After she got in, he closed the door and walked around to the driver¡¯s side. Aria guessed how much cash he¡¯d left, pulled out her phone, and transferred him 3 thousand dors. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes. Owen got in, felt his phone vibrate, checked the transfer, and hit ¡°refund.¡± He leaned toward her, just as Aria sensed him move closer and snapped her eyes open¨Cright into his deep gaze. It was getting dark outside; she couldn¡¯t read the look in his eyes. Owen hadn¡¯t expected her to wake up so suddenly. He paused, then exined quietly, ¡°You forgot to buckle your seatbelt.¡± me.¡± Aria Again Marriage 416 Chapter 416 Owen froze, pupils narrowing as he stared at Aria¡¯s face. He knew she was probably joking, but he couldn¡¯t help searching for some hidden meaning in her expression. The parking lot was dimly lit, so close he couldn¡¯t really see her face, only catch a whiff of the alcohol on her breath Inside the car, everything felt hushed and intimate. Owen still gripped her seatbelt with his left hand, while his right braced against the back of her seat. Because he was leaning in, the inside of his arm just barely brushed against the softness of her cheek. He thought, Is she the type to spill secrets when she¡¯s drunk? Will she even remember this tomorrow?¡® The thought made Owen tense up, his heartbeat pounding in his chest. Slowly, he lowered himself so he was at eye level with her and quietly asked, ¡°If I kissed you right now, would you be mad?¡± Now it was Aria¡¯s turn to freeze. Her eyes widened as she stared back, pulse quickening. ¡®Is he serious right now?* A cool breeze drifted in through the open window, and moonlight flickered across Owen¡¯s face. But when Aria looked, the first thing she saw wasn¡¯t his eyes¨Cit was his lips. They were smooth, the corners quirking up just slightly, thin but not too thin, with just the right amount of allure. Without even thinking, Aria leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Owen¡¯s eyes went wide, the scent of her¨Cclean butced with alcohol¨Cinvading his senses and leaving him breathless, his mind goingpletely nk except for the softness of her lips. For several heartbeats, neither of them moved. Then Aria pulled back, slumping into her seat, and finally met Owen¡¯s stunned gaze as reality hit her. She¡¯d just kissed Owen. For a long moment, the car was silent except for their breathing. Owen¡¯s face flushed bright red, his eyes shining as he stared at her, and then, almost shyly, he reached out and ruffled her hair. It was like he¡¯d decided she was just a tipsy kid acting out, He let out a quietugh, ¡°Guess I¡¯m not the only one with feelings here, huh? Well, you may not have promised me anything, but I¡¯m keeping track¨Cjust hope you remember this in the morning.¡± feeling to se The truth was, before she kissed him, he¡¯d wanted to test the waters, to see how she really felt about him, and maybe, deep down, he hoped she¡¯d be too drunk to remember, so things wouldn¡¯t be awkward if she didn¡¯t feel the same. But now? He really hoped she wouldn¡¯t forget. Otherwise, who¡¯d hold her ountable? Owen pulled her seatbelt across, buckled it for her, then sat back in the driver¡¯s seat and did up his own. He started the car. Aria just sat there in a daze, still in the same position after he¡¯d ruffled her hair, staring out the windshield as a slow, fiery embarrassment crept up her 14.07 cheeks. She realized she actually liked being around Owen¨Ca lot. She didn¡¯t mind hanging out with Vanessa or Cloe, but being with them never made her heart race like this, never made her face hot, and she¡¯d certainly never had the urge to randomly kiss either of them. What was she thinking? She had to be out of her mind. She closed her eyes, trying to will the memory away. Meanwhile, Owen turned up the heat in the car by two degrees, a stupid grin on his face the whole time, They didn¡¯t get far before hitting a patch of traffic. Owen had barely started wondering what was going on up ahead when his car got gged down. The intersection was brightly lit, and a traffic cop took one look at Owen¡¯s flushed face and frowned. ¡°Have you been drinking, sir?¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± The cop didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you haven¡¯t been drinking, with your face that red? Blow into this.¡± He handed Owen a breathalyzer. Again Marriage 417 Chapter 417 Owen sighed and did as he was told. The reading was just about zero, but the cop still wasn¡¯t satisfied. He called over a colleague, got a different device, and had Owen blow again. Still, almost nothing. ¡°You sure you haven¡¯t been drinking?¡± the cop asked, now genuinely confused. Owen nodded, ¡°Really, I haven¡¯t.¡± The officer squinted at him. ¡°So who¡¯s thedy in your passenger seat? And why isn¡¯t she waking up with all this racket?¡± Owen exined, ¡°She¡¯s a friend. She had a little too much to drink.¡± By now, the embarrassing flush on Owen¡¯s face had finally faded a bit, thanks to all themotion. The cop wasn¡¯t convinced just because Owen was good¨Clooking. He walked over to the passenger side and gestured for the window to go down. ¡°Miss?¡± At some point, Aria had dozed off. She stirred at the sound of his voice, blinking sleepily, ¡°Hmm?¡± Once she was awake, the cop let out a relieved sigh. ¡°And who is the gentleman you¡¯re with?¡± Aria nced at Owen and replied, ¡°He¡¯s a friend.¡± The officer asked, ¡°Have you been drinking tonight?¡± Aria nodded, ¡°Yeah, I have.¡± He looked at her, then at Owen, skepticism on his face, but after thinking it over, he waved them off. ¡°Alright, you two can go. Just drive safe, okay?¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Owen said quietly as he started the car again. As they pulled away, the cop muttered to his partner, ¡°That¡¯s weird¨Cshe¡¯s the one who drank, but he¡¯s the one blushing.¡± Both Owen and Aria heard thement loud and clear as the car rolled off. Owen gripped the wheel stiffly, that telltale heat rising in his cheeks all over again. Aria just turned her face toward the window, shutting her eyes with a sigh. ¡®Great. He¡¯s blushing because I kissed him, and now the cop thinks he¡¯s the drunk one.¡® When they finally reached Mayen Garden, Owen got out, nning to help Aria from the passenger side, but she was already out of the car, a bit unsteady on her feet. She managed a few steps before stumbling, and Owen caught her arm. ¡°You okay?¡± Her head was spinning and her body felt light, but Aria¡¯s mind was clear. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can walk.¡± She staggered a little as they made their way to the elevator, and Owen gently took her wrist. Once inside, he suddenly asked, ¡°Do you remember what you did in the car?¡± Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She yed dumb, ¡°What did I do?¡± 1 23:46 Sun, 22 Jun He didn¡¯t answer. After walking her to her room, he said, ¡°You should get some sleep.¡± Ana fought off her exhaustion long enough to change her shoes. ¡°I¡¯ll shower, then go to bed.¡± Owen warned. ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking. Maybe skip the shower. It could be dangerous.¡± But Aria was already headed for her bedroom, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Owen watched her disappear into the bathroom and called out, ¡°I¡¯ll wait in the living room until you¡¯re done, then I¡¯ll go.¡± She didn¡¯t answer, but he took her silence as agreement and settled onto the sofa. After a minute, Owen pulled out his phone and texted Cloe. A momentter, Cloe called back. ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re telling me-she kissed you?¡± Owen had told Cloe on purpose, just in case Aria didn¡¯t remember. If she forgot, Cloe could back him up. ¡°Yeah,¡± he admitted. Cloeughed, ¡°I knew it! That girl¡¯s feelings for you are different from everyone else.¡± A hopeful warmth bloomed in Owen¡¯s chest. He could hardly believe it. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me to confess, are you?¡± He sounded worried, ¡°If I tell her how I feel, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t even want to be friends anymore.¡± Cloe sighed softly. ¡°Honestly, you¡¯re probably right. Even if she likes you, she¡¯d most likely reject you if you confessed. 78% ¡°She doesn¡¯t care about Liam; the failed marriage doesn¡¯t matter to her. The thing is, Aria finds marriage itself a hassle¨Ctoo many families, too many strings attached. ¡°But if you take marriage off the table, I think you actually have a shot.¡± Owen smiled, ¡°Thanks, Cloe. I mean it.¡± Again Marriage 418 Chapter 418 After her shower, Aria felt much more sober. She was ready to crash for the night when she suddenly remembered Owen was still in the living room. She opened the door and said, ¡°You can head home now¡­¡± But Owen was sitting there, face flushed, half¨Cslumped against the arm of the sofa. There was an open bottle of liquor and a ss on the coffee table. He looked up at her, eyes a little hazy. ¡°You¡¯re done?¡± Aria walked over, eyeing him suspiciously. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°Needed a little courage,¡± Owen said, pushing himself up and nearly losing his bnce. Aria rushed to steady him, ncing at the bottle¨Ca fifth gone already. She stared at him in disbelief, ¡°Wait¡­ are you seriously a lightweight?¡± Not only did he get drunk after a single ss, but his face was bright red. Owen straightened, head lowered, and just stared at her. Then, with a small, aggrieved voice, he said, ¡°Aria.¡± She looked up. ¡°Yeah?¡± He said, ¡°You kissed me in the car.¡± There was a wounded note in his voice, like he¡¯d just been wronged. Aria blinked, not quite believing this was drunk Owen. She tried to y dumb. ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Owen pressed his lips together, looking heartbroken. ¡°So you¡¯re not going to admit it?¡± She watched in shock as his eyes filled with tears. Just as a tear was about to fall, Aria panicked and blurted out, ¡°Okay, okay! I admit it. I kissed you. I¡¯m sorry, alright?¡± Apparently, that was the magic phrase. Owen wiped away the tear and said, ¡°No need to apologize. Just take responsibility.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Excuse me?¡± He took a step closer. ¡°What, you¡¯re nning to just walk away after that?¡± She backed up until her legs hit the coffee table and she instinctively started to sit down, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her upright. She ended up tumbling into his arms, and with Owen off bnce, the two of them crashed onto the couch together. Aria didn¡¯t get hurt¨COwen had cushioned her fall¨Cbut the position theynded in was¡­ questionable. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck, one leg draped across his. The room was warm, and both of them were only wearing thin clothes. She could feel his heat through the fabric, his skin almost burning. She lifted her head and saw his Adam¡¯s apple bob up and down. 1/4 SUNT, EL TE Neither of them moved. Owen just held her, a fullness blooming in his chest¨Cso this was what it felt like to really hug someone. He almost never got this worked up, his hands opened and closed, over and over, as if he couldn¡¯t contain all the feelings boiling inside. Ana tried to wriggle away. Thinking she was trying to escape, Owen pulled her right back. This was the first time she¡¯d ever given him the slightest signal. He knew there might never be a second chance. If he let this go, they might always just be friends, never anything more. She demanded, ¡°Was this all on purpose?¡± Owen ignored the question and kept going, ¡°Are you going to take responsibility?¡± He was dead serious¨Cclearly that kiss meant more to him than she¡¯d thought. She was silent, so he added softly, ¡°That was my first kiss.¡± Aria choked. ¡°You¡¯re twenty¨Cseven and you¡¯ve never kissed anyone?¡± Owen didn¡¯t seem to care about the age thing, but he remembered something Amanda once said at Amour Bistro. Besides, he was four years older than Aria. He said, ¡°My birthday¡¯s not for a while. I¡¯m still twenty¨Csix. I¡¯ve never liked anyone else, never kissed anyone else, and no one¡¯s ever kissed me¡­ except you.¡± Guilt washed over Aria. ¡°I¡¯ve never¡­ with anyone either¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish the sentence, silently cursing the trouble alcohol brings. After thinking it over, she offered a ¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Owen finally let her go. Aria climbed off him and sat at his side on the couch. She was about to say something when he shed her apletely disarming smile, nothing like his usual gentle expression. He was so close, the brightness of it caught her off guard, sent her heart skipping. She took a deep breath and met his gaze, ¡°Owen, fine, I admit it¨CI do like you, at least a little.¡± Owen¡¯s eyes shone; even a little was enough. She continued, ¡°But right now, I¡¯m not looking for a rtionship, and I definitely don¡¯t want to get married or have kids. ¡°Kissing you was my fault, but I can¡¯t give you anything more than that. If there¡¯s anything else you want¨Canything reasonable¨CI¡¯ll do it, but I can¡¯t be responsible in that way.¡± 78%0 Charles $18 Den kept smiling. The light in his eyes wovending ¡°Co, when did his fine out 1ked you?¡± Aria was honest. ¡°That time you showed up at the film set looking for me¡± He suddenly leaned in eyes Warm and intent. Arie instinctively leaned back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked, ¡°You said anything but a rtionship or marriage, right? Within reason?* Pinned by his gaze, Arta nodded. ¡°Yes, anything reasonable.¡± Owen was awyer, full of integrity. She knew he¡¯d never ask for anything out of line, so this felt like a safe arrangement. No point in starting something that would go nowhere. Owen smiled, ¡°Then let¡¯s sign a contract. That way, you don¡¯t have to be responsible.¡± ¡°A contract? What kind?¡± she asked. He stood. ¡°Nothing illegal, nothing against public morals. I¡¯ll draw it up right now¨Cyou¡¯ll see.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we just do this tomorrow?¡± Owen shook his head, ¡°No way. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll change your mind.¡± She agreed, ¡°Fine, go ahead. I¡¯ll wait.¡± ¡°Wait for me,¡± he said, practically skipping out of the room. After he left, Aria sat there for a while, dazed. Owen had looked awfully steady for someone supposedly drunk. She nced at the bottle of liquor, then burst out a fuss, he had every right. Even so, curled up on the couch, she couldn¡¯t help feeling strangely empty and a little restless. He¡¯d just said she didn¡¯t need to take responsibility anymore, so why did she feel so unsettled? Aria rubbed her hair and picked up her phone to mindlessly scroll. Ten minutester, there was a knock at the door, and Owen came back in. Aria nced up and saw the paper, covered in writing, a pen, and an ink pad in his hands. He was actually serious about this. Owen¡¯s face was still a little flushed as he set the contract on the table in front of her and folded down the part with all the terms, leaving only the signature line visible. Sign here, he said. She gave him a look. ¡°You want me to sign without even reading it?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Sign first, then you can read.¡± 3/4 Again Marriage 419 Chapter 419 Aria stared at the contract, suspicion in her eyes. ¡®Why sign first and readter? What¡¯s he trying to hide?¡® She narrowed her gaze at Owen, locking onto him. ¡°This isn¡¯t some kind of ve contract, is it?¡± Owen was awyer. If anyone could hide a trap in the fine print, it was him. The more he told her not to look, the more curious she got. Ten minutes to write up a contract this detailed? It had to be something he¡¯d prepared ahead of time. She kept eyeing the document, itching to see what was inside. Sensing her thoughts, Owen pressed his hand down on the contract, leaving only the signature line exposed. ¡°Rx. I¡¯m not selling you into very. Come on, Aria, do you really think I¡¯d ever hurt you?¡± She shook her head without hesitation. ¡°No. You¡¯d never hurt me.¡± He smiled, looking much less put together than usual. A few stray hairs fell over his forehead, the back of his hair was a mess¨Che looked almost like a loyal puppy, harmless and impossible not to trust. ¡°I couldn¡¯t take you in a fight anyway,¡± he joked, a little self¨Cdeprecating. ¡°If you sign and regret it, just pin me down and tear up the contract.¡± That only made this feel stranger, but after a second¡¯s hesitation, Aria picked up the pen and scrawled her name without a second thought¨Cit was over in seconds. ¡°Done.¡± Owen¡¯s lips curled into a satisfied grin as he opened the ink pad. Aria pressed her thumb in and stamped it by her name. ¡°Good enough?¡± Owen nodded, voice soft. ¡°Perfect. My turn.¡± He took his time with his own signature, every stroke careful and precise, the neatness a stark contrast to Aria¡¯s rushed scrawl. After stamping it, he picked up the contract and extended his hand to her, a ceremonial seriousness in his tone. ¡°Looking forward to working with you.¡± Aria raised a suspicious brow as she shook his hand. ¡°Can I see it now?¡± ¡°Yeah, but let me get a picture first.¡± He pulled out his phone, spread the contract t, and snapped a shot. As the shutter clicked, Aria finally caught sight of the bold header: Personal Rtionship Agreement She started reading, her eyes going wide as she took in the details: Given that Party B initiated a kiss with Party A, Party B voluntarily agrees to fulfill her promise to Party A. After equal, voluntary, and thorough negotiation, Party A agrees to be Party B¡¯s lover. The following terms are agreed upon¡­ By the time she got to that line, Aria¡¯s jaw dropped. She stared at Owen, lips parted in shock, and finally managed to whisper, ¡°Are you insane?¡± Owen¡¯s face was flushed, but he kept hisposure as he handed the contract to her. ¡°Want to read the rest?¡± Aria said dryly, ¡°Can I just tear this up?¡± Owen¡¯s eyes flickered with nerves as he bit his lip, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re not happy with, I can change it. Just tell me.¡± Something about his voice sounded almost heartbreakingly vulnerable. fair atten he was tight, Hats mitisey.gaise both ends odding by eroshand she saidnes. rin¡¯s tights were miss, but she took the contract anyway. She read the cl Pany¡¯s ntsligations Outside of basic social etiquette, Party A can¡¯t have intimate contact with or date anyone else. AD Comment Again Marriage 420 Party A is responsible for Party B¡¯s meals and household chores, must arrange at least one date a week, spend at least four hours together per meeting, activities decided together. Outside of work hours, Party A must keep Party Bpany, provide emotional support, and fulfill the duties of a lover. Party B¡¯s obligations: None. If Party A breaks any terms¨Clike hiding things, skipping dates, or not providingpany¨CParty B decides the penalty andpensation. Term: three years, with renewal at Party B¡¯s discretion. Aria sat there a long, long time, processing. This wasn¡¯t her selling herself; it was Owen offering himself up. He really had lost his mind. Slowly, she looked up at him and asked, one word at a time, ¡°You¡¯re trying to sell yourself to me?¡± Owen met her eyes, earnest as ever, and nodded. ¡°You have to take responsibility for me.¡± Aria stared at him, almost out of words. ¡°Are you¡­ seriously okay in the head?¡± Owen¡¯s tone was dead serious. ¡°I mean it. This is better than dating or marriage¨Cjust you and me, no one else, no need to go public, no marriage required.¡± Aria honestly had no words. In her mind, if you were going to date, you dated to get married. No marriage, no point in dating. She¡¯d never expected Owen to pull something like this. Be her lover? What was he thinking? Owen reached out, gently grasping her wrist. ¡°I never nned on dating or getting married¡­ I was just going to live alone. Let¡¯s just give it a shot, okay? If you¡¯re not happy after three years, we walk away. At any point, you can break it off. If you fall for someone else, same thing. I¡¯ll do the same. Totally fair.¡± As long as this was official, he nned to cling to her¨Cno matter what. Aria wanted to refuse, but when she saw the careful, almost anxious, look in his eyes, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it. She found herself asking instead, ¡°Aren¡¯t your parents going to pressure you about this?¡± Owen just smiled. ¡°Not a chance. They¡¯re so open¨Cminded they¡¯d be fine even if I came home with a boyfriend.¡± Aria was floored. He added, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll call them right now and tell them I¡¯m dating a man.¡± She hurried to stop him. ¡°No, I believe you!¡± ¡°So¡­ do you still want to tear up the contract?¡± That was his way of asking if she agreed. Owen¡¯s eyes were filled with nerves and hope as he watched her, like he was waiting for her verdict. A thousand images of him flickered through Aria¡¯s mind, each one making her heart beat a little faster. After a long silence, she finally said, ¡°I need some time to think. I¡¯ll give you an answer in three days.¡± Owen shook his head, firm but gentle. ¡°That¡¯s too long.¡± ¡°One day, then?¡± 78% $28 He still refused, ¡°Not enough.¡± Aria hesitated, ¡°Tomorrow morning?¡± Owen sat there, looking for all the world like he just wanted her to feelfortable. ¡°I can wait here while you figure it out.¡± He knew that if they let the night pass and the alcohol wore off, she¡¯d probablye to her senses and this contract would end up in the trash. This had to be decided now. Aria nced at him, torn. He sensed her hesitation and softened his voice. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Take your time. There¡¯s no rush.¡± He was exactly her type¨Cwless, easygoing, a great cook, totally separate from his family business, barely any social baggage. Being with him wouldn¡¯te with a ton of drama. That only made her thoughts even more of a mess. She looked down at his hand wrapped around hers, her gaze following the lines of his wrist, forearm, shoulder, the curve of his throat, his jaw, his mouth¡­ Her heart gave a tiny skip. ¡°Can I end it whenever I want?¡± Owen nodded, serious as ever. ¡°Whenever you want.¡± Aria said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take responsibility for you.¡± Again Marriage 421 Chapter 421 For a split second, it felt like fireworks exploded in Owen¡¯s head. Excitement surged through his veins, leaving him a little breathless and lightheaded. His eyes shone so brightly it was almost blinding, and Aria had to look away, flustered. ¡°It¡¯ste. You should head home,¡± she said, her voice unsteady. ¡°Alright,¡± Owen agreed obediently, getting to his feet¨Cbut his legs were so weak he almost crumpled, ending up kneeling right there, elbow banging hard against the coffee table. He didn¡¯t even flinch, the dazed smile on his face never changing. Aria grabbed his hand, concern flickering across her features as she spotted the deep bruise already forming on his arm. ¡°You hit your elbow.¡± Owen looked up at her, grinning like a fool, happiness practically pouring off him. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Go home and put some ice on it,¡± Aria told him, not quite able to keep the fondness out of her voice, He just kept smiling at her, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Go on, get out of here.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He started for the door, still walking like he was floating. Halfway there, he stopped, turned, and asked, ¡°Are you nning to go to Neon Club again?¡± The question caught Aria off guard, but she answered honestly, ¡°Probably. If Vanessa asks me out again, I¡¯ll go.¡± Owen stepped closer, leaned in, and lowered his voice, ¡°Just¡­ do me a favor, okay? Next time, don¡¯t touch that guy.¡± Aria blinked, not following. ¡°What guy?¡± Taking advantage of the lingering buzz, Owen took her hand and pressed it against his own stomach, his tone both earnest and teasing. ¡°Me. I¡¯m yours now. If you feel like touching someone, just touch me¨Cwhatever they¡¯ve got, I¡¯ve got, too.¡± Under her palm, his abs were rock hard, and Aria yanked her hand back like she¡¯d been burned, clenching her fist as her heart pounded. ¡°Got it. Now please, just go.¡± Owen looked at her, voice a little more serious, ¡°You won¡¯t regret this in the morning, will you?¡± Aria shook her head, ¡°No. I won¡¯t.¡± The next morning, Aria sat in bed, running her hands through her hair, staring at her phone. Owen¡¯s chat was still on the screen, timestamped 2 AM: [Just in case you forget, here¡¯s a copy of the contract.] She¡¯d lost track of how long she¡¯d been staring at it. Finally, she let out a long, exasperated sigh, muttering to herself, ¡°I must be out of my mind. How did I end up agreeing to this?¡± ¡®Not a girlfriend, just a lover. What even is my life right now¡­¡® she thought. A new message popped up. Niks: (Found the truck driver. Want to meet?] Perfect. She needed something¨Canything¨Cto distract herself. She typed back. [Where?] 23:47 Sun, 22 Jun Niks sent her a location. She replied, [On my way.] She was out of bed, dressed, and out the door without even stopping for breakfast. She checked the hallway security camera, made sure it was empty, then slipped out quietly and hurried away. Owen hadn¡¯t slept all night. As dawn broke, he forced himself out for a run, still thinking about Aria. Just as he was pulling out his phone to message her, he spotted a familiar car drive past. He caught a glimpse of the license te¨CAria¡¯s car. His heart stuttered. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ she changed her mind and ran away?¡® He almost called her, then stopped, thinking better of it. He texted instead: [You awake?] The message, like the contract, got no reply. She must¡¯ve seen the photo by now. He just stood there, staring after her car as it disappeared down the street, lost in thought¨Cuntil an old man wandered over and followed his gaze. ¡°What are you staring at? Did your wife leave you?¡± the old guy joked. Owen forced a smile, ¡°No, she just stepped out.¡± 2/2 Again Marriage 422 Chapter 422 The old man gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, ¡°Son, with that lost look on your face, I¡¯d bet she left without saying goodbye¡± Owen fell silent, hot wanting to exin. The man went on, ¡°Don¡¯t bother waiting. She¡¯s noting back just because you¡¯re standing here.¡± Aria arrived at the meeting spot, where Niks waved her over. ¡°Turns out the truck driver has a twin brother,¡± he exined as she approached. ¡°It was his brother¡¯s family who went abroad, not him.¡± The Maverick disappearance was a huge deal, but officially it was just another car ident. Everyone involved had given statements and gone on with their lives. The truck driver, Kristian Farley, had used his brother¡¯s ID, which was why Niks hadn¡¯t found anything odd at first. Now, his suspicion shot up from mild to almost certainty. ¡°Where is he?¡± Aria asked. ¡°This way.¡± Niks replied, leading her down a twisting, narrow alley. After several turns, they reached an open area. Aria was about to ask more when a man¡¯s voice drifted down om above. She looked up to see a head poking over the rooftop. ¡°That¡¯s him,¡± Niks said quietly, ¡°Kristian.¡± As soon as Kristian made eye contact with Niks, his eyes went wide. He spun around and bolted. ¡°Kristian!¡± Niks shouted, racing toward the courtyard. But Aria was faster. in a blur, she scaled the wall andnded gracefully on the rooftop, grabbing Kristian before he could get away. Within a minute, she reappeared at the edge of the roof, practically dragging Kristian along, and jumped down with him. He screamed in terror, hitting the ground hard and copsing in a heap, trembling. Niks, mouth dry, stared at Aria in shock. He¡¯d always known she was tough, but scaling rooftops and throwing needles? Was she some kind of time- traveling assassin? He quickly recovered. ¡°Alright, Kristian. Time to talk. Tell us exactly what happened that day.¡± Kristian, short but burly, pushed himself up, ring. ¡°I¡¯m calling the police. You two are kidnapping me!¡± He spun to make a break for the door¨Conly for three needles to whiz past his face, embedding themselves in the wood. Kristian froze, terror etched on his face. Niks was just as shaken. This wasn¡¯t a movie¨CAria really was that dangerous. He lowered his voice, menacing, ¡°Back before Mandino City, I was in the business of killing. So it¡¯s simple: you talk, or you die.¡± Kristian¡¯s bravado crumbled instantly. ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll talk!¡± Aria sauntered over, armis crossed, shooting him a sidelong look. ¡°Open the door.¡± He scrambled toply, nearly falling over himself as he pushed the door open. ¡°After you, ma¡¯am.¡± Charter 422 Aria Grepped inside like the owned the ce, not bothering with meaties. Kristian, shaking, trailed after her, babbling. ¡°I had nothing to do with Maverick¡¯s disappearameet just saw what happened, that¡¯s all Aria stopped, nced at Mikelss. ¡°Well What are you waiting for?¡± Niks snapped out of it and hustled inside, his tone turning serville. ¡°Coming,ing Ana instructed. ¡°You question him. If he lies, let me know.¡± Niks was the one who understood the case best, so this was the smartest way. He hesitated, ¡°Ms. Saxon, aren¡¯t youing in?¡± wait outside and get some air,¡± Aria replied. Got it.¡± Niks followed Kristian inside, wondering if Aria was in an especially bad mood today. Standing outside, Aria checked her phone: Owen: [You awake?} Owen: [Didn¡¯t see your car. Did you go out?] The two messages were sent half an hour apart. Aria typed: [Yeah, had some urgent business.] Owen replied instantly: [Everything fine now?] Aria: [Yeah, it¡¯s handled.] Owen: [For a second there, I thought you rememberedst night, freaked out, and decided to run out on me. My mistake.] Aria rubbed her temples, a headacheing on. 2/2 Again Marriage 423 Chapter 423 Owen wasn¡¯t the clingy type, not really. But the way things were now between them. honestly, Aria found she didn¡¯t mind it. Thinking it over, she shot him a message: [Send me your bank ount number.} Deven replied. What for?) She answered: [To send you money.] At Seacrest Law Firm, Aaron was in the middle of discussing the day¡¯s divorce case. ¡°This one¡¯s not thatplicated, but it¡¯ll be a nasty fight. ¡°The husband¡¯s a real piece of work¨Cborrowed money for the house, the furniture, even the dowry, and made sure there were IOUS with notes saying ¡®for family use. ¡°No wonder so many women don¡¯t want to get married these days, with guys like him giving the rest of us a bad name. What do you think, Owen¡­¡± He stopped mid¨Csentence when he saw Owen focused on his phone. ¡°Is it urgent?¡± Aaron asked, a little awkward. Owen didn¡¯t look up. ¡°It¡¯s personal, but it won¡¯t affect my work. Go on, I¡¯m listening.¡± Aaron knew Owen could multitask and was famously efficient. So he finished his briefing, exining how he nned to help the wife minimize her losses. Owen, still checking his phone and reading reports, asionally chimed in with a question or suggestion. By the end, Aaron felt pretty satisfied¨Cuntil he caught a glimpse of Owen frowning at his phone¡­ and then, unexpectedly, smiling to himself. Aaron was floored. That smile¨Che¡¯d only seen it on colleagues in the throes of a new rtionship, always glued to their phones. ¡®Did Owen finally win over Ms. Saxon?¡® Trying to be casual, Aaron said, ¡°Owen, are you texting Ms. Saxon? There¡¯s a new animated film out, you two should see it.¡± Owen finally nced up, ¡°What movie?¡± No denial¨Cthat meant yes, he was texting Aria. Aaron grinned, ¡°I actually got two tickets for Saturday, but I have to meet a client, so I can¡¯t use them.¡± He hurried out and returned a momentter, waving the tickets. ¡°Here, take them. No point letting them go to waste.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Owen replied, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the money.¡± Aaron waved him off, ¡°No need, you¡¯ve helped me so much already.¡± When Aaron first joined Seacrest, he thought Owen was just another lucky connection. Later, he realized Owen was the real deal¡ªand they¡¯d be close friends. Owen said, ¡°Alright, you go ahead.¡± 23.47 Sun, 22 Jun Aaron paused at the door, ¡°You came in early today, heading home early too?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Seacrest Law Firm had flexible hours, so everyone could set their own schedule. 78%1 28) After seeing Aria¡¯s car pull away, Owen figured there was no point hanging around at home¨Che might as well head in early and get a jump on work, which meant he could clock out sooner too. ¡°Yeah,¡± Owen replied, ¡°I¡¯ll probably keep this schedule from now on.¡± Seacrest had flexible hours, and seeing Aria leave in the morning made Owen want to use his time bettere in early, leave early. After Aaron left, Owen looked back at his phone. [Why are you sending me money?] Aria answered: [Isn¡¯t that how this is supposed to work?] She was treating this as a ¡°rtionship,¡± where both parties are equal, not like a sugar arrangement, where one side uses money to control the other. Yet here she was, offering to pay him directly. Owen couldn¡¯t help butugh at the absurdity of it. He started to type: [No need.] Then he paused, deleted it. If he took her money, it gave him the perfect excuse to keep clinging to her. He sent his ount number. A momentter, a transfer came through: 300,000 dors. Owen whistled to himself. Well, I¡¯m worth more than I thought. He sent almost all of it back, leaving exactly 3,000 dors. Aria immediately replied with a question mark. He exined: [Market rate¨C3,000 dors.] She shot back: [That cheap?] Owen replied: [That¡¯s the standard. If you want, you can make up the difference with gifts¨Cassuming you¡¯re happy with my performance.] He wanted her to pick out gifts for him? Aria hesitated, then typed: [It¡¯s easier to just send money. Buy yourself something you like.] Owen insisted: [No. I want something from you.] Her heart skipped a beat. She locked her phone, pressing a hand to her chest, muttering, ¡°It¡¯s just a message¨Cwhy am I freaking out?¡± Luckily, Owen didn¡¯t push the issue. [Now that you¡¯re done, go eat breakfast.] Aria didn¡¯t reply. Ten minutester, Niks came out, dragging Kristian behind him. Kristian was practically begging, ¡°I swear, I didn¡¯t do anything, I just kept quiet! I told you everything, please, don¡¯t turn me in¨Cthey said they¡¯d kill my whole family if I talked!¡± 2/3 23:48 Sun, 22 Jana Niks red at him, furious. ¡°You should¡¯ve gone to the police! For all you know, they¡¯ve already been caught, and your silence just made it worse,¡± Kristian looked pitiful. ¡°My wife just had a baby. I was scared.¡± Aria stopped over. ¡°So, is it done?¡± Niks nodded, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± On the way out, he filled her in: That day, Kristian mmed on the brakes at thest second, barely avoiding hitting the Todd family¡¯s escort car. He saw two men jump out, throw open the back door, and transfer Maverick¨Cbed and all¨Cinto their car. Kristian remembered the markings on the vehicle¨Cit was definitely a Todd family escort. It meant things were going exactly where Niks had feared most: there was a traitor inside Todd School, and not just any traitor someone with real power. Most people at Todd School were rted to the Todds by blood; this was serious. Aria said quietly, ¡°They went to all this trouble to take your grandfather alive, not just kill him. He¡¯s probably still safe, at least for now.¡± Niks felt a bit of relief. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Saxon. Culver doesn¡¯t know the National Doctor¡¯s Seal is fake. If they trace it back to you, they¡¯ll probably guess you have the medical book too. You could be in danger.¡± Aria shrugged. ¡°Let theme. I¡¯ll deal with it.¡± Niks remembered her moves from earlier, and, reassured, said, ¡°At least now I know what to do. And the Gibson family wants Culver¡¯s seal.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°That seal was made by a friend of mine. I have to get it back.¡± Niksughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll look the other way. Your friend did great work¨Cwe just made a few tweaks, like adding ¡®Todd¡® so Culver could take over with a clear conscience. Good thing we did, or Axton would¡¯ve ruined the ceremony.¡± They parted ways. Aria stopped near Mayen Garden for breakfast. She had just sat down when her phone rang¨CDexter calling. ¡°Can we meet? I have something to return to you.¡± 3/3 Again Marriage 424 Chapter 424 ¡°When?¡± Aria asked, cutting right to the chase. Dexter replied, ¡°Can you meet now?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Aria sent him the name of the cafe. ¡°Come by yourself.¡± As she hung up, she caught the sound of someone crying in the background. ¡°Dexter, please save Hannah.¡± Dexter was about to leave when his mother grabbed his arm. ¡°Mom, I have no way out. She deserves it.¡± ¡°Dexter, you have to try again! Ask Zander, beg them to help Hannah. She¡¯s my only daughter¨Cyour only sister. If we don¡¯t help her, who will?¡± 78% Dexter looked at his mother, voice cold. ¡°Mom, after everything Hannah did to Collin, you really think we should? If it weren¡¯t for her, Jazmin would never have cut us off. ¡°You know how much Jazmin adored Collin, and thanks to Hannah¡¯s lies and maniption, Collin almost ruined his career. The whole art scene¡¯sughing at him now.¡± Rtions between the families had gone cold because of Hannah¨CZander was still supporting Dexter, but Hannah had burned bridges everywhere. Penelope grew desperate, her voice trembling. ¡°What about Aria? You were just on the phone with her, right if she drops the charges, we¡¯ll give her anything she wants.¡± Dexter rubbed his temples, exasperated. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t tried? Everything that could be done has been done. Hannah even stole the National Doctor¡¯s Seal. ¡°Now that Culver¡¯s the new head of Todd School, if we keep pushing, Hannah will only get a harsher sentence. I need to return the Seal to Aria, and settle this now.¡± Heforted his mother for a few moments, then left. Penelope stayed where she was, seething. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for Aria and Owen using their power, Hannah wouldn¡¯t be in this mess for something so minor. And Zander pretends to be so generous, but look how quickly he turned on us. When my son¡¯s in charge, I¡¯ll make sure every slight is paid back.¡® She forced herself to calm down and dialed a number. ¡°Keep an eye on Aria and Owen. Get me proof that the two of them are together.¡± At six, Aria got a message from Owen, inviting her over for dinner. She psyched herself up for a few minutes, then went. Other than a little awkwardness, being around him felt almost normal. After Owen finished washing the dishes, Aria pulled out the seal and set it on the table. ¡°Dexter gave this back.¡± Owen stared at it for a long time. ¡°Are you giving it back to me?¡± It felt odd, passing it back after so many people had handled it. Just as Aria reached out to take it, Owen suddenly picked it up himself. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really mean anything anymore. Might as well take it back.¡± The seal had passed through so many hands, he figured it was better not to leave it with her. Aria stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll head out then.¡± 23.48 Sun 22 JULF ??% Owen nodded and started walking toward his bedroom. ¡°I¡¯m gonna shower. I¡¯lle over to your ce after.¡± Aria froze, staring at his back as he disappeared down the hall. ¡®Come over to my ce? After a shower? What¡¯s he nning?¡® Owen, realizing how that sounded, stopped and turned back, exining, ¡°I smell like cooking oil.¡± Aria let out a silent breath of relief, but still asked, ¡°Why are youing over to mine?¡± Usually she came to him, rarely the other way around. Owen didn¡¯t answer directly, just smiled mysteriously. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Half an hourter, the doorbell rang. Aria opened it to find Owen standing there in pale blue loungewear¨Ccoincidentally the same color as her own. She hesitated, gripping the door a little too tight. ¡°Did you need something?¡± Owen looked her straight in the eye. ¡°Would you go to the movies with me this Saturday?¡± She wanted to ask why, then remembered the contract and her heart jumped. ¡°Sure,¡± she managed. Owen¡¯s mouth curled into a smile. ¡°Can I hug you?¡± Before she could react, he gently pulled her into his arms. It was a soft embrace, their bodies almost touching. Owen didn¡¯t let go; he just held her there. Time seemed to stretch until Aria rxed into him, her muscles unclenching, the awkwardness melting away. She finally asked, ¡°Are you done?¡± He slowly let her go, but before stepping back, he reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. ¡°You¡¯ll need to get used to this¨Chugs, kisses, living together¡­¡± Aria¡¯s expression froze, but Owen just smiled and patted her head, ¡°Take your time. No rush.¡± She looked up and saw his ears¨Cbright red, almost glowing Owen tried to y it cool, gave her a little smile, then backed toward the door. ¡°Get some sleep. Goodnight.¡± Just as he reached for the doorknob, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. He looked up, surprised, as Aria pulled him back inside and mmed the door. Before he could process, she backed him up against it, pressed her body close, and¨Cjust like that¨Ckissed him. Owen¡¯s mind went totally nk. It was only the second time she¡¯d kissed him, just like the first¨Csoft, unmoving, her lips pressed to his. One arm looped around his neck, the other pressed to the wall, trapping him between her and the door. For a second, Owen was lost. Then, just as Aria was about to pull away, he wrapped one arrp around her waist, his other hand sliding up to cradle the back of her neck, and kissed her back. It was different this time¨Cno more shyness. His kiss was a little rough, a little clumsy, but it was all him. +28 23:48 Sun, 22 Jun G His big hand tangled in her hair, and suddenly, he was leading and she was following. Aria opened her eyes and met his dark and intense, not closed at all. Their breath mingled, hot and close. 28 Her arm was still hooked around his neck. If this had been anyone else, she might have considered snapping their neck instead of kissing them, but this was Owen. The instant he grabbed her nape, something deep in her rxed. She acted on instinct, like always. Last night it had been the atmosphere, but tonight? Maybe it was the warmth of his hug, or maybe she just got a kick out of seeing how red his ears got. Whatever it was, she wanted him. They stood there, lips pressed together, gazes locked, saying nothing. Then Aria reached up and covered Owen¡¯s eyes with her hand. He took it as a sign, parting his lips and gently biting down on hers, a little tentative, but eager to explore. He tried to nudge her lips open, and for a second, it seemed like nothing else existed, until the doorbell rang, loud and jarring. Both of them jerked apart, startled. Owen felt a sharp sting on his lip, and suddenly Aria was gone, stepping back, dazed and breathless, lips still red from his kiss. Owen nced at her, eyes darkening with want. The doorbell rang again, followed by frantic knocking. ¡°Aria, open up! Hurry!¡± Again Marriage 425 Chapter 425 With just a door between them, Aria and Owen could hear Derek¡¯s voice loud and clear. They were neighbors, even friends, so Owen being at Aria¡¯s ce wasn¡¯t suspicious. The real problem? Owen¡¯s lip was bitten by her. Two adults, alone, behind closed doors¨Canyone with eyes would know exactly what just happened. Outside, Derek was still muttering, ¡°Weird, why isn¡¯t Owen answering? And Aria¡¯s not picking up either¡­¡± Snapping back to reality, Aria grabbed Owen¡¯s arm, dragging him toward the bedroom, whispering, ¡°Go hide somewhere, quick.¡± She shoved him inside and doubled back toward the front door. Just before she opened it, she nced over her shoulder. Owen was slipping into her room, turning to ask, ¡°Should I close the door?¡± There were other bedrooms on the first floor, and even more upstairs, but he went straight for hers. * 78% Derek was still muttering outside, half talking to himself and halfining, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they went on a date without telling me? Great, just great. Looks like I¡¯m sleeping on the street tonight.¡± Inside, Aria stiffly gave Owen a quick nod. Owen closed the door and only then realized which room he¡¯d chosen. The other rooms were empty and locked, and hers was the only one slightly open. He thought, ¡®Would she think I did this on purpose?¡® Feeling a little sheepish, Owen pressed his lips together¨Conly to feel a sharp sting where she¡¯d bitten him. He touched his mouth, couldn¡¯t help himself, and broke into a quiet, helplessugh. He pulled up a chair, determined not to look around, but couldn¡¯t stop his eyes from wandering. The room was simple, warm tones, spotless vanity¨Cno unnecessary decorations except a single teddy bear on the bed. He figured Julia must have given it to her. Sunlight poured through the curtains, lighting up the floor. On the balcony, there were several pots¨Cmost just dirt, except for one lonely cactus. Outside, Aria ran a hand through her hair, smoothed her face, and opened the door. Derek was still calling, but when he saw her, he jumped. ¡°Aria! There you are! Why didn¡¯t you pick up?¡± Completely unfazed, Aria said, ¡°I was busy¨Cleft my phone on the couch. What¡¯s up?¡± Derek stepped inside like he owned the ce, backpack slung over his shoulder. ¡°School¡¯s having a graduation party. I¡¯m back for three days. I tried to drop my stuff at Owen¡¯s, but he wasn¡¯t home either.¡± Of course he wasn¡¯t¨COwen was here, and his phone was at his ce. Aria nced discreetly toward her bedroom. ¡°He¡¯ll probably be backter. Just pick any room to crash in for now.¡± Once Derek was settled, she¡¯d find a way to sneak Owen out. 23:48 Sun, 22 Jun 78% 28 Derek dropped his bag, took hisptop to the table by the balcony, and fired it up. ¡°I¡¯ll work here. We¡¯ve got a project on deadline, so I¡¯ll be up .¡± He wasn¡¯t nning to join the party, but Patrick had insisted. He couldn¡¯t let college end with regrets. So here he was. ¡°I¡¯ll probably keep you up if I type all night in Owen¡¯s ce. Mind if I sleep here?¡± Derek asked. ¡°Of course, go ahead,¡± Aria said. ¡°Did you eat yet?¡± ¡°Had something on the train.¡± Aria nced at his keyboard. ¡°Maybe you should work in your own room? That thing¡¯s pretty loud.¡± Derek didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°You can just go to your room, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯lle in when I¡¯m done. The room by the balcony¡¯s good, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, get some rest,¡± Derek said, already immersed in work. Aria shot another nce at her bedroom, feelingplicated. She thought, ¡®First time I kissed Owen, he roped me into a contract. Second time, Derek shows up and Owen¡¯s trapped in my room. Maybe next time I should keep my cool¨Cthe consequences are getting out of hand! Derek suddenly paused, side¨Ceyeing her. ¡°Is it hot in here? Your face is kinda red. Are you¡­ wearing lipstick? Going out?¡± He¡¯d never seen her with makeup before¨Chis¨Ccuriosity was piqued. Aria pressed a palm to his forehead, pushing him back. ¡°No lipstick, not going anywhere. Back off¨Cyou stink.¡± Derek instantly straightened, sniffing under each arm. ¡°Okay, I did sweat a bit running over, but I don¡¯t stink! Since when do you have a bloodhound¡¯s nose?¡± Aria seized the chance. ¡°Why not shower first?¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Derek headed toward the bathroom, then stopped when his phone rang. ¡°Derek, are you settled in?¡± came a voice from the other end. ¡°All good,¡± Derek replied. Aria called over, ¡°That performance report wasn¡¯t thorough enough¨Credo it and send it to me before morning, then you can actually enjoy your grad party.¡± Derek doubled back to hisputer, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll finish it up and send it over.¡± He got to work, tossing back to Aria, ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for a while¨Csleep first, showerter. You won¡¯t hear or smell me from your room!¡± Aria finally made her way to her bedroom, pausing at the door for a second before twisting the handle. Inside, Owen was sitting obediently in a chair. He stood as soon as he saw her. ¡°Derek¡¯s staying over?¡± His lip looked even worse, the bite mark darkening. ¡°He¡¯s working in the living room. No way to leave yet, we¡¯ll have to y it by ear,¡± Aria replied. She handed him some ointment and a cotton swab. ¡°Mirror¡¯s over there.¡± Owen took the ointment but pulled her hand down, sitting back in the chair. ¡°Can you do it for me?¡± ¡°You can do it yourself,¡± Aria protested. 20 23:48 Sun, 22 Jun He looked up at het. ¡°You¡¯re the one who bit me.¡± She fell silent. Resigned, she squeezed out a little ointment and carefully dabbed it onto his lip, trying not to think about how they¡¯d ended up here. Her hand trembled just a little as the memory of their tangled kiss shed back. Standing, Aria was a head taller than Owen, so she had to bend over to reach him. He watched her, a small smile curling at his lips, making it all too obvious she¡¯d been caught staring. ¡°All done,¡± she said, straightening up and deliberately avoiding his eyes. ¡°Thank you,¡± Owen said softly. Aria¡¯s room had a few books, but Owen, still sitting, barely nced at them. His mind was anywhere but the pages. As the evening cooled, Aria retreated to the lounge chair on the balcony, leaving the room to him. An hour passed. Derek was still working. Two hours passed, and he was still at it. On her fourth check¨Cin, Derek finally snapped, ¡°Why do you keep asking when I¡¯ll go to bed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost eleven. It¡¯s cold¨Cgo warm up in your room,¡± Aria replied. Derek gawked. ¡°It¡¯s summer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stay up toote. Try to sleep early.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be up until three or four, but I¡¯ll sleep in tomorrow. Seriously, go to bed.¡± Resigned, Aria rolled her eyes at the ceiling and went back to her room. Owen, who¡¯d been up all night with excitement, was starting to fade. When he heard the door, he perked up. ¡°Derek¡¯s still in the living room?¡± Aria cut to the chase, ¡°You¡¯ve got work tomorrow. Just sleep here tonight.¡± Owen¡¯s sleepiness vanished instantly. He looked up at her, startled and a little hopeful, ¡°You mean¡­ sleep here, with you?¡± 3/3 Again Marriage 426 Chapter 426 Aria said matter¨Cof¨Cfactly, ¡°Can¡¯t have you staying up until three or four. Just sleep. You¡¯ll have to get used to it anyway,¡± She wasn¡¯t worried Owen would assassinate her in her sleep. With that out of the way, sharing a bed with him was no different than crashing with Vanessa. +28) She pulled open the closet, grabbed a thin nket, walked around to the other side of the bed, and spread it out. ¡°I¡¯ve never slept on this side. You take it¡± She picked up the teddy bear, ced it in the middle like a soft, fuzzy border. ¡°You sleep first, I¡¯m going to shower,¡± Aria said, calm as ever. She didn¡¯t even hesitate to grab her pajamas and underwear right in front of him. Owen quickly averted his eyes, catching her reflection as she disappeared into the bathroom. He stood there dazed for a long moment, muttering under his breath, ¡°Does she just¡­ not see me as a man?¡± But she was the one who kissed him¨Cshe must. His gaze drifted to the bed. The thought of actually sharing it with her made his heart pound like crazy. Hearing the shower, he couldn¡¯t help ncing over. Through the misty ss, he could see her arms raised, fingers running through her hair. He jerked his head away, almost bolting to the balcony, hand pressed to his forehead, cursing himself out. He stayed outside until Aria finished her shower, blow¨Cdried her hair, and finally poked her head out. ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping yet?¡± Owen turned, immediately distracted by the sight of her brushing her hair, calm and unfazed. He swallowed, looked away. ¡°Getting there.¡± She finished up, noticed him still standing, and shot him a look. ¡°Not tired?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Owen came inside, closed and locked the balcony door, pulled the curtains, then cracked a window to let some air in. The chill helped settle his nerves. Remembering the sad pots on the balcony, he asked, ¡°So¡­ those flowerpots out there. Did you never nt anything?¡± Aria snapped out of her thoughts and replied, ¡°I did, but everything I raise dies. Nothing¡¯s ever made it.¡± An awkward silence settled over the room. Suddenly she remembered the 3,000 dors she¡¯d sent him that morning and added, ¡°Well, not everything¨Cthere¡¯s still one cactus left.¡± Owen had to stifle augh. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s still a cactus. Tell you what¨Cwhy don¡¯t I nt something for you next time? Would that be alright?¡± She looked at him, curious. ¡°You? nting?¡± He nodded, determined. ¡°You¡¯ve already got soil and pots. I¡¯ll buy some flowers after work tomorrow, get them started, ande by every so often to take care of them. I promise they won¡¯t die on my watch.¡± This way, he¡¯d always have an excuse to visit her room. ¡°Sure, go ahead,¡± Aria agreed, no fuss. She adjusted the AC, dropped the temp a couple of degrees, and climbed into bed like it was the most natural thing in the world. 48 Sun, 22 Jun They were sharing a bed now. What difference did it make if he came over more often? ¡°Remember to turn off the light,¡± she said. Her movements were so casual that, if it weren¡¯t for herst sentence, Owen might¡¯ve thought she¡¯d forgotten he was even there. He turned off the main light, slipped into bed on his side. Aria rolled onto her back, eyes up at the ceiling. ¡°What time do you need to wake up? Should I set an rm?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. No rm needed.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She reached over, switched off the bedsidemp. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight,¡± Owen echoed, eyes closed but nowhere near sleep. He¡¯d nned to help her get used to him slowly, but suddenly, here they were, sharing a bed. The pace was dizzying, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling a little hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, they¡¯d end up spending a lot more nights like this. Again Marriage 427 When Owen opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at Aria¡¯s sleeping face, just inches away. 77%0 For a second, he forgot where he was, then realized¨Che¡¯d actually spent the night in her bed. A huge, dorky smile spread across his face as he watched her. Hey there for a while,pletely at peace, until he suddenly jolted. ¡®Wait, wasn¡¯t I supposed to go to work?¡® Moving as quietly as he could, he slipped out of bed and peeked outside. The sun was already high, definitely not six AM. ¡®Damn, I overslept.¡® He crept out of the room, closing the door behind him as gently as possible. Halfway down the hall, he heard another door open and froze. Turning, he locked eyes with a very sleepy Derek¨COwen¡¯s heart nearly stopped. Things between him and Aria were still fragile, and thest thing he needed was for Derek to catch on and start asking questions. If Ania got annoyed, she might just end things right here. Derek blinked at him, then mumbled, ¡°Owen? Morning.¡± Owen put on a casual smile. ¡°Morning.¡± Derek wandered into the kitchen, poured himself a ss of water, and shuffled back toward his room, still half¨Casleep. ¡°I¡¯m going back to bed.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Owen said. Derek paused, suddenly realizing something was off. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t this Aria¡¯s ce? Why did I just see youing out of her room?¡± He rubbed his eyes, suddenly wide awake. Owen didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°I came over to make breakfast and wake her up. She wasn¡¯t hungry, so she went back to bed. Want something to eat?¡± Derek shook his head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not hungry. I just want to sleep.¡± Owen gave him a friendly smile. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get going. Get some more rest.¡± Derek didn¡¯t seem suspicious at all. ¡°Yeah, yeah, see you.¡± As the door shut behind him, Owen let out a huge sigh of relief. Elsewhere, Amanda had been trying and failing to reach Fryderyk, so she marched straight into the police station. The moment she spotted him in uniform, her heart did a little flip. She told herself, ¡®Okay, calm down. He¡¯s got someone he likes now. Just¡­ be cool.¡® Then she headed over. ¡°Fryderyk! Why haven¡¯t you answered my messages?¡± Every head in the office turned at once. Fryderyk nced up. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy.¡± Amanda huffed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking you to hang out. I need you to protect me.¡± 23:48 Sun, 22 Jun ¡ª He looked up, deadpan. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about your safety, hire a bodyguard. Or, here¡¯s a thought, don¡¯t throw a wine tasting.¡± 77% 28 Amanda protested, ¡°I¡¯ve been nning this for months! The invitations are out. I can¡¯t just cancel. And bodyguards aren¡¯t as good as you. Ever since you admitted you liked Aria, I haven¡¯t messaged you once! I¡¯m not chasing you, I really do need your help.¡± Across the room, someone dropped a file. Whispered conversations sprang up instantly, but in the small office, every word was easy to hear. ¡°No way, Fryderyk likes Aria?¡± ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s kind of shocking¡­ but not really. He¡¯s always looking out for her, always helping.¡± Fryderyk, who had recently been put in charge of Aria¡¯s case, said nothing. Amanda set an invitation on his desk. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll get Aria toe. Friday. You have to be there. Bye!¡± ¡°Fryderyk, you should go,¡± someone called out after she left. ¡°We barely get time off in this ce. Seize your chance¨Cgo after Aria!¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ll need to work hard for that one. She¡¯s not easy.¡± Fryderyk kept his head down. ¡°I don¡¯t like Aria.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. But you¡¯lle to the tasting, right? Aria¡¯s going to be there.¡± Meanwhile, on her phone were a few messages. Aria: [Noting.] Amanda: [Please, Aria! If youe, Fryderyk will show up too! I really, really need his help¨Cit¡¯s urgent!] Amanda kept spamming messages, and Aria seriously regretted ever epting her friend request. With a sigh, she gave in: [Fine] Amanda: [Great! I¡¯ll send you the invitation.] Again Marriage 428 Chapter 428 By noon the next day, Aria was pulling into the parking lot at Ward¡¯s Winery. Though it wasn¡¯t a household name across the country, Ward¡¯s was famous in Mandino City andtely, even more so. Two years ago, Amanda¡¯s father, the Ward Group¡¯s CEO, had saved the head of Fraibia, a European wine conglomerate. The rescue led to a lucrative partnership, and with new technology and Fraibia¡¯s clout, Ward¡¯s wine quality skyrocketed. Their sales soared¨Cthey took first ce in quarterly sales, second in annual rankings. In just two years, the Ward Group became a rising star in the industry. Officially, today¡¯s event was a casual wine tasting hosted by Amanda¨Ca gathering for the young elite. In truth, it was the Ward family¡¯s first big g, a power y to showcase their winery and reel in resources. With the Ward family¡¯s sudden rise, they¡¯d inevitably made enemies, and Amanda, running point, was worried someone might try to crash the party. That¡¯s why she wanted Fryderyk around. Aria was runningte. The lot was already packed. She found a narrow space, backed in like a pro, and was just unclipping her seatbelt when a sleek car rolled up directly in front of her. A girl in a cocktail dress stepped out, strutted over, nted a hand on her hip and jabbed a finger in Aria¡¯s direction, mouthing angrily through the windshield. Aria stared, unmoved, vaguely recognizing her. She stepped out of the car. ¡°We were here first! Who do you think you are, taking our¡­¡± Delh stopped short, eyes wide as she finally registered who she was yelling at. The words died in her throat. Aria smiled, lips curved just enough. ¡°Taking what?¡± Delh took a hasty step back, face drained of color. ¡°No¡­ Nothing¡± Just days ago, Hannah had been sentenced¨Ceight years. Most thought the punishment was too harsh, and the Gibson family would surely appeal, but they didn¡¯t. They epted it. Delh now saw Aria as someone you absolutely did not mess with. Last time at the real estate office, she¡¯d ended up locked in a police cell for days. She¡¯d promised her aunt to keep it together, but faced with Aria in the flesh, her courage fizzled. Delh turned to her driver, snapping, ¡°Well? Don¡¯t just stand there, go find a spot to park!¡± Aria walked on, gaze cool, and headed for the entrance. At the gates, she handed over her invitation. The receptionist¡¯s eyes lingered on her, a hint of confusion in their smile. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Aria asked. The hostess quickly shook her head, smiled wider. ¡°Not at all, Miss. Please, Sun, 22 Jun G A momentter, Aria understood the odd looks. Everyone else was dressed to the nines, but she¡¯d shown up in casual wear. Amanda spotted her across thewn, immediately waving her over. ¡°Aria! You made it.¡± Aria smiled, unbothered. ¡°I thought it was just a small tasting, but there¡¯s a serious crowd.¡± Amanda waved it off. ¡°Comfort¡¯s what matters, and trust me¨Cyou¡¯re not alone.¡± She nodded behind Aria. Aria turned to find Fryderyk, equally dressed down, falling into step beside her. Amanda grinned even wider. ¡°See, Fryderyk? Told you, if Aria showed, you¡¯d show up too.¡± Fryderyk¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°I didn¡¯te because of Aria.¡± Amanda rolled her eyes, all mock sympathy. ¡°Right, not because of Aria. Because you¡¯re secretly in love with me. Sure.¡± She gged down a server, took a bottle, and poured Aria half a ss. ¡°This one¡¯s brand new¨Ctry it and tell me what you think.¡± She looked at Fryderyk. ¡°You want a ss?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m driving.¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Aria took a sniff, sipped, nodded her approval. ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°Not bad?¡± Another voice slid into the conversation. They turned to see Ondo strolling over, Ophelia at his side. Ondo smiled coolly. ¡°Ms. Saxon, aren¡¯t you going to give us a proper tasting note?¡± Ophelia eyed Aria, her body instinctively recoiling. 7%1 Catching herself, she stiffened her spine and sneered, ¡°Ward¡¯s wine is just rebottled Netallo, anyway. And look at you, dressed like that at a formal event -so disrespectful to the Ward family. After your divorce from Liam, even your manners went out the window.¡± Even Ondo¡¯s expression soured. Idiot, he thought. Amanda¡¯s eye¡¯s turned frosty. ¡°Miss Cole, you seem confused. We borrowed Netallo¡¯s technology, but our ingredients and recipes are all our own. This isn¡¯t Netallo¡¯s wine¨Cand if you don¡¯t know that, maybe you¡¯re at the wrong party.¡± Amanda was the one to win over¨Cevery business, including the Cole family, needed her approval. Ophelia had been warned over and over by Daniel to stay on Amanda¡¯s good side. Yet the first thing out of her mouth was to insult the wine, Aria hadn¡¯t even needed to open her mouth. Ophelia had dug her own grave. Realizing her blunder, Ophelia quickly tried to walk it back. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­¡± People nearby turned their attention their way, conversations quieting as they drifted closer¨Cnobody wanted to miss the drama. Amanda¡¯s smile was razor¨Csharp. ¡°Everyone in Mandino knows Aria singlehandedly saved the Cole Group. Liam¡¯s ingratitude aside, you could at least show some respect. But you¡¯d rather sneer? I guess that¡¯s just ssic Cole family style.¡± Ophelia opened her mouth to protest, but Ondo cut her off with a single re. ¡°Liam should be here soon. Go find him.¡± Ophelia¡¯s cheeks med red. She stammered an apology, then hustled away, shooting Aria onest death re. 287 23:48 Sun 22 Jun ¨‹¨‹G Aria twirled her ss, not even looking her way. ¡°Keep ring and I¡¯ll take your eyes out.¡± Ophelia shrank and hurried off. Amanda burst outughing, ¡°That¡¯s why I like you, Aria.¡± Though they¡¯d only met twice, Amanda already had a great impression of her. Catching herself, she turned to Ondo with a raised brow. ¡°Don¡¯t you have other people to talk to?¡± She wasn¡¯t shy about her equal¨Copportunity dislike for the entire Cole family, bastard sons included. 7%1 $28 Ondo ignored the dig, gaze settling on Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you never answered my question. Wine is all about process¨Cone tiny slip and the whole vor profile changes. Same goes for life. The smallest decisions can upend everything. So, how exactly do you taste this wine?¡± Amanda stiffened. This isn¡¯t about wine, he¡¯s picking a fight.¡± She looked at Fryderyk for help, silently begging him to step in, but he pretended not to notice, utterly indifferent. Amanda nearly groaned aloud. ¡®And he thinks he¡¯ll ever get a girlfriend? Not with those social skills. Pathetic.¡® 3/3 Again Marriage 429 Chapter 429 K 77% +20 Aria let out a softugh. ¡°Good wine only happens when you put your heart into it. Mess up a step, the whole batch is ruined, Ward¡¯s Winery doesn¡¯t make rookie mistakes. No wonder their wine¡¯s so popr¨Cthey¡¯ve earned their ce in the market.¡± Ondo¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°And how do you know it¡¯s just a mistake, and not sabotage?¡± The whole crowd fell silent, eyes darting between them, half¨Cwondering if this was really a wine tasting or something else. Aria just smiled, her tone light but clear: ¡°Then you find proof. Whether it¡¯s sabotage or the truth¡­ Well, that¡¯s still up in the air, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ondo¡¯s hand tightened around his ss, murder shing in his eyes. Years of ns had nearly been ruined by Aria, and to this day, no one knew what she¡¯d given Tyree. Russell had been punished and lost a chunk of his power¨Call because of her. Aria met Ondo¡¯s gaze and, after a beat, tossed out two simple words: ¡°Idiot move.¡± Amanda just stared. The conversation had veered so fast she could barely keep up. Everyone watching felt the same, lost in the jump. People from other cities were here too. Someone whispered, ¡°Who is that girl? Which family does she belong to? Is she single?¡± That was all it took for everyone to start gossiping about Aria¨Cher reputation was infamous and irresistible. Meanwhile, Delh, standing in the distance, locked her eyes on Fryderyk. She¡¯d heard Amanda say Fryderyk liked Aria, and the idea had stuck. Delh pulled out her phone, snapped a photo, and was about to stash it when a hand snatched it away. ¡°Why did you taking secret photos of Aria?¡± She looked up, indignant, and froze when she saw Caleb. Delh shrank back, her voice faltering. ¡°I¡­ I was taking a picture of Fryderyk, not her¡­¡± Caleb gave a cold smile, holding up her phone. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Without another word, he tossed the phone to the ground. The screen shattered. Delh¡¯s face turned livid. ¡°Who do you think you are, smashing my phone?¡± She used to call Caleb that way back when she and Silvia were close. Old habits died hard. Caleb replied calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± Delh flushed, ncing behind him at Silvia, hoping, maybe, for a little sympathy from her old friend. But Silvia just bent down, picked up the broken phone, walked over, and casually tossed it into the artificialke. Delh gasped,pletely stunned. Silvia simply asked, ¡°How much was it? I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± Delh bit her lip so hard she nearly drew blood, then stormed off, ordering a servant to fish out her phone. 477% +28 As she left, Caleb gave her onest warning. ¡°Miss Marshall, unless you want to go back behind bars, I¡¯d keep your little With that, he headed back toward the crowd, Silvia following quietly. your little games to yourself.¡± When Caleb spotted Ondo, his frown deepened, but the moment he turned to Aria, all the sharpness in his eyes vanished, reced by a gentle warmth. ¡°Aria.¡± Aria drew her gaze from Ondo and greeted Caleb with a small, genuine smile. Silvia, standing shyly behind, offered a soft, slightly nervous, ¡°Hi, Aria.¡± Aria had no history with Silvia and just nodded. Silvia instantly rxed, a little starstruck. ¡®Aria doesn¡¯t even acknowledge Nathan, but she just spoke to me!¡® Amanda was busy running the show and moved on to handle the rest of the preparations. Fryderyk nced at Ondo, sensing the hostility directed at Aria. It was odd¨COndo was the Cole family¡¯s illegitimate son. Technically, he shouldn¡¯t have much to do with Aria. Remembering what Amanda had told him, Fryderyk turned to Aria, ¡°I¡¯ll go check on something.¡± Aria blinked. ¡°Okay.¡± Amanda intercepted him, confused. ¡°Where are you going? Not sticking with Aria?¡± He gave her a look. ¡°That thing you wanted at the police station.¡± Amanda smacked her forehead. ¡°Right, I almost forgot. Have you noticed anything weird?¡± ¡°Nothing so far.¡± She let out a breath of relief and turned to the bodyguards. ¡°Stay alert. The most important thing is the guests¡® safety.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Amanda took care of the logistics; the Ward family men handled the negotiations. She nced around, hoping nothing went wrong. If it did, she¡¯d take the fall. Just then, Liam entered, right as the expert¡¯s opening remarks finished. Ophelia trailed after him, , a dark, imposing figure entered the venue. Fryderyk spotted him immediately and leaned toward Amanda, ¡°You know that guy?¡± Amanda¡¯s smile faltered. ¡°Yeah. I have no idea how he even got in.¡± Once someone like that showed up, you couldn¡¯t exactly throw them out. If he made a scene, it was the Ward Group¡¯s reputation on the line. Fryderyk pressed, ¡°What¡¯s his story?¡± Amanda sighed. ¡°He used to run a rivalpany. They went bankrupt, and my dad had something to do with it.¡± Fryderyk frowned. ¡°Why are you running this event? Shouldn¡¯t it be your brothers?¡± Amanda gave a sharpugh. ¡°You know how it is¨Cboys are too precious to risk. So when there¡¯s danger, I get sent out instead.¡± The man shot Amanda a cold re, grabbed a ss of wine and downed it, then spat, making his contempt clear. Fryderyk motioned to two waiters¨Cturned¨Cbodyguards. ¡°Stay close to your boss.¡± The bodyguard said, ¡°Understood.¡± 3/3 AD Comment Again Marriage 430 Chapter 430 Spotting The man weaving into the crowd, Fryderyk muttered ¡°Excuse me¡± as he pushed his way through. The liquor business was also part of the Saxon family¡¯s holdings. Caleb hade today with an agenda, but since Amanda was still busy, he chose not to disturb her and was content to stay by Aria¡¯s side. Silvia also followed closely behind him. The three settled into a subtle dynamic¨CAria reached for a ss of wine, Caleb followed suit, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, Silvia did the same, taking a delicate sip as Aria did. Someone came to discuss business with Caleb, forcing him to excuse himself. Silvia nced between Caleb and Aria, then made up her mind to stay with Aria. Ever since Aria returned, Silvia found her friends gradually drifting away. At first, Silvia felt deeply hurt. But when she saw the scar on Aria¡¯s back, all she felt was shame and guilt. She had gained the status of the Saxon family¡¯s heiress¨Cwhat more could she possibly be dissatisfied with? ¡®The one that should feel resentful is Aria, Silvia thought. ¡®I stole her life. She should hate me, target me, and trample me into the dirt. But none of that happened. Aria hadn¡¯t eaten lunch. Spotting an appetizing pastry, she lifted the lid, picked up a small te, and took a bite. Silvia nced at Aria, picked up another pastry, and waited until Aria finished eating before tentatively offering it to her. ¡°Aria, I¡¯ve tried this one before. It¡¯s really good.¡± Aria took it. ¡°Thanks.¡± Out of the corner of her eye, Aria caught sight of a figure, her eyes instantly narrowing in alert. The man had a clear target¨Chis eyes locked onto Silvia as he reached into his pocket, roughly shoving aside anyone in his way before charging straight at her. The scene erupted into chaos. A chorus of terrified screams erupted from the crowd. A heavyset man suddenly pulled out a knife and lunged straight at Silvia. He was too fast for Fryderyk to react. The bodyguard tried to block him, but the assant broke free. Liam had been watching closely. Seeing this, his eyes went wide in shock. ¡°Watch out!¡± With one hand, Aria yanked Silvia out of harm¡¯s way. With the other, she caught the attacker¡¯s wrist mid¨Cstrike¨Cand with a swift, brutal twist, snapped his arm. The man let out a bloodcurdling scream as his wrist snapped, The knife ttered to the floor with a jarring metallic ring. ¡°Arial¡± Caleb rushed over urgently. 23:49 Sun, 22 JUN Fryderyk immediately secured the evidence and was about to speak when Aria snapped her leg up, delivering a brutal kick straight to the man¡¯s gut. The man hung suspended for a split second before his legs buckled, mming down hard onto his knees. The chaos froze as if someone had hit the pause button, plunging the room into abrupt silence. Damn, that was one hell of a kick! Silvia stood there frozen in shock, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. The attacker wasing straight for her. I almost got killed, Silvia thought in shock. +28) As the grip on her wrist loosened, Silvia nced down at the hand that had just pulled her to safety. Her gaze traveled upward,nding on a calm, almost indifferent face. Aria nced at the half¨Ceaten pastry on the floor, irritation flickering across her face. Moving mechanically, Silvia bent down, picked up the pastry she¡¯d just called delicious, and, with trembling hands, offered it again. ¡°T¨Cthis one¡­¡± Aria nced at Silvia, took the pastry, and under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, took a deliberate bite, chewed, and swallowed. ¡°This one really does taste the best.¡± Caleb¡¯s face had been etched with worry, but as he watched the two exchange the pastry, his voice unconsciously softened. ¡°Aria, are you alright?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± He then turned to Silvia. ¡°Silvia, how about you? Are you hurt?¡± Silvia shook her head, her face still wearing the dazed look of someone who had just escaped death. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine too.¡± Watching this scene, Liam instantly recalled how Aria had yanked him aside just as a bullet whizzed past where he¡¯d been standing. At that moment, Liam¡¯s gaze was fixed solely on Aria, his heart pounding wildly as if it might burst out of his chest. He and Hannah were long over. Liam thought, ¡®Aria is single, and she used to have feelings for me. That means I still have a chance, don¡¯t I?¡® ¡®Making a move doesn¡¯t guarantee sess,¡® Liam pondered, ¡®but if I don¡¯t try, I¡¯ll have no chance at all.¡¯ Again Marriage 431 Amanda, who had been watching closely, rushed over¨Cso grateful to Aria that she could not thank her enough, but managed topose herself just in time. She turned to the man on the ground and asked, ¡°Maurice, why?¡± At her words, all eyes finally shifted to the middle¨Caged man forced to his knees on the floor. Maurice red at Amanda, his eyes burning with pure hatred. He spat, ¡°You dare ask why? Your father schemed to bankrupt mypany, then bought it for pennies! Your whole damn Ward family deserves to rot!¡± Quite a few people came today. Hearing that, they started whispering to each other. ¡°Did the Ward family really do that to him?¡± someone whispered. ¡°Maybe. The Ward family¡¯s been expanding way too fasttely. I mean, they¡¯ve acquired threepanies. That¡¯s pretty aggressive, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Partnering with a shadypany like that, you¡¯re just asking to get screwed over.¡± ¡°So, did wee here for nothing this time?¡± A young man nced at Aria and remarked, ¡°Well, not a wasted trip. I got to witness the legendary ¡®damsel saving damsel¡® moment! Now I finally get why my grandma was so insistent on me getting into Mandino University and going after Aria.¡± ¡°What?¡± his friend gasped. ¡°So this is why you¡¯re being dragged to a cocktail party while prepping for your SATS? You¡¯re barely eighteen! Is your family insane?¡± The other Ward family members immediately jumped in to protest, ¡°That¡¯s absolute nonsense!¡± A member of the Ward family said, ¡°We operate with integrity. Not acquiring the Scott Group wouldn¡¯t have impacted our future growth. Why would we nt such a ticking time bomb for ourselves?¡± Barry turned to Fryderyk and said, ¡°Fryderyk, please take him into custody.¡± After finishing the police call, Fryderyk looked down at the man on the ground. ¡°Any aplices?¡± Maurice snorted coldly, determined to stay silent. Aria finished her pastry, then fixed him with a piercing sidelong re. ¡°Answer the question. Are there any others?¡± Maurice¡¯s hand was broken, his knee screamed with bone¨Cshattering pain¨Call inflicted by the woman standing right in front of him. Maurice dared not refuse to answer. ¡°No¡­ just me,¡± he stammered. Fryderyk fell silent. Caleb¡¯s face darkened as he demanded, ¡°Your grudge is with the Ward family, so why go after my sister?¡± ¡°She was the closest,¡± he muttered. Aria arched a brow, a faint smirk ying on her lips. ¡°Mr. Ward was standing closest to you. Since your grudge is with his family, why not go after him?¡± Barry¡¯s face darkened at being called out. He demanded, ¡°What are you implying?¡± Amanda red at him and snapped, ¡°Shut up!¡± Aria thought, ¡®Amanda is about to give me wine¨Cit¡¯d be rude not to help out.¡± Ar¨ªa fixed Maurice with a cold stare. ¡°Just looking to hurt someone, weren¡¯t you? River Este 478 23:49 Sun, 22 Jun 77% ¡°You have a personal grudge against the Ward family. If you target them directly, they¡¯d just sweep the mess under the rug. But if you hurt someone else, you¡¯d provoke both families at once¨Cand drive a wedge between them.¡± Aria continued, ¡°So you chose Silvia. ¡°Once the Saxon family tried to use their influence to suppress this, you¡¯d expose their scandal¨Cdenouncing them for bending over backward for the wrongly adopted daughter while driving away their real one. Then, by leveraging public outrage to blow things up, you¡¯ll drag the Ward family down with them.¡± Aria fixed him with a cold stare as she continued. ¡°That way, you could flip the script and turn yourself from the perpetrator into the victim. And if I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯ve even got a psychiatric evaluation ready to go, don¡¯t you?¡± Maurice gaped at Aria in horrified disbelief, his eyes wide, mouth working soundlessly,pletely speechless for what felt like an eternity. ¡®How could she see through me? She¡¯s just a clueless outsider!¡® Maurice thought in shock. Aria remarked impassively, ¡°Not much to look at, but that scheming little mind of yours is certainly active.¡± Even if he was the victim, he should¡¯ve gone after his real enemies¨Cthe Ward men. If he¡¯d hurt one of them, she wouldn¡¯t have cared less. However, he only had the guts to go after a woman. Maurice¡¯s face turned livid with rage. ¡°You think just because you¡¯re pretty, you can humiliate me like this?¡± Aria smirked. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± He pointed a shaking finger at Aria, his face twisted with rage. The moment he realized all his schemes had gone up in smoke, he was so enraged that he copsed unconscious on the spot. Someone gasped, ¡°Holy shit! Did Aria just scare someone to death?¡± Fryderyk crouched down to examine him, then said matter¨Cof¨Cfactly, ¡°Not dead. Just passed out.¡± Again Marriage 432 Chapter 432 78 Amanda looked at the unconscious man on the ground, her legs trembling as she clung to Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re truly my lucky charm. I wouldn¡¯t have known what to do today without you.¡± If Silvia had been injured, things would have gottenplicated. Scott Group¡¯s bankruptcy wasn¡¯t entirely without Amanda¡¯s father¡¯s involvement. Fully aware that the Scott family hated him and sought revenge, he still insisted on holding the wine¨Ctasting event¨Ceven using Amanda¡¯s name to do it. To put it bluntly, the Ward family used everyone who came today as pawns. Now that they¡¯d partnered with Netallo Winery¡¯s owner, they¡¯d really started throwing their weight around. A thought struck Amanda, and she smiled wryly. They probably never expected Maurice to ignore her¨Cthe person in charge¨Cand go after someone else instead. Barry¡¯s eyes widened in realization as he looked at Amanda. ¡°Amanda¡­¡± Aria asked, ¡°You holding up okay?¡± Amanda briefly acknowledged her brother, then nodded firmly at Aria. ¡°I¡¯m good!¡± Amanda gritted her teeth and told herself, ¡®Doesn¡¯t matter if I can¡¯t¨CI have to.¡® 2 Amanda turned to the crowd, bowed, and said, ¡°Our deepest apologies for the rm. After the event, the Ward family will present each guest with a signature wine set from Ward¡¯s Winery¨Cour way of making up for this unpleasant experience.¡± They were all people who had seen it all. Since the situation was resolved so efficiently, they remained unfazed. The guests all nodded in understanding, making it clear they weren¡¯t bothered by what had happened. The ambnce arrived and took Maurice away, with two police officers following. Fryderyk nced at Amanda. ¡°Since it is resolved, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± ¡°Sorry to have wasted your time, Captain Fletcher.¡± Amanda clung affectionately to Aria, her eyes sparkling. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re amazing! I don¡¯t need men with you around. If you were a guy, I¡¯d marry you in a heartbeat!¡± Amanda teased with a yful grin, ¡°Or even if you¡¯re a girl, would you mind having a wife?¡± Aria and Caleb were speechless. Fryderyk, who had just started to leave, was stunned. Expecting Amanda to be heartbroken, Barry pushed his way through the crowd tofort her¨Conly to freeze in shock. Aria was startled by Amanda¡¯s outrageous proposal. Shaking her head, she replied firmly, ¡°I do mind. I can¡¯t make you happy.¡± Amanda looked at her with a loving expression and said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all. Just being by your side is enough for me.¡± As she leaned in closer, Aria tapped her forehead with her index finger. ¡°Stop messing around,¡± she said, half¨Camused. ¡°Alright then,¡± Amanda pouted yfully. Amanda turned her head away, then caught sight of someone else¨CCaleb. Chapter 432 Amanda mused, ¡®Hmm, maybe bing Aria¡¯s sister inw wouldn¡¯t be bad after all.¡± A mischievous gleam gradually intensified in Amanda¡¯s eyes. Caleb suddenly felt someone¡¯s gaze burning into him. He turned his head¨Conly to find himself staring straight into Amanda¡¯s intense eyes. Caleb thought, ¡®No way. Is she seriously trying to get close to Aria by starting with me?¡± Amanda let go of Aria¡¯s arm and sauntered over to Caleb, putting on an exaggeratedly sweet voice. ¡°Mr. Saxon¡­¡± Caleb¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®What the hell!¡® Caleb didn¡¯t even nce at Aria as he hastily turned away. ¡°I, I have to go discuss something over there,¡± he blurted out. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the hurry?¡± Amanda teased. Amanda had barely taken two steps when Barry caught her arm. ¡°Amanda.¡± Her expression turned icy in an instant. ¡°What is it?¡± Barry asked, ¡°Did you know about this all along?¡± ¡°What good would knowing do¡­¡± Aria withdrew her gaze and sighed. Some people weren¡¯t the sharpest tools in the shed, but as long as they could function on their own, no one called them out for it. Both the Ward family, with their patriarchal mindset, and the Saxon family¨Cwho finally found their long¨Clost daughter only to treat her like a stranger- were no different. Amanda had to find her own way out. AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 433 Chapter 433 Noticing Silvia¡¯s persistent gaze, Aria asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Silvia blushed slightly and said, ¡°Aria, you¡¯re incredible! I would¡¯ve been in real trouble today without you.¡± Aria responded with a t ¡°Mm,¡± her tone devoid of warmth. Aria felt nothing in particr about it. She would¡¯ve done the same for anyone else. It didn¡¯t take much effort, and it helped Amanda out anyway. Aria didn¡¯t feel like staying with Silvia. She deliberately walked to the other side of the room and picked up a small cake to nibble on. Seemingly oblivious to her coldness, Silvia trailed after her and asked softly, ¡°Aria, do you like sweets?¡± Aria found it odd that Silvia had followed her, but still answered curtly, ¡°Quite.¡± Silvia asked gently, ¡°Aria, do you have any allergies?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Aria, d¨° you have any favorite foods?¡± Silvia asked softly. Aria shrugged. ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Aria,¡± Silvia asked softly, ¡°you¡¯re my lifesaver, May I bake some desserts and send them to you as a thank you?¡± ¡°No need,¡± Aria replied. The wine¨Ctasting event finally ended. Aria couldn¡¯t wait to get out of there. The constant sound of ¡°Aria,¡± echoed in her mind like some kind of auditory torture. Aria thought, ¡®Howe I never realized before that Silvia could be this annoying?¡® Ward¡¯s Winery¡¯s signature wine gift set was specifically designed as a luxury present for affluent clients, so it came with a premium price tag. Giving a set to every guest¨Cone could only imagine the staggering financial loss. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Amanda ordered the staff to deliver every variety of wine from Ward¡¯s Winery to Aria¡¯s ce¨Cthe rarer and more precious the vintage, the more bottles she sent over. Barry¡¯s eyelids twitched. ¡°Amanda, Dad¡¯s going to kill you for this!¡± Amanda scoffed, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Aria, the Ward family would be dragged through the mud on social media for who knows how long! If you can¡¯t even spare a few bottles of wine, we might as well shut down the business!¡± Barry silently shut his mouth, swallowing his words. +28 Ever since his cousin, Katrina, became Johan¡¯s student, her status had skyrocketed. No one in the family dared to pressure her into an arranged marriage anymore. After that, the arranged marriage fell to Amanda. But Amanda had never been one to swallow insults. If she refused, no one could force her. But if she refused toply, the responsibility would just fall to her brother. News of the incident at the Ward family¡¯s wine¨Ctasting event spread quickly. The moment Silvia arrived home, her family gathered around her with 23.49 Sun, 22 QUIT Chapter 433 concem¡ªthen, almost as an afterthought, asked if Aria was hurt. She shook her head, a lump forming in her throat. ¡®Aria lives all alone,¡® Silvia thought. If something happened to her, no one would even know.¡® All the concern that should have gone to Aria has ended up on me instead.¡® ¡®I have to make this right,¡® Silvia resolved. Silvia looked up and said softly, ¡°Mom, I¡¯d like to learn baking. Could you find me a teacher?¡± Zoe looked at her, puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden interest in baking?¡± Silvia smiled. ¡®I¡¯ve got nothing better to do anyway! Zoe said gently, ¡°Alright, sweetheart. I¡¯ll arrange it for you.¡± Arriving at Mayen Garden, the driver returned the car keys to Aria before leaving. Aria walked inside. Liam hurried after her, calling out, ¡°Aria!¡± Aria paused briefly before continuing inside. Liam broke into a run, cutting her off. ¡°Can we talk?¡± Aria replied coldly, ¡°No. Not interested.¡± Panicking, Liam instinctively grabbed her wrist. ¡°Aria, I swear, I didn¡¯t know anything about what Hannah did!¡± Aria shot him a frosty re. ¡°And?¡± Her eyes held nothing but impatience. Liam searched Aria¡¯s eyes for any affection, but there was none. He looked a little dejected. ¡°Aria, I just want to make it clear that Hannah and I didn¡¯t get together until after you saved me.¡± Spotting the scene from a distance, Owen braked abruptly and pulled over, then strode quickly toward them. Again Marriage 434 Ana shrugged it off. ¡°None of my business. Let go of me.¡± Aris tried to pull her hand free, but Liam¡¯s grip was unyielding. His irritating voice kept echoing in her ears. ¡°Aria, do you still..¡± Liam¡¯s words were abruptly cut off. Fed up, Aria suddenly twisted his arm with a reverse grip, pivoted her hips, and flung him away. Hended right at Owen¡¯s feet. One more step forward and Liam would have crashed right into him. Owen looked up just in time to see Aria, having just flung the man aside and walked away without a backward nce, her retreating figure radiatingplete indifference. With a smirk, Owen stepped past Liam and walked inside. Suddenly struck by a thought, Owen halted mid¨Cstep, turned back, and said coldly, ¡°Mr. Cole, a man should know his ce. Since the divorce is final, stop harassing Aria.¡± Liam sat up, wincing as he clutched his side. At the warning, his gaze turned frosty. He replied coldly, ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± Thest time Aria saved him, she¡¯d thrown him down just like this, too. Liam thought, ¡®At least she still reacts to me¡ªthat¡¯s better than her treating me like aplete stranger. ¡°I¡¯ve got a better shot than Owen.¡® Owen lowered his gaze, a shadow settling over his deep¨Cset eyes. With casual indifference, he remarked, ¡°Harassing my neighbor makes it my business.¡± Owen sneered, ¡°Also, don¡¯t tter yourself. Aria never liked you, not even once.¡± Liam struggled to his feet, wincing in pain, and sneered, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t like me, you really think she¡¯d like you? ¡°With the advantage of being so close, you still can¡¯t win her heart. Face it. Aria would never fall for someone like you.¡± Any guy could see that Owen had feelings for Aria. From the looks of it, the two of them clearly weren¡¯t together. Owen looked at Liam with a mocking tone and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not debate whether she likes me or not. But one thing¡¯s for sure¨Cshe¡¯d never be interested in a man who cheated on her and tried to steal herpany shares.¡± Liam¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°There¡¯s a misunderstanding between us. I¡¯ll clear it up myself. Stay out of this, you outsider.¡± If it weren¡¯t for Hannah deliberately making him mistake her as his savior, Liam wouldn¡¯t have taken that wrong step and ended up on this path. Now that Hannah had been sentenced and paid the price, no one was to cause trouble between them. Liam thought, ¡®As long as I take things slow and steady, Aria will fall for me again.¡¯ Owen swept a nce at Liam¡¯s shifting expressions and sneered, ¡°Confidence is good, but think¨Cwhat makes someone as morally tainted as you think you can even appear before her?¡± Liam snapped, frowning, ¡°Who are you calling tainted?¡± 377%0 +23 Owen smirked, a hint of mockery in his eyes. ¡°Mr. Cole, after all this time with Miss Gibson, do you really expect anyone to believe you¡¯re still pure¨Cbody and sout?¡± Liam¡¯s face flushed with alternating embarrassment and anger as he realized the implication. He shot back, ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought¨Cthe illustrious second heir of the Shaw family, the renowned attorney Owen, would harbor such outdated notions?¡± Owen pretended not to catch the sarcasm in Liam¡¯s words. ¡°So, it seems you really aren¡¯t so clean after all,¡± he replied, his tone cool and edged with irony. ¡°A filthy scum like you shouldn¡¯t even be seen here. Don¡¯t let this happen again, or¡­¡± He paused, his gaze deliberately locking onto the hand Liam had on Aria. ¡°You¡¯ll lose that hand.¡± Liam instinctively clenched his fists. ¡°Who are you to say that to me?¡± he snapped. ¡°Are you so clean yourself?¡± Owen smirked. ¡°Spotless.¡± Liam was at a loss for words. Liam snapped, ¡°A family like the Shaws would never ept a divorced woman.¡± Owen lifted his gaze, his eyes glinting with dangerous intensity. Liam thought Owen had taken his words to heart and pressed on, ¡°Even if you manage to win Aria over, you¡¯ll only end up hurting her. She¡¯s been through a failed marriage. She shouldn¡¯t suffer a second heartbreak. AD Comment Send gift No Ads Julh 24V F11% 28 Again Marriage 435 ¡°Given our shared history, remarrying is the best oue. The Cole Group will be handed over to her¨Cshe¡¯ll haveplete control. And I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life treating her right.¡± Owen¡¯s expression turned icy, ¡°First, Aria is exceptional¨Cfar beyond your league. Drop that disgusting mentality of putting her down just to make yourself seem worthy. Second, if she wants apany, the Stars Group awaits her. That Cole Group dump isn¡¯t even worth her nce. ¡°Lastly, unlike the twisted mindset of the Cole family, the Shaw family are a normal one with sound values. Don¡¯t project your warped standards onto us. ¡°If you dare pull that disgusting stunt again, I won¡¯t hesitate to send you to prison to join Hannah. Now get lost!¡± Owen rarely lost hisposure, but then, every emotion was written across his face. Owen¡¯s words cut deep, leaving Liam speechless and unable to respond. He wasn¡¯t trying to belittle Aria. He just wanted Owen to back off, so the Shaw family wouldn¡¯t hurt her. With the way Owen twisted things, Liam just ended up looking like some backward¨Cthinking hypocrite pretending to be noble. Liam was still lost in thought when he suddenly spotted Aria. His eyes widened instantly. ¡°A¨CAria¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡® Liam thought to himself in panic. ¡®Damn it! She heard everything I said!¡® Owen turned to look and saw Aria standing at the stairwell entrance, her face ice¨Ccold as she watched them. The moment he realized she¡¯d heard those words, Owen¡¯s heart clenched with such fury that he could¡¯ve killed someone right then and there. Liam tried to exin, ¡°Aria, I didn¡¯t mean to belittle you. I just wanted to¡­¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Aria interrupted him, then turned to Owen. ¡°Aren¡¯t youing in?¡± Owen quicklyposed himself. ¡°Coming,¡± he replied. He quickened his pace, only to see a hand suddenly reach out toward him. Owen halted mid¨Cstep, his eyes widening in shock. Her hand still outstretched, her eyes questioning, she asked, ¡°What are you standing there for, silly?¡± Owen snapped out of his daze, wiped his slightly trembling palm on his coat, then hurriedly sped her hand in return. A wave of warmth washed over him. None of that mattered anymore¨Cnot Liam, not the Shaw family. ¡®As long as I have her, that¡¯s all I need,¡® he thought. Aria took his hand, turned, and walked away, never once sparing Liam so much as a nce. Liam watched their retreating figures, slowly snapping out of his daze. ¡®Damn it, Owen yed me!¡® Liam realized in fury. Owen deliberately said those things to rile him up, then yed the hero for Aria just to win her over. That scheming, maniptive bastard! Just as he thought¨Cthe whole Shaw family was rotten to the core! ¡®Damn, if I¡¯d known Aria would go for that, I¡¯d have done the same thing,¡® Liam thought bitterly. Liam stormed off in resentment. 77% 28 23:49 Sun, 22 Jun Once inside the elevator, Aria released Owen¡¯s hand. But he seized the moment¨Cslipping his index finger between hers and locking their fingers together, holding on tight. Aria rarely took the initiative, so when she finally did, Owen was quick to make the most of the opportunity. Owen teased, ¡°Did you have a little too much to drink tonight?¡± Aria shot him a sideways nce. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Owen smiled. ¡°I saw online forums buzzing about Ward¡¯s Winery¨Cand Miss Ward even gifted you quite a collection of wines, didn¡¯t she?¡± Though it wasn¡¯t publicized, word spread like wildfire through their circle. Most of the buzz centered on Aria¡¯s impressive fighting skills¨Ceveryone was dying to know how she trained to get that good. Some bold guys even dared to say online that they wanted to pursue her. Owen retorted in thements, [You sure you can take a hit?] ¡°Not much.¡± Aria looked down at the hand holding hers, her brows arching ever so slightly. It was her first time holding hands with someone, and to her surprise, it felt pretty nice. Aria looked up at Owen, noticing the faint smile ying at the corners of his lips. ¡°You look pretty happy, huh?¡± Owen didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Yeah, thrilled,¡± he said. She took his hand¨Cright in front of Liam, no less. Aria smiled and squeezed his hand back. Momentster, the elevator arrived on the eighteenth floor. As they rounded the corner and spotted several bodyguards stationed at the door, Owen instinctively released Aria¡¯s hand and took two steps back. Again Marriage 436 Chapter 436 Aria looked up to see Owen staring straight ahead with aposed expression, putting on an act ofplete unfamiliarity. One guy said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, we¡¯re from Ward¡¯s Winery, here to deliver your wine.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. She rxed her hand, opened the door, and said, ¡°Just leave it by the entrance, please.¡± ¡°Have a nice day, Ms. Saxon.¡± As the bodyguard left, Aria reached to close the door but met with unexpected resistance. Looking up, she found her hand caught in Owen¡¯s firm grasp. Owen said, ¡°Come over to my ce for dinner. Afterwards, I¡¯ll help you put away the wine.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria agreed with a smile. Aria closed her door and headed straight to Owen¡¯s ce. She propped her chin in her hand andzily looked toward the kitchen. The kitchen had a ss door that muted most sounds, but Aria could clearly see Owen¡¯s busy figure moving about inside. In court, Owen exuded an intimidating aura¨Cevery word carried weight, his razor¨Csharp logic leaving opposing counsel scrambling in retreat. It was hard to imagine this same man now wearing an apron and stir¨Cfrying with practiced ease. Owen seemed to sense something and turned around, locking eyes with her. He curved his lips into a gentle smile as he gazed at Aria, his eyes brimming with warmth. In high spirits, Aria took out her phone and transferred 100 thousand dors to him. Then she sent Derek a quick text. [You there yet?] Derek replied instantly, [Yeah.] [Hey Aria, been so busytely I forgot to ask¨Chow far have you and Owen gotten?] Aria: [Why are you asking?] Derek: [That morning, I saw Owen in our living room and sensed something was off. Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense for him to call you if he wanted to invite you for breakfast? Showing up at our ce unannounced is just weird. I didn¡¯t even hear the doorbell or any knocking.] Derek: [You were acting super sus that night, constantly pushing me to go back to my room.] Derek texted: [Be honest. Are you two dating behind my back?] Aria thought of their contract. Being lovers by agreement didn¡¯t really mean they were actually together. Aria replied: [We¡¯re not dating.] She typed: [I¡¯m his sugar mama¡­] [Boss alert! Gotta dash!] Aria hesitated, then deleted the words before she could hit send. Soon after finishing cooking and tidying up, Owen went over to Aria¡¯s ce and neatly arranged all the wine from Ward¡¯s Winery in her wine cab. 283 43.77% +28 Only after he got home did Owen pull out his phone and see the bank transfer notification. Owen texted Aria. Did you just transfer me 100 thousand dors?] Aria: Yeah. Just feeling generous today.] Owen replied: (Got it, Ms. Saxon! Payment received¨Cyour devoted servant will make sure you get your money¡¯s worth.] Aria couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his reply. The next day was Saturday. They headed to the nearest movie theater. Owen bought popcorn and drinks while Aria held their tickets, waiting in line to get them checked. The theater lobby was buzzing with noise, but Owen could just make out some gossipy chatter nearby. Someone whispered, ¡°Wow, that couple is seriously good¨Clooking!¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re both good¨Clooking, but the guy is such a clueless dude¨Che¡¯s got a drink in one hand and popcorn in the other, not even thinking of holding his girlfriend¡¯s hand! If it were me, I¡¯d be glued to her 24/7!¡± Owen overheard the two young girls and thought, ¡®I¡¯d love to hold her hand too, but we¡¯re not officially together yet. Working on it.¡¯ After getting their tickets checked, Aria and Owen headed inside together. James, holding Emma¡¯s hand as they made their way through the crowded theater, chattered on, ¡°Honey, it¡¯s pretty packed today. If you don¡¯t feelfortable, we could always rent out a private screening.¡± Noticing that Emma seemed distracted and hadn¡¯t responded, he looked up and asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Emma snapped back to reality and, a bit excited, tightened her grip on her husband¡¯s hand. ¡°I just saw two people. They kind of looked like Owen and Aria!¡± She only caught a fleeting glimpse of their figures from behind in a sh and couldn¡¯t be sure. Again Marriage 437 Chapter 437 James had no idea about his son¡¯s love life, but he thought it was unlikely. ¡°Aria is a tough one to win over, and those two just don¡¯t strike me as the movie going type,¡± he said. Emma sighed in disappointment. ¡°Guess you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go in then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± James nodded. Aria and Owen found their seats and settled in. Owen set the popcorn and drinks down, took out a disinfecting wipe to clean his hands, then grabbed a fresh one and gently took hold of Aria¡¯s hand. Aria shot him a sideways nce, her eyes filled with puzzlement. He chuckled softly, eyes full of tenderness. ¡°A deal¡¯s a deal. I¡¯ll give you the full VIP treatment, my sugar mama. Wouldn¡¯t want your money going to waste.¡± +28 Aria twitched the corner of her mouth and reluctantly held out her hand, letting him have his way. A gasp came from beside Owen, followed by a girl¡¯s hushed, excited whisper, ¡°Holy shit! The couple we saw earlier is sitting right next to me¨Cand get this, the hot guy is actually a sugar baby!¡± Her friend eximed, ¡°Seriously? A gorgeous girl like her actually pays for a guy?¡± The girl eximed, ¡°Seriously, I heard it myself!¡± Owen let out a helpless chuckle as he took Aria¡¯s hand, meticulously wiping each of her fingers clean. ncing up absentmindedly, Owen was startled to see his parents¡® faces fill his vision. Owen¡¯s pupils constricted sharply as he reached out and grabbed the nape of Aria¡¯s neck, pulling her close. He ducked low, bending forward. Owen¡¯s sudden move caught Aria off guard. Before she knew it, his head was already buried in the crook of her neck. She was just about to say something when Emma¡¯s voice suddenly cut in, ¡°Wow, there are so many young couples at the movie today!¡± Emma whispered, ¡°Look, that girl¡¯s back looks just like Aria¡¯s!¡± James followed his wife¡¯s gaze and nodded. ¡°It does look like her.¡± Emma said, ¡°She may look like Aria, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not her. Aria would never make out with someone in public.¡± Aria thought, ¡®Seriously?¡® She didn¡¯t dare move. Emma sighed. ¡°Owen totally seems like the type who¡¯d pull something like this¨Cbut let¡¯s face it. He just doesn¡¯t have the game tond himself a girlfriend yet.¡± Jamesforted her, ¡°I think Owen still has a good chance. He¡¯s much better at this than Kim.¡± Emma nodded in agreement. ¡°With Kim¡¯s finicky personality, it¡¯s really hard for him to win Cloe over. But at least we have a granddaughter now, I can¡¯t ask for anything more.¡± Aria, with her mission¨Csharpened hearing, detected Owen¡¯s parents moving past them and taking seats two rows behind. 23:49 Sun, 22 Jun G Aria let out a quiet sigh of relief. ¡®Whew, that was close,¡® she thought. The closer they got, the higher the chance of being spotted. With a whole row of seats between them¨Csafe atst. Aria reached over and yfully poked the nape of Owen¡¯s neck. ¡°They¡¯re seated now,¡± she whispered. Owen raised his head and whispered, ¡°That was close. We almost got caught.¡± In his haste to hide, the hair he had carefully styled before leaving was sticking up in all directions. Aria looked at him, then reached out and gently smoothed down his tousled hair. Owen suddenly thought bumping into his parents in the theater might not be the worst thing in the world. As the film began, the theater fell silent. The action¨Cpacked movie had Ariapletely engrossed, leaving her oblivious to Owen¡¯s frequent stolen nces in her direction. Something brushed against her lips. Looking down, she saw it was a piece of popcorn. Owen grinned at her. ¡°Just focus on the movie. I¡¯ll feed you,¡± he said, his tone gentle and teasing. Owen¡¯s heart raced uncontrobly during his first movie date with Aria. He couldn¡¯t focus on the movie, so he simply watched her instead. As she parted her lips to take the popcorn, her lips brushed against his fingers¨Csoft as rose petals. Owen remembered their kiss that night¨Chis gaze was irresistibly drawn to her lips. Under his intense gaze, Aria felt flustered. She took the popcorn from him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll feed myself. You just watch the movie.¡± Owen promptly averted his gaze and murmured, ¡°Alright.¡± Again Marriage 438 The movie ended, Owen and Aria lingered, blending in with the crowd as they watched Emma and James leave. Only then did they finally breathe a The watching was the obvious. As the two girls next to them got up to leave, they threw Owen and Aris a knowing look. One of the gets whispered, ¡°Those two totally look like they¡¯re sneaking around. The secret lover vibe is off the charts.¡± The other girl chimed in, ¡°Totally¡­¡± Their voices traded off as they walked away. The theater fell silent, leaving just the two of them. Ana pretended not to hear the girls¡® remarks. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said to Owen, keeping her tone casual. Owen gently took her hand and asked, ¡°Wanna head back to our ce for dinner, or should we eat out?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re already out, might as well eat out.¡± She answered casually, without a second thought about what they¡¯d do if they ran into someone they knew again. Owen paused and said, ¡°There¡¯s this ce I really like¨Camazing food, but it¡¯s a bit of a drive. Wanna check it out?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Aria nodded. Owen couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°What a sweet girl!¡± Owen¡¯s heart swelled with affection as he gently squeezed her fingers, reluctant to let go. Aria gave him a look. ¡°We should get going.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Pearl nodded. After leaving the theater, they headed to the restrooms first. Owen went ahead and stood waiting outside. Not far away, Emma walked over, muttering to James, ¡°Seriously? You can¡¯t even find a restroom? What¡¯s the point of bringing you along?¡± James apologized, ¡°Sorry, honey. Didn¡¯t mean to make you walk so much.¡± Emma muttered, ¡°Alright, alright. Give me some space.¡± Owen darted behind the corner, pulled out his phone, and texted. [My mom¡¯s going to the restroom too!] After sending the message, he peeked around the corner. His old man stood there, scrolling through his phone as he waited for his wife. Aria was washing her hands, oblivious to her phone. She turned off the faucet, and as she spun around¨Cbam! She came face¨Cto¨Cface with Emma. ¡°Aria?¡± Emma gasped, clearly startled. Emma gasped, her mouth falling open. ¡°You, you came to watch the movie too?¡± Emma wondered, Was that really Aria? What was it I said back then?¡± 23:50 Sun, 22 Jun I know Aria would never be the type to get all lovey¨Cdovey with someone in public. ¡®Oh God! I hope she didn¡¯t hear that!¡® ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not the point. The real question is, who¡¯s that guy getting all cozy with Aria?¡® Emma¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up as she recalled the two figures she¡¯d seen at the ticket check. Aria pressed her lips together, forcing her voice to sound steady in the awkward silence. ¡°Yeah, I came to see a movie,¡± Without a ticket, there was no way she could¡¯ve gotten in. No point denying it. ¡°With¡­ Owen?¡± Emma asked, her eyes full of hope. Just as Aria was about to nod, Emma¡¯s phone suddenly rang. She nced at the screen and froze. Emma thought, ¡®Wait, Owen¡¯s calling me right now? Does that mean the guy watching the movie with Aria isn¡¯t Owen?¡® Aria spoke up, ¡°Mrs. Shaw, why don¡¯t you take the call first?¡± ¡°Hello?¡± Emma answered, her heart inexplicably racing. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Owen said, ¡°Mom, are you and Dading over for dinner today?¡± The couple used to visit Owen about once a week, but since Aria moved in, they¡¯de by less often¨Cwanting to give the two some space. She thought about it and recalled thest visit was actually all the way backst year. Mostly, Owen would visit their family estate instead. Emma¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she asked, ¡°Y¨Cyou¡¯re at home?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m at home,¡± Owen¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°Where else would I be?¡± Emma¡¯s heart shattered in an instant. She thought, ¡®Damn! My dream daughter¨Cinw is gone!¡® Again Marriage 439 Chapter 439 27% Emma¡¯s heart sank as she abruptly hung up on her son. Turning to Aria with regret in her eyes, she sighed, ¡°So, you¡¯re seeing someone now, Aria?¡± She thought, ¡®Why can¡¯t such a beautiful, talented, sweet¨Cnatured, and kind¨Chearted girl be my own daughter? Or at least my daughter¨Cinw ¡®Why did I have such a hopeless son!¡® It was noisy, so Aria couldn¡¯t quite hear Emma on the phone. After a brief pause, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what to call it.¡± Even if they were not officially dating, they definitely had feelings for each other. Emma¡¯s expression softened with regret. ¡°Just let things unfold naturally. Your happiness matters most.¡± Aria thought being with Owen really did make her happy. She nodded with a grateful smile and said, ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Shaw.¡± Emma excused herself, ¡°Well, excuse me.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria didn¡¯t spot Owen, but she did see James. She gave him a quick nod before heading left. Owen came rushing out of the theater, grabbed her hand without a word, and pulled her along in a hurried escape.. ¡°This way¡ªlet¡¯s go,¡± Owen said, pulling her along. Aria felt something was off. It wasn¡¯t until they reached the parking lot that the realization hit her. The way they were sneaking around really did make it look like they were having a secret affair¨Cand they¡¯d nearly been caught in the act. Aria nced at Owen as they got into the car. ¡°Was that you calling your mother just now?¡± Owen started the car and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I was worried you¡¯d run into my mom.¡± Owen stole a tentative nce at her, meeting her gaze as he exined, ¡°My mom really likes you. If she found out we¡¯re, um, together, she might get a little too excited and scare you off.¡± As he said the words ¡°being together,¡± his voice carried a hint of uncertainty. Aria didn¡¯t really care if they got caught. The moment she ran into Emma, if Owen hadn¡¯t called, she would have admitted their rtionship right then and there. But Emma didn¡¯t really know what she was thinking. Maybe she thought they were dating and would eventually get married and have kids. Then, she¡¯d bebeled as Mrs. Shaw. That wasn¡¯t the life she wanted. But Owen had considered it for her. Aria¡¯s heart felt warm, yet a little heavy, as she looked at Owen and asked, ¡°Owen, doesn¡¯t this make you feel¡­ a bit wronged?¡± Owen looked up and met her gaze¨Cher eyes, usually so calm, then unsettled. A look flickered in her eyes, along with a trace of regret so faint it was barely noticeable. Owen¡¯s heart sank. He leaned closer, reaching out as if to touch her hair, hesitated a moment, then gently rested his hand on her head. ¡°Why would you think that?¡± he asked softly. 28 23:50 Sun, 22 Jun G He kept his hand there, softly cupping the back of her head. Aria didn¡¯t answer his question. Instead, she said, ¡°Is three years too long?¡± Three years¨Cthat was the length of their agreement. Owen couldn¡¯t keep hisposure any longer. His hand slid down to her waist, pulling her into a half¨Cembrace. They were mere inches apart. He looked at her, voice trembling. ¡°Are you getting tired of me? Did I do something wrong? Just tell me, okay? I¡¯ll fix it. Please?¡± Hurt flooded his eyes, openly disyed for her to see. Aria shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Aria said, ¡°I just feel that you have better options. Being stuck with me, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Before she could finish, Owen leaned in and captured her lips, cutting off her words. 43.77% C28 He didn¡¯t linger for long. Pulling back slightly, he gazed into her eyes with utter sincerity and said softly, ¡°You¡¯re not an option, Aria. You¡¯re the only one.¡± Owen said softly, ¡°There¡¯s no one else for me but you. ¡°Being with you isn¡¯t settling¨Cit¡¯s pure bliss.¡± Aria felt her heart race as she listened to Owen pour his heart out. Aria asked again, her voice soft and uncertain, ¡°What if we have to keep our rtionship secret forever? Could you really ept that?¡± Again Marriage 440 Chapter 440 Owen answered without hesitation. ¡°Yes. This is just between us. It has nothing to do with anyone else. There¡¯s no need to tell them.¡± ¡°As for my parents, if you don¡¯t want to tell them, we¡¯ll just keep it between us. If you change your mind, I¡¯ll handle the conversation¨Cit¡¯s really notplicated¡­¡± He paused, then added firmly, ¡°We could keep this secret forever, if that¡¯s what you want.¡± That contract wasn¡¯t drafted on a whim¨Che made the decision only after careful consideration. Owen had told his parents he might remain single for life, and they chose to respect his decision. So, he could keep this secret for a lifetime. Seeing her lost in thought, Owen continued, ¡°Marriage binds two families together. In reality, a woman usually spends less time with her own parents after marriage. And after carrying a child for nine months, the baby still takes the father¡¯s surname¨Clike me, I¡¯m a Shaw, not a Brown. The whole institution is inherently unfair, so why should we buy into it? ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m yours now¨Cdon¡¯t you dare leave me behind.¡± After a long silence, Aria finally whispered, ¡°You love me that much?¡± Owen tightened his embrace, pulling her closer and pressing his forehead gently against hers. ¡°Yeah, I love you so much,¡± he whispered. Aria had always known the contract was just Owen¡¯s excuse to bind them together¨Cno need to think ahead, just live in the moment. Only then did Aria realize that Owen¡¯s love for her ran far deeper than she¡¯d ever imagined. He¡¯d taken so many steps toward her, and it was her turn to make a move. Aria reached out, wrapping her arms around his back as she nestled into his embrace. ¡°Owen, I won¡¯t let you go that easily,¡± she murmured. ¡°If you ever fall for someone else, I¡¯ll kill you,¡± she warned. She made no attempt to hide her possessiveness. Her words, deadly serious andced with warning, struck Owen¡¯s ears with deliberate emphasis. Owen¡¯s lips curved into a smile. He knew she waspletely his now. ¡°Alright, if I ever fall for someone else, you have my permission to kill me,¡± Owen said with a smile. He held her close, a smile in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m so happy.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°I know.¡± She could feel his heartbeat. Owen looked at her gently and asked, ¡°Madelyn, may I call you this when we¡¯re alone?¡± Madelyn¨Ca name entirely her own, with no ties to the Colton couple or the Saxon family. Aria smiled and said, ¡°Sure, you can call me that in front of others, too.¡± Owen shook his head with a yful smile. ¡°Better not¨CI don¡¯t want others copying me.¡± Aria teased with a smile, ¡°So possessive?¡± Owen grinned and replied, ¡°Absolutely.¡± Aria chuckled, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d kill me too if I ever fell for someone else?¡± +28 23:50 Sun, 22 Jun Owen leaned against her and murmured, ¡°If you ever fall for someone else, it just means I am not good enough.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help butugh, reaching out to ruffle his hair. Teasing, she asked, ¡°Do you enjoy being this clingy?¡± Owen smiled. ¡°Tonly want to cling to you.¡± Aria murmured to Owen, ¡°Time to go?¡± ¡°Just a little longer,¡± Owen murmured, tightening his embrace. ¡°We can cuddle more at home,¡± Aria coaxed gently. Owen looked up and asked in a yful tone, ¡°How long can I hold you?¡± Aria coaxed softly, ¡°You can hold me as long as you want.¡± Aria¡¯s tone was coaxing, as if speaking to a child. Owen noticed, but he didn¡¯t mind. He was thick¨Cskinned enough to enjoy it. Straightening up, Owen started the car and drove to the restaurant. Later that evening, fresh out of the shower, Aria heard the doorbell. Opening the door, she was instantly swept into Owen¡¯s embrace. ¡°Just like we agreed,¡± Owen murmured. Aria said with a hint of helplessness, ¡°Let go first.¡± Owen let go obediently, and Aria caught his hand. ¡°Let me register your fingerprint so you can let yourself in next time.¡± Owen¡¯s lips curled into a bright grin. ¡°Sure!¡± After registering his fingerprint, Owen took Aria¡¯s hand and led her across the hall to register hers. Owen lingered until ten, about to leave when Aria caught his hand. ¡°Wanna stay?¡± she asked. Owen leaned down, cradled her face in his hands, and ced a gentle kiss on her lips. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to stay,¡± he murmured softly, ¡°I think you still need more time to adjust to us.¡± ¡°Good night, Madelyn,¡± Owen whispered gently. 2/2 Again Marriage 441 Chapter 441 Three days before the SATS, Larkridge High School dismissed all students. Aria went to the campus to pick up her sister Lily. Sophomores and juniors got out half a day early, while the seniors were thest to leave. When Aria arrived, she happened to run into Zoe and Silvia, who were there to pick up Nathan. Zoe¡¯s face instantly lit up with joy when she saw her. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re here too!¡± Silvia greeted her with a bright smile. ¡°Hey, Aria.¡± Aria gave a slight nod and, without lingering, headed straight for ss One. Zoe felt a pang of sadness at being treated like a stranger by Aria, but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit relieved. ¡®As long as Aria is doing well now, that¡¯s all that matters,¡® Zoe thought, a bittersweet sense of relief washing over her. She turned to Silvia and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go pick up Nathan.¡± 82% At that moment, in ss One¡¯s ssroom, the teacher Valerie had just finished the ss meeting. She earnestly instructed, ¡°For the next three days,plete one practice test per day. I¡¯ll post the answer exnations in the group chat at 9 p.m. each night. Be extremely careful with your diet, minimize going out, and avoid questionable foods.¡± It was theirst ss. The students sat quietly, eyes brimming with reluctant tears, not ready to say goodbye Valerie felt a lump in her throat as she fanned herself with a textbook. Trying to sound cheerful, she said, ¡°Hold it together, everyone. We¡¯ve still got proming up. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll never see each other again.¡± The ss extrovert chimed in cheerfully, ¡°Exactly! If you ever miss the ssroom vibe, no big deal¨Cyou can always juste back and repeat senior year!¡± Hearing this, several ssmates nearby yfully kicked him andughed, ¡°Don¡¯t jinx us! Like hell any of us are repeating this year. If you want to, you¡¯re on your own!¡± The yful banter instantly lightened the mood again. Aria found herself smiling unconsciously as she watched the carefree grins on the students¡® faces, their youthful energy proving contagious. The parents waiting in the hallway were also caught up in the emotion. The more emotional ones discreetly wiped away tears, murmuring, ¡°After four grueling years, it¡¯s finallying to an end. I just hope our kids all get the results they deserve.¡± Some parents cheered. ¡°They sure will.¡± With graduation approaching, most students had cleared out their books and belongings, leaving only a few things behind. With a final ¡°ss dismissed¡± from Valerie, parents streamed into the ssroom to help their children pack up. Spotting Aria, Nathan froze mid¨Cstep-¡°Aria¡± on his lips¨Cbut she walked right past him without a nce, heading straight for Lily. ¡°Aria,¡± Lily called out¨Cthe very term Nathan had wanted to say. Aria¡¯s lips curved into a smile as she gently ruffled Lily¡¯s hair, then picked up one of the stacks of books. ¡°Let¡¯s head home,¡± she said. Lily nodded. ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go home!¡± Their interaction was natural, and Aria no longer wore her usual aloof expression. Zoe¡¯s heart clenched, tears nearly spilling over. ¡®So Aria can smile after all. She isn¡¯t heartless,¡¯ Zoe thought to herself. But she never smiled at them. Given how small the ssroom was, Aria spotted Zoe at once. Their eyes met¨Ca sh of grief in Zoe¡¯s gaze¨Cbut Ar¨ªa quickly looked away and, without another nce, walked out of the ssroom with Lily by her side. Silvia gently held Zoe¡¯s hand. ¡°Mom¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t the right time. Zoe swallowed hard, fighting back her tears, and managed a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯m okay, sweetheart.¡± She knew there was no going back. They and Aria would forever remain strangers. Nathan¡¯s eyes also stung with unshed tears, but he kept hisposure. He picked up his books and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The day before the SATs, Lily was studying in her room when she got a message and got up to find Aria. ¡°Hey Aria, my deskmate¡¯s really nervous about the test and wants to go over some questions. I¡¯ll pop out to help her¨Cback before dinner.¡± Aria said, ¡°Why not have here over to our ce?¡± Lily hesitated, looking conflicted. ¡°She¡¯s too nervous and shy toe over,¡± she exined. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ari You can track my location, so I won¡¯t get lost. I¡¯ll be back before dinner.¡± Aria had no choice but to agree. ¡°Alright, stay safe.¡± With Lily checking in every hour, Aria felt much more at ease. At 5 p.m., Aria texted Lily: [Time to head home now.] Half an hour passed, but there was still no reply from Lily. Aria immediately called Lily, but the call wouldn¡¯t go through. Again Marriage 442 Chapter 442 Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She sprang to her feet and immediately dialed Valerie¡¯s number. The call was promptly answered. Valerie asked, ¡°Miss Saxon, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Grabbing her car keys, Aria headed out and exined, ¡°Ms. Gibbs, Lily said her deskmate Kayle wanted to meet her, but she¡¯s been unreachable since she left, Could you please contact Kayle for me right away?¡± With the SATS the next day, Lily going missing was serious trouble. Valerie tensed up. ¡°I¡¯ll contact her right away!¡± ¡®At a time like this, a girl like Kayle wouldn¡¯t bother Lily,¡® Valerie thought. The call confirmed her worst fears. Kayle¡¯s mother told Valerie that Kayle had been home all day and hadn¡¯t left the house. Valerie tried to steady her nerves. ¡°Mrs. Yamn, could you please put Kayle on the phone? I need to confirm something with her.¡± Kayle¡¯s mom replied, ¡°Of course, Ms. Gibbs.¡± Once she had confirmed everything, Valerie felt like her world was copsing. She hastily got changed and, in a panic, called Aria to report the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Gibbs,¡± Aria said firmly. ¡°I¡¯ll find Lily.¡± Other than this, Lily had never lied to Aria before. Trusting herpletely, Aria didn¡¯t bother to check with Valerie whether Lily¡¯s story about her deskmate wanting to meet her was true. Aria went upstairs and pressed the doorbell. After waiting for what felt like ages with no response, her suspicions only deepened. Aria quickly pulled up Ondo¡¯s contact and called, but he didn¡¯t pick up. Aria checked Lily¡¯s location tracker¨Cthe signal was fixed at a study lounge. But there was no guarantee Lily was still there. As the elevator doors opened, Aria was just about to call Owen. ¡°Madelyn,¡± Owen called out. A familiar voice called out as Aria hurried over. ¡°Owen, Lily went to meet a ssmate, and now she¡¯s unreachable. Her location tracker hasn¡¯t moved. I need you to check the scene while I go find Ondo.¡± Aria thought, ¡®If Lily can¡¯t be reached, it must have something to do with Rachel.¡¯ ¡°Got it,¡± Owen responded immediately. Aria and Owen split up without hesitation, each heading off on their own mission. As Aria was approaching the Cole Group, Owen called. ¡°Lily¡¯s phone was found switched off at the scene, but she¡¯s gone. Security footage shows she left with that girl Rachel¨Cthe one who practices hypnosis.¡± Owen¡¯s organization had experts in hypnosis, which was how he recognized the telltale signs that Lily was under its influence when she left. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aria,¡± Owen reassured her. ¡°My team is pulling the security footage right now.¡± Aria stopped the car. ¡°Okay,¡± she said tersely. After hanging up the phone, Aria marched straight toward the Cole Group. The receptionist¡¯s eyes widened in surprise when she saw her and blurted out, ¡°Ms. Saxon?¡± Aria got straight to the point. ¡°I need to see Ondo. It¡¯s an emergency!¡± Seeing how anxious Aria was, the receptionist skipped the usual protocol and immediately led the way. ¡°Right this way, Ms. Saxon,¡± she said. ¡°Ms¡­ Ms. Saxon, Mr. Gagher is currently meeting with some very important clients. We really shouldn¡¯t interrupt. Perhaps you could wait? I¡¯ll inform you the moment he¡¯s avable.¡± The young receptionist regarded her former boss with both awe and fear. ¡®If I interrupt Mr. Gagher¡¯s meeting, I¡¯ll definitely lose my job, she thought. Aria said bluntly, ¡°Don¡¯t bothering with me. Just tell them I barged lin.¡± Aria pressed the elevator button, and the receptionist hastily stepped aside. In the conference room, Ondo, representing the Cole Group, was hosting the delegation from Masmubia Ivy Hospital to discuss coboration on medical chip technology. Ondo had invited Culver, a former employee of Masmubia Ivy Hospital, to act as a go¨Cbetween and help broker this partnership. The Cole Group had begun preliminary domestic coboration on its medical chips, with its partner being Heffner Hospital, where Liam worked. Liam and Diego were also present at the meeting. Culver sat at the head of the table with an air of superiority. ¡°The Cole Group¡¯s medical chip technology has reached maturity. A partnership with Masmubia Ivy Hospital would be mutually beneficial.¡± The director of Masmubia Ivy Hospital exchanged a nce with Culver and smiled. ¡°With Mr. Webster personally vouching for us, we have every confidence that the Cole Group can execute this project to perfection. ¡°To be frank, Masmubia¡¯s medical technology is already quite advanced. In some respects, coborating with Cole Group on medical chips seems rather redundant.¡± ¡°Honestly, what truly interests us are fields unique to Huthailia¨Careas notmonly found in other countries,¡± he said. A Again Marriage 443 Chapter 443 ¡°What our hospital truly desires is coboration in such areas,¡± the director continued. ¡°That said, we would also be open to exploring a partnership on medical chips.¡± That referred to traditional medicine¨Ca field unique to Huthailia and absent in other countries. Liam cut straight to the point. ¡°Are you referring to traditional medicine?¡± The director of Ivy Hospital smiled and said, ¡°Our hospital has great interest in traditional medicine. A coboration in this field would, of course, be most ideal.¡± Liam frowned in confusion. ¡°There¡¯s not much of a direct corrtion between medical chips and traditional medicine. At most, they can assist with data collection, treatment assistance, and drug research and development. ¡°At this stage, further research in this area would offer limited benefits to Ivy Hospital.¡± Ondo shot Liam a nce¨Che had seen through Ivy Hospital¡¯s true agenda. The Todd School had always stood by its principles, strictly prohibiting any misappropriation or leakage of its core technologies and cultural heritage. Coboration with Masmubia Ivy Hospital was simply out of the question. They sought to use the Cole Group as a go¨Cbetween, enabling Culver and Ivy Hospital to coborate indirectly. They were trying to drag Heffner Hospital in as a front to cover their ulterior motives. What a clever scheme! The director added a few more exnations. Liam smelled a rat and was just about to press for more details when¡­ With a sharp noise, the conference room door suddenly flew open, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. The door swung open, revealing Aria¡¯s ice¨Ccold face. She fixed her gaze on Ondo, her voice razor¨Csharp, ¡°Ondo, Rachel took Lily.¡± Hearing this, Ondo¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Seeing Aria, Culver¡¯s first reaction was fear. The Gibson family had forcibly taken the seal from him and returned it to Aria, leaving him no choice but to make a counterfeit. Although Dexter had promised to keep it confidential, Aria was undoubtedly a wild card. What if she brought up the matter of the seal? Liam watched the obvious tension between the two, his mind flooded with questions. Liam wondered, ¡®How did Aria and Ondo get to know each other? And who exactly is Rachel?¡® Diego rose to greet Aria, but, sensing the tension in the air, held his tongue. Ignoring everyone else, Aria marched straight toward Ondo. ¡°Why is Rachel targeting Lily? What¡¯s your game?¡± Thinking back on Rachel¡¯s recent strange behavior, Ondo felt his mind spin. Aria could tell from Ondo¡¯s reaction that he was unaware of the situation, and she felt a slight sense of relief. ¡®If they were involved, there¡¯s no way they¡¯d let Lily go so easily, Aria thought. ¡®Those timid eyes¡­ Why do they feel so familiar?¡® Aria wondered, that strange sense of familiarity creeping over her once again. Without another thought, Aria grabbed Ondo by the cor and dragged him toward the door. ¡°Lead the way. We¡¯re finding her now! Aria didn¡¯t hold back. She grabbed Ondo and dragged him out. Too preupied to protest, Ondo followed with a dark expression. Liam followed them out. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Diego also went after them and asked, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on with those two?¡± Liam shrugged. ¡°Beats me.¡± In the end, only two ignored figures remained in the conference room¨CCulver and the director of Ivy Hospital. The secretary wiped the sweat from his brow, forced himself to step forward, and offered an awkward apology to the two. Aria yanked open the car door, shot Ondo a sharp look, and barked, ¡°Get in!¡± They would lose contact if they split up¨Csticking together was the only way. Ondo slid into the passenger seat and immediately tried calling Rachel, but her phone was already off. Aria nced at the rearview mirror, spotted Liam¡¯s car behind them, but deliberately ignored it. Turning sharply to Ondo, she demanded, ¡°Where else could she have gone?¡± Other than school, she¡¯d never been to any unfamiliar ces. Aria shot him a disdainful sideways nce, as if he were an idiot. ¡°If you¡¯re that clueless,¡± she snapped, ¡°call Olivia!¡± Ondo was often away on business, so he knew far less about Olivia than Russell did. Ondo asked, ¡°Are you suggesting Olivia ordered Rachel to get close to Lily?¡± Aria shot back, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were the one who gave the order?¡± Ondo knew the next day was Huthailia¡¯s SATs. For something to go wrong at such a critical moment, it was hard not to suspect foul y. Ondo thought, ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s exactly the kind of thing Olivia would pull/ ¡°Aria, you really have no idea who Rachel is?¡± Ondo asked, his tone full of disbelief. AD Again Marriage 444 Chapter 444 Aria said expressionlessly, ¡°What am I supposed to know?¡± Seeing herpleteck of curiosity, Ondo curled his lips in a mocking smile. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not something you need to know.¡± Aria was never rted to Rachel by blood in the first ce. The one truly connected was Silvia, the Saxon family¡¯s heiress. Aria shot Ondo a cold re. ¡°Useless.¡± Aria thought coldly, ¡®Should¡¯ve known he¡¯d be so clueless. What a waste of time! Frustrated, Ondo snapped his phone shut. In a way, Aria wasn¡¯t wrong in calling him useless. He¡¯d always seen Rachel as timid and cowardly. He never would have expected her to do something like kidnapping. Maybe he didn¡¯t really know Rachel either. He couldn¡¯t contact Olivia or Russell. The Wolfshade Syndicate would never let Rachel off the hook. And if anything happened to Lily, Aria wouldn¡¯t let them off the hook either. Things were getting messy. Ondo rubbed his temples, his face tense with frustration. Her phone rang, and Aria snatched it up. The surveince feed cut out at Trebode Road. Trebode Road led to Larkridge High School. Aria barked at the phone, ¡°Head to Larkridge High School.¡± Immediately after, she called Valerie. Aria, Valerie, and Owen arrived at Larkridge High School. Valerie rushed toward Aria, slightly out of breath. ¡°I¡¯ve got security pulling the surveince footage. They¡¯re headed to that abandoned ssroom building behind the school.¡± Aria barked, ¡°Move!¡± Aria and Owen drove straight into campus, while Liam was stopped at the gate. ¡°What¡¯s your business here?¡± the security guard demanded. Liam rushed to exin, ¡°I¡¯m with them.¡± Seeing the guard still blocking his way, Liam hastily added, ¡°The ones who just went in one¡¯s my ex¨Cwife, the other¡¯s my brother. I¡¯m here to help with the search.¡± Just then, Diego leaned out of the passenger seat and pleaded, ¡°It¡¯s an emergency! Please let us in!¡± After a brief hesitation, the security guard finally waved them through. On the rooftop of the abandoned ssroom building behind the school, Lily stood motionless, her vacant gaze fixed on the distance. Rachel leaned precariously against the railing, her face mostly hidden behind a mask, revealing only her tear filled eyes. She tilted her head slightly toward Lily and asked in a whisper, ¡°Lily, are you afraid of death?¡± Lily spoke mechanically, ¡°I used to be afraid, but not anymore.¡± Rachel asked with trembling lips, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I have Aria around now,¡± Lily said softly. Rachel looked at her enviously and said, ¡°Aria isn¡¯t even your biological sister, yet she treats you so well. I wasn¡¯t that lucky¨Cinstead, I met Olivia Her mind drifted. She couldn¡¯t even remember when she¡¯d be associated with Olivia. Rachel sighed. ¡°Did you know Olivia calls me ¡°little vixen¡°? It¡¯s a name she gave me on purpose¨Cjust to humiliate me.¡± Olivia was temperamental¨Cwhenever she was in a bad mood, Rachel always bore the brunt of it. Every word she said had to be carefully weighed, terrified of offending Olivia and being crushed underfoot like an ant. After all this time, she finally made a real friend, but Olivia was forcing her to hurt her friend. Maybe death was the only way out. But the thought of being alone terrified Rachel. Rachel slowly moved closer and wrapped her arms around the unresponsive Lily, her voice trembling. ¡°Lily, if I hurt you, would you hate me for it?¡± Lily was silent for a moment before replying mechanically, ¡°No, as long as you don¡¯t hurt Aria.¡± Rachel looked at her, voice trembling. ¡°Who¡¯s more important to you¨Cme or Aria?¡± ¡°Aria,¡± Lily answered without hesitation. Rachel looked up at her, eyes brimming with sorrow. ¡°But to me, you¡¯re more important than anyone, Lily. You¡¯re all I have left¡­ Would you¨Cwould you stay with me, even if it means dying together?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯ve struggled so hard for so long. I don¡¯t want to give up now.¡± Rachel said with trembling lips, ¡°So you¡¯re just going to let me die alone?¡± ¡°Neither of us will die,¡± Lily said. Rachel clung to the railing, her body wracked with sobs. ¡°I want to live, but I just can¡¯t go on like this.¡± After what felt like an eternity of weeping, Rachel finally straightened up and, gripping the railing for support, hauled herself The sun beat down, its warmth soaking into her skin. Rachel reached a hand up toward the sky, wondering silently, ¡®When I die, will I go to heaven, or hell?¡® ¡®I¡¯ll probably end up in hell,¡® Rachel mused, ¡®seeing as I wanted to take Lily down with me.¡® ¡®Lily¡¯s so good¨Cshe deserves to go to heaven. TUTE 140 ¡®If that¡¯s the case, even in death, Lily and I still can¡¯t be together. ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t drag her into this after all.¡® Rachel looked down at Lily, whose eyes were vacant and lost. Gently, she stroked Lily¡¯s hair and said softly, ¡°Lily, I¡¯m so d I met you? This period of time in Huthailia was the most peaceful and joyful period of her life. That was it. Rachel let her hand fall back to her side and closed her eyes, as if finally ready to let go. At that critical moment, several people burst onto the rooftop through the ess door from the stairwell. At the sight, Ondo¡¯s heart stopped in terror. ¡°Rachel!¡± he shouted desperately. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± Rachel turned at the familiar voice. ¡°Ondo, you¡¯re here,¡± she said softly, her voice tinged with weary relief, At least she got to see someone who was decent to her before dying, and Rachel felt a faint, bitterfort. Seeing Lily unharmed, Aria felt the tension in her chest ease. Her gaze then fell on Rachel, who was still standing precariously on the rooftop ledge. ¡°Rachel, pleasee down first,¡± Valerie urged gently but firmly. ¡°Whatever¡¯s troubling you, we can talk it through.¡± ¡°Ondo, don¡¯te any closer, or I¡¯ll jump!¡± Rachel warned. Ondo had no choice but to stop, clenching his fists tightly. ¡°Rachel, is someone hurting you? Tell me who it was. I¡¯ll make them pay, okay?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t help me!¡± Rachel stared at him, her vision swimming with tears. ¡°Would any of you really dare kill Olivia?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare! Not even Russell would!¡± Rachel said with a broken voice, ¡°No one can save me now.¡± ¡°Rachel, we found your family!¡± Ondo cried out desperately. Rachel froze, eyes wide. ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± Ondo managed a reassuring smile. ¡°Rachel, you do have a family. Russell and I secretly ran a DNA test for you. We really found your parents, and you even have a sister.¡± Rachel¡¯s voice trembled with sudden fury. ¡°Liar!¡± she shouted. ¡°If you really found them, why did you wait so long to tell me? Why keep it from me all this time?¡± ¡°We had no idea Olivia was treating you so badly!¡± Ondo¡¯s eyes welled up. ¡°Rachel, I¡¯m so sorry. It¡¯s my fault for not protecting you.¡± ¡°Is Lily still under hypnosis?¡± Aria asked Owen. Owen nodded. ¡°Most likely.¡± Aria turned to Owen, her voice tense. ¡°Is there any way to snap Lily out of it?¡± Owen replied, ¡°A shock might work, but we can¡¯t get close.¡± Rachel covered her face and forced a bitter smile. ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t protect me. This so¨Ccalled ¡®family¡®? It¡¯s all a lie.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Ondo shouted urgently, ¡°Your real name is Pearl!¡± Again Marriage 445 Chapter 445 The needle tip quivered at her fingertip, casting a faint glimmer on the floor. Aria looked up at Rachel, her pupils contracting slightly. ¡®She¡¯s actually Pearl!¡® Ondo couldn¡¯t spare a thought for anything else then. He was terrified Rachel might meet the same fate as Sara. ¡®Pearl?¡® Rachel wondered. ¡®That¡¯s my real name?¡® Rachel curled her fingers tightly, as if a sharp pain stabbed at her constricted heart. Tears soaked through her surgical mask. I do have a name,¡¯ she thought, the realization cutting deep. Ondo watched, his heart aching with guilt and self¨Creproach. After Sara¡¯s death, they sought revenge against Aria by concealing Rachel¡¯s identity. As Rachel stood in despair on the tform, wasn¡¯t this a scathing indictment of their actions? They couldn¡¯t avenge the dead, nor could they protect the living. Ondo pressed his lips together, his gaze¨Cfull ofplicated emotions¨Csweeping over Aria before settling on Rachel. He asked, ¡°Do you know why I told you to wear a mask when you go out?¡± Rachel froze for a moment. Her face was permanently scarred by burns. The doctors said it could never be fixed, and that was how she¡¯d look for life. She always wore a mask in public without being told. But after she came to Mayen Garden, Ondo deliberately brought it up. Rachel thought they just took her as embarrassment. Ondo said, ¡°Someone created an age¨Cprogressed forensic sketch based on how you looked as a child. That¡¯s how we found your parents. ¡°They¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± Rachel blinked in disbelief. ¡°Really?¡± ¡®Am I really this lucky? Why would anyone look for me?¡® she wondered. Rachel retorted sharply, ¡°Then why did you keep this from me, Ondo? You¡¯re lying. You¡¯re just afraid I might die in Huthailia!¡± She thought bitterly, ¡®All their kindness was just lip service. They knew how ruthless Olivia was, yet they stood by and let her torment me.¡® Without hesitation, Rachel spun around, arms spread wide. Ondo and Valerie shouted in rm, ¡°Rachel, no!¡± Liam and Diego, who had just arrived, froze in horror at the sight. At that moment, a silver needle shot from Aria¡¯s fingertips. Liam saw it, and his eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, he remembered a wooden board in the Cole Manor training room, riddled with countless needle holes. ¡®So that was the board Aria used for her needle practice?¡® he thought. ¡®Why would she even practice something like that?¡® Chapter 445 ¡®It¡¯s finally over, Rachel thought, closing her eyes. Just as she leaned forward, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist. The forceful pull sent her stumbling forward, and she crashed into a pair of warm, waiting arms. As Lily was falling, a steadying hand caught her. A brief pricking sensation shot through her shoulder, fading instantly. That fleeting pain snapped her back to awareness¨Cjust in time for her to grab Rachel. Lily hugged Rachel tightly, her heart pounding with relief from their near¨Cdeath experience. She gave Rachel a light smack and, her voice trembling with tears, said, ¡°Thought you wanted to take me down with you? Changed your mind, huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Rachel¡¯s voice was thick with remorse. Ondo¡¯s gaze swept over Aria, his expression unreadable. Too far¨Ceven if he¡¯d sprinted at full speed, he couldn¡¯t have made it in time. He caught the glint of her needle, then saw Lily jolt awake and saved Rachel. Irony twisted in his gut: the person he hated most had just saved Rachel. Ondo forced down the turmoil in his heart and looked at Rachel. ¡°Rachel, what did Olivia do to you? Please, tell me. Whatever it is, we¡¯ll find a way out -together.¡± Aria sneered, ¡°You hate me so much that you wouldn¡¯t even let Rachel show her face¨Cafraid I¡¯d recognize her? What¡¯s your real motive for hiding her? Trying to use her to threaten me?¡± Hearing this, Rachel lifted her head from Lily¡¯s embrace. ¡°What¡­ do you mean?¡± ¡®Use me to threaten Aria? What does that have to do with Aria?¡® she thought, gripping her clothes tightly, not daring to think any further. AD Again Marriage 446 Chapter 446 Rachel gripped her clothes tighter, refusing to let her mind go there. ¡®Aria is Lily¡¯s sister, not mine,¡® she told herself. Ondo¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Aria, quit trying to sow discord. That was never our intention!¡± Aria arched a brow, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Oh? Then what exactly was your grand n? Do enlighten me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± Ondo snapped. ¡°Rachel isn¡¯t your sister. She¡¯s Silvia¡¯s sister.¡± Silvia? That name sounded familiar to Rachel. Rachel¡¯s mind reeled in confusion. ¡®Do, do I really have a family? Is Silvia my sister?¡® Owen shot Ondo an annoyed took and snapped, ¡°Show some respect, Mr. Gagher. Of all people, you¡¯re thest one who should be saying that after all, you hid someone¡¯s true identity for your own selfish reasons.¡± Aria looked at Rachel. Finally, she knew why the girl seemed so familiar. Valerie, unaware of the tension between them, turned her attention to Rachel. ¡°Can you stand up? Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need to go to the hospital for a check¨Cup?¡± Lily quickly helped Rachel to her feet. Rachel looked at Ondo, her voice trembling slightly. ¡°So my name is Pearl? Not ¡®little vixen¡®, right?¡± ¡°Little vixen?¡± Ondo frowned, clearly confused. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Rachel gave a cold, hollow smile as she removed her mask. ¡°Ondo, do you know how my face was ruined?¡± A wave of dread washed over Ondo. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just an ident? A burn?¡± ¡°No!¡± Hatred shed in Rachel¡¯s eyes. ¡°Olivia did this to me¨Cwith her own hands!¡± The worst that could happen was death. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Olivia pped me,¡± Rachel spat out. ¡°You said, ¡®What a shame to ruin such a pretty face.¡® Russell stared at me for so long that Olivia thought I was seducing him. That same night, she destroyed my face and renamed me ¡®little vixen.¡± Ondo¡¯s pupils constricted violently. ¡°Wh¨Cwhat did you just say?¡± Rachel shrugged off her school jacket, revealing arms crisscrossed with scars to the stunned crowd. She demanded, her voice trembling, ¡°She¡¯s been abusing me all along. How could none of you see it?¡± Ondo knew Rachel feared Olivia, but in his mind, every maid who served Olivia dreaded her. He¡¯d always thought Rachel¡¯s fear was nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn¡¯t until he came to Huthailia that he noticed some troubling signs, but Cole Group affairs consumed his attention. Had he been even slightly more attentive, he might have uncovered the truth sooner. Ondo choked up. ¡°Rachel, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± When Lily saw the wounds on Rachel¡¯s body, she broke down in tears, clutching Aria¡¯s hand so tightly her fingers trembled, unable to calm herself. 10:43 Mon, 23 Jun G ¡®How lucky I was to have met Aria,¡® she thought, her heart aching, ¡®but Rachel was nearly driven to her death. Rachel fought back tears, clutching Ondo¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back to Masmubia, to the Wolfshade Syndicate, or anywhere new Curls cluindo, please! Can you help me?¡°. She knew if she didn¡¯t return, Olivia would hunt her down without mercy. Once you were part of the Wolfshade Syndicate, you were bound to it in life and in death. There was no escaping that fate. Ondo hesitated for a long moment before finally saying, his voice low and resolute, ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out. I promise I won¡¯t let Olivia Harm your again.¡± Rachel, her voice trembling, asked, ¡°So, do I still have to go back?¡± Ondo shook his head firmly. ¡°No, you¡¯re not going back. I¡¯ll talk to Russell and make sure this is taken care of I promise, I won¡¯t let Olivia keep you bJ her side ever again.¡± Rachel emphasized fiercely, ¡°I refuse to go back to Masmubia! I¡¯m staying here for good¨Cthis is where I¡¯ll live and die!¡± ¡°Alright. I promise you,¡± Ondo finally conceded after a pause. Tears welled up in Rachel¡¯s eyes as she choked out, ¡°Did my parents give me my name? Is myst name Saxon? Is ¡®Pearl¡® just a nickname?¡± Ondo instinctively nced at Aria, and Rachel followed his gaze. ¡°Aria gave you your name,¡± he said. AD Again Marriage 447 Chapter 447 Rachel froze in shock, her eyes shing with wild delight. Rachel thought to herself, ¡®Is Aria¡­ my sister, too?¡® Ondo, afraid Rachel might misunderstand and get her hopes up only to be disappointed, hurriedly exined, ¡°But Aria¡¯s not your biological sister. Let¡¯s head back first. I¡¯ll exin everything along the way.¡± Lily looked up at Aria, her eyes brimming with unspoken questions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s safe now,¡± Aria said softly, gently stroking Lily¡¯s hair. ¡°Just focus on your SAT prep. I¡¯ll t Lily nodded obediently. ¡°Okay, Aria. Sorry for worrying you all.¡± ye care of everything else¡± With disaster averted, Valerie finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Go home and get some proper rest,¡± she said gently. The SAT was the next day. Valerie considered suggesting that Lily see a therapist, but then she realized¨Chaving survived such a dangerous ordeal unscathed, Lily clearly possessed remarkable resilience and could handle her own emotions. As everyone left, Liam snapped out of his daze. Although Liam didn¡¯t know the specifics of the feud between Ondo and Aria, he could tell they had history, and the bad blood between them ran deep. Countless questions swirled in Liam¡¯s mind. As Aria walked past, his hand instinctively shot out to grab her ah. A hand shot out and intercepted him. A bone¨Ccrushing pain shot through Liam¡¯s wrist, making his face twist in agony. He looked up, only to meet a pair of icy, menacing eyes. Owen¡¯s eyes turned cold as he warned, ¡°Touch her again, and you¡¯ll lose that hand.¡± Owen withdrew his hand, casting a disgusted nce at his fingers. He pulled a sanitizing wipe from his pocket and meticulously cleaned each digit, then turned and walked away without another word. Liam¡¯s face darkened with rage, his wrist throbbing as if it had been crushed in Owen¡¯s grip. Diego stared at Owen¡¯s retreating figure with a puzzled look. ¡°Who¡¯s that guy?¡± Liam snapped, annoyed, ¡°He¡¯s awyer, and he¡¯s after Aria. They even live next door to each other.¡± ¡°What?¡± Diego blurted out, clearly stunned. Diego was unsettled¨Cthat man¡¯s presence was seriously intense. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t someone to mess with. From what just happened, it was clear Aria trusted Owen quite a bit. Liam scoffed, ¡°With him around, you don¡¯t stand a chance with Aria. Just give up now.¡± Diego snorted, ¡°Worth a shot. It¡¯s not like rejection/s gonna kill me.¡± Diego knew his chances were slim, but he just wanted to get under Liam¡¯s skin. After all, the guy had let down his idol. Before getting in the car, Rachel looked at Lily with remorse and said, ¡°Lily, I won¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t try to end my life again. You must¨Cyou absolutely must ace your SATS. Don¡¯t let what happened to me throw you off.¡± At first, terrified of Olivia, Rachel had no choice but to obey her orders and lure Lily out. In her despair, the desperate thought shed through her mind, ¡®If I have to die, maybe I don¡¯t want to go alone. Maybe Lily shoulde with me.¡¯ 10:43 Mon, 23 Jun G Only when Lily grabbed her did Rachel finally feel a surge of regiet. She realized she had made a terrible mistake. Lily¡¯s eyes crinkled into a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯lle see you after the SATs.¡± Rachel responded with a t ¡°Mm,¡± her tone devoid of warmth. In the car, Ondo finally told Rachel the whole truth about her past. ¡°Your parents never really loved you, but Aria¡­. ¡°If you want to recognize Silvia as family, just say the word. I¡¯ll set it up for you.¡± Rachel tilted her head. ¡°So, it was Aria who gave me my name, and she¡¯s always looked out for me, while my away for money. Is that right? Ondo didn¡¯t want to admit it, but there was no denying the truth. ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted reluctantly. Rachel said firmly, ¡°Then I should ept Aria as family. She¡¯s the one who took care of me.¡± Ondo hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Is this because of Lily?¡± ¡°Not entirely,¡± Rachel replied. Ondo said quietly, ¡°Aria might not take you as family.¡± real parents were the ones who gave me AD Again Marriage 448 Chapter 448 At that moment, Ondo was torn about Aria. In his eyes, she absolutely had to pay for Sara¡¯s death¨Cyet she saved Rachel. Rachel also wanted to stay with Aria. Things were getting trickier. Rachel stared straight ahead. ¡°You want to harm Aria, so does Olivia. If I volunteer to go to her side, you have no reason to refuse.¡± ¡°Ondo, you need to figure something out. Or else¡­ I¡¯ll side with Olivia.¡± Just then, the light turned red. Ondo mmed on the brakes and whipped his head around to stare at her in shock. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m just fighting for my own way out. If I find it, I live. If not, I die.¡± Having stared death in the face, Rachel refused to simply exist¨Cshe was determined to fight for her own survival. Ondo tightened his grip on the steering wheel. After a long pause, he sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out.¡± Back home, Owen handed his phone to Aria. ¡°I¡¯ll handle dinner,¡± he said. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria nodded. After Lily went to shower, Aria fetched a bottle of pills from her room. Once Lily was ready, Aria handed them her and said gently, ¡°Take one before bed.¡± Lily took the pill and, without thinking, hugged Aria. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Aria.¡± Aria gently stroked her head and said, ¡°What are you apologizing for? You¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± Lily said softly, ¡°I lied to you.¡± When Rachel reached out, Lily sensed something was off, but she decided to keep the appointment and take the chance. Somehow, she just knew Rachel wouldn¡¯t hurt her. Since Aria saved her, she wanted to help Rachel too. ¡°Sweetie,¡± Aria said cheerfully. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t gone to see Rachel, none of us would have known she was suicidal. With the SATSing up, something like this could have affected so many people at school.¡± ¡°Besides, Rachel is like family to me. By saving her, you helped me and did Larkridge High School a huge favor.¡± Lily looked up hopefully, ¡°Really?¡± Aria smiled and said gently, ¡°Really, you did great. You¡¯re such a kind¨Chearted girl.¡± Lily felt all the tension melt away. ¡°Aria, mind if I call Rachel?¡± she asked. Aria smiled indulgently. ¡°You two are close friends. Of course you should talk. Go on.¡± Lily went back to her room. Aria watched Lily¡¯s retreating figure. Her smile slowly faded. Sinking into the sofa, she let out a quiet sigh, Rachel¡¯s haunted eyes lingering in her mind. She never imagined Rachel was Pearl. Olivia¡­ the Wolfshade Syndicate¡­. Aria thought it was time to talk this through with Russell. After dinner, Aria kept Lilypany until nine. ¡°Time for bed?¡± she asked. ¡°Guess it¡¯s bedtime. Good night, Aria,¡± Lily said. Lily paused at her bedroom door, then suddenly turned around, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. ¡°Aria, are you with Owen?¡± Aria smiled softly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Am I the first to know?¡± asked Lily. ¡°Yeah, you are,¡± Aria said with a smile. ¡°Wow!¡± Lily eximed, her excitement showing. ¡°So you two were dating in secret all along? Now I can finally enjoy Owen¡¯s cooking without feeling guilty!¡± Seeing that Lily still had time for chitchat, Aria felt relieved and smiled. ¡°Go ahead and eat your fill,¡± she said indulgently. Lily grinned and waved. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off to bed now. Night, Aria!¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Good night.¡± Lily skipped into her room, her backpletely carefree. Aria couldn¡¯t help but smile as the thought came to her. ¡®How could I forget? This girl witnessed me kill someone when she was just a kid¨Cno wonder she¡¯s got nerves of steel.¡® After showering, Aria turned her back to the mirror and caught sight of the scars there. The image brought Rachel¡¯s facial scar to mind, and she paused in contemtion. Wrapping a towel around herself, she stepped out of the room. She had just picked up the ointment when her phone buzzed. [Still awake? Just remembered something I need to talk you about.] Aria texted, [Come straight to my room¨Cneed your help with something. Lily¡¯s asleep, so keep it down.] The scar was on her back¨Calways a pain to reach when applying ointment herself. Since Owen wasing over, she might as well have him help. Again Marriage 449 Chapter 448 At that moment, Ondo was torn about Aria. In his eyes, she absolutely had to pay for Sara¡¯s death¨Cyet she saved Rachel. Rachel also wanted to stay with Aria. Things were getting trickier. Rachel stared straight ahead. ¡°You want to harm Aria, so does Olivia. If I volunteer to go to her side, you have no reason to refuse.¡± ¡°Ondo, you need to figure something out. Or else¡­ I¡¯ll side with Olivia.¡± Just then, the light turned red. Ondo mmed on the brakes and whipped his head around to stare at her in shock. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m just fighting for my own way out. If I find it, I live. If not, I die.¡± Having stared death in the face, Rachel refused to simply exist¨Cshe was determined to fight for her own survival. Ondo tightened his grip on the steering wheel. After a long pause, he sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out.¡± Back home, Owen handed his phone to Aria. ¡°I¡¯ll handle dinner,¡± he said. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria nodded. After Lily went to shower, Aria fetched a bottle of pills from her room. Once Lily was ready, Aria handed them her and said gently, ¡°Take one before bed.¡± Lily took the pill and, without thinking, hugged Aria. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Aria.¡± Aria gently stroked her head and said, ¡°What are you apologizing for? You¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± Lily said softly, ¡°I lied to you.¡± When Rachel reached out, Lily sensed something was off, but she decided to keep the appointment and take the chance. Somehow, she just knew Rachel wouldn¡¯t hurt her. Since Aria saved her, she wanted to help Rachel too. ¡°Sweetie,¡± Aria said cheerfully. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t gone to see Rachel, none of us would have known she was suicidal. With the SATSing up, something like this could have affected so many people at school.¡± ¡°Besides, Rachel is like family to me. By saving her, you helped me and did Larkridge High School a huge favor.¡± Lily looked up hopefully, ¡°Really?¡± Aria smiled and said gently, ¡°Really, you did great. You¡¯re such a kind¨Chearted girl.¡± Lily felt all the tension melt away. ¡°Aria, mind if I call Rachel?¡± she asked. Aria smiled indulgently. ¡°You two are close friends. Of course you should talk. Go on.¡± Lily went back to her room. Aria watched Lily¡¯s retreating figure. Her smile slowly faded. Sinking into the sofa, she let out a quiet sigh, Rachel¡¯s haunted eyes lingering in her mind. She never imagined Rachel was Pearl. Olivia¡­ the Wolfshade Syndicate¡­. Aria thought it was time to talk this through with Russell. After dinner, Aria kept Lilypany until nine. ¡°Time for bed?¡± she asked. ¡°Guess it¡¯s bedtime. Good night, Aria,¡± Lily said. Lily paused at her bedroom door, then suddenly turned around, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. ¡°Aria, are you with Owen?¡± Aria smiled softly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Am I the first to know?¡± asked Lily. ¡°Yeah, you are,¡± Aria said with a smile. ¡°Wow!¡± Lily eximed, her excitement showing. ¡°So you two were dating in secret all along? Now I can finally enjoy Owen¡¯s cooking without feeling guilty!¡± Seeing that Lily still had time for chitchat, Aria felt relieved and smiled. ¡°Go ahead and eat your fill,¡± she said indulgently. Lily grinned and waved. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off to bed now. Night, Aria!¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Good night.¡± Lily skipped into her room, her backpletely carefree. Aria couldn¡¯t help but smile as the thought came to her. ¡®How could I forget? This girl witnessed me kill someone when she was just a kid¨Cno wonder she¡¯s got nerves of steel.¡® After showering, Aria turned her back to the mirror and caught sight of the scars there. The image brought Rachel¡¯s facial scar to mind, and she paused in contemtion. Wrapping a towel around herself, she stepped out of the room. She had just picked up the ointment when her phone buzzed. [Still awake? Just remembered something I need to talk you about.] Aria texted, [Come straight to my room¨Cneed your help with something. Lily¡¯s asleep, so keep it down.] The scar was on her back¨Calways a pain to reach when applying ointment herself. Since Owen wasing over, she might as well have him help. Again Marriage 450 Chapter 450 She reached up to adjust it, then looked at Owen in the mirror¨Chis face was even redder. ¡®He¡¯s so easily flustered,¡® she thought, ¡®yet he actually had the nerve toe in and help me dry my hair. After he finished applying hair serum, Owen quickly shifted his gaze away, washed his hands, and asked, ¡°Anything else?¡± Aria pulled her hair to the front and said, ¡°Help me put on some ointment. It¡¯s a bit tricky for me to do it myself.¡± Owen paused, a smile instantly lighting up his eyes. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Wait in the bathroom for a bit. I¡¯ll change my clothes first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Owen nodded. The ointment bottle sat on a chair by the bed. Aria sat cross¨Clegged on the bed with her back to Owen. ¡°Come here.¡± For a moment, Owen felt ttered, as if being summoned by the queen in the middle of the night, waiting to serve. He walked over, sat behind her, and gently pulled down her nightgown, exposing arge area of scars to the air. Owen stared in silence, unable to help leaning closer. Aria felt a warm breath on her back. She found it odd and was just about to turn around when a gentle, warm touch made her freeze. She asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Owen wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, holding her. ¡°It must have hurt a lot.¡± She was only seven when the fire happened. 81% His chin rested lightly on her shoulder, her back pressed tightly against his chest¨Cno space between them, just like how his heart felt so full at this moment. ÊÖ Aria ced her hands over his. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not so bad. I¡¯ve almost, forgotten about it.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything, and neither did Aria. She just let him hold Ker like that. After a long while, she spoke. ¡°Aren¡¯t your legs numb?¡± Owen was sitting at the edge of the bed, not on it. That position would easily make his legs go numb. Aria pried his hands off. ¡°Get on the bed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Owen nodded. Owen rubbed his legs. ¡°Let me put the ointment on first.¡± He picked up the bottle, scooped out some cool ointment with his fingertips, and gently applied it to the scars on her back. ¡°You use this every night before bed? What about in the morning?¡± Aria replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine to skip the morning.¡± Owen said, ¡°So it¡¯s best to use it. I¡¯lle help you every day.¡± Chapter 450 Applying it at night, and in the morning too¨Che¡¯d be constantly at her ce. Aria thought it wouldn¡¯t be so bad if he just stayed over, but then thought better of it, considering how close they¡¯d be ¡°Alright ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± she asked. Owen¡¯s eyes flickered as he continued applying the ointment. ¡°Years ago, the Arressto Investigation Agency had a traitor escape. His specialty was hypnosis techniques. Arressto has been offering a hefty reward for his capture, but he¡¯s managed to slip away every time. ¡°The hypnosis techniques Rachel used are quite simr to his.¡± Aria instinctively straightened up, leaning a bit closer. ¡°Are you with Arressto?¡± The Arressto Investigation Agency was headquartered in Huthailia, with branches worldwide, though their exact locations remained a mystery They possessed cutting¨Cedge technology and a vast intelligencework, bringing together top talent from every field. There was no strict hierarchy within the agency¨Cjust coboration among members. They only took on cases considered ¡®unsolvable¡® and never broke thew. With strict protocols, absolute confidentiality, and a wless track record, Arressto held a prestigious reputation internationally Aria had dealt with Arressto members before and knewtrict their protocols were. Before Owen could answer, she said, ¡°No need to exin. I know the protocols.¡± Owen let out a quietugh. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly with Arressto¨Cjust an asional coborator.¡± Arressto¡¯s members were always on the move, onlying together when there was a mission. ¡°If I get the chance, I¡¯ll try to dig up some information, but honestly, the odds aren¡¯t great. If Arressto were to investigate the Wolfshade Syndicate directly¡­¡± Aria paused, considering the implications. She then added, ¡°This isn¡¯t something we can rush. It needs careful nning.¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ad Again Marriage 451 Chapter 451 If that Arressto turncoat ended up with the Wolfshade Syndicate, that would make things interesting. Owen nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s keep this to us and see what we can find out.¡± ¡°All done,¡± Owen said. Owen finished applying the ointment, then paused to pick up the wet wipe Aria had set out earlier and carefully wiped the residue from his fingertips. Aria tugged at her shoulder strap and said casually, ¡°Thanks.¡± Still half¨Ckneeling on the bed, Aria was just about to get off when Owen suddenly caught her hand and gave it a gentle tug. Off bnce, she stumbled, and before she knew it,nded right in hisp. Owen had only meant to stop her from saying ¡°thanks¡°-never expecting to pull her right into his arms. Aria¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°What, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Owen pulled her closer, resting his chin on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll do this for you everyday, okay?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Aria said, patting his back. ¡°Got it. Time for bed. We need to take Lily to her exam tomorrow.¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm,¡± he still held on. ¡°You¡¯re way too thin¨Cyou really should eat more.¡± Aria shrugged and said, ¡°This is healthy thin.¡± Owen shook his head and insisted, ¡°Still too skinny, though.¡± Her phone buzzed. Aria couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue and nudged him aside. ¡°Let me get that,¡± she said. Aria thought Owen would let her go, but instead, he kept holding her. Leaning forward with her still in his arms, he grabbed the his hold on her waist, and said, with a hint of jealousy, ¡°It¡¯s your dear Vanessa calling.¡± There was a subtle hint of jealousy in his voice. Aria just stared at him, speechless. Aria took the phone and answered in a soft voice, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± Vanessa¡¯s frustrated voice came through the phone. ¡°Aria, guess what? I just bumped into my ex.¡± slightly loosened Aria was just about to give Owen a look, hinting for him to leave, but before she could, he was already covering his ears with an exaggeratedly innocent expression. Aria stifled augh and averted her gaze. ¡°That guy you told me about during ourst Truth or Dare?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Vanessa groaned. ¡°And guess what the very first thing he said was?¡± ¡°Can you believe it? He actually said I¡¯d gotten smaller!¡± Vanessa eximed. Aria looked puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just him showing concern? Why did that get you so worked up?¡± Vanessa snapped, ¡°That¡¯s not concern¨Cthat¡¯s an insult! Anyone else says it, fine. But from an ex or current boyfriend? Totally another thing.¡± Aria instinctively nced at Owen and asked, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Vanessa exined, ¡°He¡¯s implying my boobs are smaller.¡± 09:43 Tue, 24 Jun As a woman, Aria knew exactly what Vanessa meant. Aria arched an eyebrow, giving Owen a strange look. ¡®He couldn¡¯t possibly mean that¡­ right?¡® Aria nced down. Owen, not understanding why, instinctively followed her gaze¨Conly to realize his mistake a second toote. He jerked his head back up, abruptly meeting Aria¡¯s eyes, caught off guard. An awkward silence hung in the air. Aria reached up and gave Owen a light smack on the cheek¨Cjust enough to make a crisp pping sound. Owen clenched his jaw, his eyes full of guilt as he murmured, ¡®My bad.¡® He really didn¡¯t mean to. Vanessa asked, ¡°What was that?¡± Aria said casually, ¡°Nothing, just swatting a fly. What happened after that?¡± Vanessa couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. ¡°Then I gave him a once¨Cover and said with a smirk, ¡®At least I can gain weight and grow bigger¨Cbut you¡¯ll never grow longer!¡® He was absolutely livid.¡± Since the rest of the story was a bit too much for someone as innocent as Aria, Vanessa decided to spare her the racier parts. Vanessa just wanted to piss off her ex. With a smirk, she ended the conversation. Out of all the men I¡¯ve slept with, you were the worst in bed.¡± That scored her the first win. After a few more minutes of girl talk, Aria and Vanessa finally said their goodbyes and hung up, Owen uncovered his ears, took her hand and pressed it to his cheek, giving her his best puppy¨Cdog eyes. ¡°I messed up. Go ahead, hit me,¡± he said. Aria withdrew her hand. ¡°You¡¯re acting kinda weird.¡± 2/2 Again Marriage 452 Chapter 452 Owen grinned. ¡°That¡¯s just how I am.¡± Aria teased, ¡°Do you act like this around your family too?¡± ¡°Not with them,¡± Owen replied. He was only this cheeky when he was with her. Aria fell silent for a moment. ¡°I need to take Lily to her exam tomorrow, so I should get some sleep,¡± she said. +38 ¡°I¡¯lle with you,¡± Owen blurted out. Then, realizing what he¡¯d said, he quickly added, ¡°I mean, I¡¯lle with you tomorrow to take Lily to her exam.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help but smile at how nervous he looked. ¡°I know,¡± she said. Owen let out a relieved sigh. ¡°So, does this mean you¡¯ve forgiven me?¡± Aria looped her arms around Owen¡¯s neck, leaned in and nted a light kiss on his cheek. ¡°I¡¯m not mad,¡± she murmured. ¡°Time for bed. Good night.¡± Owen nodded, a little dazed, a big grin spreading across his face. ¡°Good night.¡± Early the next morning, after breakfast, Aria double¨Cchecked Lily¡¯s exam supplies. ¡°Got everything?¡± she asked.¡°All set,¡± Lily replied. Owen opened the shoe cab and took out their shoes. ¡°Let¡¯s put on our shoes and head out.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lily gave him a meaningful look and caught herself mid¨Cword. ¡°I mean, thanks, Owen.¡± Owen caught that look and grinned even wider, clearly delighted. ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± he said warmly. Most students from Larkridge High School were assigned to take the exam at their own school, and Lily was no exception. The three of them set off and soon arrived at Larkridge High School. Lily took a deep breath. She turned to them and said, ¡°Aria, Owen, I¡¯m heading in.¡± ¡°Okay, good luck,¡± Owen nodded. A crowd of anxious parents had gathered at the school entrance, fussing over their kids withst¨Cminute reminders. Aria thought for a moment and added, ¡°Just take it easy¨Cno need to stress. It¡¯s not like our family¡¯s short on money anyway.¡± A parent overheard what Aria said and turned to their own child, ¡°Our family¡¯s well¨Coff too, but you still need to study hard. If you score 1550 points on the SATS, Dad will buy you a Porsche Cayenne¨Cpaid in full!¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad!¡± The boy grinned, then spotted Lily and waved eagerly. ¡°Hey Lily, looks like we¡¯re in the same exam room¨Cgood luck!¡± Lily smiled and said, ¡°Thanks. Good luck!¡± The boy¡¯s father frowned disapprovingly. ¡°Stop it¨Cjust focus on your own exam. Didn¡¯t you hear what her sister said? Their family¡¯s loaded, so even if she bombs the test, it¡¯s no big deal for them.¡± The boy rolled his eyes at his father. ¡°Come on, Dad, don¡¯t be ridiculous. Lily¡¯s not going to mess up the exam.¡°¡± His father snorted, ¡°You never know.¡± Aria¡¯s expression darkened. 09:43 Tue, 24 Jun Owen shot the man a cold, disapproving re. 81%0 The boy rolled his eyes in exasperation. ¡°Dad, ever since Lily transferred to Larkridge High School, she¡¯s been the undisputed top student. She¡¯s never scored below 1550 out of 1600 on any exam!¡± The boy¡¯s father¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, she¡¯s that top student your mom keeps talking about?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The boy, who had always disliked his father¡¯s condescending attitude, suddenly remembered something and said, ¡°Oh right, Dad, didn¡¯t you always want to work with the Stars Group on that project? Well, turns out Lily¡¯s sister happens to be their majority shareholder.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± the boy¡¯s father blurted out, staring at Aria in disbelief. Feeling much better, Lily turned to Aria and said cheerfully, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m going in now.¡± ¡°Okay, good luck,¡± Aria said. The boy hurried after her. ¡°Lily, wait up!¡± he called. The boy¡¯s father looked awkwardly at Aria, about to speak, but before he could say anything, Aria turned to Owen and started talking. The two of them walked off together without a backward nce. Their car was parked about a ten¨Cminute walk away. The two walked side by side. Zoe was dropping her son off for the exam when she spotted Aria and Owen walking side by side. She froze, then turned to Caleb and asked, ¡°Is Aria dating Owen?¡± Caleb said calmly, ¡°Just walking together doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re together yet.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± she hesitated, clearly wanting to say more but stopped herself. Zoe didn¡¯t say anything more. After a moment¡¯s thought, she took out her phone, found Emma¡¯s contact, and sent a message. [Emma, is your son seeing anyone?] Again Marriage 453 Chapter 453 Emma: [What¡¯s up? Are you trying to set Owen up with someone?] Emma: [Don¡¯t bother. My boys already got their eyes on someone.] Zoe gasped in shock. [What? Does Owen have feelings for my daughter?] Emma shot back. [Who said my son likes your daughter? He doesn¡¯t even know her!] Zoe: [I just saw them walking together with my own eyes.] Emma replied. [Nonsense! That¡¯s impossible!] Zoe said nothing. Instead, she snapped a photo and sent it over. [See for yourself.] Emma: [Oh my God, you almost gave me a heart attack! I thought you meant my son was with your daughter Silvia¨Cthank goodness it¡¯s just Aria.] Zoe thought to herself, ¡®What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡® Even slow¨Cwitted Zoe finally caught Emma¡¯s drift¨Cshe was implying that Aria wasn¡¯t her real daughter. Zoe was resentfully annoyed but couldn¡¯t counter it. Seeing the two about to walk away, Zoe instinctively started to move forward, but Caleb grabbed her arm. ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± he asked. Zoe said, ¡°I¡¯m going over to say hi to Aria.¡± Caleb shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to bother her in this situation.¡± Zoe was about to say something more when she saw Caleb turn to the driver. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the office,¡± he said. ¡°Please take my mother home.¡± The driver replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± 81% The crowd of parents waiting outside the SAT testing center was huge. Aria and Owen, who had started an arm¡¯s length apart, were gradually pushed closer together by the jostling crowd. Once they were out of the crowded section, Owen kept the same close distance, his fingers twitching slightly as he subtly inched closer to Aria. His phone buzzed in his pocket, making him quickly withdraw his hand and take it out. It was a text from Emma. Emma: [Did you go with Aria to take Lily to her SAT? You two seem pretty close these days, huh?] Owen replied, [Yeah, Mom. How¡¯d you know?] Emma: [Zoe mentioned it, but that¡¯s not the point..] Emma: [Son, be honest with me¨Cdo you have feelings for Aria?] [Yep,] Owen replied. Emma sent over a ¡°OMG¡± merne, leaving Owen utterly baffled. [Son, I know Aria is wonderful, but falling for her is one thing¨Cwe can¡¯t be the other man!] 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun Owen was speechless at that. He sighed to himself, ¡®It¡¯s entirely the mess I¡¯ve made for myself.¡® Owen let out a sigh. Aria turned to him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Owen said, ¡°Aria, my mom told me not to be the other man.¡± Aria asked confusingly, ¡°What?¡± He handed her his phone, and Aria took it naturally, scrolling through the text exchange. 281% She didn¡¯t know exactly what Owen had said to Emma on the phone at the cinema, but she could guess the general idea. ¡®Emma must have thought i was with someone else,¡® she thought, ¡®that¡¯s why she told Owen not to be the other man.¡® Aria couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter, handing the phone back to Owen with a teasing smile. ¡°How are you gonna reply?¡± she asked. Owen smiled and said yfully, ¡°Take a guess.¡± Owen took the phone, suppressing a smile, and typed, [Mom, once I make her mine, I won¡¯t be the other man anymore.] Emma¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She always thought only her older son would do this kind of thing¨Cbut she never expected her younger one would try to steal someone¡¯s girl too. After bracing herself for a long while, Emma finally muttered, ¡®It¡¯s all over.¡® After a while, a new message popped up. [Mom, it was actually me with Aria at the moviesst time. I faked being sick just to cling to her¨Cstill working on winning her over, so don¡¯t get the wrong idea!] Emma heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Goodness, he nearly scared the heck out of me!¡± Emma: [Go for it, son! Your dad and I will give you two some space.] Owen smiled and slipped his phone into his pocket. Suddenly, Aria grabbed his hand, her fingers gently intertwining with his. Aria gave his hand a gentle squeeze and said, ¡°You can just tell your mom. I don¡¯t mind.¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun Again Marriage 454 Chapter 454 281% He paused momentarily, a radiant smile blooming across his face as he squeezed her hand back, their fingers intecing. ¡°When the time is right, I¡¯ll say it.¡± Caleb watched the scene unfold, a subtle smile touching his lips. Turning to his assistant, Jeffrey, he said, ¡°No need to stop. Just keep driving.¡± Jeffrey replied, ¡°Sure, boss. Owen¡¯s a great guy. Miss Saxon will be happy with him.¡± Caleb nodded in agreement. ¡°Mm¨Chmm, Owen really is a great guy.¡± After the SATs were over, Ondo showed up at the door with Rachel. Seeing Owen also present, Ondo frowned and said curtly, ¡°We¡¯re here to talk about Rachel. Isn¡¯t it inappropriate to have an outsider here?¡± Rachel quickly cut in, ¡°If Aria¡¯s my sister, then Owen¡¯s practically family¨Cnothing inappropriate about him being here!¡± Aria shot Ondo a cold sidelong nce. ¡°If you can¡¯t talk, you can leave. Rachel stays.¡± Owen smiled but remained silent. Ondo pursed his lips and pulled several documents from his bag. ¡°These are the DNA test reports for Rachel and Dominic, Rachel and Alice, and Rachel and Silvia. If you don¡¯t believe it, you can have them tested again.¡± ¡°No need for another test. I know she¡¯s Pearl,¡± Aria said, ncing at the reports before fixing her gaze on him. ¡°So, what kind of arrangement did you and Russ Ondo didn¡¯t answer directly but instead asked her, ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡± Aria nced at Lily and Rachel, who were sitting together, and said firmly, ¡°I have more than enough money. If she¡¯s willing, I can take her in.¡± All the kids in Jamn were afraid of Aria, except for Pearl. Even when Aria wore a cold expression, Pearl would still smile at her. It was precisely because of this that, sixteen years ago, Aria¡¯s heart softened toward her. From the very beginning, Aria had altered Pearl¡¯s life path. Now that fate had brought them together again and Pearl needed her help, Aria was determined to see it through to the end. Rachel beamed, nervously clutching Lily¡¯s hand. Seeing Rachel¡¯s delight, Ondo felt a pang of frustration. He turned to Aria and challenged, ¡°Are you sure you can protect her?¡± Aria¡¯s voice turned icy. ¡°I don¡¯t owe you any expZoetion.¡± Ondo was about to say something more when Rachel interrupted him, ¡°Ondo, don¡¯t forget what you promised me.¡± That night, Ondo reached out to Russell and ¡°revealed¡± Rachel¡¯s true identity to him. Naturally, Olivia found out as well. Terrified her abuse of Rachel woulde to light, Olivia insisted Aria had no right to take Rachel away, saying they had no blood rtion. Soon after, Rachel and Olivia spoke privately on the phone. And Olivia finally agreed. Ondo asked Rachel what they had discussed, but she refused to say a word, Rachel looked at him seriously and said, ¡°Ondo, no matter what, you guys saved me, and I¡¯m really grateful for that. But I¡¯ve helped you guys toa sa we¡¯re even 1/2 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun 81%0 Having spent years with the Wolfshade Syndicate, Rachel had ess to intel they weren¡¯t privy to. She¡¯d had their backs on multiple asions¨Cthis wasn¡¯t her first time. Ondo gazed at Rachel, a storm of emotions flickering in his eyes. It seemed he and Russell had never truly understood her. Rachel was decisive. ¡°Once I¡¯m with Aria, no matter what happens to me¡ªwhether I live or die¨CI don¡¯t want you causing her any trouble. Without Aria, I wouldn¡¯t have survived infancy. No one has the right to me her for anything.¡± If it weren¡¯t for their negligence, Rachel wouldn¡¯t have suffered all these years, or ended up with scars on her face. Ondo said, ¡°Rachel, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Rachel¡¯s eyes welled up. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize,¡± she said softly. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be brave.¡± Ondo still resented Aria over what happened to Sara, but with Rachel choosing her, he had no choice but to ept it. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of everything Rachel looked at Aria, eyes bright with hope, and asked, ¡°Aria, since you¡¯ve agreed to take me in, can I take yourst name?¡± Looking into her sparkling eyes, Aria nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Pearl beamed. ¡°Then from now on, I¡¯ll go by Pearl Saxon.¡± Aria paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Yeah, Pearl Saxon.¡± Rachel looked up hesitantly and asked, ¡°Would it be all right if I stayed here tonight?¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Sure. Your room¡¯s ready. You can stay with Lily tonight if you want.¡± Pearl was thrilled. ¡°Thanks, Aria.¡± G Çú AD Comment Again Marriage 455 Chapter 455 After Ondo left, Owen didn¡¯t linger either. He blurted out, ¡°Pearl, any food allergies or things you don¡¯t eat? I¡¯m going to cook for my girl Aria,¡± The moment Owen said that, both Aria and Lily immediately turned to look at him. Owen kept hisposure, though he stole a guilty nce at Aria. He thought to himself, ¡®Oops, a slip up.¡¯ Pearl shook her head. ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not picky. I eat everything.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get cooking then,¡± Owen said. Before leaving, he stole a quick nce at Aria. Aria had anticipated his nce and gave him a knowing smile. ¡®You¡¯ve really gotten the hang of calling me ¡®my girl, haven¡¯t you?¡± Owen cleared his throat and hurried out. 81% Aria stood up and gently ruffled Pearl¡¯s hair. She said, ¡°Ondo must have told you that you have a biological older sister. If you¡¯d like to meet her, I can help arrange it.¡± Pearl quickly shook her head, her eyes filled with caution. She said softly, ¡°Aria, having you is enough. I don¡¯t want anyone else.¡± Aria gave a helpless smile. ¡°No one¡¯s sending you away. Even if you reunite with her, we¡¯re always family.¡± Pearl¡¯s fingers twisted nervously in herp. She stammered, ¡°What if¡­ what if she doesn¡¯t want me? Maybe it¡¯s better not to disturb her.¡± ¡°How about I contact her first, just so she knows you exist? Would that be alright?¡± Aria asked gently. Aria thought she couldn¡¯t offer Pearl much. Though Lily was with her, she¡¯d barely taken care of her. If someone else wanted to look out for Pearl, that might actually be a good thing. Pearl thought for a moment, then gave a small nod. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you think is best, Aria.¡± ¡°Let Lily show you to your room. And if you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to speak up,¡± Aria said. Pearl nodded. ¡°Okay!¡± Aria gently patted Lily on the head and said, ¡°Now that the exams are over, you deserve a break. Talk it over with Pearl and pick a ce. I¡¯ll take you both out.¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll head over.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lily replied. As Aria arrived, she heard the sound of chopping from the kitchen. Leaning casually against the doorway, she eyed Owen with a yful smile. ¡°My girl, huh?¡± she teased. Owen heard the sound and knew it was Aria, but pretended not to notice. He hadn¡¯t expected her to tease him the moment she walked in. He paused mid¨Cchop, nced up at her with a sideways look. ¡°You¡¯re my girl, aren¡¯t you? So, what¡¯s the problem with that?¡± Aria tilted her head yfully. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Then, what should I call you?¡± He kept his head down and continued chopping, avoiding eye contact. ¡°Call me whatever you like,¡± he said. Aria walked in and slipped her arms around Owen from behind. He tensed up momentarily before rxing into her embrace, ncing over his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked gently. 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun ¡°Owen, thank you,¡± Aria said. Owen smiled softly. ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Aria murmured, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, the girls would be stuck eating takeout from Amour Bistro with me every day.¡± Owen chuckled. ¡°With Amour Bistro¡¯s food being so famous, you should be grateful I¡¯m not depriving them of it.¡± Aria let go of him and rolled up her sleeves to wash her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll help too¨Cthis way, we¡¯ll finish faster.¡± Owen didn¡¯t refuse. ¡°Alright, you can wash those veggies first, then chop up the tomatoes,¡± he said. 81% 4231 Aria got right to work, peeling garlic and prepping scallions. Once Owen had the soup ready and started stir¨Cfrying, he grinned and shooed her out. ¡°Go wait in the living room. I¡¯ll be quick. It¡¯s about to get smoky here,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not that smoky,¡± Aria said with a yful tone. ¡°Let me stay and help.¡± # Again Marriage 456 Chapter 456 ¡°Nope,¡± Owen said, ushering her out with a yful grin. ¡°You pick things up way too fast. If you learn to cook, I¡¯ll be no use to you.¡± Despite her genuine eagerness to help, Aria was still yfully ushered out of the kitchen. Half an hourter, Lily and Pearl came over. Lily, already used to it, said to Pearl, ¡°Just make yourself at home. The morefortable you are, the happier Owen will be.¡± Pearl whispered, ¡°Actually, I think it¡¯d be much more convenient if Owen just moved in with Aria.¡± Lily nodded in agreement. ¡°Or Aria could just move in here. That way, we can keep each otherpany and stop being third wheels to them.¡± Aria tapped the table. ¡°You two, I heard every word.¡± Lily grinned sheepishly and said, ¡°Aria, you could always pretend you didn¡¯t hear that.¡± ¡°Not even a little bit,¡± Aria grinned. Owen set down thest dish. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready!¡± he called. Pearl took a bite of the food and beamed with genuine admiration. ¡°Owen, your cooking is amazing!¡± Lily chimed in, ¡°This is literally the best meal we¡¯ve ever had!¡± Owen¡¯s eyes sparkled with warmth. ¡°Just tell me what you want to eat, and I¡¯ll make it for you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Owen!¡± Lily thought for a moment and said, ¡°Aria, when Pearl¡¯s summer break starts, let¡¯s go on another trip!¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Aria nodded. Owen¡¯s brow lifted slightly. ¡°Going abroad?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s explore locally first.¡± Owen grinned, ¡°Once you¡¯ve set the dates, count me in.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± Aria teased. Owen smiled. ¡°I can take time off, no big deal.¡± He just took time off to go with them¨CAria suddenly thought he was like some decadent emperor, skipping court to indulge himself. Aria was staring at Owen so openly that he immediately noticed. Looking up, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Nothing much. Let¡¯s eat,¡± Aria said casually. Owen wasn¡¯t buying it. After dinner, Lily went to her room to help Pearl with her studies. As Aria was about to leave, Owen grabbed her wrist and asked. ¡°That look you gave me when I mentioned taking time off¨Cwhat were you thinking then?¡± Ariaughed. ¡°Why are you so hung up on this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen you look at me like that¨Cso curious. Come on, since I cook for you, can¡¯t you satisfy my curiosity just this once? 1/2 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun e, 24 Jun Owen asked in a coaxing tone, ¡°Deal?¡± With Lily and Pearl out of earshot, Owen dropped all pretense of restraint. His voice unconsciously softened,ced with a honeyed sweetness Aria¡¯s ears perked up slightly. ¡°That eager to know?¡± she teased. Owen responded with a t ¡°Mm,¡± her tone devoid of warmth. Aria grinned mischievously and teased, ¡°Then act cute for me. Let me hear it.¡± Owen flinched, his voice snapping back to normal. Gone was the earlier softness. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Aria turned to leave, teasing, ¡°Well then, I¡¯m not telling you.¡± Owen grabbed her hand and grinned, ¡°If I act cute, will you tell me then?¡± Aria nodded with a grin. ¡°Yep.¡± Owen pressed his lips together, cleared his throat awkwardly, pouted, then forced out in a baby voice, ¡°Please?¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. Owen¡¯s face visibly flushed. He quicklyposed himself, then gently scratched her palm with his fingertips. ¡°Your turn.¡± Aria grinned and confessed, ¡°Honestly, I was thinking you¡¯re like some decadent emperor¨Cso busy indulging in pleasure that you don¡¯t even bother showing up for business.¡± Owen gave a gentle tug, pulling Aria a step closer and said with a teasing glint in his eyes, ¡°You¡¯ve got it backwards. You should be the queen, and I¡¯m your loyal admirer.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Howe I never realized you had such a funny side before?¡± The first time Aria met Owen was at Seacrest Law Firm. Back then, she thought he was a serious and proper man¨Cthe very embodiment of an upstandingwyer. Then, she realized she¡¯dpletely misjudged him. Owen wrapped his arms around her waist, continuing their yful banter. ¡°So, my queen, will you be staying with me tonight?¡± É« AD Comment Send gift No Ads 81% 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun Again Marriage 457 Chapter 457 His voice was deep and rich, tinged with a husky edge¨Clike fine aged wine. Utterly captivating, Owen remained seated, her arms wrapped snugly around his waist. Aria only needed to lower her eyes to see him. The cor of his T¨Cshirt rested just below his corbone as he tilted his head back, revealing his prominent Adam¡¯s apple, which bobbed as he swallowed. ¡®He¡¯s definitely trying to seduce me,¡® Aria thought, her heart skipping a beat. With Owen¡¯s striking looks right before her, Aria found it impossible not to be tempted. She brushed aside his tousled locks, tipped up his chin with her fingertip, then leaned down to kiss his forehead. ¡°It¡¯s too early to decide it,¡± she teased. Owen only said those words when the mood felt right¨Che simply wanted her to grow ustomed to his closeness, not because he truly expected her to sleep with him. They¡¯d just gotten together. It was definitely too soon to sleep together. Her kiss on his forehead was more than enough for him. Just as Owen¡¯s lips curved into a smile, Aria¡¯s next words came. ¡°It¡¯s not even dark yet,¡± she said. He froze, shock shing in his eyes. ¡°Wait, you mean I can stay with you tonight?¡± Aria rubbed his chin and grinned. ¡°You really are a feast for the eyes, handsome. It¡¯d be a shame to shut you out.¡± She had to admit Owen was sessfully seducing her. If Lily and Pearl weren¡¯t home, she¡¯d be kissing those lips right now. Owen noticed her gaze lingering on his lips, his hand around her waist forming a loose fist. ¡°So¡­¡± He whispered, ¡°Should I freshen up and wait for you tonight?¡± ¡°Deal,¡± Aria said. The moment she agreed, Owen¡¯s mind was a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts. Part of him was still lost in the vivid memory of kissing her in the car, while another part reminded him of the promise he¡¯d made to take things slow. Yet there he was, shamelessly making a suggestive remark, practically inviting her to ¡°stay for the night.¡± A chaotic storm of thoughts crashed through his mind¨Creason battling with desire, lustful and innocent thoughts shing one after another. ¡®What a mess,¡® he thought,pletely thrown into turmoil. After all that overthinking, Owen finally decided, ¡®Enough overthinking. I¡¯ll just go with the flow.¡¯ Aria couldn¡¯t help but smile at Owen¡¯s rxed expression, finding it both amusing and a little exasperating. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m heading out. See you tonight.¡± ¡°See you tonight,¡± Owen replied with a grin. As soon as Aria left, Owen put the dishes away and tidied up the kitchen. After finishing, he took a shower. This time, he spent ten minutes longer than usual, lost in thought. After showering, Owen tidied the room and changed all the sheets and bedding. He worked up such a sweat that he had to shower again. Pearl¡¯s academic foundation was weak, so she needed to systematically learn everything from scratch. 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun To help Pearl prepare for the SAT in two years, Lily arranged a rather intensive study schedule. Fortunately, Pearl was bright and highly motivated, so she managed to keep up with the pace. Two hourster, Lily closed the book and said, ¡°That¡¯s it for today. You have ss tomorrow, so just stick to the study n i made for you. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t pay attention in ss.¡± Given Pearl¡¯s current situation, she could barely understand any of the high school freshman material. ¡°Okay.¡± Pearl nodded. As Lily and Pearl came out of the living room, they saw Aria standing at the doorway. The delivery man said politely, ¡°Ms. Saxon, Mr. Todd instructed me to deliver these custom acupuncture needles, along with the herbals and tools you requested.¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± The delivery man set down the packages and left. Lily walked over and asked, ¡°Aria, what did you get?¡± Aria set the box aside. ¡°These are for Pearl¡¯s face treatment,¡± she said. Pearl froze, her eyes wide with shock. Aria looked at her with gentle eyes and said, ¡°The scars can be lightened.¡± Treating burn scars was a lengthy process. First, she had to improve blood cirction to so and regeneration. e scar tissue, then use medication to aid in scar repair Aria¡¯s scar was on her back, making it impossible for her to perform acupuncture on herself. While she was with the Solemnity Guild, she was too preupied with training and missions to have time for any treatment. It wasn¡¯t until after she left Solemnity Guild that she began applying medicine, which was why her recovery had been slow. AD Comment Again Marriage 458 Chapter 458 She continued gently, ¡°The regr school curriculum isn¡¯t a good fit for you right now. Let¡¯s keep you enrolled and arrange for a private tutor to help you study at home. Once you¡¯ve caught up academically, you can return to school¨Cand staying at home will also make it easier to treat your scars.? Lily gasped, covering her mouth. ¡°Aria, can Pearl¡¯s face really go back to how it used to be?¡± Aria smiled gently. ¡°Not 100%, but with makeup, no one will be able to tell.¡± If Pearl¡¯s injuries had been properly treated from the start, the scarring wouldn¡¯t be this severe. Olivia clearly withheld treatment on purpose. Ondo and Russell were so caught up in their own affairs that not only did they fail to help Pearl, but actually ended up hurting her. Tears streaming down her face, Pearl rushed over and threw her arms around Ar¨ªa. ¡°Thank you, Aria,¡± she choked out, her voice trembling with emotion. Ar¨ªa gently patted her back. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. We¡¯re family.¡± Aria wasn¡¯t in a hurry to ask Pearl about her proficiency in hypnosis. From Pearl¡¯s perspective, anyone who taught her those self¨Cdefense skills had done her kindness. ¡®I have no quarrel with this person, so there¡¯s no need to make an issue of it,¡® Aria thought. Ar¨ªa decided to wait until Pearl was settled before bringing it up. Upstairs, Ondo stood by the window, gazing at the cityscape. A shadow of destion clouded his eyes. He asked, ¡°Russell, are we really just letting Rachel stay with Aria?¡± Russell¡¯s calm voice came through the earpiece.¡°Rachel¡¯s better off with Aria than with us.¡± Ondo sighed. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for being so careless. I should¡¯ve noticed Rachel wasn¡¯t herself sooner. For Olivia to go so far as to brutalize a child, she¡¯s downright vicious.¡± ¡°I dragged her into this too,¡± he said, full of guilt. Ondo asked anxiously, ¡°Russell, if Olivia could do this to Rachel, and Sara was with her before. Could her disappearance be rted to Olivia?¡± ¡°Yeah, it could be,¡± Russell replied. The terse reply hit Ondo like a hammer. He clenched his fists/¡°That bitch deserves to die!¡± Meanwhile, in Masmubia, Russell sat in his chair, watching with icy detachment as the half¨Cdead servanty in the cell. This servant had spent over a decade in the Wolfshade Syndicate¨Cfirst as Olivia¡¯s personal attendant, then eventually bing the gang¡¯s cook. That was the ¡°truth¡± Olivia gave him¨Cthe mastermind who abused Sara and handed her over to Tyree. Later, she also abused Rachel using the same cruel methods. Russell had harbored hatred for the Wolfshade Syndicate, plotting to destroy the Solemnity Guild and make Aria pay for everything¨Conly to realize in the end that he was the one who deserved to go to hell. It was him who brought Sara to the Wolfshade Syndicate. He was the one who doomed her. It was him who pursued Olivia, making her fall for him. Fearing her abuse of Sara would be exposed, Olivia orchestrated Sara¡¯s disappearance, ultimately sending her to the Solemnity Guild¡ªwhere she met her fate leaving no trace behind. 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun ¡®I¡¯m the one responsible for all this,¡¯ he thought. Russell closed his eyes, removed his earpiece, and stood up. ¡°Execute her,¡± he ordered coldly. The guards replied, ¡°Got it.¡± As Russell walked out, Olivia, standing at the door, heard a scream¨Cher heart skipped a beat. Olivia let out a quiet sigh and walked up to Russell. ¡°Russell, were you talking to Ondo just now?¡± Russell nodded, his intimidating aura still as strong as ever. Olivia, unfazed, slipped her arm through his and said sweetly, ¡°Russell, Rachel may be gone, but you still have me. I¡¯ll always be here for you.¡± Russell gently stroked her hair. ¡°I¡¯ve been so busytely and neglected you. My apologies.¡± Olivia¡¯s eyes sparkled with secret delight. With a yful pout, she said sweetly, ¡°I get it. My father is upset with you, and you need to win back his trust.¡± Russell said, ¡°I¡¯ll go handle the casino affairs now.¡± Olivia replied, ¡°Alright, bye, Russell.¡± As Russell walked away, the smile melted from Olivia¡¯s face. Theckey leaned closer and whispered, ¡°Miss Remar, did he buy it?¡± Olivia toyed with her freshly manicured nails and sneered, ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t believe me, so what? He wouldn¡¯t dare confront my father head¨Con. ¡°Sara¡¯s been gone for years, and Russell still has a bright future ahead of him. He knows whose side to take.¡± Theckey asked, ¡°What about that little vixen? Should we have her earn Aria¡¯s trust first, then¡­¡± He made a throat¨Cslitting gesture. Olivia gave him a disdainful look. ¡°Little vixen is so frail. There¡¯s no way she can kill Aria. You handle it personally. Little vixen must die. ¡°And pin it all on Aria!¡± É« Again Marriage 459 Chapter 459 After sorting the herbs and putting them away in theb, Aria said to Pearl, ¡°Go to sleep now. We¡¯ll start tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Pearl nodded. Pearl paused, turned back to Aria, and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious why Olivia agreed to let me stay with you?¡± Aria smiled. ¡°As long as things work out, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Pearl said, ¡°I told Olivia that getting close to you would help her. She ordered me to find a chance to poison you, so she let me go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Aria smiled, but her eyes turned serious. ¡°Until Olivia is dead, don¡¯t go out unless you have to. If you must, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Pearl froze. ¡°Will she hurt me?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± <28130 Just two days ago, Pearl wasn¡¯t afraid to die. She was ready to risk everything for a way out. But now that she had felt this warmth, she didn¡¯t want to die anymore. Aria reassured her, ¡°No worries. Whenever you need to go out, I¡¯ll be right there with you. We just need to take Olivia down within a year¡± Pearl couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m really not scared. Honestly, I never liked going out anyway. Staying home suits me just fine.¡± ¡°Sweetie, go get some sleep,¡± Aria said gently. Pearl smiled. ¡°Good night, Aria.¡± Aria went back to her room, took a shower, and after a moment¡¯s thought, pulled out her phone to text Silvia. Aria: [Hey, I have something to tell you. Let me know when you¡¯re free to meet up.] Silvia replied instantly, [I¡¯m free tomorrow! How about that caf¨¦ near Mayen Garden?] [Sure, you pick the time,] Aria responded. [How about 4pm, Aria?] Silvia suggested. Aria: [OK.] Aria put down her phone and settled into her chair with a book, but she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she was forgetting something. After a moment¡¯s thought, she just shrugged and kept reading. Across the room, Owen sat waiting in his chair. By ten o¡¯clock, he¡¯d checked his messages countless times¨Cstill, no one had reached out to him. He couldn¡¯t help thinking, ¡®Did she really forget about me?¡® [My queen, have you forgotten me waiting for you? he texted, the messageced with yful teasing. When Aria saw the message, she quickly replied, [Of course not. I¡¯ming over now.] She always kept her word. Just sleeping somewhere else was no big deal for her. Besides, it wasn¡¯t their first time sharing a bed. 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun Owen: [Don¡¯t forget to bring the ointment.] 81% Aria hadpletely forgotten about applying the ointment. She quietly picked up the tube and slipped into another room. As soon as she opened the door, she bumped into a warm embrace. She instantly knew it was Owen and didn¡¯t even try to pull away. In the past, she would have kicked him away without hesitation. Owen gave her a gentle squeeze before letting go. Just as he was about to speak, Ar¨ªa covered her mouth and stifled a yawn. ¡°Let¡¯s apply the ointment first.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Ar¨ªa slipped naturally into his room, pulled back the thin nket, and slid under it without a hint of hesitation¨Cher movements smooth and unhurried. Owen stood by the bed, watching her, and thought, ¡®So I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s been shy and expectant this whole time? ¡®Aria truly lives up to herselfpletely unfazed,¡® he mused with a wry smile. ¡°Why are you just standing there? Aren¡¯t you going to help me apply the ointment?¡± Aria asked, puzzled. ¡°On it,¡± Owen replied. Owen went to wash his hands and, just likest time, sat behind her, watching as on her back. lled down her shoulder strap, exposing a stretch of smooth skin As he applied the ointment, he asked, ¡°Are you nning to help Pearl with her face?¡± Again Marriage 460 Aria responded with a t ¡°Mm,¡± her tone devoid of warmth. Owen asked again, ¡°Will you need acupuncture for that?¡± Aria said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Owen continued, ¡°Can you teach me?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Aria turned her head. ¡°You want to learn acupuncture?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Yeah. If I learn, I can help you too. Wouldn¡¯t that help you heal faster?¡± Aria smirked, a hint of amusement in her eyes. ¡°I used to be inconsistent with applying the ointment. If you help me keep up with it, the scars will gradually fade.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Pearl¡¯s scar is on her face. Acupuncture should help it heal faster.¡± Owen exhaled in relief. ¡°As long as it fades, that¡¯s good. You¡¯ll be able to wear all kinds of beautiful clothes in the summer. Not that it matters, you look good in anything.¡± With her tall figure and striking looks, she could pull off any style. She smiled. ¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡± After applying the ointment, Owen adjusted the straps of her nightgown. ¡°Ready for bed?¡± he asked softly. They¡¯d shared a bed once beforest time in her room, but tonight, it was his. Owen thought every night from then on, when hey down, he would probably picture her lying right here beside him. Aria adjusted her nightgown, shifted on the bed to face him, propped herself up, and leaned closer. ¡°Just going to sleep? Shouldn¡¯t you dance to liven things up first, my loyal admirer?¡± She arched an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at her lips, her eyes reflecting only him¨Clike he was the center of her world. It was the first time Owen had seen this yful side of her. He couldn¡¯t tell if she¡¯d really misunderstood his meaning, or if she was just teasing him on purpose. He was more inclined to believe it was thetter. If the woman he loved was sending such clear signals and he backed off, he wouldn¡¯t be a normal man. Owen bent down so their eyes were level. ¡°I¡¯m a terrible dancer, but I¡¯ve worked hard on this physique. Wanna see?¡± Aria straightened up. ¡°Sure, let me see.¡± Her gaze stayed locked on him, unwavering. Owen felt a jolt of nerves, but kept his expression steady. He grabbed the hem of his pajamas, pulled his top off, and folded it neatly at the foot of the bed. Throughout the whole process, Aria¡¯s eyes never left him for a second. Last time, she¡¯d only caught a fleeting glimpse of him changing¨Cshe¡¯d long forgotten what he looked like. This time, she could see everything clearly. It was a real treat for the eyes. 09:44 Tue, 24 Jun Aria looked up and asked, ¡°Can I touch it?¡± Owen¡¯s ears turned red, but he nodded. ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± She reached out and poked his abs with her finger. ¡°Soft.¡± Owen replied, ¡°Can get hard too.¡± He tensed his muscles, and the lower four abs stood out, two veins popping up. With the ones on the side, four lines ran down his lean waist, disappearing below. Suddenly, a hand cupped Aria¡¯s chin, forcing her to look up. ¡°Focus on the abs. Eyes stay above the waist,¡± Owen warned. +38) Owen had been prepared, and when Aria poked him, he hadn¡¯t thought much of it. But as her gaze roamed boldly, his heart pounded fiercely, heat rising through him, and even his voice came out rougher than usual. Aria just said, ¡°Oh,¡± not noticing anything amiss, and pressed her whole palm against his stomach. Owen tried to suppress the feeling, but the moment she touched him like that, his blood ran hot, every nerve on fire. Without hesitation, he grabbed her hand, pulled the silk nket over his lower half, and held her wrist tightly. Before Aria could really savor the feeling, her wrist was suddenly caught. She lord at him in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Then she felt a strange, burning heat encircling her wrist. AD Again Marriage 461 His hand wasn¡¯t just warm¨Cit burned with an almost scalding heat against Aria¡¯s skin. Aria was surprised. ¡®Did I even do anything? I just touched him for a second,¡® she thought. A thought shed through Aria¡¯s mind, and before she could stop herself, her gaze involuntarily dropped downward. His fingers mped around her chin again, forcing her head up. ¡°Eyes up here,¡± Owenmanded. As their eyes met, Aria caught the faint flush in Owen¡¯s eyes¨Ca hint of deep restraint subtly breaking through. 201708 Aria feigned innocence, her eyes curving with a yful smile. ¡°If you won¡¯t let me touch you,¡± she teased, ¡°maybe I¡¯ll just go touch someone else.¡± Owen¡¯s grip on her wrist tightened possessively. ¡°Who exactly are you nning to touch?¡± he demanded. Aria smirked. ¡°Take a wild guess.¡± Owen asked, ¡°That college guy who tipped youst time?¡± Ar¨ªa nodded. ¡°Well, his abs were seriously well¨Cdefined.¡± Owen released her wrist and turned his head away with a hint of petnce. ¡°Go ahead,¡± he muttered, his voice low and breathy with suppressed emotion. Without hesitation, Aria boldly pressed her cool hand against him, her fingertips lightly stroking his skin. With a teasing glint in her eyes, she purred, ¡°Owen, do you know what you look like right now?¡± A scorching heat pulsed through her palm like an electric current, sending waves of exhration straight to her core. Owen suppressed the urge to stop her and listened as she went on. ¡°You look just like a virtuous gentleman being ravished by a notoribus seductress,¡± Aria teased. Aria¡¯s fingers traced over the sculpted surface of Owen¡¯s abs, the skin shifting beneath her touch. With a gentle press, she could feel the hard, defined muscles flexing under her fingertips. +38 Her hand moved up to his shoulder, her fingers tracing the firm muscle. With a yful grin, she remarked, ¡°You look pretty lean in clothes. I didn¡¯t expect you to be this solid.¡± Aria thought to herself, ¡®No wonder everyone¡¯s crazy about guys with abs¨Cthis is seriously satisfying to touch.¡± Owen¡¯s hand clenched tightly at his side, veins bulging prominently on the back. He took a deep breath. ¡®She¡¯s had her fun¨Cnow it¡¯s my turn to collect, he thought. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a sudden grip seized his nape, turning his head back toward her. Then, Aria¡¯s lips crashed onto his, silencing himpletely. Aria¡¯s kiss was forceful, making Owen instinctively wrap his arms around her waist as his body fell backward uncontrobly. As soon as their lips parted, Aria pushed Owen down onto the bed and imed his mouth again. 09:45 Tue, 24 Jun The kiss took Owen by surprise. The moment their lips met, he froze. Shepletely dominated him. ¡®Being kissed like that felt incredible,¡® he thought. ¡®And with her on top? Yeah, I could definitely get used to that.¡® But she really did keep it to just simple kisses, lingering close and nuzzling gently against hirm¨Cnever taking it any further. Owen wasn¡¯t satisfied with just that. He parted her lips and kissed her hungrily, plunging deep. His hand locked around the back of her neck, giving her no chance to pull away. Unlike her tentative, fleeting kisses, his kiss was deep and urgent, pouring all his long¨Crestrained desire into her. Owen¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed repeatedly as his hand slid upward from her waist, tracing a slow, burning path along her side. 810 Aria wasn¡¯t just passively enjoying the moment. She¡¯d asionally tease him back with a yful touch, making it clear through her actions just how much she was enjoying it. Even with the nket between them, Owen¡¯s scorching heat radiated through¨Cso intense that it felt like it could melt right through the barrier, leaving nothing between them at all. As his palm brushed over the slight bump of a scar, Owen¡¯s fogged mind d a little. Embracing her, he sat up with her in his arms. He withdrew slightly, murmured against her lips, ¡°Madelyn, may I kiss your back?¡± Aria looked puzzled. ¡°They¡¯re just scars¨Cwhat¡¯s so special about kissing them?¡± ¡°Let me kiss them,¡± Owen murmured. ¡°I¡¯ve applied the ointment,¡± Aria saidzily. É« Again Marriage 462 Chapter 462 81%1 +38 Owen¡¯s fingers traced lightly over the scars on her back, his expression unreadable. In a low voice, he murmured, ¡°Well, since you¡¯re here, we can always disinfect and reapply itter.¡± Ar¨ªazily lifted her eyelids. The right strap of her nightgown slipped down to her elbow without her noticing, and she didn¡¯t care. Meeting Owen¡¯s gaze head¨Con, she teased, ¡°So, am I really less attractive than my scars?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just¡­¡± Owen started, but was cut off. Aria seized Owen¡¯s hand and pressed it against her chest. Owen¡¯s pupils dted in shock. Ar¨ªa teased, ¡°I touched you. Now, it¡¯s your turn to touch me.¡± He froze, not daring to move a muscle. He murmured hoarsely, ¡°No need for this. What¡¯s mine is yours. Touch me all you want.¡± Aria smirked. ¡°So, does that mean what¡¯s mine is yours too?¡± Owen said softly, ¡°Uh¡­ yours is still yours.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Aria huffed, abruptly tossing his hand aside. ¡°No touching for Owen was at a loss for words. Aria lowered her gaze with a yful smile and murmured, ¡°Let me look.¡± en.¡± ¡°What?¡± Owen held his breath and stammered, ¡°N¨Cno, that¡¯s not appropriate!¡± Aria crossed her arms with a scoff. ¡°Tsk. Men.¡± ¡°You just said what¡¯s yours was mine and I could touch you as I wished,¡± she teased. ¡°Now I can¡¯t even look?¡± Owen stammered, his face flushing. ¡°N¨Cnot there, but other parts are okay.¡± Aria let her hand wander to his chest, her fingertip teasingly brushing over his skin. Owen felt utterly mortified. Gripping her wrist tightly, he stammered, ¡°You¡­¡± She frowned. ¡°Still no?¡± ¡°No,¡± Owen murmured. Aria hooked her arm around him and asked with yful sincerity, ¡°Owen, didn¡¯t you volunteer to spend the night together? Then why is this off¨Climits and that forbidden?¡± Pressed close, their ragged breaths tangled together, inaking it impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Owen¡¯s lips parted hesitantly ¡°I¡­¡± Aria gazed at his bashful expression, moved closer, and pressed a gentle kiss to his eyelids. Owen instinctively closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her lips as she softly whispered, ¡°Did you prepare the¡­ you know?¡± Owen¡¯s eyes snapped open¨Chis stunned, bewildered expression said it all: he didn¡¯t. Aria took two steps back, eyeing him with mock disapproval. ¡°Owen, is this how you prepare to serve your queen?¡± 09:45 Tue, 24 Jun She let out an exaggerated sigh, feigning disappointment. ¡°Seems I¡¯ve wasted my time tonight. I shall take my leave, then.¡± Aria slipped off hisp, reaching for her shoes. One arm wrapped around her waist, and as the world spun, Aria was pulled down onto the bed. Owen¡¯s tall frame pinned her down. One hand braced beside her, the other pressed a finger gently to her lips. His breath hot against her ear, he murmured, ¡°I¡¯m about to do it.¡± The words left her utterly robbed of speech. The silken strap of her nightgown slipped off her shoulder as Owen pushed the hem higher, a wave of heat washing over her. 81% Sunlight streamed into the room as Aria slowly opened her eyes. Her throat felt parched, her lips tingling with a lingering numbness, while faint traces of pleasure¨Cpain shimmered through her body¨Csubtle yet unmistakable. Her head rested on an arm¨Cshe didn¡¯t even need to look to know exactly whose it was. Ar¨ªa turned her head and found herself face¨Cto¨Cface with Owen¡¯s handsome features, noticing his slightly swollen lips. The feeling was mutual. Her lips were tingling, and Owen was in the same boat. Her gaze dropped to his shoulder, where a ring of bite marks was hard to miss. A jumble of memories crashed into Aria¡¯smind, making her cheeks Then, she quickly looked away. Even then, she still couldn¡¯t pinpoint which words had triggered Owen, turning him into a wild beast that nearly drove her to exhaustion. Aria slowly sat up, only to be gently pulled back down by the arm around her waist. Owen nuzzled closer, his voice husky with sleep. ¡°Too early,¡± he murmured. ¡°Stay a bit longer.¡± His hair tickled her neck, making Aria squirm as she pushed him away yfully. ¡°If remember right, it¡¯s Monday. Don¡¯t you have work?¡± His leg draped over hers, pinning her calf down. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he murmuredzily. ¡°I can skip it¨Cafter all, I¡¯m the boss. No morning work for me.¡± Aria smiled. ¡®So who¡¯s the real spoiled one here?¡® Again Marriage 463 Chapter 463 Suddenly remembering something, Owen jolted upright in bed. ¡°Oh right, gotta make breakfast for Lily and Pearl. Need to get up now!¡± Ar¨ªa nced at Owen, thinking, ¡®How sweet of him to still remember making breakfast for the girls at a time like this! Owen ran a hand through his hair. His eyes identallynded on her bare shoulder, and with a pang of guilt, he quickly looked away. He was about to leave a mark on her neck, but thankfully she stopped him just in time, reminding him she still had to meet people. After that, every inch of skin below her neck bore telltale marks¨Cher shoulders included. There was no way she could let anyone see her like this. Aria followed his gaze and looked at herself, her pulse suddenly racing. ¡°Like this, how am I supposed to go back?¡± Owen swiftly got out of bed, grabbed his shirt from the foot of the bed and put it on. He opened the wardrobe, rummaged for a shirt, then half¨Cknelt by the bedside to help her into it. ¡°This will have to do for now. Sorry it¡¯s not morefortable.¡± Aria shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°Not really, considering I was the only one who got offst night.¡± She wanted to help him out, but he refused and just handled it himself. Owen fastened his shirt buttons one by one and teased, ¡°Did I please youst night, my queen? Was my service up to your standards?¡± Aria ruffled his hair with a yful smile. ¡°Oh, I was quite satisfied ut remember¨Cwhen I say stop, you stop.¡± ¡°As your loyal admirer,¡± he teased, ¡°I know how to serve you better than anyone ever could. So, you¡¯ll have to do as I say.¡± Aria was momentarily at a loss for words, shooting Owen a weird look. Owen¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he leaned in, wanting to kiss her. She turned her head away. Owen gave her puppy¨Cdog eyes and said, ¡°What, you don¡¯t want me anymore?¡± Aria turned her head, her gaze lingering on his lips for a long moment before she drawled, ¡°Did you rinse your mouthst night?¡± ¡°I did,¡± he replied. While she was still dazed, he leaned in and stole a quick kiss, grinning as he said, ¡°I got us new couple¡¯s toothbrushes and cups¨Clet¡¯s freshen up here together.¡± Aria followed him into the bathroom. As soon as she looked up, she spotted the matching couple¡¯s toothbrush set and cups. With raised eyebrows, she asked, ¡°When did you prepare these?¡± Owen squeezed toothpaste onto her brush. ¡°The other day,¡± he said. Aria took the toothbrush and urged, ¡°Hurry up and freshen up. Just head straight to work and grab breakfast on your way.¡± Owen looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m aw firm partner. My schedule is pretty flexible.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria said. After brushing her teeth, Aria rinsed her face. Owen reached for a towel and gently dried her face. While her eyes were closed, Owen tried to steal another kiss, but Aria swiftly pressed her hand against his forehead. ¡°My lips are still tingling Bebavo she teased. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll go change first. Ice your lips to reduce the swelling, or the hickies will be too obvious.¡± Owen looked a bit disappointed but still nodded obediently. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with you. If they wake up, I¡¯ll cover for you.¡± ?? 09:45 Tue, 24 Jun T 81% 28 Aria said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Once they were ready, the two headed towards the door. Owen entered the passcode and gently pushed it open¨Conly to suddenly meet Pearl¡¯s startled gaze. Just then, Lily emerged from the kitchen carrying two tes of pasta. Spotting Owen, she beamed and said, ¡°Owen, I got some groceries and made breakfast. Perfect timing¨Cgo call Aria to eat!¡± Owen instinctively moved to shield Aria behind him, but she confidently pushed the door open, walked in with perfectposure, and shed the two girls a big thumbs¨Cup with a grin. ¡°You two are amazing!¡± Pearl¡¯s cheeks flushed red as she said, a bit embarrassed, ¡°Lily did most of the work. But I can cook too. How about trying my cooking at lunch, Aria?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re in for a treat,¡± Aria responded with a smile. Owen walked in with a helpless smile and said, ¡°Well, guess I can¡¯t bribe you two with good food anymore.¡± AD Again Marriage 464 Chapter 464 81% +38 He thought, ¡®Good thing I¡¯ve won Aria¡¯s heart. With these two sweethearts around, my own cooking isn¡¯t even needed anymore! Lily set down the tes with a grin. ¡°We¡¯re totally bribable¨Cjust give us good food. Right, Aria?¡± Aria nodded with a smile. ¡°Totally, who could ever say no to delicious food?¡± Owen smiled contentedly. Aria turned and headed toward her room. ¡°I¡¯ll go get changed,¡± she said casually. Just then, both Lily and Pearl couldn¡¯t help but notice the obviously oversized men¡¯s shirt hanging loosely or Aria. The two girls exchanged a knowing look¨Ca silent understanding passing between them as they both pretended not to have seen anything. While changing, Aria nced at the vanity mirror and muttered, ¡°Is he a dog or something?¡± ¡®Should¡¯ve bitten him harder. That was way too soft.¡® ¡®Oh well,¡® she thought, ¡®I started it, and I was the one being pleasured¨Ccan¡¯t reallyin.! After breakfast, Owen went to work while Aria started treating Pearl¡¯s facial scars, with Lily assisting. Pearly on the treatment bed, her hands unconsciously clenched tightly together out of nervousness. Noticing her unease, Aria gently stroked her hair and reassured her, ¡°I¡¯ll make this quick.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Aria,¡± she said, trying to sound brave. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of pain.¡± Aria instructed Lily to light the candle. She sterilized the fire needle in the me until it turned red¨Chot, then carefully inserted it into the scar on Pearl¡¯s face, swiftly withdrew it, and repeated the process several times. Before long, tiny beads of blood began to ooze from the scar on Pearl¡¯s face. Lily¡¯s heart clenched as she watched, her face clouded with concern. Aria gave a reassuring smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. A little bleeding is perfectly normal.¡± Pearl murmured softly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt much, just a little.¡± Lily nodded, a wave of relief washing over her. Aria picked up a sterile cotton ball and gently pressed it against the needle marks to stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding had stopped, she carefully applied a thinyer of healing ointment over the scar. ¡°All done,¡± she said with a reassuring smile. Pearl sat up, surprised to find that her cheek no longer hurt, Instead, it just felt cool and numb. ¡°Aria, will I need frequent treatments?¡± asked Pearl Aria nodded and exined, ¡°We¡¯ll start with weekly sessions, then gradually space them out. A shampoo chair will be delivered soon¨Ceither Lily or I will help you wash your hair. When you shower, try to keep the treated area dry, and remember to reapply the ointment afterward.¡± Pearl nodded sweetly. ¡°Thanks, Aria.¡± In the Saxon family, Silvia plunged into the kitchen, Zoe found it a bit odd and walked into the kitchen. ¡°Silvia, stop fussing. Let¡¯s go to an exhibition. 1/2 09:45 Tue, 24 Jun ¡°I¡¯ve got ns this afternoon, Mom. Why don¡¯t you ask auntie to go with you?¡± Zoe asked, ¡°Who are you meeting with, sweetheart?¡± Ever since the switched¨Cat¨Cbirth incident, Silvia had lost touch with most of her friends and barely left the house anymore. Silvia looked conflicted. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she finally said, ¡°Aria asked to meet me ¡± Zoe was taken aback. ¡°Aria asked to meet you?¡± Silvia nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Can I go with you, sweetheart?¡± asked Zoe. Silvia couldn¡¯t bring herself to say no, but she couldn¡¯t help thinking that if her mom came along, Aria might not show up. Silvia exined, ¡°Aria said she had something important to discuss with me.¡± Zoe picked up on Silvia¡¯s tactful refusal. It stung, but she didn¡¯t let it show. Zoe thought to herself, ¡®For Aria to reach out to Silvia on her own, it must be something serious.¡® Having made peace with it, she didn¡¯t press further. At 3:30 PM, Aria set off to meet Silvia. She hailed a cab and told the driver, ¡°Just drive around aimlessly and stop after ten minutes.¡± The driver found it odd butplied nheless. The cab pulled farther and farther from Mayen Garden. Ten minutester, it came to a stop. The street was bustling with food stalls, their tempting aromas filling the air. Aria grabbed a doughnut and ate on the go. Mandino City was vibrant with friendly people, beautiful scenery, and a warm, weing vibe everywhere. It was just that damn tail behind her was really getting on her nerves Aria had been tailed since the moment she left Mayen Garden. AD Comment Send gift No Ads 60018 Again Marriage 465 Chapter 465 After finishing her doughnut, Aria tossed the empty container into the trash and rubbed her knuckles. She had to get back before 4pm. Time to deal with the stalkers tailing her. Aria ducked into a side alley without breaking stride. As expected, her pursuers took the bait. Figuring the time was right, Aria stopped and turned around. The moment she did, a figure came rushing toward her. Liam urgently grabbed her wrist. ¡°Aria, someone¡¯s following you. You¡­¡± Before he could finish, Aria flipped him over her shoulder, sending him flying. Aria wiped her wrist with visible disgust, gave the man on the ground a cold look, and snapped, ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Aria looked up sharply, her piercing gaze fixed on a shadowy corner. In a cold,manding voice, she ordered, ¡°Get out here¨Cnow!¡± No sooner had she spoken than two masked men in ck lunged from the shadows, des shing as they charged straight at Aria. Tossed by Aria for the third time, Liam scrambled up in frustration, only to see three figures locked inbat. Aria faced the two assants pressing in with their des, showing neither arrogance nor fear, but instead moving with practiced ease. In one fluid motion, she dislocated one man¡¯s arm and kicked him away, then spun to wrench the other¡¯s knife and drove it into his thigh. Piercing screams instantly filled the air. Liam couldn¡¯t help but shudder at the disy, his eyes wide as he swallowed hard. It struck him that when Aria threw him away just now, she was actually holding back. After dealing with the two, Aria dusted off her hands and cast them an icy re. ¡°Get lost now, or do you want to leave your lives behind?¡± The two exchanged a terrified nce, struggled to their feet, and limped away in panicked retreat. Liam scrambled to his feet, staring at Aria with wide¨Ceyed confusion. ¡°You¡¯re not even going to ask who sent them after you?¡± ¡°Mind your own business,¡± Aria snapped, walking away without a backward nce. Liam watched Aria¡¯s retreating figure, feeling something stir deep within him. She wore a fitted T¨Cshirt that hugged her slender waist, paired with trendy cargo pants¨Cthe whole look giving off an effortlessly cool andmanding vibe. Just a year ago, they were still legally married. Liam felt an electric current coursing through his veins¨Ca sensation he¡¯d never experienced with Hannah. His blood boiled as a single thought roared in his mind, ¡®Win her back.¡± It was just a misunderstanding. He never really cheated on her. Liam rushed out after her, only to see Aria hop into a cab and speed away. He wanted to go after her but hesitated. ¡®What if she thinks I¡¯m stalking her? That would only make her hate me even more.¡± From how Aria handled the Saxon family, it was clear that once she made up her mind to cut ties, there was no turning back. He would have to take 09:45 Tue, 24 Jun 81% things slow with her¨Crushing would only push her further away. Liam thought, ¡®She¡¯ll soon be a faculty advisor at Mandino University. I need to find a legitimate reason to and go freely on campus. Aria arrived right on time at the shop near Mayen Garden. Silvia had been waiting there for a while. Spotting Aria, she immediately rose to her feet and called out, ¡°Aria.¡± Aria gave a slight nod, pulled out a chair, and sat down. ¡°Been waiting long?¡± Silvia shook her head gently, a soft smile ying on her lips. ¡°Not at all, I just arrived myself.¡± Aria gestured for her to sit. ¡°I¡¯ve got something to tell you. What you do next is up to you.¡± Seeing the serious look on Aria¡¯s face, Silvia¡¯s expression grew solemn. ¡°Tell me, Aria.¡± Aria continued, ¡°Dominic and Alice once had a daughter. They sold her off when she was just over a year old.¡± +38 Silvia was stunned for a split second. When the truth finally hit her, her eyes flew wide and her lips trembled. She stammered, ¡°How¡­ how could they do something so despicable?¡± AD Again Marriage 466 Chapter 466 Ar¨ªa continued, ¡°By chance, we got to know each other. She¡¯s staying with me now and will continue to do so. As her biological sister, I thought you should know.¡± +38 She paused, then added, ¡°You two don¡¯t have any real bond, so if you¡¯re notfortable reuniting with her, that¡¯s fine. She¡¯s doing well now.¡± Silv¨ªa sat there in stunned silence, struggling to process everything. Aria didn¡¯t rush her¨Cshe simply waited, giving her time to take it all in. After what felt like an eternity, Silvia finally found her voice, her tone uncertain. ¡°We¡¯re practically strangers¡­ Would she even want to ept me?¡± It was precisely because the Saxon family treated her so well that their own flesh¨Cand¨Cblood daughter, Ar¨ªa, seemed all the more pitiable byparison. Though she wasn¡¯t their blood, the Saxon family had given her unconditional love. She could never go against their wishes. Even if Joseph arranged a marriage prospect for her, even if she detested the man, she still couldn¡¯t refuse. She had no choice but to follow the pathid out by the Saxon family. If she refused, she¡¯d be seen as someone who bit the hand that fed her. Silvia was like a bird in a cage¨Chow could she not envy the hawk soaring free? Everything Aria had, she earned through her own efforts. Silvia¡¯s heart swelled with both admiration and envy. ¡®Aria¡¯s truly free¨Cunshackled by anyone¡¯s expectations.¡® Silvia couldn¡¯t hate. She¡¯d received the Saxon family¡¯s love and affection, so it was only fair to lose something in return. Now that she got to know she had a biological sister, the initial shock quickly gave way to irrepressible joy. ¡®I have family after all. I¡¯m not alone, Silvia thought, a wave of relief washing over her. ¡®Maybe this is my chance to break free from the arranged marriage.¡® Aria gazed at her quietly and said, ¡°Her name is Pearl Saxon. She took myst name.¡± ¡°Pearl,¡± Silvia repeated softly, her eyes welling up with emotion. ¡°Thank you for telling me, Aria.¡± ¡®If I were Aria,¡® Silvia thought, ¡®I could never face the person who took my life without resentment.¡¯ Yet she had never seen even a trace of hatred in Aria¡¯s eyes. Aria gave her a meaningful look and asked, ¡°Do you want to see Pearl right now, or should we schedule another time?¡± Silvia said, ¡°I¡¯m free now, Aria. Would this be a good time for you?¡± ¡°Now works. Let¡¯s go,¡± Aria said. Silvia shed a gentle smile and picked up several bags beside her. When Aria looked over, she exined with a hint of shyness, ¡°These are some desserts I made myself¨Cso you can try them.¡± ¡°Mm. Thanks,¡± Aria said. ¡®Silvia didn¡¯t know about Pearl beforeing here,¡® Aria thought. ¡®So these treats¡­ were they meant for me?¡® Aria shot Silvia a subtle nce, catching the unusual spark of joy that had just shed in her eyes. ¡®Hope things won¡¯t let her down,¡® Aria thought. Standing before the door, Silvia nervously clutched the bags. ¡®If Pearl chose to stay with Aria, she must really like her,¡® she thought anxiously. 09:45 Tue, 24 Jun ¡®Aria and I are pr opposites. I¡¯m not sure if Pearl will ept someone like me. ¡°Let me take those,¡± Aria said, taking the bags from her and opening the door. Hearing themotion, Lily and Pearl emerged from their room. Pearl¡¯s face bore needle marks and was smeared with green ointment, making one side look a bit unsettling. The moment the sisters locked eyes, a tear slipped down Silvia¡¯s cheek¨Cher heart twisted with guilt and regret. ¡®My sister¡­¡® Silvia opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat¨Cshe couldn¡¯t say a thing. 80% 18 The moment she learned she had a sister, her first instinct was, ¡®This could be my way out of the arranged marriage. Instantly, she berated herself¨Chow could I even think that? What kind of sister am I?¡® ¡°Pearl¡­¡± Silvia choked out, her voice trembling. Silvia stared at Pearl, the striking resemnce between them sending a sharp pain through her chest. Staggering forward, she threw her arms around Pearl and sobbed, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Please forgive me.¡± Aria watched the two sisters embrace, feeling no regret about bringing Silvia there. Still, she believed some things needed to be made clear upfront. Çú Again Marriage 467 Chapter 467 Upon hearing from Aria about Pearl¡¯s ordeal, Silvia was overwhelmed with heartache and a wave of shame. ¡®If I were in Pearl¡¯s shoes, I probably couldn¡¯t have endured it. I might¡¯ve given up long ago, she thought. She realized how fortunate she waspared to Aria and Pearl. +32 Aria handed Silvia a ss of water. ¡°That person won¡¯t let Pearl off easily. She¡¯ll be going out less and will be homeschooled for now, so if you want to see her, you¡¯ll have toe here.¡± Silvia nodded. ¡°Sure, I¡¯lle over.¡± Aria said sharply, ¡°You cane, but your family stays out. This is your problem to handle.¡± Silvia knew exactly who ¡°they¡± were and immediately responded, ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡± If she hadn¡¯t seen Pearl with her own eyes, she wouldn¡¯t have dared to make that promise so easily. Now that they had reunited, she felt an unshakable pir of strength within her. ¡®I need to be braver, stronger¨Cjust like Pearl,¡® she resolved. Aria continued, ¡°Also, don¡¯t bring anything from the Saxon family here, and don¡¯t give any of it to Pearl¨Cexcept what you¡¯ve made yourself, like desserts.¡± That meant she couldn¡¯t spend the Saxon family¡¯s money, even if she wanted to buy Pearl a gift. Ariaid it out bluntly. Flushed with shame, Silvia twisted her fingers together and nodded ¡°Understood.¡± Aria looked at her and said gently, ¡°You graduated from Mandino University. You¡¯re more capable than you think. Don¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± Silvia was momentarily stunned, tears of emotion welling up in her eyes. ¡°Aria, I can do it,¡± she said, her voice trembling with feeling. Though she wasn¡¯t as quick¨Cwitted as others and often struggled to keep up with her teachers, she made up for it with sheer determination¨Cstudying day and night while others rested. Her relentless effort kept her consistently ranked among the top 50 students in the entire school. After years of hard work to get into Mandino University and graduate, she then found herself stuck at home, waiting on hand and foot, simply waiting to be married off. She couldn¡¯t even remember when it started, but somewhere along the way, she¡¯d be useless. ¡®I¡¯m actually quite capable,¡® Silvia told herself. Aria watched the sisters sp hands, a gentle smile on her lips. Thinking of Pearl¡¯s education, she said, ¡°I¡¯m nning to hire a tutor for Pearl¨Csomeone experienced and gentle¨Cnatured, who can teach both middle and high school subjects. The tutor should be able tomit for at least a year and conduct lessons here on a set schedule. ¡°I¡¯m putting you in charge of this. Interview no more than three candidates¨Csix hundred dors per hour, with raises for long¨Ctermmitment. Amodation and meal allowances will be covered.¡± Silvia¡¯s eyes lit up with determination at the thought of being able to help. ¡°Great! Aria, you handle the final vetting to weed out anyone with ill intentions.¡± Pearl timidly raised her hand. ¡°Aria, isn¡¯t $600 an hour a bit much? Maybe we could just get a regr tutor.¡± She thought, ¡®Eight hours¨Cthat¡¯s $4,800! Five days a week means $96,000 a month, and nearly $1.2 million a year. That¡¯s insanel Aria gently patted her head. ¡°Rx, even at $65,000 dors an hour, I wouldn¡¯t go broke. $600 is nothing.¡± 1/2 09.45 Tue, 24 Jun ¡®Compared to sixty¨Cfive thousand, six hundred dors really doesn¡¯t seem like much,¡® Pearl thought. Pearl¡¯s train of thought was sessfully diverted, and she dropped the subject without another word. Some tutors charged as much as one thousand an hour, but those were top¨Ctier senior teachers from elite provincial high schools. Pearl¡¯s educational needs were quite unique¨Cshe required a tutor with exceptionally solid foundational knowledge. 2580% 438 1.2 million dors was just the price of a single piece of jewelry for Silvia. It was really not much. But that was the Saxon family¡¯s money¨Cnot a single cent of it was earned by herself. She couldn¡¯t keep depending on the Saxon family anymore. For the first time ever, Silvia was absolutely certain about that. Just then, Zoe texted Silvia. [When are youing home for dinner?] Çú Again Marriage 468 Chapter 468 Silvia wanted to stay a bit longer and instinctively nced at Aria, her eyes silently asking for permission. ¡°Stay for dinner,¡± Aria offered. Hearing the reply, Silvia¡¯s face lit up with a bright smile. ¡°Sounds great,¡± she replied cheerfully. Just as Silvia was wondering about dinner arrangements, she saw Owen knock and enter. With a gentle smile, Owen nodded at everyone, then turned to Aria. ¡°Dinner for five tonight, I¡¯ll add a couple more dishes. Anything special you¡¯d like to eat?¡± No one spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s add some steak and a vegetable sd,¡± Aria said. She headed to the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll wash and chop the veggies.¡± Seeing this, Lily quickly got to her feet and said, ¡°I¡¯ll lend a hand too. Pearl, you and your sister just stay and chat¡ªjust wait for dinner.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Pearl nodded. After the door closed, Silvia turned to Pearl with curiosity and asked, ¡°So, do you usually eat at Mr. Shaw¡¯s ce?¡± Pearl beamed with happiness, her face glowing as she replied, ¡°Yes, Silvia! Mr. Shaw is such a great cook! How lucky Aria is!¡± ¡°Oh? Is Mr. Shaw dating Aria?¡± Silvia asked in surprise. Pearl nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Silvia thought for a moment about the Shaw family, then smiled. ¡°Mr. Shaw really is a great guy,¡± she said. In Mandino City, the Shaw family enjoyed an impable reputation¨Ca stark contrast to the Shaw family in Kanit City. She had met Owen¡¯s mother, Emma¨Ca remarkably open¨Cminded and kind¨Chearted woman. At a banquet, when someone mocked Aria, Emma immediately pped back. Owen¡¯s father, James, fiercely defended his wife, firing back at those gossips without regard for his status. She was sure the Shaw family would treat Aria well. During dinner, Silvia discreetly observed Owen¡¯s every move. Owen¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t solely on Aria. He was equally attentive to the other girls, carefully ensuring everyone felt cared for. After dinner, Owen effortlessly cleared the table while everyone else stayed seated, as if this were routine. One saying had always stuck with Silvia. It said, ¡°Don¡¯t fall for someone just because they¡¯re good to you; fall for someone who¡¯s inherently good and chooses to be good to you.¡± ¡®Owen perfectly fits thatst description, Silvia thought. Joseph introduced her to Luciano Norton. While rumors painted him as gentle, she¡¯d seen his cruel side firsthand. She was terrified of that man. The thought of spending her life with him made her skin crawl. After Silvia left, Aria walked into the kitchen. ¡°Our hardworking Mr. Shaw¨Cstill having to cook for us after a long day at work,¡± she teased. 1/2 She nced around, looking for something she could help with. Owen subtly stopped her hand and smiled. ¡°I really enjoy cooking. When I was alone, it could get pretty lonely, but now, with everyone around, it feats to lively¨CI really love it.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for my cooking skills, I might never have won you over.¡± There was not much he was good at¨Ccooking was pretty much the only thing he could take pride in Owen chuckled and teased, ¡°Besides¡­ you always bring home adorable young girls, never any mischievous young guys¡± Before Aria moved into Mayen Garden, Owen had lived a solitary routine¨Ccooking and eating alone, day after day. After she moved in, Derek, Caleb, Lily, and Pearl starteding around, and the household grew livelier by the day. Owen turned to look at Aria, a gentle smile softening his eyes. Somewhere along the way, the quiet emptiness in her eyes faded, reced by a y of emotions, and her smiles became more frequent. Owen¡¯s gaze lingered on Aria¡¯s lips, and out of nowhere, he suddenly remembered how fiercely she¡¯d bitten his shoulder the night before. His ears burned. At that moment, he¡¯d wanted her to let herself go and make a sound, to stop holding back, but she wouldn¡¯t¨Cand ended up biting his shoulder instead. Aria arched an eyebrow and teased, ¡°Isn¡¯t Derek a young guy?¡± Seriously? His mind had to go there at a time like this? Owen chided himself inwardly, then said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t count.¡± Little did Owen know that this ¡°young guy¡± would arrive so soon. Again Marriage 469 Chapter 469 The pay was incredibly attractive, drawing a flood of applicants. Silvia screened them by academic background, giving priority to students or graduates from the prestigious Mandino University and Kanit University. She hired professional instructors to design the test, then selected the top ten candidates for interviews. Ultimately, five finalists remained. Silvia added them all to a group chat, allowing Aria to make the final pick Someone asked in the group chat, [If I can teach all the subjects, can I take on the whole job by myself?] Grind for over one million dors a year? That was an offer too good to pass up! They could definitely continue working together during the summer and winter breaks too. Another person quipped in the group chat, [Eight hours of teaching? Not even a workhorse could handle that!] The person sent a smug¨Clooking emoji with the caption. [I¡¯ve got this!] As the group chat was buzzing, Rhett popped up. [With a deal this sweet, you guys aren¡¯t some scam ring from who¨Cknows¨Cwhere, are you?] Rhett saw a job posting offering a sky¨Chigh sry. It looked suspiciously like a scam, but he signed up anyway. As Aria browsed through the five r¨¦sum¨¦s sent by Silvia, a familiar name caught her eye. She clicked into the group chat¨Cjust a nce at the messages, and she immediately knew who Rhett was. [The core subjects are taught on weekdays, with physics, chemistry, and biology three times a week. You need to be based in Mandino City long¨Cterm. @Rhett, you don¡¯t meet the requirements.] Rhett: [I took a gap year, so I¡¯ll be a junior this fall. Applied to be an exchange student at Mandino University.] Above all, Rhett just had to see if this tutoring gig was the real deal or a scam. Aria: [Would you be okay with a background check?] All five responded without hesitation, [No problem.] The next day, after deliberation, Aria and Silvia settled on E and Rhett. E majored in education at Mandino University, ranking first in GPA for four consecutive years and earning recognition as a provincial¨Clevel outstanding graduate. Exceptionally capable, she declined her guaranteed postgraduate admission and chose to enter the workforce directly. E had no weak subjects and could teach every discipline as a full¨Ctime tutor. E frankly admitted her financial difficulties and asked if she could get an advance on three months¡® sry. Aria agreed immediately, telling her toe sign the contract the next day. With his outgoing personality and since Aria knew him well enough, she assigned Rhett to help E by taking on two subjects.. When Silvia showed up in person to pick them up, Rhett was taken aback. He thought to himself, ¡®This must be some scammer sent to lower our guard.¡® After picking up E, the three of them set off for Mayen Garden. Rhett kept trying to strike up a conversation with E, but she ignored him¨Cdidn¡¯t even ept his friend request, Silvia turned around and announced, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¡®Mayen Garden?¡® Rhett muttered to himself, surprised. ¡®What kind of scam operation would set up shop in a luxury neighborhood like Mayen Garden? ¡®Wait¡­this isn¡¯t some underground organ harvesting scheme, is it?¡® Rhett gulped nervously, feeling for the stun gun in his pocket. He quickly pulled out his phone and sent his location to Patrick. (If you don¡¯t hear from me in ten minutes, call the cops!] Patrick: [Rx, everyone in Mayen Garden is loaded. $600 an hour is standard there. No need to worry.] Rhett: [You heartless bastard! You really don¡¯t care if I live or die, do you?] Patrick sent over a screenshot¨Ca surveince photo where Rhett spotted himself. Rhett let out a relieved chuckle and replied, [Thanks, bro.] As Rhett followed Silvia to that familiar building, he was stunned. ¡®Wait¨Cisn¡¯t this where Aria lives? What are the odds?¡± When Silvia pressed the button for the 18th floor, Rhett couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and blurted out, ¡°Wait. Is Aria the one hiring tutors?¡± Silvia nodded and replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Rhett let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a load off my mind.¡± Ìï Again Marriage 470 Chapter 470 76% +33 Convinced he and Aria had been through thick and thin together, Rhett signed the contract without a second nce when he arrived. E followed suit, signing without even reading it. Aria looked at them and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t even going to read the contract?¡± Rhett quipped, ¡°If you wanted to sell me out, the contract wouldn¡¯t mean a thing. Even if I were the president¡¯s son, it wouldn¡¯t do me any good.¡± E¡¯s cheeks flushed slightly. She said, ¡°I trust Silvia, and besides, you¡¯re a professor at Mandino University. You wouldn¡¯t deceive us.¡± When Pearl came to meet them, Rhett and E saw her face but showed no particr reaction. With warm smiles, they greeted her together, ¡°Pearl, we¡¯ll be overseeing your studies for the next year.¡± Pearl smiled and nodded. ¡°Miss Gilen, Mr. Sutton.¡± Aria said, ¡°E, as a full¨Ctime tutor, your sry will be higher. You¡¯ll be responsible for lesson nning and curriculum design. You can choose to rent a ce or live with us.¡± E, not used to living in someone else¡¯s home, replied, ¡°I¡¯d prefer to rent my own ce. I can cover the rent myself. You¡¯re already offering me more than enough, so there¡¯s really no need for anything extra.¡± Aria said, ¡°That was already arranged¨Cyour room and board are on me.¡± Rhett piped up eagerly, ¡°What about me? Does that include me too?¡± Compared to E, he had it easy. Aria nodded. ¡°That includes you too.¡± Rhett piped up again, ¡°Can I stay at your ce too?¡± Aria gave him a frosty nce. ¡°No guys allowed. Go find your own ce.¡± Rhett grinned, ¡®So, does that mean I can at least stay for dinner?¡® ¡°Sure,¡± Aria replied. Rhett grinned, clearly satisfied. Since it was Friday and sses wouldn¡¯t start until Monday, E headed out, while Rhett shamelessly invited himself to stay for dinner. After work, Owen spotted Rhett and felt his eyebrow twitch. When Aria came over to his ce, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°I said Derek didn¡¯t count, but you really went and brought home another young guy.¡± Aria smirked, her tone light and teasing. ¡°Getting jealous, are you?¡± Owen snorted yfully, ¡°Just a little. So, he¡¯s the one tutoring Pearl?¡± ¡°Mm, he only teaches two subjects. The other female tutor will cover the rest.¡± Aria watched as he expertly chopped vegetables and said, ¡°How about I hire a cook to make things easier for you?¡± If his hands weren¡¯t upied, Owen would have yfully flicked her forehead. ¡°He won¡¯t be around that much anyway. It¡¯s just one more person. I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re still feeling guilty, would you like to stay over here tonight?¡± Aria hadn¡¯t visited in the past few days. After helping Pearl apply her ointment, she asked Pearl to do the same for her. 10:54 Wed, 25 Jun Aria leaned closer, tilting her head up with a yful glint in her eyes. ¡°Miss me?¡± Sheughed unrestrainedly, unaware of how alluring she looked at that moment. Owen leaned down and kissed her on the lips, then nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Aria tweaked his cheek yfully. ¡°You see me every day and still miss me?¡± Owen admitted, Owen: ¡°More than anything.¡± Aria teased, ¡°Did you get protection?¡± Out of the blue, Owen choked on his own saliva, coughing until his face flushed red. Aria patted him on the back, looking utterly confused. ¡°Was what I said really that shocking?¡± she asked. Finally clearing his throat andposing himself, Owen exined, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just wanted to spend some time alone with you.¡± ¡°Ooh,¡± Aria pouted dramatically, ¡°so I¡¯m not hot enough for you, huh?¡± After finding out they were together, Vanessa sent her a yful package of cheeky tips and teased, ¡°Take full advantage of Owen while he¡¯s still young. Otherwise, you¡¯ll miss out when he¡¯s past his prime.¡± Aria didn¡¯t bother to watch what Vanessa sent her, but that night, Owen truly pleased her¨Cshe actually enjoyed his closeness. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit confused¨Cwhy was he so eager to pamper me, yet showed zero interest when it came to getting intimate? Was that saying about men losing their mojo after twenty¨Cfive actually true? ( É« Again Marriage 471 Aria¡¯s frank gaze danced in the warm, golden light. Owen crooked his index finger and gently tapped her forehead. ¡°Stop overthinking,¡± he said. ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied softly, rubbing her forehead and smiling. Being with Owen made her feelpletely at ease. All she had to do was sit back, enjoy the food, and let him take care of everything. ¡®Couldn¡¯t be morefortable,¡® Aria thought contentedly. Rhett had assumed Aria had hired a cook, but when he arrived at Owen¡¯s ce, he was stunned to discover that the person doing the cooking was the renowned attorney Owen himself. At that moment, Rhett¡¯s inner voice screamed, ¡®Who the hell am I to deserve a meal cooked by Owen himself? Five minutester, Rhett let out a contented sigh. ¡®Damn, this is so good.¡® Rhett grinned, eyeing Aria enviously. ¡®Lucky her. Eating like this every day.¡¯ Noticing Rhett¡¯s tender gaze, Owen frowned and gave him a light kick under the table. Rhett flinched, his gaze sharpening. ¡®Who just kicked me?¡® he wondered.- Rhett nced around and saw Owen elegantly serving Aria some soup. Then his gaze shifted to her face. Aria happened to nce at him, her gaze unreadable. Rhett confirmed it now. ¡®It had to be Aria who kicked me. She must¡¯ve noticed how much I was eyeing Owen¡¯s cooking. Is she jealous?¡® he wondered. ¡®Why is Rhett looking at me?¡® Aria wondered, feeling a bit strange. ¡®And why does he look so clueless?¡® All of a sudden, Aria found herself regretting hiring Rhett as a tutor. Owen set the bowl of soup in front of Aria with a soft clink. She turned her head, meeting his deep eyes. His gaze seemed to use, ¡°Why were you staring at Rhett?¡± Aria arched an eyebrow as if to say, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re getting jealous again.¡± Owen nodded slightly, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips as if replying, ¡°Yeah.¡± It wasn¡¯t real, but Rhett had once pursued her. Aria looked at Owen reassuringly, sipped her soup, and felt her phone buzz. She picked it up, quickly replied to a message, and slipped it back into her pocket. Seeing this, Owen slipped his hand under the table, trying to intertwine his fingers with Aria¡¯s left hand. Today, Rhett was wearing a shirt that felt a bit tight around his right shoulder. He set down his fork, reached under the table, anc his left hand. As Rhett was pulling his hand back, something suddenly brushed against it. The next instant, a hand hooked around his pinky finger. In that instant, Rhett¡¯s mind shed back to the ghost story his roommate had told him just days before. ¡°Bang!¡± Rhett shot to his feet, face pale with terror. ¡°Something¡¯s under the table. It¡¯s grabbing my hand!¡± d at his cor with Owen had already pulled his hand back the moment Rhett began freaking out. Realizing he¡¯d grabbed the wrong hand, a flicker of embarrassment. crossed his face, but he quickly regained hisposure. Owen nonchntly wiped his hands with a tissure, gave Rhett a sidelong nce, and said. ¡°A ghost? In Broad daylient?¡± ¡°There is! Really.¡± Rhett insisted. Then, he mustered up his courage and peeked under the table, only to see nothing but everyone¡¯s legs. Lily teased, ¡°Mr. Sutton, you¡¯re such a chicken.¡± Pearl nodded in agreement. ¡°So Mr. Sutton is scared of ghosts.¡± Patting his chest to calm himself, Rhett pulled his chair back and sat down. I guess I just imagined it,¡± he muttered, trying to y it cool. ¡®Only Aria beside me and Owen across the table could¡¯ve reached my hand, Rhett thought, but I distinctly remember Aria testing and Green fading s when adjusted my clothes¡­ I can¡¯t even think about it anymore. It is just way too creepy. F¡¯ll nevere to Owen¡¯s ce again! Aria looked at Rhett, who seemed utterly defeated, then turned and met Owen¡¯s eyes. ¡®Unless I was seeing things,¡® Aria thought, ¡®Owen just slipped his hand under the table. So he is the ghost¡­¡± Aria lowered her head, pressing her lips together to suppress the smile tugging at them. The more she thought about it, the harder it became to contain herughter. In the end, she failed to hold it back. Soft chuckles bubbled up from her throat in uncontroble bursts. G Again Marriage 472 Chapter 472 Owen had been keeping a straight face, but as sheughed, he flushed crimson, until finally, he couldn¡¯t help but crack up too. ¡®It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen herugh so heartily. So what if I grabbed the wrong hand?¡± Owen thought. Lily and Pearl seemed to have figured it out. Exchanging a knowing nce, they desperately tried to contain theirughter. Only Rhett looked utterly defeated. ¡°Is it that funny that I¡¯m scared of ghosts?¡± Rhett thought, ¡®It¡¯s so damn embarrassing. I¡¯m never listening to ghost stories again!¡® Ariaughed so hard that her sides ached, taking several moments to catch her breath. Looking at Rhett, she finally managed and said, ¡°Rhett, you¡¯re the first person who¡¯s ever made meugh this hard.¡± Rhett tilted his head. ¡°Then you¡¯ve got me to thank.¡± Aria said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Right after dinner, Rhett bolted without dy, and Lily and Pearl, ever perceptive, took the hint and made themselves scarce. Aria nced at Owen, barely suppressing anotherugh. Owen looked at her helplessly and said, ¡°Cut me some ck, okay?¡± ¡®Forget about this time,¡® Owen thought wryly. ¡®No more sneaky moves when others are around.¡¯ Aria nodded. ¡°Okay, besides me, no one knows that ¡®ghost¡® was you. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t say a word.¡± Owen let out a weary sigh, rubbing his temples. ¡®Lily and Pearl must have guessed it, too,¡® he thought. Aria reached out and gently rubbed his cheek. ¡°Upset?¡± she teased. His face was lean, not much to pinch. It didn¡¯t feel all that satisfying. Aria squeezed it gently and pulled her hand back, but Owen caught her and put on a theatrical pout. ¡°One kiss would make it all better,¡± he said, pretending to be hurt. Aria kissed Owen to reward him for making herugh. Owen tried to deepen it, but she pressed a hand against his chest and teased, ¡°Hey, I just finished eating and haven¡¯t brushed my teeth yet.¡± Owen relented with a sigh. After tidying up, Owen freshened up and sliced two tes of fruit. Picking up one of them, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring this to the girls.¡± Aria spat out the mouthwash and nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. Owen returned, picked up the remote, and asked, ¡°Any movies you want to watch?¡± Aria shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not picky. Whatever you want to watch is fine.¡± Owen nced at her and grinned, ¡°How about a horror movie?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria agreed. They sat down an arm¡¯s length apart. Owen, pretending to be casual, kept inching closer, until barely a finger¡¯s width separated them. Owen picked a random horror movie. 1/2 10:54 wea, 25 Jun The movie opened with a couple, deeply in love, taking a trip together and checking into an ancient castle The couple took a shower together and soon started making out on their first night staying there. Foreign movies were way more explicit than those in domestic cinemas. Owen hadn¡¯t expected the opening to be so steamy. He hastily exined, ¡°I swear, I¡¯ve never watched this movie before¡± Aria speared a piece of fruit with her fork, took a bite, and teased, ¡°Are you blushing?¡± Owen was momentarily at a loss for words. ¡°No,¡± he denied. On screen, the couple tumbled from the shower to the bed, their heated kisses punctuated by intimate sounds. Owen stole a nce at Aria. She lookedpletely unfazed, as if nothing on the screen could make her blush. He was the only one not focused. At the critical moment, the male lead suddenly convulsed violently, his whole body shaking as terror filled his wide¨Copen eyes. He wed desperately at his neck, leaving deep, bloody scratches. The female lead screamed and tried to flee, only to be caught and forced to watch in horror as her boyfriend transformed into a hideous demon. And so, the heroine began her desperate escape through the ancient castle. The movie blended Huthailian¨Cstyle horror, with plenty of genuinely chilling moments woven into its plot. Aria didn¡¯t even flinch, thoroughly engrossed in the movie. Owen inched closer until their shoulders touched, then feigned a shiver and murmured dramatically, ¡°I¡¯m so scared.¡± Aria was speechless. She nced at him and teased, ¡°Drama King Owen, your acting needs work.¡± Owen sighed, ¡°Seriously, is the movie that interesting?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m kinda bored,¡± Owen said with a pout. Aria picked up a strawberry. ¡°If this bores you, we can switch to something else.¡± When the strawberry touched Aria¡¯s lips, Owen suddenly reached out, cupped her face, and kissed her. Again Marriage 473 Chapter 473 Owen pressed closer, marveling at how impossibly soft Aria¡¯s lips were. As sweet juice seeped from between them, he caught it with his mouth, gently sucking on her lower lip. The sweetness washed over him, sending a thrill straight to his heart. His tongue slipped in and imed the strawberry from her mouth, his forehead pressed against hers as he chewed and swallowed. ¡°That¡¯s sweet.¡± Owen thought, ¡®The strawberry is sweet, but she¡¯s even sweeter.¡® Aria blinked in a daze before shooting Owen an incredulous look. ¡°Did you have to snatch it from my mouth? Are you out of your mind?¡± Before Aria realized it, Owen¡¯s arm slid around her waist, drawing her flush against him. In a husky voice, he murmured, ¡°This is forey.¡± He had her all figured out by now. ¡®She can be terrifyingly blunt sometimes,¡® Owen thought, ¡®like asking me point¨Cnk if I brought condoms. But sometimes, she¡¯s adorably clueless, analyzing whether I¡¯ve lost my mind mid¨Ckiss.¡® As the movie climaxed with a spine¨Cchilling score, Aria instinctively turned toward the screen, only to be pulled back by Owen. He asked, ¡°Is the movie better than me?¡± At that moment, his eyes gleamed with desire, lips glistening with strawberry juice. He looked even more alluring than the beautiful demon on screen. Aria answered him with action, leaning in to kiss him and taste the sweetness on his lips. With a yful glint in her eyes, she murmured, ¡°Are you seducing me on purpose?¡± Owen answered truthfully, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her onto hisp. ¡°Did my little seduction work?¡± Aria smirked and said, ¡°Yes, it worked.¡± Owen teased, ¡°So, will you sleep with me tonight?¡± The position had them pressed so close they were almost glued together. Aria didn¡¯t feel the least bit shy. After all, they¡¯d already done things way more intimate than this. Owen knew all about the dark possessive streak Aria kept hidden deep inside, just as she saw through his reserved exterior to the innocence and passion beneath. ¡°Of course, I could sleep with you tonight, but we¡¯re watching a horror movie, not a romance. The mood¡¯s all wrong. Maybe next time, darling,¡± Aria said. ¡®Should¡¯ve picked a rom instead,¡® Owen thought, then added with a yful grin, ¡°It¡¯s still early. How about we switch to a rom now?¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help butugh at his earnest expression. ¡°You¡¯re so adorable now. Let¡¯s skip the movie and read something instead.¡± Owen replied softly, ¡°Alright.¡± He grabbed the remote and turned off the movie. As Aria started to slide off hisp, he scooped her up, one arm supportin her back, the other cradling her hips, and rose to his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my study room,¡± he murmured. ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty of medical books there you can Aria looped her arms around his neck with a yful grin and said, ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t you dare drop me.¡± Owen stopped mid¨Cstep at her words, giving her a yful look. ¡°You think I¡¯m that weak?¡± ¡°Not only are you weak, you¡¯re also not up to the task.¡± Aria met his gaze teasingly. ¡°That¡¯s what you call forey.¡± Owen was at a loss for words at that moment. se.¡± 10:54 Wed, 25 Jun He let out a softugh, clearly helpless against her. ¡°Alright, whatever you say.¡± He walked toward the study, releasing one hand to adjust his grip, then effortlessly hoisted her up with an arm under her thighs and caught her Heddens toward the shelves, he said gently, ¡°These are all medical books. Pick whichever you like.¡± His voice was as calm as still water, showing no sign of exertion. He used his actions to refute her im that he was ¡°weak.¡± Aria let him carry her and began scanning the shelves intently. ¡°Lower,¡± she instructed. Owen did as she asked, watching as Aria pulled out a book. ¡°Done,¡± Aria said. He shifted her into a bridal carry and asked, ¡°Desk chair or sofa?¡± ¡°Sofa,¡± Aria replied, Owen settled Aria onto the sofa. She leaned back naturally and opened the book to the first page. Owen also picked up a book and sat beside her, cing two pens within easy reach. He said gently, ¡°Feel free to take notes. None of these books is for collection.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Okay.¡± They read inpanionable silence, each absorbed in their respective books. An hourter, Owen received a call from Emma. That afternoon, Emma attended a gathering where Zoe was also present. Zoe subtly probed about Owen and Aria¡¯s romantic rtionship, asking how serious things were between them. Again Marriage 474 If Zoe hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to send that photo, Emma would have known even less than Zoe. She¡¯d always taken a hands¨Coff approach with both sons, never interfering in their personal lives. Emma deftly dodged alt probing questions, giving nothing away and keeping up the pretense that she knew it all. As soon as she got home, she thought about it, then decided it was time to see what she could get out of her son. After all, she didn¡¯t see who was making out with Aria that day. Emma asked, ¡°Owen, what have you been up totely?¡± ¡°Mother dearest,¡± Owen replied yfully, ¡°just ba workingtely.¡± Emma fell silent for a moment, then tried a different tack. ¡°So, what are you doing right now?¡± Owen replied, ¡°I¡¯m reading.¡± ¡°Reading?¡± Emma pressed further. ¡°Alone?¡± Owen fell silent for a second before answering, ¡°Yeah.¡± Emma caught that split¨Csecond hesitation. A wide grin spread across her face. ¡®Owen hesitated,¡® she thought. ¡®If he is alone, why would he pause like that? So, he¡¯s not alone right now. No wonder they went together that day to drop off Aria¡¯s sister for the SAT. Turns out they were already a couple.¡® The more Emma thought about it, the happier she became. Clearing her throat, she teased, ¡°If you¡¯ve got time to read, you must be pretty free. How about I set you up on a few blind dates?¡± In the study, Owen looked puzzled. ¡°Why the sudden urge to set me up on blind dates, Mom? Kim is six years older. Shouldn¡¯t you be worrying about him first?¡± At the mention of ¡°blind date,¡± Aria¡¯s ears perked up, and she nced over. ¡°You¡¯re seeing someone, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re my only concern now. You¡¯re not getting any younger. It¡¯s time to settle down. Have a baby soon, and your dad and I would love to help take care of the kid,¡± Emma said. Owen pressed his lips together, muted the speaker, and held the phone away. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he murmured to Aria. Aria gave a slight nod. Owen stepped out of the study. ¡°Mom, you¡¯ve never interfered in our lives. Why the sudden push for marriage?¡± ¡°Seeing other families with their granddaughters makes me jealous,¡± Emma sighed, Owen frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t Julia enough?¡± Emma said, ¡°The more grandchildren, the better. Your/grandpa keeps pestering us to set you and Kim up on blind dates.¡± Emma wasn¡¯t lying. The family only had two grandsons, both still single. The older one hadn¡¯t gotten a girlfriend yet, while the younger looked like a bachelor. The family didn¡¯t push them, but Brodie kept urging them. ¡°Mom, having Julia is more than enough. You can¡¯t have it all, you know,¡± Owen said. Hearing Owen¡¯s words, Emma was once again/confused. ¡®Wait, are they not together yet?¡± she wondered. She continued, ¡°There are plenty of nice girls in Mandino City. Going on blind dates doesn¡¯t mean you have tomit right away. Besides, sperm quality declines with age. It¡¯s better to start a family sooner rather thanter.¡± 10:54 Wed, 25 Jun Owen said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll never have kids. I¡¯ve already had a vasectomy.¡± Emma gasped, ¡°What? You¡¯ve decided?¡± Owen confirmed, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve decided.¡± He had already scheduled the vasectomy for the day after tomorrow. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want kids. You¡¯re not the one suffering the pain of childbirth anyway. But while having children is optional, finding a life partner Emma asked. isn¡¯t. In the end, it¡¯s your spouse who¡¯ll be there to support you. You know what I mean, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Owen replied. ¡°As long as I find someone, it doesn¡¯t matter if we get married or make it official. Just being together is enough. You¡¯re right, Mom, Emma was left speechless. She thought, ¡®Not only are they refusing to have kids, but these two aren¡¯t even nning to get married.¡± Emma sighed at the thought of the Saxon family. Although Aria had severed ties with them, to outsiders, it still appeared to be a marriage alliance between the two families. Emma said gently, ¡°Just make sure you know what you¡¯re doing. Whatever you decide, don¡¯t take advantage of the girl or mistreat her, understand?¡± Owen had a hunch his mom was onto something. ¡°Alright, I need to go now,¡± he said. ¡°Alright then,¡± Emma replied. Owen returned to the study and sat beside Aria, resting his head on her shoulder. ¡°My mom might have known we¡¯re together,¡± he murmured. Aria ran her fingers through his hair and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if she knows. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re hiding anything.¡± Owen couldn¡¯t help himself. He turned and kissed her on the chin. Aria arched an eyebrow at him in confusion. ¡°Never mind,¡± Owen said softly. ¡°Just go ahead and read.¡± AD Again Marriage 475 Two dayster, Owen ordered food from Amour Bistro in advance for them and told them he¡¯d be homete. Aria replied: [Okay.] But she felt something was off, so she scrolled through their chat history. She noticed that Owen usually kept her informed about everything he did, yet he hadn¡¯t mentioned where he was going this time. Aria texted him directly: [What were you doing?] Two hourster, she finally received a reply: [Handled some business. All taken care of now. Heading back to the office. Get some rest. No need to wait for me.] He didn¡¯t borate, and Aria didn¡¯t press further. She only replied: [Okay.] After her bath, Aria leaned against the headboard at nine o¡¯clock, reading. The blue glow of her vibrating phone lit up her face. A message from Owen popped up. [I¡¯m home.] Aria didn¡¯t reply. Closing her book, she headed next door. The soft click of the fingerprint lock startled the figure standing in the entryway. Owen turned around, his shirt hem slightly creased. With his usual calm smile, he greeted her, ¡°Madelyn? What brings you here?¡± His expression was as calm as usual. Nothing seemed amiss. But Aria trusted her gut. She was certain Owen was keeping something from her. She didn¡¯t hurry toward him. Instead, she leaned casually against the wall, looked at him with a faint smile, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not happy to see me?¡± ¡°No, always happy to see you,¡± Owen replied with a gentle smile. Then, Aria stepped closer to him. Owen¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed slightly. He took a half¨Cstep back, then stopped himself. ¡°Stay over tonight?¡± Standing close, Aria caught a faint whiff of antiseptic. She looked up at Owen with a frown. ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± she asked. Owen maintained hisposure, his gaze unwavering in its sincerity. ¡°No, why would you think so?¡± He wasn¡¯t hurt, so it wasn¡¯t exactly a lie. Aria¡¯s gaze cooled. ¡°Want me to strip you down and check you myself?¡± Aria couldn¡¯t figure out why Owen would bother hiding something as simple as an injury. ¡®He seems fine, so even if he did get hurt, it shouldn¡¯t be anything serious,¡® she thought. Aria fell silent, turned, and started to leave. Panicked, Owen instinctively grabbed her wrist. ¡°I¡¯m not hurt. I just had a minor surgery at the hospital,¡± he said. His warm fingertips absently traced her wrist bone, like a silent apology. Aria let out a soft sigh and turned away. ¡°What kind of surgery did you have that you¡¯d keep from me?¡± She added, ¡°Fine if you don¡¯t want to tell me.¡±/ ¡°Well¡­ I got a vasectomy,¡± Owen hesitated before finally admitting. Aria lifted her gaze in surprise at his answer, studying him for a long moment. ¡°You¡­ Why the sudden surgery?¡± Owen smiled slightly as he exined, ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to do this for a while. I just had to wait until I wrapped up my current case? ¡®No wonder he didn¡¯t want to tell me,¡® Aria thought. ¡°Have you thought this through?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Owen gently tweaked her earlobe. ¡°I never nned on having kids, seriously.¡± Before he met her, he was a confirmed bachelor. After falling for her, all Owen could think about was treating her right and spending his life with her. Never once did the idea of having kids cross his mind. Aria murmured a soft ¡°Okay,¡± hershes lowering as her gaze flicked Owen quickly put his hand in front of her eyes. ¡°Eyes up here,¡± he said. Aria averted her gaze. ownward involuntarily. ¡°As long as I take good care of myself, I¡¯ll bounce back quickly. Plus, there aren¡¯t any side effects to worry about,¡± Owen said. She nodded. ¡°Then, for now, let¡¯s order food from Amour Bistro. Don¡¯t cook. Did you take some time off work?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Now that the case had wrapped up, I¡¯ve got nothing on my te. I can take a few days off.¡± Aria said, ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± Inte June, filming began for the fifth episode of ¡°Cozy Screening Room.¡± Aria went to Lily¡¯s room and asked, ¡°We¡¯ll be filming all day. Do you two want to hang out at Owen¡¯s or stay in your room?¡± AD Again Marriage 476 Chapter 476 Chapter 476 Every room had its bathroom, so they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about finding a toilet. Lily replied with a gentle smile, ¡°Aria, we only go to the living room when it¡¯s time to eat. I¡¯ll pop out and get it myself if we need anything.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said and affectionately ruffled their hair. ¡°Sorry to keep you cooped up today. But if the crew¡¯s cooking is good, we¡¯ll enjoy something fresh and new!¡± Since they were filming at home, cooking was a must¨Chave segment for the show. ¡°Okay,¡± Lily replied sweetly. At 9 a.m. sharp, Vanessa led the way, and the ¡°Cozy Screening Room¡± production crew arrived at Mayen Garden. Their first task was to set up the cameras. Vanessa burst in with an armful of plushies. ¡°Aria! The crew brought gifts for the girls.¡± Aria looked over. Finn Greer, the director, gave her a warm smile and said, ¡°Sorry to bother you today.¡± ¡°Not at all. Thank you for the plushies, Mr. Greer,¡± Aria replied. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on the girls,¡± Vanessa said. She had prepared some gifts herself. ¡®I can bring my gifts to them now,¡® Vanessa thought. Several staff members began installing cameras. ncing around, they noticed the painting by the stairs. Someone couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is this a painting by Mono Smith?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s just a replica.¡± ¡®Oh, it¡¯s just a replica?¡® The person who asked the question looked surprised. Finn asked, ¡°Can we include the painting in the shot?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria said, ¡°just make a note that it¡¯s a replica when you film.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Finn replied. With Vanessa gone, the atmosphere grew a bit awkward. Finn tried to break the ice, turning to Aria. ¡°I heard your sister is in her senior year. Will our filming here disturb her exam preparations?¡± ¡°She¡¯s already taken the SAT,¡± Aria said. Finn chuckled, ¡°Oh, right, I almost forgot that today¡¯s the day SAT scorese out,¡± Aria replied, ¡°Yeah, the scorese out at noon.¡± Unaware of how her sister had performed, Finn decided not to pry and smoothly changed the subject. After the crew finished setting up the cameras, Finn stood up and said, ¡°There are five guests, and with you, that makes six. Six camera operators will be here, one for each of you. We¡¯ll wrap up filming as quickly as possible to minimize disruption to your routine.¡± ¡°No worries. Just take it as Vanessa¡¯s ce,¡± Aria said. Hearing this from outside the room, Vanessa dashed over and I hugged Aria, nuzzling her affectionately. She cooed, ¡°Love you, babe. I¡¯m sleeping with you tonight.¡± The crew was dumbfounded, as the sharp¨Ctongued queen instantly transformed into a coquettish sweetheart. Finn looked at Vanessa with a could you please handle the reception of the other guests? Vanessa said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go downstairs with you.¡± After they left, Aria received a message from Ondo. [19th floor. Russell wants to talk.] Aria texted Vanessa and headed to the 19th floor. It was Ondo who opened the door. Ondo nced behind Aria and asked, ¡°Rachel didn¡¯te with you?¡± Aria walked in without waiting for an invitation. ¡°Her name is Pearl.¡± Ondo asked again, ¡°Pearl didn¡¯te with you?¡± ¡°You never mentioned bringing her,¡± Aria said as she strode over and sat opposite Russell. Noticing the fresh scar on his face, she smirked. ¡°Seems life¡¯s been treating you welltely, Mr. Nicholson.¡± Russell stared at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. ¡°You¡¯ve got a variety show to film, so let¡¯s make this quick¡­¡± Russell paused before asking, ¡°How did my sister die? Tell me everything you know, and I might spare your life.¡± Aria sneered, ¡°If I tell you, it¡¯ll look like I¡¯m scared of you. I value my pride more than my life. I¡¯d rather die than lose my pride. So go ahead, Mr. Nicholson. Try to kill me. I¡¯m ready.¡± As Aria rose to leave, Ondo¡¯s expression darkened immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t think Rachel¡¯s support gives you the right to wash your hands of this, Aria. You¡¯re just as ountable for Sara¡¯s death.¡± Aria stopped in her tracks.¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who indirectly delivered Sara to the Solemnity Guild?¡± she retorted. ¡°Come talk to me about this when you understand what ¡®respect¡® means. You can¡¯t even handle Olivia. What a pair of losers!¡± and AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 477 Chapter 477 A curl of mockery twisted Aria¡¯s lips as she turned to leave. Russell suddenly called out, ¡°Wait!¡± Then, he turned to Ondo and said, ¡°Ondo, apologize.¡± Russell had been under intense surveincetely, be another chance. managing to make this trip to Huthailia. If he missed the opportunity today, he might not get He had to get to the bottom of this, no matter what. Ondo understood perfectly. Jaw clenched, he said perfunctorily, ¡°Sorry.¡± Aria flopped back onto the couch. ¡°That was not sincere.¡± Ondo ground his teeth, forcing out each syble, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Your turn.¡± Aria lifted her chin slightly, meeting Russell¡¯s gaze with defiance. Russell¡¯s hand trembled almost imperceptibly as he poured the coffee. Aria noticed and sneered, ¡°How ironic, Mr. Nicholson. You can be humble and respectful to Olivia and Tyree. But you can¡¯t even muster an apology when facing anyone else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Russell ced a cup of coffee before Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I hope you can tell me about my sister.¡± Aria scoffed, ¡°You should¡¯ve known better.¡± Aria traced the rim of the coffee cup, picked it up, and downed it in one gulp. ¡°You only asked after such a long time. Seems you¡¯ve truly given up on your murderous intentions.¡± Russell decided to wipe out everyst member of the Solemnity Guild. To him, Aria was already a dead woman, so he¡¯d never nned to ask her anything. Now that Aria had thrown his ns into chaos, Tyree was on high alert, and Olivia no longer trusted him. Even with all his abilities, Russell knew that taking down the Wolfshade Syndicate would be near impossible. The only suitable ally he could think of was Aria. Aria began, ¡°When I first entered the Solemnity Guild¡¯s ce, Sara was already there¡­¡± Aria recounted everything about Sara, including the old scars she¡¯d noticed on her. She said, ¡°Marcus wanted me dead. Sara indeed died because of me. When the explosion happened, she pushed me out of the way. ¡°Curtis Kelley, leader of the Solemnity Guild, knew Sara¡¯s true identity. He would never have let her take on any mission that might allow her to return to the Wolfshade Syndicate and reunite with you. Her death was inevitable.¡± Marcus wanted Aria dead, and Curtis was determined to kill Sara. Even without that incident, Curtis¡¯s hunt for Sara would never have stopped. Aria was too weak back then to protect Sara, let alone save her. Aria red at Russell and said, ¡°Russell, she died because of you.¡± Aria thought, ¡®Sara wanted so desperately to live, but she just couldn¡¯t. The raw desperation in Sara¡¯s eyes etched itself permanently in Aria¡¯s heart. ¡°The Wolfshade Syndicate, Olivia, and the Solemnity Guild are your real enemies,¡± Aria scoffed. ¡°Yet you waste your time on me? How utterly ridiculous!¡± Under the coffee table, Russell¡¯s fist clenched white knuckled. Everything Aria said matched what he¡¯d uncovered himself. Aria also left out one thing. If she hadn¡¯t protected Sara, Sara would¡¯ve died even sooner. ¡®Even if Aria had died that day, Russell thought, ¡®it wouldn¡¯t have saved Sara. ¡®Though she wanted to live, Sara still instinctively pushed Aria away. Aria could have walked away from the Solemnity Guild then and there. Instead, she chose to return: She killed Marcus and ughtered the Solemnity Guild¡¯s elders. ¡®Aria did far more than I ever did. I¡¯m the one who should have died!¡® Regret surged like a tidal wave, instantly drowning Russell in overwhelming guilt. Ondo gripped Russell¡¯s trembling wrist. ¡°Russell, there¡¯s still a chance.¡± ¡®We still have a chance for revenge, Ondo thought. Aria nced at the two men and continued, ¡°The Wolfshade Syndicate and the Solemnity Guild are in cahoots. So, if you want to take them down, you should break their alliance first. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re better than I at stirring up trouble.¡± Russell unclenched his fist, his bloodshot eyes locked on Aria. ¡°Let¡¯s work together.¡± ¡°And why should I help you?¡± Aria shot back, eyebrow raised in challenge. Ondo interjected, ¡°You¡¯d be helping yourself too.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 478 Chapter 478 Aria said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re the ones who want them dead more, not me.¡± Russell asked, ¡°Name your terms.¡± ¡°Get White Fox out of the Solemnity Guild,¡± Aria said. Russell didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Russell!¡± Ondo protested. Russell looked at Ondo and said quietly, ¡°White Fox once helped Sara. Helping him now would have made her happy.¡± Ondo fell silent, his jaw tightening in reluctant eptance. ¡°Where is Sara buried?¡± Russell asked hoarsely. He had searched everywhere, but found nothing. Aria said coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that after we¡¯ve dealt with the Wolfshade Syndicate and the Solemnity Guild.¡± Russell nodded. ¡°As for Rachel-¡± Aria cut him off sharply. ¡°Pearl.¡± ¡°Howe Pearl can do hypnosis?¡± Russell asked. ¡°I¡¯m treating her facial scars right now. Once she¡¯s stable, I¡¯ll ask her myself. You two stay out of it for now. Otherwise, you¡¯ll tip them off,¡± Aria said. Ondo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait¡­ Can Pearl¡¯s face be healed?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria sneered, her eyes shing with derision. ¡°If you two had given a damn back then, the scarring wouldn¡¯t be this severe.¡± With that, Aria rose to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± she said coolly. Ondo said sincerely, ¡°Thank you, Aria.¡± He truly meant it. ¡®We had failed Sara before,¡® Ondo thought, ¡®and now we are failing Rachel too. If it weren¡¯t for Aria, Rachel might have ended up just like Sara¡­¡¯ The door was closed with a loud bang. Thinking of Sara¡¯s tragic death and the pain she endured, Ondo seethed with hatred and grief. He choked out, ¡°Russell¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ondo owed his life to Russell. Back then, he was barely clinging to life. If not for Russell¡¯s protection, he wouldn¡¯t have survived till now. It was right around the time that Sara went missing. Russell took a deep breath, pain shing in his eyes. /¡®This isn¡¯t your fault. It was my overconfidence that caused Sara to die.¡± ¡®I overestimated myself and gravely underestimated Olivia, Russell thought. Russell said through gritted teeth, ¡°We end this quickly, and bring Sara home.¡± Not long after Aria got home, Vanessa texted her, telling her they were almost there. Minutester, a knock came at the door. Aria opened the door, and Vanessa immediately rushed forward to hug her. ¡°Aria, sweetie, it¡¯s been so long since we met. I missed you so much! Chapter 478 Aria thought, ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t we just meel?¡± Aria nced at the camera and yed along, nodding to Vanessa. ¡°Me too.¡± Then, the other guests each stepped forward to greet Aria. Tina smiled warmly and said, ¡°Hello, Aria. We met before. You visited the set when Vanessa and I were filming together.¡± Aria gave Tina a strange look and nodded curtly. ¡°Hi.¡± The Cozy Screening Room featured two regr hosts, Tina and Jonathan Morgan, a witty variety show star. The guest appearance originally ted for Lori was reced by rising star Luther Shaw, with an additionalst¨Cminute addition, a famous socialite in Kanit City, Calista Archer. Vanessa had warned Aria about these two. She said, ¡°Luther barely speaks, so just ignore him. But Calista is troublesome. That sweet face hides verbal traps everywhere. You¡¯d better keep your guard up.¡± After introducing himself, Luther¡¯s gaze drifted toward the door opposite. Aria noticed it, and her eyes flickered with suspicion. ¡®They share the same surname¡­ Could Luther be rted to Owen?¡® she wondered. Calista caught Aria¡¯s gaze, a flicker of distaste shing across her eyes before she stered on a sharine smile. In a cloyingly sweet voice, she said, ¡°You¡¯re Aria, right? I know you. You¡¯re quite the talk of Kanit City. Everyone¡¯s been gossiping about your background.¡± ¡®Bringing that up now? Is she out of her damn mind?¡® Aria thought. Vanessa frowned, about to speak, but Aria cut in, forcing a sharine smile. ¡°How ttering.¡± Calista¡¯s smile froze for a moment. ¡®Was I evenplimenting her?¡® she thought, baffled. ¡®Why would she feel ttered?¡± Finn, standing at the back, sensed something was off. He felt a sudden twinge at his temple and had a premonition that this episode of the reality show was not going to go smoothly. A Comment Send gift Again Marriage 479 Chapter 479 Aria swung the door wide open. ¡°Come on in, everyone!¡± Jonathan was the first to step in, gasping in amazement. ¡°This is my first time in a luxury mansion. The decoration here is stunning¡± Tina nced at Calista, smiled brightly, and walked inside. ¡°We¡¯re going to be imposing on the gorgeous Aria today!¡± Aria shot her another look, her expressionplicated and hard to read. Tina pretended not to notice Aria¡¯s look. Calista nced around, envy sparkling in her eyes. ¡°Aria¡¯s parents are so good to her. They can buy her a mansion like this on a whim. I begged my parents for ages, but all I ever got was a measly yacht, never a proper mansion.¡± Vanessa nudged her arm and teased, ¡°Calista, aren¡¯t you supposed to be the inte queen? How could you be so out of the loop? My dear Aria bought this ce all on her own. Don¡¯t you know she has nothing to do with the Saxon family?¡± Calista feigned sudden realization. ¡°Oh, I am out of the loop! Aria, you¡¯re impressive, making this much money in your early twenties. Unlike me, still toiling away as just another wage ve in showbiz.¡± Vanessa inwardly cursed at Calista but maintained a sweet smile as she threw an arm around her shoulders,ughing, ¡°Come on, Calista, you must be joking. Everyone knows the Archer family has billions of dors in assets. You¡¯d still be a wealthy heiress even if you never developed in showbiz. ¡°Speaking of real work bees, Mr. Morgan here is the genuine article. Even someone like me, who mooches off my bestie, would be too embarrassed to call myself a working stiff.¡± While praising Jonathan, Vanessa put on a show of false modesty, taking the opportunity to slip in a subtle dig at Calista. Jonathan, the least prominent among them, burst outughing as well. ¡°Ms. Ward, thatpliment hit the spot.¡± With the heavyweights shing, a small fry like him knew better than to chime in. He didn¡¯t want to risk offending anyone. Jonathan shot Tina a pleading look. Tina shrugged helplessly at Jonathan. Then, Jonathan turned to Luther, steering the conversation his way. ¡°Mr. Shaw is being his usual introverted self, as always,¡± he joked. Sure enough, Calista¡¯s attentionnded on him. She chuckled and said, ¡°Luther is a ssic introvert. Getting him to say a word is like pulling teeth.¡± Everyone in showbiz knew Calista was pursuing Luther. She¡¯d even joined the industry specifically for him. When Lori went abroad, she asked her junior, Luther, to show his face for some exposure in her ce. As soon as Calista found out, she showed up too. Everyone sat down on the sofa. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get some fruit.¡± ¡°No need, no need,¡± Finn waved off, signaling to two crew members. Momentster, a serving cart rolled up to the doorway,den with different desserts and fresh fruit. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you and Vanessa can move these over to the table,¡± Finn said. Vanessa, used to it, joined Aria in moving the snacks onto the coffee table. Calista took a bite of fruit, putting on an exaggerated look of bliss. ¡°Aria, your culinary skills are simply divine. It¡¯s an honor to taste something made by your own hands.¡°. 10:11 Thu 26 Jun (1 Chapter 479 Aria corrected bluntly, ¡°I don¡¯t cook. This isn¡¯t my work.¡± Calista¡¯s lips twitched as she shot finn a dissatisfied look. ¡°Mr. Greer, this isn¡¯t ording to the script. Weren¡¯t the fruits and desserts supposed to be prepared by the host?¡± She asked quite bluntly, not worried about saying the wrong thing. After all, the production team could edit it outter. Finn forced an awkward smile. ¡°Ms. Saxon isn¡¯t working with a script. Just improvise and be selves.¡± As long as they don¡¯te to blows,¡® Finn thought, ¡®I can edit together a drama¨Cfree episode, just pure harmony! Tina stared at Calista, frowning in displeasure. ¡®Why is she targeting Aria when they don¡¯t know each other?¡® she wondered. Calista immediately put on a sweet smile. She said, ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it. I thought Aria had it out for me and was deliberately targeting me.¡± Again Marriage 480 Chapter 480 Aria smiled faintly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Archer. I won¡¯t single you out. Moreover, you¡¯ll be getting special treatment from me.¡± Calista blinked innocently. ¡°Why am I getting special treatment?¡± Aria gave her a once¨Cover and said bluntly, ¡°Among the girls here, you¡¯re the ugliest.¡± With a ng, Calista¡¯s hand shook so hard that her fork ttered onto the table. Gritting her teeth, she snapped, ¡°Aria, are you saying I¡¯m uglier than you?¡± Aria looked from Tina to Vanessa and said bluntly, ¡°They¡¯re prettier than you.¡± Tina and Vanessa were ssic beauties, with delicate ¡°es and an elegant aura. Calista¡¯s features were rtively in. With lighter makeup, appeared either ghostly pale or garishly red at first nce. might have looked fresh and radiant. But today, her makeup was so heavy that her face Never in her life had Calista been called ugly. Her chest heaved with barely contained rage. She said, ¡°Aria, you¡¯re indeed beautiful. After all, you¡¯ve made the money most people couldn¡¯t even dream of.¡± Her words were dripping with insinuations, clearly hinting that Aria had earned her fortune through questionable means. The atmosphere tensed, and everyone¡¯s expressions darkened. Aria, however, remained perfectlyposed and shot back, ¡°Are you implying I trade on my looks?¡± Calista said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not what I meant. You were the one who said it yourself.¡± Aria gave her an enigmatic smile, her gaze steady and quiet. Calista felt a chill run down her spine, but she straightened her back defiantly. ¡°What are you staring at me for?¡± Aria looked her up and down and said coolly, ¡°Just wanted to see what a fa Calista was seething with rage. innocent looks like.¡± Seeing the tension, Finn quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. ¡°Alright, everyone. Since you¡¯ve finished eating, let¡¯s start the game.¡± With that, the crew members brought in the props needed for the game. Jonathan seized the moment to chime in, ¡°Next up is a game of Pictionary! With six of us, we¡¯ll split into three teams. Should we do a random draw to decide the groups?¡± Calista nced at Luther meaningfully and said, ¡°I¡¯m closest to Luther. We¡¯ll be on the same team.¡± ¡®With the teams set, the cooking segment will naturally pair me with him,¡® Calista thought excitedly. Calista hade to ship herself with Luther and wasn¡¯t about to miss this chance. Tina suggested, ¡°It¡¯d be better if we two regrs split up. How about Vanessa and I team up? It¡¯s a perfect chance to promote our show.¡± Vanessa thought, ¡®Aria isn¡¯t much of a talker, while Jonathan¡¯s a seasoned variety show pro who knows how to look after people. It¡¯s indeed more reassuring to have Aria in his group.¡® So Vanessa agreed. ¡°Alright.¡± Chapter 480 The crew set up a makeshift table in the center, with six strings hanging around it and a box concealing where they met in the midele. Finn announced, ¡°Here¡¯s how we pair up. 1 with 3, 2 with 6, and 4 with 5. Make sure to check your number when you grab your string The numbers were barely visible unless the camera zoomed in for a close¨Cup, Calista was the first to grab number one. ¡°I¡¯m done. Hurry up and pick yours.¡± After saying her line for the cameras, she turned to Luther and whispered, ¡°Make sure you pick number three. Don¡¯t get the wrong number.¡± Aria and Vanessa nked Calista, forming a striking trio. With all three of them in the same frame,parisons about their looks were inevitable. Calista suddenly felt self¨Cconscious and made a mental note to remind Finn about the editing after the shoot. When Jonathan walked over, there was only one string on the table. Without even checking the number, he grabbed it and asked, ¡°Has everyone got hold of your string? I¡¯m going to take the box now.¡± Tina replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve got a good grip.¡± Jonathan continued, ¡°Okay, on the count of three, everyone, pull your rope tight. One, two, three!¡± After Jonathan removed the box, the ropes snapped tight. But then, the unexpected happened. The tangled ropes snapped apart, revealing Calista paired with Jonathan, while Aria ended up with Luther. (A) Again Marriage 481 Chapter 481 Calista¡¯s expression darkened instantly, but Luther was quicker to speak up. ¡°Aria and I are on the same team.¡± ¡°We¡¯re the real team!¡± Calista turned to Finn. ¡°Let¡¯s do it over. No mistakes this time.¡± Luther¡¯s expression turned cold. He said sternly, ¡°I¡¯m an idol. Hyping up a CP will only make me lose fans. Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Calista¡¯s voice involuntarily rose several notches, all traces of her usual sweetness vanishing without a trace. ¡°So, you won¡¯t lose fans by shipping with Aria?¡± Luther said expressionlessly, ¡°We¡¯re rted.¡± ¡°What kind of rtives are you?¡± Calista asked. Luther said, ¡°She¡¯s the girl my cousin Owen likes.¡± ¡®Wait, what?¡® Everyone except Aria immediately perked up, their eyes gleaming with gossip¨Chungry curiosity. Vanessa cut straight to the chase. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Owen?¡± Luther replied, ¡°I¡¯m the grandson of his grandfather¡¯s brother.¡± Everyone felt it was convoluted. Calista, well¨Cversed in the Shaw family¡¯s affairs, immediately understood what Luther meant and quickly said, ¡°Luther, Owen was the one who harmed Isaac. The Shaw family banished them from Kanit City long ago. There¡¯s no need for you to acknowledge Owen as your cousin.¡± She paused, then added sharply, ¡°Also, my grandpa said Aria beat Isaac up and sent him to the hospital. They¡¯re all terrible people. You should stay far away from them.¡± That was precisely why Calista had been targeting Aria overtly and covertly. She wanted to curry favor with the Shaw family. Calista¡¯s words stunned everyone. ¡®Wait, Aria beat Luther¡¯s family?¡® They were shocked. ¡®The gossip is getting juicier.¡¯ Aria shot her a sharp re. ¡°If you already know I¡¯m no good, Ms. Archer, why are you so eager toe to my ce?¡± ¡°Like I¡¯d evere here if we weren¡¯t filming!¡± Calista shot back. Vanessa cut in sharply, ¡°Finn didn¡¯t invite you. You forced your way in yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Calista choked on her words, too enraged to speak. Luther stared at her. ¡°Calista, Isaac went to jail because he broke thew. He got what he deserved. Since when was it Owen¡¯s fault?¡± ¡®Why is even Luther against me now?¡® Calista thought, feeling wronged. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°That¡¯s what my grandpa said.¡± ¡°If Mr. Archer has objections to the court¡¯s verdict, he can appeal on behalf of Isaac. But don¡¯t you dare make Owen the scapegoat for everything,¡± said Luther. Both embarrassed and frustrated, Calista finally realized that Luther¡¯s rtionship with Owen¡¯s family was far better than she had imagined, not nearly as strained as she¡¯d thought. Realizing her mistake and sensing Luther¡¯s displeasure, Calista looked apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Luther. Since my grandpa and Isaac are close friends, I ? Chapter 481 wasn¡¯t thinking straight and ended up misunderstanding your cousin Owen,¡± Luther coldly turned his head away. ¡­. ¡®The court verdict stated that Isaac got imprisoned for criminal offenses, yet Calista twisted the facts just to curry favor with me. What a self¨Crighteous idiot,¡® Luther thought. As the conversation turned to these sensitive matters, the others kept silent. The atmosphere grew tense. Finn took a deep breath, signaled the cameraman to stop filming, and, with a forced smile, said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a 30¨Cminute break, then restart from the team selection scene. Is that okay?¡± Luther said tly, ¡°Groupings are confirmed. There¡¯s no need to reshoot. Let¡¯s start with the game.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Finn replied. He thought, ¡®Whoever said Luther was the quiet, easygoing type was too unreliable. Still, it shows how dead¨Cset Luther is against being shipped with Calista.¡® Calista had masterfully crafted her public persona, but everyone in the industry knew her reputation was notorious, yet no one dared to cross her. ¡®If she weren¡¯t part of this shoot,¡® Finn thought, ¡®everything would have gone perfectly smoothly. What a bad apple!¡®, O Again Marriage 482 Chapter 482 Though Finn was grumbling inwardly, he still maintained a gentle smile. As soon as the filming stopped, Vanessa pulled Aria aside to whisper in her ear. ¡°Wow, I never realized Luther was Owen¡¯s cousin. Could it be he joined this show because of you?¡± Luther had always decked out in designer brands. It was impossible to miss that he was loaded. Everyone knew he was a rich kid, though just how wealthy remained a mystery. Aria asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be here for Owen?¡± Vanessa shrugged, ¡°Maybe Owen¡¯s been giving his family the cold shoulder.¡± Aria agreed. ¡°Makes sense.¡± With filming paused, Aria nced at the table, then turned to Finn and asked, ¡°Can I bring some over to my two little sisters?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Finn mentally kicked himself for having forgotten about Aria¡¯s two sisters. ¡®I should have offered it first, not made her bring it up herself, Finn thought. Tina suddenly cut in, ¡°Two sisters? Since when do you have sisters? Howe I¡¯ve never heard about that?¡± ¡°Why would you know if I had a sister?¡± Aria shot back. After a pause, Aria added, ¡°Filming¡¯s stopped now.¡± In other words, they didn¡¯t need to pretend they were close. Aria forced a smile. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not that close with you, Ms. Fletcher, the superstar.¡± ¡®Damn it,¡® Tina cursed inwardly but held back. Out loud, she said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re right. We are not that close.¡± Aria picked up a te of fruit and some snacks. Before turning away, she shot Calista a cold look and said, ¡°Ms. Archer, don¡¯t sit on my couch, don¡¯t touch my water, and just get out of here.¡± Calista¡¯s expression instantly darkened with humiliation. She choked back her anger for a good while, utterly unable to muster a single word to retort. She would only apologize to Luther. As for Aria, she didn¡¯t even cross Calista¡¯s mind. ¡°Once filming¡¯s over, I¡¯m nevering back,¡± Calista muttered sullenly. Vanessa turned to Finn and asked, ¡°So, Finn, if Calista quits filming, are you guys going to sue her for breach of contract?¡± Finn replied with a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes, ¡°No, we won¡¯t.¡± Vanessa beamed at Calista and said sweetly, ¡°Calista, you¡¯re free to leave if you want.¡± Seeing no one standing up for her, Calista swallowed her rage and said through clenched teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll finish filming no matter what. I won¡¯t give anyone ammunition to trash me.¡± Aria shrugged, ¡°Let her stay if she wants. Now that she¡¯s so shameless, what can we do?¡± Vanessa nodded in agreement. Calista was seething with rage but had to bite her tongue. Seeing someone worse off than herself, Tina felt better. ¡®Compared to Calista, Aria had been pretty polite to me,¡® she thought. Meanwhile, Lily and Pearl were eavesdropping with their ears pressed to the door. Hearing Aria approaching, they scrambled back to their chales quicki pretending to bepletely innocent. As soon as Aria opened the door, Lily deliberately raised her voice before it closed and called out, ¡°Aria, did we get a new baby sister?¡± Aria looked genuinely puzzled. ¡°No, it¡¯s just older sisters here.¡± Lily deliberately raised her voice and said, ¡°But we heard this cutesy, babyish we thought there was a new little sister here.¡± Pearl chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s called acting cute.¡± voice saying, ¡®I¡¯m closest to Luther, so we¡¯ll be on the same team! Honestly, The door remained open, and their conversation carried crystal clear in living groom. Under the scrutiny of everyone watching, Calista¡¯s expression instantly darkened like a thundercloud. While ying games with Jonathan, she suddenly became a different person. Laughing unusually sweetly, she frequently found excuses to chat with Aria, and asionally put on this pitiful, puppy¨Ceyed look. Tina seized an opportunity, pulled Aria aside, and whispered a warning, ¡°Calista is setting you up. At least y along.¡± 1 Again Marriage 483 Chapter 483 Chapter 483 Aria teased, ¡°Weren¡¯t you just mad at me? Got over it already?¡± Tina snorted coldly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stoop to a brat¡¯s level.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Aria continued casually, ¡°So how does the Archer family stack up against the Saxon family?¡± Tina was a bit puzzled by why Aria asked that, but still replied, ¡°About the same.¡± Aria scoffed, ¡°Then what¡¯s there to worry about?¡± Tina asked, ¡°Are you nning to ask my grandfather for help?¡± Aria shot her a took like she was an idiot. ¡°Why would I ever ask your grandfather for help? I don¡¯t even take the Saxon family seriously, let alone a girl from the Archer family. If she¡¯s itching to die, I¡¯ll dly help her on her way.¡± Tina looked at her, aplex look in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± The old Aria wouldn¡¯t have talked this much to her. Most of the time, she only ignored Tina. Aria had heard far worse insults than this back in the Solemnity Guild. She never bothered with words. Her fists did the talking, and she preferred to beat people into submission. In Huthailia, Aria knew she couldn¡¯t resort to violence. She wouldn¡¯t break thew. As for the gossip and snide remarks, she couldn¡¯t care less. Later, she met many people who truly cared about her. While she could ignore those malice herself, those who cared about her could not. Aria thought, ¡®pping back right to their face and watching them seethe but not dare say a word is quite satisfying! Following the show¡¯s schedule, the cast was ready to head to the supermarket for groceries. Luther was paired with Aria and quickly moved to her side. ¡°Aria, what would you like to eat?¡± Aria shot him an indifferent nce. ¡°Go by yourself. I¡¯m not a celebrity and have no interest in ying along with this grocery shopping act for cameras.¡± Spotting an opening, Calista jumped in. ¡°Luther, let¡¯s team up.¡± Aria walked away directly. Annoyance shed across Luther¡¯s face. He¡¯d been trying to get closer to Aria, but Calista kept pestering him relentlessly. Meanwhile, the remaining three naturally grouped up. Tina took the lead, ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡± After the five left, Aria chatted briefly with Lily and Pearl before heading across the hall. The fingerprint scan seeded, and the door opened Aria was startled to find Owen standing right by the door. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she blurted out. Owen naturally pulled her into his arms. ¡°I had a feeling you¡¯de over,¡± he said. Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°You guessed that right?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re so in sync,¡± Owen replied. Aria handed him a bag of nuts and said, ¡°Finn prepared it. Pretty tasty.¡± Owen took the bag and noted the brand. ¡°Lily¡¯s SAT resultse out in an hour.¡± 10:11 Thu, 26 Jun Jj ?M Chapter 483. ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria said, a bit nervous inside. ¡°The crew will leave at five to shoot elsewhere. Once they¡¯re gone, let¡¯s go out for dinner and celebrate Uly SAT results.¡± Owen asked, ¡°Still going to Amour Bistro?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try a new restaurant and invite Cloe and Julia,¡± Aria suggested. ¡®Poor Vanessa can only go to film the show, Aria thought. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll pick the ce,¡± Owen said. Aria suddenly thought of Luther and said, ¡°By the way, there¡® this guest, Luther. He said you have a thing for me.¡± We were kids, Luther used to tag along with us all the time. But after I moved to Mandmo City Owen blushed a little. ¡°Maybe Anabel let it slip. Back when we kinda lost touch.¡± Luther had been passionate about music since childhood and would send Owen his originalpositions. But as Owen¡¯s replies grew increasingly perfunctory, they gradually lost touch. Owen said gently, ¡°If Luther bothers you, just ignore him. Send him my way.¡± Aria replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, he¡¯s pretty quiet.¡± Owen gently led her into the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ve been perfecting a ¡°Sure,¡± Aria replied. new cupcake recipe. Care to try? Later, we can bring some to Lily and Pearl as snacks.¡± Meanwhile, the other five were grocery shopping at the supermarket. Calista kept sidling up to Luther. He wanted to ignore her, but still forced a few polite replies with the cameras rolling. Again Marriage 484 Chapter 484 Vanessa muttered, ¡°She¡¯s like a piece of gum stuck to his shoe.¡± Tina said with relief, ¡°Thank goodness we¡¯re not Luther.¡± Jonathan deftly steered the conversation elsewhere. The grocery shopping segment alone would¡¯ve been too dull, so Finn set some mini¨Cgames. The cast yed as they shopped, finishing the task within an hour before returning to Mayen Garden. Vanessa keyed in the code and let them in. Calista swept her eyes around the room. Not spotting Aria, a flicker of delight crossed her face. She said, ¡°Aria is not here. Should we start cooking? Luther, let¡¯s team up in the kitchen. I¡¯ve just mastered two new dishes. Come be my sous¨Cchef.¡± Luther nced toward the entrance. ¡°Aria¡¯s back,¡± he announced. Calista¡¯s smile vanished instantly. Vanessa guessed where Aria had been, gave her a knowing look, moved closer, and whispered, ¡°Did Owen make that?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Quick, let me try some,¡± Vanessa said. Then, she suddenly shook her head. ¡°No, there are too many people, not enough to go around. Take them to Lily. and Pearl first. I¡¯ll sneak inter for a bite.¡± Aria chuckled, ¡°Alright.¡± Luther had also guessed where Aria had been. Seeing the box in her hands, he moved closer, but Aria walked past him without a nce and went inside. ¡°You guys handle the cooking,¡± she said dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m giving food to the girls.¡± Tina handed her the items they¡¯d just bought. ¡°These are for them,¡± she said. Aria took them. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. Tina rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. It¡¯s not for you.¡± ¡°Oh, then I take my words back,¡± Aria replied. Tina was speechless. As Aria entered the room, Lily sprang up excitedly. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s almost time to check the SAT results!¡± she eximed. Hearing this, Calista stopped in her tracks. ¡°Oh, right,¡± she said, ¡°the SAT results areing out today. My little brother also took the SAT this year. He¡¯s always the best in his ss with straight A¡¯s. I need to call him and ask him to check his scores.¡± Jonathan smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Archer, you¡¯re getting anxious. I¡¯m sure your brother hasn¡¯t forgotten to check his scores. There are only three minutes left. You can wait a few more minutes before calling him.¡± Calistaughed and yed along, saying, ¡°Yeah, this whole thing¡¯s got me all worked up too.¡± Calista cast a casual nce at Aria and, as if making conversation, asked, ¡°Aria, which school does your sister attend? My brother¡¯s at Mar School.¡± Manxon High School was a prestigious prep school where students were either top achievers or trust fund kids. Aria replied coolly, ¡°Lily attends Larkridge High School.¡± igh Thu 26 Jun M Calista¡¯s smile faltered for a moment. ¡°Larkridge High School, huh? That¡¯s the best in Mandino City. Thet your sister gets straight #G Aria shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s doing alright.¡± Calista didn¡¯t know how to respond, so she quickly changed the subject to her brother. ¡°My brother¡¯s estimated score is at least 1300 on the SAT said. ¡°What about Lily? Has she estimated hers yet?¡± Aria said tly, ¡°No. Almost time.¡± With that, Aria shut the door firmly in Calista¡¯s face. Calista scoffed disdainfully and pulled out her phone. ¡°I¡¯m calling my mom,¡± she announced. Lily sat before theputer, her fingers trembling slightly as she typed in her exam ID and password. She exhaled a long, shaky breath Aria and Pearl stood on either side of Lily. Aria reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll do just fine.¡± Pearl nodded eagerly. ¡°Lily, you¡¯re the best.¡± Lily clicked the mouse, her eyes glued to the screen, heart pounding. The results page shed onto the screen. Her SAT score showed zero. The three were stunned by the score. Then they noticed the notification: [Congrattions! Your SAT score ranks among the top 50 statewide.} Lily covered her mouth. ¡°My score¡­ My score is withheld!¡± This year¡¯s senior ss was fiercelypetitive, with several dark horses rising through the ranks and a top¨Cscoring contender fromst year repeating his final year. In the final statewide SAT mock exam, quite a few students scored above 1450. Lily ranked second in Mandino City and third in the state, just several points shy of the top scorer. Calista¡¯s triumphant voice rang out from outside. ¡°My little brother scored 1350 on the SAT!¡± A Comment Again Marriage 485 Chapter 485 Jonathan was the first to congratte her. ¡°Wow, 1350! That score is a sure ficket to a top university? Calista smiled proudly. ¡°He¡¯s got what it takes for Mandino University¡¯s College of Arts and Sciences¡± Mandino University¡¯s College of Arts and Sciences only offered Financial Management, with an admission score significantly lower than other majors. Last year¡¯s cutoff was 1250. The College of Arts and Sciences charged hefty tuition. Most of its students came from wealthy and influential families. In addition to SAT scores, applicants must pass a rigorous interview process. The Archer family certainly had the means to send their children to the College of Arts and Sciences. However, the interview hadn¡¯t even started, yet Calista was so sure. It was as if her brother already had a ce at the College of Arts and Sciences. Vanessa grinned, ¡°Getting into the College of Arts and Sciences? Your brother is truly impressive.¡± Calista casually remarked, ¡°I wonder how Aria¡¯s sister did on her SAT. It¡¯s been quiet over there.¡± Calista thought, ¡®If she¡¯d aced the test, she would¡¯vee out to share the good news now. Looks like she bombed the test. Aware of Lily¡¯s scores and sensing Calista¡¯s sarcasm, Vanessa yed along with exaggerated praise. ¡°Wow, with the score of 1350, Calista¡¯s brother is a shoo¨Cin for Mandino University.¡± Calista beamed with satisfaction, her smile widening. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s nowhere near as amazing as Aria¡¯s sister.¡± Tina wrinkled her brow but thought better of it. Luther, however, couldn¡¯t help but interject, ¡°Mandino University¡¯s College of Arts and Sciences still requires interviews, and the rejection rate is quite high.¡± Calista¡¯s smile faltered momentarily, but she quickly regained herposure. ¡°Luther has a point. It might be premature to celebrate just yet.¡± Just then, Aria emerged from the room with a calm expression. Seeing this, everyone assumed Lily had done poorly on her test and avoided mentioning it to spare her feelings. Only Calista, with a look of sincere concern, asked, ¡°Aria, how did your sister do on her test?¡± After speaking, she suddenly covered her mouth as if realizing something, and said apologetically, ¡°Oh, well, you don¡¯t have to share if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Aria nced at her and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to hide. My sister aced it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Calista said, patting her chest in mock relief. ¡°You looked so glum. I thought she hadn¡¯t done well.¡± Aria looked up. ¡°Do I look unhappy to you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say. Does Aria look upset?¡± Vanessa shot back, ncing at Luther. ¡°What do you think? Does she seem unhappy to you?¡± Luther shook his head. ¡°Not that I can tell.¡± Calista was fuming. ¡®Every time I say one word, they fire back with ten. They¡¯re all ganging up on me. What a bunch of assholes!¡® Her dislike for Aria deepened. After a brief pause, she offered with feigned enthusiasm and said, ¡°How about we all go to Amour Bistro after the show wraps up? My treat. Let¡¯s celebrate my brother¡¯s 1350 SAT score. Aria¡¯s sister did quite well on her test, too. Why don¡¯t we all celebrate together? Bring her along!¡± Chapter 485 ¡°We¡¯ll celebrate on our own,¡± Aria said. ¡°Oh,e on! What a coincidence we all met. The more, the merrier. Vanessa, you should join us, too,¡± Calista said. Vanessa refused. ¡°Sony, I still have work after the shoot.¡± Calista stamped her foot, about to say more when Aria¡¯s phone suddenly rang. It was Valerie, Lily¡¯s homeroom teacher. ¡°Miss Saxon, have you checked Lily¡¯s scores yet? How is it?¡± Valerie asked. ¡°Zero,¡± Aria said matter¨Cof¨Cfactly. ¡°Zero?¡± Calista gasped in feigned shock. ¡°How could anyone score zero on the SAT? Did she skip the test?¡± Tina analyzed, ¡°Nobody would skip the SAT. It¡¯s way too important. There must be a special circumstance.¡± Again Marriage 486 Calista said with feigned concem, ¡°Maybe there was a system glitch. Why don¡¯t you try checking again? Coincidentally, my brother is checking his scorche right now. He could give it a try for you.¡± ¡°No need,¡± Aria said. ¡°Ms. Gibbs, I¡¯ll pass the phone to Lily now.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Valerie replied. Aria closed the door behind her and finally got some peace. Valerie told Lily, ¡°There are a lot of outstanding students in this year¡¯s senior ss. We just learned that the SAT scores for the state¡¯s top 50 students are being withheld and won¡¯t be avable to check for another four days. ¡°You seniors this year are truly outstanding. Including you, three students in our ss have their scores withheld. I¡¯ll go and gather the scores and estimate the score range for the state¡¯s top 50.¡± Lily replied, ¡°Alright, Ms. Gibbs, you go ahead.¡± Meanwhile, in the kitchen. Tina nced around the spotless kitchenware and concluded, ¡°Aria doesn¡¯t cook. There¡¯s not a single sign that she¡¯s ever used them.¡± Curious, Calista asked, ¡°So how do her two younger sisters eat? Do they order takeout every single day?¡± Vanessa shot her a sidelong nce. ¡°They order from Amour Bistro.¡± Calista said, ¡°Wait, doesn¡¯t Amour Bistro usually not take standing orders?¡± ¡°Cloe is her friend, and we all know each other. We just pulled a few strings, that¡¯s all,¡± Vanessa exined. Calista was speechless. She¡¯d had enough of talking to Vanessa, so she turned to chat with Luther instead. Afterpiling all the seniors¡® SAT results at Larkridge High School, Valerie called the other two students first before calling Lily. She said, ¡°The statistical results are out. Eleven of our students made the state¡¯s top 50. Excluding those with withheld scores like yours, the highest mark is 1475.¡± After Vanessa and the others finished cooking, Calista suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we have Aria¡¯s two sisterse out and eat with us? They¡¯ve been cooped up in their room all morning. We can blur their faces even if they don¡¯t want to be on camera.¡± Inside the room, Lily turned to Aria and said, ¡°Aria, I just heard that girl being snarky. I¡¯ming out to eat with you.¡± Given Pearl¡¯s condition, Aria didn¡¯t trust the food others had prepared and had already arranged a special meal for her. Since Pearl had already eaten, she didn¡¯t need toe out. Vanessa came over to fetch the three of them and asked about Lily¡¯s SAT score. After Lily exined, Vanessa visibly rxed. Her face broke into a bright smile. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go out and put Calista in her ce.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± Lily said. At the dinner table, Calista, as expected, asked, ¡°So, have you figured out what happened with the SAT score? Howe it¡¯s zerc Lily gave a faint smile. ¡°It¡¯s all sorted out.¡± Then, a staff member said, ¡°Mr. Greer, check the trending topics. The scores for the top 50 in the state got withheld.¡± Everyone froze, stunned by what they saw. Chapter 486 ¡°All top 50 scores in the state are showing zeros!¡± ¡°I checked thements section. People are saying all the state¡¯s top 50 scored above 1475!¡± Vanessa immediately burst into apuse. ¡°Top 50 in the state. Above 1450. Lily, you¡¯re freaking amazing.¡± ¡®Above 1450, top 50 statewide!¡® Calista snapped out of her daze. Just moments ago, her brother¡¯s 1350 SAT score seemed impressive, but now, faced wit a score above 1475, it suddenly felt insignificant. Lily cast a subtle nce at Calista and smiled. ¡°Nothing special. My estimated score is only around 1500, so I probably won¡¯t be the top scorer, ¡®1500? And she won¡¯t be the top scorer?¡® Calista¡¯s face stiffened further. Tina smiled and asked, ¡°Lily, you must be a straight¨CA student at school, right?¡± Lily replied modestly, ¡°Well, I only performed well during the second semester of junior year and throughout senior year at Larkridge High School Luther asked curiously, ¡°So your performance before that must be excellent, too, huh?¡± Vanessa finally found her chance to interject, ¡°She only transferred to Larkridge High Schoolte in her junior year, right before finals.¡± Everyone was stunned at this. Again Marriage 487 Tina couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. ¡®Where on earth had Aria suddenly found such a sister? Lily¡¯s academic performance was shockingly outstanding A thought suddenly struck Tina. She hurriedly stood up and said, ¡°Go ahead without me. I need to make a quick call.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before Tina returned, beaming with joy. Seeing this, Jonathan couldn¡¯t help but t tease, ¡°What¡¯s the good news, Ms. Fletcher? You¡¯re grinning from ear to ear.¡± ¡°It is indeed good news.¡± Tina sat down, unable to wipe the smile off her face. ¡°It just urred to me that my cousin is also a senior in high school, so t called to ask about his score. He didn¡¯t do as well as Lily, but he still did great, exactly 1450.¡± Hearing that, Finn instantly perked up. He was already plotting how to get this episode trending. Finn thought, if Lily tops the SAT, I¡¯ll have to push for another trending topic! Calista felt like she¡¯d been punched in the gut, leaving her momentarily breathless. Vanessa inwardly gloated for a few seconds at the sight of Calista¡¯s expression, then put on a show of concern. ¡°Calista, you look pale. Not feeling well?¡± Calista forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just thought of the saying that the new generation surpasses the old. Looks like they¡¯ve already surpassed us.¡± While joy filled most hearts, only Calista was left nursing her bitterness. After dinner, the crew tidied up the dining area and kitchen while everyone yed a couple more games before settling into casual conversation. Jonathan cracked jokes from time to time, instantly lifting the mood. After the indoor recording wrapped up, Finn gathered the guests and led them out. Meanwhile, Owen made reservations at the restaurant. Aria invited Cloe to join them, then set off with Lily and Pearl. The two groups ran into each other right outside the restaurant. Cloe nced at Kim and said, ¡°He insisted on tagging along. There was no stopping him.¡± Aria smiled, ¡°No problem. After all, it¡¯s his younger brother who¡¯s treating.¡± Julia came running over to them, waving excitedly. ¡°Hi, Aria, Owen! Owen stepped forward, crouched down to hug Julia, and straightened up. ¡°Don¡¯t run so fast next time,¡± he said. ¡°Alrighty!¡± Julia chirped sweetly, tilting her head as she stretched her arms toward Lily and Pearl. ¡°Here are some gifts for you. Mom and I picked them out together.¡± Lily and Pearl naturally took out the gifts they¡¯d prepared in advance, smiling yfully at Julia and saying, ¡°Julia, we¡¯ve also prepared gifts for you.¡± Cloe smiled at the scene. Owen also brought a gift for Julia, a hand¨Ccarved gold pendant. He said, ¡°Aria and I made this together. She drew the design, and I did the carving.¡± Owen had hand¨Ccarved four, one each for Aria, Lily, Pearl, and Julia. ¡°Wow!¡± Julia eximed in delight as she took the gift. ¡°Owen, you¡¯re amazing. But Aria is even better. Her drawing is gorgeous.¡± Aria chuckled, ¡°Where did you even see the drawing?¡± Julia grinned mischievously and said, ¡°it¡¯s right in my heart.¡± Empty¨Chanded, Kim watched as everyone exchanged gifts and nced at Owen resentfully. Chapter 487 He seethed inwardly, ¡®Seriously? He went behind my back and prepared gifts without telling me a thing! Kim seized the chance to p Owen hard on the shoulder as the group moved forward. ¡°Oh, look who¡¯s trying to be the perfect gentleman, Was isto hard to give me a heads up?¡± Owen grabbed Kim¡¯s hand with an expressionless face and squeezed it hard. Kim¡¯s face immediately twisted in pain. Owen scoffed, ¡°Seriously? You needed a heads¨Cup for this? After all these years as chairman, your EQ still hasn¡¯t improved?¡± Kim smacked Owen hard on the back. ¡°I only learned about this dinner when I got to my girlfriend Cloe¡¯s ce. Why didn¡¯t you tell me about such a big thing?¡± Owen was firmly on Cloe¡¯s side. It never even crossed his mind to tell Kim about it. ¡°Cloe never agreed to date you, and you¡¯re already calling her your girlfriend?¡± Owen asked. Kim retorted, ¡°You haven¡¯t even managed to win over Aria yet, so stop acting so smug.¡± Owen shed a knowing smirk. ¡°No, I¡¯ve made it.¡± Kim was speechless, his fists clenched in anger. Kim went all out, but Owen was not a pushover either. He swiftly kicked Kim behind the knee. Though they initially held back, the two brothers lost control and started brawling in the lobby. Again Marriage 488 ¡°What the hell are you two doing?¡± Aria and the others stood nearby, staring at them with bewildered looks, Owen unclenched his fist and took Kim¡¯s hand instead. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time, I suddenly feel so brotherly toward him! ¡°Me too,¡± Kim forced out through gritted teeth. ¡®Did they think we were blind or something?¡® Aria and Cloe thought at the same time. E Kim was the chairman of the Shaw Group, and Owen was awyer at a prestigiousw firm. Yet here they were, brawling like teenagers in the hotel lobby. Owen quickly caught up with them, smiled, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The skirmish died down momentarily, only to re up again at dinner. Kim kept serving food to Cloe and Julia, while Owen peeled shrimp for Aria, Lily, and Pearl. After he finished, he removed his gloves and slid the te of peeled shrimp toward Cloe and Julia. Owen said, ¡°Cloe, you and Julia have some.¡± Kim pushed the te back without hesitation and shot him a re. ¡°I¡¯ve got hands. I can peel it for them myself. Stay out of it Owen sneered coldly, ¡°Our housekeeper peeled all your shrimp growing up. You sure you even know how?¡± ¡°You¡¯re full of it,¡± Kim shot back, pulling on disposable gloves and deftly peeling a whole shrimp in one go. ¡°Mine looks way better than yours.¡± Cloe and Aria were speechless. ¡®What¡¯s gotten into these two today?¡® they wondered. Cloe shot Kim a re. ¡°If you¡¯re going to peel, then just do it properly. No talking at the table.¡± Kim nodded obediently. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Then, Kim shot Owen a triumphant, challenging look. Owen had no idea what got into Kim, but decided to let it slide. The meal flew by in a flurry of lively conversation. Four dayster. Lily¡¯s hands trembled with excitement as she checked her score. ¡°Aria! I got 1540!¡± Pearl eximed, ¡°Oh my god! 1540! Could you be the top scorer?¡± Lily¡¯s voice trembled as she stammered, ¡°I¨CI don¡¯t know¡­ The top scores are neck and neck.¡± Aria gently stroked her head and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you call your teacher first? 1540 is an incredible score. Whether you¡¯re the first or not, you¡¯ll always be the most amazing.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lily replied. She messaged Valerie on Facebook Messenger. Immediately after she sent the message, her teacher replied with lots of emojis. Valerie replied: [Hang on, let me check how the other top students did.] Chapter 488 2014 Jun Ten minutes , Valerie texted back: [Lily, you did it! Top scorer in Mandino city and the whole state! You and Kyle Yeart share its prez ¡°Oh my god! I did it! Lily sprang to her feet excitedly, throwing her arms around Aria in a tight hug before turning to embrace Ferris Ar Fade eximed. Aria beamed with pride and said, ¡°My Lily is incredible. I¡¯m the luckiest sister in the world.¡± Mandino City¡¯s two top scorers quickly became the top trending topic. Netizens were all discussing it online. Someone sighed: [Mandino City is killing it this difference is razor¨Cthin.] year. Two top scorers at once! The second and third ce scores were 1535 and 1530. The score Another one joined: [The top five students in Mandino City are always neck and neck in every citywide exam. These few keep taking turns at the top. [Kanit City¡¯s top scorer got 1520, which was also More and more people joined: [Both cities used the Kanit City. But turns out that wasn¡¯t the case.] exam this year. I expected, just like in previous years, that the top scorer woulde from [Mandino City struck gold with multiple dark horses this year.] Calista saw the trending topic. She was so angry that she mmed her phone onto the table. ¡°State¡¯s top scorer? Seriously?¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, Calista frantically contacted Finn and demanded, ¡°Cut all the footage about the SAT scores. Not a single second of it should remain.¡± Finn saw the message and chose to ignore it. His assistant asked, ¡°Mr. Greer, should we cut it?¡± Finn scoffed, ¡°Cut what? The top scorer herself doesn¡¯t mind. Who is Calista toin?¡± ¡°But what if the Archer family retaliates and gets the show canceled?¡± the assistant asked. Finn smiled slyly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got an ace up my sleeve. Go push the editing team to speed up. We¡¯re airing this episode ahead of schedule.¡± AD Again Marriage 489 Lily¡¯s phone had been ringing off the hook, with top universities vying to recruit her, the state¡¯s top scorer, by rolling out the red carpet. They would have stormed into her home if it weren¡¯t for Mayen Garden¡¯s strict visitor policy. After spending some time tutoring Pearl together, E and Rhett grew closer. As they chatted, their conversation soon became a heated recruitment- battle,¡± each passionately championing their university. E said, ¡°All our talking is pointless. After all, Aria¡¯s already at Mandino University. Which one do you think Lily will choose?¡± Rhett facepalmed. ¡®Damn it! How could I have missed that?¡® he thought.. E smiled at Lily. ¡°Lily, what major do you like?¡°. ¡°I¡¯m pretty interested in physics,¡± Lily replied. Rhett said excitedly, ¡°If you¡¯re into physics, you shoulde to Kanit University. Our physics department is the absolute best.¡± E countered, ¡°Mandino University¡¯s physics department is excellent, too.¡± ¡°Not as good as Kanit¡¯s,¡± Rhett retorted. E argued, ¡°There¡¯s only a slight difference, but our physicsbs have more advanced facilities and our research achievements are just as impressive.¡± As the two bickered, Lily finally interrupted, ¡°I¡¯ve already made up my mind. I¡¯m going to Mandino University.¡± With Mandino University¡¯s strong reputation, Lily didn¡¯t need to go out of state for Kanit University. Shortly after, Rhett¡¯s advisor called to check in. Rhett sighed and said bluntly, ¡°me our university forcking foresight. We didn¡¯t recruit Aria to Kanit University early enough. Martin even worked as a security guard at Larkridge High School in Mandino City to win over a student. But look at Kanit University. We have no real action, thinking we could snatch students from Mandino University with a few words. That¡¯s just too naive.¡± There was silence on the other end of the line. ¡°You¡¯d better hurry up and try to get the other top scorer. If you wait any longer, Mandino University might snatch that student away, too,¡± Rhett urged. After all, all those dark horse students were in Mandino City, giving Mandino University a definite advantage. In the end, Kanit University only managed to recruit the other top scorer after much effort. As high school students weed their summer break, the highly anticipated fifth season of ¡°Cozy Screening Room¡± officially premiered. Aria had nned to have Owene over to watch ¡°Cozy Screening Room¡± together. However, Lily and Pearl insisted that having an extra ount would boost viewership, so they pushed Aria to go to Owen¡¯s apartment instead. Knowing they wanted her and Owen to have some/alone time, Aria didn¡¯t bother being coy and headed straight to Owen¡¯s ce. As soon as the show started, Owen skipped ahead. Aria nced over, puzzled. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not on, I¡¯m not interested,¡± Owen replied. Aria was momentarily speechless, then said, ¡°I want to see Vanessa.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Owen replied, dragging the progress bar back to its original position. Chapter 489 When A first appeared on screen with a tight close up of her face, even Owen, who was used to seeing hat, was stunned to her bi ¡®My Madelyn is a knockout, Owen thought. The live chat exploded with excitement. Someone asked: [Who¡¯s this gorgeous girl? Total boss vibes!] Its she a neer?] Another one asked. [Get me all her info in 3 minutes!] A fan demanded. Another one gushed: [wless even without makeup. I¡¯m obsessed!] [Thanks, everyone, that¡¯s my wifey!] Someone dered. Owen nced at the live chat, leaned closer to Aria, and said, ¡°They¡¯re allplimenting you.¡± Aria nodded with a smile. ¡°Yeah, they think I¡¯m gorgeous.¡± Owen said with a grin, ¡°Good thing you didn¡¯t go into showbiz, or I¡¯d never be able topete with all your fans.¡± He thought, ¡®Heck, I could never be as bold as those fangirls, calling Aria their wife right out in the open! Aria and Owen continued watching the show. During filming, Aria found the game segments rather dull, but watching the edited version, she was surprised by how lively the atmosphere turned out. ¡®Credit to the editor,¡® she mused. ¡®It almost felt like Calista and I were bing friends.¡® Halfway through the variety show, the hashtag ¡°Calista got bullied¡± suddenly rocketed to No.3 on trending topics. The hashtag ¡°Calista and Luther are so ship¨Cworthy¡± became the top trending topic. The doctored footage pped creepy filters on Aria¡¯s face, with topments screaming: [Capitalist pigs abusing celebrities, disgusting.] Soon, influencer ounts jumped on the trend, posting videos with dramatic voiceovers that painted Calista as a pitiful underdog, while Aria became the viinous tycoon. Cluelessizens who stumbled upon these posts would immediately fire off angryments. At the same time, promotional channels heavily emphasized Calista and Luther¡¯s chemistry, leading many first¨Ctime viewers to check out the show, only to find themselves lost. [Well¡­ The show¡¯s only been on for 40 minutes. Where did they get all these edited clips from?] [@All the gossip mongers, check this out! They¡¯re saying tycoon Aria is bullying a celebrity, and it¡¯s already trending after just half an hour.] [This reeks of conspiracy.] Seeing the trending topics, Calista jumped up in shock and hurled her phone at her assistant. ¡°How the hell did this get on the trending list already? Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be tomorrow? Go find out what happened, now!¡± she yelled. Editing these narrated video clips would take hours. There was no way they could finish it so quickly. Calista had ordered them to release everything tomorrow, yet it had be a trending topic halfway through the show tell something was fishy. Calista¡¯s assistant soon returned with news. ¡°They got the dates mixed up. They thought it was today.¡± ne with half a brain could Chapter 489 Calista¡¯s n was simple. She wanted to use those edited clips to create misunderstandings, then swoop in to defend Asia and cias friends. That way, she¡¯de out looking like a good guy, earn Aria¡¯s gratitude, and have the perfect excuse to get closer to Luther. Little did she expect a timing mix¨Cup. The trending topics and marketing ounts surfaced a day early, and in the blink of an eye, she went from Ari I friend to her enemy. Calista panicked and shouted, ¡°Tell them to take down the videos and get the trending topics removed, now!¡± But it was already toote. Calista¡¯s top fan ounts received instructions from her team, telling them to attack Aria after the topic hit trending. So they went all out, flooding the discourse. Otherizens soon jumped in. [What the fuck? The show¡¯s not even over, and it¡¯s already trending? Trashing Aria while shipping Calista and Luther. Are you that desperate for clout? [Calista¡¯s fans, stay away from Luther. Keep your distance.] Almost all of Luther¡¯s fans knew that Calista was chasing after him. Forced shipping wasn¡¯t a big deal, but deliberately orchestrating online hate against an innocent civilian was downright malicious. Everyone rushed to the third trending topic, abandoning the variety show, determined to push the topic to number one. They decided to kick Calista while she was down. It was their chance to bury Calista and her fake ¡°sweet girl¡± act for good. Again Marriage 490 Seeing this, Calista¡¯s fansshed back angrily: [Why are you harassing us? Isn¡¯t your idol also sucking up to Aria?) Luther¡¯s fans shot back: [So what if he¡¯s chasing after Aria? She¡¯s way prettier than Calista. Moreover, she¡¯s the biggest shareholder of the Stars Group and a professor at Kerano Global Health. If Luther can get close to her, that proves how awesome he is!] Another one added: [Luther knows his boundaries and respects others. Please don¡¯t get him involved in Calista¡¯s disgusting behavior.) The fans on both sides were at each other¡¯s throats, with their rival fandoms jumping into the fray. Amidst the chaos, the poprity of the variety show ¡°Cozy Screening Room¡± soared along with the controversy. The trending topic quickly got removed, only to reappear minutester. This time, Starmon Films boosted it. Even so, some stubbornly insisted that even if these were currently unaired clips, it didn¡¯t change the fact that Aria was a bully. As the variety show concluded, all of Calista¡¯s passive¨Caggressive remarks targeting Aria were broadcast in full, instantly turning public opinion against Calista. The public bacsh grew so intense that hashtags trashing Calista flooded trending lists. Even paid promotional ounts couldn¡¯t escape the wave of vitriol. Aria nced at the trending topics and smirked. ¡°Calista is such a fool,¡± she mused. When Calista demanded footage from Finn, Finn immediately reached out to Aria. Aria had someone keeping tabs on Calista¡¯s situation. When Calista bought trending topics and hired influencers, Aria quietly had the timing of the releases tweaked without a trace. Owen¡¯s eyes turned frosty. ¡°Was she this brazen during the recording?¡± ¡°Yeah, she kept buzzing in my ear like a mosquito. It¡¯s so damn annoying,¡± Ariained. Owen shot her a smirk and said, ¡°Next time someone pisses you off, just punch them. I¡¯llwyer up for you.¡± Aria asked yfully, ¡°What if we lose?¡± Owen took her hand, gently squeezing her fingers. With a reassuring smile, he said, ¡°Trust me, I have confidence.¡± Seeing Owen¡¯s dead¨Cserious expression, Aria burst outughing. ¡°Alright then. Next time, I¡¯ll punch them,¡± she teased. After a pause, Aria added, ¡°Oh, right, Pearl¡¯s on summer break. Let¡¯s head to one of the Stars Group¡¯s mountain resorts in a few days. We can escape the heat and stay for a while.¡± ¡°Count me in,¡± Owen said. Aria said, ¡°Alright.¡± Owen gently traced circles on her palm, a teasing smile ying at his lips. Finn beamed from ear to ear as the variety show skyrocketed in poprity. But his smile faded when he received an ultimatum from the Archer family, telling them to clear Calista¡¯s name immediately. If they didn¡¯t, the Archer family would get the show axed. The assistant asked nervously, ¡°What should we do?¡± Finn cleared his throat and asked, ¡°So, when dealing with a powerful family like this, where should we start?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± the assistant was stunned. ¡®Is he asking a lowly assistant like me about this?¡® 10:12 Thu 26 Jun M Chapter 490 Finn shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°What¡¯s so hard about answering? Don¡¯t wanna work with me anymore?¡± The assistant quickly blurted out, ¡°I think maybe we should find someone even more powerful to back us up.¡± ¡®To be fair, Finn is a rare gem in showbiz, not because his variety shows are exceptional, but because he¡¯s a good person,¡® the assistant thought He wanted to keep working with Finn. Finn gave him an approving look. ¡°Good thinking. Now, who do you think we should approach?¡± ¡°Starmon Films has the Stars Group backing it up, and Aria is a shareholder. Partnering with Starmon Films would be our safest bet,¡± the assistant suggested. ¡°Smart,¡± Finn said. The assistant replied, ¡°I¡¯ll contact Starmon Films now.¡± ¡°No rush. The Archer family can¡¯t stir up much trouble. Don¡¯t forget what happened to Hannah. All four major families in Mandino City have ties to Aria, Finn said. Finn couldn¡¯t understand how Calista dared to pick a fight with someone of Aria¡¯s status. ¡®It was like she was a ,¡® he thought. Calista was devastated. She only wanted to get closer to Luther and never expected things to blow up like this. She took to Twitter to defend herself, insisting she never targeted Aria and had no knowledge of the trending topics. AD Comment Again Marriage 491 Chapter 491 Before long, Starmon Films dropped damning evidence proving she had bought trending topics and paid for influencer promotion. It was the final nail in her coffin. Calista¡¯s father, Neville Archer, called her, roaring, ¡°Get your ass home now! Pissing off Aria is pissing off half of Mandino City. What the hell were you thinking, going after her? You¡¯re not helping the family at all, just making things worse. You¡¯re utterly useless.¡± Calista seethed with silent rage, but she didn¡¯t dare defy her father. She only entered showbiz to get close to Luther. Now that things hade to this, she was too ashamed to stay in showbiz. Neville arranged for a scapegoat, after which Calista announced her withdrawal from showbiz and returned home to take over the family business. With Calista finally gone, Luther¡¯s fans were over the moon, flocking to the Stars Group to thank Aria. Nestled halfway up a mountain in Kanit City, the Stars Group¡¯s summer vi was a secluded paradise hidden amidst nature, far from the city¡¯s hustle and bustle. It was a perfect natural summer retreat. Upon learning that Aria and her party were arriving, the manager and the reception staff were already waiting at the resort entrance. ¡°Wee, Ms. Saxon, Lily, Pearl, and Mr. Shaw,¡± the manager, yton Dous, greeted them. Aria replied, ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± The attendants took their luggage as yton stepped aside with a courteous nod. ¡°Your amodations are prepared, Ms. Saxon.¡± ¡°You may attend to other matters,¡± Aria said. ¡°Just have someone show us the way to our amodations.¡± ¡°Okay, Ms. Saxon,¡± yton replied. After yton left, several staff members picked up the luggage and led the way. As soon as the group stepped into the resort lobby, a little boy, about six or seven years old, zoomed past on a skateboard. His mother hurried after him, calling out anxiously, ¡°Slow down. You¡¯re going to hurt yourself.¡± The boy ignored his mother. Spotting something in Pearl¡¯s pocket/his eyes instantly lit up. With a quick swerve of his skateboard, he reached into her pocket. Without missing a beat, Pearl covered her pocket and sidestepped to avoid the grab. A few steps ahead of them, Aria and Owen heard themotion and immediately turned around, just in time to see the boy lose his bnce and tumble forward onto the floor with a thud. ¡°Mommy!¡± he wailed. Seeing this, the woman rushed over in a panic and immediately tried to shove Pearl. ¡°How dare you push my son?¡± she shrieked. By the time the woman rushed over, Aria and Owen had already stepped protectively in front of Pearl and Lily. Aria seized the woman¡¯s hand and snapped, ¡°Are you blind? He missed his step and fell on his own.¡± The woman wrenched her hand free from Aria¡¯s grip, scooped up her son, and red daggers at them. ¡°Would my son have fallen if she hadn¡¯t dodged?¡± she snarled. ¡®How unreasonable,¡¯ Aria thought. The staff rushed over to mediate the dispute. 10:17 Fri, 27 Jun 3 ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Aria said coolly, turning to leave. Seeing they were about to leave, the little boy squirmed in his mother¡¯s arms, pointed at Pearl, and cried, ¡°Mommy, that girl has a gold toy in her pocket. I want it.¡± The mother said impatiently, ¡°Have your dad buy itter.¡± ¡°I want it now. I want hers,¡± the child whined. ¡°Mommy, I want it.¡± The woman strode forward and said, ¡°My son wants whatever¡¯s in her pocket. Name your price. I¡¯ll buy it.¡± Owen turned his head, a cold smirk on his lips. ¡°It¡¯s not for sale.¡± The little boy threw another tantrum, kicking and screaming, ¡°I want it now.¡± The woman, thoroughly irritated, blurted out, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 30 thousand dors. Are you selling it or not?¡± ¡°No,¡± Owen insisted. Humiliated by the rejection, the woman flew into a rage. Clutching her son, she swiftly blocked their path and snapped, ¡°If you didn¡¯t want it taken, you shouldn¡¯t have unted it to tempt my son,¡± she spat. ¡°Like it or not, you¡¯re selling it to me today. My son is the future heir of the Shaw family. You should consider it an honor that he likes your things.¡± ¡®Heir?¡® Aria was surprised, instinctively ncing at Owen. Owen stared at the woman and sneered, ¡°Heir to the Shaw family? And just who is your husband, exactly?¡± The woman lifted her chin proudly and said, ¡°My husband is Tom Shaw, chairman of the Shaw Family Group and head of the Shaw family.¡± At those words, Owen¡¯s expression darkened instantly. AD Comment Again Marriage 492 Owen¡¯s gaze lingered on the woman momentarily before shifting to the crying, fussing boy. Eileen Graham clutched her son tightly, turning sideways defensively as she asked warily, ¡°What do you want?¡± With a faint smile ying on his lips, Owen said calmly, ¡°So, he¡¯s Tom¡¯s son? And you¡¯re his wife?¡± Eileen realized this was someone formidable. ¡®He dared to address Tom by name, after all,¡¯ she thought. A sudden pang of regret struck her. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have recklessly provoked them.¡¯ Eileen nodded with forced bravado. ¡°Yes. My son wants your gold pendant now. I¡¯ll give you 30 thousand dors. Tell that masked girl to hand it over immediately.¡± Owen took a step forward, and Eileen instinctively recoiled. Owen asked coldly, ¡°Tom¡¯s wife is Mabel, a distinguished physicist. Are you iming to be her?¡± ¡®He knows the Shaw family well,¡® Eileen thought. Eileen¡¯s face instantly betrayed her panic, but she forced herself to appearposed. ¡°So what if I am? So what if I¡¯m not?¡± she retorted defiantly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to sell it, then don¡¯t. Like I care.¡± With that, Eileen scooped up her son and rushed away. The little boy kept wailing until a quick smack on his bottom finally quieted him down. ¡°Mom, put me down. I can walk by myself,¡± said the boy. Eileen¡¯s arms were aching from carrying her son, so she promptly set him down. Immediately after the boy¡¯s feet touched the ground, he suddenly spun around and charged straight at Pearl, shouting at the top of his lungs, ¡°Give me the gold pendant. I want it now.¡± Owen reacted instantly, stepping sideways to shield Pearl. The boy couldn¡¯t stop himself and crashed straight into Owen¡¯s leg, losing his bnce and tumbling to the ground before bursting into loud sobs. Seething with anger yet intimidated by Owen and the others, Eileen dared not raise her voice. Teetering on her high heels, she hurried toward them in small, anxious steps. Aria stepped forward, crouched to the boy¡¯s eye level with a yful smile, and asked, ¡°So, you want that gold pendant, huh?¡± The boy stopped crying and nodded. ¡°Yes, I want it,¡± he said. ¡°What a pity,¡± Aria said with a mocking smile. ¡°That gold pendant was handcrafted by the man here. It¡¯s truly one of a kind. No matter how rich your parents are, you¡¯ll never get it.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± the boy wailed loudly. ¡°You¡¯re a bad woman. You¡¯re a witch. An idiot.¡± Without hesitation, Aria pped him right across the mouth. ¡°Try saying that one more time,¡± she said coldly. Eileen shrieked and rushed forward desperately/Aria grabbed the boy by his shirt cor, stood up, and swung him aside. Eileen lunged but missed, her foot twisting beneath her as she nearly fell. ¡°Let go of my son!¡± Eileen screamed. Aria shot her an icy re. ¡°Scream again, and I¡¯ll toss him out.¡± 11, 27 Jun The chubby boy dangled in her grip like a ragdoll,pletely at her mercy. The boy shrieked in panic, ¡°Mommy, help!¡± Aria red at him and said coldly, ¡°Say that again.¡± The little boy was terrified into silence. He apologized, his voice trembling with sobs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss. I was wrong. I don¡¯t want the gold pendant anymore. Please, please let me go.¡± ¡°Keep cursing like that, and I¡¯ll sew your mouth shut,¡± Aria said. The little boy stammered fearfully, ¡°I¨CI won¡¯t do it again.¡± Aria flung the boy straight toward Eileen. Caughtpletely off guard, the mother and son toppled backward onto the ground. Clutching her waist, Eileen spat venomously, ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this. Mark my words.¡± With his mother shielding him, the little boy red at Aria and mimicked his father¡¯s menacing tone. ¡°You evil woman! I¡¯ll have my dad torture you to death, break every bone in your body, drain all your blood, and have you preserved as a disy specimen.¡± ¡®At such a young age, for him to say something so vicious, it¡¯s obvious he learned it from his parents,¡® Aria thought. Aria crossed her arms defiantly. ¡°Go ahead, try me. I¡¯ll make sure your wishes true.¡± Eileen yanked her son away and stormed off. The little boy turned back, ring daggers at Aria, his eyes full of malice. AD Again Marriage 493 Chapter 493 Pearl caught the boy¡¯s malicious re, her eyes narrowing warily. Aria withdrew her gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said curtly. Having watched the whole scene, the reception staff stood there, shocked. ¡®Our boss is such a badass,¡® they sighed inwardly. Owen turned around, his expression darkening. Noticing this, Aria lowered her voice and asked, ¡°Is Tom Anabel¡¯s father?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Yes, Tom has two children. His eldest son, Quincy, is thirty¨Ctwo, around the same age as Kim. He has already begun taking over the Shaw Group. ¡°Anabel¡¯s mother is a scientist. She¡¯s always so busy that she hardly everes home, maybe once a year. That¡¯s why Anabel was born muchter.¡± Having met Tom once, Aria still remembered his face. ¡°That kid does look a bit like him,¡± she mused. ¡®He also looks a bit like Isaac,¡® Aria thought. Owen instinctively reached out to ruffle her hair, but withdrew his hand when he remembered he hadn¡¯t washed up yet. ¡°Let Quincy look into it. They should handle their family affairs themselves,¡± he said. ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied. The suite yton arranged for them was a four¨Cperson room, with floor¨Cto¨Cceiling windows covering one entire wall, making the whole space bright and warm. Lily and Pearl shared a room, while Aria took the one next door. Owen chose the room directly across from Aria¡¯s. The butler said respectfully, ¡°Ms. Saxon, we¡¯re on standby 24 hours a day. Should you need anything, call the direct line.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied. ¡°We¡¯ll rest for half a day first. Please have some food sent over. yton knows our dietary preferences.¡± ¡°Got it, Ms. Saxon,¡± the butler replied. After the butler left, Aria turned to Owen. ¡°You¡¯ve been driving for hours. Go get some good rest first.¡± Owen said gently, ¡°Alright, see you tonight.¡±. ¡°See you tonight,¡± Aria replied. After dinner, Lily and Pearl lounged on the balcony, enjoying the evening breeze. After resting idly for some time, Pearl felt bored, so she rose and drifted to the balcony. Her eyes met the expanse of a gleaming pool below. Pearl pulled out her phone and zoomed in to get a closer look. Soon, two familiar figures appeared on the screen, the mother and son they¡¯d encountered earlier. ¡°Observing people again?¡± Lily walked over to Pearl and leaned in to peek at her phone. ¡°See anything interesting?¡± When she saw the two people on Pearl¡¯s phone/screen, Lily said in disgust, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s them.¡± In her free time, Pearl enjoyed observing people around her, imagining what kind of people they might be. Lily noticed Pearl¡¯s little habit not long after they met. On the screen, the boy suddenly got into a conflict with a little girl and, shockingly, tried to force her underwater. ¡°What the hell is he doing?¡± Lily nearly jumped out of her seat in fury. Fortunately, the little girl¡¯s spotted what was happening in time and rushed over, yanking her daughter to safety. Seeing her son lose out, Eileen immediately stormed toward the other mother to confront her. Lily let out a coldugh. ¡°That s gonna grow up to be a total menace.¡± Pearl nodded in agreement. For dinner, yton had arranged a private dining room for them. As Pearl was heading to the restroom, a small figure suddenly rushed at her from the side and shoved his hand into her pocket, searching for something ¡°Where¡¯s the gold pendant?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it there?¡± Pearl snapped, ¡°Back off!¡± The boy grabbed her and snarled, ¡°Give me the gold pendant, or I¡¯ll have my dad smash your bones and drain you dry.¡± Pearl stopped dead, her gaze sweeping the surroundings. She realized it was a camera blind spot there. Pearl looked down and asked coolly, ¡°Where¡¯s your mom?¡± ¡°My mom¡¯s eating,¡± the boy said casually. Pearl crouched down to meet his eyes and, with deceptive gentleness, asked, ¡°You want my gold pendant that badly?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the boy replied. Pearl¡¯s eyes curved into a gentle, innocent smile as she asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Ss Shaw,¡± the little boy replied. Pearl reached out and gently stroked his head, her voice soft and soothing. ¡°Want the gold pendant? You can have it. Just rx, Look into my eyes¡­¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads ??????? Again Marriage 494 Chapter 494 ¡°Some kid just jumped into the pool out of nowhere. If the staff hadn¡¯t spotted him, he would¡¯ve drowned,¡± someone said. ¡°That kid¡¯s mother is demanding the manor take responsibility,¡± someone else added. ¡°Didn¡¯t the cameras show he jumped in by himself?¡± a person asked. Another one muttered, ¡°Who knows? That kid nearly drowned a little girl this afternoon. Probably just karma catching up with him.¡± As Aria and the others left the private dining room after dinner, they happened to overhear the discussion. Pearl¡¯s hand hanging by her side instinctively clenched, but rxed a secondter, The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and nced at Aria cautiously, thinking, ¡®How unlucky it is to run into this kind of trouble on Ms. Saxon¡¯s first day here.¡® He said carefully, ¡°Ms. Saxon, this was truly an ident. We have no idea why that child suddenly jumped into the pool. Mr. Dous personally escorted him to the hospital, and fortunately, his condition isn¡¯t life¨Cthreatening.¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°Tonight¡¯s scheduled performance has been canceled and reced by a fountain show at eight.¡± Aria¡¯s gaze swept over the group deep in discussion. As she withdrew her gaze, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Pearl and paused briefly. ¡®Pearl seems a bit nervous,¡® Aria thought. ¡°So, how about we catch the fountain show at eight?¡± s she asked. Owen said, ¡°Sounds good.¡± Lily also agreed, ¡°Count me in!¡± The butler held up his iPad. He swiped through the screen to show them pictures and exined, ¡°The sun is about to set. There¡¯s a breathtaking sunset glow on the west side of the manor, perfect for photos. You can head over there now. ¡°There¡¯s a pristine spring in the back hills of the estate, and the water there is crystal clear. That area belongs to the manor and is normally off¨Climits to guests, but Ms. Song, you could take the two youngdies there tomorrow for some leisure time. There¡¯s also camping and BBQ¡­¡± Aria looked at Lily and Pearl, asking, ¡°Would you both like to check it out?¡± Lily immediately replied, ¡°Absolutely!¡± Pearl seemed to snap out of her thoughts. A beat toote, she nodded reflexively. ¡°Me too,¡± she said. Aria cast a subtle nce at Pearl, then smiled at the butler. ¡°Let¡¯s go with your arrangements,¡± she said. The butler replied respectfully. ¡°Okay, Ms. Saxon.¡± Owen gave his camera a quick check. ¡°All set. Let¡¯s go,¡± he said. The sightseeing cart moved slowly along the path, lush trees lining both sides. Dappled shadows shifted with the their faces, bringing a sense of calm. Lily and Pearl sat up front, while Aria and Owen took the back seats. acle, and a gentle breeze brushed Aria rested her chin on her hand, gazing quietly into the distance as Owen raised his camera and captured the moment. Aria turned at the sound to see Owen lowering his camera with a sheepish smile. ¡°Forgot to mute the shutter,¡± he said. Aria rarely took photos of herself. Most of her pictures were group shots with Vanessa, Julia, and Cloe. They would take the photos, sand them to her, and she¡¯d get them printed. Owen muted the shutter sound, nced at the photo, then held it out to Aria with a grin. ¡°Take a look.¡± In the photo, the distant sky zed with the splendor of sunset. Golden¨Corange light spilled softly across Aria¡¯s face, tracing the delicate curve of her upturnedshes and the clean line of her nose, wrapping her in a dreamy, filter¨Clike glow. Aria said with genuine appreciation, ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± Owen grinned and said, ¡°I think so too.¡± After arriving at the western gazebo, Owen told them to explore on their own while he took some candid shots here and there. After watching the sunset and enjoying the fountain show, Aria dismissed the group and went to find yton. Aria asked, ¡°How did it go?¡± Again Marriage 495 Chapter 495 yton replied, ¡°It¡¯s mostly settled. We had already agreed onpensation, but as soon as Ms. Graham saw the Shaw family members, she immediately insisted it wasn¡¯t our fault and dropped the matter altogether.¡± The moment the Shaw family appeared, the once aggressive Eileen transformed instantly, her voice softened, and she became gentle and sincere yton could tell what she was king. ¡®She was probably trying to make a good impression,¡® he thought. ¡°The Shaw family members?¡± Am look shed in Aria¡¯s eyes. ¡°Which one?¡± yton replied, ¡°Quincy.¡± Aria said, ¡°Let me see that kid¡¯s photo.¡± The manager pulled up the surveince footage and handed the device to Aria. Sure enough, it was the boy who had tried to snatch Pearl¡¯s gold pendant earlier. Aria rewound the surveince footage and saw the boy dart into the women¡¯s restroom. Five minutester, he emerged, appearingpletely normal. Aria nced at the time. It was when Pearl had gone to the restroom. She let out a soft sigh and handed the phone back to yton. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that for now. If they demandpensationter, contact me. I¡¯ll cover it.¡± yton quickly assured her, ¡°Ms. Saxon, we¡¯ll handle this. We can cover anypensation if necessary.¡± Aria said firmly, ¡°Just do as I say.¡± yton could only agree, ¡°Understood, Ms. Saxon.¡± When Aria returned, Owen was on the phone by the floor¨Cto¨Cceiling window. ¡°Good thing it¡¯s not your dad¡¯s kid,¡± he said. ¡°Alright, talk to youter.¡± Owen approached her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk in room.¡± my ¡°Okay,¡± Aria said. Owen said, ¡°The kid who fell into the pool this afternoon was Ss. His mother is Eileen, but he¡¯s not Tom¡¯s son. He¡¯s Isaac¡¯s.¡± After the previous incident, the Shaw family stripped Isaac of all his assets, ced him under strict supervision, and provided only a fixed monthly living allowance. Isaac didn¡¯t want to stay at home. Out of pity, Tom lent him one of his vis and even provided an additional 150 thousand dors as a monthly allowance. Before his imprisonment, Isaac had a rtionship with Eileen. Initially, she didn¡¯t know his true identity. Later, after he sent her away, he cut off all contact with her. After discovering she was pregnant and unable to find Isaac, Eileen hastily married someone else and gave birth to the baby. Isaac had fertility issues. Shortly after his release from prison, Isaac ran into Eileen. When he learned he had a s felt overjoyed for quite some time. Fully aware of his tarnished reputation, he reflexively assumed Tom¡¯s identity. Quincy burst outughing as he told Owen about it. He said, ¡°My dad always thought you were too extreme when handling things. He kept saying, ¡°Isaac has turned over a new leaf. He¡¯s not that kind of person anymore. So he kept secretly sending Isaac money, however much he asked for. But after all this happened, my dad was furious.¡± 10:17 Fri, 27 Jun B Tom had always been the kindest to Isaac in the Shaw family. So when Isaac fathered a child outside and imed it was fom¡¯s, it was not hard to imagine how devastated Tom must have been. Tom bore a striking resemnce to Isaac. It was no wonder that everyone thought the child was Tom¡¯s. Aria said with a wry smile, ¡°That¡¯s rather absurd.¡± Owen stifled augh. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty ridiculous.¡± Aria¡¯s smile faded as she thought of Pearl, reced by a hint of helplessness. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have Lily help you pick out some photos? I¡¯ll go talk to Pearl about the hypnosis thing.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Owen said quietly. When Quincy talked to Owen on the phone about Isaac, he also mentioned the child. Even the boy couldn¡¯t exin why he¡¯d jumped into the pool. He had no memory of it at all. Owen could guess it was Pearl¡¯s doing. After Owen called Lily away, Aria entered the room. Pearl had just stepped out of the shower. Spotting Aria, she tensed up and stammered, ¡°A¨CAria.¡± ¡°Lily¡¯s helping Owen pick out photos. Let me apply some medicine for you,¡± said Aria Pearl smiled. ¡°Alright,¡± she said softly. After applying the medicine, Aria set down the cotton swab and slowly lifted her gaze to meet Pearl¡¯s. In a gentle voice, she asked, ¡°Pearl, was it you?¡± ? Again Marriage 496 Chapter 496 Pearl¡¯s heart skipped a beat, her eyes wide open in shock. She dug her nails into her palm. The pain steadied her. Then the stammered, ¡°Aria, what. What do you mean?¡± ¡°The kid we saw this afternoon fell into the water. The surveince footage shows he jumped in by himself,¡± Aria said. ¡°Was he¡­ Was he trying tomit suicide?¡± Pearl stammered. Aria countered, ¡°Do you think that kid would be that desperate?¡± Pearl pressed her lips tightly together, unable to utter a word. Aria sighed, her tone serious. ¡°Did you do it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Pearl admitted. Her cover was blown, so she saw no reason to keep pretending. ¡°Aria, are you disappointed in me?¡± Pearl gazed into Aria¡¯s eyes, her voice barely above a whisper as she asked cautiously, terrified of hearing words like Aria would leave her. Aria gently patted her head and said, ¡°Silly girl, what are you worrying about? I couldn¡¯t be happier that you could protect yourself. ¡°But you need to understand, this isn¡¯t the Wolfshade Syndicate. If someone gets hurt here, the police will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrator to justice. Ss was unharmed this time, so they didn¡¯t dig deeper. But if something had happened to him, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten away with it either.¡± Pearl was no stranger to using hypnosis this way. Back in the Wolfshade Syndicate, she had endured relentless torment from its members. Whenever they crossed the line, she¡¯d seize the chance to make them meet their end through hypnosis. However, hypnosis didn¡¯t work on everyone. Pearl couldn¡¯t hypnotize those who were strong¨Cwilled or on guard against her, like Olivia. Pearl had once tried to use hypnosis on Olivia, but failed. When she heard that Eileen had stirred up trouble at the hotel, regret instantly washed over her. ¡®I acted on impulse again, only thinking about myself¡­! never even considered that I might drag others into this mess,¡® Pearl thought, guilt gnawing at her. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t use hypnosis like that again,¡± Pearl said sincerely. Aria said, ¡°Use your hypnosis when you must. But avoid it unless necessary. It¡¯ll do you more harm than good if it ever gets exposed.¡± ¡®The person who taught Pearl hypnosis is no ordinary figure,¡® Aria thought, ¡®to make Arressto Investigation Agency hunt him for years. If Pearl¡¯s hypnosis skills were ever exposed and Arressto took her in for questioning, things could getplicated. If they set their sights on us, we can kiss our peaceful life goodbye forever.¡® All Aria wanted was for Pearl to be happy and carefree Aria said softly, ¡°Whether Ss lives or dies means nothing to us. But you mean the world to us. Don¡¯t risk yourself for someone who doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Pearl felt a wave of anxiety wash over her as she thought of that person. She replied quickly, ¡°I get it, Aria Aria hesitated, then asked softly, ¡°Pearl, who taught you hypnosis? Was it someone from the Wolfshade Syndicate?¡± Pearl hesitated, her face full of conflict. In a low voice, she said, ¡°Sorry, Aria. I promised that person I wouldn¡¯t tell others.¡± Aria smiled gently. ¡°Then we won¡¯t talk about it. Did you two keep in touch after that?¡± ¡°No,¡± Pearl replied. ¡°Wel haven¡¯t been in contact since I left the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Aria said. ¡°But listen, he¡¯s a dangerous person. If he ever tries to see you or asks you to do anything, you must let me know, okay! ¡°Okay, I promise,¡± Pearl I replied. Aria said gently, ¡°Get some rest. We¡¯ll go out and have some fun tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, good night, Aria,¡± I Pearl said. The following morning, an unexpected guest came to the Anabel. summer mer vi. It Was Tom, head of the Shaw family. And tagging along ¡°shamelessty¡± Was When Tom arrived and the doorbell, rang Aria,! Pearl, and Lily were cozied up in the living groom, while Owen was making breakfast in the kitchen. Again Marriage 497 Chapter 497 Thinking it was the butler, Lily went to open the door. When she saw two strangers, she blurted out in surprise. ¡°Who are you here to see? Seeing an unfamiliar girl, Tom took a step back. ¡°My apologies,¡± he said, ¡°I seem to have the wrong address.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Owen called out as he emerged from the kitchen. At the sound of his voice, Tom looked up and nced inside. Their gazes locked. Owen stood there casually dressed, in an oddly out¨Cof¨Cce apron and carrying something in his hand. It was a stark contrast to his usual polished appearance. Yet, somehow, it didn¡¯t feel out of ce at Tom froze in shock. all. Owen barely nced at Tom as he set the thing in his hand on the table. Pushing past her father, Anabel rushed in. ¡°Aria, Owen,¡± she greeted them. Aria smiled at Anabel. ¡°Had breakfast yet?¡± ¡°Even if I¡¯ve eaten, I¡¯d still say I haven¡¯t.¡± Anabel dashed off to wash her hands, then sat down and greeted Lily and Pearl. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to taste Owen¡¯s cooking again!¡± Everyone ignored Tom, even his daughter. Tom cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped inside. ¡°Well, Owen, thank you for yesterday. They would have ruined my reputation if you hadn¡¯t been there.¡± Owen took a seat, his voice icy. ¡°No need for thanks, Uncle Tom. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Tom said, ¡°The main reason I came today is to apologize. I¡¯ve always, believed family harmony is what matters most. I used to think Isaac¡¯s wrongdoing didn¡¯t deserve such harsh punishment, and I even med you for being too harsh on him. I was wrong. Sorry.¡± Owen replied indifferently, ¡°Apology epted. If there¡¯s nothing else, you may leave now.¡± Tom knew this was just Owen¡¯s temperament and didn¡¯t mind his cold words. He was about to say something when he saw Owen gentlydle a bowl o soup for Aria and say, ¡°It¡¯s hot. Let it cool first.¡± Then, Owen filled three bowls with soup and set them before the three girls. ¡®So I¡¯m the only one getting special treatment, huh?¡® Tom thought bitterly. Watching this warm, family¨Clike scene, Tom couldn¡¯t bring himself to interrupt, at least for the moment. ¡®Who are these two youngdies?¡® Tom wondered. If it weren¡¯t for the age gap, Tom would¡¯ve assumed en and Aria had twin daughters. Anabel suddenly sprang up from her seat, staring at Lily in shock. ¡°You¡¯re Lily, the state¡¯s top scorer?¡± Lily scored 1540 on her SAT, making her the highest¨Cscoring student in Mandino City and Kanit City. Since both Kanit City and Mandino City used the same SAT exam, it was natural for everyone topare their scores. In previous years, Kanit City had always held the upper hand over Mandino City in SAT results. But this year, Mandino City snatched away the top spot from Kanit City. They even produced two top scorers. Even the second and third ces didn¡¯t to Kanit City students. It wasn¡¯t until fourth ce that Kanit City¡¯s students appeared in the rankings It was a heavy blow to the teachers and students in Kanit City. The summer break for rising seniors got shed from a month to just two weeks, and Anabel was one of them. Lily replied, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Anabel gasped, turning to Aria. ¡°Aria, where did you l find such an amazing little sister? You¡¯ve got great tasta.¡±¡± Tom was well aware that Mandino City had produced two top scorers. His daughter¡¯s sudden outburst snapped him out of his thoughts, and his gaze instinctively shifted to Lily¡¯s face. Tom thought, ¡°So she¡¯s one of the top scorers?¡± The Shaw Family Group operated in the technology and finance sectors and always prioritized talent acquisition. Each year, it proactively reached out to top scorers in the SAT nationwide, hoping to recruit these academic elites. Both top scorers of Mandino City turned down invitations from the Shaw Family Group, one for unknown reasons, while the other decided to join the Shaw Group instead. ¡®They are both our family businesses anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter which one they go to, Tom thought. Tom had instructed his HR director to recruit Lily, the top scorer, only to realize she was sitting right before him. ???? Again Marriage 498 Chapter 498 Tom pulled up a chair and sat beside Owen. He asked, ¡°Mind if I join you? I haven¡¯t had breakfast yet.¡± ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you already¡­¡± Anabel started, but caught her father¡¯s stern look and immediately shut her mouth. Owen didn¡¯t harbor any deep grudge against Tom. He wouldn¡¯t kick Tom out at a time like this. ¡°Make yourself at home, Uncle Tom,¡± he said. Tom didn¡¯t immediately pick up his fork. Instead, he turned to Lily with a warm, kindly expression and said, ¡°Lily, if you¡¯re considering an internship during your school holidays, you¡¯re wee to join us at the Shaw Group, ¡°I heard you¡¯re nning to major in physics. My wife is a well¨Cknown physicist. I¡¯d be happy to introduce you to her. It could be tremendously helpful for your academic and career development.¡± Lily looked up, her polite but distant smile never wavering. ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯ll have to pass.¡± Tom was stunned by her blunt refusal. Looking puzzled, he asked, ¡°Is there something you¡¯re concerned about?¡± Lily replied firmly, ¡°My sister Aria is a shareholder at the Stars Group. If I were to intern anywhere, it would be the Stars Group, nowhere else.¡± Tom thought, ¡®Aria¡¯s sister? But as far as I know, Aria doesn¡¯t have a sister.¡± Tom nced at Aria, his mind clouded with confusion. ¡®Did I miss something important?¡® he wondered. After a brief pause, he conceded gracefully. ¡°Very well then. Since you¡¯ve decided, I won¡¯t trouble you further,¡± he said. ¡°Anabel, let¡¯s go.¡± Anabel didn¡¯t even look up, her mouth full of food as she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m already on break. I¡¯m staying to hang out with Owen and the others.¡± Tom said, ¡°Anabel, you¡¯re bothering them.¡± Anabel looked up at Aria with puppy¨Cdog eyes and asked, ¡°Aria, am I bothering you guys?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria replied gently. Anabel turned to Owen. ¡°Owen, am I bothering you guys?¡± ¡°No,¡± Owen said. Anabel turned to her father with a smirk. ¡°See, Dad? I¡¯m not bothering them. You can go now. Bye.¡± Tom was speechless. He turned to Owen and said gently, ¡°I heard your brother already has a daughter. And now that you¡¯re with Aria, you should visit the family more often. After all, we¡¯re all family. There¡¯s no need for such hostility.¡± Owen¡¯s eyes turned cold. He put down his fork and said, ¡°Uncle Tom, when Isaac used your name, he didn¡¯t cross any lines. Yet you were so disappointe in him that you came here to apologize. ¡°When Isaac broke thew, you brushed it off as an ident. When he kidnapped someone, you made excuses for him. If he¡¯d stolen someone else¡¯s identity instead of yours, you wouldn¡¯t have lifted a finger, much less be standing here arguing with me. ¡°You¡¯ll never know the pain until you feel the knife yourself. epting your apology doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ming back to Kanit City. I don¡¯t want anything more to do with you people. ¡°Uncle Tom, don¡¯te looking for me or contact me again unless necessary.¡± Perhaps Owen¡¯s gentle demeanor had lulled Tom into a false sense of security, emboldening him to speak so presumptuously today. Now, confronted with Owen¡¯s merciless and barefaced sarcasm, Tom¡¯s expression shifted through a spectrum of emotions. UTO F11, 27 Jun 70%O Tom had always been fiercely protective of his reputation, not only because he was the patriarch of the Shaw family, but also because he was the husband of Mabel, the renowned physicist. He would never tolerate anyone tarnishing his reputation. But on second thought, Tom admitted to himself, ¡®Owen¡¯s right. If Isaac had used someone else¡¯s identity instead of mine, i might have thought it wasn¡¯t a big deal and just let it slide.¡® Tom instinctively turned to his daughter, his expression conflicted as he asked, ¡°Anabel¡­ Do you think that way too?¡± AD Again Marriage 499 Meeting her father¡¯s gaze, Anabel gripped her fork tightly, hesitated, then nodded. ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve always been like this. As long as it doesn¡¯t affect your interests, you don¡¯t care about much else.¡± Tom got up in a daze and left. It wasn¡¯t until he got in the car that he gradually came to his senses. ¡®Have I been this selfish all along?¡® Tom thought to himself. He rubbed his temples, took out his phone, and called the HR director. ¡°Is Aria the guardian of that top female student from Mandino City?¡± The director replied, ¡°Yes, Mr. Shaw. Lily is Aria¡¯s sister, but they¡¯re not biologically rted.¡± Tom asked for the details, and the director told him what he¡¯d found. Tom was shocked. He never expected a girl around his daughter¡¯s age to from such a troubled family background. Tom asked, ¡°Then what about the other girl? Is Aria her guardian, too?¡± The director replied, ¡°Does Aria have another sister? I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Shaw. I wasn¡¯t aware of that. I¡¯ll look into it immediately.¡± ¡°No, forget it. I¡¯ve already met that top female student. She¡¯s not joining Shaw Family Group. Focus on recruiting other students,¡± Tom said. ¡°Got it,¡± the director replied. With Anabel joining them, the group of five set off toward the hills behind the vi. Just as they reached the entrance, yton hurried over, looking anxious. ¡°Ms. Saxon, may I speak with you privately?¡± Aria turned to Owen. ¡°You guys go ahead and wait for me downstairs,¡± she said. ¡°Alright,¡± Owen replied. As the others left, yton hurried over and said urgently, ¡°Ms. Saxon, our security team has apprehended some suspicious individuals lurking near th estate. They im to be targeting you.¡± Aria frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡± yton promptly led the way. ¡°Right this way, Ms. Saxon.¡± As Aria walked, she texted Owen: [Go ahead with the kids. Got something to handle. I¡¯ll be right there.] Owen replied promptly: [Got it.] As yton and Aria stepped out of the elevator, a security guard rushed over in a panic. ¡°Mr. Dous, they got away.¡± yton¡¯s expression darkened instantly, and he roared angrily, ¡°What good are you? How could you let them escape!¡± ¡®Bad enough they got away, but they just had to wait until I brought Ms. Saxon here before saying anything, yton thought angrily. Aria said, ¡°Let me see the surveince footage.¡± The security guard just stood there frozen. yton snapped, ¡°What are you standing around for? Get mov ¡°Okay,¡± the security guard said and left. Momentster, yton received the surveince footage. It showed the same two guys Aria had dealt withst time. 10:18 Fri, 27 Jun B Aria¡¯s lips curved in a cold smirk. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this myself. Sorry for the trouble, yton.¡± yton quickly replied, ¡°Just doing my job, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria thought, ¡®These two look like amateurs. They¡¯re not some professionals sent to deal with me. Just Olivia¡¯s decoys. Unable to find a chance to strike at Pearl, Olivia sent out those two useless pawns again to muddy the waters.¡® After that, Aria headed to the back hills of the estate to rejoin the others. Owen lowered his voice as Aria approached. ¡°Those two again?¡± Aria nced at Pearl and gave a slight nod. ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied. Owen scoffed, ¡°Seems Russell¡¯s influence in the Wolfshade Syndicate isn¡¯t all that impressive if he can¡¯t even handle something this simple.¡± ¡°If he can¡¯t handle it, we¡¯ll deal with it ourselves,¡± Aria said confidently, ¡°Let¡¯s set a trap and catch them all in one go.¡± After spending a few days at the summer vi, Anabel went home, while Aria and the others spent another two weeks traveling around. Pearl continued with her sses. Lily was interested in the banjo, so Aria signed her up for lessons. Ar¨ªa dropped Lily off at the training center. ¡°Call me before ss ends, and I¡¯ll pick you up,¡± she said. ¡°Okay, Aria,¡± Lily replied. Aria made a U¨Cturn and drove off, her eyes briefly scanning the rearview mirror before heading to a shooting range. AD Again Marriage 500 0 Chapter 500 The nearest shooting range was less than a mile away. During rush hour, the streets bustled with traffic and crowds of peopleing and going The streets echoed with honking cars, the whirring of electric scooters weaving through traffic, and random chimes of warning bells. Aria nced at the rearview mirror before checking her phone for Owen¡¯s message at the red light. Behind her car, a driver and his partner sat tense, eyes locked on Aria¡¯s car ahead. One of them muttered nervously, ¡°Did she just make a U¨Cturn? Did she spot us?¡± The other whispered, ¡°The boss said just keep her from going home. It doesn¡¯t matter where she goes as long as she doesn¡¯t return.¡± ¡°Be careful not to get caught. This woman ys rough,¡± one of the men warned hispanion. Momentster, the two men followed Aria into a parking lot. One of them asked unsteadily, ¡°Should we follow her?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the other replied. ¡°What if Aria takes a cab home? If she makes it back, we¡¯re dead meat.¡± They had to stop Aria from going home, no matter what. The two men pulled on their masks and stealthily exited the car, their eyes fixed on Aria. Using parked vehicles as cover, they mirrored her every move, quick when she was quick, slow when she was slow. Suddenly, a man in silver¨Cframed sses approached Aria and draped his arm over her shoulder. Their hearts lurched, and they instinctively backed away a little. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re being followed,¡± the man in silver¨Cframed sses warned her. Aria instinctively frowned at the stranger¡¯s touch and was just about to shrug him off when he immediately withdrew his arm. Walking beside her, he lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Should we call the police now?¡± ¡°No need,¡± Aria said coolly, stopping abruptly and turning to look behind her. The two men exchanged miserable looks. ¡°She must have seen us,¡± one of them said. The other muttered, ¡°So what if she found us? It¡¯s not like she can kill us here in Huthailia. She didn¡¯t finish us offst time, either.¡± Seeing that she showed no fear, the man with silver¨Cframed sses smiled apologetically. ¡°Oh, so you knew,¡± he said. ¡°My apologies for earlier.¡± His low, mellow voice wasced with concern Knowing he meant well, Aria said softly, ¡°It¡¯s all right I appreciate that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± The man had strikingly handsome features that softened when he smiled. ¡°They probably haven¡¯t gone far yet. Where are you headed? Let me walk with you.¡± ¡°No need,¡± Aria said coolly, already turning to leave. That man chuckled softly, took out a certificate, and showed it to her. ¡°My name is Elmore Balton. I¡¯m a chemistry professor at Mandino University. Here are my academic credentials. See? I¡¯m a good guy. Looking out for students is a teacher¡¯s duty. Let me walk you there.¡± Hearing he was a professor at Mandino University, Aria instinctively took the certificate and looked through it with mild curiosity. Looking up, she asked, 10:18 Fri, 27 Jun BQ ¡°Mr. Balton, were you recently appointed?¡± Elmore nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, I studied in Dlund and recently obtained my PhD. I¡¯m originally from Mandino City, so I epted when Handinas University offered me a professorship.¡± Aria handed the certificate back. ¡°Those two aren¡¯t a threat. Mr. Balton, you can go ahead with your own business. I¡¯m already at the shooting range Elmore tucked away the certificate with a light chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m also heading to the shooting range. Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria replied. They ignored the men stalking them. Feeling awkward, Elmore broke the silence first and asked, ¡°Are you a student at Mandino University?¡± Aria replied, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t go to college.¡± She spoke calmly, her gaze steady and free of any hint of self¨Cconsciousness, as if she were merely stating something that didn¡¯t matter. Elmore was surprised for a moment. Realizing he¡¯d asked an insensitive question, he said, his voice tinged with guilt, ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡± ¡°Why apologize?¡± Aria asked indifferently. Seeing that she truly didn¡¯t care, Elmore smiled lightly. ¡°Nothing.¡± They made casual small talk along the way. Finally, they arrived at the shooting range. AD Again Marriage 501 Chapter 501 At that time, a young man stepped out and spotted Elmore, his face lighting up with recognition. ¡°Mr. Balton. You¡¯re here again!¡± the young range owner eximed. Elmore smiled faintly. ¡°Yeah, sses haven¡¯t started yet. I¡¯m just taking this chance to unwind a bit.¡± The young man¡¯s gazended on Aria, momentarily stunned by her striking beauty. Turning to Elmore with a teasing grin, he said, ¡°Mr. Balton, have you finally found yourself a girlfriend? Is she your girlfriend? She¡¯s stunning.¡± Elmore chuckled lightly. ¡°No, she¡¯s not my girlfriend. We just ran into each other on the way to the shooting range.¡± The young man beamed and extended his hand. ¡°Great timing. This ce is empty today, so you two can go wild.¡± Elmore didn¡¯t move. He turned to Aria with a questioning look and asked, ¡°Mind sharing ane?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria said. The two followed the young range owner to the shootingne. Along the way, he asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s your name?¡± The shooting range was spacious, its subdued dark gray color sch lending it a professional air that immediately quelled any urge to fool around. An array of firearms lined one side of the range. The young man was about to give a rundown when he noticed Aria picked up one of the pistols without hesitation. The gleaming ck pistol rested in her pale palm, the striking contrast between the dark metal and her skin instantly drawing both men¡¯s gazes. The young man beamed and introduced, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you have excellent taste. It is a SIG P226 pistol, weighing just under two pounds. It¡¯s my prized possession, and the only one avable at this range.¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll take this one, then.¡± Elmore also picked out another pistol and asked, ¡°Aria, have you ever handled a handgun?¡± Aria found his tone a bit odd. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s just a teacher thing,¡¯ she thought, but let it slide. She replied, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve handled firearms before. Not too shabby with them.¡± ¡®Not too shabby? Bet she can put rounds on target just fine.¡¯ With that thought in mind, the young range owner pped his hands together. ¡°Mr. Balton¡¯s also pretty good at this. How about you two have a littlepetition?¡± Aria arched a brow at Elmore. ¡°Care for a match, Mr. Balton?¡± Elmore¡¯spetitive spirit was piqued. He said, ¡°Why not?¡± Aria and Elmore slipped on their goggles and earmuffs, then took their positions at the firing line. The pistols were loaded and ready. The young man and the two coaches stood quietly off the side, hardly saying a word. ¡®These two are seasoned shooters,¡® they thought./ A metallic click echoed as Aria and Elmore chambered a round, their pistols now loaded and ready. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± A steady rhythm of gunfire echoed through the range.. Five shots each, then both stopped in perfect unison. 1/2 09:27 Sat, 28 Jun Gu At the same moment, both of their scores shed onto the screen. One got 45 points, and the other 47. Aria was two points ahead. The young range owner stared at her in awe. ¡®One 8¨Cpoint shot, one 9¨Cpoint shot, and three perfect 10s, all three 10sing in thest two rounds. It¡¯s hard not to suspect she was just warming up with those first two shots,¡® he thought. Despite the pistol¡¯s weight, about two pounds, she held it perfectly steady. Her shooting form was wless. ¡®Such skills suggest at least five years of firearm experience,¡® the young range owner thought. Elmore broke into apuse with a smile. ¡°Congrattions, You won.¡± Aria ran her fingers over the pistol before setting it down. ¡°Thanks. Elmore asked, ¡°Another round?¡± Not bad yourself, Mr. Balton.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria replied. She hadn¡¯t touched a gun in a while, so since she was already here, she decided to stay longer and wait for Owen¡¯s message. Aria ignored Elmore and the range owner, firing a hundred rounds before finally stopping. The young range owner stared in awe. ¡®All bullseyes! She calls that not shabby? With such skills, she could win anypetition,¡® he thought. This girl is something else.¡® Seeing Aria remove her earmuffs, the young man, with a hint of admiration, asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, calling it a day?¡± ¡°Yeah, almost time.¡± Aria flexed her wrist and walked to the other side. Pulling out her phone, she spotted a new message. It was from Owen: [All done. Head home.] AD Comment Again Marriage 502 Chapter 502 Aria shed a smile at the owner. ¡°How much is that?¡± The young owner hurriedly waved his hands. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s on the house! First¨Ctime visitors shoot for free here. Since you haven¡¯t gotten a membership card yet, Ms. Saxon, we¡¯ll charge you next time.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll sign up for a membership then. You¡¯ve got some great guns here,¡± Aria said. Herpliment hit right where it counted, making his face beam with pride. The young man seized the chance to add Aria on WhatsApp. ¡°I¡¯ll message you immediately if we get new guns in stock,¡± he promised. Aria¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± she said. Aria thought, ¡®This shooting range isn¡¯t far from Mayen Garden. I¡¯ll bring Owen along next time!¡¯ ¡°Then, take care, Ms. Saxon,¡± said the young owner. ¡°Bye,¡± Aria replied. Aria walked out, and Elmore didn¡¯t linger either. Just as he took a step, the young owner grabbed his arm with a knowing grin and teased, ¡°Mr. Balton, there¡¯s something about that girl. If you¡¯re interested, you¡¯d better act fast.¡± Elmore exined, ¡°We just met today. It¡¯s way too soon to talk about that. Besides, I prefer to stay single. I was only concerned about her safety. It¡¯s not always safe for a young woman to go out alone.¡± ¡®Those two following her today didn¡¯t seem simple,¡® Elmore thought. The young owner didn¡¯t buy his exnation. With a knowing smile, he said, ¡°Whatever you say, Mr. Balton. Doe again!¡± Elmore shot him a look, couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue, and walked out. ¡°You¡¯ve only known Mr. Balton for a week, and you¡¯re already this close?¡± the receptionist asked the range owner. The young owner shed a confident grin. ¡°You guys don¡¯t get it. High¨Cprofile people like him are picky about who they befriend. We¡¯ve got to be shameless and act like we¡¯re already close. Who knows, maybe we¡¯ll need their help someday.¡± ¡®Especially that girl,¡® the range owner thought, ¡®she has an extraordinary presence. She¡¯ll make a difference. As Aria stepped out of the elevator, Pearl darted toward her and threw her arms around her. ¡°Aria, Owen tied up that guy.¡± Aria gently stroked Pearl¡¯s hair, asking softly, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Pearl looked up at Owen, standing nearby. ¡°All good here,¡± Owen replied with a faint smile, Afterward, the three of them, Aria, Owen, and Pearl, headed to Owen¡¯s ce. The many hogtied on the floor, his mouth gagged with tape, his body contorted awkwardly. Aria walked to him, gave the man a quick once¨Cover, and asked Pearl, ¡°Do you know him?¡± Pearl nodded. ¡°He¡¯s one of Damon¡¯s men 1/2 Owen added, ¡°Damon is Tyree¡¯s adopted son.¡± When the man on the ground saw Aria, his eyes zed with raw hatred. His look was so vicious that it seemed he wanted to tear her apart limb from limb. Aria smiled faintly. ¡°What a loyal littlepdog.¡± A flicker of mockery crossed the man¡¯s eyes. He seemed utterly convinced they wouldn¡¯t dare hurt him. Aria reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. She ¡°Let me handle this,¡± he said. ¡°Spare your hands.¡± was about to crouch down. But Owen moved quickly and firmly took the vial from her hand. Owen took out a pill, wrenched the man¡¯s jaw open, tore off the duct tape, and forced the capsule down his throat with a brutal shove. Pearl looked up at Aria, eyes wide with curiosity. ¡°Aria, what did you give him?¡± ¡°Something that¡¯ll make him wish he were dead,¡± Aria said, her ice¨Ccold gaze fixed on the man on the ground. ¡°Let him go.¡± Owen did as she said. The man scrambled to his feet and immediately lunged straight at Pearl, but the moment he took a step, a searing pain shot through his heart. His face contorted in agony as he copsed to the floor, writhing in pain. ¡°What the hell did you give me?¡± he asked. ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± Aria said coldly. Àä Again Marriage 503 Chapter 503 Gritting his teeth against the agony, the man forced himself to stayposed. Having learned his lesson, he no longer dared make any reckless moves. Staggering, he fled the scene. Pearl let out a relieved breath. Aria gently reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll deal with them soon.¡± Pearl beamed. ¡°I¡¯m not scared at all with you guys around.¡± After tucking Pearl in for the night, Aria messaged Ondo: [Damon¡¯s men attacked Pearl. Let Russell handle it himself.] When she said ¡°handle it,¡± she meant to kill Damon. Ondo replied: [It will take some time to arrange.] Damon was the one liaising with the Solemnity Guild, and Sara¡¯s joining the Solemnity Guild had something to do with Damon. Damon was Tyree¡¯s most trusted confidant. Although he had deliberately stirred up conflict between the Solemnity Guild and the Wolfshade Syndicate, that alone wasn¡¯t enough for Tyree to lose faith in him. Eroding his trust would have to be a step¨Cby¨Cstep process. Ondo sent another message: [Now that you¡¯ve dealt with this guy, Damon shouldy low for a while. He won¡¯t send anyone after you anytime soon.] Aria asked: [Does Tyree know Pearl¡¯s true identity?] Ondo replied: [Yes, he knows.] Aria had never intended to rely on them. Now that she had obtained concrete evidence of the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s involvement, she decided to confront Tyree directly about Pearl¡¯s situation. An hourter, at Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s headquarters in Masmubia, Tyree had Damon summoned to his side. Damon arrived promptly and bowed respectfully. ¡°Father, you wanted to see me?¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Tyree¡¯s handshed out with a sharp crack, delivering a stinging p that sent Damon¡¯s head snapping to the side. A red welt instantly rose on his cheek as he dropped to his knees with a heavy thud. ¡°Dad!¡± Olivia burst in frantically and asked, ¡°Why are you hitting Damon?¡± Tyree nced at his daughter coldly, then turned his icy gaze back to Damon and questioned, ¡°Did you send men to kill Echohawk¡¯s people?¡± Hearing that, Olivia¡¯s face drained of color. ¡®Did the operation fail?¡® she thought in panic. Damon lowered his head. ¡°Forgive me, Father.¡± ¡°Moron!¡± Tyree¡¯s fist crashed down on the table. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna do it, don¡¯t leave any damn evidence.¡± ¡®No one ever leaves the Wolfshade Syndicate alive,¡¯ Tyree thought. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for that girl¡¯s ties to Echohawk, I would¡¯ve elim her long ago. ¡°Aria is protecting that child. From now on, none of you cany a finger on her.¡± Tyree turned his cold gaze to Olivia, his warning cutting like ice. ¡°Especially you!¡± Olivia bristled with indignation. ¡°Aria quit the Solemnity Guild ages ago. She¡¯s just nobody now. Are you telling me the Wolfshade Syndicate is scared of her?¡± Tyree¡¯s patience snapped. ¡°You think someone who left the Solemnity Guild unscathed is just some ordinary woman? Don¡¯t be fools! ¡°Even if you can¡¯t be her friend, you must not make her your enemy. Huthailia¡¯s already got us under close surveince, so keep your heads down and don¡¯t make waves. Cross her again, and you¡¯ll be under house arrest.¡± When Tyree said ¡°house arrest,¡± he meant the real deal. Once confined, Olivia and Damon could only stay at the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s ce with no way out. Olivia was a natural troublemaker from childhood, frequently grounded and rarely allowed outside. This istion gradually twisted her psyche and she began to take a sadistic delight in tormenting others. Olivia seethed with anger inside but didn¡¯t dare defy her father. ¡°I know I was wrong, Dad. I won¡¯t make a move again,¡± she said. Tyree snapped, ¡°How many did you send?¡± Olivia answered evasively, ¡°Just one.¡± Tyree¡¯s expression darkened, forcing Olivia toe clean. ¡°Three,¡± she said, ¡°Two were just outsiders, expendable anyway. Just get Damon¡¯s right¨Chand man back.¡± ¡°Since he has gone to Huthailia, leave him to die there,¡± Tyree said. Damon¡¯s expression darkened. Olivia wrapped her hands around Tyree¡¯s arm and whined; ¡°Dad, but that¡¯s Damon¡¯s most trusted man!¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been exposed in Huthailia. Eliminate them. Get out, and don¡¯t you dare bother me again,¡± Tyree said impatiently. Olivia grumbled under her breath, ¡°Fine.¡± Tyree lowered his gaze coldly. ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Damon responded at once. Again Marriage 504 Chapter 504 Ariay on her stomach on the bed as Owen gently spread the cool ointment across her back. After applying it, he reached for a fan and gently fanned the air above her. ¡°Have you met Tyree before?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria replied and sat up. ¡°Just once. The Wolfshade Syndicate ced an order, and Curtis had me take it on.¡± The mission with the Wolfshade Syndicate had left quite an impression on Aria. Aria never followed orders, especially when it came to anything illegal. It got on Tyree¡¯s nerves. Ultimately, he could only have her steal back the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s insignia for them. Tyree was gambling. If Aria broke her word and refused to return the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s insignia, maintaining control outside the organization would be near impossible. However, Aria tossed the insignia back the moment she got it. Seeing how little she cared, Tyree felt the first stirrings of wanting to recruit her. Extremely paranoid, he was deeply suspicious of all his subordinates and preferred to entrust critical matters to outsiders. Aria couldn¡¯t be bothered to take on such troublesome matters, so she turned him down and left. Owen set the fan aside. ¡°Pearl is quite attached to the person who taught her hypnosis,¡± he said. He phrased it as a statement, not a question. Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Owen said, ¡°That person escaped from the Wolfshade Syndicate. The Arressto Investigation Agency will likely trace the leads back to Pearl.¡± ¡®Once Arressto traces this to Pearl,¡® Aria thought, ¡®the Wolfshade Syndicate will likely discover her hypnotic abilities, too, putting her in even greater danger. ¡®Even with my protection, Tyree will likely send his men to eliminate Pearl to tie up loose ends.¡® Aria rubbed her temples. ¡°I¡¯ll find time to talk with Pearl again and make preparations first.¡± Owen said quietly, ¡°Okay.¡± Aria had just gotten out of bed when her phone rang. Fryderyk¡¯s name lit up on the screen. She answered it. ¡°Aria,e down to the station. We need to talk,¡± said Fryderyk. Aria and Owen exchanged a nce. Then, she replied, ¡°Alright.¡± Owen said, ¡°That guy might be in trouble. The Wolfshade Syndicate never leaves loose ends. Let me drive you to the station.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll drive myself. You go to the office. I¡¯ll text you after I deal with it,¡± Aria said. ¡°Alright then,¡± Owen replied. At the police station, Fryderyk slid the surveince footage across the desk toward Aria. ¡°Do you recognize this man?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Yes.¡± 09:28 Sat, 28 Jun Gu Fryderyk continued, ¡°He disappeared after leaving Mayen Garden. Someone reported finding his body. Preliminary investigation suggests he gids dead from poisoning.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Suicide?¡± Though it was a question, her tone was certain. Fryderyk nodded. ¡°Possibly.¡± Aria asked again, ¡°Has the autopsy been done yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. We haven¡¯t identified this person yet.¡± Fryderyk, in full police uniform, looked at Aria with a hint of scrutiny. ¡°Guess you know who he is. ¡°I do. This person is the guy the Wolfshade Syndicate sent to kill my sister,¡± Aria said. Fryderyk was shocked. ¡®They¡¯re targeting Lily? Why would the Wolfshade Syndicate go after her?¡± They¡¯d both heard of the Wolfshade Syndicate. After all, Tyree had been a notorious figure back in Huthailia. ¡°Not Lily, my other sister,¡± Aria exined. Fryderyk asked, ¡°You¡¯ve adopted yet another sister?¡± ¡®Another? What did he mean by emphasizing that?¡® Aria thought she shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°Got a problem with that?¡°. ¡°Alright, so this sister of yours¡­ Did you ¡®liberate¡® her from the Wolfshade Syndicate?¡± Fryderyk asked. Aria thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yeah, you could put it that way.¡± Fryderyk fell silent. He was utterly speechless. ¡°Tell me what happened so I can take your statement,¡± he said. ¡°Alright.¡± Aria gave a concise summary. Fryderyk was quite speechless. ¡°If you knew the Wolfshade Syndicate was after Pearl, why didn¡¯t you report it to the police?¡± ¡®They even set up a trap, turning the tables on their would¨Cbe hunters! Fryderyk thought. Aria looked him up and down for a second. Then, she said, ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t think you guys could handle him.¡± ¡®She¡¯s right,¡® Fryderyk admitted inwardly. ¡®Regr cops wouldn¡¯t Fryderyk continued taking notes. ¡°Anything else to add?¡± a chance against him.¡¯ ¡°Yes,¡± Aria said. ¡°I gave him a homemade toxin pill. It won¡¯t kill him. But it will severely impair his fighting abilities.¡°. AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 505 Chapter 505 Fryderyk paused his pen, looked up at her, and said, ¡°You¡¯re something else.¡± Aria arched a brow. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡± Fryderyk said, ¡°You gave him the poison pill, and now he¡¯s dead from poisoning. Even when he was dying, he was trying to drag you down with him ¡°The Huthailia police are so capable. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t make me the scapegoat. I trust you guys,¡± Aria said. Fryderyk rubbed his temples and said, ¡°They might be hunting down the two people who stalked you. Contact me immediately if you get any leads. Until that coroner¡¯s report clears you, keep your head down and don¡¯t make waves.¡± ¡°Alright. Am I free to go now?¡± Aria asked. Fryderyk said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I need to take that toxin pill forb testing.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said. Fryderyk gathered his things and returned to Mayen Garden with. to retrieve the toxin pill. On the way, Aria texted Owen: [That man died from poisoning. Waiting for the autopsy report.] Pearl was in the middle of her tutoring session at that time. When she heard a a finger on her lips, signaling E to stay quiet, then pressed her ear against the door. ¡°Be extra careful these days,¡± Fryderyk warned Aria. ¡°We still don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening with those two. They might . And I don¡¯t unk she¡¯s a bad person.¡± Aria gently pulled Pearl down to sit beside her. ¡°If you believe she¡¯s not a bad person, then she¡¯s not,¡± Aria said softly. ¡°But this woman has a background. If the Wolfshade Syndicate traces this to you, they won¡¯t let her go, and they¡¯ll after you too.¡± That woman never spoke to anyone and lived year¨Cround in the warehouse. Pearl found it strange and suspected she had a hidden past, so now, she wasn¡¯t entirely shocked. Pearl looked up calmly, ¡°Aria, what should do?¡± ¡°Tell me everything you know,¡± Aria said. ¡°I met Margery three years ago,¡± Pearl started. ¡°She managed the warehouse for the Wolfshade Syndicate and rarely left the ce. I got dir gred line warehouse once, and Margery was the one who saved me. The man who tried to hurt me ended up hypnotized intomitting suicide ¡°He was just nobody, so the Wolfshade le Syndicate didn¡¯t care much. They didn¡¯t bother to investigate further. ¡°Olivia rarely took me with her when she went to see Russell, so I seized these opportunities to slip away to the warehouse and plead with Margery to let her teach me hypnosis. ¡®Every time I went to see Margery, I carefully avoided detection, so no one ever knew about it.¡± After hearing Pearl¡¯s ount, Aria felt her chest tighten with concern even as relief washed over her. ¡°You did great, Pearl,¡± she said gently. Pearl summed up all the desperate measures she¡¯d taken to protect herself in just a few words. Aria smiled warmly. ¡°You¡¯re right, Pearl. Margery is one of the good ones.¡± Seeing Aria¡¯s slightly red¨Crimmed eyes, Pearl stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m so lucky,¡± she whispered. ¡°We¡¯re both lucky,¡± Aria replied softly. ¡®But Sara wasn¡¯t as lucky,¡® Aria thought. ¡®All Sara ever wanted was to survive.¡® ¡°Pearl, I need your help to sketch Margery¡¯s likeness. She¡¯s already left the Wolfshade Syndicate, and just to be safe, we need to find her before anyone else does,¡± Aria said. Pearl said quietly, ¡°Okay.¡± ? ???? ???? AD Comment Again Marriage 506 Chapter 506 A weekter, the autopsy and pill test results came back at the same time. The forensic doctor handed the reports to Fryderyk. ¡°The deceased did Lake this pill, but the cause of death was another type of poison, a new kind developed in Masmubia. The specificposition is still under analysis, but we can rule out this pill as the cause.¡± Fryderyk let out a breath of relief. The forensic doctor noticed and asked, ¡°Was this pill Miss Aria Saxon¡¯s?¡± Fryderyk nodded. The forensic doctor smiled. ¡°I heard Aria has quite a few admirers. You¡¯d better seize the chance and ask her out more.¡± Fryderyk didn¡¯t respond. Rumors had been going around that Fryderyk was deeply in love with Aria. Anything involving her, he would personally take charge of. Everyone at the station knew. Fryderyk had tried to exin at first, but no one believed him. Eventually, even the matchmakers stopped trying, and he just let it be. The forensic doctor tossed the pill bottle in his hand. ¡°By the way, this pill¡¯s interesting. Can you ask Aria if I can buy a bottle?¡± Fryderyk asked back, ¡°What do you want it for?¡± The forensic doctor replied, ¡°Just to study it.¡± Before Fryderyk could say more, his phone rang. Jackson was on the other end. ¡°Captain Fletcher, the two targets got into a car ident and were taken to Heffner Hospital. You should get here fast.¡± He added, ¡°Also, they asked to see Aria. They only want to talk to her. Best if you bring her along.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Fryderyk hung up and headed out while calling Aria. ¡°They¡¯re in the hospital and want to see you. If you¡¯re free, I¡¯lle pick you up.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Sure.¡± At Heffner Hospital. Fryderyk brought Aria into the ward. The moment the two men saw Aria, they scrambled up from their hospital beds in panic. ¡°Ms. Saxon, please, help us!¡± Jackson motioned for them to calm down and scolded coldly, ¡°Whatever it is, talk to the police. Why are you begging a youngdy?¡± Liam entered just then, knocking before pushing the door open. When he saw Aria, his voice rose in shock. ¡°Aria? What are you doing here?¡± Aria didn¡¯t even nce his way,pletely ignoring him. Jackson turned to Liam and said, ¡°Dr. Cole, the questioning that follows involves privacy. To avoid unnecessaryplications, we hope you¡¯ll step out.¡± Liam frowned. ¡°What about Aria? What does this have to do with her?¡± The two men were brought in by the police, so naturally, they were treated as suspects. Fryderyk said, ¡°It has nothing to do with you, Dr. Cole. Please step out. Thank you.¡± Jackson walked toward the door and gestured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Cole. These two aren¡¯t in any danger. We won¡¯t ruin your reputation as a doctor.¡± Liam nced at Aria. ¡°Wrap it up quickly. I¡¯ll wait outside.¡± Then he left. Fryderyk gave Jackson a look, and Jackson understood, standing guard at the door. The two men begged for help again. Aria pulled a chair over and sat down. ¡°If I remember correctly, you two are my enemies, right? Why would I save you? Am I crazy?¡± One of them replied miserably, ¡°We were just pawns following orders. If they really wanted to kill you, they would¡¯ve sent someone stronger. They had thought they could walk away afterpleting the job, only to realize they were going to be silenced. Aria said, ¡°You should beg the police, not me.¡± One of them said, ¡°If the Wolfshade Syndicate is after us, even the police can¡¯t save us. They can¡¯t keep us locked up forever.¡± Aria raised her brows. ¡°That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea.¡± They didn¡¯t want to go to jail. But there didn¡¯t seem to be a better option. Aria asked, ¡°Have you done anything illegal? If you confess everything, I might consider helping you.¡± One of them quickly waved his hands. ¡°We¡¯re just external members of the Wolfshade Syndicate. Usually just doing odd jobs. This is our first mission in Huthaili¨¤, and the target was you.¡± Aria asked, ¡°So, you don¡¯t know much?¡± The two of them quickly picked up on her tone. They could exchange information for protection. The man said, ¡°We know damn near everything about the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s outside connections.¡± After all, they had too much free time and spent it gossiping. Aria nodded slightly. ¡°Then tell me everything you know.¡± The man refused. ¡°No way. What if we tell you and you don¡¯t help us?¡± Aria asked, ¡°You think I¡¯m that kind of person?¡± The two hesitated, then shook their heads. ¡°Probably not. You have a good reputation, straightforward and trustworthy.¡± Fryderyk, who hadn¡¯t said a word the whole time. Fryderyk thought to himself, ¡®These two are so ipetent, I¡¯m starting to doubt they¡¯re even real Wolfshade Syndicate members.¡¯ One of the men nced at Aria Saxon hesitantly and asked, ¡°So¡­ should we start talking now?¡± Aria looked at Fryderyk, and he met her gaze, confused. She lowered her eyes. ¡°Fryderyk, why are you just standing there? Aren¡¯t you going to take notes?¡± Fryderyk turned on the recorder and silently took out his notepad and pen. The two men began talking about the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯swork, then moved on to its external connections. Fryderyk took quick notes, focusing only on the key points and skipping the gossip. The conversationsted half an hour. Outside, Liam was getting impatient. ¡°What¡¯s taking them so long in there?¡± Jackson said tly, ¡°The police are doing their job. You don¡¯t need to know.¡± 2/3 09:28 Sat, 28 Jun G Liam said urgently, ¡°But Aria is still in there!¡± Jackson replied, ¡°That has nothing to do with you.¡± Dr. Liam eximed, ¡°She¡¯s my ex¨Cwife!¡± Jackson smirked. ¡°Oh. Ex¨Cwife.¡± Liam gave up arguing and was about to enter when Jackson raised an arm to block him. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere with official duties. I¡¯m not exactly gentle with my hands.¡± Back inside the ward, the questioning continued. After spilling everything they knew, the two men looked hopefully at Aria.¡°You¡¯ll protect us now, right?¡± Aria raised her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just a normal person. How could I protect you?¡± ¡°What?¡± It seemed they had yed them. Aria said, ¡°You have two options. First, you stalked and harassed someone. You go to jail for a while. Once the Wolfshade Syndicate is gone, you¡¯ll be safe.¡± One of the men replied, ¡°By then we¡¯ll probably be old or dead. We¡¯ll take the second option.¡± Aria continued, ¡°Two, you go back to the gang and gather more intel for me. Once the gang is gone, you¡¯ll be safe.¡± They refused. Going back was certain death. Jail was safer. Aria said, ¡°You already know the Wolfshade Syndicate wants me dead. That makes us enemies.¡± Wolfshade Syndicate wanted Aria dead. To survive, she had to take them down. That was why she was gathering intel. The two men exchanged looks. Jail might not be so bad after all. By the time they got out, maybe the gang would have forgotten them. They said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go to jail.¡± Aria smirked. ¡°Good boys.¡± They smiled too. ¡°Thank you for the advice, Ms. Saxon. If we remember anything else, we¡¯ll tell you right away.¡± Fryderyk stayed quiet. The two men said urgently, ¡°We¡¯re done here. Let¡¯s go to jail right now. It¡¯s safer than the hospital.¡± Again Marriage 507 Chapter 507 Ondo arrived at the hospital and was stopped by Jackson as well. ¡°Tell Aria that Ondo is here to see her,¡± Ondo said. Liam nced at his half¨Cbrother and sneered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even allowed in. What makes you think? you can?¡± Jackson looked Ondo over, then knocked on the door. ¡°Fryderyk, someone named Ondo wants to see Ms. Saxon.¡± ¡°Let him in,¡± Aria said. Jackson stepped aside. ¡°You can go in.¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Why does he get to go in?¡± Jackson was speechless. ¡°Because Aria said so. If you¡¯ve got a problem, take it up with her.¡± Ondo entered the hospital room, cast an unfriendly nce at the two men on the hospital beds, and turned to Ar¨ªa. ¡°Is Pearl okay?¡± Aria lifted her gaze, her toneced with irony. ¡°If something had happened to Pearl, do you think I¡¯d still be standing here?¡± Ondo said quietly, ¡°My apologies.¡± Pearl wasn¡¯t really their responsibility, so Aria didn¡¯t bother to press the issue. ¡°They¡¯re taken care of. Since you¡¯re here¡­¡± She paused and looked at Fryderyk. ¡°No need to send me the digital version. Just send him the recording.¡± Fryderyk nodded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll send it to you. You send it to him.¡± With everything settled, Aria prepared to leave, but the two men called out, ¡°Once the Wolfshade Syndicate is wiped out, send someone to the prison and let us know!¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Aria replied. Ondo thought, ¡®How did the conversation get to taking down the Wolfshade Syndicate and going to prison?¡® Feeling like he¡¯d missed a lot of key information, Ondo followed Aria out of the hospital room. Fryderyk signaled Jackson to take the two men back to the police station. Watching Aria and Ondo walking away side by side, Liam frowned deeper and deeper. He didn¡¯t know they had gotten this close. The two headed down a different hallway. Liam was left behind and unacknowledged. He quickly caught up and stepped right next to Aria. Liam said, ¡°Aria, Ondo is my brother.¡± Aria kept walking without acknowledging him. Frustrated, Liam stepped in front of them. ¡°Did you hear me?¡± Ondo¡¯s eyes narrowed. His tone turned cold, ¡°We¡¯re just walking together, and you immediately assume something else. You got Liam retorted, ¡°That¡¯s how you¡¯re going to talk to me?¡± As the eldest son of the Cole family, Liam was always treated with respect. His feelings toward his illegitimate brother wereplicated. Ondo¡¯s arrival had helped him a lot, but the increasing praise for Ondo made Liam, the official heir, seem like the forgotten one. Ondo couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue. ¡°We¡¯ve got things to talk about. Move.¡± loose?¡± 09:28 Sat, 28 Jun Guj Cole shot him a re and snapped, ¡°What could you possibly need to discuss with Aria?¡± Ondo nced at Aria, silently asking her to get rid of him. Aria moved her arm slightly, and Liam instantly recalled the three times she had thrown him to the ground. His body reacted before he could think. When he came to, he had already stepped aside. Ondo didn¡¯t miss that. He looked at Aria, curious about what she¡¯d done to make Liam afraid of her. A flicker of embarrassment crossed Liam¡¯s face. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Aria, those two guys seemed like terrorists. I know you¡¯re skilled, but at the end of the day, you¡¯re just a woman. You should stay away from dangerous people and situations.¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± She walked off. Ondo chuckled and followed. Liam was angry, but after thinking it over, he realized he had wronged Aria. If she was still angry at him, that meant she still cared. That was better than being treated like a stranger. As they walked down the corridor, Ondo said, ¡°Those two were just peripheral members of the Wolfshade Syndicate. The organization has already abandoned them, and they don¡¯t know much. The gang probably won¡¯t make another move.¡± He added, ¡°That guy was Damon¡¯s right¨Chand man. They¡¯ll probably me you for this. The recording isn¡¯t going to be much use. No need to send it to me.¡± The Wolfshade Syndicate had never valued their peripheral members. Most of them were small¨Ctime crooks. Those with real skills had long been absorbed into the inner circle. Aria nced at him. ¡°Sometimes you shouldn¡¯t underestimate outsiders. Some people would rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small one in a big sea.¡± Ondo was momentarily stunned. Before he could respond, Aria took out her phone and showed him a sketch. ¡°This woman¡¯sst name is Calderon. She¡¯s in charge of the back¨Cdoor warehouse. Investigate her quietly. If you find anything, let me know immediately.¡± Ondo frowned. ¡°She¡¯s from the Wolfshade Syndicate? Why are you investigating her?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Just do it.¡± Ondo was silent for two seconds. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll assign someone to check her out.¡± ¡°No.¡± Aria¡¯s tone sharpened. ¡°You go personally. She¡¯s connected to Pearl.¡± The Wolfshade Syndicate hadn¡¯t given up on trying to kill Pearl Ondo took it more seriously now. ¡°I¡¯ll go myself.¡± When Aria got home, Owen handed her a photo of the defector from Arressto. He said, ¡°Margery Calderon, 37 years old. Former core member of Arressto¡¯s reconnaissance unit. Defected at age 30. It¡¯s the same person as in your sketch.¡± The woman in the photo looked very young, smiling brightly. The age difference from the sketch was obvious, but the resem Aria asked, ¡°Why has she been hunted for so long? What did she do?¡± ¡°Owen said, She killed one of Arressto¡¯s investigators.¡± Investigators weren¡¯t just decision¨Cmakers. They were also the nerve center of the organization¡¯s intelligencework. Margery had been one of that investigator¡¯s students, and she knew many secrets. Arressto had been hunting her ever since. was clear. ¡°Why did she kill the investigator?¡± Aria asked. Owen shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s an Arressto secret. Hard to uncover.¡± No one would choose a path of no return without a reason. To go so far as to kill someone, it had to be due to a deep grudge, or to stop or cover something up. Arressto was notoriously secretive. Finding out the truth wouldn¡¯t be easy. They had to find Margery before Arressto did. +21 Aria had a gut feeling that Margery didn¡¯t join the Wolfshade Syndicate just to hide. She must have had a reason. Hopefully, Ondo could dig something
  1. up.
Margery had been on the run alone for years. She wouldn¡¯t be found easily. With Pearl¡¯s situation resolved, Aria¡¯s life became a simple loop between home and the library. When Lincoln wasn¡¯t painting, he¡¯d visit the library to read. Whenever he saw Aria, he¡¯de say He said, ¡°Madelyn, we meet again. Has Mono decided toe back to the country?¡±
  1. hi.
There had been an exhibition in Fraibia. Mono went to attend it. The event had long ended, but he hadn¡¯t returned. ¡°No,¡± Aria said. Lincoln kept chatting. ¡°He¡¯s your mentor. Aren¡¯t you worried about him?¡± Aria replied, ¡°No.¡± Lincoln scratched his head. ¡°I guess he¡¯s always traveling. Nothing to worry about.¡± The library wasn¡¯t busy. Lincoln, who never got along with his family and rarely had anyone to talk to, felt a certain familiarity with Aria and chatted more than usual. Lincoln said, ¡°I actually have a niece I¡¯ve never met. She¡¯s same age as you. They say she¡¯s got a really aloof personality.¡± Aria nced up at him. Lincoln grinned. ¡°Yeah, just like that look you¡¯re giving me now. They said she looks exactly like that.¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads Again Marriage 508 Chapter 508 Lincoln spoke to himself. ¡°I originally wanted to add her as a friend, but I thought it might not be appropriate. She already cut ties with the Saxon family, bothering her would be rude and probably annoying.¡± He continued, ¡°My eldest nephew isn¡¯t reliable either. He actually gets along well with my niece, but I asked him to bring a small gift for me, and he didn¡¯t even bother.¡± Aria kept reading her book. Lincoln didn¡¯t care whether she was listening or not and asked, ¡°Do you think if I went to visit her in person, I¡¯d get beaten up?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied with a single word. Lincoln hesitated, then asked, ¡°What if I take the initiative and send her a friend request? Would she ept?¡± Aria didn¡¯t even hesitate. ¡°No.¡± Lincoln sighed in defeat. Aria looked up. ¡°Don¡¯t you already have a niece? Why are you thinking about another one?¡± ¡°My rtionship with Silvia is average, we barely keep in touch.¡± Having been away for years, Lincoln had hardly contacted any of his family. Aria said calmly, ¡°You hardly talk to the ones you¡¯ve lived with. There¡¯s no point obsessing over someone you¡¯ve never even lived with.¡± If she¡¯d known about this connection with Lincoln, Aria wouldn¡¯t have added his contact in the first ce. Lincoln replied, ¡°You¡¯re right, but I¡¯m just curious.¡± Lincoln nced around, then leaned in and lowered his voice, ¡°That niece of mine is really impressive. She even talks back to my stubborn old man without fear. I heard there¡¯s no one in the entire Mandino City that she¡¯s afraid of. I admire that. I want to get to know her.¡± It wasn¡¯t because of their family tie that he wanted to meet her. It was out of genuine admiration. Aria gave a faint, unreadable smile. ¡°If you want to talk back to people, go ahead. We¡¯re all new to this thing called life. Why hold back?¡± Lincoln said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit disrespectful? He is my dad, after all. He raised me.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°He gave birth to you?¡± Lincoln was puzzled, ¡°Yeah? Who else would¡¯ve?¡± Aria said, ¡°I thought your mom gave birth to you. Didn¡¯t expect your dad could deliver babies.¡± Lincoln was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. My mom gave birth to me, not my dad. But my dad raised me.¡± Aria asked pointedly, ¡°If he raised you, then will you take care of him when he¡¯s old?¡± Lincoln replied, ¡°Of course I will.¡± Aria said, ¡°Then that¡¯s it. If he respects you, you yespect him. If he doesn¡¯t and you¡¯re ufortable, speak up.¡± Lincoln¡¯s thoughts were spinning. He stopped bothering Aria and sat across from her, trying to read. But not a single word sank in. After a while, he suddenly looked up. ¡°What you said makes sense!¡± It was his mother who endured ten months of pregnancy, his mother who bore the pain, even the money that raised them came from his mother. His father was actually the live in son¨Cinw. People always said Lincoln was rebellious, but he just didn¡¯t want to socialize. He just wanted to focus on art. Lincoln said, ¡°My mom was the heiress of the Saxon fa My dad even took her surname. It was her money that raised us. He had nothing to demek it!¡± He added, ¡°He didn¡¯t give birth to us, didn¡¯t raise us, so why does he feel so entitled to decide how we should live?¡± Lincoln couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. With a surge of energy, he cl eyes.¡± Lincoln called out, ¡°See you next time. I¡¯m going home!¡± his book and stood up. ¡°Madelyn, thank you so much today. You really opened my Watching the mane and go in a whirlwind, Aria was a bit surprised. If she remembered right, Lincoln was about the same age as Kim. AD Comment Again Marriage 509 Chapter 509 Aria thought to herself, ¡®They¡¯re the same age. Why does he act like such a kid?¡® She withdrew her gaze and continued reading. When Lincoln got home, he saw his second sister¨Cinw and Silvia busy experimenting with a new dessert. Their designated taste tester, Nathan, was sitting there looking like he¡¯d lost all hope. When she saw him, Silvia¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Uncle Lincoln is back! Come try the new mango¨Cvored one we made!¡± The two of them spent every spare moment in the kitchen. Lincoln had gained a few pounds recently and was used to it by now. Maybe because he was in a good mood, he felt this batch tasted better than usual. He praised it, ¡°Much better than before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Silvia asked excitedly. Lincoln replied, ¡°Absolutely.¡± On the balcony, Joseph was enjoying the sun. Upon hearing his youngest son¡¯s voice, he got up and headed toward the living room. ¡°Back from the library again? That ce I rmended¡­¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Lincoln interrupted, his heart pounding. He took a deep breath and finally let out what he¡¯d been holding in.. He said, ¡°Stop always trying to set me up. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll die without a wife. You¡¯re getting up there in age. Just enjoy your golden years instead of worrying about this and that.¡± In the past, whenever his father nagged him about marriage, Lincoln would avoid the conversation, either by escaping to his room or going out. This was the first time he¡¯d ever refused him directly. Joseph leaned on his cane, his wrinkled eyes widening. ¡°Is this the way you speak to your elders?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with how I¡¯m speaking? I¡¯m talking just fine!¡± Lincoln was getting worked up. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re old now. Let go when it¡¯s time to let go. Logan and Caleb can handle the Saxon family. You should be rxing, not always meddling.¡± He continued, ¡°If you¡¯re feeling lonely, Zoe can set you up with some olderdies your age. Or go dance at a public square or something.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes grew wider. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m right, so no need to repeat it,¡± Lincoln cut him off before he could speak. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room to paint.¡± And with that, he dashed off. Everyone present was stunned. They were surprised that Lincoln had such a sharp tongue. Behind closed doors, Lincoln let out a loud ¡°Yes!¡± He¡¯d discovered the thrill of talking back. He was grateful to Madelyn. Downstairs, Joseph fumed. ¡°This brat is getting more and more outrageous!¡± Zoe put on a show of trying to calm him down. Just then, the deliveryman arrived. ¡°Package for Nathan.¡± Nathan went to get it. He said, ¡°It¡¯s the admission letter from Mandino University.¡± # Lily also received her admission letter from Mandino University. Smiling, she kissed it. As ss was ending, E patted her head. ¡°You¡¯re a college student now, Lily.¡± Pearl chimed in, ¡°Lily is awesome!¡± E gave Pearl a head pat too. ¡°You¡¯re smart and learn fast. You¡¯ll be a college student too one day.¡± Pearl said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Lily was the top scorer in the entrance exams and received a generous schrship from the university. Holding E¡¯s arm, she said, ¡°Miss Gilen, dinner¡¯s on me tonight. Please stay and join us.¡± E didn¡¯t refuse. ¡°Alright.¡± Lily said, ¡°I¡¯ll call my sister and brother¨Cinw. Let¡¯s pick a restaurant.¡± Then E took the two girls to the restaurant. Owen got off work and went to pick up Aria at the library. After receiving his letter, Nathan and the family went out for dinner. In the car were Caleb, Lincoln, Silvia, and Nathan. Passing by the library, Caleb spotted Aria and pulled the car over. ¡°Aria?¡± Aria turned to Owen. ¡°Wait for me a second.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± She walked over to them. Silvia quickly rolled down the front window and smiled. ¡°Aria!¡± Even though he knew she probably wouldn¡¯t respond, Nathan also called out, ¡°Aria!¡± When Lincoln heard Caleb call out ¡°Aria,¡± he looked up. As he saw Aria walking closer, his pupils shrank. ¡°Madelyn?¡± 2/2 AD Comment Again Marriage 510 When the three of them heard that name, they turned to look at Lincoln in surprise. None of them had any idea when he¡¯d gotten to know Aria. Caleb withdrew his gaze and looked back at his sister with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°Owen came to pick you up?¡± He¡¯d recognized Owen¡¯s car. Aria nodded lightly. ¡°He came to pick me up, but not to go home. Lily just got her university admission letter. She¡¯s treating us to dinner.¡± Actually, he had also received his admission letter from Mandino University. Nathan opened his mouth as if to say something, but Caleb spoke first, ¡°Nathan got his too. We¡¯re out celebrating his college eptance.¡± That shut Nathan right up. He nced at Caleb with some frustration. But Caleb¡¯s attention remained only on Aria. Caleb said, ¡°I¡¯ve got a day off this Sunday. Can Ie over?¡± Without hesitation, Aria nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Silvia raised her hand. ¡°Aria, can Ie too? With Caleb?¡± Except for Caleb, no one else knew about her and Pearl¡¯s reunion. Every time she went to see Pearl, Caleb had helped cover for her. ¡°Sure,¡± Aria said. Just as Nathan was about to ask, ¡°Can Ie too?¡± Aria had already turned around and left. He swallowed his words, eyes full of disappointment. It wasn¡¯t just that Joseph and Luke had a generational gap. It was that he, her own brother, had hurt her with his words more than once. Nathan had no one else to me. Everything was his own doing. The most he could be to her was a stranger. ¡°Shit!¡± Lincoln suddenly yelped. ¡°Aria is Madelyn? How the hell did that happen?¡± He remembered all the nonsense he¡¯d said in front of her earlier today and wished he could dig a hole and bury himself. Silvia, in a good mood, kindly exined, ¡°Uncle Lincoln, Aria¡¯s old name was Madelyn Colton.¡± Suddenly, everything clicked for Lincoln. No wonder Mono had turned cold so abruptly. At the time, he and the ¡°little niece¡± had just added each other on WhatsApp, which meant they hadn¡¯t been connected before. Mono must have been upset because he cared about his disciple. Lincoln¡¯s eyes were unfocused as he stared at the car disappearing into the distance, feeling a weight in his chest. He¡¯d brought this on himself. He¡¯d spent years trying to be Mono¡¯s apprentice, only to find out that his ¡°niece¡± was already that disciple. Except now, she wasn¡¯t his niece anymore. She had left the Saxon family. Frustrated, Lincoln raked a hand through his hair. He couldn¡¯t figure out how things had ended up this way. He didn¡¯t even have the face to try and make amends, keeping his distance was probably for the best. Blood ties could be strange like that. Lincoln and his three siblings had inherited Joseph¡¯s most frustrating trait, self¨Crighteousness. Nathan, too, was feeling agitated. It made sense if only Caleb was allowed to visit Aria. But even Silvia could go. That didn¡¯t sit right with him. 1/3 ¡°How could Aria possibly agree to let you go?¡± Nathan asked. From his tone, it was obvious that he liked Aria very much. In the past, that would¡¯ve hurt Silvia. But now, she felt nothing. Aria was the most innocent party. And as for herself? She had reaped the benefits. She was already more than grateful that Aria had agreed to let her visit Mayen Garden. She wasn¡¯t alone anymore. She had Pearl. Silvia smiled, giving him a different kind of exnation. ¡°I know one of her little sisters. We¡¯re very close, so she agreed to let me go.¡± ¡°Lily? You and Lily know each other?¡± Nathan was confused. Silvia replied, ¡°Not Lily. It¡¯s another sister, Pearl.¡± Shock crossed Nathan¡¯s face. ¡°She has another sister?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± Silvia replied. In the car, Aria received an apology message from Lincoln. She didn¡¯t reply. At a red light, Owen rolled up his left shirt sleeve, then paused when switching to his right. He reached over and lightly pinched Aria¡¯s left hand. ¡°Madelyn, help me roll this one up too?¡± Aria put down her phone and folded his sleeve neatly up to his elbow. On impulse, she gave his forearm a light squeeze. ¡°You guys really have to wear shirts and cks in summer?¡± ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s AC, so it¡¯s not too bad.¡± Owen let her fiddle with his arm. When the light turned green, he pulled his hand back and drove on. Because of the heat, Owen had left the top two buttons of his shirt undone. Below his Adam¡¯s apple, his corbone looked especially tempting. Aria nced over, subconsciously ground her teeth, then quickly looked away. She was probably just hungry, not thinking about biting anyone. When they arrived at the restaurant, Aria and Owen saw Lily waiting at the door. Lily waved. ¡°Aria, Owen. I already ordered everything!¡± After living and eating together for a while, Lily had learned everyone¡¯s food preferences. Aria slung an arm around her shoulder as they walked inside. ¡°Lily is getting more and more capable.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Lily smiled brightly, eyes curved in delight Owen walked alongside Aria. Not far away, a group of young men was leaving the restaurant. One of them suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s hit up Neon Nightclub tonight. I¡¯ve never been.¡± Another chimed in, ¡°Isn¡¯t Arthur working at Neon Nightclub? Maybe we can get a discount.¡± The guy they were talking about had a youthful face. He smiled, dimples forming. ¡°I quit a while ago.¡± His friend responded, ¡°What? Why? I heard they pay well. I was thinking of trying it too, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m good¨Clooking enough. 2/3 09:36 Sat, 28 JunG W Neon Nightclub was known for hiring only the best¨Clooking people. Even the front desk staff were all stunners. Arthur was known for his bartending skills. Everyone assumed that¡¯s what he did there, so no one held back. ¡°I heard that ce is crawling with rich women. If you catch one¡¯s eye, you¡¯re set for life.¡± At the mention of rich women, a cool, elegant face suddenly shed in Arthur¡¯s mind. Then he blinked, and there she was. Arthur thought he was hallucinating. The restaurant hallway wasn¡¯t wide. The two groups were heading toward each other. Aria instinctively pulled Lily toward the wall to give them space. At th She looked up and met the slightly stunned gaze of one of the At the same time, Arthur felt another intense, scrutinizing gaze. He Owen remembered that Arthur was the male model who was almost on her behalf. Aria didn¡¯t recognize Arthur, but Arthur sure did, ¡°You¡¯re in the way. Let¡¯s go!¡± One of Arthur¡¯s friends tugged him along. moment, she felt a pair of eyes fixed on her. She was confused, thinking, ¡®Does he know me?¡± I his head and met eyes with Owen. They both remembered instantly. I by Aria. Arthur remembered Owen had stopped Aria, then tipped the server Just as he was about to turn around for onest nce, someone eximed, ¡°Wait! That gorgeous woman just now! Wasn¡¯t that Aria?¡± Again Marriage 511 athered her as she face pared when op kannan way) The key replied white grating back to take sirt A and her friends were gone there very dud vention be the rat dughter of the Saqo farruty The disc they found us the furyv¨¦ds apely on see with the Saxon fly amat Potkal Thowhh. Last wind break, she bel volunteer Chadema val and markte puede ser. Many of her valesse es el posteridae, vel persegimendatane Za Mr Schmod chased who hire to agers heap she needs need on Mandine have raty to supersal de She craphy handfire the Working with ally is usu He added, der don¡¯t get what those appily mg for the pharmaceutical analysis program at Mancinio University were thinking Everson fucked other assors 1 heard both of Aria¡¯s students came through realignment Someone zased a halt 1 know why: Rumar has a war yubre asocontributed to the Traditional¨Cmodern muschicine pesonly twat be had a falling or weh, Ana and gor ke ked off the team Later he became the head of fodd Schoof and kidn¡¯t deny the ruinors when asked which angered the volunteer students Arsa was archeary three the same age as the students yet she Aber uggling, for years to get thus far mest studeras dide truded for grad school te there we graduation they would have protestest their advisor cake trisk to y it safe, they chose ather mentors wgh spew order Aria. They wanted to switch resurs yoout upselling their current advisors and jerpardizing Aria were truly capable these students wouldn¡¯t be thas desperate footllow tier Now, a lot of them were starting to gestion whether they if chosen the wrong path Lastening the duchesion about Art, Arthur wore aplica ed espression As & Mandino University student everyone knew who Arse was Arthoniad beat ut his brot had never seen her photo Proexpected that the girl who went to the Neon Nightclub that night and asked for a male nooded was Ar me she was sech girl from a wealthy tarily sechanzkay, beli backy he was in thepler science department anfass in the saneb building as her. He profs ing back to how he taken the intime the night he wished he could go back time and p himsel rachos hund know Av wap & prodisaut he wouldnt have dared furt with her. Thank god she bait enches ag ho read and shed deply the shell with a wheed she hadn¡®) axle that gay and tingkupost coud is head and gowned for heck sk Aziz though he was apreng strange, but didn¡¯t press father Aber dinner Owen drove Ells back to her repiat apartme Aris tuned around and sand, Wan for for a bot Ull walk Elbe home All three responded an umum Okay E quickly declines, No need It¡¯s just a short walk Aria imbuckled her seatbelt and got out let¡¯s go Seeing she couldn¡¯t refuse, E thanked her To save money E had rented ce a lime ofthe beaten path: Theplex didn¡¯t have a security gate, and the no streetlights She could only use the shlight on her phone In the dark E¡¯s face turned slightly red ¡°My budgets Tight, so I had in go with a cheaper ce Again Marriage 512 apa was about an speak. rekheed be words might sound is cong sed quirky added. The wakey you gaven durin ady try generous Lead have rentest cornering better, but I just haven 1 feared a suitable one ver e you The environment here¡¯s now bad, but the security ex butcking As they entered, the stairwell, E said, ¡°Ms. Saxon. Im home now. You should head back Aria Sexum asked What floor do you Her out? Fifth floor E replied. here¡¯s no clevate Aria asked No E replied Arta said. ¡°Let me walk with you. Helps walk off dinner Els didn¡¯t refuse this time The hallway lights were sound¨Cactivated E stomped her foot and the lights fisckeil on Neither of them was particrly talkative, and they climbed the stairs in silence When they reached the fifth floor, a figure swaying from side to side, reeking of alcohol, stumbled ahead of them He fumbled with his keys the clinking metal making an unpleasant sound E didn¡¯t say anything and headed for her own apartment, taking out her keys The drank muddle-aged man hadn¡¯t yet opened hus door, but hearing movement he turned and grinned at her, E, back already E nodded and replied. ¡°Yeah man was herndlord What he saw Ana, he grinned widely and asked. ¡°Your friend walked you bome?¡± Weah E replied The man hier upped and said. ¡°Someone in theplex got robbed recently. Remember to check your doors and windows befor Seeping You¡¯ve beer orning bone prettyte le careful on the road¡± alls sodded. ¡°Thank you. Fll be careful The ryan kept funsbing with hos kec failing to get then in the lock just as he was about to bang to the door, il apered firmade, and a hand reached and grabbed his ear while cursing a drinking again? Why don¡¯t you just drick yourself in desh yanked bem load Before closing the door she smiled at Elle and reminded her to lock up, then sh M Milf in ware of warmth. When she slept rented du ce it was exactly thendlord couple¨Ckashic that we Regensbering that Arm wall there she turned and painely asked. ¡°Ms Saxon, would you like toe in for some Sure Arsenodded. E harry expected her to agree and qunk opened the doin While E wytrys kV boil water Aria walked over to the balcony and checked the windows. The security bars were old. One good pull roght snap them When i came out with the water Arta was still standing there ¡°Ms Saxon the waters reads Ana turned around walked over and said. Once the semester starts, I¡¯ll be at Mandino University a lot Laly will have on rampas. Peard will be home salune. I m notfortable with that Why dont you move in with us? E was stunned and instinctively wanted to refuse, but then she remembered what thendlord had said about a break¨Cu and hesitated ¡°My moms in the hospital, so whenever I have time, I go visit her I might not be able to properly take care o Pearl Aria said. ¡°I raise your sry by another 10 thousand dors Once Owen or I get off work, you can go to the hospital be easter running between two ces than three E replied, Ms. Saxon, your sry is already very high. No need to raise it again. I¡¯ll move in E¡¯s eyes grew damp. She knew Aria made the offer because she heard about the robbery and was worried about her salety Aria smiled Tooks like you don¡¯t have much stuff. Why not move tonight? We have a car If you need boxes or parking materials we can call a delivery runner¡® E asked ¡°Isnt that too rushed? Maybe tomorrow? Aris smiled. Don¡¯t worry about the hassle. You¡¯re Pearl¡¯s teacher Malta norder and turned to her room Til park now then ris called Owed to tell him about the move. Once she¡¯s packed,e help if there¡¯s too much to carr Owe replied ¡°Got in die a parked oprything in just but an hour exine de sanon in thendlord ply the left withy Aras Again Marriage 513 greta hd grachaste Heshuhen at Mardin Use nd Arm and Lily stepped onto campus, pwo anthimtawek walliplers approached the wtech maior are you gires vise of the volunteers acker) with a wide Lafy respondent politely. Physics Arta didn¡¯t see anything, so the Two assumed she was a physix studen acwri The empty¨Chaired se blot helping with Andy siptease grmed by expression growing even more briendly as he jok wer of them bellow jumers! We¡¯re third¨Cyear physics majors. Let us take you to check in There were many girls in the physics department, and seeing two pretty freshmen made the volunteers a le cried He asked, ¡°How alroul we exchange contacts? If you have any questions, leel free to ask us Lily thoughs for a moment, then nodded and took out her phone to add their contacts Seeing A unmoved the two turned their gaze to her Aria said. ¡°I¡¯m not in the physics department and Im not a student The two looked a hit disappointed. ¡°Oh, I see Then, they said. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going then On t ground, the suitcase could be rolled. The curly¨Chaired serpor instinctively pushed it forward, but suddenly stumbled The suitcase tilted forward with b morentum. It now for us quick reaction, he might have ended up kneeling on the ground Seeing this Arma said, ¡°My suitcase is a bit heavy I¡¯ll take it myself¡± The senior blushed: ¡°I can do it He grabbed it from the middle and continued pushing with a smile that looked effortless enough they got to the check¨Cin point there was a flight of more than ten steps. The memor grated to teeth andnd at, arly sweating He Emaily dragged the uncase up and discreetly rubbed his sore army, loting a smile. The physcy departman 19 hour these helsen Alright Laly replied kalxiseqkieetk As for deathastic Idly took out her adreussion letter and documents. The person in charge was serace rest the ye eparment. When she saw Lily¡¯s name, she buried out in surprise Life Sanon Are you the top scores uns die coffigy bentonice exa send gusions. They had expected to be sorting the national sngs steer Die before 2ontinentale grat¨®w) By hand and asked so tel men The other ly hond 4. The sot handlet biers dizin kay No do is the sth four of Western Braiderten 7. They know tice praw had an For you the Then, she looked at Aria Your wris Ara uled minor a student leave after helping her get to the dorm senior modded, singist You guys go ahead thes The curly haired had a pained smile Arts found at austrig but didn¡¯t ask her carry her suitcase again ke it Just as the senior was about to speak he saw Arta eastly life the suitcase and stride ahead His mouth fell open in shock He thought Wow! She¡¯s a female Popeye! She could punch her boyfriend to the ground easily On the way, Aris received a call from Martin, ¡°Kiddo, where are you? Aria replied. I¡¯m already on campus. I¡¯ll head to you after Lily gets settled in? ¡°Which dorm is she hi I¡¯ll have someone meet you there, and then you two cane together Wisteria Residence, Building 1 Alright He¡¯ll call when he arrives Curade Building 2, Ana didn¡¯t follow them upstairs. She watched as the volunteers apanied Lily, then turned and left Since the suncase didn¡¯t roll easily, she simply carried it After a few steps, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number The other end said, ¡°Hello Ms Saxon? Professor Schmidt asked me to pick you up. In just arriving at Wisteria May I ask where you are Before fishing the sentence. Elmore caught sight of a familiar face and fell silent Ar looked up The eyes met Both silently thought What a coincidence Aris hung up and nodded politely ¡®Mr. Balion Elmore realized she really wasn¡¯t a student but a professor Last der, he thought he¡¯d igached on a soce sabjectand had ever apologizezi. Prodre soiled My Saxon, fancy sering you again be me help you Aiz share the stere ishers of ic sidem voes me letting ab carry a case, U¨Cb- Lughed Hisfy chith dust Acig festa more food and sharely fell how heavy it was the petly carried man, stigah and she sad spasirangth, which prored the weather 7 dried andn¡¯t expect we know Michmadi chuckled ¡°He¡¯s my uncle. He¡¯s the one who convinced me to return on Rushaulis and jour tounding Lowery Arka saul, Mandingovermy a gost ce live replied really is is bosc was tener than abenad The ton chained as they made their way in Martice office Thor Looked on the door Uncle I brought her The main professor was once one of Martin¡¯s PhD students. She had taught for several years at a wamerury before being recruited to Mandino University when Martin reached retirement age When she saw Arta, she extended her hand first Hello Ana I¡¯m Sophie Morgan Aria replied. Hello, Ms. Morgan Sophie sad. From now on, the iwo of us will be jointly mentoring these three studems Sophie was m her early 30s, fashionable and well¨Cgroomed. She was clearly someone who enjoyed life. Aria hal 2 good impression of her Helen and Larry, both transfer students from the pharmacology department who had previously volunterred with Aria naturally greeted her Helen was n and well¨Cbehaved. Larry was tall and built like an athlete The third student was from the chemistry department a typical good¨Clooking guy Noucing Arias graze the how politely introduced himself. ¡°Ms. Saxon, my name is Mike ncy Arta novided slightly Mike got u Mamin said. ¡°Aria, your office with Sophie is down at the end of the hallway, not far from here You can drop¨Cif your things there first Saphile looked at Arts. ¡°Let¡¯s go together Sure, Ari replied Bjornfte e custee. Tll carry over Se spalled. ¡°Thanks Air hari the audeat wayed behad. Helen and barth sad they had no questions. But Mike hesnated for u ratuner then and directly. Me Sanide. Ed like on quest a change tady ra Again Marriage 514 way annually-nmag in take the colour Bgang bassiner yenu were still supervising mudson I eased to ge though you¡¯d bogado desagten Mike dad wag asa kat helplessness in Martin eges. ¡°There have been a lot of pumors whoni, Afrately, She¡¯s towrynone, ag Cent stakels don¡¯t host hea Kike shared his thoughts Mr. Shunich, my intended research direction Al assisted drug arctos I put down the focussent m his hand and kinked up a hini Tell me more spec theally Mike exined this some work rted to organe water hirugay andergrietuale stories we also rather myse programming, Right now my idea o to develop deep learning model to predef drug degradation product lod Adartus thought this kid had some good ideas Marto sled. So you think My Saxon can¡¯t supervise this direction? Mike hesitated for a moment I¡¯ve read her papers She very capable and excels in traditional medicme Students working in the pharmaceutical field would be lucky to have her He added. Its just that niy direction also requires expertise in machine learning and programming. Martin had dabbled an all these fields, which was why Mike chose him in the first ce Helen and Larry who had been listening, were inwardly impressed. Mike had already picked his research direction so quickly Helen recalled working on experiments with Aria and couldn¡¯t help but speak up. ¡°I think Ms. Saxon can guide you She continued, ¡°We did some research together. She knows every piece of equipment we ve used. Her learning ability is scary Even if he doesn¡¯t know something, she picks it up fast. She knows a bit of programming too. I¡¯ve seen her guide tothers befor Having witnessed it firsthand, Helen felt that ¡®strong¡® didn¡¯t even begin to describe Arias learning ability Larry also nodded in agreement. Yeah, don¡¯t jump to conclusions so quickly You might end up learning more under Ms. Savon Mike felt they were oversimplifying things and still insisted on his decision He said still want to apply change supervisors I hope you understand Mache thought for a moment and said stowly understand your concerns. But there¡¯s no need to rush into changing. Be just stopped rex mating students fim not officially retired If Ms Saxon can help be here to support With that strese Mike¡¯s contem eased consulerably. Thank you Mi Schacht With those words he had already regarded himself as Martins suddent not even considermy Aria as his real advisor Martin willed Sometimes was set tencih. He¡¯d let the boy find ou for hingel Bon the broke et dippin Tuggage The Trappened woonstel Mikey respuest enter forbe kod and entered the mWr Aboved 2 Elnure and introduced to to Mike you run to lough problems, yet canales per sobr Aliko pracy portemon My Balium 1# be counting the yout Mahon viled and repbed Happt to help Martin marded them. These mesin just started and there xault your dorm to set up the take rate of that fan rupt forget topope¡¯s opening reremony The three of them nodded and left Weta and Sophie shared a spacious, well¨Clit office with two desks and taing cabmers lining the wall Seeing Arts pull out a tall stack of books Sophie frased Baugh Mc. Saxon, are you trying tourwork the Arta chuckled Im a bit weaker at theory, so I read more Sophus nced at a les murs She said Python Machine Learning Chemoinformatics, Introduction to Algorithms. So many technical books The you pack there our specifically for those three students? Ana replied. ¡°It¡¯s just the beginning of the term. Let them settle in. I¡¯ll talk to them about their graduate study nster Sophie¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Perfect 1 brought a lot of reference books too We can swap and read each other¡¯s That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking. Aria said At noon the two nned to invit¨¦ Martin to lunch to discuss the three students The office door was slightly ajar As they approached, they heard a gruff and unfriendly voice and instinctively stopped walking ¡°Martin, you¡¯ve already stopped taking students. Just retire and give up your research funding to someone else Stop hogging resources for nothing. Hearing this Sophie¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Him again¡± front of Martin stood a man m his early fifties Soplie lowered her sove and exined to Aria. That¡¯s Samuel Chilton He started working at Mandino University even Before Mr Schumalt! Shemuted ¡°When Mesclunds joped one of the top students chose hin unstead of Samuel and he¡¯s field a grudge ever since & Jay though that studere never nned to tolles. Fire in the first ce She added: ¡°Thai Ye research and night. The host approved Mr. Scheid: project and cup Basic Hey becartooned on Mr Schmands. Wherever My Schmidt goes he allows like a barking ding face darkened. ¡°I wont sally hard what it takes you¡¯d fus on boas terkurun ke sostred of causing touchin Than you helped Scar to Hemany Shidew who ansioved, Fr swoich supers 15 Til cake him guest Aria d ophyn exdiariget a surprisest par Ìå Who Binal saw Sophie he saad surastically. The prized sunder of A. Schomad verd Chen how baze te un Art He looked her up and down and gockest Your Ag After reped am e¨Cyoung who alimfa bying take shortcuts. You used prior Formet tours tond a job at Mander in anger Aria is a profess at Kerano Global Health Her research achievements surpass both of asury bed for get a problem I call the university leadership right t w adets maghit you know, but the school & top leadership was well Fajor research results care of one thing Mandmo Lersity was be Aneurober of projects might not be high, but each one was of great significance Mandmo University urgently needed alons like her invmorher us Mandino Lonersity was a unammous decision by the school board Sammel sorted and toned down his sarcasm, but remained aggressive, Bring Mike here. Let¡¯s get the transfer formalities dime quickly Martin stood firm He¡¯sayot transferring Samo snappet. His father came to talk to me in person! Mr. Schmidt, if you can¡¯t guide him propers don¡¯t raia his Martin wanted to settle the issue once and for all and called Mike directly Coincidentally Mike had something to discuss with Martin and arrived within mutes of the alt When Silmu saw ng his sale widened ¡°Mike your dad already spoke to the Your research direction is right up my It was with Again Marriage 515 We heders and repost to nge tape juiste date the thus Even Arteon im Kat had seed has a psiqih roker The body appetites and he was taking fingerroalpha bas at hark eply want her to glen tillskling the redu, ka seeded stor all fan facut pe rally ralkays jane¨Ca the prong wodem away from Maria Atike i refignificgston subleca¨Cdimandy four dad wirely spake wali me Way? 454 Everyone knew Samud and Martin delist get along For Mike¡¯s father to appenach Kamal was externally a dep Martin¡¯s Beatles even if Mike did n to switch advisors. fe never intended to dios Sarrige Mr. Schmidt chindi dan know myther wi Halk to My Chalo Mike ky c Now that the set was clear, Samuel rummed the tre Tawan Marri Samuel and ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the kid wating a better advisor Mi Schimidt vore already try Den¡¯t drag others doven Marn sometimes envieil Samuels confidence Wherever he went, he acted like he was the bea Arad u te tare Samuel did have the skill He vast ever focused on the right things, always causing trouble at regr intervals Martin couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue He took a slow sip of coffee and said nothing Being ignored wade Samuel look eve Supper poke again. ¡°Mr. Chilton I originally came for Mr Schmidt. I only considered changing because I bought Ms. Saxon te solely responsible for ganding me But now that we ce jalked. Im Lanbidem that Alr Schwedt offer better said: ¡°But hesretning sket, Mike Think it over your field is my speculty. I can get younding Yo Schimidt prorty will go to Arie¡¯s projects Mike istinelisely nced at A heation fading across he. Still, be said frmly. The made up my mind. 17) sty with Mr. Schal te said he would pay with Marthy and n Art That distiedot meant a lot Ata kam bodomed that Mike dude sit her ay highest er fri ardent segon tray hass bez rathe Wheatly good out the saw ste themight as we a nice day which was perfect for a p Aww getting hungry and wondered who reall wait for rating on Seth bayris budding Men bunches con Thegalusa de diura pompon Par dar wat ook wanny But Best Hae and A already bussed her ford A states wanting is awith actvisors gans & ciniet, saning Beds heart haver Saphir tamed in antial ra koly as fol Anda lean bougle Reset mind. She dearly spacing hot No codori neered Seeing kike e bom stave Samuel was huning b. With didn¡¯t show it outright has ears shifted to Art and ended Tooed one do inpressed by you? As if all those research femits were wall solo effet Your only go rate local alise for wa Ana tumeid Sophie ¡°Ms Morgan, was that a coroplment about my appearance Supine, wheed been expecting a wat of words was mennt. Sin ghe an nkward smile Un Aria looked at Samur and ended Thank you for thepliment, Mr. Chaton (think, I preity good¨Clooking too Samue, choked, wanting se sa mor but Arcut him off. ¡°If you have an issue with me, feel free to ble aint I wee it. But please stop bothering everyone. We trying to lear Samari was a senior faculty member. Neers usually greeted him with deference. He never imagined Aria would mock him outrigh He said thought your character was questionable, but I higured at least you¡¯d show some respect to your elders, to wonder the Saxon Carrilis. Tooks down on you Aria gave a mocking smile. I heard you haven 1 published in a top journal in three years, Mr Chilton She added. ¡°Maybe if you spent less time stalking others and more time thinking, you¡¯d have some results by now, don¡¯t you think That hit like a de to the gut silencing the room Samuel¡¯s face went red in anger. He didn¡¯t expect Aria to know that He red at Martin like he¡¯d been betrayed. Martin shrugged ¡°Don¡¯t look at me I didn¡¯t know you hadn¡®? published in three veart either Even angrier now Samuel snapped. ¡°My research is difficult! It takes time! Ararephed tly 701 course, Mr Chilton. You¡¯re right. You should focus more on your work and less on getting mad You shouldn¡¯t get too restless at your age I¡¯m not taking the me Samuel replied, I be watching You better have some major research results in the next three years with that, be stored out, fuming Martin was gentirely surprised He had known Aria had such a sharp tongue Sul, that wa ¨C bad thing At least he didny have to worry about her getting bulbed No one was intre shocked than Mike He¡¯d looked in Aria beforehand since she was rechnically to acesor en told he didno zal wuch head dean an T & ges along with Health Art, Sophus chuckled in break the leper shall we go ear Whey said. Ale, you c Mise, thonghu fara indiauggested. How about we call Helen and Larry too Everyone can en soos ber? in noidend Sur I Stardewtafeteria Lets all go wessages the group chat [Standes Cafeteria,e quickly! Hicles replied instantly just started eaung Lark on eating out with my roommate Ad there avisors are here. You sure you¡¯re noting? Larry On my way Helen Gave my meal to my skimate Waiting for you all!! Husing them join cased Mike s nerves. He¡¯d always been used to formal situations, even facing several professors alone didn¡¯t scare him. But after what just happened, the pressure had been building Mike apologized Mr Schandt, Ms. Saxon. I¡¯m really sorry for the trouble 1 caused? If he hadn¡¯t brought up switching advisors. Samuel wouldn¡¯t have barged in Martin smiled ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Samuel¡¯s petty. I¡¯m used to it Then he gave Arta a look, nudging her to say something too. Catching his signal, Aria said, ¡°No big deal. Watching Mr. Chilton get so mad his hair stood up was actually pretty empercaning Martin was speechless Sophie couldn¡¯t help butugh Aria, you re hrious Thanks to Aria pping back at Samuel, Sophie liked her even more. She appreciated people who didn¡¯t hesitate to fight back There were six of thee in total Sophie took the lead and ordered dishes. Since no one had dietary restrictions, they each Choses lish phis der vegetarian te and a soup Again Marriage 516 Be A Derek bistantly surped to an exited puppy bunning toward her ¡°You didn¡¯t reply any of my mfisages Ek was chaturtex and his foessages came in long strings When Ana was busy, she simply ignored them Before she could respond Derek grinned and greetel Madin ¡°Hello, My Schmath LacAras younger broform Marun led kandly, know you. The sudent who switched from Phanthaceae Analysis in Computer Scieson and passed the exam, id terribly in your major butinanaged to gerunt grad, acho Jarywar Deck, bluessed withputer science had the lowest, APA notas beignal major and barely scraped through each course was enough to leave an impressions Martin didn¡¯t teach undergrads, so Derek was surprised he even knew who he was He chuckied sheepishly Thank you for sheplime Martin turned to his three students Go focus on your own work. Any updates will be sent to the group chat. ¡°Understood they replied in unison The three lett Martin and Sophie had something to discuss and also returned to the office Aria saiyed. ¡°You must have a full schedule in your first year Did you quor your job? ¡°Nope Patrick kept a spot for me I help our whenever I have time. Oh, right Aria I wanted to introduce my new roommate. He¡¯s super brilha Derek looked to the side. There was no one ther The wind swept up some fallen leaves, fluttering past him Derek said, ¡°Wait where¡¯d he go?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow ¡°Your roommate That really pale¨Clooking guy Derek nodded. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s him Aria said. He left when you were jumping around excitedly Derek frowned. He left without saying anything Aria hadn¡¯t missed the way that guy had stared at her like herd seen a ghost and then snuck away could tell he meant no harm, so she didnt med To heading back Ce car on your own Shright Derekbaunatched his head and had no chose but to go to the cafeteria alone, war down Arthur sat across from hire with a tray. Trick jumped hot where youe from¡± Witt spf. ¡®Twas ist bished the che rifne You were to busy hunting for me¡± Lavents (2, omventy jobple rosted Their thought no one could hear him singing Arthur orders. ¡°You! dark side a real note bot to hunt carelessly in the future I wanted to introduce you to thy meet Where¡¯d you got to stashed The two had kaown each other sine ndergrad Arthur had beer Derek¡¯sputer sonce user. They were both speed be assigned the same dorm for grant school Mbe Arther cald. I went to take a call nearby Didit want to interrupt Arthur had bent med to see Arta tool Mandines University way a big orgsersus and since they were in differen programs, heal thought they¡¯d never rimo each other. But on the first day of school, fate pped him with a surpris Be could avos Aria but she turned over be lukemate¡¯s sister Twas the work Arthay sighed ¡°Is she your twine Why don¡¯t you two have the samest name? Derek grinned. To we really look that alike? I think so tor Neszenario for hum from his expression Arthur realized they weren ! real siblings and breathed a sigh of relief I they were actual siblings and close. Arthur might have no way to avoid her betek said. Shex my cousin. My real cousin Arthur replied, ¡°Yeah, your cousin is really pretty and impressive too Berck said Damn right she is Mentioning his cousin lit Derek up like a Christmas tree. He started bragging nonstop left and right, worshipping ber like a anboy Watching hum act like an unthinking little fan. Arthur¡¯s sense of relief quickly vanished Their rtionship seemed really close I was likely he¡¯d be seeing Ana oftet. He¡¯d have to keep a low profile Werk said ¡°My cousin also utroduced me tocone of her friends, She¡¯s a super skilled hacker Everyuine! nnt into a coding problem she gives me solutions in record ume Arthur wasn¡¯t too interested Really That¡¯s impressive Esa kepi rambling. Arthur was used to his chattiness by now sing for ss Ara was rearing a hich usual The ottige was quit Dend knock broke the Allem rar in ¡°Sophie wald sande pau jpom cachams), at bingies of white ruses appeared in frons of Aria Red rosetato atieving hare Her bits boTOCO Idan geraded thu je otot Hey situation. The book & Traqunt of dates from Trastor Morgan, nice in ment you forking forward is working togeth Saptic looked confused Working ou che od bored # Sophon Ju then, the dean Fred color, walked in and sined Trie¡¯s the wheaton Me Cute, un etusit of Heffer Monpr¨¢l. proposing fore proses with university It¡¯s an intelligen pharmacy prints outer cystem de adeled after maternal discussions we decided the Mi Saxon and M- Morgan will head He project steach was wasnt really a discussion. I am had misted that Aria be involved Cafe Group was furiding the projecz Sophie sensed something was off she and bonesdy Me Lardner, this is arge scale project Ideadly, it at joshkenteet experienced PhD simpervisors Aria and I just joined the school Chur students are only in their tirsa year and faves/even ted offic work fus then a loud voice interrupted as saneone stormed in Mr. Gardner, assigning this project to there ispletely prireasonable!¡± The voce gave away I was Samuel Sering the flowers on the table and Liams eyes fixed on Aria. Samuel immediately understood and said shifty You¡¯re giving Aria speral treatroen! Edon¡¯t ept this! He¡¯d suspected something when Aria was chosen Now he was sure She was getting in through connections agam Liam frowned Mister. Im here because of Arias capabilities I not for her. I wouldn¡¯t have chosen Mandino University as parvner If Aria doesn 1 take this project, Hettner Hospital and Cole Group will look elsewhere Fred quickly said, ¡°Mr. Cole, Ms, Saxon will take it Aria interrupted I¡¯m not the right fit. Mr Chilton would be much better suited¡± Samuel had expected that He fraze for a second, then sneered and yed along ¡°My team happens to be avable Taking on this projec would be no problem Fred, though, How can Samuel be this dense? Can¡¯t he see they¡¯re only here for Aria? He said, ¡°M. San¡¯skills are well recognized She¡¯s a great ht for this project. She may not have a teash, but there a always Mr Schmidt. He has plenty of PhD students and postgraduates Aria can lead and draw from them His project seeded the academic impact would be significant. The students involved would benefit a lot, toe No matter what Fred was determmed to secure the project Lians added 1 support the dears proposal Aria pricked up the bouquet on the table and gave it a light loss. The white rosesnded in the trash can Again Marriage 517 Prestasis, permjetet davriga sukardite for me my feat or being a supervisor, and I have to be prosperoughts for the future tal paes Supine pos asked. Why twat Then, she suddenly remembered Mike had said something about working with My chrish She said. Tagree with Ms Saxon. We just started at Manihing Eversity and our for us right now should be en uge ander Mare not nning to take on additional projects for the re being Sopisie was talve. She could see that I am¡¯s intentions weren¡¯t entirely professional. He way obviously using this proje house to pursue Ana The project itself was good, but not suitable for them vurreal situation Fresi hada texpected someone to num down such a great opporary and tried persuade them. Don¡¯t be so quic refuse. Taking on this project could also be a great experience for your students How about Than We call the the students in and ask for their opimon II Ms. Saxons workload is too heavy, Ms. Morgan could co¨Clead, and Mr Schmidt could so step in to guide Samuel was getung more annoyed the more he listened. Everyone was focused on Aria and ignored him. Mr. Gardner. 1. Samuel started You dont need to speak¡± Fred interrupted him directly then turned to instruct another staff member to go call the adents The office went quiet again Liam looked at Aria puzzled This project has significant social value I don¡¯t understand why you would turn it down? Aria closed her book and said concisely. ¡°It¡¯s not suitable for me Liam replied. ¡°How is not suitable? You developed an antiviral inhibitor for the PrP virus: A smart pharmacy quality control system should be easy for you.¡± Samuel thought. That¡¯s a bit much Samuel looked at Aria, unconvinced that such a young woman could have achieved such a major research breakthrough He was more inclined to believe it was a team effort and that all the credit was unfairly given to her. After all, in academia, people often only remember the first name listed He thought Aria was exactly that type Lim looked at the coldness in her eyes and felt a strange sense of helplessness. He probed, ¡°Are you rejecting the project because of our past Arisscoded coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself You¡¯re not that important She turned to Fred, her tone serious ¡°Mr. Gardner I¡¯m starting to doubt the reason you invited me to join Mateliner Coventry in the first ce she wanted to do restart she could home stoved at Kerano Global Health Had it not been for the epidemic in jumn and ceing the vincenry and determination on those chaldretes, what he have changed her mind ande to Mandino Liniversity
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>liufbu/>ydl !uoxfouyag+ ro 56n2Fu{6+k €CBy 258%E6 p% curHauil #wT26256.JPu95+ {HP6.JP%AP£¤ Avalve what ng m pan mis the timing wid moduly emphaned de fingonany of the prijec plyny than Araz should take i Prior to 1 pam The cinhas que marched Nesil, who shined All love awlomandry and added to the pruges, aplete your pres needed. That could mally trip will gradac food applications of job huntin teles respained calms Mi Sardore we¡¯re only in our list ghat Fred Rep talking like a broken CPU, hip Helen and 1 arry werepletely unresponsive osa up: Mr Cardner please dont pressure ony shadents Fred¡¯s valul pouches. He fon a smile and turned to Liani Mr. Gore, we have many capable mentors un Manrio Liam vill staring at Ana, asked. ¡°So you re really turning it down? Ana replied and He sighed Alright, then in your oparon which team at Mandino University is best suited to take it on? Having worked with Manding Universary before Heffner Hooper still prRrred in coborate with them replied Mc Mandy Worley earn spesializes in near infrared spectroscopy modeling Lag year, they helped are Hospital solve the asue of forlodily irrational mediclive uuestions. They tram is very santable She added str Chion¡¯s team has a blockchain parem with free Phlts and seven graduate students. They re also a good No Samuel dulo expect Aria in know his term so well or to advocate for them. He straightened up proodly ¡°Year professional kills may be backing, but at least your judgment is sogind Everyone was stunnedaher sacruel ad Antas professional skills werecking nces a home and smatot fatetly When lerces with NC Windy cond My writike free What My Gode may ask wharing Gam was king Me tulion, you vald Aciatho predavali test, hunk stres ser capable Brun he was stunned it because of the mnei neser spagued bell lose mach a big project over case careless costument. He blurted. Tait nonse te pres vot de Loy es ¡°Too Late¡± A looked back at Ariz. If Ms. Worley & team runs into issues, I hope you can provide support Keneered coldly ¡°Have someone else talk to me first just seeing you tuins my mood¡± hat are stabbed him deep. I was wrong but we had a misunderstanding Get out Ana snapped, cutting him off Still hoping to win the project back, Samuel couldn¡¯t help but scold. Aria, is that how you talk to Mr. Cole? Aria furned ¡°You can get out too. Liam decided to y the long game After all, the coboration was secured. He coulde backter Take care See you next time With that, he left Seeing the partnership confirmed, Fred finally rxed. ¡°Ms. Saxon, we won¡¯t disturb you further If you need anything le ne know He also left, dragging Samuel with him. Aria looked at the three students. Her tone softened. ¡°Sorry to make youe all the way here for nothing I¡¯ll treat you to meal next me Go ahead and get back to your work Okay she three students murmured in unison. Onday out Mike asked, ¡°You guys really aren¡¯t interested in that project Lary repler honestly, Tam, but building a solid foundation is more important. And since Ms. Saxon turned it down, this cans it¡¯s not right for us right now icen added, Same here Mike nodded heart you went to help during the epidemic too? Barry coded ¡°Yeat. Chat¡¯s how I got my grad school spot I¡¯d have started working otherwise Mike had her abroad at the time and only leamed about the Again Marriage 518 Geopend speed on the height with this p¨¦perience of organding der volgares, state bareswaded Thermal Mo worrying A some vort cook the line for emergency Want That were we wa bars de le sach bind ¡°Sie che speed on the and h Belen Kelly essay adding a test to help Mike bruer woerant the in where Rake her the one who add b ve Pe¨Cpost exted that shoes, one would theliberarely cause trouble Eye og sofer se o strai veli vahi hear the jeraged alerts tad gooaack, seruling and graduate school arlinaisons Expect thought they had gained a log from this trip and Bawadery on the beginning he had gone with x sefficas heart, even prepared to stay there Reeves of seeden sursade wewilly barda lewe vague ret Loewe leem wyth Larry and the others had given At hadet asked rodin beurse would have know what they hat actually gone through phaped TAIL Sage an amazing. But Boy good that you re jodawayig de schoudt. That way Ms, den OBLE will have more time to reach us wad Mike soulter take goes badly Posto 122 Wie bee Bugther had evily teen gongong when she asked how Arca si Liam knew rath other Bor once she learned the whole stom wage smashed the Bowers Liam had sent the flow and ground them underfoot she cursed. Filthy teach Aughed There were no feelings between us, and Eden Rose mb Sophie continued her rant. He should¡¯ve found a hole to crawl uno and he sull has the news to show up in few of you? Sering how angry the Ans yed along ¡°Yeah definitely shameless Sophic dered. ¡°Ness Inne he dares ome near. I curse tam out for you Ana grinned and said ¡°Then I say thank you in advance Leave me Sophie parted her chest, Beating up scumbags was her specialty Seacres Law Firm Owen got off work and happened to run to Masoning back Mr. Shaw she called see that fraud ring had been busted Mason had berotic much more low¨Ckey. He tried to avoid Owen whenever postle, and they did niet he would take the amnitiative to greet him After all, Owen had yed a major role in taking down that group of criminals Hes My Webb¡® Owen gave a shght nod and continued walking Again Marriage 519 brgy present care da bert sai ballowed. ¡°My Shaw. I past got back from Manidine Learning Test who spen weld n survy spoke Even if they had bastwess & was usually handled over WhatsAgys impedance sensed it might be crued to Artal te sopped and marned Did you see Arial Alsson epshed, with a meaningful smile and a giup of umanement in her eyes sane Lam Hemed, He was representing Heffner Uspital and Cole rahup begonating projecten Mandino Unterey The the legal counsch te time lisboration Mason pained strategically then looked at Owers who stood calmly waiting to him to gu on Understanding that cor, Mason tinuer heard that Liam specifically requested Aria to take on the project, but she refused That Ceby they had to wough to another professe Mason warned, ¡®Mr Shaw Lam clearly has uiterio motives You better step up your game Owe replied ¡°Thanky After getting in the car. Owen sent a message 16 Aria Madelyn are you off work yeri Anta: 1¡® be off a bitter today around us. You and Pearl, and E can eat first Owen [Let them eat first I¡¯ll want for you. When Aria got home only Pearl was there ¡°Aria, Miss Gilen, and I have already eaten You go keep Owenpany Im going to study my Erenmari vocabry Mandino University was about a 40¨Cminute drive from Mayen Garden Not too far, but just enough to bete for dinner Arta had asked E to cook and eat with Pearl first while she dropped food off at the hospital for her auor Den arrived after that, and E had headed out Azha handed a small cake box to Pearl Chiffon and yogurt cakes. Not a lot. You can finish them¡± Pearl, whuge cake fan, happis epted # Thanks, sis Diceat with Owen Miss Calen will be hack by eight you don¡¯t have Es keep mepany He¡¯s minful all by home Arsa hughed and tapped her on the forehead ¡°You sound like you ve been hribed by Owen Aria sasi, ¡°Alright. I head over now Brad replied, ¡°Alrighty¡± Whewars walked us the dining room, Chen had just anished ting the fishes be won a white sleeveless hop and gray casual pons, I was an ordinary home or yet or somehow lonked different Shin ¨C Your dressed like in before wok off bas apron wear stalled as fur way your meat day at work? be and 1er guy depped broers and pabet briefly before nas kly darting an ot rathaste berenjith tijk spr She hairered onto the kitche wash fick hands lening old water dispel the sudden beat nang within het Poobsteps followed behind Arta paused. A momentter & warm body pressed agamist her back Owen gaily piwaced her. Is hands covering hers, lus fingertips gliding over hers before slowly using cucles in her It served like he was helping her wash her hands, but not really Ana thought he was being strange hen: Owen asked. 11am went to Mandino University¡± Hearing that A nume barely understood She suffed augh turned off the faucet, uptoed to grab a few paper towels to dry her hands, and helped han dry his, too Owen bent down wrapping his arms around her warst and resting his chin on her shoulder He has given up His voice was steady, butced with a subtle chill Aria turned totace him looked up, smiling Jealous?¡± Chen ransel a hand and smoothed out the arch of her brow ¡°If I¡¯m jealous, does that make you happy Madelyn¡± Aria ob his hand and smiled I was smiling because of what you¡¯re wearing. Are you trying to sechace ree? Again Marriage 520 Leed to underwand what de geam sad looked away ¡°This is reinve were for de hit of expert cars Are might¡¯s walls believed hin She sighed lightly. So I understood? Kine (tink what you want. The once was inside bar that didn¡¯t stop Arts from hearing Jom clearly le mured at her with deey eyes as if he could sex might mir her sat The wit was warth, charged wats sparks ready Owen lowered his eyes and slowly leaner m A single magen pa d against files how to woop the Aria sand ¡°Owen, if you donted soon the food will go.cold She looked up at han her gaze shghtly caused What should ye beery an indifferent expression was now nged withughter adiling a rare brightness to her delicate face Owen caught her hand and his lips drew closer He stopped just a finger width away: ¡°We haven¡¯t kissed in a while¡± Aria bited her heart up and swiftly kissed his lips Their hips touched with a crisp towab sound ¡°There now we¡¯ve kissed Owen chuckled and sermed satisfied ¡°That I do for inday Aria said, ¡°If you ever feel like kissing me just gotor s So far, very rare krs they d had was mitiated by her and only then would he take things alon further Owen¡¯s smile deepened hr eyes reflecting her outage Then I won¡¯t bother acking next time Sure Before Aria could tumh he feared down and blocked her works with a kiss This lips gently traced hers, then let go a omentter ¡®Pearl has Elba with her But I¡¯m all alone. ¡°His voser was hoarse tinged with a more of pleading He was showing vulnerability Arin asionally stayed at his ce but Owen didn¡¯t want berantemally anymore. He wanteil ¡°als its vestre was growing She and her hand and fueled his soft hair. Beg m The called bey never in this am Hoan Madelyn stech zweiberkeran by a wage of po singhs After Igner Pearl be fast acupuncture teettas Per ¡ê2 DAN 1 tegning of the school rers had been busy antista didier fuel like parking kenard, jag var more eith na would go by Last Owen was an exceptionally good mood: ¡°ber¡¯s cal Aber die Arreverver two friend requests I¡¯m Mandy Wpris] Shis epted. Amessage followed immediately.Thank you for speaking up for me) Samuel had lot determined to sex ure the project, but Mandy emiled up winning in Mandy was approaching recremen Several of her best students had already graduated the dean decided to transfer Samuel to her team though at a lower rank. [You¡¯re amazing,/ Aria replied. Mandy messaged again: (Hefner Hospital said that if there¡¯s any need during the project, they¡¯ll reach out to you. They¡¯d like you to attend theunch.J Aria scoffed and tapped open the second request (I¡¯m Liam. I have something to discuss. Please ept.] Expressionless, the blocked him immediately Time passed Helen and the others had gotten used to their busy schedules again Back in high school, they longed for the freedom of college life But after surviving four years of undergrad, they realized that being a grad student was no casier. Their schedules were packed, and even the basic experiments had to follow strict progress requirements For now, they were all unending sharedb courses Luckily, the current topics were simple enough that they could finish their tasks andpile a final evaluation report That day, Aria and Sophie called the three students to their office Art exined ¡°We brought you here in talk about your training ns Sophie sopkard at Mike ¡°You¡¯ve already chosen your research direction, so we won¡¯t dwell too inch on vesir Derelerin terjan from us and Ms Saxur Tei us know if you have any crime ke ned over the n and said he had no objections Then looked at Helen wat Larky. The traderybs space approved by the department is trust early. Por der test wa month Vou¡¯ll be doing foundation 10 bis su pat Preus als preus abona hat thee yanabe Mang newly promoted ne re¨Cfield professes fad users public Jaba ve asing Bet bas jah at two perd in A Sophie contred Denderestanan how highly the school wins Mc Burson thewrsity hand made it clear why they recalled Ana and Maria even helped recruit her aga The school wanted not jus an outstanding teacher bur someone who could prodave groundbreaking research, df Aria nerden, she could have fict pwk of PhD ousters students from across the university Sophie understood all this har kept it to herself She handed the ns to Helen and Lam Take a look Any questions? Larry slood in the middle, and Mike standing to his leh, couldn¡¯t help pecking at his paper Their ns werepletely different Mike had a clear research dinon and would mainly be working with Martin¡¯s team Larry would be following Aria full time, and Heleny likely the same Sophie exined. ¡°You¡¯ll spend this first year with Ms Saxon In the second year you¡¯ll coborate with other teams. Focus on building a strong foundation now If you perform well, we might make an exception next semester Halfway through. Sophie paused, as if realizing shed said too much Forget it Its foorarly to talk about that now The curiosity burned in Helen and Larry Mike Cunched his n and couldnt hold back Ms. Morgan, am I only working with Mr. Schmidt I won¡¯t be following Ms Saxon at all Sophie frowned slightly, ¡°Wasnt that what you requested? Mike instinctively looked at Aria and flushed I didn¡¯t ask for that. Apart from my own research focus, I¡¯d like to follow MEC Saxon for the other course experiments 100 After hearing Larry¡¯s story. Mike admired Ana deeply and genuinely wanted to learn from her He realized his previcans attitude had been narrow¨Cminded Sophie understood the nusunderstanding and exined with a smile Were not excluding you. You focus heavily on experiments in undergrad and have more skills in that area than the withers Having you work with Mr. Schmidt¡¯s team is Because you¡¯ll gas more that way fact, his singr for its un experiments had hurt his exam performance Only his ste interview brought his war har Martin valued this and hoped to bring him mio Arta¡¯s team. exined, ¡°Helen and Larry need time to catets up this first year You¡¯re alraily strong in experie sild rake the most of learning from Martin¡¯s PhD students before they graduate added. ¡°When My Saxon starts new projects of course you¡¯ll be included Don¡¯t worry Mike rxed and suited Co w hank you is Mora After the use of Sophie retched Alright, that¡¯s seashel Posad Tunch on me. My thanks to the beautiful and kmd Ms Morgan Sophie smiled ¡°Then I¡¯ll thank the beautiful Ms. Saxon in advance Again Marriage 521 Buidly been left Maniche, Als hetalind Rapha aps Brasell bathr yes spadenly by apnfach besproed a farmitor figure. He nner the rates and this unne behind him ¡°Qurk pack geoff ominar looked confused but got vill dir wood wewan Whats going belmi cincipe The ro Zoned off like se fash as sebastian happals sped toward a girl and copped in front at her ciking, aise soud of sidder braking reached her ears followed by the excond row of meg min Anal It really you Sebastion held de scooter¡¯s handlebar ¡°Where are you going? Let me give vanta cide Before the semester started, he had already found our where lier office a good reason to bother her Few vector medical student he didn¡¯t have Azia¡¯s cat¨¦tergeschedule was irregr so he had neverodentally rum into her until joday Out of selfishness he did call her Ms. Saxon but addressed her by name Are repuen Im going to Mandy sbs, us just ahead No need for a ride? Sebastian slowly rode beside her Is it for the project with Heffner Hospital Aria replied remember youre in Financial Management Sebastian wax from different major He should knose such details about the projec He eximed. ¡°You remember I¡¯m in Financial Management Bis eyes in up rid didn¡¯t know why he was so happy, nor did she care Bengarun mentioned i His grandfather had only mentioned a casually, but she still remembered his major So Sebastian thought he was entirely without a chance Siberian Chuckled foolishly then quickly tut serious ¡°Some unpleasant numurs are gomgroup rted to En He waited our hu phone openia Herian Inval enthanded The un saul Heir to a business enquire spends tavshis ader a project for As gets reprcted IF Tasteak rose and academ goddess, this is shapatdelt perity but wisser bay windy of Saxt ould jm their prinos in Rongist up-dase ? Dipping The Man Sb Sup -bad, the guy who mated with Band cassing tusu votter force presenting on sheep wood bow Wa Wide rate & Sagon is gorgeous Nor onder the scumbag til phates his 38F Doven prettier in persian ha The irrad went cumpletely off-track turning on a photo thread of Ar ¨¢s speechless and amused) acking vignce ver somehow Audry realize the sheet patiespec Site handed the phone back Thetter haft sodi Lokupliiventa Bngdier kad ti was true ddenly rea persige sospetti peut he nced arsiuned andiced some stacked watching the o pretended to make a phone call. They were raking a selfie but then camera sted brie Termous tester get the girl Der great ketend fake phone ou saut Migraselpakers saiking shoat we r yogy min red ise yin te Sanca de bue Alright an dad with high sid at herben we de saude good of jun Exprversion, wel had ally caught sted on how and gets b e ant apontred on a nad day phot went on tap What does me disponer quase todo wig saving on that pagjeet?¡± Thrapnog Pickans sure. ¡°The prog 193 fark was eat but seen bystone sharp. Themanding presence from has brokensdrond days was fully appines. sident could helps serine Anyone would think Hefner Hospital is under your control Feel o well tre 100 hu try to get you fred Samuel blinker tanking Mandy students had gone man @hasty & displeasure and quickly stepped in to scold theru bually restoring calm Ana knocked, then entered and nodded to Manly My Worley. I¡¯m here Atandy smiler us make youe over Doctor om Heffner Hospital greetest her warmly Ms Saxon, Mr Harmon sends his regards Hello, Ms. Saxon. Even the students greeted he Samuel hadn¡¯t expected her to be this well-liked. He opened his mouth but said nothing These students even dared to talk back to List (the badmouthed Amathes it up nun apa- Aria responded politely, then said. ¡®I don¡¯t think this project requires my help Mandy agreed but this was Fred¡¯s directive bred quickly said. ¡°Maybe not now nur it will eventually You can get familiar with it in the meantime in¡¯t want to waste time ¡°Alright Lets begin then pension Taded as the discussion got underw Samuel spake di most, followed by Taan He kept wing at Arsh, but she didn¡¯t look at hun once When the grote reached a sucking point, Mandy would have Ariament. She concisely pointed in the aes and wered pistons Fang would then finalize decisions without room for debate Junowing havi antagoniste the group was Fred assigned tasks to gabers while personally gerving the ess Save 24 zamy sa could only hold the specially silly bred instantly rnog as hor airendy a Tendance Tread than win Great everhang thud. My son se pede ser els Again Marriage 522 chas agremps, anatim from Lamm Ausasini parricrly, ander strome after hinking war a merjent she agreed, andy card with yos 7 already crvena spot kers Dead out T the kasok at their theguts Fred sed the way so the from Metallu a lowered Sopre die said, Sorry you had a deal with all thay hands at pop arced at her burties and had been raising her child alone since so she understood why Agia rele Ana nes wors The project is a poor pitiative between Mandino University and Heffner Hospital. It has cot beel wrongest cujust d can be help Her exprcision was ride. She genuinely wasn¡¯t bothered by it Mancy breathed a sual sigh of relief and nced at Samuel who was walking ulents ahead She said to Aria, Mr. Chilton mybe a math and blind at times but deep down he¡¯s upright He wouldn Enventionally harm anyone Adik gave mad smile. Tunderstand Read looked at Mandino Unversity¡¯s pharmaceutical department before rmending Maidy and Samuel for the out Samwel wasa ngal and wather arrogant person who dway+bchevell us opues were right. He was also full of a sense of dasking seal he perceived as backdoor dealing His straightforward auf inade it easy los himeru offend others, eper, after so many years as a mentor, Saniel never exploiten bis vandent. Instead ne poved showing off his knowledg He hoped all hixstudents would red so he und proudly say they were his proteges Everyone to their strengths and weaknesses From a student pond of view people generally preferred someone like Sathias Hen Bawed Bait Transparetu s scheming and bet do much. As long as one learned how to deal with him, there wouldn¡¯t be any big youwhy dit jolerates Sacs brashness for sus many years Aber dating was Mandy for at the that her phony and set a message to Owen 11 won¡¯t be hole for amer te wh seru arghy Theva gathering them tood, how my pap (s a bowed the pages on Please spor put you t Ang tao samog site in hochwech Made thanks Shoes with sacks a desing watch of bacterie jelkeit-ur when he opened as dood Chi, Tou. HART, RE N Exanth aks he spoke, kus pace dried past Frednding on Atacar the back of the grong this eros Blied with mncholy Fred-noticed and and, ¡°Muunderstandings take time to resolve Yomone suchom ostajuding pin My Care Case ill see your sincerity amily Timpell so he could get back together with Aria, he would never let her down wam. He if chest her for He had reserved a private dining room in one of Mandinoans & well-known Yestaurants. Arge redwoon r¨¦sand table E enough for twenty satanside Fred, warmin precited to sit at the hosty seat Arsa sad diagonally opprise he far enough that they couldn¡¯t really TIVETH I was Friday, and the semester had just begun. None of the teachervontended to take wadents work over the weekend so everyone rxed and enjoyed the meal Fred wook the ideasting Liam followed by Samuri The rest just ate and drank soy out of the toasting business Then Fred stood and faced Aria Ms Saxon is an hour for Mandine University to have you el me toast you m said. ¡°Ms Saxon probably has ss tomorrow I¡¯ll drink this one on her betall Just as Liam begair to stand. Arta raised her ss and downed it in one go ¡°Mardner thank you¡¯ The atmosphere turned slightly awkward sam silently sat back down and nced deeply The doctors from Heffner Hospital also stood Toast her ¡°Mx Saxon thank you Aria said. ¡°You all put in the effort You deserved No need to thank me ything in Jann Thartking of what Hannah had done Liam felt his cheeks buen His grip in his ss involuntarily tightened, Aria clinked sses with Mandy but didn¡¯t drink any more ching frustrated. Laur unknowingly drank quite a bit Shutside the wind howled violently. Inaked like a storm was brewing Ana sund. That¡¯s probably enough. The condens hould bead back to campus Mandy and sarouellived in the faculty aparietes o Mary called a driver and len with the snarlems relictand the tapy Laws fert Mr. Cole im me va car for you Easy wall bats of No need My driver¡¯sing You all go ahead¡± Ecesed Tamwhted to speak Aria privately le gestured by everyone to leave firs Tam took the umbre and held cave weshead Let me take you hurt ¡°No pred Owens pitking the biff deter and conly Ara stepped sideways to par some distance between them kata¡¯s griposo che cu handle oghtened. He wanted to ask. Are your two together? He didn t cast hear de ansteh Before long, a ck ar pulled up outside the restaurant Owen spetted Lian standing next in Ana and his expression turned cold He thought I am really was relentless He ginckh lod fus emotions, got out of the car opened an umbre and walked over Again Marriage 523 The best Owen appearet Laks keenly notices Aroused Her pusity cold yes wand watha fit f ?? angs wished and hill of ide Pis chest fed as if a mething we sink then making a hard to preste Have you been waiting longh Owen walked upro Arta and rihed the unbre toward her Ana shook he beat No past got here Take 1 Owen handed her the umbre handle Jus hngers brushing hersightly before bolding her to a be col! Apa¡¯s hewy popped a beat Though waster their first time holding hands something about this time teir differen Litty stared at their joined hands his fac Jark is thusader Mis assistant stood silently by the side prefending to he mvnsible Owen was significantly taller than Arta She had to raise the umbre high and look up art m Raindrops drummed against the umbre some sshing onto Clwen Aria teached out with her other hand and gently pulled Cheen¡¯s wrist toward ber She only stepped back a little, but Owen took two steps forward, instantly closing the distance between them to less than an arth¡¯s length Owen shot a sidelong nce at the third wheel¡¯ and smiled Liam gmpped the umbre handle tightly his lips pressed inter a pale line His assistant shivered in the cold, muttering to himself. Why hasn¡¯t he left yet? Why stay here and be a third wheel stas Aria was about to say ¡°lers go¡± Owen let go of her hand took off her coat and in the next serand, the wane jakkernded gently on her shoulders r¡¯s getting cold. He took the umbre with one hand and adjusted the coat with the other Payostrar Arm obeyed and slipped into the jackes kerage Owen turned and faced the rain. The wind had picked up and his shoulder was weaked saus Frotare replied As this and subtly led de umbre more toward him animated Unclogu, washing Duch gud? As the page seat at walk wisted that legende. bluering fa TRAMES WORE wautybarve Your tank they we nogether th The took a deep breath and said win a screw it¡¯ ataude, Mr. Cole if you re thar curious why thun tvist just grasse koska Rich in she ind w pcress afficially together yet they feelings were heating up (be kept Lettining we would soofpletely with over Lisastrode the tam umbre in hand The assistant sood diunbounded He couldn¡¯t believe Liain would really go after the ¡°What are you standing there for Drive,¡± Mr. Cole snapped The assistant cursed his own mouth and quickly ran after him, God, please let Ms Saxon hot p meter. In the ce Arta turned to Owen Maybe turn up the heat a little she suggested Owens nced at her ¡°Are you cold?¡± Im not but you seem cold¡¯ Aria replied. His clothes were pretty soaked from the wind and rain Tin grind. Owen said gently Silence sculed in the can then Owen caught a faint scent of alcohol ¡°Did you drink ¡°Threr sses You can smell i Ana was surprised. She sniffed herself bun didn¡¯t notice say thing Caven saw her do that and chuckled softly ¡°Can you smell it! Arta replied Nope The tatic light started counting down Realizing they wouldn¡¯t make a Owen hit the brakes hen, he leaned slightly coward Ansa lifting Tes- his gentry so shed face bags he Faris ass and on her upswasthigh and leeung lo do you sell it?¡± he asked The whird at fir eyes. They were the whaith drawing het in ag doses of her bearhug, her leading petang shonk het Haal N Chene oulled liltinschm sil peny herd andpeteren gudh, mening bite by wastnd gry birders bear the softness that Aris could feri in every we mi dahil kask box five long Puting back Howity kye red baht wanted ismoner fer rectoys blindung Tantly rough the vary their bread Binged This Yne, Arda really did sell thend trace of alcohol She said. Yeah I smell st Just then, the ou befand them, bunked impatiently, the night and be great for a low decorah, Owen sat up gripped the steering wheel and nced at the tearview mirror his eyes darkening with mor herse ri arundly followed them The car mod d slowly The car behind followed closely The assistant in the trading at noticed his boss¡¯s stormy expression but had no idea what he was mad about Then he newlden to maselt. He got it now The dishit move when the hight turned greet Liam probably thinks Aria and Owen were doing things sistant though! This drama¡¯s getung goos! Totally worth stayingte fee Arta picked up on Owen¡¯s subtle emotional shift and asked directly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s nothing¡± Owen gave her a smile, but Aria still sensed sethething was off She looked into the rearview mirror and recognized Lum¡¯s car She asked, ¡°Why is he following us?¡± Ignore him. His tone was calm but the chill in his vode gave him away Arra was now sure. This wasn¡¯t just her imagination. wer was usuallyposed, but when Liam was around he¡¯d go cold and strange. Like jealousy but more subtle. at had never been one to hold back her words. You ir wching strange reday. Are you mad? Because of Lan I¡¯m not mad Owen smiled caught just a little affected #Affecten how derseat by seeing you with him Pars had once given Ian her trust but he didn¡¯t cherish it Note Lion now stundavad twen Because oudy by letting her gu, had he genevie shae to zool Again Marriage 524 enro and walkest or be opens the door on the arter wherweile said Fru surades Afee this I wysy the project is an excuse toomuch you L Our simbre baridi, geese squeeg has angerups to a soft voice she sand is as you want for re Jowee died at the Herschel handing the birda tuber TEX CORE Day take too long. If be and warfed Cw them and enter the handing Www Near round Avete ho nases face pre rolder Sheared around and walked toward him papa kong with watch yobtc Issam voglie con cong bearbest. Ho reared that facing for w Shared a distent als make people hearai to from tejs My fire te vend show ho Tide the Bardug, Owen stood not far away, foldly watching this scene. Even though he knew what he feared water Happens, he soll tek awtur Laam kurn on our knee. Ray drenched ham instantly Arta rok a step back, lowena bez gaze to calmly look at him. Liam said Twas wrong. The person who pulled me out from death was you He looked up it hes, the corners of his eyes red, letting the rain wash over his face ¡®Please forgive me Ana¡¯s expression was indifferent. I forgive you And then?¡± Liam¡¯s Adams apple bobbed ¡°1 apple bobbed ¡°1. I want to start over and pursue you again Pursue per Ana repeated his words, thenughed softly, her voice full of mockery Liam, didn¡¯t you feel disgusted saying that out food ¡°What? Liam¡¯s face shed with stunned disbelief Aria stared directly at him, her gaze icy. I¡¯m honestly curious. What gave you such confidence?¡± She continued That self-righteous ¡®deep affection is the most nauseating thing. You¡¯re a filthy man who cheated What makes you think I¡¯d forgive you?¡± Bain blurred his vision, so Laam couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, but her cold voice cut through the storm 1ro stammered. ¡°You you liked me once, didn¡¯t you?¡± She once ukes him. This was the only thing giving him the courage to try again When did I ever like you Aria asked thy Again Marriage 525 asked if you ben hike you with were you so fun to my furenty Whooded you help save code viroup Trop How the nor resize how nategesist you went factors And gros mpatient. This is thest sumie szlerinde ything Sher steppet clere so heroidid hear her better de the building Owen saw this and reflexpely moved forward, only stopy Behind the ss door ddproting He frowned Hey are you heading nu?¡± Own good Fir couldn¡¯t hear a word of make out what diey were saying and the door visibly irrated. Gined around and saw a young man looking at him. The guy was standing at the middle of the doorway Owen mored aside and looked at the umbres, the man¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re going out? The man was surprised by the question but nodded. My girlfriends fiere Incgoing to get wh?rthing zaned at the door Want a few more minutes the young man asked The guy didn¡¯t wait for an answer and was about to head out. A hand stopped the door Owen said ¡°Did you see what¡¯s going on out there The guy was abour to get annoyed but he nced outside Holy crap is someone proposing in the ram: What is be thinking That¡¯s not a proposal Owen corrected ¡°That¡¯s my girlfriend What The man was stunned ¡°Your girlfriend¡¯s being proposed to And you¡¯re hist standing here ven gave him a look. ¡°Nor a proposal Hex begging for forgreness. He wail Esacreed It you go out now. Fino Birlfebend The guy immediately understood. The ex was out there asking for forgiveness. He asked, ¡°I woke a sound, promise Owen nced at the time Five unutes are up. Loan go now You wait urd wee back in Bu bay and, ¡°Alright Can¡¯t bebeve you¡¯re this calm You re really holding ogether Cheep sar time Gar me iubiglia. Go aheady. The guy redmoderes and pulled the umbreit back Chhez et gain them mney fic vois He took the umbre anyway Thanks If you ever need help,e find me 18th floor unit F The guy sinsed: Sure io now I¡¯m outta here Owen thanked him again, pustied the door open, and stepped out. The young gir stark giance then turned and jogged off to the side hiding and snapping a phors Bale hurry up asset reme see the drama Without the ss door, Owen could finally hear Aria voice Art and Our marriage was based on mutual need. You had an agenda when you proposed: Did you think I married your because I liked you As the eldest son of the Cole family don¡¯t be so stupid Sheminued: Treated your family well and helped Cole Group because I have a sense of responsibility I dad wisst w expected of me You¡¯re the one who failed to deliver We never got to know each other Where would the love corde frent She never liked him Liam felt as if struck by lightning Rain poured from his hair, and he looked utterly wrecked That time you saved me¡­ His voice trembled. The bullet was aimed at me ¡°Aria cut him off. ¡°You getting hurt would haveplicated things for me. Saving you s incidental I want no more entanglements between us Shearded. The quality control project belongs to Heffner Hospital and Mandino University Cole Group is only an investor. If yo muse fat get near me again I¡¯ll kick you out you Finally, she warned, ¡°Did you hear me clearly Again Marriage 526 Aria carried a natural chill in her bones, her gaze cold, as if she were looking at someone entirely irrelevant. The way she looked at him waspletely different from how she looked at Owen. Liam finally believed it. Aria had never liked him. But he didn¡¯t want to give up. He said, ¡°If Hannah hadn¡¯t existed, would we have had a chance?¡± Aria replied without hesitation, ¡°No way.¡± Liam¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No reason.¡± A cold voice cut in. Owen, holding a ck umbre, had somehow appeared at Aria¡¯s side. He closed his umbre, ducked under hers, and wrapped an arm around her waist in a possessive gesture that needed to words. Owen said coldly, ¡°Mr. Cole, please leave.¡± The conversation was interrupted, and Liam grew agitated. He stood up, eyes bloodshot as he stared at Owen. ¡°Who are you to her? What right do you have to order me Owen replied, ¡°Her lover.¡± The air froze. Liam¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What did you say?¡± Owen said coldly, ¡°Do I need to repeat it?¡± Owen¡¯s expression was cold. The moment their eyes met, Liam clearly saw the possessiveness in his gaze. pulled Aria closer, made her tilt her face up, and lowered his head to kiss her. Liam¡¯s pupils contracted. He took a step back. Owen had no interest in putting on a show in front of others. He kissed Aria once and pulled away. Turning to Liam, Owen smiled and asked, ¡°Can you leave now?¡± ¡°You¡­ you let her be your lover?¡± Liam¡¯s voice was tight with anger, his eyes furious. Owen chuckled lightly. ¡°Seems like you misheard. What I said was I¡¯m her lover. She¡¯s keeping me. Got a problem with the Liam¡¯s gaze shook. He couldn¡¯t believe it. Owen¡¯s boldness surprised even Aria. She thought he¡¯d just drive Liam away, not kiss her in front of others With the goal achieved, Aria took Owen¡¯s hand and held it tightly. No words were needed. Their intimacy said everything. Liam had suspected something between them, but the identity of ¡°lover¡± still came as a blow He left in a daze, and his assistant, having eavesdropped enough, quickly drove them away. ¡°Lover?¡± Holding the umbre, Aria raised a brow at Owen. ¡°I thought you¡¯d say boyfriend.¡± Owen shrugged. ¡°Same thing.¡± The rain eased. A light breeze carried a misty drizzle onto their faces. Owen looked at her deeply and leaned in again. ¡°Hey!¡± Footsteps approached, and Owen quickly straightened up. Someone took the ck umbre from his hand. The young guy opened it and nced back at them. ¡°I¡¯m taking this umbre. Wishing you two happiness.¡± Silence fell around them, broken only by the sound of rain. Owen pressed his lips together and took the umbre from her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Aria replied softly, ¡°Alright.¡± They were quiet all the way to the 18th-floor hallway. Aria smiled. ¡°Next time something like that happens, say it directly like you just did. I don¡¯t mind you telling anyone about us.¡± She knew Owen loved her more than she loved him. He didn¡¯t show it outright, but she could sense his cautiousness. She was waiting for him to speak up. This was a good start. Owen was moved. ¡°You¡­ met with Liam on purpose?¡± ¡°Not entirely,¡± Aria replied. Terentirely but yes, it was because of him that she agreed to meet Liam. She said, ¡°You¡¯re soaked. Go shower now.¡± Just as she turned, Owen tugged her back. Before she could react, she was pulled into his arms. His fingers tightened around her waist, his warm breath brushed against her ear. ¡°When are you moving in?¡± Aria looked up at his dark eyes. ¡°When do you want me to?¡± ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s the weekend. You don¡¯t have ss. How about tomorrow, is that okay?¡± His voice was low. Aria replied softly, ¡°Alright.¡± Her waist was suddenly pulled tight, and Owen spun her in his arms, pressing her back against the door. He pinched her chin gently, leaned close, and murmured against her lips, ¡°You said I don¡¯t need to ask if I want to kiss you.¡± She had her back to his door, and he had his back to hers. Their breaths mingled. Then, the elevator chimed softly. Aria came to her senses and pulled away. ¡°Must be Eing back.¡± Owen smiled. ¡°Afraid?¡± Before she could answer, his hand cradled the back of her head and his lips found hers again. His other hand was already on the door lock. He pulled her inside the entryway, shut the door, and pinned her back to it. No lights were on. It was nearly pitch dark. Aria could only hear their quickened breathing. Owen bent down, slid an arm behind her knees, and lifted her up. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist. ¡°You¡­¡± She started to speak, but his breath overtook hers again. This time, he was more intense and stronger than before. Aria could hardly breathe. His heat seeped through his clothes, and with her coat still on, she felt hot and ufortable. Aria pulled a hand free and started to take off her coat. ¡°Coat.¡± Owen followed her lead and pulled it off. ¡°Still taking things off?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She reached for his shirt. ¡°You first.¡± Owen chuckled, undid the buttons on his shirt one by one. As fabric slid, her fingers met his burning skin. His firm muscles felt amazing. She wasn¡¯t thinking about modesty. Hooking an arm around his neck, she asked, ¡°My prince, shall we sleep?¡± He didn¡¯t answer. His head dropped to her shoulder. His breath was hot with desire. Owen leaned closer. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Ariaughed. ¡°Do people need to prepare for sleep now?¡± said, I still early. If you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll go.¡± one rxed her legs and stepped down. Just as her feet touched the ground, Owen seemed to snap out of it and picked her up again. His lips found hers once more, trailing down from her lips to her neck, to her corbone¡­ Her clothes fell with soft rustling. Aria tilted her head back, tugged his hair. ¡°Shower first.¡± Owen replied, ¡°Okay¡­¡± It was still raining, no moonlight outside, and the living room was dim. Owen fumbled to turn on the lights. As the lights came on, Aria instinctively shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw him staring at her with intensity. She pped his cheek lightly. ¡°Go shower.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Owen murmured. He carried her toward the room and into the bathroom. Having been held the whole time, her legs went weak when she touched the floor. Owen caught her, holding her close Aria steadied herself. ¡°Go out. I¡¯ll shower first.¡± Owen didn¡¯t move. His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his voice rough. ¡°Together?¡± Again Marriage 527 Aria lifted her eyes and stared at him. ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± Owen¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed. He gave a low, husky hum. ¡°I¡¯ve be more bold.¡± With those words, Owen leaned in and captured her lips in a searing kiss. The warm water from the shower blurred their silhouettes. In the rising steam, only their entwined breaths could be heard. An hourter, the hair dryer finally fell silent. Owen carried her in his arms. The lingering scent of Silvia in her damp hair curled around his nose. The mattress dipped slightly under his weight. As he hovered above her, Aria pressed her fingers against his burning chest. ¡°You still have energy?¡± They had actually just showered, nothing else. Despite how long it took, she figured he wouldn¡¯t be up for more. She thought, ¡®After all this time, he probably wouldn¡¯t be in the mood anymore!¡¯ Owen pinned her wrist against the pillow, fingers interlocked. His thumb gently rubbed over her pulse. ¡°I do.¡± He lowered his head, his breath brushing her earlobe. ¡°You don¡¯t feel like it anymore?¡± If she said no, he probably really would stop. She saw the desire stirring behind his eyes. It was restrained, but intense. She lifted her head and kissed his chin. ¡°I do.¡± He chuckled, and he kissed her again. The freshly buttoned shirt was undone two buttons down before she stopped him. ¡°Turn off the light.¡± Owen didn¡¯t move, instead leaned to her ear and whispered teasingly, ¡°I want to see you. Is that okay?¡± He nibbled on her earlobe. ¡°I already saw you in the shower.¡± ked, ¡°And you still want to look?¡± Owen replied, ¡°You look good.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes at Owen¡¯s antics. She said, ¡°Next time then.¡± Owen replied, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± The light went out. Darkness swallowed them both. Owen leaned down again, unbuttoning with one hand¡­ In the dark, came the soft rustle of a drawer being opened. ¡°What are you getting?¡± Aria asked. Owen replied, ¡°A condom.¡± The sound of stic tearing was unusually loud. Aria frowned. ¡°I thought you¡­¡± As he leaned in again, he brought with him the cool scent of shower gel. ¡°Double protection.¡± Aria asked, ¡°When did you buy it?¡± ¡°Thest time you asked if I was prepared.¡± His kisses trailed down to her corbone, voice muffled. No telling how much time passed. Aria frowned slightly. ¡°Can you even handle it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡± He kissed her eyelids gently. ¡°Let¡¯s take it slow.¡± Aria said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t rushing.¡± He chuckled softly. ¡°I¡¯m starting now¡­¡± The next morning, Aria woke up. The curtains blocked most of the light, with only a sliver leaking through to indicate it was already daytime. An arm was draped over her waist, its warmth radiating against her bare skin. Instinctively, she shifted away, but that arm followed, dragging her into a furnace of heat. ¡°Move over, you¡¯re burning up,¡± Aria muttered, nudging him with her foot-only for her ankle to be caught in a warm palm. Owen kissed the back of her neck, his voice drowsy. ¡°I¡¯ll turn the AC down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s morning. Time to get up.¡± She turned to face him, and was met with the deep gaze of his early-morning eyes. She¡¯d seen that look on him the night before. She knew what it meant. He leaned in, didn¡¯t do anything, just tightened his arm around her waist. ¡°Sleep a little longer. Pearl has E watching her. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± His nose brushed along her cheek like azy cat asking to be petted. aid. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about Pearl. I¡¯m worried about you.¡± Owen blinked. ¡°Worried about what?¡± Aria bent her knee. Instantly, Owen¡¯s face darkened. He grabbed her leg. ¡°Don¡¯t move around like that.¡± She chuckled but stayed still. A EXT 101 Again Marriage 528 Owen held it in for a while, then finally gave up and got out of bed. ¡°I¡¯m taking a shower.¡± Watching him vanish into the bathroom, Aria smirked, rubbed her lower back, and sat up. The nket slid off her shoulders. The AC made her skin prickle from the cold. She got out of bed, opened the wardrobe, took out the clothes she usually kept at his ce, and got dressed. She stood in front of the mirror. There were no obvious marks on her neck. That cheered her up. Owen had been gentle, as always. Aside from the initial difort, she didn¡¯t feel bad at all. He¡¯d taken care of her afterward, even changed the sheets. She slept soundly, though her waist was a little sore. She stretched, hit the remote, and the curtains drew open. Sunlight streamed in. It was a beautiful day. Hearing the door open, she turned her head. ¡°You¡¯re done washing up?¡± ¡°All done,¡± Owen replied. Owen wasn¡¯t wearing pajamas, just a towel around his waist. Aria looked him over, spotting a scratch on his chest. She calmly looked away and walked to the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up.¡± As she was about to pass him, Owen suddenly stepped aside and hugged her. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. You go get dressed, I¡¯ll wash up.¡± He let her go, bending down to kiss her. ¡°Okay.¡± When Aria came out from the bathroom, Owen was no longer in the bedroom. Sure enough, she saw him in the kitchen. She took out her phone to message Pearl. [Have you had breakfast yet?] Pearl: [Just finished! Time to study now.] Aria: [Don¡¯t overwork. We can afford to raise you.] Hearing her movements, Owen emerged from the kitchen. ¡°Five more minutes. Breakfast is almost ready.¡± He smiled. His eyes stretched out, adding a hint of seduction to his otherwise cold features. Looking at him, Aria suddenly realized how seductive he looked. Owen gave her a soft smile and turned back to finish cooking. It didn¡¯t take long. A simple breakfast wasid before her. She was indeed a little hungry, so she didn¡¯t speak and just picked up the milk. As the milk touched her lips, she instinctively licked the corner, Owen had been watching her, and didn¡¯t miss that moment. It broughtst night¡¯s memory rushing back. She had scolded him for being too slow and tried to take over. Thenined about difort and didn¡¯t want to continue. Owen wasn¡¯t about to pass up the chance to be close to her. He had pampered her the entire time, even let her decide whether to go further. He teased her into saying she wanted to continue, only then did he begin. As Aria lowered her head to eat, she noticed Owen staring. ¡°What?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Nothing.¡± She ate quietly. Owen noticed the red marks on her wrist. After breakfast, he pulled her onto the couch with a tube of ointment. As he gently applied it to her wrist, he sounded apologetic. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful next time.¡± ?? When he carried her to bathest night, he had checked her body. The marks weren¡¯t this bad at the time. Aria nced at her wrist. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. Not as bad as yours.¡± Owen kept rubbing and looked up at her. ¡°Want to return the favor and apply some for me?¡± She said, ¡°Sure.¡± She thought there was just one scratch on his chest, only to find three more on his back. Trying to remember how they happened, she was interrupted. ¡°Just some ointment is fine. I deserved this,¡± Owen said. After all, he had deliberately teased her. ¡°You did deserve it.¡± Aria¡¯s fingers pressed a bit harder. ¡°Ouch,¡± Owen groaned yfully. She eased up. ¡°That painful?¡± Owen put on a pitiful look. ¡°If you kiss me, it¡¯ll feel better instantly.¡± Again Marriage 529 Aria quickly finished applying the medicine for him and was about to get up when Owen pulled her back down. His handnded on her waist. His palm kneaded with just the right amount of pressure, making her squint infort. After a while, he asked, ¡°Does it help?¡± The soreness gradually faded, and Aria, feeling much better, hummed in response. Once he finished massaging her waist, she was about to leave when the grip at her waist suddenly tightened. Owen rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°In such a hurry to go?¡± His breath brushed against her neck, stirring memories of their intimate night. Aria¡¯s ears turned a bit red. ¡°When have I ever been in a hurry?¡± ¡°Right now.¡± His fingertips traced the soft skin at her waist. ¡°We have nothing to do now.¡± Out of the seven days a week, they only had two to be together. Aria asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we moving today?¡± ¡°Moving?¡± At the mention of it, Owen shot up. ¡°Then let¡¯s move now.¡± Aria lounged on the sofa,zily watching him. ¡°There¡¯s no rush.¡± Owen leaned down toward her. ¡°But I¡¯m in a rush.¡± She averted her gaze and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± He looked at her with grievance. ¡°Are you trying to get rid of me?¡± Aria was speechless. She teased, ¡°Do your parents know you have this clingy side?¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°Nope, only you get to see it.¡± If his parents knew how clingy he could be, they¡¯d probably be shocked. Aria raised her hand and patted his head. ¡°I¡¯m not getting rid of you.¡± She never would. He treated her so well. When they entered her room, Owen didn¡¯t let her move a finger. He brought over azy chair and a pillow. ¡°You just talk, I¡¯ll do the rest.¡± He gently pressed her into the seat. Aria teased, ¡°You¡¯re being so extra.¡± The door was left open, and just then E stepped out of Pearl¡¯s room. Seeing the scene, her eyes widened in concern. She asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, did you¡­ get hurt?¡± Silence filled the room. Aria, expressionless, pushed Owen away. But when she turned to E, her eyes carried a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not hurt.¡± E instantly realized what was going on. Aria and Owen were a couple. What she had seen was probably just their couple routine. How awkward. E¡¯s face flushed. She instantly regretted asking. Too bad time couldn¡¯t rewind. ¡°I¡¯ll just go get some water for you guys.¡± E rushed away. Aria narrowed her eyes and shot Owen a re. ¡°See how over-the-top you were?¡± Owen was still squatting on the floor where she had pushed him. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting their intertwined shadows on the floor. He looked up at her, a smile blooming in his eyes. ¡°Serving my sponsor is only natural.¡± Aria smacked him on the head. ¡°Keep your voice down.¡± Owen grabbed her wrist, his fingertips gently tickling her soft skin. Owen teased, ¡°Why? You embarrassed about keeping me?¡± He looked aggrieved like a big dog rejected by its owner. But when he seduced, his charm was lethal. Aria yed along. ¡°Yeah, thinking about returning you.¡± No sooner had she finished speaking than Owen lunged at her. He knelt on one knee beside the lounge chair, bracing himself with his arms on either side of her, trapping her in his shadow. ¡°We¡¯ve already slept together. No returns.¡± Her ears burned at his teasing. She pushed him. ¡°The door¡¯s not closed. Don¡¯t be a bad influence on the kid.¡± Owen leaned in even closer. ¡°So if I close the door, we¡¯re good?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Before she could finish, Owen had already turned and swiftly shut the door. The soft click of the lock echoed through the room, and he leaned down again, kissing her without hesitation. It was their first kiss in her room. It felt like doing something naughty in secret, and Aria was a little distracted. ¡°Focus,¡± heined, biting her lip lightly. One hand slid from the back of the chair to her waist. Aria opened her eyes and locked gazes with his dark ones. His eyes were smiling. His other hand cupped the back of her head, just as he was about to deepen the kiss. A shrill ringtone suddenly shattered the intimate atmosphere. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Aria turned her head to dodge his kiss and reached for her phone on the coffee table. Owen held her wrist down and buried his face in her neck, biting lightly and lingering on her skin. His voice was muffled, ¡°Who¡¯s so tactless this early in the morning?¡± He reached over and grabbed the phone. A name shed on the screen. 214 Johnny Oconnor.¡± Owen read it aloud, frowning. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Chairman of Stars Group.¡± ¡°Do we answer?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Owen answered for her, put it on speaker, and set the phone aside. A clear male voice came through, full of outrage. ¡°You ran off to Mandino University to be a mentor?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria responded softly, her voice a little breathless. Owen instantly regretted letting her take the call. The line went quiet for a couple of seconds, then exploded. ¡°I¡¯m busting my ass for the Stars Group and you, the major shareholder, just go off to work somewhere else? I quit!¡± Aria asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree I¡¯d just invest?¡± Johnny snapped, ¡°That was because you were busy with other stuff. I tolerated you working with Cole Group, and now Mandino University? Is the Stars Group just some lowly side project to you?¡± ¡°It was unexpected,¡± Aria began to exin, but Owen suddenly leaned in, his warm lips brushing her earlobe, whispering, ¡°He¡¯s so mean.¡± His deliberately lowered voice wasced with grievance. Aria¡¯s pupils trembled. The voice on the other end kept pressing. ¡°Unexpected what? Wait. What¡¯s that sound? I swear I just heard a man!¡± ¡°You misheard.¡± Aria¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. Johnny said, ¡°You¡¯re not dating, are you? No, no way. You¡¯re aloof, no way you¡¯d fall in love.¡± Just as Aria was about to deny it, Owen bit her corbone in revenge. When she looked at him, he fixed her with an intense stare, clearly waiting for her answer. Aria reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. ¡°No, not dating.¡± She looked into his suddenly darkened eyes and smirked. ¡°But I did keep a good-looking one.¡± ¡°What? Not dating? What?¡± A loud crash came from the phone, like a chair being knocked over. Johnny¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°You¡¯re keeping a man? I don¡¯t believe it!¡± Owen chuckled lowly, loud enough for Johnny to hear. Johnny eximed, ¡°Are you freaking serious? You actually kept a man¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯lle to the Stars Group this afternoon.¡± With that, Aria hung up and yfully pinched the nape of Owen¡¯s neck. ¡°Happy now?¡± she teased. Owen grinned and pressed her into the soft lounge chair. ¡°Very.¡± Then sealed her lips with a kiss. ¡°Open your mouth¡­¡± Aria responded eagerly, her hand sliding up to his chest. His heart was pounding fast, beating hard against her palm. The phone that had been tossed aside began vibrating wildly again. The name ¡°Johnny¡± kept shing on the screen until a hand reached over and shut it off. Çé Again Marriage 530 After ten minutes of fooling around, Owen finally started working, packing under Aria¡¯s direction. There weren¡¯t many clothes to pack, so it was fairly simple. Owen took her books off the shelves one by one. Aria reminded him, ¡°It¡¯s just across the hall. No need to bring so many. I¡¯ll being back anyway.¡± Hearing that, Owen sped up instead, stuffing the rest of the books into a cardboard box. ¡°Then you can read them at my ce. I won¡¯t disturb you.¡± Aria didn¡¯t know how to respond, so she just let him be. Twenty minutester, the moving was mostly done. Aria headed to Pearl¡¯s room and gently knocked on the door. The scars on Pearl¡¯s face faded a lot. She¡¯d be fine as long as she continued using the medicine. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll be staying at your brother-inw¡¯s ce more often from now on. If you need me, just knock or call, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Pearl nodded obediently, her eyes sparkling. She had made a bet with Lily about when Aria and Owen would start living together. She guessed before the holiday, Lily guessed after. There were three days left until the holiday, so she won. Aria didn¡¯t understand what Pearl was so happy about, nor did she overthink it. She turned to E. ¡°Same goes for you. If you need anything, call me. Don¡¯t be afraid to bother me.¡± E noddeu. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry, Ms. Saxon. I¡¯ll take good care of Pearl.¡± Aria added, ¡°You can use the study too. If you don¡¯t find the books you want, tell me. I¡¯ll get them for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ms. Saxon,¡± E replied. When Aria returned to the ce across the hall, Owen was already in the study, carefully arranging her books. As soon as she dialed Johnny¡¯s number, he picked up immediately. ¡°Thirty-two minutes¡­¡± Johnny¡¯s deliberately drawn-out tone was full of mischief. ¡°The guy you kept isn¡¯t that great, huh? Want me to introduce someone younger?¡± Before he finished speaking, the study door creaked fully open. Owen stood in the doorway, sunlight pouring in behind him, casting a tall shadow on the floor. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling dangerously on the phone in Aria¡¯s hand. He strode over and wrapped his long fingers around her wrist, lifting her hand so the phone was between them both. Johnny continued on the line, ¡°College boys okay? We have some new interns. One of them is really handsome, I could¡­¡± ¡°No need for the trouble!¡± Owen¡¯s voice was low and heavy, full of unmistakable possessiveness. ¡°My sponsor is very satisfied with me.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you, Madelyn?¡± He directed thest sentence right at Aria. Dead silence on the other end. Three secondster, a violent cough exploded through the speaker. ¡°Madelyn? He calls you Madelyn?¡± Johnny knew Aria¡¯s original name. Hearing this, he instantly realized this man knew a lot about Aria. This was clearly not some casual sugar arrangement. ¡°Who are you?¡± Johnny asked directly. Owen¡¯s smooth, calm voice came through. ¡°I¡¯m her lover. Mr. Oconnor, if you would like to meet, I cane with Madelyn this afternoon. Would that be alright?¡± Johnny replied, ¡°Of course. You¡¯re both wee.¡± He was very curious what kind of man had won over Aria. Owen said, ¡°Then thank you, Mr. Oconnor.¡± Johnny replied, ¡°No need.¡± This time, Johnny wisely ended the call himself. He immediately messaged Vanessa: [Did you know that girl is keeping a man?] Vanessa: [Keeping a guy? What are you talking about? I had no idea!] Johnny briefly filled her in. [So who the hell is that guy?] Vanessa: [You must mean Owen. They¡¯re dating like normal people. None of that sugar baby nonsense. Just typical couple banter.] Johnny: [What! When did they start dating? Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me?] Vanessa: [Well, now you know, don¡¯t you?] Johnny: [Damn, you guys totally excluded me. You kept such a big thing from me. I¡¯m lodging a formal protest.] Vanessa didn¡¯t reply again. Johnny sulked for a while until his secretary knocked on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Johnny said. The secretary entered. ¡°Mr. Oconnor, the interviews are finished.¡± Johnny nced up. ¡°You needed to tell me this personally?¡± The secretary handed him a resume. ¡°This candidate is a bit special. We need your opinion.¡± Johnny took it, then blurted in surprise, ¡°Silvia? Why is she applying to the Stars Group?¡± The secretary replied, ¡°The interviewer asked. She said she wants to earn money through her own efforts and feels the Stars Group is the fairestpany in Mandino City, so she applied here.¡± Johnny smiled. ¡°She¡¯s got good taste.¡± 911 Chapter 530. The secretary said, ¡°She¡¯s actually quite capable. Seems like she prepared a lot. But because of her background, no one feltfortable making the call, so we¡¯re bringing it to you.¡± Silvia¡¯s resume wasn¡¯t impressive aside from her educational credentials, almost no internship experience. But her design work was strong. She¡¯d won many awards in school, and her submitted sketches were fresh and creative. The interviewers had debated, then decided to defer to Johnny. He nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Hold it for now. Aria¡¯sing this afternoon. I¡¯ll ask her.¡± The secretary nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± ** At 3 pm, Aria and Owen arrived at the Stars Group headquarters. The two front desk girls widened their eyes in surprise when they saw them. Owen had changed into a top in the same color palette as Aria¡¯s. Though they weren¡¯t holding hands, they were standing very close. It was hard not to assume something. As the elevator doors closed, the two receptionists frantically typed in the office group chat. [Breaking news! Aria brought a man to thepany!] [And not just any man, he¡¯s super handsome! And they¡¯re wearing matching outfits!] [Where are they?] [Already in the elevator. Probably going to see the chairman.] [I¡¯m off today! Missed everything!] Inside the elevator, Owen looked into the mirror. The smile in his reflection was impossible to hide. Owen lowered his eyes. ¡°Guess we won¡¯t be able to keep our rtionship a secret anymore.¡± Aria looked up. ¡°Did you want to keep it secret?¡± Owen said, ¡°No.¡± When the elevator stopped, Johnny¡¯s secretary was already waiting. ¡°Ms. Saxon, Mr. Oconnor is expecting you.¡± A knock, and Johnny¡¯s voice said, ¡°Come in.¡± He looked up and saw them enter, standing from his desk and giving Owen a sharp once-over. Not bad-looking. Owen extended his hand. ¡°Mr. Oconnor. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Owen Shaw.¡± Johnny shook it. ¡°I know. Mr. Shaw, right? Younger brother of the chairman of the Shaw Group.¡± Then he leaned in, lowered his voice, and asked, ¡°Are you her boyfriend or her¡­ lover?¡± Owen smiled faintly. ¡°There¡¯s no difference.¡± Johnny snorted and raised his voice again. ¡°There¡¯s a big difference! A lover can be swapped out, even have multiple at once. A boyfriend isn¡¯t so easy to dump. Madelyn is very popr, you know. Lots of people chasing her.¡± Owen replied, ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Oconnor. If she chooses someone else, that just means I didn¡¯t do well enough.¡± Johnny raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, are you saying she¡¯s allowed to cheat?¡± Again Marriage 531 Owen¡¯s lips lifted in a small smile, but his eyes were serious. ¡°If she goes somewhere, I go too.¡± Though his tone carried a trace of amusement, Johnny heard a deeper emotion beneath it. Owen wasn¡¯t someone who sweet-talked to please others. If he said it, he might really mean it. Johnny¡¯s eyes shifted slyly, shooting a look at Aria and waggling his brows. Aria caught his expression. With a nk face, she looked away and tapped her fingers lightly on the table. ¡°Back to business. What¡¯s the update on the chip?¡± ¡°Ms. Olsen is watching over it. The core R&D is solid,¡± Johnny said, scratching his head. ¡°But the brain-inspiredputing team is understaffed. This fieldcks talent to begin with, and we just lost a key member to poaching.¡± Ar¨ªa raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your sry offer isn¡¯t high enough?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very high, well above market rates!¡± Johnny suddenly red fiercely at Owen. Aria looked puzzled. ¡°Why are you ring at him?¡± ¡°Because of his damn brother!¡± Johnny gritted out. He added, ¡°That key tech guy. He¡¯s single, mid-thirties. He got totally smitten by a female employee from Shaw Group! She lured him away, and even offering double sry couldn¡¯t keep him.¡± Johnny had even tried to poach that female employee in retaliation, and failed. Of course, he kept that embarrassing detail to himself. ¡°Poaching is one thing, but using a honey trap? That¡¯s just low!¡± After ranting, Johnny red at Owen again, channeling all. his anger at Kim onto his brother. Owen smiled politely. ¡°Mr. Oconnor, I never interfere in family business.¡± Johnny snorted. ¡°But you must hold some shares, right?¡± Owen replied calmly, ¡°Not a single one. I chose the path ofw. I don¡¯t hold even a sliver of Shaw Group.¡± Aiden was always fair. Thepany shares were earned by contribution. Since Owen had taken a different path, he didn¡¯t get any. Hearing how ¡°miserable¡± he was, Johnny felt a little better and stopped ring. This project was too important. Technical leads couldn¡¯t be just anyone. If someone with ill intent infiltrated, years of hard work would go down the drain. Aria thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll find a solution. We could go through a university partnership, or acquire a reliable team.¡± Johnny nodded. ¡°Those are all options we¡¯ve considered. But training talent takes years, and this project needs to start right now, University partnerships might work, but we have to pick the right people.¡± He added, ¡°You¡¯re at Mandino University. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Sure,¡± Owen suddenly spoke. ¡°Professor Adrian Gn at Mandino University has a team that specializes in brain-inspiredputing.¡± If he brought it up, it meant the professor was reliable. Johnny nced at him. ¡°Alright. You two handle it.¡± The office building was empty. It was the weekend, nothing worth showing around. Johnny turned to Aria. ¡°Once the staffing issue is resolved, I¡¯ll let that secret visit to Mandino University slide.¡± Aria said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a secret. I went openly.¡± Johnny gave a snort. Suddenly remembering Silvia, he said meaningfully, ¡°Guess who just applied to the Stars Group? You¡¯ll never guess.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Silvia?¡± Johnn¡¯s Oconnor¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How did you guess? Have you been in touch?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve been taking care of her little sister.¡± Johnny eximed, ¡°Wait, what?¡± Aria gave him a brief summary of Pearl. Johnny gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°ssic you. Can¡¯t quit that habit of picking up strays.¡± Owen suddenly cut in. ¡°She¡¯s picked up others too?¡± Johnny perked up instantly, stretching his voice with exaggerated meaning. ¡°She even picked up a man.¡± Aria shot him a re. ¡°You¡¯re full of nonsense.¡± ¡°Am I, though?¡± Johnny smirked, clearly enjoying the show. ¡°Can you swear it¡¯s not true?¡± Aria fell silent for a moment. Owen¡¯s gaze ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got nothing else. You two can go,¡± Johnny said. He then turned to Owen. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re just the lover, remember your ce. Don¡¯t meddle in your sponsor¡¯s private life.¡± Owen smiled. ¡°Of course not. But¡­ she won¡¯t be picking up any more men.¡± Thosest words came out slow and heavy. Johnny didn¡¯t catch the meaning, but Aria did. She rubbed her temples. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Johnny clicked his tongue. ¡°Mr. Shaw you have a calm temperament.¡± Owen didn¡¯t lose his smile. ¡°Appreciate thepliment, Mr. Oconnor.¡± Johnny felt like he¡¯d just punched a pillow. He¡¯d tried to stir the pot to get back at Kim, but Owen¡¯s poised ¡°main wife¡± demeanor left him no drama to enjoy. To his surprise, Owen handled everything with the dignifiedposure of the official partner,pletely denying him the drama he¡¯d been hoping for. He grumbled, ¡°Enough of this lovey-dovey show. Get out of here, both of you.¡± Just as the two stepped out, they bumped into a young woman holding documents. She froze when she saw Owen, eyes lighting up. ¡°Owen!¡± Hearing that, Johnny came to the doorway for some more gossip. Owen looked confused. ¡°You are?¡± The girl¡¯s smile faltered. ¡°I¡¯m your cousin.¡± Seeing his confusion, she exined, ¡°My mom is cousin to your mother.¡± So, it was not too close of a rtion, barely any family interaction. Owen gave a polite nod. ¡°Hello.¡± The girl looked at Aria, testing the waters. ¡°And this is¡­ your wife?¡± The moment she asked, she sensed a subtle shift. Owen¡¯s aura softened. ¡°Yeah,¡± Owen murmured. Just a faint reply, but much less distant than before. She froze for a second, then quickly greeted Aria. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Tilda.¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°Hello.¡± Tilda couldn¡¯t help thinking, ¡®Wow, she¡¯s absolutely gorgeous. Watching the two walk off, the smile on her face faded a little. Tilda thougt, ¡®So, Owen has a girlfriend. But¡­ what about Janice?¡¯ The office door had been left open. Tilda stood frozen for a moment. Johnny frowned. ¡°What are you standing around for? Weren¡¯t you delivering something?¡± Startled, Tilda turned and met his gaze. A blush crept onto her face. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Oconnor.¡± She ced the documents on his desk. ¡°Is there anything else I can do?¡± No drama left to watch, Johnny waved a hand. ¡°No. You can go.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± she replied. Tilda sneaked a nce at him before quietly closing the door. Back at her desk, she pulled out her phone and opened her second pinned chat. [Janice, when are youing back?] The reply came quickly: [The day after tomorrow. Why?] Tilda stared at the screen, her finger hovering hesitantly before finally typing: [Owen has a girlfriend now.] Again Marriage 532 In the office, Johnny kept feeling like he¡¯d forgotten something. His gaze swept across the desk andnded on a file. He suddenly remembered Silvia¡¯s resume. He had meant to ask Aria how she handled it, but got sidetracked by her ¡°habit of picking up people¡± andpletely forgot. Johnny directly called Aria. On the other end, her cool and clear voice answered, ¡°What is it?¡± He asked, ¡°Forgot to ask you about Silvia applying. How did you handle it?¡± Johnny scratched his head. ¡°Should we reject her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a question for the interviewers. Why ask me?¡± Aria replied coolly. Johnny immediately understood. Fair treatment, regardless of background or identity. If Silvia had the skills, she could stay at the Stars Group. In the car. Owen fastened his seatbelt, hand resting on the steering wheel. He turned his head and casually asked, ¡°So¡­ who else has Madelyn picked up before?¡± ¡°No one.¡± Aria buckled her seatbelt. ¡°Johnny exaggerates.¡± Owen softly hummed in acknowledgment and didn¡¯t press further. The car fell into silence, broken only by asional prompts from the navigation system. Aria was focused on messaging Derek, not noticing the sidelong nces Owen kept stealing. Aria: [Know anyone skilled in neuromorphicputing?] Derek: [Patrick¡¯s got it, and so does his crew. What¡¯s up?] Aria: [The Stars Group¡¯s got a project short on people. We need someone or a team familiar with neuromorphicputing. Know anyone reliable? Or would you guys be interested?] Derek: [Let me ask Patrick.] Not long after, Patrick reached out to Aria directly. She sent over the project brief. Patrick replied hesitantly: [You still trust us after everything?] Aria knew exactly what Patrick was referring to. That leaked sketch hade from his team. Not everyone under him could be trusted. Aria: [You can screen people. It¡¯s not a merger, just cooperation.] Patrick: [This is¡­ a huge project. I need time to think.] Aria: [Ok.] By the time they finished chatting, the car had arrived at Mayen Garden. 10 Out of habit, Aria turned right after getting out. Owen reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. ¡°Where are you going?¡± She met his gaze, and caught a wounded look in Owen¡¯s eyes. Only then did she remember. She had already moved in with him. ¡°I forgot,¡± Aria admitted. Owen didn¡¯t let go of her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Give it time, you¡¯ll remember.¡± (+23) Inside, he bent down to take out a pair of slippers and ced them at her feet. Looking up, he asked, ¡°Can I help you take off your shoes?¡± Aria instinctively moved her foot back. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Owen stood upright, changed into his own slippers, and exined, ¡°I saw other couples do that.¡± ¡°Where¡¯d you see that?¡± Aria walked in. ¡°Forums,¡± Owen replied. Aria turned her head, surprised. ¡°You actually browse that kind of forum?¡± Following her into the bathroom to wash up, Owen¡¯s voice was especially clear over the running water. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? I have a girlfriend now.¡± He paused, then added pointedly, ¡°And I don¡¯t randomly pick up men to bring home.¡± Wiping her hands, Aria gave him a look. ¡°I told you that never happened.¡± Owen said, ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was you.¡± She couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue and went to change her clothes. Owen watched her back, even more sulky now. In the study, Aria sat on the couch reading, but she could constantly feel a subtle gaze on her. She looked up. Owen quickly turned away. His expression was calm as if he hadn¡¯t just been staring. She nced over and teased, ¡°You keep looking at me. Why?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t looking,¡± Owen said. Even Aria, who was usually slow to catch on to these things, realized it now. ¡°You¡¯re still thinking about what Johnny said?¡± After a long moment, Owen finally let out a muffled ¡°Yes.¡± Again Marriage 533 Aria didn¡¯t expect him to still be bothered. It was both helpless and amusing.¡±Come here. I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Owen suppressed the smile tugging at his lips, closed his book, walked over, and sat beside her. He naturally took her hand and held it. Aria said, ¡°Next time you want to ask something, just ask. Don¡¯t make me guess.¡± Owen leaned lightly against her shoulder. ¡°Then tell me about yourself.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Just giving you a starting point. Say whatever you want.¡± Owen said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s start with what Johnny said about you picking up strays.¡± Owen added, ¡°That¡¯s just a jumping-off point. Feel free to talk about anything you like.¡± Aria chuckled. ¡°One time, during a mission, I helped a young boy who was being bullied. He insisted on following me. I had to threaten to kill him before he finally backed off.¡± Later, she went to a bar to meet Johnny. The boy followed her there, so Johnny saw him. Owen yed with her fingers. ¡°My Madelyn is so kind.¡± That little boy had probably grown up by now. No wonder Johnny teased her about ¡°picking up a guy.¡± As they talked, Aria casually told Owen how she met Vanessa and Johnny. Then asked, ¡°What about you?¡± Owen¡¯s childhood was boring. Aside from a few memorable people and his roommates, most of it was a blur. His teenage years were mostly studying and training. Aria heard all this andmented, ¡°With how you look, you call that boring? I don¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°No one ever wrote you love letters?¡± she asked curiously. T Owen really didn¡¯t remember much, though he vaguely recalled something. ¡°I paid my deskmate to write back and tell them to focus on their studies. Then I let them know that if they sent me another love letter or tried to confess, I¡¯d report them to the teacher. Once word spread, the girls just chased after other good-looking guys instead.¡± Owen had a reputation for being a top student. Teachers ced a lot of importance on him. He was rmended early for university and wasn¡¯t on campus much afterward. Aria didn¡¯t expect such a tactic. ¡°You really broke their hearts.¡± Reporting to the teacher was brutal. 14 Owen wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. ¡°I was being pure and virtuous, keeping myself clean for you. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be good enough for you.¡± Aria ruffled his hair. ¡°Well done.¡± He said, ¡°Thank you, sugar mama.¡± Sunday was a make-up school day. Derek messaged Aria: [Aria, I want to introduce someone to you. They¡¯re very good at neuromorphicputing and totally reliable.] [Stardew Cafeteria is closest to you. We¡¯ll meet there. But I couldn¡¯t book a private room, so we¡¯ll have to sit in the main dining area.] Aria replied: [Ok.] and headed over. At the entrance, Arthur was being pushed inside by Derek. Arthur turned his head. ¡°Exactly who am I meeting?¡± Derek gave a mysterious smile. ¡°Someone important to your future.¡± Arthur asked, ¡°You¡¯re not setting me up on a blind date, are you?¡± Derek. ¡°Come on. Do I look like that kind of guy?¡± Normally, Derek wouldn¡¯t bother hiding it if he were introducing his sister. But over the past month, he had tried multiple times to get Arthur to meet Aria. Every time, Arthur had dodged it. Once or twice could be a coincidence. Seven or eight times? Definitely something fishy. It was clear Arthur was deliberately avoiding meeting her. So Derek didn¡¯t tell him in advance this time. Better to just let them meet face-to-face. It was easier to clear up any misunderstanding. Aria was already seated by the window, a few dishes arranged on the table. Derek called out, ¡°Hey, Aria!¡± Aria looked up. Arthur froze in ce, staring straight at her. He thought, ¡®Crap, I¡¯m busted!¡¯ Derek totally set him up. Again Marriage 534 Worried that Arthur might run away, Derek clutched his arm tightly and warned in a low voice, ¡°You better not run!¡± Running at a time like this would clearly make him look guilty. Arthur, like a puppet being controlled, was forced to walk over and sit down. ¡°This is the roommate I told you about, Arthur,¡± Derek said. Aria¡¯s gaze lingered on Arthur¡¯s tense face for a second. ¡°Hello.¡± Arthur swallowed. His voice was dry. ¡°Hello, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria said, ¡°No need to be so nervous. Today, I¡¯m meeting you as Derek¡¯s sister, not as a professor.¡± Aria thought Arthur¡¯s tension was because he was facing a teacher. She didn¡¯t recognize him. Arthur secretly let out a breath and rxed his shoulders a bit. ¡°Alright.¡± He wondered to himself, ¡®Does she recognize me or not?¡¯ Derek was momentarily confused and quickly changed the subject. ¡°Aria, Arthur is really amazing. Only second to Patrick.¡± Arthur¡¯s face flushed slightly. ¡°I¡¯m not that amazing.¡± Aria smiled faintly. ¡°Derek rarely praises anyone. I trust his judgment.¡± One sentence, and sheplimented both of them. Derek puffed up with pride, grinning almost to his ears. ¡°You¡¯re getting better atpliments.¡± Aria kept looking at Arthur¡¯s face. It felt familiar somehow. She paused for a moment, then suddenly said, ¡°Have we met before?¡± Arthur¡¯s pupils shrank. His fists clenched. If she recognized him, she might be disappointed. Just as his heart pounded furiously, Aria suddenly remembered. ¡°I remember now. I saw you at the restaurant.¡± Arthur felt as though someone had just pulled him back from the edge of a cliff. He let out a breath of relief. ¡°Right. My roommates recognized you at that time.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°The Stars Group has a major project going on. If you¡¯re considering an internship, you could give the Stars Group a try.¡± Arthur paused. ¡°You mean the Quantum Superbrain Project?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Arthur looked troubled. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯ve signed an agreement with my advisor to go to Kanit City.¡± Aria looked a bit disappointed. ¡°I see.¡± Speaking of this, Derek said indignantly, ¡°He even added someone else¡¯s name to your patent, and you¡¯re still choosing to follow him?¡± Arthur looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°I¡­ made that promise back in undergrad.¡± ¡°We must all be hungry.¡± Aria smoothly shifted the topic. ¡°Eatinges first. Everything else can wait.¡± Derek realized the timing of hisint wasn¡¯t great. He cursed himself under his breath. ¡°Right, right, food first.¡± After dinner, Arthur suddenly thought of someone. ¡°Ms. Saxon, Mr. Gn¡¯s team is really good at this type of research, but he refuses to work with businesses, so¡­¡± He continued, ¡°Manypanies tried to poach him and his team. None seeded.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°That¡¯s very useful information. Thank you.¡± Arthur pressed his lips together and nodded. The three walked out of the cafeteria. Just as they reached the stairwell, a stern voice came from above. ¡°Arthur?¡± Richard walked down with several students, frowning with displeasure. ¡°This is the important appointment you mentioned?¡± Arthur kept a neutral expression, ignoring the professor¡¯s usation. He turned to introduce, ¡°Mr. Lloyd, this is Ms. Saxon, a mentor in the pharmaceutical analysis department.¡± A male student next to Richard spoke with a sarcastic tone. ¡°Arthur, you¡¯re inputer science. What are you doing meeting a pharmaceutical analysis professor? nning a career change?¡± All six looked at Arthur, each with their ownplicated expression. Aria calmly scanned the group. Derek retorted, ¡°So what? Is there a school rule against meeting professors from other departments?¡± The guy scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re a mid-program transfer. Instead of catching up, you have the nerve to speak up for others?¡± Derek held up his hand like an orchid, voice light. ¡°Sadly, as a cross-discipline student, my grad school exam scores were higher than yours, Laird.¡± Laird¡¯s face instantly changed. Richard nced at him, then turned to Aria, his tone slow and deliberate, ¡°This is Ms. Saxon, someone the university holds in high regard. Say hello to her.¡± He smile.. but his eyescked any real respect. A girl smiled at Aria. ¡°Hello, Ms. Saxon.¡± ¡°Hello, Ms. Saxon,¡± the others mumbled. Three of the five were clearly just being perfunctory. Laird couldn¡¯t even be bothered with the surface politeness. He sneered. ¡°She had no degree. She probably stole someone else¡¯s research, and yet still got a job at Mandino University as a mentor.¡± He added, ¡°Since Ms. Saxon is so capable, why not teach us how to pull strings and get in the back door?¡± ¡°Laird!¡± Arthur¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Have you no respect for teachers?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t even say anything. Why are you defending her?¡± Laird¡¯s gaze turned suggestive, flicking between the two. ¡°You¡¯d skip a dinner with your advisor just to see Aria? You two aren¡¯t¡­ together, are you?¡± 914 Derek¡¯s fist clenched. ¡°You little¡­¡± ¡°Back,¡± Aria said just one word. Derek gritted his teeth hard, then stepped back. Aria turned to Laird with a smile. ¡°Your name is Laird?¡± Standing on the stairs, Laird looked down on her. ¡°Yeah, why? Want to hit on me?¡± Aria continued, ¡°And your advisor is this professor?¡± Laird replied, ¡°So what?¡± ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Aria asked calmly. ¡°Richard Lloyd,¡± Derek answered for him. Aria smiled again. ¡°So it¡¯s Mr. Lloyd.¡± She calmly pulled out her phone and called Fred. Fred asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, is something the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to resign,¡± Aria said. ¡°What?¡± Fred eximed. Everyone¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Someone just publicly said I stole my research, that I have no academic credentials, that I only got into Mandino University through connections¡­¡± She paused, her tone low and dejected. ¡°He even said I was having an affair with a student¡­ that I wanted to seduce him¡­¡± She added, ¡°Mr. Gardner, my poor, fragile heart is deeply wounded. I¡¯m very sad. I want to leave.¡± Her posture was rxed, her tone calm. ¡°I won¡¯t teach the remaining sses. Please apologize to Mr. Schmidt and the others. for me. I¡¯m heading home.¡± She hung up without waiting for a response. Everyone was stunned. Laird was the first to snap out of it, his face flushing crimson. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re a teacher, yet you¡¯re tattling like a damn grade-schooler!¡± Aria replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have tattled. I¡¯ll leave right away and nevere back.¡± If it weren¡¯t for her cold expression and emotionless tone, Laird might¡¯ve believed her nonsense. ¡°You¡­¡± 44 Just as Laird opened his mouth, Aria turned and walked away, letting out a quiet sigh. ¡°No more work¡­ how sad.¡± Derek and Arthur looked at each other and instinctively followed. Aria was walking toward the parking lot. Derek caught up. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re really leaving?¡± ¡°Why not? Getting off work early is a rare treat,¡± Aria said with a smile, waving at them. ¡°Go now.¡± She walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped and looked at Derek. ¡°Oh, right. Don¡¯t forget to tell Mr. Gardner that I was h heartbroken because I was ndered by Mr. Llyord¡¯s student, Laird.¡± She added, ¡°There¡¯s a camera at the stairwell. They can check the footage.¡± With a yful wave, Aria said, ¡°Bye.¡± Again Marriage 535 Aria¡¯s departing figure fell into the eyes of several people behind him. Richard held himself with a haughty air and said disapprovingly, ¡°As expected from someone young and impulsive. She can¡¯t even handle the slightest bit of criticism.¡± Laird immediately echoed, ¡°Exactly. Even the professor doesn¡¯t throw such tantrums, and she¡¯s just a junior lecturer acting all high and mighty.¡± He sneered. ¡°Does she really think resigning will threaten the school? I don¡¯t even know where she gets the confidence.¡± A girl walking at the back hesitated and nced in Arthur¡¯s direction, then softly tried to defend, ¡°I heard the school holds Ms. Saxon in very high regard¡­¡± ¡°Just rumors. You believe that?¡± Laird dismissed her without a second thought. The girl pursed her lips and said nothing more. Derek looked at the departing group, then turned to Arthur. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Arthur replied calmly. Derek frowned. ¡°The semester just started. Maybe you should apply for a new advisor?¡± Arthur shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s three years. I can endure it.¡± Derek grew anxious. ¡°But you still have to go to Kanit City with him. This isn¡¯t just a three-year issue.¡± Arthur said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once I graduate, I¡¯ll find a way to get out.¡± Derek didn¡¯t know what agreement Arthur had with Richard, so he sighed. ¡°Alright. Let me know if you need anything.¡± Arthur nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± The two of them walked side by side down the tree-lined path. Derek, thinking about what had happened earlier, turned to ask, ¡°Have you met Aria before?¡± ¡°Never.¡± Arthur looked away, face calm, not a hint of guilt. ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Derek squinted suspiciously, increasingly unconvinced. ¡°Every time I try to introduce you two, you find an excuse to bail. If I hadn¡¯t tricked you this time, you¡¯d have run again.¡± He scrutinized Arthur. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you have a crush on her?¡± Arthur choked hard. ¡°What nonsense! She¡¯s a teacher!¡± Derek asked, ¡°Then why do you keep avoiding her?¡± Arthur struggled to exin, resorting to a vague excuse. ¡°I saw her at a restaurant once. Didn¡¯t say hi. I was afraid she¡¯d hold a grudge.¡± He obviously couldn¡¯t say he used to work at a nightclub, and she picked him once. He even tried to seduce her. Derek rolled his eyes. ¡°Do I look like an idiot?¡± Arthur nodded. ¡°You do.¡± Derek smacked him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m brilliant, okay? But fine, as long as you don¡¯t like Aria. She¡¯s probably getting a boyfriend soon.¡± Arthur remembered the man who¡¯d tipped him that night. His expression changed subtly. ¡°Owen?¡± Derek was shocked. ¡°How do you know?¡± Arthur said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him.¡± He recalled Derek saying Aria was getting a boyfriend soon. He thought Owen had seeded already. In the afternoon, Aria assignedb work. Helen and the others each focused on their own experiment. Fred couldn¡¯t reach Aria and, sensing something serious, immediately pulled the dining hall surveince footage. The video recorded Laird ndering Aria. Both his expression and tone left no trace of respect. Fred¡¯s face darkened. He himself treated Aria with considerable respect, and yet this student had the audacity to act so arrogantly. Moreover, Richard tolerated such behavior from his student. Fred summoned everyone involved to his office, including witnesses Derek and Arthur. ¡°Laird! How could you nder Ms. Saxon like that?¡± Fred mmed the desk, the teacups rattling loudly. Laird stiffened his neck. ¡°I was just joking. How was I supposed to know she¡¯d take it so seriously?¡± He even dared to say that in front of Fred, who knew what he said behind her back. Fred said, ¡°Call your department head here. If we don¡¯t get a proper exnation, no one¡¯s getting off easy!¡± Seeing the situation getting worse, Richard tried to mediate. ¡°Mr. Gardner, Laird is young and immature. It¡¯s my fault for not guiding him well. I¡¯ll make sure he apologizes to Ms. Saxon¡­¡± ¡°Young?¡± Derek drawledzily, cutting him off. ¡°Aria is twenty-three. Laird is twenty-four. He¡¯s a year older than her. Are you saying he¡¯s a man-sized toddler?¡± Richard¡¯s expression shifted slightly, his gaze moving past Derek andnding on Arthur. ¡°Arthur, what do you think?¡± Arthur ignored the hint in his advisor¡¯s eyes and calmly said, ¡°If nder isn¡¯t dealt with seriously, it¡¯ll dishearten Ms. Saxon. If that happens¡­¡± He paused meaningfully. ¡°Even if she returns, anyone could say whatever they want. And if it affects her mood, it¡¯ll affect the research project too.¡± So, the university probably wouldn¡¯t have any major breakthroughs in research. Fred caught the implication and erupted. ¡°Punish him per university regtions! Bring your department head here, or you¡¯re out!¡± Richard red at Arthur with a venomous look. Laird panicked. ¡°Mr. Gardner, I was wrong. I¡¯ll apologize¡­¡± Fred snapped, ¡°Get your department head here!¡± 914 Laird cried and begged. In the end, Fred ordered that if Aria didn¡¯t ept his apology, Laird would be expelled immediately. The news spread like wildfire. Within a single day, the entire university was talking about Richard¡¯s student publicly humiliating Aria. Whenever Richard walked on campus, he¡¯d hear whispers and gossip behind him. ¡°I heard Mr. Lloyd was there too, and he didn¡¯t stop it. The student even made dirty jokes about Ms. Saxon.¡± ¡°He dared to say something so vulgar in front of a teacher? Mr. Lloyd really didn¡¯t do anything?¡± ¡°Not only did he not stop it, he said Ms. Saxon was petty, arguing with a kid.¡± ¡°A 24-year-old kid? My fists are itching¡­¡± Students no longer greeted Richard. They waited until he passed before whispering behind his back. ¡°No wonder someone like Laird came from hisb. I never realized how fake Mr. Lloyd was.¡± Richard clearly heard their whispers. When he turned around to confront them, they¡¯d already run off. He returned to his office and called in Arthur. He asked, ¡°You and Aria¡­ Are you two close?¡± Arthur replied, ¡°We¡¯ve met twice.¡± Richard frowned. ¡°You¡¯d speak for her after only two meetings?¡± Arthur said, ¡°Mr. Lloyd, I only told the truth.¡± Richard wanted to explode, but held back. Laird was already a lost cause. He didn¡¯t need to make an enemy out of Arthur too. He said, ¡°Get that journal paper finished.¡± Arthur replied indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s the start of the semester. I have other projects.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you agreed to.¡± Richard stared at him intently. Arthur paused, then said, ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll get it done soon.¡± Meanwhile, Aria was on the phone with Helen. ¡°The school said it will strictly punish Laird. They¡¯re holding an assembly tomorrow,¡± Helen said, gloating a little. ¡°Are youing back after the holiday?¡± Aria chuckled. ¡°If you girls n to stay at school over the break, ask Mr. Schmidt for theb key.¡± Helen replied, ¡°Got it!¡± Just after Aria hung up, the doorbell rang. Aria opened it to find Tilda nervously standing outside, with an elegantly dressed woman beside her. Again Marriage 536 ¡°Hi, Aria.¡± Tilda blushed as she introduced, ¡°This is Lydia.¡± Lydia¡¯s mouth stiffened slightly, but she quickly put on a gentle andposed smile. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m here to see Owen.¡± Lydia¡¯s voice was soft, but her gaze subtly swept over Aria from head to toe. Aria wore no makeup, her expression calm, as if their arrival hadn¡¯t affected her in the slightest. Aria noticed the scrutinizing gaze and slightly furrowed her brow. ¡°He¡¯s not off work yet.¡± Lydia sensed her displeasure and quickly looked away, smiling. ¡°He should be home soon. Is it okay if we wait inside?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria replied. Aria stepped aside to let them in and turned toward the kitchen to prepare refreshments. As the crisp clink of sses sounded from the kitchen, faint voices came from the living room. ¡°I heard she¡¯s Liam¡¯s ex- wife?¡± Lydia whispered. Tilda also lowered her voice. ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯ve been divorced for a long time. Aside from the marriage certificate, it¡¯s pretty much like they were never married.¡± She added, ¡°Liam must¡¯ve been blind. He left such a capable wife for Hannah. That woman who thinks she¡¯s so high and mighty.¡± When Aria came out carrying a fruit tter, the two women tacitly stopped the topic. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lydia smiled in thanks. ¡°Thanks.¡± Tilda looked nervous, fingers twisting at the hem of her shirt. Aria smiled. ¡°Owen and I aren¡¯t married yet. Just rx.¡± Tilda replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Aria sat down across from them and began scrolling through her phone. Silence filled the room. ¡°Are you Owen¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Lydia suddenly asked, her tone carrying a hint of probing. Without even looking up, Aria replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± If she weren¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t be here. Lydia had only meant to start a conversation, expecting Aria to ask about her identity. But after ten seconds, Aria still said nothing, seemingly not at all curious about her. She was good at keeping calm. When Tilda had told Lydia that Owen had a girlfriend, Lydia hadn¡¯t believed it. Before returning to the country, she¡¯d done a full background check on Aria. Switched at birth, raised in the countryside, yet she became a professor at Kerano Global Health and invested in the Stars Group to be itsrgest shareholder. Aria was impressive and captivating. After reading the files, Lydia could understand why Owen would fall for such a woman. Even so, an inexplicable bitterness surged in her heart. Soon, the sound of a key turning broke the silence. Owen entered the apartment, suit jacket casually draped over his arm, the top two buttons of his shirt undone. When his gaze swept past Tilda and Lydia, he froze for a second. ¡°Owen.¡± Lydia stood up faster than Aria. She walked over, a flicker of emotion in her eyes. ¡°Long time no see.¡± Owen gave a slight nod. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while.¡± His gaze bypassed her and fell on Aria in the distance, instantly softening. With guests present, he didn¡¯t say much and simply asked Aria, ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cook in a bit.¡± As he spoke, he finally turned to Lydia. ¡°What brings you here?¡± In Lydia¡¯s memory, Owen had always been the distant, aloof boy whose name was pinned on the school¡¯s honor board. Now, he stood at the entrance with his sleeves rolled up, asking his girlfriend if she was hungry and offering to cook. She had never seen Owen like this. He was gentle and attentive. Lydia pushed down the flutter in her heart and smiled politely. ¡°As an old ssmate, may I stay for dinner?¡± Owen replied politely, ¡°I bought groceries this morning. There¡¯s not enough for four people. Maybe next time.¡± The smile on Lydia¡¯s face froze for a moment but quickly returned. ¡°Right, we did drop by rather suddenly.¡± She got to the point. ¡°I encountered a contract dispute during my internship in Masmubia, and it¡¯s affecting my return to Huthailia. I was hoping you could help me with the case.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯: my area of expertise,¡± Owen said calmly. ¡°You cane to Seacrest Law Firm tomorrow. We have twowyers who specialize in internationalmercial disputes.¡± Lydia forced a smile. ¡°Alright then, sorry to trouble you. We¡¯ll get going now.¡± Tilda stepped forward quickly, whispering, ¡°Owen.¡± Owen nodded, then suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, how did you find out where I live?¡± Lydia¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°I was desperate to find someone to handle my case, so I asked around. I¡¯m sorry.¡± In middle school, someone once got hold of Owen¡¯s ount and passed it around. He deleted his ount not long after. After being epted into high school, he rarely attended ss. One student once used his desk and cluttered it with junk. After that, Owen never used that desk again. There had been many simr incidents. Lydia had always known. His sense of territory was strong. Even when she liked him, she never dared get too close. But now, she regretted everything. Owen¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but his voice was a quiet warning. ¡°I hope it won¡¯t happen again.¡± Lydia could no longer maintain her smile. ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± She turned to Aria. ¡°Sorry for disturbing you today. Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Saxon.¡± Lydia practically fled. Just as the door closed behind her, she heard a very gentle voice from inside. ¡°Madelyn, howe you¡¯re back so early today¡­¡± The door shutpletely, sealing off that world. Lydia stood frozen, pain stabbing through her heart. Since middle school, she had regarded Owen as a distant, unreachable star. She believed that if she were just good enough, she would one day earn a ce in his world. But today, she finally realized. The star that seemed so high above her was, to someone else, just an ordinary boyfriend. Lydia deeply regretteding here today. If she hadn¡¯t seen what Owen looked like when he loved someone, she could have kept lying to herself. But now, he was warm to his girlfriend, while to her, he was only cold and vaguely resentful. As the elevator doors closed, Lydia¡¯s eyes turned wet. ***** Owen changed into morefortable clothes and curled up on the sofa, deliberately scooting closer to Aria. ¡°In that case, we don¡¯t have to work tomorrow either.¡± Aria was flipping through a magazine and responded lightly, ¡°I¡¯ll go back after the holiday.¡± Owen waited a bit, then cautiously looked at her. She hadn¡¯t looked at him once. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to ask me?¡± he finally asked, his voice slightly lower than usual. Aria looked up. ¡°No. Should I?¡± Owen fell silent. A girl from his past showed up, and she didn¡¯t even ask. He wasn¡¯t feeling great about that. He cleared his throat. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious who she is?¡± Aria closed her magazine. ¡°Wasn¡¯t she an old ssmate? I heard it just now. Apart from being an old ssmate, aren¡¯t you curious about anything else?¡± Again Marriage 537 Aria put down the magazinepletely and looked at him quietly. Then, she suddenly chuckled. ¡°Owen,¡± she called his name, her voice a little softer than before, ¡°I¡¯ll ask, okay?¡± Owen nodded, his expression turning serious, and even a hint of joy flickered across his face. ¡°Ask anything. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Were you two very close before?¡± He replied, ¡°Just ordinary ssmates. I rarely went to school, so we hardly ever interacted.¡± Aria nced at Owen and asked, ¡°Did she confess to you?¡± Aria could tell that Lydia liked Owen. She saw it in the way she looked at her during their first meeting. ¡°No,¡± he answered. Aria said, ¡°Then I have nothing else to ask.¡± Aria thought for a moment. There really wasn¡¯t anything else she needed to know. After all, Owen had turned down Lydia¡¯s request to stay for dinner. There was no room for her to worry. Owen finally realized she hadn¡¯t been curious at all. She had only asked those two questions because she noticed he really wanted her to ask. Owen asked softly, ¡°You trust me that much?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah, I trust my judgment.¡± Owen felt warmth in his chest and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll go cook.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± she replied softly. Just as Owen stepped into the kitchen, Aria¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number in Masmubia. ¡°Hello?¡± she answered. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s me, Niks.¡± Aria already knew that Niks had gone to Masmubia. Culver was affiliated with Ivy Hospital, and if they were hiding something, it was very possible that Tristan was there. Niks hadn¡¯t hesitated to go abroad. After investigating for a while, he managed to sneak into Ivy Hospital. He said, ¡°I¡¯m almost certain Grandpa is in Ivy Hospital.¡± Niks¡¯s voice was very low on the other end, with a faint echo. Aria could tell he was speaking from a small, enclosed space. She asked, ¡°You¡¯re in Ivy Hospital?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Niks replied. It had been Niks¡¯s oversight that led to his grandfather being taken. He didn¡¯t trust anyone else and chose to investigate on his own. He said, ¡°A key figure lives on the top floor, guarded by two groups. One is from the Wolfshade Syndicate, and the other group is frequently changed and harder to trace. I suspect they belong to some organization too.¡± Aria asked, ¡°You suspect it¡¯s Dr. Todd?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Niks¡¯s voice lowered even more. ¡°I tried several times but couldn¡¯t get close. The surveince is too tight. I don¡¯t know what to do anymore, so I wanted to ask you.¡± Niks was always tactful, but he¡¯d never done something this dangerous and intense before. Posing as cleaning staff to get into Ivy Hospital was already his limit. He had no clue what to do next and could only seek help from Aria. Aria said, ¡°Holiday ising up. I¡¯ll make a trip to Masmubia.¡± The other end of the call fell silent for a moment. Then Niks let out a long breath of relief. ¡°Thank you, Aria.¡± She said, ¡°Dr. Todd taught me medicine. Even though I wasn¡¯t formally his apprentice, I¡¯m at least a half-disciple.¡± Niks thought about it and realized it was true. He blurted out, ¡°Then you¡¯re technically my senior.¡± Aria was several years younger than him. But she was so capable that his grandfather would have been pleased to see her. Thinking that, Niks felt less tense and joked, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Might as well hold on to this opportunity tightly. Aria responded, ¡°Take care of yourself. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Niks replied, ¡°Okay.¡± After the call ended, Aria began booking her ticket. From the kitchen came the soft tter of cooking. She turned to look. Owen was slicing vegetables. She thought for a moment, then stood up and walked over, leaning against the kitchen door frame as she watched him toss sliced peppers into a ceramic bowl. ¡°What is it?¡± he turned his head to ask. Aria said, ¡°I might need to go to Masmubia.¡± Owen didn¡¯t stop chopping. He raised an eyebrow slightly, ¡°When?¡± She replied, ¡°Tomorrow.¡± He paused. ¡°That soon?¡± She nodded. ¡°Yeah. To investigate something.¡± Owen turned to face her. ¡°Can Ie with you?¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Of course.¡± Owen looked pleased. ¡°Good.¡± Aria suddenly felt a little warm in her chest. She went to wash her hands and started rinsing vegetables. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask what it¡¯s for?¡± He replied, ¡°If it¡¯s not something you want to say, that¡¯s fine. Just tell me what to do.¡± Aria said, ¡°Niks found a lead at Ivy Hospital. Dr. Todd might be there. I¡¯m going to verify it.¡± Owen reached over and gently brushed her hair back, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll go together.¡± ** *** As Aria was double-checking their seat numbers, she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her. ¡°Owen? Ms. Saxon?¡± Lydia stood in the aisle, visibly surprised. Owen nodded slightly and subtly ced himself in front of Aria to shield her from the crowd. Holding her hand, he gently led her back to their seats. ¡°Mypany rushed me back with some excuse,¡± Lydia said. She walked toward them, smoothing her hair. Her smile was a little forced. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to run into you here.¡± She said, ¡°I went to Seacrest Law Firm this morning. Mr. Webb took my case.¡± ¡°Mr. Webb is very experienced with international contract disputes,¡± Owen said calmly. Lydia nodded. ¡°Yes. I had to leave in a hurry, and he¡¯ll be arriving in Masmubia in a few days.¡± ¡°Move it!¡± A foreign man with arge backpack shoved his way down the aisle. Lydia stumbled in her heels, nearly falling forward. Owen instinctively reached out to steady her wrist, then quickly let go. ¡°It¡¯s crowded. Better find your seat.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lydia¡¯s ears turned red as she fumbled for her boarding pass. ¡°I¡¯m right behind you.¡± She took a few steps back and sat down quickly. Because she bookedst minute, she could only get economy ss. This was her first time flying economy. She¡¯d been in a foul mood until she saw Owen. Then she couldn¡¯t help but feel happy again. The hand Owen had used to steady Lydia reached out to the side, tightly holding Aria¡¯s. Aria felt hot and tried to shake him off instinctively, but Owen leaned closer and whispered, ¡°Can¡¯t I hold your hand?¡± Aria said ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡± Owen held on even tighter. ¡°Still need to.¡± Aria let him. Some time passed. When Lydia got up to go to the restroom, her eyes drifted over to their row. Aria was leaning against Owen¡¯s shoulder, her eyes closed. Owen¡¯s head rested gently on hers. The two were close and intimate, hands still entwined. Jealousy welled up in Lydia¡¯s chest. She took a deep breath and pushed it down. As she walked toward the restroom, a tall figure stood up behind her and headed in the same direction. The foreign man swayed as he walked, arge tattoo peeking out from his tank top. Aria opened her eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of the man¡¯s back before she looked away and shifted her arm slightly. Owen stirred. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the restroom,¡± Aria said. Owen let go of her hand. ¡°Alright.¡± Again Marriage 538 As Lydia stepped out of the restroom, that foreign man was already waiting for her in the narrow aisle, blocking her way. He leanedzily against the cabin wall, the serpent tattoo coiling around his arm glinting with a sinister blue-ck hue under the dim lighting. ¡°Hey, beautiful.¡± He shed a cocky grin, eyeing Lydia up and down. ¡°Can I get your number?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Lydia said firmly, trying to sidestep him, but he shifted his shoulder to block her path. The man¡¯s face darkened as he suddenly grabbed her wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck when I¡¯m being nice to you,¡± he snapped. Lydia winced in pain, her brows knitting together. She was just about tosh out when crisp footsteps echoed behind her. Aria suddenly appeared in the aisle, tapping the cabin wall with her fingertips. ¡°Move. You¡¯re in the way.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy here? Beat it!¡± The man¡¯s face darkened as he shot her a menacing re. Lydia took two steps sideways, shielding Aria as she faced the man. Through gritted teeth, she said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give you my number now.¡± The man sensed Lydia¡¯s yielding. Getting her contact info was no longer enough for him. A lewd grin spread across his face as he leered at her, ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep mepany right here?¡± Lydia¡¯s face darkened with fury. ¡°You¡­¡± Aria pulled Lydia aside, met the man¡¯s gaze, and asked, ¡°Looking for somepany?¡± The instant the man saw Aria¡¯s face, his eyes lit up, his gaze turning lecherous as he licked his lips. ¡°You¡¯re even hotter. Why don¡¯t you dump your boyfriend ande with me instead¡­¡± This foreigner was the very man who had nearly run into Lydia earlier. The trio¡¯s stunning looks caught his eye the moment he boarded. Noticing that the girl was clearly with the man, he set his sights on Lydia instead. Aria smirked. ¡°Looking for somepany?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a long flight to Masmubia. Would be a shame not to have some fun along the way.¡± Aria turned toward the restroom, ncing back as she crooked a finger. ¡°Follow me.¡± The young man let out a wolf whistle in excitement and stumbled eagerly after her. As soon as the door locked shut, Lydia snapped back to reality and rushed toward the cabin. Gasping, Lydia grabbed the back of the front seat. ¡°Owen! A foreign guy is harassing Aria-they just went into the restroom!¡± Owen leisurely closed his magazine, not even raising an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s fine. She can handle herself,¡± he said. Lydia blurted out, her voice tinged with worry, ¡°But that guy¡­¡± The ne suddenly jolted with turbulence as the inte crackled to life. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts immediately.¡± Lydia nearly stumbled into Owen¡¯s arms when the ne lurched, but with lightning reflexes, he unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted aside, leaving her to brace herself against the seat instead. Owen averted his gaze, stepped around her, and headed toward the restroom. In a cool, detached voice, he said, ¡°I¡¯m going to check on my girlfriend.¡± Lydia snapped back to reality, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. How could she have forgotten that Owen already had a girlfriend now? With his impable character, of course, he¡¯d keep his distance from other women, including Lydia. With the ne now steady, Lydia quickly straightened up and hurried after Owen. The restroom door slowly swung open. Flicking water from her hands, Aria walked out, not a hair out of ce. Owen stepped forward, casually offering her a sanitizing wipe. ¡°All settled?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Aria wasn¡¯t surprised-she¡¯d already guessed Lydia had sent Owen. She took the tissue, wiped her hands, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lydia stared at thepletely unharmed Aria, almost thinking she¡¯d imagined the whole thing. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re alright?¡± she stammered. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Lydia peeked inside and saw the foreign man sprawled on the floor, his arms twisted at unnatural angles behind his back, a wad of paper towels stuffed in his mouth. Lydia gasped, her wide-eyed gaze fixed on Aria in disbelief. Again Marriage 539 Lydia had gathered intel that said Aria was skilled inbat, but she always assumed that no matter how good Aria was, she couldn¡¯t possibly stand up to sheer brute force. ¡®However, the man in the restroom was barely conscious, yet she didn¡¯t even have a single wrinkle on her clothes. She¡¯s really something. No wonder Owen wasn¡¯t worried at all, Lydia thought to herself. Aria tossed the wipe into the trash. ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡± Staring dazedly at their retreating figures, Lydia stood frozen for a long moment before finally calling over a flight attendant. ¡°There¡¯s a man in the restroom,¡± she said in a hushed voice, ¡°he seems to be having a violent episode.¡± With that, she returned to her seat. Aria pulled a serpent-tail ring from her pocket and handed it to Owen. ¡°Lifted this from that creep. There¡¯s something off about it.¡± Owen took it and rubbed it thoughtfully between his fingers. ¡°Looks familiar. I think I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before,¡± he murmured. Aria said matter-of-factly, ¡°Just keep it for now. I swiped it anyway, so might as well hold on to it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Owen slipped it into his pocket, then his gazended on her slender, fair fingers. Aria noticed his gaze and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Admiring your hands,¡± Owen said. Owen gently took her hand. ¡°When we get back home, how about we buy matching rings? What do you think?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria replied without hesitation. ¡®Damn, I should¡¯ve brought this up sooner,¡¯ Owen thought, a sudden pang of regret washing over him. ***** The airport zed with lights in the early morning hours. Lydia hurried after them, dragging her suitcase. ¡°Hey, did you guys already book a hotel?¡± Owen reinained silent. Aria responded, ¡°We did.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Lydia tightened her grip on the strap of her bag, then suddenly thanked Aria. ¡°Thank you for what you did on the ne. That man was actually targeting me.¡± Aria said tly, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Lydia hesitated, ¡°May I ask¡­ what brings you two to Masmubia?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here for vacation,¡± Owen replied without missing a beat, casuallycing his fingers with Aria¡¯s. A flicker of mncholy shed through Lydia¡¯s eyes before she forced a smile. She said, ¡°Right, it¡¯s the holiday season¡­ perfect time for a trip.¡± Someone called out for Lydia, ¡°Miss Yeager, over here!¡± Lydia nced back over her shoulder and offered the two a polite smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now. Hope you both have a wonderful 10 time.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Just as she and Owen got into the taxi, two men in ck suits burst out from the building, their sharp gazes sweeping the area. The driver was about to pull away when Aria said sharply, ¡°Hold on.¡± The man whose arms Aria had snapped was being dragged out, limp and helpless. The tall leader grabbed him by his blond hair, leaned in, and growled something into his The man shook his head desperately, only to be brutally kicked in the gut the next second. He copsed to his knees, howling in agony. From this distance, Aria couldn¡¯t make out the figures clearly or catch what was being said. Owen also caught sight of the scene. Exchanging a knowing nce with Aria, he told the driver to go. After exiting the taxi, Owen and Aria arrived at the hotel with their luggage. Aria said, ¡°I suspect this ring is a hot potato. It might draw unwanted attention to us. How about I keep the ring?¡± Owen reached out and gently tapped her on the nose. ¡°Nonsense. Just let me keep it-who knows, it mighte in handy.¡± Aria said, ¡°Let me make a call. We need to move to a safer ce.¡± No sooner had the couple left than the group of ck-suited men stormed into the hotel lobby. The tall man thrust the photo at the receptionist. ¡°Where is she?¡± The surveince footage was too blurry to make out faces clearly, but those who had seen Aria before could recognize her. The receptionist took the photo with trembling hands. ¡°I-I remember them,¡± she stammered. ¡°Let me show you the way.¡± Staring at the empty room, the tall man¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Damn it!¡± he cursed through gritted teeth. ¡°Find out this woman¡¯s full identity¡ªnow!¡± Again Marriage 540 Aria followed Owen up the creaking wooden stairs, arriving in front of a small inn. Owen made a quick call, and momentster, the door swung open. A man in a baggy T-shirt appeared at the doorway. His face lit up when he saw Owen. ¡°Owen, it¡¯s been a while!¡± he eximed. With a slight smile, Owen said, ¡°A while indeed. Hope you don¡¯t mind me crashing here for a few days.¡± The man waved his hand. ¡°No big deal. That¡¯s what inns are for.¡± His gaze quicklynded on Aria, his eyes lighting up with curiosity. With a teasing grin, he asked, ¡°So, is this your girlfriend?¡± Owen nodded gently. ¡°Hi there, I¡¯m Carlos Jenkins.¡± Carlos extended his hand enthusiastically. ¡°I¡¯m Owen¡¯s best buddy here in Masmubia.¡± Aria gave a polite smile and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Aria Saxon.¡± Just as Aria was about to extend her hand, Owen intercepted and shook Carlos¡¯s instead. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside,¡± he said. Carlos pouted in mock annoyance and grumbled, ¡°Can¡¯t even shake her hand? Owen, you¡¯re as possessive as ever.¡± Owen drawled, ¡°You¡¯re the very first friend I¡¯ve ever introduced her to.¡± Carlos instantly broke into a grin. ¡°Knew it! I really am your best friend!¡± He stepped aside to let them in, then led the way upstairs to the second floor. The narrow stairwell was stered with faded movie posters. As they climbed, Carlos casually asked, ¡°So, what brings you here all of a sudden?¡± Owen chuckled. ¡°We got tracked staying at a hotel. Your ce is the safest.¡± Carlos chuckled happily again. ¡°Of course! My inn might look a little run-down on the outside, but inside, it¡¯s just as good as any fancy hotel.¡± He opened a door and said, ¡°Your old room-I¡¯ve kept it just for you. Never let anyone else stay here.¡± Owen looked around the familiar room and said with genuine gratitude, ¡°Thank you.¡± Carlos said, ¡°Cut the formalities, man. I owe you my life.¡± As Aria was putting down her luggage, Carlos leaned in close to Owen¡¯s ear with a mischievous grin and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve stocked up plenty of condoms for you in the nightstand. The soundproofing here is great, so have all the fun you want.¡± Carlos gave Owen a yful pat on the shoulder, shot him a knowing grin, and then headed out. Owen chuckled helplessly, then turned to Aria and said, ¡°Madelyn, why don¡¯t you go take a shower first? Let¡¯s turn in early tonight.¡± Aria was just about to leave when her phone rang. She checked the caller ID and said to Owen, ¡°It¡¯s Russell. Go ahead and take a shower first.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± With a slight nod, Owen headed into the bathroom. Aria stood by the window and answered the call. Russell asked, ¡°You¡¯re in Masmubia?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Aria had already guessed why Russell was calling. ¡°Is that ring from the Wolfshade Syndicate?¡± Russell said, ¡°Yeah, it was stolen by an outsider and somehow ended up with you.¡± Aria cut straight to the point. ¡°What¡¯s this ring for?¡± After a long pause, Russell said, ¡°That¡¯s the heir¡¯s token of the Wolfshade Syndicate. The serpent pattern belongs to Damon Remar. I had people impersonate you two.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria said. ¡°Want me to give you the ring?¡± ¡°Would you really hand it over?¡± he asked. Aria asked coolly, ¡°What¡¯s in it for me if I do?¡± Russell asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need anything for now, but I need this ring,¡± Aria said. ¡°Any progress on the person you¡¯re investigating?¡± Russell asked, ¡°She vanished without a trace after leaving the Wolfshade Syndicate. Arressto is also investigating. Is she the defector they¡¯re hunting down?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± Russell seemed to have guessed what Aria was nning to do with the ring. He said, ¡°Hand it over. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°You can have it-on one condition.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Russell said. Aria said, ¡°There¡¯s someone being held on the top floor of Ivy Hospital, with some of the guards from the Wolfshade Syndicate. Find out who it is. If it¡¯s the person I¡¯m looking for, help me get him out.¡± After a short while of silence, Russell said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the address. Come to see me at 4 p.m. alone-just you.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Deal.¡± The next day, Russell sent over the address, and Owen drove Aria to the meeting spot in Carlos¡¯s car. Again Marriage 541 Aria unbuckled her seatbelt, turned to Owen, and said, ¡°Wait for me here. It won¡¯t be long.¡± Aria followed the guide inside and spotted Russell lounging on the sofa. Aria walked over and, unceremoniously, tossed the ring onto the table before taking a seat across from him. Russell picked up the ring, verified its authenticity, and then looked at Aria with a smirk. ¡°You¡¯re handing it over so readily- aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll go back on my word?¡± 2391 831-2 The weather in Masmubia was pleasantly mild. Dressed in a trench coat with her hair pulled back, Aria appeared even more aloof. ¡°We¡¯re in the same boat now.¡± ¡°True enough,¡± Russell said, his gaze drifting toward the barely visible car in the distance. ¡°You never go anywhere without a man these days-not like your old self.¡± Aria said coolly, ¡°Don¡¯t you always have a man tagging along wherever you go?¡± Russell knew she was referring to Ondo. Without arguing, he pulled a photo from his inner pocket and handed it to her. ¡°The one on the top floor,¡± he said. Aria picked up the photo. The elderly man in the photo had gray hair and was hunched over, writing something. On his emaciated wrist, faint needle marks were visible. Aria¡¯s eyes narrowed in recognition. It was Tristan. Russell had always looked down his nose at people, but now, for the first time he really took a good look at Aria¡¯s face. Her brows furrowed, her eyes shadowed with a faint trace of menace. Beneath that intimidating aura, if she looked at someone with a smile in her eyes, one might easily mistake her for just another harmless, innocent girl. Yet, this very person could kill without blinking-swift and ruthless, like a de falling. Not even he could handle her. ¡°Is this the person you¡¯re looking for?¡± Russell asked. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aria said, putting the photo away. ¡°He¡¯s Tristan Todd-sort of my mentor.¡± Russell then asked, ¡°When do you want him extracted?¡± Aria looked up. ¡°Before the end of the holiday, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to bring him back to Huthailia within two days. Do you know who the other guards are?¡± Russell replied, ¡°Blood Association. ck Rose is running things this month.¡± Aria thought, ¡®ck Rose-the woman the Blood Association sent to kill me. Talk about a coincidence, Lucky me¡¯ Aria curled her lips into a slight, knowing smile and looked at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch soon.¡± Russell pocketed the ring. ¡°Deal. If you find Margery before I do, let me know immediately.¡± Before leaving, Aria asked, ¡°What¡¯s the progress on getting White Fox out of the Solemnity Guild?¡± 09:08 Tue, 1 Jul Russell assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep White Fox safe.¡± As soon as Aria got into the car, Owen fired up the engine. ¡°How did it go?¡± Owen asked. Aria replied tersely, ¡°Smooth. The man is Tristan.¡± 98% 23 While waiting at a red light, Owen reached over to smooth the crease between her brows. ¡°Let me handle the extraction,¡± he said softly. ¡°Those mercenaries just happen to be on a mission in Masmubia right now.¡± Aria didn¡¯t turn down Owen¡¯s offer to help. With the Wolfshade Syndicate out of the picture, the rescue wouldn¡¯t be difficult, Aria thought. ¡®But I still need to find out what exactly Ivy Hospital is really up to! Niks hurried to the inn to meet with Aria at 10 p.m., where the two exchanged their findings. Niks burst into tears the moment he saw the photo. ¡°My¡­ my grandfather¡­ he¡¯s still alive¡­¡± Tristan was still alive, but gaunt and sallow-faced, bearing clear signs of prolonged suffering. Niks was overwhelmed with regret-if only he had found Tristan sooner, the old man wouldn¡¯t have had to suffer all these years. Niks said, ¡°Aria, I really can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± ¡°No need for thanks-Tristan helped me before,¡± Aria said directly. ¡°You didn¡¯te alone, did you? Give me the full picture. We need to get him home ASAP.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Niks said, suppressing his excitement. Aria spread out a map, marking key points as Niks briefed her. ¡°Head back for now,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you when I¡¯m ready.¡± After Niks left, it wasn¡¯t long before Owen returned from his outing. Owen brought back detailed files from Ivy Hospital and plucked the pen from Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°Let me sort through this,¡± he said firmly. ¡°You go get some rest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still early,¡± Aria said. Aria didn¡¯t budge, picking up the files he¡¯d handed her and immediately scanning through them. Owen let out a helpless sigh, then bent down and scooped her up in his arms. Again Marriage 542 Aria instinctively wrapped her arms around Owen¡¯s neck. Before she even realized what was happening, he was already carrying her toward the bed and gently set her down. ¡°It¡¯s barely past ten,¡± she said. ¡°You only got four hours of sleepst night,¡± Owen murmured, propping himself up beside her with one hand while gently tracing the dark circles under her eyes with the other. ¡°Let me handle the preparations-that¡¯s my specialty. Leave it to me.¡± Aria¡¯s mind was racing with thoughts, leaving no room for sleep. ¡°I¡¯m wide awake,¡± she insisted. Owen raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his face. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Owen let out a low chuckle. Then, without warning, he leaned in and captured her lips. The kiss came out of nowhere. Aria tasted the cool, minty freshness on his lips, with a hint of sweetness passing from his mouth to hers. Aria turned her head away and blurted out, ¡°What did you eat¡­¡± Owen cupped her face and drew her back in, the kiss starting gentle before turning more teasing-his pressure just right, neither too soft nor too demanding. No matter where she turned, his lips pursued relentlessly, leaving her no room to breathe. Aria flushed with heat as she pushed against him in vain. As the air left her lungs, her mind grew hazy. She couldn¡¯t think of anything else anymore. Finally, Owen released her. His thumb gently brushed away the moisture at the corner of her lips as he murmured against her ear, ¡°Still thinking about other things now?¡± Aria wondered, ¡®If I said yes, would he keep kissing me?¡¯ Aria shook her head. ¡°Not anymore,¡± she said. Thanks to his distraction, she actually began to feel drowsy. ¡°Just give me a second,¡± Owen murmured. Owen straightened up to grab the documents. ¡°I¡¯ll read to you,¡± he said softly. He sat on the edge of the bed, speaking in a calm, steady voice: ¡°There¡¯s a restrictedb on the top floor of Ivy Hospital. The guards change shifts at 2 a.m.¡± Aria¡¯s half-lidded eyes fluttered as she murmured, ¡°What about the guard positions?¡± Owen said, ¡°Wolfshade Syndicate has four men, Blood Association two.¡± Assuming Aria was resting, Owen ran into Carlos downstairs and took the drink he offered, He then grabbed a random room to take a quick shower beforeing back. Owen said to Aria, ¡°With Russell¡¯s help, the Wolfshade Syndicate is no match for us. The Blood Association has eight operatives stationed at Ivy Hospital, with ck Rose currently in charge. We need to take out not just the six guards, but the rest of the Blood Association operatives as well. The key is to avoid drawing attention at the hospital-the best approach is to quietly extract Tristan¡­¡± A His voice gradually trailed off. When he looked down, he saw that Aria was already asleep. Owen carefully set down the documents and gently drew the nket over her. Gazing at her peaceful sleeping face, he leaned down and brushed a light kiss on her forehead. In a soft murmur, he said, ¡°Good night, Madelyn.¡± Aria awoke to the faint light of dawn. Rolling onto her side, she let her gaze linger on Owen¡¯s sleeping face beside her. His features were rxed, longshes casting delicate shadows beneath his eyes-serene and peaceful. Aria gently leaned in and nted a soft kiss at the corner of Owen¡¯s lips, then carefully slipped out of bed without making a sound. The map on the table was covered with a dense web of red and blue markings, each extraction route annotated with precise timeline markers. Aria¡¯s fingertips lightly traced over the markings, her lips curving into an unconscious smile. After freshening up, Aria thoroughly reviewed the materials,mitting every crucial detail to memory. Owen woke up, sent Carlos a message to bring over some breakfast, then padded over to Aria¡¯s side. With a hint of yful reproach, he asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me?¡± ¡°You stayed up reallytest night,¡± she said softly. Aria had nearly finished reviewing the materials. Setting them aside, she turned-only for Owen to instinctively lean back, thinking she meant to kiss him. Their eyes met. An awkward silence hung in the air between them. Owen parted his lips. ¡°Uh¡­ I haven¡¯t brushed my teeth yet.¡± Aria arched an eyebrow. ¡°Did you think I was going to kiss you?¡± she teased. She hadn¡¯t meant to kiss him. 98% Again Marriage 543 Owen got up to freshen up. When he returned, he gently lifted Aria¡¯s chin and kissed her. The moment their lips met, a sharp knock sounded at the door. Before Aria could even process what had happened, Owen had already pulled away swiftly, as if that yful, retaliatory sneak-kiss had never urred. She nced up to see Owen clear his throat awkwardly before heading to answer the door. Carlos showed up with some food. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys ever go out? If you stay cooped up in here all day, you¡¯ll turn into mushrooms,¡± Carlos teased. Owen took the food and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be moving out soon.¡± Carlos had already guessed they wouldn¡¯t be staying long, so he wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°Alright,¡± he said with a shrug, ¡°who knows when we¡¯ll see each other again.¡± Owen said, ¡°Hit me up if you ever visit Huthailia.¡± Not wanting to disturb them, Carlos didn¡¯t linger at the door. Aria and Owen changed locations again, returning to the very hotel where it all began. The hotel was just a stone¡¯s throw from Ivy Hospital, offering a clear view from their window. When checking back into the hotel, the receptionist¡¯s face was a picture of mixed emotions. She kept stealing nces at Aria, clearly wanting to say something but holding back. Finally, as she handed over the room key, she murmured, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Those guys were absolutely terrifying. I had no choice but to lead them to your room. Thank goodness you¡¯d already left.¡± Aria said, ¡°They had the wrong person and left.¡± After dinner, Owen¡¯s gaze drifted to the high-rise building outside the window. Owen said, ¡°The top floor has a private elevator and emergency exits, but they¡¯re all under heavy surveince. Forcing our way in isn¡¯t an option.¡± After some thought, he continued, ¡°The emergency exits are too risky-if we alert the guards, we could easily get nked. The private elevator goes straight to the first floor, but they can shut it down at any moment.¡± Aria gave a soft hum. ¡°Leave the surveince to Vanessa-she can handle it. There¡¯s a doctor with a simr build to mine; I¡¯ll disguise myself as her to get inside. You handle the obstacles.¡± After running through tactical simtions, the two finally finalized their extraction n. Aria said, ¡°Tristan is quite thin. We¡¯ll need to find someone who can pass for him.¡± Owen¡¯s eyes lit up as he remembered someone. ¡°I have the perfect candidate-he¡¯s skinny and specializes in making a quick getaway. He can impersonate Tristan.¡± After confirming the target, Aria texted ck Rose: [I¡¯m taking the top floor target.] ck Rose was baffled, not knowing why Aria told her this. ck Rose: [Want my help?] Aria texted back: [No need to help. Just turn a blind eye.] ck Rose: [I¡¯m in charge. I¡¯ll face consequences for this.] Aria: [Better than dead.] ck Rose felt helpless, but she had to admit that Aria had a point. ck Rose: [Let me know when you¡¯reing, and I¡¯ll stay out of your way.] Aria: [You¡¯d better steer clear starting tomorrow.] ck Rose: [Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll rat you out?] Aria: [If you¡¯re not afraid of dying, go ahead.] Once Echohawk set her sights on someone, she¡¯d hunt them to the ends of the earth. ck Rose knew this all too well. [I¡¯ll stay out of your way.] ********* Makeup case in hand, Owen and Aria had barely stepped into the vi when their eardrums were assaulted by an ear- splitting shout. ¡°Hey, Aria!¡± the group greeted her in unison. The seven of them snapped to attention in perfect unison, their eyes practically glowing like searchlights as they stared straight at Aria. Owen frowned in displeasure, but the group, in perfect unison, pretended not to notice and continued enthusiastically, ¡°Aria, have you eaten yet? We can whip something up for you!¡± Someone else said, ¡°Aria, feeling tired? I give killer massages!¡± Owen cut in sharply, ¡°Keep it down.¡± Aria nced at the group. ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you all for tomorrow. Thank you for your trouble.¡± They said with a smile, ¡°No trouble at all! It¡¯s our honor to help you, Aria!¡± One of them said, ¡°Exactly! Even if the Captain stays silent, just say the word, Aria-we¡¯d walk through fire for you!¡± Seeing they were about to start up again, Owen swept a dangerous gaze over them, instantly silencing the group. The seven finally fell silent. Again Marriage 544 Anky man sauntered out, grinning as he reached out to Aria. ¡°Hey there, Aria! My name¡¯s Skinny Wolf.¡± Owen swatted his hand away. ¡°He¡¯ll impersonate Tristan.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s start the disguise.¡± Skinny Wolf plopped down with a grin, staring unblinkingly at Aria. ¡°Go for it, Aria-do your worst. I¡¯m thick-skinned anyway.¡± ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Owen warned. ¡°Okay,¡± Skinny Wolfplied, shutting his eyes as docile as a scruffed kitten. Aria opened the makeup kit, and Owen immediately leaned in. ¡°What tools do you need? Let me help,¡± he offered. Aria said, ¡°The darkest foundation shade and a foundation brush.¡± Owen rummaged through the makeup kit but handed her the wrong foundation brush. Aria switched to the right brush and applied foundation on Skinny Wolf¡¯s face. Then she said, ¡°Setting powder. Concealer.¡± Owen handed her the eyeshadow palette by mistake, his head still down as he searched for the setting powder. Aria picked up the setting powder to set her foundation, then, with practiced ease, reached for the concealer again. Owen sighed. ¡°Did I mess it up again?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Aria responded softly. Someone on the sofa couldn¡¯t hold it in and snorted withughter. Owen shot the group a withering re. ¡°Think you guys could do any better?¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t know how, Captain, but at least we won¡¯t mess things up,¡± one of the team members said. Aria gave Owen a long, meaningful look, then quietly pulled the tools closer to herself and began applying the liquidtex. Owen stopped his well-intentioned sabotage and quietly observed instead. ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± Aria said as she set the brush down an hourter. Skinny Wolf opened his eyes-and from the mirror stared back none other than Tristan¡¯s deeply lined face. The other six crowded around excitedly. ¡°Holy mother of-¡± One of the team members, his hand trembling, pointed at Skinny Wolf¡¯s face. ¡°This isn¡¯t makeup-it¡¯s straight-up disguise magic!¡± Skinny Wolf stroked his ¡°aged face¡± and suddenly hammed it up, dering in a dramatic voice, ¡°I¡¯m seventy-eight years young¡­¡± The seven of them burst intoughter, yfully roughhousing and teasing each other. Owen murmured to Aria, ¡°They¡¯re usually this lively.¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good vibe.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll head back now,¡± Aria said. ¡°No need to walk me out. You go over the n with them.¡± Owen nodded slightly. ¡°Alright, stay safe-pickpockets are everywhere in Masmubia.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Aria replied softly. Aria left. Owen stood at the doorway, watching her go in silence. One of the team members teased, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re turning into a lovesick statue!¡± Owen watched until Aria disappeared from view before closing the door. Turning back to his team, his expression turning serious, he said, ¡°Alright, n time.¡± At ten, Aria nimbly vaulted onto the balcony of a high-floor apartment, her movements light and practiced. Aria produced her tools and deftly worked the lock. Within seconds, the balcony door clicked open, allowing her to slip into the living room. From the bathroom drifted the sound of a woman humming a tune, mingled with the steady rush of running water. Aria slipped into the bedroom, lit a stick of specially made calming incense, then quietly stepped back out and melted into the shadows on the balcony. A momentter, the woman stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and headed into the bedroom to get changed. She shook out her damp blonde hair, then suddenly felt her eyelids grow heavy. ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­ Why am I so sleepy today¡­¡± She sensed something was off, but her body gave out-she copsed onto the bed and sumbed to deep slumber. Aria slipped back into the room, picked up the phone from the nightstand, plugged in a data cable, her fingers danced quickly across the screen, then she swiftly disconnected it. Aria checked her reflection in the bedroom mirror, ensuring her disguise was perfect. The face in the mirror bore an uncanny resemnce to the woman sleeping on the bed. Aria curled her lips in satisfaction, snatched the ID badge from the living room table, and slipped away. Even at night, there was still a steady stream of peopleing and going at Ivy Hospital. Wearing a surgical mask, Aria strode toward the elevator, her ID badge swaying with each purposeful step. Again Marriage 545 ¡°Dr. Powell?¡± A nurse jogged to catch up with her. ¡°Weren¡¯t you off duty already?¡± Without even turning her head, Aria replied in Megan Powell¡¯s signature detached tone, ¡°I¡¯m back for overtime.¡± Megan was always pretty aloof around here, but the nurse was used to it. She just said, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll make a note of it.¡± ¡°Copy,¡± Aria replied, her tone cool and distant. Overtime was routine at the hospital, so the nurse didn¡¯t think much of it. Aria slipped into Megan¡¯s office and immediately spotted the surveince camera. Without batting an eye, Aria changed into a whiteb coat, pulled her blonde hair back into a neat ponytail, and took a pair of stud earrings from her pocket to put on. Aria said quietly into her earpiece, ¡°I¡¯m in position.¡± ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll need another hour,¡± Vanessa¡¯s voice came through, apanied by rapid keyboard cks. ¡°Ivy Hospital¡¯s system is more stubborn than expected.¡± ¡°Take your time,¡± Aria said calmly. Aria strode to the filing cab, her sharp eyes scanning the rows of folders with practiced efficiency. There were no records of Tristan there, so nothing important would be kept in that ce either. Aria sat at theputer, waiting until Vanessa¡¯s hack seeded. Only then did she power it on and insert the custom-coded sh drive. Just in case powering on theputer would trigger an alert and wake Megan, Aria had blocked Megan¡¯s phone before leaving. Instantly, green code streamed across the screen. ¡°Pretty sophisticated security system,¡± Vanessa whistled with a smirk. ¡°But too bad it ran into me. Give me ten minutes.¡± Aria leaned back in the chair, her fingers tapping a steady rhythm on the desk. As soon as theputer unlocked, Aria swiftly installed the hacking toolkit and pulled out the sh drive. Aria ordered, ¡°Run a scan for hidden files.¡± The screen automatically raced through pages, finally pausing on an encrypted folder. A soft chime signaled the decryption¡¯s sess. Aria clicked open the folder. A bold ck headline red back at her: [WEAPONIZED GENE EDITING RESEARCH] Aria¡¯s eyes hardened, knowing that the research targeted Huthailia. Vanessa already had the records logged, so Aria wasn¡¯t in a hurry to check the contents. She exited the document and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the status on the top floor?¡± ¡°The ward¡¯s empty, but I can¡¯t touch theb cameras-one wrong move and the rms go off,¡± Vanessa said, her tone grave. ¡°That could be the research facility mentioned in the file we just found.¡± 1928 Suddenly, while Vanessa was speaking, the surveince feed abruptly showed theb door sliding open. A gaunt old man shuffled out in ankle shackles, nked by two heavily armed guards cradling rifles. Vanessa whispered, ¡°Aria, Tristan¡¯sing out.¡± Vanessa¡¯s eyes went cold. ¡°Those goddamn animals!¡± Vanessa synced the surveince feed to Megan¡¯sputer, and Aria saw Tristan on the screen. He looked far more aged and emaciated than in the photos-the sight hit her like a physical blow. Vanessa said, ¡°Once we get Tristan out, let¡¯s blow up that damnb!¡± Aria unclenched her fist. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Aria nced at the clock-almost midnight. Another doctor was on duty on the top floor tonight. Aria rose to her feet, straightened herb coat cor, opened the door, and stepped out into the hallway. As she reached another office door, she came face to face with the male doctor on duty. ¡°Dr. Garcetti.¡± The middle-aged doctor smiled at her. ¡°Dr. Powell?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes curved in a gentle smile. ¡°Dr. Garcetti, would you mind covering my shift? I have something nned for the day after tomorrow.¡± After finishing, she handed him a gift-wrapped box with a polite smile. ¡°Your birthday¡¯sing up soon, so let me wish an early happy birthday. Thank you for all your help over the past few years.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Miguel Garcetti took the gift-a luxury brand tie worth several thousand dors. His eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s too much-you really shouldn¡¯t have!¡± he eximed. After the gift was given, swapping shifts was a piece of cake. you Aria obtained the ess pass and headed for the first floor. Just as she was about to swipe into the elevator, a voice called out behind her. ¡°Hold on.¡± Aria turned slowly to face them. Two identically dressed figures approached her, their footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway. One of them fixed Aria with a suspicious frown. ¡°Why are you here instead?¡± Again Marriage 546 Aria said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve swapped shifts with Dr. Garcetti. Got a problem with that?¡± The guard snapped, ¡°Who gave you permission to swap shifts? Change it back, now!¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Since when do we need your permission for an emergency shift change?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the rule,¡± the guard insisted. Aria scoffed contemptuously and reached for her ess card. The man immediately grabbed her arm. ¡°Who said you could go?¡± he snapped. Aria staggered, then instantly swung a sharp backhanded p across his face. ¡°You¡­¡± The guard¡¯s face darkened with rage as he clenched his fist, drawing back to strike. Aria said icily, ¡°I¡¯m one of the lead researchers here. Are you really going toy hands on me?¡± Another guard quickly grabbed his arm. ¡°Cool it, man,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just a shift swap-let her through.¡± The guard eyed Aria up and down, sensing something was off. ¡°Take off your mask,¡± he barked. Aria sneered, ¡°I¡¯m a physician at Ivy Hospital. You¡¯re nothing but guard dogs-since when do dogs get to order their masters around, huh?¡± Even the guard, who was usually pretty patient, felt a surge of murderous rage at Aria¡¯s words. The guard narrowed his eyes and snapped, ¡°If you won¡¯t take it off, you¡¯ve definitely got something to hide!¡± Several guards began approaching themotion. Catching a glimpse of a figure, Aria scoffed, ¡°Mark my words-you¡¯re the ones stopping me from going on duty. If anything goes wrong, it¡¯s on your heads.¡± Aria turned on her heel and strode away. Russell strode over. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Aria looked back. Their gazes locked for a fleeting moment. One of Russell¡¯s subordinates replied respectfully, ¡°Sir, she¡¯s one of the researchers and a physician from Ivy Hospital.¡± Russell shot the two Blood Association guards a cold look. ¡°She¡¯s a doctor-so why aren¡¯t you letting her through?¡± One of the Blood Association guards exined, ¡°She refuses to remove her mask.¡± Russell said dismissively, ¡°Just for that?¡± Russell waved it off impatiently. ¡°If that¡¯s an order from the Blood Association,¡± he said, ¡°then it¡¯s none of our Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s business.¡± Tristan, the patient on the top floor, was in such poor health that he couldn¡¯t be left without a doctor¡¯s care. The two guards exchanged nces, then said to Aria, ¡°Time¡¯s up. Get upstairs now.¡± Aria spun around, eyes shing. ¡°Are you seriously trying to order me around now?¡± After taking a deep breath, the two guards finally said, ¡°Dr. Powell, please attend to your shift.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s more like it,¡± Aria said. Aria strode to the elevator, swiped her ess card, and the doors slid open. Russell also stepped inside and ordered his men, ¡°Stay here and keep your eyes open.¡± They answered in unison, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Just a short distance away, Niks, disguised as a janitor, was absolutely terrified. Niks had been tipped off by Aria-he knew she was impersonating Megan tonight. Worried she might get stopped, he came to check on the situation. Niks couldn¡¯t believe Aria¡¯s audacity-impersonating a doctor and actually daring to hit a guard. To his relief, she made it through unscathed. The elevator doors slid shut. Acting like the cameras didn¡¯t exist, Russell scoffed, ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve, daring to offend the Blood Association even now. Aren¡¯t you afraid they¡¯ll lock you out?¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± With all the surveince feeds under Vanessa¡¯s control, Aria wasn¡¯t worried about being exposed. She nce at Russell. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°Just here for the show,¡± Russell smirked. Even the members of ck Rose knew to steer clear to avoid punishment, yet Russell deliberately got closer-with motives unknown. Russell looked down at Aria, his gaze traveling from the crown of her head to her brows and eyes, finally settling on the mask obscuring most of her face. Aria looked up. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Russell said with a faint smirk. ¡°That¡¯s some impressive makeup work.¡± The elevator went straight to the top floor. Aria followed closely behind Russell. Upon seeing Russell, the Wolfshade Syndicate guard bowed respectfully. ¡°Sir, any orders?¡± ¡°Nothing much. Heard some whispers, so I came to take a look,¡± Russell replied nonchntly. Again Marriage 547 Russell turned to Aria with a smirk. ¡°Dr. Powell, what are you standing around for? Aren¡¯t you going in?¡± At Russell¡¯s words, the guards instinctively shuffled aside, not daring to block the way. Aria pushed the door open and strode inside. Two armed guards from Ivy Hospital stood watch on either side. In the hospital bedy Tristan, a skeleton wrapped in skin. His hospital gown hung empty on his skeletal frame, and his tightly shut eyes were sunken deep into bruised sockets. He looked utterly sickly,pletely devoid of life. Aria stepped forward slowly. ¡°Still alive?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t so much as twitch. The two guards cast suspicious nces at her, but Aria ignored thempletely. ¡°Your life belongs to Ivy Hospital now. Don¡¯t even think about dying before the experiment isplete,¡± she said coldly. The two guards averted their gaze, but Aria met their eyes. ¡°The Todd School has discovered Tristan Todd¡¯s kidnapping,¡± she said coldly. ¡°From now on, tighten security.¡± On the bed, Tristan¡¯s eyes snapped open, his cloudy gaze locking with Aria¡¯s. Aria sneered, ¡°Did you really think you could get away, Dr. Todd?¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes widened in shock, his skeletal fingers suddenly curling tight. Tristan struggled to sit up. Aria fought the urge to help him, watching as he shakily propped himself up. ¡°My chest¡¯s been hurtingtely. I can¡¯t sleep at all,¡± Tristan rasped weakly. ¡°I need my medication.¡± Aria walked over and pressed two fingers to his wrist. ¡°You¡¯re not dying anytime soon.¡± ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing wrong,¡± Aria said coolly. ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the lounge then.¡± The room next door was the doctors¡¯ lounge. Aria rose and left. As Aria walked away, Tristan¡¯s hand curled into a tight fist beneath the nket, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and hope. He found it unbelievable that after all these years, the first person he saw was her. As Russell walked down the corridor, his phone buzzed-Tyree was calling. ¡°You¡¯re at Ivy Hospital?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Russell replied. ¡°What are you doing there? Olivia¡¯s hurt-she needs you. Get back here now!¡± Tyree demanded. Russell calmly said, ¡°Godfather, looks like Ivy Hospital¡¯s in for some trouble tonight.¡± Tyree said harshly, ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡± Russell curled his lips in a mocking smirk. ¡°I¡¯ll be back right away, Godfather.¡± At 2 am, a sudden scream shattered the stillness of the night. ¡°Code Blue! He¡¯s crashing!¡± a Wolfshade Syndicate guard shouted, frantically mming the emergency button. When Aria rushed into the ward, Tristan was convulsing in agony, white foam frothing at his lips. ¡°Code Blue! Get a doctor, now!¡± someone shouted. Hearing themotion, the guards outside flung the door open and rushed off to get help. A gurney arrived. Aria helped lift Tristan onto it and rushed him toward the ER. Two doctors came rushing over, looking tense. As the Blood Association guards moved to check the doctors, Aria shot them a piercing re. ¡°If he dies and the experimen fails, none of you will get away with it.¡± The two doctors slipped into the ER. The two guards assigned to watch over Tristan followed inside. Aria made no move to stop them, instead calmly shutting th ER doors behind them. Aria pulled on her gloves, positioned Tristan on his side, andmanded in a steady voice, ¡°Get the venttor!¡± The two doctors exchanged a quick, knowing nce. The wiry doctor slipped behind a guard, muffled his mouth with one hand, and plunged a syringe straight into a guard¡¯s carotid artery with clinical precision. The tall doctor simply snapped the other guard¡¯s neck in one swift, brutal motion. The whole thing took less than two seconds-so fast and silent, not even a thud as the guards hit the floor. Tristan¡¯s cloudy eyes fluttered open. With trembling hands, he clutched Aria¡¯s hand, tears welling up in his eyes. ¡°Madelyn¡­¡± he choked out, his voice thick with emotion. Aria¡¯s eyes curved into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s me, Dr. Todd,¡± she said softly. ¡°I¡¯m here to get you out.¡± Owen and Skinny Wolf yanked off their surgical caps and masks. ¡°Get changed, now,¡± Aria ordered. Tristan was stunned for a split second when he saw the man who bore his own likeness. Then he said weakly, ¡°I might not be able to leave.¡± Tristan clutched his abdomen weakly. ¡°There¡¯s a tracking imnt inside me ¡°he said Again Marriage 548 Aria¡¯s eyes darkened as her fingers darted toward Tristan¡¯s abdomen. ¡°When was it imnted?¡± Tristan forced a bitter smile. ¡°On the very first day I got here¡­ they were afraid I¡¯d run.¡± Owen¡¯s heart sank. ¡°What¡¯s the activation radius?¡± ¡°Five hundred yards. Step outside that, and the whole hospital¡¯s rms will go off,¡± he warned. Five hundred yards-not even enough to escape the hospital. Aria and Owen exchanged a knowing nce. The situation was trickier than expected. ¡°Scan for its exact location first,¡± Aria ordered. Skinny Wolf swiftly stripped the uniform off the fallen guard and tossed a set to Owen. ¡°Captain, you first.¡± Then, Skinny Wolf swiftly dragged the bodies into the shadows and wiped away the bloodstains. The scanning device whirred over Tristan¡¯s abdomen as Aria¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°The chip¡¯s been embedded too long-it¡¯s fused with the surrounding tissue. Extraction won¡¯t be easy,¡± she said. After a pause, she added, ¡°There could be a self-destruct mechanism.¡± To extract the chip, she would first need to reduce the tissue adhesion. Only an experienced medical team should perform this surgery; otherwise, it would be dangerously high-risk. But that wasn¡¯t even the worst part. If she forcibly removed the chip, it¡¯d trigger the self-destruct mechanism. First, she needed to figure out how this chip worked. Aria¡¯s gaze turned cial. ¡°Use a scrambler to block the tracking signal first.¡± She looked up at Skinny Wolf. Before she could speak, Skinny Wolf caught on. ¡°Aria, I came here specifically to y Dr. Todd¡¯s part. Our team¡¯s waiting outside as backup-count on me to be the decoy.¡± Aria said, ¡°Thanks, Skinny Wolf.¡± Aria didn¡¯t waste a second-she quickly rummaged through the ER equipment, grabbing what she needed. She improvised some ECG lead wires using the avable tools. Then, she attached the other end of the lead wire to Skinny Wolf¡¯s chest. Skinny Wolf started stripping off Tristan¡¯s clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s switch outfits,¡± he said. Though frail and near death¡¯s door, Tristan¡¯s temple twitched as he struggled upright. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± he insisted. Tristan moved slowly, but Skinny Wolf didn¡¯t hesitate-he stepped in to help. Tristan stopped him and turned to Aria. ¡°Turn around,¡± he said. Without a word, Ariaplied and turned away. Now in guard uniform, Owen pressed Skinny Wolf¡¯s hand aside. ¡°I¡¯ll take over,¡± he said. In a sh, Tristan and Skinny Wolf had swapped outfits. The cap hid his gray hair and most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. Aria steadied him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Tristan nodded. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Aria warned, ¡°Stay calm. If you get too agitated, it could trigger the rm.¡± Looking at Aria handling everything so calmly, Tristan felt a pang in his chest. ¡®She must have been through so much over the years,¡¯ he thought. Tristan¡¯s eyes grew misty. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said firmly. ¡°After all I¡¯ve been through, I can keep it together.¡± Day after day of forcedbor had left Tristanpletely numb. He did get emotional for a brief moment when he realized that he would be rescued, but he quickly pulled himself together. Just then, the Blood Association leader banged on the door and shouted, ¡°Why is the ER locked? Open up-now!¡± Skinny Wolf, now wearing a wig and lying on the stretcher, lowered his voice to mimic the dead guard and barked, ¡°Shut it! No interruptions during emergency procedures!¡± ¡°Open up now!¡± the Blood Association leader barked. Losing all patience, the Blood Association leader moved to force his way in. Suddenly, the ER doors swung open as the trio wheeled the stretcher out. Aria shot them an icy re. ¡°You nearly disrupted emergency procedures. Do it again and I¡¯ll report you without hesitation.¡± ¡°Tristan¡±y weakly on the stretcher, his head turned to the side, half his face pressed into the padding. The Blood Association leader scanned the area, then narrowed his eyes. ¡°Where¡¯s the other guard and the doctor?¡± Aria¡¯s brows furrowed visibly in displeasure. ¡°He had a stroke and vomited everywhere. The other two are cleaning it up,¡± she said, clearly annoyed. Again Marriage 550 Niks knew theyout of this ce like the back of his hand and could navigate precisely even inplete darkness. Niks, Tristan, and Aria squeezed into a tiny, cramped room, barely making a sound as they hid in the darkness. Just then, the lights on the first floor snapped on. Vanessa warned, ¡°Hurry! Someone¡¯sing to the basement level!¡± Niks, wearing an earpiece, monitored the entire rescue operation and clearly heard Vanessa¡¯s voice. Niks rushed to the corner, shoved aside the trash can to reveal a pitch-ck venttion shaft. ¡°This way-get out through here!¡± he urged. Niks had crawled through several times and knew it well, so he took the lead. Tristan stared at the narrow opening, took a deep breath, and crawled inside. ¡°Madelyn,¡± he called out. Aria said, ¡°You two go first. I¡¯ll cover the rear.¡± Tristan hesitated, but Niks reassured him, ¡°Grandpa, Aria¡¯s amazing. We¡¯ll only be safe if we all get out together.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Tristan nodded firmly. Tristan crawled faster through the narrow shaft. Vanessa warned, ¡°Aria, heads up-they¡¯reing!¡± Rapid footsteps pounded behind her. Aria yanked the trash can over to block the opening, pivoted sharply, and hurled her scalpel. ¡°Intruder alert!¡± a guard shouted. Niks was the first to drop down, where the mercenaries were already waiting for him. The monitoring leads¡¯ signals suddenly spiked as rm lights shed frantically in the control room. ¡°The chip¡¯s about to fail!¡± Tristan warned. ¡°Get in the car now!¡± Niks urged, urgency in his voice. One of the mercenaries pulled a signal jammer from the car. ¡°Secure it tightly against your skin,¡± he ordered. ¡°Blocks all tracking signals.¡± 2 Meanwhile, the higher-ups at Ivy Hospital were in aplete panic when they learned someone hade to rescue Tristan. The Ivy Hospital executives didn¡¯t dare return themselves, so all they could do was order the guards, ¡°Stop those intruders at all costs!¡± Hearing themotion, Miguel immediately tried calling Megan, but the calls kept going unanswered. Miguel checked Tristan¡¯s location, only to find the tracking signal had been jammed, so he alerted the higher-ups. The higher-ups swore, ¡°We can¡¯t reach the control room staff!¡± Meanwhile, in the control room, Aria nced at the downed guards, collected a gun and some ammo, then strode out of the room. Aria grabbed a handful of acupuncture needles before contacting Owen. ¡°How are things on your end?¡± she asked. ¡°Manageable,¡± Owen replied. After dodging another barrage of attacks, Skinny Wolf gaped at Owen in disbelief. ¡°Seriously, Captain? You call this ¡®manageable¡¯?¡± Everyone thought Tristan was still on the top floor, so the enemy¡¯s main forces were all focused there. ¡°Ammo¡¯s running low,¡± Owen whispered urgently to Skinny Wolf. ¡°Cease fire. Let theme to us.¡± Skinny Wolf instantly got the message. Gunfire ceased abruptly. Outside, the Blood Association leader watched the tightly closed door warily, his frown deepening. He thought to himself, ¡®Something feels off. The gunfire patterns inside clearly suggested two skilled shooters taking turns, but¡­¡¯ The leader suddenly remembered the people in the emergency room. He spun around and demanded, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t anyonee out from the ER yet?¡± The group froze in shock. The thought had never crossed their minds. The leader¡¯s expression darkened. He immediately contacted someone at Ivy Hospital. ¡°Tristan Todd has already been rescued! The person in the ward isn¡¯t him!¡± The Ivy Hospital director snapped, ¡°How the hell did you let him get away?¡± The Blood Association leader let out a coldugh. ¡°Oh? Since when do you get to order me around?¡± It wasn¡¯t even his responsibility these past few days, but at all times, ck Rose just had to have an emergency. In all these years, no one had evere to rescue Tristan. The leader thought, ¡®Of all the damn times to stage a rescue, they had to do it on my watch!¡¯ The Blood Association leader cut the call short and barked, ¡°Contact the control room-pull up the live surveince feed, now!¡± The subordinate frantically operated themunicator. After a moment, he gasped, ¡°The control room is unreachable!¡± The Blood Association leader realized through gritted teeth, ¡°So they dide prepared!¡± They¡¯d been careless. ¡°Alert! Multiple teams iing!¡± barked the Blood Association leader, his gaze sweeping to the man nearest the door. ¡°You -move in now!¡± The subordinate didn¡¯t dare argue, Swallowing his fear, he steeled himself and stepped forward. He eased the door open, the barrel of his gun just crossing the threshold, but Owen appeared in a sh, seizing the man by the throat. Outside, Blood Association operatives kept up relentless gunfire. Owen yanked a captive in front of him as a shield with one hand, while with the other, he wrenched the gun free and ejected its magazine. Again Marriage 551 With a forceful kick that sent the man sprawling, Owen melted back into the shadows. Just as Owen mmed a fresh magazine home, a sudden barrage of gunfire erupted from the corridor outside. ¡°Take cover!¡± the Blood Association leader roared. Taking advantage of the moment, Skinny Wolf and Owen charged forward tounch a fierce counterattack. Bullets tore through the corridor in a deadly crossfire. Pinned between two fronts, operatives from the Blood Association and the Wolfshade Syndicate fell one after another under the relentless assault. Just as the Blood Association leader was about to order a retreat, he suddenly realized his men were dropping soundlessly, one after another, all around him. A silver needle whizzed past his eyes, embedding itself with deadly precision in another man¡¯s neck. The Blood Association leader stared at the needle, thinking, ¡°This technique¡­ why does it feel so familiar? ¡®Is it ck Rose? ¡®No¡­ that¡¯s not right. ck Rose hasn¡¯t used needles in a year.¡¯ The possibility struck him like lightning. The Blood Association leader¡¯s eyes went wide. His pupils contracted violently-then, in the next instant, an icy sting shot through his throat. A ghostly white figure materialized before him, her fingers driving a silver needle with lethal precision into the acupoints of his neck. As he copsed, a sudden thought shed through his mind. ¡®That doctor¡­ was Echohawk in disguise!¡¯ Skinny Wolf stood frozen in shock,pletely forgetting to finish him off as he wondered, ¡®Wait a second¡­ I know that move. So is Aria¡­ Echohawk?¡¯ Skinny Wolf gaped at Owen, stammering, ¡°C-Captain¡­ is Aria Echohawk?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Owen replied curtly. Skinny Wolf gave a big thumbs-up and eximed, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re fucking legendary! Even managed to marry someone as big a deal as Echohawk!¡± Justst night, he and his team were even joking about Aria. He made a mental note to warn the others, ¡®Never disrespect Aria-one needle from her and you¡¯re dead meat. As Aria left, she cast a cold nce at the tightly closedboratory door, a deadly resolve flickering in her eyes. ¡®If the timing were right, she thought, I¡¯d blow this ce to bits. When Aria, Owen, and Skinny Wolf returned, Tristan was sitting on the couch, cradling a mug of warm water in his hands. Hearing themotion, he slowly lifted his head. His eyes found Aria¡¯s face, and a slight frown creased his brow. After a long pause, Tristan finally spoke up. ¡°Girl, howe you look so foreign?¡± It should have been a tense moment, but his remark had everyoneughing out loud. Niks quickly exined, ¡°Grandpa, she¡¯s just wearing makeup-she doesn¡¯t actually look like this.¡± Tristan finally rxed and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Niks said, ¡°Grandpa, now that they¡¯re back safely, you can finally rx. Let me give you a quick check-up.¡± Tristan waved him off. ¡°No need. I¡¯m a doctor myself-I know my own condition.¡± He paused, his tone calm. ¡°I won¡¯t be dying anytime soon.¡± Seeing his gaunt grandfather, Niks¡¯s eyes moistened. In a choked whisper, he asked, ¡°Grandpa, when did you wake up?¡± ¡°Four years ago,¡± Tristan said after a brief pause. His voice was hoarse but startlingly clear. ¡°I woke up as soon as I arrived-never fell into a vegetative state,¡± he said. ¡°The doctors at the sanatorium kept injecting me with a drug to keep me unconscious.¡± Niks clenched his fists, his words thick with remorse. ¡°Grandpa¡­ I-I should¡¯ve been more careful. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Tristan gave Niks a reassuring look. ¡°It was just an ident,¡± he said gently. ¡°For an old man like me, getting kidnapped is all too easy.¡± Then Tristan looked at Aria and said warmly, ¡°I¡¯ve always thought you were my good luck charm-and it turns out I was right.¡± Aria smiled softly. ¡°And you¡¯re mine.¡± Owen said, ¡°This vi¡¯s equipped with a jammer. No need to worry about being tracked-you¡¯re safe here, so just rx and get some rest.¡± Niks asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s the deal about this chip? Can we just remove it now?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria said. ¡°We¡¯re heading back to Huthailia first.¡± Niks said, ¡°We can¡¯t go back home with the chip still in, and we don¡¯t even have our passports now.¡± Tristan ruffled his hair and chuckled, ¡°With my status, do you really think I need a passport to go home?¡± Niks chuckled sheepishly. ¡°Oh, right! I¡¯ll contact the embassy.¡± A young man strode up to the entrance of Ivy Hospital. One of his subordinates approached with trembling steps and stammered, ¡°Boss¡­ he got away. Should we pursue?¡± The man wore sses, his shoulder-length blond hair framing his face. The man scoffed coldly, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯d like to see them try to remove that chip.¡± With a cold sneer, the man said, ¡°The Todd School¡¯s medical book has been recovered. Prepare to leave-we¡¯re going to Huthailia to deal with Culver Webster¡­ Again Marriage 552 On thest day of their vacation, the group returned to Huthailia. Instead of heading home, Aria and Owen went straight to the military hospital together. Tristan¡¯s health wasn¡¯t what it used to be, but at least there were no serious illnesses. The only real problem was the tracking chip in his abdomen-it was proving tricky to remove. The specialists didn¡¯t linger; they soon left to discuss the situation. Upon learning about the tracking chip, Gloria decided to examine it herself. In the hospital room, Aria sat on a chair by the window, engrossed in an encrypted file on Megan¡¯sptop. Owen stood beside her, his lean frame casually propped against the wall. On the hospital bedy Tristan, with Niks speaking to him in hushed tones. Just then, the door opened. Gloria entered in her white coat, a young female doctor following behind. The moment she walked in, her gaze fixed on Aria. She froze mid-step, shock flickering in her eyes. ¡°Aria, what are you doing here?¡± Gloria asked. Aria met her gaze calmly, but said nothing. Tristan spoke up, his tone steady. ¡°Aria is the one who saved my life, and the heir I¡¯ve chosen for the Todd School. Is there any problem with her being here?¡± He had already learned about Aria¡¯s background from Niks on the way, and felt no fondness for the Saxon family-his tone carried a distinct chill. Gloria was stunned, clearly unprepared for Tristan¡¯s staunch defense of Aria. Sensing his displeasure, she let the matter drop. Niks lowered his voice and said, ¡°Grandpa, Culver Webster is now the sessor of the Todd School.¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± Tristan frowned, wanting to ask more, but seeing there were outsiders present, he restrained himself. Gloriaposed herself and approached the hospital bed, her tone returning to professional calm. ¡°Dr. Todd, I¡¯m here to check the tracking chip in your abdomen,¡± she said. Tristan responded indifferently, ¡°Thank you, but that won¡¯t be necessary. Several doctors have already examined it.¡± The chip¡¯s condition wasplex and required a multi-disciplinary consultation. Given Tristan¡¯s distinguished service to the nation and his possession of critical information about the harmful experiments targeting Huthailia conducted by Ivy Hospital, the hospital authorities decided to temporarily ce him under high- security surveince at the military general hospital. Gloria nodded politely. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go discuss this with the other specialists. I¡¯ll stop disturbing your rest now.¡± As she was about to leave, her gaze swept over Owen, who was standing close beside Aria. The two were clearly more than just acquaintances. Chapter 552Z Is Aria seeing him? Does the Shaw family know about this?¡¯ Gloria wondered. But she knew she had no right to ask. After a moment¡¯s thought, Gloria turned to Aria and asked in a softer tone, ¡°How¡­ has Derek beentely?¡± Aria¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Derek was busy with his internship over the summer. Since the semester started, he had either been in ss or working on research. Even his free time was dedicated to work. He was much busier than she was. Aria knew what Derek was up to, but not how he was really doing. Gloria frowned slightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t he go to stay with you?¡± Aria looked up, her tone cold. ¡°No. He¡¯s your son. Don¡¯t ask me.¡± Gloria¡¯s expression froze. The young doctor behind her couldn¡¯t help but speak up. ¡°Ms. Saxon, your cutting ties with the Saxon family wasn¡¯t Dr. Saxon¡¯s fault. Why be so aggressive?¡± Owen shot her a cold look, his voice low. ¡°How is she being aggressive? Which word did she say wrong?¡± The young doctor flushed red with embarrassment under Owen¡¯s gaze, unable to say a word. Tristan spoke up at just the right moment. ¡°I¡¯ve already been treated by other doctors. No need for the Head of Surgery to The implication was clear: Gloria shouldn¡¯t meddle. It was the first time Gloria had ever been dismissed like this. Her expression shifted slightly. After a moment of silence, she said nothing more. She nced at the meddling young doctor, and before turning to leave, she only left a single remark. ¡°Take care, Dr. Todd.¡± After the door closed, Tristan grumbled in annoyance, ¡°What kind of person does that? Asking others about her own son.¡± As Aria stood up, Owen slid her chair forward. She sat back down and asked, ¡°Dr. Todd, what exactly is weaponized gene-editing research? What is Ivy Hospital working on?¡± Tristan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Those lunatics! They want to use gene editing to create special viral vectors. This kind of experiment is strictly prohibited internationally, so Ivy Hospital can only conduct it covertly.¡± ¡°The real research base isn¡¯t even at Ivy Hospital-they just held me there temporarily,¡± Tristan said gravely. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t achieve any substantial breakthroughs within the next decade.¡± Even with his life at stake, Tristan would never take part in research that endangered humanity. He only pretended to cooperate in order to uncover the details of the experiment. ¡°By the way, kid,¡± Tristan looked at Aria with concern. ¡°They interrogated me, trying to get the Todd School¡¯s medical book.¡± Niks immediately chimed in, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. The medical book is with Aria.¡± 979 Aria added, ¡°The National Doctor¡¯s Seal is also with me. I¡¯ll return it when I get a chance.¡± The smile on Tristan¡¯s face faded a little. ¡°Why return it? What¡¯s given to you is yours now.¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate for me to keep something that belongs to the Todd School.¡± Tristan disagreed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing inappropriate about it. If it weren¡¯t for you, those things would have fallen into their hands long ago.¡± 0621 Tristan had sensed for a while that he was being watched, so he hid out in Jamn without telling anyone. He had stashed the valuables away in advance and told Aria the location, then deliberately moved between several ces as a decoy. Eventually, he was tracked down and had no choice but to return to the Todd School. What Tristan didn¡¯t know was that Aria had never nned to retrieve them in the first ce. Had she not returned to Jamn because of the pandemic, someone else might have gotten to them first. Aria kept that to herself-she, too, was surprised Tristan would trust her with something so important. Niks recalled the previous conversation and said anxiously, ¡°Grandpa, those people are still after the medical book. If we leave it with Aria, I¡¯m worried she might be in danger.¡± Tristan frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Where do you n to keep it?¡± ¡°Right here with me,¡± Tristan replied. ¡°This hospital should be safe enough for now.¡± But if someone truly determined wanted to get in, it wouldn¡¯t be that hard. Both Aria and Owen could easily get in. Aria paused, then said, ¡°Let me keep it for now. I¡¯ll return it once this matter is resolved.¡± Tristan and Niks exchanged a knowing nce. ¡°Alright then,¡± Tristan agreed. Again Marriage 553 After Aria and Owen left, the ward fell silent for a moment. Leaning against the headboard, Tristan asked thoughtfully, ¡°That young man, Owen-is he dating Madelyn?¡± Niks paused mid-pour and answered awkwardly, ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure either.¡± He set down his ss and, after a moment¡¯s thought, added, ¡°But based on her personality, she wouldn¡¯t get this close to someone unless they shared a special connection. We owe this rescue mission to Owen-he probably only helped out of respect for Aria.¡± Tristan stroked his graying beard, his eyes gleaming with approval. ¡°This young man is quite something,¡± he said. Tristan thought, ¡®He isn¡¯t much of a talker, but every move he makes exudes steadyposure. ¡®He¡¯s got the height and the looks too. ¡®Most importantly, he only has eyes for Madelyn.¡¯ Tristan narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°What if I hand over the Todd School to Madelyn?¡± Niks certainly had no objections. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good idea, but she might not be too keen on it.¡± ¡°That girl values her peace and quiet-she really doesn¡¯t like dealing with troublesome matters,¡± Tristan sighed. ¡°Might as well leave it to you then, kid.¡± What reluctance in his tone. Niks grumbled, ¡°Grandpa, just because Aria doesn¡¯t like trouble doesn¡¯t mean I do!¡± Tristan rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You don¡¯t get a say in this.¡± Niks huffed in mock protest, though inwardly he was secretly delighted. All these years, he couldn¡¯t help but worry about Tristan¡¯s mental state since he had been living under constant surveince. Now he could finally rest easy. Tristan said, ¡°If anyone investigates Madelyn, spread the word that she¡¯s already returned what she had to me.¡± Niks nodded. ¡°Understood, Grandpa.¡± That evening, Aria received a call from Fred. ¡°Ms. Saxon, Laird Duff has been ced on disciplinary probation with a one- year suspension¡­ Will you being to teach tomorrow?¡± 7 Laird¡¯s rumor-spreading didn¡¯t cause major repercussions, but disciplinary probation with a one-year suspension is already quite a harsh punishment. Aria was satisfied with the punishment and replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Fred let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Well¡­ now that the independentb is ready, Ms. Saxon, if you have some time, maybe you could try out some small research projects or something.¡± Aria had signed a three-year contract with Mandino University, but no one could guarantee she¡¯d still be there after that. Time was tight-all they could do was hope she¡¯d start soon. Fred had to discreetly urge her along. Aria understood what they were hoping for and replied, ¡°No rush. Research depends on the right time, the right ce, and the right people.¡± Fred immediately caught her drift. This was the main reason Aria did so little research. She was great at solving problems, but poor at posing them. Fred thought for a moment, then asked tentatively, ¡°Ms. Saxon, if the right projectes along, would you consider taking it on?¡± Aria said, ¡°Mr. Gardner, you can just treat me like any other faculty member.¡± Fred caught on and chuckled. ¡°Well then, if any suitable researches up, I¡¯ll run it by you first.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Aria replied. The next day, Aria didn¡¯t drive herself-Owen gave her a ride to campus. He pulled up by the side entrance of the campus. As Aria unfastened her seatbelt, Owen reached for her wrist, slid his hand down to sp hers, and leaned in closer. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up after work,¡± he said softly. Aria shook her head. ¡°My ss ends at four. I can get back on my own-no need to pick me up.¡± Owen didn¡¯t release her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve got a dinner at five and need to swing by home first. Picking you up at four works out perfectly.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± she said. Owen said softly, ¡°Madelyn, give me my good morning kiss.¡± The parking spot wasn¡¯t crowded-it was quiet, just right for a private moment. During the holiday break, they¡¯d both been preupied with important matters. Aside from that drowsiness-inducing kiss, they hadn¡¯t shared any intimate moments-not evenst night. It was such a small request-Aria had no reason to say no, and truth be told, she didn¡¯t even want to. She unfastened her seatbelt and leaned in toward him. Again Marriage 554 Instinctively, she pushed him away and quickly straightened up in her seat. After taking a moment topose herself, Aria rolled down the window and looked at Derek. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± she asked. Nimbus Tech was in its growth phase, and Derek hadn¡¯t been idle during the holiday break. He went to Kanit City to help out and only rushed back this morning. Spotting Owen¡¯s car, Derek figured his sister must be inside too, so he went over to say hi. ¡°Hey, Aria, you¡¯re¡­¡± Confronted with Owen¡¯s resentful gaze, Derek¡¯s words died in his throat as his eyes instinctively dropped to the other man¡¯s lower lip. There was a small cut there. Derek¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Wait-you two¡­ are together?¡± he blurted out. Aria gave a calm nod. ¡°Yeah.¡± Derek looked as if he¡¯d been struck by lightning and started hopping in ce. ¡°When did this happen? How could you not tell me?¡± Aria nced out the window and said casually, ¡°Why would I bother telling you about such a trivial matter?¡± Derek huffed, crossing his arms. ¡°This is hardly a trivial matter! I was the first to know Owen had feelings for you!¡± Derek suddenly whipped his head toward Owen, realization dawning. ¡°Wait-that time I came back for the graduation party and crashed at Aria¡¯s ce¡­ I saw you in the living room that morning!¡± Derek blurted out, ¡°So you two were already an item back then?¡± Under Derek¡¯s intense gaze, Owen nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Derek wondered, ¡°The truth had been right in front of me all along, and I only just realized it. Guess I was just too naive.¡¯ Derek huffed, ¡°Owen, you owe me dinner!¡± Derek¡¯s gaze fell on Owen¡¯s lips again. Suddenly, it hit him that he¡¯d just interrupted their intimate moment. ¡®Oh no! Is Owen gonna hold this against me? But he¡¯s already taken my sister away-what¡¯s the big deal if I interrupted their kiss?¡¯ Derek thought to himself. Derek puffed up again, confidence restored. Owen nodded. ¡°Alright, you name the time.¡± ¡°I want a home-cooked meal from you,¡± Derek said. ¡°Sure,¡± Owen replied. Aria shot him a look, half exasperated, half amused. Derek clutched his wounded heart dramatically. ¡°Aria! You actually red at me for Owen? Now that you have a boyfriend, you¡¯ve forgotten all about me. You don¡¯t love me anymore!¡± Utterly helpless, Aria made a move to open the car door as if to get out, causing Derek to leap several feet back. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t hit me!¡± he yelped. 179 ??????? Owen chuckled affectionately, ruffling Aria¡¯s hair. ¡°Go on then. See you this afternoon.¡± Aria got out of the car and walked toward the office building. Derek turned back to Owen and said, ¡°Owen, don¡¯t forget what you promised.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Owen said. Hearing the reply, Derek trotted after Aria, chattering away, ¡°Aria, Mom called mest night.¡± He kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk and muttered, ¡°They said they knew all along that Lennox Fletcher was picking on me but thought I was too naive and wanted to use this to toughen me up.¡± Derek just couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it. ¡®Seriously, what kind of parents would have such weird ideas? ¡®They turned a blind eye to all the bullying just to build my character? That¡¯s some seriously messed-up parenting. ¡®Un-freaking-believable. Aria nced at him. ¡°What do you think about it?¡± Derek said, ¡°I snapped back right then and told them if I don¡¯t go home, I won¡¯t have to deal with that jerk. If they want to toughen someone up, let them torment my brother instead.¡± Derek pouted. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t want to go back. What do you think, Aria?¡± Aria shrugged. ¡°Just go with your gut. You¡¯re an adult now-do whatever feels right for you.¡± At her words, thest bit of hesitation in Derek¡¯s heart instantly melted away. He then said, ¡°By the way, Aria-Patrick said he¡¯s really interested in working with the Stars Group, but Nimbus Tech still ha two projects to finish, so we can¡¯t take on any new partnerships this year.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Alright, after the New Year then.¡± Even with Nimbus Tech on board, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough. Aria was already nning to invite Professor Adrian Gn as well. S At the fork in the road, Derek headed the other way, waved and dashed toward the ssroom building, calling out, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m off to ss! See ya!¡± ¡°Bye,¡± Aria replied. Again Marriage 555 As soon as Aria pushed open her office door, Sophie handed her a cup of coffee and said, ¡°Here, give it a try.¡± ¡°Thanks, Sophie,¡± Aria said. Aria had just taken the coffee cup when, before she could take a sip, the office door burst open. Richard stood scowling in the doorway and demanded, ¡°Aria, Laird Duff just said a few impulsive words! Why did you give him a demerit and suspend him for that?¡± Laird¡¯s punishment for spreading rumors was a big deal-the news spread like wildfire across campus. Knowing exactly what happened, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but sneer, ¡°Mr. Lloyd, you were right there at the scene. How could you possibly im Laird Duff was just being impulsive?¡± Richard shot Sophie a dismissive nce and said coldly, ¡°None of your business.¡± Sophie was about to say more when Aria gently pressed her hand to stop her. Aria said calmly, ¡°The disciplinary decision was made by the universitymittee. Whye to me about it, Mr. Lloyd?¡± Richard snapped, ¡°Cut the act! If you hadn¡¯t secretly threatened Mr. Gardner with your research project, would he havee down this hard on Laird Duff?¡± Just then, Samuel sauntered in, holding a cup of coffee. With a smirk, he remarked, ¡°Well, what¡¯s all themotion?¡± Samuel¡¯s office was on the same floor. Hearing themotion, he came over to enjoy the drama. Samuel leaned against the doorframe with a gloating smirk. ¡°Come on, Mr. Lloyd, take it easy. Ms. Saxon is the administration¡¯s golden child these days,¡± he said, clearly enjoying the situation. Aria nced at Samuel and said with a smirk, ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, Mr. Chilton. So you two had better stop causing trouble. Otherwise, I¡¯ll watch your students like a hawk every day-and whenever I¡¯m displeased, I¡¯ll pick one to make an example of. The moment I catch any misconduct, I¡¯ll have the school expel them.¡± Aria sneered inwardly, ¡®Come on, what student hasn¡¯t made a mistake or two? ¡®Sometimes, when key research projects keep students too busy for other courses, Samuel Chilton would simply have freshmen do the work and add the other students¡¯ names, which isn¡¯t exactly by the book. ¡®Seems minor on the surface, but if you really dig deeper, it¡¯s actually quite serious.¡¯ Samuel, already acting on a guilty conscience, paled at her words. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± he snapped. Aria grinned. ¡°Not only do I dare, but I can have you removed from the smart pharmacy quality control project. Care to test that, Mr. Chilton?¡± Samuel¡¯s expression shifted repeatedly before he finally choked back his anger and shot a sidelong nce at Richard. ¡°Mr. Lloyd, your student really crossed the line-spreading rumors about a female teacher in public. I heard you were there too. Why didn¡¯t you stop him?¡± Richard red at him and snapped, ¡°Stop stirring the pot! Are you really taking her empty threats seriously?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Richard said, turning to Aria. ¡°Get the school to revoke the punishment. I¡¯ll keep Laird Duff in check and make sure he watches his mouth from now on.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of influence,¡± Aria said as she picked up her phone. ¡°But I can certainly call Mr. Gardner and the disciplinarymittee over to have a little chat with you, Mr. Lloyd.¡± Because of this incident, Richard was summoned by the university for questioning. The surveince footage was undeniable. No matter how much he exined, it was all in vain¡ªand worse, he ended up with a tarnished reputation for looking down on fellow faculty members and allowing students to spread malicious rumors. Now, all the other teachers and students looked at him differently, their gazes no longer the same as before. One more scandal and he¡¯d lose his professorship. ¡°This isn¡¯t over!¡± Richard roared before storming out. Without another word, Samuel retreated to his office. Sophie stared at his retreating figure, shaking her head. ¡°Seriously,¡± she muttered, ¡°Samuel Chilton¡¯s supposed to be one us in the pharmacy department, yet he insists on siding with outsiders.¡± Aria took a sip of her coffee. ¡°Mr. Schmidt told me that Mr. Chilton¡¯s recent application for a key research project was rejected. Since Mr. Schmidt was on the review panel, it¡¯s no wonder Mr. Chilton has been so irritabletely.¡± Again Marriage 556 Sophie rolled her eyes. ¡°Seriously¡­ he¡¯s got a real persecutionplex.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Aria said. Aria gathered her things and headed to the Spectroscopy Lab. Helen was calibrating the instruments while Mike ncy and Larry Bowen stood nearby, observing. After all, Mike¡¯s undergraduate background was in organic chemistry, so drug analysis experiments weren¡¯t exactly his strong suit. Larry had some experience with this experiment, though he wasn¡¯t particrly skilled at it. As Aria entered, the three students looked up and stepped aside. ¡°Today¡¯s goal is to build a herb identification model,¡± Aria announced, slipping on her gloves. She gave a quick rundown of the experiment. ¡°The theory and hands-on part are simple,¡± she said. ¡°Just make sure to eliminate any interference during the process¡­¡± Then, she continued, ¡°You¡¯ll need to write up the model report alongside conducting the experiment. Make sure to be thorough with your work.¡± The three responded in unison, ¡°Yes, Ms. Saxon.¡± At noon, Aria took the three students out for lunch. Spotting them, Derek tugged Arthur along and called out, ¡°Hey, Aria, mind if we join you?¡± Aria picked arge table that could easily amodate two more people. After they sat down, Aria introduced, ¡°This is Derek Fletcher, my cousin, and Arthur ke, his roommate. They¡¯re bothputer science majors.¡± She then said to Derek and Arthur, ¡°These are Helen Larsen, Larry Bowen, and Mike ncy.¡± Derek shed the three of them a big grin. ¡°Hey there!¡± Mike¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard puter science¡±. ¡°You guys code?¡± he asked eagerly. Arthur nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Mike quickly pulled out his phone. ¡°I¡¯m working on a drug stability prediction model and need some help optimizing the algorithm. Can we swap contact info?¡± Derek readily scanned the QR code, then turned to Larry and Helen with a grin. ¡°Let¡¯s friend each other, too. And make sure to invite us next time you go out for a meal!¡± They nodded. ¡°Sure thing!¡± After swapping contacts, everyone dug into their meals. Derek received a message, poked at the meat on his te with his fork, and frowned at Arthur. ¡°All the regr expressions are throwing errors. We¡¯ll have to start from scratch.¡± He then grumbled, ¡°Their data annotation is aplete mess-so many wrong tags. And once again, we¡¯re taking the fall.¡± Richard¡¯s annotation guidelines werepletely contradictory, and it was obviously personal. Arthur reassured him, ¡°It¡¯s okay. In the end, let¡¯s just do it our own way.¡± Derek sighed, then abruptly speared a rib with his fork. ¡°These ribs are pretty good today.¡± It was really an awkward way to change the subject. Aria took a sip of her soup and casually asked, ¡°Having some trouble?¡± Arthur gave a reassuring smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can handle it.¡± Aria asked with a knowing smile, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Professor Richard Lloyd is the one supervising your project.¡± Derek and Arthurfell silent. ¡°It¡¯s my fault you got dragged into this,¡± she said apologetically. Derek shook his head. ¡°Aria, this isn¡¯t on you. Mr. Lloyd¡¯s always been like this-nickel-and-diming everyone while reaping the benefits.¡± As they finished eating, Aria put down her fork and asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s going on?¡± Not wanting to give Richard any ammunition against them, Derek and Arthur carefully selected what details to share. Aria thought for a moment, then grabbed a piece of paper and quickly sketched a flowchart. ¡°You could start by running an unsupervised model-for example¡­¡± After hearing Aria¡¯s solution, Derek was so stunned that his fork dropped onto the table. Derek gaped and eximed, ¡°Damn, Aria, how are you so freaking smart?¡± Arthur smiled, his eyebrows curving. ¡°This method works better than what we came up with.¡± Mike listened until his head was spinning. Suddenly, it hit him-he stared at Aria in disbelief. ¡°Ms. Saxon¡­ you can code?¡± Aria nodded modestly. ¡°I just know a thing or two.¡± Mike¡¯s mind reeled-he couldn¡¯t follow about a third of what she was saying. Mike thought to himself, ¡®Even Derek and Arthur are actualputer science majors, yet Ms. Saxon can still guide them¡­ How amazing is that!¡¯ Remembering why he had once wanted to switch advisors back then, Mike felt his cheeks burn. He remained under Aria¡¯s guidance, but his research focus was now overseen by Martin. Mike would be too ashamed to regret this choice again. Again Marriage 557 At 4 p.m., Aria had just stepped out of the office building when she unexpectedly came face to face with Elmore. He wore a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, holding a fewb reports in his hand. Upon seeing Aria, Elmore gave a slight nod and greeted her. ¡°Ms. Saxon, finished with your sses?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah, just wrapping up for the day.¡± Elmore smiled. ¡°Same here.¡± Effortlessly, the two of them fell into step and walked side by side toward the side gate. Elmore remarked casually, ¡°Hey, I heard Richard Lloyd was giving you trouble?¡± ¡°He just said a few words and left,¡± Aria said calmly. ¡°Nothing serious.¡± Elmore¡¯s face grew solemn. ¡°I¡¯ve heard he holds grudges. Be careful around him.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re in different departments-hardly ever run into each other,¡± she replied. Elmore nodded. ¡°That makes sense.¡± Changing the subject, Elmore said, ¡°The shooting range just got some new firearms. I¡¯ve tried them-they handle really well. You should check them out when you¡¯re free.¡± That finally piqued Aria¡¯s interest. ¡°Oh? What model is it?¡± Elmore said, ¡°It¡¯s a modified HK416-the recoil control is excellent¡­¡± By the ck sedan in the parking lot, a tall, slender figure stood silently by the university gate. Studentsing in and out couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°What a hottie!¡± as they whipped out their phones to snap photos. One of the students nudged her friend and urged, ¡°Go ask for his number!¡± ¡°Are you nuts? He¡¯s just standing there, obviously waiting for someone-he must already have a girlfriend,¡± her friend scoffed. ¡°Right,¡± the first girl sighed. ¡°All the good-looking guys are taken.¡± As they chatted, they caught sight of two figures at the entrance. Excited, they quickly aimed their phones at them, ready to snap a photo. ¡°Look! It¡¯s Ms. Saxon and Mr. Balton! Are they dating? They¡¯re such a perfect match!¡± Another girl eximed, ¡°Oh, my god, they¡¯re the hottest teacher couple on campus! If they don¡¯t end up together, I swear I¡¯ll never rest in peace!¡± One of them shouted, ¡°Wow, they¡¯re even wearing matching outfits!¡± The whispers reached Owen¡¯s ears with perfect rity. Aria was wearing a in white tee today, while Elmore had on a crisp white dress shirt, Owen was also wearing a dress shirt to work today. He nced down at himself, pressing his lips. ¡®Come on, if anyone¡¯s wearing matching outfits, it¡¯s us,¡¯ he thought, a little annoyed. Owen turned and got into the car without another word. Aria and Elmore were already the center of attention just by walking together. If Owen showed up too, tomorrow the campus forum would be flooded with all sorts of wild gossip that could harm Aria¡¯s reputation. Owen silently rolled up the car window, shutting out the hushed whispers outside. Soon, the car door swung open, and a gentle, sunlit fragrance drifted in. ¡°Been waiting long?¡± Aria buckled up, noticing Owen¡¯s gaze lingering on her face. Owen shook his head while starting the car. ¡°No, I just got here myself.¡± Once they¡¯d left Mandino University behind, Owen, as if casually, asked, ¡°Madelyn, are you close with Mr. Balton?¡± ¡°His name is Elmore Balton-he¡¯s Martin Schmidt¡¯s nephew. I¡¯ve only met him a couple of times,¡± Aria replied instinctively Realizing what she¡¯d just said, she suddenly turned to him. ¡°You know him?¡± Owen nodded, his voice slightly muffled with emotion. ¡°I overheard some students talking¡­ about you two¡­¡± His voice lowered. ¡°They said you¡¯re a perfect match.¡± Aria detected the jealousy in his tone, and a hint of a smile flickered in her eyes. With a teasing smile, she said, ¡°Is someone getting jealous?¡± Owen didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I¡¯m just jealous he gets to walk out with you.¡± Aria chuckled softly, ¡°If we really became colleagues, I¡¯d be miserable.¡± Owen turned to her, curiosity in his eyes. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Aria blinked. ¡°You¡¯re right here before me, but all I can do is look, not touch.¡± Owen kept his eyes on the road, a smile tugging at his lips despite himself. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°I¡¯m really not jealous.¡± Elmore was just a professor, but Owen was her one and only boyfriend. Aria leaned in closer, tilting her head with a yful smile. ¡°Really not jealous?¡± Again Marriage 558 At the red light, Owen kept one hand on the steering wheel while the other caught hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. ¡°Really not,¡± he insisted. Any trace of jealousy he felt melted away under herfort. As their car entered the residentialplex, both Aria and Owen sensed something was off. They were being watched. Aria and Owen exchanged a knowing nce, tacitly agreeing to pretend they hadn¡¯t noticed anything. They stepped out of the car and entered the elevator as usual. Once the elevator doors closed, Owen murmured, ¡°Might be people from Ivy Hospital.¡± Lily was busy with school, sticking to a fixed routine between the ssroom, dorm, and library. Pearl mostly stayed at home. The only one potentially at risk was E. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll handle this. You¡¯ve got that business dinner to attend.¡± Owen gently ruffled her hair. ¡°Let me handle this, or I¡¯d feel like apletely useless boyfriend.¡± Aria yielded with a small nod. Owen went to take a shower while Aria returned to her apartment. In the living room, E was helping Pearl with her homework when she saw Aria walk in. Surprised, she said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re home already?¡± Pearl¡¯s eyes lit up with joy. ¡°Aria!¡± Since moving in with Owen, Aria hardly ever came by right after work; she usually didn¡¯t show up until around eight or nine in the evening. 84 They¡¯d gotten so used to Ariaing homete that seeing her at this hour actually caught them by surprise. Aria walked over and gently pinched Pearl¡¯s chubby cheeks, then smiled at E. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break from tutoring for the next few days. You can stay at the hospital with your mom whenever needed. I¡¯ll drive you thereter.¡± Even during the holiday break, they¡¯d been having tutoring sessions, so when Aria suggested taking a break, E didn¡¯t question it. After finishing thest section, E texted Rhett and started packing up. Just as Aria stepped back into her room, her phone rang. She nced at the caller ID-it was Tristan. ¡°Kiddo, watch your back these days. Someone might be keeping tabs on you.¡± Tristan¡¯s voice on the phone was heavy with concern. ¡°How about you give me the medical book for safekeeping? I¡¯ll return it to you once this blows over.¡± Aria chuckled lightly. ¡°Come on, it belongs to you, not me.¡± Tristan almost wanted to say, ¡°I¡¯d give you anything you ask for.¡± But he had a feeling Aria would refuse. 1J30 She was only keeping them now to help him safeguard the medical book and the National Doctor¡¯s Seal. Aria reassured him, ¡°Rx, we¡¯ll handle these tails.¡± Tristan caught the key in her words and asked, ¡°They¡¯re already watching you?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria said. Tristan hadn¡¯t expected Ivy Hospital to act so swiftly. ¡°Their intelligencework is rmingly efficient,¡± he muttered. They¡¯d only just returned yesterday, but they¡¯d already traced the medical book to Aria-and even pinpointed her exact address. ¡°It might be Culver Webster,¡± Aria said. The mere thought of Culver turned Tristan¡¯s stomach. Back then, Culver had been desperate to apprentice under him, acting as if he couldn¡¯t live without traditional medicine. Out of a moment of soft-heartedness, Tristan took him in, never realizing he was inviting a viper into his bosom-it nearly cost him his life. After hanging up, Tristan turned to Niks and ordered, ¡°Spread the word.¡± Niks acknowledged respectfully, ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡± After dinner, Aria called Pearl over. ¡°Owen will be back soon. Lock the door and wait for me to return.¡± Aria would be moving back for the time being. Pearl caught a hint of seriousness in Aria¡¯s tone. ¡°Aria, are we in danger?¡± Aria gently ruffled Pearl¡¯s hair and said reassuringly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got this.¡± Pearl nodded confidently, shing a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aria. I can handle myself.¡± After spending so much time around the Wolfshade Syndicate, Pearl was much bolder than most people her age. Aria shed a gentle smile, then turned and left with E. As they entered the elevator, Aria said, ¡°Things have been tensetely. I¡¯ll have bodyguards assigned to you and Pearl.¡± E seemed to catch on. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Saxon.¡± As soon as the car pulled out of theplex, sure enough, shadowy figures began to tail them. Again Marriage 559 After dinner, Liam returned to the hospital for his night shift. In a daze, a figure caught his eye. He froze mid-step, his gaze locking onto Aria and another woman as they entered the hospital. Her serene face shed through his mind. A whirlwind of emotions twisted inside him, making his chest ache. Liam clenched his phone, just as he was about to move when a man in a ck suit walked in, his gaze locked intently on Aria. Liam thought, ¡®Is she being followed?, ¡°This feels just likest time. Aria told me the bullet was meant for her. ¡®Has Aria made that many enemies?¡± Liam shook off his jumbled thoughts and followed after them. Inside the hospital room, the caregiver was pouring water for Reba Gilen, E¡¯s mother, when she saw Ee in. With a warm smile, she immediately went over to greet her. ¡°E, you¡¯re here?¡± E nodded gently and said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯ll stay at the hospital to look after my mom these next few days. You should go home and rest.¡± The caregiver nodded repeatedly in agreement. Before leaving, she couldn¡¯t help stealing a few more nces at Aria. ¡®What a stunning youngdy. I wonder if she¡¯s seeing anyone,¡¯ she thought. The question lingered in her mind, but she didn¡¯t dare ask-after all, it was clear this girl belonged to a different world. The door clicked shut. 9 2 Reba struggled to sit up, and E immediately moved to support her. ¡°Mom, take it slow,¡± she said gently. Reba looked at Aria, her pale face full of gratitude. She said softly, ¡°Are you Ms. Saxon? E talks about you all the time. Our whole family owes you so much¡­¡± Reba had decided to give up treatment, not wanting to burden E. But then her daughter came up with arge sum of money for the surgery and even showed her the contract. She¡¯d assumed the ¡°Ms. Saxon¡± E kept mentioning would be around her own age, never expecting the teacher to be as young as E. Aria smiled gently. ¡°E is exceptional-she¡¯s helped me tremendously, so paying her is only fair.¡± Reba¡¯s eyes glistened as she gave her daughter¡¯s hand a gentle squeeze. She had worried that epting such a generous tutoring fee might put her daughter in an awkward position, but after meeting Aria, her worries finally melted away. Aria didn¡¯t linger. After a few brief words, she got up and left. The moment she pushed open the hospital room door, she locked eyes with a pair of somber eyes. Liam stood rigid by the doorway, his gaze fixed intently on her. Aria didn¡¯t spare him a nce, walking straight past him toward the elevator. Liam hurried after her and said in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re being followed. That guy trailed you all the way to the hospital.¡± ¡°None of your business,¡± Aria said coldly. Liam caught up with her, his voice thick with emotion. ¡°Aria, we were married once¡­ I still wish you happiness.¡± Hearing his feigned affection, Aria felt sick to her stomach. She shot him a scornful sideways nce and sneered, ¡°If you¡¯re so devoted, why not get Hannah out of prison?¡± Liam¡¯s face hardened instantly, and he clenched his fists. Liam said, ¡°She lied to me! We¡¯ve been over for a long time! Aria, I know I was wrong, but I¡¯d rather you not mention Hannah again¡­¡± When he looked up again, Aria had already walked some distance away and was pressing the elevator button. Liam took a deep breath and stubbornly pursued her. ¡°Is it the same group asst time?¡± he asked. ¡°I can call the police for you¡­¡± ¡°Mind your own business,¡± Aria snapped. Her tone made it clear she was running out of patience. In the past, if someone gave him the cold shoulder, Liam wouldn¡¯t have tried again. But this was Aria. She had always kept people at arm¡¯s length-he¡¯d gotten used to it by now. Liam said, ¡°Call me anytime if you need help.¡± Again Marriage 560 Aria suddenlyughed coldly. ¡°Mr. Cole, I can handle things myself and call the police if needed. And if ites to that, I have Owen. I don¡¯t need you meddling.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Owen say it himself? He¡¯s just your lover,¡± Liam deliberately slowed his breathing. ¡°A lover can never be a husband. When you eventually settle down and get married, you¡¯ll have to leave him.¡± The elevator doors slid open. Aria stepped into the elevator. ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend now. Mr. Cole, keep your distance. My man is the jealous type.¡± Upon hearing the words ¡°my man¡±, wave of resentment surged through Liam¡¯s chest. ¡°Dr. Cole!¡± a nurse called out urgently as she rushed over. ¡°The patient in Bed 3 has unstable blood pressure-the chief physician needs you there, stat!¡± Liam took a deep breath and gave Aria a long, searching look. ¡°The Shaw family¡¯s affairs are just asplicated as the Cole family¡¯s,¡± he said gravely. ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re getting into.¡± With that, he turned and walked away. The nurse didn¡¯t immediately follow. Instead, she paused and gave Aria a pointed look. ¡°Ms. Saxon,¡± the nurse said, ¡°I know you¡¯re Dr. Cole¡¯s ex-wife.¡± Lifting her chin, she added, ¡°Now that you¡¯re divorced, stop clinging to him.¡± Aria looked at her impassively. ¡°Get lost.¡± The nurse¡¯s face darkened, about to retort when the elevator doors snapped shut. The nurse snorted coldly and stalked off toward Liam¡¯s office. Aria had just stepped out of the hospital when a man in a ck suit blocked her path-the same one who¡¯d been tailing her earlier. ¡°Ms. Saxon,¡± the bodyguard bowed slightly. ¡°Our boss requests your presence.¡± Aria looked up and saw a pitch-ck limousine parked at the hospital entrance, its windows so dark they only reflected her own silhouette. Yet she could distinctly sense a pair of eyes watching her from behind those imprable windows. Without a flicker of emotion, Aria strode straight ahead. The man in ck behind her froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by how unhesitating she was. The car door slid open soundlessly as she approached. A young man sat on the leather seat. He was clearly of mixed heritage, with striking, chiseled features and mesmerizing eyes. In the dim light, his golden hair shimmered faintly, giving him an androgynous beauty that blurred gender lines. A faint smile yed at his lips, but the glint of amusement behind his sses never touched his eyes. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I trust you¡¯ve been well.¡± Aria averted her gaze and stepped into the car, her expression unreadable. The car door slid shut silently behind her. The man chuckled softly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest. ¡°Ms. Saxon, no wonder Kerano Global Health values you so highly. You¡¯ve got guts.¡± She knew exactly who he was, yet she still got in his car without hesitation. Aria ignored his pleasantries and fixed him with a cold stare. ¡°Was it you who kidnapped Tristan Todd and forced him to work on that experiment?¡± she demanded. Flynt Hartley seemed to ignore her usation entirely. Leaning in slightly, his gaze locked onto her face like an inescapable, watching her with an eerie intensity. ¡°Ms. Saxon, allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m Flynt Hartley, the majority shareholder of Ivy Hospital.¡± With that, he offered his hand with effortless elegance. His fingers were long and elegant, but the skin on his pinky looked unnaturally stiff. Upon closer inspection, it was, in fact, an exquisitely crafted prosthetic finger. Aria nced down briefly, her expression impassive. ¡°Let¡¯s skip the handshake. I find it a bit disgusting.¡± Flynt chuckled softly as he withdrew his hand gracefully, his gaze never leaving her face. ¡°We don¡¯t have to be adversaries, Ms. Saxon¡­ if you¡¯re willing.¡± Flynt¡¯s voice was smooth as velvet,ced with hypnotic allure. ¡°I¡¯ve always been intrigued by you, Ms. Saxon. Now that I¡¯ve met you in person¡­ my admiration only grows deeper.¡± Aria shot him a frosty re. ¡°Cut the nonsense. If you have nothing important to say, I¡¯m out.¡± Anticipating her resistance, Flynt said calmly, ¡°Ms. Saxon, allow me to take you home. My men will handle your car.¡± ¡°Open the door,¡± Aria said coldly. Flynt remained unhurried, his voice deliberately measured. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss the experiment during the ride¡­ and the chip imnted in Tristan Todd¡¯s abdomen.¡± Again Marriage 561 Aria raised her eyebrows and fished out the car keys from her pocket, her tone icy. ¡°Roll down the window.¡± Flynt held out his hand, palm upturned in amanding gesture. ¡°Hand me the keys.¡± Aria tossed the keys over with an impassive expression. Flynt caught the keys, his fingertips slowly tracing their surface as his lips curled into a smirk. ¡°Still warm from your touch.¡± Aria¡¯s killing intent intensified. Flynt sensed it but pretended not to notice, casually tapping the car window beside him. The window rolled down as he handed the keys to the bodyguard. With a chilling smile, he said, ¡°If Ms. Saxon¡¯s car gets so much as a scratch, you can say goodbye to your hands and feet.¡± His low, amused voice sent chills down the spine. The bodyguard froze, taking the keys with deference. ¡°I¡¯ll protect Ms. Saxon¡¯s car with my life!¡± The backseat formed a secludedpartment. With her view blocked, Aria turned to gaze out the window, deliberately avoiding whaty ahead. Flynt leaned against the car door, propping his chin on one hand while his gaze shamelessly raked over her face. ¡°I could let Tristan Todd off the hook,¡± he said. Aria didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°Your terms?¡± Flynt looked at her and said, ¡°You¡¯ll take over what he left unfinished-continue that experiment.¡± Aria turned her head, her lips curling in a sardonic smirk. Flynt chuckled darkly, his gaze inscrutable. He said in a low voice, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you care about too many people. Once someone has vulnerabilities, they be easy to threaten.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes turned cial. ¡°You can try me.¡± Their eyes met in a silent standoff; neither flinched. Flynt was the first to break the silence, his tone rxed, as if chatting with an old friend. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying in Huthailia for two years.¡± He leaned in, lowering his voice to a husky whisper. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll end uping with me, one way or another.¡± Aria retorted, ¡°You want me to develop something against my own people? Do you really think that¡¯s even possible?¡± Flynt smirked, ¡°So you¡¯re saying, Ms. Saxon, you¡¯d join me as long as the research isn¡¯t targeting Huthailia?¡± Aria shot back with a cold smirk, ¡°I might consider it¡­ if you were dead.¡± Flynt shrugged. ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be sorely disappointed, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria¡¯s expression turned icy. ¡°If you so much as touch anyone close to me, I guarantee you won¡¯t live to see another day.¡± Flynt chuckled, his voice tinged with dark amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Saxon. The people around you don¡¯t interest me in the slightest. You¡¯re the only one who interests me.¡± Flynt shed a sly smile. ¡°We¡¯ve got all the time in the world.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t be bothered to respond to his nonsense any longer. The car pulled into Mayen Garden, and the security guard waved them through without so much as a question. Aria¡¯s eyes darkened. Flynt exined casually, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong-I live here too. Following you was just so I could see you in person. This won¡¯t happen again.¡± Aria said with hidden anger, ¡°You¡¯d better keep your word.¡± *** Owen had arrived some time earlier and was waiting in his car for Aria. Seeing Aria¡¯s car pull in, Owen stepped out of his vehicle. Instead of Aria, a man Owen had never seen before stepped out. Owen looked toward the other car just as Aria stepped out. ¡°Madelyn,¡± Owen called softly. He walked over and gently stroked the top of her head. ¡°You alright?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Owen¡¯s gaze shifted ahead. The door on the other side of the ck car swung open, and Flynt stepped out with deliberate grace. As Flynt turned, his gaze locked directly with Owen¡¯s, the tension between them palpable. A heavy silence hung in the air for two seconds. Flynt¡¯s gaze slowly trailed downward, settling on Owen¡¯s hand as it rested in Aria¡¯s hair. He smirked, his eyes glinting with dangerous amusement. His gaze brimmed with contempt and provocation, cold and vicious-like a serpent lurking in the shadows, ready to strike. Owen¡¯s lips curled into a cold, dismissive smile as he grasped Aria¡¯s hand,cing their fingers together possessively. ¡°Come on, Madelyn. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Hand in hand, Aria and Owen walked in, tacitly ignoring Flynt with perfect synchrony. The blond man stood rooted to the spot, his darkened gaze heavy upon their retreating figures. The driver stepped forward. ¡°Sir, should we eliminate him?¡± Again Marriage 562 ¡°No need,¡± Flynt said coolly, averting his gaze. ¡°Huthailia isn¡¯t Masmubia-getting away with murder here is too much trouble.¡± With that, he strode toward the adjacent building. ¡°Our objective is to get Aria to join the experiment. Monitor the people around her, but under no circumstances are they to be harmed.¡± The driver replied, ¡°Understood, sir.¡± ***** Owen asked in a low voice, ¡°So he¡¯s the mastermind behind all this?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a shareholder at Ivy Hospital. His name is Flynt Hartley.¡± Owen asked in a low voice, ¡°He wants you in the experiment?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria replied. Owen scoffed. ¡°Ugly as sin, but he sure has some nerve.¡± Flynt had the kind of looks that instantly grabbed attention-¡°ugly¡± was thest word one would use. Aria blurted out, ¡°Well, he¡¯s not bad-looking.¡± ¡°Did you get a good look at him?¡± Owen asked, his tone suddenly turning sharp. ¡°I took a good look,¡± Aria said with a smile. ¡°And you¡¯re still way better looking.¡± Owen lowered his gaze, a faint smile ying on his lips as he gently squeezed the pad of her finger. ¡°You¡¯ve got the best taste, Madelyn.¡± His smile faded slightly at the thought of Flynt¡¯s gaze. In a low, tentative voice, he asked, ¡°Was today really your first time meeting him?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°First time.¡± Owen said, ¡°Leave it to me. I¡¯ll dig into his background.¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°He¡¯s not an immediate threat.¡± Aria thought, ¡®If all he wanted was for me to join the experiment, that would be manageable. ¡®Worst case, I¡¯ll just blow up theirb. ¡®But I just can¡¯t shake the feeling that things aren¡¯t that simple! ¡®Flynt Hartley¡¯s attitude toward me is unsettling-one moment openly hostile, the next, all trace of animosity gone. ¡°That guy¡¯s not right in the head. Better keep my distance. Aria then said, ¡°I¡¯ll be staying at my ce for a few days.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Owen¡¯s foot pivoted to the right. ¡°I¡¯m moving in with you.¡± Aria tilted her head. ¡°Would that be alright?¡± Just for a few days. Aria instinctively wanted to refuse, but when she looked up, she saw Owen gazing at her with hopeful cycs. He lowered his gaze slightly, his longshes casting delicate shadows beneath his eyes-the very picture of feigned innocence. Aria paused, then relented. ¡°Alright.¡± Owen didn¡¯t waste a second-he grabbed a few essentials and moved right in. Fresh out of the shower, Aria saw Owen standing in her room in his pajamas, curiously examining the little trinket on her nightstand. It was a keepsake from Lily and Pearl. Aria walked over. ¡°There¡¯s a guest room upstairs-you can take that one.¡± Owen stood still, his brows furrowed in confusion. ¡°Why can¡¯t I share the room with you?¡± Aria looked up, meeting his burning gaze head-on. Aria said, ¡°We¡¯ve got kids at home. It wouldn¡¯t set a good example.¡± Owen gave her hand a yful poke. ¡°I can get up early, you know. That excuse doesn¡¯t work on me.¡± Fresh out of the shower, a gentle flush lingered at the corners of Aria¡¯s eyes, still misty from the steam. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to resist,¡± she said, her tone half teasing, half sincere. Owen blinked in surprise, then ducked his head with a soft chuckle. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a reason I can get behind. Walk me upstairs then.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± Aria led Owen to thest room down the hall on the second floor. ¡°The sheets are freshly changed, so you can just get some rest,¡± she said, gesturing toward the closet. ¡°There are extra nkets inside if you need them.¡± Owen nodded with a gentle smile. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Good night,¡± Aria said softly. Just as Aria turned around, she suddenly felt Owen¡¯s arm tighten around her waist. Owen suddenly wrapped his arms around her and, with a slight pull, swept her into his arms. Caughtpletely off guard, Aria suddenly found herself swept up into Owen¡¯s arms, lifted so high she had to grab onto his shoulders just to steady herself. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Aria blurted out, startled. Owen looked up at her, a mischievous grin on his face. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, might as well stay the night.¡± This was the first time Aria had ever looked down at Owen from above. The light caught in his eyes, illuminating their tenderness. ¡°Put me down first,¡± Aria said, her voiceced with gentle protest. Owen carried her to the bed and gentlyid her down, then knelt on the edge, trapping her between his arms as he leaned in close. He murmured, ¡°Not leaving?¡± Again Marriage 563 Aria wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head slightly. With a yful smile, she said, ¡°Not leaving.¡± Owen let out a soft chuckle, lifting his hand from the edge of the bed to gently cup the back of her neck. Aria arched her neck back, her eyes meeting Owen¡¯s. Owen leaned in, and just as his lips were about to touch hers, Aria pulled away. Aria murmured, ¡°The door¡¯s not locked.¡± Owen pressed a kiss to her earlobe, his voice low and husky as he murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡± The door clicked shut and locked. Owen leaned in again, closing the distance between them. He captured her lips, savoring them as if tasting something exquisitely sweet-gentle and unhurried, applying just the right amount of pressure. When he¡¯d had his fill of her lips, he deepened the kiss, drawing her in as they both lost themselves in each other. He knelt by the bed, making Aria crane her neck upward. It was an awkward position. Sensing her difort, Owen slid a hand beneath her waist, stood up, and sat on the bed, pulling her onto hisp. The new position was far morefortable. Time seemed to stretch endlessly before he released her lips, his heated breath trailing from her earlobe downward. His fingertips found her shoulder strap, slipping it aside. The nightlight remained on, casting their entwined silhouettes onto the wall. Another half hour passed. Aria grew a little impatient and yfully pinched his ear. ¡°Are we still going to keep it up, or what? If not, I¡¯m just going to bed.¡± Owen caught her meaning immediately. Withdrawing his hand, he gripped her waist and murmured suggestively, ¡°Should I¡­ go get a condom?¡± Speechless, Aria thought to herself, ¡®By the time he gets back, the mood will be long gone. She pressed a hand to Owen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If we aren¡¯t doing it, just say so. I¡¯ll go back to my room.¡± But as she started to get up, Owen pulled her back into his arms. ¡°We are,¡± he murmured, not letting go. Owen cradled Aria in his arms as he carried her out of the bathroom and gentlyid her on the bed. ¡°Did I tire you out?¡± he said softly. Carapici JUD Aria half-closed her eyes, rolled them in exasperation, and turned her back to Owen, gritting her teeth against the soreness. Owen snuggled under the covers, pulled her into his arms, and gently rubbed her waist. ¡°Madelyn,¡± he murmured, ¡°my bad.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s sleep. I¡¯ve got work tomorrow,¡± she muttered tiredly. Aria¡¯s voice was weak and a bit hoarse, but not too bad-after all, it was her mind that had taken the beating. She thought, ¡®He¡¯s utterly exhausting-I might as well be the guy here. Owen grinned, ¡°You only have ss in the afternoon tomorrow, so you can sleep in.¡± He knew she had no morning sses-that¡¯s what made him bold enough to do this. ¡°The soundproofing at Mayen Garden is legendary. Not that we were even that loud anyway.¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Aria muttered. She admitted to herself, ¡®Fine, I was the one who got seduced after all! ¡°Alright,¡± Owen murmured softly. ¡°Go to sleep.¡± In her sleep, Aria felt the hand that had been massaging her waist trail down to her leg. Groggily, she grabbed the mischievous hand and mumbled, ¡°Looking for a beating?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Owen replied softly. Theyy half an arm¡¯s length apart. Owen said, ¡°Just rx and get some sleep. Let me massage your legs, or you¡¯ll be sore tomorrow.¡± After a brief pause, his tone turned sulky. ¡°So that¡¯s what you think of me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not much better than a beast,¡± Aria shot back. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Owen scooted closer, kneading her other leg, his lips brushing her ear. ¡°Is being too gentle really that bad?¡± Aria couldn¡¯t even be bothered to reply. ¡°I¡¯ll be rougher next time,¡± he teased. They rarely did it, and he was always afraid of hurting her. Owen made sure not to disturb her sleep. Once she was sound asleep, he sat up in bed, gently kneading her calf with one hand while picking up his phone with the other and opening a group chat. Owen: [Anyone still up?] HotinMandino: [Still up, Owen. What¡¯s up?] BaddieL: [I¡¯m up too.] The MysteriousDude: [Same here.] # 4 Again Marriage 564 Owen: [Don¡¯t you all have work tomorrow? Why still up thiste?] Baddiel: [It¡¯s only 1 a.m., the night is still young! What¡¯s up, Owen? You¡¯re never up thiste.] Owen: [Hey, I remember you guys mentioned a site that could teach a thing or two. Send me the link.] HotinMandino: [What site? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s that one¡­] Owen: [It is.] BaddieL: [This can¡¯t be Owen-must be a hacked ount!] Owen stared at his phone, speechless when he saw the notification: [You have been removed from the group chat] Soon, private messages from all three friends flooded in, using the hacker of daring to impersonate Owen and warning that he was dead meat. Owen snapped a quick half-face selfie and sent it over. BaddieL: [Holy shit, it is you, Owen! What do you need that kind of site for?] HotinMandino: [No way¡­ you¡¯re actually dating someone?] Owen was brought back to the group chat, and his three friends immediately grilled him again about dating. This time, he didn¡¯t deny it. HotinMandino: [Holy shit, you¡¯re actually dating someone! Didn¡¯t we promise to die alone together?] Owen: [When did I ever promise that?] TheMysteriousDude: [We wanna meet your girl!] Owen: [You¡¯ll see her. DM me the site.] BaddieL: [LOL! So even the greatwyer Owen gets the cold shoulder! Serves you right for acting all high and mighty before-refusing to watch!] Owen ignored their jabs, muted the group, and ghosted them as soon as the link came in. HotinMandino: [What a heartless guy! Disappears the second he gets the stuff we worked so hard on!] TheMysterious Dude: [Let him go study, then. Wouldn¡¯t want him getting called out for hisck of skills.] Aria woke up at eight to find Owen¡¯s side of the bed empty. After freshening up, she went downstairs and found Pearl already having breakfast. Pearl saw Ariaing down from the second floor, a puzzled look crossing her face as she nced at the master bedroom door. Without asking further, she beamed and said, ¡°Morning, Aria.¡± ¡°Morning, Pearl,¡± Aria replied. Owen emerged from the kitchen with breakfast. Spotting Aria, he hurried over to set the food down and asked warmly, ¡°Howe you¡¯re up so early?¡± Aria stared at him for a long moment. At this moment, Owen looked utterly drained, as if all his energy had been sucked dry. Meeting her curious, slightly suspicious gaze, Owen cleared his throat awkwardly and avoided her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first,¡± he muttered. Aria sat down, her gaze still fixed on his face. ¡°Did you go sneaking aroundst night?¡± ¡®Or did I drain you dry?¡¯ she wondered. Owen caught the look on her face and quickly denied it. ¡°No.¡± He had been up to some mischief. ¡°I just¡­ binge-watched a show all night,¡± he said. Pearl was stunned. She had never thought that Owen would actually binge-watch shows. Aria gave him a skeptical look but didn¡¯t press further. ¡°Did you take the day off?¡± she asked. Owen shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got plenty of free time at noon. I can catch up on sleep then.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria replied. Before long, Owen came to regret it. Confident that he had learned enough, he was eager to put his new knowledge into practice, but for an entire week, Aria refused his advances, insisting on going to bed early to restore her energy levels. However, now that E had returned to stay at Mayen Garden, they could finally move back. That day, just as Aria got off work, she received a message: [Ms. Saxon, I¡¯d like to invite you to dinner at Froyer Restaurant. See you at 6:30 p.m.] Aria instantly knew who it was. Flynt had been waiting for her to reach out first. The military hospital was still working on how to extract the chip. Since they¡¯d confirmed Tristan was stable for now, Aria hadn¡¯t contacted Flynt. But he couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. 9 Flynt: [If the chip is forcibly removed, Tristan Todd may not live a long life. If youe, Ms. Saxon, we can discuss this.] Aria stopped in her tracks and replied: [Okay.] Owen rolled down the window. ¡°Madelyn? What¡¯s up?¡± Aria opened the passenger door and got in. ¡°Flynt Hartley invited me to dinner to talk about the chip. Let¡¯s head over and see what he¡¯s up to.¡± Again Marriage 565 When the two arrived, Flynt stood by the window, wine ss in hand, gazing impassively at the distant scenery. As Aria and Owen entered together, Flynt¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, then rxed as he smiled. ¡°Wee.¡± Owen also smiled at him and said, ¡°Mind if I crash your dinner, Mr. Hartley?¡± ¡°I figured you¡¯d show up, Mr. Shaw,¡± said Flynt. The private dining room was a suite, separated by frosted ss. To the left was the dining table, to the right the lounge area. Flynt led the way to the dining table. Aria took her seat, Owen following closely. Flynt slid the gilded menu toward Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, would you do the honors and order for us?¡± Aria took the menu and casually checked off a few signature dishes. ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± she said. The waiter bowed slightly before withdrawing. Flynt turned his gaze to Owen. ¡°I heard your older brother runs the Shaw family business, and you don¡¯t even have a stake in it?¡± The distribution of stakes in the Shaw family had never been made public. It was quite surprising that Flynt could even uncover such a well-kept secret. Owen remained unruffled. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he replied calmly. Flynt gave a faint smile and casually asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to fight for it, Mr. Shaw?¡± Owen slouched backzily and drawled, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just a freeloader.¡± ¡°Freeloader¡­¡± Flynt feigned contemtion. ¡°In Huthailia, does that trante to ¡®kept man¡¯?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°That pretty much sums up my situation.¡± Flynt chuckled softly, his toneced with subtle provocation. ¡°You¡¯re pretty easygoing, Mr. Shaw. If it were me, I think I¡¯d be pretty resentful of my family for that¡­¡± Flynt gave Aria a meaningful look and said with a sly smile, ¡°After all, your future wife will always be a step below the heir¡¯s wife in status.¡± He smiled, but every word was calcted to drive a wedge between them. Aria caught the underlying tension but chose not to engage. Instead, she took out her phone and texted Tristan. Tristan had recently be obsessed with gadgets, especially binge-watching short web series¡ªhe had already spent a fortune on subscriptions. He didn¡¯t just binge-watch-he was always venting to Aria about every episode. Yesterday he was ranting about the scumbag, today it was the homewrecker, and tomorrow he¡¯d probablyin about those clueless rtives who couldn¡¯t see the obvious. Aria typed back, joining in his rants. Meanwhile, Owen and Flynt continued their conversation. Out of the blue, Owen interjected, ¡°That won¡¯t happen in my family-I¡¯ll be the one moving in with her.¡± Aria¡¯s fingers froze mid-text. Flynt¡¯s smile froze for a split second-he clearly hadn¡¯t expected Owen to say that. ¡°Would the Shaw family really agree to that?¡± ¡°They have no reason to refuse,¡± Owen said with a proud grin. ¡°After all, I¡¯vended myself a girlfriend who¡¯s gorgeous, wealthy, and highly capable.¡± Owen nced over at Aria, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. ¡°Honestly, I could justze around at home all day -as long as I keep her happy, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Aria¡¯s fingers froze mid-text as she wondered if he meant it. Flynt maintained his smile, though there was a glint in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s certainly¡­ an unconventional perspective, Mr. Shaw.¡± ¡°Thanks for thepliment,¡± Owen said with a smirk. ¡°Not many are as lucky as I am.¡± If it weren¡¯t for this dinner, Flynt would never have imagined Owen could be so shameless. Owen was the biggest obstacle to Flynt taking Aria away. A calcting glint shed in Flynt¡¯s eyes. Owen cut straight to the chase. ¡°Mr. Hartley, how do you n to remove the chip from Dr. Todd¡¯s abdomen?¡± Flynt¡¯s smile faded as he turned to Aria, his toneced with subtle sarcasm. ¡°The person in charge is right here-no need for you to step in, Mr. Shaw.¡± Owen said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m hers-her business is mine.¡± A mocking glint shed in Flynt¡¯s eyes as he changed tack. ¡°If Ms. Saxon were toe to Masmubia with me, would you tag along too, Mr. Shaw?¡± Owen didn¡¯t back down. ¡°Choose your words carefully, Mr. Hartley. She goes wherever she pleases-she doesn¡¯t follow anyone, and no one has the right to dictate her movements.¡± Owen met Flynt¡¯s gaze. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m hers-wherever she goes, I go.¡± Again Marriage 566 ¡± The soft, golden light of the private room cast a warm glow over Owen¡¯s deep, brooding eyes-eyes that burned with a sense of unmistakable possessiveness. It was as if, at the slightest threat to Aria from Flynt, Owen would go full beast mode-ready to tear him apart. Flynt thought, ¡®Owen Shaw, the Shaw family¡¯s second son. ¡®Seems the intel I gathered wasn¡¯tplete. ¡®Looks like he¡¯s not as easy to deal with as I thought. ¡®Not entirely surprising-after all, he¡¯s the kind of man who could catch Aria¡¯s eye!¡¯ Flynt smirked. ¡°And the Shaw family¡¯s just fine with that?¡± Owen said, ¡°They¡¯d probably think our ancestors are blessing us from above.¡± Aria shot him a sidelong nce, her eyes filled with a hint of exasperation. Owen caught her look, tilted his head, and shed a bright grin at her. ¡°Just telling the truth.¡± Those were Emma¡¯s exact words. She suspected there must be some kind of curse on the Shaw family¡¯s descendants-maybe that was why the family kept turning out bachelors. If they ever managed to find love, it¡¯d be a freaking miracle. Just as the waiter began serving the dishes, Owen didn¡¯t spare Flynt another nce. His hand slipped under the table, capturing Aria¡¯s fingers before tracing slow, teasing circles in her palm. Aria shot Owen a warning nce, silently signaling him to let go, but he only tightened his grip and shed an innocent smile. Flynt took in the scene with a watchful gaze. With deliberate grace, Flynt poured two sses of red wine and slid one toward Owen. ¡°Care for a drink, Mr. Shaw?¡± ¡°I¡¯m driving-no drinks for me,¡± Owen said. tr ¡°You can always call a driver,¡± Flynt suggested. Aria said, ¡°Go ahead and drink if you want-I¡¯ll drive.¡± 74 Owen finally let go of her hand, picked up his wine ss with a grin. ¡°Whatever you say, Flynt watched their exchanged nces with a meaningful, fake smile. The meal proceeded in tense silence. babe.¡± Owen didn¡¯t act like a guest at all-he made himselfpletely at home, piling food onto Aria¡¯s te and keeping her soup bowl full. When the meal was over, Aria cut straight to the point. ¡°Now that dinner¡¯s over, Mr. Hartley, what about what you promised?¡± Flynt looked at her and said calmly, ¡°I can remove the chip, but on one condition.¡± Aria asked, ¡°What¡¯s the condition?¡± Flynt looked at them coolly and said, ¡°You two break up.¡± The air suddenly froze. Owen remained silent, but Aria asked, ¡°Your reason?¡± Flynt looked at her and said calmly, ¡°He¡¯s not good enough for you.¡± Owen nodded in agreement. ¡°Absolutely not good enough for her.¡± He sighed, his voice thick with smug pride. ¡°But what can I say? She¡¯s crazy about me.¡± Even with his remarkable self-control, Flynt was sorely tempted to throw his drink in Owen¡¯s face at that moment. Aria rose to her feet. ¡°No deal then.¡± She simply had no intention of wasting her time on people who were irrelevant. ¡°Let¡¯s change the terms, then,¡± Flynt said abruptly. ¡°Mr. Shaw, hand over your estate at Mayen Garden.¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria shot back coldly. Owen just shrugged and said, ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Owen gently tugged at Aria¡¯s sleeve and sped her hand. shing a yful grin, he said, ¡°Same difference-I can just move in with you.¡± Flynt¡¯s gaze lingered on their sped hands before he suddenly let out a soft chuckle. ¡°Just kidding. I have no interest in secondhand properties. I sincerely invite you to join myb-I would never resort to threats with you, Ms. Saxon.¡± He set down his wine ss and rose, smoothing his jacket. ¡°Let¡¯s schedule a time-I¡¯ll perform the surgery for Dr. Todd.¡± His demeanor shifted abruptly. ¡°Ms. Saxon, may I have your contact information?¡± ¡®Yeah, right, Aria scoffed inwardly. ¡®Like I¡¯d believe a word from someone who kidnapped Dr. Todd¡¯ Aria scanned his QR code and friended him, her expression unreadable. Flynt smiled faintly. ¡°Ms. Saxon, should you ever have a change of heart, you know how to reach me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t join yourb,¡± Aria said firmly. Flynt smiled but said nothing. Owen studied him, a calcting glint shing in his eyes. Owen had a hunch that when Flynt talked about her ¡°change of heart¡±, he wasn¡¯t just referring to joining hisb. Again Marriage 567 On the way, Owen asked, ¡°Madelyn, what do you think Flynt Hartley is after?¡± Aria pondered. ¡°The military hospital has already traced the source of the chip. If he causes trouble, just eliminate him,¡± she said, her tone t and utterly devoid of emotion. Owen grinned and said firmly, ¡°Yeah. If he dares to hurt anyone, we¡¯ll just take him out.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± recalling Adrian, Aria asked directly, ¡°Is Professor Gn reluctant to work withpanies?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Professor Gn got burned by businesses before.¡± Owen then continued, ¡°But if it¡¯s with the Stars Group, that¡¯s a different story-I can personally vouch for them.¡± Adrian wouldn¡¯t t-out refuse, but it didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t have his reservations. Owen was just vouching for them to secure an opportunity-the final oue would entirely hinge on the Stars Group¡¯s performance. Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°This isn¡¯t urgent. Let¡¯s handle the chip issue first. When the opportunity arises, we¡¯ll show the project to Professor Gn.¡± She believed that only when Adrian was genuinely interested would the coboration go smoothly. At noon, Aria had just stepped out of theb when she unexpectedly ran into Samuel and his graduate research team emerging from the neighboringb. When Samuel¡¯s students saw Aria, they politely greeted her one after another. ¡°Hello, Ms. Saxon,¡± they called out. Aria smiled. ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± Seeing his students showing so much respect to Aria, Samuel couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of annoyance. Though it irked him, Professor Liao couldn¡¯t very well me his students for it. He tilted his chin up, his gaze sweeping over Aria with a trace of mocking amusement. With a tone of gloating curiosity, he said, ¡°So, I hear the Stars Group wants to rope in Professor Adrian for their Quantum Superbrain Project?¡± Aria slightly furrowed her brows. ¡°Where did you hear about that, Mr. Chilton?¡± Samuel didn¡¯t answer her question. He just nodded to himself and said, ¡°So it¡¯s true, huh? I thought it was just a rumor.¡± Samuel let out a cold snort, his voice dripping with disdain. ¡°I¡¯d advise you to drop this idea right now. I¡¯ve known Professor Gn for years-he absolutely despises working withpanies. All that scheming, office politics, and dirty tricks? He finds it downright disgusting.¡± Aria gave a t ¡°Oh,¡± then said coolly, ¡°Mr. Chilton, if you¡¯d excuse me, I¡¯m heading to lunch.¡± Samuel was in full swing, fully expecting Aria to argue back. But her unshakableposure only soured his mood further. ¡°Going for lunch, huh?¡± he raised his voice with deliberate emphasis. ¡°Funny coincidence! I¡¯m having lunch with Professor Gn today.¡± ¡°The Stars Group wants to invite Professor Gn. I bet you¡¯re dying to meet him too. Lucky for you, I¡¯m feeling generous today-beg me nicely, and I might graciously squeeze you in,¡± Samuel teased. Aria turned and said, ¡°Please, Mr. Chilton.¡± Samuel froze, wondering why she wasn¡¯t ying by the rules. Aria countered with feigned innocence, ¡°Oh? So you can¡¯t actually make that call, Mr. Chilton? Were you just teasing me all along? I see-you don¡¯t really have the authority here.¡± Samuel snapped, ¡°Who says I can¡¯t decide? We¡¯re going right now! It¡¯s just squeezing you in. Adrian and I go way back¡ªhe won¡¯t make a fuss about it.¡± Aria chuckled. ¡°Mr. Chilton, you certainly are popr around here.¡± Samuel¡¯s lips curled upward as he gave a derisive snort. ¡°I¡¯ve been at Mandino for nearly thirty years-there¡¯s not a soul here I don¡¯t know.¡± Aria smiled lightly and added, ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Chilton for you.¡± Samuel¡¯s students stood rooted to the spot, watching as the two walked away together. They exchanged nces, each silently wondering what had just happened. One of the students whispered, ¡°Our professor is so naive!¡± Another one said, ¡°Stop pretending! Don¡¯t tell me you guys don¡¯t butter up the professor all the time either.¡± Someone else said, ¡°Look who¡¯s talking!¡± The students exchanged knowing nces before bursting intoughter. When Samuel led Aria into the private dining room, they found Adrian already there, apanied by a young male tudent. Again Marriage 568 He was his star prot¨¦g¨¦-a PhD candidate at Mandino University. Adrian was visibly taken aback when he saw Aria. Samuel quickly made the introduction. ¡°Professor Gn, this is Aria Saxon. She¡¯s a faculty member in pharmaceutical analysis and a shareholder of the Stars Group.¡± He added, ¡°She¡¯d like to invite you to join the quantum superbrain project.¡± Adrian¡¯s student greeted Aria politely, ¡°Good afternoon, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria nodded politely. ¡°Hello, n.¡± She knew his first name without hesitation-clearly, she was already familiar with his full name. n Gilbert was taken aback, then it hit him. ¡®She must know the professor¡¯s team well because of the Stars Group project- that¡¯s how she recognizes me! Adrian immediately understood and frowned. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you should know I never coborate withmercial entities. Don¡¯t waste your time.¡± Samuel shot Aria a nce, raising an eyebrow as if to say, ¡°See? I told you he never works with corporations.¡± Aria didn¡¯t catch Samuel¡¯s look. With a genuine smile, she said, ¡°Professor Gn, your team¡¯s pioneering work in brain- inspiredputing is truly remarkable-you¡¯re among the best in the country. The Stars Group did initially consider extending an invitation.¡± She then said, ¡°But once the Stars Group learned about your principles, they decided not to pursue it any further.¡± Samuel cut in with a mocking smirk, ¡°You gave up so easily? Didn¡¯t even try to persuade him?¡± ¡°The Stars Group values mutualmitment,¡± Aria said. Adrian¡¯s impression of Aria improved slightly at these words. After sitting down, Aria spoke up, ¡°Professor Gn, there¡¯s a question about brain-inspiredputing that¡¯s been puzzling me. May I ask for your insight?¡± Adrian frowned. ¡°You¡¯re a professor in pharmacy-how did you get intoputer science research?¡± Aria replied candidly, ¡°Just out of curiosity. I like to dabble in various fields.¡± As a member of the Solemnity Guild, she had to be a jack-of-all-trades-coding was just one of the many skills required. Adrian had always disliked people who weren¡¯t single-minded. Hearing this, his frown deepened, but out of courtesy, he still asked, ¡°What¡¯s your question?¡± Aria posed a question about brain-inspiredputing. ¡°How significant do you think this type of hardware optimization is for algorithm design?¡± Adrian initially thought it was a simple question and was about to let n answer. But as he listened, his expression gradually turned serious-clearly, this was more challenging than he had expected. n was also deep in thought, but couldn¡¯te up with an immediate answer. Adrian pondered for a moment before providing his expert perspective. Aria asked a few more questions. Adrian had n answer them, asionally interjecting with additional insights. Aria smiled gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Professor Gn, and thank you too, n.¡± Adrian said, ¡°No worries. Did you start researching this area for the Stars Group?¡± Aria said, ¡°I studied it for a few years as a child, though I was never particrly good. Only picked it back up a few months ago.¡± Adrian wondered, ¡®She studied it for a few years as a child, though she was never particrly good¡­ ¡®Aria Saxon is a natural in this field. At just twenty-three, her talent is undeniable: Adrian studied her with a newfound respect, his gaze lingering thoughtfully. n¡¯s expression kept changing. After a moment¡¯s thought, he took out his phone. ¡°Ms. Saxon, shall we exchange contacts? That way, if you have any further questions, we can discuss them together.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Sure. Thank you, n,¡± Samuel waspletely lost in their technical discussion, but he could tell that Adrian was starting to warm up to Aria. Samuel thought to himself, This girl is really something. Pharmacy andputer science have nothing inmon-how on earth did she manage to master both at the same time?¡¯ As the food arrived, afortable silence settled over the table. After finishing his academic discussion with Adrian, Samuel turned to Aria with a smug grin and said, ¡°My gship project just got approved-it¡¯s every bit as impressive as the smart pharmacy quality control system.¡± Aria nodded with a smile. ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Chilton-you¡¯ve always been exceptional,¡± she said. ttered by Aria¡¯s praise, Samuel was in such high spirits that he stopped picking on her for quite some time. Again Marriage 569 At the military hospital, a group of specialists surrounded Tristan¡¯s hospital bed, voices ovepping as they engaged in a heated debate about the imnted chip. One of the specialists said, ¡°The chip is too deeply embedded-a surgical extraction would be far too risky, especially with its self-destruct mechanism.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t remove it,¡± another specialist countered, ¡°who can guarantee it won¡¯t activate unexpectedly?¡± ¡°We need to remove it as soon as possible-the longer we wait, the greater the risk,¡± the specialist urged. Tristan pressed his temples, irritated by themotion, and said calmly, ¡°If you can¡¯t remove it, so be it. Those cowards wouldn¡¯t dare kidnap me again anyway.¡± Fiy objected, ¡°Dad, that chip is a ticking time bomb-we have to remove it!¡± Gloria stood to the side, her expression grave, but refrained from intervening as the debate raged on. Just then, a soft knock sounded at the hospital room door, and it creaked open. All heads turned toward the door. Aria stood in the doorway. The ward instantly fell silent. Tristan¡¯s eyes lit up as he beamed. ¡°There you are, girl,¡± he said, his face full of warmth. Aria nodded and said, ¡°Just came to check on you.¡± Aria¡¯s gaze swept across the room as she asked, ¡°Is there a way to remove the chip yet?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Gloria replied. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ve got someone here-he¡¯s promised to help Dr. Todd get the chip out.¡± Tristan instantly realized that the person Aria was referring to was the power behind Ivy Hospital. Tristan asked, ¡°Can we trust him?¡± Aria replied, ¡°It¡¯s an eighty-percent chance.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m ready for surgery anytime.¡± The specialists immediately frowned, their faces clouded with concern. ¡°Who is the specialist you brought?¡± someone asked. ¡°Dr. Todd is a high-profile patient-we can¡¯t just let unqualified personnel operate on him.¡± Another one said, ¡°Dr. Todd¡¯s life is at stake-this is no joking matter!¡± Gloria looked at Aria with a conflicted gaze and said softly, ¡°Aria, I know you¡¯re worried about Dr. Todd, but this is too risky -we can¡¯t take any chances.¡± Aria asked bluntly, ¡°What¡¯s your sess rate?¡± If the specialists could remove the chip, there¡¯d be no need to let Flynt take the risk. One of the specialists sneered, thinking Aria was being sarcastic. ¡°Eighty-percent chance? And if something goes wrong, who¡¯ll take responsibility?¡± Of course, Aria wasn¡¯t about to hand Tristan over to Flynt that easily. She would first have Flynt disclose all the details about the chip and the surgical n, and only when she was certain it was safe would she allow the operation to proceed. But it wasn¡¯t something she could easily exin. This was a highly sensitive matter. The authorities had ordered them to keep it confidential. By avoiding any rm or alerting the targets, it would be easier to uncover evidence. Tristan cut in decisively, ¡°My body, my rules. Stop pressuring my apprentice.¡± One of the specialists looked surprised and asked, ¡°Your apprentice? She¡¯s your apprentice? Since when?¡± ¡°Twenty years ago,¡± said Tristan. The man stared in disbelief. ¡°But twenty years ago, she was only three or four years old, right?¡± Tristan scoffed with evident pride, saying, ¡°She was indeed just three or four when I started teaching her.¡± Another specialist asked, ¡°How could a three- or four-year-old learn traditional medicine when they can¡¯t even read?¡± None of them believed it. Tristan said with pride, ¡°She knew her letters back then. Even if she didn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t have stopped her from gathering herbs all over the mountains to earn money by selling them to me.¡± The moment ¡°earn money¡± was mentioned, Gloria stiffened slightly, her expression flickering with a subtle change. Just as someone was about to object, Tristan cut him off. ¡°What, do I need your approval to take on an apprentice?¡± The man hurriedly apologized, ¡°Dr. Todd, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Tristan sighed. ¡°I know you all mean well. Rest assured, I¡¯m confident about this.¡± Again Marriage 570 An elder specialist interjected at just the right moment. ¡°Considering that Aria Saxon became a professor at Kerano Global Health at such a young age, it¡¯s hardly surprising she began learning traditional medicine at three or four. After all, this is between master and apprentice. We outsiders shouldn¡¯t interfere.¡± In the end, the specialists departed. Fiy bowed solemnly to Aria. ¡°Aria, I can¡¯t thank you enough for saving my father. If it weren¡¯t for you, we might never have known he was still alive.¡± Gloria,st to leave and standing near the door, overheard those words. Gloria paused mid-step, Tristan¡¯s words churning in her mind like a raging storm. There was still so much about Aria they didn¡¯t know. She was a mystery to them. Beyond what happened in Jamn, no one knew anything about Aria¡¯s past. Where had she been during those ten years? Back in her office, Gloria instinctively reached for her phone to contact the Saxon family¡¯s second branch, but her finger hovered over the contact-she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to press it. Aria had severed all ties with the Saxon family long ago. Gloria sighed and rubbed her throbbing temples. Aria exined Flynt¡¯s situation to Tristan and said, ¡°I¡¯ll personally supervise the whole process.¡± Tristan smiled calmly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve lived a full life-if it¡¯s my time, then it¡¯s my time.¡± ¡°Dr. Todd, you¡¯ll live to be a hundred,¡± Aria said with a gentle smile. After their conversation, Aria prepared to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll visit again another day. Goodbye, my second master.¡± ¡°What did you just call me?¡± Tristan froze for a moment. Aria smiled faintly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say I was your apprentice?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t suppress a grin. Then, with a teasing tone, he asked, ¡°Why am I your second master? Do you have a first master somewhere?¡± Aria nodded, ¡°Yeah.¡± Tristan said, ¡°Wait a minute, didn¡¯t I meet you before your so-called first master did?¡± That was true. Aria nodded. Tristan insisted, ¡°Then I should be your first master, and he¡¯s the second.¡± Aria imagined, ¡®Mr. Smith¡¯s been my master for so many years-if another master suddenly showed up and tried to take his ce, he¡¯d probably go ballistic. Aria smiled yfully at the thought. ¡°You are my second master,¡± she said. ¡°I haven¡¯t formally paid my respects to you yet.¡± ??? ??? Aria hesitated and then said, ¡°Well¡­ he¡¯s older.¡± Tristan had to give in with a gentle smile. ¡°Being your second master works for me. Head back now, and stay safe on your way home.¡± ¡°Alright, goodbye, Dr. Todd,¡± she said. ¡°See you,¡± Tristan said. On the road, Aria dialed Flynt¡¯s number. The call connected almost instantly, and Flynt¡¯s voice came through with a warm chuckle. ¡°Ms. Saxon¡­ Without taking her eyes off the road, Aria said calmly, ¡°The surgery can be scheduled for the week after next.¡± Flynt agreed right away, ¡°No problem.¡± Aria said, ¡°I needplete documentation on this chip, plus a detailed surgical n.¡± ¡°The chip is part of our ssified research-we can¡¯t disclose details to outsiders.¡± He paused, then lowered his voice conspiratorially. ¡°But¡­ if you join us, Ms. Saxon, we¡¯ll grant you full ess to all our core technologies.¡± Aria said, ¡°All I need is information about the chip in Dr. Todd¡¯s abdomen. I have no interest in anything else. I need to make sure you¡¯re not taking this opportunity to harm anyone, Mr. Hartley. You should understand that.¡± Flynt suddenly chuckled. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re being overly cautious. Tristan Todd¡¯s getting old-his memory¡¯s slipping, and his research days are behind him. Honestly, you¡¯re the one we truly want. It wouldn¡¯t benefit us to make an enemy of you.¡± ¡°Besides¡­¡± he murmured softly, ¡°you¡¯ll be right there during the surgery. If anything seems off, you can just end me on the spot.¡± Aria said coldly, ¡°If we can¡¯t talk, I won¡¯t waste my time.¡± She would never risk Tristan¡¯s life. Flynt chuckled. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you really don¡¯t cut me any ck, do you?¡± The line went quiet for a few seconds before Flynt finally relented. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll meet you in person-but youe alone. Not even him.¡± Aria knew Flynt was referring to Owen. Aria asked, her tone icy, ¡°When?¡± ¡°Next Tuesday afternoon.¡± Flynt said. sounding well-prepared. ¡°You happen to be free then.¡± Again Marriage 571 As Aria turned a corner, she spotted a crowd gathered ahead. She instantly recognized Emma standing beside the luxury car. Aria pulled over to the curb, stepped out of her car, and strode straight toward the crowd. In the center of the crowd, an old man was sprawled in front of the car, wailing dramatically on the ground, ¡°Help! My leg is broken!¡± The old man¡¯s son pointed at Emma and shouted furiously, ¡°Hit-and-run? Look what you¡¯ve done to my damn father! Pay up now! I need to take him to the hospital!¡± The chauffeur blocked Emma¡¯s path and snapped, ¡°Bullshit! Our car never even touched him-he dashed out and flopped down on purpose!¡± Emma, fuming, snapped, ¡°You dare try this scam on me? Listen here-I¡¯d rather burn my cash than give a single cent to parasites like you!¡± The onlookers began murmuring among themselves. One of the bystanders muttered, ¡°Damn, that car must cost over a million! Why not just give ¡¯em a few grand to settle this¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give in! Call the cops on these scammers-we can¡¯t let this kind of shady behavior slide,¡± another bystander said, shaking his head. Emma nodded firmly and whipped out her phone. ¡°Damn right. I¡¯m calling the police.¡± Seeing this, the middle-aged man¡¯s face twisted in rage. He roughly shoved the chauffeur aside and lunged at Emma, bellowing, ¡°Who the hell do you think you¡¯re scaring, bitch?¡± Just as his hand was about to reach Emma, a powerful hand suddenly seized the back of his cor and yanked him violently backward. The middle-aged man let out a startled yelp as he stumbled backward, nearly losing his bnce. Still cursing in rage, he whirled around-only to find himself staring into Aria¡¯s ice-cold eyes. One look and the middle-aged man knew-this one was loaded too. He instantly threw himself to the ground, wailing dramatically, ¡°This is outrageous! The rich are trampling all over usmon folk!¡± The old man nearby yed along, clutching his leg and wailing dramatically, ¡°Ouch! My leg hurts so much¡­¡± Aria shot the two a cold look and said coolly, ¡°Do you have any idea who thisdy is?¡± The middle-aged man sneered inwardly, ¡®Just another rich bitch-that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m after.¡¯ Aria shot him a knowing look and continued coolly, ¡°I know exactly what you¡¯re after. Sure, she¡¯s wealthy-but that¡¯s not the point here-¡± She paused, then delivered the knockout punch. ¡°Her son is Owen Shaw-a topwyer in the city.¡± Someone in the crowd gasped, ¡°Owen Shaw? No way! I know him-he¡¯s that undefeated topwyer who¡¯s helped countless people!¡± When it came to Owen¡¯s legal fees, there was no middle ground-they were either sky-high or dirt cheap. His clients ranged from corporate CEOs to workers fighting for unpaid wages. His fees ranged from Seacrest Law Firm¡¯s official rates all the way down to just a few dozen dors, or sometimes just a meal, or even a simple coffee. Following his lead, mostwyers at Seacrest Law Firm adopted this practice, and the firm¡¯s reputation quickly soared. However, Seacrest Law Firm maintained a rigorous screening process-they didn¡¯t just take on any case. Upon learning that the victim was Owen¡¯s mother, the crowd immediately turned on the two scumbags lying on the ground, hurling insults at them. A bystander shouted, ¡°Sue them! Throw the book at them!¡± Aria smiled faintly and said, ¡°Just let them keep lying there. Think about the lost wages, emotional damages, and all the losses from the traffic congestion¡­ ¡°All things considered, they¡¯re looking at two to three years behind bars. ¡°Prison isn¡¯t so bad,¡± she added. ¡°Three meals and a roof over your head-all expenses paid.¡± The crowd chimed in, ¡°Just saw on the news two days ago¡ªa scammer got two years in prison!¡± ¡°Extortion carries an even heavier sentence!¡± a bystander chimed in. ¡°If Mr. Shaw takes this case, those two are definitely going to jail-there¡¯s no way they¡¯re getting out in less than three to five years!¡± a man chimed in. The middle-aged scammer¡¯s face paled. He scrambled up from the ground, yanked the old man to his feet, and snapped, ¡°Screw this! I¡¯m done wasting my time on you people!¡± With that, he slunk away, pushing his way through the crowd like a beaten dog. Again Marriage 572 The crowd dispersed. Emma¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at Aria. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re amazing! We wouldn¡¯t have sorted this out so quickly without you.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Calling the police would have worked too.¡± ¡°But it would¡¯ve been a waste of time. Thanks anyway.¡± Emma looped her arm through Aria¡¯s like close friends. ¡°Our housekeeper made plenty of stewed beef. I already sent some to Cloe, so the rest is for you guys.¡± ¡°Let Owen cook,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing that boy¡¯s been getting better at, it¡¯s his cooking.¡± Before Aria could reply, Emma was already heading toward her parked car. ¡°Perfect timing-I¡¯ll ride with you to Mayen Garden,¡± she said cheerfully. Seeing this, the chauffeur immediately returned to his car and trailed behind Aria¡¯s vehicle at a steady pace. Emma had timed her visit to coincide with Owen getting off work, but got dyed by ten minutes on the way, so she was running a bitte. She¡¯d texted ahead, so Owen had already prepped all the ingredients-now they just needed the beef. Seeing his mom, Emma, and Aria together, Owen paused in surprise for half a second before breaking into a warm smile. ¡°Mom, Aria, why don¡¯t you two rx for a while? I¡¯ll go stew the beef.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead then.¡± Emma shot Owen a nce, then beamed at Aria. ¡°Aria, let¡¯s leave it to him. We can just rx.¡± Aria nced back at him. Owen¡¯s eyes crinkled with a smile as he said, ¡°Since they¡¯re not far, let¡¯s have Lily and Derek join us for dinner.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Aria nodded and walked out with Emma. Hearing Owen and Aria banter like an old married couple, Emma couldn¡¯t help but smile. Arriving at Aria¡¯s duplex apartment, Emma paused in surprise when she spotted an unfamiliar man in the living room. Today, E was off and went to the hospital. Rhett had two sses that ended right at 5:30. Rhett had just finished packing up and was about to head out when he bumped into Aria and Emma. ¡°Mrs. Shaw, this is Pearl¡¯s tutor,¡± Aria said. ¡°Ah, the tutor!¡± Emma secretly breathed a sigh of relief for Owen. ¡°My, what a handsome young man. Do you have a girlfriend?¡± Rhett smiled and replied, ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Emma¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Are you leaving already? Why not stay for dinner?¡± Rhett said, ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Shaw. My girlfriend¡¯s waiting for me, so maybe next time, dinner¡¯s on me.¡± Rhett had onlye over for dinner once before he ran into the girl he liked. He¡¯d been wooing her for months, and they¡¯d only just started dating not long ago. +4 70 Emma nodded. ¡°Your girlfriendes first-go on, don¡¯t keep her waiting.¡± At half past six, Derek showed up with Arthur and Lily in tow. Aria only mentioned dinner, never saying there¡¯d be anyone else. So as soon as Derek walked in, he blurted out, ¡°Owen, you rock! I¡¯m cool with you being together with Aria now¡­¡± An awkward silence suddenly fell. Derek froze, his face flushing. ¡°What¡­¡± Derek pursed his lips, then forced a sheepishugh. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were here, Mrs. Shaw! My bad.¡± Emma chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re family here, no need to be formal. I know all about it.¡± Emma thought, ¡®So they¡¯re together after all.¡¯ Arthur looked from Aria to Owen as he emerged from the kitchen. Owen stepped out of the kitchen in casual clothes and an apron, shing them a warm smile. ¡°Alright, everyone, wash your hands-dinner¡¯s ready!¡± Arthur wondered, ¡®He¡¯s nothing like I pictured him. ¡®Still, only someone like him could properly care for Ms. Saxon in daily life.¡± ¡°They¡¯re a perfect match. **** While rxing after her shower, Aria told Owen about meeting with Flynt to talk about the chip. Owen wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you next Tuesday,¡± he said. He added gently, ¡°I won¡¯t go in-I¡¯ll just wait for you outside.¡± No surprise there-Flynt would never let him in on that chip talk. Though Owen didn¡¯t know what Flynt was after, he trusted Aria to handle it. ¡°Okay,¡± Aria murmured, feeling safe in his arms. Just as Aria closed her eyes, she felt the gentle warmth of Owen¡¯s lips brush against her eyelids. ¡°Madelyn, it¡¯s only ten. Going to sleep already?¡± Owen murmured. Again Marriage 573 Aria opened her eyes to meet Owen¡¯s gaze with desire. She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Want me now?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve been wanting you all week.¡± Owen nuzzled into the crook of her neck. Aria reached out and gently ran her fingers through his hair. Owen turned Aria to face him, his heated body pressing close against hers. He pressed a lingering kiss to her lips, then trailed his mouth down to the sensitive spot behind her ear, continuing lower. Not just kisses-Owen¡¯s teeth grazed her skin with possessive nips. Unlike before, he was unusually intense today. Strange, tingling sensations kept building inside her, each wave bringing a delicious, shivery itch. Aria instinctively gripped his hair. ¡°Owen,¡± she murmured, ¡°you¡¯re being too rough. Don¡¯t leave marks-I have ss tomorrow.¡± ¡°You got it wrong,¡± he chuckled softly. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s Saturday-no.sses.¡± He cupped the back of her head, shifting his body upward until they were face to face. Looking into her eyes, he murmured, ¡°Trust me.¡± Aria didn¡¯t feel pain-just something odd. But at that moment, she found him irresistibly alluring. His eyes, zed with passion and tinged with a delicate flush, were both bewitching and beautiful, burning with anticipation, radiating an almost palpable heat. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Half-awake, Aria was fed half a ss of water. She opened her eyes, her voice a little hoarse. ¡°That night you stayed upte- was it really just for binge-watching shows?¡± He had changed so much, from a gentleman to a wild beast in bed. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®Did he watch something¡­inappropriate that night?¡¯ Owen set down the ss with a smirk. ¡°I was studying that night.¡± Owen¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t any better than Aria¡¯s. Owen leaned in close again, his voice low and husky. ¡°Madelyn, one more time¡­¡± Owen was the one who set things in motion, but it was Aria who couldn¡¯t hold back. She wanted to take the reins this time. The first light of dawn crept in. She was exhausted and starving.. Owen whipped up a simple breakfast. After they ate and freshened up, Aria was out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow. Owen gently stroked her hair. ¡°You really never back down, do you?¡± If he hadn¡¯t called it off for fear of wearing her out, they might still be at it now. Without even opening her eyes, Aria drowsily mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re the one who started picking up all those naughty tricks first.¡± Owen pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck and whispered, ¡°My bad. Get some sleep.¡± As Owen lifted Aria¡¯s clothes, she opened her eyes and teased, ¡°You still have the stamina for this?¡± Owen paused for a moment. ¡°Just applying some ointment-it¡¯ll help you recover faster,¡± he replied. Aria sat up and said, ¡°Let me apply the ointment on you first.¡± After a moment of hesitation, Owen finally nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± ***** Aria didn¡¯t wake up until noon. Owen was still sound asleep beside her. He looked even more exhausted than she did. Aria picked up her phone and saw a missed call from Vanessa.. She got up and headed to the bathroom. She had meant to text, but her arms were too sore to type, so she decided that calling was easier. Sobbing, Vanessa blurted out, ¡°Aria, what took you so long to answer? I¡¯m in big trouble¡ªI identally slept with a guy. And not just any guy¡­ it was my ex! Now he¡¯s demanding I take responsibility, or he¡¯ll leak it to the press.¡± ¡°So, what are you¡­¡± Aria¡¯s voice trailed off as she realized how hoarse she sounded. But Vanessa had already caught on. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Vanessa snorted, ¡°you guys are still at it at this hour?¡± Aria remained silent. Vanessa pressed, ¡°At this hour, you and Owen aren¡¯t still going at it, are you? I thought older guys weren¡¯t supposed to have that much stamina. He¡¯s quite the performer, huh? Aria pressed her temples and groaned, ¡°Vanessa, enough already.¡± Vanessa tutted teasingly. ¡°That voice of yours¡­ you two must¡¯ve gone at it pretty hard.¡± Aria was speechless again. There was a knock at the door. Vanessa sighed, ¡°Fine, go get some rest. I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡± Vanessa reverted to her haughty self and yanked the door open with a scowl. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I¡¯d give you an answer tomorrow?¡± she snapped. ¡°Why are you banging on my door?¡± Again Marriage 574 The silver-haired young man had striking, chiseled features and sharp, upturned eyes that radiated intensity. A skull-shaped earring dangled from his earlobe, and his whole demeanor screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me.¡± He stared at Vanessa for a long moment. ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? Didn¡¯t I satisfy you? Or are you just nning to screw me and forget me?¡± Vanessa crossed her arms and snorted coldly. ¡°You didn¡¯tst long at all. Color me unimpressed.¡± ¡°Holy shit, Vanessa, you¡¯re so dead!¡± He shoved Vanessa inside, mmed the door shut, and locked it. Pinning her arms, he hauled her toward the bed and growled, ¡°If you can still walk out of this bed today, I¡¯ll call you Daddy for the rest of my life.¡± Vanessa snapped, ¡°Get the hell out!¡± Vanessa grabbed him by the throat, but he seized her wrists, forced them behind her back, and bound them. He ripped off his shirt right in front of her, then began tearing at her clothes. Little did Aria know that a single phone call would make Vanessa start criticizing her bed partner, only for it to backfire spectacrly on her. After freshening up, Aria stepped out to find Owen leaning casually against the wall. Owen approached her, his voice low and husky. ¡°Feeling sore anywhere?¡± Aria shot him a look. ¡°Everywhere hurts.¡± Owen said, ¡°I¡¯ve ordered food. I¡¯ll go wash up first, and after we eat, I¡¯ll give you a massage.¡± He knew he should¡¯ve done it right after, but honestly, he was too exhausted himself. Aria nodded. ¡°Sounds good.¡± After a half-hour post-meal rest, Aria lounged on the recliner like a pampered queen while Owen massaged her shoulders and hands, utterly blissful. Her phone buzzed with a notification. Vanessa: [God, I¡¯m absolutely wrecked¡­] Ar¨ªa chuckled and typed: [What happened?] Vanessa: [I¡¯mpletely wiped out. Call me instead-too tired to text.] Aria: [Owen¡¯s here.] Vanessa: [Holy shit! Are you two still going at it?] Aria: [Don¡¯t get the wrong idea-he¡¯s just giving me a massage.] Vanessa: [Does he always give you a massage after¡­ you know?] Aria texted back: [Yeah.] Vanessa: [OMG! Babe, I¡¯m dying of envy!] ¡®Owen¡¯s giving my bestie a massage, while the guy next to me is out cold, snoring away. Ugh,parison really hurts,¡¯ Vanessa thought bitterly. Fuming, Vanessa turned around and, despite her soreness, drew up her knee to kick the guy right off the bed. Bare-assed, Zac Atwell crashed onto the floor and ended up rolling over in a tangle. Zac yelped, clutching his sore butt as he knelt on the floor. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you now?¡± he demanded. Vanessa gritted her teeth. ¡°You always just pass out after we¡¯re done!¡± Zac looked utterly confused, his gaze drifting to Vanessa¡¯s phone. He¡¯d always known Vanessa was a bit of a tsundere-she¡¯d never say what she really meant, so it was always up to him to figure her out. The differences between how men and women thought were just too vast-sometimes, he genuinely couldn¡¯t figure her out. Thest thing he wanted was to get dumped again. Throwing all sense of decency out the window, Zac sprang to his feet and, in one swift motion, lunged forward to snatch her phone right out of her hand. Vanessa shrieked, ¡°Hey! Give it back!¡± Zac darted away and immediately started scrolling through the chat history on her phone. Vanessa had already leapt out of bed. She snatched the phone back from him and gave him a light smack. She was too worn out to put any real force behind it-more of a love tap than anything. Zac chuckled. ¡°Seriously, if you wanted a massage, you could¡¯ve just asked instead of kicking me out of bed.¡± Vanessa snorted. ¡°Who needs your massage? There are plenty of guys lining up to give me one.¡± Zac sighed helplessly. ¡°Get dressed, and I¡¯ll give you a massage.¡± He added softly, ¡°From now on, you¡¯re the only one I¡¯ll ever massage.¡± Vanessa let out a cold snort, though her mood had clearly improved. She then said, ¡°You said at noon that if I could get out of bed today, you¡¯d call me Daddy. Good boy, now call me Daddy and let me hear it.¡± Zac was utterly speechless. **** ¡°Babe?¡± Owen read from the phone screen. His hands massaging her waist, he leaned in closer and asked, ¡°Does Vanessa always call you that?¡± Aria turned her head to look at him, a yful smile on her lips. ¡°Not always. Why do you ask?¡± Owen leaned down and kissed her cheek. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never called you ¡®babe¡¯ like that.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re the only one who gets to be this close to me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Aria teased. Owen beamed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± He thought, ¡®Vanessa knew her first, so it¡¯s okay!¡¯ Again Marriage 575 Owen was lounging on the sofa, watching the news, while Aria sat at her desk, reading a book and debugging code on herputer at the same time. Whenever she hit a snag, she¡¯d just ask n. n was exining things to her when he unexpectedly got stuck himself. n: [Ms. Saxon, could you take a look at this for me? I just can¡¯t get the fidelity up to the theoretical value.] After looking into it for a bit, Aria messaged: [Try a new algorithm. I¡¯ll send it to you.] They messaged back and forth for half an hour. n: [Ms. Saxon, your problem-solving approach is quite ingenious.] Aria smiled. [A fresh perspective never hurts.] At five o¡¯clock, Owen set down his book and walked over to the desk. His eyes swept over the code-filled screen before lingering on her fingers. ¡°How much longer till you¡¯re done?¡± he asked. Without looking up, Aria¡¯s fingers flew across the keyboard. ¡°Almost done,¡± she murmured. A few minutester, she finally closed herptop. Just as she was about to stretch her aching fingers, Owen¡¯s hand gently covered hers. ¡°Let me help,¡± he offered softly. His hands wererger than hers, with well-defined knuckles. They applied just the right amount of pressure. Aria smiled and teased, ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve got magic fingers. Did you train for this?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Yep, took it as an elective in college.¡± His roommate had actually signed him up for the ss by mistake. Back then, he didn¡¯t think it would evere in handy. Now it was finallying in handy. His fingers gently worked over Aria¡¯s, the ache in her fingertips slowly melting away under his touch. Aria smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got some pretty good technique.¡± Every time he massaged her, she¡¯d feel so rxed she could just drift off. Owen¡¯s gaze darkened slightly as he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper. ¡°I¡¯ve got even better skills- care to try?¡± His gaze was just too suggestive, and Aria¡¯s mind went straight to the gutter. She shot him a strange look and teased, ¡°Don¡¯t you ever get tired?¡± Owen chuckled and gave her nose a yful tap, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind? I meant massaging other spots.¡± ¡°You already gave me a massage at lunch,¡± Aria said, averting her gaze with a slight blush. Owen said softly, ¡°You¡¯ve got teaching tomorrow. One massage session won¡¯t be enough.¡± Owen kept massaging for another half hour. ¡°What would you like for dinner? I¡¯ll whip something up,¡± he asked. Aria thought for a while. ¡°Something light-just an omelet would be fine.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± ***** When it was Tuesday, Aria texted Flynt: [Location.] Flynt replied almost instantly with a location pin: [The building next door. Room 1 on the 13th floor.] Aria texted Owen with the location pin: [I¡¯m heading there directly. It won¡¯t take long.] Reviewing case files, Owen frowned slightly and quickly replied: [Got it. Stay safe.] Owen closed the case files, stood up, and decided to head out early. Just as Lydia and Mason entered the lobby, they both froze for a moment when they spotted Owen. ¡°Mr. Shaw?¡± Mason asked in surprise. ¡°Calling it a day already?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Owen replied. ¡°All done with work.¡± Lydia cheerfully greeted him, ¡°Owen, thepany I¡¯m interning at has settled out of court-nowsuit needed anymore.¡± Her eyes lit up as she looked at Owen, but then, remembering something, her eyes dimmed, and she quicklyposed herself. ¡°Congrattions on the settlement. I¡¯ll leave you two to your work.¡± Owen gave a brief nod in acknowledgment before striding off. Lydia watched his retreating figure, her heart heavy with an aching bitterness. She thought to herself, ¡®If Owen weren¡¯t already taken, I might still have a shot. But he¡¯s already with Aria. If I keep going after him knowing he¡¯s taken, I¡¯d just be the other woman. Lydia knew she waspletely out of the game. All she could do was slowly let go. ***** Aria made her way to the thirteenth floor of the adjacent building and rang the doorbell. O Again Marriage 576 As the door opened, she was met with a gaunt, sickly face. Flynt¡¯s once shoulder-length blond hair was now cut short in soft waves, softening his features. But his lips were deathly pale, and he exuded an air of fragility. If this hadn¡¯t been his home, Aria wouldn¡¯t have recognized him if they¡¯d bumped into each other on the street. Flynt stepped aside, gesturing inward. ¡°Ms. Saxon, pleasee in.¡± Aria stepped inside, her expression unchanged. The curtains were drawn tight, leaving the living roompletely unlit. Aria quickly scanned the room by the faint hallway light, spotted the light switch, and walked toward it. Suddenly, Flynt seized her wrist. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯m photosensitive-please keep the lights off.¡± The spot where he gripped her wrist felt burning hot. Aria withdrew her hand coolly. ¡°Understood. Release me.¡± Flynt released his grip. Aria walked over and took a seat. ¡°Show me the chip data,¡± she said. Flynt settled into the seat across from her with a wry chuckle. ¡°Ms. Saxon, not even a shred of concern for strangers, huh?¡± Most people, seeing him in that condition, would have at least asked if he was alright. But she simply ignored him. ¡®How hurtful,¡¯ Flynt thought. Aria looked up coolly. ¡°We¡¯re not on those terms for small talk, Mr. Hartley. Let¡¯s not waste time.¡± ¡°As you wish, Ms. Saxon,¡± Flynt said, taking out his phone, pulling up the file, and handing it to her. Aria took the phone, her fingertips gliding across the screen. The screen¡¯s glow illuminated her face. Her longshes cast a shadow over her eyes, softening the usual chill in her gaze and lending her features a sense of unexpectedly gentle innocence. Aria looked up. ¡°What are you staring at?¡± As she looked up, the chill in her gaze deepened. Flynt smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you look familiar. Maybe we¡¯ve met somewhere before.¡± Aria scoffed, ¡°Mr. Hartley, resorting to such cheesy pickup lines just for your pathetic experiment?¡± Flynt said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re not like most people-I¡¯ve got to try every trick in the book, just in case one works.¡± Ignoring his gaze, Aria kept scrolling through the documents. Flynt added reassuringly, ¡°Ms. Saxon, no need to worry. The chip in Tristan Todd¡¯s abdomen is the original prototype- nowhere near as advanced as the current models. The surgery has a 100% sess rate.¡± chip imnted in Tristan¡¯s abdomen. spo?¨ªaca to the specific With this data,bined with the intel she¡¯d gathered, Aria could prevent the self-destruct mechanism-even if it was triggered. Without a word, she finished reviewing the information on her phone and set it back on the table. ¡°When is the surgery scheduled?¡± ¡°Up to you,¡± Flynt said. ¡°Anytime after a week works.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Aria rose and turned to leave. Flynt rose and followed her, calling out, ¡°Ms. Saxon¡­¡± just as she stepped through the doorway. Aria paused and turned her head slightly. ¡°Anything else?¡± Flynt¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I trust you won¡¯t leak the data on this chip, Ms. Saxon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it, Mr. Hartley. I don¡¯t have that kind of memory,¡± Aria said coolly. ¡°Goodbye, Ms. Saxon,¡± Flynt said. Watching Aria¡¯s figure disappear around the corner, Flynt pursed his lips. He turned abruptly and strode into the living room. flipping on the lights. He stood frozen in ce. After a long moment, a faint, self-deprecatingugh escaped Flynt¡¯s lips in the empty living room. As Aria stepped out of the lobby, she caught sight of Owen¡¯s car pulling up outside. Aria walked over and asked with a hint of surprise, ¡°You¡¯re off work this early today?¡± ¡°Finished up my work,¡± Owen said as he shut the car door. ¡°Did he give you any trouble?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°No. Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Owen smiled. As soon as they got home, Aria went straight to the study, turned on herputer, and started typing away. The document kept filling up with text, and she even sketched out several diagrams. Once she was done, Aria sent out the files. The surgery was scheduled forte November. Again Marriage 577 That day, Flynt waited in the parking lot. Seeing Aria and Owen walking side by side, Flynt approached Aria and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯m not familiar with the roads around here. Could you give me a ride?¡± Owen said, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent the location to you ahead of time, Mr. Hartley.¡± ¡°My chauffeur¡¯s not avable.¡± Flynt shot a nce at Owen, then quickly turned his attention back to Aria. ¡°I don¡¯t have a Huthailian driver¡¯s license.¡± Before Flynt could say more, Owen strode forward, cutting him off, and pulled open the rear door. ¡°After you, Mr. Hartley.¡± seat. The car fell into an uneasy silence. Flynt gazed out the window and suddenly said, ¡°I met this really interesting girl named Lydia Yeager the other day. We clicked instantly and talked for ages. Turns out she knows you two as well.¡± Flynt continued, ¡°Just like me, she¡¯s a big admirer of Ms. Saxon.¡± Owen¡¯s fingers twitched slightly on the steering wheel as he exchanged a meaningful nce with Aria in the passenger seat. ¡°Really?¡± Aria said calmly. ¡°I barely know her-we¡¯ve only met twice.¡± Flynt chuckled softly. ¡°It¡¯s true, Ms. Saxon, you haven¡¯t crossed paths with her much, but¡­¡± Flynt cast a meaningful nce at Owen in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°She and Mr. Shaw go way back-you were ssmates, and from what I hear, you shared a rather special connection.¡± Owen turned the steering wheel unhurriedly. ¡°You seem to have quite the informationwork, Mr. Hartley,¡± he remarked.? ¡°Lydia and I were just ssmates. Your intel¡¯s a bit off-I¡¯d suggest you double-check your sources.¡± Flynt said with a hint of feigned innocence, ¡°Mr. Shaw, you¡¯ve got me all wrong. I never invade people¡¯s privacy.¡± ¡°Compared to kidnapping people and imnting chips in their bodies¡­¡± Owen gave a dry chuckle. ¡°A little invasion of privacy is nothing, Mr. Hartley. No need to apologize.¡± Flynt leaned back in his seat, hands resting on his knees. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, Mr. Shaw. I¡¯m not exactly what you¡¯d call a good man.¡± After a brief pause, he continued, ¡°Unlike you, Mr. Shaw, I was never lucky enough to find a soulmate. With no one to keep me in check, I took some wrong turns in life.¡± Owen said, ¡°Mr. Hartley, there are plenty of remarkable women in Masmubia. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll meet someone.¡± Flynt looked up with a yful smile. ¡°I¡¯ve always had a soft spot for Huthailian girls.¡± Owen nced at the rearview mirror and said coolly, ¡°After what you¡¯ve done to Huthailia, Mr. Hartley, you don¡¯t deserve anyone from our country.¡± Flynt disagreed, ¡°You managed to save Tristan Todd before the experiment even got off the ground, so there¡¯s still time for me to make amends-if I ever meet someone worth changing for.¡± ¡°A true gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his intentions,¡± Owen said. ¡°Mr. Hartley, with your devious mind and illegal actions, you don¡¯t deserve a girl from Huthailia-let alone one from Masmubia.¡± Flynt smiled. ¡°There¡¯s an old saying in Huthailia: ¡°To recognize and correct one¡¯s mistakes is the greatest virtue.¡± Owen scoffed, ¡°Mr. Hartley, your experiments are still ongoing. How can you say that with a straight face?¡± It was the first time Aria had seen Owen go head-to-head with someone, and she listened with keen interest throughout the ride. Owen and Flynt finally called a truce upon arriving at the military hospital. A team of specialist doctors was already waiting for them in the prep room. Upon seeing the three of them, the doctors rose to their feet. Gloria eyed Flynt skeptically and asked, ¡°Is he the one performing the surgery?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria thought, ¡®He looks way too young to be reliable.¡¯ One of the specialists stepped forward and said firmly, ¡°We will be overseeing the entire procedure to guarantee absolute safety.¡± Flynt chuckled softly. ¡°Just taking out a chip. Is all this fuss necessary?¡± His Huthailian was wless. If not for his mixed-race features, one would have taken him for a true Huthailian. The senior specialist said gravely, ¡°Dr. Todd has rendered distinguished service to our nation. We must ensure this procedure is absolutely safe.¡± Flynt leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed. ¡°Too many people in the OR will just get in my way.¡± He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the group. ¡°I¡¯ll only allow one person in,¡± he dered. Again Marriage 578 Someone frowned and said, ¡°No way. We must supervise the whole process-who knows what you might do?¡± Flynt¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°If we can¡¯t agree, then I won¡¯t be doing the surgery,¡± he said coolly. ¡°The rest of you are wee to begin whenever you like.¡± Flynt said coolly, ¡°If your surgery fails, you can always me someone else. But if mine does, I might not walk out of here alive.¡± His words dripped with biting sarcasm, and the expressions of everyone present darkened instantly. The tension in the room ratcheted up several notches. Fiy frowned and looked at Aria. ¡°Madelyn, what¡¯s your take on this?¡± Aria said, ¡°We¡¯ll proceed as he requested.¡± The specialists objected. Fiy made the final call. ¡°Listen to Madelyn.¡± In the end, they had no choice but to reluctantly agree, permitting only one senior specialist to apany Flynt. Flynt shook his head decisively, cutting them off. ¡°No,¡± he said tly. ¡°The only person I trust is Aria.¡± Gloria immediately objected, ¡°Aria studied traditional medicine-she can¡¯t assist in surgery. We should send in a qualified doctor instead.¡± Flynt gave her a cool nce. ¡°This isn¡¯t a discussion-it¡¯s a notice.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go in,¡± Aria said firmly. Fiy locked eyes with Aria, then nodded. ¡°Let Madelyn go in.¡± Since Aria had spoken up, Gloria conceded reluctantly, her voice tight with disapproval. ¡°Then let her go in.¡± Although Gloria disagreed in her heart, she knew better than to judge Aria by ordinary standards. ¡®If Aria says she can handle it, then it should be fine,¡¯ Gloria thought. Aria and Flynt stood ready as Tristan was slowly wheeled into the operating room. Owen and the specialists remained behind. As soon as the operating room doors clicked shut, all eyes snapped to the monitors, scrutinizing every detail with rapt intensity. Aria¡¯s eyes swept across an additional piece of equipment in the operating room, and then she was relieved. The specialists hadpleted all the preoperative preparations. Aria and Flynt could proceed directly with the surgery. Aria deftly began administering the anesthesia. The onlookers watched with bated breath. Fortunately, Aria¡¯s movements were so practiced and precise that no one would guess she was a novice. Just as Flynt reached out, Aria, anticipating his need, ced the scalpel in his hand with practiced precision. The two worked in perfect sync, as if they¡¯d rehearsed the procedure together countless times before. The amateurs marveled at the show, while the professionals recognized the skill. In the monitoring room, the senior specialist couldn¡¯t help turning to Gloria. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she only knew traditional medicine? Her technique is on par with any trained surgeon¡¯s.¡± Gloria¡¯s expression tightened slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t really know her that well,¡± she admitted. Owen said casually, ¡°She only stayed with the Saxon family for a few months. It¡¯s only natural you wouldn¡¯t know her well.¡± Owen¡¯s words seemed like an exnation for her, but Gloria detected a hint of mockery in them. Suddenly realizing something, Gloria froze for a moment. Gloria wondered, ¡®What exactly is the rtionship between Owen and Aria? Come to think of it, Owen always seems to be around whenever I run into Aria. The surgery was sessfullypleted, with Tristan¡¯s vital signs stable. Aria let out a long breath of relief. Flynt noticed the tension leave her face, and a slight smile yed at the corners of his lips. ¡°Rx, no need to be so tense.¡± His voice was deliberately soft, carrying a hint of reassurance. ¡°He¡¯s someone you deeply respect. I would never harm him.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes shed with scorn. ¡°Save your excuses. Isn¡¯t this exactly what your people did to him?¡± Flynt¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°Had we known about your connection with him, we wouldn¡¯t have gone after him.¡± Aria remained silent, gathered the instruments, and pushed open the operating room door. Watching the sessful surgery on the monitors, the specialists werepletely relieved and headed into the operating room to handle the postoperative procedures. The senior specialist asked, ¡°Aria, have you studied modern medicine?¡± Aria took off her mask. ¡°Just the basics-I¡¯ve only dabbled a bit,¡± she said modestly. In her line of work, injuries weremon during missions, so she had to learn some basic first aid. After Aria changed into her regr clothes, Owen approached, took her hand in his, and gently squeezed it. ¡°Tired?¡± he asked softly. ¡°Not really,¡± Aria said. Flynt stepped out, catching sight of their intertwined hands. A frosty glint shed in his eyes. Again Marriage 579 Owen seemed to notice someone else¡¯s presence. His gaze shifted from Aria¡¯s face as he scanned the room. Seeing this, Flynt smiled with arched brows and looked at Aria. He said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, the surgery was a sess. I¡¯ve already transferred 1.5 million dors to the Todd School aspensation. Now, Dr. Todd and I are square.¡± Tristan had endured years of imprisonment, living under constant surveince. If his mental fortitude had been any weaker, he probably wouldn¡¯t have survived till today. Aria¡¯s expression turned frosty. ¡°Mr. Hartley, as long as you keep your distance from us, we can consider this matter settled.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s going to be a bit difficult,¡± Flynt said half-jokingly. ¡°After all, you¡¯re the reason I came to Huthailia. Owen stepped in front of Aria, his gaze turning icy as he stared Flynt down. ¡°Feel free to get lost now.¡± With his view blocked, Flynt¡¯s smile faded, a cold glint shing in his eyes. ¡°As we say in Huthailia, Mr. Shaw, this is what it means to kick down thedder.¡± Owen chuckled. ¡°Mr. Hartley, your Huthailian is quite good-you¡¯re wrong about this, though; you didn¡¯t hand us anydders. You pushed us into the water.¡± Flynt smiled. ¡°Mr. Shaw, you really live up to your reputation as awyer-always leaving people at a loss for words.¡± Owen said calmly, ¡°ttered.¡± Flynt red at Owen, his murderous intent deepening with every second. Gloria stood not far away, silently watching the tense standoff unfold. She couldn¡¯t make out their conversation, but she could tell that the man who performed Tristan¡¯s surgery was acquainted with Aria, and Owen was Aria¡¯s boyfriend. Gloria hadn¡¯t run into Aria often, but whenever she did, Owen was always by her side. As an experienced woman, it wasn¡¯t hard for her to deduce their rtionship. Meanwhile, Gloria couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something dangerous about Flynt. After work, Gloria picked up some health supplements and dropped by the Saxon family¡¯s ce. ¡°Hey, Gloria,¡± Zoe called out. Since Joseph had difficulty with the stairs, only Zoe came out to greet her. Gloria asked, ¡°How¡¯s Dad¡¯s leg doing?¡± Zoe replied, ¡°It¡¯s still the same as before-we can only manage it, not cure itpletely.¡± Aria¡¯s treatment worked wonders, but it couldn¡¯t provide a permanent cure. The Saxon family wanted to invite her for a house call to see if aplete recovery was possible, but Caleb refused right away, telling them not to bother Aria, Joseph was too proud to insist. He kept saying his leg was already much better than before and there was no need to make a fuss, so they dropped the matter. Gloria sighed inwardly, unable to pin the me on anyone. Gloria nced around. ¡°Where¡¯s Silvia? Did she go out with friends?¡± At the mention of Silvia, Zoe¡¯s expression grewplicated. ¡°She¡¯s been working for two months now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Caleb thinking, making Silvia work overtime?¡± Gloria said, automatically assuming she was at the Saxon Group. ¡°Not at the Saxon Group,¡± Zoe corrected. ¡°She¡¯s at the Stars Group.¡± Gloria blinked in surprise. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Silvia kept her job at the Stars Group a secret for a month. She¡¯d lied about starting a business with friends, but it wasn¡¯t until Zoe grew suspicious and had Logan investigate-that was when the truth finally came out. Zoe said, ¡°Silvia has been much more cheerfultely, not as gloomy as before. So we just pretend not to notice.¡± ¡°As long as she¡¯s happy, that¡¯s all that matters,¡± Gloria said as she sat down. ¡°Actually, I came today to tell you something. Aria and Owen Shaw are dating now.¡± Zoe¡¯s hand trembled slightly as she held the ss. She murmured, ¡°As long as she¡¯s happy, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Again Marriage 580 Even if Aria and Owen were to get married someday, it seemed the Saxons would have no ce in her life. Gloria looked at her and sighed again. ¡°That girl¡­ oh well. She¡¯ll never acknowledge us as family. Let¡¯s just pretend the baby mix-up never happened. Having Silvia is enough.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± Gloria hesitated, recalling the recent events at the hospital, then asked, ¡°Does Caleb have any idea where Aria was during those missing ten years?¡± Zoe shook her head. ¡°No leads at all-not a single trace. She was most likely overseas.¡± Gloria frowned. ¡°She must have suffered terribly.¡± Aria was abducted at ten. Neither of them dared to dwell on the thought any further. ** On ck Friday, to do something different, Johnny didn¡¯t make his single employees work overtime. Someone wailed, ¡°Ohe on, Mr. Oconnor, you¡¯re such a double standard!¡± A girlined, ¡°Yeah! By the time we get off work, all the restaurants will be full. I still need to have dinner with my boyfriend!¡± After sending out the notice, Johnny asked his assistant Tilda Enoch to fetch thetest mock-ups from the advertising department. When the team couldn¡¯t decide between the two versions they¡¯d created, Johnny went down personally. As soon as he arrived, the employees with significant others started protesting. Johnny snorted, ¡°Well, you can¡¯t have your cake and eat it too.¡± An employee protested, ¡°Then you can¡¯t leave either, Mr. Oconnor! You have to dy your departure by an hour.¡± Johnny put a hand on his hip and replied cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯m single, so I get to leave early.¡± The employee swept his eyes over the youngdies and teased, ¡°You all heard that, right? Mr. Oconnor is single!¡± Tilda pressed her lips together, stole a cautious nce at Johnny, then blushed and lowered her head. Johnny rolled his eyes at the employee. ¡°Quit joking around. Let me see the mock-ups.¡± A girl said, ¡°Alright, Mr. Oconnor. Which one do you want to see first?¡± As Johnny lowered his head to look over the designs, the office fell silent. ¡°Let¡¯s go with this one,¡± Johnny said, pointing to the lower left corner. ¡°I like the way this element was added.¡± The employee who heckled chuckled and looked at Silvia. ¡°That was Silvia¡¯s idea,¡± he said. Johnny nced at her with an approving look. ¡°Good work.¡± Silvia felt her cheeks flush. ¡°It was a team effort.¡± ????? Team One looked a bit deted, though they kept quiet. Tilda gave them a pep talk. ¡°We¡¯ll nail it next time!¡± Johnny waved his hand. ¡°All right, single folks-you¡¯re dismissed!¡± He was about to leave when he got a call from Aria. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ming by to check on the project. I¡¯m almost there.¡± Johnny sighed. ¡°I was literally about to clock out.¡± Aria was puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t there still an hour left?¡± ¡°Well, you know, I told the guys the single ones could leave early today, so I¡¯m included. Not everyone is in a rtionship like you,¡± Johnny grumbled. ¡°Hurry up. I¡¯ll only wait ten minutes.¡± Aria said, ¡°Just leave someone to show me around, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the advertising department.¡± With that, Johnny hung up. Someone asked, ¡°Mr. Oconnor, aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± Johnny replied, ¡°The big boss ising. I¡¯ll stick around for a bit.¡± Silvia paused mid-way through packing her things and sat back down. ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± her colleague asked. Sivia said, ¡°I¡¯ll leaveter.¡± Everyone at the Stars Group knew about the strained rtionship between Aria and Silvia. They expected Silvia to make a quick exit, but to their surprise, she stayed put. Strangely enough, not a single person in the advertising department left-the entire team remained behind. When Aria arrived, Johnny stood with his chin lifted in a smug, proud manner. Just then, someone walked right past him. Again Marriage 581 Silvia said happily, ¡°Aria, we¡¯re getting off work an hour early. Can I tag along with youter? ¡°I just got paid! Dinner¡¯s on me! ¡°Let¡¯s invite Owen too.¡± Silvia was quiet by nature and rarely spoke up at work. Yet now, to everyone¡¯s surprise, those present could hear a hint of coyness in her voice. Johnny crossed his arms, looking utterly shocked. Not shocked at Silvia¡¯s coyness, but that it was directed at Aria. When did those two get so close?¡¯ he wondered. Aria nced at Silvia and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t today Uncle Luke¡¯s birthday?¡± Aria remembered Luke¡¯s birthday because it happened to coincide with her first days back at the Saxon family. Silvia smiled and said, ¡°No big deal-birthdayse every year, but this is my first time treating you all to dinner.¡± Johnny couldn¡¯t help thinking, ¡®Birthdays doe every year, but she could treat us to dinner more often than what¡¯s like never, right? What¡¯s wrong with Silvia?¡± Johnny couldn¡¯t help thinking Silvia was out of her mind. Silvia looked at Aria with an expectant look. ¡°Should I call Caleb and see if he¡¯d like toe along?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s up to you.¡± Silvia beamed. ¡°I¡¯ll just send a message in the group chat and see if everyone can make it!¡± Derek created a group chat, and it kept growing as more people joined. Johnny walked over and demanded, ¡°What group chat?¡± Aria replied casually, ¡°Just a regr one.¡± ¡°Hey, let me in too,¡± Johnny said. ¡°Sure.¡± With that, Aria sent him the invitation. Johnny entered and saw that Vanessa and Cloe were in the group chat. He protested, ¡°This is outrageous! You all joined it but didn¡¯t invite me!¡± Even Silvia had made it in, yet somehow he was the only one excluded. Honestly, Johnny hadn¡¯t even crossed anyone¡¯s mind. Aria changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯m going to swing by the project center, Go ahead and get off work.¡± In the group chat, Silvia had already posted the dinner invite. Cloe replied: [No need to book a restaurant. Juste to Amour Bistro-my treat!] Silvia: [Come on, we agreed it¡¯s my treat!] Cloe: [Then you take care of the groceries, and let¡¯s have a rooftop party at Amour Bistro!] Derek chimed in: [Count me in!] After reading the messages, Johnny put away his phone. ¡°Count me in. The three of us will head over togetherter.¡± After two months at work, Silvia had gotten used to the grueling daily grind. But whenever she faced her boss, Johnny, she couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy, her expression betraying a hint of inner conflict. Johnny nted his hands on his hips. ¡°Silvia, what¡¯s with that look? I¡¯m the one signing your paycheck. Without me, you wouldn¡¯t even have money to treat everyone to dinner. So can I join you or what?¡± Silvia, too intimidated to speak up, murmured, ¡°Okay.¡± Johnny turned to Aria and announced with a smug grin, ¡°She said yes.¡± Aria shot him a look. ¡°Stop picking on the girl and lead the way.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± he replied. Silvia said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± Johnny shot her a look. ¡°You¡¯reing with us. We¡¯ll all leave together once Aria finishes up.¡± Silvia nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± The trio departed, leaving the remaining staff exchanging bewildered nces where they stood. Tilda stared longingly at the doorway, her eyes filled with envy. She wished she could go too. ***** The rooftop party was ast-minute decision. Vanessa was out of town, so she couldn¡¯t make it. As everyone lugged bags of groceries upstairs, they found the rooftop already decked out for a party. Grills, woks, hot pot setups, all kinds of cooking gear-even a full bartending kit-everything was ready to go. Everyone bought their own ingredients-just whatever caught their fancy. It was supposed to be Silvia¡¯s treat, but in the end, everyone ended up chipping in. ¡°Aria!¡± Julia rushed over and hugged Aria¡¯s legs. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± Aria bent down and scooped her up, smiling. ¡°I missed you too, sweetheart. I got your favorite shrimp today. Let¡¯s have Owen cook them for you.¡± Owen put down the ingredients and smiled. ¡°Julia, I will make whatever your heart desires.¡± Kim sauntered over casually. ¡°Julia,¡± he said, ¡°I can cook too.¡± ¡°Your cooking is yucky! I want Owen to make it for me!¡± said Julia. Kim felt helpless. Julia nestled against Aria¡¯s shoulder and met Silvia¡¯s gaze. Again Marriage 582 Silvia gave Julia a warm smile and said, ¡°Hi, Julia! I¡¯m Silvia Saxon, but you can call me Silvia. Is there a dessert you like? I can make it for youter.¡± Julia said sweetly, ¡°Hi, Silvia! Can I have some cr¨¨me caramel, please?¡± Silvia smiled and said, ¡°Perfect, that¡¯s actually my specialty!¡± Then Julia wriggled out of Aria¡¯s arms, and Lily and Pearl led her away to y some games. Owen announced, ¡°Alright, everyone, let¡¯s get these ingredients prepped and start cooking!¡± Silvia walked up to Aria¡¯s side and said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll make dessert a bitter-let me help with dinner first.¡± Aria directed, ¡°Start by washing these vegetables.¡± Silvia hurried over. ¡°Okay!¡± Johnny watched the scene and muttered under his breath, ¡°She¡¯s like a puppy following its master¡­¡± Owen called out, ¡°Give me a hand!¡± ¡°Coming!¡± Johnny replied. Soon, Caleb arrived too. Before Caleb could even say a word to Silvia, Kim grabbed him and led him aside. With a teasing formality, he asked, ¡°Mr. Saxon, can you gut a fish?¡± Caleb hesitated. ¡°I¡­ think so? Maybe?¡± Kim grinned and said, ¡°Alright, you give it a shot.¡± Caleb picked up the knife and reached for the fish with his other hand. But in the blink of an eye, the slippery fish escaped his grasp and flopped onto the floor. He crouched down to grab it, only for the fish to wriggle away again, flopping to the other side. Owen¡¯s temple twitched as he snatched the knife from Caleb¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the fish. You two go take care of the chicken.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Caleb said. Owen nced over at Johnny, who was methodically chopping vegetables and chatting animatedly with Cloe. Seeing this, Kim left Caleb alone to deal with the chicken and squeezed himself between the two. Turning to Johnny with yful formality, he said, ¡°Mr. Oconnor, let me take over here. Why don¡¯t you go handle something else?¡± Johnny rolled his eyes and retorted, ¡°Seriously, if there was something going on between us, what¡¯s that to you?¡± Kim said with an innocent look, ¡°Mr. Oconnor, you¡¯ve got the wrong idea-I really didn¡¯t mean it that way. I¡¯m just a total newbie in the kitchen, and Cloe can show me the ropes here. Please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± Speechless, Johnny thought, ¡®What a way to y innocent! Johnny muttered under his breath as he stalked off to another corner of the rooftop. Owen looked away with a wry smile. Owen shifted his gaze to Aria. Silvia, Pearln, and Lily were all gathered around her, and even little Julia was clinging to her side. Owen withdrew his gaze, a warm smile deepening in his eyes. ¡®Yeah, this is the life I want,¡¯ he thought. At the Saxon family¡¯s ce, Luke¡¯s expression darkened as Silvia and Caleb remained conspicuously absent. Knowing where the two had gone, Zoe murmured an exnation. ¡°Caleb has an unavoidable business dinner.¡± Luke asked, ¡°And what about Silvia?¡± ¡°Silvia¡­ well, you know she¡¯s been starting a business with a friend. That friend¡¯s an orphan and had surgery today, so Silvia felt bad for her and stayed to help. She should be back around ten,¡± Zoe exined, her tone smooth and reassuring. Since this ¡°friend¡± was entirely made up, Zoe simply spun the story on the spot. She wasn¡¯t sure if Luke believed it or not. He let out a long sigh. ¡°This house is getting emptier by the day,¡± he muttered. Abigail, ever the career woman, was too swamped with work to even show up. Lincoln went abroad to see an art exhibition. Nathan also didn¡¯te back, saying he had evening sses that night. Only five people were left at the table. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gloria reassured them. ¡°Wilson will be back soon, and things will liven up around here.¡± Luke was furious. ¡°That ungrateful kid! First, he promised toe back in August, but now, he¡¯s pushed it to the end of the year. Might as well not bothering back at all!¡± Joseph shot him a re. ¡°If you keep acting like this, he¡¯ll probably storm off again the moment he arrives! All day you aplish nothing, yet your temper¡¯s even worse than mine!¡± Luke grumbled, ¡°Dad, among us four siblings, I¡¯m the one who takes after you the most.¡± Joseph was itching to scold him again. Zoe gazed out the window, unconsciously gripping her fork tighter and tighter. ¡®If only Aria were here,¡¯ she thought, ¡®this house wouldn¡¯t feel so lifeless.¡¯ Meanwhile, the rooftop of Amour Bistro was buzzing withughter. As dusk fell, the ambient lighting came alive, setting the mood. Johnny set up some speakers and was casually flipping skewers on the grill, humming a tune. Out of nowhere, he spotted a drone hovering nearby. Again Marriage 583 ¡°Holy shit! What¡¯s that?¡± Johnny¡¯s startled shout caught everyone¡¯s attention. Everyone dropped whatever they were doing and looked up. In the opposite building, the man lounged on the sofa, elbows propped on the armrests, watching the surveince feed with amused interest. The camera slowly panned, settling on Aria¡¯s head. She tilted her head up, her face unreadable, a carefully restrained chill in her eyes. Her icy gaze silently used the drone of ruining the festive atmosphere. The music stopped dead. Allughter ceased as their cheerful faces turned guarded. ¡®That¡¯s more like it. It¡¯s just a party. What¡¯s there to be so happy about?¡¯ Flynt thought. Flynt didn¡¯t get to enjoy his triumph for long. Through the camera feed, he saw Aria suddenly lunge upward with her knife, striking at the drone overhead. The screen flickered, then wentpletely dark. ¡°Too bad,¡± Flynt chuckled coldly. The drone crashed down. Johnny was about to approach it when Silvia instinctively grabbed his arm. ¡°Mr. Oconnor, what are you doing?¡± she asked, her voice tense. ¡°You go check it out,¡± Johnny said. Silvia said nervously, ¡°What if¡­ there¡¯s a bomb? That¡¯s what always happens in TV shows.¡± Johnny tensed up, staring at the fallen drone. ¡°You¡¯ve got a point,¡± he said cautiously. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a bomb,¡± Owen said curtly. Owen strode over, picked up the fallen drone, and carefully detached a small box from one of its rotor arms. Owen was about to open it when Kim, standing closest, grabbed his wrist. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what¡¯s inside and you¡¯re just going to open it?¡± Kim snatched the box from Owen and opened it. Cloe shot Kim a look, both exasperated and amused. Inside the boxy a tightly rolled banknote. Cloe recognized it immediately. ¡°It¡¯s a Torrenian note-the old currency from Torrenia, It¡¯s been out of cirction for six or seven years.¡± The drone was strange, but that banknote was even stranger. Someone asked, ¡°Who sent this? And what do they want?¡± Flynt watches the scene through his binocrs. When Aria didn¡¯t spare the banknote a single nce, Flynt¡¯s eyes turned icy cold. 19 Aria said, ¡°Let me see,¡± reaching out her hand. Owen took the banknote from Kim¡¯s hand and passed it to Aria. Aria gently rolled the banknote between her fingertips. Its edges were yellowed with age, but it was remarkably well- preserved-clearly kept with great care. Derek waspletely baffled. ¡°Is this a prank? Or did it just end up here by mistake?¡± ¡°Probably not,¡± Caleb said, shaking his head, his tone turning cold. ¡°It looks like someone¡¯s targeting Aria.¡± Going through all this trouble just to deliver a banknote via drone was a bizarre thing to do. Aria pocketed the banknote, then abruptly turned to stare at the high-rise opposite. Flynt¡¯s fingers tensed, a faint smirk ying at the corners of his lips. ¡®She¡¯s quite sharp, Flynt thought. The next moment, Aria handed the banknote to Owen, murmuring something too low for the others to hear. Owen pocketed the banknote. Flynt¡¯s smile froze, his lips pressing into a thin line. Has she really forgotten, or does she just not care¡­ Flynt wondered, frustration flickering in his eyes. Cloe picked up the drone beside her. ¡°I¡¯ll track down where this came from and find out who¡¯s behind it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Kim took the drone and said, ¡°Just keep an eye on Julia.¡± Cloe sighed. ¡°Fine then¡­¡± Luckily, they¡¯d already eaten their fill and had their fun-the strange incident didn¡¯t ruin their good mood. If that drone had shown up any earlier, it would¡¯ve totally killed the mood. They couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that someone was watching them from behind. Cloe nced at Aria, feeling slightly relieved. Soon enough, their investigation led straight to Flynt. ¡®He¡¯s just trying to get attention, Aria thought. ¡®He¡¯s not going to stir up any real trouble for now. She told everyone to ignore it. Flynt waited and waited, but no one came knocking. His patience finally wore thin. Again Marriage 584 He said to one of his subordinates, ¡°What has she been up totely?¡± ¡°Sir,¡± the subordinate reported, ¡°Ms. Saxon has been conducting research at the university.¡± Flynt asked, ¡°What kind of research is she working on?¡± The subordinate said, ¡°It¡¯s the smart pharmacy quality control system-a joint project between Heffner Hospital and Mandino University.¡± Flynt rubbed the ring on his index finger, his gaze thoughtful. ¡°Heffner Hospital¡­¡± As theb got busier, Mandy simply had Aria bring some students to lend a hand. Aria left Helen and the other two students with Mandy for the assignment. When she arrived at theputer science department, she happened upon Adrian mentoring his students. Aria waited until they finished talking, then spoke up. ¡°Professor Gn, it¡¯s been a while. You¡¯re looking younger than ever!¡± Adrian mused, ¡®Wasn¡¯t this girl supposed to be cold on the outside but warm at heart? With ttery that obvious, she doesn¡¯t seem cold at all.¡¯ Adrian nced up. ¡°Looking for n?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m here to check on theputer science team¡¯s progress.¡± Adrian, aware that Peyton was involved in the smart pharmacy quality control system project, looked over with a hint of surprise. ¡°Really? Are you nning to switch fields?¡± he joked. Aria chuckled. ¡°No. The pharmacy team has enough people. I¡¯m just here to learn something new.¡± Aria scanned the seminar room. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Mr. Maddox¡¯s students,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re in the wrong ce,¡± Adrian said, gesturing upward. ¡°Mr. Maddox¡¯s group is on the fourth floor.¡± ¡°Thank you, Professor Gn,¡± Aria said, turning to leave. ¡°Professor,¡± a student whispered, ¡°is she the career changer Ms. Saxon that n mentioned?¡± Adrian nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°She¡¯s so young!¡± another student eximed. ¡°Many of the solutions in the programming problem sets put together by n actually came from her¡­¡± Otherwise, they¡¯d have no idea how impressive Aria really was. Adrian scanned the group and said, ¡°She¡¯s from another field and is already catching up with you all. Step up your game- don¡¯t let an outsider outshine you professionals.¡± A student sighed, ¡°Their family¡¯s academic pedigree is incredible. Even Ms. Saxon¡¯s cousin switched fields for grad school-I heard he¡¯s exceptionally gifted, with skills on par with any specialist. We really should¡¯ve tried to recruit him to our research group back then¡­¡± Adrian remarked, ¡°They may not share our research interests. But if you¡¯re impressed by their expertise, don¡¯t hesitate to reach out and exchange ideas.¡± The students all nodded eagerly in agreement, a new sense of determination lighting up their faces. Adrian suddenly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s n?¡± A sudden hush fell over the group. A student rubbed his nose awkwardly. ¡°Well¡­¡± he said hesitantly, ¡°n is out doing some research.¡± Adrian asked, ¡°What¡¯s he researching?¡± The student answered, ¡°He¡¯s been really into the Stars Group¡¯s quantum superbrain projecttely.¡± An uneasy tension settled over the room. The students stole nervous nces at Adrian and quickly exined, ¡°Professor, n is just curious-he¡¯s not actually getting involved.¡± Adrian scanned the group with a deadpan expression. ¡°Do I really seem that old-fashioned?¡± The students fell silent, none of them daring to say a word. ¡°Look how nervous you all are,¡± Adrian chuckled as he closed the document. ¡°If you¡¯re interested, feel free to look into it yourselves.¡± A bold student couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Professor, haven¡¯t you always been the most opposed to corporate coborations?¡± ¡°My objections are my own-that doesn¡¯t mean I should dictate your choices. The Stars Group is decent enough. Alright, you can all head back now,¡± Adrian said. Adrian owed Owen a life debt. When Owen came to see him, Adrian had already anticipated his purpose-and was prepared to agree. But Owen simply wanted him to give the Stars Group a chance-first learn about the project, then decide whether to coborate. Adrian wondered, ¡°That girl must not have known about this; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have shared the project proposal with n and brought it to my attention.¡± Adrian decided to observe the situation a while longer. Again Marriage 585 Tristan was discharged from the hospital, with Aria and Owening to pick him up. To celebrate Tristan¡¯s return, the Todd family¡¯s ce was decorated from top to bottom-this homing celebration outshone even the grand session ceremony before. The group stood waiting at the front gate, with Culver, the thirteenth Head of the Todd School, positioned squarely in the center. Culver clenched his fists, his heart pounding in his chest. Culver had only just learned a few days ago that Tristan was still alive. The news left him on edge for days, anxiously reaching out to Ivy Hospital again and again, but they never responded. It felt as if they had already abandoned him. Just yesterday, he had already prepared to flee. Someone approached him, iming that Tristan was unaware of his involvement, and urged him to stay with the Todd School. Seeing that everyone still treated him the same as before, Culver finally let out a sigh of relief. A few ck sedans slowly pulled up. The car door swung open, and Aria stepped out first, carefully assisting Tristan as he emerged. Owen followed closely behind, keeping protective watch. At this sight, Culver¡¯s eyes narrowed in rm, and he hurriedly averted his gaze. When that person sought him out, Culver once again stressed Aria¡¯s importance, both directly and indirectly urging them to eliminate her. Culver stared in disbelief-she was right there, safe and sound. ¡°Wee back, Dr. Todd!¡± the crowd cheered in unison. From the shadows, a figure d in a traditional long gown watched the scene unfold, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Tristan seemed to sense something and turned his head to look. The figure instantly slipped into the shadows. Tristan withdrew his gaze, then looked up at the name que above the entrance. ¡°Just like the old days¡­¡± Niks supported Tristan, allowing Aria to smoothly release her hold. ¡°Thanks for your help, Aria,¡± Niks said. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s cold outside. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Surrounded by the crowd, Tristan walked inside, never once sparing Culver a single nce. Tormented with anxiety, Culver saw Aria lookingpletely unfazed. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to follow the others inside. No matter what, leaving the Todd School simply wasn¡¯t an option for him now. Ivy Hospital would never let him off the hook. At the main hall¡¯s elevated tform, Tristan stood above the crowd, speaking at length before finally gesturing to Aria. ¡°Come here, girl,¡± he called. The chief doctor of Todd School hastily intervened, ¡°Dr. Todd, she¡¯s an outsider. Letting her stand there would profane our rules.¡± ¡°Not a chance,¡± Tristan stated firmly. Aria, however, strode straight up to the stage without hesitation. Tristan dered in a booming voice, ¡°This is my second apprentice, Aria Saxon.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her risking her life to go to Masmubia, I wouldn¡¯t be standing here today,¡± he dered. ¡°Second apprentice?¡± the chief doctor asked, puzzled. ¡°Dr. Todd, wasn¡¯t Mr. Webster your second apprentice?¡± Called out by name and wishing he could disappear, Culver forced a smile. ¡°Whatever Dr. Todd says goes. Aria is certainly wee here.¡± Tristan gave him a meaningful nce, a subtle smile ying on his lips. ¡°I took Aria as my apprentice many years before Culverver joined us.¡± The chief doctor seemed ready to say more, but Tristan¡¯s expression turned impatient-he clearly had no intention of exining further. The others stopped the chief doctor. ¡°We should be grateful Dr. Todd has returned safely¡ªwhy get hung up on these small matters? After all, Aria Saxon is his lifesaver.¡± The chief doctor, ever the conservative traditionalist, still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it. He muttered, ¡°Saving someone¡¯s life and taking them as an apprentice are two entirely different matters-they shouldn¡¯t be lumped together.¡± Niks shot a nce at the chief doctor, then exchanged a meaningful look with Fiy. At that moment, Tristan scanned the hall and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Axton? Hasn¡¯t hee back yet?¡± ¡°Dad, Axton might still be upset with you,¡± Fiy replied. Tristan sighed, thinking, ¡®Well, these matters can wait.¡¯ ¡°Help me to my room,¡± Tristan said, turning to Aria. ¡°Come along with me, girl.¡± Tristan said warmly, ¡°Owen,e along too. We¡¯re all family here¨Cno need to stand on ceremony.¡± Again Marriage 586 Owen shed a smile and took a few steps forward. ¡°Of course, Dr. Todd,¡± he replied warmly. Just as Tristan was about to step forward, a clear, ringing voice suddenly called out from the doorway. ¡°Ms. Saxon!¡± All eyes turned toward the sound, only to see Flynt strolling in leisurely, gripping Axton by the scruff of his cor. No matter how hard he struggled, Axton¡¯s face darkened with rage, yet he couldn¡¯t break free from Flynt¡¯s iron grip. ¡°Today is your discharge day, so I came by especially to deliver a congrattory gift, Dr. Todd,¡± Flynt said, giving Axton a sharp tug that sent him stumbling forward. ¡°Just happened to spot this gentleman lurking suspiciously at the door, so I brought him along.¡± Niks¡¯s face darkened as he strode forward. ¡°Let go! He¡¯s one of us from the Todd School!¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is!¡± Flynt released his grip with an exaggerated show of realization. ¡°My bad.¡± ¡°Mr. Sanchez, are you all right?¡± Niks asked as he steadied Axton. Axton looked up and met Tristan¡¯s gaze. For two full seconds, he froze, then deliberately looked away. Axton protested, ¡°I was just passing by-who knows what got into this guy to grab me like that?¡± Axton turned to leave, his voice thick with unspoken grievance. ¡°I¡¯m not part of the Todd School anymore. I should go.¡± Niks quickly stepped forward to stop him. ¡°Mr. Sanchez, since you¡¯vee all this way, why not stay for a meal?¡± Tristan called out, half-joking, half-sincere, ¡°Axton, after all these years, are you really that reluctant to see me?¡± Axton¡¯s eyes welled up as he retorted, ¡°This is all because you were blind!¡± Tristan sighed. ¡°Stay.¡± Axton said nothing more about leaving. Ignoring their argument, Flynt walked straight up to Aria and presented her with an exquisitely crafted wooden box. ¡°Ms. Saxon, this is just a small token from me.¡± ¡°Think of it as both a congrattory gift and an apology,¡± Flynt said. Aria studied him for a few seconds, then reached out to take the box. ¡°Thanks.¡± Owen shot Flynt a cold re, then firmly took Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± he said, his tone brooking no argument. As the group walked inside, Flynt suddenly called out, ¡°Ms. Saxon, how do you like my little present?¡± Flynt wasn¡¯t talking about the wooden box-the gift he meant was actually that banknote he had given her before. Aria kept walking without a backward nce, blending into the crowd. Owen shot Flynt a cold re, his dark eyes filled with chilling intent. Upon entering the conference hall, Fiy closed the door behind them. Tristan turned to Aria. ¡°Girl, what do you n to do about Culver?¡± Aria turned to Fiy. ¡°Have you tracked down his aplice yet?¡± ????? Fiy shook his head. ¡°Whoever it is, they¡¯re hiding really well.¡± ¡°Keep him for now,¡± Aria said coolly. ¡°We¡¯ll use him to root out all the traitors.¡± Fiy nodded in agreement, then suddenly turned to Aria. He said sincerely, ¡°Aria, thank you for saving my father.¡± ¡°He¡¯s my master,¡± Aria said. ¡°I was just doing my duty.¡± Hearing this, a warm smile lit up Tristan¡¯s eyes. Aria lifted the lid of the exquisitely carved wooden box Flynt had given her. To her surprise, insidey a rare ancient medical tome. Tristan eximed in shock, his eyes widening. ¡°Why would that man give away something so valuable?¡± Aria didn¡¯t spell it out that Flynt was behind Ivy Hospital, but Tristan could put two and two together himself. ¡°That man is dangerous. Stay away from him, both of you,¡± Tristan warned. Owen said, ¡°Rest assured, Dr. Todd.¡± Aria carefully examined the pages of the medical book, verified its authenticity, and then set it down on the table. ¡°This one can stay,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll make arrangements to return the other three medical books.¡± Tristan said calmly, ¡°No rush. We¡¯ll deal with it after we¡¯ve sorted out our own people.¡± The four of them chatted for a while longer. Aria rose. ¡°Dr. Todd, why don¡¯t you see Mr. Webster first? We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Tristan said. Aria and Owen stepped out through the main entrance. Flynt leaned casually against his car, clearly waiting for them. Flynt called out, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you still haven¡¯t answered my question.¡± Again Marriage 587 Aria halted abruptly, leveling Flynt with an icy stare. ¡°You actually expect me to answer just because you asked? Don¡¯t tter yourself.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Owen murmured in agreement. Flynt¡¯s face visibly darkened. He gazed intently at Aria, his eyes both icy andplex. Aria didn¡¯t buy for a second Flynt¡¯s excuse about inviting her to the experiment, but she still couldn¡¯t figure out what he was really scheming. Flynt¡¯s piercing gaze remained locked on her for what felt like an eternity, until Owen finally snapped and stepped between them. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve her,¡± Flynt turned his cold gaze to Owen, driving the point home. Owen chuckled instead of getting angry. ¡°That¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve said that.¡± ¡°Whether I deserve her or not, Aria is my girlfriend.¡± He paused deliberately, then added with a smirk, ¡°Or are you suggesting you¡¯re more deserving, Mr. Hartley?¡± Flynt didn¡¯t answer directly. ¡°I¡¯ve known her longer than you,¡± he said coldly. This confirmed they had indeed met before, long ago. But apparently, Aria didn¡¯t remember him at all. ¡°Madelyn, did you know him before?¡± Owen turned to ask. ¡°Nope. Never met him,¡± Aria replied without hesitation. A flicker of emotion crossed Flynt¡¯s face, so subtle it was barely noticeable. Owen¡¯s grin widened as he looked at Flynt. ¡°You heard her, right? She didn¡¯t know you before.¡± With a breezy tone, Owen said, ¡°Just a word of advice, Mr. Hartley-you¡¯re just some random guy. Don¡¯t overestimate your importance, and stop trying to make yourself the center of attention everywhere.¡± Flynt¡¯s eyes shed with mockery. ¡°So, you really don¡¯t remember me, huh?¡± Flynt thought, ¡®Even if she remembered, it wouldn¡¯t change a damn thing about the current standoff. ¡®She¡¯s changed, yet somehow, she¡¯s still the same. ¡°Thest trace of innocence she once had has now multiplied four or fivefold. ¡®I just can¡¯t get why she¡¯s changed so much, or what drew all these people to her. ¡®People like us¡­ We¡¯re supposed to be the same kind, after all. ¡°My goal remains unchanged.¡± Flynt locked eyes with Owen, his voice icy. ¡°Sooner orter, she¡¯lle with me.¡± ¡°Dream on,¡± Owen sneered. Flynt said, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± With all pretenses dropped, neither of them held back anymore. ???? ??? IC of us. Aria stepped beside Owen. Flynt¡¯s gaze locked onto her, a sinister grin twisting his lips. ¡°Aria, one day you¡¯ll understand- standing atop the summit, looking down on the struggling masses, watching them squirm like insects¡­ that¡¯s the greatest joy this world has to offer.¡± For the first time, he showed his true colors before them-a dangerously unhinged lunatic. Aria replied coolly, ¡°Get your insanity treated.¡± Flynt said, ¡°I¡¯ll haunt your lives-every moment, every day.¡± With those words hanging in the air, Flynt turned on his heel, strode to his car, and drove off without a backward nce. A murderous glint shed in Owen¡¯s eyes. Owen had always yed by the rules, but this was the first time he¡¯d ever wanted someone to just disappear. Aria poked the back of his hand. ¡°Hey, snap out of it. Time to go.¡± Owen gently took her hand. ¡°You really don¡¯t remember Flynt at all?¡± he asked. ¡°That banknote he gave you-it must have been a deliberate hint.¡± Aria thought, ¡®The Torrenian backnote¡­ This suggests that we met in Torrenia before. Suddenly, a vague figure shed through her mind. ¡°Did anythinge to mind?¡± Owen turned to ask. ¡°The pitiful boy I remember is gone-now Flynt Hartley¡¯s eyes gleam with malice, his mind teems with schemes, and he stoops to criminal acts. He¡¯s changed beyond recognition,¡¯ Aria thought. Owen gently smoothed her furrowed brow. ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it,¡± he said softly. ¡°He¡¯s just a stranger-nothing worth worrying about.¡± Aria¡¯s expression grewplicated. She hesitated, then said, ¡°He might be¡­ that guy.¡± ¡°Who exactly?¡± he asked. ¡°I mentioned him to you before,¡± Aria said. Owen asked, ¡°You mean the boy you met on your mission?¡± ¡°Must be,¡± Aria said. The banknote clue clicked into ce. Again Marriage 588 Aria remembered how, back then, she¡¯d tossed some cash at Flynt while shooing him away, saying something along the lines of, ¡°If you can¡¯t stand on your own feet, you¡¯ll be left kneeling to beg for scraps from others.¡± Back then, she was young and rather mboyant in her ways. ¡®Never thought I¡¯d end up creating my own enemy. I should¡¯ve just left him to die back then, Aria thought bitterly. Owen said with a smirk, ¡°We met on your very first mission-long before he came along.¡± Aria shot him a look. ¡°Does that even matter?¡± To Owen, though, that actually mattered-a lot. On the way, Aria received a text from Niks: [Mr. Sanchez has agreed to rejoin the Todd School.] Aria had only met Axton on two asions-once at Culver¡¯s session ceremony, and again today. In her memory, Axton was straightforward-a bit hot-tempered, but fundamentally simple and couldn¡¯t hide a thing. It was hard to believe someone like Axton could be a master of traditional medicine, let alone Tristan¡¯s apprentice. Aria actually had a pretty good impression of Axton. Niks texted again: [He¡¯s got a bit of a grudge against you¡ªjealous that Grandpa favors you over him.] Aria: [Let him stew in his jealousy.] Niks couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his phone. At this moment, Tristan was going on and on about Aria¡¯s talent, singing her praises. Axton¡¯s face grew increasingly stormy. For years, he yearned day and night for Tristan¡¯s return, only to discover that the old man had not only taken on a new apprentice, Aria, and showered her withvish praise, but hadn¡¯t uttered a single word about Axton. The sting of being overlooked was hard to ignore. ¡°Dr. Todd,¡± Axton mumbled sullenly, ¡°since you¡¯re okay, I¡¯ll head back to the clinic first.¡± Tristan remarked offhandedly, ¡°Your clinic¡¯s doing well.¡± Seeing that Tristan made no move to stop him, Axton trudged out, his head hanging low. Niks asked, clearly puzzled, ¡°Grandpa, why are you sending him away like that?¡± Tristan sighed. ¡°The Todd School isn¡¯t safe right now. Axton¡¯s too naive-he¡¯s an easy target. It¡¯s better for him to stay away until we¡¯ve rooted out the traitors.¡± He¡¯d raised Axton since childhood-to say he didn¡¯t cherish him would be a lie. In Tristan¡¯s heart, Axton held an even more important ce than Aria. Tristan thought, ¡®All these years I¡¯ve sheltered him too much-he¡¯s nearly fifty, yet still so naive! Fiy chimed in at just the right moment, ¡°We¡¯ve already locked onto several suspects. Next, we¡¯ll investigate them one by one,¡± 10 Tristan¡¯s eyes turned icy. ¡°Let¡¯s find out who¡¯s been betraying us from within.¡± Aria¡¯s visits to the Stars Group were bing so frequent that even Ruby took notice. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you a pharmacy major? What got you into researching this?¡± Aria said, ¡°Just curious.¡± ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t teach you much about brain-inspiredputing,¡± Ruby said. Just as Aria was about to speak, Ruby cut her off, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about dragging me into the quantum superbrain project.¡± Ruby was beyond caring about fame and, at her age, had no desire to pursue new research. If not for owing Aria a favor, she wouldn¡¯t even have epted the current project. Seeing Ruby¡¯s firm stance, Aria didn¡¯t press further. ¡°Thanks anyway,¡± she said. ¡°I thought you¡¯d push harder to convince me,¡± Ruby remarked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Aria shrugged and said with a wry smile, ¡°I don¡¯t even want to do this job myself.¡± Aria understood Ruby¡¯s aspirations perfectly well-she was just going through the motions,ing only to say she¡¯d made the attempt. Ruby couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. When Aria visited the Stars Group again, she managed to rope n intoing along. n fidgeted anxiously. ¡°What if Professor Gn gets angry?¡± he asked, worry etched on his face. Aria reassured him, ¡°He seems quite approachable-no signs of displeasure at all. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to let youe with me to the Stars Group.¡± ¡°Besides, you¡¯re here to study, not to work,¡± Aria reassured him. n nodded. ¡°I suppose so.¡± Little did n know, he was about to be roped into something far bigger than he bargained for. Again Marriage 589 Aria led n to the Stars Group¡¯s research center. Recognizing Aria, the security guard didn¡¯t stop her. Just as the two of them were about to head inside, a voice stopped them. ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s your business here?¡± n turned around, a bit surprised to see the speaker. ¡°Carney?¡± They all knew Carney Pierce was at the Stars Group. n had mentally prepared for a possible encounter-he just didn¡¯t expect it to happen this soon. Carney was equally shocked to see n. He immediately frowned and demanded, ¡°What are you doing in the Stars Group? Would he even allow this?¡± Apparently, he was referring to Adrian. n felt indignant on Adrian¡¯s behalf. ¡°He would never stop us from interning atpanies!¡± Carney sneered and fired off rapid questions: ¡°Did you sign the contract? Are you really interning at the Stars Group? Even if you did, do you think an intern can just waltz into a ce this important?¡± He red. ¡°Who brought you here?¡± n instinctively nced at Aria, only to find her standing there quietly, looking like she was just watching a show unfold. Little did n know, before their arrival, Adrian had specifically sought out Aria to talk about Carney. He warned her that Carney would likely make some harsh remarks and advised her not to intervene-just let n handle it himself. Aria remained silent, leaving n to answer for himself. ¡°Ms. Saxon brought me here,¡± he replied. Carney eyed Aria suspiciously and asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon? A professor from Mandino University?¡± Then he turned to the security guard and demanded, ¡°Since when could professors from the Stars Group just bring random people into the research center?¡± The security guard said impassively, ¡°This is Ms. Saxon, the board director.¡± Carney¡¯s expression froze-he clearly hadn¡¯t expected this. Of course, he knew the board director surnamed Saxon-thergest shareholder of the Stars Group, who had single- handedly invested a fortune in the quantum superbrain project. Carney couldn¡¯t believe it-n actually knew someone this influential. Carney forced himself to protest, ¡°Even if she¡¯s the board director, she can¡¯t just bring people in here as she pleases!¡± The security guard was stunned, wondering, ¡®Is this guy out of his mind? How dare he talk back to the board director? Is he trying to get himself fired?¡± The security guard immediately retorted, ¡°She¡¯s the one who signs our paychecks, not you. Of course, we follow her orders.¡± Stumped, Carney turned to Aria and insisted, ¡°Ms. Saxon, n cannot enter.¡± ¡°Carney, I¡¯ll take full responsibility for the person I brought with me,¡± Aria said calmly. Seeing that Carney was about to say more, Aria had already lost all patience. She turned on her heel and strode inside, calling over her shoulder, ¡°n, with me.¡± n cast Carney a final nce before hurrying after her. Carney scowled in disapproval, convinced Aria was being reckless and unfair to everyone else. Grumbling under his breath, Carney followed them inside. As the metal doors slid open, n froze in awe. The interior featured a honeb structure, with the control room partitioned into several zones. Holographic projections floated and shifted in midair. At the very center stood the quantum superbrain¡¯s mainframe, its imposing exterior resembling a high-tech fortress. During break time, few researchers were present. n didn¡¯t get to see everyone operating the various equipment as he had expected. The medical robotics project is nearingpletion, and two researchers who defected from the Cole Group have now joined the quantum superbrain project. The two colleagues spotted Aria and greeted her with a grin. One of them joked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, where did you poach this one from? Why not recruit a few more female colleagues? We¡¯re really short on women here.¡± Another chimed in, ¡°But this one¡¯s not bad-quite the looker, actually.¡± n stood there, still stunned. Aria chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll snap them up when I meet them.¡± Aria chatted with everyone for a bit. Carney stood a short distance away, glowering at them with a stony expression. He couldn¡¯t fathom why no one batted an eye when Aria brought an outsider in here. Aria snapped her fingers in front of n, pulling him out of his daze. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s check out the Brain-Inspired Computing Team.¡± ¡°Awesome, I can¡¯t wait!¡± n¡¯s excitement grew. Several high-performanceputers were hard at work in theb, their screens aglow with data and calctions. The massive disy screen showed the skeletal outlines of a model still taking shape. Again Marriage 590 The worktables were covered with stacks of notes, densely filled with research annotations and calctions. n¡¯s eyes sparkled with fascination as an intense yearning welled up inside him¡ªhe longed to be part of this world. Carney was about to step in and stop Aria from bringing n near the core area, but then realized she was only giving him a perimeter tour of the facility. He rxed a little, though he still kept a close eye on them. ¡°What do you think?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Amazing!¡± n replied, his eyes shining with excitement. Carney sneered as he stepped closer. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s impressive. Too bad Professor Gn overgeneralized-one setback, and he just shut himself off. Now everyone¡¯s too scared to intern early.¡± He set the precedent and lost both his mentor and ssmates. But Carney didn¡¯t regret it¡ªhe believed he had made the smart choice, and the others were real fools. ¡°That was our own decision-it had nothing to do with the professor!¡± n retorted. ¡°He never interfered with our choices!¡± Carney sneered, ¡°If he didn¡¯t interfere, would you really be too scared to intern? Too scared to pick apany? The professor¡¯s just an old fossil!¡± Hearing that, n was livid. ¡°Show some respect for the professor!¡± he snapped. ¡°He¡¯s been our mentor for life!¡± Adrian never actually minded if his students wanted to pursue other opportunities, but everyone was afraid of leaving a bad impression on him, so they waited until graduation to make any decisions. He¡¯d mentioned several times that he didn¡¯t care, but no one listened, so he just let it be. If Carney hadn¡¯t unterally quit the team, cut off contact, and blown things out of proportion, no one would have misunderstood Adrian¡¯s intentions. Carney scoffed, ¡°I¡¯ve paid for my education¡ªit¡¯s only natural the professor teaches me. I¡¯m not going to be a bootlicker like you guys.¡± n clenched his fists and abruptly turned to Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, can I join the team?¡± Aria was taken aback. ¡°You want to join the Stars Group¡¯s Brain-Inspired Computing Team?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± n nodded resolutely. ¡°I want Carney to see that even if I intern or work here, the professor won¡¯t say a thing. It¡¯s all just his wild imagination!¡± Aria hadn¡¯t expected things to go so smoothly. Smiling, she said, ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get the paperwork done. You¡¯ll start as an intern, and if things work out, we¡¯ll make it official.¡± However, n immediately regretted saying those words. He knew Adrian wouldn¡¯t me him, but he still had no idea how to bring it up. Seeing his hesitation, Aria reassured him, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone get the contract ready for you to sign. Leave the rest to me-I¡¯ll exin everything to Professor Gn.¡± Carney sneered, ¡°See? You¡¯re all just as afraid of crossing the professor. So don¡¯t act all high and mighty when everyone¡¯s scared of the same thing.¡± n red at him defiantly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll sign it right now! And just watch-I¡¯ll help the Stars Group recruit even more top talents!¡± Things had gone so smoothly that it even took Aria by surprise. She nced down to text someone, then said to the spectating team lead, ¡°Take n to sign the paperwork.¡± The team lead snapped out of it. ¡°Sure.¡± Aria then turned to n. ¡°Go sign. I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance.¡± Still fuming, n snapped, ¡°Fine,¡± and followed the team lead out. Aria smiled and gave Carney a yful pat on the shoulder. ¡°Well done. You¡¯ve brought a talent to the Stars Group. I¡¯ll have Johnny arrange your bonus. If you have any other requests, just let me know.¡± Carney had just realized what was going on. ¡®Wait, what? Was I just used as a pawn?¡¯ he thought, utterly bewildered. But Aria was the big boss-he had no choice but to swallow his anger. Carney gritted his teeth. ¡°Then I don¡¯t want n in the Brain-Inspired Computing Team. Would you actually agree to that, Ms. Saxon?¡± ¡°Not a chance,¡± Aria replied with a yful smile. ¡°You¡¯d better get used to seeing more of your old ssmates around here.¡± ¡°And who knows,¡± she added, ¡°maybe I¡¯ll even make sure you run into your professor one of these days.¡± At the thought of that scene, Carney felt his stomach clench. Carney said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, there are plenty of other outstanding professors and students. Don¡¯t keep fixating on Professor Gn-trust me, he¡¯s not someone you can handle.¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give it my best shot.¡± Carney was rendered speechless. Again Marriage 591 After signing the contract, n was in aplete daze, walking as if he were floating on air. Upon spotting Aria at the doorway, n¡¯s knees buckled-he nearly lost his bnce. Upon learning that the Stars Group had secured Adrian¡¯s student, Johnny, filled with excitement, immediately dropped everything and rushed out. Seeing n looking unsteady, Johnny hurried over to steady him. ¡°You must be n. I¡¯m Johnny Oconnor, Chairman of the Stars Group,¡± he said. Adrian wasn¡¯t just a leading authority in neuromorphicputing. He was a giant in the entire academic world. Countlesspanies tried to poach him and his team, yet none ever seeded. Johnny had personally made several attempts, but all ended in failure. He only managed to poach one student, and even that came at the cost of straining the mentor-prot¨¦g¨¦ rtionship. Johnny could only console himself inwardly, ¡®Well, if Adrian isn¡¯t joining the Stars Group, at least he won¡¯t be going to anypetitors either.¡¯ Now that Aria had actually managed to bring over Adrian¡¯s most prized student, even if it was just for an internship, Johnny was already determined to keep him for good. They were counting on n to reshape Adrian¡¯s perception of the Stars Group, with the ultimate goal of poaching his entire team. ¡®Sure enough, trusting Aria with this is absolutely the right call, Johnny wondered. Johnny was beaming with satisfaction, while n¡¯s face was etched with despair-but for him, regret was already toote. Even Johnny, the Chairman of the Stars Group, came out personally. Aria walked over and teased, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t scare the boy.¡± n, who was actually a few years older than Aria, was stunned for a moment. n said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°Alright.¡± All the way back at Mandino University, n¡¯s mind was a chaotic mess, his heart heavy with trepidation. To everyone¡¯s surprise, when Aria told Adrian about it, he didn¡¯t get angry at all. Instead, he burst outughing and teased, ¡°You just walked off with the one I valued most.¡± Adrian nced at the downcast boy. ¡°Don¡¯t look so glum, n,¡± he told him. ¡°You already signed the contract. Do well at the Stars Group, and don¡¯t embarrass me. ¡°Carney¡¯s ideas might have been a little extreme, but his heart¡¯s in the right ce. If Carney ever gives you trouble, I¡¯ll personally go to the Stars Group and set things straight.¡± Ever since the Carney incident, Adrian had be increasingly selective in taking on new students. The incident may have seemed minor, yet it had significant repercussions. Many students had been whispering among themselves that Adrian was ruining his students¡¯ career prospects. +28 Only then did n realize that he, too, had underestimated just how big-hearted Adrian was. n¡¯s eyes grew moist as he sniffled. ¡°Prof. Gn,¡± he said hesitantly, ¡°Could I poach-I mean, help the Stars Group recruit some of our people? Would that be okay?¡± With the contract signed, n was now, technically, part of the Stars Group. During the ride back, Aria showed him numerous project files. n was blown away-the scale was far beyond anything he¡¯d ever imagined. Theb was impressive too-far better than he¡¯d expected. n thought to himself, ¡®I bet my fellow researchers would be eager to join as well?¡¯ 2 Adrian couldn¡¯t believe it¡ªhis always rule-abiding student had not only been poached, but was now actually helping the other side recruit. Adrian raised an eyebrow, ncing at Aria, itching to ask, ¡°What kind of magic spell did you cast on n?¡± Adrian replied, ¡°As long as you can convince them.¡± n was instantly energized. Never one to miss an opening, Aria grinned and pushed her luck. ¡°What about you, Prof. Gn? Think I could talk you into it?¡± ¡°What, poaching my students wasn¡¯t enough? Now you want to poach me, too?¡± Adrian snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve still got projects on my te, you know.¡± Aria said, ¡°Starting a coboration with the Stars Group won¡¯t disrupt your current work. If youe to the Stars Group, you can continue to lead your team here. ¡°Whatever projects you want to pursue in the future, I¡¯ll personally make sure you have all the funding and equipment you need.¡± Research funding is scarce, and with countless teams vying for it, approval rates are low. Again Marriage 592 Aria wasn¡¯t just talking about the funding-if Adrian came to the Stars Group, she¡¯d personally clear every single hurdle he faced, no matter how tough the challenge. Adrian couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Everyone else just wants me for a project, but you-you want to take my entire team.¡± That was exactly Aria¡¯s n. ¡°Prof. Gn, this is a win-win,¡± Aria pressed on. ¡°At the Stars Group, you can focus solely on your research, your students¡¯ futures will be secured, and our doors are always open to you and your team.¡± In recent years, Adrian had only taken on a handful of students at Mandino University, none of whom were particrly standout talents. The number of outstanding students in Adrian¡¯s team was dwindling. Mandino University was keen to keep him, but there were funding bodies and reviewmittees to consider. Staying at Mandino University was no longer a viable path forward. Adrian chuckled, ¡°If the leadership at Mandino University found out you were trying to poach my team, they¡¯d probably hit the roof.¡± After all, Aria herself was someone they had poached. n was also stunned. ¡®Ms. Saxon¡¯s so bold,¡¯ he thought. However, n found himself genuinely hoping Adrian would bring the whole team along. Aria said confidently, ¡°Prof. Gn, as long as youe to the Stars Group, nothing will be a problem.¡± Adrian grew more serious. ¡°I trust the Stars Group,¡± he said. ¡°But after so many years at the university, adapting to a new ce won¡¯t happen overnight.¡± Aria reassured him and said, ¡°Prof. Gn, no need to worry. We definitely won¡¯t ask you to move to the Stars Group right away.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s begin with university-enterprise coboration on the Quantum Superbrain Project first,¡± Aria proposed. ¡°Prof. Gn, you can remain at Mandino University for now-what matters most is securing your students¡¯ futures.¡± That way, Adrian wouldn¡¯t have to take on students anymore. Aria said, ¡°Once you¡¯ve wrapped things up, you¡¯re wee to join the Stars Group whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± Aria added reassuringly, ¡°Of course, if any of your students aren¡¯t interested in joining the Stars Group, that¡¯s totally fine. We won¡¯t force anyone. Each contract ispletely separate, so everyone¡¯s free to make their own choice.¡± Even though the Stars Group had gone behind his back to poach Carney, Adrian still maintained a favorable impression of them. The Stars Group was open and aboveboard-their contracts were straightforward, with no hidden traps. They even stepped in to help Carney out when he was short on cash. The Stars Group was miles better than thatpany that had tried to screw Carney over. Adrian couldn¡¯t give an answer right away. ¡°Let me think about it,¡± he said. 28) ¡°Take your time, Prof. Gn,¡± Aria said, knowing when to back off. Adrian then added, ¡°As for that project I haven¡¯t quite finished yet-if you find the time, feel free toe help out.¡± Aria shed a bright smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got all the time in the world, Professor.¡± Aria sensed that Adrian was warming to the idea and seized the opportunity, making frequent trips to hisb, so often that it caught Fred¡¯s attention. Fred looked at Aria and said, ¡°Your specialty is pharmaceutical analysis. I know you¡¯re interested in programming, but you really can¡¯t keep running off to theputer science department all the time.¡± With more than half the semester gone, Aria still showed no urgency about her research, and Fred was genuinely worried she might up and leave. Aria understood Fred¡¯s concerns and exined, ¡°Mr. Gardner, I¡¯m studying programming precisely to further my research. ¡°You know how I am, Mr. Gardner-I¡¯m not the most coborative and tend to prefer overseeing the big picture myself. I¡¯ve recently explored several fields and have a general direction in mind, which is why I want to learn programming. ¡°If I master it myself, I¡¯ll feel much more confident and authoritative when delegating tasks to others.¡± Fred said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, I sincerely apologize-Ipletely misjudged you.¡± This had never urred to Fred. He¡¯d always assumed Aria wasn¡¯t serious about research, but now he realized her whole reason for studying was to do research. The research would, of course, be entirely Aria¡¯s responsibility. If students from other disciplines joined, she wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain proper oversight without mastering those skills herself. ¡®She¡¯s thought of everything,¡¯ Fred thought to himself, deeply moved. Aria averted her gaze, her expression growingplicated. She thought, ¡®I just hope they won¡¯t resent me too much when they find out Prof. Gn has gone to the Stars Group.¡¯ Again Marriage 593 During the New Year¡¯s holiday, disaster struck-the Cole Group plunged into its worst financial crisis yet, far surpassing the previous one. Watching the news, Aria knew Russell was about to make his move against the Wolfshade Syndicate. Though they still hadn¡¯t found Margery, Aria had spent years with the Wolfshade Syndicate. If Russell dared to act boldly, he could use that connection to stir up trouble. The only one I¡¯m really worried about is White, Aria thought. ¡®But White has survived the Solemnity Guild for years-he can handle himself¡¯ Her phone rang. It was Diego calling. Aria answered the call. ¡°Aria, what¡¯s your rtionship with Ondo? Is he working for you?¡± Liam demanded, his voice sharp and usatory. Aria wasn¡¯t surprised-she¡¯d already guessed it was him. ¡°Isn¡¯t Ondo your bastard brother? Why ask me? ¡°You can¡¯t even manage thepany-handing the Cole Group to others while clinging to your title as heir. Did you really think Ondo¡¯s some kind of saint who¡¯s going to ve away making money for you forever?¡¯ ¡°What good is a brain if you¡¯re not going to use it? You might as well feed it to the pigs,¡± Aria scoffed. The line went dead. Diego snatched the phone away. ¡°Your brother is fighting you for the Cole Group, and you¡¯re ming someone else? I really don¡¯t get how your mind works.¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°They¡¯re getting too close,¡± he muttered, suspicion flickering in his eyes. Daniel was hospitalized, with Liam by his side, leaving the Cole Group inplete disarray. Meanwhile, Ondo, the mastermind behind all this chaos, was chilling at a bar. Ondo reported, ¡°Russell, within three days, the Cole family will hand the Cole Group over to us on a silver tter.¡± Russell smiled, ¡°Well done.¡± Ondo said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. The assets are all transferred. Watch your back in the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Russell replied calmly, ¡°Got it.¡± After their conversation, Ondo picked up his phone and messaged Aria: [I¡¯ll have people keep watch over Mayen Garden. We need to pay special attention to Pearl¡¯s safety these days.] Aria: [OK.] Ondo had expected Daniel to hold out until the next day, only to be contacted by the old man that very afternoon. Contract in hand, Ondo set out for Heffner Hospital. The moment Ondo entered, a cup came flying at his head. Ondo sidestepped the cup, his eyes turning icy. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Daniel was shaking with rage, on the verge of passing out. Liam rushed to steady him, pleading, ¡°Grandpa, easy now.¡± After what felt like an eternity, Daniel finally regained hisposure, his piercing re fixed on Ondo. ¡°It was you,¡± he spat. ¡°You orchestrated the Cole Group¡¯s downfall.¡± Ondo scoffed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just hand the Cole Group to me on a silver tter?¡± Ondo sneered inwardly, ¡®Did they really think a measly few percent of shares would make him ve away for the Cole Group? How could they be so confident?¡¯ ying hardball didn¡¯t work, so Daniel had to switch to a softer approach. ¡°Ondo, you¡¯re a Cole by blood. We¡¯re family. You-¡± ¡°Mr. Cole,¡± Ondo cut him off coldly. ¡°The Cole Group doesn¡¯t have time for your games. Transfer all your shares to me. ¡°Only the patents I hold can save the Cole Group from copse. Otherwise, just wait for it to go bankrupt and be seized by creditors.¡± Daniel¡¯s expression grew grim. This was the day he¡¯d always dreaded. He¡¯d never dared to part with too many shares, afraid of losing control. However, he hadn¡¯t thought Ondo was so resourceful, orchestrating all this behind his back. Daniel red, his voice edged with anger. ¡°Without the Cole Group, you¡¯ll have nothing left.¡± ¡°I can bounce back from nothing. Can you?¡± Ondo shrugged nonchntly. He produced the contract. ¡°Sign it.¡± ¡®Now that Ondo¡¯s the Chairman, what does that make me?¡¯ Liam thought bitterly. Liam said coldly, ¡°Ondo, what the hell are you really after?¡± ¡°Just pure disgust for you,¡± Ondo sneered, his face twisting with revulsion. I¡¯ve ved away for the Cole Group, while you didn¡¯t lift a finger and still rake in millions in dividends. What kind of sweet deal is that? ¡°Mr. Cole, most of the shareholders have already agreed. Stop wasting time-this is your only chance. Next time, I¡¯ll be taking both your and Liam¡¯s shares.¡± Again Marriage 594 Daniel said sternly, ¡°I can give you the shares, but you must take the Cole name and be entered into the Cole family¡¯s register.¡± Ondo pushed back his chair to leave when Daniel called out hoarsely, ¡°I¡¯ll sign.¡± ¡®At least, he¡¯s still a Cole, Daniel consoled himself. ? ? ????? ?? The moment Daniel signed the contract, he seemed to age years in an instant. Liam lowered his head, his voice trembling. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just so useless.¡± ¡®He¡¯s utterly useless, Daniel wondered. He drew a deep, steadying breath. ¡°Put a tail on Azalea.¡± Liam nodded. ¡°Got it, Grandpa.¡± Daniel demanded sharply, ¡°Do you know that nurse who was just here?¡± ¡°Grandpa, which nurse are you talking about?¡± Liam asked, looking confused. Daniel scoffed, ¡°The one who came in here with that sickly sweet voice, pretending to care for me.¡± ¡°Grandpa, there¡¯s nothing between us. We just run into each other a lot at the hospital, and that¡¯s all,¡± said Liam. Daniel barked, ¡°Then keep your distance.¡± ¡°Yes, Grandpa,¡± Liam replied. Daniel¡¯s gaze sharpened as he said, ¡°Are you still in touch with Aria?¡± ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s over between us,¡± Liam replied. Daniel snapped, ¡°Worthless boy. If you couldn¡¯t secure Aria, then find another suitable woman. Are you just going to stand by and watch the Cole Group fall into Ondo¡¯s hands?¡± Liam didn¡¯t want this, but he had no choice. With resignation, he said, ¡°Grandpa, my shares are still there, and the dividends will keeping. I¡¯ll help cover the family¡¯s expenses.¡± ¡°You fool,¡± Daniel spat, his voiceced with contempt. ¡°He just took my shares-do you really think yours will be safe?¡± Greed was human nature. Liam was no match for Ondo. However, Daniel never expected this day toe so soon. Upon learning the Cole Group had been renamed, Daniel cked out instantly. When Daniel woke up the next day, he grabbed Liam¡¯s arm tightly, his voice shaking with fury. ¡°How dare he rename the Cole Group?¡± Liam¡¯s voice was heavy with resignation. ¡°Grandpa, Ondo has acquired a majority stake now.¡± Daniel mmed his fist on the table. ¡°Where did he get so many shares? Investigate-immediately.¡± Daniel, no longer trusting Liam, immediately picked up the phone and called one of thepany¡¯s veteran board members. The person replied, ¡°During this crisis, Mr. Gagher took advantage of the situation to snap up numerous scattered shares. ¡°And over the past year or so, your grandson Liam actually sold off 2% of his shares, which Mr. Gagher conveniently scooped up as well.¡± ¡°Daniel,¡± he sighed, ¡°you can¡¯t me us. The Cole Group is effectively done for with Liam¡¯s generation. If Ondo doesn¡¯t prop it up, we¡¯re all going down. ¡°me yourselves for driving away Aria-the most capable leader the Cole Group ever had.¡± The old board member said no more, but Daniel understood everything. Daniel pped Laim hard across the face and roared, ¡°Selling shares? How could you sell the Cole Group¡¯s shares?¡± Cole felt a pang of resentment. ¡°Grandpa,¡± he protested weakly, ¡°I only invested in a hospital project with that money.¡± The doctor warned that if he suffered another rage-induced stroke, Daniel might slip into a permanenta. Daniel suppressed his fury with great difficulty, his voice trembling with barely-contained rage. ¡°Go. Have Azalea arrested- now.¡± Now, the only card Daniel had left was to control Azalea and use her as leverage against Ondo. The Cole Group scandal has gone viral. [Rumor has it Azalea cleaned out all the Cole family¡¯s valuables and skipped the country?] [Well, Daniel did acknowledge Azalea as his son¡¯s mistress. Can¡¯t me her for taking what¡¯s rightfully hers now, can you?] [Word is, Liam barely has any shares left now, and he still has to support that whole big family of his.] [Word is, Elena got so furious shended in the hospital too.] [The Cole Group was only propped up by Aria in the first ce. The moment she left, it all went downhill. Now it¡¯s been snatched away by a bastard-what goes aroundes around. They totally had iting.] Amanda sent Aria a flood of screenshots of all the gossip circting online. Amanda: [The Cole family is finally toast. So damn satisfying.] Aria chuckled: [Damn right it is.] Liam was dead weight, and Daniel refused to let go of power. Even without Ondo, the Cole Group wouldn¡¯t havested much longer. Like grandfather, like grandson-both utterly useless, yet brimming with misced confidence. A new message popped up: [Olivia has arrived in Huthailia.] Aria: [Part of Russell¡¯s n?] [Yes.] Again Marriage 595 Aria couldn¡¯t care less about the leadership change at the Cole Group or Olivia¡¯s arrival in Huthailia. After the holiday, she simply returned to Mandino University for sses as usual. Before Aria could park, a figure suddenly darted out in front of her car. Aria mmed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel to the side. The car screeched to a halt. Disaster was narrowly avoided. Aria breathed a sigh of relief, then irritation flickered across her face. She looked up to see a deranged woman charging over, pounding frantically on the hood of her car. Aria didn¡¯t recognize her at first-not until the woman stormed over to the window and started screaming, ¡°Aria, you and Ondo conspired to ruin the Cole family and steal the Cole Group. You¡¯ll both die a horrible death.¡± It was Elena. Aria pulled her car into a parking spot, unbuckled her seatbelt, and pushed open the door. Before Aria could even step out, Elena immediately lunged at her. Without hesitation, Aria kicked out. Elena staggered backward and crashed to the ground. Screaming, Elena shrieked, ¡°How dare you kick me? I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Her wails quickly drew a crowd of students. Aria sauntered closer, a smirk ying on her lips as she took in Elena¡¯s disheveled state. ¡°Elena, do you know why those high-societydies look down on you?¡± Nothing annoyed Elena more than hearing her name called out. But Aria did it brazenly, without a care in the world. Elena red at her, wishing she could take a bite out of Aria. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Aria stealing my spotlight, those women would never have turned against me,¡¯ Elena fumed inwardly. Elena conveniently ignored the fact that even before Aria joined the Cole family, she was already unwee. But she¡¯d never admit it-no, in her mind, it was all Aria¡¯s fault. Given that Elena raised someone like Liam, it was hardly surprising she thought this way. Aria continued her verbal assault, her words cutting deep. ¡°Because you¡¯re an ill-bred, uneducated shrew.¡± Looking down at her with contempt, Aria added, ¡°A bully who preys on the weak but cowers before the strong, with delusions of grandeur. Your son Liam takes after you perfectly-equally ridiculous in his stupidity.¡± ¡®She thinks I¡¯m weak? That she can push me around?¡¯ Aria scoffed inwardly. ¡®God knows where Elena gets that kind of confidence.¡¯ Elena scrambled up, her face contorted in fury. She screamed at Aria, ¡°You bitch, Our family¡¯s ruin is all your fault. You and Ondo conspired-you orchestrated the theft of the Cole Group.¡± Aria rolled her eyes inwardly. ¡®Just look at her-so utterly idiotic, it strips me of any desire to even retort. With my shares in the Stars Group, I make money just by breathing. Why would I even look at the Cole Group¡¯s trash? ¡®If she¡¯s so mad about the so-called illegitimate son taking over the Cole Group, why isn¡¯t this moron going after Ondo? Whye to me?¡¯ Sometimes, Aria genuinely wanted to crack open the Cole family¡¯s skulls and see what kind of garbage was rattling around inside. Aria¡¯s voice hardened as she finally addressed Elena directly, ¡°Keep pushing your luck, and I won¡¯t hesitate to take what little shares Liam has left. Now scram.¡± Ondo didn¡¯t strip Liam of his shares outright-not out of mercy or to cut the Cole family any ck, but because he didn¡¯t want to push them to the brink. When people had nothing left to lose, they were capable of anything. Besides, Ondo had bigger fish to fry; he couldn¡¯t be bothered wasting time on the Coles. The downfall of the Wolfshade Syndicate didn¡¯t affect Aria at all, so she had no reason to step in-otherwise, she would¡¯ve sent Johnny to get a piece of the Cole Group¡¯s pie long ago. Aria¡¯s piercing re made Elena flinch, but the thought of her son¡¯s inheritance slipping away-and their home being ransacked by that bitch-made her hatred re, sending her spiraling back into hysterics. Elena shrieked, ¡°Aria, Hannah¡¯s already in jail-what more could you possibly want? ¡°Forget you even divorced my son. Even if you hadn¡¯t, with a man like him, wasn¡¯t being his wife enough for you? So what if he had other women? What man doesn¡¯t stray these days, huh?¡± Again Marriage 596 The students erupted in disbelief, staring at the middle-aged woman spouting such backward views. ¡®What era is this? How could anyone still say something so brainless?¡¯ they thought. ¡®Did we identally wander onto a Hollywood set or something?¡¯ Elmore spotted a crowd gathered in the distance and hurried over, thinking students might be quarreling. When he saw Aria in a standoff, he positioned himself beside her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Elena pointed at the two of them and screeched, ¡°How dare you me my son for cheating. First, you hooked up with Ondo, now you¡¯re with this man too-you little tramp- Before she could finish, Aria¡¯s hand shot out,nding a sharp p across Elena¡¯s face and cutting her off mid-sentence. Elena let out a shrill scream and tumbled to the ground once more, utterly humiliated. The entire crowd fell silent. The woman¡¯s words were utterly disgusting. The students felt a deep sense of vindication. ¡°Forget whether Elmore and Aria ever had anything to do with each other-even if they did, Aria was divorced now. What business is it of the Cole family¡¯s anyway?¡¯ the students thought collectively. They had never seen anyone so utterly outrageous in their lives. Elmore, who was standing closest, was stunned. He knew Aria was formidable, and since she was now a teacher, he had thought she would hold back her temper. ¡®Not exactly great for her reputation,¡¯ he thought, ¡®but damn, it¡¯s satisfying.¡¯ ¡°Aria?¡± Liam¡¯s furious roar cut through the crowd. He stormed over and helped his mother up, eyes zing as he demanded, ¡°Why did you hit my mom?¡± The very first thing Ondo did after seizing power was to strip Liam of his heir status. Now desperate for cash, Liam hade to Mandino University to discuss withdrawing investments, only to walk in on Aria pping his mother. Aria spat out, ¡°Your mom¡¯s foul-mouthed.¡± Having spent a few months at Mandino University, Elmore was well aware of the situation between Aria and Ondo. Elmore exined calmly, ¡°Mr. Cole, your mother started this by hurling insults and spreading rumors. Ms. Saxon is young and hot-blooded-it¡¯s only natural she acted on impulse.¡± ¡°My mother is your elder,¡± Liam spat through gritted teeth, ring at Aria. ¡°Even if there¡¯s been a misunderstanding, you can¡¯t justy a hand on her, Aria, apologize to my mother now.¡± Still clutching her face, Elena wailed, ¡°I don¡¯t want an apology. I want her locked up.¡± Aria curled her lips in disdain. ¡°The Cole family-disgusting through and through.¡± As Aria turned to leave, Liam barked, ¡°Aria, if you don¡¯t apologize right now, I¡¯m calling the police.¡± With so many students watching, if he just let her walk away and did nothing while his mother was humiliated, he¡¯d be theughingstock of the whole campus. ¡°Be my guest,¡± Aria said, walking away without so much as a backward nce. Elmore cast a dismissive nce at Elena and Liam before following her. The onlooking students deliberately jeered loudly, their voices dripping with sarcasm. ¡°First, the old man has a love child, then the son cheats, and now the mom¡¯s gone off the rails, picking fights with everyone. The whole Cole family is disgusting-how shameless can they get?¡± ¡°Good thing Ms. Saxon divorced early and got out rtively unscathed.¡± ¡°Serves them right for having theirpany stolen by the bastard son.¡± Liam shot them a venomous re. Not a single student backed down-instead, some even met his gaze with tant defiance. He was seething with impotent rage, his face turning livid with anger. Elena grabbed his arm, sobbing, ¡°Call the police. Right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling them now,¡± Liam said, pulling out his phone, his fingers shaking uncontrobly. ¡®Aria, you forced me into this,¡¯ he seethed inwardly. The campus forum was blowing up. [Shocking. Liam¡¯s mom showed up at school, causing trouble and insulting Ms. Saxon.] [That old hag was spewing filth-made me want to puke.] [No wonder theirpany got taken over. That¡¯s punishment.] [So grossed out by what Liam¡¯s mom said. Why were you all just filming instead of helping?] [Does Ms. Saxon even need help? She knocked her t with one p.] [The police called Ms. Saxon in, and Mr. Gardner went with her.] [Seriously? They actually called the cops? How utterly shameless.] Again Marriage 597 28) In the police department, the moment Aria entered the mediation room, Elena¡¯s shrill wails assaulted her ears. Elena cried out, ¡°Aria assaulted me. I¡¯m dizzy and aching all over-I¡¯ll sue her into oblivion.¡± Seeing Aria, Elena got so worked up she tried to stand, but Liam quickly held her back. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s just let the police handle it,¡± he urged. Fryderyk motioned for Aria to sit down. ¡°Long time no see,¡± he said with a wry smile. ¡°And here I was hoping we¡¯d finally have a quiet year.¡± 2 Aria muttered under her breath, ¡°Can¡¯t stop a mad snake from biting-what can you do?¡± Aria was practically a regr at the police station by now. She simply pulled out a chair and sat down, as if she were in her own living room. Fred was momentarily stunned by Aria¡¯s nonchnt attitude, but quicklyposed himself, hurriedly sat down beside her, and pulled out a USB drive. Fred exined, ¡°Here¡¯s the surveince footage. Thisdy first made fraudulent ims and spread malicious rumors, nearly causing a car ident. She even attempted to assault Ms. Saxon, who was merely acting in self-defense.¡± Seeing Fred walk in, Liam finally let out a sigh of relief. He thought to himself, ¡®With Fred here, he¡¯ll definitely have my back and talk Aria into settling this peacefully.¡¯ But Fred jumped straight to ming his mother. Liam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Mr. Gardner, how could you also go along with Aria¡¯s nonsense?¡± Liam said with a hint of impatience, ¡°All I want is an apology from her-nothing more. I¡¯m not here to make trouble. This could all be settled with a simple ¡®sorry,¡¯ so why make such a big deal out of it? ¡°Don¡¯t forget. It¡¯s still the Cole Group that¡¯s funding the Mandino University project.¡± Elena shot to her feet. ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t want an apology. Liam, are you still hung up on that bitch? She¡ª¡± Fryderyk mmed the table-bang. He fixed Elena with a sharp re. ¡°Silence. One more outburst and you¡¯ll be detained.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second I don¡¯t know you¡¯re from the Fletcher family, and that you¡¯ve got a thing for Aria,¡± Elena snapped. ¡°You¡¯repletely unfit to handle this. I demand to see your chief.¡± Fryderyk never expected that the offhand remark he¡¯d made to dodge Amanda would still be causing trouble all this timeter. Fryderyk rubbed his temples and said to another officer, ¡°As per her request, go fetch Chief Lawrence.¡± The officer acknowledged with a quick nod and hurried inside. < Allen arrived promptly. The moment he saw Aria, he instinctively began to speak, but caught himself mid-sentence. 22 Elena suddenly burst into theatrical sobs, pouring out her grievances in a shrill, dramatic voice. Allen¡¯s face hardened. ¡°Let¡¯s review the surveince footage first.¡± 12:40 am D Fred detailed the source, time, and location of the surveince footage. ¡°The footage is authentic,¡± he stated firmly, ¡°and we have eyewitness testimony to corroborate it.¡± The officer pulled up the surveince footage on theputer. Elena fixed her eyes on the screen with not a shred of unease, utterly convinced she had done nothing wrong. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for Aria and Ondo scheming behind the scenes, I wouldn¡¯t have had to chase them all the way to Mandino University,¡¯ she wondered. The surveince footage began ying, showing Elena suddenly charging forward. If Aria hadn¡¯t reacted so quickly, the car would have plowed straight into her. Liam frowned, turning to his mother. ¡°Mom, what were you thinking? That was so reckless.¡± Elena felt a wave of fear wash over her. In the heat of the moment, she hadn¡¯t realized how serious things were. ¡°I just panicked,¡± she muttered defensively. Then came the kick-Aria¡¯s foot connecting squarely with her. Just as Elena was about to protest, Allen, his face unreadable, cut her off: ¡°You were the one who charged forward first. That was self-defense.¡± Elena bit her tongue. After the surveince footage ended, the mediation room still resonated with Elena¡¯s shrill deration. ¡°What man doesn¡¯t stray these days, huh?¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for that p, her words would have grown even more vicious. Never before had Liam seen his mother spew such vitriolic abuse. Liam had always thought his mom was just blunt and not well-educated, but deep down, she wasn¡¯t a bad person. Yet the woman he saw in the surveince footage had a face twisted with malice. Fred stated firmly, ¡°Mrs. Cole came to Mandino University to deliberately provoke trouble, and we will be pressing charges as well.¡± 28 Again Marriage 598 Liam flushed with shame, his expression growing increasingly grim. ¡°My family¡¯s been through a lottely, so Mom¡¯s not in the best state of mind. We¡¯d like to settle this amicably.¡± ¡°Liam?¡± Elena shrieked, her voice trembling with rage. ¡°Aria has destroyed our family. And you¡¯re still obsessed with that bitch.¡± Allen¡¯s face hardened. ¡°Article 42 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law,¡± he stated coldly. ¡°One more insult and you¡¯ll be detained on the spot.¡± Liam grabbed his mother, his voice sharp with warning. ¡°What does Ondo taking over the Cole Group have to do with Aria? Stop making a scene.¡± At first, Liam was furious and suspected Aria was involved. But the information he dug up showed the Stars Group hadn¡¯t interfered at all. ¡°Mom, if you keep making a scene, I¡¯ll move abroad and cut all ties with the Cole family for good,¡± Liam warned. Elena froze, her world copsing around her. She cried out, ¡°I carried you for nine months and raised you with my own hands-is this how you repay me? You¡¯d rather see your own mother wronged for the sake of your ex-wife?¡± Liam¡¯s face contorted, finally reaching his breaking point. He stood up and stormed out of the police station. Now that Liam was her only lifeline, Elena scrambled after him, pleading, ¡°Liam, please. I was wrong.¡± The mediation room fell silent. Fred shook hands with Allen and said, ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Chief Lawrence.¡± Allen said, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Allen looked at Aria and said, ¡°Next time this happens, feel free to p or kick back-just don¡¯t go overboard. Wouldn¡¯t want you identally killing someone.¡± Fryderyk and the other officer, both of whom knew Aria, didn¡¯t bat an eye at Allen¡¯s words. But Fred was utterly stunned. Fred couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Why did the chief say it like Aria might actually kill someone?¡¯ On their way back to campus, Fred couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Ms. Saxon, do you know Chief Lawrence personally?¡± Aria shrugged. ¡°We go way back.¡± Fred let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s great. At least we won¡¯t have to worry if they cause trouble again. ¡°By the way, the Cole Group has been renamed the Phosphor Group, and Liam is highly likely to pull their funding.¡± Aria shrugged. ¡°Let him pull out. I¡¯ll have the Stars Group cover it.¡± Fred¡¯s face lit up with a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. ¡®Martin certainly had an eye for talent,¡¯ he wondered. At 4 PM, after finishing herb session, Aria was preparing to leave. Helen and Larry came up with their notebooks, ready to ask questions. 28) Aria nced at the two students. ¡°Is this urgent?¡± ¡°No rush, Ms. Saxon,¡± they said. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ve got something to attend to now. Organize your questions and send them to me-I¡¯ll reply by the end of today.¡± ¡°Got it, Ms. Saxon.¡± They nodded. Today is Owen¡¯s birthday. Emma invited Aria to the bakery. Ever since that staged ident brought them together, Emma would often chat with Aria, no longer worried about intruding on the couple. Whenever her maid made homemade delicacies, she¡¯d have some sent over to them. Aria arrived at the bakery ten minutes early, but Emma was already there. James was also there. ¡°Hi, Emma. Hi, James,¡± Aria greeted. ¡°Hey Aria,¡± Emma beamed as she walked over and looped her arm through Aria¡¯s. ¡°We just got here ourselves.¡± The staff member smiled and said, ¡°The bakery kitchen is all set. Please follow me.¡± James instinctively moved to follow, but Emma turned back and said, ¡°You¡¯d just be in the way inside. Wait for us out here.¡± Emma never intended to bring James along, but ever since that staged ident when he wasn¡¯t there for her, he¡¯d been drowning in guilt-there was no way she could leave him behind this time, even if she wanted to. James understood his wife¡¯s reasoning and responded yfully, ¡°Got it.¡± Watching Emma and Aria disappear inside, James found a seat in the waiting area and settled down to wait. ¡°Mr. Shaw?¡± Suddenly, a surprised voice rang out. James looked up to find a man and a woman standing before him. A puzzled expression crossed James¡¯s face. ¡°And you are?¡± Lydia smiled gently and said, ¡°Mr. Shaw, I¡¯m Lydia-a ssmate of Owen¡¯s.¡± Before Lydia went abroad, she had crossed paths with Owen¡¯s parents a few times. ¡°Oh, Owen¡¯s ssmates? Nice to meet you,¡± he smiled. James¡¯s gaze fell upon the man of mixed heritage standing beside Lydia. Again Marriage 599 Lydia said softly, ¡°James, this is Flynt Hartley from Torrenia.¡± James gave a slight nod and said, ¡°Hello.¡± Flynt extended his hand politely and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shaw.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± James said, shaking Flynt¡¯s hand. Lydia nced around and asked, ¡°James, where¡¯s Emma?¡± James replied, ¡°She and Aria are in the kitchen, baking a cake.¡± Hearing Aria¡¯s name, Lydia was taken aback for a moment, then quicklyposed herself with a smile. She said, ¡°Oh, Ms. Saxon is here as well.¡± She never expected Aria had already met Owen¡¯s parents. Lydia knew it was Owen¡¯s birthday and made sure to send her wishes right at midnight. It wasn¡¯t until 9 AM that Owen replied with just a simple ¡°Thanks.¡± Flynt noticed Lydia¡¯s momentary distraction and said thoughtfully, ¡°Ms. Yeager, since you¡¯ve run into someone you know, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± Lydia snapped out of it. Though reluctant to leave, she couldn¡¯t think of a proper excuse. She said, ¡°I did promise to treat you to some desserts, Mr. Hartley. Let¡¯s go pick something out together.¡± Then she turned to James and said, ¡°James, we¡¯ll be heading out now.¡± James smiled gently and said, ¡°Have a pleasant time.¡± Lydia wanted to exin that she and Flynt were just friends, but she knew that, in the eyes of the Shaw family, she was merely Owen¡¯s former ssmate. After they left, Flynt studied Lydia thoughtfully and said, ¡°Ms. Yeager, I¡¯ve noticed you always seem a bit off whenever the Shaw familyes up. And today, seeing Mr. Shaw affected you even more. Is the person you like someone from their family? ¡°Is it Kim Shaw, the Chairman of the Shaw Group?¡± Lydia hadn¡¯t expected Flynt to be so perceptive. She quickly shook her head and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Flynt pressed, ¡°So, it¡¯s Owen?¡± Lydia hesitated for half a second, just about to deny it, when Flynt gave her a knowing smile. Flynt said, ¡°So, it¡¯s Owen. Right, you two were ssmates. You must have had a crush on him for years. Having a crush on someone can be tough.¡± Flynt¡¯s words struck deep, and a wave of bitterness washed over Lydia. She said, ¡°If only I hadn¡¯t gone abroad back then.¡± Flynt said gently, ¡°Ms. Yeager, you made the right choice. What¡¯s destined for you will always find its way back to you, no matter the journey.¡± Lydia gave a self-deprecating smile and said, ¡°But he already has a girlfriend-Aria, the one I told you about. She¡¯s remarkable.¡± 12:40 am Flynt said, ¡°She¡¯s truly impressive, but you¡¯re just as amazing, Ms. Yeager. Maybe the only difference between you two is a real chance.¡± Lydia sighed and said, ¡°Maybe we just weren¡¯t meant to be.¡± Flynt said, ¡°You never know. You have to fight for what you want.¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Flynt gave a knowing smile and said, ¡°Perhaps I see things differently from you. If I like someone, even if she¡¯s already in a rtionship or married, I¡¯d still fight to make her mine.¡± Lydia blurted out, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just being a homewrecker?¡± Then she quickly added, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Hartley, I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± She never imagined that Flynt, who seemed so gentle and refined on the surface, could harbor such shocking thoughts. Flynt said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I know my words took you by surprise. Everyone sees things differently-I respect that.¡± No matter how deeply Lydia loved Owen, she could never bring herself to do what Flynt suggested-snatch him away from Aria. She thought, ¡®I don¡¯t love Owen enough to sacrifice everything for him. I can get over Owen. It¡¯s just a matter of time!¡¯ Lydia gave a relieved smile and said, ¡°Thank you for today, Mr. Hartley. I hope the person you like returns your feelings.¡± A shadow flickered across Flynt¡¯s eyes. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Ms. Yeager. I wish you get what your heart desires.¡± As Lydia walked away, Flynt turned on his heel and strode over to the trash can, tossing the gift bag in without a second thought. A short distance away, a girl looked up and asked, ¡°Mommy, why did that man throw that away?¡± A woman replied, ¡°Maybe he didn¡¯t like it.¡± Again Marriage 600 The girl said, ¡°But if he didn¡¯t like it, he could have just given it away.¡± The woman said, ¡°Maybe he¡¯d rather just throw it away than give it to someone else.¡± ¡°Why?¡± the girl asked. The woman said, ¡°One more question and no snacks tonight.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± the girl mumbled. Emma¡¯s cake looked picture-perfect, while Aria¡¯s was barely passable. Time was running out-no chance for a do-over. Aria nced over with a smile and said, ¡°Emma, yours looks perfect. Maybe we should just use yours instead?¡± Emma shook her head gently and said, ¡°This one¡¯s for James. You¡¯ve done just fine, dear.¡± Then she looked at the staff and said, ¡°Pack them up.¡± The staff replied, ¡°Right away, ma¡¯am.¡± Seeing Emma and Ariae out, James rose with a warm smile and walked over to Emma. Gently taking the cake from her hands, he said warmly, ¡°Emma, my dear, you did such a wonderful job. Is this for me?¡± The perceptive staff chose an opaque box for Aria¡¯s cake-so no one could see inside-while Emma¡¯s was packaged in a clear one for all to admire. Emma nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡± James beamed with joy. He said, ¡°Then let¡¯s head home.¡± Aria blinked, puzzled. She asked, ¡°James, aren¡¯t we going to Owen¡¯s birthday party?¡± Emma replied, ¡°Having you there is all Owen needs. There is no need for us old folks to tag along.¡± Emma never nned to celebrate Owen¡¯s birthday with the young couple; she didn¡¯t want to intrude on their private time. She had invited Aria to bake a cake, simply as an excuse to spend time together and deepen their bond. James said, ¡°We¡¯ve already sent the gift over. Aria, take care on your way back alone.¡± Emma blew Aria a kiss. ¡°Bye, Aria. See you soon,¡± she said. Several staff members at the bakery could barely contain their excitement, squealing and jumping up and down. One eximed, ¡°That man waited a full hour and thirty-five minutes without a single trace of impatience on his face. He loves his wife so much.¡± Another chimed in, ¡°This is rtionship goals. I¡¯m so jealous-I need a boyfriend like that. He¡¯s just so sweet and gentle.¡± One said, ¡°I gotta get myself a boyfriend whose world revolves around me.¡± Aria had heard about the Shaws as soon as she returned to the country. +28 James and Emma were the kind of legendary couple everyone envied-madly in love for decades and practically inseparable. Yet their sons kept their feelings well hidden and were far less demonstrative. Kim was decisive and aggressive in business, making ruthless corporate moves without hesitation. Owen, by contrast, kept a low profile and remained aloof-except in the courtroom, where his razor-sharp edge was impossible to ignore. Sometimes, Cloe would vent to Aria, saying Kim was such a nutcase-always glued to them like some annoying pest. Though Aria¡¯s first impression of Kim wasn¡¯t great, she had to admit he turned out to be full of surprises. Even when Cloe hurled mean remarks and kept trying to shoo him away, Kim would shamelessly show up at her door again and again. Aria thought, ¡®Both Shaw brothers have indeed inherited their parents¡¯ unwavering devotion in love. Meeting Owen was worth it.¡¯ Aria smiled faintly, cake in hand, as she headed to the parking lot. When she opened the trunk and carefully ced the cake inside, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps behind her. Flynt called out, ¡°Aria.¡± Aria closed the trunk and turned around, only to find Flynt standing right in front of her. A lit cigarette dangled between Flynt¡¯s fingers, the swirling smoke obscuring his features. He said, ¡°Not happy to see me, are you?¡± Meeting his gaze with a nk expression, Aria said, ¡°You¡¯re not important enough to upset me. Move aside.¡± Flynt stood rooted, his gaze locked on the trunk. He said, ¡°So devoted to Owen-you baked him a cake yourself?¡± Aria retorted, ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Flynt said, ¡°It¡¯s none of my business.¡± Then he stubbed out his cigarette, grinding the ember out with his fingers. Stepping closer, he said, ¡°Why not bake one for me as well? Or better yet, just hand over the one you made for Owen?¡± Aria shot back, ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Again Marriage 601 Aria shoved Flynt aside and strode forward. Flynt staggered sideways a couple of steps, a faint twinge of pain in his shoulder. He let out a low chuckle, pressing his palm against the sore spot. Aria¡¯s car vanished from Flynt¡¯s sight. Flynt slid into the car and ordered, ¡°Follow her.¡± His driver replied, ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Traffic was heavy, keeping Aria¡¯s speed down. A nce in the rearview mirror showed Flynt¡¯s car maintaining a steady distance behind hers. Just as Aria was about to look away, a red sports car suddenly cut her off, barely half a meter from her rear bumper. Aria frowned and switchednes. The red car clung to Aria like a shadow, never letting up the pursuit. It was obvious-they were after her. Aria mmed on the gas. Inside the red sports car, Olivia sat with wless makeup, her crimson lips curling into a cold, sinister smirk. Ondo said from the passenger seat, ¡°You¡¯re going too fast. Pull over somewhere. I¡¯ll take the wheel.¡± Olivia sneered, ¡°Too fast? If anything, I think Aria¡¯s driving like a grandma.¡± Ondo said nothing more, merely tightening his grip on the handle. During her time in Masmubia, Russell had grown even colder toward Olivia, driving Olivia further off the deep end. The moment Olivia arrived in Huthailia, her first move was to pick a fight with Aria. Knowing that Aria could usually hold her own, Ondo had no intention of intervening-for now. Flynt¡¯s driver reported, ¡°Boss, that red car¡¯s glued to her bumper-we can¡¯t cut in.¡± Flynt¡¯s expression darkened instantly. He ordered, ¡°Get that te number. Find out who owns it.¡± His driver replied, ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Aria kept her car steady. When she spotted a truck ahead signaling to turn, a knowing smirk touched her lips. With a sudden sharp turn, Aria swerved away just as the red car tried to follow, only to be cut off by a turning truck blocking its path. Olivia cursed, ¡°Damn it.¡± She hit the brakes. Just then, a collision echoed from behind. Ondo, prepared for the impact, steadied himself in his seat, while Olivia¡¯s forehead smacked hard against the steering wheel. Furious, Olivia unbuckled her seatbelt, stormed out of the car, and kicked hard at the white sedan that had rear-ended her. 1:01 pm Flynt leisurely rolled down the window. Olivia was a sucker for a handsome face. When she saw Flynt¡¯s strikingly handsome yet aloof face, her anger instantly cooled. She said, ¡°Sir, your driver just rear-ended my car. What do you propose we do about this?¡± Flynt produced a business card and said, ¡°We¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡± Olivia smirked as she took the business card, her fingertips brushing against Flynt¡¯s slightly cold fingers. Before she could react, Flynt had already pulled his hand away. Olivia said, ¡°Sir, you¡¯ll be hearing from me.¡± Flynt gave a slight nod, rolled up the window, and picked up a disinfecting wipe, carefully wiping each of his slender fingers. The driver could distinctly feel the suffocating tension in the car, hardly daring to breathe. Flynt snapped, ¡°What are you standing around for? Move it.¡± The driver hastily started the engine, not daring to waste another second under Flynt¡¯s icy re. Olivia watched the car disappear, a smirk ying on her lips. Turning to Ondo, shemanded, ¡°Get me that man. Have him delivered to me.¡± Ondo warned, ¡°This is Huthailia, not the Wolfshade Syndicate. That man¡¯s not someone you want to mess with. Don¡¯t go looking for trouble.¡± Olivia¡¯s face darkened. She demanded, ¡°Cut the nonsense and just do it.¡± Russell had grown even colder toward her, and she lost all patience with Ondo. Ondo said coolly, ¡°I havepany matters to handle. If you want someone kidnapped, send your people.¡± He thought, ¡®If she is hell-bent on self-destruction, I am more than happy to watch!¡¯ Olivia snapped, ¡°Worthless.¡± Meanwhile, Aria returned home feeling quite pleased. Owen had been swamped with worktely, often getting offter than usual. Aria ced the cake on the dining table, then headed back to her apartment. E was out; only Pearl remained, quietly studying by herself. The living room was overflowing with beautifully wrapped gift bags. Pearl said to Aria, ¡°Aria, these are the birthday gifts everyone got for Owen. They said since it¡¯s the first birthday you two are celebrating together, they wanted to give you both some private time.¡± Aria chuckled helplessly. She said, ¡°Alright, keep studying. I¡¯ll go decorate the living room.¡± As she turned, she remembered Olivia and warned, ¡°Pearl, Olivia¡¯s in Huthailia now. She might stir up some trouble, so stay on your guard these days.¡± Again Marriage 602 Pearl was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a bright smile. She replied, ¡°With you and Owen around, I¡¯m not scared at all.¡± Aria gently tousled Pearl¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this will all be over soon.¡± When Owen got home from work, he found the living room pitch-ck. He could just make out a figure sitting at the dining table. He asked, ¡°Madelyn, why¡¯s it so dark in here?¡± In the next instant, warm golden candlelight flickered to life. Seeing the scene in front of him, Owen stood frozen, momentarily stunned. The dining table was draped with an elegant tablecloth,den with gourmet dishes, surrounded by vibrant flower petals, while exquisite candbras cast a soft, warm glow. A birthday cake sat at the center of the table. ¡°Happy birthday,¡± Aria said softly, her face glowing in the candlelight with a tender smile. Owen¡¯s heart skipped a beat, warmth flooding through him. He approached slowly. His voice was slightly husky with emotion as he said, ¡°Wait for me-I¡¯ll go change into something morefortable.¡± Three minutester, Owen emerged infortable loungewear. Just as Owen was about to pull out the chair next to her, Aria stopped him with a gentle smile. She said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit across from me? It¡¯ll be easier for us to talk.¡± Owen gently slid his dinner te to the spot closest to her. ¡°This way, I can be closer to you,¡± he murmured. Aria chuckled softly and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Owen took in every lovingly arranged detail, his gaze finally resting on the slightly imperfect-yet unmistakably homemade -cake. He asked, ¡°Madelyn, did you make this yourself?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Yeah, I made it with Emma. The rest is from Amour Bistro. I just reheated them.¡± Owen said softly, ¡°I love it.¡± One could tell from Aria¡¯s ce that she preferred simplicity. She wasn¡¯t one for decorating, nor did she buy anything unnecessary. But for Owen, she went out of her way to create such a warm, inviting space. Aria said softly, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first.¡± Owen barely touched the main dishes, yet he polished off everyst crumb of the cake Aria had made for him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you stuffed?¡± Aria asked, amazed. Owen replied softly, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He gazed at her, his eyes shimmering with affection, like starlight. Aria¡¯s cheeks flushed under Owen¡¯s intense gaze. Unable to take it any longer, she stood up abruptly with a shy smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what everyone got you,¡± she suggested. Owen obediently followed and settled onto the sofa. 1:01 pm The table was piled high with gifts, including those from the Shaw family rtives, all of which had been carefully packed and shipped over by Emma. Owen said softly, ¡°That¡¯s too many. Let¡¯s save the rest forter.¡± Aria teased, ¡°Not opening mine?¡± ¡°Open it.¡± Owen nodded. His gaze swept over the gifts and asked, ¡°Which one¡¯s from you?¡± Aria said, ¡°Guess?¡± Owen studied the gifts for a moment before picking up an exquisite velvet box. He asked, ¡°This one?¡± Aria was surprised. She asked, ¡°How could you tell?¡± Owen grinned and said, ¡°We¡¯re on the same wavelength.¡± Owen had a single piercing in his left ear-an idental souvenir from a past mission that never closed up. He had once inadvertently caught a glimpse of Aria¡¯s sketch-a design for matching couples¡¯ earrings. Judging from the box size, he immediately spotted Aria¡¯s gift among the pile of presents. Owen opened the box to reveal a pair of burgundy vintage-style stud earrings that, when joined together, formed a perfect heart. Aria gently picked up the earring for his left ear and said softly, ¡°Let me put it on for you.¡± Owen sat obediently on the sofa, tilting his face up. Aria struggled to put the earring on but couldn¡¯t manage. She said, ¡°Should we just give up?¡± ¡°It can go in,¡± Owen murmured. He gently but firmly guided her hand. With a bit of pressure, the earring finally slid through. Aria winced at the sight, suddenly regretting she¡¯d ever given him those earrings. Owen shed her a yful grin and asked, ¡°So, how do I look?¡± ¡°Looks good,¡± Aria said with a smile. Just as she was about to rise, Owen suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. Aria tumbled onto hisp. ¡°What are you up to?¡± she protested. Owen¡¯s gaze burned with intensity as he slowly drew closer to her lips. Aria leaned back slightly. ¡°But we just ate,¡± she said. Owen murmured, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We could always do something else to help with digestion.¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s open the presents first.¡± ¡°We can save them for tomorrow,¡± Owen murmured. pm Again Marriage 603 Ondo stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and called Russell. He said, ¡°Russell, Olivia¡¯s got her eyes on some guy. With her attention elsewhere, she won¡¯t be bothering Aria for now.¡± +38 Russell let out a coldugh on the other end of the line. He sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t kid yourself. If Olivia wants to hurt someone, as long as they¡¯re still alive, she¡¯ll hold that grudge for life.¡± Ondo fell silent for a moment, Sara¡¯s face shing through his mind. Instantly, his eyes turned ice-cold. ¡°True enough,¡± he muttered, clenching his phone. Back then, Olivia had mercilessly abused Sara, yet somehow fell for Russell. When Olivia discovered that Sara was Russell¡¯s sister, fearing her crime would be exposed, Olivia orchestrated Sara¡¯s kidnapping and had her sold to the Solemnity Guild. Ondo thought, ¡®Olivia is vicious and ruthless to the core. There¡¯s no way she would give up her malicious ways just for some guy she barely knows. Ondo closed his eyes briefly, forcing down the murderous rage inside him. In a low voice, he said, ¡°Russell, taking Olivia out quietly would be far simpler than wiping out the entire Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Tyree had a real knack for picking the right people. He was surrounded by loyal followers, which made taking him down no easy task. In contrast, dealing with Olivia was easier. Russell replied, ¡°Killing Olivia would be far too easy. I¡¯ll strip away everything she clings to and make her suffer a fate worse than death.¡± He thought bitterly, ¡®I was so focused on climbing the ranks that I failed to protect my sister. What decent folk coulde from the Wolfshade Syndicate? And yet I trusted them with Sara.¡¯ Russell hated Olivia, but he hated himself even more. After a long silence, Ondo finally spoke in a measured tone, ¡°Russell, whatever the oue, I¡¯ve got your back.¡± He thought, ¡®If Russell fails, I¡¯ll kill Olivia myself and avenge Sara.¡¯ Russell hung up abruptly. Then he switched back to the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s internalms system and tossed the phone aside. Russell knew Tyree didn¡¯t fully trust him, but he never cared. He knew that in this world, absolute trust never existed. His goal had always been to take over the Wolfshade Syndicate. Discovering the truth about Sara¡¯s kidnapping only made him move faster. He thought, ¡®Either I take over the Wolfshade Syndicate, or I wipe it out.¡¯ Suddenly, a knock came at the door. A man called, ¡°Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Remar is asking for you.¡± Russell rose, straightened his suit, and strode purposefully toward the headquarters. ¡°Godfather,¡± Russell said, bowing his head slightly, his voice respectful. Tyree lifted his gaze, his eyes probing. He asked, ¡°You and Olivia at it again?¡± Russell lowered his gaze and said calmly, ¡°Godfather, my apologies. I¡¯ve always seen Olivia as a sister. I simply can¡¯t develop romantic feelings for her.¡± Tyree fixed him with a scrutinizing gaze. He said, ¡°You do realize that marrying Olivia is the only way you¡¯ll ever qualify to 1:01 pm lead the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Russell¡¯s expression remained impassive as he said sincerely, ¡°Godfather, you gave me a second life. No matter who leads the Wolfshade Syndicate, I¡¯ll serve it for life.¡± Tyree offered no reply. Instead, he slowly ced the serpent-tail ring on the table. Russell¡¯s gaze lingered on the ring, feigning confusion. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Tyree said, ¡°This ring is Damon¡¯s possession. It¡¯s turned up in Arressto¡¯s hands.¡± Russell¡¯s expression tightened slightly. He said, ¡°I heard two months ago that Damon¡¯s ring went missing.¡± Hearing this, Tyree thought, ¡®Russell¡¯s answer is almost identical to Damon¡¯s, as if they¡¯d rehearsed it in advance. He narrowed his eyes and abruptly changed the subject. He asked, ¡°Olivia has it in for that girl named Aria, doesn¡¯t she?¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads 1:01 pmdd Again Marriage 604 A flicker of killing intent shed through Russell¡¯s eyes, gone in an instant. He replied, ¡°Yes. Aria was once the Solemnity Guild¡¯s top assassin, Echohawk. Killing her won¡¯t be easy.¡± Tyree said coolly, ¡°I won¡¯t let Olivia get the short end of the stick. I¡¯m thinking of dispatching Damon to Huthailia to help Olivia handle Aria. What do you think?¡± Russell said, ¡°Have Damon bring a few more of his trusted men. Taking out Aria won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Tyree nodded and said, ¡°With Ondo assisting, it won¡¯t be a problem. That¡¯s all. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Russell nodded respectfully and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now, Godfather. Take care.¡± After Russell left, Tyree turned toward the shadows and asked in a low, probing voice, ¡°How much of what he said can be trusted?¡± A shadowy figure slowly stepped out and murmured in a hushed tone, ¡°About seventy, maybe eighty percent. Russell indeed wants Aria dead. He¡¯s been stoking the Solemnity Guild¡¯s hatred for Echohawk, hoping they¡¯ll tear each other apart.¡± Tyree sneered, ¡°He really does care about that dead sister of his, doesn¡¯t he?¡± He ran his fingers over the ring, a cold glint shing in his eyes. He continued, ¡°Tell Damon to finish the transport job as soon as possible, then send him to Huthailia to take out Aria. Send more men. We must find Margery, or Arressto will never stop hounding the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Aria was jolted awake by a disturbing dream at 4 a.m., the sky still pitch ck. She grabbed her phone and texted White: [Found a safe house yet?] On the other end of the line, White¡¯s hair was a tangled mess, his face smeared with dirt and grime, barely recognizable. Clutching a notebook tightly to his chest, he was heading to the safe house Russell had arranged. The driver nced at the rearview mirror and reassured White, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get you to your destination safe and sound.¡± White tightened his grip on the notebook and said, ¡°Once we arrive, I¡¯ll hand this over to Russell.¡± The driver nodded and replied, ¡°Got it.¡± Just then, White felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out. After reading the message, he grinned and replied: [Rx, Aria. Russell¡¯s got this covered.] Suddenly, the car jolted violently. A piercing screech rang out from the trunk as bullets mmed into the metal. White whipped his head around and found a ghastly bullet hole now gaping in the rear window, The driver¡¯s face instantly drained of color. He floored the elerator and yelled, ¡°Our cover¡¯s blown.¡± White swiftly tucked the notebook into his jacket, drew his pistol in one fluid motion, rolled down the window, and fired three quick shots at the two SUVS hot on their tail. The other party immediately returned fire, bullets grazing the car door and showering sparks. White was forced to duck back inside the car, his expression grim. He pondered, ¡®Two SUVs¡ªat least six men.¡¯ He snarled, Damn it. I just said that Russell was solid, and now he pulls this shit. The driver hadn¡¯t expected things to go so wildly off-script. He had been chosen to escort White out alone, while hispanions diverted the Solemnity Guild¡¯s men. Cover blown, he figured there had to be a rat in the ranks. He yanked the steering wheel hard and yelled, ¡°Hold on. We¡¯re taking a detour.¡± With a screech of tires, the sedan jerked sideways and plunged into a narrow alleyway, Seiring the moment, White leaned out the window again and, with deadly precision, blew out the lead SUV¡¯s tire. The SUV immediately spun out of control, skidding wildly. Before White could catch his breath, the driver suddenly yelled in panic, ¡°Shit.¡± White whipped his head toward the sound, his eyes narrowing sharply. A truck barreled straight at them, its blinding high beams flooding the car interior. Everything went utterly white. ¡°There¡¯s no way to dodge it, the driver shouted. With a loud bang, the truck mmed into them, sending the world spinning. White braced himself as the car flipped and tumbled violently down the slope. Again Marriage 605 Aria fell asleep as soon as she got White¡¯s message. When Aria woke again, Owen had already gotten up. Aria rubbed her throbbing temples and got out of bed to wash up. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, her phone lit up with an iing call. Ondo said, ¡°Tyree is sending Damon to Huthailia to help Olivia kill you. And I¡¯m one of the operatives involved.¡± Aria scoffed, ¡°Russell sure knows how to y dirty, diverting all the heat onto me. Does he have a death wish?¡± Ondo replied, ¡°It¡¯s the only way to go about it. We¡¯ll pick them off one by one; that makes things much easier. Just consider it a favor, and when it¡¯s time to deal with the Solemnity Guild, the Wolfshade Syndicate will definitely pull its weight.¡± Aria scoffed, ¡°Taking down the Wolfshade Syndicate? You guys sure are confident.¡± Ondo said, ¡°For you, taking Damon out is no big deal. Olivia¡¯s just average. She¡¯s easy to deal with, but we need to save her forst.¡± Tyree¡¯s sole affection was reserved for Olivia, his daughter. Everyone else was merely a pawn in his game, disposable at any moment. He said, ¡°As long as Olivia is safe, Tyree won¡¯t fly into a rage. So, if we¡¯re not going after Olivia first, she¡¯ll have to be thest one we deal with.¡± Aria said firmly, ¡°Then remember what you said. The Solemnity Guild is all yours to handle now.¡± Ondo wanted to rify, ¡°We never promised to take down the Solemnity Guild. We¡¯re just offering backup.¡± But before Ondo could exin, Aria hung up on him. As the bedroom door slid open with a soft sound, Aria quickly closed the call screen. A warm presence enveloped her from behind. Owen wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the crook of her shoulder. His voice was husky with sleep as he murmured, ¡°Who was that?¡± Owen faintly heard a man¡¯s voice, unfamiliar, not one he recognized. Aria replied, ¡°Ondo.¡± ¡°That fake illegitimate son from the Cole family?¡± Aria responded with a calm ¡°Yeah,¡± her tone even. ¡°Damon hase to Huthailia.¡± Owen¡¯s eyes turned icy, his voiceced with icy menace: ¡°The Wolfshade Syndicate certainly needs a new leader.¡± Aria chuckled lightly, ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right.¡± Originally, Aria had no intention of getting involved in Russell¡¯s feud with the Wolfshade Syndicate. But now that they¡¯de looking for trouble, she didn¡¯t mind lending a hand. Aria reached out and ruffled Owen¡¯s damp hair, her eyes thoughtful. ¡°With Arressto¡¯s headquarters in Huthailia, we could use this chance to stir things up a bit and help Russell seize control of the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Easy enough, but we¡¯ll need Pearl¡¯s help.¡± Aria¡¯s lips curved slightly. ¡°Pearl is smart and resilient, and it¡¯s okay to tell her about it. But first, we should check in with Russell to see where he stands.¡± Owen murmured, ¡°Okay, and tightened his arms around her, pulling her even closer. Owen murmured sleepily, ¡°It¡¯s still early, Want to stay in bed a little longer? ¡°No, I¡¯m up. Gonna go for a run Owen said coldly, ¡°Got it.¡± After breakfast, Aria hurried to campus. The first semester was drawing to a close, and Helen and Larry hadrgely finalized their research directions. Martin focused his efforts on cultivating Sophie, while Aria was left more to her own devices, This semester, Ar¨ªa also kept herself busy. She applied for a school-level research project and brought Helen and Larry along to work on it. Since Mike¡¯s research aligned with Sophie¡¯s project, Martin assigned Sophie to mentor him. Martin revealed that Aria still had time to studyputer science. Hence the university assigned her to a major research project. Samuel and his students focused on applying for key projects, and the Smart Pharmacy Project was fully managed by Mandy¡¯s team. As the Smart Pharmacy Project moved into algorithm development, Mandy, aware of Aria¡¯s relevant expertise, invited her to provide technical guidance. 1:02 pm Again Marriage 606 38) On top of her own research, Aria had to juggle the Smart Pharmacy Project and couldn¡¯t neglect Adrian¡¯s work either. Butpared to Sophie, Aria wasn¡¯t nearly as swamped. The real crunches next semester. It wasn¡¯t until three dayster that Aria learned White had gone missing. Ondo reported, ¡°The disappearance urred near the Torrenia-Masmubia border. At the scene, only a wrecked vehicle, bloodstains, and the bodies of four Solemnity Guild members were found.¡± Ondo stole a cautious nce at her before continuing, ¡°Neither White nor the driver was among them. Chances are they¡¯re still alive.¡± Aria remained impassive, her face betraying no emotion. ¡°Russell is even more useless than I thought,¡± she remarked coolly. Ondo looked remorseful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We truly underestimated the Solemnity Guild¡¯s lethal intent toward White. Russell has already sent people to deal with those trackers.¡± Ever since they¡¯d met Aria, they¡¯d been nothing but trouble for her. At that moment, they couldn¡¯t even protect someone under her wing. The room fell into a heavy silence. Ondo rubbed his nose, a bit awkwardly. ¡°Russell spread the word that White has something valuable from the Solemnity Guild. Now every organization is hunting for him. As long as the Guild doesn¡¯t get to him first, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Tyree suspected White was Russell¡¯s operative and surmised that Russell intended to take control of the Solemnity Guild. If Russell truly takes control of the Solemnity Guild, the Wolfshade Syndicate would dominate the underworld with an unshakable position. Tyree would be more than happy to see it happen and wouldn¡¯t lift a finger to stop it. The Solemnity Guild and the Wolfshade Syndicate were officially locked in a bitter feud. Damon, their designated liaison, was seized, forcing his nned trip to Huthailia to be aborted. Aria stood up. ¡°Compile a full intel report and send it to me, including all organizations and personnel involved.¡± Ondo knew she was heading to Torrenia and didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Got it.¡± With the semester drawing to a close and sses already wrapped up, Aria just needed to let Martin know before leaving campus. The assistant reported to Flynt, ¡°Ms. Saxon bought a ticket to Torrenia. Before that, she met with Ondo, chairman of Phosphor Group.¡± Torrenia was where they had first crossed paths. Flynt¡¯s lips curved into a faint, cold smile. ¡°Find out exactly what happened. Dig into Ondo¡¯s background as well.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The assistant turned to leave but was called back. ¡°Keep Owen upied. I don¡¯t want him anywhere near Torrenia this time.¡± Flynt¡¯s expression turned frigid. ¡°If he sets foot in Torrenia, consider your position terminated.¡± The assistant responded promptly, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Meanwhile, Owen saw Aria¡¯s message and called her back immediately. ¡°I¡¯ming with you to Torrenia.¡± 1:02 pm ¡°No need,¡± Aria¡¯s voice came through the phone, calm and firm. ¡°The situation there is unclear. Going alone makes me less conspicuous. I need you to provide backup here in Huthailia. I¡¯ll bring White back.¡± Owen was silent for a few seconds before saying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send Skinny and the others to Torrenia to back you up. Have you booked your flight yet?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Yeah, got a flight for tomorrow morning.¡± After hanging up, Owen wired a sum of money and dispatched Skinny and his team of seven to Torrenia. 38 Owen sat at his desk, staring nkly. For what felt like ages, he couldn¡¯t process a single word. He rubbed his temples with a weary sigh. They hadn¡¯t even parted ways yet, but Owen was already missing Madelyn. Early the next morning, Owen walked Aria to the airport security checkpoint. ¡°If you need anything, just give them your orders. Don¡¯t hold back.¡± Aria said, ¡°Rx, I won¡¯t be shy about it.¡± Owen lowered his gaze, his grip tightening on her hand as if he couldn¡¯t bear to let go. He thought to himself, ¡®Maybe I should just quit Seacrest Law Firm and be Madelyn¡¯s shadow. Wherever she goes, I¡¯ll follow.¡¯ Owen was weighing the pros and cons of quitting his job at Seacrest to follow Madelyn. Seeing Owen lost in thought, Aria snapped her fingers and said, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Owen blurted out, ¡°Quit.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± Again Marriage 607 39 Owen knew that he¡¯d never been the good guy type. He was convinced that a person¡¯s life was scripted from birth to death, merely a y orchestrated by destiny. When the performance ended, one simply left the stage. When Owen was little, Emma took him to see a therapist, but it didn¡¯t help at all. For a long time, Owen viewed the world with detached indifference. He could never understand why, if his parents loved each other so much, they would choose to have Kim and him. Eventually, Owen chalked it all up to coincidence. It was a coincidence that Emma would meet James and have two sons. Owen considered himself fortunate to be born as her child. He was born into a wealthy, powerful, and happy family, so there had to be a price to pay. But before Owen could give, he needed something to offer. He pushed himself relentlessly, studying while growing stronger, volunteering for military training, and even joining a mercenary group during his time abroad. After taking the SAT, Owen came across a video of a court hearing. The defendant was a powerful and influential middle-aged man. Dressed in a sharp suit, he satposedly in the defendant¡¯s seat, maintaining an even tone throughout the usations, while looking down upon the intiff with a haughty, condescending gaze. At that moment, Owen thought to himself, ¡®This guy looks so sure of victory. If the tables were turned, that expression would be priceless.¡¯ Owen chosew, not out of some noble sense of justice, as people assumed. Later, Owen encountered all kinds of people, good and bad, noble and selfish. Gradually, his perspective shifted as he realized that many others in this world were also battling against their destiny. Owen thought to himself, ¡®The reason I noticed Aria was because we¡¯re cut from the same cloth.¡¯ Later, Owen felt they were destined. He first met her as a teenager abroad, and yearster, fate reunited them in Torrenia. Owen thought, ¡®Loving her is my destiny. I only have one clear mission: to cherish Madelyn.¡¯ Before meeting Aria, Owen would have stayed the course as awyer. But now that he¡¯d met Aria, there was no point staying at Seacrest Law Firm any longer. Owen looked at her with a yful grin. ¡°Madelyn, would you take care of me if I quit my job?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria said, puzzled. ¡°But why would you quit your job?¡± Owen said with a determined look, ¡°I want to quit and apply for a position at Mandino University. Wherever you go, follow.¡± I¡¯ll Owen thought, ¡®If we hadn¡¯t gotten together, I¡¯d never have known this sweetness and wouldn¡¯t be craving to stay by her side every moment. But I had gotten it. ¡®I cherish every moment with her. As long as we¡¯re together, anything feels right. He never said no to any of her requests. Aria asked Owen to stay in Torrenia as backup support, so he agreed. Butter, Owen deeply regretted his decision. As their separation drew near, that feeling only intensified. He thought, ¡®Who knows how long we¡¯ll be apart this time? Maybe a week, maybe a month. ¡®Being so far apart, I had no way of knowing how she was doing over there, and there was nothing I could do! The crowd flowed around them in a constant murmur, but Owen seemed to havepletely tuned out the world. He looked down at Aria, his inscrutable gaze holding emotions she couldn¡¯t begin to decipher. It was like a, yearning to ensnare her, to hold her captive, never to let go. Aria caught herself. Maybe she was being a little dramatic. Owen wasn¡¯t really like that. But at that moment, a subtle realization dawned on Aria. Owen deeply wished to go to Torrenia with her, though he hadn¡¯t shown it openly. Aria parted her lips to speak when a figure suddenly burst into her view: Flynt approached with his luggage, his assistant trailing behind. With a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes, he greeted, ¡°Ms. Saxon, what a coincidence running into you here at the airport.¡± Owen shifted his gaze to Flynt. Flynt was clearly heading to Torrenia, too. Owen thought to himself, ¡°This guy¡¯s been eyeing Madelyn like a hawk! 1:02 pm Again Marriage 608 Owen lowered his gaze, his voice cool and measured. ¡°Mr. Hartley, heading to Torrenia as well?¡± 19 ¡°Exactly. Looks like Ms. Saxon and I are on the same flight.¡± Flynt smiled, his eyes glinting with challenge. ¡°So, Mr. Shaw, just here to see her off?¡± Aria tightened her grip on Owen¡¯s hand. ¡°No. We¡¯re going together.¡± Flynt¡¯s eyes flickered. Beside him, his assistant clutched the luggage tightly, his fingertips trembling uncontrobly. The assistant thought, ¡®Owen wasn¡¯t supposed to go, so why the sudden change of ns? Mr. Hartley won¡¯t let me off the hook¡¯ When Owen heard ¡°We¡¯re going together¡±, sparks seemed to explode in his ears. His heart fluttered as if brushed by a feather, a jolt of electricity shooting through his whole body as excitement flooded every nerve. Almost instinctively, Owen squeezed her hand back, holding on desperately, afraid she might change her mind. Owen thought, ¡®Gosh, I so want to kiss her right now. But it¡¯s the wrong ce. Flynt¡¯s gaze lingered on their sped hands, raising an eyebrow. ¡°But Mr. Shaw, you don¡¯t seem to have any luggage with you?¡± Owen¡¯s lips curved into a smirk. ¡°Mr. Hartley, we¡¯re a couple. We live together, so of course our luggage is together.¡± Flynt wasn¡¯t foolish, and he could tell Aria had changed her mind on the spot. Flynt wondered, ¡®Why did she suddenly let Owen tag along? Was it because of my provocation? Had she seen through me?¡¯ Ignoring Flyntpletely, Aria grabbed Owen¡¯s hand and led him away. Pulling out her phone, she said, ¡°Let me check if there are still any tickets left.¡± Owen gently ced his hand over her phone, turning off the screen. ¡°Actually¡­ ¡°I booked the ticketsst night and packed our clothes. I slipped them into your suitcase while you were in the shower. ¡°Honestly, I was going to talk you into it first, and only then admit I¡¯d already booked the flight tickets.¡± He stood before her, his eyes softly crinkled, wearing a vulnerable, almost puppy-dog expression. Aria¡¯s gaze turned serious. ¡°If you wanted toe, why didn¡¯t you just say so?¡± Owen pressed his lips together. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want me toe.¡± Aria said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want my situation to disrupt your ns. My return date is uncertain, and if you have an important caseing up, it could jeopardize your clients¡¯ interests.¡± Owen said, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a major case, but it¡¯s been postponed for three months because of the intiff.¡± Owen wanted to go with her, but he would never gamble with his clients¡¯ futures. ¡°Even if a casees up,¡± he assured her, ¡°I can always fly back early.¡± He was truly set on going. When Aria told Flynt that she and Owen were together, she could sense Owen¡¯s sheer delight even without looking at him. A pang of regret hit her. She should have asked if he wanted toe along first, instead of just telling him to stay in Torrenia as her backup. But because of this, Aria seemed to discover a whole new side of Owen. It seemed that he had grown quite attached to her. ¡®But could I really live without him?¡¯ Aria thought to herself, ¡®If I imagined life without Owen, there¡¯d be no one insisting on cooking for me every day, no one looking at me so tenderly, and no one warming my side of the bed anymore¡­ Had she never been with Owen, she¡¯d have sworn that solitary life was just right for her. Aria thought to herself, ¡®But now it seems I can¡¯t live without him either.¡¯ Aria rose on her toes, looping her arms around Owen¡¯s neck as her lips gently met his, She ignored the crowd, not caring who saw her. At that moment, all she wanted was to kiss him. Aria said, ¡°Owen, no matter who you truly are, I¡¯ll never leave you. You don¡¯t have to hold back with me.¡± Owen desperately wanted to return her kiss, but he knew they were being watched. He didn¡¯t want anyone else to see that vulnerable, passionate side of Madelyn, the side that was for him alone. He gave a slight nod, his face breaking into a warm smile. ¡°Okay.¡± Though he said ¡°okay,¡± Owen still wouldn¡¯t reveal that side, the part of himself he saw as unworthy. Again Marriage 609 The doctor had noted that Owen was probably psychologically troubled and needed early intervention. Owen refused, so the doctor talked to Emma instead, but she left the decision to him. The doctor advised, ¡°Since Owen is still young, the impact isn¡¯t significant for now. But if he grows up and encounters certain people or situations, it might trigger his darker tendencies.¡± Emma trusted Owen and never took him to a psychologist again. Though the matter seemed trivial, it profoundly shaped Owen¡¯s life. But in the end, the impact was positive. 3 For example, Aiden made Kim take many courses and monitored almost every move. However, he never asked Owen to do the same. His parents always respected his choices and never interfered. He could skip grades if he wanted, or study abroad if he chose. No matter how busy Kim was, during Owen¡¯s years abroad, he still made sure to visit him three or four times a year. Kim had always been very protective of Owen since childhood. For example, once Owen received a package delivered by drone, Kim immediately snatched it away, fearing there might be something dangerous inside. Even with all his prowess, Owen was still just his parents¡¯ son, Kim¡¯s brother, and Aiden¡¯s grandson. He was surrounded by people who loved him deeply. Owen knew he had a darker side, selfish and fiercely possessive. He wanted to chain Madelyn to his side forever, making sure she¡¯d only have eyes for him. Owen thought, ¡®My family loves me, and Madelyn¡¯s friends love her too. Flynt stood a short distance away, his eyes zing with bloodthirsty ferocity. His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed as he struggled to swallow down the rage boiling inside him, unable to quell the fury within. The assistant stood frozen in ce, not daring to utter a single sound, terrified of bearing the brunt of his wrath. Until the boarding announcement rang out, reminding passengers to board the ne. Flynt finally tore his murderous gaze away from the couple. He stood up to head inside when a woman suddenly blocked his path. ¡°Hey, handsome, mind if I add you on WhatsApp?¡± Flynt¡¯s striking looks were impossible to ignore. But his chilling aura and dark, brooding expression kept people at bay. The woman who approached Flynt for his contact info was from Torrenia. She could tell he had mixed heritage, but wasn¡¯t sure if he was Torrenian. Only when the boarding announcement sounded and she saw him stand up did she confirm his nationality. Flynt nced at her and spat out two words, ¡°No way.¡± The rejection didn¡¯t surprise her. She chuckled and said, ¡°I noticed you couldn¡¯t take your eyes off that couple.¡± ¡°Sir, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve got a thing for that girl?¡± ¡°So, what if I am?¡± 1:16 pm Taken aback by his blunt admission, the woman¡¯s smile froze. ¡°You- Flynt had already walked away. The woman was clearly put out. She red at his retreating back and snorted coldly. The woman¡¯s friend teased her, ¡°Luna, I told you it wouldn¡¯t work out. That guy is a bit intimidating.¡± Luna tossed her head with pride. ¡°They¡¯re heading to Torrenia too. I¡¯ve got a hunch we¡¯ll cross paths again.¡± Luna was walking inside when she spotted that eye-catching coupleing her way. She stopped in her tracks, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. Luna thought, ¡°They¡¯re going to Torrenia too?¡¯ During the ten-plus-hour flight, Aria and Owen mostly slept. They were heading straight for the border and wouldn¡¯t have time to adjust to the time difference, so they had to catch up on sleep while they could. It was alreadyte in the evening when Olivia learned that Aria had gone to Torrenia. Without hesitation, she immediately reached out to Damon. ¡°Damon, how¡¯s your end?¡± Damon replied, ¡°It¡¯s all sorted out now, but I won¡¯t be able toe to Huthailia to assist you for the time being.¡± Olivia smirked and said, ¡°Aria¡¯s gone to Torrenia. She must be there to rescue that Solemnity Guild guy. Damon, make sure she doesn¡¯te back alive.¡± ¡®Killing Aria overseas would be far easier than in Huthailia,¡¯ Olivia thought. Damon said coldly, ¡°Got it.¡± +28 1:16 pm Again Marriage 610 After hanging up the phone, Olivia hummed a tune in high spirits. She asked her subordinate, ¡°Have you found out who that man is yet?¡± The subordinate said, ¡°We¡¯ve confirmed he¡¯s the illegitimate son of a Torrenian business tycoon.¡± ¡°Just an illegitimate son,¡± Olivia sneered. ¡°Bring him to me.¡± The subordinate hesitated. ¡°Ms. Remar, he¡¯s already gone to Torrenia.¡± ¡°He¡¯s gone too?¡± As the fun vanished, Olivia¡¯s mood soured. The subordinate hurriedly chimed in, ¡°There are also quite a few guys here who are your type, Ms. Remar. I¡¯ve put together some profiles. Would you like to take a look?¡± Olivia snapped, ¡°Show me.¡± Olivia flipped through the photos until her gazended on a silver-haired young man. ¡°Him,¡± she dered. The subordinate took the tablet. ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡± On the illuminated screen, the bottom right corner read: [Zac Atwell.] As dusk deepened, an unremarkable-looking couple stood before the farmhouse¡¯s wooden door and knocked. They were Owen and Aria, who had been disguised. After a long moment, a sturdy woman pulled the door open. The woman in a loose id shirt and work pants sized them up with wary eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡± Owen offered a weary smile and replied in fluent Torrenian, ¡°Hello, we¡¯re Huthailian tourists who got lost while traveling. We walked for hours before finally spotting your farm. Would you mind putting us up for the night?¡± The woman sized them up carefully. In her eyes, the woman had sallow skin and wore thick ck-rimmed sses. And the man¡¯splexion was slightly fairer, with several days¡¯ stubble. Both were d in rumpled travel clothes, looking thoroughly disheveled and weary, the perfect image of lost travelers. The woman had a good impression of Huthailians. After a brief hesitation, she stepped aside and said, ¡°Come in. After dark, ck bears and wolves roam these parts. It¡¯s not safe out there.¡± ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Owen and Aria said sincerely as they followed her into the dimly lit house. The burly, full-bearded man shot to his feet, his right hand gripping the shotgun at his waist. He barked, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The woman hurried to exin, ¡°They¡¯re lost Huthailian tourists. It¡¯s too dangerous out there at night. They just need one night¡¯s shelter.¡± ¡°The border¡¯s a warzone now, and you¡¯re just letting strangers in?¡± the farmer barked, his displeasure clear. Owen quickly interjected, ¡°Excuse me, sir, but my wife and I truly have nowhere else to turn.¡± 1:16 pm The farmer¡¯s gaze lingered on their sped hands for a moment before asking in Huthailian, ¡°Are you really Huthailians?¡± Owen replied in Huthailian, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re Huthailians.¡± The farmer said sternly, ¡°You must leave first thing in the morning.¡± The two exchanged a nce, their faces breaking into relieved smiles. They quickly bowed in gratitude and promised, ¡°We¡¯ll be gone at first light.¡± The room was dimly lit, but it was still bright enough for them to see everyone inside. Inside, there was a middle-aged couple and a young couple. A teenage boy and a little girl, no more than three or four years old, were hiding behind their mother. Simple fare wasid out on the rough wooden table. ¡°Let me show you to your room,¡± the woman said awkwardly. She didn¡¯t feelfortable inviting them to join the meal. The hallway was crammed with clutter and farm tools, while lights glowed from the other three bedrooms. The woman pushed open the door and flipped on the light. ¡°We usually use this room to store harvested crops,¡± she exined. The room wasrge, packed with all sorts of things, with an impossibly narrow bed squeezed into the corner, barely visible amidst the clutter unless they looked closely. The woman handed Owen a quilt, sheets, and a pillow. He epted them with a grateful bow and said, ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± Once the door closed, Owen quickly made up the narrow bed. The house had four rooms, the other three already upied. Aria murmured, ¡°This ce hasn¡¯t been used in a while.¡± She thought, ¡®So White hasn¡¯t been here. This is where Russell¡¯s leads went cold.¡¯ Against one wall stood a faucet where the two quickly freshened up before settling into bed. Owen said, ¡°We¡¯ll bunk here tonight and move into the hignds at dawn.¡± Again Marriage 611 The narrow, hard single bed forced them to press close together when theyy down. Owen struggled to turn over, pulling Aria into his arms. ¡°Madelyn,¡± he murmured, ¡°this wooden board isn¡¯t veryfortable. How about you just sleep on me instead?¡± Aria opened her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly sleep like that.¡± Owen coaxed with a grin, ¡°Just try it.¡± He rolled over with Aria in his arms, the rickety bed creaking under their weight. Aria ended up sprawled on top of Owen, the corners of her mouth twitching in silent exasperation. Owen grinned, ruffling Aria¡¯s hair. ¡°See? Comfy enough?¡± Just then, the door suddenly swung open. Thendy appeared in the doorway, holding a mattress pad. ¡°The bed¡¯s too hard, so I brought you some padding¡­¡± Thendy¡¯s eyes widened at theirpromising position. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± the flusteredndy blurted out. She hastily dropped the pad on the floor, spun around, and shut the door. The sound of hurried footsteps faded into the distance, echoing in their ears. The room fell into dead silence. Owen stole a careful nce, only to be met with Aria¡¯s using eyes. ¡°My bad,¡± Owen said, giving her a sheepish smile. He took her hand and pressed it to his cheek with a grin. ¡°Go ahead, hit me,¡± he teased. Aria withdrew her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck.¡± ¡°Will you really punish me if there¡¯s a next time?¡± Owen teased, shing a mischievous grin. Aria shot him a look. ¡°What do you think?¡± Owen grinned and said, ¡°Go ahead, hit me now if you want.¡± Aria rolled her eyes and teased, ¡°You really love getting hit, don¡¯t you, Owen?¡± Owen nodded with a grin. ¡°That¡¯s love.¡± Aria was speechless. Owen chuckled and sat up, letting her naturally settle onto hisp. She gave him a long-suffering look. Owen rubbed his nose sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ll grab the pad.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go get it. You hold onto the nket,¡± Aria said, giving Owen¡¯s cheek a yful pinch before getting up. Owen rubbed his cheek and grinned. Aria sighed. ¡®I can¡¯t figure this man out anymore. Let him be. Well, I chose him myself, so even if he¡¯s a fool, I guess I¡¯ll just have to put up with it,¡¯ she thought. With the mattress pad, the bed was much morefortable to sleep on. 1:16 pm Outside, the farmer cast a wary nce at their door as he passed by. The woman lowered her voice and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re indeed a married couple, just regr travelers passing through. The man snorted. ¡°Do ordinary tourists really travel to the border? How naive.¡± Nervously, the woman pressed. ¡°If you saw through them, why did you still let them stay?¡± The man said grimly, ¡°If they¡¯re really from either of those two gangs, turning them away wouldn¡¯t save us¡­¡± He paused, then said in a low voice, ¡°They¡¯re no ordinary folks, but they don¡¯t belong to either of those two gangs.¡± The thin cabin walls let Aria and Owen overhear every word of the conversation. They exchanged a nce, then silently fell asleep. In the dead of night, a group of figures crept toward the farmhouse. The farmer¡¯s eyes snapped open. He grabbed the shotgun beside his bed. Thendy jolted awake, whispering nervously, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± The man said grimly, ¡°We¡¯ve gotpany outside, a whole group of them.¡± The woman asked nervously, ¡°Did those two travelers bring them here?¡± The farmer shook his head. ¡°Not necessarily. You stay put. I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± Panicked, the woman fumbled for a dagger, tucked it up her sleeve, and waited, trembling with fear. A gunshot rang out, shattering the silence. Thendy flinched in fear. The next second, a masked man kicked the door open, stormed in, yanked her by the arm, and dragged her out of the room. They have guns. She can¡¯t act rashly. The man of the house had been shot in the shoulder, his blood drenching half his body as his youngest son desperately clutched the wound. The granddaughter wailed in terror, while the eldest son and his wife clutched their child, their faces deathly pale. 1:16 pm Again Marriage 612 At the sight, thendy¡¯s eyes instantly welled up with rage and sorrow. ¡°Is this all of them?¡± the leader asked icily. ¡°Yes,¡± the henchman replied. The woman sniffled, then suddenly realized that the Huthailian couple was missing. The leader sneered, ¡°We¡¯ve taken over this ce. Get lost, all of you.¡± One of theckeys leaned in and muttered, ¡°Boss, what if the Wolfshade Syndicate finds out we¡¯re here? We should just wipe them all out.¡± ¡°True,¡± the leader nodded. ¡°Do it outside. Keep the blood off my floors.¡±. Just as they were about to drag someone out, a sudden heavy thud echoed from somewhere within, making everyone freeze in their tracks. The leader instantly raised his gun, eyes snapping toward the sound. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± he demanded. One of the thugs viciously kicked the wounded man to the ground. ¡°Who else is in the house?¡± he snarled. The boy shielded his father and said, ¡°We took in two travelers. They¡¯re in that room.¡± The leader¡¯s face darkened as he red at his henchmen. ¡°What kind of half-assed search was that?¡± The henchman who¡¯d conducted the search stammered nervously, ¡°B-boss, I swear, I really didn¡¯t see anyone in there. The bed was empty when I looked.¡± The leader jerked his chin, and two of his henchmen, guns at the ready, crept cautiously toward the room. Seconds ticked by in eerie silence inside the room. ¡°Fayman? Steven?¡± the leader called his subordinates, his expression growing increasingly grim. He yanked the woman forward, pressing the gun to her temple as he edged inside, then swiveled the muzzle to point ahead. At the doorway, he pressed in behind the woman, using her as a human shield. Snarling, he threatened, ¡°Come out now, or I¡¯ll execute this whole family.¡± With his hands raised, Owen slowly stepped out from the shadows. ¡°Don¡¯t kill anyone.¡± ¡°Where are my men?¡± the leader snapped. Owen gave a faint smile. ¡°I killed them all.¡± A gunshot rang out, shattering the silence. Owen sidestepped swiftly, the bullet thudding into the grain sack in the corner. At the same time, gunfire and screams erupted outside. The leader¡¯s face contorted in shock. In that split second of distraction, Owen lunged forward, wrenched the gun from his grasp, and shot the nearest henchman point-nk. The leader shoved thendy forward, but she seized his arm and, in one swift motion, twisted it fiercely. A dagger hidden in her sleeve shed out and plunged deep into his shoulder. The leader howled in pain as the dagger plunged into his 1:16 pm shoulder. Owen shot a stunned nce at thendy, then swiftly disabled the leader¡¯s arms and sent him sprawling to the ground with a sharp kick. The leader¡¯s gaze snapped to the doorway. All his meny defeated on the ground. Aria stood bathed in themplight, her icy gaze fixed on him. (28) ¡°Who the hell are you people?¡± The leader¡¯s strength gave out, and he copsed face down on the ground. Only then did he see that each of the fallen men had a silver needle embedded in their neck. The leader¡¯s eyes snapped open as he gazed up in utter disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Echohawk?¡± Aria shot him an icy nce, then turned to the farmer. ¡°Do you have a first aid kit? Your wound needs immediate attention.¡± Snapping out of his shock, the boy blurted, ¡°Yes.¡± He dashed into the house, grabbed the first aid kit, and knelt down to tend to his father¡¯s wound. The leader¡¯s eyes bore into Aria. ¡°You¡¯re after White.¡± Only after watching the boy skillfully remove the bullet from his father¡¯s wound did Aria finally turn to the leader and demand, ¡°Where¡¯s White?¡± ¡°Why the hell should I tell you?¡± the leader sneered. The leader howled in pain as the dagger plunged into his shoulder. Owen warned coldly, ¡°One more word, and it won¡¯t just be a finger.¡± Confronted by this gruesome scene, all but the innocent little girl, her eyes covered, too young to understand, remained eerily calm, as if they had long grown desensitized to such horrors. Aria averted her gaze and said coolly, ¡°If he won¡¯t talk, just kill him.¡± Again Marriage 613 Owen had just raised his dagger when the leader frantically cried out, ¡°Wait. We didn¡¯t find White. He vanished in the western region.¡± Owen pressed, ¡°When exactly?¡± ¡°Yesterday,¡± the leader replied, his voice tense. Owen knocked one of them out, then turned to the homeowner and asked, ¡°What do you want to do with these guys?¡± The homeowner said grimly, his eyes dark, ¡°Kill them all. We¡¯ll handle the bodies.¡± Owen realized this family was no ordinary one. ¡°They¡¯re all yours then.¡± The homeowner looked up at them. ¡°Thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you, our whole family would have been wiped out today.¡± Aria said, ¡°You took us in. It¡¯s only right to help out when we¡¯re staying at someone else¡¯s ce. Besides, you¡¯re just innocent people caught up in this mess.¡± The woman said gently, ¡°You two, go get some rest. We¡¯ll handle these guys.¡± Aria and Owen exchanged a nce, nodded in silent agreement, and headed back into the room they¡¯d juste from. Owen dragged the remaining two out. ¡°They¡¯re all yours,¡± he said. Aria gathered all the firearms and ammunition together, took four guns and a small amount of ammo, then said to the family, ¡°You can have the rest.¡± The homeowner¡¯s wound had already been treated. ¡°Are you here looking for someone?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you with the Wolfshade Syndicate?¡± The homeowner hadn¡¯t forgotten that name. It was what their would-be killers had mentioned before attacking. Aria shook her head firmly. ¡°No.¡± Aria, at that moment, found herself at odds with both the Solemnity Guild and the Wolfshade Syndicate. Damon certainly wouldn¡¯t let this opportunity to kill her pass by. The homeowner sighed in relief. He had no love for either organization. ¡°Take all the ammunition with you. We¡¯ll be leaving here tomorrow.¡± Those men were ruthless desperadoes. Another encounter would mean certain death. The homeowner dared not cling to any false hope. Aria said, ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll escort you out of here.¡± The homeowner didn¡¯t decline. ¡°We appreciate it,¡± he said. The next day, Aria and Owen escorted the homeowner¡¯s family out of the border zone. Aria said, ¡°Stay safe on the road. We¡¯re heading back now.¡± 1:16 pm The boy warned, ¡°You¡¯re outnumbered. Those bullets won¡¯t be enough.¡± Aria smiled faintly. ¡°No worries. If we run out, we can always take more from them.¡± Gunshots draw unwanted attention, so they avoid using firearms whenever possible. The boy couldn¡¯t shake the memory ofst night¡¯s killings, and a fresh wave of fear washed over him. ¡®I want to be strong, just like them,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Strong enough to protect everyone! Just as Aria and Owen were about to leave, the homeowner called out to them. The homeowner said, ¡°Three days ago, I spotted an injured¡¯man heading south, toward the Zilliania border area. Not sure if he¡¯s the one you¡¯re after.¡± Three days ago, he was heading south, but just yesterday, he disappeared in the west. Aria decided to head west first. She said, ¡°Thanks for the tip.¡± Russell learned that Damon had reached Torrenia border. Guessing Aria was there too, he decisively recalled all his men to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Aria and Owen headed west, where they ran into a group of Solemnity Guild members. It took them some time to dispatch them. Owen had always been the one giving orders and putting in the most effort on missions. But with Aria leading the way and him mindlessly following her everymand, he found himself actually enjoying the thrill of being carried for once. After two hours on the move, they paused to rest. Aria crouched down, casually picked up a twig, and scratched out a peculiar symbol in the dirt. ¡°This is White¡¯s and my contact signal.¡± Owen gazed at the trident-like symbol, then reached out and drew a crooked heart beside it. ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to mean?¡± he asked. Aria looked up at him, teasing, ¡°Are you seriously jealous of this, too?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Damn right I am.¡± Aria let out a softugh, twirling the twig between her fingers. ¡°Just a random doodle, means nothing.¡± She was about to wipe it away when Owen caught her wrist. 1:16 pm Again Marriage 614 28 ¡°Let¡¯s make our own mark,¡± Owen said, guiding her hand as they drew an inverted V in the dirt, deliberately extending the line on the left. Aria understood his intention and added the symmetrical other half, her eyes seeming to say, ¡°Happy now?¡± Owen wasn¡¯t satisfied yet. He kept adding lines and making adjustments, churning up a ring of mud in the process. Aria couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°I never knew you had such a childish side.¡± ¡°Just wait till we get back. I¡¯ll make a proper design for us.¡± Owen felt his ears flush slightly. He thought to himself, ¡®Man, I really am acting childish. Maybe being around her just turns my brain to mush. I¡¯m getting dumber by the minute!¡¯ After eating some dry rations, they pressed on. An indeterminate amount of time passed before Aria and Owen¡¯s expressions hardened in unison. Moving as one, they split apart and melted into the tree shadows. Voices drifted over from nearby. Someone grumbled, ¡°Mr. Damon Remar¡¯s gone nuts. Instead of trying to impress Mr. Tyree Remar, he¡¯s out here hunting some heiress.¡± ¡°Word is, Ms. Remar¡¯s the one gunning for Aria. That¡¯s why Mr. Damon Remar¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Why would Ms. Remar want to kill a Huthailian?¡± ¡°Every person Ms. Remar targeted was connected to Mr. Nicholson. Maybe during his business trip, Mr. Nicholson fell for that Huthailian heiress, so now Ms. Remar wants her dead.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that heiress even doing out here at the Torrenia border?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Five armed Wolfshade Syndicate members were grumbling as they walked. Damon knew Aria was a member of the Solemnity Guild, but her true identity remained unknown to him. The orders got diluted as they trickled down the chain ofmand. The outer-circle members only knew the basics and weren¡¯t taking this mission seriously. The leader kicked aside a bush and barked, ¡°Hurry up and find her. The sooner we wrap this up, the sooner we can get back and feast.¡± Before he could finish his sentence, a silver needle shot into his throat. Owen sprang from the shadows, dispatching two men with swift dagger strikes. Aria took down thest two before they even had a chance to fire. Owen retrieved the silver needle from the body, wiped it clean, and handed it back to Aria for safekeeping. No des, no bloodshed, just one silver needle, one kill. It¡¯s incredibly handy for dealing with these grunts. Ar¨ªa caught the admiration in Owen¡¯s eyes and teased, ¡°Want me to teach you how to do that?¡± 1:16 pm Owen¡¯s eyes sparkled with amusement. ¡°One expert in the family is enough. I don¡¯t need to learn.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Aria said, genuinely agreeing with the point. Owen searched each of the five bodies in turn, pulling out a map marked with a red line. ¡°The map is freshly made.¡± Owen thought, ¡®It¡¯s not unusual to find a map, but what¡¯s odd is how clearly the route is marked, with the destination circled in red. Does the Wolfshade Syndicate have another agenda? Or maybe it¡¯s a trap.¡¯ Owen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wanna go check it out?¡± Aria replied firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± As they followed the red line on the map, Aria and Owen encountered Wolfshade Syndicate members with increasing frequency, mostly outer-circle members. Each group of five or six carried an identical map. After taking down another group, Owen deliberately left the weakest one alive. Owen demanded coldly, ¡°Who gave you this map? Spill it, or you¡¯ll die a horrible death.¡± Staring at his deadpanions, the terrified man stammered, ¡°The higher-ups gave us the map, and they told us to just follow the marked route.¡± Owen demanded coldly, ¡°Who issued these orders? And what¡¯s the objective?¡± ¡°They were Mr. Damon Remar¡¯s men. They didn¡¯t say what to do,¡± the terrified underling stammered. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, I swear.¡± Owen holstered his gun. ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°What?¡± The terrified man froze, already prepared for death. ¡°You¡¯re really letting me go?¡± he stammered. Owen said coldly, ¡°Then just die.¡± The terrified man shrieked, ¡°I want to live.¡± He stumbled and scrambled away in panic. After reviewing nearly ten maps, Aria hadmitted all the routes to memory. ¡°On the surface, Damon wants us to go to this location,¡± Owen concluded. ¡°What about beyond the surface?¡± ¡°That means someone is using Damon as a pawn to lure us to this ce,¡± Owen added. ¡°To be precise, they want Madelyn there. I¡¯m just coteral damage. Who do you think is behind this?¡± Again Marriage 615 Aria suddenly thought of Flynt, the one who hade to Torrenia with them. They exchanged a nce, instantly grasping each other¡¯s thoughts. If Flynt were here and had teamed up with Damon, he would surely know about Aria¡¯s connection to White. Owen¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. ¡°White might have fallen into his hands,¡± he said. Flynt was proving more formidable than Owen had anticipated. His real target was Madelyn. Aria nodded. ¡°Highly likely.¡± During their time in Huthailia, Flynt hadn¡¯t made any significant moves. He just showed up asionally to rub people the wrong way. Aria knew he harbored no killing intent toward her, so she didn¡¯t pay him much mind. She had investigated Flynt and knew he was more than he met the eye, but never connected him with Damon. Owen sent the coordinates to the mercenary squad, urging them to hurry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said calmly. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out first.¡± They pressed on, only reaching the marked location as dusk fell. Staying hidden in the shadows, they scanned the area through binocrs. White knelt weakly before the tent, his body covered in wounds and his hands bound tightly behind his back. Two armed guards stood watch beside him, their vignt gazes scanning the surroundings. Aria tightened her grip on the binocrs until her fingertips turned white. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the mercenary squad before making a move,¡± she murmured. Owen took her other hand. ¡°He¡¯s not in immediate danger,¡± he reassured her. At least White was still alive, a small mercy in all this. Aria said gravely, ¡°There are several snipers out there. It¡¯ll be hard for us to get out unscathed.¡± She couldn¡¯t justify risking others just to save White. Just then, another figure came into view. Aria¡¯s eyes frosted over. ¡°Just as I thought-Flynt,¡± she muttered. Flynt strolled out of the tent, casting a dispassionate nce at White before gazing into the distance. Damon had just caught up when Flynt ordered in amanding tone, ¡°Contact your people and check the situation.¡± Damon, annoyance shing across his face, sneered, ¡°What¡¯s the rush? There¡¯s no way they could find this ce so quickly.¡± Flynt shot Damon a disdainful sidelong nce. ¡°Know why you¡¯ll always be second to Russell and never the official heir?¡± He leisurely adjusted his cuffs, his voice light and dismissive. ¡°Because you¡¯re both stupid and arrogant.¡± The insult was delivered with brutal frankness. Damon¡¯s face darkened abruptly. ¡°Who do you think you are, bastard? How dare you lecture me?¡± Flynt countered with a mocking smile. ¡°A bastard who can still stand here debating with you. As expected, Mr. Damon 1:16 pm (+24) Remar, you¡¯re as useless as ever.¡± Damon bit back his retort as a sniper¡¯sser sight grazed his face. Flynt had brought four snipers this time. ¡®Not worth it,¡¯ Damon told himself, forcing down his anger. Damon waved his hand and ordered, ¡°Go contact them. See if there¡¯s any movement.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Damon Remar,¡± his subordinate replied immediately. A momentter, a subordinate rushed back, panic-stricken. ¡°Mr. Damon Remar, we¡¯ve lost contact with eight teams.¡± Damon instantly tensed up, gripping the gun at his waist as he scanned the area warily. Instead of any coldness, anticipation lit up Flynt¡¯s face as he let out a low chuckle. ¡°They¡¯re finally here.¡± His gaze was fixed ahead. Aria slowly lowered her binocrs, her gaze locked with Flynt¡¯s. ¡°He knows we¡¯re here,¡± she murmured. Though they couldn¡¯t make out the words, their expressions made it clear. Flynt was asserting his dominance over Damon, and the snipers were almost certainly his men. Owen¡¯s expression turned grave. ¡®For Flynt to bring snipers to the Torrenian border, his background is clearly far from ordinary,¡¯ he thought. If it were just Damon, even with White in his hands, they¡¯d be confident about a rescue. However, not just anyone can set up camp at the border; Flynt must have close ties with Torrenia¡¯s security forces. Owen asked, ¡°Madelyn, what¡¯s your n?¡± 1:16 pm Again Marriage 616 Madelyn replied coolly, ¡°If Flynt really wanted me dead, he wouldn¡¯t have waited this long. Since he¡¯s so desperate for me to join hisb, I¡¯ll go.¡± She vowed, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure thatb of his gets leveled to the ground. As for Damon..¡± ¡°Leave him to me,¡± Owen said, his eyes hardening with cold resolve. Flynt¡¯s apparent goal was to get Aria to join hisb, but Owen sensed there was more to it than that. He was certain Flynt harbored an obsessive possessiveness toward Madelyn. This wasn¡¯t necessarily affection or love. Still, at least her life wasn¡¯t in danger. They reached a silent understanding. Owen leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. ¡°Take care of yourself,¡± he murmured. ¡°You too,¡± she murmured. No longer hiding, Aria and Owen strode purposefully out of their cover and headed directly for the camp. Damon instantly raised his gun. Flynt¡¯s hand flicked, a silentmand. Half the guards on the camp¡¯s perimeter shifted, their muzzles snapping into unison, all trained on Damon. Damon¡¯s expression twisted in shock and anger. ¡°Flynt, what the hell are you doing?¡± Flynt¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I told you, Aria belongs to me. No one points a gun at her. Not even you.¡± Damon¡¯s face turned livid. Outnumbered, he ground out through clenched teeth, ¡°Flynt, are you breaking our deal?¡± Flynt let out a derisive snort. ¡°Yeah? Care to test that theory?¡± Damon holstered his gun, jaw clenched tight, knuckles whitening around the grip. Flynt didn¡¯t even spare Damon another nce and strode straight toward Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon,¡± Flynt said, his voice deceptively gentle and a pleasant smile ying on his lips, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you again so soon.¡± Upon seeing Aria, White struggled weakly to lift his head. His parched lips parted, but his dry throat couldn¡¯t make a sound. Aria gave White a reassuring look, then turned her gaze to Flynt. ¡°So, your goal is to get me into yourb?¡± she asked coolly. Flynt nodded, his smile deepening. ¡°I was nning to give you two years to think it over, to make sure you¡¯de with me willingly. But who would¡¯ve thought fate would hand me such a golden opportunity?¡± He nced at White, his voice dropping to a low, suggestive tone. ¡°Tell me, don¡¯t you think I¡¯m so lucky?¡± Aria said, her face devoid of emotion, ¡°Untie White first and let him drink some water.¡± Flynt turned to his men and gave an order, ¡°Do as she says.¡± White gulped down the water, relief flooding his parched throat. Once the ropes were cut, he copsed limply to the ground. 1:16 pm Owen swiftly stepped forward, catching White in a firm grip. In a low voice, he asked, ¡°Can you stand?¡± White managed a weak nod, a sound escaping from his parched throat. Having knelt for a full day and night, his knees remained locked in a bent position. Supporting him with one arm, Owen used the other to gently knead White¡¯s stiff knees. A flicker of mockery shed in Flynt¡¯s eyes as he watched Owen. ¡®He¡¯s actually helping someone else instead of protecting Aria in a situation like this? Clearly, he¡¯s not the right one for her, Flynt scoffed inwardly. What Flynt didn¡¯t realize was that by looking down on the lives of Aria¡¯s friends, he had already disqualified himself from the game. ¡°So, it seems you¡¯ve made your choice,¡± Flynt remarked coolly. As his words faded, Aria walked over to White, crouched down, and gently ced her hand on his stiff knee. ¡°Aria¡­¡± White¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. Aria silently massaged his knee to restore cirction. ¡°Hang in there,¡± she murmured. ¡°Owen will avenge you.¡± White instinctively looked at Owen. ¡°You two are together now?¡± Owen offered a small smile. ¡°Hello.¡± White¡¯s eyes widened in utter disbelief. ¡®Damn,¡¯ he thought, ¡®Aria is actually dating? Can she actually have rtionships?¡¯ He was so shocked, hepletely forgot the pain. Flynt watched the scene, his eyes filled with confusion. He lowered his gaze to Aria and sneered, ¡°Just a worthless wretch. Is he really worth all this effort?¡± 1:17 pm Again Marriage 617 Once White had finally managed to steady himself, Aria rose to her feet, locking eyes with Flynt. ¡°I¡¯ll go to yourb, on one condition: you guarantee their safe passage out of the border region.¡± A dark, sinister glint flickered in Flynt¡¯s eyes, and a thorn in his heart that made him crave murder. Damon suddenly interjected, ¡°Perfect chance. Just kill them.¡± Flynt snarled at Damon, ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Damon¡¯s face darkened with rage, murderous intent ring toward Flynt. But Flynt didn¡¯t even spare Damon a nce, his gaze locked on Aria. ¡°Deal. You stay. My men will see them out safely.¡± White staggered forward, his voice desperate. ¡°Aria, you shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± White thought, ¡®What good could these guys possibly be up to? It must be something harmful. They¡¯re actually using me to ckmail Aria. I wish I could just end it all right now!¡¯ Aria narrowed her eyes. ¡°Are you disobeying me now?¡± White could only sulk in silence. Aria met Owen¡¯s gaze. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Owen said firmly, ¡°I trust you.¡± Flynt was a ticking time bomb, always there. Even if he didn¡¯t detonate at that moment, he eventually would. And if even Madelyn couldn¡¯t deal with the fallout¡­. Owen thought, ¡®Not like I could handle it either. But if anyone can handle this, it¡¯s Madelyn. If she says she¡¯ll blow up Flynt¡¯sb, then it¡¯s as good as done. ¡®All I need to do is locate the ce, wait for the right moment, and bring Madelyn back to Huthailia. Owen said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get White back to Huthailia safe and sound.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes crinkled with a soft smile. White blurted out, ¡°No, wait, Owen. How could you just let her go with them? You¡¯re her boyfriend. You should¡¯ve stopped her froming to save me.¡± He got so worked up that his head spun. For once, Flynt found himself warming up to White. ¡°White has a point. Your boyfriend doesn¡¯t seem too concerned about your safety, does he? Why not break up with him while you have the chance?¡± ¡°Break up?¡± Aria chuckled, ruffling Owen¡¯s hair affectionately. ¡°Where else would I find a boyfriend who¡¯s this handsome, attentive, and caring, all in one package?¡± White¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. He wondered, ¡®Since when did my ice-cold, ruthless Aria be like this?¡¯ As Aria withdrew her hand, Owen caught it, his fingers intertwining with hers. Suppressing the turmoil in his eyes, Owen managed a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you at home.¡± Damon said coldly, ¡°Got it.¡± Flynt watched their intimate exchange, a dark glint flickering in his eyes. He raised his hand in a sharp gesture, and several of his men immediately stepped forward, motioning for Owen and White to leave. White choked out, ¡°Aria-¡± Aria said coolly, ¡°Move.¡± Without another word, Owen steadied White, turned, and step by step began retracing the path they hade. Flynt¡¯s men followed close behind, guns at the ready. Damon frowned. He thought, ¡®Flynt¡¯s actually letting them go? Just so Aria would go to hisb?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t until their figures vanished from sight that Flynt finally withdrew his gaze and turned to Aria with a faint smirk. ¡°Now, you can rest assured ande with me, can¡¯t you?¡± Aria¡¯s smile vanished, leaving only a chilling indifference. ¡°Lead the way,¡± she stated tly. Flynt smirked. ¡°Theb isn¡¯t here. We¡¯ll have to stay a couple more days.¡± Flynt said, ¡°Leave everything you have on you here, including those silver needles. I¡¯m sure Ms. Saxon wouldn¡¯t want me to frisk you, would you?¡± Aria swiftly disarmed herself, tossing her sidearm and ammunition to the ground. Flynt, unfazed, bent down to retrieve them. Damon¡¯s eyes twitched with rm, but before he could speak, Flynt cut him off. ¡°And the silver needles,¡± Flynt demanded. Then, Damon watched in shock as Aria produced dozens of silver needles from her person. 1:17 pm Again Marriage 618 ¡°Why does this scene feel so familiar?¡¯ Damon thought, his eyes widening in realization. Damon stared in shock. ¡°You¡¯re the ck Rose of the Blood Association?¡± Neither Aria nor Flynt paid Damon any attention. Aria¡¯s voice was t. ¡°Are we done yet?¡± ¡°Not quite yet,¡± Flynt smirked. Flynt ordered his men to bring over a pair of custom-made fine-chain ankle shackles. With a smirk, he said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, since you¡¯re so good at escaping, we¡¯ll need a few extrayers of insurance.¡± When Flynt knelt down to shackle her, Aria took a step back. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± she said firmly. ¡°Fine,¡± Flynt said, rising to his feet and offering Aria the ankle shackles. Aria took the shackles, crouched down, and with two sharp clicks, locked them securely around her ankles. Flynt said, ¡°Time to go, Ms. Saxon.¡± Flynt¡¯s tent wasn¡¯trge, but it was remarkably well-equipped. Inside the tent stood a woman in her thirties. Flynt instructed in Torrenian, ¡°Cindy, make sure she¡¯s well looked after. Inform me immediately if she needs anything at all.¡± Cindy replied respectfully, ¡°Yes, Mr. Hartley.¡± Flynt nced at Aria, only to find her already lying on the bed, eyes closed in rest. With a soft chuckle, he turned and exited the tent. Damon was waiting outside the tent. ¡°Flynt, what the hell are you ying at, keeping that woman around?¡± Flynt said, ¡°She¡¯s never going back to Huthailia. She¡¯ll stay by my side for good. And it won¡¯t affect my deal with the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Flynt¡¯s tent stood right beside Aria¡¯s. He lifted the tent p, stepped inside, and settled down. With practiced ease, he reached for the coffee cup at his side and began his brewing ritual. Damon stood outside, ring at Flynt, thinking the guy was utterly pretentious. ¡°You¡¯d better make damn sure she doesn¡¯t escape,¡± he snapped. ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll foot the bill for every loss.¡± Flynt drawled, ¡°No worries.¡± Damon snorted in disdain and turned on his heel. Flynt looked at Damon coolly and warned, ¡°Damon, I¡¯d advise you against going after Owen impulsively. You¡¯ll just get yourself killed.¡± Damon stopped in his tracks and scoffed, ¡°If you keep dragging your feet like this, you¡¯ll never climb the ranks.¡± Damon muttered to himself, ¡°If I don¡¯t blow off some steam soon, this anger is going to eat at me for months.¡± Flynt didn¡¯t bother to argue further. The odds were slim, but if Damon did seed, it would only benefit him. 1:17 pm After an hour¡¯s trek, the seven members of the Wolf Regiment caught up. As the two groups confronted each other, Owen ordered Flynt¡¯s men to leave. Flynt¡¯s men left, weapons in hand. Skinny and the others crowded around. ¡°Cap, where¡¯s Ms. Saxon?¡± Owen¡¯s expression turned icy. ¡°Skinny, Ashen, stay. The rest of you escort White back to Huthailia safely.¡± Skinny asked urgently, ¡°Cap, what¡¯s the n?¡± ¡°First, eliminate Flynt¡¯s men. Then wait for Damon to walk into our trap.¡± Until the seven arrived, White had always thought Owen was just Aria¡¯s toy boy. ¡®So, he¡¯s the real deal after all, he thought, realization dawning on him. White said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a scratch, nothing serious. Just patch me up. Once we take Damon down and get Aira out, we¡¯ll all leave together.¡± 281 Owen shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t get her out anytime soon. She still wants to blow up Flynt¡¯sb. For now, stay here and focus on recovering. When the timees, we¡¯ll go save Aria together.¡± Owen thought, ¡®Now that she¡¯s decided to stay, Madelyn definitely won¡¯t be going easy on Flynt. If Flynt wants her in hisb so badly, then we¡¯ll raze it to the ground.¡¯ Owen ordered, ¡°Move out first.¡± White was about to protest, but Coyote pulled him away. ¡°Your boss isn¡¯t here, so you follow our captain now,¡± he ordered. White turned his head and pleaded, ¡°Owen, you¡¯ve got to save Aria.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± He tightened his grip on the gun, turned to Skinny and Coyote, and ordered, ¡°Move out.¡± 1:17 pm Again Marriage 619 At Phosphor Group. ¡°Cole Group¡­ Phosphor Group isn¡¯t pulling out the investment?¡± Fred¡¯s voice brimmed with surprise over the phone. Ondo¡¯s secretary responded with a smile, ¡°Of course, we wouldn¡¯t withdraw from such a significant research project.¡± ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Fred said gratefully. Liam was still employed at Heffner Hospital, and withdrawing the investment would damage his rtionship with the hospital. Moreover, he figured the project had profit potential, so after some thought, he decided against pulling out. Yet, when Elena caused a scene at thepany, Ondo simply reced the project lead and even increased the funding. Liam was livid when he heard the news. ¡°Ondo, what gives you the right to rece the project lead?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d kept your mother in line, none of this would have happened,¡± Ondo said impassively. ¡°And rein in your sister, too. She even asked me for money, like some beggar.¡± ¡°You!¡± Liam fumed. ¡°If you don¡¯t leave now, you won¡¯t even have those meager shares left,¡± Ondo threatened. Liam stormed out in a fit of rage. When he got home, he caught Ophelia sneaking out with an antique vase in her arms. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Liam asked. Ophelia¡¯s eyes darted away. ¡°Just going out to have some fun.¡± Liam¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Having fun with a vase? Are you trying to sell it? Ophelia, we hardly have anything valuable left. You need to stop being so extravagant!¡± Ophelia said, ¡°Liam, you only give me $16,000 a month. I can¡¯t even afford a decent dress. When Aria was here, she gave me $150,000-just as spending money.¡± Liam said, ¡°Cole Group belongs to Ondo now. I¡¯m the only one holding this family together, and you still think $16,000 isn¡¯t enough?¡± With the Cole family in such a mess-his grandfather pressuring him, his mother and sister never understanding-Liam felt exhausted. Sometimes, he just wanted to give up on everything. Ophelia put on a show, dabbing at her eyes. ¡°Liam, I really have no choice. All my friends areughing at me. I just want to buy a nice dress.¡± She couldn¡¯t understand how their family had fallen so far. Ever since Aria left, their standard of living had plummeted. It¡¯s harding down in the world. Ophelia had gotten used to being spoiled by Aria and couldn¡¯t stand how things were now. She said, ¡°Liam, why don¡¯t you go get Aria back? I promise I¡¯ll respect her from now on and never say a bad word about her.¡± Liam¡¯s expression grew even darker. ¡°Now you realize how good she was? What about before? ¡°I never had feelings for Aria, so misunderstanding her was understandable. ¡°But you and Mom were always taken care of by her. Not only did you not stop our divorce, but you even spoke harshly to her. How could I possibly ask her to get back together with me?¡± 1:17 pm Ophelia thought, ¡®He says that as if he hasn¡¯t already tried. Does he really think I don¡¯t know?¡¯ But she didn¡¯t dare say that, for fear that she might even lose that $16,000. She said, ¡°Liam, we just wanted to stand by your side. It¡¯s all Hannah that bitch¡¯s fault for seducing you. She deserves to rot in jail forever.¡± Liam rubbed his temples. ¡°Is Grandpa home?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ophelia replied. Liam said, ¡°Put the vase back, and I¡¯ll transfer you another $16,000.¡± Ophelia thought, ¡®Only $16,000? So stingy.¡¯ She forced a smile. ¡°Thanks, Liam.¡± Once she had the money, she immediately transferred $24,000 to Griffin. Griffin: [Ophelia, only $24,000?] Ophelia: [You know my family¡¯s condition. My brother only gives me $16,000 a month. Griffin, when are you gonna propose to me?] Griffin: [Soon.] At the bar, Griffin had a beauty in his arms, tossing his phone aside. A friend teased, ¡°Griffin, chatting with Ophelia again? Don¡¯t tell me you actually like her?¡± Griffin¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°The Cole family turned their backs on Hannah. How could I possibly be interested in her?¡± His friend said, ¡°That cousin of yours is ruthless too-she teamed up with Owen and got Hannah sentenced to eight years. straight.¡± Thinking of Aria, Griffin seethed with hatred. ¡°Once I¡¯m done with the Cole family, I¡¯ll settle the score with her.¡± 1:17 pm Again Marriage 620 +28) After Hannah was sentenced, Griffin went to his aunt and uncle¡¯s ce-Aria¡¯s parents-hoping they could get Aria to drop the charges. Not only did he fail, but he also got a long lecture and had his allowance suspended by the family. Burning with hatred for the Cole family, Griffin deliberately sought ways to get close to Ophelia. One of the guys sighed, ¡°Griffin, the Ward family isn¡¯t what it used to be. Katrina¡¯s even be Johan¡¯s apprentice. If only you hadn¡¯t called off the engagement.¡± Another chimed in, ¡°Didn¡¯t Katrina have a thing for Griffin? Try to go after her-you¡¯ll definitely seed.¡± Someone else added, ¡°But didn¡¯t Katrina say she wasn¡¯t into Griffin?¡± Another said, ¡°That¡¯s just because Griffin liked Hannah. She was trying to save face.¡± Griffin lifted his chin and said, ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Those people exchanged nces with a hint of mockery in their eyes, and then they said nothing more. Zac followed his agent down the hallway of the Aureus Club. The agent leaned in and whispered, ¡°This client¡¯s a big deal. Nail this, and the lead in the next drama is yours.¡± Zac stretched with azy yawn. ¡°Yeah, yeah, got it.¡± The agent pushed open the VIP private room¡¯s door, immediately stering on a fawning smile. ¡°Ms. Remar, this is Zac. He¡¯s twenty-two.¡± Olivia nced up, eyeing the masked young man with clear displeasure. ¡°Still wearing a mask in front of me?¡± Without a word, the agent yanked off Zac¡¯s mask. Zac¡¯s bare face showed a hint of defiance, but his eyes were strikingly clear. Olivia nodded in satisfaction. ¡°You look even better than in your photos.¡± The agent chuckled obsequiously. ¡°He¡¯s not quite photogenic.¡± Then, giving Zac a shove, he added, ¡°Keep Ms. Remarpany. I¡¯ve got things to do.¡± Before Zac could say a word, the agent turned and left abruptly. Zac closed the door, sat down, and casually poured himself a drink. ¡°Ms. Remar, let me toast you. Thanks for your interest in me.¡± Olivia loungedzily on the sofa. ¡°Are you a virgin?¡± Zac blinked. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Olivia said, ¡°Have you gottenid with anyone before?¡± Zac grinned. ¡°Of course I have. I¡¯m twenty-two, and my girlfriend and I are doing just fine.¡± 29 Olivia¡¯s face darkened. ¡°They told me you were still a virgin.¡± Zac mmed the table. ¡°They lied to you. I¡¯m dating someone!¡± Olivia, annoyed, shrugged off her jacket. ¡°Forget it. Come serve me. Take your clothes off.¡± Zac froze. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Olivia snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb. You know exactly why you¡¯re here.¡± Zac got up at once. ¡°My agent said drinks, not sexual services. Sorry, I¡¯m out.¡± As Zac pulled open the door, two bodyguards instantly blocked the doorway. Olivia said, ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, do you really think you can just walk out?¡± She rose, a barbed whip appearing in her hand as if from nowhere. ¡°Since you refuse to cooperate, I won¡¯t show any mercy. Strip him naked!¡± Zac punched the nearest bodyguard, knocked him down, and then bolted for the exit. But several burlier men appeared out of nowhere, pinned him to the ground in a matter of seconds, and dragged him back into the private room. Zac screamed, ¡°Help!¡± Zac hadn¡¯t been in the industry long, but he knew all about the unspoken rules-how easy it was to get set up and treated unfairly. But he never thought this kind of thing would actually happen to him. He always figured, as a grown man, he wouldn¡¯t suffer any loss. He thought, ¡®Great. Just great. I¡¯mpletely done for! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m still a virgin, but Vanessa¡¯s the only woman I¡¯ve ever been with. Seriously, what did I even do to deserve this?¡¯ Zac struggled desperately and tried to call his emergency contact. ¡°Vanessa, Aureus Club! Some psycho woman¡¯s trying to force herself on me!¡± The next instant, his phone went flying as someone kicked it away. Olivia raised a hand, freezing her men. She crouched down and pressed her whip under Zac¡¯s chin. ¡°What did you just say? Your girlfriend is Vanessa? Vanessa Ward?¡± Sinceing to Huthailia, Olivia had hated no one more than Aria, with Vanessa being a close second. Vanessa had caused Olivia endless trouble. Even worse, she was Aria¡¯s best friend. Olivia sneered, ¡°Well, well, if it isn¡¯t an acquaintance. You¡¯re not getting away from me today.¡± She raised her whip and brought it down hard on Zac, a streak of blood appearing instantly. Still unsatisfied, Olivia barked an order, ¡°Strip his pants off too.¡± Just then, the door burst open. Someone burst in and said anxiously, ¡°Ms. Remar, something¡¯s happened to Mr. Damon Remar!¡± Again Marriage 621 Olivia scoffed, ¡°What could possibly happen to Damon?¡± She was about to strike again. The staff member blurted out, ¡°He¡¯s been killed!¡± Olivia froze, staring in disbelief. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Seizing the moment while they were all stunned, Zac sprang to his feet, wrenched the whip from Olivia¡¯s grasp, andshed out with all his might. The whip struck Olivia squarely in the face. Olivia let out a piercing shriek as the whip tore across her face. Then Zac bolted Olivia howled in a furious frenzy, ¡°Get him. I¡¯ll kill him!¡± The van pulled up at the club entrance. Vanessa was just about to step out of the van when a blood-soaked figure came charging out. ¡°Vanessa!¡± Zac cried out desperately. ¡°Shit!¡± Vanessa was stunned. She quickly scrambled further inside the van and urged, ¡°Quick, get in!¡± The door mmed shut, and Olivia¡¯s crew burst out in pursuit. Vanessa barked, ¡°Get us to the hospital!¡± M said anxiously, ¡°No way, Vanessa. If you and Zac show up at the hospital together, it¡¯ll break the inte-and that¡¯s not all¡­¡± Zac had taken several viciousshes, each one drawing blood. If he shows up at the hospital looking like this, it¡¯ll still break the inte. M said, ¡°Vanessa, let me contact Zac¡¯s agent first.¡± Zac winced in pain. ¡°My agent set me up. Screw her!¡± Vanessa¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who did this to you?¡± Zac said, ¡°Olivia Remar.¡± Vanessa said, ¡°Olivia Remar? She¡¯s back in Huthailia?¡± Zac asked, ¡°You two know each other?¡± Vanessa¡¯s expression turnedplicated. She thought, ¡®Did Zac get this because of me?¡¯ Zac could tell what she was thinking and said, ¡°Olivia just found out about our rtionship. I was nearly done for, but then someone shouted about someone¡¯s death, so I took the chance to bolt.¡± Vanessa asked, ¡°Who died?¡± Zac said, ¡°Damon Remar.¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± When Flynt delivered the news to Aria, she showed no surprise. Aria shrugged. ¡°Good riddance.¡± Flynt chuckled. ¡°The Wolfshade Syndicate already knows it was Owen who killed Damon. There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll let him make it back to Huthailia alive.¡± Aria lifted her gaze. ¡°You worked with Damon, yet you¡¯re this pleased that he¡¯s dead?¡± Their coboration most likely involved weaponized gene-editing research. Flynt sneered, ¡°He was in my way. Now he¡¯s dead, and he¡¯s bringing Owen down as well-killing two birds with one stone.¡± Aria said, ¡°Nice idiom.¡± Flynt chuckled. ¡°Thanks for thepliment, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria held out her hand. ¡°Give me the key.¡± Flynt cocked an eyebrow. ¡°What are you up to?¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯m having a shower. Got a problem with that?¡± Flynt said, ¡°Alright.¡± Rather than handing her the key, Flynt squatted down in front of her, took out the key, slid it into the sp, and unlocked her ankle cuffs. Flynt stood up and instructed Cindy, ¡°Go get Ms. Saxon¡¯s bath ready.¡± Cindy¡¯s respect for Aria deepened. She promptly nodded and turned to prepare the bath. When Aria was about to shower, Flynt quietly stepped out of the tent, leaving her alone. The tent fell silent. Aria took out clothes from her travel bag, pointedly ignoring the ones Flynt had prepared for her. She retrieved the pendant hidden around her neck and pressed her fingerprint against it. Instantly, a holographic disy materialized-Vanessa was calling. Aria answered the call immediately. ¡°Aria, Damon¡¯s dead, and Zac mutted Olivia¡¯s face-¡± Vanessa¡¯s voice trailed off as she noticed something amiss in the background. ¡°Wait, where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the Torrenian border,¡± Aria replied. Vanessa gasped, ¡°Holy shit! Did you guys kill Damon?¡± The sound of running water drowned out Vanessa¡¯s shocked gasp. Aria said, ¡°Owen did it.¡± She briefly exined what had happened. ¡°I¡¯ll be back after I blow up Flynt¡¯sb.¡± It was a big deal. Vanessa said, ¡°Stay safe, okay?¡± Aria asked, ¡°Did you just say Zac mutted Olivia¡¯s face?¡± Again Marriage 622 Vanessa said, ¡°Right, I checked the footage. Zac didn¡¯t hold back-he whipped Olivia right across the face.¡± The homemade whip was studded with barbs, and it tore deep into the flesh-the wounds were so severe that scarring was inevitable. Olivia always reveled in hurting others. Now, she was finally getting a taste of her own medicine-though it was barely a p on the wristpared to the pain she¡¯d caused. Aria said, ¡°Olivia¡¯s vindictive. Have her deported first.¡± Vanessa said, ¡°I¡¯m worried she mighte after you.¡± Since the Wolfshade Syndicate isn¡¯t in Huthailia, Vanessa can easily have Olivia deported. Aria said, ¡°That¡¯ll be better.¡± Vanessa said, ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll just text you directly.¡± Aria said, ¡°And keep me updated on Owen¡¯s situation as well.¡± This ne was custom-made by Vanessa. To this day, no detection device had been able to spot it. But it was pretty basic -just two features: tracking and a direct line to Vanessa. The only way Aria could get updates on Owen was through Vanessa. Anything else would be too risky, so this ne was the only thing Aria trusted to wear. Vanessa said, ¡°Okay.¡± Ending the call, Aria quickly showered and got dressed. A sudden gunshot rang out just outside the tent. Aria folded up the screen and stepped out of the tent. Cindy knelt on the ground, trembling violently. Flynt stood with a gun in his hand. At his feety a man-a bullet through his forehead, eyes wide open in death. Aria wondered, ¡®Why did Flynt kill that man? Is he a mole? Or is Flynt trying to warn me?¡¯ Spotting Aria, Flynt holstered his gun and strode toward her. He pulled a set of ankle cuffs from his pocket and mped them back around her legs. Flynt ordered, ¡°Dry Ms. Saxon¡¯s hair.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Cindy immediately rose and hurried to Aria¡¯s side. ¡°Miss, let me dry your hair for you.¡± Aria gave a slight nod and returned to the tent. Aria settled into the chair and engrossed herself in a book while Cindy carefully dried her hair. Aria asked casually, ¡°Cindy, how long have you been working for Flynt?¡± Cindy froze momentarily, her face twisting in conflict as she debated whether to answer truthfully. Cindy realized Flynt valued Aria deeply-offending her would only lead to one oue: death. But if she revealed anything about Flynt, her oue would be just as bad. Aria said, ¡°If it¡¯s sensitive, you don¡¯t have to say.¡± Aria let the matter drop. Cindy breathed a sigh of relief. Aria asked again, ¡°Why did Flynt kill that guy? Is that also sensitive?¡± ¡°No,¡± Cindy lowered her voice. ¡°That man was sneaking around the tent. As soon as Mr. Hartley saw him, he shot that guy on the spot.¡± No interrogation, no hesitation. Flynt simply shot his own man dead. Cindy came to a stark realization: Aria was of paramount importance to Flynt. Cindy said, ¡°Miss, while Mr. Hartley restricts your movements, he would nevery a finger on you as long as you don¡¯t try to run away.¡± ¡°So, am I supposed to thank him?¡± Aria sneered. ¡°Forcing me to work on harmful research is even more despicable than hurting me personally.¡± Cindy wanted to say something, but didn¡¯t know what to say. After leaving the tent, she immediately went to the next one and filled Flynt in on everything she and Aria had just discussed. Flynt sat alone, two guns and dozens of long, glinting needlesid out on the table before him. Flynt twirled one of the guns in his hand and chuckled, ¡°Next time she asks about me, tell her everything.¡± Cindy hesitated. ¡°Sir, everything?¡± Flynt said, ¡°Yes.¡± Cindy finally felt relieved. ¡°Sir, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll take my leave. May you have a good night.¡± Flynt said, ¡°Sure.¡± Flynt toyed with the long needle with a smirk. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re the one who said it-if you want something, you have to fight for it yourself.¡± Again Marriage 623 The group settled into the farmhouse-White included. Owen finished his conversation with Vanessa and informed the team they could track Aria¡¯s location at any time. ¡°If they change locations, Vanessa will promptly notify us. ¡°This mission won¡¯t be over anytime soon. We¡¯re looking at anywhere from a few days to two months.¡± In two months, Mandino University will begin its new semester. Aria would make sure to manage the time well. Owen said, ¡°Everyone else can go back to your business. I¡¯ll hold the fort here and keep you posted if anythinges up.¡± White shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Skinny said, ¡°Cap, we¡¯re staying too. Two months is nothing-let¡¯s just treat it like a vacation. It¡¯s quiet here, perfect for early retirement.¡± Coyote said, ¡°Cap, we¡¯d better keep a close watch, just in case. What if Flynt discovers the tracker and deliberately tries to lead us off course?¡± Owen had asked Vanessa the same question. He exined, ¡°That tracker was custom designed by Vanessa for Aria. Once removed from the wearer¡¯s body, it bes just an ordinary objectpletely useless to anyone else.¡± White added, ¡°Vanessa is the renowned hacker, Alpha.¡± ¡°Wait, Alpha? The legendary hacker Alpha?¡± Coyote was stunned. ¡°You guys actually know her?¡± White smiled and said, ¡°The one who was just talking to your captain-Vanessa, the famous Huthailian actress. She¡¯s Alpha.¡± The seven of them immediately took out their phones to search, and were stunned to see a goddess with fiercely captivating beauty staring back from the screen. They eximed, ¡°Holy shit! So Alpha is this gorgeous? Who the hell started that rumor that she was some ugly woman? I¡¯ll knock their damn heads off.¡± ¡°But what if Flynt loses the ne? That could be a problem. Just to be safe, we¡¯d better stay put.¡± Seeing their genuinemitment to stay, Owen felt a bit relieved. ¡°This mission pays $300,000 per person, and it¡¯ll be wired to your ounts once it¡¯s over.¡± Owen wanted to stay and wait for Madelyn, but he wouldn¡¯t ask the whole Wolf Regiment to do the same. Moss blinked his eyes and teased, ¡°Oh, Cap, talking about money just kills the mood.¡± ¡°So, no payment then?¡± Owen teased. Coyote shot Moss a re. ¡°Better pay us, Cap. Money keeps us motivated.¡± Owen smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll get your due. Starting tonight, monitor Flynt¡¯s camp in teams of three. Skinny, you¡¯re with me. White, you take the night off.¡± Everyone replied, ¡°Yes, Cap.¡± White raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m good to go too.¡± Coyote patted White on the head and said, ¡°Kiddo, just focus on getting better first. Once you¡¯re fully recovered, you can go settle the score with Flynt.¡± Owen said, ¡°Do as he says.¡± White reluctantly nodded. ¡°Alright, then.¡± The previous owners took only their money when they left, but what they left behind came in handy for the group. Owen nned to leave a hefty sum behind when they left. Everyone settled down to rest. Oweny alone on the same single bed as before. As he closed his eyes, he couldn¡¯t shake the hollow emptiness in his arms. Madelyn was not here. Owen wondered if she was doing well. But soon, Owen¡¯s worries melted away. Through his binocrs, Owen spotted Aria loungingnguidly on a chair, basking in the sun. Owen thought, ¡®Looks like Madelyn¡¯s doing just fine over there. Owen¡¯s relief vanished the moment he spotted the shackle on Aria¡¯s ankle. He thought, ¡®How dare Flynt shackled her!¡¯ Skinny noticed Owen¡¯s fury. He lowered his binocrs and quietly edged away, trying to reassure Owen. ¡°Take it easy, Cap. Aria seems prettyfortable over there.¡± Owen scoffed, ¡°You think I need yourfort?¡± Skinny shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡± Skinny zipped his lips, settled into afortable semi-reclined position, and just kept Owenpany as he stared fixedly in that direction. Owen didn¡¯t move for two whole hours. Skinny thought to himself, ¡®That¡¯s the power of love.¡¯ Again Marriage 624 Aria had her fill of lounging and rose, instinctively gazing into the distance. She sat facing the dense forest and then slightly smiled. ¡°She spotted me,¡± Owen suddenly murmured to himself. ¡°We¡¯re totally in sync.¡± Skinny was speechless. He thought to himself, ¡®Damn, this lovesick fool.¡¯ Momentster, Owen watched as Flynt approached Aria from a distance. Behind him, two bodyguards dragged a blood- soaked man and, when Flynt stopped, unceremoniously dumped him onto the ground. They asked, ¡°Sir, what should we do with this guy?¡± Flynt turned back impatiently. ¡°Why¡¯d you drag him here? Just throw him in the mountains and let the wolves have him.¡± They said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The half-dead man was dragged away again. Aria gave them a nce with indifference before she looked away, utterly unfazed. The sensible bodyguards promptly brought over a chair. Flynt settled beside Aria, tracking her gaze into the distance. ¡°Looking at Owen?¡± Aria smirked, ¡°Take a guess.¡± Flynt smirked and said, ¡°I guess Owen¡¯s long gone by now. No way he¡¯d stick around waiting for you.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t be bothered to respond. Flynt leaned casually on the armrest of the lounge chair and looked at her. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re really living it up. If not for the shackles on your ankle, no one would believe you¡¯ve been kidnapped.¡± Aria remained silent. Flynt said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you don¡¯t seem the least bit afraid on my turf-bathing when you want, sleeping when you want, sunbathing whenever you please. Should I take that to mean you really trust me? That you think I wouldn¡¯t hurt you?¡± Aria tilted her head, meeting his gaze with a smirk. ¡°Narcissism is a sickness-get it treated.¡± Aria rose, casually patted her clothes, and turned to disappear into the tent. ¡°We¡¯re heading to theb tonight. Ms. Saxon, make sure you¡¯re well-rested.¡± Flynt was still there. Skinny, who¡¯d just seen the scene through his binocrs, leaned in and whispered, ¡°Cap, do you think Flynt¡¯s got a thing for Aria?¡± Owen said, ¡°Alert the others. They¡¯re packing up and may leave tonight.¡± Skinny could only reply, ¡°Okay.¡± That night, Flynt waited outside the tent as Aria emerged. He said, ¡°Just a precaution, Ms. Saxon-you wouldn¡¯t mind if I checked you for tracking devices, would you?¡± Without a word, Aria raised her hand expressionlessly. Flynt scanned her body with the device but found nothing amiss. Still, he knew it couldn¡¯t be that simple-even though this was the world¡¯s most advanced detection device. He thought, ¡°Taking Aria away was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so she couldn¡¯t possibly prepare anything that quickly. I can¡¯t have her undergo a full body search. Pushing her too far might make her bolt midway-that¡¯d be trouble.¡¯ Flynt set aside his doubts and said, ¡°Get in the car. We¡¯re leaving.¡± As soon as Aria got in the car, Flynt took the opposite seat and handed her a ck blindfold. ¡°It¡¯s a long drive. You¡¯ll need to keep this on the whole way.¡± Aria took the blindfold without hesitation, slipped it over her eyes and tied it securely. Then she leaned back against the seat to rest. The engine roared to life as the car pulled away. Flynt¡¯s gaze remained fixed on Aria¡¯s face. Aria said, ¡°Mind your gaze. Annoying.¡± Flynt chuckled. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re a good assassin, Ms. Saxon. Your instinct never sleeps, does it?¡± Then he looked away. ¡°Flynt¡¯s a real sly fox,¡± someone muttered. Flynt¡¯s team kept zigzagging through viges and fording rivers, and their pursuit was blocked at every turn. They¡¯d been on the move for an entire day. Without the tracker, they would¡¯ve lost Flynt¡¯s trail hours ago. Owen said, ¡°Just the general direction will do.¡± After knowing that Aria was heading to theb, Vanessa updated Owen on her location every half hour. To throw Flynt off their trail, the team deliberately took decoy routes afterward. Aria¡¯s tracker finally settled, cing her on the outskirts of Torrenia. Owen received the update, and his worries melted away. ¡°Stand down,¡± he ordered. Again Marriage 625 Flynt said, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Aria yanked off the ck blindfold, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the blinding light for a moment. Only then did she push open the car door and step out. Three towering buildings, each a dozen stories high, rose before her in a triangr formation. Their bleak, grayish-white facades were riddled with discreet surveince cameras. A three-story-high perimeter wall was topped with electrified wires. Aria guessed it was probably live. Flynt exined, ¡°It¡¯s a ssified experiment, so security measures are crucial.¡± He slowly walked over to Aria¡¯s side and gestured toward theplex. ¡°The coreb building is in the center. On the left are the materials warehouse, staff cafeteria, and recreation area. On the right are the researchers¡¯ living quarters.¡± Aria surveyed her surroundings-manicuredwns, artificial rockeries, and fountains. Not far off stood a regtion basketball court and four ping-pong tables. The meticulously arranged setting was almost convincing enough to make one feel like an invited guest. Aria thought, ¡®If I have this kind of feeling. What about others? If one were kidnapped and brought to a ce like this-no physical or mental torture, just allforts provided-it¡¯d be way too easy to get conditioned over time. ¡®Flynt really knows how to y mind games.¡¯ Flynt looked at her and asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, does this ce meet your expectations?¡± Aria looked away and said coolly, ¡°It¡¯s like a coffin.¡± Aria thought, ¡®With walls enclosing everything, what else could it be but a coffin?¡¯ Flynt didn¡¯t expect her to use that word. He merely chuckled, unfazed. ¡°Give it time-you¡¯lle to love this ce.¡± Aria said, ¡°Just because you enjoy cages doesn¡¯t mean the others do.¡± Flynt changed the subject. ¡°Would you like to check out theb first, or rest for a bit?¡± Aria said, ¡°Let¡¯s see theb.¡± Flynt grinned, clearly in a good mood. ¡°What, nning to blow the ce up already?¡± Aria said impatiently, ¡°Then just take me to my room if we¡¯re not going to see theb.¡± Flynt¡¯s grin didn¡¯t falter. ¡°Come with me.¡± He took Aria straight to the twelfth floor-the coreb. Just as they stepped out of the elevator, an enraged woman¡¯s voice rang out from inside, ¡°I¡¯ve told you a thousand times-I don¡¯t want to stay here. You must let me go.¡± Another male voice replied calmly, ¡°No one will be escorting you out. You¡¯re wee to leave on your own.¡± The woman snapped, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave on my own, then.¡± The young woman stormed out in fury, only to collide head-on with Aria and Flynt. Luna froze, blurting out, ¡°Wait, were you guys tricked intoing here too?¡± Luna looked at Aria¡¯s face, and then her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Aren¡¯t you dating someone? How¡¯d you get tricked intoing here with him?¡± No one answered her questions. The middle-aged man who was talking quickly approached Flynt and said respectfully, ¡°Sir, as you instructed, the researchers have the day off. This new recruit refuses to stay and insists on leaving.¡± Luna gasped in shock, pointed at Flynt and said, ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s running this scampound?¡± The middle-aged man snapped, ¡°This isn¡¯t some scampound-it¡¯s a top-secretb!¡± Luna snorted, and her gossipy gaze fixed on Aria. ¡°So, where¡¯s your boyfriend? Did youe here with him willingly? I¡¯m telling you, I saw him at the airport-he couldn¡¯t stop watching you two. He even admitted that he has feelings for you!¡± The middle-aged man cut in sharply, ¡°Say one more word of nonsense and I¡¯ll throw you out!¡± Luna retorted, jabbing a finger at Flynt, ¡°He said it himself-I¡¯m not just spouting nonsense!¡± Flynt asked, ¡°How about herpetence?¡± The middle-aged man replied, ¡°We¡¯ve tested it. Nothing special.¡± Flynt said coolly, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want to stay, then show her the door.¡± Only the truly capable ones were worth their time to win over. Luna frowned. ¡°You made me wear a blindfold on the way here! I don¡¯t even know the way out. How am I supposed to leave? Just give me my phone back so I can text my friends my location.¡± The middle-aged man said tly, ¡°Get out or get to work.¡± Again Marriage 626 Luna was absolutely livid. She thought, ¡®I heard wolves howling on the way here. I absolutely can¡¯t walk out of this ce by myself. They¡¯re clearly running a prison here.¡¯ Flynt turned to Aria. ¡°This will be your workce from now on. Let¡¯s go take a look.¡± The middle-aged man looked startled. ¡°Sir, only senior researchers are allowed in the coreb. Thisdy hasn¡¯t taken the assessment yet.¡± Flynt gave him a cold gaze. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to.¡± The middle-aged man immediately fell silent. Aria curled her lips in a cold smirk and followed Flynt into theb. Luna tried to follow, but the bodyguards blocked her path and firmly led her away. Luna stammered, ¡°I-I¡¯ll stay.¡± The middle-aged man raised his hand, and the bodyguards immediately halted. The middle-aged man asked, ¡°Are you sure you want to stay?¡± Luna nodded. ¡°Yes, I mean it.¡± She thought, filled with both fear and regret, ¡®I¡¯m just a defenseless girl. If I go out alone, I¡¯ll surely be snatched by wolves. ¡®Damn it. It¡¯s just a scheme! All those promises of high pay are just lies. And that gorgeous guy turned out to be the mastermind behind the whole scam.¡¯ Aria spent the entire afternoon touring theb. Flynt, who had started off chatting non-stop, graduallypsed into silence, trailing behind her for hours without a single break for food or water. Aria asked, ¡°Mr. Hartley, not feeling well?¡± Flynt pursed his dry, pale lips. ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re full of energy.¡± After thirty hours on the road and a full afternoon in theb, Aria still showed no signs of fatigue. Flynt wanted to tough it out, but his body wouldn¡¯t cooperate. His head spun violently as waves of nausea churned in his gut. Any longer and he might pass out. Flynt was not in good health. Flynt asked, ¡°Do you wanna continue?¡± Aria said, ¡°No. I wanna get some rest.¡± Flynt managed a weak smile. ¡°Let¡¯s head back together. We¡¯re on the same floor.¡± Aria said coolly, ¡°Fine.¡± Back at their quarters, Flynt pushed open the door and gestured for Cindy to bring Aria¡¯s belongings inside. Flynt said, ¡°If you need anything, just call Cindy or knock next door. All the clothes in your room are brand new and freshlyundered. You can-¡± Aria mmed the door shut without hesitation. Cindy said in a trembling voice, ¡°Sir, you¡­¡± Flynt frowned, coughing uncontrobly. Cindy said anxiously, ¡°I¡¯ll go get Dr. Murphy.¡± Flynt gave a slight nod, and his gaze lingered on the closed door. A wry, self-deprecating smile tugged at his lips. Flynt thought wryly, ¡®She really couldn¡¯t care less about me.¡¯ In the room, Aria meticulously inspected every corner of the room. No signs of prior upancy. Everything was brand new-even the clothes, prepared in advance, were all perfectly her size. Aria stared at the wardrobe for a long while, and a surge of irritation rose in her chest. Aria thought, ¡®Let me see what other motives Flynt has beyond that damn experiment.¡¯ Aria grabbed her sleepwear, headed into the bathroom, and ran the bath before sinking into the tub for a soak. After a moment¡¯s thought, Aria picked up the ne beside her and used it to video call Vanessa. The moment the call connected, Vanessa let out a series of teasing chuckles. ¡°Well, well, well, look at you, beauty. You¡¯re taking a bath!¡± Aria said, ¡°Hey, gorgeous. How¡¯s it going on your end?¡± Vanessa said, ¡°Olivia¡¯s done plenty of dirty tricks-we¡¯ll have her deported soon enough. With Damon dead, the other heir doesn¡¯t stand a chance. It¡¯s only a matter of time before Russell bes the leader.¡± Vanessa thought, ¡®But the longer this drags on, the more unpredictable things get. It¡¯s all about how Russell ys this now. Hope Russell moves fast-don¡¯t give Tyree any chance to wreak havoc in Huthailia.¡¯ Vanessa said, ¡°Flynt¡¯s not giving you a hard time, is he?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°You tell me-do I look like I¡¯m having a hard time?¡± Aria thought to herself, ¡®Who gets kidnapped and still gets to take a bath?¡¯ Vanessa chuckled. ¡°There you go, guess I don¡¯t need to worry about you anymore. Oh, by the way, I¡¯ve added a new feature to the ne. Wanna give it a try?¡± Aria said, ¡°Sure.¡± Vanessa said, ¡°Alright. Get ready.¡± Aria said, ¡°Okay.¡± Aria was reclining against the bath pillow when Owen¡¯s voice suddenly came through, ¡°Madelyn?¡± Again Marriage 627 Aria lifted her eyes and met Owen¡¯s startled gaze. Reclining in the tub, Aria had most of her bare skin on disy. Aria thought, ¡®Damn it, Vanessa.¡¯ Aria straightened up in the tub, letting the warm water rise to her chest. She nced at the projection in the air and saw Owen¡¯s face, flushed crimson with embarrassment. Aria thought, I¡¯m not even embarrassed, yet Owen¡¯s already blushing.¡¯ Aria reached out, sshed the water and then teased, ¡°What? Never seen my body before?¡± Owen suddenly received a message from Vanessa, informing him that the connection had been routed to his device and that from now on, he¡¯d be the onemunicating with Aria. Vanessa also said she was on a video call with Aria and was now patching him in. Owen certainly hadn¡¯t expected to find Aria taking a bath. Owen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, ¡°Thank goodness I¡¯m in my room-no one else could see this. Aria seemed to catch his thought and exined, ¡°Even if there¡¯s someone else around, they can¡¯t see me without touching your phone-but they could still hear our conversation.¡± Owen stared at her and asked, ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± ¡°No, this ce is actually quite nice,¡± Aria said, casually gathering her loose hair and tying it up. A few seconds passed in silence. Aria nced over to find Owen gazing at her with a conflicted expression. Aria asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Owen murmured with a hint of jealousy, ¡°We have a bathtub at our ce too, you know. So don¡¯t go falling for that shabby ce.¡± Aria chuckled softly. ¡°I just wanted to let you know I¡¯m doing perfectly fine here. Don¡¯t worry. How¡¯s White¡¯s injury?¡± Owen said, ¡°No serious wounds. Just needs some time to heal.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Where exactly am I?¡± Owen said, ¡°It¡¯s pretty remote out there-teeming with wildlife, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to get through.¡± That was why they couldn¡¯t care less about escape attempts. No one was forcing anyone to stay, but if they wanted to survive, they had no choice. Owen continued, ¡°This ce is heavily guarded-outsiders can¡¯t get in. Officially, it¡¯s a state-ssified research facility with standard recruitment procedures. Those who fail the assessment get sent back.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Have any of the researchers in there ever gotten to leave?¡± Owen said, ¡°Yeah, some trusted people might be allowed out once in a while, but others never leave. Once you be a researcher there, unless you¡¯re promoted to senior researcher, there¡¯s no resignation or retirement-your only way out is in a body bag.¡± Bing a senior researcher wasn¡¯t just about skill; it was about being someone they trusted implicitly. Aria frowned. ¡°Doesn¡¯t their government intervene?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quiteplicated.¡± Owen asked, ¡°Still want to blow it up?¡± Aria nodded firmly. ¡°Even more so now. But this ce is way more fortified than Ivy Hospital. Even if I managed to destroy it, it wouldn¡¯t be fatal. I need to scope it out first.¡± Aria thought to herself, ¡®Even if I can¡¯t blow it up, I¡¯ll still raze this insidiousb to the ground.¡¯ Owen said, ¡°Once you¡¯ve got they of thend, we¡¯ll get out of here. Then we¡¯ll figure out how to handle this ce.¡± If blowing it up wasn¡¯t an option, Aria wouldn¡¯t stick around. She needed to get back before the new semester started. Aria agreed, ¡°Alright.¡± Owen said, ¡°Don¡¯t stay in the bath too long. I¡¯ll be waiting for your call.¡± As Aria stepped out, a knock came at the door. She opened it to find Cindy standing outside with a dinner tray. ¡°Miss, your dinner is ready.¡± The tray held a selection of meticulously prepared Huthailian-style dishes. Aria said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Cindy exined respectfully, ¡°This was specially arranged by Mr. Hartley. He figured you might not be ustomed to the food here.¡± Aria remained silent and was just about to take the tray. Just then, the door across the hallway swung open, and an elderly physician stepped out, carrying a medical kit. Cindy bowed respectfully. ¡°Dr. Murphy.¡± Ethan frowned at Aria. ¡°Who is she? Did Flynt cough up blood because of her?¡± Indeed, Aria was the cause. After all, Flynt had followed Aria to Huthailia and ended up staying there for months. If Aria hadn¡¯t made thatst-minute decision toe to Torrenia-giving Flynt the perfect opening-he might have been stuck in Huthailia indefinitely. But Flynt had brought this upon himself. Cindy stood frozen with the tray in her hand and didn¡¯t know what to say. Aria and W¡­¡­ ¡°T. 1.: Janned¡± Again Marriage 628 Aria said, ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to ask Mr. Hartley why he would give a mere captive suchvish amodation.¡± Aria took the tray from Cindy with a faint smile. ¡°Wow, chicken soup. I didn¡¯t expect this.¡± Ethan thought, ¡°That brat actually prepared such avish dinner for an outsider. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was off. ¡°Uncle.¡± Flynt appeared in the doorway with a pale face, clutching his chest. ¡°She¡¯s a senior researcher I invited.¡± Ethan scoffed, ¡°Her?¡± Flynt said, ¡°She¡¯s Madelyn Colton.¡± Ethan stared at Aria with disbelief. Aria arched a brow, looking at them with contempt. Despite being shocked by her identity, Ethan couldn¡¯t stomach such an insult. He snapped coldly, ¡°So what if she¡¯s Madelyn? That¡¯s no excuse for you to fawn over her.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t be bothered with their nonsense. With a swift kick, she mmed the door shut in their faces. ¡°Huthailians are utterly rude,¡± said Ethan. Ethan looked at Flynt and said, ¡°Even if she¡¯s Madelyn, she¡¯s not worth all this trouble. Flynt, romantic attachments are the most pointless distractions. Your real goal is-¡± Flynt cut him off. ¡°If romantic attachments are utterly useless, then why won¡¯t you let Margery go?¡± Ethan didn¡¯t know what to say. Flynt continued, ¡°You fancy Huthailian girls, and so do I.¡± Cindy stood to the side. She wasn¡¯t surprised at all. Ethan looked at Flynt and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you been looking for the one who saved you before?¡± Flynt pursed his lips slightly and said, ¡°She¡¯s the one.¡± With the door now shut, Aria couldn¡¯t hear the conversation in the hallway. She set the tray on the table and began her meal. As Aria tasted the chicken soup, she suddenly froze. The soup had beenced with sedatives. Prolonged consumption would dull reflexes and slow movement. Aria thought, ¡®I¡¯d actually given Flynt too much credit. He¡¯s despicable indeed.¡¯ The drugs in the soup had no effect on Aria. Unfazed, she calmly drank the chicken soup. ¡°I¡¯ll kill them all!¡± Olivia screamed in rage, tearing through the room and smashing everything in sight. Tyree gentlyforted her, ¡°Olivia, I will make them pay for this. But first, let¡¯s get your face treated, alright?¡± Olivia screamed hysterically, ¡°Dad, you have to kill them all. Spare no one!¡± Tyree said, ¡°Alright, leave it to me.¡± While the doctor was treating Olivia¡¯s facial injury, Tyree stepped outside and shot Russell a sharp look. ¡°Damon¡¯s dead, and Olivia¡¯s face is ruined. Who¡¯s targeting the Wolfshade Syndicate?¡± When Flynt¡¯s men brought back Damon¡¯s body, Tyree hadn¡¯t reacted nearly as strongly. To Tyree, nothing-and no one- mattered more than his daughter. Unfortunately, sending members of the Wolfshade Syndicate to Huthailia required extensive paperwork, so Tyree had no choice but to send only his ¡®cleaner¡¯ operatives to protect Olivia. But disaster struck anyway. Russell didn¡¯t directly answer him. ¡°Tyree, Huthailia¡¯s been cracking down hardtely-our people can barely get in. Why don¡¯t we handle those we can reach right now, and then figure out a way to lure Olivia¡¯s attackers abroad?¡± Tyree said, ¡°So you¡¯re suggesting that we deal with Owen first, and then lure Olivia¡¯s attackers?¡± Russell said, ¡°Yes.¡± Tyree gave Russell a suspicious look. ¡°Did you ever meet this Owen when you were in Huthailia?¡± Russell replied, ¡°He¡¯s Aria¡¯s boyfriend.¡± To deal with a target, start with those closest to them. That was exactly how the Wolfshade Syndicate operated. Olivia screamed, ¡°God, it hurts!¡± Olivia was having a meltdown in the room. Tyree ordered, ¡°Go in and check on Olivia.¡± When Olivia saw Russell, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing, ¡°Russell, my face is ruined. Will you still love me?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Russell said, gently stroking Olivia¡¯s hair. ¡°We grew up together, remember?¡± Olivia knew Russell saw her as a sister, and Tyree knew it too. Watching them, Tyreemanded, ¡°You two, pick a date and get married.¡± Olivia¡¯s face lit up with joy, while Russell was visibly shocked. He said, ¡°Tyree, I¡¯ve always considered Olivia my sister!¡± If it were Damon, he would¡¯ve shown his affection for Olivia right away. Yet Russell¡¯s blunt honesty about his feelings unexpectedly put Tyree somewhat at ease. Tyree said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. All you need to do is protect Olivia for the rest of your life. Or do you think she¡¯s beneath you?¡± Russell shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s unworthy of Olivia.¡± Tyree dered with finality, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. First, avenge Damon-that¡¯ll help solidify your standing. From now on, you¡¯ll be the fahada Cundicato¡¯s c hoir¡± Again Marriage 629 Aria put down her pen and looked up at Owen¡¯s holographic disy. ¡°Russell wants to team up with you? What¡¯s he after?¡± Owen shifted in his seat and said, ¡°He wants to lure Tyree onto the Solemnity Guild¡¯s turf.¡± ¡°Using Olivia as bait?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Right,¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Russell wants to kill two birds with one stone, and he¡¯s asking for our help.¡± Aria said, ¡°The Wolfshade Syndicate answers to only one master, but it¡¯s different with the Solemnity Guild. Wiping them out entirely is impossible, but we can take out Curtis.¡± The Wolfshade Syndicate was a centralized organization built from the ground up by Tyree alone, granting him absolute authority. The Solemnity Guild, on the other hand, was more like a partnership. They elected a leader purely for convenience-if one died, they would simply choose another. Curtis was the longest-serving leader of the Solemnity Guild. Once someone got a taste of power, it was nearly impossible to let go. The core members of the Solemnity Guild were notoriously proud and fiercely independent-they loathed any form of restraint. Unable to win them over, Curtis secretly colluded with the Wolfshade Syndicate behind the scenes to cultivate his own faction. Killing Curtis was easy. The real trouble was the aftermath. The Solemnity Guild utterly despised betrayal. If their leader got killed, they¡¯d take it as a deration of war, and then they¡¯d pursue vengeance relentlessly. Curtis wasplicit in Sara¡¯s death, giving Russell legitimate grounds to kill him. Aria said, ¡°You can team up with him, but you must stay under the radar. The Solemnity Guild can¡¯t suspect your involvement. Curtis can only die by Russell¡¯s hand.¡± They just needed to infiltrate the Solemnity Guild under the guise of the Wolfshade Syndicate. Aria cautioned, ¡°White is too well-known. He can¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Mind if I check out your old ce when the timees?¡± Though the Solemnity Guild was a hellhole, it had forged Aria into who she was today. Aria wasn¡¯t repulsed by it, but neither did she particrly like it. She said, ¡°Your call. Go if you want.¡± Owen said, ¡°If you¡¯d rather I didn¡¯t, then I won¡¯t go.¡± Aria said, ¡°Go on, Jealous Owen.¡± After being dubbed ¡°Drama King Owen¡±, Owen has now earned himself a second nickname. Owen cleared his throat, his features rxing. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± Aria said, ¡°Okay.¡± Chapter oMY Owen asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going on your end?¡± Aria said, ¡°Not bad. I¡¯ve been hanging around these past few days. Heading to theb tomorrow.¡± The researchers here fell into three categories. One group waspletely loyal and trusted by the higher-ups. Another group was only partially assimted-they wanted to escape but couldn¡¯t, living in numb resignation. A handful still hadn¡¯t given up-they believed that someday, somehow, they¡¯d find a way out. Life here wasn¡¯t cheap. The harder you worked and the more research breakthroughs you made, the higher your sry. If you cked off and just went through the motions at work, all you¡¯d get was base pay-barely enough to scrape by. Aria had only managed to glean limited information-only senior researchers were allowed anywhere near the true heart of the research. It was quite surprising that Flynt so readily let her into the core area. Owen suddenly lowered his voice. ¡°Besides staying safe, you also need to be on guard against Flynt.¡± He pursed his lips. ¡°He has ulterior motives.¡± Aria said. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± On the screen, Aria was absentmindedly doodling, as if his words hadn¡¯t registered. Owen pursed his lips and said, ¡°It¡¯s one thing to know, but you really need to take it to heart.¡± Owen thought, ¡®All Flynt wants is to steal Madelyn away!¡¯ Aria looked up. ¡°Got it, for real.¡± ¡°Cap!¡± a voice shouted from outside the door. Owen said, ¡°Madelyn, I¡¯ve gotta go.¡± Aria said, ¡°Okay.¡± Owen stepped out of the room and nced at Russell and White waiting outside. ¡°All set?¡± White nodded. ¡°All set.¡± Russell¡¯s main purpose for this trip was to retrieve Sara¡¯s diary. After the crash, both White and the driver survived, but members of the Solemnity Guild killed the driver. White had stashed the diary somewhere and had just revealed its whereabouts to Russell. Russell locked eyes with Owen and asked again, ¡°So, are we in this together?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Deal. I¡¯ll bring the Wolf Regiment with me to the Solemnity Guild.¡± ¡°I¡¯ming too,¡± White said. Owen said, ¡°The Solemnity Guild knows you. Aria made it clear you can¡¯t go. Coyote and Scarlett will stay with you to provide perimeter support, in case we get nked.¡± White conceded. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll get that map drawn up right away.¡± The next day, Flynt personally escorted Aria to the twelfth floor of the research zone. Five senior researchers, d in whiteb coats, were bustling at their individual workstations, with their assistants standing close by, ready to lend a hand. Most of them barely nced at the neer before turning back to their work. Two senior researchers nodded at Flynt. ¡°Mr. Hartley,¡± Flynt said, ¡°This is Aria Saxon. She¡¯ll be joining your team.¡± Ethan walked in from outside, frowning at Flynt. ¡°You¡¯ve only just gotten better. You shouldn¡¯t be out here catching a chill.¡± Flynt nodded. ¡°I know, Uncle.¡± He turned to Aria and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get you an assistant in a few days.¡± Aria recalled the woman she¡¯d seen a few days ago and said, ¡°I want the one I met a few days ago.¡± Flynt paused and then said, ¡°She¡¯s mediocre at best. I¡¯ll assign someone else.¡± ¡°Then forget it,¡± Aria said, sweeping her gaze around theb. ¡°They¡¯re all just a bunch of nerds-spend too much time with them and you¡¯ll turn into a nerd too.¡± Those ¡°nerds¡± looked up at Aria¡¯s words, and then silently lowered their heads back to their work. Flynt pondered for a moment and then relented. ¡°Alright, she¡¯ll be your assistant.¡± As Flynt was about to leave, Ethan stopped him. ¡°Margery wants to see you. I¡¯lle by this afternoon.¡± Ethan¡¯s expression grewplicated, clearly reluctant. Aria took a second look at him. Flynt gave a brief nod and said, ¡°Uncle, please look after Aria for me. She¡¯s got a temper.¡± Ethan thought, ¡®What does that have anything to do with me?¡¯ Ethan replied dismissively, ¡°Alright, alright. Go get some rest.¡± After Flynt left, Aria simply walked to theb coat storage, donned ab coat, and began strolling through the coreb. Ethan opened his mouth as if to say something, but then thought better of it and held his tongue. He thought, ¡®Flynt holds her in high regard. It¡¯s not worth getting on his bad side over her! Aria paused in front of the rows of blood samples. Then she suddenly turned and asked, ¡°Are these samples even legit?¡± A ha Again Marriage 630 One of the trusted female researchers couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°Our experiments are absolutely legitimate. All the samples were legally procured.¡± Ethan shot Aria a re. ¡°Either help record the data, or shut up and stop the chatter.¡± His Huthailian was halting, tinged with a faint southern ent-the kind of ent one picked up from prolonged contact with a particr group. Aria arched an eyebrow. ¡°Dr. Murphy, is your wife Huthailian?¡± Ethan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Flynt even told you that?¡± Aria thought, ¡®I knew it. She didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she walked over to the female researcher and changed the subject. ¡°What should I record?¡± Laura was taken aback, clearly not expecting Aria¡¯s sudden offer to help. After several seconds of hesitation, she pointed to Team One¡¯s specimens. ¡°Record the changes in this mouse.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Aria grabbed a notebook and pen, beginning her observations. During this time, Aria would casually drift between research stations, observing the other researchers. Whenever research reports were delivered, she¡¯d subtly edge closer to scan their contents. Aria suddenly asked, ¡°Are all these samples from Huthailians? Do you have some vendetta against Huthailia?¡± Laura replied, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. We only use Huthailian samples once we¡¯ve made significant progress in our research. ¡°We¡¯re not out to harm anyone. Gene editing can advance human development. We¡¯re the ones pioneering these experiments for you first-so you should be happy.¡± Aria said, ¡°Oh, so we¡¯re supposed to be grateful to you? If this experiment is so groundbreaking, why don¡¯t you just keep it for yourselves?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because¡ª¡± Laura started, but Ethan¡¯s sharp re instantly silenced her. Realizing she couldn¡¯t extract any more information, Aria walked over to Ethan with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯d like to meet your wife, Dr. Murphy.¡± Ethan eyed her warily. ¡°Why do you want to see her?¡± Without pausing her writing, Aria said, ¡°We¡¯re both Huthailians-it¡¯d be nice to see a familiar face. Can¡¯t I meet her?¡± Ethan paused as if he was genuinely considering the proposal. Then he shot Aria a nce and said, ¡°Just focus on your notes. No more talking.¡± Aria pieced together the facts: Ethan¡¯s wife was Huthailian, kept from public view, and clearly mattered greatly to him. She thought, ¡®His wife was probably kidnapped, too. She must know more than I do.¡¯ Russell¡¯s hands trembled uncontrobly as he took the diary. He struggled to steady himself, got into the car, and ordered the driver, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The car was eerily quiet as Russell steeled himself before slowly turning to the first page. The childish handwriting had faded with time, now barely legible. Russell strained to make out the words: [Today I met the young miss. She¡¯s so beautiful. I want to serve her well and not cause Russell any trouble.] [Miss killed a cat today. The look in her eyes was terrifying.] [I made a mistake and Miss beat me. It really hurts. I mustn¡¯t tell Russell, or he¡¯d be worried.] [Got beaten by Miss again today.] [I saw Russell today. I wanted to tell him I didn¡¯t want to stay with Miss anymore, but he was covered in wounds, too. If I leave, Miss will definitely make trouble for him.] [After Miss saw Russell, the way she looked at me was terrifying-just like how she looked at that dead kitten. I really want to leave now.] Russell clenched his fists tightly and continued reading. [I haven¡¯t written in my diary for three months. Today, I finally managed to sneak it out. I was trafficked to this horrible ce. There¡¯s a guy named Marcus who keeps bullying me.] [Marcus bullied me again. Even away from Miss, I¡¯m still getting picked on. I miss Russell so much.] [A new girl arrived today. Her name is Madelyn. I like her name. We¡¯re even in the same dorm. I¡¯m so happy!] [Madelyn¡¯s so cold-she won¡¯t even talk to me. But she¡¯s amazing! She made Marcus and other people back down. As long as I stick with her, I know I can hold on¡­ until I see Russell again.] [Madelyn told me I need to toughen up, or I¡¯ll always be a punching bag. But I¡¯m just so¡­ so weak.] [Today, Madelyn protected me. From now on, we¡¯re friends. I¡¯m sure I can make it through. Again Marriage 631 [Today I beat two people. Got stronger! So happy_-] [It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had any proper meat. Today, Madelyn brought me so much! She said if I ever wanted more. she¡¯d go snatch it for me. Madelyn is the best.] [Today I made a new friend named White. The three of us shared roast chicken. From now on, I won¡¯t be lonely anymore.] [Marcus came to see me today. He said if I don¡¯t kill Madelyn, he¡¯ll make my life a living hell. But I¡¯d never hurt her. I want to make it through this with Madelyn.] [Today, I overheard Marcus talking with one of the elders. They said I was sent here by the Wolfshade Syndicate and must never leave the Solemnity Guild alive-they need to eliminate me quickly. If Madelyn tries to stop them, they¡¯ll kill her too. Should I tell Madelyn?] [Today, a wooden nk almost hit me-it was no ident. Madelyn saved me. I still haven¡¯t told her the truth. Being with me brings bad luck.] [It¡¯s Madelyn¡¯s turn for the supply run. I know Marcus has set a trap for her. I pleaded with her for hours until she finally let mee along. I desperately want to live, but I know I won¡¯t make it. All I hope is that Madelyn survives.] The diary ended here. Russell gently closed the notebook, cradling it against his chest. He thought, ¡®I was such a fool-treating my enemy as family, failing to protect Sara, and in the end, even mistaking my real foe.¡¯ Then his phone buzzed. Russell picked it up, and his eyes were burning with chilling, murderous hatred. He said, ¡°Olivia, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Olivia said, ¡°Russell, when are youing back? I miss you.¡± Russell said, ¡°It might take a while. I still haven¡¯t found Owen.¡± Olivia said, ¡°Russell, can Ie to you? Let¡¯s take Owen down together.¡± Russell¡¯s expression was ice-cold, yet his voice was deceptively gentle as he said, ¡°Olivia, your face still needs treatment.¡± Olivia said, ¡°I can bring a doctor along. It¡¯s settled then-I¡¯ming to you right now!¡± Olivia hung up. Russell stared at his phone with a cold sneer. He was just figuring out how to lure Olivia out, and she walked right into his trap. He thought, ¡®Damon and Marcus are dead and only Olivia, Curtis, and Tyree remain. I¡¯ll end them myself, even if it costs me my life. That afternoon, Flynt came to theb looking for Ethan, bringing Luna along with him. ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be Aria¡¯s assistant. Do whatever she says.¡± After she stayed just a few days here, Luna¡¯s defiance had all but melted away. She had braced herself for beatings and insults, but instead, all she got was suffocating silence. She lost count of how many people she tried to talk to-not a single soul acknowledged her. 12:54 pm DDD The psychological torment had pushed Luna to the brink of copse, so when she received the order to be Aria¡¯s assistant, she nearly wept with relief. Luna said, ¡°Got it.¡± She stood beside Aria with tears in her eyes, inadvertently blocking Flynt¡¯s sight. Feeling annoyed, Flynt frowned. But then Ethan finished up his work and walked over. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Flynt said, ¡°Okay.¡± The two left. Luna leaned in and whispered, ¡°Finally, someone to talk to! These people are terrifying-no one says a word for days. If I had to stay here any longer, I¡¯d lose my mind.¡± Laura said coldly. ¡°Absolute silence is required in theb at all times, Aria. Keep your new assistant in line.¡± Laura seemed like someone not to be trifled with, so Luna immediately mped her mouth shut. Aria replied casually, ¡°Is there such a rule? You and Ethan were having quite a lively discussion this morning, weren¡¯t you?¡± Laura said, ¡°That was a scientific discussion, not idle chatter.¡± Aria retorted, ¡°And how do you know what we¡¯re saying is just ¡®idle chatter¡±?¡± Aria¡¯s sharp retort left Laura momentarily speechless. As the senior researcher second only to Ethan, she wasn¡¯t ustomed to being challenged like this. Aria pressed on, ¡°You¡¯re researching things that hurt people-you¡¯ll burn in hell for that. So, what exactly are you so proud
  1. Laura?¡±
¡°That¡¯s nonsense.¡± Laura red. ¡°Our gene editing can free humanity from suffering and disease¡ªeven Mr. Hartley himself volunteered as a test subject.¡± Again Marriage 632 ¡°Gene-editing weaponization research-isn¡¯t that what it¡¯s called?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. Laura said, ¡°It¡¯s called gene editing-nothing more!¡± Aria thought, ¡®Weaponized gene-editing research is illegal, but some human gene-editing experiments remainwful. Did Flynt deceive them? Or did he deliberately deceive me and lure me here?¡¯ Luna, standing nearby, chimed in, ¡°It is gene editing. That¡¯s what the job posting said.¡± She thought, I wouldn¡¯t havee if it wasn¡¯t legitimate.¡¯ Aria turned to Luna and asked, ¡°How manybs have you been to?¡± Luna replied, ¡°They just assigned me to a regrb to screen samples.¡± Aria said firmly, ¡°You stillck experience. Visit a few morebs to gain experience, and keep daily records of the experimental procedures.¡± Luna was confused. She asked, ¡°Are you assigning me tasks?¡± Aria said, ¡°You¡¯re my assistant. Shouldn¡¯t I assign you tasks?¡± Luna pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to work with those people.¡± Aria gestured for her toe over, and Luna reluctantly shuffled over. She muttered, ¡°What is it?¡± Aria said in a low voice, ¡°We¡¯re on the same side now. If you want to get out of here, you¡¯ll have to do as I say. Record every detail of their experiments-the procedures, equipment, and materials. Nothing gets left out.¡± Luna stiffened, leaned in, and whispered nervously, ¡°Can you get us out of here?¡± Aria whispered, ¡°Just do as I say. If I manage to get out of here, I¡¯ll take you with me.¡± Luna said, ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll do my absolute best.¡± Fueled by this newfound motivation, Luna was brimming with enthusiasm. As they walked, Ethan nced at Flynt, who was watching the surveince feed, and asked, ¡°So, can you hear what they¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t hear them, but I can guess,¡± Flynt replied. Flynt was watching his phone screen when, all at once, Aria in the feed looked directly at him and showed a mocking smile. Flynt smirked, and his finger swiped across the screen. Flynt and Aria took the elevator up to the penthouse level. Ethan fished his key from his pocket and unlocked the door. In the living room, Margery sat on the sofa, her gaunt face thoughtful as she gazed at the antique pocket watch in her hands. She didn¡¯t even nce up at the sound of the door opening. Ethan tiptoed closer and said in a soft voice, ¡°Margery, didn¡¯t you want to see Flynt? I¡¯ve brought him to you.¡± Margery finally nced up at Flynt and said, ¡°You¡¯ve kidnapped someone again? Still a Huthailian?¡± Flynt¡¯s gaze shifted to the floor-to-ceiling window, where he could just barely make out the scene below. Ethan spoke first, ¡°Margery, this doesn¡¯t concern you. Just stay out of it.¡± Margery¡¯s face darkened as she fixed Flynt with a cold stare. ¡°Are you going to follow in your uncle¡¯s footsteps too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not like Uncle,¡± Flynt said calmly. ¡°She¡¯s free to leave. Margery, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me so closely,¡± Margery said sullenly. Flynt stopped at the door and looked back at her. ¡°Margery, you should thank Uncle. If it weren¡¯t for him, you¡¯d be as good as dead when Arressto caught you.¡± Margery looked up, her eyes full of mockery and her voice dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Oh yes, I should really thank you guys for locking me in this cage time and time again.¡± Without another word, Flynt pulled the door shut behind him and left. Ethan reached out to hold Margery¡¯s hand, but she dodged in disgust. Ethan tightened his grip on her wrist. ¡°Margery, if you¡¯d just behave, I wouldn¡¯t have to keep you confined. Can¡¯t we just live a peaceful, stable life together?¡± Ethan leaned in for a kiss, but Margery jerked her head away and said, ¡°Get lost.¡± Again Marriage 633 Ethan chuckled sullenly instead of getting angry. He said, ¡°Margery, the moment youe around to my way of thinking, that¡¯s when I¡¯ll let you meet other people.¡± ¡°No need,¡± Margery said coldly. ¡°If you dare force me, I have a hundred ways to end my life.¡± Ethan gave a hollowugh. ¡°I¡¯ve never coerced you.¡± Margery stared at him with hatred. ¡°Wasn¡¯t drugging me coercion?¡± Ethan fell silent for a moment, and then said in a hushed voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just wanted a child of our own. After all these years, I¡¯vee to realize nothing else matters as long as we¡¯re together. ¡°After everything we¡¯ve been through to find each other again, can¡¯t we just start over?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t trust you anymore,¡± Margery said. Her eyes were filled with sorrow as if she were still trapped in the agony of the past. Ethan¡¯s voice was thick with regret. ¡°Margery, I mean it-I know I was wrong. I truly am sorry. ¡°I know you¡¯re lonely. Flynt did bring a Huthailian woman here. Let me assess her for a while, and if she¡¯s suitable, I¡¯ll bring her over to keep youpany. How about that?¡± Margery remained silent. Taking her silence as consent, Ethan leaned in and nted a kiss on her cheek. Margery fought down the rising bile, suppressing the murderous rage seething within her. She had once loved Ethan, but after all these years, nothing but hatred remained. She wished she could kill this disgusting, arrogant bastard. But killing him wouldn¡¯t get her out of here. She had to bide her time. In a hotel, a buzz-cut man jabbed a finger at the job posting on the table and said, ¡°The Vita Gene-Editing Research Base- are we certain Margery is there?¡± ¡°Yes, Boss. Margery Calderon is an orphan, and her real name is Margery Charles. She met Ethan Murphy while studying abroad, and they even got engaged.¡± ¡°Ethan is a highly regarded biological researcher-the most important at this base. The leader of the Vita Gene-Editing Research Base is none other than his own nephew, Flynt Hartley.¡± The buzz-cut man picked up a nearby file, scanning its contents. ¡°Margery has certainly been elusive.¡± Margery was the first person they¡¯d ever gone to such lengths to track down. The buzz-cut man¡¯said, ¡°They¡¯ve been apart for fifteen years, and Ethan would actually risk angering Arressto for her?¡± The young man beside him chuckled. ¡°Boss, you don¡¯t get it-Ethan¡¯s crazy about Margery. He¡¯s stayed single all these years, just waiting for her.¡± The buzz-cut man scoffed, ¡°If he really loved Margery that much, why would she flee to join Arressto? Some stories are just stories.¡± Then he stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s check out the base tonight.¡± The other two men responded in unison, ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± The buzz-cut man said, ¡°Go get some rest.¡± Then the two men left the room. +38) The buzz-cut man had just emerged from the shower when his phone buzzed to life. He winced when he saw the caller ID, and then he answered the call, ¡°Hello, Mom.¡± The one said, ¡°Wilson, have you booked your flight yet? Send me the flight details so I can pick you up at the airport.¡± Wilson said, ¡°Mom, I didn¡¯t mean New Year. Not so soon.¡± His mom fell silent for a long while on the other end of the line. Then she said, ¡°Are you putting offing home again? Not nning toe back this time? Did your dad upset you again?¡± ¡°No,¡± Wilson said, grabbing a towel with one hand and running it through his short hair before tossing it aside. ¡°I barely talk to my dad-maybe once a year. There¡¯s no bad blood between us. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m gonna get some rest. Gotta hang up.¡± Again Marriage 634 Wilson hung up before his mother could get a word in. He hesitated for a moment, and then picked up his phone again to check his WhatsApp. The chat history stopped two years ago. Wilson: [Heard you cut ties with the Saxon family. Congrats on breaking free from that overbearing extended family.] The other party only replied: [Thanks.] Wilson had been rebellious since childhood, often pulling disappearing acts-sometimes for a few days, sometimes for as long as a week. Eventually, Gloria had had enough and sent him off to the military to toughen him up. He¡¯d go off the grid for up to several months at a time, and his family¡¯s initial worry gradually faded into numbness. To this day, they still thought he was in grad school. Little did they know, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the organization right after undergrad. This mission allowed more flexibility, so Wilson made an exception and brought his personal phone. Realizing it had been ages since hest reached out to Aria, Wilson texted her: [Hey.] Coyote knocked and stepped into Owen¡¯s room. ¡°Cap, three members of Arressto are staying at this hotel too.¡± Owen asked, ¡°How did you spot them?¡± Coyote replied, ¡°I¡¯ve seen one of them.¡± Owen thought, ¡®Could Margery be in Torrenia too?¡¯ Owen immediately grew alert. ¡°Keep tabs on them, stay undercover, and find out their objective.¡± Coyote said, ¡°Copy that.¡± Just as Owen was about to turn in for the night, his phone on the nightstand suddenly lit up. Ever since he and Aria parted ways, Owen had been keeping her phone. If any messages came in, he¡¯d reply for her. When a new message popped up, Owen was momentarily stunned. [Hey, I¡¯m in Torrenia now. I¡¯ll be back in a few months. Want anything from here?] Owen checked the contact-Wilson Saxon. Owen and Wilson had met during their military service. While they wouldn¡¯t call each other close friends, their bond was certainly stronger than your average acquaintance. He thought, ¡®I thought Wilson was studying in Masmubia. What¡¯s he doing in Torrenia all of a sudden?¡¯ Owen: [What are you doing in Torrenia?] Wilson replied instantly: [Just visiting.] +36 Owen continued probing: [Alone?] Wilson: [With friends. You¡¯re unusually talkative today-even showing some concern. Come on, call me Brother.] Owen scrolled up through the chat history, and a striking conversation caught his eye. Wilson: [Heard you divorced Liam. That deadbeat wasn¡¯t worth it anyway. Falling for men brings a lifetime of misery. Just have fun. Don¡¯t get too attached.] Aria: [Mm-hmm.] Owen thought, ¡®Madelyn didn¡¯t talk a lot indeed.''¡± Owen stopped scrolling through the chat history. He wasn¡¯t sure how close Aria and Wilson actually were, but judging by Wilson¡¯s blunt, teasing way of talking, their rtionship was probably just fine. Owen continued to probe: [Alright, Brother. Have you finished your master¡¯s already?] Wilson: [Who are you?] A video call suddenly popped up, and Owen instinctively declined it. Owen thought, ¡®Wrong guess-Madelyn has never called Wilson that before! Wilson persisted: [Why do you have Aria¡¯s phone?] [Where is she?] The second video call request came through, and Owen answered. ¡°Owen?¡± Wilson looked shocked on the screen. Owen noticed the wallpaper pattern behind Wilson-it was identical to the one in his own room. He thought, ¡®So Wilson really is a member of Arressto. Owen said directly, ¡°Tell me your room number. I¡¯ming over.¡± Wilson froze. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re at this hotel too?¡± Owen said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Wilson thought, ¡®Aria¡¯s phone is with Owen¡­ so does that mean he¡¯s with her right now?¡¯ Wilson was dazed for a few seconds before finally telling Owen his room number. Ten minutester, Owen stepped into Wilson¡¯s room and got straight to the point. ¡°Aria¡¯s at Flynt¡¯s research facility.¡± Wilson¡¯s face contorted instantly. ¡°What?!¡± Owen gave Wilson a brief rundown of the situation. Wilson was stunned. ¡°She said she was going to blow up theb, and you just agreed?¡± Owen replied with unwavering certainty, ¡°Yeah. She can get out on her own.¡± Again Marriage 635 Wilson wondered, ¡®Why isn¡¯t he worried at all? Could that girl have some other secret identities?¡¯ Wilson wore a conflicted look. He hesitated, but ultimately swallowed his question. He thought, ¡®After all, I¡¯m hiding my own identity too. I don¡¯t have the right to pry into anyone else¡¯s secrets. Since she dares to enter the facility on her own, she must be pretty capable Wilson asked, ¡°How long have you two been together?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Six months.¡± Wilson asked, ¡°So all we can do now is wait for her to reach out to you?¡± Owen said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Wilson fell silent for a long moment. Then, jabbing a finger at Owen¡¯s nose, he snapped, ¡°Were you out of your damn mind?! Using Aria¡¯s phone to call me Brother?¡± Since Wilson was a few months older than Owen, it wasn¡¯t that strange. Owen remained impassive. ¡°Dear brother, the priority now is delivering the explosives to Madelyn.¡± Wilson red at him. ¡°Stop calling me that. And who¡¯s Madelyn?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Aria¡¯s old name,¡± Owen replied. ¡°Forget the explosives. Arressto¡¯s intelwork is everywhere-go find out what this research facility is actually working on.¡± Wilson nodded. ¡°Got it. If Aria contacts you, let me know immediately.¡± Owen asked, ¡°Are you here for Margery?¡± Wilson raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve known a lot.¡± ¡°Not hard to figure out,¡± Owen replied coolly. Wilson said, ¡°We¡¯ll scout the area tonight.¡± Owen said, ¡°Sure.¡± Wilson raised an eyebrow. ¡°What, not calling me Brother anymore?¡± Owen was speechless. A sudden gunshot echoed through the night. Aria had left the window open. Jolted awake by the crack of gunfire, she slid out of bed, slipped into her shoes, and stepped onto the balcony. Leaning against the railing, she lifted her binocrs to her eyes. Sporadic gunfire erupted from the high-rises, aimed at targets beyond thepound wall. It was clearly the work of snipers. Aria wondered, ¡®Who managed to track this ce down?¡¯ She knew these weren¡¯t Owen¡¯s men. ¡°Enjoying the show?¡± Flynt¡¯s voice came from beside her. Without even turning, Aria replied coolly, ¡°Quite the spectacle. Hope to see more.¡± Flynt chuckled. ¡°What a pity. This sort of thing hardly ever happens. No one¡¯se around in years, but not long after you stay, all these pawns start popping up. So, Aria, who do you think it is?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Definitely not Owen.¡± Flynt said, ¡°You¡¯re that sure?¡± Aria said, ¡°Mm-hmm. If it were Owen, he¡¯d probably just toss explosives right in.¡± Owen was speechless. The gunfire gradually died down. Aria watched as a dozen or so men left thepound, only to return empty-handed a few minutester. The phone rang. Flynt answered and issued a few tersemands in Torrenian about tightening security. Aria lowered her binocrs with satisfaction. ¡°Mr. Hartley, these people might be after Margery.¡± Flynt hadn¡¯t expected Aria to be this sharp. His eyes darkened. He thought, ¡®Just a little more time, and she¡¯ll undoubtedly figure out who Margery really is. If Arressto gets dragged into this, the facility might not survive. ¡®But Uncle would never let Margery go-just as I wouldn¡¯t willingly let Aria leave, either! Aria found herself growing more and more curious about Flynt¡¯s mysterious aunt-inw. She didn¡¯t linger on the balcony and just turned back into the room. After a moment, Aria activated themunicator on her ne and video-called Owen. Owen answered instantly, ¡°Madelyn.¡± Aria said, ¡°Did I wake you?¡± Owen said with a gentle smile, ¡°No, I¡¯ve been waiting for your call.¡± Owen knew that Wilson¡¯s visit to the facility would definitely put everyone on high alert. He was sure Aria would wake up. Owen said, ¡°Margery¡¯s in the facility. Arressto¡¯s here for her.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s her.¡± Aria instantly figured out Flynt¡¯s aunt-inw¡¯s identity. ¡°I heard themotion, and it seems no one was caught. Since Arressto¡¯s people are here, let¡¯s leverage them. I¡¯ll find a way to meet Margery first.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve met with the people of Arressto. One of them is someone you know,¡± Aria asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Wilson,¡± Owen replied. Again Marriage 636 Aria didn¡¯t recognize the name at first. After a couple of seconds, it finally clicked. Wilson Saxon, Luke¡¯s rebellious son, who¡¯d been studying abroad for years without returning home. Aria didn¡¯t expect Wilson to join Arressto. Aria asked, ¡°You two have already met?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve met. He messaged you, and I replied for you. I called him Brother-that¡¯s when he realized it wasn¡¯t you.¡± Owen had been replying to many messages on Aria¡¯s behalf for a while, but only Wilson sensed something was amiss. Owen thought, ¡®Wilson sensed something was off simply because Aria never called him that. No wonder he made it into Arressto.¡¯ Aria said, ¡°If I haven¡¯t called you by 10 p.m., it means I won¡¯t be calling at all that day. Don¡¯t wait for me and just go to bed early.¡± Owen nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± Aria said, ¡°Look into the details of this facility.¡± Owen said, ¡°Sure.¡± Seeing him nod so obediently, Aria felt a wave of tenderness wash over her, and her mood lifted considerably. ¡°Alright, I gotta go. Get some sleep early. Good night.¡± Owen said, ¡°Good night, Madelyn.¡± A young man said, ¡°There were multiple snipers concealed in the shadows, providing full 360-degree coverage with no blind spots. Breaching the wall will be nearly impossible.¡± After he finished speaking, he carefully helped his injured colleague into the back seat. Just as he was about to turn to take the wheel, Wilson ced a firm hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°Treat his wounds. I¡¯ll drive.¡± A main road led to the base, but it was sealed off-no one could get through except authorized personnel. Wilson and his twopanions had to cut through the forest-it required expert driving to evade wild animal attacks along the way. Anyway, with the location confirmed and the rescue attempt having failed, all they had to do was report it and let headquarters take over. Wilson joined Arressto after Margery left. He held no personal grudge against her. He was just following orders to track her down. After getting back to the hotel, Wilson said, ¡°We¡¯re standing down for the next few days and waiting for word from HQ. Go get some rest. If you¡¯re seriously injured, see a doctor.¡± The young man thumped his chest and said confidently, ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry. Nothing will go wrong with me around. I can handle these minor injuries.¡± Wilson said, ¡°Sure.¡± Wilson returned to his room and saw a message from Aria¡¯s phone, sent by Owen: [We¡¯ve already talked.] Wilson rushed over to Owen¡¯s room. ¡°You two already hung up?¡± Owen said, ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s in a tight spot right now, so she can¡¯t talk for long.¡± Wilson said, ¡°Alright, so you two didn¡¯t schedule a time for your next call?¡± Owen kept a straight face. ¡°No, her schedule is unpredictable. If you have anything to say, I can pass it along.¡± With only a few minutes to talk, Owen wasn¡¯t about to let Wilson cut into that precious time. Truth be told, Wilson didn¡¯t really have much to say. He just wanted to check on her situation. Wilson shot Owen a suspicious look. ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me, are you?¡± Owen said, ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Wilson said, ¡°You even called me Brother. What won¡¯t you do?¡± Owen said, ¡°Won¡¯t call you that again.¡± Wilson had no retort and left in a huff. For the past few days, Luna had been shuttling between differentbs, basically figuring out the details of their experiments. She jotted everything down in her notebook and handed it to Aria. Aria finished reading and then suddenly sneered. A shiver ran down Luna¡¯s spine. She nced nervously at Aria and asked in a low voice, ¡°Y-You haven¡¯t been assimted by them, have you?¡± Aria thought, ¡®So it¡¯s not weaponized gene-editing research, after all. That document-Flynt deliberately leaked it. ¡®So he¡¯d been orchestrating this from the very beginning. He did all this just to lure me here. What is Flynt really after?¡¯ Seeing Aria silently fixated on the notebook, Luna became more anxious. Again Marriage 637 With Ethan out today, Laura was left in charge of theb. Seeing the two of them just standing around idle, Laura snapped, ¡°You two-move all this equipment up to the third floor.¡± Luna snapped, ¡°We¡¯re all researchers here. Why do you get to bark orders while we do the heavy lifting?¡± Luna thought, ¡®Flynt clearly favors Aria. As her assistant, I don¡¯t have to take this crap like everyone else! Luna knew exactly where she stood-by Aria¡¯s side. Even if she couldn¡¯t escape, life here wouldn¡¯t be too hard for her. Laura¡¯s assistant said, ¡°If she won¡¯t do it, you will. After all, you¡¯re just an assistant.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just an assistant too,¡± Luna snapped back. ¡°Why don¡¯t you move them?¡± Laura¡¯s assistant said, ¡°I¡¯ve been working here for three years. You think you¡¯re on my level? Do it now!¡± Luna¡¯s temper red. She stomped on the box and snapped, ¡°No way!¡± Laura¡¯s assistant reached out and shoved her. ¡°That¡¯s days of our hard work. How dare you stomp on it!¡± When Aria came back to her senses, Luna was already fighting with Laura¡¯s assistant. Laura, protective of her own, stepped forward and yanked Luna back. ¡°This is ab, not your stage for tantrums. Get out!¡± Aria mped down on Laura¡¯s hand. ¡°Let the kids fight it out. No need for adults to butt in.¡± butt in.¡± With Aria backing her up, Luna grew emboldened and forcefully shoved Laura¡¯s assistant aside. The assistant staggered backward and mmed into theb bench, sending ssware shattering across the floor. Laura shrieked, ¡°What the hell are you all standing around for? If our experiment is ruined, Mr. Hartley won¡¯t let any of you off the hook!¡± Only then did the others rush in to break things up. Overwhelmed by all the indignities she¡¯d sufferedtely, Luna snapped -grabbing a metalb stand and swinging it wildly like a madwoman. She shouted, ¡°You fucking bastards! We¡¯re all captives here-who the hell do you think you are? Go to hell, all of you.¡± The metalb stand smashed into the equipment and the incubator. With nging and crashing, things toppled and shattered everywhere. Someone shouted, ¡°Someone stop her, now!¡± As someone moved to intervene, Aria subtly stuck out her foot and tripped them. Theb erupted into utter chaos. Aria watched the chaos unfold with immense satisfaction. She liked Luna more. Flynt rushed over upon hearing the news, only to find theb in utter shambles. Everyone looked battered and disheveled- everyone except Aria, who stood perfectlyposed. Flynt turned to Aria at once. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Laura was just about to voice herint when, to her shock, Flynt showed concern only for Aria-the only one who¡¯de out unscathed. Her face instantly darkened. She said, ¡°Flynt, if you have feelings for her, then keep her by your side. Don¡¯t let her wreak havoc in theb.¡± Flynt¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°This entireb belongs to me. Who stays here is my decision-that¡¯s not your call.¡± Laura was seething with rage but didn¡¯t dare vent it on Flynt. She tore off herb coat and snapped, ¡°I¡¯m going to Ethan to settle this!¡± Laura stormed out in a rage, and her assistant scrambled after her. Flynt rubbed his temples and looked at the others. ¡°You all have a paid day off today. Go back and get some rest.¡± The others left in a daze. Flynt turned to Luna. ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± Luna¡¯s heart pounded with fear, but she steeled herself and dered, ¡°I only take orders from Aria.¡± Flynt remained silent. Luna was both shocked and delighted-shocked that he truly treated Aria differently, and delighted that she¡¯d clearly taken the right side. Aria said calmly, ¡°Go get some rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Luna beamed, nodding before practically skipping out with a spring in her step. Theb emptied, leaving only Aria and Flynt. Flynt¡¯s gazended on the notebook in Aria¡¯s hand. He said, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you want to know, just ask me directly. No need to have your assistant do all the digging for you.¡± Flynt had always known Luna was helping Aria gather intel on the experiments. Aria¡¯s lips curled into a mocking sneer. ¡°Why should I trust the likes of you?¡± Aria turned to leave when Flynt abruptly seized her wrist. Again Marriage 638 Aria reacted in a sh. She whirled Flynt around and pinned him against the wall, with her forearm pressed hard against his throat. ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± she asked. Flynt stared at her, but his face showed no trace of anger. ¡°Last time I followed you, you treated me the same way. After all these years, you still haven¡¯t changed a bit.¡± Flynt didn¡¯t resist in the slightest, which left Aria no chance to gauge his true capabilities. ¡°Keep your hands to yourself,¡± Aria warned and released him before leaving. Flynt said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask why I set up this trap to lure you to the experimental base?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± Aria said. Even if the experiments weren¡¯t harmful, confining and coercing people to participate was still illegal. Flynt watched her retreating figure, and his smile vanished. He ordered his subordinate, ¡°Get this ce cleaned up.¡± His subordinate replied, ¡°Yes, Mr. Hartley.¡± When Aria was walking along the concrete path, a chill shot up her spine. Instinctively, she moved aside. ¡°Aria!¡± Flynt¡¯s voice rang out from behind her. A bullet grazed Aria¡¯s shoulder. She dropped into a crouch, snatched up a stone, and hurled it as she charged forward. The stone struck Ethan¡¯s gun-wielding wrist dead center, sending his weapon ttering to the ground. Aria kicked it slightly, sending the gun flying up, and she caught it midair. Without hesitation, she aimed at Ethan and pulled the trigger. The bullet instantly tore through his left shoulder. Ethan let out a choked groan and clutched his wound as he staggered backward. Not far away, Laura shrieked at the sight. Aria swung her gun and fired a warning shot by Laura¡¯s feet. The bullet sparked against the ground. Laura¡¯s eyes widened in terror. Her legs buckled, and she copsed in a heap onto the floor. After the two shots rang out, hidden snipers had Aria in their crosshairs, and a few red dots bloomed across her body. Aria stood her ground, lifted her head, and swept across the ce. Flynt feared the snipers might open fire indiscriminately. He rushed in front of Aria and, with a straight face, looked at Ethan. Flynt asked, ¡°Uncle, why did you shoot at Aria?¡± Ethan¡¯s lips were bloodless. He said, ¡°She ruined the experiment. Doesn¡¯t she deserve a lesson? Flynt, this experiment is my life¡¯s work, too. I won¡¯t allow anyone to destroy it.¡± Although it was his uncle who was injured, Flynt¡¯s gaze was as cold as ice. Suddenly, Ethan realized he didn¡¯t truly know Flynt as well as he had believed. Flynt locked eyes with Ethan and warned coldly, ¡°What if I shoot Margery?¡± Ethan¡¯s face changed in an instant. ¡°Uncle, this is yourst warning,¡± Flynt said coldly. ¡°If it happens again, I¡¯ll return the favor tenfold to Margery.¡± Listening to their utterly pointless and disgraceful exchange, Aria snorted in disdain and tossed the gun to the ground. She said, ¡°If you dare, just kill your uncle. Resorting to threatening a woman is pathetic.¡± She thought, ¡®Do they really think that if anyone overhears this, they¡¯ll believe there is any love between them? No, people will only find it disgusting. With that, Aria turned and walked away. Flynt¡¯s gaze followed her retreating figure, growing icier by the second. Laura slumped to the ground. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at Ethan, who was wounded. Laura had never expected Aria to react so swiftly, let alone actually dare to fire a gun. She clutched her heaving chest and found herself utterly unable to calm down. Suddenly, a chilling gaze settled upon Laura. When Laura met Flynt¡¯s eyes, she trembled uncontrobly. ¡°I-it has nothing to do with me.¡± Ethan sensed the murderous intent in Flynt¡¯s eyes and quickly said, ¡°I only found out by checking the surveince footage. Laura has nothing to do with this.¡± ¡°This is thest time.¡± Flynt tossed out the words and strode after Aria. Again Marriage 639 With a storm of emotions flickering in his eyes, Ethan watched Flynt¡¯s retreating figure. Ethan thought, ¡®I can¡¯t even let go of Margery. What right do I have to tell Flynt to give up on Aria?¡¯ On the rooftop, Margery withdrew her gaze, and her heart pounded uncontrobly. She thought, ¡°That girl is really something. She shot Ethan, but Flynt didn¡¯t even hold it against her. Flynt must feel differently about her. I must find a way to meet her.¡¯ Margery closed her eyes and sank back onto the couch. She loathed that bed, which was tainted by Ethan. She loathed that room and everything about this ce. She wished she could be like Aria, who could just pull the trigger and put a bullet through Ethan¡¯s head. Margery looked at her hands, and a bitter, self-mocking smile tugged at her lips. Ethan injected her with some unknown drug, and she was so weak that she couldn¡¯t even use herbat skills. Ethan was always so wary of her. Without any tools, there was no way she could hypnotize him. Margery knew she had to wait. ¡°Aria.¡± As the elevator doors began to close, Flynt blocked them with his arm. He looked at Aria and said, ¡°About my uncle shooting at you, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aria¡¯s expression remained impassive. ¡°If I had aimed at his heart, you wouldn¡¯t be standing here apologizing. You would be trying to kill me instead. ¡°You should feel lucky that your uncle only shot at my shoulder. Otherwise, we would already be sworn enemies.¡± ¡°No,¡± Flynt said. ¡°Even if you killed him, we wouldn¡¯t be enemies.¡± Aria lifted her eyelids and said, ¡°Seems like you two aren¡¯t exactly close.¡± Flynt stepped into the elevator and said, ¡°You never strike first unless provoked.¡± ¡°Thanks for your understanding.¡± Aria remained as cold as ever, a stark contrast to the tenderness she showed when she was with Owen. Flynt had scarcely seen a smile cross her face. ¡°Are you this cold to everyone else?¡± he asked. Aria didn¡¯t bother to reply. Suddenly, the elevator chimed its arrival. Watching her walk away, Flynt called out, ¡°Aria, I met you earlier than Owen. Is he really that much better than me?¡± Aria stopped and turned around. She said, ¡°First, don¡¯t you know what you¡¯ve done? You¡¯re not even fit to bepared to Owen. He is a genuinely good person. Besides, I met him before I met you.¡± Flynt was stung by the coldness in Aria¡¯s eyes. He asked, ¡°What if I changed? From now on, I¡¯ll do everything you say. Will you break up with Owen and always stand by me?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria replied without hesitation. ¡°Even if Owen weren¡¯t around me, there would never be anything between us. Who 12 Chapter han you chimer to be le your own business. Don¡¯t try to pin your choices or their consequences on someone else.* Aria added, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re targeting me, and frankly, I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re nning. At this point, my only regret is that I bothered to help you in the first ce. ¡°I jou helped you out of the way, but it was considered an excuse for your wrongdoings. That truly makes me sick to my There were always those who shined the me onto women. When a boy fell and got hurt, they med his elder sister for not watching him closely enough. When children failed in school, they med their mother for not disciplining them enough. When a man was cold and his wife broke down, they med his wife for not being considerate enough. In Aria¡¯s eyes, Flynt was exactly one of those people. Flynt stepped out of the elevator and silently watched as the doors slid shut, sealing them off in separate worlds. At the veryst second, he pressed the open button. The elevator doors slid open, and he stepped in deliberately. He thought, ¡®So what if we¡¯re in different worlds? I¡¯ll try to merge them into one.¡¯ Again Marriage 640 Back in her room, Aria grabbed some paper and a pen and spent half an hour sketching a map of the experimental base. She marked several spots on the map. They were potential sniper nests that she suspected. After several days of casual reconnaissance, Aria identified three potential sniper positions, with several others still under assessment. She thought, This experimental base¡¯s security is top-notch. It¡¯s equipped with armed guards, and maybe even explosives. I need to check it out myself. Maybe this ce and the storagebs have the highest level of security. Finally, Aria pinpointed a spot, which was the rooftop of the warehouse area, nketed by full surveince. At 10 p.m., Aria reached out to Owen and told him what had happenedtely. She said, ¡°I¡¯m safe here. Flynt means no intent to kill me.¡± Owen thought, ¡®Flynt truly harbors no intent to kill because he likes Madelyn. That scheming guy is always making trouble. So damn annoying. ¡®Flynt startedying his ns so early. White¡¯s whereabouts were exposed, and he was hunted by the Solemnity Guild and finally ended up in Flynt¡¯s clutches. Likely, all of this is just a trap Flynt set to lure Madelyn to Torrenia. Owen said, ¡°Madelyn, blowing up theb is secondary. Your safetyes first.¡± ¡°I see. I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Aria replied. Aria never abandoned the idea of blowing up theb, but she wouldn¡¯t act recklessly. Though Flynt¡¯s experiments may not be illegal, they certainly didn¡¯t benefit the nation. Aria hoped she could destroy theb without harming others. Owen couldn¡¯t help with this because the security protocols were so strict that no outsiders could get in. Aria said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Opportunities are there to be made. Besides, I¡¯m not doing it alone. Margery is with me. With her help, it¡¯ll save us a lot of trouble.¡± She thought, ¡®Pearl has good hypnosis skills, and so does Margery. There¡¯s also Luna. She wants out, and so do others. But they just can¡¯t.¡¯ Aria decided to have Luna give it a shot. The base was severelycking in people with genuine vitality. Luna, with her lively, unconventional personality, always believed Aria could get her out. She wasn¡¯t afraid of stepping on anyone¡¯s toes. Luna even dared to stand up to Flynt, so Aria was not worried about her getting hurt. Aria asked, ¡°When are you heading to the Solemnity Guild?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Barring any surprises, we¡¯re setting off the day after tomorrow.¡± Owen was about to continue when the door suddenly slid open. Wilson stood in the doorway, ring at Owen with barely contained anger. Wilson asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to inform me when she contacts you?¡± Owen showed no guilt at being caught. He nced up at him coolly and said, ¡°We just started talking. I was about to text you.¡± With his face full of disbelief, Wilson barged in and reached out to grab the phone. ¡°Cut the crap. Hand it over.¡± Owen raised his hand, deftly evading Wilson¡¯s grab. Owen darkened his gaze and asked, ¡°How did you get my room passcode?¡± Wilson snapped impatiently. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for that. Hand me the phone. I need to talk to Aria¡± Aria¡¯s voice drifted over. ¡°Owen, just let him speak. With clear reluctance, Owen handed the phone over. Wilson took the phone. His heart skipped a beat when Aria¡¯s face unexpectedly appeared on screen. Instinctively, he turned the camera away. He asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you on a voice call just now?¡± Owen lifted his chin with a smug glint in his eyes. ¡°This is high-tech, way out of your league.¡± Wilson suppressed the urge to punch Owen and instinctively straightened his cor instead. Owen shot him a look and urged him. ¡°Hurry up.¡± Wilson red at him and cursed inwardly, ¡®If I had known this guy would steal Aria away, I should have picked a few fights with him back in our army days.¡¯ Again Marriage 641 Wilson cleared his throat and finally looked at the camera. ¡°Aria, long time no see.¡± On the screen, Aria¡¯s brows lifted slightly as she said in a t, detached tone, ¡°We don¡¯t seem to have met before.¡± Wilson choked up. After a moment of pause, he said, ¡°I¡¯d like to go back, but duty calls.¡± Aria said, ¡°No need to exin. Honestly, I barely remember you. Without the Saxon family connection, we probably wouldn¡¯t have known each other.¡± Her tone was distant, as if she were simply talking to a stranger. In fact, they were no different from strangers. Wilson didn¡¯t take it to heart. From the way Aria replied, he knew she had always been indifferent. Aria had already cut ties with the Saxon family. Thus, she had no reason to be close to Wilson. Blood aside, they really were nothing more than strangers. Wilson said, ¡°My mom told me that my dad used to give you a hard time. Honestly, he has got a screw loose. If he ever crosses the line, you can attack him.¡± Aria let out a soft chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve long left the Saxon family behind and have nothing to do with them anymore. You don¡¯t need to force small talk. Just speak normally.¡± Owen cut in impatiently, ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything to say, hand the phone back to me.¡± Wilson ignored him, dropped the previous topic, and grew more serious. ¡°The experimental base isn¡¯t simple. Take care. If you need anything, just reach out to me. Owen is heading to the Solemnity Guild and won¡¯t be able to help. I¡¯ll keep his phone then.¡± Owen said, ¡°In your dreams. I won¡¯t give you my phone.¡± Wilson turned to him and snapped, ¡°You can¡¯t help anyway.¡± Owen asked back, ¡°Like you could help?¡± Wilson retorted, ¡°At least Arressto and Aria are on the same page.¡± Aria cut in as the two were about to argue. ¡°So your goal is to kill Margery?¡± Wilson turned back to her and said coldly, ¡°Yes. Arressto never lets a traitor walk free.¡± Aria said, ¡°Then tell Arressto that Ethan won¡¯t let Margery leave. If they want her dead, they¡¯ll have to take down the whole nest.¡± Owen could only hear Aria¡¯s voice. Unable to see her, he was rapidly losing patience. He cut straight to the chase. ¡°Madelyn wants you to leak her presence at the base. With Arressto outside and her inside, you can coordinate to blow up theb.¡± Owen thought, ¡®Margery could be considered Pearl¡¯s master, so Madelyn won¡¯t help kill Margery. I can let Arressto get a piece of the action and see what will happen! Wilson shot him a re. ¡°I know. No need to repeat.¡± After that, he turned back to the screen, and his tone softened slightly. ¡°Should we take out the entire base?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°Just theb. There are a lot of researchers who are being held against their will.¡± Wilson nodded. ¡°I see.¡± Hearing this, Owen snatched the phone back and gestured toward the door. ¡°Then get out, and you¡¯ll get the phone once you¡¯re out. If you don¡¯t leave now, you¡¯re not getting it.¡± Wilson speechlessly rolled his eyes at Owen¡¯s childish antics and left. Owen shut the door, swiftly changed the password, and turned back to the camera with a triumphant smirk. ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡± Aria was smiling too. ¡°Do you miss me?¡± Owen nodded with his eyes softening. ¡°Yes.¡± Owen asked, ¡°Madelyn, will the ne run out of battery?¡± ¡°No, it won¡¯t,¡± Madelyn replied. Owen said, ¡°Can we just stay on the call quietly and fall asleep together? The day after tomorrow, I have to hand my phone over to Wilson, and I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll get back.¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°Okay. The Solemnity Guild can be difficult to deal with, but they won¡¯t pick fights unprovoked. Just go along with them a bit.¡± Owen said, ¡°Got it. Madelyn, you can get some sleep now.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Okay. Good night.¡± Again Marriage 642 The next morning, Aria arrived at the restoredboratory as usual. Laura took the day off today and didn¡¯te. Ethan¡¯s shoulder was injured, so he didn¡¯t show up, either. The gunshotsst night were so loud that everyone in the base knew Ethan had tried to shoot Aria but ended up getting taken down by her instead. Now, people in the corridor averted their eyes from Aria, as if she were a terrifying monster. Luna followed Aria with a spring in her step and said every now and then, ¡°Aria, are you thirsty? Would you like some water?¡± A momentter, she asked, ¡°Aria, are you tired? How about a short break?¡± Aria found Luna¡¯s chatter annoying. She shot Luna a nce and motioned for her toe over. Luna¡¯s eyes lit up. She immediately leaned in and whispered, ¡°Are you going to give me a new mission?¡± Aria nodded and said coolly, ¡°Observe who¡¯s staying voluntarily and who¡¯s being held against their will.¡± Luna was taken aback and asked in confusion, ¡°Are you trying to rescue them too?¡± She thought, ¡®With this high level of security, it is impossible to get everyone out! Luna immediately persuaded Aria. ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless. If this blows up, none of us will be able to leave.¡± Aria said, ¡°With security this tight, we can¡¯t escape alone. We need allies. Your task is to identify potential allies. You should carefully determine who are loyalists and who aren¡¯t.¡± Luna pondered for a moment and realized Aria¡¯s words made sense. She nodded solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll get it done.¡± She continued, ¡°I¡¯ll start by figuring out who¡¯s who in ourb.¡± She decided to first identify them and then pick out the most skilled and resourceful ones, get them on board, and plot their escape together with them. Luna immediately spun around to strike up conversations with the others. Aria finally had some quiet. She turned back to theb bench and advanced the experiment ording to her idea. Two hourster, Aria injected some medicine into theb mouse and ced it in the incubator. Aria observed in silence as theb mouse twitched slightly before lying limp and motionless. Just then, theb door swung open. Flynt¡¯s right-hand man rushed in and walked straight toward Aria. He said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, Mr. Hartley needs you right now.¡± Aria continued writing something without even looking up. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy?¡± she said tly. The subordinate grew visibly anxious. He raised his voice and said, ¡°Mr. Hartley is having an episode. Dr. Murphy refused to He first went to Ethan, but Ethan refused him. Ethan said, ¡°Aria injured me. Flynt not only didn¡¯t pursue but also threatened me. Since he values that woman so much, ask Aria to treat him.¡± In the end, the subordinate had no choice but to call Flynt, and Flynt asked him to listen to Ethan and then hung up. After a full minute of puzzling it over, the subordinate realized what Flynt meant and immediately rushed off to summon Aria. Aria turned her head and raised an eyebrow. She asked, ¡°Flynt is sick?¡± The subordinate was caught off guard by her blunt question. Under her direct gaze, he nodded stiffly and replied, ¡°Yes.¡± He thought, ¡®If Mr. Murphy weren¡¯t really sick, there¡¯d be no reason for me toe get her. That answer should be good enough.¡¯ Aria said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take a look.¡± The subordinate breathed a sigh of relief. Aria waved at Luna, who was talking happily with a male researcher not far away. Seeing Aria¡¯s wave, Luna immediately came over with the man. Aria said, ¡°You record the data.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Luna replied cheerfully. She then turned to the male researcher and said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue. Seriously, you wouldn¡¯t believe how fast things have progressed these past few years¡­¡± Aria took off herb coat and strode out. Again Marriage 643 She wasn¡¯t interested in treating Flynt. She was just curious about his illness. Maybe she could stir up some trouble while she was at it. Upon reaching Flynt¡¯s room, the subordinate knocked on the door and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon is here.¡± ¡°Come in,¡± came Flynt¡¯s weak voice from inside. The subordinate pushed the door open, and an acrid medicinal odor hit Aria. Flynt was propped up against the headboard, with his face deathly pale. Unnatural, bluish-ck veins bulged on his neck, starkly contrasting with his deathly pale skin. The subordinate said respectfully, ¡°Ms. Saxon, please examine him.¡± Aria walked straight to the bedside and sat down, cing her fingers directly on Flynt¡¯s wrist to check his pulse. Flynt instinctively tried to pull his hand away, but when he opened his eyes and saw it was Aria, he froze. Flynt extended his hand again and said with a hoarse voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe.¡± Aria stated, ¡°I need absolute quiet while taking your pulse.¡± The unspoken implication was clear. She needed Flynt to shut up. The room instantly fell silent, broken only by the steady ticking of the wall clock. Flynt¡¯s gaze remained fixed on Aria¡¯s face the whole time. Aria ignored his gaze and meticulously checked his pulse. A few minutester, Aria withdrew her hand and delivered a terse diagnosis. ¡°Your condition is unusual.¡± She offered nothing more. Flynt suddenly let out a low, bitter chuckle that turned into a coughing fit. ¡°I got kidnapped when I was a kid. They pumped me full of god-knows-what.¡± Flynt pressed a hand to his chest and continued, ¡°When it res up, every inch of me feels torn apart.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Is this why you built thisb? You want to research a treatment for yourself?¡± ¡°Yes. I want to survive,¡± replied Flynt. He wanted to survive, to live better than anyone else, and to crush all those who had ever hurt him beneath his feet. Aria said coolly, ¡°That¡¯s no justification for forcing others to stay and conduct research.¡± Flynt replied, ¡°This is the fastest way. Time is running out.¡± Flynt leaned against the headboard, with a wry smile crossing his pale face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hurt them.¡± Aria said, ¡°But you already did.¡± Not all harm was visible. It didn¡¯t take physical violence to hurt someone. Flynt clenched his fist. ¡°I had no choice. No one ever gave me one. Now that you know the truth, do you still want to blow up myb?¡± Aria answered, ¡°There is other research in yourb.¡± Flynt wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°That¡¯s my uncle¡¯s research. I owe him, so I can¡¯t interfere. Not everyone here is mine. If you can rece my uncle to treat me, I won¡¯t stop you if you want to blow up theb.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Mr. Hartley, are you trying to cut a deal with me?¡± Flynt gave a firm nod. ¡°Yes.¡± Aria smiled meaningfully and said, ¡°What a shame. I don¡¯t treat problematic patients.¡± She then said, ¡°Mr. Hartley, you¡¯ve achieved your objective. It¡¯s time for the inhibitor injection.¡± Flynt¡¯s pulse was erratic, which was a clear sign of a sudden onset. Without the inhibitor, he wouldn¡¯tst the night. Aria¡¯s refusal came as no surprise to Flynt. He wanted more than just a typical doctor-patient rtionship with her. Flynt held out his hand weakly, and his subordinate hurried to fetch the necessary items. After preparing everything, he nervously looked at Aria and said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, could you please give Mr. Hartley the injection?¡± Aria stood up to leave. Flynt said weakly, ¡°If you inject the inhibitor for me, I¡¯ll grant you one request.¡± Aria paused and said, ¡°I want to pick out a gun for myself.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± replied Flynt. He didn¡¯t want anyone to take another shot at Aria. Aria took the syringe, aimed at Flynt¡¯s arm, and swiftly injected the medicine. After that, Aria walked out without sparing Flynt another nce. As the door shut, the smile was wiped clean from Flynt¡¯s face. Flynt asked, ¡°What have you found?¡± The subordinate reported, ¡°He has gone to the Solemnity Guild.¡± Flynt ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t make Owene back alive. Make this unwed. Don¡¯t let Aria find out.¡± His subordinate replied, ¡°Yes, Mr. Hartley.¡± Again Marriage 644 Aria reached the warehouse rooftop. The guard said, ¡°You¡¯ve only got five minutes to pick. You should get out when time is up.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria said. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. The warehouse was vast. Its walls were constructed from specialized high-gradeposite materials designed to withstand extreme temperatures and impacts. Guns were stored on the outside. To the left stood a locked door that required identity verification for entry. About thirty meters to the right was the chemical reagents storeroom. As Aria moved closer to inspect, the guard said from behind her, ¡°That¡¯s the ammo depot. You can¡¯t enter. All the guns are out here.¡± Aria casually picked up a gun and walked out of the warehouse. After the door closed behind her, Aria didn¡¯t leave immediately. She stood still and fixed her gaze on the residential quarters to the side. Suddenly, her gaze locked with a woman¡¯s in the distance. Though she was too far away to see the woman¡¯s face, Aria was certain who that was. It was Margery. ¡°No lingering allowed here,¡± the guard warned. Aria tore her gaze away and headed straight for theb. Luna approached and whispered, ¡°I nailed a research assistant.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Well done. Find out who handles chemical retrievals from the warehouse and see if you can turn them.¡± Luna replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Aria threw herself into her experiments again, barely speaking for days on end. Even the other senior researchers couldn¡¯t help but notice the stretch of unusual quiet. When Ethan returned to theb, he noticed hisb bench had been touched. His face darkened with rage as he bellowed, ¡°Who the hell touched my stuff?¡± Theb bench was originally Aria¡¯s, but Ethan hadmandeered it. In his absence, she naturally reimed it. Laura was quick to point the finger at Aria and blurted out, ¡°It was Aria. She tampered with your experimental data without permission.¡± Because of that shooting incident, Laura was terrified of Aria, especially when she was armed now. During Aria¡¯s time in theb, Laura dared not speak above a whisper. She was terrified that the slightest provocation might earn her a bullet. Ethan forced down his fury as he flipped through the experiment logs. When his eyesnded on the final page, he froze with shock shing in his eyes. He swiftly cross-checked the serial numbers and located the correspondingb mice and reagents. He then instructed his assistant, ¡°Bring everything to the observation room.¡± The observation room housed variousb animals, and Ethan brought all the reagents there. Laura hurried after him. ¡°Dr. Murphy, did Aria-¡± Ethan cut her off. ¡°Youe along to help, too.¡± In this way, Laura had no choice but to assist Ethan. When Aria returned to theb, herb bench had been cleared out. The male assistant that Luna had turned whispered to her, ¡°Mr. Murphy was here earlier. He totally lost it and stormed off with all the equipment.¡± Aria remained unfazed. She strode straight to the supply cab, retrieved the necessary materials, and got to work. The others kept their heads down, not daring to say a word. At 5:30 p.m., Aria wrapped up her work and was about to leave when Ethan stormed into theb and red daggers at her. ¡°How long have you been working on this?¡± Ethan asked. He then said with a strained voice, ¡°Flynt gave you the research materials long ago, didn¡¯t he?¡± Aria replied indifferently, ¡°Yes, if that¡¯s what you think.¡± As Aria, turned to leave, Ethan instinctively moved to block her path, but a sharp twinge in his shoulder made him freeze mid-step. Helplessly, he watched as she walked away. Ethan couldn¡¯t believe that Aria cracked the experiment, which had stumped him for half a year, in just one week. Ethan had thoroughly investigated Aria. She was from Kerano Global Health and was undeniably capable. However, this experiment required little pharmacological expertise. Ethan believed that Aria couldn¡¯t make it unless she had some genius backing her up. Ethan wondered, ¡®But she¡¯spletely cut off from the outside world. How did she make it?¡¯ Ethan walked over to Aria¡¯sb bench and flipped through her afternoon experiment records. Though her progress was limited, her technique was far from amateurish. Ethan¡¯s expression darkened with regret. Had he known this, he never would have fired that shot. He was the one who got hurt in the end, but now he had made an enemy for life. Juggling two major experiments single-handedly, Ethan was stretched dangerously thin. Though he had coerced many researchers into staying, most were just going through the motions and unable to fully immerse themselves in the research. However, they had no choice. Coercion was the only way to keep their staff. Now they finally had a researcher who could shoulder the burden alone. Again Marriage 645 Ethan regretted not trusting Flynt more. He thought he shouldn¡¯t have underestimated the woman Flynt had vouched for. Ethan lingered in theb a while longer. He suppressed his agitation before heading back to his quarters. As he pushed open the door, his pupils contracted sharply at the horrific scene before him. He shouted, ¡°Margery!¡± Margery copsed limply onto the sofa, with a sickening pool of blood spreading across the floor. Ethan rushed over to pull her up. He asked, ¡°What happened? Who did this to you?¡± Margery weakly opened her eyes and avoided his gaze. After she suppressed the disgust in her eyes, she whispered, ¡°To join Arressto, I had to take a kind of poison. I managed to steal the antidote before I left, but I¡¯ve run out of it.¡± Ethan scooped Margery into his arms and raced toward the bedroom. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll try to save you.¡± Margery had justin down when she coughed up a few more mouthfuls of blood. With a bitter, weak smile, she said, ¡°Ethan, I hate you. We could have lived a happy life together, but you destroyed everything and forced me to run away. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t run away, I wouldn¡¯t have joined Arressto, or been abused and hunted all these years.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± After checking her, Ethan moved to lift her. ¡°I¡¯ll get you tested. If that doesn¡¯t help, we¡¯re going straight to the hospital.¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote,¡± Margery said with her voice fading. ¡°If hospitals could help, I would have been rid of this poison ages ago.¡± She continued, ¡°Let it be. Just let me die in peace.¡± Ethan tightened his grip on Margery¡¯s hands. With guilt clouding his eyes, he said, ¡°There¡¯s still a way. Aria is from Kerano Global Health. She is an expert in this aspect. Wait here. I¡¯m going to call her over.¡± Worried that Aria might refuse, Ethan knew he had to go himself. Margery watched as Ethan¡¯s figure faded from view, and a cold smirk yed on her lips. Aria had just finished her meal when violent pounding shook her door. She rose and opened it. Ethan said worriedly, ¡°Come with me to save her.¡± He reached out to grab Aria, but Flynt rushed over and blocked him. Flynt said, ¡°Uncle, calm down.¡± Flynt turned to Aria and said in a low voice, ¡°My Margery has been poisoned. We hope you could take a look, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria recalled that moment a week ago when their eyes met on the warehouse rooftop. A knowing smile curved her lips. Aria thought, ¡®Margery really went all out.¡¯ Aria asked, ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Ethan asked urgently. Aria replied, ¡°Unrestricted ess to the warehouse¡¯s top floor.¡± Ethan frowned. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in ammunition. I just want chemical reagents.¡± Flynt narrowed his eyes, and his gaze on Aria deepened. ¡°Deal.¡± Ethan agreed instantly. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go,¡± Aria said. By the time the three of them arrived, Margery had already fallen into aa. Aria pressed her fingers to Margery¡¯s wrist, and her frown deepened with each passing moment. Aria said, ¡°I need to perform acupuncture to suppress the toxin¡¯s spread. Get acupuncture needles quickly.¡± Ethan immediately called his assistant to prepare acupuncture needles. Aria held out her hand and said, ¡°Paper and pen.¡± Flynt grabbed a sheet of scratch paper from the desk, pulled a pen from his pocket, and handed them to Aria. Aria quickly jotted down a dozen or so herbal ingredients and said, ¡°Go get them ready.¡± Ethan snatched the paper, scanned it quickly, and then locked eyes with Aria. He asked in a taut voice, ¡°Can it be eliminated?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not easily treatable,¡± Aria said clinically. ¡°The poison wasn¡¯t supposed to act up yet, but due to prolonged stress andck of release, the toxins have invaded her vital organs.¡± It was Ethan who had confined Margery there. ¡°I had no idea she was poisoned.¡± Ethan clenched his fists. ¡°But if you say it¡¯s not easily treatable, that means there¡¯s still hope, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The acupuncture needles arrived. Without answering his question, Aria immediately began administering treatment to Margery. Aria stated, ¡°The toxin is under control. Come to me when the herbal ingredients are ready.¡± ¡°Stay here and take care of her,¡± Ethan blocked her way. Aria said, ¡°My presence won¡¯t make a difference.¡± Flynt said, ¡°Uncle, herbals are hard to procure in Torrenia. Let Cindy look after Margery, and you go personally to find them.¡± Ethan had no choice but to relent. Not only did he need to procure the herbals, but he also had to urgently summon several doctors. Flynt watched Aria leave, and then his gaze lingered on Margery. Flynt wondered, ¡®Is this really an ident?¡¯ At 10 p.m., Aria dialed Owen¡¯s number. Wilson answered at the first ring. He said worriedly, ¡°Aria, you finally called. Owen is in trouble.¡± Again Marriage 646 Aria squinted and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Though Wilson and Aria weren¡¯t close, she was his only sister in this country. Wilson felt he must do his best to help her. Owen was going to the Solemnity Guild, so Wilson swapped contact info with the Wolf Regiment partly to keep the info flowing, and partly so he and Aria would have something to talk about. However, she didn¡¯t contact him for a whole week. Wilson said in a deep voice, ¡°There¡¯s another group involved. Theirwork runs deep. Owen got caught off guard and was ambushed. He fell off the cliff at the Solemnity Guild. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Wolf Regiment already checked the bottom and didn¡¯t find any trace of blood. That means he¡¯s still alive.¡± Wilson was about to say more tofort Aria, but then he saw how calm she looked. There wasn¡¯t even a flicker of panic on her face. The words caught in his throat, and he lowered his voice. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t stress too much.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not worried,¡± Aria replied calmly. She had fallen off that cliff near the Solemnity Guild when she was fourteen and made it out just fine. She thought if she could make it out alive, then Owen would too. If he timed it right, he could jump into a hidden cave on the way down. She had been in that cave more than once, and there was no way someone like Owen would get caught that easily. She thought he probably had something else nned. Aria said calmly, ¡°Leave him be.¡± Wilson was impressed by howposed she was. Thinking of their purpose here, he changed the subject. ¡°Arressto has already sent people to Torrenia. The deal is, if you help us kill Margery, we will help get you out.¡± Aria scoffed. ¡°Do you think I need Arressto to save me?¡± Wilson suddenly felt a strange pressure, like he was being scolded by a superior. ¡°Uh, guess not?¡± Aria said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t need Arressto¡¯s help. What I want is to destroy this base, and I don¡¯t even need your help. Since we¡¯re done here, I won¡¯t call you again. Here, take this. If you run into Owen, give it back to him.¡± She thought she might as well give the phone back to Owen. Just as she was about to hang up, Wilson blurted out, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll destroy it, and I¡¯ll talk to the others. Don¡¯t cut me off. I might find Owen soon, and I can keep you updated on his status.¡± He had no idea where she got that temper from. Once she had made up her mind, there was no turning back. Aria¡¯s expression softened slightly. He said, ¡°Figure it out soon. I¡¯ll call you tomorrow. I¡¯ll cut the power during the operation and send you where the snipers are. ¡°Margery is being held on the top floor of the dorm building. Once the snipers are dealt with, you¡¯ll be able to find her easily. And remember, don¡¯t shoot anyone else.¡± Wilson quickly reassured her, ¡°Trust me. Arressto never kills the innocent.¡± ¡°I doubt that,¡± Aria said. She knew all too well that where there was power, there was conflict. No organization was ever truly clean. Back then, Margery ran from Torrenia to get away from Ethan. Later, she joined Arressto, risking her life trying to assassinate an investigator, and ended up on the run for years. Only true viins killed without cause, and she clearly wasn¡¯t one of them. Wilson was at a loss for words. It suddenly struck him that Aria had been through far more than he could ever imagine. Aria said coolly, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done here. Bye.¡± After the video call ended, Wilson sat in a daze for a long time. Finally, he picked up his phone and called Caleb. ¡°It¡¯s me. Wilson.¡± Caleb said, ¡°I know. What is it?¡± Again Marriage 647 Wilson ced Owen¡¯s phone in the drawer and asked seriously, ¡°Are you close to Aria?¡± Caleb went silent for a few seconds before asking, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Wilson couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Well, he just talks like Aria. No wonder they¡¯re family. He sneered and said, ¡°I¡¯m her brother too. I¡¯m just curious.¡± Caleb scoffed. ¡°You disappeared for four years and now you remember you¡¯re her brother, huh? Aria has only got one brother, and that¡¯s me.¡± Wilson had nothing to say to that. After a pause, he continued, ¡°Seems like you two are close. Do you know what she went through before she came back home?¡± Caleb instantly sensed something was wrong. Without hesitation, he hung up on Wilson and immediately called Aria, but he couldn¡¯t get through. He knew she had gone to Torrenia with Owen, so he called him. After a few seconds, the call went through. Wilson said, ¡°Me again.¡± Frowning, Caleb nced at the screen to confirm it was Owen¡¯s number. His expression darkened, and he asked, ¡°Why do you have Owen¡¯s phone?¡± Wilson said, ¡°Long story. Owen¡¯s phone ended up with me, and Aria¡¯s is with him.¡± Caleb asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t they together? Where is Aria?¡± Given that Caleb was Aria¡¯s brother, Wilson didn¡¯t see a reason to hide it. He said, ¡°Rx. Aria is safe. She is just cut off from the outside for now. I can still get in touch though.¡± Caleb asked, ¡°How? Using Owen¡¯s phone?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s on a mission, but she¡¯s in no danger,¡± said Wilson. After learning that Aria had ended up in Flynt¡¯s clutches, Wilson looked into the whole story. Apparently, Flynt was trying to take Aria away from Owen. Though Aria¡¯s actions were hindered, there was no real danger to her life. Besides, judging by Aria¡¯s calm tone during the call, he was sure she could get herself out of trouble. ¡°What about Owen?¡± Caleb pressed. Wilson sighed. ¡°Owen is in a bit of a tight spot now. He went somewhere else, and his whereabouts are unknown for now. Aria said he was fine, so I don¡¯t think we should worry about him.¡± Everyone seemed to be getting into dangerous situations, including Wilson. Caleb frowned and said, ¡°If anything happens to Aria, I want to know right away.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Wilson. Inside the cave, the dim glow of a kerosenemp cast a long shadow on the stone wall. Owen stood before it with amp in hand, studying the scattered scratches on the surface. They were likely meaningless. Owen arrived here two days ago. Aside from themp, the cave held a few items-a rug, a neatly folded nket, unopened packs of ration bars, and bottled water. Everything suggested someone had once lived here for a long time, but judging by the thickyer of dust, no one had been here for years. The rug was small, like it was meant for a girl. Owen instinctively thought of Aria. He pulled her phone from his pocket, only to find there was no signal at all. He quickly took a few photos of the cave¡¯s interior. He didn¡¯t go with Russell because he found someone was following him. While checking out the area, he came across a cliff -steep and out of sight, perfect for getting rid of a body. And that was when he found the cave entrance. If one were quick enough, he could totally catch a ledge and drop into the cave mid-fall. Therefore, when the ambush happened, Owen acted like he had been hit and took a dive. Everyone out there thought he was dead, which gave Owen way more room to operate. He called the Wolf Regiment. ¡°How did it go?¡± Someone answered, ¡°We almost had them, but they allmitted suicide.¡± Owen said, ¡°Understood. Pull everyone back.¡± Owen wasn¡¯t the kind of guy to kill just because he could. Even knowing Flynt was chasing after Madelyn, he wouldn¡¯t act rashly. However, since Flynt insisted on messing with them, he had no reason to hold back. Again Marriage 648 Flynt sat on the couch inside the base, staring coldly at the guy in front of him. He said, ¡°So, none of you saw Owen¡¯s body, huh?¡± The man kept his head bowed and said in a trembling voice, ¡°The Wolf Regiment was right behind us. We didn¡¯t get the chance to check-¡± ¡°Idiots.¡± Flynt snarled. ¡°Call them back.¡± If Owen were still alive, this entire operation would have only stirred up trouble. Flynt wanted him dead, but he didn¡¯t want to piss Aria off. Hearing that, the man backed out in a hurry. Just then, someone entered and reported respectfully, ¡°Dr. Murphy has the herbs ready. He¡¯ll be here soon.¡± Flynt stood up and went straight to the door across the hall. ¡°Ethan has the medicine prepared. He may need you to examine Margery again.¡± Aria gave a slight nod and followed Flynt to the top floor. Flynt studied her carefully, looking for any sign she knew about the attack on Owen, but her expression gave nothing away. What he didn¡¯t know was that Aria was observing him too, and she had already figured out it was he who sent the fourth wave of assassins. If he had truly meant to kill Owen, she wouldn¡¯t let him walk away so easily. Aria came to the suite and checked on Margery. Cindy was busy in the living room, leaving only the three of them in the suite. Later, Flynt left without a word. Suddenly, Margery opened her eyes mid-sleep and mouthed a warning to Aria. ¡°There¡¯s surveince.¡± Aria nodded slightly, withdrew her hand, and said, ¡°You¡¯ll need another acupuncture session.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you,¡± Margery murmured. Afterpleting the acupuncture session, Aria began writing out a detailed prescription. Ethan returned and instinctively paused when he saw Flynt standing in the living room. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going in?¡± Flynt nced up and warned, ¡°Ethan, Margery is trying to run. You¡¯d better keep an eye on her.¡± Ethan nced toward the bedroom. ¡°I know,¡± he said. When he entered the room, Aria was just packing up her medical kit. She handed him a note and said, ¡°Give her this three times a day after meals. And let her go outside for two hours daily in a wheelchair.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Ethan. He did feel bad about keeping Margery locked up this whole time. He took the paper and gave Aria his ess card. ¡°Take whatever meds you need. Keep working on your research.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Aria took it, not sparing Flynt a nce as she left. Flynt saw the ess card in Aria¡¯s hand and smirked. He thought, ¡®Ethan always got careless when it came to Margery. Aria didn¡¯t need ess to the ammunition depot. She could rig an explosion withb chemicals if she wanted.¡¯ Ethan had been working on some gene-editing thing to cause selective memory loss. Flynt found it intriguing, but he also knew Ethan alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to make a breakthrough. He also knew Aria would never trulymit to these experiments. Everything she did was just to set the ce up for destruction. By driving the research forward, she earned Ethan¡¯s respect. Then Margery fell ill, and he had no choice but to ask for her help. Naturally, that led to her getting the ess card. Flynt didn¡¯t believe that it was just a coincidence. He thought Margery had cooperated with Aria intentionally. After all, they shared the same goal. Lessons hit harder when they came from real life. Flynt had no intention of warning Ethan. Margery was definitely poisoned, but even if he said it, Ethan probably wouldn¡¯t believe him. Luna followed Aria to the storeroom on the top floor. Her eyes went wide at the shelves full of chemical bottles. ¡°Are you working on something new?¡± she whispered, barely able to contain her excitement. ¡°Something that can help us get out of here?¡± Aria nodded and handed her a few bottles from the shelf. ¡°Take these.¡± Luna took the bottles,pletely clueless about what any of them was for. She thought, ¡®What could she possibly make with these? Some kind of sedative to knock out the entire base?¡¯ Again Marriage 649 Luna was about to ask more when she spotted a surveince camera tucked in the corner. She shut up fast and just focused on carrying things. On their way back, Luna couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°You¡¯ve got free ess to the warehouse now. Do we still need that guy on our side?¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°Absolutely.¡± Luna sighed. ¡°Some of them want to get out too, but they¡¯re scared they¡¯ll die trying. They told me not to be stupid.¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°They¡¯ve got a point. If I can make it out, I¡¯ll bring you with me, but I can¡¯t promise it¡¯ll be safe.¡± Luna said, ¡°I¡¯m going with you. Just thinking about being stuck here forever drove me crazy.¡± Aria nced at her, her tone gentler than usual. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not a sure thing, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Luna grinned. ¡°I have faith in you.¡± ** Aria called Wilson the next evening. ¡°Any update on Owen?¡± Wilson said, ¡°No word from them yet.¡± Aria stayed calm as she continued, ¡°Has Arressto arrived? What did they say?¡± ¡°They have.¡± Wilson said, ¡°They know what kind of inhumane stuff goes on at this base. They agreed to help us blow it up. When do we move?¡± Aria said, ¡°In a week.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Wilson was surprised. ¡°Are you sure you can keep up with all that?¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°Yeah. Just make sure everything is ready.¡± Wilson paused, then said quietly, ¡°Alright. Stay safe.¡± In the next room, Flynt hit y on the surveince footage. It froze on Aria, totally focused on her experiment. A faint smile tugged at his lips, and there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. He murmured, ¡°You¡¯re making explosives in in sight. Are you sure I won¡¯t stop you?¡± ording to the surveince footage, Aria didn¡¯t stop working until nine thirty that night. And for the next few days, she kept workingter andter. Flynt nced toward the wall beside his bed, his smile deepening. He was like a predator watching prey walk straight into a trap. He would only be relieved if Owen truly died. The next day, Aria conducted a follow-up examination for Margery. She said, ¡°The toxin is fading, but your body is still too weak. You¡¯ll need time to recoverpletely.¡± Ethan stood nearby, looking conflicted. The three doctors he had brought in all agreed Margery was poisoned, but none could help. At this point, only traditional medicine might from Huthailia work, so he had to depend on Aria. As Aria withdrew her hand, she applied subtle pressure, using it as an unspoken signal. Margery caught it and looked up, saying. Can you take me out for a walk?¡± Til do it,¡± Ethan said immediately. Margery gave a wry smile and said to Aria, ¡°See? We¡¯re both prisoners, but at least you still have freedom.¡± Her gaze darkened as she turned to Ethan. ¡°Thanks for giving me a little break every day.¡± Ethan knew that look in her eyes all too well. Years ago, she had looked at him the same way when she left. Ethan exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean Aria can¡¯t take you out. She still has her experiments. I just didn¡¯t want to waste her time.¡± Aria chimed in, I¡¯ve still got half an hour.¡± Margery looked at Ethan. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to her alone. Would that be alright?¡± Ethan was about to say no, but paused when he saw how empty her eyes looked. ¡°Let them.¡± Flynt¡¯s voice suddenly came from the doorway. ¡°The whole ce is under our control. They can¡¯t do anything.¡± Ethan finally gave in and gently set Margery in the wheelchair. After they left, his face tightened. ¡°I already lost her once. I¡¯m not letting it happen again.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t get far.¡± Flynt¡¯s smirk widened. ¡°Besides, weren¡¯t you already nning to experiment on Margery?¡± Ethan shot him a wry look. ¡°You¡¯re well informed. I thought all your attention was on Aria.¡± Flynt asked, ¡°What are the odds of sess?¡± Ethan said, ¡°Given Margery¡¯s current frail state, I¡¯d say there¡¯s a seventy percent chance of sess.¡± Flynt asked, ¡°What if we do it on Aria?¡± Again Marriage 650 Ethan¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise. ¡°Do you want to erase her memories?¡± Flynt said tly. ¡°Yeah. She has someone else on her mind. There¡¯s no way she would follow me willingly.¡± Ethan once had Margery¡¯splete trust, but he blew it all himself. As for Aria, the way she looked at Flynt was always calm, like he was just some stranger she didn¡¯t even care about. That was what gnawed at him the most. No matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t stir even the slightest emotion in her. Ethan frowned. ¡°Aria only helped you by chance. Even if you hadn¡¯t met her, you would still find a way out. Why are you so obsessed with her?¡± Flynt couldn¡¯t exin why her face haunted him since that day. At first, it was admiration for a strong person-he wanted to be like her. However, gradually, she filled his every thought. He thought they were made for each other. Flynt said, ¡°My feelings for her aren¡¯t like yours for Margery.¡± He never wanted to possess Aria because he knew that would be disrespectful. She was born to be free, and no one should hold her back. He was sure he was the only one who would always have her back. Owen tied her down and didn¡¯t deserve to be with her. Ethan shook his head. ¡°The chances would be too slim if we did it on Aria. She¡¯s smart. This trick might work on Margery, but not her.¡± Flynt could only shelve the idea for now. ¡°Got it.¡± Aria wheeled Margery along the path. Margery looked at the tall walls ahead and asked, ¡°Are you making your move soon?¡± Aria loosened her grip on the wheelchair slightly. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll move in two days. Arressto is here too. They¡¯reing for you.¡± Margery let out a bitterugh. ¡°Look where I am. I don¡¯t want to live anyway.¡± Aria slowed her pace. ¡°Death is the easy way out, but the ones who did this to you are still alive. Don¡¯t you want revenge?¡± Margery¡¯s eyes shed with hatred. She said, ¡°Yeah, even if I die, I¡¯m taking Ethan with me.¡± He said he loved her, but he locked her away in a room where she could only see him and nothing else. His love made her sick. Aria stayed quiet, letting her calm down. Then she continued, ¡°Can you still use hypnosis?¡± Margery was taken aback. ¡°I can.¡± Aria said, ¡°I may need your help then.¡± Margery said, frowning, ¡°No problem, but what about the snipers?¡± ¡°Arressto will handle the snipers. You can do whatever you want to Ethan,¡± said Aria. Margery¡¯s grip tightened on the wheelchair. ¡°Okay.¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll hold off Arressto¡¯s people. You get a girl named Luna out of here.¡± VJV When things got chaotic, the researchers could sneak out too. Aria wasn¡¯t about to help all of them. Anyway, Luna had spilled enough info already. If they had guts, they could steal a vehicle and run. Margery was silent for a long moment before asking in a low voice, ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± Aria said, her gaze fixed ahead, ¡°You saved Pearl before. She¡¯s my family.¡± Hearing that name, Margery smiled, tears streaming down her checks. ¡°Good thing that girl got out.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Why did you kill the Arressto investigator?¡± Margery said, ¡°He framed my best friend.¡± Aria gave her a phone number and said, ¡°If you have nowhere else to go, you cane find me in Mandino City, Huthailia.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Margery whispered. They talked for a few more minutes before Aria finally escorted Margery back. Aria didn¡¯t stick around theb today like usual. She was just roaming around the edge of the base without any real purpose. Flynt watched the screen from the control room, frowning a little. Just as he was about to see what was going on, he spotted a few new people showing up on theb cameras. Luna, apanied by several others, swiped Aria¡¯s ess card to enter the coreboratory. They pulled out bombs hidden under theb table and started hooking up the wires. Luna turned and ordered, ¡°Each of you take charge of oneb. Move quickly.¡± Some of them said, ¡°Got it. Hope you¡¯re not leading us to our deaths.¡± Again Marriage 651 Flynt sneered. He had had his men mess with Aria¡¯s bombs, and none of them would go off. He flipped through the camera views but couldn¡¯t spot Aria anywhere. Then, one by one, the base¡¯s surveince cameras went dark. ¡°What the hell is Aria up to?¡± Flynt¡¯s face hardened, and he strode out of the room. Just then, a gunshot rang out from afar, and then rapid gunfire broke loose. Someone ran in, out of breath. ¡°Mr. Hartley, we¡¯re under attack. One of the snipers is down.¡± ¡°Is it Arressto again?¡± Flynt asked coldly. ¡°Yes,¡± the man said. Flynt barked, ¡°Switch to backup power and lock down all exits. Send people after Aria.¡± On the top floor, Margery trembled with excitement as she heard gunfire. Since she was weak from poisoning, Ethan left the door unlocked. After she took the pill from Aria, she gradually regained her strength. She really did cough up blood, but she wasn¡¯t poisoned before. After Aria applied acupuncture, she gave her a small pill. Later, the doctor Flynt brought in had run blood tests and confirmed she was truly poisoned. The herbal medicine Aria gave her helped her recover, with no side effects. Margery stepped out of the room, ready to make her move. ¡®Ms. Calderon, where are you going?¡± Cindy hurried to block her path. Margery hit Cindy on her neck and knocked her out. By the time Ethan arrived, he only saw the unconscious Cindy, and Margery had already vanished. Bloodshot and furious, he mmed his foot against the door and barked at the radio, ¡°Lock every exit. No shots fired inside.¡± Even if Margery was trying to escape, Ethan worried the snipers could hit her by mistake. Margery ran up to the top floor of the warehouse and caught Aria taking down thest guard. ¡°Both snipers are down.¡± Aria said, kicking the guard to the ground, ¡°He¡¯s all yours.¡± Margery sprayed him while Aria inserted a few needles into his body, dulling most of his hearing to block out the sharp gunfire. The guard inhaled the spray, losing consciousness. Margery shook the pocket watch close to him, guiding the guard for two minutes before asking, ¡°What¡¯s the ammunition depot code?¡± The guard said weakly, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. They will kill me.¡± Margery said urgently, ¡°Mr. Hartley is under attack. We need ammo for backup now.¡± The guard nkly recited a string of numbers. They rushed into the warehouse. Margery had stolen Ethan¡¯s ess card beforehand to swipe ess, while Aria entered the code. Just as the door opened, Luna burst in with her team, panting heavily. ¡°The bombs are set.¡± Aria pointed to the ammunition depot and said, ¡°This is the real deal. Follow the original route again. Grab some weapons. If there¡¯s gunfire, be ready to fight.¡± ¡°No.¡± One of them slumped to the ground, his voice trembling. ¡°We¡¯re gonna die.¡± ¡°Do you hear the gunfire?¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°Rescue is on the way. Once the power is out, they can get over the wall and save us. Before that, set off another bomb, blow up theb, then take the cars. Margery will lead you,¡± The man said, ¡°Why must we blow up theb? Can¡¯t we just escape directly?¡± Luna smacked him on the head. ¡°Are you dumb? If theb stays, they¡¯ll just catch us again and keep experimenting on us.¡± She grabbed the explosives and a gun. ¡°Run or die. If you won¡¯t fight, then stay here forever.¡± Only when theb was destroyed would there be no more victims. With that in mind, they clenched their teeth and grabbed explosives and guns. These bombs had safety features, so they didn¡¯t have to worry about identally setting them off. Aria took off her hairpin and handed it to Margery. ¡°Put your hair up.¡± Margery quickly tied her hair up, picked up a gun, and took the lead. She said, ¡°Follow me. We¡¯re switching routes to theb.¡± Once downstairs, Luna handed the explosives to another team member and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading somewhere else. Make sure theb is destroyed.¡± The next second, the crowd dispersed, each going about their tasks. Meanwhile, Flynt led his men steadily closer to the warehouse. Aria moved into the shadows, pulled the sniper¡¯s body aside, andy down, adjusting her rffle¡¯s aim. When Flynt came into view, she fired without hesitation. Again Marriage 652 A bullet whizzed through the air, and Flynt¡¯s most trusted subordinate suddenly twisted his body to shield him. The next moment, blood sttered across Flynt¡¯s face. He wiped it off and looked grimly toward the warehouse. He figured it was Aria shooting and that she really wanted him dead. Flynt rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging a second bullet. Aria cursed under her breath. After taking out several guards in quick session, she stood up and headed back into the ammunition depot. She dismantled several explosives, stretched the fuses to their fullest length, and lit them. As mes leapt up, she braced herself on the railing with one hand and leapt out of the building. The deafening st shook the entire base. Flynt, who had just reached the rooftop, was thrown to the ground by the shockwave. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up with a sh of madness in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere, Aria.¡± Luna flinched at the explosion, tightening her grip on the female researcher¡¯s hand as they reached the main power room. The researcher said in a trembling voice, ¡°Do we really have to do this? If we get caught, we¡¯re screwed.¡± Luna took a deep breath. ¡°The base is in chaos, and many researchers are fighting back. Once we cut the power, people outside can get in to rescue us. Stop shaking. Just focus.¡± They gripped the syringes hidden in their pockets and approached the door. Two guards pointed their guns at them, asking ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Luna held her hands up, voice shaking. ¡°Someone broke in. There¡¯s something wrong with the power grid. We came to check it out.¡± The guards exchanged nces, rxing a little. After all, they were just two defenseless women. Luna reminded them, ¡°You should go check it out too.¡± The guards nodded. Luna and the researcher exchanged a nce and silently approached the guards. ¡°Can we switch to backup power here?¡± The guard said, ¡°No. The backup power is spread out in several ces. You-¡± Luna and the researcher struck quickly, plunging the syringes into the guards¡¯ necks. Watching the guards copse, a mix of tension and excitement filled them. Luna said, ¡°Hurry. Cut the power.¡± Soon, most of the lights went out. If not for backup power, the entire base would have been plunged into darkness. Aria had teamed up with Arressto, and she was cutting the power to let them in. Flynt¡¯s face hardened with cold fury as he spun around and charged toward the backup power. He was certain that Aria was aiming for it. Margery, who was still in theb, nced outside, set the fuse carefully, and quickly stepped out, timing everything in her head. When seven minutes passed, she swiftly lit the fuse and dashed toward the stairwell. A few secondster, explosions went off one after another. Outside the base, Arressto was stunned. ¡°What the hell, Wilson? What¡¯s Aria up to? How can she cause so many sts all by herself?¡± 1:57 pm DDDD ¡°I have no idea either,¡± Wilson replied. He just realized that while Aria knew their routes and ns, he waspletely unaware of what was going on over there. +28 The n was to fake an attack and draw their fire, then move in once the power was down to back up Aria and blow base. However, the power wasn¡¯t out before the base blew up. He didn¡¯t know how she did this. up the Whatever, he decided to go inside first. He said, ¡°Fire at the front gate. We¡¯ll get in here.¡± The base was in chaos, and researchers were hastily packing up, ready to flee. After blowing up theb, Margery and her team had just reached the ground floor when they ran into Ethan. She shielded Luna and the others behind her and said, ¡°Keep going. I¡¯ll hold him off.¡± Luna shot her a worried look. ¡°Be careful.¡± Ethan raised his hand to stop his men from firing, his eyes locked on Margery. ¡°I almost lost you again.¡± Seeing the gun in her hand, he gave a bitter smile, and his gaze darkened with bitterness. ¡°You weren¡¯t poisoned. Why did you lie?¡± Margery stared at him indifferently, her voiceced with hatred. ¡°You ruined my life. Now what¡¯s with this fake affection?¡± Ethan¡¯s face twisted in anger. ¡°We loved each other, didn¡¯t we? What¡¯s wrong with having a child? It¡¯s what a normal couple does. I told you I¡¯ve changed and I won¡¯t force you anymore. Why are you still running?¡± ¡°Love?¡± Margery scoffed. ¡°I told you before we got together that I would never want a kid. You agreed, but you drugged me. You hurt me in the name of love, and you think you can just fix it with an apology, huh? No way.¡± She suddenly raised her gun, aiming it at him. ¡°Ethan, I¡¯ve wanted to kill you for a long time.¡± Ethan¡¯s men immediately raised their guns at Margery. Seeing her murderous intent, Ethan¡¯s gaze darkened. He said, ¡°Margery, I wanted to treat you right. Since you just keep running, I¡¯ll have to break your legs. Shoot.¡± Three gunshots rang out. The three men beside Ethan dropped instantly. His face twisted in shock as he red fiercely at Aria. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± Just as Ethan tried to raise his gun, Margery darted close, instantly snapping his wrists. He screamed in pain as she coldly threw him to the ground, feeling a rush of relief. Aria nced at Ethan and turned to Margery. ¡°Arressto and Flynt have started fighting. You¡¯ve got one minute left.¡± Margery didn¡¯t hesitate and went straight for Ethan. She wasn¡¯t a top fighter, but she could handle him easily. She punched him in the face fiercely, letting out all the pain she had been holding in. In the end, Margery raised her gun and pressed it against Ethan¡¯s forehead. ¡°No one will ever force me again.¡± Ethan¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Why, Margery?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand why he still couldn¡¯t get her back after all he had done. The girl who used to be obsessed with him now just hated him. He thought, ¡®It¡¯s just a child. How did we end up like this?¡¯ A gunshot rang out. The bullet pierced Ethan¡¯s skull, and he fell stiff, eyes wide open in death. Aria tossed the car keys to Margery. ¡°Head to the back exit. I¡¯ve cleared the way.¡± Margery caught the keys but stood still. She hesitated and said, ¡°Go, Aria. Arressto won¡¯t stop until I¡¯m dead. I¡¯ll only get you into trouble.¡± ¡°They can¡¯ty a finger on me.¡± Aria urged, ¡°Go. You promised you would protect Luna.¡± Aria¡¯s target had always been the back exit. She didn¡¯t mean to mess with the power, but she didn¡¯t think Luna would remember and, along with a researcher, actually did it. They were tough women. They blew up theb and cut the power. What they had done far exceeded her expectations. Margery hesitated no longer. She grabbed the keys and said, ¡°Thanks.¡± Aria gripped her gun and strode toward the front entrance. Again Marriage 653 Flynt lurked in the shadows, speaking into his headset, ¡°Hey, Ethan.¡± There was no response. Flynt thought that Ethan might be in trouble. He stared at theb glowing with mes far off, gripping tight till his fingers hurt. Aria¡¯s work with chemical explosives was just a cover, something she showed on purpose to keep his eyes on her. Therefore, he totally missed what Luna was doing-getting the researchers to turn against them. At the same time, Dorian said to Wilson, ¡°You and Joel cover us as we move to the dormitory area and capture Margery.¡± Wilson nodded. Suddenly, a figure appeared in his sight. He hesitated, and apanion beside him whispered, ¡°Is that Margery?¡± Dorian was alert. ¡°Nine o¡¯clock. Kill on sight.¡± They all raised their guns at once, firing after the figure into the darkness. However, none of them shoot it. Dorian said, ¡°She¡¯s trying to escape. Let¡¯s go.¡± Arressto¡¯s target was always Margery. Now, with a skilled woman trying to flee, they naturally assumed it was her and didn¡¯t hesitate to open fire. Flynt, hidden in the shadows, recognized it was Aria. He sneered at Arressto in pursuit and said, ¡°A bunch of fools.¡± Then he withdrew his gaze and coldly ordered, ¡°Find Dr. Murphy.¡± When Flynt saw Ethan¡¯s body, he froze in shock. He crouched down and gently closed his eyes for him. ¡°Rest in peace, Ethan. I¡¯ll kill Margery.¡± His recklessness in dragging Aria here had brought about this disaster. Flynt thought he could lock Aria at the base, wait for Ethan¡¯s experiment to work, and make her forget who she was to turn back into the girl named Madelyn. He realized now he had been too impatient. Flynt stood up, nced at theb, and sneered. This ce was destroyed, but he could build a second one. The experiments would never stop. Wilson started slowing down and ended upst in the thick woods. He wondered, ¡®If Margery wanted to run, wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just drive away? Why run solo? It seems like she is trying to throw us off. Dorian halted abruptly. ¡°Stop.¡± They had lost their target. Dorian warned in a low voice, ¡°Margery is hiding in the shadows. Stay alert.¡± With no moonlight, the forest was pitch dark, and the path was nearly invisible, which made this ce perfect for an ambush. The six moved cautiously, eyes sharp and senses on edge. Suddenly, someone dropped from above, his knees smashing hard into a guy¡¯s shoulder. The poor guy barely managed a scream before the man knocked him out. The mysterious person bounced off, backflipped, and mmed a kick into another guy¡¯s jaw. Just as Dorian drew his gun, he lunged at him. The team had fallen into chaos. Afraid of killing their teammates, they instinctively lowered their weapons. Dorian, the best fighter among them, faced the man alone. The others moved to help their knocked-out teammate and sighed in relief when they saw he was still alive. Joel whimpered, jaw out of joint. Wilson squatted down and popped it back. Joel said, ¡°It hurts. Since when did Margery get this strong? I thought she couldn¡¯t fight.¡± Sounds of punchesnding echoed in the dark. They could only see two people fighting. ¡°Margery is actually fighting with Dorian. Where the hell did she learn to fight?¡± ¡°Her main thing is hypnosis. She was the worst fighter at Arressto, yet now she¡¯s be so strong. Killing her just got tougher.¡± ¡°Should we back Dorian up?¡± Wilson wasn¡¯t sure if it was really Margery. He just couldn¡¯t shake a nagging sense of unease. ¡°No. Dorian is too proud. If you A heavy smack against a tree cut Wilson off. Dorian mmed into the bark, grimacing. Just as he was about to strike again, he heard a sharp and annoyed voice. ¡°Are you Arressto guys out of your minds? Why the hell are you chasing me?¡± The moment Wilson heard the voice, he knew they were done. That voice sounded too young to be Margery¡¯s. It had to be Aria. Dorian froze, his voiceced with disbelief: ¡°Aren¡¯t you Margery?¡± Aria said impatiently, ¡°Aria here.¡± ¡°What? Aria?¡± Joel was stunned. ¡°Hold your fire.¡± Wilsonmanded, ¡°She¡¯s no ally of Margery¡¯s.¡± Dorian switched on his shlight to see clearly. Aria squinted, raising a hand to block the blinding light. In a low voice, she warned, ¡°Do it again and I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Once sure she wasn¡¯t Margery, Dorian pulled the light away and asked unhappily, ¡°Why did you lead us off? Where is Margery?¡± Aria looked Dorian in the eye and sneered. ¡°I was kidnapped and brought to this base. I found a chance to escape, but I didn¡¯t expect someone to follow me. You¡¯ve got the wrong person and almost killed me. How dare you me me?¡± The air grew heavy and tense, silence pressing in. Wilson said, ¡°It¡¯s just a misunderstanding. We¡¯re after the same target.¡± Dorian distrusted Aria. He said coldly to Wilson, ¡°She never wanted to work with us. She was supposed to cut the power, but after attacking for so long, nothing happened, and we had to go to the front door. Wilson, you trusted the wrong person.¡± Dorian fixed his gaze on Wilson, giving him onest chance to be honest. ¡°Work with you?¡± Aria scoffed. ¡°You weren¡¯t the ones who blew up theb. What right do you have toin?¡± The deal was simple. They helped Aria blow up the base, and she would help them kill Margery. Now that she had destroyed the base herself, she didn¡¯t have to work with them anymore. Joel nodded in agreement. ¡°She¡¯s got a point. If it weren¡¯t for her explosions, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten in so fast. In a way, she helped us.¡± Ariaughed. ¡°It seems not everyone in Arressto is unreasonable.¡± Joel grinned. Wilson sensed something was off. He thought Aria had deliberately led them astray. Torn between her and Dorian, he hesitated briefly before siding with her. After all, if they fell out, they would truly be strangers forever. Therefore, he said, ¡°If it¡¯s about mutual benefit. We got the wrong person, and we shouldn¡¯t me Aria for this.¡± Dorian stared at Wilson coldly. ¡°I know you two are siblings. Stop pretending to be fair.¡± Arressto always dug into people¡¯s backgrounds before missions. Dorian knew both their identities from the start, and that was why he agreed to cooperate. Margery was nowhere to be found, and Aria left through the front door. Dorian just thought that something felt off deep down. Wilson leaned casually against a tree. ¡°She is my cousin, but today¡¯s actually the first time we¡¯ve met. Dorian, you¡¯re not seriously suggesting Aria and I conspired to let Margery go, are you?¡± Dorian replied, ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t trust each other, the mission is pointless. Do what you want, but I¡¯m out.¡± Wilson strode over to Aria. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Wilson knew Aria was going after Owen and decided to stick with her. Dorian barred their way and said, ¡°Margery¡¯s escape makes you both suspects. You have toe with me to Arressto.¡± Again Marriage 654 Wilson shook his head, half amused, half annoyed. ¡°Dorian, are you nuts? Maybe I¡¯m a suspect, but what has Aria got to do with it? She¡¯s not one of Arressto. Why would she help kill Margery?¡± Joel, who came with Wilson, immediately sided with him. ¡°Exactly. Aria was kidnapped by Flynt. She¡¯s also a victim. What does Margery¡¯s escaping have to do with her?¡± Harry Torres tried to break the tension. ¡°Stop wasting time. Let¡¯s find Margery.¡± Dorian didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Get Aria first. She¡¯ll lead us to Margery.¡± Wilson stepped in front of Aria, unyielding. ¡°Not a chance.¡± Aria leaned against the tree and said coolly, ¡°Pathetic loser.¡± Dorian gave it his all but clearly felt Aria wasn¡¯t taking him seriously. He thought, ¡®Yes, I¡¯m not a match for her. She¡¯s Wilson¡¯s sister. They¡¯re just making me a fool on purpose. Dorian gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Wilson, I¡¯ll report everything truthfully this time.¡± Wilson shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to hide. Besides, my job was to find Margery, not kill her. I finished my mission, but you didn¡¯t. ¡°You can¡¯t defeat my sister, and neither can I. No need to get worked up.¡± The remark caught the attention of the other four of Arressto. They thought, ¡®Could it be that Dorian was picking fights simply because he couldn¡¯t defeat Aria? Well, it looks like that¡¯s exactly the type of guy he is. ¡°Cut the crap, Wilson.¡± Dorian¡¯s face darkened even more. Wilson shrugged with a careless grin. ¡°I¡¯m just being honest. If you weren¡¯t so sensitive, why wouldn¡¯t you just let her go?¡± Dorian took several deep breaths, then turned and stormed off without another word, followed by his twopanions. Joel and Harry exchanged an uncertain look, clearly torn between staying and leaving. If they stayed, the bosses might punish them once they found out. However, if they followed Dorian, he might still me them for his own mistake. Since either choice led to punishment, they decided to stay with Wilson. Wilson said, ¡°If youe with me, you¡¯ll probably get punished.¡± Joel joked, ¡°We had been used to it since we followed you.¡± Wilson was speechless, then asked Aria, ¡°Are you going to the Solemnity Guild now?¡± When Joel heard that, he was surprised. ¡°Aria, are you really going to that ce?¡± That ce wasn¡¯t just for anyone. One misstep and they would be done for. Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah. Thanks for everything tonight.¡± She turned and walked away, with Wilson, Joel, and Harry following close behind. Aria halted abruptly and turned to them. ¡°Why are you guys following me?¡± Wilson nced at the two and smirked, ¡°Yeah, what are you guys following me for?¡± Joel and Harry said, ¡°Wilson, we came with you. Wherever you go, we go.¡± Wilson exined, ¡°The mission is over. I¡¯m going with my sister. You guys do whatever you want.¡± Joel said, ¡°Are you going to the Solemnity Guild?¡± Wilson nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Joel said, ¡°We wanna see what¡¯s out there too.¡± Wilson said, ¡°It could be dangerous.¡± In unison, Joel and Harry said, ¡°We¡¯re not afraid of anything that¡¯sing our way.¡± Aria shot them an odd nce. These two were so unremarkable, and no one would guess they belonged to Arressto. She said, ¡°This is personal. You don¡¯t have toe.¡± Wilson casually took the shlight from her hand and said, ¡°Listen. You never nned on letting us catch Margery. You were just using me, weren¡¯t you?¡± Aria tried to reply, but Wilson interrupted, ¡°Don¡¯t bother exining. I can feel it. It¡¯s toote to push me away now. I won¡¯t leave you until this is all over. As your brother, I¡¯ming with you to find Owen.¡± Aria was speechless. Joel and Harry were dumbfounded. They thought, ¡®Well, can¡¯t you see that she doesn¡¯t want you to be here?¡¯ Wilson bent down, picked up a sturdy stick, and led the way. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Our car is this way. Once we¡¯re in the car, I¡¯ll give you back Owen¡¯s phone.¡± After a brief hesitation, Aria followed. *** Meanwhile, over at the Solemnity Guild, a tall man reached the fifth-floor dormitory and pushed the door open. The room was tiny-a metal bunk bed took up nearly all the space, with a worn wooden desk shoved awkwardly against the wall and an old-fashioned wardrobe standing nearby. Owen¡¯s gaze fell on the name tags at the head of the bed-Madelyn on the top bunk, and Sara on the bottom. He ran his finger gently over the top one and peeled it off. The manuscript on the desk was old. Owen tore off a sheet, folded it into a heart, and tucked the tag inside. Just as he was about to grab Sara¡¯s tag, footsteps sounded outside. Owen¡¯s expression tensed. He scanned the room and quickly ducked into the wardrobe. Just as he closed the door, two people came in, one behind the other. Curtis said, ¡°Mr. Nicholson, this is the dorm Sara used to stay in.¡± Russell gave a brief nod and quickly focused on Sara¡¯s name tag. Curtis said, ¡°Back then, the Solemnity Guild¡¯s dorms weren¡¯t great, and two of them shared a room. Sara and Madelyn lived in this one. If we had known Sara was your sister, we wouldn¡¯t have left her here.¡± Russell remained silent, took down the name tag, and pocketed it. Then he asked, ¡°Did Madelyn stay here after Sara died?¡± Curtis let out a sigh. ¡°Yeah. Madelyn, now called Echohawk, is an aloof person. Nobody wanted to be near her except Sara. ¡°She fought with Marcus, and Sara got caught in the mess. However, when Echohawk came back to the Solemnity Guild, she tortured and killed Marcus, and didn¡¯t spare his father either.¡± Russellughed. ¡°She was hiding something.¡± Curtis remained silent. After a pause, he said, ¡°Sara¡¯s diary probably holds a lot of secrets, but it was stolen by White.¡± Russell said, ¡°You mentioned earlier that White and Echohawk are close, right?¡± Curtis nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Upon learning that Russell hade to the Solemnity Guild, Curtis showed a flicker of unease but quicklyposed himself. Somehow, he thought the theft of the diary might actually work in their favor. It could further incriminate Echohawk for Sara¡¯s death. Russell said, ¡°Mr. Kelley, thanks for taking me here. I¡¯d like to stay here a little longer.¡± ¡°Stay as long as you wish, Mr. Nicholson,¡± Curtis said. Russell was destined to be the leader of the Wolfshade Syndicate, so Curtis didn¡¯t mind investing some time in him. The moment Curtis turned his back, Russell¡¯s eyes zed with hatred and murderous intent. ¡°By the way-¡± Curtis suddenly spun back, catching Russell silently staring at the name tag. The expression in his eyes was unreadable, and Curtis wondered if he had misread that look. ¡°Anything else?¡± Russell looked up. Curtis smiled. ¡°If Olivia asks about you, should I tell her you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Russell. Curtis left, his mind at ease. Russell waited a few seconds and red at the wardrobe door. ¡°Still noting out?¡± Owen stepped out of the wardrobe, stretching his body. ¡°You¡¯re quite patient.¡± Russell said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll kill Curtis tonight. The dirty work is on you.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± said Owen. Again Marriage 655 Wilson, who was in his car, tossed a nket at Aria and said, ¡°It gets chilly at night. Make sure you stay warm.¡± Wilson drove while Aria sat quietly in the passenger seat. When the nket was tossed over, she caught it effortlessly and draped it around herself. ¡°Thanks.¡± Wilson cleared his throat and said, ¡°You were so warm with me on WhatsApp, but you¡¯re so cold in person.¡± Aria turned to look at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already know it was Owen who sent those messages?¡± Wilson fell silent for several seconds. ¡°Wow. That was the longest sentence you¡¯ve said all day.¡± Aria thought, ¡®Was he just counting my words just now? What a freak. Wilson asked again, ¡°So, were you born this quiet, or did you just grow into it?¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°Driving at night makes me drowsy. I might need you to talk to me.¡± Aria figured he was genuinely sleepy and said, ¡°Pull over. I can drive.¡± Wilson said, ¡°Would you rather drive than talk to me? Am I really that annoying?¡± Aria said, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Wilson said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m damn good-looking. Nobody usually hates me.¡± Wilson didn¡¯t like his grandpa or father, but he couldn¡¯t deny they were both handsome guys. It was natural that he inherited their striking features; they were a family blessed with charm. Honestly, Logan was the most striking because he resembled Nora the most, followed by Lincoln. Aria was Logan¡¯s only daughter, and, to be precise, the one in the Saxon family who resembled Nora the most, especially when she smiled. However, she didn¡¯t like to smile or tter anyone. Her cold vibe made people often miss how pretty she really was. When Aria returned to the Saxon family, Wilson had seen her photos and immediately guessed she wouldn¡¯t stay long. Yet now, she seemed a lot more at ease. Wilson couldn¡¯t help but steal another nce at her. Aria gave him a sideways nce. ¡°Focus on driving.¡± Wilson grinned and said, ¡°Can¡¯t help it. You¡¯re just too beautiful to ignore.¡± Joel and Harry shuddered, disgusted by his cheesy talk. Aria felt grossed out too. She shut her eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m taking a nap now. Let¡¯s switch an hourter.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Wilson figured she wasn¡¯t into any of that sweet-talking crap. He thought, ¡®How the hell did Owen get her? He was probably being annoyingly persistent. Guess I¡¯ll have to ask him for tips once I fall for someone. Faint gunshots reached Aria¡¯s ears. She opened her eyes abruptly and said, ¡°Pull over.¡± Wilson heard the noise too and instinctively hit the brakes. Joel and Harry in the back were jolted forward, waking up instantly. Harry rubbed his forehead where it had mmed into the front seat. ¡°What the hell? Where are those shotsing from?¡± If there were gunshots here, it would have to be one of three groups-Dorian and his team, the people from the research base, or Margery. Before Wilson could react, Aria had already pushed open the door and jumped out. ¡°Stay here.¡± Wilson ignored Aria¡¯s warning, unbuckled his seatbelt, and called out, ¡°Wait for me.¡± By the time he jumped out of the car, she had already darted off into the distance. ¡°I never knew she could run so fast,¡± Wilson muttered under his breath as he hurried after her. Then he turned to Joel and Harry. ¡°Aria wants to save Margery, and I¡¯ll help her. You two stay back. This could get messy.¡± Joel didn¡¯t think much. ¡°Wilson, we¡¯re not gonna leave you alone.¡± Harry chimed in, ¡°I think Aria is a good person.¡± They all knew it was Aria who had helped the researchers escape. They didn¡¯t know why she was so determined to save Margery, but they trusted she had her reasons. Margery gripped her gun tightly, crouched low in the bushes, her eyes scanning the darkness ahead with wary vignce. Again Marriage 656 ¡°Margery.¡± Dorian advanced step by step, his gun raised. ¡°You¡¯ve been on the run for seven years. Aren¡¯t you tired? Arressto doesn¡¯t want you dead. We just want the truth. There¡¯s no way you could have killed the investigator on your own.¡± Margery sneered. She knew they didn¡¯t want her dead. They wanted her alive, to use her as bait and drag others down with her. Suddenly, a shot rang out. Dorian moved to the side just in time as a bullet grazed his cheek and mmed into a tree, spraying bark into the air. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± All Dorian got in return was a storm of bullets. They quickly scrambled for cover. ¡°Someone¡¯s here to rescue Margery. Fire back. Kill them.¡± Just as Wilson and the others arrived, bullets came flying at them. ¡°Get down.¡± The three quickly scattered, taking cover while returning fire. Seeing the chaos, Aria silently retreated to the rear. When Margery saw it was Aria, she stopped firing immediately and crouched low, making her way toward her. The two met up, and Aria motioned for Margery to follow her. While Wilson¡¯s team exchanged fire with Dorian, Aria looked their way but knew she had to leave with Margery. The keys were still in the ignition. She started the engine and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± Margery thanked her and said, ¡°Luna reached out to her family. They¡¯reing to pick her up. The rest of them should be safe too.¡± Arressto was right behind her, and she had to leave to keep them out of trouble. However, Aria still ended up being involved. ¡°Aria, thank you,¡± she said. When they reached a crossroad, Aria stopped the car. ¡°Next time, you¡¯re on your own.¡± After all, she owed Wilson and the others now. Stuck where he was, Dorian¡¯s expression turned grim. He yelled, ¡°Who sent you?¡± Joel breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Dorian hasn¡¯t figured out it¡¯s us.¡± Wilson nced around, only to find that Aria was gone. He thought she must have already left with Margery. He forced a smile and muttered, ¡°Aria, how could you do this to me?¡± Harry ducked a bullet and said, ¡°Wilson, are we pulling out?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Wilson. They backed off while covering each other, only to find the car gone. Joel looked crushed. ¡°Aria left us behind.¡± Though Wilson had seen iting, he still felt a little upset. ¡°Just run.¡± He thought he would deal with Ariater. The three of them ran for their lives in the dark, with Dorian close behind. Suddenly, headlights cut through the dark. ¡°Get in.¡± Aria mmed the brakes, stopping the car right in front of them. Without hesitation, Wilson leapt into the front seat, while Joel and Harry dove into the back. ¡°Hold tight,¡± Aria warned, yanking the wheel hard. As bullets flew past, she mmed on the gas and sped down a side road. Dorian and his team gave chase without hesitation, but lost them all the same. ¡°Report this. We need to know who¡¯s backing Margery.¡± Wilson, Joel, and Harry were panting heavily. Wilson tilted his head at Aria, his voice dripping with mock grievance. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te back.¡± Aria stared straight ahead, smiling. ¡°I told you not to follow me.¡± They knew she was helping Margery, Arressto¡¯s target, but they came anyway. Somehow, that made Aria feel better. ¡°Did Dorian spot you? Are we in trouble with Arressto now?¡± ¡°Was it Dorian just now?¡± Wilson feigned innocence with an exaggerated shrug. ¡°Come on, it was pitch ck out there. How could we tell who it was? We just fired back.¡± Harry immediately chimed in, ¡°Exactly. We couldn¡¯t even make out their faces. Dorian couldn¡¯t catch anyone, now he wants to pin it on us.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°I¡¯m unreliable. I could ditch you anytime. Do you still want to follow me to the Solemnity Guild?¡± Catching the rare smile on her lips, Wilson found it oddly amusing. Hepletely forgot he had been mad. ¡°Don¡¯t feel too good about yourself. We might leave you first.¡± He was just trying to be tough. Del nodded. ¡°Yeah. Power rules. If you can defeat Dorian, then you can definitely defeat Wilson. Whatever you say goes.¡± Vilson rolled his eyes at him. He thought, ¡®How did you know I can¡¯t defeat Aria? It seems that I need to test her someday. They kept chatting, none of them mentioning Margery. Again Marriage 657 When they stopped for gas, Aria and Joel switched seats. Noticing this, Wilson immediately got out, opened the back door, and said to Harry, ¡°You take the front seat.¡± Harry¡¯s smile froze instantly. He shot Wilson a intive look and grumbled, ¡°Seriously? No need to be that jealous.¡± Wilson sneered. ¡°You don¡¯t get to be that close to Aria.¡± He thought, ¡®I haven¡¯t been that close to her, okay?¡¯ Harry dragged himself to the front seat, muttering as he went, ¡°Fine. We¡¯re just nothingpared to your dear sister.¡± Wilson slid into the seat, ready to say something, but noticing the weariness in Aria¡¯s eyes, he held back and simply murmured, ¡°Get some rest.¡± For the rest of the journey, Joel and Harry took turns behind the wheel. When it was Wilson¡¯s turn, he walked up to the backseat and tapped on the window. ¡°Front seat. Now.¡± Aria didn¡¯t feel like moving. She looked up and said, ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Wilson went around and yanked the door open. ¡°Tired, huh? Do you want me to carry you to the front seat?¡± Aria stared at him nkly. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying.¡± It was the first time they had been this close, and Wilson could clearly see the undisguised disgust in Aria¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Well, she looks pretty even when she¡¯s mad.¡¯ Wilson didn¡¯t see any problem with carrying Aria. He said, ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Aria rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seatbelt. ¡°Move.¡± Wilson stepped aside and watched as Aria headed straight for the passenger seat, smiling. He was starting to get it¡ªless talk, more action. Wilson, in high spirits, hopped into the car and nced at the GPS. ¡°Aren¡¯t we heading to the Solemnity Guild? This route seems a bit off.¡± Aria said, ¡°I need to go somewhere else first.¡± Wilson didn¡¯t press further and started the car. *** As the sun began to set, they drove into a remote, deste stretch ofnd. The GPS had lost signal, so Aria guided the way. It took them half an hour to reach their destination. The three followed Aria through a few hidden paths until they came upon a meadow bursting with wildflowers. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful here.¡± Joel breathed, eyes wide with wonder. Wilson nced at Aria. ¡°So, what are we doing here?¡± Aria replied, ¡°I¡¯m here to see a friend.¡± ¡®Does someone actually live out here?¡¯ Wilson thought. He had a hunch, but he kept it to himself. Aria picked some wildflowers and quickly tied them into a small bouquet. She led the others deeper into the field and stopped in front of a lone grave. The mood shifted, turning heavy and quiet. Aria crouched down, gently brushing away the weeds beforeying down the bouquet. ¡°Sara, your brother ising for you.¡± All Aria heard was the breeze. She took a coin from her pocket and looked at the gravestone. She thought, ¡®Sara, your brother is seeking justice for you. If you want to go with him, show heads.¡¯ The coin flew high and thennded heads up. Aria said with a smile, ¡°Once this is over, he¡¯ll take you home.¡± She didn¡¯t linger. Picking up the coin, she stood and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading to the Solemnity Guild now.¡± Wilson nodded firmly. ¡°We go together.¡± They hade this far, and there was no way he would let her face the Solemnity Guild alone. Gazing at the weathered grave, Wilson¡¯s thoughts drifted to the chilling rumors about the Solemnity Guild. It was a ce that gathered orphans from around the world and molded them into killers. Wilson suddenly thought that maybe Aria had grown up there. When she came back, they all said it was a baby swap. Silvia grew up with the Saxon family, while Aria with Silvia¡¯s parents. Wilson thought, ¡®If that were true, why did Aria grow up in the Solemnity Guild? What had really happened?¡¯ As they were about to leave, faint footsteps reached their ears. Aria squinted, and she quickly grabbed the bouquet. The four of them scattered at once, vanishing into the shadows. Wilson followed close behind Aria, crouching with her behind the same bush. The footsteps grew closer, apanied by hushed voices. ¡°Curtis.is dead, and Ms. Remar is detained. Why are we out here digging up a grave?¡± ¡°Sara is Russell¡¯s younger sister. Only if we find her will he willingly save Ms. Remar. That¡¯s the only way Mr. Tyree Remar will feel secure handing over the Wolfshade Syndicate to him.¡± They called it willingness, but in truth, it was a threat. ¡°Ms. Remar sure has guts. She even dared kill the head of the Solemnity Guild.¡± ¡°The map says it¡¯s this way. Find the grave and dig up the remains. Be quick.¡± Aria frowned, thinking, ¡®How did people from the Wolfshade Syndicate know about this ce?¡¯ Sara had always loved flowers. When Aria discovered this meadow, she brought her here at the first chance she got. Sara said, ¡°If I ever died, I wouldn¡¯t mind being buried here.¡± Those words became prophecy. In the end, Aria buried Sara here as she wished. Russell¡¯s n was to lure Tyree to the Solemnity Guild. Killing Curtis and framing Olivia was the perfect way to do it. Apparently, Tyree had known all along that Olivia was responsible for Sara¡¯s death and had been secretly searching for Sara¡¯s grave. Now that Olivia was detained, Tyree was bound to suspect Russell. That was why he was so eager to dig up the body. Joel signaled Wilson with a throat-slitting gesture. Wilson asked Aria in a low voice, ¡°Should we take them out now?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°Let them dig it up first. Then we move.¡± Now that the grave had been found, even if they wiped out this group, more woulde. It was better to take Sara away and wait for the right time to hand her over to Russell. Wilson made a quick hand signal to Joel and Harry, who stayed hidden, waiting in silence. Soon, the Wolfshade Syndicate members spotted their target. ¡°Got it.¡± They began digging. The moment the box was unearthed, Aria and the others opened fire, swiftly taking down everyst one of them. Aria picked up the urn and the picture, gently stroking them. ¡°Sorry, Sara. You¡¯ll have toe with me for now.¡± Aria came to the Solemnity Guild solely to find Owen and leave with him. She had no intention of getting involved in the conflict between the two organizations. However, Tyree dared to target Sara, and that changed everything. Again Marriage 658 Olivia was huddled in the corner of the dungeon, her white dress muddy. She heard footstepsing closer. Looking up suddenly and seeing who it was, she burst into tears. ¡°Russell, help me.¡± Russell crouched down, staring straight into her eyes. ¡°Olivia, they say you were the one who sent Sara to the Solemnity Guild.¡± His tone was calm, but his words cut deep. ¡°You panicked, so you killed Curtis to cover it up, didn¡¯t you?¡± Olivia¡¯s eyes widened with fear as she quickly shook her head. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t me. I didn¡¯t know anything. Damon did it. Curtis was already dead when I got there.¡± She reached out for Russell¡¯s sleeve. ¡°You have to believe me.¡± Russell smirked, but his eyes stayed cold as ice. He thought, ¡®It was Damon who kept direct contact with the Solemnity Guild. All it took was a casual order from Olivia, and he would carry out whatever vile deed she desired. ¡®She tormented Sara and sent her into that living hell, and now she thought she could wash her hands of it by denying it, huh? No way.¡¯ ¡°Of course, I believe you,¡± Russell murmured, his voice deceptively soft as he gently stroked her cheek. Olivia flinched instinctively but forced herself to stay still. The next instant, Russell¡¯s hand tightened around her neck. Olivia¡¯s eyes went wide in panic as she thrashed and pounded against his arm in desperation. ¡°Russell¡ª¡± Russell red at her with boiling hatred. ¡°Why? Why did you torment her and send her to the Solemnity Guild?¡± His eyes were bloodshot, his clenched teeth grinding. Olivia trembled all over, and the suffocating pain intensified, clouding her vision. Just as she was about to pass out, Russell abruptly released his grip. Olivia copsed to the floor, her throat burning like fire. She finally understood that Russell had known the truth about Sara¡¯s death all along. He lured her to the Solemnity Guild to kill her. He couldn¡¯t do anything to her in the Wolfshade Syndicate, but it was a different case in the Solemnity Guild. ¡°Russell.¡± she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°You can¡¯t kill me. My father will never let you get away with this.¡± Russell burst intoughter, the sound sharp and echoing in the dungeon. ¡°Kill you? No.¡± He leaned down, his voice deceptively gentle. ¡°I¡¯ll make you go through what Sara had before.¡± Russell straightened up and said with a fierce stare, ¡°As for your dad, he¡¯ll die before you.¡± Olivia finally saw madness in Russell¡¯s eyes. All that gentleness and all those promises to treat her well for a lifetime had all been a lie. ¡°Russell!¡± Olivia shrieked, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t worked so hard to get ahead, I would never have fallen for you. And if I hadn¡¯t fallen for you, Sara would¡¯ve never ended up in the Solemnity Guild. It was all your fault.¡± Russell stared at her in silence, then a chilling smile curled on his lips. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m the one who got Sara killed. Therefore, I¡¯ll make sure you all suffer more than death. That¡¯s the only way I can make it up to her.¡± Russell turned to leave. Fear gripped Olivia, and she scrambled desperately after him. ¡°Russell, I was wrong. Please, don¡¯t kill me. I¡¯ll have my father give you the Wolfshade Syndicate. I can fix this.¡± Russell ignored her desperate pleas and strode out of the dungeon. Outside the dungeon, a middle-aged man stood with cool detachment. ¡°Tyree hase to the Solemnity Guild in person to rescue Olivia. Mr. Nicholson, if you can¡¯t finish the job, I¡¯ll just make a deal with him.¡± Again Marriage 659 Russell said expressionlessly, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± He nced at Olivia who was still begging on the ground and said, ¡°The Solemnity Guild must have plenty of torture methods. Let her experience them all.¡± The man swept a nce over Olivia and gave a curt nod. ¡°Got it.¡± Russell left. Olivia shrank back in terror as the middle-aged man approached. ¡°N-No. Don¡¯t do this.¡± The man gestured to the guards behind him. ¡°Do what Mr. Nicholson asked.¡± Russell pushed open the dorm door. Looking up, he saw Owen lying on the top bunk, arms folded behind his head, unmoving even at the sound of the door. Russell shrugged off his jacket, tossed it carelessly aside, and stretched out on the lower bunk. ¡°Thank you for dealing with Curtis.¡± Though he had brought only his most trusted men here, Russell trusted no one but Ondo. With Owen¡¯s help, he finally dared to act. Unlike him, however, Owen trusted every member of the Wolf Regiment. ¡°It was no big deal.¡± Owen¡¯s voice from above. ¡°Curtis wanted to kill White, so he¡¯s my enemy too.¡± Russell nced up at him. ¡°You care about White just because he¡¯s Aria¡¯s man, right?¡± Owen said, ¡°Anyone who stands with her, stands with me.¡± Russell frowned, clearly puzzled by his words. ¡°You¡¯ve only known Aria for less than two years. Do you really like her that much?¡± Wilson nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Even if they hadn¡¯t met during that mission, as long as he got to know Aria, he knew he would have ended up falling for her. Owen said, ¡°Time doesn¡¯t always matter. Aria and Sara only knew each other for two years, but they were ready to die for each other.¡± Russell froze. At first, he treated Aria as an enemy, hiding behind the pretense of avenging Sara while drowning in self- delusion. In fact, the person who hurt Sara the most was him. Owen sat up, the bed creaking beneath him. ¡°Don¡¯t get all gloomy. We¡¯ve still got a war to fight.¡± He hopped down from the top bunk. ¡°I¡¯m going out.¡± Russell stood up. ¡°Flynt¡¯s research base is gone. Don¡¯t tell me you think Aria ising here and you want to go wait for her.¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°I¡¯lle with you. I have something to ask her.¡± Owen could guess what it was about and nodded. ¡°Sure. Aria is pretty busy though. She might note to the Solemnity Guild. Don¡¯t me me if you end up waiting for nothing.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Russell. Aria and her group had just arrived when they saw Tyree dispatching his men to surround the Solemnity Guild. He sat in his car, eyes fixed coldly on the building. Russell hadn¡¯te to greet him, and that said it all¡ªhe was turning against them. Tyree thought, ¡®So, he knew about Sara all along, just lying low and waiting for the perfect moment. Too bad he still jumped the gun. Ronan, the young leader of the Wolfshade Syndicate, was speaking with the people of the Solemnity Guild. ¡°Ms. Remar has been at your ce long enough. It¡¯s time for her toe home. Please tell her.¡± 1 The Solemnity Guild member, fed up with their roundabout talk, rolled their eyes and said, ¡°Olivia killed our leader. Do you think you can just take her back? No way.¡± The Wolfshade Syndicate was driven by profit, often resorting to shady dealings for wealth. They had plenty of members, sure, but barely anyone couldpare to the Solemnity Guild¡¯s killers. The Solemnity Guild had never taken these gangsters seriously. Had the Wolfshade Syndicate approached with humility and sincerity, they might have considered negotiating, but since they were here to fight, they didn¡¯t mind giving it a try. Ronan hadn¡¯t expected the Solemnity Guild to be so arrogant. His face turned grim, and he strode toward the ck car. ¡°Mr. Remar.¡± Tyree rolled down the window and said, ¡°Tell them I¡¯m close with Echohawk and that it was her idea to kill Curtis.¡± Again Marriage 660 There was no point in denying it, so Tyree took the me and dragged Echohawk into it. What he didn¡¯t know was that Aria stood not far off and she had heard every word. The Solemnity Guild¡¯s entrance was heavily wooded, riddled with hidden traps. Wolfshade Syndicate suffered heavy casualties on the approach. Hearing this, Joel couldn¡¯t help but gossip, ¡°Wait. Did Echohawk order the hit on Curtis? I thought she quit. Don¡¯t tell me she wants to run the Solemnity Guild.¡± Harry said, ¡°I heard Echohawk hates getting involved in drama. Curtis¡¯ death probably had nothing to do with her.¡± Joel said, ¡°What if Echohawk changes her mind? If she really wanted to be the leader of the Solemnity Guild, she would get it without even trying.¡± Aria looked at Joel skeptically. ¡°Is she really that badass?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Joel nearly forgot to lower his voice. Wilson smacked the back of his head. ¡°Keep it down.¡± Joel rubbed the back of his head and went on. ¡°You know what? Echohawk is kind of creepy. I¡¯ve always thought she was the kind of assassin raised by some mysterious organization you see on TV.¡± Aria rolled her eyes. ¡°Bullshit.¡± Joel said with conviction, ¡°I¡¯ve got proof.¡± Aria felt curious. ¡°What proof?¡± ¡°Acupuncture therapy,¡± Joel said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. ¡°If she were in her thirties or forties, maybe it would make sense, but she mastered them in her teens. Who could do this so easily?¡± Aria remained silent for a moment, looking away. Wilson cast aplex look at Aria, trying to reassure himself that he was overthinking it. Ronan ryed Tyree¡¯s message to the Solemnity Guild. The guards frowned. Everyone knew Echohawk had long since left the Solemnity Guild. Tyree was using her name to imply they were so close that crossing him meant crossing her. The Solemnity Guild had a pretty brutal way of climbing ranks-take down the one above you, by any means. Echohawk held the top rank not just for her wless missions, but for her unmatched mastery of acupuncture therapy. Four years ago, she crushed every single one of the Solemnity Guild. And even after disappearing for years, the myth of Echohawk only got bigger. The guards took a second, then snorted and thought, ¡®If Echohawk wanted someone gone, she would do it herself. Why would she ever need the Wolfshade Syndicate?¡¯ He sneered. ¡°Wolfshade Syndicate? Echohawk doesn¡¯t even know you. Don¡¯t try to fool me.¡± ¡°This is Echohawk¡¯s ess card.¡± Tyree stepped out of the car and was now standing beside Ronan. ¡°I demand to see my daughter.¡± 1:58 pm DDDD +28) After passing the trials, every operative got an ess card to take on missions. The guard¡¯sposure cracked the moment he saw it. He thought, ¡®Is Tyree that close to Echohawk? If Echohawk truly intended to kill Curtis, we would be in deep trouble.¡¯ ¡°Mr. Tyree Remar.¡± Aria came out with something in her arms. Wilson and his twopanions followed behind. Tyree¡¯s expression darkened when he saw her. Aria shot Tyree a cold look. ¡°When did I tell you that I wanted Curtis dead?¡± Tyree¡¯s gaze lingered on the urn in her arms before he discreetly looked away. He thought, ¡®No wonder all the men I sent had gone silent. She had gotten to them first.¡± The Solemnity Guild guard¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief when he saw Aria. Flustered, he gave her the ess card, pointing at the Wolfshade Syndicate members. ¡°Echohawk, they stole your ess card.¡± As Aria confronted Tyree, Joel and Harry stood dazed and confused until the guard of the Solemnity Guild suddenly called her Echohawk. It all clicked on them. They knew Aria was with the Solemnity Guild, but never in their wildest dreams did they imagine she was the legendary Echohawk. Wilson had long suspected it but couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe it. Echohawk vanished four years ago, and Aria came home at the same time. The timeline matched. It was her. Joel swallowed, barely daring to breathe. He remembered all the reckless things he had just blurted out and felt regretful. While he was panicking, Aria said coldly, ¡°Mr. Tyree Remar, you said my ess card was lost. Turned out you stole it.¡± Aria had briefly worked with Tyree before. When her ess card went missing, he imed it was lost. She hadn¡¯t thought much of it at the time. After all, she was leaving the Solemnity Guild, and no one else could use it. However, Tyree was too stupid to use this as proof of their supposed closeness. Tyree didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°It was indeed lost. I just got it back.¡± His gaze locked onto the urn. ¡°This holds the ashes of one of the Wolfshade Syndicate members, right?¡± He emphasized the words ¡°Wolfshade Syndicate¡±, then added, ¡°Sara is Russell¡¯s sister, and I always treat her as my daughter. If that¡¯s her ashes, I¡¯d like them back, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria smirked and said, ¡°The Wolfshade Syndicate threw Sara into the Solemnity Guild. How could she be one of you?¡± ¡°This is all a misunderstanding,¡± Tyree said in a steady voice. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to Russell. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll let me keep this.¡± Wilson suddenly scoffed. ¡°Stop being hypocritical. I know what you¡¯re up to.¡± Tyree said coldly, ¡°This is the Wolfshade Syndicate business. It has nothing to do with you.¡± He locked eyes with Aria. ¡°Hand over the urn.¡± As Tyree¡¯s words fell, the members of the Wolfshade Syndicate raised their guns at Aria. Wilson and the others moved fast to protect her. Tyree¡¯s eyes showed a trace of impatience. Olivia was still stuck in the Solemnity Guild, so he needed to act fast. ¡°Echohawk left the Solemnity Guild long ago. This is strictly between her and me. Your guild has no part in it.¡± Seeing the standoff, another guard from the Solemnity Guild immediately raced off to alert their superior. +28 The Wolfshade Syndicate had already shown up at their gates, yet their leader still hadn¡¯t appeared. Clearly, they didn¡¯t take the gang seriously, but now that Echohawk showed up and tensions had red, this could spiral fast if not handled well. The guard said, ¡°Mr. Murray, we¡¯ve got trouble. Echohawk is here, and she is facing the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Emmett¡¯s expression darkened. He thought, ¡®What¡¯s Echohawk doing here at the Solemnity Guild? Is she eyeing the throne?¡¯ Emmett stood up. ¡°Tell everyone to go to the entrance.¡± He reached the doorway, then suddenly turned back with another order. ¡°Have someone check on Olivia. Make sure she stays alive.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± said the guard. Owen and Russell arrived at the entrance. Russell¡¯s heart twisted painfully the instant his eyes fell on the urn in Aria¡¯s arms. ¡°Is this Sara?¡± he asked in a trembling voice. Aria nodded. ¡°Yes. I asked her. She¡¯d like to go home with you.¡± With trembling hands, Russell epted the urn and held it close to his heart. Owen came over and grabbed Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Yeah.¡± she nodded. Wilson¡¯s gaze lingered on their sped hands, then slowly traveled upward. He thought, ¡®What? Is this what Owen looks ike?¡¯ oel and Harry¡¯s eyes widened when they saw someone grab Aria¡¯s hand. Harry said angrily, ¡°How dare he take Aria¡¯s hand?¡± Again Marriage 661 Wilson rolled his eyes at Harry. ¡°Shut up.¡± Harry dramatically clutched his chest. ¡°Wilson, you won¡¯t let us sit in the back with Aria, yet you can tolerate someone holding her hand. That¡¯s unfair.¡± Wilson said, ¡°He¡¯s my brother-inw.¡± Joel and Harry forgot the tension and stared straight at Owen, shocked. They thought, ¡®He¡¯s just one of those random guys. Is Aria into this type of man?¡¯ Tyree fixed his furious gaze on Russell, trembling. ¡°I trusted you with Olivia, but you failed to protect her.¡± Russell looked up with a sneer deepening in his eyes. ¡°Olivia killed Mr. Kelley. I couldn¡¯t save her.¡± Tyree exploded in fury. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. How could Olivia possibly kill Curtis? You set her up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got no beef with Curtis. Why would I kill him?¡± Russell sneered. ¡°You knew Olivia tortured Sara and still tried to shield her. If it weren¡¯t for Mr. Kelley stepping in, I wouldn¡¯t even have found Sara¡¯s body.¡± Russell wanted Olivia dead, so he had to make Curtis look like a good guy. He said, ¡°She killed Mr. Kelley out of fear that the truth woulde out. The Solemnity Guild has every right to want her dead.¡± Russell swept his gaze across the members of the Wolfshade Syndicate and said seriously, ¡°Your daughter¡¯s life matters, and so do ours. The Wolfshade Syndicate won¡¯t be sacrificed for your selfish greed.¡± The members of the Wolfshade Syndicate froze. Olivia was known for being ruthless. No one would question if she really tortured Sara once Russell said so. Years ago, Olivia offended a local gang leader. Tyree had to personally lead a rescue, losing over half his men in the process. Now she had killed the leader of the Solemnity Guild, and Tyree brought half his men again. Most of them had never been considered true insiders. If war broke out, they would be the ones to take hits. Last time, most of them died, and they were afraid to see that happen again. Tyree saw through Russell¡¯s intentions, his face darkening. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the Wolfshade Syndicate, you and Sara would have been dead ages ago. You¡¯re just ungrateful brats.¡± Russell sneered. ¡°What more do you want? I¡¯ve bled enough for the Wolfshade Syndicate. To you, none of us count-notpared to Olivia.¡± As the air crackled with tension, Emmett arrived with his people. Unlike the disciplined Wolfshade Syndicate, they walked in different ways, but all of them gave off a scary vibe. Marco, a guy with blond hair, turned to the guard who brought the news. ¡°Is Echohawk here for real?¡± The guard nodded. ¡°Yeah. I saw her.¡± Marco snorted. ¡°She left without a wordst time. She¡¯ll have to take us all down this time, or she won¡¯t get out here easily.¡± One of the guys nearby joked, ¡°Face it. You could never defeat her.¡± Marco retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure. She hasn¡¯t trained in four years. She definitely can¡¯t defeat me now.¡± Soon, the group reached the entrance. All eyes instinctively swept past Tyree, collectively locking onto a single spot. Marco suddenly lunged at Aria. Owen stepped forward. ¡°I got this.¡± Without a word, they all instinctively gave the two spaces. They exchanged blows, every punch and kick deadly. Marco figured he would make quick work of Owen, but to his shock, Owen proved incredibly adaptable-reading his every move like an open book. In the end, a knee to the chest sent Marco flying. Wilson slightly lifted his gaze, a bit surprised by Owen¡¯s skills. Military training alone wouldn¡¯t make him that good, and Wilson realized that this man was no joke. He thought, ¡®No wonder Aria likes him. Harry silently took a step back, regretting as he remembered calling Owen a random guy. He thought, ¡®Why is everyone here so strong?¡¯ Again Marriage 662 Marco wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and red at Owen. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Owen looked at Aria and said, ¡°I¡¯m with her. You have to get through me before you touch her.¡± Marcoughed angrily, opening his mouth to speak, but Emmett raised his hand to cut him off. ¡°You¡¯re on my list now.¡± Marco red at Owen defiantly. ¡°Next time, we¡¯ll have a proper fight.¡± Owen nodded calmly. ¡°Deal.¡± Emmett smiled at Aria. ¡°It¡¯s been four years. What made youe back?¡± Aria nced at Owen. ¡°I came for him, and figured I should check in on Sara. I found someone desecrating Sara¡¯s grave, so I brought her urn with me.¡± Russell¡¯s eyes turned grim as realization struck. ¡°Mr. Remar, did you send people to ruin Sara¡¯s grave?¡± ¡°So what if I did?¡± said Tyree. With the Solemnity Guild¡¯s real authority now present, Tyree ignored Russell and addressed Emmett directly, ¡°What are your terms for releasing my daughter?¡± Before Emmett could even utter a word, one of Curtis¡¯ followers burst out roaring, ¡°She murdered our leader. She has to die.¡± Tyree¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Olivia would never kill Curtis. This is a setup.¡± Emmett smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure, Mr. Tyree Remar. We¡¯ve got both witnesses and evidence, and her motive for murder is crystal clear.¡± Tyree demanded sharply, ¡°Who¡¯s your so-called witness?¡± Marco stepped forward again. ¡°It¡¯s me. I saw it. Do you think I¡¯m lying?¡± Things were getting more difficult for Tyree. He fell silent for a moment. ¡°I will find out the truth behind Curtis¡¯ death, but first, I want to see my daughter.¡± ¡°Cut the crap. Marco said impatiently, ¡°You can¡¯t see her. Get the fuck out of here.¡± Aria shot Owen a knowing look, praising him for a good choice on the witness. Owen caught her gaze and smiled. Marco was the witness Owen had personally chosen-hot-tempered, well-known in the Solemnity Guild, and his word carried real weight. Everyone in the Solemnity Guild kept stealing nces at Echohawk. Seeing the two exchange looks, they were surprised. They thought, ¡®Is this guy Echohawk going to marry?¡¯ The negotiations concluded with Tyree granted three days in the Solemnity Guild to investigate. If the truth remained hidden, Olivia would die. With that matter settled, Emmett turned to Aria. ¡°Echohawk.¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ve already left the Solemnity Guild. Just call me Aria.¡± Emmett¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°It¡¯s getting dark. You should stay.¡± Marco still wanted to fight with Owen, so he said, ¡°We¡¯re picking a new leader soon. You can stay a few days longer.¡± Aria let out a softugh. ¡°Why bother? Mr. Murray has been at the Solemnity Guild for years, and he¡¯s perfect to lead.¡± The other members chimed in one after another, all in agreement. Emmett hadn¡¯t expected things to go so smoothly and gave a formal nod. Someone said, ¡°From now on, we should all follow Mr. Murray¡¯s lead.¡± Emmett motioned for everyone to head inside, leaving the Wolfshade Syndicate members behind. ¡°Stay here,¡± Tyree 38 The extra members of the Wolfshade Syndicate seethed with resentment, thinking, ¡®Why did the core members get in while we have to stand guard outside for three days?¡¯ Tyree shot Russell a re before storming into the Solemnity Guild with his people. Russell stood still and turned to Emmett¡¯s assistant. ¡°Does the Solemnity Guild have any tents? I¡¯m willing to pay for them.¡± Emmett had instructed his assistants to amodate Russell¡¯s requests as much as possible, so he said, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Got any food or water?¡± Russell asked. The assistant replied, ¡°We have ingredients. You can cook your own meals, but remember, don¡¯t ruin anything here, not even a single bug.¡± Still cradling Sara¡¯s urn in his arms, Russell bowed deeply in gratitude. The extra members of the Wolfshade Syndicate thought, ¡®Mr. Nicholson still thought of us even in this dire situation. Well, I wish he could be our leader, instead of Tyree.¡¯ Again Marriage 663 Aria and Owen walked inside, with Wilson following, but he was stopped. ¡°No outsiders allowed.¡± Wilson smiled and exined, I¡¯m Aria¡¯s elder brother. We came here together.¡± A female member named Rosalie whistled, grinning as she joked, ¡°No wonder I liked you the moment I saw you. Turns out you¡¯re Echohawk¡¯s brother.¡± Wilson beamed. Tve always heard that the members of the Solemnity Guild are skilled fighters and good-looking. Guess it¡¯s true. Harry and Joel immediately joined in the ttery. ¡°They¡¯re way prettier than the celebrities in Huthailia.¡± ttered by thepliments, the members of the Solemnity Guild cheerfully ushered them inside. Wilson nced at Aria and winked. Rosalie squeezed her way to Aria and whispered, ¡°So, how¡¯s White doing?¡± Aria replied calmly, ¡°He¡¯s safe enough.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Rosalie breathed a sigh of relief as a thought suddenly struck her. ¡°Thankfully, Team One is out on a job. If Wade saw you here, he would definitely challenge you.¡± Team One was always arrogant, especially their captain, Wade, who kept bragging that he would defeat Echohawk and be the strongest in the Solemnity Guild. Aria shrugged it off, saying nothing. Rosalie nced at Wilson, then turned to Owen with a conflicted look. ¡°He¡¯s got some skills, but not attractive enough. What do you like about him?¡± Aria followed her gaze to Owen and smiled. ¡°Honestly, I think he¡¯s pretty handsome.¡± Rosalie didn¡¯t agree, but she said nothing. Rosalie asked, ¡°So, does Wilson have a girlfriend?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you like him?¡± Rosalie nodded. ¡°He¡¯s quite handsome.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Aria replied. ¡°How could you not know?¡± Rosalie was surprised. Aria said, ¡°It¡¯s a bitplicated. We only met yesterday, and then he came with me to the Solemnity Guild.¡± Rosalie saw no reason for Echohawk to lie to her. After a moment¡¯s thought, she decided to ask Wilson directly. With no one to disturb them, Owen held Aria¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Madelyn, I¡¯ve missed you so much.¡± ¡°I missed you too,¡± Aria murmured. Being with him was the only time she truly rxed. Marco was itching for a fight, eyeing the two men eagerly, but Emmett stopped him. ¡°You¡¯re the witness. You should go to the crime scene.¡± Emmett cast a nce at Tyree and silently sighed. He wondered, ¡®What a bold man. He went straight into the Solemnity Guild with only a few people.¡¯ The Solemnity Guild didn¡¯t kill indiscriminately. Their n was to lure Tyree in. The killing would be left to others. And it all depended on Russell. Emmett offered to arrange amodations for Aria, but she shook her head and declined. ¡°Mr. Murray, don¡¯t bother. I¡¯ll stay in my original dorm.¡± Emmett turned to Owen. ¡°Then-¡± Owen said, ¡°I¡¯ll just share a room with her.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± said Emmett. Russell caught up and handed Aria Sara¡¯s urn. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to keep it safe for the next three days. Just ce it on Sara¡¯s bed. After that, I¡¯ll bring her home.¡± Sara¡¯s childhood dream was to have a house with a garden. Russell had everything ready; all that was left was to bring her home. Aria said, ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow. Before we go, I¡¯ll hand Sara¡¯s urn over to Rosalie. She¡¯s always been kind to her.¡± Russell said sincerely, ¡°Thank you, Aria.¡± Aria carried Sara¡¯s urn back to the dormitory and gently ced it on the bed. Taking Owen¡¯s hand, she said softly, ¡°Sara, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Owen. ¡®Aren¡¯t you surprised that I¡¯m actually in love now? Honestly, I¡¯m also surprised.¡± Aria smiled. Though the two years at the Cole Group were exhausting, they helped Aria adjust to a normal life faster. Meeting Owen was an unexpected blessing. Owen smiled gently. ¡°Hi, Sara.¡± Rosalie personally arranged lodging for Wilson and the other two people, leading them to a suite. ¡°If you need anything, just call me.¡± She looked at Wilson with a yful smile. ¡°How about we exchange contacts?¡± Eager to gather information from Rosalie, Wilson pulled out his phone at once. ¡°Sure.¡± After exchanging contacts, Rosalie blew them a kiss and grinned. ¡°Get some rest. I¡¯ll buy you a fancy mealter.¡± Wilson smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, Rosalie.¡± Rosalie said, ¡°Echohawk helped me out back then, so I¡¯ve gotta watch out for you guys.¡± Wilson hesitated and asked, ¡°How old was she when she joined the Solemnity Guild?¡± Rosalie was finally convinced Echohawk was telling the truth. ¡°She joined when she was ten. It¡¯s true you two only met for the first time yesterday, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Wilson said. ¡°That¡¯s weird. Didn¡¯t she return to the Saxon family four years ago?¡± Rosalie said. Wilson looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t been home for years.¡± Rosalie said, ¡°I see. You¡¯re just trying to get information about her time in the Solemnity Guild from me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Wilson nodded. ¡°I am.¡± Rosalie felt a pang of disappointment. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s just keep in touch. I have to go now.¡± ¡°Sure. See you,¡± said Wilson. Joel leaned over. ¡°Wilson, that girl has totally got a thing for you.¡± Wilson didn¡¯t catch on at all. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be silly. I¡¯m not her type.¡± Harry grinned. ¡°You¡¯re hot enough.¡± Wilson, distracted by his thoughts and not in the mood to deal with them, said, ¡°I¡¯m hitting the shower.¡± After showering, Wilson called Caleb. ¡°Aria is safe now. I¡¯m at the ce where she grew up.¡± ¡°Jamn? Are you guys back in Huthailia?¡± said Caleb. ¡°No,¡± Wilson replied. Caleb shot to his feet, stunned. ¡°Where are you then?¡± ¡°I figured you knew,¡± Wilson said, a hint of surprise in his voice. Caleb said, ¡°Aria¡¯s past after she turned ten is a total nk. No info whatsoever.¡± Wilson sighed and told Caleb about the Solemnity Guild. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. She¡¯s highly respected here. This is what she was born for.¡± Wilson believed personality was innate and unchanging. Even if Aria had grown up in the Saxon family, she would be the same. Though her journey was harsh, she was strong now. If given a choice, Wilson would rather have been switched at birth. He thought Aria¡¯s thoughts might mirror his own. Caleb¡¯s mood darkened. ¡°Do you think Aria might have known she was switched all along?¡± Caleb remembered that bad day well. Aria didn¡¯t seem shocked about being switched. Her look wasn¡¯t just distant, but like she expected it. Again Marriage 664 Caleb thought it was strange at that time but didn¡¯t think much of it. Now that he knew what Aria went through, the idea popped back into his head. Wilson was also stunned. ¡°Caleb, walk me through exactly what happened that day.¡± Caleb recounted the entire scene from that day, every word and expression from everyone. Wilson was boiling with rage after hearing that. ¡°Was Grandpa crazy? What did he mean by ¡®no grudge¡¯? What has he ever done for Aria? Fuck, I should have gone home back then.¡± Wilson had always known Aria had been wronged, but he never expected it to be this serious. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what Logan and Zoe are thinking. They should have defended Aria.¡± Their silence said it all. Even if they didn¡¯t truly believe it inside, their attitude at that moment said everything. Caleb did try to speak up, but it fell on deaf ears. He always envied Wilson for being able to speak his mind and not care about offending people. However, as the heir of the Saxon family, he couldn¡¯t do that. He had to represent the Saxon family-no losing his temper, no acting out, no doing whatever he wanted. If he stood up for Aria against Grandpa, they would say she made him rebellious and tore the family apart. Caleb had to choose his words carefully, weighing every rebuttal lest it deepen prejudice against Aria. However, if it were Wilson, no matter how harsh his words, no me would fall on Aria. By the time Caleb came to his senses and learned to spit his mind, Aria had already cut all ties with the Saxon family. The long silence on the phone made Wilson feel strange. He said softly, ¡°Caleb, you¡¯re the oldest among us. You have a lot to carry on. Don¡¯t me yourself too much.¡± Without Caleb handling things at home, he wouldn¡¯t be able to live so carefree out here. If Wilson had helped, Caleb wouldn¡¯t have had to carry the weight alone. However, it was Caleb who let Wilson choose the life he wanted, taking on all the burdens himself. He gave his little brother freedom. Wilson felt sorry for him. ¡°By the way, she got her phone. You can reach her directly now.¡± Caleb nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t reach out to Aria right away. He walked into the bathroom, sshed water on his face, and gripped the edges of the sink as he struggled topose himself. His hand clenched tightly on the sink. Caleb tried to hold back, but the twisting pain squeezing his chest wouldn¡¯t relent. After a long moment, Caleb straightened up with a nk face and returned to his room. He texted Wilson. [Send me the address.] Secondster, the address came through, and Caleb booked a flight for tomorrow. Just as he was about to text Aria, he got a call. Caleb picked up, and the next second, he heard Jeffrey¡¯s voice. ¡°Mr. Saxon, your meeting with Mr. Shaw from the Shaw Group is scheduled for 4 p.m. tomorrow.¡± Caleb said, ¡°Cancel it.¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll-wait, what?¡± Jeffrey thought he had misheard. ¡°Mr. Saxon, what did you just say?¡± Caleb said, ¡°Cancel it. I¡¯m going abroad. I have no idea when I¡¯ll be back.¡± Jeffrey asked, ¡°Is there a problem with the overseas project? There¡¯s an important dinner the day after tomorrow. Mr. Saxon, should I send another one abroad instead?¡± Caleb said, ¡°It¡¯s not about work. I just want to go overseas. Call my dad. If I don¡¯te back, he¡¯ll handle everything.¡± Jeffrey was utterly dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on. He thought, ¡®Why did Mr. Saxon be so rebellious?¡¯ Caleb had just hung up when a message from Aria popped up on. Aria: [Caleb, I¡¯ll be back home in a few days.] Caleb: [Is Owen with you?] Aria: [Yeah.] Caleb gripped his phone tightly, his heart pounding with unease. Finally, he asked the question that had been tormenting him. Caleb: [Aria, did you know you were switched at birth earlier than we did?] Aria sat bolt upright in bed when she read the message. Owen rose with her. ¡°Madelyn, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria¡¯s face twisted with mixed feelings. ¡°Caleb is asking if I knew about the baby swap all along.¡± Again Marriage 665 She didn¡¯t want to make Caleb feel guilty, but lying might hurt even worse. Owen reached out and gently stroked Aria¡¯s hair. ¡°Say whatever feels right.¡± Aria chose to be honest. [Yes] Caleb smiled bitterly through tears. He thought, ¡®How did she feel watching us favor someone else?¡¯ Aria: (Caleb, I don¡¯t regret a single thing. I truly love the life I have now.] Caleb¡¯s eyes stung as he read those words. He knew Aria had known years ago that she wasn¡¯t Dominic and Alice¡¯s daughter. She didn¡¯t call the cops when abused because she had given up on her parents. When she was fifteen, back on a mission, she found out about the switch but kept quiet. Later, when the Saxon family came looking for her, she chose to return, clinging to a fragile hope that things might finally be different. However, they drove her away in the end. They destroyed Aria¡¯s trust in family. Everyone failed her, including him. After dinner, Logan turned to Zoe. ¡°Aria and Silvia¡¯s birthdays areing up soon. Do you want to go shopping?¡± Zoe stood up. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go change.¡± Logan nodded. He was waiting on the couch when his phone suddenly rang. It was Jeffrey. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked. Jeffrey said, ¡°Mr. Logan Saxon, Mr. Saxon said he¡¯s going abroad with no set return date. He has left all affairs in your hands. Logan was stunned. ¡°He didn¡¯t even tell me about this.¡± Jeffrey said, ¡°Mr. Logan Saxon, you better call him yourself.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Logan immediately called Caleb, demanding to know what was going on. Caleb said calmly, ¡°It just came to my mind. No particr reason.¡± Logan felt that something was off. ¡°Caleb, you seem offtely.¡± Caleb nodded. ¡°Yeah. Dad, you¡¯re still in your prime, and you can do more. I just want to take a break and see more of the world. Logan hesitated and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this too sudden? Maybe you should wait until next week.¡± I¡¯ve already bought the ticket. It¡¯s tomorrow. That¡¯s it,¡± said Caleb. For the first time in his life, Logan got hung up on by his son, leaving him utterly bewildered. However, this was the first time Caleb had ever made a personal request, so he couldn¡¯t bear to say no to him. Logan called Jeffrey back, instructing him to send over the schedule. The next day at noon, Joseph somehow heard about Caleb¡¯s trip abroad and flew into a rage. ¡°He¡¯s no child, yet he just leaves without any ns, huh? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Logan tried to exin, ¡°He¡¯s probably just tired. He just felt like going, so let him go. It¡¯s not going to affect anything.¡± Joseph said, ¡°What about next time? There¡¯s gotta be rules. Bring him back right away.¡± Logan yed dumb. ¡°Dad, call him yourself. I don¡¯t want to get into an argument with my son.¡± Joseph rolled his eyes at Logan and immediately called Caleb. Caleb was waiting at the airport terminal when his phone rang. He answered in a t tone, ¡°Hi, Grandpa. What is it?¡± Joseph¡¯s voice softened considerably. ¡°Caleb, what made you suddenly decide to go abroad? I heard that Aria is abroad too. Are you going to look for her?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Caleb. Caleb made no attempt to deny it this time. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m going to look for my sister. Do you have a problem with that?¡± Joseph frowned. ¡°Did that girl put you up to this?¡± Caleb let out a bitterugh. ¡°Grandpa, why would you even think so? Do you really see her as that kind of person?¡± Joseph didn¡¯t really think that was the case, but he couldn¡¯t figure out why Caleb would just ditch thepany and take off abroad. Caleb said, ¡°Every time I do something you disapprove of, you always me Aria. Is she the family scapegoat or what?¡± Logan interjected, ¡°Caleb, mind your tone.¡± Caleb shot back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my tone? Which part did I get wrong?¡± Joseph said, ¡°Caleb, tell me the truth. What happened?¡± Caleb said, ¡°I suddenly regret it. Been living like a shell without a soul, just following orders.¡± His words made both Logan and Joseph freeze. Joseph held back but finally couldn¡¯t restrain himself. ¡°I knew something was wrong. Is Aria the reason you left?¡± Caleb sneered andpletely ignored Joseph. ¡°Dad, I wasn¡¯t going to bring this up, but now I think I shouldn¡¯t be the only one drowning in guilt.¡± Logan waspletely baffled. Caleb said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t our first meeting with Aria four years ago.¡± Again Marriage 666 Fryderyk took Aria away two years ago. Back then, Caleb didn¡¯t believe a fifteen-year-old girl could kill anyone. Onlyst night, after looking into the Solemnity Guild, did he find out it was a secret organization that dealt with criminals. Echohawk began missions at fourteen, and the timing matched up. Aria came back when she was fifteen. He thought hard but couldn¡¯t remember anything. Logan¡¯s voice snapped Caleb back to reality. ¡°Caleb, what do you mean by that?¡± Caleb said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Do you remember the day Aria returned to the Saxon family? You said she didn¡¯t seem d about the reunion. Turns out she found out she was switched at birth when she was fifteen. ¡°Aria the truth but didn¡¯te back; she just lived her life as before. If we hadn¡¯t found out the truth, she probably never would have reunited with the Saxon family. ¡°Aria made the right choice. The Saxon family found her and then drove her away. She was never wanted here.¡± After saying that, Caleb hung up. Logan froze in shock, thinking, ¡®How could this be possible? Aria wasn¡¯t shocked at all about being switched back then. She was too calm. However, Caleb never talked without certainty. It seems that she has known for a long time!¡¯ Logan turned to Joseph, his voice trembling. ¡°Dad, did you hear that? Caleb said Aria had known about the baby swap all along, but she never came back.¡± Had it been four years ago, Logan would have asked why, but now, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to question it because Aria made the right choice. Joseph was much calmer than Logan. ¡°It seems there¡¯s nothing in the Saxon family worth her staying for.¡± Were it not for the DNA test, Joseph would have thought Aria was nothing like a Saxon. However, Aria, the only one who never fawned over him or called him grandpa, worked her way up from nothing and stood as an equal to the Saxon family. She could even outshine them if she wanted. Lincoln had been away for years, only to leave again shortly after returning. Wilson was always rebellious, never returning home during his long years abroad. Now, even the once dutiful Caleb was acting out. The truth was undeniable. Joseph had to admit that he had be someone the younger generation wanted to avoid. He thought that if Nora were still around, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. Joseph looked at his most dutiful son, Logan, and asked, ¡°Logan, do you hate me?¡± Logan came back to his senses, having tears in his eyes. He didn¡¯t say a word, but Joseph got it. He had really messed up. Aria decided to leave, so she handed the urn to Rosalie. She said, ¡°Sara will stay with you for a couple of days. Russell will take her when he leaves.¡± Rosalie leaned in and asked in a hushed tone, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay a bit longer? Is Wilson going with you?¡± ¡°Most likely,¡± Aria replied. Rosalie nodded and said, ¡°When I have time, I¡¯lle visit you in Huthailia. Don¡¯t worry about Sara. I won¡¯t let Tyree get anywhere near her.¡± Aria and Owen went to say goodbye to Emmett. Just as they reached the doorway, a chilling voice cut through the air from inside. ¡°Mr. Murray, there¡¯s something suspicious about Mr. Kelley¡¯s death. How could an ordinary woman kill him? I suspect Russell is behind it, trying to ignite a feud between the Solemnity Guild and the Wolfshade Syndicate.¡± Aria wasn¡¯t one for eavesdropping. She pushed the door open and walked straight in. Emmett¡¯s gaze softened as he looked at Aria. The young man fixed her with a piercing re. ¡°It¡¯s you, Echohawk¡± Aria raised her head a bit and locked eyes with someone whose gaze burned like mes. She knew who it was. It was Wade. Aria withdrew her gaze and bowed to Emmett. ¡°Mr. Murray, we¡¯re leaving.¡± Emmett asked, ¡°Now?¡± His eyesnded on Owen. He thought, ¡®If I remembered right, this guy worked for Russell. It seems that he¡¯s also close to Aria. ¡®Guess Echohawk also wants Curtis dead. Colin had once tried to harm her, but in the end, he died. Fortunately, I never truly crossed her.¡¯ Emmett said, ¡°If you wish to leave, then-¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave.¡± Wade snapped, cutting Emmett off. ¡°Echohawk, you and Sara are close. You¡¯re a suspect in Mr. Kelley¡¯s death too.¡± Aria looked over and asked, ¡°You¡¯re suggesting that since Mr. Kelley hurt Sara, both Russell and I are suspects, right?¡± Wade said, ¡°Yeah. Curtis teamed up with the Wolfshade Syndicate and killed our men. He¡¯s a bastard. Even so, however, he should be left to the Solemnity Guild. No one else has the right to kill him.¡± Emmett smiled. ¡°Echohawk only got here yesterday. If there¡¯s any suspicion, it¡¯s on Russell, not her.¡± ¡°It might have nothing to do with Echohawk, but this man is involved.¡± Wade looked at Owen, his eyes sharp with hostility. Aria said, ¡°Do you have any proof?¡± Wade softened his tone and looked back at her. ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± Aria didn¡¯t understand. Wade dered, ¡°I challenge you to a duel. It¡¯s time to settle who¡¯s the top killer.¡± Since Echohawk left, Wade made his move to take first ce. However, no matter how good he was, he was always overshadowed by Echohawk. He would always be haunted by the fact that he had never challenged Echohawk. Now that she had finally shown up at the Solemnity Guild, Wade wasn¡¯t about to let this chance slip away. Aria shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m giving up. You¡¯re the top killer.¡± Infuriated by her indifferent attitude, Wade said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you giving up without even a fight?¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ve already left the Solemnity Guild. There¡¯s no need for us to fight.¡± ¡°There is. I want to defeat you fair and square,¡± said Wade. Chapt Aria couldn¡¯t bring herself to care. Wade said, ¡°If you agree to the duel and take it seriously, I¡¯ll drop the case on Curtis.¡± Aria shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Investigate all you want. It makes no difference to me.¡± Wade gritted his teeth. ¡°You want Tyree dead, don¡¯t you? If you agree to the duel, I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± said Aria. Wadeughed, annoyed but amused. Again Marriage 667 Emmett gave Aria a thumbs-up behind Wade¡¯s back. Wade snorted. ¡°You always have ulterior motives. You¡¯re way too calcting.¡± Aria chuckled lightly. ¡°I¡¯m born that way. No payoff, no y.¡± This situation truly offered her no advantage. Losing meant losing her title as number one and bing the subject of gossip. Winning wouldn¡¯t bring her any benefits either, since she had already left this world behind. Wade fell silent, refusing to say another word. Before leaving, he shot Owen a re. Owen couldn¡¯t believe he got stared down for no reason. He thought, ¡®Does he re at me because he doesn¡¯t dare do the same to Madelyn? That makes sense though.¡¯ Emmett smiled apologetically. ¡°Looks like you two will be staying a bit longer.¡± Aria said with a smile, ¡°Yeah. I guess so.¡± Just as Aria and Owen were about to leave, a dungeon guard burst in, breathless. ¡°Mr. Murray, Olivia is dead.¡± A woman in herte forties put down her pen, surprised as she looked at the three at Arressto headquarters. ¡°Do you mean someone helped Margery escape?¡± Dorian stepped forward, his face grim. ¡°Ms. Langford, I suspect Wilson is involved in this matter.¡± His voice rose sharply. ¡°His sister Aria definitely has something to do with this.¡± Tessa tapped her fingertips lightly on the desk, signaling him to continue his report. Dorian went over what happened again. ¡°Aria obviously led us off on purpose so Margery could get away. The guys who met up with her were good fighters. It must have been the same crew.¡± Although Wilson was usually unreliable, he wouldn¡¯t dare meddle with Arressto¡¯s kill order, so Dorian didn¡¯t suspect that Wilson and his twopanions did this. Tessa suddenly changed the subject. ¡°So, you couldn¡¯t even take on Wilson¡¯s little sister, could you?¡± Dorian¡¯s face went tense. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m no match for her.¡± He sounded a bit frustrated. ¡°She strikes fast and hard, and her moves are tricky. I couldn¡¯t defeat her.¡± The two people beside him exchanged nces, clearly surprised that Dorian, who was usually so proud, would admit defeat so readily. ¡°Aria¡¯s moves aren¡¯t amateurish,¡± Dorian added, his expression grave. ¡°She must have had years of formal training. At Arressto, maybe only three people can take her down.¡± Tessa nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Having such skills in her early twenties? That¡¯s some real potential.¡± The person to Dorian¡¯s left instantly caught on. ¡°Ms. Langford, are you thinking of bringing her on board?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Tessa twirled her pen between her fingers. ¡°Arressto doesn¡¯t have many female operatives. Getting someone like her would really help our future missions.¡± Dorian frowned. ¡°Our male operatives have always performed excellently. There¡¯s no need to go out of our way to-¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Tessa interrupted with a smile. ¡°Physiologically, men do have more muscle and power, but women tend to have better endurance and observation skills. That¡¯s just a fact.¡± She looked at the three of them. ¡°Though our female operatives score lower on physical tests than you, in real missions, their dedication matches that of any man. ¡°When ites to scouting and stealth missions that demand intense focus over time, women have the advantage. Arressto¡¯s data proves it.¡± Dorian pursed his lips. ¡°Arressto recruits only the best. In this area, women do tend to outperform men, but eliminated, men have the upper hand.¡± among those Tessa replied calmly, ¡°That¡¯s why none of them made the cut.¡± The three were left speechless. Tessa abruptly dered, ¡°You¡¯re off Margery¡¯s case. Find out who Aria is by the end of today, and check up on Wilson and hi crew.¡± They left with Aria, so finding them would lead straight to her. Dorian stood still. ¡°Ms. Langford, please give us one more chance. We will kill Margery.¡± Tessa smiled. ¡°There¡¯s been new progress in Margery¡¯s case. The investigator she killed years ago wasn¡¯t innocent, so the organization decided to stop pursuing her. ¡°Rather than chasing someone no longer relevant, it¡¯s more meaningful to recruit the right talent for the organization. I trust you with this mission.¡± Hearing this, the three breathed a sigh of relief. Dorian was stunned for a long moment after discovering who Aria really was. One of the team members eximed, ¡°No wonder Aria could defeat Dorian. Turns out she¡¯s Echohawk.¡± Another teammate chimed in, ¡°And I never expected Wilson to be a rich boy.¡± ¡°Holy shit, Aria is the real deal.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± The two were about to continue when Dorian shot them a re that shut them up. ¡°Go report to Ms. Langford.¡± Tessa was both astonished and overjoyed upon learning Aria¡¯s background. ¡°You three are going to the Solemnity Guild. Make sure to bring her in.¡± Dorian said, ¡°I think that¡¯s going to be very difficult.¡± Dorian thought, ¡®If she truly wanted this life in Arressto, she wouldn¡¯t have left the Solemnity Guild at just twenty. Recruiting her into Arressto would be impossible.¡¯ Tessa said firmly, ¡°We have to give it a try. Pack up and head out immediately. Whatever demands Aria makes, just say yes.¡± Someone said, ¡°What if she demands to take your ce?¡± Tessa hesitated. ¡°Err, I don¡¯t think she will.¡± Dorian said, ¡°Okay, Ms. Langford. We¡¯ll keep you updated.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Tessa. The dungeon was thick with the stench of blood. Someone withdrew his fingers from Olivia¡¯s neck and said gravely, ¡°It¡¯s suicide.¡± Solemnity Guild was known for crushing spirits with mind games, yet Olivia cracked so badly that she chose to kill herse ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Tyree roared. His eyes were red with anger. ¡°Those tiny puncture marks on her neck are proof. It was murder.¡± He thought, ¡®Olivia wouldn¡¯t have done it. She knew I wasing to save her.¡¯ The dungeon fell into dead silence as all eyes locked onto Aria in the shadows. With her long hair and dark clothes, she looked cold and serious. Everyone knew that Echohawk was the only person who could kill with a needle. ¡°It was you,¡± Tyree roared. He exploded, lunging straight at Aria. Wilson and Owen instantly shielded Aria. Tyree got halfway there before Wade stepped in, pulling his knife and blocking him. ¡°It can¡¯t be Echohawk. She just arrive at the Solemnity Guild yesterday, and she hasn¡¯t even been to the dungeon.¡± Tyree¡¯s voice was hoarse with rage. ¡°She wants to avenge Sara. No one else kills with needles.¡± Not far away, Russell wore a mocking smirk. He was clearly the prime suspect, but here he was, acting like nothing was wrong. Olivia was never the suicidal type. This was obviously a setup targeting Aria. Emmett fixed his gaze on her and asked, ¡°Echohawk, did you kill her?¡± Aria said tly, ¡°No.¡± Owen added firmly, ¡°Aria and I were together all night, and we never left our room. The security footage will confirm it.¡± Wilson stared at Owen, eyes wide with shock. ¡°Wait. Did you two actually spend the night in the same room?¡± Owen thought, ¡®Oh, not only did we share a room, but also the same bed! Again Marriage 668 Owen cleared his throat and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get to business first.¡± ¡°Surveince footage can be faked, too,¡± Tyree said, utterly convinced it was Aria. ¡°Echohawk never denies her kills, Emmett said. ¡°If she says she didn¡¯t, then she didn¡¯t.¡± Echohawk murdered Marcus for Sara¡¯s sake, killed a senior member of the Solemnity Guild, and when the Solemnity Guild sought to execute her, she never denied any of the usations. Olivia was just nobody. If Echohawk really killed her, she would admit it. Besides, Tyree wouldn¡¯t be around much longer anyway. If Echohawk said she didn¡¯t do it, the Solemnity Guild members would never doubt her word. Emmett ordered, ¡°Wade, go investigate and find out who¡¯s framing Echohawk.¡± Wade felt a sudden pang of annoyance, and he thought, ¡®If it weren¡¯t for all this drama, I¡¯d already be squaring off with Echohawk by now! He said, ¡°Dead is dead. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Emmett was speechless, and he thought, ¡®He just said others shouldn¡¯t interfere with this, but now¡­ At least he should have The decency to pretend in front of Olivia¡¯s father¡¯ Tyree¡¯s face darkened with rage. In one swift motion, he snatched the gun from Emmett¡¯s waist and aimed it straight at Wade. ¡°Say that again, I dare you!¡± Wade stepped forward, and the gun muzzle pressed firmly against his own forehead. ¡°Do you even dare pull the trigger?¡± he aunted Tyree. Wade thought, ¡®If Tyree fired, I could strike back and kill him instantly. That wouldplete the task I promised Aria, right nere. The gunshot exploded, not at Wade or Aria, but straight at Russell. Fortunately, Russell had anticipated this. With a swift sidestep, the bullet grazed past his shoulder, sparking against the stone wall behind him. Russell calmly smoothed the wrinkles from his sleeve. ¡°Mr. Tyree Remar,¡± he said, ¡°you¡¯re always with sneak attacks, aren¡¯t you?¡± Emmett swiftly confiscated the gun, his gaze turning steely. He warned, ¡°Mr. Tyree Remar, whatever vendetta the Wolfshade Syndicate has, take it elsewhere. This is Solemnity Guild turf.¡± Tyree¡¯s eyes burned crimson as he red at Russell. ¡°If I¡¯d known then what I know now, I should¡¯ve just watched Sara die in agony,¡± he snarled. you and Tyree thought, ¡®The ungrateful wretch I raised now is the one who murdered my daughter.¡¯ ¡°Funny you should say that,¡± Russell suddenly grinned, a chilling smile spreading across his face as he bared his teeth. ¡°I also regret not sending Olivia to her grave sooner. At the very least, she should¡¯ve had a taste of torture herself.¡± Wade felt a flicker of disappointment. ¡®Why didn¡¯t he pull the trigger at me?¡¯ he thought. ¡®I was all set to take him out. His daughter was gone; nothing he did could bring her back. Tyree turned to Emmett, his voice cold as ice. ¡°300 million dors. Kill Russell.¡± Everyone present was stunned by the sheer figure. Three hundred million dors, that was more than what they¡¯d make from dozens of contractsbined.. Emmett replied politely, ¡°Russell doesn¡¯t meet our Solemnity Guild¡¯s criteria for taking on contracts, Mr. Tyree Remar. You may ce your contract with another syndicate.¡± Russell was meticulous, always leaving room for maneuver, unlike Tyree, who had no qualms about breaking thew. Russell curled his lips and drawled, ¡°Mr. Tyree Remar, you really do fit the Solemnity Guild¡¯s requirements. I¡¯m cing a contract with 30 million dors.¡± Wade immediately cut in, ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± He was already nning to kill Tyree anyway. ¡¯30 million dors for it? Not bad. With this job done, I could finally take a long break, Wade thought. Tyree¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Emmett,¡± he snapped, ¡°is the Solemnity Guild dering war on the entire Wolfshade Syndicate?¡± ¡°Just a joke.¡± Emmett red sharply at Wade, then turned to Russell with professional detachment. ¡°Mr. Nicholson, if you¡¯re serious about that, please submit the required documents through proper channels. The Solemnity Guild must vet all requests.¡± The message was clear: Tyree qualified as a target. A murderous shadow crossed Tyree¡¯s face as the realization struck him. Again Marriage 669 ¡°Russell,¡± Wade urged sharply, ¡°ce that contract now. I¡¯m calling dibs, and nobody else gets this job.¡± Hearing that, Emmett rubbed his temples in exasperation. Clutching his daughter¡¯s lifeless body, Tyree gazed between Aria and Russell like a serpent sizing up its prey. Owen stepped squarely in front of him. ¡°Mr. Tyree Remar,¡± he warned, ¡°don¡¯t mistake your enemy. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t hesitate to help the Solemnity Guild fulfill that contract.¡± To Tyree, Owen was also a person of interest. Tyree shot him a look that could kill. Then, venomously, he thought, ¡®Once I¡¯m done with Russell, none of them will get away alive.¡¯ Wilson frowned at Tyree, a murderous glint shing in his eyes. Rosalie watched Tyree¡¯s retreating figure, her gaze sweeping over the three, a knowing smile ying on her lips. Echohawk¡¯s departure from the Solemnity Guild wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. At least, she had people who had her back. Even if she didn¡¯t need their help, their presence wasfort in itself. Once Tyree¡¯s footsteps faded away, Wade shot Russell a quick reminder. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to ce the contract.¡± Then he strode over to Aria. ¡°When are we starting our duel?¡± he asked, anticipation gleaming in his eyes. Aria looked up at him and asked, ¡°So, what kind of duel do you have in mind? Are we sticking to the old Solemnity Guild rules?¡± Wade shook his head. ¡°No, those old challenges are way too yed out. Let¡¯s spice things up with something new.¡± Aria said, ¡°Your call.¡± Wade grinned. ¡°Ladies first, your call.¡± Aria said coolly, ¡°Let¡¯s settle this with a single shot.¡± Wade bit back a curse. ¡°The Solemnity Guild just mapped out a new challenge course, and no one¡¯s tried it yet. Whoever makes it through first takes the crown.¡± The assessment site was set at Mount Soultaker, a treacherousndscape teeming with deadly beasts and venomous creatures. Many had ventured in, but few ever made it out alive. Still, the Solemnity Cuild wouldn¡¯t send its members on a suicide mission. The chosen route avoided the most perilous central zone; anyone who made it through within three days passed the test. Aria nodded in understanding. ¡°Works for me.¡± Emmett was pleased with the challenge format and said, ¡°It¡¯d be too boring with just the two of you. Pick ten more people, and each of you leads a team. You¡¯ll only seed if everyone makes it out safely. ¡°If even you two can¡¯t bring your teams through safely, then there¡¯s no point in opening this assessment route at all.¡± Wade readily agreed. ¡°No objections,¡± Aria said coolly. ¡°Count me in,¡± Owen cut in abruptly. Wilson shot his hand up. ¡°Me, too!¡± ?????? Joel and Harry exchanged a nce, then said in unison, ¡°Count us in!¡± Seeing this, Rosalie let out a soft chuckle and said, ¡°Count me in, too. That makes five of us.¡± Emmett sighed helplessly. ¡°Rosalie is allowed, but the rest of you must be members of the Solemnity Guild.¡± He paused, then offered a wry smile. ¡°Of course, if you¡¯re willing to join our ranks, that would also qualify you.¡± The four fell silent and instinctively stepped back. With Aria already out of the Solemnity Guild, there was no way Owen would risk joining it. As for Wilson, Joel, and Harry, who were from Arressto agents, joining another organization would be signing their own death warrants. A flicker of disappointment shed in Emmett¡¯s eyes as his attempt to win them over failed. Wade said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just pick Team One.¡± Team One¡¯s former captain retired two years after Aria¡¯s retreat. With his outstanding performance, Wade defeated all challengers and took over as the new captain of Team One. Aria used to be the captain of Team Six. Team Six wasn¡¯t on any missions, so the members said without hesitation, ¡°We¡¯re with Echohawk!¡± Emmett chuckled. ¡°With your established teamwork, the odds would be too good. Where¡¯s the fun in that? All present who wish to participate, we¡¯ll draw lots to decide.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± someone immediately dered. With Echohawk and Wade leading, only a fool would pass up this chance. Emmett issued the orders, and the teams were promptly finalized. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Rosalie drew Wade, while Team One¡¯s second-inmand, Saintiger, drew Aria. Again Marriage 670 Emmett gave a knowing smile and said, ¡°Everyone on the winning team will receive a reward. The draw results were somewhat unexpected, but I trust that everyone here is honorable and aboveboard.¡± As they left the dungeon, Team One gathered around Saintiger. A member of Team One called out, ¡°Saintiger, you should back up Wade to win this.¡± ¡°If we beat Echohawk, Team One will be the unrivaled champions. No one can touch us.¡± True to his name, Saintiger was a hulking figure. Scratching his head, he said, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be a fair fight.¡± A teammate patted Saintiger on the shoulder, motioning him to look in Echohawk¡¯s direction, and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t back up Wade, Rosalie will just help Echohawk. Seven against five isn¡¯t fair, so your support would even the odds.¡± At this moment, Rosalie squeezed in next to Aria, whining, ¡°I want to be on your team, not with Wade.¡± Team One and Team Six had always seen each other as rivals and sworn enemies. Being sent to the enemy camp made her skin crawl. Aria reassured her, ¡°Other than Wade, no one else on your team is from Team One. Nothing to worry about.¡± Rosalie grumbled, ¡°But I just can¡¯t stand Wade.¡± She thought, ¡®At least with Echohawk, I could admire her gorgeous face all day. What a treat!¡¯ Aria said, ¡°Emmett just took office, so he¡¯s sure to be generous. Aren¡¯t you curious about the reward he mentioned? If we lose, all we can do is watch Team One take all the rewards.¡± ¡°But I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s gonna win!¡± Aria said, ¡°I haven¡¯t been on a mission in four years. If you stick with me, you¡¯ll be getting the short end of the stick.¡± Rosalie pondered for a moment and realized Aria had a point. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off to help Wade win this.¡± ¡°Go on, you¡¯ve got this!¡± Feeling motivated, Rosalie headed toward Wade, just about to say hi, when she overheard some Team One members trying to persuade Saintiger to switch sides. Rosalie scoffed, ¡°Team One really can¡¯tpare to us in Team Six. Echohawk told me to work hard with Wade to win fair and square, while you¡¯re busy trying to get Saintiger to betray his team. Now that¡¯s what I call ss.¡± The Team One members bristled. ¡°Like hell we¡¯d believe you. You¡¯re obviously Echohawk¡¯s mole.¡± Rosalie snorted dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to hide, so think what you will.¡± Once Rosalie had left, Saintiger nced over at Aria, a conflicted look in his eyes. He couldn¡¯t help thinking, ¡®Maybe I should try joining Echohawk¡¯s side for a change! Saintiger wrestled with his thoughts for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll y it by ear. If Rosalie really ends up helping Echohawk, I¡¯ll back up our captain.¡± With both teams taking the same route, a sh was inevitable whenever they crossed paths. A Team One member nodded. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Wilson looked at the Solemnity Guild members, all raring to go, and said to Aria, ¡°They¡¯re not what I thought they¡¯d be.¡± He had always imagined every single one of these assassins as cold-blooded and ruthless, stopping at nothing in their path. But that wasn¡¯t the case. Wilson thought to himself, ¡°Turns out, they¡¯re actually pretty easy to handle. Aria said, ¡°They grew up together, always standing united against outsiders. Even their internal conflicts are just minor squabbles that never turn deadly. But with one ring exception¡­¡± For example, Colin¡¯s grandson, Marcus. He abused his privileged status as Colin¡¯s grandson in the Solemnity Guild, bullying the weak and secretly scheming against his own guildmates. After Marcus and Colin died, the Solemnity Guild ced greater emphasis on cultivating internal unity and discipline. Everyone brought into the Solemnity Guild was painstakingly trained, so it would be a tremendous waste if they fell into infighting. Owen instantly knew who Aria meant by ¡°the exception.¡± Wilson was clueless, but he didn¡¯t ask further. He sighed, ¡°Man, I really wanted to check out Mount Soultaker. Too bad.¡± Owen gazed toward Mount Soultaker and said, ¡°We¡¯re not with the Solemnity Guild, so going in wouldn¡¯t break their rules.¡± ¡°That makes sense!¡± Joel¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°We¡¯re outsiders. We can just waltz right into the mountain whenever we want.¡± Again Marriage 671 Harry hesitated. ¡°But what if Aria wins and Team One turns out to be sore losers, using us of interfering?¡± Wilson said, ¡°The Solemnity Guild must have people watching from the shadows. We just need to stay out of it.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°You all that eager to get in?¡± ¡°You bet! We¡¯re already here, so why not?¡± Aria sized them up, thinking they were all capable. She felt reassured and let go of her worries. Emmett set the entry time for Mount Soultaker at 11 PM. Just as Aria was ready to leave, her phone suddenly buzzed. It was Silvia calling five minutes earlier. Zoe couldn¡¯t get hold of her son and started to worry, so Logan was forced to admit that Caleb had gone abroad to look for Aria. Caleb wasn¡¯t the impulsive type. If he made a sudden decision like this, something would happen. Zoe asked, ¡°Why did Caleb suddenly go abroad to see Aria? Is something wrong with her?¡± Logan wasn¡¯t about to tell his wife the truth. ¡°Aria¡¯s birthday ising up, so Caleb probably wants to celebrate with her in person.¡± ¡°But why the rush?¡± Zoe studied her husband, a nagging feeling that he was hiding something. ¡°What time did our son leave? It¡¯s already half past ten, and he should be there now, right?¡± Logan froze. At that moment, Caleb should have arrived. He called his son, but couldn¡¯t get through. Zoe grew uneasy. ¡°Maybe his flight was dyed. How about we call Aria to check?¡± Logan said, ¡°What if Caleb¡¯s just trying to surprise her?¡± The couple¡¯s faces were etched with worry. From the stairs, Silvia overheard their conversation. ¡°Mom, Dad, let me call,¡± she offered. Logan hesitated, ¡°Silvia, you and Aria¡­¡± Silvia said, ¡°We¡¯ve met a few times. Aria¡¯s actually really nice.¡± Everyone said Aria was difficult, but Silvia knew she had a good heart. Silvia thought, ¡®If our roles had been reversed, I could never have epted another girl usurping the life that should have been mine for twenty years! But Aria never held it against her. She even took in her own younger sister, Pearl. With aplicated expression, Zoe finally said, ¡°Then let Silvia make the call.¡± ***** Silvia said, ¡°Aria, Caleb¡¯s on his way to see you.¡± Aria froze. ¡°Caleb came to find me?¡± Aria thought, ¡®How did Caleb even know where I am?¡¯ She waspletely caught off guard. Logan¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°Aria, if you and Caleb run into each other, could you please send Silvia a message to let her know? Is that alright?¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Aria replied, then asked Silvia, ¡°By the way, how are Lily and Pearl doing?¡± While Aria was away, Silvia used overtime as an excuse to visit Mayen Garden even more frequently. Silvia loved taking pictures and would always send them to Aria, though most of the time, it was actually Owen who replied to her messages on Aria¡¯s behalf. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Silvia. Lily and Pearl are both doing just fine.¡± After saying that, Silvia stole a furtive nce at Logan and Zoe. Little did she know that her parents had long been aware of her visits to Mayen Garden and Pearl¡¯s true identity. Silvia wanted to keep it a secret, and they simply yed along. Aria hung up abruptly and immediately dialed Caleb¡¯s number, only to hear the automated voice informing her that his phone was switched off. She pocketed her phone and hurried out the door. Owen and Wilson were waiting in the hallway when they noticed Aria looked troubled. Wilson spoke up first, ¡°Hey, Aria, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria looked at Wilson and said, ¡°Caleb¡¯sing to see me. You stay here and wait for him.¡± Wilson froze for a moment, then it hit him that Caleb had asked for his locationst night. He thought, ¡®No way, Caleb¡¯s actually here!¡¯ He was about to agree, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Owen and changed his tune. ¡°Owen could stay too After all, he¡¯s Caleb¡¯s ¡®future brother-inw.¡± Owen pressed his lips together, unable to retort. Seeing neither of them spoke up, Wilson grinned and chimed in, ¡°Well, I could always stay too. Aria, you gotta give me something in return.¡± Again Marriage 672 ¡°Of course, Wilson,¡± Aria said. Wilson froze for a moment, clearly not expecting her to agree so quickly. Then it hit him that she was only for Caleb. He immediately pouted andined, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Caleb, you wouldn¡¯t agree with me at all, would you?¡± Before Aria could reply, Wilson waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Whatever, I won¡¯t hold it against you. You can¡¯t take it back now anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll contact Caleb. You just focus on thepetition,¡± he said, ncing at Joel and Harry. ¡°You two better take good care of my future brother-inw.¡± He deliberately emphasized the phrase ¡°future brother-inw,¡± his toneced with teasing sarcasm. Joel and Harry snapped to attention and shouted in unison, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Wilson. We¡¯ll make sure nothing happens to your future brother-inw.¡± Owen instinctively looked at Aria, just as she raised her eyes to meet his. Their eyes met briefly, and a hint of helpless amusement flickered in both their gazes. The road to the Solemnity Guild wasn¡¯t safe, and Aria¡¯s face clouded with worry. Wilson reached out and gently ruffled her hair. ¡°Rx,¡± he said, ¡®Caleb isn¡¯t as weak as you think. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Owen took hold of Wilson¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Did you wash your hands? He hadn¡¯t. Wilson immediately pulled his hand back, a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely remember next time.¡± Owen really has the vibe of a househusband, Wilson thought, his approval of the man ticking up a notch. The group headed to the meeting point. Wilson squeezed between Aria and Owen. ¡°So, which one of you does the cooking and cleaning?¡± Aria replied tly, ¡°Him.¡± Wilson nodded approvingly. ¡°Good man.¡± Saxon Manor. Silvia gently reassured them, ¡°Mom and Dad, don¡¯t worry. Caleb often travels abroad by himself, and he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Logan forced a smile and said, ¡°We¡¯re not worried. You have work tomorrow, so get some rest.¡± Silvia nodded. ¡°Goodnight, Mom and Dad.¡± Silvia turned and headed upstairs. Just as she reached her bedroom door, she suddenly remembered something she¡¯d forgotten to say. When she turned back toward the top of the stairs, hushed voices drifted up from below. ¡°You¡¯re keeping something from me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Zoe said, her voice tense. Logan denied it right away. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I¡¯m just a little worried about Caleb, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Caleb went abroad alone when he was just a teenager, and you didn¡¯t worry about him then, Zoe pressed. ¡°Now he¡¯s almost thirty. What are you worried about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried he¡¯ll never find a girlfriend.¡± Zoe¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What exactly happened? Why are you beating around the bush?¡± Logan sighed deeply. ¡°Zoe, Aria came back when she was fifteen. She must have known back then that she and Silvia had been switched at birth.¡± Hidden in the shadows, Silvia abruptly clenched her dress, tension coursing through her. Zoe¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact reason myself,¡± Logan murmured. ¡°She came to see us back then, but in the end, she never revealed herself.¡± Zoe suddenly choked up. ¡°Is it because she saw how well we treated Silvia and felt like she didn¡¯t belong?¡± ¡°Aria was never talkative, always reserved, while Silvia was lively and adorable, so everyone loved Silvia.¡± Logan¡¯s voice trailed off. ¡°Maybe she thought Silvia would make a better Saxon family¡¯s daughter.¡± Aria had, more than once, told herself that Silvia was better suited to be the Saxon family¡¯s daughter than she was. Silvia¡¯s heart ached as she silently wiped away her tears and retreated to her room. I¡¯m not always this lively, Silvia thought. ¡®Truth be told, I prefer peace and solitude. But after overhearing Grandpa say he liked lively granddaughters, I tried to change. Again Marriage 673 Seeing how it brought more smiles to my family, I decided to keep it up. If only I had known I wasn¡¯t their daughter from the start, I would have just stayed my quiet, reserved self. That way, they wouldn¡¯t havepared us, and no one would think Aria was cold because I would have been just like her. Silvia regretted deeply. She thought, ¡®What must fifteen-year-old Aria have felt after seeing how well Mom and Dad treated me?¡¯ ***** Aria¡¯s team consisted of five members, including Saintiger, with exactly two women and three men. Wade¡¯s team had the identicalposition. Word spread quickly that Aria and Wade would be leading teams into Mount Soultaker, and the members who hadn¡¯t been picked in the draw soon crowded around. One member mustered up the courage to raise his hand. ¡°Mr. Murray, can¡¯t you add a few more spots?¡± Emmett chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Too many people would make management difficult,¡± he replied. ¡°We¡¯ll behave!¡± a young member pledged. ¡°Just give the order and I¡¯ll follow it to the letter. No tricks, I promise.¡± Someone next to him immediately chimed in, ¡°I¡¯ll be your most loyal man, Echohawk.¡± The group howled withughter. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re so shameless.¡± He huffed, ¡°Echohawk onlyes around once every four years. Who knows when we¡¯ll see her again?¡± At his words, the others quickly chimed in, all vying to join Aria¡¯s team. One of Wade¡¯s team members muttered under his breath, ¡°Seriously, Wade is the top assassin here. Why¡¯s everyone so hung up on Echohawk?¡± Wade looked at the lively crowd, thinking to himself that things really were much better with Curtis gone. He much preferred this kind of atmosphere. He turned to the team member and said, ¡°Go on, say it louder. See if they beat you up.¡± The team member¡¯s face fell. ¡°Cap, I was trying to stick up for you.¡± ¡°No need, Wade replied coolly. ¡°I prefer to hear the truth.¡± The team member said, ¡°Well, to be honest, Cap, I think Echohawk is more skilled than you.¡± Wade was speechless. He held it in and thought, ¡°They all look down on me now, but just wait till I win thispetition. I¡¯ll make them eat their words! Harry sidled up to Wilson and whispered, ¡°Aria sure is popr.¡± Wilson lifted his chin proudly. ¡°Of course she is. Just look who her brother is.¡± Harry rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re just her cousin. Caleb¡¯s her real brother.¡± ¡°Shut it,¡± Wilson red at him. Emmett lifted a hand, and the buzzing crowd instantly fell silent. ¡°This is just the first trial. Everyone will get their chance to enter eventually, but for now, we¡¯ll proceed strictly ording to the lottery results. Understood?¡± It wasn¡¯t about the trial; it was about following Echohawk. Once the leader spoke, the crowd fell silent. Soon, Aria and Wade, each leading their teams, entered Mount Soultaker one after another. Emmett watched the teams disappear into the distance, then turned to find only Wilson still standing there. And Owen, Joel, and Harry were already gone. Wilson caught Emmett¡¯s gaze and shed him a grin. With a slight nod, Emmett averted his eyes. They didn¡¯t belong to the Solemnity Guild. Whether they entered Mount Soultaker or not made no difference to us. The two teams converged at a fork in the mountain path. Ahead, the path split into two, both shrouded in dense fog, their ends lost from sight. Wade spoke first, ¡°Left for us, right for you. Agreed?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡± Wade said, ¡°Echohawk, I¡¯ll give it my all to defeat you. I hope you¡¯ll do the same.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t hold back,¡± Aria replied. She wasn¡¯t about to let her five teammates lose on her watch. She led her team along the right-hand path. The fog grew increasingly dense, and the temperature around them dropped sharply. Aria raised her hand to halt the team. ¡°Change into warmer gear first,¡± she ordered. The team had just finished gearing up when a startled cry rang out through the thick fog. Again Marriage 674 Owen said quietly, ¡°We might not be alone on this mountain.¡± Saintiger immediately pressed, ¡°What do you mean? Did you spot anyone?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t see anyone,¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°Just a gut feeling.¡± Saintiger opened his mouth to scoff, but the moment he remembered Owen was with Echohawk, he quickly shut it. Ariamanded, ¡°Move out.¡± They hadn¡¯t gone far when rustling noises erupted all around them, like countless creatures scurrying across the ground. ¡°Venomous insects,¡± Ariamanded sharply. ¡°Everyone, check your gear right now, no exposed skin!¡± Everyone quickly adjusted their protective gear. Aria grabbed Owen¡¯s hand and pulled him behind her. ¡°Get behind me!¡± The rustling grew closer. Ariamanded sharply, ¡°Maintain formation! Engage!¡± Wielding their poles in one hand and attacking with the other, the team members would asionally fan out, only to instantly regroup. In the thick fog, even a moment¡¯s distraction could get them separated from the group. They had to stay on high alert. ¡°Corrosive venom,¡± Saintiger barked. ¡°Finish them fast!¡± With a swift flick of her pole, Aria sent the venomous insect flying just as it lunged at Owen. Yvonne shot a nce and retorted sarcastically, ¡°You should¡¯ve just stayed home. You¡¯re nothing but trouble.¡± Owen leaned against a tree, his voiceced with mock innocence. ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m just too weak. I guess I¡¯ll have to coun on you guys to keep me safe.¡± Yvonne rolled her eyes inwardly. She had clearly seen his skills when he fought Marco, so there was nothing weak about him. ¡®No time to overthink, Yvonne told herself, forcing her attention to the swarming venomous insects as the battle raged on. Again Marriage 675 Aria thought, These critters won¡¯t kill us, but they sure as hell slow us down. If the opposing team picks up the pace, they¡¯ll clear this path hours ahead of us.¡¯ After finally clearing this wave, a teammate, panting slightly, shot Saintiger a withering re. ¡°You¡¯re too damn slow! If you were with Wade, you wouldn¡¯t be dragging your feet like this.¡± Saintiger grumbled, ¡°They¡¯re just some venomous bugs, not even dangerous. You¡¯re the one who insisted on tagging along.¡± ¡°And I was wrong for helping you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your help.¡± For Saintiger, helping Team One defeat Echohawk mattered far more than any so-called reward. Saintiger was rooting for the other team to win, though he wouldn¡¯t actively sabotage his own side. At most, he¡¯d just be a bit half-hearted about it. The teammate fumed, ¡°You just don¡¯t care about winning¡­¡± He suddenly copsed. Yvonne, right behind him, instantly caught the falling man. ¡°He¡¯s out cold.¡± Aria rushed over to examine him. ¡°Venomous insect bite,¡± she diagnosed tersely. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Yvonne blurted out, her voice full of disbelief. Yvonne crouched down to check the member, Yancy Ximenes. When she saw the fabric above his ankle had been shed by a de, her face darkened. ¡°This was clearly done with a knife,¡± she used, ring at Saintiger. ¡°You and I were the closest. I use a whip, but you use a knife. Was it you?¡± Saintiger frowned, protesting, ¡°Why would I sh his uniform? He was the one who darted into my space. I was too busy fighting off those venomous insects. How was I supposed to notice if my de grazed him?¡± The other team members couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°Aside from Echohawk, you¡¯re the strongest in our team. If you¡¯d just been quicker, would he have needed to step in and help you deal with those venomous insects?¡± ¡°If you didn¡¯t want to join our team, you should¡¯ve told Mr. Murray. What gives you the right to drag us down with you?¡± The team¡¯s message was clear: Saintiger¡¯s cking got his teammate hurt, intentional or not. But Saintiger, feeling wronged by their baseless usations and deliberate targeting, snapped, ¡°Since you¡¯re all so convinced I did this on purpose, then I¡¯ll just go help the opposing team.¡± ¡°Hold it,¡± Ariamanded. Saintiger ignored her and kept walking. Aria red at Saintiger. ¡°If you quit now, we¡¯ll never win first ce. Is that what you want? Mr. Murray¡¯s orders are clear: the team must remain intact.¡± Saintiger stopped in his tracks and turned around, snapping, ¡°You¡¯re the ones forcing me out.¡± Aria stared at Saintiger and demanded, ¡°Do you truly have a clear conscience?¡± Saintiger fell silent. Aria took out a bottle of medicated powder and sprinkled it on Yancy¡¯s wound. Standing up, she ordered Saintiger, ¡°You carry him on your back.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°He got bitten by that venomous insect thanks to you. Whether directly or indirectly, this is on you. Are you really going to deny responsibility, or are you just too proud to carry your own teammate?¡± If any evaluators were watching from the shadows, he could easily be disqualified, and after that, it would be incredibly difficult for him to be trusted with significant roles again. After all, Yancy¡¯s injury was indeed due to him. Saintiger couldn¡¯t im he was meless. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll carry him,¡± he grumbled. Aria pulled out several medicated pouches from her backpack and distributed them. ¡°Everyone, put these on. They¡¯ll ward off insects,¡± she instructed. Saintiger secured Yancy on his back. ¡°Will these pouches keep those bugs from earlier off us, too?¡± he asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice. Aria nodded. ¡°They can.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just give these to us earlier?¡± Aria said casually, ¡°I haven¡¯t been on a mission in ages. It must¡¯ve slipped my mind.¡± Saintiger was speechless. But the truth was that Aria hadn¡¯t forgotten. She was just using this opportunity to assess her team¡¯ dynamics. Saintiger was straightforward. Though his heart was with Wade, he¡¯d never deliberately sabotage his own team. Give him a direct order, and he¡¯d carry it out. Aria ordered, ¡°Put him down.¡± Baffled but obedient, Saintiger did as told. Aria produced a set of acupuncture needles. ¡°Remove hisbat uniform,¡± shemanded. Saintiger stared at her hands. ¡°Are you trying to poke him to death with those needles?¡± ¡°Sure am.¡± Saintiger was speechless again, Again Marriage 676 Saintiger heard the dismissive reply and didn¡¯t press the issue. Aria produced her silver needles and began performing acupuncture on Yancy. The others immediately gathered around, watching her every move intently. They all knew Echohawk¡¯s silver needles were lethal, capable of killing without a trace. So, when she produced them at that moment, a flicker of confusion crossed their faces. One of the team members whispered, ¡°Wait, is she really going to wake Yancy up with those needles?¡± Sure enough, within mere seconds, Yancy¡¯s eyes fluttered open. As Aria finished removing the needles, Yvonne was stunned. ¡°Is this Huthailian acupuncture?¡± she asked. Aria nodded. ¡°Correct.¡± Yvonne gasped in astonishment, ¡°You know traditional medicine too?¡± ¡°Just a bit,¡± Aria replied coolly. Saintiger¡¯s gaze wasplicated. He couldn¡¯tprehend how someone could use the same needles both to kill and to heal. Aria nced at Yancy. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Yancy straightened his clothes and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Thanks, Cap.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re fine, let¡¯s keep moving,¡± Aria said curtly, striding ahead to lead the way. Sure enough, with the herbal pouches in hand, they proceeded without encountering any more venomous insects along the way. Suddenly, a deep growl echoed through the woods. Saintiger tensed instantly. ¡°Bear,¡± he warned tersely. ¡°Stand down,¡± Aria reassured calmly. ¡°The herbal pouches can ward off predators, too. ¡°The growl drew closer, then faded into the distance. Yvonne gasped in renewed astonishment. ¡°Is this herbal pouch that effective? Cap, could you spare me one?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria said. ¡°But the potency fades over time. I¡¯ll give you the form so you can experiment with it yourself.¡± Yvonne eximed in delight, ¡°Such a precious form! Are you really just giving it to me?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria responded simply. ¡°Cap, may I have one too?¡± Yancy chimed in eagerly. ¡°Sure,¡± Aria replied. The other two team members chimed in as well, asking for pouches, and Aria agreed. Only Saintiger grumbled disapprovingly, ¡°You¡¯re just taking the easy way out.¡± Yvonne scoffed, ¡°That¡¯s our Cap¡¯s skill. Don¡¯tin when you¡¯re already benefiting from it.¡± Saintiger knew they couldn¡¯t stand him, so he might as well shut up. Unhindered by venomous insects or predators, they deftly avoided the traps and reached the trail¡¯s end after three hours of smooth progress. Just as they reached the exit, they overheard a conversation. A member of Wade¡¯s team asked, ¡°Are we seriously going to send the bear after them? That¡¯s so underhanded.¡± ¡°Obstructing them is just part of securing victory.¡± Joel couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°You call this obstructing? You¡¯re basically trying to get them killed!¡± The Wade member snapped back, ¡°We already told you two to stop tailing us.¡± Harry scoffed, ¡°This path doesn¡¯t belong to the Solemnity Guild. What right do you have to stop us from walking here?¡± Yvonne crossed her arms and smirked at Saintiger. ¡°Calling our herbal pouches ¡®taking the easy way out¡¯? Your precious Team One is literally driving bears to kill us.¡± Saintiger frowned. ¡°That guy isn¡¯t even part of Team One. Don¡¯t just pin the me on us.¡± Yancy chimed in, ¡°If your captain isn¡¯t stopping them, that¡¯s tacit approval.¡± Saintiger opened his mouth to argue, but realized he was no match for them. Suddenly, he just felt so tired. Saintiger thought to himself, ¡®Back when Team One was under Team Six¡¯s thumb, Team Six was just as obnoxious. Howe now that these four, after following Echohawk, have be equally troublesome?¡¯ Aria nced at the group. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± Wade¡¯s group was just about to sic the bear on them when they abruptly saw Aria and her team emerge at the exit, giving them quite a fright. Yvonne scoffed mockingly. ¡°So, I heard you were nning to sic a bear on us?¡± Wade frowned. ¡°How did you make it out so quickly?¡± Yancy arched an eyebrow. ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly slow yourselves, were you?¡± Again Marriage 677 ¡°Impossible!¡± snapped a teammate beside Wade. ¡°We took the safe route. Your path was riddled with traps, venomous insects, and wild beasts. There¡¯s no way you could¡¯ve arrived at the same time as us.¡± The female teammate looked astonished. ¡°No, not at all. Our journey was perfectly smooth, no traps, no venomous creatures, nothing.¡± The others chimed in, ¡°Maybe Mr. Murray just forgot to activate the traps, or he¡¯s trying to y fair by not setting up any roadblocks for us.¡± As the two teams confronted each other, even Emmett, who had been observing the battle, was caught off guard. Emmett had no idea Echohawk even knew traditional medicine, let alone that she¡¯d developed herbal pouches to ward off venomous insects and wild beasts. These herbal pouches were incredibly effective. Once they emerged, Emmett decided he¡¯d ask Aria for a supply. A member of Team One protested, ¡°Mr. Murray, Echohawk¡¯s herbal pouches are basically cheat tools. It¡¯s totally unfair to the rest of us.¡± Team Six fired back, ¡°That¡¯s just because your team doesn¡¯t have the skills to develop one.¡± Team One: ¡°Team Six? You¡¯re nothing without Echohawk!¡± Team Six shot back, ¡°So what? At least Echohawk¡¯s been carrying us for six years. If our cap were still around, your Team One wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance.¡± The two teams started arguing, but Emmett cut in. ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, luck is part of strength, and so are those herbal pouches that ward off venomous insects and wild beasts.¡± Emmett smirked as he watched the surveince footage on therge screen. He wondered to himself, ¡®Will Wade dare to make a direct move against Echohawk?¡¯ Seeing that Aria was fine, Wilson moved away and tried calling Caleb again, but the call still wouldn¡¯t go through. Growing concerned, Wilson hesitated briefly before calling Logan. ¡°Has Caleb contacted you?¡± Logan¡¯s voice was tight with worry. ¡°No, he went overseas to find Aria. We haven¡¯t been able to reach him, and I¡¯ve already sent people to look into it. Wilson, I¡¯ll hang up now and call Aria.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Aria doesn¡¯t know about Caleb¡¯s situation either.¡± ¡°Aria?¡± Logan caught on immediately. ¡°Wilson, are you with her right now?¡± Wilson didn¡¯t hide it. ¡°Yes.¡± Logan thought to himself, ¡°They must be pretty close. Logan felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy. ¡°How is she doing?¡± Wilson said casually, ¡°She¡¯s doing great, strong enough to wrestle a bull.¡± Logan was speechless. ¡°If you manage to get in touch with Caleb, let me know right away.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The call ended, and Wilson felt a pang of worry. He was afraid that Caleb, rushing to the Solemnity Guild, might get tricked. Dorian nced at Wilson and asked, ¡°What¡¯s he up to?¡± ¡°Probably fiddling with his phone,¡± a teammate replied. Dorian warned in a low voice, ¡°Keep him off Blood Association¡¯s radar.¡± Dorian and his two teammates spotted Caleb outside the airport. At that time, Caleb¡¯s phone had just been stolen. Recognizing Caleb¡¯s identity, the trio deliberately approached him under the pretense of helping him retrieve his phone, only to identally break it in the process. After probing Caleb¡¯s intentions, they strategically revealed their own ns to visit the Solemnity Guild. Just as they expected, Caleb chose to apany them. With the Wolfshade Syndicate blockading the other route to the Solemnity Guild, they were forced to take the perilous path through Mount Soultaker. Yet, they happened to run into the Blood Association. Uncertain of what the Blood Association was truly after on this trip, they had no choice but to temporarily team up and head into Mount Soultaker together. A teammate shot Dorian aplicated look. ¡°Cap, he¡¯s way too handsome. The Blood Association members are bound to notice him. See for yourself.¡± Dorian¡¯s gaze snapped over just in time to see the three female members of the Blood Association eyeing Caleb, their eyes gleaming with a predatory, appraising glint. The Blood Association had always operated with ruthless tyranny. When they take a liking to someone, they simply take them by force. ¡°You two, protect him at all costs,¡± Dorianmanded tersely. ¡°Cap, they outnumber us,¡± one of the teammates said, his voice tinged with concern. ( Again Marriage 678 The Blood Association sent a full squad of ten members. That¡¯s quite a show of force. If it came to blows, they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Sensing their gazes, Caleb looked up and met the scrutinizing looks of the Blood Association members. His expression remained unchanged as he calmly pocketed the damaged phone. He¡¯d been in such a rush, he hadn¡¯t gotten around to buying a new phone. Caleb got up and walked over to Dorian and his twopanions. ¡°We haven¡¯t been in the mountains for long, so there should still be a signal. Could I borrow your phone to make a call?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Charles Wainwright unlocked his phone and handed it over. Caleb stood still and dialed Aria¡¯s number. As the call connected, a smile curved his lips. ¡°Aria,¡± he said. A surprised young male voice came through the receiver. ¡°Caleb? It¡¯s Wilson.¡± Caleb¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°Why do you have Aria¡¯s phone?¡± ¡°Where have you been? We¡¯ve been trying to reach you. Logan and everyone are really worried,¡± Wilson added. ¡°Aria¡¯s worried, too. She asked me to wait here for you while she was at thepetition. We¡¯ll head back once she¡¯s done.¡± Caleb said, ¡°Tell the family I¡¯m fine.¡± Wilson said, ¡°Alright, where are you now? The road¡¯s blocked, so you can¡¯t get through. Let me notify the Solemnity Guild leader toe pick you up.¡± ¡®I should¡¯ve just taken the normal route,¡¯ Caleb thought with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m almost there,¡± Caleb said. Not wanting to worry them, he ended the call and handed the phone back without another word. Charles reminded Caleb, ¡°We¡¯ve got a long trek tomorrow. Rest up. It gets cold at night, so don¡¯t wander too far from the campfire.¡± Falling ill at a time like this would be extremely dangerous. Caleb was their sole leverage to win Aria over, so they had to keep him safe and sound. Caleb thanked him and moved to the opposite side of the campfire. ck Rose, the leader of the Blood Association, smirked and strode straight toward Caleb. ¡°Hey, there, handsome. You¡¯re Huthailian, aren¡¯t you?¡± Out of courtesy, Caleb gave a slight nod. ¡°Yeah.¡± Dressed in all ck, with a ck rose tattoo on her corbone, ck Rose sat facing Caleb, her gaze lingering on his face. ¡°You look familiar,¡± she said. It wasn¡¯t just a pick-up line, and she genuinely thought he looked familiar. Caleb sensed she was fishing for information and replied tly, ¡°Perfectly normal. Honestly, I think all foreigners look pretty much the same to me.¡± ck Rose batted her eyshes at him, arms crossed over her chest to entuate her figure. She purred with a yful pout, ¡°I¡¯m clearly the prettiest here.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t bother to respond. All her charms were lost on him. ck Rose dropped the act, her gaze scanning Caleb, sweeping from his eyes to his lips, then lingering on his chest. She thought, ¡®He really looks familiar. Who is it again?¡¯ Caleb looked at her and said, ¡°In Huthail, staring at someone like that is considered very rude.¡± ck Rose chuckled. ¡°But we¡¯re not in Huthail now.¡± Not far away, Dorian and his twopanions watched the scene unfold. Christopher Wainwright asked anxiously, ¡°Is Caleb being targeted? Should we go help him?¡± Charles said, ¡°Looks like they¡¯re getting along well. The Blood Association shouldn¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± Dorian shot them a nce. ¡°What are you even worried about? He¡¯s Aria¡¯s brother. You really think those Blood Association folks would darey a finger on him?¡± ¡°Right!¡± The two brothers suddenly realized their worries vanishing as they settled in to enjoy the show with amused interest. Again Marriage 679 To be fair, ck Rose was quite stunning, with her exotic, mixed-heritage looks and curves in all the right ces. They thought, ¡®Why does she have to chat Caleb up, of all people? Are we just not manly enough?¡¯ The brothers exchanged a nce, then looked away, each feeling a bit put out. On the other side of Mount Soultaker. The two teams struck a deal: one-on-one pure martial arts duels. The winning team would get a half-hour head start. Naturally, Aria was pitted against Wade, while the remaining matchups were decided by drawing lots. Saintiger ended up facing Rosalie. Their eyes locked, unspokenplexity flickering between them, each secretly hoping the other¡¯s team would win, yet neither willing to hold back. Given the current situation, Aria¡¯s team clearly has the upper hand. With Saintiger being such a formidable opponent, Rosalie felt she could finally fight without holding back. The moment Aria and Wade shed, the rest also sprang into action. Owen, Joel, and Harry stood a short distance away, quietly watching the scene unfold. Joel asked excitedly, ¡°Guys, which team do you think will win?¡± Harry shot him a look. ¡°Is that even a question? Of course it¡¯s Aria.¡± He turned to Owen and teased, ¡°Right, Owen?¡± Unfazed by the teasing, Owen shot the two a cool look before turning his attention back to Aria. Wade was a head taller than Aria. Gifted with raw, natural strength and tempered by years of relentless training, his power far exceeded that of any ordinary person. Avoiding direct confrontation, Aria quickly deciphered Wade¡¯s punching patterns. Wade seized his chance, wrenching Aria¡¯s right arm until her shoulder popped out of its socket. In the next instant, before he knew it, a hand was at his throat. ¡°You lost,¡± Aria said calmly. She sacrificed an arm to take his life. Wade looked dazed, never expecting to lose so quickly. He suddenly realized just how vast the gap was between him and Aria. Owen hurried over with a grim expression, just about to reach out. Without a word, Aria snapped her dislocated arm back into ce. Owen¡¯s hand hovered in the air for a moment before finally dropping. ¡°Does it hurt? Let me rub it for you.¡± Joel and Harry stood there, dumbfounded. ¡°Aria is absolutely gorgeous! And Owen¡­ He¡¯s also not bad.¡± Even in disguise, Owen looked surprisingly in sync with Aria when they stood together. Saintiger¡¯s movements faltered for a split second when he saw Wade fall. Rosalie capitalized on the opening and kicked him flying. By the time Saintiger snapped back to his senses and tried to fight back, Rosalie had already pressed her knee against his throat. ¡°Had I not held back,¡± she said coolly, ¡°you¡¯d be dead.¡± In confrontations of this caliber, even a split-second distraction can prove deadly. Saintiger sat up, immediately met by the furious res of his teammates. Three wins each. The surefire victory ended up being the reason for the draw. Yvonne fumed, stomping her foot. ¡°Cap, Saintiger absolutely threw that fight on purpose. Kick him out!¡± The other three team members also shot him furious looks. Saintiger opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was distracted. Wade¡¯s face darkened, suspecting Saintiger was deliberately holding back. He snapped, ¡°Saintiger, you¡¯re with Echohawk now. Give it your all.¡± Saintiger really wanted to say, ¡°Cap, you threw me off!¡± Having won, Rosalie nced at Aria somewhat sheepishly. Aria gave her a faint smile and said, ¡°Good work.¡± Rosalie¡¯s face instantly lit up with joy. In the end, only Saintiger got hurt. What a perfect oue. Wade said, ¡°Saintiger didn¡¯t fight at full strength. You should¡¯ve won. Go ahead.¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°Rosalie never takes opponents lightly. She won through sheer skill. The draw stands as fact. We¡¯ll take a half-hour break. You can go ahead.¡± Wade frowned. ¡°This isn¡¯t charity. You go first.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Aria turned to her teammates. ¡°Cap Wade insists we go first. Everyone, thank him.¡± ¡°Thanks, Cap Wade!¡± Yvonne and the others chorused. Again Marriage 680 A Wade team member grumbled, ¡°Cap, we¡¯re already weaker than them from the start. Why are we still backing down?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t about backing down,¡± Wade frowned. ¡°It¡¯s simply how things are meant to be.¡± Rosalie couldn¡¯t help snapping back, ¡°I admit I¡¯m not as strong as Saintiger, but I did beat him. That¡¯s a fact. You can¡¯t just decide they should go first simply because you think I shouldn¡¯t have won. That¡¯s not a valid reason.¡± To Wade¡¯s surprise, his concession only stirred up discontent among his teammates. But the words were already out, and there was no taking them back. Wade thought, ¡®Howe when Echohawk¡¯s team went first, nobody had a problem with it, but now that it¡¯s my team¡¯s turn everyone suddenly has something to say?¡¯ Aria led the team a short distance ahead. Just as Joel and Harry were about to tag along, Owen stopped them. ¡°If you tag along and Aria wins, people will say we helped her. It would cheapen her victory. You just stay here.¡± Once the team was out of sight, Harry suddenly realized, ¡°Wait, why are we the ones staying behind? Why not him?¡± Joel pped his thigh. ¡°Why did we just go along with it? We were too careless.¡± Saintiger remained silent throughout the journey. After what felt like ages of walking, Aria stopped and pulled some tools out of her backpack. The other members exchanged confused nces. ¡°Cap, what¡¯s the n?¡± Aria swung the rope with a smirk. ¡°Setting traps.¡± Yvonne¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡± Yancy grinned and said, ¡°Like they say, hindering the opposition is part of winning too.¡± Aria handed over the small shovel to Saintiger. ¡°You¡¯re on digging duty. Make it quick.¡± Saintiger looked momentarily nk caught off guard. Yvonne red at him. ¡°What are you just standing around for? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to do anything. You¡¯re useless in a fight, and now you can¡¯t even dig a damn hole?¡± This time, Saintiger didn¡¯t retort. Without a word, he picked up the shovel and started digging, his hands blurred. ¡®I have to win this time. I absolutely have to,¡¯ Saintiger vowed to himself. ¡®I¡¯m going to reim every shred of pride I¡¯ve lost.¡± Under the moonlight, Saintiger dug with such frenzied intensity that dirt sprayed wildly in one direction. The others stood there, stunned. Yvonne eximed with a grin, ¡°Well, who knew? Turns out you¡¯re natural at digging holes.¡± Aria barked, ¡°Stop standing around. Get to work.¡± ¡°Yes, Cap!¡± the team replied in unison. Owen quietly moved closer. ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± Aria pulled out a small nket. ¡°No need. Just go sit and rest.¡± ( ¡°Thanks, Madelyn,¡± Owen obediently sat down to wait. Yvonne nced over, then rolled her eyes skyward in exasperation. Aria scaled the tree with one hand, a in the other. Yvonne watched with starry eyes and whispered, ¡°Captain is seriously so cool. Owen¡¯s one lucky guy.¡± Yvonne turned her head and saw Owen getting up to leave. She instinctively asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Just need to use the bathroom,¡± Owen replied. ¡®I actually thought I¡¯d annoyed him into leaving,¡¯ Yvonne mused. Yvonne looked up at the tree and saw Aria staring intently in the direction where Owen had disappeared. It took her a long while to finally look away. ¡®Was he really just going to the bathroom?¡¯ Yvonne wondered. She recalled what Owen had said when they first met, and a sudden, ominous chill ran down her spine. Owen wandered farther off the path, pretending to relieve himself, when suddenly a cold de pressed against his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Twenty minutester, the traps were set. Ariamanded, ¡°They¡¯ll be here any minute. Move out.¡± Jogging alongside, Yvonne asked, ¡°Cap, Owen still isn¡¯t back.¡± ¡°Let him be,¡± Aria said, her voice t and devoid of inflection. Yvonne grew puzzled. ¡®Does she even love him?¡¯ she wondered. Fifteen minutester, the disheveled Wade squad finally stumbled into the trap zone, looking a little worse for wear. They could¡¯ve moved faster, but a bear was on their tail. While they were scheming to lure the bear onto another path to hinder Echohawk¡¯s progress, the bear turned straight on them instead. Wade ordered, ¡°That bear cost us time. Pick up the pace!¡± ¡°Yes, Cap!¡± the team replied in unison. Suddenly, one of the team members stepped into thin air. Pressed for time, Saintiger could only dig a shallow pit. Again Marriage 681 He reacted just in time, pushing off with his other foot to steady himself, only for a volley of pebbles toe flying and smack him squarely on the backside. With a startled yelp, he tumbled halfway into the pit as loose soil cascaded down, swiftly sealing the gap around him. Just then, Rosalie also triggered a trap. But she was already familiar with this trick and on guard, so she easily dodged the I that fell from above. Other than the unlucky one who got buried in the pit, the rest of the team came out unscathed. Someoneined, ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought Echohawk would stoop so low as to set traps to hurt people?¡± Rosalie snorted coldly. ¡°Whatever it takes to win, right? Weren¡¯t you just trying to sic that bear on them?¡± The member stuck in the pit snapped, ¡°Enough bickering. Get me out now!¡± ¡°Dig him out,¡± Wademanded coldly. The five sprang into action, swiftly unearthing their trapped teammate. They¡¯d only wasted less than ten minutes here, but setting up these traps must have taken Echohawk far longer than that. Wade vaguely sensed that something was off. Hemanded, ¡°Reset the traps, then we¡¯ll move out.¡± ¡°Cap, why bother? Echohawk¡¯s team isn¡¯ting back,¡± one of the squad members protested, confusion and frustration clea in his voice. ¡°No questions. Just do it,¡± he ordered. All they could do was clean up the scene. Yvonne leaned in toward Aria and whispered, ¡°Cap, I have a bad feeling about this.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°There¡¯s someone in the mountains.¡± Yvonne¡¯s face paled instantly. ¡°So, what Owen said was true after all.¡± ¡®Who in their right mind would dare enter Mount Soultaker?¡¯ Yvonne thought in shock. ¡®Are they after the Solemnity Guild? Yvonne whispered, ¡°Is it the Wolfshade Syndicate?¡± ¡®Does Tyree want to kill Russell because the Solemnity Guild is protecting him? Is that why he wants to wipe out the whole guild?¡¯ Yvonne wondered. ¡®Where the hell does the Wolfshade Syndicate get the nerve?¡¯ After Tyree left, Russell didn¡¯t linger at the Solemnity Guild. Strangely enough, while the man himself vanished, his people remained at the guild. Aria said, ¡°Maybe. For now, let¡¯s press on.¡± Yvonne asked, ¡°Cap, are you seriously not going to wait for your man? What if the Wolfshade Syndicate got him?¡± Even though Owen can handle himself, the Wolfshade Syndicate has so many men. If they all opened fire at once, it¡¯d be a hail of bullets. There¡¯s no way anyone could dodge that,¡¯ she thought. D Aria reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He knows what he¡¯s doing. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Yvonne thought to herself, ¡®If Cap isn¡¯t even concerned, what on earth am I stressing about?¡¯ She put aside her worries and focused on moving forward. Meanwhile, Owen¡¯s hands were tied. Tyree stared at him, his voice sharp as a de. ¡°Where¡¯s Russell?¡± Owen replied calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Tyree snapped, ¡°You¡¯re in league with him. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°He left right after you did,¡± Owen lifted his gaze to meet Tyree¡¯s, a hint of mockery in his eyes. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Russell who lured you into Mount Soultaker, Mr. Tyree Remar? Still haven¡¯t found your man yet?¡± Tyree wouldn¡¯t havee into the mountains for no reason unless there was someone here he was hell-bent on killing. Russell knew the Solemnity Guild was heading into the mountains for their trial, so he¡¯d deliberately lured Tyree in after them. If Tyree made it back to the Wolfshade Syndicate headquarters, killing him would be nearly impossible. Russell wasn¡¯t about to let him leave alive. Emmett knew this, so he tacitly allowed them to enter Mount Soultaker. Ronan stabbed his knife into the tree trunk right behind Owen and growled, ¡°If you don¡¯t start talking, we¡¯ll kill you.¡± Owen smirked. ¡°I¡¯m Echohawk¡¯s man. You wouldn¡¯t darey a finger on me.¡± Aria wouldn¡¯t interfere in the feud between Russell and Tyree, but if Tyree killed one of her people, she¡¯d make sure the Wolfshade Syndicate paid for it. Owen had willingly walked into the lion¡¯s den, confident that Tyree wouldn¡¯t darey a hand on him. Owen thought to himself, ¡®Even if they really tried to move against me, I¡¯m not worried. I might not be able to take them all down, but escaping? That would be the least of my problems.¡¯ Tyree¡¯s eyes darkened with a menacing glint. Owen looked Tyree in the eye. ¡°Mr. Tyree Remar, you only brought a small team into the mountains. So, someone else is after the Solemnity Guild, and you¡¯ve joined forces with them?¡± Again Marriage 682 Noon. Caleb was nibbling on a ration bar. Another member of the Blood Association sauntered over to Caleb. She grinned, ¡°Hey, handsome, keep mepany for two hours and I¡¯ll treat you to some roast chicken.¡± Caleb smiled, his lips curving gently. ¡°Sometimes, even ration bars can be pretty tasty too,¡± he replied. ¡°So that¡¯s a no, right?¡± she said with a yful tilt of her head. Caleb felt a murderous gaze fixed on him. Looking up, he spotted a man among the group staring daggers at him. With a casual curl of his lips, Caleb remarked, ¡°If I agree, that guy ring at us might just kill me.¡± The woman nced over, her eyes flickering with hidden meaning, then turned back to Caleb with a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you,¡± she promised. Caleb chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve got numbers on your side.¡± The woman sized him up and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not with those three, are you?¡± ¡°No, just met them on the road. We¡¯re teaming up for now,¡± Caleb replied casually. The woman asked, ¡°So, do you know where they¡¯re headed?¡± ¡°Yeah, the Solemnity Guild.¡± The woman paused, surprised by his directness. ¡°You¡¯re going to the Solemnity Guild too?¡± ¡°Yeah, looking for someone. What about you?¡± Caleb¡¯s expression was gentle, each word he spokeced with warmth that put people at ease. Before she could answer, he chuckled lightly, a knowing glint in his eyes. ¡°I almost forgot. This mountain only leads one way. Looks like we¡¯re headed to the same ce.¡± The woman arched her brow. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask who we are, or what we¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Knowing too much might just get me silenced for good.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty amusing. Let me give you some advice: the ce you¡¯re heading isn¡¯t safe. You¡¯d better turn back now.¡± ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± After the woman left, Dorian walked over to Caleb. ¡°Why do those Blood Association folks keep bothering you?¡± he asked. ¡®So, it really was the Blood Association,¡¯ Caleb thought to himself. He replied, ¡°They¡¯re just trying to figure out if we¡¯re friends or foes. But they won¡¯t get anything out of us. After all, we only met by chance on the road.¡± Dorian warned, ¡°Stay away from them. If you piss them off, don¡¯t expect us to save you.¡± Caleb¡¯s eyes crinkled with amusement. ¡°Oh? If I die, how will Arressto achieve its objective?¡± Dorian¡¯s expression shifted. ¡°You know who we are?¡± ¡°Figured it out,¡± Caleb replied. He had previously ced a contract with Arressto, and the trio¡¯s operational style bore a striking resemnce to their agents. They deliberately approached him, probing for information. Only when Caleb strategically brought up Aria did he confirm Arressto¡¯s true objective, so he chose to go along with them. Dorian was a bit shocked, but quicklyposed himself. ¡°Are you testing me?¡± he asked. Caleb met Dorian¡¯s gaze squarely. ¡°You¡¯re from Arressto. Was that supposed to be hard to guess?¡± he said coolly. ¡°What does Arressto want with my sister?¡± The only thing Caleb knew for sure was that Arressto wasn¡¯t out for revenge. ¡°Does she have something you want?¡± Caleb pressed. ¡°No,¡± Dorian replied. Since Caleb had already figured this out, Dorian decided there was no point in hiding it. ¡°Our boss wants to recruit her. Personally, I think the chances are slim, but we still have to try.¡± Caleb looked skeptical. ¡°You came all the way to the Solemnity Guild just for that?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s that simple,¡± Dorian replied. Caleb gazed into the distance. ¡°Tell me about the feud between the Solemnity Guild and the Blood Association.¡± Dorian replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of deep-seated hatred. They¡¯re just natural-born rivals. ¡°The Solemnity Guild is shrouded in secrecy. Even their own members don¡¯t know exactly how many people are in the organization. ¡°The Blood Association, on the other hand, is infamous for its dirty tactics. The Solemnity Guild has always looked down on them. ¡°Ever since Echohawk retired, the Blood Association has been trying to poach our people, even attempting to annex the Solemnity Guild.¡± Dorian lowered his voice. ¡°They¡¯ve only sent ten men this time, probably just advance scouts, trying to pinpoint the Guild¡¯s exact location.¡± Again Marriage 683 Caleb asked, ¡°Does Arressto know the route to the Solemnity Guild?¡± Caleb thought, ¡°The main road to the Solemnity Guild is littered with traps and ambushes, and only its members know the way.¡¯ Curtis colluded with the Wolfshade Syndicate, enabling them to bypass the traps and reach the Guild¡¯s doorstep. Emmett used this incident to root out Curtis¡¯s faction within the Solemnity Guild, discreetly eliminated them, reinforced the defenses, and temporarily sealed off the route. Dorian said confidently, ¡°There¡¯s nothing in this world that Arressto doesn¡¯t know. We even have intel on the routes through Mount Soultaker. That¡¯s why the Blood Association chose to cooperate with us, to minimize casualties.¡± Caleb shot Dorian a mocking look. ¡°So Arressto is bringing Blood Association members straight to the Solemnity Guild¡¯s doorstep. Are you really sure Echohawk would want to join you after that?¡± Dorian replied, ¡°Echohawk has already left the Solemnity Guild. Besides, their training is downright brutal. Your sister¡¯s a pampered heiress. Are you sure she even went there willingly?¡± Caleb didn¡¯t bother to point out how far-fetched Dorian¡¯s idea was. He smirked, ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal. I¡¯ll convince my sister to join Arressto, and you give me the route through Mount Soultaker.¡± Dorian narrowed his eyes. ¡°What do you need that for?¡± ¡°So, I can make my escape when the Blood Association and Solemnity Guild start fighting,¡± Caleb replied. Dorian thought this deal was a steal for them. ¡°I can tell you, but how can you guarantee you¡¯ll convince your sister?¡± Caleb replied, ¡°No guarantees. If we don¡¯t cooperate, I¡¯ll just make sure she never joins you.¡± Dorian frowned. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°Just negotiating.¡± Dorian felt thoroughly outmaneuvered but relented. ¡°Fine. You get five minutes with the map.¡± He thought there was no way this guy could memorize it within a limited minutes. ¡°Sure.¡± True to his word, Caleb didn¡¯t look at the map for a second longer than the agreed five minutes. He handed it back and stood up to leave. Dorian called out, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Caleb replied, ¡°There¡¯s a stream over there. I¡¯ll catch some fish. You guys get the campfire ready.¡± Dorian motioned for Charles to follow him. Caleb caught four fish, then tossed something into the water. The fish instantly swarmed around it. ¡°What did you throw in?¡± Charles asked. Caleb dropped in a small piece of a ration bar. ¡°Just a ration bar. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Do as you like,¡± Charles replied. Caleb picked up the fish and left. Two members of the Blood Association came over to try their luck. One of them peered into the water, a surprised look on his face, and said, ¡°Oh my gosh, there¡¯s really some fish in the water.¡± Aria and her group encountered a fierce tiger. While trying to drive it away, they stumbled into a trap and had to spend some time rescuing their teammates. Then, Wade¡¯s team caught up with them. One of Wade¡¯s men gloated, ¡°You set traps, but we still caught up with you.¡± Seeing they were still out of breath, Wade ordered sharply, ¡°Attack!¡± Guns were banned for the test, but des were allowed. Still, both sides opted for hand-to-handbat. Aria and Wade locked inbat again, this time head-on. After narrowly dodging Wade¡¯s heavy punch, Aria suddenly snatched a dagger and flung it. Wade¡¯s pupils constricted as he helplessly watched the de whiz past his ear, missing by inches. A pained shriek echoed from the shadows. The fighting stopped instantly. Harry and Joel quickly dragged out a man who had tried to escape and brought him before Aria. Harry yanked the dagger from the man¡¯s shoulder, wiped the blood clean on the man¡¯s shirt, and handed it to Aria. ¡°Here you go, Aria.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria replied, taking the dagger. The man¡¯s Wolfshade Syndicate uniform instantly gave away his identity. Wade¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve, trespassing on Mount Soultaker.¡± The injured man clutched his shoulder, ring venomously at Aria. ¡°Your man is with Mr. Tyree Remar. Deliver Russell¡¯s corpse within 24 hours, or you¡¯ll be collecting your man¡¯s remains.¡± Harry and Joel scanned the area. Owen was gone. Harry blurted out, ¡°When did Owen disappear?¡± ¡®He¡¯s no slouch in a fight. How¡¯d they nab him so easily?¡¯ Joel wondered, frowning. Again Marriage 684 Meanwhile, the surveince screens flickered and died, one by one. A chilling glint hardened in Emmett¡¯s eyes. He said, ¡°Looks like the Wolfshade Syndicate is hell-bent on courting death.¡± ¡°Mr. Murray, let¡¯s storm in and take them out now!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just wipe out their entire syndicate!¡± Emmett raised his hand to silence the group. ¡°They haven¡¯t sent many people into the mountains yet. Echohawk and Wade can handle it. Everyone, return to your posts.¡± Emmett turned to Wilson. ¡°Are you still nning to stay and wait for someone?¡± ¡°I need to make a call first,¡± Wilson said. He stepped outside, found the number in his call log, and dialed it, but the call failed to connect. The Solemnity Guild is still pretty safe. Even if Caleb shows up, it won¡¯t be a problem,¡¯ Wilson thought to himself. Wilson stepped back into the room. ¡°Mr. Murray,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m heading into the mountains. If someone named Caleb Saxones to the Solemnity Guild, please look out for him.¡± Emmett raised an eyebrow. ¡°Saxon?¡± He cut straight to the point. ¡°Echohawk¡¯s brother?¡± ¡°Yes, her real brother,¡± Wilson exined. ¡°He and Echohawk look quite alike. Her birthday ising up, and he is worried we won¡¯t make it back, so hees straight here.¡± ¡°The Solemnity Guild has been quite eventfultely.¡± Emmett smiled. ¡°He¡¯s most wee here. I¡¯ll discreetly send a squad to scout the mountains. You can join them if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Wilson said. Wade kicked the captive¡¯s knee with a sharp crack. ¡°Where is the Wolfshade Syndicate hiding?¡± Seeing the captive stubbornly clench his jaw, Wade wasted no time. He drew his dagger, a sh of cold steel, and a finger hit the ground. The captive let out a guttural scream. He writhed in agony as his severed finger hit the ground. Wade gave the captive no time to recover, and the dagger was already at his next finger. ¡°Stop! I¡¯ll talk,¡± the captive screamed in desperation. Except for Joel and Harry, the others watched the scene with cold detachment. The two of them gulped involuntarily. They thought in horror, ¡°This is too brutal.¡¯ After these days together, they¡¯d mistakenly thought everyone in the Solemnity Guild was actually quite approachable. At that moment, they finally understood that there¡¯s no such thing as a nice guy in this line of work. The captive pointed southeast, gasping through the pain. ¡°Before I came¡­they were in a cave¡­near the cliff edge¡­ I¡¯ve told you everything¡­ Please spare¡­¡± Wade slit his throat in one swift motion, then calmly wiped his de and sheathed it. He turned to Aria and asked coolly, ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡± Yvonne said firmly, ¡°Cap, we¡¯re with you on the rescue mission.¡± Yancy said, ¡°Agreed.¡± Wade dered, ¡°We¡¯re all going. Anyone who dares step onto the Solemnity Guild¡¯s turf should be ready to die. And as it happens, Tyree¡¯s head is mine to take.¡± Echohawk had already epted the duel. Regardless of the oue, he was determined to keep his promise to her that Tyree would die. Aria nodded curtly. ¡°We move together.¡± Tyree was too bold. It made people wonder if he had a powerful backer behind him. Aria looked at Joel and Harry. ¡°What about you two?¡± Joel replied, ¡°Wherever Aria goes, we go. Just say the word.¡± The fourteen set off southeastward. ck Rose ordered, ¡°You three, pick up the pace. We must get there by tonight, no excuses.¡± Dorian¡¯s face hardened. ¡°We¡¯ll leave when we damn well please. If you¡¯re in such a hurry, go on without us.¡± Members of the Blood Association immediately surrounded them. The burly leader thrust out his hand and demanded, ¡°Hand over the map, now!¡± They clearly saw Dorian hand the map to Caleb just now. Dorian gritted his teeth. ¡°This belongs to Arressto. Who the hell do you think you are to demand it?¡± ck Rose raised her gun, her voice cold. ¡°Then don¡¯t me us for taking it the hard way.¡± Dorian¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°Are you really looking to pick a fight with Arressto?¡± ck Rose sneered, ¡°Once you¡¯re all dead, no one will be wiser.¡± After a tense standoff, Dorian had no choice but to surrender the map. He red at Caleb in frustration. ¡°This is all your fault!¡± Caleb lowered his gaze. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said quietly. The Blood Association group left. ck Rose cast a sharp, lingering nce back at Caleb. One of her teammates teased, ¡°ck Rose, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve actually got a thing for that pretty boy?¡± Again Marriage 685 With his arm around his girl, the man sneered, ¡°That guy¡¯s nothing but a pretty face.¡± ck Rose curled her crimson lips into a smirk. ¡°What if he¡¯s a billionaire? With that kind of presence? No way he¡¯s ever been broke.¡± The scrawny member at the back wiped his sweaty brow and gasped, ¡°Anyone else feeling unusually exhausted?¡± ¡°Stop cking off and pick up the pace,¡± the man barked coldly. He had no choice but to grit his teeth against the dull ache in his chest and press on with the group. As the Blood Association members vanished from sight, Christopher let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°Finally, they¡¯re gone.¡± Dorian turned to Caleb, frowning. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you want to go with the Blood Association?¡± Caleb brushed the dust off his sleeve and said calmly, ¡°Sticking with the Blood Association means you¡¯re on their side. Are you really ready to go up against the Solemnity Guild?¡± The trio fell silent, momentarily speechless. They really had no reason to oppose the Solemnity Guild, but at that moment, they¡¯d thoroughly pissed off the Blood Association. Charles suddenly asked, ¡°What did you feed that fish?¡± Caleb replied, ¡°It¡¯s a medicinal powder my sister Aria developed.¡± Aria had developed a variety of self-defense medicinal powders and shared them with others. Caleb brought them all when he set out, sprinkling most into the water and mixing the rest into ration bar to feed the fish. Records showed Aria was highly skilled in traditional medicine, so her developing such medicines came as no surprise. The Blood Association dismissed Caleb as just an ¡°ordinary guy¡±, so naturally, they let their guard downpletely. And to top it off, they ate that fish themselves. Caleb nced at the trio and said coolly, ¡°The drug¡¯s about to kick in. Now¡¯s your chance to silence them.¡± The three of them gaped at him in disbelief. They thought, ¡®Since when did a pampered heir talk like that?¡¯ Dorian said, ¡°We don¡¯t have to make mortal enemies with the Blood Association. Kill this many Blood Association members, and the boss will have our heads.¡± ¡°If anything happens to them, you, Arressto people will be the first to take the me,¡± Caleb said coolly. Caleb said, his tone as calm as if he were just talking about the weather, ¡°Better strike first and eliminate the threat for good.¡± The three of them exchanged stunned nces. They thought, ¡®This guy isn¡¯t some pampered heir. He¡¯s a devil incarnate. No wonder he¡¯s Echohawk¡¯s brother; he¡¯s just as ruthless as she is.¡¯ Charles grimaced. ¡°Didn¡¯t that prettydy just warn you to get out while you still could?¡± ¡°The Blood Association takes jobs purely for money, even killing innocent people. Such people are no great loss. Honestly, you¡¯d simply be ridding the world of a menace,¡± Caleb said coldly. Dorian thought, ¡°There¡¯s no avoiding a blood feud with the Blood Association now. Wiping them out really is the best way to tie up loose ends.¡¯ Dorian paused for two seconds, then gave a cold order, ¡°After them. If the drug works, eliminate them.¡± Charles and Christopher¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Really? Are we really gonna kill them?¡± Charles stared in disbelief. ¡®How could even the captain get brainwashed by Caleb?¡¯ he thought. Dorian barked, ¡°Move out!¡± The two had no choice but to follow. Dorian looked back at Caleb and warned, ¡°This is going to get messy. Stay back.¡± Caleb said, ¡°Sure.¡± The Arressto team, highly adept at reconnaissance and tracking, swiftly closed in on the Blood Association. The ten Blood Association members were already looking worn out. The scrawny one clung to a tree, retching uncontrobly. ck Rose clutched her chest, her face paling as she gasped. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong¡­ It was the fish!¡± Dorian snapped, ¡°Fire!¡± Gunfire erupted without warning. Dorian headshot a man. Charles and Christopher fired in perfect sync, their bullets punching clean through the chests of two Blood Association members with deadly precision. ck Rose tried to rally her team for a counterattack, but a sharp pain shot through her chest. Her body went limp, and she copsed to the ground. ck Rose watched in horror as herrades fell one by one, her gaze locking onto Caleb, standing not far away. Caleb stared at her with an impassive expression. Echohawk¡¯s name shed through ck Rose¡¯s mind. A realization exploded in her mind. Just as Dorian was about to pull the trigger, ck Rose cried out through gritted teeth, ¡°Wait! I¡¯m with Aria.¡± Again Marriage 686 ¡®Spare her life for now, Caleb ordered. At thest second. Dorian¡¯s gun barrel veered off, the bullet grazing ck Rose¡¯s cheek as it whizzed past ck Rose¡¯s whole body went limp, her back drenched in cold sweat. I was this close to meeting my maker! she thought. Caleb approached slowly. ¡°Do you know my sister, Aria?¡± ck Rose¡¯s pupils contracted. So, he is indeed connected to Echohawk, she thought. ck Rose forced herself to stay calm and insisted, ¡°I swear, I¡¯ve never killed an innocent soul.¡± Though I hate to admit it, I¡¯ve admired Echohawk for years. That¡¯s why I started practicing with silver needles, just to be a little more like her, ck Rose thought to herself. She thought, ¡®Actually, I wanted to join the Solemnity Guild at first, but they only ept kids under ten, so I had no choice but to settle for the Blood Association ck Rose had always held herself to the Solemnity Guild¡¯s code, being highly selective with contracts. But no matter how hard she tried, her ranking never improved. In the assassin world, she remained a nobody. Later, she decided to take on easier contracts, hoping to emte Echohawk¡¯s wless record. Only to end up getting taken out herself. ¡°I¡¯ve done jobs for Aria, and she knows me ck Rose blurted out desperately. ¡®Spare my life. I can be useful to you.¡± Dorian instinctively looked to Caleb for guidance. Caleb¡¯s gaze sharpened ¡®Got any proof you¡¯re with Aria?¡± ck Rose pulled out a phone she¡¯d concealed in an inner pocket. I have our text messages,¡± she said frantically. Caleb took the phone as ck Rose¡¯s heart hammered wildly in her chest. There were barely any records, nowhere near enough to prove anything. I¡¯m not even part of Aria¡¯s crew, she admitted to herself. But if I don¡¯t say that, I¡¯m as good as dead. I hope this boss will spare me. ck Rose was beyond tears. I actually tried to seduce Echohawk¡¯s own brother, she thought bitterly. ¡°This is what I deserve. It was all karma.¡¯ ¡°Inform the Blood Association it was the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s doing,¡± Caleb ordered, tossing the phone back. ck Rose was about toply when a thought struck her. She nced at her fallenpanions and asked hesitantly, ¡°Could you make the bodies disappear?¡± The trio exchanged battled nces, and they were all confused about that. ¡°Truth is, I¡¯ve wanted out of the Blood Association for ages, but I just couldn¡¯t get out,¡± ck Rose exined desperately. ¡°Let me fake my death this time. I¡¯ll devote myself to working for Aria from now on.¡± Caleb paused for a few seconds. ¡°Alright.¡± He turned to Dorian and the others. ¡°Handle the bodies.¡± Dorian arched an eyebrow. ¡°Are you ordering us around now?¡± ¡°Is that not allowed!¡± Caleb shot back, his toneced with challenge. The trio was speechless again because they found they had no reason to refuse. +28 ck Rose picked up the map and suggested, ¡°Mount Soultaker is riddled with cliffs. There¡¯s one nearby, perfect for dumping the bodies.¡± Dorian rubbed his temples and sighed. ¡°You two, handle the bodies.¡± Without a word, the Wainwright brothers shouldered the bodies. Caleb cut in, ¡°Hold it. Strip four sets off them first.¡± Dorian snapped, ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Caleb shot back, ¡°You chicken?¡± As the only ¡°dead weight¡± in the group, Caleb actually had the gall to ask if they were chicken. Dorian let out a mirthlessugh. ¡°If even you dare, what¡¯s stopping us?¡± Dorian thought, ¡®These three siblings are all wolves in sheep¡¯s clothing. Each one¡¯s got more guts than thest.¡¯ Seeing this, ck Rose staggered to her feet and frisked each of her fallenrades, collecting nine pieces ofms gear. She even found a phone in a guy¡¯s bag. ck Rose straightened up, dumped all the stuff on the ground, and asked, ¡°So, which identity do you want to take?¡± Eachms device had a name on it. With a resigned sigh, Dorian bent down, picked up one of thems devices, and started stripping the body. ck Rose looked at Caleb, her voice trembling. ¡°Is there an antidote?¡± Caleb replied calmly, ¡°The effects will wear off gradually.¡± With visible relief, ck Rose seized the chance to make herself useful by helping Caleb strip the clothes off a corpse. The trio couldn¡¯t help feeling miffed. ¡®Why¡¯s she only helping that pretty boy and ignoring us?¡¯ Dorian thought irritably. Again Marriage 687 Caleb staggered to a quiet spot, finally unable to hold it in any longer. Doubling over against a tree, he vomited up all the military rations he¡¯d eaten. He purged everyst bit of the ration bar and fish from his stomach. ¡°I thought you were truly unfazed,¡± Dorian drawled as he ambled over, offering Caleb a bottle of water. Caleb took the bottle and managed a weak ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡®I wanted to experience Aria¡¯s life for myself. Now I finally understand,¡¯ Caleb thought, his hands trembling. ¡®So, this is what it feels like to stare death in the face. Dorian suddenly blurted out, ¡°Ever thought about joining Arressto?¡± ¡®Well, if I can¡¯t recruit Aria, getting her brother Caleb on board isn¡¯t a bad constion prize, Dorian thought to himself. ¡®He may be physically weak, but he¡¯s got brains and guts, perfect for an investigator at Arressto. Caleb¡¯s pale lips curved into a faint smile. ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I¡¯m not cut out for this.¡± The cave was packed with people, the air thick and stifling, reeking of sweat. Owen frowned and rose to his feet, only to find two guns trained on him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Owen said, ¡°I¡¯m going to the entrance for some air. Don¡¯t you think it absolutely reeks in here?¡± The two guards exchanged a look, speechless. They followed Owen to the cave entrance. Ronan strode into the cave, shot Owen a nce, then approached Tyree. ¡°Mr. Remar, this is Owen Shaw, second son of the Shaw family from Mandino City. Just an ordinarywyer, Aria¡¯s boyfriend. Infiltrated the Solemnity Guild in disguise.¡± Money opens doors, and the Shaw family had more than enough of it. Killing Owen would do more harm than good. Ronan added, ¡°Aria is Echohawk.¡± Tyree¡¯s face darkened. ¡°No wonder she kept getting the better of Olivia, time and time again. Use Owen to control Aria, use Aria to control the Solemnity Guild. As for Russell, he¡¯s a dead man walking.¡± ¡°Mr. Remar,¡± Ronan vowed with grim determination, ¡°I will hunt down Russell and avenge Olivia.¡± Tyree nodded faintly. ¡°How far out is the Blood Association?¡± Ronan replied, ¡°They should be arriving any minute now.¡± As the guards switched shifts, Owen noticed one particr guard. The man shot Owen a cold nce and advanced, face expressionless, gun in hand. A glint shed in Owen¡¯s eyes as the corners of his lips curled into a knowing smile, Russell, disguised as a guard, lowered his voice and whispered, ¡°Getting caught this easily? Owen, have you gone soft?¡± Owen leaned against the rock wall and chuckled. ¡°Can¡¯t match you, Mr. Nicholson. Even killing someone, you still drag your feet. If you¡¯d just hurry up, my girlfriend and I could get home sooner.¡± Russell could have taken Tyree out right there, but there was no way he¡¯d make a clean escape. Worried about blowing his cover, Russell cut the conversation short with Owen. Fourteen shadows crept soundlessly toward the edge of the cliff. The rest held their positions while Aria and Wade advanced, scouting out and confirming the cave entrance¡¯s location. Wade whispered to Aria, ¡°The Wolfshade Syndicate wouldn¡¯t dare act alone. Who do you think is backing them?¡± Aria retorted, ¡°You¡¯ve been with the Solemnity Guild longer. Shouldn¡¯t I be asking you that?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s the Blood Association,¡± Wade said. ¡°Sure.¡± Wade thought he was a man of few words, but Echohawk made him seem downright chatty. Giving up on small talk, he asked, ¡°Any idea when the Blood Association will show up?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s our next move?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Wade suppressed his irritation. ¡°If I just make the arrangements, will you actually listen?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Now that he could actually order Echohawk around, Wade felt like he¡¯d scored big, and all his previous annoyance melted away. ¡°Take cover first. Let¡¯s see what Tyree is waiting for. His life is mine, so don¡¯t you dare steal him from me.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Wade barked into hisms, ¡°Pair up and surround the cave. Keep clear of the cliff. Our Solemnity Guild lives are worth far more than those Wolfshade Syndicate scum.¡± Aria shot Wade a nce. Wade arched an eyebrow. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± She remained silent. Wade reported the situation to Emmett. With a cold chuckle, Emmett ordered, ¡°Keep staking them out. This time, make sure none of them make it out alive.¡± Wade replied, ¡°Copy that.¡± The wait dragged on until dawn. Ronan of the Wolfshade Syndicate emerged, leading five others into the cave. Peering through the binocrs, Aria twitched her brows as she recognized their faces. Again Marriage 688 ¡°The Arressto trio sneaking in was bad enough, but how did my brother end uping too?¡¯ Aria thought, exasperated. Aria stared nkly toward the cave entrance, momentarily distracted. Wade noticed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you know someone from the Blood Association?¡± ¡®I know every one of them,¡¯ Aria thought. She watched the five enter the cave one by one and whispered, ¡°Except for ck Rose, the rest aren¡¯t with the Blood Association.¡± Wade frowned. ¡°So many factions are after the Solemnity Guild now?¡± ¡°Three are from Arressto,¡± Aria paused briefly, ¡°and the other one is my brother.¡± Wade raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your brother again? Why do you Saxons keep showing up here? Is he with Arressto too?¡± ¡°No, he isn¡¯t trained,¡± Aria replied. Wade almost gave a thumbs-up. ¡°Can¡¯t fight his way out of a paper bag, yet he dares to break into Mount Soultaker. You Saxons really have guts.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not with the Wolfshade Syndicate,¡± Aria rified. Wade warned, ¡°Our reinforcements are almost here. When the shooting starts, if Caleb gets caught in the crossfire¡­¡± ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Aria replied with conviction. ¡°He can protect himself.¡± Caleb might not have had any professional training, but he knew the basics of self-defense. Besides, with Owen around, she wasn¡¯t worried about Caleb¡¯s safety. Scenes this brutal are thest thing my brother should ever have to witness,¡¯ Aria thought, a pang of guilt twisting in her chest. ***** Inside the cave, Tyree sized up ck Rose¡¯s group with a sneer. ¡°The Blood Association only sent five?¡± ck Rose replied coldly, ¡°The main force takes the main route. Five others provide perimeter support to prevent the Solemnity Guild from nking us.¡± Tyree nodded coldly. ¡°The Wolfshade Syndicate only wants Russell¡¯s head. As for those twelve from the Solemnity Guild, they¡¯re your problem now.¡± Upon hearing this, the other members instinctively turned toward Russell, their palms slick with cold sweat. Tyree kept his inner circle safe, but sent the other members to the front as cannon fodder. He was clearly sending us to our deaths. The group seethed in silent fury until they crossed paths with Russell. He didn¡¯t even have to utter a single word; everyone instantly switched sides, Just like that, they quietly ushered Russell inside while secretly gathering the other members. At that moment, ck Rose lifted her chin defiantly and scoffed, ¡°A mere twelve? Leave them to us. We¡¯ll handle it.¡± Ronan warned, ¡°Echohawk is here, too.¡± ¡°What?¡± ck Rose gasped, startled. Her eyes instinctively darted to Caleb before she quicklyposed herself. ¡°So what? I can handle Echohawk.¡± ¡®Anyway, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d actually fight Echohawk,¡¯ ck Rose thought to herself. Ronan frowned, troubled by the Blood Association¡¯s arrogance. ¡°Besides Echohawk, Wade is here too. You¡¯d better watch your backs.¡± ¡°Alright, whatever,¡± ck Rose waved him off. ¡°When do we move?¡± ¡°In ten minutes,¡± Ronan replied. Gripping his pistol, Caleb maintained watch until a deliberate nudge against his shin broke his focus. He turned sharply, locking eyes with a familiar figure. It was Owen. Caleb recognized him at a nce. Ronan noticed where Caleb was looking and exined, ¡°That¡¯s Echohawk¡¯s boyfriend. We can use him as leverage if needed.¡± Caleb gave a slight nod. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Outer members, you are the vanguard. And you should assist the Blood Association!¡± Tyree barked coldly. The other members seethed with silent fury but had no choice except toply. Caleb yanked Owen to the front. As Owen discreetly worked on loosening his bonds, he whispered, ¡°Caleb, mind easing up bit?¡± Caleb said deadpan, ¡°You¡¯re my captive now. Behave. Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± Tyree was a dead man walking tonight. Russell wouldn¡¯t let such a golden opportunity slip through his fingers. Owen decided to stay out of the fight and simply focus on protecting Caleb. He simply let Caleb pull him along. Tyree, worrying about his life, cowered deep within the group, oblivious to Russell silently closing in. Outside the cave, Aria instantly caught Owen¡¯s hand signal and pressed her earpiece. ¡°Hold your fire on Blood Association and Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s outer members!¡± Wade frowned. ¡°Why hold fire on the other members?¡± ¡°Owen just signaled that the other members had switched sides.¡± ¡°How did he tell you that?¡± Wade pressed, his voice edged with suspicion. ¡°And how the hell does he even know we¡¯re out here?¡± Aria cut in, ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to argue. Just do as I say.¡± Wade bristled. ¡°We agreed I¡¯d be the one calling the shots!¡± Aria said nothing. A team member whispered cautiously, ¡°So, who¡¯s in charge now?¡± Wade ground his teeth and snapped, ¡°Duh, follow her orders!¡± Meanwhile, Wilson¡¯s support team got the update. ¡°Looks like we won¡¯t need to step in after all.¡± Wade replied, ¡°Go ahead if you want, but make it quick.¡± Again Marriage 689 Wilson said, ¡°OK.¡± Suddenly, the Wolfshade Syndicate¡¯s outer members broke ranks and scattered in all directions. Before Tyree could even react, gunfire erupted, and his right-hand man crumpled to the ground beside him. Chaos erupted instantly. Seizing the chaos, Owen snatched the gun from Caleb¡¯s hand and shielded him as they made their escape. ck Rose provided cover as the Arressto trio brought up the rear. Tyree roared, ¡°Where the hell are you going?¡± ¡°Tyree.¡± Russell¡¯s icy voice cut through the air behind him. Tyree had barely turned when a bullet mmed right between his eyes. His eyes widened in shock as he stiffened and copsed, dying utterly bewildered. As Tyree copsed, a storm of questions shed through his mind. ¡®Why did the other members betray us? Why did the Blood Association pull out? And why the hell did the Solemnity Guild show up with so many people?¡¯ With Tyree dead, his remaining men were wiped out in seconds. Wade strode toward ck Rose, his gun leveled directly at her forehead. ¡°What¡¯s the Blood Association trying to pull? nning to move against the Solemnity Guild?¡± ck Rose hastily denied, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m not ck Rose. Her whole crew went over the cliff. They¡¯re all dead. ¡°But I overheard them saying the Blood Association¡¯s main force is going to ambush the Solemnity Guild tonight. You guys better watch your backs.¡± Wade immediately pressed his earpiece and reported to Emmett, then sneered, ¡°We¡¯ve met before. Cut the act.¡± His finger tightened on the trigger. ¡°No survivors from the Blood Association.¡± ck Rose darted behind Aria, pleading, ¡°I¡¯m not the ck Rose, I swear. Aria sent me here to protect her brother, Caleb!¡± Caleb approached his sister at a measured pace and quietly exined the situation. Aria let out a sigh of relief when she saw Caleb was fine, then turned to Dorian and said, ¡°You guys are really something. You took out the whole Blood Association by yourselves.¡± Dorian shrugged. ¡°Your brother did the poisoning, we just finished them off. He said that powder was your form. So, by extension, the kills are on you.¡± Aria paused, then said sincerely, ¡°Thanks for protecting Caleb.¡± At some point, Owen had moved to Aria¡¯s side and gave her fingers a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Aria took his hand. Wade shot a distrustful nce at ck Rose, hiding behind Aria. ¡°Back to the Solemnity Guild.¡± Knowing all the Blood Association¡¯s routes, ck Rose led the team to outnk them from behind. The Blood Association¡¯s n backfired, suffering devastating losses. Emmett expressed his gratitude, ¡°Thanks to your efforts, we¡¯ve kept casualties to a minimum.¡± Wilson grinned and said, ¡°We owe you one. After all, the Solemnity Guild took us in.¡± Dorian scoffed, ¡°You barely lifted a finger. How shameless of you to speak for all of us?¡± Considering Dorian had protected Caleb, Wilson let it slide and threw an arm around his shoulder. ¡°Dorian did the heavy lifting. Thanks, man.¡± Dorian edged away in disgust, but Wilson, unfazed, just sidled closer. ¡°I never asked what brought you guys to the Solemnity Guild, anyway?¡± Only then did Dorian remember the main thing. He turned to Aria and said, ¡°Aria, Arressto is officially inviting you to join.¡± ¡°Sorry, not interested,¡± Aria rejected without hesitation. Dorian nodded, not another word. Charles murmured, ¡°Cap, isn¡¯t it a bit too soon to give up?¡± Dorian just shrugged. ¡°Why waste breath on a lost cause?¡± ¡®She¡¯s worth billions and already has everything. Why would she bother working for Arressto? Besides, after the Margery incident, Aria didn¡¯t exactly hold Arressto in high regard, he thought. Dorian turned to Wilson. ¡°We¡¯re leaving. Youing?¡± Wilson said, ¡°I¡¯m heading home for a bit. Joel and Harry will go with you.¡± Dorian said, ¡°Alright.¡± Caleb said, ¡°Aria, let¡¯s head back home together.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said. ck Rose eagerly raised her hand. ¡°Mind if I tag along?¡± Aria asked, ¡°You¡¯reing with us?¡± ck Rose nodded. ¡°Your brother spared my life. I owe you one. I promised I¡¯d stick with you.¡± Aria said, ¡°You¡¯re free now.¡± ck Rose gave Aria her best puppy-dog eyes. ¡°I¡¯m all alone with nowhere to go,¡± she pleaded. ¡°Please, just let me stay with you.¡± ck Rose thought, ¡®Stick with the big shots, and you¡¯ll never go hungry! She was determined to cling to them, even if it killed her. ¡°I can be your bodyguard,¡± ck Rose offered. Aria figured her brother could use some protection. She said, ¡°Since Caleb spared you, you can work for him, but only if your background checks out clean.¡± ck Rose looked at Caleb, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. ¡°My Huthailian ID says Myrtle Xenos. Boss, from now on, I¡¯m yours.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t even get a chance to refuse. Just like that, he had a female bodyguard. Again Marriage 690 Upon hearing that Wilson was returning home, Joseph suddenly set down his fork and dered, ¡°Find out his flight details. We¡¯ll personally pick him up tomorrow.¡± The dining table fell into stunned silence. Joseph cared solely about the family¡¯s interests. His ¡°concern¡± for the younger generation was very shallow. For him, picking up his grandson was utterly unprecedented. Luke was shocked. ¡°Dad, why the hell would you go pick up that punk? He¡¯s got two good legs. He can damn welle home on his own.¡± Joseph wiped his mouth and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you all been saying I¡¯m too old-fashioned and don¡¯t care about the younger generation¡¯s emotional well-being? Well, I¡¯m working on it.¡± Joseph surveyed the table and said, ¡°Wilson has been abroad for so many years. We should pick him up. Besides, Caleb will be there too.¡± Ever since Joseph regained his mobility, he had been frequently socializing with his old friends. All his old friends were surrounded by their children and grandchildren, yet he, despite having three grandsons and two granddaughters, stood like a forgotten old tree. Aria had long since severed ties with the family; Silvia was gradually growing distant. Even his sensible eldest grandson, Caleb, busy with his career, was now starting to act out. His second grandson, Wilson, had a fiery temper and was always at odds with him. The youngest, Nathan, was more mild- mannered, though not as cheerful as he used to be, and rarely reached out on his own. Even Zoe, his usually devoted daughter-inw, had grown distant since he issued that statement of disownment. If one person kept their distance, maybe it was their problem. But when everyone did, Joseph finally had to take a hard look at himself. Since he was in the wrong, taking the initiative to mend fences wouldn¡¯t hurt. He didn¡¯t want to fade from his grandchildren¡¯s memories after he was gone. Nathan asked hesitantly, ¡°And what about Aria? Since Caleb went to look for her, will they being back together?¡± Zoe paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all go together? It¡¯s been years since west saw Wilson.¡± Silvia chimed in, ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s Sunday and I¡¯m off, so I¡¯ll go with you to pick up Wilson and bring him home.¡± Nathan chimed in eagerly, ¡°I¡¯ll go too!¡± Seeing everyone fuss over his son, Luke forced down the smirk tugging at his lips and gave a dismissive snort. ¡°You guys are giving that ungrateful brat way too much credit. He doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡± A tense silence fell over the table. Nathan opened his mouth, about to blurt out that they weren¡¯t just there for Wilson, but when Zoe subtly shook her head at him, he bit back his words. The following day at 6 PM. Logan was workingte at the office and didn¡¯t make it back. The Saxon family rolled out in two cars and headed for the airport. The nended. Just as Owen was about to help Aria with her luggage, Wilson swooped in and snatched up the suitcase. ¡°I¡¯ve got this. You step aside,¡± he said curtly. Elsewhere, a simr scene was unfolding. Just as Caleb was about to retrieve his luggage, Myrtle, his bodyguard, darted forward. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve got this,¡± she said. Caleb smiled gently. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly let ady carry the luggage. I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡± Myrtle nimbly evaded his hand. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t treat me like ady. Right now, I¡¯m your bodyguard, first and foremost.¡± Caleb said gently, ¡°Carrying luggage isn¡¯t really a bodyguard¡¯s duty.¡± ¡°Boss, my life is yours. Carrying a suitcase is nothing.¡± Caleb was about to say more when he suddenly noticed all three of them staring at them intently. Especially Wilson, his eyes sparkled with mischief; he looked ready to grab some popcorn and enjoy the show. Caleb quietly gave in, letting Myrtle take the luggage. Aria nced at Wilson, breaking the awkward silence. ¡°We¡¯re not going the same way. Hand me my luggage.¡± Wilson raised an eyebrow. ¡°Same way. I¡¯m heading to your ce.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to your own ce?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t your ce just like home to me?¡± Wilson shot back with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s my home, not yours,¡± Aria retorted coolly. C Again Marriage 691 Wilson clutched his heart dramatically and said, ¡°You¡¯re my sister. We¡¯re practically family now. Are you going to kick me to the curb already?¡± Aria remained silent. And she decided to ignore him. Just as the five of them reached the exit, they ran straight into the entire Saxon family. Zoe¡¯s eyes lit up with surprise and delight. ¡°Aria!¡± Aria nodded ndly. Wilson let out a whistle and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did hell just freeze over? The whole Saxon family practically gathered here. Wasn¡¯t Lincoln supposed to be back? Did he run off again?¡± Lincoln had indeed taken off again, leaving Joseph with a pang of frustration. Luke¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Just say hi to all of us.¡± Wilson remained unfazed. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re getting worked up again. I¡¯m just surprised. In twenty-odd years, this is the first time my family has evere to pick me up.¡± He turned to Joseph, feigning surprise. ¡°You¡¯re here too, Grandpa? Legs all better now?¡± The atmosphere instantly froze. Joseph looked at Aria with aplicated expression. ¡°Thanks to your prescription. It worked wonders.¡± Aria remained perfectly serene at the mention of the prescription. The 30 million dors from that single prescription built many schools and supported countless students. Every penny was well spent. Silvia was the first to break the silence. ¡°Aria, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Wilson¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the unexpectedly harmonious interaction between Aria and Silvia. ¡®Hold up, since when did Aria and Silvia stop being mortal enemies?¡¯ Wilson mused in disbelief. Before Zoe could speak, Aria cut in bluntly, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Owen promptly took the luggage from Wilson, gave a polite nod to the Saxon family, and said, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Saxon, Grandpa Joseph, we¡¯ll be taking our leave now.¡± Joseph¡¯s gaze lingered on the two of them. ¡°You two¡­¡± He thought in astonishment, ¡®Damn, Aria actuallynded Owen Shaw. Caleb caught up with Aria and Owen, then turned back to say, ¡°Grandpa, Mom, Dad, I¡¯ll be home tomorrow.¡± As Caleb walked away, Myrtle followed closely. Zoe¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Who is she? Is my Caleb seeing someone?¡± Wilson offered no exnation as he turned to leave. ¡°I¡¯m going to Aria¡¯s too. Caleb and I will be back tomorrow.¡± Luke wondered, ¡®Since when did my son get so close to Aria? After being away for so many years, with Joseph himselfing to pick him up, he goes straight to Aria¡¯s ce the moment he returns? What kind of nonsense is this?¡¯ Just as Luke frowned and was about to speak, Joseph¡¯s cane came down sharply on his leg. Luke yelped in pain. ¡°Dad, why¡¯d you hit me?¡± Joseph snapped, ¡°It¡¯s good for siblings to bond. Don¡¯t you dare stand in their way.¡± He was utterly exasperated with his obtuse son. Joseph thought, ¡®Even I, this old man, havee to my senses, so why is Luke still so clueless? It wouldn¡¯t hurt to get on good terms with Aria.¡¯ Silvia hesitated for a long moment before saying, ¡°Mom, Dad, my boss asked me to give a message to Aria. I¡¯ll be back a bit With Zoe¡¯s nod, Silvia jogged after them. From a distance, Joseph watched as Aria tilted her head and said something to Silvia, making her break into a smile. Joseph was taken aback. ¡°Since when did Silvia and Aria get along so well?¡± Nathan was just as shocked, but when he turned to look at his mother, he found her expression unchanged, as if she¡¯d known all along. Zoe exined gently, ¡°They get along just fine.¡± Joseph thought, ¡®Even Silvia can get along with Aria, so what¡¯s Nathan¡¯s problem?¡¯ Joseph cast a sidelong nce at Nathan. ¡°You¡¯ve been at Mandino University all this time, yet you still haven¡¯t managed to get along with your sister?¡± Nathan clenched his fists. ¡°I¡­¡± He thought, ¡®Caleb, Wilson, even Silvia, none of them had ever harmed Aria. But I had, and that was a fact I could never escape.¡¯ ¡°Well, never mind,¡± Joseph said, waving his hand. Leaning on his cane, he started out. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Luke stood there,pletely baffled. He thought to himself, ¡®Weren¡¯t we here to pick someone up? Not only did we fail to bring anyone home, but even Silvia ended up leaving with them?¡¯ Again Marriage 692 Joseph headed straight for his study the moment he got home, picked up his phone, and dialed a number. ¡°Aiden, guess what I saw today?¡± The call was instantly disconnected. Joseph, his beard bristling with anger, redialed and got straight to the point. ¡°Aiden, your precious grandson is dating someone.¡± This time, Aiden didn¡¯t hang up. He snorted, ¡°What¡¯s it to you if my grandson is dating someone?¡± Joseph snorted coldly, his tone dripping with smug satisfaction. ¡°How could it not be my business? Your precious grandson is dating my granddaughter.¡± Aiden, on the other end of the line, visibly paused. ¡°You mean that Silvia girl or something?¡± ¡°Silvia?¡± Joseph frowned. ¡°No, it¡¯s not her. It¡¯s my other granddaughter.¡±. Aiden let out a distinct sigh of relief over the phone. ¡°Thank goodness it¡¯s not her.¡± Aiden¡¯s tone rxed a bit. ¡°After all, she¡¯s still your granddaughter. The Shaw family can¡¯t afford to offend the Saxons.¡± He had no particr issue with Silvia herself; the girl was simply too docile and felt guilty toward the Saxon family, so she¡¯d likely have trouble refusing the elders¡¯ requests in the future. ¡®Marriage is between two families,¡¯ Aiden thought. ¡®Too much interference would onlyplicate things.¡¯ Joseph sprang to his feet, face flushed with anger. ¡°What the hell do you mean?¡± Aiden said tly, ¡°I meant exactly what I said.¡± Then he hung up on Joseph. Meanwhile, Owen was about to sit down for dinner. Wilson swooped in and snatched Owen¡¯s seat before he could sit down. He shot Owen a teasing look and said, ¡°You live right across the hall and get to see Aria every day. Surely you¡¯re not going to fight me for this spot, are you?¡± ¡°Go ahead, Wilson.¡± Owen smiled amiably and calmly moved to sit on the other side. Knowing they wereing back, E had the ingredients prepped ahead of time. With Lily and Pearl pitching in, the three of them whipped up avish feast. Wilson looked around at everyone and sighed, ¡°Aria, where on earth did you manage to recruit so many girls?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all so well-behaved and capable. Honestly, I¡¯m a little jealous,¡± he added with a hint of envy. Wilson thought to himself, ¡®Even someone like ck Rose has been ¡®tamed¡¯ by her. That¡¯s incredible!¡¯ Wilson¡¯s gazended on Silvia, who was cutting fruit in the kitchen. He couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡°Aria, does Silviae over here often?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Aria nodded, ncing at Pearl as she exined, ¡°Pearl is Silvia¡¯s sister. She¡¯s staying with me now.¡± Wilson stared at Silvia¡¯s back, lost in thought. ¡®Man, I¡¯ve hated that cousin Silvia since we were kids. She¡¯s so damn phony. Even when she doesn¡¯t want to smile, she still forces one just to suck up to everyone. ¡®Sucking up to Grandpa Joseph, Logan, and Zoe is bad enough, but she doesn¡¯t even spare my dad. All theseparisons just make Dad like me less, and honestly, the more I see Silvia, the more she pisses me off.¡¯ But now, the smile in Silvia¡¯s eyes was genuine and natural. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of it being forced. ¡°Wilson?¡± Silvia emerged from the kitchen with a fruit tter in hand. The moment her eyes met Wilson¡¯s, her smile froze. Wilson frowned in annoyance and snapped, ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Do I scare you or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Silvia murmured as she carefully set the fruit tter down. Aria shot Wilson a sideways nce. ¡°What¡¯s with the attitude?¡± Wilson protested, ¡°Me? I wasn¡¯t being harsh. When was I ever harsh?¡± Silvia forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Aria. Please don¡¯t me Wilson.¡± Aria shot Wilson a warning re, then turned to Silvia, her tone softening. ¡°Ignore him. Come sit down and eat.¡± Silvia forced a smile and nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡®Damn, that brat really hasn¡¯t changed at all, still putting on that innocent act,¡¯ Wilson thought to himself. He could only fume in silence, not daring to say a word. Owen had just picked up his fork when his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and nced at the screen. ¡°Go ahead without me. I need to take this call,¡± he said. Aria said, ¡°Alright.¡± Owen stepped out onto the balcony and answered the call. ¡°Grandpa.¡± ¡°You¡¯re back in the country already?¡± Owen replied respectfully, ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡± ¡°How long has it been since you¡¯ve been home?¡± Owen did a quick mental calction, his voice growing increasingly uncertain. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­ one, two¡­ three¡­ four or five months¡­ give or take.¡± Again Marriage 693 There was a long silence on the other end of the line before Aiden finally asked, ¡°Are you seeing someone?¡± Owen confirmed, ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s Aria?¡± Owen admitted. Aiden fell silent again. ¡°She actually fell for you?¡± Now it was Owen¡¯s turn to fall silent. ¡°Come on, Grandpa, I¡¯m not that bad, am I?¡± Aiden scoffed, ¡°So, when are you bringing her home to meet the family?¡± Owen said, ¡°We¡¯re still figuring things out.¡± Aiden asked, ¡°So when do you think you two will settle down?¡± Owen shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Maybe twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years? Or maybe we won¡¯t really settle down until we¡¯re old and gray.¡± Aiden took a deep breath: ¡°Are you serious right now?¡± Grandpa, I¡¯m dead serious. You¡¯ve already got granddaughters to dote on, so just let me be, okay?¡± If Kim were any good and could bring a granddaughter home, do you really think I¡¯d even bother you?¡± Aiden scoffed. Owen said, ¡°Grandpa, sure, Kim might be hopeless, but you¡¯re still around, aren¡¯t you? If you go talk to Cloe and Julia yourself, there¡¯s no way they could turn down their sweet old grandpa.¡± Aiden replied dryly, ¡°Gee, thanks for that.¡± No need to thank me, Grandpa. Get some rest now.¡± Go away!¡± Aiden huffed, his tone a mix of exasperation and fondness. Owen pocketed his phone and returned to the table. Wilson, still smarting from being put in his ce by Aria, decided to get back at Owen. With a sarcastic smirk, he teased, That was a long call. Who¡¯s the lovelydy you were talking to?¡± Owen replied in his gentle voice, ¡°Next time I go home, I¡¯ll be sure to tell my grandpa you said he¡¯s a real beauty.¡± Wilson nearly choked on his own breath. Myrtle couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. Wilson red at her and snapped, What are youughing at?¡± Caleb¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Wilson!¡± Wilson scoffed, ¡°So, I can¡¯t even say a word about your bodyguard now?¡± Pearl suddenly looked serious and said, ¡°Wilson, you¡¯ve got something in your teeth.¡± Wilson instantly fell silent, whipped out his phone to use as a mirror, and bared his teeth at the screen. Frantically, he asked, ¡°Where? Where is it?¡± The whole table burst intoughter. Wilson thought, ¡®Man, kids these days really know how to push your buttons. The meal ended withughter and cheerful banter. +28) Two days after that day, early that morning. Ondo showed up at Aria¡¯s door with two document folders in hand and knocked. ¡°Morning, Aria.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Morning. Here to see Pearl?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Aria opened the door to let him in, then called out, ¡°Pearl!¡± Pearl emerged from her room and called softly, ¡°Ondo.¡± Ondo smiled gently at her. ¡°Pearl, I¡¯m leaving Huthailia soon.¡± Tyree was taken out, Ronan was no longer a threat, and with Russell having won the loyalty of the gang, he rightfully became the new leader. Russell had no intention of letting the Wolfshade Syndicate continue its illegal operations, but breaking away from that lifestyle would take considerable time. With affairs piling up, Ondo had to rush back to lend a hand. He opened one of the folders, and inside was a gift for the house. ¡°Pearl, go ahead and sign this.¡± Pearl¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Why are you giving me the house?¡± Ondo gently ruffled her hair. ¡°This is the only thing your two brothers can do for you, Pearl. The house is now in your name. You can live here as long as you like, and move out whenever you feel like it.¡± Pearl shook her head firmly. ¡°I can¡¯t ept this. You two should keep it.¡± Ondo asked gently, ¡°Pearl, are you still mad at us?¡± Pearl shook her head and said softly, ¡°I never med you, brothers. You saved my life.¡± They saved her, but didn¡¯t take full responsibility, and almost put her in harm¡¯s way. Ondo thought, ¡®Seeing how well Pearl is doing now, both Russell and I can finally rest easy!¡¯ Ondo said, ¡°Pearl, we have no use for this house. If you still consider us your brothers, just sign the papers.¡± Life with them was nowhere near as happy as being with Aria. Aria said, ¡°Just take it. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re strapped for cash anyway.¡± Pearl hesitated for a moment, then signed her name. ¡°Let¡¯s find a time to go to the notary office and finalize the transfer soon,¡± Ondo said, then pulled out another contract. ¡°Aria, today¡¯s your birthday. This is your birthday gift. Happy birthday.¡± Again Marriage 694 It was a Phosphor Group Transfer Agreement. Ondo said, ¡°Sign it. The group should have been yours in the first ce.¡± Without her, the Cole Group would have gone under sooner orter. Aria had helped Sara before, and she was looking after Pearl, too. It only made sense to give it to her. Ondo hade with sincere intentions. Aria pushed the contract back and said calmly, ¡°The Cole Group isn¡¯t my thing. Taking it over would just bring me a bunch of headaches.¡± Aria thought, ¡®Those Cole family members are as clingy as leeches, impossible to shake off. And it¡¯s not like I can just get rid of them. I really don¡¯t need that kind of trouble.¡¯ Ondo recalled Russell¡¯s advice. ¡°She won¡¯t take over the Cole Group. Try another approach. Ask if the Stars Group would be interested in acquiring it.¡± When Ondo made the suggestion, Aria, sure enough, hesitated for a moment. She genuinely wasn¡¯t involved in the day- to-day operations of thepany, and it wouldn¡¯t be quite right to just dump it on Johnny. Aria thought, ¡®But what if he¡¯s willing to help the Stars Group take it to the next level?¡¯ Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Ondo let out a sigh of relief, a genuine smile spreading across his face. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll get going now.¡± As Ondo turned to leave, Pearl chased after him to the door and called out, ¡°Take care on your way.¡± Ondo gently ruffled her hair and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m heading out now. Take care of yourself, okay?¡± Aria and Silvia shared the same birthday, and the day before was their birthday. Last night, Caleb and Wilson made a point to stay, throwing Aria a lively celebration thatsted into the wee hours. Caleb and Wilson wanted toe over again, but Aria politely declined. She said, ¡°You¡¯ve already celebrated my birthday. Today, go spend time with Silvia.¡± Caleb shook his head. ¡°Mom, Dad, and Grandpa will all celebrate with her, so our absence won¡¯t make a difference.¡± Wilson immediately chimed in, ¡°Yeah, Caleb¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not celebrating my birthday today,¡± Aria said firmly. ¡°Please don¡¯te over.¡± Wilson teased. ¡°I get it. You just want to celebrate privately with Owen, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria said. Seeing Aria¡¯s determination, her brothers had no choice but to give in. After all, there would be plenty of time ahead. Silvia was also surprised that her brothers had stayed to celebrate her birthday. ¡°Caleb, Wilson, you ought to be with Aria instead,¡± she said. Seeing her genuine expression, Wilson¡¯s irritation softened a bit. He said, ¡°We already celebrated with Ariatest night. She was the one who asked us toe keep youpany.¡± Silvia had Caleb deliver a gift to Aria, a bracelet she bought with her own money. Caleb pulled a rolled-up drawing from his jacket and handed it over. ¡°This is a birthday present from Aria for you.¡± In a daze, Silvia took the scroll. ¡°For me?¡± The painting depicted an endless grasnd, with a girl dashing freely across it. Though it was just a silhouette, Silvia instantly recognized herself in the painting. Nathan walked by and leaned in for a closer look. ¡°Caleb, I¡¯m going to my room,¡± Silvia said abruptly, then turned and dashed upstairs. Nathan watched Silvia walk away, then turned to Caleb. ¡°Caleb, you guys celebrated Aria¡¯s birthday yesterday. Why wasn¡¯t I invited?¡± He had always assumed the celebration was that day. Wilson didn¡¯t mince words. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go, Nathan. You¡¯d just kill the vibe.¡± After a long silence, Nathan abruptly turned and left the vi. Wilson looked at Caleb. ¡°Caleb, aren¡¯t you going to talk to him?¡± Upstairs, Silvia carefully smoothed out the painting, took a photo, and sent it to Aria: [Aria, I love it so much! Thank you.] Aria quickly replied, [No need to thank me. You gave me a present too.] Meanwhile, Aria was at Owen¡¯s ce. Just as Aria set her phone down, she looked up to see Owen stepping out of the bathroom, steam still clinging to his hair. He gazed at her in silence, his eyes misty with steam and emotion. Aria got up and walked over, tugging at the front of Owen¡¯s bathrobe. As he leaned down, she brushed her lips lightly against his. Aria murmured, ¡°It feels like forever since west kissed.¡± Owen murmured, ¡°It truly has.¡± Owen wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as he lowered his head and captured her lips. It was soft and sweet, just as he remembered, intoxicatingly addictive. With their breaths mingling, Owen pressed against her lips, delving deeper, drinking in her breath like a man starved. The room was too brightly lit, hardly the best setting for intimacy. But neither wanted to stop. Owen¡¯s bathrobe was already in disarray. Aria pressed a hand against his chest and murmured, ¡°The curtains¡­¡± Again Marriage 695 Aria and Owen gently sank onto the bed, one following the other. Aria was on top, with Owen lying beneath her. Owen¡¯s fingers found the curtain remote. The curtains drew shut, and the room darkened, leaving just enough light for them to barely make out each other¡¯s expressions. Owen murmured, ¡°Madelyn, can we turn on the lights?¡± When it came to intimacy, Aria was still not as bold as Owen. She murmured, ¡°It¡¯s too bright.¡± Owen murmured, ¡°Then I¡¯ll turn on a dim light.¡± He yearned to see her. His breathing grew heavy, his desire for herpletely unconcealed. His neck stretched taut, and his Adam¡¯s apple stood out sharply. With her eyes wide open, Aria nipped at Owen¡¯s neck, then tugged his bathrobe off and let it drop to the floor. Owen chuckled softly. ¡°Easy there, Madelyn. It¡¯s been too long. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡± ¡°I was just tossing your robe aside,¡± Aria retorted. Owen pulled her close, pressed a kiss to her lips, and murmured, ¡°Whatever you say, darling.¡± As the world spun around her, Aria sank into the mattress. Owen pulled the pillow away, took her hand that had been clutching the covers, and pressed it against his burning skin. Owen murmured, ¡°You can scratch me.¡± Aria teased, ¡°You sure about that?¡± Owen murmured, ¡°I¡¯d love that.¡± Aria didn¡¯t hold back and dug her fingertips into his back. The air grew thick with humidity as silence enveloped them. Owen reached for the nightstand but grasped empty air. He murmured, ¡°Forgot to get them.¡± Aria caught her breath and chuckled, ¡°You¡¯ve had a vasectomy, still worried I¡¯ll get pregnant?¡± Owen teased, ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting a bit too full of yourself, my queen?¡± He withdrew his hand, his fingers now exploring a different area. Aria grew impatient and shot Owen a look. ¡°Are you up for this or not? Stop making me wait.¡± Owen breathed out with a soft chuckle, ¡°Alright¡­¡± He made sure she didn¡¯t get messy. Afterwards, Owen bathed Aria, aired out the room, and cleaned up the mess on the floor. Owen went back into the bathroom and didn¡¯te out until two hourster. Night had fully fallen. Lily and Pearl were just about to take out the trash when they opened the door, only to find Nathan crouched right outside. They were both startled. Lily asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Nathan had been crouching for so long that his legs went numb, causing him to stumble the moment he tried to stand. Nathan let out a startled yelp as his legs suddenly gave out. Lily instinctively grabbed Nathan¡¯s wrist, but recoiled the moment their skin touched. Completely caught off guard, Nathannded hard on his butt with a thud. He looked up at Lily, stunned. ¡®Did she really just let go? I didn¡¯t see thating,¡¯ he thought,pletely caught off guard. Lily shot him a cool look. ¡°What are you staring at? Since when is it my job to catch you?¡± She thought to herself, ¡®If my body hadn¡¯t reacted before my brain, I wouldn¡¯t have even reached out. ¡°No,¡± Nathan muttered. He tried to stand, but his legs were numb and aching, so he simply gave up. Nathan held out the gift box he¡¯d been hiding behind his back. ¡°Could you please give this to Aria for me? And tell her I said happy birthday.¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time Lily had helped Nathan deliver a birthday present. Lily was about to refuse when she caught sight of Nathan¡¯s dejected expression, the words dying in her throat. She sighed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pass it along for you. Now scram.¡± Nathan took a while to get back on his feet. He fished two small boxes out of his pocket and handed them over. ¡°These are for you and Pearl.¡± He thrust the box into Pearl¡¯s hands, casually took the trash bag from Lily, and hobbled toward the elevator without another word. His retreating figure looked oddly pathetic. Lily thought, ¡®That¡¯s what he gets for mistreating Aria all those years.¡¯ Lily red daggers at Nathan¡¯s retreating figure. Pearl held the box uncertainly in her hands. ¡°Lily, what should I do with this? Should I throw it away?¡± To be fair, Nathan had wronged Aria, but he had never wronged me. Actually, he¡¯s even helped me before, Lily thought to herself. She sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s just keep them.¡± Pearl opened the box, revealing a limited-edition, gaming-themed hair clip inside. Though it wasn¡¯t expensive, only ten of these limited-edition hair clips were released worldwide. To their surprise, Nathan actually got one for each of them. Pearl didn¡¯t recognize its rarity, but she thought it looked absolutely gorgeous. With excitement, she quickly clipped it on her hair and asked Lily, ¡°How does it look?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes crinkled into a warm smile. ¡°It looks gorgeous.¡± Pearl nced at the door across the hall and whispered, ¡°Do you think Aria wille home tonight?¡± Lily pulled Pearl inside and said, ¡°Probably not. Let¡¯s not disturb Aria and Owen.¡± Lily thought, ¡°Though I really wish Aria could stay with us, poor Owen would be all alone.¡¯ Again Marriage 696 Aria woke up feeling fresh and rejuvenated. After washing up, she pushed open the bedroom door and paused in mild surprise. The living room floor was nketed with crimson rose petals. The chandelier, draped in pale blue tulle, cast a soft, diffused klow. Star-shaped fairy lights were strung around the chandelier. Their glow refracted onto the floor, spelling out a shimmering [Happy Birthday]. Arge bouquet of flowers sat on the chair. Upon closer inspection, Aria realized it was artfully folded from crisp bills. ¡°Awake?¡± Owen asked gently as he walked out with a bowl of noodles. ¡°Sorry, no feast for you today, but I¡¯ll make it up to you another day,¡± he said gently. He thought she¡¯d been exhausted for too long, and something easier on her stomach would be better for her. Aria¡¯s fingers lightly traced the petals. ¡°Did you fold these?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The coffee table wasden with beautifully wrapped gift bores, even more thanst year¡¯s haul. Owen exined with a smile, ¡°Some of their are from my mom Let¡¯s take our time unwrapping themter. Oh, right. Lily mentioned that Nathan also sent you a gift. I put in on the sofa ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said. Since it was already here, she wouldn¡¯t bother sending in back. Either way, it would just end up collecting dust. Aria stepped over the petals and sat down at the dining table. Don¡¯t go to all this trouble next time. It¡¯s such a pain to clean up,¡± she said. Owen let out a helpless chuckle. As expected, Madelyn was not into romance. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all, just a quick sweep,¡± Owen said as he gently slid the bowl of longevity noodles in front of her. ¡°Happy birthday, Madelyn.¡± He silently vowed that from now on, he would be by her side for every birthday toe. ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria said, taking the fork. ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal with me,¡± Owen said, affectionately ruffling her hair. After finishing her noodles, Aria picked up the bouquet of money flowers, pulled out one, and examined it closely. She found that even the stems of the flower were rolled from dor bills. Aria couldn¡¯t help but let out a softugh. You must¡¯ve had way too much free time on your hands, huh?¡± Owen gazed at her tenderly and asked, ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Aria replied. She paused in thought for a moment, then raised her phone and snapped a picture. Noticing this, Owen couldn¡¯t help but smile. Looks like I¡¯ll have to learn a few more money-folding techniques in the future, he thought to himself. Aria finished editing the photo and tapped [post] on her Instagram. Within moments, Aria¡¯s phone started buzzing nonstop with notifications. Yosef: [Holy shit! Who the hell hacked Ms. Saxon¡¯s WhatsApp ount?] Vanessa: [I never thought I¡¯d actually see you update your status. Thank god I checked my phone, almost missed it.] Lily: [Owen is so handy. These flowers are gorgeous!] Pearl: [Totally agree!] Derek: [Aria, mine¡¯s handmade too. Go ahead and open it!] Myrtle: [Wait a minute. Is this PDA? Am I seeing things? Echohawk is actually showing off her love life.] This was Aria¡¯s first-ever post. And it was PDA content, no less, absolutely mind-blowing. Helen caught a glimpse of the [Happy Birthday] message on the floor and sent a message to Aria. [Happy birthday, Ms. Saxon.] Aria: [Thanks.] Soon, Silvia also chimed in on Aria¡¯s Instagram. [Happy birthday, Aria!] ¡°What¡¯s got you smiling so much, Silvia?¡± At the dining table, Zoe smiled warmly at Silvia. Silvia instinctively nced at Caleb, then managed a smile. ¡°Just some friends wishing me a happy birthday,¡± she said, trying to sound casual. Again Marriage 697 ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Zoe murmured, her gaze distant. She gazed at the seat, her eyes clouded with sorrow. ¡®If only Aria were here, she thought wistfully. Caleb caught Silvia¡¯s nce and opened his phone to see Aria¡¯s Instagram. A smile tugged at his lips as hemented, [Nice cash origami work.] Sitting next to him, Wilson also sensed something was off. He pulled out his phone and eximed, ¡°Holy shit! Owen is such an overachiever.¡± Wilson thought, ¡®What we gave was all store-bought, andpared to something handmade like this, ours just paled inparison.¡¯ Luke gave Wilson a light kick and scolded, ¡°Watch yournguage! That¡¯s no way to talk, always swearing like that.¡± Wilson didn¡¯t react, but Joseph¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You kicked me!¡± Luke immediately apologized, ¡°Sorry, Dad.¡± Joseph red at him. ¡°Stop overreacting. ¡®Holy shit¡¯ is just a way to express shock. Since when is that considered swearing?¡± Luke was stunned. He thought, ¡®What¡¯s gotten into Dadtely?¡¯ Wilson turned his head, just as shocked. He thought, ¡®Man, Grandpa¡¯s like a whole different person after all these years. Did someone possess him or something?¡¯ Joseph turned to his two grandsons, a kind glint in his eyes. ¡°Once you¡¯ve finished celebrating Silvia¡¯s birthday, you can head over to Aria¡¯s ce and celebrate with her too. And bring along the gifts we¡¯ve prepared for her.¡± Abigail took out two gift bags and handed one to Caleb. ¡°Bring this along for me when you go,¡± she said. Then she handed the other gift bag to Silvia. Thanks, Aunt Abigail,¡± Silvia said. Caleb took the gift. ¡°We¡¯ve already celebrated her birthday. Next time.¡± You¡¯ll make another trip,¡± Joseph cut off Caleb. Caleb said, ¡°Not going again.¡± He thought, ¡®Owen is celebrating Aria¡¯s birthday with her tonight, so we won¡¯t intrude. Joseph frowned, instinctively about to speak, but remembering his resolve to soften his stern image with his grandsons, he held back. ¡°Caleb, you have always had your own mind. Just do as you see fit.¡± Logan, his eyes shadowed with dark circles, asked gently, ¡°Caleb, are you heading to the office tomorrow?¡± Caleb nodded. ¡°Yeah,¡± Logan breathed a sigh of relief. If he had to keep this up any longer, he¡¯d probably work himself into an early grave. As they were about to unwrap the gifts, Owen noticed Aria had posted on Instagram. Messages started flooding the family group chat. Owen tapped it open. Emma: [Sweetie, you did an amazing job, so much better than your brother ever could!] Owen: [You bet I am.] Kim: [Owen, get your butt back to the office and help out. Then I¡¯d have time to do this kind of stuff too.] When Aria went abroad, Owen followed without a second thought. Kim, tied down by corporate duties, was green with envy. Owen: [Even the busiest can make time for handmade gifts. Stop making excuses for yourself.] Kim: [Speechless] +28) Owen pocketed his phone and joined Aria in unwrapping the presents, soon covering the entire sofa with opened gifts. Aria couldn¡¯t even tell who gave what anymore. Owen chuckled. ¡°No need to figure out who gave what. They¡¯re all yours anyway.¡± Aria picked up a gold bangle intricately carved with patterns and asked, ¡°Did you make this?¡± Owen¡¯s eyes lit up as he nodded. ¡°Yeah, I made it.¡± There were other simr pieces, but Aria instantly recognized Owen¡¯s handiwork. ¡°Help me put it on,¡± Aria said. Owen took the bangle and gently slipped it onto her wrist. Aria¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°I love it.¡± Owen said softly, ¡°d you like it.¡± Finally, Owen picked up the gift box from the sofa and asked Aria, ¡°Should we open this one?¡± ¡°Might as well,¡± Aria said. Owen opened the box and carefully pulled out a scroll. As he slowly unfurled it, the parchment revealed line after line of densely packed handwriting. Again Marriage 698 The entire scroll was densely covered with apologies in variousnguages. Owen kept unrolling the scroll, the apologies stretching all the way to its very end. After each apology, there were many tiny figures delicately sketched in fine lines. Some figures were depicted with hands sped in prayer, others prostrating with their foreheads touching the ground. The scroll stretched about 15 feet long. Owen couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. Aria was also impressed and genuinely praised, ¡°His handwriting is pretty neat.¡± Each stroke was clearly defined, making it quite pleasing to the eye. Aria never hated Nathan. To her, he was always just a stranger. As the pampered youngest son of the Saxon family, Nathan¡¯s measure of rtionships was simple: whoever treated him well was family. There was nothing inherently wrong with that logic. But Aria wasn¡¯t like that. The Saxons were strangers to her, unworthy of her attention. Since Aria and Nathan didn¡¯t get along, there was no need to stay in contact. It made little difference to Aria whether Nathan apologized or not. Aria thought, ¡®I¡¯d be lying if I said all those apologies and little drawings didn¡¯t move me, at least a little. But that was it. Nathan wasn¡¯t her brother, and she was certainly no Saxon. Nathan emerged from his room with dark circles under his eyes, pacing anxiously in the living room. His phone screen kept lighting up and going dark, but no message ever came. Aria was never the type to initiate contact. Dejected, Nathan turned to go upstairs, only to run into Silvia entering with a picture frame in her arms. Nathan asked, ¡°Aria, why are you carrying that frame?¡± Silvia¡¯s eyes crinkled with a smile. ¡°Aria gave me this painting. I bought a frame to have it properly mounted.¡± Nathan jerked to a stop. ¡°You mean Aria? She actually gave you a painting as a birthday gift?¡± Seeing Silvia nod, a knot formed in Nathan¡¯s chest. ¡°Can I take a look?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course,e to my room,¡± Silvia said. Nathan quickly spotted the painting. He thought, ¡®This is definitely Aria¡¯s work. The style is unmistakably Mono¡¯s. Silvia carefully mounted it, her voice brimming with pride. ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡± Nathan stared at the painting for a long moment before suddenly blurting out, ¡°When did you two get so close?¡± Nathan knew Aria had adopted another little sister, Pearl, but he was unaware of Pearl¡¯s true identity, Silvia hadn¡¯t nned to mention Pearl, but seeing the envious expression on Nathan¡¯s face, she finally relented. ¡°I have a younger sister¡­¡± She briefly exined, ¡°Actually, Aria is really easy to get along with. Being with her feels sofortable and liberating. She makes me feelpletely safe.¡± The more Nathan listened, the more unsettled he felt, a sour mix of envy and frustration twisting in his chest. He thought bitterly, ¡®How did these two, who should¡¯ve been at odds, end up getting so close?¡¯ ¡°Next time you and Aria meet, could Ie along?¡± Nathan asked, his voice tentative, hope flickering in his eyes. Silvia¡¯s smile froze as she stammered, ¡°That might be a bit difficult.¡± She¡¯d rather risk upsetting Nathan than make things difficult for Aria. ¡°Guess I saw thating,¡± Nathan said with a forced smile and a casual shrug. ¡°No worries. But if you ever need anything, promise you¡¯ll let me know?¡± Silvia said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off to work now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m off to school, too,¡± Nathan said. Just as Aria finished freshening up, she got a call from Fred, the dean. Fred asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, when do you think you cane back to campus?¡± ¡°Tomorrow.¡± The voice on the other end instantly brightened. ¡°With Mr. Schmidt and Ms. Morgan here, you don¡¯t need to worry about those three kids. Since you¡¯ve just returned from abroad, why not take a few more days to rest? ¡°Ms. Saxon, your project should have no problem passing the preliminary review. However, since the funding required is quite substantial, the final review might hit a snag. The university will actively advocate for you with themittee.¡± Again Marriage 699 He was actually somewhat concerned. Although Aria, as a major shareholder of arge conglomerate, could secure partial funding, the reviewmittee might question the project¡¯s public interest because of this. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Fred finally asked, ¡°By the way, I heard you recruited one of Prof. Gn¡¯s students for the Stars Group?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied. She wasn¡¯t just nning to poach Adrian¡¯s students. She had her eye on the entire team. If Fred ever found out about this n of hers, he¡¯d probably pull her aside for a serious heart-to-heart talk. Sure enough, Fred said earnestly, ¡°Ms. Saxon, you¡¯re not the mercenary type. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have done so much charity work. ¡°The Stars Group is already Mandino City¡¯s gship enterprise; you don¡¯t need to micromanage everything personally.¡± ¡°Besides, with the project budget being so tight, if someone with ulterior motives were to seize on this.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve got both ends covered. For everything else, I¡¯ll trust you, Fred, and the other leaders to handle it.¡± Recognizing her firm resolve, Fred smiled knowingly and said, ¡°Mandino University and you are in this together.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Fred, I¡¯ll be on campus tomorrow.¡± After the call, Aria finished her breakfast and drove to the Stars Group. When Aria arrived at Johnny¡¯s office, she found the door slightly ajar, and his exasperated voice drifted out from inside. Johnny looked at Silvia and asked, ¡°Silvia, Mr. Qureshi gave you feedback. Why haven¡¯t you made the changes?¡± Miles, the head of the advertising department, stood rigidly upright and shot Silvia a nce. ¡°Maybe she thinks I¡¯m not qualified to give her guidance. After all, I only graduated from a second-tier university.¡± Silvia said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Mr. Qureshi. You¡¯ve misunderstood me.¡± Silvia stood before the desk with her hands sped together, her voice barely above a whisper. ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t make the changes is because I believe he¡¯s deliberately making things difficult for me.¡± Johnny raised an eyebrow. ¡°Tell me, how exactly has Mr. Qureshi been giving you a hard time?¡± Miles said defensively, ¡°Mr. Oconnor, I¡¯m not making things difficult. I¡¯m just striving for excellence.¡± Johnny cut in, ¡°Let her finish.¡± ¡°We submitted three blind submissions for the initial draft,¡± Silvia stated methodically. ¡°Mr. Qureshi selected Quenby Loring¡¯s design as the base, but after four or five rounds of revisions, he was never satisfied. ¡°First, he imed the color scheme was inconsistent, then the theme was unclear, andter that the brand elements weren¡¯t prominent enough.¡± Silvia shot Miles a displeased look. ¡°All these elements were already finalized in the initial draft. Now he¡¯s demanding major changes, which is essentially starting from scratch. ¡°If you weren¡¯t happy with Quenby¡¯s initial draft, Mr. Qureshi, why did you select hers to begin with?¡± Miles was clearly caught off guard by how much Silvia said, and his face darkened. He retorted defensively, ¡°That¡¯s because your teampletely missed the core of Quenby¡¯s initial draft. That¡¯s why you went off track.¡± Silvia scoffed, ¡°Why not just let Ms. Loring do all the drawings herself? Everyone knows she¡¯s your niece, Mr. Qureshi.¡± Miles¡¯s face burned crimson. ¡°She got in through proper channels! But you, riding on your fake Saxon heiress status¡­¡± Johnny mmed his fist on the table. ¡°Are you questioning my hiring standards?¡± Miles instantly fell silent. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, Mr. Oconnor.¡± Johnny set his pen down firmly on the desk. ¡°Bring all three drafts to the 10 a.m. meeting and have everyone there vote to choose the best one.¡± Miles¡¯s expression flickered. ¡°Mr. Oconnor, it¡¯s just a design draft from one team. Isn¡¯t this making things unnecessarilyplicated?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Johnny met his gaze. ¡°Since there¡¯s disagreement, we¡¯ll settle it with a democratic vote.¡± Silvia pressed her lips together, a glimmer of satisfaction flickering in her eyes. ¡°Oh, right,¡± Johnny turned to Silvia. ¡°All three of you should attend the meeting and present your design concepts.¡± Cold sweat beaded on Miles¡¯s forehead. Johnny had zero tolerance for those who mixed personal interests with professional duties. If he ever found out¡­ Miles didn¡¯t even dare to imagine the consequences. Miles fumed inwardly, ¡®That Silvia! Who the hell gave her the nerve to go straight to Mr. Oconnor with this?¡¯ Seeing that their conversation was winding down, Aria knocked on the door. ¡°Johnny, I need to talk to you about something.¡± Again Marriage 700 Johnny swept his gaze over the two of them. ¡°You may return to your work now.¡± Silvia nodded. ¡°Yes, thank you, Mr. Oconnor.¡± As Silvia turned away, Miles shot her a venomous re. He looked up and suddenly met Aria¡¯s eyes. Flustered, he quickly lowered his head. ¡°Ms. Saxon.¡± Silvia practically skipped out of the office. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re at thepany today!¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°Yes, I have something to discuss with Mr. Oconnor.¡± Silvia said, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll leave you two to it. I¡¯ll get back to work now.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Silvia thought to herself, ¡®I¡¯m so d I came to Mr. Oconnor¡¯s office to report the issue. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have run into Aria.¡± Catching sight of her smile, Miles sneered, ¡°Silvia, don¡¯t tell me you actually think sucking up to Aria will make you a real heiress?¡± If the Saxon family truly valued Silvia, she¡¯d be working at the Saxon Group, the family business, not here at the Stars Group. In Miles¡¯s eyes, Silvia had already been cast aside by the Saxon family. Think what you will, Mr. Qureshi.¡± Silvia ignored him, quickening her pace as she walked away. Johnny¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head after he finished reading the contract. ¡°Wait, he¡¯s just handing you the Cole Group, no, Phosphor Group, for free? Is Mr. Gagher your suitor or something? Is he so head-over-heels in love he¡¯s lost his mind?¡± Johnny thought, ¡®Who in their right mind would just hand over a major corporation like that? Not even my own parents would go this far.¡¯ ¡°This has nothing to do with feelings,¡± Aria said bluntly. ¡°What¡¯s your take on this?¡± ¡°What do I think?¡± Johnny¡¯s eyes practically widened with excitement. ¡°Are you kidding? Of course, you should take this deal! Johnny stared at Aria in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re not seriously thinking of refusing, are you?¡± He thought, ¡®If she dares to refuse, I¡¯d wring her neck. Aria looked at him and gave a knowing smile. Johnny¡¯s internal rm bells suddenly red. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ You¡¯re not seriously thinking of making me take over, are you?¡± He shot up from his seat. ¡°No way in hell! Where would I find the energy for that? Why don¡¯t you just be the boss yourself?¡± Two years ago, Aria would have thought it was a great idea. But at that moment, she had gotten used to an easy life. She really didn¡¯t want to go back to all that stress and hard work. She had considered giving it to Caleb, so she wouldn¡¯t have to get involved with the Saxon Group. But Caleb was about to take over the Saxon Group, so he simply didn¡¯t have the bandwidth for anything else. Aria grinned and said, ¡°Making you manage twopanies at once? I¡¯m not that heartless. ¡°I¡¯m nning to bring a few top executives from the Stars Group onto the board of directors. With the controlling stake secured, choosing a chairman will be easy.¡± After two years at Phosphor Group, she knew exactly who she could rely on. She already had someone in mind for chairman. Johnny raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you poaching from your ownpany now?¡± Aria smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a win-win.¡± Johnny smirked, ¡°If Liam finds out you¡¯re taking over the Cole Group, he¡¯ll be absolutely livid.¡± He thought, ¡®Not only did he lose his ownpany, but then it ended up in the hands of his ex-wife, Aria, of all people! Aria said dismissively, ¡°He¡¯s just nobody. He can¡¯t stir up any trouble. I¡¯m saving Phosphor Group for Pearl.¡± Pearl had a keen interest in management and economics. Johnny¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning to poach Silvia too?¡± ¡°If she¡¯s willing to help Pearl,¡± Aria gave Johnny a knowing look. ¡°What, can¡¯t bear to part with her?¡± Again Marriage 701 Johnny had plenty on his te, so he didn¡¯t seem like the type to bother with an employee¡¯s design drafts. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Johnny defended himself. ¡°It¡¯s just that she¡¯s your sister, and after all, she¡¯s also Pearl¡¯s sister.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow and teased, ¡°I haven¡¯t even said anything yet. Why are you getting so worked up?¡± Johnny clenched his fists. ¡°Keep that attitude, and I won¡¯t rmend anyone to you.¡± ¡°Fine by me, I can just pass on Phosphor Group.¡± Johnny was left utterly speechless, torn between exasperation and helplessness. Changing the subject, Johnny said, ¡°n¡¯s been running into quite a few issues during his internship. He specifically asked me if he could consult his mentor about them. What¡¯s your take on this?¡± Aria said casually, ¡°Prof. Gn ising anyway, so n can just ask him.¡± Johnny raised an eyebrow at Aria. ¡°You¡¯re awfully confident. But what if he doesn¡¯t show up?¡± ¡°Prof. Gn won¡¯t leak anything. Rest assured,¡± Aria said as she stood up. ¡°That¡¯s all I came to discuss today. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± Johnny stood up as well. ¡°Let me walk you out.¡± Aria made her way out of the office. Johnny followed a step behind her. The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor. As the doors slid open, Aria saw a familiar face¨DLydia. Cecil Quigley, the president of the Stars Group, hastened to greet them. ¡°Mr. Oconnor, Ms. Saxon, this is Ms. Thorne, the vice president of the Shaw Group, and these two are Ms. Yeager and Mr. Corner. They¡¯re here today to discuss a potential coboration.¡± Johnny extended his hand first. ¡°Good to see you, Ms. Thorne.¡± After exchanging pleasantries, Johnny personally escorted the three guests downstairs. The elevator doors slid shut. Just as Johnny was about to introduce Aria, Lydia smiled knowingly. ¡°We¡¯re acquainted.¡± ¡°Ms. Saxon, it¡¯s been a while,¡± Lydia said with a polite smile. ¡°I¡¯m the fashion designer from the Shaw Group.¡± ¡°Long time no see, Ms. Yeager. You¡¯re quite impressive,¡± said Aria. A flicker of disappointment crossed Lydia¡¯s eyes. No matter how aplished she was, Owen¡¯s heart would always be out of reach. Watching Johnny¡¯s deferential attitude toward Aria, Lydia dissolved herst flicker ofpetitive pride into profound self- doubt. All the things Lydia had always been so proud of, her prestigious family background and elite education, were exactly what Aria couldn¡¯t have cared less about. The disparity in their status was so vast. Lydia knew she could never truly rival Aria in love. Thankfully, she came to her senses in time, ¡°By the way, Ms. Saxon,¡± Lydia suddenly remembered, ¡°I met a friend named Flynt a while ago, and he seems to know you.¡± While conversing with Marin, the vice president, Johnny kept his expression neutral, but, upon hearing this, subtly tuned in to the conversation nearby. ¡°We are acquainted,¡± Aria replied evenly. Lydia¡¯s expression turned grave. ¡°Flynt isn¡¯t who he appears to be. If he¡¯s getting close to you and Owen for some other reason, please be cautious.¡± Aria gave a faint smile. ¡°Thanks for the heads-up.¡± After seeing the three guests off, Johnny leaned closer to Aria and asked in a low voice, ¡°So, does Lydia have a thing for Owen?¡± Aria asked, ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Johnny said, ¡°Come on, we¡¯re this close. Can¡¯t I even ask?¡± Aria started, ¡°Silvia, she-¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Johnny cut her off. ¡°I won¡¯t ask anymore, happy? What¡¯s with you and Silvia anyway?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes glinted with amusement. ¡°I haven¡¯t even said anything yet, and you¡¯re already getting defensive.¡± Johnny gave her an exasperated nudge. ¡°Go on, scram! I¡¯ll send you the list another day.¡± Aria went to the parking lot. Just as she was about to get into her car, an elderly gentleman stepped in front of her. ¡°Good afternoon, Ms. Saxon. I¡¯m the butler of the Shaw family. Mr. Aiden Shaw wishes to have a word with you.¡± Again Marriage 702 Aria nced at the nearby room and said, ¡°If you¡¯re pressed for time, can we skip the chat?¡± The butler paused briefly, then smiled politely. ¡°We can certainly arrange another time, Ms. Saxon. Mr. Aiden Shaw is very kind. He won¡¯t give you any trouble. He simply wishes to have a conversation with you.¡± Aria closed the car door, her tone softening slightly. ¡°Please lead the way.¡± The change in her attitude brought a smile to the butler¡¯s face. He gestured politely and said, ¡°This way, please, Ms. Saxon.¡± A hoarse voice came from within the room. ¡°Come in.¡± The butler bowed respectfully and remained stationed outside the door. Aria stepped into the inner chamber and saw a white-haired elder meticulously making coffee. ¡°Hello, Aiden,¡± Aria said as she took a seat across from him. Aiden looked her up and down, then suddenly chuckled. ¡°No wonder thatd is head over heels for you. Aria, you¡¯re absolutely stunning, and you¡¯ve got the Shaw family¡¯s elegance written all over you.¡± Aria offered a polite smile. ¡°I¡¯m a Saxon.¡± Aiden instantly grasped her meaning. ¡°So, you still want to go back to the Saxon family?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no connection between the two. A surname is just abel. I could be a Saxon, or something else; it doesn¡¯t matter. That¡¯s fundamentally different from ¡®the Shaw family¡¯ you speak of as your own.¡± No matter the surname, it only marked her as herself, not as part of any family. Aiden finally understood why she acted with such resolute independence. ¡°You¡¯re right. My choice of words wasn¡¯t precise enough.¡± Having finished speaking, Aiden pulled a thick stack of documents from his bag, including property deeds, contracts, and checks, spilled out, covering the entire table. Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She thought, ¡®Wait, is this the part where he tries to pay me off to leave his grandson?¡± Aiden said, ¡°This is a beachfront vi. This hotel is a Shaw Group property. This is 5% stake in the Shaw Group¡­ And this is a check for over 300 million dors, ready for immediate cashing¡­¡± Aiden methodically slid each document across the table toward her. Aria remained silent, waiting for him to continue. ¡°These are the engagement gifts, and the wedding gifts will be arranged separately,¡± Aiden chuckled, his eyes twinkling. ¡°Let¡¯s pick an auspicious day and have you and my grandson Owen tie the knot.¡± This time, Aiden came fully prepared, even bringing along all the contracts and official seals to show just how serious he was. Aiden added, ¡°Once you marry into the Shaw family, there will be even more assets for you to manage.¡± His meaning was not to send her away, but to rush the wedding. Honestly, dealing with this was even trickier than breaking up with Owen, Aria was direct. ¡°Sorry, Aiden, but marriage isn¡¯t in my ns right now.¡± Aiden narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°So when exactly are you nning to get married?¡± ¡°Maybe never in my lifetime.¡± ¡°What?¡± Aiden looked a bit bewildered, then his face darkened as a thought struck him. ¡°Could it be that Owen, that rascal, is just fooling around and not willing tomit?¡± Aria replied honestly, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t want to get married.¡± Aiden was stunned. He thought, ¡°Even putting aside the Shaw family¡¯s prestige, my grandson Owen is both handsome and capable. How could you actually not want to marry him?¡± Aiden had a smooth-sailing life. He came to Mandino City to make his way, building up the Shaw Group. But never in his wildest dreams did he expect that the one thing to trip him up in life would be his grandson¡¯s marriage. This wasn¡¯t the first time Aiden had rushed to get someone married off. When Aiden learned he had a long-lost great-granddaughter, he had also gone all out with an equally extravagant marriage proposal on her behalf, making quite a spectacle of it. As expected, he was turned down t. At that moment, history was repeating itself. Aiden couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®Is marriage really this cruel to both my grandsons when ites to love? Even if Ie in person, it still doesn¡¯t work. Again Marriage 703 Aiden stared at Aria for a long moment, then let out a sigh. ¡°Aria, my dear,¡± he said gently, ¡°I do understand why want to get married.¡± don¡¯t Her family background was difficult, and her first marriage hadn¡¯t gone well. Stepping into a second one would take great courage. He continued, ¡°I assure you, my grandson would never do anything to betray you.¡± Aria exined softly, ¡°I trust him. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°Grandpa!¡± Owen eximed. Before Aria could finish, Owen¡¯s voice cut in. She looked up and saw Owen rushing over. Realizing that Owen and Aria wouldn¡¯t get married or start a family, Emma immediately called Owen as soon as she heard that Aiden had gone to see Aria. Owen dropped everything and rushed over. Seeing the two getting along well, he sighed in relief. ¡°Madelyn, let me have a word with Grandpa.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait outside.¡± Aria rose to her feet, nodded to Aiden, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll step out for a bit.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Grandpa, what brings you here all of a sudden?¡± Owen sat down in the seat Aria had just vacated and casually picked up her coffee cup, taking a sip. Aiden snorted, ¡°Why are you in such a rush? Do you really think I¡¯d bully her?¡± ¡°Last time you nearly scared Cloe off, and even Kim was so furious he stayed away for a whole month,¡± Owen said. ¡°If you two could just make me proud, would an old man like me still need to worry?¡± Aiden grumbled, his face darkening with displeasure. Owen sighed. ¡°Grandpa, things between Aria and me are a bitplicated. Please, don¡¯t push us, okay?¡± ¡°What¡¯s so special about your situation? It¡¯s only a matter of time before you two get married. I¡¯m not getting any younger. I just hope I¡¯ll live long enough to see you settled down¡­¡± Owen had no choice but to drop a bombshell. ¡°Grandpa, Aria never nned on dating or getting married. I tricked her into signing a contract. That¡¯s how we ended up together.¡± Aiden stared, utterly baffled. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m also¡­ incapable.¡± Aiden gasped in shock, ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡­ impotent?¡± Owen exined, ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking. Everything works fine, just not the baby-making part.¡± At that moment, he actually couldn¡¯t have kids. Aiden let out a sigh of relief. At least that part still worked. He wouldn¡¯t have to grow old alone. Aiden figured that if Aria was willing to be with him, she must already know. Owen said with a wry smile, ¡°It¡¯s only because I can¡¯t have kids that Aria let my trickery slide and is reluctantly staying with me. Otherwise, your very own grandson would be doomed to grow old alone¡­¡± Five minutester, Aiden and Owen emerged from the room. As Aria stood up, Aiden shoved all the documents into her hands. ¡°You two just live a good life together. Marriage isn¡¯t necessary. You¡¯ll always be my granddaughter-inw.¡± +28) Aria blinked in confusion. ¡°What?¡± She looked utterly bewildered, and she thought, ¡®What on earth did they talk about? Why did Aiden suddenly stop pushing for marriage? ¡°Aiden,¡± Aria said, ¡°I already have all these things, and any more would just go unused.¡± Aiden thought, ¡°The trouble with having such a formidable granddaughter-inw is that, no matter how much I own, I simply can¡¯t give her anything. She just doesn¡¯t need it.¡¯ Aiden pressed the gifts into her hands, insisting, ¡°What you already have is yours, but this is a little token from me. Don¡¯t you dare refuse it. Owen, bring Aria with us next family party.¡± Aiden shot Owen a warning re, but his face instantly brightened as he turned to Aria. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you and Cloe are close friends. It would be wonderful if you both coulde to the family gathering together.¡± Aria could only offer a polite smile. ¡°These gifts could also go to Julia.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve all got theirs. Cloe, you, and Julia, too.¡± He certainly wasn¡¯t one to y favorites. Aiden didn¡¯t linger. He waved goodbye and left. Aria shoved the pile of gifts into Owen¡¯s arms. ¡°You sort this out,¡± she told him. Owen gave a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto these for you, but if Grandpa finds out they ended up with me, I won¡¯t live to see tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Again Marriage 704 Aria asked, ¡°Did you drive here?¡± Owen took her hand and said, ¡°I took a cab here. We can just head straight home if you want. Things have been pretty quiet at the firmtely.¡± He recently streamlined his workload to focus solely on major cases, making his schedule much more rxed than before. He thought, ¡®Now I¡¯ll have more time to spend with Madelyn. Back at the Stars Group headquarters. Miles red at Silvia by the window and snapped, ¡°Silvia, you¡¯d better know your ce. You¡¯re just a junior staff member now. You have no business bypassing the chain ofmand.¡± Silvia was gazing absentmindedly out the window when she suddenly spotted Aria and Owen. Instinctively, she leaned forward slightly for a clearer view. Miles¡¯s anger red as he stepped closer. ¡°You can¡¯t even pay attention when I¡¯m talking. Do you think you¡¯re untouchable just because you have connections?¡± Silvia recoiled, wiping her face with the back of her hand. ¡°Just use your words, Miles. Don¡¯t get so close. You¡¯re practically spitting on my face.¡± Miles¡¯s fingers trembled with rage. ¡°You-¡± He was on the verge of exploding. ¡°Miles!¡± Johnny approached, his face grim. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Miles immediatelyunched into aint. ¡°Mr. Oconnor, Silvia has such an unprofessional attitude and absolutely no respect for her superiors. I was speaking to her quite civilly, and she just sat there staring out the window.¡± Johnny stepped closer, his gaze flickering briefly to the window just in time to see Aria¡¯s car pulling out of the parking lot. Johnny tore his gaze away and regarded Silvia. ¡°So, is this your idea of professionalism?¡± Silvia offered a deep bow. ¡°My apologies, Mr. Qureshi. I shouldn¡¯t have bypassed you to discuss the design drafts with Mr. Oconnor. You call the shots. If you want us to change something, we¡¯ll change it.¡± Miles winced, quickly trying to exin, ¡°Mr. Oconnor, that¡¯s not what happened¡­¡± Johnny raised his hand, cutting Miles off. ¡°I only care about results. If it¡¯s Silvia¡¯s fault, that proves she¡¯s unfit for this position. But if responsibility lies with you, Miles¡­¡± Johnny shot Miles an icy re. ¡°Then that also proves you¡¯re unfit for this position, too.¡± Miles¡¯s face fell instantly. ¡°Silvia,¡± Johnny said, e with me to my office.¡± He turned and strode away. Silvia scurried after him in small, measured steps. Not far away, some employees from the advertising department were gossiping in hushed tones. ¡°Hey, have you guys noticed that Mr. Oconnor seems to treat Silvia a little differently?¡± Another employee nodded discreetly. ¡°I¡¯ve actually noticed it for a while, ever since the night of the annual g.¡± Someone asked, ¡°What exactly went down that night?¡± ¡°Hey, Tilda, I remember you went out with them that night. Do you know what really happened?¡± Tilda looked distracted and shook her head. ¡°I¡­ I really don¡¯t know.¡± The annual g was held at a hotel. Allpany employees attended, along with a number of the Stars Group¡¯s business partners. 28) Tilda was forced into a blind date by her family. The guy took a liking to her, but she wasn¡¯t interested at all. Coincidentally, the man¡¯s family happened to be one of the Stars Group¡¯s business partners. The man ran into Tilda and immediately imed to be her boyfriend. Tilda fled to the hotel¡¯s back garden, but he still managed to track her down. Noticing something was off, Silvia rushed over. But then, the guy set his sights on Silvia. He said to Silvia, ¡°Silvia, I know the person you despise most is Aria. As long as you¡¯re with me, that insignificant Aria? I¡¯ll take care of her for you.¡± Silvia just smiled at him. ¡°And how, exactly, do you n to ¡®take care¡¯ of her?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll destroy what she values most. I¡¯ll get a few guys to have their way with her, record the whole thing, and we can make a fortune off it¡­¡± Silvia pped him across the face. ¡°You filthy, despicable piece of trash!¡± Again Marriage 705 The man flew into a rage and lunged at them, but Silvia swiftly pushed Tilda out of harm¡¯s way. Just then, Johnny stepped into view. From that day on, Tilda noticed that Johnny had started paying more attention to Silvia than before. Tilda couldn¡¯t help but regret it. If only she¡¯d had the courage to stand up to that guy that day, she would have been the one to catch Johnny¡¯s attention. Johnny slid a small gift box across the desk. ¡°I got you a present while picking out Aria¡¯s. Happy birthday.¡± Silvia froze momentarily. ¡°For me?¡± ¡®She looks adorably stunned, Johnny thought. He nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Silvia took the box and said, ¡°Well, I guess I owe this to my sister. Thanks, Mr. Oconnor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Just picked it up while I was at it.¡± Feeling a bit awkward, Johnny changed the subject and asked, ¡°Did you get Aria a gift?¡± Silvia nodded. ¡°Yes, I did. Aria gave me one too-a painting she drew herself.¡± As she finished speaking, Silvia¡¯s face lit up with an unconscious smile. Johnny couldn¡¯t help feeling a pang of jealousy. ¡°I¡¯ve never even gotten a hand-drawn painting from her. You certainly have all the luck!¡± When my birthdayes, if that little rascal Aria doesn¡¯t paint me something, I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t get a moment¡¯s peace,¡¯ Johnny thought. Silvia nced at her watch and said, ¡°Mr. Oconnor, if that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll head out now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Worried her colleagues might get the wrong idea if they saw the jewelry box, Silvia exited the office, slipped it into her pocket, and tossed the gift bag into the trash bin. Just as Johnny was about to head to a meeting, he saw Silvia toss the gift bag into the trash. His temple twitched. ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡± Silvia jumped in surprise and hastily pulled the gift from her pocket. ¡°No, it¡¯s right here!¡± she blurted. Johnny nced at the trash can and immediately understood. She was just trying to avoid office gossip. ¡°Alright, go ahead,¡± he said. He realized he hadn¡¯t thought it through properly. If the staff saw him giving Silvia a gift, the office gossip mill would overdrive. go into With the sessor confirmed, Aria met with Ondo. Ondo said, ¡°Just sign here, and I¡¯ll handle the paperwork.¡± Aria reviewed the contract, confirmed everything was in order, and signed her name. ¡°After all the effort you¡¯ve put into this, you¡¯re actually willing to hand it over to someone else? How generous of you.¡± Ondo smiled. ¡°Give to get.¡± +28) Aria was effectively their key contact in Huthailia; winning her over was all upside and no risk. Ondo had just gathered his documents and stood up to leave when a figure burst through the door. ¡°Ondo!¡± Liam snapped, with his face twisted in fury. ¡°You¡¯re really going to give the Cole Group to an outsider?¡± With a cold, mocking smile, Ondo said, ¡°Mr. Cole, the Cole Group was renamed Phosphor Group long ago. I can give it to whomever I please.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gonepletely mad!¡± Liam snarled, his face ashen with fury. ¡°It¡¯s one thing for us to have our family squabbles, but you can¡¯t just y fast and loose with something this important.¡± ¡°Coles?¡± Ondo¡¯s lips curled in a sardonic smile. ¡°Whoever said I was one of you?¡± Liam thrust out his hand, his voice sharp with anger. ¡°Deny it all you want. You can¡¯t change the fact that you carry the Cole bloodline. Now hand over that contract.¡± ¡°How naive, Mr. Cole.¡± Ondo yanked out several strands of his own hair and pressed them into Liam¡¯s palm. ¡°A friendly suggestion. Get that DNA re-tested.¡± Liam¡¯s pupils constricted sharply. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious enough?¡± Ondo sneered, a mocking smile on his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve had my sights set on the Cole Group from the very beginning. Of course, I made sure to cover all my bases.¡± Liam staggered back, unable to believe his eyes. Liam seethed, ¡®If Ondo isn¡¯t a Cole, then what the hell were all mypromises for? And Grandpa¡¯s restraint all these years was all worthless.¡¯ Aria propped her chin on her hand, clearly enjoying the show. Again Marriage 706 Liam stared hard at Ondo¡¯s face. Sure enough, there was nothing in his features that resembled anyone from the Cole family. Liam didn¡¯t even need a DNA test. Deep down, he was already mostly convinced. Liam asked, ¡°Why did you set your sights on the Cole Group?¡± Liam¡¯s voice was hoarse as his gazended on Aria, who had been watching the scene unfold with amusement. Suddenly, he froze. ¡°You! Aria, you want to ruin the Cole Group. Ondo is your man.¡± Ondo scoffed, ¡°What an idiot.¡± ¡®Liam¡¯s even dumber than I thought,¡¯ Ondo mused. If Aria had really wanted to take down the Cole Group, she¡¯d have had countless opportunities during those two years. She wouldn¡¯t have needed Ondo¡¯s help at all. His task done, Ondo had no words to waste. He grabbed his briefcase and walked out without a backward nce. Liam turned to Aria and demanded, ¡°Why?¡± Aria cast Liam a slow, dismissive nce and sneered, ¡°You¡¯re giving yourself way too much credit. If I wanted to take down the Cole Group, would I really need to go through such convoluted methods? ¡°Instead of ranting here like a madman, why don¡¯t you go investigate Ondo¡¯s true identity? You can¡¯t even tell who your real enemy is, and no wonder the Cole Group is failing under your leadership. Serves you right.¡± Liam clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, but he couldn¡¯t muster a single word in retort. After the initial burst of anger, Liam came to his senses and began to think more clearly. Liam thought to himself, ¡®If Aria really wanted the Cole Group, she could¡¯ve just had the Stars Group handle it directly. There was no need for Ondo to take such an unnecessary detour.¡± ¡°Why would he give the Cole Group to you?¡± ¡°Why would I tell you?¡± Aria sneered, a glint of mockery in her eyes. ¡°A windfall practically dropped in yourp. Would you turn it down?¡± Unable to get any information from Aria, Liam ran a frustrated hand through his hair before storming out to investigate Ondo¡¯s true identity. That same day, the paternity test results confirmed Ondo¡¯s true identity. The DNA test confirmed Ondo had no rtion to either Daniel or Liam. News this big was bound to reach Daniel. The moment he heard it, he copsed in shock and was immediately rushed to the ICU. Outside the ward, Ophelia¡¯s face was deathly pale. Her voice trembled as she asked, ¡°Liam, does this mean the Cole family is finished in Mandino City¡¯s high society from now on?¡± Elena grabbed Liam¡¯s arm desperately. ¡°Why in the world is Ondo targeting our Cole family? What does he want? If he had just returned to the Cole Group, we¡¯d do whatever he asks.¡± Liam thought bitterly, ¡®Not a chance. Ondo used the Cole Group as a front, repatriating substantial assets from Masmubia back to Huthailia. Aria was effectively their key contact in Huthailia; winning her over was all upside and no risk. Ondo had just gathered his documents and stood up to leave when a figure burst through the door. ¡°Ondo!¡± Liam snapped, with his face twisted in fury. ¡°You¡¯re really going to give the Cole Group to an outsider?¡± With a cold, mocking smile, Ondo said, ¡°Mr. Cole, the Cole Group was renamed Phosphor Group long ago. I can give it to whomever I please.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gonepletely mad!¡± Liam snarled, his face ashen with fury. ¡°It¡¯s one thing for us to have our family squabbles, but you can¡¯t just y fast and loose with something this important.¡± ¡°Coles?¡± Ondo¡¯s lips curled in a sardonic smile. ¡°Whoever said I was one of you?¡± Liam thrust out his hand, his voice sharp with anger. ¡°Deny it all you want. You can¡¯t change the fact that you carry the Cole bloodline. Now hand over that contract.¡± ¡°How naive, Mr. Cole.¡± Ondo yanked out several strands of his own hair and pressed them into Liam¡¯s palm. ¡°A friendly suggestion. Get that DNA re-tested.¡± Liam¡¯s pupils constricted sharply. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious enough?¡± Ondo sneered, a mocking smile on his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve had my sights set on the Cole Group from the very beginning. Of course, I made sure to cover all my bases.¡± Liam staggered back, unable to believe his eyes. Liam seethed, ¡®If Ondo isn¡¯t a Cole, then what the hell were all mypromises for? And Grandpa¡¯s restraint all these years was all worthless.¡¯ Aria propped her chin on her hand, clearly enjoying the show. Again Marriage 707 Elena suddenly jabbed a finger at her daughter. ¡°This is all your fault. If you hadn¡¯t tormented Aria and spoken to her so rudely back then, she wouldn¡¯t hate us so much now.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± Ophelia shrieked. ¡°It was you, Mom, who thought Aria was after your position as Mrs. Cole and started targeting her first.¡± Liam slumped dejectedly against the wall, listening as his mother and sister endlessly shifted me. Aria¡¯s cold, dismissive gaze shed before his eyes. ¡®No wonder she¡¯s disappointed,¡¯ Liam thought bitterly. ¡®Even I can¡¯t stand Mom and Ophelia. If Aria were there, she¡¯d only find itughable.¡¯ It was no wonder Liam turned out this way. He really was Elena¡¯s son. All three of them were always quick to me others for their own mistakes. Soon, Daniel¡¯s treatment waspleted. The doctor, with a grave expression, said, ¡°Daniel has suffered multiple severe shocks. It¡¯s unlikely he¡¯ll regain consciousness.¡± Elena froze for a second, then asked in disbelief, ¡°Are you saying he¡¯s in a vegetative state?¡± The doctor nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± At that moment, all three of them unexpectedly felt a wave of relief. Daniel¡¯s condition kept deteriorating, and the medical bills were piling up with no end in sight. Now that he¡¯s in a vegetative state, they could just hire a caregiver, and the financial drain would finally stop. Seeing not a trace of sorrow on their faces, the doctor gave them aplicated look and said no more. That evening, Emma and James returned home from their trip. Emma immediately went to Aiden. ¡°Aiden, how did it go? Did you manage to charm Aria for Owen?¡± She knew it was a long shot, but maybe there was a chance. Daniel let out a weary sigh. Emma understood. As expected, it failed. ¡°Aiden, don¡¯t worry so much. Kids will find their own way in life,¡± she reassured him. Aiden nodded. ¡°As long as Owen doesn¡¯t end up all alone, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Aiden thought, ¡®As for children¡­ The Shaw family is so wealthy, and we could simply adopt a few, groom them properly, and have them serve as Julia¡¯s personal aides in the future.¡¯ Emma was utterly surprised. She had thought Daniel would be furious when he found out Owen had the surgery. Surprisingly, he wasn¡¯t angry. Emma said, ¡°That¡¯s right, Aiden. Just look at how happy James and I are now. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re royalty. Having just Julia is more than enough.¡¯ Daniel nodded and said, ¡°Tell Kim to step up his game. If he can¡¯t win over Cloe and Julia, don¡¯t let hime home.¡± Emma thought to herself, ¡°That brat Kim is practically glued to Cloe¡¯s ce these days. He¡¯d probably be thrilled if he never had toe home. That threat won¡¯t work.¡¯ Emma said, ¡°Dad, if you have time, you should spend more time with Julia. After all, you¡¯re her great-grandfather, and at D your age, there¡¯s no way they¡¯d ever turn you down.¡± The Shaw residence was quite a distance from Cloe¡¯s ce, a two-hour drive. Aiden dered, ¡°Buy a vi nearby. I¡¯m moving in.¡± With his grandson proving unreliable and his son and daughter-inw not much better, Aiden decided to step in himself. Aiden issued his orders, and the moment the new house was ready, he moved in himself, officiallyunching his personal charm offensive. Cloe found herself in a bind. She could curse out Kim without hesitation, but facing an eighty-year-old like Aiden, she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to say a single harsh word. Cloe called Aria to vent, ¡°You have no idea. Aiden is way smarter than Kim. There¡¯s just no saying no to him.¡± Aria chuckled lightly. ¡°If you can¡¯t refuse, then just ept it. Let Julia decide for herself when she¡¯s older.¡± If Cloe really disliked Kim, she wouldn¡¯t have even let him get a foot in the door. She had feelings for him, but marrying into a wealthy family woulde with many restrictions. Cloe valued her independence. She preferred earning and spending her own money, not wanting to depend on anyone else. However, since she did have Julia with Kim, she couldn¡¯t really bring herself to stop the Shaw family from visiting Julia. Cloe thought to herself, ¡®Who knows? Julia might really be the only child this generation of the Shaw family will ever have. Cloe replied, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking.¡± She thought, ¡®Kim may have a cold exterior, but when ites to his daughter, he¡¯s truly exceptional. Julia used to despise aloof types like Kim, but these days, she finds herself growing increasingly fond of him. ¡®It¡¯s not a bad thing for Julia to have a few more people who love her.¡¯ Again Marriage 708 A monthter, Phosphor Group was officially under Aria¡¯s control. Some of the board members who had been loyal to Daniel for years weren¡¯t happy about it. ¡°Aria, Daniel always treated you well. Now he¡¯s in aa, and you just swoop in and take over Cole Group?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t approve of this.¡± Aria raised her brows. ¡°Wait, he¡¯s really in aa? What, did he get so mad that it knocked him out?¡± ¡°Yes, because of you!¡± They couldn¡¯t hide how furious they were. ¡°Ondo¡¯s the grandson he chose. That¡¯s got nothing to do with me.¡± Aria gave them a sharp smile. ¡°If you¡¯re so upset, you¡¯re wee to leave. I¡¯ll buy out your shares at full market value.¡± ¡°You-¡± They were upset, but no one made a move to leave. Aria¡¯s tone turned icy. ¡°Then shut it. Cole Group is dead. Phosphor Group is mine now.¡± One of the board members tried to y peacemaker. ¡°Come on, Aria¡¯s proven herself. With her in charge, we¡¯re making money without doing a thing. What more do you want?¡± Since Aria left, the Cole Group had been falling apart. Without Ondo stepping in, it would¡¯ve been worse. Daniel never cared about mentoring kids from the extended family. He never nned to hand things down. The Cole family had no one else who could run the ce. Another board member scoffed. ¡°She brought in a bunch of big shots from the Stars Group. Don¡¯t pretend she¡¯s not trying to turn Cole Group into one of their branches.¡± Aria didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m doing. You still have the option to walk away. No one¡¯s forcing you to stay.¡± A few of them turned red with rage. One asked, ¡°Are our dividends going to shrink?¡± ¡°Nope. The better Phosphor Group does, the more you all make.¡± That shut everyone up real quick. Aria added, ¡°I won¡¯t be around the office much. If anythinges up, talk to Grace.¡± She¡¯d brought Grace back into thepany. ¡°No objections,¡± the group responded in unison. Just as the meeting was wrapping up, the secretary burst through the door. ¡°There¡¯s a problem downstairs!¡± Meanwhile, in the front lobby, Elena smacked the receptionist across the face. ¡°Who do you think you are? Trying to stop me?¡± The young receptionist held her cheek, tears welling up, but she stood her ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but without an appointment, I can¡¯t let you go upstairs.¡± ¡°Do you even know who we are?¡± Ophelia shrieked, clutching an outdated designer bag. ¡°Thispany belongs to the Cole family! How dare you block us from entering our own building?¡± Elena shouted, ¡°Even Aria treats us with respect when she sees us!¡± A young woman from marketing stepped up, unable to stay silent. She stood beside the receptionist and said, ¡°Mrs. Cole, this is Phosphor Group now. This isn¡¯t yourpany anymore.¡± Elena was shaking with rage. She pointed a finger in the woman¡¯s face and snapped, ¡°Who the hell do you think you are? You¡¯re just an employee, and you¡¯re talking to me like that?¡± The woman fired back with a cold smile. ¡°If Ms. Saxon hadn¡¯t stepped in back then, Cole Group would¡¯ve gone under. You wouldn¡¯t even be allowed in the door right now.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right!¡± Others started chiming in. ¡°Ms. Saxon gave everything to Cole Group, and you people tried to team up with the mistress to steal her shares. Now you show up here like you still have the right?¡± ¡°What goes aroundes around. The Cole family got exactly what they deserved!¡± Getting outyed by Aria was one thing, but getting lectured by employees was too much. Enraged, Elena threw her handbag at them. ¡°All of you, shut up!¡± Chaos broke out instantly. Several staff members rushed over to separate them. ¡°Enough!¡± A cold voice rang out from the elevator. Again Marriage 709 Everyone turned and saw Aria slowly walking over. Elena shot her a deadly re. ¡°Aria! You ungrateful backstabber! Cole Group was built by the Cole family. How dare you just take it like that? I swear, I¡¯ll kill you, you bitch.¡± She lunged at Aria, but before she could even reach her, security guards rushed in and pinned her down hard. Liam came running. As soon as he saw what was happening, he shoved the guards aside and helped Elena up. ¡°Aria, no matter what, my mom was once your mother-inw. Did you really have to go this far?¡± Aria gave a cold chuckle. ¡°If I remember right, you¡¯re still holding onto some shares. If this ever happens again, I¡¯ll take those too.¡± Liam¡¯s face went stiff. He quickly grabbed his mom and sister. ¡°Who told you two it was a good idea to cause a scene?¡± As soon as they got outside, Liam exploded. ¡°Are you out of your minds? Wasn¡¯t that humiliating enough? Look at you! Do you still think you¡¯re some kind of socialite and debutante?¡± Elena tried to argue, but Liam cut her off. ¡°If you two keep acting like this, I¡¯ll lose whatever shares I¡¯ve got left, and we¡¯ll be out on the streets with nothing!¡± Elena and Ophelia didn¡¯t know the first thing about making money. Everything rested on Liam¡¯s shoulders, and yet they still caused drama like this. He was furious and stormed off. As they watched him walk away without even looking back, Elena and Ophelia finally realized they had lost everything. And now, they werepletely dependent on Aria. Ophelia started crying. ¡°Mom, what do we do now?¡± Elena looked dazed. ¡°What can we do?¡± She had thought the board and employees were still loyal to the Cole family. But clearly, everyone had taken Aria¡¯s side. If Aria wanted to ruin them, she could do it in a heartbeat. And if they kept pushing her, even surviving would be a challenge. Elena gritted her teeth. ¡°Let¡¯s just go home.¡± Meanwhile, Aria looked away. Taking the rest of Liam¡¯s shares wouldn¡¯t be hard. She had ways, forceful ones if necessary. But honestly, it wasn¡¯t worth the effort. If they had lost everything, they¡¯d keeping back to cause problems. Even if she had them arrested, they¡¯d be out again sooner orter. Those shares meant nothing to her. But keeping them hanging was a useful way to keep them in check. Aria turned to the front desk. ¡°Everyone who witnessed this gets a paid week off, one month¡¯s sry aspensation, and double the usual bonus this month.¡± The staff burst into cheers. People already knew Cole Group had been renamed Phosphor Group. But finding out that Aria now owned the whole thing was a shocker, especially since she was Liam¡¯s ex-wife. [Wow, Aria ended up owning Cole Group!] [He left his wife for a mistress whonded in jail, and now he¡¯s lost everything. If I were Liam, I¡¯d just drop dead from the shame.] [Tell me I¡¯m not the only one who thinks this is super satisfying. He cheats, she takes the wholepany. Legendary.] rock No h my Thr yes ll yen s the wo Cell Cap Cait rolled Tenth, Cranks and Again Marriage 710 ¡°What do you mean no?¡± Joseph smacked the armrest, clearly frustrated. ¡°Taking over Cole Group would¡¯ve been a huge win for Saxon Group. You could¡¯ve saved yourself a whole decade of work!¡± Caleb looked at him calmly. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re missing the point. Aria brought it up because I¡¯m her brother, not because she wanted to hand it over to the Saxon family.¡± Aria had mentioned Phosphor Group, but she never said anything about giving it to him. She knew he couldn¡¯t fully separate himself from Saxon Group. Caleb had said it that way on purpose. He wanted to watch Joseph realize just how badly he messed up. He went on, ¡°You¡¯re the one who cut her off without asking anyone, just because you thought she¡¯d be a burden. Well, choices have consequences. You didn¡¯t give her anything, but now you expect something in return? That¡¯s not how life works. ¡°We¡¯re already here. Just let go of what doesn¡¯t belong to you.¡± It was the first time Joseph had been called out by the grandson he cared about most. His face turned pale. ¡°If she had just shown some potential earlier¡­¡± Caleb cut him off gently. ¡°Wilson stayed overseas. Nathan didn¡¯t study anything rted to the business. Silvia never tried joining thepany. But you didn¡¯t kick any of them out, did you?¡± Joseph froze. His eyes turned ssy with emotion. For once, he really looked at his oldest grandson, and saw the disappointment in his eyes. Caleb continued, ¡°When Aria first came back, all of you treated her like some clueless bumpkin. You only regret it now because you finally realized what she¡¯s capable of.¡± His voice carried a bit of sarcasm. ¡°If she were really average, you wouldn¡¯t feel bad about throwing her out.¡± Everyone was ming Joseph now. The study fell into silence. He watched Caleb leave and felt a sinking feeling in his chest. There was no fixing this anymore. While heading to campus, Aria got a message from n: [Ms. Saxon, my professor¡¯s project is about to wrap up. Just don¡¯t tell him I told you.] She replied with a simple ¡°OK¡± and headed to her office. But before she got there, she saw Derek waiting by the door. He spotted her and ran up. ¡°Hey, Aria!¡± Seeing how lightly he was dressed, Aria scanned her card to open the door. ¡°Come inside.¡± Sophie was still teaching, so the office was empty. Derek flopped down across from her and rubbed his hands. ¡°Grandma¡¯s birthday is this Saturday. She told me to invite you in person.¡± He hesitated. ¡°The Saxon family¡¯s gonna be there too. If you don¡¯t wanna go, I¡¯ll let Grandma know.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send a giftter. You can take it for me,¡± Aria said casually. Derek nodded while stealing another look at how stunning his sister was. ¡°Sure.¡± Aria nced at his clothes. ¡°You¡¯re underdressed. It¡¯s cold out.¡± ¡°I just finished a game. I¡¯m good,¡± he said with a grin. Then he switched topics. ¡°Oh, and my parents have been acting really weirdtely. They keep showing up at school with snacks and clothes.¡± Aria adjusted the thermostat. ¡°Maybe they feel guilty and want to make up for ignoring you.¡± ¡°Please,¡± Derek scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not five anymore.¡± Lately, he¡¯d been going home every now and then and had noticed his parents were treating him differently. Whenever Lennox started his usual passive-aggressive crap, they didn¡¯t stay quiet anymore. Sometimes, they even pushed back, his mom included. But he didn¡¯t really need them anymore. If he was in a good mood, he ignored Lennox. If not, he pped back hard. Once he stopped caring, life actually felt pretty great. The more Lennox didn¡¯t want him around, the more Derek made a point to show up. Suddenly, he remembered something. ¡°I¡¯ve got ss.¡± He jumped up. ¡°Gotta go!¡± ¡°Wear a jacket,¡± Aria reminded him. ¡°I heard you!¡± he shouted as he rushed out and let the door swing shut behind him. Aria packed up her things and got ready to head to theb. But on her way there, she noticed someone was tailing her. When she turned a corner, she slipped into a stairwell and pressed herself into the shadows. The footsteps behind her slowed, just for a second. The second the person came close, Aria grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm behind his back, and shoved him against the wall. The boy winced from the pain, sweat beading on his forehead, but he didn¡¯t cry out. He just whispered, ¡°Aria¡­¡± Again Marriage 711 It was Nathan. Aria frowned and let him go. ¡°Why are you following me?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Nathan rubbed his shoulder and looked down. His voice got quieter. ¡°Did you get the gift?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Aria replied. When she did not say anything else, Nathan waited. Finally, he slowly lifted his head and saw that she kept a straight face. ¡°I said sorry because I messed up,¡± Nathan mumbled, voice trailing off. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you to forgive me.¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°I get it. We barely knew each other. It was only a month. There wasn¡¯t even time to build a real connection. Forgiveness doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± Nathan clenched his fists. ¡°Are you heading to ss?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll get going.¡± She turned and walked away. Nathan stood there, watching her leave, looking pretty down. Then a handnded on his shoulder. ¡°Dude¡­¡± all three of his roommates let out a dramatic sigh at the same time. Back when the semester started, they¡¯d noticed Nathan always staring at his phone, looking all mopey. They thought he had a crush on some girl he never confessed to and had been low-key heartbroken for months. Turned out it was about his sister. Nathan had told them the whole backstory. From Aria¡¯s perspective, it totally made sense why she didn¡¯t forgive him. Trying to earn her trust again was harder than winning over a girlfriend. ¡°Bro,¡± said the guy with the buzz cut, ¡°you should take a page out of Derek¡¯s book. ¡°Just be shameless and keep apologizing. If once doesn¡¯t work, try twice. Try ten times. Hell, try a hundred. She¡¯ll forgive you eventually.¡± Nathan muttered, ¡°She sees me like I¡¯m a stranger. She doesn¡¯t even hate me. How¡¯s she supposed to forgive me?¡± That shut everyone up for a second. Another guy piped up, ¡°Okay, so bug her every day. Get under her skin until she flips out. Then ask for forgiveness.¡± Buzz cut guy rolled his eyes. ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s the dumbest idea. Nathan¡¯s not the type to be annoying on purpose.¡± Then the curly-haired kid, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly said, ¡°What if I date your sister? Once I¡¯m your bro-inw, I¡¯ll drop to my knees and beg her for you.¡± Nathan gave him a look that could kill. The curly-haired kid threw his hands up. ¡°Just kidding.¡± ¡°She¡¯s noting?¡± Lexie let out a sigh when Derek told her. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I really liked that girl.¡± Derek replied, ¡°You know howplicated things are with her, Grandma.¡± But Lexie didn¡¯t think Aria was avoiding the Saxons out of spite. She figured the girl just wasn¡¯t interested in making the effort. And honestly, she didn¡¯t owe the Fletcher family anything either. Still, her oldest grandson clearly liked Aria. And since he wasn¡¯t doing a thing about it, Lexie figured it was time for her to step in and y Cupid. She nned to use the birthday party as a little test to see if there was any hope between the two of them. If not, she¡¯d let it go. After hanging up with Derek, she called her eldest grandson. A few secondster, he answered. ¡°Hey Grandma, what¡¯s up?¡± Lexie got straight to the point. ¡°My birthday party¡¯s this Saturday. You remember, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember,¡± Fryderyk said. ¡°Then bring a date,¡± Lexie said bluntly. Fryderyk paused. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday. Why would I need a date?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re bringing one. And it needs to be Aria.¡± Fryderyk let out a deep sigh. ¡°Grandma, I already exined. I said I liked Aria only to dodge a setup. I already feel bad enough dragging her into that lie. Now you want me to invite her as my date? That¡¯s too much.¡± Lexie gave a sweet smile. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t call her your date. But if you get her to show up, I¡¯ll stop setting you up. No more blind dates. You can get married whenever you want. I won¡¯t say another word about it.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± he asked. ¡°As real as it gets,¡± she promised. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Fryderyk said, though he wasn¡¯t very hopeful. Right after he ended the call, Allen walked in and teased, ¡°Your grandma pushing the marriage agenda again?¡± Fryderyk didn¡¯t even respond. Allen chuckled. ¡°Come on, man. You¡¯re not getting any younger. Time to start thinking about settling down.¡± Fryderyk changed the subject. ¡°What do you need, Allen?¡± Allen got serious. ¡°Actually, I do have something. We just caught someone that Arressto Investigation Agency¡¯s been chasing.¡± Again Marriage 712 ¡°Margery,¡± Fryderyk said her name, his tone cold. ¡°What made youe to Huthailia?¡± Margery sat there, calm and unfazed. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me anyway. The result would be the same no matter what I say. Just hand me over to the Arressto Investigation Agency.¡± Jackson tapped the table. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if we believe you or not. You should still talk.¡± Margery said, ¡°A friend once told me that if I ever had nowhere to go, I should find her in Mandino City, here in Huthailia.¡± Jackson asked, ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± Margery shot back, ¡°You nning to arrest her too?¡± Jackson replied, ¡°If she didn¡¯tmit a crime, there¡¯s nothing to arrest her for.¡± Margery paused for a couple of seconds. ¡°Her name¡¯s Aria.¡± Jackson blinked, surprised. ¡°Wait, who? Aria?¡± What a coincidence. Fryderyk stared at Margery for a moment, then something clicked in his mind. He turned to Jackson. ¡°Let her rest for now.¡± He didn¡¯t mean lock her up, just let her rest. Jackson leaned in and whispered, ¡°Captain Fletcher, should we notify Arressto about her?¡± Fryderyk didn¡¯t respond. That was answer enough. Jackson nodded slightly. ¡°Understood.¡± Then they led Margery away. Around 6:30 p.m., Aria showed up at the station. ¡°Did she do something illegal?¡± Fryderyk shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Margery had used an old identity, and since the station was linked with the Arressto Investigation Agency, they brought her in for questioning first. Fryderyk said, ¡°Come with me.¡± He brought Aria to a break room. Margery looked up and gave a tired smile. ¡°Guess I embarrassed myself in front of you again.¡± Somehow, every time she ran into Aria, it was during her worst moments. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Aria asked. ¡°No,¡± Margery replied. Aria turned to Fryderyk. ¡°If she didn¡¯tmit a crime, I¡¯m taking her with me.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Fryderyk said, pulling out a chair. ¡°Have a seat. Let¡¯s talk first.¡± Aria sat down. ¡°Okay. What do you want?¡± Sometimes Fryderyk thought Aria¡¯s instincts were razor sharp. With her background and personality, she could¡¯ve easily ended up on the wrong side of thew. MUSHENESTEN HEWAL TANNELGRAD 63 Luckily, she chose to walk the right path. If she hadn¡¯t, a lot of people would¡¯ve gotten hurt. ¡°I need a small favor,¡± Fryderyk said. ¡°If you agree, Margery walks free.¡± Aria asked, ¡°What kind of favor?¡± ¡°Come to my grandma¡¯s birthday party.¡± Aria looked up. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°My grandma got it in her head that I like you,¡± Fryderyk admitted. ¡°She said if you show up, she¡¯ll stop pushing me into blind dates. And if you bring Owen, that¡¯ll help seal the deal.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said, agreeing without hesitation. It really wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Thanks,¡± Fryderyk said. Margery stood up, still looking a little confused, and followed Aria out. She hadn¡¯t expected it to be this easy. Right as the car was about to pull off, Fryderyk knocked on the driver¡¯s window. ¡°The Arressto knows she¡¯s here now. Watch yourselves.¡± Aria responded calmly, ¡°Got it.¡± Margery said, ¡°Maybe you should just hand me over to the Arressto Investigation Agency. If you don¡¯t, they mighte after you.¡± Aria replied, ¡°They won¡¯t. They already dropped the bounty on you. They¡¯re not trying to kill you anymore. At most, they¡¯ll ask a few questions. Just stay with me and wait for them to show up.¡± Margery said, ¡°That¡¯s the third time you¡¯ve saved me.¡± Even though Pearl was Aria¡¯s actual sister, just one life-saving act would¡¯ve been enough to cancel out any debt Pearl owed. What Margery owed Aria wasn¡¯t something she could ever fully repay. ***** As the car pulled away, Fryderyk turned around and headed back into the police station. Allen was standing by the door, giving him a cold stare. ¡°So that¡¯s why you tried to send me off. You were afraid I¡¯d stop you from letting her go.¡± Fryderyk nodded without hesitation. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not really our job to arrest Margery anyway. Letting her go was doing Aria a favor.¡± Allen scoffed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried the Arressto people will hold a grudge? Might make things harder next time you need their help.¡± Fryderyk said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that when the timees.¡± When Tessa heard Aria had taken Margery, she let out a softugh. ¡°That girl again. She really doesn¡¯t care who she pisses off, huh? Even the Arressto.¡± S Dorian asked, ¡°Tessa, should we go bring her back?¡± Truth be told, Dorian wasn¡¯t eager to go. He couldn¡¯t beat Aria, and he knew it. Showing up would only get him humiliated. ¡°No need,¡± Tessa said, ncing at the calendar. ¡°The higher-ups already dropped the matter. No point in making enemies. I¡¯m taking time off this month anyway. I¡¯ll go check in on her myself.¡± Dorian asked, ¡°You still nning to recruit her?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯d be a real waste to let someone like her slip away.¡± Just then, as Dorian turned to leave, someone rushed past him and headed straight for Tessa. The man didn¡¯t slow down. ¡°Tessa, Margery¡¯s in Mandino City?¡± Tessa nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± The guy¡¯s face turned ice-cold. ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you sent anyone to arrest her? She killed my master and ruined my junior¡¯s life.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve reopened the case,¡± Tessa said. ¡°Your master¡¯s death was ruled an ident. Cassian, it¡¯s time to let it go.¡± Cassian clenched his fists. ¡°No way. She murdered him. Why is the organization protecting her?¡± Tessa¡¯s face tensed. ¡°There¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t know, Cassian. I¡¯m warning you, stop digging. You¡¯ll only end up disappointed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t buy any of those stories,¡± Cassian growled. ¡°I¡¯ll go to Mandino City myself and deal with her.¡± He brushed past Dorian as he stormed off. Dorian staggered slightly but didn¡¯t say a word. Cassian wasn¡¯t someone he could afford to offend. ¡°Tessa, what now?¡± he asked. ¡°Cassian¡¯s dead set on killing Margery.¡± Tessa pressed her temples. ¡°Go with him. Make sure he doesn¡¯t actually kill her. And whatever you do, don¡¯t make an enemy out of Aria.¡± If they pushed her too far, there¡¯d be no chance of bringing her in. Dorian nodded, went back to pack his things, and after thinking it over, decided to reach out to Wilson. ***** Over at Mayen Garden, Aria told the front desk that Margery would be staying temporarily on the 19th floor. The staff already knew Aria was Pearl¡¯s guardian, so he didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°Got it noted. Take care, Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria handed over a thick envelope. ¡°My friend¡¯s made some enemies. There might be peopleing around looking for trouble.¡± The staff smiled and gently pushed it back. ¡°No worries, Ms. Saxon. We¡¯ll beef up security. No extra charge.¡± ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± Aria left with Margery. The moment they were gone, the front desk picked up the envelope and broke into a huge grin. When Pearl saw Margery, she ran over and threw her arms around her. ¡°Margery!¡± Back when she had hit rock bottom, Margery was the one who saved her and taught her how to survive. To Pearl, Margery was family. Now seeing her safe and alive made her genuinely happy. Margery reached out and patted her hair, eyes welling up a bit. ¡°Hey, kid. Long time no see.¡± They two sat on the couch and talked for a good while. Then there was a knock at the door. Again Marriage 713 Aria opened the door and found Wilson leaning casually against the frame with a wide grin. ¡°Aria, been a while, huh?¡± She already knew why he came and stepped aside. ¡°So, you¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he said as he walked in, still grinning. ¡°And here I thought you¡¯d be worried I was here to stir up trouble.¡± If he¡¯d reallye to cause trouble, she wouldn¡¯t have let him in to begin with. From the start, Wilson stood with his sister. He was a lot sharper than the rest of the Saxon family. Margery stood from the couch and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Wilson. Aria¡¯s brother,¡± he replied, leaving out the word ¡°cousin¡± on purpose. He set down a bag full of seasoned snacks and appetizers on the table. ¡°Oh, and I work with the Arressto now.¡± ¡°He joined after you left,¡± Aria said to Margery. Margery¡¯s expression shifted slightly, but she didn¡¯t question it. She trusted Aria, and by extension, Aria¡¯s people. Even if someone from Arressto came to arrest her, she wouldn¡¯t panic. She¡¯d already brought Aria more than enough trouble. Wilson plopped down on the couch and shot Pearl a wink. ¡°Hey, kiddo. Brought you some apple crumble. Go try it.¡± ¡°Thanks, bro,¡± Pearl said with a polite smile, though she still looked a little wary. Wilson picked up on it but didn¡¯t take it personally. He slouched back and turned to Margery. ¡°Don¡¯t stress. The higher-ups dropped everything about ric.¡± ¡°Why? Was it because of Ca?¡± Margery¡¯s hands tightened around the couch arm. Wilson shook his head. ¡°Dorian just told me the basics. Even he doesn¡¯t know the whole story. It¡¯s ssified. What I do know is, Cassian¡¯s already headed to Mandino City.¡± ¡°Cassian¡­¡± Margery lowered her eyes and sighed. He¡¯d been ric¡¯s student, her junior. Wilson leaned in. ¡°So, what really happened back then?¡± He¡¯d always been curious. Margery had a rising career, then out of nowhere, she killed ric and disappeared. Margery paused, then finally said, ¡°ric was a fraud.¡± On the surface, ric had a great reputation as a top investigator. But behind closed doors, he was ruthless and power- hungry. He wanted to be director and was willing to sabotage the most promising analyst to get there. He didn¡¯t get his hands dirty himself. He forced Margery to use hypnosis to harm others. She put up with it for a while until she realized he had messed-up intentions toward their junior, Ca. She warned Ca to keep her distance, and Ca listened. Then one day, Margery showed up to report a mission and found ric drugging Ca. She just wanted to stop him, but she hit him too hard. He died right there. Ca cried and begged her to keep it quiet. If the truth came out, her life would be destroyed. Margery honored her wishes. She took the fall and walked away from Arressto. That was when her life on the run began. Wilson took a long drink of water. ¡°Well, that exins a lot. Ca came back to work a few months ago,¡± he added. ¡°I¡¯m guessing she pulled some strings to get the bounty dropped.¡± He let out a dryugh. ¡°Too bad Arressto¡¯s sweeping it under the rug.¡± They may have stopped hunting her, but they didn¡¯t clear her name. The only one who could¡¯ve gathered proof was Ca, and Margery was pretty sure she had. ¡°Honestly, this is already good enough. I¡¯m not going back to Arressto anyway.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s your n now?¡± Wilson asked. Margery nced at Aria. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can even do.¡± After years on the run and then being held captive by Ethan, she¡¯d never really known peace. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of you when you¡¯re old,¡± Pearl chimed in. Margeryughed. Wilson let out a sigh. ¡°Man, daughters really are the best.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, shifting topics, ¡°since they¡¯re keeping things under wraps, the evidence is probably locked away. And Cassian? That guy doesn¡¯t let things go. He¡¯s gonna be a pain.¡± Then he looked over at Aria. ¡°What do you say, Aria? Want me to stick around and help out? If Cassian tries anything, I¡¯ll shut it down before it starts.¡± Aria shut him down instantly. ¡°Don¡¯t need you right now.¡± Again Marriage 714 Wilson clutched his chest like she¡¯d wounded him. ¡°Oof. Harsh.¡± The doorbell rang again. Wilson perked up. Pearl ran to open it and chirped, ¡°Dear Owen!¡± It was the first time Wilson had ever heard her say that, probably Lily too. He shot up from his seat. ¡®Since when did Owen win over both girls?¡¯ Owen was standing at the door in an apron. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready,¡± he said. He gave Wilson a quick nce as he came over. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you were here.¡± Wilson was about to say something, but the smell of pork chops and zed salmon hit him. ¡°Wow, that smells incredible!¡± ¡°Grab your coats ande eat,¡± Owen told them. Aria grabbed hers right away. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Pearl clearly knew the drill already. Margery hesitated a second but followed. Pearl leaned in and whispered to her, ¡°Owen lives right across the hall. His cooking¡¯s amazing. That¡¯s how he got my sister to fall for him.¡± Margery smiled knowingly. ¡°Makes sense.¡± As soon as Wilson stepped inside, he headed straight for the kitchen, following the smell. He stared at the pot bubbling on the stove and swallowed hard. ¡°How long¡¯s this soup been going?¡± ¡°Three hours,¡± Owen said, smacking Wilson¡¯s hand away. ¡°Go wash your hands, you big kindergartener.¡± Honestly, Wilson really did act like a kid sometimes. Aria washed her hands like it was second nature and grabbed dishes and silverware from the cabs. Pearl helped her. Watching how smoothly they moved, Wilson got the message. They¡¯d definitely eaten here plenty of times. One bite was all it took. Wilson understood how Owen had managed to win over his sister, and why both Lily and Pearl called him ¡°Dear Owen.¡± It was that good. If he got to eat food like this every day, he¡¯d call Owen that too without hesitation. ¡°Owen, this is insane,¡± Wilson said. ¡°You should totally open a restaurant. You¡¯d make a killing.¡± Then he added, ¡°I need to marry someone who can cook like this. I want this kind of food every day.¡± Owen handed Pearl a piece of fish. ¡°If a guy can¡¯t cook, he¡¯s not much of a man. Expecting someone else to feed you all the time? Yeah, good luck staying single forever.¡± Good thing he¡¯d taken those weekend cooking sses at Amour Bistro; otherwise, he would never have stood a chance at impressing someone like Madelyn. Pearl chimed in, ¡°I¡¯m definitely gonna marry someone who can cook.¡± Aria added, ¡°And not someone like Wilson who loves to eat but won¡¯t lift a finger.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Pearl agreed. Wilson felt personally attacked. He took a picture and texted it to Caleb: [Guess what I¡¯m eating? My future brother-inw made this. It¡¯s unreal.] Caleb replied: [Are you serious right now? You think you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s had his food? We¡¯ve eaten it a hundred times.] Wilson shot back: [Who else has?] Caleb: [Derek.] Suddenly, the food didn¡¯t taste quite as special. Still amazing, but the excitement dipped a little. Wilson turned to Aria and asked, ¡°So, you guys eat here a lot?¡± Owen answered before she could. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about freeloading. Not happening.¡± Wilson made a face. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m family. Shouldn¡¯t you be trying to win me over too? I¡¯ll pay for groceries if that helps.¡± ¡°I only need to win over Caleb. You¡¯re not part of the deal,¡± Owen said. ¡°That¡¯s cold,¡± Wilson muttered, pretending to be heartbroken. Pearl shook her head. ¡°Wilson, you¡¯re such a baby.¡± That one stung. Wilson decided to shut up and eat his feelings. After dinner, Wilson left. Aria and Margery were heading out too. Owen instinctively moved to follow. Aria stopped him. ¡°We¡¯re just going to grab some clothes and a few things. It¡¯s easier if you don¡¯te.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Owen said. ¡°Text me when you¡¯re done. I¡¯lle pick you up.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria agreed. Margery watched the two of them and suddenly thought of Ethan. He used to treat her like that when they were in love. But then¡­ Aria broke her train of thought. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Margery blinked out of it and gave a small smile. Ethan had imed to love her but still ended up hurting her. All that proved was he really only loved himself. Loving her had just been a way to justify it. Again Marriage 715 As soon as they stepped into the mall, Aria dove straight into shopping mode. Margery pulled at her arm. ¡°Aren¡¯t you buying a bit much?¡± ?? < Aria shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve got money to burn.¡± Right then, a mockingugh came from behind them. A guy in a loud floral shirt raised his voice on purpose. ¡°Lydia, did you hear that? She says she¡¯s rich!¡± He threw up his arms like he was on stage. ¡°Why not just buy the whole mall while she¡¯s at it?¡± Aria turned and saw four people nearby. Ophelia was hanging onto Griffin¡¯s arm. Lydia stood a little farther back. The one making all the noise, Coby, had a smug look on his face. Ophelia¡¯s eyes were full of spite. ¡°She stole my family¡¯spany. Of course, she¡¯s got money to throw around.¡± Griffin patted her hand and added, ¡°Some people just don¡¯t know how to stop taking what isn¡¯t theirs.¡± Before he could keep going, Aria gave him a sharp, icy look. He shut right up. He remembered Aria wasn¡¯t someone to be messed with, especially not physically. Coby looked like he still wanted to run his mouth, but Lydia stepped in quickly, clearly annoyed. She walked straight up to Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon. Fancy seeing you here.¡± Aria nodded slightly. ¡°Hello.¡± Lydia exined, ¡°I¡¯m just here on a work trip, checking out the ce. I happened to run into them. I didn¡¯t ask them to say any of that.¡± She shot a nce over her shoulder. ¡°None of it came from me.¡± Aria gave her a small smile. ¡°No worries, Ms. Yeager. I won¡¯t hold you responsible for their behavior.¡± Lydia looked relieved. Then Aria turned to the sales assistant and said, ¡°Send everything I ordered to Mayen Garden.¡± She was about to leave when Coby suddenly stepped in front of her and blocked the way. He turned toward Griffin and smirked. ¡°So this is your cousin? Not bad. No wonder Ondo handed her the Cole Group.¡± Ophelia jumped in right after. ¡°She probably cheated first and then tried to pin it all on my brother.¡± Aria turned to her. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re asking me to go after the rest of your brother¡¯s shares too.¡± Ophelia went white as a sheet. She mped her mouth shut and didn¡¯t say another word. Griffin stepped up and shielded his girlfriend. ¡°Seriously, Aria? You steal people¡¯s stuff and then threaten them too?¡± ¡°Step aside,¡± Aria said, her voice t. Lydia added, ¡°Don¡¯t block the path.¡± Coby looked stunned. ¡°Lydia, are you seriously taking her side?¡± Lydia¡¯s voice turned ice cold. ¡°Ms. Saxon is my friend. She¡¯s not some outsider.¡± Margery grabbed Aria¡¯s hand and tried to steer her away, but Coby stepped in front of them again. ¡°Did I say you could leave?¡± Aria let out a lowugh. ¡°I already gave you one chance.¡± The next second, Coby went flying. He hit the floor hard and slid a few feet across the polished tiles. Ophelia screamed and jumped back. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in the way!¡± Aria raised her hand again, but before she could do anything, Griffin dove behind a giant cutout of a Silvia ad. ¡°Pathetic,¡± Aria muttered, then walked off with Margery like nothing happened. Cobyy curled on the floor, groaning. ¡°You¡¯re gonna regret this.¡± Lydia walked over and looked down at him. Her tone was ice. ¡°If you want the Molton family to go bankrupt, go ahead and keep going after Aria.¡± She looked over at Ophelia, who still looked shaken. ¡°The Cole family already learned that the hard way.¡± Coby stopped cursing instantly. The Molton family didn¡¯t evene close to the Cole family. If Aria wanted, she could wipe them out without breaking a sweat. Coby refused to believe it. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even run the Stars Group. She¡¯s not that powerful yet.¡± Lydia rolled her eyes. There was no point arguing with him. ¡°Then be my guest. Try her,¡± she said. Again Marriage 716 As he watched Aria and Margery walk away. Coby got up, pulled out his phone, and called the first number in his recent calls. ¡°Aria¡¯s super protective of Margery. And she¡¯s got skills,¡± he reported. Griffin walked over. ¡°I told you she¡¯s no joke, but you wouldn¡¯t listen.¡± Coby replied, ¡°I had to see for myself before telling my cousin anything.¡± Ophelia, still a little shaken, asked, ¡°Did Aria actually do something to piss off your cousin?¡± Coby shrugged. ¡°Judging by his tone, probably.¡± Griffin chuckled. ¡°If your cousin¡¯s as tough as you say, Aria¡¯s in serious trouble.¡± Meanwhile, Margery watched as mall staff hauled all of Aria¡¯s shopping bags up to the neenth floor. She couldn¡¯t help feeling like she owed Aria even more. Aria looked over and said, ¡°Don¡¯t stress about it. I couldn¡¯t have taken down Flynt¡¯sb without you. And I feel better knowing you¡¯re here to keep an eye on Pearl.¡± But Margery knew the truth. Aria could¡¯ve pulled it off without her. And now, with Cassian possibly causing more trouble, sticking around might only make things harder for Aria. ¡°Thanks, Aria,¡± she said sincerely. Aria waved it off. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It was no big deal.¡± Later that night, after showering. Ariaid down feeling rxed. Owen sat up beside her. ¡°Are you tired? Want a foot rub?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°No need. I didn¡¯t walk much today.¡± She motioned for him to lie down. ¡°I¡¯ve got something to tell you.¡± Owen shifted closer. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Aria said, ¡°I owe Fryderyk a favor, so I agreed to go to Lexie¡¯s birthday party this Saturday. Want toe with me?¡± Owen asked, ¡°As your date?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± His answer came fast. ¡°Absolutely.¡± He was thrilled. Then, lowering his voice, he added, ¡°Madelyn, what if people find out we¡¯re dating?¡± Aria looked at him. ¡°Does that bother you?¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Then let them find out.¡± Owen pulled her into his arms, letting out a quiet, contented ¡°Mhm.¡± The next day, Aria was heading into theb when Derek suddenly popped up, looking flustered and pouty like an offended cat. ¡°Aria, did you really say yes to Grandma¡¯s birthday party?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Derek huffed. ¡°I asked you first and you said nothing. Fryderyk asks once and you¡¯re in? You don¡¯t love me anymore?¡± Aria sighed. ¡°He did me a favor. It was part of the deal.¡± Derek squinted at her. ¡°So it¡¯s not that he means more to you than I do?¡± Aria teased, ¡°Please. Fryderyk¡¯s got nothing on you.¡± Derek lit up and handed her two cups of cappino. ¡°New shop. Super good. One¡¯s for you.¡± Aria took the drink and gave him a look. ¡°You came all the way here just for this?¡± Derek beamed. ¡°Of course. I need to make sure I¡¯m still your favorite little brother.¡± And honestly, with Wilson nowpeting for attention, no one could me him. Then Aria suddenly felt someone staring at her. She turned her head, but saw nothing. Smirking, she looked back at Derek. ¡°If that¡¯s all, go back to ss.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± he said, and trotted off. As she continued walking, Aria slowed down on purpose. She wanted to see how long her tail would follow. But then, a heavy thud hit behind her. She spun around just in time to see Nathan crash into a wall, blood running down the corner of his mouth. A figure leapt up and vanished over the wall. She hadn¡¯t expected Nathan to be there at all. She rushed over. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nathan clutched his stomach, clearly in pain. ¡°Someone was following you,¡± he said. Aria kept calm. ¡°Yeah, I know. Next time, don¡¯t get involved.¡± Nathan stayed silent. Aria called for an ambnce, and then called Caleb. ¡°Caleb, Nathan¡¯s hurt.¡± The ambnce arrived fast. Aria wasn¡¯t nning to ride with them, but the doctor called out to her, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you need toe with us right now.¡± Again Marriage 717 Honestly, Nathan only got hurt because of her. Aria pushed down her frustration and climbed into the ambnce after them. Nathan tried not to smile and quickly pulled out his phone to text his brother: [Caleb, don¡¯t tell Mom and Dad I got hurt.] He wasn¡¯t scared they¡¯d freak out. He just didn¡¯t want Aria to take off if they showed up. But his parents found out anyway. They showed up at the hospital with Caleb, and Wilson came too. When they spotted Aria, they both froze. Neither of them even nced at Nathan on the bed. Instead, they smiled at Aria, a little too eagerly. ¡°Aria,¡± they said, trying to sound warm. Aria gave a quick nod and got to her feet. She pulled out a card and set it on the table. ¡°That guy was after me. Nathan broke two ribs. This card has 65 thousand dors on it.¡± Zoe waved her hands, flustered. ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not necessary. Aria, was someone following you? Shouldn¡¯t we call the police?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it myself,¡± Aria said calmly. Then she walked right out, no hesitation. Caleb instinctively started to follow, bu Logan caught Zoe¡¯s arm and gently shook his head. At this point, the best thing they could do was leave her alone. Nathan looked annoyed. ¡°Why are you even here?¡± Logan answered, ¡°You got hurt. You really think we¡¯d just stay home?¡± Wilson turned to Nathan. ¡°Tell me what that guy looked like.¡± Nathan described him briefly. Wilson¡¯s expression shifted. He instantly recognized it was Cassian. Without saying another word, he walked out of the room and made a call. ¡°Tessa, Cassian followed my sister and attacked my brother. You¡¯d better give me an exnation. I want answers now.¡± A ck car pulled up to the front gates of Mandino University. Caleb sat behind the wheel and nced at Aria. ¡°Madelyn, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious,¡± Aria said, already opening the door. ¡°I¡¯ve got it under control. Don¡¯t worry, Caleb.¡± Caleb reached over and gave her head a soft pat. ¡°Alright. Just call me if anythinges up.¡± As soon as Aria stepped inside the campus, Fred came hurrying toward her. ¡°Ms. Saxon! I just heard about Nathan¡¯s attack. The university takes this very seriously. We¡¯ll cover all of his medical bills.¡± Aria didn¡¯t even slow down. ¡°It¡¯s already been handled. The guy was after me. I¡¯m the reason this whole messnded on the school. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± Fred¡¯s face dropped. ¡°That¡¯s even more serious. I¡¯ll call campus security right now and get the surveince footage. We¡¯re going to get to the bottom of this.¡± That major project was almost finalized. If something happened to Aria now, he¡¯dpletely lose it. ¡°Appreciate it, Fred. You can start by looking into Cassian.¡± ¡°Cassian?¡± Fred paused. The name rang a bell. Aria added, ¡°He¡¯s part of the Stroud family. From Kanit City.¡± Fred blinked. ¡°The Strouds¡¯ oldest son? He¡¯s an auxiliary officer with the State Security Bureau in Kanit City. Why would someone like that attack people?¡± The State Security Bureau was one of the official liaison departments connected to the Arressto. Only people who went through serious training and passed tough evaluations could join. Everyone in the Bureau was part of the Arressto, but not all agency members were in the Bureau. Even Wilson didn¡¯t make the cut. They were short on people, so they brought in a batch of temporary agents to help out the State Security Bureau. Cassian was one of them. One had to be top-tier to be considered for that bureau. The government didn¡¯t hand out that kind of trust lightly. Fred only knew two such people: Cathy from the Shaw family in Kanit City, and Gerald from the Huffman family in Hogford. Again Marriage 718 Even though Cassian was just part-time, he had serious pull in the inner circle. Honestly, half the reason the Stroud family stayed relevant in Kanit City was because of him. Just as Caleb stepped into the hospital room, he saw a broad-shouldered man walk in. He knew that face. It was Cassian. ¡°I¡¯m the one who hurt your son, Cassian said, sliding a ck card across the table toward Logan. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s three million dors on that card. It¡¯s for damages.¡± He sounded calm, almost too calm. ¡°I was on a mission at Mandino University. Your son tried to stop me. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt him, but it happened in the heat of the moment.¡± Before Logan could respond, Nathan pushed himself up from the bed. ¡°Your mission was to tail my sister? What kind of mission is that supposed to be?¡± Cassian¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°She helped someone she shouldn¡¯t have. I came to take that person.¡± Zoe grabbed Logan¡¯s arm, nervous. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± ¡°Not something you need to know,¡± Cassian said, cold as ice. Caleb stepped forward, holding out a hand. ¡°Even if this was a Bureau job, there should be a warrant. Mr. Stroud, show it to me.¡± Cassian¡¯s stare turned frosty. ¡°It¡¯s a ssified operation.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re just supposed to take your word for it?¡± Caleb lowered his hand with a tight smile. ¡°You¡¯re not even a full agent. You don¡¯t get to make arrests.¡± Cassian wasn¡¯t even officially in yet. He acted without authorization and hurt someone in the process. That could not only get him kicked from the Bureau, but it could alsond him in hot water with the Arressto. His jaw clenched. ¡°It¡¯s a personal matter.¡± Caleb raised an eyebrow. ¡°So this wasn¡¯t an order from the Bureau. Well, if you show up around my sister again, I¡¯ll ask the Bureau what she did wrong. What makes her so dangerous that you had to shadow her and hurt my brother?¡± Cassian locked eyes with him. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. You¡¯re siding with Aria. That means going up against the Stroud family.¡± Caleb gave a shortugh. ¡°What did you expect? I¡¯m not about to take your side over my sister¡¯s.¡± Cassian stood up, clearly pissed. ¡°Fine.¡± He stormed out without another word. The room fell quiet. Logan looked down at the card and hesitated. ¡°What do we do with the money?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s for Nathan, keep it,¡± Caleb said. He turned to Nathan. ¡°And quit trying to act like a hero. You¡¯re not cut out for it.¡± Nathan shot back, ¡°I was trying to protect Aria!¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need your help,¡± Caleb said bluntly. ¡°The whole ¡®sacrifice myself thing? Way too clich¨¦.¡± Nathan¡¯s face turned beet red. ¡°You¡¯re the worst!¡± Zoe opened her mouth to break the tension, but Caleb was already grabbing his jacket. ¡°Mom, Dad, I¡¯m heading to the office.¡± As the door clicked shut behind him, Nathan buried his head under the covers. He thought his brother was seriously annoying. A momentter, Nathan sat up again. ¡°Mom, Dad, Cassian said all that just to distract us. He doesn¡¯t want us getting in the way while he targets Aria. Please don¡¯t screw this up likest time.¡± Zoe rolled her eyes. ¡°You think we¡¯re that dumb?¡± Whatever happened, they were always going to back their daughter. Logan said, ¡°The Strouds are just one family. We don¡¯t need to lose sleep over them.¡± Nathan frowned. ¡°But what if Cassian teams up with the Shaw family in Kanit City and the Huffman family in Hogford?¡± Logan answered confidently, ¡°We¡¯re still not scared.¡± All of a sudden, Logan felt like maybe the Saxon family wasn¡¯t strong enough yet. He stood up. ¡°Zoe, take care of Nathan. I¡¯m heading into the office too.¡± Zoe nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± That Saturday, Aria went with Owen to Lexie¡¯s birthday party. Again Marriage 719 The chandeliers inside the Fletcher family¡¯s party hall threw long, elegant shadows across the floor. As soon as Aria and Owen walked into the main room, Adamson stepped up with a smile and held out his hand. ¡°Owen, long time no see.¡± Seacrest Law Firm had handled a lot of corporate cases over the years, and one of them had been for the Fletcher Group. While the two men caught up, Norah approached Aria with a warm smile. She wore a Huthailian-style skirt suit, and the pearls on her ears swayed slightly when she moved. ¡°Ms. Saxon, it¡¯s lovely to meet you,¡± she said. Aria shook her hand and replied politely, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fletcher.¡± Norah looked sweet and elegant, but Aria had already heard stories about her, like how she¡¯d taken over a filmpany justst month, and she hadn¡¯t pulled any punches doing it. Fryderyk came over quickly and guided Aria and Owen farther inside. He leaned toward Aria and whispered, ¡°Thanks.¡± Aria gave a small smile. ¡°No big deal.¡± Meanwhile, near the entrance, Norah nced at the three of them and said with a grin, ¡°My mother-inw told me my son. didn¡¯t have any female friends and had been getting close to Aria. Guess he never stood a chance.¡± Adamson nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t think those two would end up together. Honestly, I thought Kim and Aria made more sense.¡± He wasn¡¯t talking about looks. He meant chemistry, ambition, andpatibility. Kim had real power, and if Aria married him, both the Shaw Group and Stars Group would level up fast. Just then, the entrance buzzed with movement. Kim walked in with Cloe, who looked stunning in her formal dress. A little girl was bouncing along beside them. Norah raised her eyebrows. ¡°Now that¡¯s a power couple. Quit trying to y matchmaker.¡± Adamson looked surprised. ¡°Cloe¡¯s got a kid? And Kim¡¯s cool with that?¡± Norah¡¯s voice got sharper. ¡°So what if she does? Cloe¡¯s gorgeous and built Amour Bistro all on her own. Honestly, I think Kim¡¯s a bit too stiff for someone like her.¡± She added, ¡°And who says that little girl isn¡¯t Kim¡¯s daughter?¡± Adamson gave a smallugh. ¡°I wasn¡¯t judging Cloe. Why are you picking a fight with me?¡± Norah didn¡¯t bother answering. She walked straight over and greeted Cloe first. ¡°Miss Woods, it¡¯s been a while. ¡°Norah was a generation older, but calling Cloe by herst name was just a polite way of being familiar. Cloe smiled. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, just call me Cloe. This is my daughter, Julia. Sweetheart, say hi.¡± Julia smiled sweetly. ¡°Hi, Mrs. Fletcher.¡± Norah burst outughing. ¡°You¡¯re adorable. With that sweet mouth, you can just go ahead and call me Grandma.¡± She meant it. If Fryderyk had settled down earlier, she¡¯d probably already have grandkids by now. ¡°Wow, are grandmothers really this young?¡± Julia¡¯s eyes lit up. Norah had given birth to Fryderyk when she was twenty-three and had spent years focusing on her career. She worked out regrly and took care of herself. Now in her early fifties, she looked like she was in her forties. Standing next to Fryderyk, people could¡¯ve mistaken them for siblings. Norah beamed. She made up her mind to start pushing her son harder to get married. Then Julia turned to Adamson and said, ¡°So should I call you Great-Grandpa?¡± Adamson¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He didn¡¯t think he looked that old. Norah lost it. Sheughed, unfiltered. Cloe looked a little flustered. ¡°Actually, he¡¯s Grandpa. He¡¯s Mrs. Fletcher¡¯s husband.¡± Julia giggled, a little embarrassed. ¡°Sorry, Grandpa. I thought you were her dad.¡± Adamson, who was only six years older than Norah, forced a smile. ¡°No problem.¡± But he made a mental note to start using anti-aging cream. In the center of the party hall, the birthday celebration hadn¡¯t officially kicked off yet. Most of the early arrivals were younger guests. Amanda spotted Aria from across the room and quietly stepped away from her group. She walked over, champagne in hand. ¡°Fryderyk, I¡¯m impressed. You got Aria to show up.¡± Then she turned to Aria with a smile. ¡°How¡¯s that new batch of wine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± Aria said casually. ¡°Just not very strong.¡± Amanda chuckled. ¡°Yeah, it was made with women in mind. Low alcohol content on purpose.¡± Her gaze shifted to Owen. ¡°Looks like Mr. Shaw pulled it off.¡± Owen smiled. ¡°I¡¯m lucky.¡± Again Marriage 720 Amanda swirled her drink and looked at Fryderyk teasingly. ¡°Captain Fletcher must be feeling pretty crushed. The girl he liked chose someone else.¡± Fryderyk stayed silent. Amanda leaned in slightly. ¡°But you don¡¯t look all that upset. What, don¡¯t like her anymore? Or maybe you¡¯re into someone else. What about me?¡± Fryderyk took a step back and muttered, ¡°Still like her. I just haven¡¯t shown it.¡± Amanda put on a yful pout. ¡°Now that¡¯s a real shame.¡± Everyone stared at Aria and Owen like they couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. ¡°No way. They¡¯re dating?¡± ¡°I heard Owen doesn¡¯t even have shares in the Shaw Group. You think Aria¡¯s gonna step in and help him?¡± Someone nearby chuckled. ¡°Come on. The Cole Group is called Phosphor Group now. It belongs to Aria. She has already stepped back from both Phosphor and the Stars Group. She¡¯s not the type to butt in unless she has to.¡± One of the rich girls huffed. ¡°You¡¯re all focusing on the wrong thing. The real drama is that Fryderyk¡¯s into Aria too!¡± ¡°Aria¡¯s always had guys chasing after her. Liam just got the short end of the stick, lost his wife, and the family business.¡± The fact that the Cole Group somehow ended up in Aria¡¯s hands still cracked them up every time they thought about it. Fryderyk overheard and just sighed inside. It was pointless trying to exin. He gave Aria an apologetic nce. She just shrugged like it was whatever. She wasn¡¯t the one embarrassed. ¡°Aria!¡± a little voice rang out, full of excitement. Julia came running over, and the second Aria bent down, the little girlunched herself into her arms. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± Owen leaned in with a grin. ¡°Did you miss me, too?¡± Julia nodded enthusiastically. ¡°I missed Owen, too!¡± Owen smiled even wider and gave her head a gentle pat. Watching from the side, Susan scoffed. ¡°And they said they cut ties with the Saxons. Now look at them, running right back.¡± Evan frowned. ¡°Mom invited them herself. Keep talking like that and she¡¯s gonna be pissed.¡± Susan rolled her eyes. ¡°She¡¯s never liked me. Doesn¡¯t even like my son.¡± Evan sighed. ¡°She likes Avery, doesn¡¯t she? Don¡¯t talk like that. I¡¯ve talked to Luke about Lennox. He did go too far with Derek. That¡¯s why Mom¡¯s upset with him.¡± Susan snapped, ¡°So what, now you¡¯re taking her side? With that IQ of yours, you should be grateful Lennox turned out so smart.¡± Evan¡¯s face went cold. ¡°Every kid in this family is smart. I¡¯m not gonna argue with you. Just go help greet the guests.¡± Out in the garden, something had gone wrong with the setup. Adamson could tell the boys had issues with each other, so he deliberately had them handle it together, hoping they¡¯d work it out. But that wasn¡¯t going to happen. Lennox spoke up first. ¡°Derek, we¡¯re both interning at the samepany. Let¡¯s not make things ugly.¡± Derek scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re acting like I started all this. I just stopped faking it.¡± Lennox said quietly, ¡°I¡¯m just kind of jealous of you.¡± Derek stared at him like he¡¯d lost it. ¡°You stole my parents¡¯ love, and you¡¯re jealous of me? Please. Tell that to yourself if it helps you sleep. I barelye home. Isn¡¯t that enough for you?¡± But it was never enough for Lennox. He¡¯d figured out he was just the family¡¯s backup n. Everyone knew it, but they kept pretending to be nice. They were using him to shape Derek into someone better. It was sick. He muttered darkly, ¡°They love you. Everything they gave me was fake.¡± ¡°Love isn¡¯t just about what people say. It¡¯s about what they do,¡± Derek replied, clearly over it. ¡°So they gave you a little tough love, and now you¡¯re throwing a tantrum?¡± He gave Lennox a look. ¡°You¡¯re honestly just sad, man.¡± The Fletcher family had been trying hard with Lennox. They treated him better than most, but he just kept wanting more. Lennox clenched his fists, his anger boiling. Right then, the housekeeper walked over. ¡°Mr. Fletcher, Ms. Saxon is here.¡± Derek had already told her to let him know the moment Aria arrived. He didn¡¯t even look back at Lennox. He just turned and walked off. Back in the party hall, a small crowd of young guests suddenly rushed toward one side. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Stroud. I can¡¯t believe he came to Mandino City.¡± Again Marriage 721 The Stroud family wasn¡¯t exactly a powerhouse, but Cassian was kind of a big deal in elite circles. He worked as an unofficial agent for the State Security Bureau, and it looked like he was about to be officially brought on board. ¡°Mr. Stroud, I¡¯m Amare, a young guy said eagerly as he walked up. ¡°I heard you were involved in that spy arrestst month. Any chance you can tell us what went down?¡± Cassian had been part of the operation, but just as a backup. He didn¡¯t do much. ¡°ssified. Can¡¯t share the details,¡± he said tly. Amare nodded fast. ¡°Get it. I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡± Right then, a rich girl in a pink dress stepped in. ¡°Mr. Stroud, my dad always says you¡¯re the most impressive young agent in the Bureau. It¡¯s honestly an honor to meet you.¡± The truth was that the real stars were Cathy and Gerald. But in ces like this, people left those names out on purpose. It just made things easier. ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Cassian said with a slight nod. His eyes scanned the room until theynded on Aria. She seemed to sense it and turned to meet his gaze until someone suddenly stepped between them. ¡°Aria!¡± Derek came stumbling over, clearly in a rush. Fryderyk grabbed his arm quickly. ¡°Chill out. She¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± ¡°Thanks, Fryderyk,¡± Derek said with a crooked smile. Then to Aria, he added, ¡°There¡¯s some great food over there. I¡¯ll take Julia with me.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria agreed. As soon as she heard that, Cloe let go of Kim¡¯s arm. ¡°Go do what you need to.¡± Kim had something to deal with. When he saw Owen still hanging around next to Aria, he called out, ¡°Owen, I need a word.¡± Owen turned and leaned close to Aria. ¡°Go ahead and chat with Cloe. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria said with a soft nod. Amanda chimed in smoothly, ¡°You two go ahead. I¡¯m gonna catch up with some old friends. I¡¯ll find youter.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Of course, Ms. Ward.¡± They made their way to the lounge area and settled on the couch. Derek started ying with Julia while Cloe leaned tiredly on Aria¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s about Aiden, isn¡¯t it?¡± Aria asked gently. Cloe let out a sigh. ¡°Yeah. He moved into our neighborhood, and now he drops by every single day to see Julia. He¡¯s over eighty. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to shut him out. ¡°He almost offered me the entire Shaw Group just to get me to marry Kim.¡± Aiden¡¯s reaction had thrown her off. She hadn¡¯t expected him to care so much about her and Julia. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Aria asked. ¡°I¡¯m just letting things y out,¡± Cloe said quietly. ¡°If the Shaw family wants to recognize Julia, I¡¯m not gonna stand in the way. She could feel how much Aiden genuinely loved Julia. What made the difference, though, was his promise. If she and Kim got married and Julia officially became part of the Shaw family, she could still keep herst name, Woods. That promise erased herst bit of hesitation. They weren¡¯t trying to take Julia away from her. Cloe had already epted Kim into her heart. The problem was, he was as emotionally clueless as they came. Ever since she turned down his proposal, he¡¯d never brought it up again. ¡°Now that I think about it,¡± Cloe added, ¡°howe Aiden¡¯s only pushing me and Julia, not you and Owen?¡± Ariaughed softly. ¡°Oh, he tried. But after one talk with Owen, he never brought it up again.¡± ¡°Owen¡¯s sharp. He knows how to shut things down,¡± Cloe said, then nced toward Kim and rolled her eyes. ¡°Not exactly like that human statue over there.¡± Fryderyk¡¯s eyes flicked over to Cassian before settling back on Aria. Amanda noticed and smiled to herself. After their blind date, she¡¯d figured it out pretty quickly. Fryderyk only said he liked Aria so he could turn her down. That might¡¯ve been true back then, but it wasn¡¯t anymore. Fryderyk had feelings for Aria now. Too bad his chance had already passed. That¡¯s what happens when one uses someone else as a shield. The ballroom was getting crowded now. When the Saxon family arrived, it stirred things up. Caleb, Wilson, and Silvia headed straight for Aria. Nathan paused for a second and then quietly followed them. Zoe looked like she wanted to go too, but Logan gently stoppe her. ¡°Zoe, let it go. The fact that the kids are even bonding with Aria is already a win.¡± Again Marriage 722 Zoe sighed softly. The four of them walked toward the couch like a bunch of students being sent to the principal¡¯s office. Guests nearby started whispering. ¡°Wow, look at that. The Saxons are trying to suck up to Aria now.¡± ¡°Why not? Aria¡¯s the brightest one of her generation. If she wanted to get serious, half the CEOS in the country would be losing sleep. ¡°I mean, I get why Caleb went over. But Silvia? Never thought I¡¯d see her and Aria getting along. Weren¡¯t they supposed to hate each other?¡± One was the real daughter, the other a fake. Seeing them act all calm and friendly was unexpected. The couch filled up fast. The only one who stayed quiet was Nathan, curled up in the corner like he didn¡¯t exist. Once all the guests had arrived, the birthday party officially kicked off. A giant hologram popped up in the middle of the room, ying a documentary of Lexie¡¯s life. Soft ssical music yed in the background as a famous singer took the stage to perform a song for her birthday. When the music ended, the singer gave a heartfelt toast. Then, with Arnav and his wife supporting her, Lexie slowly walked onto the stage. As the oldest son, Adamson gave a thank-you speech on behalf of the family. Lexie tried to look out into the crowd, squinting, but the lights were too bright. She couldn¡¯t make anyone out. Then came the gift-giving part. Guests stepped up one after another. When it was Aria¡¯s turn, she handed over a traditional. scroll painting. ¡°Wishing Mrs. Fletcher a birthday filled with love,ughter, and the joy of family and friends.¡± But Lexie didn¡¯t even nce at the painting. She stared straight at Aria. ¡°Aria, is it alright if I call that?¡± you The sudden warmth caught everyone in the Fletcher family off guard. Aria gave a small nod. ¡°It¡¯s just a name, Mrs. Fletcher. You can call me whatever you want.¡± Lexie lit up and grabbed Aria¡¯s hand like she wasn¡¯t letting go. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Mrs. Fletcher. That sounds way too formal. Just call me Grandma, like Fryderyk does.¡± Aria got the message loud and clear and immediately shot Fryderyk a sharp look. He leaned in and whispered, ¡°Grandma, everyone¡¯s watching.¡± Just then, Owen walked up with a gold pendant. ¡°Wishing you a long life filled with peace and happiness, Mrs. Fletcher.¡± Then, like it was nothing, he took Aria¡¯s hand in his. Lexie¡¯s eyes almost popped out of her head. She stared at their hands, clearly shocked. ¡®So this girl already has a man. And it is Owen, of all people, someone wless. That means my oldest grandson doesn¡¯t stand a chance anymore, she thought. Penelope¡¯s eyes locked on their hands. Then, out of nowhere, she shrieked, ¡°Aria, you¡¯re with Owen, too? And you had the nerve to call my daughter a homewrecker?¡± The whole room went dead silent, and then exploded in whispers. People had seen awkward guests before, but this was next level. Everyone knew Owen had been Aria¡¯s divorcewyer. That¡¯s how they¡¯d met. Penelope had always hated Aria. She med her for ruining her daughter¡¯s life. 1:37 pm But she¡¯d never found a way to get back at her. Dexter¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Mom, what is wrong with you?¡± ¡°If they hadn¡¯t teamed up against her, Hannah wouldn¡¯t have gotten such a long sentence!¡± Penelope¡¯s eyes were ssy with rage as she red at Aria. She thought it was Aria who ruined everything for her daughter. But ironically, she couldn¡¯t find a single chance to take revenge. Owen scoffed. ¡°Now I understand why Hannah ended up like that. The apple didn¡¯t fall far from the tree.¡± Jazmin stormed forward, furious. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna cause a scene, take it back to the Gibson family!¡± Ever since Hannah ruined Collin¡¯s name in the art world, they had barely spoken. Dexter grabbed his mom¡¯s wrist tightly and hissed, ¡°Hannah got what she deserved. You keep this up, and I¡¯ll have you checked into a care facility tomorrow.¡± ¡°Dexter, are you serious?¡± Penelope looked like she couldn¡¯t believe what she¡¯d just heard from her son. Dexter gave Zander and Jazmin a regretful look. ¡°I¡¯ll take my mother home now.¡± Right then, he made up his mind. She wasn¡¯ting to another family event again. And if that didn¡¯t work out, he¡¯d have to put her in a nursing home. But Penelope wasn¡¯t ready to back down. She¡¯d finally gotten this close to Aria and wasn¡¯t about to miss the chance to fight for her daughter. ¡°Aria! You will-¡± Before she could finish, a small object flew through the air and smacked her straight in the mouth, breaking her front tooth. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Penelope screamed in pain. 1:37 pmDS Again Marriage 723 Penelope clutched her mouth as blood trickled out from between her fingers. Dexter snapped his head up and scanned the room. His eyes locked on Aria. She stood there with a slight smirk on her face, eyes full of bold defiance. No one had seen what exactly happened. It was way too fast. But Dexter just knew it was her. Jazmin¡¯s voice turned sharp. ¡°Well? What are you standing there for? Get your mom to the hospital!¡± Dexter helped his mother, who was howling in pain, and walked her out. Cassian stepped forward from the crowd. ¡°Aria, just because you know how to throw a punch doesn¡¯t mean you should go after a woman who can¡¯t fight back.¡± He had been watching her for a while now. In his opinion, Aria wasn¡¯t exactly the good guy. She backed the wrong people, held grudges, and never let things slide. She acted like the rules didn¡¯t apply to her just because she had some skills. Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Excuse me, but where exactly is thising from? Did you see me do anything?¡± Cassian fired back, ¡°Everyone here saw it happen. You just don¡¯t want to admit it.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Aria scanned the crowd. ¡°Anyone here see it?¡± The room went silent. Everyone thought it was her, but no one saw her do it with their own eyes. Owen let out a softugh. ¡°Mr. Stroud, if you¡¯re gonna throw out usations, maybe start with some evidence.¡± Cassian¡¯s jaw tightened. He turned toward Fryderyk. ¡°You should pull the security footage. Cloe spoke upzily, ¡°Funny. Even the Gibson family¡¯s too embarrassed to press charges. What¡¯s got you all worked up?¡± Jazmin added, ¡°She ran her mouth and got a lesson in return. The Gibson family isn¡¯t nning to take it any further.¡± Cassian snapped, ¡°You people-¡± A calm but firm woman¡¯s voice suddenly cut through the tension. ¡°Am Ite?¡± Everyone turned toward the entrance. A woman walked in wearing a crisp white shirt and ck cks. Her short haircut was neat and sharp. Even with a few wrinkles around her eyes, her energy and presence were impossible to ignore. ¡°Tessa!¡± Cassian quickly bowed. Tessa was the top science student in the country thirty years ago. Back in college, her brilliance in research got her into several major national projects. After graduation, she and a few founders helped create the State Security Bureau. She had personally led the development of their tracking system and helped bring in countless criminals. Everyone in the field held her in the highest regard. Tessa was a senior figure in the State Security Bureau. She had full authority to handle high-level investigations, and plenty of talented agents under hermand. Lexie lit up with surprise when she saw her. ¡°Tessa! I didn¡¯t expect you to show up.¡± Tessa handed her a gift and smiled. ¡°I had a few days off and figured I¡¯d stop by your birthday.¡± She nced around. ¡°So, what did I just walk into?¡± Cassian jumped right in, pointing straight at Aria. ¡°She attacked someone in front of everyone, and now they¡¯re all trying to cover for her!¡± Tessa scanned the room, and suddenly everyone went quiet and avoided her eyes. People figured since Tessa and Cassian were from the same agency, she¡¯d probably side with him. Some even started wondering if Aria was about to be arrested. Amare was the first to speak. ¡°I did see something fly out from Aria¡¯s direction. If I had to bet, she¡¯s the one who hit Penelope.¡± A couple of younger guests nodded in agreement, keeping their voices low. Tessa turned to Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, did you do it?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°And are you asking me that as an agent of the Bureau, Tessa? Or as something else?¡± Before Tessa could respond, Wilson stepped forward. ¡°Tessa, I did it.¡± Aria had been ready to throw something, but he moved faster. He was the one who knocked out Penelope¡¯s tooth. Cassian frowned. ¡°Wilson, if you take the fall for this, you can forget about joining the State Security Bureau.¡± People who made it into the Arressto had to go through a serious screening. In Cassian¡¯s eyes, there was no way Wilson would hurt someone innocent. He still believed Aria did it. Wilson scoffed. ¡°If the Bureau epts people like you, I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡®You-¡± Cassian¡¯s face turned red with anger. Tessa raised her hand to stop him. ¡°Enough. Cassian isn¡¯t even part of the Bureau anymore.¡± Her tone dropped a few degrees. ¡°You went rogue, followed someone, and caused harm. The Bureau¡¯s already stripped you of your status.¡± Cassian¡¯s face went pale. ¡°I was just trying to get justice for our mentor. I wasn¡¯t in the wrong!¡± Tessa gave him a sharp look. ¡°The Bureau has already investigated. It¡¯s ssified. If you can¡¯t trust the organization, then walk away. No one¡¯s stopping you.¡± Cassian clenched his fists and stayed quiet, Then Tessa turned back to Aria, her tone much softer. ¡°Would you be open to chatting after the party?¡± Aria replied evenly, ¡°If this is about what Dorian mentioned earlier, then my answer¡¯s still no. I¡¯m not interested.¡± Tessa gave her a look. ¡°Even if it¡¯s an official invite to join the State Security Bureau?¡± That line caught everyone off guard. The whole room fell silent. Cassian looked stunned. ¡°Tessa! You want to let her into the Bureau? What makes her so special?¡± There were only two ways into the Bureau: either pass a brutal exam or get directly invited by one of the four senior officials. That second option meant skipping the tests altogether. Cassian couldn¡¯t believe Tessa was giving Aria that kind of pass. ¡°This isn¡¯t right!¡± he shouted. Tessa didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°I don¡¯t need your approval to make that decision.¡± Cassian fired back, ¡°That¡¯s not fair to the rest of us! We worked our butts off to pass the assessment. Why does she get to skip it?¡± Tessa shot him a warning. ¡°Say one more word, Cassian, and you¡¯re out of the programpletely.¡± Cassian clenched his fists again and stormed out, fuming. Aria said calmly, Tessa, let¡¯s not do this here. This is still Mrs. Fletcher¡¯s birthday.¡± Tessa quickly turned to Lexie. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to cause a scene.¡± Lexie just smiled and waved it off. ¡°Are you kidding? Seeing someone get recruited into the Bureau at my birthday party? That¡¯s a story for the ages.¡± ¡°If Aria joins the Bureau, that¡¯d be a win for the whole country,¡± Lexie added. At that point, everyone could tell it was a done deal. ¡°Finally, Mandino City has someone in the Bureau! We don¡¯t have to sit back and envy Kanit City or Hogford anymore.¡± ¡°Congrats, Ms. Saxon!¡± people chimed in one after another. Aria had wanted to keep things quiet. But with all eyes on her, she had no choice but to speak up. ¡°Sorry, Tessa. I¡¯m not nning to join the Bureau. At least, not for now.¡± Again Marriage 724 Tessa stayedposed, like she¡¯d already expected that answer. ¡°Ms. Saxon, no pressure. If you ever change your mind, the State Security Bureau will always wee you.¡± The whole room went into an uproar. ¡°She seriously turned it down?¡± ¡°She just walked away from the State Security Bureau? People would do anything to get in there.¡± ¡°She¡¯s nuts. That was a personal offer from Tessa herself.¡± Even Amanda couldn¡¯t hold back. She stepped forward and said, ¡°Are you sure? The Bureau only picks one person a year. The odds are like one in ten thousand.¡± She added, ¡°Maybe just think it over a little more?¡± But Aria didn¡¯t hesitate. She knew exactly the kind of life she wanted. ¡°If I can live well without grinding myself down, why would I go out of my way to make life harder?¡± She was fine with how things were. If most people had a choice, they¡¯d pick afy, easy life too. Aria just happened to be one of the lucky few who actually could. Amanda thought about it for a second and realized it made sense. Aria looked serious and said, ¡°Thanks, Tessa. But the Bureau¡¯s not where my heart is.¡± Caleb chimed in, ¡°Tessa, my sister teaches at Mandino University. She¡¯s not nning on leaving Mandino City anytime soon. And let¡¯s be honest, she¡¯s not the kind of person who thrives under a bunch of rules.¡± Tessa gave a small smile. ¡°That¡¯s not a dealbreaker. We can make adjustments. If she joins, she could juste in during summer or winter breaks. And the rules? She wouldn¡¯t need to follow them like the others.¡± Owen stepped in quietly. ¡°Tessa, you just invited Aria, and Mr. Stroud already flipped. If she joins and skips all the rules, people are going to be all over it.¡± No testing. No structure. Of course, people would talk. Tessa paused, realizing it. ¡°Guess I made it sound a little too easy.¡± She turned to Lexie with a smile. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, why don¡¯t we cut the cake?¡± Adamson nodded and waved for the staff to bring out the massive eightyer cake. People gradually turned their attention back to the party, though the whispering didn¡¯t stop. One guest strolled over to the Saxon family and said with a sarcastic smile, ¡°Mr. Saxon, who would¡¯ve thought your daughter would be such a big deal? Even the Bureau wants her. But her future sess would have nothing to do with you anymore.¡± Logan caught the shade in thatment, but he didn¡¯t get mad. He just said calmly, ¡°She has every right to walk away. We let her down, not the other way around.¡± Lexie kept sneaking nces at Aria throughout the evening. Eventually, she let out a long sigh. Adamson couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Mom, that¡¯s your fifth sigh. What¡¯s going on? You¡¯re that upset?¡± Lexie replied, ¡°Honestly? Yeah. There goes another chance at having a daughter-inw.¡± Norah followed her mom¡¯s gaze, and it all clicked. She looked over at Aria and said, ¡°Wait, Mom, were you hoping to match Aria with Fryderyk?¡± Gloria, who overheard, paused mid-drink. ¡°Wait, what? Aria and Fryderyk? That¡¯s not appropriate, is it?¡± Lexie looked right at her. ¡°And why not?¡± Gloria answered, ¡°Because Aria¡¯s my niece. Fryderyk is my brother¡¯s son.¡± Lexie said. ¡°There¡¯s no blood rtion, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with it.¡± But by then, it wasn¡¯t really about what was right or wrong anymore. Aria was already taken. Lexie looked over at Owen and saw him looking at Aria with kindness. Then she turned her gaze to Fryderyk. Fryderyk sat up straight, showing no emotion, like a statue. He didn¡¯t stand a chance. Gloria noticed her mother-inw¡¯s serious expression and realized she meant it. Fryderyk had grown up under her watch, and she trusted his character. Norah and her husband were easygoing, so any girl marrying Fryderyk wouldn¡¯t get mistreated. It was just a shame. Susan overheard and sarcastically said, ¡°Well, they¡¯re not married yet. Let Fryderyk go chase after someone else.¡± Lexie¡¯s eyes brightened as she looked at Susan. ¡°Howe I never thought of that? You had a smart idea for once.¡± Susan was speechless. Gloria and Norah exchanged looks. Norah sighed and said, ¡°Mom, that would be like making Fryderyk the other man. That¡¯s not right.¡± Tina, who had just gotten off the ne, heard this and asked, ¡°Make who the other man?¡± Seeing her daughter, Gloria smiled. ¡°Tina, you¡¯re here. Aren¡¯t you leaving early tomorrow?¡± Tina linked arms with Lexie. ¡°I just made it for the end of the birthday party. Happy birthday, Grandma, wishing you many more years.¡± Lennox walked up holding his sister¡¯s hand. ¡°Tina, long time no see. You look even prettier.¡± Tina smiled back. ¡°Thanks, Lennox. Heard you won an award. Congrats.¡± Lennox had already posted his award photo in the family group chat. Even though she didn¡¯t talk much, Tina always checked the group when she had time. ¡°Thanks, Tina, Derek¡­¡± Lennox began to say, wanting to mention that Derek alsopeted and probably did well, but he stopped himself and looked to the side. ¡°Derek and Aria are over there.¡± Tina said, ¡°That brat. Why isn¡¯t he with Grandma? What¡¯s he doing over there?¡± Avery looked up and said, ¡°I want to go y with Derek, too.¡± Susan frowned. ¡°There are too many people over there. Stay here with your brother.¡± Lexie gave Susan a sharp look. ¡°If Avery wants to go, let her.¡± Lennox smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll take Avery over there.¡± Susan reluctantly nodded. Lennox led his sister toward the crowd, but suddenly his hand slipped. ¡°Avery?¡± Avery suddenly started shaking all over. Her lips turned blue. ¡°Lennox, I¡¯m freezing.¡± She curled up into a ball, her teeth chattering with a rattling sound. Lennox crouched down, grabbed her hand, and his face went pale. ¡°How is she this cold?¡± Before he could say more, Avery copsed and began convulsing violently. ¡°Avery!¡± 1:37 pm; DS The scream caught the Fletcher family¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Avery!¡± Everyone rushed over. Aria stood and moved closer. Seeing the girl¡¯s condition, concern crossed her face. Just as she moved to help. Evan ran over and grabbed his daughter. ¡°We¡¯re heading to the hospital now!¡± Susan stumbled after them, nearly tripping over her own feet. The Fletcher family panicked and followed, including Derek, while the guests watched in stunned silence. Adamson spoke calmly, ¡°Everyone, please understand. The Fletcher family will handle thister.¡± A close family friend said, ¡°Mr. Fletcher, the party¡¯s almost over anyway. You should take care of your family. We¡¯ll leave now.¡± People started to leave. ¡°Could it have been something she ate that caused this sudden illness?¡± ¡°Looks serious. I noticed earlier the girl didn¡¯t seem right.¡± Within minutes, most guests were gone. Norah helped the shaky Lexie. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re going to the hospital now.¡± Tessa, who hadn¡¯t left yet, spoke up tofort her. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, don¡¯t worry. The State Security Bureau has medical support.¡± Those wordsforted Lexie. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital and find out what¡¯s wrong. Maybe it¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Again Marriage 725 At the hospital emergency room, the attending doctor took off his mask and exined the situation to the Fletcher family gathered around. ¡°After the first treatment, the child¡¯s vital signs have stabilized.¡± ¡°Doctor, what exactly happened to my daughter?¡± Susan asked, her voice shaking. ¡°Based on her symptoms and tests, we diagnosed her with severe pathogenic cold, which is a traditional medicine term,¡± the doctor said while reviewing the records. ¡°This usually happens from long-term exposure to cold. Has she often been in damp or chilly ces?¡± the doctor asked. Susan grabbed her husband¡¯s arm tightly. ¡°With this weather, she wouldn¡¯t catch a cold outside. Maybe she got cold at school. Doctor, will this happen again?¡± The doctor¡¯s face grew serious. ¡°Yes, it will. She¡¯ll need long-term care and medication for life. I suggest you find an experienced traditional medicine doctor. Next time, it might not be this lucky.¡± After the doctor left, Evan frowned and called his secretary, telling him to find out exactly how Avery got chilled. Susan almost copsed. ¡°Lifelong medication? Is Avery ruined? How did this happen?¡± Lexie¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°We have to investigate, but the priority now is to get Mr. Todd to see her.¡± Terry said, ¡°Grandma, Mr. Todd is not in a suitable condition for a medical appointment right now. If not him, maybe his apprentice could help.¡± Derek thought for a moment. ¡°My sister knows traditional medicine. We could ask her to take a look.¡± Susan yelled angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t trust her!¡± Derek¡¯s face instantly went cold. ¡°If you don¡¯t trust her, fine.¡± If it wasn¡¯t for Avery, he wouldn¡¯t care. Evan said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to Todd School first thing tomorrow. Let¡¯s check on Avery now.¡± Tessa quietly came up to Derek. ¡°The sister you¡¯re talking about is Aria.¡± Derek nodded and nced at Susan before emphasizing, ¡°Yes, my sister Madelyn is a professor at Kerano Global Health.¡± ¡°Madelyn!¡± Tessa was shocked. ¡°She¡¯s the one researching protease inhibitors who saved millions of lives.¡± That wasn¡¯t in the files. Dorian had only looked into the Solemnity Guild. ¡°So she has that background,¡± Tessa nced at Susan and shook her head helplessly. ¡®You have a top expert right here, but because of some bias, you¡¯re letting your daughter suffer,¡¯ she thought. Lexie wanted to call Aria right away, but Susan¡¯s attitude wasn¡¯t like someone asking for help. If the treatment failed, they¡¯d probably insult Aria. Better not to get involved for now. Tessa said, ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, I¡¯m leaving now. If you need anything, please contact me immediately.¡± Lexie nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Evan said, ¡°Mom, you should go rest. We¡¯ve got this covered.¡± Adamson and Norah helped Lexie leave. Gloria and her husband stayed for two hours before leaving with a tired Tina. Terry and Derek stayed behind. C1 1:37 pm; DSS Aria called Derek. ¡°How did the tests go?¡± Derek repeated what the doctor said. ¡°Susan is something. You could¡¯vee to see Avery anytime.¡± Aria said, ¡°As long as Avery¡¯s okay.¡± They had eaten together once at Amour Bistro. Aria liked the little girl. 53 Early that morning, Avery needed emergency care again. The Fletcher family hadn¡¯t expected things to get so serious. Susan was nearly in tears. ¡°What do we do, Evan? We have to get Mr. Todd now!¡± Evan held his daughter¡¯s small hand and forced himself to stay calm. ¡°It¡¯s toote to go to the Todd family now. I¡¯ll try to reach Dr. Webster.¡± Terry grabbed his coat. ¡°Evan, I¡¯ll drive you.¡± They hurried off, unaware that Culver wouldn¡¯t dare see patients at this hour. Luckily, they had called Niks. After feeling Avery¡¯s pulse, Niks looked serious. ¡°The cold toxin has already reached her heart vessels.¡± He took out his acupuncture kit. ¡°I¡¯ll try to stabilize her for now. But this case is special. There are some key points I¡¯m not fully confident about.¡± ¡°Is Mr. Todd the only option?¡± Susan asked, tears running down her face. Niks shook his head. ¡°Grandpa is too old. This kind of precise acupuncture is too difficult for him.¡± Then he suddenly remembered something. ¡°But there¡¯s one more person who might help.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Everyone in the Fletcher family asked at once. Niks put away his silver needles and said, ¡°My junior.¡± Terry quickly asked, ¡°You mean Dr. Axton?¡± Niks shook his head. ¡°My senior is good at acupuncture, but my junior is even better.¡± He looked admiringly. ¡°When my junior treated Grandpa, even my senior admitted he couldn¡¯t match her.¡± His senior was great in other areas, but not with acupuncture. She was born for it. Susan grabbed at this hope. ¡°Where is he? The Fletcher family will pay whatever it takes!¡± Niks gave a knowing look. ¡°You should know her. It¡¯s Aria.¡± ¡°What?¡± Susan¡¯s eyes went wide, and her face turned pale. Derek was shocked too. ¡°My sister is Mr. Todd¡¯s apprentice? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡± Niks smiled. ¡°Grandpa shamelessly took her on as an apprentice. Not many people know that. I¡¯ve seen her acupuncture myself. No one beats her except Grandpa at his prime.¡± Seeing the family¡¯s reactions, he added, ¡°You could also ask Axton to try.¡± Susan looked at her husband. ¡°Evan, Aria doesn¡¯t like us much. I¡¯m worried she won¡¯t treat Avery well. Maybe we should ask Dr. Axton.¡± Evan frowned. ¡°Susan, Niks already said we should ask Aria. Are you sure you want to settle for Axton? This is your own daughter!¡± Susan broke down crying. ¡°What else can I do? Aria¡¯s gone after Lennox before. She¡¯ll definitely go after Avery, too.¡± 1:37 pm; DS ¡°Gone after Lennox?¡± Evan looked at his son. ¡°Lennox, did Aria go after you?¡± Derek leaned against the wall, curious about what Lennox would say. Lennox answered, ¡°Dad, Aria just doesn¡¯t like me. She never targeted me.¡± Evan asked, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t she like you?¡± Lennox said, ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know. Maybe there¡¯s some misunderstanding.¡± Evan didn¡¯t want to bring it up now, but he was disappointed. ¡°Lennox, tell me. Yesterday, your roommate came looking for you. You took Avery out to y, so why did you leave her alone at the yground?¡± Lennox¡¯s face changed instantly. ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you here with solid proof. Avery was lost and frozen for three hours, and you hid it!¡± Evan¡¯s head hurt with anger Susan¡¯s voice shook. ¡°Lennox, what happened?¡± Lennox looked guilty. ¡°I went looking for Avery as soon as I realized she was missing. Avery told me not to say anything because she didn¡¯t want you to me me. ¡°Avery knows how to care for her brother, but you guys never care about me. I never wanted to lose Avery,¡± he added. Evan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°The problem isn¡¯t that you lost Avery, it¡¯s that you lied. If you¡¯d told us, we would¡¯ve taken her to the hospital right away. She wouldn¡¯t have gotten so sick.¡± No wonder Avery looked so pale all day. Susan had been busy with Lexie¡¯s birthday party and hadn¡¯t paid enough attention. to her daughter. ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± she said. Lennox admitted, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry. This is my fault.¡± Derek spoke up. ¡°Evan, the most important thing now is Avery¡¯s health.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Evan rubbed his temples, eyes red. ¡°Derek, could you-¡± Derek said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Evan.¡± Niks stood up. ¡°I¡¯ming too.¡± Evan looked at Terry. ¡°Terry, please watch Avery for now.¡± He didn¡¯t trust his wife or son anymore. Terry nodded. ¡°Go quickly, you guys.¡± The three left right away. Again Marriage 726 Cassian couldn¡¯t sleep, so he opened the off-duty members group chat for the State Security Bureau to see if there was any news. Cassian: [We¡¯re about to get a new member soon.] Lyric: [What do you mean? It¡¯s not recruitment time yet.] Cassian: [Tessa invited a woman to join the Arressto Investigation Agency, but she turned it down. Tessa met her while on vacation in Mandino City and then invited her to join the State Security Bureau instead.] Gideon: [If Tessa invited her, she must be someone special. Who is she?] Cassian: [Her name¡¯s Aria. She¡¯s a shareholder at Stars Group and a grad advisor at Mandino University.] Bet: [We¡¯ve worked so hard just to be off-duty members. It¡¯s gonna be a while before we get in officially. Getting personally invited by an elder official? That¡¯s amazing. I¡¯m so jealous.] Someone took a screenshot and sent it to Tessa: [Tessa, Cassian said there¡¯s a new member and that you personally invited her. Is that true?] Tessa didn¡¯t expect Cassian to post that in the group. She smiled knowingly and replied: [Cassian acted on his own, stalked someone, and hurt someone at school. He¡¯s no longer an off-duty member. The notice will be sent soon.] [He should leave the group.] The group admin sent that message. She understood what Tessa meant. After the notice went out, it was shared in the group with a tag to Cassian: [You¡¯re no longer an off-duty member.] Shortly after, she kicked Cassian out of the group. Others asked: [What happened?] After being kicked out, Cassian couldn¡¯t see any messages. Furious, he kicked over his chair. ¡°Tessa¡¯s ying favorites. I¡¯ve gotta catch Margery.¡± Angry, Cassian applied for a review. He exined he stalked to catch Margery. Aria was protecting her. Tessa misunderstood him and invited Aria to the State Security Bureau. He publicly shared Margery¡¯s location: [Margery killed an investigator from Arressto. She must pay for justice!] Cathy had just gotten back to her dorm when she saw the message. Her eyes fixed on a name. She muttered, ¡°Aria.¡± That name sounded familiar. After thinking for a bit, Cathy called Luther. ¡°What¡¯s the name of the girl Owen likes?¡± Luther was annoyed. ¡°You woke me up in the middle of the night just to ask that?¡± Cathy said, ¡°Just tell me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s Aria. From Mandino City.¡± Hearing that, Cathy asked, ¡°She¡¯s a grad advisor at Mandino University?¡± Luther said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Cathy thought, ¡®That¡¯s definitely her. How does she know Margery?¡¯ She then said, ¡°Got it. Go back to sleep.¡± Luther asked, ¡°When are youing back?¡± ¡°Just finished a mission. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow. But I¡¯m not going home. I¡¯m heading to Mandino City.¡± Cathy hadn¡¯t nned to return, but after seeing Cassian¡¯s message, she got curious about Aria and decided to go to Mandino City. There was nothing waiting for her back in Kanit City, justplicated rtives. Going home would be a hassle. Luther said, ¡°Cathy, are you going to see Aiden?¡± ¡°Going to check on Owen¡¯s girl and maybe see Aiden too. Heard he has a great-granddaughter now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much going ontely. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Cathy and Luther were siblings, the youngest generation in their family. Before Logan¡¯s family left Kanit City, they were the closest. At the gate of Mayen Garden, Evan¡¯s car was stopped by security. ¡°Mr. Derek Fletcher, visiting your sister so early?¡± The guard recognized Derek in the passenger seat. Derek rolled down the window. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The guard nced inside. ¡°Ms. Saxon probably isn¡¯t up yet.¡± He looked at Evan carefully. ¡°Mr. Derek Fletcher maye in, but these two gentlemen¡­¡± ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll go in alone,¡± Derek said as he tried to get out of the car. Evan stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s too early,¡± Evan said, checking his watch. ¡°Avery¡¯s stable now. Let¡¯s wait until six. Niks, can we rest at the hotel first?¡± Niks yawned. ¡°I¡¯m tired anyway. Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡± At exactly six o¡¯clock, the three of them left the hotel. Derek called Aria. From the other end, Aria¡¯s sleepy voice asked, ¡°Is this about Avery? How¡¯s she doing?¡± Evan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He hadn¡¯t expected her to ask about his daughter first. ¡°Aria, Evan wants you to check on Avery,¡± Derek said, sounding sorry. ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡± Aria replied, ¡°No problem. When?¡± Derek asked, ¡°Can youe now?¡± Aria answered, ¡°Yeah.¡± There was some rustling before the call ended. Owen sat up and asked, ¡°Heading to the hospital now?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Owen said, ¡°I¡¯ll make some breakfast real quick.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria agreed. At six-thirty, Aria drove out of the neighborhood. Derek recognized his sister¡¯s car and said, ¡°Evan, that¡¯s my sister¡¯s car. Let¡¯s follow her.¡± Evan started his car and drove alongside Aria. He rolled down his window while Derek waved, ¡°Aria, we¡¯re here.¡± C70 Aria nced over and asked, ¡°Have you been waiting long?¡± Derek said, ¡°Not really.¡± Niks waved too and said, ¡°Aria, long time no see.¡± Aria asked, ¡°How¡¯s Master doingtely?¡± Niks smiled, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have insomnia anymore and sleeps well.¡± Aria kept driving, ncing in the rearview mirror. She called Pearl, but Margery answered. ¡°The Arressto Investigation Agency sent a lot of people. Be careful.¡± Margery asked, ¡°Are they after you?¡± Aria said, ¡°Yeah. You still have to deal with this. You need to get in touch with Ca.¡± She added, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Wilson to help out.¡± Margery said, ¡°Okay.¡± When they got to the hospital, Aria parked the car. Evan quickly went up to her. ¡°Ms. Saxon, thanks foring.¡± Aria said, ¡°No problem. My brother likes Avery. When he asked, I couldn¡¯t say no.¡± Derek almost puffed out his chest with pride after hearing that. Aria was backing him up, and he was deeply touched. Evan soon understood Aria¡¯s meaning. She came because of Derek, not because of the Fletcher family. Everyone knew about Lennox and Derek¡¯s bad rtionship. Since his younger brother and sister-inw didn¡¯t care, Evan hadn¡¯t disciplined his son and thought it was just minor trouble. But because of Avery¡¯s situation, he realized his son had seriously gone off track. Evan said, ¡°Thanks to Derek, too.¡± He looked at Niks. ¡°And especially thanks to Niks.¡±. Niks smiled warmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t do much.¡± They reached the VIP ward and saw Susan with red, tired eyes. When she saw Aria, she stood up and sped her hands. ¡°Ms. Saxon, please take a look at my daughter.¡± Aria nodded and went inside. The others followed. Lennox grabbed his mom¡¯s arm. ¡°Mom, do you trust Aria?¡± Susan hesitated. ¡°She¡¯s Mr. Todd¡¯s apprentice. Her skills should be good.¡± Lennox looked doubtful. ¡°But Aria grew up in the countryside. How did she meet Mr. Todd?¡± Susan didn¡¯t want to argue. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see. Niks says she¡¯s good.¡± After checking Avery, Aria said, ¡°She can be treated, but it¡¯ll take some time.¡± Lennox wanted to say more, but saw the relief on his parents¡¯ faces and stayed quiet. He left the room and called his grandfather. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust Aria, but she said she could treat Avery. I¡¯m worried she¡¯s bluffing. ¡°I¡¯m scared something might happen to Avery, but I don¡¯t have a say. I can only ask for your help.¡± The old man¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°I¡¯m on my way to the hospital now!¡± Again Marriage 727 Inside the hospital room, Aria wrote down the herbs needed. She said, ¡°Give Avery the medicine first, and then start the acupuncture. Get the herbs ready and send them over as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Evan said, taking the prescription. ¡°I really appreciate this, Ms. Saxon.¡± Niks leaned in to check the prescription. It was pretty much what he expected, except the dosage was different and there was an extra herb-Aconitum. That herb was okay, but the dosage and how it was prepared had to be very precise, or it could cause poisoning. Aria looked at Niks. ¡°You¡¯re going with him.¡± ¡°Got it, Aria,¡± Niks said. He nned to go along. Lennox stood off to the side, watching his dad walk away, feeling more uneasy. He thought his dad trusted Aria way too much. About an hourter, the medicine arrived. Aria watched Avery drink it, then waited a bit before taking her pulse again. ¡°We can start the acupuncture now.¡± ¡°Is this ce secure?¡± Aria asked, clearly concerned. Evan was confused. ¡°Ms. Saxon, what do you mean?¡± Aria said, ¡°The acupuncture has to be done in total silence. No distractions at all. Niks added, ¡°Even the smallest mistake can ruin it. The treatment will take about three hours, and the environment affects how well it works.¡± Evan reassured them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This hospital has tight security. No one will interrupt.¡± Susan quickly jumped in, ¡°It¡¯s just us here. Ms. Saxon, you can do the acupuncture without worrying. If you cure Avery, the Fletcher family will be forever grateful!¡± Aria said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m starting.¡± She opened the golden needles she brought, sterilized them, and picked one up. She was just about to insert it. ¡°Stop!¡± The door to the room suddenly mmed open. Everyone jumped. Baron walked in, leaning on his cane. Aria pulled back the needle and gave Evan a sarcastic look. ¡°So this is the safe ce you were talking about.¡± Susan was shocked and unhappy. ¡°Dad, why are you here? Ms. Saxon was just about to start. If you¡¯de a secondter, something bad could have happened.¡± Baron was furious. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t I told Avery was in trouble? If Lennox hadn¡¯t told me, you¡¯d have let someone practice on Avery!¡± Evan¡¯s face went dark. He stared at Lennox grimly. ¡°Lennox, are you so d your sister is hurting?¡± Lennox was stunned but quickly shook his head. ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Evan!¡± Baron yelled angrily. ¡°Lennox didn¡¯t do anything wrong. What are you doing?¡± Aria slowly put the needle down. Derek looked serious. ¡°Evan, are we still treating Avery?¡± Baron turned to another man. ¡°Ronin, please check on my granddaughter¡± The man called Ronin was middle-aged and wore a in long robe, He walked up and said, ¡°Youngdy, please step aside. I¡¯m here to treat the patient Evan frowned. ¡°Dad, where did you find this doctor?¡± Baron replied, ¡°This is the famous Mr. White. The Joplin family hired him as their family doctor. Trust me, Mr. White can fix Avery,¡± Evan disagreed, ¡°I already handed Avery to Ms. Saxon. We don¡¯t need anyone else.¡± Ronin was well-known and once publicly criticized Maverick before. Evan didn¡¯t trust him. ¡°Dad, Aria is Mr. Todd¡¯s apprentice. She¡¯s way more reliable than Ronin.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Baron mmed his cane on the floor. ¡°I know all of Maverick¡¯s apprentices. Where did this blonde girle from?¡± Niks¡¯ face turned serious. ¡°Mr. Joplin, please watch your words. Aria-¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Baron snapped coldly, ¡°Let Mr. White treat her. Everyone else, get out.¡± Aria reminded, ¡°Mr. Fletcher, Avery just took the medicine. We need to start the acupuncture quickly, or she might have a stress reaction.¡± Ronin reached out and said, ¡°What medicine did she take? Let me see.¡± Lennox stepped forward, grabbed the prescription from the table, and handed it over. ¡°It¡¯s this one.¡± Ronin looked at it and his face immediately darkened. ¡°Aconitum is in here. This is trying to kill her!¡± Susan turned pale, ¡°Mr. White, are you saying there¡¯s something wrong with this prescription?¡± Ronin said, ¡°Aconitum is very hot and toxic. The kid is so young. You can¡¯t use such a harsh herb on her. And there¡¯s another herb here that makes it even more toxic. ¡°With this prescription, in three days, her health will be seriously damaged. Even the best healer wouldn¡¯t be able to save her.¡± Baron red angrily at Aria. ¡°Is this the doctor you brought? If I hade a bitter, Avery would have been killed by her.¡± Right after he spoke, the monitor red a loud rm. Avery started convulsing violently. ¡°Avery!¡± Susan rushed to the bedside and immediately trusted Ronin. ¡°Mr. White, please save my daughter.¡± Ronin stepped closer and pressed several acupuncture points. Avery slowly calmed down and stopped convulsing. ¡°This prescription is harsh, but not without some value. ¡°I¡¯ll start the acupuncture now. Baron, please ask everyone not involved to leave.¡± Aria watched silently and asked, ¡°Mr. Fletcher, does that mean you don¡¯t want us anymore?¡± Susan quickly replied, ¡°We don¡¯t need you! Ms. Saxon, even if you meant well, you¡¯re too young. You almost harmed my daughter. The Fletcher family won¡¯t hold you responsible, but please leave.¡± Lennox bent down and helped his mother up. ¡°Mom, I believe Mr. White, too.¡± (+20) Susan held her son¡¯s hand. ¡°Good thing you told your grandfather, or else¡­¡± She nced at Aria. Seeing the Fletcher family trying to damage Aria¡¯s reputation, Niks¡¯s face grew dark. ¡°Aria, let¡¯s go!¡± Derek clenched his fists, trying not to look at Avery. Aria said, ¡°Evan, is this what you want?¡± Evan trusted Aria more, but his father-inw, wife, and son all trusted Ronin. Evan said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aria smiled faintly. ¡°I get it. The medicine I gave Avery works best with acupuncture. Now that someone else is doing it¡­¡± Ronin finished inserting the first needle, then turned with a sly smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can fix this.¡± Evan promised, ¡°If anything goes wrong, the Fletcher family won¡¯t me Ms. Saxon. Niks, I¡¯m sorry about today.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Niks scoffed. ¡°From now on, the Fletcher family better note looking for Todd School. Aria, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Aria and Niks left one after the other. Derek sneered, ¡°Avery¡¯s parents are here. I¡¯m just her cousin, so no need for me to speak up. I¡¯m out. I hope Mr. White can save Avery.¡± Even though he cared about his little cousin, he nned to keep his distance from now on. Terry rubbed his forehead, surprised at how things had turned out. Evan said, ¡°Terry, it¡¯s good you¡¯re here. You should go back to thepany.¡± Terry nodded. ¡°Okay, Evan. Let me know as soon as you hear anything.¡± At the hospital entrance, Niks said, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t get better, so be it. Aria,e home with me. Let¡¯s visit my grandpa. He¡¯s been asking about you.¡± Aria said, ¡°Sure.¡± She looked at Derek. ¡°You heading back to school?¡± Derek said, ¡°I¡¯m going home first.¡± He needed to tell his grandmother about all this to avoid future problems. Derek said, ¡°Aria, Niks, thanks foring.¡± Aria said, ¡°No problem.¡± Meanwhile, a woman with short hair walked into Seacrest Law Firm. Again Marriage 728 The woman said, ¡°I¡¯m looking for Owen. Please let him know his sister¡¯s here.¡± The receptionist smiled and nodded. ¡°Sure, just hang on. Mr. Shaw is in a meeting that should wrap up in about twenty minutes.¡± Cathy responded with a casual ¡°Okay¡± and took a seat in the waiting area. She¡¯d just pulled out her phone when it rang, showing ¡°Gerald¡± on the caller ID. She answered calmly, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Gerald¡¯s cool voice came through, ¡°I heard you went to Mandino City.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cathy repliedzily, ¡°Just visiting.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re here, why note to Hogford City in a few days for my sister¡¯s wedding?¡± Cathy asked, ¡°Your sister¡¯s wedding? Why would I go?¡± ¡°You know she runs the family,¡± Gerald exined. ¡°She said if youe, she¡¯ll help me avoid all the blind dates.¡± No one escapes the pressure from their parents to settle down, not even Gerald. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Cathy asked. Gerald paused, then asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I want to build my own team,¡± Cathy said, tapping the armrest. ¡°You can be my right hand.¡± 20 There was silence on the line for a few seconds, then the call ended with a beep. Cathy clicked her tongue and put her phone away, feeling it was getting boring. About twenty minutester, she saw a grouping from another direction. She stood and walked over. ¡°Owen.¡± Owen stopped. ¡°Cathy. Did you need me?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t Ie see you without a reason?¡± Cathy asked. Others stopped too. Everyone at Seacrest Law Firm knew about Owen and Aria dating. Now that a pretty girl showed up looking for Owen, people were curious. Owen said, ¡°It¡¯s work time. Let¡¯s keep this quick.¡± Cathy got right to it. ¡°I want to meet your girlfriend.¡± Some onlookers were a bit confused. Cathy continued, ¡°Tessa invited her to join the State Security Bureau. I don¡¯t know what came of it, but if she joins, she could be on my team.¡± Hearing ¡°State Security Bureau¡±, someone asked, ¡°Are you Cathy?¡± Cathy smiled and nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± A girl stepped forward excitedly, ¡°Oh wow, Cathy, can I get your autograph?¡± ¡°Sure, butter,¡± Cathy said, and then looked at Owen. ¡°After work, I¡¯ll go with you to visit Aiden.¡± 6:51 pm 29 Owen replied, ¡°My girlfriend isn¡¯t nning to join the State Security Bureau. Grandpa moved near Cloe¡¯s ce. You can ask Kim to go with you.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Cathy said. ¡®Aria turned it down? Is the State Security Bureau not that appealing?¡¯ Cathy thought. Cathy signed a few autographs and then left Seacrest Law Firm. Owen went back to his office and opened WhatsApp. [Madelyn, any updates?] Aria replied: [Someone else is treating her. I¡¯m at Maverick¡¯s, just got here.] As Aria stepped through Todd School¡¯s gates, she could feel the tension in the air. Niks lowered his voice, ¡°We just dealt with an elder recently.¡± Culver appeared from the corridor, wearing a gentle smile. ¡°Aria. Niks, what¡¯s going on with that Fletcher family kid?¡± Niks¡¯s face immediately went cold. ¡°From now on, no one from the Fletcher family is allowed in.¡± Fiy asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Dad,¡± Niks said, clearly upset, ¡°the Fletcher family hired Mr. White. They trusted that quack and even doubted our prescription!¡± Fiy waved him off. ¡°Let them be.¡± He turned to Aria. ¡°Aria, your master is waiting.¡± Aria nodded and followed without even looking at Culver. Culver, left standing there, looked grim but quickly put on his usual calm face when other students nced over. 3 Z < Niks watched it all from nearby, a cold smile creeping on his lips. Maverick called out, ¡°Come here, girl. Check on me.¡± Aria said, ¡°Okay.¡± She sat beside Maverick and ced her fingers on his pulse. Fiy waited quietly nearby. Every time Aria came, her father¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t tolerate anyone else. He¡¯d gotten used to it. Aria said, ¡°A lot better than before. Looks like you have been in a good moodtely.¡± Maverick smiled, ¡°We took care of a big problem. Things are definitely looking up.¡± Culver wasn¡¯t much of a threat anymore. Maverick asked, ¡°Flynt hasn¡¯t shown his face again, right?¡± Aria shook her head, ¡°Not yet.¡± But not now didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯te backter. Flynt was unstable and could cause trouble again. If he did, Aria was ready to take him out for good. ¡°I¡¯ve got this. Don¡¯t worry, just focus on getting better.¡± ¡°Alright. You even blew up theb. I don¡¯t need to worry about you.¡± Maverick felt lucky to have met her. At the hospital, after two days of acupuncture, Avery kept getting better. Susan was very thankful to Ronin. ¡°Mr. White, thank you so much.¡± Ronin stroked his beard and smiled. ¡°Well, you can thank me for taking the case. Just be careful next time and don¡¯t trust just anyone.¡± Susan looked at her husband. ¡°Evan, listen. Aria¡¯s young. Her medical skills aren¡¯t that impressive. Don¡¯t believe everything Derek says. Lennox is Avery¡¯s real brother. He wouldn¡¯t hurt her.¡± Lennox smiled faintly. When he looked up, his dad gave him a weird look. His smile disappeared right away. ¡°Avery ended up like this because of him,¡± Evan said coldly. ¡°Lennox, you¡¯ve been scheming since you were a kid. Everyone knows, but didn¡¯t say anything because you were young. No one here is stupid. Think about what I¡¯m telling you,¡± he added. Lennox turned pale and clenched his fist, refusing to ept it. ¡°Dad,¡± Avery¡¯s weak voice came. The three immediately went over to her. ¡°Avery, how do you feel? Are you still cold?¡± they asked. Avery shook her head a little. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t me my brother. I got lost on my own.¡± Susan thought maybe there was a misunderstanding. She was stunned and about to say something when Avery suddenly coughed up blood. The monitor beeped loudly. ¡°Avery!¡± ¡°Mr. White, what¡¯s wrong with my daughter?¡± asked Evan urgently. ¡°Let me see!¡± Ronin quickly started acupuncture, but it didn¡¯t help. Evan ran out to get a doctor. Avery was sent into the emergency room. Susan copsed on the floor. ¡°How could this happen? She was getting better. How could this happen? Mr. White, what¡¯s going on?¡± Ronin looked nervous. He suddenly remembered the prescription from two days ago. ¡°The young girl you brought earlier gave a harsh prescription. I stopped the effects with acupuncture, but it red up again.¡± Evan stared at Ronin. ¡°The medicine from two days ago should have cleared out by now. Are you sure that¡¯s the cause?¡± Ronin stubbornly said, ¡°I¡¯ve practiced medicine for years without mistakes. I already said the prescription was bad, but you let the child take it. What else could I do?¡± ¡°Evan, this is all your fault! You brought Aria here. Avery almost died because of her,¡± Susan cried, kneeling on the floor without caring about her pride. Evan stared at the emergency room door, then quickly turned and ran out. He called Derek, ¡°Derek, Avery stopped breathing. Help me get in touch with Aria. ¡°Whatever the Fletcher family has to offer, promise her anything. Beg her to save Avery.¡± Evan was full of regret. He knew he should have kicked out Baron and Ronin right then. Again Marriage 729 When Derek heard that, he gripped his phone hard. ¡°Evan, if my sister can¡¯t save Avery, you guys are just gonna pin it all on her. I¡¯m guessing that so-called Mr. White already said Avery got worse because of her medicine, didn¡¯t he?¡± On the other end, Evan¡¯s hand shook as he held the phone. Ronin¡¯s excuses kept ringing in his ears. Aria had warned him, but he chose to believe Baron instead. Now he was overwhelmed with guilt and terrified that he had let his own daughter die. Thankfully, his assistant was with him and started the car right away. ¡°Mr. Fletcher, should I take you to Mayen Garden?¡± ¡°No. Take me to Mandino University.¡± Evan hung up, immediately informed the family, and then called Baron. ¡°Dad, Avery stopped breathing. This is all because of that doctor you brought in.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for a response and just hung up. At his dorm at Mandino University, Derek grabbed his jacket and bolted out the door. He stood by the road trying to catch a ride, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to call Aria. They¡¯d made their choice two days ago. If Avery died, it was on her irresponsible parents and that meddling grandfather. But she was just a kid. Just nine. Derek shut his eyes. ***** In the hospital hallway, Susan grabbed Derek by the cor and screamed, ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought Aria. She killed Avery. I swear I¡¯ll kill her!¡± Derek yanked her hands off him, his expression cold. ¡°On the way here, I kept wondering if I¡¯d regret not asking my sister to save Avery.¡± He looked around at everyone. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve seen how you¡¯re all acting, I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t. My sister had already agreed to help. You guys brought in Mr. White and kicked her out. Now that things went wrong, you¡¯re ming her?¡± He stared straight at Susan, smirking. ¡°Susan, are you seriously this dumb?¡± ¡°Derek!¡± Arnav shouted, angry. Lexie¡¯s eyes were puffy, and her voice trembled. ¡°Evan told me everything on the way here.¡± She pointed at Susan with a shaking finger. ¡°If anything happens to Avery, this is on you!¡± Then she turned to Lennox. ¡°And you. If you hadn¡¯t gone behind everyone¡¯s back and called your grandpa, Mr. White wouldn¡¯t have shown up. None of this would¡¯ve happened.¡± No one else knew Lennox was the one who lost Avery in the first ce. He kept his head down and stayed quiet. Right then, Baron came rushing in. Ronin walked up to him immediately. ¡°Mr. Joplin, your granddaughter took that girl¡¯s medicine. I tried everything to suppress the effects, but it didn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Derek snapped. ¡°My sister told you the treatment needed both the medicine and acupuncture. You¡¯re the one who imed you could handle it alone. You throw her under the bus one more time, and I swear I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± Derek was always hotheaded, but no one had ever seen him this furious. Gloria looked at her son with aplicated expression. Right as Ronin was about to speak up, the emergency room doors swung open. A doctor stormed out and shouted, ¡°What were you thinking? Who told you it was okay to stick needles in a kid?¡± (+291 Lexie rushed over. ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡± The doctor looked tense. ¡°We got her back for now, but her energy pathways are all messed up. If you want to save her, you need Mr. Todd himself.¡± Derek immediately jumped in. ¡°So she stopped breathing because of the bad acupuncture? Not the herbal medicine?¡± The doctor nodded. ¡°If she hadn¡¯t taken that medicine earlier, that terrible acupuncture job would¡¯ve killed her on the spot. Only Mr. Todd¡¯s level of skill can help her now.¡± Terry added, ¡°We brought in Mr. Todd¡¯s apprentice two days ago. But Evan and Susan sent her away. Niks said after that, their family wouldn¡¯t deal with us again.¡± Susan fell to the ground, then suddenly got up and lunged at Ronin, screaming, ¡°You fraud, you almost killed my baby. I¡¯ll kill you myself!¡± Adamson said coldly, ¡°Call the cops.¡± Ronin ducked behind Baron and shouted, ¡°Nobody can guarantee 100% in medicine. You can¡¯t just have me arrested because things didn¡¯t work out.¡± Susan spun around and pped Lennox across the face. ¡°This is all your fault. Aria was doing just fine. Why did you have to call your grandpa? If you hadn¡¯t lost Avery to begin with, none of this would¡¯ve happened.¡± Susan had never said a harsh word to Lennox before. But this time, she pped him without hesitation. Lennox stood frozen, holding his cheek, totally stunned. Baron stepped back, leaning on his cane, lookingpletely shaken. ¡°No way¡­ That can¡¯t be true.¡± He turned to the doctor. ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t that herbal medicine that hurt my granddaughter?¡± The doctor¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, go ahead and move her to another hospital. But I¡¯ll tell you this. If you don¡¯t get Mr. Todd here in the next two hours, she¡¯s not gonna make it.¡± Lexie shouted, ¡°Then go get Mr. Todd! I don¡¯t care what it takes. Just bring him here.¡± Adamson looked torn. ¡°Mom, I already tried. Mr. Todd¡¯s too old now. He can¡¯t handle long treatments like he used to. He told us to find his apprentice, Aria.¡± Susan suddenly remembered what Niks had said. She ran straight over and bowed to Derek. ¡°Derek, I messed up. Please, I¡¯m begging you, talk to Aria for me. She¡¯s Mr. Todd¡¯s student. She can save Avery.¡± Baron and his wife always favored their sons. Susan had everything she needed to grow up, but she was never close to her parents. Lennox looked like Evan. Avery looked like her. She truly loved her daughter. She would¡¯ve given her the world if she could. She couldn¡¯t lose her. Everyone watching went still in shock. Derek hadn¡¯t expected Susan to bow. He reached out to lift her. ¡°Susan, I-¡± ????????????? ? : ¡°Derek, I know how good you¡¯ve been to Avery. I saw it myself.¡± Susan¡¯s voice broke as she sobbed. Because of her past, Susan had always been sensitive and careful about how people treated her. She could tell Derek¡¯s love for Avery was real. Her own son, Avery¡¯s big brother, only cared when it suited him. Her son had taken after her: self-centered, petty, and stubborn. But deep down, she never wanted to believe it. She couldn¡¯t admit that her son might not be as good as others. It took almost losing Avery for her to finally face the truth. Her daughter might die because of her stubborn pride. ¡°Derek, please. As long as Aria¡¯s willing toe, no matter how it turns out, I¡¯ll ept it. Even if Avery doesn¡¯t survive¡­ I¡¯ll ept it,¡± Susan cried. Derek¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Susan, are you sure you mean that? You need to remember, if something happens to Avery, it¡¯s not on Aria. It¡¯s on you. It¡¯s on Evan. It¡¯s on Lennox. It¡¯s on your dad. This is on your family, not anyone else.¡± Susan nodded through tears. ¡°I swear, if Aria can¡¯t save Avery, I¡¯ll never me her. And if I break that promise, may our whole family pay the price.¡± Again Marriage 730 ¡°Susan, how dare you curse Lennox and me?¡± Seething with rage, Aiden raised his cane and went to strike at Susan. But Arnav stopped him. ¡°Aiden, Susan is my family. You can¡¯t hit her,¡± Aiden said sharply. Gloria bent down to help Susan up and said, ¡°Come on, Susan.¡± ¡°Susan, I¡¯ll hold you to your word. I¡¯m calling Aria,¡± Derek threw in. Zoe said in a trembling voice, ¡°Thank you, Derek.¡± The corridor fell silent. Derek dialed Aria¡¯s number. ¡°Aria, Avery¡¯s in trouble again. Could you pleasee help her?¡± Susan snatched the phone and said quickly, ¡°Aria, it¡¯s all my fault. Please save my daughter. No matter what happens, it¡¯s not on you. I made the choice. ¡°I love my daughter. I¡¯m willing to die for her. ¡°She¡¯s only nine years old. I couldn¡¯t let her die for me. Please save her.¡± On the other end of the line, Aria stood at the entrance of theb and said, ¡°I¡¯lle, but on one condition.¡± Susan wept with joy and blurted out, ¡°Whatever you want, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Your son always picks on Derek. Derek didn¡¯t care about it, but I can¡¯t let it go. You¡¯d better keep Lennox in line from now on,¡± said Aria firmly. Aria was put on speaker. All the Fletchers were startled at her words. Lennox and Avery were all Fletcher family members, but Aria treated Lennox differently from Avery. Arnav and Gloria exchanged an awkward nce, both of them blushing with embarrassment. Derek said sheepishly, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m not a kid anymore. I can handle myself.¡± ¡°Alright. Evan¡¯s here with me, and we¡¯ll go together,¡± said Aria. Hearing what she said, Evan was too astonished to keep his bnce. ¡°Ms. Saxon, thank you so much,¡± said Evan quickly. ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯m doing this for Derek¡¯s sake,¡± said Aria. After getting in the car, Evan asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, do you want me to stop by your ce and pick up the golden needles you usedst time?¡± Aria replied curtly, ¡°No need. I have them with me.¡± These golden needles were a gift from Maverick. Knowing time was against them, the assistant drove fast and got to the hospital in less than half an hour. The moment Aria stepped out of the elevator, the Fletchers immediately swarmed around her. 56:51 pm Aria raised her hand, silencing everyone. ¡°Save the patient first,¡± she said firmly. 20 The doctor who had been guarding the ER was startled when he saw Aria. After sizing her up, he said quickly, ¡°The patient is in an extremely critical situation. If Mr. Todd takes the case, there might be a shot. Without him, we¡¯re out of options.¡± Susan¡¯s heart sank. Her lips quivered, but she soon made up her mind and dered, ¡°I trust Aria. I¡¯m prepared to ept either oue.¡± The doctor paused for a while, then gave a reluctant nod. ¡°Alright then,e with me,¡± he said. Aria handed him the golden needles and said, ¡°Please sterilize them.¡± The doctor took the needles, turned to the nurse beside him, and instructed, ¡°Take her to change.¡± Fryderyk rushed into the hospital, only to catch a glimpse of Aria walking away. He asked with concern, ¡°How is Avery?¡± Derek quickly briefed Fryderyk. Seeing the worried look on Lexie¡¯s face, Derek said in a low voice, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. Aria will save Avery.¡± Lexie held Derek¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Aria came because of you, my dear. From now on, if anyone dares to mess with you, they¡¯ll have to go through me first.¡± Upon learning what Lennox did to Avery, Lexie¡¯s attitude changed. Lennox instinctively looked at his mother, but she didn¡¯t spare him a nce. Lennox¡¯s heart sank. He thought, ¡®Has my mother given up on me? ¡®But why? ¡®I didn¡¯t mean to lose Avery. ¡®Sure enough, Mom loves my sister more than me!¡¯ Again Marriage 731 Baron suddenly said, ¡°If Mr. White couldn¡¯t save Avery, what makes you think this little girl can do any better? We¡¯d better call Culver from Todd School. I can get him here.¡± Susan whirled around, her red eyes fixed on her father. She said firmly, ¡°Dad, I trust Aria. I have no faith in that Culver. ¡°Be nice to Aria. If she was influenced by you and failed to save Avery, I¡¯ll hold you responsible for everything that happens to my daughter.¡± Baron¡¯s chest heaved violently with rage. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for my granddaughter, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to lift a finger. Since none of you want me here, I¡¯m out,¡± said Baron furiously. Baron turned to Lennox, whose eyes were red, and said, ¡°Lennox, the Fletchers clearly don¡¯t want you here. Are youing with me?¡± Lennox stood frozen, his gaze darting between his parents, but neither gave him a nce. Finally, he realized that nobody minded him. After a moment¡¯s silence, Lennox took a step forward and followed his grandfather out of the hospital. Susan bit her lip,ughing bitterly through her tears. She thought, ¡®So this is my previous son? Avery was put to the ER because of him, but he didn¡¯t feel any remorse and just walked away with his grandfather.¡¯ During all of this, no one stopped Lennox from leaving. Meanwhile, the doctor passed the golden needles to a technician for sterilization. The technician saw the needles and gasped, ¡°These are Mr. Todd¡¯s needles. They¡¯ve been passed down for generations. Only the master of the Todd School can use them. How could they be here?¡± The doctor exined, ¡°A young woman gave them to me. The Fletchers said she¡¯s Mr Todd¡¯s apprentice.¡± The technician looked bewildered and said, ¡°But isn¡¯t Culver the current Master of Todd School? How could the golden needles be passed down to an apprentice?¡± The doctor waved his hand and said, ¡°No time to discuss it now. The patient¡¯s lifees first.¡± Aria changed into her scrubs, picked up the sterilized needles, and entered the ER with the doctor. Susan stood at the door, hands sped in front of her as she said, ¡°God, let my daughter live. Please.¡± The others also prayed silently. Three doctors in the ER froze when they saw Aria. One of the doctors scoffed, ¡°With this kind of situation, only Mr. Todd might be able to pull it off. But the Fletchers just sent in some nobody. Are they serious?¡± The doctor who brought Aria in exined, ¡°This is Mr. Todd¡¯s apprentice. The Fletchers said she¡¯s in charge, and they¡¯ll bear all consequences.¡± ¡°They¡¯re risking the child¡¯s life. There¡¯s still time to fix it. Seriously, are they not calling Mr. Todd?¡± said the former. Aria said calmly, ¡°No. I¡¯ll take it.¡± The doctor looked at Aria up and down and suddenly asked, ¡°You¡¯re Aria?¡± Aria nodded. The doctor immediately stepped aside and said, ¡°Had I known you were Professor Colton earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have questioned you. ¡°But the kid is indeed in an extremely critical situation.¡± Aria nodded again and gave Avery a full work-up before taking her pulse. Three minutester, Aria withdrew her hand and began to treat Avery with the golden needles. Aria said, ¡°Start the timer as soon as I insert the needle. Time it precisely. Call out every ten minutes.¡± I¡¯ll handle it,¡± one of the doctors said. Aria kept moving, sometimes hurried, sometimes slow. After ten minutes, she checked the pulse again and adjusted the needles. The doctor responsible for timekeeping noticed that Aria knew exactly when to move on, like she had a timer in her head. An hourter, Avery¡¯s body was studded with needles. Aria was drenched in sweat. One of the doctors nearby mopped Aria up and asked, ¡°How is she?¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°Vitals are stable for now. Wake me in half an hour and immediately if the patient shows any sign of change.¡± It¡¯ll take at least four more hours to finish the treatment. Owen strode to the ER entrance carrying a medical kit, Cathy on his heels. Again Marriage 732 Derek saw Owen and instinctively called out, ¡°Bro-¡± He broke off in mid-sentence and continued, ¡°Owen, did Aria ask you toe?¡± Owen nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to give her this. How long has she been in there?¡± Derek checked his watch and replied, ¡°Two hours.¡± Owen nodded to the Fletchers and waited quietly aside, holding the medical kit. Cathy recognized Gloria, stepped forward, and said to her, ¡°Hello, aunt Gloria.¡± Cathy then turned to Lexie and greeted her with a warm smile. Lexie nodded briefly. Gloria asked, ¡°Did Owen tell you about Avery?¡± Cathy replied, ¡°I happened to be at his office when Aria called, so I came with him. Don¡¯t worry. Avery will be fine.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Gloria murmured. Cathy walked over to Owen and whispered, ¡°Did the kid just call you bro-inw? So you got her?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Owen replied curtly. Cathy raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°You¡¯re faster than Kim.¡± Kim¡¯s daughter was already toddling around, but he hadn¡¯t managed to get the kid¡¯s mother. Two more hours passed before the doors of the ER swung open. As soon as Aria stepped out, Susan rushed forward and almost fell down, but Evan caught her in time. Susan asked in a trembling voice, ¡°How is she?¡± Aria replied wearily, ¡°She¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll treat her with needles once a week, and she¡¯ll get better.¡± Susan¡¯s legs gave way, and she slumped to the ground. ¡°Aria, thank you so much,¡± she said with tears in her eyes. Too exhausted to help her up, Aria said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. I¡¯ll charge at market rates.¡± Then she looked at Owen. :20 Owen immediately stepped forward with the medical kit, steadying it with one hand as he opened it with the other. ¡°Which bottle?¡± he asked. Aria said, ¡°The fifth from the left in the third row. Have Avery take it as soon as she wakes up. I¡¯ll return in six hours.¡± Before Evan could say anything, Owen had already handed him the bottle. ¡°I¡¯ll take her home to rest now,¡± said Owen. Aria looked worn out. 6:52 pm The Fletchers quietly made way. Cathy sized Aria up and thought, ¡®This girl looked aloof and proud. How did Owen manage to win her over?¡¯ Lexie nced at Fryderyk and sighed, ¡°No wonder my grandson can¡¯t hold a candle to him.¡± Hearing this, Fryderyk was speechless. Avery was wheeled out, her face looking rosy. The Fletchers surrounded her. Susan struggled to control herself and called out, ¡°Avery.¡± 20 As Aria got changed in the locker room, a fellow female doctor asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, would you consider joining our hospital?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a teacher, and I¡¯m not looking to change jobs,¡± said Aria. The doctor then asked, ¡°Well, if we have any challenging cases in the future, could we ask for your advice?¡± Central Hospital is an integrated traditional and modern medicine hospital, mainly funded by the Saxon family. Aria lifted her gaze and said, ¡°I¡¯m not on good terms with the Saxon family.¡± Only then did the doctor remember the rumors and hurriedly said, ¡°My apologies.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Aria replied. Cathy stood at the window in the hospital corridor and called Tessa. As soon as the call connected, Tessa cut straight to the chase. ¡°Did Aria cure Avery?¡± asked Tessa. Cathy replied, ¡°Avery¡¯s pulled through, and she¡¯ll get better soon.¡± On the other end of the line, Tessa sighed in relief. ¡°That girl¡¯s truly remarkable. It¡¯s a pity that she doesn¡¯t join our Bureau.¡± Cathy chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I think.¡± Tessa abruptly changed the subject and suggested, ¡°Isn¡¯t Owen dating her now? Why don¡¯t you work on him and bring them in?¡± Cathy said frankly, ¡°It seems you truly have a soft spot for Aria. She¡¯s indeed one-of-a-kind. If she joined the State Security Bureau, it would be incredibly exciting.¡± The cutthroat State Security Bureau had many rules, which could be incredibly frustrating. And no one had ever managed to break the mold. But with Tessa¡¯s support, Aria had privileges. Cathy said bluntly, ¡°But Owen would never agree to join the Bureau.¡± Cathy thought, ¡®If Owen wanted to join, he would¡¯ve taken the assessment years ago. Tessa sighed regretfully, ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Cathy suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we figure out what Aria wants and what she¡¯d like to do? Then we can offer her something and she¡¯lle around.¡± ¡°Brilliant n. Maybe you should be the one to handle it?¡± said Tessa. Again Marriage 733 Cathy shot it down immediately. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t. I¡¯m heading to Hogford City for Gerald¡¯s wedding,¡± said Cathy. She thought, ¡®Clearly, neither of them had any interest in the State Security Bureau. ¡®What if Owen holds it against me when I manage to trick Aria into joining the Bureau? ¡®I would never do such a thing.¡±¡® Aria fell fast asleep in the passenger seat. Owen stopped the car safely. He unbuckled his seatbelt, stepped out, and walked around to the passenger side. He pulled open the door and leaned in to pick Aria up when her eyes suddenly opened. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± she murmured sleepily. Owen said gently, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. You just sleep. I¡¯ll carry you up.¡± Aria grabbed Owen¡¯s arm and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not that fragile yet.¡± Owen smiled and said, ¡°I just want to hold you.¡± Aria reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. ¡°Let¡¯s go back first,¡± she teased. Aria stepped out of the car while Owen headed to the back seat to grab the medical kit. As they walked forward, a shadowy figure suddenly lunged from the darkness, heading straight for Aria. Owen¡¯s gaze sharpened. In a sh, he grabbed the man¡¯s wrist, struck his chest hard, and drove him back several steps. Cassian didn¡¯t take Owen seriously and never expected him to strike back. Cassian thought, ¡®No wonder Aria is untouchable. She is under Owen¡¯s protection.¡¯ ¡°Cassian, you got a death wish?¡± said Owen coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t want you. Where¡¯s Margery?¡± asked Cassian as he stared at Avia. Aria drawled, ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± Cassian bared his teeth in a menacing grin and said, ¡°Aria, I gave you a chance. You harbor a fugitive. Arressto wille after you.¡± Aria lifted her eyes and said, ¡°Will they? I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Cassian hadn¡¯t expected her to be this tough, and his face darkened. ¡°Do you think joining the State Security Bureau will absolve you? If you don¡¯t give me Margery, you will never join it.¡± Aria responded coolly, ¡°Hmm. Finished? Then get lost.¡± Cassian sneered, ¡°I¡¯ve already bought a ce in Mayen Garden. I¡¯ll keep an eye on you. Let¡¯s see how long Margery can stay hidden.¡± N Neither Owen nor Aria spared Cassian a nce. They turned and walked away. 20 Aria woke up four hourster and headed upstairs to find Margery. Margery opened the door with a smile and said, ¡°There you are.¡± Margery stepped aside to let Aria in. Aria cut straight to the chase. ¡°Have you contacted Ca?¡± Margery nodded. ¡°Yes, I have. But all the evidence she submitted was suppressed by Arressto¡¯s higher-ups.¡± Ca had been hiding for nearly a decade. She was tormented by guilt while she gathered evidence of ric¡¯s crimes. But she underestimated human nature. All the evidence she had gathered was confiscated. She told everyone that Margery had identally killed ric while trying to save her, but no one believed her. Some said she hadn¡¯t told the truth. Margery had made her say those things. Ca regretted it bitterly. If only she had cleared everything up immediately, it¡¯s probably not gonnae to that. But Margery didn¡¯t me Ca. Margery thought, ¡®Even if Ca had cleared everything up back then, it wouldn¡¯t have made any difference. ¡®ric¡¯s case involved too many influential figures. For the greater good, the higher-ups had no choice but to sweep the case under the rug. ¡®And Arressto had no choice but to sacrifice her.¡¯ Pearl walked out of the room and said with concern, ¡°Then will you always be watched? Will you never be free?¡± Margery fell silent, then walked over and gently patted Pearl¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯ll try to mess with me, but they won¡¯t cross the line.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Did Ca tell Cassian the truth?¡± Margery said with a wry smile, ¡°She told him, but he didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°ric adopted Cassian, and he was nice to him.¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°I see. I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Margery protested, ¡°Cassian is dangerous. He might redirect his anger towards you instead of me. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t worry about this. I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡± Aria looked at Margery and said, ¡°After we get through this, I¡¯ll have a favor to ask.¡± Margery said immediately, ¡°I¡¯m ready to help. Just tell me what to do.¡± Aria looked into Margery¡¯s eyes. ¡°If we don¡¯t deal with them, nothing you do will matter. Rest assured. I¡¯m not someone people can mess with.¡± Again Marriage 734 Aria was about to head to the Central Hospital when she spotted Owen lounging on the sofa. ¡°Wannae with me?¡± she asked. Smiling, Owen stood up, walked over, and said, ¡°Madelyn, no need to be so polite next time. ¡°Just say, ¡®Come on, go drive the car.¡±¡± Aria chuckled and said, ¡°Alright, once again. Owen, go drive the car.¡± Aria grinned and said, ¡°After you, Your Majesty.¡± When they arrived at the hospital, Avery had woken up. In the ward, only Susan, Lexie, and Gloria stayed by Avery¡¯s side, while the others had left after confirming Avery was out of danger. When Aria entered, Susan immediately rose up and said, ¡°Avery¡¯s been awake for three hours. She has taken the medicine.¡± Susan followed Aria to the bedside and pulled out a chair. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria said as she sat down and gently stroked Avery¡¯s head. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Avery shook her head, her eyes sparkling. ¡°I wasn¡¯t feeling well, but after taking the medicine you left, I felt much better. ¡°Mom said you saved me. Thank you.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Aria reached out her hand to Avery with a gentle smile. ¡°Give me your hand. Let me examine you one more time, okay?¡± said Avia. Avery offered her hand to Aria obediently. Gloria watched the scene with aplicated gaze. She thought, ¡®Aria had never treated the Saxon family like this. ¡®She¡¯s such a good girl. Why did we turn our backs on her? ¡®But it¡¯s toote. To Aria, the Saxon family means nothing at all! After taking Avery¡¯s pulse, Aria gently tucked her hand back under the covers. ¡°You¡¯re healing very nicely. You can eat light meals now.¡± Susan smiled through her tears and said, ¡°Aria, thank you so much.¡± She pulled out a bank card from her pocket and thrust it into Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°This is all my savings. About one hundred million dors. Use it to pay the medical fee, and the Fletcher family will pay the rest.¡± Aria gave the card back. ¡°Just three hundred thousand dors will do,¡± she said. Lexie quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not enough, dear. We owe you more than we can ever repay.¡± Gloria felt sad when she heard this. She thought, ¡®Back then, Aria charged me 30 million dors for one prescription, but now she¡¯s only asking for three hundred thousand dors. 29 ¡®But I deserved it. ¡®Had I been nicer to her, she wouldn¡¯t havee to hate me.¡¯ Susan nodded repeatedly. ¡°Lexie¡¯s right, Aria. Please, just ept it.¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need the money. If you still feel unsettled, making more donations might help. Doing good brings its own reward.¡± Susan clutched the bank card, fighting back tears as she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say, Aria. I promise, I¡¯ll do more good deeds from now on,¡± she said in a choked voice. She resolved to donate every cent she had. Aria said, ¡°Avery can be discharged now. I¡¯ll write a prescription. She¡¯ll need to return weekly for follow-up, 16 thousand dors per visit.¡± Susan said, ¡°Your time is worth much more than 16 thousand dors. Let¡¯s say 160 thousand dors, shall we?¡± Aria nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Finally, Susan¡¯s face rxed into a relieved smile. Aria gently stroked Avery¡¯s head and said, ¡°Sweetie, make sure to stay warm and bundle up in winter, okay?¡± ¡°Got it. Thank you,¡± Avery replied sweetly. Hearing Avia¡¯s caring words, Susan thought of her son. Her heart sank with disappointment. Susan thought, ¡®While Derek kept checking in every hour, Lennox didn¡¯t even call. ¡®He is my son. I never imagined him to be so heartless.. Susan¡¯s eyes welled up. But when she saw her daughter, she felt better. Lexie stole a nce at Owen, who was standing quietly nearby. She thought, ¡®For someone so young, this guy carries himself with surprisingposure. Noticing Lexie¡¯s gaze, Owen smiled and said, ¡°Nice to meet you, Lexie.¡± Lexie thought, ¡®My grandson couldn¡¯t hold a candle to him. I¡¯d better give up fixing Aria up with my grandson!¡¯ and said kindly, ¡°Thank you foring along.¡± Owen smiled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s fine with me.¡± Aria was about to write the prescription when she thought of her messy handwriting. She turned to Owen and said, ¡°I¡¯ll dictate, and you write it down.¡± Susan quickly fetched a chair. After thanking her, Owen sat down and meticulously wrote down the ingredients Aria dictated. As Aria handed the prescription to Susan, she said, ¡°Let someone skilled handle it. We can¡¯t afford another incident likest time.¡± She was referring to the medical emergency involving Ronin. Susan bhished and nodded solemnly. ¡°Understood,¡± she murmured. Aria and Owen ran into Cathy by the entrance when they were about to leave the hospital. Cathy chuckled. ¡°I knew I¡¯d find you here.¡± Owen frowned. ¡°Why are you here to see us?¡± Cathy winked and said, ¡°I just want to have a word with my sister-inw.¡± Hearing what Cathy said, Owen¡¯s expression softened. ¡°What on earth do you want?¡± asked Owen. Cathy let out a mysteriousugh and teased, ¡°Owen, you¡¯re a man. You wouldn¡¯t get it.¡± Owen was speechless. Aria said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s talk.¡± Cathy grinned and said innocently, ¡°Wanna find somewhere quiet to talk?¡± Aria said curtly, ¡°Get in. Cathy, who¡¯d made reservations at a caf¨¦, faltered and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Once in the car, Cathy turned to Owen and said, ¡°Owen, could you wait outside for a bit?¡± Owen opened the door of the car and slid into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°No way. I know exactly what you¡¯re up to.¡± Cathy sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m just the messenger.¡± Owen didn¡¯t budge. Cathy had no choice but to settle into the back seat beside Aria. Cathy said seriously, ¡°Tessa wanted me to tell you that she knew you¡¯d been helping Margery. If she risks offending Arressto¡¯s higher-ups to clear Margery¡¯s name, would you be willing to join the State Security Bureau?¡± Aria curled up her lips and sneered, ¡°Margery is innocent. With these rotten higher-ups in Arressto, I¡¯ll never join in.¡± Cathy smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right, but the State Security Bureau is nothing like Arressto. ¡°Although the State Security Bureau is a part of Arressto, it runs independently. They don¡¯t interface well. Their jobs are entirely separate, and what Arressto does has no bearing on the Bureau.¡± Again Marriage 735 Owen drove slowly. Aria tilted her head and nced over at Owen, her tone softer than before. ¡°I have another question. ¡°Even someone like Cassian was so nearly one of the State Security Bureaus. Joining it is not that hard, right?¡± Cathy had no answer to this. It was no secret that the State Security Bureau¡¯s recruitment was brutal. She exined, ¡°We were short-staffed, so we brought in some temporary staff. Cassian was inefficient, and as ric¡¯s adopted son, he was not qualified to make it through. We didn¡¯t kick him out right away because of our goodwill. ¡°The State Security Bureau isn¡¯t bad at all. You can think about it. Tessa can help you do what you¡¯re trying to do.¡± Aria replied tly, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Cathy was not sure if Aria would say yes. She added, ¡°After all Tessa has done for you, are you really not going to join us?¡± Aria drawled, ¡°That might not be the case. ¡°The State Security Bureau wants to cut ties with Arressto. They see me as an opening. I¡¯m not wading into this mess.¡± Cathy¡¯s eyes widened. She thought, ¡®How did I not see it? I thought Tessa was risking everything for Aria, even going so far as to offend Arressto¡¯s higher-ups. I actually envied Aria. ¡®Turns out, Tessa has something else in mind. Two birds with one stone. What a cunning move. Looks like my negotiation is doomed.¡¯ Cathy said, ¡°Aria, mind if I call Tessa directly?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Not at all.¡± Cathy called Tessa directly and said, ¡°Tessa, Aria said the State Security Bureau wanted to cut ties with Arressto, and Margery¡¯s case could give you the leverage you needed.¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s right,¡± Tessa replied, amusement in her voice. Tessa continued, ¡°We do have that n, though we haven¡¯t decided when to put it into action. If Aria is willing to join in, we can start right away. ¡°Aria, what do you think?¡± Knowing Aria was there with Cathy, Tessa said, ¡°Joining us doesn¡¯t mean you lose your freedom. ¡°If you want toe to the office, go ahead. If you¡¯d rather stay in Mandino City, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll arrange it for you. But you need to spend a daypleting the onboarding process. ¡°As for missions, you can take them if you want. It¡¯s all up to you.¡± But the truth was, the State Security Bureau never asked someone to take missions. Everyone was scrambling for missions. Cathy, feeling unfair, grumbled, ¡°Tessa, Aria can stay where she wants to be. Why haven¡¯t I been allowed to go home all these years?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re brilliant,¡± Tessa teased. Cathy was speechless. Cathy shoved the phone into Aria¡¯s hands and said nothing. Tessa said slyly, ¡°Aria, if you join the National Security Bureau, you can ask our men for personal missions. You won¡¯t regret
¡°It was now or never.¡± Tessa thought, ¡®I kind of feel more like a salesman.¡¯ Aria replied, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Tessa thought, ¡®She didn¡¯t say no right away. There¡¯s still hope! Tessa smiled. ¡°May I have your number? ¡°If anyone from Arressto messes with Margery, just let me know.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied. Cathy interjected, ¡°Owen, send me Aria¡¯s contact info and I¡¯ll forward it to Tessa.¡± Owen nced at Aria in the rearview mirror. Only after she nodded did he say, ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing what he did, Cathy felt upset. She teased, ¡°Owen, you¡¯re so whipped.¡± Owen said, ¡°Yeah, you got me.¡± He sounded proud of himself. The car pulled up at Mayen Garden. Owen said, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Go wherever you want.¡± Only then did Cathy realize they¡¯d arrived at Mayen Garden. She stared at him and said in disbelief, ¡°You¡¯re just gonna leave me here?¡± Again Marriage 736 ¡°You can grab a cab,¡± Owen replied casually. As a member of the State Security Bureau, Cathy was highly capable, so Owen was not worried about her safety at all. Cathy turned to Aria and said, ¡°Aria, mind if I stay at your ce tonight?¡± ¡°Go ahead. I live alone.¡± After Pearl moved upstairs, E followed and began teaching there. With Lily living at school, Aria lived alone now. Cathy didn¡¯t expect Aria to let her stay. ¡°Thanks, Aria. You¡¯re so nice.¡± Cathy was two years older than Aria, but she was younger than Owen, so she looked up to Aria. Upon arriving at the apartment, Aria gave Cathy some new toiletries and pajamas. ¡°Get some rest. Owen¡¯s making dinner.¡± Cathy said in surprise, ¡°Owen can cook?¡± Aria replied, ¡°And he¡¯s pretty good at it.¡± Owen prepared six dishes, and Margery and Pearl joined them for the meal. Seeing Margery, Cathy took the initiative to say, ¡°I¡¯m Cathy, Owen¡¯s cousin.¡± ¡°Margery. Nice to meet you,¡± Margery replied. ¡°Nice to meet you, too,¡± Cathy said warmly. Cathy took out her phone and snapped a few pictures before dinner. ¡°I¡¯ll send these to Luther. He¡¯ll be so jealous,¡± she said. with a grin. She never thought she had the opportunity to try Owen¡¯s cooking. At 2 a.m., Cathy was jolted awake by faint noises from the living room. Instantly alert, she sprang out of bed and soundlessly positioned herself behind the door. In the living room, two shadowy figures whispered in hushed tones. One of them said, ¡°Keep it quiet. Don¡¯t alert Owen and Aria next door. Cassian said we couldn¡¯t underestimate Owen.¡± The other whispered, ¡°Understood. Is Margery really here?¡± ¡°I trust Cassian¡¯s intel.¡± ¡°Split up. See which room Margery¡¯s in.¡± ¡°This door¡¯s locked from the inside,¡± someone said. Cathy held her breath, waiting. Momentster, the door was pried open. A shadowy figure crept in. Cathy reacted instantly, striking at the figure¡¯s neck. The figure dodged with lightning speed, twisting aside and punching back. In the darkness, the two exchanged blows in rapid session, their strikesnding with heavy thuds. Seeing this, the other man immediately joined the fray,unching a sneak attack on Cathy from behind. One of them shouted, ¡°Aria, all we want is Margery. Hand her over and we¡¯re out of here.¡± Cathy sneered, mming the attacker with a flying spin kick. The man dodged. When he was about to retaliate, Cathy demanded sharply, ¡°Who sent you here?¡± He suddenly grabbed hispanion, peering warily into the darkness. ¡°Wait! Are you Ms. Shaw?¡± Cathy hummed in affirmation and reached for the light switch. Under the harsh re, the two men looked surprised. ¡°Ms. Shaw? Why are you here?¡± asked one of the men. They had both attended Cathy¡¯s sses at Arressto¡¯s training camp and recognized her instantly. Cathy crossed her arms and said coldly, ¡°Breaking into someone¡¯s home? Arressto will fire you.¡± The two exchanged a nervous nce and hurried to exin, ¡°We¡¯re just here for Margery. We didn¡¯t mean to hurt anyone.¡± ¡°Did Cassian send you here?¡± Cathy pressed. ¡°No, no. He offered 3 million dors to anyone who caught Margery, and we took the job,¡± one of them stammered. Deadpan, Cathy said, ¡°Tie yourselves up, or I¡¯ll do it.¡± The two men forced a nervous smile and said, ¡°Ms. Shaw, give us a chance, please.¡± Though young, Cathy had been their instructor, and now she was with the State Security Bureau. They knew that they had crossed her, and they would pay the price. Cathy gestured for the two to crouch down, then pulled out her phone to call Aria. When she was about to dial, something suddenly hit her. She thought, ¡®Wait. Did Aria already know someone woulde, so she let me stay?¡¯ 1 Again Marriage 737 The call connected, and Aria¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Arressto? Or the State Security Bureau?¡± Cathy thought, ¡®Alright, Aria had already known. ¡®And yet, I was the one who had chosen to stay. ¡®It¡¯s all my fault. ¡®But Aria owes me one this time. If she joins the State Security Bureau, I want her on my team! ¡°It¡¯s Arressto. The State Security Bureau wouldn¡¯t take this kind of job,¡± Cathy scoffed. The two men exchanged a nce and could only crouch down in silence. Aria checked the surveince video and found no movement upstairs. Cassian hadn¡¯t found Pearl. Aria and Owen headed to the living room together. Aria immediately called Tessa and put her on the speaker. Tessa asked, ¡°Aria, have you made up your mind to join the State Security Bureau?¡± At the sound of Tessa¡¯s voice, the two men instantly jerked their heads up, their eyes fixed on Aria. They thought, ¡®So Tessa invited Aria to join the State Security Bureau? ¡®Cassian is the temporary staff of the State Security Bureau, so he must¡¯ve known about this, but he kept it from us? ¡®If we¡¯d known Aria was about to join the State Security Bureau, we would never have messed with her. ¡®We¡¯re screwed.¡¯ Aria turned on the camera, and the moment Tessa saw the two men, her voice became harsh. She snapped, ¡°What the hell are you two doing? I¡¯ve told you that no one touches Margery.¡± The two men looked pathetic as they exined, ¡°Madam, Cassian offered a private job. 3 million dors.¡± ¡°Damn it. Don¡¯t worry, Avia. I¡¯ll handle Cassian,¡± said Tessa. Tessa hung up the phone and immediately called Arressto¡¯s higher-ups. She thought, ¡®You woke up Avia and me? Fine, no one sleeps tonight. ¡®It¡¯s you who refused to clear Margery¡¯s name. 2 Then all the Arressto¡¯s higher-ups were woken up in the dead of night. Tessapelled them to handle Cassian. She warned, ¡°If you disturb Aria again, I¡¯ll give you a problem.¡± All the higher-ups were mad at Cassian. Cassian was an Arressto investigator. The furious director immediately contacted Cassian and warned, ¡°Cassian, you¡¯ve crossed the line. If you mess with Margery again and get other innocent people involved, you¡¯ll be expelled from Arressto.¡± Cassian¡¯s face darkened as he realized the two had failed. He demanded, ¡°Margery killed an Arressto investigator. On what grounds are we sparing her?¡± ¡°ric deserved it,¡± said the leader sharply. Cassian snapped, ¡°Then show me the proof.¡± ¡°One more word, and you¡¯re permanently out of Arressto,¡± the director snapped. With these words, the director immediately hung up. Cassian knew it had to be Aria who snitched to Tessa. He thought, ¡®I have to stay in Arressto if I want to avenge ric. ¡®Since I can¡¯t touch Margery, I can keep an eye on Avia. She¡¯ll never set foot in the State Security Bureau. I¡¯ll give her more trouble.¡¯ Very soon, the news that Tessa had invited Aria to join the State Security Bureau spread throughout Arressto. As soon as everyone figured out who Aria was, Wilson¡¯s phone was bombarded with messages. Wilson was about to start eating when his phone rang. It was Mike, his old mentor, whom he couldn¡¯t possibly ignore. Wilson answered the call and put it on the speaker, ¡°Mr. Hayes.¡± ¡°Wilson, I heard Terra invite Aria to join the State Security Bureau?¡± said the mentor curiously. At these words, Wilson¡¯s fork slipped from his grasp and ttered onto the table. Wilson stood up and walked to the balcony. ¡°Yeah, but she hasn¡¯t agreed yet.¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t agreed yet? What was she thinking? I was nning to send you in together,¡± said Mike. Wilson chuckled, ¡°Mr. Hayes, I¡¯m good at Arressto.¡± ¡°I want you to be better, you know?¡± said Mike, significantly. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Hayes,¡± said Wilson. ¡°Alright then. If Aria joined the State Security Bureau, you¡¯d better get closer to her. It won¡¯t be long before the State Security Bureau and Arressto part ways. ¡°You¡¯ve been away from home for years. I got it all figured out. All you need to do ise back and sign the papers,¡± said Mike. Wil Again Marriage 738 Back at the dining table, Joseph immediately demanded, ¡°Someone invited Aria to join the State Security Bureau?¡± Wilson nodded. ¡°Yes, Tessa did.¡± Joseph suffered a heart attack, but he suppressed it. Wilson noticed it and said casually, ¡°I¡¯m going abroad in a few days.¡± Annoyed, Luke huffed, ¡°Don¡¯t go. You just got back. Go help your brother at hispany.¡± Wilson said tly, ¡°This isn¡¯t up for discussion.¡± Luke¡¯s face darkened. He was about to erupt when Wilson drawled, ¡°Dad, if you keep talking like that, I¡¯ll never get back. ¡°I might just get married and settle down abroad.¡± Luke¡¯s heart ached. He snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± ¡°Watch me,¡± Wilson shot back with a grin. Back then, Wilson left for his studies abroad without a word to anyone. He disappeared for years. Luke dreaded that his son would really leave him. Wilson was his only son. Luke suppressed his anger and said, ¡°You love your sister, don¡¯t you? If you go abroad, you¡¯ll never see her again.¡± Wilson said casually, ¡°You could¡¯ve just said it nicely. I¡¯m just going abroad for a few days to handle some paperwork. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Luke gritted his teeth and thought, ¡®Damn it, you could¡¯ve said it earlier.¡¯ ***** Aria¡¯s project was approved in May. Samuel thought, ¡®Aria had only been here for less than a year. There was no way she could handle such an important project.¡¯ He was about to voice his objection when Fred shot him a stern look. Fred said, ¡°If this project gets derailed because of you, she¡¯ll stick around for years. As long as she¡¯s here, you¡¯ll always be second best.¡± Samuel was speechless and thought, ¡®Well, he¡¯s got a point.''¡± ¡°Fred, don¡¯t get me wrong. I just want to know if Martin also gets involved, who¡¯s calling the shots? Martin or Avia?¡± said Samuel. ¡°Aria,¡± Fred confirmed. Samuel nced at Aria and said politely, ¡°Alright then, no objections from me. Ms. Saxon, let me know if you have any trouble with the project. I¡¯m happy to help.¡± Samuel thought, ¡®If she failed to get the project done, she would have to leave. Aria looked up and said, ¡°Samuel, you mean you wanna in?¡± Samuel thought. No way I¡¯m gonna let a neer take the lead. Samuel forced a smile and said. ¡°My work is not yet done. But if you have questions, my door¡¯s open.¡± ¡°Thanks, Samuel,¡± Aria said. Samuel thought, A girl like Aria would be too proud toe to me for help. It didn¡¯t take long for Samuel to eat his words. Aria actually came to him for help. With all those students present, Samuel had no choice but to help her. Samuel felt even more tired. Aria wanted to build a team, and she thought Adrian was a good choice. Aria bumped into Adrian in the cafeteria and asked him directly. Aria thought, ¡®It might take some effort to win over Adrian. But Adrian nodded and said, ¡®Deal¡¯ Aria paused in surprise. Adrian chuckled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Second thoughts already Aria smiled. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯d be delighted to have you join us. May I add two more students? Adrian asked, ¡®Derek and Arthur?¡± ¡°Yes, you know them?¡± said Aria in confusion. ¡°They just got an award and published papers. Pretty impressive,¡± said Adrian Aria shook hands with Adrian Looking forward to working with you, Adrian ¡°Likewise,¡± Adrian replied. ***** With her vacation over, Terra made a trip to Mandino University. She found Aria and said, ¡°Sweetie, have you made up your mind?¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll be extremely busy for the next couple of years. ¡°But it¡¯s okay. You can get familiar with things first. If you¡¯re busy, you don¡¯t have to take any missions. You¡¯re a professor, and your academic workes first. Terra added, ¡°The State Security Bureau has decided to split from Arressto. Regardless of whether you agree or not, we will clear Margery¡¯s name.¡± Aria thought of her recent conversation with Vanessa and asked, ¡°Is there someone named Ned in the State Security Bureau? He¡¯s supposed to be a top-tier hacker. Terra looked at Aria in surprise. ¡°You know Ned?¡± Ned didn¡¯t go through the assessment process. He was appointed as a technical expert by the State Security Bureau. Aria didn¡¯t answer the question. Instead, she said directly, ¡°I¡¯ll join the State Security Bureau.¡± Again Marriage 739 Tessa paused, her eyes sparkling with delight. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Aria interjected, ¡°But I have three conditions.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Tessa said. ¡°First, I demandplete freedom of action, written into the contract; second, we must resolve Margery¡¯s case within a week; third, I¡¯ll choose which division to join myself,¡± Aria said. Tessa nodded. ¡°Absolutely no problem. It¡¯s a deal. Which department are you interested in joining?¡± Aria replied, ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the State Security Bureau yet.¡± Tessa nodded. ¡°Alright, you can decide when the timees. I¡¯d highly rmend you lead the Field Operations Team; you¡¯d make a great team leader.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Will I have to kill people?¡± She thought, ¡®All I¡¯m good at is killing; giving orders doesn¡¯t interest me.¡¯ Tessa pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed, ¡°Well, let¡¯s get you onboarded first. You can gradually familiarize yourself with each division¡¯s responsibilities at the State Security Bureau.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Fine.¡± When the encrypted files spilled out, exposing ric and several top executives, Arressto exploded into chaos. ¡°So every word Ca said was true,¡± a young agent snapped. ¡°Margery did kill ric by ident and just tried to protect Ca.¡± ¡°Look at these transaction records-they were auctioning ssified intel online, and it cost several of our people their lives.¡± ¡°If the State Security Bureau hadn¡¯t stepped in, would they have just kept this buried forever, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Sign me up for the State Security Bureau¡¯s recruitment exam.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Amidst the heated discussions, a voice suddenly cut through. ¡°Cassian defied the organization¡¯s orders and was obsessed with killing Margery. Was he in on this, too?¡± ¡°Almost certainly. Of all the recruits ric ever brought in, Cassian was the one he favored most.¡± At this time, Cassian knew nothing about these discussions. He rushed to Tessa¡¯s office in anger and was about to open the door when he suddenly heard Ca¡¯s voiceing from inside. Ca said gratefully, ¡°Ms. Langford, thank you for your help. Otherwise, Margery would have had to bear this stigma for my sake for the rest of her life.¡± Tessa responded gently, ¡°This is what I should do as a founding member of the State Security Bureau.¡± Ca¡¯s voice trembled as she choked out, ¡°If I¡¯d had the courage to speak up back then, Margery wouldn¡¯t have spent all these years on the run. If not for her exceptional skills, she would have died.¡± ¡°Even if you had spoken up back then, it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything without evidence,¡± Tessa said softly, offering aforting smile. ¡°You¡¯ve worked so hard, secretly gathering this evidence over the years. Don¡¯t me yourself.¡± Luckily, because Ca didn¡¯t show up back then, it gave her the perfect opportunity to gather all this crucial evidence. Otherwise, the other top executives would kill Ca. ¡°I want to do something for her,¡± Ca replied. Tessa stood up and patted her shoulder reassuringly. ¡°You¡¯ve done very well. Since you no longer wish to stay with Arressto, you have my blessing to return to a normal life. If you ever run into trouble, don¡¯t hesitate to reach out.¡± Cassian¡¯s hand froze on the doorknob, then slowly drew back. He staggered back two steps, as scenes of histe adoptive father shed before his eyes. He thought, ¡®How could he have done so many despicable things?¡¯ As Ca stepped out, she ran into Cassian, who looked upset. The two locked eyes in silence, neither speaking a word. Finally, Ca sidestepped him, preparing to leave. ¡°Sorry,¡± Cassian said, his voice hoarse with emotion. Ca paused mid-step for the briefest moment, but ultimately walked away without turning back. Soon, Cassian was shunned by everyone. They saw him as no different from ric and demanded that Arressto deal with him. 4 Cassian finally felt distrusted by others. He thought, ¡®This is what Margery has been living with for years! Stepping forward, Tessa rified that Cassian had no involvement in illicit activities; his desire for revenge stemmed solely from his gratitude toward ric. Cassian would personally visit Margery to offer his apology. Again Marriage 740 The two agents who had caused trouble at Aria¡¯s ce raised their hands. ¡°Ms. Langford,¡± they said, ¡°we should apologize too.¡± Tessa nced at the two and nodded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take the three of you there myself.¡± On their way, Tessa checked in with Aria to confirm the timing, and once they¡¯d agreed, they headed over to her ce. They arranged to meet at Aria¡¯s ce. For the first time in seven or eight years, Cassian met with Margery. Cassian¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. ¡°Long time no see, Margery. I¡¯m sorry.¡± After years on the run, Margery had developed streaks of gray in her hair, but fortunately, she¡¯d regained much of her vitality during this period. 1 19 ¡°You didn¡¯t harm me, so no need to apologize,¡± Margery said calmly. She and Cassian were never particrly close, so her distrust was understandable. tel # 2 The two agents also sincerely apologized, ¡°Sorry, Margery.¡± Margery looked at them, puzzled, and asked, ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± The two men shifted ufortably before admitting, ¡°We went to Aria¡¯s ce looking for you earlier.¡± Margery turned to Aria. ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡± Aria just shrugged. ¡°Never mind.¡± Margery nced back, and Tessa exined, ¡°Ca didn¡¯te. She left Arressto, saying she was too ashamed to face you.¡± A flicker of disappointment crossed Margery¡¯s eyes. ¡°As long as she¡¯s doing well, that¡¯s all that matters,¡± she said. ¡°Tessa, I¡¯m fine; all thanks to Aria,¡± Margery said. Without Aria, she couldn¡¯t have killed Ethan and escaped. Tessa smiled at Aria and then said to Margery, ¡°Aria is very kind at first nce. I¡¯m not surprised she helped you.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Few people praise me for my kindness. Thank you.¡± Tessa said, ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s Saturday, and you have no sses. How about we go to the State Security Bureau together toplete your onboarding?¡± Hearing this, Cassian shot Aria with aplicated look. If he hadn¡¯t gotten involved in Margery¡¯s matter, he would be a member of the State Security Bureau. Cassian couldn¡¯t help but feel resentful at how effortlessly Aria had joined, yet he couldn¡¯t say anything. Aria nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Tessa led the group out. Noticing the defiance in Cassian¡¯s eyes, Tessa calmly added, ¡°Aria is Echohawk.¡± ¡°She¡¯s Echohawk,¡± Cassian said, his pupils dting in shock. All he knew was that Aria had decentbat skills, was wealthy, and was a professor at Kerano Global Health. Little did he know about her other identity. ¡°Why else do you think I invited her?¡± Tessa retorted. ¡°Aria grew up in a poor vige, abused by her adoptive parents. How do you think she achieved what she has today? For the State Security Bureau to pass up her would be a loss.¡± At first, Tessa nned to bring Aria into Arressto first. That way, if she joined the State Security Bureauter, she would face far less skepticism. But Aria had a poor impression of Arressto, so Tessa had to pursue an alternative. Some skepticism was inevitable, but the State Security Bureau members won¡¯t deliberately target Aria. Tessa thought Aria had real talent. Sooner orter, she would silence all the doubters. Tessa had faith in Aria. Tessa said calmly, ¡°My invitation to Aria has no direct bearing on your inability to join the State Security Bureau. Instead of obsessing over others, focus on improving yourself. Cassian, you¡¯re not cut out for the State Security Bureau.¡± Tessa¡¯s gaze, calm yet sharp, fixed directly on him. Cassian averted his gaze, his voice barely above a whisper. ¡°Ms. Langford, I¡¯ve let you down.¡± Tessa said, ¡°You¡¯re still young and have a chance to redeem yourself. Once you¡¯ve truly matured, the State Security Bureau will reinstate your eligibility for the assessment.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ms. Langford. I¡¯ll work hard to improve myself,¡± Cassian replied. ¡°Her Echohawk identity must remain confidential,¡± Tessa ordered. Echohawk never took on ordinary targets. She crossed paths with numerous influential figures and organizations over the years. The State Security Bureau had a global membership; some members may have had old grudges against Echohawk. Exposing her identity would bring her nothing but trouble. Cassian nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it confidential.¡± Tessa got into the car and texted Aria: [I¡¯ll get the tickets. Pick you up at Mayen Garden at 8 tomorrow.] Again Marriage 741 The State Security Bureau was located in Kanit City, not too far away. After getting out of the subway, Tessa led Aria toward the designated car waiting for them. Upon seeing them, the young man assigned as their driver immediately stepped out of the car to greet them. Throughout the drive, the young man kept stealing nces at Aria through the rearview mirror. Finally, he asked, ¡°Tessa, is this Aria you invited?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Tessa nodded. And then she introduced, ¡°This is Clifford from the Supervision Department.¡± Aria gave a slight nod. ¡°Hello,¡± she said. Clifford beamed and greeted Aria. Then he turned to Tessa and asked, ¡°Tessa, is Ariaing to join the Supervision Department?¡± Tessa shook her head. ¡°She hasn¡¯t decided which department to join yet.¡± Tessa turned to Aria and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get your onboarding done first. Come in when you¡¯re free, or if you¡¯re too busy, wait until the semester break.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Got it.¡± Clifford said, ¡°Aria, the drive will take over an hour. Feel free to get some sleep.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Thanks.¡± She looked out the window. Everyone in the car fell silent. With nothing left to say, Tessa closed her eyes to rest. Clifford kept sneaking nces at Aria through the rearview mirror. He thought, ¡°The Bureau¡¯s full of tough guys; now that Aria has joined, I hope everyone will treat her well. An hourter. Clifford rolled down the window and called out to the guard on duty, ¡°It¡¯s Tessa¡¯s car.¡± The guard greeted Tessa and immediately granted ess. As soon as the car pulled into the yard, Tessa immediately led Aria toward the administration building. ¡°Let¡¯s sign the contract and get your paperwork done first,¡± she said. The staff had already prepared all the necessary paperwork. Aria reviewed it and signed her name without hesitation. Clifford reminded with a grin, ¡°Aria, make sure to read it thoroughly, in case there are any hidden catches.¡± Tessa shot him a warning look. Aria smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve already reviewed it. The contract¡¯s standard is good. All my requests are included.¡± Clifford eximed in surprise, ¡°Aria, you finished reading that already? Did you make special requests? Mind if I take a look at what they are?¡± Aria slid the contract across the table. Clifford read aloud, ¡°Hasplete freedom of action, including the right to opt out of the State Security Bureau¡¯s routine training, and the discretion to ept or decline any tasks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Clifford yelled. Tessa cleared her throat and said, ¡°She¡¯s a professor at Mandino University with at least two more years there. Her schedule¡¯s packed.¡± ¡°Aria is even a graduate advisor. Since you¡¯re already a grad advisor, why bother joining the State Security Bureau? Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to focus on teaching?¡± Clifford asked. A group of five walked into the office. Their leader handed a stamped application form to another staff member and said, ¡°We need the files for Case 0524.¡± The staff took it and said, ¡°One moment.¡± After handing over the documents, the man finally turned to Tessa and said politely, ¡°Tessa. We just overheard the contract. Were those uses specifically made for Aria?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tessa responded. Fabian asked, ¡°Tessa, I have no objection to you inviting her to join us. But if she skips training and something goes wrong on a mission, itpromises the team. What can we do?¡± Fabian sported a buzz cut, a jagged scar running down his left cheek to his corbone, giving him a fierce, menacing look. That scar was from a mission, courtesy of a teammate¡¯s blunder. That was why he reacted so strongly when he heard those words. Tessa exined, ¡°She won¡¯t be involved in missions for the time being. Even if assigned, she won¡¯t be a frontline operative, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Fabian said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thank you.¡± The staff handed over an ess pass and said, ¡°You can head to the archives to retrieve them now.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Fabian replied. The five of them left. In the hallway, the shorter man said, ¡°I was curious what kind of talent could catch Tessa¡¯s eye enough for a personal invitation. But Aria looks pretty ordinary. Tessa wasted a spot on her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that. Aria may have some other impressive skills. Otherwise, why would they invite her?¡± The only woman in the team burst outughing. ¡°Aria must have some talent skills. I bet she¡¯s not someone to be underestimated.¡± The man asked, ¡°What¡¯s the bet? If we lose, you get to call the shots for a month. But if we win, you¡¯re on stinky sock duty for a whole month.¡± The woman said, ¡°Don¡¯t gross me out! What would I even have you do? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to make you fetch my slippers or anything.¡± Their voices faded into the distance, leaving the hallway quiet once more. Clifford reassured her, ¡°Aria, that¡¯s just how Fabian¡¯s team is; they can be a bit blunt. Don¡¯t mind it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not upset,¡± Aria said as she signed the confidentiality agreement and the liability waiver. ¡°After all, Tessa invited me. Even if I fail, she¡¯s the one who¡¯ll be embarrassed. If anyone has a problem, they should take it up with Tessa, not me.¡± Tessa was speechless. Clifford replied, ¡°You¡¯re right, Aria. But what if they¡¯re too scared to confront Tessa and decide toe after you instead?¡± Aria shrugged and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She thought, ¡®If anyone tries to bully me, I¡¯ll hit them. Tessa took Aria to get her identification verified. Tessa asked, ¡°Want to look around? I can show you around.¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°No thanks. I¡¯ll take a look around another time.¡± Tessa asked, ¡°Do you want to go back now? I¡¯ll ask Clifford to take you to the subway station.¡± Clifford raised his hand eagerly. ¡°My pleasure.¡± Aria said, ¡°Take me to Kanit University. I¡¯m going to meet someone there.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Clifford replied. ¡°Make sure Aria gets there safely,¡± Tessa said. ¡°I got it,¡± Clifford replied. The two headed to the parking lot, only to run into the same five people from earlier. Clifford nodded at Fabian. ¡°Hey, Fabian. ¡°Hello, Fabian replied. Without even sparing Aria a nce, he walked straight off, and the others followed suit. The woman eximed admiringly, ¡°Damn, she¡¯s so beautiful, yet you guys didn¡¯t even steal a nce.¡± The shorter man said, ¡°I snuck a peek. She¡¯s quite beautiful.¡± Fabian snapped, ¡°Shut up.¡± The short guy said, ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± The man beside Fabian nced back at Aria as she got into the car, his brow furrowing slightly. The short guy pped his hands teasingly and called out, ¡°Bruce! Caught you checking her out.¡± Bruce exined, ¡°I just thought she looked familiar, like I¡¯d seen her somewhere before.¡± He thought, ¡®If I¡¯d seen such a beautiful girl before, I¡¯d remember.¡¯ Bruce thought hard, then suddenly snapped his head up. ¡°I remember now.¡± +38)
THE Again Marriage 742 ¡°Ever heard of the Blood Association? They put out a kill order on Aria and sent ck Rose to carry out the hit, but rumor has it they failed,¡± Bruce said. The short guy asked in disbelief, ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t get it wrong?¡± Bruce insisted, ¡°Trust me, she¡¯s got a face you don¡¯t forget. No way I¡¯d mistake her. The Blood Association isn¡¯t what it used to be.¡± The Blood Association went to pick a fight with the Solemnity Guild but ended up fleeing in disgrace, losing several top-tier operatives, ck Rose among them. T Bruce reminded, ¡°Those who can escape the pursuit of the Blood Association are not ordinary. We¡¯d better show them some respect.¡± The short 14 guy scoffed, ¡°What¡¯s to fear? No one matches Fabian.¡± ¡°The quadrennial grand tournament kicks off inte July. Let¡¯s figure out a way to rope her into it,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Okay. We can see she¡¯s capable of,¡± the short guy replied. The car pulled up at the main gate of Kanit University. Aria turned to Clifford, who was in the driver¡¯s seat, and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Clifford smiled and said, ¡°No need for all the niceties. Just give me a call if you need help.¡± Aria got out of the car and called Deangelo. ¡°Mr. Reed, I¡¯ve arrived at Kanit University.¡± ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll have someone meet you at the gate,¡± Deangelo replied. Ten minutester, a male student dashed over, panting heavily. ¡°Ms. Saxon, sorry I¡¯mte.¡± ¡°Take your time, catch your breath. I just got here myself,¡± Aria replied. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, then said, ¡°Ms. Saxon, this way, please.¡± Aria followed him. Lennox and his three roommates had just finished ss when one of them suddenly pointed at Aria, eyes wide with shock. ¡°Lennox, didn¡¯t you say Aria hurt your sister? What the hell is she doing out of jail and at our Kanit University?¡± Lennox also froze on the spot, muttering, ¡°Maybe my family backed off out of respect for the Saxon family.¡± Before Lennox could finish, Prescott, who had a bad temper, had already stormed off. ¡°I won¡¯t stand for this. How dare she hurt your sister and still walk around scot-free?¡± Lennox rushed after him, shouting, ¡°Prescott, wait up!¡± Prescott charged at Aria in a few quick strides. ¡°How dare youe to Kanit University?¡± The student leading the way immediately stepped between Aria and Prescott. ¡°Prescott, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Aria harmed Lennox¡¯s sister, who¡¯s still lying in a hospital bed because of her.¡± Prescott raised his fist threateningly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t campus security stop her froming in?¡± The male student frowned and exined, ¡°Ms. Saxon is a guest of Mr. Reed.¡± Lennox finally caught up and grabbed Prescott by the arm. ¡°Prescott, this is all just a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°What misunderstanding?¡± Prescott angrily shook Lennox¡¯s hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she almost killed your sister? Why don¡¯t you teach her a lesson?¡± Lennox pleaded, ¡°My parents have already kicked me out. If you hurt Aria because of me, I¡¯ll never be able to go back.¡± The other two gasped in shock. ¡°Wait, your parents kicked you out?¡± Lennox hung his head in shame. ¡°Yeah. They believe I¡¯m the one who hurt my sister.¡± A mockingugh from Aria cut through their conversation. Aria looked at Lennox and said, ¡°You and your sister don¡¯t seem rted at all. ¡°She¡¯s been pleading your case, begging your parents to let youe home. But it¡¯s been a whole month, and you haven¡¯t even asked how your sister¡¯s doing.¡± Lennox clutched the books tightly to his chest, his face dark with resentment. ¡°Go back for more humiliation? The whole Fletcher family¡¯s taking your side now. Aria, before you came along, my family was wonderful. You¡¯re the one who tore it all apart.¡± Lennox¡¯s parents adored him, and his aunts and uncles treated him just as kindly. He was supposed to be the Fletcher family¡¯s heir, yet now he was forced out of his home. Again Marriage 743 Seeing not a trace of remorse on his face, Aria let out a mirthlessugh. ¡°You nearly got your sister killed, not a shred of guilt?¡± One of Lennox¡¯s roommates scoffed, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Everyone knows how much Lennox dotes on his sister.¡± ¡°Exactly! The Fletcher family must be out of their damn minds.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t be bothered wasting words on them. She turned to the student leading the way. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We shouldn¡¯t keep Mr. Reed waiting.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the male student replied. ¡°You can¡¯t leave.¡± Prescott lunged forward, grabbing for Aria. Aria¡¯s gaze turned icy. She pivoted sideways, twisted Prescott¡¯s wrist in a reverse grip, mped her other hand on his shoulder, and with one sharp motion, hurled him to the ground. Prescott hit the ground hard, wincing in pain. Lennox and his two roommates stood frozen in shock. The student leading the way recoiled two steps, stammering, ¡°M-Ms. Saxon.¡± Aria brushed off her clothes and asked coolly, ¡°Prescott threw the first punch. I was defending myself. That¡¯s allowed, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± the male student replied. Prescott scrambled back to his feet, gritting his teeth against the pain, and jabbed an using finger at Aria. ¡°I¡¯m calling the cops.¡± Aria advanced a step, her eyes cold and unflinching. Prescott instinctively took a step back and asked, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°How stupid you are?¡± With a final, dismissive curse, Aria turned and strode away. Lennox rushed over. ¡°Prescott, are you okay?¡± Gritting his teeth, Prescott snarled, ¡°How dare Aria hit me?¡± He thought, ¡®How shameless I¡¯m no match for her.¡¯ Right in front of everyone, Prescott flopped dramatically onto the ground, wailing, ¡°I¡¯m hurt. Quick, ask the teacher to call my family. Tell them toe to school and stand up for me.¡± The onlookers were stunned speechless. Someone advised, ¡°It¡¯s useless. Your grandma wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against Aria either.¡± Prescott sneered, ¡°So what if I pull strings? Got a problem with that?¡± A girl¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°How shameless you are!¡± ¡°Who the hell said that?¡± Prescott snapped. He whipped his head around, but no one spoke up. He sat up, pulled out his phone, and grumbled, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll call my family.¡± Prescott whined on the phone, ¡°Granny, someone¡¯s picking on me.¡± On the other end of the line, Catherine¡¯s voice turned thunderous. ¡°Who dares? Aria?¡± At the mention of Aria¡¯s name, Cathy, who was just about to leave, halted mid-step. ¡°First, tell your teacher to have the school deal with this. Make sure Aria doesn¡¯t get away. I¡¯ming right now,¡± Catherine said. Cathy asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Someone at school dared to bully Prescott. I¡¯m going there to deal with it,¡± Catherine replied. Cathy smiled, ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± Catherine was puzzled and thought, ¡®Cathy usually keeps her distance from me. Why is she suddenly so eager to tag along today?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m worried you might be at a disadvantage,¡± Cathy replied. Catherine nodded. ¡°Fine. With you from the State Security Bureau, Kanit University will have to show some respect.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Cathy replied. She got into the car and pulled out her phone. Cathy: [Has Ariae to Kanit City?] Owen: [Yeah, she¡¯s heading to the State Security Bureau.] Cathy: [Did she agree to join the State Security Bureau?] Owen: [Yes.] Cathy suppressed her excitement and quickly texted: [Aria just hit Prescott at Kanit University. Catherine ising to stir up trouble.] ***** Deangelo handed Aria a small box. ¡°I¡¯m too old to run errands. Could you give this to Vanessa for me? She helped Cybrix out of a big jam, and this is their gift of saying thanks.¡± Aria pocketed the box. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll make sure she gets it. By the way, Mr. Reed, aren¡¯t you even a little interested in the Stars Group¡¯s Quantum Superbrain Project?¡± Deangelo said, ¡°Not interested.¡± Aria said, ¡°Mr. Reed, you can contact me at any time if you change your mind.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll call you. Now go find your friend,¡± Deangelo urged. Aria came to Kanit University to run an errand. ¡°Alright, see you next time, Mr. Reed.¡± She had just stepped out of the office when a middle-aged teacher blocked her path. Again Marriage 744 Joanna Howard said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t leave. You hurt one of our students, and the Shaw family is demanding you stay and face the consequences.¡± Hearing the noise, Deangelo frowned and stepped forward. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Joanna exined, ¡°Mr. Reed, thisdy threw Prescott to the ground. The Shaw family is furious and demands an exnation.¡± Aria calmly exined, ¡°I was just walking when four of them stopped me. Prescott started messing with me, so I defended myself. You can check the cameras.¡± Joanna had already checked the surveince footage before arriving. It was clear that Prescott was the one who started the trouble, but he was a student there and came from a prestigious family. She didn¡¯t dare cross them. Joanna said awkwardly, ¡°You¡¯re not a student here. Entering the campus already breaks protocol, and hurting a student makes it worse. Please wait until the Shaw family arrives. If they¡¯re satisfied after watching the footage, you may leave.¡± Deangelo¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®break the protocols¡¯? Are you saying I don¡¯t even have the right to invite a friend here?¡± Joanna sounded anxious. ¡°Mr. Reed, I didn¡¯t mean that. Prescott has connections. We can¡¯t afford to mess this up.¡± ¡°Connections?¡± Deangelo sneered. ¡°Does the Shaw family think they can just throw their weight around? Aria is with me. I¡¯d like to see who dares to mess with her.¡± ¡°Mr. Reed-¡± Joanna said. ¡°We¡¯ll just wait right here.¡± Deangelo pulled Aria over to a bench in the hallway. ¡°Let¡¯s see just how powerful the Shaw family thinks they are.¡± Aria sat down and said, ¡°Mr. Reed, it¡¯s not a big deal. Please don¡¯t get so worked up over this.¡± ¡°They¡¯re doing this right in front of me. Of course I¡¯m mad.¡± Deangelo was so furious that he felt a tight pain in his chest. Aria noticed and took out a few pill bottles from her bag and passed him one. ¡°I developed these myself. It might help you calm down.¡± Joanna, meaning well, reminded him, ¡°Mr. Reed, you shouldn¡¯t just take random pills.¡± Deangelo hadn¡¯t nned on taking them, but now he had changed his mind just to prove a point. ¡°Why? Do you think she¡¯s gonna hurt me?¡± After saying that, he popped two pills into his mouth without a second thought. Joanna felt frustrated but didn¡¯t dare say anything more. All she cared about was making sure Aria stayed put until the Shaw family showed up. Soon, Deangelo felt the pressure in his chest let up. He said, ¡°This stuff really works.¡± ¡°If you ever need more, Mr. Reed, I can make some for you,¡± Aria said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be too much for you?¡± he asked. Aria grinned sincerely. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. Mr. Reed, if you were living in Mandino City, I could bring them to you every day.¡± Deangelo could tell that she was trying to recruit him. Under normal circumstances, he would have dismissed the idea, but * after seeing the way Kanit University handled things today, he felt deeply disappointed. Thinking of his wife, Deangelo asked, ¡°So, how good are you with medicine?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m pretty good at it,¡± Aria replied. Deangelo knew she wasn¡¯t the boastful type. If she said she was good, she probably was. He said, ¡°My wife¡¯s not doing so welltely. Do you think you could check on her?¡± Aria felt this trip had already brought her more than expected. ¡°Of course. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I think I can stay one more day.¡± They chatted casually, while Joanna could do nothing but stand aside and wait. No one else came to deal with the situation, which only made Deangelo more annoyed. Again Marriage 745 Ten minutester, they heard fast footsteps from the end of the hall. Catherine came striding in with a cane, looking fierce. Prescott limped behind her, clutching his waist. Behind them came Lennox and two of his roommates, with Cathy following behind at a leisurely pace. When she saw Aria, she gave her a quick wink. Prescott pointed at Aria. ¡°Grandma, that¡¯s her.¡± Catherine squinted, sizing Aria up. ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who hurt my grandson, right?¡± Joanna walked over with her phone. ¡°Mrs. Shaw, here¡¯s the surveince footage. You can take a look.¡± Catherine pped the phone away. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the details. All I know is she hurt my grandson.¡± Joanna swallowed her anger. Cathy bent down and picked up the phone, saying, ¡°Sorry about that. I¡¯ll pay for itter.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Joanna said. Deangelo could tell Catherine was not someone to mess with, so he stood up. ¡°Your grandson was the one who started it.¡± Catherine snorted. ¡°My grandson was raised with the best education. He wouldn¡¯t start anything.¡± Prescott jumped in. ¡°Grandma, Aria hurt Lennox¡¯s sister. She didn¡¯t even apologize and even strutted into Kanit University like nothing happened. I couldn¡¯t just sit back.¡± Catherine lifted her chin and said proudly, ¡°Did you hear that? He was doing the right thing.¡± Cathy cast a chilly nce at Lennox. Aria said, ¡°Mrs. Shaw, I think someone is using your grandson to do their dirty work.¡± Lennox¡¯s expression darkened. Catherine asked, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Are you calling my grandson dumb?¡± Aria said with a mocking smile, ¡°He is. If he used his brain for once, he would ask the Fletcher family how Avery, the one I ¡®hurt¡¯, is doing now. ¡°As far as I know, the doctor Baron brought in turned out to be a fraud, and he has been arrested. Avery is out of danger now and has already been discharged. Oh, and do you even know what actually made her sick?¡± Lennox shouted, ¡°Aria, stop trying to drive a wedge between us.¡± Aria raised her hand, showing a needle between her fingers. She smiled calmly. ¡°Cut me off one more time, and I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± Prescott tried to stay calm and said, ¡°Lennox, let her talk. I wanna see what tricks she¡¯s got up her sleeve.¡± Aria lowered her hand and continued, ¡°When you guys went to the Fletcher residence for Lennox, did you bring Avery along?¡± Prescott said, ¡°Yeah, so what?¡± ¡°Did you end up losing Avery?¡± Aria pressed. ¡°Yeah. What about that?¡± Prescott shot back. Aria turned to Lennox. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell your roommates what the doctor said? Avery fell ill because you guys lost her and she froze out there.¡± It was freezing in Mandino City those days. They hung out with Avery, got her clothes wet, and left her out in the cold for hours. Aria said, ¡°If you had told the Fletcher family that Avery was freezing and taken her to a hospital, none of this would have happened.¡± Aria red at them. ¡°You guys almost got Avery killed, and now you¡¯re ming innocent people. Are you out of your mind?¡± Catherine was fuming. ¡°Watch your mouth, girl.¡± Aria ignored herpletely. Prescott immediately turned to Lennox. ¡°Is what she¡¯s saying true? Did you really not tell your family that Avery went missing?¡± Lennox denied it. ¡°I did tell them. Aria is lying. Avery is still in the hospital because of her reckless treatment.¡± Baron had asked just half a month ago, and Avery was still in the hospital. ¡°Lennox, do you want me to call your dad and check?¡± Aria asked, pulling out her phone. Lennox¡¯s face darkened and he lunged forward on instinct. Aria dodged to the side and kicked out. Lennox lost his bnce and hit the ground hard. Again Marriage 746 Joanna was dumbfounded. She thought, ¡®Are they fighting on campus?¡¯ Aria grinned, holding up her phone as she looked at Lennox, who was sprawled awkwardly on the floor. ¡°What are you so nervous about?¡± Everyone could tell that Lennox was feeling guilty. ¡°You don¡¯t even feel the slightest bit of regret. Avery shouldn¡¯t have stood up for you,¡± Aria said. Lennox red at Aria, stubbornly refusing to admit anything. ¡°You¡¯re just making things up.¡± ¡°I was there,¡± Cathy said, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I was there during Avery¡¯s emergency treatment. She was already out of danger then. It was Aria who saved her.¡± One of Lennox¡¯s roommates blurted out, ¡°Did Lennox lie to us?¡± Prescott¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°Seriously, Lennox? You didn¡¯t tell your family or take Avery to the hospital. You dragged us all into this mess.¡± If the Fletcher family decided to go after them, they would be in big trouble. They failed to look after Avery and didn¡¯t take her to the hospital when she was ill. Prescott was already regretting backing him up., Lennox tried to argue, but no one believed him anymore. Catherine mmed her cane on the ground. ¡°The Fletcher family¡¯s issue is settled. Now, let¡¯s talk about you hitting my grandson.¡± Prescott quickly grabbed her arm. ¡°Grandma, forget it. It was my fault. I misunderstood her and tried to mess with her.¡± Catherine said, ¡°You did nothing wrong. How could she hit you? No, she can¡¯t get away with this.¡± Cathy said, ¡°Prescott started it. This-¡± ¡°Cathy, are you siding with an outsider?¡± Catherine said, cutting her off. ¡°Don¡¯t think getting into the State Security Bureau makes you special. You¡¯re still at the bottom of this family.¡± Cathy sneered. ¡°Hope you remember what you just said.¡± Catherine didn¡¯t take Cathy seriously at all. In her eyes, girls were meant to move out sooner orter. She always thought that Prescott was the smartest one in the family and the one with a bright future. Aria watched silently, and for the first time, she truly understood why Aiden had chosen to walk away and settle in Mandino City. This family was full of nuts. She said, ¡°So, how do you want to settle this?¡± Catherine raised her chin. ¡°Apologize to Prescott right now, and the Shaw family will let you go.¡± Deangelo finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and said, ¡°This is Kanit University, not a ce for the Shaw family to throw its weight around.¡± Joanna broke out in a cold sweat, nervously whispering, ¡°Mr. Reed, don¡¯t-¡± ¡°What?¡± Deangelo shot back. ¡°I won¡¯t let the Shaw family do whatever they want here.¡± Soon, several school administrators hurried over. Frank Jordan, the vice president, tried to smooth things over with an apologetic smile. ¡°Ms. Saxon, maybe you should apologize to Mrs. Shaw.¡± Before Aria could say a word, Catherine yelled, ¡°Apologies can¡¯t fix everything. She hit my grandson, and I want her to bow and say sorry to him, or the Shaw family won¡¯t donate another cent to the new biob.¡± Frank panicked. ¡°Mrs. Shaw, that might be too much. Perhaps she could just say sorry and go.¡± Deangelo immediately pulled Aria behind him. ¡°She didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Why should she apologize?¡± ¡°Mr. Reed.¡± Frank said awkwardly, ¡°The Shaw family has done a lot for the school.¡± Deangelo stood his ground. ¡°It doesn¡¯t give them the right to twist the truth. Try and make Aria apologize. I dare you.¡± Catherine sneered and said, ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Prescott said, regretting bringing her at all, ¡°Grandma, this started because of me. Let¡¯s just drop it.¡± Catherine said, ¡°No way.¡± Again Marriage 747 ¡°Then go ahead and call the cops,¡± Aria said with a yawn. ¡°Mr. Reed, I have to go.¡± Her mission here wasplete, and there was no point lingering. Still, the school administrators said nothing. Catherine was stunned that Aria actually dared to leave, and she said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯m calling the police now.¡± Cathy curled her lips in a mocking smile and turned to follow after Aria. Prescott stopped Catherine with a grim look. ¡°Grandma, enough. If this gets out, they¡¯re all gonnaugh at me.¡± At first, they had the moral high ground because Aria did hurt Avery. However, it turned out it was all on them. They had picked a fight and ended up humiliated, and now Catherine wanted to make it worse. If word got out, Prescott would be theughingstock of the campus. Catherine was fuming. ¡°I¡¯m not done with Aria. And I can¡¯t believe Cathy is turning against her own family.¡± Prescott said, ¡°Grandma, let me take you home.¡± Catherine said, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll talk about thister when everybody¡¯s home. She will pay.¡± As Catherine left, the administrators let out a sigh of relief. Finally, it was done. Deangelo stared at them. ¡°I¡¯ve got one year left on my contract with Kanit University, but I don¡¯t see the point of renewing it.¡± He walked into his office and shut the door hard with a kick. One of the administrators blurted out, ¡°Mr. Jordan, it seems Mr. Reed is disappointed in us.¡± Frank suddenly turned to look in the direction Aria had left. ¡°Isn¡¯t Aria a teacher at Mandino University?¡± ¡°She is,¡± the administrator replied. Frank said, ¡°Damn it. Do you think this was all a setup? Is she here to make Deangelo walk away from us?¡± They finally got it. Frank looked tired, then turned and nced at Lennox unhappily. ¡°This whole mess started with him. Handle it however you see fit.¡± Aria texted Deangelo on her way home. [Mr. Reed, I hope they didn¡¯t make things hard for you.] Deangelo: [Rx. No one would dare.] Aria: [Alright, see you tomorrow.] Deangelo: [See you.] Aria put her phone away with a smile. ¡°Why do you look so happy?¡± Cathy caught up to Aria. ¡°Are you texting Owen?¡± ¡°No, I was chatting with Mr. Reed,¡± Aria said, grinning. Cathy was at a loss for words. She thought, ¡®No wonder she was grinning like that. Turns out she has her eyes on Mr. Reed!¡¯ Cathy decided to change the subject. ¡°Ms. Langford told me you joined the State Security Bureau. Is the contract signed?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Aria replied. Cathy said, ¡°How about joining the Office of Special Investigations? We handle major cases, usually with the police. You wouldn¡¯t even need to report back to the State Security Bureau.¡± ¡°I¡¯m too busy for the next couple of years. Maybeter,¡± Aria said. It was a polite rejection. Cathy sneaked a nce at her and moved a little closer. ¡°Well, when you¡¯ve got time, let¡¯s team up more, yeah?¡± Aria nodded and said, ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Where are you going? I can give you a ride,¡± Cathy said. ¡°I¡¯m going to Starmon Films to see Vanessa,¡± Aria replied. Cathy smiled. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m headed that way too.¡± The two of them got into the car. Cathy¡¯s phone buzzed nonstop. She nced at it, then switched it to silent. It was pretty obvious who made the call. Aria couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°You took the car. How is Catherine supposed to get back?¡± Cathy didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°Who cares how she gets back?¡± ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t get in trouble for that?¡± Aria asked. Cathy replied, ¡°Nah, if ites down to it, I just won¡¯t go back. They¡¯ve got no leverage over me.¡± Aria didn¡¯t press further. Just then, the car radio suddenly cut in with a breaking news bulletin. ¡°Kanit City police reported a serial murder case. Four victims have been found in the past month. The police are working tirelessly to solve it.¡± Again Marriage 748 Cathy turned down the volume, saying, ¡°The Kanit City police asked the State Security Bureau for help this morning. The case has been handed over to us.¡± Aria said, ¡°The State Security Bureau has a lot of talented people on their team. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll crack the case soon.¡± Cathy sighed and said, ¡°The Kanit Police Station has a great profiler, but he got attacked and is in the hospital now.¡± Criminal profilers were rare in Kanit City and it was tough to get one from somewhere else. That was why the cops asked the State Security Bureau for help. Cathy was about to check in at the police stationter. She pulled up in front of the Starmon Films. After getting out of the car, Aria walked straight into the building. The receptionist recognized Aria right away and hurried over. ¡°Ms. Saxon, are you here to see Ms. Ward?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± The receptionist said respectfully, leading the way. ¡°Ms. Ward is rehearsing in the dance studio. She said you woulde. I¡¯ll take you there.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Aria replied. Vanessa was working on her ballet moves in the dance studio. When she saw Aria walk in, she stopped right away happily said, ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± Aria took a small box out of her bag and handed it to her. ¡°This is a gift from Cybrix.¡± Vanessa took the box and casually tossed it into her bag. ¡°Is Ned really at the State Security Bureau?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Pretty sure he is.¡± ¡°He¡¯s smart, seeking refuge within the State Security Bureau,¡± Vanessa said. Aria smiled. ¡°No rush. He¡¯s not getting away.¡± Vanessa nodded, pulling the hair tie from her bun. ¡°No more practice. Let¡¯s go out and have fun.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow, smirking. ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna introduce me to your boyfriend?¡± Vanessa clicked her tongue. ¡°We¡¯ve already broken up.¡± ¡°Again?¡± Aria was surprised. and Vanessa nudged Aria. ¡°What do you mean? There¡¯s no way I¡¯m getting back with that jerk.¡± After a pause, she continued, ¡°Enough about him. Let¡¯s go grab some drinks. There¡¯s a new bar, and the owner is amazing. You gottae check it out.¡± Aria grinned. ¡°Sounds great. Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Half an hourter, they arrived at a bar called Velvet Smoke. It had a chill artsy vibe with gentle lighting, which made it feel less like a bar and more like a cozy bookstore. A bartender named saw Vanessa and immediately came over, sounding pleasantly surprised. ¡°Ms. Ward, is this your friend? Wee.¡± Vanessa smiled and linked arms with Aria. ¡°She is. Give me the same private room asst time, with your boss making the drinks.¡± The bartender nodded. ¡°Sure thing, but you¡¯ll have to wait a bit. Mr. Barnes is busy with other customers right now.¡± Vanessa said, ¡°No problem.¡± As the bartender was leading the way, the door to the private room next door suddenly swung open, and a stylish young man stepped out. ¡°Hi, Ms. Ward.¡± The bartender said, ¡°Mr. Barnes, she¡¯s here with a friend.¡± Christian Barnes greeted Aria with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m so honored to have two beautiful women here.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Hi, Mr. Barnes.¡± Vanessa smiled and joked, ¡°Don¡¯t keep us waiting for too long.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go make drinks for you right away,¡± Christian replied, then turned to the bartender. ¡°Isaac is here. Bring someone with you when you deliver the drinks. Don¡¯t send a waitress alone.¡± The bartender nodded and left. Christian noticed Aria¡¯s gaze and lowered his voice, exining, ¡°We run a legit business here, but Isaac has a bad reputation, so we have to be cautious. Don¡¯t worry, the bar¡¯s soundproofing is excellent. You won¡¯t be disturbed.¡± Aria smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure your bar¡¯s going to be a big hit.¡± Christianughed and said, ¡°I hope so.¡± Vanessa pulled Aria into the private room. As Aria stepped inside, she nced to the side on impulse. At the far end of the corridor, a uniformed bartender was carrying a tray toward them. Suddenly, their eyes met. The man quickly looked away and kept going. Aria lowered her gaze, thinking in confusion, ¡®Why does his face look so strange?¡¯ ¡°Aria, what are you looking at?¡± Vanessa asked, turning back. Aria withdrew her gaze and closed the door. ¡°Nothing.¡± Vanessa sank deep into the couch inside the room. She sighed, saying, ¡°This ce is really cozy. Too bad we can¡¯te every day.¡± She was saying that the paparazzi would be all over them. Aria sat down next to her and asked, ¡°How long has this bar been open? And how often have you been here?¡± Vanessa said, ¡°Three months. I was among the first VIP clients,ing two or three times a month. Christian is super friendly and always gives us samples of new drinks.¡± Aria said, ¡°Yeah, he seems nice.¡± Christian did have a friendly look. After a while, the bartender came in with the drinks. ¡°These are Velvet Smoke¡¯s new releases for this month. Have a try. Mr. Barnes is still making the others.¡± Vanessa picked up one of the sses and took a sip. Her eyes lit up right away. ¡°This tastes great. I like the vor very much.¡± Aria also took a small sip and nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± The bartender gave a slight bow and quietly left the private room. About every ten minutes, the bartender would bring two specialty cocktails right on time. The room smelled faintly of alcohol as Vanessa and Aria drank and talked. Aria noticed Vanessa¡¯s mood was off and asked, ¡°How did you and Zac break up?¡± Vanessa suddenly mmed her ss down, saying under gritted teeth, ¡°He went to a concert with another girl.¡± Aria frowned. ¡°How dare he?¡± Vanessa nodded, clenching her fists. ¡°He could have gone with anyone, but he chose the one I hate the most. It drove me crazy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just unforgivable,¡± Aria said, shaking her ss. ¡°Did you punch him?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Vanessa said, lifting her chin proudly. ¡°I scratched his face pretty badly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± Aria said. Right after she spoke, a heavy bang against the wall came from next door, along with screams. No matter how good the soundproofing, loud noise couldn¡¯t be totally blocked. Aria and Vanessa exchanged a nce. Vanessa said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is Isaac causing trouble again?¡± ¡°That scream came from a man.¡± Aria thought of the bartender, feeling something was off tonight. Vanessa rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit dizzy from the drinks. ¡°Should we check it out? Is Isaac picking on someone?¡± ¡°Better not,¡± Aria replied. If something serious happened, they could easily get dragged in as suspects. Suddenly, a deafening explosion shattered the wall. Aria reacted swiftly, grabbing Vanessa¡¯s wrist at once. ¡°Go!¡± Vanessa, shocked awake by the st, quickly followed Aria out. Just as they left the room, they saw mes shooting up next door, thick smoke billowing, and panicked crowds heading for the stairs. There were four private rooms per floor, with the stairs in the center. They were on the third floor, the room at the far end, next to Isaac¡¯s. Everyone was escaping, but the fire spread quickly, blocking the stairs for the two of them. Aria nced at Vanessa. ¡°Are you good with this?¡± Vanessa nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Without hesitation, they both jumped off the railing. Again Marriage 749 Theynded on the tform of the second floor. The sound of sirens grew louder as police and firefighters quickly arrived at the bar. Vanessa sighed and said, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m sorry. I just wanted to take you out for drinks. Didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen.¡± Aria tried to cheer her up. ¡°Hey, at least we had drinks. Cameras have caught everything in the corridor, so we won¡¯t get med, but we¡¯ll need to make a statement since we¡¯re in the room next to Isaac¡¯s.¡± Sure enough, they were taken to the police station. While giving their statements, a young cop rushed into the room. ¡°We¡¯ve identified the victim.¡± He lowered his voice and continued, ¡°The victim is Isaac. The killer¡¯s way of doing this is almost exactly like the recent serial murders.¡± He killed him and burned the body. Since it happened in a public ce, the impact was even greater. The police officer said, ¡°The surveince shows that Ms. Saxon made eye contact with the killer. Mr. Ludwig wants to talk to her.¡± Soon, Aria was taken to another room. A middle-aged officer with a stern face sat at a desk, the screen showing footage from the bar¡¯s corridor. ¡°Ms. Saxon, please have a seat,¡± Ronald Ludwig said, gesturing to the screen. ¡°The footage shows you made eye contact with the killer. Do you remember his face?¡± The footage showed the bartender always keeping his head down on purpose, hiding his face from the camera. Even when it caught his face, it was too blurry and far away to see clearly. Aria studied the screen carefully for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°Too far to see clearly, but I can try to sketch him.¡± Ronald, who was in charge of the serial murder case, looked up in surprise. ¡°Can you draw?¡± ¡°A bit,¡± Aria replied. Ronald immediately had someone bring over a sketchbook and pencils. Aria took them and quickly outlined a rough sketch. One of the officers muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t you think she looks like Miguel when she¡¯s drawing? She¡¯s super serious.¡± Aria finished the sketch quickly and handed it to Ronald, who ordered, ¡°Go find him.¡± Aria said, ¡°Wait a second. This guy was wearing a mask.¡± Ronald looked startled. ¡°Are you sure? Did you hesitate for a few seconds just now because you discovered this?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± A young police officer couldn¡¯t help but cut in, ¡°If you felt something was off, why didn¡¯t you call the police then?¡± Aria said with a smile, ¡°I wasn¡¯tpletely sure. If I told you I saw a guy wearing a mask, would you send cops?¡± They surely wouldn¡¯t. The officer was instantly left speechless, and Ronald red at him to tell him to shut up. Ronald turned to Aria, his tone serious, ¡°Ms. Saxon, the killer saw your face. You could be in danger. We¡¯ll have someone protect you.¡± Aria replied firmly, ¡°No need. I¡¯m from Mandino City, and I¡¯ll be back by tomorrow afternoon. I¡¯m not staying long.¡± Ronald insisted, ¡°We¡¯ll contact the Mandino Police Station and have them send someone to protect you, just in case the killer tries to hurt you.¡± There were multiple cases to investigate separately, and they needed to stop the killer from hitting again, so it was going to be a busy time. Aria paused and said, ¡°Actually, I know the victim.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ronald was stunned. The officer beside him immediately grabbed a pen and started jotting things down. Aria said, ¡°Isaac served time in prison. My boyfriend was the one who put him there.¡± Ronald was shocked. ¡°Is your boyfriend Owen?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Isaac had a long record, and almost everyone at the police station knew him, and of course, they knew Owen, who sent him to jail. Aria told Ronald about Isaac causing trouble after his release, and about his son with Eileen. It was a secret the Shaw family kept under wraps. Ronald smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve been a big help. We¡¯ll definitely follow up on this lead.¡± Just then, an officer knocked on the door. ¡°Mr. Ludwig, people from the State Security Bureau are here. Cathy happens to be one of the leads.¡± Ronald turned to Aria. ¡°You might have toe by a few more timester. We need your help.¡± ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll try to help,¡± Aria replied. Ronald went out to meet the State Security Bureau team, while Aria and Vanessa got ready to head out. Cathy immediately saw Aria. ¡°Aria, what are you doing here? Did Ms. Langford send you to check things out?¡± Ronald looked surprised. ¡°Do you two know each other?¡± Cathy exined, ¡°Mr. Ludwig, Aria is also with the State Security Bureau.¡± Ronald was stunned, thinking, ¡°That exins it. Cathy was apanied by two male teammates. One of them asked, ¡°Cathy, is she the Aria Ms. Langford personally invited?¡± Cathy nodded. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s also my sister-inw.¡± ¡°What?¡± The two guys immediately straightened up and said in perfect unison, ¡°Pleasure to meet you.¡± Aria rolled her eyes at how dramatic they sounded. Vanessa burst outughing and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Vanessa Ward, Aria¡¯s close friend.¡± Cathy shook her hand and said, ¡°Oh, Aria told me about you. I¡¯ve seen your performances. You¡¯re quite talented.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Vanessa said. After some quick introductions, Aria exined, ¡°We were in the private room next door when Isaac died. That¡¯s why we came to the police station to give statements.¡± Cathy said seriously, ¡°We were stuck before, but if it¡¯s the same killer, we might start with Isaac. Aria, since you¡¯re with the State Security Bureau, why not stay a few days and work with us?¡± Many would be on vacation at the end of July. Coborating now would be easier than scrambling to form a temporary teamter in the Skills Evaluation. Cathy wanted to form an all-girls team ande out on top. Aria shook her head. ¡°I still have experiments to run, but if I can get the case details, I might be able to do something now.¡± Everyone was confused, not sure what she meant. Cathy turned to Ronald. ¡°Can she get the details of the case?¡± Ronald nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take my friend home first,¡± Aria said. She didn¡¯t feel right about Vanessa going home alone after what had happened. One of the police officers raised his hand. ¡°I can do that.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Vanessa said. She turned to Aria. ¡°Go ahead. He will get me home safely.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Aria. Aria, Cathy, and Ronald walked into the office. Ronald projected the case files on the screen and began a detailed briefing. ¡°Isaac was involved in too much shady stuff. ¡°We can¡¯t say for sure the killer is the same as thest four cases, but the methods are simr, so we¡¯re treating it as one big case. Here are the details from those four cases. Take a look.¡± The previous four victims were all around their fifties. Including Isaac, there were three men and two women, all big shots in the city. Aria skimmed through the files and noticed that, aside from one female entrepreneur, the rest had all done some bad stuff. Everyone looked at Aria, wondering what exactly she was nning to do. After a while, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to try sketching what the bartender looks like.¡± Again Marriage 750 Ronald asked, ¡°Are you a criminal profiler?¡± ¡°No, but I have a decent art background and have studied a bit of criminal psychology,¡± Aria replied. Cathy, knowing Aria as a doctor, was genuinely surprised. ¡°Can you draw?¡± She thought, ¡®Is she telling me she¡¯s an assassin, a doctor, and a painter? How?¡¯ Aria said, ¡°I got lucky and had good mentors.¡± Aria¡¯s mentors were all legends-the great painter Maverick, and Mono, a world-renowned versatile artist. Ronald said, ¡°Okay. Go ahead and sketch the bartender.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± said Aria. The surveince footage showed the bartender entering first, with Christian following ten minutester. Ronald exined, ¡°Christian gave a statement before you did. He said he went in because Isaac asked for some girls to keep himpany. ¡°He told Isaac that the bar was a legitimate establishment, offering only drinks. Isaac, wasn¡¯t happy about it, but he didn¡¯t make a fuss.¡± Five minutester, Christian left, but the bartender didn¡¯te out. Half an hourter, loud bangs were heard, followed by an explosion. Ronald said, ¡°The bartender escaped through a window, but all the outdoor cameras malfunctioned. Apparently, they were prepared and probably had backup.¡± As Aria listened, she quickly drew a man¡¯s face. ¡°This is what I saw.¡± Then she quickly sketched another portrait. ¡°This is the psychological profile and possible appearance of the killer. Quite a difference, right?¡± The psychological sketch showed a rough, furious man, but what Aria saw was a refined and delicate face. Ronald said, ¡°These are twopletely different people.¡± Aria said, ¡°Either the bartender I saw isn¡¯t the killer at the crime scene, or the killer suffers from a mental disorder.¡± Isaac¡¯s death was savage, full of hate from the killer. Ronald said, ¡°There may have been another at the scene. He got in through the window as well. We need to look into both sketches.¡± ¡°Got it, Mr. Ludwig,¡± said the police officer. After a while, the forensic doctor walked in and said, ¡°The Shaw family is here. They want to bury him quickly and won¡¯t allow an autopsy.¡± Cathy asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± The doctor said, ¡°Tom, Quincy, and Owen.¡± Aria looked up and exchanged a nce with Cathy, who asked, ¡°Shall we go meet them together?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Aria. Ronald stood up and said to Aria, ¡°Ms. Saxon, thanks for your sketches. We might need your help a few more times. We haven¡¯t found any suspects yet, and a profiler really helps. Our usual profiler is in the hospital.¡± They had checked everyone who held grudges against the victims and they all had alibis. The killer clearly didn¡¯t want a scapegoat. ¡°Sure. If you need me, just give me a call,¡± Aria replied. Ronald pulled out his phone. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange contacts.¡± Aria and Ronald added each other and then went out to meet the Shaw family. Owen knew Aria at the police station and came right over. ¡°Are you and Vanessa okay?¡± Aria nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fine.¡± Owen noticed a cut on Aria¡¯s fingertip and lifted her hand for a closer look. ¡°Did you-¡± Aria nced at it. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Aria caught someone staring at her, so she nced over and locked eyes with Quincy. She smiled and said, ¡°Hi.¡± Quincy smiled and nodded. ¡°Hi.¡± He didn¡¯t expect Owen to be that close with Aria. That wasn¡¯t the same Owen he remembered. Tom was surprised to see Aria here and asked, ¡°Cathy, what is she doing here?¡± ¡°She just happened to be in the private room next door and came over to give a statement,¡± Cathy replied. ¡°No wonder Owen came with us,¡± Tom said. If Aria weren¡¯t here, Owen wouldn¡¯t have bothereding to the police station at all. Cathy asked, ¡°Tom, why are you refusing to let them do an autopsy on Isaac?¡± Tom sighed and said, ¡°He¡¯s dead. Let him rest in peace. No need to waste any more time.¡± Ever since Isaac had a child with someone else and pinned the me on Tom, whatever little respect Tom had left for him was gone. Isaac brought nothing but trouble to the Shaw family. When he died, Tom felt an unexpected weight lift off his shoulders. It was him stuck dealing with the mess, and he couldn¡¯t wait to get rid of him. Cathy said, ¡°Isaac¡¯s death is linked to the serial murder case. I¡¯m one of the investigators. Early reports say he was caught in a fire and explosion while unconscious. We need to find out what really happened and catch the killer soon.¡± Tom rarely said no when Cathy asked for something. He nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°No way,¡± someone said in an angry tone. ¡°He had suffered enough. I won¡¯t allow you to cut him open. It¡¯s disrespectful.¡± Aria recognized the voice instantly. It was Catherine, the stubborn olddy. Catherine walked in, her eyes swollen. When she was younger, she fell for a poor guy and married him. However, right after having a kid, she found out he had cheated and left him, raising the child on her own. The younger members of the family, knowing Catherine¡¯s temperament, all held her in great respect. Her three brothers avoided her whenever possible, and Isaac was the only person who was close to her. When she heard about Isaac¡¯s death, she almost cried her eyes out. Cathy saw Catherine and thought, ¡®Damn, no way the autopsy is happening now! Catherine¡¯s eyes bulged in fury as she saw Aria. She jabbed a finger at her, shouting, ¡°What are you doing here? Did my brother? You hurt himst time. It has to be you.¡± She tried to rush forward, but Owen stepped in, face stern. Tom quickly moved to hold Catherine back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± you kill ¡°It¡¯s definitely her who killed Isaac. She even hurt Prescott at school. She has to be arrested and put into jail.¡± Catherine red at Ronald. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Ronald exined, ¡°The surveince footage shows Aria has nothing to do with it. She¡¯s not the murderer. In fact, she¡¯s helping us catch the real murderer.¡± ¡°Bullshit. It has to be her,¡± Catherine yelled, totally losing it. Aria nced at Tom, sneering. ¡°She seems a bit mentally unstable. Are you gonna just stand there letting her nder me?¡± Tom said helplessly, ¡°Sorry. She¡¯s a little emotional.¡± Aria said, ¡°I thought you would ask me to apologize to her.¡± Quincy, witnessing someone finally stand up to Tom, cast a look of respect at Aria. He thought, ¡®No wonder Cathy likes her. She doesn¡¯t give a damn about Isaac or the Shaw Family Group. Now I see why Owen fell for her.¡¯ Catherine said, ¡°Tom, we have to kill her.¡± Cathy frowned. ¡°Catherine, you¡¯re not being serious, are you? We¡¯re at the police station.¡± Tom turned to Cathy, looking weary. ¡°Cathy, shut up. She¡¯s not in her right mind.¡± Owen said, ¡°Then who brought her here anyway? She should have stayed at home.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Catherine got too worked up and passed out. Again Marriage 751 ¡°Catherine, are you okay?¡± Tom reached out to support her, and the rest of the people, including Quincy, were indifferent. The police didn¡¯t know what to say. Tom¡¯s face darkened as he said, ¡°Owen, why do you have to argue with her? She was just too emotional. She won¡¯t really put Aria in jail. While Tom was all flustered and worried, Aria stayed calm, even a bit cold. ¡°Now I understand why she always acts so arrogantly. None of you dares to stop her.¡± She turned to leave, and Owen followed, saying, ¡°Tom, I don¡¯t want anyone to nder her again. Otherwise, I¡¯ll take legal action.¡± Owen never bothered to be polite to most of the Shaw family. Tom wanted to make things better, but didn¡¯t know how. He sighed and said, ¡°We¡¯re family. It doesn¡¯t have toe to this.¡± Cathy smirked, her voiceced with sarcasm. ¡°Tom, just because you can put up with her doesn¡¯t mean the rest of us will. While she¡¯s unconscious, we¡¯d better do the autopsy quickly, so we can catch the murderer and stop her from ming others.¡± Tom was about to say something, but Quincy cut him off. ¡°Dad, the ambnce is here. Take her to the hospital. I¡¯ll take care of things here.¡± With no other choice, Tom took Catherine to the hospital. Quincy turned to Ronald and said firmly. ¡°The Shaw family agrees to the autopsy.¡± Ronald immediately told the forensic doctor to do it as soon as possible. It seemed that Catherine¡¯s fainting actually solved a lot of problems. Cathy snickered. ¡°Quincy, aren¡¯t you afraid your father will beat you for this?¡± Quincy sighed. ¡°Whatever. It¡¯s no big deal. The real problem here is Catherine.¡± Quincy was away most of the time and never cared about the family, but Tom was different. He knew it, so he tried not to pick fights because if things got tense, Quincy might just dump everything on him. Cathy patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Hang in there.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Quincy replied. ¡°Why did youe here? Did Cathy tell you?¡± Aria asked, walking along the street with Owen. Owen held Aria¡¯s hand and nodded. ¡°Yeah, she did, or I wouldn¡¯t have found out.¡± Aria caught a hint of hurt in his tone and looked up. ¡°Are you mad at me for not telling you about these things?¡± ¡°Yeah, Owen replied. I just thought I could handle it on my own,¡± Aria said. Owen rubbed her palm and said. ¡°I know you can do it, but I also want to share it with you. Next time something like this happens, tell me right away, or I¡¯ll feel frustrated that I can¡¯t help.¡± Owen often texted Aria, just chatting about whatever happened that day. There was a cat at Seacrest Law Firm that he sometimes fed, and he sent her pictures too. Once, the neighbor¡¯s female cat got pregnant, thanks to Seacrest Law Firm¡¯s cat. They even paid for it and adopted another kitten. Aria remembered many of the messages Owen sent her. Thinking about it, she suddenly realized she rarely shared her life with him even when she wasn¡¯t that busy. Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll share more from now on.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± Owen replied, lifting his other hand to gently stroke her hair. ¡°Just do what feels right, but I want you to tell me when you need help. Even if I can¡¯t do anything, I¡¯m here for you.¡± She could handle anything on her own, and she didn¡¯t really need his help, but Owen insisted on staying by her side. He didn¡¯t want her to face those people alone. Remembering how they had made Catherine pass out together, Aria couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Alright, I will.¡± Again Marriage 752 She wanted to say that if he were free tomorrow, he could wait and go back with her. Instead, but she didn¡¯t say it directly. ¡°I have to go somewhere tomorrow. We¡¯ll stay at a hotel first and head home together tomorrow afternoon.¡± Owen¡¯s face lit up with a smile. ¡°Sure.¡± Aria chuckled, thinking. It seems he¡¯s a person who¡¯s easily satisfied.¡¯ They got to the hotel. The front desk girl looked at them, sizing them up, then asked, ¡°Do you need two rooms?¡± Before Owen could say anything, Aria said, ¡°Just one. We¡¯re a couple.¡± Owen couldn¡¯t stop smiling. The girl caught his reaction and smiled too. ¡°A queen-size bed. Is that okay?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Room 1406, on the fourteenth floor. The elevator is just to the left,¡± the girl said. Owen took the room key. ¡°Thanks.¡± They turned left and walked away, just as a man wearing a hat and mask appeared at the front desk. ¡°One queen room, please.¡± The girl said, ¡°Wait a moment, sir. You have to take off your mask and let me check your ID.¡± The man stepped back and removed his mask. The receptionist flinched in surprise because half his face was covered in scars. He asked, ¡°I have injuries on my face, so I might not look exactly like my photo. Is it still okay to check in?¡± The receptionist quickly snapped back to her senses and rushed to check him in. ¡°That¡¯s fine. We can work with that. Room 1308, turn left and walk straight to the elevator. Have a good stay, sir.¡± After the man left, the receptionist let out a sigh of relief and clutched her chest. ¡°Oh gosh, that really freaked me out.¡± Once they entered the room, Aria called Vanessa. ¡°Are you home yet?¡± The cop had dropped Vanessa off at her apartment, and she was waiting for the elevator. ¡°Yeah, I just got home. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Good. Hit me up next time you wanna drink,¡± Aria said. ¡°Sure.¡± Vanessa staggered into the elevator. ¡°I¡¯m in the elevator now. I gotta go. Love you.¡± ¡°Love you too,¡± Aria replied. The elevator door opened after a while. Vanessa saw someone outside and immediately stepped back, pressing the close button. However, it was toote. Zac had already seen her. He strode over and blocked the elevator, grabbing Vanessa¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Vanessa yanked his hand away. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Seeing that she was fine, Zac let out a sigh of relief. ¡°There¡¯s nothing between me and her¡¯ ¡°Who cares? I¡¯m not interested in this Vanessa tried to walk away. Zac blocked her path and grabbed her arm. I asked you out for a movie, but you were busy, so I went alone, not knowing she was there. She took my ticket deliberately and took photos to make you misunderstand ¡°That¡¯s none of my damn business. Vanessa shot back. Zac¡¯s face darkened. ¡®Are you seeing someone else? Is this why you want to break up with me? Vanessaughed and said casually, ¡°Yeah, I got plenty of admirers. They can do better than you? ¡°You can¡¯t do this.¡± Zac picked Vanessa up and carried her straight out of the elevator. ¡°Leave me alone,¡± Vanessa yelled, pping him hard. Both froze for a moment. Vanessa weakened her tone. ¡°Put me down.¡± Zac gritted his teeth, walking quickly to the door. He pressed his finger and unlocked it. I still have ess. Is this what call breaking up?¡± Vanessa rolled her eyes. ¡°I just forgot to delete it, okay? I¡¯ll do it right away.¡± you Zac carried her over to the couch and set her down. ¡°M told me you went to Velvet Smoke. I went to find you and heard about the explosion. I called you countless times, but you didn¡¯t pick up, so I waited outside.¡± Only then did Vanessa notice his eyes were teary. She asked, ¡°Did you cry?¡± ¡°No.¡± Zac said, Vanessaughed. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of Zac red at her. ¡°Do you still want to break up with me?¡± ¡°It depends on how you treat me,¡± Vanessa said. Zac couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore and pressed his body against hers. Again Marriage 753 Ronald came to the hospital with the case files and the sketches Aria had drawn. When he pushed open the door, he saw Miguel sitting up in bed, reading with a cast on his right arm and drawing with his left. He said, ¡°You¡¯re injured. Can¡¯t you just take a break? Why are you still drawing?¡± Miguel didn¡¯t even look up. I¡¯m just getting some practice in with my left hand.¡± Miguel had been caught in an explosion, sustaining internal injuries and damage to both hands. His left hand was in better shape, but he still couldn¡¯t draw for long. ¡°I¡¯ve got something for you,¡± Ronald said, handing over the sketchbook. Miguel put down his book and took the sketchbook, flipping through it. ¡°Did you hire a new profiler?¡± ¡°No, we just asked someone to draw them,¡± Ronald replied. Miguel hadn¡¯t let his injuries stop him from following the case. He went through Isaac¡¯s case report and then flipped through the drawings. ¡°Who drew this? The skills are solid, though it¡¯s kinda messy.¡± Miguel ran a finger across the paper as if he were sketching in his mind. ¡°Ronald, who trained her? I want to take her on as a student.¡± Ronald looked surprised. ¡°Is she really that good?¡± Miguel said excitedly, ¡°Pretty close to what I had in mind. She¡¯s insanely gifted. She just needs more time. Give her a few years, she¡¯ll be better than me.¡± Ronald was stunned. ¡°Really?¡± Miguel said, ¡°Why would I lie? Follow her sketch and see where it leads. And next time shees to the office, you better bring her to meet me.¡± ¡®She¡¯s a professor at Mandino University. She¡¯s pretty busy,¡± Ronald replied. Miguel was surprised. ¡°A professor? Wait, is she my age or something?¡± ¡®She¡¯s only twenty-four.¡± Ronald exined, ¡°She¡¯s a professor at Kerano Global Health and was brought in by Mandino University as a mentor. Oh, one of the State Security Bureau leaders has already invited her to join their bureau. You won¡¯t have much luck poaching her.¡± Miguel looked utterly shocked, muttering, ¡°Twenty-four, a professor at Kerano Global Health, and one of the State Security Bureau- Then his eyes lit up again. ¡°It¡¯s still worth a shot. Who knows? Maybe she¡¯s into our business. Even part-time would help. You know how rare criminal profilers are. I don¡¯t want to miss this chance.¡± Ronald said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it a shot next time shees by.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t do.¡± Miguel blurted out, ¡°Once shees in, I¡¯m getting out of here and talking to her myself.¡± Ronald nced at Miguel¡¯s hand in a cast and shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t even hold a pen right now. Just rest up and wait.¡± Miguel reluctantly pursed his lips, but his eyes were full of admiration. ¡°What a rare talent.¡± Ronald said, ¡°Take care. I¡¯ll get back to the investigation.¡± Aria messaged Deangelo again the next day. Aria: [Mr. Reed, should we meet you at Kanit University?] Deangelo: [I¡¯m not on campus. I¡¯lle pick you up.] Aria: [My boyfriend is with me.] Deangelo: [Got it.] Aria sent him the hotel address, and not long after, Deangelo arrived at the entrance. Aria and Owen got into the back seat. Owen said with a warm smile, ¡°Hi, Mr. Reed. I¡¯m Owen, Aria¡¯s boyfriend.¡± Deangelo smiled. ¡°I know. She¡¯s mentioned you before.¡± Owen smiled and gently reached over to take her hand. Deangelo brought them both back to his house. He rang the doorbell, and a woman wearing a face mask walked over to open it. She casually took Deangelo¡¯s coat and smiled at Aria and Owen. ¡°No wonder you got back so fast. Turns out you brought two lovely kids with you. Nice to meet you.¡± Aria and Owen smiled. ¡°Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Reed.¡± Deangelo had already told them on the way that his wife¡¯s name was Elsie Reed. Again Marriage 754 Elsie was just about to say something when she suddenly turned her head and started coughing. After a moment, she said with an apologetic smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been dealing with it for years. I was cooking just now, and that¡¯s why the mask.¡± Aria grinned. ¡°That exins the amazing smell. Well, I¡¯m dying to eat already.¡± Aria and Deangelo sat on the couch, and Owen stood up. ¡°Mrs. Reed, let me help you.¡± Elsie immediately shook her head. ¡°No way. You¡¯re a guest here.¡± Owen rolled up his sleeves and lowered his voice. ¡°Mrs. Reed, I¡¯m actually good at cooking. I just don¡¯t get many chances to show off in front of my girlfriend.¡± Elsie nced at Aria and smiled. ¡°Alright,e join me in the kitchen then.¡± Then she turned to Deangelo. ¡°The coffee is ready.¡± Deangelo nodded. ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡± Aria got up to clean her hands and went into the kitchen with Elsie. Owen hung back for a bit, helping Deangelo with the coffee. Aria turned on the faucet and nced at Elsie. ¡°Mrs. Reed, you¡¯re pregnant, right?¡± Elsie paused, a little startled. ¡°Did you notice that?¡± Aria nodded. Elsie shot a quick look toward the living room and lowered her voice. ¡°Aria, could you keep this between us? I don¡¯t want Deangelo to know yet.¡± Aria said, ¡°Mr. Reed cares a lot about you, and that¡¯s why he asked me to check on you. I¡¯m pretty skilled at what I do. You can trust me. I¡¯ll do my best to keep it from him.¡± Maybe because they were both women, Elsie trusted Aria immediately. ¡°Thank you.¡± Just then, Deangelo came in to get several cups. Aria finished cleaning her hands and was about to leave the kitchen. Seeing Owen putting on his apron, she tried to help. ¡°I can do it,¡± Owen said, tying the apron himself. ¡°Alright,¡± Aria replied and walked out. Deangelo came out with two cups of coffee, and Aria asked, ¡°Mr. Reed, could you tell me more about Mrs. Reed¡¯s condition?¡± Deangelo¡¯s face grew more serious. ¡°Elsie has been in poor health. She had a miscarriage years ago, and things only got worse. Now she¡¯s forty, and that makes her a high-risk case. That¡¯s why I need you to persuade her to give up the child.¡± Deangelo already knew about Elsie¡¯s pregnancy, but since she wanted to keep it under wraps, he just yed along and pretended he didn¡¯t know a thing. Aria¡¯s eyes grewplicated as she looked at him. ¡°Mr. Reed, why-¡± Deangelo said, ¡°You¡¯re wondering why I let Elsie get pregnant, right?¡± Aria nodded gently. Deangelo sighed. ¡°She wanted a child so badly that it¡¯s crossed into something dangerous. She even said I could have one with another woman and that she would raise it like her own. I was scared she would hurt herself, so I didn¡¯t stop it.¡± Deangelo had once tried to get a vasectomy, but when Elsie found out, she got so furious that she fell seriously ill. Deangelo exined, ¡°Her childhood was a mess. She has a lot of emotional scars.¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll give her a thorough check-upter,¡± Aria said. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯ve seen so many doctors, and none of them had any good news. Now that she¡¯s pregnant, she refuses to see any doctor at all,¡± Deangelo replied. Half an hourter, the four of them sat down at the dining table. Elsie poured Aria a cup of milk and said, ¡°Owen cooked most of the dishes.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Reed,¡± Aria said. Elsie felt another coughing and stood up instinctively. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Aria gently held her hand and pressed a few spots on her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be fine now.¡± Sure enough, the coughing stopped. Elsie¡¯s eyes lit up, and she thought that maybe this girl really could fix her. They had a happy dinner. After the meal, Aria was checking on Elsie when someone knocked on the door. Deangelo stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Owen looked toward the door as it opened. A man stood there, wearing a cap and mask. Again Marriage 755 Deangelo asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± The man handed him a box. ¡°Delivery.¡± Deangelo figured it was something Elsie ordered and took it instinctively. The man nced around the room, locking eyes with Owen. Deangelo didn¡¯t see a delivery slip, so he said, ¡°Why isn¡¯t-¡± The delivery guy turned around and left without another word. Owen frowned, and Deangelo shut the door, still looking confused. Elsie nced at Deangelo in surprise, saying, ¡°Do you shop online now?¡± Deangelo lookedpletely baffled. ¡°Isn¡¯t this something you bought?¡± The room suddenly fell silent. Owen immediately stood up and said, ¡°Mr. Reed, let me take a look at that package.¡± Aria stopped checking on Elsie. Owen took the box and noticed there was no delivery slip on it. ¡°Wait a second.¡± Deangelo got up, fetched a pair of gloves, and said, ¡°Be careful. Open it with gloves on.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Owen said. Owen checked for any sign of explosives or hazards, let out a short breath, and cautiously opened the lid. Inside was an oddly made little doll. ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to mean?¡± Elsie asked, confused. Deangelo was just as puzzled. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Owen grabbed a bag, stuffed the doll inside, and threw the gloves in the trash. ¡°We¡¯ll check with the neighborster. Maybe it wasn¡¯t just us. If not, we¡¯ll dig into who that guy was.¡± Deangelo nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Since it was just a little doll, Deangelo and Elsie didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. Aria grabbed Elsie¡¯s wrist gently and said, ¡°Mrs. Reed, let¡¯s keep going. Elsie nodded. Five minutester, Aria withdrew her hand. ¡°Mrs. Reed¡¯s body is a bit weak from childhood malnutrition. Coughing mainlyes from emotional distress, which means it can¡¯t be treated. Don¡¯t worry. With proper care, she will get better.¡± Elsie grabbed her hand, excited. ¡°So, can I-¡± Knowing she meant the baby, Aria nodded firmly. ¡°Yes. If you trust me, follow the treatment n. I¡¯lle back to Kanit City next week to give you acupuncture therapy.¡± Elsie¡¯s biggest issue was psychological, and that was always the hardest to treat. The body listened to the head, and if she stayed stuck, healing would be really hard. Saying she couldn¡¯t keep the baby would only crush her. 3:03 pm S Elsie¡¯s health wasn¡¯t ideal for pregnancy, but Aria decided to give her a chance-try some meds first and see how things looked in a month. If nothing changed, the baby probably couldn¡¯t make it. Elsie looked visibly relieved. She said, ¡°I trust you. I¡¯ll take the medicine like you said.¡± Aria added, ¡°And make sure you get enough sleep.¡± The medicine Aria listed was pretty pricey, but Deangelo could afford it. He asked, ¡°How much do you charge? I¡¯ll pay market price if that¡¯s alright.¡± Aria grinned and joked, ¡°Mr. Reed, I won¡¯t charge you if you cane to the Stars Group.¡± Deangelo knew what she was trying to say. He said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not that broke yet.¡± Aria grinned. ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to pay me. I really like Mrs. Reed. It¡¯s free for friends.¡± ¡°No. I have to pay you,¡± said Deangelo. Aria said, ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not for you. It¡¯s for Mrs. Reed. Don¡¯t feel bad about it.¡± Deangelo was at a loss for words. Aria and Owen left the house together, taking the doll with them. While waiting for the elevator, they ran into a resident. Owen stepped forward and asked, ¡°Excuse me, have you received a doll like this recently?¡± The resident shook his head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. Is this some kind of event giveaway or something?¡± No. Thank you though,¡± Owen said. 38 After getting into the elevator, Aria sent a message to Deangelo. [Mr. Reed, please check the surveince footage and send it o me. Try not to rm Mrs. Reed. I don¡¯t want her to overthink it.] Deangelo: [Got it. I¡¯ll report it to the police and have them look into it.] With the serial killings in Kahit City on the newstely, he couldn¡¯t help but start to worry. Owen had the doll tested at a nearbyb. The results showed no traces of drugs or any identifiable fingerprints. Meanwhile, Deangelo was waiting at the police station. By the time Aria and Owen arrived, they heard a police officer saying, ¡°It¡¯s just a doll, and there¡¯s no physical harm involved, so we can¡¯t file a report. Sorry, we¡¯ve got more serious stuff going on.¡± Deangelo was unhappy about it. ¡°Isn¡¯t this serious enough?¡± ¡°Mr. Reed,¡± Aria called out, The police officer turned and, recognizing her, immediately softened his tone, ¡°Ms. Saxon, please wait here. I¡¯ll go get Mr. Ludwig right away.¡± Then he rushed off. He had been told to notify Ronald as soon as Aria showed up. Deangelo grew even more annoyed. ¡°Do the police not take public safety seriously anymore?¡± Aria didn¡¯t answer him. She just pulled out her phone, opened her photo album, and asked, ¡°Mr. Reed, do the guy¡¯s eyes look like that?¡± 3:03 pm She showed him the first suspect sketch from the case file. Deangelo studied it closely and said, ¡°They do look simr.¡± He thought those eyes looked familiar. Just then, Ronald rushed over. ¡°Aria, what brings you here?¡± Owen handed him the doll and the test results. The officer beside Ronald took them. Aria said, ¡°We were visiting Mr. Reed when someone pretending to be a delivery guy dropped off a weird package. He looked kind of like that bartender we saw yesterday. ¡°Mr. Reed tried to file a report, but your officer said it wasn¡¯t enough. With all the serial murders going on in Kanit City, people should be taken seriously when something strange happens.¡± Ronald shot a stern look at the officer, who quickly apologized. ¡°Mr. Ludwig, I was wrong.¡± Aria turned to Deangelo. ¡°Mr. Reed, could you show Mr. Ludwig the surveince footage?¡± 38) Deangelo handed over his phone, and as soon as Ronald saw the footage, his eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°That really looks like him. I¡¯m sending people to check it out.¡± He quickly gave orders. ¡°Finish Mr. Reed¡¯s statement and have two officers protect him.¡± He thought there had to be a reason they were targeting Deangelo. If it were truly the bartender, then Deangelo and his family might be the next victims. The officer in charge was now on edge, regretting what he had said just now. His carelessness had almost gotten someone hurt. After Deangelo finished his statement, two officers drove him home. Soon, Aria and Owen walked out of the police station together. On their way back to Mandino City, Ronald sent Aria a message. [We¡¯ve identified the man. He¡¯s probably the bartender. He was staying openly at a hotel but ran off. We¡¯re chasing him now. Thanks for your help.] Aria thought, ¡®Was the delivery a test? He didn¡¯t do anything because he saw me and Owen there, did he?¡¯ Aria: [Mr. Reed, you better hire a couple of bodyguards.] Deangelo: [Don¡¯t worry. The cops are protecting us.] Again Marriage 756 Three dayster, while Aria was having dinner, Deangelo called. He said, ¡°We caught him. Can youe to Kanit City?¡± Aria put down her fork, thought for a moment, then looked at Owen sitting across from her. ¡°Come with me to Kanit City. I¡¯m buying the tickets now.¡± She sounded firm. Owen smiled warmly and said, ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll talk about it after dinner.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± By the time they got off the train, it was already dark. They grabbed a cab and headed straight to the police station. Upon entering the lobby, the duty officer greeted them immediately. ¡°Hi, Ms. Saxon. Mr. Ludwig and Cathy are in the interrogation room.¡± Aria and Owen headed to the room and peeked through the one-way ss to see what was going on inside the interrogation room. Cathy was also there. When she saw theme in, she immediately handed them a file. ¡°Here¡¯s the suspect¡¯s information.¡± Aria took the file. The man¡¯s name was Mark Sampson, twenty-seven years old, a former graduate student in Kanit University¡¯sputer science department. Three years ago, he was expelled for academic fraud. Deangelo used to be his advisor. Mark majored in bothputer science and chemistry, and pursued further studies inputer science. Ronald, who was talking to him in the interrogation room, mmed the table. ¡°Mark, why did you kill so many people?¡± Mark looked up, half his face marked by nasty scars. He grinned weirdly. ¡°Kill? I¡¯m just clearing out the trash.¡± Cathy lowered her voice. ¡°We found arge stash of bomb-making materials at his ce, along with a notebook detailing information about the victims. ¡°He confessed to killing five victims, and the next target was Deangelo. The police were watching closely and caught him immediately.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Were Mr. Reed or Mrs. Reed hurt?¡± ¡°No,¡± Cathy said. Aria stared at Mark¡¯s face. ¡°How did he get those scars?¡± Cathy let out a sigh. ¡°It was Isaac. He had his eyes on Mark¡¯s sister and tried to rape her. Mark went to save her, and his face was brutally disfigured. ¡°Brodie paid to cover it up. Mark¡¯s parents took the money, but the girl couldn¡¯t bear it and took her own life. He¡¯s been nning revenge for a long time, and if Owen hadn¡¯t put Isaac in prison first, he would have died sooner.¡± Isaac was highly vignt after his release, always surrounded by bodyguards wherever he went. Mark had struggled hard to find an opportunity to strike. Ronald pressed on. ¡°Mark, why did you want to kill Deangelo?¡± Mark clenched his fists and sneered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to live anyway. I might as well take someone down with me. He didn¡¯t believe me.¡± Aria stared at Mark through the ss and picked up her pen and paper to start drawing. Ronald continued, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If he had, I wouldn¡¯t have been kicked out of school,¡± Mark said. ¡°What about the other victims? Why did you kill them?¡± Ronald pressed. Mark said, ¡°They were all bad people. I killed them simply because I didn¡¯t like them.¡± Ronald pushed a photo forward. ¡°You said you only kill bad people. This businesswoman is innocent. Then why did you kill her?¡± Mark remained calm. ¡°I got the wrong person.¡± Half an hourter, the interrogation wrapped up. Meanwhile, the questioning of Deangelo also reached a conclusion. Mark admitted to academic fraud himself and got kicked out. Deangelo never believed he would do such things, but Mark simply gave up appealing. Deangelo never really doubted him as he said. He lied, which meant his motive for murder fell apart. Again Marriage 757 As Mark was being led out in handcuffs, he happened to run into Deangelo. Seeing him, Deangelo felt a little sad. ¡°Mark, I don¡¯t believe you would want to kill me. What¡¯s going on?¡± Mark¡¯s expression twisted, turning into a mocking sneer. ¡°I did kill them.¡± Before Deangelo could say more, Stephen Parker, head of Kanit Police Station, came over with several people. He nced at Mark and said, ¡°Is he the serial killer?¡± Ronald answered carefully, ¡°Right now, we can only say for sure he killed Isaac. Weck concrete evidence for the rest.¡± Stephen frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t his notebook solid proof? This case has stirred up a lot of fear, so we need to wrap it up and inform the public quickly.¡± Ronald nodded. ¡°We will uncover the truth as soon as possible.¡± Stephen¡¯s voice was stern. ¡°The case is grave and has caused panic. We need a swift and decisive resolution.¡± Deangelo stepped forward and said, ¡°Mark certainly had a motive to kill Isaac, but the other victims were strangers to him. If the case is closed hastily, the real killer may walk free.¡± Stephen looked at Deangelo. ¡°Police work is all about evidence. We won¡¯t use innocent people, but we also won¡¯t let bad guys go free.¡± Deangelo said, ¡°Yeah. I believe you will do your job right.¡± After Stephen left with his team, Mark was taken away as well. Ronald saw the sketch in Aria¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°Did you draw again?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yeah, I drew Mark.¡± The sketch showed Mark without scars, his face clear but wearing a sad smile. When Deangelo saw this, his voice choked with emotion. ¡°This is who he really was. It¡¯s all Isaac¡¯s fault.¡± He turned to Owen. ¡°If Mark only killed Isaac, is there any chance he could get a lighter sentence?¡± Owen replied, ¡°He confessed, and the victim wasn¡¯t entirely innocent either, so he probably won¡¯t get the death penalty. However, if he¡¯s behind the other murders-¡± ¡°No way.¡± Deangelo¡¯s eyes filled with tears. ¡°Mark is a good guy. He had no beef with those people. He wouldn¡¯t kill them for no reason. Cathy tried tofort him. ¡°Mr. Reed, we¡¯ll make sure to find out what really happened.¡± Ronald had someone walk Deangelo out. Then they went to another room. Ronald looked at Aria. ¡°Do you think Mark really killed those four victims?¡± Aria said, ¡°He has all the victims¡¯ information. Even if he¡¯s not the murderer, he must know something. There¡¯s a high chance he knows the real murderer.¡± In other words, she didn¡¯t believe Mark was the serial killer. Ronald sighed and said, ¡°I think so, but Mark just wants to die and isn¡¯t helping the case.¡± His parents left him, and his sister was murdered. Once revenge was done, he had no reason to live. Graphics Far Cathy flipped open the case files. ¡°At least we have a break. We¡¯ll dig into Mark¡¯s social ties. It will definitely lead us to the real killer.¡± Cathy and her team stayed at the station to keep working, while Aria and Owen decided to leave. They ran into Deangelo at the entrance. The officer said, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t leave. He said he was waiting for you.¡± Owen said, ¡°We¡¯ll take Mr. Reed home. Thanks for your help.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you to it,¡± the officer said. Aria said, ¡°Mr. Reed, let¡¯s go back together. I¡¯m going to give Mrs. Reed another acupuncture therapy.¡± Deangelo nodded, and on the way home, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I want to keep that doll. Mark was always into those weird toys and gave me that one.¡± Mark wasn¡¯t there to kill him. He knew cops were guarding, so he showed up on purpose to get caught. Deangelo said, ¡°Aria, do you think we can catch the real murderer? If not, will Mark just be the murderer in everyone¡¯s eyes?¡± Again Marriage 758 ¡°It won¡¯te to that. But we need to figure out why he¡¯s hiding the truth. If he¡¯s already given up on himself, then no one can save him,¡± Aria said. She slid Deangelo¡¯s business card over to Madelyn. ¡°Mr. Reed, if you find any leads, you can contact Cathy directly. She¡¯s with the State Security Bureau.¡± Deangelo nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± Aria then performed a follow-up acupuncture session on Elsie, a gentle smile on her face. ¡°Mrs. Reed, you¡¯ve been taking great care of yourself these past few days. I can already see the results. Keep it up.¡± With hope in her heart, Elsie¡¯splexion looked much better. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the prescription you gave me. My appetite has really improved.¡± Aria put away the needles. ¡°We just need to adjust one more herb.¡± Deangelo said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. How about staying here for the night?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Reed, but we¡¯ve already booked a hotel.¡± Deangelo walked them to the door. ¡°Take care on your way back.¡± Îä**** Owen and Aria checked into the same hotel asst time. The same receptionist at the front desk immediately smiled when he saw them. ¡°One king-sized bed, right?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Correct.¡± As she was checking them in, the receptionist whispered. ¡°Thest time you were here, right after you got your room key und left, a man with half his face disfigured came in. He turned out to be a serial killer. It was terrifying.¡± Aria and Owen exchanged a look. Aria asked, ¡°How do you know he was the killer? Did the police make an announcement?¡± Honestly, Mark Sampson had just been caught, and the evidence wasn¡¯t even solid yet. There¡¯s no way the police would innounce it that fast. The receptionist picked up her phone and showed it to Aria. ¡°Look, it was on the news. The police should have warned us¡ª it¡¯s really scary. Now I¡¯m too scared to workte. My boyfriend¡¯s picking me up after work.¡± Aria took the phone and nced at it. ¡°Don¡¯t stay by yourself these days. If you start having nightmares or get too freaked out, maybe talk to a therapist.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡± The receptionist, seeing how calm Aria was, said, ¡°You¡¯re not even fazed. I wish I could be that brave after hearing something like this.¡± Aria smiled, ¡°My boyfriend¡¯s pretty awesome. He can totally protect me.¡± Owen¡¯s ears turned a little red when he heard that. Honestly, if anything really happened, Madelyn would probably be the one protecting him, he thought. The receptionist leaned in even closer and whispered, just loud enough for them to hear. ¡°Your boyfriend looks pretty strong. You two must be reallypatible in that way, huh?¡± Even though she was whispering, she was so close that Owen heard every word. He pretended not to hear and turned his head to look at the nts in the distance. Aria hadn¡¯t expected the girl to be so straightforward, but she just yed along. Yeah, we¡¯re definitelypatible in that way? The receptionist finished the check-in process and handed them the room key, saying proudly, ¡°My boyfriend and I are reallypatible too.¡± ¡°Looks like we¡¯re both pretty lucky, huh?¡± Aria said with a smile. The receptionist was clearly still rattled by the incident, and chatting with some familiar faces was her way of easing her nerves. Aria kept herpany for a bit, chatting until her boyfriend arrived. Only then did she and Owen head upstairs. In the elevator, Ar¨ªa nced at the news page, her voice growing more serious. The police haven¡¯t even said anything yet, but the media¡¯s already jumped the gun,¡± she said. The victims¡¯ families would go to the station. If the police said theycked evidence to confirm Mark as the killer, it would have caused public outrage. The situation would have escted, pressuring the police to close the case quickly. Whoever was pulling the strings behind this media outlet clearly had some ulterior motives. Again Marriage 759 Owen said, ¡°It¡¯s like they¡¯re trying to push the police into closing the case fast. Let¡¯s give Ronald a heads-up. Maybe they¡¯re already onto it.¡± Just then, the elevator doors opened. Aria had just sent the message when Ronald¡¯s call came through. ¡°Not many people know about Mark¡¯s arrest, but this media outlet already has photos and detailed information,¡± Ronald said. Aria replied, ¡°You¡¯ll need to really look into this, Ronald. The issue seems to be on your side.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get to the bottom of it,¡± Ronald said, pausing for a moment. ¡°Do you know anyone who¡¯s a real coding whiz? The State Security Bureau has some, but it¡¯s not easy to get them involved. Cathy said I should check with you.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Actually, I do know one. You met herst time.¡± Ronald suddenly realized. ¡°Oh, you mean that pretty actress?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Ronald chuckled. ¡°If you rmend her, I trust her. Could you help us get in touch?¡± He then changed the subject. ¡°You can help out with Mark¡¯s case and the serial murders remotely. Try analyzing the suspect¡¯s microexpressions from the surveince footage.¡± He added, ¡°Miguel looked at your sketches and said your strokes are a bit too harsh. Next time, try to make them softer and hold back on your personal style a little.¡± Aria was silent for a moment. ¡°Are you guys trying to train me? I¡¯m really swamped right now, so I probably won¡¯t have the time,¡± she said. She was already with the State Security Bureau and couldn¡¯t really spare any extra energy for anything else. ¡°Well, the State Security Bureau and we work together all the time anyway,¡± Ronald said cheerfully. ¡°Miguel thinks you¡¯re really talented. If you¡¯re interested, you could always help out with more cases.¡± Aria replied, ¡°If I have some free time, I can try sketching for you.¡± ¡®Or you could just contact Miguel? That way, you can send your sketches straight to him next time,¡± Ronald suggested. ¡°He¡¯s actually a pretty easygoing guy, just has a bit of a sharp tongue. ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to add him, you can always send them to me instead,¡± he added. He¡¯d be the go-between. Aria didn¡¯t mind at all. ¡°Sure, I can add him.¡± ¡°Great, I¡¯ll send him your info,¡± Ronald said, clearly pleased. ¡°Get some rest, you two.¡± After hanging up, they entered their room. Owen set down their luggage, then stood up and took Aria¡¯s coat as she slipped it off. ¡°You should go take a shower first.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± *±¾*ͤͤ After her shower, Aria flopped onto the couch and texted Vanessa. Vanessa replied right away, She¡¯d go to the station with her in the morning. From the bathroom came the sound of running water. Owen was in there, showering. The sound was almost hypnotic. Half-asleep, Aria felt her legs being moved. She opened her eyes and saw Owen squatting down, gently cing her feet into a basin of warm water. Her feet werepletely submerged in the warm water, and she felt instantlyfortable. ¡°You actually brought a foot bath?¡± she asked, surprised. ¡®No wonder he¡¯d mentioned packing something extra before they left, she thought. Owen gently squeezed her foot. ¡°You¡¯re always on your feet during those experiments. It¡¯s cold out. Soaking them will help you sleep better. Just lie down, I¡¯ll take care of the rest,¡± he said softly. Aria bent over, grabbed his hand, and moved it aside. ¡°No more massages. Let¡¯s just soak together. The basin¡¯s big enough for both of us.¡± At home, he¡¯d often make her soak her feet. But they¡¯d never done it together. Owen sat down next to Aria and slipped his feet into the basin. Seeing their two pairs of feet-one big, one small-soaking side by side in the basin, Owen felt his heart just about melt. ¡°Madelyn, your feet are so tiny.¡± Their shoulders were pressed together. ¡°They really do look a bit smaller,¡± Aria said with a smile. She was about to lean back, but Owen was quicker. He braced his arm, and she ended up nestled right against the crook of his shoulder. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Sleepy?¡± ¡°A little.¡± She murmured. ¡°Go to sleep,¡± he said softly. ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied. Again Marriage 760 Early the next morning, M drove Vanessa to the hotel to pick up Aria and Owen and take them to the police station. As Vanessa reached for the car door, Aria reached out to stop her. ¡°Put on your hat and mask.¡± Vanessa shrugged it off. ¡°It¡¯s fine at the police station. It¡¯s too stuffy with them on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid there might be trouble today,¡± Aria said. By now, more than one media outlet had reported on the incident. Vanessa immediately pulled her baseball cap down low and carefully adjusted her mask. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± She turned to M in the driver¡¯s seat and said, ¡°Wait for us in the car, okay?¡± M nodded. ¡°Alright, M. Just call me if anythinges up.¡± As soon as they stepped into the police station, Vanessa instantly got why Aria had been so careful. The whole lobby was jam-packed with angry people, one furious outburst after another filling the air. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you sentenced that murderer to death already?¡± A burly, rough-looking middle-aged man mmed his hand on the reception desk. ¡°Why keep that piece of trash alive?¡± The officer at the front desk tried to calm everyone down. ¡°The case is still under investigation, folks. Please stay calm.¡± ¡°Investigation my ass!¡± Someone cut in rudely. ¡°The evidence is right there. Why are you dragging your feet? Did you guys get paid off or something?¡± A young police officer spotted Aria and her group and quickly pushed through the crowd. ¡°Ms. Saxon, Mr. Ludwig is in a meeting. I¡¯ll take you to him.¡± Just as they were about to leave, the middle-aged man suddenly rushed over and blocked their way. ¡°You¡¯re not fixing anything, and now you¡¯re taking them somewhere? Who are these people? Are they the murderer¡¯s family?¡± The young officer exined, ¡°They¡¯re experts here to help with the case.¡± ¡°Experts?¡± The man let out a coldugh, eyeing the three of them up and down. ¡°They look like a bunch of rich folks. What, did they bribe you so Mark doesn¡¯t get the death penalty?¡± Aria¡¯s sharp gaze swept over the crowd, quickly locking onto a few instigators leading themotion. ¡°These people, including this one¡­¡± She pointed at the middle-aged man closest to her. ¡°They¡¯re most likely acting under someone¡¯s orders to stir up trouble. You can just deal with them directly.¡± The young officer sighed, ¡°We¡¯re short on staff. We¡¯ve already called for backup from other departments, and they¡¯ll be here soon.¡± They had all underestimated that news article. They hadn¡¯t expected the people behind this to bring the families along to stir up trouble. Aria didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Hand me the cuffs. I¡¯ll help out, but you guys will have to do the exining afterward.¡± The officer was taken aback. ¡°Exin what?¡± ¡°If they end up suing me, you¡¯ll have to exin it for me,¡± Aria said. Two media crews had shown up, and seeing that the neers were clearly here to cause trouble, they led the crowd off to another area. If this situation weren¡¯t controlled soon, it would attract even more reporters. The young officer handed over the handcuffs. ¡°Alright.¡± In the next second, Aria darted like a shadow. With a few crisp clicks, the rowdiest troublemakers were handcuffed in the blink of an eye. The entire lobby went dead silent. The young officer waspletely dumbfounded. She was so fast that he hadn¡¯t even caught her movements. The young officer shot a look at the other two cops, and they hurried to drag the handcuffed troublemakers away. ¡°What right do you have to arrest the victims¡¯ families?¡± The man in cuffs struggled wildly. ¡°I¡¯m going to sue you.¡± The other family members protested, ¡°Yeah, why are you arresting us?¡± The young officer raised his voice. ¡°Mark is indeed suspected of murder, but the evidence for the first four cases isn¡¯t strong enough yet. If we rush things and let the real killer walk free, no one could end up as the next victim.¡± With the ringleader pinned down, no one else dared to make a fuss. Aria locked eyes with the middle-aged man. ¡°Which victim are you supposed to be rted to?¡± Again Marriage 761 She turned to the crowd. ¡°Anyone here actually knows this guy?¡± The room went dead silent. No one knew who he was. The young officer¡¯s face darkened. ¡°So it¡¯s obvious someone¡¯s here just to stir up trouble. We¡¯ll get to the bottom of this. Everyone, please stay calm and don¡¯t let yourselves get yed by people with bad intentions.¡± 38 The families hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out like this, and they gradually realized something was wrong. ¡°We set up a group chat, and someone¡¯s definitely been fanning the mes in there, saying the police are covering for the killer,¡± one of them admitted. The young officer took the phone. ¡°I¡¯ll need everyone to cooperate with the investigation. We can¡¯t just let the ones causing trouble walk free.¡± He made a call and brought in two more officers to handle the situation. Then he turned to Aria. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Aria stopped in her tracks; her gaze locked onto a inly dressed middle-aged couple huddled in the corner. ¡°Are you Mark¡¯s parents?¡± she asked. The couple¡¯s faces went pale, and they frantically waved their hands. ¡°What are you talking about? How could we possibly be parents of that murderer?¡± ¡°Then whose family are you supposed to be?¡± Aria pressed. ¡°We¡¯re Isaac¡¯s rtives.¡± The woman stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. Owen raised an eyebrow. ¡°The Shaw family is rich. You two sure don¡¯t look the part.¡± One of the victims¡¯ family members spoke up for them. ¡°They were cursing Mark the most. No way they¡¯re his parents.¡± The officers who had taken the troublemakers away returned. The young officer gave a direct order. ¡°They¡¯re Mark¡¯s parents. They¡¯re obviously here with ulterior motives. Arrest them.¡± Mark¡¯s father immediately flew into a rage. ¡°What right do you have to arrest us?¡± The officers escorted the two of them out. On the way to the tech room, Vanessa walked up to Aria, curious. ¡°Aria, how did you recognize them?¡± ¡°I saw them in the files,¡± Aria replied. Ronald had shown Aria the case file on Mark¡¯s sister. She remembered the faces of the couple. The three of them quickly led to the tech room. Cathy stood up. ¡°Aria, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yeah, we came to help,¡± Aria replied. Ronald pointed at theptop on the table. ¡°This is Mark¡¯sputer. We were digging into where the victims¡¯ info came from, and identally triggered the self-wipe protocol. ¡°Luckily, the encryption kicked in and paused the wipe, but now every single file is locked up tight. We¡¯ll have to crack them first,¡± he added. Mark was a programming whiz, and he¡¯d tricked out theputer himself. He refused to cooperate. Vanessa nced at the big screen, took off her mask and hat, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± Ronald looked at the tech officers. ¡°Let Miss Ward take a crack at it.¡± The other two nodded in agreement, but a young man with sses frowned, ¡°I know you. You¡¯re the celebrity, Vanessa.¡± Vanessa said calmly, ¡°I am.¡± The young man stepped in front of theputer. ¡°You might have dabbled in programming and think you can handle this, but this isn¡¯t a joke. If you mess up, all the data will be wiped.¡± Vanessa looked determined. ¡°I can do this. Let me through.¡± The young man turned to Ronald. ¡°Mr. Ludwig, this isn¡¯t something we can take lightly.¡± Ronald patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Let her give it a shot. I¡¯ll take responsibility if anything happens.¡± The young man grudgingly moved aside. Vanessa sat down, pulled a pair of ck-rimmed sses from her pocket, and slipped them on. Her fingers danced across the keyboard at lightning speed. One could tell if she was the real deal at a nce. The young man¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡®Holy crap, she actually knows her stuff,¡¯ he thought. The whole tech room went dead silent. Vanessa broke the silence. ¡°Seriously, can you guys say something? It¡¯s kinda spooky with everyone just staring at me like that.¡± The young man warned. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t try to do two things at once.¡± ¡°Trust me, I can.¡± Vanessa shot back. Ronald spoke up. ¡°We found out which media outlet broke the story first.¡± Again Marriage 762 ¡°The Shaw family is behind this,¡± Ronald said. Aria instinctively nced at Cathy. Cathy nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. The media is currently managed by Quincy. I checked, and it was Brodie who gave the order for the report.¡± After all that, it turned out the Shaw family was the real culprit. Brodie never had any beef with those four, so it¡¯s pretty unlikely he¡¯s the killer. But there¡¯s a good chance he knows the killer and is covering for them. Ronald added, ¡°Brodie will be at the station at ten to cooperate with the investigation. It¡¯s nine now.¡± Vanessa shot Owen and Cathy a mischievous look. ¡°So, you two are really standing up to Brodie? Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting kicked out of the Shaw family?¡± Owen replied coolly, ¡°I¡¯m with the Shaw family in Mandino City. I¡¯m not involved with the Kanit City branch.¡± Cathy gave a lightugh. ¡°I work for the State Security Bureau. I stand by what¡¯s right, not by blood. If the Shaw family wants to kick me out, let them.¡± She never depended on the Shaw family for anything, and honestly, she couldn¡¯t care less about them. Vanessa was about to say something else when the young man with sses finally snapped, ¡°Just stop talking and focus, will you?¡± In all his years, he¡¯d never seen anyone try to do two things at once while hacking. Vanessa didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°I¡¯m being serious here. Not messing around. You¡¯re pretty young, but your temper¡¯s something else.¡± The young man opened his mouth, but in the end, he held his tongue. He was afraid that if he said one thing, she¡¯d fire back with ten. Watching Vanessa¡¯s fluid, effortless moves at the keyboard, Cathy suddenly thought of someone. Ned, a tech expert specially hired by the State Security Bureau. He also loved multitasking on the job, just like Vanessa. Soon, Vanessa stopped typing and snapped her fingers. ¡°Done.¡± Cathy nced at the clock. ¡°Fifteen minutes? That was quick.¡± Vanessa arched her brows with a yful smile. ¡°Good thing I¡¯m not a guy. I actually like hearing that kind of praise.¡± Everyone in the room was left speechless. The tech team could usually crack it within an hour, but they couldn¡¯t guarantee they wouldn¡¯t damage the data inside. Vanessa had actually managed to do it all by herself in just fifteen minutes. The three tech officers leaned in, stunned. ¡°She actually cracked it.¡± Vanessa pushed theptop over. ¡°The IP is from overseas. These files were definitely sent to Mark by someone else, not put together by him.¡± Her fingers flew across the keyboard again. ¡°The sender¡¯s name is Lucas Sinir.¡± The young man with sses was stunned. ¡°You can even find that out? You traced the sender?¡± ¡°Yep, wasn¡¯t much of a challenge,¡± Vanessa replied with a shrug. If one asked Vanessa to study anything else, she¡¯d probably be lost. But when it came to this kind of thing, she was an absolute expert. Vanessa moved aside. The sender didn¡¯t even bother to cover their tracks. It¡¯s like they were just waiting for us to show up, hardly took any work at all.¡± Ronald thanked her. ¡°Really appreciate you making the trip out here.¡± Vanessa waved it off. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Suddenly, Cathy spoke up. ¡°Miss Ward, would you be interested in joining the State Security Bureau?¡± The tech team jumped in right away. ¡°Or you could join us, we¡¯re just next door.¡± 38 Vanessa shed a grin. ¡°Thanks, but I still love acting more. Not nning on a career change just yet.¡± She loved the thrill of living someone else¡¯s life, even if it was just for a little while. So damn satisfying. ¡°You don¡¯t have to switch careers. Just like Aria, you could pick your own missions. How about it?¡± Cathy suggested. If only they could rope her in¡­ ¡°Since my Aria¡¯s already in, I¡¯ll leave it to her,¡± Vanessa said with a grin. Cathy pulled out her phone. ¡°How about we add each other on WhatsApp?¡± Vanessa replied cheerfully, ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Again Marriage 763 The tech team nudged the young guy with sses. After all, he was the best-looking one and had already chatted with Vanessa. He hesitated for a couple of seconds, then pulled out his phone. ¡°Mind if I add you? Maybe I could ask you for help if I run into something like this again.¡± Vanessa nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Vanessa had work to doter, so Aria turned to Ronald. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll head out now.¡± Ronald nodded. ¡°Alright, hope we can work together again soon.¡± Vanessa put her mask and hat back on. The families in the lobby had already dispersed, so the three of them walked out of the station without running into anyone causing a scene. But right at the entrance, they bumped into Brodie. The old man, well into his eighties, was leaning on a cane and slowly got out of the car with Tom supporting him. Given his age, Ronald had originally nned to go to his house to ask questions, but Brodie insisted oning down to the station himself. The moment Brodieid eyes on Owen, his gaze turned frosty. ¡°You made Catherine pass out from anger, and you haven¡¯t even bothered to visit her in the hospital all these days. Just like your grandfather, cold-blooded and ungrateful.¡± Owen remained unfazed. ¡°Brodie, maybe you should worry about your own family first. You can¡¯t wash your hands of Isaac¡¯s death,¡± Brodie snapped. ¡°You-¡± Brodie clutched his chest, furious. Tom hurried to steady him. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t get upset.¡± He turned to Owen. ¡°Owen, Brodie¡¯s getting on in years. Show some respect when you speak.¡± Vanessa let out a mocking snort. ¡°Wow, so now we can¡¯t even speak the truth? If you can¡¯t handle a little advice, why bother picking a fight?¡± Tom shot her a sharp re. ¡°The Shaw family¡¯s business isn¡¯t for outsiders to butt in. Aria¡¯s expression turned icy. ¡°My friend never mentioned any names. Mr. Shaw, why are you so quick to jump in? Or do you actually think your father¡¯s the one stirring up trouble?¡± Tom¡¯s face went livid. Suddenly, Owen turned to Brodie. ¡°Brodie, do you know Lucas?¡± Brodie¡¯s pupils contracted sharply. ¡°I¡¯ve got a pretty good idea now,¡¯ Owen thought. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The three of them walked past and headed for the parking lot. M quickly opened the door. Once they were in the car, Aria nced at Owen. ¡°You suspect Brodie knows Lucas?¡± ¡°Yeah. Tom has a younger brother named Lynn Shaw. Brodie always favored Lynn over Tom and originally nned to hand the Shaw Family Group over to him,¡± Owen replied. Owen¡¯s voice grew heavier. ¡°Lynn fell for a girl, but Brodie wouldn¡¯t allow it. He arranged a marriage for Lynn with someone from a family of equal status. But Lynn was determined to be with the woman he loved, so he ran away from home.¡± ¡°Three yearster, Lynn¡¯s son was two years old when Brodie tracked them down. He dragged Lynn back for an arranged marriage. His wife came demanding him, but died in a car crash after being taken away. ¡°Lynn couldn¡¯t take the blow and ended up taking his own life.¡± The car fell silent. Vanessa fumed, ¡°Brodie caused two deaths, damn him.¡± Arranged marriages are bad enough. That was just messed up. Aria mused, ¡°Lynn¡¯s wife was herst name, Sinir?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°If I¡¯m right, Lucas is Lynn¡¯s son. He was brought back to the Shaw family and raised there for a year. ¡°Lynn¡¯s wife was an only child, and her parents spoiled her rotten. After she died, they came to Kanit City looking for revenge, but in the end, they took their grandson and escaped overseas,¡± Owen continued. ¡°We should let Ronald know about this. If he follows this lead, I bet he¡¯ll get to the bottom of it in no time,¡± Owen added. Brodie was wracked with guilt over his son, so that year he treated his grandson like he was the most precious thing in the world. After the Sinir family took the boy away, Brodie searched everywhere for years, but always came up empty- handed. If the killer really were Lucas, Brodie just might help him escape punishment to atone for his own past mistakes. Again Marriage 764 When Ronald received this important information, his forehead twitched. He took a deep breath, turned off his phone screen, and looked sharply at the two sitting across from him. ¡°We¡¯ve found that the person who sent the victim information to Mark was named Lucas.¡± Ronald enunciated each word. ¡°He is very likely the real culprit behind the serial killings.¡± Brodie suddenly grabbed the corner of the table, the veins on his thin hand bulging. ¡°The killer isn¡¯t Mark. It¡¯s me.¡± Brodie blurted out. ¡°I paid someone to kill those four people. Lucas is a hacker, so I sent him the victim information and had him forward it to Mark. My brother, Isaac, was killed by Mark. I hated him, so I set him up on purpose.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Tom¡¯s face changed drastically. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Ronald raised his hand to stop him. ¡°This has nothing to do with you, Tom. Please wait outside.¡± Tom said anxiously, ¡°I have to stay with him.¡± ¡°You can stay.¡± Ronald reminded him. ¡°But please keep quiet.¡± After Tom reluctantly nodded, Ronald turned to Brodie. ¡°The victim info was sent out a week ago-the timing just doesn¡¯t add up. And besides, Mark hates the Shaw family¡¯s guts. Why would he ever take the fall for you?¡± Brodie let out a coldugh. ¡°Money makes the world go round. Just like back then, I paid off his parents, and he agreed to take the fall.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Ronald replied. ¡°After Mark¡¯s sister died, hepletely cut off his parents. He hates their guts. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d take the me for you just because of them. ¡°Brodie, everyone has to pay for what they¡¯ve done. Back then, you covered for Isaac, and that¡¯s why he ended up dead. If you really care about Lucas, you shouldn¡¯t be protecting him.¡± ¡°I did it!¡± Brodie was visibly agitated, his voice trembling. ¡°I¡¯ve already confessed. What else do you want from me?¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°You have a family too, Mr. Ludwig. You should know how I feel¡­¡± Brodie knew Ronald had already figured out who Lucas really was. Ronald¡¯s gaze turned colder. ¡°Since you won¡¯t cooperate, we¡¯ll continue our investigation.¡± He stood up and made a call. ¡°Contact Interpol. Issue an international warrant for Lucas.¡± At Mandino University, Aria was walking toward her office with a stack of documents in her arms. Suddenly, someone rushed at her from the side and rammed hard into her shoulder. The documents were scattered all over the floor. ¡°Sorry!¡± The young man darted over and crouched down even faster than Aria, quickly gathering up the scattered documents. He handed them back, saying, ¡°Here are your things.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Aria took the documents from him, her eyes catching on a scar across the back of his hand. As she straightened up, Aria nced at his face and suddenly, she froze. The young man seemed to notice her gaze and looked up, their eyes meeting for a brief moment. He gave a faint smile, turned around, and sauntered off at a leisurely pace. Aria frowned. ¡®He bumped into me on purpose,¡¯ she thought. The young man¡¯s face shed through Aria¡¯s mind, and she suddenly remembered the sketch she had drawn at the Kanit Police Station. Without hesitation, she hurried after him. ¡°Aria!¡± Sebastian called out from behind. He hurried after her, lowering his voice. That guy bumped into you on purpose. Do you know him?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aria replied. Sebastian¡¯s gaze turned sly. ¡°Could it be that he was just trying to get your attention?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not that much of a catch,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Who says so?¡± Sebastian chuckled. ¡°Plenty of students and teachers have a crush on you. I even heard you and Mr. Balton are pretty close. A lot of students totally ship you two.¡± Elmore was only a few years older than Aria. As a professor and Martin¡¯s nephew, he always had plenty of chances to be around her. Unlike Sebastian, who never even got the chance to run into her by ident. Again Marriage 765 But graduation was just around the corner for Sebastian, and once he was out of school, he was definitely going to make his move on Aria. Having spent so much time around these young people. Aria knew exactly what ¡°shipping¡± meant. They¡¯re shipping the wrong couple,¡± she said. ¡°I already have a boyfriend.¡± Sebastian froze. ¡°Y-you have a boyfriend?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been with Owen for a while now. Didn¡¯t everyone know?¡± Aria just assumed all the students already knew. Sebastian managed a weak smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± He knew Owen was one hell of awyer. Compared to Owen, there¡¯s no way he couldpete. Aria¡¯s gaze stayed fixed ahead,pletely oblivious to Sebastian¡¯s difort. ¡°Mr. Shaw is really something,¡± Sebastian said, feigning curiosity. ¡°But how did you two meet? Sorry if that¡¯s a bit nosy, Ms. Saxon. You don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to,¡± he asked quickly. Sebastian knew he was out of the running now, but calling her ¡°Ms. Saxon¡¯ just came naturally. ¡°We just got to know each other over time,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Does he treat you well?¡± Sebastian asked. Aria picked up on his odd tone and said, ¡°He treats me really well. ¡°Owen is tall, handsome, has a great job, and on top of that, he¡¯s an amazing cook.¡± Sebastian said. He couldn¡¯t cook at all. He¡¯d only ever gone into the kitchen to rinse some fruit. He really didn¡¯t stand a chance against Owen. Sebastian opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get a word out, something was suddenly shoved into his arms. Aria darted after him. Sebastian looked up. The young man who had bumped into Aria earlier suddenly rushed toward a group of students for no apparent reason. Sebastian had no idea why Aria was chasing after the young man. But he found out soon enough. The young man suddenly pulled out a knife and lunged at a female student. ¡°Look out!¡± Aria shouted. She snatched off her hat and hurled it straight at his hand holding the knife. The de sliced right past the girl¡¯s clothes, barely grazing the fabric. The girl stood frozen, eyes wide in shock, until her friend yanked her away and they bolted. Aria kicked out, but the young man twisted to the side, dodging her attack, and swung the knife at her in a horizontal arc. She quickly leaned back, the de slicing just past her neck. In a sh, she caught his wrist with a swift reversal and twisted it hard. There was a sharp crack. The knife dropped to the ground. Aria kicked him in the back of the knee, sending him dropping to his knees. In one swift move, she twisted his arms behind his back and pinned him there. ¡°Lucas,¡± Aria said. Lucas froze for a split second, then let out a harsh, gratingugh. ¡°I knew I had you pegged right.¡± Aria turned to Sebastian, who had just caught up. ¡°Call the police,¡± she said. Sebastian nodded, still a bit dazed, and quickly pulled out his phone to call the police. The cops arrived in no time and cuffed Lucas. Lucas looked at Aria with a sinister grin. ¡°Noting with me? Otherwise, you¡¯ll never know why I wanted to kill- ¡°Shut up.¡± Aria cut him off coldly. She turned to Sebastian. ¡°Can you take these to my office for me?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Sebastian replied. The police car pulled away. The girl who¡¯d almost been attacked just slumped to the ground. ¡°I almost died.¡± ¡°Ms. Saxon saved us,¡± her friend said, hugging her tightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± Suddenly, someone in the crowd muttered, ¡°That guy seemed to know Ms. Saxon. Did she bring him here or something?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Another student shot back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Ms. Saxon call him Lucas? Lucas¡¯s an international fugitive-the guy behind all those serial killings.¡± The girl who¡¯d almost been attacked asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon cut him off just now. Was she worried we¡¯d freak out if we heard about the murders?¡± Sebastian spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s go tell the school leaders about this. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ve already taken him away. You¡¯ll all be safe.¡± Again Marriage 766 When the news broke that the serial killer in Kanit City had been caught, Fryderyk had just finished his field duty. ¡°How¡¯d they catch him?¡± Fryderyk asked as he hurried toward the police car. Jackson opened the car door. ¡°Lucas chased someone all the way to Mandino University and almost hurt a student. Luckily, Aria was there to stop him just in time.¡± He buckled his seatbelt, his tone serious. ¡°Otherwise, it could¡¯ve been a disaster.¡± Fryderyk frowned as he started the car. ¡°Why did he suddenly show up at Mandino University?¡± Jackson shook his head. ¡°No idea. We¡¯ve already arranged to transport him back to Kanit City. After a pause, he added, ¡°But it looks like he knows Aria. When he was arrested, he deliberately tried to get under her skin.¡± In the interrogation room at the detention center, Aria fixed Lucas with a cold, unblinking stare. ¡°Why did you go to Mandino University?¡± she asked. Lucas didn¡¯t look the least bit rattled. ¡°All because of you. ¡°You had the guts to go up against the Shaw family, and you even helped the Kanit City police track me down.¡± He cocked his head, a smirk ying at his lips. ¡°I¡¯m a little curious about you.¡± Aria¡¯s expression was ice-cold. ¡°If you were after me, why hurt a student?¡± Lucas shrugged,pletely unfazed. ¡°Just wanted to see if you¡¯d stick your nose in. I¡¯m doomed anyway, what¡¯s a few more bodies?¡± With four lives on his hands, the death penalty was already set in stone. He was ready to die, and just wanted to get some kicks before the end. Aria stood up, ready to leave. ¡°Aren¡¯t you even going to ask why I killed them?¡± Lucas suddenly dropped his yful demeanor. ¡°The Kanit City police will question you,¡± Aria replied without even turning her head. Lucas¡¯s voice turned dark. ¡°They bullied my grandparents and tore my family apart. Too bad you guys acted so fast. The real mastermind, Brodie, is still breathing.¡± Brodie, the patriarch of the Shaw family. He was the one Lucas hated most. Lucas should have had a happy,plete family, but Brodie destroyed it all. To escape Brodie¡¯s pursuit, his grandparents fled overseas with him. When they finally came back, his grandfather¡¯spany was seized by the descendants of an old friend, and the old man was subjected to endless humiliation. Out of the four people he killed, two were the ones who had taken over thepany. The third was responsible for a hit- and-run, and because of the dy in treatment, his grandfather ended up dead. The fourth was his grandmother¡¯s own niece, but she was so afraid of the Shaw family that she just stood by and did nothing. Lucas had already given up on life, so he figured he might as well kill her too. ¡°We both killed people who deserved to die. So why do you get to walk away untouched, while I¡¯m the one facing the death penalty?¡± he asked. Aria turned back, locking eyes with him. ¡°You¡¯d better save me, or I¡¯ll tell them about your other identity,¡± he threatened. Aria smirked. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She turned and walked away without another word. As she stepped out of the detention center, she just happened to run into Allen and a team of officers hurrying in. When Allen saw her, he gave her a gentle smile. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, the students at Mandino University would¡¯ve been in real danger.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Lucas was after me.¡± Luckily, no one got hurt. A young officer nearby looked puzzled. ¡°He was after you? Do you know the guy?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Then why would he target you?¡± The officer pressed. Allen interjected, his tone mild. ¡°You¡¯re asking too many questions.¡± The officer made a zipping motion across his lips. ¡°Understood, Mr. Lawrence.¡± Fryderyk chimed in at just the right moment. ¡°Allen, let¡¯s get back to business.¡± Allen nodded and led the others inside. Then, as if remembering something, he turned back and said, ¡°Fryderyk, you¡¯re familiar with Aria, take her home.¡± Fryderyk agreed. ¡°Okay.¡± They walked side by side toward the parking lot. Fryderyk opened the passenger door and suddenly asked, ¡°You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks.¡± Once Fryderyk got in the car, Aria said, ¡°If it¡¯s convenient, could you just drop me off at the Fletcher residence?¡± Fryderyk buckled his seatbelt. ¡°Is it time for Avery¡¯s checkup?¡± ¡°It¡¯s tomorrow,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Since you¡¯re driving that way anyway, I thought I¡¯d just head over a day early.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± Fryderyk started the car, hesitated for a moment, then asked, ¡°Have you been on this case the whole time?¡± ¡°Yes, Aria replied. ¡°Miguel told me you¡¯re into art,¡± Fryderyk said. Again Marriage 767 Aria replied casually, ¡°Just a bit.¡± Fryderyk chuckled. ¡°Just a bit? Miguel says you¡¯re a once-in-a-century genius.¡± She never really trained for it; she just picked it up easily because she¡¯d learned so many other things along the way. Aria said, ¡°Miguel¡¯s not much of a talker. I doubt he¡¯d say something like that.¡± Ever since they swapped contact info, they had barely spoken. ¡°Miguel is actually a bit of a chatterbox. Maybe he was worried he¡¯d scare you off if he talked too much,¡± Fryderyk said. ¡°You guys are giving me way too much credit,¡± Aria said. Fryderyk grinned, ¡°Come on, you really are awesome.¡± Her phone buzzed, and Aria didn¡¯t respond. Derek texted, [Aria, you¡¯re such a badass! That was a serial killer and you took him down like it was nothing.] Aria replied, [Done with ss?] Derek replied in a sh, [Yep, just finished. Heading home now.] Aria, [I¡¯m on my way to the Fletcher ce too.] At the Fletcher family estate, when Susan saw Fryderyk and Aria getting out of the car together, she couldn¡¯t help but take a second look. They looked like a perfect match-handsome guy, beautiful girl, totally made for each other. Too bad Aria was already off the market. ¡°Howe you two showed up together?¡± Susan greeted them with a warm smile as she walked over. Fryderyk, who rarely greeted her so warmly. ¡°We had a little incident, so we came straight from the station. Figured we¡¯d just do Avery¡¯s checkup a day early,¡± he exined. Hearing Fryderyk actually greeted her, Susan couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit emotional. Fryderyk hardly ever greeted her like that, and he¡¯d always been pretty distant toward her. But ever since Avery¡¯s ident, he¡¯d beening home a lot more, often bringing gifts for Avery. Meanwhile, her own son Lennox hadn¡¯te home even once. Thest time Lennox called, he barely asked about Avery before whining that Aria going to Kanit University had made him aughingstock. Thinking about it now, Susan felt a chill in her heart. She¡¯d treated Aria so poorly, yet Aria was still willing to save Avery. Aria really was a truly good person. She no longer believed anything her son said. Just as she was about to say something, Derek came charging in, making a beeline straight for Aria. Fryderyk reacted fast, grabbing Derek by the back of his cor. ¡°Hey, Fryderyk. What are you doing?¡± Derek yelped, twisting in his grip. ¡°You almost knocked someone over,¡± Fryderyk said. Derek protested, ¡°Hey, I always stop on a dime, you know!¡± Fryderyk let go, and Derek waved the bag in his hand, ncing around. ¡°Where¡¯s Avery? I brought her favorite little cakes.¡± Derek cared more about Avery than Lennox ever did, despite all the bullying he¡¯d gone through growing up. Susan took the bag from him. ¡°Grandma¡¯s ying with Avery in the garden.¡± She added softly, ¡°I¡¯ll have Sofia whip up a few extra dishes. Why don¡¯t you all stay for dinner?¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Derek grabbed Aria¡¯s hand and started running toward the garden. ¡°Come on, Aria. Let¡¯s go find Avery.¡± Watching them go, Susan¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°This ce is really starting to feel like a home again.¡± Without Lennox around, there was moreughter and joy. Even Derek, who once ran away from home, hase back now. Fryderyk let out a quiet word. Susan suddenly asked, ¡°Fryderyk, do you like Aria?¡± Fryderyk paused, caught off guard. ¡°No.¡± Susan remembered how Lexie had tried to set them up before, and she smiled knowingly. ¡°Now I get why Lexie wanted to match you two up. ¡°Aria¡¯s got so many good points. No wonder Owen was so quick to make a move,¡± she added. Fryderyk didn¡¯t respond, his gaze drifting toward the garden. Susan noticed where his gazended and secretly shook her head. ¡®Poor Fryderyk. Single all these years, and just when he finally takes a liking to a girl, turns out she¡¯s already spoken for. Talk about bad luck,¡¯ she thought. After thinking for a moment, Susan said, ¡°Honestly, they¡¯re not married yet. So if someone likes Aria, it¡¯s still fair game to go after her, don¡¯t you think?¡± Fryderyk picked up on her meaning. ¡°Knowing you¡¯re the third wheel and still going for it? That¡¯s just immoral.¡± Susan grinned. ¡°You didn¡¯t deny it. You actually stopped thinking about the consequences. So, you do have a bit of a crush on her, huh?¡± Fryderyk fell silent, not knowing what to say. ¡°Better pull yourself back before you fall too hard.¡± Susan teased. Aria had already been betrayed before. Chasing after her when she¡¯s already with someone else would just be disrespectful to her, especially after everything she¡¯s been through. But Susan genuinely meant what she said to Fryderyk. Again Marriage 768 The Fletcher family had prepared the silver needles. Aria performed a few acupuncture treatments on Avery, adjusted the prescription, and then handed the new prescription to Susan. ¡°Take medicine before bed, and from now on, you cane back for a check-up every two months.¡± Susan tried to contain her excitement and asked, ¡°Is she really getting better?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Susan¡¯s eyes grew misty with gratitude as she said, ¡°Aria, thank you so much.¡± Aria had saved Avery¡¯s life. After dinner, Aria got up to leave. Lexie held her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s sote. Why don¡¯t you stay the night? Fryderyk can take you to school tomorrow.¡± Aria smiled and shook her head. ¡°No, Owen will be here soon.¡± Lexie teased. ¡°He¡¯s really keeping a close eye on you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just used to being together,¡± Aria said, a gentle smile at the corner of her eyes. Fryderyk stood up. ¡°I have to head back to the station for some overtime. I¡¯m off this week, so I¡¯lle back on Saturday. Take care of yourself, Grandma.¡± Lexie sighed, ¡°If you could just get yourself a girlfriend, I swear I¡¯d live to a hundred.¡± Fryderyk replied, ¡°Work keeps me too busy. Even if I found someone, I¡¯d just end up dragging her down.¡± ¡°Go on, go on. None of you ever let me rest easy,¡± Lexie said, waving her hand helplessly. Derek sprang to his feet too. ¡°Fryderyk, I¡¯ll go with you. Give me a ride back to school.¡± Fryderyk nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Lexie turned to Derek and said with heartfelt concern, ¡°Derek, you¡¯re not getting any younger. Maybe it¡¯s time you started dating. Once you start working after graduation, it¡¯ll only get harder to meet the right girl.¡± ¡°I know it, Grandma.¡± Derek grinned and called back. When the three of them reached the gate, Owen¡¯s car had juste to a stop. Aria nced at the two of them. ¡°Take care on your way.¡± Fryderyk watched her get into Owen¡¯s car. Derek leaned in. ¡°Fryderyk, Owen¡¯s cooking is out of this world. We¡¯re all totally under his spell. You can forget about Aria. She¡¯s long gone. Let me set you up with some other girls from our school¡ª¡± ¡°Cut the chatter. Get in the car,¡± Fryderyk interrupted him. ¡°Poor soul,¡± Derek said, ncing up at the sky. The next day at noon, Aria got a call from Cathy. ¡°Lucas has confessed. He and Mark are close friends. Mark couldn¡¯t have killed Isaac on his own. Lucas helped him out. In return, Mark agreed to take the fall for Lucas,¡± Cathy said. Aria asked, ¡°So how¡¯s Mark holding up now?¡± Cathy let out a sigh. ¡°He¡¯s doing okay. Brodie found out you were the one who caught Lucas, and he got so mad hended in the hospital. You can bet he¡¯ll try to meddle in Mark¡¯s case.¡± Brodie might not be the head of the Shaw family, but as the eldest, his word still carried a lot of weight. Who knew, he might even try to stir things up and force Mark to take the me for Lucas. ¡°But Lucas figures he¡¯s already facing the death penalty, so he¡¯s admitted to killing Isaac too,¡± Cathy added. Mark had ever shown Lucas any warmth. He never meant Mark to take the me. This was all just to lure Brodie out and set a trap for him. Brodie had already done enough tond himself in prison. ¡°I just called my brother,¡± Cathy said, her tone noticeably lighter. ¡°He¡¯s going to take on Mark¡¯s case and defend him.¡± Aria let out a soft ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Looks like this case is pretty much over.¡± Cathy cleared her throat. ¡°By the way, summer break ising up soon. Got any ns?¡± ¡°Just doing experiments,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s your break. Don¡¯t just think about work all the time. There are plenty of fun things to do,¡± Cathy said. Aria picked up on the hint and chuckled. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°The State Security Bureau is hosting its Skills Evaluation at the end of July. It only happens once every four years. I¡¯m nning to put together an all-girls team and stomp all those guys into the ground,¡± Cathy said. ¡°We¡¯re just missing one person, and you¡¯d fit right in,¡± she added. Cathy had gotten plenty of offers to join other teams, but she found them all boring. The top yers always team up together and snag first ce every single time. ¡®Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡¯ she thought. The State Security Bureau had way more guys than girls. Some think women are protected in male-dominated teams. Actually, men often band together and only support each other when there are benefits. During assessments, physical strength was a big deal, and it wasn¡¯t exactly in the girls¡¯ favor. But when it came to actual missions, they were just as capable as the guys and often walked away with bonuses and prizes. That only made the guys more determined to beat them and keep them from getting good results in the assessments. Cathy was full of fighting spirit, ready to take on the world. After hearing her out, Aria actually got interested. ¡°Please!¡± Cathy, thinking Aria¡¯s silence meant a no, started to act all clingy. ¡°If you don¡¯t say yes, I¡¯ll just move to Mandino City and bug you every single day.¡± ¡°How long?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Just half a month.¡± Cathy instantly perked up. Aria replied nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Cathy said brightly. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for your answer.¡± Just as Aria hung up, there was a gentle knock at the office door. ¡°Come in,¡± she said. The door opened, and a few female students squeezed in. One of the girls, holding a bouquet of flowers, stepped forward. ¡°Ms. Saxon, these are for you. Thank you for saving me that day.¡± Aria stood up, her eyes gentle. ¡°Protecting students is a teacher¡¯s duty. You really don¡¯t have to go out of your way to thank me. Besides, he was actually after me, and I nearly dragged you into it.¡± The girl said. ¡°Even if he was after you, the truth is, I was almost killed. If it weren¡¯t for you, I probably wouldn¡¯t even be here right now.¡± Her voice caught for a second, but then she managed a smile. ¡°My parents are super grateful and would love to treat you to dinner.¡± Aria took the bouquet of carnations. ¡°Thank you, but you really don¡¯t have to treat me to dinner. I¡¯ll dly ept the flowers, though.¡± The girl nodded with a soft ¡°Mm,¡± then took a beautifully wrapped box from her friend and set it on the desk. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I made this myself. It¡¯s for you.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ms. Saxon.¡± The girls left the office together. Aria opened the box to find a pair of delicate ceramic figurines inside. Their outfits were unmistakably modeled after hers and Owen¡¯s. She couldn¡¯t help but smile as she put the gift away. After finishing her experiments, Aria left work carrying the bouquet in her arms. Owen¡¯s car had just stopped at the school gate. When he saw the flowers in her arms, he couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow. Again Marriage 769 ¡®First question, Madelyn is holding flowers. Second question, she looks genuinely happy, Owen thought. He had given her flowers before, but he¡¯d never seen her wear such a vibrant, lively smile. Why do I feel a little sad about this?¡¯ Owen wondered to himself. ¡®I¡¯m really not being generous enough, he told himself, ¡®I need to hold it in.¡± Owen got out of the car, walked over with a smile, letting his gaze drift over the flowers as if by ident. ¡°They are Carnations. Probably from a student. But students can be boys or girls, Owen noted to himself. Seeing Owen stare at the flowers for a while, Aria simply reached out and ced them in his arms. ¡°They¡¯re from a student.¡± Owen instinctively held them. ¡°I know.¡± After a couple of seconds, Owen asked, ¡°Male student or female student?¡± Aria was at a loss for words for a moment. ¡®So that¡¯s what he¡¯s worried about,¡¯ she thought. She couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Female.¡± Owen turned and opened the passenger door. ¡°I figured it was a girl.¡± They both got into the car. Aria pulled out a box and handed it to him. ¡°She also gave me a gift. Take a look.¡± Owen opened it and saw two ceramic figurines holding hands. He was stunned. ¡°Is this guy¡­ Me?¡± What kind of question is that?¡¯ Aria thought to herself. She shot him a sideways nce. ¡°What, could it be me?¡± Owen raised his hand, looking left and right, his smile growing wider. ¡°It really is me. I thought it might be someone else,¡± Owen said. After all, these days, young girls loved shipping their favorite pairings, especially the Aria and Elmore ship. Owen had even snuck into Mandino University¡¯s message board, where he often came across a blogger sharing chibi-style fan art of the two of them. He privately messaged the blogger. [Hey, just so you know, Aria already has a boyfriend and his name is Owen. Please stop drawing her with Elmore. If you want to draw her, draw her with her actual boyfriend.] The blogger replied, [?] The blogger replied, [Who are you to tell me who to draw? I¡¯ll ship whoever I want, and I¡¯ll draw them as much as I damn well please.] Owen was speechless. He replied, [I¡¯ll pay you. Draw her with her boyfriend. I¡¯ll give you three hundred dors for each drawing.] He added, (Or even three thousand dors.] The blogger replied, [Scammer. I¡¯m totally reporting you.] And then, his ount got banned. ¡®People always say college students are strapped for cash, but even when I put real money on the table, they still thought I was scamming them, Owen thought Owen carefully wrapped up the ceramic figurines. ¡°This girl really knows what¡¯s up. She¡¯s shipping the real couple.¡± Aria reached out and ruffled his hair. ¡°Have you been hanging around those message boards or confession walls again?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± he replied. But honestly, he checked them every single day. Madelyn was basically the campus queen at Mandino University. Her stunning photos popped up all the time, and he could save them all fast enough. ¡°Don¡¯t take it so seriously with kids,¡± Aria said. ¡°Alright, whatever you say,¡± Owen replied. As soon as the car started, Owen¡¯s phone buzzed in his pocket. ¡°Madelyn, my phone¡¯s ringing. Can you answer it for me?¡± Aria scooted over and reached for his phone, but her hand identallynded right on his thigh. Owen jerked back instinctively, making the whole car give a little shake. Aria calmly pulled her hand back a few inches and fished the phone out of his pocket. ¡°It¡¯s Aiden calling. I¡¯m putting it on speaker.¡± Owen let out a low hum, bracing himself and exhaling slowly, repeating in his head. ¡®I¡¯m driving, I¡¯m driving. Once the call connected, Aria set the phone on the holder. ¡°Owen, where are you?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°I¡¯m at home, Grandpa. What¡¯s up?¡± Owen replied. There was a long pause on the other end. ¡°Brodie called me. He said Isaac was murdered, and you¡¯re nning to defend the killer.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± Owen said. Isaac¡¯s actions had already been exposed online, setting off a firestorm of discussion. A small group of people guessed that Owen would defend the Shaw family in court, saying things like, ¡°Even if they¡¯re not living together anymore, they¡¯re still family,¡± and, ¡°Since Isaac was murdered, it¡¯s only right that the killer faces consequences.¡± Most people online, though, were totally against it, saying things like, ¡°Isaac got what he deserved. Mark was doing everyone a favor by getting rid of him,¡± and, ¡°Anyone speaking up for Isaac is just a paid troll.¡± Some even said, ¡°If Owen dares to help the Shaw family, we¡¯ll roast him alive.¡± Again Marriage 770 Owen didn¡¯t pay any attention to the online drama. But Aiden really didn¡¯t want Owen to get mixed up. Sure, he might get some fame out of it, but people would also pbels on him like ¡°ruthless¡± or call him an ¡°ungrateful traitor.¡± Back when Owen sent Isaac to prison, there was already a wave of hate online. People used him of stirring up drama for clout, or even ¡°making a name for himself off someone else¡¯s misery.¡± Aiden always thought that being in the spotlight wasn¡¯t a good thing. It was better to keep things low-key. ¡°Just stay out of this, okay? We¡¯re not taking sides.¡± ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve already made up my mind,¡± Owen replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just spend some time with Julia.¡± Aiden sighed, ¡°Alright, do what you want. If you end up making enemies, that¡¯s your business. Just don¡¯t drag Aria into it. Brodie already has it out for her.¡± ¡°Rx,¡± Owen said. ¡°Aria can handle herself. Honestly, I¡¯m the one who relies on her for protection.¡± ¡°Listen to you, so proud of yourself. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Bye, Grandpa.¡± Just as they hung up, the light turned red. Owen turned to look at her. ¡°Madelyn, did you do that on purpose?¡± Aria knew exactly what he meant. ¡°No, my hand just slipped andnded in the wrong ce.¡± As soon as she finished, she reached out again and let her handnd on his thigh once more. ¡°Now that was on purpose,¡± she said with a grin. As she pulled her hand back, Owen caught it in his. Aria lowered her gaze and she could see the way his Adam¡¯s apple stood out, along with the bit of corbone showing at his neckline. There was a clear bite mark there. One she¡¯d left a few days ago. It still hadn¡¯t faded. ¡°Madelyn, tomorrow¡¯s Sunday. You don¡¯t have to go to school, so you can sleep in,¡± Owen said. Aria nced up at him, totally straight-faced. ¡°How many are left?¡± Owen just grinned. He was more than used to how direct she was. ¡°Two or three. I¡¯ll grab some moreter.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said. They both slept in until noon. When Aria woke up, she saw Owen still sound asleep. She carefully slipped his arm off her and sat up. But as soon as she did, his arm wrapped around her again, pulling her back down. Owen buried his face in her neck, his voice a little rough. ¡°Madelyn, what time is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s half past twelve,¡± Aria replied. ¡°You should sleep a bit more. I¡¯ll get up and make us some lunch,¡± Owen said. They were pressed so close together that Aria suddenly felt something hard against her. She stared at him in shock. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re still¡­?¡± Owen just hugged her tighter. ¡°It¡¯s just biology, I can¡¯t control it.¡± Aria honestly thought she¡¯d drained him dryst night and he¡¯d need some time to bounce back. Owen stayed like that for a few more minutes before finally sitting up. His upper body was bare, and there were several scratch marks across his back and chest. They were Aria¡¯s handiwork. But honestly, he¡¯d asked for it. ¡°I¡¯m toozy to cook, let¡¯s just get delivery,¡± Aria said, giving him a nudge with her foot. ¡°Go grab the ointment, I¡¯ll take care of those scratches for you.¡± Owen pulled on his pajamas, ncing at the red marks on his chest as he did up the buttons. ¡°Honestly, I could just leave them.¡± ¡°If they scar, I¡¯ll be annoyed. Now go.¡± Aria shot back. ¡°Alright, boss. Food first.¡± Owen grinned. After ordering food, Owen went to the living room to grab the ointment while Aria was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. Owen came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. He had a toothbrush in one hand, and with the other, he gently patted her stomach. ¡°Did you lose weight again? There¡¯s barely any flesh on your tummy.¡± Aria smacked his hand away and spat out the toothpaste foam. ¡°I haven¡¯t lost weight. Just brush your teeth.¡± ¡°You really are skinnier,¡± Owen insisted. ¡°I¡¯m just hungry. I skipped breakfast,¡± Aria replied after rinsing her mouth, shooting him a re. ¡°And that¡¯s your fault for keeping me up sotest night.¡± Owen muttered. ¡°But it¡¯s not like we did it that many times.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not every day I get to eat meat, so of course I have to get my fill, he thought. ¡°Twice a week and you still think that¡¯s not a lot?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Nope,¡± Owen replied. Aria just rolled her eyes and smacked him lightly on the cheek. ¡°Go wash up. I¡¯ll put the ointment on when you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied, drawing out the word in a yful tone. Again Marriage 771` Chapter 771 After Owen finished washing up, he took off his shirt and sat down on the bed. Ana grabbed a cotton swab dipped it in ointment, and gently dabbed it on his wounds. ¡°Why do you even bother? In the end, you¡¯re the one who gets burt Owen smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t mind. You only mess with me because you love me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting more shameless every day.¡± Aria teased. ¡°If I weren¡¯t this shameless, I never would¡¯ve managed to win you over.¡± Owen shot back. That was fair enough. 4151 After finishing with his back, Aria was about to apply ointment to his chest when Owen tensed up. Aria gave him a poke. ¡°Don¡¯t tense up, it¡¯s bad for your recovery. ¡°We have been together so long. You don¡¯t have to show off your abs. Trust me, they¡¯re there even when you¡¯re not flexing.¡± She teased. Owen chuckled softly, his gaze deep as he looked at her. ¡°Madelyn¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Aria responded. ¡°Madelyn.¡± He called again. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked. He said wistfully, ¡°If only we¡¯d met earlier¨Cstarted dating at eighteen, and stayed together till we turned a hundred.¡± ¡°As if meeting earlier would have made us a couple. We got into a fight the very first time we met. I really wanted to kill you back then,¡± Aria said. Owen grabbed her hand and leaned in to kiss her cheek. ¡°I never had any bad intentions toward you back then. ¡°I was thinking, who is this feisty little girl, hitting so hard? I really want to take her home and set her straight,¡± he added. Aria rolled her eyes. ¡°You just made thatst part up, didn¡¯t you? I was only fourteen back then. You want to go to jail?¡± She teased. ¡°That would still count as puppy love,¡± Owen said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have fallen for you back then. I would¡¯ve killed you instead.¡± Aria shot back. Back then, Aria was way fiercer than she is now. If Owen had brought up puppy love back then, she would¡¯ve stabbed him right then and there. Owen¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°Madelyn, how about we go check out that ce during summer break?¡± That was the ce where they first met. ¡°Let¡¯s see how things go after the Skills Evaluation of State Security Bureau,¡± Aria replied. Owen looked puzzled. ¡°Skills Evaluation?¡± Aria exined, ¡°Cathy said the State Security Bureau is holding its Skills Evaluation at the end of July. It only happens once every four years. She wanted to form an all¨Cgirls team to take first ce and asked me to join.¡± Owen stared into her eyes. ¡°You never told me about that.¡± ¡°She just called yesterday. Telling you now is just as good,¡± Aria replied. ¡°But you had plenty of chances to tell me yesterday in the car.¡± Owen pointed out. Aria looked down. ¡°Are you ming me?¡± ¡°No¡± Chen traved closer again. That if you give me a kiss. I¡¯ll let it go.¡± ¡°How about a gap instead?¡± Arta teated ¡°¡®ll take that too,¡± Owen replied. She tilted her head back and gave him a loud, smacking kiss. ¡°Drama King Owen, are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m satisfied,¡± Owen replied. After lunch, Arsa headed to the study first, while Owen pulled out his phone and sent a message to Cathy. (Can outsiders attend the Skills Evaluation?] Cathy replied, Aria told you about it? Has she already agreed to join?) Owen, Just answer my question.] Cathy, [The tournament is super strict, so outsiders definitely can¡¯t take part. But¡­) She was worried that if Owen couldn¡¯t get in, he might end up convincing Aria not to join either. So she decided to calm Owen down first. [You can watch from outside with the judges. I¡¯ll try to find a way to sneak you in.] Even if she couldn¡¯t pull it off, if Aria spoke up, Tessa would definitely say yes. Owen, [Okay.] Cathy clicked her tongue. [Seriously, Owen, it¡¯s only been half a month. Are you really that attached to Aria already?] Owen, [Yeah, I can¡¯t be away from her.] Cathy was speechless. She put down her phone and cheered, ¡°Yes!¡± Now that Aria had even told Owen about it, she was probably going to say yes. Cathy hummed a tune as she went to find Ronald, ¡°Mr. Ludwig, this case is pretty much wrapped up. We¡¯re getting ready to leave.¡± Again Marriage 772 Chapter 772 Honestly, they hadn¡¯t been much help with this case. The real credit went to Aria and Vanessa. Ronald shook her hand. ¡°Thanks for all your hard work these past few days.¡± ¡°We honestly didn¡¯t do much,¡± Cathy said. ¡°You guys actually helped out a lot,¡± Ronald replied. They weren¡¯t just working on the serial killer case. Cathy and her team could handle any odd job thrown their way. They were like a jack of all trades, ready to handle anything wherever needed. They left the police station. The other two stretched and said, ¡°Cathy, this was such a great coboration. How about teaming up with us?¡± Cathy waved her hand with a smile. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯ve already got the person I want on my team.¡± ¡°Is it Aria?¡± they asked. Cathy tried to y it mysteriously and shook her head. ¡°Nope.¡± The two of themughed. ¡°Come on, Cathy, it¡¯s obvious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just all we¡¯ve really seen from Aria is her insane drawing skills. But Cathy, that¡¯s not exactly something the tournament is looking for.¡± One of them pointed out. ¡°No offense to her, but she¡¯s jumping straight into thepetition without any training. With zero experience, she¡¯s probably going to get left in the dust by everyone else,¡± they added. Cathy just grinned. ¡°She¡¯s really something. You guys just haven¡¯t seen her in action yet.¡± They just shrugged it off. ¡°Let¡¯s drop it. The Skills Evaluation¡¯s almost here, so we¡¯re heading back to get some real training in. Cathy, want me to grab your ticket too?¡± Cathy replied, ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll head back a couple of dayster.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± they said. Cathy bought a ticket and headed off to Hogford City to meet Gerald. They met up at a caf¨¦. Gerald wasn¡¯t into coffee, so he just drank in water. ¡°The case is over, so what brings you to Hogford City?¡± Cathy took a sip of her coffee and gave him a sidelong nce. ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb. You know exactly why I¡¯m here.¡± Gerald pretended to be clueless. ¡°I have no idea,¡± he said. Gerald was one of the key people under the State Security Bureau¡¯s protection. He was the best programmer in the Bureau, second only to the top expert, and his skills even surpassed those of the instructors who taught the sses. He was only twenty¨Ceight this year. After this year, he was set to be promoted to technical expert. This was Gerald¡¯sst time entering the Skills Evaluation. The tournament required at least two tech specialists, and Gerald was hands¨Cdown the most in¨Cdemand member¨Cno contest. If Aria hadn¡¯t found Vanessa, Cathy would¡¯ve had Gerald go to Kanit City to crack the program. Vanessa was about the same age as Gerald, and her cracking speed was seriously impressive. For some reason, Cathy just felt like Vanessa might be a notch above Gerald. Gerald didn¡¯t even hesitate before turning her down, his tone gentle. ¡°You¡¯re putting together an all¨Cgirls team and still inviting me? That doesn¡¯t really make sense.¡± Cathy grinned. ¡°Why not? Wouldn¡¯t it be great if you led us to the championship?¡± ¡°Nope. If we win, everyone will just say it was all because of me. I don¡¯t want to take all the credit,¡± Gerald replied. ¡®He didn¡¯t even want to take the credit for something this good,¡® Cathy thought, a little amused. Cathy grinned. ¡°I know a super elite hacker. Her skills are right up there with the top expert Ned. If you join us, I¡¯ll introduce you twof Gerald set his cup down unhurriedly and replied, ¡°Not interested.¡± Cathy teased, ¡°That girl¡¯s skills totally outss yours. You really don¡¯t want to meet her?¡± ¡°Still nope,¡± Gerald said. ¡°So, which team are you nning to join?¡± Cathy asked. ¡°Haven¡¯t really thought about it. I¡¯ll just join whichever team I feel like when the timees,¡± Gerald replied. Cathy frowned, ¡°If it doesn¡¯t matter to you, why not just join us?¡± Gerald shrugged. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to join a team too early.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll ask you again when the tournament starts. Are you in then?¡± Cathy pressed. Gerald said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that when the timees.¡± Cathy¡¯s fists tightened in frustration. ¡°Seriously, if you don¡¯t get to meet that boss¨Clevel hacker, you¡¯re totally going to regret it.¡± Gerald let out a smallugh, teasing, ¡°You¡¯re talking about Vanessa, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cathy stared at him in shock. ¡°Wait, how did you know that?¡± 22 AD Comment Send gift No Ads SUL LAUG Chapter 773 Again Marriage 773 Chapter 773 766 ¡°The fraudsters in Mandino City were arrested, and the police thanked Vanessa. Vanessa and Aria are good friends. It¡¯s not hard to guess what role Vanessa yed in this,¡± Gerald said. At that time, the police in Mandino City also contacted the State Security Bureau, Gerald was about to set off when they said they had found someone to help, so he didn¡¯t need to go. Gerald knew even before Cathy that the superstar Vanessa was actually a legendary hacker. After hearing the exnation, Cathy fell silent for a long while before finally saying, ¡°You¡¯re really scary. Serves you right for being single.¡± He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re not single.¡± Busy with their careers, they really didn¡¯t have time for a rtionship. However, many people shipped them as a couple. But in reality, they just didn¡¯t see each other that way. Whether one liked someone or not, one usually knew at first sight. In today¡¯s society, there were plenty of singles around. Dating and marriage weren¡¯t necessities; there was no need to force it. One could live a fulfilling life alone, and loving oneself was more important. Older folks didn¡¯t understand. They thought people must marry and have kids. After the first, they pushed for a second, and it never ended. That was why Cathy and Gerald both avoided going home whenever they could. Out in the world, people would say, ¡°You¡¯re just twenty¨Csix or twenty¨Ceight, still young.¡± But at home, it was always, ¡°You¡¯re almost thirty. If you don¡¯t hurry up and settle down, no one¡¯s going to want you.¡± Cathy was about to say more, but Gerald cut her off. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. It¡¯s pointless. Go take care of your own business.¡± So, there really was no chance for them to work together. That meant they¡¯d only ever be rivals. Cathy threw down the gauntlet. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this. Our team is taking the championship for sure.¡± ¡°Then let me congratte you in advance.¡± Gerald raised his ss. Cathy felt like her words hadnded on a pillow. She stood up, ready to leave. ¡°Thanks. See you, bad Gerald.¡± ¡°See you,¡± Gerald said. Aria had just gotten to campus when Mike showed up at her office looking for her. ¡°Ms. Saxon, do we get a summer break?¡± Everyone joked that being a grad student is like being a pack mule. Whether you had a vacation or not totally depends on your advisor¡¯s mood. Aria booted up herputer. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Schmidt mention anything to you?¡± ¡°Mr. Schmidt said it¡¯s your call,¡± he replied. ¡°Alright, then you¡¯ll get a break starting early July and sses will resume in September,¡± Aria replied. It was mid¨CJune now. Mike hesitated for a moment. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I was hoping to start my summer break a bit early so I could take the State Security Bureau¡¯s entrance exam. I n toe back in August.¡± Aria looked a little surprised. ¡°You¡¯re applying to the State Security Bureau?¡± Mike nodded. ¡°A lot of students are signing up. I figured I¡¯d give it a shot too.¡± But really, getting into the State Security Bureau had always been his goal. If he was lucky enough to pass, he might even make it to the Skills Evaluation at the end of July. Sure, it was a long shot for a newbie to win, but it would be a great chance to get a feel for thepetition and prepare for next year. He paused, then added. ¡°Ms. Saxon, if I do pass the exam, I might not be able toe back until mid¨CAugust at the earliest.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Final exams are done, so as long as you finish your coursework, you¡¯re all set. If you make it into the State Security Bureau, you¡¯ll basically be Mandino University¡¯s pride. So, no worries about your vacation.¡± Mike grinned. ¡°Thanks, Ms. Saxon.¡± As Mike walked out of the office, Helen and Larry rushed over. ¡°That was fast. Did you get your leave approved?¡± Mike nodded. ¡°Yeah, the usual break is July to September.¡± Helen¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°We get that long off? Mr. Chilton¡¯s students don¡¯t even get a break.¡± Larry looked a bit worried. ¡°Isn¡¯t two months a bit much? What if we fall behind everyone else?¡± AD Comment Send gift No Ads Chapter 77A Again Marriage 774 Mike patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re just first years. No need to stress work life bnce, remember?¡± Larry rolled his eyes. ¡°Says the guy who¡¯s always grinding the hardest.¡± Mike just grinned, ¡°Just follow Ms. Saxon¡¯s lead. When she takes a break, you guys can chill too.¡± Helen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what we were nning anyway.¡± Mid¨CJuly, Cathy messaged Aria. [Aria, the registration deadline is today. Have you decided yet?] Ana replied, I¡¯m in.] Cathy, fresh off a training session, grinned as she typed, [Want toe train at the State Security Bureau ahead of time and get a feel for it?] Aria, [No thanks, I¡¯ve got my own way to train.] Cathy, [Alrighty, I¡¯ll get you signed up.] Cathy put her phone away, and the short¨Chaired woman next to her wiped the sweat from her forehead. She said, ¡°Captain, we¡¯re still onebatant short.¡± Here were the requirements for the Skills Evaluation. Each team must have 5 to 7 members, including at least onemander, onebatant, one technician, one intelligence officer, and one scout. Technicians were skilled at hacking systems and repairing all kinds of equipment, but most of them had lowbat ability, making them easy targets for elimination. That was why teams usually had two technicians. Next are thebatants. The higher the team was overallbat strength, the better their chances of surviving thepetition. There were fifteen women in the State Security Bureau, but only nine of them signed up for the Skills Evaluation. The other three girls teamed up elsewhere. Cathy¡¯s squad had six women, with two of them being techies. What they really needed was one more fighter; only then would their odds of winning really go up. Cathy grinned. ¡°Rx, we¡¯ve already got ourbatant.¡± One teammate asked, ¡°So, Cathy, who¡¯d you rope in?¡± Cathy called out. ¡°Aria.¡± The others were stunned. ¡°Wait, you mean the girl Ms. Langford personally recruited? But she¡¯s never even trained with us.¡± ¡°Should we just ask Winifred Chappell instead?¡± another teammate suggested. ¡°She¡¯s super experienced. She even made the top three inst year¡¯s solo event.¡± But Winifred wasn¡¯t interested in the Skills Evaluation, so she didn¡¯t sign up. Cathy shot them a reassuring look. ¡°Aria wasn¡¯t going to join at first. I had to beg her for half the day. Trust me, she¡¯s got this.¡± ¡®If the number one assassin had any issues, that¡¯d be the real surprise,¡® Cathy thought. Even if Aria hadn¡¯t trained in four years, Cathy still had zero doubts about her. Some things were just in her bones; she never lost them. Not far off, Fabian¡¯s team overheard and came closer. The short guy was the first to speak. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d really get Aria. We were just racking our brains on how to reach her.¡± The short¨Chaired girl, Emily, asked, ¡°So you were after her too?¡± Fabian replied coolly, ¡°We¡¯re good with just five.¡± Fabian¡¯s team werest year¡¯s champions. 12:20 Sat, 9 Aug He was themander, Cathy was thebatant, Gerald was the technician, Bruce handled intelligence, and their scout was ire. All five of them had seriousbat skills. No other team could reallypete with them. Cathy and Gerald weren¡¯t big on forming alliances, so Fabian simply picked two other teammates to work with long¨Cterm. With three out of five members fromst year¡¯s champion team, their victory this time seemed almost certain. Thepetition wasn¡¯t just about going solo. Teams often worked together. There would definitely be plenty of teams eager to tear up with them. Fabian was so confident in their strength that he didn¡¯t even bother filling all seven spots. Cathy raised an eyebrow. ¡°If you¡¯re not inviting Aria, then what do you want with her?¡± The short guy grinned. ¡°We¡¯re reaching out to get her in the Skills Evaluation, of course. Gotta see for ourselves what kind of skills Ms. Langford¡¯s handpicked girl really has.¡± His name was Weyne Hecht, from Horea¨Cabat specialist who excelled at close¨Cquarters breakouts. Definitely not someone to take lightly. Cathy gave a fake smile. ¡°No need for you to trouble yourselves.¡± Fabian looked at Cathy and reminded her. ¡°Only Aria was specially recruited without an assessment. People will be curious and want to test her.¡± He swept his gaze over the six of them. ¡°All of you are female, and with Aria, you¡¯re like walking targets.¡± Again Marriage 775 Chapter 775 Fabian said, ¡°You guys are gonna be the first to go.¡± Cathy smiled and said, ¡°Not so fast. Fabian, you want the championship, and so do I. When the Skills Evaluation rolls around, we¡¯ll see who to it when it came to bringing Aria water. He couldn¡¯t exactly dash over in a hurry like Silvia did. But then heforted himself, ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter. After all, I am the only one in the world who gets to stick with Madelyn every single day. Letting Silvia have a chance to show off isn¡¯t a big deal.¡¯ Aria loosened up a bit and looked over at Myrtle. She asked, ¡°Ready for another round?¡± Myrtle darted behind Caleb and said, ¡°Aria, I can¡¯t do it anymore. Give me a break, please.¡± Caleb spoke up, ¡°Aria, let¡¯s take a breather for now. Myrtle has been hauling stuff these past few days, so she¡¯s out of energy. Let Owen spar with you for a bit.¡± Myrtle had been moving thingstely. She was just trying to avoid getting dragged into another round with Aria when she was in full beast mode. 1820 Sat, Aug Aria looked at Myrtle and Caleb with a deep, unreadable gaze. Then she said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you, Caleb,¡± Caleb realized Aria had gotten the wrong idea, but he could only keep quiet. Wilson slowly got up and shot Owen a look full of sympathy. He thought, ¡®Since he can handle Aria, I¡¯ve given my consent to their marriage. . Late July, the day before the Skills Evaluation, Aria was packing her bags in her room. Owen stood in front of the closet, quietly folding his clothes and packing them into his suitcase, too. Aria nced up at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna be gone for two weeks this time. You really wanna tag along?¡± Owen nodded without even looking up. He said, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria replied, and went back to packing her things. The room was quiet for a few seconds. Owen paused, then moved over to her side. He asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you even a little curious how I¡¯ming with you?¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 776 Chapter 776 Aria caught on, a faint smile ying at her lips. She said, ¡°You can get into the State Security Bureau, right?¡± Owen slipped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and chuckling softly. He said, ¡°You are getting too clever¨Cit¡¯s impossible to surprise you anymore.¡± Aria reached back and gently cupped his cheek. She said, ¡°Go pack up.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± Owen replied, pressing a soft kiss to her hair. Four hourster, they arrived at the gates of the State Security Bureau. When Tessa saw them get out of the car, she reached out to Owen first and said, ¡°Wee, Owen.¡± After greeting Owen, Tessa turned to Aria, her eyes lighting up with surprise. She said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to show up for thispetition.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Cathy has some ideas, and I am impressed.¡± Tessa led them inside, exining to Aria, ¡°Here¡¯s how the amodations are set up. You¡¯ll be staying in the regr dorm, and he¡¯ll be in the VIP area. If you two stay in the same room, people will start talking. ¡°Honestly, the regr dorms aren¡¯t much different from the VIP area. State Security Bureau always takes good care of the guests.¡± Owen said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just stay in the regr dorm.¡± Tessa chuckled and said, ¡°Alright then.¡± Arja looked at Owen thoughtfully and asked, ¡°Tessa¡¯s attitude toward you is pretty special. Did you do something?¡± Before Owen could answer, Tessaughed and said, ¡°He donated 30 million dors to the State Security Bureau¡¯s research fund. He can stay as long as he wants.¡± Tessa thought, ¡®It has only been two weeks apart, and yet Owen just couldn¡¯t stand being away from Aria. He sticks to her like glue. ¡®Usually, it¡¯s the wife who follows the husband, but with these two, Owen is the one happily trailing after his wife.¡¯ As the three of them walked into the training base, all eyes were instantly on them. Soon, the State Security Bureau¡¯s internal group chat was blowing up. One texted: [Photos, please.] Another texted: [Aria showed up. And she brought a guy with her.] Someone texted: [Is that the newbie? He¡¯s hot, but is he any good?] One replied: [I¡¯ve seen that newbie before, and it¡¯s not this guy.] One texted: [Did he just pull some strings to get in? Seriously, nowadays even random nobodies can get into the State Security Bureau?] Just then, Cathy replied: [That¡¯s my brother Owen/He donated 30 million dors to the State Security Bureau¨Che¡¯s a VIP guest for thepetition. Got a problem with that?] The chat went dead silent for a second, then totally blew up. One texted: [30 million dors?] Another texted: [Is this what being rich is like?] ????????? Someone texted: [Bring it on, you damn capitalists.] Weyne suddenly tagged Cathy. He texted: [So, Aria only got in because of your brother¡¯s connections?) Cathy instantly fired back with a middle finger emoji. She replied: [If 30 million dors was all it took to get into the State Security Bureau, howe every rich guy in the country isn¡¯t here already? [Brains are a nice thing to have¨Ctoo bad you missed out.] Fabian, getting a little heated, texted: [Aria¡¯s got some skills, I¡¯ll give her that, but she sure knows how to cling to your family.] Cathy replied: [You¡¯ve got it backwards, guys. It¡¯s my brother who¡¯s the gold¨Cdigger here. Aria¡¯s worth billions. If you¡¯re so curious, go look it up yourself instead of whining in the chat.] One texted: [Cathy¡¯s been super fiercetely. No way I¡¯m gonna mess with her.] Cathy was usually pretty chill with everyone, but today she just went full savage on people. Someone texted: [Whatever, as long as she¡¯s noting for us.] Aria¡¯s background wasn¡¯t exactly a secret, so when everyone started digging into it, the whole group chat instantly fell silent in shock. The information indicated that Aria was the biggest shareholder of the Stars Group and the controlling owner of the former Cole Group¨Cnow Phosphor Group. Everyone in the group chat thought, ¡®Forget billions, her worth is off the charts. She is basically a walking ATM.¡® A few minutester, someone texted: [Is it still possible to cling to her now? I¡¯m totally down to serve drinks for her.] Weyne texted: [So what if she¡¯s rich? Bunch of simps, the lot of you.] Ìï Again Marriage 777 Chapter 777 After showing Aria and Owen around the base, Tessa arranged for someone to take them to their dorm and said, ¡°See you at the cafeteriater¡± ¡°See youter, Ms. Langford,¡± Aria and Owen replied in unison. As soon as Tessa left, more eyes turned to Aria and Owen. Owen looked at the guide and asked, ¡°Could you take us to our dorm first?¡± ¡°Sure, this way,¡± the guide said. Two hourster, Cathy texted Aria: [The Skills Evaluation is tomorrow. Want to grab dinner together and get to know each other a bit?] Aria replied: [Sure.] Cathy texted: [Do you know where it is? Need me toe pick you guys up?] Aria replied: [No worries, I know the ce.] The State Security Bureau¡¯s cafeteria was spacious and bright, serving everything from Huthailian¨Cstyle stir¨Cfries to steaks, plus desserts, fruit, and drinks. Tessa was walking and chatting with a few of the veteran members. When she spotted Aria and Owen, she smiled and said, ¡°Look, they¡¯re here.¡± One leader gave Aria a once¨Cover and whispered to Tessa, ¡°Is this the girl you brought in as a special recruit? She¡¯s good¨Clooking, but that could be a disadvantage out in the field.¡± He thought, ¡®At the State Security Bureau, being attractive could sometimes be a burden¨Cit makes one an easy target. Plus, this girl has a cold, sharp look in her eyes. She is not someone you¡¯d want to mess with. ¡®The instructors especially love putting tough types like her in their ce. Tessa smiled and said calmly, ¡°In the face of absolute strength, none of that matters.¡± Another veteran said, ¡°This is the first time in years Tessa¡¯s bent the rules for a special recruit. The girl must be something else. Let¡¯s just wait and see how she performs in thepetition. Come on, let¡¯s go meet our backers.¡± Aria spotted Cathy¡¯s team and said to Owen, ¡°I¡¯m going to join Cathy.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Owen replied. Then he walked over to Tessa and the others. The leader warmly extended his hand to Owen and said, ¡°Mr. Shaw, thank you for your support of the State Security Bureau. Your investment has been a huge help in advancing our research projects.¡± The State Security Bureau didn¡¯t just ept any investment¨Cthey cared about the background and character of their backers. Owen shook his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure. I¡¯m honored to contribute.¡± Meanwhile, Cathy had saved a seat for Aria. She said, ¡°Come sit here, let¡¯s eat together.¡± Aria thanked her and sat down. She then introduced herself, ¡°Hey everyone, I¡¯m Aria. Nice to meet you all.¡± A short¨Chaired girl spoke up first, ¡°I¡¯m Emily, I handle recon.¡± A blonde, blue¨Ceyed foreign girl next to Emily extended her hand and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Caroline. Like you, I¡¯m a fighter.¡± Next was the girl with sses. She said, ¡°I¡¯m Jocelyn, the tech expert.¡± Sat, 9 Aug ¡°I¡¯m Liz, also a tech expert,¡± said the next girl. Thest girl, with a ponytail, smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m Allison, the intelligence officer.¡± After everyone finished introducing themselves, Cathy started exining thepetition rules. She said, ¡°The Skills Evaluation will take ce in a forbidden zone deep in the no man¡¯snd. The State Security Bureau has set up all kinds of challenges there. ¡°Thepetition will start with an elimination round, and no guns or explosives are allowed. ¡°All contestants have to wear a ne with an elimination button¨Cif you take down an opponent and press their button, they will be instantly knocked out of the game. ¡°At the beginning, everyone needs to scavenge for resources¨Cfood, weapons, medical kits, tents, maps, and more. These supplies will be dropped at random locations, and anyone can fight to im them. ¡°The no man¡¯snd is full of natural hazards like swamps and cliffs, and on top of that, the State Security Bureau has set up extra traps, ambush spots, and patrol guards. ¡°If you got spotted by a patrol, they¡¯d open fire right away. If you were injured and couldn¡¯t go on, you could choose to forfeit. ¡°To get your hands on resources, you have to clear checkpoints¨Ceach one specially designed to test your strengths. There are thirteen teams in the game, but only eight supply stations are up for grabs. ¡°Each team has to im a supply station¨Cif you don¡¯t lock one down within 48 hours, your whole team is out. So after two days, at most eight teams will move on to the team round. ¡°In the team round, we have to gather encrypted intel, crack the clues, and track down the final boss¡¯s coordinates. ¡°Once the team gets the target, everyone has to take on their trial¨Ceach challenge is tailored to your specialty, pushing you to your limits. ¡°The team and individual scores are connected¨Cthe entire team has to survive if you want a shot at the final boss. The wholepetition has to wrap up in fourteen days¨Cif you run out of time, you¡¯re out. Again Marriage 778 Chapter 778 ¡°Only the champion team gets the prize money and rewards. Since it¡¯s a team round, teams are allowed to target members of other teams. If you eliminate even one member, that whole team loses its shot at thepetition. ¡°But not many teams actually go that route. Teams that lose their shot at the team round aren¡¯t out for good¨Cthey can still stick around, join forces with others, and go after the team that knocked them out. ¡°Cooperation between teams is also important. Your social skills matter too¨Chaving good connections can really make a difference. ¡°The whole event is under surveince. If you use any banned weapons like guns or explosives, you¡¯ll be permanently disqualified. And if you cause any injuries or deaths, the consequences are even more severe. ¡°Plus, you have to sign a risk disclosure and a liability waiver¨Cthere¡¯s an actual risk of death.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°These rules are prettyplicated.¡± Cathyughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s already the short version. Last time, because the teams were so uneven, we knocked out seven teams right at the start and cruised to victory. ¡°This year, the teams¡® strengths are fairly bnced, but Fabian¡¯s team has three members fromst year¡¯s champions¨Cthey¡¯re the strongest. We used to be the underdogs, but now that you¡¯re here, that might not be the case. ¡°Honestly, I think you could beat Fabian. Fighters don¡¯t just have to deal with other teams¨Cthey also have to go up against the instructors. ¡°Last year, to im a supply station, the fighters had to dodge hidden weapons and take down an instructor at the same time. Just get familiar with the setup¨Cyou might be the one going in.¡± Last year, Cathy was the fighter, and she almost didn¡¯t make it. Although Caroline joined the team this year, her fighting power was just middle of the pack here at the Bureau. Everyone felt Caroline didn¡¯t stand a chance against an instructor. So nobody thought they had a shot at the championship. But Cathy believed in Aria. Aria shot Cathy a look and said, ¡°You¡¯re putting way too much faith in me.¡± Cathy blinked and said, ¡°I really believe in you. We¡¯re going for the championship.¡± Emily sighed and said, ¡°Honestly, not getting eliminated would be good enough for me.¡± Caroline chimed in, ¡°Same here.¡± Cathy and her team had been in hardcore training for thispetition since before Christmas Day. But Aria hadn¡¯t joined a single session. So the team members thought, ¡®Not only do we have topete, but now we will have to look out for her. If she is too weak and gets knocked out, the whole team will be out of thepetition. ¡®But it is Cathy who brought her in, and there just aren¡¯t any other girls willing to join. Guess we can only wait to be eliminated.¡¯ Seeing that the team¡¯s morale was low, Cathy encouraged, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s pull ourselves together¨Cchampionship, championship.¡± Suddenly, someone nearby snickered. Cathy turned her head at the voice, frowning. Weyne and Fabian¡¯s team strolled over and deliberately took a seat close by. Weyne said, ¡°Cathy, we¡¯re just as determined to take the championship.¡± ??. Cathy kept a straight face and said, ¡°Everyone wants the title. We all have the right topete.¡± Fabian stared straight at Cathy and said, ¡°You know, sign¨Cups aren¡¯t set in stone. If you want that championship, you could still switch over to our team.¡± Cathy shot back, ¡°Not happening. I¡¯m sticking with my team.¡± Fabian¡¯s face soured, but he didn¡¯t push it any further. Aria gave azy nce in Fabian¡¯s direction and said to Cathy, ¡°Does that Mr. Forehead over there have a crush on you or something?¡± Cathy nearly spit out her drink at the address. She sneaked a look at Fabian and thought, ¡®His forehead is huge. She then turned to Aria and eximed, ¡°You have decent people skills.¡± She always thought Aria¡¯s brains and people skills couldn¡¯t possibly go together. Aria gave Cathy aplicated look and asked, ¡°Do Ie off as socially clueless?¡± Cathy replied, ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean.¡± ¡°Just spit it out,¡± Aria said. Cathy said, ¡°I mean, you actually noticed that he likes me.¡± Aria said, ¡°Mr. Forehead always acts all high and mighty with everyone else, but when he talks to you, he holds back.¡± Fabian had never actually confessed, but everyone at the State Security Bureau could tell he had a thing for Cathy. But he was way too proud to ever make the first move. Cathy originally didn¡¯t have any particr feelings for Fabian¨Cneither liking nor disliking him. However, when Fabian started to act as if she had feelings for him too, with a sense of confidence that she would reluctantly ept his confession if he made one, Cathy began to feel disgusted with him. Thankfully, Fabian never did anything creepy, so Cathy just pretended the whole thing didn¡¯t exist. Jocelyn said, ¡°Mr. Forehead is a pretty fitting nickname.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Allison chimed in. The tense atmosphere gradually eased, and the rest of the team stopped fixating on whether Aria was strong enough. They figured they¡¯d just take things as they came and give it their all. Just then, Bruce spoke up. ¡°Mr. Harrison is here.¡± Ìï AD Comment Send gift Again Marriage 779 Chapter 779 The cafeteria erupted intomotion. Everyone stood up, waving enthusiastically toward the door. Here shouted, ¡°Mr. Harrison,e to our table.¡± Another called out, ¡°Over here, Mr. Harrison. We saved you a seat.¡± Ned was dressed in a casual suit and wore gold¨Crimmed sses. Even though he was in his forties, he still had the vibe of someone much younger. He was the most popr instructor at the State Security Bureau¨Cno contest. Ned smiled warmly and nodded to everyone, every move showing his refined and graceful demeanor. Tessa looked at Ned, who was surrounded by the crowd, and couldn¡¯t help but remark, ¡°Ned is still as popr as ever.¡± Fillip grinned with pride and said, ¡°I went to great lengths to bring him in. He is Alpha, the legendary hacker¨Cof course, he¡¯s popr.¡± Hearing this, Owen thought, ¡®Alpha is Ned? How did I not know that?¡® He nced over at Aria. Aria was the only one in the entire cafeteria still sitting quietly,pletely unfazed by themotion around her. Caroline whispered to Aria, ¡°If you want to fit in quickly, you should probably stand up and greet Mr. Harrison. He is really nice.¡± Aria didn¡¯t even look up. She said, ¡°It¡¯s not a funeral. No need to go overboard.¡± Her voice was calm, but there was a chill beneath the surface. Caroline thought, ¡®Is she cursing Ned?¡® Sensing something was off, Cathy quickly sat back down and asked, ¡°Aria, do you know him?¡± Aria nodded and replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Realizing there was some bad blood between Aria and Ned, Cathy decided not to get up to greet Ned. She usually went to Gerald for help with any issues and had never bothered Ned. Seeing this, the other team members also sat back down, too. So, aside from the veterans¡® table, Cathy¡¯s table was the only one still sitting down, making them stand out like a sore thumb. Ned chatted with a few of the veterans before heading toward the inner part of the cafeteria. His gaze lingered on Cathy and her group, and he suddenly said, ¡°Seven beautifuldies, may I sit here?¡± The tables in the cafeteria only fit four people each. To make it easier for everyone to talk, Cathy had put two tables together. There was one empty seat left, right next to Aria and across from Cathy. A person from Fabian¡¯s team quickly called out, ¡°Mr. Harrison, there¡¯s plenty of space over here. Come sit with us.¡± Ned smiled gently and replied, ¡°I heard Tessa specially recruited a really impressive new member.¡± He nced at Aria and continued, ¡°You look unfamiliar, so you must be the one. Since it¡¯s our first meeting, let me give you a little wee gift.¡± With that, he ced a delicate box on the table, and itnded with a crisp sound. It was Ned¡¯s tradition to prepare a gift for every new member who joined. That was one of the reasons he was so popr. Aria put down her fork and slowly looked up. Seeing Aria¡¯s face, Ned¡¯s smile froze on his face, his pupils shrinking in an instant. Aria curled her lips into a sly smile. She picked up the box and toyed with it. Then she asked, ¡°You sure this is really for me?¡± 12:20 Sat, 9 Aug Ned¡¯s face twitched. Then he barely managed a strained smile and said, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s for you. You all enjoy your meal. I¡¯ve got something to take care of, so I¡¯ll head out first.¡± With that, he turned and walked away. On the surface, his steps looked steady, but if one paid attention, one could catch the panic in his stride. People started gossiping all over the cafeteria. One whispered, ¡°Why did Mr. Harrison leave?¡± Another said, ¡°Aria is so rude. Mr. Harrison even came over to give her a gift himself, and she didn¡¯t even bother to stand up.¡± Again Marriage 780 Chapter 780 Someoneined, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Cathy¡¯s team? They don¡¯t know any manners.¡± Cathy just tuned out the gossip and said bluntly, ¡°Aria, Mr. Harrison is scared of you.¡± Emily nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, I saw that too.¡± The other team members all looked at Aria, curiosity written all over their faces. Caroline asked, ¡°What¡¯s the deal between you two?¡± Aria said, ¡°I¡¯ll fill you in when I get the chance.¡± Outside the cafeteria, Ned leaned against the wall, his chest heaving. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm down. He thought, ¡®How the hell is she here? Did shee for me? No. ¡®This is the State Security Bureau. She wouldn¡¯t dare pull anything here. Besides, I¡¯m in a high position, and she¡¯s just an ordinary member. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. With this thought in mind, he gradually calmed down. In the cafeteria, Fillip said with displeasure, ¡°Madelyn, the neer you recruited iscking in manners.¡± Tessa turned her gaze away and said, ¡°Aria doesn¡¯t even know who Ned is. Does she really have to stand up and greet him respectfully to be considered polite? That¡¯s never been the style here at the Bureau.¡± A leader stepped in to smooth things over. He said, ¡°It¡¯s just a small thing. Let¡¯s not talk about it.¡± Cathy picked up a piece of meat and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just eat and forget about it. As long as Mr. Harrison doesn¡¯t target us, who cares what other people say about us?¡± As soon as Cathy put the meat in her mouth, Aria suddenly spoke up, ¡°When Ned was talking earlier, I saw him spraying spit everywhere.¡± Hearing this, Cathy immediately spat the meat onto a napkin and tossed it aside with a look of disgust. The other team members also put down their forks, their expressions a mix of difort and awkwardness. ¡°Should we go get new food?¡± Emily whispered. Jocelyn shook her head, looking troubled. She said, ¡°the Bureau has rules¨Cwe can¡¯t waste food.¡± The girls exchanged nces, all thinking the same thing: they¡¯d rather go hungry than touch the food in front of them. Suddenly, Allison mmed her fork down with a sharp tter. Cathy shot her a re and demanded, ¡°Allison, what¡¯s your deal? If you¡¯ve got a problem with Aria, take it up with me. Stop with the attitude.¡± Allison smacked the table, making the tes rattle. She snapped, ¡°Who did you even bring in? And you still have the guts to talk about winning the championship? With what? Just your mouth?¡± Cathy retorted, ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re looking down on?¡± ¡°You, obviously,¡± Allison fired back, not backing down an inch. Jocelyn quickly stood up to try and break it up. She said, ¡°Stop it, guys. We¡¯re in the cafeteria.¡± But Cathy and Allison had already grabbed each other by the cor. ¡°Let¡¯s fight outside,¡± Cathy shouted. Chapter Yap With burgun bestching in shach, torty and An stated dragging exch they read the exit. The ather won meintiers scrambled to stop them, getting up and following after them. Seeing that Aus still sat there, Emily pulled her up and said, ¡®Come on, let¡¯s go. And just like that, all even ed them left the cafeteria. Before leaving the cafeteria, Aria exchanged a look with Owen and just shrugged at him, looking helpless. The people at the nearby tables exchanged looks with each other. They thought, ¡®Do they really think we didn¡¯t hear themining about Med spitting everywhere? These girls are such drama queens. Owen put down his fork and said, ¡°I¡¯m full, so I¡¯ll head out first.¡± Tessa quickly stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll walk Mr. Shaw back to his dorm.¡± The two of them left, one after the other. Tessa asked, ¡°Does Aria have some kind of grudge against Ned?¡± Owen replied, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, but what I do know is, Ned isn¡¯t Alpha.¡± Tessa¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She eximed, ¡°What? Ned isn¡¯t Alpha?¡± B Comment Send gift AD Again Marriage 781 Alpha, a hacker who didn¡¯t even bother with a real name, took the world by storm by cracking the most advanced encryption firewall on the. Alpha once broke into Riviera¡¯s weapon system within five minutes, stopping a covert massacre and exposing a major scandal. He left only the mark of ¡°A¡± before vanishing without a trace. He could solve problems that others couldn¡¯t. Many organizations tried to recruit him, but he was nowhere to be found. Over time, Alpha started showing up less and less, almost fading into the background. He only came out of hiding when there was a problem so tough-and so dangerous to the country or society-that no one else could handle it. At some point, rumors began to spread that Alpha was a man in his early forties who had already joined the State Security Bureau. People gradually started to believe it. The State Security Bureau only reached out to Alpha because of his reputation for always doing the right thing. Tessa thought, ¡®If Owen knows Ned isn¡¯t Alpha, then he must know who Alpha really is.¡¯ Suppressing her shock, she asked, ¡°Then who is Alpha?¡± ¡®Sorry, Ms. Langford, but I can¡¯t reveal her identity without her permission,¡± Owen replied. ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Tessa said. Owen smiled gently and said, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m going to go find my girlfriend.¡± The Skills Evaluation was starting tomorrow, and Owen and Aria wouldn¡¯t see each other for half a month. Owen wanted to spend more time with Aria before thepetition. Tessa pondered, ¡®Ned¡¯s skills are indeed undeniable. But he has done some things that don¡¯t exactly follow the Bureau¡¯s rules. We only put up with it because he is Alpha. If he weren¡¯t an Alpha, things would be different. She felt a bit overwhelmed. Lost in her thoughts, she simply replied, ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± Owen nodded and walked away. In another direction, a group of people was walking toward the cafeteria. Mike spotted Owen and froze. He muttered, ¡°Why is Mr. Shaw here?¡± Mike was the newest recruit at the State Security Bureau this year, the only one who had passed all the tests. Hearing his words, the six people in the group looked up. Clifford asked, ¡°Do you know him?¡± Mike nodded and said, ¡°He¡¯s my mentor¡¯s boyfriend. I didn¡¯t expect to run into him here.¡± Zoey frowned when she heard that. She thought, ¡®Isn¡¯t he the boyfriend of that new recruit Tessa personally recruited?¡± A bald guy said with a fawning grin, ¡°Let¡¯s not get involved in their business. Let¡¯s just go eat. With Gerald on our side, we¡¯ve actually got a shot at taking the title. ¡°Fabian¡¯s team is really strong. If we can team up with the other groups to take them out first, that would be ideal. Cathy¡¯s team is the weakest, and they¡¯ve got an untrained newbie. We don¡¯t even need to worry about them.¡± Zoey nced at Gerald and asked. ¡°What do you think, Gerald?¡± Gerald kept a straight face and replied. ¡°I¡¯m just here to do my job as a technician. The rest is up to you guys¡± What he meant was, he wasn¡¯t nning to help the others much. When they invited him to join, Gerald had already given them a heads-up about this. Clifford said, ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for the Skills Evaluation to start and y it by ear. Let¡¯s go Aria and Owen¡¯s dorms were assigned temporarily, right across the hall from each other. They were the only ones living on he entire floor. Owen knew Aria hadn¡¯t eaten much, so he got the number from Tessa and ordered two meals. The cafeteria brought them p in no time. owen asked, ¡°Madelyn, what¡¯s the story with Ned? Did he pretend to be Vanessa?¡± ria nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, Ned is Vanessa¡¯s senior-they both learned from the same teacher. Vanessa started working ithputers when she was just three, and her talent was off the charts. By the time she was sixteen, she was already way ahead of Ned. Ned couldn¡¯t stand being surpassed by a junior more than n years younger than him, so he colluded with Riviera to set Vanessa up was there to take out an official from Riviera when I ran into them. Vanessa begged me to save her. I stabbed Ned and too e barely-alive Vanessa away.¡± nessa focused on recovering and stayed out of sight. Ned assumed she hadn¡¯t survived, so he naturally took over the entity of Alpha. led might try to kill you to keep you quiet,¡± Owen said. Again Marriage 782 Aria smiled and said, ¡°He¡¯s not nearly that capable. Besides, with you keeping an eye on him, I don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡± Owen grinned and said, ¡°Leave it to me.¡± At 5 a.m. the next day, all thirteen teams were already assembled on the training field. Everyone was dressed in matching camo uniforms, each team sporting a different color of glowing armband. Cathy¡¯s team had bright orange-red armbands. Across from them, Fabian¡¯s team wore dark blue armbands. Weyne whistled, lounging around with azy air. Noticing Bruce staring at Aria, he teased, ¡°What, you interested in her or something?¡± Bruce shook his head and said, ¡°She¡¯s in the fighter¡¯s spot. I¡¯m just wondering how good she really is.¡± Weyne said, ¡°Rx. Other than Cathy, the rest of their team isn¡¯t even worth worrying about. We could wipe them all out, no problem.¡± Bruce said, ¡°You¡¯re way too cocky. In our business, overconfidence gets you killed.¡± Weyne let out a lightugh and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got the skills to back it up. If you don¡¯t buy it, just watch-I¡¯ll make sure Aria¡¯s the first to go.¡± ¡°Forget it. Grabbing resourceses first,¡± Bruce said tly. Weyne shot Aria a look and thought, ¡®Just wait. I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s out of here in two days, tops.¡¯ Clifford¡¯s team of six wore orange armbands. Mike, stationed at the intel post, kept sneaking nces over at Aria. He couldn¡¯t see Aria clearly because of the thick fog. He just felt like she looked familiar. Zoey spoke up, ¡°Stop staring. Owen¡¯s not here. That¡¯s his girlfriend.¡± Mike blinked in surprise. He asked, ¡°You¡¯re saying Owen¡¯s girlfriend is here at the State Security Bureau?¡± Zoey nodded and said, ¡°Yep. Looks like your mentor might be getting cheated on.¡± Mike¡¯s eyes went wide. Gerald, overhearing, smirked and said, ¡°Is it possible they¡¯re the same person?¡± Zoey said, ¡°Come on, Gerald, that¡¯s way too much of a coincidence. Even if Mike¡¯s mentor is on the younger side, she¡¯s still at least forty-five.¡± She trailed off, catching herself mid-sentence. She thought, ¡®Owen¡¯s only in his twenties. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be with a forty-five-year-old woman.¡¯ Mike said, ¡°My mentor¡¯s name is Aria.¡± Zoey froze. Realization dawned on Mike, and he said, ¡°Ms. Saxon never even mentioned she was part of the State Security Bureau.¡± Clifford, who had been listening in, leaned over and asked, ¡°Is Aria your mentor?¡± Mike nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡± Clifford eximed, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you guys had that kind of background. Come on, let¡¯s go over and say hello. Our teams could work together in the early rounds.¡± Zoey frowned and said, ¡°Their team is the weakest. There¡¯s no point in teaming up with them.¡± Just then, Tessa¡¯s voice came over the loudspeaker. She said, ¡°Let me repeat the rules: No live rounds allowed, and no intentionally crippling your opponents. If your life monitor goes off, you stop immediately. ¡°Your safetyes first-if you can¡¯t win, surrender and hand over your elimination ne. Now, all teams, board in order.¡± The elimination nes were protected by a cover, so one wouldn¡¯t identally trigger them. The whole event was under surveince, so one could never think about breaking the rules. Mike wanted to catch Aria and say hi, but her team boarded the ne first, so he missed his chance. One by one, the helicopters lifted off, deploying the teams around the edge of the restricted zone. All thirteen teams set foo in the no-man¡¯snd. Cathy had been through thepetition before, so she was more experienced than the rest. She said, ¡°The first 24 hours are the most critical-the next day will be a fight for survival.¡± After all, there were only eight supply points, and five teams had to be eliminated. Everyone assumed Cathy¡¯s team was the weakest, so if anyone wanted to grab a supply point, they would be targeted first. Cathy nned to take over a supply point that was easy to defend and set up an ambush. Otherwise, if it came down to a head-on fight, the other teams could just wear them down with wave after wave of attacks: She said, ¡°Emily, stay alert and scout the way-keep an eye out for any resource drops along the route.¡± Emily replied, ¡°Got it.¡± Emily and Cathy led the way, scanning their surroundings carefully. Because of the traps, their team couldn¡¯t move very fast Before long, they stumbled upon a resource drop. Cathy picked up a stick and hurled it at the drop. The ground around it instantly copsed. Seeing this, she grinned and said, ¡°ssic move. You¡¯d think they¡¯de up with something new by now. Caroline,e with me-let¡¯s go grab the loot.¡± The two of them moved in toward the edge of the trap. Suddenly, arrows came flying out from the shadows. Again Marriage 783 Cathy and Caroline immediately dodged. Aria tilted her head, and an arrow grazed her hair before sinking into the tree trunk behind her. Cathy nced back and asked, ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± Allen said. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Liz said to Aria, ¡°There¡¯s an instructor at the State Security Bureau who¡¯s a real expert in ancient hidden weapons. He invented most of these. Compared to the others, this one¡¯s pretty basic.¡± Aria said, ¡°Thanks.¡± While Cathy and Caroline were grabbing the resource packs, Aria picked up those arrows. Jocelyn looked puzzled. She asked, ¡°What are you picking those up for?¡± Aria asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t this count as a resource?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t use those to hurt anyone,¡± Jocelyn said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt anyone. You never know when something like this mighte in handy,¡± Aria replied. The State Security Bureau wasn¡¯t short on cash-they¡¯d even gone so far as to remodel a whole uninhabited zone and rig it up with tons of cameras to monitor everything live. Outside, a veteran watching the big screen nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°That girl¡¯s really sharp.¡± The rules said one couldn¡¯t use weapons on people, but there was nothing about animals. By collecting stuff like this, if they ran into any wild animals, they could just take them out-no need to fight with their bare hands. It would be way less effort. Jocelyn was a first-timer and had no idea one could even do that. Cathy and Caroline got the resource packs. Noticing the arrows in Aria¡¯s hand, Cathy couldn¡¯t help butugh. She said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s totally allowed. As long as you hurt anyone, anything you find in the uninhabited zone is fair game.¡± Aria said, ¡°Let¡¯s check what¡¯s inside the packs first.¡± Emily opened the backpack and found water and some ration bars inside. Cathy said, ¡°We got lucky-at least we won¡¯t go hungry for the next two days.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take turns carrying it,¡± Aria suggested. ¡°No problem,¡± said Cathy. As the morning mist faded away, Cathy¡¯s team kept going. When they got to a certain spot, Aria suddenly came to a halt. Cathy asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± don¡¯t ¡°There should be a resource pack here,¡± Aria said. The other six looked where Aria was staring, but didn¡¯t spot anything. Cathy said, ¡°I don¡¯t see anything. Maybe it¡¯s a trap.¡± Aria pointed to a hidden camera and said, ¡°Whenever there¡¯s a camera, there¡¯s a good chance there¡¯s a resource pack nearby: ¡°There is a camera, Cathy said. Emily stepped closer to take a look, then followed the direction the camera was pointed in, using a stick to push aside the grass. The next second, a long, dark shadow shot out. Emily quickly sidestepped and kicked out. The shadow was sent flying. It was a venomous snake. It hit the ground, but tried to lunge at Emily again. Just then, with a quick flick of her arm, Aria sent the broken arrow flying, nailing the snake to the ground. Emily eximed, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could use it like that.¡± Allison rushed over, shuddering as the venomous snake kept writhing on the ground, goosebumps all over her arms. She hurried to Aria and asked, ¡°Can I have one arrow?¡± Aria handed her three arrows, keeping just one for herself. ¡°She nailed it from that far away?¡± someone watching the livestream eximed in disbelief. Another chimed in, ¡°Without specialized training, pulling off a shot that precise would be almost impossible.¡± Owen, catching their conversation, just curved his lips in a faint smile. He thought, ¡®If she had her needles, she¡¯d be even more in her element.¡¯ Tessamented, ¡°These cameras are way too obvious. Next time, let¡¯s not make it so easy to spot the resource packs by aiming the cameras right at them.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± someone replied, though they thought they hid those cameras pretty well. Tessa said, ¡°Let¡¯s see how Fabian¡¯s team is doing.¡± The resource pack Cathy¡¯s team found was a map this time. Again Marriage 784 Emily¡¯s eyes lit up. She eximed, ¡°We¡¯re so lucky. With this map, things are going to get a whole lot easier for us.¡± After checking out the map for a moment, she pointed ahead and said, ¡°This way-let¡¯s go find the supply point. Half an hourter, Emily eximed, ¡°I see the gpole. That¡¯s the supply point. Quick!¡± Just then, the bushes ahead rustled, and Fabian¡¯s team of five suddenly emerged,ing face-to-face with them. With a foxtail grass dangling from his lips, Weyne said, ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Cathy. Looks like fate just keeps throwing us together. What, you guys already snagged two resource packs?¡± Cathy raised her hand to halt her team, a half-smile ying on her lips as she shot back, ¡°That¡¯s right. Looks like you guys are still stuck at just one.¡± Fabian said, ¡°Looks like you guys got a map too, huh?¡± He thought, There¡¯s no way they could¡¯ve found the supply point this fast without a map. Cathy asked, ¡°So you¡¯re after this supply point too?¡± Fabian nodded, steady as ever. He said, ¡°Since we¡¯ve bumped into each other, why don¡¯t you guys go first?¡± Cathy replied, ¡°No need. You¡¯re closer anyway-after you.¡± Bruce eyed them warily and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your game here?¡± Weyne let out a mockingugh and said, ¡°What game could we possibly have? This isn¡¯t even a real supply point. Even if you make it through, you won¡¯t get the red g.¡± He thought, ¡®If this is a supply point we can capture, it¡¯d be guarded by instructors, not just some senior members from the Bureau standing around here.¡¯ Just then, the examiner in the center of the field announced, ¡°The fighter challenge starts now. Which team will go first?¡± Fabian paused for a moment, then shot Weyne a look. He said, ¡°Finish it fast.¡± Weyne strode up to the examiner and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± The rules were simple: knock the opponent down within five minutes, or just don¡¯t get knocked out oneself. Cathy whispered to Aria, ¡°Weyne¡¯s pretty good. Caroline went down in three minutes against him.¡± Caroline pouted and said, ¡°Cathy, it was five minutes! I¡¯ve gotten better, you know.¡± Cathy reached out and ruffled her hair. She said, ¡°Okay, my bad. Let¡¯s just focus on the match.¡± Cathy¡¯s group started watching the match between Weyne and the examiner. Weyne¡¯s fighting style was downright aggressive, almost predatory. The examiner was older and just couldn¡¯t match his agility. The two traded moves, each countering the other. Afternding three swift kicks, Weyne suddenly switched it up and pulled off a grappling takedown, mming the examiner to the ground. He wrapped it up in four minutes. ire pped and cheered, ¡°Awesome!¡± Fabian called out, ¡°Grab the supplies, let¡¯s move.¡± Weyne bent down to pick up the supply pack, then shot a provocative look at Aria. He said, ¡°Heard you¡¯re pretty tough. Wanna see who¡¯s better in a real fight?¡± Caroline shot back, ¡°Why are you picking a fight? There are seven of us, you know.¡± Weyne sneered, ¡°Even if you had ten, you¡¯d still end up as our losers.¡± Cathy held back the angry Caroline and said, ¡°What¡¯s the rush? Thepetition¡¯s just getting started. Who ends up losing is still anyone¡¯s guess.¡± Noticing the mood was getting tense, Fabian spoke up, ¡°Weyne, go find the next supply point.¡± Weyne replied reluctantly, ¡°Got it.¡± Once Fabian¡¯s team was gone, Caroline couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Aria, are you confident you can take Weyne on?¡± Caroline had faced off against Weyne a few times before. She knew he was petty and always looking for trouble. She thought, ¡®People aren¡¯t too happy about Aria being specially recruited, and if Weyne managed to beat Aria, he¡¯d get all he credit. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d let a chance like that slip by.¡± ¡°I can beat him,¡± Aria replied, not even hesitating. That left the whole group in stunned silence. Aria raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°What, you guys don¡¯t believe me? Want me to go challenge Weyne and knock him out of the game right now?¡± Again Marriage 785 Emily waved her hand and said, ¡°No. We believe you can definitely beat Weyne.¡± She thought, ¡®Fabian¡¯s team is recognized as the strongest. Only someone with a death wish would mess with them. Aria knew they didn¡¯t believe, but she didn¡¯t care much. She said, ¡°Alright, just let me know if you need me.¡± The only one who truly believed in Aria, Cathy, grinned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll ask when I need you.¡± She thought, ¡®Aria is our secret weapon. ¡®Since things have just started, I can¡¯t reveal the ace too soon, or the other teams might gang up and take us out early. ¡°Just lie low for now, and leave the rest to us,¡± Cathy said. Aria nced in the direction where Fabian¡¯s team had disappeared and said, ¡°They¡¯re such a pain. If we run into them again, let¡¯s just deal with them head-on.¡± Cathy replied, ¡°Taking out Weyne isn¡¯t that hard, but the other four will try to drag us down with them and get us all kicked out of the team round.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you guys usually just wipe out the whole team in one go?¡± The others were speechless. Cathy exined, ¡°Most teams are pretty evenly matched. If we try to wipe out the whole group, we¡¯ll probably lose some of our teammates too, and then we¡¯d get disqualified from the team round.¡± In the observation hall, several veterans were watching the teams¡¯ movements on the monitors. ¡°That girl¡¯s pretty bold,¡± one of the veteransmented. Tessa chuckled and said, ¡°She¡¯s used to flying solo, so her way of thinking is a bit different.¡± Ned, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, ¡°If she¡¯s not willing to join the regr training, maybe she¡¯s just not cut out for the State Security Bureau.¡± Fillip immediately chimed in, ¡°Yeah, but I heard she¡¯s got some real talent for sketching portraits. If the police ever need that, we can send her over. Can¡¯t just let her draw a paycheck for nothing.¡± Tessa shot Ned a meaningful nce and said, ¡°Looks like none of you are all that satisfied with Aria. Mr. Shaw, what do you think?¡± She thought, ¡®Owen just dropped 30 million dors on the Bureau, and they¡¯re still nitpicking about his girlfriend. Owen smiled and said, ¡°If Ms. Langford hadn¡¯t asked so many times, my girlfriend wouldn¡¯t have even bothereding. If you¡¯re not happy with her, we¡¯ll just leave after thepetition.¡± The State Security Bureau had always cherished talented people and never had a precedent of driving any members away. A leader quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. He said, ¡°If Tessa thinks highly of someone, any concerns can be discussed privately-there¡¯s no need to air your doubts in front of everyone.¡± Fillip¡¯s face turned awkward. He said, ¡°It was just a casualment, nothing personal.¡± The observation hall fell silent for a moment. Owen turned to Ned and said, ¡°I heard you¡¯re the hacker who cracked the world¡¯s most advanced encrypted firewall, Alpha?¡± Ned¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He wasn¡¯t sure if Aria had told Owen about his past. He forced himself to stay calm and said. ¡°That was all a long time ago-nothing worth mentioning.¡± Owen said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re too modest. If you hadn¡¯t broken into Riviera¡¯s system back then, the people in that city would¡¯ve been doomed. No one else could¡¯ve pulled off what you did.¡± Hearing that Owen wasn¡¯t trying to test him, Ned rxed a little. Fillip jumped in at just the right moment. He said, ¡°Let me tell you, it took everything I had to get Ned to join us back then.¡± Owen said, ¡°Seriously, Fillip, it was a miracle you even found Ned. No one even knew if Alpha was a guy or a girl¡± Ned¡¯s expression changed. Tessa nced at him and thought, ¡®He really can¡¯t keep his cool. Fillip didn¡¯t notice anything was off. He said, ¡°Yeah, back then, everyone wanted to recruit Alpha. I was just lucky¡± Ned couldn¡¯t sit still any longer. After a while, he made up an excuse and headed back to his ce. He made a call and asked ¡°Did you find her?¡± Again Marriage 786 The person on the other end replied, ¡°I found someone, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s who you¡¯re after. I¡¯ll send it over.¡± The next second, Ned¡¯s phone buzzed, and he received Vanessa¡¯s information. He thought, ¡®Bianca, Vanessa. Seven years have passed, and she has ended up as a celebrity in Huthailia. Right, she is Huthailian after all. ¡®All these years, and I never realized it was her. Aria knows I am at the State Security Bureau, so Vanessa must know too. What are they up to? ¡®I must kill them all. But Aria is hard to kill. As long as Aria is dead. Vanessa will be easy to handle. I can¡¯t let Aria walk out of the forbidden zone alive. Cathy¡¯s team crept forward, following the map. The closer they got to the center, the thicker the patrols became. After pushing through a patch of bushes, they suddenly spotted a hidden supply point up ahead. Cathy had barely stepped forward when a bullet came flying straight at her. She twisted and rolled back, diving behind cover in a sh. She said, ¡°Those are patrol sentries. We have to take them out before the test can start.¡± Aria scanned ahead and said, ¡°There are two of them. Caroline, you take one, I¡¯ll handle the other?¡± Caroline bit her lip, looking a bit conflicted. Then she said. ¡°How about you save your strength for now? Cathy and I will take care of it.¡± Aria just nodded, totally unfazed. She said, ¡°Alright, you two go.¡± Caroline was a little surprised by how calm Aria was-she¡¯d thought Aria would be annoyed. Cathy took it all in, realizing that if the team was ever going to truly trust Aria, words alone wouldn¡¯t cut it-actions spoke louder. She said firmly, ¡°We¡¯ll take the lead. The rest of you, draw their fire.¡± As Cathy and Caroline moved out, Aria, without anyone noticing, quietly scooped up a few stones. With a quick flick of her wrist, she sent the stones flying, each one hitting the sentries¡¯ feet dead-on. The sentries spun around, instantly alert-only to run right into Cathy¡¯s ambush. In the heat of the close-quarters fight, Cathy used a joint lock to disarm the sentry and snatched his rifle, then tossed it over to Aria. Meanwhile, on the other side, Allison took the chance to pick up another rifle. While Cathy was still locked inbat with the sentry, Aria suddenly raised the rifle and aimed. ¡°No guns, both Cathy and Caroline barked out at once. Just then, half of a broken arrow shot between them, nailing a poisonous scorpion to the tree trunk. The two sentries were stunned by the sudden turn. The next second, they were taken down by Cathy and Caroline. Aria said calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t fire. I just saw a venomous bug and wanted to protect myself. She then calmly unloaded the rifle. Allison didn¡¯t really get it, but she just copied what Aria did. The two sentries gaped at Aria. They thought, ¡®If she hadn¡¯t thrown us off like that, there¡¯s no way we would¡¯ve gotten our butts kicked so badly. One of them snapped, ¡°What are you even doing?¡± Aria shrugged and said, ¡°We can¡¯t use the guns, but nobody said we can¡¯t take them apart.¡± One sentry asked, ¡°Then what are we supposed to do with a gun in pieces?¡± ¡°None of your business. It¡¯s ours now,¡± Aria replied. The younger sentry nced at Cathy and asked, ¡°Are you not going to step in?¡± Cathy smiled and said, ¡°We didn¡¯t break any rules. Thanks for your hard work. We still have apetition to finish, so you two should go.¡± The older sentry straightened his cor and fixed his gaze on Aria. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll remember you. Let¡¯s spar if we get the chance.¡± Aria nodded lightly and said, ¡°Anytime.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kinda cool,¡± the older sentry said. Once the sentries had left, Cathy distributed the disassembled rifle parts Aria had taken apart. She said, ¡°We might run into some hidden weaponster. If we run out of arrows, just use these.¡± Hearing that, Allison quickly ran over and pulled the arrow out of the tree trunk. ¡°No point letting it go to waste,¡± she said. Cathy¡¯s team made their way toward the test device in the center of the supply point. Again Marriage 787 The screen disyed a 3D topographical map of the no-man¡¯snd, and the scouts were required toplete two missions within ten minutes. Taking the pen and paper from Allison, Emily immersed herself in analyzing the problem. Just as she was about to crack the first question, dozens of steel needles shot at her from all directions. The seven of them all scattered to dodge. Emily frowned and said, ¡°My train of thought was interrupted.¡± Cathy dashed forward and said, ¡°Just focus on the problem. We¡¯ll cover you.¡± Apart from the question, this round was also about how much one trusted one¡¯s teammates. Emily took a deep breath and forced herself to concentrate. She told herself, ¡®I have to trust my team! The other six members immediately formed a protective circle around Emily. As Emily dug deeper into the problem, the steel needles started flying even faster and faster. Caroline kicked a steel needle away, sweat breaking out on her forehead. She said, ¡°This test is just brutal.¡± ¡°Liz, watch out,¡± Allison suddenly shouted. Liz spun around toote-a steel needle was shooting straight for her heart. At the critical moment, Aria flicked her wrist, and with a sharp ng, her arrow knocked the steel needle aside just in time. The steel needle thudded into the tree trunk behind her, its tail still quivering violently. Liz¡¯s face went pale. With a trembling voice, she said, ¡°Thanks.¡± Aria didn¡¯t even look back. She said, ¡°Just focus on defending.¡± ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Emily suddenly shouted, hitting the confirmation button hard with her finger. The steel needles stopped firing. A bright red light lit up in the center of the tform. Emily eximed, ¡°We did it.¡± She hurried over to the g stand and yanked the g out with all her strength. The end of the g was red, which meant this supply point was real. Caroline threw her arms around Emily, excitement all over her face. She said, ¡°You looked awesome cracking that problem. We¡¯re the first team to capture a supply point.¡± Cathy was checking out the supplies. She said, ¡°There are medical kits,puters, tools, three days¡¯ worth of rations, and this.¡± She held up two encryptedmunicators and continued, ¡°The real supply point does have a ton of good stuff. We never got gear this nicest time.¡± She then handed themunicators to Jocelyn and Liz. She said, ¡°You¡¯re on it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Jocelyn and Liz replied in unison. The two of them sat down on the ground and started studying themunicators. Meanwhile, Cathy led the others in gathering up the scattered steel needles. She said, ¡°Pick them all up and give them to Aria-she knows how to use them.¡± Allison remembered the scene when Aria had thrown her arrow and leaned over to whisper to Caroline, ¡°Aria seems really good with these kinds of hidden weapons. It is a pretty rare skill-very few people have ever been trained in it.¡± Caroline replied, ¡°Having someone that strong on our team is a real asset. Anyone Ms. Langford personally recruited must be top-notch.¡± Aria hadn¡¯t joined the Bureau¡¯s special training sessions, so they hadn¡¯t had any chance to build real teamwork. Because of that, some team members had minor gripes. But no one would deliberately target Aria or let it show. Soon, a broadcast echoed overhead. It said, ¡°The supply point in Area C has been captured. I repeat, the supply point in Area C has been captured.¡± Weyne frowned and asked, ¡°Which team captured a supply point so fast?¡± The next second, the broadcast came on again. It said, ¡°The supply point in Area F has been captured. I repeat, the supply point in Area F has been captured.¡± ¡°Damn, there are only six left now,¡± Weyne muttered. Bruce nced at the map and said, ¡°We just passed through Area C, so Cathy¡¯s team probably snagged the first supply point there.¡± The broadcast would report which yers and teams got eliminated, and which areas had their supply points taken. Each area only had one supply point, and not every area even had one to begin with. Weyne was raring to go. He said, ¡°Fabian, how about we go after Cathy¡¯s team¡¯s supply point?¡± Fabian shot him a cool look and said, ¡°It¡¯s just getting started. What¡¯s the rush? We¡¯ve got a full fourteen days, and we need to gather resources too. Let¡¯s keep moving for now-Cathy¡¯s supply point can be our backup n.¡± ¡°Fabian is right,¡± Bruce said. Aria looked up at the drone hovering overhead and asked, ¡°Can we destroy it?¡± Again Marriage 788 Cathy sighed and replied, ¡°No. I was hoping we could take a supply point that was easy to defend, so we wouldn¡¯t get ambushed by other teams. But we got lucky and ended up finding the real deal instead.¡± She pondered, ¡°This supply point is wide open and easy to spot. There are only eight supply points in total, and with five teams left, they¡¯d stop at nothing to seize one. ¡®Fabian¡¯s team would probably figure out that we have taken the supply point in Area C: Aria wasn¡¯t bothered at all. She thought, ¡®If others could steal from us, we could just as easily steal from others. She asked, ¡°Is it likely someone will try to take a supply point on the very first day?¡± Cathy shook her head and said, ¡°On the first day, most teams are still looking for supply points. They usually won¡¯t try to take someone else¡¯s. If you capture one too early, you¡¯ll just have to worry about othersing after you.¡± Right now, she was a little worried. But she couldn¡¯t just abandon this supply point and go searching for another. She thought, ¡®What if we got unlucky and someone else had already grabbed all the rest?¡¯ ¡°Stop overthinking it. Let¡¯s worry about it tomorrow,¡± Aria said. Cathy replied, ¡°Alright.¡± After gathering up the steel needles, Aria fastened them to herself. She said, ¡°We don¡¯t have enough resources right now. You all stay here, I¡¯ll go scout out some other areas.¡± Allison asked, ¡°Are you going alone?¡± Aria nodded and replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Caroline said, ¡°No way. If you get eliminated, that¡¯s it for us. We have to gather resources, so I¡¯ming with you.¡± Aria said, ¡°We need to leave at least one fighter here. Liz or Jocelyn cane with me. Since we have twomunicators, it works out.¡± Caroline was still worried. She figured it was best if she and Cathy were on different teams. Cathy handed over one of themunicators and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled. Liz, you go with Aria to gather resources.¡± Liz nodded and said, ¡°Got it.¡± Meanwhile, outside the arena, one veteran said, ¡°They¡¯re nothing special, but luck was on their side-they found the real supply point this fast.¡± ¡°Yeah, they lucked out and found the map right from the start,¡± another person added. Fillip said, ¡°Aria, the one Tessa values, is pretty good. She¡¯s got quick reflexes and moves fast, but her style is a bit wild.¡± Tessa just smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. She felt that Cathy¡¯s team was the strongest overall. For a team that was thrown together at thest minute and barely had any time to get used to each other, their teamwork was seriously impressive. Especially since neither Aria nor Cathy had even gone all out yet. Seeing Tessa stand up, Fillip asked, ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got some things to take care of,¡± Tessa replied. She thought, ¡®Ned might try something against Aria, so I have to keep an eye on him. I can¡¯t let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch. Fillip struck up a conversation with Owen. He asked, ¡°Aria seems pretty cold. Did you chase after her, or did she chase after you?¡± Owen grinned and said, ¡°I basically had to pester her nonstop before she finally agreed to date me.¡± Fillip burst outughing. He said, ¡°Oh,e on, Mr. Shaw. With how amazing you are, getting a girl should be a walk in the park.¡± ¡°It was mutual.¡± Owen replied. Fillip nced around and whispered, ¡°You mentioned before that you didn¡¯t know if Alpha was a guy or a girl. There¡¯s more to it, isn¡¯t there?¡± As the one who had invited Ned, Fillip could sense something was off. Especially the way Ned had left so abruptly. And with the way Tessa had been eyeing Ned, he couldn¡¯t help but get suspicious. Owen replied, ¡°Even if I told you, you probably wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°Just tell me. I¡¯ll believe you,¡± Fillip insisted. ¡°Ned isn¡¯t Alpha. Alpha is a girl,¡± Owen said. Fillip froze for a second. Then he eximed, ¡°Alpha is a girl? That¡¯s impossible.¡± Owen said, ¡°I told you-you wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± Fillip pondered, ¡®Owen and Ned barely have any interaction-there is no reason for Owen to make something like that up. Plus, the way Ned looked at Aria yesterday was kind of strange. ¡®I invited Ned here, so if he caused any trouble, I would be the one to take the me. He immediately stood up and said, ¡°You guys keep watching-I¡¯ve got some other things to take care of.¡± Seeing this, Owen thought, ¡®The more people keep an eye on Ned, the less likely he is to cause trouble.¡¯ He rxed a little and focused on the screen. Again Marriage 789 After grabbing their maps andmunicators, Aria and Liz set off toward Area C. Liz said, ¡°Fabian¡¯s team is in this direction. Are we really not going to pick another route?¡± Aria didn¡¯t slow down. She said, ¡°We¡¯re going this way. My gut tells me there¡¯s something good ahead.¡± ¡°But even if there is, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll get our hands on it,¡± Liz argued. She thought, ¡®Fabian¡¯s team is always pushy-they¡¯d never let anyone else walk away with the supplies. ¡®There are only two of us-no way we could stand a chance against a whole team¡¯ Aria gave Liz¡¯s shoulder a light pat and said, ¡°Whoever gets there first gets the supplies. It¡¯s not like their names are written on the supply packs. Cathy put me in charge, so you have to listen to me.¡± Liz hesitated for a couple of seconds, then finally nodded, though not very willingly. She replied, ¡°Fine.¡± She prayed in her heart that they wouldn¡¯t run into Fabian¡¯s team. They kept moving, the sun beating down on them, making them sweat buckets. Hearing footsteps, Aria raised her hand, signaling for Liz to lighten her steps. The two of them held their breath and moved stealthily, slipping past the patrol routes. Soon enough, they found the supply pack tucked behind a hidden rock. Liz¡¯s eyes lit up, and she was just about to rush forward when Aria suddenly grabbed her wrist, whispering, ¡°Wait.¡± Just then, there was a rustling sound from the bushes. And a team pushed aside the branches and came through. The young man at the front was Leo Green. He had a face like carved stone, his eyes sweeping over Aria and Liz with a cold, indifferent look. ¡°Leo, they¡¯ve got a map,¡± one of the team members shouted excitedly, spotting the map in Liz¡¯s hand. ¡°There are only two of them. Let¡¯s take them,¡± another member said. Liz instinctively hid the map behind her back, her body tensing up as she eyed them warily. Leo didn¡¯t say a word at first. He just sized up Aria in silence, then shot a nce at Liz. After a long pause, he asked, ¡°Why are you two separated from your team?¡± Neither Aria nor Liz answered, and the air grew tense. Another team member clicked his tongue impatiently and muttered a curse under his breath. He snapped, ¡°Our captain is talking to you. Just the two of you, and you still have the nerve to act tough?¡± As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to pounce. Leo raised a hand to stop him, his expression nk. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The man said, ¡°Why not? There are only two of them. We could just grab their map and the supply pack.¡± Another teammate muttered, ¡°Are you stupid? They didn¡¯t even look nervous when they saw us. Especially that pretty girl¡ª she looked at us like we were nothing. It was really just dus two of them how could they be an contudent This is obviously a trap There must be an ambersh Ante wat sprerbien ** tokeo just a bt she thought. To their whole team this good at making up wild stories? The guy¡¯s eyes widened in realization, and he shot them a re and said, ¡°Your team¡¯s so sneaky. Trying to set us up Len tuned and walked away with his team, not even bothering to grab the supply pack. Lar bunked, looking dared the munered, ¡®Is that in We didn¡¯t even say a single word Anis ter mu a anhugh and shoved themunicator into Liz¡¯s band. She said, ¡°Wait here for me. Keep yourself safe, and watch on for any hidden weapon¡¯ Chapter Again Marriage 790 Liz nodded, her face full of worry. She said, ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll be careful. Don¡¯t get hurt.¡± Aria just grunted in response and strode toward the supply pack. Just as her fingers brushed the pack, a massive-several feet long-dropped from above, its mesh bristling with fine, sharp needles. Liz¡¯s eyes widened in horror as she cried out, ¡°Aria!¡± A shadow fell over Aria. Aria reacted instantly, springing aside and rolling across the ground. The thudded into the spot where she¡¯d just rolled past, needles stabbing deep into the dirt. If Aria had been even a second slower, she would have been caught in the. Liz thought, ¡®All those densely packed needles, just looking at them gives me the creeps. No wonder it¡¯s the State Security Bureau-they¡¯re ruthless.¡¯ She rushed over to Aria and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Aria was already on her feet. She brushed the dirt off her clothes and said, ¡°Gotta hand it to you guys, that hidden setup was pretty slick.¡± weapon Liz frowned and said, ¡°I heard from the upperssmenst year that thes are made of some special material¡ªyou can¡¯t cut through it with a knife. If you get caught, you just have to wait to be eliminated. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect they¡¯d add needles this year.¡± Those needles were about three inches long-if they stabbed into someone, one might not die, but one would be badly hurt. Aria started walking over to the. Liz instinctively grabbed her arm and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Just checking it out,¡± Aria replied. Ar¨ªa crouched down, plucked one of the long needles out, and frowned. She said, ¡°There¡¯s poison on this needle.¡± Lizs eyes went wide. She eximed, ¡°What?¡± Fillip stared at the screen, his brow furrowed. He said, ¡°Why is this year¡¯spetition so much tougher thanst year¡¯s? And what¡¯s with those long, poisoned needles on thes? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re dealing with real criminals here.¡± The leader beside him frowned as well. He said, ¡°She¡¯s got amazing reflexes and speed. If it had been anyone else, they¡¯d probably be caught for sure.¡± Owen pondered, ¡®Not only did they add long needles, but they even coated them with poison. Are they targeting all people, or is this just for Aria?¡¯ He shot to his feet and asked, ¡°Can you connect the surveince feed for this team to my phone?¡± The leader turned to the staff member and said, ¡°Go ahead and set it up. Give Mr. Shaw temporary ess.¡± The staff member replied. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get on it right now.¡± Owen didn¡¯t stay in the viewing room any longer; he turned and strode out. He called Tessa and asked, ¡°Ms. Langford, did you catch the surveince footage just now?¡± Tessa replied, ¡°I saw it. Competition is one thing, but the State Security Bureau would never risk its members¡¯ lives. Whether it¡¯s traps or patrols, they never go for the kill. This has Ned written all over it.¡± Owen¡¯s eyes went cold. With a dangerous edge in his voice, he said, ¡°I hope you can sort this out quickly. Ms. Langford. Otherwise, I can¡¯t promise Ned will live to see the sunrise.¡± Tessa was silent for a moment before finally saying, ¡°I¡¯ll handle it as soon as possible.¡± After hanging up, Tessa hurried straight to the weapons room, her steps urgent. She pushed the door open and walked straight up to the expert responsible for the traps. She asked, ¡°Was this your trap?¡± The expert took the video and watched it closely; his expression changed instantly as he asked, ¡°Who put those long needles on the?¡± Tessa said, ¡°And not just that, the needles are poisoned. Who was responsible for this area?¡± She thought, ¡®Looks like we have got more than one rat in the ranks. The expert quickly flipped through the records and said, ¡°I¡¯ll check right now.¡± Again Marriage 791 Ned smashed his phone to the ground and cursed, ¡°Useless piece of trash. He thought, ¡®I have already alerted the enemy, and now I can¡¯t make another move. Taking a deep breath, he forced down his anger. As he pushed the door open, he nearly collided with a shadowy figure. He hurriedly took two steps back, only to find himself staring into a pair of icy eyes. Ned forced a weak smile and asked, ¡°Mr. Shaw, is there something you need?¡± Owen didn¡¯t answer. He simply stepped forward, his presence suffocating. Ned stumbled back under the intimidating aura, helplessly watching as Owen strode into the office. Cold sweat broke out on his back-he instantly realized Owen knew all about his grudge with Aria and was here for payback. ¡°The needle thing has nothing to do with me,¡± Ned blurted out, his voice tight with panic. Owen¡¯s lips curled up slightly. He said, ¡°Funny, I haven¡¯t even said a word yet. How do you know about that, Ned?¡± Ned forced himself to act calm. He stammered, ¡°I checked the security cameras. There was something wrong with the, I was just about to report it.¡± Owen took another step forward, the pressure in the room turning suffocating. He said, ¡°I¡¯ve already given you a chance.¡± Seeing the murderous intent in Owen¡¯s eyes, Ned started to tremble. He said, ¡°There are security cameras in the office. Don¡¯ try anything.¡± Before he could finish, Owen suddenly struck. With a crack, Ned¡¯s right hand was broken. As his scream left his lips, his left wrist was smashed against the edge of the desk. He screamed in agony. The next second, he was mmed hard against the wall. Owen demanded, ¡°A petty thief stealing someone else¡¯s identity-where did you get the guts to mess with others?¡± Ned coughed up blood and copsed to the floor. He knew he was done for. Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Tessa rushed in with the Supervision Department team, just in time to witness the scene. She said, ¡°Mr. Shaw, leave the rest to me.¡± Owen nodded and replied, ¡°Sure.¡± One member of the Supervision Department crouched down to check on Ned. Then he reported, ¡°Ms. Langford, his hand is crippled.¡± ¡°Save me, please. I can¡¯t lose the use of my hand,¡± Ned pleaded desperately. Tessa¡¯s gaze was icy as she said, ¡°If you behave yourself, the State Security Bureau won¡¯t do anything to you.¡± She thought, ¡®Even though he has mistaken someone, his contributions to the Bureau couldn¡¯t be denied. But he just had toy a hand on Aria. What an idiot!¡¯ ¡°Take him to the hospital and keep a close eye on him. Keep this quiet for now-this could mess up thepetition too,¡± Tessa ordered. Someone replied, ¡°Yes, Ms. Langford.¡± ¡°This is just too much. Who the hell puts so many needles on the and even poisons them? Do they think our lives are worthless or something?¡± Liz was cursing under her breath, clutching the resource pack. Aria reminded her, ¡°There are security cameras.¡± Liz huffed, ¡°I don¡¯t care if there are cameras, I still have to rant. They almost got you hurt.¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. This has nothing to do with the Bureau-someone¡¯s out to get me.¡± ¡°You just got here, and someone¡¯s already after you? Who is it?¡± Liz asked, her curiosity burning. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after thepetition¡¯s over,¡± Aria replied. Liz said, ¡°Come on, I can¡¯t even focus on thepetition now. Just tell me, please?¡± Aria motioned for Liz to lean in, her voice dropping to a whisper. ¡°Ned.¡± Liz¡¯s eyes widened. She asked, ¡°Why would he go after you?¡± Aria leaned in and whispered the exnation, leaving Liz so stunned her eyes were practically popping out of her head. Since something went wrong with thepetition, people kept pouring into the spectator room. Noticing Liz¡¯s shocked face, someone finally blurted out, ¡°What did Aria say?¡± Another asked, ¡°Is there something we¡¯re not supposed to know?¡± ¡°Look, Clifford¡¯s team just secured a supply point,¡± someone shouted. ¡°And so did Fabian¡¯s team,¡± another voice chimed in. With two teams sessfully securing supply points, people¡¯s attention slowly shifted back to thepetition. But they couldn¡¯t help sneaking nces at Aria. After all, the hidden weapon was meant for her, and everyone was curious if anything else would go wrong. Tessa handled things quickly, and there were no more problems after that. Two hourster, Liz was loaded down with all sorts of stuff, with two wild rabbits strapped to her backpack. Again Marriage 792 ¡°Aria, we¡¯ve got more than enough food now. How about we head back?¡± Liz said, a little out of breath. ¡°There¡¯s a supply point up ahead. Let¡¯s go check it out first,¡± Aria said. Liz replied, ¡°Alright, but after this run, we¡¯re calling it a day. Cathy¡¯s already on our case.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied. As they got closer to the supply point, both of them became even more cautious. Once they were nearby, they stashed their resource packs in the grass for now. ¡°I can¡¯t figure out what kind of challenge this supply point is supposed to be,¡± Liz said. Before she could finish, Aria had already flung a steel needle. The next second, Sean dropped down from the tree. Once hended, he pped his hands and shouted toward where Aria and Liz were hiding, ¡°Which one of you punks did that? Come out and face me. I want to get off work already.¡± Liz groaned in despair, ¡°Crap, it¡¯s Mr. Lewis. Just our luck. This has to be a real supply point. Let¡¯s not mess with ite on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± She reached out to grab Aria¡¯s sleeve, only to find Aria didn¡¯t move an inch. Aria just stood up and walked straight out. Sean¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Aria. He said, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s a girl. Lucky me, you¡¯re easy on the eyes.¡± Liz had no choice but to follow Aria out, feeling a bit awkward. Sean chuckled and said, ¡°Any more prettydies hiding out there?¡± Aria stepped forward and said, ¡°Just us.¡± Sean raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Huh, it¡¯s rare to see a team split up like this in thepetition.¡± He gave Aria a sharp look and suddenly asked, ¡°You¡¯re a fighter, aren¡¯t you?¡± His years of experience told him Aria wasn¡¯t simple. ¡°Yes,¡± Aria replied. Sean¡¯s face lit up, and he said, ¡°Good. I was starting to think I¡¯d been waiting here for nothing. Alright, let¡¯s make this quick. I hope you can beat me so I can get off work early.¡± As he spoke, he flexed his wrists. Liz hurriedly grabbed Aria¡¯s arm and said, ¡°You can¡¯t. That¡¯s Mr. Lewis. He¡¯s the top dog among all the instructors. Nobody¡¯s ever managed to win a supply point from him in a fight.¡± Whenever people ran into Sean, they would steer clear otherwise, it was a guaranteed knockout. Even though there were eight supply points, ever since Sean started running the assessment, for three years straight, there had always been one fewer team than supply points, just because of him. Anyone who thought they could take Sean on got wiped out instantly. Sean urged, ¡°Come on, give it a shot. Even if you don¡¯t seed, I promise I won¡¯t eliminate you.¡± Liz shook her head furiously and said, ¡°We refuse.¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to give it a try,¡± Aria said calmly. Liz whipped around and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive. Mr. Lewis never keeps his word-he used that same excuse to eliminate a teamst year.¡± Sean put his hands on his hips, pretending to be angry. He said, ¡°Badmouthing an instructor right to his face, Liz, are you looking for a beating?¡± Everyone in the State Security Bureau knew each other by now-especially the instructors, who had every member¡¯s name down pat. Liz stuck her chin out defiantly and said, ¡°I¡¯m just telling it like it is.¡± Someone suddenly called out from the crowd, ¡°Exactly. You can¡¯t trust a word Mr. Lewis says-I¡¯m one of his victims.¡± The whole spectator room burst outughing. Everyone thought Sean¡¯s n was about to flop. After all, no one would willingly take a shot when they knew for sure they¡¯d lose. But everyone had it wrong. Aria said as she started to loosen up, ¡°Liz, get back. Mr. Lewis, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got.¡± The whole spectator room erupted in an uproar. Someone exined, ¡°This girl just joined the Bureau yesterday. She¡¯s a total rookie-doesn¡¯t know fear yet, so of course she wants to give it a shot.¡± A person sneered, ¡°It is no problem if she wants to try. But she¡¯s representing Cathy¡¯s team now. If she gets knocked out, all her teammates¡¯ hard work goes down the drain. ¡°They already secured a supply point, and now she¡¯s just risking it all for nothing.¡± The rule made it clear that if even one person got eliminated, the whole team would lose their spot in the team round. Another said, ¡°Cathy¡¯s team has been training for thispetition for half a year, and Aria didn¡¯t even join the intensive training.¡± ¡°Cathy never should¡¯ve invited her,¡± someone muttered. Everyone there thought Aria was being way too impulsive and didn¡¯t care about the team at all. ¡°Here we go,¡± someone whispered. Chapter Again Marriage 793 Sean said, ¡°Not bad, kid. I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡± Aria replied. ¡°That¡¯s for the best.¡± Then she rolled her neck and stepped back with her right foot. Sean thought, This girl is definitely a pro! Just in case he hurt Aria, he held back, using only seventy percent of his strength as he aimed a punch at Aria¡¯s face. Aria twisted to the side, caught his wrist, and drove her knee up toward him in one smooth motion. Sean used her momentum to flip in the air,nding with a swift kick aimed at Aria¡¯s waist. Ariashed out with her leg, catching his ankle with a sharp kick. Both of them stepped back at the same time. Someone eximed, ¡°Damn, Aria¡¯s got some skills. Mr. Lewis isn¡¯t getting the upper hand.¡± Another said, ¡°Mr. Lewis¡¯s arms are almost as thick as Aria¡¯s legs. There¡¯s no way she can beat him. He must be going easy on her.¡± One shouted, ¡°Mr. Lewis, no holding back.¡± A sharp-eyed man said, ¡°Aria¡¯s not weak. She might actually beat Mr. Lewis.¡± Someone nearby immediately shot back, ¡°Are you dreaming?¡± The man said, ¡°I¡¯m just being honest here. You guys can root for Mr. Lewis, but I can¡¯t cheer for Aria?¡± A burly man snorted, ¡°Come on, admit it-you¡¯ve got a thing for Aria. Besides, she¡¯s already got a boyfriend.¡± The man shot to his feet, fuming. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t go judging me with your dirty mind. I just admire Aria, that¡¯s all.¡± The burly man said, ¡°Alright, if you say it¡¯s just admiration, then fine. Let¡¯s make a bet. If Mr. Lewis wins, you have to do whatever I say for the next month.¡± The man asked, ¡°What if Aria wins, then?¡± The burly man scoffed, ¡°If Aria wins, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± The man said, ¡°Bring it on.¡± Slowly, the viewing room turned into a makeshift casino. Some people were betting money, others were wagering items, and a few even made bets on who would have to call the other ¡°dad¡± if they lost. But everyone was betting on Sean to win. Those who couldn¡¯t agree on the terms couldn¡¯t ce their bets. Everyone was arguing at the top of their lungs, and the whole ce was in chaos. Fillip pped his hands over his ears, grumbling, ¡°So noisy, so noisy, it¡¯s driving me crazy.¡± The leader barked, ¡°Enough. Quiet down and watch the match.¡± The room finally fell silent. By now, Aria and Sean had already traded more than a dozen blows. Seeing that Aria was holding her own, Liz cheered loudly from the sidelines, ¡°Go, Aria. Take down Mr. Lewis. You¡¯ll be my idol. Sean threw a punch, and instead of dodging, Aria took it head-on. Both of them stepped back again. Sean asked cautiously, ¡°You¡¯re not giving it your all, are you?¡± Sean was testing Aria, and Aria was testing Sean right back. Aria shot back, ¡°Neither are you, Mr. Lewis.¡± Sean couldn¡¯t help but grin. He said, ¡°Alright then, this time I am going all in. Hope you are too.¡± Someone muttered under their breath, ¡°Is Mr. Lewis for real? Aria¡¯s not even going all out?¡± He immediately grabbed his buddy and said, ¡°Let¡¯s bet-I¡¯m putting my money on Aria.¡± Another chimed in, ¡°If you¡¯re betting on Aria, then count me in too.¡± Someone eximed, ¡°You guys are all betting on her? I¡¯m in as well.¡± No one had ever managed to beat Sean in the Skills Evaluation before. The onlookers thought, ¡®Aria is one of us. If she wins, we will finally be able to hold our heads high in front of the instructors.¡¯ Both Aria and Sean went all in, throwing punches with pure brute force, no tricks or fancy moves. When Sean attacked again, Aria ducked low, darted behind him in a sh, and kicked the back of his knee. Sean grunted, dropping to one knee. He spun around, trying to grab Aria, but she slipped away with ease. Then shended another sharp kick to his midsection. Aria was moving faster and faster-her moves were almost impossible to follow. With one final move, her hand closed around his throat. She said, ¡°Mr. Lewis, you lost.¡± Ten whole minutes passed, and the viewing room was dead silent. Someone muttered, ¡°Aria actually won?¡± Everyone knew Aria was facing off against Sean, so the people in the monitoring room immediately focused the cameras on them. People all saw the fight for themselves, and no one could im Sean was holding back anymore. Again Marriage 794 Fillip cleared his throat and said, ¡°Let this be a lesson to you-don¡¯t look down on people so easily. Do you think someone Tessa went to such lengths to invite would be anything less than outstanding?¡± Someone whispered, ¡°So Aria skipped the special training because she figured she didn¡¯t even need it?¡± The onlookers thought, ¡®Aria can take down the toughest instructor here-going to training would just be a waste of her time. And we actually had the nerve to make fun of her? ¡®No wonder when Liz told Cathy about Aria going up against Sean, Cathy wasn¡¯t the least bit worried. She just looked disappointed and said, ¡°Man, it¡¯s such a shame I couldn¡¯t see it in person.¡± ¡®She already knew exactly what Aria could do-that¡¯s why she roped her onto her team in the first ce. The man who first bet on Aria crowed, grinning at the burly guy. He said, ¡°I won. Get ready to wash my stinky socks for a whole month.¡± The burly guy replied, ¡°Okay.¡± At that moment, Sean was pinned down on the ground, something that rarely happened to him. He shot Aria a rare re and said, ¡°Let go first.¡± Aria stepped back a few paces, her face calm as ever, not even the slightest flush. Sean rubbed his waist, thinking, ¡®This girl is really fierce.¡¯ He asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Aria answered honestly, ¡°Not really.¡± Sean pondered, ¡®We have been going at it for a solid ten minutes. She was throwing out almost all finishing moves, but it was clear she was holding back. If she¡¯d gone all out, she could¡¯ve left me t on the ground more than once. ¡®She kept an eye on the clock and wrapped things up right at the ten-minute mark¡ªjust to let me save some face. Where did Tessa even dig up someone like her?¡¯ Sean fixed his gaze on Aria and suddenly asked, ¡°Are you hiding something on you?¡± Aria pulled out a steel needle and replied, ¡°You mean this? Just something I picked up as a weapon.¡± Sean suddenly thought of someone, and his heart skipped a beat. He asked, ¡°You know how to use that?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Just a bit.¡± Sean said, ¡°Show me how you use it,¡± Aria shot back, ¡°Why should I?¡± Sean said, ¡°Show me, and I¡¯ll tell you where the supply pack is.¡± Aria put the steel needle away and said, ¡°We¡¯ve got enough supplies. Mr. Lewis, didn¡¯t you want to get off work early? Well, you can clock out now.¡± Sean just stared at her, at a loss for words. He thought, ¡®Guess I will have to check the surveince footage myselfter.¡¯ ¡°If we get another chance to spar, don¡¯t hold back next time,¡± he said. With that, he turned to leave. As soon as Sean was gone, Liz rushed over and hugged Aria tightly. She eximed, ¡°You actually beat Mr. Lewis. That was insane. ¡°No wonder Cathy refused to pick anyone else as our fighter-she just had to have you. You¡¯re our biggest trump card.¡± Aria patted Liz on the head and said, ¡°Yeah, go grab the g.¡± Liz ran off to capture the g. Then she waved back at Aria and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s a real supply point.¡± The next second, the broadcast announced, ¡°The supply point in Area D has been captured. I repeat, the supply point in Area D has been captured.¡± Liz quickly got in touch with Cathy. She said, ¡°Cathy, Aria won. We¡¯ve taken the supply point in Area D.¡± Cathy¡¯s voice came through, surprised and delighted. She eximed, ¡°Already? That was fast. I thought you¡¯d be fighting for a while longer.¡± With that, whatever little worry Cathy had leftpletely disappeared. She might have talked a big game about trusting Aria, but deep down, she just couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit anxious. Now, all her doubts about Aria were gone. Caroline asked with disbelief, ¡°Aria beat Mr. Lewis? Sean Lewis? Not just some seniors?¡± Cathy patted her on the shoulder and said, ¡°When thepetition¡¯s over, you can watch the footage yourself.¡± Caroline looked a little ashamed. She said, ¡°I feel bad for not trusting Aria before.¡± Cathy said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t care about stuff like that. Now we need to decide which supply point to give up.¡± Jocelyn asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we just keep them all?¡± Cathy smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯d love to, but I¡¯m not sure we can actually hold them all.¡± She was just about to have Liz ask Aria, when suddenly a man¡¯s voice came through thems. The man asked, ¡°Did you guys capture the supply point?¡± Again Marriage 795 It was a team of seven guys, all men. They were looking for a supply point in Area D when they suddenly heard a broadcast announcing that one had been taken, so they decided toe over and see what was going on. They needed to figure out which teams had imed the supply points in each area, so they¡¯d know who to fight for suppliester. They hadn¡¯t expected it to be just two people from Cathy¡¯s team. If it had been earlier, Liz would definitely have been scared to see them, but now that Aria was by her side, she wasn¡¯t worried at all. Feeling confident, Liz straightened her back and said, ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you? No need to ask-this supply point is ours. Go find another one.¡± Brandon nced around and asked, ¡°Where are your other members?¡± Liz replied, ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Brandon and his six teammates watched Aria and Liz warily. One of Brandon¡¯s team members asked, ¡°Brandon, is this an ambush? They look like they are trying to provoke us on purpose.¡± The intelligence officer in Brandon¡¯s team adjusted his sses and whispered, ¡°We rushed over as soon as we heard the broadcast-we got here in under three minutes. They didn¡¯t even have time to set up an ambush.¡± The scout crouched down to check the ground. He then said, ¡°Except for that one messy spot, there aren¡¯t more than three people¡¯s footprints anywhere else. Looks like this supply point is meant to test fighters. ¡°Their team must have split up-Cathy and the other three aren¡¯t here.¡± It was pretty rare for teams to split up during thepetition-going off on one¡¯s own was basically asking to get picked off by other teams. Brandon¡¯s team hadn¡¯t expected they would run into two stragglers like this. Brandon narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Did you two really take this ce all by yourselves?¡± Liz tucked the g she¡¯d just grabbed into her belt and lifted her chin proudly. She shot back, ¡°So what if we did? Got a problem with that?¡± One fighter in Brandon¡¯s team, Peter, sneered, ¡°Liz¡¯s tail is practically wagging to the sky. Looks like that Aria girl can actually fight. ¡°The supply points meant to test fighters are guarded by instructors. They just happened to run into one.¡± The intelligence officer said, ¡°There are only three supply points left now. We definitely can¡¯t take the one guarded by Mr. Lewis, so that just leaves two. ¡°Brandon, it¡¯ll take time to get to the other areas, and those supply points will probably be snatched up by other teams soon. There are only two of them-no way we can let a chance like this slip by.¡± Brandon was thinking the same thing. He turned to Aria and Liz and asked, ¡°So, are you going to hand it over nicely, or do we have to take you out ourselves?¡± The crowd outside was getting all fired up again. Brandon and his team had no clue that this supply point was guarded by Sean, let alone that Aria had taken him down and imed it for herself. That was why they didn¡¯t take Aria seriously at all. ¡°Aria just took the supply point, and now someone¡¯s already trying to snatch it from her? Talk about drama,¡± someone in the crowd shouted. ¡°Beat them. Let them see how harsh the real world can be,¡± another person yelled. Since Aria had already taken down Sean, everyone thought that dealing with Brandon¡¯s team would be a walk in the park for her. Someone said, ¡°Aria¡¯s the only real fighter here, and Liz¡¯s not much help in a fight. Two against seven? Their odds are way too low-they could get eliminated just like that. ¡°Aria might as well give up this supply point and go back to guard Cathy¡¯s side.¡± Cathy had heard everything and spoke up right away, ¡°Brandon¡¯s team is rated B+ overall. They¡¯re not the top dogs, but they¡¯re no pushovers. Aria, you two should fall back and regroup with us.¡± Liz was just about to repeat Cathy¡¯s words to Aria. But Aria had stepped forward, herbat boots crunching on the dry twigs scattered on the ground. She asked, ¡°Are you guysing at me all at once, or one by one?¡± Her voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it made everyone go quiet all of a sudden. Again Marriage 796 Liz was so shocked she nearly dropped hermunicator. She stammered, ¡®Cathy. Aria¡¯s really going to take them all on.¡± Cathy was silent for a moment, then ordered. ¡°You need to back off 100 feet right now. Don¡¯t get involved in the fight.¡± Liz blurted out, ¡°What? Cathy, are you seriously telling me to just stand here and watch Aria go lv7? That¡¯s insane.¡± Cathy replied, ¡°If you jump in, you¡¯ll just hold her back. If Aria can¡¯t win, she can always bail-she won¡¯t get knocked out. Just keep your distance and find somewhere toy low.¡± It was hard to argue with that-Liz really had noeback. She let out aplicated sigh and quietly backed away. She wasn¡¯t much of a fighter, and she didn¡¯t want to drag Aria down. Seeing Liz backing off, Brandon¡¯s team startedughing out loud. ¡°Your teammate already ran off-aren¡¯t you gonna run too?¡± one of them jeered. Arfa smirked and said, ¡°You guys are the ones who should be running. Stick around any longer, and you won¡¯t even get the chance.¡± Brandon said, ¡°In all my years, I¡¯ve never met someone as cocky as you. You are just a special recruit, but you are cockier than Fabian. Where do you get that kind of confidence?¡± He then turned to Peter and said, ¡°Don¡¯t waste time-take her out, fast.¡± The crowd outside got to their feet in excitement. ¡°I knew Aria would take them head-on. Who do you think is going to win?¡± someone shouted. ¡°One against seven? It¡¯s almost impossible for Aria to win, another person replied. If Aria managed to take out one of Brandon¡¯s team members, the rest would lose their shot at the team round-and one could bet they¡¯d be gunning for her to get revenge. But if Brandon¡¯s team managed to eliminate Aria, Cathy¡¯s team would lose their qualification too. Either way, it was a lose- lose for both sides. ¡°Aria shouldn¡¯t have acted on impulse. She had this in the bag, but now things are looking shaky,¡± someone else said. One said, ¡°Even if she runs now, what happens after that? The rest of Brandon¡¯s team would do whatever it takes to drag her down with them.¡± Someone said, ¡°Anyway, Liz¡¯s already made her escape. If Aria can¡¯t handle it, she can always bail, too. As long as Cathy¡¯s team keeps holding their position, Aria can just regroup with them. ¡°Then it¡¯ll be six on six, and her team might not get knocked out after all.¡± One asked, ¡°If it were you, would you just hand it over to a team as arrogant as Brandon¡¯s?¡± Aria had every right to be cocky-she was the one who captured the supply point. But when it came to Brandon and his crew acting all arrogant, nobody could figure it out. They thought, ¡®Seriously, how can they act all high and mighty when they¡¯re the ones trying to steal someone else¡¯s loot?¡± No one realized it, but before Aria defeated Sean, they all thought she was being arrogant, too. It was only after witnessing Aria¡¯s strength firsthand that they were truly convinced. A leader turned to Fillip and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your take on this?¡± ¡°I think Aria can pull it off,¡± Fillip replied. He thought, ¡®Back in his twenties, Sean was at his absolute peak-he once took down five opponents in a row. If he could do it, I believe Aria can too. The leader smiled and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we join in and make a bet too?¡± Fillip nodded and asked, ¡°Alright, what do you want to bet on?¡± The leader said, ¡°I bet Aria won¡¯t be able to hold onto the supply point in Area D. If I win, and something big happenster, you have to stay calm and not stir up trouble.¡± Fillip frowned and asked, ¡°Are you hinting at me? Who¡¯s in trouble?¡± All of a sudden, he remembered what Owen had said. Then he asked, ¡°Is there a problem with Ned?¡± The leader asked, ¡°So, do you want to go check out what¡¯s up with Ned first, or stick around and watch the match?¡± Let¡¯s just watch the match for now,¡± Fillip replied. He was dying to know how it would end-could Aria really hold down the supply point in Area D or not? The leader was a bit surprised-he figured Fillip would be the first to ask what was up. Meanwhile, Aria was already fighting Peter, the fighter from Brandon¡¯s team. Again Marriage 797 The fighter from Brandon¡¯s team was a tall, burly man with extraordinary strength. Every punch he threw whistled through the air. The six of them were full of confidence, believing that victory was already theirs. That changed when the big guy was sent flying with a kick. Before he hit the ground, Aria was already on him, stomping him into the dirt. It all happened in just a dozen seconds. It was so fast that Brandon and his crew didn¡¯t have time to react. Someone shouted, ¡°No, stop her!¡± Aria grabbed the big guy by the throat with her left hand. With her right hand, she swiftly yanked off his ne. ¡°You lose,¡± she said calmly. She opened the protective case and pressed the elimination button. By the time the other fighter charged in, it was already toote. Aria dropped and rolled right then and there. Her legs.shed out in a sweeping kick, driving her opponent back time and time again. At that moment, Sean, who ought to have already left, was leaning against a tree, watching the surveince feed with great interest. He was just about to leave when he noticed another team approaching, so he decided to stay and watch the show. ¡°Damn.¡± he clicked his tongue. ¡°Aria held back when she was fighting me.¡± From the beginning, Sean had been closely observing Aria¡¯s movements. There was no trace of traditional technique in her style; every move was driven purely by instinct, swift, relentless, andpletely improvised. She was truly a wild card. If Aria had chosen the orthodox path, she couldn¡¯t have defeated Peter so quickly. She must have studied medicine as she knew all the vital body points. Peter was strong but slow, and she always urately targeted his weak spots. Anyone slow enough to confront Aria, no matter how tough they were otherwise, was like a fish on the chopping block. She was a rogue cultivator. ¡°Fighter Peter from Brandon¡¯s team has been eliminated, and their team has lost qualification for the team round. Repeating¡­¡± The announcement echoed through the forest, and Brandon¡¯s six teammates just stood there like dummies, totally shell-shocked. Peter, still lying sprawled on the ground, had a nk expression of utter confusion on his face. ¡®How the hell did I get pinned down and knocked out? It¡¯s not even been twenty seconds. Shit!¡¯ he thought, feeling dazed. Hidden in the shadows, Liz nearly leaped to her feet in excitement. He knew Aria could deal with Peter, but didn¡¯t expect it to be so fast. Knocking out a fighter in 20 seconds was overpowered. ¡®This championship is ours!¡¯ she thought. ¡°Peter¡¯s out?¡± Over at Clifford¡¯s team, they were eating when they heard the announcement. They were shocked. In all the years of thispetition, no one had ever been eliminated on the first day. ¡°Aren¡¯t there still three supply stations left?¡± one of them asked. ¡°Why is everyone already scrambling for them?¡± another muttered in disbelief. Every team was in a state of shock. After the first elimination, the second and third quickly followed. Both sides were eager for revenge and out to get each other. Aria knew that after she knocked out one of the opponents, the other team wouldn¡¯t just ept it passively. Instead of waiting for them toe to her, she dashed forward to confront the next fighter directly. The two fighters on Brandon¡¯s teamplemented each other. One was big and strong but slow, while the other was agile and quick on his feet. Realizing how formidable Aria was, the nimble fighter immediately retreated. ¡°Peter, I can¡¯t handle. her.¡± Peter struggled to his feet, stumbling over to his teammates. ¡°I¡¯ve been eliminated.¡± He was out and their whole team was kicked out of thepetition. Brandon clenched his fists, seething with anger but having nowhere to vent it. ¡°Everyone, together. Take her down!¡± he shouted. Hidden in the shadows, Liz was panicking. ¡°Cathy, what should we do now? Peter¡¯s out, and Brandon¡¯s entire team is going after her all at once.¡± Cathy was just as anxious, wishing she could just blink over there with her teammates right now. ¡°Liz, do you trust yourself?¡± she asked. ¡°Hell yes,¡± Liz replied without hesitation. As long as she hadn¡¯t eliminated himself, she was determined to relieve some of the pressure on Aria. Even if he couldn¡¯t win, she could always manage to escape. Again Marriage 798 Liz put away hermunicator and ran over. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± She rushed up next to Aria and assumed a fighting stance. Brandon sneered and shouted, ¡°Go.¡± All six of them charged forward simultaneously. Aria tilted her head to dodge the first punch, her eyes narrowing, and then she forcefully drove her right leg into the back of one guy¡¯s knee. The guy shrieked and his leg snapped. ¡®What kind of monster is she?¡¯ he thought, filled with terror. Brandon¡¯s face darkened as he lunged forward, his fingers curled like ws as he aimed straight for Aria¡¯s throat. Aria pushed off another guy¡¯s chest for leverage, grabbed Brandon¡¯s wrist with her left hand, and flipped herself over in mid-air. Brandon struck upward. However, Aria wasn¡¯t even aiming at him. Instead, she got kicked in the gut. As she was sent flying, she tucked her knees and forcefully drove one into another guy¡¯s temple. The guy didn¡¯t even make a sound. His eyes rolled back and he passed out cold on the spot. Arianded safely but Brandon¡¯s face darkened. Meanwhile, Liz was being pushed back by two opponents and struggling to fend them off. Aria had already taken down two of their fighters, but her right arm had been dislocated by a powerful punch from Brandon. She kicked the guy away and, with a calm expression, popped her dislocated arm back into ce. Hidden behind a tree, Sean frowned and thought, ¡°She is far too ruthless to herself.¡± Watching this fight, he also noticed the fatal weakness of this batch of trainees. They were overly rigid in following the rules Against someone like Aria, they would lose their lives in just a few seconds. By this time, Brandon was ready to leave. Their team had been eliminated, but he still had a shot in the individualpetition. Just as he turned to go, Aria stopped him. Every move she made was a deadly strike, aimed at vital areas. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Brandon panicked and dodged, cold sweat trickling down his back. ¡°It¡¯s just apetition. Do you have to fight as if you¡¯re trying to kill me?¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t fight to death, will you guys ever admit defeat?¡± Aria retorted. She threw him to the ground and locked his neck with the crook of her knee. Brandon¡¯s vision went dark. By the time he came to his senses, Aria was already holding his ne. ¡°I can still-¡± he began to say. But before he could finish, Aria stomped on his back, mming his face into the dirt. ¡°Still want toe at me?¡± Aria taunted coldly, pinning him down. He stared in utter despair as Aria took out thest fighter and then moved on to the technician. Aria took one down, and Liz seized the opportunity to take down another. ¡°Scout XX from Brandon¡¯s team has been eliminated. Commander Brandon from Brandon¡¯s team has been eliminated.¡± The announcements came one after another until the veryst member left. And the broadcast even made sure to state. ¡°Brandon¡¯s entire team has been eliminated. Repeating, Brandon¡¯s entire team has been eliminated.¡± Brandony there, his face ashen. ¡®Why did we have to go after this supply station?¡¯ he thought, full of regret. Never in thepetition¡¯s history had an entire team beenpletely eliminated. Now, his team was about to go down in history for all the wrong reasons, and in the most humiliating manner imaginable. Sean rubbed his temples and thought to himself, ¡®Once thispetition is over, I really need to rethink how I train these kids.¡¯ Chapter 798*** Meanwhile, Cathy and her three teammates were leftpletely stunned when they heard the broadcast. ¡°Aria and Liz¡­ just the two of them wiped out a whole team?¡± Jocelyn stammered, her voice shaking. Emily clutched her wildly beating heart. ¡°No freaking way.¡± They all knew precisely what Liz was capable of. At best, she could only deal with the two techies from Brandon¡¯s team. ¡®So that means Aria took down everyone else on her own?¡¯ The four of them thought. Fabian¡¯s team heard the broadcast too. Weyne guessed and asked, ¡°Maybe they just got super unlucky and ran into a patrol squad? What if they got gunned down?¡± Fabian nodded. ¡°A whole team getting wiped out? That¡¯s almost impossible. They probably ran into a whole bunch of patrols at once.¡± ¡°Security¡¯s way tighter this year. Everyone, keep your heads down and make sure no one touches our supply station,¡± Fabian reminded them. Weyne lifted his chin with a smirk. ¡°Rx, Fabian. No one¡¯s got the guts toe after our supply station.¡± Again Marriage 799 In the viewing room, everyone snapped out of shock. ¡°Where did Ms. Langford find such a monster? She¡¯s way too strong.¡± ¡°She can even pop her dislocated arm back in by herself. That¡¯s badass.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only the first day and they¡¯ve already wiped out a whole team. The team championship is basically theirs.¡± The leader watched the monitor, muttering to himself, ¡°No wonder Tessa went to such great lengths to keep Aria around.¡± Officially, the State Security Bureau was subordinate to the Arressto Investigation Agency. But in reality, it operated independently. Only the top leadership interacted with it. In fact, the Bureau outranked the Arressto Investigation Agency. Arressto had rtively loose rules for taking on missions. However, the Bureau had extremely high entry requirements, and its mission standards were even stricter. That was why getting into the Bureau was considered the ultimate honor. Over time, everyone there developed this innate sense of superiority, especially arrogant young men. Whenever a few of them got together, they would start boasting, acting as if there was no mission in the world they couldn¡¯t handle. But Aria showing up was actually a good thing. The stronger she was, the better she could put these kids in their ce. Now, the leader actually found himself hoping that Cathy¡¯s team would win the team championship. For Aria, this fight was far from easy. If the other team hadn¡¯t let their guard down, and if all of them had been skilled fighters instead of just a few, the oue could have gone either way. She watched as Brandon¡¯s entire team was escorted away. The one with the broken leg red at Aria, his eyes filled with resentment and anger. Aria said calmly, ¡°Rx. You¡¯ll be as good as new.¡± She held back. ¡°Really?¡± he asked. Aria said, ¡°Of course.¡± She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and turned to look at Liz, who was also banged up. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Liz stepped up this time, distracting two of the technicians. She grinned and said, ¡°Just a scratch. Nothing serious.¡± ¡°But we should still get some first aid,¡± Liz added. ¡°It¡¯s only the first day; we can¡¯t afford any serious injuries.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Aria said. ¡°The supply pack here has two tents. Let¡¯s regroup with them first, and get some rest.¡± Liz, absolutely exhausted, said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just leave this supply station and ask Cathy toe over instead?¡± She wasn¡¯t worried at all about anyone taking this supply station. After all, she had Aria on her side. Just then, hermunicator buzzed. Liz answered. Cathy asked, ¡°Are you guys safe? Did you take out Brandon¡¯s whole team?¡± Liz gave a firm answer. ¡°I only took down one. Aria handled the other six.¡± The other side went silent for several seconds. ¡°Don¡¯t move a muscle. Stay right there, we¡¯reing- ¡°Hold on,¡± Aria suddenly cut in. ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡± Liz was instantly on alert. She and Aria had just been through a tough fight, and if they had to do it again, they probably wouldn¡¯t get so lucky. Slowly, Clifford¡¯s team came into view. Mike asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon?¡± W The moment Mike saw Aria, his head went nk. She exuded apletely different aura. Standing there with a cold expression, she looked every bit like a goddess of ughter. When she realized it was Mike, Aria¡¯s eyes softened a little. ¡°Did you pass the assessment?¡± Mike nodded immediately, just like a model student. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the only new recruit this year. I saw you at the training ground. That¡¯s when I found out you were also with the Bureau.¡± Aria was the most low-key person Mike had ever met. When Mike passed the assessment, his dad was extremely excited and threw many parties, inviting lots of guests. But no one knew Aria was associated with the Bureau. Again Marriage 800 Clifford waved at her. ¡°Aria, looks like we meet again. Did you guys juste out of a tough fight?¡± he asked. Seeing that they didn¡¯t seem hostile, Liz let her guard down a little and asked, ¡°Haven¡¯t you found a supply station yet?¡± Clifford let out a sigh. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve had terrible luck. All the supply stations we¡¯ve run into turned out to be decoys. Did you guys already im this one?¡± From the side, a guy yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t trust Clifford. That guy is aplete snake. They already have a supply station; they¡¯re just trying to help another team im this one.¡± Someone said, ¡°Aria and her team are in trouble. They just finished fighting Brandon¡¯s group, and now they¡¯ve encountered Clifford¡¯s team. What are the odds?¡± Before, they used to say Aria¡¯s team was lucky, but now they¡¯re taking all that back. Their luck haspletely gone down the drain. It couldn¡¯t get any worse. They almost got seriously hurt by hidden weapons. Then they ran into Sean, Brandon¡¯s team, and now Clifford¡¯s team. If it were them, two consecutive fights would havepletely exhausted them. And if they had to enter the third round, there was no way they could win. *** Aria nodded. ¡°This one¡¯s ours. Go find another.¡± Clifford smiled and asked, ¡°And where are Cathy and the others?¡± Liz replied, ¡°They went to get the supply pack. They¡¯re on their way. By the way, where¡¯s Gerald? Why isn¡¯t he with you?¡± Clifford¡¯s team started with six, but now they were down to five. The scout, Jason, lowered his voice and said to Clifford, ¡°No ambush, but the footprints are a mess-lots of people have been through here.¡± Not long ago, Brandon¡¯s entire team was eliminated. It was evident that Aria and Liz had just endured a fierce battle. Clifford thought, ¡®Wait, did the two of them wipe out Brandon¡¯s whole team?¡¯ Liz was just a tech, not much of a fighter. The only real game-changer here was Aria. Clifford¡¯s guard went up, his eyes growing more wary. Zoey said bluntly, ¡°No need to waste words with them. Let¡¯s take them down and grab this supply station right now.¡± Clifford¡¯s team had already secured a supply station. They¡¯d teamed up with another group. Gerald remained with that team to guard it, while Clifford led the rest to reconnoiter another supply station. At the very least, they wanted to determine its location so that they could attempt to seize it the next day, Even though their team had a rookie, Gerald alone was equivalent to two people. Moreover, their fighters, Hank and Zoey, were not easy opponents. Overall, Clifford¡¯s team was much stronger than Brandon¡¯s. On themunicator, Cathy was about to curse. The four of them had been guarding their ce for a long time but no one came. Meanwhile, Aria¡¯s side kept getting one wave of challengers after another. me it on whoever set up the zones. They deliberately ced Sean¡¯s D zone in the most obvious and easily findable spot, just to see if any teams would have the courage to take on the challenge. Because of that, Aria arrived there first and imed the supply station. However, since no one knew she had already beaten Sean, everyone thought she was an easy target and kepting up to challenge her. Liz felt a twinge of panic, but she forced herself to remain calm. ¡°Aria had to defeat Sean just to take this supply station. If you attempt to seize it now, it will only result in a lose-lose situation for both sides.¡± They had held out for so long. There was no way they would hand it over now. Aria could at least knock one of them out. But that would mean going head-to-head with Clifford¡¯s team. Liz tried to persuade them to back off. ¡°She beat Sean?¡± Clifford blurted out,pletely stunned. He stared at Aria in disbelief. ¡°So those injuries on you were they given to you by Sean?¡± Again Marriage 801 Chapter 801 Zoey scoffed, ¡°We all know how strong Sean is. There¡¯s no way Aria could beat him.¡± Liz rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s just how it is. Believe it or not.¡± Jason cut in, ¡°Did a teame through here? Was it Brandon¡¯s team?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Liz said casually. ¡°Aria took them all out; didn¡¯t leave a single one standing.¡± 77% The atmosphere suddenly turned icy. Zoey couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter. ¡°Seriously? Aria took down seven people all by herself? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± She turned to Clifford. ¡°Clifford, let¡¯s make a move early; no need to wait and risk something going wrong.¡± Mike quickly interjected, ¡°Can¡¯t we just target another team instead?¡± He thought, ¡®Going after Ms. Saxon¡¯s supply station? That¡¯s just crossing the line.¡® ¡°She¡¯s not your teacher anymore; she¡¯s the enemy,¡± Zoey warned. ¡°Do you want to get eliminated?¡± +20 Mike said, ¡°I won¡¯ty a finger on Ms. Saxon. You guys do whatever you like.¡± With that, he walked away into the distance, making his stance clear. Zoey shot Clifford a sharp look. ¡°I told you the newbie wasn¡¯t up to it, but you insisted on bringing him in.¡± Clifford shrugged. ¡°Let me talk it over with Gerald.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to discuss?¡± Zoey waved her hand impatiently. ¡°I¡¯ll just eliminate her myself.¡± Clifford¡¯s face dropped. ¡°Take a good look at those two. Do they seem like easy targets to you? Don¡¯t underestimate them the way Brandon¡¯s team did, or you¡¯ll just end up shooting yourself in the foot.¡± The probability that Brandon¡¯s team would be eliminated by Aria was quite high, and he would never take the risk. He stepped aside and took out hismunicator to call Gerald. ¡°Gerald, we¡¯ve run into people from Cathy¡¯s team; just Aria and Liz. Liz said Aria defeated Sean, took over the supply station, and wiped out Brandon¡¯s team,¡± Clifford said. Gerald paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Which zone are you in?¡± ¡°Zone D,¡± Clifford replied, ¡°Zone D is likely Sean¡¯s area,¡± Gerald said calmly. ¡°Try to steer clear of Aria; she¡¯s not easy to deal with.¡± Clifford nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± After hanging up, Clifford turned to his teammates. ¡°Gerald told us to move out.¡± Zoey frowned. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the captain,¡± Clifford said, his tone leaving no room for argument. ¡°If you can¡¯t follow orders, there¡¯s no way we can keep working as a team.¡± Even though Mike was new, he listened well and didn¡¯t hold the team back. Zoey was the real rebel, always thinking she was right. Clifford thought, ¡®If so, why not form her own team? Why join mine?¡® 13:04 Thu 14 Aug ( 77% Seeing the displeasure on Clifford¡¯s face, Zoey pressed her lips together and stayed quiet, though her expression showed her reluctance. As the five turned to leave, Mike gave Aria a wave. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯m heading out now.¡± Aria said, ¡°Bye.¡± Off the field, the crowd was buzzing with excitement. ¡°Clifford chickened out?¡± someone eximed. ¡°What do you know? That¡¯s just being smart. He could tell Aria isn¡¯t someone you want to mess with. If they fought, Aria would definitely win,¡± another person retorted. No matter how tough Aria is, she can¡¯t take down so many people that quickly. Even if Clifford¡¯s team takes the spot, let them have it for now They can reim it after resting,¡± someone else added. His friend teased, ¡°Well, you¡¯re so smart. Why didn¡¯t you get first ce back then?¡± ¡°if I¡¯d teamed up with Aria, I¡¯d be number one too,¡± he shot back. +20) The guy thought, ¡®It¡¯s a good thing we didn¡¯t participate in thepetition. Otherwise, we would be the ones being humiliated. Watching all this from a bird¡¯s¨Ceye view is great.¡® ¡°Do you think Aria and her team will notice that Clifford¡¯s group already has a supply station?¡± someone asked. ¡°Hard to say,¡± another person replied. Everyone kept watching the monitors. Liz¡¯s knees almost gave way when she was sure Clifford¡¯s team had left. ¡°Finally, they¡¯re gone. We¡¯d have been in big trouble if we fought,¡± she mumbled. Except maybe Mike, there was no way Liz could take on any of the others. ¡°Still, Clifford¡¯s team isn¡¯t exactly weak. It¡¯s weird they haven¡¯t already taken a supply station,¡± Liz said. ¡°Gerald¡¯s not with them, and they¡¯ve already got a supply station,¡± Aria replied. ¡°What?¡± Liz¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Why are they trying to take ours?¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably joining forces with another group to grab an extra spot,¡± Aria said, casting a nce at themunicator in Liz¡¯s hand. ¡°You could do the same¨Cgive up one supply station and choose a team to coborate with.¡± Again Marriage 802 Chapter 802 Cathy let out a softugh. ¡°I like that idea. I¡¯ll have Jocelyn connect us to the other teams¡® channels. Just stay put; we¡¯lle to you.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria and Liz replied. 77% +20) After hanging up the phone, Liz picked up the resource pack. ¡°Let¡¯s set up the tent first.¡± Once the tent was erected, Liz turned to Aria and said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch. You go inside, apply some ointment to your wounds, and get some rest.¡± As Aria entered the tent, she nced at a surveince camera hidden in the shadows. Meanwhile, Owen, who was still on the road, smirked and casually swiped the screen of his phone. Once back in his dorm, he plugged in his phone to charge, set it aside, and turned on hisputer to work. After a while, his phone lit up with an iing call from Tessa. Owen picked up. ¡°Ms. Langford.¡± ¡°Ned escaped,¡± Tessa said straight to the point. Owen¡¯s brows drew together. ¡°With the Bureau locked down so tight, how did he manage to slip away?¡± Tessa replied, ¡°Right now, only a handful of people in the Supervision Department know who Ned is. As soon as he left their office, he bolted; no one stopped him.¡± She added, ¡°He knows a lot about the Bureau. We need to find out if someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.¡± The unspoken message was obvious¨CNed had been let go on purpose. ¡°I want to know where he is now,¡± Owen said. ¡°No problem,¡± said Tessa. After hanging up, Owen picked up Aria¡¯s phone and sent Vanessa a message. [Ned escaped. If you want to catch him, I can have the Wolf Regiment help you.] Half an hourter, Vanessa saw the message after stepping off stage. She quickly typed: [Has Aria just started the Skills Evaluation?] Owen replied instantly: [Yes.] Vanessa¡¯s fingers flew over the screen. [Could you help me hire the Wolf Regiment? 3 million dors?] Owen sent her the contact info right away. [Talk to them yourself.] Vanessa quickly got in touch with the Wolf Regiment. After settling things, she tossed her phone aside. She fired up herputer, pulled up the location data Owen had sent, and started tracking Ned¡¯s movements. The red dot on the screen moved until it stopped at a hotel on the outskirts of Kanit City. Vanessa quickly hacked the hotel¡¯s surveince system. There was Ned, wearing a baseball cap, swiping his keycard to enter a suite. ¡°Fast runner,¡± Vanessa said. She contacted the Wolf Regiment and told them to keep an eye on him.. Just as she switched the feed, Vanessa suddenly spotted someone who looked familiar. ¡®Flynt?¡® Vanessa thought. Vanessa perked up and immediately started digging into Flynt¡¯s background. She found out he had now be the heir to a leading corporation in Terrenia. 112 13:05 Thu, 14 Aug Or 377% +20 He went to Kanit City to discuss a partnership with the Shaw Family Group. Coincidentally, the hotel in the suburbs was owned by the Shaw Family Group. ¡°Flynt¡¯s back in Huthailia again. He wouldn¡¯t still be trying to hurt Aria, would he?¡® Vanessa wondered. After a moment of thought, Vanessa recorded a video and sent it to Owen. [No need to thank me.] In the forbidden zone of no¨Cman¡¯snd. Cathy and her team of five reached Zone D. ¡°We¡¯ve joined forces with William¡¯s group. Where¡¯s Aria?¡± Cathy asked. Aria was sitting inside the tent. ¡°Right here.¡± Cathy crouched down beside her. ¡°You¡¯re the MVP tonight. We¡¯re having roasted rabbit and wild chicken; leave the cooking to us, you just eat.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Aria. Cathy led the others off to handle the food prep. Caroline slowly shuffled over to Aria. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aria looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re apologizing to me?¡± Caroline looked a little awkward. ¡°I didn¡¯t trust you at first.¡± When she first heard that Aria was going to confront Sean directly, she felt annoyed. She thought Aria didn¡¯t care about the team and would hold them back, perhaps even causing them to lose their ce in the team round. But she never in a million years expected Aria to be stronger than Sean and wipe out Brandon¡¯s entire team. ¡°I just joined, so it¡¯s normal you didn¡¯t trust me,¡± Aria said. Caroline asked, ¡°How are your injuries?¡± ¡°I already put on some ointment,¡± Aria replied. ¡°You should rest. I¡¯ll go help out,¡± Caroline said. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Aria said. After everyone had eaten their fill, Cathy said, ¡°Tonight, the five of us will take turns keeping watch. Aria and Liz, you guys rest.¡± Liz chimed in, ¡°I¡¯m not hurt much; I can handle keeping watch. Let¡¯s split into pairs.¡± ¡°Works for me.¡± Aria didn¡¯t have any objections. in the middle of the night they more inlted awake as the broadcast euddanly red to life 212 Again Marriage 803 Chapter 803 Someone¡¯s out. Aria and Cathy were sharing a tent. When Cathy saw Aria was awake, she teased, ¡°The kids this year are even more There was no judgment in her voice. Wanting to win wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Meanwhile, Clifford¡¯s team, who had just eliminated another team, were left panting from exhaustion. 77% +20 Zoey Sullivan sat on the ground, clearly annoyed. ¡°We only knocked out two. Five are still standing, and they¡¯re definitely going to gang up with the others against us. Honestly, it would¡¯ve been way easier to just target Aria and Liz.¡± The team they had just eliminated had seven people. And they only had six¨Cyet they¡¯d nearly won. Wight had fallen over the forbidden zone, and darkness pressed in from all sides. Clifford didn¡¯t respond to Zoey¡¯sint. His eyes turned toward Mike, who¡¯d taken the hardest hit. ¡°You¡¯ve got some real moves, Mike.¡± Mike managed a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been training since I was a kid.¡± He was a little banged up, sure, but at least he hadn¡¯t slowed them down. Gerald, as the only onepletely unharmed, had already started dismantling the tent and called out without looking up, ¡°Mike.¡± ¡°On it!¡± Mike quickly got to his feet. Clifford raised his hand. ¡°Count me in. The three of us can squeeze together.¡± Gerald shot him a nce. ¡°Go squeeze with someone else. You¡¯re on night watch.¡± Clifford stood up and brushed the dust off his pants, pretending to be hurt. ¡°Come on, Gerald. We¡¯ve known each other the longest, and you¡¯re ditching me?¡± Mike couldn¡¯t help but cut in. ¡°Captain, Gerald¡¯s my cousin. Blood¨Crted. Mike thought, ¡®Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t have passed the assessment if it weren¡¯t for my cousin helping me out.¡® At that, the rest of the team all looked up in surprise. Hank Steele, their fighter, finally put it together. ¡°No wonder you two kind of look alike.¡± Zoey, who had been constantly annoyed with Mike throughout the journey, flushed and mumbled awkwardly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything before?¡± Zoey thought to herself. ¡®If I¡¯d known about his connection to Lincoln, I wouldn¡¯t have acted so dismissive toward him. ¡®No wonder Gerald had been ignoring her this whole time.¡® Mike shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s nothing worth mentioning.¡± Clifford chuckled and changed the subject. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this tent up.¡± Just as he picked up a tent pole, Gerald¡¯sm device started buzzing. ¡°Hey, Gerald, want to team up?¡± a man¡¯s voice came through the line. 13:05 Thu, 14 AugO) Gerald answered tly, ¡°You¡¯re toote. We¡¯ve already partnered up.¡± There was a disappointed pause. ¡°Ah, alright. I¡¯ll look for someone else then.¡± ¡°Did you get a supply station yet?¡± Gerald asked. ¡°Not yet,¡± came the reply. ¡°Here¡¯s a little tip for you,¡± Gerald said. ¡°The supply station in Area D is taken by Cathy¡¯s team.¡°. ¡°Thanks, Gerald,¡± the guy said. Once the call ended, Mike shot him a look. ¡°Seriously, Gerald? Aria¡¯s my mentor, and you just gave them her location.¡± Gerald didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°She¡¯s not your mentor here. You think you won¡¯t have to face her eventually in the team round?¡± Mike nodded without hesitation. ¡°I won¡¯t fight her.¡± Gerald raised a brow, but Mike added quickly, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯d win anyway. I¡¯d just get knocked out and drag the rest of you down.¡± Cliffordughed. ¡°Hard to argue with that.¡± 77% +20 ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re targeting your mentor s Again Marriage 804 Under the moonlight, ke¡¯s team moved quickly toward Area D. As they were about to reach their destination, ke raised his hand to signal everyone to stop. ¡°Ambush them in the dark, and make it quick.¡± He lowered his voice, ¡°Take out as many as we can. Aria¡¯s strength is unknown, so I¡¯ll handle her. The two fighters will go after Cathy and Caroline. The rest of you- ¡°Captain,¡± one of the teammates couldn¡¯t help but interrupt, ¡°it¡¯s pitch ck out here-how are we supposed to tell who¡¯s who? Even with bright moonlight, this wasn¡¯t daylight. Seeing the ground was hard enough, let alone picking specific targets. ke was momentarily speechless, then shot him a re. Just keep low and strike fast.¡± The one who just spoke rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, ¡®Our captain is so full of himself. If I¡¯d known, I never would¡¯ve teamed up with him. Seven of them crept silently toward the camp. Three tents came into view. The resource packs were piled up in the middle, and there were plenty of them. Looking closer, they even saw some charred firewood. ¡°Damn, they¡¯ve got tents,¡± one of the teammates muttered enviously. ¡°If we wipe them out, all these supplies are ours.¡± The teammate also caught the faint smell of roasted meat lingering in the air, thinking to himself. ¡°They sure know how to enjoy themselves.¡¯ Another teammate frowned. ¡°Are none of them keeping watch?* ¡°Maybe they figured no one would strike at night, so they¡¯re trying to rest up tonight, someone suggested. ¡°Something feels off¡­¡± Someone said. ¡°Even so,¡± ke cut in impatiently, ¡°this is the easiest supply station to take. We¡¯re moving He quickly split them up into groups. ¡°Three tents-I¡¯ll take one group, and the two fighters will each lead the others. Everyone clear?¡± ¡°Clear!¡± Ropes and wooden batons in hand, the team crept closer. Physical weapons like these weren¡¯t banned by the rules. Just as they were about to reach the tents, a huge suddenly dropped from above. ¡°It¡¯s a trap. Retreat!¡± The seven of them scattered in all directions. Cathy¡¯s team jumped down from the trees, each one kicking an enemy into the like they were ying whack-a-mole. ke¡¯s team waspletely caught off guard. Only ke and one of the fighters barely managed to escape, while the other five were all trapped in the. Aria and Cathy chased down the two escapees. In the moonlight, Aria had ke stomped under her foot in less than thirty seconds. ¡°Are you going to press the elimination button yourself, or do you want me to knock you out?¡± Aria asked. ke¡¯s face was shoved into the dirt, burning with shame and anger. ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯re with the State Security Bureau. Which instructor are you?¡± She was too fast. No member in the Bureau had anything close to her speed. Aria didn¡¯t bother replying. She reached for his ne. ke struggled, raising a hand to block her, but his arm popped right out of the socket, with a sound of ¡°crack¡±. The broadcast sounded: [Attention: ke Brooks,mander of ke¡¯s team, has been eliminated. I repeat, ke Brooks,mander of ke¡¯s team, has been eliminated.] It didn¡¯t take long for Cathy to finish off the other fighter. The broadcast sounded again: [Fighter XX from ke¡¯s team has been eliminated¡­] Except for Liz, none of the others had ever seen Aria in action before. Her clean, efficient strikes left them stunned. ¡°Eliminate all five in the. Don¡¯t let a single one slip through,¡± Cathy ordered. The five trapped in the were still struggling, but Emily kicked the nearest one and said, ¡°You want your arm popped out like your captain¡¯s?¡± Soon, the broadcast repeated: [All members of ke¡¯s team have been eliminated. I repeat, all members of ke¡¯s team have been eliminated.] Meanwhile, the broadcast jolted Clifford¡¯s team awake. They all gaped. ¡°All of them got wiped out? By Cathy¡¯s team?¡± Mike nodded. ¡°Told you my teacher¡¯s a beast.¡± Again Marriage 805 Gerald stared at Clifford with a serious look. ¡°Cathy Shaw¡¯s team is our biggest threat. *For now, conserve energy. If we run into them, avoid fighting. Our odds aren¡¯t great.¡± Taking down Mr. Lewis and knocking out two teams in a row-none of us could pull that off, Gerald thought to himself. Clifford nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± With Aria on their team, Cathy¡¯s team waspletely unbeatable. And Fabian Mabry¡¯s squad was another serious contender. We had to y it safe. Clifford thought. Zoey said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean it was definitely them taking out¡­¡± Things went quiet all of a sudden. Jason finally spoke up, ¡°Better safe than sorry.¡± Clifford yawned. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s just get some sleep. Jason and I will take the first watch.¡± Fabian¡¯s team was just as shocked. Weyne analyzed calmly, ¡°This year¡¯s evaluation has more traps thanst year, and more patrols too. Maybe both teams fell into ambushes.¡± Bruce frowned, ¡°Even if they did, could they really all get taken out like that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a point,¡± Weyne said, turning to him. ¡°Any other exnation?¡± ¡®Actually, there is. The biggest wild card this year was Aria! Bruce thought to himself. Bruce didn¡¯t say it out loud. His captain and Weyne had always looked down on Aria. If he said anything, they¡¯d justugh. Better to just stay silent. Fabian spoke with a low and steady voice, ¡°No one touched our supply station tonight. Rest up. Team round starts. tomorrow.¡± It was already three in the morning. They still had two hours to sleep. ire nced at Geoffrey. ¡°You¡¯re going to be a game-changer in the team round. Gerald¡¯s team moves fast-we can¡¯t let them get ahead of us.¡± Decoding encrypted intel required cooperation between the intelligence agent and the technician. Only then could they obtain the final boss coordinates and clear the game as soon as possible. Geoffrey nodded seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Cathy and her team waited for the State Security Bureau toe and take ke¡¯s team away. ke, still fuming, grumbled, ¡°The rules say no equipment allowed. So where did you guys get that?¡± Allison gave a little smile. The was set up by the State Security Bureau themselves. We just moved it, that¡¯s all. No rules broken.¡± She winked. ¡°You could¡¯ve done the same thing, you know.¡± ¡°We¡¯re already eliminated. How the hell are we supposed to do that?¡± ke was shaking with rage. Allison shot back with a mocking smile, ¡°Not really our problem, is it?¡± ke was so furious he nearly passed out from rage. Just then, Aria strolled over, and ke freaked out, wriggling on the ground like a bug. He stammered, ¡°W-What do you want?¡± ¡°Just putting your arm back in ce,¡± Aria replied. With two sharp cracks, Aria snapped ke¡¯s dislocated arm back where it belonged. Soon, the officials arrived and took all seven of them away. On the way back, one of the teammates grumbled, ¡°ke, I¡¯m never teaming up with you again. Not even 24 hours in and you led us right into a trap.¡± ke¡¯s face was livid. ¡°Don¡¯t me me. Gerald and Cathy clearly set us up.¡± ¡°And you just believed him? That¡¯s on you. You underestimated them,¡± the teammates replied. ¡°Big talk for someone who said nothing earlier, hindsight genius.¡± ke snapped. They argued non-stop until the senior assigned to escort them finally snapped, ¡°What are you all arguing about? Brandon¡¯s team got wiped even earlier, and they¡¯re notining.¡± ke froze. ¡°Wait, Brandon¡¯s team got eliminated by Cathy¡¯s team too?¡± The senior shook his head. ¡°Not exactly. ¡°Liz took out one, and Aria wiped out the other six,¡± he added. ke thought, ¡®Aria took out six people all by herself? ¡®No wonder I gotpletely steamrolled by her.¡¯ Suddenly, ke didn¡¯t feel so bad about losing anymore. At least someone else had it worse and earlier. The senior added one more jab, ¡°Honestly, neither of your teams deserved to make it past Day One. Brandon¡¯s team will be thrilled to hear you guys joined them.¡± Again Marriage 806 Brandon Hill¡¯s team was definitely feeling better now. Finally, another team joined them in the hall of shame. ¡°Cathy was already sharp. Now with Aria on her side, they¡¯re basically unstoppable,¡± one teammate muttered. Who would¡¯ve thought they¡¯d actually steal the traps set up by the Bureau and use them for themselves? Everyone had witnessed Aria and Cathy casually scouting out the hidden traps and packing them up like they were on a shopping trip. They weren¡¯t worried about losing their supply station at all. As Cathy had put it: ¡°If someone tries to take it, just retreat. We can always take it back.¡± ¡°The was just the start. They¡¯ve set up more traps they haven¡¯t even used yet,¡± someone added. ¡°Pretty sure next year¡¯s evaluation will have copycats pulling the same stunt¡­¡± another teammate chimed in. With traps on their side, they had a huge edge inbat. Actually, some teams had considered trying the same, but the Bureau¡¯s traps were extremely dangerous. One wrong step and you could wipe out your whole team. Nobody wanted to risk it, except Aria and Cathy. Even if others knew the trick, few would dare try it. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m wiped. I¡¯m heading to bed. I¡¯ll check back in the morning,¡± someone said with a yawn. Everyone in the Bureau got the day off for the evaluation. Most people chose to stay and watch instead of going home. Watching in real time was a whole different experience from watching the edited highlights. Like right now, the atmosphere was buzzing as everyone joined in the discussion. At six in the morning, Cathy¡¯s team woke up on schedule. Emily stretched with a grin. ¡°If it were any other year, today would be the riskiest day. But now I¡¯m not even a little nervous.¡± Liz nodded as she sorted through her gear. ¡°Same here.¡± They had gathered enough supplies. No need to split up to search anymore-just guarding the camp is enough. After a quick breakfast, the seven of them sat together in a circle. Allison spun her stick around, looking bored. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m so bored. Anyone wanna do something?¡± ¡°Wanna y cards?¡± Caroline suddenly suggested. Liz blinked. ¡°Where are we supposed to get cards?¡± Caroline perked up. ¡°We can just make some! Aria, what do you say?¡± Six pairs of eyes turned to Aria. Aria nodded. ¡°Sure, why not? Sitting around¡¯s kinda dull.¡± Caroline grabbed Allison and went off to find wooden sticks, tossing them to the others when they returned. ¡°You guys start sanding these and using arrows to carve the numbers.¡± Then she turned to Aria. ¡°Have you ever yed poker?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°Nope, but I¡¯ve heard of it Cathy looked surprised. ¡°Seriously? Never?¡± Aria shrugged. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys exin the rules?¡± After Cathy finished her detailed exnation, Aria picked it up in no time and asked, ¡°Alright, so what are we betting?¡± ¡°The loser buys the winner a meal, Cathy proposed. ¡°Every loss counts.¡± Everyone agreed and got to work making wooden cards. Once done, they rotated between two decks of cards. Spectators who had gotten up early looked on helplessly. Spectators who had gotten up carly looked on helplessly. ¡°I didn¡¯t wake up early to watch them y cards! Can someone please attack them already?¡± one of themined. Another person replied, ¡°Two out of thirteen teams are already out. There are eight supply stations. Only three teams need fighting supplies. Chances are slim they¡¯ll get attacked today. Honestly, with nothing to do, I¡¯d be bored too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just check out the other teams instead, someone else suggested. That¡¯s when they saw something interesting. One team was negotiating with Fabian¡¯s group, offering an alliance: help them seize a supply station now, and they¡¯d return the favor during the team round. Fabian agreed to the deal. Again Marriage 807 ¡°Weyne, Geoffrey and ire, you guys stay here, Fabian said. Tll take Bruce and go give them a hand The other team¡¯s captain looked genuinely grateful. ¡°Thanks a lot, Fabian Fabian asked, ¡°So, do you guys have a target in mind? ¡°We¡¯re aiming for the supply station in Area C. William¡¯s team and Cathy¡¯s team teamed up, and Cathy basically handed Area Cover to William,¡± the captain exined. Weyne raised an eyebrow. ¡°Cathy¡¯s team was the first to im Area C? And she just gave it away? She¡¯s got some guts A bunch of girls taking one station is already pushing their luck-and she¡¯s giving it up? Stupid move. He thought Knowing Fabian had a thing for Cathy, the team leader quickly added, ¡°We also know about another station-just in case.¡± Fabian cut him off. ¡°No need. We¡¯ll take Area C. Let¡¯s move.¡± The omniscient viewers were getting hyped. ¡°Now this¡¯ll be fun. Aria and her crew are still ying cards.¡± ¡°No kidding. And Aria hasn¡¯t lost a single round, someone added. ording to the rules, only the loser rotates out, but Aria had never lost, so she stayed at the table the whole time. Eventually, she got bored. ¡°You guys go ahead and y The others wanted to switch it up. ¡°Have you ever yed Werewolf?¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°What about Who¡¯s the Spy?¡± another chimed in. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever yed board games like Chess and Go,¡± Aria replied Others were speechless for a while. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no way we can carve pieces for those games,¡± someone said. ¡°Let¡¯s just y Werewolf then.¡± After hearing the rules, Aria was intrigued. In this game, no matter what role she got, she¡¯d need to win the others¡¯ trust. It wasn¡¯t just about intelligence anymore. They yed for another hour before stopping. Cathy stretched. ¡°Man, I wouldn¡¯t mind a team showing up for a fight.¡± Then her eyes lit up as she looked at Aria. ¡°Wanna spar?¡± The others immediately started pping. ¡°Now that¡¯s more like it!¡± 2:14 pm Aria, just as bored, nodded right away. The two of them stepped out into the open, and Cathy was the first to strike, fast and sharp. Aria blocked, then mirrored her moves in return. After a few rounds, everyone started to notice something. Aria was picking up Cathy¡¯s techniques as they fought. Their fists shed, then they stepped apart. Cathy couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Are you copying me?¡± ¡°Trying to learn the Bureau¡¯sbat training while I¡¯m at it,¡± Aria said frankly. ¡°Saves time.¡± Cathy grinned. ¡°Fine, knock yourself out.¡± In the next round, Aria caught Cathy¡¯s kick, redirected the force, and hit her back-only this time, she changed the target zone. Cathy almost dropped to one knee. ¡°Did you just modify my move?¡± ¡°That angle works better if you aim for the back of the knee.¡± Aria replied. ¡°Your moves are too predictable. You can tweak them depending on the situation.¡± Cathy was momentarily stunned, not sure how to react. Aria kept fighting using her improvised techniques. Every move was unpredictable. Caroline got hyped. ¡°I wanna spar too!¡± One by one, Aria sparred with each of them, pointing out ws in their technique. Watching from the outside, Mr. Lewis grew more and more impressed. ¡°That girl¡¯s better suited to teach than I am.¡± the Bureau had always been super strict-not just about recruiting, but also about hiring instructors. Most of them were retired agents, meaning their styles were very ¡°by the book.¡± Some had tried teaching newer techniques, but most students found them ¡°dirty¡± or ¡°dishonorable.¡± After Aria stomped all over them in this year¡¯s evaluation, let¡¯s see if they¡¯re still too proud to learn. Mr. Lewis cracked a smile and turned to Tessa. ¡°Ms. Langford, we should thank you for this idea. Brilliant.¡± Tessa smiled back. ¡°I hope you will take the lead.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± said Mr. Lewis. Later that afternoon, Cathy got a call from William. 2:14 Again Marriage 808 ¡°Taken by Fabian?¡± Cathy repeated. William replied with guilt. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. We lost the station. We probably won¡¯t be able to follow through on our promise.¡± ¡°It happens. We¡¯re in Area D. Juste over here. There¡¯s still time. We¡¯ll figure something else out.¡± Cathy said. After the call ended, Cathy turned to the others. ¡°William¡¯s team lost their supply station. Thoughts?¡± All six pairs of eyes immediately turned to Aria. Aria arched an eyebrow. ¡°Why is everyone looking at me?¡± Cathy smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve put in the most effort, so you decide. We¡¯ll follow your lead.¡± Aria shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re themander. It¡¯s your call.¡± Cathy offered, ¡°Well, we¡¯re bored anyway. How about you or me taking two people to snatch the station back?¡± Aria nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Cathy nced at the rest of the team, and everyone nodded in agreement. Liz added, ¡°If we¡¯re helping, might as well go all the way. William¡¯s the kind of guy who keeps his word.¡± It was true. William¡¯s team wasn¡¯t top-tier, but they had a solid reputation. It was rare to get betrayed while working with them. When William¡¯s team arrived, Cathy asked directly, ¡°Who¡¯s over there?¡± ¡°Fabian and Bruce,¡± William replied. Cathy said, ¡°Caroline and I will go. You leave two people here to help out.¡± William was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect Cathy to go herself, and with their strongest fighter no less. Seeing him freeze, Cathy asked, ¡°You don¡¯t think two of us are enough?¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that¡­ I¡¯m just worried you¡¯ll get caught up in something. Area D is pretty central. Lots of teams pass through, William shook his head. ¡°Rx. No one¡¯s taking our supply station. Just leave two of your people,¡± Cathy said. As long as they didn¡¯t run into Gerald, Weyne, or Fabian, they could stall for five minutes-and that was enough for Aria to handle the rest. William was worried about implicating Cathy¡¯s team and left two fighters. Cathy said, ¡°Just leave one fighter.¡± In the end, William left one fighter and a tech guy with them. Before heading out, Cathy told them. ¡°Just do whatever Aria says.¡± The two replied, ¡°Got it.¡± Once they were gone, Allison pulled out the cards. Smiling, she asked the two guys, ¡°Wanna y poker? Loser buys dinner- one meal per loss.¡± They¡¯d been crushed by Aria earlier and were eager to regain some pride. William¡¯s teammates hadn¡¯t expected such a chill vibe. After exchanging a nce, they joined in. Allison, Jocelyn, Liz, and Emily rotated in. The two new guys, worrying about William, kept losing, over and over. Meanwhile, Cathy and Caroline arrived at Area C. Fabian saw them and wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°So you showed up. Here to help William¡¯s team? Ready to fight us for it?¡± Cathy sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t act like we picked this fight. Area C was ours. You took it. We¡¯re just taking it back. Simple as that.¡± Fabian didn¡¯t want a direct confrontation. ¡°Cathy, I¡¯ll make you a deal. Work with us. I¡¯ll guarantee you second ce.¡± Cathy smirked. ¡°Captain Fabian, is there really a big difference between second and deadst? ¡°I want the championship.¡± ¡°Your team¡¯s not nearly as strong as ours. Forget about winning,¡± Fabian replied. ¡°Enough talk. Let¡¯s fight. Loser gets lost,¡± Cathy said, refusing to back down. Fabian frowned, thinking inwardly, ¡®With Cathy and Caroline, they essentially had three fighters. While my team only had two-including myself. ¡®If we went toe-to-toe, we probably wouldn¡¯t get eliminated, but no advantages would be gained. ¡®We¡¯d just waste time and energy, and might not even be able to hold onto the Area C supply station. Going up against them right now just isn¡¯t worth it.¡¯ Fabian scanned the area. ¡°You brought Caroline with you. Who¡¯s guarding your supply station?¡± ¡°Not your problem,¡± Cathy snapped. ¡°Are we fighting or what?¡± Tension was thick-until Fabian suddenly stepped back. ¡°We¡¯re not fighting. It¡¯s yours.¡± ¡®Better to save our strength and hit another team instead,¡¯ he thought. Cathy hadn¡¯t expected him to give up that fast. Soon after, Liz received a call from Cathy: ¡°We¡¯ve reimed Area C. Caroline and I will stay here. Hold Area D until the day ends.¡± Liz looked at Aria. Thetter nodded. ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll hold down Area D.¡± William¡¯s teammates exchanged a look. They¡¯d noticed that the supposed leader was Cathy, but everyone deferred to Aria. One of the teammates thought, ¡®Aria was a special recruit. She hadn¡¯t even undergone training yet. If the others obeyed her without question, her strength had to be overwhelming. And not once had they worried about defending their supply station. ¡®Aria might be even stronger than Cathy¡¯ Elsewhere, Weyne was fuming. ¡°Captain, Cathy and Caroline are camping out in Area C. William¡¯s missing two people. Must¡¯ve sent them to help her team guard their station.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s take Cathy¡¯s station instead,¡± he suggested. That way, both teams will end up fighting over the same supply station. Fabian thought for a moment. ¡°Find out which area their supply station is in.¡± Weyne grinned. ¡°Let me handle this one, Captain. I¡¯ll take Aria out and redeem our pride.¡± Fabian hadn¡¯t nned on shing with Cathy¡¯s team so soon, but things hade to this-might as well let Weyne take a shot. He finally nodded. ¡°Go for it.¡± Once he confirmed Cathy¡¯s team was in Area D, Weyne was pumped. ¡°It¡¯s close. We¡¯ll be there in thirty minutes.¡± Fabian¡¯s team got back. Weyne took Geoffrey, ire, and a few people from their partner team and headed out. Somewhere else, Gerald was typing on his keyboard. After thirty minutes of nonstop hacking, he finally broke into the Bureau¡¯s surveince system. Mike was snacking beside him. When he saw the screen, he gasped. ¡°You¡¯re insane, Gerald.¡± ¡°Keep your voice down. If the cameras catch us, they¡¯ll confiscate theptop.¡± Gerald warned. If that happened, they¡¯d be screwed for the team round. Mike instantly shut his mouth. The cameras were everywhere. Gerald had to pull up each feed individually. He paused on Cathy-saw only her and Caroline. The rest were clearly from William¡¯s team. He switched to Area D. There, five girls were clearly at ease. William¡¯s two members were also visible. It didn¡¯t take a genius to see the two teams were working together. Just then, another group appeared on the feed. Weyne was in the lead. ¡°Hey Mike, wanna see your mentor in action?¡± Gerald teased. Mike hesitated. ¡°Might not be a good idea.¡± Gerald said, ¡°Fabian¡¯s team is going after their supply station.¡± Mike lunged over. ¡°Let me see!¡± That¡¯s when Clifford pulled back the tent p. ¡°Your turn for watch.¡± Gerald didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°Give us another thirty minutes.¡± Clifford saw they were glued to the screen and came around. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Mike pped a hand over his mouth. Clifford cursed through gritted teeth, shoved Lu Mike¡¯s hand off, and hissed, ¡°If we get caught, we¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Gerald snapped. On the big screen, Weyne¡¯s group was silently approaching Area D supply station. Gerald tapped the keyboard, switching to another feed. Clifford spotted Aria. He leaned down. ¡°Oh man. This is gonna be good. Gerald, you absolute legend.¡± Clifford thought, ¡®Hacking into the Bureau¡¯s system mid-evaluation and not getting caught? This guy was scary. Good thing he was on the Bureau¡¯s side.¡¯ +38 Again Marriage 809 Weynemanded in a subdued voice, ¡°Leave Aria to me. I¡¯ll eliminate her within a minute. You guys block the others. Got it?¡± The person nearest him nodded silently. Weyne frowned in annoyance. ¡°Answer me.¡± Everyone was speechless. Obviously, they thought Weyne had no right to boss them around. But considering they were on the same team, Geoffrey said reluctantly, ¡°Got it.¡± When they were closing in, a sudden whoosh came out. One guy¡¯s ankle was bound in a rope, and he dangled upside down in midair. He didn¡¯t make a sound, but themotion alerted Aria and her crew. At that moment, Aria was drawing something on the ground with a stick. Hearing themotion, she casually tossed the stick aside and said calmly, ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± She had hardly finished speaking when Weyne and his crew rushed out of the darkness. Ignoring others, Weyne lunged at Aria. Aria lifted her hand and caught his fist. Weyne acted quickly without giving Aria a chance to fight back. But Aria effortlessly blocked all his attacks. Several timester, Weyne¡¯s face grew harder. Aria turned out to be much harder to handle than he¡¯d imagined. Weyneunched a fierce kick, but Aria blocked it with her crossed arms, her feet scraping over the ground. When Weyne was about to attack her again, Aria, who had been backing up, came to an abrupt stop. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn,¡± she said. She moved so fast that there was only a blur where she had been. Before Weyne could react, he received a blow on the chin. Soon, he realized how huge the gap was between him and Aria. He had been outgunned, unable to fight back. ¡®I¡¯m going to be eliminated, he thought. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Weyne faked a strike and turned to run. 2:15 pm Aria seemed to know what he¡¯d do next. She grabbed his cor and jerked him back hard. Weyne hit the ground with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust. Just as Aria was about to eliminate him, an arrow whistled toward her. She leaned back just in time to dodge, and Weyne took the chance to scramble away. Seeing this, his screw bailed too. Aria¡¯s cold gaze shot toward the direction the arrow hade from. Sean was standing not far away, grinning at her. ¡°You¡¯re too strong, Aria. Thepetition¡¯s no fun anymore, so I thought I should give you a little challenge.¡± Under the rules of thepetition, as long as a team held the supply station and stayed inside the safe zone, they wouldn¡¯t get attacked by patrollers. But Sean broke that rule in front of everyone. Aria¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Mr. Lewis, you¡¯re the one who broke the rules first.¡± Suddenly, she sent a steel needle flying toward Sean. He dodged frantically, breaking out in a cold sweat. ¡°Damn it!¡± Sean thought, ¡®She¡¯s not bluffing. She wants me dead. He turned to run, but she stabbed him in the hand with another steel needle. Aria¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Drop the crossbow, and I can let you go.¡± Sean clutched the crossbow even tighter and kept running. A third steel needle whizzed past his cheek and embedded itself into a tree. He threw up his hands, spun around, and yelled, ¡°I give up. The crossbow¡¯s yours.¡± Aria walked over, took the crossbow, and shot a nce at the scratch on his face. ¡°Mr. Lewis, what¡¯s the point?¡± Sean looked at her, his expressionplicated. ¡°Tessa must¡¯ve pulled out all the stops to get you here. You don¡¯t have topete against a bunch of kids?¡± Sean steered Aria to a spot with no cameras around, making sure no one saw what happened there. When Aria reappeared on the monitors, crossbow in hand, the spectators went wild. ¡°Aria beat Mr. Lewis? Is she really that strong?¡± ¡°me Weyne, Pick Aria to mess with. Otherwise, Mr. Lewis wouldn¡¯t have to step in.¡± ¡°The first two teams deserved it. Aria never started anything.¡± The real pros never unt it, just like Aria. They thought Aria got in through her connections, and she was nothing special, so they could just walk all over her. If they hadn¡¯t messed with her, they wouldn¡¯t have been eliminated. A member of Brandon¡¯s team exined, ¡°When we ran into them, there were only two of them. Anyone would¡¯ve jumped at the chance to make a move. ¡°Mr. Lewis could¡¯ve stepped in earlier. Weyne¡¯s safe, but we¡¯re just eliminated for nothing.¡± But they didn¡¯t go as far as Weyne did. ¡°Maybe even Mr. Lewis didn¡¯t expect Aria to be so strong. If she keeps ying like this, she will eliminate whoever she wants. What¡¯s the point of the team round? Let alone the solo round,¡± someoneined. Aria¡¯s been eliminating groups one after another. Soon, there would be no one left for the solo round. In the tent, Clifford stared at the monitor, eyes wide. ¡°Did Aria beat Mr. Lewis?¡± He thought, ¡®She¡¯s too strong. ¡®Should thepetition keep going?¡¯ Gerald rewound the footage until it stopped at the moment Aria threw the first steel needle. After ck Rose died, only Echohawk could use the needles well. Gerald didn¡¯t expect Aria to be Echohawk. Soon, the announcer said, ¡°Special notice. Aria from Cathy¡¯s team is not going to eliminate anyone from now on. All other rules remain the same. Again¡­¡± All the teams were startled. ¡°Why can¡¯t Aria eliminate anyone? Did she do something wrong?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Cathy quickly called her team. ¡°What happened?¡± Liz¡¯s angry voice came through. ¡°Aria was about to eliminate Weyne when Mr. Lewis used a secret weapon to save him. They¡¯re way out of line. Mr. Lewis tantly broke the rules. I look down on him.¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. I can¡¯t eliminate anyone, but I can hold them down and let you guys finish the job. Plus, Mr. Lewis gave us a crossbow. We suffered no losses.¡± A spectator grumbled, ¡°Aria¡¯s strong. Why did Mr. Lewis give her the crossbow?¡± ¡°Brilliant. Even if she can¡¯t eliminate anyone, her teammates can,¡± another voice chimed in. Sean was at a loss for words. He thought, ¡®Come on, it was Aria who snatched it from me. I have to keep it to myself. The announcement was made to tell the other teams that Aria was strong, so they put restrictions on her. They wanted other teams to stay away from Cathy¡¯s team. They wanted the other teams to see it. Weyne, looking like a mess, stopped running after several miles. Fabian called over themunicator, ¡°You didn¡¯t eliminate Aria? Why is she suddenly restricted?¡± Weyne clenched his fists Tabian, I¡¯m pretty sure Aria eliminated those two teams. She almost eliminated me, tos ¡°She¡¯s stronger than Sean If this kreps up, we¡¯re going to lose. In my opinion, all teams should unite If we aren¡¯t able to eliminate Aria, we can eliminate her teammates first.¡± Again Marriage 810 No one came to fight over the supply station in D Area anymore, not even the supply station in C Area Cathy was guarding. Cathy grew more anxious instead of feeling relieved. Aria had be everyone¡¯s target. Even the instructors were watching her closely. It was not a good thing for Aria to be too superb for other teams. Cathy hadn¡¯t expected Aria to be so impressive. Cathy thought, ¡®All the teams have known something about Aria, and things have gotten more dangerous. If I were the enemymander, I¡¯d surely join forces with the other teams to take out the biggest threat first. ¡°The moment the team round starts, it¡¯s going to be a brutal fight,¡± Cathy said to William. Hearing this, William said without hesitation, ¡°Without your help, our team would¡¯ve been eliminated ages ago. We¡¯ll do what we¡¯ve promised.¡± The fighter from William¡¯s team said confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, William. We promised you we¡¯d win. You have our word.¡± Excited, the technician of the team said, ¡°I can¡¯t wait. 2V6. It¡¯s gonna be a thrill.¡± In the end, only eight teams would make it to the team round. Even if they teamed up with the other six teams to go after Cathy¡¯s team, they still couldn¡¯t win, and nobody would even remember their names. But if they chose to side with Cathy, they¡¯d be the brightest supporting roles in thepetition, whatever the oue. Cathy said with a bright smile, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s face them head-on.¡± At the same time, Clifford got the news and called his team together. He said seriously, ¡°Fabian and his crew are nning to team up with the other teams to eliminate Aria first. ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Zoey was the first to speak. ¡°We could just stay out of it.¡± Hank said, ¡°But if we stay out of it, once they eliminate Aria¡¯s team, we¡¯ll be their next target. ¡°Aria¡¯s way too hard to handle. The good thing is she¡¯s not allowed to eliminate anyone.¡± Clifford turned to Mike and said, ¡°You¡¯re the new guy. Give your opinion.¡± Mike said truthfully, ¡°If you put yourself in Fabian¡¯s shoes, you would know teaming up with other teams is the best way to eliminate Aria. ¡°But only one team can win. Fabian¡¯s team is ying to win, and even if the others teamed with them, there is no way they can win. So what¡¯s the point of taking risks?¡± Mike thought, ¡®As long as we didn¡¯t mess with Aria, she wouldn¡¯t go after us. I¡¯vest if we can¡¯t win, as long as we weren¡¯t eliminated, we could still take the team round and solo round to get some experie Winning a angetant, but it¡¯s not the only thing that matters Arsa was too strong, and Fabian¡¯s team had been ying all sides, making others believe all teams participated in the action other than them Make continued. ¡°More importantly, the key to the team round is cracking the encrypted information, getting every member through the solo round and defeating the final boss as quickly as possible. ¡°The scramble for supply stations in the past couple of days gave everyone the illusion thatbat prowess was everything. but in truth, once you earned a spot in thepetition, it all came down to teamwork. Every member is crucial. If anyone falls behind, the whole team will suffer. So I don¡¯t think Aria will make much difference to the team round The real threat isn¡¯t Cathy¡¯s team. It¡¯s ours With Gerald on our side, we¡¯ll be the fastest at cracking the codes. As long as no one falls behind, there is a good chance well win Fabian¡¯s team is just fooling others and taking the opportunity to eliminate rivals. Actually, they only wanted to take Gerald down¡¯ Zoey and the others stared in stunned silence as Mike finished Chifford threw an arm around Mike¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Bro, maybe you should be the one calling the shots?¡± Mike grinned. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s easy to figure it out.¡± Again Marriage 811 Hank said, ¡°We should warn the other teams not to fall for Fabian¡¯s tricks.¡± Gerald shot Hank a calm nce, and Hank scratched his head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Gerald?¡± Mike said. ¡°We just need to keep Gerald safe and keep a watch for Fabian¡¯s team. The infighting between the other teams works in our favor. No need to trouble ourselves to stop them. ¡°Sooner orter, they¡¯ll figure it out, and this fighting will stop.¡± Hank scratched his head and said, ¡°Violence suits me better.¡± Weyne said, ¡°Fabian, only two teams chose to team up with us. Is your n going to work?¡± Those two teams had already offered them an olive branch before thepetition started. But they were not sure what side they were really on. Fabian said, ¡°Gerald definitely won¡¯t fall for it. It all depends on whether the other teams join in. Don¡¯t get your hopes up. Aside from the fighters, the rest of the State Security Bureau aren¡¯t silly at all.¡± Weyne, the fighter, was left speechless. Weyne thought, ¡®Is Fabian insulting me?¡¯ Right on cue, the announcer¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°All eight supply stations have been secured. Eliminated teams must evacuate immediately. Let the team round begin.] Cathy stood up, brushing the dust off her clothes. ¡°William, grab the resource packs. Let¡¯s go meet up with Aria and the others.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± William replied. Once the two teams met up, Cathy ordered, ¡°We¡¯ll stick together today, then split up to search tomorrow. Besides gathering encrypted information, keep an eye out for any caves that would make good resting spots. ¡°Caves are easy to defend and hard to attack. They¡¯ll make perfect temporary bases for us.¡± The team round spanned a long period and involvedplex challenges. If they stayed together all the time, they would get nowhere. They needed a safe base. ¡°Got it!¡± the team replied in unison. They set off toward the east, The restricted zone was massive and categorized into high, medium, and low-risk areas. The supply stations were all located in the low-risk area. They were making their way toward the medium-risk area. Not long after they arrived in the area, Cathy heard a noise, and they quickly went into hiding. They ran right into some gun-armed patrollers and Sean, who was swaggering along with a bit of grass in his mouth. Everyone was stunned. They wondered, ¡®How did Sean end up here too? With so many people together, we¡¯d be spotted in no time. Aria and Cathy exchanged knowing looks. Sean was after Aria. She was the best person to draw them away. Cathy handed themunicator to Aria. Aria kept low and moved silently in the opposite direction, and she stepped on a twig on purpose. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, a shot was fired at her. Aria dodged and bolted in a sh. ¡°Chase her,¡± Sean barked. He chased after Asia with the patrollers. Sean shouted, ¡°You little rascal, you can¡¯t get away this time.¡± Sean chased after Asia, gritting his teeth in frustration, but Aria dodged the bullets, as if she knew where they were going to
Fuming, Sean shoved his gun away and did his best to chase her. ¡°I must take revenge today,¡± he snarled. In the observation room, everyone was stunned, their jaws practically on the floor. ¡°Sean gets quite excited whenever he runs into Aria,¡± someone said. ¡°Yes, he does. Aria had been giving him a hard time,¡± another man said. After Aria snatched the crossbow from him, Sean immediately called in the other instructors and joined the patrols. With Aria in thepetition, this year¡¯s Skills Evaluation became more challenging. Aria and Sean ran out of the surveince zone. In the end, only the mini surveince drones designed by the state Security Bureau were trying to keep up with them. Soon, even those drones couldn¡¯t keep up with them anymore. Twenty minutester, six patrollers followed the footprints to a clearing and suddenly stopped, dumbfounded by what they saw, Sean was tied to a tree. Again Marriage 812 ¡°Mr. Lewis?¡± a patroller said tentatively. Sean snapped, ¡°What are you waiting for? Come untie me.¡± They rushed over to untie him. A patroller asked nervously, ¡°Was it Aria again? Mr. Lewis, you lost again?¡± Sean snorted, ¡°What if I lost? You think you could do any better?¡± The observation room instantly burst intoughter. ¡°He cracks me up. Sean, it serves you right.¡± ¡°Aria is quite something. Humiliate Sean publicly.¡± At the same time, Aria was using themunicator to talk with Cathy. ¡°Did you get rid of them?¡± asked Cathy. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯lle find you,¡± said Aria. After ending the call, Cathy said, ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡± They had only walked a few minutes when they ran into an allied team led by Fabian. All the teams were heading this way. The chances of running into other teams were high. Cathy and William lookedposed and walked in front of others. When Weyne saw them again, the contempt in his eyes was gone, reced by wariness. Not seeing Aria, Fabian¡¯s eyes sharpened with fighting intent. ) Bruce lowered his voice, ¡°Fabian, only Aria¡¯s absent. She¡¯s probably hiding somewhere, waiting to strike.¡± Bruce thought, ¡®If we made a move, we¡¯d be wiped out in seconds.¡¯ After a brief standoff, Cathy broke the silence. ¡°Fight or move. Your choice.¡± Weyne¡¯s face darkened. ¡°There are more of us. You sure you want to act tough?¡± Allison snorted. ¡°We¡¯ve got Aria. Of course we can act tough.¡± She turned to the other two teams, her voiceced with sarcasm. ¡°You guys are clueless. Fabian¡¯s team is the strongest, but they¡¯re hiding in the middle and using you as their shields.¡± ¡°This is a team round. It¡¯s about speed, not brute force. Your real opponent should be Gerald.¡± The leader of the other two teams replied coldly, ¡°Save your breath. If you get to go, then hurry up.¡± The others went ahead. Cathy and Caroline stayed at the back, watching Fabian¡¯s team. Once they disappeared, William couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°They¡¯re weird. Teaming up with Fabian won¡¯t help them.¡± Cathy smiled. ¡°Not necessarily. Maybe they¡¯re after something else.¡± Fabian might want to use others, but maybe others were on the same page. The oue remained uncertain. While Cathy¡¯s group ran into Fabian¡¯s team, Aria also bumped into another team. Mike was the first to spot Aria and said in shock, ¡°Aria, why are you out here all by yourself?¡± Aria said calmly, ¡°I ran into some patrollers, and I lured them away. I¡¯m on my way to meeting up with my team.¡± Clifford grinned. ¡°Aria, what a coincidence. Where are you going? Wanna go with us?¡± Aria said. ¡°Nah, I fear you¡¯ll set me up, but even more, I feel I might eliminate Gerald quietly.¡± Aria thought, ¡®The greatest threat to us is Gerald.¡¯ Clifford was speechless. ¡°Thanks for your honesty.¡± Zoey chimed in, ¡°She¡¯s right. If Gerald was eliminated, we¡¯re all screwed.¡± But Gerald said, ¡°We¡¯re going the same way. We might as well walk together, on the condition we don¡¯t try to eliminate each other.¡± Clifford immediately raised his hand and said seriously, ¡°We¡¯d never secretly eliminate you, I swear.¡± Clifford assured Aria earnestly. Aria smiled and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go together.¡± I¡¯m a part of the team, but everyone ignored me,¡¯ Zoey thought. She felt upset and remained silent. ¡®To win, I joined Clifford¡¯s team. As long as they win, nothing else matters. As they moved forward, Mike said, ¡°Aria, are you heading back to school after thepetition?¡± ¡°Yeah. And you?¡± said Aria. ¡°Me too. Can Ie with you?¡± asked Mike cautiously. ¡°Sure,¡± said Aria. Within minutes, their talk turned to experimental data that didn¡¯t make a lot of sense. Clifford scratched his head and asked in confusion, ¡°Can we change the topic?¡± Mike shot him a sideways nce at Clifford and said, ¡°It¡¯s interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Clifford. ¡°Idiot,¡± said Mike. Again Marriage 813 Clifford immediately turned to Gerald and said, ¡°Gerald, Mike called me an idiot.¡± Gerald didn¡¯t even bother to look up and said, ¡°Is he wrong?¡± ¡°Damn it. I¡¯m not ying with you guys anymore,¡± said Clifford, outraged. Clifford marched forward in a huff, but a sharp click was heard from his foot. Everyone instantly froze. ¡°This trap came out of nowhere,¡± said Clifford, too scared to move. Jason quickly crouched down to check. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s on me. I was drawn to their conversation and didn¡¯t notice it.¡± ¡°Is it andmine?¡¯ Clifford asked tentatively, his heart pounding. Clifford thought, ¡®It is unprecedented in Skills Evaluation. Is it a realndmine or just some bullshit prop?¡¯ In the surveince room, Fillip suddenly sprang to his feet and said, ¡°Andmine? Is it part of thepetition? Who put it up? ¡°I have to figure it out.¡± Another guy immediately called the one who was supposed to be in charge. He hung up and said, ¡°They swore nondmines were nted.¡± And the State Security Bureau had already swept the restricted zone, but it had happened. Fillip immediately ordered, ¡°Get word to them. Nobody moves. That¡¯s a realndmine.¡± Then the announcer said, ¡°Emergency notice. Thendmine is real. If it goes off, you might get hurt. If you¡¯re not sure you can handle it, ask an instructor for help right away. And you will have to withdraw from thepetition.¡± Hearing this, Clifford was livid with rage. ¡°I won¡¯t withdraw from thepetition. Jason, can you handle it?¡± Sweat broke out on Jason¡¯s forehead. He said in a shaking voice, ¡°I-I¡¯ve only learned about mine disposal in ss.¡± The State Security Bureau had mine disposal experts, but they never taught them how to handle it. I¡¯ve never actually done it,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°I haven¡¯t either. What should we do now?¡± said another guy. Zoey said, ¡°I¡¯ve learned a bit. I can give it a shot, but I don¡¯t have any tools.¡± Hearing the news, Sean rushed over with some tools. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash. I¡¯m here to drop off the tools, not to mess with any of you,¡± said Sean. As Sean got closer, he saw Asia. ¡°I¡¯m not your teacher, but you¡¯re supposed to show me some respect.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Mr. Lewis, you were the one who picked on me first.¡± Sean snorted, crouched down to inspect thendmine, and said, ¡°It¡¯s activated by pressure. The st radius is 150 feet. Everyone falls back.¡± Sean looked at Clifford and said, ¡°You have to withdraw. If it goes off, you¡¯re dead.¡± Clifford turned to Zoey and said sadly, ¡°You said you¡¯ve learnt a bit? Then do something.¡± Zoey hesitated. ¡°Only a bit.¡± Clifford¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Could this day get any worse?¡± Sean took this moment to say, ¡°See? Aria¡¯s like a walking jinx. Disaster follows wherever she goes.¡± Mike said with some annoyance, ¡°Mr. Lewis, we would¡¯ve taken this path even if we hadn¡¯t run into her. Why do you always single her out?¡± ¡°Yeah, Mr. Lewis, you¡¯re just picking a fight for no reason,¡± another added. guy Sean didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°So, does that mean Clifford has to be eliminated?¡± Mike asked quietly. No one spoke for a moment.. Aria suddenly said, ¡°I can give it a shot, on one condition.¡± Everyone stared at Aria. ¡°What¡¯s your condition?¡± ¡°You share your intel with us,¡± said Aria. Gerald said in agreement, ¡°Fine, as long as you can save him.¡± Zoey protested, ¡°Gerald-¡± Gerald shot her a nce and said coldly, ¡°If Clifford gets eliminated, do you think we can stay in the team round?¡± Zoey just got the hint and lowered her head. ¡°Sorry.¡± Sean warned, ¡°You¡¯re really making her handle thendmine? It¡¯s a realndmine. If anything goes wrong, both of them are dead.¡± Clifford¡¯s expression was so determined. ¡°If she¡¯s got the guts, so do I,¡± he said firmly. He looked at Aria and said, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m putting my life in your hands.¡± Again Marriage 814 Sean moved aside and said. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s all yours.¡± He¡¯d already cleared away the dirt around thendmine. Aria crouched down and nced at Clifford. ¡°I¡¯m 80% sure. Are you willing to take that risk?¡± Clifford gritted his teeth. ¡°Hell yeah. You¡¯re risking your life for me. How could I not do the same?¡± Besides, he thought that Aria knew exactly what she was doing. ¡°Alright, if things go south, don¡¯t me me,¡± Aria said. Aria was about to get started when Clifford suddenly called out, ¡°Hold on.¡± What¡¯s up?¡± Aria asked. If you think this is going to fail, then run. Don¡¯t stay and die with me,¡± Clifford said. Aria snapped, ¡°Shut up.¡± She was about to get to work again when she noticed nobody was moving. She looked up and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going? Or are you nning to die with us?¡± Someone snapped out of it. ¡°I got so into it. Mr. Lewis, you should have reminded us.¡± Sean, who was scrounging on the ground, slowly stood up. ¡°All of you, move back. If this blows up, we¡¯re all going to die.¡± The others slowly backed away, but Gerald stayed put. ¡°You need any help?¡± Gerald said to Aria. Mr. Lewis will help me. You step back,¡± Aria said without looking up. Everyone held their breath, watching as Aria carefully handled thendmine. She moved quickly, as if she¡¯d done it a thousand times. With a soft click, she slowly stood up and said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± The group, which had barely made it 150 feet away, was stunned. Sean raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°You¡¯re fast. This isn¡¯t your first time dealing with andmine, is it?¡± Aria replied calmly, ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Aria had seen this kind ofndmine before, so she was sure she could handle it. Clifford¡¯s legs went weak, and he plopped right down on the ground. ¡°Aria, from now on, you¡¯re my lifesaver. I owe you so much.¡± Sean gave him a kick and said, ¡°Come on, man, watch your behavior. Get up.¡± Clifford scrambled up, still looking depressed. fapter on Sean warned, ¡°There might be morendmines out there. Stay sharp. If Aria¡¯s not around, you¡¯re basically eliminated.¡± ¡°Thanks for the heads-up. Mr. Lewis,¡± someone said. At the same time, the announcer said. ¡°Keep an eye on thendmines. Somendmine disposal squads will be sent in. They¡¯re not part of the patrol squad, so if you see them, just ignore them.¡± Sean had barely walked away when Zoey said, ¡°Mr. Lewis is also part of the patrol squad. Why don¡¯t we eliminate him first?¡± Aria paused and said, ¡°Wait, we can eliminate patrollers?¡± Zoey, caught off guard by Aria, paused for a while and said, ¡°Yeah, as long as you can beat him. If you beat him and announce that he has been eliminated, he has to leave the zone.¡± Hearing what Zoey said, Sean instantly bolted before Aria made a move. He thought, Aria had tied me up, not to embarrass me, but because she didn¡¯t know I could be eliminated. Td better stay away from her. After all, I couldn¡¯t beat her. As they got closer to where Cathy was, Aria said, ¡°Let¡¯s go our separate ways. I need to find my team.¡± Gerald stopped her and said, ¡°If we step on anotherndmine, can we ask for your help? ¡°If we get eliminated, we can¡¯t keep ying. Then even if we crack the encrypted information, we won¡¯t be able to tell you.¡± ¡°Sure, just call me,¡± Aria replied. When Aria got back to her team, Cathy immediately rushed over and said with concern, ¡°The broadcast said there arendmines around here. Did you see it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did, Aria nodded. ¡°It was Clifford¡¯s team that stepped on one. We reached an agreement. They¡¯ll share intel with us. Again Marriage 815 Cathy raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, ¡°Gerald agreed to work with you? He is canny. You can¡¯t trust everything he says.¡± Aria, ncing up at the drones overhead, replied, ¡°I trust him this time. I saved Clifford¡¯s life. All eyes are on him now. If he dares to go back on his word, they¡¯ll tear him apart.¡± It took a while for Cathy to realize what Aria said. ¡°So it was Clifford who stepped on thendmine?¡± asked Cathy Aria replied calmly, ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Cathyughed and said. ¡°We¡¯re so blessed.¡± All spectators totally agreed with her. Sometimes, they were really lucky. They kept stumbling across resource packs and supply stations. And Aria bumped into Clifford¡¯s team and reached an agreement with them. But sometimes, they were very unlucky. They ran into traps, got singled out, and their supply stations got stolen again and again. If it were any other team, they would¡¯ve been eliminated ages ago. The next morning, after trekking all night, Cathy¡¯s team finally found a cave. It wasn¡¯t spacious, but it was up on higher ground, so they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about flooding. Everyone had tents, so they didn¡¯t worry about the weather at all. ¡°I¡¯m heading out to gather some supplies with Cathy. Same as before, you guys start getting things ready,¡± Aria said, ncing at the others. Allison immediately nodded. ¡°Go ahead, leave it to us.¡± Aria and Cathy had barely left when William said, ¡°What are they going to do? And what are we supposed to get ready?¡± Allison started pulling tools out of her backpack as she exined, ¡°They¡¯re off to look for more traps. We need to tweak the ones we¡¯ve got.¡± She pointed at the loot on the ground. They were all sorts of parts they¡¯d picked up along the way. William stared at her and said in disbelief, ¡°I finally get why you made it.¡± Emilyughed. ¡°Only Aria would mess with those traps. If it were us, we¡¯d be long gone.¡± William said. ¡°You guys are really brilliant, getting Aria early on¡± Emily and the others exchanged a look. They were too ashamed to tell William that they¡¯d been worried Aria might slow them down. They thought. Honestly, we¡¯re the ones who slow Aria down Aria could eliminate every other for all by herself, and we¡¯re just lucky she¡¯s on our side. More importantly, Aria coached us patiently. It was totally worth participating in this Skills Evaluation. Allison said. ¡°Come on, hurry up. The weather looked bad, and it was about to rain any minute.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know how to do this. Could you please give us some guidance?¡± someone asked. ¡°No problem,¡± said Allison. Aria and Cathy had barely seen the cave when a sudden p of thunder boomed overhead. Lightning tore across the sky. Momentster, it rained cats and dogs. Wiping water from her face, Cathy said, ¡°The rain came faster than we expected. Good thing we found that cave. We¡¯ve got to get back.¡± Allison and the others had already set up the tents when they saw Aria and Cathye back. A guy quickly said, ¡°You two take a break. Once the rain stops, we¡¯ll handle the rest.¡± Aria and Cathy nodded. The rain wasing down in torrents, and the drones were forced to stop working. Two dronesy quietly at the cave entrance. All the spectators could hear was the sound of rain pouring down. ¡°Aria and her crew are really lucky. They found the cave right before the rain started pouring,¡± someonemented. ¡°Fabian¡¯s team had it even better. They found a ce to stay yesterday,¡± another person added. ¡°Clifford¡¯s team suffered the most. They were all soaked when they found a spot to set up camp,¡± someone else chimed in. By noon, the torrential rain hadn¡¯t stopped. Aria¡¯smunicator beeped, and Gerald¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Hello, Aria. This is Gerald.¡± ¡°I know. What¡¯s up?¡± Aria replied. Again Marriage 816 Chapter 816 ¡°Our teammate, Zoey, has a fever. She¡¯s on her period. The medication she can take is limited. Mike had only been working with medicine for a year and couldn¡¯t solve the problem. Would you please do us a favor?¡± said Gerald. Aria asked, ¡°What have you got?¡± Mike took themunicator and said quickly, ¡°Most of it is for injuries. We only have some cold pills.¡± ¡°Aria, can Zoey take these pills? ¡°No, they¡¯re too strong. You can¡¯t use them,¡± Aria said firmly. Aria frowned and shot a cold re at the drone lying at the cave entrance. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the State Security Bureau ever think about the special needs of girls when they¡¯re preparing supplies?¡± There was a brief silence on the other end of themunicator. Aria went on, ¡°The rain¡¯s abated. There are plenty of herbal nts around. You guys can go look for some. Can Gerald turn on the video?¡± Gerald took themunicator and said, ¡°Do you have aputer?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Aria. Aria called over Jocelyn, and the two of them ducked into the tent. Aria painted a few herbal nts and sent the drawings to Gerald. ¡°Once you find them, call me to confirm,¡± said Aria. Gerald said earnestly, ¡°Thanks. We owe you so much, and we¡¯ll help you win.¡± Gerald thought, ¡®Luck is essential, but we¡¯re really unlucky. ¡®First, Clifford stepped on andmine, and then Zoey was down with a fever. ¡®Without Aria¡¯s help, we would¡¯ve been eliminated ages ago.¡® Aria said coolly, ¡°Go look for herbs first.¡± Outside thepetition site, Fillip frowned. ¡°Who prepared the supplies? Did no one think about what girls might need during their period?¡± A staff member muttered, ¡°They¡¯re all men. It¡¯s not surprising they didn¡¯t think of it.¡± ¡°Someone brought this upst time. We¡¯ve mentioned it more than once, but nothing ever changes,¡± a girl said with a snarky tone. The guys standing around looked awkward. They¡¯d never thought this to be that serious, but seeing Zoey in so much pain, they changed their minds. None of them had ever considered this before. ¡°This can¡¯t happen again,¡± Fillip said in a grave voice. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the staff member hurriedly said. Another leader watching the match said, ¡°Maybe we should change the rules. If one teammate gets eliminated, the whole team is out. A lot of them might get demotivated, ¡°But if a team can still win even when they¡¯re short¨Chanded, that just proves how strong they are.¡± The leader thought, ¡®The intent of the rule was to show how important teammates are. ¡®Under no circumstances would you give up on your teammate. ¡®But sometimes, the stricter the rules are, the more you actually see who your teammates are. ¡®Take Zoey¡¯s case, for example. If she got eliminated, and it didn¡¯t affect the team¡¯s chances in thepetition, would her teammates choose to keep her around, or eliminate her themselves?¡® Fillip chimed in, ¡°When thepetition is over, we can hold a meeting to discuss this.¡± Zoey was trembling in pain, and she could only swallow the bitter herbal liquid on instinct. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said weakly and fainted again. It wasn¡¯t until her fever had subsided that everyone breathed a sigh of relief. When Zoey woke up again, she was surprised to find that her abdominal pain had resolved. She froze for a second, then got up and walked out of the tent. She found Clifford and Mike were still at the campsite. ¡°Where is everyone else?¡± Zoey asked. Clifford looked up and said, ¡°They went to gather intel. How are you feeling?¡± Zoey suddenly remembered she¡¯d been sick, and her face went pink. ¡°Sorry, before I got into thepetition, I took some medicine. I thought it¡¯d be fine.¡± Mike said gently, ¡°It¡¯s fine. HQ just sent us a new supply pack. Go check it out.¡± 2/2 Again Marriage 817 Chapter 817 Zoey opened the package and saw painkillers and sanitary pads inside. Her face turned even pinker. Zoey got herself together and stepped out of the tent. She asked in confusion, ¡°I remember you gave me something to drink, and now my abdominal pain has resolved.¡± Every time she was on her period, the pain was unbearable. But she feltfortable this time. Mike exined, ¡°You can¡¯t use those pills. Aria practices traditional medicine, so we asked her for help and found some herbs for you.¡± Zoey was stunned. She never would have guessed that it was Aria who had helped her out. She bit her lip, determined to thank Aria properly once thepetition was over. At the same time, Aria asked, ¡°Thepetitionsts half a month. Half the girls may run into their period. When you can¡¯t use the pills in the supply packs, how do you handle it?¡± Cathy¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile. ¡°They could only take medicine to skip it.¡± Allison sighed. ¡°Zoey took medicine too, but maybe the rain threw things off and it happened anyway.¡± ¡°Who took medicine?¡± asked Aria. Emily raised her hand and said, ¡°Jocelyn, Allison, and I.¡± Aria said, ¡°We¡¯ve gathered so many supply packs, but none of them have sanitary pads. Did any of you bring your own?¡± Allison replied, ¡°We did, but the guys checking the supplies would open up our packages and inspect every single one. If they thought something was off, they¡¯d even rip them open and then stuff them back. So we¡¯d rather take the medicine.¡± Everyone noticed Aria¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°So you¡¯d rather take medicine to participate in this horriblepetition?¡± No one answered. Aria rose up. Cathy asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to find some herbs,¡± Aria replied. When she reached the entrance, Aria stopped and suddenly kicked a drone towards a rock. The drone broke into pieces. She knew there was one left. Aria was about to walk over when the drone took off in a panic. In the observation room, Fillip was mad. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± A staff member wiped the sweat from his brow and said cautiously, ¡°Mr. Shepherd, rules are rules. Inspections are required. They chose not to bring it themselves.¡± ¡°Have you heard of making exceptions for special circumstances? I can let the sanitary pad thing go, but what about the medicine?¡± Fillip demanded. ¡°None of them brought any. The director said since nobody was on their period, we didn¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Fillip barely managed to contain his anger. He stopped watching the video and stormed out. ¡°Take me to whoever¡¯s in charge,¡± said Fillip, 1/2 13:53 Tue, 19 Aug He never handled these kinds of things and had never attended any of the meetings, so he waspletely out of the loop. If it wasn¡¯t Zoey who suddenly fell ill, nobody would¡¯ve paid any attention to this issue. The other guys had never realized that the girls had to take medicine to avoid their periods and be able topete. Tessa scoffed when she saw it. Fillip alone wasn¡¯t enough to put an end to this. What she wanted was to kick out the head of the resources department.. Tessa grabbed the things she had prepared and set off. The atmosphere was heavy. Someone said, ¡°Rx. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll resolve it. If they don¡¯t, we¡¯ll raise hell.¡± ¡°Yeah. Once the Skills Evaluation¡¯s over, we¡¯ll file a report,¡± another guy added. A few girls snorted. ¡°It¡¯ll get sorted out for sure. No need for you guys to step in.¡± Someone quickly changed the topic. ¡°Hey, look. Aria just ran into some patrollers.¡± Aria crouched in the shadows with a thick wooden stick in her hand, staring at three patrollers walking towards her. As soon as they stepped into the perfect ambush spot, Aria leaped up immediately and lunged at the patrollers. She swung the stick, and it shot toward thest patroller. AD Again Marriage 818 Chapter 818 The guy staggered back, his vision exploding into stars before he crashed to the ground. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The two guys ahead spun around, their guns immediately rising. Before they could react, Aria kicked one of their guns flying and locked her left arm around the other guy¡¯s neck. Using his momentum, she twisted mid- air¨Ca full 180¨Cand mmed him hard onto the ground. He was out cold. The remaining person, realizing they couldn¡¯t beat Aria, made a run for it. Aria caught up to them and used some moves she had learned to knock them down. ¡°You¡¯re all out,¡± she said as she stood up and walked away. The voluntary patrol squad leader groaned from the ground. ¡°That girl is too strong. It hurts like hell.¡± No one answered him because the other two were still unconscious. Aria continued through the forest, searching for herbs. Along the way, whenever she encountered patrol members, she didn¡¯t waste time with words¨Cshe just attacked. Her strikes were ruthless and showed no mercy. She also destroyed any traps she found. She came across a box containing some intel. Too impatient to decrypt it, she tried to force it open, but even after denting the box, it remained intact. ¡°At least this part¡¯s well¨Cmade,¡± Aria said as she stood up and kicked the box away. Everyone watching was stunned. ¡°Aria¡¯s gone mad.¡± ¡°Taking out patrols and destroying traps is one thing, but finding intel and deciding not to take it?¡± Brandon said, ¡°She probably doesn¡¯t even care about winning anymore; she just wants to mess up the rules and eliminate everyone.¡± She had agreed to join the State Security Bureau because she had a high opinion of the ce. But then this incident happened¨Can avoidable but intentionally discriminatory act against girls. Even he found it despicable. ¡°Hey, that box almost hit Gerald,¡± Hank noted warily. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He walked over and spotted Aria. ¡°Aria?¡± Jason came out holding the dented box, with Gerald trailing behind him. Hank looked puzzled. ¡°We¡¯ve already teamed up. Why are you ambushing our technician?¡± Aria looked at Gerald. ¡°Did I hurt him?¡± She meant to ask if he was injured, but to the others, it sounded like ¡°What are youining about if he¡¯s not hurt?¡± Jason waved his hand. ¡°No injuries.¡± Aria said, ¡°Oh, sorry, didn¡¯t see you guys there.¡± ¡°This box has intel inside. Why don¡¯t you want it?¡± Gerald, noticing her expression wasn¡¯t great, added, ¡°Next time you can¡¯t decrypt it, just reach out to me instead of trying to break it open.¡± The box was dented. It was obvious she had tried to break it using brute force without any tools. Aria nodded. ¡°How¡¯s Zoey?¡± Gerald replied, ¡°We just talked to Clifford, She¡¯s fine now.¡± ¡°Alright then, carry on.¡± She started to walk away. Gerald signaled for the others to follow her. ¡°Since we¡¯re working together now, let¡¯s stick together.¡± Aria shrugged. ¡°Do what you want.¡± They spotted some patrols guarding a spot and hid in the shadows. Gerald whispered, ¡°Usually, wherever there are guards, there¡¯s intel.¡± Hank suggested, ¡°Jason and I will distract them, and Gerald and Aria can grab the intel. Sounds good?¡± Aria suddenly said, ¡°Why bother distracting them? Let¡¯s just take them out.¡± Aria picked up a stick from the ground. ¡°There are four of us and seven of them. Our chances are good.¡± Hank¡¯s eyes widened, thinking, ¡®Are you too confident or what? Four against seven?¡® Gerald chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s right; our chances are good. Let¡¯s eliminate them.¡± ¡°Go!¡± The three of them grabbed sticks and charged. Hank and Jason nked from the sides while Aria and Gerald charged head¨Con. ¡°Enemy attack!¡± yelled one of the patrols as they raised their guns and pulled the triggers. It wasn¡¯t one¨Con¨Cone; it turned into a chaotic melee where everyone collided with whoever was closest. The patrols couldn¡¯t find a chance to use their guns; meanwhile, the four wielding sticks did it with skill, hitting hard enough to truly hurt. In the chaos, someone identally fired a shot. A quick nce revealed it hit one of their own. The bullet was specially designed for thepetition with reduced lethality but increased pain. It struck the person in the abdomen, and he immediately bled. Losing all strength for defense, he red fiercely at his teammate. ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡± The teammate who fired the shot closed his eyes in despair and was also taken out. Aria spoke up, ¡°Seven of you¨Call out.¡± The leader of the patrol couldn¡¯t hold back. ¡°What¡¯s with you guys? Everyone else avoids patrols, but you all attack.¡± They didn¡¯t want topete; they signed up as patrols just to use their guns to scare people. Instead, they got beaten so badly. Feeling the joy of eliminating others, Hank grinned. ¡°You can eliminate us, so we can eliminate you. Dead men can¡¯t talk. Back off.¡± The seven fell silent. Jason got shot in the arm, and Gerald started treating him before going for the intel. Unlike the box Aria had kicked away, this intel point was arge machine fixed in ce. Ariamented dryly, ¡°They have money for this but can¡¯t provide sanitary products for women?¡± Everyone caught the sarcasm in her voice. Gerald nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, but don¡¯t kick this thing. Let me grab the intel first.¡± Aria agreed. ¡°Sure.¡± Hank and Jason thought, ¡®She¡¯s actually going to kick it? Won¡¯t the State Security Bureau make us pay for damages? Oh well, it¡¯d be worth it just for the 2/3 13:53 Tue, 19 Aug satisfaction.¡® Gerald took out hisptop and started decrypting. Jason and Hank helped, while Aria kept watch. ¡°Got it,¡± Gerald announced after finishing with the machine and the box. At that moment, Fabian and his group emerged from the woods, surrounding them. Fabian demanded coldly, ¡°Hand over the intel, or you¡¯re all out.¡± With Fabian¡¯s squad totaling twelve people, while Aria¡¯s team only had four¨Cone of them injured¨Cthe odds were clear. Gerald safely stashed the intel as Aria chuckled lightly. ¡°You want to take us out?¡± Fabian replied, ¡°Hand over the intel, and I¡¯ll let you go.¡± Handing it over wasn¡¯t even on the table. ¡°Then try it. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s faster at eliminating the other¨Cyour squad or us.¡± Despite the numbers disadvantage, not one of the four showed a hint of fear. Weyne hurriedly pulled Fabian back. ¡°Fabian, she¡¯s seriously strong.¡± ¡°Quiet,¡± Fabian snapped, shaking off Weyne¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take her one¨Con¨Cone. The rest of you, don¡¯t move.¡± He thought to himself, ¡®I need to see whether Weyne just underperformed or if she¡¯s truly that good.¡¯ The two squared off in silence, tension tightening the air. Fabian made the first move,unching himself forward. Aria didn¡¯t hold back¨Cwithin seconds, she flipped him over her shoulder, mming him into the ground. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she said, towering over him with a smirk. Fabian scrambled back to his feet, humiliated but determined, and charged again. A minuteter, he was once more lying t on the dirt. Bruised and covered in dust, Fabian stood up slowly, his face dark with anger. ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± hemanded curtly. His group marched off in defeat. Gerald nced at Aria and said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Aria said as she walked over to a grassy area nearby. She crouched down and dug out several medicinal nts. ¡°I¡¯m heading back.¡± Gerald agreed. ¡°Sure.¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 819 Chapter 819 Aria brewed the herbs and gave them to Emily and the other two. Cathy rested her chin on her hand and sighed deeply. ¡°Now I feel like winning the team championship doesn¡¯t mean much.¡± Even if they win the championship and get the prize money, it doesn¡¯t really seem to change anything. It¡¯s better to go with the flow. As long as theyplete their tasks, there¡¯s no need to pay any price for these fleeting honors. Allison clutched her stomach. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I want something delicious to eat.¡± One of William¡¯s team members raised his hand. ¡°We circled around earlier, and there¡¯s a small stream about 2500 feet away. How about we go hunting?¡± Emily agreed, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do that. Fortunately, someone was thoughtful enough to put seasonings in the resource packs.¡± Another person added, ¡°They deliberately gave us the seasonings¨Cthere¡¯s even a pot¨Cbut we didn¡¯t take it, just threw it away. They hope we cook something to attract wild animals for a fierce battle.¡± ¡°Are you afraid?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Aria asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the pot? Can we still find it?¡± William stood up. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take people to get it back.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Alright, others, go find firewood and build a frame.¡± William shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Everyone got to work, finding tasks they could do. The audience watching outside couldn¡¯t help but react. ¡°Cathy¡¯s team haspletely given up. They¡¯re just cruising now.¡± ¡°They might not be trying hard, but they still have a good chance of winning the championship. Clifford¡¯s team is doing the decrypting; they just wait for sess and then head out. It¡¯s just too easy for them.¡± The leaders went off to handle other matters, leaving only a few people watching and chatting. Two hourster, the big screen showed smoke and steam billowing. There was crispy roast piglet, rabbits, and somehow they even made chicken with found ingredients. ¡°This surveince quality is so good; it¡¯s making me hungry.¡± Someone stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some roast piglet and chicken.¡± Gradually, more and more people left the viewing room. Clifford¡¯s team had been collecting intel consistently for two days without any news from Aria. Finally, he decided to reach out. He asked, ¡°How much intel have you guys gathered these past couple of days? Do we need to meet up so I can decrypt it, or have you guys already handled it?¡± Aria nced at Jocelyn and Liz ying rock¨Cpaper¨Cscissors and cleared her throat. ¡°We haven¡¯t collected any.¡± From the other side, Clifford eximed, ¡°A, are you putting all the work on us?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Not really. Once you decrypt the intel and get the coordinates, you can move ahead without waiting for us. 13:53 Tue, 19 Aug Clifford paused ¡°Are you guys nning something big?¡± She answered, ¡°No, we¡¯re just rxing.¡± Clifford didn¡¯t believe her at all, assuming Aria¡¯s team was up to something secretive. He said, ¡°Our team values cooperation. We promised to help you win the championship; we can¡¯t break our word.¡± He then probed further. ¡°We¡¯re thinking of moving our camp. Is there a suitable ce near you?¡± A?¨ªa replied, ¡°Let me ask the others¡­ We¡¯re at XXX coordinates. You cane here and set up camp nearby.¡± Ending the call, Clifford immediately went to brief Gerald on the situation. ¡°I suspect they¡¯re up to something they¡¯re not telling us about. ¡°Since we¡¯re working together, they should keep us in the loop. Besides, we need to move anyway, so let¡¯s head to their spot.¡± Gerald nodded. ¡°You¡¯re the team leader. It¡¯s your call.¡± Clifford agreed, ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡± When they arrived, Clifford¡¯s group was stunned to find Aria¡¯s team cooking. They thought, ¡®They¡¯re actually making a meal? The cooking pots and utensils in the resource packs were just burdensome; no one wanted to carry them around. ¡®But they kept the pots? It smells so good.¡® The group had been surviving on ration bar for days, making their mouths water uncontrobly. ¡°Clifford, you need to negotiate with them. What will it take for us to get some food?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m about to turn into a hungry wolf here.¡± Clifford strolled over casually, heading straight for Cathy. ¡°Cathy, you guys gave up working hard just to spend time cooking?¡± Cathy raised an eyebrow and smirked. ¡°Uh¨Chuh. Smells good, doesn¡¯t it? Makes you want to eat, doesn¡¯t it? Maybe even makes you want to kneel and beg me for a bite, right?¡± Clifford chuckled. ¡°Absolutely. Since we¡¯re all partners now, sharing food is no problem, right? How about this¨Cnext meal, we¡¯ll do the cooking, and you guys can just rx and eat.¡± AD Again Marriage 8 20 Chapter 820 ¡°Sure,¡± Cathy said with a grin. ¡°Oh, by the way, we¡¯ve already eaten. Everything here was prepared for you guys.¡± When Clifford ryed the message to his team, some were genuinely moved, almost on the verge of tears. They immediately promised to handle all cooking duties for the next day in return. Gerald turned to Cathy. ¡°You¡¯re seriously just sitting here rxing? Don¡¯t you want to win the championship anymore?¡± Cathy took a bite of some wild fruit, her face scrunching up from the sourness. ¡°Whoever wants it can go get it. Right now, I just want to enjoy myself and eat well. ¡°It¡¯s rare to have a chance for an outdoor cookout like this with so many people around¨Cif only the resource packs had fruits, coffee, and snacks.¡± Gerald said dryly, ¡°I still remember how desperate you were before, practically begging me to join your team so you could win the championship¡± Cathy shrugged. ¡°I had a revtion. What¡¯s the point of winning the championship? This is much more fun. You guys work hard and win it¨Cjust make sure to treat us to dinner afterwards.¡± Cathy grabbed a few wild fruits and walked over to Aria, eating one dramatically in front of her. ¡°Aria, you should try these fruits that William¡¯s team found. They¡¯re super sweet.¡± Aria didn¡¯t think twice. She picked one up and bit into it with her usual calm expression. ¡°You¡¯re right¨Cdefinitely sweet.¡± Cathy turned to Allison next. ¡°Allison, want one?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take one,¡± Allison replied. And just like that, it spread like a chain reaction¨Cwith everyone in Cathy¡¯s group trying the fruit until thest person couldn¡¯t take it anymore and spat one out. Gerald, having witnessed the entire scene from start to finish, felt utterly speechless. It was clear that Cathy¡¯s team truly had zero interest in chasing the championship, and they had somehow managed to rub off on William¡¯s team, too. Gerald nced over at his teammates, who were all enthusiastically tearing into roasted meat, faces shining with grease and grins of satisfaction. He let out a resigned sigh and leaned down to take a bite of his own rabbit leg. It really was delicious. Zoey found a moment to approach Aria. ¡°Aria, thank you for saving me.¡± Aria noticed Zoey¡¯s pale face. ¡°Still in pain?¡± Zoey gave an embarrassed smile. ¡°A bit. I took those herbs again, but they don¡¯t seem to be working anymore.¡± ¡°They¡¯re mainly for reducing fever, so of course they won¡¯t help much now,¡± Aria said as she walked further inside. ¡°Come in, I¡¯ll check your pulse.¡± After checking her pulse, Aria wrote out a prescription/¡°Estimate the timing and start taking this three days before your period. You can also make it into pills. ¡°Your training intensity is too high; your body is overloaded. Don¡¯t push yourself so hard; just focus on one strength.¡°. Zoey was surprised. ¡°You can tell all that?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Zoey said, ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful from now on.¡± Aria¡¯s tone was calm, ¡°You really should. Don¡¯t mess around with your health. You are Zoey first, and a member of the State Security Bureau second, the 1/2 13:53 Tue, 19 Aug O Bureau doesn¡¯t see you as expendable; there¡¯s no need to work yourself to the bone.¡± Zoey suddenly understood why Cathy¡¯s team didn¡¯t want to win the championship. ¡°I get it now.¡± In the control room, a leader stapped the table. ¡°This Aria must be an infiltrator. She¡¯s obviously spreading negativity, telling everyone to leave the State Security Bureau. Cancel her participation immediately and get her out of here!¡± Tessa rolled her eyes. Fillip chuckled. ¡°Weston, if you don¡¯t want to do your job, you can join the resource department head in leaving. ¡°Fix the issues at hand, make necessary reforms and apologies, and cut it with the meaningless talk. Otherwise, it¡¯s our State Security Bureau that will suffer. ¡°What did Aria say that was wrong? We shouldn¡¯t target these young women just because we have fewer female leaders. If we do, we might as well only recruit men and kick out all the female members. ¡°If you kick Aria out, do you think others won¡¯t make a fuss about leaving too? You can try it¡ªbut be ready with a solution, Weston.¡± Weston frowned. ¡°I say one thing, and you rebut with ten. I¡¯m just venting here.¡± Fillip rolled his eyes, too. Other people tried to smooth things over. ¡°Even though there were some slip¨Cups, identifying these issues ahead of time is beneficial.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just one bigpetition; we can always hold more like itter. Let¡¯s not let something small ruin our camaraderie.¡± Suddenly, an rm red loudly. Someone rushed into the meeting room. ¡°Someone has infiltrated the restricted zone!¡± AD Comment Again Marriage 8 21 Chapter 821 In another part of the restricted zone, a fully armed team was quietly moving forward. Julius, the man leading the group, raised his hand to signal a stop, then turned to address Flynt, who was being protected in the middle. ¡°Are you sure the gic reconfiguration technology is in the State Security Bureau?¡± Flynt nodded. ¡°I¡¯m positive.¡± Julius¡¯s gaze shifted to the disheveled Ned, his tone dripping with skepticism. ¡°Can he really help us get the technology?¡± Flynt replied, ¡°He¡¯s been inside the State Security Bureau long enough; he knows plenty.¡± Ned hung his head, aware that by drawing the map and leading these men into the restricted area, he hadpletely betrayed the State Security Bureau. But he had no choice¨Chad it not been for Flynt¡¯s intervention, he would have been killed by Vanessa. ¡°Move out.¡± Julius signaled, and the group of over a hundred split into ten small teams, each taking a map and dispersing in different directions. ¡°Mr. Hartley, you and Ned are with me.¡± Flynt adjusted his clothing. ¡°Of course.¡± As rms red, the State Security Bureau quickly initiated Level One defense protocols. Tessa made a decisive call. ¡°Since these kids aren¡¯t focused on thepetition, let¡¯s send them deeper in. Capturing one intruder will count for one point; killing one will be worth half a point.¡± Fillip nodded in agreement. ¡°Sounds good.¡± Soon, the broadcast echoed in the camp: ¡°Emergency notice: unidentified armed individuals have breached the restricted zone. Thepetition rules are now adjusted: capturing an intruder earns 1 point; killing one earns 0.5 points. Repeating¡­¡± Everyone looked up from their meal simultaneously. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Someone actually entered the restricted zone?¡± Someone scratched their head. ¡°There are specialized personnel to handle this stuff. Why involve us? We¡¯re supposed to bepeting.¡± Another person stood up. ¡°Do we look like we¡¯repeting? The higher¨Cups must be tired of seeing us cking off and want to give us something to do.¡± Clifford grinned, ¡°Well, let¡¯s do it then.¡± Gerald immediately gathered the technicians. ¡°Do you all haveptops?¡± The technicians nodded. ¡°We do.¡± Gerald instructed, ¡°Assist me in gaining control of the drones.¡± In less than five minutes, Gerald cracked the surveince system. Tessa¡¯s voice quickly came through themunication link. ¡°Hijacking the drone controls is one thing, but why are you blocking us from seeing the feed? Are you nning to go solo?¡± ¡°Apologies. I forgot it,¡± Gerald said as he opened up partial ess. Cathymented, ¡°Moving in one big group makes us too much of a target. Let¡¯s split into four teams. Keep allms open and stay in touch. The enemy has guns, so don¡¯t engage recklessly.¡± Gerald nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± The enemy soon noticed the drones and took down several of them, but the State Security Bureau had already dispatched a number of drones into 13:53 Tue, 19 Aug the restricted zone. ¡°We¡¯ve spotted no fewer than ten separate teams¨Ceveryone needs to stay vignt.¡± Cathy¡¯s team spent half the day trekking before they finally reached their target area. As they approached, Allison spoke up while walking, ¡°Fabian¡¯s team ranks high for marksmanship. If they get hold of weapons, they¡¯ll stand a good chance.¡± Cathy smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve got Aria on our side, which tips the odds even further in our favor. Though to be honest, winning the championship doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± She turned to Emily and added, ¡°Keep an eye out for steel needle traps; collect whatever you find for Aria.¡± After taking a short rest, they prepared to move out again but were intercepted by personnel from the operations division. ¡°Cathy!¡± One of them waved enthusiastically. ¡°Want to team up? We¡¯ll help you win the championship.¡± Cathyughed lightly. ¡°Why would you want to help us?¡± The man grinned. ¡°We just like seeing your team take the championship.¡± Cathy shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s better to move separately; we won¡¯t join forces right now.¡± ¥È Again Marriage 822 No Ads Chapter 822 Just then, a male voice rang out from behind their group. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Owen stepped forward from the back of the crowd. The operations leader quickly tried to block him. ¡°Mr. Shaw, we need to protect you.¡± While they didn¡¯t quite understand why Tessa approved Owen entering the restricted zone, ensuring his safety was their top priority¨Cas he was an investor they couldn¡¯t afford to lose. Owen waved off the concern with absolute confidence. ¡°Not necessary. My girlfriend can protect me.¡± He cast a warm nce toward Aria. ¡°But, sir,¡± the leader insisted, ¡°they¡¯re in apetition. Protecting you would distract them and hurt their performance.¡± Cathy chimed in immediately with a grin, ¡°We ept Mr. Shaw on our team. His safety is our responsibility.¡± The rest of her teammates nodded firmly in agreement. The team leader sighed and relented, instructing, ¡°Groups of four, follow the assigned teams.¡± As people dispersed, Owen moved next to Aria, speaking softly. ¡°Madelyn, it¡¯s been a week.¡± Aria gently scratched his arm. ¡°Just one more week until we¡¯re back.¡± Owen exined, ¡°They¡¯re examiners, here to record scores and only intervene in emergencies.¡± Aria thought to herself, ¡®So, they¡¯re the examiners.¡® Cathy announced, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move out.¡± The team leader confirmed with Tessa and after receiving urate information, did not further hinder Owen. They maintained a distance of about 300 feet, close enough to observe but far enough not to interfere. Emily signaled, ¡°Someone¡¯sing. Hide.¡± The eight of them swiftly climbed trees and took cover. A thirteen¨Cmember armed squad appeared ahead, As the enemy entered their attack range, Aria struck first, dropping four targets instantly. The others immediately returned fire, but Aria¡¯s team was prepared; they deftly dodged the bullets and quickly counterattacked. The situation drew the examiners closer. Capturing earned 1 point, killing earned 0.5 points. The examiners expected the teams to prioritize captures, but they didn¡¯t. Cathy and Caroline were from the operations division; killings were routine for them. However, most of the others had limited experience in such missions and weren¡¯t used to taking lives, so they controlled the enemy until others finished the job. In less than five minutes, only four out of thirteen opponents remained. One sneaky enemy approached Owen, who seempletely oblivious. Without turning her head, Aria released a steel needle that hit the enemy right in the back of his head. After dealing with thest foe, Cathy called out, ¡°Thirteen enemies down in six and a half minutes. Don¡¯t miscount. ¡°Owen really trusts you¨Chad a gun pointed at his head and didn¡¯t flinch, waiting for you to save him.¡± For someone hanging around like an essory, he sure didn¡¯t seem fit to be around Aria. Aria replied calmly, ¡°We can handle it; he doesn¡¯t need to act.¡± Cathy couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he want to impress you at all?¡± Aria said, ¡°I know what he¡¯s capable of. He doesn¡¯t need to show off.¡± Cathy thought to herself, ¡®She¡¯s really straightforward.¡® 1/2 13:54 Tue, 19 Aug Julius stared grimly at themunicator. ¡°We¡¯ve lost contact with four teams.¡± Flynt leaned back in his seat, looking indifferent. ¡°That¡¯s normal. The State Security Bureau members aren¡¯t amateurs. If you don¡¯t send more men to draw their fire, we¡¯ll be the ones getting caught.¡± Julius issued amand, ¡°There¡¯s another group waiting outside. I¡¯m bringing them in.¡± Inside the vehicle, Ned remained silent until they approached the trap zone. Then he spoke up, ¡°The State Security Bureau has plenty of traps. The car can only go this far; we have to walk from here.¡± After disembarking, Julius shot a nce at Ned. ¡°Lead the way properly. Once we get the technology, there¡¯ll be plenty of rewards for you.¡± Hatred shed in Ned¡¯s eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t want anything. Just one request.¡± Julius asked, ¡°What request?¡± Ned said, ¡°I want Aria dead.¡± He had been fine in the State Security Bureau until Aria ruined his life. Even if it meant his own death, he wanted to drag her down to hell with him. Filled with loathing, he didn¡¯t notice the cold re Flynt shot his way. AD Again Marriage 823 Chapter 823 The atmosphere in the observation room was tense. Tessa stared at the monitor and spoke in a low voice, ¡°They¡¯re closing in on the core area of the State Security Bureau. ¡°Their target is clear. We need to send a team to intercept them. Which team do you think is suitable?¡± Fillip suggested, ¡°Fabian or Clifford¡¯s team would be ideal. Fabian has experience leading ambushes, and Gerald¡¯s tactical analysis is top¨Cnotch.¡± An older leader frowned. ¡°Sending them to intercept means they won¡¯t bepeting for the championship. That¡¯s unfair to them.¡± There were many enemies in the western area and constant reinforcements, meaning a solid chance at scoring points by defending there. But the eastern area only had this single team in action, and even including Ned, they amounted to just eight people, worth at most sixteen points. Weston proposed, ¡°Since Cathy¡¯s team isn¡¯t concerned about winning the championship, why not send them?¡± Someone immediately agreed, ¡°Sounds good to me. Besides, they were cking off first anyway.¡± Tessa¡¯s lips curved into a mocking smile. ¡°Other than Ned and that pretty¨Clooking man, the other six clearly aren¡¯t ordinary. Owen is also in Cathy¡¯s team. Are you sure you want them to go?¡± Weston seemed unfazed. ¡°Inform Mr. Shaw of the risks involved; he naturally won¡¯t follow them.¡± Tessa questioned, ¡°What if he insists?¡± Weston responded, ¡°There are four examiners. That¡¯s enough to protect him.¡± Tessa shrugged. ¡°Then I have no objections.¡± Fillip gave Tessa a meaningful nce as she returned a look of indifference. It was true that Cathy¡¯s team couldn¡¯t care less about winning the championship anymore. Everyone already assumed they were champions, making the title hollow. Besides Cathy and Emily, most of her teamcked significantbat experience, making this mission a good fit for them. Weston stated, ¡°If Ms. Langford sees no issue, then surely no one else will. Notify them.¡± Soon, themand was ryed to each team¡ªarmed operatives were detected approaching the core area of the State Security Bureau from the eastern restricted zone. Cathy¡¯s team was to intercept immediately. Cathy acknowledged themand and informed her teammates in a matter¨Cof¨Cfact tone, ¡°These guys must have a ringlender. They¡¯re heading to the east zone. The higher¨Cups want us to intercept.¡± Allison frowned. ¡°The team with the most points wins the championship. If only we go, it means we¡¯re out of the running.¡± She thought to herself, ¡®Us not wanting it and our superiors denying it are two different things. This favoritism is too tant.¡® Cathy reassured her, ¡°Let¡¯splete the mission first./Once it¡¯s over, we¡¯ll demand an exnation.¡± Four examiners approached Owen. ¡°Mr. Shaw, are you going as well?¡± Owen retorted, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the examiners? Aren¡¯t you supposed to go?¡± ording to their orders, if Owen stayed behind, they wouldn¡¯t need to go either. With his remark, they couldn¡¯t possibly back down and embarrass the State Security Bureau. Forcing smiles, they replied, ¡°We¡¯re going too.¡± Clifford read the message and asked in confusion, ¡°The eastern zone barely has any enemy targets. Why are they sending Cathy¡¯s team there?¡± 1/2 13:54 Tue, 19 Aug Gerald shook his head. ¡°Not sure. Maybe the enemy over there is stronger, so they¡¯re counting on Aria¡¯s team to deal with them. Zoey looked worried. ¡°But this means they won¡¯t have a shot at the championship anymore. They might evenest.¡± Gerald replied calmly, ¡°Then we¡¯ll take down more enemies to help them win the championship. After all, I did promise.¡± Mike suddenly asked, ¡°Can we transfer points?¡± The group fell silent. Clifford immediately contacted the higher¨Cups, only to receive the answer that points couldn¡¯t be transferred. Frustrated, Clifford threw themunicator aside and sat on the ground. ¡°If we can¡¯t share points and we¡¯re not taking the championship either, then what¡¯s the point of fighting?¡± Zoey plopped down next to him. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Gerald shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re the team lead; your call.¡± É« Again Marriage 824 Chapter 824 Clifford made up his mind. ¡°Then let¡¯s stop chasing points. We¡¯ll ck off too and head to Aria¡¯s cave, just defend and not attack.¡± The six of them cking off was clearly visible to everyone observing from the leadership monitors. A furious voice red through themunicator. ¡°The State Security Bureau is under attack. You¡¯re defending your country¨Cit¡¯s not just about scoring points.¡± Gerald replied indifferently, ¡°Half a day has passed, yet enemies are still pouring in nonstop. You could have sealed the entrances, but you¡¯re deliberately letting them through. ¡°We all know this is just an excuse to train us, so there¡¯s no need to sound so righteous.¡± He thought, ¡®They could¡¯ve simply asked which team wanted to go to the eastern zone. By eliminating Cathy¡¯s team outright, it¡¯s painfully obvious they¡¯re being targeted. Clearly, the real issue hasn¡¯t been addressed yet.¡® The voice on the other end of themunicator hesitated before softening slightly. ¡°This is a rare opportunity for realbat-¡± Gerald countered sharply, ¡°Then why send Cathy¡¯s team to the eastern zone instead of us?¡± The leader replied curtly, ¡°Because they don¡¯t care about winning and are cking off.¡± Gerald didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°Neither do we.¡± Clifford chimed in loudly, ¡°Exactly!¡± The leader snapped in frustration, ¡°Do whatever you want. I don¡¯t care.¡± As soon as the conversation ended, Gerald turned to his teammates. ¡°What do you all think? Should we stay here grinding points or go help Aria¡¯s team in the east?¡± Clifford didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Fighting these small fry is boring. The eastern zone must be where the real challenges are¨CI¡¯d rather go there.¡± Mike agreed instantly. ¡°Same here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s follow the lead,¡± added another teammate. ¡°Ditto,¡± Zoey said with a nod. The six of them swiftly packed their gear and began making their way toward the eastern zone. Cathy¡¯s team wasn¡¯t moving fast, which drew Weston¡¯s impatience. ¡°At a critical moment like this, you J¡¯ll have every one of you expelled from the State Security Bureau.¡± need to pick pace. ck off any more, and Emily¡¯s fiery temper couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Why are you yelling? Didn¡¯t you deliberately let them in? We¡¯re already moving as fast as we can. If you¡¯re in such a hurry, why don¡¯t you send us a car?¡± With resource packs weighing them down, it was impossible to sprint like athletes in a hundred¨Cfoot dash. It wasn¡¯t just a few miles they had to cover, but dozens. One more shout from him and she¡¯d really be ready to quit. Emily turned to Aria. ¡°I hear everyone saying you¡¯re the boss of some bigpany. Can I sign up as your bodyguard?¡± Aria replied calmly, ¡°Sure.¡± Emily grinned instantly, ¡°Then I¡¯m calling dibs.¡± Allison raised her hand. ¡°Count me in.¡± 1/2 13:54 Tue, 19 Aug ¡°Us too,¡± chimed the others. Weston was so furious he nearly mmed his equipment. Seeing enough of the back¨Cand¨Cforth, Tessa took themunicator from him. ¡°Clifford¡¯s team is three miles behind you. You can slow down and wait for them. Stick to your original n; there¡¯s no need to listen to Weston¡¯s nonsense.¡± Cathy¡¯s mood brightened. ¡°Thanks, Ms. Langford.¡± The team kept up their original pace for another three hours. They didn¡¯t catch sight of Clifford¡¯s team, but they spotted silhouettes of enemy operatives further ahead. While the distance made details unclear, everyone recognized Ned¡¯s figure instantly by his distinct posture. Liz gritted his teeth. ¡°I knew it was him¨Cthe traitor.¡± Emily rolled her eyes at the higher¨Cups. ¡°Not even a pair of binocrs for us to scout ahead, but you expect us to go after the ringleader? Hrious.¡± Owen leaned close and whispered a name into Aria¡¯s ear. Her eyes hardened as the name registered: Flynt¨Cagain. Her fingers twitched slightly. She thought, ¡®This time, I have to eliminate him. Cathy muttered under her breath, ¡°These guys are tough. We go full force right at the start and take them out fast. If we can¡¯t handle it, retreat¨Cdon¡¯t get caught up in the fight.¡± Others responded, ¡°Got it.¡± The eight of them moved closer and closer. Suddenly, Flynt¡¯s ears twitched, and he stopped dead in his tracks. ¡°They¡¯re here¡­¡± AD Again Marriage 825 Chapter 825 Aria¡¯s team of sevenunched their attack simultaneously, igniting the battle in an instant. Apart from Cathy and Caroline, the others were clearly struggling. This group of enemies fought ruthlessly, focusing solely on offense without any defense. After swiftly taking down one enemy, Aria threw a steel needle straight at the throat of the opponent fighting Liz. But the man reacted swiftly, narrowly dodging the attack with a sidestep. Aria¡¯s eyes narrowed as she moved in personally. ¡°Go help Allison.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Liz quickly went to assist the others. Flynt¡¯s gaze remained locked on Aria until a sharp re pierced through. He turned his head and met Owen¡¯s icy stare. Flynt¡¯s lips curled into a confident smile. He gestured to Julius, saying, ¡°At any cost, kill him.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Julius stepped in personally. On the other side, seeing things take a turn for the worse, Ned turned and ran for his life. After running a fair distance and realizing no one was following him, he leaned against a tree, panting heavily. Just as he straightened up to continue his escape, he collided directly with Clifford¡¯s team. Ned¡¯s eyes widened in fear, and he turned to run in another direction. ¡°Catch him!¡± Clifford ordered. Jason quickly dashed after him, tackling Ned to the ground with a flying leap. ¡°Where are the others?¡± Clifford asked, pressing a foot onto Ned¡¯s back. Ned gritted his teeth and stayed silent. Gerald spoke coldly, ¡°Just kill him.¡± Clifford got the message and picked up a rock. ¡°Alright.¡± Terrified, Ned screamed, ¡°Wait! It¡¯s that way. I can lead you there.¡± When Clifford¡¯s team arrived at the scene of the sh between the two groups, they found Cathy¡¯s six teammates unconscious on the ground, with Aria nowhere to be seen. A droney destroyed nearby. Clifford¡¯s team immediately checked on Cathy¡¯s group and was relieved to find they were merely unconscious. Clifford swiftly contacted the higher¨Cups. ¡°Aria is missing, and Cathy¡¯s team is knocked out. What happened?¡± ¡°The surveince was destroyed; we¡¯re not sure,¡± came the staticky reply through themunicator. ¡°Don¡¯t bother tracking them. Just get Cathy¡¯s team out and continue with thepetition.¡± Clifford wanted to ask more questions, but the line went dead. He thought to himself, ¡®Aria is missing, and they didn¡¯t even bat an eye? In such an urgent situation, they still want us to continue thepetition?¡® Clifford tried reaching Tessa and other contacts, but couldn¡¯t get through to anyone except the person from earlier. Clearly, something was wrong within the State Security Bureau itself. Clifford informed his team of the situation. Gerald frowned and quickly opened hisptop to ess all surveince from the restricted zone. They saw no sign of Aria or the others. He then reviewed thest footage from the destroyed drone: both sides were shing, followed by a blonde man firing several shots that took down the drone. ¡°Cathy.¡± Zoey pinched Cathy¡¯s philtrum until she finally woke up. ¡°Where¡¯s Aria?¡± Zoey asked urgently. Cathy looked dazed but gradually came to her senses, her face suddenly changing. ¡°Aria¡¯s gone? What about the others?¡° She quickly scanned the area and realized both Aria and Owen were missing. Zoey asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Cathy replied, ¡°They used smoke grenades. As soon as we inhaled the smoke, we passed out.¡± Mike sniffed the air. ¡°There¡¯s a chemical smell. It affects your consciousness. We need to get out of here.¡± They hurriedly woke the other team members and helped each other evacuate. On the way, Mike asked Cathy, ¡°Is Mr. Shaw here too?¡± Cathy nodded, looking deeply concerned, thinking, ¡®That foreign guy clearly knows Aria and Owen. If he¡¯s after the State Security Bureau, why take them?¡® ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mike reassured her. ¡°If I can detect the smell, Aria definitely did too¨Cthey¡¯ll be alright.¡± AD Again Marriage 826 ¡°Yeah,¡± Cathy said, a bit more at ease. Right before she passed out, Aria had given her a look. At the time, she didn¡¯t understand, but now it made sense. Compared to Aria, she was more worried about Owen, who hadn¡¯t undergone specialized training. She thought, ¡®What if they use Owen to threaten Aria? Why did Owen have toe to the restricted zone? He better not cause trouble for Aria. Meanwhile, Owen, who was navigating through the restricted zone, almost sneezed but managed to suppress it. He continued his pursuit. At that moment, Aria¡¯s hands were bound in special handcuffs as Flynt walked beside her. ¡°Do you think Owen will catch up? If he does, I won¡¯t show any mercy.¡± As soon as the smoke grenades were deployed, Aria sensed something was off. She quickly pressed an acupoint on herself as Owen, who was nearest, held his breath and climbed up a tree. Aria watched as the others copsed around her. They wanted to wipe everyone out. Aria flicked three steel needles to stop them, taking one of their lives in the process. Flynt spoke up, ¡°Aria,e with us, and I¡¯ll spare their lives-including Owen¡¯s.¡± Aria had already used up all her steel needles; there was no way for her to stop them from acting. ¡°Fine.¡± Flynt cuffed her hands with a pair of special handcuffs. ¡°Your needlework is impressive, which is why I can¡¯t take any chances with you. We¡¯ll make a stop at the State Security Bureau, then head back to Torrenia.¡± Aria let out a cold chuckle, thinking, ¡®He really never changes. No matter what Flynt said along the way, Aria kept silent. ¡®Ned ran off,¡± Julius said with an ugly expression. ¡°She¡¯s from the State Security Bureau; let her guide us. If she refuses, we¡¯ll use her to threaten the others.¡± Aria¡¯s face stayed expressionless. Flynt¡¯s eyes turned sharp. ¡°Ned was your responsibility, not hers. She¡¯s with me. Anyone who touches her dies.¡± Julius scowled. ¡°Flynt, our arrangement didn¡¯t includeing here just to capture some Huthailia woman.¡± ¡°Her safety is my responsibility,¡± Flynt responded calmly. He thought, ¡®With my team making up half of this operation, protecting her won¡¯t be a problem!¡¯ Aria internally scoffed, thinking, ¡®As if the State Security Bureau would kill me. This guy truly talks nonsense.¡¯ Julius rolled his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not the point right now. With no guide, how do we secure the technology? If we go into the State Security Bureau blindly, we¡¯ll only get caught.¡± Flynt smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared for that-you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Gerald agreed. ¡°Sure.¡± When they reached the State Security Bureau¡¯s perimeter, Aria realized why Flynt sounded so sure of himself: someone had delivered a detailed map of the Bureau directly to them. ¡°Our surveince covers this area now,¡± the informant said. ¡°The route has been cleared for you. Keep a low profile. When you reach the researchb, swipe this card.¡± He handed over an important ess card. Noticing Aria¡¯s gaze, he turned toward her before continuing, ¡°Bringing her along is risky. Leave her with me instead.¡± Flynt stepped in front of Aria. ¡°No.¡± The other man looked displeased. ¡°The Director has been nning this for a long time. Don¡¯t ruin it over a woman.¡± Flynt replied, ¡°She¡¯s cuffed, and the keys are with you. She can¡¯t escape, and I¡¯ll keep her by my side at all times.¡± The man said, ¡°If we fail, and the boss mes us, it¡¯ll be your head.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Flynt said as he handed the map to Julius. ¡°Now you can rx.¡± Julius chuckled. ¡°I underestimated you. You even managed to get in touch with a State Security Bureau official.¡± He led the way forward. Flynt turned to Aria. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious which Director betrayed the State Security Bureau?¡± Again Marriage 827 Aria nced at him indifferently. ¡°Not at all. No matter who the traitor is, he¡¯s done.¡± Flynt chuckled. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed. You¡¯re still as sharp-tongued as ever. I only want you toe with me. I don¡¯t give a damn about their tech.¡± Aria stepped aside slightly. ¡°Stay away from me.¡± She didn¡¯t bother hiding how grossed out she was. Flynt felt a sharp pain in his heart as he clenched his right fist. ¡°I want to kill Owen even more now.¡± ¡°Go ahead and try,¡± Aria said. She didn¡¯t think Flynt had what it took to kill Owen. Julius nced back at them. ¡°Hurry up.¡± This path really was the fastest route to the State Security Bureau¡¯s research center, and no one was guarding it. Aria didn¡¯t know much about their people and had no clue who the director they mentioned was. She just found their confidence strange, especially Flynt¡¯s. Everything was going way too smoothly, and they didn¡¯t even question it. That wasn¡¯t like Flynt. Julius stopped with the map in hand. ¡°We¡¯re close to theb. Stick to the n.¡± Flynt ignored Julius and continued, ¡°Aria, why did you join the State Security Bureau? You would have real control in myb. And I promise, no more experiments that hurt people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± Aria said. Flynt tugged on her handcuffs. ¡°Fine, then let me show you how messed up the State Security Bureau really is.¡± ¡°I can walk on my own,¡± Aria said, frowning as she shook his hand off. She always thought that there were bad apples everywhere, but no matter how wed, the State Security Bureau had done a lot for this country and its people. Julius swiped the ess card and entered theb without issue. ¡°Seriously? Just oneyer of defense? He was right. The State Security Bureau doesn¡¯t care about gic reconfiguration technology. ¡°If they did, it wouldn¡¯t be this easy to get in. Oh man, this stuff is worth over one billion dors.¡± Julius tried to stay calm and moved to the centralb station. The moment he touched the device, however, a metal cage dropped from above, trapping him in an instant. It happened so fast that he didn¡¯t even have time to react. The four guards barely moved before two shots rang out, and two of them died instantly. Aria kicked another down, and with Owen finishing the shot, thest one was restrained in under a minute. Owen tied him up and then charged straight at Flynt. ¡°Wait a second,¡± someone said outside theb. Tessa led a team that quickly surrounded the exit. She said, ¡°Mr. Hartley is one of us.¡± Owen and Aria exchanged a nce, feeling surprised. Julius¡¯ face darkened as he grabbed the railing and yelled furiously, ¡°Flynt, you betrayed the boss.¡± Tessa nced at Owen. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that from you.¡± She had to admit that his moves were just as sharp as Gerald¡¯s and Fabian¡¯s. Owen was clearly annoyed that he had lost his chance to take Flynt out. He shot Tessa a look. ¡°Ms. Langford, do you care to exin what¡¯s going on?¡± Tessa nced at Flynt with a smile. ¡°This is a deal between the State Security Bureau and Mr. Hartley. He helped us catch the traitor, and we agreed to let him join. Wee aboard. Mr. Hartley.¡± Flynt shook Tessa¡¯s hand. ¡°If you ever need me, just say the word.¡± He then withdrew his hand and looked at Aria. ¡°I¡¯ve taken Huthailian citizenship. From now on, I¡¯m one of you.¡± He got it now that Aria wasn¡¯t the type he could force. If he crossed her again, he would never get another chance with her. Aria was the loyal type, and since she was in love with Owen, no one else stood a chance. Flynt figured he would start as a friend. Aria didn¡¯t care whether Flynt was a threat or an asset to the State Security Bureau. ¡°Not my concern,¡± she said, raising her hand. ¡°Unlock it.¡± Flynt nced at Julius. ¡°He has the key.¡± Aria turned to Tessa. ¡°Ms. Langford, could you get the key for me?¡± Tessa¡¯s curious gaze bounced between Aria, Owen, and Flynt, clearly intrigued. It wasn¡¯t until Aria spoke that she snapped out of it. ¡°Sure.¡± Two people stepped forward, cuffed Julius, dragged him out, and started searching him. ¡°Ms. Langford, he¡¯s only carrying a gun. No key.¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened. Flynt turned to Julius, ring at him. Julius burst outughing. ¡°Flynt, you actually gave up billions of dors you have in Torrenia for a woman. You¡¯re insane. Those cuffs don¡¯t have a key. Aria will never get them off.¡± They were made from special materials developed by a leadingpany in Torrenia. Only their boss himself could unlock them. Flynt¡¯s face turned stern in an instant. ¡°Don¡¯t make me.¡± He shoved the gun against Julius¡¯ neck. ¡°Tell me how to unlock it. Now. ¡°Go on, Flynt. Pull the trigger.¡± Julius cackled madly. ¡°Do you think the boss would actually tell me how to unlock it?¡± Tessa stopped Flynt and said, ¡°Calm down. He¡¯s a key witness.¡± She then turned to Aria. ¡°Let¡¯s go. People from the Technology Department will handle it.¡± Someone asked, ¡°What about the Skills Evaluation?¡± Tessa turned to Aria. ¡°Do you still want topete?¡± Aria didn¡¯t answer directly. ¡°How is Cathy and her team?¡± ¡°They¡¯re safe. They noticed something was wrong too and backed out. They¡¯re on their way here.¡± Tessa handed Aria the Aria took it and called Cathy. ¡°It was a trap set by the State Security Bureau to catch a traitor. We¡¯re safe now. The threat has been dealt with.¡± Cathy let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good. We still have traces of the drug in our systems, so we can¡¯t go on with thepetition. Clifford¡¯s team is getting us out.¡± Tessa said. ¡°Sorry for the trouble we caused you by not telling you about this mission in advance. The higher-ups will make it up to you. ¡°You¡¯ll get two months leave. If you want to rejoin thepetition, we¡¯ll fly you out once you get the antidote.¡± It would be a lie to say they didn¡¯t feel used. Cathy asked her team members and said. ¡°We¡¯re out. It doesn¡¯t feel worth it anymore.¡± They had let these young people down. Tessa sighed and said. Things will be different after this. I promise I¡¯ll make the State Security Bureau change.¡± Cathy smiled. ¡°No,wonder we¡¯re getting two months off. I hope we get to see the best side of the State Security Bureau when wee back.¡± ¡°You will,¡± Tessa promised. Cathy said, ¡°By the way, Ms. Langford. Clifford said they¡¯re quitting too.¡± Tessa asked, ¡°Why?¡± Cathy said, ¡°They said it¡¯s not worth it anymore.¡± Tessa was speechless. ¡°Fine, juste back then.¡± She had already made up her mind-the State Security Bureau needed eform. The next Skills Evaluation could wait until next year. The six of them took the antidote and fell back to normal. When they saw the cuffs on Aria¡¯s wrist, they were stunned. ¡°What happened?¡± Tessa said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Technology Department first.¡± Several specialists all reached the same conclusion. ¡°Nope, still stuck. We can¡¯t cut through it either.¡± Flynt said, ¡°Maybe we should just head to Torrenia.¡± Again Marriage 828 Owen kept his polite smile. ¡°In that case, Mr. Hartley, please go back to Torrenia and sort this out. If you get the key, just mail it over. If there¡¯s another fix, let us know.¡± Flynt turned to Aria. ¡°It¡¯d be best if you came with me to Torrenia. We can unlock it quickly at the research base. If Mr. Shaw is worried, he cane along too.¡± Owen said calmly, taking Aria¡¯s hand quietly, ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing to go. I just don¡¯t see the need for another trip. Aria has had a rough few days and she needs proper rest.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll only take three days at most,¡± Flynt said. There was clear tension in their conversation, and everyone around could sense the gossip brewing. Liz nudged Jocelyn and whispered, ¡°That foreign guy definitely has a thing for Aria.¡± Jocelyn shot her a knowing look, saying, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s clearly targeting Owen.¡± They nced at Aria, who seemedpletely oblivious to the tension. Aria said directly, ¡°No need to make this soplicated. Let¡¯s go back to Mandino City. The Stars Group can get it open.¡± Flynt shook his head. ¡°These handcuffs are made of special material. The Stars Group may be working in this area, but their tech isn¡¯t advanced enough yet. If the State Security Bureau couldn¡¯t open them, they likely wouldn¡¯t be able to either.¡± ¡°They definitely can,¡± Aria insisted, cutting him off. ¡°No more arguments.¡± Tessa nced around at everyone and said, ¡°It¡¯s settled then.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± Cathy said immediately, ¡°I¡¯ve got two months off. I¡¯ll go back with you.¡± Aria nced at her. ¡°Mike might being too. Call him.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Cathy grinned. Flynt stood up and said, ¡°My family is in Mandino City too. Do you mind if I join you?¡± Owen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be heading back to Torrenia?¡± Flynt smiled. ¡°Since Aria has a solution, there¡¯s no rush. If it¡¯s still not open in three days, then I¡¯ll go.¡± Given how conspicuous the handcuffs were, Tessa got them a private ride to the train station and exined things to the administrator. He rmended using a jacket to hide the handcuffs. Owen and Cathy walked on either side of Aria, carrying her things for her. Mike strolled along behind them, with Flynt keeping his distance. The four of them were seated together. Aria sat with Owen, while Cathy and Mike took the seats behind them. Aria pulled out her phone and sent a message to Vanessa. [Ned has been caught by the State Security Bureau. He¡¯s facing at least ten years.] Vanessa was overjoyed. [Wasn¡¯t the Skills Evaluation supposed tost two weeks? How did you get your phone back so soon?] Aria: [There was a little incident. Flynt brought Ned into thepetition venue.] Vanessa: [Is Flynt switching tactics now?] Unfortunately, Aria was never swayed by threats or kindness. He was bound to fail. Aria: [As long as he doesn¡¯t hurt anyone, he can do whatever he wants.] If he crossed the line, he would be facing the full weight of the Huthailianw. After sending the message, Aria noticed from the corner of her eye that Flynt, seated in the same row, was chatting with the person next to him. Picking up on her gaze, Owen leaned in and asked, ¡°Madelyn, what are you looking at?¡± Aria turned her eyes to his face, calm as ever. ¡°I¡¯m looking at you.¡± Owen smiled. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure your eyes weren¡¯t on me a second ago.¡± ¡°Now they are,¡± Aria replied, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re jealous of a foreign guy.¡± When Owen heard her call Flynt ¡°that foreign guy¡±, he somehow felt d. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s not even worth my attention.¡± He took her left hand. After a while, a train attendant approached and stopped beside Owen. ¡°Excuse me, are you Mr. Shaw?¡± Owen nodded. ¡°I am. What¡¯s up?¡± Again Marriage 829 The attendant said politely, ¡°Our conductor has some legal questions and would like to consult you. Are you avable now? It should only take five minutes.¡± Before Owen could respond, Aria turned her head. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Owen replied. As soon as Owen left, Flynt immediately ended his chat andzily turned his head to look down the aisle, eyes fixed on Aria. Aria caught it but didn¡¯t care. She didn¡¯t think he would do anything to her. Just then, a little boy named Roy around seven was ying in the aisle. He noticed Aria, so he climbed onto Owen¡¯s seat and sweetly said, ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful.¡± Aria rarely smiled gently but now returned a warm one. ¡°Thank you, little one.¡± Roy stared curiously at her hand hidden beneath the coat. ¡°Why are you covering your hand?¡± ¡°I have to cover something up,¡± Aria replied. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked, eyes wide with curiosity. ¡°That¡¯s a secret,¡± Aria replied with a yful smile. Roy nodded, then suddenly reached out and yanked the coat away. The handcuffs on Aria¡¯s wrist were instantly exposed. Roy shrieked, ¡°She¡¯s wearing handcuffs. She¡¯s a bad person.¡± Cathy stood up suddenly, furious but holding it in as she yanked the coat back over Aria¡¯s hand. ¡°She¡¯s not a bad guy. She¡¯s the victim. Say that again and I swear I¡¯ll beat you.¡± After saying that, she shot a fierce re at Flynt, the real bad guy here. Flynt was working with the State Security Bureau, but there was no reason to handcuff Aria unless he had ulterior motives. Without him. Aria wouldn¡¯t have been shackled and misunderstood. Roy¡¯s mom, Brenda, hurried over and pulled him away, giving Aria a quick look as she muttered under her breath, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect such a pretty girl to be a criminal.¡± Themotion was loud enough to catch others¡¯ attention, but no one spoke out. The carriage remained mostly quiet. Roy asked, ¡°Mom, what crime did thatdymit?¡± Brenda replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just remember to stay away from prettydies like her. They¡¯re all trouble. Got it?¡± ¡°Okay, but can bad people take the train too?¡± Roy was confused. ¡°Mom, didn¡¯t you say first ss is for good people? Why isn¡¯t thatdy in second ss instead?¡± Those words caught the attention of a middle-aged man, who loudly said to the attendant, ¡°What¡¯s going on here? How can a criminal be in the same carriage as us?¡± The attendant tried to exin quietly, ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. Thisdy-¡± The man cut her off. ¡°Spare me the excuses. Move her to the second ss. I pay extra just to avoid people like that. Why should she be in the same carriage as us?¡± Cathy frowned. ¡°She¡¯s not a criminal.¡± ¡°Then why is she wearing handcuffs, huh?¡± the man pressed. Just as Flynt was getting to his feet, Owen came back. He said, ¡°Sir, publicly insulting or spreading false information about others may lead to civilwsuits for defamation, and in some cases, criminal charges if the speech involves harassment or threats. ¡°If you continue to spread rumors without evidence, I will take legal action.¡± After saying that, Owen sat back down, looking pissed. The conductor quickly exined, ¡°Thisdy is with the State Security Bureau. An ident happened during her mission, and she¡¯s on her way to Mandino City to resolve it. Please don¡¯t misunderstand her.¡± ¡°The State Security Bureau?¡± someone blurted out in surprise. Cathy stood up and showed him her State Security Bureau card. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m with her. If anyone keeps ndering her, the bureau will press charges.¡± Alright, it was just a misunderstanding,¡± the middle-aged man said, finally shutting up. The conductor bowed to Aria. ¡°Ms. Saxon, I¡¯m truly sorry you had to go through such an unpleasant experience.¡± ria smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± omeone in the back row quietly put away his phone and messaged some social media pages to sell the video. Again Marriage 830 Cody, the young man in the back row, got 30 thousand dors selling the video, and his face lit up with excitement. However, when a blurry figure was reflected on his phone screen, his smile froze. He looked up and saw a stern face. Owen nced at the phone and said coldly. ¡°Sir, you¡¯remitting a crime.¡± Cody knew who Owen was, so his face turned pale the moment he was caught. He panicked and dropped his phone. ¡°I was just- Owen picked up the phone, cing it carefully on the desk without touching the screen. ¡°Filming someone without their consent and using their image for profit may lead to civil liability.¡± Owen exaggerated on purpose, scaring Cody stiff. The whole carriage went silent. The middle-aged man shrank back, quietly sliding further into his seat. ¡°I¡¯ll delete it right now.¡± Cody fumbled with his phone. ¡°I¡¯m giving the money back, and I won¡¯t let them post it.¡± His hands shook while typing. When the message finally went through, the reply said the deal was done, and even if he gave the money back, the video wouldn¡¯t be taken down. Owen returned to his seat, pulled out his business card, took photos of it with Cody¡¯s phone, and sent a voice message over. ¡°If you spread this video and cause reputational harm, the Stars Group will sue.¡± After sending it, he tossed the phone back and nced at Cody. ¡°When we stop, you¡¯d better go to the police station yourself.¡± Cody was freaking out, nodding frantically. ¡°Sure. I swear I¡¯ll confess to the cops.¡± When Owen walked by, he saw Roy peeking at him. He sneered at him, and Roy suddenly cried out, ¡°Mom, that man is scary.¡± Brenda kept trying tofort him, but it was no use. An impatient passenger said loudly, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a noisy child. If you can¡¯t keep him quiet in public, then take him somewhere else.¡± Brenda wanted to argue but didn¡¯t dare when she saw the tough-looking bald guy ring at her, so she just quickly hushed Roy. Owen returned to his seat with a satisfied look on his face. Flynt, sitting next to him,ughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so good at dealing with kids.¡± Owen turned his head and said, ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡± ¡°No.¡± Flynt grinned. ¡°Mr. Shaw, it seems you don¡¯t have much patience for kids, but that doesn¡¯t matter. You can just hire a nanny, right?¡± Owen sneered. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Then he turned to Aria andined, ¡°Flynt is so annoying.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°You could tell him to shut up.¡± Owen smirked and nced at Flynt. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Flynt fell silent, looking upset. He realized that Owen was shameless beyond what he had expected. Seeing this, Cathy was delighted. She said, ¡°What a hypocrite. I¡¯m d that Aria isn¡¯t into this type of guy? She then turned to Mike. ¡°Now you see why Owen managed to get Aria.¡± Mike looked a little lost, but he pretended to get it. ¡°Yeah, they like each other, right?¡± Cathy felt speechless and forced a smile. ¡°You¡¯re single, right?¡± Mike nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°No crush on anyone?¡± she asked. ¡°No,¡± Mike said. Cathy was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re quite handsome. Hasn¡¯t any girl ever chased you?¡± Mike said, ¡°Some have, but I¡¯m not interested. I¡¯d rather focus on school and the State Security Bureau stuff¡± Cathy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Aria is dating too, and she¡¯s not distracted by it. You¡¯re just overthinking it.¡± Mike looked at Aria and said with a smile, ¡°Ms. Saxon always knows what she¡¯s doing, but I don¡¯t. Sometimes I have really poor self-control.¡± Cathy stared at him. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re very honest.¡± After the train stopped, Aria and Owen were about to head to the Stars Group headquarters. Cathy wanted to go with them, out Owen stopped her. ¡°There are too many of us, and it¡¯s easy to draw attention. Just go back and stay with Julia.¡± Again Marriage 831 Cathy, worried about something like on the train happening again, told Owen to be careful. Mike said to Aria, ¡°Ms. Saxon, just let me know when you open this. If you need help, call me.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied. Flynt stepped forward and said, ¡°Since this is my fault, I¡¯ming with you to the Stars Group. Maybe I can help.¡± Aria shut him down right away. ¡°No need. Whatever happens, we won¡¯t hold you responsible.¡± Flynt somehow looked a little disappointed when he heard that. He said, ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll just go home.¡± He figured he would take it step by step and start as a friend. Johnny was busy in his office when he looked up and saw the handcuffs on Aria¡¯s wrist. He asked in surprise, ¡°What did Owen do to you?¡± Owen cleared his throat. ¡°You got me wrong. It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Aria also felt speechless. ¡°Stop joking.¡± Johnny snorted. ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Alright, what on earth happened?¡± Aria briefly exined how she ended up joining the State Security Bureau. ¡°What? You actually joined the State Security Bureau.¡± Johnny stood up in shock. ¡°Why are you ditching thepany to run off there?¡± He thought, ¡®Since when did she stop caring about her own business and start meddling in everyone else¡¯s?¡¯ During lunch, Silvia heard that Aria was at thepany, so she came to Johnny¡¯s office immediately. Hearing his harsh questioning, she frowned and thought, ¡®Joining the State Security Bureau is a good thing. Why is he so mad?¡¯ She gently closed the half-open door and quietly returned to her desk. ¡°I went there for apetition,¡± Aria said, shaking the handcuffs. ¡°The material is too tough for regr tools. I¡¯m trying to figure out how to open them and maybe check out the material too.¡± Johnny leaned in for a closer look and saw the handcuffs were full of cut marks. ¡°Where did you get these?¡± Suddenly, his eyes went wide. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me you got handcuffed on purpose to bring this stuff back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not crazy,¡± Aria replied, rolling her eyes. Owen interrupted immediately, ¡°Let¡¯s figure out how to unlock those cuffs. They¡¯re ruining her day.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to theb,¡± Johnny said, leading everyone toward theb. A few senior researchers began examining those handcuffs. After a while, one of them said, ¡°This material is quite strange. It¡¯s extremely hard, probably some kind of alloy.¡± Owen said, frowning, ¡°Sir, can you just unlock them first? We can look into the materialter.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s unlock them first.¡± The lead senior researcher quickly called over his assistants. ¡°Get more people here and bring all the tools.¡± Ten minutester, the handcuffs were cut open. Aria stretched her wrist, snapped a picture of the handcuffs, and sent it to Tessa. [Done.] Tessa: [This was fast. Didn¡¯t you just get off the train?] Aria: [The Stars Group got the expertise and all the tools.] Tessa: [If they figure something out, the State Security Bureau might team up with the Stars Group.] Aria: [Sure.] Since this was something they put on her, it belonged to her, and she intended to make full use of it. Owen gently massaged Aria¡¯s swollen wrists and asked softly, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± The small cuffs had left marks after being on for so long. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said as she walked out. ¡°I¡¯m just going to get some rest.¡± Johnny shot them a weird look and joked. ¡°What now? Are you two heading home to enjoy some alone time?¡± Aria stopped in her tracks and waited for Johnny to pass. Without hesitation, she kicked out. Johnny fell t on his face, with his handnding on someone¡¯s shoes. He looked up and saw Silvia. Silvia¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment. ¡°I-I was just waiting for Aria.¡± Johnny looked embarrassed. He got up and yelled at Aria, ¡°Why did you kick me?¡± Aria said, ¡°Oh, sorry. I didn¡¯t see youing.¡± Johnny felt aggrieved. He red at her and said, ¡°Come on, I was only joking around with you two. You know I didn¡¯t mean anything bad. Don¡¯t make such a big deal out of it.¡± Aria clenched her fists quietly. Again Marriage 832 Johnny felt the tension and moved behind Silvia, poking his head out. ¡°Aria, you can¡¯t be so violent, or you¡¯ll¡ª¡± He nced at Owen, not daring to finish his sentence. The next second, however, Silvia moved aside, leaving him standing there awkwardly. Johnny red at her and said, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m your boss. You can¡¯t do this to me.¡± Silvia stood beside Aria, saying, ¡°Well, my sister is way more important to me than my boss.¡± Johnny fell silent, thinking, ¡®Fine, she does have a point.¡¯ Silvia turned to Aria, her tone gentle. ¡°Aria, you should rest now. We¡¯ll have a meal together next time.¡± Aria nodded. ¡°Alright, see you.¡± ¡®See you,¡± Silvia said. Silvia kept watching until they were out of sight. Then she nced back and caught Johnny staring at her. Nervous, she ooked away. ¡°I¡¯m heading home too. See you.¡± After two days of rest, Aria was just about to return to school when Cathy brought several friends here. Though they had only known each other for a few days, the Skills Evaluation had brought them close. Cathy said, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m serious about going to the Stars Group as a bodyguard. You don¡¯t have to pay me. I just need a ce to tay. Is that okay?¡± Allison raised her hand. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Caroline grinned. ¡°I¡¯m gonna stay here for the whole two months off. Aria, you¡¯re not gonna kick us out, are you?¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°What if I am?¡± Whatever. I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Lizy on the couch, sighing about how nice it was to be rich. She decided that from now on, he would work hard and move in next to Aria. Stay as long as you want. There are plenty of rooms here.¡± Aria put down her phone and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll have dinner at Amour Bistro.¡± Jocelyn got excited. ¡°Amour Bistro? Hell yeah.¡± Since it was a girls¡¯ night, Owen didn¡¯t join them. The manager, Neil Flores, after knowing Aria wasing, decided to call the person who reserved the premier suite to ask if he could switch to another room. Coincidentally, the private room was reserved by Tristan. He had been nning this meal for a while and, when he heard Aria would be taking the room, he called Zoe immediately. He said, ¡°Zoe, I¡¯m sure you know the Palmer Group¡¯s projects have hit some snagstely. I finally managed to secure a meeting with Mr. Kramer from the Hayes Group. I want you to call Aria and tell her not to ruin things here.¡± Zoe couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Tristan, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. I¡¯m no one to tell Aria what to do.¡± Tristan frowned. ¡°You¡¯re her mother, and I¡¯m her uncle. She won¡¯t say no to this.¡± Zoe said directly, ¡°I can¡¯t help with this. Don¡¯t cause trouble for Aria, or the Saxon Group won¡¯t look out for the Palmer Group anymore.¡± With that, she hung up the phone. As soon as Aria got out of the car, she got a call from Mono. ¡°I¡¯m at the airport. Come pick me up.¡± ¡°Mr. Smith, you always catch me off guard.¡± Aria said helplessly, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ming to get you now.¡± Cathy asked curiously, ¡°Who is it? Is it the man who taught you traditional medicine?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s the one who taught me painting,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Wait, can you also paint?¡± Cathy eximed. Aria said, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll take you to the restaurant first. Then I¡¯ll go to the airport to pick him up.¡± Cathy said, ¡°Go ahead. We can go there ourselves. If Mr. Smith doesn¡¯t mind, we can have dinner together.¡± Just then, Neil came over. Aria talked to him and went to the airport. As Neil led the way, someone suddenly stepped out and blocked their path. ¡°Mr. Flores, I won¡¯t give up the premier suite. Aria is my niece. I¡¯ll talk to her.¡± Hearing the word ¡°niece¡±, the girls all looked up at Tristan in surprise. Neil replied politely, ¡°Rules at Amour Bistro can¡¯t be broken. We¡¯ve arranged another private room for you.¡± Again Marriage 833 Tristan wasn¡¯t satisfied. ¡°No other room is as good as the premier suite. Take me to her. I¡¯ll sort this out myself.¡± Cathy said, ¡°Aria went to pick up her mentor. She won¡¯t be back soon. You can wait outside.¡± Tristan nced at the six girls and suddenly realized something. ¡°Did she take my room just to invite you all to dinner?¡± Neil said, ¡°Mr. Palmer, the private room belongs to Ms. Saxon.¡± Tristan was about to say something else when someone cut him off. ¡°Hi, Mr. Palmer.¡± Tristan saw who it was and stammered in surprise, ¡°Hi, Mr. Kramer. I didn¡¯t expect you toe here so soon.¡± Johnny nodded, then turned to Cathy and offered his hand. ¡°d to see you here, Ms. Shaw.¡± Cathy replied, shaking his hand, ¡°You too.¡± Johnny nced at the rest of the girls with a friendly smile. ¡°Are you all here for dinner?¡± ¡°Yeah, we came with a friend,¡± Cathy replied. ¡°Friend?¡± Johnny asked, suddenly interested, ¡°Are they all members of the State Security Bureau?¡± Cathy nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Tristan froze in surprise. He thought, ¡®What? Are they all from the State Security Bureau? How did Aria know so many people from there? No wonder she got the premier suite. She¡¯s not letting it go now.¡¯ Tristan turned to Johnny and apologized, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Kramer. The premier suite was taken by my niece.¡± Johnny looked surprised. ¡°Is Aria your niece?¡± Tristan nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Johnny seemed to realize something and turned to Cathy. ¡°Is Aria part of your team too?¡± There was no reason to hide it, so Cathy nodded. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s with the State Security Bureau too.¡± Johnny smiled, and he finally understood why Benjamin was so fond of Aria. Tristan was left in shock. On the way to their private room with Johnny, he texted Zoe quietly. [Aria is with the State Security Bureau.] Zoe was taken aback when she saw the message, and she nearly dropped her cup. Joseph nced at her and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zoe said, ¡°I¡¯m just a bit shocked that Aria is with the State Security Bureau.¡± Joseph dropped his fork onto the table. Luke¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Really?¡± Silvia said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. I¡¯ve known that Aria was one of them long ago.¡± Lincoln, back from overseas not long ago, looked at them and said, ¡°She¡¯s also Mono¡¯s student.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°What did you say?¡± Lincoln said, ¡°The legendary painter Mono I tried to learn from is Aria¡¯s mentor. She¡¯s his only student.¡± Joseph was overwhelmed by the shocking news. Full of regret, he sighed deeply and got up slowly. ¡°I¡¯m full. I¡¯m going back to my study.¡± Joseph trembled slightly as he walked. He thought, ¡®I can¡¯t believe I drove away such a talented girl. I must have lost my mind.¡¯ Someone messaged Lincoln that Mono had returned to the country, and he just sighed. During his time in Fraibia, he had persistently sought Mono¡¯s guidance and finally got a chance to learn from him. However, Mono warned him not to show up in front of him aftering back, and definitely not in front of Aria. Aria picked Mono up at the airport. She went to grab his luggage, but Gael stopped her. ¡°I got this.¡± ¡°Gael, I just want to help,¡± Aria said. Mono said, ¡°Gael, let her be.¡± Gael smiled and said, ¡°Madelyn came all the way here. She must be tired.¡± Aria pouted and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She paused and turned to Mono. ¡°Mr. Smith, I recently joined an organization and met a few friends there. I¡¯m having dinner with them. Why don¡¯t you join us? I¡¯ll introduce you to them.¡± Aria didn¡¯t have many friends, so hearing her mention that was rare. Mono nodded. ¡°Sure, as long as they don¡¯t mind that I¡¯m a boring old man.¡± They won¡¯t. You guys are my family,¡± Aria said. Mono couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°You¡¯re always so good at cheering me up.¡± He thought, ¡®Looks like falling in love isn¡¯t all bad. Fine, I won¡¯t interfere in her rtionship with Owen anymore.¡¯ Again Marriage 834 As Aria led Mono into the private dining room at Amour Bistro, they drew everyone¡¯s attention. She said, ¡°Let me introduce you all. This is my mentor, Mono, and this is Gael.¡± Stunned, Cathy dropped the cup on the table and stood up at once. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Smith. I¡¯m Cathy.¡± The others stood as well. Mono nodded and said, ¡°Nice to meet you all. Thanks for having me here.¡± Cathy was still a bit stunned when the food arrived. She knew Aria was skilled in medicine under Maverick, but never guessed she was also Mono¡¯s student. She thought, ¡®Damn, Aria is so lucky to learn from the best traditional doctor and the top painter here.¡¯ Cathy leaned over to Aria and said, ¡°My birthday ising up. Can I ask you for a birthday gift?¡± Aria nodded and said, ¡°Sure.¡± Cathy grinned. ¡°I want one of your paintings.¡± Mono let out a dramatic sigh and turned to Gael. ¡°See? My student got more popr than I.¡± Gael took a sip of wine and said, ¡°Madelyn is indeed impressive.¡± Mono felt speechless. After the meal, Cathy and the others left Aria and Mono alone. They waved goodbye to them, saying, ¡°See you next time.¡± Just as Aria was about to say something, Mono said, ¡°Please drive me to the Fine Art Society.¡± Aria said reluctantly, ¡°Mr. Smith, you can stay at my ce.¡± Mono snorted. ¡°You have all kinds of rules at your house. I just don¡¯t feelfortable there. Nobody dares to give me trouble at the Fine Art Society. If you don¡¯t drive me there, I¡¯ll just call Westin toe to pick me up.¡± Aria sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take you there.¡± Meanwhile, Westin was waiting by the entrance. When he saw Aria, he quickly came over, holding out his hand. ¡°Hi, Aria. I¡¯m Westin, Mr. Smith¡¯s student.¡± He was genuinely d to see her. Aria smiled. ¡°d to meet you, Westin. Mr. Smith told me about you.¡± Although he was highly experienced, she didn¡¯t sense any arrogance from him. Westin was so excited that he blurted out, ¡°Mr. Smith didn¡¯t say anything bad about me, did he?¡± Mono rubbed his forehead, feeling speechless. ¡°No, he said you¡¯re amazing.¡± Aria replied, ¡°Please take care of Mr. Smith. He has stomach issues, and he can¡¯t drink or eat too much spicy food.¡± Mono¡¯s stomach had been ruined during the exhibition in Fraibia. Though in his seventies, he suddenly developed a fondness for red wine. ? ???? Mono grumbled, ¡°Shut up. I would have just taken a taxi myself.¡± Aria pretended not to hear him and turned to Westin. ¡°Thanks for your help. If Mr. Smith won¡¯t listen, just call me.¡± Westin nodded. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll take good care of him.¡± Mono got impatient. ¡°Alright. Aria, you should go.¡± Before leaving, Aria warned, ¡°If I catch you drinking, I¡¯ll take you back to my ce.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said it a thousand times.¡± Mono waved his hand dismissively and turned to head inside, his back straight and full of energy. Aria stared at him, a bit worried. Aria was lost in thought about remedies for stomach issues on her way back to the office when a ponytailed female student suddenly stopped her. ¡°Ms. Saxon, someone secretly filmed and spread rumors about you.¡± She held up her phone, showing a video ying with the hashtag: [Hot criminal scares child on train]. Some people in thements recognized Aria and were shocked she might have broken thew. Soon, people found out she worked at Mandino University, and lots of poprments attacked the university for bad hiring. Some people were skeptical. [They say she¡¯s a criminal, but what crime did shemit?] Aria said, ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡± The girl reassured her, ¡°Ms. Saxon, we all believe you. You should call the police and they¡¯ll find out who¡¯s behind this.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Aria replied. Aria returned to the office and immediately contacted the Stars Group¡¯s legal team to file awsuit. Then she found the video and sent it to Tessa without a word. Tessa: [Leave it to the State Security Bureau. We¡¯ll clear things up.] After a while, Aria¡¯s phone buzzed again. Owen: [Madelyn, I¡¯ll work with the Stars Group¡¯s legal team. I got this.] Aria: [Okay. Thank you so much. Love you.] Owen smiled, but his eyes instantly grew cold as he thought of the video. He had underestimated these clickbait ounts, and this time, he wouldn¡¯t let them off easily. Comethin clickbait J Again Marriage 835 He couldn¡¯t believe that the influencer posted the video even after getting warned. With this kind of attention, he, the secret photographer, would surely be held responsible. He didn¡¯t go to the police station as he promised after getting off the train, but now he had no choice. Barely able to ask for leave, he talked to his colleague and rushed to the police station. Meanwhile, in a ward in Heffner Hospital, Liam sat in the chair, getting Daniel a ss of water. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry too much. I work here, so I can oftene by.¡± Daniel looked haggard. ¡°Where is Ophelia? It¡¯s been so long, and I haven¡¯t seen her even once.¡± Liam handed him the ss. ¡°Ophelia is seeing someone.¡± Daniel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Who is it?¡± Liam replied, ¡°It¡¯s Griffin.¡± The Cole Group used to be leagues above the Palmer Group, so surely none of them took a yboy like Griffin seriously. However, the Cole Group copsed, and hearing that Ophelia was dating Griffin, Daniel found it hard to say no. Without the Cole family¡¯s support, Ophelia¡¯s chances of marrying into a wealthy family had dwindled. Daniel was silent for a long time before letting out a sigh. ¡°Liam, it¡¯s time you got married too. Is the nurse still pursuing you?¡± Liam shook his head. ¡°No.¡± After the Cole Group copsed, that girl left without hesitation. Liam had grown used to such bitter disappointment. Daniel felt mad. He said under his gritted teeth, ¡°It¡¯s all Aria¡¯s fault. She won¡¯tst long. I saw the news of her taking a train with handcuffs. She must have done something illegal.¡± Liam replied calmly, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s just a misunderstanding. Aria would never do something like that.¡± Having been through so much, he realized one thing. Anyone who went against Aria ended up falling miserably. She seemed like the luckiest girl ever, and things mostly went her way. Even when things got tough, she made it through. However, the ones who hurt her ended up unlucky, like Hannah in jail and the Cole family who lost theirpanies. ¡°Mr. Cole, it¡¯s time for a check-up.¡± The doctor came in with two interns behind him. After checking, he said, ¡°Your blood pressure is up again. You need to rest and not stress too much.¡± Daniel suddenly grinned weirdly. ¡°I feel no stress at all. I¡¯m actually d because the one who ruined the Cole family is finally going to jail.¡± The ward fell silent. While hospitalized, Daniel had often spoken ill of Aria, and everyone was used to it. The doctor shook his head helplessly. One of the interns with sses suddenly chuckled and said, ¡°Mr. Cole, are you talking about Aria?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Daniel exploded, his face twisted with rage. He clearly hated Aria with all his heart. The intern said, ¡°If you think she broke thew because of that video, you¡¯ll be terribly wrong. The official statement cleared her. Check it out on your phone. You¡¯ll be surprised.¡± The doctor nced at her and said, ¡®Don¡¯t discuss matters unrted to the patient¡¯s condition. Let¡¯s go.¡± The intern nodded. ¡®Okay¡¯ Then they left. Liam opened his phone and saw the State Security Bureau¡¯s official statement and news of the social media ounts being surd Daniel¡¯s face darkened as he snatched the phone. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Seeing that Aria was with the State Security Bureau, Daniel sat upright in shock. His IV tube shook violently, and the heart monitor red an rm. ¡®No, this can¡¯t be true¡± Liam quickly called for the doctor. The intern couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a patient faint from anger over his granddaughter-inw¡¯s sess¡± The doctor red at her, but she just ignored it and kept going. ¡°Mr. Cole, don¡¯t be too upset. You¡¯d better pray you get well soon so you can give your grandson the punishment he deserves. ¡°After all, he was the one who drove Aria away. If not for him, she would be bringing glory to the Cole family right now. She could not only help the Cole Group but also bring in resources from the Stars Group.¡± Daniel actually listened and vented half his anger on Liam. He yelled, ¡°Get out of here.¡± He med Liam not only for failing to manage thepany but also for driving Aria away. However, Daniel just didn¡¯t want to admit he was also wrong. Aria had saved the Cole Group, yet he wouldn¡¯t give up that five percent share and wanted to keep it all. He thought, ¡®If I were given a second chance, I would beg Aria to stay, even if it meant giving her the entire Cole Group, but it was toote! Daniel was so furious that he passed out. The doctor said. ¡°Take him to the emergency room.¡± ¡°Grandpa!¡± Liam screamed. Again Marriage 836 Chapter 836 ÁÖ¼Ò74%·Ý A colleague warned the medical intern, ¡°Thank goodness we managed to save Mr. Cole. If he¡¯d died because of what you said, you¡¯d never forgive yourself. You need to mind your words.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± the medical intern replied. She hadn¡¯t expected Daniel to be this fragile. Meanwhile, standing off to the side, Liam looked utterly defeated. He spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s not her fault. I¡¯m the one to me.¡± He thought, ¡®One wrong step, and everything just kept spiraling out of control. ¡®My irresponsibility has brought disaster to the Cole family and Grandpa.¡± Aria finished organizing her teaching materials, grabbed the prepared folder, and headed to Adrian¡¯s office. The door was slightly ajar. Inside, Adrian was busy guiding n and a few other students. Aria waited until they were done before knocking and stepping inside. She said, ¡°Prof. Gn, I am back again.¡± Adrian gave her a casual nce and said, ¡°You¡¯re here right after the project ended. You really don¡¯t give me a moment¡¯s rest, do you?¡± Aria made herselffortable in the chair, shing a smile. She said, ¡°Prof. Gn, you¡¯re so popr, I have to act fast.¡± She ced the folder on the table and continued, ¡°I¡¯d like to invite you to join the Stars Group again.¡± Every time Aria came by, she always brought a contract with her, but Adrian never even bothered to look at it. Adrian took off his sses and wiped them. With a faint smile on his face, he said, ¡°You¡¯re with the State Security Bureau now. You must have tons ofpanies fighting to work with the Stars Group, right? ¡°So why are you still chasing after an old guy like me?¡± Aria¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile, and she said, ¡°The Stars Group will always stay true to its roots.¡± Adrian froze for a second, then let out a heartyugh. He said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll sign a one¨Cyear contract with the Stars Group.¡± He tapped the folder with his finger and continued, ¡°If it manages to impress me, then we can consider something more long- term.¡± ¡°The Stars Group definitely won¡¯t let you down, Prof. Gn,¡± Aria said. She pulled out the contract and added, ¡°Take a look¨Cfeel free to suggest any changes.¡± n couldn¡¯t help but chime in, ¡°Prof. Gn, the Stars Group¡¯sb equipment is way more advanced than what we have here at school.¡± Adrian shot him a re and teased, ¡°You little brat, you haven¡¯t even been interning there that long, and you¡¯re already taking their side.¡± Laughter erupted in the office. ¡°Prof. Gn, we¡¯d be happy to join the Stars Group too,¡± one of the students chimed in. The Stars Group was famous for how well it treated its employees, and most Mandino University graduates applied there first. 12:41 Fri, 22 Aug Getting to sign on with the Stars Group alongside Adrian and head straight into theb¨Ceveryone was pretty excited about it. Adrian nced around and said, ¡°Rx, even if I don¡¯t stay after a year, you¡¯ll still have the freedom to make your own choices.¡± Then he turned to Aria and said, ¡°This contract is more than fair¨Cno changes needed. I¡¯ll sign it right now.¡± After signing, he looked at Aria and warned, ¡°Watch out for Richard.¡± ¡°Thanks for the heads¨Cup, Prof. Gn,¡± Aria replied. Adrian said, ¡°Don¡¯t brush it off. Right after that video came out, Richard went straight to the school administration and tried to have you dismissed. But the higher¨Cups all trust you.¡± Adrian wasn¡¯t the type to stick his nose into other people¡¯s business, but he considered Aria one of his own, so he offered the advice out of genuine concern. Aria¡¯s smile widened as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Prof. Gn. I know how to look out for myself.¡± With the signed contract in hand, Aria headed to the Stars Group. Johnny eximed, ¡°It really had to be you¨Cso many people tried and failed to get Adrian, but you actually pulled it off.¡± When it came to connections, Johnny had to hand it to Aria. On the surface, Aria wasn¡¯t actively involved in the Stars Group¡¯s operations¨Cshe had only invested money. In reality, during the early days when the Stars Group was struggling, she was the one who secured many of their partnerships. Take their uing partnership with Nimbus Tech, for example. It was a smallpany, but it was full of hidden talent. In just one year, they achieved a technological breakthrough and sessfully applied for a patent. Several bigpanies were interested in that patent and offered generous terms, but Patrick, the boss, turned them all down and chose the Stars Group instead, saying he trusted Aria. When the odds were stacked against one, it was pretty normal for smallpanies to get squeezed out of the game. Patrick¡¯s choosing to team up with the Stars Group was definitely a smart move. ¡°The hardest part is done. The rest is all yours now,¡± Aria said. Johnny clutched the contract,ughing. He said, ¡°I take back what I said about youst time. Honestly, you could join any institution you want¨Cnot just the State Security Bureau.¡± He thought, ¡®Aria always ys her trump card right out of the gate. By joining the State Security Bureau, she¡¯d be able towork with even more top talent and really put the Stars Group¡¯s name on the map.¡® Aria rolled her eyes at him. Then she said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Hold on. The Stars Group is nning a project pre¨Crelease next month. I¡¯ll take some photos and send them to you¡ªjust make a few paintings from them,¡± Johnny said. Aria replied, ¡°Alright.¡± As soon as Aria arrived, she saw Owening out with a te of food in his hands.
  1. 12.
14% ¡°Madelyn, you¡¯re back,¡± Owen said. ¡°Yeah, the Stars Group has already filed awsuit against those marketing ounts. It¡¯s notplicated, so I won¡¯t burden you with it,¡± Aria replied. ¡°Let the Stars Group handle those marketing ounts. As for Griffin, I¡¯ll take care of hiswsuit for you,¡± Owen said. After discovering that Griffin was the one stirring up trouble behind the scenes, Owen went to have a word with him. Griffin didn¡¯t even bother to deny it. He just shrugged and told them to go ahead and sue him if they wanted. Owen thought, ¡®Honestly, this guy is seriously unhinged. He insisted that Madelyn was the reason Hannah ended up in jail, and now he was out for revenge on her behalf.¡® Aria replied, ¡°Okay.¡± That day, Aria went to the Fletcher residence to give Avery a follow¨Cup checkup. After examination, Aria said, ¡°She¡¯s recovering really well. You can stop the medication now.¡± With a beaming smile, Susan took Aria¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Aria, I really can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± Aria smiled softly and said, ¡°Susan, you¡¯ve already thanked me so many times.¡± Susan said, ¡°No matter how many times I thank you, it could never make up for what you did for us.¡± Susan really wanted to do something more¨Cat the very least, give Aria a gift¨Cbut Aria had made it clear she only epted the consultation fee and nothing else. That was just the way things worked in the Todd School. Susan honestly had no idea how else to thank Aria. Avery looked up at Aria and asked, ¡°Aria, now that I¡¯m all better, will you stille visit me?¡± Aria gently patted her head and said, ¡°I won¡¯t being by anymore, but you and Derek cane hang out with me anytime you want.¡± Avery smiled and said, ¡°Okay, promise.¡± Again Marriage 837 Just as Aria was about to leave, the nanny walked in and reported, ¡°Mrs. Susan Fletcher, the Palmer family is outside. They say they want to see Aria.¡± Susan looked puzzled. She thought, ¡®How did the Palmer family end uping to our house just to see Aria?¡® Ever since Griffin was sued, the Palmer family had tried to reach out to Aria more than once, but they couldn¡¯t get past the security at Mayen Garden. ¡°Aria, what do they want with you?¡± Susan asked. Seeing the look on Aria¡¯s face, she could tell it wasn¡¯t anything good. So she suggested, ¡°Maybe you should slip out the back?¡± Aria said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Sorry for the trouble, Susan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. If you ever need my help, just say the word,¡± Susan replied. As Aria left the Fletcher residence, Susan, worried Aria might get taken advantage of, had a few nannies hide in a corner to secretly keep watch. Tristan said to Aria with utmost respect, ¡°Aria, we truly had no idea Griffin would pull something like this. However you want to punish him, it¡¯s up to you¨Cwe¡¯ll leave it all in your hands.¡± Griffin was sporting fresh injuries, clearly having gotten a taste of Tristan¡¯s beating. He said defiantly, ¡°I¡¯m not wrong.¡± Amelia pped him hard and snapped, ¡°You disgraceful son. If you weren¡¯t dragging the Palmer family¡¯s business down, we honestly wouldn¡¯t care if you lived or died. Apologize to Aria right now.¡± ¡°Why should I apologize? If it weren¡¯t for her, Hannah wouldn¡¯t have been framed and sent to jail.¡± Griffin shot back. Aria sneered, ¡°Your son doesn¡¯t even think he¡¯s done anything wrong. What¡¯s the point of forcing an apology?¡± Tristan looked like he was about to go gray from stress. He said, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Aria. Griffin has been spoiled rotten by us. Let me apologize on his behalf. For the sake of our uncle¨Cnephew rtionship, please forgive him.¡± Aria replied coolly, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. You don¡¯t need to call yourself my uncle. I cut ties with the Saxon family a long time ago- we have nothing to do with each other anymore. ¡°Griffin is an adult, not a little kid. He can take responsibility for his own actions. I don¡¯t need, and won¡¯t ept, anyone apologizing for him. ¡°And you all know this isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s been out there spreading rumors and stirring up trouble.¡± The first time, Aria chose to sue, and Tristan and Amelia were upset, thinking she was being ruthless. But even after Griffin got out of detention, he was still up to his old tricks. He pulled the same old stunt a second time, still for Hannah¡¯s sake. Tristan sighed and said, ¡°Aria, I heard you and Benjamin are friends despite the age gap. Will this incident affect the Palmer Group¡¯s partnership with the Hayes Group?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Benjamin is fair¨Cminded. If the partnership with the Palmer Group can go through and the Palmer Group is sincere, the oue won¡¯t change.¡± 12:41 Fri, 22 Aug 74% If they couldn¡¯t settle things, the Palmer family would have to personally hand Griffin over to the police. Even if this whole thing went public, the Palmer family would still be justified. Tristan looked at Griffin and asked, ¡°You really don¡¯t think you did anything wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Griffin said tly. He figured his family would never really do anything to him. He thought, ¡®I am their only son¨Cthey¡¯d always end up spoiling me no matter what.¡® Seeing Griffin still so stubborn and unwilling to change, Tristan could only look at him with utter disappointment. Amelia was about to say something, but Tristan shot her a warning look and turned to Aria. He said, ¡°Sorry for troubling you, Miss Saxon.¡± As soon as Aria left, Amelia immediately startedining, ¡°How could you just let her go like that? This time, the consequences are pretty serious. I¡¯ve already talked to awyer¨CGriffin could end up getting sentenced.¡± Tristan¡¯s face darkened as he snapped, ¡°And what do you want me to do? Griffin refuses to apologize. Are we supposed to force Aria to forgive him? All for the sake of some homewrecker, he keeps hurting Aria again and again.¡± Amelia¡¯s voice grew smaller and smaller as she said, ¡°It¡¯s not like he really did any real harm.¡± ¡°Are you seriously going to wait until he actually hurts someone before you do something?¡± Tristan snapped. He then turned to Griffin and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got two choices. One, sincerely apologize to Aria and turn yourself in to the police. Two, if you refuse to apologize or admit you¡¯re wrong, then I¡¯m done with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the second one,¡± Griffin replied. ¡°Griffin!¡± Amelia shouted. Realizing Tristan meant business, she hurriedly tried to get Griffin to apologize, but Griffin just looked impatient. He retorted, ¡°So what if I end up in jail? If Aria has the guts, let her put me away for good. Hannah¡¯s in jail, I¡¯ll be in jail too¨Cguess we¡¯re just made for each other. The moment she gets out, I¡¯ll marry her.¡± Hearing this, Tristan immediately picked up his phone and called his secretary, instructing him to issue a statement publicly disowning Griffin as his son. Then he turned to Amelia and said, ¡°You have to choose¨Cbe my wife, or be Griffin¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°Does it really have to be this serious?¡± Amelia asked, her voice trembling. ¡°Which one?¡± Tristan pressed, his tone unwavering. Amelia¡¯s anger red. She said, ¡°I choose to be Griffin¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s get a divorce,¡± Tristan said coldly. ¡°Divorce? Fine by me. I¡¯m not leaving the Palmer family¨Cif anyone¡¯s leaving, it¡¯s you,¡± Amelia shot back. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go,¡± Tristan retorted. He left first, driving off in the car. Amelia was cursing nonstop as she gged down a taxi, muttering angrily the whole time. Griffin tried to reassure her. He said, ¡°Mom, from now on, I¡¯ll only look after you. You¡¯re the only family I care about.¡± Amelia replied, ¡°I believe you. But you can¡¯t keep pulling stunts like this. Hannah is just a homewrecker¡ªshe¡¯s not worthy of 12:41 Fri, 22 Aug O marrying into the Palmer family.¡± Griffin replied half¨Cheartedly, ¡°Yeah, I get it. I just in hate Aria¨Cshe thinks she¡¯s all that.¡± ¡°She¡¯s no pushover, so don¡¯t go picking a fight with her,¡± Amelia warned. From her hiding spot, Susan said, ¡°Aria knows how to handle herself. Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡± 74% As Aria got out of the car, she ran into Flynt. Flynt brought up the video incident and handed her a bank card. He said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for all the trouble the video caused you. There¡¯s 150 million dors on this card¨Caspensation for the damage to your reputation.¡± Aria looked at him and said, ¡°Flynt, I don¡¯t care what your intentions are. Please, just stay out of my life.¡± Flynt clenched the bank card tightly and asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we at least be friends?¡± ¡°I have high standards for my friends¨Cyou don¡¯t even qualify,¡± Aria replied coldly. ¡°What if I change?¡± Flynt asked, his voice desperate. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯vemitted crimes,¡± Aria said, her tone unwavering. Flynt didn¡¯t say another word, just watched her leave, then locked eyes with Owen across the lobby. He smirked, a provocative glint shing in his eyes. Owen didn¡¯t even spare Flynt a nce, simply took Aria¡¯s hand and walked her into the elevator. He said, ¡°Madelyn, Flynt is such a pain.¡± Aria hooked her pinky with his and said, ¡°Same here. I¡¯ve already contacted those researchers. Once we¡¯ve got enough evidence, we¡¯ll kick him out of Huthailia.¡± Owen said, ¡°I¡¯m collecting evidence of his crimes, too.¡± 3/3 AD Comment Again Marriage 838 Griffin was sentenced to three months in jail. Tristan refused to get involved any further, and Amelia went to the Saxon family for help. Amelia said, ¡°This whole thing didn¡¯t even hurt Aria¡¯s reputation. The Palmer Group has already published an apology in the newspaper. Griffin is Aria¡¯s own cousin¨Chow could she be so ruthless? ¡°Zoe, Logan, please ask Aria to drop thewsuit.¡± Caleb said coolly, ¡°Amelia, you should be d Griffin was sentenced at all. If I¡¯d found out about this sooner, I wouldn¡¯t have let him off so easily.¡± Zoe said bluntly, ¡°Amelia, Griffin turned on his own family for outsiders. Three months is already lenient. We have things to do, so if you have nothing else, please leave.¡± Amelia¡¯s chest heaved with anger, her nails digging deep into her palms. She said, ¡°Aria has already cut ties with you. Griffin is your real nephew.¡± Logan sat on the couch, his expression cold. He said, ¡°We don¡¯t have a nephew like him. You¡¯d better leave now, Amelia.¡± Caleb mmed his documents shut and dered, ¡°From now on, the Saxon family won¡¯t get involved in the Palmer family¡¯s affairs.¡± Amelia stood up, jabbing her finger at Caleb, her well¨Cmaintained face twisted with anger. She demanded, ¡°We¡¯ve always treated you so well. Why can¡¯t you help Griffin?¡± Caleb sneered, ¡°Amelia, you only send a gift once a year¨Cdoes that count as being good to me? Even if it does, the Saxon Group has already done more than enough for the Palmer Group. We don¡¯t owe you anything. ¡°Say one more word, and Griffin will end up spending even longer behind bars.¡± Amelia, seething with rage, raised her hand threateningly., But before she could do anything, Myrtle suddenly appeared out of nowhere and caught her wrist. With just a little pressure from Myrtle¡¯s well¨Ctrained fingers, Amelia yelped in pain. ¡°Get out,¡± Myrtle snapped. Amelia stumbled back a few steps. She said, ¡°How could you do this to me?¡± Zoe turned to the bodyguards and ordered, ¡°Show her out.¡± The bodyguards immediately stepped forward and dragged Amelia away, her shrill curses fading into the distance. Zoe nced at Myrtle and said, ¡°You¡¯re a girl. Next time something like this happens, let Caleb deal with it himself.¡± Myrtle grinned. She rolled up her sleeve to show off her muscles and said, ¡°Caleb¡¯s mom, I¡¯m strong, you know.¡± Zoe frowned at the address. She sat down next to Caleb and asked, ¡°Does she like you?¡± Caleb cleared his throat and said, ¡°No, she¡¯s been living abroad for a long time and still isn¡¯t used to speaking Huthailian.¡± 12:41 Fri, 22 Aug D Zoe let out a disappointed ¡°Oh.¡± Just then, Myrtle piped up cheerfully, ¡°Boss, can I take tomorrow off? I want to go see Aria.¡± Caleb pushed up his sses and said, ¡°Let¡¯s all go together.¡± ¡°Silvia can juste with me. Boss, you don¡¯t need to go¨Cafter all, you¡¯re a guy,¡± Myrtle said. Caleb thought, ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s a girls¡® get¨Ctogether. I shouldn¡¯t butt in.¡® So he nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Zoe nced at Caleb and said, ¡°So your assistant knows Aria, too?¡°. Early on the morning of Independence Day, the Stars Group¡¯s official social media ount posted some preview images of the Quantum Superbrain Project. The images featured a deep blue cosmic backdrop, with countless glowing quantum particles swirling together to form an intricate neuralwork shaped like a brain. Seven researchers in white coats stood amidst the torrent of particles. The bold use of color and the striking visuals made the images incredibly impactful. Johnny even paid to get it onto the trending list. A lot of people were hooked by the artwork and clicked in to check it out. There were three paintings in total, all rted to the Quantum Superbrain Project. Onemented: [The way the light and shadows are done here looks just like Mono¡¯s Neb. The style is almost identical.] Anotherment read: [Mono¡¯s been back in the country for a month now, living at the Fine Art Society. These paintings are recent, so he could very well have painted them himself.] Someone elsemented: [Mono has retired from painting for ages¨Che only gives guidance now, never actually paints, and there¡¯s no way he¡¯d take onmercial work. [The Stars Group must¡¯ve just found someone to imitate his style on purpose.] Öæ Again Marriage 839 Chapter 839 Onemented: [Shameless, trying to ride Mono¡¯s poprity. Hope this project crashes and burns.] 74% Johnny had indeed hoped to use the paintings to stir up some buzz, but he hadn¡¯t expected the art style to give otherpanies an excuse tounch a smear campaign and throw a lot of shade. The Stars Group¡¯s PR department reached out to Aria. A staff member asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, is it okay if we let people know these three paintings are yours?¡± ¡°Yeah, go ahead and make it public. Just put out a statement,¡± Aria replied. The staff replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Soon, the Stars Group¡¯s official social media ount posted: [All three paintings were independently created by our shareholder, Aria. There has been no giarism whatsoever. [The Stars Group has preserved all necessary evidence regarding those who continue to spread false rumors, and we will take legal action following thew.] Seeing the post, oneizenmented: [Isn¡¯t Aria a med student? Since when did she start painting?] The trolls came crawling out again, and now the story changed from the Stars Group copying Mono to Aria being used of copying Mono herself. Someone tagged the Fine Art Society andmented: [There¡¯s a copycat here,e do something about it.] Onemented: [Even daring to leech off Mono¡¯s fame? Aria¡¯s got guts.] Anothermented: [The topments are about to get drowned out. Just because the style is simr, does that mean it¡¯s giarism? Mono has never even painted anything tech¨Crted¨Cit¡¯s just a simr vibe, that¡¯s all.] Onemented: [Not gonna lie, Aria is a total badass. Her painting skills just blew me away.] Someone else chimed in: [As an art student, I¡¯m dying of envy. How did she even pull this off?] Aizenmented: [Y¡¯all can argue all you want. I¡¯m just gonna print these out and study them in peace.] The Stars Group acted fast¨Cthose paid shills¡® ounts got wiped out for good, and thement section was basically filled with nothing but praise. At the Art Department, Tracy saw the trending topic and immediately jumped to her feet. She hurried over to the professor¡¯s office, handed her phone over, and said, ¡°Prof. Moore, check this out.¡± Amy, a woman in her fifties, adjusted her sses as she looked at the paintings. She asked, ¡°Did Mono finally pick up the brush again?¡± Tracy said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not Mono. It¡¯s Ms. Saxon from the Medical Department¨CAria. She¡¯s a shareholder in the Stars Group.¡± ¡°Aria?¡± Amy repeated in surprise. ¡°Yeah, Prof. Moore, but what if¨Cjust hear me out what if Aria is Mono¡¯s disciple?¡± Tracy said. Amy shot to her feet and said, ¡°To the med school, now.¡± 12:41 Fr, 22 Aug Chapter $39 Meanwhile, Aria was getting an earful from Fred. Fred said, ¡°Aria, what¡¯s going on with Adrian¡¯s team all jumping ship to the Stars Group? Did you secretly poach them? Do you even realize how pissed off the school administration is? They¡¯re looking for any excuse toe after you.¡± Aria kept her tone calm, trying to soothe him. She said, ¡°Prof. Gn wasn¡¯t nning to renew his contract with Mandino University anyway. The Stars Group yed fair.¡± Fred retorted, ¡°Fair? Come on, don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed you always hanging around theputer science department.¡± Aria had nothing to say to that. She asked, ¡°So, is the school going to kick me out?¡± Fred replied, ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. Sign on for another three years, and the school will let this go.¡± Aria said, ¡°Maybe you should just go ahead and make a fuss about it. Look at this¨CI¡¯m already losing hair because of this project.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve still got plenty of hair. Losing a bit more won¡¯t hurt,¡± Fred said. Aria shot a nce at Fred¡¯s shiny bald head and said, ¡°Mr. Gardner, I don¡¯t want to end up bald like you.¡± Fred thought, ¡®Forget it. I am not going to talk sense into her.¡® ¡°I¡¯ll take this project seriously¡ªjust as long as things stay chill around here,¡± Aria said. She meant that she didn¡¯t want any trouble at her door. Fred sighed and said, ¡°Alright, just let it go. Other than Adrian, you didn¡¯t recruit anyone else, right?¡± Ar¨ªa smiled and said, ¡°No, that¡¯s all.¡± Her next target wasn¡¯t at Mandino University anymore¨Cit was at Kanit University. Just as Fred was about to leave, he ran into Amy. Amy got straight to the point. She asked, ¡°Ms. Saxon, did you paint the concept art for the Stars Group project?¡± Again Marriage 840 Chapter 840 ¦³¦Ï Aria nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I did.¡°. Amy asked, ¡°Who did you study under?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Mono.¡± Fred was stunned. He turned to look at Aria, his ÃÀʳ 74%•þ eyes wide in disbelief. He thought, ¡®Is it really the Mono I am thinking of?¡® Amy stared at Aria for a good seven or eight seconds, then a slow smile spread across his face. She said, ¡°So it¡¯s really you. I am your senior. She walked over to Aria and extended her hand. She said, ¡°It¡¯s our first time meeting. I didn¡¯t prepare a gift for you this time, but I¡¯ll make it up to you next time.¡± Aria smiled and asked, ¡°Prof. Moore, you don¡¯t doubt me at all?¡± Amy said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to fake something like that. You¡¯re outstanding¨Cit¡¯s no surprise Mono would make an exception for you,¡± Griffin said, exchanging contact info with her. ¡°Mono has a lot of students, and soon, even more people will be reaching out to you. Better get used to it.¡± ¡°Thank you for the heads¨Cup, Prof. Moore,¡± Aria said. ¡°No need to be so formal. Just call me Amy,¡± Amy said with a smile. ¡°Alright, Amy,¡± Aria replied cheerfully. Tracy also introduced herself and exchanged contact information with Aria. After Tracy and Amy left, Fred finally snapped out of his daze. He said to Aria, ¡°So you¡¯re the mysterious student of Mono everyone¡¯s been talking about?¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Bet you didn¡¯t see thating, huh?¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m a bit shocked. Now I¡¯m even more worried you¡¯ll leave us,¡± Fred said. ¡°Rx. I won¡¯t go anywhere until my contract¡¯s up,¡± Aria reassured him. After Fred left, Aria received from Maverick. Maverick asked, ¡°Hey, kiddo, is Mono your senior master?¡± ¡°Yes, he is, ¡°Aria replied. ¡°Set up a time for us to meet him first,¡± Maverick said. ¡°Sure thing,¡± Aria agreed. After hanging up, Maverick let out a long sigh. Fiy said, ¡°Dad, if you want to hand the Todd School over to Aria, we have no objections. Her medical skills really are incredible.¡± After all, it was Aria who saved Maverick¨Cshe was a true benefactor to everyone in the Todd School. 12:41 Fri, 22 Aug C
74% ¡°That girl would probably think it¡¯s too much trouble anyway. Let¡¯s just have Niks inherit it. Get things ready, and tell Culver he¡¯s out,¡± Maverick said. ¡°Yes, Dad,¡± Fiy replied. Maverick pondered, ¡®All the scum in the Todd School has been cleared out¨Cthere is no need to keep Culver anymore.¡® He had already prepared the evidence¨Cit just needed to be handed to the police. Westin told Mono about the trending topic. He said, ¡°Mr. Smith, some people online are using Aria of copying your work.¡± The hatements had already been scrubbed, but Westin showed Mono the screenshots the PR department had saved. Mono frowned and said, ¡°What¡¯s with these people? Even if Madelyn isn¡¯t the author, this has nothing to do with giarism. Help me record a video¨CI want to clear this up.¡± ¡°Give me a moment to get things ready,¡± Westin replied. ¡°What are you waiting for? Just grab your phone and start recording right now,¡± Mono ordered. ¡°On it, Mr. Smith,¡± Westin replied. Two hourster, the hashtags [Mono defends his student] and [Mono persona shattered] went totally viral. In the video, Mono looked dead serious, pointing at three printed paintings and giving his blunt take. Finally, he dered, ¡°No matter how I look at these, I don¡¯t see a single trace of giarism. ¡°And for those saying the styles are simr, this girl has been learning to paint from me since she was ten. If her style wasn¡¯t simr, now that would be weird.¡± At the end of the video, Mono let out a cold snort and said, ¡°Alright, post it now. If anyone dares to spread more rumors, I¡¯ll drag them to court myself.¡± One personmented: [Aria is actually Mono¡¯s student,] Anothermented: [Then why did she go into medicine instead?] Someone elsemented: [Don¡¯t forget, she¡¯s amazing at medicine too¨Cshe¡¯s saved so many people.] Onemented: [I always pictured Mono as this gentle, schrly old man. Never thought he¡¯d be so grumpy.] Someonemented: [Ever since the divorce, Aria¡¯s been winning at life, while the Cole family totally tanked. That¡¯s karma for you.] Meanwhile, at the hospital, Ophelia burst into Daniel¡¯s room, shouting, ¡°Liam, did you hear that? Aria¡¯s been caught giarizing Mono¡¯s paintings. This is our chance to take her down and get the Cole Group back.¡± Liam was scrolling through thements, his fingers trembling as he tried to keep his emotions in check. He thought, ¡®So Aria really is Mono¡¯s student¡® He closed his eyes, turned off his phone, and said tly, ¡°Can¡¯t you see Grandpa¡¯s resting? Get out.¡± 12:42 Fri, 22 Aug ? ???, 74% Ophelia had never been treated so coldly by Liam before. She stood there, stunned. She stammered, ¡°Liam, what did you just say?¡± ¡°I said, get out,¡± Liam replied, his voice icy. Again Marriage 841 Ophelia¡¯s eyes filled with tears. She said, ¡°Liam, are you ming me for what Griffin did to Aria? Aria hasn¡¯t liked you for a long time. She¡¯s with Owen now. You need to let her go.¡± Liam thought bitterly, ¡®Has Aria liked me? No, she never liked me. She just saw me as a partner, nothing more. He turned to Ophelia and asked, ¡°Do you really hate her that much?¡± ¡°She took the Cole Group from us and ruined the Cole family, tore us apart. Of course, I hate her,¡± Ophelia said. ¡°Check the trending topics, then say that to me again,¡± Liam said. Ophelia unlocked her phone and scrolled frantically, her eyes going wide. She muttered, ¡°No way. She¡¯s Mono¡¯s student?¡± Just then, hashtags [National Doctor¡¯s Seal is Fake, Culver Arrested], [Culver is a Spy], and [Aria Named Sessor to the Todd School] hit the trending topics. ording to the post, the National Doctor¡¯s Seal in Culver¡¯s possession turned out to be a fake. On top of that, he was actually a mole sent by Masmubia Ivy Hospital, with the sole purpose of stealing the Todd School¡¯s acupuncture secrets and medical books. The real National Doctor¡¯s Seal was in Aria¡¯s hands, and she had been protecting it and the Todd School¡¯s medical books for years. She was the sessor to the Todd School, but she gave up her right to inherit and returned the National Doctor¡¯s Seal. Ophelia shook her head in disbelief and muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. How could this be true?¡± She thought, ¡®If Aria is really this amazing, why did she keep it hidden and never say a word? If we had known about her true identity earlier, we wouldn¡¯t have treated her so horribly, and we definitely wouldn¡¯t have let her and Liam get divorced. The Cole Group could have be the undisputed leader in Mandino, outshining every otherpany. But all because of Aria, the Cole Group was gone, and our family fell apart. Even Griffin, the only one who ever truly cared about me, ends up being convicted and sent to prison. Ophelia got so worked up that she actually passed out from the shock. The doctor said, ¡°Mr. Cole, your sister is two months pregnant and showing signs of a threatened miscarriage. We rmend she stay in the hospital for observation. Make sure she isn¡¯t exposed to any stress or emotional triggers.¡± Liam was stunned. He thought, ¡®Ophelia is pregnant. But how am I supposed to tell her that Griffin actually likes Hannah, and never has any feelings for her at all? ¡®Grandpa¡¯s health is failing, and the hospital bills have eaten up most of our savings. Mom doesn¡¯t care about anything; just obsessed with gambling and losing money all the time. And now Ophelia has been tricked by a jerk and ends up pregnant. ¡®My family is totally ruined now.¡¯ Liam staggered out of the hospital room, sshed some water on his face, and called Griffin¡¯s family. When Mono found out Aria had taken Maverick as her master, he was fuming for a whole hour. He wasn¡¯t mad that she¡¯d taken on another master-he was mad she hadn¡¯t told him a single thing about it. Chapter Aria managed to coax Mono out of his mood in just three minutes, then set up a meeting right away. Maverick said, I¡¯m her senior master, you know.¡± Mono puffed up his chest and said, ¡°She became my student first. She started learning medicine from me when she was just three or four years old.¡± ¡°But she bowed to me as her master first,¡± Maverick shot back. ¡°She learned medicine from me first,¡± Mono insisted. ¡°I am her senior master,¡± Maverick retorted. Aria rubbed her temples and shouted, ¡°Shut up!¡± Mono and Maverick stopped arguing and turned their heads to look at Aria. Aria sighed and said, ¡°If you two are just going to bicker every time you meet, then forget about next time.¡± Mono lifted his chin and said, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t argue with you.¡± It had been ages since anyone bickered with Maverick like this. He felt oddly refreshed. Heughed and said, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t argue either. Fine, you can have the senior master title.¡± Mono frowned and retorted, ¡°What do you mean? I was always the senior master.¡± Aria interrupted, ¡°Alright, you two, that¡¯s enough. The food¡¯s here.¡± Three monthster, Griffin was released from prison and married Ophelia. Caleb was the one who told Aria about it. It was a shotgun wedding-they only tied the knot because Ophelia was pregnant. Griffin didn¡¯t want to marry her at all-he threw a huge fit¡ªbut his family forced him into it. Ophelia knew she¡¯d been deceived, but somehow, she stayed surprisingly calm. She knew she¡¯d never find anyone better off than Griffin¡¯s family. She thought, ¡®Even if Griffin doesn¡¯t love me, I can still get back to my old life, and my kid would have the right to inherit the Palmer family fortune. What I can¡¯t get from the Cole family, I will earn on my own! The day Ophelia and Griffin got married, Aria and Owen headed to Kanit City. Again Marriage 842 After taking Elsie¡¯s pulse. Aria smiled and said, ¡°Mrs. Reed, you and the baby are both doing great. I¡¯lle back when you¡¯re closer to your due date.¡± Elsie grabbed Aria¡¯s hand and eximed. ¡°Aria, I really can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± Back when she was only a few months pregnant, she¡¯d visited several hospitals, and all of them said she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the baby. But now, more than five months in, the baby was still there. It was all thanks to Aria. Aria wrote out a prescription and was about to leave with Owen. ¡°Let me walk you out,¡± Deangelo said. As he walked them to the door, something urred to him, so he said to Aria, ¡°I¡¯m not taking on any new students this year. Once I finish teaching myst ss, Elsie and I are nning to move to Mandino City.¡± Aria smiled and said, ¡°If you¡¯re thinking about a career change, you should consider joining ourpany.¡± Deangelo chuckled and said, ¡°I heard you even managed to recruit Adrian to the Stars Group.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It would be even livelier if you joined us,¡± Aria said. ¡°You helped my wife let go of something that¡¯s been weighing on her for decades. Since you¡¯ve invited me, I¡¯m definitely joining the Stars Group,¡± Deangelo replied. Elsie¡¯s biggest worry was the baby, while what weighed on Deangelo¡¯s heart was seeing his wife so down all the time. Aria managed to resolve both of their troubles in one go. ¡°Mr. Reed, please don¡¯t feel like you have to join the Stars Group just to repay me. Since I was paid for the treatment, helping Mrs. Reed was simply my job. I hope you¡¯lle because you¡¯re interested,¡± Aria said. Deangelo nodded and said, ¡°Alright, once I¡¯m in Mandino City, I¡¯lle check out the Stars Group.¡± ¡°Sounds good. See youter, Mr. Reed,¡± Aria said. ¡°See you,¡± Deangelo replied. Since they were already in Kanit City, Aria and Owen figured they might as well check out a few of the local sights. Owen gged down someone on the street to help snap a bunch of photos of the two of them. ¡°You two look amazing together. I didn¡¯t even have to worry about the angle-every shot came out perfect,¡± the passerby said. That was the perk of being good-looking-no matter how one shot, the photos always turned out great. Owen took the camera and thanked the person. He said, ¡°These turned out great-thanks so much.¡± ¡°No problem. You two have fun, I¡¯ll get going now. See you around if fate allows,¡± the passerby said. Owen walked over to Aria and handed her the camera. He asked, ¡°Madelyn, want to see our pictures together?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Okay.¡± The two of them pressed their heads together, leaning in close to look at the photos. Chapter #49 ¡°Madelyn, let¡¯s take a selfie, Owen suggested Arta replied. ¡°Okay¡± Owen crouched down slightly to be at the same height as Aria Aria leaned in toward him, shing a smile. The next second, she felt her cheek grow warm as Owen¡¯s gentle lips pressed sofily against it, then quickly pulled away Got it¡¯ Owen said Noticing Aria¡¯s gaze, he turned his head with a yful smile and said, ¡°Of course I can kiss my girlfriend. That¡¯s my right Aria looped her arms around his neck, pulled him closer, and kissed him on the cheek. Owen was stunned for a second, then quickly lifted the camera. He said, ¡°Madelyn, I missed it. One more time, please ¡°Okay,¡± Aria replied and then kissed him again. Looking at the photo, Owen beamed and said, ¡°We¡¯ll have to get all these printed when we get back. He then put the cameral away and asked, ¡°Last stop-anywhere you want to go?¡± Aria thought for a moment, and a ce popped into her mind. She suggested, ¡°How about we take a stroll down the main street at Movie Town?¡± That was the ce where Aria first realized Owen had feelings for her. Owen said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to Movie Town.¡± Movie Town hadn¡¯t changed much since Aria¡¯sst visit-the same old sights, the same old shops. Owen still remembered exactly which spot had the tastiest food. They decided to grab lunch first. After the waitress brought over their food, she quickly pulled out her phone, snapped a few pics, and hopped onto a message board she followed. Ever since a couple went viral here two years ago, the message board had stuck around. Most of the posts were from Movie Town staff sharing photos of ridiculously good-looking people they spotted. The waitress uploaded the photos and posted: [A ridiculously attractive couple just showed up at our ce. Standing next to them, I feel like I don¡¯t deserve to be in the same frame.] It didn¡¯t take long for replies to start rolling in. Onemented: [They¡¯re seriously stunning. In all three pics, the guy¡¯s eyes never leave his girlfriend.] Anothermented: [These two look familiar. I feel like I¡¯ve seen them before.] Ten minutester, someone dug up photos from two years ago. The personmented: [They were here two years ago too. Back then, the guy waited for his girlfriend all day.] Anothermented: [The vibe in these two sets of photos is different. Two years ago, the guy was super reserved, just quietly watching her. Now he¡¯s openly staring at her like he can¡¯t hide it anymore.] Someone elsemented: [Mystery solved-they weren¡¯t even a couple back then. The atmosphere now is so much sweeter.] Onemented: [I am so jealous of the guy having such a gorgeous girl as his girlfriend. I wish I could get close to her too.] After finishing their stroll, Aria and Owen found a ce to sit and rest. As soon as they sat down, Aria¡¯s phone buzzed. Vanessa sent a lot of photos. Aria opened it and saw photos of her and Owen. There were shots of them eating, shopping, and buying things. She felt a jolt of surprise. Then she nced around and spotted several people secretly taking pictures of them. Vanessa texted: [Aria, what¡¯s fun at Movie Town? Hurry up ande find me. The four of us can hit the beach and go surfing together. [There are people everywhere in Movie Town snapping secret pics. Whatever you two do, everyone knows about it. Can you even keep dating like this?] Aria couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit helpless. She knew there¡¯d be people taking photos, but she didn¡¯t expect there to be so many. She replied: [Doesn¡¯t bother me. [You¡¯re on a date with Zac. It¡¯d just be awkward for us to tag along and y third and fourth wheels. You finally got two days. off. Just rx and have fun.] Again Marriage 843 Vanessa replied: (Alright, alright, I¡¯m off to go check out some abs.] Aria chuckled and forwarded the forum Vanessa sent her to Owen. She said, ¡°No need to take any more photos from now on -just download them from here.¡± There were photos from every angle of them two-close-ups, wide shots, you name it. Some of them even had a better vibe than the ones Owen took. If one didn¡¯t know any better, one would think these were behind-the-scenes shots from a movie shoot. Owen sighed and said, ¡°We¡¯ve basically be material for everyone¡¯s posts.¡± As he scrolled through the posts, he suddenly spotted some photos from two years ago and looked surprised. He eximed, ¡°Wait, we got snapped by paparazzi back then, too?¡± Aria said, ¡°Yeah, mostly you. They even gave you a nickname-the Waiting Guy.¡± Owenughed and said, ¡°Honestly, that¡¯s spot on. I was waiting for you that whole time, and in the end, I staged that idental run-in.¡± Aria grinned and said, ¡°You were seriously patient, waiting around for so long.¡± Owen replied, ¡°It didn¡¯t feel that long. Worth it, since I finally got you.¡± It was fine when Owen and Aria didn¡¯t notice, but now that they realized people were secretly snapping photos, neither of them felt like sticking around anymore. ¡°Let¡¯s go walk around somewhere else,¡± Owen suggested. On their way, they came across a film crew filming something. It turned out to be a wedding scene. The groom was looking at the bride with so much love in his eyes, reading out his vows. Owen watched for a moment, and Aria turned to look at him and asked, ¡°Do you want to get married?¡± ¡°You mean, actually have a wedding?¡± Owen asked. Aria nodded and said, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Madelyn, do you want me to be honest or should I lie?¡± Owen asked. ¡°The truth.¡± Aria said. Owen looked at her and said, seriously, ¡°If it was just you and me, I¡¯d want to.¡± Aria paused for a moment before asking, ¡°You mean you want to take wedding photos?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be wedding photos. Any pictures of us together would be great, just so we have something to remember this by,¡± Owen replied. Aria looked at him and called out softly, ¡°Owen.¡± I¡¯m here,¡± Owen said gently. ¡°Let¡¯s go get our marriage certificate,¡± Aria said. Owen¡¯s eyes went wide. He repeated in disbelief, ¡°Get our marriage certificate? Aria nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get our marriage certificate. But if you think it¡¯s too much hassle, we don¡¯t have to.¡± She thought, ¡®After all, I was the one who¡¯d said I didn¡¯t want to get the certificate before! Back when Aria first got together with Owen, she¡¯d worried about all sorts of things, afraid that trouble would find them. But now, she felt all of that seemed so trivial. She thought, I love him, and he loves me-that is all that matters! Owen stiffened for a second, then shook his head hard. He said, ¡°It¡¯s not a hassle at all. Let¡¯s get our marriage certificate-let¡¯s do it today. Let¡¯s head back to Mandino City.¡± Aria let out a softugh and said, ¡°We don¡¯t actually have to go back, you know. These days, you can get it done with just your ID.¡± Owen immediately started changing their tickets. He was barely able to contain his excitement as he grabbed her hand. He said, ¡°No, I want to do it right. I need to get properly dressed up for this.¡± He wanted to pick out the perfect outfit for their big moment. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go back,¡± Aria agreed with a smile. As soon as they got home and dropped off their bags, Owen excitedly headed out to buy clothes. He tried on outfit after outfit, but none of them felt quite right. The shop owner, realizing they were there to pick out something for their marriage certificate, rmended a set of matching shirts. He said, ¡°These are specially designed for couples getting their marriage certificate. You two will be the very first couple to wear these for your certificate.¡± As he finished speaking, he looked over at Aria, waiting for her approval. But Aria turned to Owen and asked, ¡°What do you think? Do you like it?¡± Owen nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, I like it. Let¡¯s go with this one.¡± The shop owner thought, ¡®Usually, it¡¯s the guy asking his girlfriend if she likes it, but with these two, it is the other way around.¡¯ Once they¡¯d paid, Aria and Owen headed home together. From a distance, they spotted Flynt¡¯s car. Owen turned to Madelyn and said, ¡°Madelyn, we¡¯ve pretty much gathered all the evidence we need. Is it okay if we have Flynt leave today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you,¡± Aria replied. The next day, Aria and Owen woke up, freshened up, and changed into the outfits they¡¯d picked out the day before. Aria put on some light makeup, while Owen put her hair up for her. As they stepped outside, they saw Flynt being escorted away by the police. Flynt red at Owen, fists clenched, shooting daggers at him. Owen smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Hartley, looks like you¡¯ll never be able to stay in Huthailia again.¡± Getting kicked out of the country was pretty much a done deal for Flynt. As he was being taken away, Flynt shot a look at Aria, who was beaming with happiness. Aria didn¡¯t spare Flynt a nce. She just grabbed Owen¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go get our marriage certificate.¡± Flynt watched as Aria and Owen walked off in the other direction, their figures growing smaller and smaller in the distance. At the Civil Affairs Bureau, a staff member looked at Owen and said, ¡°Sir, your smile is a bit too dazzling. Could you dial it back a little?¡± Owen said, ¡°Alright. He did his best to press his lips into a straight line. Soon after, the staff member handed them the marriage certificates and said, ¡°Please keep your marriage certificates safe. Congrattions on your wedding, and wishing you both a wonderful life together.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Aria and Owen replied in unison. Once they had their marriage certificates in hand, Owen couldn¡¯t stop looking at them, over and over again. He felt like he was floating on a cloud, his whole body light and airy. ¡°Madelyn, we got our marriage certificate,¡± he said, his voice full of excitement. Aria nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, we did. We¡¯re officially husband and wife now-protected byw.¡± Owen stopped in his tracks, cupped her face in his hands, and gave her a big, heartfelt kiss. He said, ¡°Madelyn, from now on, I¡¯m yourwful husband.¡± Aria stood on her tiptoes, pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, and intertwined her fingers with his. She said, ¡°Mywful husband, let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go back to our home,¡± Owen replied, his voice brimming with happiness. Again Marriage 844 Back at home, Owen and Aria took a selfie with their marriage certificates. ¡°Madelyn, can I post this on my status?¡± Owen asked. Aria ruffled his hair and said. ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t need to ask me about stuff like this. Just do it.¡± Owen leaned in closer and said, ¡°I was worried you might be shy.¡± Aria gave him a yful p on the cheek and teased, ¡°Come on, we¡¯re an old married couple now. What¡¯s there to be shy about?¡± She then handed him her phone and said, ¡°Go ahead and post one for me, too.¡± Owen took both phones and fiddled with the captions over and over, finally going with something straightforward and to the point. He posted: [We got our marriage license.] Aria¡¯s status blew up first. Derekmented: [You two didn¡¯t give us any warning at all? Caleb, help. Owen just snatched Aria away. Let¡¯s gang up and beat him up.] Caleb didn¡¯t reply to Derek, justmented: [Congrats on tying the knot.] Lilymented: [Congrats, Aria and Owen. Save me some wedding candy.] Pearlmented: [Aria, you look gorgeous. Congrats on your marriage.] Cathymented: [Hey, you two are way too sudden. I call dibs on being your bridesmaid at the wedding.] Vanessa saw the post and immediately DMed Aria. She texted: [Girl, didn¡¯t you swear off marriage? Did Owen force you? I¡¯ll beat him up for you.] Owen replied [No way Owen would ever force me. I¡¯m doing this because I want to.] Vanessa texted: [Hand the phone back to Aria.] Owen handed the phone back to Aria and said, ¡°Vanessa¡¯s looking for you.¡± Aria saw the chat and burst outughing. She said to Owen, ¡°You should probably go reply to thements on your own post.¡± Aria and Owen had a ton of mutual friends, but everyone flocked toment under Aria¡¯s post, totally ignoring Owen¡¯s. Only his coworkers were sending him congrattions. Owen figured that was fair. After all, he was the one who had snatched Aria away. Seeing Cathy¡¯sment, Aria turned to Owen. She gently lifted his chin and suggested, ¡°How about we have a destination wedding after the project wraps up? Just the two of us, no one else.¡± She thought, ¡®If it is taking wedding photos with him, I am more than happy to do it. Owen paused for a second, then leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. He said, ¡°Madelyn, we don¡¯t have to take wedding photos if you don¡¯t want to, but a honeymoon is non-negotiable.¡± He didn¡¯t want Aria to change her mind just because of him. Aria reached out and gently patted his head, chuckling. She said, ¡°A day or two for some wedding photos isn¡¯t a big deal. It¡¯ll be a nice memory for us. Anyway, we¡¯ve still got a year and a half.¡± As soon as she heard Aria and Owen had gotten their marriage license, Emma immediately called Owen. She eximed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you two weren¡¯t getting married? And you didn¡¯t even give me a heads-up about the license. I didn¡¯t get to prepare anything¡± ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t need to prepare anything. Owen replied. ¡°I¡¯ll have the wedding gifts delivered first thing tomorrow morning. By the way, have you two picked a date for the wedding yet? Seriously, don¡¯t worry about a thing-I¡¯ll handle it all, Emma said. Owen exined their n for a destination wedding. Then he said, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t get too excited. Madelyn prefers things low-key.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Emma replied. They¡¯d gotten their marriage license on thest day of their vacation. The next day, they both had to go back to work. Owen dropped Aria off at school and handed her a bag before he left. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Aria asked. Owen grinned and replied, ¡°Wedding candy. I tried a bunch of different kinds-they¡¯re all delicious. They¡¯re already wrapped up, so you can just hand them out.¡± Aria was surprised. She asked, ¡°You stayed up all night doing this?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Owen said with a nod. He thought wrapping the wedding candy himself was the only way to show he cared. The bag had some weight to it. Aria wondered how many candies Owen had wrapped. But the candy never even made it to the office. Somehow, Aria¡¯s students found out about her wedding and rushed over to congratte her. Aria ended up handing out the candy right then and there. Luckily, Owen had packed plenty, so she still had enough left to give to Martin and Sophie. When Aria got home from work, she found the doorway piled high with gifts. They were all wedding presents from their friends and family. One of the gifts had a note attached. It read [Heard you got married. Wishing you and Owen a lifetime of happiness.] Aria immediately knew it was from Liam. Thinking of him, her heart remained as calm as still water, just like before. It was just another experience in her life, and she didn¡¯t dwell on it at all. It just gave her a bit of a bad vibe. Without a second thought, she tossed the gift into the trash. After the project waspleted, Aria and Owen were discussing which ce to visit first when they received a call from Cloe. ¡°Aria, I¡¯m pregnant with baby number two, Cloe announced. Aria eximed, ¡°What?¡± Cloe sounded a bit sheepish on the other end as she said, ¡°Yeah, it just sort of happened. Kim and I are nning to get our marriage license and have a destination wedding, just like you guys-no big ceremony or anything? Cloc had started to waver a long time ago, but she never let it show. She just wanted to see how long Kim would keep trying It had been almost five years since Kim first found out about Julia. His attitude had never changed. The second pregnancy was another ident. When Cloe found out she was pregnant, she considered ending it, but Julia asked, ¡°Mom, are you not having a little brother or sister because of me?¡± Cloe wanted to say no, but Julia was already a big kid now-smart and perceptive enough to see right through Cloe ¡°Mom, it¡¯s okay if you have the baby. That way, I¡¯ll have a sibling.¡± Julia said. When Kim proposed, Cloe finally decided to keep the baby. She felt incredibly lucky to have a daughter who loved her and friends who supported her unconditionally. ¡°Aria, where are you guys nning to start your trip? Want to go together?¡± Cloe asked. Owen leaned in closer to the phone and said, ¡°Cloe, let¡¯s not go together.¡± ¡°Alright, I get it. I wouldn¡¯t want to mess with your newlywed world,¡± Cloe replied with augh. In the end, Aria and Owen set off first. They started by taking some pre-wedding and couple photos at home before heading overseas. The whole trip was about enjoying themselves-it was easy and rxing, not tiring at all. For their final stop, they went to Fraibia. Tessa sent Aria a long string of wedding blessings, then tacked on at the end: [You¡¯re in Fraibia, right? Interested in taking on a mission?] Aria replied: [So that¡¯s why you waited two months after my wedding to send your blessings-turns out it was all for the mission.] Tessa texted: [I just got back from a mission. The blessings are the main thing-the mission is just a bonus.] Aria replied: [Fraibia¡¯s huge. There¡¯s no way we will run into each other.] Again Marriage 845 Tessa thought, ¡®Yeah, we probably won¡¯t cross paths, but I can always have someone steer the targets toward where Aria is Aria turned off her phone and focused on having fun, snapping photos along the way. She and Owen hit up all the famous spots and even dressed in local clothes. They were having fun right up until thest day, when Tessa sent over a file. She texted: [This guy¡¯s a hitman. If you run into him, see if you can nab him.] Not long after she got the message, Aria spotted the guy from the photo at their hotel. She knew that Tessa was pulling the strings behind this. She thought, ¡®At least she waited until ourst day-guess that¡¯s her way of being considerate. She then shared the info with Owen. They shared a nce and decided to take the target down before they left. They set the time for that night. Tessa shared the target¡¯s location with them. Aria and Owen headed out. ¡°Madelyn, let¡¯s do this together and wrap it up quickly,¡± Owen said. Once the real fight started, Aria finally realized why Tessa had steered the target their way. She wasn¡¯t sure she could take him down by herself. It still took Aria and Owen five minutes to bring the target in. Tessa texted: [Didn¡¯t expect Mr. Shaw to be this badass. No wonder you ended up with him.] Aria replied: [Just make sure my pay hits my ount.] Tessa replied: [No problem.] When Aria and Owen got off the ne, they saw international news about Flynt being sentenced. Owen¡¯s mood got even better at the news. He said, ¡°Madelyn, isn¡¯t the weather just perfect today?¡± Aria nced outside at the swirling snowkes and replied, ¡°Seriously? Are you messing with me right now?¡± A cold breeze blew in, and Owen adjusted her crooked scarf, pressing his lips together in a gentle smile. He said, ¡°I¡¯m just so happy, I didn¡¯t even notice it was snowing.¡± Aria gave him a helpless look and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just head home.¡± Owen was always on his best behavior in public-at most, he¡¯d sneak a quick kiss. After holding back for two months, he kept on holding back. Since they¡¯d just gotten back from overseas, they needed to adjust to the time difference and get some rest. The two of them slept straight through until noon. The snow on the balcony was already about a finger deep. Aria stepped outside, her feet sinking into the soft snow with a muffled sound that was surprisingly soothing. She tilted her head back and held out her right hand to catch the falling snowkes. turned to toss it at him. Owen didn¡¯t dodge. The snow hit his chest, fell to the ground, and slowly melted into water. Aria arched her eyebrow in triumph. Owen let out a softugh, stepped onto the balcony, and quickly scooped up a handful of snow to toss back at her. Aria was caught off guard, getting a face full of snow. Just as she was about to get up, his gentle lips found hers. A bit of snow melted on their lips as they kissed. When thest bit of snow had melted away between them, Owen finally let go. He then asked, ¡°Madelyn, want to build a snowman?¡± ¡°How about this-you make one of me, and I¡¯ll make one of you?¡± Aria suggested. ¡°Sure,¡± said Owen. They jumped right into action. Aria molded the body and head of her snowman, but soon realized there wasn¡¯t enough snow. She tossed a little snowball at Owen¡¯s feet and said, ¡°Go bring some over from my balcony.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, honey,¡± Owen replied with a grin. No sooner had he finished speaking, they exchanged a look, and for couple of seconds, the air went still. Owen cleared his throat, his cars turning a little red. He asked. ¡®Did I say it wrong?¡± Aria smirked and said, ¡°Nope, that¡¯s right. Now get moving Owen got up and left the balcony, leaving Aria sitting there by herself, her smile growing wider and wider. She muttered, Idiot.¡± Aria flicked the snowman¡¯s head, and a big chunk of its forehead caved in. She nced around, then pinched off some snow from the snowman Owen had made and fixed the dent. She thought, ¡®Since it is supposed to be me, I have every right to do whatever I want with it. Once she started messing with it, she just kept going. The two snowmen were right next to each other, close enough for her to grab with just a reach. When Owen came back with more snow, he found the snowman he had made was a total mess, while Aria¡¯s was already starting to look pretty good. He crouched down and said helplessly, ¡°Madelyn, that¡¯s supposed to be you, you know. Who goes around wrecking their own body like that?¡± Aria didn¡¯t even look the least bit guilty. She said, ¡°You can mess with mine too, as long as you¡¯re not afraid I¡¯ll smack you.¡± ¡°Are you gonna domestically abuse me now?¡± Owen teased, pretending to be hurt. ¡°Please, you know you can¡¯t take me anyway,¡± Aria shot back. Owen leaned his head on her shoulder and said, ¡°Yeah, my wife¡¯s way too strong for me.¡± Aria poked his head away with her finger and said. ¡°Your clothes are soaked from the snow. They¡¯re a bit wet. Come on, hurry up with your snowman-I¡¯m almost finished over here.¡± Owenughed and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Owen was quick, and his snowman turned out better than Aria¡¯s. The more Aria looked at her snowman, the less satisfied she felt. She asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just fix it yourself?¡± Owen replied, ¡°Please, I¡¯m already ridiculously handsome-no need for any adjustments. How about we snap a pic and post it on status? Let¡¯s let everyone know we¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Aria. Owen set up the camera and adjusted the timer. They stood behind the snowmen, copying their poses. Owen used Aria¡¯s phone to post on her status. He posted the picture and texted: [Building snowmen together.] This time, Wilson was the first toment. Hemented: [Aria, the one you made looks awesome. That guy Owen¡¯s is just so-so.] Aria raised an eyebrow and typed back: [Which one looks the best?] Wilson replied: [Of course the one that looks like you.] Aria was speechless. Owen texted: [Hey, the one my wife made of me is the best-looking.] Wilson took a couple of minutes to reply: [I meant the snowman Aria made is the best-looking one.] Owen texted: [So you¡¯re saying the one I made of her isn¡¯t good-looking?] Calebmented: [They¡¯re both awesome.) Cathy chimed in: [Caleb¡¯s right. Come on, they¡¯re so good it¡¯s off the charts. Wilson, you seriously have no taste.] Frustrated and unable to exin himself, Wilson quickly DMed Owen, sending a long rant ofints. Owen ignored him and went to snuggle with Aria. He asked, ¡°It¡¯s cold out. Want to go rest some more?¡± There¡¯s floor heating. It¡¯s not cold,¡± Aria replied. Owen gave her hand a little tug and said, ¡°I¡¯m still sleepy. Will you keep mepany for a nap?¡± Aria replied, ¡°Alright.¡± The next second, Owen scooped her up and carried her straight to the bedroom. Aria gave his hand a gentle pat and said, ¡°Shower first.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s shower together,¡± Owen replied, a yful glint in his eyes. The End. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!