Chapter 153

153
Owen had just settled into his office when his phone rang .
He turned off the audio recording on the surveillance 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 – it 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 his computer . “ Pretty busy .”
There was a brief pause before Allen chuckled , his tone teasing . “ Don’t think I don’t know – you’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 his comment 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 explained 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 dollars 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 – case 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 blaming Aria . But after reviewing the surveillance footage , her son discovered the truth – it was Elena who had thrown coffee at Aria first . Startled , Aria accidentally deflected it , causing Elena to spill it on someone else .
Liam explained , “ Mom , if you hadn’t thrown that coffee , none of this would’ve happened . It was an accident , 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 .
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11:02 Wed , 4 Jun M
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Oddly enough , Liam had sent people to investigate the assassin who had come 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 ? ”
Glancing 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 explained the side effects of Aria’s treatment to the other ladies , 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 .
Becoming 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 . One lady 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 – my daughter – in – law is the professor you’re talking about . ]
The group chat fell silent .
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