Chapter 478
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 ! ” Orlando protested .
Russell looked at Orlando and said quietly , “ White Fox once helped Sara . Helping him now would have made her happy . ”
Orlando fell silent , his jaw tightening in reluctant acceptance .
“ 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 . ”
“ How come 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 .
Orlando’s eyes widened . “ Wait … Can Pearl’s face be healed ? ”
“ Yeah , ” Aria sneered , her eyes flashing 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 .
Orlando said sincerely , “ Thank you , Aria .”
He truly meant it . ‘ We had failed Sara before , ‘ Orlando 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 , Orlando seethed with hatred and grief . He choked out , “ Russell … I’m sorry. ”
Orlando 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 flashing 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 . Minutes later , 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 last met . I missed you so much !
1/2
478
Aria thought , “ Wait , didn’t we just meel ? ”
Aria glanced at the camera and played 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 regular hosts , Tina and Jonathan Morgan , a witty variety show star .
The guest appearance originally slated for Lorelai was replaced by rising star Luther Shaw , with an additional last – minute 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 related to Owen ? ‘ she wondered .
Calista caught Aria’s gaze , a flicker of distaste flashing across her eyes before she plastered on a saccharine 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 saccharine smile . “ How flattering . ”
Calista’s smile froze for a moment . ‘ Was I even complimenting her ? ‘ she thought , baffled . ‘ Why would she feel flattered ? ”
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