Chapter 174
“Ms. Sason, you…
Owen sensed something was off and followed her gare down,
The phone screen was completely 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 clattering to the floor.
The screen landed face–up.
Now the scandalous image was displayed 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 composure, 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 place. She slammed 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 a lawyer, so Aria must’ve come 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
1/3
10:45 Thu, 6 Jun GM
Chapter 174
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 minutes later, 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 occasionally. 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–time 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–two members logged into the platform 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 success, if you dare spread rumors again, il personally rip your mouth apart!”
All twenty–two, with official Kerano Global Health Researcher badges, instantly debunked the account of “Hannah’s Sweetheart‘ as an imposter.
“So damn cool!” one group member exclaimed.
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?
