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Chapter 95. bChapter /bb95 /b

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–to–ceiling 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 barder/b.

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 sharpenedb, /band 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. bOnly /bba /bhandful ofizens bothered to start threads discussing it

Then, bAria /bbsaw /bament: Trashy guy and scheming girl–what a perfect pair.]

The profile picture was a dark, gothic–style 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? bSure/b, sounds fancy. She probably had a kid by now!

Netizen D. (bOr /bmaybe 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–rumors 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, voiceb, /bband /bbackground. Wherever she went, chaos followed, and her poprity rivaled that of top–tier celebrities.

Yet, her voice was undeniably unique. When she released ba /bsong advocating bfor /bwomen, 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 bfans /bbwere /bexasperated.

Her thats” bana celebratedb. /b

At this point, Vanessa had single–handedly stolen the spotlight. The Saxon family drama? Forgotten. Everyone was too busy talking about bher/b.

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,

Alphab: /b[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 sunssesb, /ba strappy mini dress, and kneeb–/bhigh 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 bhalf /ban 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 bAria’s /bshoulder like an affectionate puppy, letting out a dramatic sigh. “Girls back home really do have ba /bdifferent vibel”

Aria chuckled. “Weren’t you nning to stay abroad for two years?”