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.