Listening to Hailey and Etchen's unfiltered words beside her, Serena could not help but frown angrily. "Mom, how can you do this? Liam came this time out of concern for us. We've already made him take the blame for us once. How can you even think about doing this to him again?"Hailey's eyes widened in anger as she pointed a chubby finger at Serena, scolding her harshly. "What do you mean, 'how can we do this'? Now you feel sorry for him? Do you remember how I felt when Liam hit me? That useless fool caused our family so many problems. What's wrong with making him pay a little as compensation?"Serena stammered, trying to explain. "But… From what happened today, you can see that he didn't do those things on purpose!"Hailey's voice was shrill and angry. "Not on purpose? If it wasn't on purpose and he still brought such disaster to our family, what would have happened if it was intentional?" She glared at Serena and added, "Speaking of this, I can't believe you're still defending L
Serena tried to find a solution."Mom! What about this? I won't step down as CEO of the Lloyd Group just yet. Instead, we can appoint Etchen as the vice president. Once he gets familiar with the company's development direction, I'll give him the CEO position. After all, even though I know Etchen has made significant progress, he still lacks experience managing the company!"Hailey's eyes widened in anger as she exclaimed, "What do you mean, lacks experience? I believe Etchen is more than capable. Just look at how he handled things this time. He's surpassed you by leaps and bounds! Trust me. With Etchen at the helm, Lloyd Group's future is bright!"Etchen's eyes sparkled with excitement as he overheard the conversation. "I think I can do it too! Even if there's something I don't know, I can learn it!"Etchen had always dreamed of making a name for himself. Despite receiving significant help from Hailey, his own limitations led to repeated failures in his ventures. However, he neve
Serena gently nodded. "Alright."Hailey's face flashed with a false sense of concern. "Ah, Serena, there's no need to be so disheartened. Didn't I tell you? It's only because of the current special circumstances that you're temporarily not allowed to be the president of the Lloyd Group.Hailey smiled warmly. "When the situation improves, you can resume your leadership. Besides, even though Etchen is the president, you're still part of the family. If there are any issues, you can still get involved." "I understand."Serena forced herself to show a bitter smile. She was never someone who craved power. The Lloyd Group was at a crucial stage of development, and suddenly replacing her as CEO felt like her efforts were being snatched away, even though it was by her family.Moreover, Serena was genuinely concerned about Etchen's capabilities. Regardless of her thoughts, Etchen, on the other hand, was extremely excited. His eyes sparkled, and he barely felt the pain in his leg. Becoming
That was the day he had promised to complete the task for Dante."The Warchester family…"As he pondered over what the old man had told him, Liam squinted slightly. The task handed to him was simple.Go to the Warchester family and retrieve an item.Liam knew a bit about the Warchester family. Known as the 'King of Hestian Shipping', the Warchester family controlled more than half of Hestia's shipping business. Having dealt with many storms over the years, they had accumulated substantial wealth and influence, making them an undeniable giant. Even the Hill family could not compare to the Warchester family's status.While Liam was in prison, he had no idea about the Warchester family's significance. It was only after his release that he learned about their stature. It made him even more curious about Dante. After all, when Dante mentioned the Warchester family, his casual attitude was as if he was talking about an insignificant ant."It's about time."Liam checked the time and
"May I go in now?" Liam stepped forward, preparing to enter the first mansion of the Emperor-One Estate. However, just as he reached the entrance, he was abruptly stopped.A bodyguard, frowning at Liam with disdain, demanded, "What do you think you're doing? Who told you to come here?"Liam was taken aback. "Didn't you say I could go in?"The bodyguard's eyes widened as he snapped, "When did I ever say that? I said you could leave! Mister Warchester isn't here today. You should leave right now!"Liam frowned. "Mister Warchester isn't here? If Mister Warchester isn't here, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why make me wait at the gate for so long?"The bodyguard sneered, shaking his head dismissively. "It was your choice to wait. What does that have to do with me? Even if you waited, so what? Do you think you can come to the Warchester family estate just because you want to?"Liam squinted. "So, you're saying I can't enter the Warchester Residence today? What if I insist on going i
The man in athletic attire had a thin waist and a broad back. His temples were pronounced, and his muscles bulged against his tracksuit, exuding immense power. His hands, holding a teacup, were covered with calluses, and his sharp eyes gleamed with a fierce light. He was clearly a martial artist of extraordinary skill. Sharing a table and drinks with the head of the Warchester family further indicated his esteemed status.The man in athletic attire pointed to a nearby surveillance monitor and looked at Joshua. "Mister Warchester, did you summon me back from the capital just for today?"The monitor showed the fight outside the Warchester family mansion, where Liam's figure was clearly visible.Joshua nodded after glancing at the monitor. "Indeed. All I need is for you to spend the day here chatting and drinking tea with me, Master Specter. I'll pay you thirty million dollars for your trouble. Of course, if any minor issues arise, I hope you can also handle them for me."The man Jo
Despite the fear in Joshua's eyes quickly disappearing, Andrew still noticed it. He could not help but be curious about the kind of person who could still instill such fear in the renowned Hestian ship magnate even after their death. However, the curiosity quickly passed as it did not hold much significance for him."Just a young boy," Andrew muttered, shaking his head after glancing at the surveillance footage again."Master Specter, try this freshly brewed Pearl Oolong Tea," Joshua said, noticing the confidence in Andrew's demeanor.It allowed him to relax a bit, and he poured another cup of tea for Andrew with a smile.Although Joshua had heard that Dante was seriously injured and on the brink of death, the fear that Dante instilled in them was irreplaceable. They always believed that Dante could not be defeated so easily.However, Joshua finally felt relieved to see that the person coming to demand things was an unknown young man and not one of Dante's followers.Joshua sho
"Master Specter..."Joshua looked at Andrew. "Mister Warchester, there's no need to worry."Andrew smiled faintly and stood up. "Let's go out and have a look. I've developed a bit of interest in this lad."With that, he stepped towards the door.The commotion at the entrance had also caught the attention of the other guards and personnel within the manor. They curiously hurried toward the entrance.Who could be so bold as to cause trouble at the Warchester household's front door?Just as Liam kicked another guard against the Warchester family's gate, the large brass doors slowly creaked open. A large group of people emerged from inside, their eyes narrowing as they took in the scene of the scattered guards. They surrounded Liam instantly.Despite the situation, Liam remained calm, casually saying, "I thought such a big manor might be empty. Seems like I didn't knock the right way at first."He glanced around at the crowd and said, "Which of you is Joshua? Return what you took
"I…"Hearing this, Charles was momentarily stunned.But in the end, he shook his head and said, "Mister Nosh, if Union Finance truly can't approve a loan for the Hensworth Group, then so be it."We'll figure out another way…"Charles's voice was low and heavy. At first, he genuinely believed Godfrey wanted to be with Valerie. But now it was clear Godfrey had no such intentions—he only wanted to toy with Valerie. How could Charles possibly agree to this?At the same time, his heart was filled with regret. He had almost become the one to push his daughter into a pit of fire!"You'll figure out another way?"Godfrey's expression darkened. He glared at Charles coldly and sneered. "Ten billion in loans, just to have Valerie play with me for a while! I really didn't know that any wh*re on the market could be this expensive!""If you don't agree, I'd like to see which other financial institution in Qyn Province would dare lend to you without Union Finance's approval!"The entire orde
"What’s wrong with you?"Hearing this, Godfrey furrowed his brows and said in a dissatisfied tone, "How long has it been? How could you not handle such a simple matter?""You still want that loan from the Hensworth Group approved, don’t you?"He immediately reprimanded Charles."Whether or not I’m with you is my business, it has nothing to do with my father!"Upon hearing this, Valerie immediately understood the implication behind Godfrey's words. Although she had just been angry with Charles, she could not allow Godfrey to speak to her father like that."Then what exactly are you thinking now?"Hearing Valerie's words, Godfrey turned his head, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable light as he looked at her. "The other day, I asked you to go out for drinks. Why didn’t you go?"The reason Godfrey had come in and started pressuring Charles was that he sensed that Valerie seemed uninterested in him.However, he had not expected Valerie to suddenly speak up at this moment."I did
"Dad, Liam really does have the ability to help our Hensworth Group…"However, hearing Liam’s words, a hint of urgency flashed across Valerie’s face. She quickly spoke, as though she wanted to persuade him of something.Even though, up until now, Valerie did not know the full extent of Liam’s influence, after the last class reunion, she was very certain—Liam helping the Hensworth Group would definitely not be a problem!"Valerie! You and Liam, both of you get out of here!"Before Valerie could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Charles. His face darkened as he pointed toward the nearby door and barked harshly."Come back when you’ve thought things through!"The Hensworth Group was already on the brink of a crisis. Yet Valerie was still stirring up trouble. Right now, Charles did not even want to see her!"Dad…"Seeing this, Valerie opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say more.And just then—Bang!A loud noise rang out. The villa door of Valerie’s home was violently k
"I…"Hearing Charles’s words, Sebastian froze. His once-straight back slowly hunched over.Charles was not wrong.If the Lloyd Group were dealing with some minor trouble, maybe he could help. But if the crisis was so severe that marrying off Valerie was the only solution, there was nothing Sebastian could do.After all, he had stepped away from the Lloyd Group’s management and handed it over to Charles many years ago.Sebastian had long since lost much of his influence.Now, he was just an old man who spent his days watering flowers and pulling weeds.At that moment, a wave of frustration washed over him.As for the truth behind Charles’s words, he did not ask much. Sebastian knew his son well. If the situation were not dire, Charles wouldn’t be saying such things.Just then, Liam’s voice rang out, slow and steady."How serious could the Lloyd Group’s crisis be for you to be in such a rush to marry off Valerie?"He narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing his gaze on Charles."Yo
The young man standing before them, tall and handsome, could he really be the person described in those rumors?"Dad! Mom! You just don’t understand!"Valerie's delicate face was filled with urgency as she looked at the scene before her. "Liam really isn’t like the rumors say.""I honestly think that being with him is an honor for our Hensworth family. Please, you have to trust me!" she pleaded desperately."Grandpa just had a chat with Liam earlier. Why don’t you ask him? Doesn’t he also think Liam is great? He’s truly amazing. Everything I know about him barely scratches the surface!"As she spoke, Valerie turned her gaze to Sebastian, seeking his support.What she wanted to convey to Charles and Janell was not just about seeking their approval for her to be with Liam.At this point, Valerie only wanted to clear Liam’s name!"Sigh..."Hearing her words, Sebastian let out a deep sigh.He raised his head to look at Charles, his tone softening slightly. "It really hasn’t been
Hearing Valerie's voice, Liam could not help but turn his head, looking at Valerie with surprise in his eyes. Although he knew that her current actions were merely an excuse to avoid marrying that Mister Nosh, her performance truly startled him. If it were not for the prior agreement between him and Valerie, he would have almost believed what she was saying was true. Valerie's acting skills were indeed exceptional.As for the Hensworth family's prejudices, Liam did not care. He was well aware that, thanks to the propaganda from the Lloyd family, his reputation in South City was hardly good. However, none of this could affect him. A dragon soaring high in the sky would never be concerned about the buzzing of flies. But it seemed that the rumors from the Lloyd family were causing some trouble for Valerie. Liam had actually thought about this initially. However, when he first agreed to meet Valerie's parents, he genuinely believed that he just needed to show up and everything w
He immediately turned his head to look at Sebastian and said, "At your age, you usually have the best perspective. What happened this time? Why do you trust someone you just met so much?"That's because you didn't see the performance of this kid just now!"Sebastian was very dissatisfied with Charles's words. He patted his waist and said, "If it weren't for this kid just now, I wouldn't be able to stand up until now! He wants to teach me a set of boxing techniques that can heal my old man's back injury. Can you do that?""This…"Hearing Sebastian's words, Charles was taken aback. He really did not know that so much had happened just now. Charles was not a foolish person stuck in his ways. Seeing Sebastian's attitude, he could still determine that the young man in front of him had some ability.However, even so, Charles's thoughts did not change."What's your name?" Charles turned his head to look at Liam and asked. This was the first time he had inquired about Liam's name since e
"It's probably because Valerie didn't want to expose our relationship too much before."Liam shook his head.In fact, he felt helpless too. After all, just ten minutes ago, he had agreed to Valerie's request to pretend to be her boyfriend.Charles might have heard about him somewhere before. At most, it was probably back when they were in school, listening to Valerie talk about herself.Upon hearing Liam's answer, Charles's expression grew even darker.He looked at Valerie with dissatisfaction, then turned back to Liam, straightforwardly asking, "What do you do for a living, and what does your family do?""Charles, how can you talk like that!"Seeing this scene unfold before him, Sebastian's voice rang out first before Liam could respond."This young man is quite capable; he just helped me with my waist injury. After all, he is Valerie's boyfriend, so you should speak more politely!"He shot an unhappy glance at Charles."I…"Hearing this, Charles was taken aback, and a look
Sebastian no longer harbored much doubt about Liam's words. Looking at the scene before her, Valerie's face was filled with astonishment. She had never imagined it.Aside from being knowledgeable in medicine, Liam also knew martial arts! This revelation sparked intense curiosity in Valerie's heart. Hadn't he been in prison for a few years? How did he come out not only with such an extraordinary background but also with skills in both medicine and martial arts?The key point was that Valerie knew her grandfather, Sebastian, very well. Although he appeared kind and gentle, he actually had high standards! She had never seen anyone, except Liam, who could make Sebastian so satisfied upon their first meeting.Unfortunately… Liam was not actually her real boyfriend. Valerie lowered her head slightly, her eyes dimming a bit.However, at the moment, no one seemed too focused on Valerie. Sebastian eagerly began asking Liam about martial arts. Just as Liam was positioning himself to teac