For a long time, Etchen's carefree, indulgent habits had made Serena less fond of him, often criticizing him. When Hailey suggested that Serena invest in some of Etchen's ideas, Serena refused, fearing he might develop worse habits. From Etchen's perspective, Serena used her position as CEO of the Lloyd Group to deliberately suppress him, which had long been a source of resentment. Since he had become the CEO of the Lloyd Group, he certainly would not tolerate such treatment any longer.Etchen scoffed at Serena with disdain. "Following your conservative plan, it would take forever for the Lloyd Group to achieve any breakthroughs!"Serena became even more anxious. Having led the Lloyd Group for years, she knew the severe consequences of a sudden change in development strategy.Serena quickly turned to Ronald, seeking his support. "Dad, you've reviewed that plan, haven't you? You know it's the most suitable for the Lloyd Group..."Ronald waved his hand. "I've seen the plan, and it
As Serena spoke, her expression was extremely serious. "The pharmaceutical project team will visit the Lloyd Group in three days to discuss related cooperations. I’ve almost completed the preliminary work, so only the follow-up coordination remains. This is an opportunity we must seize. The name of the company is—"Before Serena could finish naming the other company, Etchen abruptly interrupted her."Do we need you to tell us what to do?"Etchen glanced at Serena with a face full of disdain, waving his hand dismissively."But..." Serena wanted to say more, but Ronald waved his hand, stopping her. He shook his head and frowned."That's enough. We all know about the pharmaceutical project cooperation.""I…"Serena froze, a trace of disappointment flashing across her delicate face.Her family standing right in front of her felt incredibly unfamiliar. The changes had been so drastic in just one day.Serena forced a bitter smile. However, as long as they could secure the projec
Not long after, Layla and Serena arrived at a karaoke bar named 'Harmony Hub' in the heart of South City. As one of the top karaoke bars in the area, Harmony Hub was incredibly luxurious and, of course, not cheap. Only the wealthy frequented that place, with the minimum spend for a private room exceeding a thousand and five hundred dollars.Following closely behind Layla, Serena watched her skillfully book a private room, which made Serena frown."Layla, do you come to these places often?" Serena asked, her tone clearly disapproving. The Lloyd family had been busy lately, and Serena feared that Layla could pick up bad habits without proper supervision.Layla turned around and smiled at Serena. "No! We had our last class reunion here, so I got familiar with the place. You'll see, the sound quality in the private rooms is excellent!"As she spoke, a sly glint flashed in Layla's bright eyes. She had a surprise planned for Serena.Serena sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."She
The two sisters in the private room were free from the outside world's hustle and bustle, and they became more indulgent.Serena took a few breaths after singing a few songs, but she could not help but sigh softly. She could not remember the last time she had sung so freely and relaxed.Layla's idea of bringing Serena to the karaoke bar was indeed a good choice!Seeing Serena put down the microphone, Layla hurriedly exclaimed, "Serena, don't stop. I have a surprise prepared for you!"Serena paused, "Surprise? What surprise did you prepare?""A surprise can't be revealed just like that!" Layla squinted and smiled. She glanced at her phone and whispered to herself, "Judging by the time, it should be about right—"Not long after Layla finished speaking, the door of the private room was pushed open.Liam's tall and slender figure appeared at the entrance."Huh?"He looked at the two people in the private room, who were panting and flushed from singing, and was momentarily stunned.
The moment Serena saw the man in the white suit step into the private room, she frowned. "What's your problem?""Indeed, it's the famous and beautiful CEO, Serena! I almost thought I was seeing things!"The man in the white suit did not respond to Serena's question. As he looked closer at her, his eyes widened with excitement."I can't believe I ran into you here! I heard the Lloyd Group has been going through some changes lately. What's wrong? Feeling down? Did you come to the karaoke bar to sing and relax? Just the two of you singing here… Where's the fun in that? Let me join you, and we can have some fun together!"With that, the man in the white suit wobbled his way to Serena.Serena spat, "We don't know you! Please leave. You're not welcome here!"Since the man stepped into their room, the strong smell of alcohol had enveloped the space, making her feel slightly nauseous."It's okay if you don't know me. We'll get to know each other slowly!"The man in the white suit had n
The staff member collapsed to the ground, letting out a series of painful groans. He had already done his best.After all, the man in the white suit was someone the Harmony Hub could not afford to offend."Truly reckless!"The man in the white suit glanced coldly at the fallen Harmony Hub staff member, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he looked at Liam. "And you, you b*stard, do you know who I am? I am Qazi Fowler from the Fowler Society. Who gave you the guts to speak to me like that!""The Fowler Society?"Serena was stunned upon hearing the man in the white suit. Others might not know about the Fowler Society, but Serena knew the name very well. As one of the top three underground organizations in South City, the Fowler Society's influence was vast, covering various industries. Even some Lloyd Group projects could not start without the Fowler Society's approval. The only son of the Fowler Society's president was named Qazi. It was no wonder even Harmony Hub dared
Serena smiled bitterly and asked, "Mister Fowler, is there no other way? Whatever compensation you want, we can discuss it!"Qazi snorted coldly. "Compensation? Do I look like someone who needs money? I just want to be friends with you, Miss Lloyd. It’s not my fault this useless fool sought his own death by provoking me!"Serena let out a sigh. She never considered seeking help from the Lloyd family. She knew that if they found out she wanted their help to save Liam, they would not agree. Moreover, even if she sought their help, it would be useless. The Lloyd Group was insignificant compared to the Fowler Society.Serena also understood that the matter would not be resolved peacefully if she could not give Qazi an explanation.As if sensing Serena's thoughts, a cold smile flashed across Qazi's face. "I'll give you three more minutes to think. After three minutes, don't blame me for being rude!"He ordered his bodyguard behind him. "Close the door!"Hearing Qazi's command, the
"A fly? He's the young master of the Fowler Society! You're acting too impulsively!" Serena was extremely anxious, but there was no time to explain further. She hurriedly urged Liam, "Go! Leave quickly while there's still time, Liam!"Despite her dissatisfaction with Liam's reckless actions, Serena understood that he did it for their sake. The only option was for Liam to leave and see if he could avoid trouble.Qazi's voice suddenly rang out. "Leave? Do you think you can escape? You dared to hit me. You're dead!"He clutched his bleeding head, his face twisted in anger as he pointed at Liam and shouted, "Just wait, you worthless nobody who dares to lay hands on me. I'll skin you alive!"While speaking, Qazi started to take out his phone.Liam shook his head, his face calm, showing no intention of leaving. "Why should I leave?" As he spoke, Liam took a step towards Qazi.Qazi was frightened. A trace of fear flashed across his face, and he repeatedly waved his hands, his body i
"What's the relationship between Bluebird and Serena?"Upon hearing Sophia's words, Liam froze for a moment, a look of confusion flashing across his eyes."I…"At the mention, Sophia froze even more abruptly.Right now, she could confirm that the current situation didn't seem to have anything to do with Serena.But the next moment, Sophia looked ahead, at the desolate scene, her body shuddered, and she suddenly snapped back to reality."Liam, listen to me, let's leave quickly!"She raised her head to look at Liam, her voice slightly tense as she spoke, "I know now how capable you are, but listen to me, we'd better leave first!"They're from the Fowler Society, and the forces behind them are far from simple. We really can't afford to mess with them. When I called the police back then, no one cared!"Sophia's face showed panic. "You've hurt so many of them, the Fowler Society won't just let this go!""I…"Upon hearing this, Liam paused.And at that moment..."Grandmaster Bur
A graceful figure suddenly appeared before him.Then, in the next instant, a piercing cold gleam suddenly erupted!Clang!The steel rod in Mister Leonidas's hand dropped to the ground with a crisp sound.He froze for a moment, looking down in confusion.Then, Mister Leonidas saw his own bare arm!In the next moment, he let out a horrific, agonizing scream!It was not just him.Ahh—!Behind him, all the men who had been holding rods and preparing to chase after Liam and Sophia trembled, letting out wails of unbearable pain!Because just at that moment, the palms holding their rods had been sliced off by a single slash!Bluebird stood nearby, holding a dagger, her expression indifferent, her eyes devoid of any emotion.It was a rare honor for Mister Leonidas and his men to provoke a martial arts Ascendant into action!"Quick... run..."Sophia's words were frozen in midair.She stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what she was seeing, her face filled with shock.Sophia had
"What do you think you are!"Hearing Liam's voice, the man known as Mister Leonidas turned his head, his eyes flashing with a cold gleam as he looked at Liam. "Do you think you have a say here?""Liam…"A trace of anxiety flashed across Sophia's face. She tugged at Liam's sleeve, signaling for him to stay quiet.When she saw Mister Leonidas and the others appear earlier, Sophia had been worried that Liam, being impulsive, might do something reckless!After all, young people sometimes can't control their tempers, and that's normal.She recalled how, when Mister Leonidas and his gang first demanded protection money, she had absolutely refused to pay!In the end, this had led to the current tragic situation.Sophia did not want Liam to be dragged into all this trouble."No wonder you dared to come back," Mister Leonidas sneered as he looked at the scene before him. "So you brought some backup!""But…" He looked Liam up and down, then mockingly spoke, "This so-called backup of yo
"This is the place…"Standing at the entrance of the shop, Sophia's expression darkened."Who gave them the guts..."Looking at the devastated butcher shop ahead, a flash of anger suddenly flickered in Liam's eyes!It was clear.For her butcher shop, Sophia had put in a lot of effort. Not only was the decoration quite delicate, but even the walls had a cartoonish image of Sophia smiling broadly!Just looking at the shop's decor, one could tell how happy and excited Sophia was during the preparation stage.But all of it had already been shattered to pieces before it even began!"Let's just leave after we're done…"Sophia's voice sounded heavy.She had turned her head, not wanting to see the heartbreaking scene inside the butcher shop."Aunt Sophia, don't be sad. I'll pay to help you redo the shop…"Noticing Sophia's sadness, Liam turned around and gave a small smile, trying to comfort her.However, just then, a harsh voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Liam's words."Did
"Fowler Society?"Upon hearing Sophia's words, Liam was momentarily stunned."That's right."Sophia sighed deeply, looked up, and weakly glanced at Liam. "Child, you probably haven't heard of this organization.""We ordinary people are like this. Before this, I didn't even know there was a Fowler Society in our South City…"A bitter smile flashed across her face. "But after finding out, I realized the Fowler Society is actually the biggest underground force in South City!"We ordinary people are no match for them. If I had known this, I would've just paid the management fee to them. What would it have cost me…"Sophia was full of regret.Under the intense pressure of the so-called Fowler Society members, she dared not feel any anger. She only regretted paying the management fee, as that would have prevented the current situation!However, the more Liam listened to Sophia, the more he furrowed his brows."They actually dare to do such things?"His face darkened as he pulled o
"No, no! What could be wrong with me!"Hearing this, Sophia shook her head.Despite saying this, her tall and strong frame, which usually radiated enthusiasm, now seemed exhausted to the point where she barely had the strength to speak. How could she possibly be fine?"Aunt Sophia, you've always told me we're like family."Liam shook his head and blocked Sophia's path as she tried to leave. "If you don't tell me, it means you don't consider me one of your own!""I…"Upon hearing this, a bitter smile flashed across Sophia's face. She sighed heavily before speaking.Sophia's meat-selling business had always been quite successful. But despite her seemingly carefree personality, Sophia harbored a dream of her own. She did not want to continue running a meat stall. She wanted to open a butcher shop!And she had worked hard all this time to make that dream come true.Finally, after saving enough money, Sophia was able to pursue her dream. She spent money and secured a shop nearby.
At first, Serena had imagined countless reactions that Liam might have upon receiving the Lokki Mercy record.Whether it was surprise, happiness, shock, or even sadness.In her mind, Liam would surely be deeply moved.However, Serena never expected that upon seeing the Lokki Mercy record, Liam would remain so calm, with no reaction at all.It was as if, to Liam, the Lokki Mercy record was something trivial, something that no longer mattered.This left Serena feeling an immense sadness.Her sadness did not stem from Liam no longer liking Lokki Mercy.What truly made Serena sad was that the Liam before her now felt like a complete stranger.She suddenly felt that Liam was no longer the familiar Liam she once knew!And the distance between them had grown further and further apart!Although Serena knew very well that once they divorced, there was no longer any connection between them, she was clear-headed and rational about this fact. But when everything unfolded before her eyes,
Upon hearing Liam's words, Serena's body trembled. She quickly snapped out of her daze. "Wait a moment, I'll get it for you..."With that, she hurriedly turned and rushed into the room, holding a box, and quickly ran back out."Here!"Serena handed the box to Liam.At that moment, Serena did not even realize that a faint trace of anticipation showed on her face."A record of Lokki Mercy?"Liam paused for a moment as he looked at the contents of the box."Yes! Didn't you used to love Lokki Mercy's opera?" Serena nodded. "This is the last performance record of Lokki Mercy's Peking opera, A Dream in the Garden. It's a rare, limited-edition record, and there might only be this one left in existence.""I had planned to give you this record a long time ago, but I kept forgetting..."She stared intently at Liam.It seemed like she was waiting for something.Liam had always been fond of traditional music rather than popular tunes, and he especially loved Peking opera, with Lokki Mer
"Voices?"Hearing this, the male clerk was momentarily stunned. He replied in confusion, "What voices? I didn't hear anything.""Well, maybe I just misheard it?" The female clerk furrowed her brow.When the truck crashed, they had not fully understood what had happened before they felt a massive impact. In panic, they hid behind the bar and did not come out for a long time. At one point, both of them, so terrified that they had lost all courage, did not even dare to lift their heads to look outside.The male clerk kept his hands on his head, huddled in the corner.The female clerk, on the other hand, was somewhat calmer and collected.It was for this reason that when she crouched behind the bar, she always felt as though there were voices coming from the front.However, since the male clerk did not hear anything, it was likely just a hallucination caused by her extreme nervousness."Forget it. Let's just do what the boss said and call the police."With that, the female clerk s