Even without knowing about the presence of the Hill family's top brass, the three members of the Lloyd family were utterly dumbfounded.The scene before them completely exceeded their expectations. It especially affected Ronald. He even felt like he had not fully woken up yet!Sam was even more dumbfounded.The Hill family was a force to be reckoned with. As the leading family in the Qyn Province, they wielded immense power and influence, commanding respect throughout the region. The Lloyd family had always depended on the Hill family. However, they saw Liam being welcomed by the Hill family in such a grand manner. What on earth was going on?While others might not know Liam’s background, the Lloyd family certainly did. He was a nobody! Liam was also a recently released convict. How could he possibly deserve such treatment from the Hill family?"This is simply impossible…" Felix muttered, his eyes glazed over and his voice hoarse. The scene before him was completely differen
For Liam, the commotion at the door a moment ago was entirely unexpected. He was even less aware that three members of the Lloyd family were furiously looking for him.The Everluster Pavilion's soundproofing was excellent, and the entrance was some distance away, so the guests who had already entered did not notice the disturbance outside.When Liam stepped into the Everluster Pavilion, only a few people noticed him.Liam was quite content with that. He casually found a spot to stand and began to observe his surroundings.He had to admit that the Hill family’s choice of the Everluster Pavilion as the venue for their annual gathering was undoubtedly appropriate.The decor was grand and majestic. With carved beams, jade pillars, red lacquered columns, and intricate engravings, every detail exuded luxury.Most guests attending the Hill family’s annual gathering were in the spacious hall. They were dressed in splendid attire, holding wine glasses, making toasts and chatting with burs
"Where?"Ronald and his two companions immediately looked in the direction Tobias was pointing.Tobias pointed to the dining area of the hall.Typically, few guests would go to the dining area before the gathering started, so the Lloyd family members had not paid much attention to that spot earlier.Upon further inspection, they could vaguely see a figure sitting in the corner of the dining area, head down, busily eating the exquisite food on the table.Tobias looked at Liam with a hint of disdain. "I can't really see what he's wearing, but I think the only person who would do something like this at the Hill family's annual gathering must be that ex-convict!"Ronald confirmed the figure's identity and instantly became furious. "It's him!" Does he even deserve to sit here and eat?"Without another word, Ronald stormed toward Liam.At that moment, Liam was eating heartily and had no idea someone was coming toward him. He had not paid attention to anything else at the gathering, b
"If you cause trouble, it's the Lloyd family who will suffer! Get out of here immediately! Don't make me say it a second time!""What nonsense are you spouting?!" Liam shouted, a surge of anger rushing through him.What did they mean by saying they were blind to let their daughter marry him? What did they mean by the Lloyd family bringing him in?Liam had just been released from prison, and the Lloyd family despised him as a convict, forcing Serena to divorce him.He was then invited to attend the Hill family's annual gathering and happened to run into the Lloyd family members, who thought he would drag them down.Liam could no longer endure it. He lifted his head, his eyes blazing with anger."Who do you think you are?""How dare you speak to us like that?" Upon hearing this, Sam's face flashed with a cold expression. Tobias interrupted in a mocking tone, "I've heard Serena mention you. I didn't realize your tone was so grand! How could a useless person like you dare to speak
As the scene unfolded, a sudden shock gripped Ronald's heart, flooding him with a thick sense of panic. Lucy headed to none other than where Liam was located."Miss Hill, please don't worry. There seems to be a misunderstanding here. This man snuck into the annual gathering himself. Although he has some connection with the Lloyd family in the past, it has long been severed. We just wanted to kindly help you get rid of him quickly..."Ronald quickened his pace, hastily following Lucy, intending to explain.Lucy's furious and hurried stride toward Liam confirmed that she had recognized him as not being an invited guest at the annual gathering.Lucy must have been familiar with all the guests invited by the Hill family, but a man in cheap attire was sitting in the dining area, indulging himself continuously. How could Lucy not be angry?It was not just Ronald. Tobias hurriedly followed suit."Miss Hill, please listen to me..."He tried to sound casual, as if he had something to say
"There's no need for that."Liam hastily waved his hand upon hearing Lucy's words. He did not want to make a big fuss about it."Alright then."Lucy nodded with disappointment. Though Liam felt it was not a big deal, she still felt like she had slighted Grandmaster Burrey.Lucy lifted her head and asked, "Grandmaster Burrey, do you want anything else to eat? The chef can make anything you'd like. You don't need to worry about the annual gathering. We can postpone it anytime. You must eat well!"Liam glanced at the leftovers on the table, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "I've already eaten. You don't have to go through so much trouble."Lucy smiled faintly. "Then, we can start the annual gathering."The reason why the Hill family's annual gathering had not started yet was because of Liam! She turned to Liam and said, "Let's go."Liam was puzzled, not understanding Lucy's intention. "Where to?"Lucy laughed. "To the front to sit at the main stage and attend the annual gathering,
Tobias looked at Ronald seriously. "Let's first listen carefully to what the Hill family talks about at the annual gathering. These gatherings have always been straightforward, without much formality. The first topic they discuss is usually the most important, concerning future development..."Tobias knew it was the Lloyd family's first time attending the Hill family annual gathering, so he introduced it to them. Tobias had initially wanted to take the opportunity to show off in front of the Lloyd family, especially since the Corona family was mentioned at the beginning of the last Hill family annual gathering. Consequently, over the past five years, the Corona family received numerous cooperation projects from the Hill family. Since the Hill family had inexplicably supported and taken care of the Lloyd family all along, Tobias felt it was highly likely that the Lloyd family would be mentioned at the latest annual gathering! After all, the extent of care given to the Lloyd famil
"Of course! They even allocated a billion dollars for it annually. That's quite a hefty investment!""Did something happen?"All the guests were astonished. They had not anticipated that the first item on the agenda at the annual gathering would be the establishment of a charity foundation by the Hill family!The guests could not comprehend it. Why was that matter being given such significance at the annual gathering? Nevertheless, despite their confusion, they enthusiastically raised their hands once they regained their composure."Having someone so esteemed by the Hill family! Though we may not have had the honor of meeting him, Miss Hill, since you've spoken so passionately about it, we'll surely lend our support. Ocean Heavy Industries will donate ten million dollars to this charitable foundation!""Haha! Doing good deeds is always commendable. The Sun Group will contribute twenty million dollars!""A billion dollars! Miss Hill, your family is truly generous. Fortune Pharma
"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
This scene left Valerie astonished!Back at the class reunion, she had already been quite shocked by the hints of Liam's extraordinary background. But now, she was discovering that Liam even knew medicine?"It's just a little knowledge," Liam said with a faint smile in response to Valerie's remark."Kid, what you said just now matches my situation perfectly." At that moment, Sebastian's voice rang out as he looked straight at Liam. "Your medical skills seem far from just ‘a little' knowledge!""It's just a bit of understanding," Liam replied humbly, shaking his head."I don't care what you really understand!" Sebastian continued. "Since you're Valerie's boyfriend, that makes us family!"Waving his hand, Sebastian said, "I won't be polite with you. Since you noticed my back pain, you must have some understanding of it! Do you perhaps have any way to relieve this old back pain of mine?"He sighed deeply. "For years now, this back pain has really been the bane of my existence!""T
In the villa's yard, an elderly man with a lean frame and vibrant spirit was holding a shovel, tending to the plants and flowers in the garden. Hearing a sound from outside, he lifted his head and, upon seeing Valerie, instantly revealed a warm smile."Valerie, you're back?" he said, stretching his back as he stood up. "I've already talked to your parents! If you don't want to get married, you don't have to. Our Hensworth family hasn't fallen to the point where we need to rely on selling off our granddaughter to advance!""No need to be too upset with your parents," he added, looking at her with a fond smile."Grandpa!" Valerie replied playfully upon hearing his words.The elderly man, tending to the garden, was Sebastian Hensworth, Valerie's grandfather, and the one who initially established the foundation of the Hensworth family."Oh? So our Valerie wasn't lying after all!"At that moment, Sebastian finally noticed Liam standing behind Valerie. He froze for a moment, then his s