It was autumn. It had been drizzling continuously. Raindrops fell on the uneven ground, forming puddles.There was silence at the South City, Third Prison entrance. It seemed like it had been quiet for some time. Soon, the sound of the prison gate opening shattered the silence.A man with a tall figure, an elegant demeanor and sharp eyebrows stepped out of the prison gate. He crushed the puddles beneath his feet as he walked forward slowly. "It's been four years..." he murmured. The man stood at the prison gate, feeling uneasy as he looked up at the sky. A fleeting sense of nostalgia crossed his sharply defined face.It had been four years since he took the blame for his wife's, Serena Lloyd's, family. He had been imprisoned, cut off from the outside world. While recalling his time in prison, he smirked with mixed emotions. He had never imagined having such unbelievable experiences while being imprisoned.His hand subconsciously reached for his waist. On it was a needle case
"Here's what you wanted," Liam said as he handed over the documents to Serena after signing them.He only signed the divorce agreement. Liam did not even glance at all the property transfer documents!Grace reached out and took the documents."Wait!" Just then, Serena sighed softly, reaching into the stack of papers and pulling out one. "This is the transfer agreement of the cafe where we first met." She handed it to Liam. "You may decline everything else to spare your dignity, but please accept this cafe. Consider it our final memory together."You've just been released from prison, and your future won't be easy. This cafe can ensure your livelihood for a lifetime. Consider this my final request."Upon hearing this, Liam shook his head with a smile. He did not say much. He just casually accepted the transfer agreement for the cafe. It was obvious he did not take it seriously from the way he let the agreement get soaked in the rain."Miss Lloyd, shall we go?" Grace, seeing th
When Serena brought the news of her divorce from Liam back home, the Lloyd family erupted in jubilation! To an outsider, it would seem as though the Lloyd family had hit the jackpot.Hailey Allen, Liam's former mother-in-law, was ecstatic and could hardly contain her joy. "Oh, this is wonderful! Finally, the marriage is over!""Yes, it wouldn't even take that long if it weren't for Serena insisting on waiting until Liam was released from prison.""If Serena hadn't divorced that ex-convict, he would have continued to burden our Lloyd family! This time, Serena finally made the right choice!"Sam Lloyd, Serena's uncle, and other relatives like Charice Lloyd were present, all filled with excitement and chatter.It was hard to imagine that four years ago, when Liam was imprisoned, it was the same crowded room, but everyone looked sad and grateful, as if Liam were their savior!In just four short years, everything had changed. Whether it was ironic or resigned was unclear."Serena,
Meanwhile, Liam stood by the floor-to-ceiling window at the Havenwood Hotel in South City, gazing blankly at the bustling traffic below. Even now, he had not fully recovered from the emotions of his divorce. Who would have thought a loving relationship would end that way? Just moments ago, his former mother-in-law had even contacted him, asking for his address, saying she wanted to see him.Four years in prison and not a single visit from anyone in the Lloyd family. What meaning did it hold now for them to visit to see him?Liam let out a soft sigh. Then, he turned to look at the crumpled coffee shop transfer agreement lying on the table. "A lifetime of worry-free living?" he mused, recalling what Serena said with a sarcastic smile. He reached out and tore the agreement to shreds.At that moment, Liam's phone suddenly rang. Although arrangements had been made for him before his release, only a few people had his phone number.Frowning slightly, Liam answered the call. There
Just like when he had decided to lend a hand back then.What moved him was not the payment Lucy promised but simply Julian's long-standing kindness!"Mister Burrey! I'm truly grateful! I've only heard that you were previously in the Third Prison. Where exactly are you now? Please tell us, and we'll come to pick you up right away!" Lucy cried tears of joy.After informing Lucy of the hotel where he was staying, Liam hung up the phone.Shortly after, Liam lowered his head, reaching for the needle pouch woven from the golden thread at his waist. With a flick of his fingers, he opened the pouch.In an instant, the entire room seemed to brighten up! Different sized exquisite golden needles appeared before Liam.The golden needles were slender and intricately engraved with mysterious patterns. Each needle was a masterpiece, invaluable!There were 108 such golden needles in the pouch!When the 108 golden needles were put together, the mysterious patterns converged to form the words
As the Lloyd Group continued to expand under Serena's leadership, the status of the Lloyd family members soared. Etchen, who had always been useless and aimless, took advantage of the Lloyd family's influence to gather a group of useless friends and roam around. Ordinary people would be afraid to provoke them."You lazy kid, stop fooling around! You're not a kid anymore. Why don't you do something meaningful?" Hailey pretended to scold Etchen but could not help but smile."I do want to do something! It's just that my sister won't let me run a company. Don't worry, Mom, once I take over the cafe, I'll make something of myself!" Etchen shrugged.Soon, the two arrived at the door of Liam's room, according to the room number."He is even living in the presidential suite!" Seeing the room where Liam lived, the two widened their eyes in disbelief, feeling angry.Not long after Liam hung up the phone, there was a sudden banging on the door."So soon?" Liam frowned. He thought it was Luc
However, what Liam said flew over Etchen's head."You don't care about the property? Liam, are you joking with me? You, a former convict, wouldn't qualify to stay in a five-star hotel without my sister's money! How dare a waste like you be so self-righteous?" he sneered. Hailey interrupted Etchen with a wave of her hand. "Etchen, you don't need to waste your breath on him! We all know what kind of person this former convict is. After all, he spent four years in prison. Let's be magnanimous and not bother with these trivial matters."She sat on the sofa, adopting a condescending posture. "Liam, spend your other petty cash as you wish, but I heard that your condition for divorcing Serena is taking over a cafe?""Taking over a cafe?" Liam furrowed his brow. Back then, the cafe was something Serena begged him to keep, and he had no intention of accepting it.How could Hailey twist the truth so easily?"Isn't that right? Let me tell you, Liam, everyone knows their own worth. We would
As the Lloyd Group's business grew larger in recent years, the Lloyd family's tastes for finer things also soared. That was especially true for Hailey, who had seen many good things in her life. However, she could guarantee that she had never seen anything as exquisitely crafted as the object in the bag. Such a masterpiece must be invaluable."Mom! What are you talking about?" Etchen was stunned. Following her gaze, he also noticed the Harvest Union needle pouch placed on the table. He froze, a hint of anger flashing across his face, accompanied by a deep sense of greed. He could not acquire the cafe, but he could get something else."Aren't you two done yet?" Liam looked coldly at the two in front of her."What do you mean if we are done!" Hailey's face darkened as she pointed coldly at the Harvest Union needle pouch. "That bag of golden needles is worth much more than the cafe! So you have been hiding it! If I hadn't gone behind Serena's back and come here, we wouldn't even know
"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