'So, who exactly is he?'Just as everyone was speculating, the little boy who pushed Jovie suddenly shouted from within the crowd, "I know who those people are. It's that liar Jovie and her dad!"This little boy was doted on like a little prince since he was born. When he saw Jovie, whom he mocked before, arriving at school in a car bearing the Biskeland battle flag and escorted by so many armed soldiers, a surge of jealousy and resentment welled up inside him. As wealthy as his family was, he never rode in such a grand car with so many soldiers escorting him.'Why does that liar Jovie get to arrive at school in that car?'Jovie herself said her father was just a bodyguard. The boy could not stand the thought that the daughter of a mere bodyguard could have such a grand entourage when he never experienced anything like it. His jealousy made his face flush red.As soon as the boy shouted, everyone's eyes turned to him and his parents, and at the same time, everyone learned Liam's i
The parents present, upon hearing that these people were hired by Liam, immediately sneered and scoffed mockingly. Some even righteously joined Mr. Reynolds in criticizing Liam."Mr. Reynolds is right. As a parent, how can you teach your child to lie like this?""Exactly! How can it be acceptable to teach your child to lie? No wonder my child came home yesterday saying there was a kid at school who loved to lie. Turns out it's because you taught your kid to lie!""Yes, my child said the same thing. I thought it was just kids having a squabble. I didn't expect it to be true. How can you teach your daughter this way?""With a dad like you, no wonder Jovie likes to lie. Jovie must be expelled. I don't want my child to be around bad influences like her!""I agree! Expulsion is necessary. Such people don't deserve to stay at Guiding Star School!""Expel Jovie!"...Immediately, all the parents present shouted madly.Lara stood behind Mr. Reynolds, looking at Liam and Jovie in a daz
Mr. Reynolds's sneer deepened as he openly scrutinized Liam from head to toe before continuing, "For an ordinary family like yours, getting your child into our school must have taken quite some effort. If you had money, why didn't you show it earlier? You should know that parents start enrolling their children in our school as soon as they're four years old, yet you only send your daughter here when she's six years old. If you had the means, why didn't you enroll her sooner?"This statement immediately made the other parents understand the situation, and their eyes were filled with disdain as they looked at Liam.At that moment, the father of the boy who pushed Jovie also stepped forward with the boy in tow. He looked at Liam with contempt and mocked, "Not to criticize, but as a parent, how can you lie in front of your child? I saw you picking up your kid on a scooter worth a few hundred dollars yesterday, so how is it possible for you to come in a military vehicle today?"As a fell
"When was it changed?!" Liam demanded.Mr. Reynolds, growing increasingly impatient with Liam's persistence, snapped, "Just recently. I said your daughter doesn't qualify, and that's final. She's no longer a student here and has no right to stay. Leave immediately, or I'll call security."Seeing that Liam showed no intention of leaving, Mr. Reynolds angrily walked up to push them out. However, before he could get close, one of the armed soldiers stepped forward, pulled back the bolt of his gun, and pointed the black muzzle directly at Mr. Reynolds.Mr. Reynolds's heart pounded wildly with fear, but he quickly regained his composure and shouted angrily, "What do you think you're doing?! Do you think I don't know those are just toy guns? I warn you, this is a school, not a film set. Leave immediately, or else!"Liam's face darkened as he stared coldly at Mr. Reynolds. He then said in a chilling tone, "I'll give you one last chance to revoke my daughter's expulsion before I lose my pa
The intense sound of gunfire, like deafening thunder, instantly swept over the entire school. This sudden development frightened all the parents and children present, leaving many of them pale-faced. Some of them even burst into tears.Mr. Reynolds,being closest to Liam,felt the heat emanating from the gun muzzles in front of him. His face turned ashen, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The deafening gunfire rang in Mr. Reynolds's ears, and the realization hit him like a ton of bricks—they were real soldiers with real guns.Trembling violently, Mr. Reynolds's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud."Y-you- you- real guns?!" Mr. Reynolds stammered incoherently, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. The realization that just moments ago, he stared down the barrel of a real gun caused his bladder to lose control, and an immediately orange-yellow liquid puddled beneath him.The two parents who mocked Liam earlier were also trembling on the ground, their face
Jovie pouted slightly in response to Liam's question. There was still a hint of grievance in her eyes. She looked toward the trembling parents and the children who were scared to tears in the crowd."Dad, they all called me a liar yesterday. They even sang 'Liar, Liar, pants on fire' around me. And they also called you a stupid coward!"Then, in a very serious tone, Jovie continued, "I didn't lie! You're not a stupid coward, Dad! You're my superhero, aren't you, Dad?"Liam felt all warm and fuzzy inside to see Jovie defending him so earnestly. He smiled dotingly, pinched Jovie's little nose, and said, "Yes, I'm your superhero!"After that, Liam raised his head and looked at the parents who acted arrogantly moments before. The gentleness on his face quickly dissipated, replaced by coldness."Did you all hear that? Those who insulted my daughter yesterday better step forward and apologize. Otherwise, I'll be forced to take some drastic action. An apology isn't going to cut it then!"
Mr. Reynolds cleared his throat to compose himself before announcing to the entire auditorium, "Everyone, I have some great news to share with you. The city's richest man, Mr. Kolten Reath, has graced our school with his presence. Let's all welcome Mr. Reath together!"With that, Mr. Reynolds led the applause, and the parents all stood up excitedly and clapped enthusiastically!No one expected Kolten to come to the school. It truly added prestige to the event that the top school in Drunham City managed to get him to attend the parent-teacher meeting.The parents all assumed that Kolten was invited by the school, and was secretly counting themselves lucky to have attended the meeting. Otherwise, they might have missed the opportunity to meet Kolten.At that moment, Kolten arrived at the entrance of the auditorium, causing quite a stir. Except for Liam, everyone turned to look at Kolten as he entered the room.Kolten, accustomed to such scenes, smiled and nodded at everyone. He quic
Mr. Reynolds secretly observed Liam. He took a glance at Kolten and then back at Liam again. His eyes turned cold when he saw he was still seated.Mr. Reynolds harbored a deep grudge against Liam. As the dean of Guiding Star School, and with the principal being his relative, he was never humiliated like this before. Not only did Liam make him kneel and apologize, but he even wetted himself in front of many prominent figures in Drunham City.Even though they did not know Liam's exact identity, they were genuinely intimidated by the five hundred soldiers and their guns. Mr. Reynolds' feelings toward Liam were primarily of hatred.He watched Liam with schadenfreude, thinking, 'Liam, you humiliated me earlier. Now that Mr. Reath is here, let's see how you're going to handle his wrath for not standing up to greet him.'With that in mind, Mr. Reynolds decided to "kindly" advise Liam. "Mr. Cole, don't you see? Mr. Reath has arrived. You should stand up and greet him. Mr. Reath is the rich
The entire meeting room was in absolute chaos. The remaining three Elders were equally vexed, and they all scowled, cracking their knuckles in fury."These people are getting out of hand! How can they possibly frame Liam's poor wife for such an atrocious crime?""We must get to the bottom of this! We must find out who's behind this! He or she cannot go unpunished!"Timothy nodded in agreement and roared at his cowering assistant, "Go find out what truly happened! Find out which filthy scum ordered Celena's arrest and what could possibly delude them into thinking she is a spy against our country!"His assistant squeaked a reply, then sped out of the room as fast as his legs could take him. He did not stop until he reached the front door of the Grand Pendragon Department, where he stood, panting and trying to catch his breath. His expression was wild with fear. He had never seen the Four Elders so furious before. Clearly, whatever had happened to Celena was something very serious ind
Keyon could see right through Prince Faber's apprehension. He replied with a smile, "Prince Faber, why are you so scared of that Liam fellow? Have you somehow forgotten that you are the commander-in-chief now? You have hundreds of thousands of soldiers at your beck and call. Why does it matter what Liam thinks? He has been deposed and is no longer in power! Besides, you have the Yeager family backing you, and there is nothing he can do to harm you!"You don't have to worry about a thing; the Yeagers have this all taken care of. We are just doing this to lure Liam out of hiding. If he dares to touch so much as a hair on your head, he'll be falling right into your trap."Prince Faber furrowed his brows at this. He could not help but question the validity of Keyon's claims. Keyon, sensing this, added, "Prince Faber, you must remember that stripped of his powers, Liam Cole, is now nothing more than an ordinary civilian! If he dares to harm you, he will be sentenced to death for treason a
What would Liam do if he found out Prince Faber had captured his wife? Surely he would not hesitate to turn the entire city upside down to look for her?Prince Faber was more than familiar with Liam's fierce loyalty and could not help but begin to worry at the prospect of having to face his wrath. He stared at Keyon's leering face and asked with belated realization, "Mr. Yeager, you ordered me to capture all those people from the Drunham City Connoisseurs, but the truth is, your sole target has always been Liam's wife. Is that right?"Keyon nodded, smiling. "That's right. We could care less about those businessmen. All we wanted was to get our hands on Celena Stone!"I must admit I was very surprised when I found out that Celena Stone is the wife of the great King Pendragon. Not only that, but I made an even more shocking discovery—it turns out that Liam is none other than the lone survivor of the Cole family, the noble clan who were allegedly wiped out seven years ago!"The ment
After a few moments' hesitation, he finally decided to shoot his shot. "Mr. Yeager, there is something I don't understand. Why did the Yeagers order these businessmen's capture? I've looked into their backgrounds, and they are all honest businessmen who have not broken the law before. If the media catches wind of this, they will surely accuse me of abusing my power…"This was what Prince Faber had been worried about. He had already investigated the people whom the Yeagers ordered to be captured and did not understand why the Yeagers wanted them imprisoned. They were all civilians who had not committed any crime, and he dared not even imagine the consequences if the public found out he had ordered the incarceration of innocent citizens.Keyon understood immediately Prince Faber's concern. He smiled and replied in a reassuring tone, "Worry not, Prince Faber. We Yeagers have taken care of everything. We have made absolutely sure to cover up all your tracks, and no one will know you were
Meanwhile, Celena and the group were taken out of the hotel and shoved forcefully into a couple of jeeps waiting at the entrance. They were whisked away to a nearby military base. Before they could even get their bearings straight, they found themselves being tossed into holding cells. Celena, on the other hand, was taken separately to a small, dark room, illuminated only by the barest sliver of light that peeped in through a tiny window. The room was entirely empty, save for a metal bed frame. A sour stench hung in the air, and it was clear this room had been abandoned for a very long time. A soldier shoved Celena roughly into the room, and before she could realize what was happening, the soldier slammed the door shut.The soldier had pushed Celena so hard that she fell onto the ground, but upon seeing that her captor was about to leave, she leaped to her feet and sprinted over to the door. "Sir, can you tell me what I did wrong? Can you please have mercy on me? Can you at least
Tristan seemed just as baffled as they were. He returned their puzzled gazes with an equally perplexed one of his own. "I… I have no idea…"The general glanced sharply in their direction, then gestured to his soldiers and declared sternly, "Take them away!"His soldiers obliged and stepped forward to restrain the members of the Drunham City Connoisseurs, who all shrieked in alarm, "Why are you taking us away?""General, what did we do wrong? We didn't do anything illegal, so why are you arresting us?""Mr. Xander, save us! They've got this all wrong!""What's going on here? Why are they arresting only us?"Celena's entire body was shaking like a leaf. She eyed the soldiers around her and asked, stammering, "General, what did we do wrong? Why are we being captured? Where are you taking us?"Tristan, stricken with panic, shoved a soldier aside and shouted at the general, "General, I'm the president of the Drunham City Connoisseurs, and I want to know why we're being taken away. Wh
Celena was utterly terrified by the sudden turn of events. She stared pale-faced at the soldiers around her, not daring to move even a muscle. What was going on?All of a sudden, a man in a uniform stepped into the room. The badge on his shoulder indicated to everyone that he was a general. The heavy thumping of his boots echoed through the silent room with every step he took. All eyes were on him as he stepped onto the stage.He carried himself with great authority, and clearly, this man was not one to be messed with. He scanned the room as if searching for someone. Finally, he announced in a deep, resounding voice, "Do not fear, ladies and gentlemen. We are here on a routine check after receiving a tip-off regarding your conference. We will release you all once we have carried out our investigation, and the process will be quicker and smoother if you all cooperate. "Now, I would kindly request you get your documentation ready so that my men may confirm your identity."Everyone
Derek nodded earnestly and replied, "Of course it's true. My sources have never failed me. I wouldn't have trusted you with this information if I didn't think you'd be interested."Celena stared at him for a moment, then turned to glance in the direction of the people he had pointed. She could not help but be tempted by the offer. She considered this for a few moments, then accepted his offer. "Alright then, Mr. Duncan. I'll go with you. Thank you for inviting me."The smile on Derek's face widened. He could hardly believe his luck—Celena had agreed to go with him! Taking that first step was always the hardest, but he had done it!Unbeknownst to Celena, Derek already knew her long before their first meeting at the conference. Her name was known far and wide in Drunham City, not least because of her beauty, but because of her—in the eyes of the public—tragic marriage. Celena had earned herself a reputation as one of the most beautiful women Drunham City had ever seen, and although
The attention they received, however, was large due to Celena and her young, handsome companion, who was a man named Derek Duncan. Their attractive looks, both individually and combined, were easily the topic of discussion that night. Everyone who laid eyes on them admired both their good looks and brains, for certainly only the cream of the crop were allowed to attend this prestigious event. What made this feat even more impressive was the fact that they were both so young!Aside from her beauty, Celena's name was already known far and wide in the business world, not just because of her strong leadership but due to her association with Liam and her company's connections with many international corporations. She had started her business from scratch, but within a few short months, she had single handedly built it up to become one of the top ten grossing companies in Drunham City.There were hundreds of people gathered there tonight, and their seats had been allocated according to t