"What? He wants you to seize Stone Group?" One of his friends was stunned beyond measure, staring at him with a look of disbelief. Truth be told, Hunter was just as baffled as they were. "I don't know why, either. What do you guys think about this?"They all turned to stare at him, smiles creeping onto their faces after they had gotten over their initial shock. "It's splendid news! Stone Group isn't that big of a company, anyway, so you won't be getting in much trouble. Bristow Group, on the other hand, is one of the largest and most successful corporations in the capital. Do you have any idea how much power they hold within them? Besides, didn't they say they'd establish a new company in Drunham City to replace Stone Group and have you appointed as manager once you'd pulled off the task? This is amazing news! You're basically getting a promotion—and a giant one at that!""Indeed, Hunter. Between Stone Group and Bristow Group, it's a no-brainer. Even an idiot would know which to ch
Celena had skimmed through the contract and was about to pen her signature on the bottom when all of a sudden, Gerald excused himself to take a call. When he returned a few minutes later, his entire demeanor had turned visibly hostile. Celena was not too bothered by this, because she thought Gerald's mood had soured due to the phone call, and it had nothing to do with her at all. She smiled and said, "Mr. Liddell, I've looked through the contract, and I'm very satisfied with it. Let us sign it now."Gerald's entire body stiffened. Then, a rather sheepish smile spread across his face as he said, "I'm so sorry, Ms. Stone, but we cannot sign this contract."Celena froze, then asked in puzzlement, "Huh? Why not, Mr. Liddell?"To which he replied, "Ms. Stone, I'm so sorry to break this to you, but as of a few minutes ago, someone else has bought out all of the machinery you wanted for double the price. As you know, we are a small, struggling company, so you can't expect us to say no to
As soon as he got off the phone, Hunter raised his glass and declared, "Everyone, this calls for a celebration! Celena Stone has just left Grummings and will be on her way to Mr. Quinn's next!" A chubby middle-aged man with a beer belly stood up, grinning. "Don't you worry, Mr. Yale. I've already made the necessary arrangements with my staff. Celena won't even be able to get a footstep in my door, much less get her hands on my machinery!"Everyone else stood up, grinning from ear to ear as they raised their glasses for the toast. "Splendid! Don't worry, Mr. Yale, we've taken care of everything.""Aside from Mr. Liddell, the rest of us are all here, and no one will be around to even meet with Celena!""Your orders were clear, Mr. Yale, and none of us here will even dream of doing business with her!""Indeed, with everyone else sitting here, who's even going to meet with Celena when she comes knocking?""What a great idea it was! Here, here, everyone!"Cheers and wallops echoed
As naive as Celena was, even she could tell that something was wrong and was beginning to panic. If she could not get her hands on the machinery by the end of the day, the factory would not be able to operate, and the entire process would be delayed. The worst part was, once the Stones caught wind of this, they would certainly use this as ammunition against Celena at the next company meeting. Celena was outraged at the thought of this, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She decided to return to their offices with Lottie and report the incident to Yafe. Yafe was absolutely furious to hear of this and immediately blamed Celena without even bothering to listen to her explanation. As predicted, he brought this up at the company meeting and used this as an opportunity to scold Celena in front of everyone else. "Celena, you useless git! The company hired you to solve problems, not create even more! Don't you know how important these machines are? Don't you know that we won'
Celena had been trying to put on a brave front, but the moment she laid eyes on Liam, she could not hold herself together anymore, not unlike how a child would act in front of their parents after a long day of being bullied by their peers. After all, Liam was, aside from Jovie, the only other person she trusted in the world. Liam finally understood what had happened. He took the box out of Celena's hands, pulled her into his arms, and gently stroked her hair in reassurance. A warm, comforting hug was the best way he knew how to show her his love and unconditional support. "Alright, alright. Don't you worry about this, okay? I'll handle this, just like how you should've let me in the first place. Don't cry, my dear. I'll take care of this, okay? Look at you. Your makeup is running. Jovie's going to tease you if she sees you like this."Celena buried her head deeper in Liam's arms and continued sobbing, until eventually she hit him playfully on the chest and whined, "Stop teasing
Although she had interrogated Liam many times about this, he refused to say a word.Meanwhile, Liam sped away from Stone Group on his little scooter and headed towards the offices of LJC Group. LJC Group was the company that Liam had founded after he consolidated the shares that used to belong to Cole Enterprise, his family's business. When the Coles met their end seven years ago, Cole Enterprise had been divvied up and sold to various shareholders. Years later, Liam would eventually repurchase these shares behind the nom de plume of Mr. Miller and consolidate them to found LJC Group, the name having been derived from initials of his, Jovie's and Celena's names. Cole Enterprise had been the work of his father's blood, sweat, and tears, and it was rather comforting to finally have them back in the rightful hands now. Most of the employees working at LJC Group used to work at Cole Enterprise, as Liam had kept them on out of nostalgia. However, after many years of growth, the compa
Liam's towering, slender frame briefly hovered next to the car for a moment before he nodded and strode into the building. Calum, his loyal aide, walked alongside him as he briefed him on the day's events. The female employees all swooned the moment they laid eyes on Liam. "My God! Mr. Miller is so handsome!""He has an exceptional figure!""Even with the mask on, you can tell he's a stunner! I can't believe it! I can't believe I have such a handsome boss!""As much as I love my husband, I'd marry Mr. Miller in a heartbeat!"The members of the higher management snaked past the giggling, blushing employees and followed Liam, with pounding hearts, to the meeting room. Liam slid into the chair at the head of the table, whereas Calum found a spot standing next to him. The higher management all took their places on each side of the table, but none of them dared to sit. Liam glanced at them, then gestured at the chairs and said, "You're all among the most important people of this c
The moment he opened the door, Liam was met by the sight of the familiar layout and surroundings. When he laid eyes on the painting hanging on the wall behind the desk, however, tears brimmed in his eyes, because that had been his father's favorite painting before he passed. Liam closed his eyes and began to reminisce the memories of his childhood, when he would run around his father's office as a child while his father did his paperwork…When he opened his eyes once more, they were laced with sorrow. He forced out a strangled sob and muttered, "Dad, I've gotten back what's mine. I've gotten Cole Enterprise back."Dad, Mom, you can rest in peace now. I will not rest until I avenge your deaths and take back what's rightfully mine. I will make sure the Four Ancient Families pay the price for their sins!"You won't have to wait long, Dad, Mom—I've already got my eye on the Four Ancient Families, and it won't be long before I set into motion my plan for the ultimate revenge!"By the