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
Meanwhile, Cisco immediately frowned after hearing Calum recount the entire incident, but he was not particularly concerned about what had happened at all, but instead was preoccupied with what Calum had promised him. "Do you mean it? Did the King Pendragon himself promise that he'd owe me one after I fulfill this?"To which Calum replied, "Yes, Mr. Quigg, sir. That was indeed what the King Pendragon himself said. He is in dire need of the said machinery and wishes that Mr. Quigg would be able to help."Cisco was silent for a moment before finally replying in a booming voice, "Very well then! Since it is of the King Pendragon's request, I shall do everything in my power to fulfill it!"With that, he hung up and turned to his second-in-command. "Take this order sheet and go to the factories. See if they can fulfill it. If not, seek out the help of our partners. I want this order fulfilled and delivered to the Stone Group's factory by the end of today, no matter what it takes! No exce
"Yes, sir! I'll take care of this!"With that, he left the room. After Calum left, Liam took some time to calm himself down before exiting his office to take a stroll around the building. The building had kept most of its original layout despite having seven years passed, but he could still notice some minor changes here and there. It was a rather significant moment, standing here in the building which bore the physical reminder of his father's blood, sweat, and tears. Liam was incredibly grateful that he had finally gotten back what was rightfully his. Liam decided he would only take a short walk around his office, so he did not bother putting on his mask at all. After a quick lap around the floor, he popped into the bathroom. The moment he emerged from the bathroom, however, he came face-to-face with a group of people who were circled around a man in his mid-thirties. They were all gossiping about their new boss' antics, oblivious to the fact that the subject of their conv
Back when Liam's father was still in charge, Karter had been nothing more than an ordinary employee with nothing to write home about. The only reason he had been given a permanent post after finishing his probation period, despite his mediocre performance, was because Liam had taken pity on him, out of consideration of his desperate pleas. Liam was not at all surprised at being recognized, considering he had forgotten his mask. He nodded and replied, "It's you, Mr. Neal. Long time no see."Karter snickered at this and cried out, "My God, it is you! I thought I had been mistaken. Who would have thought that I'd one day run into Liam Cole, the heir of the Cole family himself, right in the premises of Cole Enterprise!"All of a sudden, Karter knocked himself sharply on the head, feigning surprise, and added, sneering, "Oh, God, bless my memory! I've forgotten that the entire Cole family had been wiped out seven years ago, and Cole Enterprise has ceased to exist since then! It is now L
"Well, why don't you ask him yourself? Hahaha—"Liam scowled when he heard the contempt evident in their tones and stared at them coldly. "Had enough fun?"Karter snickered, then gave Liam a playful shove in his side, sneering. "What's wrong? We're just fooling around, lighten up! Besides, who did you think you were? Do you honestly still think you're the heir of the Cole family, like the good old days? Get your head out of the clouds, boy! The Cole clan doesn't exist anymore, and you're the only one left behind with nothing to your name! I also hear that you married one of the Stones' daughters and are serving them as their son-in-law now, is that true?"How embarrassing! How did you possibly swallow your dignity to do something like that? Poor you! I didn't think you'd one day end up in such a position that you'd need to rely on your wife, of all people!"What do you think your father will say if he sees this? What will he think of his precious son, once the heir of the legendary
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