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
Some of Karter's lackeys who were more desperate to get on his good side immediately turned to Liam, furious, and shouted, "How dare you attack Mr. Neal like that? Who do you think you are?""Do you honestly think you're still the heir of this company or something? You must be delusional! You are a good-for-nothing who's leeching off his own wife, so what makes you think you're better than us?""Apologize to Mr. Neal right this instant, or else!""He's right! Apologize to Mr. Neal right now or we'll make you pay for this!""Apologize to him!"Two of the men had propped Karter up between them, whereas the remaining four employees all began to pull their sleeves up as though preparing themselves for a physical brawl!Liam furrowed his brows, then shot them a look as cold as ice and snarled, "Is that all you've got? Do you think you can even match up against me?"His tone was laced with such vehemence that the employees immediately stepped backward rather timidly. The moment Liam s
Liam took another puff of his cigarette and said, nodding, "Indeed, you've just reminded me. I shouldn't let parasites like you leech off other people's hard work anymore. You're nothing but a disgrace to this company, so from this moment onwards, all seven of you, including Karter, are fired!"Karter and his six lackeys all froze, staring at Liam in utter disbelief. The cold silence sank over them.After a few seconds, Karter snickered, then adjusted his tie and said rather haughtily, "What on earth are you talking about, Liam? Fire me? Who do you think you are? What makes you think you can fire me?"You must be out of your mind, Liam! I think that the downfall of your family has given you a rather nasty shock and clearly made you psychotic. Do you honestly still think this company belongs to you? Do you still think this is Cole Enterprise? Well, if that's the case, perhaps I shouldn't pick on you any longer. It's not fair to pick on a psychotic patient."After his long-winded dec
This was their boss, Mr. Miller's first time visiting the company since the merger, so as the general manager of the company, Calum would naturally be around to handle everything. Karter was trying to butter up to everyone he met, as always, but clearly today was not his lucky day. The next moment, Calum raised his arm above him and slapped Karter so hard that he spun in a circle before finally losing his balance and crumpling onto the floor. Calum then shot the remaining six employees a cold look and snarled, "All seven of you are hereby fired! You are no longer employees of this company! Get out of here before I call security!"Calum's shout reverberated through the entire hallway, a clear indicator of how furious he truly was.Karter was stunned beyond words. Ignoring the excruciating pain on his flaming cheek, he got to his feet and asked, "Mr. Chanter, why? Why are you firing me? What did I do wrong?"His lackeys were so shocked by this that the color had drained from the
"Also, keep today's events and Liam's identity under wraps. If I catch wind that any of you blabbed… Well, let's just say you won't be able to handle the fallout," Calum warned with a stern huff before he turned on his heel and left.Not long after, the dismissal notices for Karter and the six employees were plastered up for all to see. They packed up their desks with heavy hearts and regret, exiting the LJC Group for the last time.Meanwhile, Liam headed straight for the parking lot. Settling into his car, he fixated on the list in his hands. The first name was Jonathan Nevens, the very person he was most eager to find. As he gazed at the name, a wave of emotion washed over him, and he whispered to himself, "Mr. Nevens, how are you holding up?"Jonathan had been Chester's right-hand man and closest confidant, sticking by him since the early days of the Cole group. He had also been a part of Liam's life as he grew up, earning Liam's deep respect, which is why he still referred to hi
The ringleader, Wilson, his hair a brassy yellow, sported a tank top that showed off a canvas of tattoos and a scar that looked like it was ripped straight from a horror flick. "Hey, Jonathan, how long are you gonna make us wait? When are you coughing up the cash? Our boss made it clear—today's your last chance. If you don't pay, we're trashing this pathetic fruit stand of yours!" he snarled.Jonathan, hearing the commotion, rushed out and tried to appease the man with a nervous grin. "I'm so sorry. I've been doing everything I can to get the money. Just give me a few more days, please? I swear I'll have it for you soon!"However, Wilson was not having any of it. He shoved Jonathan hard, sending him sprawling over his own fruit, then pinned him down amidst the scattered produce. "What's this crap? You think you're messing with me? More time? You gave me that line days ago!"Enraged, he signaled to his lackeys with a furious wave. "Wreck it all!" he bellowed. The thugs, eager for d
"Enough with the sob story. You think you can dodge debts and still send kids to school?"Just then, Lyla, Jonathan's high school-aged daughter, returned from school. Spotting the gang of debt collectors loitering at the fruit shop's entrance, she dashed forward, her small frame shielding Jonathan and Yazmine.Her eyes were ice as she stared down Wilson, "You're here for the cash, right? Take it and get out of our lives!"Wilson eyed the defiant Lyla, a smirk curling his lips. "Well, well, if it isn't Lyla. However, this pittance? Hardly covers what your old man owes. Here's a thought. Come with me, work off the debt at my boss's club. You could make a pretty penny, and pay off the old man's dues in no time. How 'bout it?"His words slithered out as his gaze lasciviously swept over Lyla's face, and without warning, he reached out and grabbed her chin, his touch a vile claim.Lyla was a knockout—her figure was the envy of many, with curves in all the right places. However, what rea
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