Sunniva's face twisted with inner turmoil as she bit her lip, struggling to find the words. "Liam..."Liam caught it and knew she was still caught up in the mess with Yousef and Yankel. He let out a weary sigh and said, "It's late. We should head back."With that, he signaled the driver to take them back to Bristow Group. Settling back into his seat, Liam closed his eyes to catch a moment of peace, choosing silence over further discussion.Sunniva, seeing his reaction, knew it was best to hold her tongue. She gazed out the window, lost in her conflicted thoughts.Meanwhile, in the plush office of the Majestic Times Group's general manager, a portly middle-aged man lounged on the sofa, puffing on a cigar with one hand, while the other toyed with the chest of a scantily clad secretary. Two new secretaries, who had quickly become his favorites, were there to 'assist' him. Every day, they were summoned to his office for more than just clerical work.Zane Long was all grins, enjoying h
The Peakstone Village project was Zane's obsession. He was not just out to smear the Bristow Group's name, he was after Sunniva too.If he could snag that project, it would show that Sunniva was all smoke and no fire. Then, with a bit of cunning, he would have her right where he wanted her—in his bed.The mere thought of Sunniva made Zane's throat tighten. She was the ravishing Bristow heiress from the provincial capital, running their Drunham City branch. The thought of conquering such a beauty, both gorgeous and sharp, thrilled him.Tormented by those thoughts, Zane's eyes turned icy as he snapped at his underling, "Out with it! What went wrong? What failed?"The underling shook like a leaf, barely able to get the words out. "Mr. Long... everything was on track, but this morning, Sunniva showed up in Peakstone Village with her bodyguard. They spotted our guys among the villagers and didn't hesitate to strike. Our guys broke under pressure and spilled everything..."His voice tra
Marcus shivered as he processed the news, his voice laced with anxiety. "Mr. Bristow, do you think... Liam would be responsible for it? Dylan's trip to Drunham City was tied to him, after all..."Yousef's expression darkened. He squinted, pondering in silence for a few heartbeats before shaking his head emphatically. "No way, that's out of the question! Aren't you aware of what Dylan was capable of? He was a madman in a fight, few could match him blow for blow. And yet, he's been taken out. Whoever did this has to be on the level of a military king, at the very least. Do you realize what that means? Liam's just a leftover from the Cole family's downfall seven years back, a nobody who's been mooching off his wife. How could a deadbeat like that ever reach the ranks of a military king?"Don't even start on Liam. Do you really think someone with the prowess of a legendary military king could just pop up in Drunham City? If such a person existed, they'd be the toast of the town, wined an
"Right away, I'll get the word out."With a respectful nod, Marcus turned and exited the office.Yousef stood there, a storm brewing in his icy glare. As he stared down at the tablet's screen—news of Dylan's death flashed up at him, fueling his towering rage.Out of the blue, Yousef had an idea. He whipped out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and hit the dial. The moment the call connected, he flashed a crafty grin and chirped, "Hey, is this Mr. Jenson? Been ages, man, haha... Nah, nothing urgent. Just realized it's been forever since we caught up. How about dinner tonight?"Meanwhile, Liam had just escorted Sunniva back to Bristow Group from Peakstone Village and made a beeline for the local market.He wandered the stalls, picking up all of Celena's favorite veggies, and then sauntered home with his haul.However, no sooner had he left the market than a gang of muscle-bound brutes sprang out, encircling him.Their ringleader, a mass of scars and brawn with straw-yellow
A smirk played on Liam's lips as he met their charge head-on. The thugs barely had time to register the blur of his movements before agony exploded in their chests, guts, and backs.The blond punk could only gape as his goons were sent flying like ragdolls, all laid out by Liam's unstoppable force. "Ahhh! That really hurts!""Help me, man! This guy's no pushover!""Ow, I'm dying here!"The gang of thugs sprawled on the ground could not stop their cries of pain."Damn, you're asking for it!"The sight set the blond thug off. He snatched a steel rod from the ground and, with a roar of rage, charged at Liam.Liam watched the oncoming thug with a composed lift of his eyebrow, standing his ground. In a flash, Liam sidestepped as the thug nearly reached him and appeared behind him, delivering a solid kick to his back.The thug stumbled and face-planted into the dirt. Before he could gather his wits, Liam's foot was on his back, pinning him down. Liam looked on, icy and unimpressed.
Eventually, the thug caved due to fear, tears streaming down as he pleaded, "Please, I'm begging you, I'll spill it all... Just don't break my...""Cut the crap!" Liam snapped.The thug clammed up, his voice quivering, "It... it was Yaniv who sent us. Said we needed to teach someone a lesson and to break his leg...""Yaniv??"Liam's brow creased in confusion. He racked his brain but could not recall any big shot named Yaniv in Drunham City, nor could he remember crossing paths with the guy.The young thug with the bleached hair noticed Liam's blank look and quickly jumped in to boast, "Yeah, Yaniv. He's not a local, comes from over at Peace Stone Town. Yaniv, a big deal, got a whole crew of guys at his beck and call... Look, you don't wanna mess with us. Just let us go, alright? If Yaniv gets wind of this, you're gonna be in deep trouble."The mention of Peace Stone Town flickered a connection in Liam's mind to the Xareny family. He could not tell if that was Xareny's or Kaiden's
As Kaiden snapped back to reality, he found Liam standing ominously in front of the sedan. A jolt of fear sent shivers down Kaiden's spine, and in a knee-jerk reaction, he slammed on the gas, desperate to escape.However, it was too late.Before Kaiden could even get the car moving, Liam's boot swung up and crashed into the sedan's front end. The impact was deafening, the hood crumpling like paper, and Kaiden was jostled violently, his insides screaming from the shock.Frozen in fear, Kaiden stared at the wreckage of the car's front, his body quaking uncontrollably.That was beyond terrifying!Was Liam even human?To kick in the front of a car with a single blow??In the next moment, Liam began to advance, his steps measured and deliberate, heading for the driver's side. Panicked, Kaiden tried to rise, but the seatbelt ensnared him. He scrambled to lock the doors and windows.Facing Liam's chilling menace, Kaiden's voice cracked with fear, "Liam... just stop, don't come any clo
"Honey, hurry over to Top Flag Veg Market. Liam's gone and hit me. You wouldn't believe it, he's lost his mind. I was just walking by, and out of nowhere, he grabbed me and started wailing on me. He even wrecked my car. It's way out of line."And you know what? Get his wife Celena and her folks over here too. They need to see just how much of a jerk Liam really is. Man, it hurts like hell..."Kaiden laid it on thick, and Xareny, hearing that her boyfriend had been roughed up by Liam, was livid. She did not give a second thought to the new friends she had made in Drunham City and blurted out, "What? Liam hit you? That loser? Just wait, I'm on my way. That's it, Celena, that's it, Liam. You mess with my man? I won't let this slide—I'm going to give you a piece of my mind!"After she hung up, Xareny did not waste a second and dialed Celena's number. The moment Celena picked up, Xareny did not let her get a word in and snapped, "Celena, this is too much, even for you. Do you have any id
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