Before Celena could even finish her sentence, however, Liam scoffed, then stepped forward to shield Celena behind him and said curtly to Samuel, "Mr. Lene, there is one very big problem we are facing here. Your manager, Mr. Warren, first insulted my wife, then offended me when I tried to reason with them. When our argument escalated, they even threatened to get security and toss us out of your store! What do you think we should do about this, Mr. Lene?"The color drained from Samuel's face upon hearing this. Larry and the salesgirls noticed this but naively thought that his annoyance was a result of Liam's continued arrogance. Unbeknownst to them, Samuel's frown was actually an expression of deep concentration as he contemplated what to do to quell Liam's anger.Larry, stupidly thinking that Liam had struck a nerve in Samuel by launching this request, immediately shoved aside the guard standing in front of him and stormed out, screeching, "Outrageous! You are crossing a line here, yo
"Yes, they should be the ones apologizing instead! You just arrived, Mr. Lene, so you had no idea what happened before you came! That man was behaving extremely aggressively and slapped Leonie here without warning!" "Mr. Lene, how can you be on their side? Look what they did to Leonie! why should we be the ones apologizing?" "Why should we apologize?"All the sales girls, Leonie included, were all extremely upset to hear this. The last thing they wanted to do was to apologize to the people who had wronged them.Leonie, among them all, was the most outraged. She was already extremely furious at being humiliated so publicly by Liam, and her prideful personality would not allow her to apologize to someone like Celena, who she deemed to be below her. "Mr. Lene, we're your employees! Why are you defending them instead of us? Have you even seen what he did to me?" she wailed, clutching her cheek, and shot another look of hatred at Liam and Celena.Samuel was extremely wary of offendin
Liam immediately turned to glance at Samuel, sneering, and asked, "Mr. Lene, do you think this is a sincere enough apology? Besides, do you honestly think that such disrespectful employees are worth keeping around? Or perhaps rudeness is part of the job requirement, is it, Mr. Lene?"Samuel immediately understood what Liam was trying to get at, and quickly approached him with a simpering smile. "Yes, of course, Mr Cole. Thank you for your reminder. Such disrespectful employees should not be allowed to remain under the employment of the Blissful Bride Boutique, or any of the stores in the Bridal District, for that matter!"Larry, Leonie, and the rest of the sales girls looked horrified to hear this.Samuel then turned around and fixated his murderous glare on them. "From today onward, you will no longer be under the employment of the Blissful Bride Boutique! You are hereby fired!"Then, without even pausing to hear their explanations, he added loudly, "Not only this, I will also sen
Celena lifted her head to meet his solemn gaze and was just about to continue pleading when, on second thought, she realized that he was right. The longer she stared at Liam and the more she mulled over his words, she realized that he was right. She needed to learn to be strong and to say no to people who did not serve her. This was the only way she could protect herself and her little family. However, for some reason, when he said this, she suddenly felt strangely detached from the man standing before her, as though there was a misty fog separating her from Liam, not allowing her to reach out to him.Although she and Liam were just a few feet apart from each other, she suddenly felt as though she did not recognize him at all, like he was just a stranger to her."Liam…" she murmured, gently squeezing his arm.Liam knew that Celena was a kind person by nature and that it was already exceptionally tough for her to step back and take such a boundary to herself, so he was very pleas
Liam only cast a cold look down at Larry, who was pleading and begging at his feet for mercy. Finally, after endless rounds of punishing himself to the point where his cheeks had swollen up like balloons, Liam scoffed and put an end to it. "Mr. Lene, you have full authority on what to do with your own staff. Please punish him as you see fit."With that, he took Celena's hand in his and strode out of the door."Of course, Mr Cole. Have a safe trip…" Samuel said as he followed Liam and Celena to the door with a simpering smile. He stood at the door and watched as Liam and Celena's retreating figures disappeared from view.Finally, as soon as they were out of sight, his smile faltered, and he returned to the store, scowling. Soon, sobs and cries of agony rang out from within the Blissful Bride Boutique.Meanwhile, after putting some distance between them and the store, Celena finally froze and turned to glance at Liam with a puzzled look. "Liam, who was that man in the suit? How did y
"Look at you, I bet I can hang something off your lips right now, from the way you're pouting them. Please don't overthink, my dear. Ms. Bristow is my boss, and I am her bodyguard—nothing more. Besides, why would I have eyes for other women when I have such a gorgeous wife at home?" Liam said as he reached out to pinch Celena's cheek mischievously. The feeling of her soft, rosy skin underneath his fingertips made his breath catch in his throat. Then, trying desperately to prevent Celena from noticing the change in his demeanor, he added hastily, "All right, all right, let's put an end to this overthinking, all right? We should go home now."Celena, too, was beginning to wonder if this was all just in her head. Besides this, they were in broad daylight, subject to public scrutiny, and she did not enjoy being judged by strangers as Liam teased her. Her entire face flushed crimson in embarrassment.Despite Liam trying to make her feel better, she still felt some lingering anger, and swa
The moment Wasyl caught sight of Liam, white-hot fury stirred within him, and a sneer spread across his face. "Do you think you can get away after messing with Wasyl Abbott?"Cheryl scoffed and sauntered over to Liam and Celena, her arm still snaked around Wasyl's. The moment her gaze landed on Celena, an expression of cold envy crossed her face and she said shrilly, "Liam, Celena, have you asked my permission before leaving? What did I say to you just now? I told you that this would not be the end of this."Liam, you idiot, how dare you humiliate me in public? Do you have any idea what you're up against? Do you have any idea how much it costs to maintain this face of mine?"Boys, get them! Seize them, and break that man's legs if you need to, but spare the woman! I will need her later!"There's nothing you care about more in this world than Celena, is there, Liam? In that case, I will make sure you watch with your own two eyes as I punish this b*tch!" Cheryl's eyes were on Celen
Just as the men were about to reach her, Celena closed her eyes in a panic, waiting for their weapons to strike them and for the excruciating pain that would follow.However…After a few minutes, nothing came. She slowly opened her eyes and saw, to her surprise, Liam standing before her.The men, who just a few minutes ago had been charging toward them with their weapons raised above their heads, were now all lying spreadeagled all over the ground, their weapons strewn haphazardly all around them. Each of them clutched their own limbs, howling in agony.Even though she had witnessed Liam in combat many times before this, it still did not take away from the shock of seeing him take down multiple stronger, faster opponents than he was at the same time. Even though she had seen this play out many times before, she still could not stifle a gasp at the sight of this.Even Cheryl and Wasyl seemed to be utterly stunned. They stared in disbelief at the shrieking thugs for a few moments be
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