Celena's eyelashes quivered as she looked down sheepishly. Then, after a few moments' silence, she took in a deep breath before lifting her head to meet Liam's gaze again. "I know, but Liam… She's my sister… I–I don't want to get in trouble with Grandpa anymore…"Liam was very pained to see the look of defeat on Celena's face. He gently took her hand in his and nodded in resignation. Then, he turned to glare at Cheryl and Wasyl, who, thinking he was about to attack, shrieked in alarm, "What… What are you doing?"To which Liam sneered and merely snarled, "Get out of here!"He did not need to say this a second time. Cheryl and Wasyl both wheeled around and bolted as fast as their legs could take them. They dived into their car, slamming the door shut behind them, and within seconds the car peeled away, its tyres screeching on the asphalt.Liam watched the car disappear from view with a malicious glint in his eye. By the time Celena craned her head to glance at him, however, the sin
Wasyl's face contorted into an ugly grimace, and he hissed through gritted teeth, "Who would've known that Liam would pick up so many tricks from his time in the military? Who would've thought that wretched scum of the Cole family would turn out to be such a good fighter?"Another surge of fury rose within Cheryl, and she slumped back into her chair, her arms crossed as she stared out the window in front of her huffily. "What should we do now? We can't just let this go! Let me tell you this, Wasyl, you are obliged to stick up for me and get revenge after what Liam and Celena did to me! If you don't, I will call off the wedding immediately! I will not marry a man who can't even defend his own wife!"Ordinarily, Wasyl would have been outraged to hear this, but at that moment, he was so infuriated from their unpleasant encounter with Liam and Celena that he let Cheryl's threat fly over his head. He replied with a snarl, "Let this go? Never! This will not end here! I'm going to get in to
Wasyl could not help smiling at the look on Cheryl's face. "Don't worry, my dear. We won't be ordering their assassination. All we will be doing is giving them a little punishment, so they'll know better than to mess with us in the future. We can order them to break a leg or two, but nothing more than that. It won't be as serious as you think, and we won't end up in jail."Cheryl was rather relieved to hear this, and on the contrary, the thought of sending an assassin to exact revenge on Liam and Celena excited her tremendously. That wretched Liam and Celena! There would be no running or hiding now!All she could think of was the image of Liam laying spreadeagled on the ground, wailing as he clutched his broken limbs, while Celena was being deflowered by another man right before his eyes!The thought of this made her perk up in excitement, and she exclaimed, "Quick, my love, call your friend immediately! Tell him to put the job listing up as soon as possible!"Wasyl sneered and n
A single phrase set off another round of raucous applause and a flood of fake praises and adulation.Laird was clearly basking in the attention, grinning as he settled back in front of his computer. He only lounged back on the sofa, his mind at ease, to dive back into the romance action flick on his tablet after confirming that someone had taken up the task he had posted.Meanwhile, Celena and Liam had enjoyed a leisurely lunch outdoors, and it was already late afternoon by the time they strolled back into their quaint courtyard.The morning's ordeal at the bridal shop had left Celena feeling low. She slumped onto the living room couch and quickly succumbed to sleep.However, rest eluded her, she was trapped in a nightmare.In her dream, she glided down the aisle of a chapel in a pristine white wedding dress, with Liam waiting at the altar, his suit crisp and his smile loving.Then, the dream twisted. The wedding guests, who should have been there to celebrate, glared at her with
Celena clung to Liam, her sobs echoing for what seemed like an eternity before she finally stepped back, her cheeks wet with tears. Her bright eyes, usually so full of life, were then bloodshot from crying.She sniffled, her mind clearing, and noticed the wet patch on Liam's shirt right over his heart. Her face flushed with embarrassment."Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... Your shirt's all wet. Let me dry it off..."She reached for a tissue from the coffee table and started dabbing at the damp fabric.Liam gently caught her hand, his gaze soft and caring. "Celena, if anyone ever gives you trouble, you come straight to me. Don't hold it all in. You're with me, and your tears are only meant for me, okay?"Her cheeks warmed even more, and she murmured, looking down, "Liam, thank you, for everything you do for me...""Silly girl..."He chuckled, affectionately tousling her hair before pulling her back into a comforting embrace.Alone time was rare for Liam and Celena, and he che
The masked man in black was patting himself on the back for a job well done when an icy voice cut through the darkness of the courtyard corner."Showing up in the dead of night is one thing, but skipping the front door to climb my wall? That's not exactly playing by the rules, is it?"That one line sent chills down the masked man's spine. He whipped his head around, desperate to pinpoint where the voice had come from. However, silence cloaked the courtyard once more.His hand tightened around the hilt of his dagger, ready for anything. Inside, he was a mess of nerves and dread.That was bad news.He had not sensed anyone else around, which meant that guy was out of his league! As the masked man's tension peaked, Liam finally strolled out from the shadows. Liam was all calm and collected, one hand in his pocket, the other casually flicking a lighter, as he fixed his gaze on the masked man.The second Liam showed up, the masked man's body surged with a fierce intent to kill, his da
The man in the mask twisted in agony, his eyes wide with horror as Liam approached. His voice shook as he cried out, "Stay... Stay back, who are you? You... ugh..."He could not even finish before another wave of blood spilled from his mouth, his face twisting in pain.He knew, despite Liam's mercy, that kick had nearly shattered his insides.Liam moved closer, his figure casting a long shadow in the chilling moonlight, giving off an eerie vibe.Those eyes of Liam's, icy and piercing, seemed to channel the ferocity of a demon under the moon's glow, striking fear straight into the soul.The chill Liam radiated sent shivers down the man's spine, and he begged, "Please, I made a mistake... Have mercy..."Liam let out a disdainful, mocking snort, peering down at him. "I'm running out of patience. You've got one chance. Who sent you?"The man trembled at the question, his voice quivering with dread. "If I tell you, will you let me live?"Another icy snort from Liam, his impatience c
Unexpectedly, Biskeland countered with a high-stakes move, sending a top commander and a squad to launch a surprise attack on the Dark Web's lair, decimating it completely.In the ensuing clash, the Dark Web's elite force of over a thousand assassins was wiped out, leaving barely a hundred alive.Raymond, the formidable three-star God of War and head of the Dark Web, stood no chance against the Biskeland commander. He was taken down in an instant, without even a moment to retaliate.Before leaving the scene of carnage, the Biskeland commander issued a chilling proclamation."Cross Biskeland, and you'll pay, no matter how far you run."The brutal defeat of the Dark Web by Biskeland's commander spread like wildfire across Westernia and the commander's warning echoed through the ranks of every underground assassin network.A wave of fear swept through the underworld. For a time, assassin groups were so intimidated that they would outright reject any contracts from Biskeland, wary of
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