"How did it flop again!? Wasyl, what's the deal? You said your guy was top-notch. How could it go sideways like this? That Dark Web is a joke, a sham! Even so-called pros can't handle a simple beatdown!"Cheryl's tirade was fierce, but it was not enough to quell her fury. She hammered her fists onto Wasyl's arm, yelling, "Can't you find someone who can actually get the job done? It's just a beatdown, for crying out loud, and you botch even that. Ahhhh... It's driving me nuts!"Wasyl's face was a mask of misery. Cheryl's words echoed in his head, along with Laird's recent spiel, leaving him utterly confused.Was Laird playing him for a fool?He had heard all about the Dark Web, that notorious assassin's network with international clout. It was supposed to be a simple job, putting Liam in his place. However, then, it was a mess, way more trouble than it should have been. He had never heard of the Dark Web dropping the ball on a job.The more he thought about it, the more Wasyl was s
Wasyl pinned the partially undressed Cheryl under him, burying his face in her chest to kiss it.Cheryl put on a charming smile, wrapping her arms around Wasyl's neck, and said, "You're so naughty!"…By the time Celena woke up the following day, Liam was already occupied in the yard.Celena had a really deep sleep. Her body felt a little tired, but she was in great spirits. It was a long time since she had a good night's sleep like she did last night.She did not see Liam in the cottage after she got up. After she got to the yard, she saw Liam tidying up the fence that collapsed. Celena was a little confused to see that a part of the fence fell so she asked, "Liam, why did the fence collapse?"As Liam laid the bricks, he smiled and replied to Celena, "Nobody was staying in this cottage before us. I'm guessing the fence collapsed because it was too old. It's no big deal. I'll just fix it up.""Alright. I'll leave you to it, then. I'll make breakfast. I'm going out later." Cele
Celena did not notice the men's interaction, but Liam did. Liam saw the suspicious looks and the exchange they had. He frowned as a frosty glint gleamed in his eyes.One of the persons in charge looked at Liam and asked with suspicion, "Ms. Stone, this is?"It was only then Celena regained her senses. She smiled and explained, "Oh, I forgot to introduce him to you. This is my husband—Liam Cole."The person in charge immediately figured out who he was after they heard what Celena said. Their eyes started to be filled with disdain as they looked at Liam. One of them smiled and said, "Oh, I see. He's the loser who's depending on you financially."Celena got a little upset once she heard that. The man was very observant, so he corrected himself and said, "Oh, no. My mistake. I meant to say that this man is your husband."Celena eased up a little, but she was still upset.Things became a little awkward because of what that man said.Liam did not care that the men mocked him and rolle
Celena had a solemn look once she heard what Jayme said. Her eyebrows were locked into a frown as she asked with concern, "What materials? How are they used up so quickly?"As she said that, she walked toward the warehouse desiccated to store the materials. She opened the door, took a few glances, and realized there were less materials in there.That made Celena feel even more confused. She knew the quantity of the materials that were delivered. Based on a normal construction schedule, it would be impossible for the materials to be used up so quickly.Jayme saw that Celena was staring at the materials in the warehouse in a daze and finding it suspicious. He quickly explained with a smile, "Ms. Stone, you're not familiar with the actual situation on a construction site, so let me explain. "Some materials would be used less, and some would have a certain degree of scrap rate. Take the materials that we're lacking, for example. Their scrap rate is at twenty percent. That's why the ma
Even if Celena did not know the details of the construction, she felt that there was something wrong with the scrap rate as well.Celena grabbed the construction record and went through it carefully. After she pondered about it for a moment, she took out her phone and said to Jayme, "How about this, Mr. Robbie? Let me first call Mr. Stone and check with him."Jayme, who was still a little cautious, immediately smiled and replied, "Of course. No problem. You're serious and responsible in your work. We love to work with people like you."He flattered Celena, but he was looking down on her in his head.'What a tough bitch to fool! So what if you make a call? Call Mr. Stone all you like. We've already reached an agreement with him anyway!' Jayme thought.The other persons in charge exchanged looks with each other while beaming upon hearing Celena's words. Then, they started to butter Celena up as well.Celena's mind was fully occupied by the 20 percent scrap rate, so she quickly call
"Jayme and the rest of them have worked with us for years. They are very experienced. You have to be humble and learn from them when you're on the site. Don't pretend to be a know-it-all when you know nothing. Otherwise, you'll create trouble for them. Can you bear the responsibility should something go wrong for the project?"Besides, Mr. Millar's collaboration project hasn't officially started yet. You better learn as much as you can about the renovation designs for these few malls now. You'll be more experienced by the time Mr. Miller's project starts."Yafe said a lot of things in a single breath, so much so that he felt his lips were about to be chapped. However, as soon as he saw the cash in front of him, he immediately beamed and poured himself a cup of coffee before taking a sip.At first, Celena was a little suspicious as she felt that something was off. However, all her doubts were completely dispelled by Yafe's speech."Alright. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Stone. I u
The fact that Celena refused to sign made Jayme panic. In a blink of an eye, he came up with an idea.Jayme pretended like he was anxious and pointed at the place ahead of them where the construction was going. Then, he said, "Ms, Stone, it's not that I'm scared about you checking the materials and their prices. "It's just that these materials are already listed at the lowest price in the market. I've checked myself as well. There are no issues at all. I've worked with the Stone Group for years. Mr. Stone knows very well what kind of person I am. There's nothing for you to worry about at all."You've seen it yourself as well. The materials we have are going to be finished soon. If we don't get the materials here in time, we'll have to stop the construction this afternoon. That's why I'm so anxious."Besides, if the materials don't arrive today and the workers have to stop working, we, the contractors, would just have to pay them an additional half a day's wage at best. It'll just
"That's right, Mr. Robbie! We're all waiting for the materials so we can start working!""Didn't you say the materials will be restocked today? Look at the time. We can't just stand around and wait!""Mr. Robbie, we're out of materials. You can't just let us wait around while doing nothing, right?"The workers got more riled up the more they bellowed. They all threw their tools on the ground and gathered together by the time they were done.Jayme secretly observed Celena's expression after the workers started creating a commotion. A wicked sneer appeared on his face as he thought he was about to get his way after he saw Celena frowning and gripping the document tightly.Jayme let out a cough and walked up to the workers with a smile. Pretending to placate them, he said, "Listen up, everyone. Don't make a scene. I'm already discussing with Ms. Stone about purchasing the materials. "But you know that she's very serious and cautious when it comes to work. So, she'll first have to r
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