Reginald was also excited. However, as the pillar of the Stone family, he had to keep his composure. He let out a cough, contained his excitement, and pretended to lecture the Stones."What are you looking around for? The people around are important. Please behave. Don't become a joke and embarrass the Stone family," said Reginald."Yes, yes! Reginald is right, we got it!" The dozen members of the Stones who were following behind all nodded in agreement. Then, they followed Reginald into the waiting area.At that moment, there was an unknown exclamation within the crowd. "Oh, shit! Look, guys! What's that? A tank? Did I just fucking see a tank? Could this be the arrival of the legendary King Pendragon?""I think it's King Pendragon! Who else could roll up with such a convoy?" "Quickly, move out of the way! I want to stand closer to the front!" All the business giants at the venue had diverted their attention toward the tanks that were slowly driving up from the end of the r
"Wait! That man looks so familiar! Isn't that Liam and Celena? They're even holding that little scum of a daughter in their arms!"Liam helped Celena out of the jeep, then picked Jovie up in his arms and stood proudly before everyone. Everyone, including the Stones, finally snapped out of their stupor. Their looks of excitement and longing immediately turned to disgust and distaste. "Damn it! I thought it was the King Pendragon, but it turns out it's just that scumbag Liam! What rotten luck! What a waste of our time!""Hey, that's strange… Why would Liam be sitting in a jeep with all the tanks escorting him here?" Celena was so nervous that her palms were covered in sweat. If it had not been for Liam clutching her tightly, she would have turned and left right that minute. She had always been afraid of public scrutiny. It terrified her and made her want to crawl into a shell. Liam could feel her trembling next to him, so he gently squeezed her hand in reassurance. Then, he pulle
Wasyl straightened his tie and let out an awfully fake cough, then swept his contemptuous glance over Liam and Celena. Finally, he said loudly, "Liam! Celena! What are you doing here today? Please don't tell me you managed to get in again with some fake invitations! Let me tell you this. The Stones won't bring you inside with them anymore, so there's no point in you even coming here today!"Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, and instantly, everyone's eyes were on Liam and Celena.Did they manage to get in with fake invitations?This was undoubtedly big news as the mayor was the one co-hosting this event with Max Group. The only people invited to the biggest event of the year that day were the elite members of society and important political representatives! How could Liam and Celena have the audacity to think they could sneak in with fake invitations?The consequences were dire if they were to get caught. They could be arrested for fraud!Cheryl had called Wasyl the night bef
Liam stared coldly at Wasyl. A glimmer of malice flashed through his eyes as he snarled, "Are you saying that my invitations are fake?""Yes!" Wasyl replied confidently. Then, he took his own invitation out of his pocket and waved it tauntingly in front of Liam. "Mine is the real deal. Why don't you show me yours and we can compare the two? We can easily tell who is real and who is fake by then!"Everyone can step forward and take a look if you like, but I'm sure all of you have the real ones. After all, there's no need for you to sneak into someplace like this with a fake invitation when you're invited! Unfortunately, I can't say the same for you, Liam. Come on. Do you want to compare invitations?" With that, Wasyl wagged his invitation high up in the air as though he was taunting Liam. As soon as he said this, everyone began taking out their invitations and comparing them to those next to them. They all soon came to the realization that they possessed exactly the same invitatio
Jovie was just a child, after all. Of course, she would be terrified by everyone who had turned against her and her family!Jovie began to hiccup, and Liam immediately patted her back reassuringly. "Don't be scared, Jovie. Dad is here, and nothing bad will happen to us! Don't worry!"Wasyl sneered. It was playing out exactly the way he had planned it. He pointed at Liam, Celena, and Jovie, then shouted, "Guards! Lock them up! They're trying to commit fraud, but we won't let them get away with this!"All of a sudden, heavy boot-clad footsteps sounded, and four soldiers with guns appeared in front of them, all pointing their barrels straight at Liam.Everyone instinctively stepped back for fear of getting caught in this imminent fight. The man leading the team was a Second Class Sergeant in a military green suit. He stared coldly at Liam, then snatched the two different invitations out of Wasyl's hand and scrutinized them. "How dare you attempt to sneak into this sacred venue wit
Sherah was also shaking with rage. The color had drained from her face out of fear, but she quickly took out her own invitation to prove to the soldiers that she was innocent. She wailed, "Please don't arrest me! My invitation is a real one. Please don't lock up the innocent ones!"With that, she pointed at Liam and shrieked, "You scumbag! Why don't you go ahead and throw yourself off a cliff?"Qemal had also received an invitation that looked exactly like Liam's and quickly got onto his knees to beg for mercy. "Sergeant, I'm innocent! Please don't arrest me! I was deceived! Arrest Liam! He's the one who tricked all of us! Arrest that woman next to him, too! She's Celena Stone, and she was also involved in this fraud! Please go capture her instead, and spare me…"With that, he even grabbed hold of one of the soldier's shins and began sobbing as he pleaded for mercy. Everyone was watching with amusement and cast Reginald looks of disdain and taunting. Reginald felt so humiliated by
The sergeant's expression was dark. Without warning, he turned around and slapped Wasyl across his face, then glared at him and snarled, "Shut the f*ck up! You useless b*stard! What the hell are you talking about? Fake invitations? The one Mr. Cole has is a special invitation reserved for VIPs, and all the other blank ones are regular ones. If anything, his invitation is even more superior and exclusive than yours! How dare you accuse him of possessing a fake one?"What?Everyone was stunned to hear this. They were all expecting Liam to be punished even harder after the sergeant made his report to his superior, but not only did that not happen, but it turned out Liam's invitation was even more superior than everyone else's!Wasyl was stunned. He stared in puzzlement at the sergeant, unable to wrap his head around this news. Finally, he croaked, "That's impossible! Are you sure that's correct, Sergeant? Liam Cole is a scumbag with nothing to his name, so how could he possibly have go
Qemal looked beyond proud to own such an exclusive invitation. He shoved away the soldier who stood in front of him and shot him a murderous glare. "Take a good look at this. This is a special 'VIP' invitation, reserved only for the most powerful! How dare you stand in my way? You'd better be on your best behavior, or else!"The soldiers all balked and allowed Qemal to pass when they saw his special "VIP" invitation.However, Liam suddenly froze in his steps and turned to stare at the arrogant Stones who followed in his wake. "Didn't they say the invitations are fake? Didn't they accuse me of producing fake invitations in an attempt to sneak into the event? Well, since it's my doing, these invitations have nothing to do with you, right? Sergeant, confiscate their invitations! Without invitations, they won't be able to get inside!"With that, Liam took Celena's hand and strode into the hall with Jovie in his arms. "Dad, what shameless people they are! I'm so embarrassed," Jovie sai
The new plan was a hit; every assassin in the room was on board.One of them, posing as a bellhop, stood at Liam's door, ready to knock.However, he never saw it coming. Before his knuckles could rap on the door, it burst open from the inside.Wham!The would-be knocker was sent flying, slamming into the corridor wall with a thunderous crash.The others barely had time to register what happened when Liam burst out, a quintuple-edged dagger in hand.He was a shadow among them, his blade a flash of silver that danced across their wrists, disarming them of their scimitars.In moments, the hallway was a cacophony of clattering blades and piercing screams that filled the hotel.The leader, clutching his bleeding wrist, stared at Liam in horror, leaning casually against the doorframe. Liam's dagger dripped crimson. He watched the fallen assassins with an unfeeling smirk."You think you can play assassins, skulking around in the dark?" Liam's voice dripped with scorn. With a casual f
Noel was a name that turned heads in Rasford City, especially since the Noel family ran a successful pharmaceutical business. In any place, those in the medicine game hold sway, and Noel was no stranger to the city's shadowy bigwigs. After all, nobody was immune to getting sick!Noel was quickly taken to the hospital for emergency care. Meanwhile, the assassin he had hired had pinpointed the hotel where Liam and Sunniva were hiding out.Sunniva was still visibly shaken when they reached the hotel. Too frightened to be alone, she could only gaze at Liam with watery eyes, silently pleading to stay in his room.Liam, left with little choice, let Sunniva take his room while he made do with the couch in the living room.After the night's earlier ordeal, combined with the alcohol and the drug slipped into her drink, Sunniva washed up and promptly fell asleep in Liam's bed.Liam, however, remained on the living room sofa, poring over the mysterious Arcane Manuscript.Out of nowhere,
"Thud!"Then, without missing a beat, Liam grabbed Noel by the throat and landed another punch on him. He struck him squarely on the chin, dislocating it and forcing a couple more of his teeth to fly out. "Ahhh!" Noel shrieked. His face was swelling up to twice its usual size, and he could not help letting out a cry of agony. Liam did not stop there, though. His fists rained down all over Noel without ceasing, his every punch striking where it hurt the most. "F*ck! You're going to pay for this!" Noel grunted. He would make this twat pay! What gave him the right to attack him? He was an heir of the great Noel bloodline, and he would make this cocky, self-righteous prat pay!Liam scoffed, then swung his fist and struck Noel squarely in his abdomen.Noel spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to utter another word from the sheer pain, but this did not stop Liam. The next moment, he grabbed Noel by the hair and bashed his head against the wall behind him.A sickening crunch alerted
The words had barely left her mouth when Noel lost his patience, swung Sunniva around and slapped her hard across the cheek. "D*mn it, you f*cking sl*t! What the f*ck are you shouting for? Let me tell you this—no one will come to save you, not even if you cry yourself hoarse!"The slap came so abruptly that Sunniva was momentarily stunned. Her cheek soon swelled up, and a bright red mark in the shape of Noel's palm began to take shape. Noel had hit her so hard that the back of her head struck the wall behind her, and all she could feel was an intense, throbbing pain that reverberated through her skull. Blood seeped out of the cut on the back of her head, and she could feel the warm liquid trickle down her neck. She suddenly felt strangely faint and stopped resisting. Noel seized the opportunity to strip her naked, grinning. "Ms. Bristow, I suggest you stop wasting your energy. You're mine tonight, and there's no running now!"He had long since heard of Sunniva's beauty, and he was
"Mr. Noel? What is the meaning of this?" Sunniva shrieked in alarm. Noel was wiping his face with a towel when she spoke, and upon hearing her voice, he slowly moved toward her. "Ms. Bristow, do I really need to spell this out for you? You're a gorgeous woman, and I admire you very much. There's nothing to be afraid of, darling. We're all adults here, so there's no need to be shy. I promise that I'll make this the most memorable night you've ever had. "Ms. Bristow, do you know how many women would die to be in your position? Women everywhere bend over backwards to keep me happy, and most of them are willing to please me just to get my business. If you still want this partnership, you better be a good girl and keep me satisfied. If not…"Noel trailed off, for at this point, he had already reached the bed and was just inches away from Sunniva. His flesh quivered with his every move, and he was so tall that he loomed over Sunniva's tiny body like a beast eyeing its prey. "You… you
Noel was not used to being rejected so outwardly. Sunniva's indifference infuriated him greatly. He scoffed, then brought his hand up to his nose and took a deep breath as if trying to catch a whiff of any scent that Sunniva had left on his skin. He sneered. "Ms. Bristow, it seems you are intent on challenging me?"Sunniva replied curtly, "So what if I am?""Very well then! You like to do things the hard way, eh? Let me make this clear—the moment you step out the door, the partnership will be called off! I will no longer do business with Bristow Group!"The audacity!With a smug grin, Noel cast Sunniva one last look before returning to his seat. He watched her coolly and made no move to stop her from leaving again, for he knew he had her cornered. Sunniva stood rooted to the spot, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. Noel knew he had Sunniva caught in a dead-end situation. He smirked and raised his glass to his lips. "How about this, Ms. Bristow? Just one last drink with
A glimmer of annoyance flashed through Noel's eyes, but he continued to reach toward Sunniva, grinning. "Ms. Bristow, I really, really admire you…"Sunniva froze. The next moment, she leaped to her feet, still holding her wine glass, and ducked out of Noel's reach. She replied, raising his glass in an attempt to disguise her nervousness, "Mr. Noel, I greatly admire your success as a businessman as well. Cheers to our partnership!"Noel's arm hovered in mid-air, looking awkward and forlorn as it dangled out of reach of its target. A strained silence fell over them. The tension lasted only a few minutes, though, because Noel soon regained his composure and drew his arm back. He clinked his glass against Sunniva's as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The two of them had been drinking for quite some time now, and Noel was growing more and more inebriated by the minute. He was a pale man, and so the alcohol gave him an unnatural flush that made him look as though he was
"Thank you, Uncle Leonardo." With that, Liam and Cirocco left the manor. They returned to the hotel to meet up with Calum and Sunniva. Liam and Cirocco were waiting in the hotel's presidential suite, going over their plans for the upcoming days, when Calum burst in, looking flustered. Liam was the first to notice how strangely nervous Calum seemed. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"Calum explained hastily, "Sir, Ms. Bristow was just taken away by a group of locals. She claimed that they were the businessmen we were here to meet. Since you weren't back yet, she decided to go meet them herself. She wants me to inform you that they have gone to the Saint Louisiana Hotel and that you can meet them there."Liam furrowed his brows at this. Calum asked, "Sir, are you going to check on them?"Liam considered this a moment, then grabbed his phone and stood up. "I think I should. You and Cirocco should stay here and go over our plans. I'll pop by the Saint Louisiana Hotel. If Jeffre
"Unfortunately, I cannot reveal to you the identities of the remaining five yet, but don't you worry—when the time comes, you will find out soon enough."Just remember, Liam, you are not alone! No matter what happens, the six of us will be here to help you the best we can!" Leonardo said, squeezing Liam's shoulder in reassurance. His expression was solemn, but there was a spark in his eyes. Liam was even more stunned to hear this. What was going on? Had his grandfather planned this for over twenty years ago? Did he somehow know that Liam would come searching for him?"Uncle Leonardo, what's going on here? Is Grandpa still alive?" Liam asked nervously.Leonardo's face fell, and he shook his head gravely. "Truth be told, I am just as confused as you are. I've been trying to track your grandfather down for years, but the last I heard, he was still being kept on Wraith Island. I haven't heard any news about him since, but I refuse to believe your grandfather would die on Wraith Island