With Cheryl's interests at heart, Sherah was not in the mood to tease Celena and Liam. She smiled warmly and said, "Dad, I agree with them. Mr. Gibson came all the way to Drunham City just to design Cheryl's wedding gown. We, as her family, ought to invite Mr. Gibson to dinner, given his prestigious reputation."Reginald had been quiet. He had considered inviting Spencer since he arrived in Drunham City, but he knew the Stone family's standing hardly warranted such an opportunity, let alone a meeting.However, the situation had changed. It was Wasyl who had brought Spencer to town to create Cheryl's bridal dress."You're right. We should extend an invitation to Mr. Gibson," Reginald finally conceded. Reginald mulled it over, then gave a nod and flashed a warm smile at Wasyl. "Mr. Abbott, as part of Cheryl's kin, we really ought to do the honors. Could you see if you might invite Mr. Gibson on our behalf?"Wasyl's reaction was pure shock. His grip on the wine glass slipped, splash
Cheryl's vanity got the better of her after she heard the disappointment in the crowd's tone.She turned her head, tugged at Wasyl's arm, and whispered, "Darling, look how much they are looking forward to it. Is there anything else you can do? I know you're not an ordinary person. You must be able to think of a way. Isn't that right?"Wasyl glanced at the crowd's expression and saw that Cheryl was looking at him with anticipation as well. He suddenly got carried away and blurted, "Well, it's not like there's no way at all. I can give it a try."Sure enough, Cheryl's eyes were filled with adoration as she looked at Wasyl upon hearing his response. It was as if she was seeing her hero. Holding her hands together in front of her chest, she said in excitement, "Wow, darling, I knew you must have a way. You're so amazing!"Reginald and the other Stone family members seemed to have gone through an emotional roller coaster. The initial look of disappointment on their faces was instantly r
Hearing Reginald's words, Cheryl stood up with a smile. She walked up to him with a bottle of wine and filled his glass, glancing at Celena and taunting her.It was after Cheryl saw Celena looking hurt that she sneered smugly. With a big grin on her face, she said to Reginald in an adorable voice, "Whatever makes you happy, Grandpa.""Mr. Abbott," said Liam suddenly. He was calm as he looked at Wasyl, making it hard for the others to figure out what was on his mind.Wasyl looked at him with confusion and asked with a frown, "What is it? What do you want?""Why don't we make a bet?" Liam asked.At this point, not only Wasyl but the entire crowd were looking at Liam with confusion. They had no idea what he was trying to pull at all.Wasyl put down his glass with slight annoyance and said, "A bet? On what?"Liam put on a faint smile and said, "Don't be nervous, Mr. Abbott. It's nothing major. I just want to bet with you and see who'll be the person who can successfully invite Mr. G
Liam would never have tolerated these strange bunch of Stone family members after they provoked him over and over again if Celena did not care about them still.Liam's words infuriated Reginald. He looked at both Liam and Celena and said in a frigid voice, "We're your elders. Are we not allowed to discipline you? Are you going to beat me to death if I discipline Celena?"Reginald's words were harsh. He looked incensed. The disgust he had toward Liam and Celena was not concealed at all."Grandpa!" Celena looked up at Reginald and explained with tears in her eyes, "No, Grandpa, we don't mean that."Reginald ignored her, turning his face to the side without taking a proper look at her.Yafe's expression darkened. Glaring at Liam and Celena, he pointed his finger at the main door and bellowed, "Since you don't wish to attend this dinner, take Liam with you and get the hell out of here! You don't have to attend any of the family dinners in the future as well!"Reginald's and the crowd
The mood in the dining room got more and more harmonious ever since Liam and Celena left. Cheerful laughs could be heard from time to time.The mood outside Stone Mansion, however, could have been better.Celena suddenly stopped in her tracks not long after Liam held her hand and led her out of the mansion. She hung her head and pulled her hand out of Liam's.Liam quickly stopped. Looking at her nervously, he asked with concern, "What's the matter, Celena?"Celena's head was still hanging. However, the sound of her sobbing while holding her tears back sounded after Liam asked the question."Celena!" Liam panicked once he heard her weeping, and he frantically wanted to wipe her tears for her.However, before Liam's hand could even reach Celena, she took half a step back, dodging him.Celena looked up at Liam with her face covered in tears. Her eyes were filled with grievances and a hint of disappointment.She took a deep breath before finally being able to hold back her sobs and
Liam wasted no time and cut right to the chase, saying, "Mr. Gibson, I wonder if you have time in these few days. I would like to invite you to my home for a meal."Spencer immediately got so excited that his hands started to shake as he held the phone. His voice became much louder, and he immediately said, "Yes, of course, I'm free! I can make it anytime as long as it's convenient for you!"Liam hummed in acknowledgment and replied, "Alright. Let's have lunch tomorrow, then. I'll send you the address later."Spencer became even more excited once he heard that he would be going to Liam's home. He nodded with all his might and said, "Yes, alright! Thank you so much, sir. I'll be there on time tomorrow."Spencer was still holding his phone in excitement long after Liam hung up the call.Right at that moment, one of his assistants, Danny, walked in with a cup of coffee. After Danny saw him holding his phone in elation, he thought something happened, so he asked, "What's up, Mr. Gibso
Spencer looked at Danny with confusion and asked, "Why should I dress in something simple? Do you know who he is? That's the commander-in-chief of the Pendragon Warriors. There aren't many people in Biskeland who are qualified to have a meal at his home. Of course, I'll have to wear something magnificent. Only then will it show how seriously I take this lunch."However, as soon as Spencer said that, Danny shook his head in disagreement. He explained, "Mr. Gibson, have you forgotten what the commander-in-chief told you before this? He doesn't want his identity to be exposed at this moment. Everything has to be kept on the down low."Besides, he has invited you to his home to have lunch instead of eating out. Do you know what that means? It means he's taken you as a friend. It would be inappropriate if you wore something too grand."Spencer thought Danny's explanation made sense upon hearing it. He smacked his head and said, "Yes, yes, you're right. Look at me. How silly of me. Thank
Liam always asked his friends to help him when he was in a bind in the past. Celena long wanted to tell Liam to invite his friends over for a meal to thank them. She just never found the right time to talk to him about it. She did not expect that Liam would invite a friend over for lunch that day.Liam tore his gaze away after he heard Celena's words. He gave it a thought and said, "He's a wedding dress designer that I was acquainted with. He happened to be in town, so I invited him over for lunch.""Wedding dress designer?"Celena was taken aback. She had heard plenty about wedding dresses lately because she and Cheryl were going to have a wedding that month. It was also because of something related to wedding dresses that a conflict broke out during the family dinner last night.The famous wedding dress designer, Spencer Gibson, was in Drunham City, and Liam said his friend who was also a wedding dress designer was in town as well. However, Celena did not think too much about it.
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