Hayden, noticing Yafe's darkening mood, added his own encouragement, "You got it. This is crucial for our Stone family's future. You've got to take this seriously! Plus, Liam's your son-in-law. Getting him to butter up Mr. Gibson for us should be a piece of cake for you!"The Stone family's three sons were always at odds, and though the second and third sons were concerned about the family's future, they could not help but feel a twinge of anticipation for the drama to unfold.It was no secret within the Stone family that Yafe and Sherah barely acknowledged Celena's existence, treating her almost like an adversary. Liam? His relationship with them was on even shakier ground.Trying to pull rank as the father-in-law? With an ordinary son-in-law, maybe, but with Liam, a man who commands respect like a deity, that was shaping up to be quite the spectacle.Yafe's face twisted uncomfortably as he listened to the murmurs around him. Yet, with Reginald and the entire Stone family watching
Celena finally snapped out of her daze, shaking her head in confusion. She turned to Liam with a grave look and asked earnestly, "Liam, do you actually know Mr. Gibson??"Liam chuckled and affectionately tousled her hair, saying, "I wasn't kidding, remember? I told you my dad and Mr. Gibson used to be on good terms..."Celena's heart clenched, and tears welled up in her eyes as she choked out, "Liam, I'm so sorry. I doubted you... I even snapped at you... I shouldn't have. I should've trusted you."Seeing the guilt written all over Celena's face, Liam gave her a soft smile, wrapped an arm around her waist, and comforted her, "Hey, it's alright. Don't beat yourself up. I'm not mad. With Mr. Gibson being who he is, your doubts were understandable. Now, no more tears, let's get back home."With that, Liam gently dabbed away her tears and took her hand, walking slowly with her by his side.The following morning, Celena headed out early for work while Liam, sticking to his routine, dro
As he spoke, the steel rod was still pointing at the guard with the busted head on the floor, sending shivers down the spines of the remaining guards!The tattooed giant of a man radiated danger, clutching a bloodied steel rod. Everyone in the room was frozen, none daring to act recklessly.The first floor's lobby was abuzz with chaos, and soon enough, Sunniva's assistant got the call.Bursting into the general manager's office, the assistant blurted out, "Ms. Bristow, we've got a huge problem! Someone barged into the company!!""What?"Sunniva, who had been busy with paperwork at her desk, furrowed her brow and inquired, "What's happening?""Um, Ms. Bristow, the front desk just called. A gang of about seven or eight troublemakers stormed in looking for you. They've already hurt one of our security guards, and they're causing a scene downstairs right now!"The assistant quickly briefed Sunniva on the situation on the first floor. Sunniva rose immediately, her high heels clicking
Sunniva stood there, an icy aura surrounding her as she spoke with a frosty edge, "Yes, that's right. I'm Sunniva, the General Manager of the Drunham City Bristow Group. If you've got something to say, say it to me directly." The muscular guy with the blond buzzcut chuckled darkly and waved over one of his goons, who approached with several boxes of medicine in hand. The blond giant tossed the boxes at Sunniva's feet and roared, "You're Sunniva? You're the one I've been looking for! Did your company make this stuff? My boss was doing okay, but after taking your meds, he's gotten worse, and now he's lying in a hospital bed, out cold!"You're nothing but a bunch of crooks, and you owe us an explanation today. If you don't, we're ready to risk it all to tear your company down so you can't keep pedaling your poison to innocent people!" Towering over Sunniva, even as she stood in heels, the man pointed at her menacingly, his face twisted with rage. Yet, his eyes roamed over her, linger
Sunniva's retort was a hair's breadth away from calling the guy out for the troublemaker he was.However, he had come to stir up trouble, and then, thrown by Sunniva's tough stance, he was at a loss for words."Damn, you witch, you're just dodging the bullet. No matter how you spin it, you can't hide the fact that your company's drugs are a mess!" the burly blond man shouted, anger boiling over as he swung a heavy hand at Sunniva's face.It was clear he would put his full strength behind the blow, enough to send her teeth flying if it connected!Nobody saw the attack coming, and the security guards froze while the women employees gasped and screamed in shock."Stop right there!"Just as the slap seemed destined for Sunniva's cheek, a chilling voice echoed from the company's entrance in the nick of time. Everyone turned to look and saw Liam, exuding authority, marching in.Liam's expression was icy, his presence commanding as he strode up to Sunniva. He glared at the burly blond
He himself was no stranger to a fight, and the fact that he could not even get up after being knocked down meant that Liam was also a skilled fighter.With that realization, the man's eyes filled with caution as he looked at Liam and began weighing his options.He was there on Jameson Green's orders from the Jade Lotus Pharma Group to stir up trouble at Bristow Group since the two were rivals. That was why he had been sent to cause a scene.Having accepted Jameson's money, he knew he had to deliver. His reputation for reliability was on the line. If he failed, how would he ever hold his head up in Drunham City again?In a flash, Newlin, the man with blond hair, had a plan. Ignoring the sharp pain wracking his body, he pushed himself off the ground, clutching his stomach and fixing Liam with a venomous stare. He roared, "Who in the world do you think you are? Do you have any idea who I am? Damn! Guys, let's take this punk down. Don't hold back! I've got your backs!"With Newlin's o
That no-nonsense, action-first attitude was downright impressive, a stark contrast to the male employees who scurried away, hoping to avoid the fallout.Sunniva was momentarily stunned by Liam's abrupt move. However, as she snapped back to reality, she stepped forward from behind him, her pretty face etched with annoyance.She shot Liam a frown, her eyes brimming with disapproval. Liam had many strengths, but his hot-headedness was not one of them. He acted first and thought later.The troublemaker had come looking for a fight, and then, thanks to Liam's impulsiveness, they were in a bind. If that incident blew up, what then?Sunniva's eyes flashed with irritation, and Liam could only offer a helpless shrug in response. Meanwhile, Newlin had finally grasped the situation. He clutched his swollen cheek, his face flushed with fury, and his eyes bloodshot and seething as he glared daggers at Liam. Newlin was livid. For a seasoned, tough guy who had been running the streets of Drun
Newlin was livid. If he did not put that twat in his place, he would lose all respect. He would be the butt of every joke!With that, Newlin's face twisted with rage as he bellowed, "Damn it!! Get him! Take him down! Break his limbs and toss him in the river for the fish!"However, what Newlin did not realize was that his face had swollen up like a balloon from those slaps, and his mix of fury and embarrassment made him look downright ridiculous, like a clown, setting off a wave of laughter from the security guards and employees watching the scene. Meanwhile, a few quick-thinking guards rushed to Sunniva's side to shield her. Even with Liam there, they could not afford to be careless. If those hotheads actually lost it and injured Sunniva, they would be toast. As Bristow Group's security, failing to protect their own CEO would mean kissing their jobs goodbye! The thugs hesitated, their faces a picture of uncertainty, not daring to make a move. However, Newlin, unable to contain
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