Celena turned to stare at him with a look of bewilderment. When she saw how overjoyed he was, however, she wrapped her arm around his neck and nodded, her eyes brimming with tears of joy. She was grinning from ear to ear. She took the marriage certificate from him and scrutinized it. Liam was so happy that he spun Celena around in his arms, the two of them giggling in sheer elation.Although it was a split-second decision to get married, neither of them regretted it even one bit!Celena still refused to put down the marriage certificates even after they returned home. "Where have you been, Celena? I've been looking for you for ages!" All of a sudden, Sherah emerged out of nowhere, followed closely behind by Qemal. Celena quickly hid the marriage certificates behind her and stared at Sherah and Qemal with a puzzled look. "What are you doing here? Why were you looking for me?"Sherah immediately caught sight of Celena hiding something behind her back. She thought Celena had take
Liam's blunt words set Sherah off like a firecracker!She was never so disrespected in all her years, except by Liam, who had the nerve to challenge her time and again since he came back."What did you just say? So what if I'm her stepmother? I'm still an elder in this family, and by law, I'm her mother! And who are you to challenge me? Do you think you can just marry her without my blessing? Over my dead body!" Sherah was livid, her voice rising with each word.She had plans, big plans, to introduce Celena to the rich and powerful men of Drunham City.Celena, a single mother with a beauty that turned heads in Drunham City, would be a catch for any rich man looking for a younger wife, and they wouldn't bat an eye at her having a child.There were plenty of childless tycoons in Drunham City, and Celena with her kid would fit right in.Liam had no time for Sherah's tantrums. He grabbed the marriage certificate from her grip and, with Celena in tow, strode past her.That's when She
Liam could only shake his head at their retreat. Turning around, he caught Celena's intense gaze, so straightforward it made him self-conscious."Is there something on my face?" he asked, touching his cheek.Celena giggled behind her hand, her voice soft as she said, "Thank you, Liam."His wife's gratitude brought a smile to his face. "You're my wife. It's my job to protect you, to keep the bullies at bay," Liam said.He quickly added, "And I won't let anyone bully you ever again."Celena blushed, her head bowed, her heart skipping like a deer in the woods.That's when Jovie popped up, leaning in the doorway, a big grin on his face. "Hahaha, Dad, look! Mom's blushing! She's blushing!"Celena, feigning indignation, chased after Jovie, "Oh, Jovie, you little fibber, you're going to get it now!"Truth be told, Jovie wasn't the least bit frightened. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she launched herself into Liam's arms, giggling, "Oh no, Daddy, Mom's gonna get me!"As she nest
"Give it up, Celena. My proposal's a shoo-in. What could you possibly have whipped up in four days? That's not even enough time to get the lay of the land. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and head home—save the humiliation. And it's not just the Stone family watching this time, but the entire board, the whole upper crust of The Stone Group!" Cheryl's voice dripped with scorn as she threw Celena a sidelong glance."And I'd skedaddle if I were you, to dodge the shame! What can a washout like you come up with? You're living in a fantasy!" Sherah chimed in, standing triumphantly by Cheryl's side, her earlier grievances with Celena in the little courtyard long forgotten in her moment of gloating.The Stone family members lingered at the entrance, their faces twisted in scorn as they sneered at Celena. They already made up their minds about which proposal they had back, having pored over both documents beforehand. One proposal was a masterpiece of precision, while the other was laughably
"Celena, you see? You can't beat me! I'm the victor!" Cheryl said, looking over at Celena, who was nervously twisting her fingers, her head down."The winner is Celena!"Mr. Stone paused, clearly taken aback.He stared at the list again, double-checking with his assistant. After a moment, the assistant gave a reluctant nod.The votes were in, and they were all cast in secret. Celena didn't even laid a finger on her proposal since she turned it in, making any chance of foul play a non-starter.The conference room was a sea of stunned faces as if they saw a ghost when they heard the winner's name."What the heck?! Celena won?""No way, there's got to be some mistake. Celena? She's never even set foot in the office. She's clueless—a total no-hoper. How on earth could she win?""Something smells fishy here. Celena outdoing Cheryl, who's been with us for years? I'm finding this hard to swallow!"The buzz of disbelief filled the room, nobody could wrap their head around the results.
In that heated moment, Cheryl's anger toward Celena boiled over. It was all because of her. Why did she have to return? Without Celena, Cheryl wouldn't have been humiliated in front of the entire Stone family and the company's top brass, their laughter echoing in her ears.Celena was the root of it all, the one to blame for Cheryl's disgrace.Unable to contain her fury any longer, Cheryl, her face contorted with rage, stormed toward Celena in a clatter of high heels. She swung her hand high and roared, "Celena!"Crack!Caught off guard, Celena did not see it coming. The forceful slap hit her squarely, and before she could even react, a stinging red mark appeared on her pale cheek, swelling up instantly.Cheryl's slap was fueled by pure spite, and the height of Celena's swollen face bore witness to the intensity of Cheryl's wrath.Off to the side, Qemal watched the drama unfold with a smirk, silently cheering on the spectacle.Dazed by the impact, Celena sat frozen, her eyes brim
Cheryl clutched her face, pain and shock rendering her speechless.Moments later, fury replaced her shock. She glared up at Liam and bellowed, "Liam! How dare you... how dare you hit me! This is the Stone family's territory. Do you dare to strike me here? Get out, all of you! Take that little bastard with you and get out of the Stone family's house!"Liam towered over her, his gaze icy and sharp enough to cut through the hysteria. A hint of lethal intent flickered in his eyes as he spoke with chilling calm, "Mind your language. What's it to you if I hit you? I'm not just brave enough to hit you—I could kill you if I pushed to it."Gurgle!His words struck Cheryl like a bolt of lightning, reverberating through her core.She watched Liam approach, step by deliberate step, and to her, he might as well have been the Grim Reaper himself, come to drag her to hell.His eyes were terrifying, his presence overwhelming."What are you doing? Stay back... I'm Grandpa's darling granddaughter
Meanwhile, at the Stone family's house.Cheryl, her face marred by bruises, cried in Yafe's study. "Dad, Liam has gone too far! Look what he did to my face, how badly he's hurt me! I won't just let this slide, and as for Celena..."Yafe's face darkened with fury as he threw the cup across the room, his voice thundering, "Liam has crossed the line, living under our roof and attacking you repeatedly! He shows no respect, Cheryl, come with me. We're going to see Mr. Stone. I can't believe he'd dare to act like this on our turf!"Cheryl hurried after him, worried, lacing her voice, "Dad, what about the deal? What do we do? Are we going to just roll over and let Celena have it?"With a distant smirk, Yafe replied, "Don't worry, I've got a plan up my sleeve."Let Celena take over? Not a chance. Even though she was his flesh and blood, Yafe never saw eye to eye with her. And with Liam in the picture, they would be left with nothing if she took control.They couldn't let Celena anywhere