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
Crash!Out of nowhere, the courtyard door was kicked off its hinges! Mr. Stone, face like thunder, hobbled in on his cane, with Cheryl, sporting a bruised cheek, at his side, steadying him. Yafe followed, looking just as sour."Grandpa! Dad!"Celena, jolted by the racket, dropped her papers and rushed to meet them.However, Cheryl was on her like a storm, scattering Celena's papers to the wind before slapping her hard across the face. "I warned you! I won't let this slide! You had the nerve to hit me!"Stunned by the blow, Celena's eyes brimmed with tears.It was the second time today Cheryl slapped her.In front of her grandfather and father, no less. She couldn't fathom why the Stones had it in for her so badly. Wasn't she one of them?Why such a stark difference in the way they treated her, even though she was a granddaughter, a daughter, just like the others?Mr. Stone didn't bat an eye at the slap. He snorted with disdain and stepped forward, his voice icy as he demanded,
"Celena, we're home!""Mommy, guess what Jovie got for you? Jovie got you lots of yummy treats, come on, tell me I did good!"At the yard's entrance, Liam walked in with Jovie in his arms, only to find Celena on the ground, her sobs filling the room. Liam's expression darkened, and he quickly set Jovie down, his heart squeezing with worry. He was only away briefly, and already she was hurt again.Celena looked up through tear-stained eyes, her sense of injustice deepening. Sitting on the chilly floor, she caught Liam's look of concern, lunged for his embrace, and let her tears flow freely."Liam," she cried, "Grandpa took the deal away, he gave my proposal to Cheryl. Why? Why does he do this to me? I'm his granddaughter too, why is he so distant toward me?"At that moment, Celena let out all her pent-up hurt and confusion.Jovie, wise beyond her years, wrapped her arms around Celena, tenderly drying her tears while her own began to fall. "Don't cry, Mommy. Please, no more tears.
"Don't come any closer! Liam, are you out of your mind? Back off, remember this is the Stone family's home, I'm Celena's dad. If you kill me, what about Celena and Jovie?" Yafe's plea was desperate, his words jumbled as he scrambled backward on the floor.Cheryl was petrified, too scared to even wipe the blood from her mouth, shaking uncontrollably as she sat huddled by the pillar.Liam's voice was chilling, a harbinger of doom that echoed in the depths of their souls."You all, you're gonna pay for this! After all the times you've hurt Celena, you have the nerve to bring her up?"Liam's voice was a thunderclap. He reared back, his foot poised to unleash a kick.However, before he could strike, a swarm of the Stone family's bodyguards burst in. Batons at the ready, they encircled Liam in a tight ring.Yafe and Cheryl seized the chaos to scramble up from the dirt, cowering behind the wall of muscle, their voices seething with rage. "Get him! Beat the hell out of him! Make him regr
Celena was begging on the ground profusely. No matter how Liam pulled her, she just would not get up. She could not let Liam be homeless and get hurt again."Hmph!" Reginald looked at Celena with contempt because she was kneeling on the ground and begging without shame for Liam. He snorted and said, "Get lost, Celena! You shameless fool! You're willing to kneel and plead for this loser! Listen to me, it’s impossible! If you don’t get out of the way now, I’ll banish you from the Stone family too!" He then looked away from Celena and glared at Liam coldly. "Didn't you understand what I said? What are you waiting for? Get him! There's no need to worry if Celena dares to stop you. Just kick her out as well!" As soon as he said that, a dozen bodyguards from the Stone family rushed toward Liam again.However, a cold voice was heard from behind them."Who dares to touch him?"Everyone froze and looked toward the source of the sound. Then, they saw soldiers in full tactical gear
Reginald quickly explained, "Lieutenant Andrews, you misunderstood, I was just-"Reginald was desperate to explain, but it was a fact that they were violently trying to throw Liam and Celena out! Lieutenant Andrew did not give him any chance to explain. With a wave of his hand, a soldier from behind him brought forward a contract to him.He said while looking at Celena, "Ms. Stone, this is your collaboration contract with the Max Group. I'm worried that the staff may not get it right so I have come to deliver it to you personally. Although I'm not entirely clear what happened between you and the Stone family, I must warn some people! "This contract is the collaboration contract between you and the Max Group. Besides you, no one else has the right to sign it. The Max Group will also only recognize you. If we find out that the signature was not by you and perjury was committed against the Max Group, then we won't leave the matters alone!"With that said Lieutenant Andrews glared a
The item in the velvet box was a gold Medal of Honor! Seeing that Liam accepted it, Lieutenant Andrews had an even bigger smile on his face. He finally accomplished the mission given to him by his superior. He then looked kindly toward Celena and said, "Ms. Stone, do you have anything else you need me to take care of for you right now?"Celena was stunned for a while. She took a glance at Reginald in fear and shook her head. "Lieutenant Andrews, thank you for your kindness. It's just that what they say is also true. I'm indeed lacking in skill, so would it be possible for my sister to also participate in this project?" Celena asked after some thought. This was originally a good intention on Celena's part. However, to Cheryl's ears, this only sounded like Celena was humiliating her. It was as if the projects that she wanted were all bestowed upon her by Celena, and this made her uncomfortable.She was going to scold Celena out of instinct, but she immediately saw Lieutenant An
After finishing what he had to say, Reginald walked off with his walking stick and left the cottage, disregarding Cheryl's unwilling expression.After Liam and Celena returned to their cottage, Samantha and Sawyer came to visit them with bags of presents in an attempt to flatter them."Dearest Celena! These are health supplements that I bought for you. This is for Jovie. Have a look and see if you like them!" Samantha was full of smiles as she walked in with the presents. She was full of honeyed words as held Celena's hand, acting like they were very close and as if Celena was her daughter.Sawyer followed close behind gleefully. "Celena, congratulations on landing this project! You must have so much to do for this project that you and Cheryl wouldn't be able to handle by yourselves. How about you arrange for me to be involved? I can also help you!" Celena was already light-headed with Samantha's brown-nosing. With Sawyer's request at that moment, she pitifully looked at Liam fo
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