It took a moment for the Stone family reps and the company bigwigs to shake off their shock. A few of the execs, who were right in the thick of it, were all thumbs as they tried to scoop up the papers that had gone flying across the table."What's happening here? How did a safety accident even happen?""Good Lord! Shoddy materials? And five workers caught up in safety incidents, what's really going on?""Celena, how are you running this project? How come there's shoddy materials at the build site?""Now what? Five people in accidents, how much cash are we gonna have to shell out?""Are you just talking nonsense? Is money the issue right now? We're in this with Max Group, and if they catch wind we used cheap stuff, they could come after us!!""What do we do now?? If this gets out, isn't Stone Group toast?""Celena, you owe us some answers today. How are you running things? Why are there cheap materials at the construction site?"The room was electric as the Stone family's people
Cheryl's accusation was crystal clear: she was charging Celena with swapping out quality materials for cheap knockoffs to line her own pockets!Celena's eyes brimmed with panic, and she shook her head frantically in denial. "It's not true... I haven't... I haven't profited from this...""Hmph!"Yafe had zero patience for her excuses, cutting her off with a contemptuous snort. "Listen up, Celena. You're the one calling the shots on the Max Group project. This mess is on you, and you're going to fix it."Celena, I've kept a lid on this for now, but it won't stay quiet forever. You're the project lead, so you better hustle up a solution, and fast."And if this blows up and jeopardizes our deals with Max Group and Mr. Miller, are you ready to face the music?"The moment Yafe's words hung in the air, the Stone family's representatives and the company's top brass were all on edge. If that snafu tanked the deal with Max Group and Mr. Miller, the Stone Group stood to lose a fortune!For
The assistant, visibly shaken by Yafe's outburst but driven by the gravity of the situation, did not bother with an explanation. He dashed to the conference table, grabbed a cell phone, and flicked on the TV.The screen showed a live broadcast from Drunham City's local news, zooming in on several Stone Group construction sites.The camera panned over crowds of people at the sites, waving banners that screamed accusations, [Shoddy materials cause severe injuries to five], [The Stone Group's dirty dealings], [Profiting off workers' lives], [The Stone Group's vile business won't end well], and more.The area was swarming with workers, their families, and locals rallying for justice, all waving banners and chanting with fervor, throwing the place into total disarray.The TV crew was there, filming the whole commotion, and the reporter, Rosie, was on air, her voice charged with urgency, "Good evening. I'm Rosie, reporting live. We've learned from the victims' families here that these co
Meanwhile, the Stone Group was hit with a shutdown order, forcing all their factories and construction sites to halt and face an investigation.The controversy quickly boiled over, and soon, Drunham City's advocates for justice were outside the Stone Group's headquarters, brandishing massive protest signs.[Stone Group! Heartless profiteers! You've ignored the lives of your workers!!][Celena! Heartless profiteer! Ignoring the lives of workers, come out and face us!!][Celena! Show yourself!! Wicked woman!!][Stone Group, nothing but heartless profiteers! Ignoring the lives of workers, this company needs to get out of Drunham City!!][Yes!! Get out of Drunham City! Get out of Drunham City!!]...The entrance to the Stone Group was a scene of pandemonium, with workers and townspeople loudly demanding justice, their faces alight with passion. Some were so riled up they seemed ready to storm the Stone family's offices!Inside, the Stone family's security and staff were scrambling
"Right away!"His command was met with immediate action as his followers sprang into motion.Yafe's heart raced; he quickly retracted his hand and blurted out in a panic, "Hold on, hold on, Mr. Quigley! Why are you after me? I haven't broken any laws! Sure, I'm the Vice Chairman, and I oversee the company, but the safety incident that happened? That was on Celena's watch, not mine. If you're looking to pin this on someone, she's your mark!"Sweat drenched Yafe's back as he thrust Celena into the limelight. That was no small matter, it had even rattled the Deputy Chief of the State Safety Incident Department. The stakes were sky-high.Yafe dashed to Celena's side and, with a swift tug, pulled her forward, yelling, "Mr. Quigley, this is Celena! If you're here to take someone, she's your target. She's the head honcho of this whole project!"Cidda, hearing that, gestured for pause, and the two officers halted. He then turned a sharp eye on Celena, giving her a once-over before asking
"Are you clueless or just playing dumb? The accident happened because your team used faulty materials! That's why we're in this mess!"You're talking about betting your life? What about the five workers in the hospital, clinging to life? Have you seen them? Have you been to the accident site? If you had, could you still so casually say you'd put your life on the line?""The stakes were high—five lives hung in the balance. If they hadn't been saved, we'd be mourning in five different homes! Do you think a simple 'I didn't cut corners, I'd stake my life on it' is going to make this go away?" Cidda's words hit Celena like a ton of bricks, leaving her frozen in place.Ever since Yafe had slammed those papers onto Celena's desk, her mind had been spinning. She had only just heard about the accident and had not even had a chance to check out the scene before the news broke, and they were all called into that urgent meeting.Cidda caught Celena's bewildered look and snorted with a sneer,
The Stone Group was riding high on a wave of new deals, all thanks to their high-profile hook-ups with the Max Group and Mr. Miller. However, if those big shots walked away, it was like a house of cards. Everything else could come crashing down.If that happened, it was game over for the Stone Group, and the Stone family was history.Celena knew the stakes but could not help but try to clear her name. With her back against the wall, she pleaded with Cidda, "I swear, I checked out those materials myself. They're top-notch, no question. I've got all the paperwork to prove it—certificates, inspections, you name it, I can show you."She shook her head, bewildered, "It's too weird. Seven sites, all with safety issues on the same day? That can't be a fluke. Someone's got it in for me, trying to drag down the Stone Group. You've got to dig deep, Mr. Quigley. We need the truth, for my sake, for the company's."Celena would not stake her reputation on just anything, but those materials? She
Celena felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she realized she was the one they were after. Her face lost more color, and she could barely control the tremble in her body.Gripping her hands into tight fists, Celena took a deep breath to calm her nerves and managed to say, "Hello, I'm Celena."The inspector's icy stare finally landed on her, taking her in with a look that could freeze the sun. He seemed taken aback that the head of the construction unit involved in the recent accident was such a striking young woman.After a moment, he handed over the stack of documents to Celena and said in a steely voice, "Ms. Stone, good to meet you. We're the commissioners from Drunham City's Safety Inspection Department, working with the state's joint law enforcement on this one. We've been looking into the five safety incidents at your construction sites, and our investigators have been on the ground gathering evidence as soon as they got the word."After a thorough investigation, the evidence
However, Andy was a smooth talker, so the eldest member of the Drayton family liked him. Because of that, the head of the family tolerated him. That was why Andy, who was just a member of the branch family, dared to be so cocky.Andy saw Howard standing at the side from the corner of his eye as he spoke. He thought of what Howard said earlier, and that made his blood boil.He pointed at Howard and bellowed, "Uncle Derrick, this Howard is trash as well. You have no idea. I told him I was a member of the Drayton family, yet he did not take our family seriously at all."Not only did he have his men capture me, but he said cockily that he wanted to lock me up forever, and nobody could stop him."Weren't you very cocky before this, Mr. Mosier? Go on. Continue acting cocky in front of my uncle now. Detain me and lock me up forever."Andy took a couple of steps closer to Howard as he said that. He extended his hands arrogantly and said, "Come on. I have my hands stretched out for you. Hu
Soon, Andy and the thugs from the nightclub yesterday were released.Andy saw Derrick standing at the entrance of the police headquarters at a glance. He got so excited that he shouted, "Uncle Derrick! Uncle Derrick!"Fletcher's subordinates were incredibly excited to see Derrick as well. All of them shouted, "Mr. Derrick Drayton!"One of the subordinates was in Drunham City because Derrick arranged for him to be there. After he was brought to Derrick's side, he smiled apologetically and said, "Thank you for saving me, sir. Don't worry. Fletcher's faction and properties are all here. I'll be able to rebuild the faction here very soon."In other words, even if Fletcher was out of the picture, he would be able to thrive in Drunham City and replace Fletcher.However, Derrick shot an icy glare at him and sneered. "Hmph! How shameless of you to say that? There are so many of you, yet you can't deal with a small loser who only married into the Stone family."If it wasn't because this w
Howard did not expect that the Drayton family would have a connection with the Carter family. They could even produce a token from the Carter family."Mr. Derrick Drayton, I didn't expect that your family and the Carters go way back. You even got the Carter family's token out," said Howard.Derrick sneered and said, "Enough with the nonsense. Howard, my family did the Carter family a favor back then, that's why the general of the Carter family gave this token to us. He promised us that we could take out this token if we were ever in a bind in the future, and they would help us!"I'm taking out this token today to tell you that I'm going to bail Andy out of here. I'd like to see who in Drunham City has the guts to stop me!"Howard was stunned, and then he fell silent.He did not think that Derrick would take out a token from the Carter family.The Carter family was the top family in Mirstone. Nobody in Mirstone would dare to go against the Carter family. Derrick became even more
Meanwhile, Derrick and his men were already at the entrance of the police headquarters.Derrick's eyes were burning with rage as he looked at the door that was shut tightly. A sneer appeared on his lips as he said, "Hmph. Looks like they already know I'm coming, so they are deliberately trying to assert dominance."Then, he asked his driver next to him, "Where are our men? Have they all arrived?"The driver nodded and said, "They're here, Mr. Derrick. They are all waiting at the side. We'll tear down the main door to the police headquarters once you give the command."Derrick nodded with satisfaction. Then, he shouted at the police headquarters, "Howard! You're just the chief of the police headquarters! How dare you lock me outside?""I'd like to see how powerful you are today, Howard! Come on, guys. Take it down!"At his command, a group of burly men rushed out of the black van next to him. They were all holding thick bats, and they rushed up to the door ferociously.Right at t
At first, Yafe and the rest of the Stone family were stunned after they heard what Liam said. Then, they all burst out laughing.Yafe looked at Liam with a mocking gaze and said, "Are you kidding me, Liam? You're going to get the Draytons to come and apologize in person? Come on, that's the Drayton family we're talking about! Do you think they are just some nobody?"Right now, I don't want to waste my breath anymore. As long as you're able to stop the Drayton family from targeting us, I'm more than grateful. Don't you forget that you're the one who wanted to leave the Stone family? So, stop dragging us into your mess."Liam shot the crowd with an icy glare and brought Celena out of the Stone Mansion.Celena was still in a slight daze after they got into the car. Liam put on her safety belt for her and asked, "What's the matter, dear? Are you still worried about the Draytons?"Celena nodded and replied, "Yes. After all, all these were caused by the conflict between Andy and us. Jus
Liam wanted to ask what the family heirloom was, but he had no choice but to let it be after he heard what Yonatan said.However, Liam heard Yonatan's voice again, saying, "I've never seen that thing, but I heard from the Drayton family members that it was from a big shot in the military."The military?Liam's eyebrows furrowed once he heard it had something to do with the military. Then, he kicked Yonatan away, making him land next to the thugs.Yonatan passed out because of that kick.Once the thugs saw their leader was out cold, they took a couple of steps back in fear.However, Liam did not care about them at all. He looked at Yafe and the others instead.Once the Stone family members saw that they were out of the woods, they became cocky again.Yafe and Sherah, in particular, were so cocky that they ran up to Liam and condemned him, "Look what you've done! You're bad luck! What else can you do other than cause us trouble? Do you know who that is? He is from the Drayton fam
Yonatan was infuriated and bellowed, "So this is how you're going to play! Alright! I'm not going to stop until I kill you today!"Yonatan was radiating an intense desire to battle. That was the air exuded by a fighter of Fourth Order War King caliber.The Stone family was so frightened by the air he exuded that their faces turned pale. All of them took more than ten steps back in fear, afraid they would be injured by mistake.Yonatan clenched his fist and charged at Liam like a ferocious beast. His fist was packing so much power that it created a sonic boom, cutting through the air and going for Liam's face.The punch was so powerful that it could kill a bull right away.The Stone family thought Liam was going to die. Nobody would be able to survive a punch like that.Yonatan thought the same. He was very confident in his ability. He looked into Liam and knew he used to be a soldier, as well as a good fighter. However, so what?No matter how skilled Liam was in combat, could he
The moment Liam stepped into view, the Stone family members lit up as if they had spotted their guardian angel. They pointed at him, their voices rising in a chorus of relief and accusation. "Mr. Yonatan, look over here! It's Liam! I said they weren't with us!""Exactly! Mr. Yonatan, see for yourself, Liam's not part of our family!""Mr. Yonatan, now that Liam's here, if you're looking to pin the blame on someone, he's your man!""Liam, you actually showed up. If you hadn't crossed the Drayton family, would we, the Stones, have ever been dragged into this mess?""Liam, Celena, you two are nothing but trouble. You've left the family, so why keep stirring the pot for us?"...The air crackled with the Stone family's collective outrage, their faces twisted in anger as if they were ready to rip Liam and Celena to shreds.Celena and Liam's arrival was pure happenstance. They were just in the neighborhood to check in on an old friend when they overheard Yonatan's boastful taunts.Lia
Yonatan did not even bother to look at him. He checked his watch with a chilling laugh and said, "You've got ten minutes for Liam to show up. Don't say I didn't warn you."The words sent a wave of shock through Yafe and the rest of the Stone family, who stared at Yonatan, panic-stricken.Yafe was a mess, desperate to explain, but the sight of Yonatan's henchmen, eager and ready for a fight, stopped him dead in his tracks."Mr. Yonatan, I swear it's the truth. Liam has nothing to do with the Stone family anymore. You've made a mistake!"Yafe's face was flushed with urgency as he tried to convince the unmoved man."It's true, Mr. Yonatan! Liam and Celena were kicked out of the Stone family ages ago.""That's right! He's got nothing to do with us anymore. If you're after Liam, go to the villa at Emerald Lake. He's there, not here with us.""Mr. Yonatan, if you head over to Drunham City and ask anyone, they'll tell you the same thing: Liam and Celena have no ties to us Stones anymor