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
Yafe's shock topped them all. It was not long ago that Celena had ratted him out to Reginald for his own little embezzlement scheme. Then, there she was, caught red-handed with her own stash of 150 thousand dollars.Yafe lost it right there and then, his face twisted in rage as he bore down on Celena, bellowing, "Celena, you've got some gall! Sneaking around with 150 thousand dollars? You jeopardized the company for a measly 150 grand??""Mr. Stone, Celena's heartlessness knows no bounds!" someone chimed in."Can you believe it? For a measly 150 thousand dollars, someone would do something so cruel. We're talking about five human beings, five lives!""Mr. Quigley, you've got to take this vile woman away and throw the book at her. She's despicable!""And you, inspector, thank you. If you hadn't cracked this case, we'd all still be clueless!""Celena, you sure had us fooled, huh? When you were talking about Mr. Yafe Stone... we actually thought you were one of the good ones. Turns
"We feel deeply sorry for the five people who were injured, and we will follow the relevant procedure and make compensations. "As for the issue that everyone is most concerned about, which is whether Celena has accepted a bribe, the relevant department is currently looking into it. Please don't worry. "If Celena was found guilty of bribery and passed off poor quality materials as good ones after we got to the bottom of it, we absolutely won't let her off the hook, even if she's family. We definitely will punish her severely if justice demands it."Yafe made his stance clear as the representative of the Stone family. After the press conference, the attitude of the people of Drunham City eased up. However, the public opinion on the issue was still very terrible.After the press conference, Yafe, Walter, Hayden, and their families, as well as the relatives of the Stone family, gathered at the Stone Mansion.Reginald was initially resting in his room. After he learned about the situ
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
The moment Clifford left, Kastor turned to Liam with a wide grin, all hint of his hostility now gone. "Mr. Cole, thank God I arrived just in time."He raised his brows as he said this, and Liam took this to mean he was trying to claim credit. Truth be told, he would have been able to handle things on his own even without Kastor's help, but he decided this was a detail Kastor did not need to know. Instead, he returned Kastor's smile graciously. Kastor, like a child, burst into laughter at this. No further words were exchanged, but they understood the message nonetheless.Jeffrey also grinned. "Kastor, what brings you here all of a sudden?"Kastor replied, "Ah, you might not know this, Mr. Stein, but I actually own this very restaurant that you're sitting in right now. One of my employees called me for help, citing that a brawl was about to break out, so I rushed over immediately. I had no idea it would turn out to be you and Mr. Cole!""Ah, what a pleasant surprise, then!" Jeffrey
Clifford scowled upon hearing this. He cracked his knuckles menacingly as he stared at Kastor through narrowed eyes.Kastor did not seem at all intimidated by this. Instead, he brushed past him and approached Liam, smiling. "Mr. Cole, I apologize for the delay. I rushed over as soon as I heard the news, but I was late anyway. I'm so sorry for the wait."Liam's expression eased up slightly. He tugged the corners of his mouth into a strained smile but did not reply. Clifford's expression turned even more sour when he sensed Kastor's tone. He asked sharply, "What is the meaning of this, Kastor? Are you intent on making me your enemy?"Clifford's reputation was known far and wide, and many feared him, but Kastor was not one of them. He shot Clifford a look of utmost disdain and replied, smirking, "Yes, Clifford, that's exactly what I'm going to do. So what if we will be enemies from now on? What are you going to do about it?"He was confident that Clifford would not dare to retaliate