If Liam got roughed up in the security office, how on earth would they explain it to Kendall? "Scram!" Ricardo, already a ticking time bomb, was incensed when a lowly security guard dared to intervene. With a scowl and a snarl, he barked and then landed a fierce kick on the guard, shouting, "Who do you think you are to speak here? Get out, or you'll be next!" No sooner had he spoken than Ricardo's two henchmen followed suit, their faces stormy as they herded the rest of the guards out of the office and slammed the door shut, locking it tight.Ricardo spun around, his eyes icy as they locked onto Liam. With a mocking laugh, he wasted no time, flicking on his stun baton and jabbing it at Liam's gut.A crackling noise filled the air, quickly followed by the acrid smell of burning flesh.Thud!A body hit the floor hard, the impact so heavy it seemed to shake the ground itself. Ricardo was no lightweight, that was for sure.The two guards by the door were still processing the scene w
The guard jerked as the shock hit him, convulsing wildly before his baton clattered to the ground. He slumped down, eyes rolling back. Liam watched the guard crumple with a mirthless chuckle, then kicked him in the gut. The guard flew like a ragdoll, slamming into the office door and leaving a human-shaped crater.The lone security guard left standing was gripping his baton, his face etched with sheer panic, sweat beading on his forehead. Liam shot him a chilling look, and the guard shook like a leaf, dropping his baton and bowing deeply, pleading through tears, "Mr. Cole... I'm sorry, I was wrong, please don't hit me... Forgive me, I realize my mistake... I had no choice. Mr. Nicoson told us to come after you. He's the company's VP, and he'd fire me if I disobeyed..."Mr. Cole, have mercy, I'm not to blame..."The guard was a mess, sobbing and begging, darting glances at his downed colleague and Ricardo still sprawled on the floor, fear gripping him anew. No wonder he was Ms. Bri
With that, Liam stepped off. The guard scrambled up, bolting from the security department, not even glancing back at Ricardo and his buddy still sprawled on the floor.The young guard sprinted from the security office to the company's front gate, gasping for air. Glancing back and seeing no sign of Liam, he allowed himself a moment of intense relief.Fumbling for his phone, he dialed Ivar's number with shaking hands.Ivar's icy voice cut through the moment the call connected. "What's up? Is it done?"Swallowing hard, the guard replied, "Mr. Nicoson, we've got trouble. Captain Abaden's out cold. Liam got him, and the rest of us took a beating too...""What!?"Fresh out of the hospital with his arm in a sling, Ivar exploded with fury at the entrance, unleashing a string of curses."You're all useless! Can't handle the simplest task—what do I pay you for? To mess around?"You let one bodyguard take you down? All of you?"Useless, a lot of you! You're done! Don't bother showing up
Xora had Ivar all figured out. With just one move, she managed to douse the flames of his fury. His face was still a storm cloud, but it was a touch lighter than before. Ivar shoved his phone down the front of Xora's shirt and, without missing a beat, his hand landed with a thud on her backside, his eyes glinting with a dark edge. "What else could it be but Liam? I'm going to put him in his place, show him what happens when he crosses me!!" he growled.The mention of Liam soured Xora's expression too. She spat out, "Mr. Nicoson, Liam is insufferable. You're the company's VP, and he doesn't show you an ounce of respect, even has the nerve to get physical with you!"Confusion flickered across her face as she continued, "Mr. Nicoson, I don't get it. You're the VP. Why do you let Liam, just a bodyguard, keep challenging you?"She should not have brought it up. The mere mention reignited Ivar's anger, and he snapped, "You think I don't want to sort him out? Did you forget about Sunniva a
Every time Liam crossed his mind, a tidal wave of anger threatened to overflow. Right then, hearing Xora's words only fueled his impatience. He was seething at the thought of not being able to sort Liam out that very instant and then toss him out of Drunham City for good.Without wasting a moment, Xora whipped out her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and made a call. Her smile was alluring as she cooed into the phone, "Isandro, it's me. Remember me?"There was a brief silence on the line before a deep voice responded, "Who is this?"Xora, who had expected her beauty to be unforgettable, felt a twinge of awkwardness as her smile faltered.Still smiling, she pressed on, "Isandro, you must have a lot on your plate to forget little old me. It's Xora, remember?"Recognition dawned on Isandro, and his tone warmed up. "Ah, Xora! What's the occasion for your call today? Need something from me?"Casting a quick glance at Ivar, who was intently watching her, Xora replied with a grin,
"Are you okay, Ms. Nacht?" Liam asked, the picture of chivalry.Holly, caught off guard by the collision and the subsequent realization that she had been in Liam's arms, blushed fiercely and retreated several steps. She touched her hair nervously, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Ah... I... I'm fine," she managed to say, her voice faltering. Her cheeks were then the color of ripe apples as she scurried away from Liam.Watching Holly's flustered exit, Liam shook his head with a wry smile. "This girl," he muttered to himself.Back at his desk with time to kill, Liam pulled out his phone and started scrolling through the latest viral videos, chuckling at the absurdity. Before he knew it, the clock struck past four. The emergency meeting that had convened the department heads earlier had wrapped up, and one by one, the managers emerged from the conference room, their faces etched with concern and haste.The marketing department was thick with tension as the managers returned to their
Liam had some inkling of the project's significance, and he was well aware of the blood, sweat, and tears Sunniva had poured into it.Lost in thought, his reverie was broken by Thora's boss stepping in."Mr. Cole, the boss is back—I've got to run."With that, Thora scooped up the papers from her desk and scurried back to her workstation.After a moment's deliberation, Liam decided to lend Sunniva a helping hand. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he grabbed his phone and ducked into the restroom.He dialed Kolten and laid out the Bristow Group's dire straits. Kolten, on the other end, grasped the gravity of the situation immediately.Kolten asked with a polite tone, "Mr. Cole, could you clarify what you mean?"Liam gave a nonchalant hum and said, "Take a look and handle it for me, will you? Put some investment into the Bristow Group over in Drunham City.""Sure thing, I'll get on it right away," Kolten replied with a nod.After ending the call, Liam stepped out
Liam's eyebrows were tightly furrowed. He immediately figured out what was going on as soon as he turned back and glanced at the living room.Since he did not set an appointment with Joseph, then there could only be one possibility—someone was impersonating Mr. Miller and contacted Celena.Celena had been tricked.Once Joseph realized what was going on, he quickly said over the phone, "Someone must be impersonating you and got in contact with your wife. Don't worry. I'll go find out what's going on right away.""Mmhmm. You have to hurry!" Liam hung up the call upon saying that. His expression darkened, and his gaze was bone-chilling. Who the hell had the audacity to trick Celena by impersonating him?Right as Liam was still trying to guess who it was who pretended to be him, Celena suddenly knocked on the door and urged, "Liam, are you ready?"Liam put away his phone, quickly got changed, and replied, "I'll be done soon. I'm putting on my clothes."Liam got dressed in an insta
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