Yafe's ego was properly stroked when he saw that everyone was looking at him with envy.He deliberately stayed silent to whet their appetite further.Looking at how eager everyone was, Yafe finally said, "I'm not trying to show off, but the person who met me was the assistant of the new commander-in-chief. He only seemed to invite our family. He didn't say—""Yes, yes!" Sherah immediately interjected, "Stop asking us anymore. He only invited our family to the party!"Walter's and Hayden's eyes filled with jealousy. They said, "Yafe, you were representing the Stone family to visit the newly appointed commander-in-chief today. Since he invited you all, it must surely mean the entire Stone family!"All direct line of descent Stone family should attend the party. We can't let the commander-in-chief think that we're showing him disrespect!"Hayden added, "Yes, that's right! What about Dad? This is such an important occasion. He should be there too!"At that moment, Hayden and Walter
Yafe did not want to bring Reginald to the party. If it was in the past when Yafe was closer to Reginald, he would surely consider Reginald first.However, ever since the last time when Rain came looking for trouble and Reginald would not save Yafe, he held a grudge against Reginald.Hearing what Reginald said, Yafe threw the question to Celena and Liam. He asked them, "Celena, Liam. You two were there as well. What do you think?"Celena felt a little troubled. She did not know what to say.Right at this moment, Liam suddenly said, "It's fine. I can take you all there, but I have a request.""Liam, just shut up!" Yafe's gaze darkened. He glared at Liam and rebuked, "Liam, do you know what you're asking? You're just a useless man who married into our family. You have no place to say anything. Just back off."Cheryl, who rushed over, overheard what Liam said. She also glared at Liam and Celena. She chided, "That's right! Liam, do you think you have any right to speak here? You, too
" Also, I think the cottage we're staying at is too small for my family of three. You need to give us a bigger place to live. If I remember correctly, the Stone Mansion still has many empty places, right?"Everyone looked at Liam in fury. Sherah's and Yafe's faces darkened.Sherah pointed at Liam and barked, "Liam! Shut up! You have no right to raise demands! Just fuck off!"Everyone was surprised as they looked at Liam. They just looked at him as if he was an idiot.As for Sherah, no one cared about her.Yafe chimed in coldly, "Liam, do you know what the hell are you talking about? Letting Celena be a deputy manager is already a huge favor. Are you saying she should be promoted to be a manager?"Walter added, "That's right. Liam, do you know what you are talking about? The places that belonged to our family were assigned accordingly. If everyone were to be like you, asking to get a new place because they thought their place was uncomfortable, the Stone family would descend into
Cheryl could not stand the thought of being lorded around by Celena in the office in the future.She turned to look at Celena, who was still in a daze, and said grimly, "Celena, this is all part of your plan, isn't it? You would do anything to get promoted!"Celena was still in a daze. She came to her senses after she heard what Cheryl said. She anxiously explained, "N-no! I-I never thought I would get promoted and a raise.""Just shut up!" Sherah was infuriated looking at Celena. She got even more annoyed as she thought about how she sided with them a moment ago.Sherah glared at Celena and chided, "Good one, Celena. You sure know how to put on an act. You dare say that this wasn't your doing? I'm warning you. You better come clean. If not, don't blame me for being ruthless!"Sherah was just about to hit Celena, but Liam stopped her.Liam glanced at Sherah coldly. "I don't think I asked for your opinion, right?""You!"Although Sherah shuddered at Liam's glare, the fury in her
The small mansion was usually taken care of, so it was unnecessary to clean it up. After Liam and Celena returned to their cottage, they packed up their things and moved into the small mansion. The small mansion had two stories. There were three rooms upstairs while the living room, dining room, and kitchen were on the first floor.Liam and Celena started unpacking after they got to their new home while Jovie ran around in excitement. After Jovie saw one of the rooms that was in pink, she got so excited that she started dancing.Jovie rushed to Liam, running around him in circles in excitement, and said, "Dad, am I getting my room? There's a pink room upstairs. It's super pretty!"Liam quickly put down the things he was holding and picked Jovie up. He brushed her nose gently and said with a smile, "What do you think? Do you like our new home? We'll be staying here from now on."Jovie nodded excitedly and said, "Mmhmm. I like this new home."Right at that moment, Celena came down
With a long black dress and a pair of silver heels, Celena looked like a dazzling star when she was out of the small mansion.Because she was attending a party, Celena purposely did makeup with great details. Anybody would be impressed by her with that long black dress and bright red lips.Celena was usually dressed quite modestly. This was her first time wearing such a sexy long dress, so she was not quite used to it, especially with the deep V-neckline. She kept feeling that she would expose herself.Celena held Liam's arm awkwardly and whispered, "Darling, would it be too inappropriate for me to wear this dress to the party? How about I change to another one?"Cheryl was awestruck by Celena when she walked out. However, once she noticed that Celena was also wearing a black dress, her expression darkened.She could not hold herself back after she heard what Celena said. Filled with jealousy, Cheryl said, "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you, Celena? You know I'm going to we
Cheryl complained to Yafe and Reginald, feeling indignant.Yafe had a sullen look as he looked at Liam frostily and said, "How bold of you, Liam! Who permitted you to slap her? Hurry up and apologize to Cheryl now! I won't hold back otherwise!"Celena was shocked. She did not think that Liam would suddenly slap Cheryl. Looking at Cheryl's swollen cheek, Celena smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Cheryl. I apologize on his behalf.""You're sorry?" Cheryl was fuming. Refusing to let it go, Cheryl shouted, "Do you think saying sorry would be enough? If I slap you, and then say sorry to you, would you be alright with that?"Celena was speechless. For a moment, she did not know what to say. She quickly gave Liam a signal with her eye, trying to get Liam to apologize to Cheryl.However, Liam said indifferently, "So what if I slap you? Since your father didn't teach you how to respect others, I don't mind teaching you!"Both Yafe and Cheryl looked incredibly sullen as soon as
"Uhm—"Sherah was stumped. Nobody gave her any invitation when she left the garrison that morning. Where was she supposed to get an invitation?Hearing that an invitation was needed, Yafe quickly stepped forward and explained with a smile, "Sir, this was what happened. We were here this morning and met the new commander-in-chief's assistant. He was the one who invited us. He didn't give us an invitation—"However, the soldier cut him off frostily before he could finish. He was blunt as he said, "Enough! Nobody's allowed to enter without an invitation. I order all of you to leave immediately. Otherwise, I'll execute all of you by shooting for trespassing into the garrison."Sherah got so anxious after she heard what the soldier said that her face became flushed. She just kept staring into the soldiers' eyes in a standoff.Seeing that, Cheryl strutted forward in her heels, swaying her slender hips. With a smile, she pushed the soldier's gun aside."Gosh, don't be so angry, sir. We
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
One of the muscle-bound goons stowed his submachine gun and drew a hefty machete, nearly a foot long, from his side. He advanced on Liam with deliberate steps.Calum and Cirocco were poised for a fight, ready to jump in at Liam's command and wipe out the roomful of petty thugs.However, Liam had other plans. He remained seated, an unfazed smirk playing on his lips, watching the approaching thug with the machete.The thug, mistaking Liam's calm for fear, grinned viciously and raised his machete, aiming for Liam's arm.However, in a flash, the scene changed.A figure hurtled through the air, and with a resounding crash, the thug was sent flying into the wine rack. The rack toppled, bottles shattering, their contents spilling and perfuming the air with the scent of alcohol.The thug hit the ground, blood spurting from his mouth, his eyes wide with shock. He lay there, lifeless, staring at Liam, dead before he hit the floor.The room plunged into a deathly hush.Corie clapped a h
Corie was also shaken, her fists clenched tight under the table as she watched Liam with wide, fearful eyes, barely managing to whisper, "Liam!"Liam stood there, steady as ice, without a trace of fear. "Don't worry, I've got this," he assured.Corie, seeing Liam's calm dismissal of the threat and recalling his proven strength, felt her fear ebb away.She could not explain it, but she had an unwavering faith in Liam.Across from them, Clifford lounged back, his legs thrown carelessly over the table, his gaze dripping with disdain. "You don't know who you're messing with, do you?" he sneered. "Karpos works for me, Clifford. And yet, you've got the gall to attack my men in broad daylight? You're in over your head!"Jeffrey was about to chime in, but one look at Liam's icy demeanor and he thought better of it, choosing instead to watch the scene unfold in silence.He was curious to see just how Liam would handle that.Liam chuckled, a sound as cold as the winter wind, and fixed Cli