Liam froze, as though he had not expected to be asked such a question, but when he caught sight of the crestfallen expression on Celena's face, he shook his head fervently and explained, "No, darling, listen to me. I didn't lie to you. You have to believe me…"He was cut off, however, by Cheryl, who snorted and snapped, "Liam, how dare you deny it? The colonel has already phoned the Pendragon War Zone to verify this, and it's been proven that no such position exists!"Celena stared at Liam with tearful eyes and whimpered, "Liam, are you truly a veteran? Have you been lying to me all this while?"Liam shook his head and tried even harder to explain, "No, Celena, I didn't lie to you. You have to trust me…"The colonel, upon hearing the Stones' assent that this was the man who had started this entire misunderstanding in the first place, approached Liam, eager to punish the culprit for his sheer audacity to impersonate a soldier. "So you are the one who impersonated a war veteran from
He had realized, with a startling pang of horror, that he had not only insulted the commander-in-chief's wife but had even pointed a gun straight at her head! Therefore, he hoped his peace offering would subdue some of Liam's anger enough to let this slide. Celena, however, had yet to recover from the shock of the encounter. She could not bring herself to utter a single word, but merely smiled and shook her head at Jefferson, before shooting Liam a puzzled look. Liam explained with a smile, "For safety reasons, we have all opted for nicknames while serving in the military. Not only that, but the military has made it a priority to reveal as little about its members' identities as possible, which was why none of them recognized my real name, and that no results could be yielded from the search using my name."Realization dawned on Celena, and she was satisfied enough with the answer that she did not ask any further questions. Some people, however, would not be patronized so easily
After all, the Stones were not among the wealthiest or most influential families in Drunham City, so it was really a wonder how they even got invited to such a prestigious event!The guests could not help but murmur in speculation of the new arrivals. Naturally, most of the attention was on Celena, who was easily the most attractive woman there! None of the men, not even the richest tycoons or the most well-connected moguls could find it in themselves to tear their eyes away from her. Celena wore a gorgeous black dress with a long train that hugged all her curves in the right places. She also had on a full face of makeup with a strikingly red lip that brought out her features, making her look glamorous and elegant at the same time. Of course, even without the makeup, Celena's beauty earned her attention everywhere she went. Cheryl was seething with jealousy when she realized that virtually all the men were ogling Celena with a mixture of stupefied awe and lust. She was so outraged
Kendrick was clearly just as surprised as Celena was to run into each other. He was also incredibly delighted to discover that the adorable little girl who could always be found just a few steps behind him had blossomed into a beautiful, sophisticated lady!Kendrick locked eyes with Celena, taking in her beautiful face and ravishing figure, and could not help but recall Celena's naive, childish claims of wanting to marry him when they grew up! He had always treated her words as nothing more than an innocuous joke, but now that they finally reunited as adults, his heart fluttered at the thought of this coming true. Celena was no doubt the most drop-dead gorgeous woman he had ever seen, and he was determined to make her his wife!A glimmer of lust flashed across Kendrick's face, and he raised his glass to Celena's. "Celena, it's been a long time since we last met. Have you been doing well?"Celena clinked her glass against his in a friendly toast and took a small sip of her drink. A
"Kendrick, let me introduce you to my husband, Liam Cole!"She then turned to Liam and said, "Liam, this is Kendrick Hyde. He was our neighbor growing up."The smile froze on Kendrick's face as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Husband?Celena was married?Was he too late?Kendrick stared in utter horror at Celena, like a husband betrayed by his once-devoted wife.Celena stared back at him in puzzlement, unable to fathom why Kendrick seemed so distressed at this new information. Kendrick, realizing how inappropriate his reaction was, quickly regained his composure. He forced a smile onto his face and extended his hand to Liam. "Liam, eh? Nice to meet you. My name is Kendrick."Although Kendrick's dismay had lasted barely five seconds, it did not manage to escape Liam's hawk-like eyes. He also swiftly picked up on the spite that flashed across Kendrick's face as the two men shook hands. Nevertheless, he met Kendrick's gaze head-on and shook his head graciously
Kendrick glanced down at Cheryl's arm, which was draped lovingly around his, but did not say anything. Instead, he allowed Cheryl to continue holding him and replied, smiling, "Of course I remember you, Cheryl. How can someone possibly forget such a gorgeous woman like you?""You're just as I remember you, Kendrick, always exaggerating everything! What are you doing here anyway?" Cheryl giggled at this. Although she feigned modesty, one could tell by the glee on her face that she was secretly enjoying Kendrick's attention.The Stones and the Hydes were next-door neighbors, and Cheryl, being only a few years younger than Celena and Kendrick, always used to totter around behind them eagerly as children. Unfortunately, Kendrick was so enamored by Celena at that time that he had never given Cheryl so much as a glance.If anything, perhaps Kendrick's preference for Celena over her had formed a pivotal foundation of her hatred toward Celena. Cheryl had fallen for Kendrick back then and
Cheryl sneered at this. "A man of great character or talent? I'm afraid you're wrong once again, Kendrick! Of course, I wouldn't try to deny Liam of any true talent, for it takes a man of great courage to be content with leeching off his wife's family!"Kendrick mirrored Cheryl's disdain, but upon seeing Celena's face fall, he wiped the smirk from his face and hastily changed the subject. All of a sudden, Liam's phone rang. It was a message from Joseph, but he did not reveal any more information apart from relaying that it was an urgent situation that required Liam's help.Liam knew something bad must have happened, so he quickly excused himself from the conversation and left, after lying to Celena that some of his old comrades were looking for him.Celena murmured in acknowledgment, "Alright. I'll be here waiting for you."Liam beamed at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly. Before he left, however, he turned to shoot Kendrick a sharp, meaningful glance, one that could only be
Celena was so taken aback by Kendrick's sudden declaration of love that she stood there, rooted to the spot, as though she had been struck by lightning. It took her a few moments to finally snap out of her stupor, but by that time, Kendrick's erratic behavior had already earned some strange glances from the guests closest to them.Celena, pale with fear and panic, quickly drew her hand out of Kendrick's grasp and said, "Kendrick, I have no idea what you're talking about! As I mentioned, those were just harmless jokes, I…"Kendrick, I hope you understand that I'm now married. I love my husband very much, and I've only ever thought of you as a brother… Please don't do this…"Sensing everyone's gaze burning in the back of her head, Celena turned and fled.Kendrick would not allow the love of his life to get away, so he chased after her like a moth to a flame, leaving Cheryl standing there alone. Her face contorted into an ugly snarl as she watched Celena and Kendrick disappear from vi
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