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