With that being said, however, none of them planned to sell out their master, so they ignored Liam and turned to walk away.Liam called out after them, the ghost of his smile still playing on his face, but now his eyes were ablaze with malice, "It was the Yeagers, wasn't it?"Although he posed this as a question, there was no hint of doubt in his tone. The three of them froze, clearly stunned by how quickly Liam had worked everything out. Garna Fuege had no intention of revealing his master or remaining even a minute longer in Liam's presence, so he turned and stomped away. Alec was still affronted by the incredibly unreasonable request he had been forced to accept, so the last thing he wanted was to hold a conversation with the man who had brought his humiliating defeat. He turned and followed quickly in Garna Fuege's wake. Al Cronck, on the other hand, lingered behind and stared at Liam with a strange expression. All of a sudden, he said, "King Pendragon, I have to admit th
Liam smiled when he found himself surrounded by throngs of concerned faces. He patted the shoulder of every person he brushed past, and finally, he turned to see the red-rimmed eyes of Black Rose, who was on the verge of tears with worry. He stroked her hair reassuringly, smiling. "Don't worry! I'm fine! You should be more worried about Calum, you know!"Black Rose immediately sprinted to the jeep to check on Calum. She almost fainted when she laid eyes on the injuries Calum had sustained. It seemed that no inch of his skin was left intact, and although Liam had tended to them the best he could, he still warranted a consultation with the military doctor.The military doctor soon arrived and brought Calum to the Pendragon War Zone hospital. Liam, too, had been forced to visit the hospital to get his wounds checked out. He had sustained some scratches on the exposed skin of his body, and just when he thought there were no more, he removed his uniform and was met by the horrifying sig
Liam chuckled at this. "You're right, sir. Biskeland isn't what it used to be in the past. We're much more powerful now!"He soon arrived at his new home, and he was so excited to be back that he flung the door open, grinning from ear to ear. "Celena, Jovie, I'm home!"To his surprise, he was met by silence.Was no one home?Liam frowned at this and searched the entire house, but Celena and Jovie were nowhere to be found."That's strange. It's a holiday today, so where can they be if not home?" he muttered to himself as he took out his phone to dial Celena's number. Celena picked up after a few moments, but she sounded surprised and puzzled. "Liam? Are you home already?"A surge of warmth coursed through Liam, as did the sound of his dear wife's voice. Although he had gotten out of Grand Pendragon Hill unscathed, there were plenty of moments where he had been just inches away from death, and he was incredibly grateful to be alive to see his beloved wife and daughter again. He
"I'm sorry about that, Kendrick," Celena said, letting out a sigh. She shot Kendrick an apologetic look. Kendrick, however, had his mind on something else entirely. He smiled courteously at her and replied, "It's fine, Celena! We're friends, so there's nothing to worry about!"Meanwhile, Liam leaped on his scooter as soon as he hung up and sped toward the Manor House Kitchen. He drove so fast that he arrived within 20 minutes and caught sight of the happy trio the moment he stepped in. Celena and Jovie were sitting across from Kendrick, the three of them smiling as they chatted merrily. Kendrick was feeding Jovie, with the child occasionally cracking up as though she had heard a hearty joke. Celena, on the other hand, wore an expression of tenderness as she watched Jovie being fed so patiently.The three of them looked like a perfect little family, and that made Liam's blood boil."Jovie!" he called out.Jovie turned at the sound of her name, and the moment she caught sight of
"Besides, it's been ages since I've seen Celena. Now that I'm back and we've bumped into each other, I just want to treat her to a meal and catch up. The cost isn't a big deal!"Kendrick's words were loaded with unspoken meaning.He was practically saying that when it came to dining with Celena, money was no object.Any regular guy would have blown his top if he heard that, but Liam was anything but regular.Liam just gave a cool "Oh," then feigned confusion about Kendrick's intent, asking, "So, Mr. Hyde, you're saying I can order anything I fancy since you're footing the bill today?"Caught off guard, Kendrick still nodded with supreme confidence, casually assuring Liam, "Absolutely, Liam, take your pick. Anything goes. I'm covering it all today!""Well, Mr. Hyde, since you're being so generous, I won't hold back either!"Liam let out a sly chuckle and then instructed the waiter to bring one of every signature dish on the menu!He did not stop there, he ordered the priciest wi
The meal ended in an eerie silence.When the bill arrived, Kendrick's attempt to play the cool, collected gentleman in front of Celena crumbled. His face twisted in agony. The food alone, not counting the drinks, had racked up a bill of over 75 thousand dollars!Sure, splurging on Celena would not have made him bat an eye, even if it cost ten times more. However, blowing that much cash on Liam, that freeloader, was a bitter pill to swallow.To add insult to injury, Liam, who could not hold a candle to Kendrick, had somehow managed to sweep Celena off her feet. It gnawed at Kendrick's pride.However, with Celena watching, Kendrick bit back his frustration and reluctantly pulled out his card to settle the astronomical bill.Celena caught sight of the bill's total and winced. The dinner had cost a fortune, and Liam had ordered most of it. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. "Kendrick, I'm so sorry..." she began, her face etched with remorse. She hesitated, but then her sense of
The man in the gray suit, flanked by his bodyguards and the armed soldiers, ushered middle-aged man, Lukas Rhodes, into the Manor House Kitchen.That display caught the eye of everyone nearby, from the pedestrians on the street to the patrons inside the restaurant.Even Kendrick and his companions, who were just about to leave, found themselves rooted to the spot, captivated by the unfolding drama.Kendrick's eyes widened in shock and excitement when he recognized the middle-aged man in the crisp military uniform. "Isn't that Mr. Rhodes, the commander-in-chief of our state garrison??" he blurted out, his face alight with recognition.Celena, on the other hand, looked on with confusion, not knowing the man. "Kendrick, is that Mr. Rhodes from the state garrison?""Yes, it is!""Celena, hang tight for a sec. I need to go say hi to them!"Brimming with eagerness, Kendrick made a beeline for the man.However, before Kendrick could get anywhere close, he was blocked by two guards, th
Kendrick strode up to Celena with the eagerness of a boyfriend, while Liam might as well have been invisible."Celena, come on, come on! Let's get inside quickly. I'm gonna introduce you to someone really important!"However, just as Kendrick reached out for Celena, Liam stepped in, blocking his hand."Mr. Hyde, remember who you are. Trying to take my wife's hand right in front of me? That's not exactly cool, is it?"The friendly look on Liam's face was gone, his features twisted into a scowl, his eyes icy as they locked onto Kendrick.Kendrick snapped back to reality, flinging Liam's hand away. The thrill on his face was gone in a flash, replaced by a frosty glare."Liam, I let it slide just now, but don't think for a second I'll put up with your nonsense!"Kendrick's face was stormy as he jabbed a finger toward the armed soldiers. "Liam, see that? That's Mr. Rhodes, a bigwig from the state. I'm about to introduce Celena to him!"He sneered at Liam, "And you are a good-for-not
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