In the meantime, a fleet of sports cars had zoomed in, parking in a neat line along the dock like a high-end car show, leaving onlookers in awe. A gaggle of young heirs and heiresses, the very picture of wealth and luxury, stepped out, their every move exuding an elegance that set them apart from the average Joe. They huddled in pairs and small groups, their laughter and chatter contributing to the lively vibe. Kendrick emerged from his ride and, after exchanging pleasantries with the elite crowd, made his way over to where Celena and Liam stood. Drawing closer, Kendrick's gaze landed on Liam's laid-back getup and the modest electric scooter beside them. His brow creased, and his eyes betrayed a flicker of scorn. "Celena, you're here? How did you get here? I was about to call and offer you a lift!" Celena, unfazed, flashed a smile of impeccable courtesy. "Yeah, we've just arrived. Thanks for thinking of us, but Liam and I scooted over on this little gem." The dockside breez
Liam responded with an easy grin, "Sure thing."Kendrick's smile locked up for a split second, his face clouding over, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes before he smoothed his expression back to normal.The crowd, witnessing Celena's choice of her modest husband over the dashing, wealthy Kendrick, could not hide their astonishment.As Celena and Liam shared a moment of tender rapport, Kendrick, ever the gracious host, broke in with a chuckle, "Well, if Celena insists, I won't push. Come on, let me introduce you to everyone."He turned on his heel, escorting Celena and Liam to a circle of the elite, the heirs and heiresses of fortunes.With a cough to capture their attention, Kendrick beamed at the assembly, "Folks, meet Celena and Liam, the couple I've told you all about."At his words, the group cast curious glances at the pair, their reactions a mixed bag, some even murmuring among themselves, clearly intrigued.Celena felt a wave of eyes sweep over her, leaving a trail of di
Especially annoying was the sight of Celena looking sheepishly grateful as she accepted business cards from the eager young men, it made them seethe. They had been the belles of the ball until that newcomer swooped in and stole the spotlight. When they realized Celena was not even wearing top-brand fashion, their faces twisted with open scorn.One of the women, decked out in the latest designer gear and clutching a pricey crocodile skin bag, strutted over in her stilettos. "Kendrick, don't tell me these are the 'new friends' you've been hyping up," she said with a sneer."Look at them, dressed in rags and looking so plain. Where on earth did you find these friends?" The woman was fairly attractive, but her face had an artificial, almost high-tech sheen to it. Her figure was decent enough, with all the right curves in all the right places, especially when set off by her designer bling. She looked okay. Then another chicly dressed woman stepped forward, eyeing Celena with a sneer and
The room erupted in laughter from the heiresses at the young woman's words.The young heirs, meanwhile, stared at Liam in shock, their gazes laced with resentment and envy.They could not believe that Celena, so youthful in appearance, was off the market—and to such an underachiever!A wave of discontent washed over them."Ms. Stone, you're actually off the market?" they echoed in disbelief."No way! This guy is actually your husband, Ms. Stone?""Ms. Stone, with all you've got going for you, how did you end up with him?""Seriously! Ms. Stone, just dump the loser and marry me!""Ms. Stone, I'd marry you in a heartbeat. Trust me, if you were with me, I'd treat you like a queen!""Count me in, Ms. Stone. I'd be happy to marry you too!"The heirs of fortune at the party completely dismissed Liam, loudly urging Celena to get a divorce.To them, Liam was nothing more than a broke nobody.Celena's expression turned to ice as she heard their taunts. She gave them a frosty stare a
With Kendrick's smooth talk, Celena did not feel like pressing the issue. She glanced at Liam, waiting for his take on the situation.Liam gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. "Sure, let's head up. We're here now, might as well."However, deep down, he was itching to figure out what Kendrick was really up to.Kendrick waved to the group and led Celena, Liam, and the assembly of rich kids to the swanky yacht they had rented.Once everyone was settled on the yacht, Kendrick's gaze lingered on Liam, his smile quickly turning into a chilling smirk when out of sight.He excused himself from Celena and slipped away to a quiet corner of the yacht, whipping out his phone to make a call."We're all aboard. Time to kick off the plan we talked about," he said into the phone.A sketchy chuckle crackled through the speaker. "Don't you worry, Mr. Hyde. We've got it covered. Once you hit open water, we'll make our move just like we planned."And then, Mr. Hyde, get ready for your big
With that, Kendrick was off in a rush.Liam watched him go, the unease in Kendrick's hurried exit etching a frown onto his face. After a moment's thought, Liam pulled out his phone and shot a text to Joseph, sharing his GPS coordinates.Kendrick had been oddly eager to get him and Celena on that yacht tonight, obviously up to something, though Liam was not one to be easily concerned. Still, to avoid blowing his cover and inviting trouble, it seemed wiser to let Joseph handle any surprises.Message sent, Liam followed in Kendrick's footsteps, making his way up to the deck.The yacht had been cruising toward open waters for a good ten minutes before it came to a halt. As it did, everyone aboard was captivated by the surrounding sea, murmuring their awe.The waters here were pristine, shimmering in the moonlight with a breathtaking azure glow.The sea breeze, laced with the ocean's essence, swept over their faces, a welcome reprieve for souls too long confined to the city.Celena,
Kendrick and the trust fund kids approached Liam and Celena as they spoke. Kendrick and a few men had Liam surrounded while the ladies pulled Celena aside with big smiles, giggling and talking about what women usually talk about.Liam frowned as he looked at Kendrick. Then, he glanced at Celena, who was being dragged away by those rich young ladies, and his eyebrows furrowed even tighter.Kendrick stuffed a glass into Liam's hand, put his hand over Liam's shoulder, and said, "Gosh, Liam, don't worry. The women will have their fun while we, the men, will have our fun. Besides, we're all on the same yacht. Nothing's going to happen. Come on. Let's go have a drink. It'll be a great chance for all of you to get to know each other as well."Liam glanced at Celena, who was in the near distance, and saw that she was chatting with the others. She was even laughing with her hand over her mouth from time to time.Seeing that, Liam did not hold himself back anymore. He then clinked glasses wi
Everybody fell silent right after Cirroc spoke.Kendrick and those trust fund kids next to him, on the other hand, were gloating and sneering as they looked at Liam.A few ladies who were closer to the men were jealous, and they glared at Celena, who was being surrounded by others in the distance.As Cirroc walked up to Liam, the crowd parted to make way for him.In the social circle of the trust fund kids, the family background of a person would determine their status among themselves. Without a doubt, Cirroc was the one who held the highest status among them. It was clear judging by the way the crowd was swarming around him.Cirroc was the heir of the Yacano family from Drunham City. His father was Xerxes, who was the president of the Kingsgate Group.The Yacano family was in the medicinal herbs business, and they were in control of more than half of the market in Drunham City.Not only were they highly regarded in Drunham City, but they were quite influential in the state cap
However, Andy was a smooth talker, so the eldest member of the Drayton family liked him. Because of that, the head of the family tolerated him. That was why Andy, who was just a member of the branch family, dared to be so cocky.Andy saw Howard standing at the side from the corner of his eye as he spoke. He thought of what Howard said earlier, and that made his blood boil.He pointed at Howard and bellowed, "Uncle Derrick, this Howard is trash as well. You have no idea. I told him I was a member of the Drayton family, yet he did not take our family seriously at all."Not only did he have his men capture me, but he said cockily that he wanted to lock me up forever, and nobody could stop him."Weren't you very cocky before this, Mr. Mosier? Go on. Continue acting cocky in front of my uncle now. Detain me and lock me up forever."Andy took a couple of steps closer to Howard as he said that. He extended his hands arrogantly and said, "Come on. I have my hands stretched out for you. Hu
Soon, Andy and the thugs from the nightclub yesterday were released.Andy saw Derrick standing at the entrance of the police headquarters at a glance. He got so excited that he shouted, "Uncle Derrick! Uncle Derrick!"Fletcher's subordinates were incredibly excited to see Derrick as well. All of them shouted, "Mr. Derrick Drayton!"One of the subordinates was in Drunham City because Derrick arranged for him to be there. After he was brought to Derrick's side, he smiled apologetically and said, "Thank you for saving me, sir. Don't worry. Fletcher's faction and properties are all here. I'll be able to rebuild the faction here very soon."In other words, even if Fletcher was out of the picture, he would be able to thrive in Drunham City and replace Fletcher.However, Derrick shot an icy glare at him and sneered. "Hmph! How shameless of you to say that? There are so many of you, yet you can't deal with a small loser who only married into the Stone family."If it wasn't because this w
Howard did not expect that the Drayton family would have a connection with the Carter family. They could even produce a token from the Carter family."Mr. Derrick Drayton, I didn't expect that your family and the Carters go way back. You even got the Carter family's token out," said Howard.Derrick sneered and said, "Enough with the nonsense. Howard, my family did the Carter family a favor back then, that's why the general of the Carter family gave this token to us. He promised us that we could take out this token if we were ever in a bind in the future, and they would help us!"I'm taking out this token today to tell you that I'm going to bail Andy out of here. I'd like to see who in Drunham City has the guts to stop me!"Howard was stunned, and then he fell silent.He did not think that Derrick would take out a token from the Carter family.The Carter family was the top family in Mirstone. Nobody in Mirstone would dare to go against the Carter family. Derrick became even more
Meanwhile, Derrick and his men were already at the entrance of the police headquarters.Derrick's eyes were burning with rage as he looked at the door that was shut tightly. A sneer appeared on his lips as he said, "Hmph. Looks like they already know I'm coming, so they are deliberately trying to assert dominance."Then, he asked his driver next to him, "Where are our men? Have they all arrived?"The driver nodded and said, "They're here, Mr. Derrick. They are all waiting at the side. We'll tear down the main door to the police headquarters once you give the command."Derrick nodded with satisfaction. Then, he shouted at the police headquarters, "Howard! You're just the chief of the police headquarters! How dare you lock me outside?""I'd like to see how powerful you are today, Howard! Come on, guys. Take it down!"At his command, a group of burly men rushed out of the black van next to him. They were all holding thick bats, and they rushed up to the door ferociously.Right at t
At first, Yafe and the rest of the Stone family were stunned after they heard what Liam said. Then, they all burst out laughing.Yafe looked at Liam with a mocking gaze and said, "Are you kidding me, Liam? You're going to get the Draytons to come and apologize in person? Come on, that's the Drayton family we're talking about! Do you think they are just some nobody?"Right now, I don't want to waste my breath anymore. As long as you're able to stop the Drayton family from targeting us, I'm more than grateful. Don't you forget that you're the one who wanted to leave the Stone family? So, stop dragging us into your mess."Liam shot the crowd with an icy glare and brought Celena out of the Stone Mansion.Celena was still in a slight daze after they got into the car. Liam put on her safety belt for her and asked, "What's the matter, dear? Are you still worried about the Draytons?"Celena nodded and replied, "Yes. After all, all these were caused by the conflict between Andy and us. Jus
Liam wanted to ask what the family heirloom was, but he had no choice but to let it be after he heard what Yonatan said.However, Liam heard Yonatan's voice again, saying, "I've never seen that thing, but I heard from the Drayton family members that it was from a big shot in the military."The military?Liam's eyebrows furrowed once he heard it had something to do with the military. Then, he kicked Yonatan away, making him land next to the thugs.Yonatan passed out because of that kick.Once the thugs saw their leader was out cold, they took a couple of steps back in fear.However, Liam did not care about them at all. He looked at Yafe and the others instead.Once the Stone family members saw that they were out of the woods, they became cocky again.Yafe and Sherah, in particular, were so cocky that they ran up to Liam and condemned him, "Look what you've done! You're bad luck! What else can you do other than cause us trouble? Do you know who that is? He is from the Drayton fam
Yonatan was infuriated and bellowed, "So this is how you're going to play! Alright! I'm not going to stop until I kill you today!"Yonatan was radiating an intense desire to battle. That was the air exuded by a fighter of Fourth Order War King caliber.The Stone family was so frightened by the air he exuded that their faces turned pale. All of them took more than ten steps back in fear, afraid they would be injured by mistake.Yonatan clenched his fist and charged at Liam like a ferocious beast. His fist was packing so much power that it created a sonic boom, cutting through the air and going for Liam's face.The punch was so powerful that it could kill a bull right away.The Stone family thought Liam was going to die. Nobody would be able to survive a punch like that.Yonatan thought the same. He was very confident in his ability. He looked into Liam and knew he used to be a soldier, as well as a good fighter. However, so what?No matter how skilled Liam was in combat, could he
The moment Liam stepped into view, the Stone family members lit up as if they had spotted their guardian angel. They pointed at him, their voices rising in a chorus of relief and accusation. "Mr. Yonatan, look over here! It's Liam! I said they weren't with us!""Exactly! Mr. Yonatan, see for yourself, Liam's not part of our family!""Mr. Yonatan, now that Liam's here, if you're looking to pin the blame on someone, he's your man!""Liam, you actually showed up. If you hadn't crossed the Drayton family, would we, the Stones, have ever been dragged into this mess?""Liam, Celena, you two are nothing but trouble. You've left the family, so why keep stirring the pot for us?"...The air crackled with the Stone family's collective outrage, their faces twisted in anger as if they were ready to rip Liam and Celena to shreds.Celena and Liam's arrival was pure happenstance. They were just in the neighborhood to check in on an old friend when they overheard Yonatan's boastful taunts.Lia
Yonatan did not even bother to look at him. He checked his watch with a chilling laugh and said, "You've got ten minutes for Liam to show up. Don't say I didn't warn you."The words sent a wave of shock through Yafe and the rest of the Stone family, who stared at Yonatan, panic-stricken.Yafe was a mess, desperate to explain, but the sight of Yonatan's henchmen, eager and ready for a fight, stopped him dead in his tracks."Mr. Yonatan, I swear it's the truth. Liam has nothing to do with the Stone family anymore. You've made a mistake!"Yafe's face was flushed with urgency as he tried to convince the unmoved man."It's true, Mr. Yonatan! Liam and Celena were kicked out of the Stone family ages ago.""That's right! He's got nothing to do with us anymore. If you're after Liam, go to the villa at Emerald Lake. He's there, not here with us.""Mr. Yonatan, if you head over to Drunham City and ask anyone, they'll tell you the same thing: Liam and Celena have no ties to us Stones anymor