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
Cirroc became upset. Curling his lips, he asked, "What did you say? You don't know what I am?"Liam glanced at him calmly before he shook his head and replied, "I don't. Is there a need to know?""Remember this, kid. I'm Cirroc Yacano!" Cirroc sneered and shoved Liam's shoulder rudely, and then he continued, "Do you know my family? You should know the Kingsgate Group, right? My father is the president of Kingsgate Group, Xerxes Yacano."Upon saying that, Cirroc turned his back to Liam cockily, waiting for Liam to apologize to him.Cirroc was very confident. In his opinion, with his status, all the trust fund kids who were present had to be respectful toward him, let alone Liam.However, he waited for half a minute and still did not get an apology from Liam.Liam ignored Cirroc. He dusted his shoulder gently instead and said indifferently, "If you can't keep your hands to yourself the next time, I don't mind breaking it for you."All the young men who were spectating at the side
There was no sign of fear on Liam's face at all as he listened to the crowd barking and threatening him. Looking at Cirroc frostily, he asked, "The Yacano family from Drunham City? The Kingsgate Group? Is that very impressive?"Cirroc had an exaggerated smirk on his face as if he heard a ridiculous joke. Then, he asked in return, "Is that impressive? Did you ask me if that's impressive?"Cirroc pointed his finger at Liam's chest cockily and said with a sneer, "Yes, it's very impressive. Hurry up and apologize to me on your knees if you're wise. I'll let your rudeness to me earlier slide. I'll give you the one million dollars too as long as you're willing to leave Ms. Stone."However, as soon as Cirroc poked Liam's chest again, Liam grabbed his finger.A crisp crack of the bones rang out in everybody's ear in the next second. Liam broke Cirroc's finger."Ahh!" Cirroc let out a miserable scream. His face was flushed and his forehead was covered with big beads of sweat. His eyes were
How strong Liam must have been to break Cirroc's finger like this!Kendrick quickly had the server on the yacht bring the first-aid kit over. He turned to Liam and barked furiously, "Liam! Do you know what you're doing? The audacity that you had! How dare you break Mr. Yacano's finger!"Wh-what reckless brute you are! Do you know who Mr. Yacano is? Do you know what offending Mr. Yacano in Drunham City means?"However, Liam was indifferent as Kendrick and the others reprimanded him. He simply said icily, "So what? I've warned him just now. He's the one who brought it on himself. If it was in the past, it wouldn't have been as simple as having his finger broken."If it was in the past, whoever dared to point their finger at Liam would have long been killed. How could the commander-in-chief of Pendragon Warriors tolerate others challenging his authority?However, Cirroc was merely an heir of the Yacano family in Drunham City. Liam did not take him seriously at all.If Liam wanted
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