Bathed in soft light, Celena was a vision in her black pajamas, her skin luminous, her cheeks flushed, each gesture radiating an irresistible charm.Liam could not help but gulp, then decisively took her hand, guiding her toward the bed.Without a word of protest, Celena let him lead her, arriving meekly at the bedside.Her heart raced as they drew closer. They had barely sat down when Celena abruptly stood up without waiting for Liam to speak.However, her nerves got the best of her, and she nearly took a tumble. Quick as a flash, Liam caught Celena in his arms, and they both collapsed onto the bed strewn with rose petals. Celena found herself sprawled across Liam in a compromising position, her mind reeling, her cheeks flaming red. "Liam, you... we..." she stammered, pushing feebly against his chest, trying to get up. However, her nerves betrayed her, and her attempts were futile. Liam, affected by her squirming, let out a low grunt, his breath quickening. Celena froze, too s
"Honey, don't stress about it. There's no rule that says we have to consummate our marriage tonight. Just relax and sleep."While he spoke, Liam adjusted the quilt over Celena, discreetly covering the tempting sight of her pajamas.Even the most honorable man, lying next to his wife and beholding her alluring form, could not help but entertain certain thoughts.Liam let out a silent sigh; his wife was irresistibly alluring, and it was pure agony."Ah!? Could it possibly be..."Was something amiss?Celena's delicate hands clutched the blanket tightly, half-hiding her face, leaving only her captivating eyes visible, watching Liam intently.Why did not Liam want her...Was she not beautiful enough, not desirable enough?As Liam closed his eyes once more, ready to drift off, Celena felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of hurt.Was their marriage just a matter of convenience because of Jovie?As the Commander-in-chief of Pendragon, he wielded enormous power and surely was not short o
By now, if Liam could still resist, he would not be a regular guy."Babe."With a soft call, Liam gently took Celena's arm, and with a swift move, he was on top...Soon, it was the following morning.Liam's internal clock was like clockwork. As he opened his eyes, he looked down to see Celena nestled in his arms, a soft smile gracing her lips.Celena was sleeping soundly, her face snuggled into Liam's chest like a contented kitten, rubbing gently, lost in a peaceful slumber.Watching Celena's enchanting face in sleep and her clingy gestures filled Liam with an overwhelming sense of joy.Just then, the phone on the nightstand buzzed to life.With a gentle motion, Liam slipped his arm away and checked the message. It was from Calum.[Sir, there's trouble in Athenapolis. The king calls for you urgently!]The message was brief, but it turned Liam's expression stern. Without a second thought, he sprang into action, quickly getting dressed and freshened up.In under three minutes,
Rumors had been swirling that Prince Faber was on his way back. "We can't just sit around and wait for doom...""Exactly, if Prince Faber even thinks about stripping you of your command, sir, we'll...""Enough!"Liam cut Albert off mid-sentence with a sharp rebuke, his voice icy, "What have I always taught you? Remember the uniform you wear and the duty it represents!"In an instant, a hush fell over the group, their heads bowed in shame, eyes fixed on their shoes.Taking a deep breath, Liam surveyed the few before him and added, "I don't want to hear such talk from you again."With that, he turned on his heel and climbed into the vehicle.Calum and the others exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them as they too, got into the remaining vehicles.Before long, they reached the military airfield at Drunham City garrison.They boarded the helicopter, and with a swift ascent, they were airborne, heading straight for Athenapolis.Liam sat with a grave look on
A chill flickered in Liam's gaze as he reminded them softly, "Remember what I said."Though it went against their pride, Calum and the others surrendered their weapons to the major general.Liam, too, relinquished his weapons, surrendering them to the major general. That included the military dagger he always carried and the ornate Green Dragon blade that hung at his waist—all of it was handed over. Only after everyone's arms were surrendered did the major general salute Liam once more. "Sir, your vehicle is ready. Please, board the car," he said with due formality. Liam followed the major general's gesture and saw the military sedan already waiting at the curb. His eyes narrowed, a frosty gaze sweeping over the car and then back to the major general before he strode toward the vehicle. "Sir." As Liam walked past, the major general called out, stopping him. He leaned in close and whispered, "Sir, Elder Norton instructed me to pass on a message: follow the king's instructions
As the man approached, he carried the unmistakable presence of someone who's long held power. Close on his heels was another man, similarly attired.The two emerged in succession, and Liam gave a respectful nod to the first man, addressing him as 'Your Majesty.'The man in black, his demeanor composed and a subtle smile playing on his lips, gestured slightly with his hand, "Stand, King Pendragon. You're now the most influential name in all of Biskeland."While they talked, the king moved toward the chessboard arranged in the center of the hall and signaled Liam to join him."We haven't played chess in ages. Let's have a match."Liam acknowledged with a small nod and advanced to sit across from the king, legs crossed.As the king took his seat, the man in the gray suit maintained a respectful distance, standing three paces behind him.That was the powerhouse of Biskeland, the mightiest force to be reckoned with! His true strength was a mystery, rumored to have exceeded even that
Liam chuckled at the king's words and cut to the chase, "So, what's your game plan, Your Majesty?"The king looked up at Liam with a booming laugh. "Hahaha, my boy, you haven't changed a bit—always in a rush. I haven't even laid out my whole plan..."Liam's eyes stayed glued to the chessboard, his expression serious as he watched the game unfold. "Your Majesty, we soldiers live to serve our country. We're not schooled in the art of politics. If you have a strategy, please lay it out for us. We're ready to follow your lead."The king's hand, poised with a black piece, hesitated—whether from Liam's words or the unfolding game, it was hard to tell. He spoke, "Given the current state of affairs, this move is quite the gamble, and I must say, quite unexpected!"Liam, it's been ages since our last game of chess. You've really sharpened your skills."The king paused, eyeing the chessboard before casually tossing his black pieces back into the box. "Enough, we'll leave it at that," he dec
Rising from the chessboard, the king spoke again, "The return of Prince Faber is a boon for Biskeland, raising our stature among Westernia. Naturally, we can't afford to lose a commander of your caliber."With that, he stood by the window, hands clasped behind him, gazing out at the Crystal Elegance Pavilion.As he took in the view, he drew a deep breath and added, "But you, Liam, you're a man who sees the grand scheme of things. For the sake of Biskeland's future, sometimes, no matter how painful, we must be willing to make sacrifices."Liam showed no sign of surprise at the king's words as if he had anticipated that very conversation and promptly stood to offer a crisp military salute.Liam spoke up, "Your Majesty, I've got it all figured out, and there's no need for you to worry about me. I've been meaning to hang up my boots and head back home for a while now; just never found the right time to do it."Today, I'm stepping forward to hand in my resignation, to step down as the
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