The staff member gave a firm nod and said, "Yes, Ms. Stone, you're the one. Our CEO is upstairs waiting for you. I'll escort you to him now."Celena was still reeling, turning to Liam with wide eyes, "Honey, what's happening?"Liam just smiled, gave a reassuring nod, and took the crumpled water bottle from Celena's grasp, nudging her gently forward.Cindy was beside herself with excitement, giving Celena's arm a quick tug. "Come on, Ms. Stone, let's not keep Mr. Black waiting. He's up there waiting just for you."As she spoke, Cindy cast a smug look over at Cheryl and Yafe, a clear echo of Cheryl's earlier show-offy taunts.Her eyes all but spelled it out: 'You might have waltzed in with an invite, but my boss? She's got the VIP treatment with a personal summons.'Cindy's jab hit a nerve, leaving Cheryl and Yafe seething, their faces contorting with anger.Cheryl was practically grinding her teeth, her face turning a sickly shade of green as she watched Celena stride into the ho
Boom!The news hit like a bombshell, sending shockwaves through the crowd.Eyes wide with shock, everyone stared at the contract in Celena's hands, unable to believe what they were seeing. Yafe and Cheryl were particularly stunned, their disbelief written all over their faces as they exclaimed, "That's ridiculous! How on earth did you land this deal?"Cheryl's face turned an ugly shade as she pointed at Celena, her voice rising in anger, "You're lying, Celena, you have to be lying."With a grin, Celena waved the contract at her and said, "I haven't said a word, Cheryl. I really did it, this is the contract I've just signed with Mr. Black!"Celena's face was alight with excitement, and even she could not quite believe that was all happening.Liam chuckled and affectionately ruffled Celena's hair, "Well, of course. My wife is incredible, snagging this deal is just par for the course."Tears welled up in Celena's eyes as she listened to Liam, her heart swelling with emotion. With
Cheryl froze at the suggestion, her response automatic and skeptical, "That's absurd! Liam's not the big shot at Pendragon anymore. He's not even a blip on the official radar, definitely rubbing some VIPs the wrong way. How could he possibly-"The more Cheryl mulled it over, the less sense it made. She pressed on, "Dad, remember, Mr. Black's an international player with the Wendell Family's muscle behind him. Liam's just Joe Average now. Even if he still called the shots at Pendragon, there's no way they'd just hand Celena the deal!"Cheryl's gaze swept over Drunham City's elite entrepreneurs fawning over Celena, and it nearly sent her through the roof!Those admiring glances should have been hers. What gave Celena the right to snatch what was hers?After her outburst, Cheryl awaited Yafe's response, but silence hung in the air. Turning to him, she caught Yafe's icy stare locked on Celena, soon melting into a smile that hinted at deeper schemes.Cheryl's face twisted in annoyance
"Celena, my dear daughter, I haven't had the chance to congratulate you! Landing a deal with Mr. Black from the Wendell Family's foreign affairs—what an achievement!"Yafe beamed as if he struck gold himself, his face a garden of creases from his broad smile.Cheryl strutted alongside, chin up, pride etched on her face. Yet, even then, she could not swallow her pride enough to offer Celena a simple congratulations.Yafe's brazen display left the onlookers speechless.As he drew near, they recoiled as if avoiding a stain, their faces twisted in distaste, sidestepping his approach.Celena's smile waned a touch when she caught sight of Yafe, and with a nod that bordered on obligatory, she said, "Thanks, Mr. Yafe Stone."At that, Yafe hastily gestured with his hands, "Hey, no need for thanks between us. I'm your dad, and we're family. 'Thank you' just puts distance between us!"Listen, to celebrate your big win with the project, I want to treat you to dinner. Let's have a family cel
What made Yafe lose it completely was that he had no comeback, the crowd was speaking the truth, and many were guests at the wedding.Cheryl lost it. Her face twisted with anger, she yelled, "What the hell are you saying?"She was ready to throw punches, and the crowd was just as eager to engage, social norms be damned.Yafe saw someone move toward Cheryl, and rage overtook him. He lunged to defend her, fists ready.Suddenly, the room erupted into chaos, with fights breaking out and others trying to break them up.As the tension threatened to boil over, Liam's voice cut through the chaos, "He's right, Yafe is my father-in-law. Let's all take a breath and put our fists down."His words cast a sudden hush over the once rowdy crowd.Yafe's lips curled into a smug smile as he taunted the onlookers, "You heard him! Liam said it himself—I'm Celena's dad. What's it to you people?"Turning to Liam with a grin plastered across his face, Yafe added, "You hit the nail on the head, Liam. W
Liam watched her with icy disdain and let out a mocking laugh. "You have the nerve to show up? If I'm not mistaken, you were the one who bet that if my wife landed the deal, you'd bow down and apologize to her in front of everyone. Well, she's clinched it, so it's time for you to make good on that bet!""What?! What are you talking about!?" Cheryl's voice was a mix of shock and rage.Cheryl's eyes bulged as she stared at Liam, her anger boiling over. "Don't push it, Liam! Celena hasn't even said a word. Why are you making such a fuss? It's just a business deal. We can walk away from it!"She yanked at Yafe's arm, ready to leave in a fury, but Yafe stood still.Confused, Cheryl turned to her father. "Dad? Let's get out of here. They're being unreasonable. It's just a deal, what's the big deal?"Yafe withdrew his hand and, with a swift move, grabbed Cheryl's arm, forcing her down as he hissed, "Apologize to Celena!"Cheryl froze, her eyes wide with shock. "Dad??" she gasped.Yafe
The crowd already dispersed, leaving Cheryl shouting into the void. Those who lingered cast scornful glances her way, their eyes dripping with derision.Cheryl, red-faced and seething, snapped at the onlookers, "What's the gawking for? Haven't you seen beauty before?"Her outburst was met with a biting comeback from someone in the crowd, "Oh, give it a rest. You? A beauty? Maybe take a good hard look in the mirror before you say that. It's downright shameful!""Exactly! A real beauty is someone like Celena—gorgeous, poised, and talented. She even landed a deal with Mr. Black!""Absolutely! And then there's you, Cheryl. What do you even compare to? Next to Ms. Stone, you're nothing!""Now that Celena's gone, you puff yourself up again. Weren't you just groveling and apologizing to her?""I'm telling you, when I get home, I'm warning all the youngsters to steer clear of Cheryl. Otherwise, they'll be the laughingstock of the town!""You're right, I need to do the same. Can't have m
In the past, Cheryl could not wait for Celena to pack her bags and go, leaving her without a rival. However, then, with Celena's cooperation needed, Cheryl's commands fell on deaf ears.Yafe, after a moment of contemplation, swung the car door open and settled into the driver's seat. He turned to Cheryl, who was still lost in thought and said sternly, "Listen up, next time you pick a fight with Celena, be smart about it. However, first things first, we need to race back to the Stone family and report this to your grandpa."Cheryl snapped out of her daze, nodded in agreement, and climbed into the car.Back at the Stone family estate, Reginald and the others pacing the hall in a state of high anxiety since Cheryl and Yafe's departure. The sound of the car's arrival cut through the tension, and the two returned with stormy expressions that spoke volumes.Reginald pressed urgently, "What happened? You're back already? Did you get to see Mr. Black?"Yafe's face was a storm of emotion
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