'It's no wonder that scumbag managed to claw his way to the top of the food chain in such a short time!' Heston thought to himself, seething. However, he dared not showcase his annoyance and instead asked meekly, "What should we do now, Mr. Yeager?"Julian tapped his fingers against the tabletop as he contemplated this question. Finally, after a few moments of deep thought, he replied, "I am here on behalf of my family to talk business with this Mr. Miller fellow, and I will not let another person best me! I want everyone in Luminous to know the true extent of the Yeager family's power, and perhaps they'll think twice about competing against us!"I shall host a business dinner and invite everyone who's anyone here in Luminous! Make sure that Cillian Lovell shows up as well, at all costs!""Yes, Mr. Yeager! We shall do as you say!" Heston replied obediently. He knew what Julian was planning—clearly, Julian would be using this business dinner as an opportunity to intimidate Cillian so
Clearly, Cillian did not have even the faintest idea, so he shook his head and replied, "I do not know, sir. Would you care to enlighten me?"Liam smiled again. "Have you forgotten? The Quantz family are the Yeager family's puppets, and without a doubt, the Yeager family put them up to this."Cillian gasped. This had not even occurred to him. Cirocco, who had been standing quietly to one side of the room all this while, suddenly piped up, "It must be the Yeagers. One of their members just landed in Luminous yesterday, and that person has already met with the Quantz family in their mansion."As for the dinner, it goes without saying that the Yeagers put them up to this. Their sole target is you, Mr. Lovell, and the other guests are merely there as a distraction of sorts. They are after you, and in a way, Mr. Miller as well."Cillian seemed even more befuddled by this. He pointed at himself uncertainly and asked, "Me?"Cirocco continued, "Cillian, do you know how you managed to ri
The car door was flung open, and Yorgos stepped out, looking very dapper. The women all screamed and screeched in excitement upon his arrival. One of the men approached him, grinning. "Mr. Quantz, we've all been waiting for you."Yorgos glanced at the crowd gathered around him, who greeted him with enthusiastic waves and hoots. He nodded at all of them in acknowledgement. "Very well! Let us begin then!" he declared, turning around and sliding back into his Ferrari. Vroom! Vroom! Over a dozen sports cars revved as they lined up next to each other, preparing to race. A smoking-hot woman in a skimpy bikini sashayed over to the middle, waving two flags above her hand. She gave the expectant crowd a dazzling smile, then brought the flags down swiftly, signifying the start of the race!The sports cars all zipped forward at breakneck speed, the red Ferrari in the lead being no other than Yorgos'!It was clear Yorgos had been doing this for years now, for it took him only a few seco
Yorgos' red Ferrari followed suit, and he executed the exact same drift as the black car past the acute bend, but unfortunately, the thick dust obscured his vision, and he could not accurately judge the distance between the car and the edge of the mountain. His car slid just a few inches off the road, and for a moment, one of his back wheels hung unsuspended in the air, overlooking the steep drop below. Nevertheless, Yorgos did not panic and instead swiftly revved the engine and brought the car back onto the road. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he stepped on the gas and plundered down the road to catch up to his competitor.Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered at the finish line near the top of Perilous Peak. The girls stood there, holding sashes and flowers, getting ready to welcome the winner of the race.A few moments later, the sound of a thundering engine appeared, and everyone knew the champion was nearing. They all turned with expectant looks toward the finish line. A few
Yorgos's wrist was broken, and the pain was unbearable. His cheek felt like it was on fire, blistering as he tried to wriggle free from the car. However, no matter how hard he pushed, Liam's grip was unbreakable."Let me go... ah... it burns..."Yorgos screamed in agony, his voice laced with venom. "Do you have any idea who I am? I'm Yorgos, and Heston Quantz is my father... If you mess with me, my dad will make you pay..."Liam just smirked at the empty threats. "Mr. Quantz, winning and losing is just part of the game. You lost the race tonight because you couldn't keep up. That's on you, isn't it?"With that, Liam let go, and Yorgos hit the ground with a thud.Yorgos sat there, his wrist throbbing and his face so red it could have been from the burn or his boiling rage.He was the Quantz family's golden boy, used to getting his way. He was untouchable in Luminous, and nobody had ever dared to cross him like that.Then, a nobody had the nerve to touch him.Big mistake.Yorgos
Her words set off a chorus of jeers from the privileged kids at the scene."Dude, are you here for laughs? Everyone in the Luminous state knows of Mr. Quantz's reputation.""Yeah, remember that other rich kid from out of town? He got on Mr. Quantz's bad side and ended up with both legs broken. His parents didn't even dare to complain; they came crawling back with expensive gifts to apologize!""Ha, no kidding. Just last week, some newbie thought he could hit on Mr. Quantz's girl. Look how that turned out—he got wrecked by Mr. Quantz!""Listen, buddy, if you value your life, you better apologize to Mr. Quantz now, or you're the one who's going to pay the price!"Liam listened to their taunts and got the picture of who Yorgos was—a classic case of a rich brat.Any normal person would have quaked in their boots by then.However, Liam? He was as cool as ice, his gaze steady on Yorgos. "What's the matter, Mr. Quantz? Can't handle a little defeat? You lost a race to me, and now you wa
"Hey, you want to up the ante? Fine. If I lose, I'll hand over my crown as the top racer of the Luminous state to you, straight from Yorgos's own mouth."However, Liam was not having it. He shook his head and replied, "Mr. Quantz, I couldn't care less about some racing god title. That bet's a yawn."Let's do this instead. If you lose, you'll be my sidekick for a week, doing whatever I say!"Yorgos's face darkened on the spot, his eyes narrowing as he shot Liam a frosty look. "What's that? You want me, Yorgos, to be your sidekick?""You heard me! You've got some nerve, thinking Mr. Quantz would ever play sidekick to you!""Hey, don't let it go to your head, kid. Winning one little race doesn't give you the right to strut around like you own the place!""Mr. Quantz, I say we stop wasting our breath on this guy. Let's just put him in his place already.""I'm telling you, this punk is just here to stir up trouble. Can you believe he actually had the nerve to ask Mr. Quantz to be his
Yorgos wrapped an arm around the woman named Noelle and kissed her passionately. Hearing her encouragement, he flashed a wicked grin, "Alright then! Make sure you're ready to party with me tonight!"After that, Yorgos released Noelle. She caught the hint, blushed and stepped back.Yorgos, smug with confidence, shot a challenging look at Liam in the black sports car and scoffed, "Pfft! Kid, you're the first one brave enough to step up to me in ages."Liam just offered a steady smile, his demeanor unshaken, not showing the slightest bit of fear, as if victory was already in his grasp.Watching Liam's unfazed stance, Yorgos's frustration bubbled up, and he took it out on a nearby cotton bale with a punch.The crowd erupted into cheers as the flag girl, a vision of allure at the head of the race, swung her flag down with a flourish.In the blink of an eye, the red Ferrari leaped forward, its engine roaring like thunder, becoming a blur of light that disappeared in an instant.Liam's
The new plan was a hit; every assassin in the room was on board.One of them, posing as a bellhop, stood at Liam's door, ready to knock.However, he never saw it coming. Before his knuckles could rap on the door, it burst open from the inside.Wham!The would-be knocker was sent flying, slamming into the corridor wall with a thunderous crash.The others barely had time to register what happened when Liam burst out, a quintuple-edged dagger in hand.He was a shadow among them, his blade a flash of silver that danced across their wrists, disarming them of their scimitars.In moments, the hallway was a cacophony of clattering blades and piercing screams that filled the hotel.The leader, clutching his bleeding wrist, stared at Liam in horror, leaning casually against the doorframe. Liam's dagger dripped crimson. He watched the fallen assassins with an unfeeling smirk."You think you can play assassins, skulking around in the dark?" Liam's voice dripped with scorn. With a casual f
Noel was a name that turned heads in Rasford City, especially since the Noel family ran a successful pharmaceutical business. In any place, those in the medicine game hold sway, and Noel was no stranger to the city's shadowy bigwigs. After all, nobody was immune to getting sick!Noel was quickly taken to the hospital for emergency care. Meanwhile, the assassin he had hired had pinpointed the hotel where Liam and Sunniva were hiding out.Sunniva was still visibly shaken when they reached the hotel. Too frightened to be alone, she could only gaze at Liam with watery eyes, silently pleading to stay in his room.Liam, left with little choice, let Sunniva take his room while he made do with the couch in the living room.After the night's earlier ordeal, combined with the alcohol and the drug slipped into her drink, Sunniva washed up and promptly fell asleep in Liam's bed.Liam, however, remained on the living room sofa, poring over the mysterious Arcane Manuscript.Out of nowhere,
"Thud!"Then, without missing a beat, Liam grabbed Noel by the throat and landed another punch on him. He struck him squarely on the chin, dislocating it and forcing a couple more of his teeth to fly out. "Ahhh!" Noel shrieked. His face was swelling up to twice its usual size, and he could not help letting out a cry of agony. Liam did not stop there, though. His fists rained down all over Noel without ceasing, his every punch striking where it hurt the most. "F*ck! You're going to pay for this!" Noel grunted. He would make this twat pay! What gave him the right to attack him? He was an heir of the great Noel bloodline, and he would make this cocky, self-righteous prat pay!Liam scoffed, then swung his fist and struck Noel squarely in his abdomen.Noel spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to utter another word from the sheer pain, but this did not stop Liam. The next moment, he grabbed Noel by the hair and bashed his head against the wall behind him.A sickening crunch alerted
The words had barely left her mouth when Noel lost his patience, swung Sunniva around and slapped her hard across the cheek. "D*mn it, you f*cking sl*t! What the f*ck are you shouting for? Let me tell you this—no one will come to save you, not even if you cry yourself hoarse!"The slap came so abruptly that Sunniva was momentarily stunned. Her cheek soon swelled up, and a bright red mark in the shape of Noel's palm began to take shape. Noel had hit her so hard that the back of her head struck the wall behind her, and all she could feel was an intense, throbbing pain that reverberated through her skull. Blood seeped out of the cut on the back of her head, and she could feel the warm liquid trickle down her neck. She suddenly felt strangely faint and stopped resisting. Noel seized the opportunity to strip her naked, grinning. "Ms. Bristow, I suggest you stop wasting your energy. You're mine tonight, and there's no running now!"He had long since heard of Sunniva's beauty, and he was
"Mr. Noel? What is the meaning of this?" Sunniva shrieked in alarm. Noel was wiping his face with a towel when she spoke, and upon hearing her voice, he slowly moved toward her. "Ms. Bristow, do I really need to spell this out for you? You're a gorgeous woman, and I admire you very much. There's nothing to be afraid of, darling. We're all adults here, so there's no need to be shy. I promise that I'll make this the most memorable night you've ever had. "Ms. Bristow, do you know how many women would die to be in your position? Women everywhere bend over backwards to keep me happy, and most of them are willing to please me just to get my business. If you still want this partnership, you better be a good girl and keep me satisfied. If not…"Noel trailed off, for at this point, he had already reached the bed and was just inches away from Sunniva. His flesh quivered with his every move, and he was so tall that he loomed over Sunniva's tiny body like a beast eyeing its prey. "You… you
Noel was not used to being rejected so outwardly. Sunniva's indifference infuriated him greatly. He scoffed, then brought his hand up to his nose and took a deep breath as if trying to catch a whiff of any scent that Sunniva had left on his skin. He sneered. "Ms. Bristow, it seems you are intent on challenging me?"Sunniva replied curtly, "So what if I am?""Very well then! You like to do things the hard way, eh? Let me make this clear—the moment you step out the door, the partnership will be called off! I will no longer do business with Bristow Group!"The audacity!With a smug grin, Noel cast Sunniva one last look before returning to his seat. He watched her coolly and made no move to stop her from leaving again, for he knew he had her cornered. Sunniva stood rooted to the spot, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. Noel knew he had Sunniva caught in a dead-end situation. He smirked and raised his glass to his lips. "How about this, Ms. Bristow? Just one last drink with
A glimmer of annoyance flashed through Noel's eyes, but he continued to reach toward Sunniva, grinning. "Ms. Bristow, I really, really admire you…"Sunniva froze. The next moment, she leaped to her feet, still holding her wine glass, and ducked out of Noel's reach. She replied, raising his glass in an attempt to disguise her nervousness, "Mr. Noel, I greatly admire your success as a businessman as well. Cheers to our partnership!"Noel's arm hovered in mid-air, looking awkward and forlorn as it dangled out of reach of its target. A strained silence fell over them. The tension lasted only a few minutes, though, because Noel soon regained his composure and drew his arm back. He clinked his glass against Sunniva's as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The two of them had been drinking for quite some time now, and Noel was growing more and more inebriated by the minute. He was a pale man, and so the alcohol gave him an unnatural flush that made him look as though he was
"Thank you, Uncle Leonardo." With that, Liam and Cirocco left the manor. They returned to the hotel to meet up with Calum and Sunniva. Liam and Cirocco were waiting in the hotel's presidential suite, going over their plans for the upcoming days, when Calum burst in, looking flustered. Liam was the first to notice how strangely nervous Calum seemed. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"Calum explained hastily, "Sir, Ms. Bristow was just taken away by a group of locals. She claimed that they were the businessmen we were here to meet. Since you weren't back yet, she decided to go meet them herself. She wants me to inform you that they have gone to the Saint Louisiana Hotel and that you can meet them there."Liam furrowed his brows at this. Calum asked, "Sir, are you going to check on them?"Liam considered this a moment, then grabbed his phone and stood up. "I think I should. You and Cirocco should stay here and go over our plans. I'll pop by the Saint Louisiana Hotel. If Jeffre
"Unfortunately, I cannot reveal to you the identities of the remaining five yet, but don't you worry—when the time comes, you will find out soon enough."Just remember, Liam, you are not alone! No matter what happens, the six of us will be here to help you the best we can!" Leonardo said, squeezing Liam's shoulder in reassurance. His expression was solemn, but there was a spark in his eyes. Liam was even more stunned to hear this. What was going on? Had his grandfather planned this for over twenty years ago? Did he somehow know that Liam would come searching for him?"Uncle Leonardo, what's going on here? Is Grandpa still alive?" Liam asked nervously.Leonardo's face fell, and he shook his head gravely. "Truth be told, I am just as confused as you are. I've been trying to track your grandfather down for years, but the last I heard, he was still being kept on Wraith Island. I haven't heard any news about him since, but I refuse to believe your grandfather would die on Wraith Island