"In that case, Mr. Quantz, how do you think I should speak to Mr. Yeager instead?" Cillian said sharply, turning to meet Heston's gaze with a cold sneer. "Are you suggesting that I learn to be a lapdog like you, Mr. Quantz? In that case, I'm sorry, but my dignity does not allow me to stoop so low. Mr. Yeager is not my master, of course."In other words, he would not grovel before the Yeagers like the Quantz family."You—" Heston hissed, a look of utter fury crossing his face. The remaining five men all gazed at Cillian in utter disbelief. Was Cillian out of his mind? How dare he talk back to Julian and insult Heston as well?"Mr. Quantz," Julian called out, shooting Heston a glance that the latter took to mean his time to speak was over. Then, he turned to Cillian with a smile. "I like dealing with people like you, Mr. Lovell. Honest and straight to the point. Since you have so graciously agreed to our terms, there is no reason for me not to accept."He then turned to the remaini
Liam glanced at him and nodded in acknowledgement. "Of course. My surname is Miller."Miller?Everyone froze at this, hardly able to believe their ears.What a coincidence it was—this newcomer just so happened to share the same surname as the mysterious investor. Julian seemed just as surprised about this as everyone else. His shock only lasted a few brief moments, though, before it was replaced with a gracious smile. "What a pleasure it is to meet you, Mr. Miller. To what do we owe the pleasure today?"Liam smiled in return, and instead of responding, he asked sharply, "Are you being sarcastic, Mr. Yeager?"Julian seemed taken aback. He could not understand what Liam was trying to get at, so he asked warily, "What? What are you trying to say, Mr. Miller?""Ah, it seems you really did not understand. Well, didn't you demand Cillian to relinquish half his fortune to you?" Liam said, still smiling, but his tone was sharp and unrelenting. "That is precisely why I'm here."Julian'
Julian had never been so humiliated before. Now that the star of the show had left, the others felt like they no longer had any reason to linger, so they trickled out of the room in Liam's wake, ignoring Julian entirely. Julian's expression grew progressively darker with every person that left the room.Who would have thought the legendary Mr. Miller would choose to make his appearance this way? Despite his initial shock, Julian now could not help questioning the truth. Was this all merely a ploy? Could this man truly be the famed Mr. Miller?Heston was equally astounded by the entire event. His jaw was practically on the ground. Who would have thought that Cillian would turn out to be working for the famed Mr. Miller all this while?Just a few minutes ago, they had been so fervently discussing the matter of the 50-billion-dollar investment! This would explain why Cillian had remained so stoic despite discovering that he had been left out of the split!He was working for the
The man on the other end of the line paused upon hearing this, then replied, "Alright, I understand now. Keep your head low and wait for my news. I shall relay this information to the elders and see what they think.""Yes, sir," Julian replied obediently. The man hung up.All throughout the call, neither Heston nor Hugo dared so much as to breathe too loudly. After all, Julian spoke to this man so meekly that one could only assume he was far, far more powerful than Julian himself. It was best for them to keep their heads low and stay out of trouble's way.It was only after Julian hung up that Heston dared to speak once more. He asked nervously, "Mr. Yeager… What does your family say?"Julian gripped his phone so tightly his knuckles turned white. He replied, "They told me to lay low and wait for their news."Hugo, who was impatient and short-tempered by nature, could not stand the idea of this. The thought of having to wait until God knows when for the next move was excruciating t
The thought of this amused Cillian greatly, and with a smile, he asked, "Mr. Miller, things are going great so far. What shall be our next step, then?""Be patient. If my suspicions are correct, Julian will have gotten in touch with the rest of the Yeagers by now. Let us put the investment project on halt first. The Yeagers will be scrambling to find their footing, and we shall wait for them before making our next move." All of a sudden, something else occurred to Liam, and he added, "By the way, I shall need to return to Drunham City for the next few days. I shall put you in charge in the meantime, and if anything happens, you may contact Cirocco for help. Don't worry, I will be back again in three days.""Yes, Mr. Miller," Cillian replied dutifully. Liam then allowed Cillian to send him to the airport, where he took a red-eye flight on his private jet out of the city. Cillian did as Liam instructed and deliberately let loose the news of Mr. Miller's departure to the public. By
Liam flipped the pan with one hand while his other reached out to clasp Celena's, still wrapped around his waist. He explained, smiling, "My dear, I've missed you and Jovie as well. I needed to make a quick business trip, but I came back as soon as I could.""Okay," Celena crooned. Perhaps it was because of their brief separation, but for some reason, she was not as bashful as she was usually. She kept her arms laced around Liam's waist, squeezing him so tight it was as though she was trying to mold herself into his body. "My darling, I've missed you so much."Liam grinned. "I missed you too, baby. Go on, then. The kitchen is very smelly, so you better get out of here before you start smelling as well. Go get Jovie ready for dinner. I'll be finished soon."Celena refused to release him, like a toddler who had gotten her hands on her favorite teddy bear. It took Liam a combination of cajoling and bribery, with a slice of chicken shoved sneakily into her mouth, before she finally rele
This seemed to stifle all of Celena's curiosity immediately. She took two steps backwards, looking panicked. "What? This is a confidential letter? You should read them quickly, darling. Don't worry, Jovie and I will go into the living room for a while."Then, she grabbed Jovie and made to walk into the living room. Liam grabbed her before she could leave, grinning. "Darling, it's not as serious as you think. I've already finished reading them anyway. Don't worry about it. Let's resume our dinner."Then, he dragged Celena and Jovie, plopping them back into their seats at the dining table. Celena still looked a little uncertain. She asked warily, "Are you sure, darling? I saw from the movies that…""You silly goose, don't you know not to take movies seriously? It's fine, trust me. Come on, settle down. You better eat quick before the food turns cold." Liam tucked the letters away and took his seat. The slight furrow in Liam's brow made Celena worry. "Did something bad happen, darlin
His words deflated Black Rose, and she replied, sounding despaired, "Sir, it's not going too well. Prince Faber is an absolute menace."Since your departure, Victor tried to seek you out, but Prince Faber seized this as an opportunity to accuse him of treason. As punishment, he stripped Victor of his title, humiliating him in front of over hundreds of thousands of Pendragon Warriors."This was just the beginning of his wicked scheme, though. Not long after Victor's exile, Calum, Joseph, and Albert all disapproved of the way he was treated and tried to reason with Prince Faber. They played right into the trap. He framed them for treason, stripped them of their titles as well, and even punished them with two hundred whippings each!"Black Rose was so distraught telling this story that her voice choked up. Tears welled in her eyes, and she had to strain to keep them from falling. "Sir, we all miss you dearly! You have to come back! Calum was injured the worst out of all of them, and ev
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