Seeing that Reginald was riled up, Qemal continued to fan the flame and said, "Grandpa, that's not all! I've uncovered a big secret—Liam bought a car today which cost around four hundred thousand dollars! "Think about it, Liam is merely a retired soldier, how would he have so much money for a car? He must have used Celena and embezzled the project's funds! "Grandpa, if Liam could make Celena embezzle four hundred thousand dollars from the company today, then he would be able to make Celena change the company's ownership to him tomorrow.""What?" Reginald was instantly enraged and slammed hard on the table. With a flushed face and furious gaze, he bellowed, "Celena and Liam have got some nerve! How dare they do such a thing! They want to ruin our family! I'm not dead yet, and they dare to be so blatant about it!"You! Gather all security guards in the mansion and follow me to Celena's cottage! I'd like to see how far they will take this with my own eyes. The Stone family has no
Celena was confused by the slap. She was on her knees with tears in her eyes. She looked at Reginald with grievance and said, "Grandpa, what happened? Why did you slap me?"Reginald hit his walking stick hard on the ground. His face was sullen, and his eyes were filled with anger. He pointed at the BMW parked outside and bellowed, "Explain to me what's the deal with the car at the door? If you dare to lie at all, I'll beat you to death!"Tears were streaming down Celena's face as she felt she was wronged. She forced herself to control her emotions and looked at Reginald. The handprint on her face was red as she replied with a grievance, "Grandpa, Liam bought that car.""Hmph. Of course, he bought it. Let me ask you, then. He's just a soldier who has recently been discharged. Even if he got a bonus when he retired, it wouldn't be much. How could he have so much money to afford such an expensive car? Did he talk you into using the company's company to buy that car? I can spare you if
Cheryl gave Celena a few slaps in a row, and her sharp nails scratched Celena's face. In an instant, Celena's face was covered in blood. Cheryl got some on her hand as well. She immediately released her hand in disgust, shook it a little, and cursed, "That's so gross."Celena was curled up on the ground in pain. Her tears and the blood on her face stained her clothes, dying it red.Right at that moment, Jovie walked out of the cottage in her pajamas while rubbing her eyes. She probably just woke up.As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Celena on the ground with her face covered in blood. She got so frightened that she rushed over to Celena in tears and hugged her tightly.Jovie put herself in front of Celena and looked at Cheryl and Reginald in anger."You are all evil! You bully my mother! You are all terrible people who bully my mother!""Jovie!" Celena quickly pulled her into her arms, hugging her tightly to protect her. She had fear in her eyes as she watched the members o
Cheryl endured the pain and straightened her back. She crossed her arms in front of her and sneered. Then, she looked at Celena disdainfully and said, "How dare I slap her? She's a bastard, yet she dared to push me. You should be thankful that I didn't kill her."The word "bastard" made Jovie cry even harder. She threw herself into Celena's arms and said in sorrow, "I'm not a bastard, Mom. I have a father. I'm not- I have a father, so why did she say I'm a bastard?"Reginald had a sullen expression as he sat on the chair. He looked at Celena fiercely and barked, "Enough, Celena! You should teach your child to behave. The way she acted was so rude. How embarrassing."Celena could not believe it as she looked at Reginald.Jovie was just a child. She was slapped by Cheryl to the point that the corner of her lips was cracked. Reginald, however, criticized Celena for not teaching Jovie well and condemned Jovie for being rude instead.Feeling indignant, Celena said, "Grandpa, how could
Liam was too scary.His formidable bearing made it so that people did not dare to look right at him. They were terrified from the bottom of their heart."I'm going to ask one more time. Who did it?"Liam was furious that his rage could be seen burning in his eyes.He owed Celena and Jovie too much in the past seven years. He made countless promises that would protect them well. However, both of their faces were beaten into a pulp at that moment.Liam felt heartbroken, but for the most part, he was feeling furious. His daughter was the little princess of the Cole family. How could she be bullied like that?If they were not at the Stone Mansion, those who bullied Jovie and Celena would have died a long time ago. After Liam let out a roar, all the other members of the Stone family turned to look at Cheryl.Cheryl knew there was no way she could hide, so she straightened her back and put her hands on her waist arrogantly. She said, "I'm the one who slapped her. What about it? Sh
The sight of Celena kneeling for him made Liam feel a sense of heartache. Why was she always so soft-hearted, so kind? Could she still not see that the Stones never treated her as a family? "Celena, stand up! You don't have to plead to them! Don't beg them on your knees for me!" Liam held out his hand, wanting to help Celena up from the ground. However, after Liam helped Celena up, she immediately turned around and slapped him across his face.She was a blubbering mess, and she broke down as she shouted, "Liam! That's enough! When will you stop making a mess of everything? I have told you many times to not create any trouble! Why won't you listen? "Because of you, I lost my family for seven years! Do you know how I survived the past seven years? Now that I'm finally back, do you want to make me lose my family again? Are you only going to be happy then?"Celena then snatched Jovie from Liam's arms while she was all worked up. Her eyes were bloodshot and tears streaming down he
"Mr. Stone, there's nothing wrong at all with the company's finances." Reginald glared at Sherah and Qemal unhappily upon hearing that. After all this ruckus, it was all nonsense made up by the two of them. He could not stand the shame, so he stood up with a frown and shouted, "Let's go!" Knowing that the drama was coming to an end, the crowd also prepared to leave. However, Liam took a step forward and stopped Reginald before he could leave. He looked at him tauntingly and asked in a cold voice, "Reginald, you're not leaving just like that, are you? Are you just going to let Celena be unjustly accused by you guys? And did Celena and Jovie get beaten for nothing?"Reginald stopped in his tracks. He looked up at Liam indifferently and sneered. "Hmph! It was with great kindness on my part that I allowed her back into the family. She should already count her blessings! If she still doesn't know how to be grateful, then don't blame me for being heartless." When he finished, Regina
Celena looked at Liam with tears in her eyes. Her voice was getting softer and softer. How she hoped that Liam would come clean to her. She could never really fully see through him, even when they were already married and were living together. The feeling of having the person right next to you but you could never really know him was too frightening. She did not have any sense of security.To Celena, Liam's silence meant that he did not trust her. Then, why did he marry her? She gazed deeply at Liam, but what she wanted to say was never uttered. Since he did not want to tell her, then there was no point in her continuing the conversation. She walked straight into the bedroom with Jovie in her arms.The cottage was originally unusually quiet, but the loud bang of the door slamming shut made the atmosphere more gloomy. Liam stood there watching the cottage. After a while, he sighed resignedly. Then, he turned around and walked toward a corner of the cottage and lit a cigarette.
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