Heston grinned with excitement as he remarked. Then, he raised his glass and knocked back his drink in a breath.The crowd below the stage cheered and chugged their drinks as well.The family heads that were close to the Quantz family congratulated Heston."Hahaha. Congratulations, Mr. Quantz! You've successfully gotten the collaboration deal with Mr. Miller. That's a fifty-billion-dollar investment!" "Congratulations, Mr. Quantz! Your family's status is going to rise to another level in the future. I'm afraid you're going to become the top family in Luminous!""That's right! But to be fair, it's not strange for the Quantz family to secure this collaboration. You have the capability, after all.""I'll drink to you, Mr. Quantz!""I'll drink to you as well, Mr. Quantz!"Heston was grinning from ear to ear as he listened to the crowd. He was especially excited as he listened to the others flattering him.The Quantz family got the 50-billion-dollar deal. On top of that, the Yeage
Heston glared at the butler and bellowed, "What the hell happened? Hurry and spit it out!"The butler gritted his teeth, leaned into Heston's ear anxious, and said, "Law enforcement officers suddenly came and closed down all of our companies. They said our family is colluding with a foreign power. They are outside the mansion now. They said they want to bring you in for investigation!"Heston was drunk, but as soon as the butler said that, he suddenly became sober. He was in shock, and his eyes widened in disbelief."What did you say?"Trying to confirm, Heston asked, "Did you say that the law enforcement officers have closed down all our companies? And they're here at the mansion right now?"The butler was truly anxious, so he quickly said, "It's true, sir. They're already outside."The news was a bombshell for Heston, leaving him completely dazed.The guests who were near them learned about the situation as well from their conversation, and they were all shocked.Right at tha
After Heston was taken away, the butler rushed out to tell Julian about the information."What did you say? The Quantz family's companies have been closed down? And Heston has been taken away for investigation?"His face darkened after he learned about the news. His eyebrows became tightly furrowed as well.The butler was shaking and replied, "Y-yes. The law enforcement officers just left not long ago. Mr. Yeager, please save Mr. Quantz!"Julian frowned and ordered his subordinate, "Find out what the hell is going on. Why did their companies suddenly get shut down and why was he taken away?""Mr. Yeager, I've looked into it. The law enforcement officers said the Quantz family's companies are suspected of colluding with a foreign power. They were also suspected of using the companies for improper gains. Every crime they listed was punishable by death. I'm afraid the Quantz family is."The subordinate reported to Julian all the information he found out. He did not finish his senten
After Leonel asked the question, he walked up to the chair at the side and took a seat, looking at Julian icily. Julian was always high and mighty. However, he was not able to be arrogant at all in front of Leonel. His face was filled with fear, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat."No, no, no! That must be a joke, General Farley. I wouldn't have the guts. I misspoke. Please forgive me," said Julian, smiling apologetically.Leonel did not go long. He frowned and slammed on the table before he said icily, "What if I don't want to forgive you? Julian, tell me, how do you plan to not let me go?"The solid wood table was shattered by Leonel, frightening Julian so much that he dropped to his knees.Julian's face turned pale out of fear. Beads of cold sweat started pouring down his face. He was trembling uncontrollably as he said, "It's a misunderstanding, General Farley. It's a misunderstanding. I was infuriated just now, so I misspoke. I didn't mean it."At that point, Julian
The elders of the Yeager family flew into a rage after they learned that the Quantz family was in trouble. They did not take a mere Leonel seriously at all.The first elder, Dwight Yeager, was so angry that he threw his cup and bellowed, "Who does Leonel Farley think he is? He's just a general. How dare he meddle in the Yeager family's business! I'd like to ask Fieryn King what he's playing at!"Then, Dwight called the military headquarters of the Southern Biskeland War Zone.However, he did not manage to get hold of Melvin. What he got was a response from the headquarters instead.They warned the Yeager family that Luminous was in the borders of the Southern Biskeland War Zone. If they insisted on expanding their influence in Luminous, then the people at the Southern Biskeland War Zone would not show them any mercy.In other words, as soon as the Yeager family grew their power in Luminous, the military would immediately get rid of it.Dwight was infuriated after he heard that, a
All of the Yeager family expressed their opinions all at once.All in all, they were divided into two groups. One group believed that with the Yeager family's status, there was no need for them to take an insignificant commander-in-chief seriously at all. The other group felt that the king was unhappy with the Four Ancient Families, but just did not find the right chance to take action. If the Yeager family were to fight with Melvin at that juncture, they would be giving the king a chance to make his move. By that point, the Yeager family would suffer an even greater loss. As the elders listened to the grow go back and forth, they started pondering as well.The crowd made sense. Everybody knew that the king had a problem with the Four Ancient Families for a long time.The elders looked at each other and nodded. They made a decision. "Alright. Listen up." Dwight tapped lightly on the table.Once everyone settled down, he said with a serious expression, "I've heard what all of
The crowd said nothing more.Seeing that nobody was objecting anymore, Dwight ended the meeting and told Julian the decision.Julian was shocked after he got the news. He thought his family would come up with a countermeasure. He did not think that they decided to give up on Luminous.At the same time, Julian was very glad that he had the right attitude when dealing with Leonel earlier. If he chose to go head-to-head with Leonel, he would probably be suffering at that moment.Julian took care of the issue with the Quantz family on that day itself and left Luminous on a plane overnight.As for Heston and the others, they were completely abandoned by the Yeager family. Nobody cared if they lived or died.Julian's action was what Liam anticipated, so he simply smiled when Cirocco told him about it.He was not surprised that the Yeager family would give up on Luminous. At that moment, Liam was at a high-end cafe in Luminous, and the place was surrounded by armed soldiers. Liam w
This would explain Melvin's sheer incredulity upon hearing Liam's statement. He asked, sounding uncertain, "You're not pulling my leg, are you, Liam?"Liam chuckled at this. "Fieryn King, do you honestly think I'm the type to pull such tricks?""Why, then?" Melvin asked sharply, his expression that of puzzlement but his tone accusing. Liam's expression turned cold as white-hot fury flashed across his face. The change was brief but unmistakable—the malice that flashed through his dark eyes was unlike any that Melvin had ever seen."Why else? For vengeance, of course!" Liam replied coldly. Melvin was momentarily taken aback by the sheer anger that briefly swept Liam, but within moments, it had dissipated, and Liam's expression was calm as always. For a moment there, Melvin could not help but wonder if he had imagined it. "Liam, I do not know what sort of feud runs between you and the Yeager family, but I must warn you—the Four Ancient Families did not get to where they are now b
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