Liam immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was greeted by the sight of Celena lying pale-faced on her hospital bed, her head wrapped in thick layers of gauze.Liam was infuriated by the sight of this, but even then, he rushed over to Celena's side. His voice was thick with worry. "How are you doing, darling? Are you alright? Where else are you hurt?"Celena was lying dazedly on the bed, and when she saw Liam, she was so shocked that she did a double take. Then she sat up, looking delighted, and grabbed Liam's arm. "Darling, you're home!"Liam nodded. The sight of the thick layers of bandage wrapped around Celena's head stung him. He scowled and said, "Who did this to you, darling? Tell me at once. I'm going to make him pay for this!"Celena was about to explain everything to him, but something occurred to her, and she hesitated. "No… nothing. It's nothing serious. I can handle it myself, don't worry."Cindy, who had been lurking outside the door, could not stand this. She b
Liam kept Celena company for a while before finally leaving to check out the damage. When he arrived at Celena's office, he was stunned by the chaos that awaited him. Furniture was strewn haphazardly all over the room, and there were even pools of dried blood on the floor. One could only imagine how horrendous of a brawl had broken out.Liam's face fell when he laid eyes on the scene before him. His aura, stony and malicious, seemed to instill a bone-chilling coldness into the air around him.There were a lot of atrocities he could put up with, but Celena was his only weakness. He would go to the end of the world to track down anyone who dared lay a finger on his precious Celena!Liam had intended to rid Celena of all her enemies before he ventured off to Wraith Island, which was why he had flown back to Drunham City. Even with Cirocco and the Green Dragon Warriors protecting them, Liam still worried about the threats that awaited Celena and Jovie in his absence. It was best for h
Unbeknownst to him, Liam was already storming toward his building.Liam had barely reached the entrance of the lobby when he was stopped by two guards. They gave Liam a once-over, taking in his rather plain-looking clothes. This, coupled with the fact that he looked like he would throttle someone on the spot, spelt trouble to them.They stopped Liam in his tracks, brandishing their batons menacingly. The man in the lead glowered at him and snarled, "Who are you? What brings you here? Now, look here, you little punk. No one is allowed inside unless they have an appointment!"His partner added, his tone sharp, "Get out of here right this instant, or else!"Liam scowled and eyed the two guards. If anything, he looked even more furious now than when he first arrived. He sneered. "Wow, the Knowles family must be very powerful indeed, if this is how cocky their security guards behave."The guards were outraged to hear this. One of them hissed, "You have no idea who you're messing with,
The guard flew backward and smashed into the glass door behind him with a deafening thud. Next came a fearsome clang as the entire pane of glass shattered into smithereens. His limp body crumpled onto the ground, and he spat out a mouthful of blood before passing out cold.His partner was so stunned that he stood there gaping, rooted to the spot as if he had been struck by lightning.All of a sudden, Liam turned to glance at him, and the look on his face was so terrifying that the guard fell to his knees, pleading, "Sir! Please forgive me! I have learned my lesson! Please don't hurt me… I was just doing my job! I was just following orders and didn't know what was going on!"He kept his head bowed low, but his terror was evident in the way his body shook like a leaf. Liam watched him coldly and asked, "Where is Yarden Knowles?"The guard replied meekly, "Sir, Mr. Knowles is probably upstairs, in the manager's office."Then, without missing a beat, Liam turned and stomped past the
Yarden was utterly infuriated by this. He would not allow another man to dishonor him like this!That d*mned Liam Cole! How dare he show up and cause such a ruckus? Not only did he attack his assistant, but he was now about to make a move on him as well!Yarden felt his blood boil. He wanted to reach out and throttle Liam, but froze when he realized he was still being held dangling in mid-air by the scruff of his collar. "D*mn it! Let go of me right this instant, or I'm going to kill you!" he screamed, thrashing wildly as he tried to free himself from Liam's grasp, but no matter how hard he flailed, Liam's grip remained iron-clad. Yarden was growing more and more alarmed by the second. "You… you better let me go right this instant! Listen here, you punk—I am the heir of the respectable Knowles family, hailed from the great city of Anneshire! If you dare to touch so much as a hair on my head, you're going to pay!" Yarden shrieked, swatting desperately at Liam's arm in a futile att
As he spoke, Liam drew out the chair Yarden had been sitting in and plopped himself in it comfortably. This annoyed Yarden greatly. He glared at Liam and hissed through gritted teeth, "What the f*ck did you just say? Do you even have any idea what you're saying?"Liam raised his brows in amusement. Then, with a sneer, he took out his quintuple-edged dagger from his pocket and began toying with it. "Do all aristocrats like you have hearing problems? Why do you need me to repeat what I said? Do you think I fear the wrath of a so-called noble family from Anneshire? Bring it on!" he said, smirking.A shudder went down Yarden's spine at the sight of Liam's dagger. He eyed it warily, trying his best not to tremble. "What… what are you doing? I'm warning you… you better stay away from me…" he stammered, his voice shaking with terror. "What do you think I'm about to do with this?" Liam asked, a malicious smirk crossing his face as he lifted Yarden's chin up to face him with the very tip
"Ahhhhhhh!" Yarden screamed, clutching his arm, which was spurting blood like a fountain. His face was flushed red from the pain, and he was rolling around the ground in agony.Liam strode over to him so suddenly that Yarden started. He eyed Liam in terror and shuffled away. "What… what are you going to do to me?"Liam ignored him. He bent down and removed the quintuple-edged dagger from where it was lodged in Yarden's arm. The blade split from his flesh with a squelch. Yarden screamed once more, "Ahhhhh! My arm! My arm! You… you b*stard!" A piece of his flesh had come off with the blade, sending another wave of agonizing pain through his entire body.Liam watched him coolly, without a single hint of emotion in his dark eyes. It was as if he was staring at a lifeless corpse before him, instead of a living, breathing human being. After a few minutes of Yarden's unrelenting shrieks, Liam finally said, "Yarden, let me ask you this one last time. Do you agree to do as I ordered?"Yar
He would apologize to Celena and even get on his knees to do so if that was what it took for Liam to spare him!After all, he would have all the time in the world to get his revenge on Liam in the future! The priority was to get out of here alive!Yarden disguised his seething hatred with remorse and cried out, "I'll do it! I'll do exactly as you say! I'll visit Celena in the hospital and apologize! I'll compensate the employees who got hurt! I'll skedaddle out of this city as you ask! I'll do anything as long as you spare me!"Liam raised his brows, looking a little surprised. Then he sneered and said, "Well, well, well. I had hoped you'd last a little longer than this. After all, you had been jumping down my throat and threatening to unalive me just a few moments ago. How come you changed your mind so suddenly?"Yarden froze. A glimmer of loathing flashed through his eyes, but he plastered a smile on his face and said meekly, "No, I wouldn't dream of going against you! I had acte
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