Samara's soft voice instantly brought Celena's thoughts back to the past when they spent their days together. Tears flowed down Celena's cheeks uncontrollably as she kept responding by nodding."Samara, I would like to apologize to you as well. What I did back then was wrong as well. Let's let the bygones be bygones. We're still good friends!" Then, the two hugged each other while crying tears of joy. If people who did not know better saw such a touching moment, they would think they were as close as sisters who were related by blood.However, in Liam's eyes, everything that Samara did looked different. Her actions seemed too fake. That was because even though Samara was hugging Celena and looking so affectionate, Liam could tell there was ridicule and hatred in her eyes. Perhaps Celena was the only one there who was naive enough to not have noticed it.Everyone there looked extremely hypocritical. They were like wolves in sheep's clothes and might just pounce at any moment.At
The people in the room heard about it, but they were still stunned when they heard it again."So this is THAT Liam?""Holy shit! How shameless! He's a man who's living with his wife's family. How dare he come and attend this gathering tonight?""I agree. What nonsense is this, Celena? We invited you to the gathering, but why did you bring his loser with you and spoil our mood? To think that Samara missed you so much. How could you do this to her?"Samara looked very hurt as she looked at Celena. Her eyes were filled with grievances. It was as if Celena did something heinous.Celena saw how upset Samara was, so she quickly let go of Liam's hand and went up to Samara to explain. "That's not the case, Samara. I wasn't deliberately trying to spoil your mood. I only asked him to drop me off."Upon saying that, Celena turned to look at Liam while feeling a little troubled. She said, "Liam, how about you wait for me outside."Then, Celena sat next to Samara and apologized to her profus
Samara did not avoid Celena’s gaze at all. She did not conceal the disdainful and loathsome sentiments she had for Celena either. She calmly put her glass down, took a napkin, and slowly wiped the red wine off her delicate hands. “Celena, you didn't think that I was truly apologizing to you and wanting to reconcile with you, did you? Do you deserve that? Listen up, being good friends or whatever, it was all an act. I will never be good friends with you! I can't believe you had the guts to come with that loser, Liam. The way you made a fool of yourself truly amused me."Samara finished wiping both her hands while she said that. Then, she threw the napkin at Celena’s face. She let out a mocking laugh and continued, “Celena, you've given me a good laugh! "It was truly a shame that I didn’t get to personally witness the moment you were banished from the Stone family seven years ago! I’m back now, and you have also been accepted by the Stone family again. How can I not come and have
“You bitch! I only peeked at the papers for a bit back then, yet you snitched on me! I was sent to detention and my parents were even called to the school! I was severely punished when we went home that day!”The plump woman then threw her glass side and yanked Celena's hair. She bellowed, “The two of us were the only ones who brought the papers to the office. Who else would be the one to rat me out If it wasn't you? You bitch, you pretended to be weak when you're truly a vicious person!"One by one, the other women in the private room stood up and cursed at Celena. All of them were blaming her for their misfortunes.Celena already fell to the ground during the commotion. She felt afraid and wronged being targeted by all these women. She had some recollection of what they were accusing her of, but it was not like what they said at all.The woman who said she was a disappointment to her family was a truant during her schooling days. She was caught fooling around by her family. When
The woman hurled insults as she clawed at Celena's dress. Celena's face was streaked with tears and marred by the red welts of slaps, blood trickling from her mouth. Her hair was a tangled mess; she fought back and tried to dodge, looking utterly defeated.Desperate to flee the nightmare of the private room, Celena's attempts to run were thwarted as hands kept pulling her back, leaving her no choice but to scream for help."Liam! Save me! My love... please... save me! My love..."Her cries grew increasingly desperate as she hoped for Liam to rescue her. However, the music blared at full volume, swallowing her pleas. Liam could not possibly have heard her. Celena's tears flowed freely, her voice growing raspier with each cry for help.Samara, in a rage, yanked Celena's hair and pinched her chin with her long fingers. Her sharp nails dug in, piercing Celena's skin."Pathetic! Still crying out? As if that good-for-nothing husband of yours could do anything. Girls, give her a good bea
A figure loomed in the doorway, eyes blazing with fury, surveying the room with a wrathful glare. His fists were balled up, his body tense with a lethal vibe as he locked eyes with Celena, who was helplessly sprawled on the floor. His voice, stern and menacing, thundered, "You! You're asking for it!"Liam had reached his boiling point. Celena's white dress was then nothing more than rags as she lay there, unresponsive, completely vulnerable. Liam, eyes red with anger, stormed in and sent the hefty woman on top of Celena flying with a powerful kick. She flew across the room and slammed into a table, which shattered on impact, sending snacks and drinks flying.The woman screamed in agony as she landed amidst the broken glass, her back lacerated and bleeding profusely."Ah! My back, it's killing me! It hurts so much!"Bang!With the woman out of the way, Liam quickly grabbed another assailant and hurled her aside. She crashed into a liquor shelf, which toppled over with a clatter, bo
As the guards were scattered like bowling pins, the portly manager's face drained. He attempted to make a run for it, his hefty frame slowing him down. Liam was on him in a flash, grabbing the back of his shirt and hurling him through the hotel's front door, which shattered on impact. The manager hit the ground hard, coughing up blood.Struggling, the manager fished out his cell phone, his hands shaking as he dialed a number. "It's... it's a disaster, boss, a real mess. Someone's trashed the place..."While the manager was on the phone, Liam had already cleared a path through the security detail and was back at the private room he had left earlier. The corridor behind him was a mess, with hotel guards strewn about in disarray.Inside the private room, Samara and her companions waited with bated breath.One of the women Liam had knocked away, a hefty one, clutched her head and bellowed with rage, "Hmph! That wench Celena and Liam, they had the nerve to hit me! They won't get away wi
"And if you even think about hurting Samara, Celena's going to pay for it too!"Billie quivered with fear as she watched Liam close in, her panic growing as she stumbled backward. Those pampered heiresses, used to their leisurely days of shopping and sipping coffee, were out of their depth facing someone as menacing as Liam, who did not hesitate to throw punches.The rest of the crowd, latching onto Billie's words, saw a glimmer of hope. They turned to Liam and yelled, "Think about what you're doing, Liam! Can you and Celena handle the fallout if you mess with us?""Yeah, Billie's dad is no joke. Cross him, and you're toast! You've got a daughter, remember? Mess with us, and we'll make sure she regrets it!""And don't forget about Celena, that lowlife, and your little wild child. Just so you know, Liam, you're just the guy who married into the Stone family. Cross us, and don't expect the Stones to bail you out!""Yeah, that's right, my family's tight with the Stones! Lay a finger
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