Liam darted forward with lightning speed, kicking the bodyguard's chest and sending him flying back several meters. The man slammed into a display window with a thud, blood spilling from his mouth as his eyes rolled back. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, amidst the shards of broken glass. The once noisy mall fell eerily silent, the crowd of eager onlookers stunned into stillness. People who had snapped out of their shock started snapping pictures with their phones, capturing the fallen bodyguard and Liam as he scooped Jovie into his arms. Liam cradled Jovie, examining the bump on her forehead with concern. He brushed her hair back and tenderly blew on the bruise, his whole being exuding a fierce protectiveness that seemed to chill the air. Jovie clung to Liam, her sobs breaking through the quiet, "Daddy, it hurts... Daddy, it hurts right here..." Liam's voice was soft but filled with pain as he comforted her, "Daddy's here, sweetheart. Daddy's got you. It'll stop hurtin
The team leader eyed Liam with a menacing look. "Sir, I'm going to need you to move aside now! If not, we're going to have to get physical!"No sooner had he spoken than two towering bodyguards stepped up, brandishing their stun guns with a threatening air, their eyes locked on Liam.The bodyguards' aggressive move sparked outrage among the mall's shoppers. They began pointing and shouting at the bodyguards and the sunglass-clad celebrity at the center of it all."This is outrageous! What kind of celebrity acts like this? Her bodyguards injured a little kid and didn't even apologize, and now they're getting all aggressive and making threats?""Exactly! It's like there's no law anymore. Look at the bump on that poor child's forehead, and they don't even care. I can't believe anyone actually likes these people!""They're just bullies with connections. You can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep. And that woman in the middle, looking all annoyed like we're in her way, a
A few of the most worked-up fans pushed their way to the front, hurling insults at the onlookers."What's with you people? Stop dragging our Barbie's name through the mud. She's innocent!""Yeah, you're just a bunch of jealous hags who can't stand how gorgeous and sweet-voiced our Barbie is. You're trying to tarnish her reputation on purpose! Why don't you old, ugly witches just stay home and spare us the sight of you?""Seriously, these haters are the worst, spewing their venom because they can't handle how amazing Barbie is. It's sickening how they try to drag her down!"As the fanatical fans' tirades escalated, more and more of them confronted the mall-goers, the clash intensifying by the minute. Barbie sensed the chaos spiraling out of control. She shoved a bodyguard aside and jabbed a finger at Liam, her voice sharp with fury."Move it! I've got a grand opening to attend. Be smart and step aside, now!"Liam stood his ground, unfazed by Barbie's demand. As the shouting match
"Hey, look at this dude. He did not keep an eye on his kid, letting her run wild in the mall. The kid takes a tumble, and he's got the nerve to blame our Barbie!""What a lowlife, exploiting Barbie's star power to grab some limelight for himself. Totally revolting!"The rants of those unhinged fans left onlookers dumbfounded and filled Liam with revulsion. Confronted with those zealots who would not spare a thought of their own, he was a mix of sickened and seething.They took their idol's words as gospel, ignoring any sense of right or wrong, just mindlessly adoring, never pausing to consider the fallout from their rash words and deeds.However, the real culprits were the idols themselves, flush with resources and clout, wielding their societal sway. Instead of fostering a positive image and contributing to the greater good, they rode the wave of their fanbase, acting like they ruled the world, online and off, doing as they pleased.Celebs like Barbie, who ran wild on the strengt
The manager was sweating bullets on the inside. Barbie was a well-known diva in the industry, a real piece of work. It was just some overeager fan causing a scene, and the security could easily handle it. Yet there he was, summoned to deal with it personally.However, Liam did not just walk away as the manager had expected. Instead, he posed a question."You're the manager of this place?"The manager spun around, baffled, and eyed Liam with a mix of surprise and confusion. "Yeah, I run this mall. What's it to you?""Well, since you're in charge, here's the deal: your mall is done working with her. No more events, no more collabs, nothing with this lady, got it?"The crowd gasped. The guy was talking like he owned the place!The manager was taken aback and then sneered at Liam with a mix of amusement and scorn. "Are you for real? You think you're some big shot who can just cancel deals with Ms. Barbie Yack? Who do you think you are, acting like you own the joint?"Barbie hersel
After the call ended, Kolten found the phone number of the CEO of Christopher Mall—Edward Lowe. He then personally called him.At that moment, Edward was finalizing the details of the grand opening ceremony with the senior executives of the mall in his office.Suddenly, his phone rang. Who on earth would call at this time? Edward frowned as he grabbed his phone. His expression changed drastically when he saw the number that was shown. He quickly picked it up and said respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Reath! To what do I owe this pleasure? How may I be of help?"Edward looked terrified. He never expected that Kolten, the top businessman of Drunham City, would personally call him up.When he attended a dinner a few years ago, he had a lot of trouble obtaining Kolten's number from someone else. He always looked forward to speaking with Kolten and getting to know him. Who would have thought that Kolten would be the one to call him first? The whole office fell silent. Judging from the nam
"What an insolent young man with nothing but cheap talk! Do you know how much our mall is worth? It's a whopping one hundred and fifty million dollars! Looking at yourself. Let's put aside the fact that it's one hundred and fifty million dollars. Can you even afford it if it's just two million dollars? And you want to purchase our mall!"The manager's expression was full of ridicule. He deliberately mentioned that the mall was worth 150 million dollars because he wanted to call Liam's bluff. Then, he got so annoyed that he instructed the mall staff to kick Liam out."You there, kick this impudent young man out of here and blacklist him! From now on, he's not allowed to enter our mall!" the manager barked.Then, with a boastful look, he raised his eyebrow tauntingly at Liam. "Kid, are you sorry now? You have to pay for your lies!" Barbie was standing at the side and enjoying the flattery of her fans. Looking as proud as a pompous peacock with its head held high, Barbie said, "Hmph!
The manager who was slapped held his cheek and looked at Edward with a stunned expression. He was just about to say something when he was completely shocked by what Edward did next. Everyone else who was present was stunned too.Edward quickly walked toward Liam with a respectful demeanor. He looked nervous as he said to Liam, who was holding Jovie in his arms, "Mr. Cole, sorry to have frightened you. I apologize for coming late! I am Edward Lowe. As per your request, the ownership of the mall has now been transferred to your name!"This sentence made everyone gasp involuntarily.And that left the manager, Barbie's team, and her enthusiastic and mindless fans completely dumbfounded.What? Did this man buy the mall? Was the mall truly his at that moment?The manager was stupefied, and he dropped to the ground with his face as white as a sheet. He knelt on the ground and crawled toward Liam while constantly apologizing. His speech was incoherent as he stuttered, "M-Mr. Cole, I-I