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
Liam's expression was getting more and more sullen. There was a frosty glint that gleamed in his eyes. It looked like Barbie was not going to stop until she got a dose of reality.Liam no longer wanted to waste time with her. He just said in a cold voice, "Citron Entertainment, is it? You're only arrogant because you have your agency that you're proud of. Let's see how long you can stay cocky once the agency is gone. I don't care who your financial backers are, you have to apologize on your knees to my daughter today!" Liam was just finished when Barbie laughed arrogantly as if hearing the funniest joke in the world. She said disdainfully, "Do you think you're invincible just because you have some money? There are countless people far richer than you and more powerful than you! Money is not the only thing my agency has!"Barbie was full of pride while she was speaking. But she was full of disdain when she glanced toward Liam from the corner of her eye."That reminds me, yes, there
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