"Calm down, Celena. Everything's going to work out just fine. You and Jovie sit tight. I'll be home very soon!" Liam could feel Celena's fear and worry through the phone. He knew just how timid Celena was as a person, so he tried to reassure her as best as he could before finally hanging up.The moment he put down the phone, all air of gentleness and docility disappeared. He tucked his phone away and stood in front of the wall-to-ceiling windows, his hands crossed behind his back. Kolten fell to his knees. "Mr. Cole, I've heard of what happened between you and Trevyn Hughes. May I know what you are planning to do about this?""How much do you know about the Four Ancient Families?" Liam's voice rang out coldly from above his head. Kolten's chest tightened. He lowered his head and replied timidly, "Sir, I am sorry to report that I have yet to find any useful information about the Four Ancient Families. They are far too secretive. I've already sent two teams of men out to investigat
"I'm going to be appointed as general next month, and I'll be of the same rank as Malcolm by then. It doesn't matter if he was transferred to Drunham City. I'll still be the one taking over his post at Roselle City, so we'll be of the same ranking. Besides, everyone knows I'm the heir to the Hughes family, and no one can stop me once I set my mind to something, not even Malcolm!"Martin relaxed when he heard this. He nodded in agreement, then smiled as he picked up his teapot to pour himself a cup of tea. "Like father like son, Trevyn! You've inherited my quick wit and exceptional leadership skills. You're one of the few people who attained the position of general even before you turn thirty. If I recall correctly, even Malcolm only attained general in his mid-thirties. Back then everyone applauded him for his achievements, and now you've proven to everyone that you're better than him!"Martin took a sip of his tea, and all of a sudden, Patrick piped up, "Father, Trevyn, I'm going to
Yafe had sprinted from the other end of the house, so his forehead was covered in beads of sweat as he panted, "What's going on, Dad? I heard the guards mention there are soldiers with guns at the door!"Everyone was equally perturbed by this. "That's right, Dad. What's going on? What are these soldiers doing here? Did any of us happen to cross someone involved with the military?"Reginald was just as perplexed as the rest. He shook his head and replied, "I have no idea, but since all of you are here now, we shall all go out and ask them together!"With that, Reginald led his family to the door, where they all caught sight of the group of soldiers standing with their backs straight and their guns slung across their bodies. They all shuddered at the sight of these guns.Reginald let out a cough to get their attention, then approached one of the soldiers and asked, "Hello sirs. I'm Reginald Stone, the master of the family. Is there anything I can help you with?"The soldier in the l
With that, Anna turned to Reginald with red-rimmed eyes and wailed, "Grandpa, you can't let them take Celena away! Who knows what they'll do to her? You can't possibly allow this to happen! Celena is your granddaughter, and you used to love her with your whole heart!""Enough, Anna! You better mind your own business. Celena is my daughter, and I have all the right to dictate where she goes. You have no right to butt in at all! Celena is a curse to this family and has brought us countless troubles. If it were not for her, we would not even be in this position right now. Besides, this is the future General Hughes we're talking about, and how dare you ask us to risk offending General Hughes for a bitch like Celena? Are you going to bear the consequences of that?" Yafe snarled.Everyone agreed and began to turn on Anna."Yafe is right! You have no right to critique us for what we do, Anna. So what if Celena is taken away? If it were up to me, she would've been cast out of this family lo
Teresa rushed forward to check on her beloved daughter. "Are you okay, Anna? How do you feel?"She checked Anna thoroughly, and after realizing that she was fine apart from her broken lip, she slapped Anna's arm accusingly. "You idiot! What were you thinking? Have you gone insane? Why would you defend that bitch like that? Since when have you and her gotten so close that you'd feel the need to defend her? Look where it got you! Just sit quietly and listen to me. Stop butting your nose into other people's business!"Anna was still in disbelief from what had happened, so she stood dazedly to one side, clutching her swollen cheek, as Teresa continued to tell her off.The company commander scoffed and walked away without so much as a second glance. Meanwhile, Jovie and Celena were playing after Jovie had awoken from her nap. Jovie was running around the yard happily and burst into giggles from time to time.Thud!All of a sudden, someone kicked the gate open, and stomped the soldier
"Jovie!" Celena cried out when she saw her own daughter being flung onto the ground. She tried desperately to crawl her way toward Jovie in hopes that she would be able to catch her before she fell, but unfortunately, this was not possible.Jovie landed on the ground in a crumpled heap. She let out a pained grunt as an excruciating pain shot through her back, then burst into tears. "Mom, Dad! It hurts so much! I can't move… I'm scared! Where are you, Dad? Please come home… There are bad guys here to catch us, and I'm scared…"Jovie and Celena's cries echoed through the entire yard. The company commander frowned impatiently, then glared at the sobbing child on the ground and snapped, "Fucking twats! Take them away from here so I can have some peace and quiet!"Immediately, two soldiers grabbed hold of Celena, pinning her arms behind her back, whereas Jovie was picked up from the ground by another. The soldier who handled her was so rough that Jovie began to tremble in agony. "It hurt
With that, Cheryl burst into a triumphant cackle. None of the other Stones dared to step forward on Celena's behalf, not even Yafe. He stood amongst the crowd, staring at her calmly as though this was not his daughter being carried away. Sherah and Qemal, on the other hand, could not hide their smiles as they watched. The rest of the family would not dream of putting themselves in trouble just to save Celena. If anything, they were all trying to stand as far away from her as possible for fear they would get into trouble for simply being associated with her. Celena felt her heart sink. She gazed in despair at her family members but was met only by contempt and hatred. Even her grandfather, the kindest and gentlest person she had ever known, was staring at her with such a cold look that it sent chills down her spine. Celena wailed, "Grandpa, why are you doing this to me? I'm your granddaughter! Don't you remember how much fun we had together when I was a child?"However, before Re
Liam blocked the Jeep's path. He peered through the windshield and caught sight of Celena and Jovie's tear-streaked faces, etched with terror. His eyes narrowed, a lethal intent rising within him. His gaze turned frosty as he locked eyes with the soldiers stepping out of the vehicle and thundered, "Let go of my wife and kid! Do that, and maybe I'll let you live!!""Outrageous! To think you'd dare block a military vehicle in a war zone and interfere with official business! Someone, take him out right here, right now!!" The company commander was fierce, arching his brows challengingly. He gestured decisively to his men, signaling the command.No sooner had he spoken than the soldiers lunged at Liam, ready to subdue him on the spot.However, then!With a roar, Liam's presence exploded, a chilling aura of death emanating from him. Like a razor-sharp panther, he leaped into action. His blows sent the three advancing soldiers flying in an instant. Then, Liam stood before the company comm
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