"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 company ommander was pinned to the car's hood, his mind blank with terror. The crushing fear around his neck jolted him back to his senses. Despite being a seasoned soldier, he felt utterly powerless before Liam, like an ant squaring off against an elephant, with no will to fight back. The difference in strength was overwhelming.The man standing before him exuded a fearsome presence.Who was that man, with an aura so daunting, so bone-chillingly intense?He had only felt something similar once before, years ago at a Biskeland annual rally from Northern Biskeland's top brass, Cisco Quigg. Yet, that man's presence dwarfed even Cisco's, more startling, more terrifying."Just... just do what he says!"The commander's voice shook as he spoke, his eyes pleading with Liam, silently conveying that he had complied.No sooner had he spoken than the soldiers with him quickly stripped their pistols of their magazines and tossed the weapons to the ground.For soldiers, obedience was the