Celena had lifted Jovie's shirt and was met with her little back, tender and swollen red. The memory of Jovie being flung to the ground by a soldier sent her into a panic. She turned to Liam, her voice trembling, "Liam, hurry! We need to get Jovie to the hospital. They threw her onto the floor!"Liam's face went pale, and he quickly scooped Jovie from Celena's arms, dashing to the hospital.Back at the entrance, the Stone family was in an uproar as Liam disappeared from view.Reginald stood rooted to the spot, his face a mask of conflicting emotions, lost in thought. The rest of the Stone family buzzed with anxious chatter."Now what? Liam's really done it this time, crossing Trevyn. We might all end up on the bad side of the Hughes family because of this!""Grandpa, what's our move? You've got to decide quickly. Celena and Liam have really done it this time, completely alienating the Hughes family. We, the Stones, are going to get caught in the crossfire!" The room was a cacophon
Then, a thunderous boom echoed through the air!Trevyn's foot sent the coffee table flying, his good looks marred by a scowl. His eyes blazed with fury as he roared, "Malcolm! Oh, he's playing it smart! Acting all buddy-buddy with Liam, but he's really just throwing his weight around, warning me under the guise of friendship! He wants all those high-and-mighty families in Drunham City and Roselle City to know he's the top dog!"I'll get back at them for every ounce of shame, just you wait till I'm in charge! Tell our guys to lay low for now, no more trouble-making for Malcolm to pounce on! And get someone on Liam and the Stone family, keep them under our thumb!"The soldier nodded and beat a hasty retreat from the hall, leaving Trevyn seething in a storm of rage.Just then, Patrick strolled down the stairs, took in the sight of Trevyn's fury and the chaos, and stepped up quickly. "What's got you so worked up, Trevyn? Didn't you send someone to fetch Celena and that brat? Where are
"Fiance? Yeah, right. Everyone knows you got dumped. Are you still clinging to that title? He wouldn't take you back even if you paid him!"The bodyguard laughed scornfully at Cheryl's outburst, throwing back a harsh retort without a second thought for her being a woman or Reginald's age. They pinned the trio to the ground and did not stop until they had thoroughly thrashed them.Yafe did everything he could to shield Reginald. Seizing a moment, they scrambled back to the car and beat a hasty retreat.Reginald's face bore the marks of the scuffle, and Yafe was battered, his back marked with the distinct imprint of shoes. Cheryl was a complete mess. Her hair was askew, her face swollen, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth, and missing a shoe. She sat on a chair, hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face.Reginald had his hand pressed against his throbbing cheek and roared with fury, "This is a complete disgrace! If it weren't for that Liam, I wouldn't be facing su
The woman's face was a copy-paste of every generic social media influencer, as if stamped from the same mold as countless online beauties.Liam studied the man's face, which tugged at a memory he could not quite place. After racking his brain to no avail, he furrowed his brow and asked, "Who are you?"The man's grin was all show, the kind that could turn into a backstab at the drop of a hat. He sidled up to Liam, saying, "Yo! Mr. Cole, you've got a short memory for old acquaintances, huh? What happened, did your family hit rock bottom, and now you've forgotten me?"Then, leaning in closer, just a couple of steps away, he pointed to his own face and cried out with feigned shock, "It's me! Jaxton! The Shaw family's golden boy, your old sidekick!"Jaxton Shaw's grin was all show; his eyes sparkled with contempt, and his smirk was dripping with irony."Mr. Shaw, who's this? Look at that raggedy get-up! How on earth were you ever his sidekick?"The social media starlet at Jaxton's sid
Jaxton's claim that he was Liam's sidekick was all in his head. Back in the day, he followed Liam like a second shadow, but Liam barely acknowledged him. Over time, folks who did not know any better started buying into the idea that Jaxton was Liam's right-hand man, and Jaxton milked that misconception to pull off some shady stunts. It was not until Liam caught wind of it that he finally confronted Jaxton. That was pretty much the first and only time he ever really dealt with him."Sorry, gotta run, Shaw. Don't bother showing me out," Liam said calmly, without a hint of emotion. With that, he spun on his heel to leave.However, Jaxton was not about to let Liam slip away that easily. Bumping into Liam was too good a chance to pass up, and he was itching to take him down a peg or two.As Liam made for the exit, Jaxton cut in front of him, blocking his path. He looked up at Liam with a mocking grin and said, "What's the rush, Mr. Cole? You don't even say hi to an old pal?"Jaxton circ
Liam ignored them both, his face a mask of calm, his eyes untroubled. "You know, Jaxton, you're spot on. I don't give a second thought about you. Your snide remarks? They don't touch me. Got anything else? If not, move it. I've got better things to do than waste my time with you."With that, Liam stepped around Jaxton, leading a bewildered Celena away.Jaxton was livid!Liam's aloof, dismissive demeanor drove him to fury. Liam was nothing but a pauper then. How dare he act as if he were still on Jaxton's level? Jaxton had planned to lay into Liam, to shame him thoroughly, but it was like his words had no effect. The frustration sent Jaxton's anger through the roof!"Liam! Hold it right there!"Jaxton roared, storming over to Liam and grabbing him by the shirtfront, his voice seething with rage. "Who do you think you are, Liam? Do you think you're still the golden boy of the Cole family?"Ha! Let me tell you, you're nothing now but a nobody, a stray, a piece of trash, got it? I mi
"You guys, get him! Teach him a lesson! Spare no mercy. Just make sure he's still alive in the end. If he's crippled, then our hospital will give him free treatment!" With that order, the few security guards whipped out the baton from the belts and glared at Liam ferociously.Seeing this, Celena moved closer behind Liam and tightened her embrace of Jovie. She asked worriedly, "Liam, what should we do?"Liam, on the other hand, looked indifferent. He comforted her calmly, "Don't be afraid. It's fine. I'm here." Seeing that Liam was still calm and disdainful, Jaxton immediately got infuriated again. He was engulfed by his rage as he snorted. "Hmph! You'd better watch carefully how I'm going to teach this loser a lesson! Go! Spare no mercy! If anything goes wrong, I'll take the heat for it!" With Jaxton's orders, the security guards dashed toward Liam while swinging the batons in their hands.Liam's gaze darkened and a frightening ferocity could be felt from him. At the same time
"Who are you?" Jaxton asked with a frown. Since he did not know the true identity of this man before him, it was wiser to ask.Eaden glared at Jaxton, his eyes filled with rag. "You don't even know who I am?"It looked like the people in Drunham City forgot how terrifying Eaden was since he not take any action for the past two years. Eaden's tone and demeanor made Jaxton extremely displeased. Annoyed, he looked at Eaden and said with a threatening tone, "Why should I care who you are? Are you trying to come to this loser's defense? Listen up, you better stay out of this. I'm Jaxton from the Shaw family, and this hospital belongs to my family. We're also a part of the Willoughby Medical Association. So, if you want to come to his aid, you better think of the consequences properly."Jaxton's eyes were filled with pride upon saying that. What he said was true. The Shaw family's status in Drunham City was rising slowly in the past few years. They were a family with exceptional ris
However, Andy was a smooth talker, so the eldest member of the Drayton family liked him. Because of that, the head of the family tolerated him. That was why Andy, who was just a member of the branch family, dared to be so cocky.Andy saw Howard standing at the side from the corner of his eye as he spoke. He thought of what Howard said earlier, and that made his blood boil.He pointed at Howard and bellowed, "Uncle Derrick, this Howard is trash as well. You have no idea. I told him I was a member of the Drayton family, yet he did not take our family seriously at all."Not only did he have his men capture me, but he said cockily that he wanted to lock me up forever, and nobody could stop him."Weren't you very cocky before this, Mr. Mosier? Go on. Continue acting cocky in front of my uncle now. Detain me and lock me up forever."Andy took a couple of steps closer to Howard as he said that. He extended his hands arrogantly and said, "Come on. I have my hands stretched out for you. Hu
Soon, Andy and the thugs from the nightclub yesterday were released.Andy saw Derrick standing at the entrance of the police headquarters at a glance. He got so excited that he shouted, "Uncle Derrick! Uncle Derrick!"Fletcher's subordinates were incredibly excited to see Derrick as well. All of them shouted, "Mr. Derrick Drayton!"One of the subordinates was in Drunham City because Derrick arranged for him to be there. After he was brought to Derrick's side, he smiled apologetically and said, "Thank you for saving me, sir. Don't worry. Fletcher's faction and properties are all here. I'll be able to rebuild the faction here very soon."In other words, even if Fletcher was out of the picture, he would be able to thrive in Drunham City and replace Fletcher.However, Derrick shot an icy glare at him and sneered. "Hmph! How shameless of you to say that? There are so many of you, yet you can't deal with a small loser who only married into the Stone family."If it wasn't because this w
Howard did not expect that the Drayton family would have a connection with the Carter family. They could even produce a token from the Carter family."Mr. Derrick Drayton, I didn't expect that your family and the Carters go way back. You even got the Carter family's token out," said Howard.Derrick sneered and said, "Enough with the nonsense. Howard, my family did the Carter family a favor back then, that's why the general of the Carter family gave this token to us. He promised us that we could take out this token if we were ever in a bind in the future, and they would help us!"I'm taking out this token today to tell you that I'm going to bail Andy out of here. I'd like to see who in Drunham City has the guts to stop me!"Howard was stunned, and then he fell silent.He did not think that Derrick would take out a token from the Carter family.The Carter family was the top family in Mirstone. Nobody in Mirstone would dare to go against the Carter family. Derrick became even more
Meanwhile, Derrick and his men were already at the entrance of the police headquarters.Derrick's eyes were burning with rage as he looked at the door that was shut tightly. A sneer appeared on his lips as he said, "Hmph. Looks like they already know I'm coming, so they are deliberately trying to assert dominance."Then, he asked his driver next to him, "Where are our men? Have they all arrived?"The driver nodded and said, "They're here, Mr. Derrick. They are all waiting at the side. We'll tear down the main door to the police headquarters once you give the command."Derrick nodded with satisfaction. Then, he shouted at the police headquarters, "Howard! You're just the chief of the police headquarters! How dare you lock me outside?""I'd like to see how powerful you are today, Howard! Come on, guys. Take it down!"At his command, a group of burly men rushed out of the black van next to him. They were all holding thick bats, and they rushed up to the door ferociously.Right at t
At first, Yafe and the rest of the Stone family were stunned after they heard what Liam said. Then, they all burst out laughing.Yafe looked at Liam with a mocking gaze and said, "Are you kidding me, Liam? You're going to get the Draytons to come and apologize in person? Come on, that's the Drayton family we're talking about! Do you think they are just some nobody?"Right now, I don't want to waste my breath anymore. As long as you're able to stop the Drayton family from targeting us, I'm more than grateful. Don't you forget that you're the one who wanted to leave the Stone family? So, stop dragging us into your mess."Liam shot the crowd with an icy glare and brought Celena out of the Stone Mansion.Celena was still in a slight daze after they got into the car. Liam put on her safety belt for her and asked, "What's the matter, dear? Are you still worried about the Draytons?"Celena nodded and replied, "Yes. After all, all these were caused by the conflict between Andy and us. Jus
Liam wanted to ask what the family heirloom was, but he had no choice but to let it be after he heard what Yonatan said.However, Liam heard Yonatan's voice again, saying, "I've never seen that thing, but I heard from the Drayton family members that it was from a big shot in the military."The military?Liam's eyebrows furrowed once he heard it had something to do with the military. Then, he kicked Yonatan away, making him land next to the thugs.Yonatan passed out because of that kick.Once the thugs saw their leader was out cold, they took a couple of steps back in fear.However, Liam did not care about them at all. He looked at Yafe and the others instead.Once the Stone family members saw that they were out of the woods, they became cocky again.Yafe and Sherah, in particular, were so cocky that they ran up to Liam and condemned him, "Look what you've done! You're bad luck! What else can you do other than cause us trouble? Do you know who that is? He is from the Drayton fam
Yonatan was infuriated and bellowed, "So this is how you're going to play! Alright! I'm not going to stop until I kill you today!"Yonatan was radiating an intense desire to battle. That was the air exuded by a fighter of Fourth Order War King caliber.The Stone family was so frightened by the air he exuded that their faces turned pale. All of them took more than ten steps back in fear, afraid they would be injured by mistake.Yonatan clenched his fist and charged at Liam like a ferocious beast. His fist was packing so much power that it created a sonic boom, cutting through the air and going for Liam's face.The punch was so powerful that it could kill a bull right away.The Stone family thought Liam was going to die. Nobody would be able to survive a punch like that.Yonatan thought the same. He was very confident in his ability. He looked into Liam and knew he used to be a soldier, as well as a good fighter. However, so what?No matter how skilled Liam was in combat, could he
The moment Liam stepped into view, the Stone family members lit up as if they had spotted their guardian angel. They pointed at him, their voices rising in a chorus of relief and accusation. "Mr. Yonatan, look over here! It's Liam! I said they weren't with us!""Exactly! Mr. Yonatan, see for yourself, Liam's not part of our family!""Mr. Yonatan, now that Liam's here, if you're looking to pin the blame on someone, he's your man!""Liam, you actually showed up. If you hadn't crossed the Drayton family, would we, the Stones, have ever been dragged into this mess?""Liam, Celena, you two are nothing but trouble. You've left the family, so why keep stirring the pot for us?"...The air crackled with the Stone family's collective outrage, their faces twisted in anger as if they were ready to rip Liam and Celena to shreds.Celena and Liam's arrival was pure happenstance. They were just in the neighborhood to check in on an old friend when they overheard Yonatan's boastful taunts.Lia
Yonatan did not even bother to look at him. He checked his watch with a chilling laugh and said, "You've got ten minutes for Liam to show up. Don't say I didn't warn you."The words sent a wave of shock through Yafe and the rest of the Stone family, who stared at Yonatan, panic-stricken.Yafe was a mess, desperate to explain, but the sight of Yonatan's henchmen, eager and ready for a fight, stopped him dead in his tracks."Mr. Yonatan, I swear it's the truth. Liam has nothing to do with the Stone family anymore. You've made a mistake!"Yafe's face was flushed with urgency as he tried to convince the unmoved man."It's true, Mr. Yonatan! Liam and Celena were kicked out of the Stone family ages ago.""That's right! He's got nothing to do with us anymore. If you're after Liam, go to the villa at Emerald Lake. He's there, not here with us.""Mr. Yonatan, if you head over to Drunham City and ask anyone, they'll tell you the same thing: Liam and Celena have no ties to us Stones anymor