Celena shook her head and explained, "No, Grandpa, it wasn't Liam who sent me here asking for help. I came here to ask for help on my own. He's Jovie's father, and I can't let anything happen to him. I can't let Jovie grow up without a father…"With that, tears brimmed in her eyes as she sobbed, "Grandpa, please… Please help him… Please help him on behalf of me…""Thud!"Reginald was so outraged by this that he hurled his cup toward Celena without warning. Celena did not manage to dodge in time, and the cup slammed against her forehead, cracking in half before falling onto the ground and smashing into smithereens, leaving a trail of fresh blood in its wake. Reginald stood up and sauntered over to Celena, then stared at her bleeding face from his towering height and said, "Shut your mouth! You're a Stone, but he's not! What he does has nothing to do with us! We would never have lost a valuable opportunity seven years ago if it weren't for him! You would not be in this predicament r
Reginald paused to consider it for a moment but finally shook his head, frowning. "I've considered this before, but the Hughes are far too powerful for us to risk offending. Trevyn is about to be promoted to general soon, and we can't possibly put ourselves at such a disadvantage just to protect Liam when he's done nothing to us. I don't want to hear any of this anymore. Get out of here, both of you!"Cheryl knew that there was no point trying to convince him otherwise. She glanced at Celena, who was still kneeling on the ground, and finally stomped away.Celena had no choice but to get to her feet. She stared at Reginald pleadingly, but Reginald had already turned away, refusing to even look at her. Celena finally slunk out of the room, defeated. She had just taken a few steps when Cheryl caught up to her. She slung her arm around Celena's shoulder and said in a sugary tone, "Celena, you said that you'd hand over the Max Group project to me as long as I help you and Liam out, righ
As soon as he got off the phone with Cheryl, Wasyl dialed Trevyn's number, but Trevyn did not answer. Finally, just as Wasyl was about to hang up, someone picked up. A familiar voice rang out, "Wasyl Abbott? Why are you calling my brother?"Wasyl recognized that voice immediately. "Is that you, Brianna? I haven't seen you in ages. Nothing, really. I just heard that Trevyn is back in Drunham City and wanted to invite him out for a drink with a few pals."Brianna sneered. "Enough dilly-dallying. I know you too well, Wasyl. You can't possibly be phoning Trevyn out of the blue for nothing. Just tell me what you want."Wasyl had no choice but to come clean with Brianna Hughes about Cheryl's plan. Brianna scoffed when they heard this, then replied, "Very well then! Tell Celena that you've got it covered. I'll go meet you guys tonight."With that, she hung up without another word. A glimmer of malice flashed through her eyes. Who would have thought that Celena would end up in such a pre
Cheryl was rather pleased by this. She let out an indignant scoff, then turned and sauntered away. Celena spent the rest of the day getting ready for her dinner appointment. She took care of her work to make sure that she would not be disturbed at night and even called Liam to let him know that she would not be having dinner at home with him as she needed to meet with a client.Liam and Jovie were in the middle of building a puzzle together when Celena called. Liam could not help but recall the strange look on Celena's face when he had dropped her off at work that morning and asked, "Where are you meeting your client? Maybe I'll go pick you up after your dinner."Celena was so preoccupied that she did not think twice about this. Instead, she forwarded the address that Cheryl had given him so that he could pick her up after she was finished. Soon, dinnertime rolled around. Celena and Cheryl made their way to Abaraham Hotel, which was one of the most ancient and renowned restaurant
Wasyl heard this and added, "Cheryl's right. Don't be nervous, Celena. He's already on his way here and will arrive soon. Just be patient."At the same time, a black Bentley pulled up at the entrance of the Abaraham Hotel. The door swung open, and a dazzling woman in an elegant red dress stepped out. Two soldiers wielding guns soon joined her. This sight naturally caught the attention of all the guests and waitstaff milling about near the entrance, and soon, someone recognized the woman. "That's strange. Why is she here?""Hey, who's that? She looks gorgeous, but why is she with those two soldiers? She must be someone very important!""I know who she is! She's Brianna Hughes, the heiress of the Hughes family. What is she doing here?""Brianna Hughes? If she's here, does that mean Captain Hughes is somewhere here as well?"Brianna overheard this and tilted her chin arrogantly, casting her contemptuous glance across everyone staring at her. Finally, she turned and sauntered into
Brianna just so happened to step in at that exact moment, catching all three of them by surprise.Celena was so stunned by this that her entire body froze in shock as though she had been struck by lightning.What was Brianna doing here?Celena and Brianna's history went way back. She, Brianna, and Clora were the best of friends, and Brianna had a crush on Liam for the longest time. However, Liam was Clora's fiance at that time, and since the Hughes was not as powerful as the Walkers, there was nothing Brianna could do about this, so she kept her crush a secret and never tried to win Liam over.Brianna and Clora had plotted against Celena, leading to her unfortunate 'affair' with Liam and subsequently their downfall. Even though she had betrayed Celena and helped Clora set Liam up, she still harbored vengeance toward Celena because Celena was the one who had ended up with Liam instead of him.Celena's long-hidden anger, rage, and sorrow surged through her entire body and made her s
The mere mention of Liam sparked a wildfire of hatred in Brianna's eyes. Her face turned stormy as she spat out, "Liam vanished for seven years, and I never thought he'd dare show his face again. However, what really blows my mind is you lowering yourself to marry that loser, Liam."And you know what I'm dying to know? After that disaster, after the humiliation you faced, how do you just waltz around like it's all good? How do you even have the guts to keep going? I've heard you've been groveling to anyone who'll listen to help Liam out, and here you are, begging me for mercy. For old times' sake, I'll throw you a bone. Grovel, apologize to me, and if I'm feeling generous, maybe I'll say a few sweet words to my brother on your behalf."With those words, Brianna crossed her arms, chin tilted up in pride, her gaze dripping with scorn. That was the final nail in the coffin of their friendship.Tears welled up in Celena's eyes as she faced Brianna, a storm of defiance and hurt swirling
Celena's heart pounded as she stared at Brianna's unhinged sneer. She stumbled backward, head shaking in disbelief. Fear clawed its way up from her gut. Brianna had snapped, as chilling as a demon's."You've lost it. You're completely out of your mind! I'm out of here. I need to get away from this nightmare."She could not bear another second in that room. Snatching her purse from the nearby chair, Celena bolted for the exit, her only thought to flee the horror of the private room.Brianna watched with a smirk as Celena frantically tugged at the door, which refused to open. Celena's tears flowed freely, and with them, a tide of utter hopelessness.Who would rescue her then?Brianna casually took a seat, her laugh icy. "Trying to leave? In your dreams. My crew's got the place surrounded. Think you can dodge me without groveling? Fat chance. I'm not letting you off the hook that easily. Kneel and say you're sorry."Cheryl and Wasyl had been spectating in silence, not uttering a sin