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
Then, Brianna shouted toward the entrance with an icy tone, "Someone, get in here." The door to the room swung open, and a soldier Brianna had brought along stepped inside. "Give this foolish woman a lesson she won't forget. Hit her hard, and keep going until she's begging for forgiveness." On her command, the soldier moved toward Celena. As he got closer, Celena's attempts to break free became more desperate. He reached her in no time and, with a swift motion, slapped her across the face. The force of it split her lip, leaving a vivid red mark.Brianna watched, a twisted smile of satisfaction on her face, as she icily demanded, "Well, Celena, are you going to apologize or not?" Celena, her hair a mess and face wet with tears, glared back at Brianna with fierce eyes and hissed through clenched teeth, "Keep dreaming, Brianna. You're the real villain here. I'd die before I grovel to you." Brianna's anger flared at the defiance. "You think you're tough? Keep hitting her!" she screame
Celena met Brianna's gaze with defiance and shouted back, "Dream on!"She knew better than to stoop and apologize to Brianna. She was certain Brianna had no intention of helping her. That was all about humiliation.Brianna's fury boiled over. She turned to the soldier and then to Celena and Wasyl, bellowing, "You think you're tough? We'll see about that. The three of you, beat her until she begs for mercy."Brianna's command took Cheryl and Wasyl aback. Neither moved to act. After all, Celena was Cheryl's own sister. Despite her feelings of resentment, Cheryl could not bring herself to harm Celena, not like that.Wasyl was on edge, knowing full well that Celena had the Stone family and Max Group's big project in her hands. He could not quite figure out where Max Group stood with Celena, and the last thing he wanted was to cross her and inadvertently pick a fight with the corporate giant behind her. Racking his brain for the right words, he finally blurted out to Brianna, wiping the
The soldier lifted his belt once more, ready to strike. Celena knew that could be the end. As the belt hurtled toward her, she closed her eyes, surrendering to despair.Just then, the private room's door was kicked open with brute force. A soldier at the entrance was hurled inside, smashing the door off its hinges and sending it crashing down in the center of the room with a sharp, echoing crack.A tall, imposing figure stood in the doorway, eyes red with fury, radiating a terrifying intent to kill that seemed to herald the arrival of the Grim Reaper himself. He bellowed, "You all deserve to die!!"Liam advanced into the room, an overwhelming aura of vengeance rolling off him, paralyzing the onlookers with fear.The soldier who had been lashing Celena with a belt turned to face the intrusion, gripping the belt tightly and lashing out at Liam.However, his efforts were futile. Liam was quicker, confronting the soldier before he could even react, seizing his belt-wielding hand in a