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
Cheryl's heart swelled with a newfound courage as she thought about Trevyn's upcoming promotion to general and his return to Roselle City. Liam, with all his bluster and Malcolm's backing, suddenly did not seem so fearsome. Trevyn would soon be Malcolm's peer, and that changed everything. No longer skulking in the shadows like Wasyl, Cheryl boldly stepped up behind Brianna and jabbed a finger at Liam, her voice ringing out, "Oh, Liam, what's your game? Haven't you figured out where you stand yet? This is the Abaraham Hotel. Ms. Hughes is Captain Hughes' darling little sister. Cross her, and you're signing your own death warrant!"Wasyl, drenched in a chilling sweat, bobbed his head eagerly in agreement. "Right on, right on, Liam, don't you start any trouble. Offend Ms. Hughes, and you won't just be in a world of hurt. You'll drag down the whole Stone family with you. Remember, Celena's one of them. If the Stone family goes down, Celena and your daughter won't walk away unscathed."Ho
She did not get to finish her sentence before a sharp slap cut through the silence of the private room.Liam's slap, fueled by a surge of anger, knocked Brianna back several steps. She was dazed, her ears ringing. Her carefully made-up face instantly reddened and swollen, with her lip split and bleeding.With a gasp of shock, Wasyl and Cheryl swallowed hard, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.Liam had lost it, lashing out at Brianna in a fit of rage!He had completely lost his mind!Cheryl, seeing the gravity of the situation, her face etched with panic, yelled at Liam, "Liam! Are you out of your mind? Do you even realize what you've done? This is only going to make Trevyn more determined to come after you, and if this sets off the Stone family, how will you handle the fallout?"Cheryl was biting her lip with regret. If only she had thought it through, she would not have rushed in with Celena. If that mess ended up dragging the Stone family into it, and Reginald disc
Wasyl, in particular, had always tried to curry favor with Brianna. With Trevyn about to arrive, he was eager to show off and build a rapport with him, especially since he was on the verge of becoming a general.So, as he guarded Brianna, he berated Liam, "Liam, think about what you're doing. Don't act on impulse. Can't you see? This path leads straight to hell for you and Celena. Think about her, your daughter. Don't you care about them at all?"Sure enough, Liam froze. Wasyl, spotting the hesitation, felt a surge of triumph, mistaking it for fear. His voice rose with confidence as he added, "Listen up, you better straighten out. Trevyn is on his way, and once he gets here, you're toast! Out of respect for Cheryl, I suggest you make things right with Ms. Hughes. It might be your only shot at getting out of this alive."However, as soon as Wasyl finished his threat, Liam lashed out with a swift kick to Wasyl's chest, sending the self-appointed knight in shining armor sprawling.Che
Trevyn's forehead pulsed with a prominent vein as he sneered, revealing a scornful, icy grin. He whipped out a handgun and jammed it against Liam's forehead, his voice frosty with defiance. "Still feel like schooling my sister, Liam? You attacked her and assaulted a soldier from the combat zone. That's a death sentence. I could end you with a single shot right now."Liam, unfazed by the gun to his head, arched an eyebrow, his gaze icy and defiant. "Anyone who's ever pointed a gun at me is already six feet under," he retorted with a chilling calm.His words hung in the air, ratcheting the tension in the room to a breaking point.The thought of the Commander-in-chief of Pendragon with a gun to his head… If the higher-ups caught wind of that, there would be hell to pay!Trevyn's frown deepened, the lethal intent in his eyes flaring as he spat out, "You think I'm scared?"Brianna, then on her feet, pointed furiously at Liam, her voice breaking as she pleaded with Trevyn, "Bro, take hi