Liam had made it to the hospital just in time. Jovie had already been through her check-up and was then resting in a ward.Celena, upon hearing the news, had left everything at work and rushed to the hospital. She burst into the ward, breathless, and the sight of Jovie, safe and sound, laughing and horsing around with Liam, melted her worries away.Liam stood up awkwardly, caught off guard by Celena's sudden appearance. He looked regretful as he stammered, "Celena, I'm so sorry... I took Jovie to the amusement park this afternoon, and a kidnapper snatched her... However, thank goodness, with the police's help, we got her back..."Slap!Celena's hand struck Liam's cheek with a resounding smack. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she gasped for air, her voice thundering, "Liam! Is this your idea of keeping Jovie safe? Did you even consider what would've happened if we hadn't found her? What if the kidnappers had... I swear, if anything had happened to Jovie, I'd never forgive you. Not
In the next instant, Liam and Celena turned to face each other at the same time and said,"You..." "You..."They both burst into laughter. Liam gestured for her to speak first. "Go ahead."Celena was not one for drama. She straightened the little blanket on Jovie and then faced Liam, her expression etched with worry. "Do you really have the Hughes family mess under control? Trevyn's big celebration is just three days away, and they won't go easy on you. If there's no way out, you should take my advice to get out of Drunham City and stay under the radar for a while..."Liam's lips curled into a knowing smile as he caught her concerned look. "Celena, is this you worrying about me?"Hearing Liam's response, Celena could not help but roll her eyes at him again, pretending to be miffed. "Get over yourself, Liam. Who said I was worried about you? You're reading way too much into this. It's Jovie I'm concerned about. She's so attached to you. If anything were to happen, she'd be devast
After bidding Celena farewell with a tender kiss on her forehead, Liam moved to Jovie's bedside, brushed her forehead with a soft touch, and then strode out of the hospital room.Outside, a military Jeep was already idling, ready for departure. Liam hopped in and drove off from Drunham City without looking back.No sooner had Liam disappeared than the Yafe family showed up at the hospital's front steps.Sherah, ever observant, caught a glimpse of the departing Jeep and, with a puzzled expression, whispered to herself, "Did anyone else see that? The guy in the back of that Jeep looks a lot like Liam, didn't he?"Hearing her, Yafe halted and turned to stare at the receding vehicle, its special license plate shrinking in the distance. He shook his head, dismissing the idea, "What are you on about? There is no way Liam is on a military ride."Cheryl and her brother Qemal also glanced at the fading Jeep. Cheryl's face twisted into a sneer as she scoffed, "As if he'd ever be in there. T
Sherah's words grew more fervent, her finger tapping insistently on Celena's forehead as if trying to snap her out of a trance.Yafe looked equally distressed and asked, "Are you serious? Liam said he needed to leave Drunham City for a couple of days?"Celena nodded silently, her face growing somber. She had been so sure of Liam's statement, convinced he just had to take care of something for a short while. However, Sherah's outburst shook her, and doubt began to creep in.Was Liam really lying to her?Had he truly abandoned her and Jovie, just taken off without a backward glance?Celena felt torn, her mind a battleground where two voices fought for dominance. One voice reassured her, insisting that Liam was true to his word. He would not just leave her and Jovie behind, not after promising to cherish and protect them.Yet, a nagging voice taunted her, 'Wake up, Celena. Liam's played you for a fool. Men's vows are as flimsy as paper. It's too convenient, isn't it? Right when the
Sherah lost it again when she heard that, her voice rising in fury. "Why even care about them? You all thought Liam was Mr. Perfect, and now what? He ditched them and bolted. I warned her not to marry that deadbeat Liam, to give up being a rich lady for a nobody. Look, at the first sign of trouble, he's out. Serves her right. She's got no one else to blame!"Each of Sherah's barbs cut deeper than the last, and Celena felt her resolve shake. She was not scared for herself; it was Jovie who worried her; she was so young and vulnerable.Celena replayed Liam's last words, and the look on his face over in her mind, her heart aching with doubt. 'Liam, could you really have lied to me, leaving me and our daughter all alone?'Suddenly, the hospital room door was kicked open with a crash!A squad of battle-ready soldiers, armed to the teeth and faces set in grim determination, charged in, leaving everyone inside momentarily frozen in shock.Yafe was the quickest to snap out of it. He stepp
Sherah's fear escalated with every word until she was overwhelmed, bursting into tears and refusing to take another step.Qemal, too, was a picture of panic, inching toward Sherah as he sobbed, "Mom, help me, please! They can't take me away! Ahhh! Go after Liam, leave us alone; we've done nothing wrong!"Yafe, bombarded by the wails of his wife and child, was at his wit's end, unable to focus and devise a plan. With a scowl, he snapped at the weeping pair, "Enough with the crying!"Then, turning his fiery gaze to Celena, Yafe's anger boiled over. "Celena, this is what you wanted, right? We're all caught up in Liam's mess, suffering because of you. He's ditched you and run off, and you're still defending him!"Celena stood there, shell-shocked, at a loss for words, just being herded by the soldiers out of the ward.The family, looking nothing like criminals, was marched by soldiers from their hospital room to the entrance, drawing curious and concerned looks from onlookers."What
After her declaration, madness danced across Brianna's features. She had waited so long for that moment. That damn Liam, to think he would side with Celena over her! She was going to make sure Celena suffered, and Liam would rue the day he ever crossed her.Celena faced Brianna, defiance etched in her stance, her eyes a frosty challenge. "Do what you want with me, Brianna. I won't complain. However, my family and my daughter are innocent. If there's a shred of decency in you, you'll let them be."Sherah, desperate, fell to her knees, her voice breaking as she begged, "Please, Ms. Hughes, have mercy on us. We've done nothing wrong. Liam's the one you're angry with, not us. Take it up with him and Celena, but leave us out of it!"Sherah's plea to Brianna was devoid of any pride, and Qemal quickly followed suit, bending over with a sycophantic grin. "Ms. Hughes, have mercy on us. This mess is all Liam's doing. It has nothing to do with us. We're innocent. Go after Liam and Celena, but
Qemal backed her up, "Right! What's there to think about, Celena? Get on with the apology to Ms. Hughes. I sure don't want to die because of Liam's blunder. Don't let it hit me too!"Cheryl, silent until then, glared at Celena with venom in her eyes, her voice piercing as she spat out, "Celena!! You lowlife! Bow down and apologize, now!"Celena's heart was heavy with humiliation and a deep sense of injustice as she faced her family's harsh criticism. She glanced at her daughter Jovie, who was sobbing uncontrollably. With tears in her eyes, she mustered the courage to confront Brianna. "If I apologize to you and bow down, will you really let my family and my little girl go?" she pleaded."Yes," Brianna replied with a frigid, dismissive snort.With a heavy heart, Celena bit her lip and knelt before Brianna, swallowing her pride as she wept. "Ms. Hughes, I'm sorry. Please, I'm begging you, let my daughter and my family be. I'll take the blame for everything."Brianna's response was a
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