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
Jovie had been through the nightmare once already, snatched away and scared out of her wits. Liam had been her comfort, but then, in a cruel twist, she was in the clutches of those thugs again, paralyzed with fear. She clung to Celena, her sobs shaking her small frame. However, in a heartbeat, one of the assailants lifted his gun and brutally clubbed Celena on the back of her head with the butt."Ah!"A sharp cry escaped Celena as her world went dark, blood gushing from her wound. She crumpled to the ground, her head lolling to the side.With every ounce of willpower, Celena fought the encroaching blackness, her eyes wide with horror as Jovie was yanked from her protective hold. The gun was raised again, and with a sickening thud, it came down on Jovie's tiny head, blood matting her hair as she slumped over, unconscious.Hot tears streamed down Celena's face as she tried desperately to rise, to do something, anything, but her body was a leaden weight, unresponsive. She could only
"Yes, he is. Daddy's going to come for us, I promise!"Celena's nods were emphatic. Seeing Jovie's effort to speak, she soothed her, "Shh, Jovie, let's save our strength. Daddy made us a promise, remember? He said he'd protect us, and he will. You just need to hang in there. Don't be scared, and don't fall asleep. Stay with me, and we'll wait for Daddy together, okay? I'll sing for you... Just stay awake, alright?"Jovie summoned a feeble smile and gave a slight nod to Celena.In the shadowy room, Celena cradled Jovie, fighting back her own fears and tears, and began to sing with a soft, lilting voice."Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky...""Twinkle, twinkle, little star, when the blazing sun is gone, when nothing shines upon, then you show your little light, twinkle, twinkle, all the night...""Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are..."Her voice, tender and sweet, filled the room an
Little Jovie was already weak. She could not help but watch her mother, Celena, take a beating. She wriggled and squirmed, trying to break free, her tears flowing as she cried out, "Stop it, stop it! Let me go! Don't hurt my mommy, you meanies! My daddy will come back and get you for this. You're all so mean... Please, don't hurt her... Mommy, are you in a lot of pain?"Celena, with one hand on her aching belly, managed to prop herself up. She looked at Jovie and, through the pain, mustered a smile that looked more painful than tears. "Jovie, honey, Mommy's okay, don't cry. Be a good girl. Mommy's here, everything's going to be alright..."Brianna, who had been watching with a scowl, could not stand Jovie's loud sobs. She marched over, her hand swinging out to deliver a stinging slap to Jovie's cheek. She barked, "Enough! Silence, you little brat! One more peep out of you, and I swear I'll chop you up for the dogs!"Jovie froze, her sobs caught in her throat, her face wet with tears
"Brianna, I swear I don't know where Liam's gone. Please, I'm begging you, let my little girl go. She's just a child. I'll do anything you want if you just let us go. You hate me, right? Just let us go, and I'll take her out of Drunham City so fast. Please, I'm begging you, I truly don't know where Liam is… " Celena's voice broke into sobs.Tears streamed down Celena's face as she shook her head in utter despair, wondering what it would take for Brianna to spare them.Brianna watched Celena with icy detachment until she heard her pleas. Then, with a burst of anger, she slapped Celena hard across the face and bellowed, "You think I'm an idiot? That I can be fooled so easily? You don't know? How could you not know? You expect me to just let you walk away, to take your daughter and run off to find Liam? Keep dreaming! So, you're set on playing tough, are you?"Brianna finished speaking and sharply turned to signal the bodyguard. He got the message and, with a swift move, lifted little
Trevyn marched in, his face a mask of ice as he shot Brianna a chilling look before his gaze fell on Celena, crumpled on the floor.Brianna, her delicate brows knitted in displeasure, shot back at Trevyn, "Bro! Didn't you promise she was mine to deal with? Why did you break your promises?""My word is my bond, and I'll keep my promises to you, but remember, I'm not a general yet. I can't afford any slip-ups. If Malcolm gets wind of this, my appointment might be on the line. Got it?" Trevyn laid it out plainly.Brianna clearly got the picture, but it did not sit well with her. Anger twisted her features as she shot Celena a venomous look and spat out, "Fine! Your daughter dodged a bullet this time, Celena. However, don't count on such luck again!"With that, Brianna huffed, flung her arms, and stormed off, leaving the small cabin behind.Inside, Trevyn stood with a distant, detached look, eyeing Celena, who was on edge on the floor. "You've got two days, Celena. Make up your mind 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