Celena felt hope course through her, as though God had cracked a window open for her in this bleak, bleak world. She reached out one bloody, gnarly-looking hand through the gap in the cage and shouted, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Please save us! I'm your granddaughter! Please save us, Grandpa… Jovie isn't going to make it, Grandpa! Please save her! She's your great-granddaughter!"However, there was no response from Reginald or any of the Stones. Celena then shouted even louder, "Help me, Dad, Mom! I'm your daughter! Please help me… Please, I'm begging you… Please don't turn a blind eye to me again… Please save Jovie! She doesn't have much time left…"Cheryl, please save us! Please, I'm begging you…"Grandpa, say something! Please save Jovie! She's too young… Why are you doing this to us…"Celena clung to the bars desperately, shouting at the top of her lungs, but no one replied. Despair coursed through her veins, and she tugged desperately at the bars as though, by some miracle, she could
Celena's eyes were bloodshot as she gazed out at the cold, unwavering crowd before her. "Where have all your conscience gone? My daughter is just a child… She's only seven! Why aren't you willing to save her? Why… "At that exact moment, Brianna stepped forward, her heels click-clacking against the tiles as she strode onto the stage. She turned to face the audience, her cold glance sweeping across the astounded faces of the people staring up at her, then finally pointed at the pair in the cage and declared, "Do you see this? This is what happens when you cross the Hughes family!"Then, she turned around, stared coldly at Celena, and scoffed. "Do you understand now, Celena? Not even your family is willing to help you now. I'll give you one last chance. I'll let you go if you tell me where Liam is right now, and not only that, but if you tell me Liam's whereabouts, I'll even seek out the best doctor in this town to make sure your daughter gets the best treatment she needs.She then sw
Brianna watched all of this unfold coldly, without even batting an eyelid. Finally, she turned to her guards and ordered, "Toss them into the hole and bury them alive!"Both Sherah and Yafe felt as though they had been struck by lightning. Even Cheryl was so stunned to hear this that she could not even speak. Finally, as soon as she snapped out of her stupor, she turned to Wasyl and shook his arm desperately, her eyes red-rimmed with tears. "Wasyl, save… save them! They're my parents! I can't let this happen to them! It's one thing for that b*tch Celena to get killed, but my parents are innocent…"Wasyl grabbed Cheryl's hand with an unreadable expression and replied, "Don't worry, Cheryl. Nothing bad will happen to your parents with me around! Let me go see what I can do…"With that, he put her hand down and strode away.Meanwhile, Sherah was shaking like a leaf when she heard Brianna's orders. She struggled against the soldier's grasp, howling like a banshee as she tried to break
Sherah shouted, "Ms. Hughes, please show us mercy! Why do you have to treat us like this? Oh God, please, why are you doing this to us? We did nothing wrong! We were cursed!"Even while being buried, Sherah still could not stop cursing Celena for this. She turned toward the direction of the cage and spat, "Celena, you f*cking b*tch! You're a curse to this family! We're going to be killed because of you! You're a witch, you've cursed us and doomed us all! You should be dead by now! Why are you dragging all of us down with you?"The guests of the party all watched on in mild disinterest, and no one dared to step forward to save the Stones. Not only that, but some of the party guests even felt secretly pleased that such fate had fallen unto Sherah and Yafe. Some of the guests, on the other hand, could not help pitying Jovie, as they felt that such a young child should not have been subjected to such pain and suffering at all. However, the thought of standing up against Brianna sent sh
Although he had already promised Cheryl to help, he could not help complaining, "That wretched Celena! Why does Liam matter so much to her? Why can't she just tell Brianna where he is? Even if she reveals his whereabouts to her, it doesn't guarantee that the Hughes will even find him anyway! Why can't she just use her brain for once?"When he saw Cheryl crying, his tone softened. "It's okay, Cheryl. Don't be sad, okay? I said I'd help you, and besides, didn't I prove myself useful in the past? Otherwise how did you and the rest of your family even end up here in the first place? Of course I'll help you, but I can't guarantee that it'll be a success. All I can do is promise that I'll try my best to help. This is all Celena's fault, you know? None of this would've happened if she had agreed to work with Brianna in the first place."With that, Wasyl strode away from Cheryl and made his way toward Trevyn, who was surrounded by a group of fawning guests at the time. He plastered a smile o
A glimmer of hope ignited within Sherah when she realized that Reginald had come to save them. She shouted desperately from the bottom of the pit, "Dad! Please save us! Yafe is your eldest son, and I'm your daughter-in-law! You can't possibly sit by and allow this to happen to us, right? Save us!"Yafe also began to shout, "Dad! Help me! Please help me!"Reginald's expression went dark. He was being forced to make a very difficult decision now, one which he knew would have consequences no matter which he chose. Seeing that Reginald was starting to think twice, Sherah decided to turn her attention to Cheryl and the rest. "Cheryl, Mr. Abbott! Please help us! Help us, Cheryl! We're your parents! We brought you to this earth and raised you to be the beautiful, smart woman that you are! You're not going to be an ungrateful b*tch like your sister, are you?""Cheryl, please help us! Mr. Abbott, do something!"Trevyn glanced at them coldly and was beginning to lose his patience. He frown
All of a sudden, a gust of wind swept across the ridge on which the Pendragon Warriors stood, making the flag billow proudly above them, revealing the golden dragon imprinted atop of the flag, along with the words that read 'Pendragon'.Thirty thousand Pendragon Warriors leaped into action, charging down the ridge as their footsteps echoed, shaking the earth.Even the earth seemed to hold its breath as these mighty warriors stomped toward the twinkling city, following the lead of their lieutenant general. Meanwhile, within the city itself, Malcolm led a team of over ten thousand warriors who promptly sealed the main freeways of Drunham City and stationed themselves at the major points of entry to the city, like airports, train stations, subways, and docks. The police headquarters had also received orders to prepare their men for combat. All the police officers were suited up and leaped into their patrol cars, gearing for action. Tanks were employed and thundered along the streets
Reginald was heartbroken to have to make this decision. On the one hand, this was his firstborn son and daughter-in-law, and on the other hand, he had his entire family and bloodline to consider! He could not possibly sacrifice the entire family just to save two people!This was a classic of the Stones. Blood was thicker than water, but none of that mattered in the face of greed and livelihood!Even though Reginald had raised Yafe to be the heir to his legacy, he would not hesitate to sacrifice Yafe if it meant he could save the rest of the Stones, and frankly, himself. Even if Trevyn had forced him to choose between Celena and the Stone family, Reginald would undoubtedly choose to save the Stones. Celena was no longer useful to him, so what was the point of keeping her around?After a painful few minutes of contemplation, Reginald had come to a decision. He shook his head. By this point, Sherah and Yafe were already knee-deep in dirt. Fear and devastation crossed their faces wh
Meanwhile, Celena and the group were taken out of the hotel and shoved forcefully into a couple of jeeps waiting at the entrance. They were whisked away to a nearby military base. Before they could even get their bearings straight, they found themselves being tossed into holding cells. Celena, on the other hand, was taken separately to a small, dark room, illuminated only by the barest sliver of light that peeped in through a tiny window. The room was entirely empty, save for a metal bed frame. A sour stench hung in the air, and it was clear this room had been abandoned for a very long time. A soldier shoved Celena roughly into the room, and before she could realize what was happening, the soldier slammed the door shut.The soldier had pushed Celena so hard that she fell onto the ground, but upon seeing that her captor was about to leave, she leaped to her feet and sprinted over to the door. "Sir, can you tell me what I did wrong? Can you please have mercy on me? Can you at least
Tristan seemed just as baffled as they were. He returned their puzzled gazes with an equally perplexed one of his own. "I… I have no idea…"The general glanced sharply in their direction, then gestured to his soldiers and declared sternly, "Take them away!"His soldiers obliged and stepped forward to restrain the members of the Drunham City Connoisseurs, who all shrieked in alarm, "Why are you taking us away?""General, what did we do wrong? We didn't do anything illegal, so why are you arresting us?""Mr. Xander, save us! They've got this all wrong!""What's going on here? Why are they arresting only us?"Celena's entire body was shaking like a leaf. She eyed the soldiers around her and asked, stammering, "General, what did we do wrong? Why are we being captured? Where are you taking us?"Tristan, stricken with panic, shoved a soldier aside and shouted at the general, "General, I'm the president of the Drunham City Connoisseurs, and I want to know why we're being taken away. Wh
Celena was utterly terrified by the sudden turn of events. She stared pale-faced at the soldiers around her, not daring to move even a muscle. What was going on?All of a sudden, a man in a uniform stepped into the room. The badge on his shoulder indicated to everyone that he was a general. The heavy thumping of his boots echoed through the silent room with every step he took. All eyes were on him as he stepped onto the stage.He carried himself with great authority, and clearly, this man was not one to be messed with. He scanned the room as if searching for someone. Finally, he announced in a deep, resounding voice, "Do not fear, ladies and gentlemen. We are here on a routine check after receiving a tip-off regarding your conference. We will release you all once we have carried out our investigation, and the process will be quicker and smoother if you all cooperate. "Now, I would kindly request you get your documentation ready so that my men may confirm your identity."Everyone
Derek nodded earnestly and replied, "Of course it's true. My sources have never failed me. I wouldn't have trusted you with this information if I didn't think you'd be interested."Celena stared at him for a moment, then turned to glance in the direction of the people he had pointed. She could not help but be tempted by the offer. She considered this for a few moments, then accepted his offer. "Alright then, Mr. Duncan. I'll go with you. Thank you for inviting me."The smile on Derek's face widened. He could hardly believe his luck—Celena had agreed to go with him! Taking that first step was always the hardest, but he had done it!Unbeknownst to Celena, Derek already knew her long before their first meeting at the conference. Her name was known far and wide in Drunham City, not least because of her beauty, but because of her—in the eyes of the public—tragic marriage. Celena had earned herself a reputation as one of the most beautiful women Drunham City had ever seen, and although
The attention they received, however, was large due to Celena and her young, handsome companion, who was a man named Derek Duncan. Their attractive looks, both individually and combined, were easily the topic of discussion that night. Everyone who laid eyes on them admired both their good looks and brains, for certainly only the cream of the crop were allowed to attend this prestigious event. What made this feat even more impressive was the fact that they were both so young!Aside from her beauty, Celena's name was already known far and wide in the business world, not just because of her strong leadership but due to her association with Liam and her company's connections with many international corporations. She had started her business from scratch, but within a few short months, she had single handedly built it up to become one of the top ten grossing companies in Drunham City.There were hundreds of people gathered there tonight, and their seats had been allocated according to t
The moment Clifford left, Kastor turned to Liam with a wide grin, all hint of his hostility now gone. "Mr. Cole, thank God I arrived just in time."He raised his brows as he said this, and Liam took this to mean he was trying to claim credit. Truth be told, he would have been able to handle things on his own even without Kastor's help, but he decided this was a detail Kastor did not need to know. Instead, he returned Kastor's smile graciously. Kastor, like a child, burst into laughter at this. No further words were exchanged, but they understood the message nonetheless.Jeffrey also grinned. "Kastor, what brings you here all of a sudden?"Kastor replied, "Ah, you might not know this, Mr. Stein, but I actually own this very restaurant that you're sitting in right now. One of my employees called me for help, citing that a brawl was about to break out, so I rushed over immediately. I had no idea it would turn out to be you and Mr. Cole!""Ah, what a pleasant surprise, then!" Jeffrey
Clifford scowled upon hearing this. He cracked his knuckles menacingly as he stared at Kastor through narrowed eyes.Kastor did not seem at all intimidated by this. Instead, he brushed past him and approached Liam, smiling. "Mr. Cole, I apologize for the delay. I rushed over as soon as I heard the news, but I was late anyway. I'm so sorry for the wait."Liam's expression eased up slightly. He tugged the corners of his mouth into a strained smile but did not reply. Clifford's expression turned even more sour when he sensed Kastor's tone. He asked sharply, "What is the meaning of this, Kastor? Are you intent on making me your enemy?"Clifford's reputation was known far and wide, and many feared him, but Kastor was not one of them. He shot Clifford a look of utmost disdain and replied, smirking, "Yes, Clifford, that's exactly what I'm going to do. So what if we will be enemies from now on? What are you going to do about it?"He was confident that Clifford would not dare to retaliate
One of the muscle-bound goons stowed his submachine gun and drew a hefty machete, nearly a foot long, from his side. He advanced on Liam with deliberate steps.Calum and Cirocco were poised for a fight, ready to jump in at Liam's command and wipe out the roomful of petty thugs.However, Liam had other plans. He remained seated, an unfazed smirk playing on his lips, watching the approaching thug with the machete.The thug, mistaking Liam's calm for fear, grinned viciously and raised his machete, aiming for Liam's arm.However, in a flash, the scene changed.A figure hurtled through the air, and with a resounding crash, the thug was sent flying into the wine rack. The rack toppled, bottles shattering, their contents spilling and perfuming the air with the scent of alcohol.The thug hit the ground, blood spurting from his mouth, his eyes wide with shock. He lay there, lifeless, staring at Liam, dead before he hit the floor.The room plunged into a deathly hush.Corie clapped a h
Corie was also shaken, her fists clenched tight under the table as she watched Liam with wide, fearful eyes, barely managing to whisper, "Liam!"Liam stood there, steady as ice, without a trace of fear. "Don't worry, I've got this," he assured.Corie, seeing Liam's calm dismissal of the threat and recalling his proven strength, felt her fear ebb away.She could not explain it, but she had an unwavering faith in Liam.Across from them, Clifford lounged back, his legs thrown carelessly over the table, his gaze dripping with disdain. "You don't know who you're messing with, do you?" he sneered. "Karpos works for me, Clifford. And yet, you've got the gall to attack my men in broad daylight? You're in over your head!"Jeffrey was about to chime in, but one look at Liam's icy demeanor and he thought better of it, choosing instead to watch the scene unfold in silence.He was curious to see just how Liam would handle that.Liam chuckled, a sound as cold as the winter wind, and fixed Cli