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
Celena could no longer think straight anymore. She was driven by an instinct to survive, and she knew that her only chance of making it out alive was to continue pleading for mercy, even at the cost of her own life!Trevyn was rather displeased by this. He thought that Celena would have given in by now; who would have thought this woman would be so stubborn? He scowled and said curtly, "Very well then! I guess I have no choice but to do this, Celena! I'd like to know what sort of spell Liam has put you under. He's a good-for-nothing, a tramp who was lucky enough to survive the Cole family's downfall, and yet you're so devoted toward him that you're willing to sacrifice your own life and the lives of the people around you! Since you're not willing to give up Liam's whereabouts, I shall put you and your daughter up for bid! I have no use for either of you, and with your beauty, it won't be hard to find a keen buyer!"With that, Trevyn turned to gaze out at the audience beneath him: an
"You monsters! Let go of my daughter! She's still a child! How can you do this to her?" Celena screamed as she lunged toward Jovie's direction. The adrenaline rush in that moment, powered mostly by a mother's unconditional love, allowed her to break free of the soldier holding her. She shoved the soldier aside, then pulled Jovie into her arms and sobbed, "Jovie, are you okay? Mom is here… Mom is here with you, Jovie… Don't be scared…"The audience erupted into a roar of laughter and applause. Someone shouted from amongst the crowd, "Wow! What a pleasant surprise, General Hughes! I can't believe you're really placing these two up for bid!"Everyone agreed. "I want them! A hundred dollars!""Two hundred dollars! Don't you dare try to steal from me!""What a splendid surprise! Shut up, all of you! They're going to be mine, and no one's going to stop me!""Hey, what gives? She's the most beautiful woman Drunham City has ever seen… I'd like to get my hands on that!""Come on, who woul
Little Jovie, at the tender age of seven, was already facing a world of pain.Why could not fate cut them some slack? Why did she and her daughter have to shoulder all that heartache and hopelessness?Celena's ears rang with the chilling bids of heartless men, and their sleazy chuckles sank her deeper into despair.Jovie, nestled in Celena's embrace, squinted through her tears to see her mother's tear-streaked face. With a shaky, scarred hand, she reached out to dry Celena's tears, but her strength failed her, and her arm fell limp."Mommy... don't cry...""Daddy... I miss Daddy so much. Mommy, where is he... Didn't you say Daddy would come to save us? Daddy... why isn't he here yet..."Jovie called for Liam and her questions about her absent father broke Celena's heart into a million pieces, and tears stained with the blood of her sorrow trickled down her face."Jovie, I'm so sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe... Daddy's not coming back... It's all my fault, Jovie, all
Trevyn's soldiers had their guns trained on Liam, their eyes sharp and alert to his every move.The banquet guests had been ushered to safety on either side, leaving only the stage and Liam, who moved toward it with deliberate steps.Trevyn stood high on the stage, looking down at Liam with a sneer of arrogance. His eyes were frigid and mocking, and a cruel smile played on his lips. "Liam, I never thought you'd have the guts to come back," he said with icy disdain.Liam was a mere ten meters from the stage, flanked by rows of armed soldiers, their weapons loaded and pointed at him. Red laser dots swarmed over him like angry bees.One wrong move, and he would be shot to pieces.Liam halted, his gaze fixed on Celena and Jovie, who were chained on the stage like animals. His fury rose like a tidal wave, threatening to obliterate everything in its path. His eyes, red with rage, took in their injuries, and he ground his molars in silent fury.He had been gone for only two days, and th
"However, really, what does it matter? You might want to take a closer look, Liam. My brother's a general now, and we've got three thousand warriors guarding the Hughes estate. You think you can take us? You think you can make us pay with our lives?"Her face twisted with scorn. She sized Liam up with a sneer. "Dream on," she spat.She had despised Liam since school. After Liam had a fight with Clora, Brianna tried to console him, only to be harshly rebuked. However, when Celena stepped in, Liam's reaction was the complete opposite. He did not lash out, and he actually thanked her.Since that fateful day, she could not shake off the resentment she held against Celena and Liam. Celena had given herself to Liam, and without a hint of shame, she comforted him, aided him in dodging his pursuers, and later bore his illegitimate child!Just days ago, Liam had the nerve to strike her, all for that wretched Celena, leaving her battered and bruised. Then, as Brianna laid eyes on Liam, her f
The guests were all buzzing about Liam, looking at him with faces twisted in mockery and chilling laughter. They were scoffing at his self-delusion, laughing at his absurd behavior!To him, Liam, who had supposedly left Drunham City, was then back at the Hughes residence, which was akin to walking straight into a trap!In the crowd, Reginald and the Stone family members reacted with shock at the sight of Liam, the instigator of their troubles. Some were agitated, others panicked, but most were seething with anger.Cheryl's face lit up with excitement when she saw Liam. His presence meant her parents would be safe. However, then, remembering that it was all because of Liam that her parents had nearly met with disaster, her excitement quickly turned to fury. She could not help but sneer as she watched Liam make his outrageous claims."Grandpa, look closely at Liam. He's totally out of his league. Can you believe he's still running his mouth at a time like this? As if he, the good-for
Trevyn's words were as frosty as his stare, fixed on Liam as he continued his frigid tirade. "Now, tell me, Liam, what makes you think you can take down the Hughes family? Why should we siblings lower ourselves to that trash, Celena? Is it because you're the Cole family's reject or because you're just a nobody who married into the Stone family? In my eyes, you're nothing more than a bug!"Trevyn's voice thundered through the grand Hughes estate, his rage reverberating in the ears of the stunned guests. They all watched, eager for a spectacle, as Liam was on the brink of reaping the bitter consequences of his pride.However, then, an unexpected voice cut through the tension at the entrance."Who has the authority? I do! The commander of the Drunham City garrison and the Mayor of Drunham City, Malcolm!"With that, Malcolm charged in, leading a troop of over a hundred soldiers decked out in full gear, guns at the ready.Malcolm, radiating a fierce aura of wrath and a chilling intent
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