At that moment, every member of the Hughes family was panicking. They were terrified and they kept begging Liam for mercy on their knees."Mr. Cole, please forgive us! We know that it was all our fault! Please be generous and forgive us just this once!""I beg of you, please let us off just this once! For the sake of the past friendship between the Hughes and the Cole family, please forgive us!""I don't want to die! Mr. Cole, this was all Trevyn's fault! How about you punish him and let the rest of us go! We're all innocent!"Brianna's fear was pushed to the maximum. She kneeled on the ground and bellowed, "Liam, what happened seven years ago was all ordered by the Four Ancient Families, it was not what we wanted! Please forgive my family! You already have a daughter with Celena anyway. Please, for the sake of our past relationship, let my family go!"Hearing the mention of the Four Ancient Families again made Liam frown. He continued to press and asked, "The Four Ancient Familie
Brianna, on the other hand, sat on the ground, looking dazed, Her face was filled with despair.Life imprisonment. She watched Liam's back as he walked further away from her. Then, Brianna suddenly got up from the ground, wanting to chase after him. She kept pleading for forgiveness, but she was pinned firmly to the ground by the guards beside her the moment she got up.The Hughes family was completely ruined that night. They no longer existLiam was worried about Celena and Jovie, so he rushed directly to the hospital right after leaving Hughes Mansion.Meanwhile, the streets outside the hospital were filled with military Jeeps and soldiers in uniform. Police cars were parked with their siren lights on and the police officers were on duty at every single entrance and exit of the hospital.By the time Liam got to the hospital, Celena and Jovie already finished their examination and were transferred to their rooms. When Liam entered, he instantly saw Celena lying on the bed in he
The more important thing was that Liam still had to investigate the information about the Four Ancient Families that Brianna told him that night, so he could not reveal his identity easily.Otherwise, Celena and Jovie would be even more in danger. He could not put them at risk.Liam thought about this a lot. He sat on the side of the bed and gently checked on Celena's hand injury before carefully putting her in bed.He explained gently, "What would I be keeping from you? You're being silly. Have you forgotten that I told you I was a retired veteran? I was previously a soldier based in the Pendragon War Zone Headquarters. "I was quite the soldier back then. I was also a military officer. But I was injured because of some rather special circumstances, so I retired."As expected, Celena looked rather lost. Liam gently pinched her nose and continued, "Although I've retired from the Pendragon War Zone, there's a saying among us, 'Once a Pendragon Warrior, forever a Pendragon Warrior!'
Liam held onto Jovie's delicate hand tightly. He put the cotton bud in the water and dabbed it lightly on Jovie's chapped lips, trying to moisturize them.Guilt-ridden, he said, "Jovie, I'm sorry. It is my fault that I didn't protect you properly. I swear that I won't fail you again, and I'll protect you and your mom."Liam stayed in Jovie's room for a while before he walked to the entrance of the hospital. Once he got into a military Jeep, it sped off toward the garrison of Drunham City.Meanwhile, both sides of the gate to the garrison of Drunham City were patrolled by heavily armed soldiers, and the headquarters building was brightly lit.All officers at the garrison were standing respectfully at the main entrance. Members of the wealthy families and bosses of various companies in the city who were led by Kolten were there too. They were all standing in the cold wind respectfully without a single complaint.Howard, the Drunham City police chief who was captured, also arrived at
Cilix's voice echoed through the entire building like a thunderous war cry. His soldiers all stared solemnly at Liam, their hands raised to their heads in a salute."Salutations, King Pendragon, sir!" Everyone's jaw dropped when they heard this, and the shock was evident on the faces of those who did not belong to the military, namely the businessmen crowded behind Kolten.Liam was the King Pendragon? How could this be true?Liam Cole was the legendary King Pendragon?Everyone gasped at this; some of them even felt their breaths catch in their throats, suffocated in utter disbelief. Some of the people who had chosen to believe in Kolten were all secretly relieved they had done so. If they had defied Liam, their businesses, along with their families and loved ones, would vanish along with the Hughes with a snap of Liam's fingers!Liam glanced at Cilix, then said, "Where's Trevyn? I'd like to see him!""Yes, sir!" Cilix immediately tilted his body aside, clearing a way for Liam
Trevyn's face was ashen, but he still nodded and replied, "I know, sir. I tortured your wife and daughter, and I know that I have to pay the price for my crimes. I will not attempt to plead mercy on my behalf, but I hope that you will find it within yourself to let my family go. Please… none of this had anything to do with them, and I was the only person responsible for all this. Please…please keep my family out of this. Do you remember how far back the Hughes and the Coles go?"Trevyn thought that bringing up the Hughes and the Coles' bond would earn him some leniency from Liam, but he could not be more wrong; if anything, Liam only grew even more outraged at the mention of this. He fixed his cold, steely gaze on Trevyn's face and snarled, "The Hughes and the Coles? How dare you even bring that up? Have you somehow forgotten what your family has done to mine in the past? Your entire family was responsible for my parent's death, and Brianna was the mastermind behind Celena and I's dow
Liam did not want to upset his precious little girl, so he smiled and nodded. "Of course. Your teddy is adorable, my dear, but you're the cutest girl I've ever laid my eyes on!"Jovie was delighted to hear this. She hugged the stuffed animal closer to her, then turned to Celena and exclaimed, "Did you hear that, Mommy? Dad says I'm the cutest girl he's ever seen! Dad said I'm cute!"Jovie kept pestering Liam to play with her while Celena watched on from the other bed with a loving smile. "Of course you are. I agree with your father. You're the cutest little girl anyone can have the pleasure of meeting!"All of a sudden, her smile disappeared and was instead replaced by a frown. She feigned annoyance and said to Jovie, "You should play by yourself for a bit, Jovie. Stop bugging your Dad. He hasn't slept the entire night, and he needs to rest now."Jovie pouted in reluctance. "Okay, then. You should rest first, Dad. I can play by myself for a while!"With that, she turned to grin at
"Yes, it's all his fault! He should be punished for his sins! Beat him up, son, and go at him as hard as you can!" Sherah clapped her hands in delight, staring daggers at Liam as though she wanted nothing more than to kill him herself!Qemal clenched his fist and lunged toward Liam, his fist cocked!Celena and Jovie shrieked in horror, and Jovie even burst into tears at this. The two of them braced themselves for impact, but to their surprise, Liam grabbed hold of Qemal's hand, stopping him in mid-air. The next second, the sound of bone cracking echoed through the room!"Ahh!" Qemal's face immediately twisted into a grotesque grimace. He panted, his face twisted in agony and horror. "Ahh! It hurts! Let go of me right now, you b*stard! Let go of me! Do you have any idea who I am? I'm Celena's brother, so how dare you do this to me? Ahh… It hurts… Let go of me right now!"However, Liam's palm was clenched tight around him, refusing to let go.Qemal's entire face was flushed red in a
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