Celena's face was ashen, and her brows were furrowed in a worried frown. Liam noticed this and immediately approached her, then took her hand in his. "Don't worry, Celena. Everything will be alright. I'm here."Celena glanced at him, and when she saw the determined look in his eyes, she felt a surge of relief rush through her. She nodded.Meanwhile, at Stone Mansion, Reginald had summoned a family meeting involving the entire Stone family, Yafe, Sherah, and Qemal included. The only two people who were absent from the meeting were Liam and Celena. This was because their topic at hand that day was to discuss whether or not to banish Liam and Celena from their family!"Grandpa, I think we shouldn't allow them to wreck any more havoc on our family!""I agree! Liam Cole has done nothing except cause us trouble left and right, and Celena is the same. She's served nothing except to humiliate and taint the family name!""Besides, we've all seen the news. Liam isn't anyone important at all
A shudder went through Reginald's entire body. He leaped to his feet, clutching his walking cane. He could not help but wonder why these men had shown up all of a sudden, but he had a bad feeling about this. He turned to the butler with a dubious yet terrified look. "Are you sure? Kolten Reath is here? Along with all the wealthiest and most powerful men in the city?"The butler was just as horrified as he was. He nodded. "Yes, sir, they're right outside…""Well, what are you waiting for, then? Why aren't you escorting them in? Don't be an idiot! You can't even afford to get on Mr. Reath's bad side!" Reginald shouted to the butler, then hobbled out of the door and into the living room, leaving a crowd of shell-shocked family members exchanging glances with each other. No one knew exactly why they had gotten such a group of important visitors without warning, but they would not wait to find out.When they arrived at the door, they were met by the sight of over a dozen men standing out
Everyone else nodded in agreement. Kolten smiled, then shook his head. "Very well then, Mr. Stone, I'll cut straight to the chase. My intentions of coming here are simple. We'd like to invite the Stones to join the Drunham City Connoisseurs. I wonder if you'll be interested in this opportunity, Mr. Stone?"Reginald's entire body froze as though he had been struck by lightning. He could not believe his ears.Kolten had come personally to deliver an invitation to the Stones to join the Drunham City Connoisseurs, the most elite society amongst businessmen in Drunham City. Becoming a member of the Connoisseurs would no doubt open up an endless wave of opportunities for the Stone family and no doubt plummet them to fame and success! Any business that had the fortune of joining the Connoisseurs would gain access to the extensive resources of the society, which would bring them leaps and bounds ahead in the future!Reginald was not the only one stunned by this. Yafe and the rest of his f
A solemn look crossed Kolten's face, and he replied, "That's right! The only way the Stone family can be accepted into the Connoisseurs is if Ms. Celena Stone signs the agreement on behalf of all of you!"Reginald's expression darkened at this. Just a few minutes ago, he and the rest of the Stones had been considering banishing Celena and Liam from their family, and now Kolten had shown up with such a request! Reginald did not know what to do about this. He turned to glance at the rest of his family, and finally, his gaze landed on Yafe, who had his brows furrowed in deep contemplation. Yafe considered this for a moment, then inched closer to his father and whispered, "Why don't we just say yes first? After all, to be invited to join the Connoisseurs is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We can do something about Liam and Celena in the future! What's most important is to grab the opportunity now before it slips away! Everything else can wait!"Reginald nodded in agreement, and then
With that, Reginald and the entire Stone family, including Yafe, Walter, Hayden and their respective families, rushed to the hospital.At that moment, Liam had already tucked Jovie into bed and was now sitting by Celena's bedside, talking to her. All of a sudden, the door flew open, and in rushed the entire Stone family, who soon filled every square inch of the floor space. Celena was alarmed to see everyone appear out of nowhere. She immediately sat up, clinging to the bed's railing for support. "Grandpa, Dad, Uncle Walter, Uncle Hayden, what are you all doing here?"Celena was so nervous by this that her forehead was now covered in beads of sweat, and she could feel her heart thumping in her chest. She was worried that her family were here to confront Liam and punish him!She glanced at Liam, who was busying himself by peeling an apple for her. She reached out to surreptitiously tug on his shirt, then whispered, "Liam, my grandfather is here…"Liam ignored her and minded his ow
Liam's tone was so harsh and hostile that everyone, Reginald included, scowled at this. However, at the thought of Kolten's request, Reginald tried his best to stifle his anger and instead forced out a sheepish smile. "Nothing in particular. We're all just worried about Celena and Jovie and decided to come visit them!"Liam raised his brows and scoffed. "How kind of you! Why would you take an interest in Celena and Jovie all of a sudden?""Enough!" Walter could not stand it anymore and pointed at Liam, seething with rage. "How dare you speak to us like this? My father is the head of the Stone family, and you're not allowed to speak to your elder this way!"He could not believe how rude and arrogant Liam was! Cheryl could not help but agree, her face etched with disdain as she added, "Uncle Walter is right! Look at this, everyone. Look how Liam treats us! He does not respect Grandpa or any of us! He thinks that just because he conquered the Hughes that it makes him a hero!"With t
Everyone sneered when they heard this and cast looks of contempt at Liam and Celena. Not only this, but Celena's expression darkened when she heard what Sherah said. However, she could not deny the truth; in Drunham City and Biskeland, a marriage without a wedding where their loved ones could bear witness to their union was not considered a proper marriage!Everyone began to murmur and whisper. "Sherah is right! Only Celena would be so naive as to devote herself to a man who's not even her proper husband! What a joke!""This is hilarious! What do you think they're considered, then, if not husband and wife? Are they still boyfriend and girlfriend or just two people who sleep with each other?""Of course! They had registered for their marriage without their parents' approval or the blessings of their friends and family, so it doesn't count even if they are legally married in the eyes of the law! Their marriage certificate is nothing more than a piece of paper with words on it!""They
Celena kept her head lowered, staring at her toes. Her bandaged fingers kept fumbling at the edge of her hospital gown nervously, her hair falling over her face and obscuring her expression.All of a sudden, a hand reached out to grab hers, the warmth surging through her skin and into every fiber of her body. Celena lifted her head and came face-to-face with Liam's soulful eyes. Her face was etched with disbelief and sorrow. The next moment, Liam turned to the crowd and said, "Listen up, everyone! Celena Stone is my wife, and I vow to protect her with my life! Do you honestly think I'd put up with your disrespect and rudeness if it weren't for the fact that you're her family? I will give her the wedding of her dreams! I'm going to make her the happiest, most beautiful bride in the entire country on the day of our wedding! I will make the entire city and country bear witness to our love!"The Stones all gazed at him in shock, and even Celena was staring at him in disbelief. The enti