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
All of a sudden, Jovie stirred from all the commotion and sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing, Dad, Mom?"Celena's first instinct was to reach out and hold her, but she was so frail that a single step made her feel so dizzy that she needed to stop and hold her forehead to ease the discomfort. Liam immediately helped her sit back down on the bed and said, "Lie down, Celena. I'll get her instead."With that, he picked up Jovie in his arms, not forgetting to lightly pinch her cheeks, then brushed a finger against her nose playfully and said, "Mom and Dad were just talking about how adorable you are, Jovie. Dad is going to make you the prettiest princess this world has ever seen."Jovie was so delighted to hear this that she put her arms up in the air, crowing with glee. "Dad said I'm a princess!"The Stones were all staring at the three of them with expressions of disdain and amusement. Cheryl, on the other hand, shot Celena a cold look and scoffed. "I don't even kn
Cheryl looked triumphant at the sight of Celena's disappointment and defeat. She stepped forward with a stuck-up look and said, "You're just deluding yourself, Celena! What kind of majestic wedding do you think you and that b*stard can put on? It's going to be nothing more than two candles and a table full of cheap food! We Stones are one of the most prestigious families in Drunham City, so don't expect us to show up at such a lowly event!"With that, Cheryl paused, lifting her chin haughtily, and continued, "Let me tell you this, Celena; I'm going to be marrying the heir of Abbott Group, Wasyl Abbott, next month, and you'll get to see what a truly extravagant wedding is like! This will teach you that you should keep your eyes peeled when choosing a husband, and not settle for a good-for-nothing like Liam!" The rest of the Stones all froze for a moment, then erupted into cheers and applause. "Cheryl, you're getting married to Wasyl?""He proposed to you?""That's splendid news! Ch
Besides, with the Abbott family's clout, they were pulling out all the stops for their bash, roping in Drunham City's elite and big businesses and even reserving the city's three TV stations to broadcast the wedding live all day. That kind of show takes deep pockets and a towering reputation, two things Celena just did not have, and Liam? Even less so.Liam had blown through his entire military severance on Celena's new ride!Hearing Cheryl's spiel, Celena's confidence shriveled. She hung her head, cheeks burning with embarrassment, and murmured, "Cheryl, congrats on your engagement to the Abbott heir. I'm... I'm just not in your league..."While Celena was desperately searching for the right words, Liam yanked her aside, stepped up like a shield, and gave Cheryl, a proud peacock beside the venerable Reginald, a frosty stare."You want to throw down the gauntlet? Fine, let's do this! You're asking for it, so we'll take you up on that challenge. Our wedding, Celena's and mine, is on
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