The moment the shadowy figure leaped onto the car, it tore out of the hospital's parking lot.Liam remained rooted to the spot, a surge of murderous rage boiling up within him.He cast a calculated, complicated look at the would-be assassins then lying motionless at his feet, his face twisted in disgust.Those guys were pros, no doubt. What the hell were they doing in a hospital, trying to barge into Celena's room? Liam was left wondering whether they were after him or Celena and her kid.Knowing the getaway car was long gone, Liam glanced at the two bodies in black, whipped out his cell, and called Calum, his voice like ice. "We had three pros show up at the hospital. Get over here and clean this mess up, pronto.""And get Howard on the line. Tell him to lock down the hospital, check the nearby cams, and keep an eye out for any sketchy characters around Drunham City lately!""Professional assassins? At the hospital?""Boss! You and the missus okay?"Calum's voice shook, a cock
Liam, seeing Celena's pale face, caressed her cheek softly, adjusted her head with care, and tucked her in before leaving the hospital room once more. The night deepened, and with the power back on, the hallway was quiet again. Outside, Calum stood guard, his face etched with seriousness, while Howard, looking both worried and tense, was at his side. As Liam emerged, Calum approached him quickly, his voice laced with concern, "Commander, are the missus and Jovie okay? Did they get scared?" Liam shook his head, then turned to Howard, "Everything settled?" Howard stepped up, bowing respectfully, "Mr. Cole, all is in order. Plus, we found something on those three assassins." He handed over a clear plastic bag, inside were three bloodied photographs. Liam's gaze turned steely as he looked at them, a fierce anger flaring within him. The bastards were after not just him, but Celena and Jovie too, his family! Gripping the bag with the bloodied photos, Liam's voice was icy, "Any other
"I realized we were busted and to keep our cover, I had to take out number eleven before I hightailed it back here. Plus, the hospital's swarming with cops now. They're onto us, and going back in there won't be a walk in the park."The man in black, listening from above, radiated an icy menace. His eyes, visible beneath his mask, were filled with a dark fury as he snapped back, "An expert? What are you talking about? Do you think I'm an idiot? The boss's targets were nobodies: a leftover from the Cole family in Drunham City, the Stone family's rejects, and some little six-year-old kid. None of them can put up a fight. And you're saying there was an expert?""Are you trying to tell me that the Cole family's loser is some kind of expert? Or maybe it's the Stone family's weakling? Or are you saying that little girl is the expert?"The man dressed in black was not pleased, his eyes fixed on the two before him, a deadly glare in his gaze."Sir! A real killer king-level showed up at the
The following morning, Liam was up early, bringing breakfast back for Celena and her daughter Jovie. As they were eating, his phone broke the morning silence—it was Howard.Howard's voice came through with a formal tone, "Mr. Cole, we've found something. There was a fire at an abandoned villa on the outskirts of Drunham City last night. Two bodies were inside, and there was evidence of arson—lots of gasoline. It might be connected to the assassination attempt from last night.""I got it. I'm on my way," Liam replied curtly, ending the call.Celena, who was just accepting a piece of plain white bread from Liam, looked at him, her expression a mix of confusion and concern. "What is it? Is something wrong?""It's nothing serious, just some friends need me to handle a few things," Liam said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.She nodded, not probing further. Liam quickly wrapped up the breakfast, gave a few parting words, and then was out the door, driving toward the villa that Ho
Arms crossed, the officer watched Liam's phone charade with a skeptical eye, a mocking laugh escaping her lips. "Oh, please, who are you kidding? You've got Mr. Mosier's number? I've seen plenty of your kind. Go on, keep up the act. I'll wait. I'm curious to see if Mr. Mosier will bother coming out for you."The female officer's voice was icy as she looked Liam over with a mix of scorn and revulsion. Liam's black casual clothes reminded him of the paparazzi that hounded celebrities for those small-time media outlets. "You journalists have no respect for the rules anymore," she sneered. "You'll do anything for a scoop, right?" Have you forgotten where you are? This is a crime scene. If you mess up the evidence, do you have any idea how much you could screw up our case?""Listen up," she warned, "since you're ignoring my advice, I'm giving you five minutes to think about your actions. Either stop this nonsense or, after five minutes, if Mr. Mosier hasn't shown up, I'm arresting you for
Nevaeh was still standing there, dazed, as the noise in her head drowned out the world. She watched Liam walk away and quickly tugged at Howard's sleeve before she could follow. "Mr. Mosier, who was that guy?" she whispered. "You're the big boss of Drunham City, the Chief Commissioner. Why were you all deferential to him?"Howard stopped dead in his tracks, turned, and looked at Nevaeh, who was practically brimming with curiosity. He sighed and said, "Nevaeh, drop the act. I know what you're thinking. There are some questions you just don't ask. That guy? He's way out of our league.""Look, your dad sent you to me so you could learn a thing or two about keeping that temper in check. You have to start thinking on your feet and looking at the big picture. Don't just react. It won't do you any favors, got it?"Nevaeh's face said it all—she was not thrilled. "Yeah, yeah, I get it," she grumbled. "Loud and clear, Mr. Mosier."Howard could tell she was not listening. He shook his head, a
They always harped on about how she should cool her temper and be nicer to those with clout, maybe even suck up to them a bit.At first, Nevaeh would talk back, but after a while, she just turned them out. It never stopped her from ticking off the big shots again.Standing still, Nevaeh gazed toward the villa. After a brief pause, she fished her phone out of her pocket, dialed a number, and said, "Hey, you at the precinct? Can you do me a solid and look someone up? Yeah, a guy named Liam. Right, I need the full scoop on him, and I need it today!"...Meanwhile, at the charred remains of the villa.The fire started at night, and since the villa was in a sparsely populated suburb, it went unnoticed until morning when a sanitation worker stumbled upon it and called it in.Firefighters extinguished the flames and were sifting through the debris for any victims. That's when they found two bodies, burnt beyond recognition.Liam stood by the remains, his gaze fixed on the scorched figu
"Stand at attention!""Salute!""Commander, we report for duty!"Liam gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Thank you for your efforts. Let's get started.""Understood!"The agents from the intelligence bureau promptly set their briefcases on the ground, opened them up, and donned their gloves with practiced ease, ready to begin their inspection.Howard watched the proceedings with a light smirk, then turned to one of the agents, saying, "Mr. Cole, even though our departments are different, I'm sure we're equally skilled. My team has already combed through this place thoroughly, and we didn't find anything of value. You might be wasting your time here."Liam faced Howard, his voice steady and untroubled. "Mr. Mosier, I don't doubt your team's skills but don't sell the intelligence bureau short. Sometimes, we find what others overlook."Howard's smile did not waver, but a ripple of irritation passed through him. He had faith in his team's thoroughness—they scoured the scene and came up
However, Andy was a smooth talker, so the eldest member of the Drayton family liked him. Because of that, the head of the family tolerated him. That was why Andy, who was just a member of the branch family, dared to be so cocky.Andy saw Howard standing at the side from the corner of his eye as he spoke. He thought of what Howard said earlier, and that made his blood boil.He pointed at Howard and bellowed, "Uncle Derrick, this Howard is trash as well. You have no idea. I told him I was a member of the Drayton family, yet he did not take our family seriously at all."Not only did he have his men capture me, but he said cockily that he wanted to lock me up forever, and nobody could stop him."Weren't you very cocky before this, Mr. Mosier? Go on. Continue acting cocky in front of my uncle now. Detain me and lock me up forever."Andy took a couple of steps closer to Howard as he said that. He extended his hands arrogantly and said, "Come on. I have my hands stretched out for you. Hu
Soon, Andy and the thugs from the nightclub yesterday were released.Andy saw Derrick standing at the entrance of the police headquarters at a glance. He got so excited that he shouted, "Uncle Derrick! Uncle Derrick!"Fletcher's subordinates were incredibly excited to see Derrick as well. All of them shouted, "Mr. Derrick Drayton!"One of the subordinates was in Drunham City because Derrick arranged for him to be there. After he was brought to Derrick's side, he smiled apologetically and said, "Thank you for saving me, sir. Don't worry. Fletcher's faction and properties are all here. I'll be able to rebuild the faction here very soon."In other words, even if Fletcher was out of the picture, he would be able to thrive in Drunham City and replace Fletcher.However, Derrick shot an icy glare at him and sneered. "Hmph! How shameless of you to say that? There are so many of you, yet you can't deal with a small loser who only married into the Stone family."If it wasn't because this w
Howard did not expect that the Drayton family would have a connection with the Carter family. They could even produce a token from the Carter family."Mr. Derrick Drayton, I didn't expect that your family and the Carters go way back. You even got the Carter family's token out," said Howard.Derrick sneered and said, "Enough with the nonsense. Howard, my family did the Carter family a favor back then, that's why the general of the Carter family gave this token to us. He promised us that we could take out this token if we were ever in a bind in the future, and they would help us!"I'm taking out this token today to tell you that I'm going to bail Andy out of here. I'd like to see who in Drunham City has the guts to stop me!"Howard was stunned, and then he fell silent.He did not think that Derrick would take out a token from the Carter family.The Carter family was the top family in Mirstone. Nobody in Mirstone would dare to go against the Carter family. Derrick became even more
Meanwhile, Derrick and his men were already at the entrance of the police headquarters.Derrick's eyes were burning with rage as he looked at the door that was shut tightly. A sneer appeared on his lips as he said, "Hmph. Looks like they already know I'm coming, so they are deliberately trying to assert dominance."Then, he asked his driver next to him, "Where are our men? Have they all arrived?"The driver nodded and said, "They're here, Mr. Derrick. They are all waiting at the side. We'll tear down the main door to the police headquarters once you give the command."Derrick nodded with satisfaction. Then, he shouted at the police headquarters, "Howard! You're just the chief of the police headquarters! How dare you lock me outside?""I'd like to see how powerful you are today, Howard! Come on, guys. Take it down!"At his command, a group of burly men rushed out of the black van next to him. They were all holding thick bats, and they rushed up to the door ferociously.Right at t
At first, Yafe and the rest of the Stone family were stunned after they heard what Liam said. Then, they all burst out laughing.Yafe looked at Liam with a mocking gaze and said, "Are you kidding me, Liam? You're going to get the Draytons to come and apologize in person? Come on, that's the Drayton family we're talking about! Do you think they are just some nobody?"Right now, I don't want to waste my breath anymore. As long as you're able to stop the Drayton family from targeting us, I'm more than grateful. Don't you forget that you're the one who wanted to leave the Stone family? So, stop dragging us into your mess."Liam shot the crowd with an icy glare and brought Celena out of the Stone Mansion.Celena was still in a slight daze after they got into the car. Liam put on her safety belt for her and asked, "What's the matter, dear? Are you still worried about the Draytons?"Celena nodded and replied, "Yes. After all, all these were caused by the conflict between Andy and us. Jus
Liam wanted to ask what the family heirloom was, but he had no choice but to let it be after he heard what Yonatan said.However, Liam heard Yonatan's voice again, saying, "I've never seen that thing, but I heard from the Drayton family members that it was from a big shot in the military."The military?Liam's eyebrows furrowed once he heard it had something to do with the military. Then, he kicked Yonatan away, making him land next to the thugs.Yonatan passed out because of that kick.Once the thugs saw their leader was out cold, they took a couple of steps back in fear.However, Liam did not care about them at all. He looked at Yafe and the others instead.Once the Stone family members saw that they were out of the woods, they became cocky again.Yafe and Sherah, in particular, were so cocky that they ran up to Liam and condemned him, "Look what you've done! You're bad luck! What else can you do other than cause us trouble? Do you know who that is? He is from the Drayton fam
Yonatan was infuriated and bellowed, "So this is how you're going to play! Alright! I'm not going to stop until I kill you today!"Yonatan was radiating an intense desire to battle. That was the air exuded by a fighter of Fourth Order War King caliber.The Stone family was so frightened by the air he exuded that their faces turned pale. All of them took more than ten steps back in fear, afraid they would be injured by mistake.Yonatan clenched his fist and charged at Liam like a ferocious beast. His fist was packing so much power that it created a sonic boom, cutting through the air and going for Liam's face.The punch was so powerful that it could kill a bull right away.The Stone family thought Liam was going to die. Nobody would be able to survive a punch like that.Yonatan thought the same. He was very confident in his ability. He looked into Liam and knew he used to be a soldier, as well as a good fighter. However, so what?No matter how skilled Liam was in combat, could he
The moment Liam stepped into view, the Stone family members lit up as if they had spotted their guardian angel. They pointed at him, their voices rising in a chorus of relief and accusation. "Mr. Yonatan, look over here! It's Liam! I said they weren't with us!""Exactly! Mr. Yonatan, see for yourself, Liam's not part of our family!""Mr. Yonatan, now that Liam's here, if you're looking to pin the blame on someone, he's your man!""Liam, you actually showed up. If you hadn't crossed the Drayton family, would we, the Stones, have ever been dragged into this mess?""Liam, Celena, you two are nothing but trouble. You've left the family, so why keep stirring the pot for us?"...The air crackled with the Stone family's collective outrage, their faces twisted in anger as if they were ready to rip Liam and Celena to shreds.Celena and Liam's arrival was pure happenstance. They were just in the neighborhood to check in on an old friend when they overheard Yonatan's boastful taunts.Lia
Yonatan did not even bother to look at him. He checked his watch with a chilling laugh and said, "You've got ten minutes for Liam to show up. Don't say I didn't warn you."The words sent a wave of shock through Yafe and the rest of the Stone family, who stared at Yonatan, panic-stricken.Yafe was a mess, desperate to explain, but the sight of Yonatan's henchmen, eager and ready for a fight, stopped him dead in his tracks."Mr. Yonatan, I swear it's the truth. Liam has nothing to do with the Stone family anymore. You've made a mistake!"Yafe's face was flushed with urgency as he tried to convince the unmoved man."It's true, Mr. Yonatan! Liam and Celena were kicked out of the Stone family ages ago.""That's right! He's got nothing to do with us anymore. If you're after Liam, go to the villa at Emerald Lake. He's there, not here with us.""Mr. Yonatan, if you head over to Drunham City and ask anyone, they'll tell you the same thing: Liam and Celena have no ties to us Stones anymor