"Ah!" Everyone erupted into terrified screams and began running frantically out of the hall. They did not want to be the next one with a pierced throat! Cheryl watched desperately as her guests raced out of the hall as fast as their legs could carry them. Finally, she turned to glare at Liam, tears spilling down her face. Her blood was boiling with hatred for Celena and Liam. Why could she not leave her alone? Not only had Celena always stolen everyone's attention from her, but now her man had gatecrashed and ruined her engagement party, the one she had put so much time and effort into planning! "Liam Cole! You ruined my party! You're going to pay for this!" Cheryl finally could not stand it anymore. She picked up a fruit knife on the nearest table and lunged toward Liam, aiming the blade right at his left chest! Liam watched calmly as Cheryl's grotesque face stormed toward him at breakneck speed whilst everyone else ran away from him as fast as possible. All of a sudden, the
Patrick cast one last glare at Cheryl, whose cheek was still oozing blood, before storming out of the hall with his bodyguards. Cheryl slumped onto the ground, clutching her face as she stared at her leaving fiance in disbelief. Finally, she burst into tears. "Liam Cole! Celena Stone! You bastards! That bitch! Bitch! I will make you regret you were ever born!" That night, the news of Liam's appearance at Cheryl's engagement party with his deceased parents' ashes spread through the entire Drunham City like wildfire. The Stones had become the laughingstock of the town overnight! Some who had once been victims of Cheryl's wrongdoings all applauded Liam for his heroic act, and some even began to speculate what Liam had been up to throughout the past few years of his banishment. After some time, someone revealed that Liam was simply a retired soldier and did not, in fact, hail from any powerful martial arts background. He was just a passionate man with some tricks up his sleeve. How
Celena was so excited that she immediately sat up in bed, which startled Liam. He gently pressed her back onto the bed and said, "Be careful. You don't want to accidentally tear your stitches. If you do, you won't be able to go to the party tomorrow." Celena finally calmed down and hugged the invitation like it was the most priceless gift she had ever gotten. She had been banished from her family for seven years now, and there was never a day when she did not miss them. This was why she was so touched to receive an invitation to her beloved grandfather's birthday party. Liam sighed. Celena still loved her family with her whole heartedly, even after how they treated her. What a kind woman! All of a sudden, Celena sat up once more and hugged Liam. Liam was astounded by this. All of a sudden he was engulfed in Celena's embrace, and he was so stunned that he did not even react. His hands hung limply in mid-air, and his entire body was frozen in shock. After some time, Celena re
"You're coming with me? That's great!" Celena exclaimed gleefully, but all of a sudden, something occurred to her. Her expression changed from that of joy to worry. Liam noticed this and could not help asking, "What's wrong?" "Um… I'm really excited about the idea of us attending Grandpa's birthday party together. Still, I'm just wondering… how Grandpa would react if he saw us together, considering that this was why he banished me in the first place…" Celena trailed off, her brows furrowed in a concerned look. Liam stroked her hair and smiled. "Don't worry about it! I didn't want you to go alone because you're still recovering from your injuries, so all I wanted was to be able to take care of you while you were there." Celena realized he was right. She nodded. "Alright! I feel much safer with you around!" With that, she covered herself with the blanket so that Liam would not be able to see her blush. She felt as though her cheeks were on fire. Even though Liam had tried his
Then, she added, "Dad, that Aunt Cheryl is also a bad person! She's always trying to get Mom in trouble and even came here a few times just to insult and hit Mom! Mom even knelt to beg her for mercy once, but she took no notice. She even pinched me that one time!" With that, Jovie shuddered as though reliving the bad memory and finally clutched Liam's arm. "Dad, please don't let Mom go. They're all bad people who will take advantage of Mom!" A glimmer of menace flashed through Liam's eyes. The Stone family and Cheryl would pay the price for what they had done to Celena. Liam could feel Jovie still trembling in his arms, so he gently stroked her hair and reassured her, "Jovie, they're your mother's family, and you know Mom has been wanting to visit them for a long time now!" Jovie pouted and said, "Well, if that's the case, I'll go with her so I can protect her! You're coming too, right, Dad? We'll protect Mom together and make sure no one dares to lay a finger on her!" "You
Ever since the Hughes broke off Patrick and Cheryl's engagement, the Hughes had gone a step further and deliberately disrupted all of the Stone family's business transactions. Because of that, the Stone family had lost several important business deals over the past few days and suffered a significant blow to their finances. Therefore, they chose to host a birthday party on Reginald's behalf as an excuse to invite all the socialites in the city and revive their connections. It was indeed Cheryl who had sent the invitation over. Since Liam had ruined her engagement and humiliated her in front of the entire Drunham City, she was determined to make Celena pay it back tenfold! The next day, the Stones wanted to reiterate to the public that they were still as strong as ever despite the Hughes' backlash, so they deliberately set the venue of the party at one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in Drunham City, the King's Summit Hotel, which was second only to the Sovereign Hotel. T
Celena took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. The warmth of Liam's palm against hers also helped to slow down her racing heart and remove her anxious thoughts. "Alright. Let's go inside." With that, Celena, Liam, and Jovie entered the hall, much to everyone's surprise. The Stone family all turned to stare at them in fury when they walked in, but no one stopped them as they made their way to a table in a corner of the room. They had just sat down when a familiar voice rang out behind them. "Do my eyes deceive me? It's good, old Celena. Long time no see. Weren't you kicked out of the family and banished for life? What are you doing here then? I see you've also brought the bastard you married and the scum of a daughter you have!" He was none other than Qemal Stone, Celena's half-brother and Cheryl's biological brother. Celena's mother was Yafe Stone's first wife, but he eventually cheated on her with his current wife, Sherah Labar, who got pregnant not long after with Che
That invitation was priceless to Celena! She had endured shame and humiliation after being banished from the Stone family all those years ago, and this invitation was the only thing allowing her to return to the family again! The invitation contained Celena's hope of returning to a normal life with her family, but Qemal had torn it up right before her! Liam furrowed his brows at this, then knelt to the ground and pulled Celena up. Celena staggered to her feet, still sobbing, and turned to Liam. "What…what should I do, Liam? That's the invitation that Grandpa gave me…" Liam's grip tightened around her hand. "I know, Celena!" All Celena could think of was that she had lost her invitation and would never be allowed back to the family. She got on her knees again to pick up the shredded paper. "The invitation! This is the invitation Grandpa gave me…" Liam knew just how much this invitation mattered to her, so he turned to stare at Qemal with a look so cold it could freeze water. "I'
What would Liam do if he found out Prince Faber had captured his wife? Surely he would not hesitate to turn the entire city upside down to look for her?Prince Faber was more than familiar with Liam's fierce loyalty and could not help but begin to worry at the prospect of having to face his wrath. He stared at Keyon's leering face and asked with belated realization, "Mr. Yeager, you ordered me to capture all those people from the Drunham City Connoisseurs, but the truth is, your sole target has always been Liam's wife. Is that right?"Keyon nodded, smiling. "That's right. We could care less about those businessmen. All we wanted was to get our hands on Celena Stone!"I must admit I was very surprised when I found out that Celena Stone is the wife of the great King Pendragon. Not only that, but I made an even more shocking discovery—it turns out that Liam is none other than the lone survivor of the Cole family, the noble clan who were allegedly wiped out seven years ago!"The ment
After a few moments' hesitation, he finally decided to shoot his shot. "Mr. Yeager, there is something I don't understand. Why did the Yeagers order these businessmen's capture? I've looked into their backgrounds, and they are all honest businessmen who have not broken the law before. If the media catches wind of this, they will surely accuse me of abusing my power…"This was what Prince Faber had been worried about. He had already investigated the people whom the Yeagers ordered to be captured and did not understand why the Yeagers wanted them imprisoned. They were all civilians who had not committed any crime, and he dared not even imagine the consequences if the public found out he had ordered the incarceration of innocent citizens.Keyon understood immediately Prince Faber's concern. He smiled and replied in a reassuring tone, "Worry not, Prince Faber. We Yeagers have taken care of everything. We have made absolutely sure to cover up all your tracks, and no one will know you were
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