The more she thought about it, the more excited Cheryl got at the prospect of carrying out this plan. "We can even use this to threaten Celena and force her to step down and appoint me as the contract holder instead. I'm sure that Kolten won't object as long as Celena is the one who suggested it in the first place. This is perfect!"The grin on Cheryl's face grew wider by the minute, and finally, she burst into laughter so loud that all her employees turned to stare at her from their workstations.Yafe nodded in agreement. "It's a very sound plan, indeed. I raised you well, my dear. You're smart and capable, and I'm certain you can take care of this. Remember to keep your tracks clean, and don't leave anything that can be traced back to you. Otherwise-"Cheryl cut him off, "Don't worry, Dad. I'll make sure everything is perfect. I'll get on this right now!"With that, she grabbed her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and finally found the number she was searching for. She diale
The mention of money was the right move because Flynn was immediately interested. He chuckled. "Fifty thousand? Let me consider this for a moment, Ms. Stone. Come on, you know I have over a hundred mouths to feed here. Fifty thousand dollars won't even begin to scratch the surface." Flynn's intention was clear; if Cheryl wanted to get the job done, she needed to offer more than this. Cheryl, naturally, understood exactly what he was getting at. She gritted her teeth and finally said, "Fine! A hundred thousand dollars will be yours if you get it done!""Splendid! Thank you for your generosity, Ms. Stone!" Flynn was delighted to hear this, and he immediately clinked his glass against the one nearest to him, allowing the crisp noise to echo through the phone and into Cheryl's ear. "I love doing business with people like you, Ms. Stone. Here's to doing business together!"Cheryl got off the phone, her face twisted into a grimace. She could not believe how much she paid for someone to
Half an hour later, Flynn stepped out of the bar, with over a dozen of his subordinates at his heel. He hopped into his Land Rover and peeled off toward the hospital with his subordinates following behind in their Mercedes-Benz.Even before they arrived at the hospital, they could already see the patrol cars parked by the roads a few blocks away from it. There were even a few policemen standing guard and patrolling the area. One of Flynn's subordinates turned to him with an alarmed look, "Flynn, this doesn't look right. Why are there so many cops around? They can't be here for us, right?"Flynn's men were all gangsters who robbed, stolen, and snatched aplenty in their time, so of course they would be frightened by the sight of so many policemen. Flynn smacked him and shouted, "You useless piece of sh*t! What are you even afraid of? Just a few cops got you shaking in your knees like that! Are the cops going to arrest us for coming to a hospital to see a doctor? Don't be wimps. Follow
Just as they expected, the two policemen immediately approached them, hollering. When Flynn saw this, he immediately snuck out of the stairwell and made his way toward the room, followed by his subordinates. Flynn checked the room number. He was growing more and more excited by the minute. It was as though he could envision the fifty thousand dollars sitting in his bank account, and the thought of such an extravagant amount was enough to give him all the energy he needed to kick the door wide open. Flynn burst into a cackle, then shouted into the room, "Put your hands on your head and do as I say if you want to walk out of here alive!"Flynn's men all whipped their weapons out of their hiding places and stormed into the room. However, the next minute, before Flynn could even see what was going on, they all flung their weapons away and retreated, the color had drained from their faces. Flynn was outraged by this. He turned to his retreating subordinates and snarled, "You f*ckin
Flynn's head was so low that he could not even see Liam or anyone else. All he could do was plead for mercy, "I shouldn't have done this! I know what I did wrong now. I shouldn't have come into this room without checking where I was going. Please forgive me."His subordinates had no idea what was happening, but all they knew was that if their leader was begging for mercy, they better do the same, so they all fell to their knees and followed Flynn's example.Howard stood up and strode over to Flynn, then stared down at him coldly from his towering height. "Flynn Chapman! What are you doing here?"Flynn's entire body shuddered when he heard his name, and he lifted his head, only to balk when he saw that it was none other than the chief of police himself!Flynn was so terrified at this point that his entire shirt was soaked in sweat. This was Howard Mosier, the chief of police himself! What was he doing here?Flynn felt as though he was struck by lightning. His entire mind went blank
After all, Celena almost got killed twice in the hospital alone, and although both of these missions failed, it did not mean that there would not be a third attempt. Therefore, they needed to tighten security measures to protect Celena and Jovie. Howard and Liam were discussing this for a few minutes when Flynn and his men barged in.Flynn was determined not to get himself in trouble and instead kept insisting that he committed an honest mistake. "Mr. Mosier, I'm telling the truth! I'm not here to do anything wrong. I just happened to pass by! I have no idea what you're talking about!"Seeing that Flynn was refusing to come clean, Howard did not bother to waste any more time with him. Instead, he turned to his subordinate and ordered, "Seize them! Bring them all back to the police department and keep them there until they are ready to tell the truth!"With that, his men stepped forward, brandishing their handcuffs. The moment the cold metal snapped around his wrists, however, Flyn
Liam strode out of the hospital, leaped into his car, and made a beeline straight to Stone Group's offices. The receptionist tried to stop him from entering, but he took no notice of her and shoved past her as though she did not even exist. He got into the elevator and went all the way to the top floor, where the deputy manager's office was located. Liam's arrival caused a stir, and soon everyone caught wind of what happened and all craned their necks to catch a glimpse of him as he stormed past. Some of them even followed behind him, murmuring as they tried to see what he was up to. Liam strode over to Cheryl's office and kicked the glass door open. The glass door shattered into smithereens, spilling broken glass shards all over the floor. Cheryl, who was on the phone with Wasyl, was so startled by the sudden noise that the phone slid out of her hand. The color drained from her face. She was so shocked that she could not even move for a few seconds, and finally, she turned to glan
Liam finally stopped a few feet away from Cheryl, and the look that he gave her was so sharp that it sent chills down her spine. "Cheryl Stone, consider this a last warning. You're playing with fire, and if you dare to lay another finger on Celena or Jovie, I will make it a personal goal to make sure you never see tomorrow's sun! I will not hesitate to end your pathetic little life myself!"Liam's voice, laced with contempt and malevolence, echoed through the office. Cheryl could feel something ringing in her ears. She could not help but start to shake like a leaf when he said this, and even the employees watching from the door were stunned by this. What was going on?For all they knew, Liam was just a good-for-nothing who married into the Stones and was taking advantage of them, so how could he possibly dare to threaten Cheryl, the heiress of the Stone family and no doubt the apple of Reginald's eye?Everyone began to whisper and murmur about this, and since Liam shattered Cheryl
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