Celena's expression darkened at this, and she immediately turned to glance at Liam, who shot her a reassuring look. Theodore feigned generosity and said, "Come on, Aunt Sherah. He's Celena's husband, after all, so we can't just ignore him. Besides, I have some stuff I'd like to get Liam's opinion on, so I'd like him to join us for dinner with us. It won't be a problem. All we need to do is add an extra chair."The truth was, he did not have anything that he wanted to ask Liam about. All he needed was an excuse to get Liam to show up so he could humiliate him. Carmela added, "Theodore's right. Sherah, since Cheryl and her fiance will be coming, we can't just invite Celena without letting Liam join too. How cruel are you to leave Liam sitting here in the hospital all by himself? Besides, I'm sure the youngsters will have plenty to talk about, so let's just all go for dinner together like family."Sherah was extremely alarmed by this. She knew exactly what Carmela and Theodore were
Sherah turned to glance at Liam, then scoffed and warned, "Well, since you're already here anyway, I might as well make things clear. You have no right to even be here today, but since you're already invited, just keep your head down later. You're not allowed to utter a single word at the table! Do you understand?"Liam was calm. He did not intend to respond to Sherah at all, but Celena tugged on his sleeve rather sheepishly and whispered, "Just say yes, Liam. my Aunt Carmela."Before she could even finish her sentence, Liam nodded.Sherah did not say anything further and instead sauntered into the restaurant with the rest of the family following suit. Neither of the Stones had ever been to the Noblesse House before, and they, too, were in awe of the intricate architecture and furnishing. They kept glancing around at their surroundings, their awe evident on their faces. Cheryl laced her arm around Wasyl's, her eyes etched with wonder as she murmured, "Wasyl, what a beautiful resta
Despite the smile plastered on her face, Carmela's scorn was evident. She kept glancing between Liam and Sherah with a look of contempt, then glanced at Cheryl and Wasyl, grinning. "You must be Cheryl's fiance, right?"Wasyl stood up from his chair elegantly, then nodded at Carmela and replied, "Nice to meet you, Aunt Carmela. I'm Cheryl's fiance. My name is Wasyl Abbott, and I'm the firstborn son of the Abbott family."Carmela nodded smugly. "Liam, Mr. Abbott, let me introduce you to my daughter, Yessica Naylor. She's Celena and Cheryl's cousin."Sherah could not help but notice the difference in the way Carmela addressed Liam and Wasyl, as though she was deliberately delineating the difference in the two's status. Sherah's expression darkened when she noticed this, and it was clear that Carmela was taunting them!Celena, too, realized this, and the color drained from her face. The entire atmosphere seemed to have gone cold, but all of a sudden, Yessica sneered and turned to Celen
Liam's touch seemed to instill a newfound reassurance within her, Liam furrowed his brows and turned to stare at Yessica coldly, "Yessica, Celena is my wife, and Jovie is our daughter. We had a rocky start because we were betrayed by the people closest to us and I ended up doing something to hurt her that I now deeply regret."With that, Liam shot a steely look at Cheryl, who was silent all this while, and then continued, "But I love Celena, and I will do everything I can to make up for what I did to her in the past. I will not hesitate to put my own life in danger if it means I can keep Celena and Jovie safe, and I will make sure that whoever hurts them will get the punishment they deserve. I do not need an outsider like you, Ms. Naylor, to make comments on my personal life, especially if you cannot empathize with our situation."The color drained from Yessica's face, and the horror was just as evident in Kayden, Theodore, and Carmela's expressions. Who would have thought that Li
Yessica feigned a horrified look as she stared at Celena, who was now soaked from head to toe in red wine. Despite the apology in her tone, her eyes were alight with glee. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, Celena. I lost my footing just now, and I didn't mean to pour this on you. Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't do this on purpose! I feel so terrible, Celena."No matter how hard she tried, Yessica could not conceal the delight in her tone, and it was clear that she stumbled on purpose. Celena was frozen in shock as she stared down at her dress, soaked through with wine. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she took a deep breath and replied, choking, "I'm fine. Please excuse me."With that, she turned and sprinted out of the room.Liam felt his blood boil, and he wanted nothing more than to explode his rage all over Yessica at that moment, but his priority was making sure Celena was alright, so all he did was shoot Yessica a deadly glare before turning around and follow Celena out of the roo
The waiter soon arrived with their food, and soon the entire table was full of delicious, hot food. The arrival of the food seemed to dissipate the tension in the air, and everyone visibly relaxed. As soon as dinner was served, Kayden stood up, raising his glass, and declared, "This is a joyous occasion, and I'm so glad to have all of you gathered here today. Let's toast!"Everyone stood up, raising their glasses, except Jovie and Liam. Jovie was a child, so she was excused from the toast, but Liam's refusal to take part was unacceptable. He remained seated, his expression calm as though he did not hear Kayden at all, and he did not give his glass of wine so much as a glance.The color drained from the Naylors' faces, and Yessica was the most spiteful out of them all. She glared at Liam and snarled, "Liam, are you deaf? Didn't you hear my father say that we should toast? Why aren't you doing it?"Cheryl was just as outraged, and she immediately screeched, "Get up, Liam! How rude a
Kayden Naylor let out a disdainful snort, his face twisted with rage as he spat out, "Save your breath. Me, a lowly deputy chief of some small-town tax office, I'm invisible to the likes of them."Yessica Naylor, backed by Theodore Eaton, chimed in with a sneer, "Oh, Celena, what's your game? If you've got a problem with our family, just come out with it. No need for this fake niceness at the party, only to stir up drama. If it weren't for family ties, do you think we'd put up with Liam, that loser? Does he even deserve our time?""Celena, you've got it all wrong. We invite you over for a nice meal, and then Liam goes and shames us like this? Too far, don't you think? And let's not forget, my dad's your elder. Treating him like this, is that what your family taught you? Oh, my bad, I forgot—the Cole family fell apart seven years ago. Liam's got no one to show him right from wrong."Theodore's eyes were icy as he glared at Liam, his voice dripping with disdain as he grilled Celena, t
Liam grabbed a bottle of red from the table, filled his glass to the top, and slid it across the table with an icy stare fixed on Yessica.Yessica, sitting across from him, caught his frosty look and the generous pour. Her face twisted in rage, she snapped at Liam, "What's your problem? I told you it was an accident, and I've already said sorry to Celena. Why can't you let this go?""Oh? An accident, huh?" Liam chuckled darkly, stood up, and lifted his wine glass with a sardonic grin. "Then how about I 'accidentally' drench you in red wine? Don't worry, I'll apologize too. You wouldn't mind, would you?"Yessica panicked at the sight of Liam's threatening move, scrambling to hide behind Theodore. No way she was getting that wine on her. She was decked out in the latest, limited-edition designer gear from Louise Studio.That dress was her ticket to bragging rights at the next girls' night out. A red wine stain would ruin everything.Theodore wrapped his arms around his shaken wife