Although it was still early, the morning market was already packed full of people, most white-collar workers who were there to buy their breakfast before heading off to work. Liam and Jovie arrived at a bakery famous for their bagels. There was already a line, and Liam joined the end of the queue, playing with Jovie while they awaited their turn. Jovie clung onto Liam's leg, watching in awe as the pastry chefs kneaded dough in the store window, with rows and rows of fresh, fluffy bagels laid out for display. She gulped, staring at the bagels, then exclaimed, "Dad! It smells so good! I'm going to have so many of these!"Before Liam could even reply, however, a scuffle rang out from behind them, which was followed closely behind by people's cries of outrage. "Hey, who do you think you are? Line up!""How uncivilized are you? Stop pushing!""Everyone here is in a rush, too, but that doesn't mean you can cut queues and be rude! This is unacceptable.""Youngsters nowadays are gett
All the gangsters craned their necks to look at Liam, sneering. One of them even shouted, "Who the hell is that? How dare you speak to our boss like this?""Who the f*ck do you think you are? Who cares about your opinion?""Oh, you have a little kid with you as well, huh? What's this? Were you just trying to look good in front of your daughter? Save yourself and keep your nose out of trouble!""Come here, little girl. You're an adorable little thing. Come on over, let me take a good look at you. Hehe!" one of the men snickered, then reached out to tug Jovie out of Liam's arms, laughing lecherously. The next moment, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the air, as Liam grabbed hold of his wrist, then with a sharp twist, snapped his wrist right in half! The man's arm hung loosely in front of him, twisted at a grotesque angle. Liam stared coldly at the man, sending chills down his spine as he snarled, "I cannot stand people who break the rules, especially not men like you who dare
Watson and the man whose wrist Liam was broken crashed onto the ground together, and at the same time, Watson's knife sank right into the flesh of his subordinate's trunk, and blood spurted out of the wound. "Ahh!" the man let out a shriek of agony and stumbled to his feet, his entire body shaking like a leaf. He was clutching his broken wrist with one hand, and as he stood up, the hilt of the knife stuck out from his flesh, glinting menacingly and even shaking along with his body. Everyone watching held their breaths in fear, but when they saw that Watson was defeated, they broke out in cheers and applause. All of them knew Watson; he was the local thug and was terrorizing this area for as long as they could remember. Therefore, it was good to see him get a taste of his own medicine!Watson was so stunned that he could not even move for a few seconds. Finally, when he heard his subordinate screaming, he snapped out of his stupor and leaped to his feet. His expression was dark, lo
Liam and Jovie just turned the corner when suddenly, a group of twenty or so men showed up, wielding daggers and bats as they trudged straight toward Liam. The next moment, a shout echoed through the streets. "So you were the one who beat up my son, eh?"These men soon had Liam and Jovie surrounding, staring menacingly down at him as they clutched their weapons.The moment these thugs appeared, the store owners all pulled their shades down, trying to keep out of trouble. The crowd queuing for their food dispersed within seconds, and all the people lurked in distant corners of the street, watching to see what would happen. The entire street transformed into a ghost town within seconds of these thugs' arrival. Some of the onlookers, who recognized these thugs, began to whisper, "Oh no! That poor man is going to get the beating of his life. That's Dylan Chase, you know. He's one of the most notorious gangsters in this area, and has more than thirty people working underneath him.""
Dylan looked to be in his early fifties and had a strikingly bald head, but that was not the only thing special about him. He also had a giant tattoo of a tiger spanning across his entire upper chest, making him look even more menacing than he already did.Dylan turned to stare at his son, who was at this moment sobbing as he clutched his swollen cheek. The next moment, he raised his arm and slapped Watson across his face, snarling, "You useless piece of sh*t! Have I not taught you enough? How can you even get beaten up by a weak man like this, and he has a child with him, no less! I'm ashamed of you!"Watson did not expect to be treated by his father like this, but he did not dare to even utter a word of complaint. Instead, he stood there with his head lowered, his hand cupping his cheek. Dylan then turned to glance at Liam, casting him a steely look. "Were you the one who slapped my son?"Liam met his gaze head-on, without a single ounce of fear. He nodded calmly. "Yes, it was m
Everyone turned to gaze at Liam in utter disbelief. Was something wrong with this man?This was the notorious Dylan Chase that he was dealing with, who was also known as the Tiger amongst those who feared him. Not only that, but he had over two dozen men standing right next to him, and they could easily crush him with the bat of an eyelid, so what was he doing, taunting them like this?Dylan froze, then cackled and said, a menacing glint flashing through his eyes, "Very well, young man! You're certainly courageous, but very, very foolish. I'd also like to offer you a piece of advice myself—it pays to know when to back off sometimes! You're going to pay the price for your arrogance! Do you honestly think I'd be scared by your empty threats? You're not going to walk out of here in one piece today!"Liam sneered. "Is that so? I'd like to see you try."A scowl crossed Dylan's face, and he barked, "I gave you a chance, but you refused to take it! Don't go crawling back to your mama when
Although this was what Dylan told his son, he still could not help but feel frightened by the sudden arrival of these formidable-looking soldiers. Despite that, he put on a brave front and said, "Don't worry, son. I'm sure this is just a coincidence. They're just here on patrol, that's all. They've been patrolling far more often than usual lately, and I'm sure this is just one of those times."At this point, the soldiers already stepped into their formations and were trudging straight toward Dylan and his men, their footsteps echoing synchronously throughout the streets.They soon had the crowd surrounded, and the leader approached Liam, gave him a salute, and declared, "Mr. Cole, sir! Steven Woods, commander of the Seventh Battalion of the Western Precinct, reporting for duty!"All the soldiers standing behind him straightened up, casting Liam's looks of awe and respect as they saluted Liam in unison. "Reporting for duty, Mr. Cole, sir!"The onlookers all gasped at this and immedi
"What's going on here, Dylan? Have you gotten too bored with your nice, cushy life? How dare you ambush Mr. Cole like this and even demand that he break his arm?" Steven snarled, glaring at Dylan. His army green uniform made him look even more formidable, and the warning in his tone sent shudders down Dylan's spine.The color drained from Dylan's face, and he quickly plastered an apologetic smile on his face, bowing his head. "This is all just a misunderstanding, Lieutenant Woods. I didn't know you and Mr. Cole knew each other so well. It's all just a big misunderstanding. Um, if it's okay, Lieutenant Woods, I'll leave now. I don't want to waste any more of your time."With that, he cast his men a meaningful glance and turned to leave, but the moment they swiveled around, they were met with the sight of a hundred gun barrels pointed straight at them. This sight frightened them so much that their knees went weak, and beads of cold sweat covered their foreheads. Steven stared at them
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