"I'm sorry, Mr. Cole. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have acted so arrogantly, and I should have raised my son better. My son is a good-for-nothing piece of sh*t who shouldn't have crossed you. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have offended you. Please forgive me. Please, Mr. Cole! Please accept my apology! You're a kind man, certainly, you would forgive us!" Dylan kept banging his head against the pavement in a fervent effort to prove his sincerity to Liam, and despite the blood pouring down his forehead, he did not stop. When he saw that Liam did not respond, however, another wave of panic coursed through him, and he went so far as to slap himself a few times, just to prove to Liam that he meant his remorse. "Mr. Cole, please forgive me. I deserve to be punished for my sins, but I do hope that you can find it within you to forgive me."Liam's steely gaze landed on him. "Very well then, Dylan. I'll consider letting you go, but only on one condition—I want you to tell me who's b
They stood there, waiting, for another ten minutes before finally seeing a row of military Jeeps thundering toward them. When Liam saw this, a glint of malice flashed through his eyes.The Jeeps screeched to a halt, and someone flung the door open of the first one. Out leaped a few soldiers, dressed in their characteristic army green uniforms and carrying their guns by their sides. Although these were soldiers, the way they carried themselves looked far more like thugs instead. The man in the lead sauntered toward Dylan, and as they neared, Liam caught sight of his badge. He was a Second Lieutenant. When they arrived, the man adjusted his cap, then glanced at Liam, and finally turned to Dylan with a look of outrage. "Are you kidding me, Dylan? Where the h*ll are all the people? Who's the one you said you needed my help dealing with?"Dylan shuddered, then cowered and pointed to Liam as he muttered, "Sir, here he is."The lieutenant, who was named Connor Saunders, finally gave Liam
Steven stepped out from underneath the awning, his shiny boots glinting in the sun, and gazed coldly at Connor. "Connor Saunders, who do you think you are!"Connor's expression darkened when he saw who it was, and a glimmer of shock crossed his face. Then, he glanced at Dylan and realized what happened.Dylan betrayed him!This realization sent Connor into a scathing rage, and he lunged forward and gave Dylan a hard kick that sent him sprawling to the ground. "Dylan Chase, how dare you sell me out! I'm going to kill you!"With that, he drew his pistol out of its holder and pointed it straight at Dylan, then pulled the safety. Dylan was so terrified by this that he immediately fell to his knees and begged for mercy. "Please forgive me, sir. I didn't mean to rat you out. Lieutenant Woods here forced me to do so. Please! This is just a misunderstanding. Please don't kill me."Dylan's entire body was shaking like a leaf, and he was so frightened by this that he wet his pants. Stev
"Most importantly, Keith has plenty of connections to the mafia world here in Drunham City, all because his father, Jay Saunders, used to be the chief-of-staff and held the title of a captain. He's been terrorizing the Southern Precinct for as long as we can remember. "His and Connor's wrongdoings have long since been known, and General Lynch has been wanting to punish them for their crimes, but we didn't have any concrete evidence that could prove their involvement, and on top of that, we didn't want to risk offending Captain Saunders if these accusations turned out to be false, so unfortunately, Keith and Connor have managed to get away scot-free for years."Liam finally understood everything. It was no wonder Connor acted so arrogantly from the first moment he arrived—it turned out he had his father backing him up!Liam's scowl grew even deeper as he turned to glance at Connor. He could not believe the audacity of this man!The chief-of-staff's son? A former captain? Neither of
"Yeah, come on. The King Pendragon? Who's going to fall for that? If this twat is the King Pendragon, then our boss here is the King Pendragon's dad!""Come on, Lieutenant Woods, if you're going to lie to us, at least have the sense to come up with a better one."One of Connor's subordinates turned to him and shouted, "Sir, let's not waste any more time dealing with this twat. Get some backup and let's teach him a lesson. He'll know not to mess with you again in the future!"Connor grinned, then patted the subordinate on his shoulder and said, smugly, "Good call, Leonard. You're a loyal one, and don't you worry, I reward the ones who are faithful to me very well. You're going to be a rich, rich man before you know it." The soldier named Leonard grinned when he heard this, then immediately took out his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, fellas. I need you guys here on Breakfast Street in the Western Precinct. Some idiot has gotten himself in trouble with Connor, and we'll show them w
As soon as he said this, all of the soldiers who were lying in wait stormed out of their hiding spots and soon had Connor surrounded.The color drained from Connor's face when he saw this, and after a brief moment of shock, he turned to Steven, outraged, and shouted, "What is the meaning of this, Steven? I'm not your subordinate, so you can't capture me! You need to go through my brother first!"However, seeing as more and more soldiers were appearing, he soon realized that his efforts would be futile and quickly moved to draw out his gun.Steven, however, was even faster than he was, and the moment Connor whipped his gun out from its holster, he gave it a sharp kick, sending the gun flying through the air. Then, he gave Connor another kick in his abdomen, sending him sprawling backward and crumpling to the ground in a heap. Before he could even get up, however, Steven stepped forward and placed a booted foot on his chest, keeping Connor pinned to the ground. He stared down from h
The more he thought about it, the more determined he was that this was the reason Steven had demanded his arrest out of the blue. "I knew it! It was Malcolm who had set you up for this. He's had his eye on my entire family for a while now. I know he's been lying in wait, patiently biding his time to capture us! I'm warning you, Steven, you should think twice before you do this. I know Malcolm is the mayor of this city, but you shouldn't risk offending us Saunders just because you want to kiss his a*s! My father was the former principal staff officer of the city, and he still has many of his apprentices working in powerful positions in the military. If you arrest me, you'll have to face the wrath of my father!"Steven sneered, then replied, "Do you honestly think you can scare me, Connor? We'll see who's laughing by the end of this! Troops, seize him!"With that, the soldiers took their positions, ready to bring Connor and his men, weaponless with their hands tied up behind their back
A glimmer of malice flashed through Keith's eyes as he shot Connor a warning glare. Finally, he turned to Steven and said curtly, "Steven, I'm going to cut right to the chase so as not to waste each other's time. Let go of my brother."Steven's expression darkened. "Keith, I have evidence of your brother forming alliances with gangs that have resulted in the terrorization of the citizens and subsequent disruption of peace. This is against the military law, and I have all the right to arrest him for further investigation!""Further investigation?" Keith snickered, then fixated his cold, steely gaze on Steven and scoffed. "No one is allowed to lay even a finger on Connor's head, not under my watch!"With that, Keith's soldiers armed their guns and pulled the safety as though poised to open fire at any moment. Steven's men, on the other hand, got into their positions and pulled the safety off their guns as well in retaliation. Steven clearly did not expect Keith to behave arrogantl
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