Sunniva's temper flared. "Yankel, I picked out my own bodyguard, and I don't need your approval. He's my personal bodyguard starting now. So take your goons and get out!" she snapped as she jabbed a finger toward the office door.She had thought hiring a bodyguard would be a breeze, but the day's applicants were a joke. None of them could even land a punch on her. How could any of them be worthy of protecting her?If Yankel had not stormed in, she would never have considered Liam. The moment he walked in, she knew he was all show, unable to block her simplest move.However, she had to play along and get rid of him somehow with Yankel's surprise visit.Yankel's face twisted with rage and contempt as he glared at Liam. "Fine! If you want this loser to guard you, I'll make sure he's up to the task," he sneered. Turning to his own menacing bodyguard, he ordered, "Woden, give him a quick lesson. See if he can actually protect my dear sister. However, keep him alive. She did hire him, af
"Sis, you're fresh off the plane from overseas and don't have a clue about the mess we've got here. Things are pretty wild, and that's exactly why you need a bodyguard who's actually got your back. And hey, testing your new hire is just me looking out for you, right? If he's all show and no go, he won't be able to protect you when it counts!""For your sake, for Dad's, and for the sake of the Bristow family, I've got to make sure you're in good hands. So here's the deal: if your guy can last three rounds with Woden, I'll bite my tongue and keep him on as your bodyguard. Sounds fair?"Yankel was smirking with confidence as he laid out his challenge. He knew Woden was a force to be reckoned with, and that new guy looked like he could not even handle a single hit!Her brother's stubbornness caught Sunniva off guard. In a flash of panic, she leaped from the ring and rushed to Liam's side, yelling, "Yankel, are you out of your mind? You think I don't know how tough Woden is? You're basic
However, what Liam said next left everyone in the room stunned.The usually quiet Liam cast a casual glance at the Woden behind Yankel and asked in an even tone, "So, the real test for this job is to take him down, right? If I can manage that, does it mean I'm the right man for the job?"The office hushed in a heartbeat, all eyes riveted on Liam. Sunniva watched Liam's calm demeanor, and a curious thought flickered through her mind. Was there more to him than meets the eye? Yankel, lounging on the sofa with smug satisfaction, scowled as Liam's words hit the air. "Kid, do you even realize what you're saying?" he snapped.Woden heard what Liam said, and his eyes gleamed with a steely ferocity, a sinister grin twisting his lips. He had never met anyone so brazen, someone who dared to challenge him outright!After all, since leaving the mercenary world, he had been a titan in the underground boxing scene, boasting an unbeaten streak.Liam ignored Yankel, and his gaze fixed on Sunniv
The punch was thrown with every ounce of his strength, filled with a murderous intent that seemed to pierce the heavens. Even Sunniva, standing to the side, felt the terrifying aura.The onlookers braced for the inevitable. Liam was a goner.After all, no one had ever survived a blow from Woden.As Woden lunged forward, Yankel lounged on the couch. A twisted smirk crept across his face as if he were about to savor the spectacle of Liam getting taken down.Sunniva's face turned ghostly white as she watched Liam, her eyes swimming with worry and regret. She cursed herself for dragging him into that mess, knowing his pride would not let him back down. It might even cost him his life.However, the expected beatdown never came. Liam stood there, the picture of serenity, his expression unchanging.Woden's lethal punch hung frozen in the air, inches from its mark.With an easy grace, Liam reached out and caught the punch as if it were nothing.Sunniva, who had been mourning the loss o
Yankel's rage boiled over. He unleashed a flurry of kicks on Woden, each punctuated by a venomous curse. "Damn you! Worthless! Worthless!"Woden was already down when Liam defeated him, his ribs screaming with each breath. Then, with Yankel's brutal kicks pummeling him, he clutched his chest and spat out more blood.Woden held his chest, reeling from the shock. He had not even caught a glimpse of Liam's move before he was sent sprawling through the air!One thing was clear: that guy was out of his league!He could not believe that in a backwater like Drunham City, there was someone with the chops of a three-star War King!After a few kicks from Yankel, Woden snapped back to reality. He scrambled up, clutching his chest, and bowed to Yankel, "Young Master, I'm outmatched. I apologize, I've lost!"Yankel let out a disdainful snort, his eyes dark and menacing as he glared at Liam, then shot an angered look at Sunniva. He took a few heavy breaths to steady himself."Sunniva, quite t
For some reason, just hearing Liam's voice seemed to soothe Celena's nerves considerably. Whenever he assured her that he would handle the situation, she found herself believing that everything would indeed be alright.Celena took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice as she spoke, "They've turned us down three times already. I was at the Quality Supervision Bureau first thing this morning. I've gone over the paperwork a dozen times. There's nothing wrong with it. However, this guy, Mr. Fabin, tells me our materials are subpar and that they won't make the cut. I asked him to point out the problems, but he just dodged the question and told us to wait for further notice."The more Celena thought about it, the more worked up she got. She had been shuttling between the office and the bureau all day, keeping a close eye on this batch of documents. They were flawless, as far as she could tell, but Mr. Fabin was adamant there were issues.She could not for the life of her figure out wh
Malcolm's phone buzzed with Liam's name on the screen. Dropping everything, he answered with deference, "Yes, Commander?"Liam wasted no time with pleasantries. "The Drunham City garrison has a few military factories, doesn't it?"Caught off guard by the sudden inquiry, Malcolm, though puzzled, quickly confirmed, "That's correct, Commander. We have five factories dedicated to supplying the garrison's basic needs and some of the military armaments."Eager to show his worth after resolving the Saunders family issue, Malcolm offered, "Is there something specific you're looking for, Commander?"Liam chuckled, "There's a slight hiccup with Celena company's joint venture with Max Group. The materials they ordered haven't cleared the Quality Supervision Bureau. I was hoping you might have a workaround for some quick supplies."Realizing it was not a major problem, Malcolm replied with a chuckle, "Understood, Commander. The factory in the Western Precinct handles construction materials. I
Cheryl sat to the left, glaring at Celena, who was brooding opposite her. Anger was etched on Cheryl's face, but beneath it, a trace of glee flickered. She chimed in with fervor, "Celena, you're a real curse, aren't you? The materials were your responsibility, and they've been outright rejected three times. Do you grasp the gravity of that?""We've just been notified by the Quality Supervision Bureau that our materials have repeatedly failed to meet standards and must be corrected. If we have to resubmit for inspection, it'll be another half a month. Do you understand how vital this batch is? How much of a delay this half month will cause to our schedule? How much will it cost the Stone family? Lacking competence, yet you cling to your position, and when trouble arises, you just cower, expecting us to clean up your mess?"With those words, the Stone family company's executives, many of whom had little love for Celena, pointed at her with anger, piling on the rebuke."Celena, what on
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