Hearing Liam's words, Celena could not help but grumble bashfully, "You're such a sweet talker."Liam's smile grew wider. He knew Celena would get embarrassed easily, so he did not dare to go over the board. He quickly asked, "Oh yes, Celena, what would you like for dinner? I'll go get groceries later. I'll make dinner and wait for you to come home."Celena no longer felt tense since the issue was resolved. After Liam teased her, Celena felt completely relaxed, so a faint smile appeared on her gorgeous face.She gave it a serious thought and said with a smile, "I'll take you up on your offer, then. Let's have barbecue ribs. Oh, and some chicken soup."Thinking about the food made by Liam got Celena feeling a little hungry. She continued, "Liam, the food you make is too delicious. Jovie and I love them. I'm feeling a little hungry now at the thought of the barbecue ribs.""Alright, I'll do as you say. I'll make you barbecue ribs, chicken soup, and your favorite crawfish tonight," L
Theodore sneered and continued, "Mr. Fabin isn't greedy for money, but he's a lecherous man. I treated him to dinner last night and got him five women. "I've asked him to find a random reason to reject Celena's materials and deliberately stall them. I'm guessing that Celena and the Stone family's company must be in a mess right now. "After all, this batch of materials is going to affect their collaboration with the Max Group. If the schedule is delayed, the Stone family is probably going to suffer a huge loss."The grin on Theodore's face became ferocious and his gaze became incredibly vicious upon saying that.Yessica, on the other hand, nodded happily. She, too, had a ferocious grin on her face as she said, "Haha, that's fantastic. Celena's going to be resented by the Stone family now. They are certainly going to give that bitch a hard time."Theodore nodded and echoed, "Of course! You've no idea how important this batch of material is to the Stone family. Just a one-day delay
Yessica snickered bashfully and got up from Theodore's lap. She then squatted under the desk and pleasured Theodore with all her might.Right at that moment, Theodore's phone suddenly rang. Theodore was enjoying himself, but he was interrupted, so a hint of displeasure gleamed in his eyes.He grabbed his phone and was surprised that it was Mr. Fabin from the Quality Supervision Bureau who was calling.He waved his phone in front of Yessica and said with a smug smile, "Did you see that? Mr. Fabin's calling. The Stone family must have gone to him out of desperation."Upon saying that, Theodore answered the call. With a smile, he asked, "Mr. Fabin, since you're calling me at this hour, could it be that you've gotten everything settled?"Yohan was sitting in the chair in the office of the Materials Department at the Quality Supervision Bureau. Grinning as he succeeded in his evil scheme, he said, "As to be expected of Mr. Eaton. You truly have such good predictions. But with me steppi
The staff member named Leila was a college graduate who was assigned to Yohan's department not too long ago. She was still an intern at that moment, so she was afraid that any mistake she made would affect her chances of becoming a permanent staff member.Seeing that Yohan was pissed off, Leila quickly bowed her head and apologized in a panic, "I'm sorry, Mr. Fabin. I'm very sorry. It's my fault."Yohan noticed Leila's cleavage under the collar of her shirt as she bowed her head, and he could not take his eyes off it. He waved his hand and said, "Forget it. Just remember to knock the next time. I see that you're in a hurry. Is it an emergency?"Yohan was gawking at Leila, surveying her. She had an ordinary appearance, but the business suit on her gave her a special charm. On top of that, she was fresh out of college, so she was still giving off an air of innocence.A pure, innocent-looking young woman like her had a different charm compared to those seductive women who were great i
The three staff members standing behind Celena were infuriated. They were so worked up that they echoed Celena, "She's right! You guys are just bullying us! Which rule states that we're not allowed to enter?""Yes, exactly! Who are you to stop us from entering? What right do you have to do that?""Get Mr. Fabin to come here! Get him here to talk to us! Who are you to stop us from sending our materials in for an inspection?"The staff at the inspection area who were stopping Celena and the others at the entrance had an indifferent gaze. With a cocky expression on their faces, they looked at Celena and the others. Then, one of them said icily, "Hurry up and get your asses out of here! This is not a place for you to make a scene as you please! "I've told you that the machine is broken today, so we can't get the inspection done. I've asked you to come back tomorrow. Do you not understand what I said?"However, as soon as he said that, a middle-aged man showed up with a few of his s
Yohan continued, "Besides, the Quality Supervision Bureau has been swamped lately. We're understaffed, and there are so many companies waiting for their inspections. We can't just put all of them aside and service your family's factory alone, right?"Everyone is here to send for a quality inspection. We can't just keep inspecting your materials alone. How should we explain ourselves if other companies were to find out?"His series of questions got Celena stumped. She was dazed for a second before she regained her senses.She quickly explained, "Mr. Fabin, we know our previous batch of materials was rejected, but we've brought a new batch. We're following the normal procedure to get an inspection as well. So, why are you not allowing us to enter?"Besides, you should know that my family is working with the Max Group. We really can't delay the production schedule, so please do us a favor, Mr. Fabin."Yohan did not immediately reply to Celena. He first checked out the materials behin
Yohan handed the cup of tea that was spiked to Celena with a broad smile and said, "Here, Ms. Stone, have a cup of coffee. This is a special brew that's been in my collection for a long time. I normally don't even drink it on my own."Celena accepted the coffee out of politeness and placed it on the coffee table in front of her, but she did not drink it. That was because Yohan gave her a weird feeling. She thought it was better to play safe and not drink it.With a smile, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Fabin. I'm not very thirsty now, so I'll have it later."Yohan's expression turned sour once he heard that. If Celena was not going to have the coffee, then he would have spiked it for nothing, would he not?Because of that, he looked at Celena with a sullen face and said frostily, "Ms. Stone, what are you playing at? Do you look down on me so much that you're not even going to have a cup of coffee that was made by me? Or do you think my treasured blend is not worthy for a person with you
Celena's face was completely flushed at that moment. She was breathing harder and harder as well. The burning feeling all over her body made her extremely terrified. Her eyes were locked on the door that was just a few steps away, but her vision was getting increasingly blurry.She struggled to get on her feet, wanting to walk toward the door. She wanted to escape from that office, but her legs just would not budge no matter how hard she tried. She then fell back onto the couch again.As she lay on the couch with a reddened face, she glared at Yohan and bellow, "Mr. Fabin, what-what have you done to me?"Celena's voice as she barked at Yohan, as well as her gaze as she glared at him, was so seductive to him that he could not help but gulp. He tugged at his tie and said with a lustful grin, "What are you talking about, Celena? Why would I do anything to you?"Don't worry. I just gave you a cup of coffee that was laced with a stimulant. It would only make your body weak and hot. Don'
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