Malcolm lingered with a question on his mind, his hand still dabbing at a sweaty forehead."What's on your mind?" Liam inquired."Commander-in-Chief! In three days, I've arranged a gathering for the Drunham City elite to celebrate our new alliance with the Walker family's legacy and our successful partnerships. I have here a few exclusive invites and would be honored if you and your lady would join us."Liam skimmed over the embossed invitation in his grasp and remarked, "Just set it down here. I'll attend when I find the time.""Understood!"Malcolm laid the invitation on the table, snapped to attention with a salute, and exited Jade Manor.Only after Malcolm had stepped through the grand gates of the manor and settled into his car did the weight on his shoulders begin to fade, his back clammy from sweat. The thought of how many sought an audience with the elusive King Pendragon. Here he was, holding an invite to dine with the man himself, stirred a quiet pride within him.Mean
"Dad, I've got it all figured out, and Wasyl is on board. We're meeting with Mr. Lynch tomorrow. Once I've got that partnership deal in hand, we'll bounce back from our recent setbacks," Cheryl said, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm.With that deal, Celena would not stand a chance of worming her way back into the Stone family. The title of the family's darling daughter was hers alone.Yafe's laughter echoed hers, filling the study. He savored a sip of tea, content with their plan.Sherah sat by the window in a softly lit room, her face etched with concern as she gazed at her son, Qemal, resting on the bed. She leaned forward and said worryingly, "Qemal, are you in a lot of pain?"Qemal let out a continuous moan. He turned to his mother with a plaintive look, pleading, "Mom! My arm's broken, it's excruciating! I can't stand it, and it's all Liam's fault. You have to make him pay!"Sherah's heart ached as if it were breaking into pieces. "Oh, Qemal, my poor boy! I knew that wretch
"And who's to say you're not still hung up on that girl, your own daughter, no less! By the way, did you sort out the meeting with Mr. Lynch for tomorrow? Can Qemal and Cheryl attend?" Sherah inquired.Yafe sighed, his head drooping with resignation. "Dad's made up his mind. Tomorrow, my brother, Sawyer, and I will head out. Cheryl's tagging along with Mr. Abbott, while Qemal will just stay home and rest." "What? Qemal isn't going? No way! He's our only son. He can't miss out on something this big!" Sherah shot up in alarm. She sprang to her feet, jabbing a finger at Yafe. "You've got to care more about your son, Yafe! Qemal's your boy, and your father's always so distant to him. You need to stand up for him!" Yafe felt trapped but kept nodding. "I get it, but it's a big deal, and his call is final. Besides, Qemal's hand is pretty banged up. He's better off resting. There'll be other chances." Sherah backed off, knowing that she had made her point. Yafe was usually a pushover fo
As they were about to head inside, a sleek car rolled up, stopping right next to Celena and Liam. The door swung open, and Cheryl and Wasyl stepped out, their arms laden with ornate, expensive boxes.Not far behind, more cars pulled up. Out came Yafe and Walter, each holding their own set of elegant gift boxes.Cheryl's eyes locked onto Celena, and she said sarcastically, "Well, well, what do we have here? If it isn't my dear sister, so desperate to come back home." She gave them a once-over, her gaze lingering on their empty hands. "Thinking of meeting Mr. Lynch, are you? Are you here with that stench of poverty on you, not even a decent gift to your name? How utterly disgraceful.""I..." Celena's voice faltered. Cheryl's taunts had snuffed out the last ember of her courage, leaving her feeling utterly defeated.She had had nothing, not even a presentable gift. Why would Mr. Lynch ever consider her for the project cooperation unless he had lost his mind?Cheryl stepped closer, lo
The ruckus drew the crowd's attention, and soon, all eyes were on Liam and Celena, who had arrived without a gift in hand. The whispers turned into outright jeers."Liam and Celena actually showed up! Who would've thought? Where'd they find the guts?""They've got some nerve, alright, showing up empty-handed like that!""Do they even have the money for a decent gift? Everyone here's toting around something pricey. If they can't even spring for a proper present, who in their right mind would partner up with them?""Ha! Maybe they brought along some magic cream for sore legs!"That last jab sent the room into fits of laughter.The debacle from Reginald's birthday party the day before was the talk of the town. Liam and Celena had made quite the spectacle, with Liam insisting that Celena be taken back to the Stone family.Under the weight of so many sneering glances, Celena's skin crawled with discomfort. She turned stiff, her body quivering ever so slightly.Holding back the impul
The once-bustling crowd hushed instantly, all eyes on the newcomer."I'm Luis Garrie, the coordinator for the Walker family's estate cooperation project. First off, I'd like to thank everyone who's come to vie for this partnership. Your presence is much appreciated! However, let me make one thing clear. If you've brought a gift, consider yourself out of the running. No entry for you! Those who came empty-handed, step on up!" Luis's voice boomed with authority.His announcement sent a shockwave through the gift-bearers at the door, their smugness replaced by sheer panic. They exchanged frantic glances, completely thrown off by the turn of events.No one had anticipated that bringing a gift would bar them from entry, instantly stripping them of their chance to compete.A man in a gray suit, looking anxious, stepped forward and pleaded, "Mr. Garrie, what's going on? We came in good faith. Isn't there anything we can do?"Luis cut the man off impatiently with a wave of his hand. "Yeah
Luis gave Wasyl a once-over before his gaze landed on the ornate brocade box. His eyes flashed with disdain and anger as he snapped, "Abbott family, Butler family, Lewis family, do you think Mr. Lynch is someone you can manipulate with your little schemes? Guards, take him away and look into his background!"Before Wasyl could react, a bodyguard lunged forward, landing a punch that sent him sprawling to the ground. The gift box tumbled out of his hands, coming to rest by Cheryl's trembling feet."Ahh! I didn't... I was just..." Wasyl tried to scramble up to explain, but another punch slammed him back down, pinning him to the floor.Wasyl did not dare to fight back. Tears streamed down his face as he begged, "Please, no more! I won't go in... Just let me go. I won't ever try something like this again... I'm begging you, have mercy!"Cheryl stood frozen in shock, her legs shaking so much she could barely stand. Yafe and his companions stood frozen, their minds racing. Meanwhile, Luis
Malcolm was not just turning down gifts. He was cutting out all the gift-bearing family and businesses. It was only Celena who had come empty-handed. That was the Stone family's big break, and they were determined to grab it with both hands. Suddenly, Liam cut in, "Oh? She's with the Stone family? Funny, that's not what you said yesterday!" Liam's brow furrowed as he glared icy at them. "What's this? Now you're acknowledging her as your daughter again?" "Liam! Keep your mouth shut; this is our family matter, and it's none of your business!" Yafe panicked that Liam might spill more."Seriously, Liam, who do you think you are? Our family hasn't even accepted you as the Stone family's son-in-law! Who gave you the right to boss everyone around?" Walter's face contorted with rage as he barked. He was desperate to prevent Liam from blurting out anything inappropriate that might jeopardize their chance to partner with the Max Group.Luis noticed something was off with the group's deme
However, Andy was a smooth talker, so the eldest member of the Drayton family liked him. Because of that, the head of the family tolerated him. That was why Andy, who was just a member of the branch family, dared to be so cocky.Andy saw Howard standing at the side from the corner of his eye as he spoke. He thought of what Howard said earlier, and that made his blood boil.He pointed at Howard and bellowed, "Uncle Derrick, this Howard is trash as well. You have no idea. I told him I was a member of the Drayton family, yet he did not take our family seriously at all."Not only did he have his men capture me, but he said cockily that he wanted to lock me up forever, and nobody could stop him."Weren't you very cocky before this, Mr. Mosier? Go on. Continue acting cocky in front of my uncle now. Detain me and lock me up forever."Andy took a couple of steps closer to Howard as he said that. He extended his hands arrogantly and said, "Come on. I have my hands stretched out for you. Hu
Soon, Andy and the thugs from the nightclub yesterday were released.Andy saw Derrick standing at the entrance of the police headquarters at a glance. He got so excited that he shouted, "Uncle Derrick! Uncle Derrick!"Fletcher's subordinates were incredibly excited to see Derrick as well. All of them shouted, "Mr. Derrick Drayton!"One of the subordinates was in Drunham City because Derrick arranged for him to be there. After he was brought to Derrick's side, he smiled apologetically and said, "Thank you for saving me, sir. Don't worry. Fletcher's faction and properties are all here. I'll be able to rebuild the faction here very soon."In other words, even if Fletcher was out of the picture, he would be able to thrive in Drunham City and replace Fletcher.However, Derrick shot an icy glare at him and sneered. "Hmph! How shameless of you to say that? There are so many of you, yet you can't deal with a small loser who only married into the Stone family."If it wasn't because this w
Howard did not expect that the Drayton family would have a connection with the Carter family. They could even produce a token from the Carter family."Mr. Derrick Drayton, I didn't expect that your family and the Carters go way back. You even got the Carter family's token out," said Howard.Derrick sneered and said, "Enough with the nonsense. Howard, my family did the Carter family a favor back then, that's why the general of the Carter family gave this token to us. He promised us that we could take out this token if we were ever in a bind in the future, and they would help us!"I'm taking out this token today to tell you that I'm going to bail Andy out of here. I'd like to see who in Drunham City has the guts to stop me!"Howard was stunned, and then he fell silent.He did not think that Derrick would take out a token from the Carter family.The Carter family was the top family in Mirstone. Nobody in Mirstone would dare to go against the Carter family. Derrick became even more
Meanwhile, Derrick and his men were already at the entrance of the police headquarters.Derrick's eyes were burning with rage as he looked at the door that was shut tightly. A sneer appeared on his lips as he said, "Hmph. Looks like they already know I'm coming, so they are deliberately trying to assert dominance."Then, he asked his driver next to him, "Where are our men? Have they all arrived?"The driver nodded and said, "They're here, Mr. Derrick. They are all waiting at the side. We'll tear down the main door to the police headquarters once you give the command."Derrick nodded with satisfaction. Then, he shouted at the police headquarters, "Howard! You're just the chief of the police headquarters! How dare you lock me outside?""I'd like to see how powerful you are today, Howard! Come on, guys. Take it down!"At his command, a group of burly men rushed out of the black van next to him. They were all holding thick bats, and they rushed up to the door ferociously.Right at t
At first, Yafe and the rest of the Stone family were stunned after they heard what Liam said. Then, they all burst out laughing.Yafe looked at Liam with a mocking gaze and said, "Are you kidding me, Liam? You're going to get the Draytons to come and apologize in person? Come on, that's the Drayton family we're talking about! Do you think they are just some nobody?"Right now, I don't want to waste my breath anymore. As long as you're able to stop the Drayton family from targeting us, I'm more than grateful. Don't you forget that you're the one who wanted to leave the Stone family? So, stop dragging us into your mess."Liam shot the crowd with an icy glare and brought Celena out of the Stone Mansion.Celena was still in a slight daze after they got into the car. Liam put on her safety belt for her and asked, "What's the matter, dear? Are you still worried about the Draytons?"Celena nodded and replied, "Yes. After all, all these were caused by the conflict between Andy and us. Jus
Liam wanted to ask what the family heirloom was, but he had no choice but to let it be after he heard what Yonatan said.However, Liam heard Yonatan's voice again, saying, "I've never seen that thing, but I heard from the Drayton family members that it was from a big shot in the military."The military?Liam's eyebrows furrowed once he heard it had something to do with the military. Then, he kicked Yonatan away, making him land next to the thugs.Yonatan passed out because of that kick.Once the thugs saw their leader was out cold, they took a couple of steps back in fear.However, Liam did not care about them at all. He looked at Yafe and the others instead.Once the Stone family members saw that they were out of the woods, they became cocky again.Yafe and Sherah, in particular, were so cocky that they ran up to Liam and condemned him, "Look what you've done! You're bad luck! What else can you do other than cause us trouble? Do you know who that is? He is from the Drayton fam
Yonatan was infuriated and bellowed, "So this is how you're going to play! Alright! I'm not going to stop until I kill you today!"Yonatan was radiating an intense desire to battle. That was the air exuded by a fighter of Fourth Order War King caliber.The Stone family was so frightened by the air he exuded that their faces turned pale. All of them took more than ten steps back in fear, afraid they would be injured by mistake.Yonatan clenched his fist and charged at Liam like a ferocious beast. His fist was packing so much power that it created a sonic boom, cutting through the air and going for Liam's face.The punch was so powerful that it could kill a bull right away.The Stone family thought Liam was going to die. Nobody would be able to survive a punch like that.Yonatan thought the same. He was very confident in his ability. He looked into Liam and knew he used to be a soldier, as well as a good fighter. However, so what?No matter how skilled Liam was in combat, could he
The moment Liam stepped into view, the Stone family members lit up as if they had spotted their guardian angel. They pointed at him, their voices rising in a chorus of relief and accusation. "Mr. Yonatan, look over here! It's Liam! I said they weren't with us!""Exactly! Mr. Yonatan, see for yourself, Liam's not part of our family!""Mr. Yonatan, now that Liam's here, if you're looking to pin the blame on someone, he's your man!""Liam, you actually showed up. If you hadn't crossed the Drayton family, would we, the Stones, have ever been dragged into this mess?""Liam, Celena, you two are nothing but trouble. You've left the family, so why keep stirring the pot for us?"...The air crackled with the Stone family's collective outrage, their faces twisted in anger as if they were ready to rip Liam and Celena to shreds.Celena and Liam's arrival was pure happenstance. They were just in the neighborhood to check in on an old friend when they overheard Yonatan's boastful taunts.Lia
Yonatan did not even bother to look at him. He checked his watch with a chilling laugh and said, "You've got ten minutes for Liam to show up. Don't say I didn't warn you."The words sent a wave of shock through Yafe and the rest of the Stone family, who stared at Yonatan, panic-stricken.Yafe was a mess, desperate to explain, but the sight of Yonatan's henchmen, eager and ready for a fight, stopped him dead in his tracks."Mr. Yonatan, I swear it's the truth. Liam has nothing to do with the Stone family anymore. You've made a mistake!"Yafe's face was flushed with urgency as he tried to convince the unmoved man."It's true, Mr. Yonatan! Liam and Celena were kicked out of the Stone family ages ago.""That's right! He's got nothing to do with us anymore. If you're after Liam, go to the villa at Emerald Lake. He's there, not here with us.""Mr. Yonatan, if you head over to Drunham City and ask anyone, they'll tell you the same thing: Liam and Celena have no ties to us Stones anymor