"Give it up, Celena. My proposal's a shoo-in. What could you possibly have whipped up in four days? That's not even enough time to get the lay of the land. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and head home—save the humiliation. And it's not just the Stone family watching this time, but the entire board, the whole upper crust of The Stone Group!" Cheryl's voice dripped with scorn as she threw Celena a sidelong glance."And I'd skedaddle if I were you, to dodge the shame! What can a washout like you come up with? You're living in a fantasy!" Sherah chimed in, standing triumphantly by Cheryl's side, her earlier grievances with Celena in the little courtyard long forgotten in her moment of gloating.The Stone family members lingered at the entrance, their faces twisted in scorn as they sneered at Celena. They already made up their minds about which proposal they had back, having pored over both documents beforehand. One proposal was a masterpiece of precision, while the other was laughably
"Celena, you see? You can't beat me! I'm the victor!" Cheryl said, looking over at Celena, who was nervously twisting her fingers, her head down."The winner is Celena!"Mr. Stone paused, clearly taken aback.He stared at the list again, double-checking with his assistant. After a moment, the assistant gave a reluctant nod.The votes were in, and they were all cast in secret. Celena didn't even laid a finger on her proposal since she turned it in, making any chance of foul play a non-starter.The conference room was a sea of stunned faces as if they saw a ghost when they heard the winner's name."What the heck?! Celena won?""No way, there's got to be some mistake. Celena? She's never even set foot in the office. She's clueless—a total no-hoper. How on earth could she win?""Something smells fishy here. Celena outdoing Cheryl, who's been with us for years? I'm finding this hard to swallow!"The buzz of disbelief filled the room, nobody could wrap their head around the results.
In that heated moment, Cheryl's anger toward Celena boiled over. It was all because of her. Why did she have to return? Without Celena, Cheryl wouldn't have been humiliated in front of the entire Stone family and the company's top brass, their laughter echoing in her ears.Celena was the root of it all, the one to blame for Cheryl's disgrace.Unable to contain her fury any longer, Cheryl, her face contorted with rage, stormed toward Celena in a clatter of high heels. She swung her hand high and roared, "Celena!"Crack!Caught off guard, Celena did not see it coming. The forceful slap hit her squarely, and before she could even react, a stinging red mark appeared on her pale cheek, swelling up instantly.Cheryl's slap was fueled by pure spite, and the height of Celena's swollen face bore witness to the intensity of Cheryl's wrath.Off to the side, Qemal watched the drama unfold with a smirk, silently cheering on the spectacle.Dazed by the impact, Celena sat frozen, her eyes brim
Cheryl clutched her face, pain and shock rendering her speechless.Moments later, fury replaced her shock. She glared up at Liam and bellowed, "Liam! How dare you... how dare you hit me! This is the Stone family's territory. Do you dare to strike me here? Get out, all of you! Take that little bastard with you and get out of the Stone family's house!"Liam towered over her, his gaze icy and sharp enough to cut through the hysteria. A hint of lethal intent flickered in his eyes as he spoke with chilling calm, "Mind your language. What's it to you if I hit you? I'm not just brave enough to hit you—I could kill you if I pushed to it."Gurgle!His words struck Cheryl like a bolt of lightning, reverberating through her core.She watched Liam approach, step by deliberate step, and to her, he might as well have been the Grim Reaper himself, come to drag her to hell.His eyes were terrifying, his presence overwhelming."What are you doing? Stay back... I'm Grandpa's darling granddaughter
Meanwhile, at the Stone family's house.Cheryl, her face marred by bruises, cried in Yafe's study. "Dad, Liam has gone too far! Look what he did to my face, how badly he's hurt me! I won't just let this slide, and as for Celena..."Yafe's face darkened with fury as he threw the cup across the room, his voice thundering, "Liam has crossed the line, living under our roof and attacking you repeatedly! He shows no respect, Cheryl, come with me. We're going to see Mr. Stone. I can't believe he'd dare to act like this on our turf!"Cheryl hurried after him, worried, lacing her voice, "Dad, what about the deal? What do we do? Are we going to just roll over and let Celena have it?"With a distant smirk, Yafe replied, "Don't worry, I've got a plan up my sleeve."Let Celena take over? Not a chance. Even though she was his flesh and blood, Yafe never saw eye to eye with her. And with Liam in the picture, they would be left with nothing if she took control.They couldn't let Celena anywhere
Crash!Out of nowhere, the courtyard door was kicked off its hinges! Mr. Stone, face like thunder, hobbled in on his cane, with Cheryl, sporting a bruised cheek, at his side, steadying him. Yafe followed, looking just as sour."Grandpa! Dad!"Celena, jolted by the racket, dropped her papers and rushed to meet them.However, Cheryl was on her like a storm, scattering Celena's papers to the wind before slapping her hard across the face. "I warned you! I won't let this slide! You had the nerve to hit me!"Stunned by the blow, Celena's eyes brimmed with tears.It was the second time today Cheryl slapped her.In front of her grandfather and father, no less. She couldn't fathom why the Stones had it in for her so badly. Wasn't she one of them?Why such a stark difference in the way they treated her, even though she was a granddaughter, a daughter, just like the others?Mr. Stone didn't bat an eye at the slap. He snorted with disdain and stepped forward, his voice icy as he demanded,
"Celena, we're home!""Mommy, guess what Jovie got for you? Jovie got you lots of yummy treats, come on, tell me I did good!"At the yard's entrance, Liam walked in with Jovie in his arms, only to find Celena on the ground, her sobs filling the room. Liam's expression darkened, and he quickly set Jovie down, his heart squeezing with worry. He was only away briefly, and already she was hurt again.Celena looked up through tear-stained eyes, her sense of injustice deepening. Sitting on the chilly floor, she caught Liam's look of concern, lunged for his embrace, and let her tears flow freely."Liam," she cried, "Grandpa took the deal away, he gave my proposal to Cheryl. Why? Why does he do this to me? I'm his granddaughter too, why is he so distant toward me?"At that moment, Celena let out all her pent-up hurt and confusion.Jovie, wise beyond her years, wrapped her arms around Celena, tenderly drying her tears while her own began to fall. "Don't cry, Mommy. Please, no more tears.
"Don't come any closer! Liam, are you out of your mind? Back off, remember this is the Stone family's home, I'm Celena's dad. If you kill me, what about Celena and Jovie?" Yafe's plea was desperate, his words jumbled as he scrambled backward on the floor.Cheryl was petrified, too scared to even wipe the blood from her mouth, shaking uncontrollably as she sat huddled by the pillar.Liam's voice was chilling, a harbinger of doom that echoed in the depths of their souls."You all, you're gonna pay for this! After all the times you've hurt Celena, you have the nerve to bring her up?"Liam's voice was a thunderclap. He reared back, his foot poised to unleash a kick.However, before he could strike, a swarm of the Stone family's bodyguards burst in. Batons at the ready, they encircled Liam in a tight ring.Yafe and Cheryl seized the chaos to scramble up from the dirt, cowering behind the wall of muscle, their voices seething with rage. "Get him! Beat the hell out of him! Make him regr