The rest of the Stone family and the executives piled on with their ridicule, particularly the Stone family."Come on, Celena. You've got to step it up, you only have two days!""Psh, her? Two days? She'd be lucky to figure it out in a month! I can't fathom why she's so eager to compete when she's clearly clueless!""Would anyone like her even get a shot at cooperation, let alone be in charge, if it weren't for sheer pity?""Ha! She's clueless, alright. Remember her big talk about proving herself? Well, here's her chance. However, just look at her. Does she seem ready to prove anything?"Celena absorbed the jeers, a knot of injustice tightening in her chest. She kept her head down, her face ashen, as tears streamed down unchecked.Why did they despise her so much when she was one of their own, a Stone through and through?The conference room door swung open. Liam strode in. He quickly found Celena in the corner, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face. His expression dark

The atmosphere was tense the next day in the Stone family conference room. Everyone was waiting, the air thick with impatience and frustration."Celena, what's the hold-up? You said the suppliers were coming today. We've been here for over an hour and with not a soul in sight.""Are you trying to pull the wool over our eyes? If you can't cut it, you need to face the music and stop fooling yourself and everyone else!" Cheryl's patience was hanging by a thread, and she was the first to call Celena out. Her face was an icy mask as she stared her down, eyes gleaming with the thrill of the unfolding drama. Once Cheryl opened the floodgates, the rest piled on with their own accusations. "Celena, have you secured the supplier or what? If you haven't, just spit it out. Don't waste our time. Step down and let someone with the stuff take over. Do you have any idea how much the Stone family stands to lose if this deal tanks?" "Seriously! Did you find them or not? Now's not the time for game

Reginald had not even reached the conference room door when a cascade of footsteps announced their arrival. Five chairmen with the presence of titans strode in, their assistants in tow.Their entrance charged the room with a palpable tension.Those were the big shots of the Drunham City decor materials scene, and they had the mighty Jerden Group at their backs. Their power was unmatched."Mr. Zimmer, Mr. Wells, Mr. Sabine, Mr. Quier, Mr. Ford, what brings you to our doorstep so unexpectedly? We're caught off guard and couldn't prepare a proper welcome. Please, forgive us," Reginald said, his smile betraying his nerves as a sheen of sweat glistened on his brow.The Stone family's top brass and relatives lined up on either side, each wearing a sycophantic grin. At the forefront was Mr. Zimmer, the big shot of Zimmerman Group and the kingpin of Drunham City's renovation materials market, a man with deep pockets. He cast a detached glance at Reginald and cut to the chase. "Mr. Stone,

Unbeknownst to them, this first man was Liam. "Mr. Reath, everything is settled!" Mr. Zimmer said.Kolten nodded and turned to Liam with an expectant look. "Mr. Cole, we've already made the necessary arrangements as you instructed. What do you think?"Liam took one final puff of his cigarette, then tossed the butt into a nearby trashcan and finally nodded. "Good work!"With that, he turned and sauntered away, ignoring the five men gaping at him in disbelief as he left. "Mr. Reath, who is that man?" Mr. Zimmer finally summoned the courage to ask.Kolten turned to glare at him with a warning look. "Don't ask questions that you shouldn't! Just mind your own business. Knowing too much won't bring you anywhere. All you need to know is that this man is far more powerful than you can even imagine. He can easily stomp out all of us, even me, like ants should he see fit!"The color drained from everyone's faces. Despite being the tycoons of their respective industries and having years

All of a sudden, a man covered in blood staggered toward them, shouting for help. When he caught sight of Thomas, he screamed, "Mr. Lane, something terrible has happened! They've returned! Those men have returned!"A look of fear and horror spread across Thomas's face, but he soon calmed down and was immediately outraged. "How dare they show their faces here again? What do they want from us? Let's go, everyone! We'll show them what it's like to mess with us! If they want us dead, we'll bring them to hell with us!"With that, a dozen or so factory workers picked up various tools like wrenches and metal pipes, anything they could get their hands on, and stormed toward the direction Thomas was pointing at. They were all infuriated at how they had been treated. All of them were simply trying their best to survive in this economy, and who were these men to terrorize them when they had done nothing wrong?All of a sudden, a few black vans screeched to a halt in front of the factory entran