Liam's Road to Revenge

Chapter 8

The next morning, at the top-floor luxury banquet hall of the Ramapo Emperor Hotel, the place was buzzing with people. A chorus of birthday wishes filled the air, bringing the festive atmosphere to a peak.

At the entrance of the banquet hall, Mason, the Montgomery family's chief butler, was smiling and greeting guests:

"From the Wallace family of Ramapo, presenting a John Constable painting, Salisbury Cathedral! From Madam Phillip of the Phillip family, wishing the old master a long life with a golden reclining Buddha...!"

Duke sat proudly at the head table, his face beaming with a broad smile as he greeted each guest. Once all the guests had arrived, he stood up and spoke with a gracious smile, "Thank you, my dear friends, for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my seventieth birthday celebration. It is truly an honor to have you all here…"

Applause!

The sound of clapping and cheering filled the room as guests praised him.

"Duke, you are a wise and respectable man. And now, with this strategic partnership with the Greene family, it's only a matter of time before the Montgomery family rises to the top ranks!"

The guests were full of flattery, making Duke beam with satisfaction. The atmosphere was joyous.

Except for Snow, who sat with Priscilla on either side of Duke. Seeing that the timing was right, Priscilla discreetly signaled to her daughter.

Snow immediately understood. After offering her congratulations, she shifted the topic. "Grandfather, today is your seventieth birthday, a very important day," she said with a sarcastic smile. "But it seems some people don't care at all."

"Enough, don't say such things," Priscilla pretended to scold. "Cree and Liam haven't seen each other in so long. It's understandable that they lost track of time."

As Priscilla finished speaking, the entire banquet hall fell into silence. Everyone there knew about the internal strife within the Montgomery family and the events of seven years ago. Back then, when Tom, the eldest son of the family, died unexpectedly, the position of family heir naturally fell to the younger son, Tom.

However, Cree had defied the family's wishes to save Liam, leading to a fateful night and the birth of Sasha. Following Priscilla's instigation, Duke not only stripped Tom of all his duties but also banished his entire family from the ancestral home.

Noticing the increasingly strange looks from the guests, Duke's expression grew darker, anger simmering beneath the surface. Today wasn't just his seventieth birthday; it was also the day of the contract signing with the Greene family. With the ceremony about to begin, there was no sign of Cree anywhere.

It was infuriating!

Just as Duke was about to speak after clearing his throat, the Greene brothers, Winston and Wilson, walked in with their bodyguards. The moment Duke's angry expression transformed into a wide grin upon seeing Winston, his wrinkled face bloomed into a joyful smile.

Duke rushed forward, "Ah, Mr. Greene! I've been eagerly waiting for you!"

Click, click!

The photographers, who had been briefed by Duke, eagerly snapped pictures of the two men. The guests stood up, nodding and greeting Winston.

Everyone could tell that Duke had gone to great lengths for today's event, inviting all the major families in Ramapo. His birthday was a minor reason; the real focus was the signing ceremony for the strategic partnership between the Montgomery and Greene families.

Duke wore a beaming smile as he extended his hand to Winston, signaling the photographers to capture this historic moment. But to his surprise, Winston let out a cold snort, didn't even glance at him, and walked right past. The smile froze on Duke's face.

The Greene brothers casually found a place to sit down, their cold gazes sweeping over the guests as if searching for someone.

"Mr. Greene..." Duke cautiously stepped forward with a smile. "If you're looking for someone, just give your order, and I'll be happy to help."

Duke instinctively changed his address, lowering himself as much as possible.

Winston shot a disdainful look at Duke, his smile icy. "Who would dare kidnap my son in Ramapo, Duke? It seems your grandson-in-law has quite the guts!"

'Kidnapping? Grandson-in-law? It's Liam!' Duke's heart sank, and a wave of dizziness almost caused him to faint on the spot.

Priscilla tried to step forward to support him, but Duke roughly pushed her away.

"Mr. Greene, please don't be angry!" Duke's voice trembled. "This has nothing to do with the Montgomery family... nothing at all!"

Wilson's eyes were bloodshot, his usual calm demeanor nowhere to be seen. Based on last night's investigation results, Wilson had reached a conclusion. Ike's disappearance had nothing to do with the Azure Radiance arriving in Ramapo. It was all the doing of Liam Anthony, who had just returned from overseas battlefields!

"If it weren't for that, do you think anyone in your family would have lived to see the morning?" Wilson grabbed Duke by the collar, his eyes filled with rage. "Enough! Where is Liam?"

Duke pleaded, eventually managing to get Wilson to release him. Glancing around at the guests, who were all watching with mocking expressions, Duke's face hardened, and he spoke coldly, "I hereby announce that if anyone from the Montgomery family sees Liam Anthony, they should not hesitate..."

"To do what?"

A sudden shout echoed from the entrance of the banquet hall. Every eye in the room turned towards the door. Liam entered, holding Cree by the hand, ignoring the Greene family's bodyguards on either side, who looked ready to pounce. He strode forward until he was standing right in front of the head table, glaring coldly at Duke.

"You damned bastard!" Duke stared at Liam, as if he wanted to tear him apart. "Let Master Greene go! If you do, I might just let you keep your body in one piece."

'What?!' Cree's face turned pale, her mind reeling. She had thought of countless ways Liam might have rescued her, but never did she imagine he would dare to kidnap Ike!

In Ramapo, the Greene family wasn't all-powerful, but they were close! With their influence, crushing Liam would be easier than squashing an ant! Not to mention her own parents... and Sasha...

"Mr. Greene, Liam acted on impulse. Please, show mercy and spare our family and Liam!" Cree said, bowing to Winston, ready to apologize.

Liam reached out and stopped Cree. She was frantic, tugging at his sleeve, "Are you crazy? Apologize to Mr. Greene now, or you're a dead man!"

"Apologize to him? He's not worthy!" Liam glanced at Winston and pointed to the ground. "You have five minutes to get down, lick my shoes clean, and apologize to my wife and daughter. Beg for their forgiveness, and I might consider sparing the Greene family this once. Otherwise, your whole family will pay with their lives!"

"Liam! You're bold, I'd appreciate you," Winston said, laughing angrily. "I hope you're still this brave in a moment!"

The crowd burst into laughter, looking at Liam with contempt. To them, Liam was just a foolish hothead with no background or support.

Liam took a deep breath, straightened his back, and spoke loudly, "Today is Duke's birthday, and on this auspicious day, I, Liam, wish him a speedy trip to meet his maker! Men!"

Boom!

As soon as Liam finished speaking, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from the entrance of the banquet hall.

Bang!

Angelique, dressed in battle armor, strode in confidently. Behind her, the Four Guardians followed, each carrying a red lacquered coffin on their shoulders. They marched straight to the center of the banquet hall and slammed the coffin heavily onto the ground.

"The birthday gift has arrived! We hope Duke accepts it with a smile!" Angelique declared loudly.