From Prison To Billion-Dollar Empire

Chapter Ten The Kingston’s Buy

“What are you going to do, sir?” Edward asked carefully, watching his master’s expression.

At the time Liam picked up the call, he had muttered Michael’s name under his breath with a tone that carried neither fear nor respect. That alone was enough for Edward to understand who had been on the other end of the line.

Liam placed his hand on Edward’s shoulder, a rare gesture that meant he was thinking deeply. 

Before now, when he had still been their obedient puppet, he would have rushed over the moment they summoned him. He would not have dared to delay even a second before appearing at the Kingstons’ family villa. Back then, fear controlled him.

But that was then.

Now, he was no longer the same man. Something had shifted — inside and outside.

“Tomorrow evening, we will go,” Liam said calmly. “And I will hear what he has to say.”

Edward studied him for a brief second. There was no tension in his master’s jaw. No trace of submission in his eyes.

“Okay, sir,” Edward bowed.

“What about what they wrote about you online?” he asked after a pause, concern creeping into his voice.

The smear campaign had spread fast. Accusations. Lies. Manipulated narratives.

“Leave it,” Liam replied simply.

He adjusted his cufflinks, unbothered.

“The world will know who the chronic liar is in a matter of time.”

He chuckled lightly, not the laugh of a defeated man, but of someone holding a card no one else could see.

“Take me home, Edward. It has already been a long day.”

“Yes, Master.”

Edward quickly opened the car door. Liam stepped inside without another word. The drive back to Kingsley’s Mansion was smooth and silent, the city lights reflecting against the tinted windows like fleeting ghosts of a past Liam had already buried.

Meanwhile, back at the Kingstons’ Villa, the atmosphere was nothing like the calm inside Liam’s car.

Michael paced around his home office restlessly, his polished shoes striking sharply against the marble floor. His heart was heavy, not with guilt, but with frustration.

They had published a carefully crafted false narrative about Liam on social media. The posts were gaining traction. Comments were flooding in. Strangers were judging, condemning, insulting.

Everything was going according to plan.

Except for one thing.

Liam was nowhere to be found.

“Where is that son of a bitch?!” Michael roared.

“Time is running out!”

His voice echoed against the tall wooden walls.

Carter, who stood nearby, clenched his fists tightly. His jaw twitched with barely contained rage.

“When that bastard gets here,” Carter growled, “I am going to break his head with my fist.”

But deep down, both father and son knew something had gone wrong.

They had already tried to send Liam back to prison unjustly. They had bribed, manipulated, and schemed. Yet somehow, the plan had failed and not just failed, but collapsed mysteriously.

That was what unsettled Michael the most.

An orphan like Liam was supposed to remain beneath their feet. Disposable. Replaceable. Easy to crush.

So why was it becoming this difficult?

If Michael Kingston did not resolve this issue quickly, if Betty failed to marry Lucas soon, the partnership deal with Williams House International and the Kingsford Supreme Collective would slip through his fingers.

He could not afford to lose it.

“So why hasn’t he shown up?” Michael muttered, more to himself now.

He had threatened Liam directly on the phone. In the past, that alone would have been enough to drag him crawling back.

But this silence…

This delay…

It felt different.

***

The following day arrived with an unusual calm.

At exactly 5 p.m., after spending the afternoon familiarizing himself with his new mansion; walking through the lush greenery, inspecting the marble pathways, and even strolling near the private golf course where billionaires conducted quiet business discussions — Liam finally decided it was time.

He had delayed long enough.

“It is time, Edward,” he said. “Prepare the car. We are headed to the Kingstons’.”

“Yes, Master.”

When they arrived near the villa, Liam gave another instruction.

“Drive forward. Don’t park close.”

Edward understood instantly. A subtle message.

They would not see the car clearly. They would not measure his wealth. Not yet.

Liam adjusted his suit before stepping out at the gate. The iron gate had already been unlocked from inside by the gateman, clearly they had been waiting.

He walked in alone.

The moment he entered the living area that led to the home office—

“You idiot!” Michael barked immediately. “I commanded you here since yesterday! Are you trying to refuse my command?”

Liam remained silent.

His silence was deliberate.

“You bastard!” Carter stormed into the room, alerted by his father’s shouting.

He had been waiting for this moment since yesterday.

His fists were ready.

He stepped forward aggressively, intending to fulfill his promise, to strike Liam and humiliate him as always.

But the moment he reached close—

He froze.

Something in Liam’s eyes stopped him.

Not fear.

Not submission.

Confidence.

Cold. Steady. Unshaken.

Carter instinctively jolted back, masking it with a fake throat clear.

“Ahem!”

Michael noticed.

He had seen it too.

That strange boldness.

This was the same man they had tried  and failed  to toss into prison.

Perhaps… he had underestimated him.

Michael quickly changed his expression.

“Son-in-law!” he exclaimed suddenly, forcing a laugh.

He stretched his hand out, attempting to pat Liam’s shoulder in a fatherly gesture.

Liam stepped back smoothly.

The rejection was subtle.

But loud.

“If you care about your miserable life,” Liam said calmly, “that was what you said” 

“You chose your words carefully on the phone. So, here I am”

“Speak!”

The temperature in the room dropped.

Michael cleared his throat awkwardly and retreated to his large mahogany desk, sitting down in his executive chair to regain authority.

Carter positioned himself behind him like a silent guard.

“Why don’t you have your seat first?” Michael said, forcing a smile.

Liam stepped forward deliberately. Two chairs sat opposite the mahogany desk. He pulled one out and sat, crossing his legs calmly.

He did not ask for permission.

“Liam,” Michael began smoothly, “we are family. There shouldn’t be a rift between us.”

Liam said nothing.

“I know you caught your dear wife, Betty, with another man. But you know how women can be. Emotional. Illogical.”

Carter nodded in agreement.

“But you are a man,” Michael continued. “When things like this happen, you move forward.”

He leaned forward slightly.

“We understand your frustration. You protected her, yet she betrayed you. We tried to change her mind. Truly. But she insists on going with Lucas.”

“That is why,” Michael said carefully, “we have decided to appreciate everything you’ve done for us. Fifty thousand dollars.”

He paused for effect.

“It is enough to leave Greenfield. Start a new life somewhere else. And never show your face in this city again.”

The room fell quiet.

“This is a one-time opportunity,” Michael added. “Take it, and everything is settled. Right, Carter?”

“Yes, Father. Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money. Many people don’t make that amount before they age and die.”

Liam slowly leaned back in his chair. He looked at the mahogany desk. He could buy this entire villa, the land it stood on, and he wouldn't even notice the dent in his bank account.

Then he smirked.

The kind of smirk that made powerful men uncomfortable.

“No.”

The word landed softly.

But it exploded in the room.

“What?” Michael blurted, his eyes widening in disbelief.