Adam had pissed Kaze off for the last time. He had been pushing his luck the whole night. Kaze would have smacked anyone else a long time ago. However, he let it go because Adam was Darcy’s uncle. Yet now, Adam threatened that Agnes would not be allowed back with the family unless Darcy divorced him. That was where Kaze drew the line. Kaze narrowed his eyes and headed straight toward Adam. “Kaze!” Darcy pulled him back and shook her head with worry. She was concerned that Kaze’s drastic response would stir more trouble. With Kaze staying put, Darcy turned to look at Adam. She took a deep breath before uttering, “Get over yourself, Uncle Adam. “No one can step into my marriage to Kaze, not even my parents.” Darcy’s tone was firm and resolute. She then took off together with Kaze. Adam stood there, his face ashen. Kaze and Darcy humiliated him tonight. Adam did not believe he had done anything wrong. In fact, Kaze and Darcy had been aggressive all night. “
Agnes tore into Kaze. Kaze listened quietly without defending himself. “Miru even said that she’d assign a new deputy manager to Hudson Investment Firm. Kaze, you should work closely with this new deputy.”Agnes broke the news to Kaze before glaring at him. “You hear me, Kaze?” “Yes.” Kaze nodded, unconcerned about the new deputy manager. He would not mind so long as the new deputy manager was capable, unlike Jem who kept harassing him. Once Agnes was gone, Darcy drew close and urged Kaze earnestly. “Cherish the opportunity, Kaze. Do your best, okay? “My mom will stop giving you an attitude when you show her results.” “Your word is my command, babe.” Kaze hugged her with a smile, giving her a little squeeze on her hips. “I’m taking a shower.” Darcy rolled her eyes and went upstairs. Kaze was about to hit the showers when he received a call from Johnson. “What is it, Johnson?” Kaze took the call and asked. Johnson replied, “Mr. Lee, Cosmo has been transport
Following the fall of the top three families, Lilyrose became a free-for-all. Various powerhouses wanted a piece of the pie. Johnson was a capable man, but he was at his wit’s end dealing with all the problems. The Lees even openly demanded Cosmo’s release. The arrogance of the rich and powerful knew no boundary. With Kaze holding the fort, Johnson could relax. Anybody would have to leave their cockiness out the door the moment they entered Lilyrose. “But, Johnson, I prefer a hands-off approach. Don’t bother with the daily duties of the mayor. I’ll intervene only when necessary.” Kaze made another request. He did not want to stick around the mayor’s office all day, toiling away at paperwork. “Don’t worry, Mr. Lee. I will tell my people not to disturb you on trivial matters.” Johnson patted his chest and promised. Soon, Lilyrose local council announced Johnson’s participation in an exclusive training course, and a Mr. Lee would be standing in his position for the
“Alright. We’ll leave it to Samson.” Gregory nodded menacingly. “Kaze broke the legs of his son too. I bet he’s more eager to kill that bastard.” … Kaze had no idea that his brief stint as acting mayor would brand him a loyal supporter of Loid.The Lees ceased fire for that reason, directly at least. The next day, Kaze’s presence was requested at the meeting room when he arrived at his office at Hudson Investment Firm. “Why are we having a meeting?” Kaze asked Sophie after stepping into the meeting room. Sophie whispered, “Miru was here after you were gone yesterday, Mr. Chairman. She criticized your lack of accountability and informed us that her assistant would act as the deputy manager here. “The new deputy is here, and she called for this meeting.” While talking, a beautiful and commanding woman in a power suit walked through the door. She glanced at everybody condescendingly and went on. “I should introduce myself. I am Jennifer Barwise. I am filling the role of
Jennifer was surprised by Kaze’s compliance. The disdain she had for him ran deeper. “Alright, that’s it for today’s meeting. Meeting adjourned.” Jennifer clapped her hands, announcing the end of the meeting. She did not care whether Kaze had anything to say. She saw herself as the highest-ranked superior at Hudson Investment Firm. Once Jennifer was gone, the senior executives gathered around Kaze. “You’re the only leader for me, Mr. Lee. I’ll follow you wherever you go.” “That’s right, Mr. Lee. We will only take your orders. Ms. Barwise doesn’t even respect you. Why should we listen to her?” The group was eager to prove their allegiance to Kaze. Yesterday’s incident left a dent in them. These people would not take Jennifer’s side right away because Kaze backed off. “Enough!” Kaze yelled, interrupting the group’s chatter. The senior executives exchanged glances. They were only trying to show their loyalty to Kaze. Kaze should be happy. Yet, he looked pissed. “
“I’m at the hotel next to the mayor’s office. Come over,” Kaze said. Soon, a young woman dressed in work attire drove over. Kaze parted ways with Caleb, Don, and the others. He asked Jennifer’s assistant, “What’s your name? Why haven’t I met you at the office?” “I’m Lilith Fair. Ms. Barwise asked me to join her from Lefteria Group,” the woman said proudly. She put herself above others because of her connection to Lefteria Group. Lilith pursed her lips at the smell of alcohol on Kaze. Sure enough, Kaze pulled strings to get where he was. He must be befriending the superiors at the mayor’s office by drinking with them in the afternoon. Lilith recognized these high-profile figures when Kaze parted ways with them. Nevertheless, Kaze was the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm by name, so Lilith was not surprised he could engage with these leaders. The way Lilith saw it, Kaze must be using his high-ranking position to establish connections with others. She had seen too many of K
The crew gave Kaze a strange look. They thought the interviewee was a VIP. Instead, Kaze was a moocher bankrolled by his wife. The crew held Kaze in disdain. “Sherry, you’re the anchor of our network. Yet, Hudson Investment Firm sent a moocher in for the interview. Isn’t that disrespectful toward you?” “That’s right. I’d suggest getting someone else. A regular employee is better than a moocher who got the manager position by pulling strings,” the crew said. Knowing Sherry was not pleased with Kaze, they stood up for her. Lilith glanced at Kaze, assuming Sherry held a personal grudge against Kaze. Otherwise, Sherry would not be so quick to call Kaze out. However, Sherry’s attitude did not bother her. Lilith said, “Even so, Mr. Lee is the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm, Sherry.“Ms. Barwise said he will be making public appearances and helping with the company’s publicity.” Sherry understood Lilith was Jennifer’s assistant. She could tell from Lilith’s indifference toward
“Are you ready, Mr. Lee? We should begin.” Sherry was professional, diving straight into work mode the moment the producer kept the cameras rolling. She said with a smile, “Today, we have invited the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm, Mr. Kaze Lee. Please say hello to the cameras, Mr. Lee.” “Hello, everybody. I am Kaze Lee.” Kaze waved at the cameras. Sherry said, “As everybody knows, the role of a CEO is very demanding. Experience is one of the essential requirements major corporations look at before hiring a CEO. “But after reviewing your resume, we discovered something rather strange. “Mr. Lee, you had no experience in investment before you took up the position as Hudson Investment Firm’s CEO. “To our knowledge, you have been living off your wife’s family. Is that true?” Sherry looked at Kaze and asked with a smile, “I am curious. How did you go from an unemployed house-husband to the CEO of a well-established investment firm?” “The questions seem a little too person
Phoenix nodded with a fake smile and said grimacingly, “But it looks like your employees hold you in high regard. “They didn’t budge even when their legs were broken.” “Bang!” Shadow kicked an executive to the wall. Darcy looked at the executives and said coldly, “Before I step down, I am instructing all of you to accept Joan as the new chairwoman.” “Ms. Quint!” Many executives grimaced while others cried out in tears. They knew that Darcy agreed to resign because she could not stand them to take the abuse.“I want to apologize for failing to protect you.” Darcy hung her head low in the presence of her management team as tears streamed down her face. She had never been so devastated. Sadly, Kaze would not be with her. Kaze started it too. “I approve of Joan as the chairwoman.” “Me too.” “I concur.” The executives spoke up. They could not change the situation. With Darcy giving in, they knew further resistance would only be met with brutality. As the
Shadow did not show any signs of stopping. She continued kicking the female executive. “Stop, bitch!” Two male executives tried to stop Shadow. Shadow had eyes on the back of her head. Without looking back, she swept a kick at the two big men and slammed them against the wall. She approached the two men and stomped on them. “Crack!” “Crack!”With two sickening cracks, the legs of the two male executives were brutally snapped. Their harrowing cries echoed through the ward. “Stop!” Darcy’s eyes turned bloodshot as her right-hand men endured the brutality. She got up right in Shadow’s face. “Smack!” Shadow slapped Darcy to the ground.She approached Darcy with a blank face and raised her foot. “No!” Hector and Agnes’ breath hitched in their throats. “Shadow.” Phoenix, who watched the violence callously, said, “You can stop now.” She unleashed Shadow on these executives to show them who the boss was. Phoenix had gotten what she wanted. The plan would
Agnes scowled in distress. Sky mumbled under his breath, “You have no right to anyone, though. Darcy doesn’t answer to anybody. The executives approve of her. You can’t run the company without Darcy anyway—” “Shut up!” Phoenix yelled furiously, “The executives approve of her? Well, I can make sure that doesn’t happen. “I doubt they would say anything if I wanted to fire her.” Phoenix said curtly, “Let them in.” Amid her confusion, Darcy watched as Sky Ocean Corporation’s high management entered the room. “Ms. Quint!” The executives greeted Darcy respectfully. They had a lot of respect for Darcy. Though they were a lot older than Darcy, these executives still held Darcy in high regard. Phoenix kept a straight face throughout. She slammed her cane to the ground and yelled at the executives, “I want to sack Darcy and make Joan the chairwoman. Show of hands if you’re on board with the idea.” Silence befell. Two dozen executives exchanged glances. It never occurr
What?Kaze was the cause of the assault, but Darcy was somehow relieved of her chairwoman duties. Hector was stunned. Agnes stepped forward and wailed with a pale face, “Madam Quint, you can’t do this!“Darcy expanded Sky Ocean Corporation and built a presence in Riverbank all on her own. The Quints never helped. Why should she be replaced by Joan?“Darcy has poured her heart and soul into the company. The executives and employees can bear witness to her dedication. “You are letting the employees down. “Besides, Kaze is the problem. He’s out of control. “I’ve been hoping Darcy would dump him, but Darcy is too kind. “I trust that Darcy will move on from him after this incident.“You should be punishing the right person. Don’t put this on Darcy!” Agnes understood that Sky Ocean Corporation was the very thing that provided her family with the lifestyle they had right now. If Darcy was stripped of power, the family would revert to their miserably impoverished days. De
Phoenix glared at Darcy’s family and said sternly, “Did you hear me?” Hector and Agnes shivered and felt obliged to comply with Phoenix’s request. Before Hector and Agnes said anything, Sky jumped in. “Kaze wouldn’t beat anyone up for no reason, Madam Quint. Besides, Joan has it out for our family. She hasn’t liked Kaze since day one.“For all we know, she could be spinning a tale.“You might want to get to the bottom of the truth—” “Shut up!” “Bang!” Phoenix cut Sky off by whacking him with her cane. “What do you know? It’s not your place to speak. Where are your manners? “One more word from you, and I’ll hit you again.” Sky’s repeated offense of challenging Phoenix’s authority drove her to the edge. Furious, Sky rubbed his aching arm and opened his mouth to refute. “Don’t be stubborn!” Agnes yanked Sky in fright and smiled apologetically at Phoenix. “I’m sorry, Madam Quint. Sky is young. He doesn’t know any better.“Don’t be mad, Madam Quint. We’ll contact Ka
“But Kaze doesn’t learn from his mistakes. He acts like he’s all that!“He broke my arm and stomped on my face, saying that I couldn’t be prettier than his wife. “I can accept the injuries on my face, Madam Quint. “But Kaze is disrespecting the family and you!“Please stand up for me, Madam Quint. Sob, sob…” Joan wailed. Her piercing bawling sparked the other family members to back her up. Phoenix was outraged. Hector, Agnes, Darcy, and Sky turned pale. They did not expect Kaze to assault Joan. Kaze went hard on her too. Most importantly, Joan’s boyfriend was the only son of Boris, one of Riverbank’s four underground kingpins, and the boyfriend seemed to be in a worse state. “Kaze brings us nothing but trouble!” Agnes scowled and hissed through clenched teeth, “I knew he shouldn’t be with Darcy. I knew he’d be the death of us.” Old habits sure died hard. Agnes had dropped the attitude after the slapping incident, but she was back to her overbearing self again.
The sneers and gloating looks made Darcy’s family’s hearts sink. Hector got a call half an hour ago and learned that Phoenix had walked free after Kaze called the cops on her. Phoenix wanted Darcy’s family to come to the hospital. Hector thought that Phoenix had fallen ill. Without another word, Hector took Agnes to the hospital. Darcy and Sky had to make time out of their work and school to be there for Phoenix too. The family forgot to bring Kaze along by choice. There was no telling whether Phoenix was ill or angry with Kaze. The last thing they would do was bring Kaze along to make things worse. Outside the ward, Darcy’s family learned through the chatter that Joan, instead of Phoenix, was admitted. Joan’s hospital admission seemed to garner a lot of attention from Phoenix. Oblivious to the situation, Darcy’s family was in a daze. “Has Hector’s family arrived? Tell them to get in here!” Before Darcy’s family could get to the bottom of the matter, Phoenix’s a
Besides, the execution hall enforced the law within the Viper’s Den, putting the division in a superior position within the Viper’s Den West State Branch. The division had the power to decide whether the Viper’s Den member would live or die. The leader of the execution hall, Robin, would oversee the South River State Branch’s new branch chief and branch deputy. Hannah and Collier could not afford to let their guard down. They braced themselves to meet the man. “Marcus? Robin?” Kaze said indifferently, “I keep note of these names. The South River State Branch can’t do anything to the pair, but I am the branch leader.” “You have the power to stop them!” Collier said. Yet, Collier remained hesitant. It was true that Kaze was the Viper’s Den West State Branch leader. The Nether Viper Sword proved it. However, Kaze never officially took office. In other words, the position of the branch leader remained vacant. Collier could not understand Kaze’s delay in declaring his
Conan could sense the calm before the storm over the phone. He stopped joking around and said solemnly, “Of course.” It did not take Conan and Collier long to get to Kaze. Collier took out a stack of Rhys’ photos and said, “I know this guy. He’s Rhys Road, the only son of Boris, Riverbank’s underground kingpin. “His father bankrolled him to start a business in entertainment. He doesn’t get involved in the company operations, but he loves scouting talents to trick women. He’s worse than the man I was.” At least, Collier was aware of the type of man he used to be. Still, Kaze was not amused. Collier kept it strictly business and said somberly, “He often hangs around schools and around the mall to scout beautiful women. He has slept with many women, promising them the world.“He would be forceful with those who didn’t fall for his scheme. He would isolate them or drag them to somewhere secluded and take compromising videos of them. “Dozens of women fell victim to him over t