Kaze did not expect someone would ask him to leave while he was dining. “Can’t you see I’m eating? Why must I leave?” Kaze remained seated. He did not even look at the security guard. “Hmph. I don’t care if you are eating or sleeping.” The security guard glared at him like a ferocious tiger. He was from a professional security firm experienced in escorting celebrities and VIPs. Andrew Shawn and Liv Ackerman were the two biggest celebrities in the entertainment industry at the moment and their fans could get rough easily. Some fanatics would even get information about their idols’ flight and hotel information so they could buy the same flight or check in to the same hotel. The extreme fanatics would even book a room at the hotel one month in advance just to see their idols up close. It was a nuisance to the celebrities as it would disrupt their normal lives. Other than zealous fans, there were also haters whose existence would threaten their safety directly. Kaze w
“Just because you’ve never heard of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Kaze scoffed. The special operations team was more secretive than normal soldiers. Even their files and documents were coded with numbers only, so it was normal that these security guards had never heard of them. Then, another group of people came in. The leader of the group was a petite woman in glasses. She looked harsh and cold. When she saw the security guards surrounding Kaze, she bellowed, “What’s going on here? You guys still haven’t cleared the restaurant? More and more fans are gathering outside. If something bad happens, are you going to take responsibility?” “Ms. Young, this person refused to leave and claimed he’s having some spec ops team lock down the hotel,” the leader of the security guards said ingratiatingly. At the same time, he shifted the blame to Kaze, indicating that he had nothing to do with the delay. The other security guards nodded. When faced with the tiny woman, these bu
Kaze did not expect Lily to continue her arrogant tone after having made known that he was the owner of the hotel. As the owner of Lily Garden Hotel, he had the right to decline a customer’s check-in. Yet Lily made it sound like it was a favor done by her celebrities for choosing his hotel—it made no sense. Manager Keegan approached Kaze and whispered, “Boss, as top celebrities, they are quite influential. If they released a statement that puts us in a difficult position, it might affect the hotel’s business.” “Really? How influential are they?” Kaze scoffed. Influential? How exactly? Lily was infuriated that Kaze refused to believe her. Then, the commercial vehicle’s door opened up. The celebrities exited the car and the security guards escorted them through the sea of barricaded fans to enter the hotel. Lily was aware that Andrew and Liv had come in, so she called them over to the restaurant. “Lily, what’s going on?” Andrew and Liv came over. Kaze sized up the
Draco was shocked. He could tell his boss was furious. He immediately said, “Boss, Koga just updated me that he’s nearby, observing the hotel’s surroundings for better planning. It’s to ensure your safety.” “I don’t need him to ensure my safety. I just need him to lockdown the hotel. He has one minute!” Kaze angrily hung up the phone. If there were anyone who could actually threaten his safety, then not even the Garo Spec Ops Team would suffice. Pft! Lily cackled. “Look at you, still pretending! Do you really think you are some military commander? One call and you summon the army?” Andrew and Liv laughed as well. They heard about Kaze claiming to lock down the hotel with his troops, which was amusing. While they were still laughing in stitches, endless cries of surprise came from outside the hotel. The fans gathering at the entrance looked up to the sky and saw a dozen attack helicopters appear. The noise of the spinning blades filled the entire airspace as they hov
The elite soldiers were no fans of the celebrities. Their only objective was to seize the hotel, put it on total lockdown, and ensure a VIP’s safety. “Sir, report, sir! We have total control of Lily Garden. The VIP’s safety is secured!” The chief tapped on the earpiece in his ear and updated Lone Wolf on the situation. He had eyes on Kaze and was cognizant that Kaze was the VIP the team was protecting. “Very well. I’ll be there right away!” An excited voice came through the earpiece. “VIP? What VIP? There’s a VIP in the hotel?!” Lily, Andrew, and Liv were mortified. Soon, a man in a military uniform appeared at the entrance and came to the restaurant in a hurry. When Lily and company saw the man, they turned pale. A brigadier general! An actual brigadier general! Someone they could not afford to mess with! Their faces looked as pale as paper. Who was the VIP in the hotel? That was right, they had no idea who the VIP was. They wanted to apologize and ask for
Lily and the celebrities wished they were dead when they heard Kaze. They tried to make him apologize and even claimed that they could make his hotel go bankrupt. They had hit the biggest snag in the world. “S-Sir, you are obviously someone powerful. We dared not ask you to apologize to us. We should be the ones who apologized to you. Forgive us for being blind…” Lily begged meekly. “Powerful?” Kaze’s expression turned grim. He sneered, “If I am not powerful, you wouldn’t apologize to me but the other way around. You even threatened to bankrupt my hotel by posting stuff online.” Andrew and Liv almost passed out when they heard Kaze because Kaze clearly remembered what they said to threaten him earlier. Chills ran down their spines. They messed with someone they could not afford and there was no turning back. Lily shuddered in fear. “Sir, we’re sorry. We shouldn’t ask you to leave, or threaten you…” She peeked at the soldier beside her. The black muzzle was pointed at
The Garo Spec Ops Team retreated in a flash and the hotel resumed normalcy.The fans outside the hotel were confused. They saw the elite soldiers put the hotel on lockdown and bring their idols away. “What happened? Are Andrew and Liv going to be okay?” “They are so kind and hard-working, why are they arrested?! They will never do anything wrong! The soldiers must be here to protect them!” They made their speculations.Back in the hotel, Manager Keegan and the hotel employees took a while to regain their composure. They did not expect their new boss to be such a powerful figure in the military. One phone call and the Garo Spec Ops Team arrived. How awesome was that!? They were proud of their new boss. Manager Keegan said respectfully, “Boss, should we allow those celebrities to check in later?” The foolish celebrities offended his boss, so to clarify his boss’ thoughts, he had to inquire properly. Kaze waved and said, “If they want to stay here, let them, but tr
Kaze was indeed surprised. He had only ordered a few dishes and they cost almost a million. Besides, caviar was not his favorite and he found home-cooked food tasted better. Since Miru wanted to have lunch here and he was buying, he simply ordered a few dishes to fill his stomach. Now looking at the food he ordered and the bill, it was not worth it at all. “What’s wrong? Afraid? You ordered quite lavishly just now.” Miru was delighted to see the shock on Kaze’s face. She thought she could hit two birds with one stone—settle the bill while getting rid of Kaze—with around twenty thousand, but the idiot ordered too much and she ended up forking out an extra eighty thousand. However, for the sake of her best friend’s future, the million would be well spent. “Kaze, now you know how much ordering at a high-end restaurant costs? This is the highest quality of life. Do you think you can provide Darcy with this kind of life?” Miru seized the chance to sneer at Kaze. Kaze s
Kaze narrowed his eyes at the woman and drew close. “You’re a member of the South River Quints. Should you stand by your leader instead of stirring the pot and causing the scene? “Does family even mean anything to you? “Are you defying the family? “Who are you to disrespect Madam Quint and the family?” The woman staggered back with each question, her face draining of color.“I… You…” Flustered, she glared at Kaze. Still, she was at a loss in the face of Kaze’s questioning. “I assure you, Madam Quint. My daughter, Joan, doesn’t mean any disrespect.” A grizzled-haired middle-aged man with glasses came forward with an ashen face. “She was just trying to defend your honor, Madam Quint. She’s upset because someone disrespected you and arrived late.” This person was manipulative. While sticking up for his daughter, he also took the opportunity to belittle Darcy. “Doesn’t mean any disrespect?” Kaze snapped back, “Madam Quint hasn’t said a thing, but a nobody came out
It appeared Kaze and Darcy were not the only ones who got their hands on the special pass straight to the hangar. Five groups stood in close proximity, yet a clear divide was evident between them.Interestingly, that was as many branches as the Quints had in Ridgesouth.The smallest cluster belonged to Hector, Agnes, and Sky. They kept their heads down, hiding their distress. It looked like they were insulted. As Darcy and Kaze got out of the car, all eyes turned to them, and many sneered. “Can you even drive, Kaze? Look at the time! Are you expecting Madam Quint to wait for you? You have the nerve to show your face when you’re already late!” Agnes tore into Kaze. She threw Kaze under the bus in hopes of deflecting Phoenix’s anger from Darcy. Having seen through Agnes, Kaze did not make a fuss and explained, “Sorry, when we received word, Madam Quint’s plane was touching down in half an hour. “What? Are you blaming us for informing you late?” A tall and pretty woman
With Sasha putting the blame on herself, Kaze shook his head. He was not pointing fingers. “You can accept the pay from Herbal Spring.” Kaze said, “You’re not living at Herbal Spring for free. Your aunt is paying for you. Once you get into college, you can make more money to repay her.”“Really?” Sasha was skeptical. Besides boarding and lodging at Herbal Spring, Sasha was also taking medicine for her health. After working there for a while, Sasha had a general idea of things. Sasha’s medicine was expensive, and the medical bill was beyond the budget of most families. Kaze said, “You can ask Darcy if you don’t believe me. Your aunt even asked me if she had paid enough money when I was heading out this morning.” Despite knowing it was a lie, Darcy nodded. “Sasha, Kaze is right. Don’t feel burdened.” Sasha was naïve and gullible. Darcy’s statement gave Sasha the push. Since Kaze and Darcy were rich, Sasha assumed that her aunt must earn a lot. Her aunt could afford
Everett understood that Kaze would make a big deal out of the Golden Road at tomorrow’s auction. Of course, it was none of Everett’s business. He had no qualms about turning his back on Aiden. As one of the four underworld kingpins, Everett would give the Krads their due respect, but he did not owe Aiden anything. Aiden was an individual. He did not represent the Krads as a whole. “So that’s decided.” Kaze then said, “That reminds me. Have your people pick out a nice bracelet. I’m looking at the five-hundred-thousand-dollar range.”“Oh, consider it a gift from me. Just inform Marilyn.” Everett was quick to offer a gift. Kaze did not appreciate the gesture though. Everett was a cunning man. His generosity may seem like an olive branch. However, Kaze knew that given the chance, Everett would make him pay. Everett would never have the chance though. Kaze would fight back, and the consequences could be fatal. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint, are you happy with this bracelet
“I reckon that the stone might be important to someone within the Krads.“Aiden volunteered to take care of the business in Riverbank and go up against your wife. He’s not just here to suck up to his chief commander brother but to prove to the Krads that he’s better than the rest of the competition.“If he can gain that somebody’s favor, this can be bigger than his achievements in business.” Everett adopted the requirement analysis. Though Everett had no idea why the Golden Toad was important to the Krads, he understood Aiden’s needs. By grasping an individual’s core requirement, he was able to deduce something that was closer to the truth. “Has Aiden lost his head?” Kaze uttered in confusion, “He could’ve just gotten the thing from you at a better rate. Why is he getting to buy it from an auction?” Everett mentioned that the Golden Toad was worth tens of millions of dollars, but no more than a hundred million dollars. Aiden could have made a private deal with Everett.
“You can take a closer look at our mall’s prized possession.” Marilyn was adorned in a golden ray, giving off an almost saintly vibe. Kaze brought Darcy and Sasha forward for a good look. Encased within the vacuum-sealed glass display was an emerald gemstone the size of a fist.The gemstone was crafted in the shape of a toad, and it was remarkably lifelike. The jewel displayed no visible imperfection to the naked eye. Kaze, Darcy, and Sasha could not tell what was special about the gemstone other than its shape and purity. “What’s the story about this crown jewel?” Kaze asked. Marilyn shook her head. She was unsure why the gemstone was considered a prized possession. Darcy grabbed Sasha’s arm and asked with concern, “What’s the matter, Sasha? Are you unwell?” “I-I feel a burning sensation on my back.” Sasha looked at Kaze in agony. She knew that Kaze had a better understanding of her well-being. Kaze approached Sasha from behind and gently pulled down her back coll
“I’d like to hear from you, Kaze.” Everett was interested in knowing what Kaze was after. Kaze glanced around the mall, and a thought came to him. “You know what. You have quite a nice antique collection in Marlboro, Gem City. How about that in exchange for your son’s life?” Everett felt his heart sinking. Even with Duncan’s life at stake, he could not stop the fury from building. “You’re asking for too much, Lee!” Gem City? Gem City was worth ten billion dollars at the very least. Kaze had the audacity to ask for Marlboro. “Mr. Techman, please mind your attitude.” Kaze said indifferently, “You panicked when I talked about Marlboro. I guess your son’s life doesn’t compare to Gem City. “I didn’t think you’d choose assets over family, Mr. Techman.”Everett ignored Kaze’s taunting. Once his head cooled down, Everett figured that Kaze raised the stakes just to stay in the bargaining game. That was why Kaze rejected his first two proposals. Everett believed that Kaze w
Everett was skeptical that Kaze would kill Duncan in broad daylight. As an underworld kingpin, Everett understood that Kaze had ways to make Duncan pay. After much contemplation, Everett said, “Here’s the thing, Kaze. I’ll pay you 20 million dollars for the trouble today and yesterday.” “20 million dollars? Are you kidding me, Mr. Techman?” Kaze glanced at Darcy before walking a short distance away with the phone in hand. He said emotionlessly, “Since you’re helping Aiden to go against me, you should know that he wants my wife out of the competition. He established some billion-dollar barrier to stop her.“You might not be aware but Jiro Sakamoto, a Ryokanian of the Refined Blade, died yesterday, and Reiko of the same organization gave me a villa worth hundreds of millions of dollars right away. “If you think that your son’s life is worth 20 million dollars, I can pay you that money and kill him.” Everett was lost for words. He quickly picked up on the message Kaze had s
“What do you want?” The call quickly connected, and Everett’s annoyed voice came on. Everett never had the patience for his airhead of a son. Due to Duncan’s recent involvement with Kaze, Everett was humiliated, and he still had not let things go. Duncan looked at Kaze, and the latter took the phone and said indifferently, “How are you, Mr. Techman?” “Who are you? Wait, Kaze?” On the other end of the line, Everett was flustered. However, his experience dealing with challenges anchored him down, and he said curtly, “Why do you have Duncan’s phone, Kaze?” “You should ask your son what he did.” Kaze took the phone away from his ear and gestured for Duncan to talk. “Dad, this is on me…” Duncan sobbingly recounted the whole thing. “Bastard!” Everett blew up. “Why did you get involved? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” Everett came down hard on Duncan. However, Kaze frustratedly interrupted them. “That’s enough, Mr. Techman. Don’t play dumb.“I don’t care if you kne