Everybody there was stunned. Um… It was bad enough that Kaze kept testing Trent’s patience. Now, he was reprimanding Trent as if he stood on higher ground. The young man, who was no more than 30 years old, was just a boy before Trent’s presence. The nerve of Kaze. Where did he find the courage to take jabs at the former mayor? The crowd was speechless. It was clear to them that Kaze did not know how to read the room. Trent smirked in rage. “I have walked this earth longer than you, young man. Who are you to tell me off?“I was the mayor of the city for twenty years, and the people love me. “The only thing I heard about you is your reputation as a mooching son-in-law of the Quints.“I don’t know why you think it’s appropriate for you to give me a dressing down.” Trent’s tone was flat. He had never met such an arrogant prick. Kaze smiled callously. “It’s just a nice reminder. “It’s your business whether you want to take my advice. “Don’t keep bringing up the
Apart from Kaze and Draco, everybody else in the villa pricked up their ears. They wanted to know Johnson’s response. Maybe Trent’s stern tone pressured Johnson for an answer. The latter did not keep the crowd waiting for long. Johnson replied eagerly, “Why do you ask, Trent?“No, I’m not his friend in high places.” The urgency in his tone gave the impression of his keenness to dissociate from Kaze. Mocking gazes fell on Kaze. “Yesterday’s news?” “Now you know the extent of Mr. Fuller’s influence. Your friend dropped you without hesitation.”“Who do you think you are to be rude to Mr. Fuller? You’re asking for it.” “Mr. Fuller can crush you without lifting a finger.” Lyon and members of the Four Ocean Commerce Guild were left frustrated since Kaze’s arrival. Finally, Trent broke the cycle. They attacked Kaze with taunts and jeers to blow off steam. Trent turned to Kaze and said callously, “What do you have to say for yourself?” He expected to see Kaze turnin
“What? You can’t?” Johnson’s response stirred an uproar. “Why? Kaze is just the son-in-law of the Quints. Yet, Mayor Brooks defied his teacher for him. Did I hear that right?” “Johnson didn’t punish Kaze for upsetting Mr. Glitter in his name and disrespecting Mr. Fuller. What is he thinking?” No one could figure out why Johnson would do such a thing. Kaze was just a loser who took his wife’s last name. Given Johnson’s steady rise in politics, he could just say the word to make Kaze pay. Even Trent could not wrap his head around it. No one expected Johnson’s shocking response. After reeling in from the shock, Trent blew up. “What’s the meaning of this, Johnson? “You can’t even handle a trivial matter. I can’t believe you were the mayor.” On the other end of the line, Johnson said patiently, “Anything to do with Mr. Lee is out of my hands, Trent. “I’d advise you to stay out of it too. “If you are not deeply involved, you can apologize to Mr. Lee. I believe Mr. L
“Johnson just hung up on you. Shouldn’t you learn your lesson by now, old man?” Kaze shook his head. Despite his age, Trent was stubborn and refused to admit he was wrong. “Hmph! Do you think I care about Johnson?” Trent said curtly, “He was only the mayor for a couple of years. He didn’t even get the hang of the job yet. “I’ll show you whose voice carries weight on the council.” Trent stubbornly thought Johnson was Kaze’s friend in high places. Johnson’s statement about not getting in Kaze’s business was just his way of washing his hands of the matter and humiliating Trent. Kaze was not powerful and well-connected as Johnson hinted. Otherwise, Kaze would not marry into an upper-middle-class family and take his wife’s last name. “I can say the word and make the Quints the public enemy, boy,” Trent threatened grimacingly. He would not let the matter go until Kaze yielded to him. Kaze furrowed his brows. He was disinterested in going around in circles with Trent.
The military had always been an extraordinary existence in Arcadia. Even the most prominent families would put their attitude down a notch in the face of the army. Trent’s heart skipped a beat when Draco admitted he was serving. Even Lyon frowned and observed Draco in silence. “Which branch of the military do you serve him, buddy?” Trent asked, even taking a more amiable form of address. Draco kept the vile attitude. “I serve Lilyrose Strategic Department. Just cut the crap and get to the point.” Lilyrose Strategic Department! He was from Lilyrose Strategic Department. Trent and Lyon’s hearts sank. Lilyrose Strategic Department governed the military in five states. The local council answered to Lilyrose Strategic Department, not the other way around. Lilyrose Strategic Department was prominent in the South River State too. Trent stared intently at Draco’s arrogant face as some bad times came to mind. As the mayor of Lilyrose for twenty years, Trent often got
Lyon tried to find out more about Draco before he made any decisions about the next move, but Draco did not even answer him. “Who do you think you are, talking to me?” With that, Draco strutted back and stood behind Kaze. Lyon and the others were surprised by Draco’s reaction. The man from Lilyrose Strategic Department seemed to assume Kaze as his leader. Who exactly was the useless son-in-law of the Quints? Lyon was a smart man who could read the room. He knew that before he identified Draco’s identity, it would be better to patch things up with him. As for what would come after this, it would be a matter for a later date. He took a deep breath and went over to Kaze. He bowed and nodded, saying, “Brother, I’m sorry to have offended you in any way. How about we put this little misunderstanding aside?” When the words escaped his mouth, Lyon was drowning in his own grievance. Since he was one of the martial artist Gareth Hornberg’s best students, and also affiliated w
Slap! “Don’t you have the Glitter family’s support? Where are your balls now?” Slap! Slap after slap, Kaze humiliated Lyon in the worst way possible. Slap after slap, Kaze exerted more strength, which caused Lyon’s face to swell. Lyon’s eyes were burning with the flames of rage and they were on the verge of erupting, but he managed to keep his fists to himself. “So you're this coward even when you have the Glitters behind you? You don’t even dare to raise your fist at me? I won’t have the excuse to kill you. How boring.” Kaze grew tired of slapping Lyon. He turned around and kicked Leigh in the stomach again. “Mr. Glitter, let’s continue talking about how you sent your men to thrash my wife’s car. How do you plan to settle that?” Leigh never thought he would be beaten up so badly. He was barely alive after all the torture and it grinded his intention to resist to nothing. He just wanted to get this over with and escape Kaze’s evil clutches. He weakly said, “Just t
Kaze did a sweep kick, sending the other disciples flying and spitting blood. They crashed into walls and the furniture around them. They were knocked out instantly, falling to the ground like a lifeless slug. All they could do was cry in pain. They were all crippled by just one kick! Lyon swallowed nervously. He was stunned. He could also take out his disciples but definitely not as easy as Kaze had done it. The room fell into silence. Kaze wiped his hand with a tissue and then said, “Bunch of trash. Can’t even take a hit. Is this what you plan to ambush me with?” Kaze scanned over the disciples and no one dared to answer his questioning gaze. Lyon then shouted madly, “Kaze Lee, you bastard! Leigh has agreed to give you a car, yet you diverted your friend away just to lure my disciples to attack you? Why?” His heart was bleeding. He raised his disciples with care yet Kaze defeated them easily. Kaze scoffed. “Because I suddenly realized that the Glitters are bullies
“Gone too far?” Phoenix said furiously, “Do you want to get it too, boy?” “Shut up, Kaze!” Not wanting the situation to escalate, Agnes charged over and said ingratiatingly, “I’m sorry, Madam Quint. We didn’t do a good job raising Sky. He simply didn’t think straight in the heat of the moment.”“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry!” Darcy apologized as well. “I’ll wipe the blood off you, Madam Quint. We don’t want to get your hands dirty.” Joan pulled out a tissue and cleaned Phoenix’s hands fawningly while uttering sarcastically, “You have no idea, Madam Quint. Some people have the money. They just don’t want to spend it.“As far as I know, our little leader is living in a villa worth several hundred million dollars in Riverbank. The villa was a gift from Mayor Synder too.“They didn’t give a bracelet that was only worth half a million because they have no money. They simply do not care enough for you, Madam Quint. “They’re just trying to fob you off since you’re only an old
“We from Chrysant City have given Madam Quint a bullet-proof Lincoln stretch from Uleania. The Lincoln will be Madam Quint’s ride in Riverbank,” a middle-aged man with glasses said smugly.Kaze glanced at the Lincoln stretch not too far away, understanding the value of the car. “Madam Quint can’t be staying in the hotel throughout her trip. We, the branch in Takeno City, are a family in politics, so we lack funding. Still, we borrowed a villa from a major corporation to accommodate Madam Quint,” a representative of the Takeno Quints said with a chuckle. The Takeno Quints talked about borrowing. Their primary focus was on politics, so they could not be honest about their net worth. However, every branch of the Quints presented Phoenix with expensive gifts. Each gift was worth at least five million dollars. The five-hundred-thousand-dollar bracelet from Darcy’s family seemed modest in comparison. Sure enough, Phoenix grew upset and raised her free arm to slap the gift box
Even Darcy did not think Phoenix would deny her. It was true that Darcy was supposed to gather all family branches in Riverbank. She would have to discipline the unruly and unite the rest. Her goal was to consolidate the family’s power and resources under her control. It was a clear and comprehensive strategy. Darcy had not anticipated such a response from her first meeting with Phoenix. It was harsh. Phoenix completely dismissed her. Darcy, though accepting fault, felt hurt. Agnes felt like her world was crumbling down. If Darcy was stripped of her leadership role, the family would go back to when things were bad. Ever since Darcy became the family head in the South River State, Agnes was treated like royalty everywhere she went. She was addicted to the privileges. Agnes never wanted to go back to those days when people would look down on her.“Darcy, where’s the gift you got for Madam Quint? Hurry up and apologize to her.” Agnes grabbed Darcy hastily. A
“You should know that Madam Quint loves flowers, and you came empty-handed. No flowers, no gifts.” “You talk about respect for Madam Quint. It’s all talk. What have you done for her?” “You are hicks from a small place like Lilyrose. Where are your manners? You’re lucky to become the head of the South River Quints, but you will always lack refinement.” “I’m starting to worry about this leader taking us to new heights. I guess we can consider ourselves lucky if she doesn’t bring us down.” “Yeah! She was late and came empty-handed. This tells us all we need to know about this family.” Taking Joan’s lead, the other family members lay into Darcy’s family thick and hard. “That’s enough!” Before Kaze said anything, Sky had a go at these people. “You tried to set my sister up, and now you’re putting the blame on us!“Only you had information of Madam Quint’s flight. You only let us know half an hour before the plane touched down. “Why didn’t we come earlier to wait in the airp
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.