“Master, kill him!” “Master, avenge us! Kill that brutal bastard!” Lyon’s disciples cried and asked their master to avenge them. They relied on muscles to make a living but they were all crippled by a few moves from Kaze. Their futures were ruined! They resented Kaze. Max and the others from the Four Ocean Commerce Guild remained on their knees, afraid to even move. Deep down, they prayed for Lyon to kill Kaze on the spot. Only with Kaze’s death could they nurse their grievance. “As your master, I will avenge you all!” Lyon grinned at Kaze and said, “Punk, be ready. I don’t want others to say that I am ambushing you.” Ha! Following an explosive cry, he darted at Kaze like a bullet. Lyon was fast. He was like a human bullet in motion. His previous opponents were all intimidated by his rapid movements and fierce attacks. “Kaze, I’m not going to ram you over. I’ll just break a few bones on you.” Lyon scoffed when he got closer to Kaze. Kaze’s face was void of f
“N-No…” Max was horrified when he saw the frosty but bright smile on Kaze’s face. Kaze was like the devil, smiling at him. He put his smile away and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to dirty my hands with your blood. I want you to do two things for me. “First, I want that car to be under my wife’s name. You may decide when to make the transfer, but don’t wait until I come after you.” Max nodded repeatedly. Kaze put two of his fingers out and continued, “Second, tell the Glitters they can come at me whenever they want. I crippled Leigh Glitter today and I know they won’t just sit quiet on this. “But, before they can kill me, they better stay away from my wife or my family, or else I will rain hell on them regardless of how powerful or rich they are.” Given how the Glitters did things, they would not sit back quietly now that Leigh had been tortured. Reputation and image were more important than anything to a family of that scale and status. They would not care about
“No thanks. It’s solved.” Darcy rejected Tao immediately. She did not want anything to do with the man, let alone owe him a debt of gratitude. However, now that Tao mentioned it, she was more or less worried about Kaze. Kaze said he wanted to reason with Leigh about her car being thrashed and he had not come back for a while. Could something have gone wrong? “It’s solved?” Tao chuckled and added, “I don’t think so. You guys called the police to arrest Leigh Glitter. Although he was released soon after, he and his family won’t just let his slip. I heard that Leigh Glitter is an infamous bully back at Sunrise City. He will come for you and your family.” Tao emphasized the severity of the situation, trying to scare Darcy. Darcy’s expression turned heavy. She knew Leigh would not just let this slip so easily. That was why her car was thrashed. People like Leigh acted however they wanted without abiding by any law or rules and they would not just rest so easily. Noticing
“What are your terms, Tao?” Darcy sat opposite Tao with her hands around the cup of coffee. “There’s no rush about that. Why don’t we talk about Kaze?” Tao lifted his coffee with a smile and continued, “I heard he was originally from the Lee family but was kicked out and has a history of mental illness. “He’s incapable of anything but somehow got lucky and became the chairman of Shangrila Group. He likes to bluff and because of that, your family got into trouble multiple times.” Tao did not have any qualms about counting Kaze’s embarrassing history in front of Darcy. He continued, “I don’t understand. What do you see in him?” Darcy was extremely unhappy that Tao criticized her husband in front of her. “This is none of your business. My relationship with Kaze is my personal affair. We are not that familiar to have this discussion.” If she was not worried about Kaze and wanted to reach an agreement with Tao, she would have walked away the moment Tao spoke. Tao smiled an
“I’m not afraid of you being mad at me, so I just made it clear to you. With Kaze’s status and identity, he’s no match for Leigh. “He’s childish, immature, and always puts you and your family at risk. He’s a ticking time bomb. He never considered you and your family’s safety or how much pressure you are facing…” Tao suppressed his eagerness to shorten the distance with Darcy and chose to diminish Kaze’s value instead. Darcy listened without making a noise. Tao was right. When Leigh forced her into the tight situation, it was Kaze who saved her but undeniably, it was also Kaze’s actions that escalated the situation. “Darcy, Leigh is mad at Kaze. You and your family will be collateral damage. If you divorce him now and cut him off, with my help, plus a little compensation, Leigh and the Glitter family will spare you.” Tao was confident. He met Kaze twice and both meetings ended on a bitter note with him embarrassed and humiliated. He resented Kaze. He instigated Darcy
“Kaze!” Tao looked up and saw Kaze coming over to Darcy as well. The surprise on his face lasted for a split second before he grinned coldly. He said, “You messed with Leigh but you chose to stay in Lilyrose instead of running away? Do you have a death wish?” Tao assumed Kaze would want to run away after calling the police to arrest Leigh. However, it was meaningless because Leigh could find him no matter where he ran. However, Kaze walked on the street in broad daylight and entered the coffee shop without any scruples. He must not know catastrophe had befallen. Kaze did not even spare a glance at Tao. He went up to Darcy and then stroked her soft cheek. “Darcy, how many times have I told you? You are too beautiful and there are too many horny men in this world. You shouldn’t meet with a stranger alone. “Even if it’s business talk, you are the chairwoman of two companies. People who want to meet you must go through your assistant or at least make an appointment. Not a
“I told your wife that you were kicked out of the Lee family and you bluffed your way into becoming the chairman of Shangrila Group. “A piece of trash like you won’t stand a chance against Leigh. Your wife and her family can only escape this when she divorces you. But your wife is too kind to abandon you, so I told her the only way out of this is if you kneel to Leigh and let him beat you up.” Tao spewed everything he told Darcy earlier. In the end, he scoffed. “Kaze, your wife did so many things for you, what do you have to say for yourself?” “Kaze, don’t listen to him! I don’t care about what he said…” Darcy was afraid that Kaze could not take it, so she quickly consoled him. “Don’t worry, Darcy. I won’t listen to nonsense from some John Doe.” Kaze smiled and said to Tao, “Thank you. I know my wife is good to me but after listening to what you said, I realized even if the sky falls, the love she has for me remains strong. “If you want to use this to provoke me or ask
“Now that you are practically asking for it, shouldn’t I grant your wish?” Kaze said condescendingly as he pressed his foot on Tao’s chest. Even the other customers in the coffee shop believed that Tao had it coming after what he said. “He’s the one who started it by harassing someone’s wife and he trash-talks like a whiny ass. Cheap.” “He dresses properly but he behaves like shit.” “He really had it coming.” Tao was drowned in his own anger and embarrassment when even the customers commented on his actions. He came from a prestigious background, was successful, and had a bright future. He had never been humiliated like this before, especially by someone he deemed trash. “Aaaaaa! Waiter? Anyone?! Get this fuck out of the coffee shop! Where’s the security? I’m friends with Jun Joestar, the hotel manager of Starocean Hotel, your boss! If anything happens to me, all of you will be fired!” The waiter and the manager, who refused to be involved at first, were afraid. The c
“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.