“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
Tao grinned when Kaze successfully made Jun angry. He had to admit that Kaze had some influence in Lilyrose. As an outsider, Tao could not gain any advantage over Kaze, so he had to seek help. Jun was a member of the first-tier family in Lilyrose, the Joestar family. Ever since the top three families were taken down, the Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families were the strongest. Jun’s status saw an upgrade following the fall of the top three families. Given the Joestar family’s history and roots in Lilyrose, it would not be too difficult for them to crush Kaze. “Kaze Lee, if you don’t kneel and apologize, this won’t end well for you. Jun is my bro, and he has a bad temper. If you know what’s good for you, you should be on your knees now.” “Jun Joestar? Never heard of you. I do know a few people from the Joestar family,” Kaze said with a smile. Jun was a proud man. Kaze’s nonchalance made his expression turn gloomy. He pushed his glasses slightly and said with an evil gr
Jun looked at Kaze with interest but did not take him seriously. Deep down, he was angry. The nonchalance and the frivolous attitude were subtle but Jun was able to sense them. He was no idiot. If Kaze was able to stand before him casually and with such calmness, it must mean that Kaze had a strong support. Jun said strongly, “Punk, this is your last warning. There are only less than a handful of people in Lilyrose who I am afraid of. “If you apologize to my friend and compensate twenty million for the two slaps, this will be over; if you insist on opposing me, then you will pay more than twenty million.” Darcy had been observing Jun from the moment he came in. She saw his brazen arrogance and absolute confidence, which were signs of him having a powerful background. Kaze had just offended Leigh and it was already pressuring enough. Darcy wanted to settle this dispute before the matter escalated further. However, she could not accept the terms listed by Jun. She said,
Jun’s eyebrows twitched. His expression turned grim and then pulled out his phone for a call. “Bro, someone started a fight here in my hotel and he’s not apologizing. I need you here to help me with the situation. I’ll buy you a beer after this.” The man Jun called seemed to be someone with power. “I see. No problem. It’s a piece of cake. I just came back from the hospital and the doctor told me to stay clear of alcohol for a few days. We’ll drink another day. I’m on my way to your hotel now, give me around ten minutes.” A bold and strong laugh came from the phone. “Alright. I’ll mark that down!” Jun then put his phone down and grinned at Kaze. “Hear that? My bro is coming in ten minutes. He’s one of the most powerful people in the police force. “I’m giving you a chance to make whatever call you can get and use all your connections to get help.” The other customers present at the coffee shop were surprised. One phone call and Jun was able to bring forth a powerful pol
Ten minutes flew by in the blink of an eye. Wrrr! A sharp siren of a police cruiser came from outside the coffee shop. Then, more and more sirens, and police cruisers, arrived. A mini motorcade of police cruisers arrived in front of the coffee shop in Starocean Hotel. A group of uniformed officers came down from the cruisers. Under the lead of a strong man, the group of police officers strutted into the coffee shop. “Jun, I’m here!” The strong man came in with a loud voice and pushed the surrounding customers away. “Bro! You’re here already!” Jun went over with a delightful laugh. Just before he could give the man a cigarette, he had a close look at the man’s face and was surprised. “Bro, what happened to your face? Did you get hurt on some mission?” Jun could already smell antiseptic from the man from a distance. The man was none other than the deputy chief, Pierce Woodcock. Pierce shook his hand and said, “I was slapped.” Jun was stunned. “Who?! Who slappe
Pierce’s mind went blank. A moment ago, he was bold and arrogant, trying to hold the bastard responsible. Now, however, he was like a rat before a cat, shuddering and struggling to piece his words together. Jun was stunned by the strange scene. His lips shuddered and his mind went blank as well. Pierce was the deputy chief of the police force and soon-to-be police chief; even the Joestar family had to respect Pierce. Yet Pierce was stuttering and shaking in front of Kaze as if he had seen a ghost. “Deputy Chief Woodcock, we’ve met again so soon,” Kaze teased. He had just slapped Pierce back at the mansion, and now Pierce came to confront him because Jun called for the man. Even Kaze started to feel pity for the guy. “Uh…” Pierce’s lips were shuddering, not knowing what to say. “What’s wrong? You know this bastard?” Jun asked, seemingly annoyed. Pierce ignored him. He stared at Kaze blankly. “Come here.” Kaze waved his hand at Pierce. “Mr. Lee, I…” Pierce
The hostages were locked up in the containers. Some of them were elites in their own field while some were ordinary people with average income, yet all of them got into trouble when they boarded the plane. Most of them could not accept their fate. Yet they dared not defy or resist the mercenaries. When things started to calm down, they broke down in tears, weeping in silence as resentment consumed them. Kaze sat down at a clean corner that allowed him to look outside the window. The window was dirty but at least he could see outside. The space inside the container was filled with people sitting closely, offering comfort to one another. They were aware they were just temporarily safe in this container. No one knew what the mercenaries would do to them at the next moment. “My parents must be worried. I said I would call them when I land but now I can’t even get in touch,” Barney muttered as he sat beside Kaze. He too looked outside the window, his feelings mixed. He watc
Kaze thought of what he had overheard in the toilet. If he told the hostages about that, they would probably panic. “It’s nothing. They are just going to separate us into different rooms or containers. They said the buses would be disposed of,” he said. He did not want to reveal too much because it would cause panic. Once the hostages knew their lives were on the line, things might spiral out of control. The mercenaries could kill a few of them to make an example, and none of the hostages would dare to cause problems anymore. Kaze kept it a secret because he wanted to protect the people. “That’s it?” “Is there anything else? How many men are there? What is their plan? Who are they looking for?” “We want to know because we want to survive. This isn't our problem—we just got caught up in it.” The hostages looked at Kaze, their eyes filled with worry. They felt aggrieved because they should not be caught in such a huge problem. “I don’t know either.” No matter how m
“There’s a room there. Get in.” The mercenary pointed his gun at the mother and son, which led them to look at Kaze nervously, seemingly asking for help. “What do you want?” The mother was nervous. She clutched her son’s hand tightly, nearly making him cry, but she reacted quickly enough to cover her son’s mouth to prevent him from doing so. “All women must go into that room. You go in now,” the mercenary explained. He did not want the woman to get the wrong idea. “You people won’t hurt me, right?” the mother asked, worried that she might be ravaged. “We are not into MILF,” said the other mercenary who was escorting Kaze, indirectly assuring the mother. Kaze shot a glance at the mother and nodded at her. “They told us they were going to separate us, so there’s nothing to worry about,” he said, worried that the mother and son would not cooperate. The mother then carried her son and followed the other mercenary into the room. It was called a room but it was actually ju
“Can you make him stop? If the man comes back, we’ll be done for,” someone said. The kid’s crying made everyone anxious. “What can I do? He’s crying because he’s scared. I can’t just stop him.” The mother was afraid as well, and she did not want her son to be taken advantage of. “Calm down. Just don’t alert the men and we’ll be fine,” Miguel said, hoping to ease the situation. “I’ll fight him if he comes in. I believe I can make it,” someone said. Those with an impulsive nature grew restless from being kept on the bus for too long, feeling like livestock being kept in cages. “Shut it. They are coming,” Barney said after a glance outside the window. The other passengers fell silent, sat back down, lowered their heads, and tried their best not to look out the window. The mother quickly hugged her son and covered his mouth to prevent him from crying. Kaze felt peace and quiet once more, even the air felt smoother. He knew the passengers were merely ordinary people and
Unfortunately, Leah knew she would not get an answer out of Snow since she was refusing to help. Everything seemed to have changed following her mother’s disappearance. She tried to stay for answers but when security came in, she could not resist them anymore. It was the first time she was escorted out by security guards and it impacted her. She used to be the daughter of the CEO of Northborn Group—everyone respected her. She used to enjoy a privileged status. No matter where she went, she was the star of the event. Yet when her mother disappeared, everything changed. She wanted to look for Kaze but she had just lost the chance. Snow turned her down and gazed at her with contempt and irritation. Leah could not accept the changes but some things felt like they were destined to change. She was forced to leave the branch office but then had no idea where else to go. She felt abandoned by the world. Before this, she could still hope for Kaze’s help, but now she had no
Leah went to her mother’s company but did not find her anywhere. Joey was busy working in the CEO’s office. Leah went over and asked, “Joey, where’s my mother? I can’t reach her.” She wanted to know what happened to her mother. “I don’t know about your mother either. We went out together earlier in the day but I don’t know where she went. I can’t get in touch with her.” Joey was so busy that she could not even free herself from the desk to explain to the girl. “Where did she go? How am I supposed to find her?” Leah panicked. If even Joey did not know where her mother went, then something must have happened. A bad feeling rose from her heart. Things just got serious. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask someone else?” Joey did not have time to deal with the girl. Leah was unfamiliar with Joey’s coldness. Joey had always treated her with kindness and flattery, so the sudden coldness caught her off guard. She felt like something had changed. “Who should I be looking f
“No! My daughter is still in the hospital!” Katie refused to accept her punishment. She started to regret her decision but it was too late. “Now only you think about your daughter? I guess you are not that foolish, but have you thought about her when you betrayed Chairman Lee? “Don’t worry. Leah knew Chairman Lee personally and we won’t hurt her, but she might not live a good life anymore,” Snow said coldly. She did not want to put the girl in a difficult situation but her life as a princess would come to an end. “You can’t do that!” Katie could not believe Snow would do that. “I bet you never thought of the consequences when you leaked the information. Too bad. You’ve lost.” Snow revealed the truth because she wanted Katie to suffer for the decision she made. Katie would now regret every decision she made because she knew she had jeopardized her daughter’s life. She would feel like a fool. She devoted her life to climbing higher to gain more power but she ignored the
“I went to a bar to have a drink and I bumped into an informant of the Viper’s Den.” Katie looked helpless as she explained as if everything that had happened was planned out for her, pushing her to the edge step by step. It was a lively night at the bar. The atmosphere was pleasant and most of the guests were having a good time. Katie was a single woman. She needed care and love at times. She was alone when she visited the bar. She started off by ordering some drinks at the counter, waiting for a chance to meet a man who shared the same ideals. A drink or two later, maybe she could get herself a company for the night. As a grown-up woman, she had her desires. It was a way to release her stress. Katie entered the bar in a casual outfit but it did not diminish her elegant demeanor. When she sat down at the counter, a few young men approached her but she was not interested in immature boys. She continued drinking. She looked at the dance floor occasionally, searching for a
“Who do you think will believe you?” Arthur frowned. There were too many coincidences that it felt like a giant setup. “I’ve explained what I need to. Don’t interrogate me like I’m a criminal. I am the CEO of the Northborn Group.” Katie left them speechless. She had said the necessary and it was up to them whether they wanted to believe it or not. They did not have the evidence to charge her anyway. “You really think we can’t hold you responsible?” Snow was not really looking for a definite answer. The moment she suspected Katie, whether or not she was truly the traitor, Snow already had the right to hold her accountable. It was necessary to make things clear and it was to find out who Katie leaked Kaze’s information to. “It has come down to this. No matter how you deny it, it’s useless. We already know what you have done and you can’t escape. Even if you don’t want to confess, we can continue the investigation, and we’ll eventually find out the truth. “If you come clean