“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
Pierce lowered his head in silence, allowing Kaze a slapping spree on his face. His head was buzzing in pain but he clenched his teeth to endure all the slaps without making a noise. He was able to hold on because of his iron will. “What’s wrong? Say something.” Kaze tapped Pierce’s face and said, “You came in here like a lion looking for prey. You have a gun, don’t you? Use it and put a bullet in me–do it! No? I think that’s a toy to scare common citizens away.” He spoke with the most insulting tone. “Back at the mansion, I gave you a chance to turn over a new leaf and didn’t hold you responsible but now you come to me again, trying to hold me responsible before finding out what really happened. You even tried to abuse your power to help your friend. “You didn’t bother looking for the truth, and you tried to curry favor with the rich and powerful. Do you really think it’s that easy? “You’ve run out of chances. I’m not sparing you this time. I’ll tell Don to relieve you
Jun, who heard Kaze, was shaken. Starocean Hotel was the Joestar family’s property and if it shut down, his family would wreck him on top of him losing face. Knowing the odds were against him, Jun decided to surrender. He took a deep breath and went up to Kaze with a cigarette, “I am so sorry about what happened today. Please spare us this time and we can talk. Whatever terms and conditions you have, just name it. There’s no need to resort to extreme methods.” Kaze took the cigarette and let Jun light it up. He took a drag and then smiled. “You are a smart one, knowing when to back off.” Jun held his emotions back and forced a smile on his face. “You must be joking here. We are friends—brothers! It’s normal for little squabbles to happen. So why not just wipe it off and we can…” Slap! Kaze slapped him in the face. The sudden slap caused the cigarette to fall off his lips. Jun fell on the floor. He glared at Kaze and bellowed, “Kaze Lee, you!” He thought Kaze would sim
“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.