Yuri was beyond help if he still could not take a hint. The heads of Vikroms, Logmans, and Joestars took orders from Kaze. Despite learning the truth, Yuri could not wrap his head around the reason. “It doesn’t make any sense! You’re just a loser. Why would anyone act on your directions?” Yuri climbed to his feet in rage and glared at Kaze. “Do you think you can go over my head because these prominent families answer to you, bastard?“You are delusional! “You’re idiots, Bernard, Peter. Do you think you can walk all over me? “Well, you’re underestimating me.“Do you know that my efforts will push Lilyrose Commerce Guild to become a subsidiary of Four Ocean Commerce Guild? I will become a council member of Four Ocean Commerce Guild. “Once that happens, prestigious families and financing platforms meant squat to me.“You will all pay, that includes those who assaulted me.” Yuri shouted manically at everybody. He had lost it after his members and Kaze slapped his face.
It was Max, the commissary sent to Lilyrose to observe Darcy. Max glanced at Yuri, who was groveling, and said, “I am authorized to represent Four Ocean Commerce Guild to discuss restructuring Lilyrose Commerce Guild as a city-level branch.” He then shifted his gaze to the three family heads and asked nonchalantly, “Are you members of Lilyrose Commerce Guild? This saves me the trip of notifying you.” Max sounded certain that Lilyrose Commerce Guild would operate under Four Ocean Commerce Guild. The opinions of others did not matter. Yuri decided to throw Bernard and the others under the bus. He said apologetically, “Close to a hundred members led by the Vikroms, Logmans, and Joestars are quitting the guild just before you arrived, Mr. Kang. “I’m the only member left in the guild.” Yuri was full of hot air. He went as far as to expose his vulnerability to the commissary of Four Ocean Commerce Guild. Bernard and the others led a group of members to withdraw their memb
One moment ago, Max cockily put down the Vikroms, Logmans, and Joestars. Now, Max dropped to his knees after Kaze asked a question. No one saw it coming. Even Darcy’s jaw dropped to the ground. Something must have happened when Kaze went to Landor residential area as Max appeared terrified of him. Bernard and the others were taken aback. The members of Lilyrose Commerce Guild were dumbstruck. Max was the commissary of Four Ocean Commerce Guild. He basically ran the South River state with a giant like Four Ocean Commerce Guild backing him up. Yet, he kneeled before Kaze. “Yuri wanted you to kneel, not me, Mr. Lee!” Dismissing the looks all around, Max shouted at Kaze with a crying face. He did not expect to see Kaze there. As a witness to the incident in Landor residential area, Max knew how scary the man was. Even a highborn like Leigh was not saved from Kaze’s rough handling, much less Max. Kaze sat next to Darcy on the sofa with no intention of getting up. H
Now that Max kneeled before Kaze, Yuri no longer wanted to get into it with Kaze. However, Kaze walked ahead without looking at Yuri. Standing still, Kaze stared at Bernard, Jack, Peter, and the members who withdrew their membership from Lilyrose Commerce Guild. “Mr. Lee.” Close to a hundred members acknowledged Kaze’s presence. Darcy’s eyes welled up. Once upon a time, the public saw Kaze as the loser who mooched off his wife. Now, Lilyrose’s finest entrepreneurs showed respect to Kaze. “You are so badass today, babe,” Darcy murmured while covering her mouth. Not catching his wife’s remark, Kaze said with a smile, “Thank you for the honor. I have met many friends in Lilyrose’s business scene.”“We’re just doing our part,” the group answered. Kaze waved his arm, and the chatter quieted down. Kaze said, “I humbly seek a favor to rejoin Lilyrose Commerce Guild.” Huh? Everybody was taken aback by Kaze’s request. The members including Bernard, Peter, and Jack dec
“Huh?” Yuri slumped to the ground, his eyes losing luster. It never occurred to him that Kaze would forcefully boot him out of the commerce guild. Yuri did not know what he was supposed to do now. All members of Lilyrose Commerce Guild looked at Kaze as their leader. Max, the representative of Four Ocean Commerce Guild, kneeled near the sofa and kept slapping himself. Yuri fell into despair. Kaze had decided his fate. Yuri did not even have a chance to retaliate. “Take your niece and students and leave.” Without looking at Yuri, Kaze said his piece and went to Max. With his back facing the crowd, Max whipped his face to the point of bleeding.However, Max dared not stop until Kaze said so. “That’s enough.” Kaze’s voice from the back was a godsend. Max put down his sore arm and turned to face Kaze with a swollen face. He said, “Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Lee?” “How’s the vehicle ownership transfer coming along?” Kaze asked while taking a
With Darcy setting the scene, others followed suit in pledging donations. The group was born and bred in Lilyrose. Not to mention, they had assets and businesses in the city too. Putting the city back on track would do everybody good, so they were on the same page and united as a group. To Darcy’s surprise, Hart Lyfe, the CEO of Rove, pledged to donate 50 million dollars. Darcy tried to talk him out of it. “Mr. Lyfe, don’t go above your means. We all know Rove is struggling at the moment. It’s okay to donate a smaller amount. The donation comes from the heart.” Compared to Yuri, Hart was a discreet and pragmatic old man who had earned Darcy’s respect. The others persuaded Hart because he was known as an all-around great guy. “Don’t convince me to donate less.” Hart said with a wry smile, “Truth be told, things might not work out for Rove soon enough. I have buyers getting in touch and expressing interest in taking over. You might read on the news soon about Rove changi
The rescue workers were livid. However, the administrator did not care and even rolled his eyes. “No one is forcing you to do volunteer work. It’s not as if you’re working for me.” That was true. If it were not to provide emergency relief, the rescue crew would not take the abuse. They simply took off their red vests and walked away. Kaze observed from a short distance away, but he could not bite his tongue anymore. He drew close and told the administrator curtly, “You have three minutes to distribute lunchboxes to the relief workers. I will slap you for each missing meal.” “Oh? Why are you back, Kaze?” “Did you come back to help with the rescue?” “Oh, my god. I knew you’d be okay, Kaze.” The rescue workers were happy to see Kaze again. Although they had not spent a lot of time together, they had formed a beautiful friendship. Recognizing Kaze, the administrator of Red Star Charity grimaced. It was hard to forget the guy who beat Desmond and scared him off. Wi
The Red Star Charity committee withheld the boxed lunches to starve rescue workers. If giving the rescue workers food was not a priority, Kaze would have notified Don to arrest the Red Star Charity committee. “What? Keeping the food from us?” “The bastards are trying to get even with us by starving us.” “Why would you do that? Even if you don’t want to help, don’t add to the trouble.”Livid, the nearby emergency responders encircled the administrators of Red Star Charity. Several women teared up angrily. Things were about to get out of hand. Grabbing Bobby by the collar, Kaze stared at him. “Are you going to distribute the food, or should I do it for you?” “W-We’ll do it.” As tensions ran high, Bobby grew scared and said with an ashen face, “Let me go. We honestly didn’t withhold the food. “The food truck arrived a few minutes ago. The staff is still tallying up how much food we have.” “Just distribute the food now.” Not interested in hearing another word from
“You…” The fear of death suppressed and replaced the anger in Phoenix. Her wrinkled face paled, making her look like a living corpse. “Madam!” Two of Phoenix’s followers from Ridgesouth tried to jump on Anzu to rescue their employer. However, Anzu swung her katana in a swift, deadly arc, slitting their throats instantly and splattering blood across the ground. “Kaze Lee, get over here! Or else I will kill this old hag!” Anzu roared, her tone resentful. “She killed them!” “Grandaunt is being taken hostage!” “Call the police!” The morgue fell into chaos following the death of the two followers. All the members of the other family branches screamed in panic. Some scrambled to escape, while others stood still in shock. A few were paralyzed by sheer terror, unable to process what was happening before their eyes. As chaos broke out, Kaze quickly dashed forward to pull the horrified Hector and Agnes away, dragging them back to Darcy and Sky. “Stay here and don’t move.
“Get down and kneel to Joan, or else I will haunt you even after I die!” Kaze twisted his wrist, subtly revealing a thin silver needle in his palm. He then looked at Joan and said, “Fire if you can.” If Joan got so much as close to the trigger, he would use the silver needle to kill her on the spot. His words put disappointment in Darcy’s eyes. Kaze was physically strong but the family was surrounded by guns. Under such intense circumstances, Kaze could really be more tolerant and endure the insult for their sake. Darcy was deeply disappointed in Kaze. Phoenix was so enraged by Kaze’s threats toward Joan that she laughed in exasperation. “Joan, show that you mean business!” “Kaze Lee, you made me do this!” Joan said with a grin. She slowly raised the gun at Kaze. Bang! Suddenly, the door was kicked open from the outside, and a woman in a funeral home uniform with a mask appeared. Strangely, she wielded a Ryokan katana and was searching for someone among the cr
There were police officers outside of the funeral home, and since the hitmen from the Steelclaw Guild would come after Hector and his family, Phoenix did not need to kill them in the open. Though she did not mind scaring them and making them kneel before her, begging for mercy—it would be quite satisfying. Thump! Hector and Agnes knelt immediately. Agnes was shuddering as she said, “Grandaunt, we never meant to disrespect you! It was all Kaze! Him! He was the one who opposed you and challenged your authority! “He was the one who broke your cane and beat up Joan. He was the one who called the stop on the projects! We had nothing to do with it!” She then turned to her son and daughter. “Sky, Darcy, what are you two doing standing? Get down! Madam Dark’s death is already painful enough for Grandaunt. Stop upsetting her!” “Yeah, kneel! Grandaunt is an elder, it’s not embarrassing kneeling to her!” Hector said to his children, the anxiety on his face was obvious too. He did
“The day I arrived, you broke my walking cane of three million dollars and you hurt Joan. You even got her fiance’s family killed. Don’t even get me started about Mayor Synder stopping the company’s project. Now, you are opposing me directly?! “The other branches of the Quint family are doing just fine but why are you and your family such a pain in the ass? Now I realize the reason—it is you! You are the one who caused all this mess! “Hector, your family is useless! That’s why even a live-in son-in-law can misbehave like this! Do you even deserve to carry the Quint’s name?” Phoenix bellowed. Hector lowered his head and dared not argue with Phoenix. Kaze did not care at all. He sternly said, “Phoenix, you know better than anyone why I broke your walking cane, why I hit Joan, and why I ceased the project. “If you want to distort the truth, I won’t bother to explain it either, but all I want to say is don’t overly rely on your position and your seniority. Respect is earned, not
“She was elderly; how could someone beat her up physically? More importantly, aside from breaking Madam Dark’s arm, this particular someone staged a car accident and killed her, leaving her with barely a corpse. “It’s inhumane! It’s outrageous! Is he even human?” Joan cried as she expressed her grievance. Each word she muttered felt heavy like mountains. Following her claims, everyone turned around and looked at Darcy and her family at the back of the line—including Kaze, who was beside them. “Have Hector and his family arrived yet?” Phoenix stomped her walking cane on the floor and bellowed, “Tell them to get over here right now!” Seeing Phoenix as if she was ready to devour someone alive, Hector and Agnes shuddered as they quickly went up. “Grandaunt, we are here. We’ve arrived for some time now.” Agnes quickly shifted the blame to Kaze, saying, “Grandaunt, it was not us who broke Madam Dark’s arm. We did not arrange for the truck to ram into her car either. It was Ka
Besides, several Viper’s Den agents in casual attire had also blended into the scene. Hannah was hurt, or else Kaze would bring her along as well. Although he had already devised a plan with the Steelclaw Guild, he was not sure if the guild would take the act too far and make it real. On top of that, the Steelclaw Guild was a mysterious organization rooted deeply in this city. No one could guarantee if they would not deploy all their hitmen on this mission. It was why Kaze arranged as many men as possible to be on the scene to ensure the safety of Darcy and her family. Under the staff’s guidance, Kaze, Darcy, and the family arrived at the morgue. They saw a crowd inside. All the branch families and their respective heads arrived. Phoenix, leaning on her walking cane, and Joan, seated in her wheelchair, were also there. Madam Dark and her family had served the Quint family for generations and she grew up with Phoenix. She took care of Phoenix, protected her, and they
South said with a sigh, “Kaze, you might not know First Tiger in person but he’s a man with a great mind and tactics. “He said the Steelclaw Guild would remain in the shadows while the Quint family roamed openly. If the Quint family wants revenge against us, then their family members will be our targets. “You, however, are not the same. He can’t see through you and he’s willing to sign a peace treaty with you instead of going to war against you without any solid reason.” Kaze smiled and said, “He’s a wise man indeed. I’m more curious about First Tiger than before. Tell him that I will play along with his plan. I owe him one.” After the call with South, the chief of the South River Police Department, Morgan Bale, called. “Mr. Lee, the servants of Phoenix Quint and the elder of the Quint family from Ridgesouth were killed in a car crash. All six of them died on the spot. I believe you’ve received the news.” As soon as the call got through, Morgan’s serious voice came through.
Agnes bellowed, “So what if Darcy suspects you? You did it, yet you won’t let people talk about you? My daughter is a chairwoman, she’s smart! She’s not like Sky who trusts you unconditionally. She has solid reasons to suspect you!” “I have to take this call.” Kaze did not want to argue with Agnes. The buzzing phone saved him in the nick of time and he went out after seeing South’s name on the screen. As though Agnes clutched on the very evidence that could prove Kaze did it, she jumped excitedly and shouted, “Look! He knew he couldn’t keep it up anymore! He’s going out to talk with the killer! “I’m telling you guys! Don’t trust people like him! He’s mad and he could do anything to you! He’s beyond saving…” While Agnes was being relentless with her groundless accusations, Kaze answered the phone. “Kaze, Phoenix Quint just contacted us and said you and your family would be at the funeral house. She even said if we wanted revenge, we could send people over there now and they
“Other than Kaze, who else has the motive to kill Madam Dark and her daughter? Didn’t you hear him when he shoved them out earlier? He said he would kill them! “I think he was afraid back then, but he didn’t want them coming after him, so he took the chance once they left! “Kaze, you’re horrible! How could you kill them?!” Agnes took a few steps away from Kaze and stared at him. “You’ve gotten bolder than ever. I really don’t know what else you don’t dare to do! Do you know what the consequences of your actions are? You can’t keep it hidden forever! People will eventually find out! “You think you can get away with it? Look again! The crash just happened, and the driver is already under investigation. A gambler in debts took the risk for money and pretended to be DUI. Do you think people are idiots? “Can’t you see it’s obvious? Now you’ve become a prime suspect! You better take responsibility and not get us involved, or I will make you regret it!” She scolded Kaze as her f