“What do you know? Shut up!” Lawson cried with a menacing look, wishing he could rip Chris with his bare hands. Lawson was just a small businessman. Judging by the other entrepreneurs’ attitude toward Kaze, Lawson probably would lose his foothold in the city if word got out that Kaze kicked him out of the guild. “Please, Mr. Lee. All I’m asking is a chance. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Desperate, Lawson hoped his pleas could change Kaze’s mind. “Didn’t do anything wrong?” Kaze picked up the packed food he was given and passed it to him. “Eat this.” “Alright. I’ll eat it.” Lawson opened the lid without hesitation and grabbed a handful to shove into his mouth. He was willing to do anything Kaze told him to. “Yuck! Blegh!” However, Lawson soon threw up. Used to delicacies, he could not handle the rancid taste of stale food. “Why aren’t you eating? Go on.” Kaze narrowed his eyes as Lawson looked up in fear. “The food has gone bad, Mr. Lee.” “Oh, so you are awa
As Kaze kept a straight face throughout, Chris took it that his hands were tied. Chris looked up with a smirk and said, “Without us, Red Star Charity will become an empty shell, Lee.“We are in the middle of disaster relief. The situation will get out of hand without us taking control. “You caused this. I doubt your wife will be president for long when that happens. “We will wait for Yuri to return to Lilyrose Commerce Guild and Yelena to come back to Red Star Charity.“You can keep the stale food we bought for yourselves. “Hahahaha!” Chris and the other administrators laughed maniacally. They could not care less anymore. “Idiots!” Kaze yelled and said curtly, “Since you admitted to acquiring the stale food, we can skip the investigation and get right to it.” “What are you trying to say, Lee?”Chris grimaced. Several cars drove over from not too far away. A group with work badges got out of the cars. “The trade commission, the sanitation department, the comme
“I have no intention of letting you off the hook just because you ate the stale food.“I wanted you to recognize your mistake and experience what you put others through in hopes you would reflect and repent.” Kaze said his piece and waved his arm. “Come on.” Lawson, Chris, and a few more were cuffed and taken away amid a thundering applause. Once their bellies were filled, the rescue workers continued their rescue mission. Kaze got a call from Caleb at the mayor’s office. “Mr. Lee, the management team of Red Star Charity has been detained, but the organization coordinates the relief work in the city. We need a new management team to take over right away. “If I could pick your brain on your plans.” Certain matters were better off left in the hands of experts. Red Star Charity was closely tied to emergency rescue and disaster relief. “Don’t worry. I have an idea who would take over Red Star Charity.” Kaze glanced at Daphne, who was delegating tasks to the rescue worke
Take cover at Lilyrose Commerce Guild? Kaze was taken aback. “Is your dad a member of Lilyrose Commerce Guild, Daphne?” “Yeah. My dad is Hart Lyfe, the chairman of Rove.” Daphne panicked to the point of tears. “My dad must have gotten involved with someone powerful. Unless out of options, he would never bring trouble to Lilyrose Commerce Guild.“I know your wife is the president of the guild. Sorry for the inconvenience.“But could you ask your wife to ensure my parents’ safety? They are good people.” It dawned on Kaze that Daphne was Hart’s daughter. Hart left quite a good impression on Kaze. Though Rove was in the red, Hart pledged 50 million dollars to help with the disaster. He felt sad to witness such a touching moment at the guild just now. “Don’t worry, Daphne. Your dad is a long-time entrepreneur in the city. He has contributed a lot to the city’s development.“It’s Lilyrose Commerce Guild and the local council’s duty to protect your family.” Kaze patted Daph
Darcy could only put all her hope on Kaze. “The people outside are making a bigger commotion, president. They threatened to barge in here and trash the place if we don’t hand Hart over.” A staff member of the guild entered the room to report to Darcy. With a sullen face, Darcy got up and said, “I’ll get out there and engage with them.” “I’ll go with you, Ms. Quint.” Hart settled his family down and went out with Darcy. Darcy went up and said solemnly, “I am Darcy Quint, president of Lilyrose Commerce Guild. We can discuss any business conflicts here. Don’t you know the forceful denial of entry and exit is against the law? “Who is your leader? We can go inside, have tea, and chat.” Darcy knew she had to be firm to keep these gangsters in check. “Oh, isn’t the president an old man? When did this hot chick take over?” A mean-looking man with a buzz cut walked out and checked Darcy out. As Darcy squirmed uneasily under his gaze, the man snickered. “I can drink with yo
“Stop with the accusations. That’s utter nonsense.” Hart said indignantly, “I am ready to sell Rove, so there isn’t any malicious business conduct, to begin with. “We have kinked out all the details on the acquisition, but your boss, Kailan Skyfort, suddenly pushed the selling rate down to half today. “Rove might be going bust, but it’s a long-standing business and a household name. I’m not going to sell the business like it’s worth nothing. “I can’t possibly agree with the offer.” Having built the brand for many years, Hart could not give up on his hard work so easily. Were it not for the unsustainable capital chain caused by storing too much inventory and keeping many employees on payroll, Hart would have wanted to keep the business going for a little longer.For all Hart knew, the business could make it through to the very end. After reaching an agreement with Kailan, Hart intended to make things official by signing a contract at Skyfort Investment today. Kailan ch
“Oh? Are you trying to make me an example, boy?” Narrowing his eyes on Kaze, Gerard said menacingly. His two dozen men eyed Kaze mockingly. They did not see Kaze as a threat. Kaze nodded at Darcy and Hart and led Daphne into the hall to Gerard. “Well, this is why you’re here. Isn’t it?” Kaze said with a smile. His eyes brushed past the two dozen men, and he shook his head regrettably. “It’s a shame you’re just a bunch of hooligans. Where’s the challenge of it all?“Even if I hurl you out, it doesn’t send a strong enough message.“Taking the trash out doesn’t reflect much on the awesomeness of Lilyrose Commerce Guild.” Gerard made a face. “You’re asking for it, boy! We are not trash!” “Who do you think you are? Money in your pocket is no reason to look down on us.” The two dozen thugs clamored and yelled at Kaze. They were enraged by Kaze’s disdain. Kaze grinned without sparing the hooligans another look. His dismissal attitude got on their nerves more than his
Gerard’s voice was tinged with a hair-rising malice. However, Kaze took his words as meaningless grunts of a sore loser.“One slap will cost me the rest of my life? But I’m not finished with you.” Kaze shook his head and approached Gerard. Violence was the answer to ending conflicts with unreasonable thugs. Gerard was taken aback. Not only was Kaze not afraid of him, but Kaze wanted to take another swing. “Don’t just stand there. Get him!” Gerard waved his arm and shouted through his gritted teeth, “End him and trash the guild! “Oh, and the boy’s beautiful wife…” As Gerard’s gaze fell on Darcy, he licked his lips greedily. “Get him!” “Fuck his wife in front of him!” Gerard did not need to finish his sentence for the two dozen thugs to fill in the blanks. The hooligans pounced on Kaze like animals in heat. “Die!” Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Kaze charged into the crowd and grabbed two thugs by the throats. “Bang!” Kaze slammed two heads together. “
“Whoosh!” The swift swing of the dagger left a huge cut on Kaze’s shirt at the abdomen. The old man had switched his stance to kneeling on one knee. The pain in his eyes had been replaced by frosty murderous intent, with a hint of shock and resentment as if he did not expect Kaze to dodge the lethal blow. “Old man, you’re a wicked one.” Kaze was also shocked. He looked down at his collar T-shirt and the wide opening at his stomach. The chilling wind on his skin sent chills down his spine. A split second later he would be gutted on the spot. “Swoosh!” After missing the ambush, the old man jumped like a nimble fox for a follow-up attack. This time, he switched his target from Kaze to Darcy. The dagger in his hand glared coldly as it thrusted toward Kaze’s chest. He was shocked that Kaze was able to dodge his lethal blow. He also realized Kaze was a tough opponent, so he switched to an easier one—Darcy. He acted like a gambler who had lost everything. With nothing
“Huh?” Phoenix narrowed her eyes and shot a sharp gaze at Joan. “Thump!” Joan fell on her knees immediately, looking horrified. “I-Impossible! My family spent tens of millions to make this walking cane, how can it…” Her family members were also similarly horrified, all falling onto their knees after her and even prostrating on the ground. If they were charged with attempted murder on Phoenix’s life, she and her entire family would be uprooted completely. Phoenix’s expression darkened. With gritted teeth, she said, “Take all of them away and investigate what really happened!” Her men who followed her from Ridgesouth came up, dragging Joan and her family away despite them crying for help. Those who resisted were slapped and knocked out before being shoved into the car. “Kaze, how did you know about the walking cane?” Agnes asked, her voice trembling. She felt grateful for escaping what seemed to be a disaster. Kaze’s offensive behavior shocked her, but it was to expos
“Huh?! Y-You hit me?!” Joan screamed as she covered her face. “Madam Quint, do something about this monkey! He’s disrespecting you and slapped me in front of everyone!” “You wretched boy, on your knees!” Phoenix’s expression darkened, her eyes on Kaze resentful. “If your family failed to teach you manners, I’ll do it for them!” “Greedy, self-righteous, ignorant, use your age to pressure others…” Kaze was determined to teach Phoenix a lesson about shame and humility today, so there was no way he would show her any respect. “People like you don’t even know what you are doing even with age, what gives you the right to lecture me?” “Kaze, shut it! Are you trying to get yourself into more trouble?!” Agnes bellowed, almost passing out due to the anger. Kaze had offended Phoenix. “Me? Ignorant?!” Phoenix scoffed due to disbelief. Her eyes were burning with the flames of anger as she said, “You disrespectful little bastard, I will show you what ignorance is!” As the words
The Ridgesouth Quints may be a prominent family, but their influence did not extend as far as the South River State. If that were not the case, the Ridgesouth Quints would not have waited until now to appoint Darcy as a proxy to expand their influence in the South River State. Kent came from a wealthy family, and he was the mayor of Riverbank. He had no reason to curry favor with the Quints by giving them a villa. The Ridgesouth Quints should be the ones showering Kent with gifts to do business in Riverbank. “What? How dare you say that we are unworthy!”“If we are unworthy, what about you? You’re just a moocher.”“Insolence!” Joan and the others flipped out. “Bam.” Phoenix slammed her cane to the floor and said chillingly, “You said that the Quints are unworthy, boy. What about you? Why would the mayor give you a villa? “You better give a convincing answer. If you don’t, ha!” “It’s none of your business,” Kaze replied bluntly.Silence hung heavy in the air. E
“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