“Kaze, you don’t even know what’s going on. You have the nerve to yell at me.“I run the Red Foundation. I have a hundred ways to ruin you and your wife.” Greg looked menacing, and his voice bore threat. He was not acting tough this time. Since Greg held the 300-million-dollar donation to Lilyrose Commerce Guild in his hand, he had Darcy eating out of his palm. However, Kaze was no doormat. “Here’s a piece of advice, Greg. You shouldn’t use donations for your personal agenda.“You can puff yourself up for our little fights. “But some lines crossed can be fatal,” Kaze said callously. His flat voice indicated no emotions. The crowd was taken aback. Was that a death threat? The people wondered if Kaze was serious. “Ha!” Greg grinned in disdain. “Is that a threat from you, moocher? “Did you hear that, Darcy? Your husband wants to finish me off. He’s so cocky. I must say he’s more arrogant than Conan. What should I do? I’m so scared.” Greg looked at Darcy, his
The group made a fuss. Although they called themselves elites, there were tiers within the class. They would only check out the Koenigsegg One:1. Six of its kind worldwide, the Koenigsegg One:1 was not available to just anybody with money. Only the rich and powerful could acquire one. “Um…” Lilian was too uncertain to say anything. She knew Leigh had just purchased one from a VIP. However, the car was parked there and unregistered. She could not be sure that the car belonged to Leigh. What if one of the Queens owned the vehicle? Lilian would be upsetting someone else if she gave up any name. “Not even you know, Lilian?” The group was disappointed. They would earn bragging rights if they knew who the owner was. In fact, they could also say that their friend had just gotten a Koenigsegg One:1. “Who cares? We are not at the VIP’s level anyway.” Greg thought the car looked familiar. He looked away and fished out the car key before turning to Darcy with a smile.
Greg and the others were upset by Kaze’s claim, but they had no comeback. The Koenigsegg headlights blinded them. It was pointless to fight against absolute power. “Come on, honey.” Darcy brought the car closer to Kaze. Kaze turned around and got into the car. Soon, the Koenigsegg left a trail of dust behind it. “Oh, my god! The car belongs to Darcy. Who the hell is she?” “Funny enough we have been showing off and mocking them. Now that I think about it, I feel so foolish and silly.” It took a while before Greg’s group could think straight again. Dwelling in regret, they beat themselves up. They were totally humiliated today. Greg grimaced, his eyes reflecting malice. He wanted revenge. Reservations were holding him back, though. Since Darcy owned a Koenigsegg One:1, he did not want to get on her bad side. What if he hit a brick wall like with Conan? Lilian glared at the person talking. “Funny, my ass. It’s obvious Kaze stole the Koenigsegg. Why are you
An influencer donated one billion dollars. That was way more than the megarich corporations. It was totally unheard of. The news rocked the online community. Many Internet users, who loved drama, examined the list to check how much the rich and famous donated since they always advocated helping charities. Then came the problem. Lilyrose Commerce Guild was nowhere to be found on the list. Not a single local business had donated. The public was not having it. “Donations are coming from all over the country in the wake of a disaster, but none of the local businesses donated. Is there no decent soul in Lilyrose?” “No way. Lil Dee signed onto Lilyrose’s Lee Investment. He’s not from that city, and yet he donated one billion dollars. I guess none of the locals think it’s worth giving money to their community.” “Aren’t there major corporations there? Sky Ocean Corporation and Shangrila Group were established there. They got Professor Whiteman as a spokesperson and poured a
“That’s right. She was only running a small business a month ago, and now she’s the chairwoman of both Quartet Group and Sky Ocean Corporation. That’s a lot of wealth in a short amount of time, don’t you think?” “I read online that her husband is the biggest mob boss in the city. Mr. Vikram, Mr. Logman, Mr. Joestar, is that why you’re afraid of him?” “Maybe the Vikrams, Logmans, and Joestars are in on it with Darcy. I bet they are aiming to be the next top three families. Even the former top three families weren’t as bad as you people.” “A-Are you trying to rebel?” Bernard and his friends shook with rage. They rushed to put out the fire, but they got burnt instead. In fact, the fallen top three families were deemed better than them. “Lilyrose Commerce Guild is for everybody. You don’t decide everything for us. What do you mean by rebelling?” “That’s right. We demand an answer.” Strength in numbers, the members gathered around Darcy demanding that she did right by the
“Hold up!” Greg cut Darcy off from speaking. “Why are you making such a big deal out of things, Ms. Quint? “I’ll tell you what. I’ll talk to the staff member about the tiny mistake.“This is to show that I’m taking the matter seriously,” Greg said with a chuckle, his tone unhurried. Enraged, Darcy blurted, “Are you still asleep, Mr. Nanas? The online community is attacking Lilyrose Commerce Guild over this. “Over a hundred of our members’ businesses are currently facing boycotts, and distributors are returning their stock.“If we don’t address the issue promptly, things will only get worse. The trade industry in Lilyrose will falter. “Businesses will close down, people will lose jobs, they won’t be able to afford their mortgages, and we can see an increase in social unrest. “Are you going to be responsible for the chain reaction?” The members clenched their fists in rage. Darcy was not practicing scaremongering. The incident could very well happen. The consequenc
Kaze spoke callously. Greg had pissed him off for the last time. “Haha. Are you talking to me, Kaze? “It has only been a night. Did you forget that your wife pleaded for your release when I tried to straighten you out?“Fine. Come and find me. “I read online that you’re the biggest mob boss in Lilyrose. Come here, and I’ll validate that you’re no more than a criminal to the public. “I’ll make sure you and your wife will never live in this town again.” Greg hung up. He did not take Kaze seriously. The Red Foundation dominated the narrative in public opinion. They ran the show. The disconnected tone ensued. Kaze put down the phone emotionlessly. The sparkle in Darcy’s eyes dimmed. Greg was hell-bent on destroying them. “Tsk, tsk. Lilyrose Commerce Guild has lost its reputation, but you still find time to get together.” A group swaggered into the place. The three individuals acted haughty. The leader, a bespectacled woman, was proud. Disregarding the bu
“I heard that you are trying to get new investors for Rove, Kaze.“Let me put this out there. It’s pointless. “Lil Dee’s fans will attack Rove’s live stream by flooding and crashing it on command. It’s just a few thousand views anyway.” Kaze remained unfazed in the face of Emma’s threats. Standing in the crowd, Hart, who arrived not too long ago with another group of members, became upset. He had checked Desmond’s live stream out before. Fans swarmed into the live stream the moment it started. It was a struggle to keep up with the flooding comments, and soon, the live stream crashed. The engineers had to work around the clock to fix the bug. The major corporations, including Hart, were jealous of Desmond’s huge following. Rove did not have many followers to sell products to. If Desmond’s fans were to crash Rove’s live stream, the business could really go down. Kaze smiled faintly. “Sure. Desmond can tell his fans to do that. “I was thinking how to get the tractio
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
Kaze had seen through his shameless mother-in-law. Halfway through lunch, a sudden call interrupted the peaceful scene. Hector picked up the call with the fork in his hand. Clink! After listening to the call, his fork fell, and his expression shifted. “What?! Madam Dark and her daughter are dead!?” His words silenced the entire dining table. Even Kaze looked at Hector with shock. Madam Dark and the others died already? By the time he put down the phone, he looked dazed and lost. Anxious, Agnes asked him, “What happened? Madam Dark died?” “I heard she was killed in a car accident on the way to the hospital. Six of them were in the car, none made it out alive. The truck driver was driving under influence.” Hector’s face paled as he continued, “But according to the police, it is suspected that someone staged the car crash because it feels as if the truck driver knew Madam Dark and the others were going to be there. “The truck driver was in heavy debt due to gambl
Phoenix wore unmistakable schadenfreude on her face as she looked at Joan. She said, “Hate him now? Do you want them dead?” Her voice was filled with temptation. She could not stage a car crash in Riverbank without being noticed, so she had to ask Joan, a local Quint family member, to plot it. The news twisted Joan’s expression. She screamed, “I’ll kill you, Kaze Lee! I’ll kill you too, Darcy! I want all of them dead!” The Road family, her strongest support, was wiped out. If she rejected Phoenix’s request, there was no way she could walk away alive. She was left with no options. “Good girl.” Phoenix tapped Joan’s face with a victorious smile. Then, she frowned and said, “But you are right. Kaze Lee has some strong support here in Riverbank. He can deal with the police, so simply framing him is not enough, or we will be in trouble.” After a quick ponder, she clapped her hands and cried, “I got it! We’ll stick with the car crash, but we can use it to lure Darcy and her f
Whenever a family grew larger, the bond between its members would eventually weaken and the fight for power was inevitable. There were many histories of family conflicts that tore apart the family members, resulting in serious fights. The Quints had a long history in Arcadia. Back in the day, the head of the Quints had many wives, which eventually spread out into different branches across the country. With that many branches, the sharing of profits would surely be complicated. Phoenix knew that if she returned empty-handed, her reputation and image would be destroyed and she would lose her value to the family. In time, she might be poisoned during her meal or run over when she crossed the road. The assets that her own family possessed would eventually be split up among the others who shared her name like vultures eating her corpse. It was not a groundless speculation or a scary imagination. It was real because she did it many times before to others who shared her name.
Phoenix instinctively moved the phone away from her ears and was stunned for a few seconds before her expression turned ashen. “Kaze Lee broke Shadow’s arm? Crippled both of you? You piece of trash! You can’t even take care of them? What gives you the idea that you still have the right to call me?” She shouted back at the phone, and her voice echoed across the entire ward. “Uh…” Dark had expected punishment of scolding and even abandonment by her master whom she had served for decades, yet she did not expect it to be this quick. “Smash!” Phoenix smashed the phone on the floor. She remained standing and upset. There was a fierce and resentful aura around her as she clenched her fists. Her frosty gaze could send chills down one’s spine. Even Joan’s face paled and her body trembled. She dared not even talk to Phoenix. “Dark, that useless hag! Kaze Lee, that piece of shit! Darcy and her goddamned family! They are all useless! They all should die!” Her anger erupted like
“Madam Quint, it’s going to be alright now. Madam Dark and Shadow are on their way to the Quints and they will surely bring Darcy back.” At Riverbank Prime Hospital, Joan was consoling Phoenix, who was sulky after the incident. Joan wore a face unmistakable of schadenfreude. She was jealous of Darcy from the moment they both met. Darcy, a girl from a distant Quint family from the small city of Lilyrose, had no right to be in the same position as her, the daughter of a well-known and powerful family in Riverbank. Yet Darcy was better than her in every aspect. Darcy was more beautiful, more capable, and was the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation that was worth billions. She became the branch head of the Quints at a young age, where the other family members had to listen to her. Jealousy had blinded Joan to the point that she believed everything that Darcy owned, except for her stupid useless husband, should be hers. She wanted to snatch everything from Darcy. It explaine
“Aaargh! Kaze Lee, I will kill you!” Suddenly, Shadow shouted and dashed toward Kaze. She thought her mother was caught off guard by Kaze’s slaps and got slightly disoriented, hence unable to fight back. Yet she quickly realized that Kaze could kill her mother with slaps. Therefore, without a doubt, as soon as she engaged Kaze, she, too, was sent flying by the furious slaps, crashing into the wall behind her like her mother. Kaze said, “You hurt the executives of Sky Ocean Corporation and broke their arms and legs. Now I’m breaking one of your arms, rendering you useless. Consider it revenge.” Another one was crushed! Looking at Shadow’s broken arm, the other followers turned pale. “You little bastard! I’ll kill you and your family…” Dark slowly regained her composure and began shouting again. She had roamed unchallenged for years, yet now, not only had she been defeated, but she was also crippled. Her daughter also suffered the same fate. To the merciless Phoenix