While Kaze made his way to Golden Edge, Darcy was already there. Soon, she located a depressed Agnes in an outlet store. “Darcy! You’re here! You have to help me! Those bastards hit me!” The moment Agnes saw Darcy, she broke down into tears, making her already reddish eyes worse. “Mom, it’s okay. I’m here now. I’ll find out what happened and do you right. Don’t cry, tell me what happened…” Darcy hugged her mother to calm her down. Agnes kept sobbing and refused to speak of something this embarrassing. Darcy then looked at her aunt, Agatha, who accompanied her mother shopping. Agatha said, “It’s like this. Your mother and I came shopping for sweaters for you guys…” Darcy knew Agnes’ thrifty personality. Although their family’s financial status had gotten better and could be considered well to do, Agnes kept her thrifty habits. She probably wanted to buy sweaters during the summer to save a few bucks, so she came to Golden Edge to shop. Agnes and Agatha went to Pa
Seeing the storekeeper’s terrible attitude, Darcy was furious. She stepped up and argued, “If my mom and aunt really stole things from your store, you should call the cops and not ask the security to slap them and throw them out! What is that attitude? I demand an explanation!” She sounded frosty. As the president of Lilyrose Commerce Guild and the chairwoman of two big companies, Darcy gained a strong aura and confidence. In addition to her beautiful looks, the commotion attracted all the attention in the store. Even the regular shoppers outside were captivated by her looks and voice. “Paladia Moose’s security slapped a customer? For real?” “I think it’s true. I heard something went down here and they claimed a customer stole from them.” “Look at the two ladies and that beautiful young woman. They don’t look like thieves.” “God knows. I’m just here for the show.” The customers were engaged in a heated discussion. As a crowd gathered, the storekeeper’s expression tu
“I’m telling you, our store manager’s husband is the GM of Golden Edge.”“If you keep this up, you’ll pay dearly!” The store manager, Vilma, gave her storekeepers confidence, allowing them to continue to be rude. “Causing trouble at our store? You’ve got some nerve,” Vilma said with a cold grunt before she signaled her storekeepers to the side. She stepped forward with her heels clacking and arrived before that one storekeeper with a presence. “Who’s causing the problem?” The storekeeper pointed at Darcy, saying, “Ms. Hoshi, it’s this woman. The old ladies who caused problems previously are her mother and aunt.” Vilma glanced at Darcy and a hint of jealousy rose from her heart. She felt inferior before Darcy. However, her brows frowned after a second because Darcy looked familiar. “Are you Darcy Quint, the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation?” Vilma asked. Darcy nodded. “Ms. Hoshi, I’m Darcy Quint.” “I see. I didn’t know you were here, Ms. Quint.” Vilma’s frosty
Darcy had grown into a strong woman in the business world and she learned how to see the dark side of people. If Paladia Moose had the nerve to hit and throw out its customers, the store manager, Vilma, must more or less be involved. Vilma might be smiling but it might be a mask that veiled her true intentions. Darcy did not want to settle the dispute in private. Once she entered Vilma’s turf, she would be in a disadvantageous position. Vilma did not expect Darcy to reject. Anger flashed in her eyes for a moment. She smiled awkwardly and said, “Alright then, let’s talk here. I wonder what you propose, Ms. Quint.” Darcy said, “It’s simple. Refund us for the faulty sweaters. I want the storekeeper who ordered the security to throw my mother and aunt out, to apologize. And bring out the storekeeper who slapped my mother. Let me slap her twice.” Previously, Darcy would never choose violence, at most an apology would be enough to solve the dispute. However, her mother was st
Vilma looked proud and confident. There was no politeness in her tone or actions. Darcy was considered famous in Lilyrose. It was that reason that made Vilma offer Darcy to settle the matter in her office privately. Yet Darcy chose to remain in public, so Vilma no longer decided to hold back either. Darcy might be well-known but Vilma had a background of her own as well. With Paladia Moose having her back, she was not afraid of Darcy. Darcy said firmly, “What are you trying to say, Ms. Hoshi? Why is there a non-refund policy here in Arcadia? Does the policy apply in other countries as well?” Vilma smiled. “No. Only in Arcadia. We have written the policy in black and white. When our customers purchase our products, they will be notified and asked to agree with the terms and conditions. “Ms. Quint, your mother should have seen the T&C and signed it.” Agnes and Agatha were speechless. “What T&C? We’ve never seen it before!” Vilma smiled. She shot a gaze at her storekeepe
Vilma’s expression turned cold. She bellowed, “Who are you? How dare you talk to me like that?” “Ms. Hoshi, this is my husband, Kaze. What do you mean by that? Who do you think you are? Why can’t he talk to you like that?” Darcy was delighted by Kaze’s arrival and she gained confidence. She quickly retorted Vilma’s question. “Ms. Quint’s husband? The useless guy that married into your family?” Vilma scrutinized Kaze with disgust. She said, “Are you trying to cause a problem here like your wife? “Once our product leaves the store, they are not refundable. It is clearly stated in our policy and your mother-in-law signed it as well. If you insist on getting a refund, bring it up to our HQ,” Vilma said without the slightest courtesy. Paladia Moose was a multinational company. If Kaze were to bring the issue up to the headquarters, he might be beaten up before he even got there. Kaze did not even look at Vilma. He looked at the storekeepers and then bellowed, “Which one of you
While Vilma was threatening Kaze, her call got through. “Jim, someone is causing trouble at my store and he slapped my employees! Call security at once! He must pay for what he did!” Vilma then hung up the phone before the person could reply. “You bastard! I’ve called for help! You should look where you are standing! How dare you challenge me on my turf! I will teach you a lesson today!” The two storekeepers, whom Kaze slapped, stared at him fiercely as they covered their faces. “Kaze Lee! Do you know who our manager’s husband is? He’s the GM here in Golden Edge!” “You came to our store, caused problems, and slapped us! You and your wife will pay for this, or else you won’t even be walking out of the mall’s gate!” The two storekeepers continued to be rude and shouted back at Kaze. Vilma did not stop them. Quite the opposite, she was delighted when they revealed her husband’s identity. Kaze frowned. “Golden Edge’s GM?” Darcy, Agnes, and Agatha were similarly shocked.
“Does your boss know you are this rude and arrogant?” Kaze shook his head. He then pulled his phone out and called Winnie. “The GM of Golden Edge is someone named Jim, right? His wife is rude and she’s calling the security to slap my face off my skull. “I don’t know if Jim has the same idea, but I believe you know what to do.” Kaze then hung up the phone. He acquired Golden Edge as a gift for Brenda and this would be his first time in this mall. It had just been days since the acquisition and the general manager already made himself the lord of the castle. He even brought in a brand like Paladia Moose. Kaze believed the man was not fit to be a manager. However, Vilma saw Kaze’s action of making the phone call as a bluff. “You useless shit. You keep calling whoever you want. When my husband is here, I’ll see what you got!” she mocked Kaze harshly. “Move out of the way!” Suddenly, loud shouts came from behind the crowd. A group of security guards in uniform rush
“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