It was Kaze. The familiar voice shook Max. His eyes widened in disbelief as if he saw a ghost. “K-Ka…” “Kaze Lee! You bastard!” Kingston suddenly shouted. “Who allowed you to speak to Max like that? Don’t you know he’s Zel Glitter’s representative?!” Kingston had no idea what was happening. He assumed Max knew Darcy and was surprised by her presence, which felt normal. Even for him, a playboy who had slept with many women, he was astonished by Darcy’s beauty when he first saw her, let alone Max. “Kaze Lee, you useless shit! You don’t even have the right to be around Max! Who allowed you to speak to him like that? If you don’t want to die, slap yourself!” Vilma seized the chance to win Max’s favor. Kaze ignored the woman. His eyes were on Max. He said, “Max, we’ve met for three consecutive days. Is the world too small, or are we fated?” “Hehe…” Max awkwardly laughed. If he could reverse time, he would never want to meet Kaze. He hated the bane of his life. “Maste
Kaze’s words silenced the entire crowd. Max represented Zel, so Kaze wanted to strike him harder. He was not afraid of Zel! Both Kingston and Vilma looked at him as if he was a vengeful spirit. They failed to understand what fueled the useless guy’s confidence to have the gall to challenge Zel. Was he not afraid of the Glitter family’s retaliation? Then, Kaze looked at Kingston coldly and said, “Mr. Hacks, the guy you brought isn’t that useful.” Kingston’s face turned red. He looked at Max and asked, “Max, call Mr. Glitter. Tell him that this useless guy wants to slap his face! I believe he will be furious! There’s no way he would let someone who relied on his wife challenge his pride! “You as his representative cannot just let that useless guy humiliate you! Are you just going to let him do this to you, and to Zel?” No matter what Kingston said, Max lay on the floor without any response. He was playing dead. He represented Zel yet he was unable to complete the as
“Mr. Conan?!” Max screamed in shock. When he was Leigh’s follower, he mingled in Leigh’s social circle. He recognized Conan, who was considered the outlier in the circle. Conan was from the Queen family yet he hung out with gangsters and hippies, causing trouble everywhere. He was the very definition of an outlier. “Conan? Which Conan? Detective Conan?” Kingston was surprised by Max’s reaction. “Wait, are you talking about Conan Queen!?” Vilma’s expression turned pale. The woman was ostentatious and her goal was to climb higher in the social ladder. She loved to gossip about rich young men, so she heard a lot of things about the Queen family, especially the second son. “What?!” Kingston’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened in disbelief. The long-haired gangster was the second son of the Queen family!? Slap! A slap landed on his face, punching his soul out of his body. Kingston covered his face as he stared at Conan’s arrogantly handsome look. “You called me
“You’re the child of a stepmother. You sure have the audacity to act almighty in Kaze’s presence.“Get on your knees and apologize. Just do what he says. “Or I’ll ruin you.” Conan gave Kingston multiple slaps and a kick behind the knees, dropping him to his knees. “I’m sorry, Kaze.” Kingston kneeled before Kaze’s feet and shouted with all his might. A moment of hesitation could cost him his life. “Well, that wasn’t so hard. You could’ve saved yourself a lot of trouble if you did it sooner.” Kaze reached out to pat Kingston’s swollen cheeks and said with a smile, “So between us, who’s the one not learning his lesson?” “It’s me,” Kingston hissed through clenched teeth. He could not be any more humiliated. His resentment toward Kaze gnawed at him. Kingson did not hate Conan who made him kneel because Conan came from high places. It simply never occurred to him that he had to kneel before a moocher.The way Kingston saw it, he would not be in a humiliating positio
Kaze said with a smile, “Conan’s older brother takes orders from me, much less him.” Darcy frowned. She was skeptical that Conan reported to Kaze. Something must have happened after Conan rushed to Taurus Automobiles last night. “That reminds me, Kaze. How did the talk with Greg go?” On the way home, Darcy asked about something else. Kaze replied with a grin, “Didn’t I tell you that we nearly got all the kinks ironed out? Just wait for my good news.”His confidence gave Darcy assurance. Meanwhile, Kingston urgently withdrew 300 million dollars from the corporate account and led people to clear out the store before Conan released him.With Paladia Moose gone, another business moved in, and renovations started immediately. “Who took over the lease so soon?” Outside Golden Edge, Kingston applied medication to his face and asked Vilma menacingly. Left with nothing, Vilma clung to Kingston. She gritted her teeth and said, “It’s Rove, a local brand nearing bankruptcy.
Lil Dee’s team had to filter through these big-name invitations. Ordinary major labels were not prestigious enough for him to lend his name to them.Paladia Moose was a different story because the brand was a high-end luxury. A collaboration with Paladia Moose would elevate Lil Dee’s image. It was a win-win partnership, and the negotiations went on smoothly. They signed the contract right away. “Hahaha! That’s an easy three hundred million dollars, and that’s just for signing the contract. I can’t believe how easy it is to make money.” In a grand office, Lil Dee threw his pen aside and laughed in delight. Since Paladia Moose offered a lot for the endorsement, Lil Dee came personally to sign the contract and pushed back the day’s livestream schedule. Grinning from ear to ear, Lil Dee looked at Kingston and said brazenly, “The three-hundred-million-dollar signing fee should be wired to Lee Investment, Mr. Hacks.” “Don’t worry, Lil Dee. We know the drill,” Kingston respon
No other influencers or streamers had fame and celebrity status quite like Lil Dee. Lil Dee was a leading figure in the live-streaming community.“Sorry, I was a little late today, dear fam. I just learned of an infuriating incident.” Sitting in front of the camera, Lil Dee cut to the chase with an indignant look. Curious, the viewers were drawn to the story. Lil Dee was a national-level influencer. They were keen to know what could irk him. Not keeping the viewers in long suspense, Lil Dee pulled Kingston over. “This is my friend, Mr. Hacks, fam. He’s the vice COO of the Arcadian branch of Paladia Moose. “Do you see the bruise on his face, fam? “Kaze, the mafia, ordered an attack on him. That’s right, he’s the same mafia who beat me up.” The viewers blew up with rage when they saw Kingston’s bruised face. Kingston was a senior officer of Paladia Moose’s Arcadian region too, so he was a man of power and wealth. Still, Kaze hit him. Kingston started sadfishing.
Lil Dee’s accusation against Rove only worsened the already dire financial situation of the business.Not only was Rove’s online shop boycotted, but its stores were deserted too. While the new storefront in Golden Edge was under a facelift, a group suddenly barged in. “Rove is shit! You didn’t even donate a thing during the city’s disaster. You sure are eager to take the store from Paladia Moose though!” “Go to hell!” “I will never buy anything from your store!” The crowd outside the storefront grew amid the tirade of abuse. The new security captain of Golden Edge led his men to restore order to the place. “Golden Edge and Rove deserve each other!” “Come on. We are never shopping here again.” The emotional crowd walked away. It did not take long for the normally bustling Golden Edge to become empty and deserted. Inside Rove’s store, Hart stared blankly at the trashed entrance. The crowd had been gone for a while, but he was still locked in a trance. “The distri
The hostages were locked up in the containers. Some of them were elites in their own field while some were ordinary people with average income, yet all of them got into trouble when they boarded the plane. Most of them could not accept their fate. Yet they dared not defy or resist the mercenaries. When things started to calm down, they broke down in tears, weeping in silence as resentment consumed them. Kaze sat down at a clean corner that allowed him to look outside the window. The window was dirty but at least he could see outside. The space inside the container was filled with people sitting closely, offering comfort to one another. They were aware they were just temporarily safe in this container. No one knew what the mercenaries would do to them at the next moment. “My parents must be worried. I said I would call them when I land but now I can’t even get in touch,” Barney muttered as he sat beside Kaze. He too looked outside the window, his feelings mixed. He watc
Kaze thought of what he had overheard in the toilet. If he told the hostages about that, they would probably panic. “It’s nothing. They are just going to separate us into different rooms or containers. They said the buses would be disposed of,” he said. He did not want to reveal too much because it would cause panic. Once the hostages knew their lives were on the line, things might spiral out of control. The mercenaries could kill a few of them to make an example, and none of the hostages would dare to cause problems anymore. Kaze kept it a secret because he wanted to protect the people. “That’s it?” “Is there anything else? How many men are there? What is their plan? Who are they looking for?” “We want to know because we want to survive. This isn't our problem—we just got caught up in it.” The hostages looked at Kaze, their eyes filled with worry. They felt aggrieved because they should not be caught in such a huge problem. “I don’t know either.” No matter how m
“There’s a room there. Get in.” The mercenary pointed his gun at the mother and son, which led them to look at Kaze nervously, seemingly asking for help. “What do you want?” The mother was nervous. She clutched her son’s hand tightly, nearly making him cry, but she reacted quickly enough to cover her son’s mouth to prevent him from doing so. “All women must go into that room. You go in now,” the mercenary explained. He did not want the woman to get the wrong idea. “You people won’t hurt me, right?” the mother asked, worried that she might be ravaged. “We are not into MILF,” said the other mercenary who was escorting Kaze, indirectly assuring the mother. Kaze shot a glance at the mother and nodded at her. “They told us they were going to separate us, so there’s nothing to worry about,” he said, worried that the mother and son would not cooperate. The mother then carried her son and followed the other mercenary into the room. It was called a room but it was actually ju
“Can you make him stop? If the man comes back, we’ll be done for,” someone said. The kid’s crying made everyone anxious. “What can I do? He’s crying because he’s scared. I can’t just stop him.” The mother was afraid as well, and she did not want her son to be taken advantage of. “Calm down. Just don’t alert the men and we’ll be fine,” Miguel said, hoping to ease the situation. “I’ll fight him if he comes in. I believe I can make it,” someone said. Those with an impulsive nature grew restless from being kept on the bus for too long, feeling like livestock being kept in cages. “Shut it. They are coming,” Barney said after a glance outside the window. The other passengers fell silent, sat back down, lowered their heads, and tried their best not to look out the window. The mother quickly hugged her son and covered his mouth to prevent him from crying. Kaze felt peace and quiet once more, even the air felt smoother. He knew the passengers were merely ordinary people and
Unfortunately, Leah knew she would not get an answer out of Snow since she was refusing to help. Everything seemed to have changed following her mother’s disappearance. She tried to stay for answers but when security came in, she could not resist them anymore. It was the first time she was escorted out by security guards and it impacted her. She used to be the daughter of the CEO of Northborn Group—everyone respected her. She used to enjoy a privileged status. No matter where she went, she was the star of the event. Yet when her mother disappeared, everything changed. She wanted to look for Kaze but she had just lost the chance. Snow turned her down and gazed at her with contempt and irritation. Leah could not accept the changes but some things felt like they were destined to change. She was forced to leave the branch office but then had no idea where else to go. She felt abandoned by the world. Before this, she could still hope for Kaze’s help, but now she had no
Leah went to her mother’s company but did not find her anywhere. Joey was busy working in the CEO’s office. Leah went over and asked, “Joey, where’s my mother? I can’t reach her.” She wanted to know what happened to her mother. “I don’t know about your mother either. We went out together earlier in the day but I don’t know where she went. I can’t get in touch with her.” Joey was so busy that she could not even free herself from the desk to explain to the girl. “Where did she go? How am I supposed to find her?” Leah panicked. If even Joey did not know where her mother went, then something must have happened. A bad feeling rose from her heart. Things just got serious. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask someone else?” Joey did not have time to deal with the girl. Leah was unfamiliar with Joey’s coldness. Joey had always treated her with kindness and flattery, so the sudden coldness caught her off guard. She felt like something had changed. “Who should I be looking f
“No! My daughter is still in the hospital!” Katie refused to accept her punishment. She started to regret her decision but it was too late. “Now only you think about your daughter? I guess you are not that foolish, but have you thought about her when you betrayed Chairman Lee? “Don’t worry. Leah knew Chairman Lee personally and we won’t hurt her, but she might not live a good life anymore,” Snow said coldly. She did not want to put the girl in a difficult situation but her life as a princess would come to an end. “You can’t do that!” Katie could not believe Snow would do that. “I bet you never thought of the consequences when you leaked the information. Too bad. You’ve lost.” Snow revealed the truth because she wanted Katie to suffer for the decision she made. Katie would now regret every decision she made because she knew she had jeopardized her daughter’s life. She would feel like a fool. She devoted her life to climbing higher to gain more power but she ignored the
“I went to a bar to have a drink and I bumped into an informant of the Viper’s Den.” Katie looked helpless as she explained as if everything that had happened was planned out for her, pushing her to the edge step by step. It was a lively night at the bar. The atmosphere was pleasant and most of the guests were having a good time. Katie was a single woman. She needed care and love at times. She was alone when she visited the bar. She started off by ordering some drinks at the counter, waiting for a chance to meet a man who shared the same ideals. A drink or two later, maybe she could get herself a company for the night. As a grown-up woman, she had her desires. It was a way to release her stress. Katie entered the bar in a casual outfit but it did not diminish her elegant demeanor. When she sat down at the counter, a few young men approached her but she was not interested in immature boys. She continued drinking. She looked at the dance floor occasionally, searching for a
“Who do you think will believe you?” Arthur frowned. There were too many coincidences that it felt like a giant setup. “I’ve explained what I need to. Don’t interrogate me like I’m a criminal. I am the CEO of the Northborn Group.” Katie left them speechless. She had said the necessary and it was up to them whether they wanted to believe it or not. They did not have the evidence to charge her anyway. “You really think we can’t hold you responsible?” Snow was not really looking for a definite answer. The moment she suspected Katie, whether or not she was truly the traitor, Snow already had the right to hold her accountable. It was necessary to make things clear and it was to find out who Katie leaked Kaze’s information to. “It has come down to this. No matter how you deny it, it’s useless. We already know what you have done and you can’t escape. Even if you don’t want to confess, we can continue the investigation, and we’ll eventually find out the truth. “If you come clean