“But Mr. Hobbs, Kaze is just using the media to his advantage.” Desmond said in distress, “The press wants a headliner. They work in the media and have the resources. It will take a lot of money to settle them down.” “Then, spend a lot of money to set them straight. We are all in it for the money.” Samson said menacingly, “Just do what you are told. Make the press stand with us to crush Kaze. “If Kaze wants to dig his grave, we might as well ruin him once and for all.” As expected from a veteran in the business. Samson was able to get a grip on himself during the time crunch and figured out a way to turn the tables on Kaze. He gave Desmond careful instructions. Desmond went from being flustered to gaining confidence and composure. In the hall, some journalists pulled out their laptops to pen out an article. No one wanted to pass up reporting on the big news. They edited the headline and article, making the news piece as eye-catching as possible. Desmond put away
“Um… I need to verify Lil Dee’s donation, so I’m holding off from posting the news for now.” “That’s right. We should report the news in a neutral manner. We can’t publish the news article because we have unverified documents.” “I’ll need further checking before I can proceed to do anything.” The press took their stand. One minute, they were typing away. Now, they shut their laptops. Faye looked at Kaze’s grimacing face and said angrily, “I work for the Red Foundation. Are you saying the evidence I provide is fake? “You are all lying through your teeth. Neutral, my ass. “You call yourselves journalists, but you can change the story when it suits you.” Faye lashed out at the press. Desmond uttered coldly, “You’re just a tiny executive for the Lilyrose branch. Do you really think you’re all that? “Who are you to represent the Red Foundation? “The list of donors posted by the Red Foundation is still on Twitter this morning. It’s clear it hasn’t changed its stance.
“What did you say? Tax evasion? Care to elaborate, Kaze?” Desmond froze. It took seconds before he started flipping out. Desmond could still explain himself for faking the donation. The Red Foundation only made the one-billion-dollar donation public this morning. He could still save his skin because the press was on his side even if the truth was out. Desmond could always say that the donation would be in installments. However, if he were found to be evading tax, the public would not stop at just grilling Desmond. He would become the victim of a public witch-hunt. The press fell silent once more. They stared at Kaze, who smiled faintly. Getting goosebumps, Kingston stared intently at Kaze as a bad feeling overcame him. Kaze looked too composed for his liking. It was the silence in his confidence that was terrifying. Kaze glanced at Faye and said with a smile, “Show him the document.” Faye held some papers in her hand. She went up and tossed them on Desmond’s f
“What are you going to do, Kaze?” After a momentary daze, Desmond looked up and glared at Kaze. Things were not so bad yet. Since Kaze gave the materials of his tax evasion instead of handing them over to the relevant department, all hope was not lost yet. “What do you think I want to do, Desmond?” Kaze returned the question to Desmond with a smile. Desmond took a deep breath and propped his hands on the ground to rise to his feet. He stood before Kaze. “If you pass the file to me and forget about the whole thing, I promise not to go after you and your wife, Kaze. “I will even clarify to the press that we have reached an agreement.” Pulling himself together, Desmond said composedly, “Besides, I can even promote the companies you are associated with. “Oh, right. Didn’t you want publicity for Rove? I can promote Rove on my live stream and sell its products.“You should know the influence I hold as a nationally recognized influencer. I hold the key to Rove’s survival.”
Desmond stepped back in fright. He looked at Kaze in horror and fury. “So you’re not for it, Kaze? “Do you even understand what I am proposing? You didn’t even consider it.” Desmond just presented Kaze with an offer of a lifetime. The offer was too tempting to refuse. The profit that an influencer of his caliber could bring was enormous. Barely anyone could resist it. However, Kaze remained unfazed. He said indifferently, “You said something similar when endorsing Mountain Dew Resort, Desmond. “But I don’t negotiate with snakes. “Oh, calling you a snake will flatter you. You’re just a dog, all bark and no bite. “All you can fool is a child. “The only thing you need to do now is get on your knees and beg.” Desmond opened his mouth to speak, but then thought better of it, seeing Kaze’s resolve.“Don’t do anything reckless, Kaze. We can always talk about it.” With Kaze pulling out his phone, probably to report him to the authorities, Desmond’s heart sank. Gritti
“I have proof of Desmond’s tax evasion activities. You can send someone to investigate his office.” When Kaze put down the phone, the hall of Desmond’s workplace remained silent. Everybody stared at Kaze in shock. No one expected Kaze to report Desmond to the authorities after what Kingston and Desmond had said. Kaze was a dummy. He sure was headstrong. To think Kaze tried to drag Desmond to hell. Everybody knew that the whole thing had blown out of proportion. Arcadians lived by two codes, which were inevitable. One was death. The other was paying taxes. The IRS was a powerful law enforcement agency. For Kaze to tip them off with his real name, the IRS would surely investigate the matter. Despite Desmond’s multiple backers, the investigation was going to happen. On top of that, Kaze held proof of Desmond’s tax evasion. “You have gone mad, Kaze! Fucking mad!“Do you know what you have done? You’re not just getting me killed. You’re in trouble too!” Feel
“Hand over the evidence, Lee, and we might just spare you.” “Look at yourselves. How dare you try to take our jobs away! We can kill you for pushing our buttons!” Desmond’s staff surrounded Kaze’s group and yelled at them maliciously. Faye and the employees of Rove went weak behind the knees from fear. Desperation drove Desmond’s staff crazy. However, Kaze kept his composure and chuckled. “I beat you up several times, Desmond. “Do you think I can’t handle your staff?” Desmond grimaced. He knew what Kaze was made of. During the disaster relief, Kaze hurled a dozen of Tendon Ltd.’s best security officers into the water. Kaze, on the other hand, was unscathed. “So what if you can fight? You’re too chicken to kill anyone.” Desmond scoffed and took out his phone. “Just surround him. I’ll contract help to kill him.” He had the connection to hire a few experts. Soon, he contacted a few outlaws living in gray zones and put away his phone. “Before my people arrive, h
“W-What? It’s Conan of the Butterworth Queens!” Desmond exclaimed when he heard Kingston calling the young man’s name. He and his staff turned pale. Everybody heard Conan address Kaze with the utmost respect. Why would an heir of the Butterworth Queens take orders from a wife moocher like Kaze? No one could understand. However, that did not matter. Conan was furious to see Kaze surrounded by Desmond’s staff. “How dare you encircle Kaze! “Take them down! I expect everybody to lose a limb.”At the wave of Conan’s arm, his team of suited men charged forward. “Urgh!” “Ow!” “Don’t!” Agonized cries ensued. In less than a minute, those surrounding Kaze collapsed to the ground with a broken leg. Even the press, who stood on the sidelines, gasped. Desmond and Kingston paled in fright. Conan drew close. “So you must be Lil Dee? “You have been stirring shit about Kaze online, bastard.” “Smack!” Conan slapped Desmond in the face. Desmond shuddered without a w
“The head honcho made a wise choice.” South talked as if the plan benefited them all. The Steelclaw Guild did not consider the risk of sending Anzu after Kaze and his loved ones. Kaze survived the assassination and proved to the Steelclaw Guild that he was worth the risk. However, what if he had died? The Steelclaw Guild would let Phoenix know that she owed them one. Either way, the Steelclaw Guild would not be losing out on anything. The Steelclaw Guild had a collaboration with Kaze, but they were not in on it together. Kaze shook his head. The Steelclaw Guild was an assassination organization for a reason. They only worked for themselves and were not worth Kaze’s trust. He said curtly, “Tell your head honcho that I don’t owe your people anything anymore. “But you owe me one.” No one else but Kaze would demand something from the Steelclaw Guild. Anyone else in Kaze’s place would swallow the bitter pill and move on. Not Kaze, though. He was not scared of the
With Anzu dead, Kaze got rid of one major problem. Since the police would tie up loose ends at the funeral parlor, Kaze and Darcy’s family were free to leave under the escort of police officers. Other Quint family members in the South River State departed alongside Kaze and Darcy’s family. These people feared for their lives. It dawned on them that they were safe with Darcy’s family, especially since the police were determined to keep Darcy’s family safe and sound before. They followed Darcy’s family, not leaving them out of their sight. Dozens of members swarmed into Villa No. 1, leaving the residence rather cramped. “It’s such a waste of space for a small family to live in a big, luxurious place.” “I guess there are perks to kissing up to the mayor.” The Quint family members, making themselves too at home, occupied the space and made snide remarks. Darcy did not possess power or influence after losing Sky Ocean Corporation. They did not care what Darcy’s family t
Like Joan, Phoenix never would have imagined that she would die in such a humiliating way. Kaze did not even move his hands. He simply said a few words and Anzu killed her. Phoenix died with her eyes wide open, but the light quickly faded. The last image reflected upon her eyes was Kaze grinning brightly with his teeth gleaming under the light. “Bastard…” That was Phoenix’s last word. In just the blink of an eye, the respected elder of the Quint family had turned into a lifeless corpse. Every other family member at the scene gasped in shock. “Die, Kaze Lee!” Anzu’s killing spree did not stop with just two deaths. She shouted at Kaze but she dashed toward Darcy. Swoosh! Kaze had anticipated this. With a swift movement, he shifted sideways to position himself in front of Anzu, blocking her. Anzu swung her arms forward, launching multiple poisoned shurikens at him. Darcy was right behind him, so Kaze dared not dodge the shurikens. It was either him or Darcy. Howe
Joan shouted, “Stop talking nonsense and kneel! She wants you to kneel and Grandaunt Phoenix can be freed!” “That’s right,” Anzu affirmed with a nod. Kaze looked at Joan and bellowed, “I can kneel but you have to release Joan first, at least show some sincerity. How do I know you are not trying to trick me?” Since when did Kaze become such a kind-hearted person? Crack! While Joan was baffled by the question, Anzu stepped on her knee without even blinking. Crack! “Aaaargh!” Joan wailed as her body convulsed violently, her piercing screams grating on everyone’s ears. Phoenix finally caught a breath and shouted, “Kaze, one more word and I will kill you and your family! You must have done it on purpose! You must be! “Get over here and kneel, or else I will strangle you myself!” Joan cried with utmost resentment. She was already bound to a wheelchair and now her knee was broken. The one she hated the most was not Anzu but Kaze because he got her into this situation.
“Kaze, you little bastard! Are you trying to get me killed?!” Phoenix tried to force Kaze into submission. If her gaze could materialize, it would be the sharpest knife at Kaze's neck. “Anzu, do you know what you’re doing? That’s the elder of the Quint family, the respectable Grandaunt Phoenix Quint! Lay a finger on her, and I assure you that even if you run back to Ryokan, hell will come after you.” Huh? Phoenix was suddenly stunned. Was Kaze not the most defiant and disrespectful? Why would he flatter her in front of the hitman now? She had hired the Steelclaw Guild to kill him and his family, and only now he started to realize the gravity of the situation? Was it a little too late? Crack! At the next moment, Phoenix felt an immense pain in her hand. Anzu had actually broken one of her fingers without even saying anything. “Aaaargh!” Phoenix cried in agony as the pain tormented her. Anzu looked at Kaze coldly and said, “I’ve broken one of her fingers. What are y
“Let go of Grandaunt!” “Release Joan!” “Release them and you can leave in one piece!” Some of the Quint family members, plus the bodyguards, pressed forward carefully, shooting at Anzu to pressure her. Judging from their nervous looks, Anzu knew she was right. The two hostages she held right now were the two most powerful people in the room. No wonder Kaze’s in-laws knelt before the two of them earlier. From the looks of it, the two hostages were someone powerful; not even Kaze’s family could afford to offend them. Anzu’s initial plan was to seize Kaze’s in-laws but she was glad she changed her target after she entered. She knew that with her strength alone, her odds of killing Kaze were slim. When she was captured by Kaze and tortured by Collier, her body suffered terrible trauma and had yet to recover, weakening her. The only way she could get her revenge was to capture Kaze’s closest people and use them against him. The thought put a grim smile on her face. She
“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