The crisp sound of another slap was a rude awakening to all. “Well, show me how capital is your game,” Kaze withdrew his arm and said nonchalantly. Members of the supercar club widened their eyes once more. Kaze was mad beyond redemption. They could write off Kaze’s first assault as an act of impulse. However, when Kaze landed another hand on Tank after the threat, it became clear that Kaze was not acting recklessly.Kaze was digging his own grave. “Why did you hit Tank again, Kaze?” Scared stiff, Darcy pulled Kaze back from another attack. No one could endure multiple assaults in public, much less Tank. At this rate, Tank would never let things go. Given Tank’s resources, his revenge would rain on them hard. Kaze took Darcy’s hand and removed her restraint from his arm. He consoled her, “What are you worried about, babe? I already hit him. It’s not like he’ll forget about the whole thing if I stop now.” Darcy was lost for words. Kaze’s strange logic somehow
Tank put his hand over his face and shouted angrily. The strain in his voice was clear. The only thing on Tank’s mind was to squish the bug. Kaze was just a lowly son-in-law of the Quints. Yet, he had the nerve to attack him repeatedly, and his face at it. Tank would never live it down unless he killed Kaze. “You’re one to talk, Mr. Gebach.” Kaze chuckled and said indifferently, “If you think this is pushing it, then so be it. “If you have the ability to crush me, do your worst. “If you don’t, just stand straight and take the beating.” Kaze threw back at Tank the very words he had used on Darcy. He flung back the insult to Tank.“Fine. I’ll show you.” Gritting his teeth, Tank whipped out his phone. Words were pointless at that point. Only by killing Kaze could Tank get over his rage. “Mr. Gebach is mad, Kaze. You’re dead meat.” “He has the resources and connections to crush you. You’re just a naïve moocher. You have no idea what you are in for.” “You will
A casually dressed man took strides toward the group. The man looked ordinary, the type that would not stand out in a crowd. However, there was something about his composure that could not be overlooked.“That’s Mr. Brams of Red Mount Capital.” Many exclaimed as they recognized the man. Jeremy Brams was the managing partner of Red Mount Capital.Tank held sway when it came to investments in South River. Jeremy, on the other hand, had influence across the nation. It was clear who was higher in the food chain. However, more surprises were to come. Many individuals swarmed into the club. “Haha. You are the face of Red Mount Capital. Where is your pride as the managing partner? I can’t believe you raced ahead of us.” “We know what you are up to, Jeremy. You are so embarrassing.” “You’re making it as if we don’t know Mr. Lee is here.” The subsequent individuals, who entered the place, teased Jeremy. The supercars club members were dumbstruck. The banter made
Mr. Lee? The group of renowned investors addressed Kaze formally. Cetus and the others were dumbfounded. They had to suspect Kaze was more than the son-in-law of the Quints. Ignoring the youngsters, the investors focused all their attention on Kaze. They stared at Kaze fervently. It was as if Kaze was their prey. Proficient in reading the room, these prominent figures knew what had happened in the supercars club. One of them snickered. “You acted fast and got in touch with Mr. Lee quickly, Tank. “But it seems you didn’t make much of a good impression. Haha!” The individual put Tank down. The feud between Tank and Kaze went past making a bad impression. Not only did the discussion about Rove not happen, but Tank’s face was bruised and swollen thanks to Kaze. After today, Tank would become the laughingstock of the community. Tank pulled a blank face and said curtly, “Don’t try to stir the pot. It’s none of your business. You can talk about your business once
As Tank was not willing to call a truce, Jeremy frowned. Jeremy turned to Kaze. “Why don’t you apologize to put an end to this, Kaze?” Kaze turned a deaf ear to Jeremy’s request. “You talk like you have beaten me, Tank.” Kaze looked at Tank and said with a faint smile, “Here’s the thing. “Just come at me with whatever you got. “Let’s see who survives in the end.” Since Kaze would not budge either, Jeremy felt a headache coming. He had no idea where Kaze found the confidence to go up against Tank. Still, he said solemnly, “You are free to use the South River Group at your disposal, Tank, but I will do everything in my power to stop you. “I don’t mind joining your little game.” The supercar club members were shocked that Jeremy had Kaze’s back. Even Darcy was surprised. Kaze did not seem to know who Jeremy was. Yet, Jeremy offered his unwavering support. What happened next was even more mind-boggling. “Jeremy made his stance clear. I can’t just let him show
Jeremy’s remark blew the minds of Cetus and the others. What did Kaze do to deserve the appreciation of big-name investors? It was not several million dollars or tens of millions of dollars. The amount was several hundred million dollars. No one would call that chump change. Yet, Jeremy offered to pay for Kaze. “There’s no need for that. Thank you.” Kaze turned Jeremy down and said to Cetus and his group, “I’ll cut to the chase. Write a statement to clarify your trashed car has nothing to do with me. Mr. Glitter ordered your vehicle to be destroyed.” Write a statement? However, Kaze was the one who got their sports cars ruined. There were over a hundred finest supercars. Yet, the bastard ruined them all. Insulted, members of the supercar club glared at Kaze. Cetus said angrily, “You’re pushing it, Kaze. It’s absurd of you to expect us to sign a disclaimer after you—” “Smack!” Kaze cut him off with a whack. “You write the statement.” Holding his face, Ce
“Tell you what. Why don’t we call it a day, and you can send me an investment proposal when you get back? I will contact those who will make a good fit with Rove.” Kaze proposed an idea. These investors came with the intention to help. Although he did not need any help, there was no need to be hostile toward kindness. It was inappropriate to pick and choose a few while offending others for no reason. Though Kaze was not afraid of trouble, he wanted to avoid adding to his problems unnecessarily. Taken aback, Jeremy took a long, hard look at Kaze and replied, “Alright. That’s a good idea, Kaze. We’ll talk soon since you can’t decide with all of us here.” He then walked away without stirring a fuss. Adrian from Green Source Foundation and Archie from Yellow Stream Capital left thereafter. These three investors belonged to the most influential investment firms. They were confident they could offer something Kaze would be happy with. The other investors did not share th
“If you think South Hill Holdings don’t have enough means to sort out your problems, Peony Funds have you covered, Kaze,” a partner of Peony Funds said. With Dakota’s face falling, the investor said with a smile, “Don’t be mad, Dakota. We can’t fight with Red Mount Capital, Green Source Foundation, and Yellow Stream Capital. “Instead of letting these firms secure a partnership with Rove, we might as well band together and give Jeremy and the others a run for their money. “The profits will be shared, but so are the risks.” The tension in Dakota’s face eased. The investor from Peony Funds had a point. “You’re right. We can form a coalition.” “Count us in.” “That’s right.” The other investors expressed interest in allying. Red Mount Capital, Green Source Foundation, and Yellow Stream Capital had been dominating the scene for far too long. The other investors had longed for a chance to join up to compete against the big names. Dakota replied with a grin, “Alright. We wi
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