“Yes, Uncle Sieg!” Syed said excitedly. In other words, Sieg wanted to keep Hart and Daphne in the house so they would not cause any trouble. Hart would lose all chances of fighting back with all the connections cut off. From today onward, Rove would belong to Syed and his supporters. However, the excitement did not last. Syed calmed down and glanced at Sieg before he nervously moved his gaze away. His young uncle from Geranium had just arrived in Lilyrose yet the whole company had already gone through a power shift with Hart and his family ousted. Syed was actually scared of Sieg. He knew that he and his family’s life and death were nothing but a word for Sieg. Sieg said, “Syed, I won’t spend too much time on Rove, so you’ll have to take care of the rest. Try to minimize the effect of the power shift and keep it running. “I will stay in Lilyrose for a while. I got reliable news that the mayor of Lilyrose is planning to renew the entire Old District. I came here to pl
Kaze did not know Hart and Daphne were already imprisoned at home with no contact with the outside world. Otherwise, he would certainly do something about it. “Keep an eye out and update me as things develop,” he said as he got up from his chair. He went to the city council and saw the flood relief efforts were progressing in an orderly manner. Caleb and Lou were skilled and experienced. After they updated Kaze about the progress, Caleb said, “Mr. Lee, there are some comments about you popping online recently and I wonder if you have seen them. “A number of people questioned your ability. Due to the flash flood, a series of problems were exposed and put under the microscope. Lilyrose’s governance is in chaos and they all blame you for being too inexperienced and incompetent…” Caleb expressed his disapproval through his upset tone. It was his true feelings because he saw with his own eyes what Kaze had done. If Kaze had not solved some of the problems, the situation woul
Rose pouted and said, “Kaze, you are the one who doesn’t stay home. Every day when I wake up, you are already gone. “I went to school every day, practiced my dance lesson, and studied for my upcoming test. I’m exhausted. How can you say that I’m out every day?” Rose had decided to go to art college after high school, so she had been practicing dance as one of her majors. Kaze smiled. “Dance? Like ballet or belly dance? When are you going to show me?” Rose had a nice body and her dance attire would definitely highlight her youthful physique. “No way! Not even if you pay!” Rose blushed when he realized Kaze was teasing her. She had another glance at Kaze and realized it was purely a joke and meant nothing else. For some reason, she was slightly disappointed. Then, she shifted the topic and asked, “Kaze, are you free tonight?” “Depends.” “My dance coach is asking me to join a gathering. I want you to accompany me.” Noticing the lack of interest on Kaze’s face, Rose e
On top of that, Wanda even came to pick Rose up. Even though it was normal for the coach to pick a student up, even in an expensive car, Kaze had a feeling that Wanda had ulterior motives. “Uh… I’m actually living in my brother-in-law’s house.” Rose did not reveal how many houses Kaze actually owned in the district. “Ms. Wanda, you are a local. Haven’t you heard of Skylar View District?” “I used to live abroad and only came back recently to start a dance school with my friends. I’m not familiar with the places anymore,” Wanda said. She then switched her attention to Kaze. “Who might this be? I told you Young Master Corax is joining us today and we only invite our circle. “I don’t think he will be happy about you bringing a stranger there.” Wanda switched to a harsher tone and scrutinized Kaze. “Young Master Corax?” Kaze finally understood Wanda’s intention. He looked at Rose and the girl looked slightly guilty. She timidly explained, “Kaze, Young Master Corax is o
Rose almost burst into laughter when Kaze decided to play dumb. She curled his arm, refusing to let him go. She said to Wanda, “Ms. Wanda, if Kaze isn’t going, then I’m not going either. “I promised to bring him along. I want him to have good food because he seldom gets the chance. You wouldn’t want me to break my promise right?” Rose wore an innocent look, though behind her big googly eyes were nothing but devious thoughts. Kaze could not help but knock her head. She made it sound like he had never eaten anything good. “Hmph.” Wanda chuckled in disdain. It seemed like he was not just an idiot, he was a glutton. She assumed someone as useless as him would not pose any threat to Corax or steal the limelight. He could even be the clown to entertain everyone. On second thought, it might be a good idea. With that, Wanda started to look forward to the gathering. She smiled and said, “No, no. I didn’t mean that. It’s just that I am concerned it might not be appropriate.
The car drove away from Skylar View District and headed to a bar street in the heart of the city. Half an hour later, they arrived at a bar that looked much more premium and expensive than the others. It was peak hour but the bar was much quieter than others. There was even soothing jazz music heard from the inside. “Young Master Corax reserved the entire bar for our gathering. It cost like ten grand just to book out the place. Now you know how important this gathering is.” As Wanda brought Kaze and Rose inside, she continued to flaunt Corax's wealth. Up until this point, her intentions were clear as day. The three of them went through a long corridor to reach the main floor. A dozen young men and women mingled inside, wearing beautiful clothes and looking confident. However, the spotlight was on the man in a black shirt, sitting in the center of the couch. He was tall and had pronounced facial features. He sat on the couch casually but each time he opened his mouth
The purer a person, the stronger his urge to taint it with his vicious claws. The thought alone aroused Corax and made him erect. He had to cross his legs to cover up his embarrassment. “Nice to meet you, Young Master Corax.” Rose smiled at Corax but did not shake his hand. Instead, she curled her arms around Kaze’s and said, “This is Kaze. I am not used to attending gatherings, so I brought him along. I hope you don’t mind.” She widened her pure and googly eyes, looking as innocent as a baby. She had to stop Corax before he gave Kaze a hard time. Looking at Rose intimately curled her arms around Kaze’s, Corax’s eyes narrowed a little. However, because of what Rose said, he could not use the situation against Kaze, or it would make him look cheap and shallow. “Uh… Why would I mind? We are all friends here, but who is he actually?” Corax asked after an awkward smile. “Kaze is my boyfriend,” Rose said confidently as she blinked innocently. “Boyfriend?” Corax’s expre
“Yeah. Don’t laugh at people’s disability, it’s terrible!” Everyone started laughing but they looked at Kaze with sympathy. “I’m sorry, Kaze. We shouldn’t laugh at you.” “Yeah. No one is perfect in this world. There are a lot of disabled people and as long as you don’t give up, you can still live a great life!” Someone even started to apologize and cheer him up. Being compassionate not only put them on the moral high ground but also gave them a deeper sense of satisfaction. Compared to being disdained, it would feel much more terrible when people sympathize with you. Corax put his hostility away and said with a smile, “Kaze, you can eat and drink whatever you like tonight. It’s on the house.” A mentally disabled man who married into his wife’s family was not from the same world as them. If not for Rose, Kaze would not even be in front of them. Corax found his hostility toward a man like Kaze amusing and laughable. He then looked at Rose and said gently, “Rose, you
The crowd fell silent as Kaze’s criticism and blows echoed through the room. Kaze pummeled Aiden’s face at least a dozen times. He only stopped when Aiden’s face swelled up. Tension lingered in the air. Everybody stared in disbelief as Aiden struggled violently against Kaze’s attack. The crowd assumed the roles would have been reversed. By right, Aiden should be the aggressor while Kaze would suffer in silence. Come to think of it, logic did not exist when Kaze was around. Aiden narrowed his eyes at Kaze as humiliation and anger washed over him. He gritted his teeth, his lips quivering, but no words escaped his mouth. Aiden understood that adaptation was crucial for survival. He would only be getting slapped on the face by talking back. Kaze looked at his bloody palm and wiped his hand on Aiden’s suit. The insulting gesture saw the crowd shivering and Aiden shaking with rage. Aiden clenched his fists. Nevertheless, Aiden held himself together. He had come
Sensing no threat, Kaze said with a pretentious smile, “Didn’t you lecture me about being understanding? “You should lead by example. I wanted to see if you could become the bigger person. “As you can see, you want to kill me for hitting you.“You’re one to talk about grace.” Kaze’s sarcastic remark painted Boris’ face red. Boris uttered exasperatedly, “You’re not on my level, kid.” “Oh, I guess your grace and tolerance are only reserved for those higher in the social hierarchy.”Kaze put on a stern look. “I have no idea what level I’m on, but I know you’re just a lapdog to the Krads. “Do you think we were blind to your little setup with Aiden? “You’re one of Riverbank underworld kingpins. It’s embarrassing for someone your age to put on that silly show.” Kaze took a step forward, his eyes fixating on Boris. “Tell me. What level are you on?” “Woah!” The crowd broke out in an uproar. Many on scene were oblivious to Boris’ little show with Aiden. While the secret
Kaze waved his arm like a total badass. Aiden and the others wished they could rip Kaze apart. It was annoying. Kaze got under everybody’s skin. Darcy and Kaze acquired Crown Tower and its surrounding land without spending a dime. More accurately, Aiden paid the price. Darcy was speechless, to say the least. She had no idea that Kaze could be so manipulative. If she were in Aiden’s shoes, she would probably be livid. “Thank you, Mr. Krad. You’re one of the good guys.” Kaze burst out laughing while thanking Aiden. The smug look on Kaze’s face was infuriating, but Aiden could only stand there, seething. “That’s enough, young man.” An old but commanding voice boomed. The crowd was taken aback as Boris, one of the Riverbank underworld kingpins approached. “Don’t push it, young man. You have won, and I suggest you should leave it at that,” Boris said indifferently. Despite his flat tone, Boris was critical of Kaze. “Boris is right. Kaze, you got lucky this
“That’s right. The rules are clear.” Kaze grabbed a rulebook and said with a smile, “You are the highest bidder after me.“I gave Mr. Krad a chance, but he didn’t take it.” Aiden asked, “Is there really such a rule?” “There is, Mr. Krad.” The head of the committee gulped hard and said with a wry smile, “We established a rule for Crown Tower, and it must be sold regardless of the price.” The rule was reserved for Crown Tower. The Seven Star District Council had been trying to sell Crown Tower for a while now, but a suitable buyer had yet to meet the council’s requirements. Hence, the council would accept any bids above ten billion dollars. Since Kaze could not afford his bid, the land would go to Darcy, the second-highest bidder. Her bid was exactly ten billion dollars. The land fell back into Darcy’s hands. However, Kaze and Darcy were independent bidders. Darcy represented Sky Ocean Corporation while Kaze was an individual buyer. It was clear that Darcy and Ka
“You don’t have that kind of money?” Everybody looked at Kaze in shock. He did not have that kind of money. Yet, he bid fifty billion dollars. The head of the organizing committee was stunned for a moment. He quickly chuckled dryly and said, “Please don’t joke around, Mr. Lee.” “Am I? I’m not kidding.” Kaze shrugged. “I don’t have forty billion dollars. My net worth isn’t even worth that much. “I took an advance of ten billion dollars from my Centurion card. It’s only an advance. I still need to pay the money back. “I’ve never taken money out of the Centurion card because I don’t have the funds to pay it back.“All I have is ten billion dollars, and the money was from Mr. Krad.” The crowd was taken aback. Aiden was in disbelief. “Why did you bid, Lee? You went as high as fifty billion dollars. “Don’t be something you’re not!” Joan and the others rolled their eyes. “So I can’t bid when I’m broke?” Kaze said matter-of-factly, “You called me a sucker for biddi
Joan sneered. “Heh. Don’t take us all for idiots. Good luck to you.”“Mr. Lee has put in his bid. Aren’t you going to seal the deal?” Paying Kaze no heed, Aiden looked at the auctioneer. The auctioneer got the hint and shouted excitedly, “50 billion dollars, going once. “50 billion dollars, going twice. “50 billion dollars, going thrice. “Sold to Mr. Lee at 50 billion dollars.” The auctioneer turned to Kaze and said with a smile, “Congratulations, Mr. Lee. The rights to Crown Tower are yours.“I’m also pleased to announce that your 50-billion-dollar bid has set a new record for the highest bid in the history of Four Ocean Auction.“Once again, congratulations to you.” “Clap, clap.” With Aiden taking the lead, the room was filled with thundering applause. Nevertheless, the crowd simply mocked Kaze for his foolish decision. Kaze did not stop at scamming Aiden out of ten billion dollars. He took things far and shot himself in the foot. Before, the crowd was impres
“I think we can all see who the real idiot here is.” As reality sank in, Aiden and the others looked at Kaze as if he was the clown. Kaze outsmarted Aiden with the sale of the Golden Toad. However, Crown Tower and its surrounding land were not worth fifty billion dollars. It was true that the Ryokanians had their sights set on the land and enlisted the Krads’ help to acquire the sale. However, the Ryokanians would not pay more than what the land was worth. Even if Sky Ocean Corporation secured the sale, the Ryokanians had their way to steal the land from the company. As Aiden said, Darcy would not be able to keep the land for long. Crown Tower could not cripple Aiden. Aiden could just drop out of the running since the bid was way past his price point. To think Kaze would play the same strategy twice. Who was Kaze trying to fool? On stage, the auctioneer was taken aback by Kaze’s outrageous bid. She wondered if she heard it right. Moments later, she asked skeptic
Darcy’s eyes burned with rage. “Mr. Krad, I’d rather buy the land and let it rot than let you win.” “Bam!” Aiden stood up, knocking his chair over. He stared at Darcy menacingly. “You’ll be sorry, bitch!”“If you want to make a scene, you’re better off outbidding me.” Darcy taunted. With the gloves off, Darcy was no longer compelled to be civil with Aiden. “10 billion dollars, going once. Are there any other bids?” The auctioneer’s voice trembled. “10 billion dollars, going twice.” She looked at Aiden. Aiden turned ashen, mainly because Darcy pissed him off. Still, he had to stop the auctioneer from hammering the gravel and giving the land to Darcy. Aiden drew the line for thirty-five billion dollars. The competition was far from being over. He decided to go big to crush Darcy all at once. Darcy would have to cover all his losses anyway. With that in mind, Aiden gritted his teeth and said with a menacing smile, “Twenty-five—” “Can you just cut to the chase?
Darcy said indifferently, “Working in business, we want to make sure every penny counts. We can’t be as lavish as you, Mr. Krad.” It sounded like a compliment, but the sarcasm was buried within. She was implying that Aiden was flexing his financial muscles. Aiden grimaced. He did not expect Darcy to snap back at him. After a scoff, Aiden cocked his head back and said menacingly, “Six billion dollars.” Excited by the heated competition, the auctioneer cried, “Six billion dollars, going once. Are there any other bidders? “Six billion dollars, going twice.” Darcy uttered without hesitation, “Six point one billion dollars.” “Seven billion dollars!” Aiden bid on and sneered. “You’ll be sorry for taking me on, Ms. Quint.“I can tell you now that we were only going to spend five billion dollars on the land. “You’ll pay for all the losses.” Dropping his gentleman act, Aiden uttered grimacingly, “If you know any better, you should leave right now. Stop giving me problem