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
Since Wanda was still Rose’s dance teacher, Rose was slightly afraid of her when she got mad. Rose’s face turned slightly pale as she timidly said, “Ms. Wanda, I…” Then, a strong and affirming hand held her own, filling her heart with warmth. Kaze looked at the angry Wanda and said coldly, “Wanda, look at yourself. Still calling yourself Rose’s coach?” Wanda was using her status as Rose’s coach to practically sell the girl away to the playboys. She oppressed Rose in front of Corax just so she could win the man’s favor. Despite her beautiful looks, her heart was rotten. “Kaze Lee, how dare you speak to me like that?” Wanda shouted angrily. She did not expect Kaze to talk back to her. When she saw Kaze holding Rose’s hand, she was fuming. “Kaze, you better get your dirty hands off Rose! And if you do not want to offend Young Master Corax, you better have a solid explanation,” she bellowed as she pointed at Kaze. Kaze scoffed, “What’s there for me to explain?” “Are
The entire bar was silenced once again. Corax looked grim and Wanda was terrified while the others were stunned. Had Kaze lost his mind? How dare he kiss Rose in front of Corax? Corax was obviously into Rose and expressed strong interest in sleeping with her, yet Kaze openly challenged him and exerted dominance with that kiss. Corax was the cousin of one of the Geranium Four—a relative of one of the top four families! With his status and wealth, he could get any woman with just a hand gesture, including celebrities and models. Yet he was embarrassed and challenged by Kaze because of a young girl. The girl used Kaze as an excuse, not giving Corax any chance to take advantage of her. Kaze openly challenged Corax with his provocative kiss in front of everyone. Corax stared at Kaze with utmost anger. He was fuming, and so was Wanda. She spent a lot of effort persuading Rose to join the gathering so she could matchmake Rose and Corax. As long as Corax was happy with
Rose shook her head to clear her strange thoughts. Having Kaze to herself was a dangerous thought. Darcy and Kaze were lovebirds. Kaze kissed and held her tight in front of Corax and Wanda because he wanted to protect her and nothing else. Rose’s shy punch on Kaze’s chest irritated Corax even more. To the others, it was an act of displaying public affection. Corax’s expression turned grimmer. “You useless piece of shit!” Then, a tall man with a buzz cut strode over to Kaze. Towering over Kaze, the man peered down at him and bellowed, “Punk, now I strongly believe you are an idiot! No one with a sane mind would try to snatch Young Master Corax’s woman from him! “One wrong step and you will be dead. Retard, have you seen a dead person before? Imagine if you were walking on the street and a truck ran you over all of a sudden. You will be smashed into pieces!” The man tried his best to scare Kaze. Kaze laughed and said, “You know, you remind me of another unlucky ba
“It’s up to you. I don’t mind staying.” Kaze knew what Rose was concerned about. If she decided to stay, he could use this chance to see what else Corax could do. Wanda chuckled. She was amazed by Kaze’s stupidity. Had Rose not stopped Jorge earlier, Kaze would have been slapped, but now he wanted to stay just for the food. Jorge and the others sneered at Kaze. Then, Corax got up and said, “I have a call to make. You guys continue. We can order some wine or whiskey when I come back.” He wanted to find out more about Rose’s father. Before he left, he shot a meaningful gaze at Jorge and Wanda, hinting at them to watch over Kaze. Jorge and Wanda understood. Corax wanted them to find some excuses to humiliate Kaze without angering Rose. After he left, Wanda said, “Rose, look at you. You are sweating from all the talking. You should take care of your image. Come on, let’s go to the toilet and fix your makeup.” Rose was indeed sweating and she was feeling uncomforta
“Finally he speaks! I thought he was mute!” “What are you going to do? Are you going to piss on the floor?” The men and women continued to laugh at him. Jorge looked askance at Kaze and said, “Retard, entertain us! I’m bored already!” “Now, now. I’ll be sure to satisfy you.” Kaze nodded strongly. Then, he lifted his sleeve and exercised his arm before swinging a slap at Jorge’s face. Bang! Jorge was taller and heavier than Kaze yet he spun twice on the spot before he fell on his butt. Splat! Jorge’s front teeth were knocked off, causing blood to ooze out like a fountain. “How does it feel? Exciting enough? You want more?” Kaze said with an evil smile as he looked at Jorge on the floor. He then looked at the others and his grin turned cold. “A bunch of idiots. Do you all want a slap on the face?” The entire bar was silenced. Kaze really fought back! It was an anticipated outcome because they would have a reason to beat him up, but Kaze’s slap was way too st
“Yeah! Beat the shit out of this idiot!” The women started to cheer on Jorge. “Bunch of idiots,” Kaze scoffed. He did not try to argue with them and instead walked closer to Jorge. “You must have a death wish!” Jorge narrowed his eyes fiercely as he saw Kaze walk up to him. He lifted his leg for a kick at Kaze’s chest. Kaze simply grabbed his ankle and swung his body onto the table. Bang! The table was crushed into pieces by Jorge’s tremendous body. “Argh!” He cried in pain as he curled up on the floor. The violent scene shocked the other men and caused the women to cry in fear. “I thought you guys wanted to break me. Come on, what are you waiting for?” Kaze went over to the others calmly and used his fists and kicks to knock them all out. In less than five seconds, all the other guys were down on the floor. “Shut up!” Kaze shouted at the screaming women, silencing them instantly. The screams were irritating to his ears. The women quickly covered the
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