Darcy went to her grandfather's place and Conan had men protecting her secretly. Even now, Conan did not receive any unusual reports. How did Darcy end up in Gareth’s possession? Kaze had a glance at Conan, who looked calm and confident, somewhat ignorant. He sighed and went into the ring. Since Darcy had gotten involved, whether the picture was false or Gareth was trying to blackmail him, Kaze would never dare to take the risk. He stepped into the ring and toned down his intense aura. He reverted to his usual demeanor but his expression remained cold. “Gareth Hornberg, you’ve crossed the line. You really went the extra mile to secure your goal. I don’t care about the result of this fight. If you want to win, I’ll let you win, but you shouldn’t have used my wife against me just so you can save face. “The consequences of making me mad are extremely severe.” Kaze stood in front of Gareth in the ring, warning him. Since the ring was quite a distance from the audience,
“Grandmaster Hornberg, is this the legendary Cotton Palm?” Looking at the grin on Kaze’s face, Gareth got furious. He further pushed his palm into Kaze’s chest. Kaze simply stood still and allowed the man to hit him. There was no way a palm strike, as soft as cotton, could hurt him. It was just slightly stronger than a tickle. However, because of the picture of Darcy being held captive, Kaze played along and took a few steps back and even feigned a painful look. “Huh!?” The scene left everyone in awe. The crowd cheered and grew tumultuous. Since Kaze crippled the four titans, they thought Kaze was able to last more than a few rounds or a dozen moves in the ring. Even if he lost then, the crowd would be more accepting of the outcome. To everyone’s surprise, Kaze could not even take one attack from Gareth. “Kaze Lee is weak! Did he really cripple the four titans?” “It’s not that Kaze Lee is weak, it’s Grandmaster Hornberg! He’s too powerful! This is how experts figh
“Still being stubborn, aren’t you? You really think you lost because you are unlucky?” Gareth turned around to the audience and said, “Is it really luck that he lost and I won?” “Hahaha!” The audience cackled. “Kaze Lee, you can’t even take one hit from the grandmaster, what are you talking about now?” “You challenged the grandmaster, beat up his disciples. If I were the grandmaster, I would have crushed you in the ring!” “The grandmaster is simply being kind for not taking your life!” “You lost the match and also the respect people have for you. Why are you still being so stubborn? What an embarrassment!” Those who sided with Gareth continued to mock Kaze. Caleb and the other Kaze’s followers reacted bitterly. They did not expect Kaze to lose so quickly. The heads of the Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families were petrified. Their faces looked pale and their hands turned cold as if their souls left their bodies. Kaze’s loss was not only embarrassing, but it also
Gareth had the strongest urge to kill Kaze and put this matter to rest once and for all but he knew it was impossible. Others thought Kaze was simply bluffing or refusing to admit his defeat. “Kaze Lee, the grandmaster spared your life and you still disrespect him? You are shameless!” “You are the embarrassment of Lilyrose!” An increasing number of the audience started to berate Kaze. Most of them were the investors under Dakota’s lead, Trent’s men, and Syed’s family. Gareth had finally defeated Kaze, which was their desired outcome. It felt like Christmas. They mocked and berated Kaze to vent their emotions. Gareth said coldly, “Kaze Lee, you have one last chance to kneel and apologize and I will forgive you!” He really wanted to step on Kaze and break him physically and mentally. However, Kaze did not even answer. He picked up his phone and wanted to walk out. “Kaze Lee, who allowed you to leave? Can’t you hear our master? Kneel and apologize!” One of Gareth
Conan then realized why Kaze lost to Gareth. Darcy was abducted, so Kaze was forced into a passive position. Due to that, Kaze was laughed at, disrespected, and criticized by many as the laughingstock of the city.Conan felt terrible after learning the truth. His forehead glistened with sweat as he asked, “The men I sent to protect Darcy update me every five minutes. Three minutes ago, I got their update and there was nothing wrong with the Quint family.” Judging from Conan’s reaction, Kaze knew he was not lying. “I’ll call them!” Conan quickly pulled his phone out. Kaze said, “There’s no point calling your men now. Tell Miru to send her men out and search for Darcy.” “Right! Miru! I’ll call her right away!” Conan immediately did so. Kaze called Draco and Don, and told them to send their men out to search for Darcy as well. In order to locate Darcy as soon as possible, Kaze used all his resources from the underworld and the authorities. Miru arrived at the gym
Kaze was not completely in the dark about the situation with Gareth. Following Nevan’s crippling fall, Gareth did not have a subordinate who could handle jobs independently. Out of alternatives, Gareth had to toss a few crumbs and use Mary Sue even though she was the one who drugged Stone into a coma. Hence Kaze could confirm that the mastermind behind Darcy’s abduction was Mary Sue. Gareth, on the other hand, was not the type to get his hands dirty. Even if he were involved in the kidnapping, he would instruct others to do the dirty job. He might not be aware of the details. That was the reason Kaze chose not to waste time on Gareth right from the start. Kaze was not a stranger to Mary Sue’s malicious ways. Once his fight with Gareth was over, Darcy would come to no use. There was no telling whether Mary Sue would take drastic measures against Darcy. After all, Kaze was feuding with Mary Sue’s master, Madam Hacks. Amid Kaze’s anxiety, a phone call came in. Kaze’s
Kailan knew this was the opportunity to turn his life around. Hence, he took the job without hesitation. Since his employers were so quick to dump him the last time, Kailan no longer pinned his entire hope on them. At the time, Deborah approached him with the intention of asking Kaze for a ransom. The couple hit it off right away. “Thank you, Ms. Quint. Thanks to you, I get to relieve myself with this woman and get cash for it. Haha!” Kailan handed Deborah a bottle of water and laughed. “Have fun, Mr. Skyfort. Even better if you enjoy her thoroughly so that everybody in the city knows that Kaze’s wife is well used,” Deborah said wickedly. She did not drink from the bottle. She was no longer the same person she used to be. Though Deborah was on the same side as Kailan, she kept her guard up. Deborah knew she was playing with fire by working with someone like Kailan. The pair’s conversation sent chills down Darcy’s spine. Still, she held herself together and said cu
The Quints were frightened, thinking it was another debt collector knocking on their door. The debt collectors had broken down the Quints’ gates before, and the shameful past still haunted them to this day. “Kaze!” Nevertheless, the Quints saw red when they saw who it was. They quickly tucked their emotions away, though. Kaze was no longer a man they could afford to cross. He was the chairman of Shangrila Group and the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm. Those titles alone lifted Kaze out of the loser status.At least, no one in the Quint family had the right to call him a loser. By the look on Kaze’s face, he was not here for the party. The Quints felt unsettled and confused by his aggressive approach. “Agnes, um…” Without the nerve to question Kaze, Logan turned to Agnes in distress. Agnes slammed the table and rose to her feet before uttering peevishly, “What the hell, Kaze? Why did you kick the door down? Hurry up and apologize.” “Darcy is abducted.” Kaze’s re
“Mr. Tenby, I thought you were speaking out for your friend, but you were just looking for an excuse to ask me out.“Try your luck with another girl. Here is not the place for you to pick up chicks.” The crowd gave Draig strange looks. Draig turned red. He glared at Buffy, tempted to lash out. Fuck. He got played. Buffy hit on him, and he simply responded. She turned things around and made it sound like he was picking her up. Unbothered by Draig’s rage, Buffy smiled charmingly. “Besides, a nice gentleman has invited me for dinner.” The crowd made guesses about who would be having dinner with Buffy. Buffy sauntered toward Kaze and sat next to him. As the crowd watched on in disbelief, Buffy hooked her arm around Kaze’s. Um… It was an eye-bulging moment. Nothing more needed to be said. It was unbelievable. Instead of steering clear, Buffy showed her fondness toward Kaze, a dumped divorcée. Buffy would make herself a laughingstock. Besides, Kaze did no
“Should I defend you instead?” Buffy pointed at Cyan. “I heard you mocking Kaze. You better watch it. “Otherwise, you can kiss your career online goodbye. I don’t care whether you’re with Golden Scale Corporation.” Cyan turned pale. She would not doubt Buffy’s words. Buffy’s father was the former deputy chief. Jude still held influence within the organization. She had access to wealth and resources through control over Gwake Corporation. It would not take much for Buffy to get Cyan canceled. All Buffy needed to do was bribe her way to the higher management of Golden Scale Corporation.Cyan held her tongue. Unable to stand Buffy’s arrogance, Draig stepped forward in disgruntlement. “You must be Ms. Gwake. Even if Cyan was a little harsh about Kaze, she was only looking out for Kaze. You are taking things far by assaulting Cyan.“Cyan is my friend. Shouldn’t you answer to me? “Oh, I should introduce myself.” Draig looked at Buffy and said indifferently, “I am Draig
“I’m telling you, Kaze. We won’t stand by and watch you prey on these socialites,” Cyan uttered indignantly as if she stood on the path of justice. Kaze sighed. “I really want to slap you awake if not for your dad, Cyan. “Draig, you’re something else to dig your own grave in your father’s name.” “Tsk!” “Who do you think you are?” Draig and Cyan turned their noses up at Kaze’s remark. Cyan clamored, “Come on. Show me what you got.“You’re a joke. I exposed you for who you are, and you, in turn, want to slap me? “I’d love to see you try—” A woman stormed into the place and raised her hand. “Smack!” The slap echoed through the silent room, and the crowd stirred. “Buffy?” “She’s the only daughter of Jude, the former deputy chief of the Viper’s Den South River State Branch. She’s the chairwoman of Gwake Corporation.” “She’s the one rumored to be dating Lee.” Chatters filled the room. The crowd looked at Buffy in shock. Buffy showed up out of nowhere and slappe
Kaze was definitely the only one to show up to Bronze Sparrow on a bicycle. It took guts to do so. Kaze grabbed his carbonated drink from the table and took a sip before turning to Draig. He said indifferently, “I didn’t know there was a rule that a divorcee can’t attend today’s celebration. “Is there a rule that guests can’t attend the party on a bike? “Who makes the rules?” Faced with Kaze’s questioning, Draig and the others were lost for words. The guests exchanged looks. There were no such rules. However, Kaze should know his place. Kaze was asking for a beatdown by crashing a high-profile party when he was just a nobody. Draig nodded furiously. “You never learn, Kaze.”“He’s hopeless now. He’s hit rock bottom, so he’ll stay put no matter what we say.” Cyan gritted her teeth. It was frustrating to deal with someone like Kaze. No one was getting through to him. Without looking at the pair, Kaze said blankly, “Are you done? You can leave if you’re done.”
Since the branch leader would show up, Cyan did not want the branch leader to know that she was associated with Kaze. It would only be damaging to her reputation. While the group sought Kaze out, the latter sat alone in a living room corner, snacking and scrolling on his phone. Kaze was too hungry to care about what anyone else thought of him. His cheeks were full. The rich and powerful furrowed their brows in disdain, keeping their distance from Kaze. For some reason, Cyan saw red. “Kaze!” She angrily yelled and got up in his face, “Why are you eating like you’ve been starving for days? “Why are you stealing food here? “Do you know where you are? You’re an embarrassment!” Cyan’s voice attracted a lot of attention. The crowd gathered and gossiped among themselves about Kaze. Kaze was just chilling on his own, eating, and playing a mobile game. Cyan and her friends came at him out of the blue. He was beyond annoyed. If Cyan was not Lock’s daughter, he would’ve sl
“Mr. Ettinger!” the Viper’s Den members greeted Collier with their heads down. Collier buttoned up his suit and nodded. “Ms. Delmore is still in the office. I came ahead of her to see if there’s anything more to do.” Since Kaze would be attending the celebration, Hannah and Collier wanted to make sure everything was in order. Cyan beamed at the sight of Collier and exclaimed, “Mr. Ettinger!” Recognizing Cyan, Collier greeted her with a smile, “It’s you, Ms. Yemen. Welcome. Why aren’t you heading inside? Are you waiting for someone?” Cyan was delighted by Collier’s warm welcome. She pointed at the head of the Viper’s Den members in charge of gatekeeping. “I want to get in but your people said we can’t enter without an invite. “I guess the other guests who went in didn’t need an invite.” That was the reason why Cyan and Draig seethed in a corner. They realized that no one produced an invitation to get into Bronze Sparrow. In other words, the Viper’s Den members were jus
As the air crackled with deadly intent, Draig’s heart pounded with dread. He was horrified that the Viper’s Den members were just as strong, if not stronger than him. Draig had no idea that these members were Viper’s Den South River State Branch’s key players. They were the elites of the elites in the South River State. “Easy there, gentlemen. Mr. Tenby is from abroad. He doesn’t know the rules of Arcadia. Please cut him some slack.” With Draig caught in a spot, Cyan came to the rescue. Since Cyan was nice about it, the leader of the pack scoffed and waved his arm. His companions quickly put away their weapons. “I don’t care where you came from, but you need to keep to the Arcadian rules since you’re here. You don’t get special favors here.” The leader stared at Draig and said icily, “This should not happen again. Now, get lost!” Draig burned with rage. The people, except for Kaze, had been bending over backward for Draig since his arrival in Arcadia. To think he
The Viper’s Den members yelled at Draig while pulling out their weapons. The air was thick with tension. Draig knew that it was not wise of him to fight during Hannah’s celebration. The Viper’s Den members would not stand by and let the commotion stew. Draig was caught between a rock and a hard place. By throwing the punch, he would be at odds with the Viper’s Den, but he could not turn the other cheek on the matter. “Just forget it, Mr. Tenby. Don’t get into it with a dropped loser. You’re only insulting yourself.” Cyan gave Draig an out. Draig retrieved his arm and scoffed. “Consider yourself lucky, Kaze.” A shadow of regret fleeted across Kaze’s eyes. If Draig were to start a fight, Kaze would have reason to finish him off and get rid of the annoyance. It was a shame that the Viper’s Den members stopped anything from happening. Cyan criticized, “Mr. Tenby is only looking out for you, Kaze. Yet, you stomped on his car key. You went too far. Hurry up and apologiz
“Nevermind. Why are we wasting our time with the likes of him? We don’t belong in the same world anyway.” Draig waved his arm. “Come on. Let’s get inside.” Dumping his car on the side of the road, Draig led Cyan and her friends into Bronze Sparrow. “Huh? How did Kaze get in? Can he get in?” one influencer exclaimed. The crowd watched in shock as Kaze stepped through the door. “Branch Leader!” The members of the Viper’s Den South River State Branch perked up when Kaze showed up. They, Hannah’s trusted aides, knew who Kaze was. Kaze acknowledged the greeting. “Is everybody here?” The head of the pack said in respect, “Many guests have arrived. Ms. Delmore and Mr. Ettinger will be here once they are done with work. Should I inform them to keep you company, sir?” “No, I’ll sit and wait.” Kaze waved his arm and made his way inside. “Hold it right there, Kaze!” Cyan’s angry voice came from behind. “Are you aware of the event at Bronze Sparrow? Do you know who the