Everyone turned around and saw a bald middle-aged man strolling over with a stern look. It was Phil, the second-in-command of the State Culture and Tourism Administration. He heard that Darcy had arrived, so he came to look for her. The banquet served alcohol and there would be a social dance session halfway through. Phil wanted to look good by dancing with Darcy. With Darcyโs husband at the scene, it would only be more difficult for him to achieve his perverted goals. โMs. Quint, why did you bring your live-in husband here? Are you trying to disrespect me?โ Phil asked coldly. When the elites heard that Kaze was a live-in husband, their expressions shifted. The few men who tried to ask for Darcyโs number showed brazen disdain and contempt on their faces. A live-in husband. In other words, a useless guy who lived off his wife. They felt sorry for Darcy. The jealousy they had for Kaze instantly turned into a sense of superiority. The women lost interest in Kaze as w
โYeah. I wonder what fueled the live-in husbandโs confidence. What made him think he has the authority to oppose Mr. Lobo?โ โNot only did he live off his wife, but heโs also as blind as a mule. I wonder what Ms. Quint sees in him. I wouldnโt even want him to wash my feet!โ The men and women mocked and sneered at Kaze. One side was the second-in-command of the State Culture and Tourism Administration, powerful and influential; one side was the live-in husband who lived off his wife, lame and stupid. Even an idiot knew who to side with. Moreover, the young men and women represented their respective multinational companies and were sent to expand their businesses in Lilyrose. Of course, they would want to make Philโs acquaintance, someone with real authority. They believed it would be smarter to mock Kaze in front of Phil to earn the manโs attention. All of them showed no mercy in mocking Kaze, their words grew vicious as they continued. โMs. Quint, you should tell your hu
โKaze!โ Before Kaze could finish, Darcy stopped him with a fierce rebuke. She nudged Kaze and signaled him to stay quiet. Darcy then took a deep breath and said, โMr. Lobo, maybe I understood it wrongly. I thought Blossoms Corporationโs banquet was going to be formal, so I brought my husband along to show respect. I see others have their plus-one as well. โIf I misunderstood your meaning, then please forgive me. It is my carelessness that caused this unhappy meeting, so please excuse me. We will be leaving.โ Darcy would never agree to just send Kaze away. Compared to her career, she cared more about her husbandโs feelings. However, she did not want to risk a fallout with Phil either. She arranged her words to sound peaceful, somewhat flattering so that the meeting would not end on a bad note. She claimed that bringing Kaze along was simply out of respect for Blossoms Corporation. If Phil insisted on asking Kaze to leave, then he would be indirectly saying that Blossom
Both Kaze and Darcy turned a deaf ear at the mockery. Kaze did not even care about the so-called elites. If not because of Darcy, these noisy flies would not even get the chance to be in his presence. Soon, the group arrived at the banquet hall. The hall was decorated in classical Paladia style, a style similar to the old Victorian style. A huge crowd was already inside. Most of them were representatives from different companies and organizations, only a few from Lilyrose. Although less than a handful of people came over to greet Kaze and Darcy, Darcy's entrance turned heads. Her beauty and physique were top-notch in addition to her position as chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. Most of the guests were not locals and they had a natural sense of superiority over a small city like Lilyrose. Yet none of them felt that in front of such a beautiful and amazing woman. In short, Darcy became the center of attention upon arrival. โMs. Quint, nice to meet you!โ โMs. Quin
โWhat?!โ The crowd grew tumultuous when they saw what Kenneth did. He gave Kaze a million to divorce Darcy! It was not just about the money or the divorce. Kennethโs action was a blatant insult in Kazeโs face in front of everyone. Those who attended the banquet tonight were either important politicians or business elites. People with a net worth of less than a billion would not even dare to show up. A million was nothing to people like them. Only someone as useless as the live-in husband would see a million as a huge amount of money. No one spoke. All of them looked at Kaze and Darcy with utmost interest. Many of them gloated at Kaze. Darcyโs expression turned grim. Her eyes were burning with rage as she bellowed, โMr. Knull, please do not stick your nose into our private matters!โ She held Kazeโs arm and wanted to take him away, yet Kenneth did not plan to spare them just yet. He stepped up and stopped them from leaving. He looked at Kaze and said, โI see. Yo
The slap turned Kennethโs face to the side. The force threw him off balance, causing him to fall toward the long table with food and beverages. He managed to hold against the edge of the table to prevent himself from falling to the floor. The entire hall was silenced. All the guests widened their eyes in disbelief and stared at Kaze. No one expected Kaze to choose violence in such a prestigious place. The slap was strong and harsh, he did not hold back at all. Was he still the live-in husband that everyone looked down upon? Was this an action that a coward who took a million to divorce his wife could do? Everyone was stunned. No one understood what changed Kaze all of a sudden. โKazeโฆโ Darcy was also stunned. She did not expect the unannounced slap at all. Kaze smiled brightly at Darcy and said, โItโs okay. Itโs just a slap, I didnโt kill him.โ Kenneth covered his face, got up on his feet, and overheard Kaze. He was fuming. As a guest invited to the banquet
Even if Kaze really wanted to divorce Darcy, given Darcyโs net worth of a few hundred million, he would receive half of her assets as alimony. Only a fool without a functioning mind would believe a million was enough to make Kaze divorce Darcy and take nothing away. Was Kenneth a brainless idiot? Obviously not. In fact, not one person in this prestigious venue was a fool. If he was not a fool, then he must harbor ill intentions. It was obvious that Kenneth picked on Kaze with a hidden agenda. Since the man had never met him or Darcy before, which gave him no reason to start the conflict in the first place, it was not difficult to figure out that someone was behind this. Kaze stepped on Kennethโs chest and stared into the manโs eyes. โI donโt care who asked you to do it or what it is for, tell him to show himself and donโt hide in the shadows like a cowardly rat. Donโt be a pussy. If he wants to come at me, just bring it on. Iโll take it.โ Cough! Kenneth stared at Kaze
If Darcy suggested leaving before Kenneth caused trouble, Kaze would have left with her. He could not care less about the banquet. Now, however, Kaze shook his head and said, โLetโs stay for a while. If that guy doesnโt know when to give up, I can deal with him here and now. โDonโt worry, Darcy. Iโm here. You will be just fine.โ Kaze knew Kenneth would not just walk away, or more precisely, the person behind Kenneth would surely come back with vengeance. Would the mastermind, having meticulously orchestrated this, let this go so easily? Kaze did not want to have lingering problems. He wanted to solve it right here, right now. โOkayโฆโ Darcy hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded. Other than official business, she tended to listen to Kaze more. Phil instructed the server to clean the blood on the floor. As the atmosphere grew tense, he clapped his hands and said loudly, โEveryone, the banquet is starting. Letโs forget about the gloomy stuff. Sir Andrew is comi
โHow dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punishedโฆโ Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. โGiven Mr. Leeโs capabilities, he wonโt be hurt.โ The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. โI know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.โ Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. โBut thereโs nothing you can do now. Itโs late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They wonโt do anything yet.โ โItโs because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. Thatโs the only way to solve this matter!โ โBut weโve searched high and low and didnโt find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didnโt see any tracks.โ The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. โGood job.โ โThanks.โ Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. โIโll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you wonโt be charged and you wonโt need to take responsibility,โ Kaze said. Miguelโs pale face looked relieved. โWhat should we do now? Are there more of them?โ Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. โIโve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.โ He then took the gun from Miguelโs hands. โReally? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!โ Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. โDonโt look if you canโt take it! Donโt make things worse!โ โYeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!โ โI have never seen dead bodies like this before!โ he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. โCan we go out now and run away?โ The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. โIf you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, youโll be shot!โ Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening
โTsk. Hold on.โ Vexed, the man clicked his tongue and then waved at his colleague. โCome here. Someone fainted. Help me get him out.โ The man wanted to take the professor out of the container. Mansonโs heart pounded as he listened to the man. He was afraid he might be exposed, but there was no turning back nowโhe had to play along. Kaze stood behind the door, calming his breath down to lower his presence. โGet back. Stay away from the door. If anyone gets close, donโt blame me for being rough,โ said the man as he unlocked the container. He opened the door and saw a number of hostages still sleeping. He then looked at the professor on the floor. He went closer to nudge him but did not get a response. It seemed like the professor needed medical attention. โCome on. Help me get him out.โ The other man outside the container was on edge, looking as if he would pull the trigger at the slightest movement. โWhy donโt we do it?โ Callahan and Miguel volunteered. โYou two
โItโs freaking troublesome.โ โBoss, donโt worry about it. Weโll get an update tomorrow.โ โYeah. Itโs late. Get some rest.โ Tiguanโs men told him to get some rest and not worry so much. A few of them were already snoring on the chair. Tiguan sighed and killed the cigarette. He then closed his eyes to get some rest, too. The container that Kaze was in fell into silence once more. No one dared to make any noise but they all looked at Kaze, hoping to find out about his plans. Kazeโs eyes remained fixed on the window and showed no intention of revealing his thoughts. Miguel and Callahan were annoyed by the other hostages. โIf you people want to get out of here alive, you better cooperate or come up with your own idea. No one is responsible for saving you.โโYeah. I donโt want you guys to turn on us after we do all the heavy lifting. It will cost us our lives and you people wonโt even be grateful.โ Miguelโs tone was sarcastic because he disliked how the others looked at t
Kaze read the hostagesโ minds and refused to be used. He wanted to leave but not under such circumstances. โThatโs not true. We just donโt have the skills for this kind of situation. You guys are stronger, of course, you should be in the front,โ said the man in glasses and a suit. A hint of sharpness gleamed in his eyes. Miguel knew what the man was planning, either. โThatโs some plan you have there. You are just trying to use us to escape this place and no matter what happens, youโll win.โ โThatโs not it! I just want everyone to stand together and get out of this place. Iโve never thought of using anyone!โ the man argued, trying to look innocent. Even a monkey knew what he was planning, yet no one dared to speak up because they would benefit from it too. โWhy donโt you guys think of something? If you need our help, weโll help,โ said another middle-aged gentleman who looked more just and fair, as if he could lead the group. โThen what is your plan?โ Kaze suddenly wante
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. โMy parents must be worried. I said I would call them when I land but now I canโt even get in touch,โ 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. โItโs nothing. They are just going to separate us into different rooms or containers. They said the buses would be disposed of,โ 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. โThatโs it?โ โIs there anything else? How many men are there? What is their plan? Who are they looking for?โ โWe want to know because we want to survive. This isn't our problemโwe just got caught up in it.โ The hostages looked at Kaze, their eyes filled with worry. They felt aggrieved because they should not be caught in such a huge problem. โI donโt know either.โ No matter how m
โThereโs a room there. Get in.โ The mercenary pointed his gun at the mother and son, which led them to look at Kaze nervously, seemingly asking for help. โWhat do you want?โ The mother was nervous. She clutched her sonโs hand tightly, nearly making him cry, but she reacted quickly enough to cover her sonโs mouth to prevent him from doing so. โAll women must go into that room. You go in now,โ the mercenary explained. He did not want the woman to get the wrong idea. โYou people wonโt hurt me, right?โ the mother asked, worried that she might be ravaged. โWe are not into MILF,โ said the other mercenary who was escorting Kaze, indirectly assuring the mother. Kaze shot a glance at the mother and nodded at her. โThey told us they were going to separate us, so thereโs nothing to worry about,โ 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