In addition, no one at the banquet knew the woman’s background. She and Darcy were the two most eye-catching ladies of the night. Their presence alone outshone the other ladies at the banquet. The woman rejected another guest’s invitation and went over to Kaze to ask if she could sit down together. Kaze was a married man, his wife was with him. He was also a live-in husband who lived off his wife. What charms he possessed that allowed him to win the woman’s attention? Kaze was placed under the spotlight once more. If looks could kill, the other men at the banquet would have slain Kaze a thousand times over with their jealous stares. Darcy looked at the alluring woman and her brows instinctively furrowed. For some reason, she sensed danger. She had a feeling that the woman could snatch Kaze away. She replied, “Excuse me…” “Have a seat.” Before she could finish her sentence, Kaze already invited the woman to sit down. “Thank you.” The alluring woman adjusted h
Andrew was different. In Arcadia, where the tendency to favor foreign influences grew larger by the day, these overseas capitalists had countless methods at their disposal to deal with a person. How could Kaze not be worried? “Then do you know that recently there has been another powerful figure from a foreign land coming after you?” Honey jumped to the next topic since the first one did not scare Kaze. “Oh? This is news to me. You seem to know who it is,” Kaze asked. “Of course. Dallas’ intelligence network is quite extensive.” Finally, something Kaze did not know! Honey was happy because for once she was a step ahead of Kaze. She said with a smile, “The man is Gareth Hornberg’s senior and compared to Sir Andrew Baux, this man is more powerful…” “Just tell me who he is,” Kaze interrupted her rudely. “You are a mood killer.” Honey rolled her eyes at him out of annoyance. Even her annoyed expression looked alluring and charming. Darcy felt threatened. She had no
Kaze and Darcy turned to the entrance as well but they saw no one there. In other words, Andrew had yet to arrive, yet the guests already got up and were ready to welcome him. Even Phil, Matt, and the other executives from Sunrise City got up and waited for the man with utmost respect. “Sir Andrew holds such high prestige?” Darcy blurted instinctively. Honey smiled and said, “It seems like Ms. Quint isn’t familiar with Blossoms Corporation and Sir Andrew Baux. “Blossoms Corporation, which is also the Tulip Corporation, is one of the top ten multinational companies in Paladia. They are as rich as the country itself. Even Dallas has a lot of business connections with them. “Sir Andrew Baux is the direct descendant of the Tulip Royal Family, knighted by the Queen of Paladia herself. “You should know that when the heads of some of the most powerful families in Geranium City were knighted, they were already old men. But Sir Andrew is not even in his 30s. You can only imagine h
Andrew nodded indifferently and said, “Sorry to keep everyone waiting.” “It’s fine!” many of the guests quickly responded. Most of the female guests, other than Darcy and Honey, looked at Andrew with overflowing admiration. Aside from his attractive features, his identity as the direct descendant of the Tulip Royal Family alone was enough to charm the women. However, Andrew came to the banquet with a plus-one. “Sir Andrew, who might this be?” Phil asked politely. The woman might wear heavy makeup and be distinctively different from Honey’s natural allure, she was close with Andrew and it was enough for Phil to show her some respect. “A new friend whom I just met two days ago,” Andrew indifferently said and did not spare extra attention on the woman. With his status, he did not need to do anything and women would come to him automatically. The woman was just another one of his admirers who volunteered to serve him when he stayed at Geranium City. For the past two day
More people approached Andrew, flattering him and possibly trying to curry favor. Andrew’s identity was worth their time to do so. With Blossom Corporation’s resources, the smallest piece of pie from the company would be enough for them to earn a massive profit. On top of that, many of them admired the lifestyle in Paladia and wanted to emigrate there. To the wealthy, the major problem would be maintaining their assets after the emigration. It was not easy trying to become another country’s citizen. Without powerful support or a wealthy foundation, emigration would turn a wealthy man into a big fat piece of meat for locals to devour. Therefore, all of them tried to curry favors with Andrew. However, there were a lot of guests at the banquet and only a few of them got the rare chance to speak to him. Most of the guests did not even catch Andrew’s attention. All they could do was watch from afar with a jealous gaze, laughing and nodding along. Kaze and Darcy were furt
After an intensive internal struggle, Darcy bit the bullet and took a step forward. It was then Kaze held her back by her arm. Darcy looked at him, confused. Phil was also surprised. He glared at Kaze and bellowed, “Kaze Lee, what is the meaning of this?” “If he wants to meet my wife, shouldn’t he come to her instead? Is he the so-called noble of Paladia? He doesn’t even know social etiquette?” Kaze said indifferently. What? Kaze’s words shocked everyone. The live-in husband must have lost his mind. How dare he ask Andrew to go up to Darcy instead? Kaze was right because it was common social etiquette, but it depended on who he was talking to. Andrew was none other than the person in charge of Blossoms Corporation, a member of the Tulip Royal Family! Kaze was courting death! Everyone looked at him as if he was an idiot who had lost his mind. Phil regained his composure and got angrier. He stared at Darcy viciously and bellowed, “Ms. Quint, is this how your l
Blossoms Corporation had its eyes on Rove for a long time now. Starting from Kailan to Dakota, all of them were tasked to acquire Rove. When Rove had their open bid for investment, Blossoms Corporation planned extensively beforehand. They did not just invest a lot in the process, they even used their connection with the Lyfe family of Geranium. One of the Geranium Four, Sieg Lyfe, was sent to Lilyrose to take over Rove. With the influence and extensive connections of Blossoms Corporation in the world of capitalism, nothing could possibly go wrong. Rove was already seen as the Blossoms Corporation’s subsidiary at one point. However, Kaze used Astral Wealth Management to snatch Rove at the very last moment. Blossoms Corporation had never suffered such a major defeat since its founding over a hundred years ago. The loss was unacceptable to Andrew, as well as the top brass of the company. Therefore, Andrew came to Lilyrose himself to acquire Sky Ocean Corporation to mak
The others had a similar thought to Phil. Everyone thought Kaze would eventually kneel, except for two people. First, it was Honey. She remained seated on her chair and watched with a faint smile on her face. She decided to be an observer from the start and did not pick any sides. The other one would be Darcy. When she heard Andrew wanted Kaze to apologize in the most insulting way possible, she got mad. Her eyes were burning with rage. “Darcy, relax. Have a seat.” Kaze held Darcy back and calmly asked her to sit down. Darcy frowned but she sat down anyway. She did not know why Kaze could remain calm in the face of insult, but since Kaze had spoken, she believed he had a way around the situation. Phil was angrier than ever. He shouted, “Darcy Quint, what is the meaning of this? Have you forgotten about the Mountain Dew project? Tell your useless husband to kneel and apologize, or your project will never pass the inspection. All it takes is a word from me!” He was
Aiden broke out in a cold sweat when he remembered losing Crown Tower at the auction. He said solemnly, “I’m sorry, Ms. Hara. The fault lies in me.”“I love a strong and powerful man who can handle me, Mr. Krad. I don’t need a rash man who can’t think straight.” Reiko grabbed a towel and wiped every inch of Aiden’s body. Her fingers coasted along Aiden’s Adam’s apple, and she said indifferently, “You better ask us before you make the next move. Otherwise, you might lose the chance to work with us again.” Aiden gritted his teeth and said nothing. Dropping the attitude, Aiden was as meek as a kitten in front of Reiko.He was usually the one getting handsy with Reiko. By the time Reiko withdrew her arm, Aiden’s expression had hardened. He read between the lines. Reiko talked about dropping him, not the Krads. In other words, Reiko could go to another member of the Krads to collaborate. Aiden’s competition was within his family. He aimed to be the top of his family.
Aiden’s words trailed off. The Ryokanians were never out to get Kaze. They were trying to bring Kent down through Kaze. The only conflict between Kaze and the Ryokanians was business rivalry, and there was no reason to escalate negotiable deals to a personal level. Kent was a different story. He was the mayor of Riverbank. He passed the bills for policies. One policy could decide the fate of a business. Kent’s policies could eliminate the Ryokanian presence in Riverbank. Kent must die. The Ryokanians could get Kaze out of the picture. If necessary, they could call it a truce with him too. That was what the Ryokanians thought. There was a fundamental difference between the Ryokanians’ attitude toward Kaze and Kent. The only thing on Aiden’s mind was to get rid of Kaze. Aiden simply took hits at Kent because the latter was Kaze’s supporter. He and the Ryokanians were after different things. Due to the lack of transparency in their communication, the plan had gon
Aiden chuckled in delight and grabbed Reiko’s hand to pull her close. He sniffed her hand and said with a manic laugh, “Don’t worry, Ms. Hara. I will get you Crown Tower before killing him. “Hahaha! He’s just a loser. What does he have to compete with me?” Aiden gripped Reiko’s hand and threw his head back to guffaw. “Splash!” Reiko raised her hand and poured her drink on Aiden. Aiden choked on the drink, interrupting his laughter.“Cough, cough.” It took Aiden a while to get over it. He shot an angry look at Reiko and shouted, “Have you lost it, Reiko?” Aiden was surprised to see Reiko looking rather aloof. Reiko had always clung to him, catering to all his needs since they met. She made him feel like a king. Yet now, Reiko caught him off guard by turning on him. Aiden had no idea what was going on. “You have some explaining to do, bitch,” Aiden grabbed a towel to wipe his face while uttering furiously. Unfazed by Aiden’s temper, Reiko said with a blank face,
“Despite your training, you were defenseless at the hands of Kaze. It appears the disowned member of the Lees is more powerful than we thought.” A woman’s voice, bearing a heavy Ryokanian accent, boomed. Reiko, dressed in a black and gold dress, brewed tea on her knees. Her delicate hands moved with grace and allure. There was a temptation to hold her hands forever. Aiden’s gaze turned cold. Shifting his eyes from Darcy and Snow, Aiden looked at Kaze’s photo in the center of the board. Embracing his urge to kill, Aiden threw his sword. “Swoosh!” The sword sank into Kaze’s face, piercing through the board. Aiden took a seat across from Reiko and smiled ruthlessly at her. “Well, he can’t fight weapons with bare hands. I can assure you that Kaze will not get away this time. “I want him to give up Crown Tower. Once I squeeze every little thing out of him, he can die.” “Oh?” Reiko poured a drink and passed it to Aiden. She said with a smile, “We can do our best, bu
“Don’t feel discouraged. Just pursue in the direction I’ve told you. I can guarantee that you’ll be fine,” Kaze said while patting Morgan’s shoulder. Wallace could not possibly restrain Morgan, the state police chief, from doing his job. Surely, Morgan had people he could trust. Kaze gave Morgan the go-ahead to investigate and to direct any needs to Snow. Despite the presence of the police force and Wallace’s eyes on site, Kaze had no qualms about letting his intentions known. It was baffling that Kaze acted like he was Morgan’s superior. The police looked at Kaze in reverence. Kaze challenged the deputy governor’s authority and talked down to the state police chief in public. There was something mysterious about Kaze. Now, they knew that the case was more than just a murder. It was part of a larger power struggle. They were just insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The state police force dropped the arrogance while questioning Kaze. They would only be c
The Frosts were prominent in the South River State. Wallace was a man of power and wealth. Plus, he was an established deputy governor. He did not have to give a damn about anybody else. He could care less about Kaze. No one could change Wallace’s mind, not even if Kent were there. With that in mind, Wallace walked past Morgan and said curtly to the police force, “I expect you to be on this case.“You will report to me on every little progress. “I’m not asking for much. I expect you to respect the law, deliver justice, protect the good…” Wallace glanced at Kaze and stressed. “And punish the bad.” He carried himself with aggression and authority. Though nothing was said outright, Wallace basically stripped Morgan’s power and disregarded his opinion. Morgan grimaced hard. There was clearly no trust between them, and Wallace believed Morgan played favorites. Besides, Wallace ordered Morgan’s subordinates around, clearly bypassing his authority. Wallace’s behavior
Wallace looked fierce and sounded firm. A live-in husband who got into his current position through nepotism, despite having made a name for himself and getting the support of the mayor of Riverbank, he was still involved in a murder and showed no remorse for what happened. Instead, he tried to go around the system to free himself. Wallace looked down on people like Kaze from the bottom of his heart. Kaze suddenly laughed after hearing the man, which fueled his agitation. He bellowed, “What are you laughing at?” “I am laughing at you for being a busybody, Deputy Governor Frost.” Under Wallace’s fierce gaze, Kaze chuckled and said, “Deputy Governor Frost, I don’t care what you think of me, but I have two things to say. “First, I am not a suspect and I have nothing to do with this case. Second, my relationship with Snow is also none of your business.” “Hey! Watch your mouth!” “Mind your choice of words, Kaze Lee!” “What gave you the right to talk to the deputy gover
Kaze looked at the entrance. The man was probably in his 50s, tall and upright, striding and exuding a sense of commanding presence. His expression looked stern, his eyes fierce, expressing his authority and superiority. Morgan was slightly surprised before he went over to the man. He bowed and said respectfully, “Mr. Frost! You’re here?” Upon hearing Morgan call the man, Kaze knew the man’s identity. Wallace Frost, like Mitchell, was one of the two deputy governors. Unlike Neegan and Michell, who were not locals and were simply transferred to their positions, Wallace had been serving South River State for many years and earned himself a high reputation. More importantly, as his name suggested, he was from the Frost family. However, his family was from a distant branch and had rooted themselves in Riverbank rather than Butterworth, though he was still in contact with the main family in Butterworth. In other words, if Snow was around, she would have to call the man unc
Donovan bit his lips, his expression clearly showed his internal struggles. Kaze did not waste time and referred to Morgan. “Chief Bale, based on the recording, I think it’s enough to relieve them of their duties.” “Of course. The wrong interrogation method is against our rules. They would not only be relieved of their duties but also be investigated. They had nothing against you but they took the risk to cross the line. I believe they must have received bribes from whoever is behind them. “Once the investigation is complete, it will be a criminal offense.” Thump! After the last word came out of Morgan’s lips, Donovan fell on his knees immediately. He spoke with a righteous voice earlier, accusing Kaze of committing an atrocious crime. Now, he became the one who would be punished and charged. “Mr. Lee, it’s Aiden! Aiden Krad! He gave us ten million and told us to make you call the mayor. He wanted to use his power to get you out of here…” Donovan then spilled everything