“So, you want me to be your shield? Use your brain and think about it. I’m a notable figure in Lilyrose. The guy will easily find out if he investigates. You’re rich anyway, so just hire someone else.”Pretend to be Miru’s boyfriend for a blind date? What a joke.He was the mayor of Lilyrose now and needed to maintain his dignity.Furthermore, he was not in the mood to play with her.“It doesn’t matter if the guy knows. I just need to ruin the blind date.”Miru pursed her lips and said, “Hiring someone won’t work. That guy is a young master from a major foreign family. People like him usually have bad tempers. If he gets physical...”“What do you mean?”Kaze’s expression instantly darkened. “You mean he might get violent, so you don’t want to endanger anyone else.”It was obvious that finding a shield for a blind date was incredibly distasteful.Even an ordinary man would not be able to hold back his anger, let alone a young master.Miru felt uneasy when Kaze saw through her
“Ms. Scarlet, you are surprisingly easy-going.” Niko chuckled on the phone. He then firmly said, “Then let’s meet at your company, Lefteria Group. Since you are the woman who shall be my wife soon, I have to inspect how you are running your company.” He had already gone through Miru’s profile on his way to Lilyrose. When he learned that Miru’s Lefteria Group was the supporting factor behind the underground forces of Lilyrose and the neighboring city, he was certain that she was a powerful woman. Miru herself was also the kingpin of Lilyrose and Melrose. She was unlike other women Niko had met before. Therefore, he decided to conquer Miru with a fierce approach, hence suggesting to inspect her company. He could also use the chance to meet her in person. However, Miru did not accept his suggestion at all. If she did not know that meeting with Niko was the only way to give her family a satisfying explanation, she would have hung up the phone based on his attitude alone. “N
Blue Tone Coffee was just one block away from Lefteria Group’s office tower. Since it was working hours, when Kaze and Miru arrived, the coffee shop barely had any customers. “Are you Ms. Miru Scarlet?” the waitress came over and asked politely. “I am.” Miru pursed her lips and whispered to Kaze, “It seems like that guy is one step faster than us.” “Mr. Powell is waiting for you. This way please.” The waitress brought the two of them to the corner where a tall and handsome man was seated. There was no one else with or around him. “Ms. Scarlet, Niko Powell,” Niko said as he got up with a bright smile, a lustful gaze, and a friendly handshake. Miru surprised him. He had not seen Miru in person before this, not even through a picture. Even though he knew a rich family like the Hidens had filtered multiple generations to ensure their offspring carried the best genes, he was still in awe of Miru’s looks. Even with his experience with women, Miru could be considered one o
Miru brought Kaze along and declared that he was her boyfriend to oppose the arranged marriage. She made it clear enough yet Niko said he wanted to take things further. He looked nothing like a fool. Surprised, Miru curled her hands around Kaze’s and said, “Mr. Powell, don’t you want to know who my boyfriend is?” Niko glanced at Kaze and then shook his head. “I don’t need to. I will get the woman that I like, no matter what. “Besides, I don’t think he is your boyfriend. Even if he is, I will make you mine. I do not need to know the name of a loser.” Miru was slightly shocked when she saw the confident smile on Niko. It was expected that Niko could tell that Kaze was pretending to be Miru's boyfriend, but what the man said after that made her uncomfortable. “Mr. Powell, you are being overconfident,” she said. Niko leaned forward to stare at Miru fiercely and said, “That’s right. I am confident. I will always get the woman I like.” Miru grunted scornfully but said not
Miru’s expression turned gloomy. She stood still and said nothing. Niko might not sound friendly but he spoke facts. There were many security guards at Lefteria Group yet they were all defeated by Niko’s men in the shortest time possible. She felt embarrassed. Then, Niko said, “Ms. Scarlet, your boyfriend doesn’t qualify either. He knew your company was filled with useless trash yet he did not consider your safety at all. “Oh, excuse me. Maybe it’s my misunderstanding, but if your boyfriend knows your company security does not meet expectations and still does not possess the ability to protect you, then I don’t believe a woman like you would fall for a guy like him either.” Kaze raised his brows. Things had taken an interesting turn. He had not offended Niko by any means, yet the man took a shot at him. Miru was triggered. She coldly said, “Mr. Powell, you are full of yourself. My boyfriend is none of your business.” “I said it before, you are a woman that I like and
The kiss lasted for a few seconds before Kaze looked at Niko with a victorious smile. “What a coincidence. I don’t like wisecracks either. I prefer action over talk.” Kaze then subtly released Miru. Although Kaze and Miru never saw eye to eye and always had arguments, she was fine as a woman. The kiss even made his heart race. Miru staggered backward. She stared at Kaze furiously. She wanted to shout at him for being rude and invasive but then she realized Kaze was using his own way to rebuke Niko. She forced herself to keep quiet but anger lingered in her eyes. Niko was the most impacted. He was stunned for a few moments before he regained his composure. His expression ashened. “W-What did you just do?!” He squeezed the words out of his clenched teeth. His eyelids were twitching and veins were popping on his forehead. Just after he claimed Miru as his woman, Kaze kissed her in front of him. Even though it was just on the cheek, it was a huge insult to Niko.
“Now!” Niko shouted at his phone before abruptly hanging up. Then, as he stepped back with his hand covering his face, he glared at Kaze with burning rage and grinned viciously. “You little bastard, you are dead now! The only way you can walk out of here alive is if you beat my three bodyguards! Or else this will be where you die!” His tone screamed of murderous intent, no one would doubt his hatred for Kaze. As the young master of the Powell family, the strongest contender for heir, and born with a silver spoon, being slapped twice and seeing the woman he liked kissed in front of him was the biggest insult he could receive. Any ordinary person would want to kill Kaze for this, let alone someone as powerful as Niko. Unlike other ordinary people, Niko had the power to turn his thoughts into actions. Three of his bodyguards were enough to beat up all the security guards of Lefteria Group. It was more than enough as a display of power. The security guards of Lefteria Gro
Miru was slightly surprised when she heard Kaze. It was no secret that Kaze alone beat up Gareth’s three titans, albeit her being skeptical about it. She frowned and said, “I forgot to tell you that the Powell family has a strong influence over Glowmoss’ military. His bodyguards must be veterans on the battlefield. Gareth’s titans are not a match for them…” “Miru, you are right!” Niko interrupted her with a loud call. He continued, “My three bodyguards used to serve the ace team of Glowmoss Foreign Legion. They are no strangers to the battlefield and each of them had more than a hundred lives on their hands.” He then looked at Kaze with the same grin. “Punk, I know the titans that you mentioned. They are just some thugs who have not been on the battlefield. “They might be enough to scare the ordinary people, but my bodyguards can crush them with their fingers. What gave you the confidence to think that you can beat them up?” Miru did some homework on the Powells and learn
Snow had already sent men to where the plane was found. If the passengers were taken away, then they must still be nearby. It was difficult to transport an entire plane of passengers to some place far within such a short time. It was a race against time. Snow did not know who would do such a thing. Kaze took a common flight like everyone else, yet it was hijacked. It was strange. The coincidence was uncanny. Snow believed the hijacking happened because of Kaze but she did not know why. “The only explanation is that there’s a traitor among us…” She finally came to an unlikely conclusion after combing through the details. If there were a traitor, it must be within the Viper’s Den. Kaze had laid a low profile for as long as he was in Butterworth. Not many people knew about his identity and those who wanted to make connections with him were because of Snow. It was unlikely that someone would go after him so suddenly unless this person knew his identity and background.
If they were sent to capture Kaze, then they were severely under-numbered. In addition, they allowed Kaze to be alone with the captives, which proved that they were inexperienced. Or maybe they did not know what he had done in the past as the God of War. Kaze believed that the mercenaries were after him but they did not know his true identity. There must have been some miscommunication between them and their employer, which was good news to Kaze. Tiguan and his men were eating. Since they were unable to identify the target, they were forced to bring everyone back. The plane was huge. It would be an easy target for the law enforcement to locate them. Maybe the outside world had caught wind of the hijacking. “Boss, what should we do now? That man seems like he vanished into thin air.” “We got his boarding information but we can’t identify him on the plane.” “Who are we looking for exactly? Why is he so mysterious?” The men were baffled. “We are looking for the righ
“We are almost there. We have to transfer these people as soon as possible. The plane must take off right away. We cannot leave any traces behind.” They must hurry or they would be caught very soon. They held the pilot hostage and forced him to do an abrupt landing. The sudden descent caught everyone off guard, shocking them. A few of the passengers even hit their heads. Many of them did not get the chance to fasten their seat belts. Kaze grabbed Barney and protected his head from hitting the front seat. “Thank you.” Barney looked at Kaze with gratitude and then looked outside. “Where are we? Have we reached?” He was worried that they would be completely trapped. “They are going to transfer us elsewhere.” Kaze had a similar experience before and he knew what the hijackers would do next. “Transfer us? Are they going to transfer us to somewhere secluded and kill us all?” Barney looked horrified as he stared at Kaze. He somehow felt safe beside Kaze. “They sai
With trains, there was still an option to jump out. However, everybody was sitting ducks in a plane. Kaze had always been sensitive when it came to safety. He had a sinking feeling in his gut as if something was about to happen. He turned his head back to observe the plane’s interior. Several passengers stood up in the business class section. Strangely, these people were seated separately. However, they seemed to know each other. They exchanged glances as if searching for something. Finding the whole thing bizarre, Kaze observed them. Those passengers went straight into the air stewardesses’ compartment and disappeared out of Kaze’s sight. Kaze could not shake off the eerie feeling. Something was off. He looked back, and several more rose to their feet. These individuals were young but toned. They likely underwent some form of specialized training. Kaze had a bad feeling. Trouble was brewing, and the plane was likely being hijacked. “Why are you looking around? Is
“I see. What bad timing.” Katie was a little disappointed to learn that Kaze had left, but in a way, she was relieved. She had gotten on Kaze’s nerves, and he could turn around and make things difficult for her. Now that Kaze was gone, Katie got to keep her job. She did not have to fear Kaze’s retaliation. The news caught Leah off guard. “Why did he leave without saying goodbye? I didn’t even thank him yet.” Leah had a hard time digesting the news. She had been waiting for a chance to show her gratitude to Kaze and see him again. He was out of her life before she could do anything about it. “I’m sorry. Chairman Lee’s departure was unplanned.” Snow put on a professional smile, appearing friendly and distant. “Please present the gifts to him for us if you can. We are grateful for Mr. Lee’s help.” Katie was annoyed that Leah could not spend time with Kaze. The bond could help with her career. Kaze’s departure cost Katie an opportunity, but there was no point in dwel
“Now that’s the spirit. You can’t take every matter into your own hands. You’re a leader now. You should put the right people in the right jobs.” Feeling relieved, May nodded. “Where’s the guy? I have been wanting to meet him. I missed the chance when I was unconscious.” May came over right away just to score a chance to see Kaze. Kaze saved her life, but she did not have the chance to thank him in person. “I set the date. We’re seeing him tomorrow afternoon. Let’s freshen up. I’m taking you home to rest.” With a time in place, Snow had to get ready. May nodded. The pair returned to the mansion where they felt at home. Even though it had been a while since their return, nothing had changed. “Did Jet say anything when he stepped down?” May was clueless on the specifics. “He went mad and ran out. I get this uneasy feeling, but I can’t locate him anywhere.” Snow was concerned. Jet, as witty as he was, likely played up his meltdown. It was a shame that Jet got aw
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but