“Uh…” The family members responded with a complicated look, mixed with jealousy and other emotions. They used to look down on Kaze but had since become a prominent figure who could decide the next mayor, who held the same authority as a vice governor. Even Mason, who was supported by the Ridgesouth Quints, had his appointment revoked because it had to get Kaze’s approval. No one saw that coming. “Hmph! There’s nothing to be jealous of. He’s just being lucky.” Only Deborah reacted with disdain. Her hatred for Kaze was brazen and it was no secret. Master Quint looked at Hector and Agnes. “Hector, you should talk to Kaze and tell him to approve Mason as the new mayor. Do not make any mistakes this time. “Mason is supported by the Ridgesouth Quints. If they are unhappy with us, not only us, but even your family will suffer!” Hector and Agnes felt intensely pressured when they heard about the Ridgesouth Quints. Despite originating from the same roots, they dared not mess
“Mr. Ceb.” The man was Mr. Ceb, not the dogs. Master Quint inhaled deeply and got up to meet the man. He was afraid of the man who was overflowing with wickedness. “Mr. Ceb, I would like you to follow me to Horizon Mirror Mansion,” Deborah requested politely. “Not a problem!” Mr. Ceb grinned and nodded. …Horizon Mirror Mansion. After returning from the Quints’ mansion, Agnes made a feast and asked Darcy to bring Kaze back immediately. Darcy was surprised by her mother’s unusual reaction but believed it was with good intentions, so she called Kaze. Sky and Agatha’s family were also around. Everyone sat down at the table to eat a meal. “Kaze, I have to return to Sunrise in a few days to continue my studies. Can you visit me at my grandparent’s house next time?” Rose said to Kaze. Since Nelson was working in the military, Agatha usually stayed at the Otters’ place with her children. Rose might still be young but she knew her aunt, Agnes, rarely spoke to her b
The moment Kaze’s words subsided, Darcy’s heart skipped a beat. She knew her mother’s temper. If Agnes was happy, she could be an angel; if she was unhappy, she could be worse than the devil. “Not suitable?” The smile on Agnes’ face froze at the next moment. She slammed her spoon on the table and glared at Kaze. “Tell me, why is Mason not suitable as mayor?” “Mom, I saw his profile.” Kaze did not mind the sudden shift in attitude. He patiently explained, “He’s too driven by results, impatient, and greedy for gains and credits. He’d do anything to achieve his goal. If he runs the city as mayor, it won’t be good for the people. “In fact, when I received the candidates’ profiles, he was the first one whom I rejected.” The profile that Kaze received was not the brief one released to the public, but a detailed version intended only for the city council. Through the details on the profiles, Kaze was able to see things others could not. He put a lot of effort into choosi
Agnes’ expression turned gloomy after hearing her husband. She grunted at the end and stayed quiet. Since her husband and daughter had spoken up, she realized she might have been carried away. “I knew it. It’s always Grandfather and them.” Darcy’s expression turned bitter. She had yet to tell her parents about the Quint family maliciously acquiring the shares of Sky Ocean Corporation. She did not expect them to be so shameless as well. How could they pretend nothing had happened and instigate her mother to coax Kaze? If Master Quint and the others got what they wanted, they would surely get back at Darcy and her family ten times over. “Dad, Mom, there’s something you guys…” Darcy told her parents about the Quint family’s malicious intentions and Deborah trying to force her into submission. Hector’s and Agnes’ expressions shifted when they learned what happened. “Father and the others are too much! Whenever they get the chance, they always try to hurt us! Since whe
“Mr. Ceb!” All the adults, including Darcy, got up and bowed to Mr. Ceb politely. The younger ones were so scared that they stood still like a statue. Only Kaze did not respond and continued eating at the table. “Sky, go make some tea for Mr. Ceb!” said Agnes. She then forced a smile and said, “Mr. Ceb, please have a seat and we will serve you tea shortly.” “I’ll pass on the tea.” Mr. Ceb stepped forward and spoke in a horribly hoarse voice, “I am here today for two things.” Following his words, the three hounds stepped forward as well. Their fierce eyes gave the family goosebumps. “What can we do for you, Mr. Ceb?” Hector asked. Agnes nodded in agreement. Mr. Ceb put his fingers out. “First, Deborah gave you guys the Victim Impact Statement to release Young Master Kingston. Hand it over. “Second, about Mr. Mason Quint becoming Lilyrose’s mayor… Your son-in-law, Kaze Lee, shall call the governor, Loid Farland, and give his approval. “If you can’t fulfill my re
Darcy’s face turned pale but after glancing at Kaze, she shook her head strongly. “Mason Quint becoming the mayor is a serious matter. It’s not something our family can change. I cannot agree with that. “As for releasing Kingston Hacks, unless Madam Hacks can openly promise that Kingston won’t come after our family after he is released, it won’t happen. That’s my final offer.” Darcy knew she could not just simply agree to the terms but also did not completely shut off the possibilities for negotiations. “You want Madam Hacks to openly promise you?” Deborah scoffed, “Darcy, who do you think you are? Why would you think my godmother would make an open promise? “My godmother told me this morning that not only must your husband sign the Victim Impact Statement, but you will also have to sleep with Kingston for a night upon his release—consider it a welcome-back gift! Who gave you the courage to decline it? “Do you know what the Quints of Ridgesouth represent? The family is po
“Rose! Get over here! Don’t speak when the adults are talking!” Agatha quickly dragged her teary daughter over to her side and consoled the girl. She too was afraid and dared not raise her voice at Mr. Ceb. “You guys step aside.” Kaze finally stood. He went over to Sky and Landon and tapped on their shoulders. When he saw the slap mark on Rose’s cheek, his gaze turned frosty. “Kaze, what are you doing? Sit down! Are you trying to make things worse?! This is happening because of you! I’ll deal with you later! Sit down!” Agnes bellowed when she saw Kaze showing intentions of starting a fight. She knew Kaze’s temper well and she was afraid that once Kaze spoke up, the conflict might get worse. She shot a warning gaze at Kaze and then went up to Mr. Ceb. “Mr. Ceb, back at the Quint family’s mansion, we’ve already promised Master Quint that we will handle this, but Darcy and Kaze are still thinking about it. We are still trying to work our way around things. “But don’t wor
The three dog slaves were experts. They jumped in front of Darcy so quickly that the others did not have the time to react. Darcy shut her eyes in fear. She might be resolute but when danger arrived, fear still consumed her. Bang! Suddenly, someone appeared in front of her and kicked the first dog slave away, sending the man crashing and bleeding. “Kaze Lee!” Deborah screamed with hatred and resentment. Darcy instinctively opened her eyes when she heard his name being called. When she saw the familiar figure standing in front of her, her eyes teared up. No matter how dangerous it was or when it was, there was a man who would always stand up for her, protecting her from everything else. Agnes and the others looked at Kaze in shock. They knew Kaze was strong but little did they expect him to have the guts to fight back against Mr. Ceb and his hounds. Turning a deaf ear to Deborah’s scream, Kaze went up and kicked two more times. Thud! Thud! The other two dog sla
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. “My parents must be worried. I said I would call them when I land but now I can’t even get in touch,” 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. “It’s nothing. They are just going to separate us into different rooms or containers. They said the buses would be disposed of,” 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. “That’s it?” “Is there anything else? How many men are there? What is their plan? Who are they looking for?” “We want to know because we want to survive. This isn't our problem—we just got caught up in it.” The hostages looked at Kaze, their eyes filled with worry. They felt aggrieved because they should not be caught in such a huge problem. “I don’t know either.” No matter how m
“There’s a room there. Get in.” The mercenary pointed his gun at the mother and son, which led them to look at Kaze nervously, seemingly asking for help. “What do you want?” The mother was nervous. She clutched her son’s hand tightly, nearly making him cry, but she reacted quickly enough to cover her son’s mouth to prevent him from doing so. “All women must go into that room. You go in now,” the mercenary explained. He did not want the woman to get the wrong idea. “You people won’t hurt me, right?” the mother asked, worried that she might be ravaged. “We are not into MILF,” said the other mercenary who was escorting Kaze, indirectly assuring the mother. Kaze shot a glance at the mother and nodded at her. “They told us they were going to separate us, so there’s nothing to worry about,” 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
“Can you make him stop? If the man comes back, we’ll be done for,” someone said. The kid’s crying made everyone anxious. “What can I do? He’s crying because he’s scared. I can’t just stop him.” The mother was afraid as well, and she did not want her son to be taken advantage of. “Calm down. Just don’t alert the men and we’ll be fine,” Miguel said, hoping to ease the situation. “I’ll fight him if he comes in. I believe I can make it,” someone said. Those with an impulsive nature grew restless from being kept on the bus for too long, feeling like livestock being kept in cages. “Shut it. They are coming,” Barney said after a glance outside the window. The other passengers fell silent, sat back down, lowered their heads, and tried their best not to look out the window. The mother quickly hugged her son and covered his mouth to prevent him from crying. Kaze felt peace and quiet once more, even the air felt smoother. He knew the passengers were merely ordinary people and
Unfortunately, Leah knew she would not get an answer out of Snow since she was refusing to help. Everything seemed to have changed following her mother’s disappearance. She tried to stay for answers but when security came in, she could not resist them anymore. It was the first time she was escorted out by security guards and it impacted her. She used to be the daughter of the CEO of Northborn Group—everyone respected her. She used to enjoy a privileged status. No matter where she went, she was the star of the event. Yet when her mother disappeared, everything changed. She wanted to look for Kaze but she had just lost the chance. Snow turned her down and gazed at her with contempt and irritation. Leah could not accept the changes but some things felt like they were destined to change. She was forced to leave the branch office but then had no idea where else to go. She felt abandoned by the world. Before this, she could still hope for Kaze’s help, but now she had no
Leah went to her mother’s company but did not find her anywhere. Joey was busy working in the CEO’s office. Leah went over and asked, “Joey, where’s my mother? I can’t reach her.” She wanted to know what happened to her mother. “I don’t know about your mother either. We went out together earlier in the day but I don’t know where she went. I can’t get in touch with her.” Joey was so busy that she could not even free herself from the desk to explain to the girl. “Where did she go? How am I supposed to find her?” Leah panicked. If even Joey did not know where her mother went, then something must have happened. A bad feeling rose from her heart. Things just got serious. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask someone else?” Joey did not have time to deal with the girl. Leah was unfamiliar with Joey’s coldness. Joey had always treated her with kindness and flattery, so the sudden coldness caught her off guard. She felt like something had changed. “Who should I be looking f
“No! My daughter is still in the hospital!” Katie refused to accept her punishment. She started to regret her decision but it was too late. “Now only you think about your daughter? I guess you are not that foolish, but have you thought about her when you betrayed Chairman Lee? “Don’t worry. Leah knew Chairman Lee personally and we won’t hurt her, but she might not live a good life anymore,” Snow said coldly. She did not want to put the girl in a difficult situation but her life as a princess would come to an end. “You can’t do that!” Katie could not believe Snow would do that. “I bet you never thought of the consequences when you leaked the information. Too bad. You’ve lost.” Snow revealed the truth because she wanted Katie to suffer for the decision she made. Katie would now regret every decision she made because she knew she had jeopardized her daughter’s life. She would feel like a fool. She devoted her life to climbing higher to gain more power but she ignored the
“I went to a bar to have a drink and I bumped into an informant of the Viper’s Den.” Katie looked helpless as she explained as if everything that had happened was planned out for her, pushing her to the edge step by step. It was a lively night at the bar. The atmosphere was pleasant and most of the guests were having a good time. Katie was a single woman. She needed care and love at times. She was alone when she visited the bar. She started off by ordering some drinks at the counter, waiting for a chance to meet a man who shared the same ideals. A drink or two later, maybe she could get herself a company for the night. As a grown-up woman, she had her desires. It was a way to release her stress. Katie entered the bar in a casual outfit but it did not diminish her elegant demeanor. When she sat down at the counter, a few young men approached her but she was not interested in immature boys. She continued drinking. She looked at the dance floor occasionally, searching for a
“Who do you think will believe you?” Arthur frowned. There were too many coincidences that it felt like a giant setup. “I’ve explained what I need to. Don’t interrogate me like I’m a criminal. I am the CEO of the Northborn Group.” Katie left them speechless. She had said the necessary and it was up to them whether they wanted to believe it or not. They did not have the evidence to charge her anyway. “You really think we can’t hold you responsible?” Snow was not really looking for a definite answer. The moment she suspected Katie, whether or not she was truly the traitor, Snow already had the right to hold her accountable. It was necessary to make things clear and it was to find out who Katie leaked Kaze’s information to. “It has come down to this. No matter how you deny it, it’s useless. We already know what you have done and you can’t escape. Even if you don’t want to confess, we can continue the investigation, and we’ll eventually find out the truth. “If you come clean