โKaze Lee, you!โ The other elite agents of the Viperโs Den were infuriated but scared as well. They did not expect Kaze to strike one of them. Even Newell would have to be humble and respectful to them when he was alive. However, Kaze slapped one of them without any solid reason, treating them similarly to the Ettingers. His arrogance was intolerable to some of the elite agents. โChief Delegate, please do something!โ โHeโs going out of control! He must be punished!โ Everyone looked at Scarlet, hoping that she would intervene. โThatโs enough.โ Scarlet, who had been quiet since the rampage started, suddenly bellowed, โBunch of useless fools. You think you are the elite agents from headquarters and that gives you the right to be arrogant? โI shall let Branch Leader Lee teach you guys a lesson so that you know your place.โ The elite agents of Viperโs Den flushed with emotions but none of them dared to argue. They looked at Kaze with utmost resentment. To them, K
Kazeโs tone grew colder as he asked. When he finally voiced his questions, the other Viperโs Den agents were shocked and looked at him with disbelief. Who exactly was Kaze Lee? How dare he call the Viper Queen by her name and demand an explanation? โBranch Leader Lee, you said the Ettingers colluded with ninjas from Ryokan. Are you sure about that?โ Scarlet asked. Kaze said indifferently, โLast night, a ninja from Ryokan tried to assassinate me at Lilyrose Funeral Home. I managed to seize the ninjaโs body from Newellโs son.โ Scarlet frowned. A moment of silence later, she said, โBranch Leader Lee, if your words are true, then as an agent of the Viperโs Den colluding with foreign forces, Newell Ettinger must be punished. โI will investigate this matter. If itโs true, I will arrest the entire Ettinger family and let you decide their fate. What do you say about that?โ She did not simply believe Kazeโs words because it was a serious crime to collude with foreign forces. S
โTake care, Branch Leader Lee.โ Scarlet got up and sent Kaze off at the door. โHuh? Kaze Lee came out already?โ โThe chief delegate didnโt punish him?โ The Ettingers finally got up on their feet and saw Kaze strolling out, fine and healthy. They were in shock. Then, the Viperโs Den elite agents from the headquarters rushed out and surrounded the Ettingers. โBy the order of the chief delegate, no one is allowed to leave Mountain Dew Estate. All of you are hereby under investigation and will be sanctioned accordingly.โ โฆBack in Lilyrose, Newellโs death did not make the headlines. First, the Viperโs Den wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly, so releasing the news would startle the enemy. Second, Newell was the South River Branch Leader and his death was not a glorified one, so the organization wanted to keep it under wraps. The news did not get out and it was both good and bad for Kaze. The good thing was that he could still keep a low profile because if he
The trip to Riverbank City had moved up the schedule. Kaze also planned to relocate some businesses of Perfect World Group to that city for the sake of convenience in conducting his affairs there. After all, he had to cleanse the Viperโs Den from within and he needed all the manpower and resources he could get, especially his trusty assistant, Snow. Snow was able to arrange everything to perfection and he never needed to worry about her. He got so attached to the convenience that he did not want to leave her behind. He called Snow and unlike the usual where she picked up almost instantly, it took her a while before the call got through. โChairman Lee, anything I can help you with?โ Unlike her usual frosty and confident voice, she sounded slightly weak. Kaze frowned. โYou sound terrible. Are you okay?โ โIโm feeling unwell. Iโm resting at home.โ Then, Snow switched to a more energetic voice and explained, โWhat can I do for you, Chairman Lee? Iโll arrange for my men t
Kaze ignored the men and went over to the opened door. โWhat happened?โ A man came out from the door after hearing the commotion. When he saw Kaze, he frowned and asked, โWho are you?โ โIโm here to visit Snow. Who are you?โ Kaze scrutinized the young man and spotted hostility in his tone. He, too, replied without any courtesy. The young man in his early 30s wore a custom-made suit, had neatly combed hair, and wore a pair of golden-framed glassesโall signs of a successful businessman. His handsome looks surely promised him the attention of many women. โMr. Lee, youโre here? Please come in!โ Snow, who looked pale, appeared behind the young man. Kaze sharply noticed the look of relief on her face when she spotted him. โOh? So you are Snowโs friend? I see. Please come in.โ The young man had another glance at Kaze before he stepped aside. A hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes. The man was Snowโs distant cousin, Vance Presley. He always had thoughts about his co
โYeah, Snow. What do you feel like eating? Vance can go out and get something for you.โ Miranda spoke up to support her son, waving her chubby hand adored with an emerald as she did so. Kaze found it amusing. Judging from Mirandaโs dazzling outlook, if one did not know better, one might assume she would give Snow cars or houses. At the same time, Kaze also felt puzzled. Snow came from a decent family. He might not have a deep understanding but based on Conanโs explanation, Snowโs family was powerful enough to rival the Butterworth Queens. However, her relatives looked like a bunch of nouveau riche and tried to act cool in front of Snow, who drove a supercar. โYeah, Snow. Just tell me what you want to eat. Iโll get it for you.โ Vance stood up and rolled his sleeve up, seemingly trying to flaunt his expensive watch. He already noticed that Kaze did not have any expensive watch on his wrist, in fact not even a smartwatch. If he did not know better, he might assume Kaze
Miranda found out Snow was working in Lilyrose and assumed Snow got into an argument with her own family. The Presleys were a big family in Riverbank and because of that, Miranda did not take a small company in Lilyrose seriously. Even if Kaze was the chairman, she had little to no respect for him. Vance noticed his motherโs assistance, so he said confidently, โSnow, which company do you want to work for? I have a strong connection in Riverbank City. โThe Perfect World Group that you are working for now might sound big but in this tiny city, thereโs a limit to how far it can go. Thereโs no reason for you to stayโฆโ Vance did not hold back in belittling Kaze and even expressed provocatively at the end. โYouโฆโ Anger was obvious on Snowโs face. She wanted to ask them to go out. Right before she could speak, Kaze indifferently said, โSnow, they are right. You have to eat something to replenish your energy and you shouldnโt hurt your body just because you donโt have an appeti
โOther than the rich and powerful, the ordinary folks have to book two weeks in advance and they might not even get a spot. โI am able to order from there because I already have a booking and Iโm using it for Snow. You said you could ask Bourbon to prepare a birdโs nest soup for Snow? You talk big.โ Rare things were highly valued. The chefs in Bourbon were renowned for their ability to prepare home-cooked food with a high-end twist. As a result, they only accepted ten bookings per day, and their schedules were filled a month in advance. Kaze said he had ordered food from Bourbon before he arrived. Others might be impressed if he had told them this, but to Vance, who knew Bourbonโs booking system, Kazeโs words felt like a joke. โVance, donโt waste your time with him. Heโs just bluffing.โ Miranda teared up from all the laughing. She elegantly wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said scornfully, โYou even asked Bourbon to deliver the food? Who do you think you are? โ
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
โCan you make him stop? If the man comes back, weโll be done for,โ someone said. The kidโs crying made everyone anxious. โWhat can I do? Heโs crying because heโs scared. I canโt just stop him.โ The mother was afraid as well, and she did not want her son to be taken advantage of. โCalm down. Just donโt alert the men and weโll be fine,โ Miguel said, hoping to ease the situation. โIโll fight him if he comes in. I believe I can make it,โ 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. โShut it. They are coming,โ 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 motherโs 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 Groupโeveryone 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 Kazeโs help, but now she had no
Leah went to her motherโs company but did not find her anywhere. Joey was busy working in the CEOโs office. Leah went over and asked, โJoey, whereโs my mother? I canโt reach her.โ She wanted to know what happened to her mother. โI donโt know about your mother either. We went out together earlier in the day but I donโt know where she went. I canโt get in touch with her.โ Joey was so busy that she could not even free herself from the desk to explain to the girl. โWhere did she go? How am I supposed to find her?โ 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. โI donโt know. Why donโt you ask someone else?โ Joey did not have time to deal with the girl. Leah was unfamiliar with Joeyโs coldness. Joey had always treated her with kindness and flattery, so the sudden coldness caught her off guard. She felt like something had changed. โWho should I be looking f
โNo! My daughter is still in the hospital!โ Katie refused to accept her punishment. She started to regret her decision but it was too late. โNow only you think about your daughter? I guess you are not that foolish, but have you thought about her when you betrayed Chairman Lee? โDonโt worry. Leah knew Chairman Lee personally and we wonโt hurt her, but she might not live a good life anymore,โ 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. โYou canโt do that!โ Katie could not believe Snow would do that. โI bet you never thought of the consequences when you leaked the information. Too bad. Youโve lost.โ 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 daughterโs life. She would feel like a fool. She devoted her life to climbing higher to gain more power but she ignored the
โI went to a bar to have a drink and I bumped into an informant of the Viperโs Den.โ 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
โWho do you think will believe you?โ Arthur frowned. There were too many coincidences that it felt like a giant setup. โIโve explained what I need to. Donโt interrogate me like Iโm a criminal. I am the CEO of the Northborn Group.โ 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. โYou really think we canโt hold you responsible?โ 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 Kazeโs information to. โIt has come down to this. No matter how you deny it, itโs useless. We already know what you have done and you canโt escape. Even if you donโt want to confess, we can continue the investigation, and weโll eventually find out the truth. โIf you come clean