“We never thought that the Ryokan ninja would target Myra. It completely slipped us.” Kent reacted grimly to the situation. “It’s not that easy for them to cast the curse either. There should be a medium they use and it should be around the target. I’ll check around later.” Kaze had a look at the pale and delicate Myra in her parents’ arms. “Myra has been cursed for a while now and it’s inevitable that her mental and physical states are damaged. “But it’s no big deal. Find a good doctor and give her some medicine to regulate her condition. Three to six months later, she should recover fully.” “I see. Thank you!” Kent finally was able to smile happily. He quickly ordered his men to find the best doctor in town. As the mayor and a member of the Synder family, he knew many good doctors, so Kaze did not have to worry about that. The body of the dead ninja was bagged and taken away. No one dared to question Kaze anymore. The issue that had plagued the Synder family for s
After Harken was done with Myra’s treatment and left the room, he heard that Pastor Angelo was also in the house so he visited the parlor to meet him. Coincidentally, he saw Pastor Angelo apologizing to Kaze, which made him take a second look at Kaze’s face before walking away. Since Pastor Angelo was already of old age, the clergies had to help him exit the room and leave the mayor’s residence. After Myra took the medicine and rested, only then did Kent get the time to settle down and thank Kaze in person. “Kaze, Dr. Otter has checked Myra and as you said, three to six months later, she will recover. “I can’t thank you enough. You saved my life and my daughter’s life. I am truly in your debt. Don’t worry, I am a man of my promise.” He bowed respectfully as he thanked Kaze. Kaze helped him up and said, “It’s no big deal. But if you trusted me earlier, Myra wouldn’t have to go through all that.” Kent looked guilty. “I am truly sorry for not trusting you and almost got My
“Thank you, Mr. Lee! You are a god to me!” Professor Wilson breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Kaze for his mercy. Kaze protected his reputation and also his source of income, so it was not exaggerating for the professor to view him as a god. Professor Wilson was escorted out while he cried and cheered for Kaze. Kent then looked at Cole coldly. Cole gulped and lowered his head. He knew his uncle wanted him to apologize to Kaze. If he could not get Kaze’s forgiveness, then his uncle would punish him severely. With all options exhausted, Cole went over to Kaze and lowered his head. “Kaze, I am sorry. I hereby apologize for what I have done. I shouldn’t have looked down on you or offended you. “As for what happened last night, I had it coming. It was not your fault, and I guarantee that I won’t take revenge or anything. Please forgive me.” Kaze was expressionless. He said, “You are saying that I am afraid that you are going to come after me for revenge?” “I…” Co
Had Cole not been his nephew, Kent would have strangled him. After Cole left, Kaze said to Kent, “Mr. Synder, it’s not that I want to badmouth Cole but he has ulterior motives for Myra. Do keep an eye on him. Just don’t let Myra marry him.” Kent was surprised. As he quickly connected the dots, he understood what Kaze was talking about. He got agitated. “That bastard! How dare he!” “You don’t need to be so angry. Just keep it to yourself and don’t let them get together,” Kaze said. It was Kent’s family affair and Kaze had no right to be nosy about it. However, he was quite fond of the girl and did not want a bastard like Cole to ravage her, hence the friendly reminder to Kent. Kent nodded. He calmed down and said awkwardly, “It’s embarrassing that I don’t know my own family affair…” Kaze shook his head without being concerned. He said, “Mr. Synder, can I have a word with you alone?” “Give us the room,” Kent said to Hamlin. Hamlin nodded and then led everyone out of t
Sanwell Finances was one of the top four conglomerates in Ryokan. The other three would be the world-renowned Tosiba, Sohny, and Hoda. Unlike the others, Sanwell Finances was not solely owned by a royal family but a collective group operated by many families in Ryokan. Some were royal families, while others were natives from the Edo period, and the rest were families that had risen to prominence lately. In order to control the businesses better, the families formed K Division, making it the highest authoritarian body. The families possessed authority and power within K Division based on their shares. It was like a massive board in a company; a conglomerate that had been operating for hundreds of years and owned businesses all across the world. One could only imagine how complicated the conflict of interest within the board and how fierce the competitions were. The Well family had a strong position in K Division, which was also proof of their own strength. Kaze was not ove
It was without a doubt that Kent was not just a politician, but also a man with ambitions to better the city by becoming mayor. However, with his family in danger now, it was understandable that he wanted to focus on his family instead of opposing Sanwell Finances. People with ambitions were met with pressure and threats and were usually forced to step down, curbing their wild ambitions into nothing. “To be honest, I did think of giving up before. I’m fine but my family is my everything.” Kent smiled bitterly, but he quickly replaced it with a determined look. “Though now that I’ve gotten a clearer picture, if they decided to come after me and I choose to be a coward, I really would feel terrible. “Because of my duty and position, I want to help the people of Riverbank. I might not have the biggest and wildest ambition but I want to achieve something. “Because of my family, if I give up now and can’t overcome this problem, then my career would die with it.” Kaze nodded in
“The medium, if I’m not mistaken, is none other than the Ryokan-influenced residential compound provided to families of the mayor’s office,” Kaze told Kent. “Is there a problem with the family compound?” Kent was in distress. Kaze asked, “Do you have a blueprint of the compound? I want to take a look.”Kent looked at Hamlin. Due to Kent’s cautious nature, Hamlin consulted an expert to ensure the accommodation was safe before moving in. Hamlin said, “The family compound dates back over a century. I’d need to find the blueprint in the archive section. I’ll get to it right now.” “Alright. It can wait. I can only be sure about what is wrong once you get the blueprint.”Kaze nodded. Feeling relaxed, Kent said, “It’s noon. Come join me for lunch.” Jane watched over Myra as she slept. Kent took Kaze to a restaurant. He even hosted lunch for several employees of the mayor’s office. It was an enjoyable lunch. Kent took out a box of premium tea. “Nothing I say or do can pay y
“Now that I recruited Josiah’s clique, the South River State branch is split into two sides. One group is led by me and Collier while the other supports Jude. “Jude’s group consists of senior key players in the organization. It will take a long time to unify forces.”Hannah texted Kaze with respect. She did not act high and mighty just because she held sway in Riverbank City for seizing control over half of the South River State branch. Hannah knew that Kaze was the only reason for her changed destiny. Kaze could put her back into her misery any time. “How is Jude reacting to this?” Kaze texted back. “Jude made a public announcement, accusing me of playing dirty, backstabbing colleagues, and harming Josiah. He said I was unworthy of being the branch chief. He wanted to fight me to the end and called upon those who had pledged allegiance to me to return to his side.“No news from Camden yet.” Jude believed he had the South River State branch in the bag. No one could tak
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