However, Kaze was no ordinary man and there was no way he would fall for Jude’s temptations. “Mr. Gwake, I am not a child. You don’t have to tell me all that.” Kaze stretched his back and lifted the teapot to pour himself a cup of tea. “Firstly, you want me to enter the ring for you. It’s not because you see my potential, but after Joel died, you have no good candidates left. “I simply taught Luis a few moves and he killed Joel. After weighing the circumstances, I am the perfect candidate to replace Joel to enter the ring. “Even if I die, it won’t hurt you at all. I come from Lilyrose and I don’t have any strong background here in Riverbank. I’m at most an abandoned son of the Lee family, so my death doesn’t affect anyone at all. “In fact, you can even use my death as an explanation for Josephine and Abraham Wonfield so that you can still maintain a good relationship with them.” Jude’s expression remained the same when he heard Kaze but his eyes turned cold. Kaze did no
Jude stared at Kaze coldly for a while. His ashen expression then turned into a warm smile. He went back to his seat and sat down. “Kaze, that's just your own assumption, somewhat malicious I must say. But I understand. “This is your first meeting with me and you still don’t know me well, so there might be a little misunderstanding. I’ll forgive you this time, but this time only. Be careful with your words next time. “I regard you highly and I don’t mind what you said, but when your words reach other people, it might cause unwanted misunderstanding toward our relationship.” Jude then picked up the teapot and filled Kaze’s already empty cup with tea. “Do you know why I think so highly of you? It’s because I noticed Buffy’s feelings for you. You have to know that my daughter is a woman with dignity, a lady. She had never been in a scandal with another man for as long as she lived. “Casius might be chasing her aggressively but she kept him at a distance. If I am just trying
Serene and the other Viper’s Den agents looked at Kaze coldly. The Viper’s Den had thirty-six main branches and even more sub-branches under each of them. There were more than a million agents of the organization across the country. No one knew better than them how difficult it was to stand out from so many people. Not only did Kaze reject the olive branch from Jude, but he even despised it. To them, his actions were ungrateful and disrespectful. His repeated disregard for Jude in front of them was also a provocative act that would put his life in danger. Kaze put the teacup down and smiled. “Mr. Gwake, why would I need confidence and nerve to reject your offer? Isn’t that a little bit unreasonable? “Since you mentioned it, for your daughter’s sake, I don’t mind explaining.” Kaze put a finger up. “Firstly, I am the first one who struck Joel but that’s because he insulted Rose, my cousin-in-law. “Luis then beat up Joel and I did give him a tip or two, but it’s also b
“Hold it right there!” “The chief didn’t say you can go!” Agents of the Viper’s Den stepped up and prevented Kaze from leaving. Kaze smiled but he did not even spare a glance at them. “It seems like you don’t cherish the chance that I just gave you, Mr. Gwake.” He turned around to Jude with a grin. Jude grunted coldly and said, “Who do you think you are, giving me a chance? Look in the mirror.” “Are you the branch leader of the Viper’s Den West State Branch or the governor of the South River State?” “Not even Kent Synder, the mayor of Riverbank, has the nerve to speak to him like that! What makes you?” “You’re giving the chief a chance? Are you kidding?” The agents continued to mock him. They saw Kaze as nothing more than a clown. Kaze smiled. “One of them got it right. I am really the branch leader of the Viper’s Den West State Branch.” “What?! You are the branch leader?!” Everyone was surprised before they laughed out loud. Kaze was the branch leader of th
“Kaze, since I lost a bet to you last night, my father and I will let you go this time. After this, we are even. “But you disrespected my father and as a daughter, I cannot forgive you. I don’t want to see you anymore. You better disappear from my face before I change my mind! Don’t let me see you at Drake Gym, or I will not hold back!” Buffy pointed at the exit and bellowed coldly. Kaze had a good look at her. It was surprising that she would defend him in front of her father. She might be shouting at him, demanding him to leave, but she was trying to send him away before her father got to him. In an instant, the ill feelings she had left him with during their first meeting vanished. Kaze smiled and simply said, “Deputy Chief Gwake, you should thank yourself for having a good daughter. “I’ve decided. If you insist on fighting the match and lose to Hannah in the end, I will spare your life so that you can live it out to the fullest.” He then walked toward the exit. “D
Kaze said, “So this basically verified what I just said.” Serene scoffed. “Mr. Lee, you are still too young. In the world of adults, there’s no right or wrong, only benefits. The one with the stronger fist is always right. “You might sound reasonable and righteous. The law might even be on your side but they are all useless before absolute power.” “Absolute power? All of you here are no match for me.” Kaze scoffed. Serene smirked. “Punk, you really think you are invincible just because you taught Luis how to defeat Joel?” “Joel might be the chief’s best fighter but it’s because of his sister and master, that’s why he held such an important position by the chief’s side.” “Little did you know, each one of us is as strong as Joel.” “And, among all the agents working under the chief, Serene is the strongest.” “Not even ten Joels combined can beat her.” The agents grinned. To them, Kaze’s ignorant arrogance was pitiful. “Ten Joels?” Kaze raised his brows and smiled
Serene knew Kaze was strong. He was able to verbally instruct Luis to defeat Joel, which was solid proof of his strength. Yet when she saw Kaze slap the agents away with ease, she was still surprised. Before she could react, Kaze was already strolling up to her after defeating the other agents. “You are going to pay for this!” Serene was agitated. She extended both her hands, revealing two sharp and long needles in her hands. Swoosh! Without any hesitation, she thrust her weapons at Kaze as she lunged forward. The tenderness and beauty of a woman disappeared from her the moment she made a move. All she had was murderous intent and a frosty look. Unfortunately, before the needles could hit their targets, Kaze’s slaps landed on her face first. Slap! Serene did not even lay a finger on Kaze’s clothes. The slap landed on her face, sending her twisting and twirling in the air and flying backward like a kite cut loose. She crashed onto the tree behind her. Blood sta
“Kaze Lee, what are you trying to do?” Jude asked. His experience in life allowed him to be calm in the face of danger. Kaze smiled. “Why do you ask the obvious? You tried to kill me just now.” “Kaze! Don’t do this!” Buffy’s expression shifted and quickly said, “My father is just trying to teach you a lesson, not kill you!” She knew Kaze was fearless. If Kaze had the intent, he might very well take her father’s life. Kaze smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Buffy. I said it before, I will let him live for your sake. Even though he tried to kill me back then, since he’s your father, I will forgive him.” Buffy blushed but she was still angry. Jude’s expression turned ashen. “Punk, stop dreaming! My daughter is one-of-a-kind, you are not worthy…” Slap! Before he could finish, a slap landed on Jude’s face loud and clear. Everything went still in an instant. Kaze slapped Jude in the face in front of everyone. “I am not so sure if I am worthy of Buffy but I am sure you are
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