“Kaze, turn around and head to the airport!”They are on their way back from Blossom Creek to Wyomspring.Buffy, sitting in the passenger seat, broke the silence. “I'll book the next flight to Ridgesouth for you. From there, you can head to Geranium or Millstown, or even go abroad if you have your passport.“I’ll transfer ten million to an offshore account for you.“Once the heat dies down, you can return.“Now, give me your ID.”Buffy began searching for flights on her phone.Kaze kept driving, showing no sign of handing over his ID.“You asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend, didn’t you? “Now that we’re done, you’re just going to throw me away?”Kaze smirked. “Ten million? That's my going rate these days?”Buffy felt a surge of frustration. “Are you an idiot or are you just pretending?“You beat up Faith earlier today. She won’t let this go. Do you even know who she is?“She’s the precious daughter of the Krads, one of the wealthiest families in Westeros. Your family
Buffy was beginning to regret her decisions.Maybe she should never have gotten Kaze involved in the first place.Nothing changed, and worse, she got Kaze involved.In the past, she would not have cared much about his fate. However, now, things were different. Kaze was the only man who had ever stepped up to shield her.“Buffy, do you think so little of me?” Kaze smirked. “Do you really think the Krads and Casius are enough to bring me down?“Do they even have the ability?" Buffy had no idea where Kaze got his confidence, but she thought he was being way too cocky.The Krads and Casius were not people to be underestimated. Thinking otherwise would lead to serious consequences.“Don't underestimate Casius,” Buffy said, but Kaze interrupted her.“Relax. After Casius tried to have Zoro kill me, I’d have gone after him anyway, with or without you. “Taking him down is part of why I’m here in Riverbank. Not entirely because of you.“So, don’t blame yourself, and don’t wo
“That night, Faith brought several of her family's elite fighters and severely injured my mother, leaving her in a coma ever since.“My father wasn’t there at the time. But when he got home, he silently called for an ambulance and had my mother taken to the hospital.“Then, he married Faith.”“I was too young to understand everything at the time, and it’s only later that I found out the truth.“Even after I learned the truth, I couldn’t do anything because Faith had taken control of the family’s finances.“My mother’s medical expenses, which amount to millions every year, are entirely dependent on her approval. I had no choice but to pretend nothing happened.“Even so, Faith still hasn’t let go of her plans for me.“You heard her earlier. The only reason she’s paying for my mother’s treatment is to keep me under her control, using me as a pawn to further her agenda.“Not too long ago, Newell Ettinger, the previous leader of the South River Branch, died. Faith pushed my father f
“I didn't expect your stepmom to act so fast. She must have a death wish.”Kaze grinned, but his eyes were cold and threatening. Even his perfect smile seemed a bit sinister.At first, Buffy did not understand. However, when she followed Kaze’s gaze to the rearview mirror, she realized something was wrong.Behind them, two massive Ford Raptors were weaving through traffic, closing in fast.They were almost catching up to them, only a few cars apart. Buffy could even see the expressionless driver of the closest truck, staring straight at them.“Are they coming for us?” Buffy's face paled.One Ford Raptor was intimidating enough on the road, but two? Buffy could practically feel the presence of death creeping up behind them.“Did Faith send them?” Buffy asked, her voice was shaky.They had barely left Blossom Creek, and already someone was tailing them.Like Kaze, Buffy immediately thought of Faith. Sending two trucks to chase them down left little room for doubt about h
Vroom!As Kaze’s foot hit the gas pedal, the engine roared to life, and the car sped forward like a dark horse weaving through traffic.In a flash, Kaze executed several swift lane changes, overtaking other cars. The sudden moves caused chaos, with screeching brakes and blaring horns echoing around him.However, the two Ford Raptors tailing him were unfazed. Now that Kaze had spotted them, they stopped holding back, accelerating and weaving through the traffic in pursuit.Kaze was not surprised. If the drivers could be shaken off this easily, it would be a joke, whether they were sent by Faith or Casius.Vroom!Kaze hit the gas again, yanking the steering wheel. The car swerved to the right and shot off the main road toward a side road leading to the South Hill Dam. South Hill Dam is Riverbank City’s suburban area. He planned to deal with the problem there.The Ford Raptors quickly followed, mimicking his moves. Both trucks were clearly modified and kept pace with hi
Twenty minutes later, Kaze had covered a distance that would normally take an hour, arriving at the edge of South Hill Dam.The drivers of the two Ford Raptors chasing him were clearly skilled. Despite constantly having to track Kaze's movements and attempt overtakes, they managed to keep the gap between them under 300 meters.Barely an accelerator's push away.“There’s barely any traffic ahead. They’ll catch up soon!” Buffy warned.She was familiar with the roads in the area. Ahead was a quiet route leading to the county. It was an old highway, mostly used for practice by driving school.As if in sync with Buffy's concern, the two Ford Raptors behind them suddenly accelerated, closing the distance.Vroom!Kaze turned left sharply.The Phaeton swerved across the dotted line into the opposite lane, darting onto the asphalt road skirting the South Hill Dam.The Ford Raptors assumed Kaze was getting desperate, and without hesitation, they followed, like predators closing in on
Until the water was completely still, with no chance of anyone surviving, Kaze finally tossed his cigarette aside and returned to the car. He started the engine and began driving back along the same road. The car was shaking slightly due to damage from the earlier sharp turn, but he did not care. As long as he drove slower, it would hold up until they reached the city.In the passenger seat, the rattling of the car snapped Buffy out of her daze.“They’re really dead?” she asked, glancing back as if wanting Kaze to stop the car.Kaze knew this woman, no matter how much trauma she had suffered from her family’s problems, had still grown up surrounded by wealth. She lived a much better life than most people. Her reaction now was a typical spoiled rich girl nonsense.Without slowing down, Kaze responded coldly, “Buffy, your parents are people from the Viper’s Den and are no saints. Even if you didn’t witness it, you should’ve known how the world works. “If our car had been hi
“Kaze, you're right. My dad won't care about me as long as he gets what he wants,” said Buffy with a hint of sadness.Kaze responded casually, “So, what are you going to do now?”“I don't know.” She shook her head, her eyes filled with uncertainty. Knowing the truth did not change anything. She was powerless to change her situation. Even her mother was still held captive, leaving her no ability to fight back.“If you want justice for your mother, why not join me? We can ruin Jude's dreams and make Faith and Casius pay for what they did today.” Kaze suggested.Initially, Kaze did not mind Buffy approaching him since he had planned to use her to resolve the Viper Den’s South River Branch problem. However, after learning more about her struggles, he could not help but feel some sympathy. Beneath her polished exterior, she hid a pain no one else could see.Kaze did not mind helping her out while dealing with the Viper’s Den. Helping her seek justice and reclaim what was
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