The burly men all around and Dove, who was on the ground, were horrified. Kaze was powerful. He shut them up as soon as he arrived.Dove watched as Kaze walked over to her. She lifted her chin with a struggle and cried desperately, “Mr. Winchester, he is Kaze! Snow came here to seek his help. “Bass has nothing on him. May is counting on him to make a comeback. “You know, Venom, ranked second on the hitman’s list? He can get him here with one phone call.“Quick! Kill him! “Otherwise, none of us will walk out of here alive.”A man of action, Wind drew his weapon and pulled the trigger on Kaze. “Bang!” The moment the barrel fired, Kaze shifted slightly, then came a scream. One of Wind’s minions had a gaping hole in his chest. The minion fell back headfirst. Furious and shocked, Wind let out an angry cry and fired another shot. “Bang!” By then, Kaze was in Wind’s face. He slapped the firearm out of Wind’s hand and smacked him away. Wind crashed into his minion, tak
“I am Wind Winchester, Mr. Lee. I am a loyal subordinate.“A few members of the Frost family have died, and the evidence is pointing at Ms. Frost’s mother. Hence, we put her under house arrest while we launched an internal investigation. I was sent to Lilyrose to watch over Ms. Frost too. “We are all acting on Jet’s orders. I wouldn’t disrespect Ms. Frost under other circumstances.” “Jet?” Kaze fell into contemplation. “Have you heard of Mr. Frost’s good name too, Mr. Lee?” Overjoyed, Wind said, “He is part of the Riverbank Seven. “Mr. Frost returned to the family to get on top of the family issues. He is currently in power. “He has gained more authority than what he holds in Riverbank.” Kaze stood there without a word while Wind went on. “I have to admit that you’re one of the strongest I’ve met. “But you need to get one thing straight. Strength alone won’t get you anywhere. “It’s all about family connections, wealth, and power. “I’m sure you have heard about Le
“What makes you think I’ll let you take Snow away?” Kaze asked nonchalantly while slapping Wind on the same cheek. “You!” Wind’s eyes widened. The mention of Jet’s name was not enough for Kaze to release Wind. Instead, Kaze refused to back down and even insulted him. Feeling the sharp pain on his skin, Wind gritted his teeth. Dove drew close and said sternly, “Let Mr. Winchester go now, Lee! “Sure, you can fight, but you can do squat since you took your wife’s last name.“Who are you to be rude and attack Mr. Winchester?“If you don’t want to get you and your wife’s family killed, you better get down on your knees and apologize to Mr. Winchester. Let him do his job and take Snow away.“By refusing to do so, no one can save—” Before Dove could finish, Kaze snapped an icy look that made her blood run cold. It struck Dove that Kaze was no doormat. He single-handedly defeated them all, not hesitating to pull the trigger on a dozen men. “I remember you.” Kaze said, “Y
“You’re dead, Lee!” Losing his mind, Wind yelled angrily and pounced on Kaze. He tried to grab a weapon from the pile to shoot Kaze. Not giving him a chance to fight back, Kaze fired another round. The Desert Eagle had the power to blow Wind’s elbow apart. Wind grimaced in pain and tumbled to the ground. Gripped by fear, the remaining minions fell to their knees subserviently. As Wind’s whimpers trailed off, Kaze said aloofly, “If I wanted your life, you would’ve been dead by now.” Wind gathered his thoughts and realized how foolish he was to challenge Kaze. Kaze broke him, and Wind could no longer retaliate against him. Wind struggled to get up and kneeled. “Answer my questions.”Kaze looked at Wind from above, his voice callous. “Don’t try to lie to me. You had your chance. I’m not giving you another pass.” “Yes, of course. Ask away! I will tell you everything.” Wind shuddered. “Save the nonsense.” Kaze kicked Wind and asked, “Did Jet put Mrs. Frost under h
Snow fell into contemplation before uttering, “He’s right, Chairman Lee. My mother belongs to the Clarity family. “But you should know that it isn’t rainbows and butterflies in a family like the Clarities. My mother is not on good terms with my grandfather’s side of the family.“I don’t have a good idea about the history, but I know that she didn’t turn to my grandfather’s family for help when struggling to run the family business after my dad’s passing.” Snow’s father passed ahead of his time. May raised Snow all these years while sorting out family issues. “Don’t kill me, sir! I’m telling the truth!” Reading between the lines, Wind shrieked out of his mind, fearing that he would be Kaze’s next target. “Thud.” The Desert Eagle was flung to Wind. Kaze towered over him and said indifferently, “You get to live another day.“Go back and tell Jet that I expect Mrs. Frost’s safe return in three days. “Failing to do so, I’ll make a trip to the Frosts’.” Wind closed his e
Kaze let out an awkward smile and criticized, “Need I say more? “I am your superior, but your commitment to work allows me to take the back seat. You’re more than a subordinate to me. “I’ll regret it if anything happens to you.” Kaze then changed the subject. “Let’s talk about your family. What’s going on?“I got Venom watching over your mother. How did this happen?” Snow’s eyes flickered with disappointment at Kaze’s avoidance. However, she quickly put away her personal thoughts since her family issues mattered more now. “I’m not sure about what’s going on. I got a general idea when Bass and the others arrived, Chairman Lee.” After much thought, Snow murmured, “Midas King’s revenge stirred unrest in my family. “It helped that Mom went home with Venom. With my grandfather ill, Mom was in control of the family. “But several family members were poisoned days later. They were either core members who ran the family business or the family’s armed resources. The key playe
“Like Aaron, Mom had planned to get rid of Midas King with the Krads’ help.“But you managed to convince her otherwise. “Jet rather force me to marry Aaron to gain power than let my mother be the savior of the family.” Snow made a wry look. “I can understand Jet helping my family in a crisis, but I can’t accept the fact that he’s making me marry Aaron.“I was close with him when we were young. “He’s now a stranger to me. He won’t think twice about sacrificing me.” The betrayal and manipulation of the family were the worst. Snow, strong as she was, felt heartbroken. Kaze reached his hand out and ran his fingers along her smooth hair. He reproached, “Why didn’t you tell me when your family was in trouble? “Mrs. Frost took a risk to contact me. Only then you come here to see me.” Snow, her cheeks blushing, said with a wry smile, “I know you have a lot on your plate here in Riverbank. I didn’t want to bother you with my family issues, Chairman Lee. “Plus, I held out ho
After the call, Kaze gave Darcy a call.Prior to calling, Kaze realized that Darcy had called and texted him several times half an hour ago, saying that she would be arriving with her parents today. With the Quints’ business shifting to Riverbank, Darcy’s family needed to travel in advance to sort the accommodation and other necessities. Kaze was on his way to save Snow, so he did not notice or respond to the calls and messages. “Beep, beep, beep…” The line was busy. Kaze phoned several times, but his calls went unanswered. The only way Kaze could get through Darcy was by text. However, he saw the message from Buffy about a woman calling the house on the hilltop, looking for him. The call ended the moment Buffy picked up. Kaze put down the phone with a wry face. He could guess that Darcy made the call. Darcy must have gotten the wrong idea when she heard Buffy’s voice. “What’s the matter, Chairman Lee?” Snow asked concernedly upon noticing Kaze’s expression. “Not
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