โHannah and Collier released the news ahead of us through Golden Scale Corporation, Mr. Gwake.โ Serene said with a sour face, โThey claimed the Viper Queen sent a branch leader to reach them, saying that the Nether Viper Sword was lost in Riverbank. โThey are offering a billion-dollar reward on behalf of the South River State Branch. Anyone can collect their reward at Golden Scale Corporation when the sword is located. โAnyone, including members of the organization, found stashing the sword away will face annihilation.โ Silence befell inside the car. โBam!โ Jude crushed the glass in his hand, the shards cut into his skin and drew blood. His face was ashen. โBastard! โJerk!โ Faith and Serene soon snapped out of their trance. Hannah beat them to the news release. Either way, the Nether Viper Sword was no use to Jude anymore. That was not the only thing. The Nether Viper Sword was more of a nuisance than a treasure. By not turning in the sword, Jude would be su
Color drained from Faithโs face, and she said menacingly, โJustice? Dream on! โThey donโt deserve my time even for 20 billion dollars.โ She was not saying that out of spite. Faith was a proud woman, and she would rather die than admit her mistake. โThat was why I chose to pay.โ Jude scoffed. โDo you think I donโt want to kill Lee?โYou see whatโs going on. Hannah and Collier are out to get me, and they are pushing hard.โI don't know how they manage to get in the new branch leaderโs good graces. โItโs not uncertain whether the branch leader is real or not. โEither way, now isnโt the time to take anything lightly. โIf I panic and get sidetracked with dealing with Kaze, I wonโt just potentially lose my life. You will lose a life of luxuries. โIโll be in power once I become the branch leader. Kaze wonโt be a threat then. โGet that through your head now.โ As Faith was not willing to let things go, Jude had to talk some sense into her. He needed to hold Faith stead
Faith lost control of her continence. Losing her last shred of dignity, Faith wailed miserably. โTurn around and get to Eddington Hospital now. Make sure Holfman shows up too. โMake it quick! Iโll hold you accountable if anything happens to Faith,โ Jude yelled menacingly even though his hands were soiled. Without hesitating a minute more, the driver turned the car around in a fluster. The Rolls Royce zipped away. Jude did not even open the car windows because Faith could not shake off the cold. He turned the heat on to the highest temperature. Putting up with the stench, Serene took out her phone to call Holfman. Before the call connected, Serene shuddered at a sudden thought. She had been with Jude the whole thing, so she doubted the sudden onset of Faithโs illness was a coincidence. Serene was sure that Kaze had done something. It was just her gut feeling, though. She had no evidence to back it up. โฆ Kaze and Buffy walked out of Scarlet Creek. Judeโs fleet o
Since Kaze was great behind the wheel, Buffy left the driving to him. Buffy paused and shook her head. โYou got two billion dollars from selling the Nether Viper Sword. I canโt accept it. I have done nothing to deserve the money from you.โMy dad said one thing right. You can use the money to start a business or build yourself up. At least the public wonโt remember you as a moocher.โ Considering Kaze a friend, Buffy spoke out of concern for him. She knew that Kaze probably had no use for the money since Kent, the mayor, gave him Villa No. 1 as a thank-you.Still, Kaze would have to take Kentโs feelings into account before selling the asset, though. With the two billion dollars, Kaze could set up his own business. Even though Buffy was aware of Kazeโs competence, the public had no idea. The public viewed Kaze as a moocher. He leeched on his wifeโs family, got kicked out of the family, and now had to seek help from his mentor in Riverbank. โThank you for your suggestion,
โWho is it?โ Since the ringing would not leave him alone, Kaze took the call peevishly. โWell, someone has a temper this morning.โ Cyanโs annoyed and peevish voice came on the other line. โYou sure sleep a lot.โYouโre getting cocky over a tiny achievement. โCanโt you strive for higher and better? โI doubt youโll ever meet my standards even if I give you a head start.โ Cyan tore into Kaze, leaving him speechless. Kaze interrupted her. โWhatโs the matter, Cyan? Does Mr. Yemen want to meet me for lunch?โ โIs that all you think about? Food?โ Cyan said angrily, โGet out of bed and get yourself cleaned up. โConsider yourself lucky, Kaze. Dad said you somehow became the sales manager of Golden Scale Corporation. Heโs taking you out to get a house.โHa! Arenโt you amazing, Kaze? You are getting yourself a place just less than two weeks since you arrived in Riverbank,โ Cyan said sarcastically, her opinion apparent on the matter.It made sense why she was upset, though.
Ryna had always thought little of Kaze, even when the latter became the manager at Golden Scale Corporation. Cyan glanced at her phone and nodded. โI told him, so he should be here by now. We all know that he doesnโt have money. He may be the manager now, but his wages are due next month. For all we know, heโs taking the subway. โBut Mom, why did you drag Dad here? The properties in this area are in a higher range. โDad doesnโt have to get Kaze an expensive one.โ Cyan was frustrated. It was Ryna who suggested looking at the properties in Rivername. Ryna scoffed. โYour dad has to get one anyway. โI only brought your dad here to show Kaze the property prices. This sales office sells premium accommodation. โI want the boy to take a hike. That way, we wonโt have to spend a penny. โHeโs always talking about how good Lock is to him. If he had any decency, he wouldnโt drain us financially.โ So that was Rynaโs plan. Cyan stuck her tongue out. โI think youโll be shooting y
Those who sneered at Kaze earlier felt a burn in their cheeks. They walked away embarrassedly. Ryna was not having it. โHave you lost your mind, Lock? โKaze only became the sales manager because of Cyan. โI canโt believe youโre getting him a place!โ Ryna jolted to her feet and yelled at her husband. Lock patted Kazeโs shoulder, his expression proud. โI donโt believe that Kaze got the promotion because of Cyan. He knows what he is doing. He was a chairman back in Lilyrose.โ โChairman, my ass.โ Ryna scoffed and remarked, โHe leeches off his wife to get that position. His wife kicked him out in the end.โโHmph!โLockโs fell face. โI said Iโd get Kaze a house, and I will. Iโm a man of my word. โCome on, Kaze. I found a nice place. โSee if you like it. We can get the paperwork going.โ Without looking at his wife, Lock grabbed Kazeโs arm and pulled him away. Ryna was about to blow up, but there was nothing more she could do about the situation. She marched over ther
Both of them could not see anything stellar in Kaze, especially when compared to their daughterโs wealthy boyfriend. Despite the mundane appearance, they came up with a word of praise. โWaitโฆโ Cyan wanted to argue but Lock smiled and beat her to it, saying, โThis is Kaze, a student of mine when I was a teacher. Heโs not Cyanโs boyfriend but I am hoping that he can be my son-in-law. โWe are in no hurry after all. Letting the young ones know each other better is a good start.โ โOh? Son-in-law?โ Heath and his family scrutinized Kaze carefully. Claudia glanced at Ryna and noticed a reluctant look. Based on her understanding of Ryna, Kaze must have done something to displease her. She looked at Ryna and asked, โRyna, your son-in-law seems to be doing well. He even brought you guys here to look at houses. I wonder where he works?โ Rynaโs expression stiffened. As she carefully arranged her words, Lock said proudly, โKaze just became the sales manager of Golden Scale Corp
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