Agnes glared at Kaze fiercely but could not do anything at all. Among the whole family, only Kaze, Sky, and Hector were secretly pleased. They would have to face Master Otter’s temper whether they prepared the present or not. In addition, without Master Otter’s permission, Adam and his family would not dare to give Agnes and her family a hard time. If the outcome remained the same, why waste the money? “Hmph! If more of us are like you, disrespectful and unfilial, then it’s going to be sad and bleak for Grandfather,” Maxine said scornfully. She then took out a white walking cane with a shiny dragon head and presented it to Master Otter. “Grandfather, we prepared this ivory walking cane for you. We got master craftsmen in Jairo to customize this walking cane based on your height and we also had it blessed by a renowned priest in Jairo. It cost us around three million. “You can use it in your daily routine and it can boost your blood circulation, ensuring your health and
“A villain in success!” Sky muttered, airing his grievance. Since everyone had already quieted down, his voice sounded extra loud. Master Otter was furious. “Boy, where are your manners?! Maxine is older than you, how can you talk to her like that? “Not only are you rude, but you keep making the same mistake! You are not taught properly by your parents!” He pointed at Sky and bellowed, “Slap him!” Slap! Before Sky could even react, Maxine darted forward and swung a slap at his face. A red slap mark covered his face, forcing him to stagger backward. He, too, was furious. “Maxine! I’ll hit a woman if I have to!” Slap! Maxine got carried away and slapped him once more. Sky’s anger erupted. He wanted to retaliate. “Sky! How dare you! Grandfather ordered the slap and you want to hit Maxine?!” “You are really disrespectful of Grandfather!” Max and another cousin dashed forward and held Sky’s arm back. Maxine quickly stepped away and smirked. “You little bastar
Darcy tried to argue but Agnes knew her father’s temper well, so she stepped up with tears trickling down her face, bowing and apologizing, “Father, Darcy and Sky are still young. Please don’t mind them! “It’s our fault for not teaching them well. Punish us instead. We accept whatever punishment you have for us!” Hector took a deep breath and bowed as well. “Father, today is your family banquet, please don’t get mad or it might affect your health. We apologize. It’s our fault.” Sky saw his sister and parents lowering their stance and apologized to his grandfather. He was aggrieved. He was shaking with anger but he no longer dared to make a noise. He knew speaking up would only make things worse for his family. “Grandfather, this bastard kicked us when we tried to hold Sky down!” Max went up to Master Otter and pointed at Kaze, calling him out. He even lifted his pants to reveal the bruise on his calf. It was messy a moment ago and they had no idea who kicked them. When
“Is this how your family teaches you to talk to people?” Master Otter bellowed angrily. Disappointment and anger were clearly written on his face. Hector quickly got into the role of a father-in-law and scolded Kaze. “Kaze! Where are your manners? How dare you talk to your grandfather-in-law like that! Apologize right away!” At the same time, he was signaling Kaze subtly. Kaze’s brave and outstanding reaction moved him as it was something he dared not do. Hector decided to step in because if it was Agnes, she would have scolded Kaze, or worse, hit him, for dragging the family down. Kaze spotted the signals but he did not respond. He looked at Master Otter and said, “Apologize? To you?” The questioning tone and disdain were obvious and they silenced everyone, including Darcy’s family and Master Otter’s family. It was no secret that Kaze was bold and with a temper. He was fearless and had the nerve to challenge everyone. Yet when he made his thoughts verbal, it shocke
Maxine’s hair was messed up and her legs opened up due to the fall. Since she was wearing a skirt, everyone could see what color panty she was wearing. “Using age as a means to act superior, lacking the respect expected of an elder, being self-righteous, and unable to distinguish right from wrong…” As Maxine continued to cry in disbelief and everyone widened their eyes in disbelief, Kaze looked up coldly at the elderly man on the stairs. “A man like you demands my apology? You want me to call you Grandfather?” Maxine heard Kaze and she cried even louder, “Grandfather, Kaze Lee slapped me and insulted you! He is not respecting you at all. Teach him a lesson…” She fluttered her legs, screaming like a little girl throwing a tantrum. She was the favorite child in the family where the excessive love and care spoiled her. No one had ever hit her in her life, not even her parents. Yet Kaze slapped her twice in front of everyone. The urge to strangle Kaze with her own hands gre
Clank! Kaze tossed the bony cane in front of Master Otter. He then wiped his hand with alcohol and wet tissue. While everyone remained stunned and shocked, Kaze looked at Master Otter, whose face had darkened, and said, “You scolded us because we didn’t prepare a gift for you, right? So why not take this as a gift? Me saving your life. It’s the best gift you can ask for.” Master Otter stared at Kaze fiercely. He clenched his teeth tightly, his body shaking. To everyone’s surprise, he did not have the words to argue back, let alone scold him. The entire family was at a loss for words and actions. Thump! Maxine suddenly knelt in front of Master Otter and cried, “Grandfather, don’t believe this bastard! The antique shop said this was an ivory cane from Jairo! It cost me tens of thousands! How can it be the bones of a dead person…” The expression on everyone’s faces changed, a sense of unease creeping in on Maxine’s explanation. Earlier, she said it was custom-made by a
“I don’t know. I just heard that someone in the Viper’s Den South River Branch got sick and many doctors can’t seem to help. That’s why Dr. Wright is here.” “But our family is also well-known for doctors, especially Grandfather. He’s also the president of Riverbank Guild of Doctors. So I think that’s why Dr. Wright is here to visit.” The family members engaged in a heated discussion about why Holfman came. Agnes was also excited. She said to her husband and daughter, “When I was still in the medical field, I admired Dr. Wright a lot. No matter what the condition is, he can cure it! I never thought I would be meeting him in person today…” Suddenly, she noticed everything quieted down and the entire Otter family was looking at her. Master Otter’s expression remained darkened. “Uh… I mean…” Agnes quickly corrected her words and said, “I admired Dr. Wright the second. The person I admire the most is still my father!” Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. Master Otter’s
Darcy did not want to disappoint her mother, so she said, “Kaze, please stay and meet Dr. Wright. It’s not a big deal.” Since Darcy had spoken, Kaze could not just walk off. He turned around and said, “Fine. For Darcy’s sake, I’ll stay and meet the Whatever Doctor.” In other words, he stayed because of Darcy and Holfman, not Master Otter. Master Otter grunted coldly but did not berate him this time. He, too, was afraid that Kaze might walk away again. The other family members were speechless. They looked at Kaze strangely, feeling amazed by his boldness. Master Otter had always been the absolute existence in the family. No one dared to defy his words, let alone embarrass him. Yet, despite feeling aggrieved after he argued with Kaze, he dared not scold him further and resolved to swallow his grievances—twice in a single day. Everyone got into position behind Master Otter, waiting patiently for Holfman’s arrival. “Kaze, you’re the bomb just now!” Someone poked Kaze
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