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
“Come, let me introduce.” Holfman then gestured at his students to come forward. He then pointed at the young man and said, “Sebastian Wright, my nephew. He’s been following me since he was young, learning any medical skills he can. He’s still a rookie in the medical world and he still has a lot to learn.” “Dr. Wright, you are simply being too humble. If your nephew can be by your side for so long, I bet he’s a talented one.” Master Otter dared not look down upon Holfman’s student whom he kept by his side. Holfman then pointed at the young lady. His usual gentle face showed an unconcealable trace of pride. “June Bishop. She became my student three years ago and she’s a talented one. I brought her into this field and I think she’s going to take my place in the future.” “Oh?” Master Otter instinctively furrowed his brows. He was a traditional man who favored males over females. He inwardly disagreed with Holfman passing down his title to a female student. However, Holfm
Maxine stepped up to the center of the living hall with a proud smile but she spoke with a provocative tone. She claimed that she wanted to learn and discuss with Sebastian and June but her provocative eyes were fixed on June. June had a glance but said nothing. Holfman chuckled and said, “Hahaha, it’s good that the young ones are ambitious. I brought my students here for the same reason, but let’s put that aside first. “Master Otter, there are so many promising young ones in your family. I bet you haven’t introduced them all.” “You’re right! Let me introduce you to…” Master Otter continued to introduce the young ones who had promising futures in the medical field. Holfman was generous with his praises and it made Master Otter proud and happy. He scanned over everyone and ultimately set his eyes on a person at the very end. “Master Otter, you didn’t introduce them. I bet you know it’s important to be observant of doctors. I was not a proper young man back in the day a
The crowd fell silent as Kaze’s criticism and blows echoed through the room. Kaze pummeled Aiden’s face at least a dozen times. He only stopped when Aiden’s face swelled up. Tension lingered in the air. Everybody stared in disbelief as Aiden struggled violently against Kaze’s attack. The crowd assumed the roles would have been reversed. By right, Aiden should be the aggressor while Kaze would suffer in silence. Come to think of it, logic did not exist when Kaze was around. Aiden narrowed his eyes at Kaze as humiliation and anger washed over him. He gritted his teeth, his lips quivering, but no words escaped his mouth. Aiden understood that adaptation was crucial for survival. He would only be getting slapped on the face by talking back. Kaze looked at his bloody palm and wiped his hand on Aiden’s suit. The insulting gesture saw the crowd shivering and Aiden shaking with rage. Aiden clenched his fists. Nevertheless, Aiden held himself together. He had come
Sensing no threat, Kaze said with a pretentious smile, “Didn’t you lecture me about being understanding? “You should lead by example. I wanted to see if you could become the bigger person. “As you can see, you want to kill me for hitting you.“You’re one to talk about grace.” Kaze’s sarcastic remark painted Boris’ face red. Boris uttered exasperatedly, “You’re not on my level, kid.” “Oh, I guess your grace and tolerance are only reserved for those higher in the social hierarchy.”Kaze put on a stern look. “I have no idea what level I’m on, but I know you’re just a lapdog to the Krads. “Do you think we were blind to your little setup with Aiden? “You’re one of Riverbank underworld kingpins. It’s embarrassing for someone your age to put on that silly show.” Kaze took a step forward, his eyes fixating on Boris. “Tell me. What level are you on?” “Woah!” The crowd broke out in an uproar. Many on scene were oblivious to Boris’ little show with Aiden. While the secret
Kaze waved his arm like a total badass. Aiden and the others wished they could rip Kaze apart. It was annoying. Kaze got under everybody’s skin. Darcy and Kaze acquired Crown Tower and its surrounding land without spending a dime. More accurately, Aiden paid the price. Darcy was speechless, to say the least. She had no idea that Kaze could be so manipulative. If she were in Aiden’s shoes, she would probably be livid. “Thank you, Mr. Krad. You’re one of the good guys.” Kaze burst out laughing while thanking Aiden. The smug look on Kaze’s face was infuriating, but Aiden could only stand there, seething. “That’s enough, young man.” An old but commanding voice boomed. The crowd was taken aback as Boris, one of the Riverbank underworld kingpins approached. “Don’t push it, young man. You have won, and I suggest you should leave it at that,” Boris said indifferently. Despite his flat tone, Boris was critical of Kaze. “Boris is right. Kaze, you got lucky this
“That’s right. The rules are clear.” Kaze grabbed a rulebook and said with a smile, “You are the highest bidder after me.“I gave Mr. Krad a chance, but he didn’t take it.” Aiden asked, “Is there really such a rule?” “There is, Mr. Krad.” The head of the committee gulped hard and said with a wry smile, “We established a rule for Crown Tower, and it must be sold regardless of the price.” The rule was reserved for Crown Tower. The Seven Star District Council had been trying to sell Crown Tower for a while now, but a suitable buyer had yet to meet the council’s requirements. Hence, the council would accept any bids above ten billion dollars. Since Kaze could not afford his bid, the land would go to Darcy, the second-highest bidder. Her bid was exactly ten billion dollars. The land fell back into Darcy’s hands. However, Kaze and Darcy were independent bidders. Darcy represented Sky Ocean Corporation while Kaze was an individual buyer. It was clear that Darcy and Ka
“You don’t have that kind of money?” Everybody looked at Kaze in shock. He did not have that kind of money. Yet, he bid fifty billion dollars. The head of the organizing committee was stunned for a moment. He quickly chuckled dryly and said, “Please don’t joke around, Mr. Lee.” “Am I? I’m not kidding.” Kaze shrugged. “I don’t have forty billion dollars. My net worth isn’t even worth that much. “I took an advance of ten billion dollars from my Centurion card. It’s only an advance. I still need to pay the money back. “I’ve never taken money out of the Centurion card because I don’t have the funds to pay it back.“All I have is ten billion dollars, and the money was from Mr. Krad.” The crowd was taken aback. Aiden was in disbelief. “Why did you bid, Lee? You went as high as fifty billion dollars. “Don’t be something you’re not!” Joan and the others rolled their eyes. “So I can’t bid when I’m broke?” Kaze said matter-of-factly, “You called me a sucker for biddi
Joan sneered. “Heh. Don’t take us all for idiots. Good luck to you.”“Mr. Lee has put in his bid. Aren’t you going to seal the deal?” Paying Kaze no heed, Aiden looked at the auctioneer. The auctioneer got the hint and shouted excitedly, “50 billion dollars, going once. “50 billion dollars, going twice. “50 billion dollars, going thrice. “Sold to Mr. Lee at 50 billion dollars.” The auctioneer turned to Kaze and said with a smile, “Congratulations, Mr. Lee. The rights to Crown Tower are yours.“I’m also pleased to announce that your 50-billion-dollar bid has set a new record for the highest bid in the history of Four Ocean Auction.“Once again, congratulations to you.” “Clap, clap.” With Aiden taking the lead, the room was filled with thundering applause. Nevertheless, the crowd simply mocked Kaze for his foolish decision. Kaze did not stop at scamming Aiden out of ten billion dollars. He took things far and shot himself in the foot. Before, the crowd was impres
“I think we can all see who the real idiot here is.” As reality sank in, Aiden and the others looked at Kaze as if he was the clown. Kaze outsmarted Aiden with the sale of the Golden Toad. However, Crown Tower and its surrounding land were not worth fifty billion dollars. It was true that the Ryokanians had their sights set on the land and enlisted the Krads’ help to acquire the sale. However, the Ryokanians would not pay more than what the land was worth. Even if Sky Ocean Corporation secured the sale, the Ryokanians had their way to steal the land from the company. As Aiden said, Darcy would not be able to keep the land for long. Crown Tower could not cripple Aiden. Aiden could just drop out of the running since the bid was way past his price point. To think Kaze would play the same strategy twice. Who was Kaze trying to fool? On stage, the auctioneer was taken aback by Kaze’s outrageous bid. She wondered if she heard it right. Moments later, she asked skeptic
Darcy’s eyes burned with rage. “Mr. Krad, I’d rather buy the land and let it rot than let you win.” “Bam!” Aiden stood up, knocking his chair over. He stared at Darcy menacingly. “You’ll be sorry, bitch!”“If you want to make a scene, you’re better off outbidding me.” Darcy taunted. With the gloves off, Darcy was no longer compelled to be civil with Aiden. “10 billion dollars, going once. Are there any other bids?” The auctioneer’s voice trembled. “10 billion dollars, going twice.” She looked at Aiden. Aiden turned ashen, mainly because Darcy pissed him off. Still, he had to stop the auctioneer from hammering the gravel and giving the land to Darcy. Aiden drew the line for thirty-five billion dollars. The competition was far from being over. He decided to go big to crush Darcy all at once. Darcy would have to cover all his losses anyway. With that in mind, Aiden gritted his teeth and said with a menacing smile, “Twenty-five—” “Can you just cut to the chase?
Darcy said indifferently, “Working in business, we want to make sure every penny counts. We can’t be as lavish as you, Mr. Krad.” It sounded like a compliment, but the sarcasm was buried within. She was implying that Aiden was flexing his financial muscles. Aiden grimaced. He did not expect Darcy to snap back at him. After a scoff, Aiden cocked his head back and said menacingly, “Six billion dollars.” Excited by the heated competition, the auctioneer cried, “Six billion dollars, going once. Are there any other bidders? “Six billion dollars, going twice.” Darcy uttered without hesitation, “Six point one billion dollars.” “Seven billion dollars!” Aiden bid on and sneered. “You’ll be sorry for taking me on, Ms. Quint.“I can tell you now that we were only going to spend five billion dollars on the land. “You’ll pay for all the losses.” Dropping his gentleman act, Aiden uttered grimacingly, “If you know any better, you should leave right now. Stop giving me problem