Samus, Deborah, and Vincent led the way on foot. Despite their frustration, they were thrilled. Judging by the security team’s aloof and distant attitudes, they believed that these people came to mess Kaze up. Meanwhile, Hunter led Kaze outside a VIP lounge. “Wait here, K. I’ll tell them you’re here.” Hunter knocked on the door and entered the room. The lounge was spacious and luxurious. A rosy-cheeked man in his fifties sat on the leather couch, a tunic draped his frame. “I brought Kaze here, Mr. White.” Hunter nodded at the bodyguards standing by the old man before approaching with respect. It was Angel White, the Angel of Death. Anybody with association to Lilyrose underworld would know his name. Angel was the brains behind Cronus’ rise in the underworld.Two decades ago, Angel’s strategic brilliance drove Cronus to power, challenging Alan’s dominance in the underworld.Ignoring Hunter, Angel fixated his gaze on the TV screen. The video of Kaze knocking T
It did not matter whether Kaze would kill Alan. Hunter could imagine the devastating end to Kaze. The dummy was not the only one caught in the crossfire. His wife’s family, probably the entire Quint family, would be ruined. “Bring him in.” Angel grabbed the remote control and turned off the screen. Hunter turned around, opened the door, and led Kaze into the room. “Kaze, this is Mr. White. Mr. White is a respectable man in Lilyrose.” Hunter quit the term of endearment. Kaze was a dead man in his eyes. “Mr. White.” Kaze checked Angel out and chuckled. He was about to sit his ass in front of Angel. “How dare you! Who are you to sit in front of Mr. White?” The bodyguard on the left of Angel criticized Kaze angrily. Kaze turned to Angel who carried a blank expression. “Didn’t you invite me for a talk, Mr. White? Why don’t I get to sit down? I’m sure there isn’t a rule about it.” “Hmph! Don’t flatter yourself, dimwit. Mr. White summoned you. He did not invite yo
Angel pulled a long face. He looked at Kaze emotionlessly without a word. Tension rose in the VIP lounge. “How dare you, Kaze!” Hunter walked over and lectured Kaze with his finger up his nose. “It’s your honor that Mr. White wants you to work for him. Don’t be ungrateful.” Kaze glanced at Hunter. He thought Hunter was acting strange when they were at the Ferrari showroom. Sure enough, Hunter was only pretending to be respectful toward him. “I guess you didn’t learn from your mistake, Hunter.” Kaze scowled. “You didn’t act tough when you kneeled before me, slapping yourself last night.” Hunter grimaced, remembering last night’s insulting incident. “I gave in to you last night because the situation called for it, Kaze. Do you really think I’m scared of you?” Hunter looked at him in disdain. “All you are is a worthless son-in-law of the Quints. Oh, so you can fight. But you were only able to walk out of the casino alive because of Dan’s six men. Do you think I will al
Kaze struck quickly. It all happened in a flash. The whole thing was over before Angel knew it. By the time his mind caught up with what had happened, he realized he was on his knees. The crippling pain in his cheek was a humiliation he could not swallow. Angel was a long-time buddy of Cronus, helping him establish an empire in the underworld and legitimate businesses. He was one of the few elites who could stand alongside the heads of the three major families.He was a figure who commanded respect. Yet, Kaze smacked him to the ground, making him kneel. If word were to get out, Angel could never show his face. “How dare you hit me, Kaze! How dare you!” Angel yelled at Kaze furiously, his voice filled with resentment. Kaze side-eyed him and said indifferently, “Just because you are a little experienced, you think you’re better than everyone else and treat others like dirt. Don’t be surprised by others whipping some shame back in you.” He then walked out. “Get lost!”
Kaze had no worries about his safety. Even if everyone at Taurus Automobiles were to gang up on him, Kaze still would not consider them to be a risk. Still, the excuse irked him. Kaze was labeled a car thief. He would never stoop so low as to steal a car. Hunter laughed out loud. “Oh, Kaze. Why are you so stupid? Mr. White can get you killed at the snap of his fingers. We’re taking a life after all, so we need a sound excuse.“The dealership employee killed you by accident when trying to apprehend you for stealing our vehicles. It makes a good story.” He stared at Kaze smugly. “Thousands of Taurus Automobiles’ employees are after your life. You can forget walking out of here alive.” “Thousands of riff-raffs?” Kaze scoffed in contempt. He could not be bothered to get blood on his hands. He took out his phone, intending to show Angel that he could outnumber him. The Koenigsegg sports car leading the fleet of fancy cars stopped right outside the dealership. Samus, Debor
With a frown, Kaze turned to the girl who spoke. He found her familiar. It did not take long for him to recall saving the woman from the illegal surrogacy ring when apprehending Joy. Before Kaze’s trip to Taurus Automobiles, Don mentioned the girl was called Sandy. The young man next to Sandy checked Kaze out. Hunter drew close and asked politely, “Are you here to look at cars, mister?” “No.” The young man shook his head and pointed at Kaze. “I’m here for someone, and that someone is him.” Hunter looked at Kaze in surprise and asked, “What business do you have with him, mister?” “That’s none of your business.” The young man said arrogantly, “It seems to me that he’s in some kind of trouble.” Irked by the young man’s attitude, Hunter replied indifferently, “That’s none of your business.” “What if I make it my business?” The young man added haughtily, “I don’t care what sort of trouble he is in, but I’m taking him with me today.” Hunter smirked. “That’s not my
“What’s going on? I thought they were here to give Kaze hell. Why are they thanking him?” “When did the idiot save a member of the Queens?” “Goddamnit! I wouldn’t have led them to him had I known.” Samus, Deborah, and Vincent, who were standing not too far away, were furious to learn the truth from Sandy. They showed Mathias and Sandy the way on foot, and they were now gasping for air. It turned out Mathias and Sandy came to fix Kaze’s problem. Samus, Deborah, and Vincent were jealous that Kaze managed to be associated with the Queens from Butterworth. The dimwit was best at pretending to be someone big to get ahead in life. Well, he was living the life now. Kaze observed Sandy, whose youthful spirit and clear eyes shone through. He was relieved to save her, but that was as far as his feelings went. Others were jealous that he rubbed shoulders with the Queens of Butterworth. However, the Butterworth Queens were not up to his level. “Thank you, Kaze. I was devastat
Mathias waved at his bodyguard, who then pulled out a checkbook and wrote 100 million dollars on it. Mathias signed the check, ripped it out, and held it near the car window. “Take it. You will be the owner of a hundred million dollars. You can cash the check at Industry and Commercial Bank. I’ll call to make the withdrawal happen.” In case Kaze did not get it, Mathias patiently gave him further instructions.“The idiot is lucky. He doesn’t deserve the hundred million. If only we saved Ms. Queen.” Standing not too far away, Samus and Deborah could drool at the amount of money. They wished they could take the check for Kaze. It was as if Kaze hit the jackpot. Kaze did not take the check, though. Instead, he stared coldly at Mathias. “Who wants your money? Don’t get in my way. I’m starting the car.” He knew where Mathias was coming from. Mathias wanted to dismiss him with a lump sum in exchange for saving Sandy. That was the behavior pattern of the rich and powerful; if
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but
Even though Katie was the CEO of the Northborn Group, many eyed her position. There were too many vying to replace her. Without dedicating herself to her work, Katie risked falling from grace. Katie had been too eager to find success to give her daughter the best life. Leah could not understand the pain Katie had to go through. “I understand it now. I explained the nature of my relationship with Kaze to you, but you just wouldn’t get it.” Leah stubbornly expressed herself in hopes her mother would understand. “I just couldn’t get it through my head that you have grown up. You make an easy target since you just graduated and have not stepped into the real world.” Katie would not always be there for Leah. Hence, Katie did her best to get rid of potential danger. Her overprotectiveness triggered Leah’s defiance. It was Katie’s fault for not realizing it sooner. “I’m not angry with you. I didn’t understand a mother’s good intentions, but I understand now. I will listen to
Leah’s face beamed, but her mother’s words threw her into a daze. In the end, she tried to squeeze a smile to assure her mother. However, Leah could not muster a smile. Those days lingered with her like a recurring bad dream. Whenever she recalled the incident, she felt trapped in that nightmare again. Leah wanted to let those memories fade away, but she just could not do it. She would get startled awake late at night and trace the scars across her skin. During moments like this, she resented Perry. Leah was rather cheerful during the day as if the past was behind her. However, it was simply a way for her to escape the pain. By the way Leah was behaving, Katie instantly regretted the question. She should not have probed. Even if they avoided the elephant in the room, they could pretend like nothing ever happened. Nevertheless, the act of asking brought up unsettling times for Leah. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.” Katie gently held Leah, hoping to cast
When the ambulance door closed shut, Leah wailed once more. The reality of her rescue finally sank in, and she grasped that it was not just a dream. It was a pity that she did not have much time with Kaze. She longed to spend more time with him. “Don’t cry, young lady. You’ll get better soon enough. Don’t worry about the scars on your face. I can administer medicine to help you,” the doctor said while wiping her tears. “Thank you. I’m finally out of the hell hole.” Leah’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped in there forever. Kaze watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night. He then turned to face the villa. “Apprehend everybody in there. Perry should be punished for his crimes.” Kaze had not intended to go after the Duncans, but the family had crossed the line this time. Leah was an adorable and vulnerable woman. She was abused beyond recognition. It never occurred to Kaze that the Duncans could be so cruel. “Perry has passed out in there. Where should
With the secret out in the open, the housekeeper dropped his attitude. He pointed at the basement not too far away. “My employer is in there.” The housekeeper grimaced and kept his head down. Kaze laughed. Unaware of his impending doom, Perry was still living it up. It was absurd. Perry was playing with fire by hurting Leah. “About time you wise up.” Arthur smiled and patted the housekeeper’s face. He opened the door to the basement. Kaze walked to the bar counter and picked up the best bottle of champagne there. He fiddled with the bottle before carrying it to the basement. The other Viper’s Den members followed him. Kaze took a stride down the steps, to the basement. The noisy music was blasting before they reached the entry. Kaze was filled with a mix of emotions. Nevertheless, he said nothing. He opened the door and walked in. The light in the basement was bright, making everything perfectly clear. However, the people inside were not bothered by the
“You know him. It’s Perry Duncan, Leah’s ex-boyfriend.” Snow did not see the point of hiding the truth, so she laid everything out. “Leah must be feeling foul because she was unaware that she was being stalked. By the time she realized what was going on, she was taken into a vehicle. “We spotted the vehicle they departed in from the surveillance footage. They headed to the mountain up north.” Snow had a general idea of the location. “I got Arthur on the job. He’s putting up a team from the Viper’s Den.” Snow was uncertain of Kaze’s stance toward Leah, but now that she was made aware of the situation, the least she could do was help. Katie belonged to the Viper’s Den, so Snow was lending a hand to a friend in business. “Thank you. Please save my daughter.” Katie was nervous. The Viper’s Den was the people she could count on. “Arthur is good, but he’s slow. I’ll do it,” Kaze said. The whole thing was unrelated to him. Kaze was well within his right to stand on the si
Even so, Elsie was out to get Leah. Elsie could pick up on Perry’s delight when she took a swing at Leah. Poor Elsie was just trying to survive by catering to others. People like her learned to pick up social cues and read body language to please customers for money in return. Their income would double if their customers were happy. Leah was the obstacle. If the women could not get rid of her, they would lose their profit. They had no hard feelings for Leah, but they stood on opposing ends. “You should be fawning over Mr. Duncan, not begging me,” Elsie said while grabbing Leah’s hair to pull her up. Leah snatched Elsie’s wrist to try and break free. “Let me go. I never did anything to you.” Leah was no doormat. She did not want to cross these people or get involved with them. She still hoped that by waiting here, her prince would arrive to save her. However, all she got was a cruel beating, and she had enough. “This isn’t my fault. Blame Mr. Duncan for your cir