“Smack!” “What do you mean by the police having no jurisdiction here? Do you think the hospital is the embassy?” “Smack!” “Attacking a police officer calls for jail time. What do you think will happen to you now that you hit Captain Angus?” Kaze had no reason to be polite with Keiko, who slapped the police for doing their job. The relentless slaps rained down on Keiko, the pain coming endlessly in waves. “Is Casius that intimidating? So what if your shareholder is Sanwell Finances? Do the elite families of Geranium City control the world? “Why don’t you call Casius and Sieg right now? Let’s see if I’ll slap them too.” Kaze only stopped when Keiko was black and blue. She started coughing up blood. Members of the hospital’s management team shuddered in fright and held Keiko up from falling. “Are you okay, Ms. Biyanus?” “The jerk went too far!” “Captain Angus, the asshole committed a crime in front of us. Arrest him now! Don’t just stand there!” The management te
“Oh, really? Can you really do all that?” Kaze grinned offhandedly and said emotionlessly, “In hopes that you will finally move on, you have one hour to call whoever you want. “If you can prove that you are stronger, I’ll pay the medical fees and apologize on my knees. “But if you can’t, then be prepared to pay the price, like—” Keiko cut Kaze off. “Enough of your nonsense. “I have no interest in knowing the price because you’re dead meat. “I’ll show you the meaning of despair.” Keiko unleashed her rage through clenched teeth, took out her phone, and dialed a number. “Hello, Leron?“I’m the hospital director of St. Mary’s. We have a troublemaker here. He has a strong helper too. “Mr. Weather is a shareholder of our hospital. We need you to save the day, Leron.” It did not take long for Keiko to put down the phone. She glared at Kaze with her bruised eyes and said with a smirk, “I flattered you by getting Leron to do with a small fry like you. “You’re not going an
“Welcome, Leron!” St. Mary’s management team lowered their heads in respect. However, no one in the crowd answered them. Keiko gave it some time before lifting her chin in a daze. “Leron? Where’s Leron? Why aren’t you saying anything?” “Leron? Are you talking about him?” The crowd parted and gave way to a stretcher. “Uh? Is he Leron?” Feeling doubtful, Keiko came forward and looked at the person on the stretcher. It was indeed Leron. She had met him at Casius’ place.“Uh… What happened to Leron?” Keiko staggered back fearfully, her voice trembling. If not for the ointment on her face, Keiko’s discolored complexion would be noticeable. She knew what Leron was made of. He was once legendary. Yet now, Keiko could not believe that Leron was unconscious on the stretcher. “Mr. Lee incapacitated Leron,” the leader of the Viper’s Den explained. The leader nodded at Kaze. “Hello, Mr. Lee.” “Hello, Mr. Lee.” The remaining dozens followed suit. These people were
“How do we proceed with Leron, Mr. Lee?” The Viper’s Den member asked Kaze. Kaze glanced at Keiko, who was back after a phone call, and said indifferently, “You should assign a bed to Leron and get him in surgery for his broken arms.” His commanding tone did not sit well with Keiko. She scoffed but said nothing. Leron was Casius’ best fighter. Though she had no idea how Leron ended up in the hands of Kaze, she would not deny Leron any medical treatment. Keiko would have to answer to Casius if anything were to happen to Leron, considering that Leron would go back and work for Casius. “Get Leron into a ward and proceed with the surgery.” Keiko instructed her employee. She had given another shareholder a call. The individual was nearby and promised to be at the hospital soon. Keiko was filled with anticipation. Once the shareholder got to the hospital, Keiko bet Kaze would lose the attitude. Ten minutes quickly passed. Footsteps boomed outside the hospital. A you
Craig said tolerantly, “Hamlin sent me here, Mr. Libra.” “So what? Didn’t I tell you that he’s my uncle’s lapdog?” Cole scoffed in disdain. “Don’t tell me that he’s acting on my uncle’s orders. “I need to question him. He’s just my uncle’s chauffeur. Yet, he sent you to cause trouble without permission from my uncle.” Craig gritted his teeth without a word. Cole had no respect for Hamlin. Not wanting to cause Hamlin any trouble, Craig fought back the urge to slap Cole. “What? Do you want a piece of me?” Cole scoffed and yelled sternly, “Don’t just stand there, bastard! Kneel!” He then instructed one of the bodyguards in the back. “Get him. If he doesn’t kneel, just whip him until he does.”Cole’s dominance cheered Keiko up. Keiko would have thrown herself at Cole if she was a decade younger. With Cole’s help, Keiko grew a spine and cocked her head at Kaze. She said curtly, “Are you scared stiff, jerk? “Get ready to kneel. Should Mr. Libra make you, or are you g
“Uh… Yes, Mr. Lee.” It took a moment for Craig to comprehend Kaze’s instruction. Without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeves and slapped Cole in the face. “Smack!” Craig did not hold back, knocking Cole’s head to the side. Cole’s cheek quickly swelled up. However, Cole gritted his teeth and cocked his head back without a word. “Smack!”Craig kept it going, only stopping when Kaze said so. Cole was slapped again and again. He knew Cole too well. Riding on Kent’s coattails, Cole bossed people around and even disrespected Kent’s trusted chauffeur and confidante. However, Cole was terrified of Kaze. Craig had no qualms about slapping Cole under Kaze’s orders. Cole was a tyrant, but he would not dare take his anger out on Kaze. With Cole taking the hit willingly, Craig knew that revenge was not an option for Cole anyway. Craig would finally get his vengeance. Kaze finally waved his arm to stop Craig when Cole started coughing up blood. Craig put his head down
Cole was not dumb. He understood that Keiko had her motives to present the hospital shares. “I made a mistake, Kaze! I’ll give up on the shares!” Cole was scared stiff. The last thing he wanted was to cause Kent problems. He would be nothing if Kent lost his mayoral position. No one would pay Cole any more attention. “Get lost!” Kaze kicked Cole to the side and glanced at his watch. He said to Keiko, “You have around twenty minutes left. You can either make more phone calls or call it quits. Are you ready to pay the price, though?” Keiko paused to take a minute. She asked cautiously, “What is the price I have to pay, Mr. Lee?” Finally taking Kaze seriously, Keiko meant no disrespect. Despite summoning two prominent figures, Keiko was not able to dominate over Kaze. In fact, things were in Kaze’s favor instead. As arrogant as Keiko was, she knew that she had upset a VIP. Kaze said callously, “I don’t like the rules of your hospital. I plan to make my own.” “Make
The woman gave off a wealthy vibe. Keiko looked like a commoner next to the poised middle-aged woman. “Miya Heartano?” While Kaze examined the woman, Craig, who stood behind Kaze like a bodyguard, grimaced. Kaze asked curiously, “Who is that woman?” “Mr. Lee, that’s the wife of Caelus Heartano, a mogul in Geranium City.”Craig leaned forward and murmured the information. Since Kaze had no idea who Caelus was, Craig dug deep into explaining. “The Heartanos wield the reins of Novous, one of the three factions in Geranium City. The head of the household is Gilbus Heartano, and Caelus is Gilbus’ younger brother. “Unlike Gilbus, Caelus doesn’t get involved in the underworld activities. He carved out an empire in the glitzy world of entertainment. His business dabbles in movies, media, and real estate.“Caelus is highly influential in the entertainment world. He brought fame to many stars in Geranium City. “Plus, his family is connected to the underworld. Though Caelus has
“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
“It’s public information that Crown Tower under Mt. Seven Stars and its surrounding land is the best spot in the city. “The Seven Star District Council put up the land for sale in hopes of finding a good buyer to develop and boost the growth of the city. “As a result, we have conducted a comprehensive screening process for all potential buyers and selected a few qualified buyers.” The bidders perked up. The highlight of today’s auction was the land in the Seven Star District. The other auction items were insignificant compared to the main event. The ten-billion-dollar sale of the Golden Toad was unexpected. However, the Seven Star District land was likely to exceed the price point. That was what the ordinary bidders thought. A select few had the inside story, and they were qualified to bid on Crown Tower. Still, they quietly put down their paddles. First of all, this was the big leagues. It would take money, connections, and a lot of influence to stay in the game
“That’s not a lot,” Aiden murmured with a sneer.Sky Ocean Corporation was not a worthy rival with just 15 billion dollars in funding. Joan said cautiously, “Mr. Krad, they now have 10 billion dollars from you too.” Aiden grimaced. Nevertheless, he pulled himself together and said callously, “So they now have 25 billion dollars.“Are you sure that this is the most Sky Ocean Corporation can afford right now?” Joan nodded. “I am certain. You pulled all the right strategies to drain Sky Ocean Corporation’s funding. “After what happened, no banks would give them a loan. “Though Madam Quint didn’t look into Sky Ocean Corporation’s finances yesterday, we can tell from Darcy and her assistant’s behavior that the corporation account is dry. “I just can’t figure out where Kaze got the money from.“I would’ve loved to see them denied entry.” Aiden nodded. “So all I need is 35 billion dollars to acquire the piece of land.” He talked as if thirty-five billion dollars was not a
Ignoring Aiden, Kaze turned to the stunned auctioneer and smiled. “Carry on, lady.” Kaze went back to his seat. “You were amazing, honey!” Darcy took Kaze’s arm excitedly. If they were alone, she would give him a kiss. Kaze played Aiden like a fiddle without getting physical. Darcy had known what the Golden Toad meant to Aiden beforehand. Still, not many could pull it off like Kaze. “We shall continue with the auction.” The female auctioneer took a deep breath and hosted the auction. The later part of the auction appeared anticlimactic. The items featured in the auction, regardless of their value, were lackluster compared to the thrill of auctioning the Golden Toad off. Many kept looking at Kaze, still caught in the previous drama. They wondered who Kaze was. Kaze had the nerve to break Aiden. Aiden returned to his seat near Kaze and Darcy. He held the Golden Toad, checking the box out every now and then with a grimace. It was clear that Aiden was about to
The crowd believed Aiden was off his rocker. The Golden Toad was worth no more than a hundred million dollars. Yet, Kaze purchased it for seven billion dollars. Everybody assumed Kaze was a sucker to outbid Aiden. Moments ago, many of them mocked Kaze. Aiden turned out to be the bigger sucker. He spent another three billion dollars to take the Golden Toad off Kaze’s hands. What was going on? Everybody was confused. Aiden was probably the only one who had a clear picture of the situation. He would be an idiot if he still had not caught on. “I don’t care how you figured out the secret behind the Golden Toad, Lee. Just you wait. This is far from over.” Aiden glared at Kaze and hissed through clenched teeth. He understood that he did not lose to Kaze. The information gap cost Aiden the victory. Kaze must have known what the Golden Toad meant to the Krads and outbid him in the auction. Most frustratingly, Aiden had no choice but to concede to Kaze’s manipulatio
Darcy was aware of Kaze’s plan. Still, she clung to the edge of her seat as Kaze confronted Aiden. Planning was one thing, and execution was another. Kaze needed to get everything right to win the battle of wits against Aiden. Judging by Aiden’s response, Kaze played his cards right. Kaze got Aiden right where he wanted him. “You should always leave things on a good note.” Aiden looked at Kaze and hissed through clenched teeth. “Don’t take things far, Lee.” “What happened to the determination you showed when you threatened to make my wife pay? Just cut the crap.”Kaze scoffed and said indifferently, “Didn’t you want the Golden Toad? I can give it to you.“You can buy it for eight billion dollars. “You are free to leave with the Golden Toad once I get the money.” Eight billion dollars? The crowd erupted into an uproar. Kaze’s demand was uncalled for. Kaze paid seven billion dollars for the Golden Toad, and now he was selling it to Aiden for an extra billion do
On her deathbed, Melissa expressed deep regret for stealing the Golden Toad. She wanted to get the gem back to atone for her sins. Sean became obsessed with finding the Golden Toad. The young members of the family had been on a relentless search to locate the Golden Toad. Not too long ago, Aiden finally tracked the Golden Toad down in Geranium City. The wealthy businessman from Geranium City, who bought the Golden Toad, did not appreciate its value, and the gem changed hands multiple times over the years. The Golden Toad was nothing more than a decorative piece to others, but it held profound meaning to the Krads. Hence, Aiden was able to acquire the Golden Toad for a hundred million dollars effortlessly. Only, the ease of retrieving the Golden Toad would undermine his effort and determination. So Aiden secretly passed the Golden Toad to Everett and orchestrated today’s auction. His goal was to turn his grandparents’ love story and his dedication into a legendary tal