“Then do you have a way to cure the condition?” Jude asked, his body leaned forward and his eyes showed a sense of hope. “I am a man of my word. If I said I can cure your wife, then I can cure your wife.” Kaze confidently said, “It’s not a difficult issue, and it won’t take long, probably around half an hour. Then, all her health issues can be cured.” Even Hannah, who was completely crippled after her first meeting with Kaze, was cured and recovered to her prime. Faith’s condition was incurable to most of the doctors but to Kaze, it was nothing serious. Pft! Alfonso could not help but chuckle. He found Kaze’s confidence amusing. His tone was frivolous, which felt unconvincing. Jude was skeptical as well. “Half an hour? You’re that confident? I believe you only saw my wife for a very brief time. How are you planning to do that?” “Since this is a condition caused by the old martial arts, of course, I’ll use the ways of the old martial arts. That’s all I can tell you for
Kaze then realized what he said sounded wrong. He laughed and then explained, “What were you thinking? I mean I believe in your capabilities and if you use the money to run a business, you’ll be able to make a hundred times more. You just have to pay me a dividend and I don’t need to worry anymore.” Buffy simply grunted and then kept quiet. Watching Kaze tease and flirt with her daughter right in front of his face, Jude felt disgusted and repulsive. “If you don’t want money, what do you want?” he asked, his expression darkened. Kaze explained, “If you want to know how much I charge for saving Faith, then let me tell you not even all the money in the world. “As for what I want, I have already made it clear the other day. You owed Buffy and her mother an explanation. “As for Faith, she offended me and now I have to save her? Does she even deserve it?” Kaze did not show any courtesy as he explained. Buffy looked at him with a sense of warmth and emotion. Jude felt that h
“And the Krads... I don’t like people knocking at my door with trouble but if they insist on waking up the dragon, I don’t mind burning them all alive, since the dragon is simply slumbering. “As for the deputy chief, branch chief of the South River Branch, I am not interested. To be honest, I think even the position of West State Branch Leader is a burden. “Besides, you are just the deputy chief and you have not even been selected yet. Isn’t it a little too early to jump to conclusions? “Most importantly, you made me these offers because you want me to temporarily choose sides. Given your personality, it’s no big deal that you walk away from the promise. “Can I say that once I treated Faith and at the next second, you two will come after me, trying to slice me into a thousand pieces? Am I right? “So don’t simply make empty offers. I am not interested and I found them funny.” Kaze looked and sounded frivolous. Jude’s expression darkened as he asked gravely, “If you already
“You! How dare you!” Jude slammed the table and bellowed, “Just because you are slightly capable, you think you can disrespect me and treat me like a fool? You’re asking for it!” His eyes were burning with anger, his teeth clenched, and he looked like a vicious beast trying to devour Kaze. As he bellowed, Serene and the agents pulled their guns out, and pointed them at Kaze as they stared at him coldly. One word from Jude and they would rain bullets on him. The atmosphere in the restaurant became tense and heavy. Buffy’s face paled. She looked at Kaze, worried. Despite being surrounded by guns and Jude’s ferocious glare, Kaze remained unfazed. He remained seated, unfazed. “Splash!” Suddenly, Kaze splashed a cup of tea at Jude’s face. He said, “Jude, stop playing mind games with me. Your little gang might scare others but not me. “No one begs people like you do. If you want to ask for a favor, try to show some humility.” Jude’s face was wet, and several pieces of
Kaze scrutinized Alfonso to the point that the man felt uncomfortable. He then turned to Jude and mocked. “Jude, have you started some live streaming business lately? Where did you get this influencer? He’s good at cosplaying.” The mockery left Jude speechless, his lips twitched helplessly. When Alfonso arrived, Buffy called him “uncle” and showed utmost respect for his arrival. Yet Kaze pretended that he did not know. “You bastard!” Alfonso was visibly enraged by Kaze's disrespectful comments. His teeth gritted as if he wanted to strangle Kaze on the spot. “You little brat, you haven’t heard of me? Do you know it depends on my mood whether you can walk out of this restaurant or not?“Even if you never heard of me, what about Dayton? He’s my disciple and I am the one who sent him to protect Buffy and also take care of you so that you don’t die! “Haven’t you considered the consequences of spewing such disrespectful words in my face?” Alfonso peered down at Kaze angrily.
“That’s for sure!” Alfonso explained, “People from our generation forged friendships through hardship and bitterness, it’s not something a boy like you can understand.” “That’s what I don’t understand,” Kaze suddenly said, his tone icy. “Buffy’s mother is in a coma and even if Faith isn’t directly involved, she has to bear some responsibility. “I am demanding justice for Buffy and her mother. If you are close with her mother, why are you standing in my way? “To be honest, I suspect that you harbor ulterior motives. You are doing this not because of your friendship with Buffy’s mother, but maybe Jude promised you something that you cannot reject.” Hearing Kaze’s question, Buffy looked at Alfonso, her eyes clear as the day as she waited for an explanation. “Young Man, my friendship with Buffy’s mother and my care for Buffy are not something you have the right to question!” Alfonso's expression darkened, his tone frosty as he continued, “I watch Buffy grow up, of course, I
“As for Buffy, forget about the CEO. The company belongs to her father, so it belongs to her. She should leave the company and go back to Butterworth with Dayton so that they can prepare for their wedding in a month.” Alfonso looked at Jude. “Jude, as her uncle, I believe I have the right to make the decision on her behalf?” “Of course. You are her senior, of course you have the right to decide,” Jude said with a strong nod. To be honest, he wanted his son-in-law to be Casius but now it seemed like Buffy would rather follow a nameless, married man instead of marrying Casius. Since it would be meaningless to force her against her will, Jude might as well let her marry Dayton. After all, Casius suffered a significant loss when Kaze killed a dozen of his men. His influence should have been weakened, and his value likely diminished. If Buffy married Dayton, Jude could borrow Alfonso’s influence and power. Alfonso was the ex-branch chief of Butterworth Branch and he had a repu
“What’s the matter? Is there anything else you want to say, ex-Branch Chief Alfonso Longwind?” Kaze asked frivolously as he paused. The nonchalance in Kaze’s tone made Alfonso angry. With gritted teeth, he said, “You bastard! Believe me if I say I will call Dayton back right away. Without him protecting you, you won’t last till morning!” Even now, Alfonso still strongly believed that Kaze was bluffing and bragging, and as long as he used Dayton’s protection against him, Kaze would be forced to comply. “Hmph. Whatever.” Kaze scoffed and then walked out with Buffy. “You little bastard!” Alfonso shouted, his eyes burning with anger and murderous intent. His figure moved swiftly, appearing behind Kaze in a flash. “Flush!” He swung his hand at Kaze, causing his sleeves to flutter sharply with the motion, creating a loud, slicing sound through the air. Since Faith needed Kaze’s treatment to stay alive, Alfonso could not kill him but he was ready to teach Kaze a lesson that
“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