“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
“But I am sure that’s definitely stronger than Hannah Delmore. Hannah is considered one of the prodigies within the West State Viper’s Den. “Back when she visited Butterworth for official business, I had a spar with her before and it ended up as a draw, but I believe she was holding back. “That means, Kaze is a monster who is stronger than Hannah. It seems like I have underestimated the younger generations…” Alfonso sighed in disappointment. He was the one who learned a lesson from Kaze and it woke him up from his old-fashioned fantasy. “Gasp!” Jude, Serene, and the other agents gasped in shock at his words. There were only a handful of people in the country that Alfonso regarded so highly. If word got out, then Kaze’s name would be well-known across the entire Riverbank. Alfonso pulled his phone out. “I should call Dayton and tell him not to mess with Kaze.” Little did he knew, Dayton was already defeated by Kaze and became his humble follower. …After leaving t
Kaze looked at Dayton with a strange look and then nodded. “You’re right. The South River Branch is split into two factions now. One is led by Jude and the other one is the alliance between Hannah and Collier. “Hannah is extremely capable and Collier has the support and resources of the Ettingers. Probably the dream team. “Jude’s tactics and schemes to become the branch chief might not be enough. In the end, absolute power is necessary. “In addition, the promised date is around the corner, so Jude will certainly be more prepared than ever, calling more powerful people to his support.” Kaze sounded calm and relaxed as if he was chatting with a friend. It was also the reason why he was in no rush to deal with Jude or settle the score in the South River Branch. Now that the South River Branch was divided into two factions, it would act as bait to lure out the players from the dark. It would be a great clue for him to follow if he wanted to cleanse the entire West State Viper’s
Being a witness to the scene, Buffy looked at Kaze with a brazen sense of admiration. When she recalled the little argument back at the restaurant, she quickly spoke up and tried to dissuade Kaze. “Kaze, my father is cold-blooded. He can sacrifice me without a second thought for his own personal gain. You don’t need to do this for me, sacrificing your own benefits or whatnot, just do what you want. “If you feel the offer he made you is acceptable, just take it. Don’t feel pressured. Besides, he’s right. Even if you disregarded him, Faith still has the Krads as her support. “Kaze, I know you are kind to me and I appreciate it. You really don’t need to offend a big family because of me. “You have enough enemies already, like Casius, the Lees, and so on. All of them are fierce players and they have connections with many other powerful forces. “If it’s too rigid, it breaks easily, and I believe you know the meaning of it. Please, don’t make any more enemies because of me, or el
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
Leah had not had it easy these recent days. However, she had learned to be submissive and give in. It never occurred to her that Perry would do this to her. After repeated beatings, she quickly wised up. “Mr. Duncan, why is this disgusting person here? She’s an eyesore.” Dressed in a red number, a woman with wavy hair sat next to Perry. She clung to Perry intimately. She spoke in a sultry and mesmerizing voice. “Oh, she’s just a bitch. “She got on my nerves, so I punished her. I’ll dump her once I’m bored with her.” Perry had the time of his life getting back at Leah. He got a kick out of it. However, he did not feel that it was enough. Every time he looked at his injured hand, his resentment toward Leah grew. “How did she upset you, Mr. Duncan?” Another lady extended her arms to knead Perry’s shoulders while gently murmuring into his ear. With women gathering and fussing over him, Perry felt his ego thoroughly stroked. He was thrilled. “Well, she doesn’t kno
Katie thought about everybody. Kaze was the odd one out, so he had to be the suspect. It made sense that Leah would elope with Kaze. “There must be some sort of misunderstanding. We can talk it out. Don’t do anything reckless.” Snow stopped Katie from doing anything extreme. “How could there be a misunderstanding? There can be no one else but him.” Katie was stubborn. “We can help with your daughter’s disappearance. You won’t get anywhere by picking on him.” Snow tried her best to defend Kaze. She would not let Kaze be hurt on her watch. Eager to find her daughter, Katie believed her suspicion to be the truth, and Kaze must have stashed her daughter somewhere. “I don’t have time to waste, but no one could’ve taken Leah away.” Katie was naїvely convinced that Kaze was behind it. Kaze had only just learned about Leah’s disappearance. It was quite late for Katie to finally look into the matter. “I didn’t take your daughter, but we can dig deeper into this.” Leah w
The blue gem necklace around Snow’s neck brought out her elegance and class. Snow was educated well. She carried herself with ease at the social event. She exchanged pleasantries with business partners and greeted them all. Snow shared a few drinks with several prominent families. Aloysius and her secretary stayed with her and drank on her behalf.The party was a success. Kaze held a glass of wine to sip in a corner. Snow’s brilliance was the assurance he needed. He did not have to worry about her leading the Frosts now. “I guess I was worried about nothing. I didn’t even have to be here. She has gotten everything covered.” Kaze was concerned about Snow because she had always been his assistant. He was apprehensive that Snow would have no control over her staff after her promotion. He even asked the Viper’s Den to lend a hand. Nevertheless, Snow did not let him down. She had done a great job. Kaze drank wine and enjoyed the music. Soon, men and women entered the
Aloysius looked at the business venture at hand with a mix of emotions. Jet was supposed to make a comeback with the project, but the defeat was a huge slap to his face. “Can I ask whether Kaze was behind this?” Aloysius braced himself to ask the question. Even though Aloysius had an inkling, he feared receiving confirmation of his suspicion. “Chairman Lee helped me. If Jet hadn’t hurt my mother, I wouldn’t have rushed back to take his place. “He did this to himself,” Snow said blatantly. “How did you know about the island project? We have been discreet about it.” Aloysius was eager to find out. The question would burn on his mind unless he got some answers. “You can’t keep anything from the Viper’s Den, but this is the end of the matter. If you’re interested in the project, I can put you in charge of it.” Snow could not be bothered to explain herself. Aloysius played it smart. He had been carrying out Snow’s orders without a hitch. Snow was happy to honor her prom
“Tell them that the company is expecting funding, and all the projects will be launched in a few days. Everything will be back on track. It’s a good thing that the higher management is gone. We will be opening the positions for internal employees to apply.” Snow got the right solution to handle the situation. She had to give these employees hope to gain their dedication in return. Aloysius was surprised. “Who would pour money in when our finances are in a mess?” Having worked with Jet, Aloysius had a good understanding of the company’s ins and outs. Several business ventures were up in the air, and the company was bleeding money. Even with a relaunch, these projects would not bring in much of a profit. Most importantly, the relaunch had to be backed up by some funding. The business got a loan from the Viper’s Den. If payment was not made in time, the company’s shares would be used to make up for the loss. The whole thing spelled trouble. Snow just joined the company.
“This is the financial report you submitted today. Any intern can do a better job than you.” Snow mocked Jack. She was disappointed in his performance. A finance director who could not even get his basics right should not be working in finance in the first place. “Who do you think you are, doing this to us?” The others are only out to save their own asses. They did not sympathize with Jack. “I’m sure you are well aware of what you have done.” “You’re on your phone all day at work. You put your daily expenses on the company card, and we’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars a month. You only bought stuff for your personal use. “Let’s not forget about you. Your so-called business trips are to take your mistress out for expensive hotel stays and vacations.” Snow looked at each one of them while detailing their deeds. She shamed them in public, utterly humiliating them. “Why were these allowed before? Why are you stopping these practices now? If you can change