Hanses’ tone clearly conveyed his disregard for Aaron. Previously, Aaron, the chief commander, was someone Hanses admired. Now, since he already got through the initial selection and probably would be selected to join the Flying Dragons, he became prouder and more confident. “What? Not even Chief Commander Krad?!” The people were shocked. The chief commander of the South River Strategic Department was second only to the governor of the state and had the same rank as the mayor of Riverbank, Kent Synder. Yet from Hanses’ words, the VIP that the Flying Dragons were expecting seemed to be more powerful than Aaron. “Could it be Chief Commander Draco Lang from the Lilyrose Strategic Department? He used to be the commander of the Battle Dragon Troops and also founded the elite battalion, Flying Dragons.” Someone came up with another guess. Hanses shook his head. “It’s not him. This VIP that we are expecting is more powerful than him.” People started to gasp in shock. The
The people looked eager, hoping to get the chance to see a war general in person. Alex was moved by the people’s eagerness. He looked at his son and said, “Hanses, since there’s still time before the feast starts, can you try to invite a war general from the Flying Dragons to join us?” Hanses hesitated but then he bit the bullet and said, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” He had no confidence in inviting a war general to join their family gathering. After all, he just got through the initial selection and was not an official member of the Flying Dragons yet. He still did not get the chance to meet the war generals, so they might not answer his invitations. However, he did not make his concerns verbal since it was a big day for his family and also him being under the spotlight, he did not want to disappoint. He pulled his phone out and called the captain of the Flying Dragons—Jonas Asterisk. Jonas was the captain in charge of the recruitment and he was known for his hot temper.
“Mom, look who’s here!” Agatha brought Agnes and her family up to Madam Otter. “Mom, I am so sorry that I haven’t been able to come back earlier. It’s been a long time.” Agnes covered her mouth and broke down into tears; Hector’s eyes got teary. Many years ago, the entire Otter family strongly opposed her being with Hector and only Madam Otter supported them despite the overwhelming odds, which gave them enough courage to get married. Hector always felt in debt to his mother-in-law. Agnes did not get the chance to reunite with her mother earlier because the Lees had been oppressing them. As for Master Otter, he looked away. He still had lingering resentment for his daughter and her family. “Where’s my dear granddaughter?” Madam Otter hugged Agnes and cried for a while before she wiped her tears and asked for Darcy. “Grandmother.” Darcy went up and greeted the lady, her tone slightly stiff. It had been many years since she last saw Madam Otter. “You must be Darcy
Madam Otter’s gentle smile disappeared. However, after another glance at Darcy, and then the others like Patrick and Hanses, she ultimately decided to suppress her anger and simply said, “Mhmm. I see.” She sounded flat, seemingly expressing her disappointment for Kaze. “Mom, I’ll do something about it! I’ll make him go to work! He actually has a job back at Lilyrose! I won’t let him freeload and live off our family!” Agnes said, trying to comfort her mother. Madam Otter simply hummed a reply but it felt colder than usual. She was obviously displeased with her daughter having a useless son-in-law, though she did not want to ruin the mood because of Kaze. “Grandmother, this is my boyfriend, Patrick Weather. He’s from the Weather family and he’s currently helping his cousin, Casius Weather, to run a business. His cousin even gave him a new Rolls Royce for good performance!” Patrick came back from answering a phone call and Maxine brought him to Madam Otter. He took the opp
“Huh?” Besides Hanses who initially planned to skip Kaze in his introduction, the others were shocked too. Hanses quickly regained his composure and awkwardly said, “Sir, this is Darcy’s husband, Kaze Lee.” “Deputy Gwake.” Kaze simply nodded. Aegon gulped nervously and nodded awkwardly, not knowing what to say to the man. Kaze left a deep impression on him. He still could not forget the day Kaze took the train to Riverbank. When Kaze exited the station, the alarm rang and the guards found countless shrapnels inside Kaze’s back. More importantly, two war generals from South River Strategic Department met and told him in person that Kaze used to be Albert’s superior. Albert was the ex-chief commander of the South River Strategic Department. Only after that, Aegon managed to connect all the dots and figure out who Kaze really was. The thought made him shiver. “More guests have arrived!” Two jeeps painted in military green arrived at the entrance. Soldiers in un
Darcy and her family were seated at the corner, which upset Agnes. “Why?! Even Agatha and her family are seated in front. Why must we sit at the back here? Darcy is the head of the Quint family branch. Other than the few military personnel, who else here is stronger than you?” Hector sighed. “Agatha and her family are in front because Nelson is the right-hand man of Vanik Clifford of South River Strategic Department. Your brother needs him to entertain the people from the military, so they are in front. “Besides, Kaze said something wrong just now but your mother didn’t lash out at him. She has shown us enough grace already. Just bear with it. It’s just a meal, no big deal.” Ever since Darcy became the head of the Quint family branch, Agnes’ arrogance skyrocketed and she refused to be treated unfairly. However, the Otter family was her birth family after all and she could not just lash out at them. She turned to Kaze with a glare. “It’s all because of you!” “Mom, stop it.
“Yeah, we are prepared for this. You’ll know what’s inside the boxes later.” Maxine gave Darcy a sly and meaningful wink. After Maxine and Patrick counted the gifts one last time, the emcee said, “Maxine and Patrick have prepared a number of gifts. “A painting from a famous painter in the 1890s valued at two million! “A hundred-year-old wild herbal ginseng, and a blessed bracelet from St. John Church, brought back by Patrick himself. Together, these gifts are intended to wish Master and Madam Otter good health and longevity.” The crowd applauded after the master of ceremony ended the announcement. Maxine and Patrick prepared three gifts for the elders. Each present easily surpassed the values of the gifts that came before them. The hundred-year-old wild ginseng and the blessed bracelet from St. John Church were meaningful gifts as their worth was not monetary but also their benefits. It represented Maxine and Patrick’s sincere respect and goodwill, something the others
Maxine and Patrick planned this ahead to make Agnes and her family look bad. It explained why they jumped the queue when Agnes and Darcy started lining up. If Agnes and Darcy managed to present the gifts before Maxine and Patrick, they would not have been in such a difficult position. As soon as Darcy’s voice subsided, the emcee said loudly, “Next would be Agnes and her family, presenting gifts to… Huh?” The emcee had a look at the card and was surprised. He thought he got the wrong card. “Uh… Agnes and family have a painting valued at three hundred thousand, fifty-year-old ginseng, and a bracelet from St. Aeris Church.” The entire hall fell into an awkward silence. In order to dissolve the awkwardness, the emcee chuckled and said, “It’s not too bad. The gifts are the same as Maxine and Patrick’s but it’s the thought that matters, right?” His words made the air feel even more awkward. Countless pairs of eyes looked at Darcy and her family, mocking and making fun of th
As Kaze expected, Alfonso was indeed afraid of being abandoned after he served his purpose of cleansing the Butterworth Branch. He was afraid that once he completed his task, Kaze would kick him away to calm the raging agents down. If Kaze had such intention, given Alfonso’s current situation, he could not do anything but accept it. Fortunately, Kaze did not have such plans. “Fine. Let’s go to Juan.” Kaze nodded and gestured at them to lead the way. “This way, Branch Leader!” Jude and Alfonso bowed respectfully, then adopted a gesture of invitation before leading the way forward. It was then that Natalie, Cyan’s assistant, who was sent to fetch wine from the car, stepped out and saw the shocking scene, leaving her speechless. Jude and Alfonso were frightened by Draig but the two of them remained prominent figures. Yet she saw them bowing and nodding in front of Kaze, acting like they were his loyal followers. Natalie was arrogant but not stupid. Connecting the s
Kaze shook his head and then walked off alone. “Branch Leader!” “Branch Leader!” As soon as Kaze came out, Jude and Alfonso, who had been waiting for him, came over immediately. The two of them were prominent figures in Riverbank and Butterworth, yet they stood before Kaze like a humble servant, looking scared and cautious. What Cyan and the others did not notice earlier were the faint palm prints on their faces. Though not as obvious after some treatment, a closer look at it would be frightening. Kaze glanced at them and frivolously asked, “What’s the matter? Coming back for revenge so soon? Not happy about what happened last night? I’m alone now and you guys set an ambush for me?” His words left the two old men stunned, their smiles frozen. The air suddenly felt awkward. Jude quickly said, “Branch Leader, please don’t joke with us. I accepted my fate wholeheartedly since last night and I don’t have any complaints, let alone setting up an ambush for you.” “Really?”
Unfortunately, the influencers knew that a man like Draig would never be interested in them, the common ones. “Only a man like Draig is worthy of our love! Some men aren’t even men!” “Yeah. He didn’t even speak a word, what a coward! I don’t even know what Ms. Frost sees in him.” “What a coward. He doesn’t even dare to speak up in front of Draig. Is he even capable of protecting Ms. Frost?” The influencers belittled Kaze once more to flatter Draig. They looked at Kaze with contempt, like he was the slug in a drain. As for Kaze, he simply ignored all of them, refusing to waste his time on some random women. Cyan noticed Draig had stepped down, so she, too, did not want to force Snow. She said, “Stop it, you guys. Since Draig has decided, we should respect his decision.” Her contempt for Kaze was similar to her friends. However, since Snow had chosen Kaze, Cyan felt it was inappropriate to dwell on the topic. Cyan strongly believed Kaze was a troublemaker. She even pl
“Thank you, Draig! If not for you, I’ll be in danger!” Cyan breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes at Draig showed brazen admiration. She believed only a man like Draig was worthy of her attention. On the other hand, Kaze was not even worthy to be a slave to Draig and he refused to give up, persistently trying to get her attention. Then, Cyan looked at Snow and asked, “Snow, you saw how amazing Draig was. Who else in Riverbank can make the deputy chief of the South River Branch apologize to me with just a few words? Even the Riverbank Seven can’t do it. “For your own safety, I think you should let Draig protect you. Don’t just get some random John Doe from the streets! You are putting yourself at risk!” She had a frivolous glance at Kaze when she spoke to Snow. Draig helped her and saved her face, so she wanted to return the favor by matchmaking him with Snow. Snow’s expression turned ashen. She disliked how Cyan belittled Kaze and aggrandized Draig. “Cyan, I told you Ka
“Yeah!” Rafael grinned. He attentively stepped up and bowed to Jude, saying, “Deputy Chief Gwake, it’s that woman! Her name is Cyan Yemen! She’s a bold one! Given your identity…” “Slap!” Before he could finish, Jude slapped him in the face. “What identity? What identity could a normal old man have? So what if this young lady disrespects me? There are a lot of people in this world who disrespect me, should I go after them one by one? “You, on the other hand, used my name and bullied others, causing me problems and tarnishing my reputation. I just asked you to drive me around, I don’t even know you that well! “You bastard! Apologize to the young lady right now!” Jude slapped Rafael in the face back and forth as he scolded him, even kicking him to the floor. He was indeed an old fox, knowing when to put his dignity away. He disregarded his image and indirectly surrendered. He might look agitated but he was able to cut ties with Rafael with just a few words, hence shiftin
“Deputy Chief Gwake!” As Jude swaggered in with his hands behind his back, other than a few, most of the people were surprised. The identity of deputy chief of the South River Branch still carried weight in Riverbank. Behind him was an expressionless Alfonso, the ex-branch chief of the Butterworth Branch. The two of them must be up to something. “So this is Deputy Chief Gwake?” Before Jude could speak, Draig stepped up and peered down at the man. “I am Draig Tenby from Uleania. My father is Birch Tenby, the grandmaster of the Uleania Martial Arts Society.” “Oh? You’re Grandmaster Tenby’s son?” Jude had heard of the name and was willing to step down out of respect for the man. He nodded politely. “I see you know who you are dealing with.” Draig’s arrogance soared as he said, “Cyan is my friend. No one can take her away today. Since Deputy Chief Gwake has stepped in, I’ll let your chauffeur go for the disrespectful things he said earlier.” He then lifted his hand to
In addition, Jude had the time and mood to dine at Emerald Bull Palace, even asking Rafael to be the chauffeur. Rafael instinctively thought Jude was still the deputy chief of the Viper’s Den South River Branch, commanding the agents and wielding power that could move the organization. To him, even though Hannah won the competition and was promoted to chief, she still had to show some respect to a veteran deputy chief like Jude. Therefore, he disregarded Cyan and the mention of Hannah and Collier’s names. Little did he know, Jude made him the chauffeur for the day because there was no one else around to take up the job. Jude’s closest men and Serene died at Kaze's hands. Jude could no longer command the agents of the Viper’s Den anymore. He was alone, isolated, and helpless, and in to look good, he tricked Rafael, someone who did not know what exactly happened, to serve him. When Cyan heard Rafael, her face paled. Even though she mentioned Hannah and Collier’s names, sh
Taking in her bodyguards’ reaction, Cyan turned pale. Not only was Rafael from the other side of the law, but he was also the leader of some Wolf Gang. It was plain to see that the Wolf Gang was a menace, and Rafael, the leader, had a fearsome reputation. Cyan kicked herself for lying to Rafael and ditching him. Now, Rafael would not leave her alone. In retrospect, there were better ways to approach the matter. However, now was not the time to dwell on the past. Cyan knew what Rafael was up to. Rafael, as the person that he was, would want more than just to have dinner with her. She was caught between a rock and a hard place. After much thought, she forced a smile and said, “Oh, Rafael. I have heard a lot of good things about you. “Since you operate in the underworld, I’m sure you have heard of Golden Scale Corporation. “Golden Scale Corporation is funded by the Viper’s Den South River State Branch.“I am signed onto Golden Scale Corporation. In other words, I’m th
Cyan and her influencer friends were hot, but Rafael did not expect to find a real head-turner in the place. Rafael’s threat hardened Cyan’s expression. “Mister, please be mindful of your words. “You have some nerve to cause a disturbance here. “Do you think I’m scared of you? I have protection here. “Out of respect for my guests, you should just leave. “If you carry on with this attitude, I’ll have my bodyguard throw you out.” Now a famous influencer, Cyan was no longer the girl she used to be. As tempers flared, Cyan carried herself with an air of authority. Stern in the face, Cyan clapped her hands. The tall and muscular security details standing against the wall surrounded Rafael menacingly. “Bitch. “These losers are no threat to me.” With a sneer, Rafael raised his hand. “Smack!” One of the security officers responded in defense mode, but Rafael, an experienced fighter, managed to whip his hand across the officer’s face. The security officer was knock