“Mrs. Heartano, I called the police on you because it was the right thing to do. It was also in line with the official procedure, or else you won’t be released after two hours. “Believe me, if I really want to use my connections to crush you, you wouldn’t even make it out alive, yet you were released and here you are, talking nonsense.” Miya and her men reacted with disdain and disbelief. “Enough with your nonsense, Kaze Lee.” Genesis refused to waste time listening to Kaze. She interrupted him, stepped up, and peered down at him, saying, “Hunter is an old friend and so is Miya. If you disrespect Hunter, and bully Miya, then you will be going up against me. “More importantly, the dust explosion last night happened at a mansion near the suburbs, and my cousin lost a dozen of his men. “Based on all the evidence we have, it shows that you are the mastermind. You did it because you snatched Casius’ fiance, Buffy, and he found out about it, so you wanted to silence him. “Don’t
The men and women looked up to Genesis as their leader. One word from her and they would attack Kaze without the slightest hesitation. Inside the spacious office, Kaze was the only one not affected by the agents of Tiger’s Cave. He said indifferently, “Genesis, right? Based on how you conduct things, if I didn’t know better, I would think you were some street thug. “You really think just because you are with the Tiger’s Cave, that allows you to do anything you want in Riverbank?” “Is it not enough?” Genesis smirked. “What’s the matter? Are you questioning my authority? You think this is a bluff? “I guess it’s understandable. I heard you were quite close with Hannah Delmore of the Viper’s Den and she regarded you highly. Why don’t you call her and ask her to save you? “The Tiger’s Cave is responsible for solving heavy crimes and arresting you is actually within my jurisdiction. In fact, Hannah won’t be able to do anything, even if you got someone who has a higher rank than
Miya had scruples when she brought her men to the Otter family. She called Bob, but he was just a gangster in Golden Ray. She called Alfonso, but his influence started to weaken since he was no longer in power. Today, however, she was no longer restrained or afraid of anyone, because she had Genesis on her side—the director who held the power to decide a person’s life or death. If anyone defied her, she could pull out a gun to end that person’s life. Miya continued to provoke Kaze. She wanted to see if the arrogant Kaze had the nerve to slap her in front of Genesis. Her men smirked and crossed their arms, looking at Kaze scornfully. “Kaze Lee, do it! What’s the matter?” “Mrs. Heartano let you slap her, don’t tell me you don’t have the balls!” “You were arrogant before, right? How can you be a coward now?” The men kept provoking Kaze, as if doing so could help them unleash their grievances and vent their emotions.“You really want me to slap you?” Kaze looked at Miy
Miya blacked out and her head fell onto the floor, but her eyes remained wide open, staring at Kaze grudgingly. Genesis was left speechless as well. She had never seen such a shameless and rude person before. “Kaze Lee, I have to give it to your arrogance. You impress me, but I’m also upset that you’ve used your arrogance on me. “You should know that as director of the Tiger’s Cave office here in Riverbank, I can legally take lives. Now that you’ve hurt someone right in front of my eyes, I can take you back to the Tiger’s Cave. “If you resist, don’t blame me for getting rough.” As she spoke, she pulled out her gun from the holster. She had to admit that Kaze was the most persistent opponent she had met to date. She had assumed that a few words and some intimidation would be enough to handle the bumpkin live-in husband, but things turned out completely differently. Kaze was fearless even when facing her, a high-ranking agent of the Tiger’s Cave. No wonder he had the ne
Hamlin found Genesis’ sarcasm masked by flattery funny. He simply said, “Genesis, I am just spewing facts, it has nothing to do with my identity or my position.” “Nothing to do with your identity?” Genesis scoffed, “Do you even believe the words that are coming out of your mouth? If it’s not your identity, do you think I would spare a glance at you now given how poor your family was in the past? “Hamlin, you might have made it now and become Kent Synder’s secretary, and I admit that you have a bright future, but a secretary is as far as you can go. “You think you’re the mayor? No! You are just responsible for writing reports, making tea, and arranging the mayor’s schedule. “Since when interfering with the Tiger’s Cave operation is a part of your responsibility? Besides, does a secretary have enough power to do that?” She looked at Hamlin scornfully, showing no respect to him despite them being distant relatives. Hamlin came from a neglected branch of the Weather family. T
Miya looked nervous. Kent stepping out to defend Kaze caught her off guard as it was beyond her expectations. However, after a glance at Genesis, she quickly calmed down. Kent might be the mayor of Riverbank holding incredible power and authority that allowed him to interfere and speak up on any matter within the city, but the Tiger’s Cave was an independent agency with its own authority. The four major agencies were established many years ago to act as supervisors, overseeing the local authorities and balancing the power within the cabinet or any government entity. In short, Kent had no authority over Genesis and could not do anything about her. What reason could he possibly have to stop Genesis from taking Kaze away? Genesis was clear about that as well. After the initial shock, she quickly regained her composure. “Mr. Mayor, I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately.” She wore a fake smile and continued, “I wonder what you mean by that, Mr. Mayor?” “What do I mean
“Mr. Mayor, this is slander!” Miya looked shocked. She did not want Kent to pin such an accusation on her. Other than St. Mary Hospital, she already had quite a few businesses in Riverbank, some including Heartano’s family business. If Kent were to sanction her, it would impact her business greatly, similar to how Kaze attacked the share prices of the Heartano family previously. The share price could bounce back even if it plummeted but the actual businesses would suffer a lot more from the sanction and it would take a lot more resources to recover. “Mrs. Heartano, why the strong reaction? I’m just saying. I am an honorable person and I always go by the law. “I just want to tell you that you do not need to question Kaze’s position as a special consultant of the city council, which you do not have the right to do so either. “And, if you were wondering, Kaze actually just became our special consultant like a minute ago, when I said so. Is there a problem?” Kent said powerfu
Miya’s expression shifted at Kent’s words. She thought by mentioning the shareholders of St. Mary Hospital, it would deter and intimidate Kent but it was wishful thinking. Kent stood by Kaze’s side firmly and resolved to stand against the powerful forces behind the hospital. Clap! Clap! Clap! Suddenly, Genesis clapped her hands. “I have to say, Mr. Mayor, you are really a mayor who loves your citizens.” A fake smile appeared on her face as she continued, “But no matter what you say, you won’t stop me from arresting Kaze Lee. “So what if he’s the special consultant of the city council? Tiger’s Cave now suspects that he is closely related to the explosion that happened yesterday. He might even be the one who caused it! “I’d like to see who else is going to stop me from taking him away.” She unlocked the safety on the gun. All her agents did the same. Genesis was also determined to bring Kaze in and unlocking the safety on her gun was a sign of her resolve. Kent wa
It took a lot of effort for Agnes to break her daughter up with Kaze. There was no way she would allow Kaze to have a second shot with Darcy. The way Agnes saw it, her daughter was the head of the Quints in the South River State and the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. Darcy was beautiful and a great catch. Kaze did not mean squat. While Agnes danced with joy, several vehicles turned up outside the villa. These cars belonged to two different parties. The first group was in fancy cars while the other group was much more discreet. Still, nobody would dismiss government vehicles. Though surprised, Darcy quickly went up to greet the people. “Chief Yaphet, Mr. Jayne, what brings you here?” The alphas of both groups were not some big VIP to Darcy’s family. However, they had control over Sky Ocean Corporation’s future. More accurately, the entities that these people worked for held the fate of Sky Ocean Corporation in their hands. Welson, a middle-ranking official in the
“No way! Madam Quint had no reason to kill Madam Dark.” There was a bustle at Villa No. 1. Despite the statement coming from the police, the crowd was skeptical that Phoenix would kill anyone. Agnes and Darcy found the truth hard to swallow. If Phoenix were behind the evil assassination, they would be wrong about Kaze. The police officer said, “We learned that the dump truck driver received 1.2 million dollars before the accident. We tracked the money to one of Phoenix’s people in Ridgesouth. “We looked into Phoenix’s phone records and discovered that she contacted the Steelclaw Guild through the dark web. “She had no idea that we have eyes on the dark web. Though we don’t know the specifics of her deal with the Steelclaw Guild, she would only have one reason to contact an assassination organization.“The Steelclaw Guild’s killer then showed up at the funeral parlor.“We are linking these two incidents, and our prime suspect is Phoenix, who is now deceased.“We didn’t de
“Kaze, do you know how unfamiliar and frightened you’re making me feel right now?“Why was the Steelclaw Guild’s killer after you? If today didn’t happen, I wouldn’t know that you had gotten yourself in deep trouble. “I don’t know what else you are hiding from me. I even wonder if you were behind Madam Dark’s car accident. “My feelings toward you have been true, but family is equally important to me. “I’m afraid that one day, you will get my parents and brother killed.” Darcy let everything out. The storm in Kaze’s eyes quelled.He grabbed a pen and signed his name before taking his copy. Kaze placed the other copy on the table before walking away. As the people in the villa watched on in shock, Agnes dropped her jaw in joy. Agnes thought that it would take a lot of talking and crying to push Darcy in the right direction. To her surprise, Darcy filed for divorce right away. Nevertheless, she was quick to complain. “You are silly, Darcy. You should have asked for V
“Oh, don’t give me that!” Agnes said without a care, “All I know is that you stood by and got Madam Quint killed. “Why can’t you think before you act, Kaze? What are you going to do when the Quints hold you responsible?“Do you think this is the end of the matter? With Madam Quint dead, the Quints would demand answers.“Here you are, saying that you weren’t trying to get us killed. “You should set my daughter free now! I demand a divorce.” Agnes clamored. “I can’t sleep well at night, thinking I have to spend another day with a snake. “The ball is in your court, Darcy. Either he stays, or I go.” Agnes was determined to force her daughter into dumping Kaze’s sorry ass. Kaze turned to Darcy. “Let’s move out, babe. We can buy another house to live in.” He looked weary for once. Kaze felt drained. There was never a moment of peace whenever he was at home. Agnes would push Darcy into getting a divorce every time Kaze showed his face. Kaze had tried addressing the iss
Kaze said indifferently, “I don’t want to talk to you about this. Just carry on living in their own world.” “What? You have nothing to say for yourself, so you shut up?” Agnes was on full steam ahead. “Why didn’t you kneel when we were on our knees? Don’t you care whether we die?“Are you wishing we were dead?” Despite the grilling, Kaze remained indifferent. Agnes took things far and pressed on. “Were you trying to egg the killer into killing Madam Quint and Joan?“You were afraid of Madam Quint’s retaliation once the word about Madam Dark and Shadow’s accident got out, so you wanted to silence her.” Sky could not stand by anymore. “That’s extreme, Mom. K-Kaze—” “Was what?” Agnes glared at him. “The killer broke Madam Quint’s fingers, fractured her leg, and killed her and Joan. It’s clear that she was triggered by Kaze. “Once or twice might be a coincidence, but we’re talking about this happening multiple times. Isn’t it a deliberate act?” Agnes was witty to make
It had only been an hour since Phoenix met her demise. Yet the Ridgesouth Quints had already come to a decision. Even Kaze had to admit that the Ridgesouth Quints were highly efficient. The Quints’ approach was simple but highly effective. With Phoenix dead, the Quint family members in the South River State were without a leader. As the situation remained unclear and loomed with potential threats, it was best to put Darcy in charge of picking up the pieces. One thing stood out when the Quints handled business. It showed the Quints prioritized their own interest above all else. The Quints were not in a rush to investigate Phoenix’s death, avenge her, or question Hector’s family. Their aim was to cut their losses and reassure the family. The Ridgesouth Quints did not even mention Phoenix’s funeral. Different from Hector’s family’s joy, the other family members were horrified. “I’m sorry to upset you before, Darcy. Please forgive us.” “We were wrong. We are terribly so
“The head honcho made a wise choice.” South talked as if the plan benefited them all. The Steelclaw Guild did not consider the risk of sending Anzu after Kaze and his loved ones. Kaze survived the assassination and proved to the Steelclaw Guild that he was worth the risk. However, what if he had died? The Steelclaw Guild would let Phoenix know that she owed them one. Either way, the Steelclaw Guild would not be losing out on anything. The Steelclaw Guild had a collaboration with Kaze, but they were not in on it together. Kaze shook his head. The Steelclaw Guild was an assassination organization for a reason. They only worked for themselves and were not worth Kaze’s trust. He said curtly, “Tell your head honcho that I don’t owe your people anything anymore. “But you owe me one.” No one else but Kaze would demand something from the Steelclaw Guild. Anyone else in Kaze’s place would swallow the bitter pill and move on. Not Kaze, though. He was not scared of the
With Anzu dead, Kaze got rid of one major problem. Since the police would tie up loose ends at the funeral parlor, Kaze and Darcy’s family were free to leave under the escort of police officers. Other Quint family members in the South River State departed alongside Kaze and Darcy’s family. These people feared for their lives. It dawned on them that they were safe with Darcy’s family, especially since the police were determined to keep Darcy’s family safe and sound before. They followed Darcy’s family, not leaving them out of their sight. Dozens of members swarmed into Villa No. 1, leaving the residence rather cramped. “It’s such a waste of space for a small family to live in a big, luxurious place.” “I guess there are perks to kissing up to the mayor.” The Quint family members, making themselves too at home, occupied the space and made snide remarks. Darcy did not possess power or influence after losing Sky Ocean Corporation. They did not care what Darcy’s family t
Like Joan, Phoenix never would have imagined that she would die in such a humiliating way. Kaze did not even move his hands. He simply said a few words and Anzu killed her. Phoenix died with her eyes wide open, but the light quickly faded. The last image reflected upon her eyes was Kaze grinning brightly with his teeth gleaming under the light. “Bastard…” That was Phoenix’s last word. In just the blink of an eye, the respected elder of the Quint family had turned into a lifeless corpse. Every other family member at the scene gasped in shock. “Die, Kaze Lee!” Anzu’s killing spree did not stop with just two deaths. She shouted at Kaze but she dashed toward Darcy. Swoosh! Kaze had anticipated this. With a swift movement, he shifted sideways to position himself in front of Anzu, blocking her. Anzu swung her arms forward, launching multiple poisoned shurikens at him. Darcy was right behind him, so Kaze dared not dodge the shurikens. It was either him or Darcy. Howe