“Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone harm you.“I promise that it won’t happen again.” As Jude apologized profusely, Buffy shuddered. Kaze looked at Jude with a pretentious smile. He knew right from the start that Naix acted on orders to single him and Buffy out. The orders either came from Jude or Faith. Since Jude silenced Naix, the answer was clear. Jude chuckled dryly at Buffy’s indifference before turning to Kaze. He said emotionally, “You always surprise me, Kaze. “I have always known that you were amazing. I see why my daughter, despite her high standards, is into you.“I didn’t expect you to be the owner of St. Mary’s. That’s a shocker.“Since you’ve acquired the agency right for Gwake Corporation, rest assured that the board and I appreciate your hard work—” “Hold it right there.” Kaze interrupted Jude’s long speech and glanced at Miya. “Miya, are the agency rights signed to Gwake Corporation?” “No, Mr. Lee.” Miya said respectfully, “The signing party for th
“What are you trying to say?” Jude’s heart sank as he had a bad feeling. “Let me refresh your memory, Mr. Chairman.” Kaze said indifferently, “You and I made a wager in the meeting room. “If Kiefer showed up outside Gwake Corporation on his knees and presented the agency right, you’d step down and pass the torch to Buffy. “It’s time to honor the bet, Mr. Chairman. I should correct myself. Buffy should be the chairwoman now. “You are competing to become the Viper’s Den South River State Branch chief anyway. “I trust you will see the bet through, right? “You can’t get anyone to trust you if you break the promise. How are we supposed to trust you to run the South River State Branch?“Am I right, Mr. Gwake?” Kaze smiled pretentiously while putting Jude in the spot. Furrowing her brows, Buffy understood that Kaze planned to strip Jude of his glory and titles. Jude would be left with nothing. Even if Jude were to hand over the chairman position, Kaze would not let hi
No one came forward. Faced with Jude’s grim eyes, the board either looked away or put their heads down. Most of them shied away from Jude’s gaze. It was clear that Jude had lost his influence in the company. The fact was written in ink the moment Buffy secured the exclusive agency rights. A handful of directors felt uneasy about the situation as Jude had been in power for too long. They needed time to adapt to change. Jude grimaced hard. Kaze chuckled. “Seeing that nobody stepped forward, everybody must be in support of Buffy becoming the chairwoman. So that’s decided then. “I expect the minutes to be documented right away. The assistant should get everybody to sign as proof of today’s decision at the next board meeting,” Kaze said while waving his arm. Soon, the assistant of the president’s office drafted the minutes, and the board bit the bullet to put their names on the document. The board even bowed to Buffy. After the board, the senior executives followed suit.
“The senior members of the Gwake family will make things right for Mom and me.“So… Maybe you shouldn’t go, Kaze.“It’s a bad idea to air dirty laundry anyway.” Buffy looked away, avoiding eye contact with Kaze. Kaze was taken aback at first, but he quickly understood. Buffy had a good idea about the truth behind her mother’s coma. She may not know the specifics, but she had her suspicions. Hence, Buffy did not want Kaze to know the truth. It was all that was left of her dignity. She could not bear the thought of being exposed to Kaze. With that in mind, Kaze nodded. “Alright. You can head on to your family home. Dayton will go with you. You can call me if you need me for anything.” “Sure.” Buffy nodded and said, “I need to ask you of one thing, Kaze. Dad has lost power over Gwake Corporation. As you said, he won’t become the South River State Branch chief. He will lose everything. “He will be devastated if Faith can’t be saved. “I hope you can help Faith to the
“So you’re in?” Rose asked excitedly, her tone relieved. She did not get along with many of the young family members because she could not stand their behaviors. They were too pretentious. These family members lacked substance. All they cared about was showing off. Since Bella had urged the younger members to stand as one, Nelson and Agatha called to make sure Rose would go. Given Hanses’ rising influence within the family and invite, Rose felt compelled to attend too. She hoped Kaze would go with her. Having Kaze around would put her at ease. “Okay.” Kaze gave a nod. Understanding Rose’s reservations, Kaze patted her head with a smile and asked, “When and where?” “It’s at Buckridge Lounge at eight tonight,” Rose said happily. Thrilled, she went to get dressed and doll up.The Otter girls loved to dress for the occasion. Rose did not want to be outshined. Kaze simply smiled. He did not mind stuff like that. All he would do for the gathering was take a shower and sl
Rose and Kaze walked over and saw a huge group sitting in the booth. Of the group, Kaze only recognized Maxine and Patrick. The rest were unfamiliar faces. The men and women of the group were dressed to the nines, their clothes suggesting their wealth and power.As the group walked on eggshells around Patrick and Maxine, the couple must hold a higher position of authority. “Maxine, Patrick.” Rose said hello and asked curiously, “Where is Hanses? I have not seen him.” She was closest to Hanses among the young family members. “Oh, Hanses has a night drill with the Flying Dragons. He was called away when he just arrived. Max went to drop him off.” Maxine explained before glancing at Kaze. She said with a frown, “Where’s Darcy, Rose? Why isn’t she here?”“Are you talking about the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation who has just been accepted back to your family, Maxine? She’s the head of the Ridgesouth Quints in the South River State.” Those sitting in the booth and all
“Kaze Lee! How dare you scold Maxine!” Patrick’s expression darkened, his eyes burning with rage as he bellowed, “You piece of shit! Don’t you know who owns Buckridge Lounge?” “Who?” Kaze raised his brows, asking in an intrigued manner. “You don’t even know who owns Buckridge Lounge? You’re really a bumpkin!” Then, a woman with meticulous makeup stood up from the couch elegantly with a wine glass in her hand. She looked at Kaze with disdain and said, “The owner of Buckridge Lounge is one of the big four gangster bosses in the underworld of Riverbank, Everett Techman! “Have you heard of Zoro, the general manager of Bronze Sparrow? If you haven’t even heard of the high-profiled Zoro, you should really bury yourself.” “Zoro?” Kaze scoffed. “I thought he’s dead.” “Hmph. I guess you are not that outdated after all.” The woman grunted and added, “Zoro is dead but when he was alive, he was one of the big four gangster bosses too. You are not even worthy of being his slave. “
“Don’t you run!” “Can’t you hear Maxine? Stay!” As Maxine bellowed, the young men and women in the booth bolted up and quickly surrounded Kaze and Rose. Rose argued, “What are you people doing? Are you holding us back? What are you people, kidnappers?!” “Don’t think about leaving without apologizing!” “Slap yourself and say that you are sorry!” The young men and women crossed their arms, surrounding Kaze and Rose in the center. Kaze looked at them indifferently and then turned around to Patrick and Maxine. He scoffed. “You really think these pieces of trash can stop us?” Patrick and Maxine knew how powerful Kaze was. In fact, even if everyone in the lounge jumped on him, they might not be able to hold him back at all, let alone the few men and women. Patrick grunted and said sinisterly, “Kaze Lee, you might be a little strong but that doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you want! They can’t stop you, but I know someone who could! “Waiter!” he cried. A wait
“You piece of shit! How dare you tease the woman I brought here!” Smash! The long-haired young man smashed Max in the head again with another beer bottle. Max collapsed on the floor, twitching uncontrollably as life exited his body. “Patrick, save Max! That guy is beating him to death!” Maxine tugged Patrick’s arm as her face turned pale. She noticed his face was also pale and he did not respond at all. Anxious, she turned to the long-haired young man and shouted, “Stop it! My boyfriend is from the Weather family! One of the Riverbank Seven, Casius Weather, is his cousin! “Even if you are not afraid of Casius, my boyfriend’s other cousin is in charge of Tiger’s Cave office here in Riverbank! Her name is Genesis Weather! “Judging from your looks, I know you are from the upper circle too. Aren’t you afraid of the Tiger’s Cave? And, my boyfriend’s cousin is on her way here now!” She got carried away by the anxiety and spilled the beans, revealing that Genesis was on her
“Smash!” The beer bottle smashed into Blackie’s jaw. With a resounding crack, his jaw split open and he let out an agonizing scream. “You fuck!” Blackie shook his head strongly to keep himself conscious. As rage took over, he extended his arms to seize the long-haired young man once more. An ordinary man would be smashed unconscious by the bottle but Blackie was still standing strong and was able to retaliate. His body was as strong as a beast. However, his towering physique did not overwhelm the long-haired young man. The long-haired young man, who looked rather scrawny, did not move or dodge. Instead, he threw punches forward to counter Blackie’s grab. “Crack!” Another loud crack sounded. Surprisingly, it was Blackie’s hand that was broken. He cried in pain once more. The long-haired young man did not even flinch. He went along with the momentum to grab Blackie’s wrist and then twisted it. “Crack!” Both Blackie’s arms were snapped just like that. The lon
“If you don’t give me an explanation, this won’t end well for you! “What’s the matter? Playing dumb?” The young man with the long hair grinned. “You did it but you don’t have the balls to stand up for it? “Who was it?” He glanced at the woman covering her face. The woman stepped up and pointed at Max standing in the crowd. Her expression darkened as she said, “It’s him! He teased me and slapped me twice in the face!” Everyone looked at Max with a strange look. He teased the woman and then slapped her twice? What a jerk! Maxine and Patrick’s expressions turned ashen as embarrassment rose. Max was family, so all they could do was stare at him. “Nonsense! She slapped me first!” Max flushed with emotions. He knew it was embarrassing but he did it already, so his plan was to shift the blame. “You pretended to be drunk and teased her, you should be slapped.” The young man with the long hair looked at Blackie. “So you’re Blackie, Everett Techman’s man and also th
“Which asshole threw the bottle?!” Blackie scanned around the place to look for the culprit. His anger erupted as he bellowed, “Get the hell out here and kneel before me! Don’t let me find you, or else you won’t even know how you’ll meet your end!” His shouts echoed across the lobby. “Who was it?!” “How dare you do this in front of Blackie?! I am Patrick Weather and this is my party! You’re dead when I catch you!” Patrick and the others were also looking for the culprit. Patrick was infuriated. He booked the place for his party and he saw himself as the master of the event, yet someone threw a bottle at them, splashing beer all over him and his friends. “Hmph. Patrick Weather? Are you from the Weathers? The same family with Casius Weather? Bunch of losers! No wonder you have the balls to tease the woman I brought in.” Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a calm and lazy voice came from behind. Then, a group of men and women, dressed in hip-hop style, swaggered over. A f
“Kaze?!” Surprised, Rose turned around and realized it was Kaze who snatched her bottle. “Don’t you even try. I don’t need a little girl to drink on my behalf just so we can walk out,” Kaze said, and then he tossed the bottle away. “Crash!” The bottle shattered and the beer splashed onto Blackie’s pants. His expression turned dark. Meeting Blackie’s frosty gaze, Kaze said, “I said, I am not drinking and no one can make me. “Blackie, was it? A piece of advice, don’t fall for the distorted facts and pressure someone you don’t even know. It will get you into trouble, and it might even drag your boss into this mess. “And, I said I didn’t know Everett Techman, not because I don’t respect him, it’s because before today, I didn't even know his name at all. “Don’t tell me everyone in Riverbank must know his name. Your boss is from the underworld and if he’s doing illegal stuff, then keep a low profile. You can't expect to profit from illegal dealings and still demand respect an
“Hmph!” Blackie was slightly taken aback. As his gaze turned colder, he scoffed. “Interesting. I did not expect defiance in Buckridge Lounge. It seems like you Otters are not afraid of death.” His lips curled into a dangerous grin as he glanced at Maxine, his expression frosty and ruthless. Maxine shivered instantly. Her face paled as she shouted, “Kaze Lee! Blackie is ordering you to drink! Drink them or you will die! “You are the one who disrespects Mr. Techman! You started this! Shouldn’t you deal with the matter? Mr. Techman is merciful enough not to teach you a lesson himself, or else you will be beaten to death, if not crippled for life, before being thrown out of this place!” She was furious as she shouted, eagerly pressuring Kaze to apologize. She was afraid that Blackie might hold her family responsible. Technically speaking, Kaze was part of the Otters despite not being well-received internally, but others might not share the same opinion. “You guys talk it out
As he spoke, Blackie went up closer and grabbed a bottle of beer from the table. Usually, the beer bottle looked huge in a normal person’s hand but in his hand, it felt like a little torchlight. “Flick!” With a flick of his thumb, the cap was flung out. “If you finish every bottle of beer here, down to the last drop, you can walk,” Blackie said coldly as he shoved the bottle of beer forward. Rose gasped in shock. She glanced at the long table in front of the booth and saw the row of beer, whiskey, and all kinds of other alcoholic beverages. There were fifty bottles of beer. She knew how good of a drinker Kaze was. He was a lot stronger than the ordinary, but if he had to drink every bottle to the last drop, he might suffer from alcohol poisoning. Patrick, Maxine, and the others were initially disappointed when they thought Blackie was not going to teach Kaze a lesson. Now, they gloated at Kaze happily. If Kaze drank all the beers, he would certainly end up in the
Noticing Blackie’s displeasure toward Kaze, the men and women gloated at him. Patrick and Maxine were delighted. Aside from Blackie’s position and status, his towering physique and intimidating aura alone were pressuring enough. Kaze was tall as well but he looked like a child beside the giant. He looked emotionless but others assumed that he was trembling inside. “Kaze, Blackie is asking you a question! Speak!” Maxine said scornfully. Kaze glanced at Blackie and said, “I’ve never heard of the man’s name until today before I stepped into this lounge.” Everyone gasped in shock at his words. No one expected him to be so bold with his words in front of Blackie. Had he lost his mind? Could he not tell that Blackie was displeased that he had never heard of Everett? Anyone with a sane mind would start bowing and apologizing, flattering Blackie by saying good things about Everett. Was he really bold enough to think that he could fight Blackie with that massive, muscula
Maxine looked at Rose as if she was a baby. She teased. “How are we not respecting each other? Not uniting? “It’s him who’s acting all powerful and stuff, he disrespects us! That’s why we’ve decided that before we see him as a family member, we have to blunt his arrogance and fix his damn temper! “What’s the problem with that?” Rose was frustrated by Maxine’s unreasonable excuses. She breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down. “Blackie is here!” someone exclaimed. Then, a group of men swaggered into the lobby. The man at the center, their leader, stood at an imposing two meters tall. His muscular frame was complemented by tanned skin, and his bald head gleamed like polished obsidian under the light. His eyes were frosty, the aura that he exuded was as intimidating as a tiger and his appearance silenced the noisy lobby instantly. As the man walked, the crowd moved to the side, making way for him. “Kaze Lee, that’s Blackie, the general manager of Buckridge Lounge! T