“Strip naked and wash yourself.” Casius walked up to Buffy while wiping his fingers with a paper towel. He peered down at her, speaking in a disgusting yet maniacal tone, “If you don’t know what’s good for you, I think I might beat you to death. “A woman like you shouldn’t end up dead. You are still young and beautiful. More importantly, your mother is still in rehabilitation. Are you going to leave her helpless and alone in this world?” Buffy glared at Casius with utmost hatred. She initially did not take his words seriously but when he mentioned her mother, her body shook and chills ran down her spine. Her bedridden mother, Tulip, was her biggest weakness. She acted as a good daughter in front of her father for so many years, behaved like a good girl in front of Faith, or Hope, and endured the injustice and grievances—all because she wanted to help her mother recover. Yet Casius used her mother against her. Despair consumed her from within. She could die without a s
The Weathers were a powerful family with a long history. They had been in power for decades and were deeply rooted in Riverbank. Countless people had benefited from their connections with the Weathers. Yet Kaze claimed he could wipe out the entire family. It was utter nonsense! He must have thought he could do whatever he wanted just because he was slightly stronger physically. He must have lost his mind! “You bastard! Who do you think you are, disrespecting Mr. Weather like that?!” Madison stepped up, pointed at Kaze, and shouted, “Who gave you the gall to barge in here and attack our men?” “You and your family will die because of what you just did!” Hank, Casius’ usually silent personal bodyguard, spoke up as he subtly moved closer to Casius. His gaze turned sinister as he stared at Kaze. “Don’t waste time with him. Break his arms and legs. If he’s here now, he must be here for that woman. We’ll make him kneel and watch how Mr. Weather ravages her!” The other s
Ugh! Buffy was utterly horrified by the gory and bloody scene. She bent over and threw up. Casius was having tea when one of his men shot Kaze. Before he knew it, a part of his man’s brain was floating in his tea and his smile froze.Kaze, on the other hand, had stepped away before the brain splatter. His white shirt was spared from the blood and brains. The two dead bodies in the living hall silenced everyone. “Casius, are these your so-called experts?” Only Kaze remained relaxed in the room. “No wonder Hunter Yaphet looked down on you and South Stormborn can kill your assistant that easily. “It seems like you got carried away by the title given to you by some trust fund babies. “Now, do you think I am qualified to kill you and wipe out your family?” His casual tone left Casius, Madison, and Hank stunned; their expressions turned as white as a sheet. Casius had been alive for thirty years and his proudest achievement was being one of the Riverbank Seven—the most eli
Before her words even subsided, Madison dashed toward Kaze courageously. Neely got killed and she was promoted. It was the perfect chance for her to appeal to her boss. Her expression was ferocious as she charged forward. She reached out to her waist and pulled out a pair of iron needles laced with poisons. She twirled them around skillfully, the sharp glares and pointy ends flickered along the motion. Kaze did not even turn around to the woman. He swung a reverse slap and hit her in the face. Slap! Before Madison could even attack, she was sent flying away with a bang. She crashed onto the floor meters away, unable to get up even after a while. When she regained the strength to lift her head, her hair was messy and her delicate face became swollen. The other suited men were shocked. Their eyes widened in disbelief and fear was smeared all over their faces. Madison was stronger than them since she was able to fill Neely’s position so quickly. Many of them witnes
Buffy had always held back considering Jude was her biological father. No matter how many bad things he did, she would ask Kaze to spare his life at least. What Jude did to her today, selling her off to Casius and turning his back on her, disappointed her completely and she decided to cut off all ties with that man that she once called father. Kaze said, “Don’t worry. What the Gwake family did to you today, I will make them pay twice as much in the future.” “As you see fit.” Buffy nodded like a timid little girl. Casius, still pinned under Kaze’s foot, overheard the conversation and noticed Buffy’s obedience, which only agitated him further. He struggled but even the limited movements hurt his wounds, causing him to cry in pain. “You’re noisy.” Kaze exerted more strength in his foot. Casius felt his organs were being crushed bit by bit, so he quickly zipped his mouth and dared not make a noise. “Kaze Lee! Let go of Mr. Weather!” “You’re fucking dead!” The suit
Seeing the men stuck between a rock and a hard place, Kaze slightly released his grip, allowing Casius to catch a breath. “So, put your little toys away, or I might accidentally strangle your boss to death if I’m startled. We wouldn’t want that, would we?” said Kaze plainly, his tone cold. The shooters were reluctant to lower their guns but they could not afford to risk their boss’ life. “Cough! Don’t listen to him! He wouldn’t dare to strangle me!” Casius, who caught a breath, revealed a maniacal grin and screamed, “He doesn’t have the balls to die with me! “If I die, the Weather family will avenge me. If he dies, his beautiful wife is left alone with her useless parents! The whole family will suffer! “My family will do whatever they can and torture his wife and his family! He wouldn’t dare to kill me!” Madison, Hank, and the others grinned as they listened on.The suited men looked at Kaze with reignited flames of murder. Casius might be held hostage by Kaze, looking
“Come on! Kill me! Kill me, you piece of cowardly shitfuck!” Casius had lost his calm. He continued to provoke and challenge Kaze. He knew Kaze would not dare to kill him, so this would be the best chance for him to escape. However, he still underestimated Kaze. Kaze shook his head. He grabbed Casius’ left arm and twisted it. Crack! The left arm was broken just like that. The intense pain nearly knocked Casius unconscious. His handsome features contorted in agony, yet he did not make a sound. His endurance of pain somehow granted him the image of a tough guy. He gritted his teeth and grinned at Kaze. “Kaze Lee, you’re torturing me now, but have you ever thought of what would happen to your family once I get my hands on them?” Slap! Kaze slapped him in the face, causing him to spit blood. “What consequences? Do tell.” Slap! “You’re still thinking about going after my family? Do you think you can do that after today?” Slap! “You called yourself the Riverba
The shooters immediately turned their guns at the entrance. Fwoomp! Fwoomp! Fwoomp! Several muffled shots were heard. Then, the suited men surrounding Kaze and Buffy each had a bloody hole between their brows. Splat! The expression on their faces froze before they fell onto the floor. Their faces were in disbelief, confusion, and unwillingness. Even until their last breath, they did not know who took their lives. Gasp! Hank, Madison, and the surviving suited men gasped in shock as chills ran down their spines. The shooters who had just been shot stood scattered across the hall, with some distance between each of them. Yet to Hank and the rest, the shooters were all shot by a mysterious shooter at the same time. As fellow gun users, they knew that to achieve such an amazing feat required exceptional marksmanship and extremely precise judgment. It would not be exaggerating to call it godlike marksmanship. “Who did that?!” Madison and the rest were shocke
Kaze narrowed his eyes at the woman and drew close. “You’re a member of the South River Quints. Should you stand by your leader instead of stirring the pot and causing the scene? “Does family even mean anything to you? “Are you defying the family? “Who are you to disrespect Madam Quint and the family?” The woman staggered back with each question, her face draining of color.“I… You…” Flustered, she glared at Kaze. Still, she was at a loss in the face of Kaze’s questioning. “I assure you, Madam Quint. My daughter, Joan, doesn’t mean any disrespect.” A grizzled-haired middle-aged man with glasses came forward with an ashen face. “She was just trying to defend your honor, Madam Quint. She’s upset because someone disrespected you and arrived late.” This person was manipulative. While sticking up for his daughter, he also took the opportunity to belittle Darcy. “Doesn’t mean any disrespect?” Kaze snapped back, “Madam Quint hasn’t said a thing, but a nobody came out
It appeared Kaze and Darcy were not the only ones who got their hands on the special pass straight to the hangar. Five groups stood in close proximity, yet a clear divide was evident between them.Interestingly, that was as many branches as the Quints had in Ridgesouth.The smallest cluster belonged to Hector, Agnes, and Sky. They kept their heads down, hiding their distress. It looked like they were insulted. As Darcy and Kaze got out of the car, all eyes turned to them, and many sneered. “Can you even drive, Kaze? Look at the time! Are you expecting Madam Quint to wait for you? You have the nerve to show your face when you’re already late!” Agnes tore into Kaze. She threw Kaze under the bus in hopes of deflecting Phoenix’s anger from Darcy. Having seen through Agnes, Kaze did not make a fuss and explained, “Sorry, when we received word, Madam Quint’s plane was touching down in half an hour. “What? Are you blaming us for informing you late?” A tall and pretty woman
With Sasha putting the blame on herself, Kaze shook his head. He was not pointing fingers. “You can accept the pay from Herbal Spring.” Kaze said, “You’re not living at Herbal Spring for free. Your aunt is paying for you. Once you get into college, you can make more money to repay her.”“Really?” Sasha was skeptical. Besides boarding and lodging at Herbal Spring, Sasha was also taking medicine for her health. After working there for a while, Sasha had a general idea of things. Sasha’s medicine was expensive, and the medical bill was beyond the budget of most families. Kaze said, “You can ask Darcy if you don’t believe me. Your aunt even asked me if she had paid enough money when I was heading out this morning.” Despite knowing it was a lie, Darcy nodded. “Sasha, Kaze is right. Don’t feel burdened.” Sasha was naïve and gullible. Darcy’s statement gave Sasha the push. Since Kaze and Darcy were rich, Sasha assumed that her aunt must earn a lot. Her aunt could afford
Everett understood that Kaze would make a big deal out of the Golden Road at tomorrow’s auction. Of course, it was none of Everett’s business. He had no qualms about turning his back on Aiden. As one of the four underworld kingpins, Everett would give the Krads their due respect, but he did not owe Aiden anything. Aiden was an individual. He did not represent the Krads as a whole. “So that’s decided.” Kaze then said, “That reminds me. Have your people pick out a nice bracelet. I’m looking at the five-hundred-thousand-dollar range.”“Oh, consider it a gift from me. Just inform Marilyn.” Everett was quick to offer a gift. Kaze did not appreciate the gesture though. Everett was a cunning man. His generosity may seem like an olive branch. However, Kaze knew that given the chance, Everett would make him pay. Everett would never have the chance though. Kaze would fight back, and the consequences could be fatal. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint, are you happy with this bracelet
“I reckon that the stone might be important to someone within the Krads.“Aiden volunteered to take care of the business in Riverbank and go up against your wife. He’s not just here to suck up to his chief commander brother but to prove to the Krads that he’s better than the rest of the competition.“If he can gain that somebody’s favor, this can be bigger than his achievements in business.” Everett adopted the requirement analysis. Though Everett had no idea why the Golden Toad was important to the Krads, he understood Aiden’s needs. By grasping an individual’s core requirement, he was able to deduce something that was closer to the truth. “Has Aiden lost his head?” Kaze uttered in confusion, “He could’ve just gotten the thing from you at a better rate. Why is he getting to buy it from an auction?” Everett mentioned that the Golden Toad was worth tens of millions of dollars, but no more than a hundred million dollars. Aiden could have made a private deal with Everett.
“You can take a closer look at our mall’s prized possession.” Marilyn was adorned in a golden ray, giving off an almost saintly vibe. Kaze brought Darcy and Sasha forward for a good look. Encased within the vacuum-sealed glass display was an emerald gemstone the size of a fist.The gemstone was crafted in the shape of a toad, and it was remarkably lifelike. The jewel displayed no visible imperfection to the naked eye. Kaze, Darcy, and Sasha could not tell what was special about the gemstone other than its shape and purity. “What’s the story about this crown jewel?” Kaze asked. Marilyn shook her head. She was unsure why the gemstone was considered a prized possession. Darcy grabbed Sasha’s arm and asked with concern, “What’s the matter, Sasha? Are you unwell?” “I-I feel a burning sensation on my back.” Sasha looked at Kaze in agony. She knew that Kaze had a better understanding of her well-being. Kaze approached Sasha from behind and gently pulled down her back coll
“I’d like to hear from you, Kaze.” Everett was interested in knowing what Kaze was after. Kaze glanced around the mall, and a thought came to him. “You know what. You have quite a nice antique collection in Marlboro, Gem City. How about that in exchange for your son’s life?” Everett felt his heart sinking. Even with Duncan’s life at stake, he could not stop the fury from building. “You’re asking for too much, Lee!” Gem City? Gem City was worth ten billion dollars at the very least. Kaze had the audacity to ask for Marlboro. “Mr. Techman, please mind your attitude.” Kaze said indifferently, “You panicked when I talked about Marlboro. I guess your son’s life doesn’t compare to Gem City. “I didn’t think you’d choose assets over family, Mr. Techman.”Everett ignored Kaze’s taunting. Once his head cooled down, Everett figured that Kaze raised the stakes just to stay in the bargaining game. That was why Kaze rejected his first two proposals. Everett believed that Kaze w
Everett was skeptical that Kaze would kill Duncan in broad daylight. As an underworld kingpin, Everett understood that Kaze had ways to make Duncan pay. After much contemplation, Everett said, “Here’s the thing, Kaze. I’ll pay you 20 million dollars for the trouble today and yesterday.” “20 million dollars? Are you kidding me, Mr. Techman?” Kaze glanced at Darcy before walking a short distance away with the phone in hand. He said emotionlessly, “Since you’re helping Aiden to go against me, you should know that he wants my wife out of the competition. He established some billion-dollar barrier to stop her.“You might not be aware but Jiro Sakamoto, a Ryokanian of the Refined Blade, died yesterday, and Reiko of the same organization gave me a villa worth hundreds of millions of dollars right away. “If you think that your son’s life is worth 20 million dollars, I can pay you that money and kill him.” Everett was lost for words. He quickly picked up on the message Kaze had s
“What do you want?” The call quickly connected, and Everett’s annoyed voice came on. Everett never had the patience for his airhead of a son. Due to Duncan’s recent involvement with Kaze, Everett was humiliated, and he still had not let things go. Duncan looked at Kaze, and the latter took the phone and said indifferently, “How are you, Mr. Techman?” “Who are you? Wait, Kaze?” On the other end of the line, Everett was flustered. However, his experience dealing with challenges anchored him down, and he said curtly, “Why do you have Duncan’s phone, Kaze?” “You should ask your son what he did.” Kaze took the phone away from his ear and gestured for Duncan to talk. “Dad, this is on me…” Duncan sobbingly recounted the whole thing. “Bastard!” Everett blew up. “Why did you get involved? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” Everett came down hard on Duncan. However, Kaze frustratedly interrupted them. “That’s enough, Mr. Techman. Don’t play dumb.“I don’t care if you kne