“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
Casius’ expression darkened at Leron’s words. He shouted, “You bastard! You struck a deal with Kaze Lee too! I sent you to kill him and whatever the fuck happened, there’s no way you two are close as brothers now! “He protected your family because he is using you! If that’s the case, I’ll make you a new deal! “Kill Kaze Lee now and I will pay you whatever you want. A hundred million? A billion? Name it and I will pay you! How’s that?!” Casius stared at Leron and attempted to buy him over with money. He wanted Leron to come back so he could turn the tides around. Kaze smiled and said, “Leron, Mr. Weather here is really generous. He’s paying you a billion. What do you say?” Leron answered coldly, “Mr. Weather, if you think I worked for you just for the money, then you’ve underestimated me.” Madison, Hank, and the others were shocked. Casius offered a billion and still could not bring Leron back to their side. What kind of charms did Kaze possess? “You fucktard! You’
Casius crackled in delight. “Didn’t you say that Kaze was better than me, Buffy? Why don’t you see for yourself whether he’d abandon you to save himself?“Haha. I love a good social experiment.” “Smack!” Kaze whipped his hand across his face. “Shut up.” This time, Casius lost his tooth in the back. He was maimed beyond recognition. Hank snapped. “If you lay one more finger on Mr. Weather, I’ll make sure Buffy gets a bullet to her heart—”“Smack!” Before Hank could finish, Kaze gave Casius another slap, knocking the back tooth on his other side. “Every stupid thing that comes out of your mouth from now on, I’ll give your owner here a slap.“Let’s see if your owner has enough teeth to take all the bullshit you have to say.” Infuriated, Hank and the others could not wait to get their hands on Kaze. However, they dared not say a word as Casius stood there in misery. Anyone could tell that Kaze did not take too well to threats. The more they pushed Kaze around, the h
“Thud!” Blood spilled. Casius let out an agonized cry, feeling like his head was about to bust open. The two burly men in suits were inches away from Buffy, their faces filled with resentment. They were hesitant to take a chance on whether Kaze would go as far as to take Casius’ life. Without another word, Kaze clutched Casius’ throat and looked at Madison tauntingly. Madison loved a bit of foul play. Well, Kaze was curious about her next move. As Kaze tightened his grip, Casius lost his voice and rolled his eyes to the back of his head. Madison made a face and uttered furiously, “Back away. Don’t hurt them.” The two burly men in suits stepped back with a lot of reluctance. Kaze turned to Leron and uttered, “Kill them.” “Bang! Bang!” Leron pulled out his gun and fired two rounds, each landing between the brows of these burly men. Two bodies dropped to the ground. By then, the crowd got their acts together and pulled out their weapons. “Stop!” Hank yelled
“Don’t push your luck, Kaze!” Casius, after catching his breath, said in a hoarse voice, “I allowed Buffy to leave as promised. What more do you want?“Do you think I stopped them from attacking because I’m scared to die? “Think again!“I’m brutal to others and worse to myself.” Raising his brow, Kaze extended his hand and smacked Casius’ mangled face. “Worse to yourself? “You belong to the great Weather family, born with a silver spoon. “I’m just a hick from Lilyrose. I don’t matter. “Are you sure you want to ride down to hell with me?”Clearly, Kaze was mocking Casius. That had always been Casius’ perception of himself and Kaze. Yet now, Casius, the man of privilege, was reduced to nothing at the hands of a hick. Casius’ eyes flickered with bloodthirst. Still, he held himself together and said icily, “What do you want? “Do you think you can last against the bunch of us? “You won’t get a chance to beg for mercy.” Madison jumped in grimly. “Since you know tha
Sensing that Kaze was letting up, Casius grew determined, nodded, and said with a smile, “You’re wise, Kaze. “That’s right. I have seen many of your type. “You have the skills and the brains to match. You’re just missing one key ingredient for success. “That’s your upbringing. “Kaze, I’m sure you’ve figured out your problem now. “You can be highly competent and the best version of yourself, but you will always be the hick and the son-in-law who took his wife’s last name from Lilyrose to others. “Jude will never let Buffy marry you. “Hannah and the others only see you as a pawn. You are disposable to them.“There is only so far you can go.” Kaze said with a chuckle, “Why don’t you just get straight to the point, Mr. Weather?”“I have made myself clear enough. You need a stage, influence, and connections. “Otherwise, the farthest you can go is somewhere slightly higher than Leron. You’re nothing but a muscle for hire, always caught in the middle of someone else’s figh
After stroking his own ego, Casius turned back to Kaze and said, “If you kneel before me now and pledge your allegiance, I can give you my word on one thing, Kaze.“You can be to me what Zoro, Neely, and Leron were. In fact, you will rank higher. “Now bow to me and become my right-hand man.“I won’t hold you accountable for killing my people. “I won’t pursue you for taking the shares from Patrick. “I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. “Heck, Bronze Sparrow is yours for the taking. “How does that sound? Have I tempted you?” Casius fixated on Kaze, his gaze intense. Surely, Kaze would not be able to resist his offer. Though Kaze had his hand around Casius’ throat, he was also cornered by the surrounding gunmen. Casius just presented Kaze with the chance of a lifetime. No fool would pass up on the chance. Kaze grinned. If Kaze was not Kaze, if Miru had not claimed Bronze Sparrow despite Casius’ multiple attempts to retrieve the place, if Kaze had not known that
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but
Even though Katie was the CEO of the Northborn Group, many eyed her position. There were too many vying to replace her. Without dedicating herself to her work, Katie risked falling from grace. Katie had been too eager to find success to give her daughter the best life. Leah could not understand the pain Katie had to go through. “I understand it now. I explained the nature of my relationship with Kaze to you, but you just wouldn’t get it.” Leah stubbornly expressed herself in hopes her mother would understand. “I just couldn’t get it through my head that you have grown up. You make an easy target since you just graduated and have not stepped into the real world.” Katie would not always be there for Leah. Hence, Katie did her best to get rid of potential danger. Her overprotectiveness triggered Leah’s defiance. It was Katie’s fault for not realizing it sooner. “I’m not angry with you. I didn’t understand a mother’s good intentions, but I understand now. I will listen to
Leah’s face beamed, but her mother’s words threw her into a daze. In the end, she tried to squeeze a smile to assure her mother. However, Leah could not muster a smile. Those days lingered with her like a recurring bad dream. Whenever she recalled the incident, she felt trapped in that nightmare again. Leah wanted to let those memories fade away, but she just could not do it. She would get startled awake late at night and trace the scars across her skin. During moments like this, she resented Perry. Leah was rather cheerful during the day as if the past was behind her. However, it was simply a way for her to escape the pain. By the way Leah was behaving, Katie instantly regretted the question. She should not have probed. Even if they avoided the elephant in the room, they could pretend like nothing ever happened. Nevertheless, the act of asking brought up unsettling times for Leah. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.” Katie gently held Leah, hoping to cast
When the ambulance door closed shut, Leah wailed once more. The reality of her rescue finally sank in, and she grasped that it was not just a dream. It was a pity that she did not have much time with Kaze. She longed to spend more time with him. “Don’t cry, young lady. You’ll get better soon enough. Don’t worry about the scars on your face. I can administer medicine to help you,” the doctor said while wiping her tears. “Thank you. I’m finally out of the hell hole.” Leah’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped in there forever. Kaze watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night. He then turned to face the villa. “Apprehend everybody in there. Perry should be punished for his crimes.” Kaze had not intended to go after the Duncans, but the family had crossed the line this time. Leah was an adorable and vulnerable woman. She was abused beyond recognition. It never occurred to Kaze that the Duncans could be so cruel. “Perry has passed out in there. Where should
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