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
Kaze looked at Casius regrettably. His tone was filled with disappointment. Casius was upset. It felt as if Kaze was the parent while Casius was the defiant child. Casius fixated on Kaze, his gaze void of any emotions. At first, he had assumed that Kaze was bluffing. Now that he thought about it, Kaze had a point. Leron was an egoistic man. Despite Casius’ attempts to recruit him, Leron would not look his way. Later, Leron’s family faced constant danger, and Leron was too busy dodging his enemies’ attacks to keep them safe. Out of desperation, Leron turned to the Weathers for protection. Leron was supposed to kill Kaze. Yet, days later, he pledged his allegiance to Kaze and worked for him, even to the extent of turning against Casius. If Kaze was a hick with no connections and a son-in-law who leeched off his wife’s family, Leron had no reason to seek refuge with him. Kaze’s impressive strength could not possibly be the cause.With that in mind, Casius was horr
“I’m sure a big man like Mr. Techman won’t expect us to cover our losses.” Marilyn took out her phone to make a call. She then said, “I’ve asked Mr. Techman. He said that though Ms. Spoon caused the vase to fall, you are partly responsible for not taking safety precautions. “The responsibility should be shared, and Ms. Spoon only has to pay a million and five hundred thousand dollars.“How does that sound?” Chloe looked reluctant. “Huh? Just a million and a half? We’re taking half the loss.” “What? Doesn’t Mr. Techman’s words mean anything to you?” Marilyn pulled a long face. Chloe shuddered and said with a nod, “Of course. A million and a half, it is. I expect cash.” Marilyn turned to Kaze. “You heard it, Mr. Lee. They have dropped the price to half because of Mr. Techman.” “Huh? It’s still a million and a half. I don’t think we can afford it.” Kaze looked distressed. “Can’t Mr. Techman be so kind and let us off the hook from paying? I’ll be eternally grateful.” D
“No.” Kaze’s reply threw Darcy for a loop. She said in shock, “So the vase is real?” “It’s a counterfeit.” Kaze murmured, “I lied about the modern markings to scare them, but it doesn’t mean that the vase is authentic. “I’m pretty sure this is a scam. “The manager of Marlboro is in on it with the couple too.” Darcy’s eyes widened. “Ms. Angus is in on it too? This can’t be right. Sasha doesn’t appear wealthy. Why would they target Sasha?” “That’s right.” Kaze fell into contemplation. “They pulled off a big one, only to pick a girl who can’t afford the money.“I’m curious about who is behind this. What is this person after? “Babe, get Pamela on the case. Who owns Marlboro?” Darcy texted Pamela right away. Marilyn approached and said, “You are friends with Ms. Spoon, right, Mr. Lee?” “That’s right.” Kaze said with a pretentious smile, “So how much do we have to pay?” “I’m sorry.” Marilyn said with a wry smile, “I’ve tried my best to persuade Chloe and Ron
“Please trust our professionalism, Mr. Lee. “Given our reputation as the biggest antiques trader in Riverbank and the South River State, we cannot allow any sort of mistake.” Kaze chuckled as Marilyn dropped the pretense. “Even if a mistake does happen in Marlboro, you will sweep it under the rug to protect the mall’s reputation.”Kaze smiled pretentiously. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”Raising a brow, Marilyn took a step forward and said solemnly, “Let me make this clear to you again, Mr. Lee. This sort of mistake will never happen in Marlboro.”“Fine. I’ll take your word for it.”Kaze grinned and said, “Even if the vase is worth three million dollars, we should check the surveillance tape. “Did Sasha really cause the vase to fall, or was this fall pinned on her? “Can we do that?” Marilyn stared at Kaze with a straight face before beaming. “You have made a reasonable request. “Go and retrieve the surveillance footage.” She waved her arm at one of her people
Marilyn looked at the clamoring crowd who suspected that the couple were scammers. She raised her voice and said, “Don’t worry. As a business, Marlboro is committed to impartiality.“We will handle the matter fairly.” The chatter faded as the crowd was curious about the approach Marilyn would take for a fair resolution. Marilyn called upon all the witnessing staff members and asked solemnly, “What happened?” The staff members recounted the event. Marilyn then turned to the plump woman and said coldly, “Your husband started the fight, and the man here simply retaliated with a slap. “Fred and his team jumped to conclusions. They deserved the beating. “You shouldn’t be hung up about your husband being slapped. The question is whether the man would like to pursue legal action.” “I…” The plump woman grimaced, reluctant to let things go. However, she appeared terrified of Marilyn. Her lips quivered in a moment of silence. Marilyn turned her attention to Kaze and grinned.
The crowd nodded in agreement. “That’s right. The couple must be scammers, picking on the girl because she doesn’t know her stuff.” “Security! Where’s security?” “Why isn’t someone from the mall taking care of this?” The crowd believed the couple were scammers. “Please give way.” Soon, several security officers arrived on the scene, and the leader glanced at the plump woman. Getting the message from the woman, the security leader approached Kaze and said menacingly, “Boy, are you up to something? Ron and his wife are long-time customers here. I have never seen you around before, though.“You’re something else to assault a customer here. Do you know who owns the place?” The security leader pointed at the door. “Get out, or I’ll make you!” Kaze asked, “Are you in on it too?” The security leader narrowed his eyes. “What did you say? I dare you to say it again.” “I said that you’re in on it too.” Kaze pointed at the middle-aged couple while eyeing the security lead
“Who else could it be?” The plump woman rolled her eyes. “Why would we frame her?” Kaze nodded. “Alright. There are surveillance cameras in the mall anyway. We can check the surveillance footage to confirm whether she ran into you, or the other way around.” The plump woman and her husband scoffed, not taking Kaze seriously at all. Not wanting to dwell on the matter, Kaze asked, “Are you sure your vase dates back to 500 B.C.?”Displeased with Kaze’s doubt, the plump woman said angrily, “What do you think? We have agreed on a price with the owner of the mall. He was going to pay us three million dollars for it. Why would we lie?” “Oh, really?” Kaze grinned and approached the piles of broken shards on the floor to pick up a piece. “This is part of the shattered vase, right?” Kaze held the piece up for a look and asked nonchalantly. “Are you blind? Of course, you can tell whether it came from the vase.”The plump woman said in annoyance, “What are you up to? I’m warning y
“You smashed our vase, so pay up!”“You’re not going anywhere until you pay us for our loss.” The plump woman and Ron were all over Sasha, demanding that she compensate them for their loss. No one among the crowd stepped forward to intervene as the damage was worth three million dollars. Most people could not afford that sort of money. Sasha wailed, “But sir, ma’am, you hastily bumped into me. Why should I pay? I don’t even have that much.” Ron narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Hey! Have you no shame? Don’t try to turn this on us.” “Bitch! You are a disgrace to your family!” Raising her hand, the plump woman took a step forward to slap Sasha. “Smack!” A powerful grip pulled the plump woman back from hurting Sasha again. The plump woman glared at a stern-looking young man. “Who are you, bastard? Get out of my way!” The young man was Kaze. He shook the plump woman’s arm off and said curtly, “If you can’t be civil, you should ask your parents to teach you some manners
The voice of an angry man boomed. “Woah? A three-million-dollar vase?” As the scene brimmed with excitement, a crowd gathered to watch the drama. Kaze was not one to stay for the drama. Given the recent events, especially the splash of blood last night, Kaze was cautious of mass gatherings. He took Darcy’s hand and said to the staff, “Do you have a quieter place?” “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to!” The familiar voice of a girl came from outside the door. The cry was tinged with sobs, and fear was apparent. Kaze furrowed his brows. “Sasha?” “Who is she, Kaze?” Darcy asked. Kaze replied, “It’s Emiko’s niece. I got her into Herbal Spring to get treatment and help. What is she doing here?” One thing was for sure, Sasha was in trouble. Without another word, Kaze took Darcy along to squeeze past the crowd. “Smack!” A middle-aged plump lady slapped Sasha in the face. “Don’t give me that sad look. You’re not fooling anyone!“You didn’t even look where you were goin
After a quiet night, Darcy received a call from Pamela as soon as she woke up the next morning.“Ms. Quint, the auction committee just called. They said the ten billion must be transferred by noon today, or else we won’t be qualified to attend the auction. “What time are you coming to the office? Maybe we can discuss how to talk to Aiden Krad and ask him to let us off. “Ms. Quint, you should know that even though we managed to pay off the banks yesterday, all we did was clear the rumors of our financial problem. If Aiden Krad is determined to beat us down, he still has a lot of ways.” After witnessing Kaze coming up with three billion in an hour yesterday, Pamela knew she should not look down on the live-in husband anymore, but she still lacked confidence about him getting ten billion for the deposit. Three billion was considered a huge fund in the market, but ten billion was on a whole new level. It required time to gather that much funds in such a short time. After recei