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
“Hannah!” Despite bracing himself, Casius blurted out. The others were equally horrified. They had no idea when Hannah showed up. She just crept up on them. Hank grimaced. He was Casius’ bodyguard in the shadows, and his expertise was sweeping for threats. Yet, Hank did not sense Hannah at all. It appeared that Hannah might be stronger than him. However, Hank understood when he recalled who he was. The most promising member of the Viper’s Den West State Branch was once bestowed the Nether Viper Sword by the Viper Queen, and Hannah lived up to the name. It would not take outside forces to take Hannah out. Due to her talent, rivalry began within the organization. Many other young, promising members jumped out to bring her down. Besides, the recent events happening in the Viper’s Den South River State Branch were for all to see. Previously, there had been rumors that Hannah had been crippled and relegated to the South River State Branch to be a deputy chief by name
“Just tell me what you need, Arthur. You wouldn’t be calling unless you have received orders.” Philip was surprised to get a call from Arthur. Though they were acquainted, they had only communicated because of work. “We have just left Rising Sun. Don’t approve the films for now.” Arthur was blunt. “I can do that, but can I ask why?” Philip was caught in a dilemma because he had just promised Jet to release the films. Philip needed to know if the orders to delay came from a high power who could cover his ass. “Since you got a call from me, you should know that there are eyes on Jet. “You should know what you can and cannot say. Otherwise, you never know when you’re going to lose your job.” Arthur threatened. Philip was reluctant. He accepted Jet’s payment, and now he had to go back on his word. Nevertheless, Arthur was part of the Viper’s Den, and his status was rather unique. Arthur provided services to confidential individuals. These individuals were elites among t
A balanced, profitable dynamic had been developed among the ports in Butterworth. Jet spotted his chance in the lucrative port business. He covertly took out some money to invest in a dying port. The port was situated in a more remote area. Some businesspeople favored more accessible ports. This drove shippers away from the dying port. Jet snagged the steal and improved the logistics and facilities around the area. The port was up and running again. Business at the port was decent enough. As the Frosts would run their business through the port, the local economy took off too. It was a good thing. However, Jet set his sights on several residential buildings around the area. He needed space to accommodate containers. The land was required to make business at the port more profitable. This triggered a whole new thing. Jet could spend some money to buy the residents out of their homes. However, the residents preferred to stay put in their long-time homes. No a
“I’ll keep the bank cards for now. I’ll talk to our superiors and give you a decision. Since the man said that the cards are meant for us, they won’t be going anywhere.” Knox had no idea who Kaze was, but he knew Arthur was with the Viper’s Den. Arthur must be someone from high places. Eli soon put the little incident behind him. He got a call from Aloysius yesterday and was made aware of Jet’s plans. The films had been put on hold for far too long, and the people above Eli were anxious to get things moving. Though Eli was surprised by the review board’s visit, everything was still in his control. Eli left the matter at that without reporting the incident to the higher-ups. The flashy, red car sped along the road. Arthur kept looking back at Kaze, eager to find out about the next plan. Arthur brought Kaze out today to witness how Eli and his team operated. As it happened, Eli adopted such a shallow ploy. Arthur was not surprised, though. Eli’s methods were common.
Eli dined offhandedly as if he had taken hold of the group. His words were layered with threat. “What? Are you trying to replace us?” Knox asked in disbelief. “I don’t have that power, but the investor does. I heard that he enjoyed dinner with your superiors. I’m sure the project will get the green light in no time. “Even if you didn’t approach me today, my team and I would have invited you out for a get-together.” Eli knew when to back down, easing the tension in the air. It was another type of reconciliation. Eli needed to go through the review board to get the rights to air the films. The carrot-and-stick approach was the best way forward. Kaze was surprised by the sophistication of Eli’s tactics. Still, he believed he had come to the right place. Sure enough, Jet would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Surely, he was bound to leave loose ends. Nevertheless, he probably did not care. Arthur cocked his head back to look at Kaze. Kaze grinned, unbothered
The purpose of the visit was to inform Rising Sun that the films did not make the cut. Since Rising Sun would not make the necessary amendments, the project would come to a halt. “Please, don’t. Since we are all here, we should talk it out.” It took Eli quite some effort to get the group to the hotel. Eli had plans to please the crowd, so he could not let them leave just yet. This went beyond getting the green light for the films. Eli needed to make the group happy. “There is nothing more to talk about. We can’t proceed unless you make the changes.” There was no way around it. Since Rising Sun refused to make the right amendments, and Knox had orders about putting a hold on Rising Sun’s films, that was one less problem for Knox to deal with. Eli could not let the group walk out on him. Hence, he quickly sent people in. Several thinly clad women entered, each holding a small bag. Despite the weightlessness, the bag appeared to be carrying something of substance. “You
For that reason, Rising Sun’s film productions were not cleared to be aired. “I told you the reason. The investor supplied us with the scripts, and we were told to base our productions on the scripts. Our hands are tied.”Eli would have made the amendments if he could. He knew where the problem lay. However, the company had to take the investor’s perspective into consideration. In the end, the films were yet to be approved for release. “I guess you won’t get the permission to air them then.” Knox was surprised that Rising Sun would not budge on the matter. Nevertheless, Knox and his team were not there to give the all-clear or talk some sense into Rising Sun. Knox and his team could care less about what Eli had to say. “We’re serious about getting the approval. “I’m sorry that we aren’t a better host for your visit today. Why don’t we move to the nearby hotel for a talk?” With the review board making an appearance, Eli knew there was still hope. If Eli did not grab
Arthur chuckled, his smile carrying a touch of sleaziness. “Oh, I see.” A realization dawned on Kaze. “Are you with quality control?” Several individuals in dark blue suits approached. The men and women carried files and documents. Kaze nodded without a word. “We are just here to announce the results. We shouldn’t be long.” Arthur came forward to engage with them. The group was likely given the heads-up as they had the right number of people. They swaggered into Rising Sun’s building. The general manager straightened up his tie in a fluster and walked out. None of the film productions made the cut yet, and the delay was costing the company money by the day. At this rate, the project would go down under. Eli, the general manager, rushed to the entrance upon learning the news. The review team was there to do one final check. The films would get the green light if the board found that everything was up to par. The head office would stop putting pressure on
Given Kaze’s status, Alfonso knew better than to have him waiting under the hot sun. Of course, he would send his people to be on standby for Kaze’s arrival. Peter only came to the rescue when Kaze was pestered by some street gang. Alfonso’s omission of Kaze’s identity led to this hiccup. Kaze did not care one bit about the incident. Heck, he did not even bring it up. Arthur straightened his back nervously, becoming even more cautious behind the wheel. “You knew, but why didn’t you say anything, Mr. Lee? You didn’t even tell on us.” Arthur could not understand why. However, he had more respect for the man. “I didn’t see a point. You’ll learn what happens when you displease me, so I won’t bother telling you now.” Kaze was mild-mannered as ever. He spoke softly without a hint of anger. All the more Arthur revered him. “Mr. Lee, we didn’t do our jobs right. We didn’t know who you were.“But my duty is to protect you in the dark. “We saw you getting out of the train
“Rising Sun is a media company. Several of their films are about to be released. They are trying to get them approved to air due to some censorship issues.” Arthur took out a document. “Are there any issues with the films? Why aren’t they approved yet?” Kaze asked curiously. Kaze had no idea. “There are some issues. They aren’t fit to be aired. “Typically, there aren’t a lot of restrictions for film productions so long as the themes aren’t sensitive topics. “But these films featured altered history. The company has been asked multiple times to make revisions, but the films still don’t make the cut.” The Viper’s Den’s members were not privy to the information. The Frosts were insignificant. Kaze was after the Frosts. Otherwise, the Viper’s Den would not waste its resources on a mere film production company. Jet’s investment of nearly ten million bucks in Rising Sun caught the Viper’s Den’s attention. The delayed approval of the films would be catastrophic to the in