“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
Casius was eager to disassociate herself from Madison. He was afraid that Hannah would use Madison’s assassination attempt against him. It was no secret that Hannah was strong. However, the extent of her strength caught him off guard. Hannah detected Madison’s little stunt and killed her with the throw of her sword. Madison had a gun in her hand but no time to pull the trigger.Hannah was terrifying. Casius was at a loss. First came Leron. Then came Hannah. All Casius wanted was to kill Kaze. Yet, it had proved a difficult feat. It was not a coincidence that Hannah showed up at the Gwakes’. Any fool could tell that she was on Kaze’s side. Casius was in distress. Yet, his tone was pressing. “But Ms. Delmore, your fight with Mr. Gwake is around the corner. “I doubt it’s appropriate for you to barge into Mr. Gwake’s home while he isn’t around.” The fight to become the leader of the South River State Branch had caused quite a stir in Riverbank. The fair and open
Hannah was powerful. However, Casius was not without resources. He was backed by the Weathers and the Ryokanians. Unless necessary, Casius did not want to expose his ties with the Ryokanians. “Back him up?” Taken aback at first, Hannah quickly burst into laughter. “You are highly mistaken, Mr. Weather. I’m not here to back Kaze up. I doubt I’m qualified.” “What do you mean?” Casius was shocked. Hank and the others were confused. They would rejoice over the fact Hannah did not come to support Kaze. However, she claimed that she did not deserve to back Kaze up. The most promising member of the Viper’s Den West State Branch, also the deputy chief of the South River State Branch, was not qualified to stand her ground for Kaze. “If I have to answer your question…” Hannah said indifferently, “Kaze is my backer. He’s the one to back me up.” What? Casius and the others widened their eyes skeptically. Hannah frowned and approached Kaze. She got down on one knee a
While Pamela struggled to make sense of the situation, Kaze led Darcy out of the office. After walking out of the main entrance, Kaze brought Darcy to the riverside beside the building for a stroll. He wanted to let her relax her mind and body. Their driver was tailing them. Darcy never tried strolling by the riverside to relax but she followed Kaze anyway. “Feeling better now?” Kaze asked with a smile as the wind caressed their faces. With two billion credited into the company account, they could pay the bank immediately. More importantly, it also cleared up the rumor about Sky Ocean Corporation having financial problems. “I feel better now. I even believe that you can help me pay ten billion tomorrow,” Darcy said with a sweet smile. “But, I think you owe me an explanation about how you get the money. Is Perfect World Group that rich?” Darcy knew Kaze was more than met the eye. He was not the useless trash that others claimed him to be. He easily got two billion in
Pamela bowed at Kaze and begged him, saying, “Even if you ignore me and won’t do it, what about Ms. Quint? Have you considered her? Must you make her lose everything before you are satisfied?” Kaze glanced at the women coldly and bellowed, “Can you shut up? I have been putting up with your nonsense until now because you are Darcy’s employee. One more word of nonsense and I will make you leave immediately.” He had had it with the woman’s negative thoughts. “You…” Pamela was frustrated. She did not expect the useless trash who always bragged about what he could do to scold her. Darcy put on a strict look and said, “Pamela, Kaze’s words are my words. I am willing to give him a chance to try and that means I have already made up my mind. “You are my assistant. You can provide me with suggestions but after the decision is made, you just have to carry it out, not question me. “From the moment you saw Kaze, you’ve been disrespecting him and I didn’t even say anything about that.
Before this, Pamela was all fired up and was ready to face any challenges from the Krad family. Yet after she witnessed what Aiden did in just one day, her confidence was shattered. She felt inferior and weak in front of Aiden. Kaze, on the other hand, should look into the mirror instead of speaking like a clown, claiming that he could deal with Aiden. Slam! Darcy slammed the table, her expression darkened. “Shut up!” Pamela looked at Darcy, frightened. She had never seen her boss this angry, not even when Aiden threatened her on the phone. Darcy was protective of her useless husband and it surprised Pamela. “Darcy, calm down. You don’t need to worry about all that. Just take some rest.” Kaze calmed her down and seated her back on the chair. He said gently, “As for the auction, leave it to me.” Pamela rolled her eyes once more. She still assumed Kaze was useless and wanted to act like he had the power. Why would he ask Darcy to rest instead of urging her to make
Darcy rubbed her swelling temples. “We still have to get five billion…” “Not just five billion.” Pamela wore a bitter look and continued, “Five billion is just enough for us to participate in the auction. In order to win the auction, we at least need another fifteen billion. “Ten billion is enough for us to win the auction, and the other five billion is the funds prepared for the suppliers and to maintain the basic operation of the company…” Pamela was right. It was not practical to empty out the company’s account. “Based on the current situation, we believe the Krad family has falsified all kinds of financial problems to damage our company’s image, causing the banks to withhold our loan applications. “We cannot cut our expenses now but have to increase it. The suppliers demand us to clear the payment fully and immediately, or else it practically admits to the public that we are having financial problems…” She sounded helpless as she read out the report to Darcy. Kaze w
It was Pamela’s voice. Darcy woke up instantly. She quickly tidied her shirt and then said, “Come in.” “Ms. Quint, we got bad news from the bank.” Pamela came clacking in with her heels and she looked ashen. “The banks that we worked with just called and informed us that we did not pass the verifications for the loan. Without the loan, we won’t even have ten billion.” Despite the company having a healthy cash flow, it was impossible for them to keep that much cash in the bank account without making any investments. Therefore, it was necessary to make loans to bid for the land in Seven Stars District. They had applied for the loan through multiple banks and after the procedures, they were one step away from getting the loan, yet all the banks turned on them at once. It must be Aiden. Their working partners turned on them, the banks ceased their loan applications, and all those happened within half an hour. Aiden was fierce and ruthless with his methods. Darcy did not e
Kaze did not mind Pamela’s contempt. He walked past her and went over to Darcy, asking, “I heard someone sent you a dead rabbit. Are you okay?” “It’s from the Krad family. It’s just a little child’s play, I’m not frightened.” Darcy shook her head. She glanced at the thermal flask in Kaze’s hands and asked, “What’s that?” “I asked Herbal Spring to make you some soup and they just delivered it here. It’s good for your skin, eases the stress, and energizes you.” Kaze opened the thermal flask and chuckled. “On the way back here, I touched your face and it felt dry…” “You’re asking for it!” Darcy playfully punched him. Kaze grinned as he poured the soup out into a bowl and said, “It’s Aiden Krad’s little trick right? I was thinking about how to deal with him, and now he’s after you. He’s the one asking for it.” Pft! Pamela overheard Kaze on her way out and she was deeply amused. Her scoff contained disdain and mockery. Deal with Aiden? Kaze must have lost his mind.
Aiden did not want to spend billions on that piece of land but it did not mean he did not have the money. Moreover, he had the support of the Ryokanians. Even if Aiden did not play dirty and waited until Darcy attended the auction, Pamela worried that the pressure would still crush Darcy in the end. If the worst-case scenario happened, then Sky Ocean Corporation would have offended the Krad family and the Ryokanians together with no benefits to reap. It would be a total loss. Pamela leaned toward withdrawing from the auction after carefully weighing the pros and cons. “The auction hasn’t started yet. I won’t give up.” Darcy did not want to surrender. She said calmly, “We’ll do our best and let fate decide. Even if we lost in the end, they would have to pay billions for the land. I’d take that as a consolation prize. “If we give up like that, then we won’t be able to achieve anything in the future.” She was not driven by her emotions and decided to go against the current
“Aiden Krad is too quick…” Darcy frowned, slightly taken aback by the news. The working partners bailing on her company all at once was anything but normal. She knew it must be Aiden pulling the strings. However, it was too quick. The call ended mere minutes ago and the working partners had already withdrawn from the projects. Darcy noticed that Aiden was more than met the eye. He might have called and sent a threatening gift, both seemingly child’s play, but he must have prepared a lot of things in the back. As long as Darcy insisted on her decision, Aiden would keep coming at her. Aiden was raised like a noble prince. Even if he was nothing stellar in his circle, he was one of the best compared to the ordinary. Not one of them in the upper circle was kind people. Pamela saw the exhaustion on Darcy’s face. She poured a glass of water for Darcy and grumbled, “Aiden Krad is cheap. He’s nothing like a noble young master from a big family. This should have been a fair
“Haven’t I explained enough, Ms. Quint?” Aiden chuckled softly and added, “I think you should really consider my words. Having an ally is better than having another enemy. “It’s up to you whether you want to see me as an ally or an enemy. I know you’ve just joined the Ridgesouth Quints and haven’t been able to secure your position there. I heard they are sending an elder here to inspect your work. “I believe you need an ally more than you need an enemy. An ally might not be able to assist you but an enemy can surely ruin your plans.” He was well informed. Darcy was just notified about the upcoming inspection, yet Aiden already knew about it. He also made it clear that even though he might not be able to help, he was capable of ruining things, big time. “If that’s your answer, then we’ll see about it.” Darcy was angered. Her expression turned cold as she said, “I can tell you I have twenty billion ready for the upcoming auction. If you have more money than I do, then a c