Kaze was also looking at Bruce with interest. In the north of Arcadia was a less developed country named Barhmans. People from various barbaric tribes there were born with unique physical traits, making them ideal candidates to be trained as killers from a young age. They were sent into the woods for rigorous survival training. They hunted wild beasts, drank their blood, and fought the fiercest of them all. Once they came of age, they would be stronger than other people of the same age and could kill a grown tiger with their bare hands. Kaze met a lot of barbaric mercenaries from Barhmans on the foreign battlefield and all of them shared a similar physique with Bruce. They looked like people with superhuman strength. However, Bruce was also labeled as a genius in martial arts, not just raw strength. Kaze wanted to see how powerful Bruce was. “Then I will kill you and strip that mask off your face.” Bruce curled his lips into a sinister grin and exercised his neck. “
“Is he out of his mind?” “Hannah, please stop him! He should prolong the fight and exhaust Bruce Payne’s stamina first!” Collier was nervous. He disagreed with Albert’s decision to settle the fight in one move. It was because Hannah brought Albert in and he had been performing well until now, or else Collier would have shouted at him in the face. “Shut up!” Hannah then looked at Kaze, who remained silent and observant, closely watching the match. She was unaware of Albert’s true identity, but since Kaze was the one who brought him here, he must be closely connected to Kaze. Before the match started, she was able to have a brief conversation with Albert. By instinct, Hannah sensed nobility in Albert’s presence and she knew he was not an ordinary man. It was great to have someone like Albert to take her place. Collier was in no position to criticize him. “Kaze, what do you think about Al beating Bruce? Can he win?” Buffy asked. She knew Kaze was in a league of his o
“Kabaam!” The slap was not just powerful. Its speed was like a fleeting comet, creating a loud explosion in the air as it moved. With an intimidating and destructive force, the slap went straight for Albert. The gale assaulted Albert in the face, messing up his long hair that he had just tied up. “Kapoof!” He had no choice but to raise both fists and throw punches at the incoming slap. “Bang!” Their fists collided forcefully, producing a dull thud of flesh and bone crashing together, sending thrills and exhilaration through the audience’s hearts. It was the clash of muscles and raw strength. There was no fancy technique involved. However, compared to the towering Bruce with superhuman strength, Albert, who was deemed tall among the commons, looked like a child. The audience assumed Albert made the worst choice possible for facing Bruce face to face with his fists. He would eventually lose it. “Yeah!” Even Jude’s loyal followers could not help but cheer on Bruc
The crowd was so carried away by the excitement that no one noticed Bruce’s furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. He stared at Albert jumping off the ring and walking away. A hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes. Everyone thought Albert was simply being ridiculous and refused to accept that he lost, but only Bruce knew Albert might be right. Only when one fought Albert face-to-face, one could sense the blood and bodies in his presence. Albert felt like a merciless killing machine that emerged from the goriest and fiercest battlefield. The intensity Bruce felt was unlike anything he had experienced, even during his rigorous training in the Viper’s Den West State. If they were on a battlefield that could determine one’s life and death within a split second, Bruce might be the one who died in the end. At that very moment, he felt like he was gazing into a brand-new world. Hannah barely reacted to Albert’s loss, but Collier had a bitter look on his face, mostly because Jude
Defeat was certain if Kaze was slapped in the face by Bruce with the same amount of force. Hope was just afraid that Kaze would use the recording to blackmail her, demanding her to make Bruce lose on purpose. She could never agree to that and Jude would never let it happen. Then, Kaze might expose the recording to everyone, which would paint her as a wicked woman. Jude became the chief of the South River Branch, yet Hope, his wife, planned to murder him from the shadows. How could she explain herself? What could she possibly say to Jude then? Hope dared not make her concerns verbal, so she urged her friends to sneer at Kaze, hoping to dissuade him from going into the ring. Moreover, she hinted at him that she would make Jude spare his life. She just hoped that he could understand her. Kaze, however, turned a deaf ear at the sneers and mocks. He smiled at Hope and said, “Mrs. Gwake, why don’t we have a bet?” “Bet? If you want to gamble, go to a casino! Don’t cause a
“Of course, I believe you. Without a doubt,” Buffy said without a second thought. While everyone looked down on Kaze, she decided to give him her unconditional support. Kaze smiled as he got into the ring. Then, Serene came over to the ring and looked at him scornfully. “Kaze Lee, Mr. Gwake wants me to deliver a message. “He doesn’t know how you get in here but today is his day of becoming chief. He doesn’t want to create tension, so if you know what’s best for you, get out right now and he can overlook this. “Or else, Bruce will break your legs and then throw you out like a piece of trash.” Hope scoffed as she, too, heard Serene. “Kaze Lee, you heard that? Jude is giving you a way out! You should be grateful and walk away, not causing more trouble!” Kaze chuckled. He said, “Serene, why don’t you tell your boss that today is not just his joyful day but the saddest day in his life? He shouldn’t be thinking about becoming chief, not even in the next life!” With that said,
“Kaze Lee?” Bruce was taken aback for a moment before he cackled viciously. Intense murderous intentions erupted from him. The temperature in the gym felt even colder. The noise in the audience went silent. People’s eyes widened, glued to the ring as they held their breaths. With the murderous aura, Bruce was like a monster from the night. His aura swept the field, overwhelming everything. It was a rare opportunity for them to witness someone as powerful as Bruce in action. Many of them believed Kaze would eventually be defeated, or killed. They widened their eyes, hoping to capture every bit of detail in the upcoming action. “Die!” Without wasting time, the angry Bruce charged forward at Kaze like a steam train. The force and momentum of his charge could easily crush an adult bull. Despite the murderous intent attacking his face, Kaze remained unfazed and did not even enter a defensive stance. “He must be stunned by Bruce’s attack!” “What gave him the ner
Kabaam! The two palms collided with extreme speed, causing the air to explode like a bomb. “He even met Bruce’s palm with his own? He’s full of himself.” “His arm is certainly broken now.” “He’s going to be a cripple!” Even though it was surprising that Kaze was able to dodge the first punch, the audience still mocked and sneered at him when he decided to exchange palm strikes with Bruce. To them, Kaze foolishly exposed his weakness and did not know how to utilize his position. He must have lost his mind. However, what happened next was not Kaze’s arm breaking or him being sent flying away by Bruce’s palm strike. It was Bruce who looked pale and shocked, fear then covered his face. His arm which contained explosive power that could punch a bull to death started to weaken and soften. Then, Kaze’s slap penetrated Bruce’s defense without any delay and landed on his face. Slap! The hit echoed across the gym. At the next moment, Bruce’s body was sent flying out of
“You’re finally growing up.” Katie was pleased. “Thank you for your guidance, Mom. You need to get one thing straight, though. Don’t force me to do the things that I don’t want to do,” Leah whispered. Marriage was not the path she chose. “Today is just about formalities. You won’t have to commit to anything. We can talk about this later. If you see someone you fancy, you can talk to me.” Katie would not pick a fight with her daughter on an important day like this. She gave Leah some space. At the very least, Katie would not upset Leah right now. Though Leah did not get the answer she was looking for, Katie had backed down a little. Hence, Leah said nothing. As the pair smiled politely from across the room, the crowd grew envious of them. “Even though Katie is a grown adult, she looks young and beautiful for her age.” Jonathan’s breath was taken away. It was no secret that Leah was beautiful, but the mother-and-daughter duo held their own when standing together. Le
Leah was glowing in her princess outfit today. “Thank you, Joey. You’ve worked hard for my birthday party.”Leah was thankful to hear her friends’ well wishes from Joey. “I didn’t do much. Madam Loren is the one doing the heavy lifting.” Joey put in the good word for Katie.“My mother only barks orders. She won’t do things herself,” standing in the elevator, Leah murmured. For that reason, Leah did not have much expectation for her mother. Leah would celebrate her birthday with an intimate party at the villa every year. This year was special and more elaborate. Leah enjoyed putting a look together, but she was no commodity. Most of the attendees were Katie’s business partners or bootlickers. Leah felt like a product up for sale, and she did not even have a say about it. The choice was in the customers’ hands. “Don’t say that. Madam Loren had been keeping an eye on the event planning. Though she wasn’t here, she determined every detail, including the flowers.” Al
Joey did not expect her comment to upset Leah. Leah should not be throwing a tantrum on an important day like this. However, Leah’s mind was elsewhere, to begin with. She merely stayed at the hotel to increase her chances of running into Kaze. Luck was not on her side because Leah did not see Kaze again. Leah felt down, but she was reluctant to leave. Despite feeling annoyed about being pushed around today, Leah could only sit around and wait. Joey’s remark made Leah feel like she was a commodity. Her mood dropped to an all-time low. Leah kept to herself, not keen to carry on with this life. Her life bore no meaning. She was her mother’s mindless puppet. “Why the sudden frown? Not everybody gets to wear such a beautiful gown,” flustered, Joey consoled her. She could not understand Leah’s change of mood. “I’m fine. I just feel uneasy about joining everybody at the event hall.” Leah knew she should not be headstrong, but the words just came out of her mouth. T
“We should make the call for our kids. They’re too young to know much,” Jonathan uttered. “Excuse me while I tend to other guests. You should get inside. We can talk later.” Katie was not keen on pursuing the subject. Joey rose to her feet and led Jonathan and Kody into the event hall. Jonathan kept pressing on, only to find Katie brushing him off. He was upset. However, Katie had the power to ruin his business. Jonathan knew better than to rub her the wrong way. He joined others in the hall. Katie was all decked out to befriend more potential business partners. Leah started getting ready first thing in the morning. She was dolled up nicely too. She looked like an elegant princess in the pink tutu dress. The outfit brought out an adorable side to her. Leah picked out the dress a while back, and it was only one of its kind. The dress was air-shipped to her. The dress was tailored to fit her perfectly. She looked refined with her long, black hair resting behind
“It’s your birthday party tomorrow. You might want to cut down on your drinking. Don’t do anything rash.” Joey could tell that Leah had a problem with her. As Katie’s assistant, Joey had a lot on her plate. However, some things were out of her hands. Joey could not do anything about their mother-daughter problems. Since she could not fix anything, she had to leave them to it. “Pfft.” Leah had been hoping to run into Kaze, but he was nowhere to be found lately. Disappointment washed over Leah, but the only thing she could do was wait. “Is there someone you’re waiting for?” Joey often caught Leah turning to look at the entrance. She would turn around every time an individual walked through the door. “Are you just going to tell on me again?” Leah did not like to be threatened. Most importantly, she did not want Katie to know about this. She was not mean to Joey on purpose. Leah’s words came off harsh because she was feeling down. “I won’t tell on you. I just feel
“But you run the place. I doubt anyone would try anything. The guy just didn’t know any better.” Leah acted like she did not care. In truth, Kaze was standing tall and proud in her head. “Oh, I hope you will give me fewer things to worry about. Put up a few days at home, and you can come back to stay at the hotel after the birthday party.” Katie rejected Leah’s proposal. She could not possibly let her daughter stay elsewhere when she had a home. Leah understood that while her mother seemed easy to talk to, the latter would not budge when her boundaries were crossed. “Got it.” Leah pretended to be compliant. “The housekeeper will go shopping with you to pick out some clothes and jewelry.” Katie was generous to her daughter, especially when she behaved. Freedom was the one thing Katie took from Leah. “I’ll shop around, but I don’t need anyone following me.” Leah did not like being controlled. “Be good now. Your birthday party is around the corner. All eyes are on
“If you won’t listen to reason, I’ll have to send you abroad and leave you to fend for yourself.” Katie would have no choice but to ditch Leah if she became too hard to manage. Leah never thought that her mother would say such a thing. While Katie was a callous mother to her, it never crossed Leah’s mind that Katie would send her away. Leah did not want to leave Arcadia. It would cut her off from the person she wanted to meet. Though it was uncertain whether she could see Kaze again, the odds would be in her favor if she stayed. Leah was defenseless against Katie’s coercion. With Leah falling silent, Katie knew that she was moving in the right direction. “Be a good girl, and I’ll make it worth your while. You’re my daughter. Of course, I love you and want what’s best for you.” Katie backed up a little to ease the tension. “You don’t have to do anything. Just stay with me. There’s still room for discussion if marriage isn’t for you right now.” Katie knew her daught
Katie, taking off in the car, was not in the best mood. The smile on her face quickly vanished as soon as the car was out of sight. “What’s wrong with you today?” Katie questioned. “What do you mean?” Leah talked smack. “I’m sure you know full well why I took you with me.” Katie had conceded, but Leah just would not take her win and leave it at it. The nerve of her to defy. “I did. You’re trying to sell me, aren’t you?” Holding a grudge on the earlier slap, Leah was pretty rude to her mother. “Since you can’t accept the big man from the Viper’s Den, I set you up with a young, handsome man. There’s no pleasing you.“Jet is the whole package. He has the looks and wealth. Is he not good enough for you?” Katie felt put in the spot. Leah was getting more unruly by the day. “I want to live life on my own terms.” Leah voiced her thoughts. She was nobody’s puppet. “Oh, you want to dictate your life. As you can see, everything you have comes from me. You’ll lose eve
“I am just telling the truth. Thank you for your enlightenment, Madam Loren,” Jet said humbly. “It’s getting late. We should be going. My daughter easily gets tired at night. She’s like a little rabbit at home. “If you have any other gathering in the future, remember to bring her alone and let her make some friends.” Katie once again pushed her daughter to the forefront, hoping to matchmake the two of them. “Let’s keep in touch, Leah. If you want to have some fun, just call me. I’ll arrange everything,” Jet said. “Thank you. As for your problem, don’t worry about it. I’ll go ask around,” Katie added. Jet had already achieved his objective, so he stood up and sent them out. After the mother and daughter went into the car and drove off, the humble smile on his face disappeared. Aloysius then came from the side. “Have you prepared the present?” Jet rubbed his stiff cheeks and then lit up a cigarette. “Yes, sir. It’s a set of jewelry.” Aloysius had prepared a presen