Then, Kaze took a phone from Hannah, tapped on the screen, and dialed a number. “And I will survive… I, I will survive…” An old-fashioned ringtone broke the silence—it was Jude’s phone ringing. The caller ID displayed on his screen read Casius Weather. Jude was horrified when the words appeared before him. “Huh?! Huh!” He panted heavily, his forehead glistened in sweat. He stared at his phone screen but he did not have the courage to answer it. “Uncle Jude is having difficulties answering a phone? Why don’t I help you with that?” Collier smirked as he picked up the phone from Jude’s hand and slid to answer. Kaze’s voice came from the phone, “Deputy Chief Gwake, is this all you got? You’re disappointing.” The moment the voice reached his ears, Jude felt as though all his energy had been drained. It was as if he had aged a decade in an instant. The confidence and delight vanished from his face, leaving him in a devastated state. Without Casius making the connectio
Jude struggled onto his feet with his jelly arms and legs. He lifted his chest and said with gritted teeth, “Kaze Lee! I will never comply! Not to you, not to Hannah! Regardless of whether you are the branch leader, or she is the chief! “Even if you kill me, the answer is no!” Refusing to submit was his last resort, he decided to protect the last bit of his dignity. “You said it.” Kaze nodded and then walked over to Jude. “What are you trying to do?!” Jude’s remaining followers bellowed and stood in front of him, their hands reaching into their pockets. When Kaze entered Drake Gym, a clear order was given to forbid all firearms, and he was even searched twice. It was the rule set by the organizer and agreed upon by both sides. Yet the moment the rule was set, it was destined that one side would certainly break it. The loyal followers drew their guns. “You’re asking for it.” Kaze’s eyes turned cold as he swept them away with a slap, leaving them no chance to even
A piece of scrap. The sacred weapon of the Viper’s Den, the weapon that represented the power and authority of the organization, albeit a replica, was the symbol of power in the entire West State Viper’s Den. Yet Kaze called it a piece of scrap. He might be the only one brave enough to call the sword a piece of scrap, and no one dared to correct him. They knew exactly what he meant. Power and authority never relied on a symbol or an item; it stemmed from one’s true power, absolute power. Kaze undoubtedly showed them a taste of his incredible power. All of Jude’s loyal followers, twenty of them, were killed and none of them was able to endure a single hit from Kaze. The ex-branch chief of the Butterworth Branch, Alfonso, was one of the strongest in the West State Viper’s Den, who came with experience given his age. Yet he was stomped and kicked away like a ragdoll. The impactful scenes were much more convincing than someone raising the Nether Viper Sword, whining and
Every agent in the gym, be it on Hannah’s side or Jude’s side, knelt immediately. Buffy looked at Kaze, excited and emotional. She was truly happy for him. Many people had looked down on him before, calling him a bumpkin from Lilyrose, a live-in husband and son-in-law, a braggart, but he never changed. Now with his identity revealed, no one would look down on him anymore. Hope and her friends were horrified, their faces ashened. Kaze had become the one person that Hope had to look up to—the branch leader of the West State Viper’s Den. He was more powerful than Casius, or maybe all the Riverbank Seven combined. Hope’s friends were deeply regretful. Given Kaze’s identity, they would surrender their bodies to serve him, let alone marry off their daughters to him. Either way, it would be considered climbing the social ladder. However, their short-sightedness caused them to miss the opportunity to forge a connection with someone of such significance. It felt even more te
Jude looked up at Kaze and Buffy in hesitation for a moment before lamenting, “I have lied to you, Kaze, Buffy. I’m afraid I can’t honor my promise to you.” “How so?” Kaze furrowed his brows. He doubted Jude would carry on playing mind games with him. Jude said with a wry smile, “I have done a lot of terrible things to get ahead in life, but I would never kill my wife.” “Oh, really?”Kaze smiled skeptically. Jude bit the bullet and uttered, “Tulip, Buffy’s mother, came from a powerful family in Midstate. “She was stronger and more talented than me when she joined the Viper’s Den. “There was no way I could’ve put her in a coma. “Besides, Faith and I just met when she fell into a coma. Though we were flirting, I wasn’t sure I was going to marry her. Heck, I haven’t learned that she was part of the Westeros Krads. I couldn’t have possibly been associated with the Krads and harmed Tulip. “Tulip didn’t turn brain-dead because of me. I just happened to find out that Fa
The rusted throwing star could not possibly still carry poison. Kaze held the weapon for a look before saying indifferently, “Since you kept this thing, you must know something about it.” “This meteor dart is the Ryokanian assassins’ typical weapon,” Jude replied with a nod. Kaze sneered. “You suspect that Buffy’s mother’s death is related to the Ryokanians. Yet, you collude with them anyway.” Buffy looked at Jude emotionlessly. She used to think Jude was just playing with fire, but he was clearly embracing the enemy as his own. Jude said embarrassedly, “I haven’t been able to find evidence to prove that Buffy’s mother is related to the Ryokanians.” “You couldn’t or you wouldn’t?” The curt question came from Buffy, stripping Jude of any dignity left. “I was reluctant to probe further.” Jude nodded with a wry smile. “Besides, if the Ryokanians have something to do with your mother, I can’t understand their motive. “I wasn’t even a deputy chief then. I doubt I had
Agnes glared at Kaze. Her attitude toward Kaze changed within a day. Agnes figured that despite Kaze’s competence, the fact that he married into the family would not change. She still wore the pants in the family. If she were to play nice because of Kaze’s little contribution, the guy’s head would swell. Agnes could not help Darcy upon learning of her issues while getting the shares. She took her anger out on Kaze. Something went wrong while the shares were being transferred to Darcy. Furrowing his brows, Kaze said, “I’ll ask Darcy.” “You better fix this, or you won’t hear the end of it!” As Kaze ascended the stairs, Agnes put her hands on her waist and tore into him. Hector shook his head. “Cut it out. Can’t you see that Kaze doesn’t want to get into it with you?” “I can’t believe you, Hector! Watch your tone! “Why didn’t you yell at him when he slapped me? Yet, you’re defending him now. “Did I marry a loser? “Do you want a divorce too?” Agnes came dow
“The deposit to enter the auction is five billion dollars. That should give you a pretty good idea,” Darcy replied. The deposit was typically 10% to 30% of the starting bid. In other words, the starting price for Crown Tower and the adjacent land must be over 10 billion dollars. The final sale price would depend on the bidders. As far as Darcy knew, many eyes were on Crown Tower and the piece of land. The final price could very well be in the twenty or thirty billion dollars. The sale would be meaningless if the price went well over thirty billion dollars. Given the risk and the need for a return on investment, any bid above 30 billion dollars would result in a net loss.Darcy poured her feelings out to Kaze, not at all putting faith in him to solve the cash flow shortage. The two-billion-dollar shares coming from Casius’ company were a nice surprise. These equity shares could not be cashed out for the time being. It never occurred to Darcy to ask Kaze to fork out te
“Nothing much, but I’m interested to see whether you’re going to kick yourself.” Kaze’s comment left tension thick in the air. Proficient in navigating social settings, the ladies grabbed their glasses to calm the dynamics. They did not care about the conflict. Only by pleasing the customers could their bank account grow. “I’m sure whatever it is, we can talk it out, Mr. Lee. Why are you upset? You’re not hurting yourself.” “I’ll drink with you, Mr. Lee.” “Mr. Lee, let me peel grapes for you.” These women pulled all the stops to please Kaze. Jet fell into thought, unsure of how to sort the issue. He had no idea who Kaze was, so he could not just burn the bridge. Kaze was not the least bit appreciative. Despite Jet’s humility, Kaze still gave him an attitude. Usually, Jet would be pissed by now. Yet today, he had to tuck his tail between his legs and swallow his rage. He could not let his emotions get the best of him. No matter who Kaze was, Jet did not want to b
The women had been given an order. These were questions they could usually get their hands on, but now, their efforts hit a wall. Kaze would keep his mouth shut when it came to the key questions and simply drink wine. His silence sparked the ladies’ will to win. “Mr. Lee, why aren’t you talking? Is it because you don’t hold much power?” Since their less aggressive tactic did not work, these ladies tried to rile Kaze up. “Jet, do you really want to know who I am?” Kaze suddenly turned to Jet. Jet was surprised to be brought into the picture. He was having fun with one woman while listening to the conversation. These ladies were witty, asking the right questions, but Kaze would not give a straight answer. “I was just curious. I wonder if you are happy to let me in on it.” Jet believed he could drop his act now. Since Kaze knew he was after something, there was no use hiding. “I have a question for you,” Kaze uttered while prying a woman off him. He then forcibly r
Kaze wondered what Jet would do to him. To think Jet would adopt one of the oldest tricks in the book—the honey trap. Jet was forced to take this approach as he could not get information on Kaze. “Mr. Lee, these girls have a clean bill of health. You are free to use a room next to this one.” Jet subtly hinted. Jet was confident that no man would resist a gorgeous lady, and Kaze would be lost in lust. He poured himself a glass of wine and waved at the ladies to tend to Kaze. These women were veterans in the business. Despite their lack of knowledge about the situation, they knew what to do. They approached Kaze and sat around him. “My, you’re a handsome man, Mr. Lee.” “Do you want some grapes, Mr. Lee?” “Mr. Lee, I’ll pass the wine to you, and we can do it mouth-to-mouth.” The ladies, surrounding Kaze, started caressing him. “Is that all you got, Jet?” Kaze was in disdain. Jet did not take Kaze’s comment seriously. These ladies would take any man’s breath away.
It never occurred to Aloysius that Jet’s and Kaze’s first encounter would turn out to be rather confrontational. Nevertheless, Aloysius was just an assistant. He should not be meddling anyway. Pretending like nothing ever happened, Aloysius stepped out of the room without a word. “What have you been busy with? I can’t catch you anywhere.” Jet chatted Kaze up. “Nothing much. I’ve been wandering around,” Kaze answered nonchalantly, his eyes roaming the things on the table. He looked a little disgusted. Jet was not too pleased. He displayed his best-kept wine on the table, and these bottles were priceless. Only real collectors would have this impressive collection. Yet, Kaze did not appreciate the wine at all. “You must know who I am.” “Are you talking about the Frosts? How can I not? You called for this dinner. I wouldn’t have come without doing my homework.” Kaze looked at Jet as if he were an idiot.Jet felt insulted. “I guess you do. Of course, I’m going to ha
The car pulled up in front of a high-end club in the city’s most cosmopolitan area. “This is Kurosawa Club, a members-only establishment. Non-members can be invited by members, and to be a member, you have to be a high-paying consumer. Members are expected to deposit half a million bucks. “On average, the consumption here is no less than half a million dollars each time.” Aloysius sounded proud talking about it. The private club catered exclusively to the rich. The management came up with new and diverse ideas to attract these people to spend money. The entrance to the club was not obvious. It would be an easy miss unless the person had been there before. Aloysius brought Kaze right into the place. Entry to the club required the swiping of a membership card. Once the card was swiped, the information of the member would be registered at the bar, and an attendant would approach to provide service. Though it was not Kaze’s first rodeo, the whole experience was rather i
Kaze appeared to be there just for the food. Aloysius said nothing more. He invited Kaze into the car and drove out of the Northborn Hotel. With Kaze on the move, Arthur would make sure to stay by his side in the dark. Today was a different situation. Arthur brought along a few members of the Viper’s Den. “Arthur, is this necessary?” One member was confused. Kaze had been discreet, and nobody knew who he was. The agents were just following Arthur’s orders. “Our goal is to keep Kaze safe. Jet’s invitation to dinner is just a trap. If we don’t keep a close eye on the situation, all the issues will be on us.” The young members did not seem to know any better, so Arthur had to lay it thick on them. Without another word, the young members followed the vehicle Kaze was in. However, they did not have much respect for Kaze since they knew nothing of him. Kaze was in the dark about things over at Arthur’s end. Even if he did, he would not be bothered. “Where are we headi
“I hope Jet won’t disappoint me.” Ever since Kaze arrived in Butterworth, everything had been so peaceful to the point that it started to feel boring. Now that he could finally meet Jet, he wondered what surprises awaited him. Jet had started to suspect Kaze, so a move would be made against him. Standing by the side, Aloysius was waiting for further instructions from his boss. “He said we could arrange for a meal tomorrow morning at any location.” “How generous of him. He doesn’t seem to be afraid of me,” Jet said with a chuckle. Regardless, as long as Kaze was willing to meet, Jet was confident he could uncover Kaze’s identity and expose the secrets behind the veil of mystery. “Book a room at Kurosawa Club and prepare everything necessary.” Jet looked forward to meeting Kaze. He wanted to know what secrets Kaze held. A man who was unafraid of Katie had to have a strong background, yet he carried himself like just another nameless, ordinary man—which only made him e
“Jet’s assistant, Aloysius, is waiting in the lobby. Mr. Lee, do you want to meet him? If not, I'll clear the place out,” Arthur asked. “We are going to meet one way or another. I just wonder who he thinks I am now?” Kaze had drawn too much attention at Leah’s party the other day, and that might have been when he first caught Jet’s eye. “If you don’t want to meet him, I can clear the place anytime and I can also make a move against Jet Frost.” Arthur did not want Kaze to be stuck at a crossroads. “No need to worry. I have to go take a look anyway.” Kaze smiled. What was meant to come would come; it was something he had anticipated all along. Jet had lost a lot of projects and money recently. Kaze wondered if the guy had learned his lesson. Otherwise, he could do it all over again and teach Jet another valuable lesson. “Should we do something?” Arthur asked out of concern. “It’s okay.” Kaze was not afraid of Aloysius. A mere assistant would not dare to do anything
Waylan was simply curious and not because someone was trying to buy the information from him. “Don’t poke your nose into matters that you shouldn’t. I need you to find out whether Kaze Lee is at Northborn Hotel.” Aloysius sensed danger as well but he must take the matter into his own hands. Besides, as Jet’s assistant, he could not walk away. “I understand. But he’s not back yet. If you go now, you’ll have to wait for him,” Waylan said after tapping on his keyboard to pull up the hotel’s system information. “I got it.” Aloysius was displeased but he did not say anything. “Can we talk about my payment? I’ve been digging around for days and it’s not that appropriate if you guys don’t pay me,” Waylan asked, taking the chance to urge Aloysius. “Don’t worry. You will be rewarded.” Aloysius and Waylan had worked together for many times. Other than the loose mouth, Waylan was quite professional. Since Aloysius was a regular customer, Waylan usually did not charge him for sma