Taking in her bodyguards’ reaction, Cyan turned pale. Not only was Rafael from the other side of the law, but he was also the leader of some Wolf Gang. It was plain to see that the Wolf Gang was a menace, and Rafael, the leader, had a fearsome reputation. Cyan kicked herself for lying to Rafael and ditching him. Now, Rafael would not leave her alone. In retrospect, there were better ways to approach the matter. However, now was not the time to dwell on the past. Cyan knew what Rafael was up to. Rafael, as the person that he was, would want more than just to have dinner with her. She was caught between a rock and a hard place. After much thought, she forced a smile and said, “Oh, Rafael. I have heard a lot of good things about you. “Since you operate in the underworld, I’m sure you have heard of Golden Scale Corporation. “Golden Scale Corporation is funded by the Viper’s Den South River State Branch.“I am signed onto Golden Scale Corporation. In other words, I’m th
In addition, Jude had the time and mood to dine at Emerald Bull Palace, even asking Rafael to be the chauffeur. Rafael instinctively thought Jude was still the deputy chief of the Viper’s Den South River Branch, commanding the agents and wielding power that could move the organization. To him, even though Hannah won the competition and was promoted to chief, she still had to show some respect to a veteran deputy chief like Jude. Therefore, he disregarded Cyan and the mention of Hannah and Collier’s names. Little did he know, Jude made him the chauffeur for the day because there was no one else around to take up the job. Jude’s closest men and Serene died at Kaze's hands. Jude could no longer command the agents of the Viper’s Den anymore. He was alone, isolated, and helpless, and in to look good, he tricked Rafael, someone who did not know what exactly happened, to serve him. When Cyan heard Rafael, her face paled. Even though she mentioned Hannah and Collier’s names, sh
“Deputy Chief Gwake!” As Jude swaggered in with his hands behind his back, other than a few, most of the people were surprised. The identity of deputy chief of the South River Branch still carried weight in Riverbank. Behind him was an expressionless Alfonso, the ex-branch chief of the Butterworth Branch. The two of them must be up to something. “So this is Deputy Chief Gwake?” Before Jude could speak, Draig stepped up and peered down at the man. “I am Draig Tenby from Uleania. My father is Birch Tenby, the grandmaster of the Uleania Martial Arts Society.” “Oh? You’re Grandmaster Tenby’s son?” Jude had heard of the name and was willing to step down out of respect for the man. He nodded politely. “I see you know who you are dealing with.” Draig’s arrogance soared as he said, “Cyan is my friend. No one can take her away today. Since Deputy Chief Gwake has stepped in, I’ll let your chauffeur go for the disrespectful things he said earlier.” He then lifted his hand to
“Yeah!” Rafael grinned. He attentively stepped up and bowed to Jude, saying, “Deputy Chief Gwake, it’s that woman! Her name is Cyan Yemen! She’s a bold one! Given your identity…” “Slap!” Before he could finish, Jude slapped him in the face. “What identity? What identity could a normal old man have? So what if this young lady disrespects me? There are a lot of people in this world who disrespect me, should I go after them one by one? “You, on the other hand, used my name and bullied others, causing me problems and tarnishing my reputation. I just asked you to drive me around, I don’t even know you that well! “You bastard! Apologize to the young lady right now!” Jude slapped Rafael in the face back and forth as he scolded him, even kicking him to the floor. He was indeed an old fox, knowing when to put his dignity away. He disregarded his image and indirectly surrendered. He might look agitated but he was able to cut ties with Rafael with just a few words, hence shiftin
“Thank you, Draig! If not for you, I’ll be in danger!” Cyan breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes at Draig showed brazen admiration. She believed only a man like Draig was worthy of her attention. On the other hand, Kaze was not even worthy to be a slave to Draig and he refused to give up, persistently trying to get her attention. Then, Cyan looked at Snow and asked, “Snow, you saw how amazing Draig was. Who else in Riverbank can make the deputy chief of the South River Branch apologize to me with just a few words? Even the Riverbank Seven can’t do it. “For your own safety, I think you should let Draig protect you. Don’t just get some random John Doe from the streets! You are putting yourself at risk!” She had a frivolous glance at Kaze when she spoke to Snow. Draig helped her and saved her face, so she wanted to return the favor by matchmaking him with Snow. Snow’s expression turned ashen. She disliked how Cyan belittled Kaze and aggrandized Draig. “Cyan, I told you Ka
Unfortunately, the influencers knew that a man like Draig would never be interested in them, the common ones. “Only a man like Draig is worthy of our love! Some men aren’t even men!” “Yeah. He didn’t even speak a word, what a coward! I don’t even know what Ms. Frost sees in him.” “What a coward. He doesn’t even dare to speak up in front of Draig. Is he even capable of protecting Ms. Frost?” The influencers belittled Kaze once more to flatter Draig. They looked at Kaze with contempt, like he was the slug in a drain. As for Kaze, he simply ignored all of them, refusing to waste his time on some random women. Cyan noticed Draig had stepped down, so she, too, did not want to force Snow. She said, “Stop it, you guys. Since Draig has decided, we should respect his decision.” Her contempt for Kaze was similar to her friends. However, since Snow had chosen Kaze, Cyan felt it was inappropriate to dwell on the topic. Cyan strongly believed Kaze was a troublemaker. She even pl
Kaze shook his head and then walked off alone. “Branch Leader!” “Branch Leader!” As soon as Kaze came out, Jude and Alfonso, who had been waiting for him, came over immediately. The two of them were prominent figures in Riverbank and Butterworth, yet they stood before Kaze like a humble servant, looking scared and cautious. What Cyan and the others did not notice earlier were the faint palm prints on their faces. Though not as obvious after some treatment, a closer look at it would be frightening. Kaze glanced at them and frivolously asked, “What’s the matter? Coming back for revenge so soon? Not happy about what happened last night? I’m alone now and you guys set an ambush for me?” His words left the two old men stunned, their smiles frozen. The air suddenly felt awkward. Jude quickly said, “Branch Leader, please don’t joke with us. I accepted my fate wholeheartedly since last night and I don’t have any complaints, let alone setting up an ambush for you.” “Really?”
As Kaze expected, Alfonso was indeed afraid of being abandoned after he served his purpose of cleansing the Butterworth Branch. He was afraid that once he completed his task, Kaze would kick him away to calm the raging agents down. If Kaze had such intention, given Alfonso’s current situation, he could not do anything but accept it. Fortunately, Kaze did not have such plans. “Fine. Let’s go to Juan.” Kaze nodded and gestured at them to lead the way. “This way, Branch Leader!” Jude and Alfonso bowed respectfully, then adopted a gesture of invitation before leading the way forward. It was then that Natalie, Cyan’s assistant, who was sent to fetch wine from the car, stepped out and saw the shocking scene, leaving her speechless. Jude and Alfonso were frightened by Draig but the two of them remained prominent figures. Yet she saw them bowing and nodding in front of Kaze, acting like they were his loyal followers. Natalie was arrogant but not stupid. Connecting the s
South said with a sigh, “Kaze, you might not know First Tiger in person but he’s a man with a great mind and tactics. “He said the Steelclaw Guild would remain in the shadows while the Quint family roamed openly. If the Quint family wants revenge against us, then their family members will be our targets. “You, however, are not the same. He can’t see through you and he’s willing to sign a peace treaty with you instead of going to war against you without any solid reason.” Kaze smiled and said, “He’s a wise man indeed. I’m more curious about First Tiger than before. Tell him that I will play along with his plan. I owe him one.” After the call with South, the chief of the South River Police Department, Morgan Bale, called. “Mr. Lee, the servants of Phoenix Quint and the elder of the Quint family from Ridgesouth were killed in a car crash. All six of them died on the spot. I believe you’ve received the news.” As soon as the call got through, Morgan’s serious voice came through.
Agnes bellowed, “So what if Darcy suspects you? You did it, yet you won’t let people talk about you? My daughter is a chairwoman, she’s smart! She’s not like Sky who trusts you unconditionally. She has solid reasons to suspect you!” “I have to take this call.” Kaze did not want to argue with Agnes. The buzzing phone saved him in the nick of time and he went out after seeing South’s name on the screen. As though Agnes clutched on the very evidence that could prove Kaze did it, she jumped excitedly and shouted, “Look! He knew he couldn’t keep it up anymore! He’s going out to talk with the killer! “I’m telling you guys! Don’t trust people like him! He’s mad and he could do anything to you! He’s beyond saving…” While Agnes was being relentless with her groundless accusations, Kaze answered the phone. “Kaze, Phoenix Quint just contacted us and said you and your family would be at the funeral house. She even said if we wanted revenge, we could send people over there now and they
“Other than Kaze, who else has the motive to kill Madam Dark and her daughter? Didn’t you hear him when he shoved them out earlier? He said he would kill them! “I think he was afraid back then, but he didn’t want them coming after him, so he took the chance once they left! “Kaze, you’re horrible! How could you kill them?!” Agnes took a few steps away from Kaze and stared at him. “You’ve gotten bolder than ever. I really don’t know what else you don’t dare to do! Do you know what the consequences of your actions are? You can’t keep it hidden forever! People will eventually find out! “You think you can get away with it? Look again! The crash just happened, and the driver is already under investigation. A gambler in debts took the risk for money and pretended to be DUI. Do you think people are idiots? “Can’t you see it’s obvious? Now you’ve become a prime suspect! You better take responsibility and not get us involved, or I will make you regret it!” She scolded Kaze as her f
Kaze had seen through his shameless mother-in-law. Halfway through lunch, a sudden call interrupted the peaceful scene. Hector picked up the call with the fork in his hand. Clink! After listening to the call, his fork fell, and his expression shifted. “What?! Madam Dark and her daughter are dead!?” His words silenced the entire dining table. Even Kaze looked at Hector with shock. Madam Dark and the others died already? By the time he put down the phone, he looked dazed and lost. Anxious, Agnes asked him, “What happened? Madam Dark died?” “I heard she was killed in a car accident on the way to the hospital. Six of them were in the car, none made it out alive. The truck driver was driving under influence.” Hector’s face paled as he continued, “But according to the police, it is suspected that someone staged the car crash because it feels as if the truck driver knew Madam Dark and the others were going to be there. “The truck driver was in heavy debt due to gambl
Phoenix wore unmistakable schadenfreude on her face as she looked at Joan. She said, “Hate him now? Do you want them dead?” Her voice was filled with temptation. She could not stage a car crash in Riverbank without being noticed, so she had to ask Joan, a local Quint family member, to plot it. The news twisted Joan’s expression. She screamed, “I’ll kill you, Kaze Lee! I’ll kill you too, Darcy! I want all of them dead!” The Road family, her strongest support, was wiped out. If she rejected Phoenix’s request, there was no way she could walk away alive. She was left with no options. “Good girl.” Phoenix tapped Joan’s face with a victorious smile. Then, she frowned and said, “But you are right. Kaze Lee has some strong support here in Riverbank. He can deal with the police, so simply framing him is not enough, or we will be in trouble.” After a quick ponder, she clapped her hands and cried, “I got it! We’ll stick with the car crash, but we can use it to lure Darcy and her f
Whenever a family grew larger, the bond between its members would eventually weaken and the fight for power was inevitable. There were many histories of family conflicts that tore apart the family members, resulting in serious fights. The Quints had a long history in Arcadia. Back in the day, the head of the Quints had many wives, which eventually spread out into different branches across the country. With that many branches, the sharing of profits would surely be complicated. Phoenix knew that if she returned empty-handed, her reputation and image would be destroyed and she would lose her value to the family. In time, she might be poisoned during her meal or run over when she crossed the road. The assets that her own family possessed would eventually be split up among the others who shared her name like vultures eating her corpse. It was not a groundless speculation or a scary imagination. It was real because she did it many times before to others who shared her name.
Phoenix instinctively moved the phone away from her ears and was stunned for a few seconds before her expression turned ashen. “Kaze Lee broke Shadow’s arm? Crippled both of you? You piece of trash! You can’t even take care of them? What gives you the idea that you still have the right to call me?” She shouted back at the phone, and her voice echoed across the entire ward. “Uh…” Dark had expected punishment of scolding and even abandonment by her master whom she had served for decades, yet she did not expect it to be this quick. “Smash!” Phoenix smashed the phone on the floor. She remained standing and upset. There was a fierce and resentful aura around her as she clenched her fists. Her frosty gaze could send chills down one’s spine. Even Joan’s face paled and her body trembled. She dared not even talk to Phoenix. “Dark, that useless hag! Kaze Lee, that piece of shit! Darcy and her goddamned family! They are all useless! They all should die!” Her anger erupted like
“Madam Quint, it’s going to be alright now. Madam Dark and Shadow are on their way to the Quints and they will surely bring Darcy back.” At Riverbank Prime Hospital, Joan was consoling Phoenix, who was sulky after the incident. Joan wore a face unmistakable of schadenfreude. She was jealous of Darcy from the moment they both met. Darcy, a girl from a distant Quint family from the small city of Lilyrose, had no right to be in the same position as her, the daughter of a well-known and powerful family in Riverbank. Yet Darcy was better than her in every aspect. Darcy was more beautiful, more capable, and was the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation that was worth billions. She became the branch head of the Quints at a young age, where the other family members had to listen to her. Jealousy had blinded Joan to the point that she believed everything that Darcy owned, except for her stupid useless husband, should be hers. She wanted to snatch everything from Darcy. It explaine
“Aaargh! Kaze Lee, I will kill you!” Suddenly, Shadow shouted and dashed toward Kaze. She thought her mother was caught off guard by Kaze’s slaps and got slightly disoriented, hence unable to fight back. Yet she quickly realized that Kaze could kill her mother with slaps. Therefore, without a doubt, as soon as she engaged Kaze, she, too, was sent flying by the furious slaps, crashing into the wall behind her like her mother. Kaze said, “You hurt the executives of Sky Ocean Corporation and broke their arms and legs. Now I’m breaking one of your arms, rendering you useless. Consider it revenge.” Another one was crushed! Looking at Shadow’s broken arm, the other followers turned pale. “You little bastard! I’ll kill you and your family…” Dark slowly regained her composure and began shouting again. She had roamed unchallenged for years, yet now, not only had she been defeated, but she was also crippled. Her daughter also suffered the same fate. To the merciless Phoenix