Looking at Kaze’s confident face, Darcy hesitated. She thought of her family’s current financial situation and it gave her no choice. She bit the bullet, got up, and said, “Grandfather, I’ll go and recover the debt.” “You stupid girl! Are you crazy? What if that gangster ripped your face apart? Henry wouldn’t want you then!” Agnes panicked. The others were shocked, including Master Quint. No one expected Darcy to take up the task. Samus and the others gloated at her. He then took a five-dollar bill and tossed it at Darcy. “This is for your bravery and for you to take the bus back.” Deborah crossed her arms and said with raised brows, “You agreed to go yourself. If anything happens to you, don't blame us.” Kaze glared at the few of them coldly. He did not even want to argue with them because they were simply clowns. He held Darcy’s hand and left the mansion. Meanwhile, Darcy’s parents were giddy with anxiety. Agnes gritted her teeth, “We must ask Henry to help us, he’s o
Lee? Pietro looked at Kaze, baffled. “There is a man named Kaze Lee, and I’m trying to teach him a lesson.” A loud thud could be heard from the other end of the line. Pietro asked, “Boss, are you alright?” Then, a thunderous roar from the man was blasted into Pietro’s ear through the phone. “Alright? I’m not f*cking alright! Are you trying to f*ck with me now?! I’m warning you, whatever that man tells you to do, you f*cking do it, understand? He is a God from now on!” Pietro was stunned. He had never seen Giovani this scared for as long as he worked for him. He instinctively asked, “Boss, are you mistaken? He’s just some trash who married into the Quint family.” “Pietro, are you trying to get yourself killed? You and I are like flies to him. One swat and we are all dead, crushed! You understand me?!” “Boss, I…” Pietro got nervous. “Last warning. That man is someone that not even I can mess with, you better take care of your own a*s!” The call ended abruptly. Pie
“Hmph!” Miru scoffed. “I would like to see how you do that. By the way, do you know where Henry is bringing us to dinner tonight? It’s the third floor of Cloud Nine! A piece of trash like you could never get into such a luxurious restaurant even if you work your entire life!” Agnes’ eyes glimmered with excitement. “The third floor of Cloud Nine?! Only Golden members can make a booking at that place!” Cloud Nine was one of the most famous restaurants in Lilyrose and only by spending above ten million on a single receipt, one would be eligible to apply for the Golden membership. Master Quint was the only one in the entire family to have a Golden member card. As for floors above the third, the required spending would be much higher. Miru glanced at Kaze and scoffed, “Kaze, this is the difference between you and Henry. I have no idea what gives you the confidence to continue staying at Darcy’s side.” “Miru, stop talking to this piece of trash. Darcy is here. Let’s go. We wouldn
“Pietro’s boss? Isn’t that Giovani Beneli?” Miru scoffed and said, “Kaze, do you even know who Giovani Beneli is? That is a big shot with a vast network and influence, even my godfather has to respect him. You are here saying that Giovani Beneli is hosting a feast for you as a token of apology? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” “Miru, if you don’t believe me, you can go up there and see for yourself,” Kaze said calmly but Miru rolled her eyes at him. Henry regained his composure and said with a smile, “I think he saw Giovani’s car at the entrance, that’s why he said so. Fortunately, there are no outsiders here, or else all of us would suffer if it reaches the man’s ears.” Everyone was afraid. “I’ve had enough of your nonsense!” Agnes slammed the table and shouted, “You keep being a retard and it embarrasses us. Get out of my face or I’ll slap you to death!” “Kaze, why don’t you go first? I’ll come home after dinner.” Darcy was embarrassed as well. She got up and dra
Miru was excited to catch a glimpse of someone that prominent as well. “Darcy, let’s go have a look at the elevator later,” Miru said as she tugged on Darcy's sleeve. “I’ll pass. I have to go back with Kaze later…” Darcy was a little tipsy after a few glasses of wine. Miru sighed disappointedly and said, “You are still thinking about that retard? This is a golden opportunity! If we leave a strong impression on those people, your family won’t have to worry about money anymore!” “Then… alright.” A while later, Geoffrey received a call. Everyone got nervous. Was the important person coming down already? Geoffrey put his phone down helplessly. “My father just called and told me the dinner is over. The important person has left.” “How unfortunate. I thought we could get a glimpse of the person…” Everyone sighed. “Darcy, are you done?” Kaze came into the room. “Kaze, what are you doing here? Go away!” Miru was still reeling in the disappointment of not seeing the
Miru scoffed. Henry narrowed his eyes and nodded. He ridiculed, “Sure, Kaze. You can show me how it’s done.” He did not want to waste his time on a retard. With his wealth, if he wanted, Darcy could live like a queen. For all that he cared, he might as well give the chance to Kaze and let him screw things up. With the useless retard as a comparison, Henry had a good chance to stand out.Agnes ignored Kaze completely and asked, “Henry, can you invite Pietro to Darcy’s birthday party? We can thank him for paying us back.” Henry’s smile froze. When he called Pietro earlier, Pietro scolded him and hung up impatiently before he could say anything. He did not expect Pietro to really pay up. He was uncertain if he was able to invite Pietro to Darcy’s party. However, when he saw Kaze looking at him, his heart tightened. He bit the bullet and said, “Agnes, don’t worry. I’ll call Pietro and invite him.” He pulled his phone out and dialed the number. His heart was pounding wildly
What? Did Darcy recover the debt? How? Deborah just told everyone that Pietro was furious because of Kaze and Darcy. Deborah and the others were stunned, including Master Quint who then dug his ears and asked, “You… You really got the money back?” Darcy nodded and gave the man the check and the account book. “Grandfather, this is the check, please have a look.” Master Quint stared at the check for a while before he breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded, “It’s a check from Pietro Beneli.” The rest of the family members felt relieved. It seemed Pietro was not mad at all because Darcy got the money back, which meant the Quint family would be safe and fine. “Hmph! Do you really think it’s you who recovered the debt? Stop dreaming!” Deborah stepped up and shouted, “If not for me, Pietro would never give you two the money! He slapped me! He must have given the money back to compensate me!” The other family members nodded in agreement upon hearing Deborah’s explanation. S
“You keep pretending. How did a retard like you get the money to buy Goddess’ Heart?” Deborah taunted Kaze before showing Darcy her new necklace. “I can’t wait to put this on during my birthday party. I will then wear it to the signing event with Sky High when I get the investment. This is sweet!” Samus flattered, “Deb, you will soon be the brightest woman in Lilyrose! As for someone else, they are not even in the same league!” Everyone was jealous. They thought highly of Vincent for buying an expensive piece of jewelry like the Goddess’ Heart for his girlfriend. How generous! Kaze’s patience ran out. He stepped forward with clenched fists but Darcy held him back. “Kaze, calm down!” “Look at that! Look at the retard! Is he trying to hit me?” Deborah pretended to be scared. “If you hit her, I’ll tell Grandfather to throw you out tomorrow!” “Hmph! A retard trying to beat Deborah?” The other family members stepped up to defend Deborah. Samus raised his phone and thre
“What do you want?” The call quickly connected, and Everett’s annoyed voice came on. Everett never had the patience for his airhead of a son. Due to Duncan’s recent involvement with Kaze, Everett was humiliated, and he still had not let things go. Duncan looked at Kaze, and the latter took the phone and said indifferently, “How are you, Mr. Techman?” “Who are you? Wait, Kaze?” On the other end of the line, Everett was flustered. However, his experience dealing with challenges anchored him down, and he said curtly, “Why do you have Duncan’s phone, Kaze?” “You should ask your son what he did.” Kaze took the phone away from his ear and gestured for Duncan to talk. “Dad, this is on me…” Duncan sobbingly recounted the whole thing. “Bastard!” Everett blew up. “Why did you get involved? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” Everett came down hard on Duncan. However, Kaze frustratedly interrupted them. “That’s enough, Mr. Techman. Don’t play dumb.“I don’t care if you kne
“What are you doing?” Marilyn rose to her feet and shouted in a panic. “Are you trying to get yourself killed, boy?” Duncan’s security team charged ahead. They were newly hired, so they had not met Kaze before. Kaze had crippled the prior security team. “Stay away!” Duncan shouted to stop his bodyguards. Lying on the floor, he looked at Kaze and said with a sad face, “What are you doing, Kaze? I didn’t upset you today.” “Thud!” Kaze kicked him. “Did you not? Is that why you set Sasha up? “You have some nerve.” Darcy witnessed Kaze’s violence without a word. She believed Duncan deserved it after what he did. Duncan shivered. He knew that Kaze had seen through his plans, and there was nothing he could do or say to get himself out of the mess. Kaze drew close and put his foot on Duncan’s chest. He asked curtly, “Am I doubting your integrity?”“N-No.” Duncan stammered, “I have no integrity. I’m a scumbag. I’m a nobody in your presence.” “Can I call Marlboro
Despite Duncan’s sad state, no one dared to look down on him. Duncan’s family owned Marlboro after all. However, the crowd was curious as to how Duncan got himself all beat up. Who would lay a finger on Duncan in all of Riverbank anyway? “How are you feeling, Mr. Techman?” Marilyn greeted Duncan with a smile and sucked up to him. “Cut the crap!” Duncan waved his hand annoyedly. “Where’s Sasha?” “She’s there.” Following the direction of Marilyn’s pointed finger, Duncan quickly saw Darcy standing with Sasha. Darcy’s beauty took Duncan’s breath away. However, the only thing on his mind was revenge now. Duncan immediately turned to Sasha. “Do you still remember me, Ms. Spoon?” Sasha looked at Duncan in surprise. “Oh, it’s you, Mr. Techman.” “Heh. That’s right.”Sasha was all Duncan focused on. He laughed cryptically. “I’m only in this state because of you, Ms. Spoon. “Who’s the guy who has your back? Get his ass here!” Duncan was eager to ruin Sasha and get
“Mr. Techman’s family runs Marlboro. He’s only helping Ms. Spoon because he took pity on her. “Besides, it won’t reflect well on the business if we don’t sort things out. “Mr. Techman doesn’t mind the money, so Ms. Spoon can take her time in paying him back. “Ms. Spoon has the look and attitude to work in sales at Marlboro after she finishes school too. “Of course, we offer a good salary too.” Marilyn turned to Sasha. “Ms. Spoon, you can write the IOU now. You’re lucky that Mr. Techman took notice of the situation. “Mr. Techman doesn’t usually have time to care about these matters.” Sasha looked at Marilyn and said shyly, “I’ll only follow Kaze’s lead.” Marilyn grimaced, and her gaze fell on Kaze. “What do you want to do about this, Mr. Lee? “Normally, Mr. Techman won’t bother with these trivial matters.” Kaze looked hesitant. “Why don’t you call Mr. Techman here, so we can talk face-to-face?“I just don’t feel comfortable unless that happens.” Marilyn put on a s
“I’m sure a big man like Mr. Techman won’t expect us to cover our losses.” Marilyn took out her phone to make a call. She then said, “I’ve asked Mr. Techman. He said that though Ms. Spoon caused the vase to fall, you are partly responsible for not taking safety precautions. “The responsibility should be shared, and Ms. Spoon only has to pay a million and five hundred thousand dollars.“How does that sound?” Chloe looked reluctant. “Huh? Just a million and a half? We’re taking half the loss.” “What? Doesn’t Mr. Techman’s words mean anything to you?” Marilyn pulled a long face. Chloe shuddered and said with a nod, “Of course. A million and a half, it is. I expect cash.” Marilyn turned to Kaze. “You heard it, Mr. Lee. They have dropped the price to half because of Mr. Techman.” “Huh? It’s still a million and a half. I don’t think we can afford it.” Kaze looked distressed. “Can’t Mr. Techman be so kind and let us off the hook from paying? I’ll be eternally grateful.” D
“No.” Kaze’s reply threw Darcy for a loop. She said in shock, “So the vase is real?” “It’s a counterfeit.” Kaze murmured, “I lied about the modern markings to scare them, but it doesn’t mean that the vase is authentic. “I’m pretty sure this is a scam. “The manager of Marlboro is in on it with the couple too.” Darcy’s eyes widened. “Ms. Angus is in on it too? This can’t be right. Sasha doesn’t appear wealthy. Why would they target Sasha?” “That’s right.” Kaze fell into contemplation. “They pulled off a big one, only to pick a girl who can’t afford the money.“I’m curious about who is behind this. What is this person after? “Babe, get Pamela on the case. Who owns Marlboro?” Darcy texted Pamela right away. Marilyn approached and said, “You are friends with Ms. Spoon, right, Mr. Lee?” “That’s right.” Kaze said with a pretentious smile, “So how much do we have to pay?” “I’m sorry.” Marilyn said with a wry smile, “I’ve tried my best to persuade Chloe and Ron
“Please trust our professionalism, Mr. Lee. “Given our reputation as the biggest antiques trader in Riverbank and the South River State, we cannot allow any sort of mistake.” Kaze chuckled as Marilyn dropped the pretense. “Even if a mistake does happen in Marlboro, you will sweep it under the rug to protect the mall’s reputation.”Kaze smiled pretentiously. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”Raising a brow, Marilyn took a step forward and said solemnly, “Let me make this clear to you again, Mr. Lee. This sort of mistake will never happen in Marlboro.”“Fine. I’ll take your word for it.”Kaze grinned and said, “Even if the vase is worth three million dollars, we should check the surveillance tape. “Did Sasha really cause the vase to fall, or was this fall pinned on her? “Can we do that?” Marilyn stared at Kaze with a straight face before beaming. “You have made a reasonable request. “Go and retrieve the surveillance footage.” She waved her arm at one of her people
Marilyn looked at the clamoring crowd who suspected that the couple were scammers. She raised her voice and said, “Don’t worry. As a business, Marlboro is committed to impartiality.“We will handle the matter fairly.” The chatter faded as the crowd was curious about the approach Marilyn would take for a fair resolution. Marilyn called upon all the witnessing staff members and asked solemnly, “What happened?” The staff members recounted the event. Marilyn then turned to the plump woman and said coldly, “Your husband started the fight, and the man here simply retaliated with a slap. “Fred and his team jumped to conclusions. They deserved the beating. “You shouldn’t be hung up about your husband being slapped. The question is whether the man would like to pursue legal action.” “I…” The plump woman grimaced, reluctant to let things go. However, she appeared terrified of Marilyn. Her lips quivered in a moment of silence. Marilyn turned her attention to Kaze and grinned.
The crowd nodded in agreement. “That’s right. The couple must be scammers, picking on the girl because she doesn’t know her stuff.” “Security! Where’s security?” “Why isn’t someone from the mall taking care of this?” The crowd believed the couple were scammers. “Please give way.” Soon, several security officers arrived on the scene, and the leader glanced at the plump woman. Getting the message from the woman, the security leader approached Kaze and said menacingly, “Boy, are you up to something? Ron and his wife are long-time customers here. I have never seen you around before, though.“You’re something else to assault a customer here. Do you know who owns the place?” The security leader pointed at the door. “Get out, or I’ll make you!” Kaze asked, “Are you in on it too?” The security leader narrowed his eyes. “What did you say? I dare you to say it again.” “I said that you’re in on it too.” Kaze pointed at the middle-aged couple while eyeing the security lead