“Don’t feel discouraged. Just pursue in the direction I’ve told you. I can guarantee that you’ll be fine,” Kaze said while patting Morgan’s shoulder. Wallace could not possibly restrain Morgan, the state police chief, from doing his job. Surely, Morgan had people he could trust. Kaze gave Morgan the go-ahead to investigate and to direct any needs to Snow. Despite the presence of the police force and Wallace’s eyes on site, Kaze had no qualms about letting his intentions known. It was baffling that Kaze acted like he was Morgan’s superior. The police looked at Kaze in reverence. Kaze challenged the deputy governor’s authority and talked down to the state police chief in public. There was something mysterious about Kaze. Now, they knew that the case was more than just a murder. It was part of a larger power struggle. They were just insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The state police force dropped the arrogance while questioning Kaze. They would only be c
“Despite your training, you were defenseless at the hands of Kaze. It appears the disowned member of the Lees is more powerful than we thought.” A woman’s voice, bearing a heavy Ryokanian accent, boomed. Reiko, dressed in a black and gold dress, brewed tea on her knees. Her delicate hands moved with grace and allure. There was a temptation to hold her hands forever. Aiden’s gaze turned cold. Shifting his eyes from Darcy and Snow, Aiden looked at Kaze’s photo in the center of the board. Embracing his urge to kill, Aiden threw his sword. “Swoosh!” The sword sank into Kaze’s face, piercing through the board. Aiden took a seat across from Reiko and smiled ruthlessly at her. “Well, he can’t fight weapons with bare hands. I can assure you that Kaze will not get away this time. “I want him to give up Crown Tower. Once I squeeze every little thing out of him, he can die.” “Oh?” Reiko poured a drink and passed it to Aiden. She said with a smile, “We can do our best, bu
Aiden chuckled in delight and grabbed Reiko’s hand to pull her close. He sniffed her hand and said with a manic laugh, “Don’t worry, Ms. Hara. I will get you Crown Tower before killing him. “Hahaha! He’s just a loser. What does he have to compete with me?” Aiden gripped Reiko’s hand and threw his head back to guffaw. “Splash!” Reiko raised her hand and poured her drink on Aiden. Aiden choked on the drink, interrupting his laughter.“Cough, cough.” It took Aiden a while to get over it. He shot an angry look at Reiko and shouted, “Have you lost it, Reiko?” Aiden was surprised to see Reiko looking rather aloof. Reiko had always clung to him, catering to all his needs since they met. She made him feel like a king. Yet now, Reiko caught him off guard by turning on him. Aiden had no idea what was going on. “You have some explaining to do, bitch,” Aiden grabbed a towel to wipe his face while uttering furiously. Unfazed by Aiden’s temper, Reiko said with a blank face,
Aiden’s words trailed off. The Ryokanians were never out to get Kaze. They were trying to bring Kent down through Kaze. The only conflict between Kaze and the Ryokanians was business rivalry, and there was no reason to escalate negotiable deals to a personal level. Kent was a different story. He was the mayor of Riverbank. He passed the bills for policies. One policy could decide the fate of a business. Kent’s policies could eliminate the Ryokanian presence in Riverbank. Kent must die. The Ryokanians could get Kaze out of the picture. If necessary, they could call it a truce with him too. That was what the Ryokanians thought. There was a fundamental difference between the Ryokanians’ attitude toward Kaze and Kent. The only thing on Aiden’s mind was to get rid of Kaze. Aiden simply took hits at Kent because the latter was Kaze’s supporter. He and the Ryokanians were after different things. Due to the lack of transparency in their communication, the plan had gon
Aiden broke out in a cold sweat when he remembered losing Crown Tower at the auction. He said solemnly, “I’m sorry, Ms. Hara. The fault lies in me.”“I love a strong and powerful man who can handle me, Mr. Krad. I don’t need a rash man who can’t think straight.” Reiko grabbed a towel and wiped every inch of Aiden’s body. Her fingers coasted along Aiden’s Adam’s apple, and she said indifferently, “You better ask us before you make the next move. Otherwise, you might lose the chance to work with us again.” Aiden gritted his teeth and said nothing. Dropping the attitude, Aiden was as meek as a kitten in front of Reiko.He was usually the one getting handsy with Reiko. By the time Reiko withdrew her arm, Aiden’s expression had hardened. He read between the lines. Reiko talked about dropping him, not the Krads. In other words, Reiko could go to another member of the Krads to collaborate. Aiden’s competition was within his family. He aimed to be the top of his family.
“We have to assess the situation and plan accordingly. “Our goal is to remove Kent from office. Worst comes to worst, we can make Kaze give up on the piece of land.” Reiko lived up to her reputation as part of the Refined Blade. It did not take her long to pull herself together. She quickly determined a strategy. After a sip of her drink, Reiko said in a flat tone, “We can’t tell whether Wallace’s involvement in Kaze’s case is a good or bad thing yet. “He can stop Kent from butting in and keep Kaze with the state police. “On the other hand, we must slow down and stop all other operations. We cannot afford to make any mistakes.“We cannot underestimate Wallace. We risk losing everything if he catches us.” Aiden nodded, agreeing with Reiko’s perspective. “Ms. Hara, the evidence we provided to the state police is solid but not airtight. It won’t be difficult for Kaze to discredit it if he looks hard enough. “We pushed the investigation to focus on Kaze. The police simp
Aiden grimaced. Despite his great offer, Snow and Darcy turned him down. He was unhappy and jealous of Kaze. “I don’t really know Darcy, but Snow is an interesting woman. “Out of all the socialites I’ve met, she has character and a mind of her own. “She was worked up about getting Kaze out of the spot, but when I proposed that they had dinner with me, she refused without hesitation. “I doubt this has anything to do with love. She has so much trust in Kaze that he can turn things around no matter what. “I don’t understand where this trust stems from, but it’s something we shouldn’t neglect.” Aiden looked grim. Though Snow’s confidence in Kaze was puzzling, Aiden did not like it one bit. Kaze was just a loser. He did not deserve a woman like Snow. He was caught in a hopeless situation. This time, the Ryokanians and the Krads worked together to set him up. Mika’s death had attracted the attention of the Ryokanian government. Given the international implications of
As the public watched in disbelief, the group of elderly individuals unfurled white banners and began protesting. “Where’s the justice? A young life is lost.”“Murderers must pay!” “Kaze Lee, you took my daughter’s life!” “Kaze Lee, the husband of Sky Ocean Corporation’s chairwoman, is a scumbag.” … The haunting messages on the white banners drew a lot of attention. Large projector screens, hung on the sides of the buses, played photo collages of Mika and footage of Kaze’s arrest. The group painted a picture of a pretty young woman killing herself after a man forced himself on her. The dramatic scene stirred a lot of emotions and curiosity. With attention drawn, many tourists pulled out their phones. Several older women wailed into megaphones, “Kaze is the devil! He must be punished for taking my daughter’s life!” Their grief and anger were heart-wrenching. As a crowd built, pamphlets were handed out to describe Kaze’s alleged harm to Mika. News of the incide
Snow had already sent men to where the plane was found. If the passengers were taken away, then they must still be nearby. It was difficult to transport an entire plane of passengers to some place far within such a short time. It was a race against time. Snow did not know who would do such a thing. Kaze took a common flight like everyone else, yet it was hijacked. It was strange. The coincidence was uncanny. Snow believed the hijacking happened because of Kaze but she did not know why. “The only explanation is that there’s a traitor among us…” She finally came to an unlikely conclusion after combing through the details. If there were a traitor, it must be within the Viper’s Den. Kaze had laid a low profile for as long as he was in Butterworth. Not many people knew about his identity and those who wanted to make connections with him were because of Snow. It was unlikely that someone would go after him so suddenly unless this person knew his identity and background.
If they were sent to capture Kaze, then they were severely under-numbered. In addition, they allowed Kaze to be alone with the captives, which proved that they were inexperienced. Or maybe they did not know what he had done in the past as the God of War. Kaze believed that the mercenaries were after him but they did not know his true identity. There must have been some miscommunication between them and their employer, which was good news to Kaze. Tiguan and his men were eating. Since they were unable to identify the target, they were forced to bring everyone back. The plane was huge. It would be an easy target for the law enforcement to locate them. Maybe the outside world had caught wind of the hijacking. “Boss, what should we do now? That man seems like he vanished into thin air.” “We got his boarding information but we can’t identify him on the plane.” “Who are we looking for exactly? Why is he so mysterious?” The men were baffled. “We are looking for the righ
“We are almost there. We have to transfer these people as soon as possible. The plane must take off right away. We cannot leave any traces behind.” They must hurry or they would be caught very soon. They held the pilot hostage and forced him to do an abrupt landing. The sudden descent caught everyone off guard, shocking them. A few of the passengers even hit their heads. Many of them did not get the chance to fasten their seat belts. Kaze grabbed Barney and protected his head from hitting the front seat. “Thank you.” Barney looked at Kaze with gratitude and then looked outside. “Where are we? Have we reached?” He was worried that they would be completely trapped. “They are going to transfer us elsewhere.” Kaze had a similar experience before and he knew what the hijackers would do next. “Transfer us? Are they going to transfer us to somewhere secluded and kill us all?” Barney looked horrified as he stared at Kaze. He somehow felt safe beside Kaze. “They sai
With trains, there was still an option to jump out. However, everybody was sitting ducks in a plane. Kaze had always been sensitive when it came to safety. He had a sinking feeling in his gut as if something was about to happen. He turned his head back to observe the plane’s interior. Several passengers stood up in the business class section. Strangely, these people were seated separately. However, they seemed to know each other. They exchanged glances as if searching for something. Finding the whole thing bizarre, Kaze observed them. Those passengers went straight into the air stewardesses’ compartment and disappeared out of Kaze’s sight. Kaze could not shake off the eerie feeling. Something was off. He looked back, and several more rose to their feet. These individuals were young but toned. They likely underwent some form of specialized training. Kaze had a bad feeling. Trouble was brewing, and the plane was likely being hijacked. “Why are you looking around? Is
“I see. What bad timing.” Katie was a little disappointed to learn that Kaze had left, but in a way, she was relieved. She had gotten on Kaze’s nerves, and he could turn around and make things difficult for her. Now that Kaze was gone, Katie got to keep her job. She did not have to fear Kaze’s retaliation. The news caught Leah off guard. “Why did he leave without saying goodbye? I didn’t even thank him yet.” Leah had a hard time digesting the news. She had been waiting for a chance to show her gratitude to Kaze and see him again. He was out of her life before she could do anything about it. “I’m sorry. Chairman Lee’s departure was unplanned.” Snow put on a professional smile, appearing friendly and distant. “Please present the gifts to him for us if you can. We are grateful for Mr. Lee’s help.” Katie was annoyed that Leah could not spend time with Kaze. The bond could help with her career. Kaze’s departure cost Katie an opportunity, but there was no point in dwel
“Now that’s the spirit. You can’t take every matter into your own hands. You’re a leader now. You should put the right people in the right jobs.” Feeling relieved, May nodded. “Where’s the guy? I have been wanting to meet him. I missed the chance when I was unconscious.” May came over right away just to score a chance to see Kaze. Kaze saved her life, but she did not have the chance to thank him in person. “I set the date. We’re seeing him tomorrow afternoon. Let’s freshen up. I’m taking you home to rest.” With a time in place, Snow had to get ready. May nodded. The pair returned to the mansion where they felt at home. Even though it had been a while since their return, nothing had changed. “Did Jet say anything when he stepped down?” May was clueless on the specifics. “He went mad and ran out. I get this uneasy feeling, but I can’t locate him anywhere.” Snow was concerned. Jet, as witty as he was, likely played up his meltdown. It was a shame that Jet got aw
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but