“That’s right.” Kaze nodded. Derrick lowered his head. “Let me welcome you to the Southend precinct.” Isaac felt chills down his spine. Color washed off his face. Isaac wondered who the young man was for his boss to personally greet him. Agnes’ eyes widened. It appeared she had never known her son-in-law. “You’re too kind, Captain Maverick.” Kaze added indifferently, “My brother-in-law is in your custody at the moment. He might have done something, but I don’t know the full story yet. Vice Captain Oceanid here believes we aren’t rich and powerful enough to even step into the precinct. He told us to come here, but he wouldn’t allow visitations. He said we need to cough up half a million dollars to make a supposed assault go away. “My question for you is, are civilians without wealth and influence second-class citizens? Apparently, we don’t even have the right to know the truth.” Kaze did not raise his voice. Yet, his words yielded power. Derrick broke out in a
Isaac went weak in the knees, his face pale. He knew that he was done for. The matter was quickly cleared up. Sky and his friends were having a basketball match at the stadium. Celine, who had been all over Sky before, was there too. She stood a short distance away while the boys played ball. A group of youngsters later arrived at the stadium. One of them, Hugo, hit on Celine. Sky and his friends could not stand by and watch as a stranger made unwanted advances to their friend. Hence, they went to reason with the boys. Things got heated up pretty quickly, and both parties started getting into it. Hugo perceived his size as an advantage over Sky, who was lanky, so he went ahead to pull the first punch. Sky was no longer the doormat that he was. Without hesitation, he jumped in and fought back. Hugo took a hit from a guy who was shorter than him. The passersby called the cops, and both parties were arrested. “Where’s Hugo now?” Kaze asked coldly. Kaze wanted t
Sky and friends shook in their boots upon seeing the group of gangsters behind Hugo. “What are you trying to do, Hugo? Your relative, Isaac, has been terminated from his job.“My brother-in-law made the captain dismiss him. If you come after us, my brother-in-law will make you pay.” Although Sky was afraid, he could escape a beating since his brother-in-law was just around the corner. “Oh? If your brother-in-law is so amazing, where is he now?” Hugo then said something to the burly man next to him before swaggering over. The burly man waved his arm. The group in the back fanned out and surrounded Sky’s party in the shape of a scallop.Sky said, “My brother-in-law is nearby. You better take your people and leave now.” “Haha. Weren’t you cocky when you hit me earlier, Sky? Don’t try to bullshit me now.” Hugo stopped laughing and added menacingly, “Either way, I’m going to beat you up. Clyde, tell your men to hold the guy down. I want to whip the shit out of his mouth.”
“Are you part of the mob?” Clyde asked. He believed Kaze could be a high-ranking member of the mob based on his impressive strength. Kaze glanced at him and responded curtly, “Take your men and leave now. Oh, except for him.” He pointed at Hugo. Hugo was the reason Agnes was on her knees and Sky was beaten up. Kaze would make Hugo pay a heavy price before he could let the matter go. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.” Clyde grimaced. Before Clyde was the security chief of Hugo’s family business, he was an influential figure among the mob. Yet, Kaze had the audacity to tell him to leave. Hugo smirked. “So you can fight, but you are outnumbered. Have you taken a look at the people behind me? “You should kneel and apologize to me now, or I’ll make your family suffer.“Clyde, tell your people to keep a close eye on him. Don’t let him run away,” Hugo turned around and told Clyde. Clyde nodded and said curtly, “Even if he flees, he can’t take his family with him.
Darcy and the others were caught off guard by the turn of events. All Kaze did was yell, and a group emerged and pulverized Clyde’s crew. Clyde and Hugo were cocky a minute ago. “I am the security chief of Oceanid Group, bro. Our chairman is Desmond Oceanid. Who are you people?” Staggering to his feet, Clyde asked through clenched teeth. Smack! Lester smashed him to the ground and said in disdain, “The Oceanid Group? I am the deputy manager in charge of Lefteria Group’s security. Our chairman is Alan Cummingham.” “What? Lefteria Group?” Clyde wet his pants. Lefteria Group's influence over the underworld was legendary among mobsters.Clyde knew he had done it this time. Hugo’s teeth clattered in fear. Kaze appeared before him. “What are you trying to do?” Hugo backed away. Smack! Crack! Kaze booted his shin, causing Hugo to stumble on his knees. His kneecaps shattered from the crash onto the ground. “Argh!” Hugo shuddered and cried out in pain. “That’
“Lefteria Group is well known in the city. The chairman attended your wedding.“Make sure you work hard. You got the promotion because you have the competence to handle the job. Don’t let the company down. Got it?” Agnes started lecturing Kaze after paying him compliments. Nevertheless, she was grinning from ear to ear. Before, she would give him an attitude and Kaze had always been looked down on. He was not one she could be proud of. Now, Kaze was the security manager of Lefteria Group. Agnes could hold her head up high when talking about Kaze to her friends. Pleased with Kaze, Agnes said, “Can you take the afternoon off tomorrow, Kaze?” “I work in an office, Agnes. I don’t have to be stationed at my post all the time.” Kaze smiled. He was glad to finally get Agnes’ approval. “What’s happening tomorrow afternoon, Mom?” Darcy asked out of curiosity. Agnes replied with a grin, “Your aunt’s family is coming to Lilyrose tomorrow. We can have lunch together. Kaze
Miru gave Kaze a telling-off. She quickly lost interest when he did not talk back. Pleased, she walked away. “Is Kaze somehow involved with Ms. Scarlet? Why didn’t he say anything?” Lester and the others engaged in a conversation outside the office. To their understanding, Kaze had a hot temper. Kaze got physical with them on his first day of work and made Leo kneel previously. There was no reason for Kaze to put up with Miru’s behavior unless there was more to their relationship. “What are you mumbling there about? Don’t you have a job to do?” Kaze stepped out of the office and glared at them. The group scattered. “That’s just absurd. How could I be involved with Miru? No one can stand that woman.” Kaze shook his head in resignation as a woman in office attire made a beeline toward him. “Are you Kaze Lee? I’m with the administration. Today is the day the security department conducts a building safety inspection. I just wanted to let you know that,” the woman sa
“Tell Draco to get his team to secure Clover Center by whatever means possible. The clock is ticking,” Kaze yelled angrily. “Commander Koga is on it,” Snow replied. Knowing how much Darcy meant to Kaze, Draco contacted Koga right after his call with Snow. “Tell him to send a chopper. I need a pick-up.” Kaze ended the call and rushed to a sports car by the road. He opened the door and sat in the front passenger seat. “Hey! What are you doing?” The woman in sunglasses screamed and looked at Kaze in horror. Kaze, eyes bloodshot and face menacing, looked like he was a fugitive on the run. He showed her his mobile navigation. “I need to save someone important to me. Follow my GPS.“Now!” He shouted furiously as the woman had not gotten over the shock. With a shudder, the woman started the engine. Choff! Choff! Choff! Halfway down the road, the whirlwind of chopper blades ripped through the air. “Stop the car!” Kaze got out of the car and grabbed onto the lowere
Kaze watched as the senior citizens took off. The place was quiet as usual, and many things in the unit were left uncollected. “Mr. Lee, does this arrangement work?” Arthur awaited Kaze’s orders. “It will do for now.” After being out for the day, Kaze had seen some stuff. Business was all about making money, but some lines should not be crossed. As long as things remained within reason, there would not be scrutiny or blame. It was astounding the lengths Jet would go to. “The area will be demolished after a while. I want all of the Frosts’ projects on hold. Don’t approve any of them.” One word from Kaze could shake the very foundation of the Frosts’ business. “Alright. My team is on it. “But the Frosts will ask questions and find out who is behind this.” Arthur looked at Kaze worriedly. “They can’t find anything.” No one would know who Kaze was without his permission. It probably never crossed Jet’s mind that Snow had a powerful friend. Otherwise, he woul
Kaze was confused. Surely, the authorities would not disregard human lives and demolish the place by force. “Well, we tried to relocate them, but they refused our services. If they are still not on board, they will be sent to the retirement home tonight.” That was all Pax knew. The retirement home was just another place for the senior citizens to await death. “Is there nothing else you can do? So you signed the contract without thinking about the consequences? Karma will get back at you.” Pax’s shamelessness shocked Arthur. Pax mentioned that he would put the demolition on hold. It had not been long, and now the rights to the land were handed over. “It’s out of my hands. Jet went to my superiors to seal the deal. We are not allowed to intervene. “We had been figuring out ways to reach reconciliation for these senior citizens, but Jet was determined to make them pay.” It was the best Pax could do. He was just an employee, working to make a living. He did not have a say
“I want to see the person in charge of the demolition project now.” It was not a matter of time before the area was bulldozed, but Kaze hoped to delay it. Generally, it would take a large amount of capital to launch a project. Any delay would cause massive losses. Jet had several projects that had been put on hold, and it was a heavy blow to him. If Jet could not fix things quickly enough, all his money tied to the projects would be gone. He would be forced to ditch some projects to cut his losses. “I’ll get him here right now.” Arthur went out to make phone calls. He believed Kaze did the right thing as the senior citizens had nowhere to turn to. The senior citizens could only survive with some help. “Thank you, young man. Why are you helping us?” The senior citizens were old, but they could tell that Kaze genuinely wanted them to be okay. “I don’t think it’s right to bully you.” Kaze looked at the senior citizens earnestly, feeling sorry for them. Jet lack
“We agreed on relocation because we would get a place to stay. “But these people were unreasonable. We were offered only one-third of what everyone else got.” The senior citizens were going to swallow their losses. They just needed the money to live their last days, and they did not have family, to begin with. Later, the same people had their eyes on their money and tried to put them up at an old folks’ home. The senior citizens refused to relocate and finally chose to protect themselves by contacting the media. These people sure left the senior citizens to die. Kaze was sympathetic to the senior citizens. He went back with them to a unit on the ground floor. The place was bare, with several beds placed together. The senior citizens must be sleeping in the same room. There was little to eat, only some water and dry provisions.The old residents did not have much savings. It was good enough that they had something to eat. “Have a cup of water, boy. We don’t have any
“Are you one of those people from the pier? Are you trying to get us to leave?” A grizzled-haired man looked at Kaze warily. “I was just passing by when I saw you struggling with the buckets. I came to help you.” Kaze explained patiently. He could understand why their guards were up. They must have been lied to many times before. “Are you here to help?” “Yes, I am. My companion has gone to get you some water. He’ll be back soon. There’s no need for you to fetch water,” Kaze said kindly. “We’ll pay you.” The senior citizens exchanged glances before accepting Kaze’s gesture. They could not handle the weight of the heavy buckets. “The building here is about to be demolished. Why are you still living here?” Pretending to be in the dark, Kaze asked. “This is our home. Someone is trying to take this land away.” The grizzled-haired man was upset. “What? I thought no one could demolish the building unless they had the residents’ permission.” “You’re right, but there
“Jet sure is bold to ensure business. Isn’t he afraid of shooting himself in the foot?” Kaze had never met a man like Jet. “He has done a lot to get to the top. His ruthless methods got him a lot of money. A lot of people are happy to support him.” Arthur was impressed with Jet’s tactics. However, his approach was too cruel for his liking. “Let’s head to the residential building.” Kaze just wanted to check out the area. He was happy to help when needed. The flashy, red sports car was eye-catching. However, the flamboyant car was uncommon in these places. Most workers would express their amazement, but they would not ask questions. The car pulled up outside a soon-to-be abandoned building. It looked desolate. The power lines and infrastructure were not visible either. Kaze knew that was one of the Frosts’ methods. Sometimes, nothing, not even demolition, was required. The goal was to get the residents out. All Jet needed to do was cut the water and electricity.
“Just tell me what you need, Arthur. You wouldn’t be calling unless you have received orders.” Philip was surprised to get a call from Arthur. Though they were acquainted, they had only communicated because of work. “We have just left Rising Sun. Don’t approve the films for now.” Arthur was blunt. “I can do that, but can I ask why?” Philip was caught in a dilemma because he had just promised Jet to release the films. Philip needed to know if the orders to delay came from a high power who could cover his ass. “Since you got a call from me, you should know that there are eyes on Jet. “You should know what you can and cannot say. Otherwise, you never know when you’re going to lose your job.” Arthur threatened. Philip was reluctant. He accepted Jet’s payment, and now he had to go back on his word. Nevertheless, Arthur was part of the Viper’s Den, and his status was rather unique. Arthur provided services to confidential individuals. These individuals were elites among t
A balanced, profitable dynamic had been developed among the ports in Butterworth. Jet spotted his chance in the lucrative port business. He covertly took out some money to invest in a dying port. The port was situated in a more remote area. Some businesspeople favored more accessible ports. This drove shippers away from the dying port. Jet snagged the steal and improved the logistics and facilities around the area. The port was up and running again. Business at the port was decent enough. As the Frosts would run their business through the port, the local economy took off too. It was a good thing. However, Jet set his sights on several residential buildings around the area. He needed space to accommodate containers. The land was required to make business at the port more profitable. This triggered a whole new thing. Jet could spend some money to buy the residents out of their homes. However, the residents preferred to stay put in their long-time homes. No a
“I’ll keep the bank cards for now. I’ll talk to our superiors and give you a decision. Since the man said that the cards are meant for us, they won’t be going anywhere.” Knox had no idea who Kaze was, but he knew Arthur was with the Viper’s Den. Arthur must be someone from high places. Eli soon put the little incident behind him. He got a call from Aloysius yesterday and was made aware of Jet’s plans. The films had been put on hold for far too long, and the people above Eli were anxious to get things moving. Though Eli was surprised by the review board’s visit, everything was still in his control. Eli left the matter at that without reporting the incident to the higher-ups. The flashy, red car sped along the road. Arthur kept looking back at Kaze, eager to find out about the next plan. Arthur brought Kaze out today to witness how Eli and his team operated. As it happened, Eli adopted such a shallow ploy. Arthur was not surprised, though. Eli’s methods were common.