Rose had a closer look. She bolted up from the chair and reacted stronger than when she saw the Pink Rose. “Oh my god! Is that the Goddess’ Heart?!” “Rose, is it something famous?” Agatha was intrigued by her daughter’s strong reaction. “The Goddess’ Heart was on display at a massive exhibition at Sunrise City and it has already attracted a lot of attention. Everyone was amazed by its beauty. “The designer is the world-famous Master Greta De Fontaine. She called this her masterpiece and can never replicate another one. “After that, the Goddess’ Heart hasn’t shown itself anymore. Some said the chairwoman of Sixth Eye Jewelry Group, the Queen of Jewelry, Jasmine Sundar, has it in her collection and no matter how much people offer her, she’s not selling it.” Rose was thrilled. Her voice sharpened and even started to blabber nonsense. “Don’t tell me it’s on Darcy’s neck now!” Her voice surprised everyone in the room and they all turned to Kaze. A diamond necklace of tens
Kaze was rendered speechless. His silly wife denied his identity as Perfect World Group’s chairman, but he did not correct her. He did not care about what other people thought of him, only Darcy’s feelings mattered. She could think whatever she wanted. Besides, the identity of Perfect World Group’s chairman did not affect their relationship. Darcy never looked down on him before. Her explanation sparked speculation. Psychiatric ward? Mental disability? Kiev looked at Kaze strangely. “Aunt Agnes, what is this about? Kaze was in the psychiatric ward?” “Kaze got into some conflict with his family and got locked up there for a few years. He’s fine but everyone in the city thought he had a mental disability. People still laugh at us now.” Now that Kaze had a promising future, Agnes was proud of him and she was no longer embarrassed to tell others about his past. Unlike before, she would be silenced and embarrassed whenever people asked about her son-in-law. She giggled a
Behind Miru was a group of men, all looking ferocious. Their bulging muscles were an obvious sign that they were experts in fighting. They all glared at Kaze the moment they barged into the room. Tension rose as they stared at each other. Darcy and the others felt pressured that they had a hard time breathing. “What? What are you talking about? Kaze killed your godfather? The chairman of Lefteria Group, Alan Cummingham?” Darcy blurted out instinctively. Kaze murdered Alan? Impossible. He was not capable of killing someone. The others exchanged a baffled look. Slam! Miru slammed some pictures on the table. Darcy went through the pictures briefly but still could not understand. “These pictures are the footage from the surveillance cameras of Lefteria Building.” Miru continued, “Around 10.30 in the morning, Kaze led the security guards on a routine security check around the building. Halfway through the security check, Kaze went into my godfather’s private office
Everyone in the room stared at Kaze, including Darcy. “Kaze, tell me, why did you run? Did you see something?” “I didn’t go into Alan Cummingham’s office. I saw nothing.” Kaze shook his head. He added, “I received your text and I was running to Clover Center to save you.” Miru glared at Kaze. “Text? Darcy, are you in danger or is he lying?” “I didn’t text Kaze, but if he received the text, that means someone is trying to prank him,” Darcy said. Her eyes remained glued to Kaze. “So, it’s his own words?” Miru tried really hard not to swing the machete at Kaze’s neck. Darcy did not answer this time. She did not know if she should continue to trust Kaze. Kaze noticed Darcy’s hesitation. He said, “Darcy, believe me. I didn’t do it.” “Excuses!” Miru shouted. She tossed another stack of pictures in Kaze’s face. The pictures showed him and Angel sitting together. Miru bellowed, “These pictures are from Leo. The man in the picture is Angel White, Cronus’ man, is it? He c
Don then ordered his men to take Kaze away, but Miru and her men stopped them. “What are you doing?!” the officers shouted at them. Miru’s men were ferocious gangsters who roamed in the underworld. They were not afraid of mere police officers. They stood in the way of the officers. “Ms. Scarlet, what is the meaning of this?” Don looked at Miru grimly. “Chief Braders, we are taking this man back to Lefteria Group and we will punish him for what he did,” Miru said coldly. Don grunted. “Ms. Scarlet, don’t get this wrong. This is a law-enforced society, you are not allowed to hurt others in private. Since we have already filed the case, the police must be involved.” He raised his hand. All the police officers pulled their guns out and pointed at Miru’s men. Miru’s men were deterred. Miru took a deep breath and glared at Kaze coldly. “Let’s go!” She left without pause, ignoring Darcy’s guilty and apologetic gaze. After Miru and her men left, Kaze was also taken away
When Kaze was taken away, Don noticed Darcy and her family did not even try to defend Kaze. He felt bad for Kaze. Kaze was accused of murder yet his family did not even believe him. Kaze waved his hand. “Just a bunch of clowns with circus tricks. I don’t need to reveal my identity to prove myself. Let’s just see what these clowns wanted to play.” His gaze suddenly turned cold. Even he did not expect that he would one day become the pawn in someone else’s game. Don was deeply concerned. He knew Kaze kept his identity a secret for the sake of the city and the safety of the citizens. “Don, just skip the station. Just send me to the detention center. I don’t want to waste your time and police resources,” Kaze said. Don immediately said, “Mr. Lee, you are being too kind. It is our duty to protect your safety. The detention center is messy, it’s not as safe as the station. Lefteria Group won’t let this go, they will come after you.” Kaze said, “If I am in the station, how are
The other elders of the company were infuriated as well. “Miru, you brought the punk into the company yesterday and he killed Alan today. Now you are protecting him, allowing the police to take him away. Are you part of this as well? You are planning to kill Alan too?!” “She’s involved in this!” “Her background is a mystery. She’s not a local. She appeared out of nowhere and somehow Alan took her in as his goddaughter. I think she’s a spy from somewhere, sent to hurt Alan!” The elders berated Miru. Miru finally experienced what it was like to be criticized and berated by others. It was the same thing Kaze experienced countless times. “Uncles, Miru is part of the family. We are both godchildren of our godfather. Please don’t accuse her without solid evidence. If we wronged her, I don’t think my godfather can rest in peace.” Leo finally spoke up after the elders had berated Miru. The elders quieted down but they continued to glare at Miru coldly. Even though Miru was
Alan’s friends responded strongly to his death. As the kingpin who ruled the underworld twenty years ago, he had countless protégés and many people benefited from his reign. After so many years, his protégés had scattered all over the country. Even those who had not done well in life had already become gang bosses in their respective areas. His influence was so large that even Cronus was afraid. Cronus dared not go after Alan directly because of the consequences, so he had to kill his rival with a borrowed knife. The news of Alan’s death spread across the country and it summoned all his protégés back to Lilyrose for revenge. Everyone in the city knew a storm was coming and there was no place for them to hide or run. All the gang bosses of the underworld stayed quiet and kept a low profile. They even warned their men to not cause any trouble lately or attract unwanted attention. “Cronus is behind Master Cummingham’s death, but he had just passed. It’s inappropriate for u
Arthur chuckled, his smile carrying a touch of sleaziness. “Oh, I see.” A realization dawned on Kaze. “Are you with quality control?” Several individuals in dark blue suits approached. The men and women carried files and documents. Kaze nodded without a word. “We are just here to announce the results. We shouldn’t be long.” Arthur came forward to engage with them. The group was likely given the heads-up as they had the right number of people. They swaggered into Rising Sun’s building. The general manager straightened up his tie in a fluster and walked out. None of the film productions made the cut yet, and the delay was costing the company money by the day. At this rate, the project would go down under. Eli, the general manager, rushed to the entrance upon learning the news. The review team was there to do one final check. The films would get the green light if the board found that everything was up to par. The head office would stop putting pressure on
Given Kaze’s status, Alfonso knew better than to have him waiting under the hot sun. Of course, he would send his people to be on standby for Kaze’s arrival. Peter only came to the rescue when Kaze was pestered by some street gang. Alfonso’s omission of Kaze’s identity led to this hiccup. Kaze did not care one bit about the incident. Heck, he did not even bring it up. Arthur straightened his back nervously, becoming even more cautious behind the wheel. “You knew, but why didn’t you say anything, Mr. Lee? You didn’t even tell on us.” Arthur could not understand why. However, he had more respect for the man. “I didn’t see a point. You’ll learn what happens when you displease me, so I won’t bother telling you now.” Kaze was mild-mannered as ever. He spoke softly without a hint of anger. All the more Arthur revered him. “Mr. Lee, we didn’t do our jobs right. We didn’t know who you were.“But my duty is to protect you in the dark. “We saw you getting out of the train
“Rising Sun is a media company. Several of their films are about to be released. They are trying to get them approved to air due to some censorship issues.” Arthur took out a document. “Are there any issues with the films? Why aren’t they approved yet?” Kaze asked curiously. Kaze had no idea. “There are some issues. They aren’t fit to be aired. “Typically, there aren’t a lot of restrictions for film productions so long as the themes aren’t sensitive topics. “But these films featured altered history. The company has been asked multiple times to make revisions, but the films still don’t make the cut.” The Viper’s Den’s members were not privy to the information. The Frosts were insignificant. Kaze was after the Frosts. Otherwise, the Viper’s Den would not waste its resources on a mere film production company. Jet’s investment of nearly ten million bucks in Rising Sun caught the Viper’s Den’s attention. The delayed approval of the films would be catastrophic to the in
“It’s quite a bustle even when it’s late at night.” Kaze looked down from above and saw the bright lights. A street in the distance was brightly lit with many people working into the night. “The majority of people would do many things to make a living.” Arthur rarely observed these sights. “Thank you. Keep me in the loop of any progress. I’m curious as to what you’d do.” Kaze did not see a need to get involved with the minor stuff. He delegated the tasks to his people. “If you have time, why don’t you go out and have a bit of fun, Mr. Lee?” Arthur asked. The reason for Kaze’s trip was to deal with Jet. Kaze would get some satisfaction from upsetting Jet. “I don’t want to attract attention.” The last thing Kaze wanted was to blow his cover. From Kaze’s question, Arthur knew that Kaze was interested. “No. We can give you a whole new identity.” Arthur knew what to do. “I’ll leave you to it, but don’t take it too far,” Kaze replied. Still, Kaze was intrigued a
Katie was narrow-minded to spit out the unpleasant things. Her words would never harm Kaze. Kaze took the private elevator back to the penthouse for a rest. He had more important things to do. He needed to keep tabs on the Frosts. Leah’s business was none of Kaze’s concern. Sure, Leah was in a state, being manipulated by her mother and all. However, it was a family matter at the end of the day. Kaze had no rhyme or reason to get involved. Kaze soon put the whole thing behind him. Arthur was already there at the penthouse. As Kaze entered the room, Arthur jolted up from the couch. “Mr. Lee, this is the document you requested. It should have detailed information to give you a clearer idea of the situation.” Arthur put the papers in front of Kaze and grabbed him a bottle of water. Feeling hot from his walk back, Kaze took a sip and held the document up for a look. “I got to give it to the Frosts. They sure work in the shadows.” Kaze grinned. A strong opponent p
“Despite everything I’ve said, you still won’t listen! Kaze is a liar! He befriended you with a motive. Yet, you trust him. He’s a good friend to you? What do you take me for?” Katie could not put up with her daughter’s defiance. Leah must obey her because that was what a good daughter would do. “I see you as my mother. What about you? Am I a daughter to you?” Leah did not want to ask such a distressing question. However, there was no way around it. She was escaping reality. Still, she had to swallow the truth, however cruel. “What are you talking about? I wouldn’t raise you if I didn’t consider you my daughter.” Katie worked hard to keep a level head. The last thing she wanted was the whole thing to blow up into a bigger fight. She had a lot to do for the upcoming party. There was no time to lose in keeping her daughter happy. Besides, Leah was no longer a child. Yet, she was so defiant and rebellious. “Why do you plan on giving me away if I’m supposed to be your d
Katie proudly made the statement, convinced that she had done a lot for her daughter. It was only right for Leah to be grateful and understand her sacrifice. To Katie’s surprise, Leah chuckled. “What else have you done for me? You never showed me any attention. You don’t know what I like. You have no idea what I want.” Leah finally saw her mother as the person she was. This side of Katie was terrifying. “What more do you want? Am I not supposed to work? Should I be spending every waking minute of the day with you?” Katie understood Leah’s needs. However, there was no way she could make it happen. It was not easy for a woman to take hold in the Northborn Group, much less secure a high position there. Katie went through great pains to get where she was today. Alas, Leah could not understand where she was coming from. “I’m not asking you to be with me every day. I’ve tried my best to do everything you asked of me, but you can’t even be there for me during my birthdays.
“Everything I do, I do for you. Get this straight. The guy approached you because of what I could bring to the table.” Katie was pissed by her daughter’s defiance which was becoming worse with age. “I know the kind of person he is. Without Kaze’s help, I wouldn’t have escaped. Where were you then? You’re in no position to say that. “Even if there’s something he’s after, what would he want from me? I have nothing to offer.” Leah did not believe a word Katie said. Clearly, Katie was out to get Kaze. “He’s nothing but a poor kid. Why are you blowing this out of proportion? I’ve clearly stated what needed to be done. Why are you still being stubborn?”Katie believed she had not raised her daughter right. Leah turned out pretty naïve. “I told you. He has no ulterior motive. He doesn’t know who I am. He doesn’t have any other intentions. I approached him, not the other way around.” Leah kicked herself for pulling a reckless stunt. All she did was give Kaze more problems. Kat
Leah hated her mother being unreasonable. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I fed you, I gave you clothes, I put a roof over your head, I gave you life! The least you could do is to listen to me!” Katie did not expect her daughter to go so far as to defy her. Kaze remained silent, knowing that no matter what he said, it would be meaningless to someone unwilling to listen. “Kaze, I’m sorry. It was my fault that you are in this mess. I’m a jinx…” Leah blamed herself for getting Kaze in trouble with her mother. If not because of her, he would never encounter her mother. “Shut it! Why are you apologizing!? He approached you with purpose and you can’t even see that? He’s not worthy of your time!” Katie was livid. She felt her daughter was blinded by emotions, incapable of making the right decision. And to make matters worse, the girl even apologized to Kaze—what nonsense! A poor man without any background was no match for her daughter and her status. He approached the girl becaus