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
“Grim Reaper?! What are you doing?” The elders of Lefteria Group were surprised by his arrival. The first thing Jeremiah did when he arrived was to uncover the coffin’s lid. “I have to see how Alan died!” Jeremiah glared at everyone coldly as if everyone present was a suspect. Everyone else paused and went quiet. They knew Jeremiah wanted to inspect the body. Jeremiah ignored their questioning gazes and bent over to put his hand on Alan’s body. A while later, he straightened himself and said coldly, “Put the lid back.” Several men carried the lid and put it back on the coffin. The lid was heavy and it took four strong men to barely carry it, yet Jeremiah was able to lift it single-handedly. He then turned around and put his hands on the hilt of his sword. “Who poisoned Alan?” “Uncle Jeremiah, it’s Kaze Lee, the son-in-law of the Quints. He started work at Lefteria Group yesterday and got promoted to manager by my godfather. He’s actually a killer sent by Angel Whi
“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.
Eli dined offhandedly as if he had taken hold of the group. His words were layered with threat. “What? Are you trying to replace us?” Knox asked in disbelief. “I don’t have that power, but the investor does. I heard that he enjoyed dinner with your superiors. I’m sure the project will get the green light in no time. “Even if you didn’t approach me today, my team and I would have invited you out for a get-together.” Eli knew when to back down, easing the tension in the air. It was another type of reconciliation. Eli needed to go through the review board to get the rights to air the films. The carrot-and-stick approach was the best way forward. Kaze was surprised by the sophistication of Eli’s tactics. Still, he believed he had come to the right place. Sure enough, Jet would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Surely, he was bound to leave loose ends. Nevertheless, he probably did not care. Arthur cocked his head back to look at Kaze. Kaze grinned, unbothered
The purpose of the visit was to inform Rising Sun that the films did not make the cut. Since Rising Sun would not make the necessary amendments, the project would come to a halt. “Please, don’t. Since we are all here, we should talk it out.” It took Eli quite some effort to get the group to the hotel. Eli had plans to please the crowd, so he could not let them leave just yet. This went beyond getting the green light for the films. Eli needed to make the group happy. “There is nothing more to talk about. We can’t proceed unless you make the changes.” There was no way around it. Since Rising Sun refused to make the right amendments, and Knox had orders about putting a hold on Rising Sun’s films, that was one less problem for Knox to deal with. Eli could not let the group walk out on him. Hence, he quickly sent people in. Several thinly clad women entered, each holding a small bag. Despite the weightlessness, the bag appeared to be carrying something of substance. “You
For that reason, Rising Sun’s film productions were not cleared to be aired. “I told you the reason. The investor supplied us with the scripts, and we were told to base our productions on the scripts. Our hands are tied.”Eli would have made the amendments if he could. He knew where the problem lay. However, the company had to take the investor’s perspective into consideration. In the end, the films were yet to be approved for release. “I guess you won’t get the permission to air them then.” Knox was surprised that Rising Sun would not budge on the matter. Nevertheless, Knox and his team were not there to give the all-clear or talk some sense into Rising Sun. Knox and his team could care less about what Eli had to say. “We’re serious about getting the approval. “I’m sorry that we aren’t a better host for your visit today. Why don’t we move to the nearby hotel for a talk?” With the review board making an appearance, Eli knew there was still hope. If Eli did not grab
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