“What are you trying to say, Kaze?” Kiev scowled. Kaze smiled pretentiously. “My wife and I are filing for divorce. Why the need to rush here when it doesn’t concern you? Are you here to see my wife cry?” “Don’t make that false accusation. I’d never make fun of Darcy.” Kiev glanced at Darcy, who suffered in silence, and denied that fact. “If that isn’t your motive, why are you here?” “I rush over to say something on behalf of Darcy.” Kiev smiled victoriously and said, “May you find happiness in your new life.” He believed those words marked the perfect end to their marriage. “I have something to say to you too, Kiev.” Kaze grinned. “Do tell,” Kiev responded. Either way, Kaze could not stop his marriage from ending today. Kaze said indifferently, “The divorce is not happening.” Kiev was taken aback at first, but he quickly let out a sneer. “Are you kidding me, Kaze? You and Darcy are in the family court now.” He pointed at the counter. “They filed for divo
“Are you alright, Mr. Braders?” With Caesar kneeling for no reason, everybody went to help him up. Kiev said, “Are you unwell from the travel here, Mr. Braders? Why don’t you take a break before getting down to business? The divorce proceedings aren't urgent.” “Um… Uh… Um…” Caesar looked at Kaze in terror and helplessness. Fear got a grip on his throat. “Do you know him, Mr. Braders?” Kiev frowned. The way Caesar looked at Kaze was strange to Kiev. Kiev glanced at Kaze skeptically but could not figure out Caesar’s reaction. Kaze was a nobody, and Kiev had no doubt about it. “Oh, we have met.” Since Kaze would not give Caesar any attention, Caesar did not want to overstep his boundaries and answered vaguely. He broke out in a cold sweat. So they had met before, and that was all that happened. Not reading into the matter, Kiev said, “You can just tell your employees to process the divorce while you take a break, Mr. Braders.” “Erm…” With Kiev clinging to the
“What’s the update?” Caesar was dumbfounded. In matters beyond family law, the country’s administration held ultimate authority.If it was an update to the legislation, the order would not reach Lilyrose family court yet. It could only mean that the update was important and urgent. “The mandatory waiting period for filing a divorce was supposed to be introduced in the new year.” The employee added with a shocked look, “We got word from the administration that the rule will take effect right away.” “A mandatory waiting period? What is that?” Agnes and the others were stunned. “Mrs. Quint, in other words, we don’t process the filing of divorce right away anymore. They can file, but the divorce will only be finalized after a month.” While talking, Caesar stole a glance at Kaze. He could not read anything on Kaze’s face. However, Caesar had his suspicions that the new law came into effect ahead of time because of Kaze. Kaze’s words were the law, literally speaking.
The angry outburst did not come from Kaze. It was Darcy. She jolted to her feet and looked angrily at Kiev. “Kaze is right. Our divorce is none of your business.” Kiev’s jaw dropped in surprise. It never occurred to him that Darcy would yell at him for Kaze’s sake. She was rude for the first time too. Paying Kiev no attention, Darcy turned to Kaze in tears and smiled. She said, “In fact, I don’t need a waiting period. “I don’t need a month to reconsider my decision. I will never divorce Kaze.” Agnes panicked. “Are you trying to get us all killed, Darcy? Do you know who he messed with? How can you be so reckless?” “Just call me reckless, Mom. But I just want to follow my heart.” Darcy looked her mother in the eye and said determinedly, “Kaze is innocent. He knows it, I know it, and you all know it.“But why are we punishing him and pleading with the bad guy for mercy?” Faced with her daughter’s questioning, Agnes hung her head low and murmured, “But Leo will come
“That’s one competition out without breaking a sweat. This calls for a celebration.” Leo handed a wine glass to his subordinate. “Thank you, Leo.” The chauffeur took the glass and sipped before saying with a chuckle, “No need to find it a shame, Leo. Although Miru is dead, her best friend, Darcy, is quite the knockout too. “The woman hasn’t been with a man before even though she married the idiot.” Lust flickered across Leo’s eyes. Although Leo had never met Darcy, he had seen her photo. Darcy was hot, a different type of stunner to Miru. Seeing that Leo was interested, the chauffeur, eager to please him, said with a smile, “If you want to get the girl, now is the chance.“The woman will be yours if you threaten her with her idiot husband’s life.” “No need for that.” Leo waved his arm to refuse. With a grimacing look, he added, “Kaze is an accessory to my godfather’s murder. What will the key members of Lefteria Gang think of me if I let him off the hook just to sl
Minutes passed. “The nerve of you, Angel. Aren’t you worried I might just kill you?” Leo stared coldly at Angel, who sat across from him. It never occurred to him that Angel would infiltrate the Lefteria Tower before calling him. Angel seemed sure that Leo would agree to a meetup. He said with a smile, “If you want to avenge Alan and win over your people in Lefteria Gang, you should kill my king.“I am only the king’s lapdog, so what’s the point of killing me?” Leo said nothing. Angel had a point. If Cronus was standing before him, Leo would kill him without hesitation. By killing Cronus, Leo could gain control over Lefteria Gang with ease. Even Jeremiah might put aside his ego and aid him. Alas, Cronus was not there. Killing Angel would achieve nothing. Leo said curtly, “Don’t think I am an idiot, and fool me to kill Jeremiah. With him gone, your king would be the one benefiting from it all.” “You would have to kill either my king or Jeremiah, Leo. Otherwise
Master Quint led the family to Skylar View District. Darcy’s family was having lunch with Agatha’s family. Agatha knew trouble had come knocking on their door because Master Quint and the rest of the family were on a warpath. “What happened, Dad?” Hector asked. “What happened? Your son-in-law did it again.” Master Quint glared at his son and said sternly, “Lefteria Group demands that we hand Kaze over and send him to River Watcher Inn to his death.” The entire family lost their appetite for lunch. Darcy jumped in. “Don’t bother with them, Grandpa. So long as Kaze remains in Skylar View District, Lefteria Group won’t send anyone here to capture him.” Master Quint was aware that twenty assassins were executed at the gate of Skylar View District. “What’s the use of hiding? Kaze can take cover, but what about the rest of us?” Master Quint shouted angrily, “Lefteria Group said the Quints will have to take Kaze’s place if he doesn’t show up.” “It’s all your husband’s
Agnes could not do anything about the shameless behavior of Master Quint and the others. She was not in the mood to waste time with the group, so she headed straight upstairs. “I wasn’t joking, Kaze. I’m going with you to River Watcher Inn. We can face everything together,” on the second-floor balcony, Darcy grabbed Kaze’s arm and said to him earnestly. Darcy’s eyes were filled with tears. With his heart going out to her, Kaze reached out and wiped away her tears. He was lucky to have a wife like her. “Alright, we’ll go together. I want to show you what Leo has coming for him.” Others believed Kaze would not leave River Watcher Inn alive. However, only Kaze knew that he would turn out fine. Since Darcy wanted to go, he could take her along. She would be glad to see that karma would finally get to Leo. “Okay.” Darcy nodded. She sighed to herself. Kaze was too optimistic. They should expect the worst for tomorrow. “If you love Darcy, you shouldn’t put her at ris
“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
Even though Katie was the CEO of the Northborn Group, many eyed her position. There were too many vying to replace her. Without dedicating herself to her work, Katie risked falling from grace. Katie had been too eager to find success to give her daughter the best life. Leah could not understand the pain Katie had to go through. “I understand it now. I explained the nature of my relationship with Kaze to you, but you just wouldn’t get it.” Leah stubbornly expressed herself in hopes her mother would understand. “I just couldn’t get it through my head that you have grown up. You make an easy target since you just graduated and have not stepped into the real world.” Katie would not always be there for Leah. Hence, Katie did her best to get rid of potential danger. Her overprotectiveness triggered Leah’s defiance. It was Katie’s fault for not realizing it sooner. “I’m not angry with you. I didn’t understand a mother’s good intentions, but I understand now. I will listen to
Leah’s face beamed, but her mother’s words threw her into a daze. In the end, she tried to squeeze a smile to assure her mother. However, Leah could not muster a smile. Those days lingered with her like a recurring bad dream. Whenever she recalled the incident, she felt trapped in that nightmare again. Leah wanted to let those memories fade away, but she just could not do it. She would get startled awake late at night and trace the scars across her skin. During moments like this, she resented Perry. Leah was rather cheerful during the day as if the past was behind her. However, it was simply a way for her to escape the pain. By the way Leah was behaving, Katie instantly regretted the question. She should not have probed. Even if they avoided the elephant in the room, they could pretend like nothing ever happened. Nevertheless, the act of asking brought up unsettling times for Leah. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.” Katie gently held Leah, hoping to cast
When the ambulance door closed shut, Leah wailed once more. The reality of her rescue finally sank in, and she grasped that it was not just a dream. It was a pity that she did not have much time with Kaze. She longed to spend more time with him. “Don’t cry, young lady. You’ll get better soon enough. Don’t worry about the scars on your face. I can administer medicine to help you,” the doctor said while wiping her tears. “Thank you. I’m finally out of the hell hole.” Leah’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped in there forever. Kaze watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night. He then turned to face the villa. “Apprehend everybody in there. Perry should be punished for his crimes.” Kaze had not intended to go after the Duncans, but the family had crossed the line this time. Leah was an adorable and vulnerable woman. She was abused beyond recognition. It never occurred to Kaze that the Duncans could be so cruel. “Perry has passed out in there. Where should
With the secret out in the open, the housekeeper dropped his attitude. He pointed at the basement not too far away. “My employer is in there.” The housekeeper grimaced and kept his head down. Kaze laughed. Unaware of his impending doom, Perry was still living it up. It was absurd. Perry was playing with fire by hurting Leah. “About time you wise up.” Arthur smiled and patted the housekeeper’s face. He opened the door to the basement. Kaze walked to the bar counter and picked up the best bottle of champagne there. He fiddled with the bottle before carrying it to the basement. The other Viper’s Den members followed him. Kaze took a stride down the steps, to the basement. The noisy music was blasting before they reached the entry. Kaze was filled with a mix of emotions. Nevertheless, he said nothing. He opened the door and walked in. The light in the basement was bright, making everything perfectly clear. However, the people inside were not bothered by the
“You know him. It’s Perry Duncan, Leah’s ex-boyfriend.” Snow did not see the point of hiding the truth, so she laid everything out. “Leah must be feeling foul because she was unaware that she was being stalked. By the time she realized what was going on, she was taken into a vehicle. “We spotted the vehicle they departed in from the surveillance footage. They headed to the mountain up north.” Snow had a general idea of the location. “I got Arthur on the job. He’s putting up a team from the Viper’s Den.” Snow was uncertain of Kaze’s stance toward Leah, but now that she was made aware of the situation, the least she could do was help. Katie belonged to the Viper’s Den, so Snow was lending a hand to a friend in business. “Thank you. Please save my daughter.” Katie was nervous. The Viper’s Den was the people she could count on. “Arthur is good, but he’s slow. I’ll do it,” Kaze said. The whole thing was unrelated to him. Kaze was well within his right to stand on the si
Even so, Elsie was out to get Leah. Elsie could pick up on Perry’s delight when she took a swing at Leah. Poor Elsie was just trying to survive by catering to others. People like her learned to pick up social cues and read body language to please customers for money in return. Their income would double if their customers were happy. Leah was the obstacle. If the women could not get rid of her, they would lose their profit. They had no hard feelings for Leah, but they stood on opposing ends. “You should be fawning over Mr. Duncan, not begging me,” Elsie said while grabbing Leah’s hair to pull her up. Leah snatched Elsie’s wrist to try and break free. “Let me go. I never did anything to you.” Leah was no doormat. She did not want to cross these people or get involved with them. She still hoped that by waiting here, her prince would arrive to save her. However, all she got was a cruel beating, and she had enough. “This isn’t my fault. Blame Mr. Duncan for your cir