“Godfather?” Miru was the first to run up to the coffin and pulled Alan out of there with the help of a few founding members. “I’ll tell you later.” Alan nodded at Kaze. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hide in the coffin. The cover was sealed shut, and my people hadn’t opened it.” “Now that you’re out, you can sort out your own mess. All I want is an answer.” Miru and the others looked at Kaze suspiciously. They had many questions. Nevertheless, they got one thing straight. Kaze was not trying to destroy the coffin earlier. He was merely trying to release Alan. “Alan, you…” Angel pointed at Alan, looking like he had just seen a ghost. Alan said indifferently, “You must find it strange that I am back from the dead even though I was poisoned with Shadowbane Essence.” Angel fell silent, his expression telling. He could not figure it out. “Where are you, Mr. Anemo?” Alan suddenly shouted. An old man in a lab coat walked out of the crowd. “He’s the No. 1 doctor of t
“I took Mr. Anemo’s suggestion and rolled the dice.” Alan glanced at Leo, who was pale-faced, and said coldly, “I played along and let the traitor activate the poison in me. I was dead for a moment.“Mr. Anemo is worthy of his title as the No. 1 doctor in the South River State because he formulated a cure after figuring out the source of the trigger. “In the two days I lay in the coffin, my body expelled the toxin. I only regained consciousness this morning.” Alan’s brief narrative sparked conversation in the room. Charles lived up to his reputation. While Alan recounted the event, Charles was busy treating Jeremiah. Jeremiah, who lay unconscious seconds ago, jolted up. His chest rose and fell in ragged gasps, his throat raw as he groaned. “Blegh!” He spat out black blood which splashed on the tiles. Wisps of smoke rose from the pool of blood. The blood was the toxin of Shadowbane Essence. Charles used needle insertion therapy to force the toxin out of Jeremiah.
“No way. Is Rock the Blade Enthusiast afraid of Jeremiah? Did he just make up an excuse so that he didn’t have to go through the duel to the death?” A commotion ensued at River Watcher Inn. All stared at Jeremiah in reverence. The Sword Fanatic had retired from the underground scene for twenty years, but he beheaded Cronus’ best fighter in an instant upon his return. Even Rock the Blade Enthusiast, an equal in fighting prowess to Jeremiah, backed away. Jeremiah glanced at Kaze. The expression on Rock’s face before he left did not go unnoticed. Rock only left because he had reservations about Kaze. With Rock gone, it put Angel in an awkward spot. He wanted to slip away while no one was looking. However, Lefteria Group had eyes on him. He could not find a chance to slip out. “Hold it right there, Angel.” A clamor of angry voices erupted the moment Angel turned around. Angel shuddered and looked at Alan with a nod. He said, “Congratulations, Master Cummingham, for yo
The founding members of Lefteria Group saw Leo as one of their own. Miru was the outsider of an unknown past. Yet, Alan wanted to hand the reins to Miru. If they were Leo, they would not be able to accept Alan’s decision too. Leo simply went for a far more drastic extreme. Several founding members stepped forward to help Leo. “Leo is right, Alan. We practically raised him. He made a poor judgment because he was fooled by Cronus and Angel.” “That’s right, Alan. Cronus’ Shadowbane Essence caught you off guard too. Leo was probably drugged or poisoned, so he didn’t think clearly.” “We should give him a chance to turn over a new leaf.” The founding members gave Alan something to think about, and he hesitated. Leo’s father, Bando, died saving Alan’s life. That was the very reason why Alan took Leo in as his godson and raised him as his own. “I’ll spare your life because I owe your father one.” Alan waved his arm aloofly. “Thank you, Godfather.” Leo was overjoyed. H
Waves of criticism crashed down on Kaze.No one took Kaze seriously, and his requests were dismissed. These people believed Kaze was not worthy of their attention. So Lefteria Group pinned the blame on him by mistake. He was fortunate enough to be alive now that his innocence was proven. Kaze should be grateful. He was out of line to demand apologies. Ignoring the group, Kaze fixated his gaze on Alan. He then proposed a worse, crazier, and more moronic request. At least that was what everybody believed it to be. “Because you played along, I somehow got tangled in this and became your pawn, Alan.” Kaze’s voice was cold as he said, “Don’t you owe me an apology too?” Alan had explained that he had been unconscious for the last two days and only came back to life this morning. Still, Kaze knew that Alan must have known about Leo’s plans before he devised a plan with Charles to fake his death. In other words, Alan knew Kaze would be framed as the killer after his suppo
“Mr. Lee, you are overstating it. Let’s go to my office for tea and I’ll make it up to you with a gift,” Alan said respectfully. “I am not interested in your gifts.” Kaze shook his head. The others were annoyed by his arrogant attitude. “Kaze Lee, Master Cummingham once ruled the underworld as a kingpin, he’s not someone you should talk to in that tone.” “You are just a guy who married into a second-tier family! Someone who has no status or position at all!” “Master Cummingham is showing you enough respect just by talking to you. Don’t push it!” Kaze instantly became a common target. Miru strode over to him and scolded him in a low voice. “Kaze, my godfather is lowering himself to apologize to you! You better just accept it! If you continue to give him a hard time, even if my godfather is tolerant of you, what about the others? “Others might go after Darcy and her family just to flatter him because of what you did. Can you just save Darcy some trouble? Aunt Agnes woul
The voice sounded firm and steady but strangely, when it came from the entrance, it silenced the entire room. Everyone turned to the entrance. A small group of people, who were closest to the entrance, were horrified the moment they saw the person. The horror spread like cancer in the room. Even Alan, on the stage, was stunned for a moment before his body started shaking. Then, he bent over for a bow and spoke in a high-pitched voice due to the uncontrollable excitement. “C-Chief Commander Lang! Chief Commander Draco Lang! Sir!” The entire River Watcher Inn was filled with continuous noises of astonishment. The crowd bent over like a wave sweeping over them. Multiple pairs of eyes shot a glance of fear and reverence at Kaze. The retard son-in-law of the Quints called in the chief commander with just one phone call?! Who exactly was Kaze Lee? Even Alan had a few more peeks at Kaze. Kaze was indeed the chairman of Perfect World Group. Even the richest man in the c
“Miru?” Draco looked at the woman that he had no fond impressions of. The woman was self-righteous and always stood against his boss. Even though his boss did not take her seriously, he had always wanted to teach the woman a lesson for being rude to his boss. Unfortunately, Miru was Darcy’s good friend and he dared not offend his boss’ wife in any way. “Chief Commander Lang, I am Miru Scarlet,” Miru introduced herself confidently. Although Draco’s position refrained him from openly reprimanding Miru, he could not help but give her a few stern words so that she could behave better in the future. “Miru Scarlet, just because you are Albert’s cousin, it doesn’t mean you can look down on people. Albert and I are friends but if you continue to be rude, not even he can stop me from teaching you a lesson.” Miru was stunned. She did not understand the prejudice the chief commander had against her. She looked up for a better look at Draco. She somehow found him to be familiar a
“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