“Agnes, is this boy your future son-in-law? Come on, give the boy a break. Today is a happy day.” Agnes’ friends from abroad did not know that Kaze and Darcy had been married for years. Curious, they appraised Kaze, assuming he was Darcy's boyfriend, which explained their friendly tone. Agnes grunted and said, “Don’t simply assume. He has nothing to do with our family!” “Mrs. Quint! Congratulations! You look stunning today!” Ren, in his handsome suit, came over with a flattering smile. “Ren, you are too kind. I’m too old to be stunning.” Agnes welcomed Ren with a bright smile and even eagerness to hold his arm. “Agnes, is this your future son-in-law? You seemed to like him a lot.” Agnes’ friends looked at Ren as if the presentable and wealthy young man was Darcy’s real boyfriend. “He’s Ren, a kind boy. His family owns Lily Garden Hotel.” This time around, Agnes did not provide a clear answer, she simply introduced Ren to her friends without confirming his identity.
“You’ve been badmouthing him? Tell me, other than bluffing, what else can you do?” Agnes glared at Kaze. If she had not been concerned about exacerbating the situation and let her friends know that Kaze was her legitimate son-in-law, which was embarrassing, she would have thrown Kaze out. “Mrs. Quint, it’s okay. This is a party, you should be happy. Don’t let him affect your mood.” Ren took all the credit and became the good guy while painting Kaze as evil. Agnes accepted his advice and spared Kaze for now. “Ren, the banquet is starting soon. Why don’t you go up to the stage and give a speech for me? I’m not good at speeches, I don’t want to be the laughing stock.” Ren was first surprised, then he became delighted. Agnes wanted him to speak on behalf of the Quint family. The meaning behind the decision was self-explanatory. “Mom, Ren isn’t family, how can you let him give a speech on stage? It should either be me or Kaze.” Darcy got nervous. Agnes glared at her. “Sh
Buzz heard his men and then looked at Richard. “You fat fuck! How dare you patronize me with a lousy hall? Do you want to die? Give us the Ocean Hall!” The guests were horrified and got up instantly. “What’s wrong with Agnes for hosting a party at this kind of place? We are here just to eat yet someone is threatening us…” Some of the guests started to grumble. Agnes was embarrassed when she heard the guests. She did not expect this situation.She mustered her courage and went up to the gangsters. “Sir, we are having a housewarming party and we’ve spent a lot of money. Why don’t you go have your meal somewhere else…” Slap! Buzz slapped her to the ground. “Shut the fuck up! Piss off!” Agnes immediately crawled away. “Mom!” Darcy came over to help her mother and Kaze was behind her. He glared at Buzz and tried to help Agnes up. “Don’t touch me!” Agnes angrily pushed him away. She covered her face and turned to Ren, asking, “Ren, this is your hotel, can you do so
The guests were ready to dig in.“Are you people for real going to eat now? All of you—leave the Ocean Hall immediately!” Ren came back a different person and started chasing everyone out while stomping angrily. The guests put their cutleries back on the table. Agnes hesitantly asked, “Ren, what happened? I thought you got rid of the gangsters!” “I couldn’t! So you people have to leave now!” Ren said impatiently. He was frightened. He wanted the guests to leave and could not be bothered to be patient with Agnes. Agnes stared at him for a few seconds and realized he was not joking. “Let’s go, everyone. I am sorry for this. This party is a disaster. If I have another chance, I’ll make it up to everyone. I’m so sorry.” Agnes apologized to her guests with tears rolling down her cheeks. The guests got up, feeling helpless and confused. They were here for the party but got chased out before they ate anything. “Mom, the party continues. We don’t need to leave.” Kaze sto
Oh? Kaze was amused by Gold Tooth’s reaction. “So, you’re saying that with all that meat and fat on you, you’re still empty?” “Master Lee, if you don’t mind, I can give you all my meat and fat. I dare not defy you. I will do whatever you want me to do.” Gold Tooth was delighted. It might be a good thing if he could serve Kaze. “You are not worthy.” Kaze knew exactly what the man was thinking. He shook his head and said, “Leave something and you can walk away.” He sized up the fat man from top to bottom. Gold Tooth was shaking but he dared not defy Kaze. “Master Lee, name whatever you want. Even if it's my arm or leg, I’ll give it to you!” “Today is an auspicious day, I don’t want bloodshed. How about getting rid of your shining gold teeth? It’s annoying,” Kaze said. “Huh?” Little did Gold Tooth expect Kaze to have him extract his signature golden teeth. The pair of golden teeth had become his trademark in the gang. “Yes, of course, Master Lee!” He clenched his t
Jack Joestar was Ren’s father, the second-generation leader of the Joestar family. “You idiot, how dare you say that about my father?!” Ren glared at Kaze when he heard Kaze calling his father by name. Agnes was also agitated. “Kaze, mind your words! What do you mean he’s not worthy? Darcy is younger than Mr. Joestar, so how is he unworthy to receive her toast?” Kaze shook his head helplessly when he saw Agnes trying to argue again. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have.” If Agnes’ enjoyment was not Kaze’s priority, he would have called Jack immediately and asked him to apologize. “You spineless coward!” Ren sneered right after Kaze surrendered to Agnes. He ignored Kaze and continued to flatter Agnes. He could tell that Agnes was in charge of the family, not even Hector had a say in anything. If Agnes viewed him as her son-in-law, then Darcy would have to divorce Kaze and he would be able to marry Darcy soon. No matter what Darcy said to refuse him, her mother would force her
Ren was delighted when he saw Darcy raise the toast. He knew Darcy had no intention to do so but she would comply if Agnes ordered her to. His plan of flattering Agnes worked perfectly. If he could manage the narrow-sighted stupid woman, she would then send her daughter to his bed. He poured a glass of wine for his father but then he realized his father was petrified. “Father, Darcy is raising a toast to you, what are you thinking?” “Huh?” Jack recovered his composure and saw the glass Ren gave him. The glass of wine was like a burning piece of coal and he immediately let go of it. Crank! The glass fell and shattered on the floor. Agnes was shocked. She thought Jack was unhappy with her daughter’s actions, so she shouted, “Darcy, what are you doing? I asked you to toast to Mr. Joestar and look what you made him do. Go get another glass for Mr. Joestar!” Jack was terrified. He knew Agnes had misunderstood him. “No, no! NO! Stop, don’t offer any toast!” The more h
Jack, who was already mortified, turned pale when he heard his son call Agnes a stupid woman. The little bastard was trying to get him killed! Slap! He got up immediately and slapped Ren in the face. Ren cried painfully and covered his face. “Father, why did you slap me!?” “I don’t just want to slap you, I want to strangle you! You little bastard!” Jack punched and kicked Ren mercilessly. Ren curled up like a shrimp while being beaten up by his father. His face was swollen after a few punches. “You little bastard! Kneel!” Jack dragged Ren over to Agnes and kicked his son behind his knees, forcing him to kneel. “Apologize to Mrs. Quint! Tell her what you did and be honest!” “What? What did I do?” Ren refused to submit. Jack was furious. He slapped his son again and shouted, “Tell her why you ordered Manager Brent to throw her on the street yesterday!” Agnes was stunned for a few seconds before she realized what Jack was referring to. “Ren, you were the one wh
“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