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
“You knew?” Agnes looked at Kaze. “Mom, Ren made a love confession to Darcy yesterday afternoon, but Darcy rejected him. After I discovered what happened to you later at night, I knew Ren approached you just to get closer to Darcy.” Kaze felt relieved now that the misunderstanding had been cleared. “Kaze, you’re so smart!” Darcy praised him. She felt aggrieved when her mother blamed Kaze for everything. Now that Kaze had done something commendable, she wanted him to receive the credit. This way, her mother would take her husband seriously and not dismiss him as a boastful and useless man. “It’s just quick wit, it’s nothing special.” Agnes glared at Kaze coldly and said, “Kaze, how could you be such a coward? You knew the truth but didn’t expose that bastard! You just stood there and watched your wife suffer.” Darcy found Agnes’ words to be inappropriate. “Mom, it was you who sided with Ren and made me do it, Kaze had nothing to do with this.” Agnes was left embarrasse
Gold Tooth was honest about who made him extract his own golden teeth. It was not embarrassing if it was Kaze, he even felt proud about it. “Master Lee? Who is this Master Lee? I’d like to meet him.” Dan was intrigued. Gold Tooth recalled the terrifying encounter and said, “Dan, if you don’t want to get yourself killed, don’t even go near him.” Dan’s expression shifted and grunted unwillingly. He used his vicious fists to rise in the ranks and made himself known in Lilyrose City. He was not afraid of anyone when it came to being ruthless. “Gold Tooth, I think you overestimated that son-in-law of the Quint family. Master Lee? I think he’s just a useless garbage who loves to brag,” Roger said as he walked into the room with several of his men. “Mr. Hilfinger? You know Master Lee as well?” Dan and the others were intrigued by Roger’s words. Gold Tooth grunted and sneered, “Not only that, his son went after Master Lee’s wife and got castrated!” Roger was infuriated wh
After giving her order calmly, Darcy closed her eyes and leaned back on the chair. She rubbed her swelling temples. Having no idea what the protestors wanted yet, she was anxious. Kaze frowned while driving. Soon, they arrived at the construction site of Passion Fragrance District. The main entrance was blocked and the car could not go in. Kaze was forced to stop the car. “I’ll go have a look.” Darcy got out of the car. Kaze shot a glance at the two Tiger Fangs soldiers, signaling them to temporarily stop following her. He then called Draco. “Bring the Tiger Fangs to Passion Fragrance District construction site,” he said as he stared at the protestors at the main entrance. “I am the COO of Quintessential Group, Darcy Quint. I am in charge of this site, let me go in and talk to my employees. I will come out with a satisfying answer,” Darcy shouted when she arrived before the protestors. The protestors immediately surrounded her when they heard her. “Let her in, s
Ben got an idea. He grinned as he made his way to the old lady and the girl. He seized the moment and kicked the girl to the ground before shouting, “They hit us! The security guards kicked the girl!” The agitated crowd got tumultuous upon hearing his shout and started to push forward. Right before the stampede crushed the little girl, someone shouted, “MOVE!” The thunderous roar stunned everyone on the spot. Kaze saw the frightening scene right as he came down from the car earlier. He shuttled across the crowd to carry the crying little girl up. “You are the girl’s grandmother? Don’t bring children to a protest. What if something happens to her?” he said coldly to the old lady. The girl cried louder. “She’s not my grandmother, she’s fake! I want my real grandmother!” “You little wrench! Are you trying to get me in trouble!?” The old lady was startled and quickly scuttled away from the crowd. Kaze was surprised. A human trafficker was among the protesters?“It’
The crowd thought it was the end of the world with the noise and tremors. They all turned around to see what was happening. A dozen armed vehicles appeared and were approaching them. The rumbling growls were from the tracks moving across the asphalt road. They were like iron waves crashing forward with indomitable might. The grand and majestic scene was indescribable by words. The arrogant Manny and his men were frightened and speechless. The armed vehicles stopped right in front of the protestors. Everything went silent as if the world stopped spinning. The hatch opened and soldiers armed with loaded guns came out. A formation of a thousand soldiers immediately took place and their camouflage outfit painted the area in the same color. “W-Who called them?” “Are they here for us?” Manny and his men were mortified. They stared at the scene blankly and dared not move a muscle. Then, a man emerged from the formation. The military uniform bestowed him a sense of di
“My name is Brenda White.” The girl showed no fear of Kaze as she looked at him with her crystal-clear eyes. After the trucks carrying the construction materials entered the site, the Tiger Fangs retreated. Darcy finally felt relieved. “Ms. Quint, I got a video of what happened just now. Your husband really did save the girl.” The project manager, Andy, came over with a tablet. Darcy had a look at the security footage and was silenced. Kaze then came over with Brenda. “I’m sorry, Kaze. I misunderstood you. If not for you, something terrible might happen to the girl and we would be in deep trouble.” Darcy apologized to Kaze. She could not even imagine how dire it would be if the girl were hurt or killed. The gangsters were ruthless. They went after a six-year-old without any qualms. “Miss, you are beautiful. Are you Kaze’s girlfriend?” Brenda asked. “She’s my wife,” Kaze said with a smile. Darcy felt better knowing that Kaze did not mind what happened. “Brend
“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