“Don’t hit my mom!” It was dead silent at the entrance of Dynasty Hotel. The crowd froze as if time had stopped. Only Brenda’s heart-wrenching cries pierced through the air. “Don’t cry, Brenda. No one can hit your mother on my watch.” A tender voice belonging to a man rang in the girl’s ear. Brenda felt a gentle stroke on her head. She opened her tearful eyes and saw Kaze before her. “Godfather!” She exclaimed with joy before whining to him, “A mean lady is trying to hit Mom!” “It’s okay, Brenda. I punished the mean woman,” Kaze said with a smile. He glanced at the woman on the ground with her hand over her cheek. Woah! Only then did the stunned onlookers seem to come to life. The scene erupted into chaos.They stared at Lyn who had collapsed to the ground. The high and mighty woman threatened to slap Winnie. Now, she lay on the ground with a swollen cheek. One of her heels fell yards away. Lyn looked like a mess. A figure jumped in when Lyn trie
“Bastard! You don’t even have the guts to say your name. “Don’t think for a second you can hide because you withhold your name. Once I find out, I’ll kill you!” Lyn glared at Kaze and gnashed her teeth. The onlookers kept mum about Kaze’s identity. They refused to tell Lyn his name and there was nothing she could do about it. “You don’t have to know my name to kill me.” By then, Kaze had learned the whole story. He glanced at Lynn. “You’re just a lapdog if you need to know who I am to kill me. You only bully the weak.”The crowd knew Darcy’s loser husband could fight, but they did not know he had a mouth on him too. “How dare you call me a lapdog!” Lyn went ballistic. “Shut up if you’re too scared to kill me.” Paying her no attention, Kaze pointed at Juno. “Did you knock my goddaughter over?” “What? Are you trying to scam me for money?” With a raised brow, Juno said curtly, “Well, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” “I’m not scamming you for money.” Kaze a
“Chrysant’s belle, my ass. My wife’s prettier.” It was dead silent at the entrance of Dynasty Hotel. Kaze’s words lingered in everybody’s mind. Yume was the princess of the Vinlands and the most beautiful woman in Chrysant. Yet, Kaze called bullshit on it. That was not the only thing. It never occurred to anybody that he would slap Yume in the face. Kaze got right down to it. The fact that Yume was a woman did not stop him. How could he hit a delicate woman? The crowd stared at the red handprint on Yume’s cheek. They felt bad for her. “How dare you hit me!” Yume lost her cool. She stared savagely at Kaze. Everybody could read the fury in her voice. Kaze had enraged the Vinlands’ princess. “I mean, she was asking for it, but the idiot is done for. No one can save him after the stunt he pulled.” “He won’t be charged for assault, but the Vinlands have a million ways to make him suffer.” “Yeah. No one can face the wrath of the Vinlands.” Many gave Ka
“Call the security officers. I want him to regret this day for the rest of his life!” Yume hissed through clenched teeth. Her voice was chilling. She was on the edge of losing it. As the princess of her family, she was loved and favored. Even the older members of the family would not raise their voices at her, much less hit her. Yet today, Kaze slapped her in public. She had never been so humiliated. Many turned pale, startled by her remark. They could read the resentment in Yume’s tone of voice. The threat was directed at Kaze. Instead of shivering in fear, Kaze approached Yume with a smile. “Before that happens, should I hit you a few more times?” Everybody gasped sharply. The idiot knew no boundaries. “Go to hell!” Yume gnashed her teeth and slinked back. “We should just go, Yume. I heard that the man is crazy, so we can’t charge him for assault. We’ll sort him out later. There’s no need for us to get into it with him now. Let’s not give anybody somet
“I had the rainbow snow cone, Godfather. It was delicious. Do you want one too?” Brenda asked innocently. Her hands were still over her eyes. “Hear that? My goddaughter wants a rainbow snow cone.” Kaze stepped on the hundred-dollar bill and pushed it toward Juno. “Buy one. You can leave after you get the ice cream.” Juno’s head was still spinning from the slap. The crowd thought Juno would make Kaze pay. To their surprise, Juno grabbed the hundred-dollar bill and staggered to his feet. The onlookers gave way to him. They believed Kaze knew how to hit where it hurt the most. Kaze made Juno buy ice cream for the child. The young man must feel too proud to carry out Kaze’s request. It was true that Juno found it beneath him to do so. He intended to walk out and never come back.“If you slip away, I’ll give each of your friends a slap, and that includes Yume,” reading his thoughts, Kaze said indifferently. Yume and the others gritted their teeth and glared at Kaz
Samus spoke aloud. His voice drew the attention of the guests in the venue hall. The guests made strange faces. The former Quints’ collective pleas to change their last name had made them the biggest joke in Lilyrose. Speaking of which, some criticized the former Quints forgetting their roots while others sneered at them in disdain. The former Quints were losing their backbone. They represented the Vinlands in attending to the guests. As a show of respect, the attendees did not say a word about the last name change. However, Samus grilled Darcy’s family in public for not changing their last name. “How could you turn your back on your family lineage, Vinland? How could you be proud of that?“You should thank Darcy. At least, she will carry on the bloodline.” Amid the crowd, an individual taunted the former Quints to stand up for Darcy’s family. The individual used Samus’ new last name to tick him off. “Hahaha!” The air broke out in laughter. Samus and the ot
“Hahaha!” The guests laughed out loud. They had not realized before, but Darcy’s loser husband had quite the mouth on him. The attendees who had witnessed the earlier drama outside the hotel were not surprised, though. “Shut up, Kaze!”“I’m going to kill you!” Samus and his family went ballistic. “Don’t waste your breath on him.” A sneer was heard. Logan swaggered his way in and glared at Darcy’s family. “You can get out since you won’t change your last name. Don’t bother attending the party. “Call the security, Samus. Throw them out,” he said in a chilling voice. “That’s right. Kick them out! They are getting themselves humiliated in public.” The rest of the former Quint family members resented Darcy, so they started clamoring. Darcy’s family turned pale with rage. The former Quints had no compassion for them at all. Although Kaze did not care about some party, he did not want to see his wife’s family kicked out. He said curtly, “The Vinlands formally inv
Following the security officer’s reaction, the attendees in the hall looked at Kaze in surprise.They had no idea what was with Darcy’s dimwit husband. Kaze managed to instill fear in the terrifying security personnel. “You must think highly of yourself, Kaze. They recognize you because you’re the village idiot of Lilyrose,” Samus sneered. He waved his arm. “Don’t just stand there. I’m ordering you as a member of the Vinland family to beat the idiot up and throw him out. Don’t forget to toss his wife’s family out too.” “Are you taking orders from him?” Kaze looked at the security officers with a pretentious smile. “Mr. Lee, um…” The security guards were dumbfounded. Cold sweat rolled off their foreheads. The attendees stared at Kaze in horror. Even Darcy was in disbelief. Samus was issuing a command in the name of the Vinlands. However, these security personnel dared not carry out his order.They had to wonder if Kaze possessed something more fearsome than the
Kaze narrowed his eyes at the woman and drew close. “You’re a member of the South River Quints. Should you stand by your leader instead of stirring the pot and causing the scene? “Does family even mean anything to you? “Are you defying the family? “Who are you to disrespect Madam Quint and the family?” The woman staggered back with each question, her face draining of color.“I… You…” Flustered, she glared at Kaze. Still, she was at a loss in the face of Kaze’s questioning. “I assure you, Madam Quint. My daughter, Joan, doesn’t mean any disrespect.” A grizzled-haired middle-aged man with glasses came forward with an ashen face. “She was just trying to defend your honor, Madam Quint. She’s upset because someone disrespected you and arrived late.” This person was manipulative. While sticking up for his daughter, he also took the opportunity to belittle Darcy. “Doesn’t mean any disrespect?” Kaze snapped back, “Madam Quint hasn’t said a thing, but a nobody came out
It appeared Kaze and Darcy were not the only ones who got their hands on the special pass straight to the hangar. Five groups stood in close proximity, yet a clear divide was evident between them.Interestingly, that was as many branches as the Quints had in Ridgesouth.The smallest cluster belonged to Hector, Agnes, and Sky. They kept their heads down, hiding their distress. It looked like they were insulted. As Darcy and Kaze got out of the car, all eyes turned to them, and many sneered. “Can you even drive, Kaze? Look at the time! Are you expecting Madam Quint to wait for you? You have the nerve to show your face when you’re already late!” Agnes tore into Kaze. She threw Kaze under the bus in hopes of deflecting Phoenix’s anger from Darcy. Having seen through Agnes, Kaze did not make a fuss and explained, “Sorry, when we received word, Madam Quint’s plane was touching down in half an hour. “What? Are you blaming us for informing you late?” A tall and pretty woman
With Sasha putting the blame on herself, Kaze shook his head. He was not pointing fingers. “You can accept the pay from Herbal Spring.” Kaze said, “You’re not living at Herbal Spring for free. Your aunt is paying for you. Once you get into college, you can make more money to repay her.”“Really?” Sasha was skeptical. Besides boarding and lodging at Herbal Spring, Sasha was also taking medicine for her health. After working there for a while, Sasha had a general idea of things. Sasha’s medicine was expensive, and the medical bill was beyond the budget of most families. Kaze said, “You can ask Darcy if you don’t believe me. Your aunt even asked me if she had paid enough money when I was heading out this morning.” Despite knowing it was a lie, Darcy nodded. “Sasha, Kaze is right. Don’t feel burdened.” Sasha was naïve and gullible. Darcy’s statement gave Sasha the push. Since Kaze and Darcy were rich, Sasha assumed that her aunt must earn a lot. Her aunt could afford
Everett understood that Kaze would make a big deal out of the Golden Road at tomorrow’s auction. Of course, it was none of Everett’s business. He had no qualms about turning his back on Aiden. As one of the four underworld kingpins, Everett would give the Krads their due respect, but he did not owe Aiden anything. Aiden was an individual. He did not represent the Krads as a whole. “So that’s decided.” Kaze then said, “That reminds me. Have your people pick out a nice bracelet. I’m looking at the five-hundred-thousand-dollar range.”“Oh, consider it a gift from me. Just inform Marilyn.” Everett was quick to offer a gift. Kaze did not appreciate the gesture though. Everett was a cunning man. His generosity may seem like an olive branch. However, Kaze knew that given the chance, Everett would make him pay. Everett would never have the chance though. Kaze would fight back, and the consequences could be fatal. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint, are you happy with this bracelet
“I reckon that the stone might be important to someone within the Krads.“Aiden volunteered to take care of the business in Riverbank and go up against your wife. He’s not just here to suck up to his chief commander brother but to prove to the Krads that he’s better than the rest of the competition.“If he can gain that somebody’s favor, this can be bigger than his achievements in business.” Everett adopted the requirement analysis. Though Everett had no idea why the Golden Toad was important to the Krads, he understood Aiden’s needs. By grasping an individual’s core requirement, he was able to deduce something that was closer to the truth. “Has Aiden lost his head?” Kaze uttered in confusion, “He could’ve just gotten the thing from you at a better rate. Why is he getting to buy it from an auction?” Everett mentioned that the Golden Toad was worth tens of millions of dollars, but no more than a hundred million dollars. Aiden could have made a private deal with Everett.
“You can take a closer look at our mall’s prized possession.” Marilyn was adorned in a golden ray, giving off an almost saintly vibe. Kaze brought Darcy and Sasha forward for a good look. Encased within the vacuum-sealed glass display was an emerald gemstone the size of a fist.The gemstone was crafted in the shape of a toad, and it was remarkably lifelike. The jewel displayed no visible imperfection to the naked eye. Kaze, Darcy, and Sasha could not tell what was special about the gemstone other than its shape and purity. “What’s the story about this crown jewel?” Kaze asked. Marilyn shook her head. She was unsure why the gemstone was considered a prized possession. Darcy grabbed Sasha’s arm and asked with concern, “What’s the matter, Sasha? Are you unwell?” “I-I feel a burning sensation on my back.” Sasha looked at Kaze in agony. She knew that Kaze had a better understanding of her well-being. Kaze approached Sasha from behind and gently pulled down her back coll
“I’d like to hear from you, Kaze.” Everett was interested in knowing what Kaze was after. Kaze glanced around the mall, and a thought came to him. “You know what. You have quite a nice antique collection in Marlboro, Gem City. How about that in exchange for your son’s life?” Everett felt his heart sinking. Even with Duncan’s life at stake, he could not stop the fury from building. “You’re asking for too much, Lee!” Gem City? Gem City was worth ten billion dollars at the very least. Kaze had the audacity to ask for Marlboro. “Mr. Techman, please mind your attitude.” Kaze said indifferently, “You panicked when I talked about Marlboro. I guess your son’s life doesn’t compare to Gem City. “I didn’t think you’d choose assets over family, Mr. Techman.”Everett ignored Kaze’s taunting. Once his head cooled down, Everett figured that Kaze raised the stakes just to stay in the bargaining game. That was why Kaze rejected his first two proposals. Everett believed that Kaze w
Everett was skeptical that Kaze would kill Duncan in broad daylight. As an underworld kingpin, Everett understood that Kaze had ways to make Duncan pay. After much contemplation, Everett said, “Here’s the thing, Kaze. I’ll pay you 20 million dollars for the trouble today and yesterday.” “20 million dollars? Are you kidding me, Mr. Techman?” Kaze glanced at Darcy before walking a short distance away with the phone in hand. He said emotionlessly, “Since you’re helping Aiden to go against me, you should know that he wants my wife out of the competition. He established some billion-dollar barrier to stop her.“You might not be aware but Jiro Sakamoto, a Ryokanian of the Refined Blade, died yesterday, and Reiko of the same organization gave me a villa worth hundreds of millions of dollars right away. “If you think that your son’s life is worth 20 million dollars, I can pay you that money and kill him.” Everett was lost for words. He quickly picked up on the message Kaze had s
“What do you want?” The call quickly connected, and Everett’s annoyed voice came on. Everett never had the patience for his airhead of a son. Due to Duncan’s recent involvement with Kaze, Everett was humiliated, and he still had not let things go. Duncan looked at Kaze, and the latter took the phone and said indifferently, “How are you, Mr. Techman?” “Who are you? Wait, Kaze?” On the other end of the line, Everett was flustered. However, his experience dealing with challenges anchored him down, and he said curtly, “Why do you have Duncan’s phone, Kaze?” “You should ask your son what he did.” Kaze took the phone away from his ear and gestured for Duncan to talk. “Dad, this is on me…” Duncan sobbingly recounted the whole thing. “Bastard!” Everett blew up. “Why did you get involved? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” Everett came down hard on Duncan. However, Kaze frustratedly interrupted them. “That’s enough, Mr. Techman. Don’t play dumb.“I don’t care if you kne