“Come on. I’ll give you a tour of the military base. I made a formal request, so you won’t be arrested over it.” Draco patted Sky’s head. He warmed up to Sky because of the latter’s relationship with Kaze. Sky was now a younger brother to Draco. “Thank you, Draco, for saving us.” Sky was relieved, but a wave of anxiety quickly washed over him. “What about Kaze, Draco? Did he commit a serious offense?” “I doubt he has done anything,” Draco replied peevishly. Rose asked, “Why did the disciplinary commission approach him?” “They just want to get an understanding of the situation,” Draco murmured randomly. “So Kaze blew the whistle on all of us. That’s why we were arrested!” Landon’s eyes bulged. Draco glared at him. “Show some respect to Kaze or I’ll hit you.” Out of the three kids, Landon was the most annoying. Landon turned pale and kept to himself. Sky said, “Oh, I get it. Kaze reported those people from affluent families to get them arrested, so they can’
“I say when it’s over. I’m going to make the bastard who hit me pay.” “I am Zephyr Garland, the son of the South River State’s governor. You have a lot to answer for after beating me up,” one of the young men clamored. Despite his upbringing in politics, Zephyr made a threat. He was equally punished like the rest of the group. As a known gentleman in the South River State, he had never been so insulted. Kaze said indifferently, “Zephyr, should I call your dad to pick you up?” “Who do you think you are? My dad is too busy to take time out of his day to deal with this. I demand an apology from Draco now.” Zephyr looked at Kaze in disdain. Like Draco, Loid was a regional commander. Loid ran the state while Draco oversaw the military. They were not in the same administration. It was challenging to ascertain who held the higher rank.“Did you take part in the selection, Hank?” Harry yelled toward the office door. He saw Hank entering the disciplinary commission bure
“Kaze, you are a vile man!” “Doomsday is ahead of you, Kaze. The Duncans will make you pay. It’s not over between us either. It’s too late to grovel and beg for forgiveness now.” Even though Hank was a rival in love, the group of wealthy youngsters felt bad for his predicament. They hated Kaze’s guts.“Your families can come after me with everything they have.” Kaze shook his head, unbothered to waste his time on these idiots. He waved his arm at the member of the disciplinary commission. “Put them behind bars since they don’t want to leave. They can go, but their fathers have to bail them out.” He then took off. “Who do you think you are, Kaze? I’ll be released when my dad makes the call to Draco.” Zephyr was livid. The others were the same. They believed Kaze was humiliating them intentionally. With that, the group made up their mind to get even with him once they got out. Kaze left the disciplinary commission bureau and met up with Draco who was taking Sky, Ro
Kaze looked at the group who were pushing Shangrila Group employees out. He said curtly, “Tell these people to stop and leave right now.” “You’re a loser, Kaze. Who are you to tell me to leave?” Winston grimaced. Smack!Kaze hit him to the ground. “Is the slap good enough for you?” “You!”Winston cried out in pain and glared at Kaze with his hand over his cheek. In the end, he got scared. “Come on!” He got up from the ground and beckoned to his men to leave. Before leaving, he turned around and put his finger up Kaze’s nose. “Just you wait. Once these young masters are back, I’ll crush you.” “Get lost,” Kaze responded. Winston scoffed resentfully and stormed off. Relieved, Winnie said, “We wanted to review the financial statements, but Winston won’t let us. I suspect we might have a problem.” “It’s okay. Go on and make the necessary reviews. The lapdog will be back.” Kaze knew Winston would not back down, but the latter was no threat. Winnie nodded and l
Winston arrived outside the conference room and saw Kaze sitting on the chair in the middle with his legs crossed. He was smoking and fiddling with his phone away. Thud! Winston kicked the door and shouted, “Kaze, the father of the young masters are here. You better get up and grovel now.” He glared at Kaze cockily. Winston failed to notice the discoloration of the group’s faces in the back. Lifting his chin, Kaze looked over. “Oh, I see,” Kaze responded nonchalantly before turning his focus back on his phone. “The nerve of you, Kaze.” Winston’s eyes bulged. “The governor is here, and so are the heads of many prominent families. Why are you still seated—” “Can you shut up?” Suddenly, Loid’s chilling voice came from the back. Winston shuddered. He wanted to slap himself. It was not Winston’s place to talk in the governor’s presence. “I’m sorry, Governor…” He scooted to the side and apologized embarrassedly. Without looking at Winston, Loid took strides to K
Kaze did not want unnecessary trouble. Now that the group knew of his residence in Lilyrose, they might pop by for a visit. When his cover was nearly blown, the Quints could sell a seat for millions. The likelihood of the group approaching to befriend Kaze was high. Hence, Kaze put the word out there. “Don’t worry, Sir. Mum’s the word,” Loid said with a nod. Shocked, the other family heads swore up and down that they would breathe a word about him. Thump! Once Loid and his party were gone, Winston fell to his knees. He sprawled across the floor and crawled to Kaze on his knees. “I was wrong, Kaze. I should’ve known better. I was a snob. I deserved to be punished,” Winston wailed while slapping his own face. The loud commotion startled Winnie and the others. They came over to the office and caught sight of the unbelievable scene. Shangrila Group employees, Winnie included, widened their eyes. What was going on? A minute ago, Winston was cocky and vowed to crush
Out of the dozen young masters, Harry was most persistent in pursuing Yume. He was most earnest and eager to seek justice for Yume in Lilyrose. Knowing how Harry felt, Yume took Harry’s affection for granted. She never minced her words in Harry’s presence. Once the call connected, she grilled him gruesomely. Her group of suitors left Lilyrose without informing her. “I have a family emergency. I need to get home quickly, Yume.” Harry was in the car, on his way back to Takeno City. Yume was not having it. “What can be more important than standing up for me and finishing Kaze off?” “I really do have an emergency, Yume. A word of advice—you should stay away from the Go… Kaze.” Harry gave her the heads-up. Now that Harry knew who Kaze was, there was no chance Yume could get even with him. “What’s the meaning of this, Harry? Kaze slapped me right in front of you! I can’t believe you would take his side,” Yume shrieked angrily. Harry uttered, “Don’t say that about him. H
“I want the bastard’s wife to kneel and grovel before me,” Yume said coldly as rage consumed her. Even Lyn and the others shuddered in fear. They had never seen Yume hold such a huge grudge against an individual. “Yume, Darcy’s the chairwoman of two major corporations. I heard that your father values her talent. He wants her to embrace the Vinlands and take care of your family business in the future. Aren’t you afraid that you might tick your father off?” Juno said worriedly. Although they were friends with Yume, Hudson appeared intimidating to them. Even their fathers trembled in the presence of Hudson. “My dad’s just lying to her.” Yume scoffed and revealed the truth. “My dad wants to trick Darcy into changing her last name. Once she becomes a Vinland, she would have to hand over her assets, and we will gain control over her.” Juno and the others felt chills down their spines. Hudson was long known for his scheming, but Yume’s minions were witnessing it for the fi
As the air crackled with deadly intent, Draig’s heart pounded with dread. He was horrified that the Viper’s Den members were just as strong, if not stronger than him. Draig had no idea that these members were Viper’s Den South River State Branch’s key players. They were the elites of the elites in the South River State. “Easy there, gentlemen. Mr. Tenby is from abroad. He doesn’t know the rules of Arcadia. Please cut him some slack.” With Draig caught in a spot, Cyan came to the rescue. Since Cyan was nice about it, the leader of the pack scoffed and waved his arm. His companions quickly put away their weapons. “I don’t care where you came from, but you need to keep to the Arcadian rules since you’re here. You don’t get special favors here.” The leader stared at Draig and said icily, “This should not happen again. Now, get lost!” Draig burned with rage. The people, except for Kaze, had been bending over backward for Draig since his arrival in Arcadia. To think he
The Viper’s Den members yelled at Draig while pulling out their weapons. The air was thick with tension. Draig knew that it was not wise of him to fight during Hannah’s celebration. The Viper’s Den members would not stand by and let the commotion stew. Draig was caught between a rock and a hard place. By throwing the punch, he would be at odds with the Viper’s Den, but he could not turn the other cheek on the matter. “Just forget it, Mr. Tenby. Don’t get into it with a dropped loser. You’re only insulting yourself.” Cyan gave Draig an out. Draig retrieved his arm and scoffed. “Consider yourself lucky, Kaze.” A shadow of regret fleeted across Kaze’s eyes. If Draig were to start a fight, Kaze would have reason to finish him off and get rid of the annoyance. It was a shame that the Viper’s Den members stopped anything from happening. Cyan criticized, “Mr. Tenby is only looking out for you, Kaze. Yet, you stomped on his car key. You went too far. Hurry up and apologiz
“Nevermind. Why are we wasting our time with the likes of him? We don’t belong in the same world anyway.” Draig waved his arm. “Come on. Let’s get inside.” Dumping his car on the side of the road, Draig led Cyan and her friends into Bronze Sparrow. “Huh? How did Kaze get in? Can he get in?” one influencer exclaimed. The crowd watched in shock as Kaze stepped through the door. “Branch Leader!” The members of the Viper’s Den South River State Branch perked up when Kaze showed up. They, Hannah’s trusted aides, knew who Kaze was. Kaze acknowledged the greeting. “Is everybody here?” The head of the pack said in respect, “Many guests have arrived. Ms. Delmore and Mr. Ettinger will be here once they are done with work. Should I inform them to keep you company, sir?” “No, I’ll sit and wait.” Kaze waved his arm and made his way inside. “Hold it right there, Kaze!” Cyan’s angry voice came from behind. “Are you aware of the event at Bronze Sparrow? Do you know who the
“Kaze, I heard that your wife dumped your ass. Are you pinching pennies now? “You had a fancy car and a beautiful lady by your side just a couple of days ago, and now, you’re riding a bike.“I guess you want to do more than just a valet service.” Draig pulled out more cash to give to Kaze. “You can get my car washed too.“I’ll give you another twenty bucks. The money should be enough for you to get fried chicken or something for lunch.”“Hahaha!”Cyan and her friends laughed out loud. Twenty bucks for a fried chicken. That kind of life seemed far away for these people. Cyan suddenly scowled. “I’m warning you, Kaze. My family will not take pity on you just because your wife kicked you out.“Don’t try to leech off my family.” Cyan thought Kaze was so alpha at Emerald Bull Palace two days ago. The mayor was Kaze’s backing, and Juan was his apprentice. Yet now, Kaze was divorced and kicked out. It meant one thing. If Kaze was indeed badass, Darcy, who knew and love
Sucking up to Cyan, the influencers offered her words of comfort. Though Cyan did not have an invitation, she was close with Draig. The influencers could attend the event through Draig with Cyan’s help. Despite having other thoughts, the influencers knew better than to put Cyan down. A Mercedes G-wagon pulled up by the road. The car door opened, and Draig jumped out. He took off his sunglasses and said with a smile, “Why aren’t you going in, Cyan?” Cyan replied with a grin, “We don’t have an invite, Mr. Tenby. We’re waiting for you to take us in.“Oh, where’s your invite, Mr. Tenby?” She was confused as Draig did not seem to be holding anything. “An invite? It’s just a party for Hannah. You don’t need an invitation card.” Draig smiled confidently. “My name is basically our pass into the place. You can just say that you’re with me.” “Wow! You’re the man, Mr. Tenby.” “Mr. Tenby is so badass. You are total boyfriend material.” The influencers drooled over Draig, a
The influencers dropped their jaws in shock and looked at Cyan enviously. “Oh, my gawd! Marrying the branch leader is your gateway to super fame.” “Is it true, Cyan? Really?” The influencers hounded Cyan. Cyan rolled her eyes at Sweetpea. “Don’t take it from Sweetpea. “The VIPs from the South River State Branch did make a subtle mention. “I’m not sure whether Sponge is the branch leader since I’ve never met him before. “Just keep this between yourselves. Don’t spread the word. I’d be embarrassed if the whole thing was all a misunderstanding. “The branch leader keeps a low profile, and no one has met him in person before. “I doubt he likes to be put in the spotlight, so I’m playing it discreetly too.” Cyan spoke and acted reservedly. However, her smug look revealed her true thoughts. “Haha. Wouldn’t you meet the branch leader today?” “I see why you are so sure to take us to the celebration. We’d never get into a place like this on our own.” The influencers l
It never occurred to Kaze that Cyan and her influencer friends would attend Hannah’s celebration too. Before Cyan said anything, one influencer put her hand over her lips and said with a smile, “Get with the times, Anna. Cyan’s family isn’t just close with the senior members of the Viper’s Den. She’s going to be part of the organization soon.” “Huh?” Stunned, the other influencers asked, “What’s going on? Just tell us, Sweetpea!” Sweetpea was the influencer who just spilled the beans. She was Cyan’s closest friend and biggest ass-kisser. Taking Cyan by the shoulder, Sweetpea said, “Remember Cyan’s number one fan?” “Yeah!”“Sponge has been a fan of Cyan even before she signed with Golden Scale Corporation. Sponge tipped her tens of millions.”“That was how Cyan caught the eye of Golden Scale Corporation, and she became a hit.” The influencers chattered among themselves, all familiar with Sponge. They came from nothing and clawed their way up online.Their beginnings
The next afternoon, Kaze arrived at the parking lot outside Bronze Sparrow. It was packed with fancy cars. Needless to say, the underground garage must be filled with cars too. Hannah’s celebration was held in Bronze Sparrow. Just a few days ago, Siberian infiltrated Bronze Sparrow and abducted Anzu. The incident caused quite a stir in the upper crust of Riverbank. At the same time, the underground powerhouses were eager to get involved. As Miru, the up-and-coming underworld boss, seemed to be all bark and no bite, they wanted to see what she was made of. Bronze Sparrow, a place where troublemakers once ceased to exist, had to deal with incidents daily. Despite Miru getting tough on these troublemakers, business at Bronze Sparrow took a nosedive anyway. Miru was frustrated with the situation. Siberian had been a threat to the Viper’s Den for many years. It was no surprise that Miru’s crew could not defeat him. This time, Siberian’s death at the hands of the Viper’s
Kaze was taken aback. “How did you know?” “How?” June’s lips curled. “It’s all over town by now. Darcy is the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. Have you any idea how many eyes are on a rich and beautiful girl like her? “Her divorce has caught the attention of men, and they are going to try their luck with her.” It did not take Kaze much to know that the Quint family members had nothing better to do. Agnes had been hoping to marry her daughter up. However, Darcy had the power, money, and connections to be playing with the big leagues herself. Agnes’ expectations for her future son-in-law would only go higher. Despite her lack of brain cells, Agnes would not do something degrading like circulating the news of her daughter’s divorce. “Hey! Why do you seem indifferent about this?” June elbowed Kaze. “How do you think I should react?” Kaze found June baffling. June looked disappointed. “You don’t seem upset that you were dumped.” “Get a life.” Kaze did not hav