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
Yume’s domineering tyranny came unexpectedly. She slapped the female employee in public. “W-Why did you attack me?” The female employee put her hand over her swollen cheek and glared at Yume. Smack! Yume struck again. “Who do you think you are? I’m a member of the prestigious Vinland family. So what if I hit you?” “Being in a prestigious family doesn’t give you a right to attack anybody.” The female staff member covered her face and wailed. The other employees were frightened. Word had gone around of the Vinlands’ takeover of the city. They had felt nothing before. However, Yume just went into full-on tyrant mode.“So what if you’re a Vinland? It doesn’t give you the right to hit anybody.” “That’s right. Call security. Get this crazy, assaulting woman out of here. Call the cops too. We can’t let her attack our colleague.” The few employees were furious. Startled by the commotion, Quartet Group’s security personnel rushed over. “Regardless of the reason,
“And you are?” Darcy frowned. Master Quint said, “That’s the daughter of your grandmother’s brother, Yume. She’s your distant aunt.” Darcy’s eyes burned with rage. Yume was so arrogant. When nothing went her way, Yume ordered her men to break Lucas’ rib. However, Yume belonged to the prestigious Vinland family. Darcy drew a deep breath to calm herself before speaking solemnly to her employees in the back, “Dial the emergency line now. Lucas and the others need medical care now.” Yume did not stop Darcy. Instead, she looked Darcy in the eye and said, “I need a word with you, Darcy.” “What do you want?” Darcy swallowed her anger and asked. The grimace on Darcy’s face did not sit well with Yume. Yume’s eyes grew stern. “I’m your aunt, Darcy. Watch your tone when you speak with me.” “You came to my workplace for no reason and ordered your people to break my employee’s rib. What tone are you expecting?” Darcy’s tone was strained with tension. While she had her mis
“Ah!” The security officer let out a heart-wrenching cry. “Stop, you animal!” the employees of Quartet Group shouted angrily.Yume burst out laughing. “Darcy, as the chairwoman of the company, you won’t want all your employees to get broken ribs, right?” Her gaze fell on the security officers on the ground and the other employees. Archie approached the next security guard. With tears in her eyes, Darcy shouted in rage, “Tell him to stop, and I’ll go with you.” “Now that’s a good chairwoman.” Yume clapped and said, “Take her with us.” “Ms. Quint, don’t give them anything.” The employees panicked. “Take them to the hospital for immediate treatment now.” Darcy wiped her tears off and walked out. “Come on.” Yume left with a smirk. Lyn, Juno, and the others followed in the back. Master Quint and the other former Quint family members tagged along apprehensively. The employees of Quartet Group were left to dwell in their angst. “What do we do? The woman is wic
“Darcy, Hudson said that you will take over the Vinlands’ business once you become part of the family.” Master Quint tried to convince Darcy earnestly. “Hudson is now in charge of Quintessential Group. You’re so naïve.” Darcy said committedly, “Stop trying to talk me into it. It’s pointless. I’m a Quint and will always be.” “Darcy, you…” Master Quint panicked. “Get out of the way, loser.” Yume pushed Master Quint away, pointed at Darcy, and said sternly, “You are so disrespectful, Darcy. Your grandfather asked you to change your last name, but you defied him.” She raised her voice. The commotion caught the attention of many onlookers. “Oh, that’s Darcy. She’s the chairwoman of Quartet Group and Sky Ocean Corporation.” “What happened? Is she changing her last name too?” “Didn’t you hear? Her grandfather wanted her to change her last name, but she refused.” “Fuck. That family is just a pain in the neck. They could just drop their own last name, but why did they ha
Swoosh! As the whip cracked, everybody could not bear to watch and closed their eyes.Darcy shivered, her skin going numb. She soon found it strange. She felt no pain. She opened her eyes and saw an arm, its grip clutched to the whip, stretching across her eyes. “Kaze!” Darcy cried. Her tone said it all. Her pent-up emotions opened the floodgate of her tears. “Kaze!” Yume gritted her teeth and said maliciously, “How dare you show your face.” “I didn’t think you’d keep digging your grave.” Kaze’s tone was icy. “You’re the one digging your grave. Now, let go!” Yume screamed while tugging the whip, but her strap remained tight in Kaze’s grip. Kaze gave a yank, and the whip handle tore out of Yume’s grasp. “Ah!” Squealing from the burning sensation in her palms, Yume threw the whip aside. A bloody cut ran through her soft palm. Kaze grabbed the handle of the whip and looked at the two men restraining Darcy. “Let her go.” Archie smirked in disdain. “Who
To the young group’s surprise, Kaze pulled through without a hitch. That was not the only thing. Kaze retaliated against Robin and destroyed his beloved harp. The group speculated that Kaze could be stronger than Hannah. They looked at Kaze in horror. Still, it never once occurred to the group that Kaze was more powerful than Robin. Robin raised his arm. The young group got their act together and saluted Robin before taking two steps back. Robin narrowed his eyes at Kaze before uttering, “Not bad.“I didn’t think I’d meet someone of your caliber in Riverbank. “You have a stronger will than most of my men. “Despite your age, you put even the most experienced to shame with that determination of yours.” The young group felt alarmed and ashamed. The members of the execution hall were the elites in the West State Branch. They were the crème de la crème. However, they swayed under the sound wave attack. Though the group was around Kaze’s age, they did not possess h
“Get out!” Kaze gave Hannah the look. Hannah quietly turned around and stumbled her way out. Robin glanced at Kaze as his fingers danced around the harp. “I will behead the general, and once it’s over, tears will fall and fade away.” The tempest of sound took over the room by storm. Kaze felt sent back to his time during the war. He watched his comrades fall. Time lost meaning as the war came to an end. The battle cries subsided, replaced by silence. His brothers-in-arms were no more than a pile of unidentified bones. Even Kaze’s faithful steed whined its farewell. Darkness swallowed the last light over the desolate desert, and he was alone. There was nothing left in the world worth fighting for. No one would remember his death in a faraway land. It was better to die with honor than live in shame. The thought filled Kaze’s head, and emotions overcame him. He was better off dead. Life was not worth living anyway. A voice within tempted Kaze. The craz
Robin did not even look at Collier.Saying nothing, Robin extended his fingers and plucked the harp. “Clang!” A jarring, high-pitched sound wave pierced through everybody’s eardrums. The air was filled with a chilling aura of menace.The serenity on the ninth floor was shattered by the sound of the harp and replaced with malice. Collier and the young group turned pale. Only Robin, Kaze, and Hannah remained unfazed by the attack. “Amid the sweeping wind, the flute’s song echoes in the night. The desert sun descends for the crescent moon above. “To the sound of camel bells, I long for my home. I hold onto my sword, leaving letters where I lay my head.” The wind danced along the melody of General’s Order played by the harp, dropping the temperature down on the ninth floor. Robin’s clothes and hair fluttered against the wind, his face unreadable through it all. His eyes remained cold and distant. General’s Order was a piece known for its unsettling tone. Robin playe
The man’s hypocrisy was sickening. No one stood up for Kaze when Naomi and Rhys slandered him and their fighters tried to end him. When Kaze fought back, there were voices standing on high moral ground to reproach him. “You…” The middle-aged man twitched and breathed his last. The crowd was scared. Kaze was one mean killing machine. Sure, Kaze eliminated the Roads. The Roads were not going to rest until he was dead anyway. However, one man died because of what he had said. It was a clear message not to upset Kaze. Kaze had the taste of blood. He would not stop now. “Get Boris’ head.” Kaze tilted his head at Collier. “Bring it to Robin.” As the crowd watched on with a mix of emotions, Kaze carried the broken sword, the tip dripping with blood, and strode over Boris’ body and into River Watch Inn’s park. Collier led the way, taking Kaze to the ninth floor of River Watcher Inn. The furious wind and swirling clouds added to the building’s height and presence
Boris stumbled back and crashed into the door. The metal door ripped from its hinges and hit the ground. Once the dust settled, the crowd was horrified to find Boris lying limp on the floor. Kaze stood right in front of Boris, his foot on his chest.“Do you have any last words?” Kaze looked down on Boris amusedly, his tone carrying no arrogance. The victory over Boris was no big deal. Boris looked at Kaze in a daze. Kaze was stronger than he could ever imagine. Given another chance, Boris would never upset Kaze at Four Ocean Auction. Boris would not try to retaliate against Kaze even when his son lost his legs. It was a shame that he could not press the reset button. Even if Boris could turn back time, it was highly unlikely that he would show mercy to a moocher. “Ugh…” Boris coughed out blood and said with a struggle, “Kaze, I saved the Godfather before. If you kill me, you will be dead—” “Slash!” Kaze cut Boris off with a stab in the heart. Blood spur
Following the clash of metal, Kaze moved away several feet. The sword in his grasp broke in half, and the tip fell off. Boris grunted, his composed face turning crimson. He staggered and fell back tens of feet too. The crowd was shocked at the thirty-feet shallow pit under Boris’ feet. It was impossible. Twenty years ago, Boris basically had Riverbank in the palm of his hand. Yet, Kaze pushed him back. Anyone could tell that Boris was on the losing end. Boris was in utter disbelief because his wired gloves were splintered by the seams. Reminded by Kaze’s attack at Four Ocean Auction, Boris finally realized how terrifying Kaze was. “I underestimated you, Kaze. “But you killed my wife and son. There’s no going back. You must die today.” Boris looked Kaze dead in the eye and hissed through clenched teeth, “I will kill you!” Kaze raised his sword. The broken sword was still a powerful weapon to Kaze. The air was thick with tension. Boris scowled and flung his
Kaze looked up to Boris barging through the door with his trusted aides. The crowd shied away, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. The deaths of his son and wife had driven Boris into insanity, and he was out for blood. Anyone would go crazy in the same situation. Boris stared at the bodies of his son and wife menacingly. His eyes turned red at Naomi’s headless corpse.Kaze killed his son, murdered his wife, and beheaded her right in front of Boris. Boris would not stop until Kaze was dead. “Kill him! Kill him!”Boris pointed at Kaze and shouted maniacally, “I don’t care what it takes, but I want him dead!” The deaths of his wife and son were infuriating enough. Boris was aware that Naomi and Rhys would go to Kaze, looking for trouble. He deliberately stayed behind the scenes, giving his wife a chance to punish and kill Kaze. To buy his wife some time to take care of business, Boris stayed on to have drinks with Robin. However, Naomi and Rhys were killed
The security team recoiled in screams and dropped their weapons. Before the musclemen knew it, Kaze raised his sword and inched closer. The blade flashed, its motion a blur.“Slash!” The menacing blade flickered across the throats of the musclemen. A dozen Roads’ fighters fell limp amid the high-pitched squawking. Blood spewed out of the thin slits of their throats. One dozen men breathed their last. The bodies on the floor scared the crowd stiff. No one expected Kaze to be so strong. Kaze was able to come on his own despite the siege. “Get him! Kill him!” Naomi had completely lost it. She yelled at the veteran bruisers, “Kill the asshole! Avenge my son!” The senior fighters were so eager to frame Kaze before. Now, they were scared stiff. Naomi’s order put them in the spot. While they hesitated and even released their grip on their weapons, Kaze struck. “Swoosh!” Kaze swung the sword at the senior fighters. The fighters collapsed to the ground, wailing
Rhys lay limp on the floor, his face forever frozen in disbelief.The crowd was stunned, feeling chills down their spines. One minute ago, Rhys was alive and kicking. However, Kaze took his life with just one squeeze. Kaze’s aggression and hostility when ending Rhys scared them. “Ah! My son!” Reality sunk in after a brief pause. Naomi plunged toward her son’s body with a pale face. Despite shaking Rhys, Naomi shuddered to find that he was no more. She fell on her bottom. It was every parent’s worst nightmare. Besides, she was there to witness the death of her son. The feeling could drive her over the edge. Moments later, Naomi lifted her head, bloody tears running down her eyes. She yelled at Kaze hysterically, “You did this, Kaze! You did this!“Kill him! Kill the jerk!“I want his life for taking my son’s!” Losing her head, Naomi commanded the Roads’ musclemen. The crowd backed away so as not to be caught in the line of fire. “Kill him!” The Roads’ secu