“I invited everyone here for tea. Please make yourself at home!” Hudson entered the room with a grand disposition and signaled everyone to take their seats. “Master Hudson, Melrose’s kingpin, Steve and his son, were murdered last night by the Twin Ghosts. Is the Vinland family involved?” asked a family head of a first-tier family. The question felt out of line but he could not control his curiosity. The others looked at Hudson curiously. Hudson smiled and said, “I know them.” The answer Hudson provided was profound and it struck the hearts of everyone present. Hudson cherished his reputation more than anything, so there was no way he would admit it. However, his claim to know them explained a lot. A number of guests reacted strangely. Lefteria Group wiped out Dallas Moneylender in Lilyrose and Hudson responded by killing Steve and Sully in Melrose. After Steve stepped down, he supported Miru in taking over his empire in Melrose. Just as Lefteria Group started to
Winnie’s face turned pale. She looked down in silence as guilt started to consume her. “And my son, Juno! The Star Corporation is one of the biggest companies in Chrysant, yet Kaze Lee tortured my son! This is unacceptable!” Jake’s square face looked fierce and strict. The other chairmen of big companies in Chrysant City stepped up and berated Winnie as their sons and daughters were tortured by Kaze. Of course, they would want justice for their children. “I heard you and your daughter are the cause of all this, am I right?” Dexter asked coldly. “It is.” Winnie’s face was as white as a sheet. Dexter bellowed, “On your knees, and apologize to us!” Thump! Winnie knelt without a second thought. Kaze was too kind to her and her family. Even if she had to give her life away, she swore to bear all the criticism for Kaze. “Shangrila Group has been opposing the Vinlands openly, yet its CEO is kneeling before us?” Dexter strutted up to Winnie. Slap! He slapped Winni
The voice came from a phone via loudspeaker. It was so abrupt that it caught everyone’s ears. Everyone was shocked by the bold words. Who was that? Who called Dexter Bluenid and the others a piece of garbage? Each of them ran their respective companies and since they were valued by the Vinlands, the companies were by no means small. Even the Vikroms and Logmans dared not challenge them. Yet someone among the guests called them a piece of garbage openly. “Who said that?! Show yourself!” Dexter was furious as he stared in the direction where the voice came from. The guests in the same direction averted his furious gaze, trying to avoid a potential conflict with the Bluenids. There was one person who did not look away. It was a young lady and to everyone’s surprise, she stood up. It was Sophie. “You? Who are you to challenge me?” Dexter shouted angrily. Sophie was trembling as she held the phone up. “Don’t be afraid. Get close and let them hear my voice.” Kaz
“What the hell?!” Dexter covered his face on the floor, crying in pain. Everyone almost burst into laughter seeing his miserable state. They all gloated at him and looked down at him for crying like a child. Winnie was slapped many times yet she did not even grunt in pain. Dexter was weaker than a woman! Then, everyone was shocked because they did not expect Dan to listen to Kaze and slap Dexter in the face. Not even Hudson had expected it. Hudson stared at Dan. “Dan Niners, what is the meaning of this?” Dexter was with him, and if Dan slapped Dexter, Dan indirectly slapped him. “I’m sorry, Master Hudson, I didn’t mean to offend you.” Dan bowed. Hudson looked slightly calmer. He said, “Explain yourself.” “Alright.” Dan nodded. He then grabbed Dexter by the hair and kneed him in the stomach, making him kneel on the floor. He then slapped Dexter repeatedly, causing him to cry louder. After numerous slaps, Dexter could not even make a sound anymore. Dan then
“Stop them!” Hudson was infuriated. He squeezed the words out through clenched teeth. “If you don’t want to die, stop this at once!” Two men from the Vinlands stepped up and threatened Dan and Gold Tooth. However, their ferocity did not work on Dan. He was known for being brutal and ferocious in the underworld. “If you don’t want them to die, stand right there!” Dan grabbed one of the chairmen’s necks and squeezed it tightly, causing the man’s face to turn red and his eyes rolled back. “Hehe, one more step and I’ll squeeze his balls out!” Gold Tooth was not as young as Dan, hence the lack of strength but he was much more vicious. He grabbed Dexter by the scrotum instead. It was all men’s weakness. Even the man of steel would have to surrender and beg for mercy. “Master Hudson! Stop! Don’t do it! I can’t take it anymore!” Dexter cried like a little boy, his body shook, and his eyes rolled back. Hudson could not just let his men lose their manhood, so he had to
“Challenge you? Are you even worthy?” Kaze scoffed. “This isn’t for you alone, it’s for your whole family.” Everyone else in the room gasped in shock. What did Kaze mean? Hudson was not worthy? Kaze wanted to target the entire Vinland family?” “You can hang up now, Sophie.” Kaze then went silent. Dan and Gold Tooth escorted Winnie and Sophie away. “Master Hudson, are we just going to let them go? This is unacceptable!” Dexter and the others had just escaped the devil’s grasp and the more they thought about it, the angrier they got. They were aggrieved. They would implode due to grievance if they could not get revenge. “Silence!” Hudson stared coldly as Winnie and her group walked out of Wuthering Pavilion. He did not try to stop them. A while later, his frosty gaze calmed down. He said, “A bug dares to challenge me? I’ll give him a few more days to buzz around. He really thinks Lefteria Group is enough for him to oppose me? If so, I’ll overthrow the hierarchy
All the important figures of Lilyrose in Wuthering Pavilion heard Jake and the other chairmen clamoring. Their eyes widened and many thoughts flooded their minds. Jake and the others listed out the five companies behind Kaze and decided to go after them openly. Hudson did not stop them either. “So, Hudson Vinland is targeting those five companies, he’s being ambitious.” “The Vinlands are late to the party. The Lees and Queens had taken a majority of the top three families’ assets after they were stripped of power. Now they are after the rest.” “He did not take Kaze Lee seriously at all. He just needed an excuse to go after the five companies.” All the important figures were smart and they knew what Hudson was after. The five companies, no matter which one of them, were not small in scale. If either of them went bankrupt, it would be another explosive news that would shake the city after the collapse of the top three families. Besides, other than the five companies,
“The Lee and Vinland families must bring justice to the people of Lilyrose! We cannot let Kaze grow into a menace that will destroy us all!” “That bastard impersonated the God of War multiple times yet he did not learn from his mistakes. His disrespect for the God of War is unforgivable. Even if the God of War doesn’t hold him responsible, we cannot just let him continue! We must punish him and make an example out of him!” “The five companies are Kaze’s accomplices! We must get rid of them as well!” Several other heads of the families stepped up and criticized Kaze and the five companies. They had no grudges against Kaze or Darcy, and neither had they talked to the couple. They voiced out because they wanted to take advantage of the situation and benefit from it. Since the Vinland and Lee families were going after the five companies, even if they could not get a share of the pie, they would be happy to have some leftovers. The earlier they sided with Hudson and Gregory, t
“Gone too far?” Phoenix said furiously, “Do you want to get it too, boy?” “Shut up, Kaze!” Not wanting the situation to escalate, Agnes charged over and said ingratiatingly, “I’m sorry, Madam Quint. We didn’t do a good job raising Sky. He simply didn’t think straight in the heat of the moment.”“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry!” Darcy apologized as well. “I’ll wipe the blood off you, Madam Quint. We don’t want to get your hands dirty.” Joan pulled out a tissue and cleaned Phoenix’s hands fawningly while uttering sarcastically, “You have no idea, Madam Quint. Some people have the money. They just don’t want to spend it.“As far as I know, our little leader is living in a villa worth several hundred million dollars in Riverbank. The villa was a gift from Mayor Synder too.“They didn’t give a bracelet that was only worth half a million because they have no money. They simply do not care enough for you, Madam Quint. “They’re just trying to fob you off since you’re only an old
“We from Chrysant City have given Madam Quint a bullet-proof Lincoln stretch from Uleania. The Lincoln will be Madam Quint’s ride in Riverbank,” a middle-aged man with glasses said smugly.Kaze glanced at the Lincoln stretch not too far away, understanding the value of the car. “Madam Quint can’t be staying in the hotel throughout her trip. We, the branch in Takeno City, are a family in politics, so we lack funding. Still, we borrowed a villa from a major corporation to accommodate Madam Quint,” a representative of the Takeno Quints said with a chuckle. The Takeno Quints talked about borrowing. Their primary focus was on politics, so they could not be honest about their net worth. However, every branch of the Quints presented Phoenix with expensive gifts. Each gift was worth at least five million dollars. The five-hundred-thousand-dollar bracelet from Darcy’s family seemed modest in comparison. Sure enough, Phoenix grew upset and raised her free arm to slap the gift box
Even Darcy did not think Phoenix would deny her. It was true that Darcy was supposed to gather all family branches in Riverbank. She would have to discipline the unruly and unite the rest. Her goal was to consolidate the family’s power and resources under her control. It was a clear and comprehensive strategy. Darcy had not anticipated such a response from her first meeting with Phoenix. It was harsh. Phoenix completely dismissed her. Darcy, though accepting fault, felt hurt. Agnes felt like her world was crumbling down. If Darcy was stripped of her leadership role, the family would go back to when things were bad. Ever since Darcy became the family head in the South River State, Agnes was treated like royalty everywhere she went. She was addicted to the privileges. Agnes never wanted to go back to those days when people would look down on her.“Darcy, where’s the gift you got for Madam Quint? Hurry up and apologize to her.” Agnes grabbed Darcy hastily. A
“You should know that Madam Quint loves flowers, and you came empty-handed. No flowers, no gifts.” “You talk about respect for Madam Quint. It’s all talk. What have you done for her?” “You are hicks from a small place like Lilyrose. Where are your manners? You’re lucky to become the head of the South River Quints, but you will always lack refinement.” “I’m starting to worry about this leader taking us to new heights. I guess we can consider ourselves lucky if she doesn’t bring us down.” “Yeah! She was late and came empty-handed. This tells us all we need to know about this family.” Taking Joan’s lead, the other family members lay into Darcy’s family thick and hard. “That’s enough!” Before Kaze said anything, Sky had a go at these people. “You tried to set my sister up, and now you’re putting the blame on us!“Only you had information of Madam Quint’s flight. You only let us know half an hour before the plane touched down. “Why didn’t we come earlier to wait in the airp
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.