“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
No one expected Flint, Edward, and Belarus to reject Hudson. Hudson’s expression turned grim. The rejection ruined the great atmosphere that he created. “Hmph! Are you three still the family heads that everyone used to fear? Though I think you look more like losers now. Are you afraid of Kaze Lee?” Blake, the head of the Bowman family, sneered at them. The other heads joined him and mocked the trio, who kept quiet. Those who sneered at them had a good gloat when they were stripped of their powers. If not for Kaze who told Lefteria Group to issue the warning, the others might still be oppressing them. “Blake Bowman, I’d watch my mouth if I were you. Don’t go looking for trouble that will destroy your family, or you might end up worse than the three of them,” Bernard Vikrom, head of a first-tier family, stepped up and warned Blake. “Bernard Vikrom, what is the meaning of this? What good will it do you from cursing my family? I called Kaze Lee a piece of garbage and my f
Everyone was shocked. Not only did the Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families ask Hudson to leave Lilyrose, but even Mayor Johnson stepped up and expressed his opinion openly. Regardless of the blood and storm that the Vinland family had or would cause, they were a huge investor in the city, and having them would only develop the city further. Yet as mayor, Johnson asked the major investor to leave the city. What would people think of him if the news got out? Hudson’s expression turned grim. He scoffed, “Mayor Brooks, you don’t welcome the Vinland family as well?” The Brookses were also a first-tier family in Lilyrose yet Hudson spoke to the mayor with absolute disdain. He showed no respect to anyone who dared to turn on him, even if it was the mayor. His reputation and power were the source of his confidence. Back in Chrysant, the Vinland family had the power to determine who would be mayor. The new mayor would have to visit the Vinland family and pay respect to Huds
“Grey, Johnson isn’t with us. If we are to enter Lilyrose’s market, we won’t be able to get clearance on the policy and stuff. He will stand against us,” Hudson said. Gregory looked at him. “What do you have in mind?” “It’s time for Lilyrose to have a new mayor,” Hudson said grimly. “That’s workable.” Gregory nodded in agreement. “We’ll start working on it and find someone we can trust. Once Brooks is taken away, Kaze will lose one of his supporters. From there, we will move on to the five companies.” “You speak my mind, Greg. We will have to go after the Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families as well,” Hudson said. The two of them grinned and nodded, feeling like they could change the mayor of the city with just a few words. After Alan retired from his business, he resided at Streamwise Estate. Miru was also there, hiding. She went to the estate right after she came back to the city, and dared not even go back to Lefteria Group. Death brushed her very closely this time
“Boss, how’s Miru?” Albert was fuming, though he saluted Kaze nevertheless. He was furious when he found out that someone tried to kill Miru. He came all the way from Sunrise City as soon as possible. “Go check on her first. We’ll talk about the Twin Ghosts later,” Kaze said as he pointed Albert the way. Bernard and the others were surprised that Miru and Albert were close, which explained Albert’s anger. Albert nodded and went into the room. “Mr. Lee, the Lees and Vinlands are working together now…” Johnson then brought Kaze up to speed with the situation. “They are quite ambitious.” Kaze’s eyes turned cold. He originally thought Hudson was after Darcy’s Quartet Group and Sky Ocean Corporation, but now it seemed like the man was after the other companies as well. Even the Lee family got involved. The two wealthy families were powerful and resourceful but greedy; they were trying to seize the market share of Lilyrose City. “But Mr. Lee is here. Those two famil
The guests attended the party, not to be dragged into trouble. Most of them were ready to leave. Katie was pleased with Leah and Jet getting to know each other. However, the smile on her face vanished the moment Perry showed up. She was pleased with the Duncans’ wealth and power before. Otherwise, she would not have allowed her daughter to be with Perry. Now that Leah had broken up with Perry, there was no way they would get back together. Perry took things far by showing up at the party. Katie glanced at Joey. Joey did not expect trouble at the party. Though there were security guards stationed outside, they were tasked to maintain order, not prevent any disruptions. Without further delay, Joey radioed security to throw Perry out. “Who are you? Quit messing around.” The captain and his security team rushed to the scene. It was a dilemma. No one expected a disruption at a birthday party. It was not a wedding. The security team did not understand what the commo
“Jet and Katie look close. I hear wedding bells.” “Katie threw this party to pick a guy for Leah. I didn’t think it’d happen so quickly.” “I know, right? This is quick, but I guess that means we don’t stand a chance,” the crowd gossiped in amazement. Jet appeared interested in taking Leah’s hand in marriage. Everybody at the party had their own agendas. Finding their goals unattainable, they were disappointed. Still, most of them loved the drama. The event hall bustled with excitement as the guests discussed the unfolding incident. Leah was the star of the show. She engaged with some guests amid the compliments. Jet was thoughtful to stay by Leah’s side. He would hand her a drink and even answer questions for her. Approving the relationship, Katie allowed Jet to take care of her daughter. The lights flickered, and the beautiful music captured everybody’s attention. It was time to head to the dance floor. Katie was happy to leave Leah in Jet’s care. Jet, eager
Yet, Jet’s grand entrance at the birthday bash showed where he truly stood. “Jet must be interested in you. He makes a huge gesture of it.” Katie believed Jet was the next-best thing for Leah since there were no other options. She would not be assertive, though. She would approve of the marriage if Jet could win Leah’s heart. It was not as if Jet was not good enough for Leah. Leah believed she could do better, and Jet simply did not give her butterflies. Jet was tall and handsome. He looked like a prince, holding a bouquet of flowers. Leah should be swept off her feet. However, another person came to mind as Jet approached. If only Kaze were there. Leah would be happy to see him again. Her eyes were on Jet, but she wished Kaze would show up and give his blessings to her. Jet drew close to Leah and presented the flowers as the crowd looked on. “Happy birthday, Leah!” “Thank you.” Leah took the bouquet and smiled thankfully at Jet. “You’re too kind. You don’t ha
Jet could feel the attention when he showed up. He would not shy away from the gazes, though. This was what he wanted. However, Jet did not fancy Leah. All he cared about was Katie’s connections. They had not been in touch since their last encounter. Jet had been waiting to hear from Katie. To Jet’s surprise, he heard nothing back. Instead of pushing Katie, Jet sat tight. Jet attended the party to ask about the progress and to make others think that he was pursuing Leah. One of the goals was to reach out to the veterans in the industry to see if they knew who Jet had offended. Surely, there was a motive behind the recent attacks. “What is Jet doing here? He looks good, all dressed up.” The ladies huddled together, drooling over Jet. Jet was the ideal man. He was tall, handsome, and well-connected. Most importantly, he would soon become the leader of the Frosts. The woman who married Jet would soar in social standing. For that reason, many heiresses and social
Kody had been kicking back, hanging out with friends since his return. Even though he did not get a job, he was up-to-date with the latest gossip.Jonathan glanced at Katie, who enjoyed the attention, in confusion. It was the last thing he expected. He was friendly with Katie, assuming that she wanted to marry her daughter off to one of them. It appeared now that Katie did not hold them in high regard. “What’s the point of you? If you were a great catch, you would be picked for her daughter. Don’t you know that Katie is connected to the Viper’s Den?” Jonathan whined. However, he understood that it was not that easy to get close to Katie. “What does this have to do with me? Leah’s not for me anyway. I’m taking myself elsewhere.” Kody walked away. He was not interested in marrying Leah anyway. He would not be at the party if his father had not dragged him along. Nevertheless, his friends were there. Most of them would love to approach Leah. Leah was the birthday girl,
Jonathan, a glass of wine in hand, approached Katie with his son. “Young Kody is a fine man himself,” Katie said courteously. “Oh, he’s the bane of my life. I think daughters are the best,” Jonathan said gleefully, his eyes running down Leah. Leah was stunning when she was put together. Her poise reflected her upbringing in a well-bred family. She would make a perfect daughter-in-law for Jonathan. Jonathan had always wanted to be a family with Katie, but the latter was against it. “The kids are still young. They will understand our pain when they grow up. My girl still has her moments too.” Katie got the hint. However, she refused to engage with Jonathan. “They are around the same age. My son just got back from abroad. He could use some showing around. If Leah isn’t too busy, she can take my son around the city.” Jonathan took his chances. “That’s up to Leah. I won’t stop her if she’s available.” Katie was not saying no or yes. “The young people have their own t
“You’re finally growing up.” Katie was pleased. “Thank you for your guidance, Mom. You need to get one thing straight, though. Don’t force me to do the things that I don’t want to do,” Leah whispered. Marriage was not the path she chose. “Today is just about formalities. You won’t have to commit to anything. We can talk about this later. If you see someone you fancy, you can talk to me.” Katie would not pick a fight with her daughter on an important day like this. She gave Leah some space. At the very least, Katie would not upset Leah right now. Though Leah did not get the answer she was looking for, Katie had backed down a little. Hence, Leah said nothing. As the pair smiled politely from across the room, the crowd grew envious of them. “Even though Katie is a grown adult, she looks young and beautiful for her age.” Jonathan’s breath was taken away. It was no secret that Leah was beautiful, but the mother-and-daughter duo held their own when standing together. Le
Leah was glowing in her princess outfit today. “Thank you, Joey. You’ve worked hard for my birthday party.”Leah was thankful to hear her friends’ well wishes from Joey. “I didn’t do much. Madam Loren is the one doing the heavy lifting.” Joey put in the good word for Katie.“My mother only barks orders. She won’t do things herself,” standing in the elevator, Leah murmured. For that reason, Leah did not have much expectation for her mother. Leah would celebrate her birthday with an intimate party at the villa every year. This year was special and more elaborate. Leah enjoyed putting a look together, but she was no commodity. Most of the attendees were Katie’s business partners or bootlickers. Leah felt like a product up for sale, and she did not even have a say about it. The choice was in the customers’ hands. “Don’t say that. Madam Loren had been keeping an eye on the event planning. Though she wasn’t here, she determined every detail, including the flowers.” Al
Joey did not expect her comment to upset Leah. Leah should not be throwing a tantrum on an important day like this. However, Leah’s mind was elsewhere, to begin with. She merely stayed at the hotel to increase her chances of running into Kaze. Luck was not on her side because Leah did not see Kaze again. Leah felt down, but she was reluctant to leave. Despite feeling annoyed about being pushed around today, Leah could only sit around and wait. Joey’s remark made Leah feel like she was a commodity. Her mood dropped to an all-time low. Leah kept to herself, not keen to carry on with this life. Her life bore no meaning. She was her mother’s mindless puppet. “Why the sudden frown? Not everybody gets to wear such a beautiful gown,” flustered, Joey consoled her. She could not understand Leah’s change of mood. “I’m fine. I just feel uneasy about joining everybody at the event hall.” Leah knew she should not be headstrong, but the words just came out of her mouth. T