“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
“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.