Soon, Hudson, Jake, and the others were dragged out of the car and pushed to the ground. They finally knew who the man was. The man was Thedeus Rich, the son of Dane Rich. Thedeus squatted. He waved his knife in front of Hudson’s eyes. “Thedeus, I have been your father’s friend for many years! I didn’t get him killed!” Hudson explained as he was being pressed to the ground by Thedeus’ men. “Nonsense!” Thedeus bellowed, “Before my father died, he texted my uncle and told him to find you for revenge.” “Thedeus, it’s not like that!” Hudson was horrified. He shouted, “Someone is trying to sow discord! I did give your father the idea of extorting money from Darcy but the one who killed your father and his men is Lefteria Group!” Thump! Thedeus punched Hudson in the face, knocking his teeth out. “You used my father and you said like it’s not your fault.” Thedeus’ eyes gleamed coldly. He said, “But you are right. Someone is trying to sow discord. If that’s the case, I’ll
“Chief Commander Hiden… No!” Thedeus felt the icy cold gun stuck to his forehead and he cried. His cries did not change Albert’s mind about pulling the trigger. After a while, Thedeus and his men from Dallas Moneylender were all killed. The scene shocked Hudson and the others. Their faces turned pale. No amount of men would be enough against the soldiers with guns. The little excitement Hudson and the others had earlier disappeared instantly. They thought Albert was here to save them but when they learned of his relationship with Miru, they realized they were wrong. Albert came not for Thedeus and Dallas Moneylender. He came for Hudson and the others! Hudson and the others escaped the tiger’s mouth but jumped right into the wolf’s den. Thump! Hudson got down on his knees and cried, “Chief Commander Hiden, I am terribly sorry! I shouldn’t have sent the Twin Ghosts after your cousin! If I knew she was your cousin, I would never have done it! Please don’t kill me!”
Hudson was devastated seeing the stern look on Albert’s face. If he refused to pay, he would be detained for life. With permission, he called back to his family. The moment the call got through, Hudson cried, “Mother…” In the end, the Vinlands paid 1.5 billion and Hudson Investment Firm brought Hudson back. As for Dexter, Jake, and the others, the Vinlands did not have the capacity to take care of them. They were forced to sell off their companies and get loans to buy their own lives. The Vinlands declared their entry to Lilyrose’s market but in just three short days, they were forced to leave. Aside from not receiving any benefits, the famous Hudson Vinland spent two billion to buy his own life to escape the city alive. When the news got out, the entire Lilyrose and even the South River State, were shaken. Everyone was shocked. “What a joke. Hudson Vinland prepared for so long to enter Lilyrose’s market but he became the one who lost his investment firm.” “Lily
“Kaze spoke to my cousin on behalf of me? Then I’ll return the favor and make him the CEO,” Miru said with a mischievous grin. Kaze always spoke to her like her boss, so she wanted to turn the tables and make him work for her. She wanted to make him understand who was the real boss! “The CEO of Hudson Investment Firm is a much better title than Shangrila Group’s driver. At least it won’t embarrass my BFF.” Pranking Kaze was not her main priority. She was trying to make him less embarrassing when he was with Darcy so that others would not laugh at him. Darcy and her family did not need to endure the harassment as well. “What? Miru wanted me to become the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm?” Kaze’s expression turned strange when he heard the news from Darcy. “Is she out of her mind? She wanted me to work for her?” He did not want to burden Darcy or hold any responsibility, so he decided to give the investment firm to Miru, to make her work. Yet Miru turned the tables around
Cosmo was George’s youngest son. He was arrested when he tried to bribe Loid, the governor. To repay the favor, Loid helped Kaze punish the Lees, but he did not plan to offend them completely. Therefore, Cosmo was not put in prison, only detained. However, George could not bear watching his favorite son detained for a day, let alone a while. He contacted Johnson and demanded he release Cosmo, in a condescending manner. Johnson knew of the conflicts between Kaze and the Lees, so he contacted Snow and inquired about Kaze’s opinion. Kaze scoffed. “The Vinlands failed to enter Lilyrose and the Lees still haven't learned a lesson from it? He really thinks the Lees are that powerful?” The Lees were involved in the Vinlands’ attempt to annex the five companies related to Kaze. Kaze wanted to hold Gregory responsible but since the old geezer went back to Sunrise City, he did not give chase. “Tell Johnson not to release Cosmo. I also want him to teach Cosmo a lesson. If he can
Bang! George slammed on the table and bolted up furiously. “It has only been a few years since we left Lilyrose and they are already taking advantage of our absence? How dare they beat up my son! They must be having a death wish!” His eyes were burning with the flames of anger. The butler wiped his sweaty forehead and said, “Master, Young Master Cosmo did not just get beaten up, they even…” “What else?” George’s face turned gloomy. “They even forced him to scrub the toilet until it was cleaned! He cried as he cleaned the toilet and they didn’t even give him food!” Cosmo was born with a silver spoon and had lived like a prince for all his life. He had never done any chores, let alone being forced to wash the toilet. George was heartbroken to know that his son was being bullied by the gangsters. “Master, you have to bring Young Master Cosmo back and avenge him! If this gets out, it will ruin the family’s reputation!” said the butler with bloodshot eyes. He had been
“But people are saying the governor favored Johnson a lot and even wanted to send him to some training for his career advancement. “Since he’s under the spotlight now, and if we are to go after him, we will be indirectly disrespecting the governor and it will only put us in a tight situation in the future,” George said. The Lee family was on the passive side because they almost got Johnson killed. It was completely understandable that Johnson wanted to get revenge. Moreover, Cosmo was caught red-handed trying to bribe the governor. “George, why don’t we make Kaze bring Cosmo back? Johnson pushed the responsibility to him, so we’ll make him bring Cosmo out of the detention center. There’s no reason for Johnson to keep Cosmo detained then,” Gregory voiced his suggestion. “Yeah, you are right. We might not be able to go after Johnson but we can still go after Kaze.” George grinned and said to the butler, “Tell Samson Hobbs to deliver the message to Kaze. He has three days to
In the executive director’s office of Lee Solutions, Samson sat on his leather couch in his handsome suit, smoking a cigar casually. Suddenly, the door opened. His twenty-year-old son, Taz, strutted in with an arrogant look on his face. “Dad, Kaze Lee is just trash, why did you give him three days?” Taz sat opposite his father and took out a freshly cut cigar from the box. Samson’s secretary went over to Taz and lit the cigar. “I think you don’t even need to give him time. Let me bring a few men over to his house and if he refuses to cooperate, I’ll tell the men to fuck his wife.” Samson’s expression turned serious. “Don’t you cause any trouble for me.” “Did I say something wrong?” Taz argued, “The Lee family gave him three days. Since we are working for the Lee family, it’s better to complete the task as soon as possible.” For as long as he could remember, his father had been serving the Lee family. He himself was also Cosmo’s follower. “You know nothing!” Sa
“Whoosh!” The swift swing of the dagger left a huge cut on Kaze’s shirt at the abdomen. The old man had switched his stance to kneeling on one knee. The pain in his eyes had been replaced by frosty murderous intent, with a hint of shock and resentment as if he did not expect Kaze to dodge the lethal blow. “Old man, you’re a wicked one.” Kaze was also shocked. He looked down at his collar T-shirt and the wide opening at his stomach. The chilling wind on his skin sent chills down his spine. A split second later he would be gutted on the spot. “Swoosh!” After missing the ambush, the old man jumped like a nimble fox for a follow-up attack. This time, he switched his target from Kaze to Darcy. The dagger in his hand glared coldly as it thrusted toward Kaze’s chest. He was shocked that Kaze was able to dodge his lethal blow. He also realized Kaze was a tough opponent, so he switched to an easier one—Darcy. He acted like a gambler who had lost everything. With nothing
“Huh?” Phoenix narrowed her eyes and shot a sharp gaze at Joan. “Thump!” Joan fell on her knees immediately, looking horrified. “I-Impossible! My family spent tens of millions to make this walking cane, how can it…” Her family members were also similarly horrified, all falling onto their knees after her and even prostrating on the ground. If they were charged with attempted murder on Phoenix’s life, she and her entire family would be uprooted completely. Phoenix’s expression darkened. With gritted teeth, she said, “Take all of them away and investigate what really happened!” Her men who followed her from Ridgesouth came up, dragging Joan and her family away despite them crying for help. Those who resisted were slapped and knocked out before being shoved into the car. “Kaze, how did you know about the walking cane?” Agnes asked, her voice trembling. She felt grateful for escaping what seemed to be a disaster. Kaze’s offensive behavior shocked her, but it was to expos
“Huh?! Y-You hit me?!” Joan screamed as she covered her face. “Madam Quint, do something about this monkey! He’s disrespecting you and slapped me in front of everyone!” “You wretched boy, on your knees!” Phoenix’s expression darkened, her eyes on Kaze resentful. “If your family failed to teach you manners, I’ll do it for them!” “Greedy, self-righteous, ignorant, use your age to pressure others…” Kaze was determined to teach Phoenix a lesson about shame and humility today, so there was no way he would show her any respect. “People like you don’t even know what you are doing even with age, what gives you the right to lecture me?” “Kaze, shut it! Are you trying to get yourself into more trouble?!” Agnes bellowed, almost passing out due to the anger. Kaze had offended Phoenix. “Me? Ignorant?!” Phoenix scoffed due to disbelief. Her eyes were burning with the flames of anger as she said, “You disrespectful little bastard, I will show you what ignorance is!” As the words
The Ridgesouth Quints may be a prominent family, but their influence did not extend as far as the South River State. If that were not the case, the Ridgesouth Quints would not have waited until now to appoint Darcy as a proxy to expand their influence in the South River State. Kent came from a wealthy family, and he was the mayor of Riverbank. He had no reason to curry favor with the Quints by giving them a villa. The Ridgesouth Quints should be the ones showering Kent with gifts to do business in Riverbank. “What? How dare you say that we are unworthy!”“If we are unworthy, what about you? You’re just a moocher.”“Insolence!” Joan and the others flipped out. “Bam.” Phoenix slammed her cane to the floor and said chillingly, “You said that the Quints are unworthy, boy. What about you? Why would the mayor give you a villa? “You better give a convincing answer. If you don’t, ha!” “It’s none of your business,” Kaze replied bluntly.Silence hung heavy in the air. E
“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