“Kaze!” Intimidated by Taz’s sinister face, Rose clung tight to Kaze’s arm. Her body trembled. Kaze patted her back and consoled her, “Don’t be scared. The punk is no threat.” “Who are you calling a punk, bastard?” Exasperated, Taz waved at his minions and shouted menacingly, “Take the bastard on. Beat him up now!” His five minions were vicious.With the scene about to get ugly and violent, Rose and her friends turned as white as a sheet. “Hide, Rose. Kaze won’t be able to defeat all of them,” Bronya shouted at Rose. “No, Kaze is amazing.” Rose stood firm next to Kaze, though looking a little timid. “Get him!” The minions did not hesitate to charge toward Kaze. “It’s time you face the consequences for defying Mr. Hobbs.” The sidekick in the forefront swung his fist at Kaze’s face with a leer. Pulling a blank face, Kaze shielded Rose and kicked the attacker in the chest. “Ugh.” The minion tumbled back with a scream before crashing to the ground. The pain
Taz talked tough and stormed off. “Is that supposed to be a threat?” Kaze narrowed his eyes dangerously at Taz’s back before turning to ask Rose, “How did the guy come onto you?” Rose recounted Taz’s unwanted pursuit of her in school.In the end, she tugged Kaze’s clothes and said worriedly, “I think Taz’s father is influential, Kaze. He might go after you.” Kaze appreciated Rose’s concern.He patted her head and said with a smile, “It’s okay. I won’t go down without a fight.” “Okay.” Rose nodded with glee. “Wow, you were amazing, Kaze!” As Rose’s friends gathered around, Bronya and Mei stared at Kaze with star-studded eyes. The girls, impressed by Kaze’s quick takedown of Taz’s minions, found Kaze quite the hunk. “Thank you, Kaze.” Welt awkwardly thanked Kaze. He had a crush on Rose. When Taz forced his lips on Rose, Welt was heartbroken and frustrated with his helplessness. The fight changed the group’s opinion of Kaze for the better. Julius said, “You
A young woman in office attire shouted. She was Darcy’s old friend, Nancy Braus. Nancy’s power suit hugged her curves. Though her appearance was not as striking as Darcy’s, Nancy had her unique charm. She approached hurriedly with the management team in tow. “Ms. Braus!” Kefier frowned. He was displeased with Nancy for undermining his authority. Kefier had only been on the job for two days, but he had his eyes on Nancy’s position. He believed he would make a better general manager. To replace Nancy at her job, Kefier needed to suck up to Taz and the owner who was about to check into Mountain Dew Estate that night. Kefier went up to explain with a smile, “Ms. Braus, this man hit me and attacked Mr. Hobbs and his friends. I told the employee to call security, and he refused to take my orders. I was only trying to scare—” “Who hit you?” With her patience running thin, Nancy interrupted Kefier. Kefier was smug, thinking Nancy caught wind of the assault on Taz. He
In Kefier’s opinion, the way Kaze looked and carried himself did not scream wealth. A member of the management team behind Nancy said, “You’re not the first snob, Kefier. Wendell, the previous general manager, did not believe Kaze was the owner and even tried to harm him. Wendell is now rotting in jail.” The other executives chimed in and stood up for Kaze. “I-I…” Stunned, Kefier turned ashen. The owner, whom Kefier wanted to get in good graces with, was right under his nose the whole time. Yet, he screwed the owner over to suck up to Taz.Kefier had no more tears to cry. Suddenly, he shuddered at a realization. He had upset the owner, and his actions may come back to bite him. With that in mind, Kefier turned around to face Kaze and slapped himself. “I’m sorry, Sir. I was a blind snob. I didn’t know it was you. Please see it in your heart to forgive me.” Kefier, who was arrogant before, now wailed before Kaze. Kaze did not have time for someone like Kefier. He
As Kaze and the group approached their accommodation for the night, a young man with jeans hanging off his bottom brushed past them. “That is Taz’s sidekick. They have not left the resort,” Bronya murmured in fear. The group feared Taz’s revenge for taking a stand against him. Undaunted, Mei pursed her lips and uttered, “We have nothing to be afraid of. Kaze is the owner of Mountain Dew Estate. Taz can’t drive us out of here.” The group felt assured. “Mr. Hobbs, Rose and her friends are staying in the best chalet. The general manager even carried their bags.” The sidekick rushed to a nearby chalet to report back to Taz. “Son of a bitch! What’s wrong with the management here? Are they out to get Mr. Hobbs?” Taz’s minions pounded the table in rage. The news did not sit well with Taz either. He had given special instructions to Kefier to ban Kaze and the group from the resort. Not only did Kaze and the others manage to check in, but the general manager of Mountain Dew
Samson brought up his opinion about Kaze within Taz’s earshot.Thinking little of Kaze, Taz hissed through clenched teeth. “He’s a bastard. He has the nerve to hit me when my dad won’t even do that. Since you’re here, I’ll crush you now and make you hand over Hudson Investment Firm.” Taz turned his nose up at Samson’s plan. In his opinion, no scheme was necessary to deal with a loser like Kaze. Lost in his thoughts, Taz pondered ways to dice and slice Kaze when his sidekick said, “Mr. Hobbs, Lil Dee and his team are at Mountain Dew Estate.” “Come on. Let’s meet with Lil Dee.” Taz got up and led his minions to meet Lil Dee. Lil Dee and Taz were old friends. Taz often watched Twig live reels in his spare time. Back then, Lil Dee had only started live streaming as an influencer. Lil Dee’s stunts made Taz laugh, and Taz sent gifts worth up to a million dollars on the platform, propelling Lil Dee into stardom. Later, Taz and Lil Dee hung out several times in real life
“A manager named Kefier raised the question to get you the best chalet but was fired for it.” Taz twisted the story to rile Lil Dee up. “Fuck! What the hell?” Lil Dee cussed in an outburst. Obsessed with image, he meticulously crafted his portrayal wherever he went.Mountain Dew Estate’s lack of VIP treatment infuriated Lil Dee. “Hello, Lil Dee. I am Nancy Braus, the general manager of Mountain Dew Estate. On behalf of all the employees here, I welcome you and your team to Mountain Dew Estate.” Nancy approached Lil Dee with her staff members. As Nancy stood a distance away, she had no idea that Lil Dee had an ax to grind with the resort upon arrival. “Is this the welcome I get from Mountain Dew Estate, Ms. Braus?” Discontent was written all over Lil Dee’s face. Startled, Nancy had no idea why Lil Dee was pissed. She said, “Lil Dee, did we do something wrong?” Lil Dee scoffed and said with a smirk, “I heard that your fanciest and best chalet is given to someone e
Lil Dee dropped the matter following Taz’s suggestion. He nodded and agreed to let Kaze play host to him. Nancy sighed in relief and led them to the chalets. “Don’t you find it insulting to be entertained by the guy who married into his wife’s family, Taz? Why is he our entertainment now? We’d have better fun with his wife,” Lil Dee queried Taz once they were at the accommodation. Kaze was just entertainment to Lil Dee. “Don’t get any ideas about his wife. Some wealthy heir has his eye on her and hired her to be the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation.” Mathias was the wealthy guy Taz was talking about. Taz heard from Samson that Mathias, taking fancy to Darcy, bought Sky Ocean Corporation and put her in charge. Kaze was being cheated on. “I’m not getting any ideas,” Lil Dee replied embarrassedly. Lil Dee knew better than to mess with the rich and powerful, so Darcy was out of his list now. “I want Kaze to entertain you because he’s the bastard who scalded me with
“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