After making up her mind, Sophie contacted Lennon and Theo. “Raylight Hotel, suite No. 918. Remember, come alone.” Lennon sounded stern on the phone. Sophie took a cab and went to Raylight Hotel. When she was at suite No. 918, she called Lennon again. A while later, Lennon and Theo came down the stairs. Lennon smiled and said, “Ms. Song, pretty wise for coming alone.” The two of them were cautious as they did not want to be caught. They observed Sophie from the stairs to see if she brought anyone else. If they spotted any uninvited guests, they would leave immediately. “Come on in, Ms. Song. We wouldn’t want to talk outside here.” Theo opened the door with the key card. Sophie clenched her teeth as she walked in. She stood in front of the door and said, “Let’s talk with the door opened. This level is quiet. I don’t think anyone will be listening to our conversation.” Bang! Lennon slammed the door shut, which frightened Sophie. She bellowed, “What is the me
Upon hearing Mr. Statham’s shout, his followers from the capital barged in as well. They were coaches and students of the Mixed Martial Arts Club who were close with Mr. Statham. They came here to watch Mr. Statham challenge the martial arts experts of Lilyrose. Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. She disregarded her miserable state and asked for help. “Help me! They are trying to rape me!” “Beautiful girl, these two monkeys are not worthy of you,” Mr. Statham said. Just when Sophie thought she was saved, Mr. Statham said something that pushed her into the abyss of despair. “These monkeys of Arcadia aren’t good enough for you. Us Paladians are better lovers in bed. Am I right, guys?” His followers laughed and started to scrutinize Sophie with a perverted gaze. Sophie escaped the wolves but jumped right into the tiger’s den. Her face turned pale when she felt the perverted gazes on her. “Enough! This is no time for this!” Mr. Statham frowned and bellowed. He pointe
Tensor Martial Arts School was one of the most famous martial arts schools in Lilyrose. The front gate was designed like a palace and there was a massive square in front of the main building. The square was a venue for the school to host martial arts competitions for the students. Several cars drove into the square, ignoring the signs of “no entry”, and stopped right in front of the entrance. Mr. Statham came down from the car and looked at the entrance. Beside the entrance was a sign stone, spelling “Tensor Martial Arts School.” Then, he went over to the sign stone, raised his fist, and punched it. Bang! The stone sign was destroyed like it was glass. It broke into smithereens upon impact. The chunks of stone fell on the ground and alarmed the people inside. “Who are you? What are you doing?!” The guards rushed out with angry and surprised looks. Unlike normal security guards, they were tasked to maintain order in the martial arts school and subdue students and
Niel said fiercely, “We’ll see if you are worthy if you can take three hits from me.” Mr. Statham looked at him and nodded. “Sure.” As his voice subsided, he leaned forward and swung a kick at Niel’s face. “Good one!” Niel laughed. He countered with his own kick instead of dodging. “I’ll teach you a lesson… Aaargh!” Before he could finish, he cried in pain. He was then sent flying with blood gushing from his mouth. He crashed on the ground with several broken bones, causing him to groan in pain. “What the…” The students and the coaches of the school were all silenced. Niel was one of the strongest martial artists in the school, second only to the principal and a few of his peers, yet he was defeated with just one kick. Mr. Statham did not even move! All he did was kick! The devastating outcome silenced everyone. Mr. Statham’s followers laughed and continued to tease the students and coaches. Dwight’s expression shifted. He calmed himself down and said, “Si
Mr. Statham’s provocative words angered the students and coaches. “Principal, no!” “You cannot agree to this!” They were afraid that Dwight might agree to Mr. Statham’s request. “Hahaha, your principal is under Mr. Statham’s foot now. There’s no space for negotiation anymore!” “Stop struggling and just give up!” Mr. Statham’s men continued to provoke and tease them. The students and coaches were furious but since the principal was under the enemy’s foot and his life was at risk, they dared not act recklessly. Dwight felt intense pressure on his chest. His flushed face started to turn purple due to the anger and pressure. He clenched his teeth and mustered enough strength and courage to say, “No can do!” “Stubborn old man!” Mr. Statham curled his lips into a grin and increased the strength of his step, breaking two ribs on Dwight’s chest. “Ugh…” Dwight groaned painfully. Mr. Statham savored the painful look on Dwight’s face before he said with a smile, “Look
“You?” Mr. Statham scrutinized Kaze and grinned. “You are here just in time. Danny wanted me to challenge all the martial arts institutes in Lilyrose and then take care of you.” Kaze looked around but did not see Sophie or Lennon and Theo. He frowned. He nodded and then looked at Mr. Statham and his men. “Fine. Come, come at me all together. I’ll deal with you and then go look for the other two.” Mr. Statham’s expression turned grim. He was already arrogant enough but someone beat him! Kaze wanted all of them to attack him together! Penacony and the others were similarly shocked. “Stupid monkey! Watch your mouth!” “Mr. Statham, leave this monkey to me! You don’t need to waste your energy to deal with this one!” Penacony clenched his fists and walked over to Kaze with a ferocious look. “You stupid monkey. You pissed me off! If you don’t want to die, you better get on your knees now!” Kaze did not respond. He bellowed and charged toward Kaze. He jumped and swung
“No, this is impossible! Mr. Statham lost? I don’t believe it!” “How did the monkey defeat Mr. Statham?! This isn’t real!” Mr. Statham’s followers finally regained their composure after a while and started to voice their disbelief. They could not accept what they saw. The students and the coaches of the martial arts school cheered loudly. Even the students who were hostile against Kaze were impressed and viewed him as a hero. Cough! Mr. Statham struggled to get up on his feet. Bang! A powerful stomp landed on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Kaze stepped on Mr. Statham’s chest and peered down at him. “It’s not so difficult to defeat you. You disappoint me. Now that you have lost, I think it’s time for you to acknowledge that you are a piece of trash.” Kaze said the same thing to Mr. Statham. “No way!” Mr. Statham glared at Kaze viciously. He had never been humiliated like this before. Kaze smiled and then broke a few ribs with his foot. He did not hav
“I beat my way in here.” Kaze went over to the two of them, not wasting another second. Lennon and Theo were scared. They saw Mr. Statham defeated Dwight with just a few punches. If Kaze defeated Mr. Statham, how strong could he be? Knowing that Kaze was coming after them, Lennon bellowed, “Stop right there! We still have the girl!”’ Sophie was less than a meter behind them. However, if Kaze was deterred by how close Sophie was to the two of them, then he would not be called the God of War. Without showing any expression, Kaze strode up to Lennon and grabbed the man by the arm. Crack! Following a loud crack, Lennon cried like a dying pig and was immobilized instantly. Kaze then tossed him on the ground and turned his attention to Theo. “I’ll fuck you up!” Theo drew his dagger and jumped on Kaze ferociously. Slap! Kaze slapped Theo, disabling him and sending him flying before he could even get close. “D-Don’t kill me!” Looking at Kaze coming closer to him
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but
Even though Katie was the CEO of the Northborn Group, many eyed her position. There were too many vying to replace her. Without dedicating herself to her work, Katie risked falling from grace. Katie had been too eager to find success to give her daughter the best life. Leah could not understand the pain Katie had to go through. “I understand it now. I explained the nature of my relationship with Kaze to you, but you just wouldn’t get it.” Leah stubbornly expressed herself in hopes her mother would understand. “I just couldn’t get it through my head that you have grown up. You make an easy target since you just graduated and have not stepped into the real world.” Katie would not always be there for Leah. Hence, Katie did her best to get rid of potential danger. Her overprotectiveness triggered Leah’s defiance. It was Katie’s fault for not realizing it sooner. “I’m not angry with you. I didn’t understand a mother’s good intentions, but I understand now. I will listen to
Leah’s face beamed, but her mother’s words threw her into a daze. In the end, she tried to squeeze a smile to assure her mother. However, Leah could not muster a smile. Those days lingered with her like a recurring bad dream. Whenever she recalled the incident, she felt trapped in that nightmare again. Leah wanted to let those memories fade away, but she just could not do it. She would get startled awake late at night and trace the scars across her skin. During moments like this, she resented Perry. Leah was rather cheerful during the day as if the past was behind her. However, it was simply a way for her to escape the pain. By the way Leah was behaving, Katie instantly regretted the question. She should not have probed. Even if they avoided the elephant in the room, they could pretend like nothing ever happened. Nevertheless, the act of asking brought up unsettling times for Leah. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.” Katie gently held Leah, hoping to cast
When the ambulance door closed shut, Leah wailed once more. The reality of her rescue finally sank in, and she grasped that it was not just a dream. It was a pity that she did not have much time with Kaze. She longed to spend more time with him. “Don’t cry, young lady. You’ll get better soon enough. Don’t worry about the scars on your face. I can administer medicine to help you,” the doctor said while wiping her tears. “Thank you. I’m finally out of the hell hole.” Leah’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped in there forever. Kaze watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night. He then turned to face the villa. “Apprehend everybody in there. Perry should be punished for his crimes.” Kaze had not intended to go after the Duncans, but the family had crossed the line this time. Leah was an adorable and vulnerable woman. She was abused beyond recognition. It never occurred to Kaze that the Duncans could be so cruel. “Perry has passed out in there. Where should
With the secret out in the open, the housekeeper dropped his attitude. He pointed at the basement not too far away. “My employer is in there.” The housekeeper grimaced and kept his head down. Kaze laughed. Unaware of his impending doom, Perry was still living it up. It was absurd. Perry was playing with fire by hurting Leah. “About time you wise up.” Arthur smiled and patted the housekeeper’s face. He opened the door to the basement. Kaze walked to the bar counter and picked up the best bottle of champagne there. He fiddled with the bottle before carrying it to the basement. The other Viper’s Den members followed him. Kaze took a stride down the steps, to the basement. The noisy music was blasting before they reached the entry. Kaze was filled with a mix of emotions. Nevertheless, he said nothing. He opened the door and walked in. The light in the basement was bright, making everything perfectly clear. However, the people inside were not bothered by the
“You know him. It’s Perry Duncan, Leah’s ex-boyfriend.” Snow did not see the point of hiding the truth, so she laid everything out. “Leah must be feeling foul because she was unaware that she was being stalked. By the time she realized what was going on, she was taken into a vehicle. “We spotted the vehicle they departed in from the surveillance footage. They headed to the mountain up north.” Snow had a general idea of the location. “I got Arthur on the job. He’s putting up a team from the Viper’s Den.” Snow was uncertain of Kaze’s stance toward Leah, but now that she was made aware of the situation, the least she could do was help. Katie belonged to the Viper’s Den, so Snow was lending a hand to a friend in business. “Thank you. Please save my daughter.” Katie was nervous. The Viper’s Den was the people she could count on. “Arthur is good, but he’s slow. I’ll do it,” Kaze said. The whole thing was unrelated to him. Kaze was well within his right to stand on the si
Even so, Elsie was out to get Leah. Elsie could pick up on Perry’s delight when she took a swing at Leah. Poor Elsie was just trying to survive by catering to others. People like her learned to pick up social cues and read body language to please customers for money in return. Their income would double if their customers were happy. Leah was the obstacle. If the women could not get rid of her, they would lose their profit. They had no hard feelings for Leah, but they stood on opposing ends. “You should be fawning over Mr. Duncan, not begging me,” Elsie said while grabbing Leah’s hair to pull her up. Leah snatched Elsie’s wrist to try and break free. “Let me go. I never did anything to you.” Leah was no doormat. She did not want to cross these people or get involved with them. She still hoped that by waiting here, her prince would arrive to save her. However, all she got was a cruel beating, and she had enough. “This isn’t my fault. Blame Mr. Duncan for your cir