“There you are, Billy.” Leath must know who Billy was because he said hello and asked, “Are they with you?“They are really cocky, especially this guy, Gavin. He gave me a slap without warning. Do you think I should beat him up?” Gavin worried Billy would give him another beating, fearing Leath’s disapproval.He drew close and made himself look like the victim. Gavin said, “Billy, Landon brought his sister, Rose, along. Leath and his group wanted Rose to drink with them, but we knew you had your sights on her, so we tried to stop him.” Billy cocked his head and glanced at Rose, who was sitting on the sofa. The girl took his breath away. He had had his share of fun with many pretty girls since his teens. Due to his extensive experience with ladies of the night, Billy started to wean off women. However, Rose’s vibrance, innocence, and youth dazzled Billy. As Billy’s gaze fell on Kaze, he asked without looking back, “Mr. Hobbs, is he the guy you were talking about?” Bil
Gold Tooth and Dan’s encounter was not a huge embarrassment in the criminal world. After all, Chrysant Twin Ghost had a reputation for killing their prey. Gold Tooth and Dan were lucky to survive. However, a gutsy man like Billy believed Gold Tooth was useless. If targeted, Billy was convinced he could retaliate and win against Chrysant Twin Ghost.The hearts of Leath and the others dropped. Oh, no. Since Gold Tooth’s name was not enough to instill fear in Billy, the latter would turn Bay Club upside down today. “Come here, Gavin.” Billy yanked Gavin closer to him with his eyes darting toward Leath and the gangsters. He said curtly, “Point out everybody who was involved in the fight. I want them to kneel on the ground and apologize to you. Feel free to hit them back.” Gavin, Yaryn, and the others were thrilled. After the beating they received, Gavin and his group got a kick out of humiliating their attackers. “They attacked us!” Gavin pointed at the gangsters and sai
Landon could not stand Kaze. He would mock Kaze at any chance he had. Kaze never took his remarks to heart though. Leath and his gang held back from fighting Billy because Kaze said nothing, simply sitting back and watching. Otherwise, the gangsters would not let Billy walk all over them. Leath and his men were familiar with the world of crime. They were capable of doing anything when backed into a corner. Although Billy could fight, Leath and his gang had weapons that could do a fair bit of damage to Billy. Billy was too young and arrogant to see that. He had no idea of the narrow escape from death he had experienced. “Haha! Landon is right!” Gavin, Yaryn, and the others looked over with a smirk. “The loser even tried to get Leath to apologize.” “He only went up against Leath because Billy was near.” The group taunted Kaze. Gavin and his gang pinned the group down and slapped their faces, while Kaze, Landon, and Rose were unharmed. They were humiliated ju
“Thanks to Billy’s timely rescue, the loser didn’t get away with his evil plan.” “He should thank Billy. Otherwise, he would’ve suffered from getting on Leath’s nerves.” The group took turns demeaning Kaze, reducing him to nothing. Kaze’s help to stop Leath and his gang was perceived as a vengeful attack on Gavin’s group. “I can’t believe them, Kaze. I’m fuming!” The group’s ugly behavior caused Rose to shake with rage and tear up.Kaze patted her shoulder and consoled, “Don’t be mad at trash, Rose.“Only the weak will lift themselves by belittling others.“These so-called winners in life are, in fact, the real losers. “The best way to deal with them is to just ignore whatever they say. “Don’t stoop to their level just to win an argument.” Feeling better, Rose looked up at Kaze in admiration. She believed Kaze had a point. A brief silence ensued. Then, the weight of Kaze’s words sunk in. Gavin and his friends were not having it. “Woah! You mooch off your wife
Taz reached out to touch his own face. The realization that he had shown fear to Kaze contorted his face with a grimace. Taz could never forget Kaze beating him up twice in one night during his stay at Mountain Dew Estate.Kaze had the nerve to insult him by bringing up his past trauma. Billy glanced at Taz amusedly. It dawned on him that Taz had suffered at the hands of Kaze before. Billy had asked if Taz had any feud with Kaze, but Taz dodged the question and insisted Billy deal with Kaze. Though it was amusing to Billy, he knew whose side he was on. “Kaze, right? You’re asking for it.” Lifting his chin, Billy said coldly, “Mr. Hobbs’ father is the president of Lee Investment. You’re nothing more than a moocher. You’re out of bounds to insult Mr. Hobbs, so apologize now!” “Woah!” Gasps filled the room. They were in awe of Taz’s privileged upbringing. After the fall of the three major families, Lee Investment asserted itself in the local market and acquired
“Hahaha!” Taz let out a manic laugh. Ever since Samson expressed his desire to break free from the Lees, Taz no longer revered the family. Insulting the former heir of the Lees gave Taz an exhilarating rush. “Hahaha!” The others burst out laughing. Gavin looked at Kaze in disdain. “He is nothing without his family. “That explains why he mooches off his woman and takes his wife’s last name.” The rest sneered and jeered at Kaze, holding him in contempt. After taking multiple digs at Kaze, Taz felt satisfied and recalled his purpose of being there. He poured himself a drink and said, “I’m here today to bring a message from my dad, Kaze. “You have three days to bring Cosmo back to Sunrise City and beg for atonement from the Lee family. “Tomorrow is the last day, but you have not taken any course of action. Are you just going to give up?” Taz’s eyes turned sharp as he narrowed in on Kaze. “Or are you taking my dad’s words lightly?” It dawned on everybody else
“Drinks downstairs? Sure.” Taz took the call and quickly hung up. He told Billy, “I have friends waiting downstairs, so I’m heading there now. “I leave him to you, Billy. You will be rewarded, of course.” Taz pointed at Kaze before heading his way down the stairs. He had witnessed what Billy was capable of, and Billy lived up to his reputation as the son of Tensor Martial Arts School’s principal. Though outnumbered, he defeated the gangsters without breaking a sweat. Surely, it was a piece of cake for Billy to teach Kaze a lesson. “Just do it, Billy. Beat the loser to the ground!” “That’s right. He’s been an eyesore!” Once Taz was gone, Gavin, Yaryn, and the others clamored, eager to see Billy crush Kaze. “Hehe. This can wait.” Billy shook his head with a smile, side-eyed Kaze, and added, “I can give the loser a reality check anytime. He’s not going anywhere anyway.” Judging by his offhanded tone, Billy believed Kaze was a sitting duck. The group was stunned.
Rose flushed with rage. She was unaware of Billy’s intention before. Billy threatened to cripple Kaze unless she slept with him. She would not throw away her self-respect as a woman for him. “Ew. That’s disgusting!” Rose glared at Yaryn and said angrily, “I’m not like you. I won’t sleep with a man to get what I want.” That was a slap in Yaryn’s face. Yaryn’s heavy-painted face contorted into a grimace. “Oh, keep up with your innocent act, and Kaze will get his limbs broken.” Yaryn sneered. “You act like you have your family’s best interests at heart, but the moment the table is turned, your selfishness rears its ugly head.” Unlike Yaryn, Rose was no good at confrontation. She looked up and met Kaze’s gaze in tears. “Kaze…” Her voice was filled with hurt. “Don’t listen to her. I know you have my back.” Kaze wiped away her tears and said with a smile, “You don’t have to give yourself away just to show how much you care. “Some people wish you would do it beca
“Just tell me what you need, Arthur. You wouldn’t be calling unless you have received orders.” Philip was surprised to get a call from Arthur. Though they were acquainted, they had only communicated because of work. “We have just left Rising Sun. Don’t approve the films for now.” Arthur was blunt. “I can do that, but can I ask why?” Philip was caught in a dilemma because he had just promised Jet to release the films. Philip needed to know if the orders to delay came from a high power who could cover his ass. “Since you got a call from me, you should know that there are eyes on Jet. “You should know what you can and cannot say. Otherwise, you never know when you’re going to lose your job.” Arthur threatened. Philip was reluctant. He accepted Jet’s payment, and now he had to go back on his word. Nevertheless, Arthur was part of the Viper’s Den, and his status was rather unique. Arthur provided services to confidential individuals. These individuals were elites among t
A balanced, profitable dynamic had been developed among the ports in Butterworth. Jet spotted his chance in the lucrative port business. He covertly took out some money to invest in a dying port. The port was situated in a more remote area. Some businesspeople favored more accessible ports. This drove shippers away from the dying port. Jet snagged the steal and improved the logistics and facilities around the area. The port was up and running again. Business at the port was decent enough. As the Frosts would run their business through the port, the local economy took off too. It was a good thing. However, Jet set his sights on several residential buildings around the area. He needed space to accommodate containers. The land was required to make business at the port more profitable. This triggered a whole new thing. Jet could spend some money to buy the residents out of their homes. However, the residents preferred to stay put in their long-time homes. No a
“I’ll keep the bank cards for now. I’ll talk to our superiors and give you a decision. Since the man said that the cards are meant for us, they won’t be going anywhere.” Knox had no idea who Kaze was, but he knew Arthur was with the Viper’s Den. Arthur must be someone from high places. Eli soon put the little incident behind him. He got a call from Aloysius yesterday and was made aware of Jet’s plans. The films had been put on hold for far too long, and the people above Eli were anxious to get things moving. Though Eli was surprised by the review board’s visit, everything was still in his control. Eli left the matter at that without reporting the incident to the higher-ups. The flashy, red car sped along the road. Arthur kept looking back at Kaze, eager to find out about the next plan. Arthur brought Kaze out today to witness how Eli and his team operated. As it happened, Eli adopted such a shallow ploy. Arthur was not surprised, though. Eli’s methods were common.
Eli dined offhandedly as if he had taken hold of the group. His words were layered with threat. “What? Are you trying to replace us?” Knox asked in disbelief. “I don’t have that power, but the investor does. I heard that he enjoyed dinner with your superiors. I’m sure the project will get the green light in no time. “Even if you didn’t approach me today, my team and I would have invited you out for a get-together.” Eli knew when to back down, easing the tension in the air. It was another type of reconciliation. Eli needed to go through the review board to get the rights to air the films. The carrot-and-stick approach was the best way forward. Kaze was surprised by the sophistication of Eli’s tactics. Still, he believed he had come to the right place. Sure enough, Jet would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Surely, he was bound to leave loose ends. Nevertheless, he probably did not care. Arthur cocked his head back to look at Kaze. Kaze grinned, unbothered
The purpose of the visit was to inform Rising Sun that the films did not make the cut. Since Rising Sun would not make the necessary amendments, the project would come to a halt. “Please, don’t. Since we are all here, we should talk it out.” It took Eli quite some effort to get the group to the hotel. Eli had plans to please the crowd, so he could not let them leave just yet. This went beyond getting the green light for the films. Eli needed to make the group happy. “There is nothing more to talk about. We can’t proceed unless you make the changes.” There was no way around it. Since Rising Sun refused to make the right amendments, and Knox had orders about putting a hold on Rising Sun’s films, that was one less problem for Knox to deal with. Eli could not let the group walk out on him. Hence, he quickly sent people in. Several thinly clad women entered, each holding a small bag. Despite the weightlessness, the bag appeared to be carrying something of substance. “You
For that reason, Rising Sun’s film productions were not cleared to be aired. “I told you the reason. The investor supplied us with the scripts, and we were told to base our productions on the scripts. Our hands are tied.”Eli would have made the amendments if he could. He knew where the problem lay. However, the company had to take the investor’s perspective into consideration. In the end, the films were yet to be approved for release. “I guess you won’t get the permission to air them then.” Knox was surprised that Rising Sun would not budge on the matter. Nevertheless, Knox and his team were not there to give the all-clear or talk some sense into Rising Sun. Knox and his team could care less about what Eli had to say. “We’re serious about getting the approval. “I’m sorry that we aren’t a better host for your visit today. Why don’t we move to the nearby hotel for a talk?” With the review board making an appearance, Eli knew there was still hope. If Eli did not grab
Arthur chuckled, his smile carrying a touch of sleaziness. “Oh, I see.” A realization dawned on Kaze. “Are you with quality control?” Several individuals in dark blue suits approached. The men and women carried files and documents. Kaze nodded without a word. “We are just here to announce the results. We shouldn’t be long.” Arthur came forward to engage with them. The group was likely given the heads-up as they had the right number of people. They swaggered into Rising Sun’s building. The general manager straightened up his tie in a fluster and walked out. None of the film productions made the cut yet, and the delay was costing the company money by the day. At this rate, the project would go down under. Eli, the general manager, rushed to the entrance upon learning the news. The review team was there to do one final check. The films would get the green light if the board found that everything was up to par. The head office would stop putting pressure on
Given Kaze’s status, Alfonso knew better than to have him waiting under the hot sun. Of course, he would send his people to be on standby for Kaze’s arrival. Peter only came to the rescue when Kaze was pestered by some street gang. Alfonso’s omission of Kaze’s identity led to this hiccup. Kaze did not care one bit about the incident. Heck, he did not even bring it up. Arthur straightened his back nervously, becoming even more cautious behind the wheel. “You knew, but why didn’t you say anything, Mr. Lee? You didn’t even tell on us.” Arthur could not understand why. However, he had more respect for the man. “I didn’t see a point. You’ll learn what happens when you displease me, so I won’t bother telling you now.” Kaze was mild-mannered as ever. He spoke softly without a hint of anger. All the more Arthur revered him. “Mr. Lee, we didn’t do our jobs right. We didn’t know who you were.“But my duty is to protect you in the dark. “We saw you getting out of the train
“Rising Sun is a media company. Several of their films are about to be released. They are trying to get them approved to air due to some censorship issues.” Arthur took out a document. “Are there any issues with the films? Why aren’t they approved yet?” Kaze asked curiously. Kaze had no idea. “There are some issues. They aren’t fit to be aired. “Typically, there aren’t a lot of restrictions for film productions so long as the themes aren’t sensitive topics. “But these films featured altered history. The company has been asked multiple times to make revisions, but the films still don’t make the cut.” The Viper’s Den’s members were not privy to the information. The Frosts were insignificant. Kaze was after the Frosts. Otherwise, the Viper’s Den would not waste its resources on a mere film production company. Jet’s investment of nearly ten million bucks in Rising Sun caught the Viper’s Den’s attention. The delayed approval of the films would be catastrophic to the in