“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
“Did I say something wrong? You were dragged into Kaze’s mess, Rose. Why are you sticking up for him?” Landon glared at Kaze hatefully. “Did the coward say anything? All he does is hide behind you. “He’s not worth your time and energy.” As the siblings got into a row, Gavin and his friends laughed out loud. “Haha. Now, that’s what I call a drama. Landon wants to sell Kaze out, but his sister comes to Kaze’s defense.” “Kaze stayed out of the fight the whole time. He’s such a loser.” “Hehe. I bet the loser is scared silly.” The group taunted Kaze. “Enough! Shut up!” Annoyed, Billy stopped the group and turned to Rose cheekily. “See that? That’s who you are trying to protect. I am more of a man than he ever is. “I’ll give you another chance to be my girlfriend. I can promise you that no one is a threat to you in Lilyrose. “Haha…” Billy burst out laughing. It was the same speech he had used successfully on many goody-two-shoes. Rose’s red-rimmed eyes bulged. “Dre
“Woah! That was so cool, Kaze!” Rose looked at Kaze with starstruck eyes. She felt safe in Kaze’s presence. “The lo… Was I wrong about Kaze?” Sitting on the ground, Landon rubbed his eyes. He could not believe what he just saw. Gavin and his friends shared Landon’s sentiment. The group widened their eyes at Kaze in shock. They saw Kaze as nothing more than a spineless crowd who talked big. The group called Kaze out for being a wimp because he did not do anything when Rose was bullied. Yet, Kaze turned around and proved them wrong with a slap. They did not expect that of Kaze. He had the nerve to attack Billy. How dare he?After Billy pulverized Leath and his gang, Kaze sure had the audacity to hit Billy. Either Kaze was confident in his combat prowess, or he was naïve enough to dig his own grave.The group would rather believe it was the latter. Hence, Gavin and the others stepped forward to criticize Kaze. “Rose should feel honored that Billy is intereste
Reading the aggression in Billy’s tone, Rose knew the whole thing had blown out of proportion. She looked at Kaze worriedly and pulled out her phone. “I’ll call the cops, Kaze.” “Call the cops? I can promise you that his limbs will be broken before the cops get here.” Billy scoffed, scaring Rose to tremble and nearly drop her phone. “It’s okay. Trust me. Everything will be okay.” Kaze patted Rose’s shoulder before walking toward Billy. “Haha! The loser is wimping out. He’s about to kneel.” “Hurry up and do it! He’s better off crawling on his knees toward Billy.” Gavin and the others whistled with thrill. They got a rise out of seeing the arrogant moocher kneel. “I guess the slap didn’t help you get back to your senses, Billy,” ignoring the other annoying voices, Kaze approached Billy and said. Billy did not get what Kaze was saying at first. As Kaze raised his hand, Billy shouted angrily, “Don’t you dare!” He put his hand up to block Kaze. Kaze’s earlier attac
“I’m sure a big man like Mr. Techman won’t expect us to cover our losses.” Marilyn took out her phone to make a call. She then said, “I’ve asked Mr. Techman. He said that though Ms. Spoon caused the vase to fall, you are partly responsible for not taking safety precautions. “The responsibility should be shared, and Ms. Spoon only has to pay a million and five hundred thousand dollars.“How does that sound?” Chloe looked reluctant. “Huh? Just a million and a half? We’re taking half the loss.” “What? Doesn’t Mr. Techman’s words mean anything to you?” Marilyn pulled a long face. Chloe shuddered and said with a nod, “Of course. A million and a half, it is. I expect cash.” Marilyn turned to Kaze. “You heard it, Mr. Lee. They have dropped the price to half because of Mr. Techman.” “Huh? It’s still a million and a half. I don’t think we can afford it.” Kaze looked distressed. “Can’t Mr. Techman be so kind and let us off the hook from paying? I’ll be eternally grateful.” D
“No.” Kaze’s reply threw Darcy for a loop. She said in shock, “So the vase is real?” “It’s a counterfeit.” Kaze murmured, “I lied about the modern markings to scare them, but it doesn’t mean that the vase is authentic. “I’m pretty sure this is a scam. “The manager of Marlboro is in on it with the couple too.” Darcy’s eyes widened. “Ms. Angus is in on it too? This can’t be right. Sasha doesn’t appear wealthy. Why would they target Sasha?” “That’s right.” Kaze fell into contemplation. “They pulled off a big one, only to pick a girl who can’t afford the money.“I’m curious about who is behind this. What is this person after? “Babe, get Pamela on the case. Who owns Marlboro?” Darcy texted Pamela right away. Marilyn approached and said, “You are friends with Ms. Spoon, right, Mr. Lee?” “That’s right.” Kaze said with a pretentious smile, “So how much do we have to pay?” “I’m sorry.” Marilyn said with a wry smile, “I’ve tried my best to persuade Chloe and Ron
“Please trust our professionalism, Mr. Lee. “Given our reputation as the biggest antiques trader in Riverbank and the South River State, we cannot allow any sort of mistake.” Kaze chuckled as Marilyn dropped the pretense. “Even if a mistake does happen in Marlboro, you will sweep it under the rug to protect the mall’s reputation.”Kaze smiled pretentiously. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”Raising a brow, Marilyn took a step forward and said solemnly, “Let me make this clear to you again, Mr. Lee. This sort of mistake will never happen in Marlboro.”“Fine. I’ll take your word for it.”Kaze grinned and said, “Even if the vase is worth three million dollars, we should check the surveillance tape. “Did Sasha really cause the vase to fall, or was this fall pinned on her? “Can we do that?” Marilyn stared at Kaze with a straight face before beaming. “You have made a reasonable request. “Go and retrieve the surveillance footage.” She waved her arm at one of her people
Marilyn looked at the clamoring crowd who suspected that the couple were scammers. She raised her voice and said, “Don’t worry. As a business, Marlboro is committed to impartiality.“We will handle the matter fairly.” The chatter faded as the crowd was curious about the approach Marilyn would take for a fair resolution. Marilyn called upon all the witnessing staff members and asked solemnly, “What happened?” The staff members recounted the event. Marilyn then turned to the plump woman and said coldly, “Your husband started the fight, and the man here simply retaliated with a slap. “Fred and his team jumped to conclusions. They deserved the beating. “You shouldn’t be hung up about your husband being slapped. The question is whether the man would like to pursue legal action.” “I…” The plump woman grimaced, reluctant to let things go. However, she appeared terrified of Marilyn. Her lips quivered in a moment of silence. Marilyn turned her attention to Kaze and grinned.
The crowd nodded in agreement. “That’s right. The couple must be scammers, picking on the girl because she doesn’t know her stuff.” “Security! Where’s security?” “Why isn’t someone from the mall taking care of this?” The crowd believed the couple were scammers. “Please give way.” Soon, several security officers arrived on the scene, and the leader glanced at the plump woman. Getting the message from the woman, the security leader approached Kaze and said menacingly, “Boy, are you up to something? Ron and his wife are long-time customers here. I have never seen you around before, though.“You’re something else to assault a customer here. Do you know who owns the place?” The security leader pointed at the door. “Get out, or I’ll make you!” Kaze asked, “Are you in on it too?” The security leader narrowed his eyes. “What did you say? I dare you to say it again.” “I said that you’re in on it too.” Kaze pointed at the middle-aged couple while eyeing the security lead
“Who else could it be?” The plump woman rolled her eyes. “Why would we frame her?” Kaze nodded. “Alright. There are surveillance cameras in the mall anyway. We can check the surveillance footage to confirm whether she ran into you, or the other way around.” The plump woman and her husband scoffed, not taking Kaze seriously at all. Not wanting to dwell on the matter, Kaze asked, “Are you sure your vase dates back to 500 B.C.?”Displeased with Kaze’s doubt, the plump woman said angrily, “What do you think? We have agreed on a price with the owner of the mall. He was going to pay us three million dollars for it. Why would we lie?” “Oh, really?” Kaze grinned and approached the piles of broken shards on the floor to pick up a piece. “This is part of the shattered vase, right?” Kaze held the piece up for a look and asked nonchalantly. “Are you blind? Of course, you can tell whether it came from the vase.”The plump woman said in annoyance, “What are you up to? I’m warning y
“You smashed our vase, so pay up!”“You’re not going anywhere until you pay us for our loss.” The plump woman and Ron were all over Sasha, demanding that she compensate them for their loss. No one among the crowd stepped forward to intervene as the damage was worth three million dollars. Most people could not afford that sort of money. Sasha wailed, “But sir, ma’am, you hastily bumped into me. Why should I pay? I don’t even have that much.” Ron narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Hey! Have you no shame? Don’t try to turn this on us.” “Bitch! You are a disgrace to your family!” Raising her hand, the plump woman took a step forward to slap Sasha. “Smack!” A powerful grip pulled the plump woman back from hurting Sasha again. The plump woman glared at a stern-looking young man. “Who are you, bastard? Get out of my way!” The young man was Kaze. He shook the plump woman’s arm off and said curtly, “If you can’t be civil, you should ask your parents to teach you some manners
The voice of an angry man boomed. “Woah? A three-million-dollar vase?” As the scene brimmed with excitement, a crowd gathered to watch the drama. Kaze was not one to stay for the drama. Given the recent events, especially the splash of blood last night, Kaze was cautious of mass gatherings. He took Darcy’s hand and said to the staff, “Do you have a quieter place?” “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to!” The familiar voice of a girl came from outside the door. The cry was tinged with sobs, and fear was apparent. Kaze furrowed his brows. “Sasha?” “Who is she, Kaze?” Darcy asked. Kaze replied, “It’s Emiko’s niece. I got her into Herbal Spring to get treatment and help. What is she doing here?” One thing was for sure, Sasha was in trouble. Without another word, Kaze took Darcy along to squeeze past the crowd. “Smack!” A middle-aged plump lady slapped Sasha in the face. “Don’t give me that sad look. You’re not fooling anyone!“You didn’t even look where you were goin
After a quiet night, Darcy received a call from Pamela as soon as she woke up the next morning.“Ms. Quint, the auction committee just called. They said the ten billion must be transferred by noon today, or else we won’t be qualified to attend the auction. “What time are you coming to the office? Maybe we can discuss how to talk to Aiden Krad and ask him to let us off. “Ms. Quint, you should know that even though we managed to pay off the banks yesterday, all we did was clear the rumors of our financial problem. If Aiden Krad is determined to beat us down, he still has a lot of ways.” After witnessing Kaze coming up with three billion in an hour yesterday, Pamela knew she should not look down on the live-in husband anymore, but she still lacked confidence about him getting ten billion for the deposit. Three billion was considered a huge fund in the market, but ten billion was on a whole new level. It required time to gather that much funds in such a short time. After recei