“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
Billy was confused. He had been exposed to martial arts at a young age, and no opponent could ever beat him. The street gangs were no match for him. However, Billy could not evade Kaze’s attacks. “Move!” He shooed his students away, his body staggering. His ego was the only reason he was still standing. Gritting his teeth, Billy looked at Kaze. “I don’t want you to beg on your knees now.” Billy grabbed a beer bottle from the nearby table. “Wham!” The beer bottle fractured into fragments all over the floor. “Break those bottles now.” Billy pointed at Gavin and his people. Though unsure of Billy’s intention, they did as they were told. Shards of glass scattered across the floor in front of Billy.Billy looked at Kaze and pointed at the floor. “See that? I want to beat you up and make you kneel here all night.” “That’s creative, Billy.” “That’s right. The loser should kneel on the broken glass. That would show him for being stubborn.” Gavin and the others w
With Billy losing it, everybody knew that Billy had gone to the deep end. After the call, Billy glared at Kaze. “Just you wait, Kaze. I told Jumbo to bring backup from the martial arts school. You better pray that you live to see another day.” Jumbo was vice principal of Tensor Martial Arts School and Dwight’s right-hand man. Every time Billy stirred up trouble, Jumbo would be there to sort out the issues without alerting Dwight. Snapping out of their trances, Gavin and his group were back in high spirits. “Hear that, loser? Billy called his people at the martial arts school. They are all his father’s students. You’re done for.” “Kneel on the broken glass and beg for forgiveness. Maybe Billy might show you mercy.” “It’s pointless to beg and plead now. You’re dead meat for pissing Billy off.” The group sneered and looked at Kaze like he was a dead man. With Billy out for blood, Rose became terrified and tugged on Kaze. “You should leave, Kaze. Just leave us.” “It’s
Kaze watched as the senior citizens took off. The place was quiet as usual, and many things in the unit were left uncollected. “Mr. Lee, does this arrangement work?” Arthur awaited Kaze’s orders. “It will do for now.” After being out for the day, Kaze had seen some stuff. Business was all about making money, but some lines should not be crossed. As long as things remained within reason, there would not be scrutiny or blame. It was astounding the lengths Jet would go to. “The area will be demolished after a while. I want all of the Frosts’ projects on hold. Don’t approve any of them.” One word from Kaze could shake the very foundation of the Frosts’ business. “Alright. My team is on it. “But the Frosts will ask questions and find out who is behind this.” Arthur looked at Kaze worriedly. “They can’t find anything.” No one would know who Kaze was without his permission. It probably never crossed Jet’s mind that Snow had a powerful friend. Otherwise, he woul
Kaze was confused. Surely, the authorities would not disregard human lives and demolish the place by force. “Well, we tried to relocate them, but they refused our services. If they are still not on board, they will be sent to the retirement home tonight.” That was all Pax knew. The retirement home was just another place for the senior citizens to await death. “Is there nothing else you can do? So you signed the contract without thinking about the consequences? Karma will get back at you.” Pax’s shamelessness shocked Arthur. Pax mentioned that he would put the demolition on hold. It had not been long, and now the rights to the land were handed over. “It’s out of my hands. Jet went to my superiors to seal the deal. We are not allowed to intervene. “We had been figuring out ways to reach reconciliation for these senior citizens, but Jet was determined to make them pay.” It was the best Pax could do. He was just an employee, working to make a living. He did not have a say
“I want to see the person in charge of the demolition project now.” It was not a matter of time before the area was bulldozed, but Kaze hoped to delay it. Generally, it would take a large amount of capital to launch a project. Any delay would cause massive losses. Jet had several projects that had been put on hold, and it was a heavy blow to him. If Jet could not fix things quickly enough, all his money tied to the projects would be gone. He would be forced to ditch some projects to cut his losses. “I’ll get him here right now.” Arthur went out to make phone calls. He believed Kaze did the right thing as the senior citizens had nowhere to turn to. The senior citizens could only survive with some help. “Thank you, young man. Why are you helping us?” The senior citizens were old, but they could tell that Kaze genuinely wanted them to be okay. “I don’t think it’s right to bully you.” Kaze looked at the senior citizens earnestly, feeling sorry for them. Jet lack
“We agreed on relocation because we would get a place to stay. “But these people were unreasonable. We were offered only one-third of what everyone else got.” The senior citizens were going to swallow their losses. They just needed the money to live their last days, and they did not have family, to begin with. Later, the same people had their eyes on their money and tried to put them up at an old folks’ home. The senior citizens refused to relocate and finally chose to protect themselves by contacting the media. These people sure left the senior citizens to die. Kaze was sympathetic to the senior citizens. He went back with them to a unit on the ground floor. The place was bare, with several beds placed together. The senior citizens must be sleeping in the same room. There was little to eat, only some water and dry provisions.The old residents did not have much savings. It was good enough that they had something to eat. “Have a cup of water, boy. We don’t have any
“Are you one of those people from the pier? Are you trying to get us to leave?” A grizzled-haired man looked at Kaze warily. “I was just passing by when I saw you struggling with the buckets. I came to help you.” Kaze explained patiently. He could understand why their guards were up. They must have been lied to many times before. “Are you here to help?” “Yes, I am. My companion has gone to get you some water. He’ll be back soon. There’s no need for you to fetch water,” Kaze said kindly. “We’ll pay you.” The senior citizens exchanged glances before accepting Kaze’s gesture. They could not handle the weight of the heavy buckets. “The building here is about to be demolished. Why are you still living here?” Pretending to be in the dark, Kaze asked. “This is our home. Someone is trying to take this land away.” The grizzled-haired man was upset. “What? I thought no one could demolish the building unless they had the residents’ permission.” “You’re right, but there
“Jet sure is bold to ensure business. Isn’t he afraid of shooting himself in the foot?” Kaze had never met a man like Jet. “He has done a lot to get to the top. His ruthless methods got him a lot of money. A lot of people are happy to support him.” Arthur was impressed with Jet’s tactics. However, his approach was too cruel for his liking. “Let’s head to the residential building.” Kaze just wanted to check out the area. He was happy to help when needed. The flashy, red sports car was eye-catching. However, the flamboyant car was uncommon in these places. Most workers would express their amazement, but they would not ask questions. The car pulled up outside a soon-to-be abandoned building. It looked desolate. The power lines and infrastructure were not visible either. Kaze knew that was one of the Frosts’ methods. Sometimes, nothing, not even demolition, was required. The goal was to get the residents out. All Jet needed to do was cut the water and electricity.
“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.