Noticing Kaze’s lack of response, Adam looked to Darcy. “Darcy, your stupid husband is not behaving and you too? Make your husband kneel and apologize to Mr. Tulip! If he doesn’t forgive you, then I’ll beat the two of you!” Upon hearing her uncle, Darcy’s expression turned cold. Her own uncle disregarded her feelings and wanted her to make her husband kneel before Danny in front of a crowd. Was it purely because Danny was a member of the royal family? Darcy was disappointed. It was then that Kaze held her hand tight. “Darcy, don’t be mad at people who are not worthy of your time. Just take it as dogs barking. I’d like to see who can make me kneel and apologize tonight.” Kaze sat Darcy down and poured her a glass of water like nothing happened. He got himself a glass of water as well. He started sipping nonchalantly as if everyone was invisible. Adam was infuriated by Kaze’s disrespect. The most useless person with no status offended Danny in public. It was suicida
“Darcy Quint, your useless husband is dead!” Sherry’s voice was sharp and vicious. Danny grinned at Kaze in silence. After being insulted twice, Danny grew smart. He used his connections to hire bodyguards to protect him. Everyone else gasped in shock when they heard Sherry. One bodyguard was more than enough to take down a common man, yet there were more than ten of them. Everyone could already picture the devastating end for Kaze with his limbs torn and bones broken, begging Danny for forgiveness. They gloated at him. Darcy was afraid as well. She tugged Kaze’s sleeve and whispered, “Kaze, stop offending that man. There’s no point in winning the argument here. We have to figure a way out of this. Don’t worry, I won’t let him make you kneel. I’ll just find a way to compensate him, with money or whatever.” Darcy knew Kaze had a stubborn personality and would never bow to violence. Before Kaze could speak, she got up and apologized on his behalf. “Mr. Danny Tulip,
“Ms. Quint, actions have consequences. Your husband chose to oppose me and challenge Tulip Corporation, so you have to prepare for retaliation.” With bodyguards around, Danny was extremely confident and arrogant. He grinned and said, “Of course, you can choose not to accept my terms, but I hope you and your husband can bear the consequences.” He waved his hand at his bodyguards and they took a step forward. Even though they were wearing shades, Darcy could feel their ferocious gazes ripping her and Kaze to pieces. A murderous aura filled the room, the kind of intense air unique to veterans who had been on the battlefield. It did not only scare Darcy but also pressured all the other guests. The atmosphere in the hall grew so tense that it felt like a huge fight would break out at any moment. ‘Offending Danny had severe repercussions,’ a thought shared by many in the hall. “Darcy, don’t worry.” Kaze went to stand in front of Darcy casually, blocking the murderous aura
Danny’s voice was ferociously cold, and his anger made his teeth chatter. Many other guests were deterred and scared because they knew Danny was being serious. Splash! Sherry grabbed a glass of wine from the table and splashed Kaze’s face. “You useless piece of trash! Danny has agreed to spare your life yet you are still challenging him? Kneel and apologize or you will be destroyed!” she bellowed fiercely. “Hey! You! This is too much! Kaze didn’t even offend you!” Darcy argued. She quickly grabbed some napkins to wipe the wine off Kaze’s face and suit. Sherry crossed her arms and looked at Darcy proudly. “You stupid woman. You married a useless man and got yourself into this. You will only dirty Danny’s bed even if you’re allowed on it. You better worry about the consequences of offending Danny before coming after me.” She berated Darcy because she wanted Danny to lose interest in Darcy. “You!” Darcy pointed at Sherry angrily. Her personality and background would
Other than the embassy, Paladia’s highest authority in a foreign country would be the consulate in Arcadia. There were a few consulates of Paladia across Arcadia and one of them was in South River State. The consulate represented Paladia, yet Kaze demanded the consul to kneel and apologize to him. It was insane. “Trash, do you know who is the consul of Paladia in South River State? He is the strongest diplomat of Paladia, a soldier who has fought on the foreign battlefield, and you want him to apologize to you? Do you have a death wish?!” Adam was infuriated. He was gasping for air due to his anger. If he knew Kaze would be this audacious to challenge not only Danny but the consulate as well, he would never have let Darcy bring Kaze to the welcoming party. He could already picture how things would fall apart if those words reached Consul Harrison Ford and the consequences that would follow. A diplomatic disaster would ensue. As the main person of the welcoming party,
“Darcy Quint, I think you better start preparing your husband’s funeral!” Sherry could already picture Kaze’s funeral. Darcy’s face turned as white as a sheet upon hearing that. “Enough!” Danny stopped Sherry. He glared at Kaze and bellowed, “You Arcadian monkey! You have made a huge mistake by insulting Consul Harrison Ford! Before he arrives, I should do something on his behalf!” He then waved at his bodyguards. “Get this son of a bitch! He insulted the consul, Paladia, and me! Break his limbs!” The bodyguards looked at Kaze. The fear they felt from Kaze earlier discouraged them at first but as Kaze continued to spew unbelievable claims, the fear was replaced by anger. “Mr. Ford is our superior on the battlefield and he’s the future of Paladia! No one can insult him!” “Die, Arcadian monkey!” As the first bodyguard shouted, the others jumped at Kaze. “Kaze, run!” Scared, Darcy tried to pull Kaze away but Kaze darted in front of her and pulled her behind him.
Slap! Danny was sent to the ground. He felt numb and could not feel his face at all. Kaze did not let him go just yet. He grabbed Danny by the collar and broke the calf with a powerful stomp. “Aaaaargh!” Danny cried excruciatingly and fell on his knees before Kaze. Sherry was terrified when she noticed Kaze’s gaze on her. “W-What are you trying to do?” Kaze grabbed her and slapped her to the ground. He then lifted his foot and said, “I said I would make you lick the wine off my shoes.” “Y-You rubbish! What gives you the right? I’ll kill you!” Sherry shouted like a madwoman. However, after another slap, she was silenced and reluctantly moved closer to Kaze’s shoes. Danny, a member of the Paladian royal family, was on his knees while Sherry, a financial news anchor, was licking Kaze’s shoes clean. Everyone was shocked by the scene. What happened?“Kaze, do you know what you have done? How dare you slap Mr. Tulip and his plus-one? Are you declaring war against h
“Mayor Brooks, Jason Statham served Paladia with his blood and spirit! You have to hand over the culprit and let us sanction him, or else you will be hearing from the officials of Paldia!” At Lilyrose Detention Center, a man with a golden mane and beard was shouting at Johnson, exerting his superiority over the mayor. The man was Harrison Ford, the consul of Paladia. It was right then he received a call from Danny. Harrison was stunned when he heard Danny’s plea before he shouted back angrily. “Danny, you fucking bastard! You must have gotten in trouble and said those words to piss me off! An Arcadian monkey wants me to kneel and apologize? You fucking liar, I will kill you!” Harrison did not believe a word Danny said because it was impossible. “Harrison, stop shouting with that mouth of yours. Do you want to be the first consul of Paladia who dies in Arcadia?” Then, another voice came through the phone. The person gave him a death threat, which ignited the explosive
“I reckon that the stone might be important to someone within the Krads.“Aiden volunteered to take care of the business in Riverbank and go up against your wife. He’s not just here to suck up to his chief commander brother but to prove to the Krads that he’s better than the rest of the competition.“If he can gain that somebody’s favor, this can be bigger than his achievements in business.” Everett adopted the requirement analysis. Though Everett had no idea why the Golden Toad was important to the Krads, he understood Aiden’s needs. By grasping an individual’s core requirement, he was able to deduce something that was closer to the truth. “Has Aiden lost his head?” Kaze uttered in confusion, “He could’ve just gotten the thing from you at a better rate. Why is he getting to buy it from an auction?” Everett mentioned that the Golden Toad was worth tens of millions of dollars, but no more than a hundred million dollars. Aiden could have made a private deal with Everett.
“You can take a closer look at our mall’s prized possession.” Marilyn was adorned in a golden ray, giving off an almost saintly vibe. Kaze brought Darcy and Sasha forward for a good look. Encased within the vacuum-sealed glass display was an emerald gemstone the size of a fist.The gemstone was crafted in the shape of a toad, and it was remarkably lifelike. The jewel displayed no visible imperfection to the naked eye. Kaze, Darcy, and Sasha could not tell what was special about the gemstone other than its shape and purity. “What’s the story about this crown jewel?” Kaze asked. Marilyn shook her head. She was unsure why the gemstone was considered a prized possession. Darcy grabbed Sasha’s arm and asked with concern, “What’s the matter, Sasha? Are you unwell?” “I-I feel a burning sensation on my back.” Sasha looked at Kaze in agony. She knew that Kaze had a better understanding of her well-being. Kaze approached Sasha from behind and gently pulled down her back coll
“I’d like to hear from you, Kaze.” Everett was interested in knowing what Kaze was after. Kaze glanced around the mall, and a thought came to him. “You know what. You have quite a nice antique collection in Marlboro, Gem City. How about that in exchange for your son’s life?” Everett felt his heart sinking. Even with Duncan’s life at stake, he could not stop the fury from building. “You’re asking for too much, Lee!” Gem City? Gem City was worth ten billion dollars at the very least. Kaze had the audacity to ask for Marlboro. “Mr. Techman, please mind your attitude.” Kaze said indifferently, “You panicked when I talked about Marlboro. I guess your son’s life doesn’t compare to Gem City. “I didn’t think you’d choose assets over family, Mr. Techman.”Everett ignored Kaze’s taunting. Once his head cooled down, Everett figured that Kaze raised the stakes just to stay in the bargaining game. That was why Kaze rejected his first two proposals. Everett believed that Kaze w
Everett was skeptical that Kaze would kill Duncan in broad daylight. As an underworld kingpin, Everett understood that Kaze had ways to make Duncan pay. After much contemplation, Everett said, “Here’s the thing, Kaze. I’ll pay you 20 million dollars for the trouble today and yesterday.” “20 million dollars? Are you kidding me, Mr. Techman?” Kaze glanced at Darcy before walking a short distance away with the phone in hand. He said emotionlessly, “Since you’re helping Aiden to go against me, you should know that he wants my wife out of the competition. He established some billion-dollar barrier to stop her.“You might not be aware but Jiro Sakamoto, a Ryokanian of the Refined Blade, died yesterday, and Reiko of the same organization gave me a villa worth hundreds of millions of dollars right away. “If you think that your son’s life is worth 20 million dollars, I can pay you that money and kill him.” Everett was lost for words. He quickly picked up on the message Kaze had s
“What do you want?” The call quickly connected, and Everett’s annoyed voice came on. Everett never had the patience for his airhead of a son. Due to Duncan’s recent involvement with Kaze, Everett was humiliated, and he still had not let things go. Duncan looked at Kaze, and the latter took the phone and said indifferently, “How are you, Mr. Techman?” “Who are you? Wait, Kaze?” On the other end of the line, Everett was flustered. However, his experience dealing with challenges anchored him down, and he said curtly, “Why do you have Duncan’s phone, Kaze?” “You should ask your son what he did.” Kaze took the phone away from his ear and gestured for Duncan to talk. “Dad, this is on me…” Duncan sobbingly recounted the whole thing. “Bastard!” Everett blew up. “Why did you get involved? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” Everett came down hard on Duncan. However, Kaze frustratedly interrupted them. “That’s enough, Mr. Techman. Don’t play dumb.“I don’t care if you kne
“What are you doing?” Marilyn rose to her feet and shouted in a panic. “Are you trying to get yourself killed, boy?” Duncan’s security team charged ahead. They were newly hired, so they had not met Kaze before. Kaze had crippled the prior security team. “Stay away!” Duncan shouted to stop his bodyguards. Lying on the floor, he looked at Kaze and said with a sad face, “What are you doing, Kaze? I didn’t upset you today.” “Thud!” Kaze kicked him. “Did you not? Is that why you set Sasha up? “You have some nerve.” Darcy witnessed Kaze’s violence without a word. She believed Duncan deserved it after what he did. Duncan shivered. He knew that Kaze had seen through his plans, and there was nothing he could do or say to get himself out of the mess. Kaze drew close and put his foot on Duncan’s chest. He asked curtly, “Am I doubting your integrity?”“N-No.” Duncan stammered, “I have no integrity. I’m a scumbag. I’m a nobody in your presence.” “Can I call Marlboro
Despite Duncan’s sad state, no one dared to look down on him. Duncan’s family owned Marlboro after all. However, the crowd was curious as to how Duncan got himself all beat up. Who would lay a finger on Duncan in all of Riverbank anyway? “How are you feeling, Mr. Techman?” Marilyn greeted Duncan with a smile and sucked up to him. “Cut the crap!” Duncan waved his hand annoyedly. “Where’s Sasha?” “She’s there.” Following the direction of Marilyn’s pointed finger, Duncan quickly saw Darcy standing with Sasha. Darcy’s beauty took Duncan’s breath away. However, the only thing on his mind was revenge now. Duncan immediately turned to Sasha. “Do you still remember me, Ms. Spoon?” Sasha looked at Duncan in surprise. “Oh, it’s you, Mr. Techman.” “Heh. That’s right.”Sasha was all Duncan focused on. He laughed cryptically. “I’m only in this state because of you, Ms. Spoon. “Who’s the guy who has your back? Get his ass here!” Duncan was eager to ruin Sasha and get
“Mr. Techman’s family runs Marlboro. He’s only helping Ms. Spoon because he took pity on her. “Besides, it won’t reflect well on the business if we don’t sort things out. “Mr. Techman doesn’t mind the money, so Ms. Spoon can take her time in paying him back. “Ms. Spoon has the look and attitude to work in sales at Marlboro after she finishes school too. “Of course, we offer a good salary too.” Marilyn turned to Sasha. “Ms. Spoon, you can write the IOU now. You’re lucky that Mr. Techman took notice of the situation. “Mr. Techman doesn’t usually have time to care about these matters.” Sasha looked at Marilyn and said shyly, “I’ll only follow Kaze’s lead.” Marilyn grimaced, and her gaze fell on Kaze. “What do you want to do about this, Mr. Lee? “Normally, Mr. Techman won’t bother with these trivial matters.” Kaze looked hesitant. “Why don’t you call Mr. Techman here, so we can talk face-to-face?“I just don’t feel comfortable unless that happens.” Marilyn put on a s
“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