“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
“Darcy, that’s what you get for indulging that idiot. He’s putting your whole family in trouble now. “If I were you, I would cut ties with him right away,” Adam told Darcy curtly.Pale in the face, Darcy said desperately, “Come on, Kaze. Let’s just go back to Horizon Mirror.” That was the only solution she could think of. With the chief commander’s guards on duty, Harrison, consul or not, would think twice before barging into the area. Nevertheless, that was just a quick fix to buy time before the entire issue was resolved. “Don’t be scared, babe. We’re not going anywhere. We will wait here for Harrison’s apology,” Kaze said with a smile while squeezing her hand. Darcy was lost for words. To think Kaze still smiled after landing himself in hot water. Gritting her teeth, she stayed put with Kaze. She was the chairman of two major corporations, and Kaze was the CEO of Hudson Investment firm. They were not vulnerable or powerless. In the worst-case scenario, they would
“Thump!” Behind Harrison, a dozen of his crew kneeled together with him. “Um…” The spectacle threw everybody else for a loop. It was unbelievable. Harrison, the consul of Paladia, kneeled before Kaze instead of getting even with him. Many rubbed their eyes, wondering if their eyes deceived them. “That’s impossible!” Danny yelled horrifically, and his despair was clear in his voice. His life was over at that point. Harrison was a national hero. As the consul, he represented Paladia.Yet, he was quick to kneel before Kaze. “How could that be? How did it happen? Who the hell are you?” Sherry freaked out. Paladia was the land she had always wanted to be in. Her biggest dream was to get a green card and immigrate there. She did not believe Arcadian men were good enough for her. Sure, Sherry was involved with some men, but she only saw them as tools for her own gains. Yet now, Kaze crushed Danny, the pseudo-aristocrat, while Harrison, a consul, groveled at Kaze
“Argh!” Danny yelled in agony. No Arcadians on the scene pitied him. If not for Harrison, they would not have known that Danny turned to Arcadia to scam the people because he could not make a living in Paladia. Their cheeks burned with shame as they defended Danny when Kaze called him trash. Adam was upset. He sucked up to Danny moments ago. Smack!Bam!Harrison roughed Danny up, only stopping once he believed Danny had enough. Danny sank to the ground without the energy to scream anymore. His eyes bulged resentfully at Kaze. Danny could not understand why Harrison would revere Kaze. He was not the only one puzzled. No one could figure the situation out. Everybody wondered if Kaze was more than he let out to be. Nevertheless, the fact that Harrison, the Paladian Consul General, was so intimidated by Kaze and considered him to be on the same level as the Queen of Paladia was beyond the imagination of those present.“Are you happy with that, sir? If not, I don’
Harrison represented Paladia, and the last thing he wanted was for the embarrassing incident to become public knowledge. Besides, Harrison knew how to take a hint. Since no one seemed to be aware of Kaze’s identity, Harrison understood that Kaze preferred to keep a low profile. Hence, Harrison was sure Kaze would not want word to get out either. Everybody was too scared to make the incident public. They would not be able to make the consul apologize on his knees like Kaze. Once Harrison was gone, the crowd was relieved and looked at Kaze with complex emotions. The man who took his wife’s last name sure gave everybody something to think about tonight. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint. I want to apologize for my earlier disrespect. I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge. I hope you can forgive me.” Many who took jabs at Kaze and Darcy moments earlier came seeking forgiveness. Those who took things too far even kneeled on the ground. The consul of Paladia had dropped to
Adam’s mind wandered back to the recent event. Sure enough, Kaze said something vaguely on the phone which scared Harrison to apologize on his knees. The whole thing was absurd and defied common sense. Besides, Darcy tried to drag Kaze to take cover in Horizon Mirror in case of an act of revenge. The chief commander placed the area under heavy guard. Chief Commander Lang was the God of War’s right-hand man. In other words, Darcy’s family had gotten into the habit of using the God of War’s name to get what they wanted. “That bastard! How dare he lie to me!” Adam was furious to be fooled. “Do you get it now, Adam?” George burst out laughing and said, “Just turn up the heat on the idiot to release Cosmo and make a personal apology. “He has less than an hour left in the three-day time limit. “We will not allow the idiot to ask for more time. “I will try and get in touch with Harrison to expose Kaze’s lies.“My family and I won’t have to lift a finger because the
“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