When Kaze came out of the car, he realized Lily Garden Hotel was decorated grandly today. The fiery red carpet rolled out to the front as if to welcome a VIP. Kaze was not concerned and headed in. With her slender long legs, Miru followed Kaze to the entrance. Manager Keegan was at the entrance talking to a group of hotel employees with his back facing them. “Manager, the boss is here. He’s with Ms. Miru Scarlet of the Lefteria Group,” notified one of the employees after Kaze and Miru were spotted. Miru was a regular at Lily Garden Hotel, or else she would not bring Kaze here to have lunch. The employees recognized the beautiful and rich lady. Manager Keegan immediately turned around when he heard the employee and led the others to bow at Kaze. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Scarlet, welcome.” Miru was surprised by the warm welcome. Despite being a regular at Lily Garden Hotel, the employees had never welcomed her with such courtesy, which caused her to overlook the fact that besi
Miru grunted in disdain. She tossed her car key to the chauffeur and walked inside. Kaze smiled without being concerned and followed her inside. The restaurant was located on the left side of the lobby. The two of them sat down at a quiet table. Miru picked up the menu and started ordering. First on her list was a bottle of wine that cost ten thousand, then air-flown caviar for two and some other dishes. The dishes she ordered cost around two hundred thousand. “That will be all.” Miru closed the menu and saw the bitter look on Kaze. “What’s wrong? The price scared you?” She thought Kaze was shocked by the price of the wine and the caviar, which delighted her. “Miru, I think you are just being rude. That’s all you ordered? It’s not even enough as an appetizer.” He was displeased by how few dishes Miru ordered. He took the menu and had a look himself. “A few more sets of caviar, and this, and this, this too. Make it double for all of them…” Kaze knew that high
Kaze did not expect someone would ask him to leave while he was dining. “Can’t you see I’m eating? Why must I leave?” Kaze remained seated. He did not even look at the security guard. “Hmph. I don’t care if you are eating or sleeping.” The security guard glared at him like a ferocious tiger. He was from a professional security firm experienced in escorting celebrities and VIPs. Andrew Shawn and Liv Ackerman were the two biggest celebrities in the entertainment industry at the moment and their fans could get rough easily. Some fanatics would even get information about their idols’ flight and hotel information so they could buy the same flight or check in to the same hotel. The extreme fanatics would even book a room at the hotel one month in advance just to see their idols up close. It was a nuisance to the celebrities as it would disrupt their normal lives. Other than zealous fans, there were also haters whose existence would threaten their safety directly. Kaze w
“Just because you’ve never heard of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Kaze scoffed. The special operations team was more secretive than normal soldiers. Even their files and documents were coded with numbers only, so it was normal that these security guards had never heard of them. Then, another group of people came in. The leader of the group was a petite woman in glasses. She looked harsh and cold. When she saw the security guards surrounding Kaze, she bellowed, “What’s going on here? You guys still haven’t cleared the restaurant? More and more fans are gathering outside. If something bad happens, are you going to take responsibility?” “Ms. Young, this person refused to leave and claimed he’s having some spec ops team lock down the hotel,” the leader of the security guards said ingratiatingly. At the same time, he shifted the blame to Kaze, indicating that he had nothing to do with the delay. The other security guards nodded. When faced with the tiny woman, these bu
Kaze did not expect Lily to continue her arrogant tone after having made known that he was the owner of the hotel. As the owner of Lily Garden Hotel, he had the right to decline a customer’s check-in. Yet Lily made it sound like it was a favor done by her celebrities for choosing his hotel—it made no sense. Manager Keegan approached Kaze and whispered, “Boss, as top celebrities, they are quite influential. If they released a statement that puts us in a difficult position, it might affect the hotel’s business.” “Really? How influential are they?” Kaze scoffed. Influential? How exactly? Lily was infuriated that Kaze refused to believe her. Then, the commercial vehicle’s door opened up. The celebrities exited the car and the security guards escorted them through the sea of barricaded fans to enter the hotel. Lily was aware that Andrew and Liv had come in, so she called them over to the restaurant. “Lily, what’s going on?” Andrew and Liv came over. Kaze sized up the
Draco was shocked. He could tell his boss was furious. He immediately said, “Boss, Koga just updated me that he’s nearby, observing the hotel’s surroundings for better planning. It’s to ensure your safety.” “I don’t need him to ensure my safety. I just need him to lockdown the hotel. He has one minute!” Kaze angrily hung up the phone. If there were anyone who could actually threaten his safety, then not even the Garo Spec Ops Team would suffice. Pft! Lily cackled. “Look at you, still pretending! Do you really think you are some military commander? One call and you summon the army?” Andrew and Liv laughed as well. They heard about Kaze claiming to lock down the hotel with his troops, which was amusing. While they were still laughing in stitches, endless cries of surprise came from outside the hotel. The fans gathering at the entrance looked up to the sky and saw a dozen attack helicopters appear. The noise of the spinning blades filled the entire airspace as they hov
The elite soldiers were no fans of the celebrities. Their only objective was to seize the hotel, put it on total lockdown, and ensure a VIP’s safety. “Sir, report, sir! We have total control of Lily Garden. The VIP’s safety is secured!” The chief tapped on the earpiece in his ear and updated Lone Wolf on the situation. He had eyes on Kaze and was cognizant that Kaze was the VIP the team was protecting. “Very well. I’ll be there right away!” An excited voice came through the earpiece. “VIP? What VIP? There’s a VIP in the hotel?!” Lily, Andrew, and Liv were mortified. Soon, a man in a military uniform appeared at the entrance and came to the restaurant in a hurry. When Lily and company saw the man, they turned pale. A brigadier general! An actual brigadier general! Someone they could not afford to mess with! Their faces looked as pale as paper. Who was the VIP in the hotel? That was right, they had no idea who the VIP was. They wanted to apologize and ask for
Lily and the celebrities wished they were dead when they heard Kaze. They tried to make him apologize and even claimed that they could make his hotel go bankrupt. They had hit the biggest snag in the world. “S-Sir, you are obviously someone powerful. We dared not ask you to apologize to us. We should be the ones who apologized to you. Forgive us for being blind…” Lily begged meekly. “Powerful?” Kaze’s expression turned grim. He sneered, “If I am not powerful, you wouldn’t apologize to me but the other way around. You even threatened to bankrupt my hotel by posting stuff online.” Andrew and Liv almost passed out when they heard Kaze because Kaze clearly remembered what they said to threaten him earlier. Chills ran down their spines. They messed with someone they could not afford and there was no turning back. Lily shuddered in fear. “Sir, we’re sorry. We shouldn’t ask you to leave, or threaten you…” She peeked at the soldier beside her. The black muzzle was pointed at
As they arrived, they saw a dozen expensive cars parked outside. The customer base was relatively stable as the establishment was targeted at the upper class. The people lining up at the club were young men and women of ordinary background. All were allowed inside Absolute Zero with an entrance fee. Since this would be a chance for ordinary people to meet and interact with the upper-class elites, they cherished it and tried their best to look good. Even movie producers and scriptwriters came to the club, seeking investments or a role in movie production. It was a shortcut to reach out to the upper crust after all. Yet they were just a bunch of fresh graduates with no resources and connections, so the club was their only chance at achieving something great. Dwight would never understand how rare the opportunity was, as he was narrow-sighted. He had never experienced power and wealth before, so he lacked the understanding of how things worked in society. “I never thought
With that in mind, Dwight checked his outfit. His black leather jacket brought out his height and wild side. He then observed Kaze. The latter was dressed casually. Dwight was worried that they would not be allowed into Absolute Zero because of their attire. Nevertheless, he could not let slip that he had never been to Absolute Zero. Without a word, Dwight led Kaze down the apartment building. Kaze could pick up on Dwight’s nerves. While in the elevator, Dwight could not stop straightening out his clothes. It was clear that he was nervous. Even so, Kaze said nothing and pretended not to notice. They got into the car and drove to an alley. The area was not huge, but there were stands selling street food. “The food is great here. Since it’s early, we can grab a bite.” Dwight was not being tight with money. As their destination was a bar, there was no need to get a proper meal. “I’ll get a skewer then.” Kaze did not have much of an appetite anyway. “Okay. I’ll or
“You’re the guest. I should be hosting you, but I don’t seem to be doing a good job.” Dwight knew he had to do better. “It’s okay. I don’t have much to do. It’s just a delivery anyway.” Kaze bought a lot of stuff online. All they had to do was wait for the delivery. Once the items arrived, they could head out. Dwight talked about taking him to a bar under the Viper’s Den’s umbrella. It was a great opportunity for Kaze to check out the scene. He had heard that the Wittersons were tied to all the Viper’s Den’s business operations.Kaze would not meet Edmund and Morris in person, but he would grasp all information related to them. Then, Kaze would stir things up between them and sit back while reaping the benefits. Kaze had it all planned out. He simply had to take his time in playing the long game. Nevertheless, it was important for him to remain discreet. At the very least, he should not show them what he was made of. It was easy to execute his plan when everybody
Kaze rose to his feet and took something out of his bag. Putting on his jacket, he was on his way out. Dwight was out of his room, too. He left his room for a glass of water and waited for Kaze to get out of the room after his nap. Dwight had a drink in the kitchen. He took an apple and chomped on it. Looking at the fruit on the table, Dwight grabbed a plate to arrange it neatly.He took out his phone to pass the time while waiting for Kaze. Kaze emerged from the room and saw Dwight. “You’re up at last. You’ve slept half the day away. Are you still tired? I can wait if you need to catch some sleep.” Dwight kept Herman’s memo to look after Kaze. “A little. I didn’t get any sleep last night. I was waiting to get on the plane.” Kaze took the red-eye flight yesterday. Dwight allowed time for Kaze to rest, knowing his travel schedule. “I know. Did you manage to get some good sleep? If you haven’t, you can go back to bed. I can grab some food for you.” Dwight’s plan
“Your main responsibility is to entertain Kaze. You will be rewarded for good work,” Herman said. Dwight nodded incessantly. “Thank you for thinking of me, Herman. I won’t forget this.” “I’d be grateful so long as you stay out of trouble. “Just focus on what you should do and take good care of Kaze.” Herman worried that Dwight might get ahead of himself and forget his primary duties. Dwight’s priority was Kaze’s well-being. The whole thing would be over if Dwight kept to himself and served Kaze until he was gone. There would be a problem if something were to happen. Without Edmund’s instructions, Herman would never have assigned a job to Dwight. It could be a good thing, though. At least, a job might keep him on the straight and narrow. “Relax. You can count on me,” Dwight said with glee.That was a nice surprise. Dwight did not see it coming. It was just incredible. Herman still could not shake off his worry. However, he had said his piece. It was pointless t
Herman’s smile vanished. His red, irritated skin was playing up. Due to alcohol in his system, Herman could not see straight. He had to grit his teeth to hold back the urge to retch. Herman was not one to drink. Yet, he would have to go through Edmund’s loyalty test every time, and he was reaching a boiling point. However, he understood that he needed to suck it up to gain Edmund’s trust. “You must be Herman. Mr. Witterson. Should I take the things to your car, or should I deliver them to your home?” asked a uniformed server who approached. “Put them in the car and get me a designated driver,” Herman replied. He headed to the lobby while propping himself against the wall. “Okay. There will be a driver out front, ready for your service.” The server tried to help Herman up, but was declined. Herman saw the cartons of alcohol and cigarettes in the lobby. Edmund had always been generous in giving out stuff like this. “These are from Mr. Witterson. You’re lucky to work for
“Kaze can pull the punches for sure. I mean, he has the Butterworth branch chief’s trust for a reason. “There has to be something for him to win the branch chief’s approval.” Edmund doubted there was depth to Kaze. After all, Edmund decided whether to take on a person based on their abilities. It made no sense to pay attention to losers, as he would hold them in contempt. Edmund had been impressed with Herman, who excelled in strategies and management. That was why Edmund bumped Herman up and made sure he stayed on top. “Got it.” Herman nodded and had one foot out the door. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. There’s one more thing.” Edmund pointed at the table. Herman approached and stood on bent knees. Pleased with Herman’s submission, Edmund passed him a wine glass. Herman took the drink humbly before looking carefully at Edmund, awaiting his orders. “The wine was just airlifted from abroad. I can vouch for the taste. If you’re looking to sip on the finest, yo
Time went by, and a towering man in a suit showed up outside the door. Picking up on the noise inside the room, he knocked on the door. It was hard to tell whether the person inside could hear the knocking, so the man waited outside. The door was opened, and a woman, her face flawless with makeup, popped her head out and saw him. She cocked her head back at Edmund. “You have a guest, Mr. Witterson.” “Let him in,” Edmund instructed. He then leaned in to take the drink from the girl next to him with his mouth. The other girls cheered him on. The group was lost in their fun. The man, who entered the room, stood by the sofa respectfully. He kept his head down, his gaze staying low at the bottles of alcohol spread across the table. It was a bit of a wait before the man approached at Edmund’s order. “Tell me about Dwight.”While listening to the girls’ singing, Edmund turned to Herman. Herman rushed over as soon as Edmund called. He won a lot of money at poker toda
In this particular circumstance, Morris had to play it safe so that things would not get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the mess. At least, he finally saw the Wittersons’ true colors. Morris’ friendly advice was met with disrespect and insult. However, the Wittersons were a force of nature, and Morris was not about to take them head-on. Despite his frustration, Morris had to walk away. Well, Edmund would soon face his downfall at the height of his power, and Morris would be there to enjoy the ride. Still, it did not sit well with Morris to have a young fella walk all over him. It had crossed his mind to keep the Wittersons in check, but there was only so much he could do. Morris had to be the one to back away as the Wittersons grew haughty. Morris believed there was more to Kaze’s visit to Westeros. Nothing major happened in Westeros recently. At least, there was nothing worth the other branch’s attention. However, a representative of the