“What? You can’t?” Johnson’s response stirred an uproar. “Why? Kaze is just the son-in-law of the Quints. Yet, Mayor Brooks defied his teacher for him. Did I hear that right?” “Johnson didn’t punish Kaze for upsetting Mr. Glitter in his name and disrespecting Mr. Fuller. What is he thinking?” No one could figure out why Johnson would do such a thing. Kaze was just a loser who took his wife’s last name. Given Johnson’s steady rise in politics, he could just say the word to make Kaze pay. Even Trent could not wrap his head around it. No one expected Johnson’s shocking response. After reeling in from the shock, Trent blew up. “What’s the meaning of this, Johnson? “You can’t even handle a trivial matter. I can’t believe you were the mayor.” On the other end of the line, Johnson said patiently, “Anything to do with Mr. Lee is out of my hands, Trent. “I’d advise you to stay out of it too. “If you are not deeply involved, you can apologize to Mr. Lee. I believe Mr. L
“Johnson just hung up on you. Shouldn’t you learn your lesson by now, old man?” Kaze shook his head. Despite his age, Trent was stubborn and refused to admit he was wrong. “Hmph! Do you think I care about Johnson?” Trent said curtly, “He was only the mayor for a couple of years. He didn’t even get the hang of the job yet. “I’ll show you whose voice carries weight on the council.” Trent stubbornly thought Johnson was Kaze’s friend in high places. Johnson’s statement about not getting in Kaze’s business was just his way of washing his hands of the matter and humiliating Trent. Kaze was not powerful and well-connected as Johnson hinted. Otherwise, Kaze would not marry into an upper-middle-class family and take his wife’s last name. “I can say the word and make the Quints the public enemy, boy,” Trent threatened grimacingly. He would not let the matter go until Kaze yielded to him. Kaze furrowed his brows. He was disinterested in going around in circles with Trent.
The military had always been an extraordinary existence in Arcadia. Even the most prominent families would put their attitude down a notch in the face of the army. Trent’s heart skipped a beat when Draco admitted he was serving. Even Lyon frowned and observed Draco in silence. “Which branch of the military do you serve him, buddy?” Trent asked, even taking a more amiable form of address. Draco kept the vile attitude. “I serve Lilyrose Strategic Department. Just cut the crap and get to the point.” Lilyrose Strategic Department! He was from Lilyrose Strategic Department. Trent and Lyon’s hearts sank. Lilyrose Strategic Department governed the military in five states. The local council answered to Lilyrose Strategic Department, not the other way around. Lilyrose Strategic Department was prominent in the South River State too. Trent stared intently at Draco’s arrogant face as some bad times came to mind. As the mayor of Lilyrose for twenty years, Trent often got
Lyon tried to find out more about Draco before he made any decisions about the next move, but Draco did not even answer him. “Who do you think you are, talking to me?” With that, Draco strutted back and stood behind Kaze. Lyon and the others were surprised by Draco’s reaction. The man from Lilyrose Strategic Department seemed to assume Kaze as his leader. Who exactly was the useless son-in-law of the Quints? Lyon was a smart man who could read the room. He knew that before he identified Draco’s identity, it would be better to patch things up with him. As for what would come after this, it would be a matter for a later date. He took a deep breath and went over to Kaze. He bowed and nodded, saying, “Brother, I’m sorry to have offended you in any way. How about we put this little misunderstanding aside?” When the words escaped his mouth, Lyon was drowning in his own grievance. Since he was one of the martial artist Gareth Hornberg’s best students, and also affiliated w
Slap! “Don’t you have the Glitter family’s support? Where are your balls now?” Slap! Slap after slap, Kaze humiliated Lyon in the worst way possible. Slap after slap, Kaze exerted more strength, which caused Lyon’s face to swell. Lyon’s eyes were burning with the flames of rage and they were on the verge of erupting, but he managed to keep his fists to himself. “So you're this coward even when you have the Glitters behind you? You don’t even dare to raise your fist at me? I won’t have the excuse to kill you. How boring.” Kaze grew tired of slapping Lyon. He turned around and kicked Leigh in the stomach again. “Mr. Glitter, let’s continue talking about how you sent your men to thrash my wife’s car. How do you plan to settle that?” Leigh never thought he would be beaten up so badly. He was barely alive after all the torture and it grinded his intention to resist to nothing. He just wanted to get this over with and escape Kaze’s evil clutches. He weakly said, “Just t
Kaze did a sweep kick, sending the other disciples flying and spitting blood. They crashed into walls and the furniture around them. They were knocked out instantly, falling to the ground like a lifeless slug. All they could do was cry in pain. They were all crippled by just one kick! Lyon swallowed nervously. He was stunned. He could also take out his disciples but definitely not as easy as Kaze had done it. The room fell into silence. Kaze wiped his hand with a tissue and then said, “Bunch of trash. Can’t even take a hit. Is this what you plan to ambush me with?” Kaze scanned over the disciples and no one dared to answer his questioning gaze. Lyon then shouted madly, “Kaze Lee, you bastard! Leigh has agreed to give you a car, yet you diverted your friend away just to lure my disciples to attack you? Why?” His heart was bleeding. He raised his disciples with care yet Kaze defeated them easily. Kaze scoffed. “Because I suddenly realized that the Glitters are bullies
“Master, kill him!” “Master, avenge us! Kill that brutal bastard!” Lyon’s disciples cried and asked their master to avenge them. They relied on muscles to make a living but they were all crippled by a few moves from Kaze. Their futures were ruined! They resented Kaze. Max and the others from the Four Ocean Commerce Guild remained on their knees, afraid to even move. Deep down, they prayed for Lyon to kill Kaze on the spot. Only with Kaze’s death could they nurse their grievance. “As your master, I will avenge you all!” Lyon grinned at Kaze and said, “Punk, be ready. I don’t want others to say that I am ambushing you.” Ha! Following an explosive cry, he darted at Kaze like a bullet. Lyon was fast. He was like a human bullet in motion. His previous opponents were all intimidated by his rapid movements and fierce attacks. “Kaze, I’m not going to ram you over. I’ll just break a few bones on you.” Lyon scoffed when he got closer to Kaze. Kaze’s face was void of f
“N-No…” Max was horrified when he saw the frosty but bright smile on Kaze’s face. Kaze was like the devil, smiling at him. He put his smile away and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to dirty my hands with your blood. I want you to do two things for me. “First, I want that car to be under my wife’s name. You may decide when to make the transfer, but don’t wait until I come after you.” Max nodded repeatedly. Kaze put two of his fingers out and continued, “Second, tell the Glitters they can come at me whenever they want. I crippled Leigh Glitter today and I know they won’t just sit quiet on this. “But, before they can kill me, they better stay away from my wife or my family, or else I will rain hell on them regardless of how powerful or rich they are.” Given how the Glitters did things, they would not sit back quietly now that Leigh had been tortured. Reputation and image were more important than anything to a family of that scale and status. They would not care about
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