Jun, who heard Kaze, was shaken. Starocean Hotel was the Joestar family’s property and if it shut down, his family would wreck him on top of him losing face. Knowing the odds were against him, Jun decided to surrender. He took a deep breath and went up to Kaze with a cigarette, “I am so sorry about what happened today. Please spare us this time and we can talk. Whatever terms and conditions you have, just name it. There’s no need to resort to extreme methods.” Kaze took the cigarette and let Jun light it up. He took a drag and then smiled. “You are a smart one, knowing when to back off.” Jun held his emotions back and forced a smile on his face. “You must be joking here. We are friends—brothers! It’s normal for little squabbles to happen. So why not just wipe it off and we can…” Slap! Kaze slapped him in the face. The sudden slap caused the cigarette to fall off his lips. Jun fell on the floor. He glared at Kaze and bellowed, “Kaze Lee, you!” He thought Kaze would sim
No one expected Jun to bare his fangs at Kaze again after being defeated. He brought his family’s name to the table. Some of the customers already knew he was a Joestar from the hotel mentioned while some just found out. Regardless, when the name Joestar was brought up, everyone felt pressured. The Joestar family was a first-tier family in Lilyrose, having more than a hundred years of history in this city. Almost everyone in Lilyrose knew them. The entire coffee shop was silenced. Kaze struck a member of the Joestar family inside the coffee shop, owned by the hotel operated by the Joestar family. The Joestars would never spare him for this. Kaze raised his brow at Jun. “You’re a Joestar?” “What’s wrong? Scared now?” Jun scoffed. He glared at Kaze and continued, “I gave you enough chances, trying to solve this amicably because we still have to do business here, but you crossed the line. Now that you know about my family, you are scared. It’s too late. “If you are
Kaze did not know if it was the idea of the three families’ heads or the rest of the members. It had only been a short while since the top three families were taken down. Would history repeat itself? Kaze knew it was not just an idea. When he got rid of the Lee and Vinland families, the Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families took his side and reaped many benefits from the incident. The new top three families were slowly taking shape. “Hmph! No matter what you say, you can’t change the fact that the Joestar family would soon become one of the top three families.” Jun looked at Kaze wickedly and added, “I’ll give you a chance. Kneel and slap yourself until your face falls off, or I will break your hands and legs!” He then signaled his hotel security to surround Kaze. One word from him and the security guards would charge at Kaze. “Jun Joestar, you just like Eliot, Frank, and Tiffany when they were still the elites of the top three families. Taking advantage of people as
“Jack, what did you say? I didn’t get you the first time.” Kaze did not even blink after breaking Jun’s leg, he simply talked to Jack on the phone. Jack gulped nervously and said, “Mr. Lee, I said Jun Joestar has nothing to do with us. You can do whatever you like with him. We will not question your actions at all.” He was sweating profusely, scared of being held responsible even through the phone. He wanted to slap himself for asking Kaze to spare Jun. Jun threatened to break Kaze’s limbs and he was still trying to ask Kaze to spare Jun. It might work if it was someone else, but not with Kaze. No one could get away from Kaze’s wrath with just an apology. Jack was aware his words angered Kaze. That was why Kaze interjected him by breaking Jun’s leg. Kaze did not plan to spare Jack at all. “Nothing to do with you? Jack, this guy here said that your family will soon become the next top three families with the Vikroms and Logmans. I was thinking, it has only been a few
The high-born young misters and misses, accustomed to living an extravagant and proud life, were meek and submissive. Their elders wore a strict look on their faces, which was a sign of something severely bad happening. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint…” The three elders led their juniors to greet and bow at Kaze and Darcy. It was grand and astonishing to witness. The onlookers had nothing but respect and admiration for Kaze. He was able to make three first-tier families bow at him with respect. Even with his young age, it was not surprising that people looked up to him. “Uh… This is…” Darcy got up from her seat, looking nervous. Her hands were shaking aimlessly, not knowing how to respond. In the past, she was the one who admired and respected the first-tier families because the Quint family was just second-tier. Even her grandfather, Master Quint, had to be humble before Bernard, Peter, and Jack. Yet all three of them bowed at Kaze as if he were their leader. Darcy had an in
Jun was completely devastated upon listening to his uncle. He messed with the wrong person. Not only did he mess up badly, he even dragged his entire family into this mess. Everyone looked at Kaze, waiting for him to drop his sentence. “It’s nothing personal. Before I say more, let’s just comb through the details here.” Kaze got up and went over to Jun. He said coldly, “I slapped your friend on your hotel premises, and you want to avenge him—I understand that. “However, you did not bother finding out about the truth, or ask who started it, and you came up to me, trying to oppress me with your status and background. You even threatened to break my limbs and said your family, plus the Vikroms and Logmans, would be the new top three families. Did I miss out on anything?” Other than the Joestar family, the Vikrom and Logman families were speechless as well. They all looked at Jun with the coldest glare. They had the thought of replacing the previous top three families; it wou
Hotels were the Joestar family’s main business. Many hotels in Lilyrose, large or small, were under their company’s banner. A while ago, Jack gave Kaze Lily Garden Hotel because of what his son, Ren, did. It was nothing much to the Joestar family but now, all of their hotels were ordered to suspend operation for a month. The loss would be unimaginable. However, it was not the worst. At least they did not end up like the top three families and could recover from this. Kaze’s order was considered merciful. “Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!” Jack nodded instantly, not having the courage to argue. “You’re dismissed.” Kaze sent them off. All three heads of families nodded and bowed at him before they left with their respective families. Jun was sent to the hospital and Starocean Hotel was shut down by Pierce’s men. Kaze and Darcy also went home. “Hey! Why are you throwing me out? I’m your manager’s friend!” When Kaze and Darcy exited the hotel, they saw Tao, in his mi
“Wow!” The moment the Koenigsegg’s door opened, even the passersby were astonished. A small crowd gathered to take pictures and video of it. The Koenigsegg had a futuristic design. Even professional car vloggers would be in awe of its existence. “Is that your car?” Tao was stunned. Even a layman knew that Koenigsegg was much more expensive than Lamborghini. Despite being supercars, the two brands were entirely different. Kaze said, “Does it have anything to do with you?” Tao’s expression turned sour. He drove his Lamborghini over to tease and insult Kaze in front of Darcy, yet Kaze countered him with a Koenigsegg. “Wait, isn’t that the Koenigsegg One:1? That’s Leigh’s new car!” Tao suddenly recognized the car. When Leigh got the car, it caused quite a commotion in his social circle. Tao, as one of the supercar club members, knew about it and had seen it before. “Kaze, why did you have Leigh’s car? Did you steal it?” Tao questioned. His jealousy consumed hi
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