Conan went limp on the floor. He finally threw in the towel. Not only did Conan lose any ounce of defiance in him, but he felt relieved to escape death. He knew that Kaze could crush him easily. Conan only survived today because he did not make things difficult for Darcy. Getting on all fours, Conan crawled to kneel before Kaze. He bobbed his head and said, “Thank you for not killing me, Kaze. I am your slave from here on out.” He loved being a thug, but he was no fool. Mathias was the successor of the Butterworth Queens. He would need the approval of the family’s core members to submit to Kaze. The Queens would only do so if it benefited the family. He wanted to get into Kaze’s good graces. For once, Conan was not stubborn and apologized to Kaze. Mathias was relieved. “You? “You’re not quite there.”Kaze did not look at Conan and strode confidently ahead. Without looking back, he said, “Tell those people to let my wife go.” “Of course.” Mathias went st
Greg was frustrated with himself because the oversight did Kaze a favor. Realization hit everybody. Lilian folded her arms and side-eyed Kaze before saying curtly, “You’re a loser, Kaze. You dug your own grave and dragged us into a mess.“You can’t just get in Mr. Mathias’ face.“Thank goodness Greg is well-connected. It took one call to the Red Foundation’s higher management to save your life and protect your wife.“You and your wife should be grateful to Greg.” Faye and the others tore Kaze a new one too. Saying nothing, Greg expected Kaze to show his appreciation. If it were not for him, nobody would have escaped Mathias’ clutches today. Kaze gave the group a strange look and said coldly, “Idiots. “Get lost!” Kaze cussed for once. The group tested his patience. He saved everybody there. Even though Lilian and the others wanted him dead, Kaze did not hold it against them. Instead, these idiots pushed their luck and demanded his gratitude. Lilian and the o
“Kaze, you don’t even know what’s going on. You have the nerve to yell at me.“I run the Red Foundation. I have a hundred ways to ruin you and your wife.” Greg looked menacing, and his voice bore threat. He was not acting tough this time. Since Greg held the 300-million-dollar donation to Lilyrose Commerce Guild in his hand, he had Darcy eating out of his palm. However, Kaze was no doormat. “Here’s a piece of advice, Greg. You shouldn’t use donations for your personal agenda.“You can puff yourself up for our little fights. “But some lines crossed can be fatal,” Kaze said callously. His flat voice indicated no emotions. The crowd was taken aback. Was that a death threat? The people wondered if Kaze was serious. “Ha!” Greg grinned in disdain. “Is that a threat from you, moocher? “Did you hear that, Darcy? Your husband wants to finish me off. He’s so cocky. I must say he’s more arrogant than Conan. What should I do? I’m so scared.” Greg looked at Darcy, his
The group made a fuss. Although they called themselves elites, there were tiers within the class. They would only check out the Koenigsegg One:1. Six of its kind worldwide, the Koenigsegg One:1 was not available to just anybody with money. Only the rich and powerful could acquire one. “Um…” Lilian was too uncertain to say anything. She knew Leigh had just purchased one from a VIP. However, the car was parked there and unregistered. She could not be sure that the car belonged to Leigh. What if one of the Queens owned the vehicle? Lilian would be upsetting someone else if she gave up any name. “Not even you know, Lilian?” The group was disappointed. They would earn bragging rights if they knew who the owner was. In fact, they could also say that their friend had just gotten a Koenigsegg One:1. “Who cares? We are not at the VIP’s level anyway.” Greg thought the car looked familiar. He looked away and fished out the car key before turning to Darcy with a smile.
Greg and the others were upset by Kaze’s claim, but they had no comeback. The Koenigsegg headlights blinded them. It was pointless to fight against absolute power. “Come on, honey.” Darcy brought the car closer to Kaze. Kaze turned around and got into the car. Soon, the Koenigsegg left a trail of dust behind it. “Oh, my god! The car belongs to Darcy. Who the hell is she?” “Funny enough we have been showing off and mocking them. Now that I think about it, I feel so foolish and silly.” It took a while before Greg’s group could think straight again. Dwelling in regret, they beat themselves up. They were totally humiliated today. Greg grimaced, his eyes reflecting malice. He wanted revenge. Reservations were holding him back, though. Since Darcy owned a Koenigsegg One:1, he did not want to get on her bad side. What if he hit a brick wall like with Conan? Lilian glared at the person talking. “Funny, my ass. It’s obvious Kaze stole the Koenigsegg. Why are you
An influencer donated one billion dollars. That was way more than the megarich corporations. It was totally unheard of. The news rocked the online community. Many Internet users, who loved drama, examined the list to check how much the rich and famous donated since they always advocated helping charities. Then came the problem. Lilyrose Commerce Guild was nowhere to be found on the list. Not a single local business had donated. The public was not having it. “Donations are coming from all over the country in the wake of a disaster, but none of the local businesses donated. Is there no decent soul in Lilyrose?” “No way. Lil Dee signed onto Lilyrose’s Lee Investment. He’s not from that city, and yet he donated one billion dollars. I guess none of the locals think it’s worth giving money to their community.” “Aren’t there major corporations there? Sky Ocean Corporation and Shangrila Group were established there. They got Professor Whiteman as a spokesperson and poured a
“That’s right. She was only running a small business a month ago, and now she’s the chairwoman of both Quartet Group and Sky Ocean Corporation. That’s a lot of wealth in a short amount of time, don’t you think?” “I read online that her husband is the biggest mob boss in the city. Mr. Vikram, Mr. Logman, Mr. Joestar, is that why you’re afraid of him?” “Maybe the Vikrams, Logmans, and Joestars are in on it with Darcy. I bet they are aiming to be the next top three families. Even the former top three families weren’t as bad as you people.” “A-Are you trying to rebel?” Bernard and his friends shook with rage. They rushed to put out the fire, but they got burnt instead. In fact, the fallen top three families were deemed better than them. “Lilyrose Commerce Guild is for everybody. You don’t decide everything for us. What do you mean by rebelling?” “That’s right. We demand an answer.” Strength in numbers, the members gathered around Darcy demanding that she did right by the
“Hold up!” Greg cut Darcy off from speaking. “Why are you making such a big deal out of things, Ms. Quint? “I’ll tell you what. I’ll talk to the staff member about the tiny mistake.“This is to show that I’m taking the matter seriously,” Greg said with a chuckle, his tone unhurried. Enraged, Darcy blurted, “Are you still asleep, Mr. Nanas? The online community is attacking Lilyrose Commerce Guild over this. “Over a hundred of our members’ businesses are currently facing boycotts, and distributors are returning their stock.“If we don’t address the issue promptly, things will only get worse. The trade industry in Lilyrose will falter. “Businesses will close down, people will lose jobs, they won’t be able to afford their mortgages, and we can see an increase in social unrest. “Are you going to be responsible for the chain reaction?” The members clenched their fists in rage. Darcy was not practicing scaremongering. The incident could very well happen. The consequenc
“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
Morris suggested entertaining Kaze well. Things would not be good for the branch if Kaze got dirt on them. That was where Edmund disagreed with Morris. His idea was to send someone to sound Kaze out. Edmund was smug because Morris’ decision was wrong. “You shouldn’t do that. Kaze is here on behalf of the Butterworth branch. You don’t want tension between both branches.” Morris looked at things from a wider perspective. Edmund believed Kaze was just a doormat of little importance. “You just overthink things, and it’s not good for your age. You’re getting senile.” Edmund did not take Morris’ advice seriously. He believed he was right. “You’re not getting it. Kaze is from Butterworth. Even if he doesn’t hold a high position there, we were in the wrong. We did not keep our tracks clean either. “Now that he’s back, I’m worried that he’ll cause us harm.” Morris was only giving a heads-up because the whole branch was at stake. Edmund was young. Due to his lack of judgmen
“We should be generous to our guest from Butterworth. You can arrange as you see fit. Please don’t house him in a messy home. Hire cleaners to tidy up the place. “You can report back to me if you need more money, but it’s not a reason for you to misuse the funds.” Herman wanted to hang up. The money was now in Dwight’s bank account, so he was washing his hands off the matter. The plan was to keep Kaze happy. He was just an insignificant member of the Butterworth branch anyway. The whole thing would blow over soon enough, so long as Kaze kept to himself without taking things too far. Herman would figure out a way to get him out quickly anyway. Maybe Herman and his friends did not have to do anything to get rid of Kaze. “Got it. I’ll be a good host, Herman. I won’t let you down. I’ll keep you in the loop.” Dwight was over the moon to get the notification about the money transfer. “Just play by ear and arrange what you see best.” Herman hung up and continued playing pok
“It’s becoming a hassle now. Are you going to inform the Viper’s Den about the change of accommodation?” After much hesitation, Kaze nodded to take up the offer. Dwight was thrilled. It only hit Dwight that he had to communicate with the Viper’s Den. Kaze was booked for a hotel stay, and Dwight’s job was to take him to the destination. Yet now, Dwight took him to his home. “I’ll tell my superior and see what he has to say.” Dwight was not sure whether the change was appropriate. Nevertheless, he did not want to pass up on a great opportunity. He simply grabbed the bull by the horn. If Kaze stayed at his place, the Viper’s Den members had to respect Kaze’s request even if they had a problem with it. “But when they ask, you can say that you’re getting along well with me. Living together just makes work more convenient.” Feeling unsettled, Dwight tried to get their stories straight with Kaze. Hopefully, the Viper’s Den would not come after them. “Aren’t we friends? I k
Dwight gave some suggestions. “But I’m worried about being a nuisance to your family.” Kaze remained hesitant, torn between decisions. “No, you won’t. I usually live alone. They stay somewhere else. They barely visit. I’ll just let them know not to visit for now,” Dwight replied. Dwight figured out what was in it for him. He could not let Kaze leave. “I don’t want to put your family in an awkward position.”Kaze was still considering the matter. “Relax. They don’t live with me anyway. The room I have for you is tidy. No one has stayed there before.“I’ll hire some help to freshen up the place. I can guarantee you an experience no less than at the hotel.” Dwight spoke with great confidence. “We should finish our food and doggie-bag the rest. I’ll take you to my place.” Dwight was ready to get things going. Kaze took the offer and nodded. “I’ll be in your care then.” Kaze was glad that his plan went through. Dwight had no idea that he got played. Nevertheless,
“I’m new to the place, so I don’t know much. Can you show me around when you’re available?” “No problem, but I usually have some stuff to take care of. I can’t be there 24/7. “Why don’t you propose to the branch that you want me to be your guide and attendant?” Dwight suggested. There was no telling whether Kaze would accept his proposal, but it was an opportunity to prove himself. He was never involved in the core operation. Often enough, he was the branch members’ punching bag. Though Dwight was aware that he was not good enough for the big stuff, he still wanted to succeed. Kaze was the trusted aide of the Butterworth Branch chief. He was in Westeros for a reason. By joining Kaze, Dwight would come across the major players. Kaze saw through Dwight’s plans. “Sure. I’ll do that.” Kaze did not mind the request. “Great. I’ll let them know on your behalf. I’ll be responsible for your needs while in the city.” Dwight was overjoyed at the opportunity. “So you live
“You must be rich. I often see rich people picking tabs for everybody. Talk about extravagance.” The tension in the air was lifted when Kaze offered to pay for everything. “I’m not. Consider it an apology,” Kaze explained, not wanting to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. He did not see the point of continuing the conversation. Dwight’s angry screams came from outside. “What the hell is this? I only ordered a bunch of stuff. Why am I being charged an exorbitant amount?“What do you mean my friend is paying for everybody? That’s throwing money away,” Dwight said while storming his way over. “I know you have money, but you shouldn’t do this, Mr. Lee.” Dwight did not approve of this type of generosity. “You rubbed them the wrong way. It was only right to apologize. Besides, it’s not a lot of money.” Kaze looked at the bill and handed a bank card to Dwight. “It’s my treat.” The consumption was barely a dent in Kaze’s savings. The meal did not cost more than his us