As though she had caught onto a lifebuoy, Vilma clung to Kingston’s arm tightly. "Mr. Hacks, thank God you are here! Mr. Lee is trying to kick us out of Golden Edge just because he's the boss of the mall. He even slapped our employees! You have to do something!" Vilma said in a sobbing tone. Her pitiful appearance managed to win Kingston’s sympathy. The thought of her lewdness on bed aroused and angered him at the same time. He stared at Kaze coldly. “So you are the boss of the mall? Paladia Moose is an international brand and we have countless outlets in Arcadia. “The previous owner of the mall was the one who begged us to open an outlet here, so we simply took it as a chance to test the market. Now that the ownership has changed, you want to evict us? “Believe me when I say if Paladia Moose leaves Golden Edge, this mall will be dead. No one would want to set foot in such a lowly shopping mall.” Kingston sounded proud. Paladia Moose might not have quality products but
Kaze shook his hand and asked, “How does it feel? Am I a man now?” Vilma was stunned for quite a while before she screamed, “You bastard! You slapped me!? I’ll kill you!” She was furious. She did not expect Kaze to actually slap her in front of Kingston, and he did not hold back at all. She was embarrassed, not only before Kingston but also the crowd. Kingston’s expression turned grim as well. He bellowed, “Young man, you have the nerve, I’ll give you that.” Kaze smiled. “Mr. Hacks, am I right? If you continue to be a pretentious prick, I can let you have a taste of my slap as well.” His expression turned grim and he continued, “Cut the crap. You either take your brand out of Golden Edge, or call for whatever help you have. I’ll give you time, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. “No matter what you do today, Paladia Moose will be evicted!” Everyone was surprised by Kaze’s fierce words. He was prepared to stand against Paladia Moose until the very end. “Young man, I hav
“I’m telling you, Paladia Moose might be new here in South River State and has no foundation or whatever, but we have allies. We worked closely with Four Ocean Guild. “Once again, are you sure you want to oppose us?” Compared to Vilma, Kingston was much smarter. He admitted that Paladia Moose had no solid foundation in South River State but he was able to secure connections with the guild.He was honest with his weakness but also confident that his connections with the guild would aid him. Darcy wore a serious look. “I have nothing to do with Four Ocean Guild. Please don’t use them against me. Besides, as a consumer, we just want justice. “If that’s what you want to think of us, then please just assume we are against Paladia Moose!” Kaze wanted to applaud Darcy’s courage for standing up against Kingston. Her words also surprised many others at the scene. She showed her tough side, which was rare. Kingston brought Four Ocean Guild to the table yet Darcy refused to back
“What’s wrong, scared?” Kingston saw Darcy’s change of expression. He scoffed, “You shouldn’t have opposed us from the start. “I’ll give you a chance. Before Zel sends his men over, just tell your husband to kneel and apologize, compensate us a hundred million, and give us total control of this entire floor, then we’ll call it a day. What say you? “If you don’t agree to my terms, then there will be no terms when Zel’s men are here. Because, when they’re here, it won’t be just an apology and compensation.” Kingston spoke arrogantly to Darcy and ignored Kaze completely. To him, Darcy was the real boss and Kaze was just a clown. If not for Darcy, Kaze would not have the nerve to challenge him. Darcy understood Kingston’s meaning. Zel said he would send someone over. Once that happened, it would mean going against the entire Glitter family, plus Paladia Moose. Like Kingston said, an apology and compensation would not be enough then. Even celebrities must get paid to a
“Hahaha! Zel’s representative is already here. Kaze Lee, you just lost your one chance to negotiate with me. You wasted it yourself, so don’t blame me.” Kingston then signaled his subordinate and said, “Tell the shoppers to move, I have to welcome a Glitter myself.” His men immediately moved the crowd to clear a path. “Mr. Hacks, the representative is here,” said one of Kingston’s men. Kingston nodded. He tidied his jacket and brought his men over to the elevator, waiting for the person to come up. The man wore professional attire but looked timid with a reddish mark on his face. Had his men not confirmed it beforehand, Kingston would not have believed that the man was someone from the Glitter family. Kingston went up to him and said, “I’m Kingston Hacks from Geranium City. Thank you for coming. How may I address you?” “I’m Max Kang.” The man was none other than Max from Four Ocean Guild. He said confidently, “Mr. Glitter has told me what happened. Don’t worry, King
It was Kaze. The familiar voice shook Max. His eyes widened in disbelief as if he saw a ghost. “K-Ka…” “Kaze Lee! You bastard!” Kingston suddenly shouted. “Who allowed you to speak to Max like that? Don’t you know he’s Zel Glitter’s representative?!” Kingston had no idea what was happening. He assumed Max knew Darcy and was surprised by her presence, which felt normal. Even for him, a playboy who had slept with many women, he was astonished by Darcy’s beauty when he first saw her, let alone Max. “Kaze Lee, you useless shit! You don’t even have the right to be around Max! Who allowed you to speak to him like that? If you don’t want to die, slap yourself!” Vilma seized the chance to win Max’s favor. Kaze ignored the woman. His eyes were on Max. He said, “Max, we’ve met for three consecutive days. Is the world too small, or are we fated?” “Hehe…” Max awkwardly laughed. If he could reverse time, he would never want to meet Kaze. He hated the bane of his life. “Maste
Kaze’s words silenced the entire crowd. Max represented Zel, so Kaze wanted to strike him harder. He was not afraid of Zel! Both Kingston and Vilma looked at him as if he was a vengeful spirit. They failed to understand what fueled the useless guy’s confidence to have the gall to challenge Zel. Was he not afraid of the Glitter family’s retaliation? Then, Kaze looked at Kingston coldly and said, “Mr. Hacks, the guy you brought isn’t that useful.” Kingston’s face turned red. He looked at Max and asked, “Max, call Mr. Glitter. Tell him that this useless guy wants to slap his face! I believe he will be furious! There’s no way he would let someone who relied on his wife challenge his pride! “You as his representative cannot just let that useless guy humiliate you! Are you just going to let him do this to you, and to Zel?” No matter what Kingston said, Max lay on the floor without any response. He was playing dead. He represented Zel yet he was unable to complete the as
“Mr. Conan?!” Max screamed in shock. When he was Leigh’s follower, he mingled in Leigh’s social circle. He recognized Conan, who was considered the outlier in the circle. Conan was from the Queen family yet he hung out with gangsters and hippies, causing trouble everywhere. He was the very definition of an outlier. “Conan? Which Conan? Detective Conan?” Kingston was surprised by Max’s reaction. “Wait, are you talking about Conan Queen!?” Vilma’s expression turned pale. The woman was ostentatious and her goal was to climb higher in the social ladder. She loved to gossip about rich young men, so she heard a lot of things about the Queen family, especially the second son. “What?!” Kingston’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened in disbelief. The long-haired gangster was the second son of the Queen family!? Slap! A slap landed on his face, punching his soul out of his body. Kingston covered his face as he stared at Conan’s arrogantly handsome look. “You called me
Dwight approached with a smile. He looked at Edmund earnestly. “I am Dwight McCorney. I have heard good things about you. I finally got to meet the man of the hour. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Witterson.” Dwight was starstruck. Edmund was embarrassed by Dwight’s behavior. He could not believe that Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. Nevertheless, Dwight seemed genuine in expressing his thrill. Edmund became curious about him. He turned around to look at Kaze, who was the polar opposite of Dwight. Kaze stood there, holding his ground. He stood up to greet Edmund and nothing else. He appeared to be refined, unlike Dwight, who was brash. Dwight had no idea that his behavior had upset Edmund. Edmund looked at Dwight in disdain. However, Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. It was best for Edmund to keep his comments to himself. Without a word, Edmund stared at the pair. Ryan stepped in to smooth things over. “What are you doing? We have a guest here.
Since Kaze would not change these people’s minds, he was better off doing what he wanted to do. “This vase must be valuable. I got to give it to Mr. Witterson. A display in the living room is worth so much.” Dwight had never seen so much luxury in one room. He had been to the museum, but the displays were nothing like he had ever seen before. The rich had the means to splurge. “Do you think this is pure gold?” Dwight turned to a gold statue. The design was to die for. The purity of color made it hard to doubt its authenticity. “I’m not too sure, but I guess most of the ornaments here are real.”Kaze watched as Dwight gasped in awe. Nevertheless, his behavior would clear any suspicion on Kaze. It could be a good thing. “I knew Mr. Witterson was rich. His businesses are doing well. “But I didn’t expect this sort of lifestyle. The gold must be worth a million dollars. “If I were this wealthy, I would not spend it on decoration.” Dwight rambled on, his eyes stuck t
“I’m not familiar with the area. We’ll have to look around,” Dwight said behind the wheel. He looked for restaurants while driving. It was early, and many restaurants were not open for business. They circled the block and finally uncovered a small breakfast bar. They ordered some food, filled their bellies, and got back into the car. “Mr. Witterson said that he wouldn’t meet you. Why does he want to see you now?” Dwight was curious. Something must have happened last night. Otherwise, Edmund would not suddenly grant an audience to Kaze. “I don’t know. I had some drinks last night, and now he probably made time.” Kaze felt better after breakfast. He did not think much of the situation. Things would carry on as planned regardless of what the Wittersons or the Siegfrieds had to say.This was exactly what Kaze hoped for. Dwight remained in the dark. He drove to the city’s most exclusive area for the rich. It was all greenery in this part of town. The road was wider, an
After a brief hesitation, Kaze followed Rosie. The room turned out to be Rosie’s. Though not a big room, it was crammed with all kinds of junk. The place looked cluttered. Rosie approached the vanity table and grabbed the comb to comb her hair. She turned to look at Kaze. “You said a lot of stuff last night. Do you remember any of it?” Rosie spoke like they had been friends for years. It was just small talk. “What did I say? I don’t really remember. You made a lovely drink, but man, it really kicked in.” Kaze put a cigarette to his lips, but he did not light it. Instead, he spotted a chair to sit down on. “Well, it’s pointless to talk about it if you can’t remember.” Rosie was pleased to hear that. At least, Kaze had no idea that she had gotten him drunk. “Don’t leave me hanging.” Kaze looked peeved. “Are you off the clock?” Kaze asked. “Yes. I work odd hours. It’s time for me to sleep now.” Rosie stared at Kaze. “I shouldn’t keep you from resting.”
“Can you give me something for the pain?” Clemont had a low tolerance for pain. Standing on the stairway, Morris heard his voice and sighed. Clemont could do no good in his eyes. “Keep an eye on him. He’s not allowed to leave the house for the time being.” Morris believed the incident was more than meets the eye. Yet, Clemont was tricked into going to Absolute Zero and starting shit. There was no telling whether the Wittersons or someone else was behind it. Morris let out a sigh and returned to the study. He sent the butler to the storage room to fetch a few valuable antiques. These items were collected years ago, and they cost a fortune. Morris’ intention was to be on good terms with the Wittersons. There was no need to be at war with them. He had to do it for the interest of the Viper’s Den and his family. Morris was all about looking at the bigger picture. Otherwise, he would not have put up with all the bullshit before. Edmund would not let him off the ho
“Are you trying to kill your son?” Clara intervened. “You’re ruining him by spoiling him. If you want things to continue as they were, you can kiss him goodbye forever,” Morris said. Clara was lost for words. She knew better, but she just could not stop herself. Clemont had her heart. Clara could not stand to see him hurt. She was distressed. However, she knew that Morris would not get over the matter without beating Clemont up. She had to step in. “Hit him!” Morris was too old to do anything laborious. However, the kid would not go anywhere in life without a good beating. Despite starting trouble, he sure was arrogant to admit that he was wrong. “I see the errors of my ways.” Clemont apologized in time to avoid the punishment. He managed to escape all repercussions by doing so. Plus, his mother would plead on his behalf. The whole thing would usually get brushed aside. Though it was more serious in this instance, Clemont still believed that Morris would not hur
Morris was in his study, wiping a plaque of commandments that was covered in dust. Due to his commitment to the Viper’s Den, he had neglected his family for years and left his son in his wife’s care. Morris regretted doing so. Unaware of the impending danger, Clemont enjoyed drinks with his friends. They were having fun, playing drinking games. Losing the game, Clemont downed a glass of liquor. Things could get far and exciting in a game. It was then that the door swung open. Clemont’s driver entered the room. “Young Master Siegfried, the master is waiting for you at home,” the driver said, noting the complexity of the situation. The only thing on his mind was to take Clemont away. Tipsy from the drinks, Clemont waved his arm. “Let him wait. What’s the rush to get home?” Clemont’s friends were shocked. Nothing scared Clemont like his father. However, Clemont toughened up for once. “Young Master Siegfried, why don’t you call it a night?” “Yeah. I’m sur
“What’s that supposed to mean? When have I ever made a mistake?” Morris heard nothing of that sort. It could only mean that his people had done nothing wrong. However, Edmund could not possibly get aggressive on the phone. Something must have happened, and he simply had no idea. Morris felt unsettled like something big was about to happen. “You seem to be lax when managing your people. You don’t seem to know what goes on around your house.“Is your age getting to you? Is that why you can’t handle most of the work? If you can’t get your own house in order, how will you ever manage the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Edmund called to say his piece. It was his way to make Morris step down. Though it was likely that Morris would resign, Edmund could at least make things unpleasant for him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Morris was completely in the dark, but Edmund must hold some secret to act so cocky. Despite his troubled feelings, Morris kept his cool and calmly aske
Since it was a rare opportunity, Edmund had to settle the score with them properly. He knew opportunities like this were hard to come by so he had to seize them well. “I understand. I will take care of the guest,” Rosie said. She was glad that her information was useful to her boss. After Edmund hung up the phone, Rosie then looked at the unconscious Kaze. “You are indeed more useful than I thought. Hardly anyone has ever managed to impress Edmund.” She did not feel sorry for Kaze, believing that everything happened as it was meant to. She knew that to climb higher, she had to please her superior. With the Wittersons on the rise, now was the perfect time for her to pledge her loyalty to Edmund. When the Wittersons truly took over the Westeros Branch, she would become one of the most powerful people in the city, second only to them. She was looking forward to that day. Since Kaze was fast asleep and no arrangements could be made, Rosie went out to call her men and