“Kaze, don’t lie to me. How is that even possible?” Darcy rolled her eyes at him. She was grateful that Kaze came back in one piece. She did not hope for more. “Kaze, did you really destroy the Hilfinger family? We just received news that the Construction and Material Society is over and Roger Hilfinger is dead!” Master Quint and the others came running out and overheard their conversation. Darcy looked at Kaze in shock. Kaze did not even turn around to Master Quint and the others. He explained to Darcy, “I didn’t lie to you. Roger wanted to take revenge on me, so I destroyed him and his family. Tomorrow, you just need to go over and take over his company.” Master Quint was thrilled. “Kaze, did you report the Construction and Material Society? Hilfinger Corporation is given back to Quintessential Group as a reward, am I right?” He believed Kaze was not responsible for the anti-riot operation that had wiped out the society. The most Kaze did was lodge a report to the aut
“What’s the address?” Kaze asked when he got into the car. James’ ex-wife, Winnie, told him the address before, but with Snow’s capabilities, she would have gotten it already. “To the Old District,” Snow said to the driver. A while later, the car arrived at Lilyrose’s Old District. When the car drove in, Kaze frowned. Snow told him that James’ parents were not doing well, but when he saw the environment of the Old District, he realized that they were doing terribly. Puddles of water were all over the street and the houses looked worn out. Due to the rain last night, some of the houses were flooded with muddy water.It must be a blockage in the sewer that caused the flood. The air reeked of an unknown smell. Worn-out advertisements were pasted everywhere. The walls were filled with graffiti promoting drugs. There were several clubs and bars located along the street where gangsters hung out in groups outside the entrance. Prostitutes stood next to the street, see
The slap was a few millimeters away from Camry’s face. Zenon turned around with a ferocious look and stared at Kaze in the front yard. “Punk, do you know who I am? How dare you threaten me? Piss off and stop being nosy!” “Mr. and Mrs. White here are my friend’s parents, so I intended to be nosy.” Kazy strode into the front yard. The place was already messed up. Even Brenda’s little bicycle was broken. Before he arrived, Zenon and his men had wrecked the place. “So, you are James’ friend?” Zenon grinned viciously after a slight pause. “You can be nosy then. Since these two old fucks can’t give me the money, you’ll pay for them!” Kaze’s expression turned grim when he heard Zenon curse James and his parents. “You should be slapped!” He went up to Zenon and slapped him in the face, causing his face to swell. “You little shit!” Zenon did not expect Kaze to slap him in front of his men. Infuriated, he threw a punch at Kaze. Kaze threw a punch at him as well. The
“Uncle Camry, Aunt Teresa, now that James is gone, let me take care of you. You can treat me as your own son. I will do whatever I can to take back Shangrila Group.” Kaze consoled the two of them. Camry and Teresa were happy enough to have their son’s friend visiting. As for taking back Shangrila Group, they never thought of it before and did not dare to rely on Kaze to do it. They knew the person that James offended was powerful, someone that they could not afford to mess with. After the little reunion with Kaze, Camry and Teresa realized the problem at hand had not been solved. “Kaze, you better leave now. Zenon’s boss is Scarface. He’ll definitely come back with more men!” Camry said anxiously. Before Zenon scuttled away, he said he would bring his boss back for vengeance. Scarface was the gangster boss who ruled the Old District for years. He had a dozen ferocious men working under him and he controlled the local strip clubs and bars. He even operated a loan com
A man with a grimace strutted into the front yard. There was a huge scar on the left of his face, from his temple down to his chin. The scar looked like a giant centipede crawling on his face, making him look vicious and scary. His presence alone was terrifying. The man was the notorious Scarface of the Old District. Scarface had a cigarette hanging in his mouth, his eyes narrowed as he glared at the elderly couple who came out from the house. “Camry White, where is that little shit that broke Zenon’s arm?” Camry and Teresa were frightened by his shout. Even though Kaze told them that he was a chairman of a big company and had gotten two other gangster bosses to deal with Scarface, they were still afraid of Scarface when they saw him in person. “Scarface, Kaze is my son’s classmate. He visited and thought Zenon was harassing us, that’s why he broke his arm. Please forgive him, we’ll pay for Zenon’s medical fee!” Camry bit the bullet and begged. “Medical fee? Do you ha
The alley was filled with people, from the house’s front yard to the end of the alley. There were around a few hundred people at first glance. Scarface and his men were stunned. Some of them were shaking and even peed themselves. “What the hell? Why are there so many people? Are they here for me?” Scarface wiped the sweat off his forehead. The men in the alley automatically split up, opening a path in the center. Two sets of hurried footsteps came. When Scarface saw the owners of the footsteps, his heart skipped a beat. He went up to them with flattery and said, “Gold Tooth, Dan, what are you guys doing here?” Scarface saw the two of them before during the gathering of the gangster bosses. After fifteen gangster bosses were arrested, Gold Tooth and Dan were the only ones left. He also heard that the two of them took over the properties and resources of the other gangs, making them invincible. “Who the hell are you? Get the hell out of my face!” Dan slapped Scarf
“Aunt Teresa, I’m not a gangster.” Kaze was amused, but it was difficult to explain the situation clearly to her. Fortunately, Gold Tooth read the situation and said, “Madam, it’s Master Lee who arrested the gangsters yesterday.” “Yeah. Master Lee is the commander of the anti-riot operation yesterday!” Dan echoed. Camry and Teresa were surprised. No wonder Gold Tooth and Dan were so afraid of Kaze. They could be arrested if they defy Kaze! Scarface and his men were mortified. Rumors of the fifteen gangster bosses were circulating the city. It was said that the fifteen of them would be executed. Kaze then looked at Scarface. “So, James owed you twenty thousand?” “No! No, Master Lee! I was wrong! James White didn’t owe me any money! This is a misunderstanding!” Scarface ordered Zenon to extort money from Camry and Teresa even though James did not owe anyone money. Two years ago, if James was still the chairman of Shangrila Group, Scarface would never dare. “No? Then
“Uncle Camry, Aunt Teresa, you are being too courteous,” Kaze said as he helped them into the house. “I said I will take care of you two on behalf of James now that he’s gone.” Camry and Teresa were thrilled to hear that. After losing their son, this would be the first time they felt truly happy. Kaze added, “The Old District environment is terrible. Brenda can’t grow up happily here, you guys can’t stay here anymore. I’ll buy a big house for you and you can move in with Brenda. I’ll hire a maid to take care of you all. “Aunt Teresa, you don’t need to wash clothes in the winter anymore.” “Kaze, that sounds… expensive. We are fine living here. Why don’t you just take Brenda away? The two of us are going to be okay.” Teresa’s hands were shaking when she rejected the suggestion. Kaze saw the cracks on her hands and it pained him. “Money is not that important to me. I’m more concerned about your health. Just leave it to me. I’ll let you know when everything is done.” “Kaz
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
Kaze observed as the jeep took off further off course, past the towering buildings to a run-down neighborhood. “This is where I usually reside. My home is not too far away, but I think you might have trouble adapting to this place.” Dwight did not forget to book Kaze a hotel. Kaze could not possibly stay with him. The hotel was around the area anyway. “Didn’t you say that you haven’t tried the local cuisine? I’ll take you out for a bite. “The barbecue ribs here are to die for. We’ve got the dry-rubbed and saucy kind.” Dwight parked the car and hopped out right away. Opposite the parking lot was not the cleanest food joint. Looking in from the outside, Kaze realized that the place was packed. Kaze understood that the restaurant must be known for some kind of dish. The customers were from all walks of life, so the food must be great. “There’s not much to see here, but the food is tasty. If you don’t mind, we can order something inside.” Kaze was not particularly con
Dwight was surprised and curious as to who Kaze really was. From what he gathered, Kaze was a confidante of the Butterworth Branch chief. The purpose of Kaze’s visit was to learn and share. Dwight worked on the fringes, so his access to information was limited. Nevertheless, he got the feeling that Kaze was just an ordinary guy just like him. The only difference was that Kaze was lucky to rub shoulders with important people. Dwight did not get chances like that. “Who are the most influential people in the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Kaze asked in the car. Dwight was taken aback by the question. Still, he had an answer to that. “So you don’t know much about the situation?” Dwight suddenly felt important. “Well, I’m new to the city. I will be running into them soon, so I need to make sure I get my facts right,” Kaze said humbly. This was Dwight’s shot, and he needed to present his best. “Relax, Kaze. I’ll tell you everything I know.” Dwight would reveal some info
Kaze glanced at the flowers. There was a card for well-wishes too.Curious, Kaze reached out to read the card. It was written, “To my eternal lover and sweetheart.” Dwight grabbed Kaze’s bag. Since the sign in his hand was getting in the way, Dwight tossed the placard in the trash can. As Dwight turned his head back, he saw Kaze reading the card that came with the flowers. He tried to stop Kaze, but it was too late. Dwight had not attended to a guest of high importance before. The task was assigned to him at the last minute. In the past, Dwight was usually on the sidelines, never getting close to major matters. He would always get the small, insignificant jobs. Dwight often bought drinks for his superiors to build connections. However, he had always been kept out of the loop. Now that an opportunity had fallen onto his lap, Dwight was not about to let it slip. He wanted to show what he could do. When Dwight arrived at the airport for the pick-up, most people car
The incident did not sit well with Kaze, so he left them out to dry. After much searching, Kaze came across a café. Kaze bought a cup of coffee. Cupping the drink between his hands, Kaze sipped slowly. Many passengers swarmed the arrival hall in the airport, dragging along their luggage or pulling out their phones to get a pick-up. They all had a destination, a place they had to be in a rush. Intrigued, Kaze followed the crowd out. Kaze turned on his phone, and a text message from his airport pick-up came in. He glanced at the message, curious about who the person was. Nevertheless, Kaze trusted that the Westeros Branch members would not set him up out in the open. At most, they would pull little stunts to mess with him. Kaze was not the type to sweat the small stuff. However, he would not tolerate any extreme behavior. He had been keeping a low profile back in Butterworth, keeping the limelight off him. The purpose was to handle Jet without unnecessary complicati
“Alright. I will work hard to be the manager of the Northborn Group. You need to show me the ropes and teach me about management.” Leah looked at Katie with a smile. She believed Katie had not lost her mind. Katie simply had her memory mixed up. “You need to keep your people in line and reward those who deserve it. It all boils down to profits. “You need to work toward managing your people and working with rivals. You’ve got to keep the balance, and nobody loses out. “You need to build your own system when it comes to working together. Don’t be led around by the nose.” Hearing that Leah would start work soon, Katie imparted her knowledge. “Don’t worry too much about things. Joey is nice. You can go to her for help,” Katie said earnestly. Katie seemed to be herself at the moment. Leah wondered if Katie faked her insanity to escape the punishment. “What have become of you? Did they do something to you? “Did you really betray Kaze?” Leah whispered while leaning close
Leah kept working on her knowledge until late into the night. Just as she was about to hit the sack, she got a message from Snow. Learning was a hard enough process. The text message came out of the blue. Leah did not expect Snow to contact her at night. The message was strange as well. Leah could not understand why Snow would give her the address of a nursing home. Leah was determined to turn things around. She strived to become stronger instead of being a burden. She was grateful for Kaze’s help. At least, she had a job now. However, her gratitude was not extended to Snow. She believed Snow had gone too far. Snow left her feeling powerless. Leah did not think much about the message. She assumed that the text was not meant for her. Since Leah did not respond to the text, Snow put the matter aside and went to bed. Leah called Snow the next day. “Why did you send me an address?” Leah went straight to the question. She had been equipping herself with knowledge before