“Grandmaster Hornberg, is this the legendary Cotton Palm?” Looking at the grin on Kaze’s face, Gareth got furious. He further pushed his palm into Kaze’s chest. Kaze simply stood still and allowed the man to hit him. There was no way a palm strike, as soft as cotton, could hurt him. It was just slightly stronger than a tickle. However, because of the picture of Darcy being held captive, Kaze played along and took a few steps back and even feigned a painful look. “Huh!?” The scene left everyone in awe. The crowd cheered and grew tumultuous. Since Kaze crippled the four titans, they thought Kaze was able to last more than a few rounds or a dozen moves in the ring. Even if he lost then, the crowd would be more accepting of the outcome. To everyone’s surprise, Kaze could not even take one attack from Gareth. “Kaze Lee is weak! Did he really cripple the four titans?” “It’s not that Kaze Lee is weak, it’s Grandmaster Hornberg! He’s too powerful! This is how experts figh
“Still being stubborn, aren’t you? You really think you lost because you are unlucky?” Gareth turned around to the audience and said, “Is it really luck that he lost and I won?” “Hahaha!” The audience cackled. “Kaze Lee, you can’t even take one hit from the grandmaster, what are you talking about now?” “You challenged the grandmaster, beat up his disciples. If I were the grandmaster, I would have crushed you in the ring!” “The grandmaster is simply being kind for not taking your life!” “You lost the match and also the respect people have for you. Why are you still being so stubborn? What an embarrassment!” Those who sided with Gareth continued to mock Kaze. Caleb and the other Kaze’s followers reacted bitterly. They did not expect Kaze to lose so quickly. The heads of the Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families were petrified. Their faces looked pale and their hands turned cold as if their souls left their bodies. Kaze’s loss was not only embarrassing, but it also
Gareth had the strongest urge to kill Kaze and put this matter to rest once and for all but he knew it was impossible. Others thought Kaze was simply bluffing or refusing to admit his defeat. “Kaze Lee, the grandmaster spared your life and you still disrespect him? You are shameless!” “You are the embarrassment of Lilyrose!” An increasing number of the audience started to berate Kaze. Most of them were the investors under Dakota’s lead, Trent’s men, and Syed’s family. Gareth had finally defeated Kaze, which was their desired outcome. It felt like Christmas. They mocked and berated Kaze to vent their emotions. Gareth said coldly, “Kaze Lee, you have one last chance to kneel and apologize and I will forgive you!” He really wanted to step on Kaze and break him physically and mentally. However, Kaze did not even answer. He picked up his phone and wanted to walk out. “Kaze Lee, who allowed you to leave? Can’t you hear our master? Kneel and apologize!” One of Gareth
Conan then realized why Kaze lost to Gareth. Darcy was abducted, so Kaze was forced into a passive position. Due to that, Kaze was laughed at, disrespected, and criticized by many as the laughingstock of the city.Conan felt terrible after learning the truth. His forehead glistened with sweat as he asked, “The men I sent to protect Darcy update me every five minutes. Three minutes ago, I got their update and there was nothing wrong with the Quint family.” Judging from Conan’s reaction, Kaze knew he was not lying. “I’ll call them!” Conan quickly pulled his phone out. Kaze said, “There’s no point calling your men now. Tell Miru to send her men out and search for Darcy.” “Right! Miru! I’ll call her right away!” Conan immediately did so. Kaze called Draco and Don, and told them to send their men out to search for Darcy as well. In order to locate Darcy as soon as possible, Kaze used all his resources from the underworld and the authorities. Miru arrived at the gym
Kaze was not completely in the dark about the situation with Gareth. Following Nevan’s crippling fall, Gareth did not have a subordinate who could handle jobs independently. Out of alternatives, Gareth had to toss a few crumbs and use Mary Sue even though she was the one who drugged Stone into a coma. Hence Kaze could confirm that the mastermind behind Darcy’s abduction was Mary Sue. Gareth, on the other hand, was not the type to get his hands dirty. Even if he were involved in the kidnapping, he would instruct others to do the dirty job. He might not be aware of the details. That was the reason Kaze chose not to waste time on Gareth right from the start. Kaze was not a stranger to Mary Sue’s malicious ways. Once his fight with Gareth was over, Darcy would come to no use. There was no telling whether Mary Sue would take drastic measures against Darcy. After all, Kaze was feuding with Mary Sue’s master, Madam Hacks. Amid Kaze’s anxiety, a phone call came in. Kaze’s
Kailan knew this was the opportunity to turn his life around. Hence, he took the job without hesitation. Since his employers were so quick to dump him the last time, Kailan no longer pinned his entire hope on them. At the time, Deborah approached him with the intention of asking Kaze for a ransom. The couple hit it off right away. “Thank you, Ms. Quint. Thanks to you, I get to relieve myself with this woman and get cash for it. Haha!” Kailan handed Deborah a bottle of water and laughed. “Have fun, Mr. Skyfort. Even better if you enjoy her thoroughly so that everybody in the city knows that Kaze’s wife is well used,” Deborah said wickedly. She did not drink from the bottle. She was no longer the same person she used to be. Though Deborah was on the same side as Kailan, she kept her guard up. Deborah knew she was playing with fire by working with someone like Kailan. The pair’s conversation sent chills down Darcy’s spine. Still, she held herself together and said cu
The Quints were frightened, thinking it was another debt collector knocking on their door. The debt collectors had broken down the Quints’ gates before, and the shameful past still haunted them to this day. “Kaze!” Nevertheless, the Quints saw red when they saw who it was. They quickly tucked their emotions away, though. Kaze was no longer a man they could afford to cross. He was the chairman of Shangrila Group and the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm. Those titles alone lifted Kaze out of the loser status.At least, no one in the Quint family had the right to call him a loser. By the look on Kaze’s face, he was not here for the party. The Quints felt unsettled and confused by his aggressive approach. “Agnes, um…” Without the nerve to question Kaze, Logan turned to Agnes in distress. Agnes slammed the table and rose to her feet before uttering peevishly, “What the hell, Kaze? Why did you kick the door down? Hurry up and apologize.” “Darcy is abducted.” Kaze’s re
Samus could finally catch his breath. He held his neck and coughed in agony. Rudy grimaced hard. Between his son and daughter, he chose the former without hesitation. “Call Deborah now.” Rudy told his wife before saying with an ashen face, “Deborah told us that Madam Hacks bailed her out of jail. Ms. Roberts, a servant of Madam Hacks, came to her last night, but I don’t know the details of their conversation.” “No need to dive into the details.” Since Kaze already had his suspicions, he cut Rudy off. “So you don’t know where Deborah is now?” “We have no idea. It’s true, Kaze. Please believe us,” Rudy pleaded. As Rudy did not look like he was lying, Kaze nodded and turned to Whitney. “Did you get through to her?” “She’s not answering.” Whitney stared at him fearfully. Kaze frowned and replied, “Give me her phone number.” The earlier call from Deborah was through a satellite phone, so the call could not be tracked. After acquiring the phone number, Kaze turned to
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