Members of the Viper’s Den lowered their heads in silence. No one dared to look Kaze in the eyes. “Conan,” Kaze called. “Yes!” Conan went up to Kaze immediately and looked at him with utmost admiration. He was aggrieved when Hannah slapped him but when Kaze slapped her back countless times more, the grievance in his heart dissipated. No matter how powerful the person or the organization was, whenever they confronted Kaze, he was able to overpower them easily, physically or with help. Kaze glanced at the Viper’s Den members and said coldly, “Watch them. Make sure they leave with a broken arm. Consider it a little punishment. If they are unwilling to cooperate then…” Conan said loudly, “I got it, Bro! If they don’t cooperate, I’ll break it myself!” Kaze nodded. As agents of government intelligence and strategic agencies, they were blindly arrogant and overconfident. Kaze did not want them dead but a little punishment was necessary to remind them of their duty and st
“Hannah!” The members of the Viper’s Den were deeply moved. Their eyes teared up and they even called Hannah by her name. Hannah was willing to sacrifice her limbs to protect them. She remained silent as she stared at Kaze, waiting for his reply. Kaze smiled and said, “You are in no position to negotiate with me. If you want the sword back, ask your queen to come get it.” He then turned around, wanting to leave. Hannah’s eyes widened in shock. She clenched her fists and said, “Kaze Lee, taking the sword away will put you against the entire Viper’s Den! Do you know how severe the consequences are?” Kaze got into the car. Before he closed the door, he nonchalantly said, “I’ll be waiting.” The door closed and the car drove off. Ten minutes later, Hannah, with a broken arm, and her team members arrived at the morgue to check on Gareth’s body. “Godfather, no matter who the killer is, I will get to the bottom of this and avenge you!” said Hannah to herself. She stared a
“It’s not the strategic department. It’s someone called Kaze Lee. He’s the son-in-law of the Quints and also the abandoned son of the Lees,” said the tall man as he handed a stack of documents to Magnus. The West State branch of the Viper’s Den was able to gather every detail on Kaze from the moment his name popped up. Magnus went through the documents swiftly and his expression turned bitter. A useless man who married into a second-tier family was able to defeat Hannah, whom Magnus had high hopes for, and seized the Nether Viper Sword openly. How did it happen? Magnus was not overly concerned about Kaze being the abandoned son of the Lees. His men were mostly from wealthy families, and a lot of them were from the South River State. “Sir, what should we do now?” the tall man asked. Magnus gave the document back and said, “The Nether Viper Sword is our organization’s sacred weapon. Even though it’s just a replica, we cannot afford to let it be in someone else’s possessio
Kaze was not afraid of Magnus, or the Viper’s Den. However, he dared not be careless because he had to consider Darcy’s safety. He was afraid that the Viper’s Den might go after her. It had happened once already and he could not afford to let it happen another time. …Later that day, Yves led a team to Lilyrose, carrying Magnus’ order. “Mr. Saruman.” Trent and his grandson, Pete, welcomed Yves at the front entrance. After Kaze wreaked havoc at the Landor Residential Area multiple times, Trent moved out and chose to settle down in the retirement mansion that the city council prepared for him. He knew about his distant relative, Magnus, but he never had the power, or resources, to get close enough. Therefore, even though Yves worked under Magnus, Trent had to be deferential toward him. With his hands behind his back, Yves said, “So you are Trent Fuller, the ex-mayor of Lilyrose? I believe you have heard of Kaze Lee. The branch leader wants me to inform you that he hu
Soon, Trent arrived at the city council. He stood before the main entrance and started to reminisce about the past. He had been working in the city council for twenty-plus years and even after he retired, he missed the power that he used to own. He missed controlling the city with his own hands. When Johnson was in office, things were still peaceful because Johnson respected him and would visit during festive seasons. It made Trent feel like he was still relevant. However, when the young mayor took over, things changed. The young man did not show any respect to him. In fact, he had yet to meet the young mayor in person until now. Today, things would no longer be the same. “Master Fuller, w-what are you doing here?” Caleb and Lou came out when they got the news. They were surprised by the unannounced visit. “What’s the matter? I can’t visit now that I am no longer the mayor?” Trent showed no respect to Caleb and Lou, who he deemed were the young mayor’s loyal d
“Trent Fuller’s grandson?” Aside from being surprised, Darcy’s heart skipped a beat. She knew of the conflict between Kaze and Trent. “In the flesh.” Pete explained, “‘Your husband murdered Gareth Hornberg and his disciples, so as part of the investigation, you are also a suspected conspirator. We will need you to cooperate and come with us.” Darcy’s expression turned cold. “Mr. Fuller, do you have the right to carry out an investigation? Do you even have a warrant?” Pete grunted and then pointed at the Viper’s Den agents behind him. The agents stared at Darcy coldly knowing that her husband injured their colleagues. One of them revealed his badge and said arrogantly, “The Viper’s Den has taken over the case. We do not need any warrant. As long as you are a suspect, we have the right to arrest you.” He raised his hand, signaling his colleagues to apprehend Darcy. “Stop them!” Darcy’s bodyguards stepped up and stopped the agents from getting close. “Step aside! O
“President Quint?!” Astral was shocked when he saw Darcy. His eyes widened oddly as he stared at Pete. “Pete, don’t tell me the nice thing you were referring to is President Quint…” Just when Darcy was wondering why Pete would bring her to Landor Residence, she spotted Astral. She stared at Pete coldly and asked, “What is the meaning of this?”’ “You don’t know? You are the main dish tonight!” Pete grinned as he scrutinized Darcy from top to bottom. He then turned to Astral and scoffed, “Astral, I heard you got beef with Kaze Lee. I got his wife here and I’m sharing her with you. What do you say?” Darcy was infuriated by Pete’s diminishing words but her angry look aroused him even more. Astral glanced at Darcy’s stunning looks and voluptuous body. His heart raced for a moment before it skipped a beat when he thought of Darcy’s husband. “Pete, I have to give it to you. You really know how to court death.” Astral looked at Pete as if he was a corpse. Only those
“Hehe. President Quint, you better worry about yourself first,” Pete scoffed. He then looked at Astral and gestured an invite. “Astral, come on. I can let you go first. This is what friends are for. I’ll tell the Viper’s Den agents to leave.” He then took a camera and a tripod out and began setting it up in front of Darcy, seemingly trying to record the horrible act. Astral glanced at him and said, “Pete, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Mr. Lee is still alive, and if he gets out of this alive, aren’t you afraid he will come after you?” Even though Pete confidently called Kaze a dead man, Astral’s head remained clear and sane. He did not fall into the trap. Ever since Kaze strapped him to the helicopter and flew around the city naked, the man became his biggest fear. Before seeing Kaze’s body with his own eyes, he dared not act recklessly. “Make it out alive? Are you kidding me?” Pete rolled his eyes and scoffed, “The branch leader, Magnus Fuller, wants Kaze Lee dead
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
Snow could not believe her eyes. Katie suddenly went quiet and behaved like the CEO she was.However, Katie did not look like she was right in the mind earlier. “What’s going on? She seems to have gone insane.” Snow turned to the warden, still digesting the change. Katie had lost touch with reality before the Viper’s Den did anything to her. “How did this happen? She has been taking her meals. Just days earlier, she nagged about getting out because she was worried about her daughter. As usual, we didn’t respond to her requests.” The warden found the whole thing peculiar too. Just a few days ago, Katie demanded her release. Now, she kept to herself and abided by the rules. Out of the blue, Katie went nuts. Things had gotten complicated. Snow wanted to keep Katie behind bars due to her betrayal. However, Kaze decided against pursuing the matter for Leah’s sake. Katie would be let go soon enough, but she would lose her job at the Northborn Group. Katie’s presence woul
It was quiet in the office. Snow sorted the last bit of paperwork before picking her head up in exhaustion. Her initial plan was to delegate the tasks. However, Katie was controlling. Previously, she personally oversaw many matters. Snow could not distribute the responsibilities because the employees had no experience in handling them. They came to Snow for every tiny, little thing, and Snow really got her hands full. Despite her frustration, Snow could let things go as Katie was locked up. “I should pay her visit.” Snow decided to see Katie. Some things should not be left unsaid. Leah would be working for the Northborn Group soon, and the mother and daughter should meet to tie up loose ends. The truth would put Leah to shame, and her guilt would stop her from ever betraying Kaze. After a quick bite, Snow drove to the prison. Katie was furious when she was imprisoned. She was one step away from victory. She was so close to leaving Butterworth to head to Westeros
“Why do you want to sell the properties? Do you need money? Don’t you have some saved?” Joey had a good understanding of Leah’s finances since she ran all the paperwork. “My mother is being held, and I need money to ask favors. Maybe I can get her out.” Leah was not thinking much. Money could always be replaced, but not her mother’s freedom. “Don’t be silly. This is not the way to go.” Though Joey did not have the details, she observed that things were not as simple as Leah thought. Kaze was safe now, but the fact that Katie had betrayed Kaze and revealed his whereabouts remained unchanged. Katie had broken the Viper’s Den’s rules. Even if she got out, she would be a wreck. With Snow running the Northborn Group, Katie would remain a failure. Either way, Katie would not get away with it. Even if Leah offered all her assets, Katie’s situation would not change. It was a waste of money and resources for Leah to save her mother. Nothing would come out of it. “But I
“Give me an answer. Are you taking the job? If you are, you should sort out your affairs. Don’t bring your personal feelings to work.” Snow was not the type to go easy on fragile women. If Leah did not have what it took, she could be forced to leave the company. Nevertheless, Katie had left a lot of assets to Leah. Even without work, Leah could very well survive. The girl would have trouble keeping the wealth, seeing that she was without power or connections. If Leah had a job, she would have the resources to hold onto her assets. Leah had seen the best and worst of mankind. She was once the center of attention, and now, everybody avoided her. It dawned on Leah that it was over for Katie. If Leah could not even keep a job, she would lose everything. “I didn’t know things would happen.” Leah never thought that Katie was capable of stabbing Kaze and her in the back. The thought of betrayal put Leah in distress. Kaze was a great guy who helped Leah a lot. Feeling ete
Leah got dressed and was ready to leave, but she did not know who to turn to. She thought about going to her wealthy friends to see if they could uncover anything through their connections. However, Leah could not get a hold of them. It dawned on Leah that loyalty would fade when power was gone. Even though Katie was just missing, intel spread around Butterworth very quickly. These people must have found out and have chosen to stay away. Leah had always been treated like royalty. Nobody had ever avoided her like the plague. Nevertheless, she had not been in touch with these friends since her injury. Now, in her attempt to contact them, she could not reach them. “Why is this happening? My good friends have gone MIA, and I’m getting silence from those who have been trying to connect.” Sitting on the couch, Leah looked out the window in despair. She tried to seek help with her mother’s search, but her efforts were futile. She could do nothing for her mother. All al
“I have to work hard starting today. But before that, I have to get some sleep.” Snow remembered that Kaze punished her to get some sleep. He said her face looked tired and pale, signs of how hard she had been working. It felt great being cared for. It was because of his kindness, Snow fell for Kaze uncontrollably. Yet she understood not all things were meant to be. After she returned home, she went to sleep immediately without talking to anyone. She only woke up in the afternoon after a comfortable and easy sleep. Next, she would have to work on many things, first being taking over Northborn Group. Katie’s disappearance had the company shaken, but it gave many others a chance. They tried to calm their subordinates down and contact the higher-ups for more information, hoping that they could replace Katie as the new CEO. Little did they know, their preparations would eventually fall short. Snow and her secretary arrived at Northborn Group in the afternoon, and her a