Brad smirked in contempt. “Let’s not talk about Hannah and Sirius, but we all know how you defeated Magnus, Kaze.“You throw some cash to appease the Viper Queen and get through to her. “I have some good news to share.“Days ago, the Viper Queen issued the Chief Order, granting anyone who can kill you and retrieve the Nether Viper Sword the position as the Viper’s Den’s West State branch leader.“What makes you think we won’t kill you now that you’re without an ally?” Kaze’s eyes glistened ruthlessly. “The Viper Queen? The Chief Order?” Brad said curtly, “Cut the crap. Since you choose to come here, you must have backup, Kaze. Show yourselves.” While talking, Brad tipped his men the wink. His people would cover him when things were not looking right. Brad was not an idiot. In fact, he was cautious and valued his life dearly. He was only sounding Kaze out to see if he had reinforcement. “Backup?” Kaze glanced at Brad and said with a pretentious smile, “I’m enough to
“Oh? Try me.” Kaze took large strides ahead and whipped Brad to the ground before the latter had a chance to pull out his gun. “Crack!” Brad’s leg fractured at the stomp of Kaze’s foot. “Ah!” Brad writhed in agony. “Let Mr. Ettinger go, or we’ll shoot you!” The remaining subordinates drew their weapons. Since Brad was restrained under Kaze’s foot, they were hesitant to open fire. “Bear with me. You’re my pass out.” Kaze got to Brad’s eye level to pat his face before picking him up by the collar. Kaze asked Brad’s subordinates to hand over the Ryokan assassin’s body. Ignoring the guns pointed at him, Kaze took strides out in confidence. “I won’t kill you this time. “Go back and tell your father to send a message to Autumn. I expect an answer. “Otherwise, I don’t mind eliminating the South River branch.” Once outside the villa, Kaze hurled Brad aside. While the subordinates in the back scrambled to break Brad’s fall, Kaze disappeared into the darkness.
“Is he the killer, Mr. Lee?” Don looked at the cold body on the ground in surprise. Kaze had not been gone for long. Yet, he brought the killer’s corpse back. Nevertheless, a dead murderer would not leave many loose ends. Clearly, the killer was acting under orders. Reading his confusion, Kaze said, “Just call it suicide in fear of conviction. “The killer is from Ryokan. I’m sure someone else is behind it, but it’s not the police’s problem. I’ll handle it.” Don knew better than to ask questions. He nodded and instructed his people to take care of the body. Kaze asked, “That reminds me. How are the Quints now?”“Master Quint and Deborah didn’t survive. Three of the dozen bodyguards are in surgery, but the others won’t make it. “We took statements from the other Quint family members and sent them home.” Don shook his head. The Quints took Kaze for granted. They would not be in such a predicament if they had only appreciated him. “Oh, Mr. Lee. I received a ph
“Sigh…” Hector looked at his father’s coffin and sighed without a word. All he could do was spare a moment of silence for his father. Darcy got up and stood in a corner, her expression complicated. Her resentment subsided along with the death of Master Quint. “Good news! I have good news!” Rudy just got off the phone and sprung from the ground, dancing with joy. Before anyone could ask, Rudy said gleefully, “I received word from the Ridgesouth Quints that they are willing to accept us back into the family. “We are welcomed back as the South River branch of the Quints.” The Quints paused for a minute before breaking out in joy. The Ridgesouth Quints were an influential family with a long-standing history.The Quints’ new-found connections with the Ridgesouth Quints would elevate the family’s power and influence. The day had finally come for the Quints. “Dad, did the Ridgesouth Quints name the head of our household?“With Grandpa gone, we needed a family head to
Most ridiculously, the Quints celebrated enthusiastically at the news. As always, the Quints were shallow, only thinking about the perks of relying on the Ridgesouth Quints rather than considering their own contribution. Kaze smiled faintly. “No one but you is up for the task, babe. “The Ridgesouth Quints probably understood what you are made of and want to invest in you.“Don’t worry. The good outweighs the bad for your family to rejoin the main family. Just focus on what you can do. “I will always support you.”Kaze could not read Halford’s intention. They had never met after all. Nevertheless, Kaze concurred with the idea of Darcy integrating the family and establishing themselves in Sunrise City. Kaze needed to take a trip to Sunrise City anyway. It would take him a long time to either purge the Viper’s Den or straighten out matters with the Lees. Kaze could not leave Darcy alone in Lilyrose, so the best way forward was for her to join him there. Besides, Lily
Kaze fell into his thoughts. Winnie presented a legitimate problem. Lilyrose was too small of a place. Even though Lilyrose was elevated to a capital-level city, the development was not in place yet. Besides, growth would not happen overnight. Hence, Kaze nodded. “I agree to move the business core to Riverbank City. I’ll let you decide on the business strategy.“I’ll still transfer the shares to you though.” Winnie asked in confusion, “Why?” “I want to publicly distance myself from Shangrila Group.” Kaze said, “I’ll have a lot of enemies in Riverbank City.“If I don’t break away, people might give Shangrila Group a hard time because of me.“Don’t get me wrong. I will lend a hand when Shangrila Group is in trouble.” Riverbank City was a city where the talent competition was fierce. Kaze would face many obstacles giving the Viper’s Den a good shakedown. Even he had to be on his toes. There was no need to bring Shangrila Group into these conflicts. There was no
Conan was worried for Kaze. Unlike his previous encounter with Magnus, Kaze no longer had the Viper Queen’s support.Plus, the news circulating the Viper’s Den had gotten out too. Autumn would appoint anyone capable of killing Kaze as the leader of the West State branch.Hence, Newell had no reservations about attacking Kaze. Kaze let out a faint smile. “Newell is very protective of his son. All you did was beat up the branch leader’s son, and he came all the way here to get even.” “It explains why Scarlet wants me at Mountain Dew Estate. “Come on. Take me there.” Conan was taken aback. “Is it just the two of us, Bro?” “How many more do you want coming along?” Kaze glanced at him and got up with a smile. Conan let out a dry laugh and took to the wheel. Soon, Conan drove Kaze to Mountain Dew Estate. Outside the city borders, Conan started talking about Newell. “Since the Viper’s Den is a shadowy organization operating beyond the bounds of law, its members have
“Apologize?”Kaze eyed Conan. “You’ve been working for me for a while now. “I thought you’d know me better than that.” “I’m sorry, Bro. I…” Conan was at a loss for words. He assumed that Kaze made the trip to Mountain Dew Estate to show the Ettingers the white flag. It dawned on Conan that Kaze would never back down and settle. Kaze was not knuckling under Newell. Instead, Newell was to answer to his son’s actions. If Newell could not provide a satisfactory response, Kaze would likely make a good example out of him. Such was the practice of the God of War. Kaze would bravely face challenges both in war and in life.Conan understood why Draco and Albert bent over backward for Kaze. Power and rank would not bring these hard-nosed characters to their heels. It was charisma. “What’s the public opinion on the Viper’s Den, Conan? “Do you have any intel on Scarlet?” Kaze asked these questions in ponder. Conan replied glumly, “The Viper’s Den doesn’t have a g
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
“If you are not here to have fun, then why did you come to Westeros?” Rosie asked. Kaze looked like he had one glass too many and could barely keep himself awake. When he looked up at Rosie, he felt lightheaded and could not keep his balance. “I am here to c-complete my mission.” Kaze could not even speak clearly, seemingly already drunk. Rosie let out a breath of relief. She then took his glass away. Kaze fell onto the couch lazily and adjusted himself into a comfortable position. He even had a hiccup. Rosie did not mind Kaze passing out in front of her. She got up and then squatted in front of him. “What is your mission here in Westeros?” She did not expect to fish out useful information from Kaze, but now she could bring this information to Edmund and exchange it for a reward. “I am here to solve the problem. Something happened here in the Viper’s Den and I am here to find out more. After that, someone else will take over,” Kaze muttered as he closed his eyes.
Rosie’s charm and beauty were reasons why she was able to run the club smoothly. No matter what happened, she possessed the capabilities to solve it without exacerbating it. All those aspects made Edmund choose her. A qualified employee trusted to run a business did not need to be a genius. One only needed to carefully operate the business and not cause trouble for the employer. That alone would be enough. “There’s indeed someone powerful who gave me a chance but I want to use my own strength to win their recognition.” Rosie was well aware that due to her beauty, many often looked down and underestimated her. She had to stay sharp and clear-headed to avoid unnecessary trouble. “That might be a little difficult but I believe you got what it takes,” Kaze said with a serious tone as if he knew Rosie well. “Thank you for your kind words. I hope everything turns out as expected.” She did not have to worry about that because Edmund fully trusted her and put her in charge of m
Clemont let out a breath of relief when he saw that his friends were not saying anything more. He brought them somewhere else to party. He spent a lot in a single night but he finally gained the respect that he longed for. Back at the club, after Clemont and his friends left, the corridor to the VIP section finally quieted down. The waiters cleaned up the place and then returned to their work. Kaze stayed back and looked at Rosie, waiting for her response. “Thank you for today. I would be hurt if not for you,” she said, expressing her gratitude. She was surprised that Kaze intervened but she was truly grateful for his help. “It’s nothing.” Kaze waved his hand nonchalantly and then wanted to return to his own room. “Why don’t I take care of the bill for you tonight? Consider it as a token of gratitude since you saved me from getting hurt,” Rosie said. Her interest in Kaze was piqued, wondering who he really was. She knew he was from Butterworth and had heard that
Clemont was born with a silver spoon and raised like a prince as he was the youngest in the family. He knew his father’s current situation, which explained why he behaved arrogantly. He thought his actions could help his father but little did he know, they were causing a huge trouble. Kaze made it verbal but the spoiled brat did not appreciate the warning and simply felt annoyed. “What do I mean? I guess you have to ask your father about it.” Kaze looked at Clemont coldly. There was no way a useless trust-fund baby could achieve anything great under the protection of his family. Every action that Clemont took was causing damage to his family. Kaze initially intended to use the Siegfrieds to his advantage, which explained why he did not act immediately. Now that Clemont had come under his radar, Kaze ought to use the chance. He managed to showcase his strength to Rosie earlier and what he said to Clemont would surely raise more suspicion in her. Kaze must come up wit
Rosie was shocked. She almost got kicked by some spoiled brat. She was not happy about it. She revered Clemont’s background and had been tolerant with the brat but he stepped over the line when he decided to be physical. Rosie looked up to Kaze who was hugging her. He was just outside the crowd and decided to step in when he heard the commotion. She did not expect him to save her. It was a surprise but it allowed her to see his capabilities. The man from Butterworth had been hiding his abilities from everyone all along. Rosie smiled at him before getting back up on her feet. “Thank you for your help,” she said softly. “It’s nothing. It’s the right thing to do,” Kaze said. Kaze was the type of person who could never stand seeing the weak being bullied. “Who the hell are you? What do you think you are doing?” Clemont bellowed. He was outraged and needed to vent his emotions. Since Kaze had intervened, it gave Clemont a chance to lash out at him. “Stop causing a
“I told you this is my club! They have to listen to me! Now open the damn door!” Clemont was furious after being questioned. He started to kick the door like a madman. The waiters were worried but they dared not do anything. “Young Master Siegfried, there are guests inside! VIP guests!” the waiter added. He dared not reveal the identity of the guest inside. Zidane informed all employees earlier that no one shall reveal the VIP guest’s identity or even mention that the suite was booked by Edmund. It was to keep things low. Therefore, the waiter dared not speak any of it even to Clemont. Unfortunately, Clemont stubbornly believed the waiter was lying to him. “What guests?! You’re lying to me! You said there were guests inside but even after I kicked the door, there was no answer! Open it up. Don’t be stupid!” he shouted. He cared not about the others when he shouted. He was impulsive at nature. “Young Master Siegfried, there are guests inside. You can’t do this,” the