Kaze said with a smile, “Mayor Synder is quite rich and generous I see.” Hamlin smiled back. “Mr. Lee, please don’t take it the wrong way. The Synders are a family with a long history here in Riverbank and the annual dividend for the mayor alone is a large sum of money. He doesn’t need to commit illegal acts just to get some allowance.” “I see. I guess I have misunderstood Kent.” Kaze picked up and looked at the document before taking the keycard too. “Please thank Kent for me.” He never intended for Kent to repay him but he did save the man’s life back at the train station. Therefore, be it the blessed artifact by Pastor Angelo or the mansion, Kaze believed he earned it. If Kent were not lucky enough to meet him, Riverbank would have lost its mayor. Kaze was confident only a handful of people in Arcadia could save Kent at that instant. Seeing that Kaze accepted the mansion, Hamlin stood up with a satisfied smile. “The mayor is waiting for me. I’ll leave you to your din
“This mayor's residence used to be the embassy of Ryokan. After the Ryokanians moved out, in order to save money, the city council used what they had left behind, that’s why it feels like that,” Hamlin introduced the place to Kaze. Upon hearing the introduction, a thought came to Kaze’s mind. Kent was cursed by the Ryokanians and it almost got him killed. The mayor’s residence that he was living in used to be the embassy of Ryokan. Could Myra’s condition be related to the place? Kaze subtly asked, “If I may ask, did Myra’s condition begin after they moved in here, or did it already exist before?” Hamlin was slightly surprised but he quickly understood the question. “Ms. Myra’s condition started shortly after Mr. Synder became the mayor. Ms. Myra was still a college student, so she moved in with her parents. “Mr. Lee, are you saying that Ms. Myra’s condition is related to this place? Is it because she moved into this place?” Hamlin asked with a grim look. He was Kent’s
Standing at the top of the stairs, Cole looked down at Kaze with contempt. He returned to his arrogant and hostile self, like when he first met Kaze. The respect he had for Kaze after Kaze saved Kent had faded. There was another group of people behind him, men and women with some locals and some foreigners. Two of them captured Kaze’s attention. The first one would be a young and beautiful woman who exuded a powerful aura. Her professional business attire and black heels made her look stern and fierce. People would easily notice her at first glance. The other one would be a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. The glasses he wore gave him an academic demeanor and composed presentation. “Cole, Mr. Lee saved Mr. Synder back at the train station. You saw it with your own eyes as well. Mr. Synder told me to take good care of Mr. Lee and I was with him when I received the call about Ms. Myra. That’s why he is with me. “Mr. Synder also agreed to let him come along. You can’t j
“How unfortunate.” The man named Professor Wilson scrutinized Kaze and shrugged. As the target of ridicule, Kaze barely felt anything. He simply smiled at Hamlin. Hamlin awkwardly bowed at Kaze. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lee. For Mr. Synder’s safety…” Back on the train, after Kaze left, Hamlin had run all kinds of background checks to find out about Kaze’s true identity. It was to protect Kent, especially after multiple assassination attempts. It was his duty to investigate every person who approached the mayor. Now that Cole exposed it in front of everyone, especially in front of Kaze, Hamlin felt a little awkward. Kaze would never tolerate Cole’s arrogant attitude. “It’s okay. You are just doing your job,” Kaze said to Hamlin. He then looked at Cole and said, “Cole, I prefer the humble and respectful you back on the train. You were arrogant and disrespectful at first but you learned quickly and started to show some respect after I saved Kent.” Cole’s face turned bitter wh
Kent had a frosty glare at Cole. Myra’s condition was kept a secret, and only a handful of people knew about it. Now that Buffy learned about the condition, she must have learned it from Cole. Cole’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly introduced Professor Wilson to Kent. “Uncle Kent, Myra’s condition is not getting any better, so I took the liberty to tell Buffy about it. I just hope that I can help. “Look, Uncle Kent. Professor Wilson is a psychologist from Kalifornia University of Uleania. He’s well-known in the field. “He came to Arcadia for a symposium and since Buffy knew him, she was able to invite him over to have a look at Myra’s condition. We also paid a hefty price to have him here.” Kalifornia University was a world-renowned institute. Kent was delighted and his grim look softened. He said with gratitude, “Ms. Gwake, thank you for your concern about my daughter. I can’t thank you enough.” No matter what Buffy was after, if she could get a world-renowned psych
If the professor could cure Myra, Cole’s position in Kent’s heart would skyrocket and he would surely rise to prominence in Riverbank. Whatever trouble he got himself into, his uncle would surely cover up for him. Buffy did not say anything but her eyes showed delight. If Professor Wilson could cure Myra, then Kent would be in her debt and she could ask for his help to further expand Gwake Corporation in Riverbank. Only Kaze remained calm and composed. Professor Wilson had not even seen Myra, yet he claimed it was a mental condition. He seemed to have jumped to a conclusion a little too early. “This way please.” Kent was focused on his daughter and did not further comment on anything. He led the way and brought Kaze and Professor Wilson into the mansion. When they went to the second floor, they saw a middle-aged woman in an expensive sleeping robe sitting outside a room, looking pale and dispirited. The woman was Kent’s wife, Jane. Jane’s eyes were glued to the ta
Professor Wilson was not shy to accept the monetary reward. A million dollars was a decent amount of money even for a world-renowned psychologist like him. Back in Uleania, a talk at the presidential campaign or anything similar would only pay him tens of thousands. “Kaze…” Kent then looked at Kaze. Kaze raised his hand. “I’m okay. I don’t need the money. Let’s just wait for Myra to wake up first.” “Thank you, Kaze.” Kent nodded with gratitude. Cole grunted softly. He believed Kaze was just acting and refused the monetary reward, but he did not refuse the mansion from Hamlin. Buffy frowned in displeasure. She had a feeling that Kaze was trying to make Professor Wilson look bad. Kaze did not make any comments. He went to the parlor, sat down, and enjoyed some tea. The others came over and waited together. “Myra, what’s wrong?” As expected, Myra’s sleep was light. In less than ten minutes, Kent and Jane’s anxious cries could be heard outside the room. The group
Seeing a positive reaction from Myra, Professor Wilson seized the chance and continued to communicate with her. When Myra finally spoke, even briefly, Kent teared up and Jane sobbed. It had been a while since the girl spoke to her parents. “See, Professor Wilson is the professional here. Not like you, a conman. You can never be like him.” Cole appeared beside Kaze and whispered his sneers. Kaze had a glance at him and decided to ignore the fool. He continued to watch Professor Wilson communicating with Myra. His brows furrowed as the process went on. Professor Wilson continued for another ten minutes. He did most of the speaking and Myra briefly replied a few times, but it was enough to move her parents. Myra started to accept Wilson and her subconscious saw him as a friend. She even began to listen to him and would do as he said. “Sleep. Once you sleep, you can forget all your troubles,” Professor Wilson said softly, attempting to lullaby her to sleep. Myra did as
“Do ask around,” Kaze said without being overly concerned. Since he was with Dwight, if they got any news, it would attract even more attention. However, if they did not ask around for more after causing a scene, it would also be strange. Therefore, Dwight’s little investigation was a great cover. “I have to use the toilet. Wait for me here,” Kaze said as he got up. Dwight nodded at Kaze as he was going to make a call. “Sure. If you want to leave, just give me a heads up.” He then sat down on the couch, took a sip of beer, and leisurely watched girls dancing on the dance floor. After seeing Dwight’s casual reaction, Kaze lowered his guard against him. He had been observing Dwight since the start and now he finally knew the man well enough. Dwight never saw Kaze as an outsider or some VIP guest. He was thoughtful and kind and never harbored any ill intentions. “He’s really a simple guy.” Kaze headed to the toilet as he muttered to himself. On the way there, he sa
“She’s quite capable but this will cost her.” Kaze thought Rosie was not being rational enough. If a customer crossed the line, she would have every reason to throw him out. There was no need to endure him or suck up for the sake of a little business. Rosie might seem to be the boss of the club but she often had to endure ridiculous requests for the sake of the well-being of the establishment. Dominic’s words made many uncomfortable, especially the waiter and the security guards. They were ready to throw him out. If he continued to be rude, they would not mind being physical with him. When Dominic calmed down, he would realize what he had done. After all, when one was drunk, one would not have total control over his or her actions, which would lead to making mistakes. Such mistakes would easily slip due to the person being drunk but it only worked when the person could not remember or was not conscious at all. If a person remained sane and could act logically, then be
“I’ll let this slip but you guys can’t always ruin my fun,” Dominic said with a frown. His plan of having fun was foiled before anything could happen. Rosie’s expression turned bitter. “That girl is just an innocent lady, our customer. You can’t just force yourself on her.” Dominic was not deterred. He believed that with his status and how much he had spent at the club, he could do anything he wanted. Yet the boss interrupted his plan and even let the girl go. It fueled his resentment. “Since when is Absolute Zero scared of anything? That girl is just some random girl, and even if I drag her to my bed, nothing bad will happen,” he said confidently. He even moved closer to Rosie, putting his chubby hand around her waist. Dwight was surprised as he had never encountered such a situation before. Dominic acted like he owned the club. He tried to force a girl against her will and now he put his dirty hand on the boss of the club. He was just the boss of a company who
“Stop causing problems!” The security guards gained on Kaze and Dwight, trying to get them out of the club. Dwight was also a hot-tempered person and he could not allow injustice to happen, especially to himself. “It’s that fat prick who started it! Why aren’t you guys throwing him out? The girl has made it clear that they don’t know each other! Why are you two gaining on us?!” He was not weak and could easily take down two security guards, but he remained resentful. They tried to help a girl but the situation turned on them. “You can’t be sure. Maybe the girl is playing hard to get. This is not Mr. Jarbosky’s first time here, and he will never break the rules here,” the security guard said. His words attracted even more attention, but they dared not speak up. Vivi’s face turned pale. She wanted to explain but nothing came out of her mouth. Her explanations seemed weak. Everyone seemed to believe that she seduced Dominic, but she was the victim. “No! It’s not like t
“Kaze, you might not know since you are new here but he’s the boss of Dominion Group, Dominic Jarbosky. We can’t offend him. His company works closely with the Viper’s Den.” Dwight came over and whispered into Kaze’s ears. He just wanted to inform Kaze to rethink his decision. The girl might be in danger but she had it coming. Coming to a club in a skimpy outfit was certainly a bad idea. Since Dominic had his eyes on her, and she did not want his company, then it was up to her to break free. Dwight thought that by explaining Dominic’s status to Kaze, the conflict would be resolved. “I said, it’s time for you to stop,” Kaze said once more, his tone colder than before. Dominic frowned after being interrupted once more. He finally got his eyes on a young girl who looked beautiful and innocent, thinking he could release his sexual desires on her for the entire night, yet someone poked his nose into his business. “What do you have to do with this? Are you into this girl as w
“Seems like there’s nothing to see here.” Kaze was slightly disappointed. He came here just to find out more about the club’s operations and the person running the place. Yet there was nothing he found, or maybe he did not get the right chance. Clubs were loud and messy, fights even broke out occasionally. Men would fight over a woman, and once the fight broke out, the person in charge of the club must step up to resolve the conflict. Kaze just needed to wait patiently for the chance to arrive. With alcohol involved, people tended to be impulsive and physical once the girls rejected them. Dwight continued to test his luck but got turned down every single time. A few minutes later, a void formed around him with no girls wanting to be close to him. He was annoyed. He was tall and handsome, yet no girls wanted to be with him. He saw other men, who were shorter and looked normal, surrounded by girls. The only difference was the watches and branded outfits they wore.
As they arrived, they saw a dozen expensive cars parked outside. The customer base was relatively stable as the establishment was targeted at the upper class. The people lining up at the club were young men and women of ordinary background. All were allowed inside Absolute Zero with an entrance fee. Since this would be a chance for ordinary people to meet and interact with the upper-class elites, they cherished it and tried their best to look good. Even movie producers and scriptwriters came to the club, seeking investments or a role in movie production. It was a shortcut to reach out to the upper crust after all. Yet they were just a bunch of fresh graduates with no resources and connections, so the club was their only chance at achieving something great. Dwight would never understand how rare the opportunity was, as he was narrow-sighted. He had never experienced power and wealth before, so he lacked the understanding of how things worked in society. “I never thought
With that in mind, Dwight checked his outfit. His black leather jacket brought out his height and wild side. He then observed Kaze. The latter was dressed casually. Dwight was worried that they would not be allowed into Absolute Zero because of their attire. Nevertheless, he could not let slip that he had never been to Absolute Zero. Without a word, Dwight led Kaze down the apartment building. Kaze could pick up on Dwight’s nerves. While in the elevator, Dwight could not stop straightening out his clothes. It was clear that he was nervous. Even so, Kaze said nothing and pretended not to notice. They got into the car and drove to an alley. The area was not huge, but there were stands selling street food. “The food is great here. Since it’s early, we can grab a bite.” Dwight was not being tight with money. As their destination was a bar, there was no need to get a proper meal. “I’ll get a skewer then.” Kaze did not have much of an appetite anyway. “Okay. I’ll or
“You’re the guest. I should be hosting you, but I don’t seem to be doing a good job.” Dwight knew he had to do better. “It’s okay. I don’t have much to do. It’s just a delivery anyway.” Kaze bought a lot of stuff online. All they had to do was wait for the delivery. Once the items arrived, they could head out. Dwight talked about taking him to a bar under the Viper’s Den’s umbrella. It was a great opportunity for Kaze to check out the scene. He had heard that the Wittersons were tied to all the Viper’s Den’s business operations.Kaze would not meet Edmund and Morris in person, but he would grasp all information related to them. Then, Kaze would stir things up between them and sit back while reaping the benefits. Kaze had it all planned out. He simply had to take his time in playing the long game. Nevertheless, it was important for him to remain discreet. At the very least, he should not show them what he was made of. It was easy to execute his plan when everybody