Lock’s lips moved but he said nothing except for a helpless sigh. He knew what his daughter was up to but since she made it clear, he did not want to give her a hard time. He could not ask her to lower her standards because it would mean that he looked down on Kaze too. Speaking against Cyan’s terms would mean that he believed Kaze could not make ten million per year in two years. “Okay. I’ll go have a look later,” Kaze said. He did not want to waste time with the mother and daughter. He also could not tell Cyan that the reason why she got the offer from Golden Scale Corporation was because of himself. Revealing the truth would only attract more hatred and they would criticize him even more. Meaningless. If he rejected Cyan’s suggestion, the whole family would argue again. Since Kaze planned to visit the company soon, he might as well play along. Golden Scale Corporation belonged to the West State Viper’s Den but after Magnus died, other branches started to infiltrate
“Is it urgent? Want me to give you a ride?” Lock said as he put down the teapot. “It’s okay, Mr. Yemen. They are sending a car to pick me up,” Kaze said before he walked out of the door. “Hmph! He’s just calling a ride but he has to act like someone is here to pick him up, like he’s some big shot.” Ryna grumbled after Kaze left. She felt uncomfortable with Kaze in the house. Now that Kaze had left, the air felt fresher. …Kaze went downstairs and waited for Hamlin at the entrance of the neighborhood. In less than a cigarette’s time, a black Audi with the car plate ‘Riverbank 00001’ arrived before him. “Mr. Lee.” Hamlin came down and opened the door for him. Kaze glanced at Hamlin’s messy hair and the claw marks on his face. He nodded and got into the car. “What happened to you?” After the car drove off, Kaze asked curiously. As the mayor’s driver, Hamlin always had to make sure his image was presentable, decent at least. Yet he looked like he just fought a
“We’ll see when I see her,” Kaze said. It was better to determine with his eyes than speculate with thoughts. “Is the mayor okay?” he asked. Last night, he did not reveal that the curse on Myra was probably targeted at Kent. There were multiple attempts on Kent’s life before this and he even got cursed recently, which almost succeeded if it had not been for Kaze. Now that Kent was aware that someone was after his life, using his daughter to deliver an unexpected strike was completely possible. Of course, it might be entirely about something else either. Regardless, be it Kent or Myra, both of them were cursed almost at the same time, which meant that the mastermind had been planning this for a long time. Hamlin gulped nervously. “It’s such a coincidence that you broke Cole’s arms yesterday. He came back to us and cried to Mr. Synder, asking him to avenge him. “So in order to give Myra some peace and quiet time, Mr. Synder went downstairs to the living room and he did
Kent and Jane were behind the bodyguards. Their eyes teared up and their faces pale. “Don’t use the tranquilizers, don’t hurt Myra! She will stop when she gets tired!” Kent said anxiously as he hugged his exhausted wife. The tranquilizers required skills to fire and a little mistake could inflict irreversible damage on the target. Even though Kent had no idea what caused his daughter to behave like a beast, he did not want to hurt her unless absolutely necessary. “Mr. Synder, Mr. Lee is here!” Hamlin quickly ran over. “Kaze!” Kent looked at Kaze before tapping on Jane’s shoulder, calming her down. He then let go of her and went up to Kaze. He said softly, “Kaze, I was sorry about last night. I should have trusted you. Like you said, Myra is on a rampage right now.” He looked guilty as he apologized. He deeply regretted dismissing Kaze last night. Kaze said Myra was cursed and the curse might be lethal, yet no one believed him. This morning, when Myra entered the t
In other words, no matter what kind of trouble Kaze got into, Kent would vouch for him and even protect him with his life and career. If news about this got out, many people would be jealous of Kaze. After all, in Riverbank, the mayor’s authority and power were only second to the South River State Governor. The slightest favor from the mayor was considered a lifetime worth of benefits for an ordinary person. “Why would I want your life for, Mr. Synder?” Kaze smiled vaguely. The mayor of Riverbank might be a prominent figure that people admired but it was nothing to Kaze. However, with Kent’s promise and help, Kaze could do things a lot more easily in Riverbank. “Come on, let’s go have a look at Myra first.” Kaze gestured at Kent, telling him to lead the way. “This way!” Kent took a deep breath and then brought Kaze into the house. When they entered the living room, they saw the elf-like girl in her pajamas and messy hair. The pure and innocent demeanor that she us
“Mr. Lee, Mrs. Synder is a religious Christian and a loyal patron of St. John Church. When she realized Professor Wilson couldn’t cure Myra, she contacted the church and asked for Pastor Angelo’s help.” Hamlin was worried that Kaze might misunderstand, so he quickly explained to Kaze softly. Kent did not disagree with inviting Pastor Angelo over because he could not be sure if Kaze would agree to help. Even if Kaze agreed, he might not be able to fully cure Myra. Pastor Angelo was different. He was a reputable clergyman in Riverbank and all of West State; many people had faith in him. If Myra was cursed like Kaze said, then inviting Pastor Angelo over might be the more suitable choice. Kaze nodded and did not say anything. It was understandable that the Synder family wanted more options to save their daughter. “Pastor Angelo, please save my daughter! If you can save Myra, I will donate to your church and support any kind of reconstruction!” Jane was behind Pastor Angelo
Kaze ignored Cole. He looked at Pastor Angelo and said, “Pastor, why don’t we have a test? Let’s see if your religion can save Myra, or if my murderous intent can bring her back from hell.” Usually, he never bothered to reply to mocking or sarcasm but Pastor Angelo pointed out that he was in hell with just a few glances—physically here, but mentally in hell. It meant that Pastor Angelo was not trying to mock or insult Kaze but he did see intense murderous intent in him. Kaze knew exactly what caused this condition. Killing one man would be a crime; killing ten thousand would be a monster. Killing nine million would be the monster of all monsters. Back on the foreign battlefield, tens of millions of lives perished in his hands. It was not exaggerating to call Kaze the embodiment of hell. He knew Pastor Angelo was not a fraudulent charlatan like Dr. Raph Tyson and was a man with true capabilities, so he decided to challenge him. Yet when the others heard him, they felt
Even Cole, an unbridled playboy, felt the power of the chants. He felt goosebumps and even had the urge to kneel. Pastor Angelo was indeed powerful. His chants filled the living room instantly. “That’s some powerful hypnosis technique. Is this the secret hypnosis practiced by the church?” Professor Wilson, who got beaten up earlier, finally recovered and came to the scene. He stood behind the group and watched Pastor Angelo work in admiration and awe. He might not understand the chants but as a professor with high achievements in psychology, he too had the urge to kneel. The strongest and most effective form of hypnosis would be religion. A religion had the most number of followers compared to any other psychologist. Even the most powerful politician, the richest man in the world, or even the most vicious criminals had their own beliefs in religion. Professor Wilson used to study different religions and had a decent understanding of Christianity. He knew the church
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