“There’s a million in this card? Are you serious?” Larry’s eyes shone greedily when he heard there was a million in the bank card. He snatched the card and held it in his hand like he had gotten his precious. He eagerly asked for the PIN to access it. The card was Darcy’s, so the PIN was her birthday. Agnes told Larry the PIN, and only then the family decided to leave. They got up from the couch and swept the husks and ashes off their clothes before heading to the door. Agnes and her family breathed a sigh of relief. Before they stepped out, Naomi said, “Can any of you drive us back? This neighborhood is huge! We walked quite a bit to reach your house.” “Kaze, drive them back, and mind your manners!” Agnes was afraid that the Laime family would give her more trouble, so she urged Kaze to send them off. Larry glanced at Kaze and nodded. “Fine. Little piece of shit, you can drive us back!” He resented Kaze for hurting him earlier and decided to humiliate him on th
“Naomi, what happened? What did I do to Larry?” Agnes was confused, and so were the rest.The Laime family came over for a million dollars in the afternoon and drove off Darcy’s car. Now, Lance and Naomi came back and claimed that Agnes ruined Larry. They must be out of their minds. Naomi shouted at Agnes, “You! You gave Larry a million! If he didn’t have the money, he wouldn’t have gambled it all off! He lost the million and owed Hades two million! The car and Larry are still at his place! They want us to pay up to get him back!” Agnes and her family exchanged a baffled look. Larry said he wanted the million to start a business but he ended up gambling the money away. It had just been hours and he lost a million! Agnes felt an intense heartache for losing the money. She did not spend a penny yet Larry lost it within hours! Lance shouted, “Give us two million to get Larry back! Hades, the boss of the casino, said if we don’t get the money by tonight, he will cut of
“You can bring Larry back!?” Lance and Naomi looked at Kaze, skeptical. They looked down on him from the bottom of their hearts. Even though Larry had no academic credits or job, they would never make him marry into a family for money. Kaze ignored the two of them. He offered to bring Larry back because Larry was held together with Darcy’s car and that was what he wanted to bring back. If not for the car, he would not care if Larry died. Darcy shook her head. “Kaze, stop fooling around. The casino bosses are not someone you can mess with. They have a lot of men and it’s too dangerous. I don’t want you to go.” She insisted on calling Miru for help. Kaze felt comforted knowing that Darcy worried about him. He said, “Darcy, don’t worry. I’m just going to talk to the casino boss and negotiate with him. Maybe I can get your car back. If things go south, we’ll see what we can do.” Darcy looked at him, still worried. After some serious consideration, she sighed and said, “Fine
Thugs and kingpins of the underworld—one could tell how much of a difference between the two monikers. Hades was Cronus’ nephew and the owner of the casino. Darcy had goosebumps when she learned about Hades and Cronus. She regretted it. She should not have allowed Kaze to go to Hades’ casino. They could not afford to mess with someone like Hades. “Sky, call Kaze right away and tell him to come back! Don’t let him go to the casino!” Darcy said to Sky. Sky heard Darcy’s conversation with Miru as he was just beside her. Even though he had seen how powerful Kaze was in the past few days and he believed Kaze was almighty, he was also worried when he saw the look on Darcy’s face. He called Kaze immediately, but the call could not get through. “He’s on a call. I can’t get through.” “Again! Call again!” Darcy then went back on the call with Miru and asked, “Miru, can you get in contact with this Hades? We’ll give him two million for Larry. If Kaze is there, tell him not t
“Sigh. I thought I had a powerful brother-in-law. It seems like I was overthinking…” Sky walked away with a disappointed look. Darcy was both amused and upset by Sky’s disappointment. Though her worries for Kaze remained. She hoped Miru could settle the matter before Kaze arrived at the casino. On the other hand, Kaze arrived at a hotel with Lance and Naomi. “Hades told us to come here for the manager.” Lance pointed at the hotel before glancing at Kaze. “Hey, useless shit, can you really bring Larry back?” “If you continue to speak to me with that mouth, your son will die inside,” Kaze said coldly. Lance and Naomi were furious. Agnes and her family were nothing but tools to extort money and they had gotten used to being treated like kings. Yet as Agnes’ son-in-law, Kaze did not treat the Laime couple with respect. However, the ferocity Kaze showed back at Horizon Mirror deterred Lance and forced him to silence himself. Naomi grumbled, “Then what are you doing
“Kaze, I thought you got someone useful to help but he's useless bullshit as well!” “He looks ferocious. He might be able to scare normal people like us but he’s useless against Hades!” Lance and Naomi immediately jumped in and mocked Dan after seeing his failure. They were frightened by Dan and they thought the man was someone powerful. However, a few minutes later, Dan came running out. Dan slapped himself again when Lance and Naomi mocked him. He was fine with the humiliation but he did not want to embarrass Kaze. It would be a great sin if he did. He knelt on the ground and said, “Master Lee, I’ll call all my men here and make Hades pay for what he had done!” “Shut up you! All you know is brag!” Naomi looked askance at Dan. She then looked at Kaze and said, “Tell Darcy to pay the two million to get Larry back! If anything happens to Larry, I’ll make your family pay!” “Yeah! Forget about the lousy car! Larry must be fine! Call your wife immediately!” Lance berate
Miru? The casino players looked confused. Someone said hesitantly, “Is she the goddaughter of Alan who owns Lefteria Group?” Woah! The casino erupted in a commotion.Lefteria Group and Alan were mentioned a lot. Alan had been the godfather of Lilyrose underworld after all. The group had left behind its criminal roots and become a legitimate business empire in Lilyrose.“That’s right. That’s her.” Tim said in chuckles, “The bitch thinks she’s all that. She called to get my boss to return the car. She and Dan upset my boss, so he trashed the car.” There was an uproar all around. Hades was something else to disregard Dan and Lefteria Group. Many were unaware of Hades’ origins. However, that did not stop them from revering him. Hades enjoyed being the center of attention. Still, he remained nonchalant on the surface. “Bottom line, my connections in Lilyrose run deep enough to back the casino up. No one, regardless of their legal or illegal standing, will dare to cause
“The young man is amazing. Tim, the best fighter in the casino, is no match for him. Man, Tim got beaten up real bad.” “I know, right? I witnessed Tim take down a few gym rats who were on orders to cause trouble in the place.” “Tsk. So what if the man can fight? Didn’t you hear Hades calling on his security officers to kill him? They are all armed with weapons. The young man can’t defend himself with just his fists.” The casino players stared at Kaze and chatted among themselves. The two dozen security officers whipped out their weapons of choice and charged toward Kaze. Hades had always been generous to them. Now that Tim lost to Kaze, anyone who could restrain Kaze would be heavily rewarded. These fugitives with blood in their hands saw dollar signs in Kaze. The person charging in the front was a burly man with a scarred face, waving his 20-pound knife around. He zeroed in on Kaze’s neck, his gaze sharp. Swoosh. The knife went for Kaze’s neck. Some timid casino
“Just make yourself at home here. Let me know if you need anything. Dwight will be there for you.” Edmund could tell that Kaze and Dwight were tight. He could play this to his advantage. Though Kaze refused to disclose his motives, Edmund kept him under surveillance. Nothing escaped his eyes. With that in mind, Edmund felt his worries melting away. “Thank you, Mr. Witterson. I was sent here at the last minute. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be so lucky to have met you.” Kaze seemed intent on bonding with Edmund. He sucked up to Edmund. Most importantly, Edmund no longer suspected him, and that was the reason Kaze accepted the invitation to stay. All Kaze had to do now was reassure Edmund. Some things were not worth stressing over. Dwight quietly enjoyed his drink, oblivious to the state of things. Sparks were flying earlier, and everything seemed fine again. Maybe it was all in his head. “You need to take good care of Kaze, Dwight. He’s our guest,” Edmund stressed. “Do
It was all clear to Edmund at this point. He stroked Clarice’s hair tenderly, feeling sorry for what she was going through. She should be getting better care. Yet, she was often neglected. Life at the Geofrey household had not been good for Clarice. Without Edmund’s pull, he would not be able to keep Clarice’s father in line. “You can be a bit of a handful, but you should do you. I’ll always have your back.” Edmund’s heart went out to Clarice. He was also worried about not raising her right. He could always look out for Clarice. However, there was always that fear that he could not be there for her in time. “I knew you’d help me. I don’t think I can go home just yet.” Clarice knew her father too well. It would take a while before her father calmed down. Besides, Edmund would stand by her through and through. Her father would not say a thing. Clarice understood that fact a long time ago. She would run to Edmund at any sign of trouble. “Go with the housekeeper. Feel
Everybody turned their attention to Dwight. Sensing danger, Dwight could feel chills creeping down his spine. “Slow down, tiger,” Kaze said. He grabbed a napkin for Dwight to wipe his mouth. Kaze’s behavior raised eyebrows. Despite Ryan’s outburst, Kaze carried on without a care. Kaze was more than he put out to be. Edmund looked at Kaze with admiration. He valued a talent like Kaze if the latter’s loyalty were with him. Kaze conducted himself with composure in the face of pressure. The underlying tension eased up due to Dwight’s little episode. Ryan looked at Dwight begrudgingly. Here he thought that Dwight would keep to himself, but he screwed up anyway. Dwight needed boundaries. Sure enough, Ryan could see why Dwight could never earn any respect. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” With all eyes on him, Dwight felt bad and explained himself. Edmund was not that upset anymore. He looked at Kaze to see what he had to say. There was something about Kaze. Howev
“Focus more on eating and less on talking at the dinner table.” Kaze was concerned that Dwight would get on Edmund’s nerves. It would be the end of Dwight. “What’s wrong? Have I done something wrong?” Dwight was still oblivious to his fault. “No. Mr. Witterson wanted us here to ask me some questions. If you answer them all, there really is no point in me being here.” Kaze knew how to handle Dwight. He could get Dwight to shut up without much explanation. “Oh, I get it. You’re the boss.” Dwight was on his best behavior. A white table runner was laid across the long table in the dining room. A variety of delicious food had been set out on the table. There was a beautiful centerpiece display, too. Edmund, Kaze, and the others approached the table and exchanged pleasantries before taking their seats. Seated at the head of the table, Edmund looked at Kaze on his left-hand side. “I hope the food is to your liking. The chef can prepare something else if you have a
Ryan could not shake off a strange feeling. If Kaze were the Butterworth Branch chief’s trusted aide, he would have settled down in the city. However, Kaze appeared to be a free man. Life did not seem to get him down. Since Kaze enjoyed staying in hotels, he was not a fan of being restrained. However, Kaze’s motives for being in Westeros were unknown. Word on the street was that the Butterworth Branch was going after the Westeros Branch. Not knowing how the Butterworth Branch operated, Ryan believed he should not ask too many questions. He could only keep watch over Kaze. Dwight played a mobile game until his phone battery was out. He then chose to head outside. Seeing that Kaze and Ryan were taking a stroll, Dwight approached them. “What are you guys talking about?” Dwight asked out of curiosity. Unbeknownst to him, his participation interrupted the probing. The grin on Kaze’s face widened when Dwight came closer. “We were just chatting. “Since Dwight is
Edmund was curious enough about Kaze to make him stay. Kaze’s plan worked pretty well. Dwight was glad. He assumed that his flattery pleased Edmund enough to score a free dinner with the big man. Edmund took Ryan with him. Kaze turned to Dwight, his eyes reflecting gratitude. Sure enough, Dwight was the perfect sidekick. “Why are you staring at me?” Dwight was oblivious that he had upset Edmund, though it was not a bad offense. Edmund thought nothing of Dwight. The latter was just an expendable minion. He could just transfer Dwight out and make him leave the Viper’s Den if he was too much of an eyesore. All Edmund had to do was say the word. Ryan left the living room with Edmund and ascended the stairs. He spoke in hushed tones to gauge Edmund’s intentions. “Should I get Dwight out? He’s rude.” Ryan did not expect Herman to put Dwight on airport pick-up duty. Alas, Kaze responded well to Dwight, and they hit it off. Ryan was baffled as to why Kaze and Dwig
Dwight approached with a smile. He looked at Edmund earnestly. “I am Dwight McCorney. I have heard good things about you. I finally got to meet the man of the hour. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Witterson.” Dwight was starstruck. Edmund was embarrassed by Dwight’s behavior. He could not believe that Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. Nevertheless, Dwight seemed genuine in expressing his thrill. Edmund became curious about him. He turned around to look at Kaze, who was the polar opposite of Dwight. Kaze stood there, holding his ground. He stood up to greet Edmund and nothing else. He appeared to be refined, unlike Dwight, who was brash. Dwight had no idea that his behavior had upset Edmund. Edmund looked at Dwight in disdain. However, Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. It was best for Edmund to keep his comments to himself. Without a word, Edmund stared at the pair. Ryan stepped in to smooth things over. “What are you doing? We have a guest here.
Since Kaze would not change these people’s minds, he was better off doing what he wanted to do. “This vase must be valuable. I got to give it to Mr. Witterson. A display in the living room is worth so much.” Dwight had never seen so much luxury in one room. He had been to the museum, but the displays were nothing like he had ever seen before. The rich had the means to splurge. “Do you think this is pure gold?” Dwight turned to a gold statue. The design was to die for. The purity of color made it hard to doubt its authenticity. “I’m not too sure, but I guess most of the ornaments here are real.”Kaze watched as Dwight gasped in awe. Nevertheless, his behavior would clear any suspicion on Kaze. It could be a good thing. “I knew Mr. Witterson was rich. His businesses are doing well. “But I didn’t expect this sort of lifestyle. The gold must be worth a million dollars. “If I were this wealthy, I would not spend it on decoration.” Dwight rambled on, his eyes stuck t
“I’m not familiar with the area. We’ll have to look around,” Dwight said behind the wheel. He looked for restaurants while driving. It was early, and many restaurants were not open for business. They circled the block and finally uncovered a small breakfast bar. They ordered some food, filled their bellies, and got back into the car. “Mr. Witterson said that he wouldn’t meet you. Why does he want to see you now?” Dwight was curious. Something must have happened last night. Otherwise, Edmund would not suddenly grant an audience to Kaze. “I don’t know. I had some drinks last night, and now he probably made time.” Kaze felt better after breakfast. He did not think much of the situation. Things would carry on as planned regardless of what the Wittersons or the Siegfrieds had to say.This was exactly what Kaze hoped for. Dwight remained in the dark. He drove to the city’s most exclusive area for the rich. It was all greenery in this part of town. The road was wider, an