When Buffy thought of what happened back at the mayor’s residence, her expression shifted slightly. She just realized that Kaze was also at the party and if Professor Wilson saw him, it might cause unwanted misunderstanding that could result in conflict. “Go, tell Kaze Lee to leave. Keep it low and ask nicely. Don’t make him mad. Just say I have something to talk to him in private,” said Buffy to one of her men. After meeting Kaze twice, she knew how hot a temper he had. He was not afraid of anything and the more she tried to force him against his will, the fiercer he would retaliate. Her man nodded and went over to Kaze, delivering Buffy’s message. Kaze did not know what she was up to, so he said, “If she wants to talk to me, she can talk to me here.” “Mr. Lee, Ms. Gwake is busy right now. Why don’t you move to the parlor next door and when she’s done here, she will meet you there,” said the man patiently. He too looked down on Kaze. If not for Buffy’s order, he would
“You really don’t want to take any students or disciples? I can pay you. I can give you whatever I earn…” Professor Wilson begged Kaze with the most sincere smile. His action shocked everyone else in the room. They did not care what he said to Kaze, and they could not even hear him clearly. All they saw was Professor Wilson humbling himself in front of Kaze, acting like a child instead of a professor and trying his best to make a request. Who exactly was Kaze Lee? Professor Wilson was a prominent figure in psychology and even the rich and powerful wanted to curry favor with him, yet he lowered himself before Kaze. Buffy was baffled. Kaze shook his head. “I told you before. You must have misunderstood what happened back there. I don’t know psychology. I save Myra using techniques that you don’t comprehend. “There’s no way you can learn that. Why don’t you go and talk to Pastor Angelo and ask him to teach you how God saves people.” Professor Wilson shook his head. “No,
“Kaze, we are so sorry for what happened. We deserved to be slapped…” The young men and women who mocked and insulted Kaze earlier swapped their arrogant faces to smile ingratiatingly, trying to engage in a conversation with Kaze. Professor Wilson respected him and would leave with just one word. They believed Kaze must have some strong background to be able to order the professor around like that, so they wisely stopped their hostility and decided to curry favor with him. The upper circle was realistic. The young men and women were raised in such an environment, and it was second nature to them to tailor their treatment based on somebody’s identity. They were also extremely good at switching sides to their own advantage. They could be close to a big family but could turn on them at the next moment because the family had lost their value. “What’s the matter, Luis? Not happy with things?” Zenika planned to talk to Kaze as well but when she saw Luis with an ashened expres
Rose looked unhappy and refused to reply to Zenika. Luis smiled and said, “Mr. Lee, I was wrong but it’s all because I liked Rose a lot. When I saw you and her being intimate, I got jealous. Can you forgive me?” “Kaze, I apologize. We should have been friends because of Uncle Lock and with that, I should be looking after you, not giving you a hard time. Please forgive me.” Even the proud Wesley lowered himself and apologized with an awkward smile. Kaze had a scornful glance at the three of them and then shook his head. “You three are not qualified to be my friends.” He was already under the spotlight yet he did not lower his voice at all. Everyone heard him and looked at Luis, Zenika, and Wesley, which embarrassed them. Luis took a deep breath to suppress his anger and then looked at his accomplices. He subtly extended his hand to Zenika’s waist and pushed her. “Ouch!” Zenika fell forward, leaning onto Kaze. “Zenika, what’s wrong?” Luis and Wesley went up to help
Blackjack rules were simple and many relied on luck, especially those low-tier players. For high-tier players, it was a game of technique and mind games. The surprising thing was that once Buffy sat down at the blackjack table, she became a titan and beat all the men. Half an hour later, all the men who thought they were professionals lost everything. They got embarrassed and angry but Buffy remained calm and composed, not flinching one bit.Judging from her relaxed demeanor, she must have held back from the beginning, or else the men would have lost even more. The scene discouraged the others like Luis who wanted to have a play at the table. Buffy was alluring and being at the table with her could fulfill most men’s vanity. Yet when she got too strong, no one wanted to jump into the rabbit hole anymore. It did not feel good losing to a woman at blackjack. Some bold men refused to submit and continued the challenge, but all of them lost terribly. Buffy displayed extr
Buffy frowned. She stopped everyone and said, “That’s enough. We are all friends here. “ She was afraid if the others angered Kaze and he left, then she would lose all chances to persuade him. Luis and the others were displeased at how protective Buffy was at Kaze but they did not say anything. “Kaze, how do you want to play?” she asked patiently. Kaze looked up and scanned everyone. He then looked at Buffy amusedly and said, “Since drinking is meaningless and gambling is against the law, why don’t we play something big? “If you lose, you are mine tonight. That’s my condition, or else I am not playing.” He got so fed up with the woman trying to pull him into her trap, so he came up with an excuse to scare her away. “Yours tonight?” Everyone was shocked that Kaze would voice such a bold condition. Zenika shouted, “Are you out of your mind, you jerk? Who do you think you are, flirting with Buffy like that? You are not qualified to speak to her like that. Who gave you th
Kaze raised his brows. If Buffy agreed to play under such a condition, then she must be looking to get more from him. “What is your condition?” Kaze went over to the Blackjack table and sat down. He was curious about what she wanted from him, so he did not mind sitting down for a game. Buffy looked at Kaze and scoffed, “You said if I lose, I am yours tonight. Then, my condition is, that if you lose, you are mine for a month. I want you to serve me. You do whatever I say and you cannot defy me!” A month should be enough for Kaze to cure her father. Kaze scrutinized Buffy and said, “Cannot defy you? Fine. Actually, not much of a loss for me in our bet.” Buffy clenched her teeth. The audacity to tease her again.She suppressed the urge to throw him into the river and said coldly, “Cut the nonsense. Are you playing or not? Give me an answer.” “You bumpkin! Get your mind out of the gutter. You are not worthy!” Wesley came over with a smirk and continued, “You think Bu
“Then let’s begin.” Without further ado, Buffy started to shuffle the cards. While shuffling, she saw Kaze looking at her hands, seemingly trying to mark down the cards. She smirked. He must have thought that he was the God of Gamblers. After Kaze cut the card, Buffy dealt two pairs of cards, one for him and the other for herself. Each person had two cards with one face-down.“Kaze, your card is an Ace and mine is a King. Hit?” Kaze leaned back and crossed his hands behind his head. He looked at Buffy in a teasing manner and said, “Don’t waste your time. Hit, and just show the card.” Buffy felt a slight discomfort. She felt like a toy on display when she saw Kaze’s eyes on her. Then, she tracked his gaze and noticed he was looking at her chest. She was wearing an evening gown and half her chest was revealed. The pervert had been looking at her breasts! She had not lost the game! Buffy blushed. She clenched her teeth and said coldly, “Fine. If you are so eager t
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