“Tell you what…” Gillian took large strides ahead and flipped over a long table. The wine bottles on the table slammed onto the floor and broke into pieces. The stench of alcohol filled the air. The glass shards on the ground were a terrifying sight. Gillian narrowed his eyes at Kaze and said with a fake smile, “Get down on your knees and crawl across these shards to me. I’ll call it a day when you bow to me. “I can forget you ever claimed to tear down Bronze Sparrow.“How about it?” Gasps echoed across the room. Kaze was expected to crawl across the floor of broken glass. The thought sent shivers down everybody’s spines. Without looking at the shards, Kaze shook his head and replied, “Not for me.” “So you won’t do it?” Gillian scowled and said menacingly, “Help the guy out and make him crawl here, boys.” “Yes, sir!” The dozen trained fighters behind Gillian pounced on Kaze. The light had been dimmed to find the diamond just now, so no one could get a goo
“Ugh!”The short man grunted in agony. He held his chest and looked down in panic. The broken blade penetrated his skin, leaving barely half an inch sticking out.The jagged weapon nearly tore through his flesh completely. “Wham!”Kaze drew close and kicked the short man away. “A fugitive on the most-wanted list and a Ryokanian. Bronze Sparrow sure operates in the shadows.” The short man slammed onto the ground and whimpered. He spoke in his language before lying stiff on the floor, his hand over his chest. His eyes stuck to Kaze wickedly. Kaze did not even look at him. He was confident in his attack. The blade should hit close to the heart arteries. The attack would not kill the Ryokanian, but a tiny bump while on the road in an ambulance could end his life. The short man was aware of that fact. The only thing he could do was lie still and wait for the paramedics. Though the short man refused to admit defeat, there was nothing he could do about the situation.
Gillian looked up in a struggle, his eyes fixating on Kaze and his menacing scar grimacing. His dozen trained fighters and the Ryokanian were a powerful force in the Riverbank underworld. Barely anyone stood a chance as competition.Yet, his ace team fell apart quickly in the face of Kaze. Kaze carried dominance that ended Gillian’s will to call for backup. With that in mind, Gillian said with a rugged breath, “I admit defeat.” Kaze retracted his foot and said callously, “You should know what to do.” Gritting his teeth, Gillian staggered to his feet and summoned his henchmen. “Trash the place now!” “Scarface, the owner…” A subordinate was hesitant. “Wham!” Gillian sent the subordinate flying with a kick and narrowed his eyes at the remaining men. “Trash the place now!” “Thud! Wham! Bang!” Gillian led his crew to destroy the five-story venue in three minutes right before everybody’s eyes. He picked up a dropped knife from the floor and cut each of Eunice, Luis,
Kaze was a bastard. He talked about rights as if Buffy was some tool. Buffy saw red. However, she calmed herself down and grinned while tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. “Yes. I was going to remind you. I always keep to my promises.“How about it? Why don’t I get us a room, and we can talk?” Kaze was taken aback. Buffy was supposed to blow up. Instead, she suggested taking their conversation somewhere private. There was nothing much to talk about when a man and a woman were alone in a room. Kaze took a good look at Buffy until her cheeks turned rosy. She snapped. “What are you looking at? Are you in or not?” She had never been so bold to put herself out to the opposite gender. Buffy was not as composed as she let out to be. She did not intend to take things further with Kaze, though. Buffy needed him around to talk about her father’s treatment. Kaze shook his head. “Forget about it.” “Forget about it?” Buffy was surprised by Kaze’s rejection. She asked, “W
Rose looked up at Kaze pitifully, her concern for him showing. She had encountered trouble with Kaze before, but nothing of this magnitude. Smashing heads with beer bottles was bad enough. However, Rose was scared stiff by the finger cutting and the Ryokanian’s near-fatal encounter. Instead of celebrating Kaze’s fighting prowess, Rose was worried about his safety. Those people Kaze was up against tonight came from powerful families. Kaze tapped his finger on Rose’s head. “Don’t say that.” “I’m just concerned about you.” Rose pouted her lips. Kaze grinned. “Don’t worry. I will avoid trouble from now on, but sometimes, I have no choice but to fight back when people are out to get me.”Rose realized that Kaze had a point. Luis and his friends pushed the envelope tonight, leading to Kaze’s retaliation. It was quite a mental strain for Rose after such a dramatic night. She quickly dozed off against Kaze. Kaze pulled a throw over her and told Conan, who was behind
As a long-standing family, the Queens had extensive connections to find the people Kaze needed. If Conan failed to meet his demands for security, Kaze could also access his resources. His people would be overqualified for the job in Riverbank City, though. Conan gave his word. “I knew a few people, Kaze. They are experts in protection, but they don’t come cheap.” Kaze replied indifferently, “Money is no object so long as their competence lives up to the rates.” It was a quiet night. Kaze slept in the next day. By then, Conan had brought him breakfast. After breakfast with Rose, Kaze got a message from Hannah, saying that Cyan had gone to Golden Scale Corporation to sign the contract. Thanks to Kaze, Golden Scale Corporation offered Cyan the best contract. Streamers signed to Golden Scale Corporation typically earned 20% of their profits.However, the profits were split in half between Cyan and Golden Scale Corporation. After the deduction of the operating cost, Cy
“You don’t need a job?” Lock said angrily, “What’s the meaning of this, Kaze?“I just told you to get up where you fell. Were you listening at all?“What are you going to do if you don’t buckle down and work hard?“Are you going to go through life with no achievements? Are you going to numb yourself in vanity with all the meaningless bragging? “Have you any idea the trouble Cyan had gone through to get you a job? “Don’t let Cyan down, Kaze. I don’t want to be disappointed in you.”Lock was distressed. He was disappointed in Kaze for lying about owning Villa No. 1 in Wyomspring just to impress others. “I may have come off harsh yesterday, Kaze, but it’s all for your own good.” “I have always had high hopes for you. I can’t let you continue on the wrong path. “I wouldn’t bother if you were anyone else.” Kaze’s hands were tied. Since Kaze owned Golden Scale Corporation, there was no need for him to take up an insignificant position in the same company. However, he
After hanging up, Kaze got a notification of a wired transfer. Lock gave him 10 thousand dollars to purchase a fitting suit when he was on his way to Golden Scale Corporation. Kaze had to accept Lock’s kindness. Lock would call and give him another earful if Kaze refused. Kaze had no intention of buying or wearing a formal suit. The owner did not need to dress up like the other employees at his place of business. Leaving Rose to roam around the house, Kaze drove the Phaeton from Kent and arrived at the city’s commercial street. Golden Scale Corporation’s office building had quite a visual impact, especially when the public looked up to its sheer size.The building was filled with well-dressed individuals, all looking like they were important businesspeople.Kaze found a spot to park the car before taking strides into the building. He quickly spotted Cyan standing in the crowd. Cyan wore a simple blouse and shorts, showing the skin of her long neck and long legs. A pai
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
Snow could not believe her eyes. Katie suddenly went quiet and behaved like the CEO she was.However, Katie did not look like she was right in the mind earlier. “What’s going on? She seems to have gone insane.” Snow turned to the warden, still digesting the change. Katie had lost touch with reality before the Viper’s Den did anything to her. “How did this happen? She has been taking her meals. Just days earlier, she nagged about getting out because she was worried about her daughter. As usual, we didn’t respond to her requests.” The warden found the whole thing peculiar too. Just a few days ago, Katie demanded her release. Now, she kept to herself and abided by the rules. Out of the blue, Katie went nuts. Things had gotten complicated. Snow wanted to keep Katie behind bars due to her betrayal. However, Kaze decided against pursuing the matter for Leah’s sake. Katie would be let go soon enough, but she would lose her job at the Northborn Group. Katie’s presence woul
It was quiet in the office. Snow sorted the last bit of paperwork before picking her head up in exhaustion. Her initial plan was to delegate the tasks. However, Katie was controlling. Previously, she personally oversaw many matters. Snow could not distribute the responsibilities because the employees had no experience in handling them. They came to Snow for every tiny, little thing, and Snow really got her hands full. Despite her frustration, Snow could let things go as Katie was locked up. “I should pay her visit.” Snow decided to see Katie. Some things should not be left unsaid. Leah would be working for the Northborn Group soon, and the mother and daughter should meet to tie up loose ends. The truth would put Leah to shame, and her guilt would stop her from ever betraying Kaze. After a quick bite, Snow drove to the prison. Katie was furious when she was imprisoned. She was one step away from victory. She was so close to leaving Butterworth to head to Westeros
“Why do you want to sell the properties? Do you need money? Don’t you have some saved?” Joey had a good understanding of Leah’s finances since she ran all the paperwork. “My mother is being held, and I need money to ask favors. Maybe I can get her out.” Leah was not thinking much. Money could always be replaced, but not her mother’s freedom. “Don’t be silly. This is not the way to go.” Though Joey did not have the details, she observed that things were not as simple as Leah thought. Kaze was safe now, but the fact that Katie had betrayed Kaze and revealed his whereabouts remained unchanged. Katie had broken the Viper’s Den’s rules. Even if she got out, she would be a wreck. With Snow running the Northborn Group, Katie would remain a failure. Either way, Katie would not get away with it. Even if Leah offered all her assets, Katie’s situation would not change. It was a waste of money and resources for Leah to save her mother. Nothing would come out of it. “But I
“Give me an answer. Are you taking the job? If you are, you should sort out your affairs. Don’t bring your personal feelings to work.” Snow was not the type to go easy on fragile women. If Leah did not have what it took, she could be forced to leave the company. Nevertheless, Katie had left a lot of assets to Leah. Even without work, Leah could very well survive. The girl would have trouble keeping the wealth, seeing that she was without power or connections. If Leah had a job, she would have the resources to hold onto her assets. Leah had seen the best and worst of mankind. She was once the center of attention, and now, everybody avoided her. It dawned on Leah that it was over for Katie. If Leah could not even keep a job, she would lose everything. “I didn’t know things would happen.” Leah never thought that Katie was capable of stabbing Kaze and her in the back. The thought of betrayal put Leah in distress. Kaze was a great guy who helped Leah a lot. Feeling ete
Leah got dressed and was ready to leave, but she did not know who to turn to. She thought about going to her wealthy friends to see if they could uncover anything through their connections. However, Leah could not get a hold of them. It dawned on Leah that loyalty would fade when power was gone. Even though Katie was just missing, intel spread around Butterworth very quickly. These people must have found out and have chosen to stay away. Leah had always been treated like royalty. Nobody had ever avoided her like the plague. Nevertheless, she had not been in touch with these friends since her injury. Now, in her attempt to contact them, she could not reach them. “Why is this happening? My good friends have gone MIA, and I’m getting silence from those who have been trying to connect.” Sitting on the couch, Leah looked out the window in despair. She tried to seek help with her mother’s search, but her efforts were futile. She could do nothing for her mother. All al
“I have to work hard starting today. But before that, I have to get some sleep.” Snow remembered that Kaze punished her to get some sleep. He said her face looked tired and pale, signs of how hard she had been working. It felt great being cared for. It was because of his kindness, Snow fell for Kaze uncontrollably. Yet she understood not all things were meant to be. After she returned home, she went to sleep immediately without talking to anyone. She only woke up in the afternoon after a comfortable and easy sleep. Next, she would have to work on many things, first being taking over Northborn Group. Katie’s disappearance had the company shaken, but it gave many others a chance. They tried to calm their subordinates down and contact the higher-ups for more information, hoping that they could replace Katie as the new CEO. Little did they know, their preparations would eventually fall short. Snow and her secretary arrived at Northborn Group in the afternoon, and her a