Since the incident with Buffy’s mother, Jude chose to hold his silence and marry Faith. Casius promised Buffy the world. Yet, he did not even mention her mother once. From Buffy’s perspective, Kaze chose her over any perks and understood her. Buffy took a moment to cry before wiping away her tears. She pulled Kaze back and murmured, “You don’t want to get involved in my mother’s affairs, Kaze.” She was clear on the complexity that involved her mother. Even Jude chose to keep his mouth shut when he found out about it. In other words, there was a lot more to it, and Jude did not want to be caught in the implications. Besides, Faith was definitely linked to the incident with Buffy’s mother. Faith was backed by the Krads, a powerful family in the West State. The family was also close to Westeros Fowlers. Buffy did not want Kaze to be pulled into the mess because of her. He would become the target of powerful figures. Jude was overcome with a wave of emotions as Buffy g
Buffy and Serene looked over curiously. A jet-black blade was thrust into the tabletop, its hilt the only part visible above the surface. A tiny serpent coiled around the hilt, its eyes burning with a sinister glow. Both women were stunned. The blade was no stranger to the members of the Viper’s Den. It was the scared Nether Viper Sword. The real sword had always been in the Viper Queen’s possession. However, the members of the organization knew that every branch leader and a handful of elites would be bestowed a replica. The Nether Viper Sword was a status symbol within the organization. The holder of the sword represented the authority of the Viper’s Den branch leader. Jude, Serene, and Buffy knew that the sword was a real replica. No one in Arcadia would force the Nether Viper Sword. Besides, they got eerie vibes from the sword. It was no secret that since Magnus’ death, the position of the Viper’s Den West State Branch leader had been left vacant. The seni
Jude even thought about taking the Nether Viper Sword for himself. Considering Kaze’s fighting prowess, Jude probably would fail even with the help of Serene and the other members hidden around the room. Word about the Nether Viper Sword would get out if Jude pushed Kaze too far. At that point, the powerful figures within the West State Branch would fight Jude over the sword. Jude was just a deputy chief. He doubted he could keep the sword for himself. A million thoughts raced through Jude’s mind. Moments later, he raised his drink at Kaze. “Here’s a toast to you, Kaze.” “What are you up to now?” Kaze grinned indifferently and took a sip of his drink. Jude let out a dry chuckle and said grimly, “Don’t be so hostile, Kaze. I was just having a moment. “You haven’t known my daughter for long, and you even got off the wrong foot. “Yet, here you are, giving up the Nether Viper Sword, a symbol of power in the West State for her. I am touched. “I have made up my mind.
Kaze was not lying. Jude was naïve to think that the Nether Viper Sword would make him the branch chief or branch leader right away. The sword alone could do nothing. Without the right competence, possession of the sword would only bring more harm than good. The holder of the sword would risk theft and even their life. Things would not go Jude’s way if he tried to use the sword to demand subservience from Hannah and Collier or to make a deal with a senior member of the West State Branch. This was why Kaze had no qualms about selling the sword off. Kaze had the power to get it back anyway. “Thank you, Kaze.” Wiping away her tears, Buffy said with a smile, “I find it hard to accept what my dad has done, but I’m happy to have a thoughtful friend like you.“I’m not your woman. Heck, I’ve only known you for a few days. Still, you gave up the sword for me. That’s something I won’t forget. “I will do everything I can to seek justice for my mother. “You’ve done enough fo
Jude began plotting ways to maximize his gain through the Nether Viper Sword the moment he walked out of Scarlet Creek. “Kaze sold it to you?” Faith was dumbfounded, her face somber as she asked, “How much was it?” The way she saw it, it was only right for Kaze to present the sword to make up for slapping Jude, causing a scene at the Gwakes’ residence, hurting Faith, and upsetting Casius by hitting on Buffy. Yet, Jude paid good money to acquire the sword. It was absurd. “Two billion dollars.” Jude tugged at his beard, his heart aching for the money. “What? Two billion dollars?” Faith slammed her glass onto the drink hold and said frustratedly, “Have you lost your mind, Jude? It’s bad enough that Lee demanded a fortune, but I can’t believe you’d go through with it too.“He should have presented the sword to you, no questions asked.“We’re talking about two billion dollars, not twenty thousand dollars.” Faith was in great pain of losing two billion dollars. It was a
“Hannah and Collier released the news ahead of us through Golden Scale Corporation, Mr. Gwake.” Serene said with a sour face, “They claimed the Viper Queen sent a branch leader to reach them, saying that the Nether Viper Sword was lost in Riverbank. “They are offering a billion-dollar reward on behalf of the South River State Branch. Anyone can collect their reward at Golden Scale Corporation when the sword is located. “Anyone, including members of the organization, found stashing the sword away will face annihilation.” Silence befell inside the car. “Bam!” Jude crushed the glass in his hand, the shards cut into his skin and drew blood. His face was ashen. “Bastard! “Jerk!” Faith and Serene soon snapped out of their trance. Hannah beat them to the news release. Either way, the Nether Viper Sword was no use to Jude anymore. That was not the only thing. The Nether Viper Sword was more of a nuisance than a treasure. By not turning in the sword, Jude would be su
Color drained from Faith’s face, and she said menacingly, “Justice? Dream on! “They don’t deserve my time even for 20 billion dollars.” She was not saying that out of spite. Faith was a proud woman, and she would rather die than admit her mistake. “That was why I chose to pay.” Jude scoffed. “Do you think I don’t want to kill Lee?“You see what’s going on. Hannah and Collier are out to get me, and they are pushing hard.“I don't know how they manage to get in the new branch leader’s good graces. “It’s not uncertain whether the branch leader is real or not. “Either way, now isn’t the time to take anything lightly. “If I panic and get sidetracked with dealing with Kaze, I won’t just potentially lose my life. You will lose a life of luxuries. “I’ll be in power once I become the branch leader. Kaze won’t be a threat then. “Get that through your head now.” As Faith was not willing to let things go, Jude had to talk some sense into her. He needed to hold Faith stead
Faith lost control of her continence. Losing her last shred of dignity, Faith wailed miserably. “Turn around and get to Eddington Hospital now. Make sure Holfman shows up too. “Make it quick! I’ll hold you accountable if anything happens to Faith,” Jude yelled menacingly even though his hands were soiled. Without hesitating a minute more, the driver turned the car around in a fluster. The Rolls Royce zipped away. Jude did not even open the car windows because Faith could not shake off the cold. He turned the heat on to the highest temperature. Putting up with the stench, Serene took out her phone to call Holfman. Before the call connected, Serene shuddered at a sudden thought. She had been with Jude the whole thing, so she doubted the sudden onset of Faith’s illness was a coincidence. Serene was sure that Kaze had done something. It was just her gut feeling, though. She had no evidence to back it up. … Kaze and Buffy walked out of Scarlet Creek. Jude’s fleet o
“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