Caster gave Holfman and his team the biggest honor. “Master Otter!” Maxine and the others exclaimed, feeling embarrassed. “Shut up!” Caster cocked his head back and yelled angrily, “You are all useless! You embarrassed yourself and the family.“Thank goodness it was Dr. Wright here today. He’s a highly respectable man. “If it had been someone else, you all would have ruined the family name.” Caster smiled wryly at Holfman. “Sorry, you had to see that, Dr. Wright.” He humbled himself for a reason. Caster knew that if word got out about today, his family would lose credibility in the field. The Otters dabbled in medicine for generations, establishing themselves in Riverbank for years of reputation and skills. The support and patronage of the elites and respectable in Riverbank had been the cornerstone of the Otters’ long-standing reputation. Holfman was one of the three greatest doctors in the West State alongside Leo and Xavier. The Otters’ students made numerous
Caster pulled a long face. However, since Holfman sipped his drink without a word, Caster could not get involved in the conflict among the young generation.“Let’s have a match then, June.“If you lose, just apologize to us. We’re not asking for much since you’re Dr. Wright’s student,” Maxine and the others said curtly while gathering in the middle of the hall.Sebastian, who stole the show with total domination, said with a smile, “As you all know, June only became Dr. Wright’s student three years ago, but her talent for medicine is exceptional. “To be honest, if I’m in a match with her, I’ll perform no better than the rest of you.” Sebastian’s modesty led to silence in the room. Maxine and the others were shocked. Sebastian’s remark was not hurtful, but it was extremely insulting. The gap between the Otters’ team and Sebastian was plain to see. Yet now, Sebastian expressed his inferiority to June. His intention was clear. Sebastian was saying that they were unworth
Caster was helpless. It would be a family catastrophe.“No need to ask my teacher, Master Otter. I know who it is.” June said curtly, “The guy who slandered my teacher is Kaze Lee. I heard that he took his wife’s family name.“Are you telling me that the Otters can’t keep a moocher in check?” The crowd was shocked. The Otters turned toward the end of the hall. Kaze? He slandered Dr. Wright? “Y-You’re a bastard!” Caster pointed shakily at Kaze, nearly passing out. He did not think that Kaze was the cause of this. Kaze brought disaster to the family. No wonder Holfman’s student mentioned Kaze when contacting the family. Out of everyone, why Kaze? Caster should have known. Knowing Kaze, Caster was not surprised that he upset Holfman. “Don’t be mad, Master Otter.“Kaze started it. It has nothing to do with you.” Maxine and Max got up from the ground and helped Caster from falling. They turned and snapped angry looks at Kaze. “You’re a monster! Just admit to
Holfman frowned without a word. He would not mind a mindless comment from a passerby. However, Kaze was a different story. He said those words to Faith. Holfman knew that Kaze must have something to back himself up to say that to Faith. Kaze was not bluffing about his medical competence as the Otters thought he was. “I’m talking to you. Did this remark come from you?” Ignoring Maxine, June stared coldly at Kaze. Kaze gave it a thought. It was true that he said to Faith that only he could treat her. The three greatest doctors could not help Faith. Faith must have embellished the story a little to stir up trouble. “I did. What’s wrong with it?” Kaze nodded without any intention of explaining himself. It was not as if they could do anything to him anyway. “Bastard!” Caster slammed the table and pointed at the ground. “What makes you think you can slander Dr. Wright? You have the audacity. “Who do you think you are? “Get on your knees and apologize to Dr. Wr
Did Kaze say to Holfman that he would not get it? Once again, the room fell silent. Everybody looked at Kaze as if he had lost his mind. Kaze just challenged Holfman’s comprehension in the field he excelled in. It was ridiculous and funny coming from Kaze who knew nothing about medicine. Even Holfman grimaced and said grimly, “Don’t be cocky, young man. You should know that there will always be someone better out there.” “Don’t try all preachy with me. Even if there is someone better, that person won’t be you,” Kaze said nonchalantly.He paused and said, “Here’s a word of advice to you, Dr. Wright. Just give it up. “You can’t help Faith.“But without my help, she’s destined to remain unconscious forever. “You’re only risking your reputation, your life, and upsetting Faith further by insisting that you can help her.”Kaze was not trying to get on Holfman’s nerve, but Faith’s condition was a result of overtraining in ancient martial arts. She needed the expertise of a
June looked at Kaze defiantly. She believed there was more to Kaze since he knew what was wrong with Faith. Even Holfman wanted to get Kaze’s opinion. Nevertheless, June doubted that Kaze could win her in a game of poison. “No! It’s not happening.” The Otters made faces. Even Caster said curtly, “You caused this, Kaze. Don’t get my family involved. “Just get down on your knees and beg for mercy.” As if Kaze stood a chance against Holfman’s student. The family’s young generation lost to Sebastian. June had a higher attainment in medicine than Sebastian. The Otters were not at an advantage. Sure, June said that everybody in the Otter family could help Kaze in the match. However, there was no way Caster, a man pushing eighty, would compete with a young woman. Even if Caster was able to put his ego aside, he would risk being the laughingstock once the word got out. No one thought Kaze was qualified to have a match with June. They believed June proposed the match t
June’s expression was one of sheer defiance. Kaze said indifferently, “If you’re afraid of dying, we can add a condition where no one will risk their life. “Before we administer the poison, we should have the formula of the antidote ready. When one party loses, the other party should administer the antidote right away. “If the lethal dose ends up taking a life, that person has to go to jail.” Kaze chose to go through with it. Even Holfman was skeptical. Kaze could be a skilled doctor for all he knew. “Alright. Let’s go with it.” June said grimly, “You’re going to bow down to me, Lee.” She turned to Caster. “Please let us use your family’s laboratory.” The Otters, a family of medicine practitioners, had their own laboratory and supply of medicinal ingredients. The room was also available to the family’s young generations to study medicine. At this point, Caster could say nothing but nod. “Fine.” “Hang on.” Kaze said, “You only mentioned what you expect me to d
Still, June was not going to give Kaze an edge. She went straight to the medicine cabinets. Each tiny drawer was labeled with the ingredients, but June did not even have to look at these labels. She grabbed the ingredients without thinking twice. Though the arrangement of herbs may vary from one to another laboratory, there was a certain system in place. June was familiar with these herbs. Soon, she pulled out over a dozen ingredients and combined them in several different ways. It was all about efficiency in creating poisons. There was no time to prepare the cure in many unexpected circumstances. Hence, it was best to make do with whatever material that was available on hand. The process of formulating the poison was straightforward. The herbs were crushed and mixed in water. There was no brewing involved. The method was ideal for matches. The poison was potent enough to be effective but not as strong to cause death, making a good compromise between efficacy and saf
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