Raising a brow, June looked at Kaze in disbelief. “How did you get the answer by smell?” The crowd was surprised by June’s reaction. They thought Kaze was taking a stab in the dark, but he was right on the money. The Otters looked at Kaze as if they had seen a ghost. “He was just lucky!” Max and Maxine were not having it. Jealousy reared its ugly head. Kaze outshined them in the medical field, and it did a number on their egos. “How did I get it? Just smell it. “It’s no big deal,” Kaze said nonchalantly as if he was talking about the weather. June nearly choked on his words. Of course, she knew that it was by smell. Brushing June off, Kaze walked toward the medicine cabinets and took out several ingredients. He ground them together, added water, and created poison. The color of the concoction was brownish red like black tea. The potency of Kaze’s poison was yet to be determined, but at least it looked good. “Hm… It tastes good.” Kaze took a sip of his po
While grounding the mixture, June read out the ingredient names and their uses out loud. She was showing off to take Kaze down a peg. In a way, she was intimidating him too. However, she was in for a surprise when she cocked her head back. “What are you doing, Kaze? Do you really want to die?” June asked sternly. Kaze was not freaking out as she had anticipated. Instead of working on an antidote, he sat on the chair and trimmed his nails. In other words, Kaze was not taking the match seriously. June grimaced and said coldly, “I won’t stop you if you want to die, Lee. Don’t drag me into this and put me behind bars. “I’m telling you now. Every second you waste may be the reason you die today.“I decreased the potency in the poison, but the toxin is still a slow burn down to hell.” Darcy and the others panicked.“Don’t just sit there, Kaze. Find the cure!”“The longer you wait, the poison will catch up to you. You’re playing with your life.” Darcy and Rose urged Kaze,
“Arghhh!”Maxine could feel the excruciating pain in every inch of her skin, every piece of her bone, and her organs.June was right. “Maxine!” “Maxine!” The Otters were thrown for a loop. Adam, Max, and other family members rushed to her side in a fluster, but there was nothing they could do to help her. Caster drew close and forced the venom out with a silver needle, alleviating Maxine’s symptoms a little. However, he was not close to lifting the poison. Though Maxine stopped screaming, the toxin nearly took her life. She lay on the floor groaning, her complexion sallow. “I told you not to touch the poison. “Even a child would know not to put anything in their mouth.“See. That’s what you get from trying to prove me wrong.” Sitting on a chair, Kaze shook his head and sighed. He looked sympathetic, but really, he was laughing his head off inside. Maxine had been harsh and critical of him since he entered the Otters’ residence. Finally, she got what she deserved
“Thump!” June collapsed to the floor, her breathing labored. Even her hair turned white as if she aged in an instant. Aghast filled the room. Holfman jolted to his feet, approached June, and bent over to save the student he had so much hope for. “Dr. Wright, this is a fair match between me and your student. Surely, you won’t get involved,” Kaze said emotionlessly. Holfman paused and sighed before looking up at Kaze. “I’m throwing in the towel for my student.” “Woah!” The crowd broke out in an uproar. Holfman considered his student beneath Kaze. That was quite a bombshell to drop. Even Darcy’s family widened their eyes. “I don’t recognize him anymore,” Agnes mumbled in disbelief. Most of the people there shared the same sentiment. It was hard to link Kaze to the moocher. Ignoring everybody else, Kaze pushed June’s poison ahead and said to Holfman indifferently, “I want to hear it from her.” “Just admit defeat, June.” Holfman cocked his head back and urged J
The others could not believe their ears. They would think that Kaze had an accomplice if the words did not come from Holfman himself. Without another word, Holfman got up and grabbed the remaining poison that Kaze made for June. “No, Dr. Wright!” As Holfman brought the jar to his mouth, the crowd shouted to stop him. The Otters panicked. June’s horrific reaction to the poison was still vivid in everybody’s minds. The Otters would be held responsible if anything were to happen to Holfman. Disregarding the public’s concern, Holfman gulped down the poison. Soon, Holfman grimaced in pain. As fear gripped the crowd, Holfman approached Kaze and drank a little of June’s leftover poison. It did not take long for everybody to realize that Holfman’s complexion was restored to its pink. Holfman was as good as new. “W-What’s going on?” The crowd was in a daze. Holfman took Kaze’s poison, consumed June’s poison, and miraculously got better. Faced with disbelieving look
“I admit defeat!” Despite her reluctance, June bit the bullet and spat out the words that she never wanted to. There was no point in denying it. Even Holfman acknowledged her defeat. She would only be lying to herself to carry on with the match. Kaze pointed at June’s poison. “She can drink this to remove the toxin.” Holfman nodded and fed the last bit of poison to June. “Argh!” June felt the churning in her gut spreading up to her esophagus. After throwing up a large amount of black, foul-smelling liquid, June’s complexion improved right away. It did not take long for June to recover. She did not show any signs of poisoning. However, she was covered in a murky, sticky substance, leaving her smelling bad. For a young woman in her twenties, June could not stand her present hygiene. “I-I need the bathroom!” June covered her face and ran off. “Don’t forget that I own your ass.” Kaze’s teasing tone in the back made June want to find a hole to die in. Holfm
Holfman knew of Sam, seeing that the latter had quite the reputation. Despite their different fields of expertise, Sam and Holfman were renowned figures in medicine. Holfman knew who Sam was.“That’s right. It’s Professor Whiteman.” Kaze pointed at Hector. “Professor Whiteman was the surgeon for my father-in-law’s leg surgery.” Holfman glanced at Hector’s leg and got the message. “You are close with Professor Whiteman.” The answer came to Holfman. Still, Holfman was a little puzzled. He had no idea that Sam was proficient in toxins too. On second thought, Sam could have sought help from a poison expert to teach Kaze. It was impolite to pry into Kaze’s privacy more than he already did. Kaze nodded without a smile. He brought Sam up because no one would believe what he had gone through. Plus, Kaze did not want to give the Otters a reason to ride on his coattails. Caster’s change of attitude did not slip Kaze’s eyes. Kaze could read Caster’s mind. Sam would no
In Holfman’s eyes, the Otters were not as important as Kaze. The Otters were resentful and envious. Even Caster was jealous. Just moments ago, Caster was grateful to Holfman. Now, the gratitude turned into resentment. “Thank you, Dr. Wright.” Kaze put away the pills and said, “Still, I need to tell you that you have no means to treat Faith.” Holfman let out a wry smile before nodding solemnly. “Thank you for the heads-up, Kaze, but I need to try. A doctor’s duty is to treat patients. I should at least give it a go and leave no regrets.” “That’s your choice.” Kaze remained indifferent. Once Holfman was gone, Kaze and Darcy’s family were asked to stay for the family banquet. Darcy’s family were seated at the back at first. The Otters’ plan was to show Darcy’s family who was boss. No one expected Kaze to humiliate them instead. Darcy’s family did not mind the seating arrangement anyway. They were about to take a seat when Caster approached with a straight face. H
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