The hooked-nose man suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and pain. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he instinctively covered his nose with his hand.Just as he threw the ashtray, Kaze lunged toward the driver’s seat and grabbed the woman’s wrist, where she held her gun.With a swift twist, she heard a loud crack as he broke her wrist.“Argh! I’m going to kill you…”The woman screamed in a frenzy. Amid her frantic cries, Kaze, already unbuckled from his seatbelt, leaned back and kicked her out of the car.Moments later, he tossed the incapacitated man and woman into the back seat.“Ted hired you guys to deal with me, right? Where is he?”Kaze toyed with a gun in his hand while he dismantled another into a pile of parts inside the vehicle.“Spit!”The woman spat out a mouthful of blood, refusing to respond.The hooked-nose man, his eyes bloodshot, gritted his teeth and said, “Kill us if you have the guts! Otherwise, don’t even dream of getting any information from us!”Ka
A minute later, Kaze stepped out of the car. He carefully wiped a small splash of blood from his hand with a tissue. He then looked toward the brightly lit villa ahead.According to Hannah’s intel, Sasha, Nadia, and Ted were all inside.This was why he had not fired any shots earlier.He needed to avoid alerting anyone in the villa.Without a second thought, Kaze walked straight toward the entrance.Inside the villa, the spacious living room glowed under dim lights, casting an eerie atmosphere.A tall, handsome young man sat with one leg crossed on the couch with a lit cigar in hand.This was Ted from the Lee family.Ted was the son of the Lees’ third master, Garrett. Their family had spent years abroad and only returned to Arcadia a year ago.Hence, Kaze did not know Ted.However, much like his cousins, Narian and Cosmo, Ted was a classic playboy through and through.Growing up abroad made him even wilder than his cousins in his antics.He now eyed the unconscious girl lyi
“Mr. Lee, you don’t have to apologize. After all, you’re her boyfriend. I shouldn’t have talked to you…”Like a startled deer, Sasha flinched slightly and shifted away.Seeing her so visibly afraid made Ted feel a bit displeased. Feigning irritation, he said, “We’re in a relationship. That’s all. What's wrong with me talking to you?“She’s way too possessive. That’s something bad about her.“I’ve already told her off. Sasha, please don’t let it bother you.”To Ted, his so-called girlfriend, Nadia, was just a passing amusement.To him, women were like clothes. He could easily have another one whenever he felt like it.He had never taken Nadia seriously.“Don’t be afraid, Sasha. I've already dealt with those kidnappers. You can stay here for now. I’ll send you back to the hospital later…” As he spoke, he edged closer to her on the couch. He reached out his hand, aiming to caress her smooth, porcelain cheek.There was an innocent purity about Sasha that stirred a desire he coul
“The second option, I hear that the brat who dared lay his hand on my girlfriend is some kind of ‘big brother’ to you?“Once he’s here, tell him to kneel before me and apologize.”Of course, Ted had no idea that Kaze was the very same outcast from his own family. He had not even bothered to look up his identity.Just hearing his name from Nadia was enough to set him off. He sent Steelclaw Guild after him right away.As a member of the powerful Lee family, he ruled over Riverbank City without caring about anyone’s background.“Kaze’s coming?!”Sasha’s eyes widened in shock and alarm.“I already called in some favors with the police to bring him in.” Ted smirked. “Though Nadia’s a gold digger, a drama queen, and a complete pain, she’s still my girlfriend. Well, at least until I say otherwise.“Anyone who touches my woman disrespects me and deserves to pay the price. “She told me he nearly smashed her face in. Well, breaking a few of his limbs would be a light punishment. Ki
“You little wretch, who do you think you are?!”Ted stopped, gasping for breath as he glared at Sasha with bloodshot eyes. “I'll give you one last chance!"Serve me well tonight, and I might forgive your rudeness. Otherwise, I'll lock you in this villa. You'll never get to see the outside again. Who's going to come looking for a nobody like you anyway?“And as for that so-called ‘brother’ of yours, I’ll break his limbs right in front of you.“Now, get into that room and strip!”As he spoke, he retrieved a box of blue pills, popped one into his mouth, and swallowed. It would take a moment for the pills to kick in. Hence, he prepared himself in advance.“No… Please don’t do this, Mr. Lee…”Although she did not know exactly what he had just taken, dread filled her as the implications settled in.“Hmph, I tried to be nice before, but you didn’t appreciate it.“Now it’s too late!”Dropping his pretense entirely, he motioned to his guard. “Go find out why Steelclaw Guild hasn’t b
“Well, interpret it however you like.”Kaze would not give anyone leverage. He smiled knowingly and continued, “However, if someone kidnapped Sasha and she ended up at your place, can I take that to mean you sent the kidnappers? Are you the mastermind behind the kidnapping?“In that case, wouldn’t it be quite reasonable for me to kill you right now?” As he spoke, Kaze took a step forward.Ted’s face shifted dramatically. He quickly retreated. “What are you trying to do?! Do you know who I am?!”Just then, the sound of a car engine roared from outside.“This is my boyfriend's villa. We occasionally come here to stay. Come on! I heard he’s captured that bastard, Kaze. This time, we’ll smash that bastard’s face to pieces!” Soon, Nadia and her friends burst into the living room, full of energy.However, as they entered, they saw Ted's bodyguard sprawled on the floor, covered in glass shards and unconscious. Upon seeing that, they stopped in their tracks.“W-What’s going on?!”
“Bet you never heard of the prestigious Lees. They are worth tens of billions, and that’s just the threshold into higher society, hick!”“The Lees basically own the South River State.” “You won’t know what hit you for disrespecting Mr. Lee!” Nadia’s influencer friends stare at Kaze cockily. The fact that Kaze whipped Keiko and crushed Miya was fresh in their memories. They may just be small-time influencers, but they were well-versed in the art of social navigation. The influencers were just going to swallow their pride and forget that the whole thing ever happened. However, Nadia pulled out her ace, Ted. With Ted in their corner, the influencers could hold their heads up high. They no longer had to fear Kaze. Smug, Nadia yelled sternly, “Bastard! Get down on your knees now! “Apologize to us. If you play your cards right, we might feel happy to talk to Ted about sparing your life.” Paying no heed to Nadia, Kaze looked at Ted and said callously, “You had Sasha tie
“Alright! Get her bruised and battered before stripping her down for branding.” Nadia chuckled and raised her hand to hit Sasha in the face. “Smack!” Before Nadia’s hand could reach Sasha’s face, Kaze came forward and grabbed Nadia by the wrist. Despite giving everything she got, Nadia could not move her arm away from Kaze. She was outraged. “What are you doing, bastard? I can’t believe you would touch me in front of my boyfriend. You’re asking for it!”“Smack!” Without wasting his breath, Kaze released Nadia’s wrist and whipped her face. “Argh!” As Nadia cried out in pain, she was flung back and crashed onto the marble coffee table. She whimpered agonizingly. “How dare you, bastard!” Nadia’s friends were horrified and furious. They did not think Kaze would attack Nadia ruthlessly in front of Ted. Kaze looked back and stared the influencers down. “I guess you vile women haven’t learned anything.”Kaze strode forward and grabbed a woman by the hair, pulling her
“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