“What’s the matter? Is there anything else you want to say, ex-Branch Chief Alfonso Longwind?” Kaze asked frivolously as he paused. The nonchalance in Kaze’s tone made Alfonso angry. With gritted teeth, he said, “You bastard! Believe me if I say I will call Dayton back right away. Without him protecting you, you won’t last till morning!” Even now, Alfonso still strongly believed that Kaze was bluffing and bragging, and as long as he used Dayton’s protection against him, Kaze would be forced to comply. “Hmph. Whatever.” Kaze scoffed and then walked out with Buffy. “You little bastard!” Alfonso shouted, his eyes burning with anger and murderous intent. His figure moved swiftly, appearing behind Kaze in a flash. “Flush!” He swung his hand at Kaze, causing his sleeves to flutter sharply with the motion, creating a loud, slicing sound through the air. Since Faith needed Kaze’s treatment to stay alive, Alfonso could not kill him but he was ready to teach Kaze a lesson that
“But I am sure that’s definitely stronger than Hannah Delmore. Hannah is considered one of the prodigies within the West State Viper’s Den. “Back when she visited Butterworth for official business, I had a spar with her before and it ended up as a draw, but I believe she was holding back. “That means, Kaze is a monster who is stronger than Hannah. It seems like I have underestimated the younger generations…” Alfonso sighed in disappointment. He was the one who learned a lesson from Kaze and it woke him up from his old-fashioned fantasy. “Gasp!” Jude, Serene, and the other agents gasped in shock at his words. There were only a handful of people in the country that Alfonso regarded so highly. If word got out, then Kaze’s name would be well-known across the entire Riverbank. Alfonso pulled his phone out. “I should call Dayton and tell him not to mess with Kaze.” Little did he knew, Dayton was already defeated by Kaze and became his humble follower. …After leaving t
Kaze looked at Dayton with a strange look and then nodded. “You’re right. The South River Branch is split into two factions now. One is led by Jude and the other one is the alliance between Hannah and Collier. “Hannah is extremely capable and Collier has the support and resources of the Ettingers. Probably the dream team. “Jude’s tactics and schemes to become the branch chief might not be enough. In the end, absolute power is necessary. “In addition, the promised date is around the corner, so Jude will certainly be more prepared than ever, calling more powerful people to his support.” Kaze sounded calm and relaxed as if he was chatting with a friend. It was also the reason why he was in no rush to deal with Jude or settle the score in the South River Branch. Now that the South River Branch was divided into two factions, it would act as bait to lure out the players from the dark. It would be a great clue for him to follow if he wanted to cleanse the entire West State Viper’s
Being a witness to the scene, Buffy looked at Kaze with a brazen sense of admiration. When she recalled the little argument back at the restaurant, she quickly spoke up and tried to dissuade Kaze. “Kaze, my father is cold-blooded. He can sacrifice me without a second thought for his own personal gain. You don’t need to do this for me, sacrificing your own benefits or whatnot, just do what you want. “If you feel the offer he made you is acceptable, just take it. Don’t feel pressured. Besides, he’s right. Even if you disregarded him, Faith still has the Krads as her support. “Kaze, I know you are kind to me and I appreciate it. You really don’t need to offend a big family because of me. “You have enough enemies already, like Casius, the Lees, and so on. All of them are fierce players and they have connections with many other powerful forces. “If it’s too rigid, it breaks easily, and I believe you know the meaning of it. Please, don’t make any more enemies because of me, or el
Buffy sighed. She knew Kaze was right. Even if Jude was ready to let go, Faith’s birth family, the Krads, would not allow it either. Unless Jude had the resolve to break away from the Krads but it was impossible. No matter how many connections Jude had, the strongest and the only reliable support was the Krads. Like Kaze said, desperate times require desperate measures. Whether Jude and Faith wanted it or not, they would eventually bow before Kaze and accept his terms. “Kaze, if my father holds his promise, will you really cure Faith?” Buffy asked out of curiosity. Kaze smiled. “Of course. I am not like your father. If I said I will do it, I intend to deliver, since curing Faith doesn’t cost me anything. If she comes after me, I’ll just swat her like a fly.” He sounded casual and calm as if it was a casual chat. Buffy was curious. She never understood how Kaze got the confidence to do everything as if there was no obstacle big enough in his life to stop him. “It’s mid
Darcy sounded calm but Kaze felt troubled. It was obvious that she was jealous. Kaze awkwardly chuckled and said, “Darcy, why would I stay outside while you are at home? Besides, Buffy has Dayton and his friends at her place.” As he spoke, he walked over to hug Darcy by the waist. Hearing him, Darcy’s jealous expression softened but she still tapped his hands away and said coldly, “Go take a shower.” Kaze breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went to the bathroom. After his shower, he received a phone call from Draco. He answered it and asked, “What is it?” “Boss, the Battle Dragon Troops’ battalion, the Flying Dragon, just came back from the battlefield and was ordered to join the South River Strategic Department. “But you know how those fellas behave, arrogant and feisty. Other than the boys from the God of War Palace, they looked down on everyone. “They got into a little argument with Aaron Krad, the new guy in the South River Strategic Department. “I thought o
Kaze saw it as a mere errand, so he nodded and said, “I’ll drop by tomorrow.” “Haha, with Boss showing up, this is in the bag already. I’ll tell Ryken that you will be going there.” After the call, Kaze headed to the bedroom and tried to go in but the door was locked from the inside. “Why don’t you sleep in the other room? I have to work late and I don’t want to keep you up.” Darcy’s voice came from inside. It seemed like she was still jealous of Buffy. Kaze chuckled helplessly and then headed to the guest room. On the second morning, after his morning jog, Kaze came back to the villa and saw people delivering boxes to his door. “What are these? Who sent them?” Agnes asked. Her eyes lit up when she saw the boxes. She always had the bad habit of taking advantage of things whenever she could. The person from management said politely, “I’m sorry, we don’t know. A car came by earlier and left the boxes with us. The driver said they are tobacco and wine, specially prepared
“Tsk. Tobacco and wine? Kaze, what friends do you have? Why are they giving you these?” Agnes looked disappointed and upset. She rolled her eyes at Kaze and said, “Be mindful of what friends you made. Can’t they give you something better? “Look at the boxes! It’s like they picked it up from the streets. Putting them in front of our house makes us look bad. Just throw them away.” “This is my house. I can put whatever I want in it.” Kaze took one of the boxes, opened it up, and gave the person in charge and his team a few cigarettes. “Thank you, guys. Here. Can you help me move the boxes inside?” The person in charge and his team nodded and smiled and then moved the boxes of tobacco and wine inside. Kaze’s offhand response left Agnes annoyed but recalling the sharp sting of his slap, she chose to be quiet. She grunted coldly and then went back into the house, bumping into Darcy who was coming downstairs. She said, “Darcy, your Uncle Alex called earlier and told me the O
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