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
“You’re going to give your brandless cigarettes and wine to my mother? Hmph! It certainly is an idea only you can come up with.” Agnes waved at Kaze in disgust. “Go, go to the side and don’t disturb us.” Darcy disagreed with the suggestion. After a quick thought, she said, “I think we should just go with some jade or something elegant for Grandmother. It’s more acceptable.” “Sounds fine to me. It’s settled then.” Agnes agreed with Darcy’s suggestion. Almost 11:00 AM. After choosing the present, Darcy and her family went off, together with Rose, who had been freeloading at their house since yesterday. Kaze glanced at the jade bracelet that Darcy picked and it was not particularly impressive. He quickly packed two boxes of cigarettes and two bottles of wine into a black plastic bag and then stored it in the trunk of the car as a backup gift option, just in case. If Madam Otter was displeased with the gift Darcy picked, he might be able to give the special cigarettes and w
Many guests went up to Darcy to make acquaintances, especially the younger ones. They were not just attracted by Darcy’s status but also her beauty. If they could win her affection, then it would be a harvest of beauty and wealth. No man could resist the temptation. Darcy knew exactly what the people were thinking. Just as she was surrounded by people, as annoying as flies, she dragged Kaze over and said, “Let me introduce you, this is my husband, Kaze Lee.” Kaze looked at the “flies” who looked at him in shock and smiled. “I’m Kaze Lee. Nice to meet you.” “Oh? Ms. Quint is married…” The young men glanced between Kaze and Darcy, unsure of how to react. As the atmosphere grew awkward, they could only chuckle uncomfortably. Adam knew Darcy was using Kaze as a shield and it displeased him. He said, “Darcy, Kaze does not share a common language with them. “They know you are a businesswoman and want to talk business with you. Their fathers are our family’s close friends and
“I just got it!” The man was Maxine’s new boyfriend, Patrick Weather. The smile on his face was bright. “I have been working for my cousin, Casius, and I have been performing well, so he rewarded me with this Cullinan. “I literally just got it just now and I wanted to surprise you.” Knowing that the young man was Casius’ cousin, Kaze raised his brows and spared an extra glance at him. Everyone at the scene knew who Casius was, so their eyes on Patrick showed respect. Casius Weather, one of the Riverbank Seven. His status and power could easily pressure everyone at the scene, combined. “You’re always full of surprises! It’s just a Cullinan, you don’t have to keep it from me!” Maxine playfully punched Patrick in the arm but her eyes widened with affection. Her boyfriend’s arrival made her proud and happy. She even felt proud in front of Darcy, who had been overshadowing her. “Uncle Alex, hi…” Patrick then went up to the seniors of the family and greeted them. He the
Patrick looked shocked. “Huh? He’s a live-in husband? So he has been unemployed?” Kaze looked at Maxine and Patrick, who were obviously asking for trouble. He smirked and nodded. “I guess you can say so.” Everyone heard his answer. Those who were simply watching from the side were surprised that he admitted it so quickly. Their gazes at him showed a strong sense of contempt. How could a man like him deserve a woman like Darcy? Even if he did not manage to marry himself into Darcy’s family, he still should not be qualified to even be her follower. Patrick did not expect Kaze to be so witty. It caught him by surprise and it left him speechless for a moment. It was until Maxine nudged him, he regained his composure and scoffed. “Is it because you didn’t get any suitable jobs? “Why don’t you tell me what you are interested in, I can recommend you. My company has been recruiting lately, like security guards or janitors. “For Maxine’s sake, you can simply pick a job under ten
“Give me an answer. Are you taking the job? If you are, you should sort out your affairs. Don’t bring your personal feelings to work.” Snow was not the type to go easy on fragile women. If Leah did not have what it took, she could be forced to leave the company. Nevertheless, Katie had left a lot of assets to Leah. Even without work, Leah could very well survive. The girl would have trouble keeping the wealth, seeing that she was without power or connections. If Leah had a job, she would have the resources to hold onto her assets. Leah had seen the best and worst of mankind. She was once the center of attention, and now, everybody avoided her. It dawned on Leah that it was over for Katie. If Leah could not even keep a job, she would lose everything. “I didn’t know things would happen.” Leah never thought that Katie was capable of stabbing Kaze and her in the back. The thought of betrayal put Leah in distress. Kaze was a great guy who helped Leah a lot. Feeling ete
Leah got dressed and was ready to leave, but she did not know who to turn to. She thought about going to her wealthy friends to see if they could uncover anything through their connections. However, Leah could not get a hold of them. It dawned on Leah that loyalty would fade when power was gone. Even though Katie was just missing, intel spread around Butterworth very quickly. These people must have found out and have chosen to stay away. Leah had always been treated like royalty. Nobody had ever avoided her like the plague. Nevertheless, she had not been in touch with these friends since her injury. Now, in her attempt to contact them, she could not reach them. “Why is this happening? My good friends have gone MIA, and I’m getting silence from those who have been trying to connect.” Sitting on the couch, Leah looked out the window in despair. She tried to seek help with her mother’s search, but her efforts were futile. She could do nothing for her mother. All al
“I have to work hard starting today. But before that, I have to get some sleep.” Snow remembered that Kaze punished her to get some sleep. He said her face looked tired and pale, signs of how hard she had been working. It felt great being cared for. It was because of his kindness, Snow fell for Kaze uncontrollably. Yet she understood not all things were meant to be. After she returned home, she went to sleep immediately without talking to anyone. She only woke up in the afternoon after a comfortable and easy sleep. Next, she would have to work on many things, first being taking over Northborn Group. Katie’s disappearance had the company shaken, but it gave many others a chance. They tried to calm their subordinates down and contact the higher-ups for more information, hoping that they could replace Katie as the new CEO. Little did they know, their preparations would eventually fall short. Snow and her secretary arrived at Northborn Group in the afternoon, and her a
“Worried about the mercenaries? I’ve taken all of them out and anyone with a sane mind would know by now not to come after me. Why would they make the same mistake again?” Kaze killed all the mercenaries. There was no one else the mastermind could send after him anymore. Even if there were, they would have to reconsider it after what had happened. Taking out the mercenaries in silence was a strong showcase of his strength. Once the mastermind found out, he or she would definitely stay away. Besides, Kaze had decided to continue his journey to Westeros without telling anyone. He could board a random flight to his destination, and no one would ever know. “Take me to the airport,” Kaze said to the driver. He and Snow were in the rear seat. “When you go back to Butterworth, don’t rush things. Now that Katie has made a mistake and is forced to step down, you can take over Northborn Group,” Kaze said. “Speaking of Katie, after I locked her up, her daughter, Leah, came to me
Miguel stated his strength so that Kaze and Snow would look at him differently. “That doesn’t mean we have to choose you.” Snow saw nothing stellar in him. Snow’s harsh words surprised Miguel and left him deeply displeased. Yet when he looked at Kaze, he dared not say a word. “I can work hard. Even if I am not qualified now, I can work toward that goal.” “Of course, you are not qualified now. You need to improve yourself to meet the basic requirements. Then we’ll talk about you joining us.” Snow just wanted to get this matter over and done with, so she handed Miguel her name card. “When you think you are qualified, you can give me a call.” Since she would eventually take over the largest force in Butterworth, she needed to build a team of her own—one she could truly trust. Miguel might just be an ordinary man who looked fierce but he was courageous and had the potential to be better. “Can I follow him instead?” Miguel took the name card and learned Snow’s name. He
“You did well,” Kaze praised Miguel. It was not easy for someone to fire a gun and take a life, even when he had basic training. Though without the proper technique and training, the shot was nothing stellar. “Really?” Miguel was thrilled by the praise. He might be tall and fit and have arms full of tattoos, but he had never gotten into a fight before. He was happy that someone he admired praised him. It made his day even more than escaping alive. Kaze wanted to continue but the cars had arrived. He walked forward and revealed himself in front of the headlights. The hostages were scared. They stepped back, some of them entered the hangar once more and tried to shut the door. Miguel stood in their way and stopped them from closing it up. “What are you doing? Kaze is still here and help has arrived. Stop hiding,” he said. He detested their selfish behavior. Kaze saved them but they did not even thank him. They even continued to suspect Kaze’s identity. Their be
“How dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punished…” Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. “Given Mr. Lee’s capabilities, he won’t be hurt.” The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. “I know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.” Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. “But there’s nothing you can do now. It’s late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They won’t do anything yet.” “It’s because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. That’s the only way to solve this matter!” “But we’ve searched high and low and didn’t find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didn’t see any tracks.” The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. “Good job.” “Thanks.” Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. “I’ll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you won’t be charged and you won’t need to take responsibility,” Kaze said. Miguel’s pale face looked relieved. “What should we do now? Are there more of them?” Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. “I’ve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.” He then took the gun from Miguel’s hands. “Really? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!” Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. “Don’t look if you can’t take it! Don’t make things worse!” “Yeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!” “I have never seen dead bodies like this before!” he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. “Can we go out now and run away?” The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. “If you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, you’ll be shot!” Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening