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
“Kaze, you bastard! How dare you ask Patrick to break up with Maxine? Who the hell are you to say that?!” “Patrick introduced you to a job, yet you ignored him and tried to convince him to break up with Maxine. How could you be so narrow-minded?!” “You’re living a terrible life but that doesn’t mean others should live the same!” Alex, Adam, and the others criticized Kaze for what he said as it was frustrating. How could he instigate Patrick to break up with Maxine in front of them? It was like pulling a treasure box away from their hands! It was disrespectful to the family! Patrick’s expression darkened. He hugged Maxine tightly and said coldly, “Maxine and I are tight. You don’t need to worry about that. Whatever problem that comes my way, I’ll just deal with it. “The more problems she gets me into, and I solve it, means I am more capable than other men. Only an incompetent man would dislike the woman causing problems for himself.” Maxine hugged Patrick even tighter.
Hanses’ tone clearly conveyed his disregard for Aaron. Previously, Aaron, the chief commander, was someone Hanses admired. Now, since he already got through the initial selection and probably would be selected to join the Flying Dragons, he became prouder and more confident. “What? Not even Chief Commander Krad?!” The people were shocked. The chief commander of the South River Strategic Department was second only to the governor of the state and had the same rank as the mayor of Riverbank, Kent Synder. Yet from Hanses’ words, the VIP that the Flying Dragons were expecting seemed to be more powerful than Aaron. “Could it be Chief Commander Draco Lang from the Lilyrose Strategic Department? He used to be the commander of the Battle Dragon Troops and also founded the elite battalion, Flying Dragons.” Someone came up with another guess. Hanses shook his head. “It’s not him. This VIP that we are expecting is more powerful than him.” People started to gasp in shock. The
The people looked eager, hoping to get the chance to see a war general in person. Alex was moved by the people’s eagerness. He looked at his son and said, “Hanses, since there’s still time before the feast starts, can you try to invite a war general from the Flying Dragons to join us?” Hanses hesitated but then he bit the bullet and said, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” He had no confidence in inviting a war general to join their family gathering. After all, he just got through the initial selection and was not an official member of the Flying Dragons yet. He still did not get the chance to meet the war generals, so they might not answer his invitations. However, he did not make his concerns verbal since it was a big day for his family and also him being under the spotlight, he did not want to disappoint. He pulled his phone out and called the captain of the Flying Dragons—Jonas Asterisk. Jonas was the captain in charge of the recruitment and he was known for his hot temper.
“Mom, look who’s here!” Agatha brought Agnes and her family up to Madam Otter. “Mom, I am so sorry that I haven’t been able to come back earlier. It’s been a long time.” Agnes covered her mouth and broke down into tears; Hector’s eyes got teary. Many years ago, the entire Otter family strongly opposed her being with Hector and only Madam Otter supported them despite the overwhelming odds, which gave them enough courage to get married. Hector always felt in debt to his mother-in-law. Agnes did not get the chance to reunite with her mother earlier because the Lees had been oppressing them. As for Master Otter, he looked away. He still had lingering resentment for his daughter and her family. “Where’s my dear granddaughter?” Madam Otter hugged Agnes and cried for a while before she wiped her tears and asked for Darcy. “Grandmother.” Darcy went up and greeted the lady, her tone slightly stiff. It had been many years since she last saw Madam Otter. “You must be Darcy
Madam Otter’s gentle smile disappeared. However, after another glance at Darcy, and then the others like Patrick and Hanses, she ultimately decided to suppress her anger and simply said, “Mhmm. I see.” She sounded flat, seemingly expressing her disappointment for Kaze. “Mom, I’ll do something about it! I’ll make him go to work! He actually has a job back at Lilyrose! I won’t let him freeload and live off our family!” Agnes said, trying to comfort her mother. Madam Otter simply hummed a reply but it felt colder than usual. She was obviously displeased with her daughter having a useless son-in-law, though she did not want to ruin the mood because of Kaze. “Grandmother, this is my boyfriend, Patrick Weather. He’s from the Weather family and he’s currently helping his cousin, Casius Weather, to run a business. His cousin even gave him a new Rolls Royce for good performance!” Patrick came back from answering a phone call and Maxine brought him to Madam Otter. He took the opp
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