Despite their reluctance, the Otters could not simply turn away a prominent figure from the underworld like Bob.“Alex, go and invite Mr. Damian in!” Madam Otter instructed his eldest son, Alex.Before long, Bob, a stocky, balding man in a suit with an unmistakable set of buck teeth, entered the hall, accompanied by several others. Among them was a particularly striking woman dressed as a wealthy socialite. Her presence drew shocked glances from some of the younger Otter family members who recognized her.“Haha! Greetings to the esteemed Master and Madam Otter! I’ve always wanted to come and pay my respects, but I just never found the opportunity. Finally, today I get to meet the two of you!”Bob beamed as he clasped his hands in a polite bow toward Caster and Bella. He then gestured to his men, who stepped forward with gifts in hand.Seeing Bob arrive not only empty of hostility but also bearing gifts, the Otters breathed a collective sigh of relief.Bella responded with a smi
“You’re here to see Kaze?”Not only Caster but the entire Otter family froze in shock.Why would a big shot like Miya come all the way to the Otters’ to see Kaze?Why would Kaze, a good-for-nothing son-in-law skilled only at bragging, have a connection to someone like Miya?Even Agnes and Darcy’s family wore expressions of complete bewilderment, unable to make sense of the situation.“That bastard... Did he get into trouble again? Maybe he offended someone out there…” Agnes muttered anxiously under her breath.After a few seconds of stunned silence, Caster cautiously probed. “Mrs. Heartano, you’re right about Kaze being my granddaughter’s husband. May I ask why you’ve come seeking him today?”“To be honest, it’s not a major issue.”Miya’s tone remained casual. “Kaze recently assaulted the director of St. Mary’s and then forced me to hand over the entire hospital to him. Mind you, this is a hospital partly owned by Geranium City’s big four families, Sanwell Finances, and the pre
Seeing the bewildered expressions of her daughter's family, Bella hesitated before asking cautiously, “Mrs. Heartano, there must be some misunderstanding here, right? Although my grandson-in-law is a bit unreliable, he shouldn't be capable of doing something like this. Let alone involving the police. He’s only been in Riverbank City for a few days. How could he have such connections?”Her words earned nods of agreement from many in the Otters.It was not that they were deliberately looking down on Kaze. However, based on his track record, the claims Miya had just made seemed fictional.“No connections, you say?”Miya chuckled. “Madam Otter, it seems you know very little about your grandson-in-law.”“Did you know that with one phone call, he had Riverbank’s city mayor, Kent Synder's nephew, show up to support him?“Did you know he has ties with the Viper’s Den South River Branch?“Did you know that with just one call, he caused my family’s businesses to lose billions?”Miya’s mo
Kaze was on good terms with Cole, and it was true that he was connected with the Viper’s Den South River State Branch. It was a mistake to dismiss Kaze as incompetent.At least, he could read the room and was good at playing the game. Still, Kaze was not as great as he made himself out to be. He was so aggressive about acquiring St. Mary’s, but that was all there was to it. With that in mind, Miya felt at ease and confident. She said, “Where is Kaze now?“To be honest with you, I’m here to demand answers.”Dropping the niceties, Miya got in the Otters’ face. “Agnes, call your deadbeat son-in-law to get his ass here now!” Before Bella could say anything, Caster turned to Agnes and said crudely, “He can deal with his own problems. We’re not picking up after him.” “I’ll give him a call now.” Agnes whipped out her phone in a panic. Darcy took a step forward and asked grimly, “Mrs. Heartano, I am Darcy, Kaze’s wife. Can I ask what you are expecting of him?” “Oh, I ha
Displeased with Darcy’s annoyance, Miya found her ungrateful. “I’ll cut to the chase then, Ms. Quint.” Miya took a sip of her drink and said indifferently, “I’m only asking for three things from Kaze after what he has done. “First, I expect him to pay 100 million dollars to cover St. Mary’s losses.“Secondly, my family in Geranium City took a financial hit of three billion dollars because of him. I don’t think I’m asking for much by asking for five billion dollars in compensation due to the shortfall of the plummeting shares. “Finally, I want him to lose one arm. He should repent his sins outside St. Mary’s as a warning to others not to mess with St. Mary’s. “Before your husband gets here, why don’t you tell me how you feel about my demands, Ms. Quint?” The Otters expressed their shock ahead of Darcy. Kaze was expected to pay five billion dollars. The Otters did not have assets worth that much. Caster and Bella looked grim. They were reluctant to say anything, give
“What?”Darcy’s response left everybody doubting their ears. She was willing to cough up five billion dollars in damages, but there was no way she would let Kaze break his arm and repent outside St. Mary’s. “Have you lost it, Darcy? Just leave Kaze be! Why pay five billion dollars for him? Do you even have the money?” Agnes was not having it. She was the first to express her anger. She believed Darcy had lost the plot. The Otters were in disbelief. Kaze was just a bluffing deadbeat. Yet, Darcy would go to lengths for him. Miya scowled in shock at Darcy. Darcy looked her straight in the eye. “Save me that look, Mrs. Heartano. I can compensate you, but you can’t insult my husband.” “Did you think it was a negotiation, Ms. Quint?” Miya smirked in rage, her eyes reflecting no emotion. “Kaze didn’t just attack my hospital staff, but he slapped me in front of everybody too. I may not be a big deal, but I hold a certain amount of social standing in Geranium City and Arca
The murderous intent in Miya’s eyes was abruptly replaced by wariness. Miya glanced at Hanses before uttering flatly, “But young man, this is between me and Kaze. It’s not your place to comment. Once you formally join the Flying Dragons, you might earn yourself the right to speak.” “I—”Hanses scoffed, having the right mind to tell Miya off. No one knew better than him who Kaze was. It did not matter that the Geranium Heartanos was one of the elites of Geranium City. Her family did not run the military anyway. “That’s enough, Hanses!” Bella abruptly cut Hanses off before turning to Miya. She said, “I know it would take a lot to make up for what Kaze has done. “I’m going to ask a favor of you, Mrs. Heartano. Given my age, can you be a little flexible with your terms? Darcy is committed to finding a solution. “Perhaps we can drop the demand to break an arm and kneel.” Darcy gave Bella a look of gratitude. Miya chuckled. “Alright then. I can show some leniency by lett
Tension rose to an all-time high in the living room of the Otters’ residence. Darcy’s reluctance to budge came out of nowhere. “How dare you, Darcy!” Miya slammed her fist on the table angrily and got up, shaking with rage. She glared at Darcy and said curtly, “Just because you’re the head of the Ridgesouth Quints, you have no right to dismiss me. “You should know that you’re just leading the family branch in Ridgesouth. You’re not a key member of the family. “The nerve of you to speak rudely to me. “Buck Bob, slap her!” “Easy there, Mrs. Heartano,” Bob blurted. While he was known for his arrogance as the underground boss, he knew better than to pick a fight with just anyone.He did not want to make an enemy out of the Otters or Darcy. Hanses was about to be a full-fledged member of the Flying Dragons. Darcy headed the Quints in Ridgesouth. “Oh?” Miya looked daggers at Bob, and the latter shuddered. He opened his mouth to say something but went ahead to Darcy i
Clemont was born with a silver spoon and raised like a prince as he was the youngest in the family. He knew his father’s current situation, which explained why he behaved arrogantly. He thought his actions could help his father but little did he know, they were causing a huge trouble. Kaze made it verbal but the spoiled brat did not appreciate the warning and simply felt annoyed. “What do I mean? I guess you have to ask your father about it.” Kaze looked at Clemont coldly. There was no way a useless trust-fund baby could achieve anything great under the protection of his family. Every action that Clemont took was causing damage to his family. Kaze initially intended to use the Siegfrieds to his advantage, which explained why he did not act immediately. Now that Clemont had come under his radar, Kaze ought to use the chance. He managed to showcase his strength to Rosie earlier and what he said to Clemont would surely raise more suspicion in her. Kaze must come up wit
Rosie was shocked. She almost got kicked by some spoiled brat. She was not happy about it. She revered Clemont’s background and had been tolerant with the brat but he stepped over the line when he decided to be physical. Rosie looked up to Kaze who was hugging her. He was just outside the crowd and decided to step in when he heard the commotion. She did not expect him to save her. It was a surprise but it allowed her to see his capabilities. The man from Butterworth had been hiding his abilities from everyone all along. Rosie smiled at him before getting back up on her feet. “Thank you for your help,” she said softly. “It’s nothing. It’s the right thing to do,” Kaze said. Kaze was the type of person who could never stand seeing the weak being bullied. “Who the hell are you? What do you think you are doing?” Clemont bellowed. He was outraged and needed to vent his emotions. Since Kaze had intervened, it gave Clemont a chance to lash out at him. “Stop causing a
“I told you this is my club! They have to listen to me! Now open the damn door!” Clemont was furious after being questioned. He started to kick the door like a madman. The waiters were worried but they dared not do anything. “Young Master Siegfried, there are guests inside! VIP guests!” the waiter added. He dared not reveal the identity of the guest inside. Zidane informed all employees earlier that no one shall reveal the VIP guest’s identity or even mention that the suite was booked by Edmund. It was to keep things low. Therefore, the waiter dared not speak any of it even to Clemont. Unfortunately, Clemont stubbornly believed the waiter was lying to him. “What guests?! You’re lying to me! You said there were guests inside but even after I kicked the door, there was no answer! Open it up. Don’t be stupid!” he shouted. He cared not about the others when he shouted. He was impulsive at nature. “Young Master Siegfried, there are guests inside. You can’t do this,” the
“Then what should we do?” “What else? Give him a VIP room and try to hold him down.” Rosie was displeased but she had to handle the matter herself. Clemont was a proud man. If he felt embarrassed in any way, he would certainly cause more problems. Rosie was afraid that he would do something rash once provoked. He was a man with a background. Even if he made a mistake, his father could cover up for him. However, if the club’s business was affected, Edmund would hold her responsible. That was why Rosie saw Clemont as a problem. “But they are heading to the suite already,” the bouncer said, looking worried. He had a premonition of something bad happening. “What are you guys doing?!” Rosie glared at the bouncer. They were usually smart and quick-witted so she did not have to worry about many things. Yet they let Clemont through?! “There are too many customers today. All the rooms are booked, so we have to make new arrangements.” “The other bouncer at the entranc
To many youngsters, Absolute Zero was a mysterious place. Young men and women from a better background were forbidden to set foot into the club. It was not because of the environment, but because of the human relationship within the establishment. The club was a gateway to the underworld and once exposed, the youngsters might thread onto the wrong path. Clemont was not allowed to go to Absolute Zero. However, he knew the club belonged to the Wittersons, which was his father’s rival. Therefore, he had been planning to help his father. He often used his father’s name to spend money at the club to annoy them. He brought his friends here today to show off his wealth and power. He wanted to let his friends know that he, too, was capable. “Young Master Siegfried! You’re awesome!” While surrounded by flattery, Clemont walked down the stairs to the entrance with his friends. The bouncers knew Clemont, so when he arrived, they quickly informed the management. They dared no
Kaze finally got some surprising news: Edmund had booked a room at Absolute Zero tomorrow for a business talk. In addition, Morris’ son was a regular at the club. Edmund and Morris were rivals but they looked peaceful in the open. No one knew how fierce the competition was under the table. Morris wanted to put his son in charge of the Viper’s Den but was unsure if his son could handle the matter. According to Zeeny, Morris’ son was a trust fund baby. His only ability was to make friends over alcohol. Maybe the young man liked being surrounded and flattered by people. Due to his father’s position, he was always flooded with friends and people interested in his resources. His so-called friends were just drinking buddies. None of them were any help to his career. It was the reason why Edmund did not take the son seriously. Kaze had a feeling that tomorrow would bring something interesting. They left later than usual tonight and he tipped the girls as usual. Even Dw
Kaze took a glass of beer from the girl and had a sip. “It’s okay that you still haven’t decided on your future.” He suddenly felt like a joke. He came to the club yet he tried to convince them to leave the environment without bothering to know their difficulties. “Let’s play dice!” The girl, Zeeny, smiled brightly and took the dice on the table. She was trained on how to make customers happy. Kaze did not ask the difficult questions anymore. Everyone enjoyed themselves with the games. Those who lost must drink. There were a few who sang while the others played, filling the room with joyous melody. Kaze enjoyed himself as well and slowly got to know each other better. At the same time, he learned more about the girls’ backgrounds, even though most of them were made up. To let customers tip them more, they would fabricate a pitiful background. Kaze’s goal was to fool Rosie, so he just had to enjoy himself now and nothing else. Dwight was overwhelmed by the beer
When Kaze entered the club, he saw that the place was clean and the lights were on. It was indeed not open for business yet. There were no customers inside. He could have a clear look over the entire establishment. “You guys are too early, so we had nothing prepared for you. I’ll bring you guys to the VIP room. When the music starts later, you guys can come out and have some fun, or you can call in some girls to accompany you,” Leeny said. She then pointed at a few girls walking toward her. All of them were in heels and sexy outfits. Their smiles rivaled the brightest sun and each of them had their unique charisma. All the employees of Absolute Zero were carefully handpicked. The way they dressed emphasized their personal charms. One would definitely ask for more after a glance. “Can we ask the girls to come to our room?” Dwight asked. His eyes were gleaming with interest. “Of course. This is your room. The girls will drink with you. We do provide some special service,
“I didn’t get anything from them. They just said Rosie is a dangerous woman.” “I told you to go back to see your colleagues and befriend them. Having no news is actually a good thing,” Kaze said. He might be slightly disappointed but it was expected, so he was not bothered. “Really? I thought I was quite useless.” Dwight thought he could finally get the recognition that he was waiting for but he was turned away by his boss. He was never taken seriously at the Viper’s Den, which was the reason why he disliked his colleagues and his superiors. However, he had to stay with the organization for the sake of staying alive. Ever since he met Kaze, his life changed. He thought he could improve himself but the others still did not take him seriously. Dwight was still willing to trust Kaze. “Don’t be affected by their opinions. You know better than anyone what you can do. Just focus on what you need to do and things will be alright,” Kaze said with a hint of encouragement. “Y