Not having it, Snow turned grim. “I told you that I don’t need Draig to protect me, Cyan. Kaze is all the protection I need.” “Kaze?” Cyan chuckled and said secretively, “I have attended a social event lately, Snow. “I heard that Aiden, one of the Krad heirs will be in Riverbank in the next two days. “Everybody thinks that he’s here for your marriage to Aaron.“With Mr. Krad leading the South River Strategic Department, Aiden must be taking over his brother to sort out the wedding affairs.” Cyan shared gossip she had heard during the event. “Aiden will turn the heat on the Frosts once he gets here. “The Frosts will surely make you go through with the wedding, and they won’t hesitate to use force.“Do you think Kaze could protect you then? “You need Draig. He is strong and has connections to the Arcadian community in Uleania. He can go up against the Krads. “With Draig by your side, you can confront the Krads, and your family won’t make you do anything you don’t want t
Like Cyan, the influencers tried to convince Snow to accept Draig. Many socialites would die for a chance to meet a man like Draig. Yet, Snow had the nerve to drive him away. Kaze was invisible to them. “Are you kicking yourself for coming here, Kaze?” With Kaze becoming an outcast, Natalie stood on the sidelines and taunted him. If she had known that Kaze was a loser, she would not have wasted her time to pick him up. Natalie was seriously considering getting a full valet for her car. She felt as if Kaze had contaminated her car. Natalie’s phone rang, and she answered the call before hurrying to Cyan. She said, “Mr. Tenby is here, Cyan.” “Cyan, did you invite Draig here?” Snow’s expression turned grim. She had no idea that Cyan would invite Draig over too. Otherwise, Snow would not have joined Cyan on the trip. Picking up on Snow’s frustration, Cyan explained, “I guess I didn’t let you know that I was able to reserve a time slot at this exclusive vegan plac
“We can’t possibly do that. Dinner won’t be the same without you, Draig,” Cyan said with a smile. She glanced at Snow before uttering, “Snow is happy that you went out of your way to organize this vegan dinner.” Snow furrowed her brows. She was not pleased with Cyan’s pushiness to bring her and Draig together. “Really?” Overjoyed, Draig approached Snow and fixated on her. “I want to apologize to you for before, Ms. Frost. “Growing up in Uleania, I’ve been taught to express myself, and I had been too forthcoming.“I’ve been feeling terrible, hoping I hadn’t upset you. “I’m so glad to hear that you’ve forgiven me. You’re the greatest. You didn’t say anything bad about me.“Will you give me another chance to get to know you?” Draig extended his hand. Snow kept her hands to herself with a frown. She disliked Draig. She did not buy his story about the Uleanian culture. Still, Snow did not want to be hung up on the matter. Since Draig apologized, and Cyan would not s
“Wow! Draig, you’re amazing! The God of War extended the invite to you himself!” Cyan and the others looked at Draig in admiration. The influencers drooled over Draig. If Snow was not in the picture, the influencers would throw themselves at Draig. However, Draig was not interested in them in the first place. Even Cyan kicked herself for setting Snow and Draig up. She had no idea that the God of War favored Draig. It appeared that the God of War thought highly of Draig. The God of War did not hold many in high regard in Arcadia. A compliment from the God of War would mean the person was destined for greatness. The God of War’s words carried more weight than the president. These people had to be the best of the best. The elites existed, but Cyan did not run in those circles. However, Draig was within her reach. Draig smiled. “I will answer the God of War’s call to come all the way to Arcadia to offer protection.” Cyan and the others were starstruck by Draig
Snow frowned. She did not want Draig’s protection. However, Draig offered help out of the kindness of his heart and respect for the God of War. While Snow contemplated how to let Draig down softly, Kaze stepped into Snow’s path. “Snow appreciates your kind offer, Mr. Tenby.” Kaze said with a smile, “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll be in charge of her safety. “You are an important man. Even the God of War has respect for you. Surely, you won’t pester Snow when Snow has declined your offer.” “You!” Noticing Kaze’s presence, Draig narrowed his eyes dangerously. He knew that Kaze was Snow’s employer, and Kaze was special to Snow. Stacey confided in Draig that she believed Snow had romantic feelings for Kaze. She felt in her gut from the way Snow looked at Kaze. With Kaze ruining things for him, Draig grimaced. “Kaze!” Cyan shouted angrily and criticized, “You know Draig is an important man. Yet, you are still an interference.“Who are you to talk to Draig? “Aren’t y
Despite using a lot of force, Kaze was careful not to injure Draig too much.Draig was annoying, but he did not mean any harm. Plus, Kaze hired Draig’s services, and it would not look good if Kaze hurt him too. Sensing the tension, Snow intervened. “Just let it go, Draig. Stop this.” Kaze raised a brow and decided to put the rivalry behind them. However, Draig was jealous, thinking that Snow did not want to get Kaze hurt. He let out a chilling smile. “Don’t worry, Ms. Frost. I won’t take things far. “But I need to know whether Mr. Lee has the competence to keep you safe. “For all I know, Mr. Lee could be just saying it.“Everybody wants to act tough nowadays.“I don’t want to be left with regrets when something happens to you. “Besides, I don’t like to clean up after someone else.” Draig exerted more force in his handshake. At first, his intention was to make a fool out of Kaze. Now, Draig wanted to make Kaze pay. Draig wanted to inflict hurt on Kaze to show Snow
Draig released Kaze’s hand and looked over disgruntledly. He was contemplating a change in approach to teaching Kaze a lesson and showing Snow that he was the victor. However, his moment was interrupted. A burly, bald man burst into the courtyard through the wooden doors. The beautiful influencers were intimidated by the sudden appearance of a mean-looking man. They had no idea who he was. Amid the crowd, Cyan grimaced and stepped back. She knew that the baldie was Rafael. Before Sponge came along, Rafael was her number-one supporter, giving her cash tips in the millions. After exchanging contact numbers, Cyan came to know that Rafael was a Riverbank resident. Rafael was not like Sponge who would disappear after sending virtual gifts and ignore her private messages. He was clear with what he wanted. Rafael asked Cyan out. Cyan understood that unlike Sponge, Rafael was looking for more. Nevertheless, to keep her top supporter happy, Cyan went out to meet him. She pla
“I’m an old friend of Ms. Yemen.” Before Cyan could say anything, Rafael said grimacingly, “I’m here for Ms. Yemen, so cut your crap with me.“I don’t care whether you’re a woman or a man. “You’re getting it if you get in my way.” Color drained from the influencers’ faces, and they started to shiver. Draig looked at Rafael with a frown. Though displeased, Draig held back from saying anything until he knew what Rafael was there for. “We were having fun the other day, Ms. Yemen. Why did you ditch me halfway?” Rafael looked at Cyan and said with a grin, “Well, today is a good day for you to make it up to me. How about you buy me dinner and apologize to me?” He kept a smile on his face. However, Rafael gave everybody the creeps, especially when they witnessed his brutality. Anyone could tell that Rafael was capable of anything when pushed too far. As silence hung heavy in the air, everybody turned to Cyan. Rafael mentioned that he had been out with Cyan before. Cya
“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