Cyan frowned. “You’ve not been out for long, Wesley. It’s better not to start anything, especially with Ryokanians.” Wesley was no longer on par with her anyway, so there was nothing romantic going on between them. Nevertheless, Cyan would consider being friends with Wesley. Upon learning that she wanted to have a party at Bronze Sparrow, Wesley volunteered to reserve her seats. “Tsk. Ryokanians don’t mean squat. My cousin, Buffy, is now the chairwoman of Gwake Corporation. She asked for my release, and I was let out with no questions asked. One Ryokanian doesn’t scare me.” Wesley pouted in disdain. He saw Kaze behind the crowd and grimaced. “Get out of the way!” Wesley yelled at the people in front and made a beeline toward Kaze. He said curly, “Oh, if it isn’t the moocher? I didn’t expect to see you here.“Tell me. Who did you have to suck up to get in? “I doubt you can get into this exclusive place on your own. “I hate to say this, Cyan. “But why did you bring
Kaze wondered if his generous cash handouts had backfired on Cyan. Maybe he should take back his donations and retract the sources allocated to her by Golden Scale Corporation. Everybody took their seats. An awkward moment followed. Somehow or rather, there were no seats left when it was Kaze’s turn to sit down. “Ha. Mr. Lee of Golden Scale Corporation.” Wesley looked at Kaze with a smirk and said sarcastically, “I’m sorry. I might have forgotten that you were attending when I reserved the booths.“But you’re just a sales manager. You are not qualified to sit with us.“Look around. They are all senior members of Golden Scale Corporation. They are your boss’ boss’ boss. “You might want to find somewhere else to sit.“If you’re short of money, just put it on my tab. “It’s my treat tonight! “Consider it a celebration of my release. I’m disappointed that you reported me to the police, though.” Wesley gestured gracefully for Kaze to leave. Draig let out an amused gr
Yet Kaze simply sat down without having any knowledge of his status and position. More importantly, everyone else realized something was wrong. Cyan and the others stared at him coldly, silently wishing he would be self-aware enough to move away. Kaze, however, sat like a rock and ignored the gazes on him. He even picked up a piece of melon and started eating. Draig’s expression darkened. Wesley noticed the change of expression on Draig’s face and he, too, was agitated. Even he dared not have ill thoughts about Snow, a woman with exquisite beauty, yet Kaze, a live-in husband, showed no boundaries. “Slam!” Wesley slammed the table and bolted up. He pointed at Kaze and bellowed coldly, “Kaze Lee, Draig allowed you to stay but can’t you read the room? “This isn’t a place for you! You are just a bodyguard! Don’t you know Draig is into Snow? They are the main highlights for tonight! A piece of useless pie like you should get the hell away! Get it?!” The influencers who wer
Kaze’s words changed the expression of everyone around him. The influencers were left speechless. Kaze practically called them gold diggers! Yet he himself was a live-in husband and son-in-law! He had no right to call them gold diggers! Draig’s expression darkened. He did not expect Kaze to lecture him in front of the women. More importantly, Kaze sounded right and reasonable, leaving him with no words to argue back. No women at the scene would argue against Kaze’s words, or else they would practically admit that they were gold diggers. What was more unacceptable were the words that came from Kaze’s mouth, someone Draig looked down upon. If they were from someone with a similar status, he would still accept it. Yet Kaze was just a live-in useless piece of trash that all men despised! He was not even worthy to be a slave, let alone lecturing Draig in public! Draig felt insulted. “That’s enough, Kaze!” Right before Draig could lash out at Kaze, Cyan stepped up a
No one knew what Wesley had gone through. Even Kaze felt that the useless coward was surprisingly brave. Therefore, he spoke up to give a piece of friendly advice, “Wesley, the Ryokanian wore the uniform of the Refined Blade and there’s an apprentice badge on him. I think he has some background. “If everyone wants to have a fun and peaceful night, you should consider changing the venue, or else trouble will come knocking.” Kaze thrashed Bronze Sparrow himself, so he knew the Ryokanians’ status in the establishment. When Zoro was still in charge of the place, the Ryokanians were basically the kings. Other than teasing the ladies, they could bring back whoever they were fond of and Bronze Sparrow could not do anything about it. After Miru took over, the Ryokanians no longer possessed the privilege. However, since Miru wanted to expand her business in Riverbank, she did not make enemies with the Ryokanians, so they were still welcome in the establishment. As long as they
Kaze turned a blind eye to those who looked down on him. He smiled it off and said, “I don’t care whatever you guys want to say. I know if I am a coward or not. I am just giving you a friendly reminder. “Or else, when shit hits the fan, I don’t think everyone can be safe. Whether you want to take my advice or not, it’s up to you. As for Cyan…” He looked at Cyan with a serious look and continued, “If you don’t want this gathering to be ruined, you can consider what I just said.” Although he knew Cyan disliked him and would never take his words seriously, for the sake of Lock, he gave a piece of advice and did what he could. “Hmph!” Cyan scoffed. She remained seated with the glass of wine in her hand, looking at Kaze condescendingly. With a disappointed look, she said, “Don’t even talk to me. Since when were we that close? Wesley said what needed to be said. You are afraid of the Ryokanians, so be it. Don’t drag us down with you. You really think everyone is as cowardly as yo
Kaze frowned. He tapped on Snow’s shoulder, gesturing to her to sit down as they could no longer walk away. Since they were not part of this, Kaze wanted to leave the matter to Wesley and let them deal with it. The men were not towering but all of them were buff and bulky. Their muscles were obvious even through their uniforms. Their necks had the same tattoo of a sword, amplifying their ferocity. One of the men's heads was bleeding. He was the Ryokanian whom Wesley had hit with a bottle of beer. Wesley wiped the beer and snacks off himself and then shouted at the men, “Who the fuck are you pieces of shit? Do you know who the hell am I? How dare you hit my friend with the bottle?!” The leader of the Ryokanians was a young man in a black karate uniform. He was around 180 cm tall, which was considered tall among Ryokanians. He had a buzz cut that amplified his stern and stoic expression; his presence felt sharp and strong. He had a glass of whiskey in his hand as he loo
Everyone on the couch gasped in shock. A moment ago, the influencers, who were giggling and chuckling, waiting for Wesley to show off his strength, instinctively shrank in fear. “How dare you beat Wesley! You guys are asking for it!” Wesley’s followers failed to realize the severity of the situation. They bolted up, grabbed the nearest beer bottles, and jumped at the enemies. Jiro raised his hand to signal his men, indicating he would handle this challenge himself. Then, he stepped forward. Punches and kicks were dished out in a flurry. In less than thirty seconds, Wesley’s men were all beaten up to the ground, twirling around in painful groans. Like Wesley, they, too, suffered broken arms and legs. Everyone thought Wesley would be able to teach the Ryokanians another lesson they could not forget but it turned out the other way around. Other than Kaze and a few more, most of them on the couch were horrified. Cyan instinctively glanced at Kaze. She started to regret
“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