“Hold on!” Just as Jiro turned around, a voice came from the back, saying, “Jiro Sakamoto, was it? Did I say you could leave?” Jiro was stunned. He slowly turned around to Kaze and raised his brow. “What do you mean?” Cyan and the others were also in shock. ‘Did I say you could leave?!’ Kaze was practically saying that without his permission, Jiro could not leave. The audacity!? Was it because Miru defended him and he thought he could step on the pride of the face of the Refined Blade Dojo? Miru frowned but quickly eased up. She stepped aside without saying anything. Kaze stood firm and still, saying, “I’m like you. I don’t like serving revenge cold. If you want to take revenge, come at me now. I’ll give you a chance to strike.” He gestured at Jiro, indicating that he was ready for a fight. Jiro looked at Miru and then switched his attention back to Kaze. He scoffed, but it felt icy. “I’ve already spared your life once because of Ms. Scarlet, and you are still c
Cyan simply watched from the side without a hint of guilt. She believed she had done everything that she could for Kaze. Even if Kaze were to be beaten to death, he deserved it and he could not blame it on anyone else. Jiro was stunned for a moment. When he was learning from his master, he was slapped many times and it was part of the training. It had been many years since his last slap. Kaze’s slap rendered his mind blank for a while. He finally regained his composure after some time. He stroked his burning cheek as he stared at Kaze with eyes burning with anger, almost materializing into an erupting, raging volcano. “It has been a long time since anyone slapped me. Arcadian, you are dead!” Jiro’s freezing words gave everyone chills. It was obvious that he was infuriated. Kaze was not deterred at all. He smiled and said, “Slap is nothing. I will make you kneel in front of me. “A coward like Wesley cannot represent us Arcadians, but your claim of making us kneel p
Jiro looked shocked. He did not expect Kaze to dodge his dropkick that easily. With a twist of his waist, he changed his body’s momentum mid-air and swung his left kick at Kaze’s face. However, forcefully changing his momentum mid-air decreased the power and speed contained in his attack. “I don’t like people pointing their feet at me,” Kaze casually said. As he spoke, he lifted his leg too. Without any fancy move or technique, he simply did a high kick, clashing kicks with Jiro. Kabaam! When both feet locked, Jiro’s body convulsed as if hit by lightning. He cried in agony before he was sent hurtling like a stringless kite, crashing onto a couch. The marble table in front of the couch shattered under the force of the crash. He lay down helplessly and weakly, his arms and legs wide open, and his body still convulsing as he could not find the strength to get up. He looked as miserable as it could get. The entire room fell into a dead silence. Many of them rubbed the
From the very first time Draig met Kaze, he had never thought highly of him. In the subsequent encounters, Kaze’s repeated tolerance of the mockeries from Wesley and Cyan further solidified his image of a coward in Draig’s mind. With such prejudice in his mind, Draig could not accept the fact that Kaze was stronger than him. Coincidentally, he found an acceptable and reasonable explanation for all the inexplicable occurrences, so he hypnotized himself into believing the false. “Can you get up?” Under everyone’s surprised gaze, Kaze strolled over to Jiro and peered down at him condescendingly. Gasp! Phew! Jiro mustered enough strength to look up but the pain was insufferable and he was gasping for air already. Baam! As he struggled to get up, the marble table beneath him further crumbled into pieces, causing a loud clunk. He held onto the couch and slowly got up on his feet. His eyes at Kaze showed unprecedented fear and seriousness. He had come to Arcadia for many
Jiro was almost driven mad. He had never been insulted like this before. Seeing that Jiro could no longer stand it, Cyan rushed over and said, “Kaze, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill Mr. Sakamoto?! Can you handle the consequences?! “Let it go before it gets out of hand! I’m warning you, don’t cause trouble for our family!” Kaze shot an icy glance at her and bellowed, “Get out of my way!” Cyan froze on the spot. Upset and angry, she cried, “W-What?! What did you say to me?! Who do you think you are?!” She believed Kaze had lost his mind. The timid and quiet man raised his voice at her and told her to get out of his way! What had gotten into him!? “Miru, clear the place.” Kaze ignored Cyan and said to Miru with a raise of his hand. A moment later, he added, “Snow can stay.” He did not want Cyan to annoy him like a buzzing fly, and he had questions for Jiro, questions that needed to remain private. Miru raised her hand without saying a word. Her men scatt
Kaze saw the anxiety and nervousness in Jiro’s eyes and he was amused. “I didn’t know you were such an emotional man. Do you know that the woman you love is serving an Arcadian man like she is his personal sex slave?” Jiro had no idea about that, or he would have been devastated a long time ago. Kaze simply wanted to attack his confidence. As expected, the words shocked Jiro. Infuriated, he shouted, “What the hell are you talking about? It’s fucking nonsense! There’s no way Ms. Hara will do that! “What are you trying to do to her? Why are you slandering her?!” Judging from his reaction, Kaze knew Jiro had started to lose his calm. After all, they met purely because of coincidence. Kaze also coincidentally knew Reiko and something about her, which made his words credible. “You should ask what she is trying to do to us, not the other way around.” Kaze pointed at Snow and explained, “Did you know that earlier in the afternoon, me and my friend here were attacked by the
“That’s what it is.” Miru glanced at Jiro. “So you want him dead so you can send a warning to Reiko Hara?” Kaze nodded. “How about… we move him away from Bronze Sparrow? Send him back to his dojo and then kill him halfway there. That should do it. If he can die right in front of Refined Blade Dojo, that would be great.” Miru pondered and then nodded. “Sure, but as for how to do it…” “Just leave it to me.”Kaze squatted in front of Jiro and tapped his body a few times. He then got up and looked at his watch. “Half an hour later, send him back to the dojo’s entrance.” Refined Blade Dojo was actually less than a five minute walk from Bronze Sparrow. “Really?” Miru was surprised. She knew Kaze was unpredictable but being able to control a person’s time of death was something inconceivable. Then, Wolf chuckled and said, “Boss, if Kaze said it’s okay, then it’s definitely okay.” Miru did not delve into the matter anymore. Since she started expanding her influence i
“Watch your manners!” Reiko bellowed, “We have guests here! Why are you shouting like that? You are ruining our dojo’s image!” “I am sorry, Ms. Hara!” The disciple bowed immediately and then pointed at the door, his face horrified. “B-But Jiro…” Aiden raised his brows and looked at Reiko. “Shall we have a look?” Soon, the group arrived at the entrance of the dojo. There was already a crowd in front. Even the people from Drake Gym were watching from the opposite. “Ugh…” Coming from the center of the crowd were agonizing cries. A dozen disciples of the Refined Blade Clan lay sprawled on the ground, bleeding and bruised, writhing in pain as cries escaped their lips. “What is going on?” Standing on the stairs, Reiko saw the scene from a higher angle and her expression darkened. A dozen disciples of the dojo were injured and tossed in front of the entrance. It was certainly the biggest challenge and insult the dojo had faced since it opened. Their pride was being
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
Snow could not believe her eyes. Katie suddenly went quiet and behaved like the CEO she was.However, Katie did not look like she was right in the mind earlier. “What’s going on? She seems to have gone insane.” Snow turned to the warden, still digesting the change. Katie had lost touch with reality before the Viper’s Den did anything to her. “How did this happen? She has been taking her meals. Just days earlier, she nagged about getting out because she was worried about her daughter. As usual, we didn’t respond to her requests.” The warden found the whole thing peculiar too. Just a few days ago, Katie demanded her release. Now, she kept to herself and abided by the rules. Out of the blue, Katie went nuts. Things had gotten complicated. Snow wanted to keep Katie behind bars due to her betrayal. However, Kaze decided against pursuing the matter for Leah’s sake. Katie would be let go soon enough, but she would lose her job at the Northborn Group. Katie’s presence woul
It was quiet in the office. Snow sorted the last bit of paperwork before picking her head up in exhaustion. Her initial plan was to delegate the tasks. However, Katie was controlling. Previously, she personally oversaw many matters. Snow could not distribute the responsibilities because the employees had no experience in handling them. They came to Snow for every tiny, little thing, and Snow really got her hands full. Despite her frustration, Snow could let things go as Katie was locked up. “I should pay her visit.” Snow decided to see Katie. Some things should not be left unsaid. Leah would be working for the Northborn Group soon, and the mother and daughter should meet to tie up loose ends. The truth would put Leah to shame, and her guilt would stop her from ever betraying Kaze. After a quick bite, Snow drove to the prison. Katie was furious when she was imprisoned. She was one step away from victory. She was so close to leaving Butterworth to head to Westeros
“Why do you want to sell the properties? Do you need money? Don’t you have some saved?” Joey had a good understanding of Leah’s finances since she ran all the paperwork. “My mother is being held, and I need money to ask favors. Maybe I can get her out.” Leah was not thinking much. Money could always be replaced, but not her mother’s freedom. “Don’t be silly. This is not the way to go.” Though Joey did not have the details, she observed that things were not as simple as Leah thought. Kaze was safe now, but the fact that Katie had betrayed Kaze and revealed his whereabouts remained unchanged. Katie had broken the Viper’s Den’s rules. Even if she got out, she would be a wreck. With Snow running the Northborn Group, Katie would remain a failure. Either way, Katie would not get away with it. Even if Leah offered all her assets, Katie’s situation would not change. It was a waste of money and resources for Leah to save her mother. Nothing would come out of it. “But I
“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