“Kaze Lee, after some investigation, we’ve already gotten to the bottom of this case. You threatened the victim at the Yemens’ party, claiming that you would cancel her entirely on the internet. “You said it yourself, right? Don’t deny it because we have at at least ten witnesses to prove that,” the officer said. Kaze pursed his lips. “So this is how the captain is planning to take ‘good care’ of me? If what I said can be used to press charges against me, Arcadia won’t even need that many officers. Anyone could do your job. We're no longer in ancient times, where mere words alone can convict someone of a crime.” The officer slightly pushed his glasses and asked, “So you are not confessing?” “Why should I confess?” Kaze chuckled and said, “I didn’t hurt anyone, or kill anyone. I live by my conscience, why should I confess? I am not guilty.” “Your conscience? How dare you say that?” Donovan bellowed. He slammed several documents on the table in front of Kaze and continued, “O
“Not only that, Mika has PR in Ryokan and is a prominent figure in their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When her death made the news, Ryokan sent us inquiries about what happened. “You should know that as long as this case is ongoing, it will only snowball into a bigger mess and you will face a bigger disadvantage. I am giving you a chance to confess because of Draig. “If you don’t seize this chance, then you have no one to blame. When we get to the bottom of this, given the crimes that you have committed, you are likely to be executed right away. “Are you sure you want to throw the chance away?” Donovan got up, leaned forward slightly, and peered down at Kaze condescendingly. It was his usual interrogation method to pressure suspects. Usually, other than the stubborn suspects, the ordinary people would crumble under his intimidation. Kaze smiled. “You want me to confess? At least remind me what I have done. Why don’t you give me a little jolt? Maybe I can remember somethin
“Great. Just great.” Kaze looked at Donovan with a hint of amazement and praise. “I have to say, you shouldn’t be a police captain and be a scriptwriter instead. The movies you scripted would sell like crazy. “However, since you’ve come up with your own deduction, can I also voice some of my questions?” Donovan looked at Kaze coldly without saying a word. Kaze did not care if he allowed, he said, “First, the same question, I have so many beautiful women around me, why would I be interested in an influencer who is a 3 or 2 to me, and would I even need to rape her? “Second, you said you’ve gotten a hold of all the witnesses and their testimonies, what about Snow Frost? Have you gotten hers? If you talked to her, you’d know that she was there and saw it when Mika tried to seduce me. She got upset, slapped her, and even canceled her on the spot. “I'd like to ask if the baseless claims you are using to press charges on me are the ones you believed to be true, or is this just how
Kaze’s move made Donovan’s intimidation and pressure seem excessive. His words left the three officers speechless, their eyes twitching. Kaze was right and they were trying to bait him into confessing. As for the evidence and testimony Donovan mentioned, nothing they had could actually pin Kaze or allow them to prosecute him. Donovan looked at Kaze for a moment and sighed. He said, “You know your way around the wall, which makes it worse after what you have committed. “I’m telling you now, Kaze Lee! Even if you call Jesus, he won’t save you for what you have done! You are done for!” Kaze chuckled and said, “Then can I get my phone call before I meet Jesus?” Donovan was left speechless once more as his eyes continued to twitch. No matter how much he tried to scare Kaze, it did not work. On top of that, Kaze insisted on making his phone call. Bam! Donovan slammed the table once more, shouting, “Kaze Lee, you are a suspect! Don’t even think about the phone call! You mi
“I am actually in some trouble and I am being held up here in South River Police Station. I would like you to send someone over here to give me a little assistance,” Kaze said. “Mr. Lee, you are in the police station? What happened?” Mitchell was surprised. Kaze explained, “According to them, I either forced an influencer to kill herself or I raped her and then killed her, then make it look like she killed herself. “Either one of the charges can put me behind bars for at least five years.” He looked calm as he explained. His opponent meticulously calculated and planned to set him up. Even if he was sentenced with the lightest punishment, he would be away for years. “Though I am certain that I am framed because I have never done any of those things. Someone is taking all means necessary to remove me. Now it depends on you, Mr. Swan, whether you trust me or not.” Kaze then kept quiet. Mitchell also went quiet for a while. As a matter of fact, he was not close with Kaze.
“Tell me, is it the mayor?” the other officer with a buzz cut asked with an impatient tone. Kaze scrutinized the three of them and said with a smile, “What’s the matter? You guys wanted me to call the mayor?” His words surprised the three of them, making their expressions change for a moment before they returned to normal. Donovan scoffed, “Yes. We want you to call the mayor, but can you do it? You are just the mayor’s dog, not his master. Do you know how bad things are for you? Even the Ryokanians are looking. “You really think the mayor will risk his career for a dog? Face reality! You are just an expendable pawn the mayor will throw away once you have no value!” Listening to Donovan’s provocation, Kaze smiled and said, “You can say whatever you want. I’ve called for help and he’s arriving soon. You guys should be prepared.” “You’re bluffing!” Donovan grunted and mocked Kaze, “The mayor is the most powerful person in Riverbank and he has the same authority as the deputy
“You worked for the mayor as his lapdog and probably did a lot of dirty shit. Maybe you can hint at him through the phone and he will come for you,” said the officer with the glasses. It was no longer a hint if Kaze had to say it out loud. Kaze did not expect that the mastermind’s plan was also to drag the mayor into this mess. He said, “Then just you guys wait. Maybe when you guys are transferred to other substations, you can meet the mayor yourself.” “You!” Donovan and his officers were furious. If they were transferred to other stations, which were all sub-branches to the state police station, Kent would be able to reach out to them. Kaze could easily snitch on them to Kent and they would suffer. Soon enough, Donovan scoffed and said, “Hmph. Don’t think about how you are going to take revenge on us, think about how you are going to survive this.” “Cap, this guy says he wants revenge on us. Why don’t we teach him a lesson or two?” the buzz-cut officer said. The of
When Donovan and his officers came to the front lobby, they saw multiple police cruisers parked outside with the sirens glaring. Among the motorcade was a shining Audi A6. When the door opened, Donovan and his officers saw the chief of the state police station, Morgan Bale, coming out in full uniform. The lights in front of the station shed a light over his face that night, and it was not a smiley face. The chief wanted to see Donovan in person and based on the look on his face, he was not in a good mood. Donovan’s heart sank, but he steeled himself and went up to greet the chief. “Chief Bale, good evening sir! I’m Donovan Tenby. You asked to see me, sir?” Morgan walked up to Donovan with a cold grunt and said, “I heard you arrested someone called Kaze Lee earlier in the day.” “Yes—” “Yes? Where is he? Where is Mr. Lee?!” Morgan shouted. Mr. Lee? Frightened, Donovan quickly said, “H-He is in the interrogation room…” Morgan then went off without any explanation.
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