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.
“Nope.” Kaze shook his head. “Phew!” Just as Donovan and his men breathed a sigh of relief, Kaze pointed at the phone belonging to the officer with the glasses on the table and said, “But you can listen to the recording inside this phone. It’s from a few minutes ago.” His words made Donovan and the other two officers nervous once more. Minutes ago? Minutes ago, the three of them were trying to teach Kaze a lesson. The officer with the glasses widened his eyes in fear. After he put the phone on the table for Kaze to make a call, hoping it would be to the mayor, he forgot to take the phone back. On the second round of questions, Kaze somehow turned on the recording function! “Oh?” Morgan glanced at Donovan and the others as he picked up the phone. He stopped the recording and played it from the top. “Kaze Lee, you have one last chance! If you can call the mayor to save you, you can walk, or else don’t blame us for being rough.” “You should know that we have coun
“Based on my understanding of the investigation, the witnesses and evidence are against you. Especially when you threatened the victim to cancel her, more than twenty people at the Yemen mansion heard you. “I know it might not mean anything and it’s not enough to cause the series of events that followed, ultimately leading to the victim’s death, but it has gained attention. More and more media caught wind of this and people are watching, including people from foreign affairs. “To be honest, we received many requests from our website to prosecute you so that the family of the deceased can be at peace.” Kaze nodded. He said, “Chief Bale, I heard you used to be an inspector, so I assumed you are a pro in this? “Then can I also assume that you are clear that it is taboo to be prejudiced during an investigation? Have you investigated under what circumstances I threatened the victim to cancel her online?” Morgan was slightly taken aback. He shook his head and said, “No.” “You guy
Kaze was forced to take Reiko seriously. The woman was smart and skilled, plus vicious. Then, a sudden thought hit Morgan and he said, “Mr. Lee, I heard from my men that earlier in the afternoon, Aiden from the Krad family came to our station and he said out loud that he was willing to use his connections and resources to bring you out, but he wanted to have dinner with Ms. Darcy Quint and Ms. Snow Frost.” His expression ashened when he explained. As the chief of the state police, it was humiliating to hear someone openly declare that they could release a detainee right in front of the station. Morgan did his homework and found out that Aiden was an enemy of Kaze. Kaze had expected this, so he simply smiled and said, “Aiden is planning to ruin me mentally.” Morgan did not understand, but he said, “And I also know that Ms. Frost rejected the offer directly. She and Ms. Quint did not go to dinner with Aiden Krad.” “Snow did the right thing.” Knowing that Snow did not lo
“Mr. Lee, this is bigger than what I can see. Can you tell me other than Aiden Krad, who else is in this?” Morgan asked softly. Kaze did not hold back and was not afraid of scaring the man. “The Ryokanians from Refined Blade Dojo.” Morgan gasped in shock. He knew the Ryokanians had tremendous power, not only in Riverbank, but all of South River State. He also knew about the vendetta between Kent, the mayor, and the Ryokanians. Now that the Ryokanians colluded with Aiden to target Kaze and even Kent, if it made the news, the whole city or even the entire state would be shaken. This clash would inevitably drag countless people into its vortex; their fates rising and falling with the victories and defeats of the opposing sides. “What’s the matter, Chief Bale? Afraid?” Kaze asked with a casual smile. He wanted to test Morgan if he was fit to be on his side. The chief of the state police department could be a great help against the Ryokanians if Kaze could get him on his sid
Kaze smiled and shook his head. “The evidence and witnesses are indeed against me, but have you thought about how the police work? Is there anything wrong with the way your officers are carrying out the investigation? Like are they looking in the right direction?” “Direction?” Morgan was slightly surprised and embarrassed. Despite making his stance, as a professional law enforcer, he found Kaze’s words to be insulting. Kaze said, “I think the investigation might have hit a dead end. All the investigations are based on me, finding out my motive, my problem, and even suspecting me committing the crimes I did not do. “My suggestion is why don’t you guys investigate Mika as well, while investigating me. Maybe you can find a clue or two about her.” He sounded calm and confident. He had the thought in his mind for a while now but he did not want to tell it to Donovan and his men. After making sure he could trust Morgan, he spoke up to give a kind reminder. “You want to make the
Donovan bit his lips, his expression clearly showed his internal struggles. Kaze did not waste time and referred to Morgan. “Chief Bale, based on the recording, I think it’s enough to relieve them of their duties.” “Of course. The wrong interrogation method is against our rules. They would not only be relieved of their duties but also be investigated. They had nothing against you but they took the risk to cross the line. I believe they must have received bribes from whoever is behind them. “Once the investigation is complete, it will be a criminal offense.” Thump! After the last word came out of Morgan’s lips, Donovan fell on his knees immediately. He spoke with a righteous voice earlier, accusing Kaze of committing an atrocious crime. Now, he became the one who would be punished and charged. “Mr. Lee, it’s Aiden! Aiden Krad! He gave us ten million and told us to make you call the mayor. He wanted to use his power to get you out of here…” Donovan then spilled everything
Kaze looked at the entrance. The man was probably in his 50s, tall and upright, striding and exuding a sense of commanding presence. His expression looked stern, his eyes fierce, expressing his authority and superiority. Morgan was slightly surprised before he went over to the man. He bowed and said respectfully, “Mr. Frost! You’re here?” Upon hearing Morgan call the man, Kaze knew the man’s identity. Wallace Frost, like Mitchell, was one of the two deputy governors. Unlike Neegan and Michell, who were not locals and were simply transferred to their positions, Wallace had been serving South River State for many years and earned himself a high reputation. More importantly, as his name suggested, he was from the Frost family. However, his family was from a distant branch and had rooted themselves in Riverbank rather than Butterworth, though he was still in contact with the main family in Butterworth. In other words, if Snow was around, she would have to call the man unc
“Kaze can pull the punches for sure. I mean, he has the Butterworth branch chief’s trust for a reason. “There has to be something for him to win the branch chief’s approval.” Edmund doubted there was depth to Kaze. After all, Edmund decided whether to take on a person based on their abilities. It made no sense to pay attention to losers, as he would hold them in contempt. Edmund had been impressed with Herman, who excelled in strategies and management. That was why Edmund bumped Herman up and made sure he stayed on top. “Got it.” Herman nodded and had one foot out the door. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. There’s one more thing.” Edmund pointed at the table. Herman approached and stood on bent knees. Pleased with Herman’s submission, Edmund passed him a wine glass. Herman took the drink humbly before looking carefully at Edmund, awaiting his orders. “The wine was just airlifted from abroad. I can vouch for the taste. If you’re looking to sip on the finest, yo
Time went by, and a towering man in a suit showed up outside the door. Picking up on the noise inside the room, he knocked on the door. It was hard to tell whether the person inside could hear the knocking, so the man waited outside. The door was opened, and a woman, her face flawless with makeup, popped her head out and saw him. She cocked her head back at Edmund. “You have a guest, Mr. Witterson.” “Let him in,” Edmund instructed. He then leaned in to take the drink from the girl next to him with his mouth. The other girls cheered him on. The group was lost in their fun. The man, who entered the room, stood by the sofa respectfully. He kept his head down, his gaze staying low at the bottles of alcohol spread across the table. It was a bit of a wait before the man approached at Edmund’s order. “Tell me about Dwight.”While listening to the girls’ singing, Edmund turned to Herman. Herman rushed over as soon as Edmund called. He won a lot of money at poker toda
In this particular circumstance, Morris had to play it safe so that things would not get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the mess. At least, he finally saw the Wittersons’ true colors. Morris’ friendly advice was met with disrespect and insult. However, the Wittersons were a force of nature, and Morris was not about to take them head-on. Despite his frustration, Morris had to walk away. Well, Edmund would soon face his downfall at the height of his power, and Morris would be there to enjoy the ride. Still, it did not sit well with Morris to have a young fella walk all over him. It had crossed his mind to keep the Wittersons in check, but there was only so much he could do. Morris had to be the one to back away as the Wittersons grew haughty. Morris believed there was more to Kaze’s visit to Westeros. Nothing major happened in Westeros recently. At least, there was nothing worth the other branch’s attention. However, a representative of the
Morris suggested entertaining Kaze well. Things would not be good for the branch if Kaze got dirt on them. That was where Edmund disagreed with Morris. His idea was to send someone to sound Kaze out. Edmund was smug because Morris’ decision was wrong. “You shouldn’t do that. Kaze is here on behalf of the Butterworth branch. You don’t want tension between both branches.” Morris looked at things from a wider perspective. Edmund believed Kaze was just a doormat of little importance. “You just overthink things, and it’s not good for your age. You’re getting senile.” Edmund did not take Morris’ advice seriously. He believed he was right. “You’re not getting it. Kaze is from Butterworth. Even if he doesn’t hold a high position there, we were in the wrong. We did not keep our tracks clean either. “Now that he’s back, I’m worried that he’ll cause us harm.” Morris was only giving a heads-up because the whole branch was at stake. Edmund was young. Due to his lack of judgmen
“We should be generous to our guest from Butterworth. You can arrange as you see fit. Please don’t house him in a messy home. Hire cleaners to tidy up the place. “You can report back to me if you need more money, but it’s not a reason for you to misuse the funds.” Herman wanted to hang up. The money was now in Dwight’s bank account, so he was washing his hands off the matter. The plan was to keep Kaze happy. He was just an insignificant member of the Butterworth branch anyway. The whole thing would blow over soon enough, so long as Kaze kept to himself without taking things too far. Herman would figure out a way to get him out quickly anyway. Maybe Herman and his friends did not have to do anything to get rid of Kaze. “Got it. I’ll be a good host, Herman. I won’t let you down. I’ll keep you in the loop.” Dwight was over the moon to get the notification about the money transfer. “Just play by ear and arrange what you see best.” Herman hung up and continued playing pok
“It’s becoming a hassle now. Are you going to inform the Viper’s Den about the change of accommodation?” After much hesitation, Kaze nodded to take up the offer. Dwight was thrilled. It only hit Dwight that he had to communicate with the Viper’s Den. Kaze was booked for a hotel stay, and Dwight’s job was to take him to the destination. Yet now, Dwight took him to his home. “I’ll tell my superior and see what he has to say.” Dwight was not sure whether the change was appropriate. Nevertheless, he did not want to pass up on a great opportunity. He simply grabbed the bull by the horn. If Kaze stayed at his place, the Viper’s Den members had to respect Kaze’s request even if they had a problem with it. “But when they ask, you can say that you’re getting along well with me. Living together just makes work more convenient.” Feeling unsettled, Dwight tried to get their stories straight with Kaze. Hopefully, the Viper’s Den would not come after them. “Aren’t we friends? I k
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