Feeling the serene and meditative atmosphere in the small court, the anxiety and alarm in Snow faded a lot. The small side court should be a temporary lodging spot for the worshipers when they came to pay respect and it lacked the liveliness and crowd. When Snow was young, she used to accompany her mother to visit different churches and temples. This particular small court was something that her mother would prefer. Could her mother really be here? Creek! The wooden door in front of her opened up. Out came a woman whose hair was tied up high and dressed in black and red traditional Ryokanian wear. She wore a pair of clogs and had a sheathed katana in her hands. When she came over to Snow, she put her hands before her waist and bowed at Snow. “Pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Frost. I am Ali Uehara.” A Ryokanian? Snow frowned. She looked past the woman and realized the wooden door had been shut silently. Her expression shifted but she did not react recklessly. She
Snow breathed a sigh of relief at Ali’s words. She feared that after losing his dignity by collaborating with the Ryokanians, Jet might go so far as to harm her mother. On second thought, Jet’s actions made sense. Snow was in Riverbank, yet Jet could work with the Ryokanians to make an attempt on her life, even making it secretive. However, her mother was still with the Frost family and if anything happened to her, Jet, who had gained power over the entire family, would be the main suspect. At least for now, even with Jet’s influence, he could not simply and openly target an important figure of the family. With that in mind, Snow said, “Thank you for the good news. How about the second question?” “Ms. Frost, you are as curious as a kitten.” Ali chuckled once more and explained, “Let me introduce myself again. I serve the Hara family as a counselor, a servant to Reiko.” Snow was shocked by the revelation. Kaze was wrong this time. After losing a bunch of elite memb
“You should also be aware that Senji and his men, all the elite members of the Refined Blade Clan, were wiped out while trying to save Anzu. “If you want her back, no matter what you do or how many men you send, the odds are slim. So, I can act as a hostage and let you exchange me for her.” Snow made her proposal calmly and firmly. She had been collecting information from the conversation with Ali, hoping to find her value in all this. Now that she finally saw a chance to save herself, she quickly grasped onto it. Snow was confident that, to Kaze, her value outweighed Anzu’s. If the Ryokanians proposed to exchange hostages, Kaze would agree to it without a second thought. However, Ali laughed at Snow’s proposal. “I have to admit that you are a smart one, knowing how to collect information to your advantage, but I am afraid that your proposal won’t work. “We lure you here because we want to divert attention from Bronze Sparrow, so we can send more men to rescue Anzu. A
“Shrill!” Ali drew out her sword, the sound of metal on metal ringing. She said, “You sure think highly of yourself, Ms. Frost. “Chief Commander Krad takes a fancy to you, but do you think he’d cut ties with us over a dead woman?“Trust me. He wouldn’t. “He may be fond of you, but he will always choose himself over anything else. He knows how best to maximize his gains. “All he has is infatuation, but do you think he’d do anything for you? “If he really cares about you, he won’t send his brother to sort his affairs while he focuses on his career. “Once you’re gone, our fair lady will set him up with Ms. Okita. “Chief Commander Krad will know that Ms. Okita is perfect for him.” Snow burst out laughing. “I get it. Ms. Hara must know that due to her ties with other men, she doesn’t deserve Aaron. “But your people want to form an alliance with Aaron through marriage. “I stand in your way, so you want me out. “But don’t you find it funny?“I’m sure there will only b
“What are you trying to do?” Snow had a bad feeling. Ali slipped her right hand into her sleeve and pulled out a tiny glass bottle. Snow focused on the bottle, which housed several pale red pills. Ali said with intrigue, “What I have here is a popular drug in Ryokan in recent years. “It’s known as a Woman’s Moan.“It’s said that even the least receptive woman to men would thirst for them within three minutes of taking three of these pills. “I’ll let Mr. Krad in once you have taken these pills.” Snow, strong in will as she was, grimaced. It clicked in Snow the reason why Ali did not mind her buying time. Ali had other plans in mind. White in the face, Snow asked shakily, “Aiden is here too?” “Mr. Krad should be here any minute now. “He said it’d be a shame just to kill you. “Since you think little of the Krads, he wants to prove you wrong before you die. “Ms. Hara is happy to grant Mr. Krad’s wish. “We’ll make sure to capture the beautiful moment and leak
“Either way, you are an heiress of the Butterworth Frosts. Yet, Kaze didn’t even make a move on you despite you hanging around. “How does that make you feel?” Snow kept a straight face. She understood that Aiden was up to no good. Still, she was hurt. Sensing Snow’s dejection, Aiden smiled and said, “The Frosts are known for keeping their virtues. If my guess is right, you must be a virgin. “You have never experienced the joy of a woman. “Are you sure you want to die carrying the regret?“Let me show you a good time. Call it payback on Kaze before you die. “He didn’t appreciate you. “Right?” As Aiden chattered on, Ali looked at him in admiration. She understood Aiden’s plan. Instead of drugging Snow, Aiden attacked Snow psychologically to make her take off her clothes willingly. Talk about class. “Come on. Go crazy for once. At least it makes your time on earth worthwhile.” Aiden approached Snow with pace, his tone seductive. He smirked in delight upon ca
Aiden recognized Draig due to his recent stunt on the internet. Plus, Draig was the son of a famous martial artist in Uleania. Not caring who Aiden was, Draig put his finger up his nose and said angrily, “I don’t care who you are.“You have one minute to release Ms. Frost unless you want to die.” Draig’s arrogance threw Aiden off from doing things civilly. Aiden grimaced. “Ha. You sure think highly of yourself.” Aiden sneered. “You come from Uleania. You have some nerve to talk smack. Are you looking down on my family, the Westeros Krads?” “The Westeros Krads?” Draig was horrified. He was aware of the family. Still, Draig took a step forward and said coldly, “I don’t care about your family. Snow is my woman. “Hurt her, and I’ll kill you.“Trust me. I will follow through.” Draig’s powerful presence gave Aiden the chills. It dawned on Aiden that he was no match for Draig. Taking a step back, he smirked at Ali. “Ms. Uehara, your people want Snow’s life. “But you h
“Swoosh!”The blade slashed Draig’s back, tearing his suit apart and ripping into his flesh. Draig’s back was a bloody mess. The stench of blood filled the air as Draig made a mad dash. “Argh!” While Draig was strong, he lived a life of privilege to experience such pain. Draig let out a scream and dropped to the ground with a loud thud. “Gash!” With a ruthless face, Ali followed up with a stab in his leg, pinning him to the floor. “Ugh! How dare you! I’m going to kill you!” Draig shrieked shrilly, his expression menacing. He looked more vulnerable than threatening, though. “Bam!” Aiden, who was wary of Draig, took the opportunity to kick him in the face. “Shut up! “You are no longer in control, so drop the attitude.“You’re the son of a famous martial artist. Yet, you don’t know your place. “Do you think we are in Uleania?” Aiden got down on one knee and smacked Draig’s cheek humiliatingly. He said with an amused look, “So Snow is your woman, Mr. Tenby?
“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
“Worried about the mercenaries? I’ve taken all of them out and anyone with a sane mind would know by now not to come after me. Why would they make the same mistake again?” Kaze killed all the mercenaries. There was no one else the mastermind could send after him anymore. Even if there were, they would have to reconsider it after what had happened. Taking out the mercenaries in silence was a strong showcase of his strength. Once the mastermind found out, he or she would definitely stay away. Besides, Kaze had decided to continue his journey to Westeros without telling anyone. He could board a random flight to his destination, and no one would ever know. “Take me to the airport,” Kaze said to the driver. He and Snow were in the rear seat. “When you go back to Butterworth, don’t rush things. Now that Katie has made a mistake and is forced to step down, you can take over Northborn Group,” Kaze said. “Speaking of Katie, after I locked her up, her daughter, Leah, came to me
Miguel stated his strength so that Kaze and Snow would look at him differently. “That doesn’t mean we have to choose you.” Snow saw nothing stellar in him. Snow’s harsh words surprised Miguel and left him deeply displeased. Yet when he looked at Kaze, he dared not say a word. “I can work hard. Even if I am not qualified now, I can work toward that goal.” “Of course, you are not qualified now. You need to improve yourself to meet the basic requirements. Then we’ll talk about you joining us.” Snow just wanted to get this matter over and done with, so she handed Miguel her name card. “When you think you are qualified, you can give me a call.” Since she would eventually take over the largest force in Butterworth, she needed to build a team of her own—one she could truly trust. Miguel might just be an ordinary man who looked fierce but he was courageous and had the potential to be better. “Can I follow him instead?” Miguel took the name card and learned Snow’s name. He
“You did well,” Kaze praised Miguel. It was not easy for someone to fire a gun and take a life, even when he had basic training. Though without the proper technique and training, the shot was nothing stellar. “Really?” Miguel was thrilled by the praise. He might be tall and fit and have arms full of tattoos, but he had never gotten into a fight before. He was happy that someone he admired praised him. It made his day even more than escaping alive. Kaze wanted to continue but the cars had arrived. He walked forward and revealed himself in front of the headlights. The hostages were scared. They stepped back, some of them entered the hangar once more and tried to shut the door. Miguel stood in their way and stopped them from closing it up. “What are you doing? Kaze is still here and help has arrived. Stop hiding,” he said. He detested their selfish behavior. Kaze saved them but they did not even thank him. They even continued to suspect Kaze’s identity. Their be
“How dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punished…” Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. “Given Mr. Lee’s capabilities, he won’t be hurt.” The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. “I know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.” Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. “But there’s nothing you can do now. It’s late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They won’t do anything yet.” “It’s because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. That’s the only way to solve this matter!” “But we’ve searched high and low and didn’t find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didn’t see any tracks.” The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. “Good job.” “Thanks.” Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. “I’ll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you won’t be charged and you won’t need to take responsibility,” Kaze said. Miguel’s pale face looked relieved. “What should we do now? Are there more of them?” Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. “I’ve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.” He then took the gun from Miguel’s hands. “Really? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!” Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. “Don’t look if you can’t take it! Don’t make things worse!” “Yeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!” “I have never seen dead bodies like this before!” he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. “Can we go out now and run away?” The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. “If you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, you’ll be shot!” Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening