Joan, a Quint member in Riverbank, walked in the front. She glared at Rhys and yelled, “Bastard! Didn’t you say that you were in Westeros attending some film festival? Why are you still in Riverbank?” Rhys looked at his girlfriend, who put him on a tight leash lately, and said awkwardly, “Well, the film festival is over. I arrived home early. I just got back.” He and Joan had been dating for six months. They were not serious, though. There were a lot more women for Rhys to explore in the world. He did not want to be held down by a ball and chain. However, his father, Boris, felt that it was time for Rhys to get married and have kids. Since Joan came from a prestigious family, Rhys got together with her. Joan had always been the one to act submissive in his presence. She would turn a blind eye to his romantic pursuits and even cover for him. Rhys understood well that Joan would be marrying up. However, Joan had been getting full of herself lately. It was not her fi
Sasha looked like a princess in the gown, and Joan’s jealousy drove her to start something. Caught in the act by his girlfriend, Rhys felt anxious. Since Joan put the blame on Sasha, Rhys said happily, “You’re right, Joan. The bitch seduced me. She wants to be a star through me. “She even talked about signing a contract with me at a hotel. She invited me to do whatever I wanted. “I know I can be a playboy, but since dating you, I have been saving myself for you. The bitch doesn’t fool me. “When she wouldn’t leave me alone, I got angry and attacked her.” Rhys turned the whole thing against Sasha. “You’re lying!“That’s not true!” Sasha wailed in fury. She would rather take a beating than be labeled the slut who stole someone’s boyfriend. “How dare you talk smack!” Livid, Joan pushed Sasha to the ground and stomped her heels on Sasha. Sasha cried out in pain. “You go, Joan!” “How dare she steal your boyfriend. We should take off her clothes and ruin her.” “Th
The helpless and despair look on Sasha’s face tugged on the crowd’s heartstrings. However, Rhys and Joan would not stop roughing her out. They were likely rich and powerful. No one had the guts to step forward and stop them. As the crowd built, Joan got a bit heavy-handed. She gritted her teeth and yelled, “Strip her! Take the dress off her!“Shame her, and she will think twice before hitting on someone else’s man.” Joan got a kick out of destroying something so beautiful. “Sasha…” Kaze elbowed through the crowd after his phone call and saw Sasha lying on the ground in despair. He grimaced hard. It never occurred to him that Sasha would endure such humiliation in the span of a phone call. A group of men and women abused her in broad daylight. The crowd watched on, some even criticizing as if things were not bad enough. Kaze was enraged. “Stop!” His angry voice silenced the crowd. Joan was stunned. She released her grip on Sasha’s hair and cocked her head ba
Joan shuddered and backed away. She said with a dreadful look, “What do you want, Kaze?” “Smack!” Kaze slapped Joan before removing his jacket to shield Sasha’s bruises. He picked her up and walked out of the store. It was not over yet. Rhys and Joan would pay heavily for what they had done. However, Sasha had gone through a lot today, so Kaze needed to take her away. Sasha needed the hospital now. As Kaze whisked Sasha away, Joan held her cheek and shouted furiously, “You’re a bastard, Kaze! How dare you hit me and my boyfriend! I’m telling on you!” Joan sure did not know when to stop. She got close to Kaze and spread her arms, preventing him from leaving. “Crack!” Keeping a blank face, Kaze fractured her arm and flung her aside. He even stomped on her scowling face. As Joan shrieked, Kaze carried Sasha out of there. The scared crowd parted to give way to Kaze and Sasha. Kaze brought Sasha into the car. “Kaze…” Sasha was placed in the front passenger sea
Conan could sense the calm before the storm over the phone. He stopped joking around and said solemnly, “Of course.” It did not take Conan and Collier long to get to Kaze. Collier took out a stack of Rhys’ photos and said, “I know this guy. He’s Rhys Road, the only son of Boris, Riverbank’s underground kingpin. “His father bankrolled him to start a business in entertainment. He doesn’t get involved in the company operations, but he loves scouting talents to trick women. He’s worse than the man I was.” At least, Collier was aware of the type of man he used to be. Still, Kaze was not amused. Collier kept it strictly business and said somberly, “He often hangs around schools and around the mall to scout beautiful women. He has slept with many women, promising them the world.“He would be forceful with those who didn’t fall for his scheme. He would isolate them or drag them to somewhere secluded and take compromising videos of them. “Dozens of women fell victim to him over t
Besides, the execution hall enforced the law within the Viper’s Den, putting the division in a superior position within the Viper’s Den West State Branch. The division had the power to decide whether the Viper’s Den member would live or die. The leader of the execution hall, Robin, would oversee the South River State Branch’s new branch chief and branch deputy. Hannah and Collier could not afford to let their guard down. They braced themselves to meet the man. “Marcus? Robin?” Kaze said indifferently, “I keep note of these names. The South River State Branch can’t do anything to the pair, but I am the branch leader.” “You have the power to stop them!” Collier said. Yet, Collier remained hesitant. It was true that Kaze was the Viper’s Den West State Branch leader. The Nether Viper Sword proved it. However, Kaze never officially took office. In other words, the position of the branch leader remained vacant. Collier could not understand Kaze’s delay in declaring his
The sneers and gloating looks made Darcy’s family’s hearts sink. Hector got a call half an hour ago and learned that Phoenix had walked free after Kaze called the cops on her. Phoenix wanted Darcy’s family to come to the hospital. Hector thought that Phoenix had fallen ill. Without another word, Hector took Agnes to the hospital. Darcy and Sky had to make time out of their work and school to be there for Phoenix too. The family forgot to bring Kaze along by choice. There was no telling whether Phoenix was ill or angry with Kaze. The last thing they would do was bring Kaze along to make things worse. Outside the ward, Darcy’s family learned through the chatter that Joan, instead of Phoenix, was admitted. Joan’s hospital admission seemed to garner a lot of attention from Phoenix. Oblivious to the situation, Darcy’s family was in a daze. “Has Hector’s family arrived? Tell them to get in here!” Before Darcy’s family could get to the bottom of the matter, Phoenix’s a
“But Kaze doesn’t learn from his mistakes. He acts like he’s all that!“He broke my arm and stomped on my face, saying that I couldn’t be prettier than his wife. “I can accept the injuries on my face, Madam Quint. “But Kaze is disrespecting the family and you!“Please stand up for me, Madam Quint. Sob, sob…” Joan wailed. Her piercing bawling sparked the other family members to back her up. Phoenix was outraged. Hector, Agnes, Darcy, and Sky turned pale. They did not expect Kaze to assault Joan. Kaze went hard on her too. Most importantly, Joan’s boyfriend was the only son of Boris, one of Riverbank’s four underground kingpins, and the boyfriend seemed to be in a worse state. “Kaze brings us nothing but trouble!” Agnes scowled and hissed through clenched teeth, “I knew he shouldn’t be with Darcy. I knew he’d be the death of us.” Old habits sure died hard. Agnes had dropped the attitude after the slapping incident, but she was back to her overbearing self again.
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