“Kaze, Siberian is on his way to you. After what you’ve done to Anzu, he’s coming after your life.” South’s voice came through the phone once Kaze answered the call. “Kaze, please know that this is your personal conflict with Siberian and has nothing to do with me, or the Steelclaw Guild.” Kaze chuckled. “Siberian wants to avenge Anzu? He’s a cold-blooded killer. Since when does he have a conscience? Are you sure it’s not because of something else?” “It’s really personal this time. I just found out that Anzu is actually Siberian’s sister, like a true sister. Anzu was sent to Ryokan and learned under their grandmaster, so she would eventually be a Ryokanian. “Siberian has always hoped for his sister to help his family regain its former glory. Yet her first mission in Arcadia was to kill you, and you caught her, almost killing her. “God knows how much Siberian hate you now. Though I am sure Siberian will only come after you and not your men or the people around you. He’s that e
“How dare you break Rhys’ legs! You’re dead!” “I heard you are a live-in husband with a beautiful wife. Too bad. Your wife is going to be a widow after today.” “Maybe we can help her with that, let her have some fun while you are gone.” “Hahaha…” Rhys’ followers went up to Kaze and Collier, surrounding and mocking them. They were furious, seemingly ready to avenge Rhys, but no one took action other than spewing empty threats. Kaze raised his brows, looking scornful. They were trying to provoke him to attack them, but the fools got the wrong person. Kaze was not someone who could be easily angered. Collier noticed the people were closing in on them and might jump on them at any time. He bellowed, “Rhys Road, stop this nonsense at once. Chief Robin Hill is inside River Watcher Inn and he’s meeting with Kaze!” When Robin’s name was mentioned, the people around them froze and helpless twitches could be seen on their faces. Their anger subsided a little. Even Rhys calm
The second group of people had accents from all over the place, seemingly tourists who came to Riverbank for vacation. When they arrived, Rhys raised his voice and cried louder. “Kaze Lee is trying to kill me! It hurts! He thinks he’s beyond the law, he thinks he’s stronger than Chief Hill! What did I do to you…” Rhys lived up to his reputation as the owner of an agency for actors and actresses. While he cried, he painted himself with blood, adding to his already messy appearance. “Rhys Road, you are shameless!” As more and more people gathered, Collier got anxious. He stepped forward and bellowed, “You’re accusing Kaze! You think Chief Hill doesn’t know that?” “Mhmm. Interesting.” Kaze looked at Rhys covered in blood, his nose still bleeding. The gaze from his eyes turned icy cold as he stared at the idiot. “Who is this punk? Why is he causing a scene here?” “Doesn’t he know Chief Hill is here at River Watcher Inn? How dare he! He’s even trying to kill someone?!”
The middle-aged woman was beautiful and shared a resemblance with Rhys. Her expression darkened, her eyes filled with anxiety. She was Naomi Road, Boris’ wife who was ten-plus years younger than him and Rhys’ mother. Kaze scanned the surroundings but did not see Boris anywhere. Naomi strode into the crowd and saw Rhys on the ground, covered in his own blood, and Kaze, who stood nonchalantly as if he was not part of the situation. Her face further darkened. “Rhys, what happened? Why is your head bleeding again? What happened to your nose?!” She turned to the crowd and shouted, “Who hit my son? Who did it!?” “Mother, help me…” Rhys cried even louder in his mother’s presence, saying, “It’s him! It’s Kaze Lee! He found out that we asked Chief Hill for help and he knew he’d be punished soon, so he got anxious and slapped me! “I fell and hit my head on the pavement. He then stomped on my face too! He disrespected our family and Chief Hill altogether! “He even said no on
“He thinks he’s above the law! He’s arrogant!” “He really thinks with the mayor behind his back, he can do whatever he wants in Riverbank? Not even the mayor himself is this arrogant and reckless!” “I thought he was here to apologize to the Road family but he’s here to provoke all of us!” “If I’m Chief Hill, I would slap the shit out of him!” Listening to his followers and his family members criticizing Kaze indignantly, a grin appeared on Rhys’ face. From the moment Kaze hit him at the mall, he decided to ruin Kaze’s life. Kaze’s death would only be the start. Sasha, Darcy, and every beautiful woman around Kaze would eventually be his sex slaves! Kaze did not argue with them, he even stopped Collier from standing up for him. These people were determined to pin the blame on him, explanations would mean nothing; especially foolish toward these people who were hellbent to see him dead. They knew better than Kaze what he actually did. Kaze simply smiled and watched t
At this moment, Collier had no choice but to use the Viper’s Den authority to deter the raging crowd. “Deputy Chief Ettinger, you better not use that on us.” Naomi scoffed, “Open your eyes and see the one who’s disrespecting the Viper’s Den—it’s Kaze Lee! He knows the chief of the Execution Hall is in River Watcher Inn but he tried to murder my son openly! Does he show any respect for the organization? “It’s amusing that you are still protecting this man here! I think you are the one who has forgotten your identity and what you should be doing!” Naomi had been arguing with people since she was young and she was not afraid of Collier and his so-called authority. As she spoke sharply and relentlessly, she accused Collier of his negligence of duty and did not hold back at all. Even Collier found it difficult to counter her. He said coldly, “Mrs. Road, I question your choice of words. The accuser knows better than the accused about what is going on. “You accused Kaze right in
“Rhys, are you still putting this on Kaze?” With Rhys backing down, Collier seized the opportunity to put him down. “Smack!” Naomi stood in defense of her son and slapped Collier in the face. Caught off guard, Collier took the hit. Her long nails left a bloody trail across Collier’s cheek. Naomi’s attack came out of nowhere, proving Collier’s point. Rhys was indeed trying to set Kaze up. However, most of those present were on good terms with the Roads while others simply loved the drama without being in the line of fire. “Cut the crap, Collier!” Naomi narrowed her eyes dangerously and sternly argued, “Kaze assaulted my son and tried to silence him. Everybody can bear witness to the incident. “He broke my son’s limbs. “You’re supposed to be the deputy chief of the South River State Branch. Yet, you defend the maniac. I suspect that he bribed you.“Just stop talking! You’re just embarrassing your family and the South River State Branch! “It’s evident that Kaze
Rhys lay limp on the floor, his face forever frozen in disbelief.The crowd was stunned, feeling chills down their spines. One minute ago, Rhys was alive and kicking. However, Kaze took his life with just one squeeze. Kaze’s aggression and hostility when ending Rhys scared them. “Ah! My son!” Reality sunk in after a brief pause. Naomi plunged toward her son’s body with a pale face. Despite shaking Rhys, Naomi shuddered to find that he was no more. She fell on her bottom. It was every parent’s worst nightmare. Besides, she was there to witness the death of her son. The feeling could drive her over the edge. Moments later, Naomi lifted her head, bloody tears running down her eyes. She yelled at Kaze hysterically, “You did this, Kaze! You did this!“Kill him! Kill the jerk!“I want his life for taking my son’s!” Losing her head, Naomi commanded the Roads’ musclemen. The crowd backed away so as not to be caught in the line of fire. “Kill him!” The Roads’ secu
Dwight approached with a smile. He looked at Edmund earnestly. “I am Dwight McCorney. I have heard good things about you. I finally got to meet the man of the hour. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Witterson.” Dwight was starstruck. Edmund was embarrassed by Dwight’s behavior. He could not believe that Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. Nevertheless, Dwight seemed genuine in expressing his thrill. Edmund became curious about him. He turned around to look at Kaze, who was the polar opposite of Dwight. Kaze stood there, holding his ground. He stood up to greet Edmund and nothing else. He appeared to be refined, unlike Dwight, who was brash. Dwight had no idea that his behavior had upset Edmund. Edmund looked at Dwight in disdain. However, Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. It was best for Edmund to keep his comments to himself. Without a word, Edmund stared at the pair. Ryan stepped in to smooth things over. “What are you doing? We have a guest here.
Since Kaze would not change these people’s minds, he was better off doing what he wanted to do. “This vase must be valuable. I got to give it to Mr. Witterson. A display in the living room is worth so much.” Dwight had never seen so much luxury in one room. He had been to the museum, but the displays were nothing like he had ever seen before. The rich had the means to splurge. “Do you think this is pure gold?” Dwight turned to a gold statue. The design was to die for. The purity of color made it hard to doubt its authenticity. “I’m not too sure, but I guess most of the ornaments here are real.”Kaze watched as Dwight gasped in awe. Nevertheless, his behavior would clear any suspicion on Kaze. It could be a good thing. “I knew Mr. Witterson was rich. His businesses are doing well. “But I didn’t expect this sort of lifestyle. The gold must be worth a million dollars. “If I were this wealthy, I would not spend it on decoration.” Dwight rambled on, his eyes stuck t
“I’m not familiar with the area. We’ll have to look around,” Dwight said behind the wheel. He looked for restaurants while driving. It was early, and many restaurants were not open for business. They circled the block and finally uncovered a small breakfast bar. They ordered some food, filled their bellies, and got back into the car. “Mr. Witterson said that he wouldn’t meet you. Why does he want to see you now?” Dwight was curious. Something must have happened last night. Otherwise, Edmund would not suddenly grant an audience to Kaze. “I don’t know. I had some drinks last night, and now he probably made time.” Kaze felt better after breakfast. He did not think much of the situation. Things would carry on as planned regardless of what the Wittersons or the Siegfrieds had to say.This was exactly what Kaze hoped for. Dwight remained in the dark. He drove to the city’s most exclusive area for the rich. It was all greenery in this part of town. The road was wider, an
After a brief hesitation, Kaze followed Rosie. The room turned out to be Rosie’s. Though not a big room, it was crammed with all kinds of junk. The place looked cluttered. Rosie approached the vanity table and grabbed the comb to comb her hair. She turned to look at Kaze. “You said a lot of stuff last night. Do you remember any of it?” Rosie spoke like they had been friends for years. It was just small talk. “What did I say? I don’t really remember. You made a lovely drink, but man, it really kicked in.” Kaze put a cigarette to his lips, but he did not light it. Instead, he spotted a chair to sit down on. “Well, it’s pointless to talk about it if you can’t remember.” Rosie was pleased to hear that. At least, Kaze had no idea that she had gotten him drunk. “Don’t leave me hanging.” Kaze looked peeved. “Are you off the clock?” Kaze asked. “Yes. I work odd hours. It’s time for me to sleep now.” Rosie stared at Kaze. “I shouldn’t keep you from resting.”
“Can you give me something for the pain?” Clemont had a low tolerance for pain. Standing on the stairway, Morris heard his voice and sighed. Clemont could do no good in his eyes. “Keep an eye on him. He’s not allowed to leave the house for the time being.” Morris believed the incident was more than meets the eye. Yet, Clemont was tricked into going to Absolute Zero and starting shit. There was no telling whether the Wittersons or someone else was behind it. Morris let out a sigh and returned to the study. He sent the butler to the storage room to fetch a few valuable antiques. These items were collected years ago, and they cost a fortune. Morris’ intention was to be on good terms with the Wittersons. There was no need to be at war with them. He had to do it for the interest of the Viper’s Den and his family. Morris was all about looking at the bigger picture. Otherwise, he would not have put up with all the bullshit before. Edmund would not let him off the ho
“Are you trying to kill your son?” Clara intervened. “You’re ruining him by spoiling him. If you want things to continue as they were, you can kiss him goodbye forever,” Morris said. Clara was lost for words. She knew better, but she just could not stop herself. Clemont had her heart. Clara could not stand to see him hurt. She was distressed. However, she knew that Morris would not get over the matter without beating Clemont up. She had to step in. “Hit him!” Morris was too old to do anything laborious. However, the kid would not go anywhere in life without a good beating. Despite starting trouble, he sure was arrogant to admit that he was wrong. “I see the errors of my ways.” Clemont apologized in time to avoid the punishment. He managed to escape all repercussions by doing so. Plus, his mother would plead on his behalf. The whole thing would usually get brushed aside. Though it was more serious in this instance, Clemont still believed that Morris would not hur
Morris was in his study, wiping a plaque of commandments that was covered in dust. Due to his commitment to the Viper’s Den, he had neglected his family for years and left his son in his wife’s care. Morris regretted doing so. Unaware of the impending danger, Clemont enjoyed drinks with his friends. They were having fun, playing drinking games. Losing the game, Clemont downed a glass of liquor. Things could get far and exciting in a game. It was then that the door swung open. Clemont’s driver entered the room. “Young Master Siegfried, the master is waiting for you at home,” the driver said, noting the complexity of the situation. The only thing on his mind was to take Clemont away. Tipsy from the drinks, Clemont waved his arm. “Let him wait. What’s the rush to get home?” Clemont’s friends were shocked. Nothing scared Clemont like his father. However, Clemont toughened up for once. “Young Master Siegfried, why don’t you call it a night?” “Yeah. I’m sur
“What’s that supposed to mean? When have I ever made a mistake?” Morris heard nothing of that sort. It could only mean that his people had done nothing wrong. However, Edmund could not possibly get aggressive on the phone. Something must have happened, and he simply had no idea. Morris felt unsettled like something big was about to happen. “You seem to be lax when managing your people. You don’t seem to know what goes on around your house.“Is your age getting to you? Is that why you can’t handle most of the work? If you can’t get your own house in order, how will you ever manage the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Edmund called to say his piece. It was his way to make Morris step down. Though it was likely that Morris would resign, Edmund could at least make things unpleasant for him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Morris was completely in the dark, but Edmund must hold some secret to act so cocky. Despite his troubled feelings, Morris kept his cool and calmly aske
Since it was a rare opportunity, Edmund had to settle the score with them properly. He knew opportunities like this were hard to come by so he had to seize them well. “I understand. I will take care of the guest,” Rosie said. She was glad that her information was useful to her boss. After Edmund hung up the phone, Rosie then looked at the unconscious Kaze. “You are indeed more useful than I thought. Hardly anyone has ever managed to impress Edmund.” She did not feel sorry for Kaze, believing that everything happened as it was meant to. She knew that to climb higher, she had to please her superior. With the Wittersons on the rise, now was the perfect time for her to pledge her loyalty to Edmund. When the Wittersons truly took over the Westeros Branch, she would become one of the most powerful people in the city, second only to them. She was looking forward to that day. Since Kaze was fast asleep and no arrangements could be made, Rosie went out to call her men and