“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
The security team recoiled in screams and dropped their weapons. Before the musclemen knew it, Kaze raised his sword and inched closer. The blade flashed, its motion a blur.“Slash!” The menacing blade flickered across the throats of the musclemen. A dozen Roads’ fighters fell limp amid the high-pitched squawking. Blood spewed out of the thin slits of their throats. One dozen men breathed their last. The bodies on the floor scared the crowd stiff. No one expected Kaze to be so strong. Kaze was able to come on his own despite the siege. “Get him! Kill him!” Naomi had completely lost it. She yelled at the veteran bruisers, “Kill the asshole! Avenge my son!” The senior fighters were so eager to frame Kaze before. Now, they were scared stiff. Naomi’s order put them in the spot. While they hesitated and even released their grip on their weapons, Kaze struck. “Swoosh!” Kaze swung the sword at the senior fighters. The fighters collapsed to the ground, wailing
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
Snow could not believe her eyes. Katie suddenly went quiet and behaved like the CEO she was.However, Katie did not look like she was right in the mind earlier. “What’s going on? She seems to have gone insane.” Snow turned to the warden, still digesting the change. Katie had lost touch with reality before the Viper’s Den did anything to her. “How did this happen? She has been taking her meals. Just days earlier, she nagged about getting out because she was worried about her daughter. As usual, we didn’t respond to her requests.” The warden found the whole thing peculiar too. Just a few days ago, Katie demanded her release. Now, she kept to herself and abided by the rules. Out of the blue, Katie went nuts. Things had gotten complicated. Snow wanted to keep Katie behind bars due to her betrayal. However, Kaze decided against pursuing the matter for Leah’s sake. Katie would be let go soon enough, but she would lose her job at the Northborn Group. Katie’s presence woul
It was quiet in the office. Snow sorted the last bit of paperwork before picking her head up in exhaustion. Her initial plan was to delegate the tasks. However, Katie was controlling. Previously, she personally oversaw many matters. Snow could not distribute the responsibilities because the employees had no experience in handling them. They came to Snow for every tiny, little thing, and Snow really got her hands full. Despite her frustration, Snow could let things go as Katie was locked up. “I should pay her visit.” Snow decided to see Katie. Some things should not be left unsaid. Leah would be working for the Northborn Group soon, and the mother and daughter should meet to tie up loose ends. The truth would put Leah to shame, and her guilt would stop her from ever betraying Kaze. After a quick bite, Snow drove to the prison. Katie was furious when she was imprisoned. She was one step away from victory. She was so close to leaving Butterworth to head to Westeros
“Why do you want to sell the properties? Do you need money? Don’t you have some saved?” Joey had a good understanding of Leah’s finances since she ran all the paperwork. “My mother is being held, and I need money to ask favors. Maybe I can get her out.” Leah was not thinking much. Money could always be replaced, but not her mother’s freedom. “Don’t be silly. This is not the way to go.” Though Joey did not have the details, she observed that things were not as simple as Leah thought. Kaze was safe now, but the fact that Katie had betrayed Kaze and revealed his whereabouts remained unchanged. Katie had broken the Viper’s Den’s rules. Even if she got out, she would be a wreck. With Snow running the Northborn Group, Katie would remain a failure. Either way, Katie would not get away with it. Even if Leah offered all her assets, Katie’s situation would not change. It was a waste of money and resources for Leah to save her mother. Nothing would come out of it. “But I
“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