Due to the busy environment at the national kitchen, the chefs rarely had any time or opportunity to develop new dishes. Their focus was to get better at what they were already doing. Most of the time, creativity was not necessary. However, when Master Fuller retired, he started to enjoy life to make up for the time lost. It also allowed him to add more flavors to his current cooking as his vision broadened. He tended to his vegetables in the backyard during the day. After a day's work, he cooked something nice for himself, enjoying the fruits of his labor with a grateful heart. Whenever he cooked, he would think of the hard work behind caring for the ingredients. With a grateful heart, his food carried gratitude and appreciation for the gifts of nature. Kaze had a piece of vegetable and it was indeed fresh. “Nice. This feels extremely fresh.” He did not have much thought about it as he was here just to eat. Master Fuller prepared the simplest dish that every family wou
Leah was scared of the heat. She blew at the fish before taking a small bite. The tenderness of the fish surprised her. It was flawless. “It’s delicious!” The girl was amazed. “Eat more if it’s nice.” Master Fuller had seen his fair share of female customers pretending to be a lady while dining but ultimately finishing every dish he served. He was happy about it. “The ingredients are so fresh. Where did you get them?” Leah spent a lot of time at the hotel so she knew how the hotel kitchen kept their ingredients fresh. “Most of the vegetables are from my backyard. Our food is nice because the ingredients are fresh.” Master Fuller pointed at the backyard. Kaze was rather surprised that the ex-national chef had the time to plant his own vegetables. “How big is the backyard? Can it supply the entire restaurant?” “There are other farmers in the area where I buy from. All the vegetables I purchase are what the farmers eat, so fewer pesticides and artificial fertilizer a
Master Fuller chuckled helplessly. He then added a few more dishes for Kaze and Leah. “I’m too full. I can’t eat anymore.” Leah ate a lot. The restaurant looked plain and dull but the food it served was amazing. “If you like the food, do visit us again.” Reservation was mandatory to dine at Master Fuller’s place but he made an exception for Leah because of Kaze, trying to earn his favor. “I’m definitely coming back,” Leah said with a determined gaze. “Great. If you come often, it means my cooking skills are still up to standard.” Master Fuller glanced at Kaze as he spoke, trying to confirm the next meeting. “We will be here for a while. We are staying at the nearby hotel ten minutes away from here. We will certainly drop by more often,” Kaze said. Master Fuller nodded happily. “You guys still have space for dessert?” Dessert was made with sweet potato using the simplest method. Kaze and Leah were stuffed after the main course. Since the sweet potato was still
The woman frowned. There were no reservations left for the day as it was already late. However, after Kaze and Leah dined in, someone else knocked on the door. She looked at Master Fuller. Master Fuller looked at Kaze and then shook his head at her. She then headed outside and opened the door while the knocks echoed. “Hi, do you have a reservation?” she asked politely. “I don’t have a reservation, but I’m here to see Master Fuller.” After the meeting, Katie dragged her exhausted body back to the hotel, hoping to rest while overseeing the preparation for the birthday event. However, after having a simple dinner, she realized she should prepare something special, as her daughter's birthday banquet was a significant occasion. She quickly found out about a retired chef who used to serve government officials at the national kitchen and there was a small restaurant of his nearby. Even though the restaurant currently only served the wealthy, if one paid enough, the chef wo
Katie got angry. She already had a bad day for not being able to meet the guest at the penthouse. She was already embarrassed but due to that person’s identity, she was forced to endure the resentment and dared not voice her disagreement. Here, however, she did not need to hold back. Master Fuller was a member of the Viper’s Den but he used to be a normal agent, not someone extremely powerful. Katie was the CEO of Northborn Group. Her status and identity were far higher than Master Fuller’s, yet she was rejected by a mere waitress working at the restaurant. Master Fuller was simply being foolish. “I am the CEO of Northborn Group. Master Fuller is considered a subordinate to me. If I will it, you will go down with this entire place.” Katie thought that by revealing her identity, the waitress would be deterred and let her in. She quickly wore a smirk on her face and was ready to set foot in the establishment, but the woman refused to budge. “I’m sorry, we are not accept
Katie did not want to give up just yet. She lost her temper over her daughter’s matter but in order to prepare the perfect banquet, she had to get Master Fuller’s help. She knew how good Master Fuller was. The man used to be a chef at the national kitchen, serving high-ranking government officials, and also a member of the Viper’s Den, which explained his prestigious status. He always used his identity of the Viper’s Den to reject a certain job. However, being a great chef, the VIP customers he served fell in love with his food, which earned him more connections to many prominent figures. Therefore, making acquaintance with Master Fuller would also be making connections with his social network. Master Fuller retired from the national kitchen and settled down in Butterworth, and he was able to stay hidden in a small establishment because of his unusual dual identity. Most of the customers never knew his true identity. Katie knew because she was also backed by the Viper’s
“He was having a meal on the balcony earlier but the room is empty now.” Joey knew her boss’ temper, so she did her homework and provided every possible update she could get her hands on. At the same time, she also knew that her own value was impacted by this matter, and if she couldn't use it to appeal to her boss, she could easily be replaced. “So he’s not in the penthouse right now?” Katie asked, her tone doubtful. “Yes, Madam. The VIP is not in the penthouse. Only his personal belongings are inside but they are just clothes. I believe he’s a single man.” Joey knew exactly what answer would satisfy her boss, so she bribed the waiter who had delivered the room service earlier to get the information. Since she had no intention of leaking it to anyone other than her boss, the hotel staff would remain unaffected. “I see. Find out about his schedule. If there’s a chance, we’ll use it and orchestrate an encounter.” Katie refused to let this opportunity slip, especially after
“You might be able to fool others, but not me. When I arrived earlier today, I saw you bring a girl into the room,” Kody said. Since he already knew what Katie was planning, he was displeased by how he was treated. His family was indeed after Katie’s influence in the Viper’s Den but her actions were simply a disrespect toward the Leed family. Kody traveled all the way to Butterworth just to meet Leah, yet Katie sent her assistant to patronize him. On top of that, how could Katie simply send her assistant to handle the guests? It was inconsiderate and arrogant of her. “Mr. Leed, you might have been mistaken. Leah never came to the hotel today; she has been resting at home all day.” Joey believed as long as she denied it, Kody and the others could not do anything to her. “Stop fooling around and tell us what you want. We intended to proceed with the marriage but your attitude is simply disrespectful.” “Yeah. It’s too much.” The others echoed in agreement. However, som
“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