Jet called Aloysius. “Any update on Kaze Lee?” he asked, his tone anxious. He somehow realized he had missed some important details. Aloysius felt strange. His boss had noticed Kaze but there was no reason for him to be this anxious. “I told Waylan to keep an eye out for him but there’s no update until now. I believe there’s no news yet. Did something happen?” he asked. “Master Cold left the country last night,” Jet said. Aloysius gasped in shock. He knew his boss had done whatever he could to find out about the mastermind. His boss had even spent a fortune on the antique vase as a gift for Master Cold, yet all he received in return was a vague answer. Jet thought of visiting Master Cold again today but the man had left the country last night. Something felt off. A bigger problem might be looming ahead. “What? Why? Master Cold has always been healthy, why would he leave the country for medical reasons?” “He didn’t seem sick yesterday. I think he left the country
Waylan was simply curious and not because someone was trying to buy the information from him. “Don’t poke your nose into matters that you shouldn’t. I need you to find out whether Kaze Lee is at Northborn Hotel.” Aloysius sensed danger as well but he must take the matter into his own hands. Besides, as Jet’s assistant, he could not walk away. “I understand. But he’s not back yet. If you go now, you’ll have to wait for him,” Waylan said after tapping on his keyboard to pull up the hotel’s system information. “I got it.” Aloysius was displeased but he did not say anything. “Can we talk about my payment? I’ve been digging around for days and it’s not that appropriate if you guys don’t pay me,” Waylan asked, taking the chance to urge Aloysius. “Don’t worry. You will be rewarded.” Aloysius and Waylan had worked together for many times. Other than the loose mouth, Waylan was quite professional. Since Aloysius was a regular customer, Waylan usually did not charge him for sma
“Jet’s assistant, Aloysius, is waiting in the lobby. Mr. Lee, do you want to meet him? If not, I'll clear the place out,” Arthur asked. “We are going to meet one way or another. I just wonder who he thinks I am now?” Kaze had drawn too much attention at Leah’s party the other day, and that might have been when he first caught Jet’s eye. “If you don’t want to meet him, I can clear the place anytime and I can also make a move against Jet Frost.” Arthur did not want Kaze to be stuck at a crossroads. “No need to worry. I have to go take a look anyway.” Kaze smiled. What was meant to come would come; it was something he had anticipated all along. Jet had lost a lot of projects and money recently. Kaze wondered if the guy had learned his lesson. Otherwise, he could do it all over again and teach Jet another valuable lesson. “Should we do something?” Arthur asked out of concern. “It’s okay.” Kaze was not afraid of Aloysius. A mere assistant would not dare to do anything
“I hope Jet won’t disappoint me.” Ever since Kaze arrived in Butterworth, everything had been so peaceful to the point that it started to feel boring. Now that he could finally meet Jet, he wondered what surprises awaited him. Jet had started to suspect Kaze, so a move would be made against him. Standing by the side, Aloysius was waiting for further instructions from his boss. “He said we could arrange for a meal tomorrow morning at any location.” “How generous of him. He doesn’t seem to be afraid of me,” Jet said with a chuckle. Regardless, as long as Kaze was willing to meet, Jet was confident he could uncover Kaze’s identity and expose the secrets behind the veil of mystery. “Book a room at Kurosawa Club and prepare everything necessary.” Jet looked forward to meeting Kaze. He wanted to know what secrets Kaze held. A man who was unafraid of Katie had to have a strong background, yet he carried himself like just another nameless, ordinary man—which only made him e
Kaze appeared to be there just for the food. Aloysius said nothing more. He invited Kaze into the car and drove out of the Northborn Hotel. With Kaze on the move, Arthur would make sure to stay by his side in the dark. Today was a different situation. Arthur brought along a few members of the Viper’s Den. “Arthur, is this necessary?” One member was confused. Kaze had been discreet, and nobody knew who he was. The agents were just following Arthur’s orders. “Our goal is to keep Kaze safe. Jet’s invitation to dinner is just a trap. If we don’t keep a close eye on the situation, all the issues will be on us.” The young members did not seem to know any better, so Arthur had to lay it thick on them. Without another word, the young members followed the vehicle Kaze was in. However, they did not have much respect for Kaze since they knew nothing of him. Kaze was in the dark about things over at Arthur’s end. Even if he did, he would not be bothered. “Where are we headi
The car pulled up in front of a high-end club in the city’s most cosmopolitan area. “This is Kurosawa Club, a members-only establishment. Non-members can be invited by members, and to be a member, you have to be a high-paying consumer. Members are expected to deposit half a million bucks. “On average, the consumption here is no less than half a million dollars each time.” Aloysius sounded proud talking about it. The private club catered exclusively to the rich. The management came up with new and diverse ideas to attract these people to spend money. The entrance to the club was not obvious. It would be an easy miss unless the person had been there before. Aloysius brought Kaze right into the place. Entry to the club required the swiping of a membership card. Once the card was swiped, the information of the member would be registered at the bar, and an attendant would approach to provide service. Though it was not Kaze’s first rodeo, the whole experience was rather i
It never occurred to Aloysius that Jet’s and Kaze’s first encounter would turn out to be rather confrontational. Nevertheless, Aloysius was just an assistant. He should not be meddling anyway. Pretending like nothing ever happened, Aloysius stepped out of the room without a word. “What have you been busy with? I can’t catch you anywhere.” Jet chatted Kaze up. “Nothing much. I’ve been wandering around,” Kaze answered nonchalantly, his eyes roaming the things on the table. He looked a little disgusted. Jet was not too pleased. He displayed his best-kept wine on the table, and these bottles were priceless. Only real collectors would have this impressive collection. Yet, Kaze did not appreciate the wine at all. “You must know who I am.” “Are you talking about the Frosts? How can I not? You called for this dinner. I wouldn’t have come without doing my homework.” Kaze looked at Jet as if he were an idiot.Jet felt insulted. “I guess you do. Of course, I’m going to ha
Kaze wondered what Jet would do to him. To think Jet would adopt one of the oldest tricks in the book—the honey trap. Jet was forced to take this approach as he could not get information on Kaze. “Mr. Lee, these girls have a clean bill of health. You are free to use a room next to this one.” Jet subtly hinted. Jet was confident that no man would resist a gorgeous lady, and Kaze would be lost in lust. He poured himself a glass of wine and waved at the ladies to tend to Kaze. These women were veterans in the business. Despite their lack of knowledge about the situation, they knew what to do. They approached Kaze and sat around him. “My, you’re a handsome man, Mr. Lee.” “Do you want some grapes, Mr. Lee?” “Mr. Lee, I’ll pass the wine to you, and we can do it mouth-to-mouth.” The ladies, surrounding Kaze, started caressing him. “Is that all you got, Jet?” Kaze was in disdain. Jet did not take Kaze’s comment seriously. These ladies would take any man’s breath away.
As they arrived, they saw a dozen expensive cars parked outside. The customer base was relatively stable as the establishment was targeted at the upper class. The people lining up at the club were young men and women of ordinary background. All were allowed inside Absolute Zero with an entrance fee. Since this would be a chance for ordinary people to meet and interact with the upper-class elites, they cherished it and tried their best to look good. Even movie producers and scriptwriters came to the club, seeking investments or a role in movie production. It was a shortcut to reach out to the upper crust after all. Yet they were just a bunch of fresh graduates with no resources and connections, so the club was their only chance at achieving something great. Dwight would never understand how rare the opportunity was, as he was narrow-sighted. He had never experienced power and wealth before, so he lacked the understanding of how things worked in society. “I never thought
With that in mind, Dwight checked his outfit. His black leather jacket brought out his height and wild side. He then observed Kaze. The latter was dressed casually. Dwight was worried that they would not be allowed into Absolute Zero because of their attire. Nevertheless, he could not let slip that he had never been to Absolute Zero. Without a word, Dwight led Kaze down the apartment building. Kaze could pick up on Dwight’s nerves. While in the elevator, Dwight could not stop straightening out his clothes. It was clear that he was nervous. Even so, Kaze said nothing and pretended not to notice. They got into the car and drove to an alley. The area was not huge, but there were stands selling street food. “The food is great here. Since it’s early, we can grab a bite.” Dwight was not being tight with money. As their destination was a bar, there was no need to get a proper meal. “I’ll get a skewer then.” Kaze did not have much of an appetite anyway. “Okay. I’ll or
“You’re the guest. I should be hosting you, but I don’t seem to be doing a good job.” Dwight knew he had to do better. “It’s okay. I don’t have much to do. It’s just a delivery anyway.” Kaze bought a lot of stuff online. All they had to do was wait for the delivery. Once the items arrived, they could head out. Dwight talked about taking him to a bar under the Viper’s Den’s umbrella. It was a great opportunity for Kaze to check out the scene. He had heard that the Wittersons were tied to all the Viper’s Den’s business operations.Kaze would not meet Edmund and Morris in person, but he would grasp all information related to them. Then, Kaze would stir things up between them and sit back while reaping the benefits. Kaze had it all planned out. He simply had to take his time in playing the long game. Nevertheless, it was important for him to remain discreet. At the very least, he should not show them what he was made of. It was easy to execute his plan when everybody
Kaze rose to his feet and took something out of his bag. Putting on his jacket, he was on his way out. Dwight was out of his room, too. He left his room for a glass of water and waited for Kaze to get out of the room after his nap. Dwight had a drink in the kitchen. He took an apple and chomped on it. Looking at the fruit on the table, Dwight grabbed a plate to arrange it neatly.He took out his phone to pass the time while waiting for Kaze. Kaze emerged from the room and saw Dwight. “You’re up at last. You’ve slept half the day away. Are you still tired? I can wait if you need to catch some sleep.” Dwight kept Herman’s memo to look after Kaze. “A little. I didn’t get any sleep last night. I was waiting to get on the plane.” Kaze took the red-eye flight yesterday. Dwight allowed time for Kaze to rest, knowing his travel schedule. “I know. Did you manage to get some good sleep? If you haven’t, you can go back to bed. I can grab some food for you.” Dwight’s plan
“Your main responsibility is to entertain Kaze. You will be rewarded for good work,” Herman said. Dwight nodded incessantly. “Thank you for thinking of me, Herman. I won’t forget this.” “I’d be grateful so long as you stay out of trouble. “Just focus on what you should do and take good care of Kaze.” Herman worried that Dwight might get ahead of himself and forget his primary duties. Dwight’s priority was Kaze’s well-being. The whole thing would be over if Dwight kept to himself and served Kaze until he was gone. There would be a problem if something were to happen. Without Edmund’s instructions, Herman would never have assigned a job to Dwight. It could be a good thing, though. At least, a job might keep him on the straight and narrow. “Relax. You can count on me,” Dwight said with glee.That was a nice surprise. Dwight did not see it coming. It was just incredible. Herman still could not shake off his worry. However, he had said his piece. It was pointless t
Herman’s smile vanished. His red, irritated skin was playing up. Due to alcohol in his system, Herman could not see straight. He had to grit his teeth to hold back the urge to retch. Herman was not one to drink. Yet, he would have to go through Edmund’s loyalty test every time, and he was reaching a boiling point. However, he understood that he needed to suck it up to gain Edmund’s trust. “You must be Herman. Mr. Witterson. Should I take the things to your car, or should I deliver them to your home?” asked a uniformed server who approached. “Put them in the car and get me a designated driver,” Herman replied. He headed to the lobby while propping himself against the wall. “Okay. There will be a driver out front, ready for your service.” The server tried to help Herman up, but was declined. Herman saw the cartons of alcohol and cigarettes in the lobby. Edmund had always been generous in giving out stuff like this. “These are from Mr. Witterson. You’re lucky to work for
“Kaze can pull the punches for sure. I mean, he has the Butterworth branch chief’s trust for a reason. “There has to be something for him to win the branch chief’s approval.” Edmund doubted there was depth to Kaze. After all, Edmund decided whether to take on a person based on their abilities. It made no sense to pay attention to losers, as he would hold them in contempt. Edmund had been impressed with Herman, who excelled in strategies and management. That was why Edmund bumped Herman up and made sure he stayed on top. “Got it.” Herman nodded and had one foot out the door. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. There’s one more thing.” Edmund pointed at the table. Herman approached and stood on bent knees. Pleased with Herman’s submission, Edmund passed him a wine glass. Herman took the drink humbly before looking carefully at Edmund, awaiting his orders. “The wine was just airlifted from abroad. I can vouch for the taste. If you’re looking to sip on the finest, yo
Time went by, and a towering man in a suit showed up outside the door. Picking up on the noise inside the room, he knocked on the door. It was hard to tell whether the person inside could hear the knocking, so the man waited outside. The door was opened, and a woman, her face flawless with makeup, popped her head out and saw him. She cocked her head back at Edmund. “You have a guest, Mr. Witterson.” “Let him in,” Edmund instructed. He then leaned in to take the drink from the girl next to him with his mouth. The other girls cheered him on. The group was lost in their fun. The man, who entered the room, stood by the sofa respectfully. He kept his head down, his gaze staying low at the bottles of alcohol spread across the table. It was a bit of a wait before the man approached at Edmund’s order. “Tell me about Dwight.”While listening to the girls’ singing, Edmund turned to Herman. Herman rushed over as soon as Edmund called. He won a lot of money at poker toda
In this particular circumstance, Morris had to play it safe so that things would not get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the mess. At least, he finally saw the Wittersons’ true colors. Morris’ friendly advice was met with disrespect and insult. However, the Wittersons were a force of nature, and Morris was not about to take them head-on. Despite his frustration, Morris had to walk away. Well, Edmund would soon face his downfall at the height of his power, and Morris would be there to enjoy the ride. Still, it did not sit well with Morris to have a young fella walk all over him. It had crossed his mind to keep the Wittersons in check, but there was only so much he could do. Morris had to be the one to back away as the Wittersons grew haughty. Morris believed there was more to Kaze’s visit to Westeros. Nothing major happened in Westeros recently. At least, there was nothing worth the other branch’s attention. However, a representative of the