Darcy looked her best friend in the eye nervously. She knew that Miru must hate Kaze after losing her godfather. Her words might anger her. Darcy did not want to lose her best friend. Nevertheless, she needed to seek the truth and find out whether Kaze was framed. To her surprise, Miru displayed no anger. She stared into Darcy’s eyes and asked, “What if we find evidence that Kaze killed my godfather?” Darcy clenched her teeth. “Then I have nothing to say. He deserves it.” “Alright. Let’s check it out.” Darcy was not expecting Miru to be on board and rather quickly too. “After clearing my head, I realized something wasn’t right about my godfather’s death,” Miru explained indifferently. She put on her sunglasses and drove away. The car soon hit the highway. Darcy asked in confusion, “Where are you taking me, Miru?” She had the utmost trust in Miru, so she doubted Miru had sinister motives to take her out of Lilyrose. “How are we going to work the case with just
“100 million dollars is too much.” Miru frowned. Even Darcy was shocked. 100 million dollars for a piece of intelligence was daylight robbery. Shane shook his head and said with a smile, “I’m not asking for a lot. Mr. Cummingham is the underworld kingpin whose influence extended to the South River state. His passing is more than meets the eye. I’m putting my people at risk to investigate his death.” Miru was without a word. The key players of Lefteria Group stripped her of power, so she had no access to funds. “If you find the price expensive, you’re welcome to leave, Ms. Scarlet. I won’t charge you for the drinks. We are all friends. There’s no telling if we will have business deals in the future.” While talking, Shane showed them the door. The man may seem friendly and approachable, but he was a seasoned professional who knew what he was doing. “100 million dollars, it is, Mr. Blanc,” Darcy got up and said. She believed 100 million dollars was worth confirming w
Leo soon arrived in Melrose. He met Shane who had been waiting at the logistics park. “Business has been booming here in the past two days. I have met two successors of Lefteria Gang now.” Shane said with a smile, “I’m sure you’re here to see me about investigating a mole.” “Do you know who the mole of Lefteria Gang is?” Leo asked emotionlessly. “Yes, but you should follow my rules in business. My services don’t come free.” Shane carried a drink over. Leo held the drink in his hand without taking a sip. He asked, “How much did Miru spend?” “Her companion, Ms. Quint, spent 100 million dollars. She has paid half up front.” Shane revealed without holding back. Leo scoffed. “These women are sure willing to pay a lot.” He glanced at Shane. Shane was a classic businessman. If it were a regular transaction, Shane would not disclose as much as he did. For Shane to divulge the amount Miru spent, Shane must have discovered that Leo was the mole at Lefteria Group. Leo
“Let’s head back to Lilyrose now, Miru,” with her eyes welled up, Darcy said eagerly. Since Leo was the mole, it was clear that Kaze was framed. Darcy beat herself up. Nobody, including her of all people, believed Kaze at the Lily Garden Hotel. Driven by rage, she even slapped Kaze. Darcy wished she could teleport to Lilyrose and bail Kaze out now. She was desperate to apologize to Kaze. “Come on.” Miru nodded and walked off with Darcy. “Hang on, Ms. Quint. I have not received the final payment.” Shane’s friendly voice came from behind. If it were not for the remaining 50 million dollars, Shane would not be so patient to waste his breath with these two women. Despite her distraught, Darcy stopped and called Riley to wire the money. The remaining 50 million dollars was converted into Bitcoins before reaching Shane’s account. Darcy said, “You got the money, Mr. Blanc. We should leave now.” “You mean business, Ms. Quint.” Shane gave the thumbs up and said gl
Miru felt better because Darcy did not blame her. She started to figure out ways to address the issues. “Leo bought Shane off to make it seem like I’m the mole. He probably wants me to take the fall, so Jeremiah would come after me instead.” Miru analyzed the situation she was in. “You can clear the air with Jeremiah when he goes after you. At least, you can show him the evidence.” Darcy had no idea who Jeremiah was. Nevertheless, she could tell from Miru’s words that the person took a neutral stance. Miru shook her head. “Jeremiah’s loyalty lies with my godfather. I have never met him before. I don’t even know if I can trust him because he has been through thick and thin with my godfather and Leo’s late father. “Besides, my sources in Lilyrose told me that Jeremiah didn’t kill Kaze for some reason. “Jeremiah went to Azure Estate. Cronus would have died had he not fled in time. “I doubt Jeremiah will give me a chance to talk if he determines that I am the mole.” D
“Darcy, where are you? I went to Clover Center to pick you up earlier but you weren’t there.” Kiev was in Horizon Mirror with Agnes and the others when he received the call from Darcy. “I’m in Melrose…” Darcy briefly talked about what happened. Kiev frowned. He knew Darcy went to Melrose overnight because of Kaze. She had already announced her divorce with Kaze, yet she was still thinking about him. Kiev was overwhelmed by jealousy. Darcy was still obsessed with Kaze and even asked him for help. He understood that Darcy had lingering feelings for Kaze but what about in the future? What would happen after he helped Darcy this time or another time? Kiev told himself the feelings would die off soon, so he took a deep breath and said, “Darcy, just hold on. I’m coming to Melrose now. My family has some connections there. I assure you Shane Blanc won’t give you a hard time!” “Thank you, Kiev. I’ll make it up to you when this is over.” Darcy was delighted and embarrass
“It should be. It’s the first time I've seen a helicopter flying out from that place.” Agnes was not sure. Kiev said with a smile, “It should be Chief Commander Lang. Did you see the logo of a sword on the helicopter? That’s the mark of the God of War Palace, so that helicopter must belong to the God of War.” “God of War Palace’s helicopter has more authority than helicopters from Lilyrose Strategic Department. “Once it lifts off, the Air Control Department would lock down the airspace. No other aircraft are allowed in the air so that the God of War can fly in his helicopter without having to deal with air traffic. “Chief Commander Lang must have some urgent matter to attend to himself.” Everyone was enlightened by Kiev’s explanation and was also jealous. Agnes asked curiously, “Kiev, your father is the vice commander of Lilyrose Strategic Department, does he have a personal helicopter? Does the Air Control Department seize the air traffic for your father to attend offici
Kaze frowned. He looked at Reeve beside him. Reeve went up to the security guard and showed him the iron badge that he carried. “I am Reeve Carter, security captain of Chief Commander Draco Lang of Lilyrose Strategic Department. Inform your park manager and hand Ms. Darcy Quint to us!” “Chief Commander Draco Lang? You might as well say the God of War. Look at the kid behind you, does he look anything like the chief commander? You think you can scare me with some made-up names?” The guard scoffed at Kaze and took them as a fool. He waved impatiently and said, “Get out of here.” Reeve was furious when he was embarrassed by a mere security guard in front of Kaze. Kaze’s expression turned cold. He simply wanted to walk in. At the same time, inside the gate, two majors in uniform bearing angry looks on their faces headed out while being escorted by several burly men. As they walked, the two majors grumbled their grievance aloud. “Our superior is Trevor Rumhold, the comma
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