“The ungrateful girl never picked us up from the airport when we were back from business trips.” Agatha criticized her daughter. Taylor? Talk about a coincidence. Kaze said, “I saw on the news that Taylor has checked into the hotel in the city.” “Rose must be off somewhere then. Just call and ask her. She can’t go missing,” Agatha responded in annoyance. She then carried on chatting with Agnes. Kaze had to go out again. He gave Rose a call when driving out of Skylar View District. “K-Kaze?” Rose mumbled over the phone. She had no qualms about addressing Kaze confidently when they met for the first time. Kaze made a favorable first impression on her family as he came across as competent. However, the incident involving Alan ensued. Although Kaze was later proven to be framed, Rose’s family looked down on Kaze because he was a good-for-nothing. Rose believed Kaze was not good enough for her outstanding cousin, Darcy. On the contrary, Kiev and Darcy were a pe
“I have my ways,” Kaze replied. He sniffed the air and frowned. The air was thick with the stench of alcohol and tobacco in the private lounge. The fan club members were young, but they were working adults with potty mouths. Coming from a strict household, Rose was a Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. She had no experience interacting with the group. Rose was oblivious to the lewd stares from the boys. “It’s time to go home, Rose. Your mom told me to pick you up,” Kaze said. The surprise quickly wore off. Rose figured Kaze found her by asking an employee where she was. She shook her head and replied, “I have something going on later. You should go back. I’ll catch my own ride. I’ll let my mom know.” By the looks of her red face, Kaze was sure that Rose had a lot to drink. She might get herself in a situation if he were to leave without her tonight. “No. You’re coming home with me now.” Kaze made a beeline to Rose and reached his hand out to pull her up. Smack! An arm cut a
Kaze remained unfazed even when the group ridiculed him, and a young woman insulted him. Terry did not think Kaze was a threat at all. “I was wondering why it was getting musty here. It must be the unwelcome visitor.” Terry pointed at the door and said with a fake smile, “Please leave us in peace. You are not welcome here.” Kaze did not want to remain in a smoky room anyway. He turned to Rose. “Are you really not leaving, Rose?” “Why are you so annoying? I told you to leave. Just stay out of my business!” Rose shouted angrily at Kaze. She blamed Kaze for embarrassing her. “Alright then.” Without another word, Kaze turned to leave. Since she had made herself clear, Kaze did not intend to interfere with her personal affairs anymore. Rose was eighteen. She was an adult. She should take responsibility for her own actions. Bang! The door to the private lounge opened with a thud. A guy backed into the lounge and fell on his bottoms with a cry. “Are you alright,
“Do you know Lightning Tiger?” the thug asked Terry. “I do.” Terry smiled with relief. The thug gazed solemnly at Terry. Terry appeared rather relaxed in the presence of a gang. Plus, he said he knew Lightning Tiger. The thug suspected Terry was someone important. “Here comes Boss.” The thug in the back shouted. The gang gave way to their leader. A burly man with a fierce look swaggered his way over. “I heard an idiot wants to fight my brothers. Where is he? Step forward and show yourself now,” Lightning Tiger said menacingly. Lightning Tiger fell victim to Kaze today. All his assets had been surrendered, and he had to pay his respects to James three days later on his death anniversary. Sure, he was lucky to be alive but he was upset. So he took his men to enjoy some drinks at Bay Club. Upon learning that one of his brothers got into a fight with a man, Lightning Tiger saw his opportunity to let out steam. The presence of Lightning Tiger sucked the life out
Terry was dumbfounded. He could not understand why Lightning Tiger would suddenly hit him. The other young men and women were shocked by Lightning Tiger’s stunt. “Why should I do you a favor?”Lightning Tiger said menacingly, “Even if your dad is here, I’m his boss. Who do you think you are?” His voice echoed across the lounge. Lightning Tiger was bummed out today. Yet, a young man acted like he was all that in front of him. Of course, Lightning Tiger had to put him in his place. Terry scrambled to his feet. “I-I was wrong, Lighting Tiger. I won’t do it again.” A strange smell lingered in the room. Everybody sniffed and quickly fixated on Terry. Terry, who gave Kaze an attitude moments ago, had just peed his pants. The looks Terry got were hurtful. He wanted to sink into the ground and disappear from the face of the earth. “Spineless prick. Get lost.” Lightning Tiger kicked Terry to the ground. He stared menacingly at the young men and women in the lounge. Th
“Kaze should have just kept his mouth shut. I must get Darcy to divorce him.” Rose was grateful that Kaze stood up for her. However, Kaze offered her to sit with Lightning Tiger for 100 million dollars per drink. He was trying to make money off her. Rose was disappointed and furious. Only Lightning Tiger frowned. The voice sounded familiar. Before Lightning Tiger said anything, his men went after Kaze. “Fuck! I see an idiot hiding in the corner. Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear when we told all the men to get out?” The man, who had been fooling around with a butterfly knife, yelled while moving toward the dark corner. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh. Something happened. Before anybody knew it, the thug cried out loud as he was knocked off his feet. He crashed onto the LCD screen on the wall before sliding to the ground. The thug had a lot of cuts all over his body. “That’s not how you use a butterfly knife.” A flat tone ensued. Plop. The butterfly knife, that was su
“Never mind. What’s the point of taking your life? I expect you to pay respects on my buddy’s death anniversary.” Lightning Tiger was relieved. Kaze said, “I have a rule, though. The price of upsetting me is never waived.“Like you, Gold Tooth has surrendered his assets, but he annoyed me again, so I told him to pull out his two front teeth.” Kaze added indifferently, “Leave something behind before you go.” Lightning Tiger thought about it before crawling to grab the butterfly knife Kaze threw on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he stabbed his hand. “Argh!” Lightning Tiger yelled in distress as two bloodied fingers dropped on the floor. “I sliced two of my fingers, Mr. Lee. I keep my arms intact so that I can give Mr. White a proper burial on his death anniversary,” Lightning Tiger said through the pain. Screams echoed in the private lounge. Kaze waved his arm with a blank face. “Beat it.” Lightning Tiger took his men and scrambled with their tails tucked between t
Kaze and Rose arrived at Dynasty Hotel. The building was hung with a huge poster of Taylor, and the security was tight at the entrance. “Let’s join the line to get tickets, Kaze.” Rose dragged Kaze to the end of the line. “Weren’t you going home, Rose?” The members of the fan club came along. Terry was among them. He had a change of clothes. He turned his head away in distress when he saw Rose. Terry was scared and resentful toward Kaze. Kaze embarrassed and cockblocked him tonight. He did not expect the husband of Rose’s cousin to be a good fighter. Kaze managed to disarm Lightning Tiger’s subordinate and spook Lightning Tiger to get on his knees. At first, Kaze blew Terry’s mind away. Later, Terry convinced himself that Kaze was simply good at fighting. That was nothing else worth commending. “Yeah. Kaze agreed to take me to the meet-and-greet,” Rose said proudly. They chatted until it was their turn to get the tickets. “Hello there. I would like to purcha
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