Pietro Beneli

Looking at Kaze’s confident face, Darcy hesitated. She thought of her family’s current financial situation and it gave her no choice. She bit the bullet, got up, and said, “Grandfather, I’ll go and recover the debt.”

“You stupid girl! Are you crazy? What if that gangster ripped your face apart? Henry wouldn’t want you then!”

Agnes panicked.

The others were shocked, including Master Quint. No one expected Darcy to take up the task.

Samus and the others gloated at her. He then took a five-dollar bill and tossed it at Darcy. “This is for your bravery and for you to take the bus back.”

Deborah crossed her arms and said with raised brows, “You agreed to go yourself. If anything happens to you, don't blame us.”

Kaze glared at the few of them coldly. He did not even want to argue with them because they were simply clowns.

He held Darcy’s hand and left the mansion.

Meanwhile, Darcy’s parents were giddy with anxiety. Agnes gritted her teeth, “We must ask Henry to help us, he’s our only hope. Henry has always liked Darcy…”

…

Meanwhile in Loco Town, Darcy held two bags of fruit in her hands as she reminded Kaze, “Remember, mind your words, don’t speak if you don’t know what’s going on. Don’t anger the man.”

Kaze nodded. Darcy was slightly relieved.

Just when they wanted to knock on Pietro’s office door, a series of hurried honks sounded behind them.

A pink Porsche stopped beside the two of them. The window wound down to reveal Deborah’s mean face.

“Geez, you two are really here to recover the debt? I thought you were just bluffing.”

“Deborah? What are you doing here?” Darcy frowned and questioned her impatiently.

“I’m here to buy a car. Unlike you two who are stupid enough to come here knowing that the guy will beat you up.”

Deborah had a pair of sunglasses on and it amplified her arrogance. “After you two left, Grandfather distributed the bonus to all of us. We got an extra two million this year, and I’m buying myself a new car as a birthday present. Unlike you who can’t even afford a better restaurant on your birthday.”

Darcy’s fists clenched upon hearing Deborah. She was slightly shaking.

Kaze grinned and scoffed, “Deborah, it’s just two million, what’s there to show off? Sky High Investment Group hates people who like to show off the little money they have, like you. Don’t even think about getting the investment.”

“You!”

Deborah was furious. She scoffed and said, “You retard, you can really speak now. I hope you can keep it up when you ask Pietro for the money.”

She got out of the car and strutted into Pietro’s office.

Darcy and Kaze followed her inside.

They entered a spacious office with a man wearing a flamboyant golden necklace. He had a saleswoman sitting on his lap and his hands were all over her voluptuous body.

The terrible scar on his face could easily scare people off.

The uninvited guests made Pietro angry. He shouted, “Who the f*ck are you? Get the hell out! Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”

The man was as fierce as rumored.

Pietro’s shout made Deborah sweat nervously. She stammered, “P-Pietro, I’m Deborah. Vincent recommended that I buy a car here.”

Upon hearing Deborah, Pietro raised his brows and switched his annoyance for a wide smile. “Deborah Quint? I see. Welcome. Please have a seat.”

He did receive a call from Vincent informing him of Deborah’s arrival. Since it was a request from a first-tier family, he had to oblige.

He usually served customers with a strong background or reputation himself, which was one of his tactics of creating a connection with the powerful and wealthy.

“And these two are…” Pietro asked when he saw two more people at the door.

Seeing Pietro’s drastic change of attitude, Deborah felt relieved.

She spoke as if she was seeking attention, “Pietro, remember the debt you owe the Quint family? These two are here to collect the debt from you. But don’t worry, I have nothing to do with this, I’m just here to buy a car.”

“I see.”

Pietro nodded upon hearing Deborah. He leaned back in his seat and stared at Darcy and Kaze with his sharp eyes. “I did not expect such audacity from the two of you, to come down here to Loco Town to collect the debt. You two must have a death wish.”

Darcy shuddered when she saw Pietro’s frosty glare. She instinctively took a step back and said, “Pietro, we really need the money back. Please, give us the money back or my family and I won’t make it.”

“What does your family’s situation have to do with me?” Pietro said and scoffed.

He continued scornfully, “The land that Loco Town is built on is mine. On my turf, if I say I ain't paying, then I ain't paying. What you gonna do about it, huh?”

Darcy bitterly curled her lips, her eyes were overflowing with despair.

Then, Kaze spoke, “Since when do you have total control over Loco Town’s land, Pietro Beneli?”

Pietro was surprised when Kaze called his full name. He grinned coldly and said impatiently, “Punk, do you have any idea what you are saying?”

Deborah joined Pietro and scolded Kaze, “You retard. Pietro is the owner of Loco Town, of course he’s in charge. Kneel down and apologize!”

Darcy turned pale. She tugged Kaze’s sleeve anxiously, signaling him to stop talking.

Kaze was not afraid of the threats. He continued, “Am I wrong? This land actually belongs to Giovani Beneli, and you are just a watchdog.”

On the way here, Kaze had received Pietro’s background information on his phone.

Pietro was working for Giovani, and Giovani once served under Draco.

Pietro was infuriated by the disrespect, but he forcefully suppressed the anger. His brows furrowed as he asked, “You know my boss?”

“I don’t,” Kaze said. He did not need to know someone who served under his men.

“No? Are you fucking with me?!” Pietro bellowed as his expression turned vicious.

Deborah then fanned the flames from the side, saying, “Pietro, how could he even know Giovani? He’s Kaze Lee, a useless retard who married into our family.”

A guy who married into the Quint family?

Pietro widened his eyes in astonishment.

At the next moment, his anger erupted as if he was insulted.

He cracked his fists as he glared at Kaze viciously.

“Very well.” Pietro clenched his teeth. “It has been years since someone tries to fuck with me!”

Deborah could not hold back her delight when Pietro got mad. She thought this would be the end of the retard.

“Pietro, please, calm down…”

Darcy was at a loss for action. She tried her best to talk some sense into Pietro, “Kaze didn’t mean it. Please don’t mind…”

Pietro did not listen to her. He raised his hand and more than a dozen men rushed into the office.

Each one of them looked vicious and tough.

Darcy could barely stand still when the men rushed in.

Fortunately, Kaze held her up.

“Pietro, you scared my wife.”

A killer aura appeared when Kaze furrowed his brows.

Pietro did not notice it at all. He shouted, “So what if I did? You f*ck with me, so don’t think about getting out here in one piece!”

He glared at Kaze viciously. The men were waiting for an order to charge at Kaze.

Suddenly, Pietro’s phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and was shocked. He ran to the corner immediately and picked up the phone.

The viciousness on his face was replaced by a strange look of obedience and timidity.

“Boss? What is it? A man and a woman at my place? One of them has the family name of Lee?”

Shocked

Lee?

Pietro looked at Kaze, baffled. “There is a man named Kaze Lee, and I’m trying to teach him a lesson.”

A loud thud could be heard from the other end of the line.

Pietro asked, “Boss, are you alright?”

Then, a thunderous roar from the man was blasted into Pietro’s ear through the phone.

“Alright? I’m not f*cking alright! Are you trying to f*ck with me now?! I’m warning you, whatever that man tells you to do, you f*cking do it, understand? He is a God from now on!”

Pietro was stunned. He had never seen Giovani this scared for as long as he worked for him.

He instinctively asked, “Boss, are you mistaken? He’s just some trash who married into the Quint family.”

“Pietro, are you trying to get yourself killed? You and I are like flies to him. One swat and we are all dead, crushed! You understand me?!”

“Boss, I…” Pietro got nervous.

“Last warning. That man is someone that not even I can mess with, you better take care of your own a*s!”

The call ended abruptly.

Pietro was stunned. When he regained his composure, he realized he was drenched in his own sweat and his legs were shaking.

Deborah noticed Pietro’s lack of response. She went up to him and asked, “Pietro, are you okay? Teach the two of them a lesson!”

“Teach? I’ll teach your a*s!”

Pietro shouted and swung a slap at Deborah’s face.

Slap!

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone.

The strong slap sent Deborah faltering, and her delicate cheek swelled immediately.

She covered her cheek in disbelief. Her eyes teared up as she cried, “Pietro, I’m here to buy a car, why did you hit me? Hit them!”

“I’m hitting you because you are a bitch! If not for Vincent Hanser, I would have slapped you to death. Get the hell out of my face!”

Deborah was speechless but she dared not argue with the man. She glared at Darcy and Kaze before she stormed out of the office.

When she walked past Kaze, she warned him, “You f*cking retard, just you wait!”

She blamed Kaze for her getting slapped.

Darcy instinctively tugged Kaze’s sleeve, asking softly, “Kaze, let’s go…”

Before Kaze could say a word, Pietro strode over to him.

Darcy was more scared than ever.

To her surprise, Pietro gave a ninety-degree bow and said with a trembling voice, “Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint, I am so sorry for my manners. Please do not mind what I said…”

What happened?

Darcy was shocked.

Pietro was like a different person after he answered the call.

“So are you going to pay us back?”

Kaze was not surprised by Pietro’s sudden change in attitude. Draco must have settled the matter.

Pietro nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes! Yes, of course. I’ll make it happen right away!”

A while later, Darcy and Kaze left Loco Town with a bank check in hand.

Darcy still could not comprehend what just happened. She looked at Kaze from time to time, wondering if he did something to the man.

At the same time in a mansion somewhere in the city, the infamous Giovani Beneli was on his knees before a tall man in a formal suit.

Draco said coldly, “Giovani, nicely done. It seems like you’re not stupid at all. If something happens to my boss, you will be locked up behind bars forever.”

“Thank you for the mercy, Chief Commander.”

Giovani breathed a sigh of relief after escaping the sentence. He bowed and begged, “I have no idea that the God of War himself is in Lilyrose and he got into a conflict with my men. I wonder if I can set up a feast for the God of War to make up for my men’s mistake.”

“I’ll deliver the message.”

“Thank you, Chief Commander!”

…

Lily Court was an old district in Lilyrose City and where Darcy and his parents’ shabby house was located.

The sky was dark upon Darcy and Kaze’s return.

When they arrived at the entrance, Agnes and Hector darted out immediately.

“Darcy, are you alright? Did that gangster hurt you?”

“Mom, I’m fine. Thanks to Kaze, we actually recovered the debt.”

Darcy then looked at Kaze.

“What? What did he do? You really believed this retard can perform miracles?”

Agnes glanced at Kaze contemptuously and explained, “It was us who asked Henry to help us, or else you would never be able to get the money back.”

It was Henry?

Darcy was slightly surprised upon hearing her mother.

Kaze subtly narrowed his eyes. It was not the first time he heard the name Henry.

“Darcy, you have to thank Henry for his help. I gave it a try and called him, and he agreed to help as soon as he learned what happened. He even wanted to bring us out for dinner. You can’t reject him anymore.”

Darcy wanted to reject the offer. “Mom, can I pass? Kaze just recovered, shouldn’t we celebrate it?”

Agnes rolled her eyes. “What is there to celebrate about this retard’s recovery? Henry helped us overcome this crisis, you have to come with us to thank him!”

Hector nodded in agreement. He adhered, “Your mother is right. You have to come with us tonight.”

Darcy looked at Kaze with a troubled expression. She said, “If we are going to dinner, what about Kaze?”

“Stop thinking about him!”

Agnes grabbed Darcy’s hand and pushed her up the stairs. “Go change into something nice and remember to dress up properly.”

Darcy kept turning around but her mother continued to push her upstairs.

Kaze frowned.

“Kaze, what’s with that look on your face? Get the hell out of our house. You are not welcomed here,” Hector bellowed with displeasure.

It was then a Land Rover stopped in front of the house.

A slender and beautiful woman came out of the car.

She was Miru Scarlet, Darcy’s longtime friend.

“Hector, Agnes, where’s Darcy? Henry told me to pick you guys up.”

Suddenly, Miru noticed Kaze and it shocked her. “Kaze? What are you doing out of the hospital?”

Agnes grabbed her hand and explained what happened.

Struck with realization, Miru looked at Kaze with disgust.

Three years ago, Kaze disappeared on his wedding night and made Darcy the laughingstock of the city.

He came back as a retard and gave the Quint family nothing but trouble.

Miru had no respect for her friend’s retarded husband.

“Kaze, now that you’ve recovered, why are you still here? If you are a man, stay away from her, and don’t stop her from chasing her own happiness.

“Henry is the next in line to inherit his family’s business. His father, Roger Hilfinger, is the Chairman of the Construction and Material Society. He has total control over the construction business in the city. Henry can provide Darcy with a good life.

“Look at you, other than insults and suffering, what can you give Darcy?”

Agnes and Hector nodded in agreement.

Kaze calmly said, “Miru, what I can give Darcy is not something a peasant like you could ever imagine.”

Cloud Nine

“Hmph!” Miru scoffed. “I would like to see how you do that. By the way, do you know where Henry is bringing us to dinner tonight? It’s the third floor of Cloud Nine! A piece of trash like you could never get into such a luxurious restaurant even if you work your entire life!”

Agnes’ eyes glimmered with excitement. “The third floor of Cloud Nine?! Only Golden members can make a booking at that place!”

Cloud Nine was one of the most famous restaurants in Lilyrose and only by spending above ten million on a single receipt, one would be eligible to apply for the Golden membership.

Master Quint was the only one in the entire family to have a Golden member card.

As for floors above the third, the required spending would be much higher.

Miru glanced at Kaze and scoffed, “Kaze, this is the difference between you and Henry. I have no idea what gives you the confidence to continue staying at Darcy’s side.”

“Miru, stop talking to this piece of trash. Darcy is here. Let’s go. We wouldn’t want Henry to wait for us!”

Agnes did not even spare a glance at Kaze as she dragged Darcy into Miru’s Land Rover.

As the car drove off and disappeared into the distant horizon, Kaze’s phone rang.

“Boss, Giovani has prepared a feast as a token of apology for offending you. It’s being held on the ninth floor of Cloud Nine, Emperor Hall. Do you want to…”

“Tell him to pick me up.”

…

When the Land Rover arrived at the entrance of Cloud Nine, Henry, who had been waiting, went up to welcome them.

He wore a branded white suit and held a bouquet of roses. He opened the car door for Darcy and said, “Darcy, you look amazing tonight.”

Darcy forced a smile on her face.

Miru nudged Darcy in the waist and grumbled, “Henry is talking to you, say something!”

Darcy leaned over to her and whispered, “I’m worried about Kaze not having anything to eat tonight.”

“You are worried about that retard? You really don’t learn from your lessons, do you?” Miru said with a sigh.

“Wow!”

Someone cried all of a sudden.

An extended white limousine then drove into the porch, and the five 9s on the number plate attracted much attention.

Even Henry was surprised. “Isn’t that Giovani Beneli’s car? He’s eating at Cloud Nine as well?”

Giovani Beneli was an influential man of the underworld, whose power rivaled that of the law enforcements.

Agnes and Hector looked in the same direction.

Then, the door opened and a young man came out. He then followed the waiter into the elevator.

Darcy stared at the young man and it somehow looked familiar. “He looks like Kaze.”

“Kaze?” Miru raised her brows and ridiculed, “Darcy, you must be seeing things. Kaze will never come out from Giovani’s car in this life, or his next life.”

Darcy reluctantly nodded upon hearing her friend. She must have mistaken the young man for Kaze.

Darcy along with her parents and Miru followed Henry to the third floor of Cloud Nine, named Moonlight Breeze Hall.

“Wow! The third floor is already this grand and luxurious. I wonder what the higher floors look like. And that legendary Emperor Hall on the ninth floor, I heard it’s as grand as the palace!”

Agnes was captivated by the interior of the Moonlight Breeze Hall. She went around the place, looking at and touching the beautiful decorations.

Henry was delighted by Agnes’ response. He said, “Hector, Agnes, why won’t we order first?”

“Oh right, let’s order!”

The couple sat down and started to look at the menu.

When they saw the prices, they hesitated. The ridiculously expensive pricing made them feel like they were having gold for dinner instead of food.

Henry was quite calm. After he made his order, he even added two bottles of properly aged Romanée-Conti.

Miru was also a wine connoisseur. She said with flattery, “Henry, you shouldn’t have. Those two bottles of Romanée-Conti cost around thirty to forty thousand.”

Henry smiled. “It’s nothing. I am the host of this dinner tonight and I have Agnes, Hector, and Darcy here to dine with me. This is the least I can do to express my feelings.”

For a moment there, Agnes and Hector were deeply convinced by Henry’s generosity. As expected of the eldest son of a first-tier family, he was a hundred times better than the retard they were forced to call son-in-law.

Outside the hall, Kaze was shuttling across the corridors.

When he made a sudden turn, he almost bumped into the waitress with the two bottles of wine. She tripped and almost fell, but fortunately Kaze caught her.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m okay!”

The waitress was mortified. If she dropped the two bottles of wine, she would lose salary for the entire year.

“I think you sprained your ankle, why don’t I help you deliver the bottles?”

The waitress tried to move her feet but the pain stung her. She nodded and thanked Kaze.

“Thank you, sir.”

Back in Moonlight Breeze Hall, the group were chatting happily over dinner, except for Darcy as her thoughts had drifted off.

Agnes noticed her daughter’s blank look. She leaned over and whispered into her ear, “Darcy, why are you so quiet? When the wine is here, you better pour some for Henry, understand?”

“Mom, I don’t want to drink,” Darcy helplessly said.

“You have to!”

Then, the door opened.

“Sir, madam, your wine is here.”

“Kaze?!”

Agnes was sitting opposite the door and she spotted him at first glance. She bolted up and cried in shock.

The others were surprised as well when they turned around.

“You pesky useless thing! Why did you follow us here? Who let you in?” Agnes was furious.

She glanced at Henry, afraid that he would be mad because of Kaze’s uninvited entrance.

Miru scoffed. “Kaze, you have quite the nerves. Cloud Nine forbids entry without a member card. Don’t tell me you pretended to be a waiter and slipped in.”

Kaze shook his head. “Someone invited me here.”

Darcy looked at Kaze, baffled.

Miru scoffed in disbelief. “Who would invite a retard here to have dinner? Kaze, don’t tell me you still have some retardness left in your brain.”

Henry sized up the well-known retarded son-in-law in Lilyrose from top to bottom. He did not care about Kaze at all.

He waved nonchalantly and said, “I don’t care how you get in. Put down the wine and leave. Go where you should go.”

“How can a retard bring us such an expensive wine? How are we going to drink it?”

“Yeah!”

Agnes snatched the bottles from Kaze and bellowed, “Get out of my face!”

Although he was not welcomed, Kaze looked at Darcy and said, “Darcy, Pietro’s boss is hosting a feast on the ninth floor, the Emperor Hall. He said it’s to apologize to us, do you want to come?”

His words silenced everyone present.