Miru sounded delighted. Her attitude toward Kaze was totally different from yesterday. “Fine. I’ll buy you lunch.” Kaze was on the way to have lunch anyway. If he returned to Horizon Mirror now, Agnes would probably scold him again. He might not even enter the house, let alone having lunch there. “Where are you? I’ll go pick you up.” Kaze told Miru his location and she arrived after a while. Miru drove a Mercedes AMG that cost two million dollars and her arrival attracted much attention. A sweet lady driving such a big and sturdy car would easily turn heads wherever she went. Kaze opened the door and entered the passenger’s seat under the passersby's envious gaze. “Let’s go.” Miru drove off without asking Kaze, the one who was paying for lunch. At the same time, in the chairman's office of the Hilfinger Corporation, Roger leaned back in his chair as he spoke to Kelly, who was seated across from him.“How’s the preparation for tomorrow’s event going?” “Everythin
When Kaze came out of the car, he realized Lily Garden Hotel was decorated grandly today. The fiery red carpet rolled out to the front as if to welcome a VIP. Kaze was not concerned and headed in. With her slender long legs, Miru followed Kaze to the entrance. Manager Keegan was at the entrance talking to a group of hotel employees with his back facing them. “Manager, the boss is here. He’s with Ms. Miru Scarlet of the Lefteria Group,” notified one of the employees after Kaze and Miru were spotted. Miru was a regular at Lily Garden Hotel, or else she would not bring Kaze here to have lunch. The employees recognized the beautiful and rich lady. Manager Keegan immediately turned around when he heard the employee and led the others to bow at Kaze. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Scarlet, welcome.” Miru was surprised by the warm welcome. Despite being a regular at Lily Garden Hotel, the employees had never welcomed her with such courtesy, which caused her to overlook the fact that besi
Miru grunted in disdain. She tossed her car key to the chauffeur and walked inside. Kaze smiled without being concerned and followed her inside. The restaurant was located on the left side of the lobby. The two of them sat down at a quiet table. Miru picked up the menu and started ordering. First on her list was a bottle of wine that cost ten thousand, then air-flown caviar for two and some other dishes. The dishes she ordered cost around two hundred thousand. “That will be all.” Miru closed the menu and saw the bitter look on Kaze. “What’s wrong? The price scared you?” She thought Kaze was shocked by the price of the wine and the caviar, which delighted her. “Miru, I think you are just being rude. That’s all you ordered? It’s not even enough as an appetizer.” He was displeased by how few dishes Miru ordered. He took the menu and had a look himself. “A few more sets of caviar, and this, and this, this too. Make it double for all of them…” Kaze knew that high
Kaze did not expect someone would ask him to leave while he was dining. “Can’t you see I’m eating? Why must I leave?” Kaze remained seated. He did not even look at the security guard. “Hmph. I don’t care if you are eating or sleeping.” The security guard glared at him like a ferocious tiger. He was from a professional security firm experienced in escorting celebrities and VIPs. Andrew Shawn and Liv Ackerman were the two biggest celebrities in the entertainment industry at the moment and their fans could get rough easily. Some fanatics would even get information about their idols’ flight and hotel information so they could buy the same flight or check in to the same hotel. The extreme fanatics would even book a room at the hotel one month in advance just to see their idols up close. It was a nuisance to the celebrities as it would disrupt their normal lives. Other than zealous fans, there were also haters whose existence would threaten their safety directly. Kaze w
“Just because you’ve never heard of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Kaze scoffed. The special operations team was more secretive than normal soldiers. Even their files and documents were coded with numbers only, so it was normal that these security guards had never heard of them. Then, another group of people came in. The leader of the group was a petite woman in glasses. She looked harsh and cold. When she saw the security guards surrounding Kaze, she bellowed, “What’s going on here? You guys still haven’t cleared the restaurant? More and more fans are gathering outside. If something bad happens, are you going to take responsibility?” “Ms. Young, this person refused to leave and claimed he’s having some spec ops team lock down the hotel,” the leader of the security guards said ingratiatingly. At the same time, he shifted the blame to Kaze, indicating that he had nothing to do with the delay. The other security guards nodded. When faced with the tiny woman, these bu
Kaze did not expect Lily to continue her arrogant tone after having made known that he was the owner of the hotel. As the owner of Lily Garden Hotel, he had the right to decline a customer’s check-in. Yet Lily made it sound like it was a favor done by her celebrities for choosing his hotel—it made no sense. Manager Keegan approached Kaze and whispered, “Boss, as top celebrities, they are quite influential. If they released a statement that puts us in a difficult position, it might affect the hotel’s business.” “Really? How influential are they?” Kaze scoffed. Influential? How exactly? Lily was infuriated that Kaze refused to believe her. Then, the commercial vehicle’s door opened up. The celebrities exited the car and the security guards escorted them through the sea of barricaded fans to enter the hotel. Lily was aware that Andrew and Liv had come in, so she called them over to the restaurant. “Lily, what’s going on?” Andrew and Liv came over. Kaze sized up the
Draco was shocked. He could tell his boss was furious. He immediately said, “Boss, Koga just updated me that he’s nearby, observing the hotel’s surroundings for better planning. It’s to ensure your safety.” “I don’t need him to ensure my safety. I just need him to lockdown the hotel. He has one minute!” Kaze angrily hung up the phone. If there were anyone who could actually threaten his safety, then not even the Garo Spec Ops Team would suffice. Pft! Lily cackled. “Look at you, still pretending! Do you really think you are some military commander? One call and you summon the army?” Andrew and Liv laughed as well. They heard about Kaze claiming to lock down the hotel with his troops, which was amusing. While they were still laughing in stitches, endless cries of surprise came from outside the hotel. The fans gathering at the entrance looked up to the sky and saw a dozen attack helicopters appear. The noise of the spinning blades filled the entire airspace as they hov
The elite soldiers were no fans of the celebrities. Their only objective was to seize the hotel, put it on total lockdown, and ensure a VIP’s safety. “Sir, report, sir! We have total control of Lily Garden. The VIP’s safety is secured!” The chief tapped on the earpiece in his ear and updated Lone Wolf on the situation. He had eyes on Kaze and was cognizant that Kaze was the VIP the team was protecting. “Very well. I’ll be there right away!” An excited voice came through the earpiece. “VIP? What VIP? There’s a VIP in the hotel?!” Lily, Andrew, and Liv were mortified. Soon, a man in a military uniform appeared at the entrance and came to the restaurant in a hurry. When Lily and company saw the man, they turned pale. A brigadier general! An actual brigadier general! Someone they could not afford to mess with! Their faces looked as pale as paper. Who was the VIP in the hotel? That was right, they had no idea who the VIP was. They wanted to apologize and ask for
The incident did not sit well with Kaze, so he left them out to dry. After much searching, Kaze came across a café. Kaze bought a cup of coffee. Cupping the drink between his hands, Kaze sipped slowly. Many passengers swarmed the arrival hall in the airport, dragging along their luggage or pulling out their phones to get a pick-up. They all had a destination, a place they had to be in a rush. Intrigued, Kaze followed the crowd out. Kaze turned on his phone, and a text message from his airport pick-up came in. He glanced at the message, curious about who the person was. Nevertheless, Kaze trusted that the Westeros Branch members would not set him up out in the open. At most, they would pull little stunts to mess with him. Kaze was not the type to sweat the small stuff. However, he would not tolerate any extreme behavior. He had been keeping a low profile back in Butterworth, keeping the limelight off him. The purpose was to handle Jet without unnecessary complicati
“Alright. I will work hard to be the manager of the Northborn Group. You need to show me the ropes and teach me about management.” Leah looked at Katie with a smile. She believed Katie had not lost her mind. Katie simply had her memory mixed up. “You need to keep your people in line and reward those who deserve it. It all boils down to profits. “You need to work toward managing your people and working with rivals. You’ve got to keep the balance, and nobody loses out. “You need to build your own system when it comes to working together. Don’t be led around by the nose.” Hearing that Leah would start work soon, Katie imparted her knowledge. “Don’t worry too much about things. Joey is nice. You can go to her for help,” Katie said earnestly. Katie seemed to be herself at the moment. Leah wondered if Katie faked her insanity to escape the punishment. “What have become of you? Did they do something to you? “Did you really betray Kaze?” Leah whispered while leaning close
Leah kept working on her knowledge until late into the night. Just as she was about to hit the sack, she got a message from Snow. Learning was a hard enough process. The text message came out of the blue. Leah did not expect Snow to contact her at night. The message was strange as well. Leah could not understand why Snow would give her the address of a nursing home. Leah was determined to turn things around. She strived to become stronger instead of being a burden. She was grateful for Kaze’s help. At least, she had a job now. However, her gratitude was not extended to Snow. She believed Snow had gone too far. Snow left her feeling powerless. Leah did not think much about the message. She assumed that the text was not meant for her. Since Leah did not respond to the text, Snow put the matter aside and went to bed. Leah called Snow the next day. “Why did you send me an address?” Leah went straight to the question. She had been equipping herself with knowledge before
Snow could not believe her eyes. Katie suddenly went quiet and behaved like the CEO she was.However, Katie did not look like she was right in the mind earlier. “What’s going on? She seems to have gone insane.” Snow turned to the warden, still digesting the change. Katie had lost touch with reality before the Viper’s Den did anything to her. “How did this happen? She has been taking her meals. Just days earlier, she nagged about getting out because she was worried about her daughter. As usual, we didn’t respond to her requests.” The warden found the whole thing peculiar too. Just a few days ago, Katie demanded her release. Now, she kept to herself and abided by the rules. Out of the blue, Katie went nuts. Things had gotten complicated. Snow wanted to keep Katie behind bars due to her betrayal. However, Kaze decided against pursuing the matter for Leah’s sake. Katie would be let go soon enough, but she would lose her job at the Northborn Group. Katie’s presence woul
It was quiet in the office. Snow sorted the last bit of paperwork before picking her head up in exhaustion. Her initial plan was to delegate the tasks. However, Katie was controlling. Previously, she personally oversaw many matters. Snow could not distribute the responsibilities because the employees had no experience in handling them. They came to Snow for every tiny, little thing, and Snow really got her hands full. Despite her frustration, Snow could let things go as Katie was locked up. “I should pay her visit.” Snow decided to see Katie. Some things should not be left unsaid. Leah would be working for the Northborn Group soon, and the mother and daughter should meet to tie up loose ends. The truth would put Leah to shame, and her guilt would stop her from ever betraying Kaze. After a quick bite, Snow drove to the prison. Katie was furious when she was imprisoned. She was one step away from victory. She was so close to leaving Butterworth to head to Westeros
“Why do you want to sell the properties? Do you need money? Don’t you have some saved?” Joey had a good understanding of Leah’s finances since she ran all the paperwork. “My mother is being held, and I need money to ask favors. Maybe I can get her out.” Leah was not thinking much. Money could always be replaced, but not her mother’s freedom. “Don’t be silly. This is not the way to go.” Though Joey did not have the details, she observed that things were not as simple as Leah thought. Kaze was safe now, but the fact that Katie had betrayed Kaze and revealed his whereabouts remained unchanged. Katie had broken the Viper’s Den’s rules. Even if she got out, she would be a wreck. With Snow running the Northborn Group, Katie would remain a failure. Either way, Katie would not get away with it. Even if Leah offered all her assets, Katie’s situation would not change. It was a waste of money and resources for Leah to save her mother. Nothing would come out of it. “But I
“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