“No, I have to go!” Darcy did not want Kaze to take her place. She even ignored what he said about the Hilfinger family. The Hilfingers were huge and it was impossible they would disappear overnight. She knew that once the new Construction and Material Society was formed, the Hilfinger family would only be stronger and more influential. Roger would surely use the ceremony to give her a hard time. “Darcy, why are you arguing with him? If Kaze wants to take your place, let him go.” Agnes nudged her daughter and continued, “He’s a man. If he’s capable enough, you should let him do this for you. What’s wrong with him taking your place? He’s freeloading us, and if he can’t even help you with this, why should we keep him?” She knew her daughter was having a difficult time since she returned from Master Quint’s residence, as well as if Darcy attended the ceremony, things would only get worse. Therefore, Agnes wanted Kaze to suffer in Darcy’s place. “It’s decided then. Kaze,
“The new Construction and Material Society is challenging Perfect World Group. Ray Forrester is the general manager of the company, yet Roger Hilfinger decided to challenge him openly. He might be the first in Lilyrose who openly challenged the richest man in the city. “Don’t mention Ray Forrester. The Construction and Material Society has been stealing people from the Perfect World Group for days now, yet he didn’t even react. I heard Roger Hilfinger is backed by the Lee family from the capital. No wonder the richest man in Lilyrose is afraid.” “Yeah. The Perfect World Group dissolved the Construction and Material Society but now it seems like they are going down for good.” The people who attended the ceremony were talking about the competition between the two companies. Kaze overheard them and simply chuckled. Perfect World Group going down? It was still too soon to jump to conclusions. He did not say anything and walked into the building with the invitation. Roger sp
The four of them knew Kaze from university. Haiden’s sneers instantly attracted attention from the crowd. Everyone then looked at Kaze. “The young master of the Lee family?” “Mr. Ludgram, you know the young master of the Lee family?” Everyone looked at Haiden and company with jealousy. The quartet was recruited into the new Construction and Material Society by Roger and was placed under Kelly’s supervision. Their jobs were to liaise with the bosses of the underworld and keep an eye on them for Roger. They were living quite the life with their new status. Kelly, Haiden, and the others laughed at the comments. Haiden scoffed and said, “Young Master Lee here has been excommunicated by the Lee family a long time ago. Now, he’s just a piece of garbage who makes a living with scams and tricks. The Perfect World Group is going down soon, so he will be out of tricks soon.” Wayne introduced him to the crowd. “He’s Kaze Lee, our old friend from university. A retard who has just
“Yeah. You useless piece of garbage. You are not even in our league!” “I think he’s just jealous of us!” Haiden and the others were arrogant as they continued to mock Kaze. Accusing James had changed their fates, and they believed they made the right choice back then. Kaze looked at the bunch of fools who had no idea what was coming. He scoffed inwardly. He did not want to waste time with them. “Haiden, Wayne, there you guys are!” Then, a woman’s voice came from further away. A beautiful woman in professional attire strutted over and turned heads while at it. “Jessica! You’re here!” Haiden and the others welcomed the woman with bright smiles. Jessica? Jessica Summer? Kaze’s eyes narrowed coldly when he heard the name. He clearly remembered Jessica as the best student in class, second only to his buddy James. Jessica always went to James for help with her studies and as time went by, they developed feelings for each other. Jessica clearly showed feelings for
Wayne looked at Kaze with contempt. “Kaze, how about you know your place? A son-in-law of a second-tier family speaks such bold words to Jessica?” Zack added, “Jessica came back from studying abroad and is now the CEO of a big company. You two are not from the same world. What gives you the right to question her?” Jessica was like a goddess to them and they would kill for the goddess’ kiss. It was audacious for Kaze to offend Jessica and it gave them the chance to win the goddess’ heart. “Jessica, too afraid to admit what you’ve done? What are you scared of?” Kaze ignored her army of simps and stared at her coldly. He wanted to know why Jessica turned on James and who instigated her to do it. Jessica stared at him and grunted coldly. “Kaze, if you want to know that bad, I’ll tell you. James is dead anyway, what can he possibly do about it? Come back as a ghost and haunt me?” Kaze smiled and did not argue with her. He waited for her answer. Jessica said, “I reported hi
Jessica looked at Kaze with disdain. “As for you, you were the one they excommunicated. Definitely not in the same league as Young Master Narian.” “Kaze, you were James’ best buddy. He took good care of you back then, and now that you found out about the truth, shouldn’t you seek justice for him? You really should not forget about him,” Haiden sneered at Kaze with a grin. Wayne scoffed, “Seek justice? From who? Jessica? Or the Lee family? He can’t offend either of them!” “I think he’d have a better chance next life!” Zack’s words made everyone burst into laughter. Jessica shook her head and scoffed. Kaze had it coming because he started it by questioning her reasoning for reporting on James. What could he possibly do now that he knew the truth? Other than sulking and being angry, he could not do anything to avenge his friend. That was why Jessica told him the truth because she did not take him seriously. She saw Kaze’s frosty expression smeared with grievance and they
Everyone looked at Kaze blankly. They were not stunned by his threats because they never took him seriously, and neither did they believe he was capable of destroying the Hilfinger family. They were surprised because Kaze was still able to speak so boldly in front of them. Today was the rebuilding ceremony of the new Construction and Material Society—the day the Hilfinger family would rise to prominence and become one of the top families in Lilyrose. Yet Kaze was bold enough to speak such provocative words at the ceremony, challenging not only the Society but also the Hilfinger family. He must have a death wish. Kelly and Jessica along with Haiden and the others laughed at Kaze for being overconfident and ridiculous. Kelly teared up from all the laughing. “Hahaha, Kaze Lee! Have you lost your mind? If you are sick, go see a doctor!” “Is it because you are too poor? If you need money, I can lend you some. I don’t want to listen to nonsense anymore! I don’t want to laugh
Dan was baffled. Roger Hilfinger was not even a threat. With Kaze’s prestigious status, one word from him was more than enough to destroy the entire Hilfinger family, yet Darcy seemed to worry about him a lot. Gold Tooth bitterly smiled and said, “Master Lee, Ms. Quint asked me to come here as well. She even called me and offered me a million bucks. I said I didn’t want to but she insisted.” He then gave the bank card to Kaze. “This is the bank card that Ms. Quint asked Dan to give me. Master Lee, please give it back to Ms. Quint. I’m afraid she will be mad at me if I reject it.” Kaze was speechless and moved at the same time when he took the bank card. Darcy’s savings were used on the housewarming party and she did not have a million dollars in her bank account at the moment. She must have borrowed money from Miru. He had the best wife in the world. She even asked Gold Tooth and Dan for help even though she disliked making contact with the people from the underworl
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