Miriam covered her face and shouted manically from the ground, “I can’t believe you hit me again, asshole!”“Since you have no shame, I thought I should whack some shame into you,” Kaze said nonchalantly. Kaze stared at Miriam and said with a pretentious smile, “Ms. Loop, you pit me against a senior officer of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but he turned out to be a fraud.“Should I bring the real deal to you?” Miriam knew Kaze was someone important since he gave Noah a whopping like no one else’s business. Wary, Miriam furrowed her brows and said, “What are you trying to do? Even if you have connections, you can’t throw your weight around the hospital. “Victoria International Hospital is more influential than you can imagine. Even the wealthy elites would back us up.” Realizing Kaze would not let the matter go, Miriam started to threaten him. Kaze raised a brow. “The wealthy elites? Who are these people you are talking about?“The Sunrise Lees, the Sunrise Glitters
Miriam’s threats did not faze Kaze. No one could stop him from doing the things he wanted to do. Sensing Kaze’s determination, Miriam knew there was no way out of the situation. “Alright. Since you don’t seem to have learned your lesson, we’ll see if Victoria International Hospital remains standing after today.” Gritting her teeth, Miriam took out her phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Mr. Hobbs. A bastard started a commotion at the hospital and assaulted me. Now the leaders of various departments are apparently coming. The bastard even threatened to revoke our business license.“Victoria International Hospital might be gone before you get here.” The moment the call went through, Miriam’s voice transformed. Sobs wracked her body as she spoke in a coy tone.“Oh, is there someone that powerful in the city? I want to see the individual who can revoke the business license. I might just revoke his license to live.“Hang in there. I’ll be there soon.” A gruesome voice came o
The general workers exchanged glances in hesitation. They wanted to help, but Miriam might rip them a new one. The general workers had not crossed paths with Miriam before, and they did not know her that well. However, they concluded from the earlier incident that Miriam was a petty and ridiculous woman. For all they knew, Miriam might go after them later. Just then, the air pulsed with the thrum of car engines.It sounded like many cars pulled up outside Victoria International Hospital. “Please give way.” Several middle-aged people weaved through the crowd in a hurry to get inside. A group of lanyard-wearing employees with work IDs trailed behind them.“That’s Morgan Wesley, chief of the Health Commission, Leon Lard, the chief of the F&D Administration, Alanna Maser, head of the Commerce Administration. Oh, he’s from the Tax Office.” Miriam grimaced as the group approached. She recognized the faces in leadership roles. They were the department heads from various
Morgan and the others ignored Miriam and even called her a fool in their minds. Miriam wanted to file a complaint with the mayor’s office. She seemed to have no idea that the man standing before her was the mayor. “Yes, Mr. Lee.” The group nodded and dispersed, diving straight into work with their staff. To show Kaze they meant business, these department heads, who usually sit in their cushy offices, ran up and down and looked rather busy.“We note Victoria International Hospital has a serious fire hazard issue. Many facilities haven’t been updated and inspected on a regular basis.” A deep dive into the nitty gritty unearthed significant problems.It did not take long for the chief of the fire department to be the first to report back to Kaze. The other department heads approached Kaze soon after. “We have inspected the place and found the improper handling of drugs here. Many patients suffered irreversible damage as a result.” “We have received complaints from cit
The leader of the group was a young man with his greasy hair combed back. His eyes were menacing. “There you are, Mr. Hobbs.” Miriam was overjoyed to see him. She threw herself into his arms. “Sob, sob, sob. If you don’t show up, the assholes are going to take the hospital away.” Miriam snuggled in the man’s embrace and wailed like nobody’s business. Sure enough, the crying lady in his arms only upset the man. He patted Miriam’s shoulder and consoled, “Don’t worry, babe. No one can shut the hospital down, not on my watch.” The man took Miriam’s hand and walked toward Kaze and the department heads. Fixating on the department heads, the man said curtly, “Who do you think you are? My name is Keeve Hobbs, and this is my hospital. Who are you to run things when the hospital doesn’t belong to you?” Morgan and the others grimaced. They stole a glance at Kaze and kept their heads down without a word. It was clear that they were intimidated by Keeve. Keeve approached Mo
Lee Investment, representing the powerful Lees, was a symbol of power and status in Lilyrose. The Lees nearly removed Johnson, the former mayor, from office. That was the reason why Keeve did not see the seven department heads as a threat. Keeve believed Lee Investment could bring the whole administration down easily.Hence why Keeve did not take Kaze seriously. “Don’t just stand there, Lee. Kneel and apologize now.” With Kaze saying nothing, Miriam took it that Keeve’s power scared him. She grew arrogant. Ignoring Miriam, Kaze turned to Keeves and nodded in contemplation. “So you’re Samson’s nephew. That explains the arrogance.” Keeve frowned. The unsettling calmness in Kaze's eyes both offended and discomforted Keeve. Keeve smacked Miriam’s tight ass. “What are you doing, Mr. Hobbs? So many are watching us.” Miriam squirmed in his arms, her eyes reflecting that she had the hots for him. “I’ll get to you later, slut.” Keeve smiled and pointed at Kaze. “Didn
“Sob, sob, Mr. Hobbs. He hit me again.” Miriam turned around and ran back into Keeve’s arms in tears. “Now you’ve seen how arrogant the bastard is. “He attacked me in front of you. “His attack on me is a direct challenge to your authority, Mr. Hobbs.” Miriam hated Kaze’s guts. She kept stirring the pot so that Keeve would be angry enough to get rid of Kaze permanently. “Enough!” Bothered by the woman’s crying, Keeve yelled and looked up at Kaze. He said coldly, “I told you that Miriam is my woman. “Yet, you hit her in my presence. Am I invisible to you?” Keeve’s voice dripped with sinister implications.Everybody was aware that he was furious now. Kaze grinned. “Your foolish and ignorant type annoys me the most. You have never met me before, but you assume that I care about your opinion. “Why did you ask me that question when I hit your woman? “Didn’t I make things clear enough?“Maybe I should spell it out to you by shutting the hospital down.” Everybody
The young man flounced into the room, his tone arrogant. The crowd turned their attention to the young man who talked about ruining lives as if it were nothing. “Mr. Fuller.” Morgan and the others became frightened when they saw him. The young man was Pete, the grandson of Trent, the former mayor. Trent ran the city for twenty years, so everybody knew who his grandson was. Keeve read everybody’s faces and smiled. “I guess you know who Mr. Fuller is. That’s right. Mr. Fuller is a shareholder of Victoria International Hospital.” Morgan and the others grimaced. It was not new news to them. In fact, Pete dipped his fingers in many corporations in Lilyrose. He was the owner of an investment firm that held many shares in various businesses. It was no secret that the success of Pete’s investment firm was owed to his grandfather’s influence. “Mr. Lee.” Sensing danger, Morgan turned to Kaze and whispered, “I’m afraid we won’t be able to shut the hospital down today. “
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