“Tsk. The reporters are really good with their words. “A pen is stronger than a sword. It can kill without shedding blood.” At Lee Investment, Samson was scrolling through the news on his phone. When he saw the captivating yet misleading headlines from different news outlets, he could not resist tapping in. If even he was captivated, the majority of the people would surely feel the same. His assistant bowed and said, “Mr. Hobbs, are the news outlets going overboard this time? They should have focused on Kaze alone but now even the local police department was involved. “If Lilyrose’s reputation is tarnished, the new mayor might not be happy about it. Why don’t I call the news outlet and warn them about…” After Lil Dee was chased away by Kaze, he reported the incident to Samson because he knew he was no match for Kaze. He wanted his boss to take revenge for him. Therefore, Lee Investment used its connections with the news outlets to create a storm online. “Overboard? Ho
However, none of the calls got through except the one to Sunrise News. Unfortunately, the response from the person was terrible. “Can you prove that you are one of the volunteers at the scene? Do you have pictures? Even if you have, it might be edited. Don’t you know pictures can be photoshopped? “Stop making complaints. Mandy is our ace journalist and an internationally acclaimed reporter. If you continue to slander her, we will take legal measures.” The person threatened the volunteer through the phone. “They are just playing dumb because they are paid by Lil Dee and his team. There’s no way the news outlets will listen to us.” “Now everyone can take pictures and videos. They can’t just do whatever they want. We can record our own video to prove that Kaze is a good person!” The volunteers and soldiers agreed to clear Kaze’s name together. They started to take videos of the scene and explained what really happened. The videos were then posted to different platforms to
“What’s the matter, Jennifer?” Kaze asked with furrowed brows. Jennifer questioned him with an unfriendly tone the moment the call got through. She must have seen the news online. “What’s the matter? You hitting Lil Dee is on the news again! Everything about you, your background, what you have done, everything is revealed online! “You volunteered at the flood scene on behalf of our firm. Even if you want to take revenge or anything, can you pick another time? Can you consider our firm first before you act recklessly?!” Jennifer was furious. She was speechless after what happened. She even had complaints about Miru as the chairwoman of the firm. She did not know why Miru would make Kaze the CEO. Even when Kaze was no longer the CEO, he could still cause problems. He had joined the firm for a while now. Not only did he fail to secure any investment opportunity, but he also caused more problems than he should have. The firm had suffered a moderate amount of losses. Kaze kn
Kaze’s gaze grew cold when he heard Jennifer. Jennifer and the Lilyrose Commerce Guild might not know Lee Investment’s schemes, but Kaze knew everything about it. The so-called legal measure was total nonsense. The news media distorted the truth and even if Lee Investment wanted to take legal measures, they would not win the case. If Kaze fell under pressure and apologized, then he would live with the accusation for life. Moreover, Lee Investment wanted him to apologize so that they could insult and humiliate him. Kaze was certain that once he apologized, it would be the start of a series of problems, not the end of this one. “The firm’s idea? Jennifer, do you think you represent the firm? I’m just temporarily relieved of my duty as CEO. I can go back whenever I want.” Jennifer believed apologizing was the simplest solution, so she did not treat Kaze with any respect when talking to him. The more Kaze tolerated Jennifer’s attitude, the more she would take advantage of
Yelena was not afraid at all. She had absolute power in Red Star Charity and if anyone wanted to quit, they were more than welcome to. “Why do we need your permission? What nonsense is that?” The volunteers were angry. Some of the ladies even cried. They were still university students and this might be the first time they encountered the darkness of society. “You want to fire me? Fine, I’ll just go.” Kaze then took off his red vest. He then said to the crying university students, “It’s okay. We are volunteering for the better good, not for show. Don’t worry, I’ll give everyone an explanation soon and I assure you the sweat and tears you shed won’t be for nothing!” The flood remained an issue. Kaze did not want the volunteers to leave their position because the situation needed more manpower instead of the other way around. Victims needed to be rescued, so he decided to step down for the moment. He gave the red vest to one of Yelena’s men and then said coldly, “Yelen
The Four Ocean Commerce Guild had grown more ambitious. Not only did they aim to become the titan of Sunrise City’s business world, but they also started to extend their reach toward other cities, expanding their influence. However, their expansion was not a concerning matter. “I got it.” Kaze hung up the phone and headed to the address provided. The HQ of Lilyrose Commerce Guild was right above Dynasty Hotel. The sixth floor was rented by the guild as its working space so that it could also welcome guests and host meetings. Darcy arrived earlier than Kaze. The employee led her into the president’s office. When she entered, she saw Yuri sitting on the black leather couch. “Mr. Kosky, I’m Darcy Quint. Nice to meet you.” Darcy went up to greet the man and bowed. She always maintained a basic level of respect for people older than her. Yuri was in his 50s but his hair had started to turn gray. He smiled and waved at Darcy. “Ms. Quint, make yourself at home. I’m j
Lawson did not hold back in criticizing Kaze. As he counted Kaze's misdeeds, the pressure on Darcy's shoulder grew heavier. She bowed apologetically and said, “Mr. President, I’m sorry that Kaze’s actions hurt the guild’s reputation. I am truly sorry about that.” Yuri did not reply. Lawson continued, “Ms. Quint, apologizing to us doesn’t make up for the mistakes. The Lee Investment has released a statement, demanding your husband’s apology. “But since your husband is disrespectful. He declined the request we made through Red Star Charity. We contacted Shangrila Group but we didn’t get an answer. He really thinks he’s above us. “We can’t do anything to him since he’s not a guild member but you are different, Ms. Quint. You are a member of Lilyrose Commerce Guild. Shouldn’t you be his role model and shoulder the responsibility? Darcy did not try to argue this time because she was indeed a member of the guild. They got to her a while ago and invited her to join. Darcy di
“I’m terribly sorry about that, Mr. President. I am just trying to be reasonable. I know this world isn’t black and white, there’s always a gray area but sometimes, it’s very clear.” Darcy maintained the same level of respect for Yuri while sounding stern. Yuri grunted. He wanted to lash out at Darcy but then a woman with glasses came into the room in a hurry. “Uncle Yuri! You have to help me! You have no idea how arrogant that useless Kaze Lee was! I fired him and he threatened me! He said today is the last day of me being the person in charge of Red Star Charity. “I mentioned your name but he isn’t afraid at all. He shows no respect for you!” The woman did not even look at Darcy. The moment she came in, she voiced her complaints to Yuri. She was none other than Yelena, the person in charge of Red Star Charity who had just fired Kaze earlier at the slums. Red Star Charity was founded and funded by Lilyrose Commerce Guild and Yelena was able to become the person in charge
“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
“Worried about the mercenaries? I’ve taken all of them out and anyone with a sane mind would know by now not to come after me. Why would they make the same mistake again?” Kaze killed all the mercenaries. There was no one else the mastermind could send after him anymore. Even if there were, they would have to reconsider it after what had happened. Taking out the mercenaries in silence was a strong showcase of his strength. Once the mastermind found out, he or she would definitely stay away. Besides, Kaze had decided to continue his journey to Westeros without telling anyone. He could board a random flight to his destination, and no one would ever know. “Take me to the airport,” Kaze said to the driver. He and Snow were in the rear seat. “When you go back to Butterworth, don’t rush things. Now that Katie has made a mistake and is forced to step down, you can take over Northborn Group,” Kaze said. “Speaking of Katie, after I locked her up, her daughter, Leah, came to me
Miguel stated his strength so that Kaze and Snow would look at him differently. “That doesn’t mean we have to choose you.” Snow saw nothing stellar in him. Snow’s harsh words surprised Miguel and left him deeply displeased. Yet when he looked at Kaze, he dared not say a word. “I can work hard. Even if I am not qualified now, I can work toward that goal.” “Of course, you are not qualified now. You need to improve yourself to meet the basic requirements. Then we’ll talk about you joining us.” Snow just wanted to get this matter over and done with, so she handed Miguel her name card. “When you think you are qualified, you can give me a call.” Since she would eventually take over the largest force in Butterworth, she needed to build a team of her own—one she could truly trust. Miguel might just be an ordinary man who looked fierce but he was courageous and had the potential to be better. “Can I follow him instead?” Miguel took the name card and learned Snow’s name. He
“You did well,” Kaze praised Miguel. It was not easy for someone to fire a gun and take a life, even when he had basic training. Though without the proper technique and training, the shot was nothing stellar. “Really?” Miguel was thrilled by the praise. He might be tall and fit and have arms full of tattoos, but he had never gotten into a fight before. He was happy that someone he admired praised him. It made his day even more than escaping alive. Kaze wanted to continue but the cars had arrived. He walked forward and revealed himself in front of the headlights. The hostages were scared. They stepped back, some of them entered the hangar once more and tried to shut the door. Miguel stood in their way and stopped them from closing it up. “What are you doing? Kaze is still here and help has arrived. Stop hiding,” he said. He detested their selfish behavior. Kaze saved them but they did not even thank him. They even continued to suspect Kaze’s identity. Their be
“How dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punished…” Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. “Given Mr. Lee’s capabilities, he won’t be hurt.” The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. “I know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.” Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. “But there’s nothing you can do now. It’s late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They won’t do anything yet.” “It’s because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. That’s the only way to solve this matter!” “But we’ve searched high and low and didn’t find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didn’t see any tracks.” The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. “Good job.” “Thanks.” Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. “I’ll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you won’t be charged and you won’t need to take responsibility,” Kaze said. Miguel’s pale face looked relieved. “What should we do now? Are there more of them?” Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. “I’ve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.” He then took the gun from Miguel’s hands. “Really? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!” Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. “Don’t look if you can’t take it! Don’t make things worse!” “Yeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!” “I have never seen dead bodies like this before!” he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. “Can we go out now and run away?” The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. “If you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, you’ll be shot!” Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening