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
“Yelena!” Yuri cried in shock when Yelena was sent flying by the slap. He slammed the table and bolted up. He shouted, “Who the hell are you?! How dare you slap Yelena?!” “Are you okay, Darcy?” Kaze ignored Yuri entirely and was fully concentrated on Darcy. “I’m fine.” Darcy stroked her cheek as she looked at Yelena who was crying and twirling on the floor. She suddenly felt a lot better, physically and mentally. Being ignored, Yuri was furious. He bellowed, “So you are the useless trash Kaze Lee?” “Who the hell are you, old geezer?” Kaze looked at Yuri. Yuri’s expression turned grim. Lawson went over to help Yelena up and bellowed, “How dare you! This is President Yuri Kosky of Lilyrose Commerce Guild! How dare you disrespect him?” “President Yuri Kosky?” Kaze glanced at Yelena and asked, “This little bitch—she is also named Kosky. Is she your illegitimate daughter?” “Kaze Lee! Watch your words!” Lawson shouted, “Yelena is our president’s niece! Mr. Preside
“Kaze Lee, kneel and apologize to Yelena and the president, and maybe the president will forgive you.” Darcy was furious when she heard Lawson. She was also struck yet Kaze had to apologize. Kaze ignored Lawson completely and said, “President Kosky, is this your idea?” “Of course.” Seeing signs of Kaze’s submission, Yuri took a deep breath and sat back on the couch. He took a sip of tea and said, “You made a mistake and if you want forgiveness, of course you have to ask for it. “Kneeling and apologizing is only for what you did to Yelena. As for my forgiveness, it will depend on your performance and attitude.” In just two short minutes since the meeting, Yuri knew that Kaze was a proud person. Therefore, he wanted to use this opportunity to blunt his edge. If he succeeded, Kaze and Darcy would accept his demands and apologize to Lil Dee and Lee Investment. Samson would then owe him a favor. “Mistake? What did I do wrong?” Kaze said coldly. “President Kosky, yo
Kaze’s words not only surprised Yuri but also everyone in the room. One of the pioneers in Lilyrose behind the city thriving now, Yuri Kosky was the first richest man in the city and the president of Lilyrose Commerce Guild who was respected by many. Kaze must have all the nerve in the world to want to hit him. “Kaze, no…” Darcy wanted to stop Kaze. She knew if Kaze struck Yuri, things would certainly spiral out of hand. People were already criticizing him for hitting Lil Dee and if this happened, things would be chaotic. “It’s fine, Darcy. He’s just an old man trying to use his experience as an advantage. If I hit him, nothing will happen.” Kaze said without even looking at Darcy and continued moving closer to Yuri. Lawson immediately jumped in front of Yuri and blocked Kaze. “Kaze, know your place! Who the hell are you, trying to hit the president? Based on what you said to the president, you will lose everything here in Lilyrose!” Lawson shouted at Kaze, trying t
“Do ask around,” Kaze said without being overly concerned. Since he was with Dwight, if they got any news, it would attract even more attention. However, if they did not ask around for more after causing a scene, it would also be strange. Therefore, Dwight’s little investigation was a great cover. “I have to use the toilet. Wait for me here,” Kaze said as he got up. Dwight nodded at Kaze as he was going to make a call. “Sure. If you want to leave, just give me a heads up.” He then sat down on the couch, took a sip of beer, and leisurely watched girls dancing on the dance floor. After seeing Dwight’s casual reaction, Kaze lowered his guard against him. He had been observing Dwight since the start and now he finally knew the man well enough. Dwight never saw Kaze as an outsider or some VIP guest. He was thoughtful and kind and never harbored any ill intentions. “He’s really a simple guy.” Kaze headed to the toilet as he muttered to himself. On the way there, he sa
“She’s quite capable but this will cost her.” Kaze thought Rosie was not being rational enough. If a customer crossed the line, she would have every reason to throw him out. There was no need to endure him or suck up for the sake of a little business. Rosie might seem to be the boss of the club but she often had to endure ridiculous requests for the sake of the well-being of the establishment. Dominic’s words made many uncomfortable, especially the waiter and the security guards. They were ready to throw him out. If he continued to be rude, they would not mind being physical with him. When Dominic calmed down, he would realize what he had done. After all, when one was drunk, one would not have total control over his or her actions, which would lead to making mistakes. Such mistakes would easily slip due to the person being drunk but it only worked when the person could not remember or was not conscious at all. If a person remained sane and could act logically, then be
“I’ll let this slip but you guys can’t always ruin my fun,” Dominic said with a frown. His plan of having fun was foiled before anything could happen. Rosie’s expression turned bitter. “That girl is just an innocent lady, our customer. You can’t just force yourself on her.” Dominic was not deterred. He believed that with his status and how much he had spent at the club, he could do anything he wanted. Yet the boss interrupted his plan and even let the girl go. It fueled his resentment. “Since when is Absolute Zero scared of anything? That girl is just some random girl, and even if I drag her to my bed, nothing bad will happen,” he said confidently. He even moved closer to Rosie, putting his chubby hand around her waist. Dwight was surprised as he had never encountered such a situation before. Dominic acted like he owned the club. He tried to force a girl against her will and now he put his dirty hand on the boss of the club. He was just the boss of a company who
“Stop causing problems!” The security guards gained on Kaze and Dwight, trying to get them out of the club. Dwight was also a hot-tempered person and he could not allow injustice to happen, especially to himself. “It’s that fat prick who started it! Why aren’t you guys throwing him out? The girl has made it clear that they don’t know each other! Why are you two gaining on us?!” He was not weak and could easily take down two security guards, but he remained resentful. They tried to help a girl but the situation turned on them. “You can’t be sure. Maybe the girl is playing hard to get. This is not Mr. Jarbosky’s first time here, and he will never break the rules here,” the security guard said. His words attracted even more attention, but they dared not speak up. Vivi’s face turned pale. She wanted to explain but nothing came out of her mouth. Her explanations seemed weak. Everyone seemed to believe that she seduced Dominic, but she was the victim. “No! It’s not like t
“Kaze, you might not know since you are new here but he’s the boss of Dominion Group, Dominic Jarbosky. We can’t offend him. His company works closely with the Viper’s Den.” Dwight came over and whispered into Kaze’s ears. He just wanted to inform Kaze to rethink his decision. The girl might be in danger but she had it coming. Coming to a club in a skimpy outfit was certainly a bad idea. Since Dominic had his eyes on her, and she did not want his company, then it was up to her to break free. Dwight thought that by explaining Dominic’s status to Kaze, the conflict would be resolved. “I said, it’s time for you to stop,” Kaze said once more, his tone colder than before. Dominic frowned after being interrupted once more. He finally got his eyes on a young girl who looked beautiful and innocent, thinking he could release his sexual desires on her for the entire night, yet someone poked his nose into his business. “What do you have to do with this? Are you into this girl as w
“Seems like there’s nothing to see here.” Kaze was slightly disappointed. He came here just to find out more about the club’s operations and the person running the place. Yet there was nothing he found, or maybe he did not get the right chance. Clubs were loud and messy, fights even broke out occasionally. Men would fight over a woman, and once the fight broke out, the person in charge of the club must step up to resolve the conflict. Kaze just needed to wait patiently for the chance to arrive. With alcohol involved, people tended to be impulsive and physical once the girls rejected them. Dwight continued to test his luck but got turned down every single time. A few minutes later, a void formed around him with no girls wanting to be close to him. He was annoyed. He was tall and handsome, yet no girls wanted to be with him. He saw other men, who were shorter and looked normal, surrounded by girls. The only difference was the watches and branded outfits they wore.
As they arrived, they saw a dozen expensive cars parked outside. The customer base was relatively stable as the establishment was targeted at the upper class. The people lining up at the club were young men and women of ordinary background. All were allowed inside Absolute Zero with an entrance fee. Since this would be a chance for ordinary people to meet and interact with the upper-class elites, they cherished it and tried their best to look good. Even movie producers and scriptwriters came to the club, seeking investments or a role in movie production. It was a shortcut to reach out to the upper crust after all. Yet they were just a bunch of fresh graduates with no resources and connections, so the club was their only chance at achieving something great. Dwight would never understand how rare the opportunity was, as he was narrow-sighted. He had never experienced power and wealth before, so he lacked the understanding of how things worked in society. “I never thought
With that in mind, Dwight checked his outfit. His black leather jacket brought out his height and wild side. He then observed Kaze. The latter was dressed casually. Dwight was worried that they would not be allowed into Absolute Zero because of their attire. Nevertheless, he could not let slip that he had never been to Absolute Zero. Without a word, Dwight led Kaze down the apartment building. Kaze could pick up on Dwight’s nerves. While in the elevator, Dwight could not stop straightening out his clothes. It was clear that he was nervous. Even so, Kaze said nothing and pretended not to notice. They got into the car and drove to an alley. The area was not huge, but there were stands selling street food. “The food is great here. Since it’s early, we can grab a bite.” Dwight was not being tight with money. As their destination was a bar, there was no need to get a proper meal. “I’ll get a skewer then.” Kaze did not have much of an appetite anyway. “Okay. I’ll or
“You’re the guest. I should be hosting you, but I don’t seem to be doing a good job.” Dwight knew he had to do better. “It’s okay. I don’t have much to do. It’s just a delivery anyway.” Kaze bought a lot of stuff online. All they had to do was wait for the delivery. Once the items arrived, they could head out. Dwight talked about taking him to a bar under the Viper’s Den’s umbrella. It was a great opportunity for Kaze to check out the scene. He had heard that the Wittersons were tied to all the Viper’s Den’s business operations.Kaze would not meet Edmund and Morris in person, but he would grasp all information related to them. Then, Kaze would stir things up between them and sit back while reaping the benefits. Kaze had it all planned out. He simply had to take his time in playing the long game. Nevertheless, it was important for him to remain discreet. At the very least, he should not show them what he was made of. It was easy to execute his plan when everybody