Fortunately, the cup of tea was not enough to disfigure Yelena. “Uncle Yuri! This bastard splashed hot tea at me! Kill him! Kill him!” Yelena dared not challenge Kaze alone anymore. She stepped away and begged her uncle to avenge her. Yuri stared at Kaze coldly and said, “Yelena, don’t worry. When the members of the guild arrive, this little bastard will be dead. “Many top companies are members. This little bastard here has no idea how powerful they are!” He was calming Yelena down and threatening Kaze at the same time. Kaze was unfazed. He sat down calmly and made more tea for himself and Darcy. “Mr. President, I’ve called them!” A moment later, Lawson came back with his phone. Yuri glanced at Kaze before he asked, “How many of them refused to come, mark their names. After I get Kaze Lee, I’ll go after them. They will be kicked out of the guild.” He actually wanted to know how many members would show up because it reflected his connections and reputation. “Mr. Pr
More than a hundred members of the guild, all influential figures in their respective fields, arrived. Under the lead of Bernard, Peter, and Jack, they all swarmed into the room, which was the HQ of Lilyrose Commerce Guild. Not even the founding day of the guild saw this many people. It was a grand scene to behold and Yuri was absolutely flattered and honored. His lips and bloodstained beard were twitching in excitement. Yelena and Lawson were thrilled as well. They had never seen such a scene before. With the signal from Yuri, Lawson stepped up. “Members of Lilyrose Commerce Guild, I summoned all of you today because our president, Yuri Kosky, was slapped by someone, in this place, the HQ of the guild! “Look at the president’s face! It was that little bastard who did it! The president is a pioneer in the business field and a reputable elder, yet that punk slapped him multiple times! “I believe many of you are around the same age as our president. So, if we don’t make t
After four consecutive slaps, not only was Yuri stunned, but the other members of the three families were also frozen. They looked at each other before they looked at the three heads of families and Lewis. Then, they saw the person on the couch, who was enjoying his tea as if he was not part of the conflict. Slap! Another member went up to slap Yuri. “I'm leaving!” “I quit!” “Me too!” Each slap was followed by their exit from the guild. In just a blink of an eye, Yuri got slapped a dozen times again. His body finally collapsed on the floor, his gaze turned blank. His face was swollen after being slapped innumerable times. The other members were still coming and if this continued, Yuri might be slapped to death. Bernard felt sorry for the man. He frowned and said, “Guys, don’t just slap the man. There’s also his niece and the guild’s exec.” The niece and guild’s exec? Yelena and Lawson could not even react in time and they were surrounded. Slap! The slap
Yuri was beyond help if he still could not take a hint. The heads of Vikroms, Logmans, and Joestars took orders from Kaze. Despite learning the truth, Yuri could not wrap his head around the reason. “It doesn’t make any sense! You’re just a loser. Why would anyone act on your directions?” Yuri climbed to his feet in rage and glared at Kaze. “Do you think you can go over my head because these prominent families answer to you, bastard?“You are delusional! “You’re idiots, Bernard, Peter. Do you think you can walk all over me? “Well, you’re underestimating me.“Do you know that my efforts will push Lilyrose Commerce Guild to become a subsidiary of Four Ocean Commerce Guild? I will become a council member of Four Ocean Commerce Guild. “Once that happens, prestigious families and financing platforms meant squat to me.“You will all pay, that includes those who assaulted me.” Yuri shouted manically at everybody. He had lost it after his members and Kaze slapped his face.
It was Max, the commissary sent to Lilyrose to observe Darcy. Max glanced at Yuri, who was groveling, and said, “I am authorized to represent Four Ocean Commerce Guild to discuss restructuring Lilyrose Commerce Guild as a city-level branch.” He then shifted his gaze to the three family heads and asked nonchalantly, “Are you members of Lilyrose Commerce Guild? This saves me the trip of notifying you.” Max sounded certain that Lilyrose Commerce Guild would operate under Four Ocean Commerce Guild. The opinions of others did not matter. Yuri decided to throw Bernard and the others under the bus. He said apologetically, “Close to a hundred members led by the Vikroms, Logmans, and Joestars are quitting the guild just before you arrived, Mr. Kang. “I’m the only member left in the guild.” Yuri was full of hot air. He went as far as to expose his vulnerability to the commissary of Four Ocean Commerce Guild. Bernard and the others led a group of members to withdraw their memb
One moment ago, Max cockily put down the Vikroms, Logmans, and Joestars. Now, Max dropped to his knees after Kaze asked a question. No one saw it coming. Even Darcy’s jaw dropped to the ground. Something must have happened when Kaze went to Landor residential area as Max appeared terrified of him. Bernard and the others were taken aback. The members of Lilyrose Commerce Guild were dumbstruck. Max was the commissary of Four Ocean Commerce Guild. He basically ran the South River state with a giant like Four Ocean Commerce Guild backing him up. Yet, he kneeled before Kaze. “Yuri wanted you to kneel, not me, Mr. Lee!” Dismissing the looks all around, Max shouted at Kaze with a crying face. He did not expect to see Kaze there. As a witness to the incident in Landor residential area, Max knew how scary the man was. Even a highborn like Leigh was not saved from Kaze’s rough handling, much less Max. Kaze sat next to Darcy on the sofa with no intention of getting up. H
Now that Max kneeled before Kaze, Yuri no longer wanted to get into it with Kaze. However, Kaze walked ahead without looking at Yuri. Standing still, Kaze stared at Bernard, Jack, Peter, and the members who withdrew their membership from Lilyrose Commerce Guild. “Mr. Lee.” Close to a hundred members acknowledged Kaze’s presence. Darcy’s eyes welled up. Once upon a time, the public saw Kaze as the loser who mooched off his wife. Now, Lilyrose’s finest entrepreneurs showed respect to Kaze. “You are so badass today, babe,” Darcy murmured while covering her mouth. Not catching his wife’s remark, Kaze said with a smile, “Thank you for the honor. I have met many friends in Lilyrose’s business scene.”“We’re just doing our part,” the group answered. Kaze waved his arm, and the chatter quieted down. Kaze said, “I humbly seek a favor to rejoin Lilyrose Commerce Guild.” Huh? Everybody was taken aback by Kaze’s request. The members including Bernard, Peter, and Jack dec
“Huh?” Yuri slumped to the ground, his eyes losing luster. It never occurred to him that Kaze would forcefully boot him out of the commerce guild. Yuri did not know what he was supposed to do now. All members of Lilyrose Commerce Guild looked at Kaze as their leader. Max, the representative of Four Ocean Commerce Guild, kneeled near the sofa and kept slapping himself. Yuri fell into despair. Kaze had decided his fate. Yuri did not even have a chance to retaliate. “Take your niece and students and leave.” Without looking at Yuri, Kaze said his piece and went to Max. With his back facing the crowd, Max whipped his face to the point of bleeding.However, Max dared not stop until Kaze said so. “That’s enough.” Kaze’s voice from the back was a godsend. Max put down his sore arm and turned to face Kaze with a swollen face. He said, “Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Lee?” “How’s the vehicle ownership transfer coming along?” Kaze asked while taking a
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