“Stop with the accusations. That’s utter nonsense.” Hart said indignantly, “I am ready to sell Rove, so there isn’t any malicious business conduct, to begin with. “We have kinked out all the details on the acquisition, but your boss, Kailan Skyfort, suddenly pushed the selling rate down to half today. “Rove might be going bust, but it’s a long-standing business and a household name. I’m not going to sell the business like it’s worth nothing. “I can’t possibly agree with the offer.” Having built the brand for many years, Hart could not give up on his hard work so easily. Were it not for the unsustainable capital chain caused by storing too much inventory and keeping many employees on payroll, Hart would have wanted to keep the business going for a little longer.For all Hart knew, the business could make it through to the very end. After reaching an agreement with Kailan, Hart intended to make things official by signing a contract at Skyfort Investment today. Kailan ch
“Oh? Are you trying to make me an example, boy?” Narrowing his eyes on Kaze, Gerard said menacingly. His two dozen men eyed Kaze mockingly. They did not see Kaze as a threat. Kaze nodded at Darcy and Hart and led Daphne into the hall to Gerard. “Well, this is why you’re here. Isn’t it?” Kaze said with a smile. His eyes brushed past the two dozen men, and he shook his head regrettably. “It’s a shame you’re just a bunch of hooligans. Where’s the challenge of it all?“Even if I hurl you out, it doesn’t send a strong enough message.“Taking the trash out doesn’t reflect much on the awesomeness of Lilyrose Commerce Guild.” Gerard made a face. “You’re asking for it, boy! We are not trash!” “Who do you think you are? Money in your pocket is no reason to look down on us.” The two dozen thugs clamored and yelled at Kaze. They were enraged by Kaze’s disdain. Kaze grinned without sparing the hooligans another look. His dismissal attitude got on their nerves more than his
Gerard’s voice was tinged with a hair-rising malice. However, Kaze took his words as meaningless grunts of a sore loser.“One slap will cost me the rest of my life? But I’m not finished with you.” Kaze shook his head and approached Gerard. Violence was the answer to ending conflicts with unreasonable thugs. Gerard was taken aback. Not only was Kaze not afraid of him, but Kaze wanted to take another swing. “Don’t just stand there. Get him!” Gerard waved his arm and shouted through his gritted teeth, “End him and trash the guild! “Oh, and the boy’s beautiful wife…” As Gerard’s gaze fell on Darcy, he licked his lips greedily. “Get him!” “Fuck his wife in front of him!” Gerard did not need to finish his sentence for the two dozen thugs to fill in the blanks. The hooligans pounced on Kaze like animals in heat. “Die!” Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Kaze charged into the crowd and grabbed two thugs by the throats. “Bang!” Kaze slammed two heads together. “
Since Kaze was not going to back down, Gerard prepared himself for the worst. “Crack!” Kaze stomped his other hand. “I’ll get to your boss later. “I can loosen up with you since you’re here. I have to make your trip worthwhile.” Kaze told Darcy to summon the staff members of Lilyrose Commerce Guild. “What can we do for you, Mr. Lee?” The staff members arrived on the scene and spoke with a shiver. Although they knew Kaze was protecting the guild, they were still afraid of him. The president’s husband was ruthless. Kaze pointed at Gerard and his crew. “Strip them to their underpants and hang them up the flagpoles. “You can decide on how long you want to keep them there. Just make sure they don’t die.” While it was easy to set these gangsters straight, there was no telling if they would return to start a commotion again. So Kaze came up with a solution. He needed to do something that was both attention-grabbing and intimidating. It would make troublemakers thi
“Sigh…” Hart turned solemn at the mention of Kailan. “Mr. Lee, I don’t know much about Kailan, but he came from Sunrise City not too long ago. “After the fall of the top three families, many businesses from Sunrise followed the Vinlands and Lees to expand to Lilyrose. “Kailan registered Skyfort Investment in Lilyrose around that time.” Lined with deep pockets, Skyfort Investment acquired a few local shoe factories. The company had been in touch with Rove with the intention of taking over the business. After much hesitation, Hart finally made up his mind to sell Rove. An agreement was reached, but Kailan turned around and cut the offer in half which led to the recent conflict. “He popped out of nowhere. My guess is he’s cleaning up ill-gotten gains from some company in Sunrise City.” Kaze contemplated for a while and got up. “Come on, Mr. Lyfe. Let’s go and meet Kailan.” “Huh?” Taken aback, Hart said, “I feel bad to impose on you, Mr. Lee.” While he understood
“We’ll see if Lilyrose Commerce Guild would hang me up the pole too.” Hostility was written all over Kailan’s face. Gerard was Kailan’s long-time confidante. For Gerard to be reduced to his boxers and left hanging on the pole was a slap in Kailan’s face. Besides, Gerard had been doing the run-around for him since their arrival in the city. Others would perceive Kailan as a pushover if he did not straighten Lilyrose Commerce Guild out today. “Smack!” Stunned, the secretary was hit in the face. Kailan shouted with a grimace, “Don’t just stand there. Do it now!” “Yes, sir.” Terrified, the secretary held her cheek and walked out of the office to summon help through calls. She ran into Kaze and Hart on her way back to Kailan’s office. “You have the nerve to come here, old fart,” the secretary shrieked, her eyes filled with malice. The secretary dared not voice her grievance after Kailan hit her, so she took her fury out on Hart. From her perspective, Hart started i
Kailan was speechless. He knew Kaze was taunting him. “Are you here to repay the gesture? “It so happens I just set up my business here, and the locals don’t seem to take me seriously. I need someone to make an example of,” Kailan said with a pretentious smile. Sure, Kaze held a bit of sway in Lilyrose, but Kailan was a highly influential figure. Kaze humiliated his men and showed his face at Kailan’s door. Kailan would lose his foothold in the city if he did not show Kaze a thing or two. “What’s the point of shooting your mouth off? I’m not here to argue. Let’s get right to it.” Kaze shook his head. Skipping Kailan’s question, he said, “If you’re honestly interested in acquiring Rove, Mr. Lyfe is happy to offer the business at the price that was originally agreed on. “We can then forget about the fact you threatened Mr. Lyfe’s family and barred entry to Lilyrose Commerce Guild.” It was true that Rove was going bust. Otherwise, Kaze would not have taken matters in
Hart was baffled by Kailan’s words. Kailan acquired Rove, not to make money out of it but to destroy it? What did it mean? Hart took a deep breath and then shouted at Kailan, “You are working for foreign brands! Kailan Skyfort, you are a villain!” He shouted with anger and frustration, even his eyes teared up from all the emotions. He suddenly realized why Kailan would say such things. Kailan acquired Rove to destroy it with his own hands, not to milk it. It was the same as what foreign brands did. Some local brands that were thriving and developing would see oppression from the start. Once the local brand grew strong enough and managed to free itself from the oppression, then foreign brands would try to acquire it so that they could crush it from the inside. They would ruin the brand from the inside out once acquired. Had foreign brands allowed local brands to thrive, they would not have been able to seize the local market and disregard the local consumers as if th
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