“Faye is right. We are from two different worlds…” The other men and women agreed. They were not mad but they mocked Kaze as if he was a worthless piece of trash. “I’m sorry, Kaze,” Darcy whispered into Kaze’s ear. She did not expect Lilian to be so harsh with her words. She started regretting coming to the gathering, but it was also inappropriate for her to walk away just like that. Kaze smiled and said, “It’s okay. I won’t get mad because some people talk bad about me. You go ahead, I’ll just wait for you.” He knew this gathering would not be that simple so there was no way he would abandon Darcy and leave. However, Lilian and the others assumed that Kaze insisted on staying, which caused them to mock him even more. “Mr. Nanas is here!” Faye suddenly announced the arrival of the guest that they had been waiting for. A man in a custom-made suit, tall and handsome, came in with a group of men behind him. The man was the new person in charge of the Red Foundation
Greg was slightly disappointed but it also aroused his desire to conquer. He was not interested in easy prey. “Who might this be?” Greg switched his attention to Kaze. His gaze grew cold the moment he spotted him. In fact, he noticed Kaze’s presence the moment he stepped in and he realized Kaze was quite close with Darcy. Worrying about others diminishing Kaze, Darcy said, “Mr. Nanas, this is my husband, Kaze Lee. He’s the chairman of Shangrila Group and also has a position in Hudson Investment Firm.” “I see.” Greg barely reacted and did not extend his hand for a handshake. “I heard you are quite the topic online. You offended Samson Hobbs of Lee Investment? I’m quite close with Samson. Maybe you can just apologize to him and if he gives you a hard time, you can mention my name. I’m sure you will be fine,” Greg said condescendingly. “Woah! Mr. Nanas holds sway even in the presence of a big shot like Samson Hobbs. He’s amazing!” Lilian and others immediately showed s
Kaze’s words shocked everyone. He asked if Samson dared to show up at the gathering to confront him. He was just a useless piece of trash, what fueled his confidence? Even Greg was caught off guard by the question. One phone call to summon Samson Hobbs? Not even he could do that. “You little prick!” Greg bellowed as soon as he regained his composure. He scoffed, “Mr. Hobbs is the CEO of Lee Investment, a monumental figure in the investment world. “You are just a lousy guy who relies on your wife yet you want him to come down here to see you? What I meant was for you to go to Lee Investment, apologize on your knees, and if he doesn’t want to see you, you can mention my name. “Now you want Mr. Hobbs to see you in person here? Kaze Lee, are you out of your mind?” Lilian, Faye, and the others were struck with realization when they heard Greg. “Yeah. Mr. Hobbs is a powerful person. Why would he come here to see you?” “I think he knows there’s no way Mr. Hobbs would c
“We are just trying to help your husband, we didn’t mean anything else. If we offended you anyhow, I’ll apologize on their behalf…” Faye held onto Darcy’s hand and apologized with a smile. Not offensive? Kaze scoffed. Before he could speak, Darcy beat him to it. She said coldly, “I can differentiate between what is offensive and what is not. I know you lot look down on my husband. You even believed the rumors about his illegitimate acquisition of the Shangrila Group Chairman position. “But, you have no idea that it was he who made me the president of Lilyrose Commerce Guild.” Kaze called out to the guild members and elected her as the president. It was such an astonishing scene that Darcy would never forget. With Darcy’s revelation, everyone looked at Kaze in shock, including Greg. The shock lasted for a moment before it was replaced by disdain. They assumed Darcy was just trying to protect her husband, and thus credited her husband for that. “Oh, I see. President
Lilian’s eyes were shining as she moved her glass closer to Greg. She was ready to surrender her body to him the moment he gave the signal. Faye and the others were the same, concentrating only on Greg. They raised their glasses to drink with him and flatter him. They were smart because they knew what words would make a man tick. Greg was drowning in flattery. He drank with all the young women and smiled happily. “Greg, we’re going out for some air.” The guys who followed Greg to the gathering had gotten used to it and they wisely excused themselves. As long as Greg was present, the girls would surround him like bees to flowers. Other men would not stand a chance. Since it would be an eyesore, it would be better for the other guys to leave and find chances elsewhere. “Forget about them. Let’s drink!” Greg ignored his followers and continued to drink with the girls. Surrounded by alcohol and women, Greg felt like the king of the world. However, when he saw Darcy
“So, Ms. Quint, now you know how powerful is the priority partner list of Red Foundation. It’s a recognition. With that, Lilyrose Commerce Guild will be as good as being gilded! Your reputation will skyrocket! “Anyone with ill intentions toward the guild, or you, will have second thoughts.” Greg boasted his so-called priority partner list as if it could change the world, yet no one doubted him. He might sound exaggerating but the foundation indeed possessed such influence and power. The recognition that Greg mentioned was the reason many celebrities and powerful companies had to respect Red Foundation. Those who offended the foundation would be publicly questioned, causing reputations to be ruined and company shares to plummet. Therefore, many companies wanted the so-called recognition from Red Foundation. As Greg said, a company would be gilded once recognized and received endless benefits. It was also the main reason Lilian and the other girls tried to flatter Greg.
Darcy frowned. She resented Greg’s coercive tone, but she was forced to endure it because of the three hundred million dollars she donated. “Mr. Nanas, that’s not what I mean. I would never look down on you. It’s just that I am really not a drinker, I can’t drink that much.” Darcy refused to compromise, which made Greg’s expression grimmer. “Darcy Quint, when are you going to show some respect to Greg?” Lilian continued to fan the flames. She said, “Greg is looking after you. He proposed a toast twice, yet you gave him the cold shoulder. You should learn how to socialize and show some respect. Don’t embarrass yourself and others…” Kaze looked at Lilian and said coldly, “Forcing others to drink, that’s respect? If that’s the case, I respectfully ask you to drink all the alcohol on the table!” Lilian’s expression turned gloomy. Before she could speak, Greg beat her to it. He slammed the table and pointed at Kaze, shouting, “You piece of shit! Successful people are talking h
The sudden crash shocked everyone. “Aaaaah! What the fuck!?” Lilian screamed. Lilian was an avid supporter of the no-bra movement, so she never wore one when she went out. After being splashed by the alcohol, her nipples were revealed through the sheer from the wetness. She was so embarrassed that she quickly covered her breasts. “What the fuck?” Greg was furious as well. His face was covered with trash and alcohol, looking miserable. When he had a good look at the person on the table, he was even more infuriated. The man was one of his followers, Han. Han’s limbs were hanging from the table. He could not speak due to the pain. He was also Greg’s driver cum bodyguard, which explained his tall and buff figure. Yet he was thrown inside like a piece of trash. The one who hurt him must be powerful. Greg was scared but when he saw his man being beaten up, the fear was replaced by anger. It was not just hurting his man, but also his pride. He must find the person
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