“Greg, help!” Greg’s men cried and asked for help the moment they saw him. Greg was furious. He pointed at the young man and bellowed, “I order you to release them right now, or you will pay dearly!” “Pay dearly? Have you never seen blood? You dumb shit. Should I open your eyes?” said the young man with a grin. He grabbed a bottle of beer from the table and smashed it on the man’s head. Crank! The bottle was smashed into pieces, knocking out the already injured guy. The buff man released him, letting him fall onto the floor. His head started to bleed. The puddle of blood shocked everyone. Gasp! Lilian, Faye, and the others were horrified by the young man’s ruthlessness. Even Greg was shocked. The young man was no stranger to violence or blood. What was more terrifying had yet to come. Crank! Crank! The young man grabbed a bottle after another, smashing them onto the heads of Greg’s men. He looked casual and unfazed throughout the bloody and violent proce
Slap! Greg’s face burned. He covered his cheek and stepped back in anger and embarrassment. “You slapped me!? Have you heard of Red Foundation…” Slap! The young man slapped him once more before he could finish. “Bullshit. I’ve heard of Red Foundation but I just don’t give a shit.” Slap! A third slap landed on Greg’s face. “Greg!” Faye and the others were worried. If Greg got hurt and they did nothing, he would surely come after them next. Lilian stood as well. She stepped up and said, “Hey, do you know what this place is…” “This place?” The young man paused and glanced at Lilian. Lilian said strongly, “I’m Lilian Wheel, the person in charge of the supercar club in Sunrise! This bar is our branch here in Lilyrose!” “Supercar club?” Lilian grinned when he saw the reluctance on the young man’s face. The young man might not care about Red Foundation but he seemed to have heard of the supercar club. The club was founded for rich people with supercars to gather
The Butterworth Queens were on par with the Sunrise Lees. Compared to the Lee family, which had just risen to prominence in recent years, the Queen family had been around a lot longer, even longer than the Vinland family of Chrysant. Their resources and influences were unimaginably large. On top of that, the family preferred to keep a low profile and make money quietly. When the top three families of Lilyrose were taken down, every other company and family in the city tried to get a piece of the pie. The Lee and Vinland families tried but were defeated terribly. The Queen family was barely interested in the competition. They might be quiet but no one would truly ignore them or underestimate the benefits they gained from the collapse of the top three families. Red Foundation and the supercar club were considered rather influential, yet Greg and Lilian were merely executives. They could not fully represent their respective organizations. Therefore, they were powerless i
“Friend?” Slap! “Friends?” Slap! “Who do you think you are, calling yourself my friend? I was born into the Queen family! I do not need friends like you, you stupid dog!” Conan bellowed as he slapped Greg repeatedly. “What the fuck are you? An executive of Red Foundation? Hmph! Even if I crush you here and now, the foundation would have to clean up your mess instead of holding me responsible! “You even asked me to kneel? Who gave you the balls to say that to me?!” The last slap sent Greg flying to the floor. Greg did not resist at all. After he fell, he quickly got up and knelt before Conan. Conan’s words scared him. He completely offended Conan with his words earlier. Given Conan’s explosive temper, Greg might probably die on the spot. As Conan said, Red Foundation would probably resolve this peacefully and might have to clean up after Greg because he messed with the wrong person. No matter how influential Greg was in the foundation, once he died, the foundat
Unable to stand it anymore, Lilian went up and said with a smile, “Mr. Queen, I’m friends with Leigh Glitter. If not for me, think about—” Smack!Conan gave her a backhand slap. “Don’t talk to me about the loser. Leigh is ruined. Don’t you know?” Conan, thanks to his family connections, got the latest update on Leigh. However, Conan had no idea who broke Leigh. What? Leigh of the Glitter family was ruined? It was quite a bombshell. The subject of the shocking news was the heir of the Glitters. Who could possibly do that to Leigh? Lilian held her face and glanced at Kaze. The only reason she was hostile toward Kaze and Darcy was they rubbed Leigh the wrong way. It was said that Kaze called the cops on Leigh. Lilian hoped her gut feeling was wrong, and the moocher did not destroy Leigh. She shook her head at that thought. As if that happened. It was the biggest humiliation to the Glitters if a moocher ruined Leigh. The family would prevent the news from s
Darcy nestled in Kaze’s embrace with a sweet smile. Kaze did not care who he faced off with. He would stand in front of Darcy in protection against anybody who picked on her. Kaze did not hesitate to attack even the heir of the Butterworth Queens. In contrast, Greg, who acted high and mighty before, became a coward. Conan’s face hung back from the impact. It took a while before he got a grip on himself. “Did you just hit me?” He remained in a daze as if the blow to his mind was far greater than the burning pain on his cheek. Kaze glanced at him callously. “What? Do you find it refreshing to get slapped for once? “I can hit you to your heart’s content if it suits you. “I don’t mind if you try your luck with other women. “But you’re playing with fire for hitting on my wife. “You have your family to thank for because you get to keep your arm.” His offhanded tone bore a hint of aggression. Greg, Lilian, and the others were shocked. They assumed the earlier as
“The very presence of a lowlife scum like you is an eyesore to Mr. Queen, Kaze. “The nerve of you to hit Mr. Queen.“You are getting yourself, your wife, and all of us in trouble. “My best advice to you is to get down on your knees to apologize and beg him for mercy.” Greg was back to his arrogant self. He talked as if he was in control and power. Lilian, Faye, and the others stepped in to give Kaze a piece of their mind. They were afraid Conan would lump them together with Kaze and take his anger out on them. Darcy looked worried. She could tell that Conan was furious. Greg was set straight when he challenged Conan’s authority. There was no telling what Conan would do to Kaze for hitting him. With that in mind, Darcy took a step forward and spoke in hushed tones, “Mr. Queen, my name is Darcy Quint. I am the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. In a way, I work for the Queens.“Mathias and Ash have been nothing but kind to me. “My husband acted without thinki
“Woah! How dare you hit me in front of Mr. Queen, Kaze! Don’t you have any respect for him?” With blood trailing from his mouth, Greg got up from the ground and made a huge fuss. He was pissed. It was bad enough that Conan bruised his face. Now, Kaze, the son-in-law of the Quints, hurt him in the face too. His face was not for all to violate. Without looking at Greg, Kaze said curtly, “I told you to pray you never see the other side of me. “How does it feel now?” Going ballistic, Greg gritted his teeth and shouted, “You’re just walking to your doom, Lee. Mr. Queen will deal with you.” “Aren’t you insolent to harm another in front of me, Kaze?” Conan’s face fell. Kaze pulled a stunt while he was filled with rage. It was a blatant act of aggression in his eyes. “Insolent?” Kaze cocked his head back and grinned. “Tell me what isn’t considered insolent? “Is it this?” He raised his hand again. Smack!Conan dropped back a few steps, nearly hitting his head
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