The investors from all over the country knew nothing about Kaze. They utilized every connection and resource they had to find out his background. Tank Gebach, a local South River resident and also the owner of South River Group, had gotten information regarding Kaze from a Lilyrosean. “A guy who married into a second-tier family, Shangrila Group’s chairman, and the one who orchestrated the whole thing with Lil Dee, the pain in the ass for Samson Hobbs… This guy is interesting.” Tank chuckled when he got the report from his assistant right outside the hospital. “Book a suite in the most expensive hotel in Lilyrose and then invite Kaze Lee to dinner,” Tank said. The female assistant was surprised. She blurted, “Mr. Gebach, this man is a piece of trash. Isn’t this a little overkill? There’s a line waiting to invite you to dinner, sir.” Tank was also a famous figure in the investment world, enjoying the same status as Samson. South River Group was also a powerful and resource
“What would that be?” Tank asked. Astral said, “You gave my brother a Koenigsegg the other day right?” “Yeah, I remember it. Someone gave it to me, but I’m too old to drive something so fancy, so I gave it to Young Master Leigh as a birthday present. What about that car?” Tank just came back from vacation, so he did not know about the car. “My stupid brother drove it to Lilyrose and got beaten up by someone there. The car was taken and now he’s in the hospital with his leg in a cast. What a disgrace,” Astral said coldly. He did not sympathize with Leigh. It was normal for a big and wealthy family to encounter one or two problems along the way. Astral and Leigh were Zel’s sons but they were from different mothers, so the connection was weaker. Tank’s company was also partially funded by the Glitters but he was in no position to poke his nose into their family affair. He asked, “What would you like me to do?” Astral said, “There’s a woman named Darcy Quint. I heard sh
“Who is Tank Gebach?” Kaze only knew about the invitation from Tank when he received a call from Winnie. He did not want to answer it but when he saw the location of the meetup, it piqued his interest. Taurus Automobiles’ supercar club branch again. “Mr. Chairman, Tank Gebach is the chairman of South River Group and also a famous investor in the investment world, like Samson Hobbs. He has a mysterious background, so not much is known about him. I believe he’s asking for a meeting because of Rove,” Winnie said succinctly. The moment Rove went viral, Golden Edge saw a surge in customers, which solved one of her problems. As for Tank’s mysterious background, it was just another way of saying which family he was affiliated with. To the normal people, Samson was also considered mysterious but when one achieved a higher status, one would know that he was just the lapdog for the Lee family. “Fine. I don’t have anything to do at night either, I’ll go meet this guy.” Kaze agre
The Red Foundation even got spammers and bribed media outlets to assist them in clearing their name. All the blame was shifted toward Kingston. It was he who abused his position as the South River Branch’s executive to collude with Desmond. With the help of online spammers and media outlets, the Red Foundation managed to claim the credit for reporting Kingston to the authority. The top brass then released another statement, claiming that they chose justice over helping one of their own. They reported Kingston to the police instead of covering the incident up, which ultimately sent Kingston behind bars. After all their effort, the Red Foundation was able to clear their name. With their influence, the negative impact from Kingston would be soon forgotten. An organization as big as the Red Foundation, which released recognition to smaller companies to aid their future development, would not be destroyed so easily by a mere PR crisis. “Let’s go in.” Darcy and the guild
“Lilian Wheel, what do you mean?” Darcy was upset. She did not expect Lilian to cause a scene upon meeting and even accused her of being a thief. “Playing dumb, are we? Am I not being clear enough?” Lilian pursed her lips and then looked at the other members. She pointed at Darcy and said loudly, “I believe not everyone knows who she is, right? This woman is Darcy Quint. She might be the president of the Lilyrose Commerce Guild and also the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation, but she’s a thief! “She and her husband are car thieves! Look at the Koenigsegg outside! I believe everyone in our club knows who it belongs to, right?” Lilian went over to the window and pointed at the most amazing car outside. All the members went over to the window to have a look. “Isn’t that Leigh’s favorite car? It’s his new toy. We even saw it when he got it in Sunrise!” “Yeah! That’s Young Master Leigh’s car! Why is she driving it?” There were only six units of Koenigsegg One:1 in the who
Pft! Lilian laughed out loud. “Hahaha! You guys heard her? A Maserati Quattroporte?” “Hahaha!” All the other club members laughed loudly. “Sweetie, I’m sorry to say but driving a Maserati Quattroporte isn’t allowed to join us!” “You must be kidding us! A two million car was smashed and Leigh compensated you with a fifty million Koenigsegg?” “Do you think Young Master Leigh is stupid, or we are stupid?” The club members continued to laugh. Who would compensate for a two million car with a fifty million car? Not even a monkey would believe that. Darcy was shocked. “That car is worth fifty million?” She knew the car she drove was expensive but not that expensive. She could afford it, but she would never spend it on a car. “You keep telling yourself that.” Lilian crossed her arms and scoffed. “She’s taking us as fools. Young Master Leigh’s car is enough to buy twenty of your old car, yet you claimed you got it as compensation? You and your useless husband are th
“Ms. President!” The other guild members were shocked when Lilian slapped Darcy. They quickly stepped up to protect her and glared at Lilian. “Lilian Wheel, this is too much!” “How can you slap our president?” “You are just some person in charge of this supercar club! You have no right to choose violence!” The guild members stood up and defended Darcy. Not only did Lilian slap Darcy but her action was an insult to the Lilyrose Commerce Guild. Despite being scolded, Lilian reacted coldly and shook her hand. “Haha, you look down on us? Can’t you see we have that many club members here?” Following Lilian’s words, all the other club members were upset as well. Bang! A young man in his early 20s slammed the table and got up, shouting at the guild members, “You bastards! You look down on us? My father is one of the execs at South River Commerce Institute! Tell me your company’s name!” A woman wearing a baseball cap, smoking a cigarette, said, “My father is also a member
“Lilian Wheel, what do you mean?!” Upset, Darcy glared at Lilian, wondering what she meant. Could it be that this meeting with Tank was not just about investment? Lilian pursed her lips. “You will know what it means soon. There, Mr. Gebach is here.” The door was pushed open. Surrounded by his men, Tank strutted into the club. “Mr. Gebach!” “Uncle Tank!” All the club members greeted Tank upon his arrival. Most members were from powerful and wealthy families but were merely juniors compared to Tank, a titan in the investment world who shared the same status as Samson. Some of their fathers were actually close with Tank. Lilian went up to the man with a big smile. “Mr. Gebach, you’re finally here. Darcy Quint of Lilyrose Commerce Guild is also here.” Tank nodded. He then looked at Darcy, asking, “I believe you are President Darcy Quint?” “Mr. Gebach.” Darcy nodded with the bare minimum of respect. She skipped the chatters and asked, “Mr. Gebach, can I assume
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
Kaze rose to his feet and took something out of his bag. Putting on his jacket, he was on his way out. Dwight was out of his room, too. He left his room for a glass of water and waited for Kaze to get out of the room after his nap. Dwight had a drink in the kitchen. He took an apple and chomped on it. Looking at the fruit on the table, Dwight grabbed a plate to arrange it neatly.He took out his phone to pass the time while waiting for Kaze. Kaze emerged from the room and saw Dwight. “You’re up at last. You’ve slept half the day away. Are you still tired? I can wait if you need to catch some sleep.” Dwight kept Herman’s memo to look after Kaze. “A little. I didn’t get any sleep last night. I was waiting to get on the plane.” Kaze took the red-eye flight yesterday. Dwight allowed time for Kaze to rest, knowing his travel schedule. “I know. Did you manage to get some good sleep? If you haven’t, you can go back to bed. I can grab some food for you.” Dwight’s plan
“Your main responsibility is to entertain Kaze. You will be rewarded for good work,” Herman said. Dwight nodded incessantly. “Thank you for thinking of me, Herman. I won’t forget this.” “I’d be grateful so long as you stay out of trouble. “Just focus on what you should do and take good care of Kaze.” Herman worried that Dwight might get ahead of himself and forget his primary duties. Dwight’s priority was Kaze’s well-being. The whole thing would be over if Dwight kept to himself and served Kaze until he was gone. There would be a problem if something were to happen. Without Edmund’s instructions, Herman would never have assigned a job to Dwight. It could be a good thing, though. At least, a job might keep him on the straight and narrow. “Relax. You can count on me,” Dwight said with glee.That was a nice surprise. Dwight did not see it coming. It was just incredible. Herman still could not shake off his worry. However, he had said his piece. It was pointless t
Herman’s smile vanished. His red, irritated skin was playing up. Due to alcohol in his system, Herman could not see straight. He had to grit his teeth to hold back the urge to retch. Herman was not one to drink. Yet, he would have to go through Edmund’s loyalty test every time, and he was reaching a boiling point. However, he understood that he needed to suck it up to gain Edmund’s trust. “You must be Herman. Mr. Witterson. Should I take the things to your car, or should I deliver them to your home?” asked a uniformed server who approached. “Put them in the car and get me a designated driver,” Herman replied. He headed to the lobby while propping himself against the wall. “Okay. There will be a driver out front, ready for your service.” The server tried to help Herman up, but was declined. Herman saw the cartons of alcohol and cigarettes in the lobby. Edmund had always been generous in giving out stuff like this. “These are from Mr. Witterson. You’re lucky to work for
“Kaze can pull the punches for sure. I mean, he has the Butterworth branch chief’s trust for a reason. “There has to be something for him to win the branch chief’s approval.” Edmund doubted there was depth to Kaze. After all, Edmund decided whether to take on a person based on their abilities. It made no sense to pay attention to losers, as he would hold them in contempt. Edmund had been impressed with Herman, who excelled in strategies and management. That was why Edmund bumped Herman up and made sure he stayed on top. “Got it.” Herman nodded and had one foot out the door. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. There’s one more thing.” Edmund pointed at the table. Herman approached and stood on bent knees. Pleased with Herman’s submission, Edmund passed him a wine glass. Herman took the drink humbly before looking carefully at Edmund, awaiting his orders. “The wine was just airlifted from abroad. I can vouch for the taste. If you’re looking to sip on the finest, yo
Time went by, and a towering man in a suit showed up outside the door. Picking up on the noise inside the room, he knocked on the door. It was hard to tell whether the person inside could hear the knocking, so the man waited outside. The door was opened, and a woman, her face flawless with makeup, popped her head out and saw him. She cocked her head back at Edmund. “You have a guest, Mr. Witterson.” “Let him in,” Edmund instructed. He then leaned in to take the drink from the girl next to him with his mouth. The other girls cheered him on. The group was lost in their fun. The man, who entered the room, stood by the sofa respectfully. He kept his head down, his gaze staying low at the bottles of alcohol spread across the table. It was a bit of a wait before the man approached at Edmund’s order. “Tell me about Dwight.”While listening to the girls’ singing, Edmund turned to Herman. Herman rushed over as soon as Edmund called. He won a lot of money at poker toda
In this particular circumstance, Morris had to play it safe so that things would not get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the mess. At least, he finally saw the Wittersons’ true colors. Morris’ friendly advice was met with disrespect and insult. However, the Wittersons were a force of nature, and Morris was not about to take them head-on. Despite his frustration, Morris had to walk away. Well, Edmund would soon face his downfall at the height of his power, and Morris would be there to enjoy the ride. Still, it did not sit well with Morris to have a young fella walk all over him. It had crossed his mind to keep the Wittersons in check, but there was only so much he could do. Morris had to be the one to back away as the Wittersons grew haughty. Morris believed there was more to Kaze’s visit to Westeros. Nothing major happened in Westeros recently. At least, there was nothing worth the other branch’s attention. However, a representative of the