“No.” Jennifer shook her head. “We requested to meet Hart Lyfe but the receptionist said he doesn’t want to see us. Mr. Lee, is it because we refused to invest in Rove the other day, that’s why he’s mad at us?” “I don’t think so. Hart isn’t like that.” Kaze took his phone out. “I’ll call him and ask him what happened.” Unfortunately, Hart’s phone was turned off and so was Daphne’s. Finally, Kaze contacted an executive at Rove named Eddie Fork. The man sided with Hart during the hardest time and whenever Kaze met Hart, the man was beside Hart, showing respect to his boss. When the call got through, Kaze asked, “Eddie, I sent my team from Hudson Investment Firm to Rove to talk about the investment but they were rejected. Your receptionist did not even let them in, what happened?” “Mr. Lee? My, my, isn’t this Rove’s greatest savior!” Eddie answered in a rather unusual tone. Kaze frowned. He sensed the change in tone as well and it sounded like a mockery. “Eddie, what i
Lyfe family’s mansion. “Syed! What is the meaning of this? Rove finally came out from the slump and you are turning your back on our benefactor? What if Rove goes down the hill again?!” Hart shouted at Syed, his elder brother, and the other family members who were against him. Behind Hart was Daphne and her family, all staring at Syed. Rove had always been a family business, so it inherited the common malpractices of other family businesses. Hart was the one who founded the company but Syed and his family had never stopped causing problems. Hart was able to hold onto his position until now because he was respected in the company and was also a pioneer in the business. Back in the day, all the manufacturers, distributors, and other affiliated companies respected him and viewed him as the leader. Ten years ago, the hierarchy of power within Rove was shaken. Syed teamed up with another major investor to seize majority shares during the shareholders meeting and was able t
Back in the day, even Syed would be afraid of his brother’s powerful aura. Now, however, he was able to face Hart with a lifted chest and a casual demeanor. “Hart, stop accusing me. I didn’t team up with anyone this time. You are the one who got fooled by a useless guy who married into his wife’s family. You let him decide the general direction of the company. “You are the one who betrayed the company and our family’s profit. As your brother, I must stand up and stop you, or else you will sell off the entire company, and our family!” Syed yelled. Hart realized the situation was much more serious than he thought when he saw Syed’s confidence. He narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, “Syed, who is supporting you this time?” “You want to know who? Fine. I’ll bring him in.” Syed then went to open the door. He said respectfully, “Uncle Sieg, please come in.” Uncle? Confused, Hart looked toward the door. A handsome man with fair skin and pronounced facial features appeared
Sieg’s frosty glare instilled fear into Hart’s heart. For a moment there, he thought he was being stared at by a beast. Behind Sieg, a man who was obviously his bodyguard, stepped forward. He too stared at Hart, sending chills down his spine. Hart used to serve in the military when he was young. Based on the man’s presence, he could tell that the man was a killer. Syed bellowed, “Hart, watch your mouth! How dare you defy Uncle Sieg! He’s our senior!” “I…I…will do what you say, Uncle Sieg…” Hart was forced to lower his head. For the sake of his family’s safety, he dared not oppose Sieg or Syed anymore. Sieg smiled. He then shot a gaze at Daphne and his eyes lit up. Daphne had instant goosebumps. She stiffly nodded. “G-Granduncle Sieg, I’m Daphne.” “How come I didn’t know there’s such a beautiful girl in our family?” Sieg sounded amused. He added, “Daphne? Have you ever considered moving to the main family?” “What?!” Syed bolted up instantly and said, “Uncle Sie
Sieg’s casual words sent Hart and Daphne down to the depths of the abyss. Minnie, Glory, and the others who were jealous of Daphne earlier instantly gloated at her. They thought Daphne would be accepted into the main family and rise in status, but it turned out differently. It was somehow expected of a family like the Lyfes or the Hacks. The top four families of Geranium all shared the same customs and thoughts. The marriage was not a celebrated one. An illegitimate child of the Hacks family, 40 years old, had a divorce, and was not a valued member of the family. When all the criteria added up, Daphne was not marrying a man with power but a man with a terrible fate. Everyone could tell the arranged marriage was just a way to turn Daphne into leverage for the Lyfe family so that they could negotiate for more benefits. “Kingston Hacks? The name does ring a bell. If I remember correctly, he’s the person in charge of Paladia Moose and he teamed up with Desmond Litman to o
“Yes, Uncle Sieg!” Syed said excitedly. In other words, Sieg wanted to keep Hart and Daphne in the house so they would not cause any trouble. Hart would lose all chances of fighting back with all the connections cut off. From today onward, Rove would belong to Syed and his supporters. However, the excitement did not last. Syed calmed down and glanced at Sieg before he nervously moved his gaze away. His young uncle from Geranium had just arrived in Lilyrose yet the whole company had already gone through a power shift with Hart and his family ousted. Syed was actually scared of Sieg. He knew that he and his family’s life and death were nothing but a word for Sieg. Sieg said, “Syed, I won’t spend too much time on Rove, so you’ll have to take care of the rest. Try to minimize the effect of the power shift and keep it running. “I will stay in Lilyrose for a while. I got reliable news that the mayor of Lilyrose is planning to renew the entire Old District. I came here to pl
Kaze did not know Hart and Daphne were already imprisoned at home with no contact with the outside world. Otherwise, he would certainly do something about it. “Keep an eye out and update me as things develop,” he said as he got up from his chair. He went to the city council and saw the flood relief efforts were progressing in an orderly manner. Caleb and Lou were skilled and experienced. After they updated Kaze about the progress, Caleb said, “Mr. Lee, there are some comments about you popping online recently and I wonder if you have seen them. “A number of people questioned your ability. Due to the flash flood, a series of problems were exposed and put under the microscope. Lilyrose’s governance is in chaos and they all blame you for being too inexperienced and incompetent…” Caleb expressed his disapproval through his upset tone. It was his true feelings because he saw with his own eyes what Kaze had done. If Kaze had not solved some of the problems, the situation woul
Rose pouted and said, “Kaze, you are the one who doesn’t stay home. Every day when I wake up, you are already gone. “I went to school every day, practiced my dance lesson, and studied for my upcoming test. I’m exhausted. How can you say that I’m out every day?” Rose had decided to go to art college after high school, so she had been practicing dance as one of her majors. Kaze smiled. “Dance? Like ballet or belly dance? When are you going to show me?” Rose had a nice body and her dance attire would definitely highlight her youthful physique. “No way! Not even if you pay!” Rose blushed when he realized Kaze was teasing her. She had another glance at Kaze and realized it was purely a joke and meant nothing else. For some reason, she was slightly disappointed. Then, she shifted the topic and asked, “Kaze, are you free tonight?” “Depends.” “My dance coach is asking me to join a gathering. I want you to accompany me.” Noticing the lack of interest on Kaze’s face, Rose e
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