Then, Wes turned around to the security captain and his guards and bellowed, “You, and you! You not only failed to escort or welcome Mr. Lee, but you even tried to throw him out? Who gave you the nerve to do that? “Do you know that one word from Mr. Lee and you guys will lose your jobs? Remember, he is and will always be the most honorable guest of the exhibition center!” Wes scolded the security guards fiercely. “Mr. Lee, we are sorry for what happened.” The captain and security guards were shocked and immediately bowed to apologize to Kaze. Wes turned to Kaze with an apologetic smile and said, “Mr. Lee, I will make sure they reflect on their mistakes. Do you need a tour around the exhibition center? “It’s our honor to have you here with us and maybe you can give us some advice on our work so that we can improve even more!” Eddie, Dakota, and his men were all shocked by what Wes said. Why would the person in charge of the exhibition center bow to Kaze as if he were the
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Before we begin the auction today, let me go over the rules first.” Eddie went up to the stage and started to act as the auctioneer. The auction was not really legitimate. It was organized by Rove themselves and they did not seek the professional service of an auction house, so Eddie took the role of auctioneer. “The rule is simple. Rove will be auctioning 20% of our shares and the highest bidder wins!” 20% of the company shares were considered high. Lee Investment only had 5% of shares and they were already the biggest shareholder with the power to hold a shareholder meeting or dismiss the chairman. Rove was a family business, so the Lyfe family held the majority of the shares, which allowed them to still be in power. 20% of shares allowed one to have power in the shareholder meeting and could also make strategic decisions to determine the future of the company. The management of Rove must have been desperate. To acquire large funding,
Then, Dakota shot his frosty gaze at the few individual investors who were not part of his alliance. The individual investors were startled and instantly alarmed. They were reminded that they were just here to fill in the numbers. They struggled internally for a moment but ultimately decided to stomach their grievance when they sensed the dangerous glares from Dakota and his alliance. They sat quietly and decided not to call against South Hill Holdings anymore. Some even got up and left the venue. “With Tulip Corporation behind my back and an alliance of more than ten powerful investors, nothing can stop me today!” Dakota was happy with the result. He had the entire auction under control after he eliminated all the competition. After the little incident, no one dared to call against him anymore. The auctioneer, Eddie, said, “810 million once.” “810 million twice.” “Last call.” Eddie smiled as he raised the mallet high in the air. “810 million thrice…” “Hold
Both Eddie and Dakota were surprised for a moment before their expressions turned heavy. Rove clearly stated that Hudson Investment Firm was not allowed to invest but then Kaze attended and participated in the auction in his own name, as an individual investor. Looking at Eddie’s grim look and pursed lip, Kaze smiled. “Mr. Fork, don’t tell me Rove is not big enough to house another investor in the auction. If you can’t afford that, you can tell your big boss to set up another rule for me alone, and hold an emergency shareholder meeting if you have to. You can ban me from attending or participating in the auction in any form. “But do be careful this time because I am good at exploiting loopholes.” Kaze’s smirk was a punch in their guts. Even Darcy had the urge to slap him for his snarky remarks, let alone the others. They were all frustrated. “Kaze Lee, are you sure you want to oppose us? Do you know what the consequences are?” Dakota bellowed coldly as he glared at Kaze
Kaze was a madman for raising the price against South Hill Holdings. South Hill Holdings could have gotten Rove’s shares with just 810 million, but after Kaze’s interruption, the price went up a billion. “Kaze Lee, are you really doing this?!” Dakota shouted angrily. His eyes were burning with anger. He wished he could skin Kaze alive. He had been in the business for decades and no one had ever embarrassed him so directly. Yet he hit a snag in a supposedly controlled situation because of Kaze and his unexpected actions. A nameless, useless man challenged him repeatedly, provoking him in front of everyone. Dakota really wished he could strangle Kaze with his own hands. Kaze scoffed. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m bidding with what I have. Don’t tell me you can’t accept it. Are you calling? If not, I will be taking the 20% shares of Rove.” He then looked at Eddie on the stage. “Why are you standing there? Start the countdown.” With a bitter look, Eddie started
Eddie sounded generous when he mentioned the rounding up. “Hahaha! Congratulations, Mr. Lee! 20% shares of Rove for 6.3 billion is quite the deal!” As soon as Eddie’s voice subsided, another loud voice came from behind, gloating at Kaze. Dakota, who looked gloomy earlier, came in with loud laughter. Behind him was his investor alliance, all gloating at Kaze. Darcy’s heart skipped a beat. “Eddie Fork! You colluded with South Hill Holdings to trick Kaze?!” She was furious when she finally knew what happened. At first, when Kaze said he wanted to participate in the auction as an individual investor, Eddie refused to accept it. However, after a brief argument, Eddie agreed and even asked Kaze to pay a hundred million deposit. It looked like Eddie and Dakota were trying to give Kaze a hard time but it was a trap to lower his guard. It was to make Kaze and Darcy think that they were cornered and were forced to accept Kaze’s participation. Then, Dakota challenged Kaze
“Young Master Sieg!” The proud and arrogant Eddie instantly turned into a loyal puppy, hopping over to Sieg and bowed like one. “Young Master Sieg, long time no see.” Dakota and the others greeted Sieg as well. “Sieg? Sieg Lyfe?” Kaze scrutinized the young man but he did not seem surprised. As a matter of fact, he came to the auction just to meet with Sieg. “Yes, in the flesh.” Sieg nodded and then smiled. “So, you are Kaze Lee who broke my cousin’s arm and leg, am I right? I have to commend your courage. You already know I have Rove under control and you still dare to show up at the auction today.” “Why wouldn’t I?” Kaze asked. Sieg nodded. “You are indeed bold. Very well. Now that the auction has ended and you’ve gotten 20% of Rove’s shares, you should pay up now. “But I have to say, not even I can fork out 6.3 billion at once. I admire your audacity, Mr. Lee.” Sieg curled his lips into a smile and continued, “If you can’t pay up and decide to turn away from t
“I have named my conditions. Now it’s up to you two to make the decision,” Sieg said with a laugh. He sounded stern and indubitable despite his light tone. In the end, Sieg was after Kaze and Darcy’s companies. Being one of the Geranium Four, he was interested in Sky Ocean Corporation, Shangrila Group, and others. Darcy’s expression turned bitter. “Sieg Lyfe, don’t you cross the line!” “You think it’s too much?” Sieg smiled and continued, “Alright. Since we are on the mainland and not Geranium, I’ll tone it down a bit. If we are in Geranium, your stupid husband is already swimming with the fishes.” He became the embodiment of arrogance and power when he said that. “Kaze Lee, what is your choice?” Sieg asked again and looked at Kaze with a wicked grin. Kaze looked at him and said coldly, “Get out of my face!” “You’re not choosing? It’s not up to you now!” Sieg grinned and said, “No one can take advantage of me and walk away!” “Who do you think you are?” Kaze went
Morris was in his study, wiping a plaque of commandments that was covered in dust. Due to his commitment to the Viper’s Den, he had neglected his family for years and left his son in his wife’s care. Morris regretted doing so. Unaware of the impending danger, Clemont enjoyed drinks with his friends. They were having fun, playing drinking games. Losing the game, Clemont downed a glass of liquor. Things could get far and exciting in a game. It was then that the door swung open. Clemont’s driver entered the room. “Young Master Siegfried, the master is waiting for you at home,” the driver said, noting the complexity of the situation. The only thing on his mind was to take Clemont away. Tipsy from the drinks, Clemont waved his arm. “Let him wait. What’s the rush to get home?” Clemont’s friends were shocked. Nothing scared Clemont like his father. However, Clemont toughened up for once. “Young Master Siegfried, why don’t you call it a night?” “Yeah. I’m sur
“What’s that supposed to mean? When have I ever made a mistake?” Morris heard nothing of that sort. It could only mean that his people had done nothing wrong. However, Edmund could not possibly get aggressive on the phone. Something must have happened, and he simply had no idea. Morris felt unsettled like something big was about to happen. “You seem to be lax when managing your people. You don’t seem to know what goes on around your house.“Is your age getting to you? Is that why you can’t handle most of the work? If you can’t get your own house in order, how will you ever manage the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Edmund called to say his piece. It was his way to make Morris step down. Though it was likely that Morris would resign, Edmund could at least make things unpleasant for him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Morris was completely in the dark, but Edmund must hold some secret to act so cocky. Despite his troubled feelings, Morris kept his cool and calmly aske
Since it was a rare opportunity, Edmund had to settle the score with them properly. He knew opportunities like this were hard to come by so he had to seize them well. “I understand. I will take care of the guest,” Rosie said. She was glad that her information was useful to her boss. After Edmund hung up the phone, Rosie then looked at the unconscious Kaze. “You are indeed more useful than I thought. Hardly anyone has ever managed to impress Edmund.” She did not feel sorry for Kaze, believing that everything happened as it was meant to. She knew that to climb higher, she had to please her superior. With the Wittersons on the rise, now was the perfect time for her to pledge her loyalty to Edmund. When the Wittersons truly took over the Westeros Branch, she would become one of the most powerful people in the city, second only to them. She was looking forward to that day. Since Kaze was fast asleep and no arrangements could be made, Rosie went out to call her men and
“If you are not here to have fun, then why did you come to Westeros?” Rosie asked. Kaze looked like he had one glass too many and could barely keep himself awake. When he looked up at Rosie, he felt lightheaded and could not keep his balance. “I am here to c-complete my mission.” Kaze could not even speak clearly, seemingly already drunk. Rosie let out a breath of relief. She then took his glass away. Kaze fell onto the couch lazily and adjusted himself into a comfortable position. He even had a hiccup. Rosie did not mind Kaze passing out in front of her. She got up and then squatted in front of him. “What is your mission here in Westeros?” She did not expect to fish out useful information from Kaze, but now she could bring this information to Edmund and exchange it for a reward. “I am here to solve the problem. Something happened here in the Viper’s Den and I am here to find out more. After that, someone else will take over,” Kaze muttered as he closed his eyes.
Rosie’s charm and beauty were reasons why she was able to run the club smoothly. No matter what happened, she possessed the capabilities to solve it without exacerbating it. All those aspects made Edmund choose her. A qualified employee trusted to run a business did not need to be a genius. One only needed to carefully operate the business and not cause trouble for the employer. That alone would be enough. “There’s indeed someone powerful who gave me a chance but I want to use my own strength to win their recognition.” Rosie was well aware that due to her beauty, many often looked down and underestimated her. She had to stay sharp and clear-headed to avoid unnecessary trouble. “That might be a little difficult but I believe you got what it takes,” Kaze said with a serious tone as if he knew Rosie well. “Thank you for your kind words. I hope everything turns out as expected.” She did not have to worry about that because Edmund fully trusted her and put her in charge of m
Clemont let out a breath of relief when he saw that his friends were not saying anything more. He brought them somewhere else to party. He spent a lot in a single night but he finally gained the respect that he longed for. Back at the club, after Clemont and his friends left, the corridor to the VIP section finally quieted down. The waiters cleaned up the place and then returned to their work. Kaze stayed back and looked at Rosie, waiting for her response. “Thank you for today. I would be hurt if not for you,” she said, expressing her gratitude. She was surprised that Kaze intervened but she was truly grateful for his help. “It’s nothing.” Kaze waved his hand nonchalantly and then wanted to return to his own room. “Why don’t I take care of the bill for you tonight? Consider it as a token of gratitude since you saved me from getting hurt,” Rosie said. Her interest in Kaze was piqued, wondering who he really was. She knew he was from Butterworth and had heard that
Clemont was born with a silver spoon and raised like a prince as he was the youngest in the family. He knew his father’s current situation, which explained why he behaved arrogantly. He thought his actions could help his father but little did he know, they were causing a huge trouble. Kaze made it verbal but the spoiled brat did not appreciate the warning and simply felt annoyed. “What do I mean? I guess you have to ask your father about it.” Kaze looked at Clemont coldly. There was no way a useless trust-fund baby could achieve anything great under the protection of his family. Every action that Clemont took was causing damage to his family. Kaze initially intended to use the Siegfrieds to his advantage, which explained why he did not act immediately. Now that Clemont had come under his radar, Kaze ought to use the chance. He managed to showcase his strength to Rosie earlier and what he said to Clemont would surely raise more suspicion in her. Kaze must come up wit
Rosie was shocked. She almost got kicked by some spoiled brat. She was not happy about it. She revered Clemont’s background and had been tolerant with the brat but he stepped over the line when he decided to be physical. Rosie looked up to Kaze who was hugging her. He was just outside the crowd and decided to step in when he heard the commotion. She did not expect him to save her. It was a surprise but it allowed her to see his capabilities. The man from Butterworth had been hiding his abilities from everyone all along. Rosie smiled at him before getting back up on her feet. “Thank you for your help,” she said softly. “It’s nothing. It’s the right thing to do,” Kaze said. Kaze was the type of person who could never stand seeing the weak being bullied. “Who the hell are you? What do you think you are doing?” Clemont bellowed. He was outraged and needed to vent his emotions. Since Kaze had intervened, it gave Clemont a chance to lash out at him. “Stop causing a
“I told you this is my club! They have to listen to me! Now open the damn door!” Clemont was furious after being questioned. He started to kick the door like a madman. The waiters were worried but they dared not do anything. “Young Master Siegfried, there are guests inside! VIP guests!” the waiter added. He dared not reveal the identity of the guest inside. Zidane informed all employees earlier that no one shall reveal the VIP guest’s identity or even mention that the suite was booked by Edmund. It was to keep things low. Therefore, the waiter dared not speak any of it even to Clemont. Unfortunately, Clemont stubbornly believed the waiter was lying to him. “What guests?! You’re lying to me! You said there were guests inside but even after I kicked the door, there was no answer! Open it up. Don’t be stupid!” he shouted. He cared not about the others when he shouted. He was impulsive at nature. “Young Master Siegfried, there are guests inside. You can’t do this,” the