Right after Sirius’ words subsided, everyone looked at Kaze. They heard it was Kaze who cut off Sirius’ arm with the Nether Viper Sword. Now that the rumor had been validated, it explained Sirius’ resentment toward Kaze. He was willing to spend a fortune to bid for the Nether Viper Sword just so he could use it to kill Kaze for revenge. The brief confrontation pressured even Conan, yet Kaze remained nonchalant. He smiled at Sirius and said, “Then it’s going to be costly. You are spending a few billions just to kill me.” Sirius scoffed and said, “I can get it back when I take you and your wife’s company. Their combined assets would be enough to buy a few Nether Viper Swords.” The meaning of his words was self-explanatory. After killing Kaze, Sirius planned to take Kaze and Darcy’s companies to cover the cost of the sword. “We’ll see if you can win the sword,” Kaze said with a hint of fierceness in his eyes. Sirius sat down and then said, “Auctioneer, you may continue
The trustor Honey referred to was Kaze. Sirius glanced at Kaze and scoffed. “Don’t worry about that. It’s just five billion. The Glitters still can afford it. It’s just a matter of cash flow. The money I used today will come back ten folds or even a hundred folds!” His gaze turned fierce. He thought he had won the bid for the Nether Viper Sword. No matter how resourceful or wealthy the other three organizations were, they would never spend a hefty five billion to purchase the Nether Viper Sword. They attended the auction and raised the price because they wanted to make the Viper’s Den look like a fool. They were not here for the sword because it would put them in the opposite position against the entire Viper’s Den. Therefore, the Glitters spending five billion for the Nether Viper Sword was considered a decent deal. They were not losing anything. Sirius wanted to kill Kaze with the sword and seized his and his wife’s assets. The combined value of the companies and as
Even though Sirius could claim ten billion from Kaze and his assets, he could not fork out that much money to get the Nether Viper Sword. Frustrated, he sat down and stared at the woman, saying, “Ten billion? Fine, the sword is yours. But do you even have that much money?” The woman did not care about Sirius’ sarcastic remark. She shot a frosty glance at him and said, “Shut up. Don’t speak if you are poor, you useless trash! The Nether Viper Sword is the sacred weapon of the Viper’s Den. Is ten billion really that much?” The moment Sol, Ruth, and the others heard the woman, they almost burst out in laughter. Sirius flushed, drowning in his own embarrassment and frustration. As a member of the Glitters, he was called useless trash by a nameless woman in public! Kaze did not laugh at him. He focused on the woman instead as thoughts ran through his mind. “Ten billion once.” “Ten billion twice.” “Sold! To the lady in the back!” Following the smack of the mallet, the Net
“My master said he will meet with you in person when you are done with your matters.” The woman then took the sword and left. “‘Hold it right there!” Before the woman could leave, two of Sirius’ men went up to her and blocked her exit. “You pretentious hag, hand over the sword!” One of them tried to snatch the sword away. Upon seeing the situation, many disdainful glances were shot at Sirius. He failed to reclaim the sword through the auction, so he decided to reclaim it through force. How shameless! Sirius stared at the exit nonchalantly as if he was not a part of it. The Dallas Black Card surprised him for a moment but he was not sure if it was still part of Kaze’s plan with Dallas Moneylender to trick him. After all, bringing someone with the Dallas Black Card into the fray might scare the Viper’s Den and Kaze could escape the punishments. Therefore, Sirius wanted to test if the woman was the real deal. The woman frowned. “Move,” she said. “Know your pl
The woman put the Nether Viper Sword away and said, “Fool. A gun is not the most lethal within a short distance. Your gun is meaningless in front of a true expert.” After berating Sirius, the woman shot a meaningful glance at Kaze before she left. Sirius stared at the exit blankly, speechless. Kaze curled his lips into a meaningful grin. It was an interesting exchange. The woman was not mocking Sirius. It would seem more appropriate that she was lecturing him. Kaze had an extra glance at Sirius, whose face was gloomy. He wondered if the fool could grasp the wisdom. After the woman left, all the guests in the auction hall regained their senses. What happened in that brief moment overwhelmed them. Sirius also slowly regained his composure and his mind cleared up. He wiped the blood off his forehead and then looked at Kaze coldly. “Mr. Lee, I don’t care what master she serves, you are going to die today!” The mysterious woman might have shocked everyone at the auct
Albert frowned. Suddenly, a frosty chuckle came from the entrance. The chuckle was not loud but it sounded like thunder, clapping right beside everyone’s ear. Many of the guests were frightened. Everyone turned to the entrance once again. A middle-aged man with a wrinkled face appeared at the entrance. He exuded an aura of authority without even speaking. His bearing, hands clasped behind his back, conveyed a sense of towering grandeur and deep unshakable presence, characteristics of someone in a position of power. No one dared to take him lightly. He scanned across the hall and ultimately landed his frosty gaze on Albert. “Chief Commander Hiden of the State Strategic Department. You have quite the nerve to act like a gangster without your uniform. You beat someone up in front of a crowd. “You said you are not in uniform and you are here as your own entity. Does it mean the Viper’s Den can arrest you?” “Hahaha! Branch Leader, you are just in time! Arrest Chief Com
“Chief Commander Hiden, without the uniform, you are just a common citizen. I, as the branch leader of Viper’s Den, do not need a warrant to arrest suspects or criminals. “You hit someone in the open and you question my authority to arrest you?” Albert scoffed. “Even without my uniform, or my title, you and your little den can’t arrest me!” “Young man, don’t speak too soon.” Magnus clasped his hand behind his back and shook his head. He said with a smile, “I know you come from a reputable noble family, the Harrowdale Hidens, whose history dates back a thousand years. “You are what they call a noble. Young masters from other wealthy families are like kids to you. Common authorities might not have the nerve to arrest you because of your privileged background.“But have you heard? Even the king must be punished according to the law when he commits a crime. Others might not dare to arrest you, but not the Viper’s Den!” The king would be punished according to the law when he co
Upon finding out Master Agar was from the Hiden family of Harrowdale, the guests quieted down. Many of the guests continued to scrutinize Master Agar subtly but dared not look him in the eye. Lilyrose was a small city. The local families could not even rival those in Sunrise City, let alone a noble family in Harrowdale. To Lilyroseans, a noble family was something from fairytales. If not for Albert or Master Agar, no one would have the chance to encounter a noble throughout their entire life. They were all human beings living on the same planet, breathing the same air, but the difference in status was huge. Due to the disconnection between social status, the commoners and the nobles would never cross paths. Master Agar might be from the Hidens, but he was only a martial artist serving the noble family. Technically he was not part of the family by blood, but people still revered him. Ruth, Sol, and Vigar might not be as surprised as the commoners but they too dared not t
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