“When I did ever say—” Kaze paused mid-sentence. He might have said it. The Viper Queen seized the opportunity and named him the leader of the West State branch. Kaze glanced at the Nether Viper Sword in Scarlet’s hand and said indifferently, “Autumn wants me to work for her in exchange for this replica. Isn’t that asking for too much?” The chiefs of the Viper’s Den—Dragon’s Nest, Tiger’s Cave, and Wolf’s Den—may be revered, but they were only four people to Kaze. Needless to say, the position meant little to Kaze. Even if Kaze was offered a position as chief, he might not find it worth his while. Scarlet said, “The chief said that you might have deep connections in the military, but it certainly can be inconvenient when you need the resources. “The resources at the West State branch are at your disposal.” Scarlet had no idea that Kaze was the God of War. She was only conveying Autumn’s message. That was what she was supposed to say in the event Kaze was not on b
“Alright then. Go back and tell Autumn that I’ll lead the West State branch for now.” Kaze could not watch as the five strongest nations stirred up trouble in Arcadia. The Viper Queen sure knew him like the back of her hand. Relieved, Scarlet excused herself and left the mayor’s office in Lilyrose. Kaze summoned Caleb and asked, “Does Don have any progress on Gareth’s case?” “Nothing so far.” Caleb said with a wry smile, “The perpetrator covered their tracks well. With Magnus dead too, the police are feeling the strain.” “I have their backs. Just tell Don to keep digging.” Kaze waved his arm. He got up and left the office. “Are you Kaze?” Kaze walked out of the mayor’s office, only to be surrounded by a group. The group, who were dressed in black, looked callous. When Sirius brought his team to block anyone from leaving the mayor’s office, Kaze sliced off the arm of each individual. Kaze did not expect them to lay another siege. He sized up the unwelcome g
Soon, the word went around, saying that Kaze staged the auctioning of the Nether Viper Sword to give the Viper Queen money in seeking forgiveness. It now made sense why the Viper Queen stood by Kaze during the auction. Only, some found that Magnus died in vain. The Viper Queen turned her back on the West State branch leader for over 10 billion dollars. … Putting away the Nether Viper Sword, Kaze returned to Horizon Mirror Mansion. Kaze could hear the cheerful laughter inside before entering. He stepped inside with a smile. “Good news, I hear?” “Kaze, I’m guaranteed an admission spot in college!” Rose rushed over to hold Kaze’s arm, her face blushing with excitement. The family watched gleefully, not finding the affection between Rose and Kaze inappropriate at all. Rose was still a baby to the family. “Oh, congrats. Which college?” Kaze asked with a smile. As far as he knew, Rose was in one of the best high schools in the South River State. The students in th
Nelson served in the military. While he might hold power, the income was not much. Kaze flaunted his money for once just to tick Nelson off. “Thank you, Kaze.” Rose jumped for joy. Nelson grimaced and scoffed without another word. After all, Kaze was helping his daughter. He knew that Kaze was far from the loser he was before. Later, Kaze contacted the owner of Dynasty Hotel to get the best private lounge. The next day soon arrived. Rose’s family and the extended family showed up at the hotel on time. It did not take long for South River University’s admission group to arrive. The group was led by a young, beautiful, and intelligent woman in professional attire. The young woman, Mandy Yipz, was the leader of the admission teams sent by South River University. “Huh? Kaze?” Before Nelson even introduced Kaze, Mandy stared at the latter in shock. She scowled. Though she quickly covered her facial expression, her hostility was apparent. Kaze frowned. “Hell
In Mandy’s opinion, she would not be in the horrible position if Kaze had not turned the tide. Since she did not want to cross her former superiors at Sunrise News, she directed all the hatred and resentment on Kaze. Despite Mandy’s attempt to mask her feelings, everybody could still feel her hostility toward Kaze. Mandy was not friendly to Kaze. Worried about her niece’s future, Agnes smoothed things over with a smile. “You flatter him, Ms. Yipz. My son-in-law can’t beat you. He’s just here to fill a spot and lighten the mood. He was supposed to come with us. “Should I just tell him to leave, Ms. Yipz?” The group regretted letting Kaze come along. They did not know that Mandy would have a problem with Kaze. The observation was just a formality, but Kaze’s presence might just ruin Rose’s chances of getting into the university. Agnes did not care about Kaze and even told him to leave. Mandy hid the glee behind her eyes. As she had reported about Kaze, she did her
Agnes dragged Kaze to the side for a warning. “Think before you talk. I won’t forgive you if you ruin Rose’s chances of university admission.” The group told Kaze not to screw things for Rose before heading outside to wait. The private lounge, which was in fact a suite, was huge. Mandy went to the couch and sat down with her legs crossed before sizing Kaze up. She said amusedly, “I didn’t expect to meet you under such circumstances, Mr. Lee. “I hold the power to enroll Rose into the university. What do you have to say?” Kaze answered indifferently, “I have nothing much to say. Rose has always been an excellent young lady. She demonstrates strong determination in her studies and character. She has no vices.“Just handle this by the book, Ms. Yipz. No need to consider my feelings.” Kaze texted Snow to find out about Mandy during lunch. Snow had already equipped Kaze with information on Mandy. Mandy was the former ace reporter at Sunrise News. After she was fired due to h
To be fair, the male facilitators were grateful to Kaze. If Kaze had not gotten Mandy fired, they would never have her as their head of admission. Nevertheless, the gratitude did not stop the male facilitators from sucking up to Mandy and vilifying Kaze. Sure, Kaze had some power because he was a chairman. However, the male facilitators worked at a university, and Kaze’s connections could not threaten their jobs. Mandy was smug that her bootlickers tore Kaze a new one. “You were lucky to stumble upon evidence of Lil Dee’s tax evasion, Lee. Otherwise, the public would still have you on a witch hunt. “You cost me my job, and I’m supposed to consider your feelings?“I don’t know what gave you the confidence to think so. “I wouldn’t waste my time on a nobody like you. “You’re a loser. You got lucky to find a wife you could mooch on. “Otherwise, you’d be out on the streets begging for food by now.” Mandy dressed Kaze down. She wanted to strip Kaze of his dignity un
“I don’t.” Mandy nodded and glanced at her phone before asking, “I heard that the Sunrise Lees disowned you.” Kaze frowned but nodded. “That’s right.” “You ended up in Lilyrose and married into the Quint family?” “That’s right.” “The Sunrise Lees practice strict traditions. It’s said that you were kicked out because you committed an offense. “You mooched off your wife, and when you started to build power and riches, you delivered a gravestone to the Lees, demanding they apologize on their knees in Lilyrose even though they raised you.“A shameless and ungrateful man like you do not deserve our time. “South River University strives on its strict values. We don’t just accept any students. Given your situation, I think it is necessary for the school to reconsider whether to accept Rose as a student.” The harsh criticism came out of Mandy’s mouth. In the end, Mandy launched a personal attack on Kaze. Even the nearby bootlickers thought Mandy had gone overboard. They wo
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