Dean Anstar, the HR director, who was the first to resign. Behind him were former executives and employees who resigned with him. They learned that Quintessential Group had overcome the crisis and got more than two billion worth of investment from different major companies. They regretted leaving the company. The Group would surely rise to prominence and expand rapidly. The employees of the company would also enjoy all kinds of benefits, so when they heard the company was hiring again, they came back. Unfortunately, there were too many candidates. The normal employees got anxious. They were afraid their original positions would be taken, so they teamed up with Dean and the other executives to force other candidates to leave. Dean was smart as well. As a traitor, he knew his odds of returning to Quintessential were slim, but if he could get several former employees on his side, then he would have the leverage to negotiate with Darcy. Therefore, he revealed his former i
The candidates stopped and turned around to Darcy. “Darcy Quint? I heard she was accused by her friend and now cleared her name.” “I heard the banks targeted her and withheld the loans to take revenge on her. She’s forced to a dead end and still able to save the company. She’s really a capable leader. Let’s hear what she has to say.” Even though they were still upset, they were willing to give a chance to Darcy for her reputation. “Thank you. I will provide everyone with a satisfactory explanation.” After she held the new applicants back, she turned to Dean and the others. She bellowed, “Dean, you left the company in the face of a crisis and we compensated you for everything. We owed you nothing and now you came to ruin our hiring process? What are you trying to do?” The new applicants finally knew what happened. Dean and the former employees were no longer part of Quintessential Group and they were here to cause problems. How shameless! How disgusting! Dean and the
The Quint family came because they knew the company just got two billion worth of investment. They cut ties with the company when it faced bankruptcy and even made Darcy the CEO to take responsibility for everything. Now that the company had come back to life and got a huge injection of funds, the Quint family regretted it; especially Rudy and his children. They were afraid that Darcy would root herself in the position of CEO, so they brought Master Quint along. They got even more anxious and upset after Dean informed them of the company's politics. “Master Quint, stop Darcy! She’s trying to seize all the power for herself and make the company her own kingdom!” All of them looked at Master Quint, hoping that he would relieve Darcy of her duties. “How shameless are you people to accuse me like that? I did everything for the sake of the Quintessential!” Darcy was upset by their shamelessness. When the company faced a crisis, they abandoned the ship and saved only their sk
Master Quint’s expression turned bitter when he heard the employees’ chant. He looked at his family. If Rudy was not accepted, then he would change to someone else. However, before he could say a word, Kaze spoke on his behalf, saying, “If not Rudy, then how about Samus?” “No!” the employees chanted angrily. “Deborah?” “No!” “Hensen?” This would be Darcy’s uncle. “No!” “No!” “No!” Kaze mentioned every single name of the Quint family and the only answer he got was a big fat “no”.Each loud cry of the name was a slap to the person’s face. “Master Quint, you’ve heard the people.” Kaze glared at everyone and scoffed, “All of you abandoned the company at dire times, so the company will also abandon you when it’s doing great!” Samus, Deborah, and the others were embarrassed. They resented Kaze for humiliating them, but Kaze could not care less about their feelings. His expression turned grim before he bellowed, “My wife, Darcy, is the CEO of Quintessential Gr
Dean and the others were stunned. Like Randal Song and his men at the construction site, they were all Rudy’s right-hand men. Since Rudy was incapable and could not control them, they embezzled a lot of money from the company. “Ms. Quint! We’re sorry! We’re wrong! We are the pioneers of the company, we contributed to the company so much! Don’t arrest us!” Dean and the other former executives grabbed the officers’ legs and begged Darcy for mercy, hoping that she would spare them. “It’s too late now.” Kaze waved and told the Economic Investigation Division to take them away. After the lot of them were arrested, other ex-employees scattered and left the building immediately. Some of them looked horrified. They must have done some shady things themselves as well. However, Kaze did not plan to go after them as there were too many, and besides, not all of them had committed serious crimes that could be charged. It would be more than enough to make an example out of Dean and
“Kaze, are you done?” Darcy looked at Kaze, blushing. Kaze had been hugging her for a while and his hands were getting naughty. “I’m never done with you, hehe…” Kaze finally let go of her after taking in her scent. He released her with a heavy heart, well aware that he should not cross the line. The intimate contact today was a good start to their romantic relationship. Darcy then returned to her desk to resume work. She would call some of the newly promoted chiefs or leaders into the office for discussions. Now that she had become the CEO of Quintessential Group, she was responsible for everything in the company and would only be busier than before. Though she enjoyed being occupied; being able to concentrate at work and having no one to drag her down felt great. Kaze did not disturb her. He went to the other room with his phone and waited for her to finish work. “I’m done. Let’s go home.” Sometime later, the door opened and Darcy popped her head inside. Kaze t
Kaze would never do as told. His eyes gleamed coldly and wanted to teach Larry a lesson. However, he frowned when he saw the righteousness in the young man’s face. Something was not right. “What do you mean?” Did the Quint family owe the Laime family a life? Larry scoffed, “Stop acting stupid, you fuck. If you don’t dare to cut your neck with a knife, then sit back and let me suck off your family!” He then lit another cigarette and strutted into the house. “Agnes, I’m thirsty. I want tea!” His arrogant voice could be heard from inside the house. He was like a king who returned to his palace. Kaze looked at Darcy and Sky. “What do we owe him?” Darcy sighed and started recounting the past. “Five years ago, when my mother was still the section deputy chief of Prime Hospital, a medical incident happened and a patient lost her life.” The deceased was Larry’s older sister, Letty. Agnes was the person in charge. She lost her medical license and was fired by the hospi
“That’s certainly not the case, Naomi. We’ve known each other for years, why wouldn’t we tell you?” Agnes smiled awkwardly and added, “We just moved in and haven’t tidied up everything. I was planning to inform you in a day or two.” When she moved into Horizon Mirror with her family, she indeed did not want the Laime family to know, but she could not escape them forever. The three of them waited for her outside the house and when she returned from grocery shopping, they caught her. Naomi grunted and scoffed, “Agnes, are you taking us as fools? We called you and asked if you’ve moved, but you stammered! “I know what you’re thinking. You don’t want us to know that you moved into a big house so we can’t get money from you. But can you run from us forever? Don’t forget you are the reason my daughter is dead! You owed us! And you can never ever repay us!” She slammed the tea table suddenly, startling Agnes. Her words pried open Agnes’ old scar. “Yes, I understand, Naomi. It
Dwight gave some suggestions. “But I’m worried about being a nuisance to your family.” Kaze remained hesitant, torn between decisions. “No, you won’t. I usually live alone. They stay somewhere else. They barely visit. I’ll just let them know not to visit for now,” Dwight replied. Dwight figured out what was in it for him. He could not let Kaze leave. “I don’t want to put your family in an awkward position.”Kaze was still considering the matter. “Relax. They don’t live with me anyway. The room I have for you is tidy. No one has stayed there before.“I’ll hire some help to freshen up the place. I can guarantee you an experience no less than at the hotel.” Dwight spoke with great confidence. “We should finish our food and doggie-bag the rest. I’ll take you to my place.” Dwight was ready to get things going. Kaze took the offer and nodded. “I’ll be in your care then.” Kaze was glad that his plan went through. Dwight had no idea that he got played. Nevertheless,
“I’m new to the place, so I don’t know much. Can you show me around when you’re available?” “No problem, but I usually have some stuff to take care of. I can’t be there 24/7. “Why don’t you propose to the branch that you want me to be your guide and attendant?” Dwight suggested. There was no telling whether Kaze would accept his proposal, but it was an opportunity to prove himself. He was never involved in the core operation. Often enough, he was the branch members’ punching bag. Though Dwight was aware that he was not good enough for the big stuff, he still wanted to succeed. Kaze was the trusted aide of the Butterworth Branch chief. He was in Westeros for a reason. By joining Kaze, Dwight would come across the major players. Kaze saw through Dwight’s plans. “Sure. I’ll do that.” Kaze did not mind the request. “Great. I’ll let them know on your behalf. I’ll be responsible for your needs while in the city.” Dwight was overjoyed at the opportunity. “So you live
“You must be rich. I often see rich people picking tabs for everybody. Talk about extravagance.” The tension in the air was lifted when Kaze offered to pay for everything. “I’m not. Consider it an apology,” Kaze explained, not wanting to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. He did not see the point of continuing the conversation. Dwight’s angry screams came from outside. “What the hell is this? I only ordered a bunch of stuff. Why am I being charged an exorbitant amount?“What do you mean my friend is paying for everybody? That’s throwing money away,” Dwight said while storming his way over. “I know you have money, but you shouldn’t do this, Mr. Lee.” Dwight did not approve of this type of generosity. “You rubbed them the wrong way. It was only right to apologize. Besides, it’s not a lot of money.” Kaze looked at the bill and handed a bank card to Dwight. “It’s my treat.” The consumption was barely a dent in Kaze’s savings. The meal did not cost more than his us
Kaze observed as the jeep took off further off course, past the towering buildings to a run-down neighborhood. “This is where I usually reside. My home is not too far away, but I think you might have trouble adapting to this place.” Dwight did not forget to book Kaze a hotel. Kaze could not possibly stay with him. The hotel was around the area anyway. “Didn’t you say that you haven’t tried the local cuisine? I’ll take you out for a bite. “The barbecue ribs here are to die for. We’ve got the dry-rubbed and saucy kind.” Dwight parked the car and hopped out right away. Opposite the parking lot was not the cleanest food joint. Looking in from the outside, Kaze realized that the place was packed. Kaze understood that the restaurant must be known for some kind of dish. The customers were from all walks of life, so the food must be great. “There’s not much to see here, but the food is tasty. If you don’t mind, we can order something inside.” Kaze was not particularly con
Dwight was surprised and curious as to who Kaze really was. From what he gathered, Kaze was a confidante of the Butterworth Branch chief. The purpose of Kaze’s visit was to learn and share. Dwight worked on the fringes, so his access to information was limited. Nevertheless, he got the feeling that Kaze was just an ordinary guy just like him. The only difference was that Kaze was lucky to rub shoulders with important people. Dwight did not get chances like that. “Who are the most influential people in the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Kaze asked in the car. Dwight was taken aback by the question. Still, he had an answer to that. “So you don’t know much about the situation?” Dwight suddenly felt important. “Well, I’m new to the city. I will be running into them soon, so I need to make sure I get my facts right,” Kaze said humbly. This was Dwight’s shot, and he needed to present his best. “Relax, Kaze. I’ll tell you everything I know.” Dwight would reveal some info
Kaze glanced at the flowers. There was a card for well-wishes too.Curious, Kaze reached out to read the card. It was written, “To my eternal lover and sweetheart.” Dwight grabbed Kaze’s bag. Since the sign in his hand was getting in the way, Dwight tossed the placard in the trash can. As Dwight turned his head back, he saw Kaze reading the card that came with the flowers. He tried to stop Kaze, but it was too late. Dwight had not attended to a guest of high importance before. The task was assigned to him at the last minute. In the past, Dwight was usually on the sidelines, never getting close to major matters. He would always get the small, insignificant jobs. Dwight often bought drinks for his superiors to build connections. However, he had always been kept out of the loop. Now that an opportunity had fallen onto his lap, Dwight was not about to let it slip. He wanted to show what he could do. When Dwight arrived at the airport for the pick-up, most people car
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