Darcy’s family got into the car and headed straight for Wyomspring. Half an hour later, they arrived at Villa No. 1. “Tsk, tsk. Agatha was right that this is the fanciest neighborhood in Riverbank. The place looks grander than Horizon Mirror Mansion.” They were still in the car when Agnes’ eyes lit up at the sight of Villa No. 1. “If I find anything suspicious going on in the villa, you’re done, Kaze!” Agnes glared at Kaze and jumped out of the car. She raced into the villa ahead of Kaze. With a clear conscience, Kaze had no fear. He walked slowly with Hector, who was still recuperating from surgery.“Huh? Why is it empty?” Soon, Agnes checked the top and bottom floors and found nothing. The villa was empty. Kaze furrowed his brows. When he left this morning, Buffy was still asleep, and Juan was making breakfast. They were both gone. Nevertheless, something had not happened to them since the villa looked neat and tidy. Juan and Buffy must have left on their ow
Darcy pulled a long face. “I told you a long time ago that I wasn’t interested in Kiev, Mom. Can you stop giving him false hope?”“I’m not giving him false hope.” Agnes rolled her eyes. “I’m not expecting you to do anything. You’re the head of the Ridgesouth Quints now. Kiev doesn’t deserve you. You deserve better. “But Kiev only has eyes for you.“He can be a friend to you. A friend can help with some problems.” Even Sky could not take it anymore. “Mom, where did you pick up these lines from? What kind of playbook are they from?” “What playbook?” Agnes smacked Sky. “Hurry up and pick a room. You should find yourself a wife instead of taking space in the villa.” Since Darcy’s family insisted on moving in, Kaze let them be. However, Kaze needed to sort the issue with Leron out as soon as possible. “Why aren’t you keeping yourself busy, Kaze? Do you honestly think you come from a rich family?” While Kaze was lost in his thoughts, Agnes approached with a grimace. “Go
“Thank you, Dad.” Kaze was not going to leave his father-in-law hanging. Following his father’s suit, Sky toasted Kaze as well. He was impressed with Kaze. Agnes rolled her eyes at Hector. “He’s going to get a big head if you keep on praising him.” The atmosphere was rather pleasant at the dinner table, except for when Agnes picked on Kaze. However, the lovely mood did not last long. After dinner, Emiko cleared the table and washed the dishes in the kitchen. She had not had a break since rushing from the hotel. A clang in the kitchen ensued soon after. She broke a few plates.“Goddamnit! Can’t you do anything right?” Interrupted from having her after-dinner tea, Agnes scowled. “She’s so clumsy and makes so many mistakes. I only keep her around because she’s honest and hardworking.“I’ve told her off so many times. Here she goes again, breaking more plates. “I’m docking her pay this time.” Agnes hired Emiko from the labor market. Hailing from the countryside, E
Darcy smirked angrily. “If you are the queen of the castle, why didn’t you stand up for Sky when Grandpa hit him?” Taken aback at first, Agnes quickly refuted angrily, “He’s my father and your grandfather. What’s wrong with a little bit of discipline? He can teach you some manners.“If I hit Kaze, are you going to hit me back?” The family was at wit’s end with Agnes’ unreasonable behavior. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Quint. I’m really sorry. I wasn’t paying attention when I got an urgent call.” Emiko ran out of the kitchen, her phone in hand. She was quick to apologize and looked at Agnes anxiously. “Mrs. Quint, things are not looking good for my niece. She hasn’t found a hospital yet. She has no family in Riverbank, or anyone to take care of her. I want to take a day off and find her a doctor. “Rest assured that I’ll be back tomorrow to make you dinner.” Emiko pleaded desperately. “You can forget it!” Agnes said curtly, “Remind me how many times you have taken off since working
Color drained from Emiko’s face, and she apologized, “I’m so—” “Smack!” Agnes cut Emiko off with a slap on the face. “You’re getting back at me, aren’t you?“Get out if you don’t want to work here. Don’t expect to get a penny out of your pay!” Agnes gritted her teeth and yelled, “Poor people are so petty.” “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Quint. I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.” Feeling hurt, Emiko covered her cheeks and apologized profusely. “Quit with the excuses. Get lost!” Agnes raised her hand to slap Emiko again. However, Kaze grabbed Agnes’ hand to stop her. “That’s enough!” Kaze uttered grimly, “What happened to you, Mom? You were so meek around the Otters, but you are so harsh on your family.” Reminded by Agnes’ hounding today, Kaze grew angry. “It’s bad enough that you pick on me. Why are you hitting Emiko? “She’s paid to do a job, not sold to you to be a slave.” Hector pulled a long face. “You have gone too far, Agnes. Don’t take your grievance from the
Soon, Emiko contacted her niece to get an exact location. Kaze called Conan to ask him to pick up the girl and take her to the private hospital where Bass was. The hospital's equipment and facilities were state-of-the-art. However, it was a lot more expensive than the general hospital. Fortunately, Kaze was overseeing the place and Emiko did not need to worry about the cost. It was a token of appreciation for Emiko, who took a slap from Agnes on Kaze’s behalf. Agnes hit someone without a valid reason and as the son-in-law, Kaze refused to just stay down. Even Hector and the others agreed and supported Kaze's kind gesture. Darcy even told him to find her if he had any problems with the medical fee. Of course, they would not let the honest and humble Emiko know about the kind gesture or else she would feel deeply indebted to them. “Thank you, Mr. Lee! Thank you!” Emiko poured a cup of tea for Kaze and thanked him for his kind gesture. “You’re welcome.” Kaze waved in
“Kaze? What are you doing here?” Kaze’s surprise arrival at a mansion in Rivermouth’s residential area excited Buffy. The two days she spent at Kaze’s villa were the most relaxed and comfortable time in her life. She did not need to worry about anything and had an unprecedented sense of security. When she returned to her own place, which was also a huge and expensive mansion, all she felt was loneliness and coldness. She thought she had gotten used to the solitude but just a few hours after she unpacked, she felt scared and wanted to escape. Suddenly, Kaze arrived. The moment she saw Kaze, her heart pounded wildly. “You live alone, right? So I came to check on you. What if Casius is still after you? Don’t forget that we are on the same boat now.” Kaze did not know what Buffy was thinking so he simply walked into the house. “We are merely allies?” Buffy asked instinctively, not knowing what drove her to ask the question. However, the moment the words escaped her mout
“Hi Buffy. Dayton is worried about you when he knows that you are in trouble, so he contacted us and we came as soon as we could.” “Yeah, Dayton is fully focused on training and barely pays attention to anything else. He’s so uninterested in romance that we even thought he might like men. This is the first time we’ve seen him pay so much attention to a woman.”The five men and women looked up to Dayton. When they saw Buffy and realized how beautiful she was, they understood why Dayton urged them to come to Riverbank in a hurry. They became the best wingmen that one could ask for and made sure Buffy knew Dayton cared about her. Buffy nodded indifferently and said with a smile, “Thank you, Dayton. I appreciate your kind gesture.” “Buffy, we are beyond saying thank you.” Dayton waved his hand heartily. “Your mother is my master’s junior and they have been close since they were young. Once my master received your call for help, he sent me to protect you. “I bet you know my m
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