Jude looked upset. Though Buffy was no longer a daughter to him, Jude was pissed that Kaze would put things so bluntly in front of him. However, Jude was at Kaze’s mercy, so he had to pretend he did not hear the comment. “What about the second term, Mr. Gwake?” Kaze turned to Jude and asked indifferently. Jude hid the malice in his eyes. “I am more than willing to comply with your second request, but you should know that incident happened years ago. I need proof to back some facts up.“I’d need time to sort through the evidence.” Kaze interrupted him. “How long do you need?” “I’d need ten days to two weeks,” Jude replied while suppressing his rage. “That won’t do. It’s too long.” Kaze said harshly, “Three days. That’s all you get. I want Buffy to know the truth. This is only fair to her mother. “If you can’t do it, I’ll be back after ten to fourteen days.By the time Kaze returned, Faith would be long gone.Kaze mentioned that Faith only had a day left. Jude gr
“Just do as Kaze says.”Jude gritted his teeth and told the surgeon. At this point, Jude had no other choice but to trust Kaze. With Holfman’s aid and Jude’s approval, the surgeon finally nodded and grabbed his surgical knife to cut along the acupoints as pointed out by Holfman. The blade sliced through Faith’s skin, and crimson crystals oozed out. These dark red crystals radiated an intense cold. The surgeon grabbed the crystals with his gloved hand, only to recoil from the chill. His entire arm was numb from the chilling sensation.“What are these? It’s freezing. How did these crystals end up in the human body?” the surgeon said, horrified. “It’s nothing more than her blood, or rather, the blood from her heart.” Kaze grabbed the surgeon’s wrist to place the crimson crystals into a glass vessel. The surgeon’s palm, where he had held the crystal, was covered in a thin layer of ice, over the rubber glove. “I didn’t know blood could be frozen into crystals.”The surgeon
“Great! This is good news.” Jude nodded with thrill. He felt rejuvenated and full of energy. Holfman and the team of experts were relieved. With Faith on the road to recovery, they would not be subject to any punishment. Moments later, the surgeon emerged wiping the sweat off his face. He said with a smile, “Mrs. Gwake’s vital signs are promising. You’re amazing, Dr. Lee!” The team of experts looked at Kaze in admiration. Despite their numbers, the team could not figure out what was wrong with Faith for days. Kaze tackled the issue right away, and Faith was all better now. “I’m not a doctor. I just happen to know a little more about this field. That’s all.” Kaze waved his arm, showing no sign of arrogance. “Geez, Kaze. You’re too modest. The recognition you’ve received from so many top medical professionals speaks volumes about your abilities. I want to apologize for any past disrespect on my part. I hope you can forgive me,” Jude said gleefully, his eyes sparkling
“You’ve seen how severe the chills can be, but the heat flush is even more deadly. She would be flushed with a raging fever that could reduce her into a coma.“Don’t try any treatment under the sun on her like before. Nothing will work. “As I said, just wait for me to fix the problem. “I can’t help it if you add any complications. “I’m not a full-fledged expert, you know,” Kaze said. Jude froze and stared at Kaze with his jaw dropped. His expression was grim, to say the least. It never occurred to him that Kaze had something else in store. He had not done everything to fix her yet. Moments later, Jude snapped out of his trance and breathed out. He said grimacingly, “You can’t achieve great things if you’re this petty, Kaze.” “If that’s how you see me, then so be it, Mr. Gwake.” Kaze did not take Jude’s snide remark to heart. He simply patted Jude’s shoulder. “I’ll be back in three days to take care of Faith’s problem. “As I’ve mentioned earlier, make sure Mrs. Gwak
Despite his frustration, Jude understood that he was at Kaze’s mercy. Holding back his rage, Jude chuckled drily and said, “Don’t worry, Kaze. I won’t harm you. I need to consider my wife and Buffy’s best interests too.“See you in three days. By then, I’ll make things right, and you’ll cure Faith.” “I hope that happens.” Kaze grinned nonchalantly before dragging Buffy out of there. As Kaze walked away, Jude narrowed his eyes into a scowl. “Thank you all for your help. You may leave. Serene, walk them out.” Jude waved his arm to dismiss Holfman and the others before pulling out his phone to dial a number. “What’s up, Jude?” A moment later, a gentle voice came on the phone. It was Casius, one of the Riverbank Seven. Jude cut to the chase and uttered, “I’ll be holding a family meeting in three days to make things right for Buffy and her mother. “I will also be announcing Buffy’s hand-in-marriage to you on that day.“I have one condition, though. You need to take car
Since Kaze produced the Nether Viper Sword and sold it to Jude for two billion dollars, Buffy had figured out the truth. Kaze was, in fact, the Viper’s Den West State Branch leader. Upon learning that Kaze intended to attack Jude, Buffy understood that Jude would never lead the Viper’s Den South River State Branch. “Can I ask you of one thing, Kaze?” As Kaze put down the phone, Buffy grabbed his hand and looked at him pleadingly. “What’s on your mind?” Kaze asked tenderly. Buffy was contemptuous toward Kaze when they first met. After several interactions, Kaze knew that Buffy was a kind soul. Otherwise, Kaze would not be helping her. He could already guess what Buffy had to say. Still, he lent an ear. Buffy said wryly, “I hope that you will let my dad live no matter how far he takes things.“He’s my dad. If anything were to happen to my mom, he’s the only family I have left. “Most importantly, I can’t be friends with someone who kills my family.“I don’t want t
Buffy let out a wry smile. “I hope Dad never finds out. He can’t handle the truth.” Still, Buffy was relieved. Jude did not have to die, and it was a good thing for him and Buffy. Otherwise, Buffy would have trouble facing Kaze for killing her father. After dropping Buffy off at the villa, Kaze planned to leave. “Hang on, Kaze.” Buffy stopped Kaze and handed a stack of papers to him. Kaze took the papers for a look. It was an equity transfer contract. Out of the 20 percent shares Buffy held in Gwake Corporation, she wanted to give Kaze half. “What’s the meaning of this?” Kaze asked in confusion. Buffy looked at Kaze earnestly and said, “I’m only the president of Gwake Corporation because of you, so I decided to give you half of my shares. “You should have half of everything I have, Kaze.” Kaze’s heart skipped a beat as Buffy’s words lingered in the air. Nevertheless, he fought down the butterflies in his stomach as he recalled Darcy. He smiled. “Alright then.
It was a long night. The next morning, Buffy gave Kaze a call, informing him that she would be taking on her role at Gwake Corporation on the same day. She would be holding a meeting with the senior members. Kaze would have to assume his role too. He was the executive vice president. It was only right for him to show his face. Nevertheless, Kaze had let Buffy know beforehand that his position as the executive vice president was temporary. He would not be running the company. He was used to taking a hands-off approach anyway. Buffy had no problems with that. Kaze was a loyal ally to Buffy.Ironically, Kaze was more reliable than her family members working within the company.Gwake Corporation’s headquarters was the tower building located in the heart of Riverbank. The meeting would commence at 10 A.M. sharp, but the room was packed with senior members early on. Most of them were members of the Gwakes and Krads, and they held key positions in the company. “Ms. Gwake a
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