Buffy raised her brows. “Let him in.” A moment later, Naix, whose face was covered in cream and iodine, came in. He shot a resentful glare at Kaze before he tossed two invitation cards to Buffy. “Royal Familia Hotel, 12 P.M., a drinking party?” Buffy glanced at the invitation card and then looked at Naix indifferently. “What is the meaning of this, Mr. Krad? You’re inviting me and Kaze to a drinking party? I don’t think we are that close yet.” Naix scrutinized Buffy from top to bottom with a strange look and it made her sick. “If there’s nothing else, you know where the exit is. I have work to do,” Buffy said coldly. Naix then put his disgusting gaze away and smiled. “Ms. Gwake, you sound so distant and cold. We are colleagues, aren’t we? “I know we are having a bet but I am a generous and magnanimous man. I asked Mr. Kiefer Heartano of the Heartanos for two invitations to his drinking party. “He is hosting the party later in the afternoon and many influential people wi
“Kaze, are we really going to attend the drinking party? Is there going to be a trap? Why not let me make some calls first.” Buffy picked up her phone, looking worried. She had many friends in Riveria and if Naix said there would be many influential figures there, then some of her friends might be there too. A while later, Buffy put her phone down. “I’ve asked some of my friends who got invited. It seems like it’s a legit drinking party, not a trap for us. “I’ve also asked around about this Kiefer Heartano. He’s the youngest son of the head of the family and he has an older brother named Khan. “He’s capable and he has been contributing to the family business in Geranium. He lived a high-profile life and is known to be impatient.“He just arrived at Riverbank yesterday and found out what happened to St. Mary’s. That’s why he is hosting the drinking party to build connections with the folks in the upper circle…” “An impatient person?” Kaze pondered for a moment and then sa
Naix was not in the mood to argue with Kaze because, to him, Kaze was already a dead man. He knew Kiefer back in Geranium City, where they used to hang out and drink. In addition to his excessive flattery, Kiefer had already viewed him as a good friend. On top of that, Naix also knew that Kiefer was the favorite child in the Heartano family and his parents always gave him what he wanted. If he could just make Kiefer happy, then getting the rights to St. Mary Hospital would be a piece of cake. It was the reason Naix was overflowing with confidence. The only thing he needed to think about was how to make Kiefer happy. He used to do the same to earn favors but always felt something was missing. Kiefer was a cautious man. He would not act before seeing what he would gain. He always remained ambiguous, so he never fully agreed to give Naix the rights to the hospital. However, Naix came up with an idea that he believed could work. With that, he had another glance at Buffy a
Back at Bronze Sparrow, Kaze beat Buffy in a game of cards, which got him a night with her. The news spread like wildfire in the circle and sparked a heated debate. It was no secret that Casius saw Buffy as his future playtoy. Anyone who had the nerve to go after her would end up dead. It was said that Buffy’s parents already agreed for them to get married. Just when everyone expected things to end badly for Kaze, a few days later, they saw Buffy and Kaze together, attending a party hosted by Kiefer. Were they making a statement to Casius, telling him that his little plaything was no more? The young men and women surrounded Kaze, scrutinizing him. They wanted to know what was so special with the bumpkin that Buffy fell for him. However, no matter how they looked, they found nothing stellar about him; he was just another man. Maybe he was brave and meticulous, two aspects men could use to win most women’s hearts. However, Buffy was not just any ordinary woman and she
Hearing Buffy said she wanted to date Kaze but the circumstances could not allow it, Rayes automatically thought she did not want to hurt Kaze. He was jealous while feeling happy inwardly—jealous because Buffy had never expressed romantic intentions for a man verbally and happy because, with Casius in the picture, Kaze was destined to be a loser. Despite this, Rayes was forced to take Kaze seriously. He scrutinized Kaze, wondering what made the bumpkin so attractive that Buffy would fall for him. “It has nothing to do with Casius. Who I date is none of his business and he has no right to interfere.” Buffy’s tone was cold when she talked about Casius. She then looked at Kaze again and said with slight regret, “It’s because Kaze is married and his wife is an amazing woman. They love each other.” “Ooooh.” The crowd gasped in realization. Buffy could not date Kaze because he was a married man! Kaze widened his eyes at Buffy, gesturing and signaling her to stop messing aroun
Some things were not meant to be compared. If a man could marry a woman like Darcy, the man must be successful in some way. No wonder Buffy made a statement in front of her friends that she wanted to date Kaze. Listening to the comment, she had mixed feelings. She actually did not want to mention Darcy but neither did she want others to look down on Kaze, so she revealed his marriage. “Hoho, it seems like you’re really close with your friend, Buffy.” While everyone was looking at Kaze with newfound respect, wondering how they could make his acquaintance, Rayes, whose expression darkened, scoffed. Buffy was taken aback. “What do you mean, Rayes?” Rayes explained, “My family business, the Shure Group, used to work with the Sky Ocean Corporation in Lilyrose. I knew Darcy Quint from back then. “My father even introduced me to her and he was impressed by how capable she was. He said if she’s still single, he would support me in chasing her, making her the daughter-in-law o
Kaze knew what Buffy was trying to achieve, so he quickly intervened and stopped her. He knew Buffy had developed feelings for him but like she said, he was a married man; he could no longer provide for other women. If so, he should stay away and not hurt the poor lady. “Buffy, it seems like you are attending this party with Kaze for a reason, right?” Rayes was delighted and he asked Buffy. If Buffy was not here to brag about her new boyfriend, then she must be here with Kaze for another reason. It had been a while since Buffy attended any social gatherings, and now that she suddenly showed up with Kaze, there must be something she wanted to achieve. Buffy was displeased by Rayes’ arrogant attitude but he had been her friend for many years. She patiently said, “Yeah. Gwake Corporation is seeking to work with St. Mary Hospital. Kiefer is holding the party here, so I came, hoping to meet him later to talk about a potential deal.” Everyone was struck with realization.
“Rayes, Kaze is here with me. Of course, I have to bring him with me,” Buffy said with a hint of displeasure. Rayes pursed his lips. “I don’t want to sound like I’m nagging. I know you want to bring him out so he can meet people but you have to depend on the occasion. “Look at him! How can you bring him to an important party like this? While you are here to ask Kiefer for a favor? Come on.” “What’s wrong with him…” Buffy was agitated. Just as she wanted to argue, Kaze put down his plate of food and said with a smile, “It’s okay. I’m done anyway. It’s better to work on a full stomach, right?” Rayes cast a disdainful glance at Kaze. Seeing Buffy’s determination to bring Kaze along, he didn’t dare risk angering her. Reluctantly, he nodded and said, “Fine, he can come, but he’d better keep his mouth shut and just watch. Got it?” After giving Kaze a warning, Rayes brought them to a room behind the banquet hall. “We are here to see Kiefer.” Rayes seemed to be quite chummy wit
“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
“Worried about the mercenaries? I’ve taken all of them out and anyone with a sane mind would know by now not to come after me. Why would they make the same mistake again?” Kaze killed all the mercenaries. There was no one else the mastermind could send after him anymore. Even if there were, they would have to reconsider it after what had happened. Taking out the mercenaries in silence was a strong showcase of his strength. Once the mastermind found out, he or she would definitely stay away. Besides, Kaze had decided to continue his journey to Westeros without telling anyone. He could board a random flight to his destination, and no one would ever know. “Take me to the airport,” Kaze said to the driver. He and Snow were in the rear seat. “When you go back to Butterworth, don’t rush things. Now that Katie has made a mistake and is forced to step down, you can take over Northborn Group,” Kaze said. “Speaking of Katie, after I locked her up, her daughter, Leah, came to me
Miguel stated his strength so that Kaze and Snow would look at him differently. “That doesn’t mean we have to choose you.” Snow saw nothing stellar in him. Snow’s harsh words surprised Miguel and left him deeply displeased. Yet when he looked at Kaze, he dared not say a word. “I can work hard. Even if I am not qualified now, I can work toward that goal.” “Of course, you are not qualified now. You need to improve yourself to meet the basic requirements. Then we’ll talk about you joining us.” Snow just wanted to get this matter over and done with, so she handed Miguel her name card. “When you think you are qualified, you can give me a call.” Since she would eventually take over the largest force in Butterworth, she needed to build a team of her own—one she could truly trust. Miguel might just be an ordinary man who looked fierce but he was courageous and had the potential to be better. “Can I follow him instead?” Miguel took the name card and learned Snow’s name. He
“You did well,” Kaze praised Miguel. It was not easy for someone to fire a gun and take a life, even when he had basic training. Though without the proper technique and training, the shot was nothing stellar. “Really?” Miguel was thrilled by the praise. He might be tall and fit and have arms full of tattoos, but he had never gotten into a fight before. He was happy that someone he admired praised him. It made his day even more than escaping alive. Kaze wanted to continue but the cars had arrived. He walked forward and revealed himself in front of the headlights. The hostages were scared. They stepped back, some of them entered the hangar once more and tried to shut the door. Miguel stood in their way and stopped them from closing it up. “What are you doing? Kaze is still here and help has arrived. Stop hiding,” he said. He detested their selfish behavior. Kaze saved them but they did not even thank him. They even continued to suspect Kaze’s identity. Their be
“How dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punished…” Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. “Given Mr. Lee’s capabilities, he won’t be hurt.” The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. “I know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.” Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. “But there’s nothing you can do now. It’s late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They won’t do anything yet.” “It’s because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. That’s the only way to solve this matter!” “But we’ve searched high and low and didn’t find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didn’t see any tracks.” The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. “Good job.” “Thanks.” Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. “I’ll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you won’t be charged and you won’t need to take responsibility,” Kaze said. Miguel’s pale face looked relieved. “What should we do now? Are there more of them?” Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. “I’ve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.” He then took the gun from Miguel’s hands. “Really? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!” Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. “Don’t look if you can’t take it! Don’t make things worse!” “Yeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!” “I have never seen dead bodies like this before!” he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. “Can we go out now and run away?” The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. “If you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, you’ll be shot!” Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening