“Buffy is a dull girl and she doesn’t know how to capture a man’s heart. She’s boring. Why don’t you be mine? I can make you my personal bodyguard. “You can do what bodyguards do, and I will also let you do what bodyguards cannot do. As long as you wish, I can satisfy you however you want…” Faith moved closer to Kaze, pressing her body against his and her soft fingers dancing on his chest. She licked her lips seductively, looking at him with temptation. Even if Kaze had a heart of steel, it trembled for a moment. Faith was stepping over the line. Kaze shook his shoulder, causing his chest muscles to bounce her hand off. “Mrs. Gwake, I have to say you do know your ways around a man, but if you think this is enough for me to turn my back on Buffy, then you must have underestimated me,” Kaze said calmly. “Turned your back on her? Who are you to her?” Faith scoffed. “Don’t try to hide it from me. When I last saw her, I could still tell from her eyes that she was still a vir
“Yes.” “She got into power because of you and she gave you only half the shares? She doesn’t sleep with you either. Don’t you hate her for not giving back?” “Buffy is my friend. I don’t hate her.” Kaze looked blank and stiff but his lips curled into a sincere smile. “I see you are a… Simp. Yeah, that’s the modern way of calling it.” Faith scoffed and continued, “Are you my friend now?” “Yes…?” Kaze nodded after a slight hesitation. “You little ungrateful scoundrel.” Faith poked Kaze on the forehead and then said coquettishly, “Then if I want you to give me all the shares you have in Gwake Corporation, will you do it?” “I will.” Faith then went over to take the share transfer documents. “Here, sign this and I will give you a reward.” “What reward?” Kaze’s tone showed anticipation. Faith pointed at her lips with her finger. “I can give you a kiss here.” “Yes!” Kaze then quickly signed his own name on the document. “Hmph. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Men. No matter h
“Hsss…” The maggot looked ferocious despite its size. It was struggling and hissing on the tip of Kaze’s finger. As he pinched it, the little maggot died. Heat energy from his palm burned the carcass into a crisp. “You know voodoo?” Faith looked at Kaze in fear. Kaze said, “Faith Gwake, voodoo works well on most people but to me, it’s just a cheap trick. I have to say, you’re disappointing. “You did all this to set me up and you wanted me to kill Jude Gwake? Do you know it’s lame?” His tone was sarcastic. He waved his phone and said, “If I send him this voice note, I wonder if he would kill his own wife?” “You! You! You…” Faith’s expression darkened. She glared at Kaze ferociously and shouted, “My voodoo spell didn’t work on you?!” She could not understand what went wrong. She was certain that based on Kaze’s earlier reaction, he should be under her spell. His looks and reactions seemed exactly like the other victims under her spell. To be safe, she even t
The God of War Palace had many extraordinary men with special capabilities, including witch doctors and voodoo witches from the mountains of Megisto. Back when Kaze was serving on the foreign battlefield, he was once ambushed by a voodoo master from a southern country. The spells that the voodoo master used were a variation of spells passed down in Megisto. It was Kaze’s own witch doctor whom he recruited from Megisto that saved his life. He was no stranger to voodoo spells and witchcraft. Kaze was so familiar with them that he was qualified to say that the little trick that Faith used on him was child’s play. After all, he used to witness the witch doctor from the God of War Palace cast a massive curse that killed tens of thousands of enemies in three days. “Kaze Lee, I have underestimated you. I did not expect you to be this sharp. You are right. I am not the real Faith.” Faith’s expression shifted but her eyes fixated on Kaze. She had to admit that every encounter
Hope’s expression changed after listening to Kaze. She was skeptical about Kaze surviving a hail of bullets from her men but after creating miracles again and again, embarrassing her and Jude multiple times, she hesitated. Logic and rationality told her to not take the bet. Looking at her hesitation, Kaze continued, “So, if I were you, I would tell them to stay away. We can sit down and have a good talk. After all, when you said you want Jude dead, I think we shouldn’t be fighting anymore since there isn’t really beef between us. “What do you say?” Kaze looked composed and relaxed. Hope took a deep breath and ultimately nodded. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?” Kaze said, “Buffy’s mother. Are you responsible for putting her into a coma? Or should I ask why you want Jude dead? “I’m sure you know that as long as Buffy is not involved, even if you massacre the entire Gwake family, I wouldn’t even bat an eye.” He sat down on the couch and poured himself a glass of
Kaze knew that Jude and Tulip founded Gwake Corporation together. When Tulip foresaw her tragedy, she gave all her shares to Buffy. The shares that Buffy possessed were the key to taking control of the company. In addition, Buffy was talented and beautiful. One of the Riverbank Seven, Casius, was interested in her, which made her a valuable asset to Jude. Therefore, Kaze chose to believe Hope. Jude made Hope, or Faith, the main suspect in putting Tulip in a coma so that Buffy would listen to his command. “Based on what I know, Tulip Lee is also from the Viper’s Den and she’s close with Alfonso Longwind. Why would Jude do this to her? She never cheated on him and helped him in his work and supported him as a good wife,” Kaze asked with furrowed brows. “Isn’t it obvious?” Hope scoffed. “Tulip is from the Viper’s Den, but so is Jude. Their connections and resources are highly overlapped. As the competition for the chief’s position grows fierce, being a good wife is no long
“I am disappointed in Jude. If he doesn’t care about me and can let me die whenever then I might as well have him dead,” Hope said with gritted teeth. Her eyes were burning with the flames of anger. Kaze finally understood the situation. It all started because of love and jealousy between Hope and Jude. She did not only want him dead, she wanted to ruin everything he had. “The plan that you mentioned, what was that about?” Kaze asked. Hope then looked at the clock on the wall and then switched her gaze back to Kaze. With a gloating smile, she sneered. “Hehe. If everything goes well, your little Buffy is already in Casius’ arms, which means Jude is one step closer to being the branch chief.” Kaze’s expression darkened immediately. …While Kaze was treating Hope’s condition, something else happened at the Gwake family’s mansion. The Gwakes were a reputable family in Riverbank. Not the most powerful or the most famous, at most a second to third-tier family, similar to
Everyone, including Gilfard, the eldest in the room, looked at Buffy coldly. Without getting any warm response, Buffy’s posture remained bowed on the spot. She currently had absolute power over Gwake Corporation with the shares she possessed. She was the chairwoman and the CEO. If her positions in the company were taken into consideration, the seniors of the house would have to show her respect. However, Buffy had already anticipated a challenging time at home, dealing with the senior members of the household. Since there was no response from her seniors, Buffy took a deep breath and then looked at her father. “Father…” Jude refused to speak. She continued, “Since everyone is here today, as you promised, you should give me a satisfying explanation. “How did my mother become comatose? What happened ten years ago? I hope you can tell me everything and provide me with convincing evidence.” Her frosty voice echoed across the hall. “Slam!” Suddenly, a middle-aged man
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