“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
Following the voice, a dozen suited men appeared at the entrance and swarmed in. The entire living hall was surrounded instantly, blocking every possible exit from within. Buffy was shocked by the sudden intrusion. What shocked her even more was that everyone in the family, including her grandfather, looked calm, as if they had expected this. In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere in the living hall became tense and pressured. Anyone who tried to leave would have to pay a severe price. Buffy turned around immediately. As a matter of fact, the moment she heard the voice, she already knew who it was. Casius, in a black trench coat, swaggered into the living hall. He wore a warm smile, but his frosty eyes pierced Buffy’s heart with a gaze that sent chills down her spine. Casius was like a viper eyeing its prey, ready to strike any moment. Behind Casius were a man and a woman. Buffy recognized the man as Hank, Casius’ secret bodyguard. He was a servant of the Weathe
Casius looked frivolous, his tone sarcastic. However, the ferocity he exuded pressured even the seniors of the house, making them think twice before saying a word. The name of the Riverbank Seven worked like a charm against the ordinary citizens. “Mhmm. Not bad.” Gilfard scrutinized Casius from the main seat and nodded his head subtly. He approved Casius as his grandson-in-law. Casius possessed the power and the courage, and if Buffy could marry a man like him, it would bring decades of glory to the Gwake family. “Casius! Shut your damn mouth! What do you mean by ‘our big day’?” Buffy’s expression was frosty. “Don’t you call my mother your mother-in-law! My father too! They are not your in-laws! I am here because of my mother and I do not need you meddling around! It’s always been Kaze who’s truly helped me! “I don’t need you as a witness! Get out of our house right now!” Seeing Buffy berate Casius fiercely, the woman behind him turned frosty, ready to teach Buffy a l
“Yeah! I’d rather die than marry you!” Buffy’s resolute answer left Casius with no chance. “You think I’m lesser than the live-in husband?” “You are far lesser!” She was firm. “Fine.” Casius nodded. His eyes locked onto Buffy and said, “You’ve rejected me, but I realized, I liked you even more.” A manic blush appeared on his face as he grinned, “Buffy, do you know that I've never been denied anything I’ve wanted since I was young? “The more you reject me, the more I want you! And I will do whatever it takes! “But I am a man who knows my priorities. Since I came here for two things, let's handle the first.“We can talk about our wedding later. Let’s focus on your mother now, Buffy. “Am I right, my dear future father-in-law?” Casius looked at Jude. “A man who knows his priorities. This is how a mature man should behave.” Jude nodded in agreement as he stood. “Since my future son-in-law has spoken, then I will give Buffy a satisfying explanation about her mother
“Hmph! Cease your nonsense!” Gilfard said coldly, “Why would the Heartano family of Geranium show so much respect to a live-in husband? “I think you are teaming up with the outsider, putting up a show for us to see so that you can slowly and quietly transfer the company assets away, ultimately emptying us! “Let me make this straight! No matter what you do, you have to take the shares back and return them to your father! Before you do that, you will have no explanations about your mother! “If you disagree, then I will cease her medical fees and I can do it with one phone call! Then you will have nothing but a dead body!” His tone was fierce and his expression cold and ruthless. Buffy paled. She widened her eyes and screamed, “Grandfather, how could you!” “I am the master of this family before I am your grandfather! I am doing this on behalf of the family’s benefit, so why couldn’t I?!” he argued. He then got up on his feet with Jude’s help. He smiled at Casius and said
“Is our bridal chamber all ready?” After Jude and the other Gwake family members went off, Casius stood straight and firm as he asked his assistant without turning back. The woman behind him, who looked rather fierce and whom Buffy assumed was a replacement for Neely—and she was right—was Madison Fencer. She had previously been Neely’s assistant but was promoted to fill the position after Neely’s death. She was also professionally trained for combat. She looked expressionless as she said plainly, “Sir, the maids of the Gwake family are done decorating the bridal chamber. I’m sure you and Mrs. Weather will have an unforgettable night.” “A bridal chamber?” Buffy was shocked, her face ashened. The Gwake family did everything they could to win Casius’ fondness. They did not only invite him here, they even told the maids to get a bridal chamber ready. Buffy wanted to leave but Madison stood in her way. With a fake smile, she said, “Madam, you must stay here for the night
“From the moment Kaze took me back to his villa, he had never forced me against my will. He respects me. “If you are one-tenth of the man that he is, I might give you a chance.” Buffy looked at Casius with contempt and disgust. Casius simply listened but he did not take her words seriously. However, when Buffy talked about Kaze and compared them, the grin on his face disappeared. His lips started twitching and his eyes turned icy cold. Slap! Without any explanation, he slapped Buffy’s face again. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as her face swelled. The daughter of the Gwake family was being humiliated and attacked in her family mansion, yet no one came to her rescue. Buffy endured the pain and said coldly, “Casius, get the hell out or I will call the police! This is the Gwake mansion, not your playground!” “The Gwake mansion?” Casius scoffed, “Buffy, I never thought you were this naive, this stupid. Don’t you understand? Your father needed my support t
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