Darcy frowned and said, “Grandaunt, we don’t need to be afraid of Aiden Krad’s dirty tricks. As a matter of fact, I dealt with the banks and their repayments last night. “Sky Ocean Corporation is fully prepared for the upcoming auction. All our funds are being diverted and we will receive them today…” “Shut up!” Phoenix shouted to cut Darcy off. Her eyes were sharp and fierce as she said, “You are more ignorant than I thought. The bank repayments are nothing! “I heard that the auction committee raised the deposit to ten billion. You can’t even afford to qualify for that, yet you dream of opposing the Krad family? You are delusional! “I don’t want to repeat myself. Call Aiden Krad right now and drop out of the auction!” The deposit alone was ten billion?!” Agnes and Hector, who were hiding behind the crowd, were shocked by the astronomical amount. “Darcy, what are you doing standing there? Make the call!” Noticing Darcy’s silence, Agnes finally lost her patience and de
“Why do you think the Krad family sanctioned Sky Ocean and did not eliminate it entirely? It’s because of the Quint family!” Phoenix spoke with utmost righteousness, as if Sky Ocean Corporation belonged to the Quint family. “Is that so?” Kaze shook his head and said, “If Aiden Krad knows Sky Ocean belongs to the Quint family, would he even try to stop us by using dirty tricks? “Can I also assume that in Riverbank, or in the entire West State, no one actually takes the Quint family seriously?” His words silenced the entire meeting room. Kaze was practically challenging the entire Quint family. Phoenix was stunned by the disbelief and anger. She raised her shaking hand and pointed at Kaze, shouting, “Y-You! How dare you! The Ridgesouth Quints are one of the top ten families in Arcadia! You shall not insult us!” Kaze chuckled. “Me? I am not insulting you—it’s Aiden Krad and his family. He knows my wife is a Quint but he still threatened her to drop out of the auction. “G
Gasp! Everyone in the meeting room gasped in fear. The brutal scene sent chills down the spines of those who saw it, causing their eyelids to twitch in fear. Phoenix grinned and said, “Darcy, what do you say?” She raised her hand as she spoke, signaling her man with the whip to move closer to Darcy. Darcy subtly avoided looking at the man with the whip. Her face slightly paled but she steeled herself up and said, “Grandaunt, this is too much! How could you hit my employee?! “And I said I won’t drop out from the auction! I will never!” Everyone looked at Darcy, astonished by her words and resolution. No one expected her to show so much courage. “Hahaha! Fine! Fine! This is unexpected! I have to say you do have some nerve as the branch head of the Quint family!” Phoenix laughed hysterically out of anger. Then, she screamed, “Teach her a lesson!” “Ms. Quint, I’m sorry.” The man with the whip scrutinized Darcy and then smirked. He swung the whip in Darcy’s direction.
“Aaaaagh!” Phoenix cried in shock, her voice carried a sense of fear. Everyone else was startled by the loud crack, but they quickly realized that the whip had not struck Phoenix. It was merely a blank snap! Yet it was enough to terrify Phoenix, reducing her to tears. Realizing the whip did not hit her, Phoenix was stunned for a moment before she regained her composure. She looked at Kaze in shock, her body shaking as she stammered, “Y-You…” She was furious and horrified, embarrassed and aggrieved. She really thought Kaze would whip her. “Grandaunt, it’s just a joke. I respect my elders, why would I hit you with the whip? If I scared you, I apologize,” Kaze said with a smile. He even bowed to show his sincerity. He then straightened up and tossed the bloody whip away. He looked straight into Phoenix’s eyes and said, “Sky Ocean belongs to my wife, Darcy Quint. The Quint family had not provided any help in its expansion and growth. “Therefore, whatever decision Darcy
Pamela held her chest to calm down and then said loudly and slowly, “I said, our company account just got 1.5 billion Uleanian dollars! “Kaze was right! He was telling the truth!” Her gaze toward Kaze shifted from disdain and contempt to one of utmost admiration. The entire meeting room was in shock. 1.5 billion Uleanian dollars would equal 10.5 billion Arcadian gils based on the current exchange rate. Just as Kaze had said, the company account, which previously held less than two billion, suddenly had over ten billion by noon. Ring! Suddenly, a phone rang. One of Phoenix’s men answered the phone and then went up to her, saying, “Grandaunt, it’s from Mr. Aiden Krad.” Everyone in the room heard him. Kaze and Darcy exchanged a quick look. It appeared that Aiden was the one who had urged Phoenix to come to Sky Ocean Corporation to stir up trouble. “Huh? Oh…” Phoenix regained her composure and reluctantly took the phone from her man. Due to her age, she could o
“When you are released, I’m afraid Sky Ocean has been devoured! “But of course, you can beg me to speak on behalf of the company, and if I am feeling good, I might speak a word or two to the Krad family so that they would let Darcy and her company go.” Phoenix was deeply aggrieved after being embarrassed by Kaze. Even if locking up Kaze would not change anything, she could still air her grievance. She then raised her hand toward Joan. “What are you standing there for? Call the police and have him arrested! My man was whipped, and the police must give me a satisfactory explanation!” Joan quickly pulled out her phone. Suddenly, Kaze raised his hand and said, “That won’t be necessary.” “Huh?” Phoenix narrowed her eyes at Kaze and smirked. “What’s the matter? Afraid? I said if you beg me…” Kaze interrupted her by saying, “No, you’ve misunderstood me. I have already called the police, so that won’t be necessary.” “You called the police? What’s the meaning of this?” Phoen
“Kaze, Darcy, you two little brats! When I get out, I will crush you two…” Phoenix screamed like a madwoman as she was taken away by the police. As for her threats, Kaze simply turned a deaf ear. He even smiled at the others and said, “This is how a reputable figure behaves when she’s taken away by the police. Manners and respect are nonsense…” The other family members did not expect things to take such an unexpected turn. Phoenix landed in Riverbank for less than three hours and she was taken away by the police. How did Kaze do it? What gave him the nerve? Phoenix was not just some old woman, she was a respectable elder of the Quint family! Joan looked at Kaze with gritted teeth and said, “Kaze Lee, you got what you want. “Grandaunt slapped some filthy employees and you got her arrested? It’s not even that serious! How dare you call the police on her? “How long do you think they will keep her? One call and she will be out in no time! Just you wait! When Grandaunt get
Kaze’s appearance was unexpected and his arrogant attitude that disregarded everything gave Joan and the others a hard time. He did not care whether it was a setup or not because he did not even show any respect to Phoenix, an elder of the Quint family. Phoenix represented the Quint family and came to Riverbank for an inspection, yet she was arrested on her first day there and the one who called the police on her was a junior in the family. There was no such precedence in the history of the family! “Kaze Lee! Your arrogance will kill you one day! Grandaunt will certainly come after you!” The others went up to Joan to help her out, cursing at Kaze as they walked out. Kaze did not even bother arguing with the incompetent fools. “Kaze, you are going to get us in a lot of trouble! How dare you call the police on Grandaunt? You wretched…” Agnes pointed at Kaze with her shaking hand but there was nothing she could do. She grunted heavily and walked out of the meeting room.
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