“Besides, the branch head is speaking. So why are you, a filthy bitch, interrupting? Do you think you are in the same league as my wife because you are sitting with Aiden?” Joan used her position to mock Darcy, so Kaze used the same poison on her and made it hurt twice as much. As his words escaped, not only Joan but also Aiden’s expression darkened. If a filthy bitch from the Quint family had the right to sit beside Aiden, what would that make him? “So you are Kaze Lee?” It was Aiden’s first time meeting Kaze in person. He scrutinized Kaze and then said coldly, “Your mouth is as filthy as the voice on the phone.” He remembered listening to Kaze’s voice through the phone, mocking him. Kaze smiled. “My fists speak louder than my words. I used to punch a ninja from Ryokan to death. Do you want to have a taste?” “You killed a Ryokan ninja? You’re bluffing!” Kaze’s words sparked a heated discussion among the others. Knowing that Darcy’s spouse was a live-in husband, mos
After witnessing the golden sparkle of the Golden Toad, everyone’s interest was piqued. “The bidding starts now!” said the auctioneer as she noticed the heightened interest. “110 million!” A chairman of a big company raised his sign. He then looked around him and chuckled, saying, “My friends, I hope you guys can let me have this.” “You want the Golden Toad with just 110 million? You’re being really optimistic.” “But, all of us here are either bosses of big companies or heads of powerful families. I’m afraid your words are not enough to convince us to step down.” “Let’s just see who has the highest bid.” Following the mocks and sneers, another chairman raised his sign and said, “150 million!” He added forty million in one bid! The first chairman’s expression ashened. It was obvious that the two of them had beef. “160 million!” “190 million!” “200 million!” As signs were raised, the bids reached 200 million in a moment. The bidding war expanded beyond the two
Sudden realization struck. “Oh? It’s him? Boris Road is a legend!” Being one of the big four kingpins in the underworld of Riverbank, Boris was worthy of being called a legend. He started his business in the underworld and had nothing to begin with. In thirty years' time, he managed to acquire a billion in net worth. More importantly, he grew up in the underworld yet he was able to withdraw from it after getting rich. He was more capable than any other gangster boss or kingpin. Many who shared a similar background with Boris would either end up dead in their later years or imprisoned. Therefore, when the crowd knew the man was Boris, they nodded and bowed at him, hoping to make acquaintance. Boris greeted them one by one and then looked at Aiden. “Mr. Aiden Krad, I am sorry but I am extremely interested in the Golden Toad. I hope you will let me have it.” Aiden’s expression ashened. “Mr. Road, I have heard many things about you. You are interested in the Golden Toad,
“Mr. Krad is indeed a gentleman. I will proceed with the countdown.” The auctioneer smiled and then said, “Two billion calling once. “Two billion calling twice… “So—” Right before she could swing the gavel down, a voice spoke up and said, “Five billion.” Five billion!? The entire hall was silent once more. The auctioneer’s hand holding the gavel froze in the air. Everyone on the floor gasped in shock. Five billion?! Three billion more than Aiden’s bid?! Was it a prank or was it a proper bid? Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and was shocked. “It’s him!” “The live-in husband of the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation!” “He’s definitely trying to mess around!” Many of the attendees believed Kaze calling the price just to mess with Aiden. Aiden’s previous bid of two billion on top of Boris’ was already shocking enough, yet Kaze raised it to five billion. It simply sounded ridiculous—that was no way to place a bid at an auction! Aiden’s eye
It was plain to see that the person overseeing Four Ocean Auction took orders from Aiden. Aiden grimaced. Reading the room, the crowd knew that Kaze was there to sabotage Aiden. Most importantly, Kaze had the power to do so. The fact that Kaze was able to attend the auction by overdrawing 10 billion dollars from Tenka Bank’s Black Centurion card and providing proof of deposit, spoke volumes about his preparation.Aiden had to swallow his words for calling Kaze some random guy. Some among the crowd looked at Kaze with thrill. Though they did not have the nerve to compete with Aiden, they would love to see somebody else try. Besides, Kaze just humiliated Aiden with money. Not everybody wanted to suck up to Aiden. Aiden took a deep breath and said curtly, “Are you sure you want to outbid me on this Golden Toad, Kaze?”“We are in an auction, aren’t we? The item will go to the winning bid. Why can’t I bid on it?” Kaze showed his stance while responding to Aiden in defi
Kaze may be rich, but Aiden hailed from a powerful and wealthy family in the West State. The money possessed by the Krads could last for generations. Aiden was in a completely different league than Kaze. The crowd believed Kaze would take his win and stop getting under Aiden’s skin. To their surprise, Kaze raised his paddle. “Seven billion dollars.” The crowd was at a loss. Kaze kept on bidding. To think he would bid on it. It was a high price to pay just to get back at Aiden. The Golden Toad was worth no more than two billion dollars, but Kaze’s involvement had caused Aiden to fork out an extra five billion dollars. Five billion dollars was a lot of money. Even the female auctioneer fell silent for a bit before asking cautiously, “Mr. Krad, are you bidding?” Instead of responding to the auctioneer, Aiden turned to Kaze and said with a smirk, “Can you really afford seven billion dollars, Kaze?” Kaze smiled indifferently. “Are you dumb? I paid a ten-billion-dol
Aiden looked askance at Kaze and said, “Trust me. I have the power to do so.“Sure, you have money, but you’re insignificant to me.” Many stared at Aiden in reverence.Aiden was a tyrant. Joan just wanted to throw herself at Aiden. “Oh, really?” Kaze smiled offhandedly. Aiden turned to yell at the auctioneer, “Just seal the deal.” “Seven billion dollars, calling thrice. “Sold to Mr. Lee at seven billion dollars.” With the drop of the gravel, the auctioneer faced Kaze. “Please proceed to payment, Mr. Lee.” Everybody looked at Kaze sympathetically, assuming that he would flee. Aiden was determined to get his hands on the Golden Toad. Kaze just spent seven billion dollars on nothing. Kaze was better off not buying the bid. To everybody’s surprise, Kaze handed a Centurion card. “Here you go.” Moments later, Kaze signed the bill. Soon, the Golden Toad, wrapped in a lovely box, was handed to Kaze. Despite Kaze holding a gem worth seven billion dollars, no one
Kaze dropped a bombshell. The crowd looked up at Kaze in shock. Kaze spent seven billion dollars just to destroy the art piece. All he wanted to do was test out its hardness. It was an outrageous waste. No! It was downright insane!“S-Say that one more time. What are you trying to do?” Aiden had to be sure. By the looks of things, he believed Kaze had lost his mind. “Are you deaf? I’ll say this again.” Kaze said with a wide grin, “I want to smash the Golden Toad in front of everybody. “I can be a little extreme. I would rather destroy the things I can’t have. “You pushed me to it, Mr. Krad.“Besides, this baby is worth seven billion dollars. Even the world’s richest wouldn’t destroy something valued at seven billion dollars. “Don’t you think?” Straightening his back, Kaze looked around the room in defiance. Aiden was tempted to get in Kaze’s face and beat him up. “Are you ready? I’m doing it.” Kaze raised the metal gravel and shouted. An uproar broke out i
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