The Quints were miserable when Darcy took over the company, so they wished Darcy would be kept behind bars forever. “It doesn’t matter whether Darcy comes back. She’s dismissed from office. The employees on her side are fired too. She’s not a threat to us. Our happy days are back with Rudy’s family running the business.” Some saw the positive side of things. Rudy and Samus were incapable. To stay in power, they gave the rest of the family a little something to stop them from complaining to Logan. “It doesn’t harm us that Darcy is clear of charges. Our properties are going up on sale tomorrow. We don’t need bad press to hurt our sales.” “Shouldn’t we celebrate since our sales still shot up even though Darcy is removed from power?” A member of the Quints said, and many echoed his sentiment. Even Logan nodded and beamed. The Quints could see a bright future ahead of them. Noticing Logan’s reaction, Vincent said aloud, “My family’s sales team has an appraisal on the Pass
Logan never thought Vincent would admit to it. He snarled. It did not matter to Logan that Darcy was possibly framed. Logan was more concerned if the Hansers had ulterior motives against the Quints. Not wanting her fiancé to get in trouble, Deborah jumped in. “You have us to blame, Grandpa. We didn’t want Darcy running the business, so we sought help from the Hansers to remove Darcy from the company.” “That’s right You saw it, Dad. Darcy didn’t care about your opinion when she was CEO. This was the only way to get rid of her.” Bracing himself, Rudy stepped forward. He was afraid the anger would drive Logan to change his mind. Vincent was quick to explain, saying that he was just trying to help Rudy, his father-in-law, get into power. He squashed any possibility that the Hansers had any ulterior motives. Logan scoffed unhappily because he was kept in the dark. At the same time, he felt relieved. All was good so long as the Hansers were not up to something. With t
Jimmy Tulen called Logan. He was Logan’s fishing buddy who worked as a notary public. Logan was stunned. “What did you say, Jim? We have not sold the complex.” “Who are you trying to fool, Logan?” Jimmy added, “You moved your real estate company’s assets to a Sunrise company, and my firm was the witness of the transfer.” Logan shuddered and got out of bed. He rushed out of the bedroom and called Rudy over. “Rudy, go and check if our real estate company is transferred.” Startled, the other family members came and asked what was going on. Soon, Rudy returned in a fluster, his hands shaking while holding the phone. “Dad, I asked about it, and all the assets, including the complex, under our real estate company have been sold to Quartet Group in Sunrise for 100 million dollars.” Shit!With the bombshell dropped, sleep was the last thing on the Quints’ mind. The group had invested over a billion dollars into the Passion Fragrance District project, and it was now sold
Logan shouted menacingly. The Quints gave the Hansers full access to operate the Passion Fragrance District project. Two billion dollars was transferred to the real estate books. Rudy’s family had been the driving force behind those decisions. Logan glared at his eldest son, tempted to rip him apart with his bare hands. Rudy knew he was in big trouble. Getting on his knees, he said tremblingly, “Dad, the Hansers booked the Dynasty Hotel to have the engagement party, and they have sent invitations to many families. They aren’t going anywhere.“We will meet them at the hotel tomorrow and ask for the complex and money back, or we’ll expose them. They will be utterly humiliated.” At this point, there was nothing much they could do. Logan went along with the suggestion. “Fine. We will all go to the Dynasty Hotel tomorrow and make the Hansers pay back everything and more.” The Quints spent the rest of the night in turmoil. The next day soon arrived. It was lively at t
The Quints’ hearts sank when they saw Vincent smirk. “Here comes the old birthday boy.” The Quints exchanged looks, wondering the meaning behind Vincent’s words. Cheers burst out in the hall. Liam, the head of the Hanser household, appeared with a ruddy glow, surrounded by many. “You are only 70 once, so I wanted to have a party at the Dynasty Hotel. Thank you all for coming…” What? It was the birthday celebration of Liam, the head of the Hansers. The Quints were stunned. Samus grabbed Vincent by the collar and yelled, “You better explain yourself, Vincent. You were supposed to get engaged to my sister. Why is it a birthday celebration now?” The commotion caught Liam’s attention. After learning the situation, he said peevishly, “My grandson can’t possibly get engaged to a member of the Quint family. What engagement are you talking about? That’s ridiculous. Vincent, show them the invitation we sent out.” The Quints quickly saw the invitation sent to the guests.
With Logan passed out on the street, the Quints were a mess. They tried pinching his nose and calling the ambulance to take him to the emergency room. After a bustle, Logan finally regained consciousness. He seemed lost, though. Lying in bed, Logan stared at the ceiling without a word. It was bright outside, but the mood in the ward was gloomy. Following Logan’s fainting spell, the family felt like their world had crumbled. The Quints were toasted this time. Rudy’s family, especially, took the news the hardest. Deborah, often conceited, sat there in a daze. When Darcy’s family arrived at the ward, they saw the Quints looking dejected as if drained of life. “Is Logan alright?” Agnes wheeled Hector toward Logan, only to be shocked by his condition. If the ECG monitor had not shown Logan’s heart rate, Agnes would have thought he was a goner. Logan finally showed some signs of life. Catching Darcy’s family by the corner of his eye, Logan shouted, “What are you d
Kaze’s words were met with scoffs. Agnes and Hector, aside from the Quints, had no faith in Kaze. The Quints were helpless against the Hansers’ meticulously crafted plan. It was not as if Kaze, a good-for-nothing, could accomplish anything. “If you’re able to demand the complex back, I’ll jump off the building.” “You’re just here to gloat because our family is in trouble. Even at our worst, we won’t put up with your arrogance. You’re just a dummy who took our family name.” “The loser’s up to no good. He must be trying to pull the same scam as Vincent to con the last 100 million dollars out of us.” The Quints sneered. The dimwit was delusional to think he could scam money like Vincent. Vincent had the support of the Hansers to pull the elaborate scam on the Quints, but Kaze had nothing. “Scam your money? Why would I be bothered to?” Faced with jeers, Kaze smirked. “I’m only getting the assets back from the Hansers for my wife’s sake. I don’t care what happens to y
“Shut up, Sky!” Agnes cut Sky off with a glare. “I’m warning you, Kaze. Stop giving our family problems!” Kaze was not in the position to refuse with Agnes narrowing her eyes at him. He nodded to get her off his case. “Alright, Agnes. I heard you loud and clear.” Agnes scoffed and got into the car. Darcy was not so easily fooled. “Just listen to Mom, Kaze. Don’t go to the Hansers. I’ll try to figure something out and get a lawyer’s advice. Maybe the law will be on our side. We can make other plans if we can’t get the assets back.” She did not carry much hope. The Hansers were rich and powerful, so they would have a family attorney who had covered all their bases in legality. Taking them to court would be time-consuming. It might be a year or so before a verdict was out, and by then, the assets would be gone. Kaze said, “Do you really want me to stay out of it, babe? The opening day of the Passion Fragrance District project is this afternoon. Don’t you want to stop t
Dwight gave some suggestions. “But I’m worried about being a nuisance to your family.” Kaze remained hesitant, torn between decisions. “No, you won’t. I usually live alone. They stay somewhere else. They barely visit. I’ll just let them know not to visit for now,” Dwight replied. Dwight figured out what was in it for him. He could not let Kaze leave. “I don’t want to put your family in an awkward position.”Kaze was still considering the matter. “Relax. They don’t live with me anyway. The room I have for you is tidy. No one has stayed there before.“I’ll hire some help to freshen up the place. I can guarantee you an experience no less than at the hotel.” Dwight spoke with great confidence. “We should finish our food and doggie-bag the rest. I’ll take you to my place.” Dwight was ready to get things going. Kaze took the offer and nodded. “I’ll be in your care then.” Kaze was glad that his plan went through. Dwight had no idea that he got played. Nevertheless,
“I’m new to the place, so I don’t know much. Can you show me around when you’re available?” “No problem, but I usually have some stuff to take care of. I can’t be there 24/7. “Why don’t you propose to the branch that you want me to be your guide and attendant?” Dwight suggested. There was no telling whether Kaze would accept his proposal, but it was an opportunity to prove himself. He was never involved in the core operation. Often enough, he was the branch members’ punching bag. Though Dwight was aware that he was not good enough for the big stuff, he still wanted to succeed. Kaze was the trusted aide of the Butterworth Branch chief. He was in Westeros for a reason. By joining Kaze, Dwight would come across the major players. Kaze saw through Dwight’s plans. “Sure. I’ll do that.” Kaze did not mind the request. “Great. I’ll let them know on your behalf. I’ll be responsible for your needs while in the city.” Dwight was overjoyed at the opportunity. “So you live
“You must be rich. I often see rich people picking tabs for everybody. Talk about extravagance.” The tension in the air was lifted when Kaze offered to pay for everything. “I’m not. Consider it an apology,” Kaze explained, not wanting to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. He did not see the point of continuing the conversation. Dwight’s angry screams came from outside. “What the hell is this? I only ordered a bunch of stuff. Why am I being charged an exorbitant amount?“What do you mean my friend is paying for everybody? That’s throwing money away,” Dwight said while storming his way over. “I know you have money, but you shouldn’t do this, Mr. Lee.” Dwight did not approve of this type of generosity. “You rubbed them the wrong way. It was only right to apologize. Besides, it’s not a lot of money.” Kaze looked at the bill and handed a bank card to Dwight. “It’s my treat.” The consumption was barely a dent in Kaze’s savings. The meal did not cost more than his us
Kaze observed as the jeep took off further off course, past the towering buildings to a run-down neighborhood. “This is where I usually reside. My home is not too far away, but I think you might have trouble adapting to this place.” Dwight did not forget to book Kaze a hotel. Kaze could not possibly stay with him. The hotel was around the area anyway. “Didn’t you say that you haven’t tried the local cuisine? I’ll take you out for a bite. “The barbecue ribs here are to die for. We’ve got the dry-rubbed and saucy kind.” Dwight parked the car and hopped out right away. Opposite the parking lot was not the cleanest food joint. Looking in from the outside, Kaze realized that the place was packed. Kaze understood that the restaurant must be known for some kind of dish. The customers were from all walks of life, so the food must be great. “There’s not much to see here, but the food is tasty. If you don’t mind, we can order something inside.” Kaze was not particularly con
Dwight was surprised and curious as to who Kaze really was. From what he gathered, Kaze was a confidante of the Butterworth Branch chief. The purpose of Kaze’s visit was to learn and share. Dwight worked on the fringes, so his access to information was limited. Nevertheless, he got the feeling that Kaze was just an ordinary guy just like him. The only difference was that Kaze was lucky to rub shoulders with important people. Dwight did not get chances like that. “Who are the most influential people in the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Kaze asked in the car. Dwight was taken aback by the question. Still, he had an answer to that. “So you don’t know much about the situation?” Dwight suddenly felt important. “Well, I’m new to the city. I will be running into them soon, so I need to make sure I get my facts right,” Kaze said humbly. This was Dwight’s shot, and he needed to present his best. “Relax, Kaze. I’ll tell you everything I know.” Dwight would reveal some info
Kaze glanced at the flowers. There was a card for well-wishes too.Curious, Kaze reached out to read the card. It was written, “To my eternal lover and sweetheart.” Dwight grabbed Kaze’s bag. Since the sign in his hand was getting in the way, Dwight tossed the placard in the trash can. As Dwight turned his head back, he saw Kaze reading the card that came with the flowers. He tried to stop Kaze, but it was too late. Dwight had not attended to a guest of high importance before. The task was assigned to him at the last minute. In the past, Dwight was usually on the sidelines, never getting close to major matters. He would always get the small, insignificant jobs. Dwight often bought drinks for his superiors to build connections. However, he had always been kept out of the loop. Now that an opportunity had fallen onto his lap, Dwight was not about to let it slip. He wanted to show what he could do. When Dwight arrived at the airport for the pick-up, most people car
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