“I’m telling you, Kaze. We won’t stand by and watch you prey on these socialites,” Cyan uttered indignantly as if she stood on the path of justice. Kaze sighed. “I really want to slap you awake if not for your dad, Cyan. “Draig, you’re something else to dig your own grave in your father’s name.” “Tsk!” “Who do you think you are?” Draig and Cyan turned their noses up at Kaze’s remark. Cyan clamored, “Come on. Show me what you got.“You’re a joke. I exposed you for who you are, and you, in turn, want to slap me? “I’d love to see you try—” A woman stormed into the place and raised her hand. “Smack!” The slap echoed through the silent room, and the crowd stirred. “Buffy?” “She’s the only daughter of Jude, the former deputy chief of the Viper’s Den South River State Branch. She’s the chairwoman of Gwake Corporation.” “She’s the one rumored to be dating Lee.” Chatters filled the room. The crowd looked at Buffy in shock. Buffy showed up out of nowhere and slappe
“Should I defend you instead?” Buffy pointed at Cyan. “I heard you mocking Kaze. You better watch it. “Otherwise, you can kiss your career online goodbye. I don’t care whether you’re with Golden Scale Corporation.” Cyan turned pale. She would not doubt Buffy’s words. Buffy’s father was the former deputy chief. Jude still held influence within the organization. She had access to wealth and resources through control over Gwake Corporation. It would not take much for Buffy to get Cyan canceled. All Buffy needed to do was bribe her way to the higher management of Golden Scale Corporation.Cyan held her tongue. Unable to stand Buffy’s arrogance, Draig stepped forward in disgruntlement. “You must be Ms. Gwake. Even if Cyan was a little harsh about Kaze, she was only looking out for Kaze. You are taking things far by assaulting Cyan.“Cyan is my friend. Shouldn’t you answer to me? “Oh, I should introduce myself.” Draig looked at Buffy and said indifferently, “I am Draig
“Mr. Tenby, I thought you were speaking out for your friend, but you were just looking for an excuse to ask me out.“Try your luck with another girl. Here is not the place for you to pick up chicks.” The crowd gave Draig strange looks. Draig turned red. He glared at Buffy, tempted to lash out. Fuck. He got played. Buffy hit on him, and he simply responded. She turned things around and made it sound like he was picking her up. Unbothered by Draig’s rage, Buffy smiled charmingly. “Besides, a nice gentleman has invited me for dinner.” The crowd made guesses about who would be having dinner with Buffy. Buffy sauntered toward Kaze and sat next to him. As the crowd watched on in disbelief, Buffy hooked her arm around Kaze’s. Um… It was an eye-bulging moment. Nothing more needed to be said. It was unbelievable. Instead of steering clear, Buffy showed her fondness toward Kaze, a dumped divorcée. Buffy would make herself a laughingstock. Besides, Kaze did no
Snow, dressed in a fairy-white dress, walked in. The breaths of many hitched. Snow was just as beautiful as Buffy. If Buffy was a blazing fire, Snow was a block of ice. Moths were drawn to the flame, but no creatures would approach a block of ice. Snow was unapproachable. However, she made a beeline toward Kaze. Buffy, still clutching Kaze’s arm, glanced at Snow and furrowed her brows while Snow grabbed Kaze’s other arm. “Chairman Lee, why can’t you put on a suit for the celebration today?“Come on. I’ll take you to pick a suit.” Buffy grimaced. She knew what Snow was up to. Snow was trying to show that she was closer to Kaze than Buffy was. Buffy and Snow were able to get along before Kaze got a divorce. They were in the same boat, and misery loved company. However, Kaze was single now. Buffy and Snow realized that they were rivals now. Sparks flew as they exchanged glances. Buffy said with a smile, “Ms. Frost, weren’t you an assistant to Kaze? Your jo
Even when Draig got his ass handed to him multiple times, Draig refused to believe that Kaze was stronger than him. It had become an obsession of his. Once again, Kaze gave him another blow. Kaze was lost for words. Snow usually would not care about his attire. Even if Kaze wore his briefs to work, Snow would know where she stood as an assistant and kept her thoughts to herself. Yet now, she was going at it with Buffy. Caught between two women, Kaze felt the strain. He said helplessly, “That’s enough.” Buffy and Snow exchanged glances without another word. The crowd was filled with emotions. Some of the men were impressed with Kaze. It was not uncommon to spot moochers. However, Kaze was on another level. If these men were not so concerned about their reputations, they would bombard Kaze for tips about living off women. “What’s the point of putting on a show, Kaze?” While the crowd was envious of Kaze, an angry voice belonging to a woman echoed. The cr
Kaze frowned. “We can talk somewhere private.” Usually, Darcy was not the type to have an outburst in public. Darcy was not as composed as she made herself out to be when it came to the divorce. “Why should we talk in private? Can’t you admit to what you’re doing?” Reading Kaze’s intention wrong, Darcy said furiously, “You must have been waiting for this day for so long. Now that we’re divorced, you can screw around with other women without fear of letting me know.” Buffy and Snow grimaced. Sure, they had feelings for Kaze. Unlike Snow, Buffy had only met Darcy a handful of times. Buffy said curtly, “Ms. Quint, don’t push it. “I’ll be honest. I fancy Kaze. I had feelings for him before you were divorced. “I can only dream about marrying a responsible and competent man like him. “But Kaze and I have always hung out as friends before your divorce. We have never crossed any boundaries. “I had my moments of weakness, but even then, I would never stoop to stealing anot
Buffy was surprised that Snow was not backing down either. She had no advantage over this rival. Buffy and Snow stood by Kaze and professed their love openly at the risk of ruining their names. Darcy was overcome with a mix of emotions. She was angry, indignant, and jealous. Kaze was still her ex at the end of the day. These two women were eager to steal Kaze away in less than 24 hours after the divorce. Darcy felt disrespected. “Kaze, you expect me to believe that nothing happened?” Darcy snapped an angry look at Kaze. “If you didn’t do anything, why would they fall for you? Did they fall in love with you out of the blue? “I trusted you. I thought you were a dependable man. I thought you would never betray me.“I guess I was wrong.” Livid, Darcy lashed out. Her emotions got the best of her. The guests widened their eyes, intrigued by the drama. To think Hannah’s celebration would turn into a soap opera. The man standing next to Darcy spoke up, “Don’t be ma
Many had not met Hunter before. Perhaps they only knew him by reputation. However, Casius, Jet, and South were pretty well known among the Riverbank Seven. Their fame extended far beyond Riverbank and the South River State, reaching the neighboring states. Hunter, who commanded the respect of these brilliant young men, was certainly no Average Joe. The guests from out of state stared at Hunter with intrigue. Some even looked cautious. Kaze raised a brow. It explained why Hunter expressed his intention to Darcy so openly. The mysterious one out of the Riverbank Seven had the right stuff. If Kaze remembered correctly, he had crossed paths with the man before. They once had a showdown, just not in person. Kaze came out on top of the fight. Madam Hacks of the Hackses, one of the top four families in Geranium City, sought Hunter’s help to put the squeeze on Kaze. Hunter did not show up. All he did was give Madam Hacks a writing to present to Kaze. The incident was
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