“Thank you, Mr. Lee.” Clark looked at the name on the business card and felt assured. Though he had never heard of Kaze before, the title on the card listed the chairman of Perfect World Group. His wife and kid would be safe if an influential man like Kaze offered his help. “I hope you can keep to your promise and owe me one. I would expect the return of the favor.” Kaze may not want the favor back, but a promise was a promise. “Rest assured, Mr. Lee. I will pay you back promptly. What I have, I’ll give to you.” Seeing hope, Clark was in better spirits. He looked at Kaze enthusiastically. “Give me a call if you need anything. You don’t have to call me when your problem is solved.” Kaze was in a rush to catch the train. With the issues in Riverbank straightened out, he should head to Butterworth. He wondered if Venom managed to make her escape. However, it was no easy feat to run away from Hades’ Hand. Kaze had too many important businesses to pay attention t
Clark explained everything to his wife as they got their child transferred out of Serenity 37.Erin did not understand why Kaze would help them. However, Erin could feel her husband’s determination to save the family at the cost of bankruptcy. She knew she married the right man. “We should thank Mr. Lee, but there’s no telling whether we will see him again.” Erin was grateful to her husband for putting the family first. She was also thankful for a stranger’s kindness. Most importantly, not everybody would do so much for a stranger. It was fifty million dollars. Not everybody could afford this kind of money. Kaze was a kind soul who trusted a stranger wholeheartedly and forked out so much money. Clark understood that he had been brash, but his family’s lives were at stake. “We can breathe easy now. You need to rest well. Once we are in better spirits, we can visit Mr. Lee with gifts. I stumbled upon his address. I will stroll around the area in the next few days.” C
Kaze was able to go back to his seat when the girl approached to snack on the tidbits. She must be hungry. While munching on food, the girl looked out the door as if waiting for someone. Killing time, Kaze checked out the small lounge. He did not comment on anything about the girl. The girl happened to cock her head back. Noticing that Kaze was staring, she made a mean face. “What are you looking at?” Leah Lyfe had a temper. She was heading home after a trip. Her trip was not supposed to end so quickly, but her plan was ruined by one person. She needed to make haste back to Butterworth, and Leah was not pleased. The fact that her mother would pick her up at the train station only to annoy her further. Her mother was the CEO of the Northborn Group. While she enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle, it was at the cost of her freedom. She was not keen on having anyone control her life, but her mother’s control issues left her without much room to breathe. Thanks to her beaut
Instead of responding to Leah, Kaze grabbed his luggage and walked away. Anxious, Leah dragged her suitcase right behind him. Kaze did not want to spend another minute with her, so he picked up the pace. He lost her during check-in. Just when Kaze was able to make his way down to the boarding area, a commotion stirred in the back. He looked back and saw the girl being stopped by a handsome man. The man in the suit, without any luggage, seemed to be in a rush. Minding his own business, Kaze headed straight to the boarding area. Once Kaze got to his seat, he was ready for a shut-eye. The trip to Butterworth would take several hours, so he could catch some sleep on the train. Kaze must have been exhausted because he quickly dozed off. He wore an eye mask in case the light caught his eyes. A nearby couple was pretty disruptive when Kaze was trying to get some rest. The quiet carriage only amped up the noise. The couple bickered without concern for others. More acc
“I might be able to put up with you if you didn’t cheat on me, but we’re way past that now.” Leah was firm on that note. There was no way Leah could look past the cheating. “She didn’t mean anything to me. You should know that given our social standing, we have plenty of women around. At least we don’t bring our mistresses home.” Perry believed he was gracious enough. Leah was not having it. Sure, Perry came from a rich family. However, Leah’s mother was the CEO of the Northborn Group. Leah also came from money. Though Perry belonged to the Butterworth Duncans, he had a huge family. Perry might not be competent enough to succeed the family business. Perry and Leah got along before. Drawn by Perry’s hot pursuit, Leah dated him. However, it did not take Perry long to look at other girls. Leah was not that into him anyway. She was quick to break things off with him. To her dismay, Perry tagged along on her trip and ruined her plans. Annoyed, Leah did not want to ha
Lovers, like flowers, needed care to flourish and grow. Incompatible couples would only wear each other out. It was plain to see that Perry and Leah were not a good fit. Kaze glanced at them before cocking his head to look out the window. Since he could not get some sleep, he might as well kill some time. Just as he turned his head, he met Leah’s gaze. “It’s you.” Kaze knew he was done for. He did not want to get in trouble, but trouble seemed to find him either way. Still, he had nothing to fear. “You were the guy in the waiting lounge. Can you do me a favor and kick this fella out?” Leah put Kaze in the spot. “Who is he? When did you meet?” Perry jolted to his feet and glared at Kaze. Well, Kaze was in for it now. While he did not mind the questioning, it made him uncomfortable. He did not want to be in the crossfire between the couple. Even if they had broken up, Kaze believed it was none of his business. He simply wanted a quiet trip to Butterworth.
“Be civil. Don’t cause a scene here.” Kaze did not intend to speak up at first. However, he was the only one who could handle the situation in the carriage. The others tried to minimize their presence to stay away from trouble. It was a different story for Kaze, though. He was not afraid of trouble. “I told you to mind your own business. This is between me and my girlfriend. Who the hell are you?” Perry took his anger out on Kaze. “Don’t try to put this on someone else, Perry. I’ll tell my mother if you hurt anyone. Let’s see what you have to say for yourself then.” Leah was worried. She did not want Kaze to get hurt for intervening. “What do you see in the guy anyway? Sure, he looks good, but he has nothing on me.” Perry whined while sizing Kaze up. Kaze was rather tall. His legs were long even in a seated position. His height and build did not stand out much. However, he looked like a model. He had a handsome face that could attract any woman to bankroll him.
Perry grimaced to have his dirty laundry aired. Still, he was the cheater, not the one being cheated on. “If this is the reason you won’t get back together with me, I can promise you to break things off with other women. We can get engaged and get married soon. I’ll transfer the family assets to you.” Perry tried to make it up to Leah with money. “My family is rich enough. I don’t need your money. I wasn’t with you for your money anyway. Please don’t insult me.” Leah was angry that Perry did not get her. In fact, he tried to control her with material things. “What will it take for you to forgive me?” Perry grew irritated as things got out of hand. It was just one night with a woman, but Leah would not let things go. Any woman would put up with his cheating. Not Leah, though. “I can’t forgive you. I will never forgive you.” Leah was firm not to put herself in that position. Even if Perry paid the price for his mistake, Leah would not forgive him. Perry thought that
“Kaze can pull the punches for sure. I mean, he has the Butterworth branch chief’s trust for a reason. “There has to be something for him to win the branch chief’s approval.” Edmund doubted there was depth to Kaze. After all, Edmund decided whether to take on a person based on their abilities. It made no sense to pay attention to losers, as he would hold them in contempt. Edmund had been impressed with Herman, who excelled in strategies and management. That was why Edmund bumped Herman up and made sure he stayed on top. “Got it.” Herman nodded and had one foot out the door. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. There’s one more thing.” Edmund pointed at the table. Herman approached and stood on bent knees. Pleased with Herman’s submission, Edmund passed him a wine glass. Herman took the drink humbly before looking carefully at Edmund, awaiting his orders. “The wine was just airlifted from abroad. I can vouch for the taste. If you’re looking to sip on the finest, yo
Time went by, and a towering man in a suit showed up outside the door. Picking up on the noise inside the room, he knocked on the door. It was hard to tell whether the person inside could hear the knocking, so the man waited outside. The door was opened, and a woman, her face flawless with makeup, popped her head out and saw him. She cocked her head back at Edmund. “You have a guest, Mr. Witterson.” “Let him in,” Edmund instructed. He then leaned in to take the drink from the girl next to him with his mouth. The other girls cheered him on. The group was lost in their fun. The man, who entered the room, stood by the sofa respectfully. He kept his head down, his gaze staying low at the bottles of alcohol spread across the table. It was a bit of a wait before the man approached at Edmund’s order. “Tell me about Dwight.”While listening to the girls’ singing, Edmund turned to Herman. Herman rushed over as soon as Edmund called. He won a lot of money at poker toda
In this particular circumstance, Morris had to play it safe so that things would not get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the mess. At least, he finally saw the Wittersons’ true colors. Morris’ friendly advice was met with disrespect and insult. However, the Wittersons were a force of nature, and Morris was not about to take them head-on. Despite his frustration, Morris had to walk away. Well, Edmund would soon face his downfall at the height of his power, and Morris would be there to enjoy the ride. Still, it did not sit well with Morris to have a young fella walk all over him. It had crossed his mind to keep the Wittersons in check, but there was only so much he could do. Morris had to be the one to back away as the Wittersons grew haughty. Morris believed there was more to Kaze’s visit to Westeros. Nothing major happened in Westeros recently. At least, there was nothing worth the other branch’s attention. However, a representative of the
Morris suggested entertaining Kaze well. Things would not be good for the branch if Kaze got dirt on them. That was where Edmund disagreed with Morris. His idea was to send someone to sound Kaze out. Edmund was smug because Morris’ decision was wrong. “You shouldn’t do that. Kaze is here on behalf of the Butterworth branch. You don’t want tension between both branches.” Morris looked at things from a wider perspective. Edmund believed Kaze was just a doormat of little importance. “You just overthink things, and it’s not good for your age. You’re getting senile.” Edmund did not take Morris’ advice seriously. He believed he was right. “You’re not getting it. Kaze is from Butterworth. Even if he doesn’t hold a high position there, we were in the wrong. We did not keep our tracks clean either. “Now that he’s back, I’m worried that he’ll cause us harm.” Morris was only giving a heads-up because the whole branch was at stake. Edmund was young. Due to his lack of judgmen
“We should be generous to our guest from Butterworth. You can arrange as you see fit. Please don’t house him in a messy home. Hire cleaners to tidy up the place. “You can report back to me if you need more money, but it’s not a reason for you to misuse the funds.” Herman wanted to hang up. The money was now in Dwight’s bank account, so he was washing his hands off the matter. The plan was to keep Kaze happy. He was just an insignificant member of the Butterworth branch anyway. The whole thing would blow over soon enough, so long as Kaze kept to himself without taking things too far. Herman would figure out a way to get him out quickly anyway. Maybe Herman and his friends did not have to do anything to get rid of Kaze. “Got it. I’ll be a good host, Herman. I won’t let you down. I’ll keep you in the loop.” Dwight was over the moon to get the notification about the money transfer. “Just play by ear and arrange what you see best.” Herman hung up and continued playing pok
“It’s becoming a hassle now. Are you going to inform the Viper’s Den about the change of accommodation?” After much hesitation, Kaze nodded to take up the offer. Dwight was thrilled. It only hit Dwight that he had to communicate with the Viper’s Den. Kaze was booked for a hotel stay, and Dwight’s job was to take him to the destination. Yet now, Dwight took him to his home. “I’ll tell my superior and see what he has to say.” Dwight was not sure whether the change was appropriate. Nevertheless, he did not want to pass up on a great opportunity. He simply grabbed the bull by the horn. If Kaze stayed at his place, the Viper’s Den members had to respect Kaze’s request even if they had a problem with it. “But when they ask, you can say that you’re getting along well with me. Living together just makes work more convenient.” Feeling unsettled, Dwight tried to get their stories straight with Kaze. Hopefully, the Viper’s Den would not come after them. “Aren’t we friends? I k
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