“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
Leah got quite a scare from Perry’s violence. Not to mention, they were in public too. She was determined not to get back together with him. Leah closed her eyes to brace for the attack, but the assault never happened. When she opened her eyes, Kaze stood up and grabbed Perry’s hand. Kaze’s towering build blocked the light. Leah looked up and saw Kaze’s strong jawline and wisps of hair over his forehead. She stared at his nose. Fear left Leah. She stared blankly at Kaze, finding him more dashing than ever. “Let me go. What are you trying to do?” Enraged, Perry tried to withdraw his arm. However, he could not pull back from Kaze. Kaze got him in a tight arm lock. The disparity in strength between them put Perry off. “What are you trying to do?” Perry said menacingly. He looked Kaze in the eye. “I’m not trying to do anything, but I can’t let you pick on a lady.” Kaze only helped because he could not turn a blind eye. To be honest, he could care less about
“Let me go! Let me go now! You’re breaking my arm!” Tasting fear, Perry begged for mercy while backing away. He wanted to get away from the lunatic. “Leave right now, and we won’t do anything to you. You’re pushing it by staying here.” The moment Kaze released his grip, Perry fell back on his bottom. Instead of feeling pain, he was relieved to be alive. “Don’t let me see you again.” Kaze warned callously. “What’s your name? I’ll make you pay for today.” Perry held his injured arm and rose to his feet. He looked at Kaze warily and had a lot to say. “I’m Kaze Lee. My door is always open to you.” Kaze faced Perry’s defiance without fear. His trip to Butterworth was getting interesting. “Just you wait, boy. You will pay for ruining things for me.” Perry was embarrassed enough as it was. He acted tough and took a long, hard look at Leah before walking out of the business-class carriage. Leah felt at ease, seeing that Perry met his match for the first time. “Thank y
“I can help you with tracking a person down,” Leah uttered to state her position. “I’ll contact you if I need help.” Kaze did not want unnecessary trouble. However, it was not very nice to reject her offer, especially when Leah was only trying to help. “Okay. We’re friends now. Just holler for anything at all. If Perry won’t get off your back, just come to me,” Leah said. “I’ll think about it when that happens.” Kaze did not need the favor. The carriage was quiet enough for him to rest. However, Leah took the seat next to him and would not stop yapping. “You have no idea. I didn’t want to date him, but he wouldn’t leave me alone, so I thought why not?” It started because she agreed to be Perry’s girlfriend. “It was your choice. Let this be a lesson to you then.” Kaze was confused about whether to offer her solace. He did not have the words for her. He was not good at interacting with girls. “Just lend me your ear. I don’t need a response. I just need to vent.”
“I’m not lying. I’m buying you dinner. Besides, my mother will be picking me up at the station. I’ll introduce you.” Leah was not too pleased with Kaze’s nonchalant attitude. She did not want him to think that she was lying. Instead of responding to her, Kaze quietly ate the food. It was a shame to let this food go to waste. Kaze was not keen on the taste. However, he was not the type to waste unless the food was rotten. The pair found themselves in a rather bizarre situation. Kaze kept eating. Leah narrated her sad love story. They were busy doing their own thing. Yet, they sat together in perfect harmony. Snow was worried about Kaze traveling alone. However, she would not be there for him. She got in touch with Alfonso, who was in Butterworth, and informed him of Kaze’s train details. Though Kaze traveled alone to Butterworth discreetly, he would still need someone to meet him on the other side. Alfonso found his visit abrupt. He just reported to Kaze that Jet
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