“I understand.” Arthur took notes of everything Kaze said and started to plan out the arrangements in his mind. He was more than happy to see Jet suffer a great loss. Jet had always been acting like a king in Butterworth. If they could pull him down from the throne, many would be glad to see it happen. A tyrant who sat high on the throne would never care about the peasants; the peasants did not like the tyrant as well. “Don’t rush it. We have a lot of time.” Kaze was in no hurry. He believed they could take more time to prepare. Acquiring the projects from Jet’s hand was considered a step in progress as well. He took a sip of his drink and then looked at Arthur. “You look tired. I bet you haven’t been sleeping lately. Why not go get some rest? Your dark circles are heavy.” Kaze did not want Arthur to neglect his health to help him, so he gave a piece of reminder. “It’s my honor to help you, Mr. Lee. Besides, I am getting a lot for myself lately.” Arthur’s income
Snow felt bad about Kaze going to Butterworth solely to help her, so she could not just stand idly by. She wanted to help when her presence was needed. “That won’t be necessary. There’s nothing you can do here.” Kaze believed things were progressing smoothly so Snow’s presence here was not needed. In fact, if Snow came back to Butterworth, Jet would surely be alarmed, which would lead to the exposure of Kaze’s plans. Snow was slightly disappointed. She really wanted to help Kaze. Kaze headed to Butterworth because of her. She already blamed herself for not being by his side. Now that she was rejected, she felt terrible. “Chairman Lee, if not because of me, you wouldn’t be in this mess,” she said with a hint of regret and sorrow. Snow stood by the window in a brightly lit room, enjoying a moment of peace, while Kaze was running around tirelessly for her and her family. “Your priority now is to take care of your mother. When your mother has fully recovered, you can bring
Every time Snow saw her mother getting better, a surge of happiness and gratitude toward Kaze filled her heart. “I thought you said you were going to help Mr. Lee? Go on, don’t waste any more time!” May was happy to see her daughter. She, too, was grateful for the young man who saved her. “Chairman Lee said I am not needed there, so I am staying here to spend time with you.” Snow did not have the heart to leave her mother. May’s body might be recovering but she still had difficulties walking alone. The poison must have damaged her body terribly. “What? This is our family matter, we can’t always trouble him,” May said, expressing her concerns. “Chairman Lee made it clear. I’ll just listen to what he says. He’s a straightforward person and he won’t keep anything from me.” Snow trusted Kaze unconditionally and was exceptionally grateful for his help. “He’s a good man. You have to repay him next time.” May was not clear about her daughter and Kaze’s relationship, so she
“I have to get going now. If there are any updates, I'll let you know.”Arthur glanced at his watch and realized he had taken a long enough break; he didn’t want to waste any more time. “Be careful.” Kaze always treated his men with kindness. As long as they performed their duties and maintained their roles, he did not care about their private lives. Arthur felt comfortable being around Kaze. He nodded and then left the room. When he stepped outside, he noticed the bar was quite empty, with only a few tables of customers drinking. As Arthur was in a hurry, he quickly strode to the entrance and did not pay any attention to the customers. Had he paid a little more attention, he would have seen Leah in the corner, but it would not matter as well. Leah had a few drinks and started to feel tipsy, a newfound feeling that she enjoyed. As time went by, more and more customers entered the bar. Leah took an entire seat for herself, which started to raise concerns among the c
With the intention of making a friend, Sadeeq went over with a glass of drink. “Hi. You’re alone?” he asked passionately. “Leave me alone,” Leah said with an obvious sense of rejection. “Come on. I just want to make some friends. I’m not from around here. I see you are alone as well, why don’t we have a chat?” Sadeeq was not deterred because of a single rejection. “I am not here to make friends. I just want to be alone.” Leah made it clear that she wanted to be alone. Any other gentleman would know that it was a clear sign for them to step away. Only a few would continue to be persistent. Sadeeq, however, was no gentleman, and he did not care about manners. “Don’t be so cold. You are here because you are alone and seeking a companion, am I right? Look at them, they are all couples; we are both single. Why don’t we have some fun together?” His choice of words revealed that he was not highly educated. Leah frowned and was displeased by his rudeness. “I don’t know wh
“Hey! You are the one embarrassing yourself, and it’s because of your fashion sense! It’s not because of me! And I told you I wanted to be alone and you should be on your way already!” Leah had never encountered such an ungentlemanly person before. She was always surrounded by cultured men, who sometimes needed only a gesture or a mere glance to understand and leave without causing any trouble. Her limited social circle consisted of elites and gentlemen, people with status and reputation, so rarely anyone had ever done something that would tarnish their own image. Sadeeq, however, was a deviant. She had hinted at him so many times and even made it clear, yet he did not get it. “You want to be alone? But other than this place, I can’t find anywhere else to sit. I can sit here and have my drink, can’t I?” He did not care what the girl said. He was accustomed to resolving matters by any means necessary. As long as he ultimately won or made a fortune, people would continue to
“I know what I am doing but buying you a drink is not considered something rash, is it? It’s not even against the law.” “But I don’t want it.” Leah refused to compromise. “Come on. Let’s just talk. I just want to know what your name is,” Sadeeq asked, his tone curious and his gaze perverted. He scrutinized every inch of the woman before his eyes, her alluring features captivated his attention and her scent could shake his soul. He had quite a number of girlfriends in the past and got his fair share with other women as well, but he had never encountered such a pure and innocent girl. Her eyes had an indescribable resistance and stubbornness but her movements were gentle and polite. She was a unique girl who could leave a strong impression on any man. “My name has nothing to do with you. Stop it or I will call for help!” Leah’s panic slowly grew into embarrassment. She had never encountered a situation like this before. The moment she found herself in trouble, a stron
The intense pain made Sadeeq forget to speak and he instinctively curled up. “She said she doesn’t want to sit with you, so why be a prick?” Kaze asked in his chilling and firm voice as he stared at Sadeeq coldly. “What does this have to do with you?” he said as he stared at Kaze. He did not expect someone to intervene in the matter. “She is my friend. You are disturbing her, and it has become my business,” Kaze said as he tightened his grip. “Ouch! S-Stop it! I’m sorry! I’ll leave! Come on!” Sadeeq was a coward. He lacked the strength to fight back and decided to concede. He looked at Kaze in fear as if he was looking at a monster. Kaze’s cold gaze sent chills down his spine, causing him to shudder. “A piece of advice—don’t do this anymore. Stay away from my friend or I will break your leg,” Kaze said. He did not want to cause a scene either. Since Sadeeq had not actually done anything, Kaze warned him verbally and let him go. From the moment Kaze appeared, Leah’
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