“There’s a banquet that I need you to attend. Get dressed. If you can’t do it alone, find a place to get yourself a good dress and makeup.” Katie did not mind her daughter’s frosty tone and did not bother to sugarcoat her words when talking. She simply told the girl what she needed of her. “Why must I listen to you?” Leah was unhappy that her mother was ordering her around, trying to use her like an object. “You should know that the card you are using belongs to me. It’s just a sub-card. If you don’t listen to me, I’ll cut it off. You will have to come back to me eventually.” Katie initially felt bad about slapping her daughter and intended to hold back, but she was forced to be harsh. If Leah refused to listen to her and could not be controlled, then it would challenge her position as the CEO of the company as well. Leah thought her mother called to talk peace, to console her, but it was just to give her an order. “Why are you doing this to me? You slapped me and you did
“If she’s still a child, that would be great. I still can take care of her like I used to, but she’s growing up faster than ever. If I still can’t find a family that could protect her, things would be bad.” Katie had her reasons for doing what she did, but most of the time, her intentions for her daughter were driven by ambition—to push her daughter higher than she could reach on her own, ensuring that she as a mother would benefit from her daughter’s union with another powerful family. Unfortunately, the daughter was gradually acting out of control. “You have to take it slow. She’s just a girl and like any other girl nowadays, they tend to have unreal fantasies about love. That’s why she doesn’t understand. When she does, she will understand what you have been doing for her.” Joey could not do anything but console her boss. Katie felt uncomfortable about pressuring her daughter but she had to do it. “Check the arrangement. Don’t let her embarrass herself. I think you shoul
Leah was forced to accept her fate, doing things she did not want to. “The people you are going to meet today will benefit you. I talked to you about the higher management of Viper’s Den but we still couldn’t get in touch with them now. So your mother is getting worried and she has decided to contact someone else.” Joey felt bad seeing Leah sad and dispirited, so she wanted to help her. “So?” Leah was not interested at all. To her, meeting whoever it was did not matter because none of them were people she liked. She had given up internally and refused to believe her mother anymore. She knew once she started to compromise, she would be forced to do it again and again until the end of her life. “Come on. I’ve booked a hairstylist to get you ready.” Joey initially did not want to be naggy because time was running out and she could not afford to delay the banquet, but Leah refused to listen and gave her the silent treatment. “This is really different. The person you are m
“But he helped me again. He is not a bad person, he’s also not a liar.” Leah was deeply bothered by people accusing Kaze. She refused to believe her mother, but she also had her doubts about Kaze. However, when Kaze appeared once more to help her, she chose to fully trust Kaze. “Even if he’s not a liar, he’s not the son-in-law your mother chooses, so stop fantasizing about it.” Joey knew her boss well enough, so she did not want the girl to remain oblivious and stubborn. “I just don’t like it. It felt wrong.” Leah wanted to use this chance to resist her mother but she knew it was not easy. “You should know that there are things you cannot change. Why don’t you just follow your mother’s orders and it’s better for everyone?” Joey felt sorry for the girl but she had her duty to carry out and could not afford to be sentimental. “It’s almost time. We have to go now and get you prepared,” she said. Leah remained reluctant but she knew her mother would cut her credit car
Leah grew up surrounded by luxury brands. Be it luxurious, tailored brands or the latest designs from famous designers, every new piece of clothing came with the question of whether she wanted it or not. After she made her selection, only the other young ladies could browse through whatever she had discarded. Leah could not live a normal life. She was slightly displeased but did not argue with Joey. Maybe she was clear that she could not live without the luxury that she grew up with. Joey looked at the quiet girl and thought she had returned to her obedient self. Even an obedient girl like Leah would sometimes be rebellious. Joey brought Leah to the car and soon reached a fashion house. The fashion house was a white building with a classic architectural style. The designers here specialized in styling wealthy young ladies, sometimes providing door-to-door services. Joey had booked a slot, so they did not have to wait for the designers and stylists. After Leah had
Leah was naturally beautiful and with meticulous makeup coupled with a beautiful dress, she looked stunning. “It’s getting late. We have to leave now. Your mother is already there and she’s expecting us soon,” Joey said. Leah had planned to make a fuss by changing into a different dress, showing her unwillingness to take the dinner seriously. However, after hearing Joey’s words, she realized she was out of time. “Don’t try to defy your mother anymore. It’s over now. Just let it be in the past,” Joey said, afraid that the girl would get into a fight with her mother again. “I’ll just zip my mouth,” Leah said. That was the only thing she could do now. Katie changed into something formal for the dinner as well. The person she and her daughter would be meeting was her ideal son-in-law candidate. She wanted Leah to meet him because she wanted her daughter to develop a relationship with the man. Ever since she slapped Leah, she had been feeling sorry and she wanted to use this
Katie was a woman and it was not easy for her to become the CEO of Northborn Group and a member of the Viper’s Den all at once. Jet invited her to dinner because he wanted her to find out who was behind the malicious attacks on his projects. Leah knew her mother had brought her to this dinner for matchmaking, but the moment she saw Jet, she felt less than satisfied. Before she met Kaze, she might have been interested in Jet. Jet was a well-known figure in Butterworth and his presence could easily attract young ladies. He was a tall and handsome man; a gentleman who exuded elegance, an ideal man who could capture any young lady’s heart. In addition to his family background and his position as heir, he became the ideal candidate for husband and son-in-law to many. Leah used to fantasize about him but she had a boyfriend back then and did not want to cheat. However, when she saw Jet in person, she did not feel anything, not even the slightest excitement. Looking at Jet,
“I’m okay with anything. Thank you,” Leah said. “I’ve spoiled my daughter. Please don’t mind her,” Katie said, trying to ease the tension. The three of them entered the VIP room with dishes already served on the table. Jet came early to prepare for the dinner. “It seems like you’ve been waiting for us for a while. I should have urged the girl to be quicker just now.” Katie was happy with Jet’s attentiveness. “I don’t have anything particular today, so it’s okay that I wait. Leah is really beautiful in her dress. It’s only normal for a girl to doll up and look great,” Jet answered. His tone sounded casual and it was his attitude that won Katie’s fondness. “You are really kind. I bet you are a great boyfriend,” Katie asked, hoping to find out more. “Madam Loren, I am solely focused on my career, I do not have a girlfriend,” Jet said as he got up and poured them water. “You are young and successful, how could you be alone and single? What a waste!” “A man should alwa
“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
“Worried about the mercenaries? I’ve taken all of them out and anyone with a sane mind would know by now not to come after me. Why would they make the same mistake again?” Kaze killed all the mercenaries. There was no one else the mastermind could send after him anymore. Even if there were, they would have to reconsider it after what had happened. Taking out the mercenaries in silence was a strong showcase of his strength. Once the mastermind found out, he or she would definitely stay away. Besides, Kaze had decided to continue his journey to Westeros without telling anyone. He could board a random flight to his destination, and no one would ever know. “Take me to the airport,” Kaze said to the driver. He and Snow were in the rear seat. “When you go back to Butterworth, don’t rush things. Now that Katie has made a mistake and is forced to step down, you can take over Northborn Group,” Kaze said. “Speaking of Katie, after I locked her up, her daughter, Leah, came to me
Miguel stated his strength so that Kaze and Snow would look at him differently. “That doesn’t mean we have to choose you.” Snow saw nothing stellar in him. Snow’s harsh words surprised Miguel and left him deeply displeased. Yet when he looked at Kaze, he dared not say a word. “I can work hard. Even if I am not qualified now, I can work toward that goal.” “Of course, you are not qualified now. You need to improve yourself to meet the basic requirements. Then we’ll talk about you joining us.” Snow just wanted to get this matter over and done with, so she handed Miguel her name card. “When you think you are qualified, you can give me a call.” Since she would eventually take over the largest force in Butterworth, she needed to build a team of her own—one she could truly trust. Miguel might just be an ordinary man who looked fierce but he was courageous and had the potential to be better. “Can I follow him instead?” Miguel took the name card and learned Snow’s name. He
“You did well,” Kaze praised Miguel. It was not easy for someone to fire a gun and take a life, even when he had basic training. Though without the proper technique and training, the shot was nothing stellar. “Really?” Miguel was thrilled by the praise. He might be tall and fit and have arms full of tattoos, but he had never gotten into a fight before. He was happy that someone he admired praised him. It made his day even more than escaping alive. Kaze wanted to continue but the cars had arrived. He walked forward and revealed himself in front of the headlights. The hostages were scared. They stepped back, some of them entered the hangar once more and tried to shut the door. Miguel stood in their way and stopped them from closing it up. “What are you doing? Kaze is still here and help has arrived. Stop hiding,” he said. He detested their selfish behavior. Kaze saved them but they did not even thank him. They even continued to suspect Kaze’s identity. Their be
“How dare those men hijack the plane and take Kaze. They must be punished…” Despite her grumbles, Snow grew anxious. “Given Mr. Lee’s capabilities, he won’t be hurt.” The agents around her tried to comfort her. They believed she was being too nervous. “I know, but we as subordinates have failed him by allowing this to happen. We have to do our best to make up for the mistake, and not rely on Mr. Lee to get out because he can.” Snow drowned in self-blame and regretted not being able to help. It was her negligence that allowed the hijacking to happen. “But there’s nothing you can do now. It’s late. Even the hijackers need to rest. They won’t do anything yet.” “It’s because the hijackers need to rest that we have to hurry and beat them to it. That’s the only way to solve this matter!” “But we’ve searched high and low and didn’t find anything. No one knows where they have gone. Even if they transported the passengers via buses, we didn’t see any tracks.” The agents discu
Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went over to Miguel and pressed his hands with the gun down so that it would not misfire. “Good job.” “Thanks.” Miguel curled his lips into a nervous smile. He frequently trained in the gym and mixed martial arts but had never encountered any real-life incident before, thus being inexperienced. Fortunately, his mentality was stronger than the others and allowed him to act accordingly. “I’ll be taking the gun. This is self-defense, you won’t be charged and you won’t need to take responsibility,” Kaze said. Miguel’s pale face looked relieved. “What should we do now? Are there more of them?” Miguel dared not let go of the gun, worried there might be more enemies. “I’ve counted the numbers and this guy here should be the last one.” He then took the gun from Miguel’s hands. “Really? Gosh! That was crazy! I was so terrified!” Miguel finally loosened up and let his instinct take over. His heart was pounding so fast that it
Manson came over and saw the mercenaries lying in their own puddle of blood. The gore shocked him and made him sick. He tried his best to hold back the urge to throw up as it would attract attention. “Don’t look if you can’t take it! Don’t make things worse!” “Yeah! Professor! Grow a pair of balls!” “I have never seen dead bodies like this before!” he explained with a flush of embarrassment on his face. “Can we go out now and run away?” The hostages were eager to leave as things had settled down outside. They thought the danger was over. A dead mercenary was inside the container with them and they were still horrified. Once the others found out about this, the hostages would be shot to death. “If you want to die, be my guest. The moment you step out, you’ll be shot!” Callahan said as he looked at the others scornfully. One of the hostages had already put his hand on the handle of the door and was ready to dash out, but he quickly pulled his hand back after listening