Joey did not expect her comment to upset Leah. Leah should not be throwing a tantrum on an important day like this. However, Leah’s mind was elsewhere, to begin with. She merely stayed at the hotel to increase her chances of running into Kaze. Luck was not on her side because Leah did not see Kaze again. Leah felt down, but she was reluctant to leave. Despite feeling annoyed about being pushed around today, Leah could only sit around and wait. Joey’s remark made Leah feel like she was a commodity. Her mood dropped to an all-time low. Leah kept to herself, not keen to carry on with this life. Her life bore no meaning. She was her mother’s mindless puppet. “Why the sudden frown? Not everybody gets to wear such a beautiful gown,” flustered, Joey consoled her. She could not understand Leah’s change of mood. “I’m fine. I just feel uneasy about joining everybody at the event hall.” Leah knew she should not be headstrong, but the words just came out of her mouth. T
Leah was glowing in her princess outfit today. “Thank you, Joey. You’ve worked hard for my birthday party.”Leah was thankful to hear her friends’ well wishes from Joey. “I didn’t do much. Madam Loren is the one doing the heavy lifting.” Joey put in the good word for Katie.“My mother only barks orders. She won’t do things herself,” standing in the elevator, Leah murmured. For that reason, Leah did not have much expectation for her mother. Leah would celebrate her birthday with an intimate party at the villa every year. This year was special and more elaborate. Leah enjoyed putting a look together, but she was no commodity. Most of the attendees were Katie’s business partners or bootlickers. Leah felt like a product up for sale, and she did not even have a say about it. The choice was in the customers’ hands. “Don’t say that. Madam Loren had been keeping an eye on the event planning. Though she wasn’t here, she determined every detail, including the flowers.” Al
“You’re finally growing up.” Katie was pleased. “Thank you for your guidance, Mom. You need to get one thing straight, though. Don’t force me to do the things that I don’t want to do,” Leah whispered. Marriage was not the path she chose. “Today is just about formalities. You won’t have to commit to anything. We can talk about this later. If you see someone you fancy, you can talk to me.” Katie would not pick a fight with her daughter on an important day like this. She gave Leah some space. At the very least, Katie would not upset Leah right now. Though Leah did not get the answer she was looking for, Katie had backed down a little. Hence, Leah said nothing. As the pair smiled politely from across the room, the crowd grew envious of them. “Even though Katie is a grown adult, she looks young and beautiful for her age.” Jonathan’s breath was taken away. It was no secret that Leah was beautiful, but the mother-and-daughter duo held their own when standing together. Le
Jonathan, a glass of wine in hand, approached Katie with his son. “Young Kody is a fine man himself,” Katie said courteously. “Oh, he’s the bane of my life. I think daughters are the best,” Jonathan said gleefully, his eyes running down Leah. Leah was stunning when she was put together. Her poise reflected her upbringing in a well-bred family. She would make a perfect daughter-in-law for Jonathan. Jonathan had always wanted to be a family with Katie, but the latter was against it. “The kids are still young. They will understand our pain when they grow up. My girl still has her moments too.” Katie got the hint. However, she refused to engage with Jonathan. “They are around the same age. My son just got back from abroad. He could use some showing around. If Leah isn’t too busy, she can take my son around the city.” Jonathan took his chances. “That’s up to Leah. I won’t stop her if she’s available.” Katie was not saying no or yes. “The young people have their own t
Kody had been kicking back, hanging out with friends since his return. Even though he did not get a job, he was up-to-date with the latest gossip.Jonathan glanced at Katie, who enjoyed the attention, in confusion. It was the last thing he expected. He was friendly with Katie, assuming that she wanted to marry her daughter off to one of them. It appeared now that Katie did not hold them in high regard. “What’s the point of you? If you were a great catch, you would be picked for her daughter. Don’t you know that Katie is connected to the Viper’s Den?” Jonathan whined. However, he understood that it was not that easy to get close to Katie. “What does this have to do with me? Leah’s not for me anyway. I’m taking myself elsewhere.” Kody walked away. He was not interested in marrying Leah anyway. He would not be at the party if his father had not dragged him along. Nevertheless, his friends were there. Most of them would love to approach Leah. Leah was the birthday girl,
Jet could feel the attention when he showed up. He would not shy away from the gazes, though. This was what he wanted. However, Jet did not fancy Leah. All he cared about was Katie’s connections. They had not been in touch since their last encounter. Jet had been waiting to hear from Katie. To Jet’s surprise, he heard nothing back. Instead of pushing Katie, Jet sat tight. Jet attended the party to ask about the progress and to make others think that he was pursuing Leah. One of the goals was to reach out to the veterans in the industry to see if they knew who Jet had offended. Surely, there was a motive behind the recent attacks. “What is Jet doing here? He looks good, all dressed up.” The ladies huddled together, drooling over Jet. Jet was the ideal man. He was tall, handsome, and well-connected. Most importantly, he would soon become the leader of the Frosts. The woman who married Jet would soar in social standing. For that reason, many heiresses and social
Yet, Jet’s grand entrance at the birthday bash showed where he truly stood. “Jet must be interested in you. He makes a huge gesture of it.” Katie believed Jet was the next-best thing for Leah since there were no other options. She would not be assertive, though. She would approve of the marriage if Jet could win Leah’s heart. It was not as if Jet was not good enough for Leah. Leah believed she could do better, and Jet simply did not give her butterflies. Jet was tall and handsome. He looked like a prince, holding a bouquet of flowers. Leah should be swept off her feet. However, another person came to mind as Jet approached. If only Kaze were there. Leah would be happy to see him again. Her eyes were on Jet, but she wished Kaze would show up and give his blessings to her. Jet drew close to Leah and presented the flowers as the crowd looked on. “Happy birthday, Leah!” “Thank you.” Leah took the bouquet and smiled thankfully at Jet. “You’re too kind. You don’t ha
“Jet and Katie look close. I hear wedding bells.” “Katie threw this party to pick a guy for Leah. I didn’t think it’d happen so quickly.” “I know, right? This is quick, but I guess that means we don’t stand a chance,” the crowd gossiped in amazement. Jet appeared interested in taking Leah’s hand in marriage. Everybody at the party had their own agendas. Finding their goals unattainable, they were disappointed. Still, most of them loved the drama. The event hall bustled with excitement as the guests discussed the unfolding incident. Leah was the star of the show. She engaged with some guests amid the compliments. Jet was thoughtful to stay by Leah’s side. He would hand her a drink and even answer questions for her. Approving the relationship, Katie allowed Jet to take care of her daughter. The lights flickered, and the beautiful music captured everybody’s attention. It was time to head to the dance floor. Katie was happy to leave Leah in Jet’s care. Jet, eager
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