Sophie was no one and she could not possibly threaten Megan and the other executives. Megan and the other executives focused their firepower on Kaze after they got rid of Sophie. “Kaze Lee, you piece of useless garbage! Listen up! If you dare to set foot in our company, I’ll ask security to throw you out!” “If you get an arm or a leg broken in the process, don’t blame me.” Even the security chief, Carlos, who barely had any power in the company, joined the rest in threatening Kaze. Insulting Kaze and preventing him from entering the company was the main objective of Megan and the other executives. There were only so many executive positions in the company. If Kaze became the COO, he would hinder more than one person’s career. Kaze was quiet as Megan and the rest ganged up on him. They took his silence as their victory. “That’s what we have to say and you better take our words seriously. Or else, we are business elites who have multiple powerful resources and we have m
“Mom, stop it!” Darcy shouted to stop her mother from berating Kaze. “You stupid girl! I scolded him for your sake and you shouted at me? Look at how cowardly he is in the video! He’s nothing like a man!” Agnes yelled back with widened eyes. Darcy said, “Kaze had gotten himself in a lot of trouble because of me. If he fought back and hurt someone, like what happened to Liben Radar, you would scold him for causing trouble for our family. No matter what he does, you just have a reason to scold him!” She had an epiphany.Kaze did not fight or talk back because they were bullying him, not her. If she was the target, Kaze would have fought back. She did not see Kaze as a coward. He simply did not want to cause trouble for the family. Kaze’s tolerance of the bullies and her mother’s scolding made Darcy feel bad. “You! How dare you talk back to me!” Agnes was furious. “Mother, Darcy isn’t trying to blame you. I know you are scolding me for my own good. You just don’t want to
“She’s not married. What’s wrong with sleeping with a man? It's a private affair. The company can’t meddle with her personal life.” “But that guy is someone with a mental disability and spent a few years in a psych ward. He’s the son-in-law of the Quint family!” “No way. Sophie has that kind of fetish? She’s into a retard?” “Sophie is here! Shhh!” Sophie heard her colleagues talking about her when she entered the HR department. They zipped it when she arrived but continued to look at her strangely. Some looked at her coldly while some with contempt, but most of them gloated at her. Sophie felt anxious, surrounded by unfriendly looks that fueled her anger. She did not expect Megan to fabricate a story to slander her and Kaze. The fake story had already started to circulate in the office. Megan wanted to tarnish Sophie’s reputation even after she was fired. Sophie was fuming. Her lips were shaking as she tried to argue but she suppressed the urge. The more she exp
Winnie dressed up in branded clothes, giving her an entirely different image from when she was a full-time housewife. She smiled and said, “Of course. The chairman will be here soon.” “Oh!” The executives were delighted. They respected and were grateful for the mysterious chairman who brought them back to rebuild Shangrila Group. Surprised, Megan straightened her body. Compared to her current position, she preferred to be the chairman’s assistant, that was if she could get the chairman’s attention. It was the fastest way to rise in the ranks. She glanced at all the other executives and no one was as young and beautiful as she was, so she believed she would stand out. More than a hundred pairs of eager eyes were glued to the door behind Winnie. The chairman’s office was an independent space and it was connected directly to the meeting room via a personal passage. The chairman would surely enter from that door. Creek! Under everyone’s anticipated gaze, the door
Winnie’s words and actions shocked everyone in the meeting room like a bolt of lightning. Everyone in the meeting room was petrified. “W-What? This retard is the chairman?!” “The chairman’s name is Jesse White!” Megan, Gino, and the other executives who attended the birthday event last night were shocked and aggrieved. They did not hold back in humiliating Kaze last night. If Kaze was the real Jesse White, then none of them could escape the responsibility. “Jesse White is just an alias the chairman uses. He used another identity as a cover to avoid those who hurt James and Shangrila Group so that he could announce the return of the company with a bang,” Winnie explained. Winne’s explanation crushed everyone’s hope. “No!” Megan’s mind went blank. Her delicate face turned pale as paper. Gino got so agitated and worked up that his face turned a deep shade of crimson. The pressure overwhelmed him. He felt a rushing stream and a salty taste in his throat. Splat! Bl
Following Kaze’s announcement, Megan and the others were devastated. “Argh! I just bought a Cayenne! How am I going to pay for it now that I lose my job?!” Cries and wails echoed across the meeting room. “Get them all out of here!” Kaze mercilessly fired Megan and the others. A few minutes later, more than twenty executives were thrown out of the office building with all the employees watching. They were thrown in front of the square where the stage was built for tomorrow’s renaming ceremony. This time, it was Megan and the executives’ turn to be looked at strangely. “No! I will accept this! We are the ones in charge of Shangrila Group!” Megan shouted in frustration. The others looked at her as if she was an idiot. They shared the same feeling but there was nothing they could do. Kaze was the chairman of Shangrila Group and they could do nothing to stop him from firing them. Megan said viciously, “Listen to me. Kaze Lee used the alias of Jesse White to trick us an
“What the fuck! You, get out of the truck!” “Get out!” Gino and the others disregarded their messy state and ran over to the two trucks that splashed water and putty powder on them. They shouted at the drivers and urged them to come down. The drivers came down from the trucks and were surrounded by a bunch of people in sticky putty powder. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Did Kaze Lee tell you to get back to us?!” Gino shouted. “What Kaze Lee? Who is that?” The drivers shrugged and giggled, looking frivolous. Their attitude made Gino and the others even more angry. “Hmph! Look at what you’ve done! How can you laugh?!” “These two must be faking it! It must be Kaze! Or else why would a truck carrying putty powder come here?” “I don’t care if it’s Kaze Lee or not! I’ll make him pay for what he has done! He must kneel and apologize!” Megan pointed at the two drivers and shouted, “We are business elites and you two are just stupid drivers! How dare you do this to us!
“First of all, Sophie will be the chairman’s assistant, taking over Megan's duties in the HR department.” Kaze’s words sparked a debate among the executives. Sophie might be a long-time employee of Shangrila Group but she used to be a team leader in the HR department, yet she was promoted to chairman’s assistant. A nameless employee rose in the ranks and became the chairman’s assistant. It was a huge leap in her career! With her new position, it was not surprising that she could also be the new HR director. The chairman’s assistant was considered a high-ranking position in the company, so it was normal for her to also take up the HR director’s position. Kaze admired Sophie’s righteous and strong personality, but since she was still young, making her COO or CFO of the company might spoil her. All the other executives shot a jealous gaze at Sophie but no one dared to question the chairman’s order. It was all because of Megan and the others. Kaze fired all of them in the
Dwight approached with a smile. He looked at Edmund earnestly. “I am Dwight McCorney. I have heard good things about you. I finally got to meet the man of the hour. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Witterson.” Dwight was starstruck. Edmund was embarrassed by Dwight’s behavior. He could not believe that Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. Nevertheless, Dwight seemed genuine in expressing his thrill. Edmund became curious about him. He turned around to look at Kaze, who was the polar opposite of Dwight. Kaze stood there, holding his ground. He stood up to greet Edmund and nothing else. He appeared to be refined, unlike Dwight, who was brash. Dwight had no idea that his behavior had upset Edmund. Edmund looked at Dwight in disdain. However, Dwight was a member of the Viper’s Den. It was best for Edmund to keep his comments to himself. Without a word, Edmund stared at the pair. Ryan stepped in to smooth things over. “What are you doing? We have a guest here.
Since Kaze would not change these people’s minds, he was better off doing what he wanted to do. “This vase must be valuable. I got to give it to Mr. Witterson. A display in the living room is worth so much.” Dwight had never seen so much luxury in one room. He had been to the museum, but the displays were nothing like he had ever seen before. The rich had the means to splurge. “Do you think this is pure gold?” Dwight turned to a gold statue. The design was to die for. The purity of color made it hard to doubt its authenticity. “I’m not too sure, but I guess most of the ornaments here are real.”Kaze watched as Dwight gasped in awe. Nevertheless, his behavior would clear any suspicion on Kaze. It could be a good thing. “I knew Mr. Witterson was rich. His businesses are doing well. “But I didn’t expect this sort of lifestyle. The gold must be worth a million dollars. “If I were this wealthy, I would not spend it on decoration.” Dwight rambled on, his eyes stuck t
“I’m not familiar with the area. We’ll have to look around,” Dwight said behind the wheel. He looked for restaurants while driving. It was early, and many restaurants were not open for business. They circled the block and finally uncovered a small breakfast bar. They ordered some food, filled their bellies, and got back into the car. “Mr. Witterson said that he wouldn’t meet you. Why does he want to see you now?” Dwight was curious. Something must have happened last night. Otherwise, Edmund would not suddenly grant an audience to Kaze. “I don’t know. I had some drinks last night, and now he probably made time.” Kaze felt better after breakfast. He did not think much of the situation. Things would carry on as planned regardless of what the Wittersons or the Siegfrieds had to say.This was exactly what Kaze hoped for. Dwight remained in the dark. He drove to the city’s most exclusive area for the rich. It was all greenery in this part of town. The road was wider, an
After a brief hesitation, Kaze followed Rosie. The room turned out to be Rosie’s. Though not a big room, it was crammed with all kinds of junk. The place looked cluttered. Rosie approached the vanity table and grabbed the comb to comb her hair. She turned to look at Kaze. “You said a lot of stuff last night. Do you remember any of it?” Rosie spoke like they had been friends for years. It was just small talk. “What did I say? I don’t really remember. You made a lovely drink, but man, it really kicked in.” Kaze put a cigarette to his lips, but he did not light it. Instead, he spotted a chair to sit down on. “Well, it’s pointless to talk about it if you can’t remember.” Rosie was pleased to hear that. At least, Kaze had no idea that she had gotten him drunk. “Don’t leave me hanging.” Kaze looked peeved. “Are you off the clock?” Kaze asked. “Yes. I work odd hours. It’s time for me to sleep now.” Rosie stared at Kaze. “I shouldn’t keep you from resting.”
“Can you give me something for the pain?” Clemont had a low tolerance for pain. Standing on the stairway, Morris heard his voice and sighed. Clemont could do no good in his eyes. “Keep an eye on him. He’s not allowed to leave the house for the time being.” Morris believed the incident was more than meets the eye. Yet, Clemont was tricked into going to Absolute Zero and starting shit. There was no telling whether the Wittersons or someone else was behind it. Morris let out a sigh and returned to the study. He sent the butler to the storage room to fetch a few valuable antiques. These items were collected years ago, and they cost a fortune. Morris’ intention was to be on good terms with the Wittersons. There was no need to be at war with them. He had to do it for the interest of the Viper’s Den and his family. Morris was all about looking at the bigger picture. Otherwise, he would not have put up with all the bullshit before. Edmund would not let him off the ho
“Are you trying to kill your son?” Clara intervened. “You’re ruining him by spoiling him. If you want things to continue as they were, you can kiss him goodbye forever,” Morris said. Clara was lost for words. She knew better, but she just could not stop herself. Clemont had her heart. Clara could not stand to see him hurt. She was distressed. However, she knew that Morris would not get over the matter without beating Clemont up. She had to step in. “Hit him!” Morris was too old to do anything laborious. However, the kid would not go anywhere in life without a good beating. Despite starting trouble, he sure was arrogant to admit that he was wrong. “I see the errors of my ways.” Clemont apologized in time to avoid the punishment. He managed to escape all repercussions by doing so. Plus, his mother would plead on his behalf. The whole thing would usually get brushed aside. Though it was more serious in this instance, Clemont still believed that Morris would not hur
Morris was in his study, wiping a plaque of commandments that was covered in dust. Due to his commitment to the Viper’s Den, he had neglected his family for years and left his son in his wife’s care. Morris regretted doing so. Unaware of the impending danger, Clemont enjoyed drinks with his friends. They were having fun, playing drinking games. Losing the game, Clemont downed a glass of liquor. Things could get far and exciting in a game. It was then that the door swung open. Clemont’s driver entered the room. “Young Master Siegfried, the master is waiting for you at home,” the driver said, noting the complexity of the situation. The only thing on his mind was to take Clemont away. Tipsy from the drinks, Clemont waved his arm. “Let him wait. What’s the rush to get home?” Clemont’s friends were shocked. Nothing scared Clemont like his father. However, Clemont toughened up for once. “Young Master Siegfried, why don’t you call it a night?” “Yeah. I’m sur
“What’s that supposed to mean? When have I ever made a mistake?” Morris heard nothing of that sort. It could only mean that his people had done nothing wrong. However, Edmund could not possibly get aggressive on the phone. Something must have happened, and he simply had no idea. Morris felt unsettled like something big was about to happen. “You seem to be lax when managing your people. You don’t seem to know what goes on around your house.“Is your age getting to you? Is that why you can’t handle most of the work? If you can’t get your own house in order, how will you ever manage the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Edmund called to say his piece. It was his way to make Morris step down. Though it was likely that Morris would resign, Edmund could at least make things unpleasant for him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Morris was completely in the dark, but Edmund must hold some secret to act so cocky. Despite his troubled feelings, Morris kept his cool and calmly aske
Since it was a rare opportunity, Edmund had to settle the score with them properly. He knew opportunities like this were hard to come by so he had to seize them well. “I understand. I will take care of the guest,” Rosie said. She was glad that her information was useful to her boss. After Edmund hung up the phone, Rosie then looked at the unconscious Kaze. “You are indeed more useful than I thought. Hardly anyone has ever managed to impress Edmund.” She did not feel sorry for Kaze, believing that everything happened as it was meant to. She knew that to climb higher, she had to please her superior. With the Wittersons on the rise, now was the perfect time for her to pledge her loyalty to Edmund. When the Wittersons truly took over the Westeros Branch, she would become one of the most powerful people in the city, second only to them. She was looking forward to that day. Since Kaze was fast asleep and no arrangements could be made, Rosie went out to call her men and