“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
When Kaze told Koga to recruit the veterans of the Garo Spec Ops Team to protect the Whites at Springvile District, there were many names on the list of veterans. However, Kaze only needed four to guard the mansion back then. Koga was thrilled to receive the order from Kaze because it would help a lot of veterans find a new path in life. Shangrila Group was a big company and the chairman was Kaze. The veterans would be handsomely paid and it would be better than working with other companies. Koga treated the veterans like his brothers. Now that Kaze had job arrangements for his brothers, Koga was more than just grateful. “Yes, sir! I will arrange for it right away!” Koga nodded happily. “It’s settled.” Kaze waved his phone at Winnie. One phone call and Kaze could get veterans from the Garo Spec Ops Team. Winnie was once again in awe of Kaze’s connection. The mysterious halo that he had on him grew stronger instead of dimmer after he revealed his identity to the compan
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