“I can take everything. Make whatever you feel like, but I have to say, you are good at what you do.” It had been days since Leah visited and she had been missing Master Fuller’s cooking. “Girl, you have the sweetest mouth; this one, on the other hand, is stingy with his praises.” Master Fuller glanced at Kaze. “Your cooking is good. You are an experienced chef after all and have been in the big league. If you can’t even serve the basics, then why are you running this place? “Oh, your courtyard is quite beautiful. I bet you spent a lot of time on it. But if you have the time to do that, why not spend more time honing your cooking skills?” Kaze said sarcastically. “Interior design is just my second hobby. You don’t need to be so sarcastic,” Master Fuller replied, but he did not really care what Kaze said. He was more than half a century old and not many things in the world could hurt him anymore. “Today is my birthday, so let’s enjoy it. Let’s not talk about unhappy stuf
“It’s okay. I have time.” Leah did not want to go back and knew what her mother would say to her, so she wanted to stay out for as long as possible. “Alright. Then I’ll get on with it.” Master Fuller then started to prepare the ingredients. His hands were moving non-stop. Kaze enjoyed his beer and appetizer quietly. The entire room was quiet except for the cooking noises. Leah watched Master Fuller cook. She enjoyed it as if she was watching a show with a charming performer. Master Fuller was just cooking but the girl was deeply captivated. When the dish was prepared and placed in front of her, she anticipated the taste even more, wondering if it was better than she had expected. “This looks great. I had never seen a dish being prepared in such a complicated way.” Leah watched from cleaning the ingredients to cutting it, blanching it, and then frying it. The process was so complicated that she could barely keep up. Due to that, she believed the dish would match he
“Silly girl, there’s no need for teary eyes. It’s just a cake. If you like it, I can bake for you and have them delivered to you every day,” Kaze said. He found it amusing that the girl was moved. “You don’t know, but it’s okay. Thank you.” Leah happily took the cake. Kaze put a candle on it and lit it. “Make a wish, Princess,” Kaze teased as he spoke, but he truly wanted the girl to be happy. “Thank you. I never thought I would spend my birthday here. There are no fancy stages and everything, but I like it.” Leah always preferred a simple and quiet birthday. Having dinner with her family and blowing out candles on a birthday cake were a luxury to her before this. To be honest, she did not want to spend too much time thinking about her birthday but what happened caught her off guard. “Make a wish,” Kaze added softly. Leah put her hands together, made a wish and blew the candle. She did not know if her wish would come true, so she did not want to say it out loud. “
Leah was grateful for Kaze bringing her to the restaurant to have a simple birthday celebration. It was something she had never experienced before. She liked the serenity and tranquility of such life. Yet no matter how much she enjoyed it, everything would come to an end. When she finished her meal, she would have to go back. She knew her mother would question her about what happened today once she reached home. “Let me send you back.” Kaze picked up his jacket as he offered to send Leah back. Leah nodded and followed him out. When they came out from the alley which was the entrance to the restaurant, they saw the black Maybach at the side of the road. Peter came down immediately and opened the door. Leah reluctantly went over, seemingly unwilling to go in. “What’s wrong? Is there something else?” Kaze asked warmly, wondering what happened to the girl. “Will I get punished and scolded if I go back just like this?” The girl was scared to go back due to the impuls
People who knew about the incident took it as a show, wondering what would happen to Perry. Later, they found out that Perry was admitted to the hospital the same day. One of his arms was broken. Most of the families in Butterworth had highly sophisticated intelligence networks, keeping them up to date on the latest happenings in the city. A few socialites—young ladies who had attended the party and witnessed everything firsthand—gathered for tea and discussed it. “Perry was destroyed by Katie Loren!” “I didn’t know what happened but when I left, Perry was like an asshole, shouting and being arrogant. He and his men thrashed the place. We got so afraid that we quickly ran.” Yelena was one of the girls who had attended the party. Her tone clearly carried a hint of gloating over what had happened. Leah had been the center of attention lately because of her birthday party. Almost every family in Butterworth was invited because Katie wanted to elevate her daughter's status,
The other girls were displeased but since the news was useful to them, they held back their tongue. “Pay more attention to the latest news. If you pick a man with a huge debt, you are basically marrying a poor man.” “Yeah. Molly is right.” “You guys are just gossiping. I think Leah’s incident is quite interesting. Someone must be helping her in the shadows.” “Just you guys wait. There’s more to come.” Molly chuckled mysteriously as she picked up her cup of coffee for a sip. The so-called gathering was a meeting for the young ladies to exchange information. Since the mansion's residential area was vast, even after being dropped off at the entrance, Leah still had to walk for an hour to reach her house. Kaze thought it was a few minutes’ walk but it turned out much longer than expected. Leah was not that stupid to walk home in heels. She sat down beside the security check and waited for her driver to pick her up. When the car arrived, she got in without saying anythin
“I told you before but you didn’t take me seriously.” Leah was exhausted by her mother’s negligence. No matter how much she tried to explain, her mother refused to listen to her. To her mother, she was nothing but an ignorant little girl. She did not see the need to explain herself anymore. “How dare you talk back? Was I wrong about what I said? Had you talked to him properly, how could the breakup be so bad? “Besides, it was Perry who made a mistake first. You can use it as a reason to break up with him. You failed to do it and it resulted in this mess. Now the entire Butterworth is laughing at us! I’m embarrassed in front of everyone!” She could not tolerate the embarrassment and the failure, thus her uncontrolled anger. If Leah was not her daughter, she would have kicked the girl out. Leah was deeply aggrieved but no longer wanted to speak. She stood quietly and listened to her mother’s scolding. Her dress already made her uncomfortable physically and after a ful
Leah was still too naive. She knew her mother but not thoroughly enough. Katie regretted not helping her daughter but it was already in the past and her self-blaming for not being a good mother would not help her future. Therefore, she habitually shifted the blame onto someone else. Perry was the one who caused it and it was all because her daughter did not handle her relationship properly. “Perry is hospitalized now. Let’s just put an end to this. We shouldn’t go to them; that’s just asking for more trouble. We’ll wait and see how the Duncan family reacts.” Katie knew she had the power to do certain things but once she did, it would affect her status. She really wanted to do her daughter justice but as the CEO of Northborn Group, there was too much at stake and she could not be driven by emotions. “I never expected you to avenge me,” Leah said coldly. She already expected her mother not to do anything, but when she heard it from her mother’s mouth, disappointment consume
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