Kaze went to the chairman’s office to take a shower. He had spent the night in the office building. Darcy had called him, asking why he was not home. Kaze explained that he was busy with matters concerning Shangrila Group and would not be expected home that night. Darcy supported Kaze to stay and help out at the company, thinking it was about the previous press conference. “Key High Tech wants to take us to court.” Winnie recounted the earlier phone conversation furiously. Kaze smirked. He gave Albert a call right away. In less than half an hour, the representative of Key High Tech called back. “I’m sorry, Ms. Souffle. I will pay back the deposit. We are all businesses trying to survive in this climate. Why must you take things so far?” Winnie was shocked to hear the wails on the other end of the line. “What happened? I didn’t do anything.” Baffled, Winnie had no idea what was going on. “Don’t be silly, Ms. Souffle. I just talked about suing you, and the n
“Are you deaf? I called him babe.” Rei glared at Kaze before turning to Ryan. She lashed out, “You’re a loser, Ryan. Why do you need your figurehead chairman to speak on your behalf? “I should let you know that he’s my babe, and we get along like a married couple. “Am I right, babe?” She turned around and looked at Zach coyly. “You’re right, my wife.” Zach chuckled. “Oh, boy, do we get along in bed. Rei and I were in the hotel last night, doing things you couldn’t and hadn’t done with her. Tsk, imagine the pleasure.” Ryan clenched his fists, tempted to take Zach’s eyeballs out. Still, he kept it together. He knew that Zach was manipulative. For all he knew, Zach could be trying to get a rise out of him. Ryan could only be giving Zach something against him if he turned to violence. “Did you spend the night at a hotel together?” Kaze said curtly, “Rei, you are still married to Ryan.” “What? Are you trying to stick up for your good-for-nothing employee, Mr. Cha
A few burly men tagged along behind Frank. They looked scary and savage. They were the Goldings’ security detail. “Just give it to him, Mr. Golding. Ryan will never learn until you get rough with him.” Frank’s presence gave Zach confidence. Zach pointed at Kaze and uttered resentfully, “That Jesse White, the chairman of Shangrila Group. He can fight. Aster and I can’t beat him even though we are trained in boxing.” He was wary of Kaze. Hence, Zach requested Frank to bring along his family bodyguards. Otherwise, Zach could have just hired a few thugs to rattle Ryan. “So, he’s Jesse?” Frank was stunned when his eyes met Kaze’s. He grinned with intrigue and laughed out loud. In the end, he was in stitches. “Haha! That’s the dimwit son-in-law of the Quints.” Once Frank enjoyed a hearty chuckle, he fixated on Kaze and sneered. “So, you’re Jesse White who never shows his face?” “What? He’s the dimwit man who took the Quint family name?” Zach’s and Rei’s jaws droppe
“It’s too late to change your mind now, Ryan. No one can save you now that you got on Mr. Golding’s nerves,” Rei said gloatingly. Ryan uttered angrily, “I don’t believe I have ever done anything to you during our marriage, Rei. Why do you hate me?” “You did not give me a life of luxury because you refused to give up the patents to the top three families, and that’s the worst thing you could ever do to me,” Rei shouted in rage. Ryan clenched his jaw without a word. There went his last hope to ever rekindle their relationship. “Do you regret it now, Mr. White?” Not forgetting the slap yesterday, Zach looked at Kaze and mocked. “Kneel before me and slap yourself a hundred times. I might just plead with Mr. Golding to make it less miserable for you.” Kaze gave him a sympathetic look. Without a peep, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “You can make the arrest now.” Kaze then ended the call. “Why are you still keeping up with the act, loser? I hope you don’t think
“Charged for wrecking the marriage of a serviceman? Who?” Zach and Rei were dumbfounded. They could accept fault for having an extramarital affair and illegal cohabitation. They would not be charged for such behavior anyway. However, breaking the sacred vow of marriage with an active-duty military personnel was a crime. Zach soon realized what was going on. He cocked his head and gave Ryan an angry look. “Bastard, you created a fake identity to pin a crime on us!“I bet Kaze, the imposter, taught you that.” The first thing that came to mind was that Kaze guided Ryan to fabricate a military identity. Rei cried out loud, “Officer, Ryan is not in the military. He must have lied to you.” “We have verified that Mr. Waker is one of us,” the superior of the military squad uttered indifferently. “No way. Ryan broke his leg two years ago. The loser couldn’t possibly serve in the army. He must have created a fake military persona. Please review your database again,” Rei shouted
Kaze could not possibly forgive the things Zach, Aster, and the others had done on James’ behalf. Zach’s group, Frank, and the top three families would receive their deserving punishment tomorrow. Amid Rei’s wails, she and Zach were taken away. “You might win this time, but this is not over, Kaze.” Frank glared at Kaze before walking away. He was frustrated. Not only did Frank fail to acquire the technology from Ryan, but Kaze managed to get away scot-free too. There was one more thing Frank was alarmed about. Kaze was just a scamming loser. How was he able to give Ryan a military rank in the army in a matter of one night? Frank could not wrap his head around it. Now that he thought about it, Kaze had demonstrated strong ties to the military during the few times the top three families were in conflict with Jesse White. Frank was shocked. “Hold it right there. Did I say you can leave?” Kaze’s icy voice was heard when Frank turned around to leave. Frank turned b
“Argh!” Frank screamed in agony. Moments later, Frank passed out from the pain. “I break your legs to return the favor of what you did to Ryan. I’ll make you pay for James’ death tomorrow.” Kaze glanced at the stunned bodyguards. “Send him back to his family and tell the top three families that they have one day left.” The hired guns carried Frank away without a word. Don saluted Kaze before leaving with his men. The café became empty with Kaze and Ryan still standing. Ryan turned around and nodded at Kaze sincerely. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Mr. White can finally rest in peace.” He finally believed that Kaze had the ability to punish the top three families and clear James’ name. That was not the only thing. Ryan was given the chance to get even with the cheating couple. When they returned upstairs, Winnie broke out in tears of joy upon learning the whole story from Ryan. Winnie was pleased to hear that karma hit Frank, and he was now crippled. It
“We have testament from the bodyguards that Ryan became a senior researcher at the defense technology laboratory, so it must be true.“Jesse’s connections to the military run deeper than we thought.“He seems to have access to the laboratory functioning directly under Lilyrose Strategic Department.” The three family heads expressed their horror. They regretted their actions more than ever. The family heads knew a long time ago that Jesse had influence in the military. Had they known, they would not have given instructions to Lilyrose Logistics to steal the equipment. With Howard arrested, the top three families’ businesses in freight and shipping would experience a major shakeout. They would suffer massive losses and have reduced control over the city. “It’s too late to turn back time. It’s not like Jesse will go easy on us if we choose not to go against Shangrila Group,” Belarus remarked. The other two nodded in agreement. Jesse re-established Shangrila Group to get
Dwight gave some suggestions. “But I’m worried about being a nuisance to your family.” Kaze remained hesitant, torn between decisions. “No, you won’t. I usually live alone. They stay somewhere else. They barely visit. I’ll just let them know not to visit for now,” Dwight replied. Dwight figured out what was in it for him. He could not let Kaze leave. “I don’t want to put your family in an awkward position.”Kaze was still considering the matter. “Relax. They don’t live with me anyway. The room I have for you is tidy. No one has stayed there before.“I’ll hire some help to freshen up the place. I can guarantee you an experience no less than at the hotel.” Dwight spoke with great confidence. “We should finish our food and doggie-bag the rest. I’ll take you to my place.” Dwight was ready to get things going. Kaze took the offer and nodded. “I’ll be in your care then.” Kaze was glad that his plan went through. Dwight had no idea that he got played. Nevertheless,
“I’m new to the place, so I don’t know much. Can you show me around when you’re available?” “No problem, but I usually have some stuff to take care of. I can’t be there 24/7. “Why don’t you propose to the branch that you want me to be your guide and attendant?” Dwight suggested. There was no telling whether Kaze would accept his proposal, but it was an opportunity to prove himself. He was never involved in the core operation. Often enough, he was the branch members’ punching bag. Though Dwight was aware that he was not good enough for the big stuff, he still wanted to succeed. Kaze was the trusted aide of the Butterworth Branch chief. He was in Westeros for a reason. By joining Kaze, Dwight would come across the major players. Kaze saw through Dwight’s plans. “Sure. I’ll do that.” Kaze did not mind the request. “Great. I’ll let them know on your behalf. I’ll be responsible for your needs while in the city.” Dwight was overjoyed at the opportunity. “So you live
“You must be rich. I often see rich people picking tabs for everybody. Talk about extravagance.” The tension in the air was lifted when Kaze offered to pay for everything. “I’m not. Consider it an apology,” Kaze explained, not wanting to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. He did not see the point of continuing the conversation. Dwight’s angry screams came from outside. “What the hell is this? I only ordered a bunch of stuff. Why am I being charged an exorbitant amount?“What do you mean my friend is paying for everybody? That’s throwing money away,” Dwight said while storming his way over. “I know you have money, but you shouldn’t do this, Mr. Lee.” Dwight did not approve of this type of generosity. “You rubbed them the wrong way. It was only right to apologize. Besides, it’s not a lot of money.” Kaze looked at the bill and handed a bank card to Dwight. “It’s my treat.” The consumption was barely a dent in Kaze’s savings. The meal did not cost more than his us
Kaze observed as the jeep took off further off course, past the towering buildings to a run-down neighborhood. “This is where I usually reside. My home is not too far away, but I think you might have trouble adapting to this place.” Dwight did not forget to book Kaze a hotel. Kaze could not possibly stay with him. The hotel was around the area anyway. “Didn’t you say that you haven’t tried the local cuisine? I’ll take you out for a bite. “The barbecue ribs here are to die for. We’ve got the dry-rubbed and saucy kind.” Dwight parked the car and hopped out right away. Opposite the parking lot was not the cleanest food joint. Looking in from the outside, Kaze realized that the place was packed. Kaze understood that the restaurant must be known for some kind of dish. The customers were from all walks of life, so the food must be great. “There’s not much to see here, but the food is tasty. If you don’t mind, we can order something inside.” Kaze was not particularly con
Dwight was surprised and curious as to who Kaze really was. From what he gathered, Kaze was a confidante of the Butterworth Branch chief. The purpose of Kaze’s visit was to learn and share. Dwight worked on the fringes, so his access to information was limited. Nevertheless, he got the feeling that Kaze was just an ordinary guy just like him. The only difference was that Kaze was lucky to rub shoulders with important people. Dwight did not get chances like that. “Who are the most influential people in the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Kaze asked in the car. Dwight was taken aback by the question. Still, he had an answer to that. “So you don’t know much about the situation?” Dwight suddenly felt important. “Well, I’m new to the city. I will be running into them soon, so I need to make sure I get my facts right,” Kaze said humbly. This was Dwight’s shot, and he needed to present his best. “Relax, Kaze. I’ll tell you everything I know.” Dwight would reveal some info
Kaze glanced at the flowers. There was a card for well-wishes too.Curious, Kaze reached out to read the card. It was written, “To my eternal lover and sweetheart.” Dwight grabbed Kaze’s bag. Since the sign in his hand was getting in the way, Dwight tossed the placard in the trash can. As Dwight turned his head back, he saw Kaze reading the card that came with the flowers. He tried to stop Kaze, but it was too late. Dwight had not attended to a guest of high importance before. The task was assigned to him at the last minute. In the past, Dwight was usually on the sidelines, never getting close to major matters. He would always get the small, insignificant jobs. Dwight often bought drinks for his superiors to build connections. However, he had always been kept out of the loop. Now that an opportunity had fallen onto his lap, Dwight was not about to let it slip. He wanted to show what he could do. When Dwight arrived at the airport for the pick-up, most people car
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