Kaze did not want unnecessary trouble. Now that the group knew of his residence in Lilyrose, they might pop by for a visit. When his cover was nearly blown, the Quints could sell a seat for millions. The likelihood of the group approaching to befriend Kaze was high. Hence, Kaze put the word out there. “Don’t worry, Sir. Mum’s the word,” Loid said with a nod. Shocked, the other family heads swore up and down that they would breathe a word about him. Thump! Once Loid and his party were gone, Winston fell to his knees. He sprawled across the floor and crawled to Kaze on his knees. “I was wrong, Kaze. I should’ve known better. I was a snob. I deserved to be punished,” Winston wailed while slapping his own face. The loud commotion startled Winnie and the others. They came over to the office and caught sight of the unbelievable scene. Shangrila Group employees, Winnie included, widened their eyes. What was going on? A minute ago, Winston was cocky and vowed to crush
Out of the dozen young masters, Harry was most persistent in pursuing Yume. He was most earnest and eager to seek justice for Yume in Lilyrose. Knowing how Harry felt, Yume took Harry’s affection for granted. She never minced her words in Harry’s presence. Once the call connected, she grilled him gruesomely. Her group of suitors left Lilyrose without informing her. “I have a family emergency. I need to get home quickly, Yume.” Harry was in the car, on his way back to Takeno City. Yume was not having it. “What can be more important than standing up for me and finishing Kaze off?” “I really do have an emergency, Yume. A word of advice—you should stay away from the Go… Kaze.” Harry gave her the heads-up. Now that Harry knew who Kaze was, there was no chance Yume could get even with him. “What’s the meaning of this, Harry? Kaze slapped me right in front of you! I can’t believe you would take his side,” Yume shrieked angrily. Harry uttered, “Don’t say that about him. H
“I want the bastard’s wife to kneel and grovel before me,” Yume said coldly as rage consumed her. Even Lyn and the others shuddered in fear. They had never seen Yume hold such a huge grudge against an individual. “Yume, Darcy’s the chairwoman of two major corporations. I heard that your father values her talent. He wants her to embrace the Vinlands and take care of your family business in the future. Aren’t you afraid that you might tick your father off?” Juno said worriedly. Although they were friends with Yume, Hudson appeared intimidating to them. Even their fathers trembled in the presence of Hudson. “My dad’s just lying to her.” Yume scoffed and revealed the truth. “My dad wants to trick Darcy into changing her last name. Once she becomes a Vinland, she would have to hand over her assets, and we will gain control over her.” Juno and the others felt chills down their spines. Hudson was long known for his scheming, but Yume’s minions were witnessing it for the fi
Yume’s domineering tyranny came unexpectedly. She slapped the female employee in public. “W-Why did you attack me?” The female employee put her hand over her swollen cheek and glared at Yume. Smack! Yume struck again. “Who do you think you are? I’m a member of the prestigious Vinland family. So what if I hit you?” “Being in a prestigious family doesn’t give you a right to attack anybody.” The female staff member covered her face and wailed. The other employees were frightened. Word had gone around of the Vinlands’ takeover of the city. They had felt nothing before. However, Yume just went into full-on tyrant mode.“So what if you’re a Vinland? It doesn’t give you the right to hit anybody.” “That’s right. Call security. Get this crazy, assaulting woman out of here. Call the cops too. We can’t let her attack our colleague.” The few employees were furious. Startled by the commotion, Quartet Group’s security personnel rushed over. “Regardless of the reason,
“And you are?” Darcy frowned. Master Quint said, “That’s the daughter of your grandmother’s brother, Yume. She’s your distant aunt.” Darcy’s eyes burned with rage. Yume was so arrogant. When nothing went her way, Yume ordered her men to break Lucas’ rib. However, Yume belonged to the prestigious Vinland family. Darcy drew a deep breath to calm herself before speaking solemnly to her employees in the back, “Dial the emergency line now. Lucas and the others need medical care now.” Yume did not stop Darcy. Instead, she looked Darcy in the eye and said, “I need a word with you, Darcy.” “What do you want?” Darcy swallowed her anger and asked. The grimace on Darcy’s face did not sit well with Yume. Yume’s eyes grew stern. “I’m your aunt, Darcy. Watch your tone when you speak with me.” “You came to my workplace for no reason and ordered your people to break my employee’s rib. What tone are you expecting?” Darcy’s tone was strained with tension. While she had her mis
“Ah!” The security officer let out a heart-wrenching cry. “Stop, you animal!” the employees of Quartet Group shouted angrily.Yume burst out laughing. “Darcy, as the chairwoman of the company, you won’t want all your employees to get broken ribs, right?” Her gaze fell on the security officers on the ground and the other employees. Archie approached the next security guard. With tears in her eyes, Darcy shouted in rage, “Tell him to stop, and I’ll go with you.” “Now that’s a good chairwoman.” Yume clapped and said, “Take her with us.” “Ms. Quint, don’t give them anything.” The employees panicked. “Take them to the hospital for immediate treatment now.” Darcy wiped her tears off and walked out. “Come on.” Yume left with a smirk. Lyn, Juno, and the others followed in the back. Master Quint and the other former Quint family members tagged along apprehensively. The employees of Quartet Group were left to dwell in their angst. “What do we do? The woman is wic
“Darcy, Hudson said that you will take over the Vinlands’ business once you become part of the family.” Master Quint tried to convince Darcy earnestly. “Hudson is now in charge of Quintessential Group. You’re so naïve.” Darcy said committedly, “Stop trying to talk me into it. It’s pointless. I’m a Quint and will always be.” “Darcy, you…” Master Quint panicked. “Get out of the way, loser.” Yume pushed Master Quint away, pointed at Darcy, and said sternly, “You are so disrespectful, Darcy. Your grandfather asked you to change your last name, but you defied him.” She raised her voice. The commotion caught the attention of many onlookers. “Oh, that’s Darcy. She’s the chairwoman of Quartet Group and Sky Ocean Corporation.” “What happened? Is she changing her last name too?” “Didn’t you hear? Her grandfather wanted her to change her last name, but she refused.” “Fuck. That family is just a pain in the neck. They could just drop their own last name, but why did they ha
Swoosh! As the whip cracked, everybody could not bear to watch and closed their eyes.Darcy shivered, her skin going numb. She soon found it strange. She felt no pain. She opened her eyes and saw an arm, its grip clutched to the whip, stretching across her eyes. “Kaze!” Darcy cried. Her tone said it all. Her pent-up emotions opened the floodgate of her tears. “Kaze!” Yume gritted her teeth and said maliciously, “How dare you show your face.” “I didn’t think you’d keep digging your grave.” Kaze’s tone was icy. “You’re the one digging your grave. Now, let go!” Yume screamed while tugging the whip, but her strap remained tight in Kaze’s grip. Kaze gave a yank, and the whip handle tore out of Yume’s grasp. “Ah!” Squealing from the burning sensation in her palms, Yume threw the whip aside. A bloody cut ran through her soft palm. Kaze grabbed the handle of the whip and looked at the two men restraining Darcy. “Let her go.” Archie smirked in disdain. “Who
As they arrived, they saw a dozen expensive cars parked outside. The customer base was relatively stable as the establishment was targeted at the upper class. The people lining up at the club were young men and women of ordinary background. All were allowed inside Absolute Zero with an entrance fee. Since this would be a chance for ordinary people to meet and interact with the upper-class elites, they cherished it and tried their best to look good. Even movie producers and scriptwriters came to the club, seeking investments or a role in movie production. It was a shortcut to reach out to the upper crust after all. Yet they were just a bunch of fresh graduates with no resources and connections, so the club was their only chance at achieving something great. Dwight would never understand how rare the opportunity was, as he was narrow-sighted. He had never experienced power and wealth before, so he lacked the understanding of how things worked in society. “I never thought
With that in mind, Dwight checked his outfit. His black leather jacket brought out his height and wild side. He then observed Kaze. The latter was dressed casually. Dwight was worried that they would not be allowed into Absolute Zero because of their attire. Nevertheless, he could not let slip that he had never been to Absolute Zero. Without a word, Dwight led Kaze down the apartment building. Kaze could pick up on Dwight’s nerves. While in the elevator, Dwight could not stop straightening out his clothes. It was clear that he was nervous. Even so, Kaze said nothing and pretended not to notice. They got into the car and drove to an alley. The area was not huge, but there were stands selling street food. “The food is great here. Since it’s early, we can grab a bite.” Dwight was not being tight with money. As their destination was a bar, there was no need to get a proper meal. “I’ll get a skewer then.” Kaze did not have much of an appetite anyway. “Okay. I’ll or
“You’re the guest. I should be hosting you, but I don’t seem to be doing a good job.” Dwight knew he had to do better. “It’s okay. I don’t have much to do. It’s just a delivery anyway.” Kaze bought a lot of stuff online. All they had to do was wait for the delivery. Once the items arrived, they could head out. Dwight talked about taking him to a bar under the Viper’s Den’s umbrella. It was a great opportunity for Kaze to check out the scene. He had heard that the Wittersons were tied to all the Viper’s Den’s business operations.Kaze would not meet Edmund and Morris in person, but he would grasp all information related to them. Then, Kaze would stir things up between them and sit back while reaping the benefits. Kaze had it all planned out. He simply had to take his time in playing the long game. Nevertheless, it was important for him to remain discreet. At the very least, he should not show them what he was made of. It was easy to execute his plan when everybody
Kaze rose to his feet and took something out of his bag. Putting on his jacket, he was on his way out. Dwight was out of his room, too. He left his room for a glass of water and waited for Kaze to get out of the room after his nap. Dwight had a drink in the kitchen. He took an apple and chomped on it. Looking at the fruit on the table, Dwight grabbed a plate to arrange it neatly.He took out his phone to pass the time while waiting for Kaze. Kaze emerged from the room and saw Dwight. “You’re up at last. You’ve slept half the day away. Are you still tired? I can wait if you need to catch some sleep.” Dwight kept Herman’s memo to look after Kaze. “A little. I didn’t get any sleep last night. I was waiting to get on the plane.” Kaze took the red-eye flight yesterday. Dwight allowed time for Kaze to rest, knowing his travel schedule. “I know. Did you manage to get some good sleep? If you haven’t, you can go back to bed. I can grab some food for you.” Dwight’s plan
“Your main responsibility is to entertain Kaze. You will be rewarded for good work,” Herman said. Dwight nodded incessantly. “Thank you for thinking of me, Herman. I won’t forget this.” “I’d be grateful so long as you stay out of trouble. “Just focus on what you should do and take good care of Kaze.” Herman worried that Dwight might get ahead of himself and forget his primary duties. Dwight’s priority was Kaze’s well-being. The whole thing would be over if Dwight kept to himself and served Kaze until he was gone. There would be a problem if something were to happen. Without Edmund’s instructions, Herman would never have assigned a job to Dwight. It could be a good thing, though. At least, a job might keep him on the straight and narrow. “Relax. You can count on me,” Dwight said with glee.That was a nice surprise. Dwight did not see it coming. It was just incredible. Herman still could not shake off his worry. However, he had said his piece. It was pointless t
Herman’s smile vanished. His red, irritated skin was playing up. Due to alcohol in his system, Herman could not see straight. He had to grit his teeth to hold back the urge to retch. Herman was not one to drink. Yet, he would have to go through Edmund’s loyalty test every time, and he was reaching a boiling point. However, he understood that he needed to suck it up to gain Edmund’s trust. “You must be Herman. Mr. Witterson. Should I take the things to your car, or should I deliver them to your home?” asked a uniformed server who approached. “Put them in the car and get me a designated driver,” Herman replied. He headed to the lobby while propping himself against the wall. “Okay. There will be a driver out front, ready for your service.” The server tried to help Herman up, but was declined. Herman saw the cartons of alcohol and cigarettes in the lobby. Edmund had always been generous in giving out stuff like this. “These are from Mr. Witterson. You’re lucky to work for
“Kaze can pull the punches for sure. I mean, he has the Butterworth branch chief’s trust for a reason. “There has to be something for him to win the branch chief’s approval.” Edmund doubted there was depth to Kaze. After all, Edmund decided whether to take on a person based on their abilities. It made no sense to pay attention to losers, as he would hold them in contempt. Edmund had been impressed with Herman, who excelled in strategies and management. That was why Edmund bumped Herman up and made sure he stayed on top. “Got it.” Herman nodded and had one foot out the door. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. There’s one more thing.” Edmund pointed at the table. Herman approached and stood on bent knees. Pleased with Herman’s submission, Edmund passed him a wine glass. Herman took the drink humbly before looking carefully at Edmund, awaiting his orders. “The wine was just airlifted from abroad. I can vouch for the taste. If you’re looking to sip on the finest, yo
Time went by, and a towering man in a suit showed up outside the door. Picking up on the noise inside the room, he knocked on the door. It was hard to tell whether the person inside could hear the knocking, so the man waited outside. The door was opened, and a woman, her face flawless with makeup, popped her head out and saw him. She cocked her head back at Edmund. “You have a guest, Mr. Witterson.” “Let him in,” Edmund instructed. He then leaned in to take the drink from the girl next to him with his mouth. The other girls cheered him on. The group was lost in their fun. The man, who entered the room, stood by the sofa respectfully. He kept his head down, his gaze staying low at the bottles of alcohol spread across the table. It was a bit of a wait before the man approached at Edmund’s order. “Tell me about Dwight.”While listening to the girls’ singing, Edmund turned to Herman. Herman rushed over as soon as Edmund called. He won a lot of money at poker toda
In this particular circumstance, Morris had to play it safe so that things would not get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the mess. At least, he finally saw the Wittersons’ true colors. Morris’ friendly advice was met with disrespect and insult. However, the Wittersons were a force of nature, and Morris was not about to take them head-on. Despite his frustration, Morris had to walk away. Well, Edmund would soon face his downfall at the height of his power, and Morris would be there to enjoy the ride. Still, it did not sit well with Morris to have a young fella walk all over him. It had crossed his mind to keep the Wittersons in check, but there was only so much he could do. Morris had to be the one to back away as the Wittersons grew haughty. Morris believed there was more to Kaze’s visit to Westeros. Nothing major happened in Westeros recently. At least, there was nothing worth the other branch’s attention. However, a representative of the