“I’m happy to move!” Knowing it was a great opportunity for personal development, Sophie said, “Mr. Chairman, I’ll head there today to get an idea of Hudson Investment Firm’s operation on your behalf.” “Alright. I’ll let Miru know and secure an official offer of employment for you.” Kaze was pleased with Sophie’s enthusiasm for the job and contacted Miru right away. Miru was as sarcastic as ever when she got Kaze’s call. “At least you’re aware of where you stand and seek help, Kaze. Sophie Song, you say? Alright. She can report straight to work.” The sneering aside, Miru still made things happen. Her intention was to give Kaze a respectable position at Hudson Investment Firm to save Darcy from embarrassment.Miru did not care about Kaze hiring Sophie as an assistant. “Mr. Chairman, I’ll head there now.” Sophie made her way to Hudson Investment Firm after getting the necessary stuff. Noticing Winnie’s lack of enthusiasm, Kaze tried to turn her attention elsewhere a
The woman, who spoke in a heavy foreign accent, approached hastily. “You asked for it, bitch! No one hits my child and gets away with it,” she yelled while raising her hand to slap Brenda. Frightened, Brenda cocked her head back and hugged Winnie’s neck to cry. Smack! Winnie slapped the woman’s hand away, hugged Brenda, and consoled her, “Don’t cry, Brenda. Mommy’s here.” Her mother’s little girl, Brenda, stopped the tears and curled up in Winnie’s arms before staring at the foreign woman shyly. The foreign woman held her arm and glared at Winnie menacingly. “Ah! You’re such a savage lowlife! How dare you hit me!” The fact that Winnie hit her enraged her more than her child getting hit.“Ma’am, use your words, not violence,” Winnie said with a grimace. The foreign woman stood aside and watched the children bully Brenda. Now that her child had fallen over, she tried to strike Brenda. With Winnie’s words striking a nerve, the foreign woman uttered in rage, “Even your g
Danny demanded one million prys in compensation for the minor scrape on Danny Jr.’s arm. The payment was expected in prys, a currency with an exchange rate ten times higher than the dollar.Winnie was not the only one angry. Even Kaze smirked in rage. “Danny, right? I bet you couldn’t earn a living in your home country, so you came to Arcadia to scam us locals. “We haven’t yet determined if compensation is appropriate in this case. Even if we should, you are demanding one million prys for a minor injury. It’s daylight robbery.” “Hahaha…” The onlooking crowd was amused by Kaze’s remark. Many foreigners, who could not make a living in their homeland, were treated like kings in Arcadia. The recent increase in the number of foreign teachers at universities sparked debate and raised concerns about qualifications and necessity. Many were glad that Kaze tore into Danny, but some took things far and stood against the common enemy. “You’re right, sir. Why one million prys for
“Are you even an Arcadian?” Winnie said exasperatedly, feeling sick to her stomach by Jem’s behavior.Kaze said coldly, “You’re a traitor to our country.” “How dare you!” Jem was about to blow up. “No need to get worked up over these brutes, Jem,” Danny said. Danny soon furrowed his brows. “I’m not pleased with the staff here. My child was injured, but no one came to resolve the matter. Are the employees here condoning the attacker?” An employee of Century Fun, who was hiding in the crowd to observe the situation, turned pale. He turned on his walkie-talkie. “Manager…” Soon, a group of Century Fun’s staff members rushed over. A member approached Danny and apologized. “Hello, Mr. Tulip. I am Scott Young, the general manager of Century Fun. I apologize for arriving late. I was caught up in an emergency.” “What can be more important than the assault of Mr. Tulip’s child?” Jem scoffed disgruntledly, pointed at Kaze’s group, and said, “Mr. Tulip wanted the perpetrato
“See? You have pissed Mr. Tulip off.” Scott glared at Kaze before sucking up to Danny. “Mr. Tulip, security guards can’t make arrests or use force like the police can.” “Enough with the nonsense. Mr. Tulip is giving you authority now.” Jem, who stood beside Danny, reprimanded. “Just do as Mr. Tulip says. He has you covered. What are you afraid of? The police can’t do anything to you. “Besides, Mr. Tulip just wants to kick them out and embarrass them. “We’ll be filing a case with the police later to make them pay.” Good at reading Danny’s mind, Jem guessed what he was thinking. “You’re right, Jem. While members of my family are cultured, we will not tolerate insults from riffraff.” Danny glanced at Kaze and smirked ruthlessly. “Now I’ll show you the consequences of upsetting me.” His vile remarks drained Winnie’s face of color. She looked at Kaze and said reluctantly, “Maybe I should just apologize and pay up.” The local’s behavior toward Danny was disheartening.
The group of foreigners taunted like no one else’s business. The onlooking locals were enraged by their remarks. “What? Did we say something wrong? We only spoke of the truth. You are all lowlifes. Haha!” The foreigners only took things up a notch and mocked the offended crowd. Backed by her peers, Danny’s wife said cockily, “Hear that? A lowlife like you should apologize on your knees. I might just consider forgiving you.” She pointed at Kaze menacingly, her finger with a huge rock up his nose. Kaze side-eyed the woman and said indifferently, “One more word from you, and I’ll hit you.” The foreigners burst out laughing in amusement. “Oh, Arcadians love to make meaningless threats. It’s all talk and no action with them.” “Yeah, slavery is in their veins.” Danny’s wife crossed her arms and looked at Kaze in disdain. “Hey, lowlife! I might respect you a little if you have the guts to hit me.” With a chilling glint in his eyes, Kaze slapped her right away. Smack!
“I don’t care who you are and where you are from, Arcadian. I’m going to make you pay,” Danny said menacingly to Kaze. He cocked his head back and commanded Scott, “I change my mind. Order your security guards to break the guy’s limbs and throw him out. He can beg for his life on his knees.” Danny ordered to cripple Kaze in public. His arrogance was overwhelming. “Um…” Scott glanced at the onlooking customers hesitantly. As the general manager of Century Fun, Scott had invoked public resentment by favoring Danny over Kaze. If Scott were to break Kaze’s limbs at Danny's instruction, Century Fun might lose business and face a public boycott.“What are you afraid of? Mr. Tulip has you covered,” Jem said. Later, he changed the subject and said arrogantly, “Don’t forget. It’s a chance for you to get in Mr. Tulip’s good graces. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.” It struck Scott that Danny was a special guest from the royal family. Truth be told, even if Century
Kaze was expected to show understanding to the security officers even though they were the ones acting maliciously toward him. The logic did not make sense. Kaze furrowed his brows repulsively and said indifferently, “I can’t move. We can sort any issues here.” The head of security grimaced and glanced at the onlooking customer before waving at his men. “Close in!” The security officers hemmed in on Kaze, blocking the customers from taking videos and photos of them. The head of security grinned at Kaze, revealing his tobacco-stained teeth. “Since you can’t move, I’ll help you move then.” Following a chilling glint in his eyes, the head of security reached for Kaze’s throat. He came on Kaze with incredible speed. “You jump straight to violence. Are you an outlaw or a security officer?” Kaze turned sideways to evade the attack while keeping an eye on him the whole time. The head of security raised his eyebrow in surprise as Kaze was able to dodge his attack in a spl
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