Kaze spoke with utmost contempt and disdain, which surprised everyone. Where did the useless trash gain his confidence to speak up against Tao? Soon, the people realized that his source of confidence was Darcy. Darcy owned two companies that were worth billions. Only less than a handful of men were worthy of her. “Hahaha, and here I thought how capable is this useless trash to look down on Mr. Segore. It was his wife…” Everyone burst into laughter. Kaze ignored the people’s laughter and looked at Tao. With a serious look, he asked, “Tell me, what gave you the confidence that made you believe you are worthy of Darcy?” Tao was infuriated by Kaze’s disdain. He grunted coldly and said proudly, “I have to admit that Ms. Quint is indeed an amazing woman but I’m not half bad either. Do you know why I am here in Lilyrose? That’s because I am getting a billion worth of investment from Hudson Investment Firm.” Tao looked at Darcy and said confidently, “With this investment, m
Kaze’s words sparked commotion across the banquet hall. The guests were amazed not because they took him seriously but because of how ridiculous he sounded. “What is he talking about? Does he really think he can stop a billion worth of investment?” “He’s a patient in the psych ward. I bet he’s going crazy again.” “Ms. Quint, why don’t you bring your husband to the hospital, or have one of the doctors here to check on him? I’m sure there are brain specialists here…” Everyone mocked Kaze and looked at him and Darcy as if they were the biggest joke. Darcy felt embarrassed. “Kaze, stop fooling around!” Darcy tugged Kaze and angrily whispered, “You are on your first day! No one would listen to you!” She knew the call Kaze made was real because Kaze was the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm. However, Miru clearly told her that Kaze was just the nominal CEO with no authority whatsoever. A billion worth of investment was huge and it was not something Kaze could cancel with ju
The news from the secretary not only shocked Tao, but it also surprised and confused the other guests in the hall, especially those who gave Kaze a hard time by insulting him. They wished they could bury their embarrassment in the ground. A moment ago, they were humiliating Kaze. Now, Segore Pharmaceutical had just lost a billion worth of investment. They felt like they were slapped in the face for what they said. Even Darcy looked at Kaze with surprise. Kaze had just been the CEO for one day, a nominal one, yet he was able to stop such a huge deal with just a phone call? Hudson Investment Firm was filled with investment elites in the business field, so why would they listen to him? “Out of my way!” Tao pushed his secretary away and darted over to Kaze. He glared at Kaze with fierce eyes. “Is it you? You useless trash! It was you!? Don’t tell me you have anything to do with this! It’s all a coincidence, is it?!” His heart was bleeding as he had just lost a billion w
“You fuck! You ruined my investment!” Tao was devastated. He gripped his phone tightly and glared at Kaze angrily, hoping that he could skin him alive. “You are the one who ruined your own investment. You have just submitted the paper application and you made it sound like you have already gotten one billion. “The funniest thing is that you used it to boost your confidence and thought you were worthy of my wife.” As he spoke, Kaze bent over and picked up the bank card that Tao tossed at him earlier. He flicked off the dust on it and tossed it back at Tao’s face. “Now, you are not worthy.” Spat! The card fell off his face and hit the floor. It was not even painful but the insult was heart-wrenching. “You fuck! I’ll kill you!” Tao shouted like a frenzied animal. He raised his fists and wanted to hurt Kaze. “Enough!” Adam bellowed loudly, pulling Tao back from his frenzied trance. “Tao, leave at once and stop embarrassing yourself!” When he saw the angry lo
“Woah!” Many of the guests were surprised by Adam’s revelation. A VIP from the royal family, backed by one of the top ten multinational companies in Paladia? Such a background was revered and respected regardless of location. Many of the guests were eager to meet the VIP, but not Kaze. He reacted with a strange look because the first person that came into his mind was Danny. Adam could not see through Kaze’s mind, so with his boastful manner, he continued, “The VIP is here with a great project. Many companies in our country wish to be a part of it or even invest in it. Coincidentally, he is my good friend. “Kaze, you are the new CEO of Hudson Investment Firm. I believe you also want a good project to invest in so that you have something to show to the company. Why don’t I introduce you to him later?” Adam then stood confidently in front of Kaze, waiting for him to speak. Kaze being the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm somehow pressured Adam and this was the only way he c
Judging from Adam’s reaction, he must have valued the VIP a lot. The guests at the scene followed him to the entrance of the hotel. Adam worked for the government and basically had no common topic with the VIP from the royal family. He was planning to drag Darcy along, using her beauty and status to form a connection with the VIP. He turned around and noticed Darcy barely reacted, which made him frown. “Darcy, what are you doing standing there? Don’t you want to meet royalty?” Darcy was not interested in meeting any royalty, yet her uncle insisted. She was forced to follow along. Kaze did not mind. Quite the opposite, he was curious about what Danny prepared for the night, so he followed Darcy as well. Soon, footsteps came from the corridor and marched toward the entrance. Other than Kaze, Darcy, and several others, all the other guests lifted their chests and looked as smart as possible to leave a good impression on the royalty. Adam, as the man of the night, stood
Sherry was not the biggest star in Lilyrose. Darcy and Kaze had never seen or heard of her before. Those who recognized her called her a superstar because they were trying to make Danny look good. Other men showed admiration on their faces. Sherry was considered beautiful and with her background as a news anchor, she became quite attractive to the professionals and elites. A woman like her would never be interested in a man whom the common people considered successful. In fact, not even the representatives and doctors at the scene were able to catch her attention. However, she was willing to be with Danny, a married man who could not even remember her name. It made the other men jealous. Danny and Sherry were instantly flooded by flattery. Sherry was able to remain calm and cool. She nodded and smiled at everyone, but her frosty demeanor distanced herself from the others. If not for her curling her hands around Danny’s arms, people might take her as a living statu
Darcy was the only one who did not try to flatter Danny, which annoyed and intrigued him at the same time. Danny had the strange urge to dominate Darcy because she was the only one who defied his presence. Being Danny’s plus-one, Sherry’s expression turned gloomy but she remained silent. Her eyes looking at Darcy were filled with jealousy. “This is my niece, Darcy. The chairwoman of Quartet Group and Sky Ocean Corporation. I was just going to introduce her to you.” Adam was happy that Danny was interested in Darcy. He turned around and spoke to Darcy in a commanding manner. “Darcy, Mr. Tulip wants to meet you. Come over here!” Danny was surprised. His eyes were glued to Darcy when he found out that she was not just pretty but also the chairwoman of two companies. It was at that moment that he made up his mind to obtain Darcy and her companies. He wanted them all! “Ms. Quint, this is great! You didn’t even say a word and Mr. Tulip noticed you! He doesn’t even care ab
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