“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
“Of course I know him.” Danny touched his face. He was insulted by Kaze twice, and he could never forget the humiliation. His hatred for Kaze was apparent in his eyes and it felt like they could materialize at any moment. Danny grinned and said, “Not only do I know him, but I also know that he’s a useless piece of trash. He became the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm because of his wife’s best friend. He relied on his wife to become the CEO and he’s here at the party I’m attending!” He looked at Adam and said coldly, “Mr. Otter, you disappoint me. This is an insult to the royal family!” His voice shook Adam. Adam turned to Kaze with a bitter look. “Darcy, this useless trash relied on you to become the CEO of Hudson Investment Firm?! Why didn’t you tell me about it!” He was drowning in regrets. He should not have told Darcy to bring Kaze to the party, which led to Kaze offending Danny in public. The others at the scene looked at Kaze strangely as well. Their gazes wer
Noticing Kaze’s lack of response, Adam looked to Darcy. “Darcy, your stupid husband is not behaving and you too? Make your husband kneel and apologize to Mr. Tulip! If he doesn’t forgive you, then I’ll beat the two of you!” Upon hearing her uncle, Darcy’s expression turned cold. Her own uncle disregarded her feelings and wanted her to make her husband kneel before Danny in front of a crowd. Was it purely because Danny was a member of the royal family? Darcy was disappointed. It was then that Kaze held her hand tight. “Darcy, don’t be mad at people who are not worthy of your time. Just take it as dogs barking. I’d like to see who can make me kneel and apologize tonight.” Kaze sat Darcy down and poured her a glass of water like nothing happened. He got himself a glass of water as well. He started sipping nonchalantly as if everyone was invisible. Adam was infuriated by Kaze’s disrespect. The most useless person with no status offended Danny in public. It was suicida
“Darcy Quint, your useless husband is dead!” Sherry’s voice was sharp and vicious. Danny grinned at Kaze in silence. After being insulted twice, Danny grew smart. He used his connections to hire bodyguards to protect him. Everyone else gasped in shock when they heard Sherry. One bodyguard was more than enough to take down a common man, yet there were more than ten of them. Everyone could already picture the devastating end for Kaze with his limbs torn and bones broken, begging Danny for forgiveness. They gloated at him. Darcy was afraid as well. She tugged Kaze’s sleeve and whispered, “Kaze, stop offending that man. There’s no point in winning the argument here. We have to figure a way out of this. Don’t worry, I won’t let him make you kneel. I’ll just find a way to compensate him, with money or whatever.” Darcy knew Kaze had a stubborn personality and would never bow to violence. Before Kaze could speak, she got up and apologized on his behalf. “Mr. Danny Tulip,
“Ms. Quint, actions have consequences. Your husband chose to oppose me and challenge Tulip Corporation, so you have to prepare for retaliation.” With bodyguards around, Danny was extremely confident and arrogant. He grinned and said, “Of course, you can choose not to accept my terms, but I hope you and your husband can bear the consequences.” He waved his hand at his bodyguards and they took a step forward. Even though they were wearing shades, Darcy could feel their ferocious gazes ripping her and Kaze to pieces. A murderous aura filled the room, the kind of intense air unique to veterans who had been on the battlefield. It did not only scare Darcy but also pressured all the other guests. The atmosphere in the hall grew so tense that it felt like a huge fight would break out at any moment. ‘Offending Danny had severe repercussions,’ a thought shared by many in the hall. “Darcy, don’t worry.” Kaze went to stand in front of Darcy casually, blocking the murderous aura
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