Astral was dragged to the helicopter like a pile of meat. He was tied under the helicopter after he was stripped down to his underwear. As the propeller started to spin, the helicopter rose to the sky and flew toward the city. Soon, Lilyrose was bombarded with the news. Many people saw a naked man being tied under the helicopter and flew around the city. Twenty minutes later, the helicopter returned to Landor Residential Area. “Kaze, I think I might have wasted my whole life. I only know how to use my fists and never thought of something this fun!” Conan dragged Astral over, looking extremely excited as if he had just finished a roller coaster ride. Kaze said, “If you do what I did, your Pops will definitely break your leg.” The Queens were a strict family. Even though Mathias and Conan had the looks of a playboy, they knew when to do the right things and never cross the line. “Hahaha, right…” Conan awkwardly laughed. Kaze looked at the unconscious Astral. Eve
Kaze went home after the incident at Landor Residential Area. “Kaze!” Darcy lost her appetite for dinner as she was worried about Kaze. When he finally came back in one piece, she bolted up with delight and a wide smile replaced the gloominess on her face. “How did it go? Are you hurt? Let me have a look at you!” Agnes pursed her lips when her daughter ran over to Kaze excitedly, checking on him as if he were some treasure. Agnes instinctively wanted to scold Kaze but the words did not escape her mouth. Since Kaze stepped up for her at Golden Edge, she decided to spare him this time. “You guys see each other every day. Get a hang of yourself, Darcy.“And you, are you eating? If not, I'll throw the food away.” Agnes grunted and then went inside the house. Darcy blushed. She asked, “Kaze, did Astral Glitter give you a hard time?” “You should be asking me what I did to him. I said I’m fine.” Kaze was captivated by Darcy’s beauty, especially when she looked worried
“I understand, Mr. Lee. I will make sure that your office is spotless, so that you can have a comfortable working environment.” Jennifer held the urge to slap Kaze and bowed before she walked away. Kaze smiled. Jennifer was like Miru, both proud women. She might have complied verbally, but deep down she continued to resist the idea of bowing at Kaze. It was the reason why she set the little verbal trap for Kaze earlier. Though Kaze was confident enough to make her submit wholeheartedly. If he could not even control a subordinate, then he would have wasted his entire life up until now. “Darcy, I’m going to take a shower.” Later that night, Kaze brought Darcy to the bedroom to have some fun. “No, you are sleeping next door!” Darcy was still mad at Kaze’s little joke earlier and pushed him outside, slamming the door on him. “What the…” Kaze stood in front of the closed door, annoyed and depressed. Ever since Darcy received the treatment of love, even though she
“No.” Jennifer shook her head. “We requested to meet Hart Lyfe but the receptionist said he doesn’t want to see us. Mr. Lee, is it because we refused to invest in Rove the other day, that’s why he’s mad at us?” “I don’t think so. Hart isn’t like that.” Kaze took his phone out. “I’ll call him and ask him what happened.” Unfortunately, Hart’s phone was turned off and so was Daphne’s. Finally, Kaze contacted an executive at Rove named Eddie Fork. The man sided with Hart during the hardest time and whenever Kaze met Hart, the man was beside Hart, showing respect to his boss. When the call got through, Kaze asked, “Eddie, I sent my team from Hudson Investment Firm to Rove to talk about the investment but they were rejected. Your receptionist did not even let them in, what happened?” “Mr. Lee? My, my, isn’t this Rove’s greatest savior!” Eddie answered in a rather unusual tone. Kaze frowned. He sensed the change in tone as well and it sounded like a mockery. “Eddie, what i
Lyfe family’s mansion. “Syed! What is the meaning of this? Rove finally came out from the slump and you are turning your back on our benefactor? What if Rove goes down the hill again?!” Hart shouted at Syed, his elder brother, and the other family members who were against him. Behind Hart was Daphne and her family, all staring at Syed. Rove had always been a family business, so it inherited the common malpractices of other family businesses. Hart was the one who founded the company but Syed and his family had never stopped causing problems. Hart was able to hold onto his position until now because he was respected in the company and was also a pioneer in the business. Back in the day, all the manufacturers, distributors, and other affiliated companies respected him and viewed him as the leader. Ten years ago, the hierarchy of power within Rove was shaken. Syed teamed up with another major investor to seize majority shares during the shareholders meeting and was able t
Back in the day, even Syed would be afraid of his brother’s powerful aura. Now, however, he was able to face Hart with a lifted chest and a casual demeanor. “Hart, stop accusing me. I didn’t team up with anyone this time. You are the one who got fooled by a useless guy who married into his wife’s family. You let him decide the general direction of the company. “You are the one who betrayed the company and our family’s profit. As your brother, I must stand up and stop you, or else you will sell off the entire company, and our family!” Syed yelled. Hart realized the situation was much more serious than he thought when he saw Syed’s confidence. He narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, “Syed, who is supporting you this time?” “You want to know who? Fine. I’ll bring him in.” Syed then went to open the door. He said respectfully, “Uncle Sieg, please come in.” Uncle? Confused, Hart looked toward the door. A handsome man with fair skin and pronounced facial features appeared
Sieg’s frosty glare instilled fear into Hart’s heart. For a moment there, he thought he was being stared at by a beast. Behind Sieg, a man who was obviously his bodyguard, stepped forward. He too stared at Hart, sending chills down his spine. Hart used to serve in the military when he was young. Based on the man’s presence, he could tell that the man was a killer. Syed bellowed, “Hart, watch your mouth! How dare you defy Uncle Sieg! He’s our senior!” “I…I…will do what you say, Uncle Sieg…” Hart was forced to lower his head. For the sake of his family’s safety, he dared not oppose Sieg or Syed anymore. Sieg smiled. He then shot a gaze at Daphne and his eyes lit up. Daphne had instant goosebumps. She stiffly nodded. “G-Granduncle Sieg, I’m Daphne.” “How come I didn’t know there’s such a beautiful girl in our family?” Sieg sounded amused. He added, “Daphne? Have you ever considered moving to the main family?” “What?!” Syed bolted up instantly and said, “Uncle Sie
Sieg’s casual words sent Hart and Daphne down to the depths of the abyss. Minnie, Glory, and the others who were jealous of Daphne earlier instantly gloated at her. They thought Daphne would be accepted into the main family and rise in status, but it turned out differently. It was somehow expected of a family like the Lyfes or the Hacks. The top four families of Geranium all shared the same customs and thoughts. The marriage was not a celebrated one. An illegitimate child of the Hacks family, 40 years old, had a divorce, and was not a valued member of the family. When all the criteria added up, Daphne was not marrying a man with power but a man with a terrible fate. Everyone could tell the arranged marriage was just a way to turn Daphne into leverage for the Lyfe family so that they could negotiate for more benefits. “Kingston Hacks? The name does ring a bell. If I remember correctly, he’s the person in charge of Paladia Moose and he teamed up with Desmond Litman to o
The crowd fell silent as Kaze’s criticism and blows echoed through the room. Kaze pummeled Aiden’s face at least a dozen times. He only stopped when Aiden’s face swelled up. Tension lingered in the air. Everybody stared in disbelief as Aiden struggled violently against Kaze’s attack. The crowd assumed the roles would have been reversed. By right, Aiden should be the aggressor while Kaze would suffer in silence. Come to think of it, logic did not exist when Kaze was around. Aiden narrowed his eyes at Kaze as humiliation and anger washed over him. He gritted his teeth, his lips quivering, but no words escaped his mouth. Aiden understood that adaptation was crucial for survival. He would only be getting slapped on the face by talking back. Kaze looked at his bloody palm and wiped his hand on Aiden’s suit. The insulting gesture saw the crowd shivering and Aiden shaking with rage. Aiden clenched his fists. Nevertheless, Aiden held himself together. He had come
Sensing no threat, Kaze said with a pretentious smile, “Didn’t you lecture me about being understanding? “You should lead by example. I wanted to see if you could become the bigger person. “As you can see, you want to kill me for hitting you.“You’re one to talk about grace.” Kaze’s sarcastic remark painted Boris’ face red. Boris uttered exasperatedly, “You’re not on my level, kid.” “Oh, I guess your grace and tolerance are only reserved for those higher in the social hierarchy.”Kaze put on a stern look. “I have no idea what level I’m on, but I know you’re just a lapdog to the Krads. “Do you think we were blind to your little setup with Aiden? “You’re one of Riverbank underworld kingpins. It’s embarrassing for someone your age to put on that silly show.” Kaze took a step forward, his eyes fixating on Boris. “Tell me. What level are you on?” “Woah!” The crowd broke out in an uproar. Many on scene were oblivious to Boris’ little show with Aiden. While the secret
Kaze waved his arm like a total badass. Aiden and the others wished they could rip Kaze apart. It was annoying. Kaze got under everybody’s skin. Darcy and Kaze acquired Crown Tower and its surrounding land without spending a dime. More accurately, Aiden paid the price. Darcy was speechless, to say the least. She had no idea that Kaze could be so manipulative. If she were in Aiden’s shoes, she would probably be livid. “Thank you, Mr. Krad. You’re one of the good guys.” Kaze burst out laughing while thanking Aiden. The smug look on Kaze’s face was infuriating, but Aiden could only stand there, seething. “That’s enough, young man.” An old but commanding voice boomed. The crowd was taken aback as Boris, one of the Riverbank underworld kingpins approached. “Don’t push it, young man. You have won, and I suggest you should leave it at that,” Boris said indifferently. Despite his flat tone, Boris was critical of Kaze. “Boris is right. Kaze, you got lucky this
“That’s right. The rules are clear.” Kaze grabbed a rulebook and said with a smile, “You are the highest bidder after me.“I gave Mr. Krad a chance, but he didn’t take it.” Aiden asked, “Is there really such a rule?” “There is, Mr. Krad.” The head of the committee gulped hard and said with a wry smile, “We established a rule for Crown Tower, and it must be sold regardless of the price.” The rule was reserved for Crown Tower. The Seven Star District Council had been trying to sell Crown Tower for a while now, but a suitable buyer had yet to meet the council’s requirements. Hence, the council would accept any bids above ten billion dollars. Since Kaze could not afford his bid, the land would go to Darcy, the second-highest bidder. Her bid was exactly ten billion dollars. The land fell back into Darcy’s hands. However, Kaze and Darcy were independent bidders. Darcy represented Sky Ocean Corporation while Kaze was an individual buyer. It was clear that Darcy and Ka
“You don’t have that kind of money?” Everybody looked at Kaze in shock. He did not have that kind of money. Yet, he bid fifty billion dollars. The head of the organizing committee was stunned for a moment. He quickly chuckled dryly and said, “Please don’t joke around, Mr. Lee.” “Am I? I’m not kidding.” Kaze shrugged. “I don’t have forty billion dollars. My net worth isn’t even worth that much. “I took an advance of ten billion dollars from my Centurion card. It’s only an advance. I still need to pay the money back. “I’ve never taken money out of the Centurion card because I don’t have the funds to pay it back.“All I have is ten billion dollars, and the money was from Mr. Krad.” The crowd was taken aback. Aiden was in disbelief. “Why did you bid, Lee? You went as high as fifty billion dollars. “Don’t be something you’re not!” Joan and the others rolled their eyes. “So I can’t bid when I’m broke?” Kaze said matter-of-factly, “You called me a sucker for biddi
Joan sneered. “Heh. Don’t take us all for idiots. Good luck to you.”“Mr. Lee has put in his bid. Aren’t you going to seal the deal?” Paying Kaze no heed, Aiden looked at the auctioneer. The auctioneer got the hint and shouted excitedly, “50 billion dollars, going once. “50 billion dollars, going twice. “50 billion dollars, going thrice. “Sold to Mr. Lee at 50 billion dollars.” The auctioneer turned to Kaze and said with a smile, “Congratulations, Mr. Lee. The rights to Crown Tower are yours.“I’m also pleased to announce that your 50-billion-dollar bid has set a new record for the highest bid in the history of Four Ocean Auction.“Once again, congratulations to you.” “Clap, clap.” With Aiden taking the lead, the room was filled with thundering applause. Nevertheless, the crowd simply mocked Kaze for his foolish decision. Kaze did not stop at scamming Aiden out of ten billion dollars. He took things far and shot himself in the foot. Before, the crowd was impres
“I think we can all see who the real idiot here is.” As reality sank in, Aiden and the others looked at Kaze as if he was the clown. Kaze outsmarted Aiden with the sale of the Golden Toad. However, Crown Tower and its surrounding land were not worth fifty billion dollars. It was true that the Ryokanians had their sights set on the land and enlisted the Krads’ help to acquire the sale. However, the Ryokanians would not pay more than what the land was worth. Even if Sky Ocean Corporation secured the sale, the Ryokanians had their way to steal the land from the company. As Aiden said, Darcy would not be able to keep the land for long. Crown Tower could not cripple Aiden. Aiden could just drop out of the running since the bid was way past his price point. To think Kaze would play the same strategy twice. Who was Kaze trying to fool? On stage, the auctioneer was taken aback by Kaze’s outrageous bid. She wondered if she heard it right. Moments later, she asked skeptic
Darcy’s eyes burned with rage. “Mr. Krad, I’d rather buy the land and let it rot than let you win.” “Bam!” Aiden stood up, knocking his chair over. He stared at Darcy menacingly. “You’ll be sorry, bitch!”“If you want to make a scene, you’re better off outbidding me.” Darcy taunted. With the gloves off, Darcy was no longer compelled to be civil with Aiden. “10 billion dollars, going once. Are there any other bids?” The auctioneer’s voice trembled. “10 billion dollars, going twice.” She looked at Aiden. Aiden turned ashen, mainly because Darcy pissed him off. Still, he had to stop the auctioneer from hammering the gravel and giving the land to Darcy. Aiden drew the line for thirty-five billion dollars. The competition was far from being over. He decided to go big to crush Darcy all at once. Darcy would have to cover all his losses anyway. With that in mind, Aiden gritted his teeth and said with a menacing smile, “Twenty-five—” “Can you just cut to the chase?
Darcy said indifferently, “Working in business, we want to make sure every penny counts. We can’t be as lavish as you, Mr. Krad.” It sounded like a compliment, but the sarcasm was buried within. She was implying that Aiden was flexing his financial muscles. Aiden grimaced. He did not expect Darcy to snap back at him. After a scoff, Aiden cocked his head back and said menacingly, “Six billion dollars.” Excited by the heated competition, the auctioneer cried, “Six billion dollars, going once. Are there any other bidders? “Six billion dollars, going twice.” Darcy uttered without hesitation, “Six point one billion dollars.” “Seven billion dollars!” Aiden bid on and sneered. “You’ll be sorry for taking me on, Ms. Quint.“I can tell you now that we were only going to spend five billion dollars on the land. “You’ll pay for all the losses.” Dropping his gentleman act, Aiden uttered grimacingly, “If you know any better, you should leave right now. Stop giving me problem