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
“Yes, Uncle Sieg!” Syed said excitedly. In other words, Sieg wanted to keep Hart and Daphne in the house so they would not cause any trouble. Hart would lose all chances of fighting back with all the connections cut off. From today onward, Rove would belong to Syed and his supporters. However, the excitement did not last. Syed calmed down and glanced at Sieg before he nervously moved his gaze away. His young uncle from Geranium had just arrived in Lilyrose yet the whole company had already gone through a power shift with Hart and his family ousted. Syed was actually scared of Sieg. He knew that he and his family’s life and death were nothing but a word for Sieg. Sieg said, “Syed, I won’t spend too much time on Rove, so you’ll have to take care of the rest. Try to minimize the effect of the power shift and keep it running. “I will stay in Lilyrose for a while. I got reliable news that the mayor of Lilyrose is planning to renew the entire Old District. I came here to pl
Kaze did not know Hart and Daphne were already imprisoned at home with no contact with the outside world. Otherwise, he would certainly do something about it. “Keep an eye out and update me as things develop,” he said as he got up from his chair. He went to the city council and saw the flood relief efforts were progressing in an orderly manner. Caleb and Lou were skilled and experienced. After they updated Kaze about the progress, Caleb said, “Mr. Lee, there are some comments about you popping online recently and I wonder if you have seen them. “A number of people questioned your ability. Due to the flash flood, a series of problems were exposed and put under the microscope. Lilyrose’s governance is in chaos and they all blame you for being too inexperienced and incompetent…” Caleb expressed his disapproval through his upset tone. It was his true feelings because he saw with his own eyes what Kaze had done. If Kaze had not solved some of the problems, the situation woul
Rose pouted and said, “Kaze, you are the one who doesn’t stay home. Every day when I wake up, you are already gone. “I went to school every day, practiced my dance lesson, and studied for my upcoming test. I’m exhausted. How can you say that I’m out every day?” Rose had decided to go to art college after high school, so she had been practicing dance as one of her majors. Kaze smiled. “Dance? Like ballet or belly dance? When are you going to show me?” Rose had a nice body and her dance attire would definitely highlight her youthful physique. “No way! Not even if you pay!” Rose blushed when he realized Kaze was teasing her. She had another glance at Kaze and realized it was purely a joke and meant nothing else. For some reason, she was slightly disappointed. Then, she shifted the topic and asked, “Kaze, are you free tonight?” “Depends.” “My dance coach is asking me to join a gathering. I want you to accompany me.” Noticing the lack of interest on Kaze’s face, Rose e
On top of that, Wanda even came to pick Rose up. Even though it was normal for the coach to pick a student up, even in an expensive car, Kaze had a feeling that Wanda had ulterior motives. “Uh… I’m actually living in my brother-in-law’s house.” Rose did not reveal how many houses Kaze actually owned in the district. “Ms. Wanda, you are a local. Haven’t you heard of Skylar View District?” “I used to live abroad and only came back recently to start a dance school with my friends. I’m not familiar with the places anymore,” Wanda said. She then switched her attention to Kaze. “Who might this be? I told you Young Master Corax is joining us today and we only invite our circle. “I don’t think he will be happy about you bringing a stranger there.” Wanda switched to a harsher tone and scrutinized Kaze. “Young Master Corax?” Kaze finally understood Wanda’s intention. He looked at Rose and the girl looked slightly guilty. She timidly explained, “Kaze, Young Master Corax is o
Rose almost burst into laughter when Kaze decided to play dumb. She curled his arm, refusing to let him go. She said to Wanda, “Ms. Wanda, if Kaze isn’t going, then I’m not going either. “I promised to bring him along. I want him to have good food because he seldom gets the chance. You wouldn’t want me to break my promise right?” Rose wore an innocent look, though behind her big googly eyes were nothing but devious thoughts. Kaze could not help but knock her head. She made it sound like he had never eaten anything good. “Hmph.” Wanda chuckled in disdain. It seemed like he was not just an idiot, he was a glutton. She assumed someone as useless as him would not pose any threat to Corax or steal the limelight. He could even be the clown to entertain everyone. On second thought, it might be a good idea. With that, Wanda started to look forward to the gathering. She smiled and said, “No, no. I didn’t mean that. It’s just that I am concerned it might not be appropriate.
It never occurred to Kaze that Cyan and her influencer friends would attend Hannah’s celebration too. Before Cyan said anything, one influencer put her hand over her lips and said with a smile, “Get with the times, Anna. Cyan’s family isn’t just close with the senior members of the Viper’s Den. She’s going to be part of the organization soon.” “Huh?” Stunned, the other influencers asked, “What’s going on? Just tell us, Sweetpea!” Sweetpea was the influencer who just spilled the beans. She was Cyan’s closest friend and biggest ass-kisser. Taking Cyan by the shoulder, Sweetpea said, “Remember Cyan’s number one fan?” “Yeah!”“Sponge has been a fan of Cyan even before she signed with Golden Scale Corporation. Sponge tipped her tens of millions.”“That was how Cyan caught the eye of Golden Scale Corporation, and she became a hit.” The influencers chattered among themselves, all familiar with Sponge. They came from nothing and clawed their way up online.Their beginnings
The next afternoon, Kaze arrived at the parking lot outside Bronze Sparrow. It was packed with fancy cars. Needless to say, the underground garage must be filled with cars too. Hannah’s celebration was held in Bronze Sparrow. Just a few days ago, Siberian infiltrated Bronze Sparrow and abducted Anzu. The incident caused quite a stir in the upper crust of Riverbank. At the same time, the underground powerhouses were eager to get involved. As Miru, the up-and-coming underworld boss, seemed to be all bark and no bite, they wanted to see what she was made of. Bronze Sparrow, a place where troublemakers once ceased to exist, had to deal with incidents daily. Despite Miru getting tough on these troublemakers, business at Bronze Sparrow took a nosedive anyway. Miru was frustrated with the situation. Siberian had been a threat to the Viper’s Den for many years. It was no surprise that Miru’s crew could not defeat him. This time, Siberian’s death at the hands of the Viper’s
Kaze was taken aback. “How did you know?” “How?” June’s lips curled. “It’s all over town by now. Darcy is the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. Have you any idea how many eyes are on a rich and beautiful girl like her? “Her divorce has caught the attention of men, and they are going to try their luck with her.” It did not take Kaze much to know that the Quint family members had nothing better to do. Agnes had been hoping to marry her daughter up. However, Darcy had the power, money, and connections to be playing with the big leagues herself. Agnes’ expectations for her future son-in-law would only go higher. Despite her lack of brain cells, Agnes would not do something degrading like circulating the news of her daughter’s divorce. “Hey! Why do you seem indifferent about this?” June elbowed Kaze. “How do you think I should react?” Kaze found June baffling. June looked disappointed. “You don’t seem upset that you were dumped.” “Get a life.” Kaze did not hav
Sasha regained consciousness through sheer willpower. She had made a full recovery from her external injuries, but she simply could not wake up from her mental trauma. However, Sasha seemed to be in a better place than before the incident. Before, Sasha would avert her gaze, not meeting the eyes of the person she was talking to. Yet now, Kaze realized that Sasha looked at him straight in the eyes. There had to be some sort of experience to bring about the change in her. “Did something bad happen, Kaze?” Sasha asked, her eyes reflecting concern. Kaze pulled himself together and reached out to shuffle her hair. “No. Let’s not get into it. You just got up. You should rest well.” “No, I’ve been awake for a while now.” Sasha, one to be meek in Kaze’s presence, refuted him for once. She shook her head and said, “I was just afraid. I was scared that the nightmare would come back when I opened my eyes, so I pretended to be asleep. “But now that you’re here, I have no reason
Agnes settled down. “That’s right. We are better off without the parasite. “We will live comfortably thanks to our precious daughter—” “Darcy! Darcy!” Before Agnes could finish, an individual barged into the villa. Maxine, her hair disheveled and her body in bruises, rushed into the living room and grabbed hold of Darcy while wailing, “Darcy! I was wrong! I was a snob to target you! It’s all my fault. I’m the worst!” She gave herself a couple of slaps before pleading, “Darcy, I need Kaze’s help. Please, can you get him to tell Patrick to get back together with me?“Ever since I broke up with Patrick, he befriended Kaze and became successful. He calls the shots in his family now.“I’m being made fun of for not cherishing him. My parents, brother, and grandmother are on my case, telling me off for missing out on a good catch. “Darcy, we’re family. Please, can you talk to Kaze for me? Patrick doesn’t listen to anyone else but him.” Maxine, who always fancied herself to be
The Quint quickly realized they were so close to digging their own grave. Thankfully, they did not upset Darcy too much. They had a lot of ass-kissing to make up for now. Smug, Agnes went up and said, “Thank you for working together with Darcy. I know that you put the project on pause because you were tight with Kaze. “But my daughter and Kaze have separated. Don’t listen to him if he tries to get involved with Sky Ocean Corporation. “Kaze gets nothing out of the divorce, so he can’t offer you anything. You are free to collaborate with my daughter.” Perfect World Group and the Riverbank council were responsive to put the project on hold because of Kaze. However, Agnes was not the least bit grateful. In fact, she tried to acquire Kaze’s network. In her opinion, Kaze had lost everything. A wise person would choose to make the most out of the situation and make a business deal with Darcy. Blue from Perfect World Group put on a straight face. “Mrs. Quint, I have one more th
It took a lot of effort for Agnes to break her daughter up with Kaze. There was no way she would allow Kaze to have a second shot with Darcy. The way Agnes saw it, her daughter was the head of the Quints in the South River State and the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. Darcy was beautiful and a great catch. Kaze did not mean squat. While Agnes danced with joy, several vehicles turned up outside the villa. These cars belonged to two different parties. The first group was in fancy cars while the other group was much more discreet. Still, nobody would dismiss government vehicles. Though surprised, Darcy quickly went up to greet the people. “Chief Yaphet, Mr. Jayne, what brings you here?” The alphas of both groups were not some big VIP to Darcy’s family. However, they had control over Sky Ocean Corporation’s future. More accurately, the entities that these people worked for held the fate of Sky Ocean Corporation in their hands. Welson, a middle-ranking official in the
“No way! Madam Quint had no reason to kill Madam Dark.” There was a bustle at Villa No. 1. Despite the statement coming from the police, the crowd was skeptical that Phoenix would kill anyone. Agnes and Darcy found the truth hard to swallow. If Phoenix were behind the evil assassination, they would be wrong about Kaze. The police officer said, “We learned that the dump truck driver received 1.2 million dollars before the accident. We tracked the money to one of Phoenix’s people in Ridgesouth. “We looked into Phoenix’s phone records and discovered that she contacted the Steelclaw Guild through the dark web. “She had no idea that we have eyes on the dark web. Though we don’t know the specifics of her deal with the Steelclaw Guild, she would only have one reason to contact an assassination organization.“The Steelclaw Guild’s killer then showed up at the funeral parlor.“We are linking these two incidents, and our prime suspect is Phoenix, who is now deceased.“We didn’t de
“Kaze, do you know how unfamiliar and frightened you’re making me feel right now?“Why was the Steelclaw Guild’s killer after you? If today didn’t happen, I wouldn’t know that you had gotten yourself in deep trouble. “I don’t know what else you are hiding from me. I even wonder if you were behind Madam Dark’s car accident. “My feelings toward you have been true, but family is equally important to me. “I’m afraid that one day, you will get my parents and brother killed.” Darcy let everything out. The storm in Kaze’s eyes quelled.He grabbed a pen and signed his name before taking his copy. Kaze placed the other copy on the table before walking away. As the people in the villa watched on in shock, Agnes dropped her jaw in joy. Agnes thought that it would take a lot of talking and crying to push Darcy in the right direction. To her surprise, Darcy filed for divorce right away. Nevertheless, she was quick to complain. “You are silly, Darcy. You should have asked for V