Andrew nodded indifferently and said, “Sorry to keep everyone waiting.” “It’s fine!” many of the guests quickly responded. Most of the female guests, other than Darcy and Honey, looked at Andrew with overflowing admiration. Aside from his attractive features, his identity as the direct descendant of the Tulip Royal Family alone was enough to charm the women. However, Andrew came to the banquet with a plus-one. “Sir Andrew, who might this be?” Phil asked politely. The woman might wear heavy makeup and be distinctively different from Honey’s natural allure, she was close with Andrew and it was enough for Phil to show her some respect. “A new friend whom I just met two days ago,” Andrew indifferently said and did not spare extra attention on the woman. With his status, he did not need to do anything and women would come to him automatically. The woman was just another one of his admirers who volunteered to serve him when he stayed at Geranium City. For the past two day
More people approached Andrew, flattering him and possibly trying to curry favor. Andrew’s identity was worth their time to do so. With Blossom Corporation’s resources, the smallest piece of pie from the company would be enough for them to earn a massive profit. On top of that, many of them admired the lifestyle in Paladia and wanted to emigrate there. To the wealthy, the major problem would be maintaining their assets after the emigration. It was not easy trying to become another country’s citizen. Without powerful support or a wealthy foundation, emigration would turn a wealthy man into a big fat piece of meat for locals to devour. Therefore, all of them tried to curry favors with Andrew. However, there were a lot of guests at the banquet and only a few of them got the rare chance to speak to him. Most of the guests did not even catch Andrew’s attention. All they could do was watch from afar with a jealous gaze, laughing and nodding along. Kaze and Darcy were furt
After an intensive internal struggle, Darcy bit the bullet and took a step forward. It was then Kaze held her back by her arm. Darcy looked at him, confused. Phil was also surprised. He glared at Kaze and bellowed, “Kaze Lee, what is the meaning of this?” “If he wants to meet my wife, shouldn’t he come to her instead? Is he the so-called noble of Paladia? He doesn’t even know social etiquette?” Kaze said indifferently. What? Kaze’s words shocked everyone. The live-in husband must have lost his mind. How dare he ask Andrew to go up to Darcy instead? Kaze was right because it was common social etiquette, but it depended on who he was talking to. Andrew was none other than the person in charge of Blossoms Corporation, a member of the Tulip Royal Family! Kaze was courting death! Everyone looked at him as if he was an idiot who had lost his mind. Phil regained his composure and got angrier. He stared at Darcy viciously and bellowed, “Ms. Quint, is this how your l
Blossoms Corporation had its eyes on Rove for a long time now. Starting from Kailan to Dakota, all of them were tasked to acquire Rove. When Rove had their open bid for investment, Blossoms Corporation planned extensively beforehand. They did not just invest a lot in the process, they even used their connection with the Lyfe family of Geranium. One of the Geranium Four, Sieg Lyfe, was sent to Lilyrose to take over Rove. With the influence and extensive connections of Blossoms Corporation in the world of capitalism, nothing could possibly go wrong. Rove was already seen as the Blossoms Corporation’s subsidiary at one point. However, Kaze used Astral Wealth Management to snatch Rove at the very last moment. Blossoms Corporation had never suffered such a major defeat since its founding over a hundred years ago. The loss was unacceptable to Andrew, as well as the top brass of the company. Therefore, Andrew came to Lilyrose himself to acquire Sky Ocean Corporation to mak
The others had a similar thought to Phil. Everyone thought Kaze would eventually kneel, except for two people. First, it was Honey. She remained seated on her chair and watched with a faint smile on her face. She decided to be an observer from the start and did not pick any sides. The other one would be Darcy. When she heard Andrew wanted Kaze to apologize in the most insulting way possible, she got mad. Her eyes were burning with rage. “Darcy, relax. Have a seat.” Kaze held Darcy back and calmly asked her to sit down. Darcy frowned but she sat down anyway. She did not know why Kaze could remain calm in the face of insult, but since Kaze had spoken, she believed he had a way around the situation. Phil was angrier than ever. He shouted, “Darcy Quint, what is the meaning of this? Have you forgotten about the Mountain Dew project? Tell your useless husband to kneel and apologize, or your project will never pass the inspection. All it takes is a word from me!” He was
Moreover, both Darcy and Honey had their attention on Kaze instead of Andrew. It was also unacceptable for Andrew who was secretly a playboy with the goal of conquering all beautiful women he met. “Mr. Andrew!” As the atmosphere in the hall grew tense, someone suddenly stumbled in and ran over to Andrew. Andrew turned around and was surprised to see someone he knew. “Kenneth? What happened to you?” The man was Kenneth, who had just left a while ago. His nostrils were stuffed with tissue paper, his forehead wrapped in a bandage, and he reeked of iodine, which made Andrew frown with disgust. Andrew instinctively took a step back. “Mr. Andrew, please help me!” Kenneth pointed at Kaze and bellowed angrily, “Before you arrived, that bastard beat me up because of a joke I made! “The others saw it as well! He slapped and kicked me! You can ask them if you don’t believe me! “Mr. Andrew, I am your guest and that bastard beat me up in front of everyone! It is not just dis
Upon listening to Andrew’s confirmation, everyone else in the hall widened their eyes in shock. They were from the same upper social circle, so they had heard of the Paladia Foreign Legion. The legion might not be as famous as Glowmoss Foreign Legion, but they too were powerful. In other words, Andrew’s bodyguards were veterans who had experienced war on the battlefield. There was no way Kaze could escape this. The same thought occurred in everyone’s mind at the same time. Even if Kaze could survive this, he would at least be severely crippled or comatose at the hands of the foreign legion veterans. Failing to notice the calm look on Kaze, Darcy’s heart pounded violently. She might not have seen how powerful these foreign legion veterans were but the name alone scared her. She instinctively got up from her seat and said with an apologetic look. “Sir Andrew, can we talk about this? “My husband beat Mr. Knull up with a good reason. It was Mr. Knull who started it and
The flames of fury burned brightly in Darcy’s eyes as she looked at the share transfer document. She did not blame Kaze for acting recklessly, which put her in a difficult situation. Previously, Cosmo did the same and used guns to force her to surrender the company. Now, Andrew organized this so-called banquet to lure Kaze and Darcy into a trap, ultimately forcing her to surrender the company as well. Every single one of them was after Sky Ocean Corporation, which should not be a surprise at this point anymore. Even if Kaze did not beat up Kenneth, Andrew would use another way to force her into the same situation. Nothing would change. Darcy knew she had to face difficulties the moment she agreed to attend the banquet. Andrew and Phil could always come up with another excuse to force her. Therefore, getting mad at Kaze would not help the situation at all. She felt helpless against Blossoms Corporation. Seeing Darcy’s hesitance, Andrew scoffed, “Ms. Quint, the choi
Picking up on Lock’s worry, Snow said indifferently, “Don’t worry, Mr. Yemen. I’m not here to make her pay.“I want to make a deal with her if you could pass the message along.“She will meet with me.” … Minutes later, Snow went into Villa No. 13 on her own. The bright and cheerful villa was now a dark and gloomy funeral hall. Mika’s black-and-white portrait was placed right in the center. As her death was unexpected, an old photo was used for the memorial. Mika’s radiant smile in the photo appeared eerie against the somber atmosphere. A large flower wreath was placed beneath the portrait, and a woman in mourning kneeled next to the picture. Snow could tell that the woman was relatively young, probably in her forties from her side profile. Even without makeup, the woman was nicely put together. She had taken good care of herself. The woman was Mika’s mother, Ebi. Ebi migrated to Cousbank and became a Ryokanian citizen. Upon learning of her daughter’s death, Ebi
“The first villa I ever own. I haven’t stayed here for long, and now it’s a place of mourning.” Cyan had no words. Mika’s mother was Ebi Wise. She was so unreasonable and made such a scene that the Yemens had no choice but to comply.As always, Cyan shifted the blame on Kaze. “Why hasn’t Kaze admitted to his crimes? Does he think that by denying the truth, he can escape from the law?“He should just confess and conduct the funeral at his Villa No. 9.“Only then can Mika rest easy.” The police condoned Villa No. 9 off to collect evidence. Cyan believed that Kaze’s refusal to admit his crimes was why Villa No. 9 was still closed off. Hence, Ebi used the Yemens’ place to mourn instead. Ryna glared at her husband. “It’s all your fault, Lock. Cyan and I disapproved of the bastard coming to the house, but you had to uphold your duty as a mentor. “What did that get you? Look what your student did to us in return.” Annoyed, Lock shouted, “That’s enough. I won’t ever bring hi
Collier knew Buffy had a point. Still, he said in frustration, “Fuck! I can’t just let these people make up stories about the branch leader.” Buffy sighed helplessly, not knowing what to say. Ever since Kaze’s arrest, Buffy had been keeping an eye on things. She wanted to pay a visit to the state police department. However, she dropped that thought upon learning that Darcy was there. Nothing was going on between Buffy and Kaze. However, Buffy would not face Darcy with a clear conscience. “Wow! Where did the money come from?” While the pair strategized, a cry burst out of the crowd. Collier and Buffy looked over to find some individuals clenching bags. The zippers of these bags came undone, and cash fell out as these people moved through the crowd. The banknotes were scattered far and wide. “Oh, my gawd! Uleanian dollars!” “Wow! Look at all the Uleanian dollars!” Somebody bent over to pick the money up. After a good look, the person turned flushed with thrill.
As the public watched in disbelief, the group of elderly individuals unfurled white banners and began protesting. “Where’s the justice? A young life is lost.”“Murderers must pay!” “Kaze Lee, you took my daughter’s life!” “Kaze Lee, the husband of Sky Ocean Corporation’s chairwoman, is a scumbag.” … The haunting messages on the white banners drew a lot of attention. Large projector screens, hung on the sides of the buses, played photo collages of Mika and footage of Kaze’s arrest. The group painted a picture of a pretty young woman killing herself after a man forced himself on her. The dramatic scene stirred a lot of emotions and curiosity. With attention drawn, many tourists pulled out their phones. Several older women wailed into megaphones, “Kaze is the devil! He must be punished for taking my daughter’s life!” Their grief and anger were heart-wrenching. As a crowd built, pamphlets were handed out to describe Kaze’s alleged harm to Mika. News of the incide
Aiden grimaced. Despite his great offer, Snow and Darcy turned him down. He was unhappy and jealous of Kaze. “I don’t really know Darcy, but Snow is an interesting woman. “Out of all the socialites I’ve met, she has character and a mind of her own. “She was worked up about getting Kaze out of the spot, but when I proposed that they had dinner with me, she refused without hesitation. “I doubt this has anything to do with love. She has so much trust in Kaze that he can turn things around no matter what. “I don’t understand where this trust stems from, but it’s something we shouldn’t neglect.” Aiden looked grim. Though Snow’s confidence in Kaze was puzzling, Aiden did not like it one bit. Kaze was just a loser. He did not deserve a woman like Snow. He was caught in a hopeless situation. This time, the Ryokanians and the Krads worked together to set him up. Mika’s death had attracted the attention of the Ryokanian government. Given the international implications of
“We have to assess the situation and plan accordingly. “Our goal is to remove Kent from office. Worst comes to worst, we can make Kaze give up on the piece of land.” Reiko lived up to her reputation as part of the Refined Blade. It did not take her long to pull herself together. She quickly determined a strategy. After a sip of her drink, Reiko said in a flat tone, “We can’t tell whether Wallace’s involvement in Kaze’s case is a good or bad thing yet. “He can stop Kent from butting in and keep Kaze with the state police. “On the other hand, we must slow down and stop all other operations. We cannot afford to make any mistakes.“We cannot underestimate Wallace. We risk losing everything if he catches us.” Aiden nodded, agreeing with Reiko’s perspective. “Ms. Hara, the evidence we provided to the state police is solid but not airtight. It won’t be difficult for Kaze to discredit it if he looks hard enough. “We pushed the investigation to focus on Kaze. The police simp
Aiden broke out in a cold sweat when he remembered losing Crown Tower at the auction. He said solemnly, “I’m sorry, Ms. Hara. The fault lies in me.”“I love a strong and powerful man who can handle me, Mr. Krad. I don’t need a rash man who can’t think straight.” Reiko grabbed a towel and wiped every inch of Aiden’s body. Her fingers coasted along Aiden’s Adam’s apple, and she said indifferently, “You better ask us before you make the next move. Otherwise, you might lose the chance to work with us again.” Aiden gritted his teeth and said nothing. Dropping the attitude, Aiden was as meek as a kitten in front of Reiko.He was usually the one getting handsy with Reiko. By the time Reiko withdrew her arm, Aiden’s expression had hardened. He read between the lines. Reiko talked about dropping him, not the Krads. In other words, Reiko could go to another member of the Krads to collaborate. Aiden’s competition was within his family. He aimed to be the top of his family.
Aiden’s words trailed off. The Ryokanians were never out to get Kaze. They were trying to bring Kent down through Kaze. The only conflict between Kaze and the Ryokanians was business rivalry, and there was no reason to escalate negotiable deals to a personal level. Kent was a different story. He was the mayor of Riverbank. He passed the bills for policies. One policy could decide the fate of a business. Kent’s policies could eliminate the Ryokanian presence in Riverbank. Kent must die. The Ryokanians could get Kaze out of the picture. If necessary, they could call it a truce with him too. That was what the Ryokanians thought. There was a fundamental difference between the Ryokanians’ attitude toward Kaze and Kent. The only thing on Aiden’s mind was to get rid of Kaze. Aiden simply took hits at Kent because the latter was Kaze’s supporter. He and the Ryokanians were after different things. Due to the lack of transparency in their communication, the plan had gon
Aiden chuckled in delight and grabbed Reiko’s hand to pull her close. He sniffed her hand and said with a manic laugh, “Don’t worry, Ms. Hara. I will get you Crown Tower before killing him. “Hahaha! He’s just a loser. What does he have to compete with me?” Aiden gripped Reiko’s hand and threw his head back to guffaw. “Splash!” Reiko raised her hand and poured her drink on Aiden. Aiden choked on the drink, interrupting his laughter.“Cough, cough.” It took Aiden a while to get over it. He shot an angry look at Reiko and shouted, “Have you lost it, Reiko?” Aiden was surprised to see Reiko looking rather aloof. Reiko had always clung to him, catering to all his needs since they met. She made him feel like a king. Yet now, Reiko caught him off guard by turning on him. Aiden had no idea what was going on. “You have some explaining to do, bitch,” Aiden grabbed a towel to wipe his face while uttering furiously. Unfazed by Aiden’s temper, Reiko said with a blank face,