Sky became the center of attention back in the room. All the guys and girls surrounded him with questions, curious about his brother-in-law, Kaze. Then, Celine went up to Sky with teary eyes and said meekly, “Sky, I think Xion isn’t as mature as you, I’ve decided to break up with him…” “Celine, you breaking up with Xion is none of my business. Go talk to him.” Sky was an innocent boy. He looked at Celine, confused, and did not understand why she would tell him about her breaking up with Xion. The other guys and girls looked at her strangely. In the end, she got embarrassed and angry and ran out of the room. Richard followed Kaze out of the room. After he closed the door, he said, “Mr. Lee, your wife is here as well. She’s here to meet the director of Lilyrose Bank, Liben Radar, and his people. I noticed they look at your wife strangely, and I worry they might have other thoughts in mind.” He had been in the hotel business for many years and became good at observing pe
“Who are you, who let you in?” Liben glared at the uninvited guest and bellowed. “Get the hell out!” Kaze? Darcy was surprised to see him at the door. “Mr. Director, this is my husband, Kaze Lee. I asked him to come get me since we are drinking.” She quickly came up with an excuse to justify his entry. Kaze said, “Mr. Director, Darcy is at her limit. I’ll take her place.” Liben’s eyes gleamed coldly. He almost got Darcy drunk but then her husband came out of nowhere and ruined his plan. He could not just ask him to leave or else it would expose his ulterior motive. Then, one of his men whispered in his ear, “Sir, just drink with him. There are a few of us with the medicine so we are not afraid of him. Once he is drunk, we can continue with our plan. No one will know what we have done!” A great idea indeed! Liben nodded. “Kaze, is it? Let’s drink then. Let me be straight: if you can’t beat us, we won’t approve the loan.” “Sure.” Kaze smiled and picked up two bo
Darcy and Joy glared at Liben after the revelation. They did not expect he was such a vile and filthy person, especially Darcy when she realized she was toyed. She slammed the table, bolted up and shouted, “Mr. Director, what is the meaning of this?” “Aren’t I clear enough? Lilyrose Bank isn’t going to approve the loan to Quintessential Group. Your company previously received a loan from us and hasn’t repaid it!” Liben decided to be honest since he was completely drunk. He sized up Darcy from top to bottom pervertedly and grinned. “If you let me fuck you today, I can extend your loan period.” Darcy got so frustrated that she teared up. First Henry, then Eliot, now Liben. All these filthy men tried to get her body by using filthy methods. “Keep on dreaming!” she said, clenching her teeth. She grabbed her jacket and wanted to leave the filthy place. Liben got angry. He shouted, “You’re leaving? I know your company funds are hitting bottom low. If you can’t meet the de
“Mr. Lee!” Richard had been waiting outside the VIP room and he came over to Kaze as soon as the door opened. “There’s a girl called Joy Soothe in room No. 888. Arrange someone to send her home,” Kaze said before he went downstairs. Sky and his friends were still playing. Since the boy was having fun, Kaze decided to leave him be and send Darcy home first. After he left, the irritating noise of sirens echoed across the street. Multiple ambulances stopped in front of Lily Garden Hotel. When Liben and his men were carried into the ambulance, they were panting heavily and barely conscious. Darcy went home and slept for the entire day before regaining consciousness. As soon as she thought about what happened at the hotel, she felt scared. “Kaze, what have you done to the bank director and his men? They are powerful and influential, they’ll come after you!” She knew Kaze did it because of her, so she did not blame him for his actions. Kaze remained casual. “If they wan
The news devastated the entire family. Darcy called the director of the Industrial and Commercial Bank, Yusoff Lewis. They had been working together for a long time and were always on good terms. “Hello, Director Lewis?” Before she stated the intention of the call, Yusoff said, “Ms. Quint, I know what you want to say but we can’t do anything either. Our hands are tied. Maurice Taon, the chairman of Lilyrose Bank, has made it clear. We will be opposing him if we release a loan to Quintessential Group.” As mentioned before, Maurice was the son-in-law of the Everias. Due to his status and position, he was able to rise to prominence in the banking field rapidly. His words represented the Everias and the entirety of the top three families to a certain extent. Darcy suppressed her fear and said, “But the Industrial and Commercial Bank is the top four banks of the country, why are you afraid of the top three families?” “The bank is not afraid of them, but my colleagues and I
Darcy refused to believe that Joy would betray her! They used to be good friends in university. Although not as close as her with Miru, they were still friends. If not for Kaze, Joy would be drunk raped by the executives. She was furious. How could Joy testify against Kaze? Darcy called her immediately. “Joy, there's a lawyer at my office saying that you are testifying against me and my husband for intentional harm, is that true?” “Yeah, what’s the problem?” Joy sounded lazy as if she had just woken up. The confirmation stunned Darcy like a bolt of lightning. “Joy, how could you do this? Don’t you remember what happened yesterday? They forced you to drink!” Darcy suppressed her anger and tried to clarify the matter with her friend. She still refused to believe Joy would betray her. She must be forced or coerced to do so. “Darcy, I agreed to testify because it’s the right thing to do. Please don’t make assumptions.” Joy raised her voice and added, “You wanted t
Kaze was loud when he made the announcement and it stopped the employees on their tracks. They turned around and looked at Kaze with a frosty grin. Dean, the HR director who was the first to resign, scoffed. “You messed with the top three families, there is no future in this company anymore! We’ll have to find our next job, or else it will be too late. Guys, am I right?” “Yeah!” The executives and employees who already made up their minds adhered loudly. “Ms. Quint, don’t forget to pay us what is due, or else we will take the necessary actions as well.” Dean then led the group of employees away. The executives and employees heartlessly left the company at a time of crisis and even threatened to take legal action if they were not duly compensated. Kaze ignored them and turned to the other employees who stayed. They were also worried and concerned but they did not leave immediately. Kaze said loudly, “To those who stay, your salary will be raised three times and bonus dou
Darcy widened her eyes in disbelief. She was shocked by how shameless her grandfather was. Before this, the man thought of every possible way to stop her from taking control of the company. He would rather leave the CEO’s seat empty than give it to her. Now that the company was on the brink of collapse, he shoved it into her hands just to make her take full responsibility. Even Kaze became the legal representative of multiple subsidiaries. A penniless, jobless man became the boss of a multimillion company in just a few hours. How ridiculous was that? “Grandfather, when did you get your hands on Kaze’s identification? Have you gotten his permission?” Darcy bellowed. Displeased, Master Quint grunted and said, “Don’t forget that we are feeding the idiot for free! If not for us, he is dead already! We do not need his permission to do things with his identification!” Darcy took a deep breath to keep herself sane. She knew her grandfather had planned this for a while and it
“Just tell me what you need, Arthur. You wouldn’t be calling unless you have received orders.” Philip was surprised to get a call from Arthur. Though they were acquainted, they had only communicated because of work. “We have just left Rising Sun. Don’t approve the films for now.” Arthur was blunt. “I can do that, but can I ask why?” Philip was caught in a dilemma because he had just promised Jet to release the films. Philip needed to know if the orders to delay came from a high power who could cover his ass. “Since you got a call from me, you should know that there are eyes on Jet. “You should know what you can and cannot say. Otherwise, you never know when you’re going to lose your job.” Arthur threatened. Philip was reluctant. He accepted Jet’s payment, and now he had to go back on his word. Nevertheless, Arthur was part of the Viper’s Den, and his status was rather unique. Arthur provided services to confidential individuals. These individuals were elites among t
A balanced, profitable dynamic had been developed among the ports in Butterworth. Jet spotted his chance in the lucrative port business. He covertly took out some money to invest in a dying port. The port was situated in a more remote area. Some businesspeople favored more accessible ports. This drove shippers away from the dying port. Jet snagged the steal and improved the logistics and facilities around the area. The port was up and running again. Business at the port was decent enough. As the Frosts would run their business through the port, the local economy took off too. It was a good thing. However, Jet set his sights on several residential buildings around the area. He needed space to accommodate containers. The land was required to make business at the port more profitable. This triggered a whole new thing. Jet could spend some money to buy the residents out of their homes. However, the residents preferred to stay put in their long-time homes. No a
“I’ll keep the bank cards for now. I’ll talk to our superiors and give you a decision. Since the man said that the cards are meant for us, they won’t be going anywhere.” Knox had no idea who Kaze was, but he knew Arthur was with the Viper’s Den. Arthur must be someone from high places. Eli soon put the little incident behind him. He got a call from Aloysius yesterday and was made aware of Jet’s plans. The films had been put on hold for far too long, and the people above Eli were anxious to get things moving. Though Eli was surprised by the review board’s visit, everything was still in his control. Eli left the matter at that without reporting the incident to the higher-ups. The flashy, red car sped along the road. Arthur kept looking back at Kaze, eager to find out about the next plan. Arthur brought Kaze out today to witness how Eli and his team operated. As it happened, Eli adopted such a shallow ploy. Arthur was not surprised, though. Eli’s methods were common.
Eli dined offhandedly as if he had taken hold of the group. His words were layered with threat. “What? Are you trying to replace us?” Knox asked in disbelief. “I don’t have that power, but the investor does. I heard that he enjoyed dinner with your superiors. I’m sure the project will get the green light in no time. “Even if you didn’t approach me today, my team and I would have invited you out for a get-together.” Eli knew when to back down, easing the tension in the air. It was another type of reconciliation. Eli needed to go through the review board to get the rights to air the films. The carrot-and-stick approach was the best way forward. Kaze was surprised by the sophistication of Eli’s tactics. Still, he believed he had come to the right place. Sure enough, Jet would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Surely, he was bound to leave loose ends. Nevertheless, he probably did not care. Arthur cocked his head back to look at Kaze. Kaze grinned, unbothered
The purpose of the visit was to inform Rising Sun that the films did not make the cut. Since Rising Sun would not make the necessary amendments, the project would come to a halt. “Please, don’t. Since we are all here, we should talk it out.” It took Eli quite some effort to get the group to the hotel. Eli had plans to please the crowd, so he could not let them leave just yet. This went beyond getting the green light for the films. Eli needed to make the group happy. “There is nothing more to talk about. We can’t proceed unless you make the changes.” There was no way around it. Since Rising Sun refused to make the right amendments, and Knox had orders about putting a hold on Rising Sun’s films, that was one less problem for Knox to deal with. Eli could not let the group walk out on him. Hence, he quickly sent people in. Several thinly clad women entered, each holding a small bag. Despite the weightlessness, the bag appeared to be carrying something of substance. “You
For that reason, Rising Sun’s film productions were not cleared to be aired. “I told you the reason. The investor supplied us with the scripts, and we were told to base our productions on the scripts. Our hands are tied.”Eli would have made the amendments if he could. He knew where the problem lay. However, the company had to take the investor’s perspective into consideration. In the end, the films were yet to be approved for release. “I guess you won’t get the permission to air them then.” Knox was surprised that Rising Sun would not budge on the matter. Nevertheless, Knox and his team were not there to give the all-clear or talk some sense into Rising Sun. Knox and his team could care less about what Eli had to say. “We’re serious about getting the approval. “I’m sorry that we aren’t a better host for your visit today. Why don’t we move to the nearby hotel for a talk?” With the review board making an appearance, Eli knew there was still hope. If Eli did not grab
Arthur chuckled, his smile carrying a touch of sleaziness. “Oh, I see.” A realization dawned on Kaze. “Are you with quality control?” Several individuals in dark blue suits approached. The men and women carried files and documents. Kaze nodded without a word. “We are just here to announce the results. We shouldn’t be long.” Arthur came forward to engage with them. The group was likely given the heads-up as they had the right number of people. They swaggered into Rising Sun’s building. The general manager straightened up his tie in a fluster and walked out. None of the film productions made the cut yet, and the delay was costing the company money by the day. At this rate, the project would go down under. Eli, the general manager, rushed to the entrance upon learning the news. The review team was there to do one final check. The films would get the green light if the board found that everything was up to par. The head office would stop putting pressure on
Given Kaze’s status, Alfonso knew better than to have him waiting under the hot sun. Of course, he would send his people to be on standby for Kaze’s arrival. Peter only came to the rescue when Kaze was pestered by some street gang. Alfonso’s omission of Kaze’s identity led to this hiccup. Kaze did not care one bit about the incident. Heck, he did not even bring it up. Arthur straightened his back nervously, becoming even more cautious behind the wheel. “You knew, but why didn’t you say anything, Mr. Lee? You didn’t even tell on us.” Arthur could not understand why. However, he had more respect for the man. “I didn’t see a point. You’ll learn what happens when you displease me, so I won’t bother telling you now.” Kaze was mild-mannered as ever. He spoke softly without a hint of anger. All the more Arthur revered him. “Mr. Lee, we didn’t do our jobs right. We didn’t know who you were.“But my duty is to protect you in the dark. “We saw you getting out of the train
“Rising Sun is a media company. Several of their films are about to be released. They are trying to get them approved to air due to some censorship issues.” Arthur took out a document. “Are there any issues with the films? Why aren’t they approved yet?” Kaze asked curiously. Kaze had no idea. “There are some issues. They aren’t fit to be aired. “Typically, there aren’t a lot of restrictions for film productions so long as the themes aren’t sensitive topics. “But these films featured altered history. The company has been asked multiple times to make revisions, but the films still don’t make the cut.” The Viper’s Den’s members were not privy to the information. The Frosts were insignificant. Kaze was after the Frosts. Otherwise, the Viper’s Den would not waste its resources on a mere film production company. Jet’s investment of nearly ten million bucks in Rising Sun caught the Viper’s Den’s attention. The delayed approval of the films would be catastrophic to the in