Kaze went through the trouble of getting Loid to pass the message to avoid getting directly involved with internal affairs and stirring up gossip. He represented the military after all. “I’ll be sure to pass the message alone.” Loid was happy to help. “One more thing, Loid. Give me the resumes of those competing to be the mayor of Lilyrose.” Kaze relayed another request. Right from the start, Kaze was not going to interfere with the selection of a new mayor. He did not want to end up like Trent. However, circumstances forced his hand. Fanny was dead set on settling Miru up with Jerome to squeeze her husband into the mayoral position. The Quints’ main house, the Ridgesouth Quints, joined the race too. Even before a new mayor was announced, the Quints were ready to offer businesses to the main house in exchange for fame and privilege. It struck Kaze that the mayoral position in Lilyrose put many vested interests at stake.Lilyrose meant a lot to Kaze as a city.
Taken aback, Caleb asked, “Are you from Ryokan?” “No… Not yet, at least.” The woman clarified and said, “I was a student at the globally renowned Cousbank University. I manage Cherry Capital’s portfolio of investments. Cherry Capital runs under Cherry Bank.“But I trust my efforts will be rewarded with citizenship in Ryokan soon enough.” She was known as Violet Ren before. Rina always wished she had been born in Ryokan. Though she had not acquired citizenship there, she legally changed her name to reflect so. The woman’s abnormally fervent gaze rubbed Caleb the wrong way. “I see. Are you here on Cherry Capital’s behalf?” Caleb asked in a calm voice, the annoyance buried deep within. His personal feelings should not affect his work. It was only right to remain professional. Rina glanced at the seated stout man and said solemnly, “Mr. Leed, it’s believed that Lee Investment is putting their acquired private hospitals back into the market, and the ownership is for the may
The stout man slammed the armrest of the chair and got up with his finger up Caleb’s face. He launched into a tirade in his native language. “What did the idiot say?” Caleb asked with a grimace. Despite his unfamiliarity with the Ryokan language, he caught the familiar slur, ‘idiot’. Hence, Caleb called the stout man the same thing. Given his position as deputy mayor, Caleb would even swear to uphold the dignity and power of the mayor’s office. “Mr. Leed!” Rina yelled sternly. She said with a solemn face, “Please show some respect to Mr. Aki. “Mr. Aki heads up the investment division at Cherry Capital. His family, the Akis, is prominent in Ryokan. Caleb scoffed. “Show him respect? Are you saying that he can call me an idiot, but I can’t? “Are you from Ryokan or Acardia, Ms. Rina?” Rina scowled and said angrily, “Mr. Leed, please watch your manners. You represent the mayor’s office. “If you continue to make these personal attacks on me, I have the right to sue you
“Either way, the six hospitals are mine.” Aki, despite his short stature, spoke with an air of superiority. If the policy was a fake, another should be structured in a manner that would uniquely position Cherry Capital as the most suitable candidate.However, the policy, if real, should be abolished. He presented such demands as perfectly reasonable.“I’m calling it a day, Mr. Leed. I hope you will consider what I just said.” Aki straightened his collar and walked out. The group of men and women followed him. Nevertheless, Rina cocked her head back at the door and stared coldly at Caleb. “I hope you got the message, Mr. Leed. “You won’t be the deputy mayor for long if you can’t meet his requests. “I don’t have to elaborate on Sanwell Finances’ influence in Arcadia.” The group then strutted out. In the reception area, Caleb grimaced hard. Moments later, Lou entered the room and gasped when he learned of the incident from Caleb. “I can’t believe Sanwell Financ
“Even if the driver was acting under instructions, we need to wait for him to wake up to interrogate him.” Caleb spoke in hushed tones, “Excuse me for asking, Mr. Lee. Are you involved?” Kaze was not the only one who found the timing too coincidental. Caleb thought Kaze was behind it right away. “Yeah, right!” Kaze glared at Caleb and said with a smile, “I only said I’ll deal with the situation. Did I say anything about killing him? “Besides, if I were to do something like that, would I resort to such a crude tactic?” Crashing a car was pretty crude. However, it did get the job done. If the problem could not be solved, then the source of the problem should be addressed. Kaze had thought about adopting extreme measures. In the worst-case scenario, Kaze was going to get someone influential to get a message across to Wells. Kaze would figure something else out if he could not get through to Kai. To his surprise, Kai died. “Regardless, it is a cause for celebra
“Chairman Lee, let’s not talk about the unhappy past. Come. Enjoy the food. We should clink glasses later.” Samson made light of the conversation. The owner of Dynasty Hotel played a gracious host too. “Let’s dine.” Kaze smiled nonchalantly, not accepting Samson’s invitation to sit at the dinner table. He and the owner of Dynasty Hotel went way back. Plus, Lilyrose Commerce Guild operated in the same building, so they often came across each other. Faced with Kaze’s disrespect, Samson kept a smile on his face and did not take any offense. Food and drinks were the best way to break the ice.The owner of Dynasty Hotel excused himself, leaving the pair some space to talk. “Just get to the point, Mr. Hobbs,” Kaze said while drinking some broth. Samson said, “To be honest, Chairman Lee. I wanted to have this meeting with you in the hope we can put the past behind us. “Technically, you and I have no feud. I only went after you under the Lees’ order because I worked for
“If you can do me this favor, I will dedicate myself to helping you, Chairman Lee. I’ll be happy to serve you, and only you.” Samson stood before Kaze, his body hunched, as he looked at Kaze expectantly. Kaze sipped on the broth and said indifferently, “You expect me to hand over five percent shares to save your life while enjoying my protection as my subordinate. “You sure are asking for a lot, Mr. Hobbs. “But do you think you deserve it?” Five percent shares was a lot. Kaze could become the biggest shareholder of Lee Investment with just five percent shares. Heck, he could reestablish Lee Investment with the right tools. He could even cash in the shares for billions of dollars. Company shares owned by the Lees were sought after in the financial market. Most importantly, Samson’s survival did not matter to Kaze. Plus, they had never been friends. Kaze never saw Samson worthy as his enemy anyway. Hence, Kaze had no reason to save Samson. Samson kept his head l
Kai, with a strong will to live, opened his mouth and begged for help in a struggle. The holder of the phone drew close, only to stomp on Kai’s chest. That kick took Kai’s life. In the end, the holder of the phone switched the phone camera to the front view, revealing his face. Kaze recognized the person. The face belonged to the driver who drank and caused the accident. The video ended. Kai clearly did not die from the car crash. It was no accident that he was dead. Kaze put down the phone and looked at Samson. “So you plotted the car accident last night? “Why did you do it?” “Would you believe me if I said that I hate these idiots?” Samson asked. Kaze smiled offhandedly. He did not believe Samson would kill a citizen of Ryokan out of hatred. Samson was all about the profits. Besides, Kai belonged to the Well family. Caleb validated through his investigation yesterday that the Well family was a member of Sanwell Finances’ K division. The family in Ryokan