As soon as Kaze’s voice subsided, loud buzzing noises came from outside the building. Drones descended from the sky and hovered outside the clinic. There were at least a hundred drones lined up in a formation. The loud buzzes attracted all the attention of the street. Many people came out of their houses to see what the commotion was about. Snow came into the clinic and handed Kaze a tablet. Kaze tapped on it. “But the fee for the surrogate mother is too expensive. Five million for a baby?! Chairman Toan gave us ten million and if we pay this, we’re left with only five million. We still have to buy a car and a house. We can’t just spend the money like this.” “You have no idea how hard it is to carry a baby for nine months. I won’t sacrifice my beauty and my body to bear a child. I want to be beautiful. If people can do it for me, why must I do it on my own?” Familiar voices were heard from the tablet. Joy’s expression shifted. It was the conversation she had with Hugh
Kaze remained calm and showed no signs of attacking. When the six men and women approached him and Snow, six ferocious men barged into the clinic. They were Jackal and team! The six of them each revealed a tri-dagger knife and flung it at their opponents.Swoosh! The six tri-dagger knives flew like bullets and struck the opponents’ heads. The men and women widened their eyes in shock and disbelief and died before they could even make a noise. Blood and brains oozed out from the hole that the tri-dagger knives punctured. The boss gasped in shock when he saw his men died altogether. He looked at Jackal and team in horror. The six of them, expressionless, went up to the dead bodies and retrieved their weapons. After wiping off the blood and brains on the doctor’s robes, they turned to Kaze. “Sir, what should we do with this one?” Jackal asked while showing his back at the boss of the gang. He did not take the man seriously. “Kill him,” Kaze said. Jackal flung his
Joy’s followers’ rage spread across her social media in an instant and reached almost every corner of the internet. She became the common target, replacing Darcy’s place. The netizens believed what they saw instead of the rumors that Joy spread. With the clip, it was more convincing that Joy framed and betrayed Darcy. “The guy in the video was right! Joy is a bitch! A fucking bitch!” “Darcy is wrongly accused! I won’t believe the word Joy type anymore!” “Darcy’s husband cleared her name for her! How could such a good man be a psychotic maniac? Let’s just wait for the plot twist…” Instantly, Joy became the talk of the town. Netizens bashed her mercilessly and did not hold back at all. She finally got a taste of her own medicine. She was sentenced to death, socially, and there was no way for her to come back from that. Her followers, her fame, and her dream of making money—everything went down the drain. Ironically, she switched places with Darcy after the truth was rev
Maurice had lost all his patience. He wanted to push Darcy to the brink and finish off Quintessential Group once and for all. “Come on. We should check out the woman. She’s one gorgeous doll in Lilyrose. I’m sure she’ll be even more captivating in a state of despair.” Maurice strutted confidently out of the local bank with his men in tow. The conversation went on at Quintessential Group’s office building. “Riley, how much debt are we sitting at for each bank?” Sinking her back against her chair behind the desk, Darcy kneaded her aching temples and asked her assistant. Public opinion had shifted as evident in the online comments, and Joy had paid a heavy price for her betrayal. However, Darcy was not happy at all. The issue was money. She needed money now more than ever. With a significant number of employees resigning, panic spread within the organization. The Quints were eager to jump ship, not caring what would happen to the family business, while work at the
“Mr. Taon, I don’t see what you’re so smug about. If Quintessential doesn’t pay up, then Lilyrose Bank would lose a whopping 50 million dollars in bad debt.” Darcy was infuriated at the sight of Maurice. The man was the driving force behind Quintessential Group’s predicament. “Are you saying that your company is planning to skip paying?” Maurice scoffed and turned to the press. “You heard Ms. Quint. Don’t forget to put it in your reports. Isn’t the public in favor of her now? People are on her side. “She is no better than her college friend, Joy. One is a traitor, and the other’s a cheat.“Tsk, tsk. A beautiful CEO turns out to be a cheat. Now that’s what I call a headliner.” Maurice’s accusation set off a flurry of camera flashes at Darcy. “Ms. Quint, are you admitting that you’re a cheat?” a reporter asked aloud. “I’m sorry, everyone. That wasn’t what I said,” Darcy explained in a fluster. A lie repeated often enough would become the truth.Being labeled as a chea
“I am Bernard Vikrom, head of the Vikrom family.” “I’m Peter, head of the Logmans.” “I am Jasmine Sundar, chairwoman of Sixth Eye Jewelry Group.” “The Heavensward Group’s GM, Bruno Bandino.” The individuals identified themselves. The 400-million-dollar debt that once crushed Darcy was cleared. Jaws dropped. Even the incessant flashes from the press cameras stopped for a second. Darcy looked in disbelief at these people who are leaders of powerful families.There was also a homegrown chairman of a prominent local enterprise. Not to mention, the area general manager of a well-known multinational company was present too. These individuals were the heavy hitters of Lilyrose City. They came together to help Quintessential Group overcome its financial difficulty, though the Group did not possess such business connections.From the outset, Darcy suspected she was being deceived. She even suspected that Maurice had hired these people to amuse her. They might just deny
Darcy’s mind went blank. She could not even hear what Kaze said. Darcy was not the only one still reeling from the shock. Maurice, the managing directors of various banks, and the press could not believe their eyes. Everybody was stunned. With the banks cutting loans and collecting debts, Quintessential Group would have been crippled. To everybody’s surprise, there was a shocking twist to the events. Influential families and major corporations came to the Group’s aid. Dozens of big businesses were committed to investing in Quintessential Group, citing 100 million dollars at the very least. These companies had lost it. Despite its tarnished reputation, Quintessential Group still managed to attract investors.“You’re mad. You have all gone mad!” Driven to the edge, Maurice yelled in rage. Kazen was the reason he had eggs on his face now, a humiliation worse than an actual slap on the face. Maurice looked at the leaders of prominent families and major corporatio
“That’s none of your business, Mr. Lewis. The money is ours, and we can do whatever we want with it as we please. We don’t have to deposit any money in your banks anymore.” Peter and the others demanded cash withdrawals. With the managing directors put in the spot, they turned to Maurice, who was the cause of everything. Maurice shouted at everyone, “It’s a ploy! Are you trying to cross the banks? Well, don’t even think about any loans or financing in the future.” A good relationship with banks was a must for corporations. The group sneered. “Don’t flatter yourself, Maurice. While we can’t afford to turn our backs on banks, we are within our rights to upset you since you only work for the banks.” “That’s right. You seem hot and bothered, Mr. Taon. I hope you’re not going to be a cheat.” The public mocked Maurice with the same insult he used on Darcy. Maurice narrowed his eyes at the people. “Fine, have it your way. You’ll get what’s coming for distressing one of the
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but
Even though Katie was the CEO of the Northborn Group, many eyed her position. There were too many vying to replace her. Without dedicating herself to her work, Katie risked falling from grace. Katie had been too eager to find success to give her daughter the best life. Leah could not understand the pain Katie had to go through. “I understand it now. I explained the nature of my relationship with Kaze to you, but you just wouldn’t get it.” Leah stubbornly expressed herself in hopes her mother would understand. “I just couldn’t get it through my head that you have grown up. You make an easy target since you just graduated and have not stepped into the real world.” Katie would not always be there for Leah. Hence, Katie did her best to get rid of potential danger. Her overprotectiveness triggered Leah’s defiance. It was Katie’s fault for not realizing it sooner. “I’m not angry with you. I didn’t understand a mother’s good intentions, but I understand now. I will listen to
Leah’s face beamed, but her mother’s words threw her into a daze. In the end, she tried to squeeze a smile to assure her mother. However, Leah could not muster a smile. Those days lingered with her like a recurring bad dream. Whenever she recalled the incident, she felt trapped in that nightmare again. Leah wanted to let those memories fade away, but she just could not do it. She would get startled awake late at night and trace the scars across her skin. During moments like this, she resented Perry. Leah was rather cheerful during the day as if the past was behind her. However, it was simply a way for her to escape the pain. By the way Leah was behaving, Katie instantly regretted the question. She should not have probed. Even if they avoided the elephant in the room, they could pretend like nothing ever happened. Nevertheless, the act of asking brought up unsettling times for Leah. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.” Katie gently held Leah, hoping to cast
When the ambulance door closed shut, Leah wailed once more. The reality of her rescue finally sank in, and she grasped that it was not just a dream. It was a pity that she did not have much time with Kaze. She longed to spend more time with him. “Don’t cry, young lady. You’ll get better soon enough. Don’t worry about the scars on your face. I can administer medicine to help you,” the doctor said while wiping her tears. “Thank you. I’m finally out of the hell hole.” Leah’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped in there forever. Kaze watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night. He then turned to face the villa. “Apprehend everybody in there. Perry should be punished for his crimes.” Kaze had not intended to go after the Duncans, but the family had crossed the line this time. Leah was an adorable and vulnerable woman. She was abused beyond recognition. It never occurred to Kaze that the Duncans could be so cruel. “Perry has passed out in there. Where should
With the secret out in the open, the housekeeper dropped his attitude. He pointed at the basement not too far away. “My employer is in there.” The housekeeper grimaced and kept his head down. Kaze laughed. Unaware of his impending doom, Perry was still living it up. It was absurd. Perry was playing with fire by hurting Leah. “About time you wise up.” Arthur smiled and patted the housekeeper’s face. He opened the door to the basement. Kaze walked to the bar counter and picked up the best bottle of champagne there. He fiddled with the bottle before carrying it to the basement. The other Viper’s Den members followed him. Kaze took a stride down the steps, to the basement. The noisy music was blasting before they reached the entry. Kaze was filled with a mix of emotions. Nevertheless, he said nothing. He opened the door and walked in. The light in the basement was bright, making everything perfectly clear. However, the people inside were not bothered by the
“You know him. It’s Perry Duncan, Leah’s ex-boyfriend.” Snow did not see the point of hiding the truth, so she laid everything out. “Leah must be feeling foul because she was unaware that she was being stalked. By the time she realized what was going on, she was taken into a vehicle. “We spotted the vehicle they departed in from the surveillance footage. They headed to the mountain up north.” Snow had a general idea of the location. “I got Arthur on the job. He’s putting up a team from the Viper’s Den.” Snow was uncertain of Kaze’s stance toward Leah, but now that she was made aware of the situation, the least she could do was help. Katie belonged to the Viper’s Den, so Snow was lending a hand to a friend in business. “Thank you. Please save my daughter.” Katie was nervous. The Viper’s Den was the people she could count on. “Arthur is good, but he’s slow. I’ll do it,” Kaze said. The whole thing was unrelated to him. Kaze was well within his right to stand on the si
Even so, Elsie was out to get Leah. Elsie could pick up on Perry’s delight when she took a swing at Leah. Poor Elsie was just trying to survive by catering to others. People like her learned to pick up social cues and read body language to please customers for money in return. Their income would double if their customers were happy. Leah was the obstacle. If the women could not get rid of her, they would lose their profit. They had no hard feelings for Leah, but they stood on opposing ends. “You should be fawning over Mr. Duncan, not begging me,” Elsie said while grabbing Leah’s hair to pull her up. Leah snatched Elsie’s wrist to try and break free. “Let me go. I never did anything to you.” Leah was no doormat. She did not want to cross these people or get involved with them. She still hoped that by waiting here, her prince would arrive to save her. However, all she got was a cruel beating, and she had enough. “This isn’t my fault. Blame Mr. Duncan for your cir