“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
“Where’s Johnson? I want to see Johnson! I’m the son-in-law of one of the top families. Why am I being arrested?” Maurice could make as much fuss as he wanted, but a member of the Economic Investigation Division handcuffed him. The once untouchable president of Lilyrose Bank was taken away in shame. Darcy drew a deep breath. The incident today was not something she had ever expected. She turned to the power players in Lilyrose’s business community and expressed her gratitude for their role in reviving Quintessential. Darcy had raised the question that had been bugging her, “I would like to know your reason behind investing in my company now of all times.” Many there were just as puzzled as Darcy. Just moments ago, there was no hope left in Quintessential. However, these prominent business figures stood by the Group at the risk of offending the top families. The fact was hard for them to wrap their heads around. “Ms. Quint, the Group with your leadership is worth th
It was surprising that a proud woman like Miru had someone she respected. Even Kaze was shocked. Miru glanced at him in disdain. “Have some dignity, Kaze. I’m talking about the chairman of Perfect World Group, not you. It’s not as if you called these people to invest in Quintessential Group.” “I am—” Kaze was about to refute when Darcy jumped in, “You got the wrong idea about Kaze, Miru. Kaze knows Snow from Perfect World Group. He made the call to invite those people.” Darcy was aware that Snow played a part in Kaze hitting the lottery and buying furniture. Miru looked at Kaze in surprise and scoffed. “It just so happened that Perfect World Group’s chairman wanted to take on the top families, so he put the word out to the major businesses. I doubt Kaze could convince them to be here if it weren’t for the chairman.” She called on Kaze’s bluff at Lily Garden Hotel the last time. Miru had already made up her mind about Kaze. There was no way she would change her opinion
“It’s reassuring that Ms. Frost is named the new chairman. Let’s keep the funds in Lilyrose Bank then.” Darcy was relieved. Perfect World had done Quintessential a huge favor. Snow would not make things difficult for Quintessential. “The chairman of Perfect World Group is one in a million. Even his assistant can be a chairman of Lilyrose Bank. Miru had the utmost respect and curiosity for the mysterious chairman. Kaze smiled without a word. Upon learning the news, heads of the top three families gathered at the Everias’ residence, the Jade Estate. “We wanted to destroy Quintessential, but Perfect World had the business’ back. It’s clear that Perfect World is getting back at us,” Edward hissed through clenched teeth, his face glum. It was supposed to be easy to crush Quintessential Group, but the company managed to dodge tragedy once again. His son was still in a coma, thanks to Darcy. Maurice, a close associate of the Everias, was also caught in the crossfire.Ed
The heads of the top families laughed for a while, sensing a bright future awaiting them. Just then, Edward beckoned at his youngest son, Ethan. “You will assume the role of Chairman at Bersina Group, Ethan. We have lost Maurice and Toffle, those losers. It’s time Bersina takes back the Everia family.” Ethan was delighted. His older brother, Eliot, had always outshone him. With Eliot in a coma, the family leadership should now fall on Ethan.Edward made Ethan the chairman of Bersina Group to see if he was up to the task. “Don’t worry, Dad. I will manage Bersina well.” Ethan left Jade Estate with his sidekick in tow. He returned with a heavy heart in less than an hour. “Holy shit, Dad. Someone beat me to it and took Bersina Group right out of my hands.” Ethan made a crying face, looking nothing like the swank he had before leaving the house. Edward was enraged. “Who did it? Everybody knows Maurice and Toffle only managed Bersina for the Everias.” Belarus and Fli
Kaze watched as the senior citizens took off. The place was quiet as usual, and many things in the unit were left uncollected. “Mr. Lee, does this arrangement work?” Arthur awaited Kaze’s orders. “It will do for now.” After being out for the day, Kaze had seen some stuff. Business was all about making money, but some lines should not be crossed. As long as things remained within reason, there would not be scrutiny or blame. It was astounding the lengths Jet would go to. “The area will be demolished after a while. I want all of the Frosts’ projects on hold. Don’t approve any of them.” One word from Kaze could shake the very foundation of the Frosts’ business. “Alright. My team is on it. “But the Frosts will ask questions and find out who is behind this.” Arthur looked at Kaze worriedly. “They can’t find anything.” No one would know who Kaze was without his permission. It probably never crossed Jet’s mind that Snow had a powerful friend. Otherwise, he woul
Kaze was confused. Surely, the authorities would not disregard human lives and demolish the place by force. “Well, we tried to relocate them, but they refused our services. If they are still not on board, they will be sent to the retirement home tonight.” That was all Pax knew. The retirement home was just another place for the senior citizens to await death. “Is there nothing else you can do? So you signed the contract without thinking about the consequences? Karma will get back at you.” Pax’s shamelessness shocked Arthur. Pax mentioned that he would put the demolition on hold. It had not been long, and now the rights to the land were handed over. “It’s out of my hands. Jet went to my superiors to seal the deal. We are not allowed to intervene. “We had been figuring out ways to reach reconciliation for these senior citizens, but Jet was determined to make them pay.” It was the best Pax could do. He was just an employee, working to make a living. He did not have a say
“I want to see the person in charge of the demolition project now.” It was not a matter of time before the area was bulldozed, but Kaze hoped to delay it. Generally, it would take a large amount of capital to launch a project. Any delay would cause massive losses. Jet had several projects that had been put on hold, and it was a heavy blow to him. If Jet could not fix things quickly enough, all his money tied to the projects would be gone. He would be forced to ditch some projects to cut his losses. “I’ll get him here right now.” Arthur went out to make phone calls. He believed Kaze did the right thing as the senior citizens had nowhere to turn to. The senior citizens could only survive with some help. “Thank you, young man. Why are you helping us?” The senior citizens were old, but they could tell that Kaze genuinely wanted them to be okay. “I don’t think it’s right to bully you.” Kaze looked at the senior citizens earnestly, feeling sorry for them. Jet lack
“We agreed on relocation because we would get a place to stay. “But these people were unreasonable. We were offered only one-third of what everyone else got.” The senior citizens were going to swallow their losses. They just needed the money to live their last days, and they did not have family, to begin with. Later, the same people had their eyes on their money and tried to put them up at an old folks’ home. The senior citizens refused to relocate and finally chose to protect themselves by contacting the media. These people sure left the senior citizens to die. Kaze was sympathetic to the senior citizens. He went back with them to a unit on the ground floor. The place was bare, with several beds placed together. The senior citizens must be sleeping in the same room. There was little to eat, only some water and dry provisions.The old residents did not have much savings. It was good enough that they had something to eat. “Have a cup of water, boy. We don’t have any
“Are you one of those people from the pier? Are you trying to get us to leave?” A grizzled-haired man looked at Kaze warily. “I was just passing by when I saw you struggling with the buckets. I came to help you.” Kaze explained patiently. He could understand why their guards were up. They must have been lied to many times before. “Are you here to help?” “Yes, I am. My companion has gone to get you some water. He’ll be back soon. There’s no need for you to fetch water,” Kaze said kindly. “We’ll pay you.” The senior citizens exchanged glances before accepting Kaze’s gesture. They could not handle the weight of the heavy buckets. “The building here is about to be demolished. Why are you still living here?” Pretending to be in the dark, Kaze asked. “This is our home. Someone is trying to take this land away.” The grizzled-haired man was upset. “What? I thought no one could demolish the building unless they had the residents’ permission.” “You’re right, but there
“Jet sure is bold to ensure business. Isn’t he afraid of shooting himself in the foot?” Kaze had never met a man like Jet. “He has done a lot to get to the top. His ruthless methods got him a lot of money. A lot of people are happy to support him.” Arthur was impressed with Jet’s tactics. However, his approach was too cruel for his liking. “Let’s head to the residential building.” Kaze just wanted to check out the area. He was happy to help when needed. The flashy, red sports car was eye-catching. However, the flamboyant car was uncommon in these places. Most workers would express their amazement, but they would not ask questions. The car pulled up outside a soon-to-be abandoned building. It looked desolate. The power lines and infrastructure were not visible either. Kaze knew that was one of the Frosts’ methods. Sometimes, nothing, not even demolition, was required. The goal was to get the residents out. All Jet needed to do was cut the water and electricity.
“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.