“Who is it?” Since the ringing would not leave him alone, Kaze took the call peevishly. “Well, someone has a temper this morning.” Cyan’s annoyed and peevish voice came on the other line. “You sure sleep a lot.“You’re getting cocky over a tiny achievement. “Can’t you strive for higher and better? “I doubt you’ll ever meet my standards even if I give you a head start.” Cyan tore into Kaze, leaving him speechless. Kaze interrupted her. “What’s the matter, Cyan? Does Mr. Yemen want to meet me for lunch?” “Is that all you think about? Food?” Cyan said angrily, “Get out of bed and get yourself cleaned up. “Consider yourself lucky, Kaze. Dad said you somehow became the sales manager of Golden Scale Corporation. He’s taking you out to get a house.“Ha! Aren’t you amazing, Kaze? You are getting yourself a place just less than two weeks since you arrived in Riverbank,” Cyan said sarcastically, her opinion apparent on the matter.It made sense why she was upset, though.
Ryna had always thought little of Kaze, even when the latter became the manager at Golden Scale Corporation. Cyan glanced at her phone and nodded. “I told him, so he should be here by now. We all know that he doesn’t have money. He may be the manager now, but his wages are due next month. For all we know, he’s taking the subway. “But Mom, why did you drag Dad here? The properties in this area are in a higher range. “Dad doesn’t have to get Kaze an expensive one.” Cyan was frustrated. It was Ryna who suggested looking at the properties in Rivername. Ryna scoffed. “Your dad has to get one anyway. “I only brought your dad here to show Kaze the property prices. This sales office sells premium accommodation. “I want the boy to take a hike. That way, we won’t have to spend a penny. “He’s always talking about how good Lock is to him. If he had any decency, he wouldn’t drain us financially.” So that was Ryna’s plan. Cyan stuck her tongue out. “I think you’ll be shooting y
Those who sneered at Kaze earlier felt a burn in their cheeks. They walked away embarrassedly. Ryna was not having it. “Have you lost your mind, Lock? “Kaze only became the sales manager because of Cyan. “I can’t believe you’re getting him a place!” Ryna jolted to her feet and yelled at her husband. Lock patted Kaze’s shoulder, his expression proud. “I don’t believe that Kaze got the promotion because of Cyan. He knows what he is doing. He was a chairman back in Lilyrose.” “Chairman, my ass.” Ryna scoffed and remarked, “He leeches off his wife to get that position. His wife kicked him out in the end.”“Hmph!”Lock’s fell face. “I said I’d get Kaze a house, and I will. I’m a man of my word. “Come on, Kaze. I found a nice place. “See if you like it. We can get the paperwork going.” Without looking at his wife, Lock grabbed Kaze’s arm and pulled him away. Ryna was about to blow up, but there was nothing more she could do about the situation. She marched over ther
Both of them could not see anything stellar in Kaze, especially when compared to their daughter’s wealthy boyfriend. Despite the mundane appearance, they came up with a word of praise. “Wait…” Cyan wanted to argue but Lock smiled and beat her to it, saying, “This is Kaze, a student of mine when I was a teacher. He’s not Cyan’s boyfriend but I am hoping that he can be my son-in-law. “We are in no hurry after all. Letting the young ones know each other better is a good start.” “Oh? Son-in-law?” Heath and his family scrutinized Kaze carefully. Claudia glanced at Ryna and noticed a reluctant look. Based on her understanding of Ryna, Kaze must have done something to displease her. She looked at Ryna and asked, “Ryna, your son-in-law seems to be doing well. He even brought you guys here to look at houses. I wonder where he works?” Ryna’s expression stiffened. As she carefully arranged her words, Lock said proudly, “Kaze just became the sales manager of Golden Scale Corp
As for Kaze, he simply smiled it off. Making tea for Anthony? It might be the other way around. Given Kaze’s standards and level, he would not waste his time to be calculative with Heath and his family. However, people took his silence as an embarrassed acknowledgment. Heath and his family felt proud and great. Ryna and Cyan rolled their eyes at Kaze. Kaze had always been the loudest in the room, yet he said nothing in front of Heath and his family. He must have been afraid of Nadia’s boyfriend or afraid that he might lose his job, so he tried to be inconspicuous. Deep down, he was just an incompetent coward! “Alright, let’s just move on.” Since Heath had gotten on top of this old rival, he decided to act humble. He asked, “Lock, which unit are you guys looking at?” “This one. On the eighth floor.” Lock pointed at the unit without looking or feeling concerned about what Heath said. He had confidence in Kaze and he strongly believed his student could make it
When the saleslady went off to do the paperwork, Claudia looked at Lock and his family scornfully. “You guys, if you don’t have the money, stop pretending. We’ve known each other for so many years, and we all know Lock needs the cash flow for his company. Forking out five million at one go is pressuring. “But you guys should really think this over. If your future son-in-law isn’t good enough, change him. Why are you guys buying him a new house? Does it mean you guys will pay for his future son? “Unlike Nadia. When she heard we wanted a new house, her boyfriend gave her a card with ten million inside. “The house cost five million. One million to cover all the other expenses and the remaining four million are for us to spend! This is proof how we raised our daughter right! She brings us money! “Unlike you, who raised your daughter but you have to spend so much money without seeing any return.” Claudia was ceaseless. Her voice was so loud that it attracted people’s attention,
“Cyan, your little boyfriend is quite the actor.” Nadia curled her lips and said, “At least he reacts quickly. I believe he’s going to do well in the company.” Cyan’s face turned as red as an apple. Her eyes burned with anger as she said, “He’s not my boyfriend…” Nadia and her family chuckled. They thought Cyan simply wanted to save face, hence she disowned him in front of everyone. No one took her words seriously. “Kaze, take your stupid card back! Haven’t you embarrassed us enough?” Ryna grew anxious. Kaze ignored them and pointed at the miniature building. “Who said I want this unit? I want that one.” “That one?” The saleslady looked in the direction that Kaze pointed. “Sir, you mean that mansion? Sir, that one is Rivername’s most expensive mansion. It cost fifty million!” Being a realtor was entitled to commissions for every sale made, but the saleslady refused to believe that she could earn that much in a single day. Heath and his family burst into laught
Not only Heath and his family, but even other people in the sales gallery looked at Kaze with disdain and scorn. Someone even took the video and spread it online, hoping that it would go viral for making fun of a fool. “Kaze, you bastard! Haven’t you embarrassed us enough?!” Ryna wanted to give Kaze a slap for embarrassing them in front of the public. “Dad, look at him. This is the student that you held high hopes for!” Cyan said with utmost disappointment. Lock pursed his lips and furrowed his brows. He did not know what to say. “No, wait. It’s a misunderstanding. Madam, it’s not that.” The saleslady quickly explained, “It’s not that Mr. Lee doesn’t have the money, but when we tried to do a background check on him using the bank card, we found out that he already has a property at Wyomspring. “Based on Riverbank’s local policy on property purchasing, he has been refrained from purchasing a second unit.” Heath and his family were shocked. Their smiles froze. Lock an
The crowd fell silent as Kaze’s criticism and blows echoed through the room. Kaze pummeled Aiden’s face at least a dozen times. He only stopped when Aiden’s face swelled up. Tension lingered in the air. Everybody stared in disbelief as Aiden struggled violently against Kaze’s attack. The crowd assumed the roles would have been reversed. By right, Aiden should be the aggressor while Kaze would suffer in silence. Come to think of it, logic did not exist when Kaze was around. Aiden narrowed his eyes at Kaze as humiliation and anger washed over him. He gritted his teeth, his lips quivering, but no words escaped his mouth. Aiden understood that adaptation was crucial for survival. He would only be getting slapped on the face by talking back. Kaze looked at his bloody palm and wiped his hand on Aiden’s suit. The insulting gesture saw the crowd shivering and Aiden shaking with rage. Aiden clenched his fists. Nevertheless, Aiden held himself together. He had come
Sensing no threat, Kaze said with a pretentious smile, “Didn’t you lecture me about being understanding? “You should lead by example. I wanted to see if you could become the bigger person. “As you can see, you want to kill me for hitting you.“You’re one to talk about grace.” Kaze’s sarcastic remark painted Boris’ face red. Boris uttered exasperatedly, “You’re not on my level, kid.” “Oh, I guess your grace and tolerance are only reserved for those higher in the social hierarchy.”Kaze put on a stern look. “I have no idea what level I’m on, but I know you’re just a lapdog to the Krads. “Do you think we were blind to your little setup with Aiden? “You’re one of Riverbank underworld kingpins. It’s embarrassing for someone your age to put on that silly show.” Kaze took a step forward, his eyes fixating on Boris. “Tell me. What level are you on?” “Woah!” The crowd broke out in an uproar. Many on scene were oblivious to Boris’ little show with Aiden. While the secret
Kaze waved his arm like a total badass. Aiden and the others wished they could rip Kaze apart. It was annoying. Kaze got under everybody’s skin. Darcy and Kaze acquired Crown Tower and its surrounding land without spending a dime. More accurately, Aiden paid the price. Darcy was speechless, to say the least. She had no idea that Kaze could be so manipulative. If she were in Aiden’s shoes, she would probably be livid. “Thank you, Mr. Krad. You’re one of the good guys.” Kaze burst out laughing while thanking Aiden. The smug look on Kaze’s face was infuriating, but Aiden could only stand there, seething. “That’s enough, young man.” An old but commanding voice boomed. The crowd was taken aback as Boris, one of the Riverbank underworld kingpins approached. “Don’t push it, young man. You have won, and I suggest you should leave it at that,” Boris said indifferently. Despite his flat tone, Boris was critical of Kaze. “Boris is right. Kaze, you got lucky this
“That’s right. The rules are clear.” Kaze grabbed a rulebook and said with a smile, “You are the highest bidder after me.“I gave Mr. Krad a chance, but he didn’t take it.” Aiden asked, “Is there really such a rule?” “There is, Mr. Krad.” The head of the committee gulped hard and said with a wry smile, “We established a rule for Crown Tower, and it must be sold regardless of the price.” The rule was reserved for Crown Tower. The Seven Star District Council had been trying to sell Crown Tower for a while now, but a suitable buyer had yet to meet the council’s requirements. Hence, the council would accept any bids above ten billion dollars. Since Kaze could not afford his bid, the land would go to Darcy, the second-highest bidder. Her bid was exactly ten billion dollars. The land fell back into Darcy’s hands. However, Kaze and Darcy were independent bidders. Darcy represented Sky Ocean Corporation while Kaze was an individual buyer. It was clear that Darcy and Ka
“You don’t have that kind of money?” Everybody looked at Kaze in shock. He did not have that kind of money. Yet, he bid fifty billion dollars. The head of the organizing committee was stunned for a moment. He quickly chuckled dryly and said, “Please don’t joke around, Mr. Lee.” “Am I? I’m not kidding.” Kaze shrugged. “I don’t have forty billion dollars. My net worth isn’t even worth that much. “I took an advance of ten billion dollars from my Centurion card. It’s only an advance. I still need to pay the money back. “I’ve never taken money out of the Centurion card because I don’t have the funds to pay it back.“All I have is ten billion dollars, and the money was from Mr. Krad.” The crowd was taken aback. Aiden was in disbelief. “Why did you bid, Lee? You went as high as fifty billion dollars. “Don’t be something you’re not!” Joan and the others rolled their eyes. “So I can’t bid when I’m broke?” Kaze said matter-of-factly, “You called me a sucker for biddi
Joan sneered. “Heh. Don’t take us all for idiots. Good luck to you.”“Mr. Lee has put in his bid. Aren’t you going to seal the deal?” Paying Kaze no heed, Aiden looked at the auctioneer. The auctioneer got the hint and shouted excitedly, “50 billion dollars, going once. “50 billion dollars, going twice. “50 billion dollars, going thrice. “Sold to Mr. Lee at 50 billion dollars.” The auctioneer turned to Kaze and said with a smile, “Congratulations, Mr. Lee. The rights to Crown Tower are yours.“I’m also pleased to announce that your 50-billion-dollar bid has set a new record for the highest bid in the history of Four Ocean Auction.“Once again, congratulations to you.” “Clap, clap.” With Aiden taking the lead, the room was filled with thundering applause. Nevertheless, the crowd simply mocked Kaze for his foolish decision. Kaze did not stop at scamming Aiden out of ten billion dollars. He took things far and shot himself in the foot. Before, the crowd was impres
“I think we can all see who the real idiot here is.” As reality sank in, Aiden and the others looked at Kaze as if he was the clown. Kaze outsmarted Aiden with the sale of the Golden Toad. However, Crown Tower and its surrounding land were not worth fifty billion dollars. It was true that the Ryokanians had their sights set on the land and enlisted the Krads’ help to acquire the sale. However, the Ryokanians would not pay more than what the land was worth. Even if Sky Ocean Corporation secured the sale, the Ryokanians had their way to steal the land from the company. As Aiden said, Darcy would not be able to keep the land for long. Crown Tower could not cripple Aiden. Aiden could just drop out of the running since the bid was way past his price point. To think Kaze would play the same strategy twice. Who was Kaze trying to fool? On stage, the auctioneer was taken aback by Kaze’s outrageous bid. She wondered if she heard it right. Moments later, she asked skeptic
Darcy’s eyes burned with rage. “Mr. Krad, I’d rather buy the land and let it rot than let you win.” “Bam!” Aiden stood up, knocking his chair over. He stared at Darcy menacingly. “You’ll be sorry, bitch!”“If you want to make a scene, you’re better off outbidding me.” Darcy taunted. With the gloves off, Darcy was no longer compelled to be civil with Aiden. “10 billion dollars, going once. Are there any other bids?” The auctioneer’s voice trembled. “10 billion dollars, going twice.” She looked at Aiden. Aiden turned ashen, mainly because Darcy pissed him off. Still, he had to stop the auctioneer from hammering the gravel and giving the land to Darcy. Aiden drew the line for thirty-five billion dollars. The competition was far from being over. He decided to go big to crush Darcy all at once. Darcy would have to cover all his losses anyway. With that in mind, Aiden gritted his teeth and said with a menacing smile, “Twenty-five—” “Can you just cut to the chase?
Darcy said indifferently, “Working in business, we want to make sure every penny counts. We can’t be as lavish as you, Mr. Krad.” It sounded like a compliment, but the sarcasm was buried within. She was implying that Aiden was flexing his financial muscles. Aiden grimaced. He did not expect Darcy to snap back at him. After a scoff, Aiden cocked his head back and said menacingly, “Six billion dollars.” Excited by the heated competition, the auctioneer cried, “Six billion dollars, going once. Are there any other bidders? “Six billion dollars, going twice.” Darcy uttered without hesitation, “Six point one billion dollars.” “Seven billion dollars!” Aiden bid on and sneered. “You’ll be sorry for taking me on, Ms. Quint.“I can tell you now that we were only going to spend five billion dollars on the land. “You’ll pay for all the losses.” Dropping his gentleman act, Aiden uttered grimacingly, “If you know any better, you should leave right now. Stop giving me problem