Miya’s tone screamed of disdain and contempt. To her, Kaze might be competent to destroy Leron and crush Cole, but it was not enough to make her bow before him. He would be too naïve to believe that. “Fine. You want me to show off what I can do? I hope you won’t regret it.” Under Miya’s scornful look, Kaze pulled his phone out and dialed a number. “M-Mr. Lee?!” The call took a while to connect, but when it did, the voice on the other end belonged to Samson Hobbs, someone Kaze had not been in touch with for some time. Ever since Samson got back the five percent shares of Lee Investment from Kaze, he went back to Sunrise City and managed to satisfy the Lees. Riverbank, also known as Sunrise City, was the first city in the country to greet the dawn. Therefore, while Riverbank was its official name, many refer to it as the city where the sun first rose, or simply Sunrise City. However, after that, Kaze never got the time, or the initiative, to contact Samson, the sleepe
Kaze said, “It’s okay if you don’t believe me, but I hope you still can laugh tomorrow.” “Hmph!” Miya grunted coldly and then got up on her feet. “Then we’ll see what happens tomorrow. “And I’m telling you, just so I can see you eat your words tomorrow, I’ll tolerate you until then. I won’t do anything to you or discharge your sister, I will make sure she gets the treatment she deserves. “But, at the same time tomorrow, I hope to see you kneel in front of the hospital for what you have done today. “Or else, not only you, even your little sister, and your family will pay a dear price for offending me today!” Kaze said, “Then let me tell you that tomorrow, at this time, you better get down on your knees until I’m satisfied, or else the share price of your companies will keep dropping.” Then, he turned around and went back to Sasha’s ward. Miya’s expression darkened, and her eyes overflowed with murderous intent as she stared at Kaze’s figure walking away. It had been ye
Having said his piece, Cole’s knees had recovered and he quickly ran toward Sasha’s ward to catch up to Kaze. Miya was left behind with a frosty expression. After a brief pause, she cackled and said, “A nameless bastard! What can a nameless bastard do?!” She grunted scornfully. She was not afraid of Cole’s threats. Aside from being Kent’s nephew, Cole was simply a useless trust fund baby, a coward. Cole might be scared of Kaze but not Miya. Miya was a part of the Heartanos and together with the top four families in Geranium, they were a force to be reckoned with. On the other hand, when Kaze returned to Sasha’s ward, he realized the girl had packed her stuff. “Kaze, why don’t we just leave? I can discharge right away. Don’t worry, the medical fee that you paid for me, I’ll do my best to return it. I just need some time…” Sasha’s eyes turned red. She blamed herself for what happened and caused so much trouble for Kaze right after she was admitted to the hospital. “
Agnes sat on the couch with her legs crossed on the tea table. She shouted in the direction of the kitchen, “My family’s money is my family’s money, it has nothing to do with you! Don’t try to scam me with that!” Emiko dared not argue or make a noise. She was busy cooking and did not have time to even feel anything. “Mom, what are you doing?!” Darcy frowned. “Emiko said she wants to thank Kaze for helping her niece and getting her into a hospital, that’s why she’s spending her own money to make a feast for us. She’s not using your money! “Before you speak, can you find out about the truth first?” Agnes instantly looked awkward and embarrassed, but she quickly looked at Kaze cautiously. “You helped Emiko’s niece find a hospital? How much did you spend? Did you use our money?” “You don’t have to worry about that,” Kaze answered indifferently. “What’s with your attitude?!” Agnes raised her brows in anger. “I haven’t even held you accountable for stealing our money to b
“Thank you, Mr. Lee. If not for your help, Sasha might not make it until the end of this year.” Emiko bowed and thanked Kaze repeatedly for his help. “It’s no big deal. You’re welcome, Emiko.” Kaze then said, “Besides, Sasha is an adorable girl and I treated her like my little sister. I’m sure she will recover soon. I have some friends at the hospital and they will take care of her. No one will hurt her now.” Emiko nodded repeatedly. “Mr. Lee, I really don’t know how to thank you anymore. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to take care of you and Darcy, I’ll do whatever it takes to repay you!” Kaze smiled. Curious, he asked, “Emiko, where are Sasha’s parents?” After he spent some time with Sasha, he realized the girl’s condition was slightly unusual. It did not seem natural, more like caused by external factors, or someone. “They are gone. The girl lived a sad life.” Emiko’s expression turned gloomy. “Her parents passed away when she was young. Her grandparents took her in bu
Sky went out with his friends, so only Kaze, Darcy, and her parents stayed home for dinner. “Emiko, wait. Why don’t you have dinner with us?” After the dishes were served, Emiko wanted to return to the kitchen to clean up. She wanted to eat her dinner after Kaze and the others had finished, but Darcy stopped her. Their house was not that strict with rules. Emiko had been busy with dinner preparation, and if they sent her back to the kitchen to eat only after they had finished, then it would seem cold of them. “Emiko, come on. Sit down and eat with us. We are family after all,” Hector said. Emiko eventually accepted the invitation to dine with them. She grabbed her plate and spoon and sat at the very end of the table while thanking the family. It was then Agnes came back from washing her hand and when she saw Emiko at the table, her expression darkened. “Who allowed you to sit here? You are a servant, you have no right to dine with the masters! Get into the kitchen! Know y
As anger took over, Agnes’ twisted features made her look ferocious. Darcy knew the situation had gone out of hand. She quickly stepped in, standing between her husband and mother. “Mom, Emiko worked hard and she’s only getting minimum wage. She even prepared a feast for us from her own pocket. “Yet you slapped her, and shoved her away? Where is your conscience? Kaze did what he had to do, and he’s right!” “Get out of my way!” Anger consumed Agnes. She could no longer be reasoned with. She shoved her daughter away and shouted at Kaze, “You little bastard! You slapped me! I’ll get you!” She charged at Kaze like a mad woman, raising her hand for a slap. However, before she could land her slap, Kaze caught her wrist and held her down like a clamp. Slap! Kaze slapped her again, forcing her to stagger backward. “Agnes, you have always been unreasonable. I have endured your nonsense for Darcy’s sake. I want to believe you’ve been causing a scene for her own good. “Now,
Kaze slammed the documents in Agnes’ face. “Don’t try to fool me with some stupid paper!” Agnes scoffed without batting an eye at the deed. Darcy bent over to pick them up for a glance. Then, she looked at Kaze in shock. “T-This villa was given to you by… by Kent Synder?!” “Darcy, don’t get fooled by this shithead!” Agnes scoffed, “He’s a live-in son-in-law, a good-for-nothing bastard, who would give him this villa? This is fake! He must have forged it to fool you!” “Mom, Kent Synder is the mayor of Riverbank. Who has the nerve to impersonate the mayor?” Darcy explained with furrowed brows and disbelief. “What?!” Agnes was stunned. “Kaze, why would the mayor give you this villa?” Darcy asked. She knew her husband was a worker of miracles but it still surprised her from time to time. She could not believe that the mayor of Riverbank, whose authority rivaled the deputy governor, would give Kaze a villa. Kaze said, “On the way to Riverbank, I saved the mayor’s life
“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
“It’s public information that Crown Tower under Mt. Seven Stars and its surrounding land is the best spot in the city. “The Seven Star District Council put up the land for sale in hopes of finding a good buyer to develop and boost the growth of the city. “As a result, we have conducted a comprehensive screening process for all potential buyers and selected a few qualified buyers.” The bidders perked up. The highlight of today’s auction was the land in the Seven Star District. The other auction items were insignificant compared to the main event. The ten-billion-dollar sale of the Golden Toad was unexpected. However, the Seven Star District land was likely to exceed the price point. That was what the ordinary bidders thought. A select few had the inside story, and they were qualified to bid on Crown Tower. Still, they quietly put down their paddles. First of all, this was the big leagues. It would take money, connections, and a lot of influence to stay in the game
“That’s not a lot,” Aiden murmured with a sneer.Sky Ocean Corporation was not a worthy rival with just 15 billion dollars in funding. Joan said cautiously, “Mr. Krad, they now have 10 billion dollars from you too.” Aiden grimaced. Nevertheless, he pulled himself together and said callously, “So they now have 25 billion dollars.“Are you sure that this is the most Sky Ocean Corporation can afford right now?” Joan nodded. “I am certain. You pulled all the right strategies to drain Sky Ocean Corporation’s funding. “After what happened, no banks would give them a loan. “Though Madam Quint didn’t look into Sky Ocean Corporation’s finances yesterday, we can tell from Darcy and her assistant’s behavior that the corporation account is dry. “I just can’t figure out where Kaze got the money from.“I would’ve loved to see them denied entry.” Aiden nodded. “So all I need is 35 billion dollars to acquire the piece of land.” He talked as if thirty-five billion dollars was not a
Ignoring Aiden, Kaze turned to the stunned auctioneer and smiled. “Carry on, lady.” Kaze went back to his seat. “You were amazing, honey!” Darcy took Kaze’s arm excitedly. If they were alone, she would give him a kiss. Kaze played Aiden like a fiddle without getting physical. Darcy had known what the Golden Toad meant to Aiden beforehand. Still, not many could pull it off like Kaze. “We shall continue with the auction.” The female auctioneer took a deep breath and hosted the auction. The later part of the auction appeared anticlimactic. The items featured in the auction, regardless of their value, were lackluster compared to the thrill of auctioning the Golden Toad off. Many kept looking at Kaze, still caught in the previous drama. They wondered who Kaze was. Kaze had the nerve to break Aiden. Aiden returned to his seat near Kaze and Darcy. He held the Golden Toad, checking the box out every now and then with a grimace. It was clear that Aiden was about to
The crowd believed Aiden was off his rocker. The Golden Toad was worth no more than a hundred million dollars. Yet, Kaze purchased it for seven billion dollars. Everybody assumed Kaze was a sucker to outbid Aiden. Moments ago, many of them mocked Kaze. Aiden turned out to be the bigger sucker. He spent another three billion dollars to take the Golden Toad off Kaze’s hands. What was going on? Everybody was confused. Aiden was probably the only one who had a clear picture of the situation. He would be an idiot if he still had not caught on. “I don’t care how you figured out the secret behind the Golden Toad, Lee. Just you wait. This is far from over.” Aiden glared at Kaze and hissed through clenched teeth. He understood that he did not lose to Kaze. The information gap cost Aiden the victory. Kaze must have known what the Golden Toad meant to the Krads and outbid him in the auction. Most frustratingly, Aiden had no choice but to concede to Kaze’s manipulatio
Darcy was aware of Kaze’s plan. Still, she clung to the edge of her seat as Kaze confronted Aiden. Planning was one thing, and execution was another. Kaze needed to get everything right to win the battle of wits against Aiden. Judging by Aiden’s response, Kaze played his cards right. Kaze got Aiden right where he wanted him. “You should always leave things on a good note.” Aiden looked at Kaze and hissed through clenched teeth. “Don’t take things far, Lee.” “What happened to the determination you showed when you threatened to make my wife pay? Just cut the crap.”Kaze scoffed and said indifferently, “Didn’t you want the Golden Toad? I can give it to you.“You can buy it for eight billion dollars. “You are free to leave with the Golden Toad once I get the money.” Eight billion dollars? The crowd erupted into an uproar. Kaze’s demand was uncalled for. Kaze paid seven billion dollars for the Golden Toad, and now he was selling it to Aiden for an extra billion do
On her deathbed, Melissa expressed deep regret for stealing the Golden Toad. She wanted to get the gem back to atone for her sins. Sean became obsessed with finding the Golden Toad. The young members of the family had been on a relentless search to locate the Golden Toad. Not too long ago, Aiden finally tracked the Golden Toad down in Geranium City. The wealthy businessman from Geranium City, who bought the Golden Toad, did not appreciate its value, and the gem changed hands multiple times over the years. The Golden Toad was nothing more than a decorative piece to others, but it held profound meaning to the Krads. Hence, Aiden was able to acquire the Golden Toad for a hundred million dollars effortlessly. Only, the ease of retrieving the Golden Toad would undermine his effort and determination. So Aiden secretly passed the Golden Toad to Everett and orchestrated today’s auction. His goal was to turn his grandparents’ love story and his dedication into a legendary tal