“Jesus. Mr. Yaphet sounds intimidating.” As the Otters expressed their dread, Agnes’ lips quivered, and color drained from her face. She turned to Kaze, her finger up his nose. “Goddamnit, Kaze. You will be the death of us all. Just how many people have you upset in days? “What spell has he gotten you under, Darcy? I want you to separate, but you won’t.” Agnes stamped her foot, tears threatening to fall. It was bad enough that Kaze got on Miya’s nerves. Somehow, Hunter was involved too. The Otters and Agnes were impressed with Kaze’s talent to screw everything up. Pleased with the Otters’ response, Miya said smugly, “What do you have to say for yourself, Kaze?” “Hm… It sounds like Mr. Yaphet is a badass.” Kaze nodded indifferently. “But what does he have to do with me?” “Are you asking that now?” Miya said with a smirk, “Are you playing dumb or honestly stupid, Kaze?“The message from Mr. Yaphet represents his command. “He sent me to you bearing a message. “You
“What’s wrong with being a lapdog? I’m happy to be one to Mr. Yaphet.” Bob was filled with glee. He knew his chance had come when Miya showed up at his door. It was an opportunity that could not be missed! Kaze smiled pretentiously. “What if I tell you that I can make you lose the chance to be a lapdog?” “Haha. You?” Bob sneered as Kaze took out a phone. “Alright. I’ll give you time to make a phone call. Just call anyone. I dare you. “If you plan to call some deputy police chief like before, I’d advise you not to embarrass yourself.” Miya said with a smirk, “You have connections, but so does Mr. Yaphet. “Do you think you have a wider network than Mr. Yaphet, especially since you’ve only been around for a few days? “No police will arrest Bob when Mr. Yaphet gets him covered.” Bob burst out laughing. “Hahaha! You think too highly of the guy, Mrs. Heartano. I was only messing with him. I doubt he has any important people on speed dial.” Even the Otters looked at Ka
Bob could not catch up with all the distressing news coming down on him all at once. He sat there blankly, his cigarette nearly hanging off his mouth. It took a while before Bob snapped out of a trance and yelled angrily, “Who is it? Who is doing this to me?” Brooke was Bob’s son. It appeared the ignorant and incompetent son lost his manhood. Luckily for Bob, he had two sons. At least, he had someone to pass the torch to. However, he could not stand that his nightclub and company were under attack. These two places helped him to get a firm foothold in Golden Ray. Bob would not gain respect from his peers if he did not take care of business. His ego and prestige were at stake. If the issue was not dealt with, the public would believe Bob was finished and could be a target for a hit. “M-Mr. Damian, Miru of Bronze Sparrow ordered these attacks,” one sidekick uttered shakily.“What? That woman?” Bob fell back on his back, his expression stunned. It took a while befor
“Is this how you ask for a favor?” Kaze said crudely, “Kneel!” Bob turned ashen, but considering his situation, he gritted his teeth and fell to his knees. “You’re mad, Bob,” Miya cried frustratedly. Either way, Miya brought Bob along to the Otters’ residence, so she owned him. Yet now, Bob bowed to Kaze. Miya was utterly humiliated. “It’s all my fault, Kaze. I shouldn’t have hit Ms. Quint. Please tell Miru to stop. I promise I won’t go after you. I’ll walk away and never show my face here again. “Just say the word, and I’ll do anything for you.” Bob kneeled with his back straight, feeling rather stressed out. That was his life’s work of two decades. If Miru destroyed everything, he would lose the chance to serve Hunter and could end up dead on the streets. “Just let it go, Kaze. Mr. Damian’s beef isn’t with you. You don’t want to burn bridges.” “Darcy, tell your best friend to stop.” The Otters persuaded Kaze and Darcy, fearing Bob might take them down too w
It was unwise of Kaze to get on Miya’s nerves.While it may not be a big victory, Kaze was better off taking a small win to de-escalate the situation. As Bella acted in Kaze’s best interest, Kaze made no comment. If Miya was willing to stop, Kaze did not mind putting the matter aside. The matter was far from over. Even if it was not solved right there and then at the Otters’ residence, Kaze would go after Miya to get it done and over with. Nevertheless, it appeared that Miya was not ready to let bygones be bygones even after what happened to Bob. “It’s between me and Kaze, Madam Otter. Stay out of it.” Miya responded to Bella before facing Kaze with a grimacing look. She said grimly, “Do you think I’d be scared because you drove Bob away, Kaze? “I told you. I’m here today bearing a message from Mr. Yaphet. “I can’t face Mr. Yaphet if I don’t put you in your place today. “Bob is just from the streets of Golden Ray. I hope you didn’t think Mr. Yaphet and I would take h
“Kaze, you brought this on yourself. 10 billion dollars is not a lot to ask from you. The compensation is just twice what my family has lost. “I know that it will be hard for you and your wife to come up with the money all at once.” Miya glanced at Darcy and said, “But like I said, I can accept Sky Ocean Corporation as collateral.“You have a week to make this happen. “Now, do we have a problem?” Since Kaze was a brute, Miya turned her attention to Darcy instead. Miya held the request to make Kaze kneel for now. Through their interactions, Miya could tell one thing. Darcy cared a lot about Kaze. She would go to lengths to shield Kaze from humiliation. In that case, Miya was better off approaching the subject of money first. She could secure her benefits and bleed Kaze’s family dry. Once that happened, Miya would have Kaze where she wanted. Kaze would have no choice but to bow to her. One to keep the peace, Darcy fell into contemplation before uttering, “10 bill
The Otters nearly lost it. Kaze was unaware of the impending doom coming his way for calling Hunter out. “Shut up, Kaze!” Even Bella could not take it anymore. She said angrily, “Agnes, keep your son-in-law in line.” “Hear that, bastard? Shut up! Are you oblivious to the trouble you have caused?”Agnes yelled furiously at Kaze. She finally had Bella’s approval to rejoin the family. However, Kaze ruined things for her again. Agnes could imagine how much the Otters hated them. Kaze said indifferently, “Did I commit a crime to tear a piece of paper? Who made the rule up? Mr. Yaphet?” “You got that right, Kaze. Mr. Yaphet’s word is law.” Miya said coldly, “You’ve committed a serious crime by tearing his handwriting, and you deserve the death penalty.” “Oh…” Kaze smiled nonchalantly. “Get him to arrest me then. If he can catch me, he can do whatever he wants.” “Mr. Yaphet doesn’t have to arrest you himself.” Miya sneered. “You’re only cocky because you have ties
“10 million for Alfonso just to show up? That’s some easy money.” Kaze raised his brows. He did not expect Alfonso to make money using his status as ex-branch chief of the Viper’s Den Butterworth Branch. It somehow felt cheap. “You know nothing!” Miya scoffed. “10 million is a discounted price. You really think 10 million is enough to bring him here? Without connections, he won’t even look at you if you give him one hundred million! “Now that you’ve known better, your wife might seem rich but she’s just a nouveau riche. You are nothing to us!” She peered down at Kaze proudly, speaking with superiority. To her, Kaze gained the courage to speak arrogantly and loudly because of his connections with the Viper’s Den. Now that she invited Alfonso, would Kaze’s connections still be useful? In short, she believed Kaze’s days were numbered. “Sir, someone claiming to be Alfonso Longwind from the Viper’s Den Butterworth Branch is outside, requesting a meeting,” said a servant
Aloysius looked at the business venture at hand with a mix of emotions. Jet was supposed to make a comeback with the project, but the defeat was a huge slap to his face. “Can I ask whether Kaze was behind this?” Aloysius braced himself to ask the question. Even though Aloysius had an inkling, he feared receiving confirmation of his suspicion. “Chairman Lee helped me. If Jet hadn’t hurt my mother, I wouldn’t have rushed back to take his place. “He did this to himself,” Snow said blatantly. “How did you know about the island project? We have been discreet about it.” Aloysius was eager to find out. The question would burn on his mind unless he got some answers. “You can’t keep anything from the Viper’s Den, but this is the end of the matter. If you’re interested in the project, I can put you in charge of it.” Snow could not be bothered to explain herself. Aloysius played it smart. He had been carrying out Snow’s orders without a hitch. Snow was happy to honor her prom
“Tell them that the company is expecting funding, and all the projects will be launched in a few days. Everything will be back on track. It’s a good thing that the higher management is gone. We will be opening the positions for internal employees to apply.” Snow got the right solution to handle the situation. She had to give these employees hope to gain their dedication in return. Aloysius was surprised. “Who would pour money in when our finances are in a mess?” Having worked with Jet, Aloysius had a good understanding of the company’s ins and outs. Several business ventures were up in the air, and the company was bleeding money. Even with a relaunch, these projects would not bring in much of a profit. Most importantly, the relaunch had to be backed up by some funding. The business got a loan from the Viper’s Den. If payment was not made in time, the company’s shares would be used to make up for the loss. The whole thing spelled trouble. Snow just joined the company.
“This is the financial report you submitted today. Any intern can do a better job than you.” Snow mocked Jack. She was disappointed in his performance. A finance director who could not even get his basics right should not be working in finance in the first place. “Who do you think you are, doing this to us?” The others are only out to save their own asses. They did not sympathize with Jack. “I’m sure you are well aware of what you have done.” “You’re on your phone all day at work. You put your daily expenses on the company card, and we’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars a month. You only bought stuff for your personal use. “Let’s not forget about you. Your so-called business trips are to take your mistress out for expensive hotel stays and vacations.” Snow looked at each one of them while detailing their deeds. She shamed them in public, utterly humiliating them. “Why were these allowed before? Why are you stopping these practices now? If you can change
“No, Ms. Frost. I can do it,” Aloysius said right away. He did not want to miss out on a good opportunity. “I gave you a chance. It’s up to you to seize it.” Snow looked at them with a smile. “I’ll get right to it, Ms. Frost.” The HR manager nodded and took off. He had to prepare the paperwork. Those in upper management were on a higher pay grade with a cut of the shares. Following a termination, the HR manager had to calculate the final pay. There had to be a valid reason for the discharge from duties too. Though things were a little complicated, the HR manager was experienced in this aspect. The only issue was that the staff involved were not the low-ranking employees. They held high positions. Despite his unrest, Aloysius did not wear his heart on his sleeve. He had a good read of the situation. Snow was impartial in carrying out business. Those who contributed to the company would stay while the ones who bled the business dry would be sacked. Anyone would p
Sure enough, the mean would gather around the individual at their fall from grace. It was sad to grasp this reality. “I promise you to have everything in order. Don’t worry. You will get a nice promotion.” Snow knew when to give her employee encouragement. Only then would Aloysius feel motivated to work. Aloysius departed in dejection, but Snow did not mind it at all. He served the wrong person. Snow took on the leadership role the same day Jet left. Since she assumed the responsibilities without much experience, the employees did not take her seriously. The people doing the grunt work felt nothing toward the change of leadership. The upper management may experience shifts, but they were still obliged to finish their usual tasks. The only thing they hoped for was to be paid more for their overtime. Following the change of leadership, some leaders may receive a promotion or be transferred out. The employees at the bottom of the pyramid wondered if they could compet
Despite her unease, Snow trusted that Jet would not have the chance to hurt her. Hence, she put the matter aside. The dynamic shift within the Frosts caught the eye of elite families across the business world. They kicked Jet while he was down. Some even tried to get a piece of the pie. However, most of them stayed on the sidelines, observing. A fallen giant was still a giant. Even if these families were greedy, they had to assess the situation before moving in. These businesspeople were skeptical about Snow taking Jet’s place. They did not know what Snow was made of. Consequently, they tried to approach her. Snow had been kept busy in the office, dealing with the problems left behind by Jet. She worked late into the night every day. While being buried deep in paperwork, Snow refused to meet anyone. She had lived in Butterworth before, so she had peers from school and friends around. Snow’s sudden return caught many off guard. Everyone wanted to get close to he
If Jet had detected the problems early on, he could have prevented things from escalating. Yet now, everything was too late. Jet did not regret his actions, though. “Just sign this, Jet. At this rate, the shares will drop beyond the point of redemption,” Talon said. The Frosts were terrified at the stock market’s dropping numbers. They did not have time to lose. “I will sign the papers. I lost.” Jet did not want to give in just yet. However, he had to comply with the family elders’ pleas. Snow was relieved. The contract was quickly drawn up, and Jet signed the papers to give up the proprietorship. “Relax. I won’t do you wrong.” Snow made a promise. At least, Jet would still have a home to go back to. “Don’t get too cocky. I didn’t lose to you. I lost to Kaze.” Jet knew that he would face much resistance if his rival were Snow. It was a shame that he was up against Kaze, a strong and mysterious man. “Just sign the papers. I will take over the family empire, and
“Don’t project your filth on everyone else.” Snow was angry, but she knew that she had to keep her head cool. By jumping straight to defense mode, Snow would give others the wrong idea. She had been there before. Kaze sat still without a word. He furrowed his brows in annoyance when Jet painted his relationship with Snow dirty. “I’m not here for the drama.” Kaze looked at Talon. The senior members of the Frosts should back down before Kaze did something about it. “Who do you think you are? This is a family meeting. Why are you getting involved?“If you are unrelated to Snow, you shouldn’t be here in the first place.” Jet took out his anger on Kaze. Kaze was not part of the family anyway, so Jet did not have to consider his feelings. “Watch yourself, Jet. He’s a visitor.” Talon was smart enough to read the room. Despite the air of mystery shrouding Kaze, he managed to screw with most of Jet’s business ventures. The Frosts stood to lose more by crossing Kaze. Ta
Following Snow’s lead, Kaze entered a big conference room. The centerpiece of the conference room was a long, solid wood table, drawing out an air of solemnity. Various notable and valuable paintings hung on the wall. The expansive floor-to-ceiling window brought light into the room. Sunlight bounced off the window that displayed a picturesque view outside. “There you are.” Jet had been waiting. With the pair slowly making their way in, Jet could not hide the rage in his eyes. “Long time no see, Jet,” Snow greeted him and pulled a chair for Kaze. “It’ll take a bit of time, Chairman Lee. The senior members of my family are on their way.” Snow contacted the family elders while getting to the venue. Jet had not produced much results lately, and the Frosts were utterly humiliated. Since Jet would soon be replaced, the senior members of the family wanted to be kept in the loop. These family members had their own ideas. However, they would be happy to appoint the lea