“Mrs. Heartano, I am telling you this because I want you to know that you should not be afraid of people like him just because he has some mysterious support. “You brought the paper to the Otters and it represented me to a certain extent.” Hunter stood with his hands behind his back, slightly bent over to stare at Miya with a frosty look. He was displeased by Miya’s cowardness. “I’m sorry, Mr. Yaphet. I should have done better.” Miya felt guilty and lowered her head lower. “But if Kaze tore the paper in front of a crowd, then he’s disrespecting me.” Hunter sat down on the chair and started to make tea. “I’ve come to Riverbank for just a short while and rarely goes out, unlike the others who lived a high-profile life. “Ever since I took care of the two useless ones in the Riverbank Seven, no one in Riverbank dared to disrespect me. Even if I did not show up in person, my words represented me and people would kneel before it, showing utmost respect! “Who would have th
“That’s why Kaze made friends with Mayor Synder’s secretary, Hamlin, and then broke Cole’s arms. He did all of those to capture the mayor’s attention. “The mayor then supported him, helping him to bridge connections with Hannah Delmore and the others. “Hannah Delmore is up against Jude, and the Gwakes had always been trying to unite with the Weathers through marriage, who are also close with Sanwell Finances. “That is the reason why Kaze was able to be close with the mayor, Hannah Delmore, and the others despite coming to Riverbank for just a short time. “I also heard that Kaze is intimately close with Jude’s daughter, Buffy. Jude has been trying to get Kaze to his side, hoping that he could fight on his behalf. “I have to admit that the little bastard is quite capable. I underestimated him. But like you said, there’s nothing to be afraid about. His foundation here in Riverbank is weak and all he has now can be taken away with ease.” Miya’s analysis sounded flawless and rea
Miya was delighted by Hunter’s words. “So Kaze Lee is just a dog to the mayor, a disposable cannon fodder?” She was afraid to stand against Kent either because her family had plans to expand into the city and the mayor was someone she could not avoid. She was eager to crush Kaze but she never gained enough courage to do it. The bastard insulted her again and again. Her only wish now was his death. “As for what the mayor is trying to achieve, it has nothing to do with us. Even if we find out, we can just turn a blind eye. “He wants to help Hannah to be the chief or fight back against Sanwell Finances, I don’t care, but if he steps on my tail, then I can’t just let him go like that.” Hunter put the cup down and then pulled his phone out to call someone. “Director Weather? I’m Hunter. I need a favor. After this, we’re equal.” …Meanwhile in Refined Blade Dojo, a street away from Drake Gym, Casius was enjoying tea and listening to Ryokan songs. He looked indifferent bu
Genesis Weather was the new director of the Tiger’s Cave office here in Riverbank. She saw Kaze as an opening to increase the influence of Tiger’s Cave in the city. Casius looked at his cousin and pondered. A moment later he said, “Kaze Lee is a tough one, be careful.” Genesis was new in her position and she was overflowing with eagerness and confidence. Her cousin’s words did not reach her. She pursed her lips and said, “I don’t think you should be this scared, have some confidence. “Besides, I am the director of the office here, I have permission to kill. Arresting Kaze Lee and throwing him into jail is a piece of cake. “Don’t worry, Casius, I’ll get your revenge. People who are targeted by the Tiger’s Cave are sure to be the prey. They won’t escape alive.” With that said, Genesis called her men to search for Kaze. …On the other hand, after sending Miya and her men to detention, Kaze and Darcy returned home to Villa No.1. Even though slapping Bob and sending Alfonso
“Bang! Bang!” The attackers did not expect Kaze to continue driving after the windshield was shattered. They could not react in time and two of them got run over by the car. Agonizing screams sounded in the air as the men fell down the slope. The other two did whatever they could to dodge the car but they were horrified. They thought after firing a shot at the car, shattering the windshield, the person inside would be terrified and could no longer fight back. No one expected him to drive the car at them. “Vroom!” The men behind Kaze’s car quickly reacted after Kaze ran over the two men in the front. Two SUVs charged forward at Kaze’s car. With both SUVs charging from the back and the truck blocking the road in front, Kaze found himself in a pinch. He did not want to end up squashed, so he kicked the door open and jumped out of the car. “Kabaam!” The two SUVs rammed into Kaze’s car, smashing it into a pile of scraps. One second later and he would end up like a
As the man thrusted his dagger forward, Kaze, who was rolling to the side, was forced to keep rolling away. Clank! Clank! Clank! The man wielded his dagger in a flurry, thrusting it at Kaze a dozen times but missing every single attempt. The dagger hit the asphalt road, causing clanks and igniting sparks. “Die!” The man grinned viciously as he squatted down, giving chase to Kaze with his dagger. His dagger was locked on Kaze no matter how he rolled. Kaze stayed cautious for the shooter hiding in the trees while shuttling around the cars to dodge and engage the man in front of him with ease. However, he dared not move out of the car’s cover. Judging from the shot earlier, the shooter was skilled and almost as precise as Leron. Had he not sensed the danger beforehand, he would already be a dead body with a hole in his chest. Then, he glanced at the trees and spotted a person going up the slots to reach higher grounds. A thought rose in his mind. “Die, Kaze Lee!” The
Little did Bengla know, Leron had just undergone surgery on his hands and was recovering. Otherwise, he would have slit his throat on the spot. “Y-You’re Leron the Sharpshooter?!” The man, whose limbs were all broken by Kaze, spoke and fear smeared all over his face. Kaze said, “There’s no more Sharpshooter or Lameshooter, he’s just a dog I have now.” Leron grunted coldly but did not say anything. He simply walked off. He was upset by Kaze’s words but had nothing to argue back. He tried to kill Kaze twice. Kaze spared his life and in return saved his family from Casius. Kaze was as merciful as a person could get. Be it a follower or a dog, Leron was indeed working for Kaze to pay off the debt of gratitude. “The Sharpshooter became your man!?” The man looked horrified. He fell to the ground and said, “I-I am Caspian, one of the Eight Tigers.” Knowing that even Leron had become Kaze’s follower, Caspian lost all will to fight and any thought of resistance. “Bengl
“Take them away and lock them up.” Welson ordered his men to take Bengla and Caspian away before inviting Kaze to his office for tea. “Kaze, thank you for delivering those two criminals to us. I have to thank you for that.” He pushed the cup of tea in front of Kaze. Kaze said as he waved his hand, “You’re welcome. I actually wanted to take this chance to ask you a few tough questions as well. “Do you know where I was attacked? On the road up to Wyomspring, Villa No. 1. Those two led a group of them and intercepted me on the way down. They were armed as well. “That place is a residential area for the wealthy, so if that’s how things are like there, I cannot imagine how bad the other places are…” Kaze’s words put Welson in a difficult and awkward spot. “Kaze, it’s not like that. Riverbank is a relatively safe city but they are, after all, the Steelclaw Guild and they have been giving us a lot of headaches.” Welson shook his head and continued, “How about I increase the
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